#i love how this satine is even more scared and playful than the last but she's still got walls up and puts up a good front

[cerealbishh]

Inside, My heart is breaking My makeup may be flaking But my smile still stays on

🎥: @starcuffedjeans

[lovingrosewho]

Fake Dating (pt. 5)

Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4

It’s finally here! The last part of this mini-series! The longest part as well! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, thanks to everyone who reads, who comments, who asks to be tagged, you really can’t even imagine how much it means to me, the whole 6.7k total words of this fic are already worth it just because of you! Any feedback is highly welcomed :-) Did you like it? Would you have preferred for it to be just 2-3 longer chapters? Were the characters ok? Any thoughts you have in mind 🥰 Prompts “Enjoying the view?” and “I can’t believe you are actually wearing my clothes” taken from this post by @sinnabonka 💕

MULTICHAPTER

Pairing: Crowley x Reader

Rating: T. Fluff

Word count: 2k

Summary: Sam and Dean Winchester need your help with a case, which involves pretending to date the King of Hell.

Warnings: none

Sam’s look is pure confusion, whereas Dean’s...

“What the hell?!” he exclaims. You can tell the only thing stopping him from punching Crowley is that the shock of the image before him has glued his feet to the floor.

“Now we’re in trouble” Crowley jokes lowly. You sigh and roll your eyes in boredom, standing up from the couch and walking over to Sam who is holding your coat with one hand and a gun on the other.

“Thank you” you say more politely than usual so they can note the irony “I thought I’d might die of hypothermia”.

Dean is still staring at Crowley, the engines inside his head must be running a thousand miles per hour deciding if to beat the crap out of him or thank him for keeping you alive. Crowley walks to you, noting Dean’s look and frankly, not caring, lifting your face up in his hands.

“I’ll be seeing you around, kitten” he mutters before vanishing in front of you, leaving you to deal with the family drama. You turn around to see the Winchesters looking at you expectantly, waiting for an explanation you’re not willing to give them yet, so you walk past them and towards the car.

The ride is tense, you’re in utter quiet, back on the passengers seat. You can see how Dean holds the wheel angrily, he won’t even let Sam put any music, even though the younger brother is just looking for the right words to say.

“I can’t believe it” Dean finally speaks, after a long-ass half hour of silence, and you snap.

“Oh so now you can’t believe it? This was your idea!” you reclaim yelling.

“Guys...” Sam interrupts taking a deep breath but none of you listen to him.

“Oh well excuse me for making you make out with the freaking King of Hell!” Dean yells as well, ignoring Sam.

The whole ride goes like that, screaming and recriminating at each other, Sam puts his earbuds on, massaging his temples with his fingers as well, praying to God you get to the bunker quickly so everyone can take some time off before discussing the whole Crowley and you matter.

After about fifteen minutes, you do exactly that, arriving to the bunker, throwing your heels on the War Room, not caring about breaking something, storming into your bedroom next, slamming the door with a bang. Dean’s about to go after you but Sam stops him, so he only turns up the warding as far as it can go.

You spend hours tossing and turning in bed, just to get up, walk in circles like a caged lion, and back to bed.

At about 4am or so, you can’t stand the feeling anymore and get out of your room on your tiptoes, listening to Sam and Dean snore through their doors, you take it as a cue to sneak out of the bunker as quietly as possible. When you’re on the outside highway, you call Crowley.

He appears in front of you not two rings into the call, with his hands inside his pockets and an intrigued look.

“So?” he asks heading your way slowly “How did the dynamic duo take it?”

“Not good” you confirm shrugging, extending your arms to hug him. He embraces you firmly, breathing in your scent.

“I’m sorry I left like that, but you understand, the hardy boys over there would have killed me had I stayed any longer. I tried to come into your bedroom but for some reason I couldn’t” he tells you and you nod.

“Yeah no, it would’ve been worse handling all that stuff with you there. And yes they... Dean turned up the warding” you explain.

“Of course” he says in a tired way, not letting you go.

“I’ll turn it down, they’re already asleep” you say, separating from him and taking his hand instead, conducting him to the door of the bunker, but to your very shabby surprise, Sam and Dean are waiting for you inside, Dean’s arms crossed across his chest and Sam’s mouth in a grimace, giving you an apologetic look.

“Dean, I don’t have time for this” you say going towards the warding. Crowley’s semblance appears calm and even a bit amused, but you can feel his hand slightly tensed in yours.

“Me neither, sweetheart. It’s late, we’re tired, and oh, I already lowered the warding” he says mockingly. You turn to him again, exasperated.

“Alright, (Y/N), we just want to understand,” Sam says, stopping another loud argument from happening “what the hell?”

You sigh, about to recite hour to hour what happened, but Crowley lets go of your hand swiftly and moves it to your shoulder, speaking up.

“It wasn’t her fault” he says, looking at both the Winchesters one at a time “If you’re about to scold anyone, Dean, it’s me, not her”.

“Damn right I am” Dean says, taking a few steps forward intimidatingly, but Sam, as the true moderator he is, raises one hand in annoyance as a heads up for Dean to stay where he is.

“Okay, then, Crowley, man, what the hell?” Sam asks, genuinely bewildered “We leave her with you for a few hours and-and, you’re kissing her?”

You can tell by Crowley’s look and stand, he’s doing his absolute best not to retort with some, witty-out of the place, comment. Since you’re still on top of the stairs, he snaps you both down to be leveled with the Winchesters.

“I like him” you say before Crowley’s even able to respond himself “I love him”.

Now the three men are looking at you like you’ve lost your mind.

“And I love her too” Crowley admits as well, still looking at you taken aback by your words.

“But you’re a demon” a stunned Sam interrupts the scene “Can you even love?”

“Yes, Moose” Crowley rolls his eyes “Apparently, since you two morons dosed me with human blood till derogation, my whole demon-system has... gone soft. As you very eloquently put it”.

You chuckle slightly, knowing that’s just partially true, even before they sedated him with that, he was already very fond of you.

Dean hasn’t said a word nor moved while Sam has been doing all the talking, but suddenly, he walks towards you and encircles you in a hug, kissing the top of your head.

“Dean?” you call unsure about this unexpected behavior.

“I know you know what you’re doing kiddo” he says almost inaudibly “I just... worry too damn much about you, but you can take better care of yourself than either Sam or me can”.

You feel a single tear rolling down your cheeks and landing on Dean’s shoulder. He separates to look at you, his grip on your forearms, a persistent form of protection and reassurance.

“Is this really what you want?” he asks carefully “Cause if it is... I mean I hate it. But I understand, I won’t get on your way. As long as he doesn’t hurt you. ‘Cause if he does...”

“You’ll smite me till beyond hell itself? Yes, Squirrel, we’ve heard that one before” Crowley interrupts him. Dean’s grip tenses on you, but he takes a deep breath, likely counts till ten, and looks affirmatively at Crowley “Good. Now that we could work this out like the highly functioning enemies we are, may I have (Y/N) back?”

“This is what I want” you say to Dean “It’s my decision”.

Dean nods, resigned, hugs you one last time and lets you go to Crowley’s side, holding his hand.

“Take care” Sam tells you waving his hand in the air. Dean is obsessively biting the nail of his thumb, probably regretting the choice of letting you go off with him, but it’s too late, Crowley vanishes the two of you and in a fraction of a second, you’re standing in his chambers in hell.

“That went... awfully pleasant” Crowley declares with both his eyebrows arched, just before he pulls you to him, still holding your hand and grabbing the one that was missing, putting carefully aside a lock of hair and placing it behind your ear as he looks at you in the eyes.

“Mmmh” you hum in response, throwing your arms on top of his shoulders and encircling them behind his neck, swiftly rocking you both right and left “Dean’s probably already regretting his decision”.

Crowley chuckles and nods in agreement until you yawn.

“Oh, kitten, I forgot” he says separating slightly from you, holding your face in his hands “You haven’t slept in... almost 24 hours”.

You yawn again just when yoo were about to retort.

“Say no more” Crowley says with a grin, clicking his fingers, dressing you both in satined pajamas. You laugh loudly.

“Of course you would sleep in satin” you mock giving him a playful look, taking his hand again, making him follow you to the bed, decorated with black gold and red velvet details.

“If you think you’re making me sleep with those, frankly horrific, band t-shirts you wear, well darling, you’re out of your mind” he affirms, making you laugh.

“What scares me the most is you noticing exactly what I sleep in” you tease getting under the covers, making room for Crowley to get in next to you. He rolls his eyes at your statement.

“You’re not exactly the dress-up type, darling” he teases equally, following your lead and getting under the covers with you, turning to his side to face you “I’ve seen you several times walking around in the bunker in those same t-shirts, a pair of pajama shorts and flip-flops. Which, by the way, you’re never making me wear either. Ever”.

“Yet” you giggle “They’re comfortable. And admit it, I look good on them”.

Crowley hums, extending an arm across your waist, drawing you closer to him.

“Do demons even sleep?” you ask when you feel drowsiness tugging at your eyelids, adjusting your head in Crowley’s chest, letting him cuddle you.

“We don’t, but we can if we want, for a few hours” he assures you “You sleep well, kitten, I’m not going anywhere”.

You nod sheepishly and begin to drift in the soft surge of your sleep.

When you wake up the next morning, almost afternoon, you find Crowley right beside you, still heavy on sleep, gentle breaths coming out of him as his chest moves lightly up and down.

You get up quietly, tip-toeing to his wardrobe on the other side of the room, losing the top part of the satin pajama and picking one of his suit shirts instead, putting it on, fastening only the three buttons of the center. After a few minutes, Crowley wakes up.

“Enjoying the view?” you ask brightly, turning your head towards him for a moment, watching him shift slightly up to a position where his arm is bent and his head is resting on his hand.

“What are you doing there, kitten?” he questions softly, his voice still husky with sleep “Come back to bed”.

You turn around fully this time and he seems to be more awaken suddenly.

“Everything all right?” you interrogate.

“Yes-very much so. It’s just... I can’t believe you are actually wearing my clothes” he exclaims, the corners of his mouth slightly lift “I don’t expect you to know how much that shirt cost”.

You grin widely, walking to the bed slowly, throwing yourself to it afterwards, not taking your eyes off of him.

“No. Does it matter?” you ask again, tone still teasing. He shakes his head.

“Not at all. It’s yours” he states, rolling on top of you, placing his hands at your sides, lowering to kiss you deep and passionate.

“You know I’m eventually gonna need to get up and get back to hunting, right?” you mumble, running your fingers through his beard and lips.

“As much as it pains me, yes. That’s why I’m intending to keep you here for as long as I can” he says, nuzzling his nose in your hair, inhaling your scent.

“I could do with that” you tell him happily, entangling your legs behind his hips and your arms in his neck, kissing him once again. Swaying, tender lips across his.

The End

MASTERLIST // TAG LIST: @enby-thesbian @agent-smulder

[catharrington]

I surrender, I surrender to you. (T, 2.9k words)

@harringroveweekoflove day 4: TEACHER AU, SCHOOL DANCE. Featuring aged up, and friends in love seriously pining. Lame flirting and lame dancing. Please listen to the song Surrender by Suicide on repeat 🖤thanks.

***

The door to the roof was emergency access only. If you opened it, a silent alarm would go off in half a minute if you didn’t have the code to disarm it. This kept all the students from wandering. But the code that sat readily available on a bulletin board in the teachers lounge, didn’t stop them from wandering.

It was the best place to come for a smoke break. Hands down. Sure beat sneaking around the bushes in the back of school, and way more space than the janitors closet. Didn’t feel haunted like the basement did with all its rustling, moaning furnaces.

Billy pushed the door open and punched in the alarm code with his middle finger. Using the rest to clutch a reliable zippo lighter to his palm.

As soon as the door closed with a metallic hiss, and the light above the flat plastic box on the handle flicked to green, Billy was reaching into his suit’s inner pockets. Felt along the silk inside until he found the crinkled pack of smokes he kept.

Inside, the school’s prom was raging just fine. Billy had spent all night watching over it from the edge of the dance floor. Looking the other way as some dancers let their hands wander, as scared lips searched out for a romantic first kiss.

He had been to all his own back in sunny California, spent them doing a lot more than cute kisses pressed to shoulders.

The night brought back lots of memories of bruised wrists hidden by satin shirts, fast cars with wide back seats.

Billy lit his cigarette quickly, pulling until his lungs were filled to the brim with ash. With burning and black and red things that messed him up inside.

He exhaled the day from his lungs, but kept the ash. Let his eyes drift closed as he savored it.

From the other side of the roof he didn’t notice he wasn’t alone until it was far too apparently late. As his eyes fluttered back open, Billy followed the heated gaze on his skin. Turned until he found the farthest corner of the roof and the brick half-wall edge.

Firstly, he noticed the black suit jacket thrown over the brick. As if it weren’t expensive and the texture could ruin it. As if he didn’t care if it were to tumble off the edge to the ground.

Then Billy’s eyes drifted up along a smoke trail that wafted just above the suit jacket. A thin line of white smoke that lead back from over the edge towards a pair of pretty lips.

“Mr. Harrington,” Billy greeted.

The man just smiled. His lips holding that damn smoke curled around it like some blue-collared Cheshire Cat.

Steve, Steve Harrington, was the resident music teacher. His class room was underfunded and made of things he mostly brought in on donation. The children loved him, even if he was hardly over their own age, self-taught, and said crazy things like he didn’t believe in homework.

A large grand piano sat in the middle of his classroom. And Steve usually sat at it. At least, he did when Billy would find some excuse to come in and steal a glance.

Billy couldn’t get over those long legs kicked out, his dress slacks lifting up to show off his ankles. The sweater he wore that day, because he always complained about the old building being too drafty, pushed up to his elbows. And his moles. All the moles dotting up and down the back of his arms. Over his skinny, vein covered hands as they danced across the ivory keys of his grand piano.

Billy wasn’t blind. He knew he lingered too long and too obviously at Steve’s door for his own liking, but he couldn’t help it.

Between his melted chocolate colored sexy mess of a hairstyle and his vintage movie star good looks, Steve was something else. Effortlessly funny, and gentle with the firm understanding of a father. He was amazing to watch or simply be around.

And that smile, that wide real smile that reached up all the way to create crows feet next to his pretty brown eyes.

It took Billy’s breath away. It was, something else.

“Didn’t think you of all people would be skippin’ out on that shindig down there?” Billy kept his voice low. As quiet as the fading night around them. But his throat couldn’t help the gravel laughter that joined his words.

Steve shrugged. Lifting his arms to around his elbows so his whole body moved.

Steve turned and Billy noticed then that he must had been worrying at his long, coffee brown hair all night long. It had gone oily under his fingers. There were some strands coming free of how he had it pushed back. Mostly on the sides, right behind his ear, some were springing free. Reaching out for those mole covered cheeks like vines wanting to kiss. Curls of feather soft hair just out on display, and tempting billy to his edge.

The view off the side of the school roof was pretty, long lines of Indiana forests stretching below them. And the colors of the nights was a water color swirl of navy blue and royal purple twinkling with stars as they turned on one by one.

But, Billy was looking at the curly pieces of hair behind Steve’s ears.

“Just needed a break,” Steve spoke softly. “Headache. I don’t do well with lights and loud, loud music. I’ve had one too many concussions as a teenager.” And as he explained he chuckled. Like it was simply life and didn’t make Billy’s blood boil in his veins at the idea of Steve getting hurt.

But Steve just shrugged again. Flicking the butt of his spent smoke off the edge before he lit up another one. Trying to chain smoke away a headache.

“What about you, Hargrove? Thought you were enjoying enabling all those troublemakers down there?”

Billy whistled low. His shoes kicked up the tiny pieces of gravel across the roof as he walked closer to the edge. “That obvious?” He asked.

“Might of well have spiked the punch yourself,” Steve smiled, wonderfully wide and real, it made Billy’s heart swell up into his throat.

“Damn, I might get in trouble then,” Billy said in a laugh and an exhale of smoke. Mostly about the comment. Mostly about that damn smile.

He pressed his hip to the edge of the brick wall. Steve was standing a bit back away from it. His body turned to look out over the view. Billy didn’t want all that. Leaned back casually on the wall facing inwards as if they best view was Steve’s pretty face itself.

A minute of comfortable relaxation ticked by. Their senses going dark and black and burnt as they created a designs of clouds around their heads. Watching them gather and fade as the smoke cloud was too weak to carry rain. So it drifted up into the night sky to join the hidden mass of starlight under all the polluting lights of the school building.

Billy was stealing glances at Steve. Trying to make it not obvious.

Finally, Billy thinks he’s supposed to be the one to talk. He wipes his cigarette across the brick to make a line of black. Watches it for a second as he mutters, “What is he going to do? Fire me? Who else is going to teach these pipsqueaks how to understand poetry?”

“Good point, no one in their right mind actually enjoys poetry,” Steve shoots back.

Billy’s laugher from that is from deep in his chest. Rolling out through his ribs in a way he hasn’t felt tonight. In a way he wants to bottle and keep forever.

“Ya'know,” he starts slowly. Thinking about his words carefully. “I’ve got a bottle of aspirin in my desk. If that headache is still bothering you, Harrington?”

And Steve’s eyes flick towards him quickly. Searching the space between for any meaning to those words other than kindness. There’s a worry etched into Steve’s brows. And again, Billy’s griped with a certain anger for whoever put it there.

He gives himself a moment to think about it. Looking from between Billy’s face to the ground below them. Kicking his fancy brown dress shoe into the dirt.

“We’ve been away for a while. Really should be getting back?” Steve’s whisper is so quiet. Even he must know that ain’t an option.

Reaching forward, across the little space left between them, Billy brushes his hand across the slumped fabric of Steve’s jacket. He pets it once, twice, his fingers lingering on the well-loved softness that’s been put into the expensive suit, before he gathers it up in his fist. Lifting it from the brick so he can drape it over his arm.

He’s watching Steve the whole time. Wondering what the pretty boy is going to do about it.

“Mr. Hargrove,” Steve talks around the last puff of his cigarette. It’s tobacco burning bright orange to the filter before he flicks that one too over the side of the building.

Turning then to level a playful glare towards Billy.

“What’s another minute?” Billy scoffs. “Well, another 30 minutes?”

“We’ve got to get back!” Steve hisses. “If the principal notices they are down two chaperones then he will crucify us!”

“That’s a pretty poetic way of saying we’re dead if we get caught.” Billy laid his hand over Steve’s jacket. Pulling it so that it was on the other side of his body from Steve. So that if he had to leave, if he really didn’t want to take Billy up on his so generous offer of aspirin, he’d have to brush up along Billy’s side to fetch his jacket.

Crossing his arms back over his chest, Steve worried his bottom lip. Thinking, gears turning, under that head of perfectly disheveled hair.

Billy couldn’t help but follow the motion of his worrying. Swiping his tongue over his own bottom lip as he thought about how Steve’s teeth worked. How they brought the blood to the top layer of skin. How it looked cherry red and wet, as if it were stained from the punch bowl at the prom still dancing below their feet.

“20 minutes,” Steve haggled. His eyebrow quirking up in a challenge.

Billy shook his head. “Says right on the bottle takes 30 minutes to kick in. Wouldn’t want to take you back to the party still hurting, pretty boy.”

And he let that slip. That wasn’t supposed to come out. Billy’s eyes widened in reflex at his old behavior. If he could reach out and pluck those words out of the air he would. It wasn’t poetic, it wasn’t romantic, it wasn’t the best way to flirt with the music teacher he has been silently crushing on for the past year.

But then, he noticed that Steve didn’t pull back. Or sneer, or draw his sword in a one on one combat for the disgrace of his honor.

He kept standing on the roof of their school. Kept his arms crossed over his chest to combat the cold. His button up shirt pulled tightly across his broad shoulders.

Kept smiling under the glow of the moon and the artificial yellow lights dotting around them. And just like his Cupid bow shaped lips, his cheeks were flushed a brilliant red blush.

“Okay, yeah. Sure, Hargrove,” he stuttered out. Lifting one hand to wave towards the door.

Billy’s smirk was wide and wolffish, brilliant and happy.

He followed where Steve was gesturing. Opening the heavy metal door with a creaking groan of the hinges. Stepping aside to let him pass. Steve’s shoulder brushed along the fatty part of Billy’s bicep as he went

Down the steps they start picking up the quiet notes of the prom music still going on. Now that it was later on into the night, starting to become too late to be out, the music has mellowed out to softer love songs.

The staircase to the roof wasn’t decorated like the rest of the school. None of the red steamers or sweetheart pink balloons.

But as the gentle rhythm trickled up the steps, it sure felt like Billy was right back on that floor. And he had never felt it before the way he had now. When he was a kid he was a rebel without a cause. Driving fast cars and leaving hearts broken behind him.

Valentine’s days were always something to get done. To get to the end of so he could jump in bed with his prize.

Now, as the melody of the song so slowly so softly floated by, he finally was felling those butterflies.

Was thinking this is how it felt being a kid and timidly kissing the shoulder of your dance partner. Your heart so swollen and raw just wishing they feel the same way. That they will smile at your lame attempt to get their attention, and bend down to give you a real kiss.

Billy felt his feet stop at a halfway platform. A shiny metal thing that groaned dangerously under them. It wasn’t a dance floor. Wasn’t painted wood of a basket ball court either, but it felt like it. Gods, did it feel like it.

The song echoes all around them. Distorting the voices and pianos and making it ethereal in a way he didn’t want to ever end. A spell he never wanted broken.

Then, so gently it was almost startling. Almost made him jump from his vibrating skin. Steve sipped his hand into the one Billy was using to hold his coat.

Billy jerked to watch him. Thinking this was it, Steve had changed his mind and was going back to play babysitter for the rest of night like a responsible teacher.

But, he instead wrapped those gorgeous piano player fingers around Billy’s own and claimed them. Moved them so they were wrapped up too busy to hold the jacket anymore.

It tumbled down to the metal floor below them.

“Tell me if I’m reading the room wrong,” Steve whispered. Trying not to be louder than the song. Trying to stay in the moment of the reverberating chorus. “I’m not good with poetry, but I know a romantic moment when it plays on the radio.”

And he lead Billy’s hand to his waist. Leaving his hand touching ever so softly on the sensitive skin of the back of Billy’s hand.

And he used his other hand to cradle the back of Billy’s neck. Those fingers playing over the shaved short hairs there like ivory. As skilled as he is in every instrument he touches.

Making Billy completely breathless. Making him an audience to the way Steve begins to sway to the song. Following along as their teacher’s dress shoes click against the floor.

“I think you’re better at reading than you let on, Harrington,” he breaths. So low, so gentle, just like his hands as he wills up the courage to rest them on Steve’s hips.

His thumbs find the brown leather belt Steve wears all the time. And he worries circles into the leather. Round and round.

The same circle that Steve’s leading them in. Swaying back and forth to the music so damn easily it’s mesmerizing. It’s easy to follow right along where he’s lead.

Steve’s hands come up to wrap around Billy’s shoulders. Takes a step even closer.

His face is handsome in the low light of the staircase to the rooftop. His whole face, from his hair to the tip of his thin nose, is sparkling more than even the sky they just left behind. His eyes are intoxicating to watch. Half lidded and dark.

Billy feels his fingers grip harder on Steve’s belt as he dips close to his face to talk right into the blushing parts of his cheek.

“You’ve cured my headache,” his breath is warm across Billy’s skin. It makes him shiver.

Steve leans back to watch for a reaction. A playful quirk that makes his nose scrunch up.

Billy swoops forward the inches between them to catch those perfect lips in a kiss.

It’s slow, and soft, and it takes every damn thing Billy’s got in his whole body not to melt into the floor right there. Not to give into the way Steve’s lips are so warm pressed to his own. How he tastes like a more expensive brand of cigarettes. And how Billy can feel the way Steve’s smiling still into his kiss.

It makes him whimper low, a pleading thing that sounds much more broken than he feels.

Billy actually feels a lot more whole than he has in a long time. Like a piece of him he’s been ignoring has finally come to dance. Feels like a side of him he wants to look in the mirror and see. Not the rebel, or the self assured ass who’s got so many walls up he can’t see what’s in front of him.

No, this was a kid who’s gotten his first kiss at a school dance. And, to make it perfect, from the guy he’s been crushing on all year long. From the prom king himself.

They part with a smile and a low laugh. Listen as the song switches to something just as slow and perfect for another cheek to cheek dance.

Billy lays his head down on Steve’s shoulder. Pulls him in even closer. But leaving enough space for their feet to keep swaying back and forth to the music.

[thebrotherssalvatore321]

Keeping Secrets Ch. 35

Keeping Secrets Masterlist

The next morning she woke up to find Klaus still sound asleep on his side, his lips parted just a little as soft snores filled the air. Seeing him so relaxed brought a smile to her lips as she turned onto her back, reached over to the nightstand and grabbed her cell phone to see that it was only five thirty in the morning. It was odd for her to wake up this early, but considering she woke up happy, she couldn’t complain. Dance committee clean up didn’t start until eight. So she set an alarm for six thirty, put it back on the night stand then rolled over and tucked herself into Klaus’s chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist waking a little, but his arm soon relaxed as he drifted back off.

As her mind started to wander, her hand found the infinity sign hanging around her neck. As she touched it her mind went back to the night Elijah left. “I will always love you. That is why I’m letting you go.” His words echoed through her head.

Klaus woke up a few minutes later and saw her staring off into space as her manicured fingers played with the necklace. He hated that she was thinking about Elijah while lying in bed with him, but he had to keep reminding himself that regardless of last night. Katie wasn’t his to have, but she would find her way to him in time, he was sure of it. “I know you said you no longer believe in love,” Klaus’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts that she had been so lost in that she hadn’t realized he had woken up, “but you still love him, don’t you?”

“I honestly don’t know, but it doesn’t matter because love means nothing without commitment.” She sat up and slipped from the bed. “He let me go…and if I’m ever going to be able to let myself be happy,” she pulled the drawer of her vanity open and took the teal jewelry box out, popped it open then set it on the vanity, “I have to do the same.” She reached behind her neck, undid the clasp then put it in the box and shut the lid. He watched her put the box in the drawer and close it before she turned back to him. “And while I’m perfectly content with whatever you want to call what we are,” she walked back over to the bed and crawled across it, straddling his sheet covered hips, “I want you to know that I don’t want to tie you down. I know you have a thing for Caroline even though she’s with Tyler. If you decide she is who you want to pursue then I’ll step aside, no hard feelings.”

“You asked me at the ball who I would choose if I had too.” Before he could say anything else she covered his mouth with her hand.

“Don’t.” She moved her hand and he gave her a slow blink. “That was just my own insecurities manifesting in a competitive way. I don’t need nor do I want to know who you’d choose. Although if I were you I’d choose Caroline she’s a pretty amazing person and not nearly as screwed up as I am.”

He realized then that her heart was still wrapped with hard stone. She wanted him…she was letting him chip away at her, but he was nowhere near the soft spot that he wanted so badly to be let into. She still feared the hurt that love could bring and if he was being honest, he was pretty damn scared of love too. So he too was perfectly content with what they had going on right now. “If you say so.” he hooked his hand around the back of her neck, pulled her down to his lips then sat up on his knees and set his hands on her outer thighs as she situated herself in his lap. He kissed his way to her neck and bit it with a playful growl. She laughed and he pulled back to look at her smiling face, loving that a small spark was back in her eyes and he had put it there.

“I like it when you growl like that.” She admitted as she bit her lip still smiling.

“Yeah?” he asked and she nodded. “Well I like it…” he growled and bit her shoulder and she laughed again, “when you laugh like that.” He told her with a smile of his own. “What else do you like?”

“Fishing for compliments are we?” she asked with a quirk of her brow. He just shrugged. “I like your laugh too. Not your condescending, alpha male with something to prove, laugh, but the one I get from you.” She answered. “For some reason I find your hands incredibly sexy. I like the fact that you’re clearly a fan of my chest and you have no problem showing it.” Just to drive her point home he slid his hand around from where he had been holding onto her back, up her stomach to grab her breast and twist her nipple between his thumb and pointer finger pulling a sigh and a small whimper of pleasure from her. “And I like it when you do that.”

“I like the noises and face you make when I do that.” He told her as he looked at the lust his action brought to her eyes. It had been a long time since he’d enjoyed being with a woman as much as he enjoyed being with and playing with Katie. He leaned back, placing his fists on the bed behind him to prop himself up as his eyes drank her in. She balanced herself on his lap as she brushed her finger tips over his chest and down over his hips, her fingers following the v of his muscles that led further down. She usually made it a point not to look at a guy’s package when hanging out naked in bed with him, but her gaze slipped and her cheeks reddened, which was exactly why she usually tried not to look. “I like that you can be extremely seductive yet you still blush like that.”

“I like the way you say seductive.” She threw out as she looked back up at his face enjoying their back and forth complementary banter. “and succeed.”

“I like the way you moan my name when you’re close.” He told her with a smirk.

“I like how you know when I close without me blatantly saying so.” She told him.

“I like that you haven’t stopped touching me since we came into this room.” he answered without thinking, loving that he didn’t have to overthink anything right now.

“Well I like touching you.” she told him with a smile as she slipped her fingertips down his chest.

“And I like kissing you.” he told her as he looked down at her hands on him then back up at her eyes.

“Then kiss me, Big Bad Wolf.” She told him with a seductive whisper.

“You…” he put all his weight on one first, reached up and gently cupped her chin in his hand and looked at her with lustful eyes, “are the only one allowed to call me that.”

“You don’t like it?” she asked considering that every time she had called him that in the past he seemed to. Then she remembered that Mikael had called him that and her face turned to one of realization. “Shit.”

“It’s fine.” He assured her in his pep-up voice, but she didn’t pick her eyes up from where they had fallen to look at his stomach. “You called me that before he did and you say it like a compliment, instead of an insult.” She looked up at him through her lashes. “Say it again.”

“Big…Bad…Wo-” he cut her off with a kiss and fell back taking her down with him as she laughed into him.

They were still playing around, lost in each other and tangled in the sheets when her alarm started ringing letting her know she needed to start getting ready to leave. With a sigh she untangled herself from the sheet and him and rolled over putting her back to him and grabbed her phone shutting off the alarm. “I selfishly do not want to leave this bed.”

“Then don’t.” he told her as he pulled her back into him and started kissing her shoulders and back.

“I have to. I’m part of the dance committee and the gym and cafeteria are a mess.” She told him as she rolled over to face him. “I’m not going to let Caroline, Tyler, Matt and Rebekah do it all themselves.” She slipped from the bed and walked over to the dresser where she grabbed a set of under things, put them on the dresser then went to her wardrobe and opened it up. She grabbed a yellow racer back tank top and a black leather jacket then pulled the drawer out and grabbed a pair of distressed dark wash jeans. “I’m gonna go shower. If I show up reeking of sex Caroline will most likely pry until she finds out who I slept with, judge me nine ways to Sunday then tell Tyler who will tell Matt who will tell Elena and so on and so on.” She told him as she grabbed the satin robe and shrugged it on.

“Do you not want people to know you’re sleeping with me?” he asked with an enthused smirk.

“I don’t care if they find out ,I’m just not going to be the first one to start up the rumor mill.” She told him as she grabbed her clean clothes.

He sat up. “Am I invited to join you for your shower?” he asked.

She was going to tell him no, that she could use the time to clear her head, but then he stood from the bed, the sheet that had been covering him since she got out of bed slipped from his hips and a blush colored her cheeks making him smile. After a second she jerked her eyes up to his and swallowed with a gulp. “Uh huh.” Klaus laughed at her reaction and scooped her up with a growl making her yelp then burst out laughing as she wrapped her arms around him.

TVDTVDTVD

After their shower they went to their seperate rooms to get dressed. She was in the kitchen putting a blood bag in a coffee tumbler when Klaus found her, even wearing jeans and a plain maroon Henley she found him attractive. “What would you say if I asked you to leave town with me?” he asked as he grabbed a bag of blood out of the icebox.

“I would say give me until Monday when I can talk to the counselor about home school and then I’m all yours.” she said then put the lid on the tumbler and took a drink.

“Do you want your things at your house packed up or just what you have here?” he asked, making her realize it wasn’t just a hypothetical question.

“Oh, you’re being serious.” He took a drink of blood then smiled a closed lipped smile and lifted his brows. “What I have here will be more than enough.” She looked at the clock on her phone.

“Then Tyler’s not going to make it to homecoming clean up.” He told her and she gave him a questioning look. “He will be helping pack our things.” He watched her look down at her phone to see that she still had about twenty minutes before she had to leave the house. “I’ve got to say, I’m surprised you’ve agreed to come with me.”

“Why? I hate this town.” She asked as she pulled herself up to sit in the corner of the cabinets. “I’m tired of this place and everyone in it.” she rethought what she said. “Well, except Rebekah and Caroline, but that’s what phone’s and video chat are for.”

He walked over to stand between her knees and took a drink from his glass then set it on the bar next to her. “Where do you want to go?” he placed his hands on her sides.

She moved her arms to rest on his neck, still holding her coffee tumbler in her hand. “Anywhere in the u.s.” she told him then took a drink from the tumbler. “I don’t want to go out of the country until after graduation, which I want to come back here for. All this life I’ve anticipated walking across that stage in an ugly maroon gown and tossing my hat alongside the people I grew up with.” He smiled at her, loving that she didn’t just say, you choose or I don’t care then proceed to shoot down every idea he had like a stereotypical woman. “So where are we going?” she asked then took a drink.

“I don’t know, let me think about it.” he answered already thinking about what he wanted to show her first.

“Okay.” She looked at the clock on the wall. “I have to go.” He stepped back and let her hop down off the bar then enjoyed watching her walk away.

TVDTVDTVD

Katie found Rebekah in the cafeteria picking up trash that was left on the tables. “How was your night?” Rebekah asked as Katie grabbed a small blue recycling bin and started picking up trash. When Katie didn’t answer Rebekah looked up at her and smirked.

“Isn’t that a bit of a weird question for you to ask when it was your brother I spent the night with?” Katie asked with a cock of her head.

“That doesn’t touch the tip of the weird iceberg.” Rebekah told her. “When you spend as much time around your siblings as I have you learn to deal with hearing and seeing things you would prefer not to.” Katie just shook her head and smiled. “If I’m being honest I knew the two of you were making out before I interrupted.” Katie gave her a confused frown. “I know how easy it is for him to charm a woman into his bed and I know you still miss Elijah. I was giving you the opportunity to say no if it wasn’t something you really wanted.”

“Huh.” Katie huffed. Rebekah really wasn’t as much of a bitch as she came off to be. “Thanks.” Rebekah gave her a look that told her to answer her question. “Fine, my night was freaking amazing and for the first time in almost a month I don’t feel like it took every ounce of willpower I had just to get out of bed in the morning.” She told her letting a smile slip. She wanted to tell her that she and Klaus were planning on leaving together, but she figured it would be best if she let Klaus tell her.

“Well, getting laid does tend to put some pep in one's step.” Rebekah told her as she picked up trash off the table.

“Who got laid?” Caroline asked as she walked into the room and looked at the two girls. “Please tell me you didn’t sleep with Damon again.” Caroline asked Rebekah who shook her head no and pointed at Katie who wasn’t looking at them and instead focused on picking up trash. But she looked up when Caroline threw a plastic champagne glass at her. “You slept with Damon?” Caroline asked in disbelief.

“What? No!” Katie told her as she picked up the champagne glass. “No one slept with Damon again.”

“Then who did you sleep with?” Caroline asked.

“Klaus.” Rebekah answered innocently.

“Rebekah!” Katie yelled and threw the glass at her.

“You and Klaus?” Caroline asked with wide eyes.

“I’m gonna go get started on the gym.” Katie walked away not feeling like dealing with either of the girls. While Caroline and Rebekah worked in the cafeteria Katie started taking the lights down in the gym. She was almost done when someone whooshed up behind her and broke her neck.

When she woke up and took a breath through her mouth she instantly started coughing from the vervain she breathed in. The cloth in her mouth that was tied around her head had been soaked in it. Not only did it burn her cheeks and ears, but it weakened her little by little as she involuntarily breathed it in. She still took vervain every morning, but her tolerance wasn’t high enough to keep it from affecting her at all. For right now it just protected her from compulsion. She tried to lift her hands only to realize that they were pinned to the desk with pencils that someone had stabbed through her palms.

Her eyes landed on Alaric, leaning his hips against the front of his desk with his phone to his hear and she realized that he had managed to turn during the night. Esther had succeeded in creating her ultimate weapon. When another heartbeat in the room caught her attention she looked over to see Caroline, gagged with pencils in her hands, in the desk to her right.

“Listen closely. I’m at the school.” Alaric told whoever he was on the phone with. “I have Caroline and Katie and if you want to keep them alive, I need you to get into your car and come down here right away.” Alaric looked up at the two vampires staked to desks. “If you tell anyone, I will kill them.” He hung up the phone and smirked an evil smirk at them then sat down at his desk, propped his feet up on it and started twirling a stake that looked almost like it was coated in a spider web of silver, in his hand.

While Caroline cried and whimpered from the painful pencils in her hands and the vervain that she inhaled with every breath, Katie sat quietly. The only indication that she was in any pain were the tears that slipped down her cheeks. After a long silence Elena appeared in the doorway of the classroom. “Let them go, Alaric.”

Alaric waved his hand at them. “Free them yourself.”

Elena walked over to Caroline, kneeled down and started to pull the pencil out of Caroline’s hand, but Alaric hit it, pushing it back in making Caroline scream out. “You said you would let her go!” Elena yelled as she stood and turned to Alaric.

“How many times do I have to tell you, Elena? Stop trusting vampires.” Alaric yelled back. “Sit.” He pointed at the desk next to Caroline and Elena sat down. Katie kept her eyes locked on the black board as Alaric walked around her, took the gag out of her mouth and dipped it in a beaker of vervain. Knowing it would be pointless to fight she opened her mouth and bit the strip of fabric, making him think he tied it super tight around her head when really she had a little slack. The sound of the vervain singeing her skin filled the air and a small grunt bubbled up out of her throat as she squeezed her eyes shut, tears slipping down her cheeks as her hands gripped the edge of the desk. She knew it wasn’t Alaric hurting her, it was the darkness that his ring and Esther had brought out of him, but at the moment she wanted nothing more than to rip his heart out and watch the light fade from his eyes.

Alaric did the same with Caroline’s gag, who started begging him to stop the second the fabric was removed from her mouth. “Alaric stop.” Elena told him as she stood up, but Alaric shoved her into the desk and tied the fabric back around Caroline’s mouth making her cry out. “Why are you doing this?” Elena asked him. Katie started chewing on the gag in her mouth, grinding her teeth back and forth over it, trying as quietly could, to break it. As she chewed on it, squeezing the fabric between her teeth, vervain filled her mouth and if she spat it out Alaric would know she was up to something. So she forced herself to swallow it and keep grinding her teeth despite her throat burning from the vervain.

“To make it easier on you when you put them out of their misery.” Alaric answered Elena as he picked up the silver coated stake.

“What? No.” Elena told him.

“Isn’t this what you wanted Elena? For me to teach you how to kill a vampire?” he asked then motioned the stake to Katie. “Well, here’s a vampire, Elena. One that I know you hate, so it should really be no problem.” He told her then held the stake out to her. “Kill her.”

“I don’t hate her.” Elena told him. “This isn’t what I want.”

Katie didn’t look at any of them. “Of course it is. All those hours you spent training, getting stronger. You could be a hunter Elena, but you’ve never actually staked a vampire through the heart.”

“No.” Elena told him and he started pacing. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because you need me.” Alaric told her. “Because you’re an eighteen year old girl without parents or guidance or any sense of right and wrong anymore.” He told her still pacing.

“Look at you. How is this right?” Elena asked with a motion at Caroline and Katie.

“They are murders.” He stopped and pointed at Caroline. “She told me she killed someone and liked it.” He took a step back and pointed the stake at Katie. “And we all know that Katie enjoyed killing her grandfather. Not once has she shown the least bit of guilt for taking a human life. How is that right?” he asked then walked over to stand across from Elena. “See, Elena, your parents led the council. It was their life’s mission to keep this town safe. They weren’t dead six months before you undid it all.”

Katie kept sawing her teeth over the cloth, her tongue, inner cheek and throat raw and bleeding. “You don’t know anything about them.” Elena told him as Katie still chewed on the cloth.

Alaric walked around Katie, leaned down putting his lips by her ear. “I can hear you chewing on your gag and I promise if you try anything I will have no problem ripping your heart out.” Not realizing just how long she had been chewing on the gag he grabbed it and jerked back on it in an attempt to hurt her. Instead it snapped it at the weak point she had created. It surprised him enough that she had time to jerk her hands up off the pencils, break them off the desk and stab him in each side of his neck, embedding them into his neck so deep the erasers were even with his skin.

Elena grabbed the beaker of vervain and broke it across his face. While he was down, screaming while clutching his burning face, Katie leaned on one of the desks, trying to catch her breath from doing what she had just done while so weakened by vervain and Elena took the pencils out of Caroline's hands and the gag off of her. “Get help.” Elena told them. Katie wrapped her arm around Caroline’s waist and Caroline whooshed them out of the room.

They paused and looked back to see if Elena made it out, but they didn’t see her. A hand went around their mouths and someone pulled them around the corner. Caroline tried to scream, but Katie’s tongue, throat and the inside of her mouth was still too sore to attempt to scream. Whoever it was shushed them. “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s me. You're both safe.” Klaus whispered then dropped his hands and they turned to look at him. “We’ll save Elena.” He told Caroline. “You go straight home. You stay inside, you understand?”

She nodded at him. “Thank you.” Caroline told him quietly then looked at Katie, “Katie are you gonna be okay?” Katie just gave her a weak nod. “I’ve got her. Go. Now.” Klaus told Caroline and she whooshed off leaving Katie with Klaus. He grabbed Katie’s hand and whooshed her outside a few feet away from the school.

“What did he do to you?” he asked, setting his hand on the side of her neck as he leaned down taking in her face.

“Noth-” she turned away from him and coughed up blood then spit it out onto the concrete feeling her throat start to heal. “Nothing I couldn’t handle.” She rasped as she turned back to look at him.

“That’s not what I asked.” He pointed out as his eyes took in the red healing marks on her face that went from the corners of her mouth to her ears.

“He staked my hands to the desk with pencils...gagged me with a cloth soaked in vervain.” She answered, still feeling weak from the vervain in her system. “He did the same to Caroline.”

“Why do you seem worse off than Caroline?” he asked.

“I swallowed a lot of vervain in the process of chewing through the gag. She just breathed it in and got some on her face.” she admitted.

Klaus sighed. “I wanted you to help us, but you’re in no condition to take on Alaric and I can’t give you my blood in case it interferes with the effectiveness of Bonnie’s blood that we all drank.” She could see him contemplating what to do. “If I ask you to go to Caroline’s where it’s safe and stay there till I say otherwise, will you?”

“Yeah.” She nodded then grabbed his chin in her hand like he did to her so often. “Watch your back in there.”

He gave her a quick kiss. “Go.”

TVDTVDTVD

They were sitting in Caroline’s living room both watching, but not really paying attention to, “Say Yes To The Dress” when Caroline’s phone started ringing and she answered it with lightning speed. “We didn’t take down Alaric, but I did use the spell on Klaus.” Bonnie told her and Katie felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. “I stopped his heart. He’s desiccated just like Mikael was. Damon and Stefan are taking him somewhere to hide him from Alaric.”

“Okay.” Caroline said looking at Katie with wide, sorry eyes.

“Okay?” Bonnie asked with a happy laugh. “I just took down Klaus. You could sound a little happier.” Caroline couldn’t be happy when Katie had been hurt yet again.

“I’m happy, Bonnie, it’s just been a long day.” Caroline told her as she watched Katie take a deep breath and stand from the couch and disappear into Caroline’s room.

After hanging up with Bonnie, Caroline went to Katie and found her staring out of the window with her arms crossed, a flat face and a distant look in her eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Do you know how many times I have thought about running away from this town?” Katie asked, not really answering the question.

“Probably a lot. Especially here recently.” Caroline answered as she walked over to her bed and sat down.

“We were going to leave town together. He was going to get me out of this stupid town that has done nothing but strangle the life out of me. He made me happy.” Katie explained, needing to talk to someone and Caroline was all she had right now. “Every time I find happiness something happens and I lose it.” Katie still looked out the window instead of at Caroline.

“I know you're sad, but-” Caroline started.

“That’s the thing, Care…” Katie cut her off with a shake of her head. “I’m not sad…I’m tired. So tired, that I can’t even feel sad about Klaus. I don’t feel anything really, I’m just…numb. Like getting a tattoo. It hurts at first, but eventually after so many stabs, you can’t even feel it.”

“And that’s completely understandable given everything you have been though.” Caroline told her with tears in her eyes. “I wish I could have done a better job of being there for you, but it wasn’t just Elena keeping me and Bonnie from you. I mean, yeah she was in the wrong, she started it, but you’ve always pushed us away and shut down when things get hard.” Katie started picking at her cuticles still looking out the window. “When your parent’s died…or left, or whatever, you didn’t talk to any of us for like a year.”

“I think I blacked that out of my memory.” Katie told her honestly as she looked at Caroline.

“Well I didn’t. You…all of us need to stop pushing each other away and stick together like friends are supposed to.” Caroline was at her peak when she was giving people lectures. “If you are not ready to forgive Elena and Bonnie any time soon I will completely understand, but please do me a favor and forgive me and stop pushing me away. We learned to ride bikes together, we turned together and we were tortured together today and I will not stop being your friend even when you tell me to. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Caroline, I understand you and I forgive you.” Katie told her as the smallest of smiles pulled at the corner of her mouth, but it looked half assed. “Just…do me a favor and don’t tell anyone about me and Klaus for now?”

“Promise.” Caroline told her and held out her pinky. Katie shook her head and hooked her pinky through Caroline’s then dropped her hand. “So do you love him?” Caroline asked, being intrusive Caroline.

“Honestly?” Katie asked then shrugged up her shoulders. “I don’t have a freaking clue what love is anymore.”

Before Caroline could ask another question her phone started ringing.

It was Jeremy calling to let her know that Elena had passed out and he brought her to the hospital. But now he needed help getting her out of the hospital before Alaric or an original came after her. So Katie and Caroline got into Caroline's car and headed to the hospital where they met up with Matt and Tyler and they got Elena out of the hospital.

TVDTVDTVD

"Couch." Caroline barked at Elena as they all walked into Elena's house.

"I'm fine. I just want something to eat first." Elena assured the smothering Caroline who gave Katie a look.

"How is it that you can boss people around with a single look?" Katie asked Caroline as she headed towards the kitchen.

"Cause I've got skills." Caroline told her, making Katie shake her head. "You, couch." Katie heard Caroline bark at Elena again before Katie disappeared into the kitchen.

She had just finished putting together a sandwich when Caroline came into the kitchen. "Tyler and I have to go, our moms need to talk to us, they said it’s urgent. Are you and Matt okay to keep an eye on Elena until Stefan gets here?"

"Yeah, of course, go." Katie told her so she headed out.

"She's asleep." Matt announced as he passed Caroline on his way into the kitchen.

"Then I will stick this in the icebox for later." Katie sighed and put the sandwich in the fridge.

"For what it’s worth I think what Elijah did to you sucks.” Matt told her honestly.

“How do you even know about that?” she asked with a shake of her head.

“Girls talk.” He told her with an amused smirk.

Katie sighed and shook her head. "I’m going to go find something to keep myself busy, laundry or anything. Holler if an original or a history teacher turned vampire shows up.” She told him and he nodded as she started to leave the kitchen, but stopped and turned back “And Matt…"

“Yeah?” he asked looking up at her from the bar.

“Thanks.” He just gave her a nod.

She was painting what used to be Jenna and Alaric’s room out of the need to do something when she heard Stefan come in. Not wanting to see him she kept painting.

After finishing a wall she decided to go down stairs and check on things and she was halfway down the stairs when an all too familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach made her stop and the doorbell rang. Elena happened to be walking by and grabbed the door knob. "Elena don't-" but before she could finish the sentence Elena pulled the door open revealing Elijah on the other side “open that.” she finished with a sigh. He looked at Elena before his eyes found Katie still standing on the stairs. "I swear…I’m stuck in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events." she grumbled breaking eye contact with him. “I need booze.” She headed to the kitchen where Stefan was chopping something and Matt was setting out plates on the dining table. "Elijah alert." She told them as she grabbed a bottle of tequila, a shot glass and a salt shaker. While Stefan and Matt went to the door Katie set down at the table, poured a shot then licked her hand between her thumb and forefinger and shook some salt onto the wet spot.

Elijah came in and sat down at the table and Elena sat down a few seats away from him. Katie didn’t look at him as she licked the salt off her hand then threw back the shot. Needing to get away from Elijah she grabbed the salt shaker and bottle and started to leave the room. “You should probably stay here.” Stefan told her and she stopped. “We might need your help.”

“I can listen from another room and shout if I have something to add.” She told him then went into the living room and sat down on the couch with her back facing the dining room.

Elena called Damon and put him on speaker phone. “All we need is to take that stake away from him.” Elijah started talking. “Once he’s been disarmed and the weapon’s in my possession my family will scatter to the ends of the earth. And Alaric…will follow us.”

“And you’ll just…run?” Stefan asked and Katie heard someone pull a chair out and sit down.

“We’ve done it before.” Elijah answered.

“And it’s what he’s best at.” Katie chipped in without meaning to.

She heard a chair move and footsteps head her way as Elijah kept talking. “Klaus and Rebekah spent the better part of a thousand years evading my father.” Stefan took the bottle of Tequila out of her hand and replaced it with a bottle of water. Katie gave him a sneer, but uncapped the water knowing she was being immature and now wasn’t the time. “What’s another half century while Elena’s able to live out the rest of her natural life?”

Katie downed the bottle of water then went into the kitchen and grabbed another one out of the fridge. “We finally stopped him, Elijah. After everything he’s done to us I can’t just let you bring him back.” Elena told Elijah who glanced at Katie as she pulled herself up to sit in the corner of the kitchen cabinets.

“I give you my word, Elena.” He sat up straighter in the chair. “I will not revive Klaus within yours, nor even within your children’s lifetimes.” Elena just stared at him and he fidgeted with the place setting in front of him. “Perhaps it’ll finally teach him some manners.” He didn’t miss when Katie’s nostrils flared and she bit her lips closed to keep herself quiet.

“Why should she trust you?” Matt asked as he walked over to the end of the table and put his hands on the back of the chair. “All you’ve done is screw her over.”

“And for that, I am deeply ashamed.” Elijah told him then looked at Katie who dropped her eyes to the floor and started picking at her cuticles. “But know this. Elena could have been dead the instant I walked through that door tonight. So, Elena, I leave it to you to make the decision whether to trust me or not.”

“Not!” Damon said over the phone. “Hello! Did that concussion give you brain damage? His lunatic siblings will kill you the first chance they get.”

“Rebekah and Kol will honor the terms.” Elijah told him then looked at Elena. “If you return Klaus’ body to us Elena will come to no harm.” Elena and Stefan looked at each other. “Do we have a deal?”

“No!” Damon yelled. “No, no, no, no. Did I mention, no!” Katie couldn’t help smirking at him.

Stefan sighed and shook his head. “Elena, it’s up to you.”

“Oh, come on!” Damon yelled.

“Why do you want Klaus’ body?” Elena asked, ignoring Damon.

“He’s my brother.” Elijah answered with a shrug. “We remain together.”

Elena looked down in thought then over at Katie. “Don’t look at me.” Katie told her with her hands held up. “We all know my judgment sucks when it comes to him.”

Elena sighed then looked at Elijah. “We have a deal.”

After that they started working out a plan. Jeremy would tell Alaric a false location and lure Alaric out into the woods where Elijah, Katie, Stefan, Jeremy and Caroline would disarm him then run.

Most of them whooshed to the location, but Jeremy and Stefan drove. Katie was leaning against a tree, waiting for Alaric to show up when Elijah walked over and leaned against the other side of the tree. “Where is your necklace?” he asked the first thing that popped into his head and she didn’t answer him. “So you’re just going to ignore me?” Stefan, Caroline and Jeremy moved away from them, giving them space.

She thought about telling him she destroyed it in a food processor or threw it into Wickery Falls, but she just didn’t have it in her to fight with him. “Go away.” He walked around her and looked into her eyes. The sadness in his dark browns managed to strike a tightly wound cord and when he tried to cup her cheek in his hand the cord snapped. She knocked his hand away with lightning speed and backhanded him across the face. He kept his head turned as she walked around him and over to Caroline.

“You okay?” Caroline mouthed at her and Katie shook her head no and shrugged.

TVDTVDTVD

They were still waiting for Alaric to show up when Stefan got a call from Damon. “Bad news brother.” Katie heard Damon say, eavesdropping on them. “Alaric staked Klaus. He’s dead.” Katie’s heart fell to the pit of her stomach and a lump formed in her throat.

“I feel okay.” Stefan told him. “Do you feel anything?”

“No.” Damon answered.

“It took Sage about an hour before she got sick.” Stefan pointed out.

“Yeah, or Klaus was lying about being the sire of our bloodline.” Damon countered.

“Well, if he wasn’t lying…an hour’s not enough time to get you all the way back to Mystic Falls.”

Katie stopped listening, knowing that Klaus wouldn’t lie to her, and stumbled back into the tree behind her. Elijah had been keeping an eye on her and saw her shock. He and Caroline whooshed over. “What happened?” he asked.

Stefan didn’t answer right away. “Stefan?” Caroline asked worried.

“Klaus is dead.” He told them with watery eyes.

“Tyler.” Caroline sighed and whooshed away.

Elijah looked at Katie. She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her into him.

While he hugged her and a few tears slipped down his cheeks, she just stood there not hugging him back or crying for the life she was about to lose. She literally felt nothing, not even his arms around her or the wind that blew her hair as he let her go and tucked a lock of it behind her ear.

Stefan and Jeremy left to be home when Matt brought Elena back home from his and Jeremy’s stupid secret get-Elena-away-from-vampires mission while Elijah waited for Rebekah and Katie stared off into space, leaning against a tree again. Elijah’s phone chimed and he looked down at it then back at Katie with a confused look. “Tyler Lockwood is dead, yet you are still alive.” She lifted her eye up to look at him. “I don’t understand how you are not dead.” Katie just shrugged.

After a while they heard the whoosh of wind and Elijah turned from the silent Katie to see a teary eyed Rebekah. “He’s gone, Elijah. There was nothing I could do to stop it.” Elijah walked over to her and hugged her.

“Tyler Lockwood is dead, but the rest survived. You said that Niklaus turned their bloodline.” Elijah told her.

“I thought he did.” Rebekah told him.

“It wasn’t me. It wasn’t Kol.” Elijah stated.

“It wasn’t me, Elijah. It was Niklaus, I’m sure of it.” Rebekah insisted.

“Then how are they still alive?” Elijah asked.

Rebekah looked over Elijah’s shoulder at Katie who didn’t seem to be on the same planet as them. “Why is she so quiet?”

Elijah turned and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “I think she is in shock.” Katie, who hadn’t been listening to them, closed her eyes and pushed it all back, every heartache, every bit of anger, everything that weighed on her, until something in her mind clicked and everything floated away. A content sigh left her lips. “No.” Elijah said, feeling what just happened through the shift in her energy that always flowed through their link that he was thankful didn’t just break.

“No?” Rebekah asked, confused. “No what?”

Elijah just watched as Katie opened her eyes.

“She just turned off her humanity.”

[xiaomomowrites]

act V

Genshin Impact | TartaLi/ZhongChi

Summary:  “Anyway, childhood dreams are all too easily shattered. Even if you just leave them be, they will fall to pieces all by themselves,” Childe had said ruefully to the traveler, “So someone has to protect them, right?” 

And what about your own, Zhongli questioned, who will protect you, Tartaglia, if not me?

Or, Zhongli is incredibly soft for a specific ginger.

A continuation of act IV; takes place a couple months from where act IV left off. Both stories can be read individually.

A/N: This fic is entirely self indulgent haha. I played Childe’s individual story and couldn’t help but feel obligated to write him being doted on. Seriously, the guy went through that much trouble to take care of his brother and preserve his innocence :( made me wonder if there was anyone to take care of him, too, you know? 

Umm if you wanna cry with me, listen to the song Everything I Wanted by Billie Eilish while or after you read. Please enjoy! - u.n

Spoiler alert: contains spoilers for Childe’s story, Monoceros Caeli.

--

The warmth of the morning sun’s rays always had a way of withering down even the strongest of soldiers. 

A morning not so different from yesterday’s gently pulls Zhongli from a restful slumber. He cracks an amber eye open to observe his surroundings and takes a calming breath, and feels his own chest rise and fall. The sun crept through the window and past the curtains, enveloping the entirety of one ivory wall and reflecting against Childe’s pale skin. Two bodies lay intertwined underneath the thick duvet, creasing every which way where their legs tangled and rose and fell with each breath they took. He glanced down to where Childe had an arm slung across his waist protectively, and allowed himself to bask in the way the weight felt against his body. For the first time in a long time, Zhongli woke with his heart full of peace and completely void of discourse. 

The ex-Archon glances down at his peaceful lover with the ghost of a smile on his face. 

He inches closer and pulls his hand away from where it was laced with Childe’s between their faces. The action released a soft, discontented grunt from the ginger. Zhongli bit his lip to hide a smile, and brought the offending hand up to his Childe’s cheek. He brushes his knuckles across the smooth skin, running his thumb across his cheekbone as he gently pulled away, only to reach back in to repeat the action. 

Childe sniffles in his sleep and subconsciously leans into his touch. 

Zhongli’s heart flutters.

At the heart of it all, he knows that Tartaglia is incredibly soft hearted. Buried beneath is a soul that is desperately clinging to the innocence of childhood that was lost in the abyss. He’s a man that carries burdens as heavy as the rocks he breaks with the flick of his wrist, a man that would sprint to the ends of the earth for his family and anyone he loved. A man that loves so deeply, yet so exclusively. He’s a man that is careful with his heart, a man that needs to be, but in the event that he should entrust another with his entire essence, it should be considered the highest honor. Zhongli’s chest swells. Childe truly is one of a kind. 

Sometimes, Zhongli finds it hard to believe that someone as magnificent as Childe has chosen an old man like him.

His ginger hair falls against his forehead playfully and tickles the bridge of his nose. The side of his head that’s pressed against soft satin pillows also has ginger locks splaying out in every direction, unlike his usual semi-neat hair style. His fingers twitch subconsciously where Zhongli once held them between his own. His breath rises and falls with each steady inhale and exhale, and fuck Zhongli is so in love. He’s really in for it, now. Oddly enough, it’s a familiar feeling. It’s an all consuming feeling that blooms within his chest before spreading like a wildfire down his arms and into his core, down to his legs and out to his arms; the warmth will spread up to his neck and make his head feel a thousand pounds lighter before the process repeats again. It’s akin to what he feels on the battlefield, except, instead of adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream, it’s more like a gentle wave of reassurance. It’s a feeling so unforgettable, even Zhongli in his densest moments has to be able to recognize it. 

Seeing that he roams the earth as a mortal, the only person who could truly be the cause of his downfall now lies in front of him, blissfully unaware of the world around him at the moment. 

What a beautiful feeling it must be, Zhongli ponders, to think of nothing but the luxuries that life has to offer. One of them being waking up next to the love of your unfortunately long life. 

Zhongli likes to think now more than ever, that Guizhong would be proud of him. Look at me now, old friend, he thinks proudly, look at what he’s taught me. Look at what you’ve opened my heart to.

Because even if Childe was a swirl reaction of multiple emotions at once, most of them chaotic, some of them malicious and some of them benevolent, he’s been one of the kindest teacher’s Zhongli has ever met. And the man is six thousand years old. 

It’s in his eyes, Zhongli concludes silently. 

Childe has never been one to be very open with his emotions, but like it or not, they constantly revealed themselves in his obnoxiously blue eyes. His eyes, ever cerulean, have led Zhongli through his heart and showed him the ropes, handling him with care. His eyes were the very reason Zhongli knew that he needed to make amends after the storm, three months ago. Because even if Childe’s posture and tone reflected but playful and meaningless feelings of betrayal, his eyes begged to differ. One look at him as he passed over his gnosis, and Zhongli knew he had hurt him more than he could imagine. More than he had ever expected he could. At the time, all Zhongli knew in him was a soldier. A Fatui Harbinger at the disposal of the Tsaritsa.

Oh, how he was wrong. 

As soon as the traveler, their floating companion, and Signora all but vacated the bank, he hauled ass to Wangshu Inn. Zhongli remembers the way his heart slammed against his chest as he pumped his legs as fast as they could go. It was Ekaterina that had informed him, vaguely, that Childe had plans to leave the next morning, if not earlier. He simply could not let that pass without saying his piece. Stubborn as a rock, Zhongli fled. There, he caught Childe at the last minute with his travel duffel already equipped and ready to go. He thought, for a terrifying second, that he had already lost him. 

And yet here they were, tangled together in a heap of limbs as the sun rose, ever upwards. 

I love him, Zhongli determines, I love him I love him I love him—

“Are you watching me sleep, old man?” 

Ah. He had been too caught up in his emotions to notice Childe’s obvious change in breathing. He had been awake for awhile. Zhongli’s hand, where it had once been running lovingly across his face, has stilled for quite some time and rested gently against Childe’s cheek. Still, Childe’s eyes remain closed.

Zhongli smiles, uninhibited. “I love you,” the words flowed out of him with such ease, he almost didn’t recognize his own voice. 

Both of Tartaglia’s eyes slam open. He doesn’t even get the chance to blink away the sleep the way he usually does in that infuriatingly cute manner. Instead, all he blinks once, nice and slow. Processing.

“Well,” the (former? It’s tentative) Harbinger starts dumbly, “good morning to you, too.”

Zhongli chuckles. “Good morning, my love.”

Tartaglia’s eyes widen once more. The ginger looks at the deity with disbelief, as if he were still processing the fact that the first confession was not a fluke. It truly is a comical sight for the ex-Archon. Another one of the simple pleasures in life, he deems, is bringing happiness to the one he loves most. 

The ginger sits up on one elbow and looks down at the man in confusion, tugging him closer in the process. “What’s up with you?” 

“Nothing is up with me,” Zhongli shrugs and looks up at the object of his affections with such nonchalance it makes Tartaglia’s head spin.

“You’re being all…” the sentence almost dies on his lips, “feely.” His head is too muddled with sleep to think of anything else to say.

“Feely?” He tilts his head in genuine confusion. Zhongli has never heard that word before. 

“Yes, feely!” Tartaglia shakes him restlessly, “what’s with the…” he waves a hand in the air aimlessly.

“I love you,” Zhongli states again, simple as breathing, “is it so wrong for me to tell you?”

“No!” He negates quickly, “I’ve just… you’ve never said it out loud before, I guess.”

Zhongli’s eyebrows pull together in slight distaste. “Have I done something that made you feel otherwise?”

At this, Tartaglia sighs and slumps forward. He lets his forehead thump against the other man’s collarbone and nuzzles closer. “No, you oaf, like I said, you’ve just never said it directly before. Caught me by surprise a little.”

Zhongli brings a free hand to tangle in red hair idly as he speaks. “I’ll be sure to say it more often, then.” And in a moment of insecurity, he follows with, “do you… share the sentiment?”

Tartaglia stills in his arms. Zhongli’s breath stutters for a moment. He wonders if he should drop the subject in its entirety when Ajax’s voice finally returns, albeit muffled by the sheets. 

“More than you could ever know,” he admits quietly. Zhongli ignores the quiver in his voice for Ajax’s sake. “So much so that it scares me.”

Zhongli’s heart soars. “You don’t need to be afraid, darling,” he assures him with confidence, “when was the last time you let someone take care of you?” 

There was a time, Zhongli recalls, when Tartaglia told him all about the day his little brother had visited him in Liyue. The little troublemaker took ten years off of Tartaglia’s life span when he rushed headfirst into a ruin guard factory with little regard to his own safety. Tartaglia, ever the family man, threw himself into danger and shifted into his Foul Legacy Form despite his slow recovery from the last instance. High on adrenaline was the excuse he had used when Zhongli looked at him sternly. He was left coughing and sputtering, a pathetic image of the Eleventh Harbinger that is usually so calm and collected, always looking for a fight. 

Had Zhongli been there, he would have scolded him endlessly. 

“Anyway, childhood dreams are all too easily shattered. Even if you just leave them be, they will fall to pieces all by themselves,” Childe had said ruefully to the traveler, “So someone has to protect them, right?” 

And what about your own, Zhongli questioned, who will protect you, Tartaglia, if not me?

“It’s been a long time, sensei,” Ajax admits into the sheets, “please be patient with me when I’m being difficult.”

Zhongli cradles his nape. “For you, my love, I’d wait another six thousand years.”

[hhoriginalworks]

ivory, white, and cream | f.w

You ran your hands down the long line of white dresses as you walked the aisle, the pads of your fingertips just brushing against the elegant and expensive fabric. You never understood the fuss around weddings or wedding dresses, but even you couldn't deny that something was romantic and exciting about standing knee-deep in elaborate and expensive fabrics.

"Do you reckon Harry would want to see me in something like this?" Ginny asked thoughtfully beside you, holding up a sleek satin gown with minimalist embellishments. "He's so invested in this wedding- probably more so than I am."

You stifled a laugh, shaking your head at the image of Harry trying to ensure the wedding is that of his dreams. "He'll love you in anything, Gin," you reassured her. "He just wants you to have the wedding of your dreams, you know."

"I know, and don't tell mum or Harry this, but I haven't dreamed of an elaborate, grand wedding since I was in fourth-year. I would've been fine with getting married at the ministry, or even just doing what you and Fred do," Ginny whispered, quieting as Mrs. Weasley approached the two of you.

"The muggle woman said she's ready to take you back to try on dresses, love. Oh, isn't this exciting," Mrs. Weasley beamed, leading your youngest towards the dressing rooms.

You quietly followed behind the two redheads, 'what you and Fred do' replaying in your head like a bitter melody. You knew that Ginny didn't mean anything by her words, but you couldn't help but feel like she knew something that you didn't. It wasn't like you and Fred talked nonstop about the future, both of you the live-in-the-moment, but you always assumed you two would be more than just boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I must admit, all this wedding talk has me hoping that Ron will propose soon," Hermione spoke up, turning a bright red as Mrs. Weasley and Fleur let out loud squeals. "I know that we talked about waiting a little longer, but he's mentioned that he feels like it's coming to be his turn since nearly all of his siblings are married or planning on it."

You forced a stiff smile, as Fleur immediately started to talk about how extravagant Ron and Hermione's wedding would be. 'Nearly all of his siblings.' The logical part of you knew she probably meant Charlie, who has been firm planted on the idea of staying single, but another part of you swore Hermione had glanced at you.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Mrs. Weasley sang, "but I had been wondering when the two of you were going to get engaged. I mean George just proposed to Angelina, and Ginny's getting married, so, naturally, you'd be next, 'Mione."

"Naturally," you echoed with a tight laugh, your heartstrings starting to pull and your stomach starting to churn. You couldn't even remember when Mrs. Weasley last asked if you and Fred were talking about marriage.

"Y/N, are you- oh my goodness, Ginny, you're glowing," Hermione squealed, her eyes moving from you to the young redhead adorned with silk.

Ginny stood in the center of the waiting room, a long silk slip-dress running off her body like water. It was simple and hardly embellished, but it looked made for Ginny. "I think this is the one," Ginny managed, a tear running down her freckled cheek. "I've been in love with Harry for years, and now, I get to marry him."

"Oh, Ginny," you sniffled, tearing up at her words and rushing to engulf her in a hug.

"You look like magic, honest."

"Family hug," Mrs. Weasley cried as everyone huddled together around each other. "And, cheers to another official addition to the Weasley family, or well, I guess Potter family."

The worried from earlier washed away as you watched Ginny light up as she talked about the wedding and the future she wanted with Harry. Hours passed, each filled with strings of jewels and shoes of satin, and by the time you apparated home to Fred, you were tipsy on wedding talk and celebratory champagne.

"Freddie," you sang out, entering the flat that was still partially empty out from George's big move to a family home on the outskirts of London. "Freddie, where are you?"

"Here," Fred called out, popping out of the kitchen and taking his place at your side. "I figured you'd be exhausted from all that wedding nonsense, so I cook you dinner. Do you have fun with Gin?"

Fred wrapped his arms around you from behind, eliciting a soft 'yeah' from your mouth as you leaned against his chest. "Do you remember when we were like Ginny and Harry?" You asked softly, the taste of champagne still on your lips.

"Young?" Fred joked, placing a kiss on your neck as he swayed the two of you.

"Hopelessly in love with the future that we'd share," you corrected honestly, dropping your head back to look up at George. "We used to talk about marriage- about spending the rest of our lives together."

"We're going to spend the rest of our lives together," Fred stated simply, turning you around so you were facing each other. "You're going to be stuck with me until I'm all grey and wrinkly, like an elephant."

"Freddie, I'm serious," you groaned, failing miserably at suppressing your smile.

"I am, too," Fred laughed, kissing your nose.

"Then why aren't we married?" You asked, your playful tone replaced with bitterness. "We used to talk about it, Fred. You're mom used to ask me every time we saw each other if she could see my left hand, and now, she thinks it's more natural for Hermione to be the next addition to the family."

"Mum loves you whether or not we're married, y/n," Fred spoke softly, placing his hands on your arms as if that was what was bugging you. "I love you whether we're married or not."

"What if that isn't enough for me anymore- what if that isn't enough to keep me from worrying that because you keep pushing back marriage, you'll push back having kids," you admitted, your vision starting to blur. "We said we'd get married three years ago, and we're still living above the shop, while everyone else has moved on and grown up. We can't stay young forever, Fred."

Fred furrowed his eyebrows at your words, "We aren't married because we don't need some fancy certificate or ceremony to know we'll last a lifetime. If you want to start a family or move, we will because you want to- not because we suddenly have rings on our hands. If you want to get married, then we will."

You closed your eyes, guilt suffocating you as words of anger bubbled up. "Why is it 'if you want,' Fred? Every time we talk about the future, you never say you want to live somewhere else, to have kids, to move onto the next place in our lives. It's always me who wants it all," you shouted, pushing Fred away from you as tears streamed down your face. "Do we even want the same things?"

"I want you, isn't that enough?" Fred yelled back, running his hands through his hair. "So what we aren't eager to live the same lives like everyone else? We want to live our lives together."

"You don't want to live the same lives as everyone else," you bit back. "I want more than just us, Fred. I want to move on from living like we're nineteen, and I don't know if I can do this if you don't want that too."

Fred's face fell, his brown eyes suddenly dull from your words. "We're still young, we're only twenty-seven. Don't do this to us- don't put all the pressure of the future on us. I want a life with you, a family, a marriage, but not like this."

"Then like what?" You asked, your voice wobbling as you watched Fred shake his head at you. "I'd wait at the ends of the Earth for you, Freddie, but I don't want to wait until you're ready to grow up."

"I'm scared, y/n."

You stopped, your anger and pent-up bitterness no longer overwhelming you, and stared at Fred. Suddenly, he wasn't the bad guy- the guy who couldn't commit. Suddenly, he was just a boy who lost most of his teenage years and young adulthood to a war. Your anger faded and your resentment withered, leaving you left with just your love for him.

"I'm sorry," you apologized immediately, biting the bottom of your lip. "I'm so sorry that I got all wrapped up on titles- on myself. I'm sorry that I've never asked you how you felt because your feelings do matter to me. You matter to me, and if you're scared, then we'll wait and go through it together."

Fred closed the distance between you, wrapping you in his arms and reminding you of why you love him. "I'm sorry, too. I never wanted to you feel like I didn't want more- like I didn't want a future with you. I'm just scared, scared that things will change or someone else like Voldemort will rise," Fred mumbled in your ear. "What if I can't protect you or our kids; what if I can't preserve our future."

"Then, we do what we do best, Freddie," you replied, tears still cascading down your cheeks. "We hold onto each other and improvise."

Fred let out a choked laugh, his eyes welling with tears as the two of you clung to each other like you were stranded in a vast sea. "Do you still wanna get married, love? We can do the whole thing with rings, flowers, and dolphins-"

"Dolphins?"

"You're not the only one who has dreamed of this," Fred joked, wiping your cheeks with his thumb as you giggled.

"All I want is a future with you, Fred, and that's enough for me," you breathed, realizing how little the title of husband meant to you as long as Fred was only yours.

"Well, that's not enough for me- y/n, will you marry me?"

[poems-and-pillows-and-puppies]

Song of the Sea: Chapter 1- Bow

Hello there. I decided to make a fanfiction based off of @thenerdyalchemist‘s amazing pirate!AU! Here’s the link to the Ao3 page- https://archiveofourown.org/works/22967113 

Chapter 1- Bow

     Walking along the beach of Alorminia, Ethari felt the wind blow its sea-salty breath onto his already salt-encrusted clothes. Rayla giggled, letting the waves’ spray pelt her face. The colors of the pier rushed in, a whorl of blues and browns and yellows on the winding beaches. The sound of children laughing echoed in Ethari’s ears. Children rolled in the sand, making miniature dust-storms in their wake, as parents, disapproving and encouraging alike, followed in tow. The sand felt like satin under their callused, well-worn feet. Rayla smiled at the other children’s antics, but made no move to follow. Ethari wondered when their little girl went from exploring everything and escaping his and Runaan’s grasps to mellowly holding onto their hands as they went exploring through new towns and cities beside the sea. As he stood there, lost in memories of long, long ago, Rayla turned her eyes toward him and tugged on his shirt. He turned his gaze to her, and she beamed at her adoptive father with the warmth of a sunbeam on a cloudy day. Ethari returned the favor, giddy from the feeling of stable land- at least, as stable as sand can be- underneath his heels. He could see Runaan making his way towards one of the sandside stores, already haggling for a better price on a pair of bandanas. At the moment, Runaan looked deep in thought, his brow furrowed like the loose plank he had fixed at sea the night before. Sweat glistened on his brow, reflecting off the blue henna-like tattoos that defined his entire identity, his silvery-white hair untied and flowing off his shoulders like the many waterfalls he and Ethari have passed by under the light of the moon. Ethari’s gaze moved down towards his waist and noticed that Runaan’s purse had already shrunk, albeit not by much, the leather rope that bound the pocket was a little slack and Ethari had a slight pang of anxiety overtake him. ‘What if he had been pickpocketed?’ Ethari shook his head slightly, his slightly spiked hair swaying in time with his head movement. ‘No,’ he said to himself, ‘the king of the pirates wouldn’t possibly allow himself to be pickpocketed.’ He strolled toward his husband, the sand shifting beneath his feet to accommodate his weight. Runaan snapped out of his trance and turned slightly to look at his first mate. “Runaan?” 

“Ethari.”

“What are you haggling for?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

    Despite his cold and harsh words, Ethari could sense his affectionate tone. ‘What a grouch I married. Can’t even show his love. Well, two can play at that game.’

“Dear, we don’t need to distract this merchant anymore. We can get a cheaper bandana at the other store.”

    He kissed his husband’s forehead, ignoring the faint saltiness of his sweat, for the sake of the performance. The recipient looked at him with confusion in his eyes but caught on in a split second. He faked acquiescence. His blush from the kiss, however, was genuine. They acted like they were moving on. The merchant spluttered. 

“W-wait! I can give it to you for 10 coppers! 10!”

   Runaan stopped in his tracks. Ethari, sensing that this was an exponentially better deal than before, based on his spouse’s actions, waited for his husband to pay for the clothing. Rayla bounced up and down on her heels, violet eyes wide and sparkling, taking in the hustle and bustle of the town. Now that he was closer, Ethari took a good look at the merchant. The merchant was well-rounded, as if he had eaten a few steaks too many for his body to have handled it nicely. His voice, though rough-sounding at first listen, was oily and sent uncomfortable shivers down his spine. The next time the two had eye contact, Ethari gave a half-lidded glare at the shopkeeper, making the man’s wattle tremble. After Runaan had finished his purchase, the group plodded on with the nearest produce shop in mind. As the ground turned from sand to hard-packed mud to cobblestone and the open airs of the beach turned to crowded wooden stalls and people from all sides, the two pirates argued over what to buy for the ship with playful tones, with Rayla adding her own two cents every once in a while.

“...so there, Runii! Fruits are a must!”

“They’re expensive, you big buffoon.”

“Hey! I’m only a little bit taller than you!”

   Rayla chipped in, “You guys are both the same height to me! You two are so silly!”

   The group laughed, each in their own ways. Runaan looked forwards. “We’ve reached the produce stalls. Why don’t you two go look for some treats or something? I heard Alorminia has the best sugared apples.” Ethari and Rayla bobbed their heads up and down like birds, making Runaan chuckle. He made a shooing motion. “Go on, you two.” The two scuttled off, disappearing into the crowd. 

   Ethari and Rayla strolled through the marketplace, searching for the sweet stands. People who noticed their markings kept a wide berth around them, much to their degree of comfort and space. Rayla frowned at the looks of fear on some of the people’s faces. “Why are some of them scared of us, Papa?” Her wobbly voice caught him off guard and he crouched to her eye level. “My little Rayla, you mustn’t be afraid of them. They may seem afraid of us, but that’s just because they’ve been taught to do so.” He winced inwardly at the lie. “Really?”

“Yes, my little albatross.”

   “Okay!” Her smile came back full force. He stood up, searching for the stands once more. Much to their annoyance, there was a large crowd of people in the way of the streets stand that were watching a group of dancers pirouette in the square, stopping their adventure in their tracks. The jolly music of harmonicas and banjos filled the air with whoops of joy and yelling. Rayla sighed in disappointment. “I guess we should go back to Dad now.” Her ears drooped. She turned around and started walking back. A call from Ethari stopped her. “Rayla! I’ve found a little passageway. Wanna try?” She did a full 180 to see her father point to a narrow streetway. Her ears went back to full mast. “Yeah!” She ran to Ethari, renewed delight scrawled onto her features. 

   The streetway was narrow, but it was still full of people. Elves of all kinds strolled through it, but more humans than elves manned the stalls. Ethari began to suspect something was wrong when he accidentally bumped into someone and a small, bejeweled dagger fell out of the hooded stranger’s clothes. His mind whirled with worry, but he tamped it down for the sake of his daughter. ‘Why am I so scared, anyway? This is an elf-friendly town and nobody is foolish enough to attack the family of the most famous pirate of this time. What is there to worry?’ As the streetway narrowed even further, his anxiety rose, until it reached his throat. ‘Something is wrong!’ He whirled around in a hasty frenzy, but nothing caught his eye. A tug on his clothing turned his gaze back downwards. “What’s wrong, Papa?” Rayla’s confused eyes acted as an anchor point for the antsy elf. His breathing slowed. His pulse stopped beating in his ears like a frantic drum. “N-nothing, sweetheart. I thought I-I saw something,” he stuttered. The road had narrowed to a one-person space only and alarm bells were ringing in his head like a death knell. He turned around. The hooded stranger from earlier was not far behind them. His mind raced. “H-how-”

“Did you think that we humans couldn’t do magic, too? Too bad. Hand the girl over.”

“N-no. This is my daughter.”

   The stranger chuckled. “Really, now? Then why does she have the pirate king’s markings and you don’t?”

   Ethari did a double take. “What?”

“Come on. Did you think that I would be that foolish?”

“I have the markings too.”

   Ethari bared his arms, showing off the faintly-glowing markings. The human gasped quietly, a noise that Ethari barely heard, even with his sensitive hearing. The human shook their head. 

“Unfortunately, my client told me the girl, and the girl only. If you won’t cooperate, we’ll take her by force.”

   Ethari’s heart stopped. “We?”

   The human looked at him, eyes glinting electric blue in the shaded darkness of the alley. “Yes, we. Who do you think was the first alerter to your presence? The people who were peddlers in the so-called ‘streetway’? We were all waiting for you, and you walked straight into our traps.”

   The figure held their hand out. “Now, hand her over.”

   Ethari bristled. “No! How dare you! We have not done a single thing to you or your city!”

“Very well then, we’ll do it the fun way. Suit yourself.”

   Men began to surround the way the two came from. Ethari glanced back to see men cover the other way out of the alley. He raised his arms into a guard position, poised to fight. Rayla cowered beside him, trembling in fear. 

   The human raised their arms and stood there, static, unmoving. Ethari waited, breath held, ready for their first word. The human exhaled, and Ethari tensed. The slightest word fell from their lips. “Move.” And the men came from all sides. Ethari fell under a flurry of punches and kicks. He was strong, as he was a pirate and a former blacksmith, but even then, he could not fight against so many assailants unarmed. Pain flared from every point of contact, and Ethari cried out in pain whenever someone hit him in an extremely painful spot. His sight began to flicker, and with one last burst of strength, he reached out to his daughter, miraculously untouched other than a few jostles here and there. Rayla grabbed his hand one last time, and his mind went dark. His limp body fell to the floor, unmoving. Rayla shrieked in fear, concern, and sadness. “Papa!?” Hands grabbed her from all angles. She fought with them, desperation leaking into her features. A sharp tang assaulted her nostrils, and within a few seconds, she had followed her father into the realms of unrestful rest. 

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   Ethari awoke to sharp pain all over his body and the concerned face of his husband. He hazily sat up, much to Runaan’s relief. “Oh my Xadia! Are you okay?” He drowsily smiled at his husband. He slurred, “Sure. I ‘eel fine. ‘ere’s ‘Ayla?” He looked around in confusion. “Yeah, that was my next question too. Where’s Rayla?” With those words, his anxiety skyrocketed. He shook himself out of his daze with a predatorial growl. “That little bastard- I’m gonna’ put ‘im in a barrel-” Ethari muttered, eyes taking on a deadly shade of anger. Runaan, confused, inquired, “What do you mean? Who are you talking about?” Ethari looked up at his concerned partner, and with a deep undertone of outrage at the hooded human, retold his story to Runaan. As the story went on, Runaan began to growl himself, and by the end of the tale, was already on his feet. “And that’s it? He’s just.. Gone? You let him?” Incredulity filled his tone and Ethari hissed in annoyance. “You blockhead. I just said that I tried my best to fight back! There were too many-” 

“You still let him!”

“I tried my best!”

“It wasn’t enough!”

“I couldn’t do anything!” 

“Rayla’s gone!” Ethari snapped his mouth closed. “She’s gone, Ethari. And it’s all your fault.”

Rage clouded his husband’s features. The face he had grown to love, to cherish, to care for with all his heart- Tears welled up under his eyelids, threatening to spill out onto the ground below. He turned around, sobbing, and ran in the direction he had entered. Tears altered his vision. His ears heard nothing but the echoes of “It’s all your fault.” His mind, usually full of words and thoughts, was silent, as if punishing him for his failure. “It’s all your fault.”

“It’s all your fault.”

“She’s gone….And it’s all your fault.”

[heyyyharry]

My Girl Series: Chapter 3 - His Muse

…in which Y/N is finally happy again, but Harry realizes it’s not because of him.

Series description: Y/N falls in love with the older boy next door who doesn’t feel the same, years later they meet again at a funeral.

AU: actor!harry, older!harry, younger!y/n; (4-year age gap)

Chapter 2: Homeward Bound - Childhood friends meet again, this time, at a funeral.

wattpad link

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"Don't pose," Isaac said as he lifted the camera again, but Y/N seemed even more confused by the instruction. She awkwardly sat on the park bench with her legs crossed and both hands on her knees, like one would do in a high school class photoshoot.

"Don't pose, Y/N." He laughed, making the model roll her eyes.

"I don't know what to do," she said, showing a pucker between her brows. Isaac could already tell she was hot-tempered and impatient by nature, but he actually loved it.

"You know what? Let's talk," he suggested, leaving her puzzled. "Tell me why you were crying."

"It's complicated," she answered with a subtle smile and he quickly snapped a photo, but she didn't notice. "We've only just met, I don't want to scare you away."

"What? Are you a serial killer or something?" Isaac clicked his camera again as he chuckled.

"What if I am?"

"That makes two of us." He shrugged. One more shot of her laughing was taken. "How old are you, Y/N?"

"Twenty-five."

"Liar. You're not twenty-five." He scoffed at the playful smile on her face, moving to the left to capture a different angle of the girl.

"How old do you think I am then?" She raised an eyebrow.

And with a smirk, he joked, "sixteen."

"Sixteen?!"

Y/N gasped, crossing her arms as both of them burst out laughing. She demanded him to be serious and tell her what he really thought, so he said, "somewhere between nineteen and twenty."

"Bingo! I'm turning twenty next month."

"Happy early birthday!"

"Thank you." She giggled and saw him snap another photo. "How old are you, Isaac?"

"Twenty-four."

"I know someone who's twenty-four."

"Well, surely I'm not the only one in this world who's twenty-four."

Pressing his lips into a smile, the photographer came to sit down next to the girl and showed her their results. Y/N was so impressed by those photos that she didn't know what to say besides how great she thought they were, but she assumed he'd heard that a lot already. As Isaac went back to the very first photo, the one of her crying, he suddenly pressed delete. The photo had vanished by the time Y/N grabbed his wrist and asked him what he'd done.

"I like that one!" She cried out.

"Let it go, Y/N. You're not that crying girl anymore." He shook his head. "This is you." The way he'd said it while pointing to a photo of her beaming got Y/N blushing hard.

"I think I look weird when I smile," she admitted.

"No, you don't!" He disagreed, chuckling at the look on her face as she probably assumed he wasn't serious. "From the view of a professional photographer, I can confirm that you have a beautiful smile."

"I don't believe you."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Isaac seemed offended and she thought it was funny. "You know what? I'm gonna call you Smiley from now on, so you'll remember to smile more often."

Y/N's body turned to stone as goosebumps pimpled her skin. Once again, she found herself back in the treehouse, she was standing in front of a boy whose eyes were as green as a meadow on summer days. "Bambi," he called her, and she almost answered. But the shade in his eyes was soon washed out by ocean blue when Isaac's voice pulled her back to reality.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking quite concerned. "You don't like that?"

"I do..." Even Y/N could tell it wasn't hard to make out the insincerity in the way she laughed. "You just reminded me of someone."

"Boyfriend?" The look of disappointment on the man's face got Y/N beaming again. She shook her head and told him it was a boy, but definitely not a friend.

"An acquaintance," she clarified, nodding her head, almost as if she was telling herself. The answer made Isaac seem elated.

He couldn't explain those feelings to himself, because it was impossible to fall for someone so fast, yet there he was, wearing his heart on his sleeves while sitting next to a girl four years younger than him. Most of the words in his head had vaporized. It took him nearly a minute to stop fidgeting and finally ask her, "do you want to have lunch with me?"

To his delight, she said yes without a pause.

.

.

.

It was Monday morning, and Harry was just about to head out when his best friend rang on his doorbell. It should be out of the ordinary to find Isaac Skies standing in front of his house, holding a bottle of champagne with a gold satin ribbon around its neck, but Harry knew exactly the reason why. In fact, he had expected something a bit more extravagant, but maybe that one bottle would do.

Harry rolled his eyes as he stepped aside so Isaac could enter. Maybe he was still a little bit upset, but of course, he could never stay mad at his best friend.

"Why didn't you show up yesterday? The models were so mad and I had to apologize on your behalf," he said, watching Isaac set the sorry gift down on the coffee table. "I tried calling you but you had your phone turned off. You didn't come home last night and your manager didn't know where you were!"

"Relax. I was with a girl."

Harry leaned a shoulder against the wall, slowly shaking his head at the answer he wasn't so surprised to hear. "You bailed on me because you were horny?"

"No, you dick. It's not like that." Isaac crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling, lips curved into a smile. Harry had known him for almost six years, so he knew that his best friend didn't get excited about just anything. The last time Isaac smiled that big, he got a shooting contract with one of the biggest fashion magazines in London. So the girl, whoever she was, must've been very special.

"So..." The photographer sucked in a breath. "About the favor I asked you for my exhibition."

"Oh you mean, hooking you up with some pretty models so you could blow them off like you did yesterday?" Harry rolled his eyes. The sarcasm made his best friend chortle.

"Well, I don't need your help anymore," Isaac said. "I think I've found my muse."

"You slept with some girl one night and now she's your muse?"

"Don't be a dick, Styles. It's not like that. I really like this girl."

"What's her name?"

"Huh?"

"Your 'muse'." Harry did air quotes to make fun of the way his friend had referred to a girl he barely knew. "What's her name?"

Isaac never got a chance to answer that question, because as soon as he opened his mouth, the notification alerts on their phones grabbed their attention immediately. Both had just received a text from a mutual friend that linked to the same online article. The atmosphere in the room weighted down at once as they both stared at the screens in complete shock.

"Did you know about this?" Isaac was the first to break the silence, but he only to received a simple 'no' from Harry. That question was actually pointless. Had Harry already known, he wouldn't be sitting there like a statue. At first, he could not believe in his own eyes, so he had to go over that article several times to check if it was real; and unfortunately, it was.

ACTRESS RUBY ELLIS IS OFFICIALLY ENGAGED!

After taking nearly 4 months off social media, actress Ruby Ellis made a SHOCKING return with an Instagram post showing her shiny diamond ring, and "I said yes!!!" was the caption.

Though most fans were happy and excited for the actress, her big announcement has definitely broken lots of hearts, especially for the fans who fell in love with Ellis in her latest film "My Dear Assistant". Many had been waiting for the actress to confirm her "secret relationship" with younger co-star Harry Styles. However, with that Instagram post, there's no doubt that Ellis is still very in love and happier than ever with her fiancé, 30-year-old actor James Clark.

"When was the last time you talked to Ruby?"

Harry shifted his eyes away from the screen as he heard his best friend's question. He quickly turned off his phone and shoved it back into his pocket.

"Uh...Probably a couple months ago...I don't know." He shook his head, eyes squeezed shut. "But it doesn't matter anymore."

"She's not worth your time, mate."

"I know, I know."

He didn't. He didn't know.

If Harry had known loving that woman was a waste of time, then that news shouldn't have broken his heart. He knew she'd been seeing someone, but he had never expected to find out about their engagement through an online article, just like everyone else. It was heartbreaking how one minute you were everything to someone, and the next you knew as much about them as a stranger on the street.

Speaking of familiar strangers, he suddenly remembered that he had somewhere else to be.

"Where are you going?" Isaac asked when Harry came to get his coat on the back of a chair.

"I need to go see someone. Have you got the keys?"

"Yup."

"Lock the door on the way out, yeah?"

Isaac nodded, looking totally perplexed, yet the second he meant to ask, Harry already threw on his coat and walked out the door.

.

.

.

When Y/N said those words to Harry at his house yesterday, she believed that would be the last time she saw him. She believed he would leave her alone, like he had many times ago, because that was what most of the people in her life had done. But now, he was standing right outside her door, and before she could say a word, he cut her off and went straight to the point.

"I called your father last night," he said. "He told me everything."

"Everything?" She cracked a smile, but it was obvious that she didn't actually think it was funny. "Did he tell you about the wedding?"

"Yes, he did." Harry nodded.

"Did he tell you the woman he was gonna marry was just a few years older than you?" Judging from the look on his face, she knew her dad hadn't mentioned it. "Did he also tell you that he started seeing her a month after my mother's funeral? That on the night of the accident, there'd been a fight and my mother had to leave the house? Did he tell you that?"

Y/N had never told anyone about that tragical night, not even Celine and Amala; and she let people freely make assumptions about her mother's death. They could believe whatever they wanted to believe, but Y/N knew what really happened, or at least she thought she did.

On the night of the accident, her parents were fighting like they always had. Eighteen-year-old Y/N must rehearse her speech for graduation in the morning, so she came downstairs and asked them to lower their voices. But as the girl entered the kitchen, she only saw her dad standing with his head hung low, palms laid flat on the marble surface of the kitchen counter. He told her not to worry, because her mother had gone out to buy her a celebration cake. She could still remember how happy she was when she heard it. She believed him, and went back to her room. Just a couple hours later, the police arrived. Y/N rushed downstairs when she saw the blue and red lights from her bedroom window, just in time to find out there had been an accident.

Her graduation day was the day her whole world fell apart. She stepped onto the big stage, trembling hands holding the speech she had practiced so many times and remembered every single word by heart. While everyone else was applauding for her motivational words, she was faking smiles, trying to hold back her tears as she looked at the two empty seats in the audience. Y/N broke down the second she stepped down from the stage, and had to be escorted out of the ceremony. Not long after that, the hospital officially announced her mother's death, and on the day that was supposed to be the beginning of a new chapter in her life, she felt like it was the end to everything. So she blamed herself, had it not been for that stupid celebration cake, maybe her mum would never have left the house, and the accident would never have happened.

But it wasn't her fault. It had never been. She hated how her father had let her believe that she was partly responsible for her mother's death. He could've told her the truth, that her mother left the house to get away from a terrible fight, there was never a cake. If she'd known that, maybe she wouldn't have spent the last two years tormenting herself.

"I didn't know," Harry broke the silence that followed after Y/N's story. "I didn't...I didn't know," was all he could say.

"Of course you didn't know. Even my friends don't."

The fact that she no longer considered him as her friend made his heart ache, yet he couldn't blame her. He had missed out six years of her life, no friend would do something like that.

"I think they were fighting because my mum found out about the other woman..." She shook her head, eyes glued to her feet. "I don't know, I'm afraid to ask."

"How did you find out about everything?"

"That woman said it herself." Y/N scoffed. "She called to tell me about the engagement, then by accident mentioned my parents' fight that night, thinking I'd already known."

Harry had no idea what to say next. He had no idea what to do next either. Maybe he should just leave, but that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to hold her and tell her he would be there through everything, even if she might not believe him after he'd failed to keep that promise twice. There were so many plot holes in their story and he didn't know where to begin mending it. He didn't want to stay away and let her do whatever she wanted with her life, because after all, she was still a special part of his childhood, a special part of him. However, she might not want him back into her life, and he would completely understand if she asked him to leave.

"I'm sorry."

Those two words weren't what Harry had expected from her. Now he felt like such an asshole, because he'd asked for her address from her father to come and apologize, but she ended up saying it first.

"I'm sorry for my attitude yesterday. I was upset about my dad, and his fiancé, it wasn't your fault." Her lips twitched, trying to form a smile, but it was no different from a frown. "Thank you for looking after me, but you really shouldn't be here."

Just like that, she turned to go back inside, about to leave him hanging like she had yesterday, but he couldn't let her walk away from another unfinished conversation. Harry held onto her wrist and pulled her into his arms, risking her pushing him away or even hitting him for touching her without her permission. But she didn't do either of them. She let him hold her.

Y/N just stood still with her arms glued to her sides and her face against his chest. It took her a moment to finally relax in his embrace, closing her eyes and melting into the warmth of his body. That hug felt different than the one they'd shared in the treehouse two years ago, probably because her feelings for him weren't the same.

"I'm sorry for everything." He tilted his head down to whisper into her ear. "For leaving, for not coming back like I'd promised, for the fucked up thing I did before I left again for the second time, I—"

He would've gone on forever had she not pulled away and interrupted him. "Let's not bring up the past, okay?"

The past, she meant the kiss, and everything that followed. She'd tried to figure it out, to guess what was on his mind when he leaned in and kissed her and she kissed him back. However, she gave up when she realized it didn't have to mean anything. She blamed it on the mixed up emotions, on the spur of the moment, on the pain in her heart for the loss of her mother. And as for him, he must have been just as confused.

She didn't want to know about the woman that had answered the phone, or why he'd never called her back, not even once in the last two years. None of that mattered anymore. She'd promised herself to give up on him, and she had. There was really no point in asking him to make up a reason or an excuse for what could no longer be changed.

"I talked to someone last night, and that person told me that I needed people in my life. Everyone does." Her lips curved into a small smile, a real one this time. "And...I thought to myself that if I saw you again, I would apologize...and if you ever....want to start over, we can work on that."

"I...I want to."

"What?" She'd heard him well, she just didn't believe it.

"I want to start over," he repeated himself, more assertive this time as he smiled back at her. "I also spent last night thinking about that."

It was actually the first time in six long years Harry had seen a real smile on his Bambi's face.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Y/N," she said with a serious look, which made him laugh.

"And I'm Harry," he played along, shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you, Bambi."

.

.

.

Y/N invited Harry into her flat. It was small and messy as always, but now that he was already outside her door, she couldn't just ask him to leave. She made him a cup of tea and they sat on the couch, finally opening up to each other for the first time in six years. Of course, both left out many details that they weren't ready to confide just yet, but it was quite a good start. From morning, to noon, and to night, Harry didn't have to think about his ex-lover's engagement, and Y/N had temporarily forgotten about her father's. In that small flat, with their phones turned off, completely disconnected with the world, his arm around her shoulders, her head on his chest, it almost felt like they were the same kids they used to be.

"So you study Creative Writing at university?"

The girl nodded as she tossed a gummy bear into her mouth, looking up to meet his eyes. "But I'm a terrible writer."

"No, you're not."

"Remember those stories I wrote in the pink notebook that I used to read to you?"

"Yeah, yeah, those were the best." Harry shook with laughter. "I personally loved the chapter about us being secret agents, and shooting lasers out of our eyes."

"Nooooo!" Y/N propped herself up to cover Harry's mouth, but he was quick to grab both of her wrists so she couldn't touch him. They were laughing so hard that they almost roll onto the floor.

"Anyway," she trailed off, poking the dimple on his cheek. The girl was practically sitting on his lap now, but they had gotten too comfortable to even care. "My writing had never got better than that."

"Is it supposed to be a bad thing?"

"Yeah." She chuckled. "I'm never gonna write a book that sells."

"I said the same thing about me being an actor, but look where I am now."

Y/N raised a smile, pushing herself up so her face was at the same level as his. In that moment he stared at her lips, and the way they tasted was still etched on his mind. When she whispered to him, her voice was as warm as the color of her eyes, and he nearly melted all at once into the touch of her hands on his heaving chest.

"I'm very proud of you."

"I'm proud of you too, Bambi."

"For what?" Y/N batted her eyelashes, looking surprised.

"For still being you, and not giving up."

It was incredible how fast a moment could change. One second they were dying of laughter and the next, right now, they were just sitting in silence and holding each other's gaze. Having known each other since they were children, but never had they ever got to experience a feeling like this. All of a sudden, everything felt new, and strange, and different, in a good way. Harry parted his lips, about to make a sound, but he forgot what he wanted to say when Y/N pulled away to pick up her phone from the floor.

"Shit!" She shouted at the time and plunged right out of the sofa, running straight into her room. Harry wasn't used to hearing his little Bambi curse, so the man couldn't help but laugh at the word she'd just cried out as he asked her what the problem was.

"I have a date in fifteen minutes!"

That wasn't the answer he had expected. Harry thought he knew mostly everything about her from all of those stories she'd told him from morning till sunset, but somehow she still forgot to mention she had a date that night. He assumed she had forgotten, because she was now frantically running around to find her other shoe.

"Will I get to meet this guy?" He shouted out the question when she was in her bedroom changing her clothes.

"Sure," she shouted back. "You'll like him a lot. He's a very nice guy."

Harry didn't know how nice the mystery man was, but he knew he didn't feel too good about her going on a date. He thought it might have something to do with him knowing her since she was nine, and leaving when she was only fourteen. In his mind, she was still that innocent little girl. It was weird enough to hear her curse, now she was getting ready to go on a date? There was an unsettling feeling inside of him that he couldn't explain.

A moment later, Y/N emerged from her room, wearing a black bodycon dress which was so short that Harry nearly choked on the gummy bears in his mouth. She spun around and asked him how she looked, and he didn't know what she expected as an answer from him.

The dress itself, with a plunging neckline and double crisscross straps at the open back, was bound to turn heads already. Now it was on her grown woman body. Harry felt like a pervert for even looking at her from afar. She was beautiful, of course, she was, but that was the most skin she'd shown since they met again. So a part of him got protective as he asked her if she had a less revealing dress to wear on the first date.

"But I like this one." She laughed as he took a quick glance at her and turned away immediately. "H, what are you doing? Look at me as we speak! I'm not naked."

"But someone could look at you right now and imagine that you are!" Why did he say that? Now she would think he was imagining her without clothes on. And admittedly, he was trying hard not to. He felt so ashamed for even letting that image cross his mind.

"Kid, please tell me you'll wear a coat to cover yourself up."

"I don't own a coat."

"What do you wear in the winter then?" He asked, making her snort. She didn't say anything and just took her purse, telling him to come with her because her date was already waiting outside in his car.

"Wait, wait!"

Harry jumped away from the sofa to grab his coat on the hanger by the door and threw it over her shoulders. Y/N refused to put it on, telling him how ridiculous he was, but then she ended up wearing it anyway. He would probably never have let her walk out without the protection of that coat.

"I'm not fourteen years old anymore," she told him with a smile.

Of course, he knew she wasn't fourteen anymore. That fact had been bothering him since he first saw her in that little black dress.

.

.

.

Harry held the door open for Y/N to walk out on the street. Despite the girl's obvious excitement, he was extremely worried. She looked left and right, then he watched her eyes light up with a smile as she finally spotted the handsome face waiting for her by his black Range Rover. For a second, Harry thought his eyes had fooled him. People could look alike, but as the man finally approached the two of them, Harry was left in shock for the second time that night.

"Isaac?!"

"Harry?"

"You two know each other?" Y/N broadened her eyes, switching them back and forth between the two men whose mouths were both left wide opened.

A part of Harry wanted to wrap her up with his coat and pull her back inside immediately, another part of him wanted to hear the story of how something like that could even happen. Out of all the men in London, did it have to be his best friend?

Wait a minute...The girl Isaac slept with last night...His muse...

"Is this the girl?! Is Y/N the girl?" He raised his voice causing the other two to jump. Y/N didn't understand what he meant, and Isaac was just as lost as she was. It seemed like Harry was the only one out of the three who had an idea what was going on.

"Yes, she was the girl I told you about. Are you two friends?" Isaac raised an eyebrow, but he never received a proper answer.

As soon as Y/N made an attempt to explain her relationship with Harry, he cut her off by telling his best friend, "we need to talk. Now."

[chrisevansbabymama]

Daddy Hair Care - Chapter 4.1

Chapter 3

Chapter 4.1 - American Boy:

It was 9:51pm when Kayla looked up as the semi-sheer curtains on her booth were drawn open and Chris hovered above her. She locked her iPhone screen, the gadget that had served as a good distraction and company as she waited for him and Lauren. Keith and Tiffany had opted out.

After sending Chris off to his press event, Lauren retreated back to her suite a few doors down to nap, whilst Kayla went back home. She could have napped, but she used the hour to get ready for the dinner. It may or may not have had something to do with making an effort for Chris. She consulted her best friends’ Amanda and Michelle’s help, who co-signed that she should look “casually sexy,” like she wasn’t even trying to make an effort. So she settled for a no make-up, make-up look but with a bold lip. Her lips were her favourite feature. Then she wore high-waisted mom jeans that accentuated her butt (another one of her favourite features), completed with a roll-neck and satin heels.

But Chris had turned up on his own and still wearing the four-digit expensive suit from the event. He looked just as dreamy as he did when he left his suite earlier.

“Hey,” she greeted, taking him in as he slid in the booth opposite her.

His cologne wafted the small space. She breathed him in.

“Hey London,” he said and slid off his coat.

“Hollywood,” she shot back before chuckling at her nickname, “You haven’t called me that in a while,”

“I forgot I even used to call you that,” he smiled and then eyed her drink. “Have you guys ordered - where’s Lauren?”

“I thought she was coming with you?” Kayla explained, only to be met with his perplexed expression. “She told me she was running late and was going to

wait for you to come back to the hotel to change, and then you’d come together,”

“No,” he said slowly, recalling his conversation with her earlier. “I spoke to her when I was leaving the event just twenty minutes ago and she said she was already here with you,”

Even more confused by the mismatching narrative, Chris chewed on his bottom lip, deep in contemplation. This wasn’t like Lauren to lie. But she had said she was tired and wanted to spend the evening and all weekend in bed, before she came up with the plan to go out for dinner.

Kayla noticed his face change as if he suddenly had an epiphany; he shook his head in disbelief.

“What?”

“Seb,” he muttered, concluding quickly.

Kayla’s eyebrows knit together, now just as confused as he was.

“I bet she’s with him,” Chris said confidently with a nod.

But that didn’t make sense to Kayla; why wouldn’t Lauren tell Chris the truth if that was the case? And why did she lie to her and insist that she was coming out for dinner? But she shook her head, dismissing the thought. They were not best friends, so Lauren didn’t owe her an explanation about her private life; Chris perhaps, not her. And she supposed it made sense that she was lying if she was sneaking around with Seb.

But Kayla immediately had her own epiphany; that she was going to be spending the evening alone with Chris. She suddenly felt sick. Of course she’d been in his company, alone, on multiple occasions when Lauren had slipped out of the dressing room or his hotel suite to return his loaned suits, or grab a coffee.

But never like this, never in an intimate setting where she wasn’t working and had that to distract her. All of a sudden being up close to his face on a daily basis wasn’t as intimidating as this scenerio. She actually felt bad for Chris. He was the one getting the short end of the stick and now stuck with her, she bet he probably preferred to be in his suite with room service instead of this.

“Shall we call her?”

“Hmm, maybe not,” Chris replied quickly. “Probably best to leave her to it,”

“I’m sorry,”

“For what?”

“You’re stuck with me,” she shrugged, she lowered her posture. “Rain check? We can rearrange it for another time with everyone else?”

He paused, scrutinising her concernedly, “Why? You tired? I mean, I’m hungry and I could really eat so I’d prefer not to turn this down,”

“Are you sure?”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been looking forward to this since we talked about it at the hotel,” Chris reached for the menu. “You scared of being alone with me without your crutch, Lauren?”

“Oh shut up,” she huffed, her posture straightened back up without much thought.

“Just me and you London,”

And just like that, she felt normal around him again.

“How was the event?” she finally asked to break the silence as he studied the menu.

He sighed and gave her a look, that although she wasn’t Lauren - who was an expert at reading him, she understood this look: just…don’t.

“That bad?”

“I just hate those events, I knew no one. Y’just kinda stand around and mingle with a champagne in hand and pop a canapé here and there, and keep smiling for the cameras. It was a recipe for an anxiety attack,” he rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t wait to leave, at least I had this to look forward to,”

Had been looking forward to this as much as she had? Was he counting down the minutes, like she had been too?

“And as usual, every journalist was asking me about my Cap diet,” he rolled his eyes. “That’s all they know to talk about,”

“Like you’re some piece of meat,” Kayla offered to lighten up the mood, after noticing how distressed he was getting.

And it worked, he was startled at first but then a grin marked his features, letting her know that he was okay with the sparring. But that precipitated the nerves again for her; she could handle him, but usually that had been with Lauren in the audience. On her own, she felt cornered like he would see through her jokes.

“Like some piece of meat,” he echoed and then his voice went up an octave as he feigned pain in a playful voice. “I am more than my looks, I’m someone’s son and I’m a daddy,”

A daddy...she mused.

Kayla looked down to hide the smile threatening to light up her features. She needed to get out of her own head if she was going to survive this evening with him. As that realisation hit her again, coming to her in waves, her heart

thudded and she glanced at her phone. If only she could tell her friends that she was now out alone with him. But there was no way she could pick up the gadget surreptitiously and not only because it was rude, but her palms were a sweaty mess.

“I’m going to treat myself tonight, London. I’m going all out, what’s the greasiest option here?” he gave her a determined look. “Let’s give them a different variation of Cap’s body and see what they will ask me,”

“I’d recommend the tempura options if you really want to suck it to them, otherwise there’s not much grease here,” Kayla pointed out, receiving a child-like groan from the man across the table.

He grumbled, scanning the menu quickly to confirm that nothing else on there was going to satiate his appetite. The second he left the press event he had decided that it was going to be a cheat night; but he wasn’t going to find his pleasure in a sushi restaurant.  

“Wanna go somewhere else?”

“Oh no, it’s fine. I’ve already made you wait all this time-“

“It’s okay. I would love a proper meal too, since someone’s made me wait this long to eat,”

“Sorry,” Chris said sheepishly, catching the playful shot at him for making her wait.

“C’mon Hollywood,” she wiggled her eyebrows. “I know a place,”

________

“This is everything I didn’t even know I needed,” Chris groaned with a mouthful of food.

It was a short while later when the two found themselves tucked away in the back of a darkly lit unassuming Lower East Side eatery. As her go-to for comfort food, Kayla thought it was ideal spot for Chris hide away. The sushi restaurant scene was almost too similar to the crowd he had left at the magazine party; dressed up, well-heeled, mini dresses and cleavage, suits and perfume drenched guests everywhere, with sake on the drinks menu.

Despite being overdressed for this crowd, they felt more relaxed. At the eatery, there were distressed jeans, sneakers, thick layered outfits to combat the cold, and drinks on the menu with names like Freaky Friday and OMG! They Killed Henny. Chris was tickled and he’d giggled at the names for longer than they warranted.  But Kayla didn’t mind, she appreciated his sense of humour and that he didn’t take things too seriously.

“I could so eat this every day,” she told him wearing a look of adoration; happy to be eating at long last.

“I’m impressed, London. The concept always seemed bizarre to me, but this is golden,” he reached for syrup and drizzled it all over his waffles until they were swimming in the saccharine liquid.

Kayla felt all giddy at impressing Chris. She loved their little sparring matches and quips, but when he was complimentary, it gave her confidence that he took her seriously. She wasn’t just there for some comic relief.

“Is this really your first time trying chicken and waffles or are you trying to be cute?”

“Believe me, it is and I’m not proud of it,”

“Wow, I’m disappointed Evans,” she meant it.

“I don’t get out much, and I’m not allowed to eat this stuff,”

“You sound like a kid! Surely you have cheat days?”

“Usually it’s pizza, nachos, ice cream and beer. I’m a creature of habit,” he shrugged, shoving his face with another bite. “A simple guy,”

“I just thought chicken and waffles was simple? Isn’t it the most basic combo -the American equivalent to fish and chips?” she commented. “I bet you don’t cook. Do you cook?”

“Do I cook? Of course I cook,” he gave her a ridiculous look.

“Hey,” she looked at him pointedly. “I could have asked you what your Cap diet consists of,”

He deadpanned, “Yeah, touché,”

“Okay, so what do you cook, what’s your knockout meal? I gotta warn you, my standards are low,”

“I can knock a tagine out the park…pesto eggs…I make mean pesto eggs,”

“I don’t believe it,”

He shrugged, “Not really fair if I can’t prove myself without a kitchen,”

“True,”

“What’s your ‘knockout’ meal?”

“I make a good pad thai, and I bake a lot too,”

“I don’t believe it,” he mocked her with a lopsided grin. “Prove it,”

“Unlike some people,” she coughed a ‘you’ under her breath. “Some of us are normal and don’t live in hotels, so I actually can prove it,”

He looked at her, shocked at the low blow. She flinched at the expression, realising how insensitive she came across.

“Chris, I’m so sorry, that was so insensitive,”

“It was,” he pointed a look at her, but the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth put her at ease; he hadn’t taken offence. “You owe me, now you have to cook for me,”

Caught off-guard by his flirty remark, she became shy; imagining the domesticity of his proposal. It was something that had always occupied her imagines and thoughts on a few too many occasions.

Chris blushed. It was almost visible, his face had turned a soft pink hue as he also imagined it: watching her taking charge of the kitchen to cook for him. He was certain that she was a good cook. Lucky for him, the dim lighting had obscured just how bashful he was.

“I’ll help you, of course, because otherwise that’s just sexist of me to demand you to cook for me,” he corrected.

Everyone inch of Kayla’s feminist inhibition wanted to say ‘damn right,’ but the sexiness of this entire scenerio crippled her.

Patriarchy 1 - 0 Kayla.

“You seem very convinced that it’s going to happen,”

“Speaking it into existence,” he imitated her mantra with a wink that she didn’t know what to do with.

So really if she played her cards right, she could have Chris Evans in her home? And cook for him?

“We’ll see,” she said casually, but deep inside she was screaming.

“Don’t you feel sorry for me? I eat out of take out boxes, or room service. I miss a good home-cooked meal,”

“That hardly seems like a nightmare,”

“You’re lucky I’m not travelling for the Infinity War press tour. I’d love to take you with me and see how you survive out of your territory,”

To him it was a careless and empty threat, but to Kayla, she hung onto the fact that he had even considered her as an option.

“You’re just showing off because New York is your territory,” he continued.

“Hardly! London’s my territory,” she laughed at how worked up he was getting. “So what’s brought you out tonight if eating out isn’t your favourite thing to do? You’re usually one to hide away indoors?”

“Seb’s been bothering me to get out more and ‘put myself out there’ to start dating again, I kinda ignored him until my ma said the exact same thing,” he sat back. “Which clearly means that I have a boring life. If I’m not with Mya or Dodger, I’m either napping or working,”

“So your tactic to live a carefree life is to hide at the very back of a hidden restaurant, stuff your face with waffles drenched in syrup?”

“It’s a good start, baby steps,” he considered, before they both started laughing.

Kayla considered what he meant by ‘putting himself out there,’ had he been reserving himself all along? She wondered how long he’d take to make a move on her if he liked her. Then she felt ridiculous for even thinking it possible, Chris was clearly the type that made a move if he liked someone. Judging by his lifestyle and age; being a dad and all, with a career going for him, he didn’t seem like the type to waste time. He had that sexy and mature ‘I know what I want and I get what I want’ aura about him.

So why hadn’t he made his move, if he liked her as much as Lauren proposed?

“As the singles on Team Chris Evans, me and you should make a pact,” he lifted his glass and nodded at hers. She mirrored him.  “From now on, we are going to make time and put ourselves out there,”

It wasn’t a secret that she was single, but she’d never had a conversation with him for him to know that she was. Something about the way he made that assumption bothered her. Was she that unappealing that it was obvious she was single?

She didn’t call him out on his (albeit correct) assumption though, she clinked her glass against his as he made a toast to being single ‘but ready to mingle.’ Really, the playing field wasn’t levelled; if he wanted, he could be in a relationship tomorrow. He had a queue of women around the world ready to say yes to him.

But she smiled and pretended it was okay, like she knew to.

Like she always did.

Like she always had to.

Chris downed the last of his beverage and sat back again, satisfied. A food coma was imminent, so he stifled a yawn and stretched. Even then, it was a sight for Kayla, it wasn’t even the way his muscles contracted and wrestled with his dress shirt. He just looked so soft and needy. In need of a cuddle, she concluded. The man could just breathe and that was enough for her to lose her senses.

“Long day,” Kayla said sympathetically.

“Man, you have no idea,”

“Let’s get the check,”

“I don’t wanna go home, well, back to the hotel. I’ll just sleep,” he frowned.

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

He looked at her incredulously, “No! It’s a Friday night, putting myself out there and being carefree, remember?”

Kayla thought, “Okay, you can walk me home, that’ll kill sometime,”

“It’s cold,”

“Hence why we’re walking, it’ll keep us warm. I live five minutes from here,”

“That’s not really how the science works,” he stated. She gave him a blank look. He groaned, “A car is better and warm, there is heating,”

“This is so Hollywood of you, Evans. I doubt you’ll meet the woman of your dreams when you’re tucked away in the back of an Uber. Put yourself out there,” she pepped him. “What if you get cold? Carefree, remember?”

What if the woman of my dreams is already there with me? Chris smiled, failing to hide it; Kayla thought her pep-talk was resonating with him.

Chris resigned, “This is so London of you. You’re used to your crappy weather, you can shoulder the cold,”

“You’re so Hollywood, I’m in heels and I’m not complaining,” she pierced her eyes at him. “But you’re all, ‘I’m Chris, I’m from LA where it’s always hot, and I don’t walk anywhere because I have personal chauffeurs-“

“Fine, we are going to walk,” he said determined to show how normal he was.

“Before we go,” she bit her bottom lip nervously, realising he wasn’t putting up a fight anymore. “I kinda lied, it’s more like a fifteen minute walk,”

“Okay, if I’m bearing the cold to get you home, you’re cooking for me next time. I mean that,”

“Deal, and relax, it’s not even that cold,”

Chapter 4.2

_________

Disclaimer: Gif Not My Own

Tags:  @mississippifangirl​ @thinemineours @tessathedragon @thottio​ @caninoona @eratotalles @allonszassbutt @thinemineours @dreamingwithmendes @void-imaginations​ @daybreak96​ @l-auteuse​ @cliffordasparagus @bumber-car-s @lvlyab @melaninmarvel @milkymil-k

[lettingangelsfall]

III [speak of the devil]

If she hadn't been so exhausted from the night before, Canela would have cleaned the death of a mess in the kitchen.

After peering at the monstrosity, she wondered if she were indeed deprived of sleep or just lazy.

Her left eyebrow rose almost leisurely with irritation.

"This doesn't go here." She grumbled, stepping closer to one of her steel pans placed on the counter adjacent to the stove.

Instead of rolling up her sleeves, Canela disrobed. Fully nude, she began washing her kitchen from top to bottom. She hated rolling her sleeves. The bleach would still somehow end up soaking her entire upper body. So Instead of a discolored satin robe, she preferred scarcely wet skin and dry fabric.

It was simple.

And she could simply do it for hours with a smile on her face.

The telephone chimed, interrupting Canela's even flow of cleanly bliss.

She hurried to answer it after tightening her robe. The water from the sink was still running.

Her index finger, matching the color of the telephone wavered slowly across the dial. She wondered if it were the strange man who bought her cocktail dresses or the city calling to let her know her grass needed cutting.

She answered it abruptly with closed eyes, wishing it was neither of the two.

"Rowe Residence, may I assist you with a room?"

Why she answered the phone wasn't a mystery.

"A room?"

"Why, yes." She answered, recognizing the husky voice. "I offer bed and breakfast services."

"I know, sweetheart. I'm not calling for a room unless that's what you want."

She didn't blush. She giggled, making sure he heard.

"What do you want?" She questioned.

"I'm heading to a party at seven o'clock."

"And?"

"I'd like you to join me."

This would make the second time her and him had hit the town together and if it would be anything like the last time, Canela would be better off in the house for the night.

She imagined how cozy she would be with or without him.

However, the sound of being with him sounded a hell of a lot better.

"Seven, yes?"

"...I'll be there on the dot. Hey, wear the dress I got you."

She hated the sound of the telephone ringing.

_______

"Mademoiselle," The burly man pronounced, opening his hand to assist his date as she stepped out of his black Mercedes.

She smiled, peering over the stirring atmosphere. The air was beginning to seep into night time and the women were all the rage. The way they sauntered around with their little waist lines and long heels fascinated Canela. How could they be so poised yet seem so helpless?

Sebastian grinned sensually, gripping her hips as to escort her into the building.

"Embryo," Canela spoke weakly, repeating the words placed across the blue box of a building.

"Sebastian, where did you find this place?"

"I grew up here, honey. Why do you ask?"

"There's something about it. I can't quite put my finger on it." She pondered.

"Do you like it?" He quizzed, hoping she was impressed. As if she didn't have enough reason to be completely enamored by his charm.

"Like it?" Canela asked with a gloved finger covering her red lips.

Before she could answer, she was encapsulated by the ring of excitement shifting the dim lit ballroom.

Suddenly, the raucous blow of a horn grabbed her and asked her to dance. There were show girls of every kind brushing their tails and bussoms up against her, sporting bunny ears and white bustiers. Money was being thrown every which way. Bottles were bursting louder than the bang of the jazz and cups were poured for the best of the actresses in America. Marilyn Monroe gave her a wink before toasting with her associates.

"Love the dress," She heard from a woman passing by who looked a lot like Audrey Hepburn.

She was shocked that people cared more about what color her dress was than the color of her skin. Women of every race, color, and creed had decided to step out that night with the finest men on their arms and Canela was enthralled to be apart of the crowd.

She had never seen a place like it. It was most certainly nothing like the juke joint.

Canela felt the gruffness of Sebastian's palm on her exposed back.

"How about this seat, darling." He winked.

"For sure," She smiled, taking a seat in a round pink sofa surrounding a white marble table.

They were handed a menu and a cocktail by one of the bunny clad girls. Canela observed Sebastian carefully as the hostess laid their coasters in front of them.

"He's trying so hard not to look,"  Canela laughed to herself. "But he just can't help it. A man is only addicted to a woman."

Before they could surf the flimsy little menu, an older couple entered the room soon sitting across from them on the pink sofa.

"Oh, what a beautiful couple," The lady struck. "Aren't they, Thomas?"

"Are you all married?" Thomas asked.

Canela quickly drew her left hand close to her lap, shuddering at the thought.

"Soon to be..." Said Sebastian, taking a long sip of his cocktail.

"Ladies and gentlemen," The host boomed before Canela could say anything in response. "I sure hope you all are having a good time tonight. We've got a great show for you's..."

Canela's eyes shifted towards her date. His handsome jaws situated perfectly to her. The way his eyes creased when he smiled nearly made her flood the entire room. If she were a dam, everyone would have drowned that night.

It was almost as if he knew she were watching, the way his little dimple danced across his cheeks.

He licked his lips slowly after taking another swig of his drink, when Canela noticed something more absurd than the tails on the rear-ends of the show girls.

Canela's hand bound to her lips.

"A ring!" She gasped.

Sebastian's head cut quickly towards Canela.

"What's that, darling?" He said, folding his left hand in his lap.

"Give it up for our sweetheart, our madly insatiable, and our playful little elf, Regina Combs!"

The crowd roared with applause, making it impossible for Canela to repeat her shocking discovery. The amount of time it took for the crowd to die down gave Canela enough time to contemplate whether she should bring it up anymore. Instead she only smiled, stealing a sip of Sebastian's drink.

His dimple danced once more before Canela cuddled closer to him, watching the show and making a mental note to watch him as well.

She would be sure to keep an eye on him for the rest of the night and the rest of her time knowing him. Regardless of how she felt about the way his jaw made love to his face.

Never would she bring up the ring unless he told her about it. And she was sure he would come around eventually. Even if she had to make him.

A man is only addicted to a woman.

"It was fascination, I know. And it might have ended right there at the start..."

Regina Combs had a stage presence of milk and honey with a dash of rose petals. Her eyes really knew how to enthrall a man but somehow control his wife's suspicion. All the while, she was broadcasted on television as America's sweetheart and an inspiration to young girls. Little did they know what their fathers thought of Miss. Regina when they weren't around.

"Seeing you alone in the moonlight above..."

"Honey," Sebastian whispered in her ear, causing her to jump. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's quite alright," Canela smiled, never taking her eyes off of the stage. "What a beautiful dress."

"I wanted to...alter the condition a bit."

"The condition? What condition?"

"The condition we made a deal about. I would help you get more people to come to your hotel."

"Bed and Breakfast." She corrected, eyes glued on Regina. "How does she get her hair to stay like that? I just have to know."

"Marry me, Canela."

The words bellowed in the drums of her ears. The way he said it formed a knit between her eyebrows.

"How could you just demand something like that?" She raged quietly.

"Babydoll, I'm sorry. I-"

"Take me home. This instant!"

_______

"I'll call you," Sebastian called, before his voice was cut off from the slam of his car door.

Canela stomped across the pavement, carefully lifting her white shawl meters from the ground so she wouldn't trip and fall. She noticed how Sebastian sped off once she got to her door. As she fumbled around in her purse for the key, she noticed the light was still on in the gas station across the street.

Canela by no means had twenty-twenty vision. However, anyone could see that someone was in the window of that station. Canela wondered who would be looking out the window at this hour. The very thought of it gave her an uneasy chill, as she hurriedly squeezed into the house.

Closing the door behind her, she collapsed slowly onto the floor in a puddle of tears, heels, and her expensive shawl.

"Oh, I hate it here," She cried, taking the cumbrous pins out of her hair.

As she sat there sulking, she began to reminisce about the past.

All the lovers she'd ever known were few and far between.

His name was Andrew, but everyone called him Bleu. He was as dark as night with a soul brighter than the sun. She remembered spending mornings with him in the spring and nights with him in the summer. He would sing to her any song she wanted to hear, picking from his plethora of negro spiritual hymns. That was all he knew, since his mama made him go to church every Sunday.

She was his Sunday and he was her entire weekend.

"I love you, honey." He used to say.

Of course, this was before the war. She remembered the day of the draft. It was raining cats and dogs and she couldn't go outside. She couldn't lie to mother and say she was going to pick flowers.

He wrote her a letter and that was that.

Sunday was over.

Canela picked herself up, making herself a glass wine aged from 1907.

She sauntered around the living room, wishing a tune would accompany her drunken waltz. After turning on the record player, she finally had a dance partner.

"Wonder when my baby's comin' home..." She sang, swiping her makeup off with her bare hands.

"He doesn't love me!" She cried. "He only wants me because of my looks. That's all they ever want. Besides, he's married for CHRIST'S SAKE!"

With that, Canela catapulted the glass of wine towards the wall in front of her, sending it into thousands of tiny pieces of glass.

As Canela cried, the front doorbell rang accompanied by a few quick knocks. It was obviously a woman.

Canela quickly got ahold of herself, tying her hair into the tightest knot one could ever tie.

"Coming!" She pronounced, fixing her dress and makeup.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

"Hello, welcome to Canela's Bed and Break-"

What occupied the other end of the threshold sent Canela into an underlying fright.

Is it really her? Why, it couldn't be?

The diamonds, the dress, and the pearls could only belong to one woman.

"Well," The woman demanded. "Are you gonna let me in or just stand there? You've probably seen me on television...

I'm Regina Combs."

[imaginexmeintheuniverse]

An X Co. Xmas

12 Days of Christmas OTP Challenge

Day 1: Character A and Character B, sworn enemies, are chosen to prepare the company Christmas Party.

A/N: well this is starting off great im already late on the first day, but i was getting wrecked by uni and wanted to do some research first so please correct me if i made any mistakes concerning Hanukkah! This is actually so long but I had a lot of fun writing it <3 Also i recently started binge watching the office and i just finished my finals which incidentally was for management so here goes!

❄  ❊  ❄  ❊  ❄  ❊

i. an infuriating announcement

"You're shitting me, Ro," you deadpan, already feeling like giving up. "Can't someone else do it? Anyone?!"

"Sorry, the rest of the team already have their assignments for the month, and this is yours— and Peter's."

Being in charge of the big X Company Christmas party is an event you've wanted to take the lead on since you joined this department, but being paired up with none other than Peter Maximoff, makes this the best opportunity and the worst case scenario.  

"But he's an idiotic man-child!" You're not even sure how he made his way up to being part of this project management team. You assume it must have something to do with his father being co-chairman of the company. "Yesterday he ordered fifteen pizzas under my name!"

"To be fair, you did glue all his pens and pencils together last week," she smirks, and lets out a small laugh at the memory. "In any case, the project groups for this month have been divided by aptitudes and experience like they always are, and you two ended up together because everyone else was matched up with other projects. I know you two don't exactly get along the best, but upper management is on my ass and the rest of the team is already totally booked with the hectic holiday season."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"Sorry, babe," she apologizes, and give you a sympathetic lopsided smile.

"What's the use of being best friends with the boss if I can't get sorted with a better partner," you grumble with a playful smile, because you obviously love Ororo, but you're not sure how long you'll last without wanting to do something that might land you in HR.

"If it's any consolation, he's not thrilled about being your partner either."

  ❄  ❄  ❄

ii. an idiotic man-child

"This obviously isn't working out—"

"We can't agree on anything—"

"You two are supposed to be coordinating this event together—" Ororo ducks her head between her hands and exhales out of exasperation as she rubs her temples.

"She locked me in the conference room!"

"He put all my office supplies in Jell-O!"

"You need to stop bickering like children and get your shit together!" She stands from her desk, chiding you and Peter. You both sit in adjacent chairs in front of her and you feel like you're back and school and have landed yourself in the principal's office. "I can't be babysitting you constantly, so you'll just have to pull it together and figure it out before you get kicked off this team!"

You and Peter nod in unison, and then exchange side glares at each other when Ororo is sitting back down. She is an amazing manager, and to be fair you and Peter had spent the last thirty minutes complaining about one another, so it's understandable that her patience is running thin.

She takes a moment to collect herself, smoothing out her skirt and tucking a loose strand of hair back into her tight bun. "As I've told you before, it's too late to add or exchange team members with their assignments this month, but I can give you the intern to help you out."

"Kurt?"

"Yes, I've already sent him a memo and he'll be back in the bullpen waiting for you." With that, she dismisses you, and you walk out of her office with Peter following right behind you.

"I hope you don't plan on nagging the intern to death, wouldn't want to scare the poor kid away," he taunts you, catching up to your quicker walking pace to beside you.

"I hope you can actually do your job for once, so that he won't have to do it for you," you retort, without even glancing his way.

"Chill, princess—"

"We don't all have a boss for a father who will help us float to the top— I had to work my ass off to get here and I'm not going to let you drag me down!" You're fuming, and judging by the slight falter in his usual smirk, you think you might have gone too far.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, and then you see Kurt smiling and waving at both of you from across the room. You offer him an awkward smile and Peter gives him a weak wave, both of you dampened from your exchange.

There's no point in wasting any more time with the fast-approaching deadline, so you turn to him, totally neutral and say, "We have work to do, let's just delegate tasks and check up on each other later."

  ❄  ❄  ❄

iii. an unmethodical arrangement

"Damn it!" Peter shouts from his desk, and you look up at him from your computer, distracted by his sudden outburst. He slams the phone back into place in hanging up, and you raise an eyebrow at him. "That's the third band to cancel," he says, exhaling slowly to calm himself down.

He was in charge of music, and as the project deadline approaches with the holidays, it's getting harder to lock down on services. Even you're having a hard time trying to find a restaurant that's available to cater. You decide to give your tired eyes a rest by closing your monitor and leaning back in your chair, blinking a few times to adjust to more favourable lighting.

You're both exhausted from running around all day, and you already sent the intern home a few hours ago. Furthermore, watching the sun set so early through the widow walls, and always having to work so many hours after dark has been getting really depressing. Despite it being demanding and requiring crazy hours, you do love this job.

"Tell me about it, all the restaurants are long overbooked."

There's a moment where all you hear is the clicking of Peter's fingers gliding over the keyboard and then he speaks up, "My mom is friends with this restaurant owner who owes her a favour." He turns his monitor to show you a simplistic webpage. "It's a small family business, they're not going to be booked because they don't advertise their catering service, and they have a menu that can suit all kinds of food restrictions."

"That's great!" you exclaim, taking note of the restaurant name. "Okay, now we just need to find the music." You let out a low sigh, and pull out your planning binder to hopefully gain some inspiration or answers. This fails you, as you end up merely staring blankly at the flipping pages— that is until you fall on one in particular that could help you out. "Hey Peter," you call out to him, and he stops spinning to face you. "What about Warren?"

"What about Warren?" He asks, curious as to why you're bringing up your old teammate. You worked on a lot of projects with Warren before he got promoted to higher management last year.

"He has a bunch of connections, and he hired this great DJ for one of the big fundraisers last year. Why don't we ask him?"

"That's actually not a bad idea, I'll email him." Peter smiles, scribbling on a sticky note and posting it on his computer screen. "But I'll take care of that tomorrow morning," he thinks out loud. "Can we meet earlier tomorrow morning?"

Glancing at the clock, you wonder why the hell he would want to meet earlier since you two have been working so late. "Why?"

"Hanukkah starts tomorrow," he answers simply. "It's already been approved by management, but we are partners so I just wanna make sure you're cool with it."

"Yeah, that's fine," you reply, giving him a small smile. Honestly, this is the longest you two have gone without bickering, but it actually feels nice to be getting along with him.

"All right, I'm gonna call it quits for tonight," he says, gathering his bag and coat. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Y/N."

"Have a good night."

  ❄  ❄  ❄

iv. an evening before

Everything since those little speed bumps you hit concerning the music and food has run really smoothly, and you and Peter have been getting along a lot better since that late night in the office. You developed a steady work flow and actually found yourself laughing at some of his lame jokes. Peter was surprised when he realized that he no longer subconsciously rolled his eyes every time you opened your mouth, and he'd feel himself light up when you greeted him in the morning.

"I think everything should be fine," Peter announces, as you check off the items on the task list.

"All the services are on schedule, and the design department is putting the final touches in the hall," Kurt reports, tucking a few stray papers back into his planner.

"All right, then you may be dismissed, we'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning to greet the caterers and waiting staff." Kurt nods, and bids you and Peter a good evening before heading off into the gentle snowfall of NYC. "We finished with an hour to spare," You smile at Peter who loosens his tie as you both gather your things and head out of the building together. "It'll give me extra time to try not to stress out about tomorrow."

Peter chuckles, and nods in agreement to your statement. "I'll be able to go surprise my sister and pick her up from school."

"You have a sister?"

"Yeah, my little sister, Wanda, she's in middle school and hates the school bus."

"I totally understand, the bus is another kind of hell."

He opens his mouth to say goodbye, but then you remember that you had something for him, and you reach into your bag to pull out a present tied up in a pretty satin bow. "Before you go, I have something for you," you say shyly, not sure why you feel a heat creeping up to your cheeks when you notice how charming Peter looks with snowflakes resting delicately on his dark eyelashes.

"What's this for?" He asks, curious about the neatly wrapped box you place in his hands.

"Today is the last day of Hanukkah isn't it?"

"Yeah," he confirms, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He tears the wrapping off, opens the box, and pulls out the dreidel you put inside. "I'm sorry, it's kind of lame— you probably have a ton of them."

"No, this is really great," he says with a smile, turning the top in his hands to admire the craftsmanship. You happened to walk past a kiosk with handmade dreidels when you had to take a different way home the previous night, and couldn't help but notice how pretty they were. "Thank you, Y/N."

A few seconds pass by awkwardly where you're both smiling, but aren't sure what to do, until Peter leans forward and wraps his arms around you, pulling you into a hug. The foreign affection from him is completely new, but surprisingly warm, comfortable, and welcome. You've just let yourself melt into the hug when he breaks off, and it's like you've been snapped out of a daze and left out in the cold. Still feeling slightly disoriented, you wish him a happy Hanukkah, and leave it at that before you make a fool of yourself. You start to head off towards the subway when Peter calls out to you.

"Do you—" He hesitates for a moment, unsure of what he's asking exactly.

"Did you say something?" You turn back around to face him and he stutters for a moment, because the sun shining perfectly on your features with snow falling all around you has him unable to process anything else around him. "Peter?"

"D-Do you want to come? I figure it's better than trying not to stress out at home alone."

Your lips curve up into a smile and you're not even conscious of how much your heart rate has picked up yet. Everything is sorted for the company party tomorrow, and you've discovered that Peter isn't too bad to be around, so what's the harm?

"Sure."

  ❄  ❄  ❄

v. an important night

"Wow—" Peter utters breathlessly, stunned by the sight of you entering the hall. Last time he saw you was less than a half hour ago, and he'd be lying if he were to say that he weren't impressed by your quick transformation. Just moments ago you were running around in your work clothes, with a clipboard and unruly hairs sticking out in all wrong places. Now that the party's started and everything is running smoothly, you seem a lot more calm and managed to fix up your hair and makeup flawlessly. He hadn't seen your dress yet, and even though he thought you were still the prettiest person in the room in your stressed out mess, you're definitely a showstopper now.

"You should wipe the drool off your chin before Y/N notices," Scott smirks at Peter as he walks up to him with Jean on his arm. As if on cue, you notice Peter and your other team members from across the room and wave at the group, a smile gracing your lips that makes Peter weak in the knees. Scott, of course, notices this and feels the need to tease him about it. "If I didn't know how much you two hate each other's guts, I'd think you might actually like each other as more than just archenemies."

"Scott, leave the poor guy alone," Jean chimes in, grinning playfully. "He obviously has it bad."

"You guys don't know what you're talking about." Peter runs a hand through his silver hair that's neatly coiffed for once. "Y/N and I are just partners on this event, and then everything is going to go back to normal," He laughs it off, despite what he just said settling uncomfortably in his mind. Working with you over the last few weeks has brought out the best in both of you; you've been getting along great, even having a couple of inside jokes, and last night he had so much fun. The way your eyes would light up with genuine interest as you listened to his explanations of the rituals, how well you seemed to fit in with his family, and Wanda, she adored you. He found himself frequently gazing at you with a goofy grin on his face, not even realizing he was staring until you'd make eye contact with him, and then he'd get all flustered from being caught.

All this to say that he's very confused about his feelings. He likes the relationship akin to friendship the two of you have developed, but he also feels something more. The thought that makes him more uncomfortable is: what will happen when this is over? Will you just be disbanded and assigned to different projects after? Will you go back to being at each other's throats, will you still be friendly with each other, or will you just never speak again unless you're assigned to the same project again?

"Peter, you need to calm down." Jean interrupts his overthinking, offering him a comforting smile. "Go ask her to dance."

"It's like you read my mind," He shoots her a wink and finishes off his drink before heading off in your direction.

"Hey Peter," You greet him after excusing yourself from a group conversation. "This is going great isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah, it's awesome."

"Who would've known we'd make a half-decent team?" You grin at him playfully, and also notice that he seems a little spaced out. "Are you okay, Maximoff?"

"Do y-you wanna dance?"

"It would be my pleasure," You extend your hand, and he takes it in his larger one, leading you to the dance floor where he slips his other arm around your waist. He starts to guide you is slow circles, feet following the rhythm of the smooth tune. Throughout the course of the song, your bodies get closer to one another, and you hope he can't tell how warm your cheeks are upon realizing this. "Wow, Peter, where'd you learn to dance like this?"

"My, uh, mom made me take lessons when I was younger," he says sheepishly, a blush creeping its way onto his face.

"I'm impressed."

The song ends, and you thank each other for the dance. This is the when you'd normally break apart, but neither of you moves— neither of you wants to. The next song starts to play and you're the only ones not moving on the dance floor.

"You look amazing, by the way," he tells you, and you feel like you're lungs are failing you.

"Thanks, you clean up real nice yourself." Another few seconds go by without anything happening, other than the tension continuously building.

"Well- th-thanks for the dance, a-and being a good partner."

Peter mentally slaps himself as you smile and start to walk off the dance floor. There's obviously something there, why didn't he do anything? Idiot. Just when he thinks he's blown his only chance, you spin on your heel and march back to the spot he hasn't moved from, pull him down by the shoulders to press your lips against his. He barely has time to process what's happening before you pull back, leaving him reeling.

"Whoa," is all he can manage to get out. It was only a few seconds, but your kiss took all the air out of his lungs.

"May I have this dance?" You ask nervously, taking a shot at the dark, hoping he feels the same way you do.

He doesn't say anything else, unable to keep the goofy grin off his face. Instead of speaking, he wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you flush against his body and leans in for another kiss. His soft lips move against yours gently, and as you let your eyes flutter shut, you feel that same warmth as when he first hugged you the previous night.

When you break apart, neither of you can keep the smiles off your face, and you happily let him lead you in circles on the dance floor.

  ❄  ❄  ❄

vi. an extra scene

Peter hugs you from behind and presses a quick kiss to your cheek before heading to his desk.

"Congrats you two!" You and Peter both jump at Ororo's less-than-subtle entrance. "The party was a hit, and upper management wants to add you to the New Year fundraiser event planning team!"

You both thank her for the opportunity and accept the detail files she hands you.

"Oh, and congrats for the other thing too," She says, gesturing between you and Peter. "You know what that means, right?"

"We get a raise for organizing the party of the year?" Peter half-jokingly suggests.

"Real funny," she chuckles, making her way to her office. "You're going to have to file this with HR, now."

[exquisitley-obsessed]

Pieces of People - Part 2

Summary: Vampire y/n returns to Mystic Falls after finding out her friend Stefan Salvatore has gone off the rails with blood, what she doesn’t expect to happen is find out her deep rooted connections with the Michaelson family, in particular – Elijah.

Word Count: 2386

Pairings: Elijah Mikaelson x Reader

Warnings: None <3

A/N: Now the scene is set the next few chapters will hopefully be a bit more interesting <3

MASTERLIST FOR THIS STORY, MASTERLIST

“Wow, so you’ve really got up to a lot,” y/n mumbled, her lips dipping into her fourth glass of golden liquid.

“You could say that,” Damon muttered, now standing and staring into the fireplace where only delicate embers remained, dim but still alive.

“So right now, you have this…”

“Coffin,”

“Yes, this coffin, and you don’t know what is in it but you think whatever is in it will help you kill this Klaus guy,”

“Something like that,” Damon flicked his eyebrows up at her before sitting himself on the coffee table, face illuminated.

“You know what I’m going to say right,” y/n’s legs were tucked up underneath her and there was a satin cushion pulled into her lap.

“Yes,”

“So, will you let me...help that is,” Her head rested against her hand lazily, her eyes fluttering closed with every glass.

“Well, even if I said no, which I’m not going to by the way,” Damon began, “You’d try and get involved one way or the other,” Y/n gave him a look that was somewhere between ‘you’re right’ and ‘sorry’, “Besides, you could actually be useful.” Damon’s face somehow managed to be both mischievous and kind. Y/n hummed in response happily before standing and placing her now empty glass onto the nearest coaster.

“Okay, I’m going to bed because I’m officially exhausted and in the morning…we’ll discuss battle plans,”

“Why are you so exhausted?”

“Well, as soon as I heard about just some of the drama going on around here I basically journeyed over here none stop,”

“Where did you come from?”

“Don’t worry about that Damon,” Y/n distantly smiled, “Just…my problems,”

“Same problems that made you leave the first time?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” Y/n spoke softly, a glint of something cryptic in her eyes, “Now, is it okay if I stay here or should I go find a hotel or something?”

“Oh, don’t be stupid y/n, you know you can stay here,” Damon smiled placing his own glass down before leading y/n over to the warm wooden staircase. “You know,” Damon called over his shoulder, “You could always stay in my room,”

“Well that depends, do you still have those silk sheets?”

“Of course,” Damon murmured leading her down a hallway towards a dark door.

“Ahh, unfortunately, I don’t like slipping right out of bed whilst I sleep,” Damon spun round in a blink to face her, his eyes inquisitive as he glanced over her face, from the edges of her brows to the shadow under her jaw.

“Are you sure?” The playfulness in his voice had disappeared.

“Yes Damon,” Y/n whispered after a moment, her hand resting on the cool metal of the door handle, “I’m sure.”

Pushing onto the door, y/n walked into a familiar room, the room she had stayed in when she was last here in the 50s. And nothing had changed. Walking in, y/n’s mind swam with memories of thick A-line skirts and red lipstick, large curlers and reckless behaviour.

“You know,” She said suddenly turning back to where Damon was leaning against the door frame. “Why is it that whenever we meet you're always in love with another woman,” Damon’s eyebrows instantly furrowed when he heard this.

“What?”

“Oh come on, first it was Katherine and now it’s Elena,” Y/n moved over to the bed and rubbed the soft cotton material between her fingers, Damon didn’t respond. “Don’t fret about it though, I think she likes you too.”

“So, you’re not mad?” Damon questioned, moving a little further into the room. Y/n’s head snapped over to him.

“Damon. I literally have no reason to be mad.” y/n distantly smiled, “You will always be first and foremost my friend. No matter what…slip-ups we had in the past. If she’s someone that could make you happy, then I’m happy.” There was a pause between the two, both of them staring at each other with a wistfully happy look.

"I really think she is."

 It was the next day and the sun was gently tumbling through the half-closed burgundy curtains of y/n's new and temporary room. But then again, everything becomes temporary after so many years of living. Last night had been a successful reunion with Damon, however, the butterflies in y/n's gut left her still with an uneasy feeling. She had still to meet Stefan.

Groaning, she rolled out of her bed, her heart swelling once more at the sight of the room, a room that seemed to have quite literally been waiting for her to return. The dresser still had some old sketches she had done way back, the vintage mirror had a small crack in the top left from when she had carried it into the room and held on a little too tightly and, of course, there was a small board next to the door full of pictures from the 1950s, all black and white.

Some were of Mystic Falls, pictures of the river and the flower garden outside the church. Other were of y/n herself, taken by her passing friends or the Salvatore brothers, some of them even had the Salvatore brothers in them. One, in particular, stood out. It was of y/n squashed in between Damon and Stefan, all three of them grinning to contain their laughter from a long-forgotten joke.

Back then y/n wasn't too stressed out about the secret that had haunted her for nearly 900 years. But after a rather deep and dark night with a rather strange nightmare, y/n couldn't ignore the fact anymore. She had left almost immediately the next day, setting off on a journey back to her hometown of y/h/t.

Sighing heavily, y/n gently opened the door and shut it behind her before padding over the rich russet floor to the staircase, her socks slipping every so often on the smooth wood. Making her way into the never used kitchen she flicked through barren cupboards only finding half-empty bottles of liquor.

"God, they really do have a drinking problem," She muttered under her breath right before she found what she was looking for, coffee. "Oh, hell yeah," She sighed, reaching out and wrapping her fingers around the box.

"Looking for something?" The voice behind her came almost out of nowhere, with a small yelp y/n swung around to confront who was behind her throwing the box of coffee in the process, the figure lifted his hand in a split second and caught the box. Y/n immediately went into attack mode before she saw who it was.

"Stefan," She sighed heavily, "You scared me,"

"I could say the same thing," He replied calmly, moving over to the coffee machine and filling it up, y/n remained silent. "What you doing here y/n?" Stefan's voice was cold.

"Oh, you know, I was passing through town, thought I'd drop by to see my best buddies Stefan and Damon Salvatore," Y/n murmured back as she pulled herself up onto the kitchen's island. Stefan simply stayed silent as a response.

"Honestly y/n, why are you here?" Stefan finished with the coffee and turned to face her. Y/n looked him up and down, he really had changed. There was something taught and restrained about him, it seemed like every muscle was standing on end, his smile was pushed and sad and his eyes were drained of any emotion.

"Honestly…I heard about you," Y/n said softly, "I heard you'd gone off the rails with blood and...I wanted to help," Stefan didn't respond, he simply turned back to the coffee machine grabbed the mug placed it next to her and went to leave. "Stefan wait," Y/n followed him into the hallway, the coffee left behind.

"Why? Because I need to hear about how you want to fix me, how everyone I care about, even you, is looking at me with either pity or anger? Well, guess what y/n, you can pack up and go back to wherever you ran off to the first time because I’m back on animal blood." Stefan swung back around and began striding away.

"Stefan!" Y/n gasped, "Why the hell are you being so rude?" She strode right after him.

"Oh, don't act like that y/n," Stefan's voice echoed throughout the hallway. Then, Stefan abruptly stopped just at the top of the main living room, y/n was just about to retaliate when she saw why Stefan had stopped. Standing in the living room was Damon, Elena, a pale girl with blonde hair, a dark girl with brown hair and a tall man with a shadow-like stubble.

"Ah," Damon hummed, "Now everyone's here, we can start the meeting."

 “So, to recap,” Damon called out in his commander voice, “Me and Stefan will go to dinner with Klaus and Elijah to buy you time to open up the mystery coffin.” Damon briefly looked at the girl Bonnie, “Rick, you Caroline and Elena should look into the sexy psychotic doctor, I want to know what her deal is.”

“I’m on it.” The sweet man with messy hair responded but not before giving Damon icy eyes.

“I have one question,” Caroline piped up, her sweeter than sugar voice echoing throughout the room, “Who’s she?” She gestured vaguely to where y/n was standing behind the sofa.

“She,” Damon met y/n’s gaze, “Is unimportant,” y/n raised an eyebrow and Damon sighed heavily, “For now…I’m sure she’ll somehow come into play later.”

“She...is also here to help,” y/n turned back to Caroline, “Not harm.”

“But how do you know Stefan and Damon?” Caroline pushed further.

“I’m just an old friend. I knew them before they were vampires and I stayed with them for a little bit in the 50s.” Y/n shrugged.

“Woah,” Caroline murmured, “I feel sorry for you.”

 “So, you okay staying here looking after the house for tonight,” Damon was pulling on a black suit jacket getting ready to leave.

“Of course, but the more important question, are you okay with this?” Y/n questioned, wearing an old pair of pyjama shorts and an oversized cropped hoodie with thick, woollen socks.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me,” Damon grinned in his lovingly cocky way, “I’m in good with this Elijah guy, we’ll be just fine.”

“Elijah…” Y/n rolled the name off the tongue, “That name is so familiar to me. Is he someone I would know?”

“I’d hope not, he’s an original, granted he’s the nicest of the bunch, but…still.” Damon pondered. Just then Stefan walked into the room, buttoning up the cuffs of his fitted black suit.

“You ready?”

“Woah, so you guys are really digging the black suits right now.” This only earned a playful eye roll from both brothers.

“Okay, we’re off, see you later,” Damon said, jumping up the small set of stairs and heading for the door.

“Be safe, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Y/n called after them. After watching the door close behind the Salvatore brothers, she found herself flopping onto the couch.

“Hmm,” She sighed looking around, what was she going to do?

But even when she had woken up this morning she had already known what she would spend her evening doing. Running up to her room she grabbed a small notebook from within the folds of her pillows and a pen from her dresser before settling back down onto the sofa.

Opening it up to the first page, y/n began to read. She was reading the journal she has kept for the past 5 decades, documenting every discovery and every new lead she had ever had, all to do with the secret that confronted her in a nightmare not so long ago.

See, y/n was born in 1111, which would make her supposedly 900 years old. She spent around 19 years of her life being human, but she only knows this from judging her body. But the secret is that she doesn’t know how she became like this, how she became a vampire. She has no idea who turned her, or even if she had a choice in the matter. All she knows is, is that she woke up in 1180 in northern England as a vampire. That’s 50 odd years of her life and her infancy as a vampire that she doesn’t remember, that in her mind, it’s just a period of a blank black canvas.

It was only after a nightmare in the 50s that finally forced y/n to seek out those 50 years she doesn’t remember. So she travelled to the town she was born in, and from there went to northern England. Documenting the entire experience in this journal, and not stopping until she had heard word of her friend’s Stefan and Damon’s trouble.

And tonight, it was about time that she sat down and read through the entire thing, to try and make sense of the messy scribbles, and emotional rants. As the evening passed y/n took in page after page of her own writing, reliving every moment she had spent tracking down those lost years.

As she read she underlined questions that still didn’t have an answer to like did someone or something take these memories from me? And if so why and who? And who turned me into a vampire? And how did I end up in Northern England?

She read, and she read and she read until one of the few remaining clean pages presented itself to her. Picking up the pen she took her time and wrote out a word.

Elijah

The word was so familiar, but how could it be when she knew for a fact that there were no Elijah’s in her life, there have never been. So, she wrote it out again, the same curl of the ‘e’ and swoop of the ‘j’ slowly began to burn into her eyes, haunting her soul. Moving on she wrote out another two words, unsure if she would feel anything similar.

The Originals.

As soon as she wrote it she found herself drawing a neat oval around the words. It was at this moment that a chill began to run the length of her spine causing her to slam the journal shut creating a noise like a snapping bone. Glaring into the fire, y/n got up and poured herself a drink and, at that moment, she just knew.

She knew she was onto something.

next part

tag list: @bcfangirlthatswhy

[hamilton-one-shots]

Hamilton High School AU 60

John was the first one awake the next morning, smiling at Alexander. He kissed the top of his head, then carefully made his way out of his arms and went to the bathroom, taking a quick shower.

When he came back out, Alexander was just waking up, trying to comprehend the fact that the pillow wasn't John. The second that he saw him, he sat up and held his arms out, his eyes heavy from sleep.

John sat with him and let him grab his waist, running his fingers through his hair. "You have to get up and get ready."

"No... I want to sleep with you.."

"And I want to go back to sleep with you, but it's time for school."

Alexander whined and buried his face in John's side, not noticing the way he winced.

"Alright.. I'll go ahead and go to school. You can stay here and sleep for another while. Then Lafayette can take you to school, okay?"

He nodded and went back to sleep.

John carefully put him back in bed and kissed his cheek, then left to school, going to paint. This time, rather than a voice greeting him, it was a hand on his waist. Naturally, he turned around and punched them in the stomach, gasping when he saw it was Thomas. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize it was you!"

Thomas was kneeling down, holding his stomach where John had hit him. "It's fine," he squeaked out. "I should not have done that."

John knelt down beside him. "Are you okay?.."

"I'll be fine. I just need a minute."

John nodded and helped him move so he was sitting against the wall before sitting with him. "I'm so sorry..."

"It's fine. No permanent damage and no real damage. You just throw one hell of a punch."

He nodded. "I know.."'

Thomas took a few deep breaths and let the pain subside until it was just a dull ache. "Okay. I'm alright."

"Good. So, do you mind if I hang out with you tonight?"

"No, of course not." He smiled. "Mind if we hang out at yours? I can ask one of Lucy's friends' parents if they can watch her. They kind of know what's up and they're cool with it."

"That sounds great, actually." He kissed his cheek. "How does a movie night sound?"

"It sounds perfect. Do you have snacks?"

"Of course I do."

"Good. Because last time I checked your fridge, I thought I was in the wrong apartment, as much as you eat," he said, clearly joking.

John rolled his eyes playfully and nudged him. "Sorry I eat. Besides, how can I have a girls day without snacks? It's basically suicide. I'll have snacks and I'll let you choose the movie."

He nodded. "50 Shades of Grey it is."

"Oh, god, you don't actually like that book, do- You know what, I wouldn't be surprised."

Thomas tutted and returned the playful nudge. "For your information, I did read it a while back, but I didn't like it. I don't know what the big deal is. The sex scenes are dry, Anastasia was the stupidest character ever, and Christian was a rapist with a stupid backstory excuse."

"Exactly! I never read it, but I got curious and watched the movie. It was awful."

"Yeah. I can't believe you actually thought I'd like it."

"Well, it is a sexual book. You're a sexual person."

"Fair enough." He nodded. "But I don't like it. We can decide movies later."

"You're right. For now, I should get back to painting." He got back up and did just that, Thomas standing behind him and watching until it was time for class. Then, they went inside together and ignored the few odd glances that they got. After all, there were still rumors floating around about Thomas. They just went into class and sat where they had the day before.

Alexander dragged himself into class a minute later, plopping down in the seat beside John. "Good morning."

"Good morning. Why do you look so tired?"

"I'm just having an off day.. I'm so tired.."

"Aw.. Are you going to be okay?"

He nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Good." He leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Alexander smiled sleepily, then grumbled as Adams walked into the room and started the class.

John kept an eye on him throughout the class and made sure that he stayed awake or, at least, that Adams didn't see him falling asleep.

After that power nap, Alexander was alright, going to his class without help.

Still, Alexander napped through lunch, John sitting beside him and eating.

By the end of the day, he'd gathered up enough nap time to finally stay awake. He stayed and sat with him while everyone else was at drama, waiting so they could go to Mulligan's all together.

It didn't even feel like an hour before Thomas came out. When he did, the pair got up and followed him out to his car, Alexander changing his mind at the last second and going with Lafayette in his car.

"Why did you want to come with me?" Lafayette asked, knowing that he'd prefer to be with John, not that he minded.

"I just thought those two should get some time to themselves.. I shouldn't always be tagging along with them."

"I'm sure John doesn't mind."

"And I'm sure that he wouldn't tell me if he did.."

Lafayette sighed, knowing that he was right, and just drove. "So, how are things going now that Thomas is with you guys?.."

"Not much different. It's weird not trying to fight him all the time, though."

"I'd imagine so. You two are such polar opposites," he chuckled.

"Yeah.." Polar opposites. But John loved them both.

"How was your day, sunshine?"

"Just another day. Honestly, I've hardly been able to think because I've been thinking about this all day. Like I don't even wear dresses that much, but I feel like I'm really going to like this one."

"So do I. I really hope you do." He held his hand as he drove, kissing his knuckles. "Does Gaston end up with Belle in this story?"

John chuckled. "Yeah. Only because Belle knows that he's not nearly as bad as he seems. And she also ends up with Prince Adam."

"I know." He only wanted to get rid of Alexander in the case that it was better for John. Which, in his mind, it already was, but he wasn't going to force John or try to convince him to see that.

When they arrived at the shop, Thomas held John's hand and led him inside, where Alexander and Lafayette were waiting with Sarah.

"Okay, first things first, Ally, can you try this on? I want to be sure that it fits you."

Alexander nodded and took the costume, going to the changing room and putting it on. When he came out, his confidence was visibly higher than it had been before. "This is so much better.."

"I'm so glad to hear that." Sarah smiled. "Once you change back, we can look at the dresses. Then we can get these two into them." She patted Lafayette and John on the shoulder, then waited for Alexander to change back into his clothes. Once he came back, she lead them all into the back, where Hercules was waiting with two covered mannequins.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked.

"I'm so ready."

"Me too!" Lafayette was practically hopping in place.

Hercules smiled and revealed both dresses, both boys amazed at how they'd turned out.

John certainly wasn't one to wear gowns any other time, but, for a dress like this, he'd make an exception. The satin skirt looked almost exactly like in the animated movie, though the top was a bit more unique. It was the signature golden yellow, of course, only strapless with a corset back. And the waistline was a bit lower than what he'd expect, no doubt something that was one of Thomas's suggestions. "Sarah, this is beautiful.." He stepped closer and carefully took in the details of the gown, in complete awe.

"You like it?"

"Like it?.. I love it. It's better than I imagined, it's perfect, I.. You are amazing!"

Lafayette was far more awestruck with his dress. The silk Hercules used to make it fit perfectly and it looked elegant, incredibly so. His dress was near identical to live action Cinderella's. "Oh my goodness... It's perfect! I love it!" He squealed and tackled Hercules in a hug, kissing all over his face before stopping and kissing him passionately.

Hercules felt over the moon. Lafayette didn't just like the dress, he loved it! He could live forever in that moment, but he had to breathe eventually. "Remind me to make you dresses more often," he practically gasped as he pulled away, out of breath from the intense kiss.

Thomas looked at John jokingly. "Me next?"

John rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming."

"I will."

Once Lafayette was a bit more calm, Sarah shooed the others out so it was just her, Lafayette, and John. "Are you boys going to need any help?"

"No, I can take care of John. You can go rest."

She smiled and left, keeping the others from peeking in.

"Alright, what am I doing here?" John asked as he looked at the gown, having no idea how to even begin getting it on.

Lafayette smiled. "I'll help you."

"That look on your face. It scares me."

He rolled his eyes and went around to the back of the mannequin, loosening the back and carefully lifting it up over the head. "Alright, undress."

John nodded and stripped to his underwear, standing so Lafayette wouldn't see his bruised rib, not that he would with how carefully he was holding the dress.

"Hands up."

John did just that and helped Lafayette get the dress onto him.

Once it was on, Lafayette stood behind him and began tightening the back just enough for it to fit snugly and not slip. "How's that?"

"Not as bad as I'd imagined."

"Good." He smiled and went to his own dress, being able to get it on himself.

"Ooh, you look great," John smiled.

"Thank you. Do you think you could help me with the back?"

"No problem." He laced up the back for him and nodded in approval when he turned back around.

"You look like a princes yourself."

"You are a princess."

Lafayette nodded proudly and called Sarah, who smiled widely when she saw them.

"You both look even better than I'd imagined! I'm so glad they fit well. Do you want to show the boys?"

They both agreed that they did and Sarah walked out, bringing the others back.

Thomas's eyes went wide and he smiled when he saw John. "Woah, sunshine, look at you! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you really were a Disney princess. Not even, you look better than any princess I know!"

Alexander would've loved to match Thomas's compliments had he been able to get his jaw off of the floor. He couldn't stop staring at John, imprinting the image into his memory. Even a picture wouldn't last nearly as long as the moment. "You look beautiful.." he managed to get out after a while.

John blushed and enjoyed the attention.

Hercules was stunned as he looked at Lafayette, wondering what this model was doing with someone like him. "Oh my god, you are a princess. You look so perfect, Laf.. Like, oh my god, this Cinderella is having her shoes glued to her feet because there is no way I'm letting you run off."

Lafayette smiled and twirled for him. "Oh, please, I could never think of running away from you." He went to him and pecked his lips. "What about you? What are you wearing?"

"I can show you in a bit. For now, I get to enjoy seeing you in this dress." He held his hands and looked at him, taking in just how much better Lafayette made the whole dress.

Thomas took John's hand and twirled him slowly. "You look like a picture of perfection."

"And you are way too cheesy for your own good."

"I guess it makes sense. Every time I look at you, I feel like I'm straight out of a cheesy romance movie because you are so meant for me. Trust me, there will be no forgetting you in my lifetime, especially not when you look this gorgeous."

John continued to giggle as Thomas continued to compliment him, only moving away when he let him and going to Alexander. "What do you think?"

"I think I'm the luckiest man alive. I should not be with someone as gorgeous as you. You're going to steal the spotlight tomorrow night." Alexander's comments seemed to spill out all at once when he finally got a hold of his words.

It was a different type of endearing than Thomas had been. While Thomas was seemingly able to pull a compliment out of nowhere, Alexander was too stunned to say anything, spilling all of his words out at once when he finally could. Yes, the two were polar opposites, but John didn't love them for what made them different or what made them similar. As cheesy as it may have sounded, he loved them for what made them themselves. "You guys are ridiculous.."

"It's true!" Alexander insisted, Thomas nodding in agreement. "You look like perfection."

"You beat Emma Watson by a mile. I'm going to go wait by the car and save some of this dazzle for tomorrow, though I don't think I'll need it, as beautiful as you look." Thomas left and paid for the dress, then waited outside by his car.

Alexander smiled and kissed John's cheek. "I could never get over how beautiful you are.. Every time you dress up like this, it just reminds me that I need to be that much better of a boyfriend because... wow."

"You guys are too much.." John muttered, unable to stop smiling.

"We have to be, in order to come anywhere close to you. You're amazing.."

"And you're exaggerating." He pecked his lips. "I'm going to change out of this. That way, I can keep some of the magic for tomorrow."

"Ooh! I have to teach you how to walk in heels!"

"I mean.. You don't have to."

"But I'm going to! We can do that now!"

John sighed and turned back to Alexander with an almost apologetic smile. "Looks like I'm being held captive."

"I can go."

"Ask Thomas for a ride home. Tell him I said to ask." He knew Thomas wouldn't agree otherwise. "And can you tell him that I'll meet him at the apartment?" He gave Alexander his key.

"No problem." Alexander pecked his lips again and took the key before leaving, going to Thomas's car and offering it to him. "John told me to ask for a ride home. He said he'll be out later."

"Alright. Get in."

Lafayette asked Sarah for some shoes that would go with his and John's costume and she happily obliged, pulling pairs and pairs of shoes before shooing Herc out and leaving them to be.

"Can I at least do this in my regular clothes? I don't want to trip and mess anything up."

"Fine, fine, come here." Lafayette undid the corset and John did the same for him, both changing back into their regular clothes. Naturally, Lafayette began by grabbing the tallest pair of shoes with the smallest heels he could find.

"Why are you trying to kill me?"

"It is not going to kill you. Just try it. I'll try them too." He grabbed a pair that were very similar and put them on, not struggling much at all.

John sighed and put on the shoes, then stood up, already wobbling. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because I didn't give you a choice. Come on, you can do it."

John tutted and tried, falling forward. "Ow."

"Alright, a shorter pair it is." He grabbed a more sensible pair, which were still too tall for John, and had him try them. That time, he didn't fall, but he wasn't exactly the picture of grace. His legs kept wobbling with each step and he could hardly take a step bigger than a few inches. So, finally, Lafayette had mercy on him and gave him a pair that were much easier to walk in. "There we go."

"Alright, I can deal with this." It was visibly easier for him to walk around in those shoes. "So, I guess I'm wearing these to the dance tomorrow?"

"Not exactly those. That's the right height and size, though. You'll see tomorrow."

"You still scare me."

"I know." He smiled and drove him to his apartment back once they were both in their own clothes, dropping him off.

John noticed a smoke cloud and a puff of hair a few cars down, so he went down there once Lafayette was gone.

Sure enough, Thomas was standing there smoking, stomping out his cigarette once he saw John. "Hey, sunshine. I didn't know how long you'd be, so I stayed out here and.. yeah." He could tell that John wasn't a fan of the habit. It wasn't that he didn't care what John thought about it, he just dealt with it by being sure to not to smoke around him.

"Well, I'm here. Are you ready to go inside?"

He nodded. "Yeah, let's go." He smiled a bit and walked back to the apartment, asking Thomas for his key back and opening the door. He went inside with him and asked him to pick a movie while he got snacks together. He got a big bowl of popcorn and some sodas before going back and seeing that Thomas had chosen Thor Ragnarok. He smiled and sat with him, leaning against him as he enjoyed the beauty of Chris Hemsworth.

[thoughtsofdarc]

The Butterfly Effect - Part 7 - The First Time

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Words: 1740

A/N: No notes this time... Just enjoy. (She writes in the Authors Note section) 

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - 

"Wow, Nat!! That's the one!" I'm looking at my best friend, who just came out from the changing area in a white satin dress, hugging her curves like it was painted on her. She looks stunning in it, with her red hair flowing over her shoulders, angelic even and I can't help but to get teary eyed.

"My little girl is getting married!" I say and hold her hands in mine. I take a good look at the stunning dress, before I sniffle a bit.

"Shut up Y/N! And stop crying or you are going to make me cry too!" It's too late, there are already tears in her eyes. Her bright smile tells me, that this definitely is the dress.

We look at each other, all giggly and bright smiles, with tears down our cheeks. This must look ridiculous I think to myself and giggle again.

 Nat turns to the friendly woman who has used the last hour and a half, paitently finding dress after dress and helping Nat put them on and take them off.

"This is the one" She says breathlessly and the woman nods with a knowing smile. Something tells me she knew that Nat would pick this, even before she did herself.

 "Very good choice Miss Romanoff. You look absolutely stunning, no doubt you will make your man speechless when you walk up the isle" The woman writes down some info as she speaks, but without losing focus on the bride to be.

 "Thank you" Nat says, smile even bigger than before if that's even possible, before she walks down the little podium and goes out back to change into her own clothes again.

 That was the last thing of the day... Next step is to meet the guys for dinner, and all of a sudden I have butterflies in my stomach. This almost feels like introducing the new boyfriend to your parents, except, in this case the parents are Nat and Clint.

 "We're going to be about 20 minutes early before the guys get there. But that's good I think, cause you look like you could need a drink" Nat's eyes are playful and her crocket smile tells me, that she enjoys this a bit too much.

I love Nat, but she has this thing where she loves to put me in situations where she can mock me, and it's a huge success if she can make me blush too. I know its all love, but today I just really want her AND Clint to behave... I don't want them to scare off Bucky.

 "Nat, please!" I look at her with pleading eyes and she watches me carefully.

"This really means a lot to you, doesn't it?" She asks and I nod, just now realizing how much.

 Natasha stops walking and put both hands on my shoulders while she looks into my eyes, sincerity oozing from her.

"I promise to behave and Clint has promised too. I've seen how happy you have become Y/N, and anyone making my best friend this happy, is already accepted into our lives"

I sigh in relief, not realizing that I've been holding my breath and she chuckles as she brings me into a big hug.

"Now let's go get that drink before the guys arrive, okay?"

And just like that, I feel so much better.

 At the restaurant we go in and walk up towards the bar, but I stop dead in my tracks and so does Nat. At the bar is Bucky and Clint having a beer, laughing over something funny enough to make Bucky tilt his head back and Clint scrunch his nose. We can hear the laughter all the way down to where we are standing, and Nat looks at me with wide questioning eyes. I return the look and shrug. I don't know what's going on.

 As we get nearer Clint spots us "There's my wife to be and her friend!" he says and gesture towards us. Bucky turns around and a smirk settles on his lips.

"What a coincident... There's my girlfriend and her friend" he says and Clint looks surprised.

 Bucky takes the last two steps towards us and embrace me in his large arms to hug me tight

"Hi Snow White" He says lowly just for me to hear, before he place a kiss on my lips.

 "Wait... You're Bucky? I thought your name was James?" Clint looks utterly confused.

"And I thought you were only going to be here in twenty minutes" Nat says as she place a peck on poor confused Clint's cheek and wrap her arms around his waist.

 "How do you know each other?" I look from one man to another and Bucky chuckles at my confused face.

 "Clint here is a customer at the garage, Doll. I've been fixing his car for years now" My eyes widen at the info.

"Wait, so you're the James that is trying to convince my Clint to get a bike?" Nat says even more surprised "Y/N, I don't know if I like this dude anyway"

 The words are said with a playfull smirk, but I didn't see because I was staring at Bucky. When I look back at Nat with a horrified look in my eyes, all three of them burst out laughing, jokes on my expense already flowing. Great, now there's going to be three to one in their favor, just my luck.

I scoff at them, but on the inside my heart does a little extra beat in pure happiness.

 The evening flows without problems. Both Nat and Clint loves Bucky and vice versa.

Clint even follows me to the bar with the excuse to help me get new drinks to the table. He throw his arm around my shoulders and kissed my hair, like the brotherly figure he has become, and says "He's a good guy Y/N. I'm happy for you"

I have to clear my throat for the lump that was forming, before I could tell him thank you.

 Ending the evening, Clint and Nat offers to take me home, but seeing me eyeing up Bucky sitting sideways on the parked bike, they chuckle and Nat gives me a hug goodbye as she whispers "I understand... Go with your prince charming. We'll talk tomorrow"

 When we've waved goodbye to the two of them, I turn to look at Bucky with a relieved smile on my face, as I put my arms around his neck and he put his around my waist.

"That went well, didn't it?" He smiles at me, his blue eyes holding so much love and... Something more.

"Very well" I hum before I press my lips to his.

 What was supposed to be a quick kiss before we drive off, gets deeper and more passionate. It's only when an elderly couple clear their throats when they walk by, that we break it off.

 "Wow" I whisper breathlessly, making Bucky chuckle.

"Wow indeed" He agrees "So... how about I get you home Snow White?"

He reach out the helmet that has become mine and I take it, as I look deep into his blue eyes that are now several shades darker with blown pupils.

"Sounds like a good idea, Handsome Park Guy"

 The trip home feels like it lasts forever, but also ends too soon when Bucky stops and parks the bike outside of my door.

 He too hops off of the bike and he follows me to the door, where he brush away a stray lock of my hair and yet again wrap me in his big muscular arms.

"I love you, Doll. You know that, right?" He looks utterly adorable and freaking hot as he stands there, his hair supposed to be in a low bun, but half of it loose after the ride.

 I smile up at him, a little shy, but very happy "I know. And I love you too"

 The kiss he presses to my lips takes my breath away and I can't control the little whimper escaping me.

The sound apparently appealing to Bucky as he growls and push me up against the door, pinning me against him and the cool, shiny wood. I can feel the doorknob pressing against my back, but right now I don't care the least.

 I loosen the rest of his hair from the bun and run my fingers through it, grabbing a fistful and tugging lightly, as if I could make him be closer to me like that.

In return he growls again, this time even deeper. His hands wander over my body and find their way up under my shirt setting my skin on fire with his touch.

 I break free of the kiss, taking a deep breath, as if I've been under water and just came up for air.

His hands slow down, but stay on my skin and his weight is still pressing up against me. He rests his forehead against mine and sigh, lustful, happy and maybe a bit frustrated.

 "So..." I start, making him look at me "You want to come inside?"

"Fuck yes!" He breathes out as the rest of the blue in his eyes turns black, leaving no doubt of his state of mind.

 I only just get the door closed behind us before he's all over me again and I giggle, as he lifts me up and sets me on the dresser in the hallway.

 He shrugs his leather jacket off and then mine, all while he kisses me desperately and I return it fully.

After both jackets hit the floor he takes a hold of the hem of my shirt and pulls it over my head, only releasing my lips shortly before they are back on mine.

His big hands slows down and settles on either side of my ribs, his large fingers spread out and his thumbs slowly caressing just below my bra.

 He pulls back to look at me "Bedroom?" he asks and I nod eagerly afraid my words will fail me.

Bucky ready himself to lift me off the dresser and to the bedroom, when suddenly he chuckles.

 "What?" I look at him confused.

"Blue butterflies" He replies and looks down. I follow his gaze and can't help but to chuckle too when I notice the tiny sparkly blue butterflies spread out on my bra.

 "Blue butterflies" I agree in a whisper before our lips meet again.

Part 8

Did you like this?? Let me know what you think, good or bad... and I’ll love you forever! :D

Tags: 

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[sassyshoulderangel319]

Mage Queen

Notes: @moonlight-lyrics did me a HUGE favor with my masterlist and proofreading a few chapters of a thing I wrote so this is her thank-you note. And because I love her. I borrowed a bit from this but not 100% exactly.

“Psst!” Lyric hissed, pushing the door to Cass’ room open. The visiting princess groaned and shuffled in her bed. “Cass! Wake up!”

“What for?” Cass mumbled, grabbing a pillow and planting it over her head.

“We’re gonna sneak out!” Lyric was already rifling through Cass’ wardrobe, searching for the black traveling cloak she knew Cass owned. Once she found it, she pulled it out and threw it at Cass’s face. It managed to get between the gap of the pillows, striking Cass’ face. “Come on!”

Cass sighed and sat up. “It’s the middle of the night,” she said.

“That’s the point, Your Highness,” Lyric retorted sarcastically. “It’s a full moon tonight.”

“You know your woods are full of werewolves,” Cass mumbled, pulling the cloak off her head.

“That’s just a story we tell to scare kids into staying inside at night so patrolling knights don’t attack them,” Lyric dismissed.

“Why do you want to sneak out of your own castle?” Cass complained.

“Because it’s fun. Come on! We’re meeting Virgil and Patton and them out in the clearing!”

Cass got out of bed and slung the cloak on over her silver satin nightgown. “Fine. If you were anyone but my host queen and good friend I’d be staying in bed though,” she said, pulling a brush through her hair before flipping her hood up over her head. She pulled on a pair of boots.

“Well, you outrank almost everyone here except me,” Lyric commented with a grin. Cass snorted.

“And remind me again why we’re sneaking out? You could literally just walk out. No sneaking required.”

Lyric leaned her head back in complaint, making her deep blue hood fall off and letting her curly black hair fall in empty air. “Caaaaassssssssss!” she complained. “That’s. No. Fun!”

Cass rolled her eyes as Lyric straightened her head and pulled her hood back on, tucking her hair down the cloak to get it out of the way. “Ugh. Fine.”

Lyric grabbed Cass’ hand and pulled her out of her chambers and through the palace. “Let’s go!” she whispered.

Cass had always been a good friend of Lyric’s, even before Lyric was queen. Heck, the lightning princess spent more time at Lyric’s castle than her parents’ castle. Though, she and Lyric were quite different. Cass was a lightning mage---though she’d dabbled in fire magic as a child and still knew a few fire spells---and Lyric a shadow mage. They got along well despite the opposite poles of their magic and the fact that Cass’ mischievous streak was significantly smaller than Lyric’s. Cass was playful, but sneaking out wasn’t usually something she’d consider.

Lyric on the other hand...

She found it hilarious to sneak past her guards and knights. It never even occurred to her that such an act proved a security risk. If she could sneak in and out, someone else might be able to as well.

That being said, no one knew her castle better than she did. So perhaps not.

The two girls stole out of the castle, past the town that surrounded it, and out into the woods. Despite what Lyric said about there not being werewolves in the forest, there was certainly howling echoing through the trees.

Electricity crackled down Cass’ free hand in apprehension. She really wasn’t a woodsy person. She preferred the indoors.

The woods were dark, lit only by the full moon’s liquid silver-white light that managed to peek through the leaves of the trees.

When they finally slowed down, the queen and princess were in a large empty clearing.

Emphasis on empty.

Cass pulled her black cloak tighter around herself as a cool breeze blew across the moonlit clearing. “I thought you said your circle of advisors was going to be here,” she remarked, shivering.

“They’ll be here, worry-wart,” Lyric teased. “It’s just easier for me to sneak out than it is for them because I know that castle better than the back of my own hand.” She smirked and lifted up her hand. Shadows fell from it like foam off a waterfall.

“So... are we just out here to watch the moon or is there a point? Because it’s cold out here,” Cass complained.

“You are no fun tonight,” Lyric commented.

Cass shrugged. “I’m tired, Your Majesty,” she said.

The two exchanged titles like “Your Majesty” and “Your Highness” always with a hint of sarcasm. They were good friends and easily on first-name term, but they always used titles when they wanted to be annoying. (Or they had to because they were around other people who would expect them to.)

It was at that moment that Lyric’s circle of advisors turned up.

They were brothers, and the four of them had a very similar look to them. Each of them were powerful mages in their own rights, and they’d serve their kingdom---Lyric’s kingdom---to the end.

Roman emerged from the shadows in the trees first. He was a vivacious fire mage who always made sure that the few fire spells Cass knew were practiced and refined so she wouldn’t forget them.

Next to appear was Patton---the palace healer and eldest of the four. He was gifted with healing magic and made it his life’s work to care for everyone.

Third was Logan, who looked like he couldn’t be less interested in this late-night jaunt to the woods. He was an earth mage and in charge of strategy. Lyric often commented that he was easily one of the brightest minds in the kingdom, and he was proud to be so.

Last was Virgil. A lightning mage like Princess Cass---in fact the one who taught her most everything she knew. He was the youngest of the four brothers, but still a good ten years older than Cass and twelve older than Lyric. When Cass became something of a mainstay at Lyric’s castle, before Lyric was even queen, Virgil had taken Cass under his wing and taught her how to be a lightning mage.

“What’re we doing out here at this late hour, Your Majesty?” Logan asked, rubbing his eyes under his spectacles.

Lyric smiled. “We’re going to do a ritual that requires the full moon,” she informed them.

Virgil and Cass exchanged a cautious look. “What sort of ritual?” Cass asked. “I’m not interested in any blood oaths, thanks.”

Lyric waved her hand. “No, no. Don’t be ridiculous,” she teased. “Maybe next month. This month, we’re doing a Recharge Ritual. It’s an old magic ceremony my dad taught me. It helps boost magical abilities and clear the mind and soul of clutter. Think of it as a luxury relaxation treatment for your magic.”

Patton grinned. “Sounds great! What do we do?” he asked.

“Everyone sit in a circle,” Lyric instructed. Cass plopped down between the mage queen and the lightning mage in the long, soft grass. Lyric sat a bit more gracefully. Roman made a big show of taking his seat with dramatic arm flourishing. Virgil folded himself onto the ground silently and begrudgingly. Patton kept smiling as he hopped down. Logan looked at the ground in disdain before carefully perching himself on his feet so he wasn’t sitting on the grass. “Now hold hands,” Lyric said.

There were only one or two mutters under breath as hands were held---sounding like they came from Cass.

The few clouds cleared away from the moon, letting it shine in its full glory in the inky night sky.

Lyric began to hum. Roman quickly picked up the tune with Patton and Cass right behind him. Logan didn’t look thrilled at the idea of humming, nor did Virgil, but they joined anyway.

Gentle light began emanating from their skin. Where each hand was joined, the light was the color of moonlight---silver-white and peaceful. But the light from under each individual’s skin was different.

Virgil’s was pale violet---like the rare lightning bolts that weren’t blue-white. Cass’ was the blue-white of a common lightning bolt. Lyric’s was a deep, warm gold that darkened the shadows around her. Roman’s was the red-orange of dying flames. Logan’s the green of the earth. Patton’s a lively yellow.

They continued humming, letting the moonlight wash over them and cleanse their minds of stress and useless clutter.

By the time Lyric finished humming---and her friends fading out moments after---there was a sense of peace in the clearing. Each person took a deep breath and sighed.

Cass leaned against Lyric’s shoulder. “Okay,” she relented. “I’m glad you woke me up for this.”

Lyric cheered quietly. “Yesss!”

The advisors all smiled and got to their feet. “We should probably head back. Big day tomorrow,” Logan said.

“Mm,” Lyric agreed. “Guess so.”

They all started to sneak back through the forest. Roman, Virgil, and Cass lighting the way. Virgil and Cass with electric flickers in their hands, and Roman holding a fireball as casually as if it were a common stone.

And not a moment too soon. Dark cloud were brewing in the south, churning their way north, across the sky, toward the kingdom and the castle.

The lights were extinguished before they reached the castle so they could have fun sneaking back to their chambers. Lyric hugged Cass at the latter’s door. “Night, Nutty,” she teased.

“Goodnight, Your Majesty,” Cass replied with a rather cheeky grin, unfastening her cloak. “Get some sleep.”

“You too.”

“See you in the morning.”

“See you.” Cass ducked into her room, leaving Lyric to smile and stroll casually back to her own bedchamber, playing with the shadows cast by the torches as she did so.

Once inside, the storm overhead broke.

Lightning flashed, thunder crashed, and rain poured from the sky. Lyric grinned. “At least the weather held out till we were done,” she said to no one in particular. The burden of the kingdom felt lighter after the Recharging. She felt good. Happy.

[parkbearum]

Salvation

Kingdom AU! Prince Sehun!

Reader X Sehun

Part 1

“While the royalty stared at her in amazement, the lost princess stood there,blinking blankly....”

The shivers traveled up your body, making you hug yourself as the gentle wind kept blowing.The small cardigan was now not enough for you as the weather kept getting colder.You saw small children run down the rock path, chasing each other as their small lips got covered in a generous smile.You only managed to stand there and watch them as a small sigh left your lips from the spacious balcony of the great castle.

It had been a few months since you were back, you were still getting used to it.The wise-man of the kingdom,Lu had told you that you had been hit too hard,resulting in losing your memory,especially your childhood.He also told you that it would better for your brothers to act normal around you like they used to,a hope that maybe your memory would show up again.

As the days passed, you were starting to learn more, about yourself and your kingdom.Your 9 other brothers helped you,more than you ever thought it was possible.Jongin always kept his eyes on you as he felt he was more responsible as your biological brother.You could tell he loved you dearly,they all did and they made sure they did their best at helping you remember.

You felt a big hand on your waist while you were still feeling drowned in your own thoughts.Your biggest brother,Suho smiled softly at you while he took a look at the view of your kingdom,his kingdom.You could tell he loved to rule and was the perfect match.He was still looking for a bride for himself,even though you had no idea.

“Morning” he said,looking at the cheerful kids on the street.

“Good morning” you breathed out as his hand remained on your waist.You could tell he was about to say something.

“How are you,Y/N?” he asked looking at your eyes while a sigh left your lips.

“Fine,I guess?” you said,unsure of how you felt.You knew Suho was the reliable one from day one and you felt comfortable talking to him.

“I see you’re still adjusting.” he said in a low tone.You knew all of your brothers were watching you, some more than others.

“Yes.It’s still a bit unfamiliar to my memory but I try to be natural.” you said truthfully as he looked at you.

“At least you’re trying.” he chuckled bitterly.

“Hey! What does that supposed to mean?” you said as you slowly hit his shoulder.He took your small fist on his hand,smiling at you actions.

“You never change.” he said as his smile faded away. “I was talking about Baekhyun” he said while a sigh left his lips.

A rather loud laugh left your lips as Suho started talking,also offended at your actions.

“That man never listens and makes fun of everything.He just jokes around, even in the morning exercises with Ho.” he said as you gathered your breath which was now short from laughing too much.

Baekhyun was a total tease and even  a stranger could tell.Not just your kingdom but all the kingdoms knew how playful he was and he still kept his nickname,”JokelyXion”,which literally meant Joker of The EℓyXiOn Kingdom.He usually took the morning exercises seriously,which was a routine for all the kingdom where everyone warmed-up their bodies,from archery to sword fights.Baekhyun was good at horse riding even though he could not beat you,just like your other brothers.

“Some of us are early.” you heard kai say as he approached you and Suho.

“Yea,well.I’ll have to see a minister before going into town so take care guys.” said suho as he left for the preparations.You still felt a bit awkward around Kai.After seeing him cry,it made you feel close to him and you could not ignore the affection he showed towards you.

You both watched him leave and not too long after,the air hot thicker with the tension building inside,his eyes on you.You looked at his eyes this time,which you had been avoiding for so long,scared of the truth laying behind them.

“How you doin’,ladybug?” he asked you as you smiled softly at his words.You had special nicknames for each other ever since you entered this kingdom.Kai id not tell you about your parents so you assumed it was something to keep away from.He thought of the nicknames when he saw all 7 of them approach you with sweet words,afraid you might abandon him.He made sure you always remembered,how special you and him were.

“I’m alright.” you said,hugging the cold column with red patterns while kai stood there,watching you with a smile.”How ‘bout you,Nini?” you asked,making him smile wider.

“I’m fine” he said,pinching your nose while you made a not-so-annoyed face.”You’re not telling me something,ladybug.” he said, making a bitter face.

“What?” you asked with wide eyes,making him smile once again.You knew he was the one who would notice your mood first ,he knew you the best,but you could not help it.”It’s nothing” you said,avoiding eye contact.

“If you say so” he said while caressing your hair,making you go silent all of a sudden.You heard him chuckle after hearing breakfast sounds from the big hall,making you two run towards it.

You saw all your brothers and generals look at you with a shocked expression,some of them smiling at you playfully.You both immediately fixed your hair and clothes and bowed in a second,making their impressions soften.You saw Chanyeol poke Baekhyun under the table,baek whining while he caressed his stomach.While you walked towards your seat on table,you touched his shoulder,acting clueless while he turned towards you with wide eyes.You knew it would bug him the whole day.

You sat down on the table in front of Sehun which was now smiling at you.He still made your heart skip a beat but you decided to as normal as possible when he was around.He sometimes visited you during archery and told you many stories and you visited him during his language practices,learning more and more with him.

All you could say that he was the kindest soul you had ever seen.

“Good morning” he said as he looked at you with soft eyes.

“Morning” you said as you took a look at the table,stomach still growling while the generals made a disapproving faces at you actions while suho winked at you.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked as he took a bite of his food.

“Kind of.” you said,his eyebrows furrowing.

“Chen and Xiumin would not stop talking on the balcony.” you said,making him chuckle.

“I guess they had too much to drink last night” he said as you offered him a kind smile,making his heart flutter.”You should close your window,it’s getting colder,you might catch a cold.” he said as he processed his food while you looked at him with soft eyes,your heart racing faster than a horse.

“Yeah.” you said,fixing your hair which was now all over your face after eating,you were not exactly an elegant princess.He chuckled at your actions and helped you fix it,still smiling.

You heard Suho say something to him before he accompanied you to your room.”You should get ready” you heard him say after he planted a kiss on your cheek in front of your door.

For the last 3 hours,it was all about getting you ready.You heard about a kingdom paying a visit but you did not remember the name.Aunt Mary tightened the straps of the dress while a maid did your make-up,you only sighed.

“Why the rush?” you asked her as she made an annoyed expression.

“It’s the Exodus Kingdom,you’ll see it when they come” she breathed out and you rolled your eyes.

Another 15 spent on your face and hands,you were more than tired.You already felt your body go stiff in the uncomfortable dress.When Aunt Mary took a last look at you,she made an approving sound and you heard the doorknob form outside.You heard a few footsteps form the back while the maid ordered you to keep your head steady along with your body.

You felt a pair of hands on your back,loosening the straps of the satin dress.You left out a sound in relief,making him giggle.

“Hey sis” said yixing,who was now wearing a green armor suit.

“Wow! You look really handsome!!” you said,wanting to make him smile.He chuckled a bit,flustered at your words.

“What’re you doing here?” you asked him with wide eyes while the maid kept playing with your hair.

“You look magnifiycnt” he said,trying to pronounce the word.

You chuckled slightly,nodding your head.You knew he was not from the close kingdoms and that was the reason for his accent.He still spoke a lot of the local languages and remained silent most of the time when there was a discussion.You knew he still needed some time to open up but he was not bottled inside himself around you.

“Is that the new word you learned?” you asked curiously.

“Yes,kyungsoo taught me,I think he took from the book he was reading” he said cutely,making you smile.

“It’s pronounced as magnificent” you said to him,listening closely.

“Mangificent?” he asked,making you and the maid laugh while he had a confused face,

“Magnificent” you said slowly,him processing your word.

“Magnificent?” he said with a expression that made you want to pinch his cheeks.

“Perfect!” you said as Aunt Mary entered the room,looking at yixing and you.Both of your eyes widened at her presence,knowing that he was not supposed to be here.

“Oh my,What’re you doing here?” she asked yixing while she walked closer to him,fixing his clothes and hair once more.

“I’m visiting my sister” he said with a bunny expression.

Normally,Aunt Mary would scold the person and nag about it for a long time but because it was yixing,she just smiled and walked away.People around here had something special for him,including you.He helped you get off the wooden table and you both walked towards the entrance of the castle where your brothers were waiting for the Exodus Kingdom.

You saw all of their faces lit up at your sight.Baekhyun opened his mouth to say something but his mouth stayed opened,no words coming out of him for the first time in a while.Suho smiled softly at you while the other either smirked or looked proudly,you heard Sehun gulp at your sight but you did not look at him,knowing he would make you gulp with that armor suit.

“Yahhh!!!!!” said baekhyun,everyone looking at him in surprise.”Who are you?” he asked jokingly,making all the people smile.

Yixing mumbled something to Sehun in his language while you heard horse sounds,signalling that the kingdom was here.Chanyeol and Chen took your hand and helped you walk on the rock surface while you all waited for them to arrive.None of you knew the real reason why they were here except Suho,but you felt like it was normal for one Kingdom to visit another so you kept your mouth shut.

You saw three man get out of the big carriage,looking really fancy with the way they were dressed.You tightened your grip at Chanyeol’s hand,making him look at you in confusion.

“It’s fine” he said,kissing your cheek.”They know your condition so do not worry.” he breathed out,making sure your eyes were steady.You nodded in exchange and he turned his gaze towards the guests once again.

You saw one graceful lady get out,her eyes dazzling blue as she smiled towards you.You all first thought she smiled at you but soon you realized that she was actually smiling to Suho,who was now really impatient.

“Of Course!” you heard baekhyun smile under his breath while all the others smirked,leaving you in confusion.

“What?” you asked him between Chen.

“You did not see it?” said Chen in confusion.You stared at him a few seconds,realizing why they were here while your pupils got wider,making baek,chen and kai chuckle.

She was his bride he had been looking for so long.

You smiled to yourself while Chanyeol told the story behind the princess and Suho.”Ever since they met on the summer festival,Princess Lee had been on his mind all the time” he had told you,leaving you breathless at how amazing he was.

“Wow,He sure is fast” you murmured under your breath while all your brothers started to laugh loudly,making suho look at you.You offered him a gentle smile and walked towards the Princess which was now waiting for you.

You were about to bow when she hugged you tightly,making you smile in exchange.She felt so warm and peaceful.You saw tears in her eyes when she pulled out,making you wipe them.

“What’s wrong?” you asked her in shock.”Is my dress tat bad?” you heard a few chuckled from behind while she held onto you.

“I missed you” she said,hugging you tightly.

After a small talk with the princess on the entrance,now you were sitting between Xiumin and Yixing while they talked about the wedding arrangements with the king.He sometimes glanced at your direction but you could tell that he wanted to keep the distance.

You felt a foot under your chair while baekhyun chuckled slightly,making Xiumin groan.You were loving how playful baekhyun is but now was not the time nor the place.You caught his foot between yours,holding them strongly as Xiumin smirked at his direction.You maintained your smug expression while all your brothers smiled at your actions.

“.......cherry blossom season might be better for another coalition...”

“.......yes,the army....”

“..the white forces would be proud.” 

You immediately let go of Baekhyun when you heard The White Forces.They all looked at you with confusion when you started to listen to their conversation.They could tell that you were curious but it was Suho’s mission,not yours.

“Let’s go to your room,Shall we?” you heard the princess say as she took your arm.

“Yes,Of course” you said when you both walked towards the room.

She took your hand and examined it,touched and caressed your hand.”You’ve been through a lot” she said when you sat down at you feathery pillow.”The war must’ve been tough on you” she breathed out,walking in the room.

“It was okay” you mumbled and saw his motherly smile at you.

“What have you been up to?” she asked you,acting close to you,hoping that you would remember your precious memories.

“Nothing much” you said as she played with your hair.”You’re getting.....”

“Married to Suho? Yes” she said softly.”I’m sure you do not recall the memories but you were pretty happy about it,also about your life.”she said making you look at her in exchange.

“No,I do not” you said,staring at your hands.

“It’s okay sweetie.” you heard her say as she danced around the room.

“As long as you remember about Sehun” she sang and you immediately gasped for air.

“What about him?” you asked making her pupils go wide.

“Please,do not tell me you don’t remember”

There is goes! I’m on a holiday now so I would love to write more requests.MAMA is today and I ain’t ready lol.