#i mean i kind of popped off this chapter had more than 3k words

[script-nef]

Compensation | Gojou Satoru

Category: fluff

3k words; Dinner date [5/6]

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The door clicks behind you as you retire into your room after another day of work. Fatigue aches at your bones and the bed is soft underneath as you flop onto it. Investing in a cushiony blanket and mattress is probably one of the best decisions you made in your life. If not the best. 

Drifting away into dreamland sounds amazing. If not for All Might.

“A text is here!” 

“Toshinori…” Even though your favourite character is Hawks, there’s no way you’re not setting Yagi as your ringtone. Groaning, you blindly reach for the phone while not moving your smushed face. Comfort prioritises over the ability to breathe. 

Gojou: Hey! T minus an hour to our reservation! Get ready!

Ah, this. Gojou has made good on his promise to make up for the dinner you missed thanks to his theatrics. Something bubbles in your chest.

Since the beach incident, which ended fine with everyone happy and well-rested, something shifted. In the relationship between you and Gojou. Tensing in the neck, quicker palpitation sometimes. Like the feeling you had when you went on that flight to Shinjuku and also at the beach. Repetition is making it concerning. Maybe a trip to Shouko is overdue.

Gojou: Wear smth nice! Me: ? What? Gojou: They have a policy about ties n dresses or smth. Or we can show up in jeans n see how they react! Me: Let’s not. Gojou: K then! C you in 56 mins ;)

There it is again, the bubbles. Shaking your head to dislodge the feeling, you get ready for dinner.

Joints pop as you rise, lazily gathering towels and clothes. Something nice. If it’s a place with attire regulations, it must be pretty high-class. Or maybe he’s just messing with you to see what you would wear. Better not take any chances. 

Thirty minutes and your muscles are much looser thanks to the hot water. The fragrant smell of your shampoo and body wash puts you in a good mood as well. You quickly slip into a dress, a present Gojou got for you some time ago. It’s a soft and flowy one with intricate snowflakes decorating the ends. It became one of your favourites pretty quickly. 

Rhythmic knocks on the door alert you of Gojou’s arrival just as you’re done drying your hair. After checking in the mirror to see if everything is fine, you open your room door.

The only thing same about him from his usual self is the hair and smile. His casual outfit is replaced with a black suit, presumably the one he bought weeks ago when he tagged along with you to buy Ken-chan a present. Somehow it looks better on him now than it did before. Probably the antique hallway lighting than the department one, it just gives him a more cozy vibe. The blindfold is gone, replaced by sunglasses. His gorgeous irises are still hidden from your view. He cleans up well. 

“M’lady.” Bowing slightly, he stretches his hand out for you to take. You oblige with a giggle. The whole gentleman thing is cute.

“You’re on time for once! No, wait, you’re early!” Time seems to elude Gojou all the time. In the years you’ve known him, he’s never come to a meeting on time, let alone early. Especially ones about him by the higher-ups. There was one time where he didn’t even bother to come but Masamichi-san dragged him by the ear. Unfortunately, there’s no photographic proof which could have been used to mock him with.

“Of course I’ll come on time. Oh, you’re wearing the dress I bought you!” Gentleman vibe goes out the window, him returning to his hyperactive self. It’s still pretty cute. Where the hell is this coming from? There’s a constricting feeling in your throat. 

“Oh, you’ve never seen me wear it. It’s one of my favourites now, and I thought you’d like to see it. What do you think?” By now you’re out in the courtyard, illuminated under the moon. Skipping up ahead, you spin a bit, letting the dress flow out. He doesn’t say anything for a while. “Gojou?”

“You look beautiful.”

“Eh?”

“You look… beautiful.”

The softness in his voice catches you off guard. You stop in your track, the clothing falling and resting against your legs. This is a Gojou you haven’t met before, one with such sincerity and tenderness. He steps up, taking one of your hands in his. Something tingles inside your stomach, like fireflies buzzing around and lighting it up with warmth. What’s happening right now?

“I mean it. You’re dazzling.” 

Fire burns under your skin, originating from where he’s holding you and threatens to consume your entire body. The flutter in your stomach is nothing compared to this. Time stops. The only thing you can hear is his breathing and your heart beating. 

Moonlight cascades over him, showering him in an ethereal glow. Snow white hair shines brilliantly and something seizes at your throat. He slowly lowers his lips to meet with the back of your hand, pressing a light yet somehow heavy kiss. 

You're not moving. Not breathing. It feels like you're standing on a sheet-thin glass, a bottomless abyss underneath you. If you move even a centimeter, take even the slightest of breathes, the moment will break and you'll plummet down. 

Lungs scream at you to breathe. You can't. Not while he's still holding your hand with such gentle sincerity. Heat travels to every cell in your body and the flicker inside your stomach gets unbearable. 

The moment finally ends when his lips detach from your hand. Air slowly returns as he runs his fingers over your knuckles. When he peers down at you, there's just a momentary flash of piercing blue behind his sunglasses that makes your breath hitch. 

"Shall we go?" 

Shooting you a sweet smile, he doesn't let go of your hand and marches on forward. You barely remember to keep up, brain scrambled and chest exploding.

“This is an exclusive place. How did you get reservations this fast?”

“My stunning good looks!”

“Gojou.” 

“Apparently someone cancelled their reservations. Looks and luck. What don’t I have?”

“Humility.

“That cuts me, [Name].”

Stifling laughter, you look out of the window and onto the street. A few weeks ago the view would have been amazing, but now that you’ve experienced flying, nothing measures up to it. There hasn’t been another flight break as you couldn’t bring yourself to ask him for one, since he was so busy, but the exhilaration of the trip never quite left your body. 

When you turn your attention back to him, there’s a lit candle on the table and Gojou’s resting his head on his hand, staring at you. The intensity can be felt over his sunglasses.

“What’s up with the candlelight?”

“No idea.”

Attempts for small talk are useless. A silence sits in the air. Not the comfortable kind that you normally have with him, working in your office while he takes a nap on the sofa nearby. Or the one when he unceremoniously interrupts a break in the garden by coming up and resting his head on your lap, enjoying a soak in the sun with you. Or when you’re eating in the cafeteria together.

Something is just off here. It might be because of… his act earlier. Just thinking about it is enough to bring the blush back. But no, it's more to do with this place. It's much nicer than your school, expensive chandeliers and tablecloths, the air of refinery that everyone else naturally oozes. But it’s distant, detached. It doesn’t suit you or him. Eventually, you break.

“Why did you bring me here?” The smile disappears off of Gojou’s face and his brow scrunches in confusion.

“I thought girls liked this kind of thing!”

"Well, yeah, it’s exclusive for a reason. But I… don’t feel comfortable here. I’m grateful that you brought me here, and I appreciate all the effort you put into this to secure a place for us. It’s just that this feels way too serious to make up for a missed meal. I feel terrible that you went through all that trouble for me. I’m fine with somewhere more casual and comfortable, not the most expensive place you can take me.”

“You think this is the most expensive place I can take you? I’m wounded.” Gojou grips at his heart but the easy-going smile tells a different story. You give him a tentative smile back, worried he might be offended underneath his smile.

“Unless you want to stay here? I’m fine with that as well, this is completely up to you.”

“Nope, it’s up to you. Wanna head out then?” He holds his hand out again. You take it without a second thought. 

“Where is this?”

“My favourite restaurant! They have the best dango for dessert. And of course, the main menus are good as well.” He’s so consistent. 

Customers and chefs alike stare at you two when you walk in. Which is expected when Gojou’s dressed in an immaculate designer suit that’s in complete contrast to the humble and cozy interior of the shop. Some avert their gaze when they realise they’re being rude, but you can see them sneaking a peek from the corners of their eyes. You’re not dressed up as Gojou is, but mortification still flushes your cheeks. It gets worse when he guides you over to a table, leading you to a table by hugging you from behind. This never bothered you before so why is it affecting you so much now?

“Here you go.” He pushes a chair back for you to sit in. A server greets you with a smile, handing over the menu then disappears again. “Is this place better?”

It really is. Spices and the smell of broth leak into the eating areas, triggering your taste buds and causing you to salivate. People chatter and yell and cheer, the cacophony of noises filling the place with livelihood unlike the cold silence of the previous restaurant. This is somehow more peaceful. A smile blooms on your face. 

“This is perfect.” 

The rest of the night is smooth sailing. Gojou knows your taste in food perfectly, expertly recommending which ones to try out. The food is impeccable and the dangos are exquisite, the perfect blend of sweet and chewy. Conversation flows easily once you’re comfortable and blocking out whatever the courtyard thing was. 

He's been away for a while due to a sudden influx in curses so it's nice to have some quality time together like this. With your belly full and warmth spreading over your body, you were ready to hit the sack. 

That is, if he didn’t offer sake to end the night. 

“Hmmm sleepy…” Alcohol doesn’t taste nice. Fuzziness takes over your brain, like thoughts are all mixing with each other and the room is spinning weirdly. Closing your eyes helps. Lights are way still way too bright and it feels like sweat is pouring off you by buckets. Someone’s calling your name but the wall is so nice and cool against your blazing skin. 

“Didn’t know you’d be this much of a lightweight. Hey, hey, you with me?” Gojou’s blurry face comes into view when you open your eyes. Giggles escape you for absolutely no reason. 

“Gojou!” 

“Yes, yes, I’m here. I think you need to stop drinking. Nanami might never let me see you again.” 

“Your cheeks are so squishy!” It’s soft and smooth underneath your fingers, like he doesn’t have pores. Maybe you can’t feel pores with fingers but his skin is just that flawless. “Drop your skincare routine, baby skin.”

“You had like three cups, how are you this drunk? I already paid so let’s go back to school. Lift your arms?” You obey obediently and something warm encases you. A familiar and delightful scent assaults your nose. There’s a click, a lot of clicks, like someone’s taking a photo. You can’t be bothered looking to check. “Can you stand?”

“Mm…” 

“Guess that’s a no. Keep your eyes closed.” 

Your stomach lurches as you’re pulled onto your feet, supported by something under your arms. Cold air rushes onto your face and makes you whine. There’s a call of “thank you” which you reply in your drunken stupor with “I’ll be back!” Laughter comes somewhere from above. 

It’s dark enough outside that you can open your eyes again. Everything’s still a bit hazy but you can find your balance now.

“You think you can handle flying?” There’s really no way to tell other than to try it. So you nod.

There’s a blank memory between that decision and the moment you arrive at your doorsteps. Literally nothing. You blinked after making that choice and now you’re standing outside your room door. You would have fallen thanks to disorientation if not for Gojou supporting you by the small of your back.

“Come on, let’s get you to bed.” 

He stands around while you get ready to sleep, helping you tie your hair and catching you when you lose balance. After washing, you stare at him and he stares right back. The stare-off continues. He finally gets the message when you point at the dress and walks out. It’s a struggle to get out of clothes in an inebriated state but after much wrestling, you manage. 

Climbing into the bed, you’re about to actually fall asleep when there’s a knock on the door. Groans answer it because it’s way too far away. The person opposite seems to get the message and comes in. You peek and it’s Gojou with a plastic shopping bag. Sitting down and making himself comfortable on the bed, he ruffles through the bag.

“Hey, you have to drink this. It’ll help tomorrow.” He helps you sit up but pauses for a second. Your eyes flicker open. He’s looking at your body. “Are you still wearing my jacket? After you’ve changed?”

“Yup! Smells nice!” You bury your face in the lapel as if to prove a point. The grip on your arm tightens and he looks down. 

“It smells nice?” 

“Mhm. It's you. I feel like I'm being protected." He lets go of you, instead choosing to cover his face in his hands. His ears look red. Flicking it looks fun. "Gojou? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Drink the medicine." Even with your messed up, alcohol-ridden tongue, it tastes bad. Attempts at whining and escaping is futile because he's stronger than you. "There you go. Now sleep."

He helps you down this time, brushing your hair with his fingers and cleaning up after himself. It's nice and fluffy inside the covers. Gojou takes your hand again, pressing another kiss on the back of it. Shorter than the last time but the intensity hasn't changed. 

"Don't leave." It’s basically a whisper, but Gojou freezes immediately. There's no sound for a while and you can't see what's happening because of your drooping eyelids. Alcohol is great at inducing sleep. A rustling sound and his fingers interlocks with yours. 

“You want me to stay? I’d almost say you like me.” His voice is low as well, but still with a teasing lilt, like he's trying to help you fall asleep. So considerate. Always so considerate.

"Maybe." The word trails off into a mumble. Alcohol also gets rid of your filters and the understanding of when to stop talking.

"I'm sorry, what?" 

"Dunno… You're making me feel weird things…" Digging yourself further into the covers, you try to block out even the faint lamplight. Having none of that, Gojou pulls you out from the blanket cave, ignoring your whines.

"You'll suffocate in there. I'm fine with doing CPR but Nanami might not. What do you mean by 'weird things'?" 

"I don't know… There was like… this thing inside my stomach when you did the thing out in the uh… place. My insides felt itchy and weird thanks to you. Take that!" It probably could not have been more easier to catch your fist. "Noooo, you deserve to be hit! You did something to me… That's why I feel so weird when I'm around you. Ever since the beach trip… I sometimes get heart thumps when I see you… It doesn't make sense why I'm feeling this… I don't feel it with other people…" 

In an attempt to show how annoyed you are, you try to flail around on the bed but it comes out more as a tiny jiggle. Like a caterpillar. Gojou lets out a chuckle. It sounds like he’s laughing at you. Smacking him comes to mind but you’re comfortable right now so you’ll forgive him. By now you’re just mumbling into the blanket.

"Because like… it's the same. You know? This, this… whatever this is… Like in the movies, the fluffy ones. When the girl falls in love with the guy. They show like the whole thing with like the thingies… The close up, the blush, heartbeat getting quicker in the background… Thump thump, yeah? Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Silence is his answer. You know he's still there because his hand is still connected to yours.

Sleep addles your mind. There's a whole lot of words popping up, like "Gojou" and "dinner" and "date" for some reason. But it's too late and everything is shutting down. Softly, slowly, you sink into slumber.

"Gojou?" Still nothing. "Hmmm you're asleep as well, huh? That's fine, that's good. You do so much to save everyone, you deserve a break. Like a hero… So brave, so selfless… Really stupid as well, so immature… Hn, maybe I do like you…"

"Say that again?" Oh, he's back. And he's gently shaking your hand, trying to keep you awake. But your consciousness is slipping away and soon everything turns into a pleasant hum.

The last thing you feel is something soft pressing against your forehead.

Next chapter →

[xbladekitkat85]

Why Clint is on Tony’s Sh*t List

Word count: A bit over 3k.

Chapter summary: Peter and Harley are brothers and the children of Tony Stark. Which is highly classified knowledge that nobody outside of the Avengers knows. Until Clint Barton accidentally spills the secret with a technology related mishap.

Warnings: A bit of language here and there. Tony threatening Clint’s life because he did an oopsie.

Peter's POV

In the school that is Midtown School of Science and Technology, everyone is basically a genius of some sort. You have biology geeks, math geeks, chemistry geeks, robotics geeks. You name a branch of STEM subjects, there are guaranteed to be at least 5 masters in every subject.

That being said, being a master in a subject doesn't mean that you would be instantly popular. Sure you might get hounded for homework help, but it doesn't mean you actually make friends as easily. It's more like people want to leech off of your knowledge and don't bother to get to know you.

There's a social pyramid in all schools and let's just say I'm towards the bottom of mine. I build Lego sets, I love Star Wars, I'm a whiz at chemistry and math. But people ignore the fact that I'm 'somewhat' intelligent and focus on the Lego and Star Wars part of my image. Which sucks big time. At least I'm graduating this year.

But at least I have my brother Harley to confide in. We argue over stupid stiff but we both enjoy poking fun at each other.

3rd person POV

Peter was sitting at his usual table with his small group of friends. Ned, MJ, and Betty made up this small group of people.

"So, what are you guys doing this weekend?" Ned asked the group.

"Uhhhh, I was planning on going to see that new movie coming out." Betty answered. "You know, the one with Emilia Clarke and what's his name."

"Oh yeah, I know which one you're talking about." Ned replied.

"You losers can go see a movie, I'm going to a protest outside of Oscorp." MJ replied, sipping her thermos of coffee.

"What did Oscorp do?" Peter asked curiously.

"They're trying to cover up an employee getting severely injured, the safety protocols are shitty, and HR is as usual, the worst part of it all in addition to the censorship of the incident online."

Peter nodded his head, eyes widened.

"Gotcha. I definitely understand why you're going."

MJ set her thermos down and opened her latest book, Speak.

Ned turned to look at Peter.

"Stark internship all weekend?" He inquired.

Peter shrugged and took a sip of water.

"I'm gonna hang out with Harley. Probably do some stuff in the lab. Usual stuff."

Betty shook her head in disbelief.

"I still can't believe you're friends with him." She said. "He's pretty high on the social ladder here. I mean I know you guys have the internship together but it's still kind of baffling that I never see you interacting in school."

Ohhhhh, if you only knew Betty. Peter laughed to himself on the inside.

Nobody at school knew that Peter and Harley were half brothers and the children of Tony Stark. Not even Ned or MJ knew although he suspected that MJ somehow knew or was close to figuring it out. She's scarily perceptive and freakishly good at knowing things about other people that she definitely shouldn't.

The bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

The four friends parted ways and headed to their respective classes.

*After school*

Peter arrived at the tower straight from Delmar's after picking up snacks for the weekend. He had grabbed an assortment, ranging from potato chips to pretzel M&Ms.  He waved at Ms. Maldonado, the lady who commanded the reception area and dashed to the elevator, scanning his pass when prompted.

FRIDAY greeted him when the doors closed.

"How was your day Peter? Harley is already waiting for you. He told me to tell you, and I quote, "Peter, I hope you remembered my PRETZEL M&Ms not PEANUT M&M's like last time. If you forgot, I'm going to steal that new Lego set you were planning on building tomorrow. And I WILL hide it somewhere you'll never, ever, find it. Insert maniacal cackling, blah blah blah."

Peter stifled a laugh at Harley's message.

"Uh, well my day was the usual, you know. And tell Harley I got his stupid M&Ms. And I grabbed him something else too if he promises not to threaten the Legos again."

"Sure thing, Peter."

He exited the elevator to the floor which housed the labs he shared with Harley. There were multiple as the duo tended to accidentally blow things up and would need to have another place to work while repairs were being done. Needless to say, Tony was more than a little annoyed that his kids needed multiple labs because they kept blowing them up. But whatever, he loves them and will pay for it as long as he gets to blackmail them with all the ridiculous stories of what blew up and how it happened.

Harley looked up towards the door Peter walked through and lifted his welding mask off his face.

"Hand over the merchandise, blockhead." He said, his arm stretched towards the bag of goodies Peter was carrying.

"Only if you promise to leave the Legos alone, biotch." He replied.

Harley rolled his eyes and dramatically lifted his hand in the air as if he was testifying in court.

"I promise not to touch the Legos." He said in a half joking tone.

Peter handed him the pack of M&Ms as well as a container of Oreos.

"I still don't understand why you like pretzel M&Ms." Peter remarked. "There's too much pretzel and not enough chocolate."

Harley stared directly at him as he tore open the M&Ms and popped a few in his mouth.

"I don't understand why you don't like pineapple on pizza." Harley shot back as he swiveled around in his chair

Peter groaned.

"We are not having this discussion again."

"Peter you're an idiot if you don't like pineapple on your pizza."

"Harley, you're a disgrace to the entire state of New York if you do. Fruit is not supposed to go on a proper pizza."

Harley chucked a bolt at Peter's head.

"Hey!" He protested as he turned to look at Harley. And then he saw a glint in Harley's eyes.

"Pizza is a dish with everything from the food pyramid. You have grain, dairy, meat, vegetables, fats, and oh, wait, you don't like pineapple so you're missing out. You could be getting every nutrient from the food pyramid but you're an idiot so you miss your daily serving of delicious pineapple on your pizza."

"Oh my god, stop."

The boys busted out laughing for a full 3 minutes, eventually with Harley falling out of his chair. Tony walked in to find his kids cackling at who knows what, and one on the floor, almost incapacitated by his laughter. He sighed before clearing his throat to gain their attention.

The boys sobered up and finally stopped laughing but they had unshed tears left from the fun.

"What on earth were you two dying of laughter over? Should I call a therapist? Do I need to be concerned? Did you eat something that you shouldn't have?"

Harley sniggered as Peter was trying to keep a straight face.

"He was eating pretzel M&Ms!" Peter said, holding back his laughter. "The type that should be illegal!"

"Peter, you don't diss Pretzel M&Ms, they're an underappreciated member of the M&Ms family. If you think pretzel M&Ms should be illegal, you clearly haven't tried the raspberry ones." Harley replied while doing his best to keep his face straight. "If anything, you should call a therapist for Peter and help him overcome his aversion to pineapple on pizza."

Tony looked even more lost than he was before.

"Ok, I don't know what I'm supposed to make of this. FRIDAY, show me footage of what the hell happened while I wasn't here."

"Sure thing boss."

Friday pulled up security footage of Harley and Peter's conversation. Tony watched it as the two teens were snickering behind him. After he understood the situation he turned to his kids and let out a tired sigh.

"Ok, I don't understand your sense of humor, but I came to tell you that we're having Italian for dinner."

Peter pumped his fist and Harley just shrugged.

"Italian is fine by me I guess."

"All right kiddos, be in the dining room by 7ish or else I'll cut the power to these labs. We eat as a family."

*Time skip*

It was 2 am, Monday morning and everything was silent except for the faint noise of shuffling towards the ceiling.

Clint Barton was crawling around in the vents, obviously on his way to do something he probably shouldn't be.

He had lost a bet with Nat earlier and the punishment was that he had to steal something for blackmail off of FRIDAY's databases.

He quietly dropped out of a vent shaft into an important looking office. He didn't bother checking who it belonged to but he was already too far gone to ask.

"Ok Nat, what do you want me to look for?" He whispered into his earpiece.

"Check the computer on the desk. The password is written on a sticky note in your pocket."

He checked his pocket and there was indeed a post it with a password on it.

"Ok, what am I supposed to find?" He asked once he logged in.

"Look for footage from the labs." She said. "Check labs CTS2 and IAI1."

"CTS2 and IAI1, gotcha." He reaffirmed.

He browsed around until he found the cameras he needed.

"Ok, found em. What dates should I look at?"

"Look at this past Friday," She answered, "around 4:45 to 6:15 pm. Tony drank from a can of motor oil instead of his coffee cup. I would like this footage in my posession. For my entertainment, and possibly blackmail to pull on him."

"All righty, ok, uhhhh." He muttered as he searched through that window of time.

He watched snippets of the footage and fast forwarded a few times until he glimpsed footage of Harley swiveling around in his chair as Peter looked exasperated. He paused and rewound to see what the situation was.

As Clint watched the whole argument play out and the aftermath, a shit eating grin began to spread across his face. He emailed himself the whole interaction for his own entertainment (blackmail, cough cough) and went back to searching for what he originally came for. He eventually found it, sent it to Natasha, logged out of the computer, and climbed into the open vent.

"You get it?" Nat asked suspiciously.

"Oh yeah, I got it." He said, trying to hold back the mischievous laughter that was threatening to let loose. He checked his phone to see whether he got the email he sent to himself. But to his surprise and sudden panic, it was not there. His social media, however, was blowing up with comments about the two kids and who they were and theories people were spouting.

"Oh shit."

"What did you do, Clinton?" Nat asked in a threateningly monotone voice.

Clint banged his head on the vent, forgetting that he still had his comms on.

"I may or may not have accidentally exposed Peter and Harley as Tony's kids."

Nat was silent for a moment before she finally responded.

"Tony's probably going to kill you for this, so you should pack your bags right now. Make funeral arrangements as well and update your will."

"Ah shit."

*Monday morning, 6:45 am*

Peter woke up to his phone ringing. He groaned and turned on his side to ignore the call. The phone rang again and he sighed before reluctantly sitting up and grabbing his phone.

What the hell, who's calling this early?

He looked at his notifications and saw multiple missed calls and texts from Ned and MJ. Something must have happened because Ned had typed in all caps, 'PETER EVERYONE KNOWS! CALL ME NOW!' MJ's text just said, 'I knew already. Don't try to hide it from me whenever you come to school.'

Instantly, Peter was wide awake. Did the whole world know he was Spiderman? But how did this happen, who would leak that information and how did they get it?

He called Ned and before he could even say, "What's up?" Ned butted in with a sentence he was not expecting.

"Peter, when were you going to tell me your dad was Tony Stark?! This is even bigger than Spiderman! As your Guy in the Chair, I think this knowledge might have been missing in our conversations."

Peter was at a loss for words as he stood up.

"It's all over social media and people are going apeshit over this!"

"Ned, you shouldn't believe everything you read on the internet." Peter replied in a nervous tone as he began pacing back and forth in his room. "How do you know the source is credible? Remember what Ms. Hernandez said about credibility when giving information in an essays or whatever?"

"But Peter, Hawkeye was the one who posted it. You know, the Avenger who shoots arrows?"

Peter stopped pacing and froze midstep.

Uncle Clint was behind this? But why?

"You sure he wasn't hacked?" Peter asked as he feebly attempted to get out of this confrontation.

"No, it's security footage from a lab. Tony said in the video that you guys were a family."

Peter then realized that he couldn't worm his way out of this situation. The whole world knew he and Harley were brothers and the sons of Tony Stark. Of course this happened, why wouldn't it?

"I'm going to call you back, I need to talk to Clint." Peter said.

"Ok, just let me know if you and Harley are going to be ok or not." Ned replied.

"Bye Ned."

"Bye."

Peter hung up and took a deep breath before leaving his room to go find Clint.

He entered the kitchen and almost everyone was there except the one person he wanted to talk to.

"Hey, uh, where's uncle Clint?" Peter asked.

Uncle Steve looked up from his breakfast.

"He left last night. Family emergency."

"Uh huh, so correct me if I'm wrong but Clint left because dad was going to kill him, right?"

Suddenly everyone was avoiding eye contact with Peter. Yup, everyone knew what happened.

Just then, Tony walked in with a very irritated expression.

"I don't think you and Harley are going to be able to go to school today. Some kid from your school, Dash or something posted you go to school with him and know you both. So there are multiple news stations outside the tower and surrounding your school. Might be best to just stay home today."

"Is Uncle Clint still alive?" Harley asked as he walked in, yawning.

"He is alive," Tony responded "Not for much longer though."

"Dad, you can't just kill him." Peter protested. "It's not like he actually did anything that warrants his death."

"I don't think he meant to do it." Harley added. "He deleted it maybe 10 minutes after he posted it but other people recorded it on their own devices and re shared it. He probably realized what he had done and tried to delete it but of course, once it's out there, it's out there."

"Don't kill Uncle Clint, he's got a wife and kids. Besides, we need him on the team." Peter said.

"We don't need Clint," Tony said, waving his hand. "I already got a replacement set up."

Peter had not heard of this new team member that was apparently going to replace Clint.

"Who is it?" Harley asked curiously.

"Kate Bishop. She's already on her way here. Clint trained her to take over the mantle of Hawkeye anyway so it shouldn't be that big a deal." Tony shrugged. "She's a bit older than you two, 18 or 19, I can't remember at the moment."

"Ok, then, as long as she's trusted by you." Peter relented.

"Don't know what she might be like, but if Clint trained her, and they share similar personalities, whatever spirits above help us." Harley said solemnly.

Peter smacked Harley's arm.

"Hey!" He complained.

"She's not even here yet and you are badmouthing her already. Have some manners, dude."

"It doesn't matter at the moment right? You said it yourself, she's not here yet and I will 'have some manners' when she does."

All of a sudden, Peter heard a nearly imperceptible shuffling coming from above. He felt a shiver go down his spine and the instinct to get into a defensive position.

"He's right, you should have some manners young man." An unfamiliar voice boomed from above.

Harley looked around wildly in confusion.

"Who's there?! Are you a spirit from above???" He asked.

All of a sudden, a figure dropped out of the vent directly above Harley and tackled him to the ground.

"And that is Kate Bishop." Tony said, answering the question in everyone's mind.

Kate released Harley from her grip and she helped him up.

"Clint was right," She said, smiling. "Crawling through the vents to prank people is fun."

She looked up to the open vent and held out her arms, to everyone's confusion.

"Lucky, come on down!" She called.

To everyone's shock, a dog with one good eye poked his head out from the vent and jumped into Kate's arms.

"Oh crap, nobody has allergies to dog dander, right?" Kate asked, looking at everyone.

"Maybe? I'm not sure." Peter replied.

"Damn, I should have checked before bringing him, huh." Kate muttered.

Tony waved his hand at the dog.

"As long as he's potty trained, we should be fine." He said, trying to reassure her worries. "We're all fine with dogs."

Peter thought back to all the dogs he's pet on patrol. They always seemed happy to play with him and now there was a dog in the tower. Huzzah, he didn't get to only pet dogs on patrol now!

"Well, all's well that ends well, right?" Peter said.

"How about everyone gets acquainted with Kate?" Tony suggested. "It's not like you two are going to school today anyway."

Peter and Harley agreed and that day became a get to know the new team member day.

Peter texted Ned to let him know he was going to school the next day and invited him to the tower after school to meet someone. Oh the look on Ned's face when he found out would be priceless.

Taglist:

@frostedgiant

Send an ask if you would like to be tagged!

[etoileholland]

wrapped in red | chapter 2; a wonderful Christmastime

word count; 3k

warnings; none

a/n; ah the Christmas dinner scene :) this chapter takes place immediately after where the first one ended, which was right when you met Tom, which is still two years ago (if you read the first chapter you’d know what I mean) anyway here it is!

When the Uber pulled up to Tom’s family home, you noticed how modest it seemed, even though you knew he was famous. You didn’t dare point out that you knew he was a somebody, the poor kid was already stressed out enough, and he should have one day where he doesn’t feel obligated to be “Tom Holland”

He got out of the car first, before jogging over to your side to open the car door for you. He wished the Uber driver a happy Christmas, and then closed the car door.

“Tom,” you turned around to face him, “are you sure your family won’t mind me being here?”

“Trust me, they can’t stand the idea of someone spending Christmas alone.” When you scoffed lightly, he continued talking. “No, seriously. One year, my mum had to make a last minute Tesco run for some cranberry sauce, and when she was waiting in the queue to check out, she started talking to an older woman who told my mum she was spending the holiday alone. When my mum heard that, she invited the woman over for Christmas dinner right on the spot.”

Tom held out his hand, and led you closer to the front door.

“Okay, but that’s seriously dangerous. What if she was a killer?”

“I’m starting to think everyone to you is a murderer until proven otherwise. I think you’ve been watching too much true crime.” He joked. “But if it makes you feel any better, my dad said the same thing.”

You rolled your eyes playfully at his first comment. “He has a point.”

“True.” Tom clicked his tongue, “but then on New Years, as a gift to us, the woman gave us our dog Tessa. So it worked out well in the end I suppose.”

“That was nice of her.” You responded as you watched Tom walk up the small steps in front of the door.

“You ready?” He asked you, and even though you were beyond nervous, you gave him a thumbs up.

You stood next to Tom as he knocked on the door. He shifted his weight from his left leg to his right leg, and when nobody answered the door right away, he raised his hand to knock again. Just before he was about to, the door swung wide open.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” A woman, whom you presumed to be Tom’s mother exclaimed. She quickly embraced him, squeezing his torso lovingly. As you watched the display of familial love, you felt a pang of sadness inside you. It quickly dispersed when the woman looked over at you.

“And who is this beautiful angel with you, love?” She asked politely. “I didn’t know you were bringing a guest, actually I didn’t even know you were flying in.” She stretched out her hand for you to shake. “I’m Nikki, Tom’s mum.”

“Y/N.” You answered back, gently shaking her hand.

“Well  come in love.” She stood back and ushered the both of you into the house.

Upon entering the house, the first thing you noticed was how warm and inviting it was inside. From the entryway of the house, you could see into the living room. The fireplace was lit, setting a lovely ambiance to the room, and the Christmas tree in the corner of the room was beautifully decorated. Some jazzy Christmas music was playing from another room, it sounded like Bing Crosby, but nevertheless filled the air with cheer.

Nikki looked at you fondly for a second, and then beamed a smile back at her son. “So, how did you two meet?” She inquired.

“Well, it was serendipitous.” Tom lightly bumped his shoulder with yours, getting a small smile from you. “I bought some presents last minute in Spain while my flight was laid over, and when I finished, I got a text saying that my flight was going to board soon. So I quickly left the mall and made my way back to the airport in the nick of time. But then as I arrived here, I realised the gifts weren’t wrapped, so I looked up gift wrapping places and that’s how I met Y/N.”

You listened as they spoke, and followed them into the dining room. There was someone setting the table, from the looks of it, he also looked around your age.

“That’s so adorable, it’s almost like out of a Hallmark movie.” Nikki commented while she adjusted one of the table settings.

“And then, as I was talking to Y/N, she told me she was going to spend the holiday alone-”

“Oh dear.” Nikki exclaimed as she placed her hand over her heart, nearly dropping the fork off the table she was straightening in the process.

“So I invited her over to dinner.” Tom finished, glancing back over at you.

“I am so happy you invited her,” She looked at her son, “and I’m happy you made it.” She glanced at you, smiling once more. Before anything else could be said, a dog came running up to you and Tom eagerly.

“Tessa, love!” Tom exclaimed, kneeling down to hug her, while also petting her. “Y/N, this is Tessa.”

“She’s adorable.” You commented as Tessa licked the snow off your boots, while she wagged her tail eagerly.

“Tom, son, is that you?” A man who donned an apron popped his head out of the kitchen. When he saw his son, his face lit up.

“Yes dad, it’s me.” Tom stated as he went to hug his father. A few more people emerged from the kitchen, plus a pair of boys who looked similar to each other.

Must be his twin brothers, you thought.

“Love, let me introduce you to everyone.” Nikki placed her hand on your shoulder softly. She proceeded to introduce you to Tom’s father, and his little brothers. As she pointed out who was who, it was nice to put a name to a face.

“And that’s Paddy, our youngest.” She gestured to the young boy with many freckles, the same curly hair as his eldest brother.

“You’re very pretty.” Paddy commented, his cheeks turning red. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you, you too.” You smiled.

One of Tom’s little brother, whom you learned was named Sam, popped back into the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready in 10.” He hollered from the room.

“Make yourself comfortable in the living room, love.” Nikki tugged lightly on the sleeve of your jacket, and when you realised she wanted you to take it off, you nodded. Shimmying it off, you gently handed it to her.

You made your way into the living room, which smelled like sugar cookies. They had a beautiful house, no doubt about that, but something about it felt so homey. Yet, it made you remember how cold and clinical your childhood home felt, a thought that you kept trying to suppress.

Out of the corner of your eye, a red bauble on the Christmas tree glistened in the light. You lightly shuffled over to the corner of the room to look at the decoration. On it, was Tom’s name in glittery paint, and the year 2001 painted on it. It looked like one that you made in primary school, the kind that parents loved to receive. Sadly, the same couldn’t be said about your parents, since anytime you brought some artwork home that you lovingly made in school, it was always discarded in the trash.

While you were in the living room, Tom was met with many questions regarding you as he helped Sam in the kitchen.

“She’s pretty.” Sam commented while concentrating on perfecting the Christmas pudding for dessert.

“Yeah, she is.” Tom added, leaning back against the countertop.

“There’s something about her that I really like.” Sam remarked.

“Like what?”

“She seems nice, and down to earth. I think she would be good for you.” Sam spun around to look at Tom.

“True, but I don’t know much about her. She could be in a relationship with someone else for all I know.” Tom crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“If she was in a relationship with someone else, she sure as hell wouldn’t be here.” He wiped his hands on a tea towel. “I know you like her too.”

The corner of Tom’s lip turned up into a small smile. “I do, you’re right. I just don’t want to get my hopes up already.”

Sam knew his brother enough to know that his heart has been broken many a time, and it made sense that he was hesitant to like someone new. However, Sam was blessed with great intuition about people, and so for him to say that he liked you already meant a lot. He walked over to his brother and placed his hand on his shoulder. “She seems really nice, so far mum likes her, and so does Tessa, and you know she’s picky about people. Well, they both are.” He patted his brother's shoulder, taking a step towards the door.

“Dinner’s ready.” Sam stated to his family, and went into the living room. He saw you admiring the Christmas tree, a small tear landing down your cheek. He watched as you wipe it away, and then turned to face him before he said anything.

“Sorry,” you sniffled, “I’m fine.” You answered half convincingly.

“Dinner’s ready.” He said softly, leaving the room. You followed him into the dining room, where everyone else was already sitting. There was a seat open next to Tom, and his mum.

After a prayer, the food was being dished up. There was a roasted turkey, some vegetables, cranberry sauce, roasted potatoes, and of course the Christmas pudding, all of which looked delectable.

As you ate into the turkey, you now knew why Tom loved Sam’s cooking, it was superb.

“Sam, you’re an excellent chef.” You mentioned once you finished chewing.

“Why thank you, Y/N.” He nodded his head to you, and continued to eat.

“So, love, not to sound intrusive-”

“You already do.” Tom muttered under his breath.

“Why were you going to spend Christmas alone?” She asked concernedly.

Everyone looked up from their plates to you, eyes wide in curiosity. You gulped before answering. Even though Tom’s family was more than gracious for having you over for dinner, you still didn’t know them enough to tell them your whole life’s story. And, considering how depressing the truth was, you didn’t want them to think differently of you. So, you decided to tell them a half truth.

“Well,” you gulped, “my parents are out of town.” It wasn’t entirely wrong, but it sure as hell wasn’t entirely right.

“I’m sorry, what for?”

“Mum.” Tom interjected. You looked over at him, noticing that his jaw was a bit clenched.

“Sorry, darling.” She said to you, “it’s just a shame that they would leave you alone on Christmas.”

“Tell me about it.” You muttered under your breath, mindlessly poking at the food on your plate.

The rest of the dinner went along well; it was mostly questions about yourself, the usual ones such as “what are you studying?” and “what’s your favourite artist?” you know, the usual questions. When his family wasn’t asking about you, they were asking Tom questions about how filming went, and how Spain was.

Right before dessert was served, the Christmas crackers were popped. Once people started to read the jokes, you laughed at how bad most of them were.

“I’m not even going to read this one aloud,” Dom commented, “It’s bloody rubbish.”

“Oh come on, it can’t be that bad darling.” Nikki replied as she peered over his shoulder to read it. “You weren’t kidding, it’s not even funny.”

“Told you.” Dom dramatically tossed the joke behind him. “Someone hand me a piece of paper and a pen, stat!” 

Once dinner was finally over, and much funnier jokes were written for the crackers, the family made their way into the living room to open their presents. They have a tradition to open the gifts after Christmas dinner, so even though Tom missed most of the day, he made it home in perfect timing to open his gifts.

“Love, I’m sorry that we’re going to open our gifts in front of you.” Dom said with a frown. He looked over at his wife, his eyebrow raising slightly.

“We should probably open our gifts tomorrow, yeah?” Nikki asked the boys collectively, “It’s impolite to open them in front of guests.”

“Oh, no. Don’t worry about that at all.” you reassured his family. “You should open them.”

They all looked at you once more to judge your facial expression, but when you gave them a smile, they began to distribute the gifts.

Gifts were exchanged, to each other, and even though you weren’t part of the family, you felt as though you were.

You saw Harry’s eyes well up with tears when he opened up the camera that Tom bought him, and him immediately snapping pics of everyone and everything.

Tessa loved her little sweater, and Dom and Nikki loved their matching sweaters.

As you sat there on the sofa, hot cocoa mug in hand, you broke out into a smile the whole time, so much in fact that your face hurt from smiling.

So this is what a loving family is like, you thought to yourself.

Shortly soon after, Paddy began to grow tired. He was rubbing his eyes, a yawn escaping his lips every other minute.

“Love, let’s go to sleep.” Nikki helped Paddy stand up. He leaned against her, he was about ready to fall asleep standing up.

“Goodnight Y/N, happy Christmas.” Paddy yawned once more.

“Goodnight little one.”

You watched the young boy and his mum walk towards his room. Looking up at the wall clock that hung near the mantle, it was nearly 10pm. You could’ve swore that the clock was wrong, clearly you haven’t been there for four hours, but once you checked your phone you realised it was indeed 10pm. You were having so much fun that the time got away from you, which wasn’t something you were complaining about. However, you didn’t want to overstay your welcome, so you were about to call an Uber for yourself when Tom offered to drive you home.

Everyone told you goodbye and wished you a happy Christmas, Tom’s mum even kissing you on the cheek.

“Happy Christmas love, thank you for having dinner with us.” She placed a hand on your shoulder and leaned in to whisper, “I hope you come spend more time with us soon.”

“I will.” You whispered back, smiling to her. She handed you your coat, helping you put it on even, and watched you and Tom leave to take you back home.

The ride home back to your apartment was quiet, but a comfortable silence. Tom, intently paying attention to the icy road ahead, would often sneak little glances over at you when he thought you weren’t paying attention. About 15 minutes later, he had pulled up right in front of your apartment complex. You lived right around the corner from the gift wrapping shop, so you weren’t kidding when you said you literally lived down the way.

“You live in a nice home.” He commented as he opened the car door for you. It was a home on N Audley Street, in Mayfair, which is one of the more expensive places in London to live. Very posh, he thought to himself.

“Thank you.” you kicked a small mound of snow over that had accumulated on the ground by the front step of your porch. “But I’m actually in the process of moving out to a uni apartment. It’s kind of a shame, really. This apartment is worth a small fortune, and I almost feel bad for wanting to sell it, but it’s not the same apartment as I remember, if that makes any sense.”

“No, no. it makes complete sense. Sometimes there’s a lot of memories attached to a particular place.”

You hummed in agreement to what he had just said, glancing over at him once more before making your way to the front steps.

“So, where are you going to Uni at?” Tom asked curiously, doing so as he brushed a bit of snow off his coat.

Without missing a beat, you answered, “Oxford.”

“Wow,” he breathed out, “that is kinda far. I can see why you’re selling the place now.” Tom followed you up the stairs and stood beside you on the stoop. A voice in his head told him to at least give you a kiss on the cheek, but he decided against it as he didn’t want to potentially ruin his chances later on down the road.

It wasn’t until you took a step closer to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek that he began to blush profusely.

“Whoa-”

As if you knew what he was going to say, you pointed up towards the top of the door where a piece of mistletoe hung. “That’s why I did that.”

“Oh.” He answered almost disappointingly, “makes sense.”

Trying to hide the fact that you were flustered after kissing Tom on the cheek, you unlocked your front door and opened it slightly ajar. You placed a hand on the doorknob, and the other on the door itself. “Thank you for everything.”

“You’re welcome.” He replied, still beaming from the kiss. He took a step back and headed down the steps towards his car.

You turned around to look at him, noticing how handsome he looked from behind. “Happy Christmas Tom.” You called out to him.

“Happy Christmas to you too.” He smiled, waving as he got into his car. You watched him as he drove off, waiting until he was around the block to go into your own home.

The apartment was dark and nearly empty, with a few boxes piled up near the door. Any other time this would have made you feel depressed, but not tonight. You were still glowing from the wonderful Christmas you spent with Tom and his family. As you made your way inside to get ready for bed, the memories were replayed in your mind. And for the first time in a long time, you could finally understand why Christmas was as adored and cherished as it was.

the third chapter comes out next week! please let me know if you’d like to be tagged in it ❤

[roses-ruby]

Come Home To Me Darling | Drabble

So aha I am a scammer cause I said I wouldn’t do this but here we are 🤡 Actually I just have pretty bad writer's block for most of my other WIPs so yeet anything that makes me feel like a real writer right now really helps. The drabble originated from this ask.

Based off of this original story: CHTMD

Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst

Word Count: 3k

“And so that’s how I got my hands on those beautiful roses.”

The bunny toothed man smiles and messes with his hair for the third time – pinching the edges of his side bangs and straightening his back even further. He was nervous, maybe even more than you.

“Your sister sounds very kind.” You giggle

“She is! Both her and my mother…they would love to meet you.”

The sincerity in his voice melts your heart, even though you felt yourself tense at the very thought of meeting his family. This was obviously not something you had to fret over at the moment, but your feverish mind continues to plague you with useless concerns. Like if your hair was out of place, or if you had something on your teeth or if you should touch up your makeup again.

And one from further below, asking you where he went after you left. As if you ever knew.

“___?” You hear a sweet voice gently call out your name. The silk warmth of a large hand drapes over yours that lies perfectly still on the creamy tablecloth.

“Hmm?”

“Are you alright? You seem distracted…”

“Oh! N-No- I mean yes, I’m fine.” With rushed words, you squeeze his hand back. Your heart pounding loudly when he blushes and beams.

Although that was a lie and more than anything, you wished you could tell him the truth. About how uncertain you were of everything right now. How much it hurt to sit still. It was just a few days ago that you officially ended your seven-year relationship, and nothing made sense anymore. Everything inside you was antsy.

“I hope this place is alright for you.” Jungkook quips, as bright as ever.

“It’s wonderful.” You smile with your eyes as you watch him purse his lips. Jimin never said anything like that when you went out. For him…he always had this confident air about him, and some might say he was filled to the brim with arrogance when it concerned you. That there wasn’t a doubt in his mind when he was with you. Perhaps all of it could be blamed on your submission for the vixen. Submission you’ve grown to resent.

“I know you’ll love this place.”

He’d say whenever he took you out. The small amount of times he did, that is. And maybe that’s why you remember all of them so well – since there wasn’t much to remember. Not much but him...the way he’d smile, the twinkle in his eyes. But unlike most times, thinking about him didn’t bring you any happiness. Instead you felt a bitter taste around your mouth. Something you wanted to wash away quickly.

“Wine.” Whispering out loud, you stare at the empty wine glass beside your cutlery. The fidgeting man in front of you gasps underneath his breath, quickly gesturing for a waiter. You were awfully thankful he did since you were never good at even these tiny public interactions. Jimin always did everything for you too.

The waiter hurried over, standing with his hand behind his back like a true professional. Jungkook asked for the finest bottle of wine and you had to hide a grin at him trying to impress you with his wine knowledge. When the waiter brought over a Nebbiolo, he insisted on opening it himself.

“J-Jungkook…” You say quietly, watching the muscle bunny struggle with the cork. “Maybe we should call for the waiter again.”

“It’s alright!” He says, furrowing his brows in concentration. “I got it. I’ve opened many…many wines before.”

Right…you forgot how competitive he was, you think as you try not to break into laughter at his earnestness. Would Jimin do something like this? You don’t think you’ve ever had to watch Jimin struggle for anything. Except for the day you left him. Inevitably your mind wandered back to your apartment and you couldn’t help but wonder where he was, right now, in this moment. For some reason you were worried…it wasn’t like you heard anything back from him. Which was an occurrence you thought you’d be used to by now.

What did you expect him to say though? Of course, you wouldn’t see him again. You laid your feelings – or lack thereof out for him clearly and that chapter of your life was now closed. So, what were you expecting? Maybe a part of you wanted the grand Hollywood ending. One where the guy realizes his mistakes and apologizes for hurting you.

Because that was the main truth wasn’t it…you were hurt, weren’t you?

You were startled out of your thoughts when you heard a loud pop and the icky sensation of something wet splashing all over you. Your jaw drops open as you make eye contact with Jungkook who had a similar expression – if not one more horrified.

_

“I’m so, so, so, so, sorry.”

“I know, I know, I get it Jungkook. You don’t have to apologize a million times.” You couldn’t help but laugh at the pain in the assailant’s voice. He sounded like he was about to cry.

A white blouse may have been a bad idea for a first date after all. What did you wear on your first date with Jimin? Green, wasn’t it?

You remove your top, cringing at the way the soiled cloth stuck to your skin. The cramped stall of the restroom reminded you of that night – for the shortest second before you shook your head awake. No way did you want to recall that horrible night where you lost yourself for a moment…in that space…with that man….and his talented fingers.

Taehyung…

Again, you shake your body in denial to wake yourself up and end up hitting your elbow against the wall. You bite your lip to hold yourself back from screaming out in agony.

“___? Are you alright?” Comes the concerned voice of Jeon Jungkook.

“Mm- Just fine!” You chuckle awkwardly, trying to conceal the wound in your own voice.

With a sigh, you hold up your blouse in front of you, checking on the damage. Those hours you spent fretting and whining about your first date outfit were officially for nothing. Irene was gonna kill you. And you didn’t even have anything extra to cover yourself with.

As soon as you think that, an overhead draping sound distracts you from the issue in your hands. You look up, surprised to see Jungkook’s black coat hanging on the wall.

“W…wear my coat for now…just until we get the stain out of your shirt…”

“…Alright. T-thank you.”

Hesitantly, you pull down his coat and hold it in your hands. Oh…it smells like him. Not wanting Jungkook to wait outside any longer, you quickly put the coat on and button it up, trying to ignore the way his cologne engulfed your senses.

You step out slowly, mingling with the fabric of your blouse until you meet Jungkook’s gaze.

“O-oh…” He breathes out, his eyes widening and hand rushing up to itch the back of his head. There was a lot he had to say about the way you looked, wrapped up in his coat…the way you had to roll up the sleeves, and the way the collar was too loose, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. Jungkook always wore baggy clothes but he didn’t realize just how big they’d be on other people. More specifically, you.

“The…umm…your short- I mean shirt- ahem shirt,” He coughs, extending his hand, “I’ll take care of it.”

You raise an eyebrow at him. What did he mean ‘take care of it’?

Nonetheless, you hand it to him.

He rushes to the sink and your face falls when he turns on the faucet.

“Jungkook!” You run up behind him. He rolls up his dress sleeves and you couldn’t help but peek at the veins protruding in his arms. Just for a teeny second.

“I-I don’t think, aha I mean- I just bought this today!” You laugh breathlessly, “I can just you know…d-d-dry cleaning is a thing, you know that, right? Dry cleaning?”

“I couldn’t allow you to waste your money because of me!” He states assuringly, “Don’t worry, I am a god at laundry. Back home – I do all the clothes, my mom and sister’s too. I’ve cleaned many things, don’t worry!”

Your mouth opens and closes like a fish as you receive déjà vu from a similar situation just a few minutes ago. But while you’re meditating on what to say, he dips your blouse underneath the open faucet and begins scrubbing away vigorously. All that was left to do was watch.

Helplessly.

As your top becomes sopping wet. As the restroom slowly starts resembling a crime scene. As the red liquid spreads everywhere – the rest of your blouse, the ceramic sink, the bunny’s hands.

Soon, the faucet is turned off and you’re left in the silence of the laundry disaster aftermath.

You scoff, staring at your irreversibly ruined blouse.

Jungkook gulps, holding the wet mesh still as the water drips into the sink and down the drain.

“I…again, I’m so sorry. I’ll pay for dry cleaning- actually that’s what I should have offered in the first place, I-I don’t know why I didn’t think of it. A-actually sometimes I can be pretty dumb! My sister says that I should probably learn to understand facial cues, but I-I don’t know, I’m pretty dense you know? I-”

“Pfft.” You purse your lips.

“Huh?”

Another snicker leaves you at his petrified doe eyes. His own shirt was slightly ruined with wine splatters and his hair was fussed up with how much energy he spent in scrubbing your shirt. He looked so silly holding your blob of a top over the sink and rambling on with a voice that stuttered and squeaked.

Your shoulders start shaking the more you try to stop yourself. But it fails and suddenly, you burst out into a colorful shade of laughter.

Jungkook stares at you with a blank expression.

“I-I’m sorr-” You manage to make out, “I-It’s just…well…I thought I was bad at dates…”

You stiffen up after your confession, wondering how he would react. The truth was, Jungkook was too damn cute and there was no way you could be mad at him and his sincerity. Knowing your now ex, he’d throw a whiny tantrum. So, for a second- because your brain was still wrongly wired, you prepare for that particular situation. For him to whine like Jimin.

But it never comes. Instead, you watch your date break out into the biggest smile of his own. Complete with the bunny teeth and dimples.

“I guess…I am pretty bad at dates…” He chuckles and you nod, laughing along.

Huh…it was different.

You both stand there; you with your soaked bra and men’s coat and him with his colored dress shirt and arms dampened with watery red – like the two biggest dorks with the biggest grins on your faces. Like there was no one else in the world. And you can’t remember a similar time where you’ve laughed like this with Jimin. But actually…you don’t care.

Until you hear the door open and the sound of heels step into the foyer. You both whirl your heads towards the restaurant’s restroom doorway and spot an old lady in heavy makeup, who stops in her tracks when she spots you both and stares back with an equally startled expression.

Her confusion turns to horror and she gasps as she glances at the bloody wine-stained blouse in Jungkook’s hands.

You turn back to Jungkook with wide eyes, who immediately turns back to you.

“We should go.”

“Right. I’ll walk you home.”

_

The wind blows through your strands and you hold Jungkook’s hand just a little bit tighter to stop yourself from feeling a chill.

You weren’t sure what it was, but the city was brighter than usual tonight. The reason was most likely the fact that you don’t get out much – or you haven’t until just recently. There was an amorous muted illumination on the streets you walked along. Since you were so used to a certain confined area, when you stepped out into the fast-paced world, you were much more observant. Of all the vivid colors and gales of the night. And of the tall buildings that laid asleep, and the pavement against your feet.

And especially of the quiet man next to you.

It wasn’t hauntingly soundless or lonely as your days on the terrace either. Many people still lingered the perimeter since your date was cut short by some special accidents and it was still early out. Compared to them, you and Jungkook moved at a much slower rate, in a hush as if to stall the moment. Make it last for a second- a minute- a while longer.

Was Jimin’s silence this serene? No, it wasn’t. You often spent time hating yourself between the hushed cracks of your relationship. When he was speaking, all you could think about was him. How you’d do anything for him. When he wasn’t…you wanted to strangle the pain out of your heart. The pain caused by his lies and infidelity.

“This is it…” You say, as you look up at Irene’s apartment building.

“You live here with your friend, right?”

“Mhm, my friend who’s going to kill me for coming back early. Maybe that’s for the best since that lady thinks I’m a murderer now. Her and whoever finds my shirt in the restroom’s trash.”

Jungkook lets out a breathless laugh, “I know I’m just repeating myself, but I really am sorry about spilling wine on you, and then ruining your shirt. And not knowing that you were my boss- My god! I mean I just spoke to you so casually arghh-”

He begins to ruffle his hair in frustration and embarrassment, but you step close to him and grab his wrists.

“Oh please, Jungkook, I’m the one who should have told you straight up! I think…I just enjoyed how casual you were around me. It didn’t feel like I was putting up a false pretense, even if I was. I had fun…I always have fun with you.”

I’m always me when I’m with you. Jungkook removes his arms from his face so he could take a good look at you, watching the way the night air played with your hair. You were so beautiful, so graceful, and he wondered if you knew it.

“Me too…I have fun with you. That one pretty donut really sparked up the best challenge.”

You smile at his reply and he had to do everything in his power to stop himself from kissing you.

“Hey, uhm…” Jungkook stares at the ground, replacing the wrists in your hands with his palms. “I don’t know if…would you like to see me again? S-soon? I mean…i-if you want.”

He really was the most endearing man, you think, as you watch him stutter. The complete opposite of your ex-husband.

Your smile falls.

When you don’t answer, Jungkook looks back up at you apprehensively.

“___? Do you not want to see me again?”

You still didn’t answer him…you couldn’t. Even the night couldn’t stop him from glowing. From the scar on his cheek, to his fluffy mess of hair, to his pink lips you tried your best not to leer at. He was undeniably handsome. Here was this beautiful young soul who gave you true laughter and a swooning heart for the first time in seven years, and then here was you. Someone who compared him to her ex the whole date.

Someone who thought about her ex the whole date.

And why was that? Didn’t you say that you didn’t love Jimin? That was true. You spent many hours in conversation with yourself and when you look inside, you don’t love Park Jimin. But it’s not so easy to forget everything else, is it? Seven years isn’t just some passed time – it’s a way of life.

You were someone for seven years and that someone happened to be the woman who loved Park Jimin.

It wasn’t easy to forget, no matter how desperately you wanted to. The thing that infuriated you the most was that you had done nothing wrong. Why were you the one so broken inside? You didn’t cheat, you didn’t lie, you did nothing that was considered erroneous. So why you and not him? He should be the one who has to second guess everything…the one who feels scared and helpless and lost.

The one who has to carry all the pain.

You wish you could easily hand over your heart because it’s too big of a burden for you. There was a slight chance that the man in front of you could hold onto it safely.

But in reality, it was a broken and damaged heart. The shards carried more weight than anyone should bear. You were still caught in your feelings and Jungkook didn’t deserve that. Neither did you.

In the end, it was your responsibility. No matter how unfair it was and how resentful you felt towards Park Jimin. You made a mental note to mention about all these matters to Lin on your next appointment.

“__-”

“Jungkook I-”

You both interrupt each other’s thoughts. When you catch his eyes, Jungkook silently urges you to continue.

“Jungkook…I…I just got out of a seven-year relationship.”

For a moment, you wait for his reaction. He looks slightly taken aback, but nothing too extreme.

“And I’m…I’m not…ready yet. I’m not ready for another one.”

Jungkook nods, staring at you and then back at the pavement. It hurt your chest to reject him like this, but he deserved the truth.

“D-do you still-”

“He was my husband.”

His eyes shoot back to you, shock written along his young features. You look deep into his shiny orbs, before tightening the hold on his hands.

“Jungkook, I really, really like you. But I’m not ready yet…can you understand me?”

An unreadable silence falls upon you both. Jungkook stood there quietly, not breaking his gaze off you and you were certain that he knew you weren’t ready to speak to him about it. Not yet. A few seconds felt like hours as you planted your feet further against the sidewalk, nervously waiting for his reply. This was a lot of pressure to put upon someone, and you knew that. He deserved better. Which is why you would respect whatever Jungkook would say next…but you aren’t going to lie, if he left you right now, it would really hurt.

“I understand…I’ll wait for you.”

For a second you thought you hallucinated his answer, but when he smiled that bunny toothed smile you’ve come to love in such a short time, you felt tears well up in the corner of your eyes. You breathe out a laugh of relief.

Closing your eyelids, you try to hide your tears in case he misunderstands.

“I-I’m glad…thank you Jungkook.”

“No, thank you…for giving me a chance when you were still struggling to pick yourself up. I mean I am moving too fast, asking my former boss’ number out of nowhere and then kind of cheating on the challenge.” He says lightheartedly, “It’s why my offer still stands you know…I’ll still be your servant for a week if you want.”

“Shut up!” You hit his chest lightly with your fist, even though your cheeks felt like they would burst with your smile.

His large sleeves dangle on you as you move your wrists and you instantly remember you were still in his coat.

You gasp, “Jungkook, just wait here. I’ll go get changed and return your coat, alright?”

He shakes his head.

“No, keep it.”

You furrow your eyebrows at him.

“It looks expensive, Jungkook…I’ll just go take it off quickly.”

“No, it’s fine.”

You scoff, “Bu-”

“It gives you a reason to see me again.” He smirks

You didn’t even have time to respond before his lips were on you. Your mouth drops open as you feel him kiss your forehead and then pull back with the widest grin.

“See you around.” He says, before running off into the night.

You stand there, in front of your apartment building, in Jungkook’s coat, still trying to piece together the whole night. Even though your legs hurt from standing, you don’t regret it one bit. He was so strange…you would have wanted to see him again no matter what. With another scoff, you begin to laugh. Something you were doing a lot more of these days.

It was a nice feeling. Better than your past.

There was a lot of uncertainty moving forward. You were out of a job, living with your best friend, soon to be a divorcee who might own a bistro. Oh, and you had new peculiar friends like Yoongi, Taehyung and of course Jungkook. This date had officially been your first big step.

It was everything you didn’t imagine, but you loved it. Not for a second did you have to think about how to make your date happy…how to get him to pay attention to you. He was sincerely happy to be with you. And to you, that means everything.

Still, you wonder if he liked ratatouille. You didn’t want to have perfect that dish for nothing.

Looking back up at where Jungkook once stood, you relish the night wind for just a little while longer.

“Goodnight, Jeon Jungkook. Thank you for the roses.”

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

OPEN WOUNDS.

Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes x Reader

Anon asked: how about an imagine in which you an ez fight because of emily

Chapter index

Chapter three ; part one

Word count: 3k

Thanks to my lovely beta reader @chibsytelford 💘

Author comments: I hope you all enjoy. I have to divided it in two parts 'cause this chapter has 5k, so the second part while be posted tonight. Gif credits: @angels-reyes.

Tag list: @starrynite7114 ​ @chibsytelford ​ @dazzledamazon ​ @mara-mpou ​ @sammskellington ​ @gemini0410 ​ @1-800-imagines ​ @briana-mishell24 ​ @sassymox @wrcn9fvlcver 💥 (if you wanna be tagged, send me a message!)

“What's a ‘Samcro emergency’?” You ask, sticking your head out the door.

“Shit, (Y/N)! You scared me!” Taza is breathing fast, leaving in the background his task of packing some clothes. He frowns at you, trying not to laugh whilst sitting on the bed with crossed legs. “Sons of Anarchy”.

“I know them”.

“We have to go to Charming. Some days. Maybe three”. He explains continuing with his bag and his stuff.

You sigh nodding without asking any other question. Taza pulls apart the bag, sitting close to you with an arm on your shoulders. You know you can't go, and it's not about feeling helpless or scared, but somewhat lonely even with all the animals around you in the ranch. 

“EZ isn' comin'”. Che finally says.

He doesn't like the idea of you two being somekind of friends again. He doesn't like the idea of him trying to recover you. And he doesn't like the simple idea of him being next to you. But Bishop took the decision of letting him take care of you, while they were in Charming. Taza leaves a kiss on your temple, surrounding your neck with his forearm to put you closer.

“Usually we don't text or call while we're on the road, but I'll. I'll, at least, send you some messages, okay? And if anything happens I wan'ya to call me”. You nod with pursed lips in a soft smile. “I would take you with me, if I could”.

“It's okay, Taza. Club decision”. You joke on him with those words that Bishop always says.

“Yea', club shitty decision”.

┅┅ ┅ ┅ ┅┅

Yes, you were expecting something like that to happen. Taza is hitting Ezekiel's back against the wooden wall, with the cuffs tangled in his shirt. Nose almost touching nose, and EZ's hands raised to head height on air. Gaze away. Waiting for the threat and maybe a punch.

“I'm gonna tell you something, prospect. If you bother her, annoy her or make her cry, I'm gonna stab you so many times that you will look like a strainer and then, I'll use your blood to make an Apache ritual”.

You're rubbing your forehead heavy with eyes closed and an arm crossing in the other. You know he's talking serious. He will do it without doubting or feeling bad. It's been two months, but Taza just was trying to protect you at his own way.

“You're a prospect, taking care of the Vice's kid of your club. Not the miserable ex-boyfriend who broke and buried her heart without giving a shit”. Without let him go, the oldest turns to the huge doberman sitting on a corner. “If he comes closer, you fuck him up, Rico”.

“Taza, I'll be okay”. You say, when you know it's enough for both by placing your hands on his shoulders to pull him away. “You're gonna be late”.

EZ puts his clothes on well, licking his lips whilst picking up the plastic bag on the floor, to walk towards the kitchen and run away from him. You help the vice-president to wear the vest, making sure he has everything that he needs. Then, he leans to you cupping your cheeks on his hands as he always do before leave the ranch.

“Call me whenever you need it”. He says, keeping your gaze with his. You nod, before being kissed on your forehead by him. “I'll be back in three days. Juan, Alonso and José will come to help you with the animals. And you also can call Vicki, if you can't find me, okay?”

“Okay... It's okay, go”. You chuckle nodding again, hugging him for some long seconds.

The dog follows you to the porch, supporting your shoulder against the white wooden column, with a melancholic smile on your lips watching how the man gets ready to leave. Turning on the motorbike and looking at you one last time, before go. When he's far enough, you make a sign to Rico to go back inside.

Closing the door with a heavy sigh, you walk towards the kitchen where EZ is. You want to tell him that you're sorry about Taza' attitude, but you're not and also you're not the type of girl who lies. Opening the fridge, you grab a beer with your gaze on the prospect placing the food on the counter to prepare lunch.

“You don't have to cook fo' me, Ezequiel”. You say softly, opening the bottle to have a sip.

“I wanna do'et”. He shrugs, turning at you with a dearly and ravishing smile that makes you spit out the beer, starting to cough with an evident lack of air. “Hey, hey! You okay?”

Rico starts to growl showing him his sharp teeth, when the prospect comes more closer than the dog thinks is necessary, standing between both. EZ walks away with hands raised whilst you recover, nodding energetically.

“Do—Don' worry”. You say finally having a deep breath. “So... What 'you gonna do?”

“Best veal ribeye from pops”. He answers opening the paper to show you. “He said it's your fave'”.

“Pops knows me well”. Supporting your forearms against the counter you have a look of it. It's huge. Enough for both.

“So do I”. EZ adds, taking off of the bag a small glass jar with some kind of sauce. You know what it is. Sweet tangerine compote. The last time you tasted it you were still going to high school.

With pursed lips, you take from his hand to open it, smelling it with eyes closed. The aroma brings you back too many memories. The prospect is staring at you, adopting the same position as you, but with an elbow nailed on the counter and his cheek resting over the fist. Your eyes meet his, with the same goofy smile on your face.

He's trying. He's trying to be the man who you fell in love with. The last two months have been like a little odyssey between Ezekiel trying to please you constantly, and Taza silently judging. At least, you know that Emily has not approached him again, nor have they had any contact. She tried. Angel told you. And his little brother blocked her number and told it to Miguel. That's why Taza let him be around you. Because he's really trying to get you back.

“I thought you could like it”. EZ says getting up to find a pan.

“Yea', it's... a great surprise”.

“What if you set the table in the meantime?”

“Sure”. Clearing your throat, you nod.

It's the first time in almost three months that you're alone in a house. Doing everyday task as if you were a couple again, but you're not even sure when it's going to happen. It's kinda painful and stressing, 'cause you would like to give him a hug at least, as you used to do before he fucked up everything.

“(Y/N)?”

“Uh?” You ask shaking your head going back to reality.

“The table”. He laughs, making you blush.

┅┅ ┅ ┅ ┅┅

The day has been something strange. You can't remember when was the last time you laughed so hard, after seeing EZ running away from some rebels chickens, who tried to bite him for catching an egg. Between beers you shared some old memories of your childhood and it was really like if nothing bad happened. But the reality was that you were falling into pieces internally the whole time, remembering the words that Taza told you the night he found you. “No men deserve your tears, unless they are of happiness”. 

It's half past eleven when the movie ends. Rico is sleeping next to your feet, resting on the table. Your shoulder is touching EZ's softly and you're about to fall asleep too. He gets up of the sofa, grabbing the empty bottles of beer to clean the little mess you two did between drinks and popcorns. Rubbing your eyes with your knuckles, you lie down placing your hands over your stomach with a loud yawn coming out from your lips.

“You sure you wan' me to leave?”

“Umpteenth, I'll be fine, EZ. I have Rico and I'll set the alarm”. You nod rolling your eyes.

“Okay, but call me if you need it”.

“I will”. Getting up, with the dog imitating the move, you guide the prospect to the front door. “Good night”.

“Good night”. He says doubting for a second, till he finally leans towards you placing a hand on your back to press his lips on your temple.

He close his eyes as you do, focusing on the gesture. Getting longer than expected. One of your trembling hands travel to his nape, surrounding it tightly with your fingers. EZ takes another step closer to you, wrapping your back with his arms. And you want so bad to run away from him, but you also want to stay 'cause it feels like you're at home again. His smell melting with yours, your breaths matching. Sinking your nose on his collarbone and his fingers getting tangled on your tufts, Rico starts to growl. Saved by the bell.

“Fucking dog...” EZ snorts pulling you away so slowly that it hurts.

“Fucking Emily”. You reply with a jolly smile, raising both eyebrows.

“See you tomorro'”.

“See ya', Ezekiel”.

┅┅ ┅ ┅ ┅┅

The sun hasn't even risen when you hear the doorbell ring. Rico barks at you, licking your face as you can wake faster. You growl at him getting up by your hands and pulling away the hair in your face. The dog runs out of your room, listening his paws going downstairs. You follow him, turning on all the lights on your walking, till reach the entrance. Setting off the alarm, before it can start to sound loudly, you open the door. EZ is back and your heart jumps, hoping that nothing bad happened.

“Is Taza okay?” Your voice sounding desperate. He nods to calm you, coming in.

“But the club needs us. Well, they need me, but you can't stay here alone”. He says carrying a huge and black cloth backpack in his left hand. You notice then that he isn't wearing the Mayans' vest.

“What do you mean?”

“Take some clothes, we're going to Charming”. EZ replies, leaving the bag on the sofa and having a seat next to it.

You don't know if you're excited or scared. Eight hours of a motorbike trip. You're not ready for that. But again, club decision. So you go back upstairs to keep some clothes and necessary stuff on a bag, hanging it in your shoulders after changing your pajama for some comfy jeans and a long shirt. Before go, you also check that Rico has food and water, till the day laborers come to the ranch to take care of the animals.

Putting on your jacket, you walk towards Ezekiel bike, tying your hair in some kind of unmade braid. He whistles at you, making you turn confused.

“We're going in your car, we can't get the attention of cops”. 

You sigh somewhat relaxed, nodding and running till you reach him, guiding the prospect to the garage where your old Mustang is parked. Throwing the plastic cover to a corner, you unlock it with the control. But before you can sit on the pilot seat, Ezekiel takes the key.

“I drive, you sleep”.

“Bu—”.

“You don' know the road”. Good point. 

Once the Mayans' backpack is kept on the floor of the back seats, the younger Reyes turn on the car. You know how much he likes to drive it and he's gonna take advantage of it. He steps the gas, enjoying it like a child, while you turn the radio looking for some music. It's going to be a long trip and you know you won't cross big talks, so you suppose it's gonna help. Even so, you fall asleep faster than you thought, lying on your seat with both legs curled on it.

A finger tours your temple down to your cheek, in a soft and slow touch, pulling a brist of hair behind your ear. You stir gently on your seat feeling how your body starts to awake, licking your lips sleepy and opening gradually your eyes. EZ is staring at you with no gesture on his face, lying on his own seat, till his smile appears as a flash.

“Where are we?” You ask getting comfy, covering your mouth to silence a yawn. 

“Next to Lost Hill”.

“What time is it?”

“Almost nine. I have to put gas and I thought maybe you wanted to eat something”. He answers you, taking off the key from the groove.

“Yea', sure”. You nod opening the door, letting the fresh air bristle your skin. It's a little cold, but nothing that you can't handle with.

Walking inside the fuel station, you continue through the hallways till the fridge grabbing some prepared coffees, before looking for something to eat. Choosing some sandwiches and two bar of chocolate, you continue your steps towards the counter.

“This and... forty dollars for the Mustang”. You say picking up your phone to pay with it.

Cleaning a small rheum, the prospect throw over the counter a big packet of Skittles. You turn at him, who has a big smile on his face. It's been almost five years since you've eaten them again. The first time and the last was with him. In Santa Madre. Clearing your throat, you put the phone above the dataphone, while EZ takes the bag.

Even if the coffee is cold, makes you feel better, lying on the hood of your car against the front glass.  The youngest Reyes is standing close to you, doing the same and smoking a cigar, while he has his eyes on the road.

“How much is left?” You ask giving a bite of your sandwich.

“Five hours, more or less”. He says sitting on the hood with crossed legs, throwing away the cigar and giving the last sip to the cup.

“I know how to get to Stockton”. 

“I drive, (Y/N). Don't insist”.

“You can't drive for eight hours, EZ”.

“Who says, uh?” He asks turning at you with an eye almost closing because of the sun.

“I don't know. Maybe the cops? The doctors?” There's sarcasm in your voice, making him laugh lying his back next to you.

“What do I win?”

“Don't punch you”.

“It's an offer I can't refuse”.

“I know, I'm irresistible”.

“That's true”. He agrees, getting up to give you the keys. “The charter of the Sons' in Stockton will escort us. You drive till then”.

“What about Oscar?”

“He's already at Charming”.

“Oh... Okay”. You nod getting up and throwing into the trash the food packaging.

Even if you know the road to that city, you use the gps on your phone to avoid rush hour traffic jams and maybe finding a shorter way to go to. It's been a long time since you drove your car for more than thirty minutes, that you forgot how good it feels. The windows down, the fresh air stirring your hair, with an elbow nailed on the door and your cheek above the palm of your hand. Some latin and soft music sounding, evolving the Mustang, and EZ humming the lyrics to avoid the silence between both, even if sometimes seems like he want to tell anything enough to break it. It's the first time, without counting the last day, that you two are together and alone since three months ago. And you have a lot of words stuck in your throat, but you're not capable of saying something. You love his voice, he loves yours, and you used to talk for hours. You missed that. 

Sideways, you can see EZ opening the Skittles, making you smile for a thousandth. He throws a few in his hand, offering you as many. Changing your arm to hold the steering wheel, you raise yours on air. All the candies go straight to your mouth, chewing them.

“Do ya' remember that tim—”.

“That time you almost die”. You can't help but laugh hair, putting on your sunglasses well, nodding with your chin. “Jesus Christ... I didn't know if I should cry, laugh, or what”.

“Angel was scared as fuck!” He breaks in laughter too, shaking his head after that. “Good times”.

“With you almost dying?”

“You understand me, baby”. He says, knowing instantly that it wasn't the most appropriate word to use, by the gesture on your face. “Sorry, I...”

Silence. You sigh licking your inner lip, biting it gently. It doesn't make you feel uncomfortable, but you're trying to take your time till your heart is fully healed to let him come in again. Turning up the volume of the music a little, you focus all your attention on the road, only talking to him if you need to drink water or check something in your phone.

And, by following the instructions that Bishop gave to Ezekiel, you stop on the first fuel station of the town. The seats change, sitting back on the other to let him continue to Charming being escorted by the SOA charter of Stockton. You're pretty excited, looking on your phone how you're getting closer to your destiny so you could see the crew, but most important, Taza and Angel. Shit, you need them right now a lot.

[georgemackayhey]

Rules For Falling In Love: #4

summary: In which George wants to get married. But… you’re not dating. Why should you say yes?

a/n: Hey yall! There were some interesting predictions mixed among the super sweet feedback from the last chapter and all I can say is, I hope you dig this one just as well! There's only ONE MORE chapter left after this one. Can you believe it? Thanks for everyone who've stuck with this sweet little story so far ♡

w/c: 3k

───※ ·❆· ※───

Finally, for once, you had no worries. No work, no award ceremonies, no pending run to the market you were dreading. You threw all the things essential for a weekend getaway into one big bag and watched out of the passenger window as George drove to the little beachside town where Dean, or rather, his lady, had invited you to stay.

You met Dean and Claire outside of the town's main drag, where markets and buskers and icecream stands gathered along a winding boardwalk that looked out over the distant ocean. Introductions were hurried as Dean had his eye on a paper map, with a bistro circled. Food driven as always, you chuckled to yourself.

The four of you strolled along the wooden path that creaked under every dragging step. The wind tousled your hair as families of all kinds crept past, laughing, and posing for photos in front of pop up shops and the view of the roaring ocean in the opposite direction.

George threw on arm round your shoulder as you both soaked up the sights, listening to Dean tell a story. He walked backward to watch your smiles crack into laughter when his punch lines hit. Claire lingered by his side, looking to him with a wide grin, leading the way all the same.

She went well with Dean, you thought. Her dark hair and her bright eyes contrasted his own in perfect harmony. The sun to his moon... Claire kept her sights on Dean, clearly love-struck. And even when she spun around to answer one of George's long-winded questions, Claire glanced to Dean as she spoke, and he watched on with a similar grin. If there was any question of the girls fitting in with the group you and the other two men made up, her clear adoration for your friend was answer enough.

When you made it to the bistro at the end of the walk, and a tired eyed host informed your party would have a bit of a wait, none of you seemed to mind. You settled on a bench in the crisp shade, watching Dean pull Claire into the sun for a round of selfies.

"They're made for each other, aren't they?" George gushed, watching your friend and his lady from across the way.

"A good match indeed." You chuckled, nodding approvingly. You joked for a while how it felt like you were both watching Dean grow up and bring a date home for the holidays. And when you finally got to sit around and enjoy a meal together, it seemed as if Claire had been a permanent fixture long before now. She asked about your life and listened on with care. She gushed over George's talent in the film he and Dean had just finished promoting. And Dean babbled over her, telling the story of how he'd met Claire and what kind of a fool he made of himself in his attempt to ask her out.  You all laughed and ate and kept on laughing when it was time to roam around the main drag once more.

Then, you all darted after window displays that caught your eye, stopping to greet a very excited dog who couldn't help but sniff your shoes on it's trot past. It was the perfect afternoon full of simple fun.

You split up inside a bookstore that seemed to sell little bits of everything besides rows of novels. Dean and George were taken by a large collection of war-torn photographs, huddled together to turn the pages and spout facts. You shook your head with a chuckle as you floated on past them toward a wall of fake flowers and handcrafted bookmarks.

As you reached out to admire some of the trinkets, Claire floated closer to do the same.

"Dean's told me you and George have only just gotten married. I thought surely you'd been together for years, the way you two go together." Claire turned her pleasant smile in your direction. You couldn't help but let out a laugh. This was a different version of the same type of question you always got. But it didn't make you nervous as it had the first couple of times, all those years ago. You'd come to expect it, now.

"Yes, we've known each other for almost ever." You shrugged, pulling a marble toned bookmark from the shelf out of curiosity. "Only now I suppose we're 'official'."

Claire gave you a slow, sage nod, grimacing at a gaudy display of paperclips as you sauntered through the aisles.

"I feel like I've known Dean for decades." She smiled, and you did too, coming upon a row of children's books under an entrance of paper planes hanging by string you couldn't see. "And I can't imagine being with anyone else, but the idea of marriage has never settled with me." The girl shrugged, speaking toward her risen shoulder as if making a confession. It was your turn to nod, understanding more than she probably knew.

"It's a hassle to change your name." You let out a soft laugh, glancing to notice George and Dean pointing to another book in the same section you'd left them behind in. "And you don't need a piece of paper to prove anything, but... it is nice." You seemed to decide. Claire listened, watching the wheels turn in your head as you spoke your thoughts aloud. You spun off into some ill rehearsed monologue about how seriously George had taken his commitment to remain a team with you, how valued it made you feel. All while forming your thoughts into words, new thoughts nagged you in the back of your head. You and George had only ever agreed to get married for convenience, what gave you the right to preach the value and meaning of the tradition you'd gone through with so unconventionally?

"Shit, that was beautiful." Claire let out a stunned chuckled, looking to you as if she'd just met you for the first time all over again.

"I really don't know how I got so lucky." You spoke, realizing that if you'd failed to see the importance of the decision you'd made until now, you must not have been worthy of the title that linked you to George. You realized just how deeply rooted your connection with him was. And you were suddenly wrought with nerves that the foundation on which you built your promises to George, weren't valuable enough to make your marriage last. And you suddenly realized just how desperately you wanted it to last. And that was a scary new thought.

///

Claire had found the perfect cottage in the hillside near the ocean, up and away from the bustling beachside town. She raced up the paint chipped the front porch and waved you all into the front door, as the sun started to set through the dense leafy trees that surrounded the place.

"Oh, it's so perfectly cozy!" Claire exclaimed, skipping through tight doorways. The dull white trim and narrow wooden hallways were charming as could be. The living space was complete with a stone fireplace, and there was a massive patio out of the kitchen that managed to overlook the distant ocean, inside the gated confinement of the lush back garden.

George insisted his friends take the master bedroom since they were the hosts. The small spare would be just fine for the two of you, wouldn't it? You'd been on more than your fair share of trips and surprise sleepovers where you'd had to share close quarters with George, before now.  

But until the time came to fight over which side of the bed to stay on, everyone found themselves out back in the comfy cushioned patio furniture, watching the sun turn the beach golden while dense clouds turned the sky dark overhead. You all stayed there for a while, chatting about the places you'd wound up earlier in the day. Laughing about some of the people you'd met in passing. George insisted you tell some old story he knew the details of just as well. Dean already knew most of your stories, together and apart, but he still laughed along as you told them to Claire.

When it was her turn to speak, she mostly spoke of Dean, how he'd charmed her family, how some of their adventures together panned out. He kept his moonstruck gaze settled on her, as you and George exchanged knowing glances to one another.

When the air grew misty and cold, you headed in to start a fire in the living room. Claire said something about having brought along drinks to mix and headed to the kitchen after you. George went in search of a sweater as a chill sent Dean in too.

You listened as everyone flutter about the rented space, spouting lose plans for the next, and the last day you'd spend on the mini getaway. You managed to spark the perfect fire in the stone place, as someone chose a record from the vintage player in the corner. How lovely for the renters to leave some albums for their guests, you thought.

Dean soon stole your attention by creping into the room and clearing his throat. You whipped around from studying the flickering flames to see Dean giving you an expectant glare, as if you were the one who'd approached him with something to say.

"What?" You worried.  Dean only grabbed you by the elbow and led you closer to the crackling fire, away from the open kitchen doorway.

"Is something... going on?" He asked in a nervous hush, glancing back to where George had taken to help mix drinks.

"Oh God, why did George say something? Is he mad at me? He'll cry if he sees me cry and so he'll go too long without telling me if-."

"No..." Dean laughed unbelievably, stalling your rambling. "No, that's the thing. You've always been a convincing couple. But this is- you both seem... different. Has something changed, at long bloody last? Are you, ya know... down to one-bedroom, back home?"

"Dean. Nothing has changed. George and I still have never slept together, and I can't believe you're asking, after all this time." He was always supposed to be the friend who understood, who was the only one saving all the dumb questions people at parties would always ask.

"First of all... you said never have, not never will. See? Secondly. You're married. Things obviously aren't the same as they were when I met the both of you."

"You are reading in between lines that aren't there."

"No, I'm looking across the room right now and watching George watch you, and as his best friend I can tell you that there are lines you're not acknowledging."

Another voice cut through your frantic whispered argument with Dean.

"What are you two up to?" George quirked a brow, holding out two perfectly mixed drinks for either of you to take.

"Nothing." You responded to George, but looked to Dean, more so making your point clear that there was nothing to argue about any further. He pursed his lips, rolled his eyes, and turned to smile and thank George for the drink.

Your group took to the cozy living room, around the warm fire as rain started to pelt at the windows. As you sat, like usual, unfamiliar thoughts crept out of the shadowy dungeons of your mind. A few dozen "what if's?" floated about your head, growing louder every time George locked eyes with you, asked you to remember a certain story, told his own on your behalf. You watched him speak, sipping your drink as you silently studied George. You watched his hands fan about as he spoke, before his fingers rested on your knee. Was it just a reflex? You felt him sink lower into the sofa at your side, leaning toward you to rest his drink on the coffee table, letting his shoulder stay pressed against yours while Claire told a crazy story about her time at Uni.

You caught Dean's glances, the question in his eye. He was silently asking you what he dared to address earlier. The question that hadn't left your mind since he'd brought it up.

When the fire started to die, and the rain became more than just background noise, you decided to call it a night. Everyone went their separate ways, parting with quips about how excited they were for the last day of roaming about the quaint seaside city.

You sat up in the warm, blanket dense bed while George took his turn cleaning up for the evening. You opened a book in your lap, but you didn't read.  You totally zoned out, lip trapped between your teeth as your brian drifted completely away from the lines on the pages.

Only when George eased into his side of the bed with a stretch were you broken from the daze. You turned to him with a question you hadn't realized was on the tip of your tongue

"What did you think of me when we first met?" You recalled the very day you moved across the neighborhood, how Georges parents were the first to offer your family baked goods and a friendly smile. You didn't meet George until school began, but when you realized he belonged to the neighbors your family had become accustomed to chatting with at the end of the block, it all made sense.

"I thought you'd be a big bully." George teased, settling under the covers as you scoffed in reply. "Really, you were too pretty. I thought surely you'd torment the school like in all the pretty girls do in American teen dramas."

"Well, you looked like all the boys on the rugby team, so I supposed I thought the same." You jeered, shutting your book. "I was truly shocked to learn there was a big brain inside that lovely head of yours."

George smiled, nearly rolled his eyes.

"Remember bonding over being little teenaged nerds, together?" You asked with a breathy chuckle, setting your book aside. George seemed to study you seriously for a beat before responding.

"Course I remember. Just because we've spent every day together since then doesn't mean the details blur together."

"So then you haven't blocked out that embarrassing New Year's Eve party, then?" You laughed, watching George bite back a reluctant smile.

"Unfortunately, no I haven't managed to forget." He grinned. "There's this girl who likes to remind me of it every holiday season, and sometimes more than that." George playfully glared your way. You'd both been keeping each other secrets for so long, there was no worry over using them as blackmail. Your only fear was the day you and George stopped keeping tabs.

For another few minutes, you rambled over the silliest times you'd spent together. The time he got so scared in the middle of haunted house maze that he let out a shriek, that you took the blame for when your friends stalled ahead to make sure you two were alright. Or the summer you had a reoccurring dream about meeting Robert DeNiro that ended up coming true when George introduced you to the icon at some award show.

George laughed along as memories kept popping into your mind. You chattered about them until your heart grew heavy, for reasons you couldn't begin to understand. When George started telling some story about Dean, you remembered your friends suspicions from earlier. You were no longer questioning how George might have felt. You've moved on to wondering exactly what it was you were feeling.

You were zoning out again, Georges rambles sounded distant and muffled as you tried to process what was going through your head. Why your throat was going dry? What was going on? And right when you felt the threat of tears burning the backs of your eyes, you snapped out of it, and determined you were being utterly ridiculous.

"Hey, what's wrong?" George turned toward you, worried, noticing your glossy eyes. You were quick to suck it all back in, shove it all way deep down.

"I... I really don't know." You shrugged because you didn't. You reached over to flick the bedside lamp off with a pathetic sniffle. When you turned back to settle in for the night, George was there, reaching out to you. You couldn't help but follow his lead, as he nudged you toward the pillows, leaving a warm comforting hand splayed across your shoulder as his ocean colored eyes searched yours.

"For better or worse, right?" George asked in a hush. His way of assuring you could tell him anything. But you didn't have words for feelings you didn't understand, yourself. You just gave him the nicest smile you could muster and closed your eyes for the evening.

///

You woke up early, you could tell by the way the sun was peaking over the frame of your window. What you couldn't figure out, though, was how Geogre had stayed so close to you all night long. You were pinned under his arm, close enough that you debated staying there to relish the comfort. But your eyes wouldn't close again, and you didn't disturb his peace on your silent mission to get up. So you did, headed for the kitchen to fix some tea and try and sort out your jumbled thoughts in the blip of time you had so quietly all to yourself.

But you mustn't have been as clever as you'd hoped, because no sooner than you'd started the kettle and found some breakfast to cook, George was up. He looked like he'd rather be sleeping, as he shuffled in the room, musing his flaxen hair and holding back a yawn.

You gave him a hushed good morning, in case the others were still down for the count. George hardly greeted you. Instead, he sauntered closer to peer over your shoulder at the food you'd found to cook, and wrapped his arms around you in a loose hug. Maybe he thought you were still upset. He was always quick to comfort...

"It's very hard to make breakfast this way." You laughed, all the while savoring the contact like you hadn't been touched in ages. Geogre hummed, reluctantly letting go when the kettle rang. He went about fixing tea for the both of you when Dean shuffled in.

The dark-headed fellow traded chipper good mornings and gave Geogre strict instructions on how to fix his tea. While Geogre spun around with a chuckle, he brushed past you and letting his fingers trail across your arm before he was too far away to reach for another cup. That's when Dean shot you a look reminiscent of the one he kept flashing you last night. You gave him the smallest shake of your head to confirm you hadn't gotten a better idea of what was going on. In fact, you were more confused than ever.

You and Georg always discussed everything. Game planning was your best combined talent. From what to watch on movie night, to how to deal with disasters and destruction, you'd always talk through everything as it happened, together. But you couldn't talk to Geogre about this... you tried last night, and look what kind of confused mess that conversation made you into. That's when you realized how easily you settled under his quick comfort. And that you longed to cuddle just as close for no good reason... That's when you realized that you weren't very confused at all. You realized exactly what you were feeling. Now you just needed to accept it...

───※ ·❆· ※───

taglist: @whenthe-smokeisinyoureyes @andux @imaginationandlove @velvetgoldsilver​ @queen-bunnyears @maria-josefin @dearevansamham @belledamsceno@nilletellsstories @loulouloueh @visionsofmelodrama @haileymorelikestupid

[nosferatyou]

If I Can Be So Bold: Chapter 1 (Jack White x OC)

Summary: Rosalie and her band “By Elliston” move from Nashville to Detroit to continue their music careers and move away from their demons. Rosalie notices an unhappy face in the crowd of their first show, and is instantly drawn to him. While she doesn't mind that hes easy on the eyes she does mind his less than stellar attitude about their music. 

Word Count: 3K

Warnings: Drug use, language, and mentions of abuse.

Notes: Well this has been brewing for A WHILE. I’ve been everywhere deciding on a plot, but after tedious planning this is finally a reality. I hope the 5 Jack White fans on here enjoy this. This will be a series so strap in folks. We got young jack. we got old jack. we got everything in between. (also series names are hard) Enjoy! Appreciate all the research i did!

Chapter Two

“Do you want another?” 

He holds his hand above me, his dark eyes burning holes into me, he pulls back more as if ready to strike again. As if on command, I recoil from the movement, feeling smaller than I ever had.

My head shoots up, suddenly back in Zoot’s coffee house. I blink a couple of times, trying to wake myself up. I couldn’t remember what she asked.

“What?” I asked her, phasing back into reality again, and not what was a horrific nightmare.

Sat next to me was my best friend and singer in our band was Harry, or Harriet if you want to be technical. Her head was held high, and she was practically jumping out of her skin with excitement, she seemed more than ready for our first show in a new town.

 She moved one of her two shots in front of me and asked again. 

“Are you deaf, Lee? I asked if you wanted another shot before we go on.” 

I quickly sat up and grabbed it off the makeshift bar, anything to shake off what I was feeling. 

We clinked our drinks together, and she yelled out a toast over the crowd of people behind us. 

“To fresh starts and new stomping grounds!” 

We clinked our drinks and quickly downed them, both of us coughing from our burning throats, but as soon as we saw our red faces, we burst out into laughter. 

“We are horrible at shots, aren’t we?” I said in between wheezes of laughter.

“We truly are.” She paused and grabbed the bottle. “One more for good luck!.”

It seems like this is the night, if any, to drink. 

We’d just gotten to Detroit. Like just got here a week ago and are already booking shows. We all decided to move her for reasons I won’t mention, but I’ll just say that we needed to switch up our scene a bit. 

Our band “By Elliston” had grown pretty big in the Nashville scene, we played pretty frequently at the Exit/In. Which is not the biggest venue in the world, but it means something for the Nashville scene. I mean, we technically shared a stage with Muddy Waters and BB King, so that’s at least something to brag about.

 We were known in the Nashville punk scene and had made some significant headway, but thanks to shitty people and our big egos, we decided to move to Detroit. Known for its great music and cars.

 And here we are at Zoot’s Coffee shop, which is arguably a coffee shop honestly. Off a dark street, that no person with money would venture down, and the outside seems like nothing is out of the ordinary, it’s just a house on a street. But the inside. Its a home, its a coffee shop, and venue for anyone who has an instrument. 

Its packed wall to wall with people, barely any standing room, especially near the stage, which is just a raised corner of the living room. Its the perfect venue for any rock band. Small and loud.

We (being the band and me) all lived for music, and it is our life’s blood.

 I grew up in a very southern home and was always surrounded by music, thanks to my dad. Id never met a man who loves Johnny Cash more than him or country music for that matter. Cash would always play through the house, or Hank Williams, Waylon Jennings. That kind of thing. However, I can’t stand to listen to any of them now. Overplayed and over appreciated is what I always said.

 That did spark something in me. I started playing guitar, thanks to my dad… and then I picked up the bass and then drums. And so on and so on. The moral is that If you hand me any stringed instrument ill know how to play it.

The other girls. Jo, Harriet, and Ezra. All got into good music when they were in high school, which also when we all met. Thanks to the high school band or orchestra. I played violin, as did Jo and Harriet, Ezra played the stand-up bass and continues with the bass to this day.

 Now we’ve all moved on the from hot cross buns and into a world of rock and roll. We used to be terrible, covering a lot of Alice in Chains and Nirvana. 

Graduating class of ‘93 for all of us, and we lived in a world of grunge. Five years later and we’ve since moved on from our teenage ways. We’ve embraced the blues and everything around it. However, we get a bit heavier than our inspirations, with my heavy fuzz and Harriet’s raspy yelps. With the look of punk dads (a lot of fun button-ups, dark makeup, and Dr. Martens boot) and the sounds of 4 angry ladies, we tore up Nashville.

We played a lot of house shows, met many a band, lost many a group, met a dumb boy who won’t be named (its John), and had a lot of fun tearing up the Nashville scene. 

As we grew, we played bigger venues, the show of ‘96 at The End being the staple of our career. We’d never played as good as we did then, and none of us are convinced we’ll play as well as we did that night.

 Either way, we were thrust forward, and our movement grew, we were making money from our shows, plus we played bigger venues. The Exit/In and The East Room, to name a couple. Last month we felt we needed a change of scenery to grow. As incredible, the Nashville scene is, its also quite small. Few venues and fewer people. That’s the other girl’s excuse, at least. 

We scrounged up what we could, found an apartment here, and moved as soon as we could. Unlike the others, I had to burn some bridges to get here, but more will be made here. We scooped out the scene the moment we arrived and set up a show here, and we are all buzzing to perform again. 

“So, who are we opening for again?” I asked as we headed to our van to start and unload our gear. 

“The White somethings.” Jo absentmindedly answered, wrapping her jacket around herself for warmth.

Harriet quickly cut in, “The White Stripes, you mean.” Correcting her.

We all arrived at our shared van and started grabbing our mess of cables and cases.

Harriet continued, “I’ve been asking around all night about them, you know. To learn about the enemy and such.” 

Jo popped her head up from the front seat and asked, “When have you had the time to ask around? I was with you literally all night.” 

Harriet picked up her small load for the night and parked a seat on the car next to ours, lighting a cig while she sat.

“I have my ways.” She said, wiggling her eyebrows before taking a long drag.

“Anyways, here’s what I’ve learned. They’ve been around a year, the drummer learned when they got together, and guitarist leads the show.” She spoke with her ever-present dramatics, waving the cig around after every word. 

“They can’t be that good if the drummers new, and they’ve only been playing a year.” Said Ezra, who was effortlessly carrying what seemed to be the world’s most massive bass amp. 

“I don’t know, Z. It seems agreed that they know how to rock a room.” Harriet pipped up.

“What does it mean for us then?” Asked Jo who’s joint was lit and already in her mouth, and arms were full with various drums. Explains why she was digging around the front seat.

I quickly cut in, not about to let them get nervous over a baby band. “Absolutely nothing. We’ve got six years on them. These Detroit kids won’t know what hit them, we’re from music city for god’s sake.” 

“That’s the spirit, Lee!  Now get your asses inside so we can set up.” Harriet popped off the car and started walking towards the door, beckoning us towards her.

“Feel like helping us speed up the process, Harry?” Joked Jo.

“You’re big girls. I’m gonna go try and spot the enemy.” She yelled back to us.

“Oh, have fun, we will just be here carrying your band!” I yelled out.

“I knew I could count on you, darling!” She called out, throwing a wink and cigarette butt our way. 

When we had finally reached the stage, the already crowded room had doubled in bodies. While most bands would be shaking in their boots, it only spurred us on more. While we all have our fair share of disagreements, we have one thing in common. Our shared headspaces before a show. All ready to take on anything, and our confidence is unwavering. The bigger, the better. It’s honestly what’s kept us together this whole time. 

Now all eyes were on us, and it was a tough crowd, it was dead silent. The girls and I all exchanged a look and nodded. I always started us off. We had a set opener, it never changed and worked every time, but after that was a free for all. I usually took charge and just chose whatever I was feeling, but if not me, then Harriet. The other two just flowed with whatever we threw their way.

I always started first with the heavy riff, joined in by Ezra, then Jo, and finally Harriet. 

The riff is what pulled them in, and it was always quite the sight. I got fully into it every time. It was dark, straightforward, and full of fuzz and feedback. 

By the time Harriet joins in its mayhem, I speed up and play power chords. It’s not slow, but it’s not so fast that it’ll make your head spin. 

As the short show progressed, we felt like how we used to feel every night. Pure joy, which is what we all fucking needed. 

We improvised. I mashed up whatever songs I even threw in a little Stooges to thank the locals for letting us play. Though I did notice the gaze of one oddball in the back, who was just… watching.

 While that doesn’t sound weird, it was sure out of the ordinary. He sat in the back, arms crossed leaned against the wall. The whole mysterious boy schtick was down pact. He wasn’t scowling, but he didn’t seem happy. It was off-putting and kept my focus over towards that corner of the room, but didn’t hinder the performance. Maybe it fueled it. 

The show couldn’t have gone better, though. The crowd did not hide their whoops and hollers when we finished our last song of the set. I was already riding that performance high and will be for the rest of the night. 

“Thanks for a great first night, Detroit! We’re “By Elliston,” and we hope to see you next time!”

Screamed out Harriet for a final goodbye as we headed off the stage, their applause carrying us off the small stage. 

The moment we put down our instruments, we about took each other out, tacking one another to the ground.

 As tradition carries, after every show, we used to just aggressively group hug, but over time we’ve grown more and more… excited. At one of our last shows at The Exit/In, I accidentally knocked out Jo by slamming into her too hard. If that gives any frame of reference to what our dog piles look like now.

“Ladies. If every show goes somewhat like that here, I think we will rule this scene.” Ezra said from the bottom of the pile, her words garbled from the mass of bodies. 

“Alright, Lee, get your ass off the top, you’re gonna snuff me out down here.” 

Without much warning, she slid out from underneath us, and the rest of us went down to the ground, causing all of us to erupt in laughter. 

Once we all straightened ourselves out, we went to the van and had a celebratory cig, the first of many “celebratory” cigs of the night, 

To my right was Harriet leaning against the tail light, and Jo and Ezra were sitting in the van next to me. Harriet broke the silence.

“You know I missed this, Lee. I’m glad you’re back.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean Har-” While talking I’d noticed three figures a few cars over walking to their own. My eyes widened in surprise. I grabbed Harriet’s arm suddenly and dragged her in with the rest of us.

“Shut up. It’s him.”

“What I wasn’t even talking-” she stopped and sat up to face, she wasn’t upset, but she sure looked confused. “Wait, who is “Him?” 

I looked around to check to see if he could hear. 

“I saw him when we were playing. He kept just… staring at me. It was weeeird.”

“Why’d you pull me in the car then??” 

“I panicked! It was just weird!” 

Ezra peaked her head out of the car in curiosity and asked. “Which one is it, the young blondie or the black-haired beauty?”

“Gah Jesus, not the child, Ezra! It’s the hot one.”

Harriet whipped her head out of the car to look at them, speaking a bit too loudly.

“Lee, you need to start off saying it was a HOT stranger! You have my interest now.”

“I’m going to kill both you. Get your dumbasses back in the car.”

We huddled back up, Harriet has a look in her eye that I don’t like.

“So, what’s the plan of action here, Lee?” Asked Harriet.

“Nothing. He’s a scowler. Sure a hot one at that, but if he can’t enjoy what we make, then what’s the point? When we played that stooges song, he looked like he was going to blow his top.”

“I think you’ve missed the point here, Lee. Point one,  You’re fresh out of a toxic sludge of a relationship. Point two, hot stranger. And finally. Point three, he’s a hot stranger in a band. I’m not passing up this opportunity.”

She gave us a wink, took a final drag of her cig, and hopped out of the car. She was going over to them.

“Harriet, you fucker don’t you dare,” I said with gritted teeth. “I’ve tackled you once today, and  I’ll do it again.”

She chuckled. “You’re all talk, kid. I’m off to make friends!”

“Bastard!” I yelled, leaping out of the car and towards her. I was too late, she just about ran over to them, and I was quickly in tow behind her. 

“Well, look at that, Lee! New people. Hi there, I'm Harriet, but you can call me Harry. and this is Rosalie.” She extended her hand towards the three strangers.

“Its Lee actually, she’s just an asshole.” 

All of them looked slightly taken aback. They were sure as hell wasn’t expecting her hand in their face, or two random ladies in their space. The newly named “hot stranger” was the first to speak up. He seemed rightly hesitant.

“I’m Jack, and this is my sister, Meg. This over here is my nephew, Ben. He’s our pinball wizard. Or Roadie in technical terms.” 

“Well, good to meet Y’all!” Once she shook ben’s hand, he spoke up. Man he was young. Was he maybe 16? Not over 18 is the point.

“You guys played a hell of a show. The Stooges? Blues? You’re going to give these two a run for their money.”

Jack shifted on his heels when ben mentioned this. Same face as before, and little less friendly than introductions.

“Well, its all that Tennessee blood in us. Now we arent from Memphis, but Nashville’s close enough, right?” Harriet winked at the kid. His cheeks flushed a deep red. 

Jack shifted his eyes back to me, but they wander somewhere else. 

I clear my throat, he snaps his head up and makes eye contact with me, a small smirk falls on his face. 

“Well, you all seem busy, so Harriet and I are going to go back over there. Have a good show.”

I grab her arm and try to drag her away casually.

“What the fuck are you doing?” She whisper yells to me. We find ourselves on the other side of our van, out of their sight.

“Lee, You have never been one to shy away from new people. Especially men. Remember us, fresh out of high school? You practically had a different man in your bed every night. That whole nervous persona is new. Go seduce a hot stranger!”

“Jesus, Harriet! Lower your goddamn voice! First off its Jack, And yes I know. Different times though. I’m not going to go over there in front of his sister and prepubescent nephew to try and get in his pants.”

“Aw, come on, Lee! It’d be fun! Plus, you need a fucking rebound, girl.”

“Okay, well, talk me into this when its not a family reunion.” 

“You got yourself a deal, Rosalie.”

We started to make our way back to the other girls.

“Alright, ladies, let’s go catch our headliner,” I said, opening the van doors. A plume of smoke rolled out of it the moment the doors opened. I grabbed the joint from Ezra, taking a hit before going inside. I handed it back to the faded bass player and headed back inside.

[justwritethatdown]

Chapter 2 of my high school AU :D

Beca finds herself wanting to know more abou Chloe, but Chloe's friends - and her social anxiety - give her a hard time about that. Also some more insights of her relationship with Jesse, Amy and her family :)

Words Count: 3K

Rating: T

Warnings: Underage smoking and language

Read it on AO3 or under the cut ↓

I don't need much of anything, but suddenly…

“How does it feel to be / Different from me      Are we the same / How does it feel?”

That night Beca fell asleep with the smell of Chloe on her pillow, which made her heart do funny things in her chest.

Maybe Chloe wasn’t that bad after all.

Nothing changed at school between them, Chloe didn’t talk to her the next day or the following couple of weeks – not that Beca tried to talk to Chloe but, you know – Beca told herself she wasn’t disappointed at that. They weren’t friends.

 __

 “Beca wait!" she heard Chloe call after her and immediately turned around to see the redhead running towards her in the schoolyard “hey! What’s up?” asked Beca unable to control her grin. Chloe offered her a pink ear bug, smiling brightly “I wanted to ask you what you think of this song, it came out yesterday I think".

Beca took the ear bug and put it in her ear, the song was already playing but she knew right away it was Airplanes by B.o.B. ft. Hayley Williams “you like Paramore, right?” Chloe checked and Beca was surprised that the girl not only recognized them from one of her playlists, but she knew them well enough to know Hayley Williams was the singer of the group.

Beca’s smile widened while she nodded “yes! And I think this song is really good" she answered looking at Chloe with surprise “what?” giggled the redhead “nothing...” said Beca looking at her feet “I didn’t think you liked this stuff" she admitted looking back at Chloe.

“And what stuff you thought I liked?” asked Chloe biting her lip “I don’t know... Britney Spears?” guessed Beca screwing up her nose and Chloe gasped “you don’t like Britney Spears?” she gasped in shock tugging at the ear bug wire to make it pop out of Beca’s ear “ouch! I didn’t say that...”

“Who else do you think I listen to? Let’s see" asked Chloe in somewhat of a teasing tone “I don’t know, I don’t want to get in worse trouble that I’m in already... just tell me you don’t listen to Mariah Carey please"

“Mariah Carey is the greatest singer of all times" stated an irritating voice interrupting them “Chloe, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Who is that?” asked the blonde girl who joined them “hey Bree, she’s Beca... family friends” dismissed Chloe, putting her iPod away. Beca didn’t know why that statement stung so much, it was the truth after all, they only knew each other because their parents – not that she’ll ever consider Sheila family – were friends.

Aubrey – Chloe’s best friend, for what Beca could understand – looked at her from head to toe in disapproval, before turning back to her friend “come on, Stacie is waiting for us” she said walking away and dragging Chloe alongside with her.

“Bye...” Beca told to no one, since the girls were already gone. She went to class wondering if maybe she was wrong about Chloe and they could be more alike than she though, but even popular girls are allowed to like good music, right?

One thing was sure, Chloe wasn’t even remotely as mean as Aubrey was.

 __

 At lunch Beca was glad Jesse decided to sit with Benji for once, instead of bothering her, so she could make a playlist of songs she thought Chloe might listen to, and one of those she thought Chloe should listen to.

Amy slept in and skipped school that day – something she did almost every Tuesday – so Beca didn’t have to worry about her either.

 __

 “sorry if I stood you up at lunch" apologised Jesse wrapping an arm around her shoulders, knowing very well that Beca would have shrugged it off and be dramatic about him touching her. He giggled when she did just that “you weren’t at my table? I didn’t notice” declared Beca in a monotone voice and Jesse pushed her gently “stop iit" she complained pushing him back “Benji was upset about his chemistry test" he explained without Beca asking “but he got B+” argued Beca and the guy shrugged “it’s the lowest he ever got".

“Where’s Amy by the way? I saw she wasn’t with you at lunch either” he asked “are you going to walk me home?” queried Beca stopping on her tracks – it was a ten minute walk between her house and the school – Jesse shrugged again “if you don’t mind. I don’t have anything better to do anyway" and before Beca could answer, he added “I know you must have missed me today, so you’re welcome" which granted him another shove from the brunette.

“How come you're not wearing your headphones?” “my iPod died at lunch" “aw, because I wasn’t there to keep you company?” he teased “you’re an idiot.”

 __

 The truth was that Beca craved more moments with Chloe, she was intrigued by her. Even if she usually was a pretty good judge of character, she was wrong about Chloe the first time and she still couldn’t completely figure her out yet. At school Chloe was a completely different person than who she was at home, she was nice to everyone and always smiling. And then there was that moment they shared in Beca’s room, that was what confused Beca the most, making her second guess all her assumptions about the redhead.

She wanted to get to know her better, but whenever Beca saw the girl in the hallways with her stupid friends she didn’t have the guts to say hi to her and just focused very hard on her steps to avoid eye contact. Beca hated to interact with that kind of people – she hated to interact with any kind of people – they acted like they owned the school and even if Beca couldn’t care less about that, she didn’t want to waste her time feeling judged by them or worse, letting them make a fool out of her. She really didn’t know why Chloe liked them, but again, she didn’t know Chloe at all.

Another month passed by. Beca never showed Chloe the playlists. It wasn’t important and Chloe probably wouldn’t care about that anyway.

 __

 “Why is this playlist called ‘Chloe'?” asked Amy making Beca’s blood freeze “that- that’s nothing, why do you always touch my stuff?” she gasped struggling to take the device from Amy, who won the fight without any effort “Jonas Brothers? These songs are so not you" added the blonde confused “It’s just... stupid songs, so I gave it a common stupid girl name” she blurred out wincing at her own words.

Amy narrowed her brows “Isn’t Chloe the name of that redhead you met at those ‘fucking lame dinners' with your father and Sheila?” she inquired making the quote marks gesture while repeating Beca’s words “maybe... I don’t know” tried Beca but she knew she was screwed “Beca...” said Amy not buying it at all.

“Yes, it’s her, okay? I made a playlist of songs I thought she lik-" “you never made me a playlist” interrupted her the blonde “that’s different, she’s- that’s different” blurred out Beca. Amy finally decided to let it go with a shrug connecting her loudspeaker to Beca’s iPod, letting the music fill her bedroom.

 __

 “Ugh! Why can’t I just stay with mom?” growled Beca “a couple of weeks at the beach are going to be good for you Bec, why do you have to fight me over everything?” asked her father “I don’t wanna come, dad I wanna work on my mixes, why don’t you understand that?” she whined and ran to her room smashing the door closed behind her.

Her father just informed her that in July they were going on a two weeks’ vacation someplace in Florida with Chloe’s and other two families the Beale used to go on vacation with every year. Beca didn’t have the time to be thrilled about it that she heard the name Posen being mentioned by Sheila. She didn’t even register the other one because she was already spiralling.

Posen like Aubrey Posen. The high bitch in charge at her school, Aubrey Posen. Chloe’s best friend Aubrey Posen. That couldn’t be a coincidence and Beca wasn’t willing to spend a single minute with her, let alone two entire weeks.

“Why is she like this Robert?” she heard Sheila question “what kind of kid doesn’t want to spend time on the beach with her friends?” at the world ‘friends’ Beca felt rage build up inside her – why was Sheila so fucking naive? – but it didn’t last long, because she heard her father sigh defeated “I don’t know honey, I’m afraid I did something wrong with her".

Beca put her headphones on trying to push back the tears that started falling from her eyes.

 __

 “She doesn’t want me, does she?” mumbled Beca sitting on her bed, knees pushed tightly against her chest. Her father looked at her sympathetic, sitting at the edge of the bed “Your mom is...” he trailed off for a moment, struggling to find the right words “she is having a hard time and needs to be alone for a while" he tried his best to explain “but she loves you! More than anything” he rushed to add and Beca rolled her eyes.

Lately her father did nothing but take her mother’s side, funny thing is that when they were married, they couldn’t agree on anything. Ever. Beca supposed he felt guilty about her ‘midlife crisis’ since it started just when he asked for a divorce because he couldn’t keep going on like that – or maybe it was the fact that he was in a relationship with stupid Sheila for about a month before that.

Beca’s blood started boiling in her veins at the thought, it was his fault after all, he gave up on their family.

“I’m gonna go at Amy’s” she spat out jumping off the bed.

“Beca, I need you to tell me you’re coming to Florida” he repeated.

“Whatever” answered the girl before leaving the room. It’s not like she had a choice anyway, her dad was just trying not to feel guilty about yet another thing.

 __

 “So, you’re going?” asked Amy passing her the joint. They were laying on Amy’s bed listening to music, as always.

“I have to" sighed Beca before smoking “I wish my dad was like yours, he lets you do everything you want" she wined “yeah he's pretty cool" laughed the blonde “or too busy to care maybe" she scoffed carelessly “dude, this pot sucks by the way" growled Beca giving the joint back to her.

Amy took another smoke before agreeing “I know, but I bought it from Luke" she explained “ugh, that dude is an idiot! He wrote ‘Meghan’ on my fake ID” complained Beca. The blonde stared lamely at her for what felt like forever, before cracking up in a loud laugh “Beca all fake IDs have fake names" she gasped trying to stop laughing. Beca looked at her blinking quickly before starting to laugh too.

“Anyway, he is an idiot yes, but he’s hot, so I don’t care" stated Amy “okay but never buy his pot again" demanded the brunette taking back the joint.

“So how are things going with Jesse?” asked Amy out of the blue “what do you mean?” “I mean you have this thing going on for a while now, when are you going to make it official? If you know what I mean...” said Amy wiggling her eyebrows, Beca felt slightly nauseous at that.

“There’s nothing between Jesse and me" she said defensively “oh come on Beca, you two are always attached to the hip!” growled the blonde “you don’t have to hide it from me" she said more softly “he's always attached to my hip I've got nothing to do with that!" spat out Beca getting up “I know you, you wouldn’t let him near you if you didn’t want to" pointed out Amy.

Beca knew her friend was right, she never let anyone get too close to her, but for some reason she allowed Jesse to do that and she had to admit she liked having his invasive ass around – not to Amy anyway, she was never going to admit that to Amy.

“That’s none of your business” she cut off rising the volume on her iPod to end the discussion.

 __

 When Beca came back home she found a brand-new soundboard to connect to her computer – the one she’s been asking for and her dad always denied her – sitting on her desk.

It was the same way she got her headphones, she got into a fight with her dad about something concerning the divorce somehow, stormed out of the house and found them at her return. Robert knew it wasn’t the best way to deal with conflict, but he really didn’t know how to deal with a teenager in full rebellion mood, so expensive gifts were his go-to in these cases.  It wasn’t enough for Beca, but she decided to take what she could from this situation. She didn’t like to deal with conflict either anyway.

The girl spent the whole night trying all the functions her new device offered while thinking about Chloe. She spent most nights thinking about Chloe recently. She thought about what it must be like being at the verge of the high school social ladder, having everyone’s eyes on you all the times – a kind of pressure Beca couldn’t be able to stand, for sure – how it felt to be respected, feared even, by the whole school and mostly how would it feel to be bossed around by Aubrey all the times.

Aubrey gave Beca chills. It wasn’t that Beca feared her – she didn’t fear anyone – but there was something about her that made her stomach clench, as if she was under examination. She knew Aubrey judged everybody from her high throne and Beca didn’t think enough of her to care about that, but what scared the brunette was that Aubrey’s stupid opinion could affect what Chloe thought of her.

By the time sun started creeping up from her window, she had decided that suffering through two weeks with Aubrey Posen was a small price to pay to get to know Chloe better. Her social anxiety will have to come to terms with that.

Beca threw herself on the bed, cursing her decision to staying up all night on a weekday. Her clock showed it was half past six and she briefly wondered if she could push it a little and try to gain a ‘you can skip school today’ too from the argument she and her father had, but she knew Professor Mitchell considered school the most important thing ever, even over the peaceful atmosphere he tried so hard to maintain in their home. She groaned and set her alarm to an hour later before falling asleep in her outside clothes.

Of course, she didn’t hear the alarm going off and now she was super late. As she fumed to gather all the things she needed for the day she jumped at the sight of Sheila’s head peeking from her not-closed-anymore bedroom door.

“You’re late" she stated with that irritating tone Beca really didn’t want to hear first thing in the morning.

“I know that, thanks” spat out the teenager.

“Let me drive you to school” offered the woman now fully standing in Beca’s room.

“Absolutely not" said Beca without looking at her, still busy looking for her maths' notes.

“You left a notebook in the kitchen the other day, maybe that’s what you’re looking for" told her Sheila before leaving the room.

After getting ready Beca went to the kitchen and found the notes. Sheila was sitting at the kitchen table, probably waiting for her. Beca groaned “okay let’s go" as if she was the one doing the woman a favour.

Beca was sure it was a trap, so she rushed to put her headphones on to avoid any unwanted discussion about her weird behaviour or whatever. Surprisingly Sheila didn’t try to talk to her at all and when she stopped in front of Beca’s school she even offered the girl a sweet smile “have a good day”.

“Yeah...” murmured Beca under her breath before leaving the car.

 __

 It was a shitty day, like if she was under a heavy cloud; she forgot to charge her phone, her head was killing her and Jesse didn’t shut up for one second all morning, not to mention math class – which was always a nightmare. Beca was about to commit murder when suddenly Chloe approached her at her locker.

“Hey" breathed out cheerfully the redhead and Beca found her breath catching in her lungs “I’ve heard you’re coming to Florida with us this year” she continued with her classic bright smile. Beca’s heart started racing and she was positive her face was red “I- yes, we- uh...” she rambled focusing, on nothing in particular, inside her locker. “I’m glad you’re coming" at that Beca forced herself to look at Chloe and try to mirror her smile.

“Hey babe" she heard Tom call from the other side of the hallway. Chloe turned towards him with heart eyes and accepted his kiss when he reached them. Beca felt nauseous watching that – she hated pda and cheesy happy couples.

When they parted Tom friendly nodded at Beca “hi, I’m Tom" “Beca" she said shaking the hand he offered her. Beca tried to smile at him, she really did, but all she could manage was a grimace. The girl was never so glad to hear Jesse’s “Beccaaawww" approaching her.

“Uhm, sorry, I have to go. It was nice meeting you Tom. Bye Chloe" se excused herself locking the metallic door and walking to Jesse. It was the first time she’d ever said Chloe’s name to her face and was still marvelling at the sensation it gave her, when Jesse started to throw a million words at her again, but she couldn’t focus on him at all. For some reason she kept replaying that stupid kiss in her brain over and over again.

“Earth to Beca?” called her Jesse snapping his fingers in front of her “what happened to you? You’ve been weird the whole day" he asked in a somewhat of a worried tone “I didn’t sleep" she told him “why not? You can talk to me you know” he assured her, but behind him Beca spot Amy in the distance shamelessly gesturing at her with her index finger entering a ring she was making with the other hand “gross...” whispered Beca glaring at her.

“What?” asked the guy confused “dude you need to leave me alone okay? You’re not my fucking boyfriend” she snapped making some students turn to look at them. Jesse was staring at her with a hurt expression and she regretted right away snapping at him – it was Amy’s fault not his.

“All right” he said raising his hands and turning no leave. Beca wanted to stop him, but she was too proud to apologise.

“Troubles in paradise?” asked Amy joining her “Amy fuck off!” “geez somebody woke up on the wrong side of life today" she exclaimed rolling her eyes and walking away, she knew it was best to leave Beca alone when she was like that.

[adrenaline-roulette]

I say no

Pairing: Josh Washington x Reader Warnings: Language, minor angst Word Count: 3K+ Catch up on Chapter One here!

Chapter Two

Not a single person bats an eye at the two of you as you stroll out of the school. No students racing to tell a teacher that you were leaving, and no teachers questioning you as to where you were going. It was easy, almost too easy. At your old school, even before the incident occurred, you were watched like a hawk, unable to make any moves out of the ordinary without someone asking what the hell you were doing.   Walking with Josh though, people parted like the red sea as you approached, almost as if no one wanted to be in the same vicinity as him.   You were aware that something with Josh’s family had occurred in recent months, the exact details of what exactly, you were fuzzy on.  Though hearing Josh mention that he had ‘Special Privileges’, only added to your overall curiosity over what you had dubbed the, Washington Mystery.

For a solid ten minutes, Josh kept his arm wrapped around your shoulder, either for your comfort or his, at this point you couldn’t quite tell. All you knew, was that the moment he slipped his arm away, you instantly felt cold. “Ladies first.” He grins, bowing low and gesturing one arm towards the forest green jeep you now stood beside.

You blink in surprise, cocking your head to one side as you take in the dirty car. It had a few scratches along the sides, and the tyres were covered in mud from the recent rain. Aside from that, the car itself was in excellent condition, and almost seemed too nice to be sitting in the student parking lot. “Is this your car, or are we about to become felons?” You smirk, turning your full attention to the man beside you.

“Hey, you’re already a felon. If anything, I should be worried about you corrupting me, not the other way round!” He’s laughing, and you find yourself chuckling along with him too. For the first time, finding humour in the awful events which had lead you here.

“Just don’t follow me to the science labs, and we should be good.” You tease, nudging your shoulder against his playfully. It was odd, you had gone from crying over people bringing up your past only a few minutes ago, and now you were laughing about it. Perhaps it was because somehow, you just knew that Josh understood what you were going through?

The rattling of keys pulls you out of your thoughts, blinking twice you focus back on Josh who was now dangling a set of car keys in front of you. “Don’t stress, it’s my car.” He grins, twirling the keyring around his index finger three times, before clasping his fingers around the keys, and pinning them to his palm.

Reaching out, you grab the door handle and tug it open, climbing up and into the Jeep and settling into the black leather passenger seat. Josh darts around to the opposite side, slamming the door behind him, as he twists the key in the ignition. “Damn, this shit is fancy.” You breathe lowly, running your hand along the dashboard. Josh chuckles beside you, putting the car in reverse, and getting you both out of the parking lot. “What’s so funny?”

He shakes his head, short curls bouncing gently against his forehead. “You!” He grins, locking his green eyes on you for a moment, before returning his attention to the road ahead. “I’d almost think you’ve never seen a Jeep before.”

You roll your eyes, turning to look out of the window, watching the unfamiliar scenery pass you by. “That’s not true. I’ve seen plenty of Jeeps before. I’m just not used to seeing one in student parking is all.” You shrug.

“Nah, that’s fair. The only reason I have it, is so I can drive off road when heading to the family lodge.” Josh flicks on the indicator, and makes a left turn, taking you away from the main road, and into an area you don’t recognise.

“Oh la-di-da, the family lodge eh?” You giggle, rolling your head to the side to look at him now, a bemused expression on his lips too.

“Ha, yeah. Washington Lodge, up on Blackwood Mountain.”

You stare at him blankly, eyes blinking slowly as you wait for an explanation which never comes. You’ve been in town for nearly a month, and this was the first you were hearing about the Washington Lodge and Blackwood Mountain. “Am I supposed to know where that is?” You finally ask, once you realise Josh isn’t going to provide any more information unprompted.

“Sorry, I forget you’re new here. Everyone else knows the area, hell most people have been to the Lodge as it is. Or at least, most of Hannah and Beth’s classmates.” He sighs, a frown creasing his brows tightly, just as his knuckles grip the steering wheel more firmly.

“Hey, sorry I didn’t mean to pry. Uh, where are we go-” You begin, hoping to change the subject before you can say anything else which may upset Josh.

“No, it’s fine. Um, Blackwood Mountain is about two hours from here. My family built a lodge up there a few years ago, and there’s a small cabin too. We used to have end of year parties there, and just parties to celebrate everything we could. One year Sam hosted a Halloween party, now that was fun.”

You watch as Josh’s grip relaxes slightly, though he keeps both hands planted firmly on the wheel, and shows no signs of letting go. “That sounds great!” You offer with likely an over exaggerated smile.

He nods slowly. “Yeah, it was. Not sure when we’ll be able to go back, or if I even want to.”

You want to ask further questions, but bite your tongue from doing so. You had heard enough of the rumours circling school, to know better than press for answers you’re not entirely sure you want. The silence which fills the Jeep is both uncomfortable, yet welcoming at the same time, both you and Josh seemingly lost in your own thoughts for the time being. Leaning forwards, you fiddle with the dials on the stereo, pressing buttons at random until music flows through the speakers. “Let’s see what Mr Josh Washington listens to shall we?” You smirk, turning the dial up, so the volume increases. What plays, leaves you utterly surprised.

“The disappearance of Kate Lane has haunted her home town for over twenty years now. Her family are desperate for answers, and to find out who has their daughter. But so far, police have been unable to find any trace of the missing twenty year old….”

Leaping forwards, you turn the volume dial down, pupils blown wide as you turn to stare at Josh, who has returned to gripping the steering wheel for dear life. “You listen to unsolved cases podcasts?”

Josh’s lips are drawn into a straight, thin line, as his eyes stare unblinking ahead at the road. The dense forest which you had been driving through, was now slowly making way for streetlights, and residential areas. “Yeah, I do.” He mutters quietly, almost more to himself than to you.

“Why though?”

“I have my reasons Y/N.” And with that, it’s clear as day that the conversation is over. You reach forwards and turn the stereo off, finding yourself liking the silence far more than talks of missing women.

Josh gnaws on his lower lip as he drives through town, frowning in deep concentration, almost as if he were trying to convince himself not to do what he was planning. Finally, he pulls off the main road, driving directly into a McDonalds drive thru. “Do you want anything?’

Your eyebrows disappear into your hairline in surprise, blinking rapidly at Josh. This was hardly what you were expecting out of your afternoon, that was for sure. “I, uh – I don’t have any cash on me?” You stammer out quietly.

“I didn’t ask if you had cash. I asked if you wanted anything, silly.” He’s chuckling  now, all signs of anger and frustration he displayed before, melting away like ice over flame.

“Um, sure I guess. Large fries please?”

“Easy done.” He drives further through, stopping to place his order before proceeding to the cashier and collection points. “Here ya go.” He offers, once he’s holding the greasy brown paper bag, the smell of deep-fried everything leaving the air in the car smelling stale.

“Thank you. I owe you one.” You smile, pulling your fries out of the bag, and cradling them in your lap protectively.

“Nah, don’t worry about it. Think of it as bribery, yeah?”

You pause, fry poised halfway to your mouth, and watching Josh from the corner of your eyes. “Bribery for what exactly?”

“There’s something I need you to do for me.” He begins, driving back the way you came. “And you seem like the kind of person who wants justice, and demands to know the truth… Am I right?”

You breathe in deeply, thinking back to the accident you had caused in the science labs. Everyone was so quick to point their fingers at you, shoving all the blame to you, though not once did they ask to hear your side of the story! “You’re right.”

He nods, smiling to himself in an almost wicked manner. “I thought so. Y/N, you and I are going to get along very well I think.”

You munch down on the fry you had held for the past few minutes now, frowning slightly at how cold it had grown out of the bag. “Let’s hope you’re right. I need more than one friend here.”

“And so far, who would you consider to be your one friend?”

You shrug lightly, popping another fry past your lips. “I suppose Sam. At least, I think she’s a friend?”

Josh nods again, pulling off the main road and travelling along a dirt path towards the forest. “Perfect, that’s exactly what we need.”

You frown deeply, eyes locking on the side of Josh’s face now. “What are you talking about? And where are you taking me?”  Panic is beginning to settle in, as you find yourself being driven further and further away from any signs of people.

“Don’t worry! We just need to go somewhere to talk. Somewhere we don’t run the risk of anyone hearing us.”

You roll your eyes, huffing out a deep sigh. “You could’ve told me that. I would’ve invited you over to my place. No one is going to be home for hours.”

“Oh, well yeah… I didn’t know that. Now I look like a creep.” Josh half smirks, though shows no signs of changing his selected course.

There’s nothing left for you to do, but sit back and relax, watching out of the window as you pass by the dense covering of trees. You can’t help but wonder how often Josh comes out here, if this was a familiar area to him. He seemed to know the path you were driving well, though you suppose it could be coincidence.   Finally, Josh pulls the car over in a clearing within the forest. It was a small, intimate area, which would probably make a nice setting for a camping trip with friends, if it weren’t still so close to town. “Here we are…”

You suck in your bottom lip, gnawing on it slightly between your teeth. He had promised he wasn’t going to hurt you, but something about this situation just felt off. Just as Josh exits the Jeep, you do the same, closing the door behind you firmly. The locks click shut, and you move around to the front of the car to meet Josh, who was plucking a fry from the paper bag. “This is what I like to call, my plotting spot.” He begins, gesturing for you to follow him further into the clearing.

“And what exactly do you plot out here?” You follow closely behind him, kicking small stones and twigs out of your path with your toe.

He shrugs, before sitting down heavily on a fallen tree trunk, resting the greasy takeout bag between his feet on the forest floor. “I want to say revenge - But I’m not entirely sure if that’s the right word for it? Maybe it’s justice I’m looking for? Or the truth?”

His words draw you towards him, the edge of pain to his voice sending a pang of sympathy through your heart. “Justice for who?” You ask quietly, stepping closer until you too are sat on the tree trunk.

“My sisters, Hannah and Beth.”                                                                            

This was your chance, to ask the questions which had been burning on your tongue, from your first media lesson when you had heard your classmates mention those names! “What happened to them? Why do you need justice?”

Josh sucks in a deep breath, tilting his head down until his eyes are focused solely on his feet. “During winter break, something happened to them at the lodge. An- and they’ve been missing ever since.”

You know there’s more to this story, there has to be! Why else would Josh be so intent on finding out the truth. There’s something he’s not telling you, that’s for damned sure. “Something, or someone?” You pry, hoping that perhaps this was the lead you needed for him to tell you more.

At this, Josh laughs. It’s not a full laugh, nor one that resounds from deep within. If anything, it’s a hollow sound, though you suppose that it’s better than nothing. “You’re very quick to catch on, aren’t you? Beth would’ve loved you if she had gotten the chance to meet you!”

Turning on the tree trunk, you sit sideways so you can look at Josh fully now. Even if he won’t tear his gaze away from his boots, the least you can do is give him your undivided attention. “The way you talk about her and Hannah - I assume the worst happened?”

Josh nods in affirmation, before turning to meet your gaze, unshed tears swimming in his pale green eyes. “The police searched everywhere. They were at the lodge for weeks, no one could come in or go out. They searched, and searched, and searched… But there was nothing to be found.” He takes a deep breath in, reaching up and scrubbing his fists down his cheeks roughly. “They’re still calling it a disappearance, as if one day my sisters might suddenly just pop up in the middle of, I don’t know, fucking Brooklyn or some shit. But they’re not going to… I know that. Somehow, I know they’re not here anymore. You know? I can just feel it…”

You reach a hand out towards Josh, resting it against his thigh gently, hoping that even just the slightest touch may be enough to remind him you were here. “Do you know who hurt them?”

He turns to face away from you once again, staring dead ahead at a small bird which leapt experimentally from tree branch, to branch. “I have my theories, let’s just leave it at that for now.”

Your tongue darts out to wet your lips, as you turn your gaze to the same bird that Josh had found. “Who was up at the lodge with you?” You whisper, both to not spook Josh nor the bird.

“Me, Hannah, Beth, Sam, Mike, Emily, Jess, Ashley, Matt and Chris.”

Sighing sharply, you try your luck with another question, hoping it won’t be taking things too far. “What happened? As in, what do you know happened. Not what any of them have said… I want your side of the story.”

Josh looks at you again, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “Are you always this inquisitive?”

“Pretty much, yes.”

“I don’t really remember much, which is part of the problem. Chris and I, we – we were passed out in the kitchen when things went down. I vaguely recall Beth trying to shake me awake, but I was too out of it.” Pain flashes through his eyes, and his irises grow dark at the memory of that evening. “All night we had been having a fun time, just being typical stupid kids, enjoying a break from school, and the freedom of having no parents around. I remember Mike being almost overly friendly towards Hannah all evening. And not just in the class president sort of way. He was wrapping his arm around he shoulders when we were sitting around talking. But Hannah, she was playing along, she had her arm around his waist.” He pauses, brows scrunching up in thought as he struggled to recall the events correctly. “It was so weird though, while they kept doing that, Emily was right here, watching all of it go down, but she never said anything! Which is so unlike Em, she’ll cause a scene whenever possible! Instead, she just kept giggling with Jess.”

You pause, taking in his words, until they slowly begin to make sense to you. Were Jess and Emily plotting something against Hannah? Is that what happened here? You know how bitchy girls can be, but what on Earth had they done which had resulted in both Hannah and Beth going missing? “Do you remember anything much after that?” You press on, hoping maybe he did. Though you were sure he had gone through all of this multiple times with the police, you weren’t going to dig up anything new.

Josh shakes his head no, rubbing one hand through his dark curls and tugging at the roots, almost as if he believed if he pulled hard enough, more answers would spring forth. “No, I don’t. All I remember was betting Chris that I could drink more than him…. Next thing I knew, I was being woken up by the police with my parents crying behind them.”

“Fucking hell. Josh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You whisper, pushing yourself closer to his side, where you wrap your arms around his shoulders. It’s an entirely one sided hug, but you pray that it helps him, even just a little bit. “What can I do to help? I want to help! I want to find out exactly what happened, and I want to help you get justice for Hannah and Beth.”

Finally, he turns to look down at you, wrapping one arm around your lower back, and pulling you tightly against him. “Thank you. I hoped you would.” He breathes deeply, the warm air tickling the tip of your ear.

“What do you need me to do?”

“You need to find out the truth. You’re already making friends with Sam. I need you to keep going. She knows more than she’s letting on, I just know it. The others won’t tell you anything. But Sam, she’ll spill anything if you’re on her good side, and ask her the right way.”

“Are you sure you want to know the truth Josh?”

“Yes. More than anything.”

Taglist: @viinchester​ @littlegangrel​ If you would like to be added, let me know!

Like my writing? Check out my MASTERLIST here!

[notalwaysthevillian]

Parent Trapped

Warnings: Anxiety, self-deprecation, food mention

Pairings: Eventual Romantic Remile, platonic LAMP

Word Count: ~3k

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Masterlist

Chapter 2: First Week of School

The next morning should’ve been absolute chaos, but it went surprisingly smooth. Emile woke first, getting ready for the day before heading downstairs to make breakfast for the boys. Patton was the next to rise, jumping in the shower as Virgil came downstairs to eat. The two switched places when Patton was done.

Once everyone was ready to go, the three of them made sure they had everything before jumping in the car.

“Are you guys excited for your first day?”

Virgil shrank in his seat. “You mean our first day in the middle of the school year? When we know absolutely no one and we’re the freaky new kids?”

“V, it’s okay.” Patton reached over and squeezed his hand. “We have a few classes together, and since we’re new we’ll probably sit together. And we share the same lunch.”

“I’ve talked to the principal over email.” Emile glanced at his sons in the back. “He seems like a very nice man. When I mentioned your anxiety disorder he said that he’d let the teachers know.”

Shrinking even further, Virgil threw his hoodie up. After a moment, he bolted upright. “What if they make me take my hood down?”

“They won’t, I made sure of it.” Emile said, his voice stern. “And if any of the teachers give you trouble for it, I want you to tell Mr. Sanders at the earliest opportunity. He understands that it helps you feel less anxious, even if it’s only a little bit.”

They pulled up to the school. There were kids pouring in from the buses, as well as the parking lot. Patton looked excited, but Virgil looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.

“I believe in you.” Emile smiled at him in the mirror.

Steeling his shoulders, Virgil got out of the car. He hunched over immediately, glancing at Patton who was still in the car.

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Patton just caught Emile’s nod as he got out of the car. Once the boys were at a safe distance from the curb, he drove off, waving in the mirror.

“We should go find our lockers.” Virgil mumbled, fidgeting with the strings of his hoodie.

The two of them fell into step as they headed down the hallway. A few people turned to look at them, but for the most part people kept to themselves.

The whispers were what worried Virgil. Especially when he couldn’t make out what they were saying.

They’re talking about you.

They think you’re a freak.

You’re not going to fit in here no matter how hard you try.

Luckily, Patton had noticed as soon as Virgil started to sink into his thoughts. He bumped their shoulders together, getting Virgil’s attention.

“What’s your first class?”

Virgil pulled out his schedule. He scanned the first column, glad that the school had been kind enough to give them a map along with their schedules. Not that the building was very big anyway.

“Um...Physical Science.”

“I’ll run into you as you leave then.” Patton said, putting his schedule up to Virgil’s. “I have that one second hour. You’ll have to warn me if there’s a pop quiz.”

Virgil couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Definitely. And you’ll have to warn me about any in English.”

“Of course.”

They reached their lockers, which were side by side, and quickly dumped what they wouldn’t need until after lunch.

“I can walk you to science if you want.” Patton offered.

Virgil shook his head. “I can’t be the freak that needs his brother to walk him to his classes.”

“V…”

“I’ll be okay. Promise.”

Virgil held out his pinky. Patton took it and they shook.

“See you in Algebra!” Patton said as he headed off.

Virgil turned around, heading in the opposite direction. It took him about two minutes to find the science hallway. He walked down the hall, checking the room numbers against his schedule, double checking when he found the right room.

He walked in, heading up to the teacher’s desk immediately. Mrs. Calypso glanced up as he approached, giving him a genuine smile.

“Virgil, right?” She said, keeping her voice low. “I’m Mrs. Calypso. Tho - Principal Sanders talked to me about your anxiety, so I won’t be introducing you to the class.”

Reaching into a drawer, she pulled out a textbook. There was a toucan emblazoned on the cover. “This is our textbook. You guys actually came in at a really good time, most of us are starting new sections today. I don’t think Le - Mr. Anderson is starting anything new, but volleyball is pretty easy to pick up.”

“Thank you.” Virgil took the textbook from her. He shifted his weight. “Um...where should I sit?”

“Oh! Right.” She glanced at a sheet of paper in front of her. “Logan sits by himself, you could join him.”

She pointed to a small boy with perfectly styled red hair. His glasses were a lot different than Patton’s. Patton preferred round glasses, but this boy seemed to prefer the square ones. It made him look smart and slightly intimidating.

As Virgil approached, Logan looked up from his book. “Hello. My name is Logan.”

“Mrs. Calypso told me.” Virgil said, wanting to mentally smack himself immediately. “I’m Virgil.”

Logan nodded, glancing at the clock above Virgil’s head. “I suggest you skim over the chapter. It’ll help you be able to answer Mrs. Calypso’s questions faster.”

“Cool.”

Virgil pulled out his notebook, folder, and a pencil before dropping his backpack at his feet. He started going over the first few paragraphs of the chapter, interrupted when the bell rang.

“Alright, class, if you’d open your books to chapter eight, we can get started.”

Virgil’s first few classes went by fairly quickly. Mrs. Calypso was extremely nice. A few times he’d panicked, thinking she was going to call on him, but she called on Logan instead. He was obviously the smartest kid in the class, something Virgil was grateful for.

When science had ended, Logan had given him a smile before heading out. Virgil bumped into Patton on the way to English, letting him know there wasn’t a pop quiz and getting a giggle in response.

Mx. Stokes was just as cool as Mrs. Calypso was nice. They had a huge non-binary flag up on the wall, informed Virgil of their pronouns right away, and had handed him a small Shakespeare anthology.

“We’re working our way through Hamlet right now.” They’d said as they handed the book over. “If you know the Lion King, you’re good.”

Virgil was glad he wasn’t picked on to read any of the lines, knowing he’d mess it up. Instead he gave his opinion on what a few of the pieces of foreshadowing were, earning a smile and nod from Mx. Stokes in the process.

By the time he reached math, he was a lot calmer. None of the students seemed to really care that there were some new kids, ignoring him since he was ignoring them.

“You look happy.” Patton said once Virgil had sat down next to him.

Mr. Lockwood shut the door as soon as the bell rang. One unlucky student showed up a few seconds later, opening the door and slinking to their desk.

“We have a few new students today.” He gestured to Virgil and Patton. Virgil immediately started sinking in his seat. “Virgil and Patton Picani. You can get to know them on your own time. Our new unit today is polynomials.”

There were a few groans from the class.

“Yes, yes, I know, math sucks. It’s still my job to teach you and get you to understand the material by any means necessary.” After a moment of silence, he pulled out a remote. “And today’s means are a video.”

The class cheered as the projector was turned on, starting to warm up.

After one more class without Patton, since he’d opted for Spanish and Patton had opted for ASL, they met at their lockers.

“ASL is so much fun!” He gushed as they dumped their morning books and grabbed their stuff for the afternoon. “Our teacher, Talyn, shows us videos while we do the signs. It’s so much easier to figure it out that way!”

“That’s really cool, Pat.” Virgil slipped his backpack straps over his shoulders as they walked to the lunchroom.

Since the school was small, the lunchroom was too. Virgil was relieved to find out that it wasn’t the giant, two-story area he was thinking of. High School Musical wasn’t the best depiction of high school, but it was all he knew.

They moved through the line, grabbing some rubbery looking pizza, a fruit cup, and a sugar cookie.

“This looks nasty.” Virgil said as they sat at an empty table in the corner. “I’m definitely packing a lunch the rest of the year.”

“It might not be that bad!” Patton took a bite of the pizza. “The pizza is okay. No Little Caesar’s, but it’s...edible.”

The two of them choked down their lunches. By the time they were finished, the cafeteria was mostly cleared out. Following the few students left, Patton and Virgil found that most of the students headed off to wherever they wanted to, using their spare lunch time as a little bit of a free period.

Virgil glanced at the kids before starting to shuffle down the hall. “I’m gonna get my stuff and head to History.”

“Okay!” Patton started walking with him. “I’m gonna head to the gym. Mr. Anderson should probably know how clumsy I am before he decides where I’m going on the volleyball court.”

“You’re not that clumsy.”

The two of them burst into giggles at Virgil’s claim. Patton was known for tripping over the slightest thing. Sometimes that included his own feet. But Virgil and their dad never made him feel bad about it, telling Patton that it simply added to his charm.

Once they’d gathered their stuff from their lockers, the two of them went their separate ways once more. Virgil headed off to history with Mr. Foote, and Patton headed to the gym.

There were a few students already over there, heading into the locker room. Patton went into the gym first, hoping to talk to Mr. Anderson before class started.

“Woah, you need your uniform tod -” Mr. Anderson stopped himself. “I apologize, you must be one of the new students. Let me see...Patton?”

“That’s me!” Patton said, giving him a smile. “I wanted to warn you before class started. I’m really clumsy.”

“Even the clumsiest among us can be great athletes.” Mr. Anderson looked up, marking a few students off on his clipboard. “Don’t worry, Patton, I’m here to make sure no one gets hurt, whether it be intentional or an accident. And when I can’t prevent that, Nurse Britches does an excellent job at patching people up.”

Patton giggled, leaving Mr. Anderson to talk to the students who had just walked in. He quickly changed into his uniform and tennis shoes, throwing the rest of his stuff in his gym locker.

“You’re new.”

Green eyes looked up at Patton from the nearest bench. The boy was tying his shoes, the red accents matching his bandana perfectly.

“I’m Patton.”

The boy stood, flicking his hair out of his eyes. “Roman.”

“I thought we had to wear the uniform.” Patton said as they headed out of the locker room.

Roman shot him a mischievous grin. “If you check the handbook, the rules say we have to wear the uniform. It doesn’t say anything about us not being able to add anything to it. Though once Principal Sanders figures that out, he’ll probably fix it for next year.”

Patton let out a giggle. “I mean, you’re still following the rules.”

“Technically, yeah.”

They filed into the gym with the rest of the class. Mr. Anderson, who insisted Patton call him Coach Leo, split them up into teams before letting them loose.

Patton was lucky enough to be on Roman’s team. “I’m pretty clumsy, so…”

“Everyone gets a turn in each spot.” Roman said, nudging him into the back center. “Of course, that’s if the other team can hit the ball back over. I’m the best server in the class.”

Class flew by, with Roman scoring point after point. Once he’d fully decimated the other team, Coach Leo called out a rule that servers could only score five points in a row, and then the team had to rotate.

“Doesn’t matter, we’ll still win.” Roman mumbled under his breath.

And he was right. Their team was the winner at the end of class, with no losses on their record.

“Tomorrow we’ll work on some of the basics again.” Coach Leo said as the bell rang.

Roman and Patton headed to the locker room to change back into their normal clothes.

“So where did you sit at lunch today?” Roman asked, pulling his shirt over his head.

“Over in the corner with my twin.”

“You have a twin?!” Roman practically shrieked.

No one gave them a second glance, telling Patton that he must do this a lot. “Mhmm. His name is Virgil.”

“Well, I cannot wait to meet your twin tomorrow.” When he noticed Patton’s confused look, Roman continued. “You two have to sit with me and my friends. And my brother.”

“Your brother isn’t your friend?”

Roman waved a hand in the air. “Kinda sorta. I gotta run to English, see you later!”

By the time the day was over, Patton was loaded down with homework. He was happy to see Virgil when he reached his locker to get all the books he’d need.

“Why is there so much to do?!” Virgil asked as he packed practically all of their textbooks into his backpack. The zipper refused to go up all the way, so he just left it open a crack.

Patton shrugged. “Because we came in during the middle of the year?”

“Nah, it’s just because everyone started a new section on the same day.” Tanya told them as she walked up. Her bubblegum snapped as she popped a bubble. “It’s not normally like that.”

“I guess we’re just lucky.” Hoisting up his backpack, Virgil slung it over one shoulder. “We should go find Dad.”

Patton nodded before turning to Tanya. “Did you need a ride home?”

“Nah, I take the bus.” Tanya adjusted her backpack. “Gives me some time with my friends. But I’ll see you guys later.”

“Bye!”

The Picanis headed out of the double doors, finding their dad waiting a little down the block. As soon as they got in, he gave them a huge smile.

“How was school?”

Virgil and Patton looked at each other. Virgil waved his hand and Patton started talking first.

“It was a lot of fun, even though we have a lot of homework. I met a lot of people and I made a new friend! His name is Roman, he’s in my gym class. Oh! And my ASL teacher is super cool. They show us videos to learn the signs and it makes it a lot easier. Um...I think that’s it.”

“I’m glad you made a friend! He’ll have to come over sometime soon so I can meet him.” Emile switched his gaze to his other son in the rearview mirror. “Virgil? How’d it go?”

“It went alright. My English teacher is really cool. We’re doing Hamlet, which they told me is just like the Lion King. And I think I made a friend? He’s in my science class and we sit together. He doesn’t talk a lot unless he’s answering a question.”

“What’s his name?”

“Logan. And he’s short, so I think he might have skipped a grade or something, but I didn’t want to ask him.” As he finished his sentence, Virgil flipped up his hood, putting in his headphones.

The next day at lunch, Patton dragged Virgil over to where Roman was sitting. Virgil noticed Logan sitting at the emptier end of the table, eyes moving over a book in front of him as he ate.

“The name’s Roman.” Roman said to Virgil, who responded with a half smile and a wave. Waving his hand down the table, Roman introduced everyone else. “That’s Alex, Quil, and Nessa. The one at the end who’s ignoring everyone is my brother, Logan.”

“Logan’s your brother?” Virgil asked.

Logan finally looked up when he heard Virgil’s voice. “Sadly.”

“Hey!”

“If you want some semblance of peace and quiet, I’d suggest you join the loner end of the table.” Logan continued, ignoring his brother’s shout of protest.

Virgil immediately moved across from Logan, hearing Roman grumble under his breath. Patton easily distracted him with a question, leaving Virgil and Logan to themselves.

“How are you two related?” Virgil asked as he watched Roman talk with his hands.

Logan flipped a page in his book. “We’re not. By blood, I mean. I was adopted.”

“Oh.” Virgil bit his lip, not sure what to say. “Um, that’s cool.”

“It would be if my father and brother weren’t such lunatics.”

The only thing tipping Virgil off that Logan was joking was the tiniest twitch in the corner of his mouth. Once Virgil started laughing, Logan did too.

“Oh my god, he laughs.” Roman teased from the other end of the table, earning himself a rude gesture from Logan.

That, combined with the offended gasp from Roman and a scolding from Patton, made Virgil laugh even harder. Tears started streaming down his face as he continued, unable to stop for a good minute or so.

The rest of the week became routine. Patton and Virgil ate at Roman and Logan’s table every single day. The four of them became fairly good friends by the end of the week.

Good enough friends for Roman to come in on Friday, excitement sparkling in his eyes, and say, “My dad said you guys could sleep over tonight.”

Ice spread through Virgil’s veins at the thought. He stammered out some sort of excuse before taking off, leaving his lunchbox behind.

“Was it something I said?” Roman asked as he stared at were Virgil had been.

Patton quickly got up, grabbing Virgil’s lunchbox. “He - it’s - I’ll text you later and explain, okay? I don’t want to say something he doesn’t want me to say.”

Roman simply nodded as Patton took off to go find his brother.

[bensakindofmagic]

Chapter Seven

Warnings: some sex (but probs doesn’t count as smut, I dunno)

w/c: 3k

Chapter Seven

“Here she is. Finally,” came Joe’s snarky remark as you burst into the makeup trailer. 

“Oh please, I’m only 15 minutes late. And anyway, I brought coffee, you ungrateful little shit,” you rebuffed with a laugh, and seemed to be instantly forgiven. “‘Morning Freddie,” you said to Rami who was already in the teeth and nose, as you handed him a cup. He shot you a wink in return. 

When you handed Gwil his, he said softly, “You seem pretty chipper. How’re you doing?” 

The last time you had seen him you were fighting off tears.

You shrugged a little, “Better, I suppose. We went out for dinner last night.” 

“So that’s why you’re late, is it?” Joe said, pumping his eyebrows (immediately causing Ben to glare at him). 

“And what right would you have to judge if it was?” you sassed. 

He held his hands up in surrender, but looked to Ben who had tensed up. Seeing him so agitated got under your skin; he had no more right to an opinion on your sex life than anyone else. 

“Not that’s it’s any of your business, but I slept in my own bed last night — alone.”

You heard Julio, who was attaching Ben’s wig, chastise him for fidgeting too much.

“So no fun times for Y/N then?” Rami queried.

“Not this time, at any rate.” 

Ben piped up, “Are you seeing him again?”

“Probably. We haven’t arranged anything, but I think I’d like to see him again before he goes back.”

“You think?” he hesitated, “So what exactly is going on between you two?”

That was exactly the question you had been asking yourself. You sighed, and sat heavily on the sofa beside Gwil.

“No idea.” You sensed that ranting wasn’t what the guys had been looking for to start off a busy day, but it felt good to get things off your chest, “I don’t know what I’m expecting to come of all this. I mean, he’s only in London for a few weeks, it’s not like anything serious could happen.”

“Is that what you want? Something serious?” Gwil prompted. You groaned and buried your face in his shoulder, “I don’t knooow.”

He put his arm around you and when you looked up he smiled lovingly. He appeared shockingly like Brian to you then.

“I can’t tell what I want ‘cause it’s hidden beneath layers of nostalgia. He was my first love, I don’t know if I ever really got over him.”

“What happened between you?” Joe asked, quickly adding, “If you don’t mind my asking.”

“I moved back to England. Simple as that,” you replied. “I wanted to try and do long distance, but he said no, so we broke up. I thought he was the love of my life, you know? I thought I’d be with him forever, so when he said he wasn’t interested in trying to make things work it was a bit of a slap in the face, really. It sent me into this spiral of thinking that the whole time he meant more to me than I did to him, and that maybe he never actually loved me. It shook my confidence, a lot, and it took me a long time to build that back up. But, seeing him the other night, after everything I went through… he hasn’t changed a bit. He still makes me feel like the only woman in the world worth looking at when he talks to me.” You confession spilled out of you almost involuntarily, but you were grateful to the boys for listening. “Maybe it’s just the Italian,” you laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“What happens next, then?” Rami said with genuine concern for you.

“You tell me. I mean, part of me is terrified that exactly the same thing is going to happen again, I’ll fall arse over tit for him and he’ll just go running off back to Italy and I’ll be back where I was five years ago.”

“So maybe don’t see him again?” Joe said skeptically.

“But I want to,” you whined, “He makes me feel good.”

“Instant gratification though, it’s a bitch,” Gwil trilled.

You moaned, knowing deep down that he was right, “It’s the timing though, I can’t believe he’s showed up now.” Just when you needed a romantic distraction.

“What’s so special about now?’

You realised what you’d said, and how close you could have come to confessing your feelings for Ben. Even if you only said that you had feelings for someone they’d put two and two together sooner or later. That you could not risk, especially seeing as you’d decided you had to get over him.

“We’ll I’m a lot more mature now than I was then, I’m more confident in myself, I know my worth. What if I can handle it this time? We can have fun for a couple weeks, for old times sake, and then leave it there, move on.”

“Can you though?” Gwil doubted, “It’s never that easy, or that rational, when it’s your first love.” 

Of course he was right. Again. What an arsehole. You chanced a glance at Ben, who was staring steadfastly ahead, chewing the inside of his cheek.

“She’s not interested in me, mate!” Ben scowled dejectedly. “She was conflicted because of how things ended with him, it’s got fuck all to do with me. She doesn’t care about me.”

“That’s not fair, she does care very much about you. You can’t resent her for not having feelings for you,” Gwil reasoned. They were sat around during their lunch break, waiting for you to return with food. 

Ben had been watching you all morning for any sign that what the guys had said was true. He was kicking himself for not marching to your front door yesterday, before your date with that Matteo guy, and kissing you then and there. He had been so sure that you had connected that night in your trailer. Sure, he had been kind of drunk, but the chemistry was palpable. Every fibre of his body had been vibrating at just being that close to you. It tortured him that he hadn’t kissed you, or at least told you how he felt.

But now, it seemed like you barely thought of him. You hadn’t said anything about that moment; you’d barely looked at him in days. When you had spoken, it was relaxed and friendly: no sexual tension, no flirting, no banter. The rapport you had been building was suddenly gone, vanished without warning.

“I’m sorry man,” Joe consoled. “You’ve still got me though.”

That released a small chuckle from Ben, and he smiled with doe eyes, “My one true love.”

“One less person to battle with for your affection. Just me and you now, Gwil.” 

Ben laughed along with the rest of them, but a deep sadness settled heavily in his chest. You didn’t want him. He knew he should give it up, try to move on, but the thought of letting go of that beautiful dream almost hurt more than the knowledge that he could never have it. 

Just then you walked in and cheerily called, “I come bearing food!”

Joe gave Ben a pat on the back and got up to dig into the spread you were unloading. 

You noticed Joe’s behaviour and looked to Ben. There was a sadness hanging over him like a black cloud as he sat, picking at his fingernails. You debated in your mind whether to go and sit next to him. You were supposed to be getting over him, but surely the best way to do that was by being normal around him. Distancing yourself would only mask the problem, and you knew that those feelings would only resurface as soon as you saw him again. No, the way to move past it was to spend time with him, be a friend to him, and accept that friendship as good enough. You collected some food on a plate and took the seat beside him that Joe had just vacated.

“You okay? You seem a bit down,” you coaxed in a gentle tone as you offered him the plate. He took it gratefully, but didn’t meet your eyes.

“‘M fine.”

You nudged him with your shoulder, “You can’t lie to me Benny, what’s up? Trouble in your love life?” It was that kind of melancholy that suggested to you he was having girl trouble.

He pursued his lips, exhaling softly. “Something like that.”

You collapsed back into the sofa, sighing, “You and me both babe.” He looked back at you over his shoulder, a simper pulled at the corner of his mouth creating a dimple there, and you smiled; there was genuine warmth in his bright green eyes and it lit a candle in your heart. Seeing him happy was worth any heartbreak you might endure because of that smile.

“We just can’t win, can we,” he chuckled.

“Nope,” you said, popping the P, and joked, “We should just become celibate and be done with it.”

“Nah, I couldn’t cope with that, my libido is far too high.” 

You laughed heartily, and he leaned back so you were resting side-by-side. With easy-going indifference he laid his arm over the back of the sofa, and you let your head fall back to rest on it.

“Maybe we should just bang each other then, mutual satisfaction,” you mused, and shot him a look out of the corner of your eye. He cocked an eyebrow at you and you couldn’t keep a straight face. You both laughed in harmony, oblivious to the underlying longing that flared in both of you.

Joe and Gwil exchanged a look, the latter frowning while the former just shrugged and threw himself back into his lunch.

The closeness broke Ben’s heart. The way you could share such casual intimacy, then get up and walk away like it was nothing, devastated him. You had sat together, your head resting on his arm, then shifting to the spot where his shoulder met his chest, for the rest of the break. When you were called away he watched you go, mourning the sudden loss of warmth, but his his heart skipped a beat when you threw a smile at him over your shoulder as you walked away. How was he supposed to get over you when you smiled at him like that, all innocent and effortlessly beautiful? The muscles in his stomach clenched when he heard you humming quietly to yourself as you went about your job, the lilt of your voice drifting over to him on a balmy breeze. He held his breath when Josh went over and spoke to you, but relaxed when you dismissed him. He couldn’t hear the words you exchanged but by the mild disappointment on Josh’s face he assumed you had rejected whatever desperate advance he had made. As much as it pleased Ben that you weren’t interested in him, he was made aware of how many men were after you. He wasn’t surprised really, considering what a beautiful soul you were. The way you held yourself, with so much confidence and assurance, was captivating. You were gorgeous in a delicate, effortless way, but it was your heart that had him enraptured. You were endlessly kind, generous with your time and your love, but you had a mercilessly witty sense of humour. He wanted to be with you constantly; just being in your presence was worth the pain of his longing. When you disappeared outside to take a call, Ben’s eyes tracked you across the room. He saw how your face changed when yow read the Caller ID, he saw the mix of panic, excitement, and trepidation in your features. 

“Dude,” Joe admonished, slapping his arm lightly, “Stop staring at her.”

When Matteo called you on set you slipped outside to answer. It felt wrong, somehow, to take that call in front of everyone, in front of Ben. You panicked as he asked to see you again, still undecided as to what to do. It wasn’t until you heard your voice, sounding distant in your own head, agreeing to see him that evening that you realised you had already made the decision. You were well aware of the disappointment the guys felt in you after you told them why you couldn’t hang out after wrapping for the day. 

“Are you sure it’s a good idea?” Gwil had cautioned.

“Probably not, right?” 

“But you’re going to do it anyway,” Joe sighed, defeated.

You met Matteo in his hotel room — a sure fire indication of what he wanted from the start — and ordered room service. There was an easy nonchalance with which you conversed. The stakes were low, you both knew where the night was headed, and before you knew how it had happened he was kissing you. 

And sliding your top up over your head. 

And kissing your neck, collarbones, breasts, sucking and biting as he went.

And you were moaning and panting and hot with lust.

The passion with which you made love was suffocating. Your bodies tuned back into each other effortlessly, and waves of pleasure washed over you again and again. It chased every thought from your mind and left only burning desire in its wake. Your body was on fire under his touch. It was slow, and sensual, expert. You rode him with eyes pressed tightly shut, chasing your orgasm as he grunted beneath you. You reached your peak and collapsed onto his chest and he gingerly detached himself from you and released his own climax onto your stomach. You lay, overcome, on the bed as he went to get a towel to clean you up, but as you caught your breath a nagging dissatisfaction crept into view. The sex had been great, as good as you remembered but you felt unfulfilled. Even as he gently wiped your skin clean, pressing kisses behind your ear, you felt lonely. He wasn’t what you wanted. 

You decided not to stay the night, but slipped out of the bed when Matty was lightly snoring. You scribbled a note on the hotel notepad on the bedside table, lying that you needed to leave for work, and thanking him for last night. You silently dressed yourself and crept out the door, only glancing back for a moment at the way a sliver of moonlight painted his skin silver.

At work the next day you were distracted, making silly mistakes and daydreaming constantly. You felt uneasy at what you had done. You had wanted Matteo, wanted to sleep with him, but as soon as you’d done it you couldn’t shake the tension in your chest. You didn’t regret your choice, but it was somewhere on that spectrum. Guilt flooded your body when you saw Ben watching you from his mark between takes. 

“Y/N? Will you get costume to come and fix Joe’s shirt please?” the first AD said with some annoyance. You had clearly not been listening the first time she’d asked. 

“Right, of course.”

“You slept with him, didn’t you?” Rami asked without preamble, as he got his prosthetic nose carefully peeled off.

You gave a dejected smile, “Am I so obvious?”

“How was it?” Joe probed. 

“Mate, there’s a line,” Gwil frowned.

“Fine. Good,” you sighed. “Satisfactory."

“And yet you seem unsatisfied,” Ben said, surprising you. He usually stayed quiet during conversations about your love life. When you didn’t respond he continued, “You know you deserve so much better than him, right?”

With a quiet voice you said, “You don’t know him, Ben.” 

“No,” he stood, assured, confident, “but I know you. And I see how he makes you feel. You haven’t been happy since you first laid eyes him. You’ve been tense, and quiet. It’s not you. You’re not yourself around him. You deserve someone who makes you happy, who makes you the most honest version of yourself. That isn’t him.” And with that he grabbed his clothes and left to change out of his costume, leaving you dumbstruck.

“Well that was quite the speech,” Joe said, sounding as shocked as you felt.

Heavy silence settled over the room, making the sudden ringing of your phone sound all the more harsh.

“Is it him?” Gwil asked, noticing the look on your face. You nodded.

“I don’t want him. I want to want him but I don’t,” you whispered, your voice weak.

“Then tell him.”

You went to a secluded corner of the room and answered the phone, “Hi Matty.”

You struggled to keep your voice from cracking as you spoke, and arranged to meet him at a bar not far from set. It felt wrong to confess your feelings (or lack thereof) to him over the phone, not after everything you had gone through together, all that you had shared, but equally you wanted to get it over with. 

The guys offered to go with you for moral support (and also to make sure you didn’t chicken out, or accidentally get seduced by him), but you kindly declined, knowing it was something you needed to do alone.

You didn’t get seduced by him. You told him in a calm voice when he arrived that you didn’t want to see him anymore, you told him that you had enjoyed catching up with him after so long, but that you couldn’t regress to that time of your life, that you had moved forward since you had been together and he wasn’t what you wanted anymore. He took it well, but there was still a melancholic tinge to his features when he said goodbye, kissing your cheek and whispering, “Caio, angelo mio.”

You watched him walk out of your life for the last time, and quickly wiped away the lone tear that trickled down your face. 

tags: @anikatcmh @queen-turtle-boiii @orchideax @rogerspoison @my5secondsofneverland @mrsmazzello @ixchel-9275 @radiob-l-a-hblah @devin-marie  @luvborhap @mercurycrowley @spaghetittiesbcimgay @valeriecarolinaw @saint-hardy @caborhapch @stephanie-everlasting @coldmuffinpartycloud 

[crazy-little-cool-cat]

Hand in Glove - Chapter 29 | Ben Hardy x OFC

A/N: I have a problem, alright? In the words of the greatest poet to ever live, Mr. Kanye West - “I’m tired. You’re Tired. Jesus wept.” Also not sure if there are any typos left or not so if there are just pretend they don’t exist ok byeeeeee.

Warnings: Smut ahead. Kind of. 

Word Count: ~3K

Chapter 1, Chapter 2,  Chapter 3,  Chapter 4,  Chapter 5,  Chapter 6,  Chapter 7,  Chapter 8,  Chapter 9,  Chapter 10,  Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14 , Chapter 15 , Chapter 16 , Chapter 17 , Chapter 18 , Chapter 19 , Chapter 20 , Chapter 21 , Chapter 22 , Chapter 23 , Chapter 24, Chapter 25 , Chapter 26, Chapter 27 , Chapter 28

“Do we write our own vows?” Ben asked and handed Rory her plastic spoon. “Like, is that a thing we can do?”

“I think so, yeah.” Annie covered her mouth, speaking while she chewed. She swallowed and made funny faces at Rory. “Can you believe she’s 10 months old?”

“Can you believe we’re getting married next week?” Ben countered.

“No,” Annie confessed. “Not really.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

“Yeah?” Annie leaned forward, intrigued.

“I know you said you don’t want a big wedding -”

“Not this again.”

“- but what if we do something small scale? After we get legally married. Just a big party for friends and family.”

“Ben…”

“Look, I humoured you long enough. I’ve basically let you walk all over me. I need something, Annie.” Ben dropped his fork with a clatter. “You’re not alone in this relationship.”

“Why are you so obsessed with this?” Annie dropped her fork too. “Why is it so important for you?”

“Because it just is.” Ben glared at her. “This isn’t Shitstorm Annie’s exclusive one-woman show, you know.”

“Call me a shitstorm again. Go on.”

“Shitstorm.”

“You know what?” Annie pushed her chair back. “I’m done.”

“The hell you are. Sit down.” Ben said calmly.

“Excuse me?” Annie scoffed.

“We’re having dinner with our daughter. Sit. Down.” Ben bounced his knee impatiently. “Grow up, will you?”

“How dare you -”

“If you mention me being away in the States again, Annabelle, so help me God, there will be no wedding. At all. Secret or not.” Ben’s jaw jutted forward slightly as he clenched it. “I’m so bloody sick of you holding it against me.”

Annie sat back down, doe-eyed. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Ben so riled up.

“Now, listen very carefully, because I’m only going to say this once.” Ben wiped Rory’s chin with her bib. “You got what you wanted. On your terms. Now, it’s my turn.”

“Do you honestly think it’s fair to invite your family to our wedding, when mine won’t be there?” Annie quipped.

“They could be if you invited them.” Ben shrugged. “It’s totally up to you.”

“You are my family, you bellend.” Annie closed her fists. “It’s like talking to a bloody rock.”

“You’re such a control freak, Annabelle.” Ben groaned. “Let it go. For once in your life.”

###

Annie looked in the mirror as she tried on an ivory colored dress. She scrutinized her reflection, nit-picking every little flaw and imperfection she could possibly find.

“Annie you’ve been glaring at yourself for fifteen minutes now.” Jamie held his head in his hands. “Please. You look beautiful. I want to leave.”

“No. This isn’t right. The hem is too long.”

“The hem is perfect.” Jamie sighed. “The neckline is perfect. The waist is perfect. Everything is bloody perfect! You look like a bloody angel.” Jamie stood up and walked over to where Annie stood. “You’re a spawn of the devil, but you look like an angel.”

“Do you think he’ll like it?” Annie looked up at her friend, wide-eyed and childlike.

“I know he will. How could he not?”

Annie fidgeted with the hem of her dress. It went up to just over her knees. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other, nodding to herself.

“Alright. Let’s get out of here, then.”

“Thank God!”

###

Ben spent most of his days home alone, working on writing his vows. He bit his nails as he stared at the piece of paper in front of him. His brain seemed to have forgotten how to use words properly, and went completely blank. With the wedding ceremony fast approaching, Ben could feel his entire body tense up from the stress.

They’ve planned the entire day out. Rory will be in daycare. Brian and Roger will meet Ben at the chapel he and Annie picked and triple-checked that is authorised by the Register Office. Jamie will drive Annie from set and bring her there. Once the ceremony is over and done with, they’ll pick Rory up and go have dinner at a restaurant, all three of them.

They even made reservations.

Roger gifted them two of his cymbal rings as a wedding present. Brian said his present will be a surprise. Jamie has done above and beyond to help Annabelle make this wedding happen on her terms, she couldn’t even imagine him giving anything more. In her words, ‘he risked his own bloody marriage for us, that’s more than enough.’

Ben picked up the pen and started drumming a beat on the edge of the table. When nothing came to him even still, he did the only thing he could think of. He started drinking.

###

“Ben?” Annie called from the front door, holding Rory in her arms. “Are you home?”

“Yeah!” Ben’s deep voice carried from the kitchen. “Juss’ doin’ stuff.”

Annie followed his voice and found him sitting in his underwear, in the midst of empty beer bottles, a half finished bottle of whiskey and a sea of balled up papers around him. His hair stuck out in every possible direction.

“What the hell?” she managed to force out through a smile and put Rory down on the floor.

“Well, I -” Ben burped, “oof, sorry. I’m writing the vows!”

“You’re sloshed.”

“I needed to relax, alright?” Ben took another sip of his whiskey. “Get the juices flowing.”

“Ben, where are your pants?”

“I got overheated.”

“What happened to your shirt?”

“I think I’m allergic to it.” Ben shrugged. “Shoo, Annie! You’re interrupting!”

He didn’t even notice the bag she was carrying, he was so keen on finishing the task at hand. With the tip of his tongue poking out through the corner of his mouth, Ben furiously scribbled across the page.

###

“That settles it.” Clara wiped her fingers on her napkin, finishing her lunch. “Your boyfriend is allergic to all clothes.”

“Ha, ha.” Annie rolled her eyes playfully. “He looked like a child doing his homework.”

“Aw, cute!” Mike chimed in. “What was he writing?”

“Oh.” Annie froze, trying to come up with an explanation for Ben’s drunken, naked writing session the previous night. “I think he’s writing a story.”

“A story?” Clara raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Kept telling me to shoo and that I’m interrupting.” Annie hoped her voice didn’t give anything away. “Probably a Clannie story.”

Clara snorted and doubled over laughing.

###

“Ben!” Annie shouted as she entered the house. “I’m here!”

He texted her in the middle of the day that she needs to come home because he is having a serious condition that needs tending to. Ben hardly ever got sick, and when he did - he turned into the biggest, neediest baby. Annie made use of her acting skills and convinced the production team that she’s incredibly ill and could use the rest of the day off to rest.

“Come here!” Ben called from the bedroom. Annie climbed up the stairs in a rush to find Ben standing at the foot of the bed. He looked relieved to see her. “Come here for a second.”

“What’s going on?” Annie looked him up and down, trying to see what was amiss. He seemed fine. Clothes on. Great spirits. “Ben, did you call me home because you got lonely?”

“Lonely?” Ben scoffed. “This goes beyond loneliness.”

“What?”

“Just…” Ben grunted uncomfortably.

“Ben what the hell are you doing?”

“This is serious, okay?” he started to undo his belt and popped the button on his jeans open, pulling the fly down.

“For the love of God -”

“Look at this. Look at it!” Ben stood, his jeans pooled around his ankles, arms outstretched to the sides. He pointed with both hands at his crotch. “Look at how hard I am.”

“I’ll pick up a medal on the way home.” Annie rolled her eyes and turned around.

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere.” Ben stated. “This?” he palmed his boxers. “This is just because I was thinking of you. Not even in a sexual way. You popped into my head and there it is!”

“Ben, you had me seriously worried that something might be wrong and -” Annie gasped. “Will you stop playing with yourself?!”

“Only if you’ll play with me instead.” Ben stepped out of his jeans and approached her. “Do you have any idea how much I need you right now?”

“Ben, I lied to everyone to get home as fast as I could and I come home to this?” Annie stepped back. “What is the matter with you?”

“I love you. I want you.” Ben started counting off answers. “I’m throbbing just thinking about you, going about your day.” He swooped forward and grabbed her, pushing his hips forward. “Feel it.”

“Have you gone completely mad?” Annie laughed as he pushed his cock against her tummy. “Ben!”

“We’re getting married. This time, tomorrow.” Ben wrapped his fingers around the column of Annie’s neck, giving it a gentle squeeze. “And I am so turned on by the mere thought of having you for myself. Forever.”

“You’re a lunatic.”

“You’re wearing too many clothes.” Ben observed.

“Are you high?”

“No.”

“Drunk?”

“Nope.”

“Just utterly insane, then?”

“Yes.”

###

“Nervous?” Brian wiggled his eyebrows at Ben.

“Not really. Just… anxious to see her.” Ben bit his bottom lip and shifted his weight from foot to foot.

The door to the chapel opened and Jamie walked in, holding it open for Annie. As if she was an actual dream, she appeared in the doorway, the light from outside casting a soft halo around her. A flower-crown weaved in her long hair, she looked like a porcelain doll in her Ivory dress. Ben’s breath caught in his chest at the sight of her.

Jamie offered his arm, and Annie held onto it, allowing him to lead her to the altar where Ben was standing with the registrar. She felt wobbly on her feet, and she wasn’t sure if the situation made her so unsteady or whether it was Roger and Brian’s presence there.

“Wait, wait!” Brian said and turned around to grab his Red Special. “Carry on now.”

To the sound of Brian’s guitar playing the Wedding March, Annie walked down the aisle towards her future husband. They both smiled so bright, it was almost blinding. As soon as she reached Ben, she grabbed his hand and held onto it for dear life. The registrar spoke, but neither Annie nor Ben listened. They just looked at each other in pure adoration.

“Hey, space cadets!” Roger snapped them out of their stupur. “Vows?”

“Oh, yeah.” Ben chuckled sheepishly and pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Annie. You ran into my life screaming Silly Gwilly and turned my whole world upside down. At a wedding, oddly enough. Never in my wildest dreams did I even think I’d be standing here right now, at this very moment. All it took was one kiss and I knew that you will be mine, no matter what. God knows you didn’t go down without a fight, kicking and screaming.”

 Annie chuckled. 

“It’s what I love about you most. You’re red-blooded. Fierce. You go after what you want, no matter the consequences. And yet, you listen. You learn. You help me learn, as well.” 

Ben smiled as he looked down at the paper and folded it back. 

“Today, I vow to love you and protect you, fiercely and forever, with every fiber of my being. Even when you’re irritating me beyond belief. No matter how far away I am, I will always love you and come home to you.”

“Well, then.” Annie let out a shaky chuckle as Ben stuffed the paper back in his slacks pocket. 

Her hands shook as she reached for her piece of paper. 

“I’m going to start this off by saying this: Ben Jones, you are the most infuriating man I have ever met. I love you for it. You let me be myself, but you put me in my place when I get out of hand. You’re my voice of reason and sensibility. My shelter.” 

Ben bit his bottom lip and smiled like a fool. 

“You took every notion I had of relationships and companionship and tossed it out the bloody window, reframing my entire mind. Because of you, I let myself leave my comfort zone and I ended up doing things I never thought I’d do. Childbirth was a big one of them. You gave me Rory and Franks, and you showed me what love is supposed to do.” 

Annie gulped and took a deep breath.

“You’ve stayed with me through thick and thin, even when I did my best to push you away. You are my soldier. My angel. My worst nightmare, at times. I will kill and die for you. I’ll be there for you through rain and sunshine and the end of the bloody world, for that matter. I love you, fiercely and forever.”

Ben and Annie exchanged rings and went through the motions of the ceremony, signing the wedding register obediently.

Thus, they were pronounced husband and wife.

###

Ben entered the dimly-lit bedroom quietly, smiling at Annie. She the covers pulled up to her chin, a playful glint in her eyes. Rory was sound asleep, and they were married.

“What’re you hiding over there?” Ben asked as he approached the bed. “You’re up to something. You’ve got the look.”

“See for yourself.” Annie shrugged.

Ben lifted the covers and took a long look at Annie’s naked body, her skin pale against the dark sheets. His eyes scanned her slowly, from her toes all the way up to the top of her head.

“Come and perform your husbandly duty?” Annie teased him. “Let’s consummate this bitch.”

They both cracked up laughing as Ben took off his boxers and rolled into bed next to Annie.

“Is it strange that it feels like the very first time again?” Annie whispered.

“Not at all,” Ben cleared his throat, and leaned in, his lips just brushing Annie’s. “I’m even more nervous now, actually.”

“Yeah?” Annie smiled and felt her body melt into Ben’s touch as he nodded and run his fingers through her hair. “Maybe it’s -”

Ben cut Annie off with a lingering kiss to her lips. Pulling apart, a blush rose on their cheeks as their heartbeats picked up. They’ve done this over a million times now, but never as husband and wife.

Annie caressed Ben’s jaw, looking up at him in awe. He smiled and kissed her lips again, pressing soft, lingering kisses to her lips. They weren’t usually this tender with each other, but this time was different. They couldn’t explain how so, they just felt that it was. They had forever, now. No need to rush.

Ben rolled himself on top of Annie, leaning his weight on his forearms. Their kiss deepend, changing from soft and sweet to feverish and needy. As Annie spread her legs wider, Ben slipped inside of her, pressing his forehead to the pillow, right next to Annie’s head. A whole flock of butterflies unleashed themselves as he moaned in her ear, bottoming out.

They stayed still, physically connected. Annie ran her hands up and down Ben’s back, her hips rolling slightly. Giving Ben a physical hint - she needs movement. Friction. Ben pulled himself almost all the way out and slammed himself back in. Annie’s soft moans were music to his ears.

###

“Good morning, Mrs. Jones.” Ben’s raspy voice woke her up the next morning.

“Time’s it?” Annie mumbled into the pillow.

“The sun is just coming up. Was about to go have a piss but then I saw you.” Ben snuggled closer to her. “Bodily functions can wait.”

“Mmm.” Annie moaned softly, still sleepy.

“Fiercely and forever.” Ben whispered as she drifted back off.

“Fiercely and forever.”

###

“Mum. Dada.”

Ben and Annie froze in their tracks as they went about making breakfast and getting Rory ready for the day.

“Did she just -” Ben pointed at his daughter.

“Dada. Mum!”

Annie looked at Ben, frowning.

“Mum mum! Dada!” Rory cooed and chattered, clapping to herself.

“Yes, baby?” Ben spoke. Rory turned her head and flashed him a somewhat toothy smile.

“Dada!”

“Oh my God!” Annie gasped. “Did she just say her first words?”

“I think she did!”

“Oh, my clever Aurora!” Annie picked her up from her highchair and cuddled her. “Such a smart girl!”

###

“You still want your little ‘party’?” Annie asked Ben about two weeks later. “For the family and friends.” She clarified when Ben looked at her as if she spoke in tongues.

“Yeah. Yes.” Ben nodded.

“If we do that…” Annie started.

“We’ll do it right. Plan ahead, at least six months. Make it perfect.” Ben smiled. “Are you sure?”

“You deserve it.” Annie shrugged.

“You will be the death of me, Annabelle Lee-Jones.” Ben sighed and walked over to Annie, squeezing her in a hug.

Annie’s stomach flipped and turned, making her sick. Third day in a row.

“Again?” Ben called after her as she bolted for the loo. “Maybe you should see a doctor?”

###

“Come again?” Annie looked at Dr. McCarthy, her mouth open in shock. She thought she misheard. She was sure there has to be some mistake. “I’m what, now?”

“Pregnant. With child.” Dr. McCarthy kept her face and voice even. “You have a bun in the oven, love.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Facts are facts, dear.” Dr. McCarthy pursed her lips. “The IUD is effective, but not 100%. 99.2%, actually. Seems like you’re the goddess of fertility and your partner has some almighty sperm because nothing can stop you two from making babies, it seems.”

“Are you serious?” Annie’s hands started shaking. “This can actually happen?”

“Rarely, but yes.”

“Huh.” Annie huffed with a frown. “That explains a lot, actually.”

“Yeah.”

“So, do we just keep it in there? Let the spawn play with it while it grows?” Annie grimaced.

“Well, no.” Dr. McCarthy said, slipping on her latex gloves. “The thing’s coming out. Now.”

“Oh boy.”

########

TAGLIST:  @ramibaby​ @xgoingdownx​ @qweenly​ @violetpond​ @sweeterthancheese @drummerqueenrmt @westansstuff @justgivemethekeys  @blondecarfucker @cheeseedreams47 @deacy-dearest​ @pinkmarvel @onceuponadetectivedemigod

[ladyemberswrites]

“A Touch Is All I Ask”

- 

Summary: Allura and Company haul the Stranger to the Castle Ship.

Rating: T and Up 

Words: 3k 

Chapters: 2/? 

-

Can read here on my Ao3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20626235/chapters/49759931#workskin

- 

“This guy is huge!” understatement of the millennium. This man, this stranger, must be at least around 7 feet tall and weighs a bloody ton being all hard, thick muscle and equally hefty armor. Despite her altean strength and Keith’s galra it took everyone to fly him back to Blue, only for them to rinse and repeat as they had to haul him to the castle’s infirmary. Even with the aid of the hanger room’s emergency gurney, he’s still far too heavy for one person to carry.

However, that’s the least of her issues at the moment, as his sudden arrival causes a massive commotion among the rebels and the castle staff going about their day. Both morbidly curious and confused everyone wants to know what in Altea's name is going on. But, a bark from a very disgruntled Nanny has them all fleeing back to their stations.

“What in ancient’s name is going-” her hard eyes flicker to the Stranger’s unconscious body, her mouth clamping shut and her face scrunches in displeasure. Allura braces herself for a full-on scolding, but luckily, her governess held her tongue and left without a fuss to ensure that the staff isn’t lazing off on their duties in spite of the chaos. Doubtful, Allura thought, annoyed; by the time lunch comes around gossip and rumors would’ve been spread to every cranny of the ship, probably to every rebel base and colony, if she’s being generous. But, she can bet on it. Another headache down the line for her to deal with.

Yet, she'll just have to worry about it later as her patient upon moving seems to be agitated. His brows and lips twisting in agony and pitiful groans pour from his mouth as sweat billows down his temples.

"Allura!" Coran came scampering down the hall "Princess, your back! I-oh, dear" he halts eyeing the Stranger with a quiet wariness.

"-and whose this fellow?" he twirls his mustache in contemplation, inching a little closer.  

"Don't know" Matt offers, huffing "the Princess found him out in the middle of nowhere-she thinks he might've been spat out the rift."

"The rift!" Coran gapes "that's impossible-"

"Hey, um yeah can we like save the questions for later" Hunk butts in his tone straining, sweating profusely.

"Even with a gurney this guy weighs like a ton, and I think my arms are going numb" Pidge grits her teeth.

"Right, right"

"Coran, can you have the nursing staff prepare the examination room, please"

"Right on it, Princess!" He salutes and takes off down the hall.

"Here's an idea" Keith mutters through clenched teeth "can't we just have the cow tow him to the infirmary" he grunts.

"She has a name!"

"I am not getting into an argument with you about a cow, so do everyone a favor and shut up!"

"Straight from the O-so gracious hero's mouth everyone!" He retorts snidely "I'd clap sarcastically, but I'm afraid my hands are occupied at the moment"

“.....And here we go again….” Matt exhales. Hunk sends Pidge a pointed glance marred with annoyance, the young tech can only shake her head and roll her eyes into the back of her skull in exasperation.

"Oh, come on you two" Shiro chides his face falling flat “it’s way too early for this” but his pleas were dead to the wind "guys, come on…"

"Don't bother, Shiro" Pidge grumbles "you're just wasting your breath..."

"-you know what Keith you can kiss my-"

"Enough!" Allura barks her voice echoing off the walls, causing both men to freeze "if you two blockheads don't knock it off I will freeze your lips shut until they fall off your stupid faces! Now, shut it and help me get this man to the infirmary!" She hisses. Their egos wilt under her cold, boring stare.

Swallowing, they nod meekly in her direction "Yes, Ma'am" they murmur in unison. Regardless of their cooled fury, both men cast each other a poisonous glance before readjusting their grip on the gurney.

"Thank you." she spat dryly. The last thing she needs is in their petty squabbling they drop her new charge onto the floor. She had no idea what kind of shape he's in and didn't need these two buffoons making an already tense situation worse. If he is a high-ranking warlord and they accidentally kill him because of ineptitude, she could only imagine how lethal the ramifications might be.

~

It took another 30 minutes to haul him to the examination room. Thankfully, Keith and Lance kept to themselves to lick their own wounds and outright refuse to meet her line of sight, or one another's for the matter. She dislikes the tense air, but better them quiet than wasting time bickering with each other.

“Took you long enough” Fi taps her fingers against her clipboard, the lavender paint of her nails immaculate underneath the bright lighting of the exam room "the nursing staff has everything you need prepared. Although" a lilac brow arches, her head tilting downwards to eye their new guest with a dull glance.

"Nevermind" she sighs, placing a hand on her hip.

"Fi."

"I didn't say anything"

"Ah-huh" she chunters under her breath. Fi didn't need to say anything to make her point; Allura knew how the woman felt about the galra. Her cool yet taunt facade only emphasized her distaste for the situation. However, her gaze never returns to the stranger as her eyes kept on the Princess.

"In any case, Allura, you should probably inform Head Commander Hira of-this" she gestures with a wave of her clipboard.

Oh, right….

"I will. Later"

Fi simply sighs "your funeral then" she mumbles.

"Yeah, yeah" she turns her attention back to her patient "alright, let's get him on the table" she commands the others. They maneuver him through the door, huffing and panting, careful not to clip any part of his body against the threshold.

"We can use a little help here…." Lance grouses in Fi's direction, the woman only crosses her arms around her waist and moves out their way.

"What's the matter lover man? Can't handle the weight"

A vein pops alongside his forehead "I can handle the weight!"

"Lance…" Allura growls.

"Dude, you're making us wobble this guy"

"If that's the case you could carry this man yourself, hm"

"You really just love sucking the life out of everything, witch,  tell me how many gallons of children's tears did you drink to be this refreshed this morning?" Of course, Lance decides, no has to push it because he somehow feels the need to make a comment about everything anything.

Fi's face hardens but only for a minute "Well, aren't you just fine and dandy this morning as well,  lover man? Tell me how's that dry spell coming along?" A smirk curls her lips upon seeing his flushing, sputtering face “I mean we all know women just can’t help themselves around such a stud like you? OR” she taps her lilac lips “am I wrong?”

"I'll have you know, wench, I have dates lined up for the whole week! So suck on that!"

"Lance, shut up" Pidge smacks his shoulder.

“OW!”

"Knock it off the both of you" Allura grumbles "or at least can't you guys wait until we get him on top the table first before biting each others heads off."

"Yeah, yeah"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, I seem to have lost sight of myself.” Fi curtses“I’ll go and retrieve fresh clothing for the patient and prepare him a room.”

“Thank you, Fi”

“No need for thanks, I am, but your humble servant”

“Oh!” Allura stops her just before she strides out the room “Summon, Lau for me as well. I need her assistance”

“As you wish” she bows again before pivoting on her heel.

"I can't stand that woman…" Lance gripes. Pidge just sighs.

“Dude, you started it…”

“Yeah, well-”

“Can we please put this guy on the table!?” Keith barks “Now. Today. My arms are about to fall off!”

Speaking of headaches….

It took a lot of awkward stirring, a lot more shouting before the Stranger’s fully and finally placed on the table. His groans of pain subside partially due to the fact that everyone isn’t carelessly swinging his unconscious body around.

“Boy, all that haulings got me starving”

“You had two helpings for breakfast”

“You ate just as much as I did, Lance!”

“I’m not the one with the gut….”

“At least I have a girlfriend…”

“Low blow dude, low blow”

“I thought you had piles of girls lined up literally thirsting for your body?” Pidge asks with an arch brow., her voice low and mocking.

"Y'know this isn't how I'd imagine I'd spend my morning" Matt sighs leaning against the wall in exhaustion.

"I think I have a crick in my back" Shiro mutters, massaging his neck.

“You’re way too young to be having back problems, Takashi” Matt heaves.

"-all I know is that I never want to carry another galra ever again, he’s got to be at least 3,000 thousand pounds, yeesh ” Hunk wipes his forehead.

"Speaking of which-" Lance starts "if this guy is some uppity, pompous rich warlord, like Allura said, do you think he'll compensate us for saving his life?"

"Way to keep it, classy, Lance" Keith scowls at him.

"Look I'm just saying we can do with some new perks-"

"Alright, out." Allura snaps her fingers, gesturing towards the door "out all of you I have work to do and I can't do it with you guys in the way.”

“I’m going to take a bath…” Matt stumbles out the room.

“All of yo-" the hiss of the door cuts her off and much to her annoyance the last person she wants to see comes drifting in with his trusty data-pad in hand with the look of utter delight written in his angular face.

Doctor Alibhe smiles, ear to ear "Princess" he nods. She squints at him.

"Ah, good morning, Paladins." The atmosphere darkens and the temperature of the room slowly chills as shivers run up everyone's spines. Keith visibly sweats up a storm and Shiro slowly turns as white as the tuff of hair that sat upon his head.

"Oh, Kogane. Shirogane" his voice is deep. Smooth, polite, but his tone elicits no warmth, just cold dread. The silence before the storm. Hunk's teeth chatters and Pidge’s spine curls, Lance tries to find shelter behind Shiro’s massive frame to avoid the Doctor’s line of sight. If it were possible, it seems that his smile grew wider, his teeth sparkling, startling against the backdrop of his dark skin.

"My favorite patients"

"Actually" he gazes back down to his pad,  pressing a curled fist against his lips "you two have been past due for a checkup-" Keith bolts, shoving himself right pass the doctor in a mad frenzy, while Shiro tries to skid away as calm as possible leaving Lance unguarded.

“Look at the time.” he grins awkwardly, the smile not quite reaching his eyes as his teeth clench together “Got things to do and-um-things to do” he slid away doing everything in his power not to brush against Alibhe on the way out before making a run for it. Allura never saw the former-gladiator run so fast.

"Yeah, I um got things to do. Date with Shay and all. Bye" Hunk took off along with Pidge and Lance following close behind. Alihbe watches them all go his expression never changing.

"They're in a rush," he says after a moment of silence.

"...Gee, I wonder why?" she whispers dryly.

“Hm, what was that?”

“Nothing-nevermind, what exactly are you doing here? You're supposed to be quarantining the Phos Colony”

“Oh, yes. That’s why I'm here. The epidemic has been contained and neuralized and the colony immunized. My work there is done, the doctors of Phos should be able to handle what’s left without extra aid.”

“Oh.”

“I placed the report in your study for review”

“O-oh, well good work than” creepy or not Alibhe is more than efficient in his work.

“Who’s this fellow?” Allura instinctively looks over her shoulder back at her masked patient.

“A new guest.” she snaps her head back around “and I’m treating him, so keep you slimy, shady hands off him,” she orders with a stringent glare.

“I was merely asking a question, nothing more”

“Yeah, right” she whispers walking over to the sink “but, the least you can do since your back is take some samples from him back to the lab. I need to make sure he isn’t carrying anything, we don’t need an epidemic on our hands”

“As you wish” he dips his head. After, she washes and disinfects her hands and wiggles on her gloves Allura approaches her new patient with bated breath. His sheer size overwhelming her, he completely dwarfed her tiny body, to think working alongside of the Mamora she would’ve grown use to their immense size and stature. Afraid not...shaking her head she brings herself back to reality.

“Get a grip, Allura” she murmurs to herself.  First things first, the helmet's gotta go.

Here goes nothing.

It's all or nothing.

She steers around to the head of the examination table, his helmet cold to the touch even with the biodegradable gloves. She cautiously searches for the latch. It took a few minutes of fumbling, but she finds it, her stomach clenches as she presses down on them. It hisses low, and strangely ominous as if she were unlocking some sort dangerous truth. It pops and she slowly slides it off-her breath stills-

-to be greeted by a rather handsome face. A pretty face.

Angular in shape, aristocratic nose, chiseled jaw, long snowy hair, long pretty lashes. Instantly, he reminds her of one of her favorite storybooks, the one about the sleeping princess silent to the world as she slumbers centuries away. Only it's a prince, with tense brows, smooth lilac skin and a face smothered with painful-looking bruises. Upon inspection, they look fresh and swollen, he'll need some ointment to soothe the inflammation. Briefly, she applies the lightest of pressure, his lips tighten in response, teeth click together. However, she can’t figure how the bruises were inflicted. It didn’t look like he was punched or struck, or anything and the skin isn’t scraped or scratched. Did he hit something-

The examination room door whirls open like a whip to the air.

“Princess!” the livid bark of Head Commander Hira has her reeling, her body jerking violently as the severe woman came crashing in unannounced with a cringing, sputtering Coran floundering behind her.

“Hira, please calm yourself this is a hospital! People are resting here!” he hisses at her harshly, holding a finger to his lips.

She shoves him away in irritation “What have you’ve done this time!?”

Allura frowns at the tone “I haven’t done anything other than rescue someone whose life was-is in danger” she replies defensively, folding her arms over chest. Hira's eyes flicker from her to the body of the man lying upon the table. At first nothing, a passive glance that quickly hardens, her thin lips pulling into a sneer.

“He’s galra!” she gestures at him, the disdain in her voice is not hard to miss.

“Wow, so you do have eyes, wanna medal?!"Allura mockingly rose both her brows and the pitch of her voice. She knew she's risking a smack, but she can't seem to help herself.

“If you have enough time to string together sarcastic quips you have enough sense in that head of yours to inform me about unauthorized passengers. Or has being knocked around in that lion of yours slapped the sanity out of you"

"I beg your pardon!?"

“Ladies, please” Coran begs.

“Oh, hush Coran. You're not my heeler”  

“Afraid I don’t have a leash short enough to reel you in” the man mutters readjusting the buttons of his summer coat.

“Let me reiterate, Princess" the commander folds her arms behind her back "you have not only endangered the citizens aboard the ship, but yourself as well by dragging in, not just a galra, but a galra soldier on deck without considering safety procedures. I know it's in your nature to try and nurture those you deem less fortunate, but you cannot keep doing this"

Allura opens and closes her mouth before pressing them together in a tight line; Hira's in tip-top shape today. She didn't know whether she wants to break something over the woman's head or snap, petulant she knew, it's bad enough that Hira and everyone else treats as though she's a child, a dumb, stupid child that needs to be reprimanded and guided or else she'll end up getting her hand stuck in the proverbial cookie jar. But, she knew, she knew that throwing anything at her whether justified in frustration at the condescension would just be used against her, and pretty much proving their point.

Breaking things.

The urge to break burns under her skin along with the quake of her fists. Doing so would at least abate the rage, but Allura knew better, most times, giving into her base emotions isn't going to get her anywhere. Steeling away the instinct to inflame conflict she takes a calming breath and casts Hira a frigid stare.

"I'm not a child, I know that." She's only half-correct, she didn't wake up this morning expecting to rummage an injured man off an asteroid, as did most things, trouble usually came crashing through her door unannounced and most times unwelcomed.

Her cold gaze falls back to the Stranger, well, most times they come in uninvited.  Maybe this time it might be different.

In any case, she rebuffs Hira, ignoring her protests,

"Enemy or not he’s in need of medical aid."

“I should have immediately been informed of this”

"It's not like I wasn't going to" she argues.

"Really?" The woman arches a brow her face and stature impervious, impregnable and to imagine Freya's much worse that Hira could ever hope to be. But, the Valkyrie general is a concern for another day.

"Maybe-Okay!" She relents, throwing her hands up,  her cold shell wavering in the heat of scrutiny "I forgot! Alright, I should have informed you, but it still doesn't mean you can't just barge into my examination room and talk down to me like a baby!" A second hangs and passes before the Head Commander, marginally, deflates. Her shoulders lower, her sneer less prominent and the harsh edge of her eyes soften.

She still isn't happy.

"He'll need to be guarded. No, buts"

"I've already summoned Lau"

"Lau?" The displeasure snaps right back onto her face.

"Yes, Lau. She's more than capable"

"Fine." Irritated the commander rubs the bridge of her nose in tandem "be stubborn if you will, but the moment the slightest thing goes wrong. This castle is under lockdown and he'll, whatever his name is, will be under my jurisdiction. Understood. Princess or not my duty first and foremost is your safety and the safety of Altean citizens. I will not go back on my oaths"

"Right…"

"Also, I want all his belongings confiscated. They'll need to be investigated, I will not budge on the matter"

"Very well"

"Thank you for being cooperative for a change"

Oh, those were fighting words, back to the condescension again. Squeezing her lips together, Allura refrains, it's not a battle worth dying for.

'Just let it go, Allura, just let it go'

'It's not worth it, it's not worth it'

"Rrrrighhttt…." She breathes out trying to reign in her temper. Hira is none the wiser as the woman just bled condescension.

"I'm returning to my station-" she pauses scanning her face for a long, long minute "....and there is nothing else I need to know?"

"Nope."

"Hm. In any case, I'll take my leave" with a bow the commander dismisses herself, the clatter of her heels is like a funeral march beating in her ear.

"Coran?" She snaps her head in his direction.

The man made a face before frantically shaking his head "Don't look at me, Princess, I said not a thing! It was Nanny who blew the whistle."

"Good grief…" she sighs. Truly, unbelievable.

"Nevermind" she pushes a strand behind her ear "As long as she doesn't put the Castle on totalitarian lockdown." Allura mutters under her breath "Coran, just make sure nothing else gets out. Issue a formal report that we have an Empire Soldier in Altean custody."

"Can do, Princess" he salutes "anything else."

"Just keep it vague enough that people don't start causing a fuss"

"This shall be done. No worries" he slips out the room leaving her to the silence. Which she appreciates, however she can't say the same for her pounding migraine. But, she'll worry about it later, returning back to her work. Luckily, the Stranger hardly stirs from his slumber. He's either in a coma or a pretty heavy sleeper; upon that thought, she gently checks his head to find an abrasion centered on the back of his skull. The hair there is tangled and crusted over with old blood, which is odd. The wound here is old while the bruises are fresh.

Frowning, she moves to his side to check his pulse. He's cold to the touch as she presses her fingers to his throat; his pulse is steady but shallow. Allura leans over the table to put her ear to his chest; his heartbeat is the same, steady, but shallow.

He might need a scan, she reaches over to unclasp his cape, the ornament that held it together is blank. She turns it over but nothing gave any hints about his identity. She places them aside to find her flashlight to check his eyes.

Amethyst. His pupils dilate without fail. She checked his ears to find dried blood caked in them, and down his jaw. Strange enough, she didn't find any damage to his eardrums. Infection maybe, she scraped a few samples from both ears.

Now the hard part came-just how did she get his armor off? She stood there albeit aimless as she eyes it with an arduous stare. Scanning him, her eyes fell upon his satchel. The one wrapped around his hip, the one she had forgotten about until this moment. Carefully, she's able to unlatch it. It barely weighs a thing and other than being woven out a material that she isn't quite sure is leather, there's nothing about it that's particularly fascinating, it looks like any old bag to her.

Or maybe it's not the outside that matters, but the inside. Curious, she unbuckles it to discover-

A pencil used to the very nub. An eraser that's seen better days, a rusted canister, and a sketchbook….a leather-bound sketchbook. Placing the rest down, she flips the book around. Nothing's written on the surface or cover, so she pops it open-The the first page nearly punches the breath right out of her, a gorgeous detailed image of a botanical garden all captured in black and white.

"...Amazing" seems her slumbering 'Prince' has some talent under his sleeves. She flips another page, the next being small in scale, various sketchings of planets, flowers, fruit, trees. They were no less impressive, but that isn't what starts to bug her, for whatever reason, there's an old familiarity about them that she can't quite place a finger on. She flips another page and here she finds renderings of people.

A mother and child, some children playing in what she believes is a town square, men of various shapes and sizes, and an old woman by a well.

She's absolutely gentle about turning the pages, but the next turn causes her to freeze. It-

It can't be?

She blinks for a moment unsure, for a moment she believes she's seeing things, that her mind's playing tricks on her again. She blinks and blinks yet the image stays the same.

There's no mistaken that sly smile. The white hair, the clothing, it's Honerva? One of Altea's greatest alchemists rendered so perfectly, so beautifully, drawn so...so real that Allura felt she could practically jump right out the page and transform into flesh and blood right there and then.

But-

Why does this man-why did this man-how could he have drawn her? Honerva's dead, she's been gone for years now, so how? Allura places the book down to squint at him.

"Just how old are you?" She leans over him, bracing all her weight on the table to loom and stare and stare until she realizes how futile the endeavor is "who am I kidding there's no way to know, not like this" she chides herself.

Just as she's about to pull away she sees his eyelids flicker, heard his claws clank against the table, she stills, pausing in her movements until she's met with amethyst again; only this time she's not prying his eyes open.

They open themselves, wide, dilated and centered completely on her.

"Eh….Hello?"

~ 

Comments and Reviews are much appreciated! 

[writing-in-the-impala]

You Always Hurt The Ones You Love (Part 6)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

AU: Professor!Bucky Barnes/ Teacher!Bucky Barnes

Series Summary: You fall for your smoking hot literature professor Bucky Barnes (quite literally) what follows you never predicted would happen.

Warnings: Swearing, Drinking, teacher-student relationship (but like it’s all legal chill) and mentions of PTSD because it’s Bucky, SLOWburn we’re in for a long ride

Word Count: 3k

A/N: Get ready, this is gonna be one hell of an emotional roller coaster for the next few chapters, enjoy :)

MASTERLIST | SERIES MASTERLIST | Part 1,  Part 2,  Part 3,  Part 4, Part 5

You- Hi, Nat told me that you carried me home all the way from the subway when I fell asleep and I'd just like to say thanks! :)

You texted Bucky in the morning right after Natasha filled you in on what happened after you fell asleep, however she did miss out Bucky's freak out over you being his student and him drunkenly admitting he had feelings for you. You weren't sure if it was the right thing to text him, yes he gave you his number but that didn't mean you could just text him any time, it may have been just for you to send that video.

Bucky- Hi, it wasn't a problem, I'm getting used to carrying drunk you home now ;)

You- Ha Ha 🙄 very funny

Bucky- How's the hangover?

You and Bucky ended up texting for a while before you had to go to work. You went from talking about the party to talking about random stuff, you honestly didn't understand how you could talk to Bucky so much it got so bad that Natasha was noticing. "Who you texting?" She'd ask and you'd just lie but she knew it was Barnes she knew, but she didn't tell you. On Monday you were ill, so I'll that you decided you're staying home, or more like Nat told our to stay home. So you emailed all your professors for the day saying you won't be in due to sickness and straight away Bucky texted you.

Bucky- so I'm guessing you're hungover?

You- Nope I'm actually ill, I know a shocker for a student

Bucky- Get well soon!

You- Thank you, now you should probably get back to work or whatever 😂

Bucky- Pop quiz, I get to sit and do nothing

You- I'm so glad I'm ill

Bucky- 😂

You decided to go back to sleep as you were feeling light headed and tired, when you woke up you finally took a shower for the first time that day, put on some short shorts and an old hoodie, then wrapped yourself in a blanket relocating yourself on to the couch and began watching your favourite TV show. You were surprised to hear a knock on your door so you stood up with the blanket still wrapped around you and you plopped over toward the door you checked who it was and you saw someone turn around and walk away, you recognised him instantly so you opened the door and said "Bucky?" With a hint of confusion.

"Oh good I thought I went to the wrong flat." He said in relief turning around to face you. "Hi." He said with a smirk probably caused by your state of confusion and your outfit that consisted of the puffy blanket.

"Hi, do you wanna come in?" You said still confused, standing to the side to let him in and he walked in. "Not to sound weird or anything but how do you know where I live?" You said in your state of confusion.

"The night after Bruce's party I carried you home, Natasha lead the way." He simply explained while taking his back pack off.

"Ah right." You said remembering the day.

"Anyway I'm not here to take up your time I just thought you'd probably want some stuff since your ill." He began opening his backpack. "So I got you tissues, chocolate I hope you like it, tea, you said you liked, cold medicine and I went to the bistro not too far from here and got you some soup." Bucky said and your jaw litterealy dropped, this was the man of your dreams at that moment you knew.

"Wow Bucky, if this is something you do when your friends are ill I'm gonna be ill more often, thank you so much." You said in amazement.

"It's honestly not a problem, oh and I bought over some work you missed from my and Steve's class so bring that in whenever your back." He said in more of his "teacher" voice.

"I take that back how dare you, I bet this was all a test of you checking if I'm actually ill." You said jokingly plopping down on the couch with a fake angry face and Bucky laughed.

"I bought you soup! Doesn't that like equal out with the fact that I'm making you do work?" He tried to negotiate.

"It's not fair I'm ill I don't want to be writing essays I'm so gonna email you telling you I've lost this." You said turning Netflix back on.

"I'm glad to know you value your education." Bucky said sarcastically and you laughed. "Anyway I've got a meeting to head to so I've got to go, enjoy the soup... and homework." Bucky said with a slight smirk.

"Thanks professor." You said rolling your eyes and saying it as if Professor was the most vile word to ever exist making Bucky laugh. "No in all seriousness thank you so much for this, mostly for the food, I'd hug you but I'm ill." You said standing up and walking him to the door.

"As I said it's not a problem, get well soon." He said with a smile.

"Thanks, bye."

"Bye." He said walking out the door and you shut it trying to comprehend what just happened. You didn't know how to feel, Bucky was perfect, if he wasn't your teacher you would be non stop flirting with him in hopes of him liking you but he was your teacher, he reminded you of it constantly. You did end up finishing his assignment or "homework" li he called it. At the end of the next lecture you had with him you wakes up the the front of the class where he was packing up to give him the assignment. "Hey you feeling better?" He asked noticing it was you.

"Yeah, just a bit sleep deprived because I was finishing this." You said putting the assignment down on his desk.

"Wow, I honestly didn't think you'd ever do it." Bucky said honestly.

"Yeah I wanted to prove you wrong that's why I did it." You said with a smirk and he laughed.

"What did Steve say when you have him the assignment or did you not?" Bucky asked.

"He was basically as shocked as you are." You said and Bucky laughed.

"I knew you'd do it." Bucky said confidentiality.

"No you didn't." You retaliated.

"Yeah, yeah I did." Bucky said with a smile and you rolled your eyes. "Anyway I'm heading to go grab a coffee and since you didn't sleep because of this assessment care to join me?"

"Yeah that would be great actually, I tried to get coffee at home this morning but couldn't." You said with annoyance as the two of you walked out the lecture hall in order to leave campus and go to a nearby coffee shop.

"Woke up too late?" Bucky questioned.

"No Wanda,"

"The one I met in the bagel place?" Bucky questioned.

"Yeah her!" You said happy for some reason that he remembered. "She and her boyfriend are remodeling their apartment so she's staying with me and Nat and it's SO crowded." You said your voice sounding exhausted.

"I can imagine." Bucky said with sympathy.

"The worst part is Vision, Wanda's boyfriend, insists to cook, but it's like he has no taste buds so it's usually bad and we just all eat it pretending that it's good, I miss food with taste." You said with a hint of saddens.

"I mean if you miss food so much you can always come over to mine for dinner." Bucky offered.

"No that's a lot of hassle." You said not knowing if he was being genuine or just trying to be nice.

"It's really not, since Dot I live alone it would be nice to have some company once in a while. I mean Steve and his fiancé visit often but it's just I don't know."

"It feels like they pay more attention to each other than you so you still feel alone?" You asked.

"You nailed that, yeah."

"Yeah I live with Wanda and Vision now, and I feel like I'm just a ghost in my own house watching them live their life."

"Wow this is way to deep before coffee.". Bucky said as you walked into the coffee shop and you laughed. "But honestly the offer still stands.

"I may actually take you up on that, do you want me to buy anything? What food we making?"

"I didn't think that far ahead." Bucky honestly said and you laughed. The whole time you were in the line you were planning what to eat, when you ordered coffee Bucky paid for it and you felt warm inside and happy that he's so kind to you. The two of you found a table and finally decided you'll make spaghetti bolognese for dinner. "Okay so what do you want me to buy and bring with me?" You asked and Bucky pulled a face like he's thinking. "Nothing I think I have everything, maybe something to drink."

"I think I have wine at home, do you like wine?" You asked.

"I love wine but don't tell Steve because I used to call it a girly drink but then I tried it, now it's my guilty pleasure." Bucky explained and you laughed.

"Okay I'll bring wine." You said with a smile.

You arrived at Bucky's that evening around eight, and he opened the door in just jeans, with wet hair and a towel draped around his neck. "Hi, sorry I lost track of time and just got out the shower." He said as he opened the door and it took everything in you not to check him out. "Ooo wine." He said with a smile.

"Hi, yes I bought the wine as promised you said handing him the bottle.

"Please come in, I'm just gonna go quickly, actually chuck some clothes on." He said walking out the room in his mind being shocked that you bit your lip upon seeing him - even though you personally didn't realise- he knew he was attractive as in he had the "good" body at least that's what society thought but he never thought you were in any way attracted to him. Although if he was being honest with himself he did purposely open the door top less in order to see how you'd react. When he came back into the room you were in the couch looking at your phone and making weird faces at it. "What you doing?" Bucky asked walking in.

"Telling Nat I won't be there for dinner and she needs to suffer alone." You simply replied.

"And you're telling her this be making weird faces into your phone?" Bucky questioned.

"No I'm using Snapchat." You explained.

"The all for nudes?" Bucky was extremely confused.

"No okay sit down old man." You said and he sat down next to you. "Look these are filters, the dog one is everyone's favourite." You explained clicking on the classic filter. "If you open your mouth see a tongue comes out." You said and Bucky opened his mouth and laughed unbeknownst to him you were recording and you kept recording for another few seconds while the two of you messed around with the filter. "Okay so now I recorded that, I can save it, post it to my story or send it to a friend or all three." You explained pointing at all the features, and also saving the video.

"But why would someone want a video of us playing with a filter?" Bucky asked honestly.

"I mean no you don't send stuff like that okay look I have a photo message from Nat because it's red and I got a video from my little brother because it's purple. So that's the two things you can send." You explained and Bucky nodded his head. "So Nat sent this." You said clicking on the snap and opening a selfie where she's rolling her eyes with the caption "vision thinks he can make tacos it's going to taste like shit again"

"So now I'd reply, so I take a selfie." You say taking a selfie with Bucky, and saving it just out of reflex. "Then I'm gonna add 'sucks to be you' as the caption, and send it." You said doing what you were saying.

"Right so it's texting plus selfies." Bucky said.

"Yeah or Peter my little brother likes to send videos because he's too lazy to type." You said clicking on a video of Peter, he was walking through the kitchen to the living room talking to his phone. "May is making dinner so if you want to escape Vision come over." He said with a smile. "Oh also." He added excitedly stopping and his eyes going wide. "Look at my new t-shirt it's a maths equation that says find X and X is circled and it says found it, get it? I love it so much." He said with a smile showing off his t-shirt to you and both you and Bucky laughed at Peter. You began to record a response straight away. "You're such a nerd!" You said zooming in on your face and zooming out and Bucky laughed. "But also that'sAReallyCoolTshirtAndI'mTottalyJealous." You said really quickly and under your breath and Bucky skilled as if he was trying not to laugh. "Anyway thanks for the food invite but I got this guy to cook for me." You said with a smile pointing the phone more onto Bucky and his eyes widened in a 'Really?' type of way as he said "that's what she thinks, but actually she's cooking." He said you scrunched your face up and replied. "Mean. See what I have to deal with Peter." And you shook your head before ending the video and sending it straight to Peter.

"Okay I get it, it's a fun way to talk." Bucky confessed.

"Exactly." You said.

"Anyway hungry?" Bucky asked standing up.

"Always." You said and he laughed pulling you up from the couch.

"Okay time to make some food I guess, I'll get the pasta and stuff out can you pour us some wine or whatever you want to drink, glasses are in the cupboard above the sink anything you want to drink is in the fridge." Bucky explained pointing to everything.

"Okay, you want wine I'm guessing." You confirmed and he nodded. The two of you ended up cooking in together harmony but also messing around. You were in charge of the sauce and he got the veg for the sauce ready and started to cook the pasta. Bucky turned on the radio in the background so you two had something to listen to although the two of you spent most of the time cooking talking, with moments where you two would sing along to songs or dance along. "Okay I think the sauce is ready." You said tasting it, the pasta was already done so Bucky was just sitting on the island counter behind you. You turned around with a bit of the sauce in the wooden spoon and bought it up to Bucky's lips. "Try it and see if you like it." You said and he did, his eyes going wide. "That is amazing!" He said and you smiled turning off the cooker. "Okay dinner is ready then." You said and Bucky jumped off the countertop. The two of you ate dinner with some light conversation it was really nice and you honestly forgot this was your teacher, it felt more like a date. "Do you want help with washing up?" You asked after dinner.

"I made you cook I'm not gonna make you clean too what kind of a monster do you think I am." Bucky said and you laughed.

"Technically we both cooked." You pointed out.

"I put water, salt and rice in a pot and let it heat up. That's all I cooked." Bucky said and you agreed with him.

"Okay fair point." You said. "Anyway I should probably slowly get going because I have an early shift at work tomorrow." You said with a hint of sadness you were really enjoying your evening.

"Okay I'll walk you to the door." Bucky said after putting the dishes in the sink. "Thank you for coming over it was nice to have someone around here again yano." He said opening the door and not making much eye contact.

"Honestly my pleasure it was nice to have a peaceful and tasty meal unlike anything that I'd ever get at home with Vision and Wanda around." You said and Bucky laughed.

"It tasted good because you cooked it." Bucky said and you shrugged. "Anyway have a good day at work tomorrow and thanks for coming once again." Bucky said as you stood in the doorway.

"Thank you for inviting me." You said as the two of you hugged goodbye. "Bye." Oh said in the hug before something unexpected happened as you pulled out from the hug Bucky leaned in and kissed you before immediately pulling away.

"Fuck! I'm so sorry." Bucky said in fear and shock and you didn't reply. "Old réflex from back when I was with Dot, I'm sorry bye." Bucky said closing the door as you still stood there shocked. He shut the door in your face and you just stood there for another few seconds trying to comprehend what happened. Professor Bucky Barnes just leaned in kissed you on the lips softly and immediately pulled away in embarrassment. It was a reflex he said that, it didn't mean anything you knew that but it didn't stop you from wishing that the kiss lasted a bit longer so you could kiss back so you could feel his chapped lips for longer however you knew how extremely wrong that was. When you gathered your thoughts from the shock you began to walk out the apartment building but you still heard a final "FUCK! FUUUUUCK!" Come out of Bucky apartment before hearing a crash. You decided to keep walking knowing that going back and asking if he was okay would just cause more awkwardness. You dreaded going back to class.

Part 7 | More stuff I wrote

Tags (send me an ask or message and I’ll add you): @iconictaurus@whosmarisaaarw @grayxswan@sideeffectsofyou @alt-er-love-er-alt

[bangtanbabeloveyourself]

Oh What A Wedding

Pairing: Female reader x BTS

Chapters: 1|2|3

Word count: 3k

Summary: You’re a new novelist and your little sister is getting married. Because of work, you could only show up two weeks before the wedding. While preparing for the wedding, the groomsmen catch your attention, but not as much as you catch theirs. They make a bet as to who can win your heart first and you may have just found your next novel.

Notes: The song used for the dance scene is House of Cards by BTS. To help the imagination. (;

Everyone else had fallen asleep. Taehyung and Jimin passed out over towards the pool. Jungkook was sprawled out across the lawn, half full cup still in his hand. Jin and the others had gone back to their rooms hours ago. Everyone but you.  

You had stopped drinking about half way through the night. You did get drunk for a little while, but it had run its course and you could tell you were sobering up. Despite all of the night's festivities, you still weren't tired.

You decided to go to the linen closet, getting out blankets for the boys outside. Once you closed the closet door, there was a Yoongi staring back at you. It made you jump and he smiled.

“Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Just wanted to see how you were doing after all that alcohol.” He looked at the blankets in your arms. “Cold?” He asked.

You nudged him gently with your elbow as you started walking. “No, not me. The boys fell asleep outside. I wanted to make sure they had a blanket.”

“Wow, even when you drink you take care of others. Normally we just let the boys deal with whatever problems they caused. Toughen em up, ya know?”

She shook her head. “I can’t. It's just not who I am.”

You made it out to the yard, handing Yoongi one blanket as you took the largest one, carefully laying it on top of Taehyung and Jimin. You walked over to Jungkook, taking the cup out of his hand and dumping it in the grass.  You then grabbed the blanket from Yoongi and covered him up. You blushed softly when you heard Jungkook mumble your name before he turned over and continued to sleep.

When you walked over to Yoongi, he smirked at the blush on your face. He poked your cheek with one of his slender fingers. “What's all this for?” he asked.

You bit your lip as you looked back to Jungkook and then back to Yoongi. “I think Jungkook might have a crush on me.”

Yoongi's eyes widened before he chuckled. “I'm sure it's possible. But I can tell you from experience that he probably just wants to fuck you.”

You shrugged as you walked back into the house. It wasn't a bad thought. Jungkook was attractive enough. You smirked before plopping back down on the couch that you both had sat in earlier, Yoongi following you.

“He did say I looked hot as fuck today,” you said, recalling the memory.

“I wouldn't have said it that way, but he wasn't wrong. I bet everyone thought you looked great.”

You blushed softly before looking up at Yoongi. He was watching you intently until you locked eyes. He was the first to look away. He ran a hand through his hair before giving you a sheepish grin.

“Anyway, I should probably get back to bed. You should too. You're going to be tired tomorrow.”

You stood up and stretched a bit. “Yeah, I guess you're right.”

“Yeah, Hobi is good at wearing you out. Trust me.”

You looked at Yoongi with confusion. He smirked. “Oh, no one told you. You have dance practice tomorrow. Your sister wants us all to learn this routine. And Hobi is in charge. So he'll be teaching you later.”

You groaned. “Dancing? Really? My sister is trying to kill me, I swear.”

Yoongi chuckled. “Don’t like dancing, huh?”

You sighed and crossed your arms. “It's not that. I'm just not the best at it. I did one year of dance as a kid and the teacher begged my parents to leave me out the next year. All I wanted to do was sit and read.”

Yoongi smiled before giving you a soft pat on the head. “You'll be okay. Hobi will take great care of you. Now go get some sleep or you'll regret it tomorrow.”

You nodded before turning to head towards your room. You walked a couple of feet before stopping and turning towards him again. “Thank you Yoongi.”

He gave you a nod in response before you turned back and made your way to your room. You could have sworn you saw a blush on his cheeks. Maybe you had just imagined it. You shook your head at the thought before closing your door behind you. You were more tired than you realized because as soon as you hit the pillow, you were out.

****

You knew you had heard your name, but you only mumbled before turning in your bed, pulling your blanket tighter to yourself. It was like high school all over again. Your mother would give up soon, letting you wake up and take the punishment from school for being late.

But this wasn't your mother. Hobi didn't like to wait. And when you didn't show up on time to practice, he went on a man hunt. He had been knocking at your door for over five minutes but you showed no signs of getting up.

This man hunt just turned into a kidnapping mission. Getting into your room was too easy, considering you didn't lock your door when you had passed out. Once inside your room, he scanned for you, chuckling when he saw your current state. You were curled up into a giant ball, your blankets wrapped around your legs and drawn up into your hands as if hugging a giant pillow.

Hobi sighed before walking over to the side of the bed your face was on. He bent down in front of you before starting to yell.

“GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE!” He screamed at you, causing your eyes to pop open in surprise, your body reacting by slipping off the back side of the bed with a thud.

“Ouch! Hobi! What the fuck man!” You shouted as you stood, rubbing your butt in response to the fall.

“Don't Hobi me! You were supposed to be at practice over an hour ago. Let's go. I've only got two weeks to get you ready for this wedding. And unfortunately I've had the displeasure of seeing your old dance recital videos. We need every minute we can get,” he teased.

You glared at him before grabbing one of the pillows that had fallen to the floor and chucked it at him. “Oh shut up. I'll get ready! To be fair no one told me about this dance stuff until Yoongi, this morning.”

Hobi raised an eyebrow. “Yoongi huh?” He pursed his lips before shaking his head. “Well now you know. So go get out of your bathing suit and into the dress. It should be in your closet. Now let's go.” He had walked over to you and rushed you over to the closet.

“We'll be over in the work out room in your parents house.” He called out as he made his way out of the door so you could change.

You yawned as you shuffled over to your closet. You opened the door to see a beautiful azure dress hanging on the back of it. You stepped back as you held the bottom of the skirt out to get a better look. You really had to give your sister credit. She was really good at her job. She had designed the entire wedding party’s clothing from the moment Shane had proposed.

You let out another yawn before you started to shimmy out of your bathing suit from the previous night. You gathered some underwear from one of your dresser drawers and the pair of spankies that were left on top of your dresser. After getting your undergarments situated, you went for the dress.

You had to unzip the dress first before you could attempt to slip it on. When you finally did, you turned to look at yourself in the mirror. The dress was a beautiful azure color. It was fifties inspired with it’s sweetheart neckline, high waist, and flared skirt. You were able to connect the strap behind your neck but you realized you weren’t going to be able to zip it up. Your sister might be good at her job, but she’s not perfect. You made a mental note to remind her to create dresses without the need for someone ELSE to zip you up.

You sighed before holding the dress to your chest with one hand. Best to keep it in place to avoid slips on your way to find someone to zip you up. You left your room and made your way down the hallway, hoping to find someone quickly to zip your dress for you. To your dismay, not a single person was inside the guest house. You groaned before trekking off towards the main house.

You walked through the back patio door and into the kitchen. Still no one to be seen. You weren’t expecting to find your parents at this time of day. They had probably already left for work. But no one else could be found. You walked past the kitchen and headed down the hallway to the home gym. You could hear music playing the closer you got to the room.

As you approached the door, you peered around the door frame, looking into the room. You saw a very familiar pink headed boy dancing along with the beat of the song. It was faster paced, something a little too hiphop for your taste. You couldn’t help but stare as you watched the way his body naturally moved with the music. You prayed to all the gods in the world that this was not the dance your sister was forcing you to learn.

As Jimin had turned around in his dance, he noticed you peeping on his dancing and he stopped, giving you a big grin. “You can come in Y/N! I was just having fun while we waited for you.”

You blushed when you realized you had been caught. You sheepishly stepped into the room, looking over to find Hobi sitting in a chair near the stereo. Both their eyes were locked on you, which didn’t help the redness in your cheeks.

Jimin smiled as he walked up to you. “Wow, you look great. That’s your dress? It’s so pretty.”

You gave him an uneasy smile before fidgeting with the hem of your skirt. “Yeah, I’m not really used to wearing this kind of stuff. And my sister is making me dance in it.” You sighed before looking up to Jimin. “What are you doing here anyway? I know Hobi is teaching me, but I thought Namjoon was my partner for the dance.”

Jimin pouted before crossing his arms. “Are you saying you don’t want me here?” Your eyes grew wide but Jimin smiled before you could speak. “I’m only kidding. Hobi asked me to be your partner for now. Namjoon had something else to do.” He leaned in closer to you, lowering his voice to a whisper. “But between you and me, I think it’s because he can’t dance very good so he’s waiting until he gets better before he practices with you.”

You giggled before nuding Jimin. “That’s not very nice.”

Hobi rolled his eyes before moving in between the two of you and walking over towards the center of the floor. “Namjoon isn’t the best dancer, but his moves still put yours to shame Y/N. You need this practice more than he does.” Hobi said before eyeing you over. “You’ve already kept me waiting an hour. Are we going to start or not?”

Your face grew red with embarrassment at being called out before you lowered your head and walked over to the center of the floor as well.

“Now, this isn’t going to be easy. Your sister wants this to be very smooth. It’s all about the connection between you and your partner. One of the other reasons I asked Jimin to come help was because I thought you’d be the most comfortable around him. Especially for this kind of dance.” Hobi said as he began to pace the dance floor, turning on a song. The soft taps of a few piano keys began to play.  

“This dance is going to involve a lot of touching. It’s a slower paced song with a lot of emotion.” He walked out in front of you, turning his back to you as he began to move. His body started to move to the beat.

As you watched, you noticed Jimin move to your side, casually mimicking some of the moves that Hobi was doing. During the instrumental break of the song, Hobi had turned around, still moving but meeting your eyes this time.

“I will show you your steps. Jimin will fill in as Namjoon. I want you to watch us as we move.” Hobi said before turning to Jimin, giving him a nod. Jimin stepped up towards him, wrapping his arms around Hobi’s waist.

You stepped back as you watched the two move to the beat of the song. Jimin’s hands were wandering over Hobi’s arms and waist in such a manner that it caused you to blush. You kind of wished it were you, but seeing the way the two were dancing didn’t bother you one bit. In all honesty, it had stirred up that feeling between your thighs again.

They acted so naturally. Their movements were so fluid and graceful that you would have thought them to be more than just friends. There was no awkwardness between them despite the closeness of their body’s and the intimacy of the dance itself. You were totally awestruck when the final notes of the song drifted off from the stereo.

You could have watched them for hours. You really wished you could have. But the look on Hobi’s face made you realize that it was your turn. You had to make your body do what his just had. He looked you over before motioning for you to come and take his spot.

You bit your lip as you shuffled forward.“Hobi, I don’t think I can do what you two just did.” You turned to look at him. “My body just doesn’t move like that.”

Hobi gave you a reassuring smile. “That’s why we’re here. We’re here to get you to that point. Otherwise we would have just thrown you to Joonie and let him eat you alive.” Hobi looked over to Jimin, giving him a soft wink.

Jimin snorted with laughter when he realized what Hobi had meant; the bet. Jimin moved forward, wrapping his firm arms around your waist and pulling you against his chest, catching you off guard. “Don’t worry Y/N. Hobi is a great teacher. And I’m pretty patient. We’ll get you where you need to be.”

Your face turned bright red, causing Hobi to laugh. “It’ll be okay Y/N. Let’s get into first position and we’ll go from there.”

You took a deep breath before nodding. You slowly let out your breath as Jimin released you and you moved into the first pose you remember Hobi doing. “Okay, we can try. But I’m warning you two, you’re going to hate this.”

****

As soon as the song ended, you plopped down onto your butt, sweat dripping down the side of your face as you tried to catch your breath. Jimin was breathing heavy, but stayed on his feet, looking down at you. Hobi huffed when he saw you sit down but decided to let it go. He walked over to the table, grabbing three bottles of water.

“Are you okay?” Jimin asked as he crouched down to meet your eye level.

You nodded as you wiped the sweat from your forehead onto your hand before wiping it on your dress. “Yeah, I’m okay, just tired. I need a minute.”

Jimin smirked but nodded as he stood. He reached out to grab the water bottle that Hobi had brought over to them.

“Tired? It’s only been two hours!” Hobi said as he handed you a bottle as well.

You groaned and fell back onto the floor. “Two hours of nonstop dancing is more exercise than I’ve done since high school. Cut me some slack,” you complained.

Hobi sighed before deciding to sit down on the floor near you, Jimin following his lead. “I guess not everyone is used to this kind of stuff like we are.” Jimin said as he nudged Hobi.

Hobi rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I guess most aren’t. I kind of forget not everyone is like we are.”

You looked over towards the boys. “But aren’t you guys just models. Why do you have to go through this kind of work out?”

Hobi smiled. The first time you’d seen him smile since his dancing with Jimin. “Well, we have to stay in shape. Some like to go lift or run. But Jimin and I love dancing.”

Jimin nodded and gave you his full faced smile. “We really do. There’s something more meaningful to our exercise when we dance. We aren’t just picking up heavy things or running distances. We’re making something beautiful.”

You nodded before taking a swig of the water. “Okay, that makes sense. You guys are amazing, I'll give you that much.”

Jimin snorted before patting your head. “Oh honey, you should have known that from the start. Have you seen us? We're like sex on legs.”

“And great legs at that.” Hobi said as he walked around Jimin, looking him over before looking at you and winking.

You nearly spit out your water at his comment. Jimin looked at you worriedly while Hobi tried to stifle his laughter.

“Al-alright. That's enough of a break. We've still got two more hours of practice.”

You groaned before standing up and tossing your water bottle over to the corner. You moved your body into first position and turned to Jimin.

“Wait. Did he say two more hours?”

[inanismortem]

August (I)

Hm, so I don’t know yet if I’ll do my average 1.5k - 3k worded chapters or I’ll do monstrous chapter of at 50k or more for each part of this story because it takes course over roughly a year and I plan to be really detailed about it because it all counts. 

I also feel like this is different than how I usually write, it feels super easy and good for me but I have no idea yet :D

Oh geez, SUPER OUT OF ORDER (it’s 7th in line) bleh this will all be super confusing but I’m hoping this will help unblock the prequels/spinoffs.

"So," Nora drawled, playing with her pen. "Anything in particular you're planning for your birthday?" Roxanna shook her head, leaning back against her chair, flipping through some cold cases Lana had asked to her to look at.

"Probably... Treating it like any other normal night." Quite frankly, she was a little surprised that Nora and the others even remembered her birthday. They weren't so close that it was mandatory but it was nice she supposed.

"You're turning twenty one! Legal drinking age!" Ashton protested, rolling past them in his chair.

"I'll pop some champagne and get drunk out of my mind then," Roxanna replied dryly. She wasn't going to of course, it was a waste of time and not worth the pain that came afterwards and besides, she had never liked alcohol in the first place.

Being old enough to legally drink it didn't impact her at all. She'd done it illegally before, what difference did it make?

"I'm pretty sure Zane would love to serve you your first legal drink," Ashton coaxed, sliding back to a stop next to Nora. "Plus, fun! Fun times!"

Roxanna bit back a snort. Alcohol was only good for numbing the pain when it got unbearable. She found nothing fun about it. She didn't even know if she had any other alcohol other than tequila, rum or vodka in her house.

Plus, her definition of 'fun times' widely differed from Ashton's. She would most likely be helping Drew clean up messes if she went along.

"What did you do last year?" Delancey wondered and Roxanna shrugged.

"Stayed home, read some books, watched some tv. There's really nothing to celebrate." Nothing she wanted to celebrate anyways.

There was no point. It was the same as any other day, she'd get older, she'd work, wonder how the others were faring and she'd be closer to her end.

Her end.

It seemed like eternity to her but it probably wouldn't be very long for the others.

Roxanna thought quietly, Nora and Ashton bickering in the background.

Maybe she would visit Isla's grave. She wasn't sure if she was welcome to, she hadn't even gone to the funeral and had never even left flowers for her former best friend.

But still, she itched to talk to her, even if it was just a gravestone and Isla had probably been reincarnated already.

Maybe she would visit-

She immediately cut off the thought.

She wasn't welcome at the fey mansion anymore. She wasn't sure she ever had been but she was certain she wouldn't be well received.

They knew she was alive, if they had wanted her back, they would have asked. They never hesitated in asking.

And maybe, it was just the way it was meant to be because she had never fit in, she was never meant to.

"Yoohoo," Ashton called softly, waving a hand in front of her face, a look of concern flashing across his face. Roxanna jerked out of her thoughts, flying back to the present.

She blinked rapidly, shaking her head frantically.

"Yes?"

"You've been reading the same page for five minutes," Nora pointed out and Roxanna hastily flipped the page. "Are you sure you're alright? You've been spacing out a lot recently. Especially after..." After you saw Geraldine and Leah.

Roxanna laughed, making an effort to make sure it didn't sound too careless. She was grateful that Nora worried but being concerned for her wouldn't benefit Nora in any way.

"Thinking, Green. Did they reinterview the wife? Ever?" Nora raised an eyebrow, bending over to take a look at the file.

"No, why?"

"Her airtight alibi is..." As Roxanna rattled off on the flaws she had gleaned, she let her thoughts wander again.

Kastor had been kind to her so far, she was living comfortably, not happily but comfortably. It wasn't home, really, she didn't think of anything of home anymore but it was what she had.

Drew had been accepting, so has the rest of the little group but she couldn't shake the feeling that she was just intruding. She got their jokes, regularly spent time with them and did everything friends did but it didn't feel real. She wasn't part of their circle as hard as much they tried it include her and she, tried to fit in.

She was just a visitor, a passing acquaintance.

Not much could feel real after coming back from the dead she supposed, but for someone who had had a very firm grip on reality and essentially understood things that could be understood thoroughly, the feeling was foreign and even though she adapted easily, it was unsettling.

She hated the feeling of not being in a zone where she had some semblance of control.

"Roxanna," Drew's voice startled her and she whipped around, barely able to stop from lashing out from surprise. "Phone call."

"For... Me?" Not a lot of people called her. Calls were reserved for people outside of the city, everyone knew where to find her and when but she didn't have much people outside of Kastor that would want to speak to her.

"It's Phoenix."

Roxanna started to reach for the phone before she halted, her poker face firmly in place. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do.

She had barely even spoken to Phoenix after the... Incident.

Predictably, he has been mad, no, furious, not only because she hadn't confided in him or their siblings, but because she had told River, someone that hadn't been all that trustworthy for most people back then.

And she couldn't help feel that she damaged River and Phoenix's relationship in some way, asking River to keep such a heavy secret from someone he cared so much about, essentially making River choose between helping her and being true to her brother.

She hasn't damaged their relationship really, that was sugar coating the results, she had nearly destroyed it. Phoenix wasn't hurt easily but she knew River had unintentionally tore a ragged wound in Phoenix's heart.

"If you don't want to talk to him," Drew murmured comfortingly. "I could tell him."

Roxanna shook her head and took the phone from Drew, quickly retreating to the break room. Leaning against the door, she sighed heavily before bringing the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" She winced as her voice cracked, nervousness thrumming through her body, leg jumping and down.

"Roxanna." Phoenix's voice was warm, welcoming but it did nothing to soothe her. She knew he was still hurting, she hadn't even apologized and even though he had never asked, she owed him one along with a explanation.

"Phoenix, how are you?" Her voice was uncharacteristically high, cracking every few words.

Control was nowhere to be found.

"I'm good," Phoenix hummed cheerfully, as if her stuttering and being nervous was normal. "How about you?"

Roxanna let out a shaky breath. "I'm fine. They're treating me very well here."

"Roxanna," Phoenix sounded a little stern. "'Fine' means many things."

"I'm fine, really." She was fine, physically. Mentally was another matter, mentally was always another matter, it was so complicated with no set or certain answer, different for each person and quite frankly, she wasn't sure if she had ever been fine, mentally.

"Roxanna-"

"Is something wrong?" Roxanna redirected. Phoenix didn't just ever call out of the blue for no reason, it wasn't him, he probably had a request or-

"I just wanted to hear you voice," Phoenix admitted quietly. "I miss you."

"Oh..."

"It's not any less lively here, it's just, it feels a little more empty." Phoenix sounded wistful.

"Ah," Roxanna finally managed to bring her voice back to acceptable tone. "I..." Miss you guys too.

The words got stuck in her throat, she didn't know why and her voice was back to the unstable high pitched tone.

"Um... You're welcome here anytime, despite what others say." Roxanna's leg started bouncing again and she let out a nervous laugh without even thinking about it.

"I um, don't think that's particularly true for Leah." Or most of them. Phoenix went silent before he sighed mournfully.

"Leah said you weren't welcome to come back, didn't she?"

"Yes." Among other things.

"Geraldine misses you. You were one of the only ones she trusted fully."

Roxanna recalled Geraldine's pained expression, the thin press of her lips as she turned away without saying a word.

"I don't think..." She trailed off, feeling the urge to cry all of a sudden. "I don't think she does anymore."

"Miss you? Or trust?"

Roxanna bit her lip and felt a tear trace down her face.

"Both," she barely managed to get out, wincing as if someone had punched her in the gut because that was what it truly felt like.

She had been pushing those thoughts to the back of her head for a while, ever since they had seen each other again, trying to distance herself, trying to tell herself that it wasn't true but now, it glaringly obvious that it was.

And it hurt, the pain she'd been staving off shattering her poorly built walls, rushing back in.

"That's not-"

"Phoenix," she interrupted him, her hand trembling and she tried to concentrate on something, something to keep her grounded. "I have to go."

"Roxanna-"

"It was nice t-talking to-" She couldn't finish her sentence, ending the call as fast as she could, pressing the end call button as hard as she could. The phone fell from her loose grip and she slid to the floor, a quiet sob escaping her before she buried her face into her hands. Her head throbbed, her heart was constricting and she couldn't breathe.

"Roxanna?" Nora called from the other side of the door. "You alright in there?"

"I... No," Roxanna gasped out.

"Open up, I could-"

"No," Roxanna quickly cut her off. "Please, I just... I just need... Some..."

"Roxanna," Nora stopped trying to open the door, her voice gentle but commanding. "You're having a panic attack again."

And somewhere where her rationality still existed, Roxanna knew Nora was right but she shredded the rationality and turned to her instincts that would ultimate destroy whatever sensibility she had left.

"N-No I-I'm-" Her tears blurred her vision and she shook her head frantically even if Nora couldn't see. "I-I'm fi-fine!"

"Roxanna-"

"Please," she whimpered. "Please, just leave me alone!"

She clapped her hands over her ears and hunched over, curling into a ball. She didn't want to listen to anyone, she didn't want talk to anyone, she just wanted to-She didn't know what she wanted to do but, but-

Reality stung and maybe she hadn't noticed this before because she was so unfeeling but it was terrible and it made her feel like-She couldn't describe it and perhaps-

She was drowning in her thoughts and voices that had haunted her head recently but had quieted down for a bit returned a tenfold and then it was torture, she couldn't tell what was the difference between reality and hallucinations anymore.

"Roxanna," Drew called, might've called, Roxanna wasn't sure because for a moment she heard Dark and then a slew of accusations from her siblings as she thought the others were trying to talk to her but all she heard was her siblings, her old friends and the other fey.

It was a multitude of voices rising in crescendo, all of them blurring into each other, crashing down on her and Roxanna just wanted everything to be quiet again.