#i was this close to telling her about the tattoo but my kid brother launched into a rant about haircuts defending me

[brynnmclean]

I'm not really here, but I do want to tell y'all how badly I want to give Artanis short hair or an undercut of some kind out of SPITE

[spacedace]

I know it was a prompt and u said you werent gonna do anything with it (and you so should) but i love ur two posts on the Queen of Clones Elle/Amnesiac Champion Kon AU (especially Kon's knight design (like ghost tattoos?!?!? so so cool) and Elle's relationship with him). Got anymore headcanons about this au? Who are the other clones you envisioned playing the background characters? Do Kon and Tim actually cuddle in the Only One Bed scenario? Does Elle get a cool princess/queen design(s) since Kon gets a knight one? Does Tim walk into Kon's knight practice and have a "oh no he's hot" moment? Just afagshjdksll this au is so cool please tell me all about it

The thing is, whenever I say "I'm going to put X idea here for someone else to grab since I'm never going to do anything with it" I'm lying. I'm a liar. It's still lives in my brain and is taking over all rational thought. I have at least 85% of a story written in my head when I say that, I just know that I'm never going to sit down and actually write it down lol

I have SO MANY thoughts about this AU, you have no idea what you've done asking me about it haha

(and seriously if anything at all in my ramblings here is of interest to anyone have at it, everything I post should always be considered free game to use as a writing prompt haha)

Like, between Elle getting snatched by the GIW & Kon ending up in custody with the Justice League for a bit, a lot of the clones that weren't involved in the rescue(s) who are out in the wider multiverse come pouring in to check on them and there's this huge impromptu "Congrats on Escaping a Government Agency" party for the two of them.

There are so many clones just everywhere, Tim is overwhelmed by them all (and hasn't actually realized that the whole deal of the place is that everyone there is a clone yet). But he's dealing. He's sticking close to Kon (because he's never letting Kon leave his sight again, especially since he's half convinced that Elle kidnapped & brainwashed Kon into being her loyal servant for evil purposes) and getting introduced to the most diverse group of entities he's ever seen before (humans aren't the only ones who get into cloning).

And then there's an excited whoop as some kid comes flying out of a portal and launches himself at Kon, talking a thousand miles a second, just so happy Kon is back and okay and the boy is so chipper and happy and sweet that it takes Tim a second to realize holy shit is that Damian????

The kid is the Heretic, aged down and growing up again with a fresh slate after getting sent to Elle's Haunt post however he disappeared/died in DC canon (I'm a bit fuzzy on those details). Of course that information takes a bit for Tim to figure out, becuase the kid has no memories at all of being the Heretic or of Damian or Talia or Bruce or fighting his way out of a whale fully grown. As far as he's concerned he's Antonio, Paulina Sanchez' adopted son, and like sure he's somebody's clone but that really doesn't matter to him, he only comes to Elle's haunt to hang out and tag along behind Kon because he thinks Kon is the coolest. (Kon is explaining this to Tim as a bright, cheerful, normal kid version of Damian is sitting on his shoulders. Tim is losing his god damn mind).

And the Only One Bed Thing!! Okay, so like, Kon is Elle's Champion and basically her unofficial Heir. When Elle isn't around he's in charge of her Haunt and looking after all the other clones. And even when she is there he just goes full Big Brother mode on everyone. It doesn't matter if the clones that end up in the Haunt are actually older than him, he's their big brother now.

To that end, clones end up coming to Kon all the time in the middle of the night, unable to sleep because of nightmares and stuff. And Kon is the cuddliest motherfucker. He's all about platonic cuddles to help people sleep. Just about every clone that's ever spent any time at Elle's haunt has ended up curled up in a blanket fort in Kon's room getting cuddled into feeling safe and cared for.

So for Kon? Only One Bed is no issue at all.

Oh all the clones coming over for the party has taken up all the rooms and Elle is "too weak from recovering" for her Haunt to make more? Of course Red Robin can stay in his room! His bed is so comfy and there's more than enough room for both of them (and like, sure, he's kinda panicking a little because he's never cuddled with anyone he's sorta had a tiny bit of a crush on, but he cab be cool! Besides, its hard to fully commit to the crush one Red Robin when Mystery Boy is out there somewhere, oh maybe he can ask Red Robin about him! He seems to know so much about Kon he'll know who Kon is in love with back in his old life!)

Tim, on the other hand, is just fully:

Over the prospect of having to keep his shit together while sleeping in the same bed as Kon (who sleeps without a shirt, jesus fucking christ, Kon has tattoos now since when did that happen??? why is he somehow more attractive than when he disappeared??? oh god Tim is going to have a fucking heart attack) especially after Kon drops the bomb that the only thing he can remember from before is some guy that Kon was apparently totally in love with??? Like Tim is being thrown wildly between being a Bi Disaster to being totally devistated and back again.

He mostly manages to keep himself together, at least until it's actually time for bed and it turns out that Kon is a cuddler when he sleeps (Kon did warn him! "just shove me off if I end up trying to use you as a pillow it won't wake me up" he said, and Tim thought "well it can't be that bad" he was so fucking wrong) and Tim ends up wrapped up in a cocoon of muscled and tattooed Kryptonian arms with his face smushed into Kon's chest and Kon nuzzling into Tim's hair in his sleep and it's the most comfortable Tim's ever been in his life and Kon purrs in his sleep like how is that even fair??? (I love the Kyrptonian's purr headcanon so much it has to be in here lol)

By the end of the first week Tim's has slept more and better than he has in years. He's genuinely forgotten what it's like to have a normal sleep schedule. Even with all his panicking, Kon sleepily curling up around him and hugging him like a teddy bear just knocks him out. It's insane.

And Elle! I have so many thoughts about Elle in this AU!

I mentioned it in one of my other posts on this AU that Elle gives off Vibes based off her various Epitaphs that she's gained, and I think that she'd kinda push that to the max when it came to Tim for awhile when Kon first shows up with him.

Like, she takes one look at Tim and is like "ah, this is Mystery Boy my amnesiac bestie has been on about forever" while also realizing that Kon has no idea that he's just panic-kidnapped the one person he sorta remembers from his old life. Which is the oppurtunity of so much fun matchmaking chaos. And she loves Kon, she's planning on officially making him her Heir so that he becomes Prince of Clones as well as her Champion, she wants him to be happy.

But also she's protective over him, more even than a lot of the other clones that end up in her Haunt. Kon doesn't remember his old life and he was so badly injured when he ended up in Elle's haunt that Frostbite hadn't been sure he would survive. Add in the fact that Red Robin was clearly with the people that had captured Kon while he and the other clones were getting her out of the GIW facility (and that the Justice League is sort of a government agency in it's own right) and Elle isn't totally sold on Tim.

She goes out of her way to give off extra creepy vibes while around him. Making sure he understands that she's more than strong enough to destroy him if he even thinks about hurting Kon. At least in the early days of Tim being in her haunt. She does, eventually, lighten up - especially when Kon gives her the big eyes and asks her to trust him, that he knows that Red Robin is someone he believes is good and that won't ever hurt him. She's still keeps a close eye on Tim, but does chill out a little after that.

And she does have a Queen Form (and a princess form when she's doing her Crown Princess of the Infinite Realms thing). She has a couple different forms/designs depending on which Epitaph she's invoking (and of course a fun vaguely eldritch shadow form that scares the shit out of Tim haha).

Her Clone Queen design is BIG, not quite massive Eldritch Ghost King Danny big, but definitely big. Like 20-30 feet tall big, so she can pick up and carry/hold all her clone children like little babies (if any clones are from a race/species that's bigger than that her size adjusts so she's always big enough to carry them).

She has a crown made out of mirror shards that float around and move so that it's always changing shape (I've been feeling clones being called "Mirrorborn" in the Infinite Realms since there's kind of a naming convention already with "unborn" and clones could be seen as kind of like reflections in a way. Elle's official title is actually "Queen of the Mirrorborn" though sometimes is called "Mother of Mirrors" that's why Kon's sheild reflects things, since Elle made it for him out of a piece of her crown while naming him her Champion) and wears a dress that also looks like it's covered in mirrors. It's actually very soft and comfortable and it's super common for clones to climb around or curl up in her skirts and sleep in there.

Her dress does turn into armor though if she needs to fight. And while in Clone Queen mode it's actually super easy for her to duplicate herself a bunch of times.

Knight Training!

Once Elle chills out on Tim a little and is fully onboard the matchmaking train with the rest of the clones (all while absolutely none of them tell Kon that Red Robin is obviously his Mystery Boy) she has Fright Knight show up more often to train Kon specifically for the purpose of Tim walking in on shirtless Tim expertly going through sword forms and sparring with various other clones. And of course Tim and Kon have to have a sparring scene, where Tim is so distracted by Kon being so fucking attractive he ends up pinned against a wall with the flat of a sword under his chin and Kon giving him a cheeky wink and then it's on and there's a whole dramatic flirty fight scene as they make their way through half of Elle's Haunt while sword fighting.

Also! Since Elle's entire court is actually there for once, a bunch of different monarchs around the Infinite Realms decide to host a tournament, so Kon gets to do official knight stuff in his best armor. And Tim gets place of honor right next to Elle during all the jousting and fighting stuff so he gets the best view of Kon kicking ass.

Tim (still wearing his mask because even if he's pretty sure that no one here is evil or would use his secret identity against him - or even care that he has one) has been all dressed up in some gorgeous clothes fit for his status as "Companion" to a Queen's Champion/future Heir. Just something absolutely insanely georgous in the colors of his Red Robin suit, with a dramatic but entirely functionless cape and Kon's crest (not Elle's but Kon's) embroidered on it and it's Kon's turn to blue screen at seeing Tim for the first time all dressed up.

And Tim is maybe finally putting together from talking with Kon that he might be Mystery Boy that Kon remembers from before and that Kon is in love with. So just before Kon is going out to joust, Tim - taking Elle's advice that he should give Kon a favor before the tournament for good luck - and wanting it to be more meaningful than just a handkerchief or something, takes his mask of and gives it to Kon as his favor.

And Kon just loses his god damn mind because Mystery Boy and Red Robin are the same person and all he wants to do is kiss Tim stupid but Fright Knight Master of Chivalry is like "nope you gotta win this tournament and bring honor to your beloved and do this whole ridiculous song and dance about it, no kissing, get out there and smash some heads together - and keep your helmet on this time!" and just yeets a disgruntled Kon out into the field before he can do anything.

And of course with all this extra incentive - Fright is serious about that whole "prove your love through combat" thing he's not going to be allowed to even kiss Tim's hand unless he wins and is perfectly chivalous while doing it - Kon wins the Tournament and is given the flower crown he's supposed to give to the most beautiful of all the observers and of course he gives it to Tim and he doesn't care if there's a forty step courting process he's supposed to follow Fright, he's fucking kissing Tim and there's nothing you can do about it!

Literally seconds away from them finally kissing is when the Justice League kick down the door to get Tim back.

The ghosts aren't even the ones that wrecks the Justice League's shit for interuppting, it's just Tim screaming at them about being cock blocks for forty minutes while Kon screams into the void in the background.

(Kon does get his memories back eventually, and he and Tim do finally get that kiss and start dating. But at that point Kon has been named Elle's heir so Fright Knight is even more rediculous about Correct Courting Steps than before because Kon is a Prince now. Elle is just relieved that it turns out that the Justice League nuked the GIW while they were looking for Tim, because they were not okay with them or the Anti-Ecto Laws. Kon is mortified at having what is effectively his adoptive mother constantly popping in to dote on him while in the middle of fights, Elle is having a great time.)

[333sth]

dove. (frankie morales)

chapter ii. previous. series masterlist.

pairing: frankie morales x ofc (’dove’) no use of y/n

warnings: ptsd/military service, violence, injury detail, language, angsty.

summary: santi’s hunch is no longer a hunch, but only will knows how close they are to finding frankie’s girl. 

rating: mature wc: 1.8k 

When a strong hand had clamped around her shoulder, Dove’s instinct was to break it. It wasn’t menacing; they were just waiting at the bar to be served.

A burly, middle-aged man was towering beside her, clutching a beer bottle that looked miniature in his thick grasp. His arms, still holding the shadow of what was once impressive muscle, were littered with military tattoos. Dove could spot a stick-and-poke from a mile off.

“I recognise that,” He gestures to her neck, where a small Delta Force tattoo was usually disguised by her long hair. “You ex-forces? Delta?” 

She wanted to kick herself. The sticky atmosphere had gotten the better of her and she’d thrown her hair into a ponytail without thinking.

“Yeah, but that isn’t exactly public knowledge ‘round here.” She murmurs. 

Across the room, Roni throws her head back in exaggerated laughter. A group of men, who looked barely out of their teen years, had come over to make some desperate attempts at getting laid. Dove had excused herself to buy the next round after one of them had cracked a mortifying joke about liking older women.

“That’s understandable.” The man held out his hand, which she took hesitantly. “My name’s Mark, I just retired out here. Served for twenty three years.” He chuckled gruffly, his voice thick from cigarettes. “I got jack shit to show for it, mind you.”

“Tell me about it.” She laughs, but she doesn’t offer her name. 

Mark notices as the conversation lulls. “I trained with a guy who made Delta. Santiago Garcia - we called him Pope, ‘cause he just had that way about him. You probably knew him.”

Dove swallows, chest lurching. “Sounds familiar… You know how it is though, the nicknames all blur into one eventually.”

That’s a lie, you never forget your teammates’ names. Mark knows it and so does Dove. Thankfully, he doesn’t push a conversation she clearly doesn’t want to have, and raises his bottle to her.

“Well, it was nice to meet you anyway. Enjoy yourself out here.”

“You too, Mark.” She tries to smile, but her lips press into a thin line that probably looks more like a grimace.

*

Mark had called Santiago the following day, the alcohol-blurred memory peaking his interest once he remembered his old friend’s plea a few months back. He’d asked around for any heads-up if any ex-Delta women around their age popped up. Mark had thought the man was delusional when he’d heard. If she was Delta Force, she wouldn’t be found unless she wanted to be. 

Apparently, he was wrong. Maybe even the best of the best got rusty after a while.

The town Dove had been spotted in was questionable to Santiago. It was too cosmopolitan for a woman who was starting over. However, after a onceover on a map of Mexico, Santi spotted its smaller neighbour. He’d never heard of it, which meant it must be the place. Small population, right on the coast, with enough amenities and business to get by without any trouble.

“And, man, she had a wicked scar on her throat. Sort of shit you’d only see on a Delta.” Mark had added, with a chuckle. “I can’t imagine that ain’t your girl.”

‘Dove isn’t my girl,’ Santi wanted to bite back instinctually. He bit his tongue, and instead offered, “It sounds like her. I can’t thank you enough, brother.”

*

Santiago only told Will what he knew about Dove. He had the mind to retain that information no matter what this trip threw at them. Plus, he trusted him with his life, plus a couple other lives that came to mind. Call it insurance, if things went south.

Plus, Will didn’t have Tom’s mouth, or twisted morality. Tom was more than willing to accept that Dove would miss out on their prospective fortune, that the ‘hunch’ would have to wait until Lorea was dealt with. Santiago knew his brothers well enough to know Benny would throw a hissy fit if they knew where Dove was and she wasn’t included. She’d spent enough time stitching up their war-torn skin and shoving them out of bullets to deserve a cut.

So, Pope told a little white lie. They had a stop in Mexico to meet with a contact. 

Frankie had murmured, “Better be worth it, stuck in this shitty car with you fuckers for ten hours.” 

Santiago resisted the urge to agree. God, he hoped it would be worth it too. He hoped he wasn’t driving them into a dead end, a bluff on Mark’s part. Or even worse, invading Dove’s beautiful new life without them. That would destroy everything; Dove, the boys, Frankie. What if she had settled down? What if he pulled into that idyllic beach bar she wanted and she’s there, a baby with the same brilliant eyes balanced on her hip? She was never sure about kids. A vivid mental picture of the wrong diamond, glistening on her ring finger in the afternoon sun, and the wrong man pecking her lips, made Santi physically wince. 

Fish would never forgive him. Will and Benny would never forgive him. He’d never forgive himself. 

It was a long, apprehensive drive. Santi’s eyes were drying, squinting against the headlights that occasionally glared past them. His jaw had been clenched for the last few hours as his anxiety grew, nothing but open road to stare at while he contemplated over and over as to whether it was the right decision. It didn’t help that Frankie never really slept like the others did on the move. While the other boys passed out, Frankie’s soft eyes continued scanning the scene flying past the window. It was like he stayed awake to watch Pope’s back, as if they were still in combat, or as an unspoken act of kindness to keep him company. 

Really, Frankie was a terrible sleeper. Santi remembered that from the early days, before he and Dove gave it up and became an item. He was the last to drift off and first to wake up, always restless. Once Dove started tip-toeing over to his cot in the night, he became the worst snorer in the division. Always splayed on his front, one arm tossed over Dove’s waist and the other under his pillow. She’d kick him in the night so he’d roll over and shut up, but it never lasted long. 

One night, Benny had enough, and groaned to Dove, “Put us out of our fuckin’ misery and smother him with your pillow, for the love of God.”

Dove had snapped back, “Fuck off, Benny, just ‘cause you aren’t getting any of the action doesn’t mean you have to get all bitter.”

“I’ve told you guys - I’m more than willing to join in-”

“Ben.” Frankie grumbled into her shoulder. It was gruff with sleep but still menacing enough to make the hairs on Dove’s arms stand on end.

Before a pillow smacked into his head, Benny guffawed, “Oh, so he is alive after all.”

*

Wringing a soft rag for polishing glasses between her fingertips, Dove descends the wooden steps at the entrance of the bar. The last huddle of regulars holler behind her, wrapping up their weekend drinks as the evening creeps closer to the early hours; Dove always notices the time when moths start colliding with the lanterns.

Roni rises from a crouch on the ground, dropping a paintbrush into a can with a clatter. “See, your own little touch!” 

The wooden panels that constructed the side of the bar, usually concealed by a stack of cardboard beer boxes, is decorated with little doves. Despite studying criminology, mainly for the satisfaction of her parents, Roni loved painting and insisted on brightening the exterior of their beach shack.

Dove cracks a half-smile. “It’s lovely, Ron. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” She beams, throwing the half-empty cans into the nearby bins. She pauses, glancing hesitantly at the older woman over her shoulder,  “Dove’s not your real name, right?”

“No, no. Nickname from when I was nursing overseas.” Dove chuckles, before adding, “Feels more like my real name than my Christian one nowadays.”

Roni passes Dove on the steps as she returns to the bar, “It suits you. You’re always graceful, but… you’re fucking fast.”

Dove laughs with her, ignoring the familiar clench in her chest. It’s exactly what Frankie used to say. The difference is Roni notices when she almost drops a glass, or her tray of drinks starts to wobble, and Dove is there to catch it with such fluidity Roni never saw her coming. Even the way Dove’s knife slices through fruit like each piece is a slab of melted butter. Frankie witnessed the extreme of that, the stealth and grace that usually ensured the enemy was dead before the others had even thought to raise their guns. Still, he admired her the same way Roni was right now. It was like awe.

It’s probably because he loved her effortlessly, every single aspect of her being without a glimmer of doubt or judgement. And now he wasn’t here.

The group of regulars stumbling down the steps break Dove from her thoughts, chortling and wishing her goodnight. One of the older men turns and jerks his thumb towards the road, “You might wanna tell them you’re closing, bonita.”

Before the road becomes the sand, there is a small, dusty wasteland that doubles as a makeshift car park. A vehicle is parked, glaring headlights facing towards the ocean and forming peculiar, alien-like beams in the dark. She’s definitely getting rusty; she’d barely registered the idling truck.

“I’ll sort ‘em out, Miguel, don’t you worry.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt it,” He jokes, waving to her. “Buenos noches, Dove.”

Military habits are practically impossible to shake, and immediately, Dove’s mind launches into overdrive. She raises her hand above her eyes, squinting against the blinding white LEDs in an attempt to make out a registration plate or even a recognisable model. Her mind is fine-tuned to memorise; most of the locals’ cars are already catalogued in her memory, but this isn’t one of them.

Maybe they’re tourists, ready to push their luck with the opening times. That’s the reasonable side of Dove’s mind. The irrational, dark edges whisper, ‘What if someone found you?’ By someone, it means someone bad. Someone she wronged during her service, an enemy or straggler that got away. Even a civilian that might have been caught in the crossfire. She thought about those ghosts often. Hell, some of them she could still name. When she can’t sleep, sometimes she lists them, pictures their faces if she can recall them, just in case they ever came back.

She inhales a sharp gust of ocean air through her nostrils, welcoming the clarity that spreads through her mind. Parting her lips (the lips Frankie always teased were in a permanent pout), she released the breath slowly, trying to relax the stressed scrunch in her features.

“Your face is gonna get stuck like that someday.”

The voice is familiar. A deep, breathy chuckle, barrel-toned and gravelly. It sounds like home.

taglist: @mishasminion360

[wish-i-wasnt-a-coward]

Everything and nothing

Unpacking sucks, but it sucks less with friends. Or, Roman is gay and Remus is feral. 

part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

Parings: eventual LAMP, eventual demus

Warnings: mention of braking bones and biting

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Loud crashing echoed through the previously silent Prince household. Roman shot up in bed expecting to see her twin launching themselves at him. But the room was empty. 

Roman relaxed with a sigh, Remus had just fallen down the stairs again. He probably should make sure that they weren’t dead… but her bed was soft and warm and Remus had almost complete immunity to breaking bones.

She unplugged her phone, yawing. Patton had sent a good morning text. Even seeing their name on the screen gave Roman butterflies. He sent a quick text back as he shifted through boxes looking for something acceptable to wear. 

Perhaps putting off unpacking hadn’t been the best plan.

He pulled a box out from the corner and began arranging his bottle collection on the window sill. The sill itself is very wide so roman up shelves going all the way up the window, letting the sunshine shimmer through the bottles and jars, lighting up the room with rainbow colors. 

He slid a few boxes across the room but was quickly distracted by a text from Pat; 

Patton 💙😍✨

Hey!!!!!!! What are you going to be doing today?

I’m with a friend of mine and would love for you to meet him!!! 

Hey Pat! I’m going to be unpacking all day :(

The two of you are more than welcome to come by and help me!

That sounds perfect!!! 

He’s very good at organization, though he may make fun of you for having a lot of stuff…

That’s fine, I'm sure I can take it :)

 I live at (insert house number)

Ok!!!! 

See you in 10???

See you in 10 😃

Roman grinned at her phone and frantically began moving boxes so it looked less like someone had released a passel of rabid possums in the room. 

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Patton excitedly shimmied in place as she rang the doorbell. She knew for a fact that Logan was going to love Roman as much as she did. The two were very different but so were her and Virgil, and they got along great!

The door suddenly burst open, revealing a kid who looked a lot like Roman but had a mustache and tattoos on their collar bone. 

Patton smiled at the intimidating figure, “Hello! I’m Patton, Romans friend. Are you Remus?” the twin looked down at her and grinned diabolically, “the one and only! Romans being productive- like a fucking loser. He did tell me about you, but not your friend. Who are they, what are their pronouns, and how difficult do you think it would be to bite them?” 

There was a moment of silence before the slightly frightened Logan stepped forward, “My name is Logan, my pronouns are he/him. Please do not bite me, or any person for that matter. Not only could you harm the person but you could contract any number of diseases from both bacteria and the potential breakage of skin” 

“PFFFFFFFF!!!!! I like you nerd. Come on in, Romans upstairs” Remus said as they opened the door and let the two in. 

The house was relatively small. A hall containing a staircase, a living room, and a kitchen packed with boxes made up the first floor. It was cozy and warm, the walls were mostly painted in hues of reds and oranges and the few unpacked things were beautiful enough to distract from the towers of boxes. 

Logan stopped to admire three swords mounted to the wall. They shone in the dim lamplight, but he could see markings around the hilts indicating that they were genuine artifacts. He liked these people already. 

Remus sprinted up the stairs, followed closely by Patton both grinning. At the top of the stairs, Remus pointed at the four doors in the hall, “that one is the bathroom, the one next to it is our parent’s room, the one at the end of the hall is mine and the closest to the stairs is Roman. I’d say let me know if you need me but I have no idea why you would. Have fun ;)” 

Remus grinned and disappeared into his room. “Huh” Patton said, “he’s umm, interesting” “Patton they quite literally said winky face at the end of their sentence. That is not interesting, it is completely deranged” Logan said before smiling slightly “I’m certainly... anticipating meeting his twin”. He gently knocked on the white door before pushing it open. 

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Roman was losing her shit. She was so excited, the cutest person in the world was going to be in his room! He was so wrapped up in the exhilaration of it he forgot that his brother was home. How? she’ll never actually know. Remus had a way of alerting everyone in a 5-mile radius of their presence, nonetheless, Roman forgot. That was, until she heard Remus outside her door, saying goodbye to the others in the hallway. He held his breath as the door swung open seconds later. 

And oh gods

Patton still was incredibly cute in mostly pastel blue and another skirt. But the other person in her door frame was so lovely he instantly regretted not breathing. They were far more simple in outfit and mannerism. Black jeans and a blue button-down shirt. Their face was serious and intimidating but their eyes held a glint of sharpness behind square glasses that told Roman not to mess with them. 

Looking at the two figures standing next to each other Roman was sure that his heart was going to explode from the sheer attractiveness radiating from the two. ‘Come on Ro, they’re just people. You know Patton you can do this,’ Roman thought to herself as she put down the box he had been holding and swiftly crossed the room. 

Patton squealed and scooped her up in a hug, “oh my gosh it’s so good to see you again!”, Roman smiled, “Oh yeah! Logan meet Roman! Roman; Logan” Patton said as she pulled away. 

Logan smiled at Roman (jhjhjjjkjkrf) who was slightly shorter than him and held out a hand. “Lovely to make your acquaintance Roman” Roman grinned, “you as well” she took his hand and kissed the knuckles. Causing Logan’s cheeks to flush a light pink which Roman took careful note of whilst his heart did cartwheels in his chest. 

“Awww that was so cute” Patton cooed “but we’re here to help! What do you want us to do kiddo?!” Patton said excitedly looking into a box that appeared to be filled with candles. “Hmmmm” Roman said thoughtfully, standing back up. “Well you said Logan enjoyed organization, would you be opposed to unpacking the books?” Logan shook his head and looked towards the boxes overflowing with books. “Is there any particular way you want them organized?” he asked, “I usually do them by color but whatever way you do it is perfect” Roman replied with a smile. 

“Patton, would you mind going through some of my jewelry? Some of the boxes broke during the move and a bunch of them are tangled or need to be paired” Roman said, looking nervously into a box she had just opened. “That sounds perfect kiddo!!” she said, sliding it away from Roman and sitting it on the bed to pull out the jewelry boxes. 

The three fell into an easy rhythm; Logan making comments of Romans book taste or asking opinions on books he planned to read. Patton asking where on earth he had gotten the mushroom earrings because if she didn’t get them at some point she was going to die. 

After a few hours they had emptied around half of the boxes, Logan was done but the others kept getting distracted. Roman now had Logan's number and, as the two were leaving, was told that he was, “most certainly invited to spend more time with myself and our other friends during school hours, once it begins of course”. As Roman laid in his partially unpacked room he grinned up at the ceiling. She had friends. 

[clonesandmoans]

I think I saw something a while back for the Bad Batch with someone eagerly awaiting their return? What about if they weren't there one time, like they got sick or something. I can imagine that they would be pretty worried...

+ So unrelated to Funsize, but what about the Bad Batch with a brand new padawan and their first mission with their master is with the Bad Batch and the padawan just thinks there awesome!!

Look, ya’ll better love me forever because I am not a Bad Batch writer.. but a girl’s gotta expand her talents, so here’s my take on how this would go: 

- You’re thirteen when you’re deployed to be with Clone Force 99. Had you been older you would’ve gotten to go by yourself, but the Order insisted you had a Master to accompany you. 

- First things first: Your Master is just like Skywalker. Reckless and pushy and a little bit too much for your personality, but you adapt fast because you two have to watch out for each other. 

- The Bad Batch doesn’t like you. Not a bit. They’re not fond of kids and you’re so innocent. They have no desire to taint something like that with their influence and how much they’ve seen. 

- “They don’t like me’’ 

- ‘’Well I don’t like them” Your Master mutters. “But we’ll grow on them, I promise’’ 

- It’s a year into the war when you save Crosshair from a shot that nearly took him out, had it been three inches to the right. 

- The kicker? You’re a Jedi Consular. Your saber is blue, but you have a natural gift for force healing that comes into play during your time on the battlefield. 

- Crosshair just kinda stares at you in wonder because you should not have exhausted so much of your energy to do that.. but you did it anyway. 

- Hm.. 

- “Thanks for the save, kid.” 

- Your Master praises you for your bravery in saving Crosshair, but it’s not until Cross tells Hunter about your act on the battlefield that they start taking an interest in you and your abilities. 

- Your wicked skill with The Force? You master that by the time you’re 16, having been with the Batch for three years, and most of the time you’re too annoyed by how uppity they are that you start bickering with them like siblings. 

- They come up with a nickname for you too: Skip. Why? Well.. you’re fast on your feet, and they didn’t really wanna call you Skuttle.. but you haven’t really cared enough to correct them. 

- “Hey Skip, pass me that-” 

- It’s fairly common for you to launch things at them across the Havoc Marauder with The Force. 

- Hunter is the one who you get along with the best. 

- Wrecker gives you shoulder rides all the time because he says, ‘’it’s a better view from up here in the world, skip!” 

- Your Master gets along with Clone Force 99 well enough, but he doesn’t know them like you do. 

- Your late night exchanges with Tech in which he teaches you about all the places you have yet to go.

- Your early morning weapons training with Hunter - he trains you with the vibroblade first because you’re most accustomed to the movements with a blade - and the look of pride in his eyes when you start sparring each other instead of him walking you through the correct movements of it all. 

- Crosshair training you in long range weapons.

- Wrecker teaching you how to fight with your hands and how to use your size to your advantage. 

- By the time you’re ready for your Trials, you’ve been with The Batch for nearly 10 years and have just received your Clone Force 99 tattoo that wraps around the inner curve of your biceps on both arms with emblems you associate with yourself and each member of The Bad Batch. 

- “Where’d you get the tattoos?’’ 

- “Why do you have them?” 

- You smile, pull on your robes and greet the other Masters. “I had to acclimate to a new environment as a child with people who did not care for children.. I fit right in, and they taught me how to survive. I wouldn’t be alive without Clone Force 99.” 

- The Bad Batch keeps a close eye on your progress after you ace your trials and are sent on your first mission alone at 23. 

- “Have we heard from Skip recently?” 

- It’s been a week since you were sent out to the Outer Rim with a contingent of clones for a mercy mission. 

- “No.. but we will soon.” 

- Soon turns out to be a month when Hunter gets a call on his private commlink that is most definitely your voice, begging him to find you at the GAR hangar because you’re in desperate need of refuge and help in taking out a problem. 

- The Bad Batch wouldn’t call themselves soft.. but they’re definitely worried about their Skip as they wait anxiously in the hangar for your return. 

- You look like a different person when you enter. Scars curl around your tattoos on your arms, your hair is shorter, your eyes heavier. It’s been a hard adjustment without them. 

- You stop in your tracks, barely able to contain your tears, lips quivering as you beam at them, “My Batch.” 

- Wrecker throws his arms in the air in a victory move as he pounds the floor in his urge to pick you up, cheering your name as he does so. 

- Crosshair nods politely in your direction. 

- Hunter kisses your temple, whispers how glad he is you’re safe before releasing you.

- Tech has loads to tell you about all the things he learned while you were gone. 

- That’s the one thing you didn’t expect: These mutated clones who hated you as a child and eventually became your brothers also became your family. 

- And yeah they annoy you, but you love them. 

[batterycityghoul]

Hello there! Could you write a Klaus x reader with reader being a tattoo artist? Like they met, when reader started tattooing and Klaus's Hello and Goodbye tattoo is her practicing work. With Their relationship romantic, but no strings attached, because Klaus's comes and goes and reader is his safe place? Thank you! 🥰💖

Title: The Taste of Ink

Pairing: Klaus Hargreeves/Reader

Word Count: 3.1k (I can’t write a drabble to save my life, I’m so sorry)

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for this wonderful prompt! I really hope you like this. 💖 This turned out a bit angsty and I’m so sorry. I couldn’t resist. Also, I watched the Deadpool movies again recently and some of the characters might have been inspired by Deadpool characters. Reader and Klaus are both early 20s at the start of this. 

You didn't grow up with the knowledge that you wanted to some day become a tattoo artist. When you were younger, you were always terrible at art, but you yearned to be better. You joined art club and stayed after school with the art teacher, trying to soak up as much as you could about different styles and techniques.

You kept at it until you started feeling satisfied with your work.  

Still, you never expected to turn to tattooing as a possible career path until you found yourself in desperate need of a job after the company you had worked at for a year and a half suddenly let you go. You had applied to be a receptionist at a tattoo parlor called 'X-Force Ink,' just a few blocks away from your apartment, hoping to make enough money to keep paying rent while you considered your options.  

You had only been there for a couple of weeks when the owner had to fire one of the artists. You knew he was scrambling to find a replacement, so when he caught you doodling on the back of the sign-in sheet, he asked you to show him a portfolio. You hurried to get enough sketches together to hopefully give him an idea of your skill and when he seemed impressed, he offered to start your training right away.

It didn't take you long to realize that you loved it. You loved the focus and intimacy of the job. You loved that someone was trusting you enough to permanently ink art onto their body. You loved the thrill of the idea of watching someone walk out of the shop with a smile on their face because of your art.  

By the end of your first couple of months as an apprentice, you couldn't imagine yourself doing anything else with your life. The only problem was that you were in need of more experience. You wanted to find someone who would trust you enough to practice your skills on. You considered asking friends or family, but your first real customer ended up being a complete stranger.

It was a nice, chilly autumn day when he came stumbling into your life. You were in the middle of watching another artist named Weasel tattoo a client when you heard the commotion coming from the front of the shop.  

"Go see what that is," Weasel told you. "Wade might need some help."

"Alright," you agreed, leaving the room and making sure to close the curtain behind you to respect the client's privacy.  

"Good luck!" You heard Weasel call after you.

You rolled your eyes, a fond smile on your face as you made your way out to the front. When you got to the waiting room, it was to see your boss, Wade, attempting to kick out a guy with eyeliner smudged around his eyes and a bottle of tequila in his hand.  

"I don't have any money," the guy was slurring, swaying on his feet as he struggled to keep his eyes focused on Wade. "But I can think of other ways to pay."

You saw Wade roll his eyes before he put a hand to the stranger's shoulders. "Brother, I don't know what you're on, but you need to get the hell out of here before I call the cops."

"Oh, but my brother is a cop! Or he used to be one. Go ahead and call him up." The guy leaned forward, pitching his voice lower, as if imparting a secret. "Between you and me, he won't be too surprised to hear from you."

"Leave. Now," Wade snapped.  

"Wait, wait, wait! Just wait!" The guy pleaded, holding out his palms, the bottle of tequila slipping from his fingers.  

Wade was quick to grab it and set it down on the front counter.  

"Just please listen to me," the guy continued, not even seeming to notice he was no longer holding the tequila.  

You caught the sad, desperate look in the stranger's eyes and couldn't help but feel for him.

"Wade," you called, finally gaining his attention. "Mind if I take it from here?"

"What? No! I'm not letting you deal with this creep."

"Hey! Who are you calling a creep?" The stranger's bottom lip poked out in a pout.

You couldn't help but find him adorable as you cautiously approached him. "I'll get him out of here," you promised Wade. "Just give me a minute."

Wade considered you for a moment before he sighed, giving in to your request. "Call me if he tries anything," Wade told you, shooting a glare at the stranger before he turned and walked down the hallway towards the back rooms.  

"Come on," you coaxed, reaching out to gently wrap your fingers around the guy's wrist. "Let's sober you up a bit."

You led the guy back towards the break room, gently pushing him into a chair at the table before you moved to fill a paper cup with water. You handed it over to him, watching him consider it for a moment as if he thought you were secretly trying to poison him, before he took a sip.  

You sat down in the chair next to his, waiting until he was finished with the water before you chose to talk.  

"What's your name?"

The guy squinted at you before a smile slowly stretched across his face. "Well, hey there," he purred. "What's someone like you doing in a place like this?"

"Jesus," you breathed. "What all did you take?"

He laughed, tipping his head back to look at the ceiling. "You know, I can't remember. They were mighty pretty, though." He sat up and reached out to touch his finger to the tip of your nose. "Like you."

You couldn't help but find the stranger oddly charming. There was just something about him that seemed to draw you in. You weren't sure if it was his beautiful, sad green eyes or the way he seemed to have so much weighing him down, but came off as strangely carefree. You wanted to know more about him, though.

"What's your name?" You asked again when he looked like he was able to actually focus on you for more than a couple of seconds at a time.  

"Klaus," he answered. "Or Number Four, according to my father. God, what a prick." You listened to him grumble to himself for a few moments before he glanced to you again. "What's yours?"

"Y/N," you told him, holding your hand out for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Klaus."

Klaus took your hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. He winked at you before he let go of your hand. "The pleasure is mine," he assured you.  

You huffed out a laugh before you stood and moved over towards the refrigerator. You rummaged through the contents before you found the leftovers from your lunch. You put them in the microwave before you looked to Klaus, noticing that he was watching you intently.

"I hope you like tacos," you told him once you grabbed the reheated food from the microwave.

"Oh, yes, I'm starving," Klaus groaned, barely waiting for the food to be placed in front of him before he grabbed it up, immediately taking a bite.  

You watched him comically try to figure out if burning his mouth was worth the bite of food he just stuffed in his mouth before he landed in favor of swallowing the food.  

"So," you started when he was finished with the first taco. "What brought you here?"

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to get a tattoo. Isn't that why people come here?"

You barely resisted the urge to roll your eyes. "I figured," you said. "But is it something you actually want or is it something you just thought sounded like a good idea because you're high?"

"And drunk," Klaus pointed out, as if that helped his case at all.  

"And drunk," you repeated, raising an eyebrow at him, unimpressed.  

Klaus sighed, dropping the remains of the taco down on the wrapper, before he rolled up the sleeve of his patchwork coat to show you his left wrist. You caught the umbrella tattooed there before he dropped the sleeve, covering it.  

"My dad made me get that when I was a kid," he told you. “So, I’m not a nervous ink virgin. I know what I’m getting myself into.”

"Your dad?" You asked incredulously, feeling your eyes widen in shock. "What the fuck?"

"That's just Reggie," Klaus dismissed, as if the idea of his father forcibly tattooing his kid wasn't the worst thing he ever did to him. Klaus launched into a ramble about his family and superpowers and being made to save the day when he was a teenager. He talked about how he was walking and saw the sign for the shop and knew he wanted to get a tattoo. He seemed to cycle through at least a dozen tattoo ideas, barely even noticing when you got up to refill his paper cup with water and handed it back to him.  

By the time Klaus stopped talking, picking at the rest of his food, you had made up your mind.

"Klaus," you called softly, getting his attention.  

"Yeah?"  

"I'll tattoo you," you offered. "I'm only an apprentice, so I haven't done much yet, but I'll do it for free if you promise me something."

"Anything," Klaus immediately agreed, shooting you a smile.

"I'll only do it if you come back tomorrow after closing and you're sober enough to tell me what you really want. I want to make sure it's something you actually want."

Klaus narrowed his eyes at you, as if thinking it over, before he sighed and nodded his head. "Fine," he conceded. "It's a deal," he said, holding out his hand for you to shake.  

By the time you got Klaus out to the front room and called him a cab, you assumed you would never see him again.  

Still, the next day you volunteered to close, telling Wade that you had a potential client coming in who would let you work on them.  

Wade tilted his head to the side, considering you, before he shook his head. "It's that kid from yesterday, isn't it?"

"Maybe," you answered, shrugging your shoulders.

"If you have any problems, call me," Wade told you. "That kid was a mess. Don't get sucked into his mess, kid," he warned.

"I'm an adult," you reminded him. "I can fuck up all by myself if I want to."

Wade shot you a grin, reaching out to briefly tug on your ear, before he nodded his head. "Don't forget to lock up. If I get robbed, it's all your fault."

"Noted," you told him, smiling after him when he flipped you off in lieu of a wave goodbye as he left the shop.  

By the time an hour had passed after closing, you were starting to think Klaus wasn't going to show up. You had already resigned to giving him another ten minutes before you left when you were startled by the sound of someone knocking on the front window.  

You glanced over to see Klaus standing there, a wide grin on his face when he realized he had your attention. He waved at you through the glass, practically skipping over towards the front door when you moved to unlock it for him.

"Hello there," he sang, brushing past you once you opened the door.  

"You came," you said, still a bit surprised to see him.

"Well, not yet," he told you with a wink.  

You sighed, deciding not to comment, before you moved to lock the front door again.  

"So, do you know what you want tattooed?" You asked him, turning to consider him again.

A slow, pleased smile stretched across Klaus' face before he nodded his head. "I have the perfect idea."

Ten minutes later, you were starting to question if this was a good idea.

"I'm sorry," you said, shaking your head. "You want a tattoo on your hands?"

"The palms," Klaus corrected, showing them to you as if you wouldn't know what he was talking about otherwise. "One on each of them."

"Are you sure?" You asked helplessly, suddenly not sure if you were up to the job. "Maybe we should let someone else do this," you added. "Someone with more experience."

"Hey," Klaus said, reaching out to grab your hand. "I trust you."

"Why?" You couldn't help but wonder, since you had barely known him for a day.  

Klaus shrugged his shoulders. "You helped me," he simply offered in answer.

You studied Klaus for a few moments before you sighed. "Alright," you finally conceded. "Let's do this."

When you were finished, you waited for Klaus to say he hated your work or regretted his decision.

Instead, he graced you with a blinding, satisfied smile and leaned forward to kiss you in thanks.  

You weren't really sure what expression you had on your face when he pulled away, but all you knew was that you wanted more. Klaus' expression softened, his eyes dipping as he took you in, before he gave you a drawn-out, intent look. Slowly, he leaned forward, careful not to put any weight on his bandaged hands, as he brushed his lips against yours again.

This time, you felt almost breathless as he kissed you, your mind blanking out until all you could think about was Klaus pressed against you and how good it felt.  

It wasn't long after that before you both ended up on the couch in Wade's office, half-naked and sated, pressed against each other.  

"I wasn't expecting that," you pointed out, feeling weak-limbed and unsure as you finally pushed yourself up to stand.  

Klaus was watching you when you glanced down at him, his gaze intent. "I was hoping for it," he told you, a smirk forming on his face when you felt your cheeks heat in a blush.  

You held a hand out to Klaus, pulling him off the couch. "It's getting late and I have to lock up. But I live just down the street. Want to come over for coffee?"

"I'd love that," he agreed before he pulled you in for another kiss.  

After that night, Klaus made it a habit to come into the shop every few months. Sometimes, he asked for a new tattoo. Other times, he seemed like he just wanted to talk.  

You fell in love with Klaus over the years. You weren't sure when it really happened. Maybe it happened between inking the star onto his right wrist or the cluster of stars above his left hip. Maybe it was when he showed up at closing one night, a bottle of vodka in one hand and bag of tacos in the other, ignoring the exasperated glare Wade shot him. Maybe it happened when Klaus came into the shop, tears streaming down his face as he made a beeline over to you, asking if you could fit him into your schedule. Maybe it was as you inked a ghost into the skin of his right hip, a design he found hilarious but wouldn't tell you why, as you listened to him talk about losing his brother Ben.  

You saw different sides to Klaus over the years, but he was always Klaus to you. He was in and out of your life so often, but you never minded, because you knew without a doubt that he would always find his way back to you.  

Sometimes, you would go months without seeing Klaus. Other times, he would be a near-constant presence in your life for weeks.  

By the time you had been working at X-Force Ink for almost a decade, you were starting to wonder if your relationship with Klaus would ever move past visits and settle down into something stable. You loved Klaus, so while you were more than happy to take anything he was willing to give, you couldn't help but miss him from time to time.  

When Klaus came into the shop one day in late March, a guy you didn't recognize trailing behind him, you immediately made your way over to him.

"You got new ink," you couldn't help but point out, reaching out to brush your fingers over the tattoo on his bicep. "Should I be jealous?"

Klaus laughed, the sound almost desperate and pained. "I was out of town for a while. Couldn't wait," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He pointed to the guy standing near the front door of the shop. "Y/N, this is Diego. Diego, this is Y/N."

"Your brother?" You asked, tilting your head as you considered Diego. "He's handsome," you told Klaus, wriggling your fingers in a wave at Diego.  

"Now I feel like I should be jealous," Klaus joked.  

You focused back on Klaus, studying him for a moment. "There's something different about you."

Klaus gave a helpless little laugh before he nodded his head. "There's a lot different about me."

"Are you okay?"  

He sighed in answer before pulling you in for a kiss, making it somehow feel melancholy and sweet at the same time.  

"Why does this feel like goodbye?" You asked when he pulled away, his eyes hinting at a sorrow and grief and anguish that hadn't been there the last time you saw him.

"It doesn't have to be," he said before he bit his lip. He winced before glancing back at his brother. "But it might be."

"What does that mean?"  

Klaus wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in until you were pressed up against him. He dropped a kiss to the crown of your head. "It's probably better if you don't know. But I'll fix it. I'll save the world for you."

"Klaus," you started, attempting to pull back so you could look at him, but he didn't seem intent on letting you go. "You're worrying me."

"Sorry," he breathed, finally letting you go. "I just wanted to see you."

You caught what he wasn't really saying. This was likely the last time you would see him. He just wanted to see you before he left. He might not be coming back.  

"Klaus," you repeated, feeling helpless as tears welled in your eyes. "What's really going on?"

"Klaus," you heard Diego call. "Wrap it up."

Klaus groaned, shooting a glare at Diego, before he looked back to you. He cupped your face in his hands, bringing you in for a short, loving kiss before he pulled away from you.  

"I'll see you," he offered, his tone conveying how much he hoped what he said was true.  

"Miss you already," you told him, your own little version of 'I love you.'  

You watched as Klaus left the shop with his brother, shooting you one last look through the glass at the front of the shop. The last you saw of him was his hand raised in a wave, the 'goodbye' you tattooed there years earlier serving as your final message from Klaus.

[elrielllll]

“Perfect” part 1

so, I’m relatively new here and I’m loving all the fics, especially elriel (they are so pure) and i’m bored in quarantine so i thought i’d have a go at writing my own! whelp here we go.

Also massive thank you to my amazing best friend Ems, (tags still not working sorry hun) for helping me when I was freaking out

“Au Revoir miss!”

“bon journée!”

Elain smiled as all her students ran to to door in a rush, shouting good byes as they left. She stood holding the door open, wishing she could run after them.

“Oh Rory don’t forget your bag” Elain said as she saw the tiny kid with glasses hanging off his face, He looked back and grabbed it looking grateful.

“Merci miss bye” he shouted as he ran past

Elain laughed, “de rien, à bientôt Rory” still chuckling as she shut the door and rested her head against it. God she loved those kids but they were a handful.

With a sigh she moved across the room straightening desks and chairs, picking up lose bits of paper and pen lids and looked at the clock.

Two more hours, a department meeting,get on top of a few lesson plans then she could head home to pizza and wine. She hoped. If there wasn’t some staff emergency or some protcall practice or a safe guarding issue where she would have to see all of the teachers in a hall. Even the maths department. Even Grayson.

It was great at first, being with him. Great, all the teachers loved it and some of the students even clocked it and were massive “shippers” whatever that meant, until it wasn’t great. And he got mean. And nasty. And spiteful. 

It went on for too long before Elain decided to put a stop to it, much too long.

She started shoving books and papers into her bag, wishing she’d joined Cassian at the gym sometimes, needing superhuman arm strength to carry them to her car. 

“Hellooo”

Elain jerked up to see Feyre stood at the door, apron on, hair tied up with a pencil, paint on her face. Typical art teacher as per usual. “You good?” Feyre asked, tilting her head

“Yep, yeah all all good” she replied, standing up with a smile.

 “Fabulous, so” and just as Feyre was about to launch into another story about some amazing artwork or terrible artwork or funny artwork or artistic artwork or something the voice rang out over the speaker

“All teachers to the hall for a meeting all teachers to the hall for a meeting thank you”

Brilliant. “Come on” Feyre said standing up “ let’s move”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes”

“Really have to?”

“yes” Feyre said tapping her foot

“on a scale of 1 to 10-”

“Yes come on” Feyre groaned as she dragged Elain to her feet and pulling her by her arm to the door and probably to the rest of the way to the hall. Luckily the language block was at the other end of the school so if she just walked slowly-

“Come on Elain or I swear I will pick you up and carry you myself.”

Elain grumbled but walked arm in arm with her sister. “You know Rhys was saying how the school wants a new sports hall built so it’s probably about that, maybe funding or cuts”

That’s just what they needed, another bloody sports hall and less resources for languages. It’s always languages.

Feyre carried on “ I think Rhys’ brother’s company is building it, it’s the easiest one on short notice plus they’re really good’

“I thought Azriel was out of town” Elain wondered, still dreading this meeting.

“He has been, I think he had some work in London but it’s finished and he’s back up North, don’t know how he dealt with those southerners” Feyre shuddered.

“Hmm” Elain agreed. Feyre and Rhys started dating around 5 months ago, he was the head of the directors for the school so it was all very hush hush but when Feyre finally told her, she had met Rhys and Feyre’s new family straight away. It was just after she had left Grayson so she was sure she didn’t make the best impression with all the useless wallowing and whatnot but they all seemed nice enough, Mor, stunning, lovely and scary. Cassain, big loud and scary. Amren, small and scary. And Rhys, nice and posh and well spoken scary.

Elain remembers when she didn’t find the prospect of new people so daunting, but that was before she learned just how scary people could be.

She’d heard all about this mysterious Azriel, apparently the only sane one according to Mor, but hadn’t thought much of it or him, probably more focused on trying to figure out how to mark 300ish papers in a day.

Crap. Speaking of papers she had her Year 10s to mark tonight, it was their first mock for their exams and she had them tomorrow. Oh shit she had so much work to do without those papers to mark, oh for-  

Elain felt a sharp kick on her ankle and glared at Feyre who apparently was too busy making heart eyes at Rhys across the hall to notice. Elain looked across the room, not wanted to see more people in love than she had to. Honestly her students were bad enough. 

She wasn’t looking for him, she never was, he just always seemed to be there. In the corridor, staff room, field. she couldn’t get away from him. Sure enough he was there. Coffee in hand and completely oblivious to her. 

Story of her life. 

Elain closed her eyes, clearly the only safe option and forced herself to listen to the slimy head teacher.

 “...due to the new sports hall being built by the Velaris building company...”

“now let me introduce you to the head of this operation, Azriel”

A man, Azriel she guessed, stepped out of the shadows with a nod to the people before him. Hazel eyes scanning the room, hand resting in his pockets emphasising his arms and the tattoos that decorated them. 

Elain had never found tattoos attractive before. 

He swallowed, throat bobbing as he ran his hand through his unkempt hair.

As he scanned the room those eyes locked with hers for just a second before moving on and her breath caught in her throat. 

Ça alors.

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

Next Chapter

Masterlist

okay well tell me how bad it was and if you want to keep reading be warned that there will be many and I mean MANY cheesy tropes. But don’t we love it?

Also part two will either be up later today or tomorrow :)

Bisous x

Tags:

@stars-falling​ @cirieael​ @abraxos-is-toothless​ @suppengott @candid-confetti​ @nite0wl29​ @tyheronthorn​

[rebelliouslala]

Jeon Jeongguk

So u and jk have been best friends since the diaper ages

y’all have been as tight as thieves, hanging at school, him being a sporty, you being semi popular

but y’all have always been tight

yes y’all fought, but eventually he would get sad, or you regretful, show up at each other’s window with their favorite snack, watch a marvel movie and cuddle

so when you both get accepted to the same college, your guises DREAM college

ecstatic time

but there’s an itty bitty problem

you’re in love with Jungkook

For all of high school, you thought it was like a sibling love???

nope

his wavy hair, his giggles, his smile, his muscles flexing as you both cuddle

you’re head over heels

but, you guys have been friends since you could remember

You’ve dated other people, his best friend actually

he dated your enemy once

And yet no confession

anyways, you got that off your mind as you organize your dorm

You’re a little sad since the boy’s and girl’s dorms are rly far apart

like a half an hour away with a slight pace if u walked

like fuck bro wtf

u finally lay back, and before you could even sigh in relief

the door opens and out bounces is JK

“KOOK! JESUS—!” You groan out as he smiles

“Y/NNNNNNN THE DORM LOOKS GREAT”

You smile a little, and hold him closer, “thanks jk,”

“hey, don’t be sad y/n, we have a similar schedule! just, don’t worry too much, then you start to fall apart and I can’t redo sophomore you again, and I certainly won’t let you fall apart in college”

You smile more now and sigh as you gently peck his cheek

“ugH fine jk :)”

“good, now, let’s go to sleep”

“don’t they check if ur not in bed?”

“sh” jk pouts and puts a finger to ur mouth “sleep”

you roll your eyes and close your eyes, “night Kookie”

he gently smiles and hums, until you fall asleep

over the next few weeks, you kind of started to see him less often??

meaning oh yeah

u started to overthink

luckily ur roommate was sweet and often she said “BOYS ARE FUCKING LIARS DONT EVEN TRUST THEM”

until maybe a month and a half in, you were studying for a pop quiz

since apparently teachers do that now :/

you get a text

“hey! y/n~, it’s ur best bunny”

it’s a new number

“Uh. . .who is this?”

“Jeongguk”

You widen your eyes, and you call them

the phone picks up before it can even ring, “open ur window”

You obey and there he is

his hair got even wavier, framing his face as he even got MORE CHISELED AND HE HAS BLACK CLOTHING ON AND CHAINS AND YOU CAN SEE-

IS THAT TATTOOS WHAT THE-

“JUNGKOOK?!”

he smiles, the same bunny teeth, “hey, come down”

“dude where the fuck have—?”

“come down, and I’ll explain, okay?”

you sigh and look at your roommate who shakes her head

but, he is your friend

and undoubtedly your best friend

and the man you dream about so desperately

you wave and yeet out

okay no, u climb down

stay safe kids

did he get taller!3!??rt7y980[:&:&:’

anyways he’s pretty silent, but you see he has a few new tattoos? And piercings?2

“jk—?”

“shh, he smiles at you, “just, wait, please”

You shut your mouth, crossing your arms as you get a small sick feeling

but you arrive to a frat house, and open up to see someone yell, “ALRIGHT GIVE ME THE SNACKS

“JIMIN YOU CHEATED”

“I WON I WON”

“RMMMMM”

“IF YOU GUYS CANT HANDLE IT OUT BY FUCKING—“

“GUYS!” Jungkook tells, and you hide behind him over tall men in the lobby

“oh hi”

“guys, meet y/n, this is why, I haven’t been around you guys, I’ve been practicing a dance practice thing with my frat brother, Hobi and Jiminie. they keep thinking u don’t exist but uh, yeah this is my best friend, y/n”

You wave and immediately the other 6 boys crowd around you

“OH MY GOD JK THEYRE RLY PRETTY”

“well hello my name is Kim Seokjin and it’s a pleasure to- OUCH JK ILL FUCkInFg BEAT YOU UP—!”

He glares at JK who scowls back, and holds you close

“so, lemme show u the boy scouts frat”

it’s a large wood house, he has a large room, with almost nothing

he never rly wanted a lot for himself, so, as the best friend you are you scolded him

“wtf do u sleep on”

“that pillow”

“thats the size of ur fucking bicep, jk”

“AND?”

Do anyways he has been rly best friends with this other dude, Taehyung

soon you get a more better tour, by namjoon

And taehyung and jk hang out in the hot tub, but Tae frowns

“uh u good dude?”

“y-yeah”

Tae frowns and he’s like “Youre fucking spazzing my guy”

“I just—!” JK sighs and leans back, continuing to look back

“HOLY SHIT YOU LIKE THEM!” Tae cackles, smacks the water

“STFU”

“did I lie”

jk pouts and sighs, “no”

“AH HA! So, go shoot ur shot”

“bro I just ghosted them for a fucking month”

“. . .oh”

jk sighs and drinks a carbonated soda, muttering, “I rly like them, ever since freshman year, we danced at prom but, I was so scared to even ask them out”

Tae uwus and he scoots over, “listen, y’all just, okay; I got a shirt they can swim in, just, you guys can talk, and then, say it”

“NOW?!”

“lemme fucking finish, dumbass. yes now. if not, then you guys will keep waiting and waiting, and besides, if they say no, you’ve already ghosted them, so it’s up to them to continue or not the friendship -although I find that highly un-fucking likely- and if yes, boom”

jungkook pouts, and splashes gently at his choices, “o-okay”

“ATTABOY OKAY ILL DO IT”

So while namjoon and his friend, jimin were -lowkey- flirting with u

tae finally grabs u and tells u to wear his old hawaii shirt

“uh y”

*cough* “rEasONs”

Eventually you go, and then there’s soft,

Like hella fucking soft

piano music :))

And there is ur long time best friend, softly humming his eyes closed as he whispers,

Nah not whisper

He sings gently to you,

“and i, cant help,”

he looks at you, a soft smile on his face, your heart launching itself to the heavens

“falling in love, with you”

you wipe the tears that have already poured down, as he opens his arms, “y/n, look im rly-”

u splash as you try to get in, holding them closer than you possibly couldve, and whispering,

“I love u too, jeongguk,”

so, u gently let kisses on each other’s exposed skin as the other boys in the house cheer for their newest addition to the frat

joon softly gives jin a $50 bill, muttering how much he hates him ;)

[basscannonjack]

1-100 SPEED RUN

Ama. How could you do this to me

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk?

Lactose intolerant, only eat cereal dry

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day?

yes, but not for too long

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books?

i just try to remember lmao

4: how do you take your coffee/tea?

don’t like coffee, drink tea plain or with some sugar

5: are you self-conscious of your smile?

not as much as I used to be!

6: do you keep plants?

I have one (1) cactus that I haven’t killed in the 9 years I’ve had it

7: do you name your plants?

sometimes!

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings?

music or writing

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself?

ALWAYS

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach?

I generally fall asleep on my stomach and wake up on my back

11: what's an inner joke you have with your friends?

I HAVE YOU NOW

12: what's your favorite planet?

Neptune, probably!

13: what's something that made you smile today?

my SON asking me ALL THE QUESTIONS

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like?

oh god, probably a bit of a mess

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is!

the ISS was launched on the day of my birth, so it’s been in space *literally* my entire life

16: what's your favorite pasta dish?

just plain ol’ chicken alfredo

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair?

keeping it silver baybeee

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up.

oh man, there are so many, but i’ll go with the time that Roman got coke to fizz through my nose by making me laugh too hard

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it?

no journal, only very similar looking notebooks to doodle and write in

20: what's your favorite eye color?

hazel!

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that's been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces.

my Bag of Holding! snapped the clasp on it a few years back though

22: are you a morning person?

not at all!

23: what's your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations?

SLEEP

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets?

Ashe, of course

25: what's the weirdest place you've ever broken into?

I had to break into my own safe at my old job, does that count?

26: what are the shoes you've had for forever and wear with every single outfit?

I’d say my boots, but I just got a new set, so the older ones

27: what's your favorite bubblegum flavor?

Spearmint or wintergreen

28: sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise

29: what's something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing?

I just love seeing my friends blush

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared?

yes, I won’t go into detail

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks.

SOCKS SOCKS SOCKS I used to collect weird socks, now I just have a bunch of fun dress socks lmao

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends.

driving everyone home at 4 am and seeing other people on the road and going “you should be in bed!” at them

33: what's your fave pastry?

lemon meringue pie

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it?

Teddy a winnie the pooh bear that I still have!

35: do you like stationary and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often?

I adore new pens

36: which band's sound would fit your mood right now?

uhhhh I’ve been listening to a lot of Rise Against and ABBA lmao

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean?

messy

38: tell us about your pet peeves!

nearly anything my brother does 

39: what color do you wear the most?

black or blue

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what's it's story? does it have any meaning to you?

my claddagh ring from my grandmother, i don’t have much else from her

41: what's the last book you remember really, really loving?

not the last book but there was one about a girl having a single dragon finger that I remember reading so many times that I unfortunately don’t know the name of, or the Tamora Pierce Lioness series

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it!

Don’t like coffee!

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with?

James <3

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything?

I do not :’)

45: do you trust your instincts a lot?

not as much as I probably should

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of.

I’ve been changing my username to a different halloween themed pun for all of October, I’m all burnt out

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe?

Balut, it icks me out

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today?

heights, and yes :’)

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought?

I got a record player fairly recently, I have some P!atD ones, Foo Fighters, and Imagine Dragons

50: what's an odd thing you collect?

rocks

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them?

Bitch by Meredith Brooks for my eldest sister

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far?

the ones we’ve made in our server

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them?

all of the above except Pulp Fiction, I’m not really a movie person but I *am* a musical person

54: who's the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face?

my dad

55: what's the most dramatic thing you've ever done to prove a point?

Cotton Eyed Joe in six inch heels

56: what are some things you find endearing in people?

honesty and passion in an interest

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics?

I just vibe and belt, y’know

58: who's the wine mom and who's the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why?

can they both be me

59: what's your favorite myth?

the soup with a rock in it!

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves?

Where the Sidewalk Ends was always a good one

61: what's the stupidest gift you've ever given? the stupidest one you've ever received?

a coffee cup drinking horn for my dad, and some painted rocks from my brother

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind?

it would be apple juice if I did

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be?

not at all

64: what color is the sky where you are right now?

greyish, the sun is just about to rise

65: is there anyone you haven't seen in a long time who you'd love to hang out with?

My eldest sister

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like?

ROSES

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel?

give them to me, I love them

68: what's winter like where you live?

COLD

69: what are your favorite board games?

Monopoly and LIFE

70: have you ever used a ouija board?

no thanks

71: what's your favorite kind of tea?

raspberry or orange for fruit and mint

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you'll forget it?

no, but I do write things down anyways

73: what are some of your worst habits?

I lose things all the time

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns.

STARDUST SOULMATE

75: tell us about your pets!

I have a Min Pin named Lily

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren't?

Sleeping

77: pink or yellow lemonade?

pink

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub?

*insert ick emoji*

79: what's one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you?

decorated my band locker to celebrate my birthday

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why?

beige, but I hung up a bunch of posters!

81: describe one of your friend's eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of.

when the sun hits very rich dirt where a tree used to be

82: are/were you good in school?

best in class in math with a 101.8 but I also rarely did homework so uh

83: what's some of your favorite album art?

Too Weird To Live, Too Rare To Die

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones?

Dragon on the shoulder blade, roses on the left arm, Exalt on the right

85: do you read comics? what are your faves?

webcomics! Barbarous, currently

86: do you like concept albums? which ones?

:? not sure what that means

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives?

TREASURE PLANET

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy?

nope!

89: are you close to your parents?

my dad!

90: talk about your one of your favorite cities.

don’t really have a favorite, in all honesty

91: where do you plan on traveling this year?

I was supposed to go see Ashe for their birthday but maybe next year!

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch?

CHEESE CHEESE CHEESE

93: what's the hairstyle you wear the most?

uhhh it’s usually short enough to do nothing lmao

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday?

I have a friend’s bday tomorrow!

95: what are your plans for this weekend?

WORK

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot?

bit of both

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house?

INTP, Scorpio, Ravenclaw

98: when's the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it?

last year? maybe the one before? I did! but my heart didn’t

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them.

How Far We’ve Come, Matchbox Twenty

The Call, Backstreet Boys

I2I, from the Goofy Movie Soundtrack (lmao)

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why?

the future! I’ve had my time in the past, no changing it now

[hattywatch]

J. Vesey - Love Songs

Author’s Note: THIS TOOK FOREVER! Honestly who is even surprised at this point. Sorry to the anon who requested this a million years ago; I hope you get to see it?! Message me and let me know if you liked it!! Based on “I Hate Love Songs” by Kelsea Ballerini 

Request:  Oh my god, maybe a friends to lovers with jimmy? you've told him in the past that you were interested, and he turned you down because he was nervous, so now you're really good friends and have gotten more comfortable being touchy and whatever, and then he realizes that he needs to marry you!!

Looking up would surely help the tears not spill, you think you read that somewhere. You blink rapidly; it does clear most of the water from your eyes. But not before your cousin notices.

"You're so fucking soft, (Y/N)."

You give an unladylike snort through your nose and pat your under eye gently with a tissue.

Slapping your hand across his chest, all you can respond with is a quick, "Shut up, Kev," before the bride and groom begin the recessional back down the aisle as man and wife.

Jimmy starts in on you from the other side of Kevin, "What are you even crying for? Shouldn't you be happy?"

Far be it from you to explain actual human emotion to Jimmy, so you settle for rolling your eyes.

By the time you make it through cocktail hour, Kevin, your actual date, is off making eyes at the pretty bridesmaid with the colorful sleeve of tattoos and you're left at the bar alone, emptying your purse of singles in an attempt to sway the handsome bartender in your favor for the rest of the evening.

When a hand grazes the small of your back, touching bare skin in your backless dress, you peek over your shoulder expecting to see Kevin, but it's Jimmy who's leaning into your ear.

"Hey, use your powers for good and get me a beer. I don't want to wait in line." The bartender sees your new companion as he places your champagne in front of you. He raises his eyebrows, a silent ask if he can get you anything else, and you give in and order Jimmy's beer, shoving it at him while throwing a smile over your shoulder back towards the bartender.

He keeps his hand where it is and steers you back to a table, you plop down, happy to be off of your feet since your heels are way more beautiful than they are practical. But before Jimmy sits he reaches into his pocket and pulls out your escort card.

"I grabbed yours too," he hands it over to you and you lean down to start unstrapping your heels, mumbling a thank you, mostly towards the floor. "Why do you wear those things if you can't even handle them for an hour?"

You've succeeded in kicking off your shoes and you wiggle your toes, now free from their confines and clink glasses with Jimmy as he brings his beer up to his lips. "Because they make my ass look fantastic," you bring your champagne to your mouth and sip, always thoroughly enjoying catching Jimmy off guard. He wasn't ready to laugh and is sputtering and choking on his beer for a second before he catches his breath and looks away.

He's focused on Kevin making a fool of himself on the dance floor, always the life of the party, so you take a moment to watch Jimmy, undisturbed.

He's been around as long as Kevin has. The two of them somehow related in the same way every kid from Boston who plays hockey is somehow a distant cousin.

You're related to Kevin too, on the other side of the family, obviously.

You remember the first time you saw Jimmy, young and skinny. Quick on his skates, but always ready to unleash his smart mouth and drop gloves no matter how big the other guy was. You admired that about him. He was probably your first crush. Well, your first real crush who wasn't like, Zack Morris.

He was different then, more red faced and shy. He'd really grown into himself. You check to make sure his gaze is still on Kevin, and when you notice it is, you give Jimmy a good once over.

Objectively, he's average looking, you know this; your friends didn't really understand the appeal when you've shown them photos. His lips are thin, but you know first hand that his smirk is devastating and on the rare occasion that he smiles, your heart nearly stops. He's still looks slim- almost gangly, or so you had believed until you caught him on the beach with Kevin earlier in the summer, all lean muscle, freckled from the sun.

It's not like you have a crush on him anymore. But you know that you'll always have a soft spot for your first love, even if it wasn't reciprocated- which he made really clear the summer before your senior year of high school. The memory still makes you shudder with embarrassment.

Jimmy finally looks away from Kevin and speaks up pulling you from your daydreams, "I don't get this whole thing," he waves his hand around, at the room in general. You're not sure what he means, so you just tip your head sideways and motion for him to continue. "Seems like a lot of pomp and circumstance to prove you love someone." You get it, you really do, but he's so cynical that you have to laugh.

"Jimmy, sometimes when two people really like each other," he hits you with an eye roll, "they just wanna shout it from the rooftops."

It's at this point that Kevin decides to take a break from dancing and sink down into the chair beside you.

"I think I'm in love," his eyes are still focused on the bridesmaid, leading the group of flower girls and the ring bearer through the cha cha slide.

You look at lovelorn Kev and turn your hand upwards while eyeing Jimmy, "Case and point, my friend."

Jimmy drinks deeply from his beer and drains it. "Had about enough of you softies," he gets up and heads over to the bar. You know he's kidding, but you feel deeply bad that Jimmy hasn't experienced this type of love yet.

Another champagne will probably help.

Kevin gets up with you to head back over to the cute bartender, but Jimmy intercepts you on your way, pushing a new, full glass at you. You raise your eyebrows, impressed, but accept it with a thank you.  

Kevin balks, "Dude, hello?" He holds up his empty hands and Jimmy tips his glass towards Kevin and shrugs a shoulder, "Bar's that way. Cheers, bro."

Once the DJ succeeds in filling up the dance floor after dinner, you join in, too buzzed and high on ~~love~~ to care about your goofy dancing.

When the DJ calls up the bride and groom for their first dance as husband and wife you're back to tears streaming freely down your face, standing barefoot on the side of the dance floor next to Jimmy. Kev having walked off with the bridesmaid to do shots at the bar.

"Would you stop crying? You're a mess, kid." Jimmy drops his arm over your shoulder and pulls you into his side.

"I'm fine! I'm fine, totally okay, don't worry about me!" You manage to wipe away your tears and smile up at him, but then the DJ announces a good luck dance, and invites all the couples to the dance floor, "each couple on the dance floor is an extra year of good luck for our bride and groom, folks. Grab a partner and join us here to celebrate the new Mr and Mrs!"

You give a cursory glance for Kevin, but the flat leaver had already pulled Jo onto the floor and she has her tattooed arms wrapped up and around his neck, her head drooped forward on his shoulder, laughing at something he's whispering into her ear, trying to be heard over Unchained Melody.

Jimmy must feel you sigh, "C'mon," he nudges you forward with the arm that's wrapped around your shoulders.

Shocked wouldn't begin to cover the emotion that bubbles out of your chest. "Jimmy stop, you hate dancing, you don't have to," you protest pretty weakly, but still follow him onto the floor though.

"It's fine (y/n). Three minutes won't kill me. Just turn off the water works, yeah?" You tell him you'll try your best and place your hands delicately onto his shoulders, pushing yourself up, up, up onto your tiptoes to sway side to side with him.

"God, I hate this fucking song," you can't help but laugh because he's such a grump and it's really a nice song.

"You're a spoil sport, Jim." The eyeroll he gives you is real and you're sure he's about to launch into a tirade about the bridal industry, so you change the subject.

"Kev's gonna kick me out of our room tonight isn't he?" Both you and Jimmy have a close eye on Kevin and his new lady love.

That does it, you get a rare Jimmy smile- he actually laughs-, and you feel warm down to your toes with it.

"Yeah, yeah definitely. That's a good assessment."

_________

The next morning you wake up to the snoring coming from the other side of the room and you groan, rolling over. Bless Jimmy's heart for giving you the bed. He looks uncomfortable and smushed on the pull out couch clearly not designed for someone of his height.

Grabbing a change of clothes, Jimmy’s- since your bag is still firmly locked in your room with Kevin and Jo- you escape into the bathroom to wash your face and change. Your hair looks like a rat's nest, so you grab Jimmy's hat on your way out as well as the key card he gave you last night, and head down to the lobby; you're sure you saw a Starbucks down there.

Of course you see Kevin in line, somehow looking more rumpled than you are. You sidle up next to him and bump him with your hip. "Good night there, Hayes?"

"You have no idea," Kev still sounds sleepy and you're so happy he had a good night, because you know he's been feeling a little down since his brother got married, wondering when he'd have something like that of his own.

It seems to hit him that he sexiled you last night as he slinked off the dance floor wrapped up in Jo.

"Oh shit, I'm so sorry," he looks chagrined, so you let it go.

"No sweat. Jimmy let me stay with him." You turn back to the board over your head, trying to figure out what you want to order, but Kevin rounds on you.

"Sooooo… did you have a good night?" He's wagging his eyebrows at you as he nods towards your outfit and your ears feel hot.

"Shut up. You know it wasn't like that." He places his order and slides down so you can place yours.

"Yeah, I know, but it could be worse. You guys would be good together. A guy can't wish happiness for two of his oldest friends?" You decide to not even dignify him with a response and take your drinks before heading back to your room after throwing a chilly sniff over your shoulder. You do give him a little elbow on the way past, though.

Kevin was there that summer, so many years ago. You had thought you and Jimmy were getting closer, bonding while sitting in the stands cheering Kevin on at his games, group trips to the cape on the weekends when he wasn’t at hockey camp. You’d venture to call the two of you friends; friends share beers on the beach and help sunscreen each other's backs.

Finally, towards the end of the summer, right before Kevin was leaving for college, you gathered up some courage. Sat around the bonfire with the last days of freedom closing in, you spot Jimmy. He's finally, blessedly alone and you take a deep breath to steel your nerves.

“Hey Vese…” you cringe because- weird- you never call him that, but you shake it off and sit down next to him. “What up,” he spins his marshmallow around and glances over at you. It’s now or never, “I was just thinking, I know it’s kinda far away, but I’m sure a lot of girls will ask you, so… did you want to maybe… go to prom with me?”

He takes a deep breath and pulls his marshmallow out of the flame and you’re already deflating before he can open his mouth, “I’m not really a prom kind of guy, (y/n)... Sorry.” For what it’s worth, he does look apologetic about it, but you can’t even consider how he’s feeling when you can actively feel your heart drop down to your stomach; now you know why it’s called a crush.

Kevin found you crying back by the bathrooms an hour later and faked a headache so he could drive you home.

By the time you get back up to the room Jimmy's awake, sitting up on the couch, scrolling through his phone, shirtless. You walk over and hand him one of the coffees you picked up before dropping back onto the bed with your own cup.

He takes a sip and finds it to his liking, "Best. Wedding date. Ever." He leans in to fist bump you, and you smile at him and reach out your own hand, yeah he's right, you're pretty awesome.

_________

It takes you by surprise when you receive a text from Jimmy a few months later at the beginning of the summer. It shouldn't, you're both friendly. You’ve seen him over at Kevin’s on Sundays for football and go out to the bar with them every once in a while. You hang out at his family’s pool when everyone is back in Boston and it feels like old times. It’s never weird or awkward, but when his name pops up unannounced on a Wednesday afternoon on your cell, it feels different. Usually you see each other around, but never one on one, it's fine, Totally Fine. But his text still takes you by surprise.

Jimmy: Brady gave me a plus one to the blessed affair… wedding date part 2?

You can’t say no, because you’re long-time buds and Kevin is going to bring Jo and you don't want Jimmy to have to go stag. Plus, you know this wedding is going to be incredible, so it’s really a no brainer when you send back:

Obviously. When?

You could literally smack him when he says that it's a week away. You have nothing to wear and he doesn’t know what color the bridesmaids’ dresses are. That's a mistake you don’t want to make- showing up in the same color, it’s so tacky. When you bring this all up to him his response is the little shrug emoji and you drop your face into your hands and sigh.

Deciding to call Kevin had been a better idea in theory that it was in actual practice.

“Soooo, Jimmy asked you on a date?”

You huff and explain for the third time since he picked up the phone, “No. Kevin. Please try to be helpful."

"I'm helpfully pointing out that you and Jimmy are-"

"I'm going to kill you, Kev. Please just text them and ask so I know what's okay to wear and let me end this fucking nightmare of a conversation." You rub your temples with your thumb and middle finger, feeling a headache coming on.

He laughs and you're glad that someone is finding humor in this situation. It's certainly not you.

When he finally gets back to you it turns out the bridesmaids are in "a soft champagne blush color? I'm reading this verbatim, but fuck if I know what that means," Kevin tells you.

Luckily, you do know what it means. And spend the weekend poring through every store in the mall to find something sleek enough for a wedding where you'll be rubbing elbows with young, eligible men. If it also succeeds I'm making Jimmy regret not taking you to prom… well, that's a bonus. Not that you're still mad or anything.

When you finally find a contender that you like, you decide to use Kevin as your sound board and send him a picture of the dress for approval. He immediately calls you when he receives the photo.

"What's up?" You answer on pins and needles, afraid he's going to tell you it's too over the top for the small, rooftop wedding that Brady is having.

He doesn't even say hello, "Did you show Vese your dress yet?"

"Uh, no. Just you. Why? Is it awful?" You start gnawing on your nail before you remember your manicure and pull your finger from your mouth.

"Nah, you're beautiful, cuz. But send it to him… to uh, make sure it goes with his suit."

Makes sense, "Yeah that's a good idea. Thanks Kev.”

There’s about 4 pictures of you in the dress sitting in your camera roll, but now that you’re supposed to be sending one to Jimmy and not your cousin, none of them really look good enough. It’s stupid and childish, but you sit down at your vanity and fix your hair and make-up before slinking back into the dress and finding a pair of heels.

That’s more like it.

You turn in the mirror and honestly, it’s gorgeous. The blue looks fantastic against your skin. It hugs all the right places, even the cut-outs on the side hit perfectly against your rib-cage and none of your usual bra-fat is an issue; it must have been tailored by witches.

You snap 3 photos, one of the front, one of the side, and one of the back over your shoulder before swallowing and hyping yourself up to text them to Jimmy.

Can I show you the dress I picked and you tell me if it's okay? Kevin said I should show you so you can make sure it matches your suit?

Jimmy: I mean, I’m not really good at that sort of thing, but yeah.

You send them in order- front, side, back and get so inexplicably nervous you have to put your phone down and walk away.

Taking the time to peel the dress off and to gently hang it back up, you end up on your bed in a pair of old shorts and a BC hockey t-shirt, ready to check your texts.

Jimmy: Looks great.

It's an underwhelming answer. But, at least all of your shopping wasn't in vain. You're staring at your phone, scrolling back over your conversation with Jimmy when you see him start typing. You wait for his message to come through, but it doesn't.

He starts typing two more times and stops before you finally get a message.

It's not even a text. In front of you is a photo of him in his suit. It's light grey, and underneath is a crisp white button up with the top 3 buttons undone.

It's certainly a look. And you're not proud to say you saved it to your gallery and zoomed into every pixel. You totally did… but you're not proud to say it.

Jimmy: Do you think this will work with a blue tie

You think it would work with anything and everything, including your bedroom floor, but like, you're not about to say that. So you wuss out and just send a few thumbs up emojis.

It's annoying how you feel like you have to be so careful around Jimmy. If he were any other friend you'd have told him he looks handsome and never thought twice about it, but you just don't want to come off like you're hitting on him. Certainly not ready to have him reject you again.

Jimmy: Awesome. See you Saturday?

Can't wait.

_________

By the time Saturday comes you're all nerves- waking up before your alarm and promptly deciding to put on a face mask so at least you can stay horizontal and relaxed.

It lasts for a while. 20 minutes to be exact, before you peel it off and immediately start stressing before just deciding to get ready so you stop chewing on your manicured fingers.

It's a late afternoon wedding in a chic little church with a reception to follow at an intimate rooftop restaurant. The weather seems to be cooperating, checking your phone the forecast calls for sunny skies, not a cloud in sight.

By the time you're doing your make-up and trying to YouTube-tutorial your hair  into a style that looks elegant enough to go with your dress, there's a knock at your door. You jump and accidentally scrape a bobby pin along your scalp while trying to secure a roller in your hair.

"Son of a bitch."

Hustling over to the door, you assume it's your neighbor. Sometimes her cat goes missing and you're pretty much the feline pied-piper.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Dennehy. I can't look for Bootsie right n-"

Swinging the door open mid-sentence in your ripped Cinderella tank top, ratty old shorts, and curlers in your hair, you immediately regret not looking through the peephole. "You are not Mrs. Dennehy."

"Nah. Definitely not." Jimmy steps past you into your place, looking lethal in his suit and tie.

You can't get over it because he's in your space and the room is filled with him, not to mention the fact that you feel like a schlub; hair still in rollers, but at least you finished your make-up.

"That's a good look, (y/n). I mean… I liked the blue dress better, but I don't know much about fashion." Squinting your eyes at him you poke him in the sternum with a pointed finger.

"How the fuck do you even know my address. I thought I was meeting you at Kevin's?" You decide to ignore his jab at your present state.

"I asked Kev. I figured we could go over there together. Him and Jo are still in the mushy honeymoon stage and I love him, but I really want to throat-punch him when I have to witness it firsthand." You nod, because it's a valid point.

You unroll your curlers in the bathroom and are pleased to see that your hair looks decent, successfully mirroring the YouTube video. After hair spraying and sliding your heels on, you pull your dress up over your hips and zip it, leaving the hook and eye at the top undone, since you can never hook it on your own.

"Vese?" Jimmy appears at your bedroom door a moment later, one eyebrow raised.

"I hate when you call me that." You know this.

"Yeah, but it always gets a reaction," you smile and spin around so your back is facing him. "Can you clasp the top of this please and then I'm ready to go, I swear!"

It seems like an okay idea until you feel the whisper of his fingertips over the nape of your neck and you feel your flesh turn to goosebumps, and you realize you're about to have a very long evening.

________

The wedding is beautiful. They wrote their own vows and it has you fanning your eyes trying to keep the tears at bay before they've even kissed as man and wife. Jimmy laughs when he looks over and sees you blinking rapidly, trying to save your mascara.

"You cry at everything, huh?" He deserves the elbow you throw into his ribs.

When the ceremony is over and the bubbles have been blown, a limo whisks away the bridal party for photos, while Kevin and Jimmy lead the way to the reception venue. Kevin has his arm wrapped firmly around Jo's waist and you catch the sidelong glance Jimmy gives as if to say see what I mean?

It's only a few blocks away, but in heels you're wobbly at best. So when you stumble over a dip in the sidewalk, he takes your hand and tucks it into the crook of his elbow.

"You're a fuckin' hazard in those shoes. Look at you." He shakes his head, but you start in, smiling cheekily up at him, "Yeah but they make-"

"-they make your ass look fantastic. I know."

Kevin must hear Jimmy talking, because he looks over and furrows his eyebrows.

"Keep your eyes off my cousin's ass, Vesey." Jimmy responds with a delicate fuck you, Kev that has all of you laughing.

___________

All four of you are tipsy before the cocktail hour ends and the bride and groom make their appearance- all effervescently in love and wind-blown from taking photos on the beach.

You blubber through their first dance, you and Jo holding each other through it- and laughing at how silly you both are- before tapping your champagne flutes and getting Brady to lay a big smooch on his bride.

It's a few more champages that has you kicking your shoes off and dragging Jimmy onto the dance floor to stumble through the electric slide and (a thankfully abridged version of) the cotton eyed Joe. He shucked his jacket hours ago when you found your table and the tie followed soon after, shoved into your purse so he doesn't lose it. He looks loose and happy, surrounded by friends and glowing with summer.

When you hear the familiar snaps of Single Ladies, it seems like a great idea to stay on the dance floor with the other women to try to catch the stupid bouquet Gracia is chucking over her head. It stops seeming like a great idea the second your hands close around the bouquet and you feel the lace between your fingers.

Jo jumps up and down next to you, screeching and laughing in your ear with a gentle refrain of ooooh and you're next! sprinkled in from the other girls, congratulating you on the way back to their seats.

The DJ brings a chair over next to his booth and you plop down, happy to be off of your feet, but increasingly antsy when you see the swell of bachelors on the dance floor. Brady apparently only has very handsome friends- birds of a feather, obviously. There's a handful you're sure are NHL players and you are slightly worried about the cellulite they'd feel high up on your thighs.

When the garter is inevitably flung, it's Kevin's height that gives him the advantage. It doesn't occur to you that he has absolutely no business being on the dance floor at all, since he's surely not trying to feel up his own cousin. Not to mention Jo- she's standing about 4 feet to your left, her camera trained on Kevin.

They're no good terrible people. You're certain of this when you watch in slow motion as Kevin reaches up and stops the garter's trajectory and as falls directly down onto Jimmy. Jo has caught the whole charade on video it seems, since she's cackling in delight, the traitor.

Jimmy accepts a handful of pats on the back, and walks over towards you looking downright twitchy. You know somewhere in the background there's plenty of hooting and hollering, but someone's wolf whistle finally pulls you from your internal panic and you can hear the slinky intro to “Dress” start up.

The DJ is talking into the microphone and Jimmy seems to be paying attention to what his job is, namely- sliding the garter in his hand as far up your leg as you'll allow. You'd take the red flush on his face as a compliment at literally any other time, but your hands are clammy and you're sure your face is giving off more heat than the sun. It isn't until Jimmy kneels down in front of you that you realize the DJ has stopped talking and this is about to happen.

All of this silence and patience, pining in anticipation / My hands are shaking from holding back from you

You quickly decide that this may be the one and only time you'll get to feel him all over your bare skin, so after a deep breath, you meet his eyes, give an encouraging smile, uncross your legs and drop your foot into his waiting hands.

He huffs out a breath, which sounds suspiciously akin to "Fuckin' Kevin," but knocks a smile sideways at you and peers at you with his half glassy eyes.

Say my name and everything just stops / I don’t want you like a best friend / Only bought this dress so you could take it off

Jimmy slides the lace garter over your ankle and up your calf, his hands barely brushing to your knee before he pulls them out from under your dress, but the crowd won't let him off so easily. You're sure it's Jo who leads a "high-er, high-er" chant and you laugh, because if you don't laugh, you might cry.

"Our friends are idiots," he sighs out. You smile and shake your head yes.

"They really are, but they're not going to let you out of this, Vese," you lift your foot off the ground and shake it at him until he takes it back in his hand and lifts your dress up with the other before wrapping both around your knee and gently pushing the garter up higher; hands slowly dragging the scratchy lace up your thigh. The slit on the dress is pretty high, so everyone can see the moment his hands slide underneath, finally hidden from their view.

His fingers are scarcely touching your skin, but you know you're covered in goosebumps. When you make eye contact this time, it has you feeling more exposed than the fact that his hands are inches from your panties.

Just when you're surely about to explode, he lets go of the garter and slides his hands back down your thigh, teasing over your calf and down to your ankle before placing your foot on the floor and standing, offering you his hand to help you up.

Deep down you know everyone is clapping, but you desperately want to crawl under a table, sure that you've just spilled the beans about your residual feelings for one of your oldest friends.

________

Jimmy walks you back to your table but you don't wait around, downing your remaining champagne and scampering off in search of the bar. That's where Jo finds you, sidles up next to you, and drops a five in the tip jar before handing her flute over to the bartender.

"Honestly, you know I love the shit out of you, right?" You already don't like where this is going, but you nod anyway.

"If you two don't fuck tonight I'm going to die from the tension." This is why you love the shit out of her right back.

"Let's go dance?" She downs her drink and leaves the glass on the bar, following you back to the dance floor until dinner is called. The DJ transitions into smooth jazz and some old standards, quieting the party down to eat.

You have no choice, and during dinner you sit down primly next to Jimmy, antsy and nervous to sit too close, your elbow knocking against his and making you jump each time. Both of you knowing the feel of each other's skin.

Brady's grandparents get up and start dancing together, finished with their dinner. It's beautiful how they hold each other close after being together for so long and it has you feeling misty all over again, turned sideways in your chair eyes trained on the dance floor.

When Unchained Melody starts up the metallic clank of a fork on a plate next to you has your eyes jerking over and away from the dance floor.

"C'mon hotshot," Jimmy stands, so tall and lean, looking down at you with his hands in his pockets, head tipped towards the dance floor, and who are you to say no.

You can hear Jo's 'Get it girl!' And you wish you could kill her here, maybe suffocate her with a damned dinner roll.

"What gives? Sick of seeing me cry?" You place your hands on Jimmy's shoulders but it feels too stilted, his hands have already raked up your thighs, so fuck it, you wind them around his neck, pulling him a little closer than you should.

"Nah. It's our song," his grip at your waist tightens and you can barely breathe, but he clears his throat and adds, "Tradition."

You know the grin you lay on him is glowing, your cheeks ache with it, but it's Jimmy and you'd suffer through a lot more for him. When he twirls you under his arm, you know you're fucked and the feelings that you've been doing your best to shake off are going nowhere fast.

Jimmy doesn't leave your side the rest of the night. Dancing with you and smiling,  singing along under his breath.

When he drops you at your apartment later, he kisses you on the cheek after helping you fumble with your key, but he doesn't turn around on his way to the elevator, so you sleep alone that evening. If you keep the garter on, no one is any wiser for it.

_________

It's a beautiful day and you're dining al fresco, happy to have the sun on your skin, but happier with the food in front of you. The company, well…  it leaves something to be desired.

"You guys are hot for each other and just need to bang already. Please. Even Kevin agrees and he's your cousin. Gross." You don't want to hash out your history again, living it out once was enough.

"Jo, no. Stop, it isn't like that!" It's girls' day. A week or so after Brady's wedding Jo had texted to see what you were doing and invited you out for lunch. So here you are, having to revisit the traumas of your youth with your cousin's girl.

"Can you just? Not? Like he texts you every day, and has been to two weddings with you-"

"Technically I was Kevin's date to the first one," you interject and pop a piece of pineapple into your mouth.

She carries on without even acknowledging you, "What is your hang up? Just tell him you're interested. You're cute and fun and you have all the same friends. It's a match made in heaven."

You don't want to get into the prom story, but you think it will get her to take a little pity on you and make her to stop, so you decide to clue her in.

"We've been down that road before." She looks intrigued and waves her hand for you to continue, so you do, regaling her with the whole embarrassing story.

".... and then I finally built up the courage, after all of that, to ask him to go with me to prom and all he can respond is that he's 'not really a prom kind of guy' seriously?" You let out a sigh, all keyed up and anxious again, on the brink of tears as if it all happened 5 minutes prior and not over 5 years ago.

Jo puts her glass down on the table with a clank, "Um. So?" You literally can't believe what you're hearing and stare at her blankly, blinking and waiting for her to understand.

"What do you mean 'so?' Why would I put myself out there, AGAIN- to have it not be reciprocated? Are you crazy?” Surely Jo doesn't get it.

"Babe, that was a LONG time ago. Let it go. Not everyone dreams of a romantic evening at prom. You know how Jimmy is. He's not about that kind of thing." You scoff loudly, and before you can even open your mouth to combat her she continues, "BUT, he danced with you at both weddings. Got you drinks from the bar, and he participated in the STEAMIEST garter toss I have ever, in my life, witnessed. He likes you. What more do you need to see it?"

You mull her words around in your head for a while as she looks on, rather content with herself, it appears.

"I just don't know if I can put myself through that again. Admitting to you that I like him is hard enough. Imagine if I had to say something to his face?!"

All Jo does is nod, "I get where you're coming from. I think you're stupid, but I get it." She pats you on the hand probably more out of pity than comfort, but you'll take what you can get.

______

Kevin asks you to meet him at the bar a few days later. "Watch a Sox game and have a few drinks with me," it sounds great and low-key, so you say yes.

You come straight from work,  emotionally disheveled from a long day, but dressed nice enough for it not to matter too much.

When you walk through the door and peer around you feel like you've been shanghaied.

Kev is there all right. Sat snugly next to Jo on one side of the booth. You don't have to walk over to know who's facing Kevin and Jo, the hat on his head giving it away.

You slide into the only available seat in the booth, right next to Jimmy. If you kick Kevin on your way in, well, these things happen sometimes.

When Jimmy looks over at you and smiles confusedly, you're sure it's a set up.

"Didn't know you were coming, (y/n)!" He seems genuinely happy to see you, which makes your heart trip in your chest, before beating double.

Kevin has this shit eating grin on his face and you know your evening is about to go to hell in a handbasket. "We were just talking about the old days. Feelin' a little nostalgic."

If you could, you'd leave as quickly as you came, but it doesn't seem like an option you have at the moment.

"I was just telling the boys how I lost my v-card at prom to my first boyfriend. He  just had a baby! How far we've come," Jo looks at you with a playful smile on her lips and if you didn't think you'd end up kicking Jimmy in the process, she could catch a foot to the shin as well.

"I wouldn't know about that Jo, where's the waiter?" You didn't really want to drink on a Thursday, but if this was how the night was about to go, who could really blame you?

He pops up and you all place your orders, but it doesn't give you the break in the conversation you were hoping for.

Jo sips her drink and plows on, "You didn't lose it at prom?" she asks, like it's the most normal question in the world. Jimmy's sipping his Guinness and you want to cover your face and slide down under the table, but all you can do is shrug.

"I didn't go to prom, actually," deciding to avoid the question completely. That has Jimmy looking over at you.

"Yes you did," he says it so surely. "You went with Brian."

Well, that's interesting.

"I think I'd know if I went to prom or not. My memory isn't that bad, Vese." He wrinkles his nose at the nickname.

"I hate that and you know it." You smile snidely back at him, still hoping the waiter will get you out of this conversation.

"No, you did. I heard him at hockey practice. He said he was asking you." Jimmy's sat sideways in the booth, all his attention on you and it's overwhelming.

"I mean, he did ask. But I said no." That's when the waiter finally drops your food off.

It's really smooth how Kevin gets up to use the bathroom and Jo gets up a moment later to 'fix her lipstick.'

It's quiet when they leave, you're doing your damnedest to sip your water and focus on the game, but Jimmy clears his throat and nudges you with his knee.

"I, uh, really thought you went with Brian." He is just barely glancing at you from the corner of his eye.

"I didn't want to go with him. He was kind of a douche." Jimmy turns to you, his thigh pressed all the way against yours.

"All the girls liked him, though," he's aiming for detached nonchalance, but he's rolling his beer between his palms and that gives him away.

Maybe it's starting to make sense now.

"Yeah, the dumb ones," you smile and decide maybe Jo is right, and it has been years and your day can't really get worse and you've already made it this far.

You take the chance to steal a french fry off of his plate and idly wonder how long it takes Kevin to pee or Jo to fix her lipstick. "I wanted to go with someone else. I asked, but you know…"

It's Jimmy who sighs this time. "I guess I was pretty dumb back then too."

"I mean, you went to Harvard, so how dumb can you really be, James." You set your sights on Kevin's fries, because fuck him, it's really the least he could do right now.

"So," Jimmy stops and exhales loudly, "this is embarrassing, but," he pauses and looks at you.

You place your hand on his knee and tap it patronizingly, "You weren't shot down  asking someone to prom, so how embarrassing could it really be?"

"Touche, but for the record- I only said no because I figured you'd rather go with him." Your jaw drops in its best impression of a trout. "I just didn't want to get my hopes up only for you to change your mind when he asked you."

"You're right, Vesey. You are dumb," he gives you that little half smirk of his, and you quickly realize your hand is still on his knee.

The look on his face is definitely what people envision when they use the phrase "making eyes at," but of course this is when Kevin and Jo make their grand return, and you pull your hand back into your own lap as quickly as possible.

The rest of the dinner is quiet. Casual small talk over the din of the game. When Kevin and Jo decide they want to head home, you stand too, ready to take your leave.

Jimmy gently grabs at your wrist. "I'm going to have another beer, wanna stay with me?" You hug Kevin and Jo goodbye and blatantly ignore the wink she gives you. Jimmy waves at them but walks off towards the men's room and you take the chance to flip Jo and Kevin off while he's not looking. They laugh and give you a thumbs up while heading to the door.

Deciding to relocate to the bar, you climb up onto a stool at the end of the counter and wait for Jimmy to return.

He does, wiping his damp hands on his pants; he stands next to you. "I didn't know what you were drinking or I would have ordered it for you," you tell him, peering up as he towers over you.

"Oh, no. I'm good to go. I just wanted  them to leave so we could talk alone. Is it okay if we go to my place?"

Sneaky little shit.

______

When you said yes, you didn't think about the five floor walk up Jimmy lives in. "Don't the Rangers pay you enough to live in a building with an elevator?" He laughs, not at all out of breath like you are, the bastard.

You've been here of course, but never alone. Never just you and Jimmy.

Everything seems very real, very quickly. You wish you had opted for a little liquor at the bar, you could use any courage you could get, Dutch or otherwise.

Kicking your shoes off, you sit down on Jimmy's couch. He plops down next to you, more comfortable since he has the home team advantage.

"I really wanted to go with you." You're surprised he just blurted it out like that. He doesn't follow it up with a 'but' or any excuses at all, and it sends your heart soaring in your chest.

"If I had known you didn't want to go with Brian, I would have said yes when you asked." He's looking down at his hands, but speaking slow and steady. "I know it was so long ago, but I just feel like I want you to know that."

Jimmy's confession is making your skin tingle with heat, but he's still sitting there, looking so hesitant. It bolsters you. He chooses that moment to look up at you and you can't help but grin- a wide, cheesy thing.

"You like me," his face instantly flames. He attempts to stutter out a response which really cements it in your head.

Without letting him respond, you continue, "No. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. You like me." He bites his lip and nods.

"Yeah. I just… you know how I am. With feelings and stuff." And you do know.

He's like Ron Weasley, emotional range of a teaspoon. But you, you make him stutter and blush and that's not something you think you'll ever get over.

You're sort of torn between smacking him for putting you through all this and tearing off all of his clothes, so you settle somewhere in the middle and turn to kiss him straight on the mouth.

He was about to say something so when you catch him mid-word your teeth clash and you back off apologizing profusely.

"So aggressive," he laughs and wipes at his lip. "Slow down, we have lots of time now." And he's right, but every second that passes without his lips on yours feels wasted and empty.

"We really don't though," he looks upset and confused, pulling back into himself before you clarify, "I have to be up in the morning so I don't have all night, Vese. Some of us have been patiently waiting for years."

That has him blooming a smile again and you shake with the knowledge that you caused it, but he agrees "Yeah, some of us have been."

_____

It's not the first time Jimmy has stared at you like this, and it probably won't be the last, but right now it's making your eyes water with the sincerity of it.

His hands are on your hips, warm and familiar and your skin tingles under the weight of his palms and your dress.

"Vese," it's the first time the name elicits a smile from him. It may have something to do with the fact that it's his turn to whisper the nickname.

You can't help the smile snaking its way across your face. "It's Mrs.Vese, actually, James." A flash goes off somewhere to your right but you can't be bothered to take your eyes off of your husband.

"I can't believe you chose this song for our first dance," you pull him close so his forehead rests on yours, "you hate this song."

He presses a kiss to your lips, gentle but still eliciting cheers from your audience. "I really do. But you like it, and I love you."

[unfortunatelyilikebnha]

(//Britney Spears Voice// Oops I Did it Again)

I was thinking about Sero having siblings which made me think about class 1a and like,, how few of them have canon siblings? & then I was like “well hmm, who has siblings in canon and who do I feel like SHOULD have siblings?” which has NOW spiraled to “whole family dynamic” so. Here’s this (note that I’m not gonna subtract people from families who already canonically exist like however much I’d like to launch End**v*r into the sun this is less “I rewrote things how I’d like them to be” and more “how many of these kids do I think should have siblings and if their parents aren’t developed what do I think they’re like”).

Midoriya: We already know he does not have siblings and tbh even if we didn’t know I’d still think he doesn’t. He absolutely has Only Child Who’s Kinda Lonely And Wanted A Sibling But Never Got One vibes. Also we know he has a single mom and a dad who’s not really in the picture (sidenote I love Inko Midoriya even though she failed Izuku in the past by not believing in him she loves her son so much and is trying her hardest to make up for it and do what’s best for him). I feel like her husband is like,,, not straight up the worst person ever like he’s not abusive but he’s not particularly interested in his family anymore?? Like he pays his child support but doesn’t make any effort to talk to his wife and son? He’d get divorced but he doesn’t want to go through the hassle of that legal process, especially since he’s living on a whole separate continent & would either have to go back to Japan for the legal proceedings or do it from there which would be challenging & he’s “far too busy” to do that

Bakugou: He doesn’t have siblings in canon but he does kinda give off Middle Child In A House With Lots Of Children vibes...that inferiority/superiority complex tho...oh either that or Oldest Child In A House With Lots Of Children vibes...but yeah consider middle child Bkg. Like...maybe 5-6 Bakugou children and he’s either smack dab in the middle or 3rd oldest depending if he has 4 or 5 siblings. Also it’s pretty obvious that Mitsuki’s not a good mom & Masaru is not rlly willing to stand up to her but unfortunately I can’t change that cause I said I wouldn’t mess with existing family members :/ maybe I shouldn’t give him more siblings after all, for their sake...

Todoroki: We know the todofam dynamic already. Tbh idk what kinda vibes he’d give me if I didn’t already know he had siblings, but since I know that he has siblings in canon it makes sense that he’s a youngest child (also sidenote I LOVE the Todorokisibs & I want them to have the time to bond and become like,,, real, close siblings. Also #givereiadivorce2k20). I hope someone yeets Endumpster out of existence one of these days...fingers crossed

Iida: It’s canon that he has a brother and it’s so sweet how much he admires and loves him Iida ily. Again it makes sense that he’s a youngest child; his need to be “worthy of” his brother’s legacy is rlly apparent, & feels like a total youngest sibling trait. Tbh if I didn’t know he had a brother I could also see him as an only child but I’m glad he has Tensei. I feel like his parents are hardworking but make sure to make time for their children as much as they can & make sure they know they’re loved. Iida kinda also considers some of the heroes/sidekicks who work at the Idaten agency family since they’ve been around so much during his childhood & he knows them pretty well. Also since Tensei is friends with Aizawa and Yamada they were definitely Tenya’s babysitters at least a couple times & around the house a lot so he considers them kinda like uncles or something

Uraraka: I know she doesn’t have siblings in canon but it feels like she should. She gives off big sister vibes. Like she’s canonically becoming a hero for her parents, and I think that would be even better if she also had siblings (all younger than her. At least 2 siblings, maybe 3). I want to see Uraraka with siblings @ Horikoshi why did you deprive us of this? Also we know her parents work hard and love her which I love I’m so glad SOMEONE in class 1a canonically has 2 good supportive parents

Tsuyu: We already know she has two siblings and yes she also has Big Sister Vibes. Don’t have much to explain abt this one, she’s just mature and dependable in like the Older Sister Specific Way (not that all older sisters are mature and dependable, just that there’s a kind of mature and dependable that directly comes from being an older sister specifically). I feel like her parents love her and her siblings & taught them to be truthful & stuff but are kinda quiet and reserved with their affection, and they’re often busy with their jobs so Tsuyu had to take on some extra responsibility caring for her siblings

Yaoyorozu: She’s an only child and yeah, it makes sense. Her parents only have one child to focus on, and as such it’s pretty obvious she feels the full pressure of their expectations, giving her pretty obvious Only Child Vibes. Although I guess you could also look at it as youngest child vibes cause I could just as easily see her having a bunch of talented successful older siblings/one Really Talented Older Sibling so she feels the pressure in following in their footsteps (think either Daphne from scooby doo mystery incorporated or Tahani Al-Jamil from the good place except she doesn’t necessarily hate/resent her siblings but is just kinda insecure about her “worth” compared to them. This is where the second guessing she suddenly displays in canon could come in - correct me if I’m wrong but she didn’t rlly show signs of second-guessing herself until the sports festival? So she’s fine in class where nobody rlly knows her but once she’s at the sports festival which is nationally televised she starts to doubt herself because her parents and sister(s) are watching & she’s like “oh no what if my sister(s) would be better than me at this” so that’s why she suddenly loses confidence). I kinda implied before but I feel like her parents are pretty strict & have high expectations for her & while they’re not needlessly cruel, they won’t tolerate less than the best

Jirou: Pretty sure she has no siblings in canon BUT she TOTALLY gives off youngest sibling vibes. I’m thinking she’d have like a cool older brother who likes to embarrass her. Her parents are pretty chill (I think that part’s kinda canon?). She has lots of older cousins who she’s pretty close with and one bad*ss lesbian aunt who’s pretty much her role model (Jirou when she was younger: I wanna be just like my aunt!!! Jirou now: ah. That’s why. I also like girls.)

Kirishima: Again I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have siblings in canon and as for whether I think he gives off sibling vibes??? I’m not entirely sure. I was gonna say I don’t think so cause like. He gives off vibes that he’d be good with siblings but doesn’t actually have them, kinda like Midoriya (but like,,,I also kinda want to give him siblings so I’m not sure). Also you know that fandom headcanon that he has 2 moms? Yeah I love that that’s canon you can’t convince me otherwise. He has 2 moms and they both love him so much & wanna support him however they can (also I kinda put a little thought into them for a fic I started writing and decided that they’re the embodiment of the tattoo parlor/flower shop au. Flower mom keeps some arrangements that are...not necessarily professional in her shop because her wife arranged them for her. Tattoo mom gives flower mom tattoos for free & they have matching tattoos that flower mom designed)

Koda: he gives me Could Have Siblings vibes as in he kinda feels like another middle child but I feel like he’s actually an only child (like he probably is in canon? I think). His parents are quiet like him but they definitely love him and he knows it. He’s really close to his grandparents (who also live with his family) as well. He also, quits predictably, has a lot of animal friends who are kind of like family to him cause they’ve been through a lot together (the Koda family household sometimes looks a little bit like a zoo because 3 people in it have talking-to-animal-related quirks)

Sato: another idk about canon but he has a little sister. I cannot tell you why I think this but he definitely has a little sister. Sato you have been diagnosed with Big Brother Energy. Also he totally has a single dad who owns a bakery which is how Sato knows how to bake so well! They’re not poor but they’re not rich and he hopes to send some of his paycheck to support his family & help his dad expand the bakery. It wasn’t the primary reason he became a hero (that was because a hero once saved his little sister from a burning building & he decided that he wanted to be able to save people like that hero had saved his sister), but he does like the benefit of the paycheck

Tokoyami: tbh my first instinct was no siblings but I think it would be really funny if he had like. 3 really preppy siblings (one older than him two younger) & he was the only goth one in his family. Or like. His dad is also goth but his mom & other siblings r super preppy. He loves them all but is very much introverted and he and his dad are closer than the rest bc they kinda bond over being less energetic. His siblings & mom don’t REALLY understand Tokoyami’s goth-ness but they love and support him anyways. His younger siblings lowkey like Dark Shadow maybe even more than him tho. Dark Shadow was pretty sad when he heard they’d be moving to the dorms because he would miss them

Kaminari: tbh I first thought he had only child vibes (he kinda does) but then I decided that he has siblings but their age gaps are pretty significant. His older sister has just gotten out of university and is working and his younger sister is like...7 maybe. His siblings both love him but the age gaps between them make it hard for them to connect sometimes. Anyways I feel like his parents are pretty neglectful & caught up in their work. They don’t really pay attention to him or his other siblings, so his older sister had to learn things like cooking and cleaning and do a lot of taking care of Kaminari and he had to help take care of his younger sister, especially after his older sister went to uni. His parents just assumed he’d come to work at their electric company but he didn’t want to do that so while he definitely wants to save people a big part of his desire to become a hero is to make real connections and prove to his parents that he’s worthy of love and attention. He took the UA exam without telling them and when they found out they would have told him no except that they figured the exposure of their son going to the top hero school in Japan would give them more business. When he moved to the dorms he missed his sisters but was glad he didn’t have to be the main caretaker of his little sister anymore (his parents hired a nanny, which they hadn’t wanted to do before because of how much money it would cost, but because they had in fact gotten more business due to Denki going to UA they had a little more money now). (The nanny and Denki’s sister became fast friends, a fact of which he was glad because it meant he wasn’t leaving her alone in an empty house. He called and visited his sister as often as possible)

Hagakure: honestly I’m pretty sure she’s an only child in canon and she DOES give off only child vibes I think...unlike Midoriya tho I don’t think she’d be particularly bothered by it? I mean I feel like she’s kinda lonely but that’s less about lack of siblings & more bc of lack of people seeing her. But her parents rlly care about her & support her however they can, & they also understand her bc they’re invisible too so they know how it feels to have to work hard to be noticed when you can’t exactly be seen

Aoyama: either both his siblings are way older than him or he’s an only child. He does not give me “is super close with his siblings” vibes. He’s definitely seen as the baby in the family and not in a “he gets away with everything & is the parents’ favorite” way in the “they think he’s kinda a failure” way. His siblings look down on him, his mom pities him because he was the only one to inherit her quirk, which hurts to use, & his dad kinda doesn’t rlly care about him one way or the other. The family gives me pretty rich vibes. Like not as rich as the Yaoyorozus/Iidas/Todorokis but still pretty rich. He went to UA mostly because he wants to get stronger both so that his mom can stop pitying/worrying about him and so that the rest of his family won’t look down on him anymore

Ojirou: l also think he has a few siblings (like...no more than 2 tho). I think younger siblings, he’s also a character with big brother energy (tho I could also see middle child Ojirou). His mom runs a dojo which is part of the reason why he’s so good at martial arts. His dad is an artist. They’re pretty close and love and respect each other. His parents were surprised but supportive when he announced he wanted to go to UA

Ashido: an only child. Her parents love her a lot & make sure she feels supported. She sometimes wishes she had siblings but not super often because she has tons of good friends (this along with Kirishima being an only child who wants siblings sometimes only makes their brotp more epic)!! Also she still keeps in close touch with her civilian friends from middle school but kinda feel disconnected from them sometimes because they’re living such different lives than her. Like they’ll talk about the latest movie and ask her if she’s seen it and she just says no and kinda laugh it off because she can’t just say “no, I wanted to but villains tried to kill my class the day we were planning to go”. She also has a hard time telling her parents that because she knows they’d be super worried about her and she really wants to be a hero!

Sero: has siblings (is somewhere in the middle) and also a huge extended family!!! Before the dorms he lived with his mom and siblings but his extended family lived really close to them and visited all the time so he’s really close to both sets of grandparents and his many aunts and uncles and little cousins (though he’s a middle child in his immediate family he’s one of the oldest cousins). Though he misses his family he sees them as often as he can, and is kinda glad for how chaotic and loud the dorms can be sometimes because it reminds him of his home

Shoji: has a little brother, a mom, and a step-dad. It took a while for him to get used to his step-dad, but it becomes clear that he really loves his family so now Shoji loves him too and is fairly close to him. Shoji’s little brother is adopted because there were complications with his mom’s pregnancy when she was having Mezo and while he turned out fine, they found out that it would be risky for his mom to attempt to get pregnant again. His little brother also has a mutation quirk (though it’s not Dupli Arms it’s Bear) and Shoji loves him more than anything else in the world. He wants to become a hero to help combat the stigma around certain mutation quirks (Gang Orca once canonically kinda addressed that that exists when he talked about how children are always afraid of him bc of how he looks) so that the world will be better for people like him and his brother. His mom and stepdad wholeheartedly support him

M*neta: Only doing this bc my brain will not shut up & is making me analyze all of 1a even the ones I don’t consider 1a. I hope he doesn’t have siblings so less people have to be exposed to his...m*neta-ness but tbh I could see him having siblings. His parents are busy and either don’t notice or don’t care what a terrible person their son is

Better purple boy who deserves a place in 1a way more than the grape Shinsou: has no siblings but gives off IMMENSE big brother vibes. Definitely grew up in the foster system (his biological mother, who was a single mother and also had a mind control quirk, became a villain because she couldn’t get hired anywhere, had no way to support her son, and was tired of being villainized by society so she was like “ok you want a villain? Bet.” When Shinsou was like 7, his mom was killed while trying to flee a crime scene. Since Shinsou had no other parent, he was then put into the foster system. Nobody adopted him because everyone thought he was going to become a villain like his mom had, and even the people who didn’t know his mom thought his quirk was “villainous”). Aizawa and Yamada are now eventually planning to adopt him. He kinda has similar vibes to Midoriya in regards to the “Only Child Who’s Kinda Lonely And Wanted A Sibling” but unlike Midoriya he would NEVER admit he wanted a sibling. “I like being alone” he insists. He is a lying liar. However as soon as he meets Eri they instantly connect & he kinda becomes like a big brother to her even tho he will deny it until Eri herself calls him her brother. When this happens he will cry even tho he will say he didn’t

[its-captain-sir]

A Record of Memories

For the 3/27 Writing Wednesday prompt: Long Forgotten Origins.

I procrastinated a ton on writing this, but it’s done now! Enjoy!

*****

Leia is purchasing supplies for the Rebellion when she stumbles upon it. It's an old medpack, from the time of the Republic if she had to guess, probably scavenged from one of the many ships on this junkyard of a planet.

She picks it up. Medical supplies are always good to find, no matter how old they may be.

All the typical things are in there, and then some. Hypos, syringes, a few rolls of bandages, some bacta patches that may or may not still be good, a couple old stims, and even a few pieces of actual flimsy. But what surprises her is the comm resting at the bottom.

She pulls it out, throwing the medpack in with all the other supplies she'll be purchasing today. The comm's clearly been modified. A small holoprojector is attached to its side, as well as a few other things she doesn't know the names of.

It takes a while to find the switch, but she manages to get it turned on. It still works, even after all these years.

A list is the first thing that pops up. Each line of text is a string of numbers, coupled with a date. They're recorded entries, she realizes, though of what she has no idea.

There's no one else around, so she scrolls to the top and clicks on the first one.

The holoprojector flickers, and in place of the list, there is now a person. Human, for sure. Probably a male by the looks of it.

He's got the start of a goatee on his chin and a tattooed 5 at his temple. Maybe a few years older than her if she had to guess.

"Hey there!" he says, speaking directly to the comm. "Just got this back today! Cable's rigged everything up for me, but I figured that before I actually start using it, I should do an introduction."

"The name's Fives," he says, and that tattoo he has suddenly makes a lot more sense now. "I had this comm modified so I can use it to record things." Fives grins. "You wouldn't believe the stuff that happens around here. Echo said-"

"I said absolutely nothing about any of this, Fives, this was all your idea," another voice says. Fives' grin gets wider and the recording shakes as Fives moves to sit by the other person. Fives slings an arm around their shoulders and pulls them in frame. Their faces are identical.

"This is my batchmate, Echo," he says.

Leia nearly drops the comm.

"He's sort of a stick in the mud, but I love him anyways," Fives continues, laughing when Echo tries to elbow him in the ribs.

"Nobody," Echo grumbles "Nobody would know. What's that? Fives is missing? Oh, wow, what a shame, I'll miss him so much."

"Ah, c'mon, Echo, you know the only way the 501st wouldn't assume you killed me is if it was an accident!"

"That's how I'm going to make it look-"

Leia shuts off the comm.

Clones.

They were clones.

Her father would tell her stories about the clones sometimes. How he worked relief efforts with them during the war, how they came to his rescue more than a few times. How they suddenly turned against the Republic they fought for and helped instate the new Empire across the galaxy.

The clones were nothing more than traitors. They blindly followed whatever orders they were given, no better than unthinking droids. She should just throw this comm away.

There's something telling her to hold on to it though. Some little voice inside her head wants her to keep it, despite all the reasons she has to toss it back in with all the junk and let it stay there forgotten.

That little voice has never steered her wrong before.

She pockets the comm and moves on.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is back on her ship, and she realizes she still has the comm.

She pulls it out of her pocket and plays the recording from before. She pays more attention to it this time around, watches it through all the way. And once it's over, she plays the next.

And the next.

And the next.

She doesn't know why she's watching these. She doesn't like the clones, not with everything they've done. There's no reason for her to watch these recordings.

She keeps watching them anyway.

~~~~~~~~~

Leia is on the 5th recording, and suddenly, everything she knows changes.

In these recordings, or at least in all the ones she's seen, there's joking, teasing, lots of laughter involved.

This though. This is different.

Fives is the only person in this recording. The room he's in is completely empty, save him.

He runs his hand through his hair. It seems like a nervous tick almost.

"I know this isn't normally what happens in these vids I've been taking," he says, "but I just-"

He trails off, looking away from the comm for a moment, but Leia could have swore she saw tears shining in his eyes for a second.

He looks back up, and there is definitely unshed tears there. "I just don't know what else to do," he whispers, and Leia jerks back a bit because he sounds broken.

"I- I need to talk about all this, get it all out. But... I can't. I can't just go up to someone and talk about everything, it just- it doesn't work like that. Not in the GAR." He swallows, closes his eyes. "This is the only other thing I can think of to try. To- to cope with everything."

"The Separatists attacked Kamino," he says. "It's the closest thing we clones have to a home. And they attacked it." Leia's heart clenches at his words, visions of Alderaan being destroyed running through her mind.

"There were so many droids," he murmurs. His gaze has that far-away look she's seen become more and more common in the members of the Rebellion. "Everyone fought as hard as they could. Our lives, our future was at stake. We were all willing to lay down our lives for that, and so many of us did."

"The droids made it into the barracks despite all our efforts. We- we did everything we could but-" The tears finally spill over and Fives doesn't bother trying to stop them from falling down his face. "One of the cadets... He didn't make it."

"Gods, they- they're just kids," he says, burying his head in his hands. "They're just little kids, they shouldn't have had to fight for their lives!" He's shouting by the end, but Leia hardly notices it. All she can do is stare in horror at the comm.

"I should have done something more," Fives says. He's quieter again. "I should have pushed myself harder, should have come up with better plans, paid more attention to droid movements-"

Leia shuts off the comm.

How, she wonders. How could no one have known this? How could they not see that these clones were people? These were living, breathing, beings, not heartless droids. They had a home, they were children at one point, they mourned, they grieved, they beat themselves up about things over and over just like everyone else and no one ever saw it.

Or if they had, they've forgotten it now.

She vows right then and there to watch all of the recordings on the comm. The rest of the galaxy has forgotten what the clones were like, but she won't. It isn't much, she knows, she's only one person. But it's still one more person than before who knows the truth.

She turns the comm back on and keeps watching.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is back from a mission, and she goes to seek out Luke.

"What is it?" he asks when she shows him the comm.

"Something I think you'll want to see," she replies, and turns on the comm. It opens up to the recording she found during some downtime on her mission.

It starts in the middle of a conversation.

"-an't believe I've never told it to you before." The speaker is a young man, a Jedi if the lightsaber at his hip is any clue. The man eyes the comm in confusion. "You're recording this, Fives?"

"Well, this is a General Skywalker story," the clone in question says. Luke's eyes widen at the name. "I reckon it's gonna get pretty interesting."

Skywalker laughs. "Would you expect anything less from me at this point?"

Fives grins. "Never, sir."

Skywalker launches into some story about how he destroyed a Trade Federation control ship as a kid, complete with vivid descriptions and sound effects. Leia doesn't pay much attention to it, having already listened to it before. She watches Luke instead as he listens to the story his father tells.

The recording finishes, and she clicks off the comm.

"Thank you for showing me this," Luke says. He wraps his arms around her in a tight hug.

She's surprised at first, but then she squeezes back just as hard.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is watching as the fleet jumps to hyperspace, away from the Empire.

From the viewport in her quarters, she can see what's left of their forces. There's not even half of them left.

She looks away, tries to ignore the prick of tears in her eyes.

Her gaze falls on the comm. She was watching a recording before the Imperials attacked. It was another of the ones with just Fives in it. The ones he made to cope.

She doesn't think he's ever needed it more.

Because Echo, Fives' closest brother and partner in everything, was gone.

Leia's heart breaks as she watches it, and underneath all the pain, she is angry. Angry that Echo was gone, and Fives is left alone. Angry that he died in a meaningless battle that didn't even matter in the end. Angry that war reduces these deaths to nothing.

But that's just how it is. War is long and hard, and it takes and takes and takes.

She wishes it wasn't that way. She knows Fives does too.

~~~~~~~

Leia is in an escape pod and clutching Fives' comm in her hand.

She barely had time to grab it before jumping in the pod and launching away from the crippled ship that the Imperials are now ripping to shreds.

It makes her realize something. There is no place she can leave the comm where it would be safe. Bases could be raided, ships could be destroyed, and unlike this time, she might not be able to go back for it.

She couldn't lose it. Fives didn't deserve to have his memory be lost again.

She gets picked up, heads back to their most recent base. It's easy to find a short leather cord once she's there, and easier still to securely attach it to the comm.

She slides the cord around her neck and tucks the comm beneath her shirt. As long as she lives, Fives' memory will be safe.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is alone in her quarters when she hears about Umbara.

She's grateful for that fact. No one will ever see the way her eyes water with unshed tears in the same way Fives' does as he recounts horror after horror.

The galaxy has no idea what these men went through. She wishes they did.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is sitting in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon when Han asks her about the comm.

"Must be important," he says, "for you to keep it on you at all times."

"It is," she replies. And then she shows him exactly how important it is. She pulls up a recording. It's one of her favorites.

"We've been stuck up in this ship for week," Fives says, holding the comm in front of him. "Can't go planet-side, everyone's restless, and I am bored out of my kriffing mind."

He holds up a ruler, grinning. "So, I'm gonna go poke some people."

The holo shifts as Fives approaches another clone. "That's Jesse," she says.

"How can you tell?" Han asks. Only the back of his head and armor can be seen, but even if she hadn't already seen this recording before, she'd know it was Jesse. The clones were identical, but only in looks. They each had their own differences, subtle though some of them may be, and not one of them was the same as another. Once you understood that, it was easy to tell them apart.

But Han does not understand that, so she just shrugs.

Fives pokes Jesse with the ruler once and the other clone is already turning around. "Fives, what are you doing?" Jesse asks, his face a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

Fives pokes him again. "Isn't it obvious? I'm measuring your patience."

Jesse groans as Fives laughs, but he's smiling too. "You kidding me? My patience is limitless!"

"That's a lie," Fives says, going to poke Jesse again. Jesse bats the ruler away.

"Nuh uh," he says, "it's completely true!" Fives pokes him again and Jesse makes a grab for the ruler. Fives moves it out of his reach and takes off running.

He stops in the medbay. There's another clone in there, a medic based off the markings on his armor. Fives gets within four feet of him before he's stopped.

"Fives, what the kriff are you up to now?" The medic's voice holds a long-suffering tone that Leia knows is reserved specifically for Fives.

"Aw, come on, Kix!" Fives pokes him a few times with the ruler, but Kix never looks up from his work. "I'm only measuring your patience."

"Patience?" Kix says. "Oh, I have quite a few of those. I wonder how many. Say, Fives, how about you put your measuring skills to good use and-"

Fives is already leaving the room, but it's just long enough for a smirk to be seen on Kix's face.

Jesse is in the hall behind him, grinning. "So. That went well."

"Shut up, Jesse," Fives says, poking him once again with the ruler. "Let's go find someone else to bother."

They walk into the mess next. It's empty, save a few people. They scan the small crowd, until Fives smirks and elbows the clone next to him. "Hey Jesse, the Captain's over there, how much patience do you think-"

"Fives, I swear if you poke me with that ruler, I will personally throw you out the airlock," the man in question says, sipping from a cup of caf as he walks past them.

Fives and Jesse are silent as the Captain leaves. As soon as he's out of earshot, Fives turns to Jesse.

"You know, I don't think the Captain has any patience at all."

Jesse bursts into laughs, and the recording ends.

Leia shuts off the comm, putting it back on the cord around her neck.

"I didn't know that's what the clones were like," Han says after a few moments of silence.

"I didn't either," she says.

Han looks from her to the comm. Then he nods and leaves the cockpit.

~~~~~~~~

Leia is on Endor, and the Empire is finally dead.

The Rebellion has won. After years of fighting, they've won. Leia's happy, of course, who wouldn't be after such a victory?

But there is still much to be done. There's reports to be filled out, death counts to be confirmed, messages to be sent out across the galaxy explaining their victory here today, remaining Imperial holdouts to be dealt with, an entire government to be set up, the list could go on forever.

Now, however, is not the time for all that, Leia thinks, fingering the comm around her neck. Now is the time for celebration. It's not every day you take down a tyrannical government after all.

She sits down in front of one of the many fires being started, Luke on one side and Han on the other, and lets herself enjoy the party.

It isn't until much later, after the party has been in full swing for a few hours already, that she hears it. One voice amidst all the other cheers and shouts of the Rebels. It sounds familiar. A bit older than she's used to, maybe a bit more subdued, but familiar all the same.

She turns to Luke, who has a better view of everyone from his spot, and asks him if he knows the person the voice belongs to.

"That's Commander Rex," he says after shifting in his seat to get a better look at the man's face. She's heard of him a few times over the years, known enough about him to be glad when she saw his name on the list of members of the strike team to destroy the shield generator. She's never had a chance to meet him though, not with everything that had been going on.

Hearing his voice, coupled with his name, she wonders why she never put two and two together until now.

She goes to talk to him later that evening.

"Commander Rex," she says, holding out a hand. He takes it, grip firm and strong.

"Princess Leia," he greets. "Don't believe we've ever met before."

"No," she says, smiling, "Not in person.

"But I recognize you from somewhere else, Captain."

[once-upon-a-memoir]

LFC :: Zatna Spiteveil

The Basics --- - 

Full name: Zatna Spiteveil, previously Mirthheart. Nickname(s): Zatbab, stabby gal, sunflower, sunshine, shadowstep.  Title(s): Shadowblade. Alias(es): Eclipse.  Age: Around 2900 years old. Birthday: 10th of July.  Race: Sin'dorei.  Gender & pronouns: Female, she/her pronouns.  Sexuality: Nobody fucking knows.  Marital Status: Unofficially going out with @frostwyrmsfury​‘s Andiais. 

Physical Appearance --- - 

Hair: The majority of her head is bald and scarred, the hair scalded and burned away during a childhood accident. Now Zatna shaves what of her hair still grows, instead opting to wear pale ginger wigs whenever she isn't dawning her leather hood or scarf-cloak. Eyes: Golden yet with a tint of darkness. Her eyes are tired and heavy yet alert and sharp, seeing the world through a veil of pain and morals.  Height: 5'/152.4 cm.  Weight: 112.44 lbs/51 kg.  Build: Ectomorph. Zatna is thin yet obviously well-trained, her strength focused on agility and flexibility.  Scars: Burn scars on her shoulder, neck, and head. Several scars on her… everywhere, really. She essentially looks like a grizzled war-veteran (because that’s what she is). Two small pieces of the outer edge of her ear have also been torn off. Tattoos: A few small, simple, and minimalistic ones that seem silly but are deeply symbolic. Distinguished Traits:

Her relaxed posture.

The slight freckling of her skin.

The bags under her eyes.

Silent footsteps.

A missing finger on her right hand.

Common Accessories:

A scarf in either red, black, or purple that you really cannot tell if it’s a scarf or a cloak. Spoilers: it’s both.

A one-handed sword, sheathe strapped to her back.

Two daggers at her hips and several other forms of sharp weaponry hidden across her body.

A cloth pouch and a leather purse attached to her belt.

Two golden hoops in her right ear.

Personal --- - 

Profession: Occasional assassin, bounty hunter, tracker, and monster hunter for hire. Full-time Shadowblade and hunter of oppressors, warmongers, and whoever else breaks her moral standard for a living. Hobbies:

Singing.

Journal-writing.

Grumbling over existence, inequality, and people’s poor lack of morals and ethics.

Researching and observing.

Skill(s): Knife; hand-to-hand combat; shooting with a handgun or revolver; daggers, and one-handed axes and swords combat; singing; a bit of Void, Light, and Arcane magic; outdoors survival; surviving otherwise impossible to survive situations; strategising; acting; winging it; pulling pranks. Languages: Fluent Thalassian, conversational Common and Orcish, and a few words of Zandali and Darnassian. Residence: Zatna has a few hidden, barely used cottages scattered about Azeroth but no real, stable home. There’s one in Azsuna, one in Eversong Woods, one in Feralas, and one in Deadwind Pass. She also considers Keizi and Knoton’s abode a home, as well as Zatna’s parents’ estate outside Silvermoon. Still, she’s most likely to sleep and reside in the crowd of the Uncrowned or the wild. Birthplace: Silvermoon City. Religion: None. Patron Deity: None. Fears: Losing people; drowning; having a mission team mate be captured due out of her lack of skill.

Relationships --- - 

Spouse: None. Children: None. Parents:

 Vazolra Mirthheart (mother, alive).

Jathun Mirthheart (father, alive).

Siblings: None of blood, but the one person she considered a brother is double-deceased. His name was Itillan Riverseeker. Other Relatives: The only other relatives Zatna knows of is her mother’s side of the family, who abused and bullied every family member into becoming a follower of the Void, which led to them being exiled and becoming ren’dorei. Zatna refers to any of those relatives as “Crimsons”, short for Crimsonveil. Pets: None that are still in her care. When she lived with Keizi, Knoton, and Mo’hir in Durotar, she had several cats and raptors.

Traits --- -

Extroverted / Introverted / In between /: Zatna is an extroverted person, but, lately, with the change of pace in her life, she has become far less social in any way that isn’t business related.

Disorganised / Organised / In between /: She’s not a neat freak but doesn’t make a mess either.

Close Minded / Open Minded / In between /: So long you don’t try and oppress people or hurt them for no apparent reason in her vicinity, there’s next to nothing that she won’t accept and respect.

Calm / Anxious / In between /: Being anxious has never really been a thing she’s done.

Disagreeable / Agreeable / In between /: She fights for a cause and what’s right, not to get people to agree.

Cautious / Reckless / In between /: She tries, and fails, to be cautious.

Patient / Impatient / In between /: This, somehow, always surprises people.

Outspoken / Reserved / In between /: Zatna used to say literally everything on her mind. Now she’s more reserved with personal things, like emotions and her mental state, but anything else she’ll more than happily yell to the entire world about.

Leader / Follower / In between /: She can’t follow orders worth shit. Not even her own.

Empathetic / Apathetic / In between /: She knows and understands and can relate to feelings, but simply has a very, very difficult time actually feeling them. This counts for her own but also things that are supposed to rub off from other people.

Optimistic / Pessimistic / In between /: It frequently changes whether she’s optimistic or pessimistic, though she has a tendency to lean towards a sense of pessimistic optimism. Like, it will probably be fine, but only moderately, and there’ll be some casualties, and overall Zatna simply expects everything to be mediocre.

Traditional / Modern / In between /: No comment.

Hard-working / Lazy / In between /: She can and will work through entire days without eating and sleeping.

Cultured / Uncultured / In between /: Depends on what culture you mean. Sin’dorei culture? Eh, a little cultured. Meme culture? Very cultured. Manners? Not cultured at all.

Loyal / Disloyal / In between /: Her trust is very, very difficult to get, but once you do she will die for you. And, generally, she lives by a “no man is left behind” mindset on missions, unless it’s absolutely, one hundred percent necessary to leave them behind.

Faithful / Unfaithful / In between /: Only thing she has faith in is her ability to track down and kill people.

Assertive / Timid / In between /: Don’t get fooled by her height, you’ll wish her aura never came near you.

Additional Information --- - 

Smoking: Occasionally. Alcohol: Frequently, if she didn’t work so much. Drugs: Possibly, if offered. Triggers: Drowning; being stuck beneath something in the middle of a fire. Face claim: Kim Jihae. Theme song: Life by Neffex. Alignment: Chaotic good / neutral. In-game classes she takes after the most: Subtlety rogue with a splurge of outlaw and simple Arcane mage.

Alt Verses --- - 

Brightheart: Not much changes here aside from the fact she, briefly, has a successful love life with Halduron Brightwing. They have three kids and end up getting a divorce after they’ve all migrated from their home.

Modern: A woman in the mid-30s still working towards her college degree. Up until a few years ago, she’s been making her income through professional downhill mountain-biking. 

Forsaken: Zatna dies in Northrend and is raised as Forsaken. She’s very nonchalant about it. Everybody else isn’t.

RP Hooks --- - 

Academy: Vazolra, Zatna’s mom, is the headmistress of a magic academy in the heart of Silvermoon where Zatna, alongside many, many other people, have graduated.

Bounty hunter: Not exactly feeling like going off to an alternative universe for someone who’s already out of reach to harm anyone else on Azeroth, Zatna spent the entirety of Warlords of Draenor as a bounty hunter, alongside her best friends Knoton and Mo’hir. Zatna still occasionally go after bounties and accept bounty hunter jobs, if they line up with her style of targets.

The Uncrowned: Zatna is a Shadowblade going under the alias Eclipse. She frequently launches campaigns, plots tactics, and gathers information to take down vile people of all kinds. In this line of work, she needs the help of all kinds of people, and preferably a lot of them.

Taverns: Zatna is social butterfly and quite the drinker when she finally lets herself take a break from work.

Contact Information --- -

where i roleplay: discord and tumblr. zatna can be found at @once-upon-a-memoir​ while follows and likes come from @foxfictioncentral. what im looking for:

action & adventure rp

people willing to further a plot idea i have that features a drug-caused disease, a lot of murdering, frustration, and several attempts and fails at coming up with a cure

connections of all sorts (business, friends, enemies, familial, what have you)

slice of life

emotionally charged rp

long-term and short-term connections

pre-established relationships

angst

detective rp

what i wont do: explicit sex, self-harm, suicide, in-game rp (it’s an anxiety thing), and excessive gore.

i mainly write multi-paragraphs style as i have a tendency to vomit words, but i won’t say no to rping with different styles. my writing is very emotion heavy, and my favorite thing to write is emotionally challenging stuff. give me all the angst, tho i write p much anything

useful links: about || relationships || verses || starter call rules / guidelines / ooc info

other muse blogs: @hugs-not-anonymous​ @conflictedenergies​

mun blogs:  @foxfictioncentral​ @jcfoxington​ @arcticartings​

[reesewestonarchive]

EASTHALLOW | Masterpost | Project Page | Project Preview | ko-fi, if you like my work :p

tag list - ask to be added or removed ||  @forlornraven @infinitelyblankpage @writingmyassoff @theforgottencoolkid @indecentpause @moonlesbi4n @wordsbyagremlin @reining-in-the-fire-writing @chaos-reign @maximillianvalentine @kly-writes

The car trunk sounds too final to Elijah's ears as he closes it, the last of his bags tucked in haphazard amongst his books, music. Sean stands nearby, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He's followed Elijah around like a lost puppy all night, and now that Elijah's packed, seems at a loss.

"I'm sorry--"

Elijah holds up a hand, shakes his head. "Spare me the bullshit, all right? Just..." He looks around the parking lot, at the apartment he couldn't've afforded if it weren't for Sean's income, anywhere but at Sean. "You had plenty of chances to show you gave a shit about me."

A time in the past, Elijah doesn't doubt Sean did care; you don't spend this long with someone, six years of your life, without getting a little attached. Just... he has a shitty way of showing it, and Elijah's really not interested in hearing scripted apologies from a guy that's been cheating on him for the better part of a year.

"I'll be in touch for the rest of my things."

And that's that. Sean doesn't look upset; just... resigned. Like he's been waiting for this.

Fucker. Rage boils under his skin, and Elijah grips his keys in hand. Steps to the driver's door, wrenches it open, and, as Sean says, "Elijah--", his voice edged with desperation, slams the door behind him.

The drive home is a good fifteen hours, but Elijah straight shots it, running on iced coffee and espresso shots from gas stations. His bank account's barely prepared for the trip, and for the last stretch of a hundred miles he watches his gas gauge with anxiety gnawing at a pot in his stomach, but when Elijah sees the rusted EASTHALLOW, POPULATION: 203 sign swinging from it's pole off the road, tension ebbs from his every nerve.

Fog, thick and mystical, covers the entire town, and the chill to the air has him turning up his heat for the first time all trip. Trees have already shed their leaves for the season, and the place looks entirely too fucking barren. He thinks about the bustling city he just came from, the constant chatter and noise, but if he opened his window right now, he's certain the engine of his car would be the only sound for miles.

Peaceful. Fuck, Elijah didn't know he'd missed it this much. His chest feels tight, his throat dry, as he drives through the city towards his parent's home.

The farm hasn't changed, besides a fresh coat of off-white paint and a few new shrubs lining the wrap around porch. The roof needs work, some of the shutters flap in the wind, but it's home. Sturdy and stable and standing, and Elijah, suddenly exhausted, shuts his car off, rubs his hands against his face, and just... is.

Thoughts and memories of the last six years surface in Elijah's head. How many times did he call his parents to tell them he couldn't come home for the holidays? How many times did he put Sean before his family, and for what? For Sean to bring some twink home and throw it all away, proving everyone in Elijah's life right that Sean never was going to settle down.

He pounds his fist on the wheel, honking the horn in passing, and sighs when he sees his mother standing out on the porch, no hesitation.

She waves, tugs her robe tighter around her, and rushes out across the muddied grass to his car. She bounces on her heels while he unbuckles, and launches herself into his arms, her embrace tight and loving, once he stands.

The air crushed from his lungs makes him grunt, but he says nothing, just reaches around his mother's shoulders for a hug, resting his head on top of hers.

He'd missed her. So much. "Hi, Mama," he says.

Amanda's voice is tight when she says, "Don't 'Hi, Mama,' me, Elijah Andrew. You haven't been home in five years, and you show up out of the blue like this..." She pulls back. Her eyes water as she takes him in. "Oh, you're too thin. Have you even been eating? What's city life done to you?"

Elijah offers a tight smile. "Been busy. I'm sorry I haven't been home sooner."

With a smack to his arm, she says, "That's right. You're gonna make it up to me, too." Then, she peers around him, into the car, and raises an eyebrow. Elijah's heart speeds up in his chest. "And the boy?"

He knew he'd have to tell her when he got here, but... shit, he'd rather not. The longer he can avoid the pity, the better. "About that..."

But before he can continue, movement out of the corner of his eye catches his attention. He grips his mother's arm in hand and tugs her close, starts to say, "Someone's over there," because he doesn't recognize them--not his father, not one of the farmhands--when his mother gives a little wave to the figure limping around the side of the house.

"Josh," she says, calling to the figure, and Elijah's not sure if he feels too hot with rage or too cold with dread, "come say hello!"

"Mama," he says, under his breath as Josh makes his way across the yard, "you didn't tell me Josh was here."

Raising an eyebrow, Amanda says, "And you didn't tell me you were coming home. Don't play games with me. I'm your mother. I'll always win."

While the rest of the town stayed the same, Josh is nothing like Elijah remembers. He's changed his hair, a bright, platinum blond so unlike the black hair of his parents. His eyes are bruised, his face gaunt. His jacket looks like it went twelve rounds with a box cutter, and Josh is, inexplicably, taller. How is he taller?

Still, he steps forward, into Elijah's space, and rests a hand on Elijah's shoulder, grips him tight, and Elijah wants nothing more than to jerk out of his grasp and punch him.

A crow caws in the distance, and Josh offers a smile--not enough and too late and Elijah shakes under the weight, the expectation of it--and Josh says, "Welcome home, bro."

///

“Is it broken?” Josh asks, his voice thick and nasally, as Amanda pokes and prods at his nose. Blood oozes down the front of his shirt.

Behind them, Elijah opens the freezer, digs out a bag of peas, and rests it against his knuckles. Amanda scowls at him.

“What a nice fucking way to greet your brother,” Josh says. “Haven’t seen you in ten years. Least you could do is not punch me in the face.”

Still, Elijah says nothing. Flexes his fingers under the peas, shaking, and exhales with relief. Not broken. It’s been a while since he last decked someone. He definitely made some fucking mistakes. “Rich, coming from you.”

“Will you two stop it?”

Josh points Elijah’s way, then says, his voice taking on an amusing whine as he says, “He started it!”

Opening his mouth to retort, Elijah pauses as he hears the back screen door creak open. “Thought I heard yelling,” someone says, and—

Oh. Elijah drops his gaze to the floor, because—he’d meant to call his father. Text him, something. But the farther west he got, the more anxiety that pooled in his stomach at the idea of his father’s disappointed gaze.

Elijah’s not good with disappointment.

“Get into another fight with a bull, Josh?” his father asks; he still hasn’t noticed Elijah, leaning against the counter next to the fridge, shrinking in on himself. Amanda, at least, called. Elijah hasn’t spoken to his father since the day he left.

Josh scoffs. “Yeah fucking right,” and silence falls over the room. Elijah’s heart thumps in his throat, his ears, and he lifts his gaze, looks right into his father’s eyes.

“I’ll be damned,” Allan says, his voice soft as he shrugs his jacket off at the dining table. “Elijah."

His mouth opens on an apology, but Allan steps forward, with such intensity that Elijah'd back up, if he had anywhere to go. His tongue trips on words he should've said years ago, his fingers twitch, and he can see Josh and Amanda watching with wide eyes. Allan isn't scary, and there's no reason to be, but Elijah still shakes in his sneakers like he's bracing for impact.

But when Allan touches him, it's not with a fist, how Elijah had greeted his estranged brother, but with arms around his shoulders. Allan holds him tighter than Amanda had, and the bag of peas clatter to the floor as Elijah reaches up to grab at his father's overshirt.

Behind them, Josh mutters, "You've gotta be fucking kidding me. Dad welcomes him home with open arms?"

"You came home sick with withdrawal, Joshua," Amanda says, finally stepping back from her son. Quiet, Allan pulls away, wipes his eyes with the careful practice of a man who cries, and tries not to show it, and claps a hand on Elijah's shoulder before stepping back to the entry way to take his boots off.

He can't know, but Elijah's not convinced he doesn't know, somehow. Why he's here. Why he didn't call.

While Amanda and Josh argue, Elijah pocks the peas up and sets them back in the freezer, and heads upstairs.

His room sits at the end of the hall--or it did, when he left for the city. The floorboards creak under his feet, and the joints in his hand protest as he carries his bag, but he goes through, admiring the photographs on the wall as he goes. The year his soccer team made it to semi-finals. The year he and Josh were in boy scouts. Josh and his junior prom date.

They still looked identical, then, before Josh hit heroin hard, before he got his girlfriend pregnant and skipped town. Before he started bleaching his hair, before the piercings and the scars from tattoos and laser removal.  Before rehab, and relapse.

The years have been kinder to Elijah that they've been to Josh. Elijah might've worked ten hour shifts on his feet four nights a week, but stress found ways to gain weight where being a druggie turned Josh into skin and bones.

He rubs his forehead. Things used to be so much fucking easier.

"Walk down memory lane?" Josh says, grinning, as he meets Elijah at the end of the hallway. A nice, purple bruise grows on the bridge of his nose. Pride swells in Elijah's chest, seeing his handiwork. Another punch might break it. Elijah's got the muscle memory for it fresh in his mind, now.

"Fuck off," Elijah says, his voice more tired than he'd intended. If luck sides with him, Allan will save grilling him for tomorrow morning, and Elijah can spend the night tossing and turning, anxious about it.

"You don't have to be so mean," Josh says.

Elijah pushes past him, into his bedroom, and...

It's different. Not entirely, but his once overly-large room has been crammed to one side, his twin bed sitting against one wall, his desk at the end of it. Across the room, under the window, there's another bed. Messy, clothes piled on it from the closet, and--

"No." Elijah's voice goes hard, edged with anger. He just wants to sleep, and if Josh is doing fuck all across the room, there's no way he'll get any rest. He'd rather sleep in his car. "No fucking way."

"Come on, bro," Josh says, but his eyes are twinkling. Bastard knows just how to get under Elijah's skin. "It'll be just like old times. We can stay up all night watching horror movies and eating junk food!"

Elijah rubs his free hand over his face. Contemplates actually sleeping in his car, just for a second, before his neck starts to ache. Sharing his childhood room with his twin--honestly. "I'll sleep on the couch."

"You wanna explain that to mom?"

"Mom already knows we hate each other," Elijah says, surprised to see the quick flinch that passes Josh's face. "Would she really be so surprised to hear I can't stand to look at you, much less sleep in the same room?"

A beat passes, and Elijah knows he should apologize, but Josh shrugs and backs into his room. "Fine, little brother," he says, and oh, fuck him. "Sleep well."

The lock clicks into place as he shuts the door, and Elijah means to make his way back downstairs when a chill runs down his arms, either side. A quick glance at the window shows it's open, but--

There's... something out there. Elijah squints down at it, opens his mouth and takes a deep breath. He means to call for his father, let him know one of the cattle got loose, when he looks closer, and--

It's not cattle. It's not--hell, Elijah doesn't know what it is. He blinks his eyes a few times, watching the black figure make its way across the yard, slow, slow step by slow step. It pauses, about halfway to the treeline, and peers around the yard, but Elijah ducks back into the shadows to watch, and it continues on its way in short, jerky, inhuman movements towards the trees. Twice the size of a human, hunched over, and Elijah can't make out features, not well, but...

What the fuck? He blinks, once, twice, three times. Closes his eyes tight and opens them and--oh.

It's gone. No trace of it. Elijah turns the crank on the window, presses his ear to the screen, but... not a sound. Just the wind rustling leaves across the ground.

A chill spreads across Elijah's back. He's exhausted. He's got seventeen hours of car on him, and ten hours of packing before then, interspersed with arguing with Sean, and..

"Shut the window, Elijah, what're you thinking?"

Amanda stands at the top of the stairs, her head cocked to the side. Elijah closes and locks the crank, clearing his throat.

"Sorry, just..." He makes a vague gesture. How does he even begin to explain what he saw? "Thought I saw one of the cows wandering the yard."

Scowling, Amanda starts to head back downstairs. "I told your father he needed to repair that fence. We'll go out and check on it, make sure. You just get some rest."

Elijah's arm shoots out, though, and grabs her wrist. She raises her eyebrows and says, "Elijah, what has gotten into you?"

"Sorry, Mama," he says, and turns back to the window. Still clear. "Just... my eyes playing tricks on me, is all."

"You sure you don't want Dad to check?"

Elijah shakes his head. No. Fuck no. Assuming, for a second, that thing was real, Elijah doesn't want his father anywhere near it.

His mother's gaze is piercing, right through his soul, and for the first time, Elijah's relief at being home turns sour. "No. Look, Mama, I'm sure it's the drive. I'm just tired, is all." He presses a quick kiss to the side of her head. Ice crawls down his neck, with his back to the window, but he can't do much about it. He says, "Josh has my room?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, sweetie. We turned the other into a craft room." She at least looks a little ashamed. "You're welcome to the air mattress."

It sounds pretty good, but the idea of a couch, ready to go, sounds even better. So much for sleeping in his car--he'd rather not awaken with nightmares of that... thing scraping at his window.

His car. That's what he should've done. Hit the panic button on his keys, scare the thing. Elijah could've really found out if he was just making shit up.

"Can I sleep on the couch?" He shrugs, tries not to crumple under his mother's gaze. "Just... prefer sleeping alone."

The moment Amanda finally rolls her eyes seems to come too slow, and Elijah exhales a shaky breath. "Fine. Don't come crying to me when Josh wakes you up at five in the morning to go running, though." Her expression softens, and she reaches out to brush her fingers against Elijah's cheek. "I'm so glad you're home."

He smiles, small and sad, and grabs her wrist in hand. "Me too, Mama."

"How long will you be staying?"

With a laugh, Elijah says, "How long will you have me?"

"You weren't laid off, were you?"

Ouch. It shouldn't hurt, but it does. "No, no, I just had to cash in on some PTO before year end." The lie burns his tongue, a sharp spark against his teeth. If Amanda catches him, she doesn't show it.

"Hm. Maybe through the holidays, then."

He nods. "Yeah, 'course."

She stands on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on the top of his head. "I missed you so much, Elijah. It's just not the same without you here." Her voice is sad, but when she pulls back, she's smiling. "Farmer's market in the morning. Eight thirty."

He grimaces. Knows he should agree, but what comes out of his mouth is, "Mom, I hate farmer's markets. Isn't there--"

"No buts about it, Elijah. You owe your mother how many years of day trips and quality time?" She turns on her heel. "Eight thirty. Good night."

His father's asleep in the front room, downstairs, the television blaring late night talk shows. A low rumble sounds from the chair, probably the massage function, and there are ice packs on Allan's shoulder. Still, he looks comfortable, so Elijah only turns down the television a few notches, drapes a blanket over his father's lap, and makes his way toward the family room.

The family room houses the biggest window in the house, too. Elijah makes up the couch with blankets from the storage trunk, one eye on the window, but all he can see are dog slobbers on the outside. No dog, either, no bed, no bowl.

The neighbor's then, or his father's insistence on no animals in the house still applies to man's best friend.

His joints crack as he crawls onto the couch and buries his head into the pillows. Exhaustion burrows into his bones and he sighs, pulling the blanket up around his shoulders. His clothes smell like the fried food he'd picked up on his trip home, like gasoline from when he'd spilled it, and Amanda had been kind enough not to mention it.

Twenty four hours ago, he was sleeping curled up under Sean's arm, stressed but happy, and look at him now. Homeless, unemployed.

Hell. If that thing out there wanted to eat him, Elijah'd welcome it with open arms.

[machaaoo-blog]

Most likely to become an AO3 if it is as liked as I hope it to be.

Multi-chapter

Bad Lemons (Rated M) - Drugs, violence, language, etc.

It will have very touchy subjects that relate to very serious problems such as addiction and mental health -- if you can't handle it please don't read! (It'll come up in future chapters if I continue)

Description: Living it rough can really change a person, for better or worse. She became strong, bold and unbothered. Nothing could shake her back into a world full of untrue realities.

Fallin' Out

Chp 1 - Walk

"Where is Mina?" She hated waiting, she hated the train station even more. It's loud and obnoxious, which regularly interrupts her sleeping schedule. She would usually settle for a nice bench in the park or even the sidewalks that lead through a deserted alleyway; sadly both were taken by others who had her current living situation or rats. She'd rather her chances living amongst the rodents, maybe even be blessed with their sickness for the rest of her sad life than go back to a broke home. Of course she had other ways or options to get out of this predicament, she's full filled them, yet she never got the pay she deserved. Her welfare officer had an utmost disdain for her existence. He had and would go to lengths to make her life harder, and therefore couldn't be trusted. Then again her worse enemy yet had to be the people who she lived with: a drunk for a step father and a whore of a step mother, not to mention her elder step brother who doesn't pay a lick of rent allong with his crack sniffing wife. The female laid her head back abit and let out a single, "Fuck." How could she get adopted into their family, where the hell was child protective services when you needed them?!

She rubbef her bruised up limbs and does her best not flinch, and doesn't even bother to spare a glance at her wounds. She doesn't have enough bandages for that mess. Placed her pink fingertips on her cheek which was a mix of green and purple. She paid it no mind though. Not that she ever cared too much, but she why stress the luxury of caring about your appearance? Initially, even as a child, she always presumed that what truly mattered more than anything else about a person is personality. Hypocritically, however, she couldn't care less about either. Right now all that seemed to be on her mind was getting through her problems, with or without help.

You could say this makes Uraraka Ochako a rebellious teen. But yet that's not the case. She'll go wherever as she pleases, but she evades at all costs in the name of self-preservation. Put yourself in her shoes. How can someone last a day with her mentally unstable home? Truthfully when she was adopted into it, everything was dandy, until they went into a debt things just seemed to get out of hand. So she left and decided to break free, they never look for her, so who cared?

Ochako glanced up the clock. Though her chance to escape this time would depend on Mina's miraculous connections and genius planning, her fate rested in her best friends hands.

With a sharp inhale she slaps a bandaid on quickly and smooths it out tightly on the bridge of her nose. Placing her hand on the edge of the sink she looks up at her reflection. Curvaceous, petite, ghostly pale skin with contrasting pink cheeks with cuts and bruises scattered all over. She rolled her eyes and became resolute. Opening the door, then spamming it closed, she made her way out the bathroom she walks towards the bench, but is immediately halted when she sees a guy sitting in it. Her eyes narrow. A tall guy at that. Broad-backed with weird sand-blonde hair, why is it so...spiky? She stuffs her hands into her pockets and sits opposite the bench on the far side of the station waiting for him to leave. She wants to dictate it as a personal problem, but if he's depressed...well then she supposes he won't he moving a muscle any time soon meaning won't be getting her bed back for a long time.

20 minutes had passed and it was already 8:30am and he finally left his seat when a certain green haired boy hoisted Sparky off his heavy ass. They were total opposites and Ochako choked on her spit when the blond suddenly bitch smacked the other boy while both boarded the train.

"Ochako, it's me~!" Mina shouted, waving her small pink hands side to side.

"A private school...U.A? Mina, I know you see me as some Fallen Angel who could possibly be saved but they would never let me step foot on their grounds." Ochako placed her hand on her chest and gave a sly smile, "Look at me, all bruised up because some punk wouldn't lend me a light and look at him now." She pointed at the park bench across from them, "Knocked his ass out straight and now I'm stuck with his lighter that doesn't even work."

"I'm just trying to help you and give you a better life, Ochako. As your only friend take my offer. You know there's nothing for you here and you also know you have allot of pent up pride- let it go, and just come with me to U.A."

Ochako tilted her head to the side, her expression softened by the smile of Mina, her best friend.

°°°

"Ochako." She states. The receptionist looks up at her through her glasses with a look that says a first name like that wouldn't even slightly cut it at such a high-class school. The woman does some typing, and looks at the computer with no change of expression. This school held some of the finest and wealthiest, Ochako was out of her eliminate.

"Come with me."

Ochako followed behind the lady, her eyes looking out the school widows once in awhile to spot preppy teens. Even amongst the worst schools she's attended the students stuck out and looked different, they dressed and did as they pleased. Though her past schools were practically full of fights and no learning, gosh how she missed those days where her small gang ran amuck, when she felt empowered and dominating. She let of a tsk, it still felt that way, but those people she once addressed as family were quick to turn their backs. Clearly everything here is different from what she is used to. Designer brand bags, diamond watches and shoes she couldn't touch with her commoner hands. These damned rich kids all looked alike, she couldn't tell any apart, they all owned the same type of fashion and don't get her started on all the goop plastered on the female students faces. "Yuck." She stuck her tongue out at the window before entering another room with the serious, quiet receptionist.

°°°

Katsuki growled. "Aren't you supposed to be helping out the teachers or some shit?" She laughs as he intercepts her lips and responds immediately in the most favorable way. He pushes her against kitchen table, and slowly presses onto her receiving a deep moan in the process. She looked up at him with a gaze full of lust and want. "Who cares, someone else is can take care if it for me." She whined, pulling out out a condom with a smirk.

°°°

Ochako stared at her I.D with a look of disgust. Mina on the other hand slapped her knee and held her stomach, laughing like her life depended on it. "You look so ugly! EWW!" Mina pointed at the picture, "You flenched and your eyes are barely open!" She cackled. Ochako slammed open the window and held her arm back, "To hell with that." But before she could launch her arm and send that I.D flying Mina grabbed her arm. "Calm down, we got things to do, We gotta get you to your room."

"Well then take me to my room, please."

"But wait we gotta capture this moment!" Mina pulled out her phone and jumped back, getting on her knees and began to tap, flashes going off blinding the poor Brunette who stood before her.

"M-Mina please, my eyes-" Ochako placed her hands out covering the camera which signaled to her friend to stop; which, she did. "I wish you wore something cuter though." Mina pouted as she went through her photos, "You always wear the same thing Ochako."

And she wasn't wrong, her wardrobe was small, she never owned anything more than a phew shirts, jeans and underwear. Why by hundreds of dollars of clothes when she just needed seven pairs to last her throughout the week.

"What's wrong with how I look?"

"Well," Mina coughed, as they began to walk, "For starters...."

Ochako had wore the basics: A red baseball cap, a grey top and loose jeans that bagged from her waist abit to reveal her boyish underwear. Don't even get Mina started on the belly button piercing and tattoo. (which is located on her right arm, a whole sleeve so she constantly wears long sleeves when needed.)

"Alright but Mina remember you wanted to get these body modifications with me? And remember what you did? You chickened out because of your dad." Ochako placed her hand on her school dorms door, "You can't criticize what I wear either because you know I'm poor as shit." She unlocked the door and Mina stood behind her, a constant sorry escaping the pinkettes mouth, she opens the door, and stops in her tracks.

The sweaty bodies laid on the kitchen table, the blonde held a tiny naked waist with one hand whilst tugging at her short blonde hair. Ochako rose an eyebrow at the scene, this timing was horrible because those two were at mid-climax.

"Ah, yes! Katsuki-"

The blondes head falls in between the crook of the males neck. Her feet had become weightless.

"Ochako? Can we go in alrea-" Mina stops as she makes her way to the entrance. Ochako held her arm out from keeping Mina from entering any further. It finally took a few seconds for the two sexually tensed weirdos to notice the presence of two others.

"W-what are you doing here? Mina?!"

"What do you mean, what am I doing here, Toga?!" She shouted and covered her face, seeing a half naked Bakugou made the poor pinkettes hurl.

"Who the hel-" Toga was cut off.

Ochako walked into the room, unphased to see a naked man and woman, she lived in the streets and has seen this and much worse multiple times. Everyone in the situation just seemed to watch. As Ochako picked up their clothes she walked back to the nearest window opening it,

"This is my place, so get out."

Ochako threw their belongings out the window, their clothes slowly fluttering onto the schools dorm field. Toga and Katsuki grimaced, Mina slammed her forehead on the door and as for Ochako... well, she took a seat on the couch and flipped on the TV and began to watch animal planet.

[purplesurveys]

467

-- List 8 Friends of Either Gender -- 1. Angela 2. Gabie 3. Jo 4. Kate 5. JM 6. Hannah 7. Luisa 8. Jane

Questions About These Friends Does number 4 have a driver’s license? No, she doesn’t know how to drive. She told me her parents were gonna give her a car as a graduation gift, but I don’t know how that’ll work because she’s to scared to learn. Can number 7 speak another language? Yes. Filipino and English, like me. I’m just not sure if she can also understand other languages as well. Does 2 know your parents well? Well she kinda has to, if she wants to continue dating me hah. Have 3 and 5 been in the same room together? Pretty often. The three of us were executive board members in our organization, so we worked together a lot.

Does 1 have similar music tastes to you? Not really. It overlaps sometimes but at the end of the day, hers is still distinct from mine. Has 6 ever stayed at your house? Nah, she’s never visited.

When did 3 last text you? A little more than a month ago when we were planning out to go to the launch of Popeye’s in the country hahaha. Does 5 have any pets? If so, what do they have? Yesssss. He has Alley the golden retriever, and Alley recently gave birth to pups too. They sold several ones but they kept two named Mika and Theo. Does 7 live in the same town/city as you? Oh no not at all. She lives in Sta. Rosa, Laguna - a good hour and a half away from where I’m from. Have you ever lent something important to 8? Yes. I lent her all my Audrey Hepburn DVDs when I found out she was also a fan, but she’s since returned them to me. Can number 1 sing well? She’s okay. Does 2 have any siblings? Yes, two amazing and the most charming little sisters. If 4 called you at 2 AM, what would your reaction be? My first thought would definitely be that she did something stupid haha. She’s a good friend though, so I’d pick up the phone for her. Who is 8′s best friend? Mmm I’m just not sure. We’re from different friend groups so I don’t know who she’s closest with. From the org, it’s probably Tina or Ed. I’m just not aware of other close friends she has. Does 6 have a favourite tv show? If so, what is it? She probably has, but I just don’t know which one. Who out of 5 and 7 knows you the best? Maybe JM. Luisa graduated a year ago so she’s not really caught up with my life as of late. Does 4 have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Yep, she’s going out with Edi but she also feels like she jumped in to the relationship too soon and is now having doubts about it. Does 2 have a career/knows what they want to be? She wants to work in film and TV production. Have you ever kissed 1? No. Does 3 have or want children? I don’t...think she actively wants children? We’ve talked about how we would raise our kids if ever the opportunity comes, but she’s not crazy about wanting to have them. Does 6 have any piercings or tattoos? She might have ear piercings, but I’m not sure. I know for sure she doesn’t have tattos and piercings anywhere else. Do your parents know 8? Not really. My mom has always been more familiar with my high school friends. Which Number...

Have you had romantic feelings for? 2 Have you told a secret to? I dunno, all of them? I trust all my friends. Have you shared a bed with? 1, 2 Have you watched a movie with? 1, 2 Have you seen cry? 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 Have seen you cry? 1, 2 Have cooked you something? 1 Have a boyfriend/girlfriend? 1, 2, 3, 4 Have met your parents? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 Have been to the same school/college as you? All of them. Angela and I are both AA-UP, Gabie’s from AA, the rest are from UP. About Number One: Angela What age are they? She’s 20, but she’s turning 21 in September.

Have you met their parents? Of course! I’m very close with them, and I’ve known them since I was 7. Have you ever been in a relationship with them? Nah, she’s straight as a stick and I’ve always seen her as my sister, anyway. Do they like most of your other friends? We came from the same group in high school so we have the same friends on one end. But she’s never met my org friends because our schedules make it impossible to band them all together. How often do you two meet up and/or talk? We talk 1-2 times a week but we see each other much less. We’re always busy doing our own thing, but she’s my best friend and we’re always able to catch up and I’m grateful for that. When did you last argue? God, probably when we were 11. We’ve never argued except for petty grade school shit. What is their favourite food? I’ve known her for 14 years and I have no idea what her favorite food is. Where is their favourite place to be? Wherever Hans is, I’m guessing. How many close friends do they have? Around 4-5, I’m guessing. Number Two: Gabie What colour is their eyes? Dark brown, almost black. Have they known you the longest? No, that achievement belongs to Angela. I’ve only known Gabie for 7 years. Where were they born? I think she was born in Manila too, I’m just not sure where. Why are they your number 2? I didn’t want to make her #1 cos that would be too predictable haha. Do they like children? She used not to; I think I changed her mind about it. She still has reservations, but she’s been more receptive in the last few years. Would they beat you in a race? Probably. She never loses. When did you last spend time alone together? Yesterday morning. I slept over Friday night and left the next morning. We went to our high school and had a peaceful walk there :3 Do they have a pet peeve? What is it? Irresponsible co-workers. Number Three: Jo What is their hair colour? Black. She’s dyed it so many times before though; she just stopped recently. What is their job, if they have one? She doesn’t have one, she’s a full-time student.

Do they have their own place? No. She does stay at a dorm for the duration of the school year because she lives all the way in Pateros, which is too far from UP. How many brothers or sisters do they have? She’s an only child. Have you ever done something illegal with them? I don’t know haha – I don’t think so. Jo’s too goody goody to do anything bad. How old were you when you met each other? I was 19. I met her when we were both applying for our current college org. Are they more sporty, arty or academic? She’s a mix of artsy and academic, definitely. She write poems, but she’s also really good in all her classes. Have you ever travelled out of country with this person? Nah. Person Four: Kate Do they have a favourite musician? Yeah. She’s expressed her love multiple times for LANY, HONNE, and Lauv. Have you drank alcohol with this person? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA too many times. Are their parents together? Yes. What do you enjoy doing with them? Gossiping and ranting, hahaha. She’s an easy person to talk to and she knows so much insider stuff, which is always fun. When is their birthday? January 1, 1999. Do they have long or short hair? Short. It used to be long but she had it cut dramatically a couple of months ago. Have you been to a concert with this person? No. We have different music interests so I dunno if I’ll ever find myself in a concert with her. If you asked them to describe you, what do you think they would say? Mature, maybe? I’m always the one telling her off if she’s being too petty. Person Five: JM Where did you two meet? He was my classmate in my introductory journalism class when I was a freshie. He was a sophomore and had just shifted from Biology back then. How long ago did they phone you? Like, call me? He doesn’t really do that. Do they have a certain sport they play? No. He’s more of a musical instrument kind of guy. What about them annoys you sometimes? He’s a little pessimistic and aloof sometimes, which can be strange for me. He’s still my favorite dude, though. Are they ruled by their head or their heart? Head, definitely. He’s very realistic. Are they male or female? Male. In what ways are they the opposite of you? I’m super clingy and can be really friendly and affectionate. He’s none of those as he’s very chill. How many rooms do they have in their house? I’m not sure; I’ve never been to the second floor of their house. His house is huge, though. Person Six: Hannah Can they play an instrument? She can play a little piano, but she mainly sings. Are they close with their mother? I’m sure she doesn’t have any issues with her mom but I don’t know if they’re close. Do you know any of their siblings well? Not really. I just know her sister is 21 and already married. How many times have you visited their house? I’ve never been. When did you last go out to eat together? Several months ago. We had dinner at Pancake House after an org meeting. Do they own a bike? I’m not sure. Maybe she does? Do they have a sweet, sour or salty tooth? I don’t really know what kind of food she’s into. What music genre do they listen to most? She’s into pop songs and ballads. She also has a huge crush on David Archuleta. Person Seven: Luisa Would you ever consider dating this person? Not really. I was already with Gabie when I first met her so I never entertained the thought. Do they prefer cats or dogs? Dogs. Are they or do they plan to go to college? To study what? She did go to college – that’s where I met her. She took up journalism. If they did something illegal, what would it be? HAHAHA I’m just not sure how far she’s willing to go. Have you ever shared a sundae with this person? I don’t think so, no. is their hair dyed or natural? Natural. Is this peson sarcastic? She can be, but it’s not really her go-to humor.

Is this person more likely to party or sit in and read a book? Read a book, I think.  Person Eight: Jane Have you ever lied to this person? Only about deadlines, and if I’m done with my deliverables haha. I don’t let it go too far because I respect her too much to betray her. Do you know where this person was born? I don’t. Do you know their middle name and do they know yours? Her second name is Caroline, but I’m not sharing her maiden name. She knows my whole name too. Do they have any special talents? As far as I know, no. What is their starsign? She’s a Virgo. I know this only because she shares her birthday with Beyonce lmaaaaaao. What is the first thing you notice about this person? Her mood for the day. She can sometimes be super pissed at the world so I always have to watch out for that. Have you ever had a big row with this person? Never. Do you like the same types of movies as this person? Well, we both love Audrey Hepburn so there’s that. Random Stuff Which of these friends would you say you are the closest to? Gabie and Angela, as I always say. Can you remember all of their birthdays? Yep. I was the VP for Internal Affairs so I know everyone’s birthday, hahaha. Is there anything you regret saying to any of them? Maybe stuff I’ve said in anger to Gabie. I’ve never lost my temper with everyone else. Which one of these has been there for you the most? Angela. Which one have you known the longest and the shortest amount of time? I’ve technically known Gabie for 17 years, but I’ve been friends with Angela for 14 years. I knew everyone else in 2017, when I joined my org. If you needed a laugh, you'd call... Kate. If you needed advice, you'd call... Gabie and Angela. Which one does your parents like the most? Also Gab and Angela. Is there any of these your parents dislike? I don’t think so. They aren’t too familiar with the rest. Do any of them share the same initials? Jo and JM are both JCs. You can invite one with you for a once in a lifetime trip, which one? Gabie! Something you'd like to say to one of them: You deserve the world and more.