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clarawatson · 3 years

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It Only Takes A Taste (3)

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x [Fem]!Reader (GN pronouns, fem coded stuff, but I’m not sure where this is going as a larger work so we’ll say Fem!reader to be safe) Summary: Jack comes for dinner, I guess. W/C: 2345 Warnings: none yet! A/N: this one got a little long, oopsies. AO3 Where am I in this series? 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 |

The bed had been so warm and comfortable you hadn't wanted to get out, but the thought of seeing Aaron again made your heart grow three sizes. You'd been texting back and forth for the last couple of days, just small awkward stuff. He likes to text emojis. He's precious. Of course he's precious.

He comes in as you're serving your first customer of the night—a sobbing thirty-year-old man who can't even order his pie without spluttering in tears. Is it favouritism to get excited by Aaron turning up? Yes. Is it worth it? Yes.

"Hello," you smile. There's a hundred things you could have called him, but he's too cute and your brain doesn't want to work.

"Hi," he grins back. "Can I have a coffee, please. Here."

"Yes you can." Aaron splits his bill between the counter and the tip jar. "How was your day, Aaron?"

"Boring paperwork. Couldn't concentrate."

Concern furrows your eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"Huh? No! I kept thinking about seeing you." There's that sunshine smile again. You might even match it yourself. He points to the cake that's still in the display tin. He's in earlier in the night than usual, so there's a lot more range to choose from. "Is that carrot cake?"

"Sure is. Do you want some?"

"Please."

You serve him a slice and let the coffee machine splutter and fight with you. He stabs his cake with his fork and looks like he has an out of body experience the moment the cream cheese icing hits his tongue. That's a face you want to see again under different circumstances.

"Joe?"

"Me! And Joe's recipe. I sort of mixed it together and prayed."

"Then mark me a religious man." Aaron smiles. You can't held but smile back at him.

"It's a bit early for you to be in," you say. It's not an issue, just means you got the earlier shift. Finishing at 1am instead of 7am. Plus, Aaron looks nice in the daytime. Very nice. The afternoon light suits him.

"Didn't have a case," he shrugs.

You've googled him since getting his business card. “Supervisory Agent Aaron Hotchner, Section Chief of the BAU”. The fuck did that even mean? BAU was the Behavioural Analysis Unit, which was still mainly a mystery, but you think it’s maybe just an over-glorified way of saying ‘they look inside people’s heads and hope for the best’. He’s got a handful of news reports that you’ve practically memorised.

Okay, that’s a little obsessive. Don’t admit that to him.

He wasn’t the ‘untouched by darkness’ that you’d thought of him before, his work face held all the darkness his smile did not. You hoped you never had to see the serious man who stood before the cameras.

“How’s Rita?” Aaron asks. He’s cut the top off his carrot cake, saving it for later. He looks at it longingly every now and then, then he scoops just a little bit of the cream cheese and lets it rest on his tongue.

“She’s good. Restless. She’s happy for the due date to arrive.” She’d also asked you to be the baby’s godparent. Rather forcefully, actually, it had felt a bit strange. That was the only reason you hadn’t jumped at the opportunity. You’d do anything for Rita, but saying yes in that instant would had felt strange. Almost… wrong, maybe.

Aaron knows you’re thinking about it. He puts his fork down and shifts in his chair, waiting for you to continue. He doesn’t fill the silence between the two of you. You think about telling him, but then Lola’s bustling through the door and grabbing her apron.

“Hot stuff, when can I go for a smoke break?” is the first thing Lola says to you. She pulls chewing gum out of her mouth (yes, pulls. She sticks her fingers in her mouth and pulls it out as far as it will go without snapping) and Aaron moves his cake around his plate a bit. Does he not like it? Don’t be silly, he asked for it. Requested it. Whatever. You put his three cookies into a plastic bag and slide it across the counter to him.

“Lola you only just came in.”

“But I want to know,” she whines like she’s a teenager with an after school job, not a thirty-five-year-old woman who works at the diner full time. “Hey, Rita’s been acting weird, right? Is that a pregnancy thing, or?” Lola rubbed her nose on the back of her wrist and sniffs. An action you’re all too familiar with by now, and of course she was doing illegal substances in the bathroom before she started her shift when there’s a legitimate federal agent in the diner.

“Oh,” Lola says as she looks at Aaron. She looks at you, raises her eyebrows, and nods like she’s impressed. “I take back telling Rita she was a liar." Even without knowing the context of Rita and Lola's conversation, you know Rita had told Lola how pretty/handsome/gorgeous Aaron is. "I’m going to go clean some tables.”

She grabs the cleaning supplies and heads out into the dining area. The door swings open, banging against one of the booths, and you’re immensely glad Lola doesn’t scream 'watch it’ at them. A curly haired blonde woman (gorgeous, mind you) touches Aaron’s shoulder and he sits up straight, smiling, and your heart plummets a little bit. Just the tiniest amount.

“Jack insisted we switch over here before I go to parent/teacher interviews.” As if on queue, a well mannered, sandy-haired boy sits next to Aaron and grins too much like Aaron. Aaron’s son. You can put two and two together. Profiler or not.

“How was school?” Aaron asks. Jack shrugs.

“It was school.” He learnt that from his dad, there’s no question.

“Well, in that case. Jack, this is my friend Y/n. Y/n, this is Jack.” Jack extends a hand to shake in greeting and looks really shy about it. You shake it quickly so he doesn’t feel like a kid who’s been roped into doing adult things. There’s a pile of colouring-in pages Joe’s printed off at the local library beneath a cup of crayons that Jack’s eyeing off.

You grab a sheet and a crayon, raising an eyebrow in invitation as you turn around to Jack.

“Yes please,” he says, grin growing across his face. “Thank-you.”

“You’re welcome. Wonderful manners.” Jack grins even bigger and you think he, too, might combust just like his dad. Stardust! That’s the movie you were thinking of. When Yvaine sees Tristan she shines, literally, the star inside of her just can’t be contained. That’s Aaron and Jack, and the way they look when they smile.

Aaron’s sister-in-law looks at you with a cocked head, like a curious cat. Like she’s waiting to pounce. But… curiously pounce. Like she's sussing you out. She extends a hand in greeting.

“Jess. Aaron’s talked about you.”

There’s no response but to look sheepish. This seems to greatly please Jess, who smiles softly and rubs the back of Aaron’s head affectionately. They have a long history together, it’s too familial to be just a relationship born through marriage.

“I’ll see you later then, Rockstar,” Jess says.

“Bye,” Aaron and Jack say together. Aaron rests his cheek on his hand, watching you as Lola hands you three orders she’s taken while you’ve been talking to Aaron. Jack leans over and whispers to Aaron about his homework (it’s a whisper that belongs on a stage) as you wrestle with the coffee machine.

It’s been grinding it’s way down to not working for a while now. Ever since you met Aaron, actually. Joe’s said he’s going to fix it, or get a new one, but everyone’s in a state of non-commital until Rita has her baby.You’ve got no idea why, it’s just the way things are. Good luck, maybe? Or luck in general?

Somehow you get Aaron talking about Shakespeare. It might have been Jack’s doing, to be completely honest, but one moment you’re trying to make the froth… well, froth… and the next you're listening to Aaron talk animatedly about Othello. Jack's young enough to not think his Dad's passion is embarrassing.

"Have you watched Othello?" Jack asks, a question that Aaron's neglected to ask you. "I'm not old enough to yet."

"I haven't seen that one yet, but I've seen Much Ado About Nothing."

"Is that the one with the olive gardens?" Jack asks. Aaron frowns, eyes searching for the answer in that big beautiful minds tonight.

"Yes," he says finally. "That was the one with the olive trees."

Jack giggles. "There was kissing in that movie."

"Lots of it," Aaron agrees. You're not sure you're talking about the same film, but it's cute to see the two of them interact.

"With the guy who plays Lockhart in the second Harry Potter movie?" You ask. Jack laughs just like his father. It's all light and mirth. He nods in confirmation.

"His name is Kenneth," Jack says like he's familiar with him. When Aaron smiles, you know Jack's his whole world.

It’s not long before Aaron realised he’d brought Jack in without asking if he wanted anything. The afternoon rush had died down, leaving you in the space between out-of-work and dinner. You make the most chocolate-y hot chocolate you can for Jack when Aaron says he can have one. Well, Jack says the best bit is the froth, so it’s more child-size-hot-chocolate-in-an-adult-mug-full-of-froth. Jack loves it. He slurps at the chocolate, which leaves a giant frothy mustache over his top lip that won’t go away no matter how much he licks at it.

When he’s done you let him come around to the kitchen to wash his face, because no amount of wet napkins is going to fix that mess. Jack can’t reach the sink, so you fashion a step out of old milk and bread crates. Joe gives him cake batter to taste before realising that he actually has no idea who Jack is. Aaron watches from the kitchen door with a smile on his face. You don’t catch it until Jack jumps off the crates and takes your hand, leading you back out. Aaron’s fingers brush your hand as you pass him. Electricity sparks between the two of you that's completely unavoidable. The two of you recoil involuntarily.

Aaron gives you a small smile of apology. You give exactly the same one back. Lola legitimately gasps like she too felt the electricity between the two of you. Surely that was just something that happened in movies? Or in books? That’s not a real thing, right? But Aaron brushes past you again, as if he’s making sure as well, and it’s there again. Only it’s like your whole arm becomes pins and needles, not just a quick lightning spark.

If it’s like that every time you’re with him, your not sure you could even go beyond lusting after him and giving him coffee and meals every now and then. Aaron drops his gaze, then follows Jack to the front of the counter.

They stay for dinner (because Jack insists, he wants the nachos) but the rush comes early and there’s really not much time to talk to them, so you almost miss them leaving. Almost. You’re serving the angry couple at table three (are they angry at you, or each other? Who knows, you don’t, but they’re taking it out on you) when Jack taps your hip.

He’s very patient as you finish the order (somehow you figure out what they want between the curse words) and bend down to him. He hands you a folded piece of paper.

“This is for you,” he says. “I did it.” You’re about to unfold it, but he insists that it belongs in your apron pocket until you can look at it with no rush. That’s a kid who knows what it’s like to have a very busy parent. So you tuck it away safely and mess with his hair, which makes him grin from ear to ear.

“See you later!” Jack yells as he runs to Aaron, who’s waving goodbye with a doggy bag full of Jack’s unfinished dinner.and his keys between his fingers.

“I’ll see you later,” he mouths as the noise in the diner starts to rise. Without thinking you blow him a kiss, which he catches effortlessly and kisses the fist closed around it before slipping out.

When you get to the kitchen Lola’s already in the midst of teasing you.

“You like him,” she says with all the confidence in the world. There’s not point denying her, so you just nod. It’s met by a chorus of ‘ooo’s which, to be honest, you really didn’t need. It made the diner feel far too small.

When everything dies down you remember the paper Jack had given you. You wipe the milk and spaghetti sauce off the counter, then make sure it’s dry, and unfold Jack’s page. It’s the generic colouring page Joe’s printed out, but Jack’s tried to make the generic waitress look like you. Well, you if you had purple hair and green skin. It’s a start, you guess, there’s an apology from Aaron on the back. Makes it worth it.

You move a couple of postcards on the corkboard aside and put Jack’s picture there instead. Joe pretends not to notice, but when Lola goes out the back with one of her customers, Joe comes round the front and presses a finger to the page.

“Good kid,” Joe says. He nods a couple of times then turns to you. “You know he and his dad come as a package, right? You fuck up one, you fuck up both.” Joe’s first wife had three kids that weren’t biologically his. He’s still mad at himself for not taking the kids seriously and only turning up for their mom.

“I know,” you say.

Joe strokes your cheek as he passes and kisses your forehead. It’s all the praise you need.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

taglist (if you want to get added, just inbox me, and if I’ve missed you I am so sorry): @willowrose99 @genevievedarcygranger @maryosprinkle @kleff03 @yoshigguk @samanthareid06 @typical-leo @leilanixx

#It Only Takes a Taste #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotch x reader #Diner!AU

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kirajw · 2 years

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‘911 5.17′ Thoughts

Though this Jonah storyline felt rushed, like they could have spread it over two episodes, I really loved seeing Hen and Chim’s friendship. And you can give Aisha Hinds a morsel or a storyline and she’ll turn it into a whole damn meal.

Here’s are my massively unorganized thoughts about the episode:

I liked how carefully they shot around Gavin not being onset.

Eddie definitely went to Texas with a chip on his shoulder, and I’m glad he hit those beers so hard so they could have that moment. It’s one thing to be angry at your parents’ mistakes. It’s a whole other to realize that your parent worked with the (probably crappy) tools they had and did the best they could, and forgive them for it.

I wish we’d gotten more of Buck in this episode, but that’s always my complaint. Uncle Buck is having a sleepover with Jee! 🥰 I still can’t believe we haven’t seen him hold her yet.

Evil Jonah. He broke bad really fast. I liked seeing the origin of his story, I just wish Hen had more suspicions before this. Everything came together a little too fast. Poor Chim though.

Where did Jonah take Hen and Chim? I couldn’t figure it out. I assume it was his house. Again, too fast.

I LOVE SEEING CHIM/KENNETH CHOI BE A HERO!

I cringed the second Hen and Chim asked Taylor to see the footage. Taylor is a lot of things, but she has a pathological need to find, know and blast out the truth. I’m glad her actions didn’t lead to Hen and Chim getting abducted but she betrayed Buck’s family, and I’m excited to see him break up with her. He better go the fuck AWF too!

Ruh roh. Bobby’s got a rage problem just like Owen Strand. Send in the clowns!

#911 on fox #911 thoughts #911 spoilers #hen wilson #911 fox #chimney han #eddie diaz #evan buckley #911 5x17

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ericsonclan · 3 years

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A Romantic Holiday

Summary: Clementine and the others get ready to celebrate Valentine's Day with their significant others.

Word Count: 1000+

Read on AO3:

Start from the beginning:

“All I’m saying is that a movie and cuddling is a totally valid way to spend Valentine’s Day,” Brody looked back at her friends who all nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it totally is,” Clementine walked up beside her auburn friend and gave a smile.

“Nothing wrong with that,” Louis jogged forward, immediately intertwining his fingers with Clementine’s. With a gentle sway their joined hands began to move back and forth. Louis’ bright smile faltered when he saw the look on Brody’s face. “Unless you don’t want that to be your Valentine’s Day evening.”

Brody’s eyes grew large for a second before she looked down at her shoes. “It’s stupid. It’s not like Mitch or I have the money to blow on a fancy Valentine’s Day,” Brody gave a sigh. “But I would be lying if I said I didn’t want something more romantic.”

“Then tell him,” Violet’s eyes met Brody’s when she glanced up. “Mitch is a dumbass but he also really likes you so he’d want to make you happy,”

“Violet is right,” Prisha smiled over at Brody. “If you communicate with Mitch then perhaps you can find a romantic date idea that isn’t pricey,”

“Yeah, you guys are right,” Brody gave a shaky sigh then proceeded to take a few deep breaths. “So what are your guys’ plans for Valentine’s Day?”

“A carriage ride through a park. With the snow and each other it will be magical!” Louis pressed a kiss to Clementine’s cheek then spun her around once as a surprise before the two rejoined the group who stopped to wait for them.

“Violet and I are recreating our first ever date and going stargazing with tons of blankets of course,” Prisha wrapped her arms around Violet then looked down at her with a loving smile.

“That all sounds amazing. I just wish I had an idea of what I wan-”

“Well if it isn’t Prisha!” a voice boomed from a short distance in front of them. Brody looked as well as the others, curious who had cut the conversation short. A fairly tall man with a thick, gray, full beard walked forward with a happy smile. Based on his uniform and hat it was clear that he was the sheriff. His jaw was set in such a way that it gave him an aura of sternness but based on the crinkle of joy in his eyes it was clear that he was a good man. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“Sheriff Kenny! What a pleasure to see you. What are you doing on campus?” Prisha smiled over at Kenny before a realization struck here. Violet was still within her arms, a sight she wasn’t sure how Kenny would take considering that the only ones who knew of her orientation were the group of friends she had now. Kenny studied Prisha and Violet for a moment. Violet’s grip on Prisha’s arms remained as constant as always as she shot over a pointed look at the sheriff who remained quiet for a few seconds. Violet continued to look at the sheriff with a protectiveness in her eyes until he spoke up.

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend. Good for you,” Kenny tipped up his hat and gave a casual smile.

“Thank you,” Prisha held Violet closer. Violet noticed that Prisha’s tension had lessened quite a bit before it flared up again. “My relationship with Violet, my father...” Prisha’s voice trailed for a second.

“Don’t worry, I won’t go shooting off my mouth about anything. I’m just glad to see you happy. Damn, you sure have grown. I remember the days you would run around the station and pretend to find clues with a copy of some Sherlock Holmes book tucked under your arm,” Kenny’s recounting made Prisha grow embarrassed as she listened to the sheriff share story after story. Louis, Clementine and Brody seemed to be enjoying hearing all these stories that Prisha was sure would be brought up again and she noticed that Violet was also having fun hearing stories about Prisha from before they met.

“Anyways, I’m talking your ears off and I haven’t even asked for any of your damn names.” Kenny sighed apologetically before his eyes focused on Louis for a second as if he had recognized him somehow. “My name’s Kenneth Callaway but you can just call me Sheriff Kenny.”

“Nice to meet you, sir. My name’s Louis and this lovely gal beside me is my girlfriend, Clementine!” Louis smiled over to Clementine who returned it.

“Guess I’m next, I’m Brody,” Brody had a nervous expression on her face, likely due to a mixture of it being a first meeting and that the person she was introducing herself to was the sheriff.

“Nice to meet you all. I picked up on your name already,” Kenny looked over at Violet who gave a short nod.

“Well then, I shouldn’t be taking up any more of your time,” Kenny tipped his hat then turned to leave until a voice called out to him.

“Dad! I didn’t know you’d be on campus!” A young man with short brown hair strolled forward, his pinky intertwined with a person with hazel eyes.

“Hey there, Duck! I was just here to take a look around campus since so much has been going on here lately. Then I ran into Prisha and-”

“Prisha is here!” Duck’s eyes immediately lit up and slipping his pinky free he ran forward. In an instant Prisha was wrapped into a tight hug. “I was hoping I’d see you around campus ever since I started this semester.”

“Duck, you’re hugging me a bit too tight,” Prisha wheezed out before giving an appreciative smile once Duck had let go.

“So, still being a great detective as always? Are you working towards that degree to become a superhero?” Duck smiled brightly at Prisha.

“Well, I’m just becoming a lawyer, not a hero.” Prisha looked away, slightly worried that her eyes or her friends’ would show some sort of sign that they were in fact superheroes.

“Eh, it's basically the same thing!” Duck placed his hands on his hips before a flicker of realization appeared. “Oh, that’s right! I’ve never introduced you to Oakley before!”

Duck ran back and stood beside the person that had been walking with him. They seemed to be completely lost in the simple joy of letting snowflakes fall on their tongue. A small smile was on their lips as a snowflake right on the tip of it.

“This is Oakley, my paramour!” Duck grinned brightly as his pinky wrapped around Oakley’s once more. Prisha’s eyes grew large at that word while Kenny gave a tired groan.

“Son, you could use another word,” Kenny looked over at Duck who shrugged.

“It works for us,”

“But you’re referring to Oakley as your illicit partner. Do you see the issue with that?” Prisha looked at her friend who brushed it off.

“It would be an issue if someone else used it like that but this is different. Anyways, wanna say hi, Knox?”

Oakley stopped in their task for a second then moved their eyes to look at the group. “Hi,” Without another word they soon returned their attention to the sky. Duck didn’t seem to mind though and instead began to get everyone’s names. Soon it was his turn to share old tales involving Prisha: how they would pretend to be heroes around the station and such until one day she had left for Chicago and the two hadn’t really kept in contact until now.

After a while Kenny cleared his throat. “Well, we should be getting out of your hair,” Kenny patted Duck’s back to make sure he got the message too.

“Alright. See you later, Prisha!” Duck gave one final wave then walked off, happily talking with Oakley who listened as they intertwined their fingers. The group watched them for a minute longer before continuing down the path and picking up the conversation that they were having prior to the Sheriff showing up.

Prisha glanced at her phone for a moment. She had some time to kill before she had to start on assignments. Her thumb instantly wandered over towards the Discord app logo and with a quick tap she opened it. As luck would have it the channel she had last been on had begun to pick up with a brand new conversation after Brody and Ruby had finished up their tea talk.

Sing-us-a-song: Wee woo wee woo

BREAKING NEWS

Violet just told me that im her beast friend

Best

Best friend

OrangeuGlad: Congrats!

Bro: wait

Aasim: You are already best friends

Bro: Aren’t you already best friends?

Yeah

Sing-us-a-song: Its official now

Best friends :3

Knife2meetU: Louis

Stop sharing stuff from our private convos in DMs

Sing-us-a-song: Oop

Sorry bestie <3

Knife2meetU: No heart

Sing-us-a-song: Sorry bestie!

Knife2meetU: And no bestie

You’re this close to losing your best friend rights

Sing-us-a-song: Are you sure? Smirk face

There’s no take backs

Knife2meetU: Wanna bet?

Sing-us-a-song: Vi waig

Wait

We’re Bffs!

Thats forever

Prisha watched the conversation continue with amusement when all of a sudden her attention was drawn away from the chat and towards the door. Therissa walked in with a tired groan. Her feet dragged on the floor before she fell onto the couch.

“If I committed murder, would you represent me and get me off scot-free?” Therissa looked over at her roommate with a tired smile. A few strands of her dark brown curly hair fell over her face, covering her eyes.

“Oh? What got you so heated? You’re usually fairly level-headed,” Prisha placed down her phone and walked towards the kitchen area to start some tea.

“I am, but this professor is a total ass. First he praises my writing in his Creative Writing 103 class saying that it’s great but then when the second semester starts and I take Creative Writing 205 then he basically starts telling me it's shit now. It makes no sense and he keeps acting snarky and pissy with me. So now on Valentine’s Day I have a day full of classes, work and a writing tutor because I need to pass this class,” Therissa groaned and sat up when Prisha walked over with two cups of tea.

“Would you want my help on any homework?” Prisha smiled at her friend who accepted the tea gratefully.

Therissa took a long sip before answering. “No, you’re super busy as is. You’re always studying and when you’re not in class you’re rushing around everywhere. I’m surprised you haven’t been passing out recently.”

“Thanks for the compliment,” Prisha’s expression was hidden behind the cup as she took a sip of tea.

“Wasn’t a compliment. I’m trying to point out that you push yourself too much. It’s a good thing Valentine’s Day is the day after tomorrow. Maybe you can finally relax for a day with your girlfriend. Speaking of which, you better have a nice outfit that you're wearing for the date.”

“I am!” Prisha smiled brightly. “In fact, after this tea I can show you it!”

Therissa returned the smile. “Good, then after Valentine’s Day we can return to plotting murder.”

“Sounds good to me.” Prisha took another sip and soon she got caught up in a conversation with Therissa.

“Shit, fuck, shit on the- fuck!” Violet ran over to the heart-shaped bowl that was over a simmering pot of water. The bowl was starting to slip due to the condensation from the heat and the fact that it had been placed poorly over the pot. Luckily Violet had caught it before most of the contents fell into the water. Violet gave a frustrated groan that turned into a hiss when her fingers brushed against the hot metal of the pot. Jerking her hand back, Violet ended up spilling the rest of the chocolate into the water. “Fuck, no!”

“Violet! Are you alright?” Prisha walked forward, the concern clear in her eyes when she saw Violet clutching her hand.

“I’m fine,” Violet could see that Prisha didn’t believe her. Silently Prisha guided Violet over towards the sink and started to run cold water over her fingers. Violet stared at the water for a moment then up at her girlfriend. “This was a fucking stupid injury,”

“It wasn’t. You were just trying to save the chocolate. It’s a shame that you got hurt in the process though,” Prisha noticed Violet’s face fall. “Don’t worry, I’ll help patch up your fingers and you can give the process of making chocolate one more go.”

“I don’t know. I fucking suck at it,” Violet mumbled, her eyes sad until she felt a kiss being pressed to her cheek.

“I beg to differ.” Prisha smiled lovingly at Violet who returned to look until Clementine’s voice drew both of their attention away from each other.

“Why does it look like there’s a pile of shit in the pot?”

“Oh horsefeathers! Did we lose another batch?” Ruby bustled over and huffed with annoyance as she began to clean up the mess.

“Sorry,” Violet’s quiet voice made Ruby glance over, her eyes softening.

“Aww, Sug, don’t worry about it. Luckily Brody had been as worried as ever and overbought on supplies,” Ruby nodded over to Brody who was working on preparing another batch.

“Seems like my anxiousness paid off this time,” Brody smiled at her friends then looked down at the ingredients that would soon make milk chocolate. “Do you think Mitch and the others will like this?” “Are you kidding? Of course they will! Louis is a sucker for sweets and so is Mitch,” Clementine placed a hand on Brody’s shoulder and gave a smile.

“Aasim loves all things romance and besides two of the people that are getting chocolates are with us and both of them have been all worried about making the perfect chocolate,” Ruby sent a teasing look over to Prisha and Violet.

“Well, ‘perfect’ is a strong word. I just want to make good chocolates for Violet,” Prisha messed with her braid for a moment.

“Yeah, what's wrong with not wanting to fuck up?” Violet crossed her arms and looked over at Ruby.

“I don’t think Ruby said it was bad, just sweet,” Brody gave another smile then took a deep breath. “Now let's kick this chocolates’ ass and surprise the guys!”

Clementine and Ruby cheered at that and soon all the girls were working on chocolate once more. It took a few more tries but soon the chocolate was being poured into the molds. After being placed in the fridge for twenty to thirty minutes the chocolates were done and the girls moved to the next step. Each of them worked to put the chocolates into little homemade heart boxes that Brody and Ruby had spent the night before making.

Violet swore under her breath while she worked on her box; Brody seemed to be in no better a boat. Meanwhile Ruby and Prisha had mastered putting together boxes of chocolates. Both of them were tying picture perfect bows on the boxes to seal them. Prisha hummed a happy tune to herself as she finished the final touches. But as soon as the others noticed that she was singing she quieted down. Lastly Clementine gave it her best effort and got a middle of the road result; she didn’t seem to care though. She knew that Louis would love it. Just as that thought had finished a knock came on her front door. Brushing her hands on her pants, Clementine walked forward. Her eyes grew large when she spotted Louis, Mitch and Aasim at the door. “Louis! What are you doing here?”

Clementine’s exclamation made the other girls poke their heads out of the kitchen to see the boys standing in the doorway. Each of them had a clip-on bow tie and a rose in their hands.

“Hello, my darling,” Louis leaned forward and planted a kiss on Clementine’s cheek. “We are here for our early Valentine’s Day surprise!” Louis grinned back at Mitch and Aasim. Mitch felt like his nerves were all over the place as he pulled on his shirt collar. Meanwhile Aasim seemed to be practicing something in his mind, his eyes focused elsewhere. Louis quickly snapped his friends out of their mindset and led the way inside. “We are here to serenade our lovely girlfriends with a barbershop quartet!”

“But isn’t a quartet made of four singers?” Brody walked forward, leading the way for the girls who all filed out to see what song the boys were about to sing.

“Right you are, Bro! Prisha, mind switching sides and completing our quartet?” Louis smiled over to his music confidant.

“I’d love nothing more,” Prisha smiled confidently as she walked forward and accepted a clip-on bowtie and rose.

Louis quickly gathered the three others and played a note for them all to be the same key. Soon the four of them began to sing Just in Time by Frank Sinatra. It was an older song that Violet was sure Prisha had pushed to be the choice for today.

“Just in time, I found you just in time

Before you came, my time was runnin' low

I was lost, the losing dice were tossed

My bridges all were crossed, nowhere to go,”

The four of them sang, each of them using their natural singing octave. Prisha and Louis were by far the best singers while Aasim wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination. That left Mitch in last place who clearly couldn’t sing as well as the others but that didn’t stop him from powering through and singing loudly.

“Now you're here and now I know just where I'm goin'

No more doubt or fear, I found my way

For love came just in time

You found me just in time

And changed my lonely life that lovely day,”

The four walked forward towards Violet, Ruby, Brody and Clementine. Each of them looked at their girlfriends with loving smiles. Even though the song wasn’t sung the strongest, the girls could tell that Prisha and the boys were pouring their hearts into the performance despite it being obvious for some this whole thing was overwhelming.

“Now you are here and now I know just where I'm goin'

No more doubt or fear, 'cause I've found my way

For love came just in time

You found me just in time

And changed my lonely life that lovely

Lonely life that lovely

Lonely life that lovely day,”

As the four hit the final note they held out their roses to their respective girlfriends. Louis gave a playful wink Clementine’s way as she accepted the rose before all of his confidence melted away into dorky happiness when Clementine stole a quick kiss. Ruby accepted the rose, her rosy cheeks growing rosier as she got on her tiptoes and showered Aasim with quick, soft kisses. Meanwhile both Brody and Mitch were blushing messes as Brody took the rose and gave Mitch a compliment that made him even more flustered. Both of them tried to find the right words as they held each other’s hands. Soon they each decided it was better to just let their actions speak louder than their words and shared a strong kiss. Lastly, Violet took the rose and knew that her face was as red as the flower.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the quartet,” Prisha smiled at Violet who gave a short nod. The two were silent for a moment before Violet snuck a kiss. The romantic action made Prisha freeze in place for a moment.

“Oh!” Ruby’s voice made everyone look over at her. “We should give the chocolates!”

“Chocolates?” Louis’ eyes danced with excitement at those words and it only grew as Clementine disappeared and reappeared with a box of chocolates.

Soon all of the chocolates had been exchanged to which all of its recipients were extremely happy. Mitch wrapped his arms around Brody from behind and pressed a kiss to her cheek before he grew almost as overwhelmed as Brody by the action. Aasim was happily talking about how much he appreciated Ruby and all the thought she had put in this early Valentine’s Day surprise. Ruby blushed and quickly told him that he had been just as thoughtful if not more. Violet watched nervously as Prisha took a bite of the chocolate and was relieved when Prisha’s eyes sparkled with happiness. Clementine watched her friends for a moment then looked back over at Louis who was gushing about how lucky he was to have a girlfriend like Clementine, especially on Valentine’s Day. Clementine smiled softly and held onto Louis’ hands.

These Valentine celebrations were already going great and it wasn’t even the holiday yet. All of them had knocked it out of the park so far and after hearing the plans for the others Valentine Day dates Clementine was sure tomorrow would be a fantastic day for all of them.

Clementine’s eyes wandered over the map of Ericson University one last time. She had to be sure that there were no rifts opening up. If one appeared while she was busy getting lost in the joy of a date… It couldn’t happen. Luckily when she checked it for the sixteenth time it was the same as it always was. Blank and void of any shimmering blue or red dots. Clementine gave a shaky sigh of relief and tucked it away in her winter coat. Lee and Carley had already headed out, both of them looking giddy at the thought of starting their Valentine’s Day date. Soon after they had left, a babysitter showed up for AJ who was waiting to work on his second Valentine’s card that he wanted to give to Telulah as soon as he could. His foot tapped impatiently as he waited for Louis so that he could say hi before him and Clementine headed out. A few minutes passed of awkward silence and of the babysitter wanting to get AJ to focus on games instead of staring at the door when a knock appeared. Jogging forward, Clementine opened the door and found her boyfriend smiling brightly at her, in his hands a dozen roses.

“Happy Valentine's Day, my darling!” Louis leaned forward and captured Clementine’s lips in a soft kiss.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” Clementine reached out and took one of Louis’ hands in hers.

“Are you ready for a magical carriage ride?” Louis smiled at Clementine who gave a short nod.

“Yep,” Clementine glanced back at AJ. “Okay, we’re going to be heading out now,”

“Wait!” AJ scampered forward and skidded to a halt in front of the pair. “You better keep her safe!”

“Will do, little dude!” Louis gave a huge thumbs up at AJ who beamed.

“Oh! And get her back by curf- curvs-”

“Curfew,” Clementine helped her little brother who nodded firmly.

“Yeah! Curfew!”

“Of course! I will make sure Clem is back and safe by curfew. You have a gentleman’s promise,” Louis noticed the happy smile on AJ’s lips at his words.

“Good!” AJ placed his hands on his hips for a second then rushed forward and tackled Clementine with a hug before running back to get started on the fun.

Clementine and Louis shared a smile and quietly laughed as they walked out the door. Clementine looked over at Louis. He was wearing a long brown coat as well as a green scarf that seemed to only add to his adorable winter vibes.“You’re looking cute today,”

Clementine’s compliment made Louis look over with a dorky smile. “Why, thank you! I picked it out myself. Well, that's not entirely true. Marlon helped me pick out this scarf,”

“Well then both of you did a good job picking out your outfit,” Clementine smiled when she saw how happy those words made Louis.

“Awww thanks, but I don’t look half as cute as you,” Louis swung their joined hands then nodded over towards Clementine's outfit. It was a dark blue sweater covered by a black winter jacket that all complemented her fuzzy blue winter hat.

Clementine blushed lightly at the compliment. “Thanks,” She quickly leaned over and pressed a kiss to Louis’ cheek. The two walked happily towards the location of the horse-drawn carriage, sharing as many kiss as they could surprise the other with until they reached the spot.

“M’lady,” Louis held out his hand with a warm smile. Clementine returned the smile and took his hand as he guided her up the steps of the carriage. Soon he was right beside her, immediately handing over the dozen roses. “Are you ready for a romantic carriage ride?” “I was born ready,” Clementine gave a playful smile that made Louis’ nose crinkle with amusement. Sharing one more kiss, Louis gave the signal and the carriage driver flicked the reins, causing the horses to snort before moving forward in a slow trot. Clementine scooted closer and wrapped her arm around Louis’ waist. Louis’ face grew warm and he gently kissed Clementine’s forehead then pulled her closer. Nuzzling his face against the top of her head, he slowly leaned his head against hers and the two took in the beauty of the snow-covered world around them. Both of them commented here and there about how lovely the park was as the carriage moved forward. After a few moments Louis began to hum a tune that Clementine couldn’t place for a moment. It took her a few seconds to pick up what he was singing.

“Are you humming Jingle Bells? After Christmas?” Clementine looked up at her boyfriend with a smile.

“Yes, I am, and there is nothing wrong with that,” Louis grinned down at Clementine and stole a kiss before continuing to hum. Soon his warm tune was joined by a softer voice. Louis glanced down to see that Clementine was joining him in humming. The two began to hum some more then quickly proceeded to sing the song out loud along with any other song that their hearts desired. Both of them looked at each other with joyful, soft smiles. This really was a magical carriage ride.

Ruby stood in front of the mirror and turned this way and that, causing her red dress to sway. Her brows furrowed for a moment before she looked back at Brody who was busy pacing.

“Brody, do you think my dress looks alright?”

Ruby’s voice snapped Brody out of her thoughts and she glanced up. “What? Are you kidding? Aasim is going to lose his mind when he sees you!” Brody stopped her pacing and gave a warm smile to her best friend.

“Yeah, you’re right. I think I’m getting into my own head.” Ruby looked back at the mirror. “Just like you are about your date with Mitch,”

Those words made Brody’s eyes grow large before falling. “It’s stupid. I was so busy the last few days that I didn’t even talk to Mitch about changing our Valentine’s Day plans. It's too late to change them now and besides, he sang for me yesterday which was a really nice surprise.”

“Brody, I don’t think you need to worry your head about this. I’m sure you’ll have a grand time with Mitch,” Ruby looked back at Brody through the mirror, a playful knowingness in her eyes. The sight of that confused Brody and she wanted to ask about it when suddenly a knock on the dorm room door appeared.

“Oh, that must be him!” Ruby bustled over and opened the door, revealing Aasim who was decked out in a suit with a red tie. Tucked in his left hand there looked to be a piece of love poetry based on the seal and the red bow around it.

“Hello, my dove,” Aasim leaned down and gently kissed Ruby. Ruby instantly cupped his face and deepened the kiss before giving two more quick ones.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Pookie,” Ruby took Aasim’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Are you ready to go to the tea shop?”

“I sure am! I heard the tea there is divine!” Ruby smiled up at her boyfriend then glanced back at Brody. “I’m heading out. I’ll see you later.”

“Okay,” Brody gave a quick wave and after Aasim helped Ruby get on her coat the two disappeared down the hall.

The pair walked in serene silence for a bit, enjoying the winter wonderland that their campus had turned into. They shared small kisses here and there as they walked, placing them on each other’s wrists and hands. Ruby’s rosy red cheeks turned even brighter in the cold of winter which made Aasim’s heart pitter patter happily.

Soon the two had arrived at Sarita’s Tea Shop where the owner welcomed them with a friendly smile. A large man stood beside the owner who they learned went by the name Tripp. He gave a quick kiss to Sarita before guiding Aasim and Ruby to their table. After placing their orders, Aasim and Ruby immediately held each other’s hands.

Aasim looked at Ruby with such tender love as he placed kiss after kiss on her hands. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that I found you. In fact, I tried my best to put into words my feelings for you,” Aasim slipped one of his hands free and held out the love poetry.

“Why, Aasim,” Ruby gently took the gift and slowly began to read it. Her eyes wandered from left to right, reading the words her boyfriend had so lovingly put on paper. With each sentence her heart grew warmer and warmer until she had finished reading. Silently she placed down the paper and leaned forward across the table, kissing Aasim softly. Aasim’s eyes widened for a moment then closed as he deepened the kiss. After a moment the two pulled apart and shared a soft look.

“I’m happy I found you too,”

The two smiled at each other, holding each other’s hands until the tea was brought forward along with the pastries. Tripp silently poured the hot water over a rose blossom in a clear teapot. Slowly the rose bursted open, blossoming and flavoring the tea. Ruby and Aasim stared in awe then shared another smile. This was turning into a truly unforgettable Valentine’s Day.

Brody sat on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Ruby had left a while ago and based on the haphazard text she got from Mitch he was nearly here. It wouldn’t be bad cuddling and watching a movie together. Feeling Mitch’s arms around her, stolen kisses.. Brody covered her face with a pillow as she felt herself grow overwhelmed. Just as she was about to go on another spiral of thoughts, a knock showed up on the door.

Peeking out from behind the pillow Brody got up, quickly readjusting her t-shirt before walking over to answer the door. When she opened the door her eyes grew wide with surprise. There, standing in the doorway, was Mitch in an honest to goodness tux. The dark blue tie was sloppily placed and the suit was a bit too big on him.

Mitch pulled at the collar for a second before he noticed Brody. “Brodes! Happy Valentine’s Day!” Mitch’s voice boomed a bit too loudly as he thrusted out his arm which held a metal trident. Brody blinked in awe of the trident then took it. Slowly her eyes began to examine it. “I thought that a stronger weapon is never a bad thing so I made you one,” Mitch’s eyes were focused on the floor. “It’ll protect you way better than that prop one you had,”

“I love it,” Brody smiled up at Mitch who looked at her with shock then proceeded to pump his fist.

“Yes! Fuckin’ A! I actually didn’t fuck up on Valentine’s Day! Because look!” Mitch leaned over and picked up a soft yellow dress then held it out for Brody. “Ruby helped me pick it out because I’m shit at this sorta thing but you gotta dress up for our plans.”

“Plans?” Brody accepted the dress and held it close to her chest with a soft smile.

“Yeah, it took me fucking forever but I saved up enough money to take you to one of those fancy restaurants, one of those places where you have to dress fancy and shit,”

Mitch’s words made Brody’s mouth open slightly in surprise. She definitely wasn’t expecting this. Silently she placed down the items then got on her tiptoes and pulled Mitch into a kiss. Mitch instantly wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. Once they pulled apart the two stared into each other’s eyes.

“I’m gonna go get changed,”

“Okay, I’ll wait out in the hall,” Mitch whispered. Both of their faces were super red as they squeezed each other’s hands and let them slip free. Mitch waited out in the hall, kicking his foot impatiently as he leaned against the wall. After a few minutes Brody emerged from the room in the short, soft yellow dress. Mitch’s mouth hung open for a second.

“Well, do I look okay?” Brody did a small spin.

“You look fucking amazing!” Mitch walked forward and stole another kiss from Brody. Brody hummed at the touch of the kiss then pulled back, her face a bright red.

“Thanks, you look pretty amazing yourself,” Brody’s hands wandered forward and held onto Mitch’s tux for a second.

Mitch had a confident smile on his face. “I borrowed this tux from my dad and he helped me pick out this tie,” Mitch’s confidence radiated off of him as he displayed his outfit before it faltered when he noticed his tie’s placement looked like shit. Silently Brody helped fix his tie then intertwined her fingers with his. The two shared a quick smile then after locking the door headed out towards the restaurant.

Both of them felt extremely out of place at this fancy restaurant. It was way out of their normal price range.

“Why the fuck do they have two forks?” Mitch looked at the table placement with confusion as he and Brody waited for their steak dinners.

“I don’t know. Maybe it's in case you drop one?” Brody shrugged, unsure of her own answer. Mitch stared at the forks for a moment longer before a mischievous grin appeared on his face. “Mitch, what are you thinking?”

Mitch was silent as he looked up at Brody before his elbow knocked off a fork. After a moment a waiter came forward and replaced his fork. Brody sighed which only made Mitch’s smile grow.

“Come on, Brodes, y’know you love me,” Mitch’s smug smile faded in an instant when he realized what he had just said. The two shared a look, both extremely red once more before looking away.

Brody was silent for a minute then answered. “Yeah, I do.”

Her answer made Mitch drop his glass of water directly on his crotch. “Fuck!”

“Mitch! Are you okay?” Brody pushed back her chair to check on her boyfriend.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. It just looks like I pissed my pants,” Mitch was silent for a moment, wondering if he should go for it. “I love you too,”

His answer shocked Brody who in her surprise knocked over a plate which slammed onto Mitch’s toe. This date was absolute chaos but both of them seemed focused on the positives of the moment, chaos and all.

Violet hopped up onto the back of her old, beat up, blue pickup truck, parked in the same spot that Violet had taken Prisha all those months ago on their first date together. Her hands worked to place the last few pillows in place before double checking that all the fake candles were on. After frantically checking once more Violet got off the truck and walked towards the door. Opening it, she saw that Prisha still had her eyes closed.

“Okay, it's ready. Here, take my hand,” Violet instructed and Prisha immediately held out her hand which Violet grasped. Silently she led the way towards the back of the pickup truck. After getting Prisha in the right spot, Violet took a few steps back beside the truck.”Okay, open your eyes.”

Prisha’s eyes slowly fluttered open before growing large in awe. The back of the pickup truck was covered in blankets and pillows. Along the edges of the truck were fake candles as well as two vases filled with violets, baby’s breath and forget me nots.

“I did my best to make it like our first date but, y’know, better,” Violet awkwardly scratched the back of her neck then hid her hands away in her front hoodie pocket.

“It's absolutely beautiful! Violet,” Prisha’s voice hitched in her throat and she ran forward, cupping Violet’s face and capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Violet’s eyes grew large at the romantic gesture for a moment then she deepened the kiss. Prisha pulled back and looked lovingly into Violet’s eyes. “I love it.” “I’m glad,” Violet smiled at her girlfriend then intertwined her fingers with Prisha’s. “So, ready to stargaze?”

“Of course!” Prisha returned the smile, kissing Violet’s nose quickly before getting up on the back of the pickup truck with her. The two worked together to get under the blankets and snuggled close. Both of them soon became lost in the beauty of the sky when all of a sudden Prisha reached out and held onto Violet’s hand once more. Violet gave a soft laugh at that which confused Prisha as she looked over at her girlfriend. “What?”

“Nothing. It's just on our first date neither of us was even sure if it was one and we both kept accidentally dodging each other’s hands,” Violet’s eyes traveled over to Prisha’s. “I’m really glad that you held my hand that night,”

“I am too. I can't even express how much you’ve grown to mean to me, Violet. How deeply I care about you, how much I love you,” Prisha turned her body so that she was closer to Violet. Her eyes soon became lost in Violet’s.

“Me neither. To think I’d find someone like you,” Violet whispered and moved closer. “I’m really fucking lucky. So, thanks for choosing me,”

Prisha’s smile grew and she gave Violet a soft kiss. “I wouldn’t choose anyone else. I love you,”

“I love you too,” Violet snuggled up closer to Prisha and soon the two repositioned themselves. Violet’s head gently rested on Prisha’s shoulder as Prisha’s arms wrapped around Violet. The couple’s gaze slowly returned up to the starry sky. Violet snuck a quick glance at Prisha then looked up at the sky once more. Being here with her and the stars that shone brightly in the sky, in that moment Violet needed nothing more.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg violet #twdg prisha #twdg ruby #twdg aasim #twdg brody #twdg mitch #twdg kenny #twdg duck #twdg oakley #clouis #rusim #twdg privet #twdg moody #fanfic #I am thou thou art I au

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vintagedolan · 4 years

Text

mixtape | track eight

| masterlist | faceclaims | playlist |

“Left or right?”

“Don’t look at me, I never fucking graduated.”

“Right, then you move it to the left,” Lisa offered, attempting to get past Grayson. He was having none of it, sticking out his tongue a bit while he focused on getting Indy’s cap arranged correctly, making sure her tassel was in the right spot.

Indy had passed her finals with flying colors, which came as no surprise to anyone who knew her. Top of the class, which was enough for her to feel a tiny bit proud of herself. The Dolan’s on the other hand, we’re over the moon, ready to celebrate her as if it was the greatest achievement anyone could accomplish. Grayson had picked her up from her last final, coaxing her to take a nap in the truck while he drove them out to Jersey, her head in his lap as she was finally able to relax after so many days of stress. He was glad - he wanted her energy to be high when she got to the house, considering he’d planned out a big family dinner as a surprise. He’d even caved and bought her her favorite non-vegan ice cream. She was so surprised that she cried as soon as she went in and saw Ethan and Lisa in the kitchen with little fake graduation cap headbands on.

Even though surprises weren’t her favorite, he hoped he could sneak in another, considering the real one wasn’t until the next day, and it’s arrival came as a text that buzzed in Grayson’s pocket.

Here!

He cleared his throat quickly, trying to hide his excitement as he stepped back from his girlfriend.

“Hey Indiana, I think there’s something at the door for you,” he said.

She squinted at him in accusation.

“You just called me Indiana.”

“Indeed I did.”

“That’s sus.”

“Just go to the door Dee.”

“Sus.”

“Dee.”

“G.”

“Indiana Jamie Cross, will you please open your door,” he said as formally as he could, knowing it would make her laugh enough to give in.

“If something jumps out and scares me, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Holy shit just go open the door before I do it for you.”

She walked slowly but she listened to him, pulling the door open cautiously.

“I was wondering if you were gonna let me in.”

Indiana’s mouth fell open.

“Charlie?!”

Grayson Dolan had learned in the last week that the Cross women were stubborn beings, especially when it came to money. Which was why it took so long for him to convince the older Cross sister to let him buy her and Devin a plane ticket at Thanksgiving.

“We would love to be there, but I just bought the ticket to get out here, and money is kinda tight for us right now. I don’t know if we can swing it so soon again.” Charlie kept her voice down, pretending to look at some of the picture frames on the bookshelf while Grayson talked to her.

“I’ll buy your tickets, both of you, first class.”

“Grayson, no, I can’t ask you to do that,” she shook her head.

“But you didn’t ask. I offered, there’s a difference. C’mon, you know that she’d love to have you there.”

Charlie hesitated, bit her lip the way Indy always did. The back door opened, signaling that everyone was coming back inside and that their conversation needed to end. She looked up at him quickly, eyes darting across the room.

“I’ll think about it.”

It had taken her four days to finally agree and let Grayson send her the money for the tickets, though she insisted on flying coach, sending him back the rest of what he’d given her to cover first class, down to the cent.

Which was how she ended up getting tackled by a very excited Indiana outside her apartment door, so hard that they almost knocked Devin over in a whirl of blonde hair. Grayson caught her cap as it flew off.

“What?! What are you doing here?! How did you get here! I thought you couldn’t come, what the fuck!”

“Ask him,” Charlie laughed, lifting her chin towards Grayson.

She spun, eyes wide and shocked.

“You did this?”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “You look exactly like the soft eyes emoji right now, you know that?”

“Shut up,” she smacked his chest before she buried her face in it, sniffling.

“Hey, you don’t have to cry, you’ll mess up your mascara,” he said, pressing a kiss to her hair before she stood up straight again, letting him swipe his thumbs under her eyes.

Ethan was watching the interaction from the couch with a bit of a frown. He pulled his eyes away and picked at some lint on his henley, but he kept his ears towards the kitchen. There was a tenderness, a careful nature in the way he spoke around Indy. It reminded him of the first time that Grayson had gotten a girlfriend. Peyton. They’d met on the first day of 7th grade, in science class, where Grayson didn’t care to pay attention, especially not with Ethan and the prettiest girl in the grade at his table. Ethan had teased his brother relentlessly until he finally got his words handed back to him when she actually agreed to a date - which involved him picking flowers out of his mom’s window box garden (he got in trouble for it later) and hiding them under his jacket when Sean dropped him off at the movie theatre. They’d kissed each other during the end credits, with tongue according to a very excited Grayson who came home and plopped himself on his brother’s bed and spilled every little detail. Ethan was single at the time, so he could only listen, and watch. Watch the way he carried her books for her to class and then sprinted to his own with only a few seconds to spare before the bell. Watched him beg his mom to dye his hair blonde when Peyton said she thought it would look cool. Watched him pass her notes all of class, not caring when Mrs. Patterson took one and read “I love you so much, you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen” in front of the whole class that included the majority of his wrestling team. And, he watched the pain on his face when they stumbled across Peyton kissing Jacob Bates behind the bus when she thought Grayson was at wrestling practice. He tried to keep it together, but he sniffled his way through Lisa dying his hair brown that night. Ethan had tried to cheer him up with his usual tactics - stupid inside jokes, making fun of Cameron, even making fun of himself. But Grayson didn’t laugh.

That was when he knew his brother loved hard. He was halfway convinced the reason that Grayson was the bigger twin in the womb was because of the size of his heart. That being said, it wasn’t unusual for Ethan to watch his brother be kind, and sweet, and loving to his girlfriend.

But there was something different with Indy. It was the first time that he could look at Grayson with a girl and see Grayson - unfiltered, unaltered. His twin brother, in his full form, not having changed a single aspect of himself to fit another person. And it made him happy. So happy that for a moment he was able to ignore the guilt that started to rush over him as he remembered all the things he’d said, about how their relationship wouldn’t work, and how Grayson needed to address it. It made him feel worse that he knew he was still right, no matter how in love his brother was.

In the kitchen, Charlie was flicking through settings on her camera.

“I know we have to leave soon, but we have to get at least a few pictures before you get all sweaty cause you get sweaty when you’re nervous,” she said, grabbing her sister’s arm and leading her over to the windows, positioning her with the right lighting.

They took a few normal portraits, some with her cap and some without, a few candids where Charlie did her best to make her laugh as Grayson watched on, the proudest smile on his face.

“Alright, I want one, I want one!” Devin chimed in, surprising both the Cross sisters. They turned to him with the same expression that had him laughing so hard he held his chest. It was the loudest sound that any of the Dolan’s had ever heard come out of him, but it was contagious enough to have them all smiling.

“What?! It’s not every day my little sis graduates college!” He teased, going to ruffle her hair but thinking better of it at the last minute, instead choosing to wrap her up in the biggest hug, her face adorably squished in the picture that Charlie captured.

After that, it was a revolving door of poses with everyone. Lisa fixed Indy’s hair for her before their picture, and Ethan stole her cap and wore it himself. He offered to take the camera, thankful for Charlie’s settings that seemed to work magic as he took a few cute one of the duo, even a few with Indy on Charlie’s back. Devin joined in and they recreated the shoot from their engagement party that Indy still had on the top shelf.

By the time it was Grayson’s turn, Indy’s cheeks were sore from smiling. But she couldn’t help but beam at him as he waltzed over to her in his dress pants and button down, all dressed up for her big day. She did her best to ignore the click of the camera as Grayson fixed her cap, moved her honors cords so they were even where they hung. They took the normal formal poses, and Grayson stole Ethan’s idea of borrowing the cap. But Indy gasped when he tossed it to the side and scooped her up bridal style, laughing as he held her tight and kissed her cheek, even dipped her a bit and looked up at Charlie for the photo op. Indy put it on her mental to-do list to get them printed as soon as she could, beyond excited to see them once Charlie sent them over.

“Okay, we gotta go or we’re gonna be late,” Lisa said, making sure everyone had what they needed for the short walk to the university. Everyone layered up, but while Grayson disappeared in search of his dress coat, Indy pulled her sister aside.

“Hey um. Did… did Dad talk to you at all this week?”

Charlie’s face melted into pity. “I’m sorry bubs.”

“No it’s fine, it’s no big deal. Didn’t expect him to, I just wanted to check so I didn’t get blindsided or anything if he showed up.”

Charlie just nodded and gave her a small smile. She didn’t tell her little sister that she’d told Kenneth about her graduation - four times, actually. He’d never responded, though she could see that he’d read them. Charlie was so used to making excuses for him that she had a whole list of them backed up. He had to work. Traffic. He wanted to come, but something came up. But when she looked at Indy, who wasn’t so much her little sister anymore, she bit her tongue, put her arm around her and headed out the door.

The ceremony was in the science building. John Clark University didn’t have anywhere big enough to house the entire graduating class, so they opted to split it up into smaller ceremonies by discipline instead.

“It should be pretty quick actually, there’s not a ton of us,” Indy said when they arrived, looking over her shoulder at all the graduates moving to get checked in and lined up.

“We’ll wave when you come out so you can find us!” To Indy’s surprise, Lisa’s eyes were teary. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Li,” Indy smiled, pulling her in for a last minute hug, trying not to get emotional herself at the fact that a woman who had no obligation to love her cared so much.

“Don’t trip,” Ethan grinned, nudging her shoulder to lighten the mood.

She turned to Grayson, kissing him quickly before she finally headed off, looking back a few times before she disappeared around the corner.

“Okay seats, seats, we gotta get good ones!” Charlie exclaimed, immediately leading the group through the rows - it was a massive lecture hall with the flip down chairs Grayson had only seen in movie theatres and movies. When they finally found five seats together, he found himself wandering what it was like to be in class somewhere so big, with so many other people learning the same thing.

Despite feeling like they were running late, there were plenty more graduates and families that filed into the building, taking their seats and patiently awaiting the procession.

Thirty minutes later they finally began to file through, a straight line of black robes and red and white tassels. Charlie spotted Indiana first, with Grayson a millisecond behind her, both of them standing up to wave until she saw them and waved back. He kept track of her as she went to sit down in her row, kept his eyes on her as best he could while the main speaker began his speech. He didn’t care what he had to say - he only had eyes for his girl, who looked back every so often and offered him a little wave that still had his heart fluttering like they were hiding in the curtains of Emma’s room all over again.

Grayson hadn’t experienced a lot of moments of pride in his lifetime. There were a few he could pinpoint - when Ethan won one of their wrestling tournaments in middle school, when their team won their lacrosse championship. When his mom’s salon won best in the city a few years back, when his sister graduated college. But what he felt in that next moment topped every single one.

The dean of the college of sciences asked everyone to hold their applause, and without any prior consulting, Indy’s entire squad ignored the rule.

“Indiana Jamie Cross. Bachelor’s of Biological Sciences. Summa Cum Laude.”

“WOOOOOO, YEAH DEE!” Grayson yelled it at the top of his lungs, not even noticing the way everyone turned to look at him. He could see Indy’s blush all the way from the stage as they all continued clapping until the next person was called.

For a moment he was afraid she was embarrassed, but when she took her seat again he saw her turn around and blow him a quick kiss. He caught it in the air and threw her a wink, excited to get to her to give her a real one, which was exactly what he did when she finally made it out of the stream of people at the end of the ceremony. Everyone’s hearts melted when he spun her around and planted one on her.

Charlie took a few more pictures of her with her diploma before Grayson spoke back up.

“Alright, coffee’s on me!”

It seemed to have gotten somewhat colder outside as the wind whipped around the buildings, and Indy curled into a much warmer Grayson as the group headed down the sidewalk. He moved his finger to her palm.

P-R-O-U-D-O-F-U

She leaned her cheek against his shoulder, her blush almost warm enough to soak through his coat.

But it was nothing compared to the redness that spread over her cheeks when she walked into Jets.

“HAPPY GRADUATION INDIANA!”

The cry was championed by Patrick, who stood in the lobby absolutely beaming at her, below a banner that they’d hung above the espresso bars that read the same. Indy didn’t have to ask - the grin on Grayson’s face gave it away. She wanted to ask him how long he’d planned that surprise, how many more he had in store. She felt woefully undeserving, especially when she realized that Patrick had shut down the store for an hour just for her.

“And I thought you giving me free coffee was bad for business,” she said in his ear when she hugged him.

“I don’t know what lover boy over there does but he covered normal sales for the hour and then some,” he mumbled.

One of the baristas handed Ethan a sign that read “closed for private celebration” to hang on the door, and then it was truly time to celebrate. Indy walked behind the bar like she had a million times before, happy to see that everything was still in the same place. Patrick threw her an apron that she jokingly tied on over her robe before she clapped her hands together.

“Alright, who wants what?”

She made some of her best latte art that day - leaves, a flower for Lisa, a slightly lopsided swan for Devin per his request. It felt nice to be in a familiar place doing something she was good at - it blanketed over the uncertainty that had begun to settle in when she realized that everything was on a trajectory of change. She would never sit in another undergraduate course, never have some of her favorite professors again. And there was always the factor of possibly looking at other schools - they all started their programs in the fall, which meant she had time to truly look, if she really wanted to. From her first tour of campus she’d always thought she would be at JCU for her whole academic career, but her mind began to wander when she heard the buzzing of all the other top schools that her cohort were applying to - Baylor, Harvard, and the one that had piqued her interest the most, UCLA.

She’d googled their admission rates one night when Grayson had fallen asleep during a back scratch, and her chances looked good. Really good. But she’d closed the tab quickly - LA was too far away from New York, from home.

“Hey. Where’d you go?” Grayson’s voice was soft as he clinked his mug against hers to get her attention.

“Just thinking,” she smiled, turning her head and tilting up until he kissed her quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

Indiana hopped off her barstool and headed back behind the bar, following Patrick who had disappeared to the back storage room. It was like walking into a friend’s house you hadn’t been to in a while when she passed through the swinging door. The freezers on the left and the syrups in organized rows on her right, just like before.

“Don’t even think about trying to do any dishes while you’re here,” Patrick said, his back still to her as she moved to the sink. She’d had too much time to think while she sat and waited for her name to be called during the ceremony - too much empty mental space that could be allotted to all the things she should be doing. Which meant she’d managed to hatch up a whole plan to better herself in more ways than one in a mere 20 minutes.

“Do you guys still have the same insurance policy for employees? Like the new health benefits, the mental health ones that you all put in like two months before I left?”

Patrick turned the water off.

“Yeah, insurance is the same, it covers four therapy sessions a month for anyone who qualifies. But that’s just for full time employees. But I could probably pull a few strings and get you some benefits with part time hours… is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah everything is fine! I was just curious. Thanks.”

Indy turned to leave, jumping a bit when she realized that Charlie was behind her.

“What’re you doing back here?”

“I was looking for Patrick, there’s a delivery guy here with milk,” Charlie explained, but there was a seriousness in her brows that let Indy know that she had not only heard enough of the conversation, but that she was definitely going to have to talk about it later.

Damn.

She pushed the thought aside and put on another smile before they all exited the backroom, laughing at the sight of one of Ethan trying to steam milk. He turned at her entrance and lost his focus, moving the pitcher down too far and spraying almond milk everywhere before the barista who was helping him flipped the wand back up.

“Eden’s on facetime for you over there!” He pointed towards the counter and his phone, which Indy happily picked up to find a beaming Eden, who informed her that she’d sent a card that would probably be there a few days late, but she’d tried. She stayed on FaceTime while they all thanked Patrick again and headed back to the apartment, Lisa unveiling the gift pile and vegan cookie cake she’d managed to sneak in while Grayson had distracted Indiana with questions about his outfit choices. Almost every gift made Indiana cry - just the idea that they’d spent any time thinking about her was enough to have her emotional anyways. But between the blanket that Lisa had embroidered with JCU 20’, Ethan’s gift of a JCU Alumni sweatshirt and Indy’s dream record player that Charlie and Devin had got her, she was teary-eyed. Her mouth fell open when Grayson came out with a giant box from the spare room - she couldn’t for the life of her figure out how he’d managed to sneak it in past her - but she didn’t care when she unwrapped it and realized it was a Mastrena.

“You bought me an espresso machine? Grayson! These things cost a fortune!”

“Yeah, but you graduated college! And now you can make lattes all the time.”

“Gray-”

“And you can make me lattes,” he teased, knowing it would take her a while to fully accept it. She just shook her head when he kissed her cheek, overwhelmed.

By the time the night was coming to a close, everyone was piled onto the couch, with Charlie and Indy on their boyfriend’s laps to make room for everyone as they watched Collateral Beauty at Indy’s request. Grayson frowned when she sniffled and held her when she cried, eyes more focused on her than the screen. And he couldn’t say he was too sad to see Lisa and Ethan say goodbye, or for Devin and Charlie to say their goodnights before they disappeared into the spare room.

The duo brushed their teeth in the sink side by side, and Grayson snapped a picture of them in the mirror with a foamy smile before they stripped down to underwear and scurried under the covers.

Indy was just as glad to have him to herself for the first time all day, and she soaked in his warmth, sighing when he pulled her closer.

“I love you. Thank you for today.”

Y-O-U-R-E-W-E-L-C-O-M-E he traced on her shoulder blade, lips on her forehead.

T-I-R-E-D?

“Why?” Grayson smirked, laughing quietly when she smacked his chest.

“It’s been a long day, that’s why.”

“For you,” he corrected.

“You had to sit around and watch me all day though.”

“You say that as if it’s something I wouldn’t enjoy. I could celebrate you everyday baby.”

She blushed at his words, burying her face in his neck.

“For someone as accomplished as you, you really suck at letting people acknowledge your accomplishments,” he teased, running his fingertips over her skin lightly. She did the same over his chest, tracing a hexagon.

“I’m… I’m not used to people being proud of me I guess.”

Grayson frowned and pulled back and looked at her, really looked in her eyes. They were still the color of the jellyfish, just a bit duller in the low light of her bedroom.

“I’m proud of you Indiana.” He paused, offering her a small smile. “But you know what? I’m not the most proud.”

Indy waited.

“Your mom. She’s gotta be the most proud of you. She’s seen every single minute you put in to get where you are right now.”

She crumpled into his chest, and the tears that had threatened her all day finally fell, hot and salty as they traveled onto his skin. It was quiet in the room for a while, and Grayson waited patiently - quietly, until she spoke again.

“I felt her today. She was there.”

“Yeah?”

“I didn’t see her or anything. But I had a dream about her the other night though, and it felt like she was really there with me. And it felt like that today too. Does that ever happen to you? With your dad?”

“Oh all the time. He’s always with me. Sometimes it’s stronger than other times - like when I’m about to do stupid shit, or make a mistake, I can hear him clear as day in my head. But it’s comforting, you know? Knowing they’re there, watching over us.”

“Yeah.” Indy’s throat was tight all over again. She wished she could have met Sean for a moment, and then she realized that in some ways, in knowing Grayson, she had.

“You know, one of the things that really stuck with me, towards the end, was something his nurse said. Her name was Charlotte, and she must have been working fucking overtime because she was always there. But one day I was in the hallway, cause I just needed a break, and she came and sat down next to me on the floor. And at that point, I mean we knew. We didn’t know when, but we knew. And she looked at me and she said ‘sweetheart, this is a gift for him. He gets so much more time with you, because he can always be with you instead of only sometimes.’ And I remember, I was so fucking mad at her, because who the fuck says that shit to someone whose about to lose their parent? But she was right. She was so fucking right.

“And while the doctors were in and out, giving us all these numbers and all these timelines and all that, Charlotte was the only one who really told me anything that mattered. I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my dad didn’t want to know anything about his… his cancer. He didn’t want to know his counts, or how much time he had left. He never asked, and she was the only one who stood by him in that, made sure that he didn’t know anything he didn’t want to. And it meant so much to him, in the end, that he had that choice. That was one of the only things he asked us to do, before he went. He told us not to cry, and he told us to take care of Ma, and Cam, but he told us to look out for Charlotte too. When we could think, we went back to the unit, asked the other nurses if there was anything she needed, and it turns out she’d been driving a 1995 Honda for a decade, and she didn’t think it would make it through the rest of the winter. We bought her an SUV, and I still don’t think she knows it was us, but I swear my dad told me which one to get for her. And he was so fucking proud.”

Indiana hung on his every word, watching him as he watched the ceiling, like he always did when he talked about his father.

“He has so much to be proud of Grayson. He helped raise a wonderful, wonderful man. The best, actually.”

Her voice snapped him out of his own head, and he turned to her quickly, worried.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Hey, don’t ever apologize for that. I like hearing about your dad, and it’s good to get it out sometimes. You can tell me anything that’s on your mind, you know that.”

He looked at her, there in his arms, eyes a bit puffy from tears passed, that soft smile on her lips that was somehow more endearing than her full one, and he felt tears of his own start to prickle. He knew she meant it, knew she would be understanding, and that somehow made it worse.

What was he supposed to say? I love you so much, and I think you’re the love of my life, but our lives are completely different, and I promised I wouldn’t ask you to go to LA, and I’m terrified of losing you and I don’t want to hurt you.

His lips parted, and then he closed them again. She yawned so hard that her nose scrunched, and when she was done she curled back up against his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

“M’tired,” she mumbled, which meant she was already half asleep.

He pulled the covers over her shoulders and kissed her hair.

“I love you,” she whispered, tracing the same letters she spoke.

“I love you more.” His voice was tight as his finger moved against the back of her arm, and he turned the lamp off before any of his tears fell.

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

When Indiana woke up, Grayson’s arms were like a cage around her. Usually, they were still somewhat intertwined when they woke, but she’d never had to maneuver her way out of his arms with so much force before.

She finally managed it, and replaced herself with a pillow that he gladly pulled to his chest. Indy couldn’t help but to lean over and brush some of his floppy hair out of his eyes, staring for a moment before she pulled herself away and headed into the kitchen.

The reason for her early wake up was standing in front of the fridge, with a head of blonde hair that resembled a birds nest.

When she turned around, she looked guilty as ever.

“Shit, did I wake you up?”

“Nah,” Indy reassured her sister with a smile, moving over to the coffee machine. “It’s 10 anyways, I’m surprised I slept that long.”

Grayson had gotten her a newer version that was actually fairly quiet, but she made sure both the bedroom doors were shut before she ground the espresso for her latte, and Charlie’s flat white.

Charlie was nice enough to wait until she had her mug to bring it up.

“So.”

Indy sighed. “So.”

“You asked Patrick about insurance stuff.”

“Yes.”

“So you’re going to work there again?”

“I have to pay rent somehow, don’t I?”

“Dad pays your rent.”

“I don’t want dad to pay my rent, that’s the whole issue.”

“Okay, but you didn’t ask Patrick about salary, you asked him about insurance. For mental health specifically.”

“You know, it’s not polite to eavesdrop.”

“Are you okay? Because you know that you can always talk to me about stuff, whatever it is. And I know I’m not the best about talking about mom, but I can try, I’ve been doing better with it and-”

“Char. Stop. It’s not about mom.”

“Oh.” It was obvious by her long pause that she hadn’t considered an alternative, but Indy waited anyways.

“Then… what’s going on?”

Indy toyed with the foam on her latte with her finger, ignoring how hot it was.

“I was thinking about trying to get a handle on the plane thing.”

“Oh.”

“I don’t want it to be such a big deal for me to just, fucking fly somewhere. I gotta get over that shit.”

Charlie pondered it for a minute, and she chose her next words carefully.

“Just to fly? Or to fly to a specific place.”

Indy laughed.

“You know, you’ve never been good at subtle. You got that from mom. But no, I’m not just doing it because of Grayson.”

“Did he ask you to?”

“Of course not, he wouldn’t do that.” Charlie’s shoulders relaxed. “But he does live in LA, which means I’ve gotta be able to fly out there.”

“How often?”

“I don’t know, we haven’t really talked about it.”

“Oh. Doesn’t he leave soon though?”

“January.” She said it casually.

“Inds that’s next month.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

Charlie had a million more questions, but she held her tongue and sipped her coffee.

“I’ve gotta pack, our flight leaves in a few hours. I’m assuming you don’t have any breakfast food.”

“Actually, I do, but I’m not the breakfast chef around here.”

She sat her mug down on the counter and threw Charlie a wink before she headed back into her room as quietly as she could, sneaking up to the edge of the bed. Grayson had rolled to his stomach, something in his unconscious realizing that the pillow that he’d tossed away was in fact not his girlfriend. He almost looked too adorable to disturb.

Almost.

She went the gentle route, changing her mind on the pounce plan that she’d originally made. Instead, she crawled up the mattress and over his back, laying down on top of him with her cheek pressed to his warm shoulder.

He grunted a bit, but it turned into a sigh when she started peppering kisses along his skin.

“Mornin gorgeous,” he grumbled, eyes still closed. “What’re you doin’ back there?”

“Just hanging out.”

“Well- “ he rolled slightly, just enough to pull her over his side and onto the mattress so he could move right back with her underneath him -” maybe you should hang out down here instead.”

She relaxed into him like she always did, peppering kisses against his chest. Her hands ran over the ripples of muscles in his arms before she stopped and traced.

B-R-E-A-K-F-A

“Ahhh, so you didn’t just come in here for cuddles huh,” Grayson cut her off with a smile, quirking an eyebrow when she looked up at him.

“If you make us all avocado toast I’ll pay you in cuddles,” she offered. It puffed up Grayson’s chef alter ego just enough to convince him to get out of bed and throw some pants on. Indy stayed closed to him, soaking up the last bits of warmth from the morning as she helped him prep everything for breakfast. She could have done it, but Grayson’s pride at a very nicely laid out plate of avo toast, strawberries and honeydew was the best addition she could make. So she stuck to the coffees instead, passing over mugs as Devin appeared and Charlie followed, though she was still working on her cup from earlier.

“Well, now I see how he turned you into a breakfast person,” she said, graciously accepting a plate. They ate over quiet conversation, enjoying the last little bit of time they had before the airport and the inevitable goodbye. Grayson had bonded with the duo even more during their visit, and he was sad to see them having to leave again so soon. When Indy went to change, Grayson followed her, frowning when she didn’t pick her warmest jacket.

“It’s supposed to get really cold out, you’ll probably want your big one,” he said as subtly as he could, popping his knuckles as he spoke.

“I thought it was supposed to be a little warmer today,” she pouted. “We’re only gonna be outside to walk to the car.”

“Right, but you’re always cold. Just wear that one.” He gave her his most dazzling smile and she gave in, sliding in on before she left. Grayson was grateful that she listened - it meant he didn’t have to reveal his final graduation surprise too soon. He bit his tongue on the drive to the airport, gave out his hugs to Charlie and Devin, squeezing Indy into his side when she sniffled at the sight of her sister disappearing into the terminal.

Indy didn’t have a single suspicion until Grayson took a different turn into the city, much earlier than usual - 50th, instead of 26th.

“Bub? This is the wrong way.”

“No it isn’t.”

“We get off on 26th for the garage.”

“We aren’t going to the garage.” He couldn’t keep the smile off his face - the sheepish one that always made Indy’s heart flutter. She’d seen it so many times, but it still had the same effect on her every single time.

“Well then where are we going?” There was a childlike excitement in her voice that made Grayson laugh. He pulled her hand up to his face, kissed her skin softly.

“You’ll see.”

The first stop it seemed, was a jewelry store.

“This is not the surprise by the way, just an errand. Gotta pick up a christmas gift for mom.”

“I was gonna get her a sweater for christmas, do you think she’ll like that?”

“Li does love a good sweater. She’ll love anything you get her though, you’re the favorite.”

Indy rolled her eyes but didn’t respond as one of the workers came up and asked what they were there for. When Grayson gave his name she headed to the back and came back out with a small box.

“May I?” She asked.

Grayson nodded, waiting for her to open it. Inside was a beautiful ring, silver and delicate, with a large light blue stone in a princess cut.

“It’s beautiful,” Indy mused.

“Blue topaz. My dad’s birthstone. Mine and E’s too. You think she’ll like it?”

“Gray she’ll love it, of course she’ll love it.”

“I hope so.” His nerves were evident - he was always on a mission to make sure that his mom still had a good Christmas, although she always said all she needed was to have her kids back under her roof for the day. He paid the final portion of the ring payment and slipped the box into his pocket, waiting until they were back outside to turn to Indy with a wide smile.

“Now, we really celebrate.”

They walked hand in hand down the street. Indy kept her protests to herself - she wasn’t used to being spoiled in any way. In fact, it still made her uncomfortable when anyone spent money on her in any form, but she tried to remind herself that money didn’t mean the same thing to him as it did to her. So when they strolled up to one of the nicer restaurants in the city for a late lunch, she bit her tongue and tried not to think about the prices, following him inside to the warmth. It was dimly lit, the type of place where the host would take your coat off and pull your chair out for you.

Grayson beat him to it, fingers brushing over her shoulders while he pulled her coat off. She felt underdressed in just jeans and a sweater, but he looked at her like she hung the moon for him and him alone, and she wondered for a moment if there would ever be a day in their lives together that he couldn’t make her blush just by looking at her.

The menu didn’t even have prices next to the items, and it made Indy’s mouth dry enough for her to finish her water before the waiter even came back for their order.

Grayson noticed. He always noticed. He reached a hand across the small table for her hand, thumb running over her smooth acrylics that she’d gotten pre-graduation.

“Why are you nervous bub?”

“This place is expensive,” she explained after a moment’s hesitation.

“And graduating college a year early is a feat worth celebrating,” he reminded her, raising up his wine glass filled with water. “Despite the fact that you seem to hate being celebrated.”

“I don’t hate being celebrated. I’m just… not used to it I guess. Wasn’t a big Cross family thing, even before.”

“Well, it’s a big Dolan family thing.”

“I guess I better get used to it then.”

She clinked her glass against his as he swallowed hard, the movement of his throat hidden by the lighting. He pushed the thoughts from his head, the constant nagging he seemed to never be able to escape from, the better part of his conscience begging him to do the right thing, to tell her what he was thinking. She didn’t deserve for him to drag it out if he really was going to end things - she deserved so much more, more than he could give her with the life that he led. But every time he thought he had the courage to say something she’d reel him back in with a smile, or a witty comment, or just a look, entirely unaware of what she was doing. And he couldn’t imagine her anywhere else but the spot that she’d managed to carve out in his soul in just a few short months. He knew deep down he’d never find anyone else to fill it, but he also knew that she deserved to live the life she wanted to. A life without a boyfriend whose life interfered with hers. He just didn’t know how to reconcile with the fact that he would break her heart, and his own in the process.

So, he ignored his conscience and gave in to the selfish side of himself.

When she asked where he’d gone, he said he was planning, and it wasn’t a lie. If he was only going to have so many days with her, he wasn’t willing to sacrifice a single moment.

So he held her hand on top of the table while they waited for their food, striking up a conversation about college memories and her classmates that she would miss the most. The food was as incredible as he expected, and he made a mental note to thank Ethan for the recommendation. Grayson made sure that Indy didn’t see the inside of the bill when the waiter brought it, even being careful to slip the $200 in cash in the billfold practically under the table.

He led her back out into the cold, for once thankful for the early sunset of NYC that already had the city lights glowing against the fading sky. There was something magical about it, about existing on the streets with so many other people, knowing each one of them had their own story and life that they led. Indy people watched as Grayson led her safely down the streets, letting her cling onto his arm for comfort and warmth. It was only a few blocks until they saw the metallic flags and turned the corner to find the Rockefeller Center tree, massive and glorious in its height. It was speckled with what seemed like millions of lights, all twinkling in bright colors amongst the branches.

“Wow.”

Grayson watched the wonder on her face with a chuckle. “You’re a New Yorker, aren’t you supposed to be used to this shit?”

She smacked his arm, but kept her eyes forward. “I haven’t been to see it in years. It’s beautiful.”

He looked at her. “Yeah. Beautiful.”

He let her admire it as long as she wanted, resting his cheek against the top of her head when she leaned over on him.

“You wanna get closer?”

She frowned at him. “How?”

Grayson started walking with her in tow, down the stairs and around the plaza until he got to the ground level, fishing two tickets out of his jacket pocket for the attendant at the front of the ice rink. Indiana squeezed his arm.

“Gray. Baby, this is so sweet, but I can’t skate for shit.”

“Why am I not surprised,” he laughed, shaking his head before he kissed her forehead. “I won’t let you fall. Promise.”

They checked out their skates quickly, lacing up on one of the benches before Indy rose on wobbly feet, immediately letting out a squeal and reaching for her boyfriend. He caught her with a laugh, adjusting his own balance before they started walking to the edge of the ice. That familiar Grayson confidence was evident as he stepped on, getting his bearings before he reached out a hand for her.

“C’mon, I’ve got you. You got this, just one foot at a time.”

She grabbed both his hands and let him counteract her weight as she tried to get her footing, finally finding her balance after a moment of wobbling.

“Okay, now push off with one foot and glide with the other. Like this.”

He went to let go to demonstrate, and she clung to his hands with a squeak. “Don’t let go!”

Grayson’s cackle bounced off the ice. “Okay, okay! I’m right here, you’re good. Just try.”

Indy didn’t like not being good at things. But god was she terrible at ice skating. It didn’t matter how much instruction Grayson tried to give her, it was like it refused to translate into the movement of her legs. She was adorable when she was frustrated, but Grayson wanted it to be enjoyable for her too, so after a few laps around of watching her struggle he slid behind her, hands solid on her hips.

“Just keep your legs and feet straight, and I’ll do the rest.”

She held onto his hands as he started to push her along - she’d forgotten that he was annoyingly athletic but the feeling of actually gliding across the ice kept her from teasing him about it. It was peaceful, and despite the crowd both on the ice and above them by the tree, she felt like they were the only two in the city.

Grayson took them through the middle after they’d gone around a few times, towards the center for one pass and she squeezed his hand when they got there.

“Wait, stop!”

He turned his skates, throwing a bit of ice onto her ankles on accident, peaking over her shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“Turn me around. Please.”

He did as she asked, faster than he meant to, and it had her nails digging into his shoulders as he tried to hold her up without them both going down. She was breathing fast when he got them steady, quirking an eyebrow.

“We gotta take a picture in front of the tree!”

He obliged, pulling his phone out of his pocket and turning them slowly until the tree was behind them, snapping a few of the two of them smiling before he kissed her cheek, and then her lips, randomly pressing the button and hoping they were still in frame.

Her lips were cold against his, and tasted like the vanilla chapstick she’d put on before they’d left the restaurant. It sent tingles down the back of his neck that made him put his phone back in his pocket and pull her closer to him.

Wrong move. He’d never met someone so uncoordinated in his life, and it was the closest call of them all when her legs started to flail. His only hope of saving her from hitting the ice was to pick her up fully and hope that he could keep his balance with the sudden weight shift.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, clinging to his neck while he laughed.

“What am I gonna do with you,” he teased, and in a moment of confidence he dipped her down like they were dancing and kissed her again. The same tingle went down his neck, the hair there standing up, still there even when he sat her on her skates again, keeping an arm wrapped around her waist.

Above them, as if someone had turned on a machine, it began to snow. Big fluffy flakes fell around them, disappearing into Indy’s light hair and speckling the top of Grayson’s. It was magic in its simplest form, and Indy couldn’t help but beam at him.

“I love you. So much.”

“I love you more,” he said, and he meant it.

They headed off the ice a few minutes before their session expired, unlacing their boots with numb fingers that they shoved in their pockets for the walk back to the truck. As soon as they climbed in the cab Grayson blasted the heat and opened an arm for Indy to cuddle up next to him. Once they were thawed enough, Grayson proposed the idea of hot chocolate, specifically to help the fact that Indy’s teeth were still chattering. Which was how they ended up at Jet’s 40 minutes later, squished together in the blue chair by the window, watching the snow fall as they sipped peppermint hot chocolates that Patrick had given them on the house. Grayson dropped a 20 in the tip jar anyways.

The lobby was busy, with people in and out constantly, wiping the snow off their shoes as best they could on the small doormat. They shuffled through the line, a few of them sitting down for a moment to wait for their names to be called. Indy was used to the bustle, though she felt a bit guilty that she wasn’t behind the bar helping out when she had the skills to. Instead, she just smiled any time a barista looked her way, and spent the rest of her time watching the snow outside.

Grayson’s eyes were on a girl. A few girls, actually, who looked oddly familiar though he couldn’t place where he’d seen them before. They’d sat at a table towards the back of the store, having come in right behind him and Indy. But since then they’d moved forward one table, and then another, and the not so subtle way that two of them had angled their phone had that familiar prickle at the back of his neck rising again. He shifted in his chair quickly, turning his head away and attempting to do his best to block the view of Indiana.

“Hey, you ready to get outta here?”

“Did you finish already?” She asked, surprised considering her cup was still half full.

“Yeah,” he lied. “Just figured we could get home and change into some cozy pjs is all.”

“That sounds nice.” Indy moved in to kiss his cheek, and though he tried to pull away, he didn’t do it fast enough.

“You alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Two for two. “Let’s just get home.”

The walk was as short as ever, but it was enough time for Indy’s mind to race. Had he been annoyed that she said something about the restaurant being expensive? Maybe he hadn’t wanted to help her ice skate - most people could at least hold themselves up on the rails at least. But he’d seemed so happy, which somehow made her feel worse, that she’d missed it somehow.

By the time they made it to the elevator, she was borderline panicking.

“Are you sure you’re okay? Did I do something?”

Her words broke Grayson out of his own thoughts, and he rushed into reassurances.

“No, it’s not you baby. It’s not, I promise.”

“Then what is it? And don’t say it’s nothing.”

“I’m good, really. Just wanted to get home.”

For the first time in her almost three months of knowing Grayson, she didn’t believe him. But she knew when to drop a subject, so she just nodded and followed him out of the elevator.

Half of Grayson’s wardrobe seemed to have migrated into Indy’s apartment, so it wasn’t hard to find cozy clothes that had them curled up together on the couch in no time. Grayson felt guilty, and tried to distract himself by running his fingers through her soft hair, tried to focus on the weight of her leaned against him. She was quiet as she scrolled through show after show, not really looking. She picked a random cooking show eventually just to fill the silence in the room, moving to lay across Graysons lap. His hand moved under her shirt, fingers still a bit cold as he ran them lightly over her skin.

She didn’t say anything, just glad to have him there with her. She traced on top of his sweatpants, shapes and words, L-O-V-E-Y-O-U and T-H-A-N-K-Y-O-U. The fabric was so thick that he could barely make out what she was writing.

“Thank you? For what?”

She rolled over so she was looking up at him. “For today. For celebrating me.”

He traced a thumb over her cheek. “You’re welcome. I love you. So much.”

“C’mere,” Indy said, reaching up for him. It took some shifting, but eventually they got settled where they were laying together on the couch, with her pressed between the cushions and his chest. She was warm as she kissed him, slow and calculated, trying to get across to him that she was there for whatever he was going through without the words. He reciprocated, but his mind was still spinning, images of the girls and their phones behind his eyelids.

The kiss faded out into cuddles which faded into an uncomfortable silence that Indy was desperate to resolve.

“What’s the update on the tiny homes? Weren’t the floor guys supposed to come in yesterday?”

“Yeah, Ethan went out there and said they were almost done. We’ve got some interior designers coming out tomorrow and then they’ll be done-done,” Grayson explained, heart rate rising as yet another opportunity to tell her came up.

“They really got those done so fast. I guess that’s a perk of a tiny home though, not much floor space to floor. How often do you guys think you’re gonna come out and stay in them?”

He licked his lips, trying to find the right words to tell her.

“Well, actually-”

His phone buzzed in his pocket - a call from Ethan.

He didn’t know whether to feel grateful or annoyed, but he fished his phone out of his pocket anyways, sliding over to answer.

“Yo.”

“Hey, mom wants to put up the christmas decs tomorrow cause she still doesn’t have them up. You remember where we put the lights?”

“Yeah, they’re in the attic I think, with the tree.”

“Well, you’re the family santa, so get your ass out here early tomorrow to hang some lights. And bring Indy too, I’ll make breakfast.”

“Don’t make breakfast, we’ll bring donuts or something.”

“Fuck you, be here at 10.”

He hung up, making Grayson roll his eyes and look down at Indy.

“You up for Christmas decorating tomorrow at home tomorrow?”

“Yeah, that sounds like fun! But I’m sure as fuck not getting on the roof.”

He kissed her forehead. “I’ll do the roof, you can do the stuff inside with Ma. Deal?”

“Deal,” she smiled, wiggling up to kiss him again, trying to chase out the rest of her worries before she curled up into his chest.

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

The snow had piled onto the sides of the highway in ugly mounds stained with dirt and asphalt drudged up by the plows. So Indy kept her eyes on the trees as they flew by, specifically the evergreens she saw, with their green bristles weighted down with white, heavy and thick.

“Are you sure you guys wanna get on the roof with all this? Won’t it be slick?”

“Nah, Dad used to do it all the time. I’ll just make E shovel while I try to find the clips we put up there last year. Besides, if I fall off I’ve got a doctor to mend me up,” he teased, squeezing her leg.

“I’m not a doctor yet.”

“Okay, well an almost doctor then. How many years until you’re actually one again?”

“11 years minimum. Well, 10 for me cause I skipped a year in undergrad. But it could be up to 16, depending on how long my residency would go.”

“And you’re gonna do it all through JCU?”

“Yeah, that’s the plan right now,” she mumbled, eyes still focused out the window.

“Hey,” he got her attention, waiting for her to turn to him. “You’re gonna be an amazing doctor someday. You’re gonna help so many people. Just having you in the room, doing the little things for people, that’s gonna mean more to those people than you even realize. They’re gonna be really lucky to have you.”

The sentiment seemed to arise out of nowhere, but she still blushed at his kind words. “The little things are actually more the nurses, but thank you.”

He let her watch the trees for the rest of the drive, and she was so focused on them that she barely noticed Ethan already on the roof when they pulled in.

He had a bright orange shovel in his hands, the scoop full of snow that he began to swing back and forth once they stepped out of the car, shoes crunching the snow below them.

“Don’t you dare!” Indy called, but it was too late. The snow was already flying and she squealed, grabbing Grayson and pulling him out of the way while it rained down right where they had been standing.

A moment later and Lisa was outside, hands on her hip with the menacing energy only a mom could produce.

“Ethan Grant! That’s how you fall and bust your fucking head open! Knock it off!”

Grayson bit back a laugh when Ethan kicked a tiny bit more snow off the edge so it sprinkled down by Lisa.

“Will you get up there before he falls off please?” She turned to Grayson, exasperated. “Indy, come in, it’s cold.”

It was Indiana’s turn to laugh when Lisa hooked their arms together and led her into the house, leaving Grayson out in the snow. He grabbed the lights that Ethan had already gotten out, looping his arm through before he headed up the ladder at the lowest point of the roof.

“I’ve already done the other side of the house, so I’m just here for moral support and to save your ass if I need to, my job is done,” Ethan explained, moving over to a spot by the chimney to sit down.

“Oh yeah, you shoveled on a downhill slope, the horror,” Grayson muttered, but in all honesty he would rather do the lights himself anyways.

They talked about the tiny homes and the final touches they needed while Grayson moved around the roof carefully, trying to counteract his balance when he got closer to the edge, cursing his mom silently for having roofs so high that they couldn’t do it from the top of a ladder.

The front of the house went without incident, and Ethan begrudgingly helped by holding the extra lights while Gray strung them. But when Ethan went down the ladder to get the next strand to connect, he took a minute too long to come back up. Grayson tried to use what little patience he was born with, but it fizzled out quickly, making him stomp across the roof to the edge.

“Yo, what the fucks taking so long?”

“Gray.”

“Can you not find them or what?”

“Grayson.”

He didn’t like the tone of his brother’s voice.

“What? What happened?”

“Come down here.”

Grayson took the ladder so quickly that his feet almost slipped, but he was at his brother’s side in a moment, taking his phone that he had outstretched.

His stomach dropped into the snow under his feet as he began to scroll with a numb thumb. There were pictures. So many pictures, and Indy was in every single one of them. Tweet after tweet with different screenshots of the two of them - looking at the tree, ice skating, sitting in Jets, even walking down the street. He pieced it together, realized that the reason the girls had looked familiar was because they’d followed them.

“Fuck. Fuck.”

Bile rose in his throat when he found a video, zoomed in as far as it would go with surprising quality as he pushed Indy along on the ice, towards the middle of the rink. He watched her squeeze his hands and laugh, watched himself turn her around so they could get their picture, watched himself kiss her cheek and her lips.

He didn’t want to read, but he couldn’t help himself. There were a few familiar handles that talked about how happy they were for him, but the majority of it was exactly what he expected.

So much for ‘working on himself’ he’s back on the constant girlfriend trend

Didn’t think she was his type but okayyyyy I guess 🥴

When we said we didn’t want Grayson to end up with an LA girl, we didn’t mean ~that~

Her insta is indiana.jamie, i’ve never even heard of her

The worst was a two set of images from Jet’s, where her face was in plain view. The second one had edited lighting, and was zoomed in on his pocket, with the text above it.

Look I know I sound crazy but WTF IS IN HIS POCKET? IS THAT A RING BOX? GRAY BABY NOOOOOOO

“Fuck.” He couldn’t find another word, and Ethan was no help. A call from Adele came in on his phone, and E looked at him for approval. He just nodded and let him answer, turning away and heading into the house, not even bothering to clean his boots.

“Dee! Indiana!”

“In here!” She called back and he jogged into the living room, not realizing he was breathless until he got there and saw that the tree had been assembled. She had an ornament in her hand when he ran in and she put it on the tree quickly, her stomach tightening at the look on his face.

“What happened? Are you okay?”

“Where’s your phone, have you looked at your phone?”

“It’s over there, it’s just been playing music. Baby what’s wrong?”

He ran over to it, muttering out a ‘shit’ when the screen lit up, both at the flood of notifications and the fact that her lockscreen had changed to their picture from the ice.

“Woah.” She took her phone from him, unlocking it and heading after all the notifications on instagram. “Holy shit. I got 3,500 new followers, what the fuck?”

“Indy, I’m so fucking sorry. I’m so sorry.”

She closed her phone and looked at him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “For what?”

“I should have thought about it, there’s not usually paps in New York, I didn’t even think about fans, and now everyone’s tweeting a bunch of bullshit about you, I’m just, fuck, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Slow down,” she murmured, hand moving to his face. She saw Lisa leave the room out of the corner of her eye, but she kept looking at Grayson. “It’s okay. We knew this was going to happen.”

“They saw the ring box in my pocket in some of the pictures, they probably think we’re fucking engaged, and they’re gonna be relentless. Every time you get online you’re gonna see some bullshit about you because of me.”

“Gray, it’s alright. It’s okay, I can handle it.”

“No, you can’t, nobody can, it’s gonna get to you. If you say it doesn’t effect you, you’re fucking lying.” He ran his hands through his hair and then down over his face, sucking in a breath that Indiana recognized.

“Gray, don’t cry. Look, look.” She unlocked her phone again, exited instagram and held down until it shook, deleting it quickly from her phone. “I don’t even post much anyways. And I don’t have a twitter, I’m not gonna see what they say about me. I don’t care, I promise you I don’t.”

Her gut told her a different story. Though it wasn’t her favorite quality of herself, Indy liked to be liked. It was natural, but she sought validation from other people more than she wanted to, and it made her dangerously curious to see what had caused such a visceral reaction in her boyfriend.

“I’m sorry,” he said again, dropping his head. She got up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“It’s okay. We’re okay. It’s not your fault.”

And for the first time in his almost three months of knowing Indiana, he didn’t believe her.

#WOOOOOO #I hope you guys like it!#let me know what you think pls :')#mixtape #grayson dolan #grayson dolan fanfiction #grayson dolan fanfic

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fanficshiddles · 4 years

Text

Caught in his web, Chapter 52

When Loki got Chloe home, Bear was so excited to see her. She managed to sit down on the floor to cuddle him for a few minutes. Loki spoke to Pete and asked him to take Bear for a walk and give him his dinner, to keep an eye on him for the evening.

Pete was happy to oblige, just so happy that Chloe was home safely.

Loki knew that Chloe’s migraine was easing, and she was capable of walking, but he still decided to carry her upstairs to his room.

‘I’ve been in these clothes all night and day.’ She said, scrunching her nose up.

Loki chuckled and nuzzled her nose with his own. ‘You’re not too smelly, don’t worry.’ He teased, making her smile. ‘But I think we both need a relaxing bath together.’

He carried her through to his en-suite. While he ran the water in the bath, he undressed her and felt his heart hurt when he saw bruising starting to form on her sides, legs and arms.

‘Did he do this?’ He snarled angrily.

‘No. He didn’t hurt me like that. It was in the van, all the moving about.’ She said quietly, looking at her arms.

Loki sighed, but said nothing else as he stripped also. He added some calming lavender and chamomile bubble bath to the water then checked it was warm enough before sinking into it with Chloe in his arms.

He placed her between his legs, so her back was flush against his chest. She leaned back against him and he rubbed her arms softly and kissed her neck.

‘I promise, you’re safe now. No one will ever hurt you again or take you from me.’ He assured her.

‘Is Ben… Is he dead?’ She asked, swallowing hard.

‘Yes.’ Loki said firmly.

Chloe nodded. Feeling conflicted about that. But mainly relieved.

‘Those girls… can’t you save them? Why would you be involved in… that?’ She had slightly tensed up again in his arms and Loki felt it.

Loki sighed and nuzzled into her hair. ‘It’s just business, doll. Business that you are not involved in, you were never meant to be there. You’re not one of them.’

‘But I am. I’m a girl, there is no difference between me and them.’ She said and tried to turn around to face him and get slight distance, but Loki’s arm around her middle didn’t allow her to.

‘You know what I mean, Chloe.’

‘No! It’s horrible, disgusting and sick what goes on. You sell those girls, like they’re property. Like they’re nothing but objects.’ She squirmed and really tried to get away but just succeeded in making a mess as water splashed out over the bath.

‘Ok, ok. Calm down, Chloe. Don’t hurt yourself.’ Loki said firmly, but calmly. ‘I will make a call after the bath, to bring those girls back. Ok?’

Chloe stopped squirming and turned her head around to look at him as best she could. ‘Really?’

‘Yes, really.’ Loki nodded, rubbing her arm.

‘And you won’t do it again? You’ll stop trafficking girls?’ She asked, hopeful.

Loki nodded again. ‘Yes. I will stop, for you.’

‘Promise?’

‘I promise.’ Loki smiled and kissed the top of her head.

She relaxed in his arms again, leaning back into him, trusting him to keep his word. Loki slid both arms around her and squeezed her tightly. He breathed in deeply, just glad to have his girl back. It had been the worse twenty-four hours of his life, not knowing if he had lost her forever or not.

‘Ben said it was my Father who paid him to kidnap me… Is that true? Or did Ben just take me?’ She asked after a few moments of silence.

‘It was your Father, yes. He tried to buy you back again, but he didn’t know about Ben’s devious and un-trusting side. He’s always had it, always been the one that would be most likely to stab you in the back. But I still never, ever, would’ve thought about him doing something quite like this to me… To you.’

A tear rolled down Chloe’s cheek, thinking that it was all down to her Father in the first place that she was put in that position. Almost chucked into the system of trafficking. It made her sick to think about, that her own flesh and blood did that to her.

‘How did you find out where I was?’

‘It was actually due to your Father, that one. He came to me, begging for help. Telling me what he did. Ben slipped up, telling Kenneth about his plan to send you to Germany.’

‘Where is he now?’ Chloe asked while swirling her hands about in the bubbles.

‘I don’t know. I chucked him out of here when I got all the information I needed out of him.’ Loki lied.

‘I don’t ever want to see him again, Loki.’ She said, worriedly, as she took hold of Loki’s forearm that was around her middle.

‘Don’t worry, doll. I promise, you won’t ever see him again. I will not let him near you.’ Loki put his chin on her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Being so close and having skin on skin contact, Loki was naturally aroused. Chloe could feel him pressing against her lower back. But neither of them made a move, Chloe was too tired and feeling all over the place to even think about sex. And Loki knew it wasn’t the right time for it, she was sore and tired. He would’ve given up sex for life if it had been the only way to get her back.

After bathing, they both went to bed and fell asleep soundly wrapped up in one another’s arms.

The following day, after both getting a good night’s rest, Chloe and Loki were playing outside in the garden with Bear. David had popped round to check on how Chloe was.

Loki and David went inside to get some drinks and snacks sorted while Chloe stayed outside with Bear.

‘So we’re clear, and tell the others too, Chloe thinks I’m out of the trafficking game. She also thinks I was able to pull those girls out and get them safely back here… So she has to remain in that mind-frame, got it?’ Loki said quietly.

‘Got it.’ David nodded. ‘I’ll let people know.’

‘Cheers.’ Loki patted David on the back. ‘Any word on why Ben kidnapped Chloe?’

‘I’ve spoken to as many of his associates, but nothing.’ David sighed, shaking his head.

‘Well it’s done now.’ Loki nodded.

They went out to join Chloe again, but were surprised when they saw her Mother at the gate.

‘Mum? What are you doing here?’ Chloe asked nervously.

Bear went running over to the stranger, barking and his hackles were up. Though still being young and cute, he wasn’t overly threatening, even with his shark like teeth.

Loki walked over and scooped him up, getting licks to the face in return when he stopped barking.

‘I… I needed to see you. Your Dad came home yesterday morning in such distress, he had been out all night. Said he made a mistake, that he had put you in grave danger. I couldn’t make any sense out of him, but he was worried over you. I had to come and check if you were ok!’ She looked anxiously at Loki, then back at her daughter.

‘You can come in.’ Loki opened the gate for her, she thanked him and stepped into the garden.

Chloe stood, unsure about what to do. She hadn’t exactly put up much of a fight for her back when Loki took her… But everything had changed since then.

Loki put Bear down and he went straight over to Chloe’s Mum, sniffing about her. Then he ran over to Chloe, wagging his tail.

‘You look well, Chloe.’ She smiled at her daughter. ‘I… I haven’t seen Kenneth since yesterday morning. He was out the door again before I could get anything proper out of him. Do you know where he is?’

‘No. And I don’t care. He gave a dangerous man a lot of money in return for me being kidnapped from Loki. Said man then tried to send me abroad, trafficking.’ Chloe said, her jaw clenching.

Her Mum’s eyes widened. ‘What? No!’

‘I’m afraid it is true.’ Loki stepped in, moving to stand at Chloe’s side and wrapping an arm around her. ‘Thankfully I was able to find Chloe in time before she was lost forever. I haven’t seen your husband since he left here yesterday, begging me to save Chloe.’

‘I want you to leave… Mum.’ Chloe then said. Loki raised an eyebrow at her.

‘Please, Chloe. I just…’

‘Your Mother can stay, if you wish her to.’ Loki said softly, giving Chloe a squeeze.

‘No. I don’t want her to.’ She said firmly and bent over to scoop Bear up, then she stormed off inside.

‘Well, you heard your daughter. So it’s probably best if you leave now.’ Loki said and motioned to the gate.

Her Mum looked down sadly and nodded. ‘Sorry for bothering you. But please, if you hear from Kenneth, tell him to come home.’ She pleaded.

Loki nodded once.

He watched her leave, making sure she was gone completely before he went inside to find Chloe. He sought her out in the living room, snuggling Bear on the sofa.

‘Why did you send her away?’ Loki asked and sat down next to her, stroking Bear.

‘She’s just as bad for not fighting for me before… I thought maybe she came here to actually see me. But no. She’s more interested in finding my Dad.’ She scoffed.

‘Oh, sweetheart. Come here.’ Loki put his arm around her and leaned back, pulling her with him to hold her. ‘I know it’s hard, but you don’t need them. You’ve got me, and you always will have.’

‘I know.’ She nodded and sighed. ‘I love you, Loki.’ She lifted her head and smiled at him.

‘I love you too.’ He smiled back and held her chin steady as he kissed her softly.

#tom hiddleston #Loki #fan fiction #caught in his web

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dahlia-coccinea · 3 years

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What are your thoughts on Linton? I know the majority of people strongly dislike him, and although I agree that he wasn’t the best person, he was abused by Heathcliff, used as part of his plan, and I understand why he became so bitter and selfish. Heathcliff mentions at least once that Linton just wants to be loved and cared for, and yet no one is caring for him. I understand why people dislike him but I don’t agree that he’s the worst character in the book by any means, especially considering the actions of many of the other characters. Linton hardly did anything compared to some of the other characters. I just want to get your thoughts, because I so often see everyone hating Linton and I wanted to know what you think

I mentioned some feelings towards his character about a month ago - I’d say it sounds like we’re pretty much in agreement with his character. He is a victim and it is understandable why he is so childish and selfish. I do understand why a lot of people hate him, but I think it is unfair to say he is the worst character when others commit more heinous actions than anything he does. I also think a lot of the reasons why people dislike him aren’t the right reasons. He is annoying, yes, but what makes him dislikable is that while he can be a victim, he can also be an abuser (much like his father). In a scene after he gets thrown out of the room by Hareton during one of Cathy’s visits we see a rather ugly side of him:

“Linton was white and trembling. He was not pretty then, Ellen: oh, no! he looked frightful; for his thin face and large eyes were wrought into an expression of frantic, powerless fury. He grasped the handle of the door, and shook it: it was fastened inside.

“‘If you don’t let me in, I’ll kill you!—If you don’t let me in, I’ll kill you!’ he rather shrieked than said. ‘Devil! devil!—I’ll kill you—I’ll kill you!’

Joseph uttered his croaking laugh again.

“‘Thear, that’s t’ father!’ he cried. ‘That’s father! We’ve allas summut o’ either side in us. Niver heed, Hareton, lad—dunnut be ’feard—he cannot get at thee!’

I think Joseph is right that he does exhibit the same hatefulness that Heathcliff is capable of. Later Heathcliff makes a similar connection between his son and himself during a conversation with Cathy during which she says:

“Linton is all I have to love in the world, and though you have done what you could to make him hateful to me, and me to him, you cannot make us hate each other. And I defy you to hurt him when I am by, and I defy you to frighten me!”

“You are a boastful champion,” replied Heathcliff; “but I don’t like you well enough to hurt him: you shall get the full benefit of the torment, as long as it lasts. It is not I who will make him hateful to you—it is his own sweet spirit. He’s as bitter as gall at your desertion and its consequences: don’t expect thanks for this noble devotion. I heard him draw a pleasant picture to Zillah of what he would do if he were as strong as I: the inclination is there, and his very weakness will sharpen his wits to find a substitute for strength.”

He does cling to Cathy’s affection and it is quite tragic that he is obviously lonely and neglected and horribly used in Heathcliff’s game of revenge - but he is also quite cruel to Cathy for no real reason and even when acknowledging some sympathy for her, it never comes close to the level of pity he feels for himself. A scene that this is apparent is after he and Cathy are married, in Chapter 28, when he tells Nelly:

“He (Heathcliff) says I’m not to be soft with Catherine: she’s my wife, and it’s shameful that she should wish to leave me. He says she hates me and wants me to die, that she may have my money; but she shan’t have it: and she shan’t go home! She never shall!—she may cry, and be sick as much as she pleases!”

And later in the same conversation after Nelly asks him where Heathcliff is at present:

“He’s in the court,” he replied, “talking to Doctor Kenneth; who says uncle is dying, truly, at last. I’m glad, for I shall be master of the Grange after him. Catherine always spoke of it as her house. It isn’t hers! It’s mine: papa says everything she has is mine. All her nice books are mine; she offered to give me them, and her pretty birds, and her pony Minny, if I would get the key of our room, and let her out; but I told her she had nothing to give, they were all, all mine. And then she cried, and took a little picture from her neck, and said I should have that; two pictures in a gold case, on one side her mother, and on the other uncle, when they were young. That was yesterday—I said they were mine, too; and tried to get them from her. The spiteful thing wouldn’t let me: she pushed me off, and hurt me. I shrieked out—that frightens her—she heard papa coming, and she broke the hinges and divided the case, and gave me her mother’s portrait; the other she attempted to hide: but papa asked what was the matter, and I explained it. He took the one I had away, and ordered her to resign hers to me; she refused, and he—he struck her down, and wrenched it off the chain, and crushed it with his foot.”

“And were you pleased to see her struck?” I asked: having my designs in encouraging his talk.

“I winked,” he answered: “I wink to see my father strike a dog or a horse, he does it so hard. Yet I was glad at first—she deserved punishing for pushing me: but when papa was gone, she made me come to the window and showed me her cheek cut on the inside, against her teeth, and her mouth filling with blood; and then she gathered up the bits of the picture, and went and sat down with her face to the wall, and she has never spoken to me since: and I sometimes think she can’t speak for pain. I don’t like to think so; but she’s a naughty thing for crying continually; and she looks so pale and wild, I’m afraid of her.”

He has no regard for her feelings about her father being close to death, he feels some pity when she may be in pain but is consoled by the idea that she deserved it for pushing him. This whole conversation reveals a horrible vindictive streak. I think he’s a character that perhaps if not for his illness and other more pitiable aspects readers may more likely have come to truly hate him, rather than just be annoyed by him. Still, I certainly don’t agree with the idea that he is the worst character or does the worst harm in the book - or that because he is annoying that makes it okay that Heathcliff is abusive towards him. Like the other characters, he is complex and flawed but is not without humanity or is unworthy of sympathy.

#wuthering heights #linton heathcliff #thoughts

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elisajdb · 3 years

Text

GoChi Week 2021: A Fulfilled Life: Part Five

GoChi Week 2021

A Fulfilled Life

Day Five: Jealousy @gochi-week

The marketplace outside Mount Paozu was always lively. Civilians in the surrounding villages came together to sell meats, dairy, fruits, vegetables and other varieties of food from their farms. Goku remembered coming to this place a lot after he married ChiChi. They bought or bartered goods here. When they didn’t have enough money, Goku traded many fishes he caught in the lakes of Mount Paozu for food farmers sold.

It was his first time at the marketplace since his revival after Majin Boo. He saw many familiar faces who were shocked to see him because it was well known he died seven years ago. Goku explained how he was revived but instead of the truth, many chose to believe Goku and ChiChi divorced and recently reconciled.

Today, Goku accompanied ChiChi, Gohan and Goten to the marketplace. Goku and Gohan carried most of the crates of food while Goten carried one.

“How much more do we need?” Goku asked. The crates he carried weren’t heavy but if ChiChi buys any more crates of food, his vision will be blinded.

“We have to get more food now that you’re back, Goku. Don’t worry. This is the last one. We have to get eggs and milk from Kenneth’s booth.”

Gohan noticed ChiChi getting in line behind the one customer at Kenneth’s booth. “Goten and I can take these to the truck and wait for you and Dad. Let me get one of those crates from you, Dad.” Goku slid a crate of vegetables on top of Gohan’s load. It blinded Gohan’s view. “Goten, wanna guide me to the truck?”

“I sure can!” Goten got in front of Gohan. “Follow me.”

Goku laughed watching Goten lead Gohan through the crowds of the marketplace. As he waited with ChiChi, Goku thought about Kenneth’s booth. Goku knew each booth ChiChi bought or bartered food from. He never heard of Kenneth. “ChiChi, don’t you buy eggs and milk from Mr. Colb’s booth?”

“Mr. Colb died five years ago, Goku. His widow sold the farm to Kenneth and moved to Satan City.”

‘Oh,’ Goku mouthed. That explained that. It didn’t explain ChiChi and Kenneth’s greeting to each other after the customer in front of them left.

“Hi, Kenneth!”

“ChiChi!” Kenneth opened his arms. “My best customer!”

Goku stared flabbergasted as ChiChi embraced Kenneth and allowed him to kiss her cheek. The crates in his hands were the only thing keeping Goku from separating them. If he dropped the crates like he wanted, they will spill on the ground and ChiChi will scream at him for spoiling their food.

Instead, Goku sized up the guy. Thick black hair, blue eyes, two inches taller than him and judging by the large biceps bulging from his rolled-up red plaid shirt, he was stacked with muscles and appeared to be very strong.

Well, strong by human standards.

Who is this guy?

“Still hiding your beauty in that bun?” Kenneth tutted. “You have such long and luxurious hair, ChiChi. When are you gonna let your hair down and let the world see how beautiful you are?”

Goku’s grip on the crate tightened and his eyes thinned. Who the hell is this guy?

“Oh, stop it,” ChiChi brushed off the compliments. “I may be your prettiest customer but I’m not your best customer. You are my favorite supplier. My sons and I owe you for many meals.”

“I have a soft spot for single mothers.” Kenneth turned his back on ChiChi. He bent to pick up three large crates. “Besides,” Kenneth went on, “you were my first customer and gave me a chance when the others didn’t trust me being the new guy and all. But I say we’re even with the meals you’ve cooked for me.”

ChiChi cooked him food?!

Kenneth placed the crates on the counter. “Your regular order plus something extra.” The bottom crate was marked ‘Chicken’. The middle crate was marked ‘Milk and Cheese’ and the top one was marked ‘Eggs’.

ChiChi patted Kenneth’s hand. “You don’t have to give me the chicken.”

“You have two growing boys,” Kenneth reminded ChiChi. “You need it.”

Seeing ChiChi touch Kenneth’s hand and Kenneth smiling at ChiChi as if he liked her like he likes ChiChi pushed Goku to act.

That does it.

“Who is this guy, ChiChi?”

Kenneth looked behind ChiChi at the new voice. He didn’t notice him until now. “ChiChi, did Goten grow up?”

“I’m Son Goku, Goten’s Dad and ChiChi’s husband,” Goku introduced himself. “Who are you?”

“Husband?” Kenneth looked from Goku to ChiChi. Her smile and slow nod confirmed it. Kenneth turned back to Goku. He scrutinized Goku from head to toe twice before snapping his fingers. “Oh, yeah. He’s the guy in those pictures in your house.”

“You’ve been in my house?”

“Whoa!” Kenneth picked up the subdued anger in Goku’s voice. He stepped back and put his hands up. “It’s not like that.

ChiChi put a hand over her mouth giggling. “No, no. It definitely not like that.”

Goku looked from ChiChi to Kenneth to ChiChi again. What was so funny? It was as if ChiChi and Kenneth shared a special little secret only they knew and he wasn’t privy to.

Only me and ChiChi are suppose to have special little secrets.

“Sorry, Goku,” Kenneth apologized. “I thought you were dead. I guess I misheard ChiChi. You divorced and got back together. Good for you two. ChiChi is too pretty and too good of a lady to be single forever. I’m glad you wised up and got back with her before someone else scooped her up.”

Like you?

“No one could take me but Goku.” ChiChi handed Kenneth his money and two bento boxes. “I made you lunch but I still owe you that apple pie and dinner so how about you come by tonight?”

I thought that lunch was for me. Wait, what about dinner? She wants to feed him again?!

“Sounds like fun,” Kenneth accepted, “but I’ll bring the wine.”

“Can we go now?” Goku was tired of the weird looks and jokes shared between ChiChi and Kenneth. He wanted ChiChi as far away from Kenneth as humanly possible and he didn’t want Kenneth in his house for dinner. He didn’t want this but he knew he had to accept it or deal with ChiChi later.

“I’ll help you carry the crates to your truck,” Kenneth offered.

“I can carry it.” He didn’t need Kenneth to help him and if needed to, Goku was ready to show Kenneth how strong he is.

Kenneth’s eyes went up and down Goku again. They settled on his biceps. “Well, you do look like you can carry them but the crates will block your view. You’ll end up bumping into someone and spilling your food. Let me--”

“I don’t need to see to avoid bumping into anyone!” Goku snapped. “Give me the crates!”

While ChiChi stared speechless at Goku’s sudden anger, Kenneth cast a sly smile on ChiChi. “You never told me Goku had sass. I like it.” Kenneth picked up the crates and gingerly placed them on top of the ones Goku currently held. Goku didn’t flinch. His grip didn’t slip. If his face wasn’t hidden by the crates, Goku would stick his tongue out at Kenneth for thinking the crates of food were too much for him.

“Wow,” Kenneth stepped from the booth and circled Goku impressed. “You are strong. I would struggle with all the crates you’re carrying. ChiChi,” he winked at her, “you’ve got a strong and passionate husband. I approve.”

ChiChi agreed though his behavior towards Kenneth was puzzling. “I most certainly do but we have to get going. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Bye!” Kenneth waved. “Nice to meet you, Goku.”

ChiChi walked with Goku to make sure he didn’t bump into anyone but Goku focused on the Ki around him and knew which way to step and when to stop as they passed through the sea of people to the parking lot. When they reached their truck, ChiChi decided to talk to Goku about his odd behavior.

“Are you all right?” ChiChi asked. “You were rude to Kenneth.”

Goku gingerly set the crates on the ground. Now he was away from Kenneth, he could be blunt and demand ChiChi to tell him of her history with Kenneth. “Who was that guy?”

Yup. There was no doubt about it now. Goku had a problem with Kenneth. “He’s my friend. He helped out a lot when you were dead. Food he wasn’t going to sell, he gave to me because he knew I have sons to feed. I appreciated it because money was tight. I repaid him with lunches and dinner. He was even kind to fix things around the house. I invited Kenneth to dinner tonight because he replaced the light fixture in our kitchen and I never properly thanked him.”

Goku placed the chicken crate in the truck first. That explained why Kenneth was in their home. “What other things did he fix?”

“He replaced the ceiling fan in our bedroom and he worked on the truck.”

Goku angrily dumped a crate of vegetables beside the chicken crate. “He was in our bedroom?!”

ChiChi jumped back momentarily stunned at Goku’s anger and the sudden change of his eyes turning teal. “Goku, nothing happened.” ChiChi wanted to be serious but the idea of her and Kenneth was laughable. “I can’t believe you’re jealous of Kenneth. It’s kind of flattering you’re jealous but it’s ridiculous.”

“Well, it’s not flattering you had a man in our bedroom, you’re cooking for him and you’re laughing at secret jokes only you two know about.” Goku pointed at himself. “That’s only for us!” ChiChi covered her mouth to stifle her laughs. “This ain’t funny, ChiChi!!”

“Oh, Goku,” ChiChi sobered her laughter. “I guess it’s odd to see me laughing and talking to another man that isn’t old enough to be my father but if I can trust you to be faithful when you’re not with me, you should trust me to be faithful to you.”

Goku trusted ChiChi but he also knew he made mistakes as a husband that would justify ChiChi being with someone else. He didn’t want that and he didn’t like any other man laughing and touching ChiChi like he does. That’s something only for him.

ChiChi wrapped her arms around Goku’s neck. Her laughter was subdued and her love for Goku was evident in her eyes as she gazed tenderly at him. “You don’t have to worry about Kenneth, Goku. There’s nothing going on between us. You’re the one I love and Kenneth is only a friend. Trust me. Kenneth doesn’t have romantic feelings for me.”

Goku traveled the world and universes and of all the people he met, he knew ChiChi was the one he could trust without a doubt and if she said there’s nothing romantic between her and Kenneth, he knew it was the truth.

“I believe you.” Goku pulled ChiChi against him. “I don’t have a lot of things that are mine, ChiChi, and I want you to only be mine.”

“You have that.”

After a tender kiss, Goku broke away and resumed loading the crates in the truck. ChiChi was pleased Goku trusted her but felt there was something he should know to remove any concerns about Kenneth. “Besides, I’m not his type. You are and he was obviously checking you out.”

“Whaaaa?”

#gochiweek #gochiweek2021 #Goku #ChiChi #GoChi #fanfic #dragonball #Dragonball Z #Day Five Prompt #jealousy

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sunflowerhazzavol6 · 5 years

Text

breathless

Y/n and Harry have been in a casual sex relationship for the better part of his tour, until Harry invites her to Paris with him and leaves her questioning the nature of their relationship. 3k words of pretty much pure fluff in Paris!

Being with him was suffocating.

Not in a bad way, but in the way where she was constantly breathless. Was this what love was? It felt like it. Swept off her feet, wondering where he was, what he was doing, if he was thinking of her. She felt like a part of herself was missing when he was gone, moping around in her dark apartment until he would make his way back home. He was light.

He was light now, sleeping on his stomach with his arms under the pillow. Sun made its way into the room between the curtains, running along his bare back. In her sleep she had forgotten he was there. She was so used to missing him that it was her default, but now he was here breathing in and out softly.

“H...” She whispers, wrapping her arms around him and resting her chin on his shoulder. He doesn’t stir. “Harry.” She kisses his neck, then his cheek, then his temple.

“Would you knock it off? M’tryna get some rest here.” He mumbles.

“Haz.” She pouts, wiggling her way under his arm. He smiles softly, his eyes still closed.

“Hello.” He tightens his arm around her, nudging his nose against hers before pressing their lips together. His lips were soft and slow with sleep, savoring the time. She lived for these slow mornings, mornings together when neither of them had to run off to do this or that. Mornings when she could melt completely into him and pretend like the outside world didn’t exist.

“I missed you.” She whispers, running her fingers along his back. He adjusts himself so both arms are around her, finally opening his eyes. He sighs, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Me too. I’m glad you could come to Paris at least, before the next leg of the tour.”

“Why would I turn down an all expenses paid trip to the most romantic city in the world with my sugar daddy?” She teases, kissing his chin. “And an added bonus, he’s great in bed and doesn’t have saggy balls!”

“And with that, my confidence has increased tenfold.” He laughs, kissing her again.

“So what's the plan for today?” She says after a while, pulling away and getting up out of bed. He grins boyishly at her body while she pulls on his shirt, moving his hands behind his head.

“You mean we have to leave this room? Or more specifically, this bed?” He nearly whines.

“Harry, we’re not in Paris solely to shag each other.”

“Shag? I really am rubbing off on you, aren't I.” He sits up on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her to him. “What would you like to see, darling?” He kisses her shoulder. “We could see the Louvre.” Her collar bone. “Maybe get coffee first.” Her neck.

“That sounds nice.” She murmurs, playing with his hair.

“If thats what you want.” He stands up, cupping her face in his hands. She nods, biting her lip. “Well fuck, y/n, don’t do that. Then we’ll really have to just stay in bed.”

She pulls away with a laugh. “Alright, get showered then.” He sighs dramatically, kissing the top of her head and going into the bathroom.

It felt good to be with him like this again. She visited him a few times while he was on tour, but even with her present there was still work to be done and she had to respect that. Now, with him taking a break, there was time to just be. Be a couple, be friends, be whatever they wanted to.

That was the thing. They had never established what they were to each other. The lack of labels was infuriating to her, which she hated to admit. In the beginning it was liberating, being free to see him but not to be tied down to him. Now it was plain frustrating. He could see whoever he wanted to, and she supposed she could do the same, but any fling she attempted paled in comparison to this. To him.

She knew he had been seeing other girls while on tour. If anything they were honest with one another, especially when it came to sex and other flames. He hadn’t said anything for the past few months though, which meant he either thought they were past telling one another their sexual conquests or he hadn’t had any. Y/n didn’t even know where to begin with that. She herself hadn’t been with anyone in awhile now, and being with Harry only made her want him more. He had never flown her out somewhere to be with him and him alone, sans entourage of his band and management team. They only had one body guard with them now, and he was only around when they left their room (which hadn’t exactly happened yet). That had to mean something, right? Paris, the most romantic city in the world, and he had wanted her there with him.

“Y/n.” His voice pipes up from the bathroom door. She turns from her suitcase, dressed in a floral wrap dress, to see him standing with his hair wet and a towel around his waist. “Shave or no shave?”

She laughs a bit. “You’re asking me?”

“Well, I plan on kissing you, so yes, I am asking you.”

“I like both.”

“So half shaved and half not?” He raises his right eyebrow. Fuck. Maybe they should stay in.

“Hardy har, very funny.”

“Shaved it is.”

“Shaved it is.” She confirms, following him into the bathroom. Yet another moment she yearned for when he was away. The mundane kind. Getting ready together.

Not long after, Harry was holding the door open for her, his bodyguard waiting outside and nodding at them. Harry says good morning and then takes her hand, leading her to the elevator. That was something to consider, she supposed. Although Kenneth was nice enough, they could never be truly alone. Harry always had eyes on him, and although it was something he was used to, she wasn’t.

“There's this little cafe just down the street.” He says. “They’ve got some outdoor seating and excellent lattes. We can grab a bite and then go to the center of the city to see the Louvre.”

She nods, holding the strap of her purse. He lets go of her hand, touching the scarf she had tied in her hair to keep it half up. “I like this.” He says, looking at her. “You look beautiful, y/n. You always look beautiful.”

Before she can say anything back the elevator door opens and his hand falls to his side, leaving her flustered as they exit.

The busy cafe was cute and as Parisian as y/n thought it could get. Granted, her version of Parisian was the things she had pinned to a board on Pinterest to help her contain her excitement for this trip, but that's besides the point. The outdoor seating was basking in the mid-morning sun, a few pigeons poking around for little morsels and crumbs. The guests were speaking all sorts of languages. The locals French, of course, but y/n also heard many others, tourists like herself. Only a few people seemingly recognized Harry, but no one went any further than a simple gesture to their table-mate.

Harry pulls out a chair for her, glancing through the window to look at the menu inside. “What would you like, y/n? I was thinking a pastry and a coffee myself.”

She sits, looking through the window to the inside. A group of teenage girls are looking through the glass at them, giggling and taking their phones out. Ah, she had spoken to soon. “Whatever you think I’d like is fine, and get me a cappuccino please.” He squeezes her shoulder and then goes inside with Kenneth.

As if on cue the girls all go silent, until finally a brave one separates from the group and shyly walks up to Harry, introducing herself. Y/n sees Harry laugh before gesturing to the other girls to come over. They all join their friend, talking excitedly to him as they all exchange hugs and take photos. Harry carries on talking to them until he has to order, hugging them all goodbye.

When he comes back out he’s smiling, shaking his head. “What?” Y/n asks, watching him sit down.

“That first one asked very politely if they could get photos with me and said that they all were massive fans and couldn’t believe I was here. And then another one asked who I was with.”

“Oh? And what did you say?”

“I just winked.”

Y/n blushes. “And why would you do that?”

Harry just shrugs, smiling when their coffees and pastries get set down on their table.

“You’re such a flirt, Harry.” She pushes his shoulder.

“I know. Isn’t it infuriating?” He grins, taking a bite of his pastry and groaning. “Fuck. Now that is delicious. Can you believe that food this flakey even exists?”

“Because you’ve got loads to compare it to?”

“I consider myself a pastry connoisseur, darling. Let me take a bite of yours.”

She smacks his hand away. “Greedy! Let me have a bite first.”

“You won’t appreciate it as much as I would.” He pouts teasingly, sitting back in a slouch and crossing his arms. Y/n laughs and takes a bite, cupping her hand underneath the croissant to catch the crumbs.

Harry was right. It was incredible. Flavors of butter, bread, chocolate, and strawberries all perfectly swirled together into one delicious bite. Every croissant she had had in the states was nothing compared to this. She lets out a moan.

“Hey now! Can’t be making noises like that without sharing.”

Y/n covers her mouth as she swallows with a laugh. “Let me try yours. What is it?”

“Apricot. Bloody hell, not that big of a bite.” He snorts at her eagerness, nudging his foot against her calf. “Can’t take you anywhere.”

“Who me? The messy, impolite American?” She says through a mouthful of pastry.

“Thank god you’re such a good shag or I’d have nothing to do with you.” He teases, handing her her pastry back. She laughs a bit but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. There was probably some truth to that, but she really didn’t want to admit it to herself. If she did it might rip her to shreds.

When they’re finished Harry cleans up their table and waves goodbye to the group of girls before coming back to y/n with a glass of water. “Let's take a taxi to the Louvre, shall we?” He hands her the glass, causing her to look at him quizzically. “Don’t give me that face. They probably have a shite food and drink policy at that place and I don’t want you running solely on caffeine and sugar.”

“I’m always running solely on caffeine and sugar.” She takes a sip. “Just admit you’re worried about me being dehydrated.”

“Now who’s flirting?” He grins, sitting down in front of her.

“I don’t like you watching me chug water, Harry.”

“Why, think I’ll find it unattractive?”

“Yes.” She says plainly.

“Don’t mind me, love. Just want to watch some water dribble down your chin.”He coos. She smacks his shoulder, and before she has time to even properly register what's happening he’s grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it gently, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles.

“Harry.” She hisses, pulling her hand back. She can feel the heat in her cheeks. “We’re in public.”

“I know.” He shrugs, standing back up. “Now finish your water so we can go.”

The entire taxi ride Harry chats merrily with the driver, commenting on a soccer team in the UK that was doing well. While y/n always found it endearing the way he called soccer “football” and how his accent got thicker whenever he talked about it with a fellow fan, her thoughts were racing. Why was he being so publicly affectionate all of the sudden, but was still joking about the sexual nature of their relationship? Why was he not dodging questions about them dating like he used to? Why did he care about whether or not she was dehydrated?

“Look at that.” He says with a grin, looking out the window at the glass pyramids in front of the museum. “Well, I hope your bets work out in your favor, mate. Can’t let those bloody irishmen get the best of ya. I know that from experience.” He pats the man's shoulder and hands him the fare for their cab ride before reaching over y/n to open the door. “My lady.”

Y/n steps out, followed by Harry and Kenneth. Within moments a tall, lanky man with dark hair and glasses makes his way over to them, wearing a pressed uniform with a name-tag reading “Pierre.”

“Monsieur Styles, welcome to the Louvre. I ‘ave been asked to escort you today inside of ze museum.” He says with a thick French accent. “We have taken ze necessary precautions to ensure that you are kept secure and comfortable inside.”

“Thanks mate.” Harry says, taking y/n’s hand. He was just full of surprise PDA today. “Ready?” Y/n nods, looking into his eyes to try to read him. Nothing but his cheeky smile.

Y/n knew Harry loved art. He had always told her that he felt that art was the best way to express oneself without uttering a single word. That’s why he dressed the way he did, paying close attention to every detail of what he wore when he wanted to say something with his outfit. She admired him for that, especially the way he expressed his femininity with ease. Him embracing that side of himself was wildly attractive to her, and she was always baffled by the way he was able to do that without ever taking away from his masculinity. He just used his clothing to re-define what masculinity was.

“Harry.” She murmurs, moving her free hand to his forearm to pull herself up to his ear. Pierre had led them into an empty hallway, where a museum security guard had joined them for their tour of the museum.

“Hmm?” He hums, putting his hand over hers.

“We can’t see the whole museum in one day, can we?”

“Probably not.” He nods in thanks when a door is opened for them, leading them into a room full of tourists. A few people stare in recognition, but he looks back down to her. “I guess we have to decide what we want to see the most.” He frowns when people start taking photos, dropping her hand. Her heart sinks.

“Well,” She starts, attempting to distract herself. “How about we just walk around and see what catches our eye?”

“Sure.” Harry says, still distracted. His eyes scanned over the crowd of people in the room, cautious and on edge.

“Harry.” She sighs. “Harry, look at me.”

His eyes shift back down, softening ever so slightly when they meet hers.

“Don’t worry about them. They’re not even here. It’s just us, okay?”

“Alright.” He smiles the tiniest bit, gently knocking his fist against her chin in a play punch. “Lets go look at art”

As much as Harry loved art, y/n loved it too. But while Harry loved it for the aesthetic, she loved it for the history. It had survived centuries and wars, and had seen more than she ever would in her lifetime. To any unaware passerby, they were just mediums on a canvas, but to her they were eras etched into time.

“Can you believe that people used to just live with this in their house?” She asks, looking at Harry. They were standing in front of Louis XIV, Harry’s hands clasped behind his back.

“Not exactly a house.”

“No, but you know what I mean.”

Harry looks at it, wrinkling his nose. “I suppose that is strange. People travel from all over to see this portrait and it was just a part of their decorations.”

“Harry!” She gasps. “We should go see Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss!”

“Should we now?” He smiles at her enthusiasm.

“Don’t act coy.” She says, starting towards a directory. “If only there weren’t so many rooms.”

Harry moves to stand behind her, resting his hand on her lower back. “Hey, there it is.” He points with his free hand. “We just leave this room and take a right. Come on.”

It was better than y/n could have imagined.

The story was romantic in itself. Cupid, sent by his mother Venus to curse the love life of the beautiful Psyche, instead fell in love with her. From that blossomed an innocent and nearly naive romance, completely entrapped in the bubble that love had created. Hidden away from the world. Y/n couldn’t help but shift her gaze to Harry, studying his profile. His eyebrows were soft with awe, lips parted in wonder. He looked like they did; statuesque, something to be preserved and admired. Timeless. She couldn’t help but feel that their stories were one and the same. Hidden, illogical, naive. Yet there was nothing and nobody that she was more sure of. And now here they were, seeing for themselves Cupid tenderly holding his lover like she was the only thing grounding him to earth.

“Did you know Psyche is represented by a butterfly?” Harry says finally, clearing his throat.

“Is she?”

He nods, rubbing his chin. “It symbolizes immortality, innocence, and transformation from one being to another.” He bites his lip, looking at her. “I like the idea of that. Being able to change but still remaining true to yourself. Who you once were.”

She looks back at him, gnawing on her own bottom lip. “Do you feel like you’ve changed?”

“Undoubtedly.” He says quietly.

Y/n looks back at the statue, unable to hold the intensity of his gaze. “From what?”

“Y/n…”

She pauses before opening her mouth, just to close it again.

“Y/n?”

“What are we doing, Harry? Are we together? Are we just friends? Are we just-” She lowers her voice. “Are you just in it for the sex? Because if you are that's fine, I can live with that. We can continue whatever this casual thing we have going on is, if that's what you want.”

He doesn’t respond.

She swallows. “Unless you’re not just in it for the sex anymore. Because I don’t think I am.”

He bites his lips together, contemplating something.

“Forget it, forget I even-” Before she can finish her statement he cuts her off, cupping her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers.

They had kissed loads of times before, but never like this. Those kisses were heated, desperate, and motivated. The pressure of his lips against hers was calculated this time, pushing and pulling like he couldn’t think of another way sufficient enough to show her how he felt. For the first time in his life he was cautious, taking his time in the way she tasted. One simple kiss was enough to tell her that he felt the same. Had probably always felt the same. Grounded.

“Does that answer your question?” He breathes.

“Not quite. Maybe kiss me again?”

#harry styles #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles fanfiction #harry edward styles #fine line #love on tour #harry styles fluff

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dreamwritesimagines · 2 years

Text

i’m literally reading through this with my heart beating like crazy bc i know The Maze™️ is about to jump at me any time now. this is so funny like i’m a paragraph in sksks. anyways, back to reading–

THE WAY I YELLED AAAAAAAH HUGH AND KENNETH OH MY FUCKING GOD !!!!!!! GO AND GET SUMN !!! i feel like a love spell is just floating around this place goddamn why is everyone just in desperate need of a Lovin™️ sksksksk but pls Cherie immediately distracting Penelope like, she ain’t a snitch that’s for sure. now now, Who™️ is Anthony covering for?? it’s Elias & Cece isn’t it??? right when they disappeared to do the deed?? LMAO first thing in the job description as the best man: be on the lookout. but i feel like Elias won’t return the favour if ever Anthony and Cherie will one day sneak around before their marriage ksksksk

WHY. WAS. KENNETH. SHIRTLESS. THOUGH. Cherie out here asking the important questions LMAO. Hugh is also onto her with the kissing thing as well ksks i feel like he has an idea already but is just keeping it hush bc his dear friend is hurting. and pls, this moment is so sweet. Hugh feels so safe around Cherie like am so so sure he probably was Shitting Bricks™️ going up to her and expecting hard hitting questions but here she is asking if he was in love when Hugh and Kenneth just met. we love an open minded and non-judgmental queen <3 also, Cecily being the only one who knows...ugh my heart. he’s going to cry when he will walk her down the aisle. i am sure of it. “We’ll see.” HUGH X KENNETH ITS HAPPENING <3

“Elias was showing me around.” mm-hmm, indeed he was. he was NOT showing you around the house tho *wink* *wink* ksksks and now Lucie and Iona are missing. genuinely what are they putting in the water in this place???? is love always in the air at Stormview?

god she’s slowly starting to make up her mind about this adequate life partner thing. i mean, Lady Danbury being frank about Anthony’s feelings and my gooood it’s painful to watch Cherie deny it bc again, she’s made up her mind. and as we all know, she never listens to anyone. but OMG THANK YOU LADY DANBURY. her words about marrying another when you’re in love with someone else is just Chef’s Kiss™️ like, the whole marrying Pierre thing is genuinely a torture for her too and it’s quite sad that she’s either not seeing it or is simply accepting it.

oh my god here it comes and jfc i’m not there yet but i’m about to have a heart attack. .....omg that Cassandra of Troy parallel, about Cassandra not being believed by everyone....Cherie calling the statue mom...did Percival tell the sculpture to use Cassie as inspo?? my heart is aching. OMG HERE COMES ANTHONY AND NOW IT’S RAINING?!?!?!

“Marry me instead.” SHUT UP SHUT THE FUCK UP. HOLD UP. I NEED TO BREATHEEEE IS THIS GOING BE----WAIT NO. NO NO NO!! ANTHONY NO. GOD NO. GOD FUCKING DAMMIT YOU MORON YOU BLASPHEMOUS IDIOT YOU AAAAAAAAH. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP !!!! STOP TALKING OMG YOU’RE MAKING IT WORSE !!!

.....okay, wait, after much consideration and yelling at the wind, i get where he’s coming from. he’s still an Idiot Premium™️ don’t get me wrong, but that moment with Lady Danbury where she saw someone over Cherie’s shoulder, that was Anthony wasn’t it? meaning, he heard everything Cherie said that, “It was a childish dream to hope that I would have a love marriage. Now I know I must have other expectations and I’m glad to say that I have a suitor in mind that fits those expectations.”

so what he said to her in The Maze™️ is basically a response to what she was saying. this is him saying he meets those expectations she’s “looking” for.

Cherie: “An adequate life partner. Someone I can build a life with and raise children with.”

Anthony: “I can provide better financial security for you than he can, and as a Viscountess you will have a permanent and influential standing in the ton.” // “...our children would have uncontested places in the ton and they would want for nothing.”

he is proving to her what he thought she wanted, something logical. that he can provide for her, that he can give her a stable life, children, fortune, etc. i feel like when he heard Cherie said “An adequate life partner.” Anthony is now trying to tell her that he is an adequate life partner and that he is a better adequate life partner than Pierre. when Cherie stated all those things, Anthony basically resulted to: now she wants a logical marriage? i can do logical too. because he’s getting so fucking desperate here.

a few chapters back he thought Cherie was still marrying for love so when she said she loved him, that sparked Anthony’s hope that okay, i can fix this, i will court her properly, i will prove myself to her, i still have the chance. because she loves me and she said she wants to marry for love. BUT THEN when he HEARD (i really want to empathize that and i will explain it further in the next paragraph) Cherie said she is marrying Pierre bc he’s an adequate life partner a.k.a. a logical marriage, Anthony is scrambling because he doesn’t know what to do anymore. first she wanted love, now she wanted a business matrimony? i can do business. BUT the way he went about it is just....wrong bc he’s just failing to see what Cherie actually wants. bc she is being in denial to quote Penelope. so she’s now saying she’s marrying Pierre not for love but bc she basically thinks he’s a logical match. she saying that’s what she wants even tho she’s lying to everyone and herself. BUT Anthony is taking her words at face value even though she’s actually hiding what she truly feels.

this is why i’m not blaming everything on Anthony, bc let’s be real here, he can’t read minds. so he is only going about what he’s hearing from her. like these are words coming from Cherie herself. he’s going to believe her and take her words into account BUT how was he supposed to know that what her mouth is speaking is actually different to what’s going through her head? WE are seeing Cherie’s thought process, Anthony is not. his last braincell is already struggling as is, are we really going to expect him to dissect every little thing from Cherie’s facial expression and body language and figure it all out and find the truth all while she’s actively trying her best to hide her true feelings? this is why Communication Is Key™️ folks bc you can only assume what someone’s words mean and assumption is never 100% and these two haven’t had a Real & Honest Conversation™️ not even ONCE. their moments together, they aren’t exactly communicating, they’re just saying words and all are flying over each other’s heads. i mean, Cherie isn’t letting Anthony finish his sentences, Anthony is having a hard time understanding her because she’s saying one thing and then something else the next day but also wanting something else entirely. Cherie hasn’t even seen Anthony's side either, like she has yet to hear why he didn’t want love in the first place and why he came to that logic. and she has yet to hear about what Anthony said to Elias as to why Anthony didn’t go public with them at the start. and he was about to tell her that he doesn’t see her as a “shameful secret” but again, she didn’t let him speak.

BIG SIGH™️ i’m about to pull my hair out at this point. i’m just.....Frustrated™️ LMAO. bc they are BOTH sending mix signals to each other. Anthony is hearing what Cherie is saying but he isn’t seeing the truth (not that he can bc again, he can’t read minds) Cherie is hearing all this claims from everyone that Anthony loves her but she’s refusing to see the truth i.e. Lady Danbury saying she’s being blind.

i know everyone is going come at Anthony for this, and rightfully so, but Cherie isn’t exactly faultless here either. we have to take into account that Anthony isn’t a mind reader, that he is only taking in what he’s given which is Cherie’s own words. and my god the Communication™️ is as bad as it’s going to get. bc neither of them are giving the other the chance to lay it all the fuck out. neither of them are being honest with each other too!! i mean, hell, they’re not being honest with themselves. if Anthony had just been honest and told her he wants to marry her bc he loves her, it would’ve definitely made a difference. but if Cherie had just been honest with herself that she actually does NOT want an adequate partner only then maybe Anthony would not have tried to convince her that he is an adequate partner.

i feel like he was about to say he loves her, like, he was about to say it when she asked why, but then he panicked bc let’s not forget this is a man who swore off love, who was so convinced he would never have love for years. OF COURSE he’s going to be terrified to just say it especially when this is going to be his first time saying it to the person he loves out loud. idk about you guys but confessing powerful feelings to someone is fucking scary, and when that person is angry at you?? mortifying. but also, i feel like he remembered Cherie’s words about not wanting a love marriage anymore hence why she’s marrying Pierre. so Anthony thought, if that’s what she wants i can give her that too and decided last minute to take the business route instead which.....obviously was the wrong choice. Anthony sees Pierre as a competition, so he’s trying to one up him in every way. Anthony knew he was already in the lead when it comes to Cherie marrying for love bc Cherie loves him, not Pierre. BUT THEN when he heard Cherie is marrying Pierre purely out of business, Anthony tried to one up Pierre in that regard. he just failed to realised that him and Pierre weren’t even in a competition in the first place bc Cherie isn’t marrying Pierre for either love or business, she wants to marry Pierre bc she thinks it will not break her heart as much compared to being married to Anthony. honestly, THIS IS ALL JUST A DOMINO EFFECT OF ONE MISCOMMUNICATION TO ANOTHER.

okay, side note: what was Cece doing out awake at night?? someone is sneaking around aren’t they?????? anyways, now i am desperately hoping for Cecily to come through with this like please help this Idiot Premium™️ make sense of things. and help Cherie see the truth too. bc we all see it, everyone in Stormview sees it, the hedge maze sees it, the tstatue sees it, the fucking raindrops sees Anthony’s feelings for her. Lady Danbury has spelled those words about but she’s still refusing to see it. i am hoping we will know what Cece and Anthony is going to talk about in the extra scene, and i feel like once he tells Cece that he loves Cherie then she will definitely change her stance on this. also if she finds out Cherie’s plans of marrying Pierre??? and then Cece tells Elias??? oof. drama.

god this got a bit long sksksk but then again, my thesis has never been short. Dee, amazing as always, you have me yelling at my phone like a mad woman bc goddamn. that maze scene was definitely NOT what i expected to happen but it for sure was an amazing scene like my heart. is aching. i loved it and i’m also so frustrated bc ugh COMMUNICATE™️ i really want them to just sit and talk and have Cece moderate everything or like let them drink all the truth serum in the world so we can finally know peace sksksks

– TM Anon™️

Omg omg TM Anon hi love! ❤❤❤ Aaaaaa I’m so excited for this! 😍

Hugh and Kenneth yessss! ❤ Well it’s a wedding, the place is very romantic….😏

Oh it’s definitely Elias and Cece😂 Elias made him stand guard by the hallway so that no one would go in, and pulled the best man card and also he knows Anthony is trying to make amends and he’s using that to his advantage a lot 😂

but i feel like Elias won’t return the favour if ever Anthony and Cherie will one day sneak around before their marriage Lolll nopeee😂 I actually think Elias would legit sabotage their “alone time” before AND after their wedding 😂

I think for Cherie, the most important question of all times is “Are you in love” and she doesn’t even care if they’ve just met 😂

is love always in the air at Stormview? It’s such a romantic place! ❤

She is! Like, she’s sure she’s going to marry Pierre and refuses to listen to anyone 💔 And Lady Danbury knows just how bad of an idea it is, and yet…💔

Cassandra of Troy parallel yes! 😍 I love including parallels in stories😍😏

SHUT UP SHUT THE FUCK UP. HOLD UP. I NEED TO BREATHEEEE IS THIS GOING BE----WAIT NO. NO NO NO!! ANTHONY NO. GOD NO. GOD FUCKING DAMMIT YOU MORON YOU BLASPHEMOUS IDIOT YOU AAAAAAAAH. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP !!!! STOP TALKING OMG YOU’RE MAKING IT WORSE !!! I literally cannot stop laughing-

This right here, this was exactly the reaction I was hoping to evoke during Anthony’s speech😂

that moment with Lady Danbury where she saw someone over Cherie’s shoulder, that was Anthony wasn’t it? OH YEAH😏

This analysis omg I’m screaming, this is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING?! 😍😍😍 Darliiiiing! 😱😍

Anthony is scrambling because he doesn’t know what to do anymore. first she wanted love, now she wanted a business matrimony? i can do business. Exactly! ❤ Oh I have so many ideas about this❤

In my mind, Anthony is actually very used to getting what he wants❤ So far, it went like that for him, he never really had to talk about his feelings or do anything that got him out of his comfort zone, things just work for him ❤

Until Cherie showed up 😂

So his mind is actual chaos rn😂 He wanted her to marry him, and he was going to tell her he loved her, but then everything came crashing down, (not to mention Cherie was really angry at him like you said) so his mind directly went to like, “As an alternative, I can prove why I’d make a better husband logically, like she says she wants” ❤

Deep down he knew she wanted love, but when it came to talking about it, Anthony thought there was an alternative where he could just avoid talking about his feelings, and that thought was also encouraged by “she wants an adequate love partner” and then…

It all went down 😂

how was he supposed to know that what her mouth is speaking is actually different to what’s going through her head? WE are seeing Cherie’s thought process, Anthony is not. Yessss and it’s actively working against him!

these two haven’t had a Real & Honest Conversation™️ not even ONCE. their moments together, they aren’t exactly communicating, they’re just saying words and all are flying over each other’s heads. i mean, Cherie isn’t letting Anthony finish his sentences, Anthony is having a hard time understanding her because she’s saying one thing and then something else the next day but also wanting something else entirely. Oh this is such a good point!

They really need to have a real and honest conversation, exactly! ❤ Like, before they were both in a bubble, they were both “enamored” so they didn’t even think about it, they were so lost in the feeling❤ And now, it’s even more complicated, they’re both very hurt and clueless about what to do, so it’s even more difficult than before❤

Anthony is hearing what Cherie is saying but he isn’t seeing the truth (not that he can bc again, he can’t read minds) Cherie is hearing all this claims from everyone that Anthony loves her but she’s refusing to see the truth OH MY GOD-

This parallel, I haven’t even thought about it before! I’m like freaking out, you’re a genius darling! ❤❤❤

OF COURSE he’s going to be terrified to just say it especially when this is going to be his first time saying it to the person he loves out loud. idk about you guys but confessing powerful feelings to someone is fucking scary, and when that person is angry at you?? mortifying. but also, i feel like he remembered Cherie’s words about not wanting a love marriage anymore hence why she’s marrying Pierre. so Anthony thought, if that’s what she wants i can give her that too and decided last minute to take the business route instead which.....obviously was the wrong choice. DEFINITELY!

Like, he was trying to find a way without him having to open up his heart, and since she claims to want a business marriage…

He didn’t even see how bad it would backfire until Cherie started her own monologue💔

okay, side note: what was Cece doing out awake at night?? someone is sneaking around aren’t they??????

Oh Cece was coming back from Elias’s room😏😂 She was trying to sneak into her own room before she saw Cherie and Anthony ❤

You have no idea how much I love this darling, YOU’RE A GENIUS AND YOU’RE AMAZING AND ILYSM! ❤❤❤ THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOUUU! 😍😱❤❤❤

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