#i’d say i’m a Josie sun

[mister-supernova]

Whoa now there was no need to read me like that

lesbians watching bottoms feel like they are josie (pining for a girl in the background and being a literal loser), want to be hazel (supernaturally hot without trying and not aware of how many girls want her), and are actually pj (insanely feral about women and will do anything to just be near them).

[carajilloplz]

i. cowboy like me ₊˚⊹⋆ billy the kid

warnings: none really lol, just 1870s bs and low-key flirting

The lace fan in your hand and the spring breeze did little to soothe the flush caused by the early afternoon sunshine, making a light blush crawl up to your cheeks and small beads of sweat pool at the nape of your neck. It was pleasant to be out on the terrace of your friend’s townhouse, basking in the pleasure of not having to fuss over much before the season starts, but the imminent peril of your debut kept your mind elsewhere from the untouched tea and pastries laid out before you.

“Ada, do you suppose your brother’s guest will be handsome?” mused Josie, slumped over her chair turning to look at Ada

“Josie! Hush, don’t say things like that, I’d never be interested in someone who’s my brother’s age.”

“I’m just saying that if he’s going to be staying in your house, eating your food, and disturbing your peace he might as well be nice-looking”

“Perhaps Josie has a point, Ada.” you reasoned “Do you really know who this man is?”

“I barely just learned this morning that my brother’s coming back to New York, give me a break girls.”

“What I do know is that his friend’s a cowboy at his father’s ranch in colorado and that he’s looking for a change of scenery for a while, so my brother’s bringing him up here.”

A cowboy? You’d seen what they’re like on your trips to Texas— rough, rugged, almost uncouth, but there was something that intrigued you about a man that could ride in the ranges all day and never get tired of the landscape’s expanse. You saw a bit of yourself in that. A cowboy’s the furthest you’d expect to have in new york, especially attending the events of the social season.

“Just cross your fingers it doesn’t turn into a shitshow, Ada”

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The rattle of the carriage’s wheels on the cobblestone streets did nothing to help the unease in Billy’s stomach as they headed to Ash’s house in a side of New York drastically unlike the one he used to be familiar with. Is this really a good idea?

"Billy, while the people here can be greay gossips, they probably won’t think too deeply. As long as you keep a low profile and not cause any trouble, you should be fine. In due time you can return south," reassured Ash

“I couldn’t be more grateful Ash, really. It’s just going to be real hard to lie about everything.”

The carriage came to a sudden stop infront of a tall brownstone that matched all the ones next to it, creating a cookie-cutter row of houses that ran down the street until the eye could see. Finely dressed people walked down the sidewalks, conversing or walking their dogs, seeing and being seen under the spring sun. Billy stepped out of the carriage with Ash, giving a grateful nod to the driver and going up the steps behind his host. The door was opened by a maid inside, who greeted Ash with a smile, and as he and Billy walked in there was a rumble heard on the stairs as three young girls stormed down and an older woman walked behind them.

“Ash!” exclaimed one of the girls, her face lighting up as she rushed to greet him, followed by the older woman billy assumed was his mother. The other two girls stayed on the staircase, offering ash a polite greeting and peering curiously at Billy. You particularly, wearing a soft cornflower blue dress with your hair pinned up caught his eye, but he knew it was rude to stare so he quickly bright his gaze back to his host.

“Everyone, this is my friend William Henry from Colorado. Billy this is my mother Helena, my sister Ada and her friends”

“Pleasure to meet you ladies, and thank you Mrs. Upson for allowin’ me to stay in your house for some time. I hope it’s not too much of a bother.” As he said this, Billy finally had the chance to take a look at you, his stomach flipping but now for a good reason. His gaze lingered momentarily, trying to piece together the intrigue you caused -- you were beautiful, undoubtedly so but there was lightness and grace about you that captivated him. You smiled softly and nodded as a greeting, and he couldn’t help but notice the lightly flustered blush of your cheeks or the small hairs fallen from your updo that framed your face and neck.

Mrs. Upson snapped him back to reality. “It is absolutely no trouble, Mr. Henry. Hattie will see to your belongings, but for now you can join the girls and I for tea if you’d like.”

Everybody moved to the terrace once more, Ash being whisked away by Ada to catch up, leaving Billy to sit with Mrs Upson, Josephine, and you.

When Billy had stepped through the front door of the Upson’s house, your breath left you for a moment. He was very much a cowboy, slightly rugged and stoic but a gentle demeanor about the way he carried himself that brought your breath back to your lungs. He towered over you just the right amount and his shoulders, which he carried with a humble confidence, were (weirdly) attractively wide. Josie was also right about something— Ash’s guest was absolutely handsome.

“So your father is a rancher, Billy?” Asks Josephine, sitting next to you and nudging you slightly, making you pay attention to the cowboy sitting before you. Josie’s bluntness made you blush, elbowing her and shooting her a warning glance. “I apologize, if you don’t mind us calling you Billy.”

“I don’t mind that at all, I quite prefer it actually.” He swallowed before continuing, a strain in his face that piqued your curiosity. “And yes, my father owns a few ranches along the Arkansas river.”

“How wonderful, must be a beautiful sight.” you mention absentmindedly, picturing the mountains and the rolling hills that you imagine as his home. A small smile breaking his face snaps you back into the moment and it makes your stomach warm and cracks a smile out of you too.

“It is, really. Y’all should visit sometime, it’s beautiful around this time of year.”

“That’s quite a nice idea, William we would love to see your father’s ranches.” remarked Mrs. Upson, “I know you must be tired from your travels, but will you be joining us at the soiree tonight?”

“I’d love to Mrs Upson, what’s the occasion?”

“The girl’s debut this season! It’s just something small with some family friends before the ball tomorrow.”

Billy was visibly confused, “Debut?”

“It’s a ball where the girls get paraded around in white dresses like cattle so they can get married off” interjects Ash, joining them. “Frankly it’s degrading, but it’s tradition.”

Your stomach churned. Degrading is the perfect word to describe it. You were not looking forward to the next few months of insipid suitors and the prospect of a proposal. It’s not like you were completely opposed to a proposal, but this culling process was not the way you wanted to approach it. Yet, as Ash said, it’s tradition.

“Sounds…grueling” Billy admits.

“Absolutely. The balls are quite fun though.” says Josie.

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Later that night, the Upson household was bustling with people laughing, drinks pouring, and conversation buzzing with excitement about the upcoming season. Poor billy looked like a fish out of water, dressed in one of Ash’s suits that he was visibly unnaccustomed to using. You looked at the interactions from afar, Billy charming but clearly feeling uncomfortable, as you could see with the tension in his sharp jaw. Josie, a little bit tipsy, comes up to you and leans in with a giggle.

“Have you noticed he’s been staring at you all night?” she whispers.

A blush creeps onto your cheeks and you try to hold back a smile “And what would make you say such a wild thing, josie? Is it the champagne?”

Josie placed her hand on her chest in fake offense “Gah! You offend me darling”

“What’d she do now, Jo?” Ada, also a few drinks in accuses cheekily.

“She doesn’t believe that she is the most stunning girl in the room and that Mr Cowboy here has been stealing a few glances.”

“Oh Josie is right, you’ve been the only one he’s looked at.”

You noticed that he had excused himself from the conversation across the room and headed to the drinks table where the three of you were located, a soft smile greeting you and making your heart flutter. You realized then and there that it was impossible to get tired of his deep, kind blue eyes.

“How’s the night treating you, Billy?” asks Josie. Billy lets out a small laugh and glances at you and Ada.

“She needs to start findin’ her way home don’t she?”

Josie scowls, and you and Ada are laughing at your friend’s cheeky behavior “Gosh, you’re no fun! I’m just getting started, Billy boy.”

“Oh she is, Billy. She always has a few too many glasses of champagne but she’s great fun” you say with a smile. You both meet eyes for a moment and you drop it after a second, a bashful blush painting your cheeks.

“All three of y’all seem like great fun, champagne or not. I’m lookin’ forward to my stay here.” he admits. Billy gives you a smile too, picking the eye contact back up and going to say something before Ada interrupts.

“We should cheers to that then!” she says, serving each one a glass of champagne and handing it to them. “To Billy’s fruitful stay in New York!”

You all clink your glasses together and you down yours mostly in a few sips.

“Josie, you should go play some music!” squeals Ada, grabbing Josie, who is also downing her glass and pulls her towards the piano at the other side of the room.

You and billy share a laugh at the antics of your friends, and you go to serve some more champagne for the two of you. The bubbly buzz of the champagne was getting to your head a little and you faltered a few drops onto your dress.

As you served some into Billy’s glass, you couldn’t stop yourself from commenting—“Your accent slips out a little more when you’re drinkin’ Billy.” you noticed. It was cute though, your time in Texas had made you fond of a southern drawl.

“Does it really? You’ve kinda got one too.” he points out with a laugh, looking down at you through half-lidded eyes.

“Do I? It’s probably the champagne, I apologize.” you laugh, a light smile covered by a laced hand spreads on your face and you look up at him. “I haven’t been down south in forever, I thought it’d gone away”

“You’ve been?” he asks furrowing his brow in question and developing a curious smile. He quickly dismissed the thought of how much he loved the way your eyes looked from below him. “Didn’t take you for a southern girl.”

You let out a shy laugh and looked down, “I am, grew up in Texas and moved here with my mother and sister when I was eleven. My father’s still down there. He’s got an oil field in the Panhandle and takes care of a few ranches in the prairie near Dallas.”

Billy nodded, slightly surprised but still, extremely curious and amused by your personal history. He’d wondered whether he’d seen the same prairies as you had growing up, fallen in love with the same nature.

“Well darlin’ I’m quite surprised,” his stomach churned at his lie— “My father’s ranches run along Colorado but I’ve been to Texas quite a few times and I can’t wait to go back.”

“Me neither,” you confess, staring wistfully at your cup. “My father comes up every once in a while but I haven’t been since I was fifteen.”

“I’d happily take you in as a guest if it’ll take that downhearted look off your face.” he said softly, taking your chin in his hand and bringing you to look at him with the most tender gesture, giving you the most comforting smile. All of this made your heart flip and your chest tighten the lightest bit in fear. You’d had one or two callers before that had caught your heart, but whatever Billy did to you was different. Speaking to him felt familiar and the slightly calloused feel of his hand on you was a commiserative connection back to the wild girl you had once been. Being in New York tamed you, but he had a look that took you right back home.

You couldn’t. With a polite smile, you leaned out of his touch after a few moments and tried to will the blush off your cheeks.

“I’d much like that Mr. Henry, I appreciate the invitation.” He nonned curtly in response, a little confused at your sudden distance. “I should catch up with my friends. Enjoy your evening.”

You walked away, your heart almost beating out of your ribcage as you made a beeline to your friends. Looking around discreetly to see if anyone had noticed your interaction with billy, you caught the curious eye of your sister and her fiance, giving them a dismissive stare and catching up to josie and ada, who were sitting at the piano.

The rest of the night you stuck to your friends, the drinks pouring and the conversation flowing through the bustle of people in the salon. As you stepped through the balcony doors to take a breath, remembering the feeling of billy’s touch and the way he made you feel, your sister followed you through. It was pathetic how he had affected you so much with a single touch.

Your sister, accompanied by her fiance Theo, stared at you teasingly.

“And what was that with Ash's friend?” She asks, “I know you have a thing for cowboys.”

With a rush of blood to your face once more, you dismissed her with a gesture of your hand.

“Stop it Clemmie, you know that stupid crush was forever ago, and there is nothing going on with Mr. Henry.”

“He looks awfully familiar, somehow.” Theo comments. “Feels like I’ve seen him before”

“Theo, my love, you know I adore you but just because we went back home last summer doesn’t mean you know everyone in the South.” Your sister says, giving her fiance a teasing tap on his cheek. “Well, from what i’ve heard through the grapevine he is truly an uncut gem so I say go for it”

You blush, impossibly even more, at her comment. “Shut it Clemmie, my debut is tomorrow and I cannot have you putting stupid things in my head.”

“But he’s quite darling isn’t he?”

Hesitating, you sighed, staring wistfully at the man inside, speaking with Ash and somehow stirring your heart from afar, “I won’t deny that.”

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a/n: HEY GUYS WELCOME so happy to be putting this out omg i've been working on this for forever i hope you enjoy :) part 2 is in the works but in the meantime if you have any ideas for any tom characters lmk jijiji i am very much taking requests (and look at my masterlist so you can see who else i write for !!)

[prettyinlimegreenboots]

Taking Comfort (In Your Arms) - Chapter 1

May 14, 1943

Adelaide Baker knew it was going to be a good day, maybe even a great day as she climbed the steps to Clearup Tower. The sun was actually shining out in merry ole England today and she was actually in a good mood. Her hair was actually cooperating with her today and she had her favorite breakfast, waffles this morning.

Humming along to “Blue Skies”, she pulled open the heavy door, quickly made her way inside, pausing to tap her fingers against Josie, her best friend’s desk as she passed. Josie looked up and shot her a wink before getting back to work. She and Josie had been best friends since they were children and when she was transferred to Thorpe Abbotts, Josie made the trek with her and now they worked together daily, side by side.

As she neared her own desk, she noticed an older, tall gentleman standing near her desk, reading a report, awaiting her arrival. Dropping her purse on her desk, she gave him a curious look. “Colonel, what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you here at my desk so early this morning?” A bright smile on her face, she slipped off her coat, placing it on the back of her chair.

Taking a sip of coffee, the Colonel grinned seeing the bright eyed lady standing in front of him. “I need you to do something for me, Captain. We have a new Air Exec coming in from Greenland today before his men arrive in a few weeks. Can you show him around and help him adjust to the lay of the land around here?”

“And you’re asking me to show him around? A step up in the man’s world huh, Colonel?” She smirked, shaking her head. “What time does he land?”

Placing the coffee cup on her desk, he flipped through the papers in his hand, studying them intently before looking at her. “He’s due to arrive at 1300 at hardstand 4. My recommendation would be to first stop at the mess before making the rounds.”

“Noted.” She made herself a note, scribbling on a spare piece of paper. “Anything else?”

A full belly laugh escaped her father’s mouth as he shook his head and broke through the military facade. “Major Egan won’t know what hit him when he meets you, Ads. You'll handle all of his requests?”

“Of course. I’ll make sure the boy has everything he needs to be the best Air Exec he can be. Any chance you have any reading material on him?” Cocking an eyebrow, Addie gave her father a look.

“Want to know what you’re getting yourself into Adelaide?” Nudging around some papers on her desk, he held up a folder with a photograph paper clipped to the front. “I’m sure this is what you’re looking for. Remember 1300.”

“Just want to know what he’s about before I spend a few hours with him. I’ll be on the tarmac at 1250 sharp eagerly awaiting his arrival.” The sarcasm dripped off her tongue as her father shook his head.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Behave Adelaide and I’ll see you later for dinner. Have a good day, you as well Josie.” Mock saluting him, she took a seat, watching him walk back to his own office.

“Well that’s an exciting way to start the day.” Josie’s amused voice called as she looked over at her.

Rolling her eyes, Addie shook her head. “Have you heard what everyone is saying about the Major?”

“Yes and they’re just rumors. No one has met the man, including your own father. I’d wait to meet him before you start believing rumors.” Josie shrugged. “Who knows, you might just fall in love with him.”

Scoffing, Addie’s eyes went wide before adamantly shaking her head. “No, no, no. After the catastrophe in Wisconsin, this heart is locked away.”

“You are allowed to have some fun, Addie. No one is telling you to stay guarded and locked hearted. You’re young, and after the last year, you should cut loose and have some fun. All we want for you is to be happy, however that looks.” Josie smiled sympathetically at her best friend.

Sighing, Addie took in her best friend’s words. The last year had been hell and her dreams were gone in an instant, leaving her with an unexpected future. She thought she would fly the big birds until the war was over and before she knew it, her hopes and dreams went up in smoke.

Addie looked at her watch, it was just after 0900 and she had a pile of papers in front of her that weren’t going to file themselves. She gave Josie a bright smile before getting to work, pushing the Major out of her mind until she actually needed to worry about him.

After being pulled into a few unexpected meetings, the morning passed by quickly for Addie. Before she knew it it was 1245. She quickly grabbed the paperwork necessary and a set of keys that were left on her desk. Hearing the door slam behind her, she quickly made her way down the tower steps, tilting her head back enjoying the sunshine on her face before making her way to the awaiting jeep. Jumping the engine, she grinned hearing the jeep roar to life before pulling out and speeding down the tarmac.

Pulling to a stop on the grass adjacent to the hardstand, she took a deep breath, feeling the light breeze ruffle her hair. She watched the ground crew prep the hardstand for the impending bird’s arrival.

“Miss Addie, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” Lemmons called out, as there were a few wolf whistles from the crew around him.

When she first arrived on base, she was happy to see some familiar faces, including Lemmons who was one that she had seen at Rattlesden when she would deliver planes there. The two had formed a friendship and she was excited to see him when she landed at Thorpe Abbotts.

Laughing, she stepped out of the jeep, thankful she wore flats today. “You tell that to all the pretty girls, Lemmons. You keeping these boys in line?”

“Trying to - it’s a hard task that someone has to do.” He replied back laughing as all the guys around him protested.

She heard the familiar roar of a B-17 as it approached. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked up following its path as it made a smooth landing. Watching as the bird, Saving Grace, came to a stop, she smiled. She had always loved the big birds and loved flying them.

Pushing off the jeep, she watched as the hatch opened, several gentlemen stumbling out attempting to get their balance after being in the air for so long. She instantly recognized Major Egan from his photograph and walked over to him, calling, “Major Egan.”

He whirled around hearing his name called, not expecting a pretty girl to be the one calling his name. He had to stop his jaw from dropping when he took her in. “Yes? And you can call me Bucky.”

“Bucky? Well, I’m Captain Adelaide Baker and I’m here to show you around.” She held out her hand as he gripped it, giving it a shake. Bucky was a rather odd nickname but she didn’t think much of it as she’d definitely heard odder nicknames during her time with the ATAs. “Do you have everything?”

“I’m a light packer.” She motioned for him to follow her to the awaiting jeep, him getting in before giving her a look. “Didn’t know I was special enough for an escort?”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Bucky, the brass wanted to make sure you felt a warm welcome to Thorpe Abbotts. Something about not wanting to scare you away before your men come over.”

“Well, so far I feel really welcome.” He chuckled as a flush crossed her cheeks. “And what does the welcoming tour entail?”

Putting the jeep in gear, she hit the gas as they flew down the tarmac towards the mess. “First stop, by recommendation, is the mess where you can get some grub then I’ll show you the barracks and the tower, where your office will be located.”

“Can you tell me a bit more about Thorpe Abbotts?” He asked, as she glanced over at him.

Shrugging, she geared down, slowing the jeep down as they neared the mess hall. “I’ve only been here for 8 weeks so there’s not much to tell. The US has only had the base for the last 12 weeks. Men come and go and the world keeps turning.”

“Eight weeks? That’s not very long.” He commented as she stopped the jeep and made to get out, he followed behind her.

Shaking her head, she opened the door, motioning him to go before her. “I was transferred here recently. It wasn’t my choice to be here but we do what we must.”

He heard the remorse and heaviness in her voice as he walked through the door. The mess was loud and rambunctious with officers scattered around. He followed her as she set her stuff down at a table. “Grab some grub and we’ll discuss what the afternoon will look like.”

“Are you getting any?” The concern was evident in his voice as she shook her head.

“Already ate before you came.” She sat down at the table, flipping through the papers, making some notes along the way as he disappeared to join the line. Addie smiled at some of the men that were scattered around as they caught her eye.

Soon a tray was dropped onto the table, knocking her back into the present. She plastered a smile on her face as Major Egan dropped into his seat and started eating. “This afternoon, you’ll have a meeting with Colonel Huglin and Colonel Baker. They’ll meet with you on expectations and what the next few weeks look like. Any questions so far?”

“All my questions are about you and not the base.” He smirked. “But can I reserve the right to ask some along the way?”

She chuckled. “Ask away, Bucky. Anything I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”

“You mentioned that it wasn’t your choice to come to Thorpe Abbotts, yet you’re here. Why?” He asked, shoveling another bite into his mouth.

She shook her head, giving him a look. “You’re going to have to get me drunk before I start discussing those secrets. Next question?”

“Challenge accepted, Captain. So can I take you out sometime?” He raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Addie giggled. “You haven’t been on the ground for an hour yet you are already asking me out. My, my Major don’t you move fast? I don’t even know where you’re from or your first name.”

“Manitowoc, Wisconsin and John, ma’am.” He showed her the million watt smile that usually got him his way.

Scoffing, she shook her head. “Of course you’re a Wisconsin man. Charm never fails you, does it?”

“What’s wrong with Wisconsin, Adelaide?” Leaning forward, John failed to see the issue with his home state.

She paused hearing her full name come from his lips, a smirk tugging on her own lips. “You can call me Addie. And nothing is wrong with it - I spent part of my summers growing up in Northern Wisconsin, a gorgeous state. You're exactly like the charming man I met in my past life who is from Wisconsin.”

“And where are you from, Addie?” He asked, turning the question back on her.

Pushing aside the papers, she folded her hands, looking at him. “Grew up on the Selfridge Air National Guard Base, just north of Detroit, Michigan. My dad has been in the military since I was a baby so we made our home there. My older sister and brother are both doing their part in the war effort currently.”

“Did you move around a lot as a child?” John asked, pushing his tray away and leaning back in his chair.

Shaking her head, Addie smiled. “Thankfully no. We moved once from the westside of Michigan to Selfridge on the eastside right after I was born and stayed there until I came over for the war, just before Pearl Harbor. I was part of the ATAs when Jaqueline Cochran brought a group over and never left. Where does the nickname Bucky come from?”

“Childhood nickname, don’t quite remember how it started. So you’re a fly girl?” His eyes widened, impressed with her as he looked at the woman in front of him.

She stood, grabbing her paper, giving him a look. “A former one, yes. Come along Major. We have places to be.”

“But I have so many more questions.” The whine was evident in his voice as he followed her through the mess hall.

Shaking her head, she pushed open the door, holding it for him to follow. “If you’re lucky, you might find me at the officers club tonight. But until then, your tour awaits.”

Climbing back into the jeep, she slowed in front of the infirmary. “Beware of the nurses in there. Some of them aren’t nice.”

“Speaking from experience?” John grinned, looking at her through his aviator sunglasses.

She smirked. “When you come home with a head wound that’s needing stitches, they tend to kick up a fuss and aren’t very gentle. It was Elizabeth, my own sister that did that. But she’s gone now.”

“Gone?” The concern was back in his voice as Addie smiled softly.

“She got transferred to Suippes, France last I heard. But that was three weeks ago so who knows.” She sighed. “That’s what she gets for being so damn good at her job.”

Gunning the engine, Addie continued on pointing out other buildings before coming to a stop at the barracks. “Head in, Major. Lieutenant Davis should be awaiting you to show you your bunk. I’ll wait here before taking you over to the tower to meet with the Colonels.”

He nodded, grabbing his bags before getting out of the jeep. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry your Elizabeth is so close to the action. That can’t be easy.”

“We all do what we must, Major. This is just part of war.” She gave him a tight smile, watching him walk away.

As Addie waited, she had just one question on her mind - what the hell had she gotten herself into?

———————————————————

Fifteen minutes after she watched him walk into the barracks, he was walking out through the door once more. Climbing back into the jeep, he adjusted his hat before giving her a look. “Onward?”

Nodding, she shifted the jeep, pressing the gas pedal as they sped forward. “Who am I meeting with again?”

His voice broke the comfortable silence that had settled between them. “Colonel Huglin and Colonel Baker. They’ll set expectations for you for the upcoming weeks while we await your boys to land.”

“Any relation to you?” Bucky asked, as she snorted, chuckling.

“Took you long enough to ask.” She pulled to a stop in front of the tower. “And yes, that’s my father. He was reassigned here four weeks ago.”

Bucky’s eyes went wide. “And the fear factor just went up a bit.”

“Awww Major, don’t be scared of Colonel Baker.” She dropped her voice and winked. “The one you need to be scared of is Huglin. He’s a hard ass son of a bitch. And will probably whip you and your boys into shape in no time.”

Bucky threw his head back and laughed. He had never heard a girl with a mouth like hers and he couldn’t say he disliked it. “Damn Baker. You got a mouth on you.”

“Sorry.” She blushed. “When you grow up on a military base, you hear your fair share of words.”

Bucky quickly shook his head. “I didn’t say I didn’t like it. Just took me by surprise as you have been a perfect lady up until this point.”

“Looks can be deceiving, Major. Best to remember that.” She smirked, getting out of the jeep and motioning him to follow her. “Put on your military hat, Major. Your English military career starts now.”

He two fingered salute her before following her up the tower steps, stepping into the tower right behind her. “Major, welcome to Clearup Tower. This is where you’ll be stationed and awaiting news on your boys’ return. Both Colonels’ offices along with mine and your offices are located here as well.”

A throat clearing caught her attention as she smirked. “Ahh Major Egan, this is Josephine Adams, also known as my best friend. Josie, this is Major Egan, who just flew in today.”

“Pleasure to meet you Josie.” Bucky tipped his hat in her direction as he caught movement from behind him.

Addie came to attention as both Colonels shuffled in behind them. John quickly followed suit before the younger of the two called out “at ease.”

“Thank you Captain for showing Major Egan around. Major Egan, welcome to Thorpe Abbotts. I’m Colonel Huglin and this is Colonel Baker.” Huglin introduced himself, before looking in Addie’s direction. “You’re dismissed Captain Baker.”

Nodding to the men, Addie winked in Bucky’s direction before shuffling over to her desk. Taking a seat, she quickly flipped through the papers left on her desk as the men took their leave.

“Successful afternoon?” Josie whispered as the door to Huglin’s office closed.

Looking from the office to her best friend’s grin, Addie slowly nodded. “I believe so.”

“Well if there’s any consultation, that man couldn’t keep his eyes off of you, Adelaide.” Josie snickered. “So whatever you did earlier, keep doing it. Something has his attention.”

Ducking her face down, Addie felt her cheeks heat at Josie’s words. She didn’t do anything special, she thought. Just showed him around the base and answered his questions.

A million and one questions screamed in her head but one was louder than the rest - just what did Bucky Egan want with a girl like her?

What do you think? Feedback and comments would be most appreciated.

Chapter 2

[merlwybs-wife]

A little drabble that takes place after an RP I did today.

It wouldn’t be until the sun began to set did Josie finally pry herself from the gazebo to meander back inside. Much to her surprise, the sound of clapping paired with her entrance. When she looked up, she spies Louis advancing her with an apparent standing ovation. “I’ve been waiting almost two bells for you to come back inside so I could do this, you realize,” he laughs, “how dare you make your older brother wait. *Two bells*, Jo.”

“I assure you, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” though, the nervous laughter she speaks through is certain to incriminate her.

“Oh?” He stops his advance, folding his arms over his chest. “Did you want me to say it so everyone could hear?” He adds, his voice a crescendo that creeps louder and louder still.

“Shhh!” Josephine panics, scurrying up to her brother, “shh! Shh!” She gives him a gentle shove. “Oh, you are a *menace*, Louis!” she whispers.

He simply smiles, and holds his arm out to her.

Josephine pauses to regard his offer, ultimately releasing a huff of a sigh and accepting. He immediately pulls her into a stroll to wander aimlessly through the house. “I showed very good restraint today,” he says simply.

“I suppose you want me to ask why?” She sighs.

“Not necessary,” he dismisses, going right in ahead: “I almost opened the window to applaud when I happened by and saw you two.”

This pulls an open laugh from Josie, so abrupt in nature it has her snort before she’s able to hush herself. “Would you believe, I actually told him that’s what you would do if you saw.”

“Oh, I have no doubt,” he can’t help the amused sort of chuckle that rolls from his chest. “You know me better than I know myself, sometimes,” he relents.

“That *certainly* isn’t true,” she insists.

“I suppose it doesn’t really matter,” he gives a bit of a flippant frown, and a wave of his hand. Then, he turns to escort her down a hallway to guide her deeper into the west wing of the house. “Anyways, I’m sure you must be wondering why I called you into my office.” This just earns another chuckle from Josie, who rolls her eyes. “Father let me read his letter. We discussed it before he wrote back.”

This has her dragging him to a stop. “He **what?** And I suppose that’s, what, because you batted your eyes and said pretty please?” Certainly not.

“Hey now, Jo— Josie, let me speak,” he returns without missing a beat. “I will have you know that he used to always consult me when it came to which men to nudge your way.” Before she can interject, however, he’s giving her a smug smile. “You remember the lord that had Mother quit serving fresh tea? That was one he did *not* consult me on, and he was sure never to repeat that mistake.”

Josie only presses her lips together. “Get to the point, Louis,” she huffs.

With a small pat to her arm, he resumes their aimless walk, now wandering their way into a drawing room. “Well… what did he talk to you about? When he arrived?”

Josie suddenly knows precisely where this is going. “The issue concerning Dzemael,” she returns.

“Oh, thank the Fury,” he sighs in obvious relief, as his free arm lifts so that he might rub at his face. “He asked Father not to tell you, but **I** am not Father— so it was going to be a *hells* of an endeavor to wait and see if he made the right call.”

With another huff, Josie rolls her eyes once more. “Is there anything else, Louis? Can I be released from your… *office*, was it?” A single note of laughter.

“Does he hunt?” He asks.

“What?” Her brows only furrow.

“I think I’d like to ask him to a hunt with myself and Laurent,” he pauses to look at his sister, who now offers a bewildered look. “He’d be welcome to bring a sibling or two of his own.”

“I thought you *hated* hunts,” she murmurs, with no small amount of skepticism.

“We want to *meet* the man, Jo!” He returns in an all too emphatic nature.

“I do not know if he hunts, Louis,” she returns wearily.

“That’s not a no, so I’ll take it,” he returns, giving her an abrupt kiss on the top of her head, before even more hastily relinquishing her and departing.

“Louis!” She calls, scrambling after him. “That was not a *yes*, either!”

“But it *will* be, if you want me to keep my mouth shut about your little dalliance in the yard!” He calls, voice already growing distant.

When he says that, Josie finds herself back in the hall once more, and halts immediately to look around cautiously. She’s still for a few beats, before a sigh. Good. It seemed her mother was otherwise preoccupied. For now.

[junipcrs]

 juno  is  practically  brimming  with  excitement  as  she  enters  the  wired  studio  .  she’s  really  got  nothing  to  hide  and  after  years  of  watching  wired’s  autocomplete  series  ,  juno  already  has  a  whole  thing  envisioned  .  she  wouldn’t  necessarily  categorize  herself  as  a  nepo  baby  but  she  could  definitely  see  how  she’d  fall  into  the  category  .  super  rich  parents  .  a  mother  who’s  a  known  socialite  ,  philanthropist  and  at  one  point  ,  a  model  .  and  a  father   who’s  a  prominent  figurehead  in  new  york  real   estate  .  she’s  got  a  leg  up  on  the  others  .    //    @nepofminspo​

“  hi  i’m  juno  choi  and  this  is  the  WIRED  autocomplete  interview  ...  ”

autocomplete  suggests  the  most  common  searches  on  the  internet

“  i’m  actually  super  excited  for  this  .  i’ve  always  wanted  to  do  one  of  these  .  ”

so  WIRED  asked  juno  choi  some  of  the  internet’s  burning  questions​​

WHO  ...

“  alright  ,  here  we  go  .  ”  [  juno  is  chuckling  as  she  rips  off  the  piece  of  paper  ]

who  is  JUNO  CHOI  ?

“  that  feels  like  a  very  loaded  question  .  who  am  i  ?  what  am  i  ?  just  kidding  .  hi  ,  for  those  of  you  who  don’t  know  me  ,  i’m  juno  .  i  really  like  cars  .  ”

who  does  JUNO  CHOI  look  like  ?

“  i  think  all  you  kdrama  fans  might  know  the  answer  to  this  but  a  lot  of  people  say  i  look  like  this  one  korean  actress  ,  kim  yoo-jung  .  love  her  .  love  her  work  .  ”

who  is  JUNO  CHOI  related  to  ?

“  my  mom  ,  alexis  ,  and  my  dad  ,  colin  .  if  you’re  both  watching  this  ,  hi  .  ”  [  juno  waves  at  the  camera  ]  “  and  i  can’t  forget  josie  .  love  you .  ”  [  juno  makes  a  heart  at  the  camera  ]

who  does  JUNO  CHOI  look  up  to  ?

“  my  uncle  hunter  .  taught  me  all  i  know  about  cars  .  and  also  the  man  responsible  for  making  me  unbearable  when  it  comes  to  talking  about  cars  .  ”  [  juno  laughs  ]  “  and  jane  fonda  .  she  just  exudes  this  energy  that  i  personally  love  .  she’s  just  so  proudly  her  and  doesn’t  give  a  [  bleep  ]  ––  sorry  i  forgot  i  technically  can’t  say  that  .  ”  [  juno  sheepishly  chuckles  ]

HOW  ...

how  is  JUNO  CHOI  ?

“  i’m  doing  well  ,  thanks  for  asking  !  ”

how  can  i  meet  JUNO  CHOI  ?

“  uhh  ,  well  ––  if  you  ever  see  me  out  an  about  don’t  be  shy  .  come  say  hi  .  i  promise  i  don’t  bite  .  ”

how  tall  is  JUNO  CHOI  ?

“  i  think  i’m  five  foot  seven  ,  last  i  checked  .  ”

IS  ...

is  JUNO  CHOI  from  new  york  ?

“  i  am  ,  yeah  .  born  and  raised  in  manhattan  .  ”

is  JUNO  CHOI  in  a  relationship  ?

“  i  am  currently  not  in  a  relationship  .  single  as  a  pringle  and  that’s  okay  .  don’t  let  anyone  convince  you  that  being  single  is  a  problem  .  ”

is  JUNO  CHOI  in  love  ?

“  that’s  a  loaded  question  .  can  i  say  i  love  my  cars  ?  because  i  do  .  they’re  my  babies  .  but  if  you’re  talking  about  romantic  love  then  no  .  platonic  and  familial  love  ,  of  course  .  i  love  my  friends  and  family  .  ”

WHAT  ...

what  is  JUNO  CHOI  known  for  ?

“  i  guess  i’d  say  i’m  known  for  my  stunt  driving  work  ?  other  than  that  ,  i  guess  it’s  how  much  i  post  my  restored  cars  on  instagram  .  ”  [  juno  laughs  lightly  ]

what  is JUNO  CHOI’S  zodiac  sign  ?

“  i  am  a  virgo  sun  ,  scorpio  moon  ,  cancer  rising  .  ”

what  is  JUNO  CHOI  starbucks  order  ?

“  a  little  basic  but  my  go-to  starbucks  order  is  a  nitro  coldbrew  with  vanilla  sweet  cream  .  ”

what  was  JUNO  CHOI  first  job  ?

“  technically  ,  my  first  job  was  when  i  modeled  for  a  gap  campaign  in  2004  .  first  job  as  an  adult  ?  i  got  a  small  gig  as  a  stunt  driver  .  ”

what  was  JUNO  CHOI  first  movie  ?

“  john  wick:  chapter  2  and  i  will  never  forget  it  .  it  was  such  a  surreal  experience  and  keanu  reeves  ?  he  is  just  wonderful  .  love  him  .  love  working  with  him  .  honestly  love  any  movie  where  i  get  to  work  with  him  .  ”

what  languages  can  JUNO  CHOI  speak  ?

“  at  the  moment  ,  i  can  speak  korean  ,  french  ,  spanish  ,  latin  ,  greek  and  i’m  currently  learning  how  to  speak  italian  .  ”

DOES  ...

does  JUNO  CHOI  have  tattoos  ?

“  i  currently  do  not  have  any  tattoos  .  but  that  might  chance  depending  on  when  this  video  is  published  .  ”

does  JUNO  CHOI  have  siblings  ?

“  i  do  !  i  have  a  younger  sister  .  ”  [  juno  turns  to  stare  intensely  at  the  camera  ]  “  rosie  ,  if  you’re  watching  this  ,  i  want  my  jacket  back  .  you  know  which  one  i’m  talking  about  .  ”

does  JUNO  CHOI  like  LIVIA  KELLY  ?

“  she’s  one  of  my  closest  friends  so  i  feel  like  it’s  kind  of  a  given  that  i  like  her  .  that’s  a  pretty  big  requirement  to  establish  a  friendship  .  ”

does  JUNO  CHOI  do  yoga  ?

“  on  occasion  .  i  just  need  to  be  more  consistent  with  it  .  ”

does  JUNO  CHOI  have  a  pet  ?

“  i  do  !  i  recently  adopted  a  cat  .  ”  [  juno  pulls  out  her  phone  and  shows  a  picture  of  her  cat  to  the  camera  ]  “  his  name  is  dubu  and  i  love  him  .  ”

DID  ...

did  JUNO  CHOI  date  LIVIA  KELLY  ?

 [  juno  laughs  before  she  finishes  removing  the  piece  of  paper  ]  “  i  hate  to  disappoint  because  i  know  some  of  you  have  your  theories  but  we’ve  never  dated  .  you  heard  it  here  first  folks  !  ”

did  JUNO  CHOI  ever  delete  their  social  media  ?

“  delete  ,  no  .  gone  on  a  really  long  hiatus  ?  yes  ,  absolutely  .  ”

WHERE  ...

where  did  JUNO  CHOI  go  to  college  ?

“ i  went  to  columbia  for  undergrad  and  cornell  for  grad  school  .  ”

where  is  JUNO  CHOI  right  now ?

“  well  ...  i’m  currently  in  new  york  at  an  unnamed  studio  with  wired  !  ”

[  juno  tosses  the  prop  behind  her  as  the  extended  endscreen  comes  on  to  show  wired’s  other  videos  ]  

“  well  i  appreciate  the  kinda  intrusive  but  also  basic  questions  you  all  have  about  me  .  ”

[digitalcalamity]

I was tagged by the wonderful & beautiful @teddiie

I’m tagging @dannyandthekiszkas @tripthelightfandomtastic @xkelly101x(unless you’ve already done it or don’t feel comfortable participating!)

Nickname: ellie

Sign: my big 3 are taurus sun, sag moon, cap rising

Height: 5’9.5″

Last thing I googled: artist still woozy as an artist rec

Song stuck in my head: the barbarians by gvf (purely because i saw it live for the first time last night and it’s one of my faves)

Number of followers: 300-something

Amount of sleep: usually between 7-8.5 hours

Dream job: being an author

Wearing: my gvf dig tour shirt i bought last night, leggings and a sweater

Books that summarize you: the bell jar by sylvia plath (yikes) & one day in december by josie silver.

Favorite song: truly depends on the day/week/month/year; right now i’d say age of man by gvf or jackie & wilson by hozier.

Favorite instrument: piano or violin; i feel that they both show SO much emotion. i get very emotional listening to pieces of them.

Aesthetic: light academia.

Favorite Author: right now it is liane moriarty

Random fun fact: i’ve been a runner since 2009, i usually run between 3-5 miles in one go. 

[ceaseless-watchers-special-girl]

calypso darling you are not a shit journalist!!! i won’t stand for this slander!!

NINETY SIX HOURS??? did she pull out the rita special for calypso?? awwww!! i can just imagine rita getting herself a truckload of blankets and snacks all for herself and juno just sitting there like “…..rita what is going on”

“it wouldn’t be the first time that she’s let an older lady step all over her” *hisses in archivist voice* spill the teaaaaaaa

“Over my dead body.” eve baby no

“You’ll hear me sing and squeal before I tell you anything you want.” YOUR HONOUR I WOULD DIE FOR HER

“Their treatment is not as harsh as Aurinko Permanent Corrections” thank fuck for that. aurinko permanent was a fucking nightmare

“stop by the Skydeck: Edge of New Kinshasa and peer down at Brahma from up high” i despise this. more than words can convey.

“A “cygnet” is a word used to describe a baby swan” DAMMIT JAY YOU’RE AT IT WITH THE SWANS AGAIN

“you don’t find jewels like that out there anymore.” ……..interesting….

“Just how the fuck did he get ahold of Baird’s recordings” YEAH HOW DID HE GET THEM???

“Birdie, I’m not comin’ home,

I'm sorry to leave you all alone.” JAY STOPPPP I AM BASHING YOUR HEAD IN WITH MY MOTHERFUCKING FLUTE

fuck. is this why the constables captured cyrus? he got caught?

“Peter Nureyev”– Eve flinches– “scared them shitless” peter nureyev love of my life angel of brahma the myth the legend

“You and I both know what it's like to lose your parents. I don't want Baird to experience the same thing” *cries and shoots myself into the fucking sun*

“And despite all their hardships, Cyrus still married Eevee and then Iris. Josie still went on to have twins. Camilla and Eber brought a daughter into the galaxy. Charlie chose to go down singing. Cyrus went out singing. Eve echoed a song. And Baird kept his head high and trilled for their memory” jay stop it i don’t even have a name for this emotion in my chest

“we'll hunt down that Little Birdie of yours, pluck him from the nest, and make him sing us songs about how beautiful it is to be saved by New Kinshasa” DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE

“Let him go. Blame me for everything, say that I'm the Revolutionary's mother while you’re at it and publicly execute me” *sniffs* eevee bell i love you

“New Kinshasa thanks you for your candor” NEW KINSHASA CAN GO FUCK ITSELF

“There will be a free Brahma. There will be a free Brahma. Brahma will be—“ oh my god fuck yes. never stop saying it. added bonus it annoys the constables

“Charmed, though I don’t find you pretty enough to marry… maybe if you lost the scrappy beard” CYRUS DESROSIERS-BELL YOUR HAND IN MARRIAGE PLEASE

“My name is Peter Nureyev, and I am going to bring down New Kinshasa.” I’D FUCKING DIE FOR HIM

“Eve, my angel…” HIS ANGEL

“No song whistles from her lips as she levels the blaster pressing back against Cyrus’ head” she’s reminding me so awfully of the lifeup workers. jay. jay. new kinshasa isn’t fucking life upping people. right? jay. jay???

“My angel, my angel. Set me free.” JAY YOU CNA’T FUCKING DO THIS TO ME

“She presses her head between her legs gasping for lungfuls of air” calypso girlie breathe

“Maybe she ought to reach back out to Mister Mercury and try creative writing again” SMALL WORLD HUH

“pop out another fucked up kid like her and her mother, and pat herself on the back for not dying to cancer or radiation poisoning or whatever” rip this girl has issues

“How does Osiris Cygnet connect to all this?“ my question exactly

“What was the collar around Eve’s neck?“ eheh. ehheh. hehheh. my question exactly

“I pray to my Goddess that whatever the hell happened to Eve, they did not do to Cyrus” fuck they did didn’t they

“I pray that whatever they did to Eve, they did not improve and inflict upon Charlie” FUCK I DIDN’T EVEN CONSIDER THIS. JAY. JAY ARE YOU IN FACT PLOTTING MY LONG-DISTANCE MURDER

okay wait no hold up. the executives were on saraswati for some reason, and they found slip there and their whole project/con with nureyev began. c&p pharmaceuticals is in the outer rim as well, so it makes perfect sense for the executives to offer their technology to outer rim governments before the solar ones, and they’ve given it to new kinshasa because they’re assholes. *desperately tries to remember the timeline* baird’s still young when this happens though, right?? how long has it been since nureyev threatened new kinshasa?? the lifeup project was only just finished in canon, did they have time to get it to new kinshasa?? is it a prototype?? is it another corporation entirely???

ugh i knew we couldn’t be done with charlie (and by “knew” haha well. let’s justr say. i was sad adn couldn’t accept it) but i think this might be worse than death. can you imagine if baird met him after they’d lifeupped him (lifed upped him? lifed him up??) that would be devastating. i hope baird doesn’t see what they did to eevee. even if he deserves to know

i wonder if there’s a way to fix lifeup workers?? probably not but a girl can dream

*glances at all my red string* yup i’m getting nowhere. onto the calypso lore!!!

“Peachier than an Earthen Sunday morning” girl the sunday morning outside my window rn is grey as all shit

“six hundred cred coffee” *trembles* how…. how much… is a cred worth????? (in my mind it’s been about 1 cred = 1 pound because i have simple brain so this shook me lmao)

“there was nothing she could find about the man. He doesn’t exist. Just another legend” this is such absolute bullshit rita my love i adore you

“When Rita starts something she doesn’t know when to take a break. She puts her whole body into it.” ritas need their big rita naps after their phenomenal rita specials

“He’s a prick at best and an asshole at his worst. He’s taken her for granted a lot” *offended squeak* he’s getting better!! but yeah i do wish he treated rita nicer in the earlier seasons. or i wish we got more screentime of them being soft and kind, because if juno was that bitchy all the time rita should’ve left his ass ages ago

“let another kid like you come and drag her around the whole galaxy” heyyy i thought rita like travelling the galaxy

“my name is Calypso! I’m not your damn kid” it’s giving *alexander hamilton voice* call me son one more time!

the mommy issues are strong with this one

i love it when people call her ms. rita. like yeah. ms. rita who lives down the street and eats salmon snacks but always has yummy cookies just for you. ms. rita who’s best friends with that grumpy asshole no-one likes. ms. rita who your neighbour says hacked into dark matters once but you don’t believe them she’s so sweet— OH SHIT WHERE DID SHE GET THAT KNIFE

“If you reach out to Rita after today, I will cease to help you myself” oop that’s an ultimatum

“Your next decisions are going to shape how the end of her life are going to be” well. that isn’t terrifying in the slightest not at all no siree

“Everyone else found partners for this project at the start of the year” RIP I HATE GROUP PROJECTS

“Ms. Starr, that will be a demerit for you” *cries in desperate for approval*

“Alone. Shit writer. Parentless. Jobless. Flying by the seat of her pants and overpriced coffee grounds.” wow how did you know what i’d look like in a year (minus the parentless bit)

“Maybe she ought to go off and find a cold ditch to lie down in. Or a warm ditch.” BITCH I’M—

“And if not Calypso Starr to tell his story, to transcribe every last detail she can capture, then who else? Who else does that leave?” calypso queen i understand the responsibility you feel and it’s honestly admirable what you’re trying to do but. don’t burn yourself out pretty please

“With or without Frannie’s help” noooo frannieeee

jay i am. aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA. this is beautiful. it’s gorgeous. it’s heartbreaking. how in the hell did i inspire this

mmm i think puzzle pieces are clicking together. however i am unfortunately shit at puzzles i have been roasted about this by my latin teacher BUT. i have received some answers and will be nomming on them gladly until i receive more answers 

Our Angel of Brahma, pt. xi

Hello Travelers, before we begin I need to stress that this part of Our Angel of Brahma contains explicit violence. With that being said, consider this your warning for the following content: kidnapping (mentioned), assault, police brutality, interrogations, and some self-harm. I will be going back to add CW to previous parts and will update when those have been added in. If there are any warnings that you would like added to this part or any others do not hesitate to reach out in my ask box or DMs! Additionally: I am planning on transferring this series over to ao3 in the coming weeks. The google doc is starting to crash and that is my sign that this is no longer a self contained one shot au. It is a drabble. a nearly 19k long (and counting) drabble @ananxiousgenz @ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @the-private-eye @demonic-panini

Calypso walks into her office. Coffee mug in one hand, and her comms in the other. She hadn't checked her emails yet and had only briefly skimmed the messages Frannie had sent her early in the morning. Most of which didn’t make much sense and had been sent five hours before she was awake, which was by her standards, five hours too early to be doing absolutely anything important. She booted up the computer and took a long sip of her coffee. Her comms rang and it was un-surprisingly Frannie. 

“Calypso Starr speaking–”

“Have you seen them yet?” 

“Frannie. Good morning to you too. I believe conversations start with hello.”

“Right– hello, did you see them yet?”

“See what?” She opens her email and smiles reading the subject line “RE: THE CASE OF THE MISSING ANGEL”. Rita was creative. Calypso would give her that. But she also seemed just as scatterbrained as Frannie did at times. They both knew their way around computers and comms. More than Calypso ever learned from her mom, so she was in no position to really judge either of them. If anything, they had every right to laugh in her face for not being able to do all the work on her own. Some shit journalist she was turning up to be. 

“The videos!” Frannie huffed and in the background, Calypso could make out the sound of a cabinet door opening and slamming shut. “Listen, I’m hanging up, and when you’re done with the videos and taking notes– and I mean all the videos, and all your notes– call me. Rita spent ninety-six hours trying to hunt all this down for you, kid. You better write the best damn article this side of the galaxy has ever seen! Because she ain’t helping you anymore after this, alright?” 

Calypso opens her mouth to argue but the call ends right then. She sets her comms on the desk in its designated spot next to her coffee mug and one of the glass swans. She isn’t a kid. She’s a grown adult just like Frannie. Frannie was however much, much older than her. And it wouldn’t be the first time that she’s let an older lady step all over her. 

Without anymore preamble, she takes a seat and opens the first video file. 

The video starts with a lone woman sitting at a table. The room is bare and poorly lit with no windows.  “State your name.” “Why should I? You already know who I am.” The woman’s dark hair falls out of her face revealing dark eyes and a few freckles. She glares at the camera. “And get that thing out of my face.” “No can do, now state your name.”  The woman huffs hanging her head low to the table. “Eve Bell.” “Full name.” “Eevee Bell.” She jerks her chin up and snarls, “Happy?”

Calypso pauses the video. This is Eevee Bell. Eevee the same night she was taken from her home.The same night she tucked Baird into bed and promised nothing bad would happen to her. Calypso flips open her journal thumbing through the pages until she finds her notes on the “Dad” recording. She reads back over them and flips to the next blank page. She rummages around her desk for a bit before finding a pen tucked into her newly acquired swan pen holder. She hits play on the video, and begins taking notes.

“Very,” a figure walks around the camera to stand behind Eevee. They’re dressed in a freshly pressed uniform. Their epaulets are black, with two embroidered stars in silver thread. A Constable of high rank. They place one hand on her shoulder and grip her chin with the other. “Now look directly at the camera, and tell them exactly what you did.” She clenches her jaw and tries to pull away. The Constable keeps her firmly pinned in place.  “Not gonna talk, huh.” “Over my dead body.” The Constable tsks and lets go of Eve’s face. Eevee, to her credit, rolls her shoulders as much as she could with her hands cuffed behind her back, and tilted her chin up higher. “You’ll hear me sing and squeal before I tell you anything you want.”  The Constable shakes their head and laughs, “We’ll see how you feel after today.” They exit out of frame and a heavy door can be heard opening. Eevee looks over and her eyes go wide as three other uniformed Constables walk into the room.  “Welcome to New Kinshasa, Eve.” The Constable says out of frame said. The video ends.

Calypso leans back in her seat. She glances down at her notes. Nothing. Blank. She puts her pen down and folds her hands over one another, leaning to rest her elbows on her desk. Her stomach does a strange thing, flipping up over on itself. The coffee is starting to kick in and give her heartburn. 

From her research and based on Baird’s recordings, the Constabulary does not treat its prisoners kindly. Their treatment is not as harsh as Aurinko Permanent Corrections. No, nothing could compare to Palomine Aurinko, and nothing will ever come close to Hoosegow. But there’s a good reason the Solar Planets consider the Guardian Angel System a war crime and New Kinshasa has been charged off and on for committing multiples since the Galactic Civil War ended. 

She grabs her comms and searches for anything she can find on the Constabulary on New Kinshasa and Brahma. She wasn’t expecting her quick galactic search to turn up anything. Just like everything else she’s been looking into privately, this too should have been a dead end. Instead, a tourism site hosted on a Saraswatan travelers guide comes up. 

One of the main attractions to vacationing to Saraswati it turns out, is visiting New Kinshasa. Vacation to Saraswati, and set time aside for a three days, two nights trip to see New Kinshasa. Shuttle over on day one, and see New Kinshasa day two. Get to meet Constables, shake hands with Sergeants, and rub elbows with Inspectors off duty at hotel bars. Take a tour down main street and stop by the Skydeck: Edge of New Kinshasa and peer down at Brahma from up high. 

The photos on the website are orderly and well lit. More than likely staged pieces of propaganda meant to make the average person forget about what happened to Brahma. If Calypso were anyone else even she’d believe it. But Baird’s recordings exist and Brahma has been suffering. Dark Matters can successfully scrub all records from the galaxy but they never stood a chance at stopping something from slipping through the cracks. 

One of the photos on the website catches her eye. A Constable in uniform, with epauluets on their shoulders embroidered in silver thread. Perfectly stitched planets with tilted rings. They’re shaking hands with a man with grey hair and a peculiar mustache. A gold brooch with blue jewels is pinned to his suit. His wide smile reaches his eyes. 

Calypso scrolls down to read the caption at the same time she reaches for her mug. She takes a long sip of her coffee. 

Superintendent Constable Bishop shaking hands with art collector, Osiris Cygnet. 

A “cygnet” is a word used to describe a baby swan. So named after the swan-shaped constellation, Cygnus, and -et indicates smallness. 

If Calypso were the average person, she shouldn’t know this. As she leans back in her desk chair and stares at the swan pen holder, Calypso is reminded that she is not the average person. As she stands now running through her apartment, digging through a cardboard box for a gold swan brooch with sapphire eyes, she has not been the average person since childhood. 

The storage unit came from a deceased art collector. He had an affinity for collecting crystal swans and counterfeit paintings. She sold most of the glass swans back to collectors on Earth while on her visit to her mother’s grave. She held on to the pen holder as a memento and sought out a pawn shop to trade in the brooch when the shop owner said she ought to keep it, “you don’t find jewels like that out there anymore.” Or whatever that meant. 

“Shit shit shit shit–” she finds the brooch and races back to her office clutching it tight. Sure enough, it’s a good match. 

Osiris Cygnet, art collector that vacationed sometime within the last ten years to Saraswati and took a shuttle trip to New Kinshasa. Just how the fuck did he get ahold of Baird’s recordings?

Superintendent Constable Bishop, Eve’s prison guard, and most likely, her future executioner. And he was promoted. At some point in the last twenty years, he was promoted. Multiple times. 

The pin back on the brooch digs into her palm. Calypso clenches her teeth. She should let go before the wound is too deep and forms an ugly gash. She reaches with her free hand and hits play on the next video.

Eevee sits on the stone floor of a prison cell. She stares pointedly at the door. Occasionally her eyes flick up to the camera. Its hard to tell, but her face looks puffy. Her arms have bruises running from her elbows all the way down to her wrists. There are red marks on both wrists from wearing handcuffs. She pulls her knees up to her chest letting out a long groan of pain. The camera zooms in. It is just near inaudible, but the camera's microphone picks up her quiet voice.  I hear your tune,  like a songbird at noon. What a lovely trill, it makes me feel ill. Eve looks like she would curl tighter around herself if it were possible. Shrink into nothing. Make herself as small as a mote of dust.  Like chimes in the wind, we were destined. A full-body shudder wracks through her.  Birdie, I’m not comin’ home, I'm sorry to leave you all alone. A figure approaches the cell. They’re not in uniform but the way they approach Eve’s cell is not without confidence.  “It’s a good song.” Eve jumps with tears in her eyes as she blinks at the person in front of her. “Hey baby, I came to bust you out.” The figure shoves their hands in their pockets.  “Cyrus…” Eve slowly gets to her feet and crosses over to the bars of her cell. She holds a hand out. Cyrus takes it carefully, pressing his lips to her knuckles. She is nearly breathless as she asks, “What are you doing here?” “Like I said: busting you out.”  “I–” Eve shakes her head. “No, you can’t. What about Iris? What about Baird? They need you more than I do right now! How'd you even get in here anyways?” Cyrus shrugs and pulls a key card out from his pocket. “Snuck onto a shuttle, knocked out a Constable, stole their key card? C'mon, Eve, it's not that hard.”  “Not that hard– Cyrus! That's a death sentence! If you get caught–” “I won't get caught, alright? Peter Nureyev”– Eve flinches– “scared them shitless. They’re scrambling right now and too disorganized to notice me.” She's quiet, staring at their hands. “How long has it been already?” “Day five of the Warden Strike, second day without you. Camilla was the one who reached out to. Everyone else apparently was too afraid to, and the other Wardens are losing steam without someone to keep their morale up and minds motivated.”  “And what about Baird? And Iris? You left them alone to try and rescue me? Cyrus, I'm a prisoner, not a princess in a tower.” Cyrus clicks his tongue. “Iris has been alone for a long time, they’ll be fine. And Baird isn’t alone, the Spade’s are taking care of him.” He plays thoughtlessly with her fingers. “You and I only have each other though. I promised your parents I’d look out for you, and I intend to keep that promise, til’ death do us part and all that.”  Eve jerks her hand away to grip one of the bars. “Cyrus, look at me.” He lifts his head and flinches in response only slightly. “I came here willingly. And I’m not going to make it out of here alive. Eber and Camilla can barely afford to take care of themselves and Charlie. And Iris lost their family like you and I did. You and I both know what it's like to lose your parents. I don't want Baird to experience the same thing.”  Cyrus shakes his head. “Eve you're thinking this all backwards. I'm the one that dragged you into this, let me take your place and get you out of it.” The video ends. 

Calypso drops the brooch on her desk to run her hands through her hair. She tugs on the ends of her short bob. 

Eevee pushed Cyrus away because he wanted revolution. And he got it. He got a revolution and it took everything from Baird. 

These are real people. Not just voice recordings or a bedtime story a mother made up to soothe her distressed child. Baird, Eeve, Cyrus, and Iris. A real family. Charlie, Eber, and Camilla and their daughter, Evelyn. A spare family. Josie and the twins. Hank and Mrs. Darius. The Rats. Brahma was full of life. And it still is. Peter Nureyev is a legend to these people. Even if it turns out the name was fake, he was just as real as any of them. 

And despite all their hardships, Cyrus still married Eevee and then Iris. Josie still went on to have twins. Camilla and Eber brought a daughter into the galaxy. Charlie chose to go down singing. Cyrus went out singing. Eve echoed a song. And Baird kept his head high and trilled for their memory. 

The recordings from the comms were real. Are real. Calypso knows this. She doesn't have any faces to put to any names except now for Eve and a rough idea for Cyrus. They were alive. 

Calypso hesitates to start the next video. She's seen more than enough already. More than plenty. There are still two videos left. She already knows how this ends. Eevee Bell walked out of her apartment in the middle of the night so her son wouldn’t have to wake up screaming and watch her be dragged out the front door. She did everything in her power to safeguard him from a War she never wanted to bring home in the first place. And what did it get her? What good did it do when two years later Baird watched what happened to his father anyways? What good did any of it do when they broadcasted Charlie’s execution? 

Taking a deep breath, she hits play. 

“Songbird,” Constable Bishop stands in front of Eve's cell. They keep one hand on their blaster. Eve tucks her chin down while pulling away from the bars. “Tired of singing? That's a pity. You know, a few hours ago, I was alerted that someone came to pay you a visit. I had the cameras checked and we put the facility in lockdown. You'll never believe what we found trying to fly the coop.”  Two Constables drag a man into frame. It's Cyrus. Eve stands in place, her face drained of all its color. Cyrus tilts his head up. The two Constables flanking his side force him to stand, hoisting him up by his underarms. His hands remain pinned behind his back. .  “I wouldn't be all smiley right now if I were in your shoes, Desrosiers.” Constable Bishop pulls their blaster from its holster. They click the safety off and point it directly at Cyrus. “Now then, here's how this is going to play out. Ms. Bell, you're going to admit that you organized the Warden strike, you're going to take the fall and you're going to accept the consequences.” “And if she doesn't?” The Constables holding Cyrus pull on his arms. He hisses through his teeth.   “If she doesn't, then we'll blame you both. And then, with you both out of the way, we'll hunt down that Little Birdie of yours, pluck him from the nest, and make him sing us songs about how beautiful it is to be saved by New Kinshasa–”  “I did it.” Eve crosses her cell and reaches out as far as she can to grab the Constable Bishop’s uniform. Her fingers just barely reach their elbow. “I organized the strike. It was all my idea to begin with. I knew it was risky and stupid but I did it anyways. I poisoned the watering hole–” “Eevee–” “And Cyrus had nothing to do with it. Joining the revolutionaries and inciting the Dome Wardens was all me. Let him go. Blame me for everything, say that I'm the Revolutionary's mother while you’re at it and publicly execute me. Tear me limb from limb– just let Cyrus go and leave my son out of this.”  Constable Bishop holds her gaze. He lowers his blaster and gives her a curt nod, “I wasn't going to go that far, but if that's how you feel, well…�� He put his blaster away. “I’m pleased you came around, Ms. Bell.” He turns to the other two Constables and motions for them to leave. “Escort the Pest off of New Kinshasa.” They grab hold of Cyrus’ jaw and force him to look up. “And if we ever catch you sneaking up here again, you’ll be publicly executed.” Eevee looks away as they drag Cyrus out of frame. His voice comes as a muffled shout that grows quieter and quieter.  “Don’t look so down Ms. Bell. You made the right choice. New Kinshasa thanks you for your candor.” The video ends. 

She lied. Eevee lied to Constable Bishop. Even if half of what she said did hold some truth to it, there were still lies she sprinkled in that they believed. At least they chose to believe them. And choosing to believe in something only grants it more power. It warps reality, and makes it more real. 

Baird’s first recording that Calypso heard echoes in the back of her mind. Some say that the legend isn’t true. Some say that Eevee Bell set the Dome Wardens on strike. At least one person believes that she is Peter Nureyev’s mother. 

Baird and Iris did not know everything. For whatever Cyrus was caught for finally, Constable Bishop made good on their promise and did eventually come back for him. They did not however publicly execute him. 

They got Charlie instead. 

With only one video left, Calypso hits play. She’s only slightly surprised to see Cyrus in a similar interrogation room to the one Eevee was in in the first video.

“There will be a free Brahma. There will be a free Brahma. Brahma will be–” “Do you ever, shut up!” Constable Bishop slams their fist against the table in front of Cyrus. His epauluets are different, now instead of two stars theres three. Cyrus winces clenching his jaw, but doesn’t draw away. “No wonder you got a divorce, I’d get one too if I was stuck married to you.” “Charmed, though I don’t find you pretty enough to marry… maybe if you lost the scrappy beard–” “Enough!” Constable Bishop drags a hand down their face, scratches at their stubble, and stares down at Cyrus. “All you have to do, is look at the camera,” they point to the one currently rolling, “and say exactly what you did.” “And then what? You’ll let me go scot free? You’ve already beat black and blue, I think I felt a tooth or two dislodge from my mouth. You willing to pay for my dentist bill?” “There are no dentist left on Brahma.” Constable Bishop circles around Cyrus and stands behind him. They grip his left shoulder, and guide his face up towards the camera with their other hand. “Now go on, tell them exactly who you are, and what you did.” Cyrus’ eyes are a muted green. His face is long and skin a darker shade of brown than Eevees’. He takes a deep, calming breath, and flashes a quick smile revealing a dimple on his left cheek.  “My name is Peter Nureyev, and I am going to bring down New Kinshasa.” Constable Bishop lets go of Cyrus to whip out their blaster. They crack the blunt end against the back of his head. Constable Bishop’s hand and blaster come away slightly bloodied, and the shout Cyrus lets out echoes in the small room.  “Think you’re so smart, huh? Try again.” “Cyrus Desrosiers-Bell, and when I get out of here,” Cyrus strains against his restraints baring his teeth in a sharp, sadistic grin, “I’m going to rip your fucking throat out!”  Constable Bishop clicks the safety off their blaster. They press it to the side of Cyrus’ head. “Go on, keep talking. We don’t need you alive, you serve no greater purpose to your revolution. You get caught in New Kinshasa once and I let you go, shame on you. You get caught sneaking around New Kinshasa a second time and get far enough back home just outside your front door, shame on me.” Bishop tsks rechecking their blaster. “One jolt. That’s all you need.” “Well go on then,” Cyrus lifts his chin. His brows squish together. A small gasp escapes his lips. “You don’t scare me. Not the first time you’ve pressed that thing to my head.”  After a moment, a comms goes off. The Constable checks it with a quick glance and relaxes. “You’re right,” they draw their blaster away from Cyrus but do not click the safety back in place. “I don't scare you enough. But she probably will.” A question forms on Cyrus’ lips but dies just as quickly as the interrogation room doors whirls open and close. Heavy bootsteps cross the room. A small shadow falls over Cyrus. His eyes go wide.  “Eve, my angel…” Cyrus shakes his head, tearing his gaze away. He grits his teeth. “No. You killed her.”  “Did we though? Constable,” the Bishop turns to the new arrival. They pass their blaster off to them. The new arrival walks into frame to accept the blaster. Standing beside Constable Bishop, is none other than Eevee Bell. The same dark hair, dark eyes, and constellation of freckles. A collar of some sort clasps snuggly around her neck.  It is as if the soul that bubbled to life inside of her has been snuffed out. This may look like Eevee Bell, it may move like Eevee Bell, but it is not her. Not anymore. No song whistles from her lips as she levels the blaster pressing back against Cyrus’ head.  “Eevee, baby,” the Constable places her finger over the trigger.  “Now then, any last words, Desroisers-Bell?” Cyrus licks his lips and stares into the camera. “My angel, my angel. Set me free.” The Constable pulls the trigger. Her arm absorbs the recoil as Cyrus’ body seizes and–

Calypso closes out of the video and turns away. She presses her head between her legs gasping for lungfuls of air. 

Rita spent ninety-two hours digging through Goddess knows what just to dig up this. The tumbling feeling in her stomach returns full force. Combined a racing heart and the rising bile in her throat, Calypso isn’t so sure anymore if she wants to call Frannie back. Maybe she ought to reach back out to Mister Mercury and try creative writing again. Maybe she ought to quit writing and journalism altogether, shuttle home to Venus, find a nice well off spouse, pop out another fucked up kid like her and her mother, and pat herself on the back for not dying to cancer or radiation poisoning or whatever. It might also do her a whole lot of good to find a therapist. At least looking for one wouldn’t kill her.

She waits until her heart has stopped racing and stomach settled back into place. Her pen feels like it’s barely there as she scratches down quick notes:

Eve gave the constable’s idea for public execution, thus Charlie. 

Cyrus Desrosiers-Bell. He took Eevee’s last name? And then kept it after marrying Iris?

Cyrus was beat and taken away because he snuck on to New Kinshasa– twice. First time to try and save Eve (failed to) and second time for unknown reason (caught and tracked down). Could this be why/how Talia’s book club found a way to New Kinshasa?

Don’t know what song Cyrus sang as he was dragged away from Iris. Possibly some version of Charlie’s Lament? 

How does Osiris Cygnet connect to all this?

What was the collar around Eve’s neck?

Constable Bishop’s promotions: have something to do with what happened to Eve? With what he did to Cyrus? (SIDE NOTE: I pray to my Goddess that whatever the hell happened to Eve, they did not do to Cyrus.)

… I pray that whatever they did to Eve, they did not improve and inflict upon Charlie. 

She puts her pen back in the swan holder and examines the puncture wound in her palm. The injury is small, not a gash like she thought it might be. A bandage and anti-spetic and Calypso will be right as rain. Peachier than an Earthen Sunday morning. 

“I need to find a hobby.” Calypso glances at the swan holder. Perhaps– no. Absolutely not. 

She dresses her injury and calls Frannie back despite every part of her howling not to. Her coffee has long since gone cold. Normally this woudln’t be a problem. Just drop a few ice cubes in and presto. Or reheat the whole mug and presto. Today is one of those rare days where neither is an appealing option and the last of her six hundred cred coffee goes down the drain. Finally her call connects with Frannie.

“You finished the videos?”

“Frannie.���

“Right, hello. You finished the videos.” It’s not even a question anymore. Calypso hums turning away from her sink to lean her lower back against it. Slowly she lowers herself to the floor. “I’ll take that as a yes, okay! I asked Rita about Peter Nureyev like you wanted me to. And she turned back around within a day to tell me that there was nothing she could find about the man. He doesn’t exist. Just another legend.”

Calypso scoffs, “Well that’s impossible, I just saw the videos. Eve and Cyrus both mention him by name. Baird mentions him in his recordings by name. Camilla mentions him by name at some point. He has to be real.”

“Well I don’t know what to tell you, kid, but if Rita can’t find him, no one can. It’s impossible to find something or someone who doesn’t exist.”

“Or maybe he disappeared.”

Frannie hums, “Sure, maybe that. Look, kid,” Calypso bites her tongue, “I wanted to talk with you about asking for help. Remember how I said you won’t be asking Rita for anymore favors?”

“Yeah, yeah actually– Frannie what was that about?”

“Kid,” Calypso does not retain her inward groan, “Rita is a really good friend of mine. Me and her go way back to when we were just little ladies getting our noses dirty and toeses wet with cybersecurity. She went down the HCPD path, I went down a freelance one. 

“My point though is that me and her aren’t the same little ladies we used to be anymore. We’re little old ladies now. And us little old ladies need our rest and relaxation. When Rita starts something she doesn’t know when to take a break. She puts her whole body into it.”

“Don’t you mean mind?”

“No, body. Rita has been sacrificing her own health for the better part of three decades now trying to help her Boss. He’s a prick at best and an asshole at his worst. He’s taken her for granted a lot.” Well, maybe she should find a better Boss, goes unsaid. “Their relationship is better now, but I’m not going to let another kid like you come and drag her around the whole galaxy.”

“For fucks sake Frannie– my name is Calypso! I’m not your damn kid!” Calypso pants. The swooping feeling returns. “I’m not you’re damn kid, I haven’t been anyone’s damn kid in over ten years, so stop calling me a fucking child! If you don’t want me talking to Ms. Rita anymore fine. I get it. You don’t wanna hear about my requests to her that’s fine. I’ll cut you out of it and–”

“Calyspo Starr.” Her jaw clamps shut narrowly avoiding biting her tongue. “If you reach out to Rita after today, I will cease to help you myself. You can take your little comms and find someone else willing to help you for free. All I’m asking, Ms. Starr, is that you don’t involve Rita any further. Have I made myself clear, Ms. Starr?”

Ms. Starr, I’m sorry but there’s nothing more we can do for your mother. Your next decisions are going to shape how the end of her life are going to be. Have you got a will lined up already?

Ms. Starr, I can’t accept your solo proposal. Everyone else found partners for this project at the start of the year. Maybe you can join a group and be their editor? 

Ms. Starr, that will be a demerit for you. Let’s find you something more suitable in the lost and found. You wouldn’t want to mistaken for a ruffian, do you?

“Crystal.” Calypso ends the call before Frannie can respond. She calls back. Calypso decline the call and throws her comms across the kitchen. She watches as it skitters along the tile. 

Alone. Shit writer. Parentless. Jobless. Flying by the seat of her pants and overpriced coffee grounds. She was never cut out to be a journalist. Maybe she ought to go off and find a cold ditch to lie down in. Or a warm ditch. Whichever she stumbles across first. 

Just who is Calypso Starr? Who the hell does she think she is anyways? And what gave her the idea that any of this meant something to someone in the first place?

I choose to believe… 

Calypso takes a deep breath and starts counting back from ten. 

I choose to believe… 

As she slowly exhales, true clarity rings through her mind. Baird chose to believe. And it doesn’t matter how, his recordings made it off-planet. And if not Calypso Starr to tell his story, to transcribe every last detail she can capture, then who else? Who else does that leave? 

Calypso Starr, the rebel who didn’t wear the right uniform. The orphaned university student who scrapped by without any friends. And now, a Solar based, historical freelance journalist. Scratch that from the record: Galactic, historical freelance journalist. She’s worn half a dozen different hats over the years, but one thing has remained consistent: a Starr burns brightest before they go out. And if Baird Bell and Brahma are the undoing of her, then there’s nothing to be done about it. She’ll get to the end of the recordings and uncover the truth one or another. With or without Frannie’s help.

[e-dubbc11]

Top 5 Slow Dance Songs for Matt

Thank you for reading these!  Let me know if you like them and if you’d like me to do some more of these from my full list of Slow Dance Songs for Matt here….or I have another list of Lap Dance Songs for Matt also that I can do scenarios from.  I do really like doing these so I may do more just because I can.

Pairing:  The first 4 are GN! and the last one is F!

1.  Crazy Love – Van Morrison

The first thing I thought of when I put this song on my list was a sleepless night for Matt.  He didn’t want to keep you up with his tossing and turning, it’s one of the nights where he can’t seem to drown out the commotion of the city so he just decides to get up, go out to the couch, and listen to some music.  

Matt getting up isn’t what woke you, he is your own personal space heater so it was the cold that woke you up when you rolled over and he wasn’t there.  Your feet hit the floor and you walk on your toes out to the living room and there he is, adorable as ever, the only light in the room is coming from the neon sign outside his window.  He had felt you walk across the floor and heard the bedroom door slide open so he takes his ear buds out…“I’m sorry sweetheart, did I wake you up?”

His face is so soft and sweet. He’s genuinely concerned whether or not he woke you up and gazing at him in that moment, you didn’t know it was possible to love him more than you already do but you absolutely do.  

“Oh no, no Matty…It’s just cold in bed without you.  What are you listening to?”

Slowly you walked over to him and brushed your thumb across his stubble.

“Just some music.  I couldn’t sleep…I’m having a hard time tonight drowning out all the noise.”

You always feel terrible when something as basic as sleep doesn’t come easily to him.  His abilities are a blessing and also a curse and all you wanted to do was take away whatever problem he was having at the moment.  

“I’m sorry, my love…Maybe I can help.  Can I see your phone, please?”

You extend your hand, he notices your fingers are like ice as he hands you the phone and you put the song on…

I can hear her heartbeat from a thousand miles Hear the heavens open every time she smiles And when I come to her that's where I belong Yet, I'm run into to her like a river strong

You take both his hands in your and pull him up towards you.  “Up here with me, handsome…come on.”

He pulls you close so your bodies are touching, his strong arms wrap around your waist, while you hold him close with your head on his chest and just move with the music.

She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love

She got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down And when I come home to her when the sun goes down Takes my troubles all away, take away my grief Take away my heartache, in the night like a thief

“This is nice, sweetheart.  I feel like we’re the only two people in the world right now.”

You smile against his chest and softly say…

“Well if it will help you tune everything out, just think of it that way.  It’s just you and me, baby.”

She gives me love, love, love, Crazy Love

“I think I’m ready for bed now.”  Matt says.

“Well come on then, Matty, you ready for sleep?”

You look up at him, he had that devilish smirk on his face that was illuminated by the neon sign outside and he whispers in your ear…

“Who said anything about sleep?”

2.  Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton

Let’s be honest, this song is one of the sexiest songs ever.  I can see putting this song on the juke box while you’re out together at Josie’s or another bar.  It’s one of my favorite songs of all time and I’d LOVE to slow dance with Matt to this song.

A night out at the bar for a few drinks was a weekly occurrence.  Matt, Foggy, Karen and you.  It’s just a way to unwind after a long week at the office and being with your friends and your boyfriend made you really happy.  Watching Karen and Foggy try to shoot pool was hilarious, you’d think with all the time they spent there that they’d actually be pretty good, nope, not at all.  Then you hear your song come on.

Used to spend my nights out in a barroom Liquor was the only love I've known But you rescued me from reachin' for the bottom And brought me back from being too far gone

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey You're as sweet as strawberry wine You're as warm as a glass of brandy And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

Reaching up, you take Matt’s drink away, rest it on the table and grab his hand.

“How about a dance, handsome?”

Matt smiles, turns and tilts his head towards you and asks…

“What?  Here?  No…Well… I’m sure everyone will be looking at you beautiful, and not me so you win.”

You're as smooth as Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey Tennessee whiskey

The two of you dance to your song, Matt kisses your forehead and you lift your chin and give him a long, deep kiss.  Patrons at the bar start whistling and cat calling and from the pool table, you hear Foggy yell in your direction.

“UGH!  You two are nauseating, get a room, will ya?!!!”

The two of you laugh and then you hear Matt’s voice low and gravelly in your ear.

“We should go before I take you right there on that pool table.”

3.  You and I – Lady Gaga

I LOVE this song.  The first time I heard it was when I realized that Lady Gaga could really belt it out and how powerful her voice is, she’s amazing.  It would probably be my karaoke song…that or “Tequila” (everyone laugh, because that’s hilarious).  Anyway, the scenario I came up with for this one is a little funny because it involves Matt catching you basically putting on a concert at the apartment while you’re cleaning.

Matt left work early to surprise you and in a few minutes he’d find out just how surprised you’d be.  As he got closer to his building, he tilted his head and realized you were…singing and he thought to himself “that’s not half bad…”  Then he remembered you said you wanted to do some cleaning today and also telling him to make sure he’s careful whenever he comes home because the floor might or might not be wet.  As he walked up the stairs, a smile spread across his face while he stood outside and listened to you for a minute…  

You taste like whiskey when you kiss me, oh I'll give anything again to be your baby doll This time I'm not leaving without you

He said, "Sit back down where you belong In the corner of my bar with your high heels on" Sit back down on the couch where we Made love the first time and you said to me

Something, something about this place Something 'bout lonely nights and my lipstick on your face Something, something about my cool Nebraska guy Yeah, something about, baby, you and I

Quietly, he unlocked the door, put his things down and took his shoes and socks off.  The scent of natural lemon cleaning products filled the apartment, you knew with Matt’s hyper senses that some cleaning products were just too much for him so you tried to use as many lightly scented products as you could.  The floor by the door wasn’t slippery but he could tell it had been recently cleaned, again he smiled, so you weren’t JUST putting on a concert in the apartment, you were ACTUALLY cleaning and he could tell you were in the kitchen.  He walked around the corner and smiled with that dimple on full display…you hadn’t noticed him yet.

��I didn’t know I was coming home to a clean apartment AND a show.”

He scared the ever living daylights out of you and you nearly jumped out of your skin.  Covering your heart, you shrieked.

“Jeez Louise!!  Dammit Matty!  You and your ninja skills!!”  He laughed again at you.  There’s that dimple again.  “You scared me!”  You were laughing a little too.  “And stop laughing, you nearly gave me a heart attack.  Good thing you can’t see me, I look a fright right now.”

He was still laughing a little “Well, I’m sorry I scared you, beautiful and I highly doubt you look bad.”

“So yes, I was just getting ready to mop the kitchen floor…and maybe I am using the mop for a microphone.  Don’t you judge me.”  The song continues…

You and I, you, you and I You, you and I, you, you and I, I You and I, you, you and I Oh yeah, I'd rather die without you and I

C'mon, put your drinks up

He loosened his tie and bit his lip.

“Why don’t you dance with me instead, sweetheart.”  He extends his hand and wiggles his fingers a little.

“Really?  I smell like a combination of cleaning products and sweat, you sure you wanna do that?”

Of course he does not mind in the slightest.  “I’d really like you to dance with me, your singing would feel nice against my chest.”

You and I, you, you and I Baby, I'd rather die without you and I You and I, you, you and I Nebraska I'd rather die without you and I

“Well how can I say no to that?”  You take his hand, he pulls you quickly into his chest, and you continue to sing just for him this time.  

It's been a long time since I came around Been a long time but I'm back in town This time I'm not leaving without you

That’s enough cleaning for today.

4.  Crazy for You – Madonna  

Come on, you know I had to stick in a school dance/wedding song in here somewhere.  I needed my 13 Going on 30 moment because I love that movie. I imagine you and Matt going to one of your cousin’s weddings.  It’s probably one of the first big family events you’re taking him to and he decides today is the day he tells you he loves you.

Your cousin’s wedding was beautiful, maybe a little too beautiful.  The two of you were in Newport, RI and felt more than a little out of place, just because Newport is a very rich town.  The venue is way extra but hey, open bar right? You love weddings so you were determined to have a great time, especially with the sexiest man on your arm.  

You and your boyfriend, Matt have been together for a while, long enough for him to meet your parents and your siblings but not long enough for him to meet the extended family but today was that day.  You thought it went well, as well as it could go.  Periodically you checked to make sure that all the commotion wasn’t too much for Matt’s heightened senses and every time you asked him, he said he was good.  

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed he was in a deep conversation with your cousins and your brothers while you were talking to your mother and your grandmother however you didn’t notice when your youngest brother carefully led Matt over to the DJ who then handed him a microphone.

“Excuse me, everyone.  I’m sorry to interrupt this beautiful wedding, at least everyone is saying it’s beautiful, I wouldn’t know…blind guy.”  He holds up his cane and everyone laughed.  “Anyway, I was wondering if my lovely date would come up here, please.”

”Oh my god, Ma!  What is he doing?”  You whisper yell to your mother, then your brother starts to push you and chimes in…

“Well go on, y/n…go up there!”

The song starts…

Swaying room as the music starts Strangers making the most of the dark Two by two their bodies become one

You take his hand, put your left hand on his shoulder and he takes his right hand and rests it on your back.

I see you through the smokey air Can't you feel the weight of my stare You're so close but still a world away What I'm dying to say, is that

“This is how you ask me to slow dance with you, Murdock?”  You smiled “With everyone watching?  And you picked the most middle school dance song you could think of, didn’t you.”

He laughed and flashed his charming smile.

“Oh come on, sweetheart, I know you love this song.”

I'm crazy for you Touch me once and you'll know it's true I never wanted anyone like this It's all brand new You'll feel it in my kiss I'm crazy for you, crazy for you

“Well you are not wrong, I do love this song.”  God, this man made you so disgustingly happy.

He leans into your ear “I am ‘crazy for you’ as the song says.”  

A little embarrassed, you smile big and cover your eyes with your hand.  “You know I’m ‘crazy for you’ also.”

You could tell he was a little nervous for what he was about to say next…”Actually…” he paused and kissed your forehead…”I’ve wanted to tell you for a while…that…I…uh”

Looking up at him, you asked “What is it, Matty?  What do you want to tell me?”

You could feel his fingers fidgeting on your back so you knew he was anxious.  “I’ve wanted to tell you that…I love you.  I really, really love you.”

It's all brand new, I'm crazy for you And you know it's true I'm crazy, crazy for you It's all brand new, I'm crazy for you And you know it's true Yeah, I'm crazy for you Crazy for you, baby

With a smile on your face, you tilt your chin up to give him a little kiss on his lips and told him…

“Well I really, really love you too, handsome.”

5.  Bring It On Home to Me – Sam Cooke

Fun fact about me, I love old Motown and R&B.  I listened to a lot of classic rock growing up because that’s what my Dad loves but I remember him and my Mom also loving a lot of Motown and this song by Sam Cooke is one of my favorites.  So this one I thought about you and Matt cooking together, it’s just such a nice tempo for a happy slow dance, he could even throw a spin in there.  

On this dark and rainy afternoon, you left Matt in front of the stove, stirring the soup he helped you make while you cut up a few pieces of bread.  One of your playlists that he loves so much is playing in the background.  Bring It On Home to Me starts playing and you excitedly let out a little bit of a squeal…

If you ever change your mind About leaving, leaving me behind Baby, bring it to me Bring your sweet loving Bring it on home to me Yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah)

“Awwww, Matty!!  I love this song!  I used to listen to it all the time with my parents!”

Matt smiles, puts the spoon down, and extends his hand…”Well c’mere beautiful.  I’ve always wanted to dance with a pretty girl in my kitchen.”

I know I laughed when you left But now I know I only hurt myself Baby, bring it to me Bring your sweet loving Bring it on home to me Yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah)

A laugh escapes your lips while moving to the beat…”Yeah right, Murdock.  You expect me to believe that you’ve never used that line on anyone else?”

He stops dancing for a minute…”Lemme see your hand…”  He places your hand on his chest…”I’ve never danced in my kitchen with anyone except for you.”  His heartbeat was so steady  “You believe me now?”  He asked.  

You smiled and said…“Well…when you put it that way…You’re no liar, Matthew.”  

Matt kisses your nose and says…”You ready for the spin?”

Before you could protest, he spun you outward and pulled you back into him, both of you laughing with the rain coming down in the background.

One more thing I tried to treat you right But you stayed out, stayed out at night But I forgive you, bring it to me Bring your sweet loving Bring it on home to me Yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah) yeah (yeah)

You continued to dance with your love even after the song was over, it was quiet with only the sound of the rain to move to now and you thought...maybe rainy days weren’t so bad after all.

Honorable Mentions:

1.Cry to Me – Solomon Burke  

For your Dirty Dancing moment before smexy time. (wink wink)

2.  Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton

Either before or after a really fancy date night

Again thank you for reading! I appreciate you!💕💕💕

Tag list: @freshabogados @skvatnavle @phoebe-danvers @moonlarking @shedaresthedevil @mindidjarin @matt-erialgirl @nelson-et-murdock @elgrandeavocados

Others that might enjoy: @1800-fight-me @sobachka-korol @mattmurdockspainkink @saintmurd0ck @wint3r-h3art

Please please tell me if you’d like to be added or removed from either list.

[rhaenizziettie]

4x09 Reactions

I can’t even remember if I posted my 4x08 reactions? But anyway,

- Coming in hot (pun intended)

- Jaleb angst?

- “You made me wreck my car.” We all know how much he loves that car

- “Hope Andrea Mikaelson.” That’s how you know it’ll be a Hizzie episode!

- “Isn’t Kaleb kind of like your boyfriend?” Isn’t MG kind of like yours?

- An adult??? On Legacies???

- “Congratulations you are no longer in a coma.” 😂😂😂

- “Is that what the therapy box told you?” No, the therapy box said run from your problems and leave anyone you’re jealous of because it’s broken.

- “I guess I missed all the psycho murderer red flags” Missed them with your sister too ...

- Hizzie and their loopholes!

- Cleo: “I’m gonna third wheel.”

- Landon gets the little bowl 🥰🥰🥰

- The butterfly clip again 😂😂😂 That’s the worst thing Hope’s ever done to her. They are so soft

- An Aurora-Lizzie team up! It was all foretold in the prophecy.

- Ooh. We’ve moved on to “making her pay.” Don’t tell me Lizzie’s already went soft just seeing Hope’s face

- I also have a suspicion Lizzie is playing Aurora but I can’t prove it yet.

- So Triad freed Aurora

- “It was scarier when the tarp was over it.” Oh Lizzie 😂😂😂

- We’re back to throwing people to the bottom of the ocean and Lizzie is NOT ON BOARD

- “It might as well be Hope” but there are living Mikaelsons that helped with the whole endless watery grave??? That makes no sense

- The Kaleo-Hizzie parallels this episode where one half can be worried about the “enemy” because they mean something special

- Lizzie beating Aurora? Yes please.”

- Ah! It’s just like my Hizzie fic! Lizzie agrees to join Hope if she fixes her dad!

- Oh, maybe she didn’t mean Aurora

- OH NOPE she did

- Can I be honest and say I really don’t care where Josie goes? If she still has no intention of helping save the day and still refuses to try any character development, then what’s the point? There are other characters willing.

- Alaric and Ted getting drunk and complaining about how unfair the afterlife is to Landon 😂😂😂 Softies.

- Go Finch! Tell her how hypocritical she is!

- SHE GOT TWO BUS TICKETS. I’M SO WEAK FOR THESE GIRLFRIENDS.

- Kaleb stabbing himself so his boyfriend could get away. Poetic.

- Ethan’s gonna lose control??? Depth? To his character? On Legacies?

- The disappointment that comes from watching the Hizzie reunion in Aurora’s body

- OH LIZZIE HAD THE SAME THOUGHTS. BLESS YOU.

- “I hate how many good memories I have of you.” 🥺🥺🥺

- A HIZZIE LOVE CONFESSION?

- DID I JUST HALLUCINATE? A HIZZIE LOVE CONFESSION SWITCHED HER HUAMNITY BACK ON?

- OH.

- OH.

- OH.

- This explains why I was getting notifs from every Legacies platform last night ...

- WHAT A MIDSEASON FINALE.

- Am I the only one who thinks Josie’s whole “discovery” being connected to Hope is nonsense? Like, 100% I buy that leaving would be best for her and her mental health but how does that at all help Hope is she’s gone?

- Oh the Methan parallels

- “I don’t know why I was the one to bring you back.” Maybe ask Hope ...

- “I’ll say something only the real me would know.” Fatum? in this until the bitter end? Deep down I always knew it was you?

- Panda promise. A little disappointing.

- “You contrast her.” Light and dark girlfriends? Sun and moon? Tall and short? Tell us what you mean, Aurora

- FINCH BECOMES ALPHA?

- LIZZIE AND I BOTH GOT PLAYED

- WE GOT PLAYED HARD

- Is it Heretic Lizzie hours?

- It’s Heretic Lizzie hours.

- So the humanity switch is a mental thing? It’s not attached to the body at all?

- Okay, Legacies, how many times are we gonna watch the “Boyfriend?” 😁😁😁 “Yeah ...” thing so down? Can we pick a new format for defining the relationship?

- METHAN ANGST??? EVERYTHING IS ANGST AND I WANT FLUFF.

- “Maybe you’re having anxiety about leaving?” Maybe your twin is dead

- Finch is more understanding than me. If my girlfriend made a big deal out of staying when it's hard and then immediately wanted to run away from her problems, I’d be pissed, definitely not comforting her.

- Landon dumps into Ted’s bowl 🥰🥰🥰

- The Sphinx! I was just thinking about him the other day and that Legacies needed a new prophecy to be excited about and try to solve.

- Jed gay panicking.

- “I had an insurance policy just in case.” VAMPIRE BLOOD.

- “Don’t worry about me.”

- BUT ALL I AM IS HUNGRY. ALL I AM IS HUNGRY. HERETIC LIZZIE.

- I give it like a 2000/10. Heretic Lizzie, Hizzie love confession, Josie doing what’s best for everyone even if it doesn’t make sense, Ethan and Jed getting depth, Kaleb skipping off! I’m afraid to go see how long I have to wait for the next episode ...

[mister-supernova]

Missed Connection

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

Pairing: Hope Mikaelson x Reader 

It’s almost been a month since your encounter with the stranger you believed to be from your dreams. Without any luck of seeing her again, you were beginning to think that maybe that’s all she was; just some mere figment of your imagination that you so desperately wanted to have all the answers you needed. 

As insufferably difficult this summer was for you, you still managed to get through it. You thought it was because school wasn’t in session and that you’d be back in your element in no time once classes begin again. 

That was what you had hoped for anyways, but alas even when the halls were filled with your peers and your routine was back in place, nothing seemed to change. The mysterious void in your chest didn’t ease like you wished it would.

You couldn’t help but wonder if your friends had been feeling the same way, too. Surely there’s no chance that you could be alone in this situation, right? 

“You can’t tell me that things haven’t felt a little weird since Landon destroyed Malivore. He doesn’t even know how it happened, Lizzie.” 

The blonde Saltzman nearly whips you in the face with her hair as she abruptly turns to face you in the crowded hallway. “Y/n, we live in a world where witches, werewolves, and vampires exist. Everything in our lives is bound to have a tiny amount of weirdness.”

She made a good point and you knew that, but you also knew that this feeling was different. It had to be. 

Lizzie frowns at the disappointed look on your face and rests a comforting hand on your shoulder, “Look, the most important thing is that Malivore is gone. No more bizarre monsters coming to kill us every week. Now try to stop overthinking things and let’s get through this school year in peace.”  

Before you knew it, your conversation ended just as quickly as it started and Lizzie was on her way back to class. You hang your head with a defeated sigh, desperately searching the hallway for someone who may be just as lost as you were. Instead, you see everyone going about their first day back like normal. 

Students who were away with their families are now smiling brightly as they reunite with friends. Other groups of friends laugh at a joke another says as they pass you by and you wonder if there was someone you should be doing that with.

The clarity that you sought out today only made you more confused than ever. At this point you wished that it was still summer vacation because seeing your classmates having a great first day back had you thinking that you really were alone with your feelings.  

Maybe you just needed a day to hang out with your friends after class today. They may not share your thoughts on how odd things have felt recently, but being around them definitely helps clear your head. 

“I’m sorry, Y/n. You know Landon and I would be down to watch a movie or something, but we’re going on our official first date today.” Josie tells you, disheartened. 

After the multitude of movie dates the two of them shared throughout the summer, you’re surprised that none of those had been labeled as dates, but you weren’t going to tell her that outloud. The two of them seem to be really happy to be spending so much time together and you weren’t going to get in the middle and be the third wheel no one wants, especially on a first date. 

“No worries, Jo. I’ll ask Lizzie and MG if they’re free.” She gives you a gentle squeeze on your arm with a sympathetic smile before you go off to find her sister. 

Things didn’t seem to be going to plan here either.

“If I hadn’t already agreed to this stupid- I mean,” she grits her teeth with a forced smile, “very cool study date with MG I’d totally hang out with you. God knows I’d rather do anything else.” You knew you weren’t supposed to hear that last part, but Lizzie was always awful at lowering her voice. 

If you weren’t already feeling distraught, this definitely was the cherry on top of your depressing cake of sadness. 

Instead of showing Lizzie that, you plastered the fakest smile you could and responded with, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just… hang out downtown and get myself a milkshake at the Grill or something.” 

Plan “get your friends to distract you from the abrasive thoughts penetrating your brain” had failed, but you weren’t going to let it stop you from at least getting out of the school for a couple of hours. With everyone so busy while classes are back in session, it made you wonder what in the world you did after school before this year. 

As much as you tried hyping up how fun it was going to be hanging out downtown by yourself, it only made you feel even more bummed out. Like everything else you’ve been doing since the night Malivore was destroyed, something felt off and nothing seemed to be your remedy.

Minutes turned to hours and you ended up drinking four full glasses of cookies and cream milkshakes at the Grill, literally falling into a sugar coma at your table outside. The sun was barely setting when you got here, but then it was fully dark out when you were woken up from your sugar rush nap. 

“Jesus, Y/n. I thought you were dead or something.” You lean your head upwards to see that it was Landon who woke you from your slumber. 

“One could not be so lucky, phoenix boy.” You groggily respond, stretching out your muscles and wiping any drool from your cheeks.

Looking at your surroundings, you notice that Josie isn’t around. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?” 

There’s a pained look on Landon’s face at your question, “Yeah, about that… she, uh, she said she wasn’t feeling too good and decided to go back to the school.” 

You raise an eyebrow at him, “What, did you take her to eat sushi or something?” 

That was meant to be a joke, but the look of realization on the curly-haired boy’s face told you all you needed to know. 

“You went to a sushi place.” 

Landon quickly slides into the seat across from yours, “It’s what I suggested. W-Was I not supposed to?”  

“Jo can’t digest any sort of raw food without wanting to convulse. I learned that the hard way when I first started going to the Salvatore school,” you shiver at the memory, “Never again.” 

The phoenix begins falling into a full state of panic, “Oh my God. I didn’t know that! Wh-What am I supposed to do? What if I completely ruined everything? What if she never wants to go on another date with me again? What if-” 

Your patience was thinning very quickly, “Landon, just relax. Take a breather for a second,” you inhale, watching him do the same, and breathe out at the same time, “Go back to the school, check up on her, have a convo about getting some better communication skills and I’m sure everything will be fine.” 

Landon nods, “Okay, okay yeah. That’s good. I’ll, uh, I’ll do that,” he continues to sit across from you until you look at him expectantly, “Do I do that now?”

“For your sake, Josie’s, and especially mine, yes. Now would be great, buddy.” 

“Right, okay. Thanks, Y/n!” He scrambles out of his seat and begins to shuffle away from the Grill. 

“Go get ‘em, Tiger!” You shout with as much enthusiasm you could muster before slumping back into your chair. 

Still dazed from the sugar rush nap and exhausted from that conversation, you lean forward with your elbows on the table and begin wiping the sleep from your eyes using the palms of your hands.

“This is gonna be one hell of a year.”  

“Long day, huh?” You recognize that it’s a girl’s voice you’re hearing, but not one that was familiar to you. 

Moving your hands away from blocking your view, you look up to see the person you convinced yourself was just a figment of your imagination. The long auburn colored hair, fair-skinned, blue eyed girl from your dreams was standing right before you. For a moment, you thought that maybe you really had lost it. 

“Sorry. I just, I saw you sitting here earlier and thought you might want company.”

You’re almost positive that you were staring at her with your mouth hanging open like an absolute idiot. Just say something, dumbass!

“Mind if I join you?” She asks, gesturing towards the now empty chair that Landon left behind. 

“Yes!” 

Idiot! 

“I mean no! No, I uh, I don’t mind.” You chuckle nervously, adjusting yourself in every way possible to hide the fact that you were internally freaking out.

The girl gives you a patient smile before taking the seat in front of you, “So, party of one tonight, huh? I mean, I saw you finish talking to someone right now, but it didn’t seem you two were here together.” 

“Yeah, no. Not together at all or with anyone really,” for some reason you had to make this very clear to her, “That was just a friend of mine who’s having some lady troubles, so I decided to be a good samaritan and give him some positive advice.”

“How chivalrous of you.” Right away you could tell that she was teasing and the nerves you had seconds ago simply began to vanish. 

“Why thank you,” you smile, feeling a wave of warmth when she returns one back, “But yeah, it’s just been me, myself, and I for the night… and day… and probably for the rest of the school year if I’m honest.”

Her smile fades and she tilts her head inquisitively, “What makes you say that?” 

Oh, where to begin. 

“I’ve been asking myself that for a while now actually. Everything should feel perfect given the fact that I have these amazing friends, I go to this incredible school, I’m 100% healthy and not dying of anything that I know of,” you shrug at yourself, “I should be happy with that, but I’m not. It feels so selfish of me to say and I wish I could fix it, but I can’t. How can everything be so close to perfect, but yet there’s still something wrong?” 

The girl stares at you with such empathy and sadness in her eyes that you could swear she was holding something back. 

You continue, “Things also haven’t felt normal lately. My definition of normal anyways. For some reason everything has felt completely off, like I’m missing something. You know when you forget that there’s somewhere you’re supposed to be? Like an event and you don’t realize you’ve forgotten about it until the day of and you say to yourself, ‘oh shit, I can’t believe I forgot about this really important thing’. That’s how I’ve felt ever since summer started,” you notice her tense up slightly, but you continue, “but I can’t remember what I’m forgetting.”

At this point, you were surprised this girl didn’t think you were crazy and start running for the hills. If this were any normal stranger, you wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to overshare the thoughts you’ve been keeping secret from your close friends. For some reason, she made you feel the complete opposite. Strangely enough--given the world you live in--you felt safe with her.

“Everyone at school is making me feel like I’m the only person who feels this way. Everyone else can go back to normal. Everyone else can move on and go on dates and study dates and hang out with their friends and go to class without feeling lost and overall just be… normal.” You finally let go of the breath you had been holding in for what feels like months.

Then you start to laugh at the ridiculousness that just spewed out of your mouth, “Jesus Christ. I’m so sorry. You probably thought you were going to have an innocent ‘nice weather we’re having’ type of conversation, but instead you got a stranger dumping their whole life crisis onto you.” 

“You really don’t have to apologize. Trust me, I understand how insanely messed up life can get and how relieving it is to just vent it all out,” she gives you a reassuring nod with a genuine look of understanding that you’ve been wanting to see for months, “Even if it’s to someone who can potentially be a serial killer.” 

The both of you burst out into a fit of laughs and you swear that you’ve never felt so connected to a person you just met. It was as if your souls had met in another life and were catching up for the first time in a while. Neither of you had a name to place with your faces, but that didn’t seem matter because you already felt like you’ve known this girl for years. 

“I’ve had quite a rough couple of months myself. Not sure if I’d binge drink four cookies and cream milkshakes to numb the pain though.” 

You shrug, “Well, it’s better than the latter option that I can’t even legally purchase because I’m underage. Plus, it helps that these are the best milkshakes in town--even if they are 4 dollars a glass.” 

Now you’re hoping that your old co-worker can cover your bill since you only brought ten dollars with you tonight. Before you could reach for your wallet just to be sure, another thought crossed your mind. 

“Wait. How did you know they were cookies and cream? I know it’s a lot of milk to force inside by body, but I normally leave no trace of evidence behind. Are you a witch or something?” That last part was obviously a joke otherwise she’d be at your school by now.

The girl opens her mouth to speak, but it takes her a moment to come up with an explanation, “It was my best friend’s favorite. Yeah, we used to go out for milkshakes all the time and I guess something about you reminds me of them.” 

You smile, flattered, “Well, might I say, your best friend has amazing taste,” she purses her lips into a tightened smile and lowers her gaze, almost as is the memories of this said ‘best friend’ pained her to think about, “I’m assuming things aren’t so great with them right now?”

She sighs at the thought, “We were close for a long time. I’m actually surprised that they stayed as long as they did. I probably gave them a million reasons to bail, but they were annoyingly persistent,” she chuckles, “I’ll admit, it took me a while to settle into our friendship, but the moment I did was something I would never regret. From that point on the only thing that could separate us was death.” 

Judging by her heavy use of past tense words, you could only think the worst happened, “Did they, you know, um…?” You didn’t want to ask the full question seeing that she was clearly still hurt by the absence of this person. 

She shakes her head, “No. No, it turned out death wasn’t the only factor that was able to keep us apart. We meant a lot to each other and later realized that there was more to us than just friendship. Eventually, things started becoming serious but me being the person I am, I pushed them away and left.”

“Have you tried reaching out to them again?” You thought that there was no way two people who felt those intense feelings could completely forget about each other.

“Once, but things changed. They took one look at me and acted as if I never existed.” Maybe it was the empath in you, but it broke your heart seeing a small pool of tears building up in her eyes. You wished that you could say something to make her feel better and tell her that everything will be okay, but how could you when you don’t know her?

She quickly wipes the tears before they could fall and takes in a deep breath that you instinctively mirrored to compose yourselves. 

“I guess it’s my turn to say sorry, huh? I feel like my baggage was a little heavier than yours there,” she sniffs, huffing out a light chuckle. 

“Well, if we’re giving out medals here, you’ve got the gold. That’s for sure,” you grin, hoping to lighten up the mood.

Her laugh--that you could tell was genuine--gave you the assurance you needed. 

“I feel like I should give you a hug. I mean, if you’re cool with that,” you suggest, ready to push yourself out of your seat, “Because I could kind of use one and I’m just assuming--” 

“That would be great, yeah,” the girl nods with a relieved smile. 

“Alright, great.”

The two of you stand, moving around the table to meet each other in the middle. Her head seemed to fit perfectly against your chest as her arms pressed behind your back. All of the weight that had been piling up on your shoulders began to fall at your feet and the tension from stress that built up inside your chest began fading away. How this could happen from an interaction with a complete stranger, you had absolutely no idea. 

“Is it weird if I say this doesn’t feel weird?” You ask with the side of your head leaned against hers. 

“Well, I think things are only weird when someone makes it weird.” 

You pause for a moment, “Do you think this feels weird?”

She laughs and you know for a fact that she could hear your heart skip a beat, “No. I don’t.”

You fight the goofy grin from appearing on your face, but fail miserably, “Okay, good.” 

Part of you was afraid of what’ll happen the moment you separate. You had no idea when would be the next time you see this girl or if there was going to be a next time. This was the first day in a while when you didn’t feel lost, instead you felt that this was exactly where you needed to be. You felt normal.

Before you could actually start making things weird, you begin to pull away from her embrace, “Well, tonight I learned that I can click with a stranger within a span of ten minutes give or take, so thank you for that.”

She smiles, “Thank you, too.”

“I think it’s safe to say that we’re at the point of learning each other’s names now.” 

“Yes, because why start with those when we could just tell our whole life stories and share an intimate hug first?”

“Exactly! Actually, you know what? I think we should get married in Vegas really quick and we’ll just figure out our names during the vows section of the wedding ceremony. Whatever we come up with in the moment will just be how we refer to each other for the rest of our lives,” you joke. 

“You’re absolutely right.” Wow, a girl who can keep up with your sarcasm without thinking you’re a complete--huge emphasis on complete--idiot? She is the girl of your dreams--literally and metaphorically. 

You stared down at her in wonder, hoping to God that you’re not dreaming and that this interaction has been real, “It’s, uh, it’s Y/n by the way. My name. Y/n L/n.” 

“Hope. Hope Marshall,” she reveals and a victorious smile appears on your lips when you finally have a name to match a face. 

Your smile quickly drops when the clock tower starts going off and you realize that it’s nearly midnight, “Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you tonight, Hope. I'm sorry to cut the rest of the evening short, but my school just got a new headmaster and unfortunately he’s a lot more strict on our curfew than our previous one. Don’t want to turn into a pumpkin, you know?” 

She chuckles, “No worries at all. It was nice meeting you, too, Y/n,” Hope smiles and you can tell that she didn’t want to leave. If you were being honest, you really didn’t want to either. 

Neither of you could find the energy to be the first person to walk away. To do that would be like trying to separate two annoyingly strong and stubborn magnets apart.

As much as you wanted to spend the whole night learning more about each other, you also didn’t want to be put in detention on the first day back at school. 

Unwillingly, you take the first step backwards without wanting to fully turn away from your newfound acquaintance, “Thanks again for the chat. I hope to see you again very soon, Marshall.”  

Hope rolls her eyes, but can’t contain a smile, “Only if you’re lucky.”

“I think I like my chances,” you wink playfully before turning your heel to make your way back to the school feeling the most energized you’ve felt in a long time.

~

apologies for the later update than usual with this series and I apologize in advance if it takes a while for part 6 to be posted. I’m in a bit of a writing funk right now and my mind is currently locked onto the Wilds soooo there may or may not be imagines for that fandom coming from me soon. anyways, happy late 2021 and here’s to hoping this year isn’t complete shit! much love y’all

taglist: @chicken-wang09​ @trikruismybitch​ @sodangtired​

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Sweet Pea//the other one

Request: Where the reader is Josies sister, but best friends with Sweet Pea, Toni and Fangs and is secretly in love with Sweet Pea and well Josie does not know this and you can take it from here :)

hey! so this is angstyyyy, but it was fun to write! and just a warning, there is no happy ending, sorry! have a wonderful day/night! 

part 2!

Being a McCoy, you get used to knowing everybody’s business, whether by accident or on purpose (eavesdropping on your mom’s meetings), but something’s happened recently that neither you nor the rest of the serpents can figure out. 

Sweet Pea has changed, everyone has noticed it. Over the summer it was a relatively good change. Yeah, you didn’t really see him much because he was busy doing odd jobs at all times of the day, but when you did see him, he was the happiest he’d ever been. He actually smiled, and not just at you, Toni or Fangs, but to everyone...even Reggie. He was also chatty, and he’d never been chatty in the entire time you’d known him. 

It was like a whole new side to him and another side for you to fall for. 

His smile was as bright as the sun and made you feel just as warm, and you were so glad that other people were seeing it too. Because yes, the brooding bad boy act is very attractive on him...but a smile is just wonderful.  

But then as quickly as Summer was over, it just disappeared. School started again and he went back to being the same old Sweet Pea. He didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t smile. He just sat in the background, not really engaging in anyone’s conversations. 

If anything he seemed sad. He no longer smiled when Fangs told him a stupid joke, or laughed at Toni’s sometime’s questionable outfits she was only wearing to make Cheryl happy. He stopped hanging out at the the Wyrm on Friday nights and avoided going to the weekly bonfire’s at the Quarry. 

He was just existing. And to say you were worried was an understatement. For weeks you, Toni and Fangs had tried multiple times to try and get him to talk about what was happening. There was clearly something off and given Riverdale’s history, you were all worried he’d gotten himself into something he couldn’t get out of.

But whenever you asked he just seemed to shut down. He’d become cagey and short, dismissing whatever you’d said with a shrug and an annoyed ‘i’m fine’.

You asked around the other serpents, wondering if they’d seen anything odd happening but they were all as clueless as you were. And this time your problem couldn’t be solved by hanging outside of your mom’s meetings. 

Josie had told you multiple to just stay out of whatever was going on as he clearly didn’t want you to know. But she had never liked Sweet Pea anyway so she probably just didn’t care, and just wanted you to shut up about him. 

You’d been friends with the serpents for years. Even when everyone hated them you proudly called, Sweet Pea, Toni and Fangs your best friends. You sat with them at lunch, hung out with them after school, despite what your mom, sister and friends had to say. 

“Sweet Pea never showed up today. Did you see him?” Toni asks and you shake your head, despite her not being able to see. A cold breeze blows through your hair and you look around. 

Tent city looks far creepier at night that it does at day and you’re glad you can see Sweet Pea’s not so far away. 

“Nope.” You reply and rearrange the bags in your hand. “What about Fangs? He might have seen him.” 

“I already text him. He said he hasn’t seen him either.” She replies and you let out a disappointed huff. “Do you think he’s okay?” She asks after a few seconds of silence. 

“I dunno.” You say honestly. “There’s clearly something not right. But I’ve bought all of his favourite snacks, and I’ve brought my laptop so we can watch whatever he wants and hopefully that’ll cheer him up. Or maybe just get him to talk.” You smile down at the bags you’re holding, hope blooming in your chest. 

“Hopefully.” She mumbles and you hear her move around. “Did you get Fangs’ a snack too while you were shopping?” 

“What do you think?” 

“Hopefully yes? You know what he’s like.” She replies and the two of you laugh. 

“Yes, I got his favourite. And I got your favourite too.” 

“Aww. You really are the best friend a girl could have.” She teases. 

“I know.” You shrug. “It really is an honor to be my friend, I hope you know this.” 

“Of course I do.” She replies. “We all do. Wait, don’t you have an English project due tomorrow?” 

“Yeah? And?” 

“And have you started it yet?” She asks and you roll your eyes. 

“...no.” You mumble and she tuts down the phone. “Shut up...mom.” 

“Oh, if I was your mother you’d know about it. You wouldn’t be abandoning school projects for some boy.” She scolds, making you roll your eyes again. 

“Do you really think my mom knows where I am? She may have become indifferent towards the Southside but do you really think she’d approve of her daughter hanging out with a serpent instead of doing school work.” You ask and she hums in reply. 

“Fair enough.” She laughs. “Where does she think you are?” 

“She thinks I’m with Betty, having a study date.” 

“Clever.” She nods. “Y/n?” She asks, her voice becoming suddenly serious and anxiety rises in your chest. You hate that tone, no matter who’s using it. But Toni only ever uses it whenever she wants to talk about two things, your feelings or Sweet Pea. “Do you still like Sweet Pea?” She sounds almost like she’s forcing the words out and your mouth goes dry. 

Toni and Fangs weren’t ever meant to know just how hard you’d fallen for Sweet Pea. But apparently when you’re drunk you get sad and spill your guts about every feeling you’ve ever had for anyone. 

You told Fangs how you thought he was cute when you first met and how you thought Toni was very pretty when you first met her. By the next morning the could recite the names of all your crushes dating back to kindergarten and not even you knew their names, but apparently when you’re drunk you do. 

It ended in Toni and Fangs taking you back to hers and you telling them that you were in love with Sweet Pea before passing out on her bathroom floor. The next morning while you were hungover and dying, they made you have the most painful interaction you’d ever had with anybody ever. 

But through your liquified brain you told them the truth. 

Yes you did like Sweet Pea, you probably even loved him. 

Now there’s no probably about it. You know you love him. 

A part of you thinks you always have but you were just too afraid of what people would say. You’d never be allowed to date a serpent, especially because of who you were and what your family name meant to this town. You’d be the outcast, you already were because of the people you were friends with. 

Now though, the residents of Riverdale have been dragged to the 21st century and very slowly, they’re realizing that it doesn’t really matter what side of the town you’re from. 

Although you’re still not sure your mom would be very pleased if you came home and introduced Sweet Pea as your boyfriend...not that that would happen anytime soon anyway. 

“I er. Yeah.” You stutter.

“Okay.” She says awkwardly and both of you go quiet, not really sure what to say next. “I-” 

“Shhh.” You cut her off, the sound of twigs crunching makes you pause and look up. Your eyebrows furrow as you watch your sister walk towards Sweet Pea’s trailer. 

“Y/n? Are you okay?” Toni asks, panic rising in her voice with each word. 

“Yeah. I’ll er. I’ll call you back later.” You say, not taking your eyes away from Josie. You can hear Toni asking what’s wrong but you don’t answer, instead you hang up and can already hear the lecture you’re going to get from her the next time you see her. 

“Hey, Sweet Pea.” She smiles and disappears into the tent. You pick up your pace until you’re stood outside. You’re about to go in but something in you tells you to wait and see what happens. “Hope you don’t mind me dropping by like this?” 

“Always happy to see you, Josie.” Sweet Pea replies and you scrunch your face up in confusion. Since when has Sweet Pea and Josie ever hung out? They usually leave the room as soon as the other one turns up, even after the feud between the North and the Southside. 

You always assumed its just because they simply didn’t get along, that was fine. Not everyone is going to like each other, but something about this feels odd, you just can’t quite put your finger on it. “Especially if this is a...” He trails off, but there’s a playfulness in his tone that you thought was only reserved for you. You heart sinks and you look at the the brown leaves wet and rotting on the floor. 

“A booty call?” Josie replies and your eyes widen.

“Wouldn’t be the first one we’ve had since our Summer fling ended.” He laughs and the realisation sinks in. You’ve been so stupid. For years you’ve fawned over and followed Sweet Pea, constantly trying to cheer him up or make him laugh and get him to see the real you. 

And he has, he’s been looking at it all those years, he just didn’t like it. He preferred Josie instead. Smarter, prettier Josie who’s way more popular and talented and just better than you at everything, including liking Sweet Pea it seems. Tears prick at your eyes and you sniffle, wanting nothing more than to run away and hide, but you can’t. Your feet are stuck, despite the rest of your body screaming at you to run.

Run as far away from them as possible. Run until no one can find you. Just run.  

“Well, it’s not.” She says awkwardly. “Um...I don’t know if you’ve heard, but my mom is getting married, to Kevin’s dad. And I wanted to know if you would be my date to the wedding.”

“As your boyfriend?” He asks hopefully. 

“Does it have to be so official?” 

“Look, Josie...I like you. And I’d be all in with you in a second, but...but you sliding into my life whenever you don’t wanna be alone. I’m not built that way. Maybe that makes me needy, but I just, I gotta get off this merry-go-round with you.” He sighs and tears run down your cheeks. 

“Okay.” She agrees. “You are still invited to the wedding though...if you’d like to come.” 

“Yeah, I er. Y/n already invited me anyway.” He shrugs and anger fills your chest. You know you probably shouldn’t, but you just see red and the next thing you know you’re storming through the door, much to the surprise of them both. 

“Yeah I did.” You seethe.

“Y/n?” Josie asks, her eyes wide as she scrambles to think of an excuse. “I was jus-” 

“What are you doing here?” Sweet Pea jumps up from his bed and stands in front of you. 

“I came here to cheer you up, you ass.” You sob and throw the bags to the floor. “I brought all you’re favourite things and I thought we could hang out because you’ve been so sad recently and nobody knows why and we were all so worried about you. But now I do. It’s because of her. And you guys didn’t even tell me. Do you know how worried I’ve been about you?” 

“Sorry?” He asks and you shake your head at him, sending him a glare he’s only ever seen a handful of times and never directed at him.  

“All those jobs you said you were doing over the summer. It was just a cover wasn’t it?” You cry and he looks over at Josie before nodding slowly. 

“Unbelievable.” You laugh bitterly before turning your attention to Josie. She stands a little straighter when you look at her, trying her best to have the upper hand here, but she’s more worried that you’re going to go and tell your mom. 

“And you? Really Josie. You go for years hating his guts. You give me so much shit for even talking to him, and you’re screwing him?” 

“I er-I.” She stutters.

“I’m such an idiot.” You sigh. “You know a part of me thought you were happier because of me.” 

“Y/n.” Sweet Pea tries to reach you but you quickly move away from him. 

“Don’t.” You warn. 

“Wait, why are you so upset with us? We’ve been getting along, you’ve been wanting that to happen for ages.” Josie asks. 

“Because I am!” You shout. “Because you’re the worst sister in the world. You know when we were younger I could never have my own toys. If I had a doll, you had to have it. Even if mom got you one that was exactly the same. On my birthday you had to get your own present otherwise you would steal mine, and even then you’d still steal mine. And I thought, yeah that’s fine. That’s what sisters do and we were just kids then. But then we got older and we had to share friends and finally when I thought I would be able to be liked for being me. Everyone seemed to realize that you were the most interesting out of us. You had a band, and you’re so talented and pretty and just like-able and I’m none of those things.” 

“Y/n, that’s not true.” Josie starts, her voice remaining calm despite your loud cries. “It’s not true is it Sweet Pea?” She hisses and Sweet Pea jumps at the tone. 

“What, no of course not.” He says, also moving to stand in front of you. Each of them rest a hand on your shoulder but it does nothing to calm you down, if anything it makes you angrier. Years of resentment that’s been simmering under the surface has come to a boiling point. 

“Get off!” You shout and they quickly move away.

“And then I got my own friends, a group of people who liked me for who I was and who I could be myself with. I wasn’t just the other McCoy. You know, the mayor, the one in the band and the other one. But then nobody liked them and everyone told me I was horrible for wanting to be friends with them.” 

“Y/n. Please just breathe.” Sweet Pea tries again, resting a gentle hand on your upper arm and you suck in a breath. 

You’ve never seen him look so worried and you hate yourself for doing that to him, despite what’s just happened. Another set of tears roll down your cheeks and your shoulders slump. Sweet Pea wraps his arms around you, pulling you in for a proper hug and him and Josie share a confused expression. 

“Woah.” Fangs’ confused tone cuts through the awkward atmosphere and him and Toni glance at each other before looking and Sweet Pea and then Josie. “We thought you could do with some company. Plus Toni told me that Y/n bought me some Twizzlers and I couldn’t wait until tomorrow. ”

“Forget about the Twizzlers Fangs.” Toni rolls her eyes and he lets out a disappointed whine. “What’s she doing here?” Toni asks and Josie looks at the floor. 

“Leaving.” Josie nods at them. “I’ll see you around Sweet Pea.” 

“No you’re not.” You reply and move away from Sweet Pea to grab her wrist. “I know why Sweet Pea went from being so happy to being so depressed.” You fake a cheery tone. Sweet Pea and Josie sigh and look at the floor, while Toni and Fangs just look at you confused. 

“It’s because him and Josie were hooking up. But she’s dumped him and that’s what’s made him so sad.” 

“Wait really?” Fangs eyes widen. Toni grabs your hand and you send her a watery smile. 

“Okay.” You take a shaky breath. “I’ve had enough of chasing after things that clearly aren’t real. So, I’m the one leaving. I’ll see you at home Josie, and don’t worry, I won’t tell mom.” You watch as she lets out a relived sigh and gives you a thankful smile before quickly leaving. 

You turn to face Sweet Pea who’s already staring at you. His deep brown eyes scan over your body and it makes your face hot. He’s desperately trying to figure out what’s wrong and you have a feeling the tight feeling that’s settled in your chest, has a matching one sitting in his.  

“Goodbye Sweet Pea.” You say the three most painful words you can possibly think of. They taste like ash on your tongue but as soon as they’re out you feel the weight lift a little. 

Being in love is nothing like it is in movies. It’s not a secret language that only the two of you know, or spending the entire day with somebody and never wanting it to end. 

You thought it was, but it’s not. It’s far more painful than that, especially if the person you’re in love with looks at someone else the way you look at them. 

“Where are you going?” He laughs confused. 

“I really, really hope she changes her mind.” You smile through your tears and despite everything it’s a genuine wish. He’s still your best friend after all, and you want him to be happy even if it’s not with you. 

“What?” His voice breaks as he watches you leave. Toni follows after you and you force yourself to keep staring ahead. Focus on the run down sign up ahead that creaks in the wind and is one storm away from falling down.  

“Can someone tell me what I’ve done wrong.” Sweet Pea asks. 

“You went after the wrong sister, you idiot.” 

[ghostchasersmagazine]

Opinions on Fangface??

Fangface is a show that’s been on my radar for a little while now and I knew I’d get to eventually since it is definitely something that ticks the boxes for shows I talk about on this blog - a monster kid, teenagers solving mysteries, Jerry Dexter voicing one of the characters. 

I’ve seen three of the episodes now (6,7, and 8), and so far I’m liking it. I like the take on the werewolf transformation the show has, with it being a psychological sort of deal with the whole Jekyll and Hyde thing it has going on. I especially like how the transformation can be triggered by just images of the sun and moon as well, again playing into the psychological side of being a werewolf.

The fact that it’s a show with a werewolf protagonist leads to a lot of fun mysteries that couldn’t be done in most of the other Mystery Teen shows, too - in the episodes I’ve seen so far there’s been dinosaurs, supervillains, and space creatures. It’s also an excuse to use sound effects from shows like Superfriends, which is always a bonus in my book since I have a ton of nostalgia for that series. These scenarios gave me strong The New Shmoo vibes, which makes sense given that they aired about the same time (though I think that Fangface did come out first).

The character designs are good as well, which I expected since I tend to like the designs in this kind of show. Puggsy’s design is probably my favorite since its the most unique amongst the Mystery Teen-type designs. The designs for Fangface is both his human form and werewolf form are good too, I like the backwards cap and lone fang. Kim stands out at least a little bit since she has darker skin which is rare in these shows, and Biff’s design is perfectly serviceable - not particularly memorable but nice enough.

Character-wise I do like Puggsy’s character, I like his talking mannerism of saying similar-but-not-quite-right words and his snarky-ness works well for comedic purposes. I mostly like his and Fangface’s dynamic, though that thing where Fangface always tries to attack him right after transforming is a little weird to me. According to Wikipedia their relationship and Puggsy’s character in general is supposed to be based on something I’ve never heard of before, so I suppose that’s a sign of good writing if I can still enjoy it without getting the reference. 

The main criticism I have with Fangface so far is that I wish the show did more with Kim and Biff, because there’s very little if anything going on with them. It is true that the comedic relief + companion characters often get the most screen time in these shows and that the “main guy and girl have limited personality” criticism can be applied to most of them as well, but at least those other shows will show what the two of them are doing while the group is split up to get some character interaction out of them. In the three episodes I saw there was basically none of that for Kim and Biff. The only thing I really remember about Kim is that she says “Willikers” as her catchphrase, and the only thing I really got from Biff is that he’s voiced by Jerry Dexter, so almost every time he was on screen my main thought was “yeah that’s Alan from Josie and the Pussycats all right” (aside from the one time it was “yeah that’s Ted from Goober and the Ghost Chasers all right”).

But like I said though, I am enjoying it so far. I debated whether or not I should post screenshots and stuff from it on this blog since it’s not actually Hanna Barbera but Ruby Spears, and I came down on the side of yes, if only because Ruby and Spears were the co-creators of Scooby Doo and thus it seems fair to include their other Mystery Teen show. The Fangface group can be honorary HB mystery solvers if you will.

[mikauzoran]

Lukadrien: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Eight

Read it on AO3: Zebras Can’t Change Their Stripes: Chapter Eight

Once the sun rose, Adrien gave up on getting any more fitful sleep and rolled out of bed to get dressed for the day.

Plagg grumbled groggily at being disturbed, but, instead of resettling and drifting off again like he would have done back in the day, Plagg relocated to Adrien’s hair, doing a little circle before curling up to resume his slumber atop Adrien’s head.

Adrien smiled fondly at his kwami as he took care not to jostle Plagg too much.

Plagg had definitely been more clingy since their reunion. It used to be that Plagg would go off exploring on his own or stay behind in Adrien’s room or bag while Adrien showered or ate dinner or attended class or practiced fencing.

Over the past few days, Plagg hadn’t let Adrien out of his sight. He’d even gone so far as to follow Adrien from one room to the next in the small flat, even when Adrien just went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

It was reassuring in a way. It warmed Adrien’s heart and really drove home how much Plagg cared.

“Marc’s probably still here, so you’ll have to hide when we go out into the main room,” Adrien cautioned as he went to his closet and picked out clothes for the day.

Plagg hummed disinterestedly but obediently phased into Adrien’s left shoulder to hide when they exited Adrien’s bedroom.

 There was no sign of life in the apartment, so Adrien quietly brushed his teeth and combed his hair before heading to the kitchen. He took inventory of their supplies, made a shopping list in the notes app of his phone, and then left a note on the counter informing Luka and Marc that he had gone to the store.

When he got back, the flat was still silent and devoid of movement, so he took up residence in the kitchen. He snacked on the mediocre croissant that he’d picked up at the store and missed Marinette more and more by the second as he prepared big batches of three different kinds of soup.

Adrien figured that they could have some of the soup now and freeze the rest in individual portions for later, if and when they were feeling too drained to cook. He reasoned that it would be good to have something healthy and nutritious on hand if Adrien were ever out and Luka needed something quick and easy to eat.

Marc emerged from Luka’s room a little after eleven o’clock and sheepishly greeted Adrien.

“Looks like you’re being industrious already. It smells like an Indian restaurant in here, and it’s got my mouth watering,” Marc chuckled.

Adrien blushed, using his wrist to sweep a few stray hairs back out of his face. “I’m glad you approve. I know my cooking can be a little fragrant, but I’ve always loved ethnic food. Cumin and coriander are two of my favourite things, and Luka’s liked the dishes I’ve made so far, so…”

He shifted nervously, feeling a little awkward and out of place.

“I just want to be helpful,” Adrien hastened to explain. “I feel really anxious when I’m sitting around being useless.”

Marc crossed the living room into the kitchen and rested a reassuring hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “You are far from useless. Don’t ever think that about yourself, Adrien.”

Adrien gave him a tentative smile, not sure whether he believed Marc was right. “Thank you. …How’s Luka doing?”

Marc winced, pulling away to rock back on his heels. “He’s…been better. He’ll live, though. I’m going to get him out of bed and up and dressed.”

Adrien nodded, turning again to the pot on the stove and pointedly avoiding Marc’s gaze. “I’m so sorry. I should have done a better job looking out for him last night. I said I was going to watch him until you got there, but…I guess I didn’t realize I’d let him have too much.”

Marc’s hand was back on Adrien’s shoulder in an instant, giving it a bolstering squeeze. “Adrien, no. Seriously. That wasn’t your fault, so please don’t blame yourself.”

Timidly, Adrien met Marc’s gaze. “You’re not mad at me?”

Marc shook his head, giving Adrien a tired smile. “Listen, Kid. Luka…”

He took a deep breath and slowly sighed it out, shaking his head. “Luka has problems. Maybe you’ve noticed, but he puts all of his energy into taking care of other people and never bothers to take care of himself. He’s been imploding for a couple months now, but this is just the culmination of years of unhealthy behavior and putting himself last.”

Adrien cringed, recognizing what Marc was describing because Luka had been that way for as long as Adrien had known him, but having Marc spell it out like that put it in a new light.

“You can’t make him care about himself, and you can’t make his problems your own responsibility,” Marc explained gently. “Try to save someone from drowning, and they might pull you down with them. All you can do is throw them a life raft and try to tow them in. You get what I’m saying?”

Adrien’s teeth sank into his bottom lip as he tried to absorb Marc’s words.

Hesitantly, he nodded. “I think I understand what you’re getting at.”

Marc smiled and gave Adrien’s shoulder a pat. “You’re a good person with a big heart, and I know it can be hard to say no when someone asks you for something, but you have to know your own limits. If it ever gets to be too much for you to handle, please call me or Jacob or Josie. You don’t have to go it alone to be useful or pay Luka back for giving you a place to stay or anything like that. Okay?”

A grateful smile slowly stretched across Adrien’s lips, and he nodded again, more certain this time. “Thank you, Marc. I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good,” Marc affirmed, giving Adrien’s arm a pat before stepping back and making to return to Luka’s room. “Well, I’m going to go get Luka up. Happy cooking.”

“I can start on breakfast, if you’d like,” Adrien volunteered, sensing an opportunity to be helpful. “Do you have any food sensitivities? I was reading up on good hangover foods. Do you want me to make some coffee?”

Marc blinked, surprised, before bursting out into a hardy laugh. “You’re wonderful. Thank you so much Adrien. That would actually help out a lot. Coffee would be fantastic, and I eat anything so long as it’s not green pepper or olives.”

Marc gave a shudder at the mere mention of the foods.

“Got it,” Adrien confirmed with a chuckle. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes and then start so that it’s not cold by the time you’re ready for it.”

 “I am so sorry for anything and everything I said or did last night,” Luka blurted out, hanging his head as he took a seat at the island.

Adrien waved away Luka’s apology. “You’re fine. I promise you didn’t do anything embarrassing, so don’t worry about it.”

Luka was about to protest and apologize again, but Adrien cut him off. “How are you feeling?”

Luka grimaced. “Like a freight train ran over my skull. I guess it serves me right for drinking so much. I swear I’m not normally like this.”

Marc focused his attention on his coffee and kindly refrained from calling Luka out for stretching the truth.

Adrien, mercifully, didn’t press the issue either. “Here.”

He set an egg, spinach, tomato, bacon, and avocado sandwich down in front of Luka.

“I looked into hangover cures a little this morning, and the internet said that this should help you feel better.”

He next fetched a cup of coffee, a glass of water, and some pain killers.

“The articles I read said you should make sure to hydrate too, so hopefully something here helps.” Adrien finished with a tentative smile, still feeling uneasy and desperate to be useful even after Marc’s pep talks.

Luka’s bloodshot eyes filled with warmth and gratitude as he gazed at Adrien.

“Thank you, Angel. You’re amazing,” he breathed, humbled by Adrien’s thoughtfulness and the amount of care Adrien had put into the meal.

Adrien perked up at the praise, and a bit of the edge came off his anxiety at this affirmation of his worth.

“You’re welcome. I’m happy to help,” he insisted.

“Luka’s lucky to have you,” Marc added approvingly, nodding towards his own breakfast sandwich. “And it’s a huge relief to know that I don’t have to worry about Luc eating anymore. You make some delicious, nutritious food, Adrien.”

A pleased blush spread across Adrien’s cheeks as he took a seat and started in on his own meal. “Thanks, Marc. Like I said, I’m really happy to be helpful.”

As breakfast wound down, Marc turned to Luka. “I need to head home. Are you going to be okay?”

Luka started to nod but stopped when it made him feel dizzy. “Yes. Thanks, Marc. I really appreciate you, and I’m sorry that that happened.” He lowered his voice to shamefully add, “again”.

Marc rolled his eyes and gently tussled Luka’s hair. “You’re good. You’re always there for me, aren’t you?”

Luka frowned. “Yes, but—”

“—No buts,” Marc tsked, getting to his feet and ghosting a quick kiss against Luka’s temple. “I’ll text to check on you later. Take care, all right?”

Marc turned to Adrien and raised a hand in parting. “I’ll see you Tuesday for practice. Thanks for everything, Adrien. Just text if you need anything, okay?”

Adrien nodded, waving back as Marc made his way to the door. “Thank you, Marc.”

Suddenly, the flat was awkwardly quiet.

“…He’s not the Marc you dated before, is he?” it suddenly occurred to Adrien to ask.

He wasn’t sure why he abruptly felt threatened by Marc, but he did. He was jealous of the way Luka trusted Marc implicitly while Adrien was kept at a bit of a distance. Adrien wanted to be able to take care of Luka the way Marc did.

Adrien understood what Marc had said about Luka wanting Adrien to respect him and think he was cool and not see him as a mess, but…Adrien couldn’t help but long for Luka to rely on Adrien. Adrien wanted to be trusted like that.

Luka winced. “No. The Marc I dated was a different Marc. Our Marc is straight, and he’s only had eyes for his wife Wakana for a little over a decade now.”

“Oh. Okay. Just wondering,” Adrien explained, trying to shrug it off like an inconsequential whim as he set about cleaning up from that morning’s cooking binge.

“The only person in the band I’ve dated is Jacob—a youthful folly of mine,” Luka attempted to excuse himself. “A lapse of judgment.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “I remember you talking about him when we were teenagers. You slept with him.”

Luka crumpled, his ears starting to glow red.

“You only sleep with people you’re in love with,” Adrien pressed, finding a strange pleasure in making Luka squirm.

“What is love but an extended lapse of judgment?” Luka muttered.

“You don’t actually believe that.” Adrien sniffed indignantly. “You told me once that being in love lifted you to a higher plane of existence.”

“I say a lot of dumb things when I’m in love,” Luka grumbled into his coffee.

“I thought it was beautiful,” Adrien hummed softly. “Sixteen-year-old Adrien swooned when you said things like that.”

Luka choked, spraying coffee onto the counter. “Seriously?”

Adrien peeked back over his shoulder with an impish grin. “Mmhm. You were my biromantic awakening. I thought everything you said was so cool and wise and suave.”

“And now you know better,” Luka chuckled darkly, sopping up the coffee splatter with his napkin as he internally mourned the missed opportunity to sweep Adrien off of his feet.

“Not necessarily.” Adrien smiled as he grabbed a damp cloth and helped with the cleanup.

Luka quirked an eyebrow. “How could you possibly still think I was suave or cool or wise after seeing me last night?”

Adrien shrugged. “After all this time, you’re still the you I remember from back then. You haven’t changed much…and you saved me last week by taking me in. That buys you a lot of grace with me, so I’m willing to overlook last night’s indiscretion and give you a pass.”

Luka winced, squeezing his coffee mug reflexively as he bowed his head. “Thank you, Adrien. Again, I’m really sorry that you had to see that.”

Adrien leaned across the island to tip Luka’s chin up.

“No apologies needed.”

Luka’s eyes widened as his gaze flicked back and forth between Adrien’s eyes and mouth.

Adrien pulled back with a soft smile. “I know you’ve been suffering since The Breakup, so I’m proud of you for keeping it together all week while I’ve been here. You’re doing a good job, Luka.”

Luka dropped his gaze once more. “I’m glad one of us thinks so.”

“You’re biased, so my opinion is the only one that counts,” Adrien announced, going back to rinsing dishes and loading the dishwasher.

Luka chuckled and drained his coffee mug. “I’m not the only biased party here. At some point in time, you actually thought I was suave.”

Luka got up, disposed of his trash, and came over to the sink to rinse his plate and cup.

With some trepidation, Adrien turned to look at Luka. “I still think you’re suave. Like when you told me the other day that I deserved to have nice things and that I deserved things I didn’t necessarily need just because I wanted them and when you bought me my Chat Noir the Third plushie so that I’d have a reminder that I was loved.” He swallowed and reiterated, “I still think you’re amazing, Luka.”

Fighting down a rampant blush, Luka stepped in and pulled Adrien into a hug.

He couldn’t be sure if Adrien was just projecting onto Luka because Luka had given him a home and food and luxuries Adrien had been denied the past four years, so Luka didn’t want to read into what Adrien had said. He didn’t want to get himself hurt by allowing himself to misinterpret Adrien’s feelings.

“God, you’re so sweet,” Luka sighed into Adrien’s hair. “What did I do to deserve you?”

“You’re my friend,” Adrien replied simply, like it was obvious.

Adrien pulled back and looked up, finally asking the question that had been bothering him since the previous night: “You’re not mad at me, are you?”

Luka’s mouth dropped open. “What? No. P5, why would you think I was mad at you?”

Adrien went back to the dishes, shaking his head. “I just…last night you said that I was going to hurt you. It was kind of confusing. You didn’t seem mad. You seemed more sad than anything, and you kept telling me you loved me, but…I’m sorry. It just bothered me.”

He looked searchingly at Luka. “Do you have any idea why you would have said that I was going to hurt you?”

Luka scrubbed at his face with his hands, mentally kicking himself while simultaneously thanking his lucky stars that Papillon and akumatization were a thing of the past because he was so mortified in that moment that he’d surely register as a target.

“I am so sorry, Adrien,” Luka replied through the spaces between his fingers. ��I was drunk. I have no idea what I was thinking, but I promise you I didn’t mean it, and I’m not mad at you. I probably thought I was talking to someone else. I’m really sorry.”

He held his breath and hoped that Adrien bought it because Luka couldn’t bring himself to admit what he had told his other bandmates about his doomed feelings for Adrien and Adrien’s impending relationship with Marinette once they were reunited.

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “…So…you’re not mad?”

Luka dropped his hands from his face and shook his head. “Adrien, you’ve been an absolute blessing. Why would I be mad at you?”

Adrien pursed his lips. “I don’t know.”

“I don’t either,” Luka assured. “…So…are we okay?”

“…Yeah,” Adrien decided. “Yeah, I think we are.”

“Good,” Luka sighed in relief, feeling like he’d avoided an apocalyptic catastrophe.

“…So…what happened with you and Jacob?” Adrien easily slid back into their former topic of conversation. “You were in love with him, and then…? What? You two seem cool now. Like, not awkward or anything.”

Luka shrugged, grabbing a plate and rinsing it off before handing it to Adrien to put in the dishwasher.

He didn’t exactly relish discussing his love life with Adrien, but it was better than having to explain his drunken indiscretions of the night before.

“Nothing really happened with me and Jacob. We were young teenagers in love…and then we weren’t anymore. We grew up a little, started wanting different things, grew apart… It was a mutual breakup. We decided we still cared about each other and wanted to stay friends, but it wasn’t working romantically anymore,” Luka explained with a shrug. “It happens.”

Adrien nodded, happy to finally understand the dynamic between Jacob and Luka. It had been one thing when Jacob was just a name casually mentioned in Luka’s stories, but now that Jacob had a face to go along with the name, it felt different, and Adrien was glad to be able to fit Luka and Jacob’s relationship into a clearly defined box.

“Have you kissed him since you guys broke up?” Adrien inquired, continuing to air his morbid curiosity while they were on the subject of Luka’s love life.

Luka groaned. “A handful of times? Not recently.”

“How about Josie? Have you kissed her?” Adrien pushed his luck.

Luka exploded in laughter but quickly got it under wraps when it made his head feel like it was exploding. “Josie is aggressively lesbian. She would be insulted you even asked.”

“She’d forgive me, though,” Adrien snickered. “She likes me.”

“She does,” Luka confirmed with an affectionate smile. “…Do I get to ask you questions about your love life now?”

“I don’t have a love life,” Adrien snorted. “I have no updates to report since the last time I whined at you about how my love life was nonexistent four years ago.”

“Have you ever kissed Nino?” Luka asked with a smirk.

Adrien’s entire epidermis lit up like a Roman candle, and he pointedly avoided Luka’s eyes.

[dr0wning-in-hell]

Mate pt.2 - Jed

Summary : You were a new student at the Salvatore Boarding School, and being a siphoner and a vampire, the students seemed more scared of you than the tribrid that walked the halls. When trying to move into your new room something… unexpected happens.

Word Count : 1.9k+

Warnings : some bullying, little bit of angst, sad reader, fluff,

Pairing / Characters : Jed x Siphoner!Vampire!Reader, Lizzie Saltzman, Josey Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson, Raphael, Landon Kirby, Kaleb, MG, Alaric Saltzman

Prompt : “Legacies imagine the reader is half human/siphoner vampire that can walk out into the sun and she finds out she’s Jed mate at the school” - @cokecola4211​

A/N : Here is the second part to this mini series, I hope you all enjoy it! Please send in more Legacies requests!!

new masterlist | prompt list | color prompts

Mate? Y/N was Jed’s mate? How in the actual hell was that even possible? 

“No, no there’s no way. Mr. S, there’s no way Y/N is my mate. Vampire-Siphoners, or whatever the hell she is-” 

Alaric interrupted him, “A heretic,” He corrected.

Jed huffed, “Fine, whatever a heretic, cannot be a werewolf’s mate.” He stood up roughly, “I’m sorry Mr. Saltzman, but I think you’re wrong.” With that the boy quickly walked out of the headmaster’s office and went to find his alpha.

Of course Raphael was hanging with Landon, who was with Hope, who just so happened to be with MG, Kaleb, and Y/N. Great, that’s fantastic.

They were all looking at their textbooks, writing down and highlighting important things. Jed was hoping that deep down Y/N wouldn’t look up at him and thankfully she didn’t, she was too focused on the content in her textbook.

“Raphael,” Jed said a bit harshly, catching everyone’s attention but Y/N’s, “I need to talk with you,” He looked at Hope before saying, “And you too.” The two teens looked at each other before getting up and following Jed to a far corner where he was sure the other vampires couldn’t hear their conversation.

“What is Jed? We were kind busy,” Hope said crossing her arms.

Raphael sighed, “What is it man?” 

Jed took in a deep breathe before spitting out, “Y/N is my mate.” But instead of it coming out like a normal sentence, it came out as one long, jumbled sentence. The look on the two teens faces told him he had to repeat himself and so he did, this time slower.

“So, Y/N- she’s your mate? What- what does that even mean?” Raphael was confused, which didn’t surprise Jed one bit.

“It means that Y/N is who Jed is meant to be with, like a soulmate but in a supernatural kind of way.” She chuckled a bit, “I find it very ironic that she’s your mate considering how much you hate on vampires and witches, she just so happens to be both.” 

Jed growled lowly, “It’s not funny, Hope. This is serious. What am I supposed to do? She just got here, if I tell her now she’ll probably freak out and leave the school entirely.” 

“Then don’t tell her,” Raphael said, earning a disapproving look from Hope, “Not yet at least. Why don’t you get to know her, talk to her, become her friend first. See if she feels the connection like you do and then if she does you tell her.” 

Hope shrugged, “Sounds like a good plan. She’s new, she feels left out which is why we’ve hung around her, we want her to know that the vampires and witches are on her side. Maybe you should do the same, show the other werewolves that she’s not as bad as everyone thinks she is.” 

Jed nodded, thanking them and then walking away. His eyes lingered on his mate for a moment, his heart thudding so hard in his chest that he was sure the vampires nearby could hear him. He had to figure out how he would talk to her without fumbling over his words, which was going to be harder than he thought. He had to wait until Y/N was by herself, and then he would ask her. Maybe when lunch was about to start? That way she could eat lunch with the wolves and see that not everyone thought she was a monster.

When the time came he waited and waited until she was walking down the stairs and that’s when he asked her, “Hey! Y/N!” He basically all but shouted, which caught the attention of some other people. Jed stepped in front of Y/N who seemed a bit confused that he was talking to her at all. He cleared his throat and then asked, “Do you want to sit with my pack at lunch? You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but I- uh- I just thought it’d be nice since you’re new and all.” God he sounded so stupid, but he was hoping it would work.

“Uh, yeah I guess..” Y/N seemed a bit nervous about the whole thing, especially since the wolves had been giving her dirty looks since the moment she arrived.

Jed grinned, “Great!” He hadn’t meant to sound so excited but for some reason he couldn’t help it, “Uhm, this way.” He said as he lead the way. Y/N followed behind him, trying to not pay attention to all the stares she was getting as she did so. She knew what everyone around her was probably thinking, but it was in her best interest to try and push that aside. 

When they reached the werewolves lunch table it was like everyone in the room stopped to watch was happening. Y/N tensed up as she looked around and examined everyone’s faces. They seemed.. disgusted, to say the least. 

“I- uhm are you sure it’s okay for me to sit here, I can just go- I don’t want to start any trouble.” Y/N became unsure of her current situation and began to think that this was going to be some horrible joke that everyone was playing on her. 

As she started to back up and move to exit the dining hall, Jed quickly reached out and softly grabbed her hand, making her head snap back in his direction. “It’s okay, you can sit with us. Plus I’m sure you’d like to meet some more of our student body.” Jed smiled as he tried to remain as calm as possible. Y/N nodded and pulled out the chair next to him and sat down. Her y/e/c eyes casted down quickly to avoid the harsh stares she was getting from some of the people around her.

“What’s the blood sucker doing here?” Someone said as they approached the table.Y/N looked up, which she instantly regretted. It was a girl, who was just absolutely breathtaking. Y/N felt herself sink back into her chain and fiddle with her daylight ring.

“Her name is Y/N and she’ll be sitting with us today, so she can meet more students.” Jed said in her defence.

Why was he doing this? Why did even care? 

The girl scoffed and sat down with some other students, unfortunately they all sat down across from  Y/N and Jed.

“So, where are you from, Y/N?” The girl who had just previously called her ‘blood sucker’ asked, no doubt wanting to know so she could say some harsh words.

“Philadelphia.” She answered shortly as she sat up a bit. 

The girl nodded and crossed her arms as she leaned back, “And how are the Philly cheesesteaks there? Are they as good as people claim, or would even know since all you drink is blood?” Some of the other wolves chuckled at her, but Y/N just narrowed her eyes. If she wanted to play that game, she’ll play it.

“They’re good, I wouldn’t know about the blood though, too much cholesterol up there.” Y/N responded.

Y/N could see the girl visibly grind her teeth at her response. “How’d you die?” Straight to the good stuff.

“Hunters. They killed my whole coven.” The table went silent and the girl swallowed thickly. “Little did they know what they were bringing to the table.”

“I’m so sorry,” Jed said softly, placing his hand on top of hers that was now resting on the table. Y/N looked down and then back up to him, but Jed was already looking at the students in front of them. “Why would you ask her something like that? She didn’t ask you how you triggered your transformation.” That seemed to hit a spot.

“Shut it, Jed.” The girl’s focus went back to Y/N. “I wanna see how powerful this chick really is.”

Y/N shook her head and scoffed and pushed herself away from the table. “If that’s all you people wanted to see you can just go fuck yourselves.” She pushed in her chair and started to walk away but as she was she used her vamp speed and senses to turn around and stop a knife that the girl had thrown at her. Everyone watched as Y/N’s eyes went from their natural color to a bright, mesmerizing golden color. Gasps were heard from around the room, as this was unheard of.

WIthout hesitation the vampires and witches were at Y/N’s side, protecting their new friend. Meanwhile the werewolves watched in astonishment at the sight, and the girl who threw the knife stubbled back. With a small movement of her hand, Y/N placed the knife back on the table without moving an inch from where she stood. 

“It was nice to meet you.” She turned on her heel and exited the dining hall, even though Hope and Jed were calling her name. Hope walked over to the wolves and glared at the girl.

“What the hell was that? Are you trying to make her hate you guys?” She looked at Jed, “I thought you were going to get them to like her, not try to kill her on her fist day.” 

Jed frowned, “That wasn’t my intention at all, I swear.” He looked over at the girl who all but cowered away from his rough glance.

Hope scoffed and shook her head as she crossed her arms, “Yeah, well nice going with that. If I were you I’d tell your pack that they owe her an apology for embarrassing her like that in front of the whole school.” She shook her head as she walked back over to Landon, Lizzie, and Josie. Raphael stood with his adopted brother and just shook his head in disappointment.

Jed sighed and grabbed his things and left the room. He wanted to apologize to Y/N for the way his pack treated her, wanted to make it up to her in some way but he didn’t know how he was going to do that.

Walking down the hallway to Y/N’s room he was about to knock on the door when he stopped and saw what looked like constellations coming from her room, but that wasn’t the only thing. He could hear her crying. Stepping closer he looked through the crack in her door and saw that her whole room looked like it was in space. It was pitch black but their were stars covering every inch of her room. He looked around and saw her laying on her bed. Hands spread open as they shot the beams of darkness stars, and that’s when he realized she was doing that. 

When he stopped focusing on the fact that she was doing something so amazing he himself almost started crying at the sound of his mate crying. Sure he didn’t know her that well but he could feel their bond slowly growing stronger and he wanted nothing more than just to comfort her and tell her it’s all going to be okay. 

The cherry on top of it all though, was when she said into the open air, “I wish I wasn’t me.”

[hopelikethemoon]

First Words (Javier x Readr) {MTMF}

Tile: First Words Rating: PG Length: 2100 Warnings: Fluff Notes: You can find everything about Maybe Today, Maybe Forever here. Set in 1993 after A Dance Owed.  Summary: Reader and Javier spend their last day in Laredo and it’s one of firsts.

@grapemama​ @seawhisperer​​​​​​​ @huliabitch​​​​​​​ @beccaplaying​​​​​​​ @thewallpapergoesorido​​​​​​​ @twomoonstwosuns​​​​​​​ @gooddaykate​​​​​​ @livasaurasrex​​​​​​​ @ham4arrow​​​​​​​ @plexflexico​​​​​​​ @readsalot73​​​​​​​ @hdlynn​ @lokiaddicted​​​​​​​ @randomness501​​​​​​​ @fioccodineveautunnale​​​​​​​  @roxypeanut​​​​​​​ @snivellusim​​​​​​​ @lukesrighthand​​​​​​​ @historynerd04 @mrsparknuts​​​​​​​ @awesomefandomsunited​​​​​​​ @behindmyeyes-insidemyhead​​​​​​ @exrebelshocktrooper​​​​​​​ @synystersilenceinblacknwhite​ @ah-callie​​​​​​​ @swhiskeys​​​​​​​ @exrebelshocktrooper​​​​​​​ @u-wakatoshii​​ @space-floozy​​​​​​​ @cable-kenobi​​​​​​​ @cool-ultra-nerd​​​​ @himbopoes​​​​​​​ @findhimfives​​ @pedrosdoll​​​​​​​ @frietiemeloen​​​​​​​ @arrowswithwifi​​​​​​​  @cinewhore​​​​​​​ @random066​​​​​​​ @uncomicalhumour​​​​​​​ @heather-lynn​​​​​​​ @domino-oh-damn​​​​​​​ @cyarikaaa​​​​​​​ @ahopelessromanticwritersworld​​​​​​ @im-still-a-pieceofgarbage @ksgeekgirl​​​​​​​ @yabby-girl​​​​​​​ @xqueenofthecraziesx​​​​​​ @punkass-potato​​ @coredrive​​​​​​​ @pascalesque​​​​​​​ @theduchessofkirkcaldy​​​​​​​ @queenquazar​​​​​​​ @sabinemorans​​​​​​​ @buckstaposition​​​​ @holkaskrosnou​​​​ @yespolkadotkitty​​​​​​​@seeking-a-great–perhaps @kochamcie​​​​​​​ @jaime1110​​​​​​​ @katlikeme​​

“She’s gonna say abuelo before she gets either of our names right.” Javier said lightly as he walked in from the back patio, sliding the screen door shut behind him. “Wrapped around his finger.”

“Josie’s fond of her Peña men.” You retorted, glancing up at him for a second before turning your attention back to the tomatillos you had boiling on the stove. “I can’t say I blame her, however—“ 

Javier arched a brow at you as he walked further into the kitchen, “However?”

“I can’t help but feel like I’m being a little set up here.” You told him, reaching for the spoon and giving the pot a stir. 

“I told you I’d help.” He ran his tongue over the front of his teeth as he gave you a look. “But I know you know how to make it.” 

“I do know how to make verde. It’s simple.” You retorted, setting the spoon back onto the stone holder on the counter. “But I’ve made this for the two of us, not your extended family.”

You knew Chucho and Javier were just trying to make you feel like part of the family — because you were, but at the same time they’d inadvertently set you up for failure. 

“Hey,” Javier said lowly, hooking his finger into the belt loop of your jeans as he drew you away from the boiling pot. “They’ll love it.” He assured you, smoothing his hand down your hip. “You made a good impression at the wedding.”

“I figured the only impression I made was — that poor girl Javier accidentally got knocked up.” You taunted, cocking your head to the side as you looked up at him. “I’ve never had to do the extended family thing.”

“Me neither.” Javier clicked his tongue against his teeth. 

You gave him a skeptical look, “You almost married a woman, Javier. You never met Lorraine’s grandparents? Her aunt? A weird uncle?”

He scratched at the back of his neck and glanced downwards, “Touché.” 

“That’s what I figured.” You grabbed the dish towel off the counter and swatted him in the thigh with it. “If you’re going to stay in here, get the blender out.”

You’d had a handful of serious relationships in your life, and every time they got remotely close to really serious you’d quickly found a reason to skirt out of it unscathed. 

Maybe you didn’t want to admit it aloud, but that was exactly what had happened with Lance too. Except it was paired with the sobering realization that you wanted Javier — who had seemed unattainable. 

Who never once gave you the impression that underneath his bachelor veneer, that he could be something like a family man. When you first met him you never would’ve imagined yourself standing in Texas in his father’s kitchen, making salsa verde because his tia was coming over to visit before you went home to Miami. 

“Baby, did you remember cilantro?” Javier questioned as he hauled out the blender and plugged it in on the counter by the microwave. 

“There are so many knives in this kitchen.” You shot him a look over your shoulder. “And don’t the neighbors have pigs?”

“Ouch.” He feigned injuring, clutching at his chest. “I might have to take my offer to take ownership of the verde off the table.”

“Ha. Ha.” You laughed humorlessly, shutting off the stovetop. 

Javier leaned against the counter opposite of you, arms folded across his chest as he watched you work. You could feel his eyes on you as you blended down the sauce in small increments, before pouring them into a bowl to cool. 

“You know, they all adored you.” He told you, once you shut off the blender. “Pretty sure they couldn’t figure out what you were doing with me, but that didn’t change that they adored you.” 

You smiled at him as you cleaned up the mess you had made, tucking the dirty dishes into the sink, “They’ve all made me feel so welcome. Doesn’t mean I’m not nervous.” 

You recognized that some of the kindness was probably pity. You weren’t stupid — you were fully aware of the optics of the situation. 

Javier had a history of burnt bridges; a history that his entire family and the whole goddamn town knew about. You and Josie probably looked pretty flammable to them. If only they knew you’d been made flame resistant from all the bridges you’d set alight while standing on them. 

They hadn’t seen him in Colombia after Josie was born. They hadn’t been there through the years that mattered. 

Chucho was probably the only one who actually believed that you’d still be around next Christmas.

“Just one more night, baby.” Javier reminded you as he crowded in close to you at the sink. “Then we’ll be in Miami.”

You sank back against him and sighed heavily, “I’m looking forward to it being just the three of us again.” You curled your fingers around his arm as he curled them around your waist. “I haven’t spoken to my own brother in years. You can imagine how navigating your extended family feels.”

“You do it so well,” He pressed a kiss to the crook of your neck. “Couldn’t even tell you were nervous.”

You elbowed him in the gut, making him swear as you twisted around in his hold. “Fuck off.” You taunted, leaning up to press a kiss to his lips before slipping away from him. “I’m gonna go see what Josie and Chucho are up to.” You gestured to the cooling dish. “Finish our verde.” 

Javier clicked his tongue against his teeth and nodded, “I’ll be out there in a bit.” He told you as you slid the back door open and stepped outside onto the patio. 

Laredo was a nice change of pace from Colombia. Wide open spaces and a little peace and quiet. You almost regretted that the three of you would be moving back into an apartment in a few days. 

You tried to picture what a younger Javier looked like working on the ranch alongside his father. You’d seen the pictures in frames on the walls, the old high school graduation picture stuck on the side of the fridge alongside the pictures of his cousins and their kids. 

It was hard to picture him without the mustache, the worry lines, and the weight of life on his shoulders. 

You shielded your eyes from the sun, looking across the yard towards one of the horse paddocks where Chucho had Josie. 

You couldn’t picture Javier as a younger man, but you could picture Josie growing up here. Christmases, birthdays, family reunions. Snapshots of life that you couldn’t relate to. 

All you wanted was for Josie to have a normal childhood. A happy childhood. Two parents who loved each other, a stable home life, extended family members who cared. You wanted her to have everything you didn’t have growing up. 

You never wanted her to worry. 

“How are you doing, chica?” Chucho called out as he started back across the yard towards the patio. “You get that verde finished?”

“Javier’s finishing it up.” You answered, hugging your sweater around your middle as you moved to sit down in one of the chairs around the stone fire pit. “How’s Miss Josie?”

“Having the time of her little life.” Chucho bounced her in his arms and she giggled and squealed. “Give it two years and I’ll have her out there on one of my best mares.” 

You laughed, holding your arms out to take her as she tried to squirm out of Chucho’s hold to get to you. You could tell she was tired — but she was trying to soldier through it. 

“She’ll never want to leave then!” You kissed the top of her head as she flopped against your chest. “You’re going to need a nap before dinner.” You brushed your fingers through her curly hair as she sighed dramatically. 

“Javier was a natural in the saddle,” Chucho recalled as he sank down into a chair across from you. He gestured out towards pasture. “Not even two and I had him in the saddle with me, going out to check on the fence line after a storm.”

“You could probably convince me to let her ride when she’s three.” You offered with a short laugh, rocking her in your arms. 

“Deal.” He chuckled, adjusting his hat on his head as he sank back in the chair. “You looking forward to the big move?”

You shrugged, “I’m looking forward to being settled. It’ll be good to see our friends again. To get back into a rhythm.” 

“Never thought I’d see Javier settled.” Chucho told you, shaking his head slowly. “But it’s a good look on him.” 

“He’s a really good father.” You smiled warmly, looking towards the back door, you could just barely see Javier through the glass as he moved across the kitchen. “I know the situation isn’t ideal—“

“No.” Chucho cut you off. “Things happen for a reason. They always do. There’s no such thing as ideal or not. The two of you are good together.”

“Yeah, we are.” You agreed, kissing the top of Josie’s head again. “It’s all just very new for me.” You admitted. “The wedding was a lot.”

“Would’ve gone better if Javier had given his old man a head’s up.”

You felt your cheeks warm, “I know.” 

“Everyone was real impressed with you.” Chucho told you, “Javier was worried.”

You frowned, “He was worried?”

“That they wouldn’t welcome you with open arms.” 

“Oh.” You had assumed he meant that Javier has been worried that you wouldn’t fit in. But he’d been worried for you. “I really appreciated being included. I mean, I did show up unannounced.”

He waved a hand, “You know what you need?”

“A stiff drink?” You laughed. 

“A joint.”

“Excuse me?”

Chucho gave you a look, “You didn’t strike me as a tight ass like Javier.”

“I’m not.” Your brows furrowed together. “Just so we’re clear — you mean a joint joint, right?”

“Is there any other kind?” He questioned as he stood up slowly. “Old age takes its toll on you and I’ve found a bit of marijuana helps take the edge off.”

“I would agree but,” You gestured to Josie. “I’m still breastfeeding her. As tempting as the offer is.” You glanced back towards the house, “Does Javi know?”

Chucho shook his head, “Let’s keep this between the two of us.”

You grinned, “Now I really do feel like part of the family.” 

The back door slid open and Javier stepped out onto the patio. “The verde is finished and the blender’s washed and put back up.”

“Look at that,” Chucho clicked his tongue against his teeth. “He cleans too.”

“Funny, pops.” Javier retorted as he strolled over to where you were sitting. “Real funny.”

Josie perked up the second she heard Javier’s voice, scrambling to get out of your arms. “Da-da!”

Javier stopped dead in his tracks, looking between you and Josie. “Did she just—?”

“Can you say it again?” You questioned, smoothing out her curls as you turned her in your arms so that she was reclining back against your chest and facing Javier. “Can you say daddy?”

Javier knelt down in front of you, grinning from ear-to-ear at Josie. “Come on, princesa. You know you want to say it.”

She clapped her hands together, rocking back against your chest. “D-d-d!” 

“Say daddy.” You kissed the top of her head. 

“Are you going to say daddy, JoJo?” Javier questioned, tapping his finger against her nose as he leaned in to kiss her cheeks. “Say daddy.” 

Josie let out a shrill squeal, “Dada!” 

You grinned down at him, “Javi!”

“Ha ha ha!” Josie cooed, tilting her head back against your chest to look up at you. “Da da da!”

Javier gave your knee a squeeze as he met your eyes, “Baby, you’re gonna have to pinch me.” He glanced back at his father then, “You hear that pops?”

“I sure did.” Chucho smiled at both of you. “You know, I think I’m gonna take the truck out and check on some work I sent the boys to sort out this week. I’ll be back before they show up.”

“You need any help?”

Chucho shook his head, “You stay right here, Javier.” He gave you a knowing look, before heading back in the house. 

“Are we sure she said daddy?” Javier questioned as he scooped her up, cradling her against his chest as she babbled nonsensically. 

“I am certain.” You assured him, your heart aching from just how happy you felt. The joy on Javier’s face made everything worth it. The nerves, the worry, the anxiety, the uncertainty. Those two people made it all worth it. 

This was the Javier that no one else saw. The Javier that was madly in love with the tiny baby girl that the two of you had brought into the world. The Javier that was looking forward to being a stay-at-home dad. 

“Now we’ve got to get you saying mommy.” Javier murmured to Josie as he bounced her in his arms. 

[cakesunflower]

Who’s Gonna Love You Like Me? [Brother’s Best Friend!Calum AU] Part 8

A/N: apologies that it took me over a month to update this fic!! but now i’m done with college (big yikes) so now i can get back to writing and updating on a semi regular basis :-)

Previous Parts: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

“Josie—got a cutie waiting for you in the front.” Josie glanced up at Sarah’s words, pulled out of her conversation with Lizzie as she swiveled in the leather salon chair at one of her stations. Her eyes caught sight of Calum leaning against the desk, her eyes immediately meeting his as he raised two fingers up in a wave.

Josie excused herself from Lizzie, walking down the length of the salon with her eyebrows raised and a surprised smile curling at her lips, not expecting him to drop by. “Hey,” she greeted with a small laugh, glancing at the receptionist, Maddie. “I’m gonna step out real quick.”

Maddie hummed in response and Josie grasped Calum’s wrist, pulling him outside for some privacy. Talking amongst Los Angeles pedestrian traffic was better than in front of all her coworkers, even if they were some of the chillest people she’d ever met. The sun was bright, as always, and Josie let out a laugh as Calum pressed her against the brick wall next to the window of the salon. “Hi—what’re you doing here?” Josie greeted.

Calum smiled, his frame shielding Josie from the sun as he gripped her hips. “Wanted to see you real quick and ask you somethin’,” he responded, pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. Josie inhaled sharply as she kissed him back, the smile evident on her lips. When they pulled away, Calum raised a hand to curl his finger around a stray lock of her blonde hair, his grin never leaving at Josie’s curious expression. Brushing his nose against hers, voice dropping low, Calum asked, “Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Josie’s heart jumped at his words, her grin widening as his finger brushed along her cheek. Her own hand had reached up to play with the chain around his neck, an accessory she thought he worked unfairly well, as she bit down on her grinning lip. Her cheeks were already hurting from the grin on her face, excitement coursing through her veins. She felt silly, being so thrilled with the simple question Calum asked her, but she would be lying if she said it wasn’t one she had been waiting for.

“I would love to,” Josie responded, feeling a warmth spread in her cheeks under Calum’s gaze. She kind of loved how he so easily made her blush.

“Great,” Calum smirked, hips pressing against hers. “You’re off tomorrow, right?” Josie nodded with a hum. “Alright—I’ll pick you up at your room at five.”

She scoffed out a laugh. “Five?” Josie asked with a raise of her eyebrows. “It’s a bit early for dinner, isn’t it?” She normally ate at seven, years of classes interfering with her schedule having an effect on when she ate.

“Not for what I’ve got in mind.” Calum chuckled, winding his arms around her waist to keep her close. “None of that dinner and a movie bullshit. I got somethin’ planned for us.” He pressed another kiss to her lips before murmuring, “Alright, get back to work.”

Josie smiled, pressing her hands to his chest, reluctant to move away from him. But right before she did, her smile turned coy. “Just so you know—I’d totally be fine with a dinner and movie with you.”

He grinned as she pulled away, heading back to the door. “Noted.”

For the rest of her shift at work, Josie couldn’t help but think Calum was a bit of a tease. She loved that he had been impatient enough to arrive at the salon to ask her on a date in person, loved the few kisses they stole before she had to go back inside. But concentrating on her next few clients had proven to be difficult, to busy trying to school her features to hide the wide grin that threatened to erupt at the mere thought of going on a date with Calum. Her excitement buzzed at her veins, crackling like electricity, and she wondered what he had planned for the two of them. 

Later that night, when Luke was in his bedroom getting ready to turn in for the night, Josie was leaving the kitchen to go into her own when Calum entered the living room, his shift for the day a short one. Josie’s eyes widened in excitement at the sight of him, making sure the water didn’t spill from her glass as she quickly ran over to him and grasped his hand. 

“Can I get a hint for where we’re going tomorrow?” she asked with a sweet smile, looking up at him with big blue eyes in hopes to get him to give in. 

But Calum knew how to handle Josie. He scoffed with a roll of his eyes, lips curling up to grin as he ran his tongue along his lower lip. “Not happenin’, sweetheart,” he responded, making Josie’s lips fall into a pout. “Just don’t wear heels.”

Josie scoffed, gaping up at him. “That’s so vague, Calum.”

He moved past her, a ghost of a smirk apparent as he took off the cushions on the couch in preparation to pull out the bed. As Josie walked over to help him, he pointed out, “At least you know it’s not fancy.”

Josie didn’t hesitate in taking one of the cushions and throwing it at Calum with a huff. He merely laughed, catching it easily before it hit him and placing it on the ground. “You’re the worst,” she declared, fixing his pillow before walking around the bed to head up the stairs to turn in for the night.

Behind her, she could hear the smile in Calum’s voice as he asked, “What, no goodnight kiss?”

Raising an eyebrow, she looked at him over her shoulder. “Do you think you deserve it?”

Calum’s face scrunched, eyebrows drawing together and lips pulling downwards as he scoffed. “Yes.” Josie watched him, fighting off the amused smile that threatened to grow as he approached her, his dark eyes never leaving her blue. “All this sneaking around, keeping my hands to myself so we don’t get caught? Fuck yeah, I deserve a damn goodnight kiss,” he grunted.

She couldn’t fight the grin that split across her face, only for it to be obscured by Calum’s hand placing itself on the back of her neck, using it to tug her closer as he bent down to close the gap between the two of them. Josie wasn’t about to push him away, though she still smiled against Calum’s lips as she kissed him back. He tasted like minty toothpaste and Josie was no stranger to the subtle yet exciting thrill she felt shoot down her spine at the act of so openly kissing him in her house, knowing her brother was just up the stairs. 

She would much rather embrace the surge of exhilaration of sneaking around behind Luke’s back than the guilt of keeping such a secret from him.

*****

As he had said, there was a knock on Josie’s bedroom door at five in the afternoon the next day, right when she had finished tying the laces to her most comfortable pairs of red Converse. She paired it with a yellow sundress, tight around the bodice and fluttering around her mid thigh, and it consisted of small red roses that matched her shoes. Calum had said it wasn’t a fancy date, so Josie hoped her outfit choice was fitting to whatever he had planned for them.

In the couple of seconds it took for Josie to walk from her bed to the door, she did her best to tamp down on the excited flutter that had been a consistent presence in her stomach since yesterday. It was kind of funny; her and Calum were already together, obviously, but the idea on going on their first date made it seem all the more official. Like they were actually doing this—despite having been doing it for a while. Being with Calum, even though they were sneaking around, brought Josie a sense of calmness that she hadn’t experienced with another guy before. As though in the grand scheme of things, she had nothing to worry about, no reason to doubt Calum or what they had.

It was refreshing and exactly what she needed.

Him. He was exactly what she needed.

When Josie opened the door, her grin easily curled at her lips at the sight of Calum, dressed in his favorite baggy black pants, a silver belt chain looped on the side, with a white shirt tucked in and his shining black leather jacket on top. He looked casual and comfortable and so unbelievably good—if Josie lacked better control of herself, she’d melt into a puddle right then and there.

Instead, a smile graced her pink lips, leaning against her door as she playfully mused, “Well, hello there.”

His boyish charm was ever present as he returned, “I’m here to pick up a blonde bombshell.”

At that, Josie let out a very unladylike snort, pushing herself away from the door as she turned her back to him to grab her purse off the dresser. “Don’t ever call me that again,” Josie laughed, grabbing her denim jacket in case she needed it. Raising an eyebrow, hoping to filter some of the overwhelming excitement she felt, Josie asked, “We out?”

Calum grinned and the glimmer in his eyes told Josie he was just as excited, and nervous, as she was. “Yes, ma’am.”

They got in his car and were on the road just moments later, all the while Calum kept expertly shut about where they were going. After shutting her down for the sixth time, Calum scoffed before letting out a laugh, shooting her a look as he said, “You’re the most impatient person I’ve ever met.”

Josie shot him a skeptical look as his playlist played a Coldplay song. “More than Ashton?” she questioned, the smugness seeping into her voice because she knew she wasn’t nearly as bad as their friend.

Calum scoffed, one hand on the wheel as his left elbow remained propped on the door, the window down to let in the pleasant breeze. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

Josie’s jaw dropped, a gasp escaping her as she pointed at him accusingly. “That’s fucked up.”

He merely grinned, shifting so his left hand was on the wheel to allow his right hand to grab her pointing finger before maneuvering her hand so he could lace their fingers together. The gesture only widened Josie’s smile, warming her cheeks as she felt the breeze dance through her blonde tresses as Calum drove them to whatever secret destination he planned for. Josie eventually resigned herself to Calum’s desire of wanting to keep things under wraps, enjoying the car ride with him as the music played, the wind billowed in her ears and his fingers remained laced with hers.

The calm that settled over her was welcomed, enjoying the sensation of her hair tickling her skin as it danced in the wind and the warmth Calum’s touch brought. Already, Josie knew this was probably the best date she’d been on. Simply because it was with Calum.

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination, and Josie’s eyebrows raised as they passed the sign that read their arrival at Lake Balboa Park as Calum pulled into a parking lot. Josie hadn’t been to Lake Balboa before, but there were barely any clouds and the branches on pretty cherry blossom trees, and as she stepped out of the car, the gravel crunching underneath her shoes, the smile was easily lifting her lips.

Especially when Calum walked to the trunk of the car, opened it, and revealed a folded blanket and, quite literally, a sizable picnic basket that had Josie’s smile widening all the more. Her lips were parted in surprise, gaze flickering so her blue eyes could meet Calum’s triumphant brown ones, and no amount of sunshine could spread warmth throughout Josie’s body like Calum did in that moment. He grabbed the blanket and tossed it at her, which Josie caught even in the midst of her shocked state, and the wide grin he wore told her he knew just how off guard he’d caught her.

“A picnic?” she asked, well aware of the answer, the excitement evident in her tone and the way her dimples deepened at her grin. It was taking a lot of willpower not to bounce on the balls of her feet. “Stop—that’s so romantic.”

Calum smirked as he shut the trunk, quirking an eyebrow as they began walking. “Why do you sound so surprised? I can be romantic,” he added with a huff.

Josie snorted, hugging the blanket to her chest as she shot Calum a look. The sarcasm was evident in her tone when she drawled, “Yeah, pushing me into the pull because Luke came home just screams romance.”

He shot her a flat look and Josie merely smiled sweetly, and though she was teasing him, she found the memory funny. It had happened only a few days ago when the two of them had been enjoying their backyard pool. At one point, they’d gotten out, were in the middle of kissing, when Luke’s loud voice announced his arrival and, in a panic, Calum had pushed Josie into the pool. When she had resurfaced, she stared at him in utter disbelief while Calum had the decency to look just as surprised at his actions. 

The two of them continued down the path, greenery and flora around them and Josie was mesmerized by the sight of the lake, noticing the ducks that swam contently and the few pedal boats among them. Eventually, Calum found a nice spot under a tree right on the soft grass, the lake in front of them, and Josie smiled as she spread the blanket before the two of them settled on it.

“Alright,” Josie grinned, sitting comfortably with her legs folded beneath her, leaning back on one hand as her gaze met Calum’s. “Dazzle me with romance.”

She watched intently as Calum began pulling out the items he had packed, consisting of cloth napkins, plates, utensils, two glasses to drink the red wine—which made Josie a lot more excited than it should’ve. She then noted all of the food he brought, her eyebrows raising and lips parting at the dishes; fresh corn and tomato fettuccini, shrimp summer rolls, cut up pieces of toasted baguette, and chocolate truffles for dessert.

Holy shit. “Did you make these?” Josie asked, the awe evident in her voice as she eyed the fettuccini and shrimp rolls.

Calum’s gaze met hers and Josie saw the pride dancing in his dark eyes, smiling as he answered, “Sure did.” Then, with a smirk, he asked, “Are you dazzled yet?”

And a little bit in love, but Josie kept that fleeting thought to herself.

Instead, she leaned forward, right hand finding the back of Calum’s neck as she pulled him close, hoping her kiss would convey just how amazing all of this was, how much she appreciated it. Calum truly went out of his way to make their first date special, taking advantage of the perfect weather and putting his skills in the kitchen to use in making the food that looked and smelled delicious. There was a permanent warmth in Josie’s chest; no one had ever made such an effort for her before, and it was impossible to keep the smile off her tingling lips after she slowly pulled away from Calum.

His smile remained, brushing his nose against hers as he said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

Calum completed the set up by pulling out his phone and letting some music gently play as he poured them some wine before they indulged in the food he had prepared. Josie couldn’t keep the smile off her face even if she tried as they ate, drank, talked. Her gaze never left Calum, admiring the way the sun peeked through the cherry blossom tree above them and splashed against him in certain spots, feeling like she was in the scene of a damn movie as a flower occasionally fluttered down and brushed against her skin.

Eventually, after they’d finished the delicious food Calum had made and the wine was pleasantly warming her up, Josie sat with her back against the tree and Calum’s head resting in her lap. Her fingers were running through his dark hair, the strands soft between the digits, and she admired the content smile on his face, eyes shut as he reveled in the feel of her fingers in his hair.

They’d been at the lake for over an hour or so, judging by the way the sun was slowly making its descent, but neither of them made a move to leave. Instead, Josie picked up one of the cherry blossoms that had fallen next to her, holding the pink flower by its short stem and twirling it before glancing down at Calum. With a gentle smile upturning her lips, Josie held it upside down before lowering it, tickling the tip of his nose with the petal.

She watched as his nose wrinkled, closed eyes scrunching at the sensation as his lips curled into a close mouthed smile. The peaceful expression that rested on his features transformed into an amused grin, breathing out a laugh as Josie hummed, “Thank you for today, Cal.”

He opened his eyes then, dark brown looking up into bright blue, and his smile softened. The natural pinkness in his cheeks tempted Josie to kiss them as she brushed some curls away from his forehead. Calum reach his left hand up, the silver bracelet dropping away from his wrist as he cupped Josie’s cheek. “Anythin’ for you, pretty girl,” Calum told her earnestly.

The blush returned to her cheeks, but she didn’t have much time to register it as Calum pushed himself up and brought her down enough for their lips to meet in the middle. Josie melted into him, into the kiss, and came to the conclusion if a perfect day were to exist, it would be this.

They’d watched the sunset after, and as the cicadas began chirping throughout the darkened park, the two of them packed up the picnic and, with Calum’s fingers intertwining with hers, made their way back to his car. The drive home, as always, was filled with chatter and music, and when they pulled into the driveway, Josie sat up. “Oh, Luke’s home.”

She glanced at Calum, who didn’t look troubled at all, and it wasn’t lost on Josie how his calm managed to relax her effortlessly. So the two of them got out of the car, deciding to bring in the picnic basket—the most damning evidence of their outing—later on when there was no chance of Luke catching sight of it.

Josie chewed on her lower lip, unable to stop the nervous habit, as they walked into the house, instantly catching the attention of her brother, who was on the living room couch watching TV. “Hey,” he greeted before turning to look at the two of them, eyebrows raising as a corner of his mouth lifted in amusement. “Where’re you coming from all dressed up—a hot date?” he joked, gazing at Josie questioningly.

She knew he was completely kidding around, but the oblivious truth in Luke’s words had Josie’s heart momentarily stopping, stomach dropping before she forced herself to scoff. “No—I was out with some friends and asked Calum to pick me up.”

It would be better if she didn’t focus on how swiftly that lie escaped her.

Next to her, Calum huffed. “What, I don’t look all dressed up?”

Josie wanted to nudge him into silence as Luke gave him a once over before offering a single shrug. “Nah,” he answered before turning to watch TV once more, unaware to the scowl that scrunched at Calum’s eyebrows, mildly affronted.

Despite herself, Josie couldn’t fight off the amused smile upturning her lips as Calum made a face at the back of Luke’s, so childish and boyish and endearing. Leaning close to him, her voice a whisper, she chanced the risk of Luke hearing her as she hummed, “I think you look hot.”

The smug smirk on Calum’s face, accompanied by the wink he sent her, made the risk worth it.

*****

“Go on without me—leave me here to explode in a mess of spaghetti sauce.”

Josie caught Luke’s bemused eye roll as the rest of the boys chuckled at her antics, though she was serious about the implication of being unable to move. She dropped down on a bench on the sidewalk, her stomach feeling heavy after the lunch she practically inhaled; the portion of spaghetti had been the size of her head, almost, and Josie had practically licked the dish clean. And although her mouth was quite happy with the delicious explosion of taste, her stomach was another issue. She genuinely felt like she couldn’t move.

And the fact that the cars were parked a few several blocks away. . . Josie didn’t think she could make it.

“Alright, Lil’ H,” Ashton spoke up, making his way to her and promptly ignoring the distasteful scrunch of her face at the nickname he’d uttered. It was one he and the rest of the boys coined for her back when they were a lot younger, and although they outgrew the use of it, there were still some instances where they’d mention it. Josie had never liked it. She watched as he stood in front of her before turning his back to her, wiggling his fingers out at the seated girl as he said, “Hop on.”

Her eyes lit up, understanding that he was offering her a piggy back ride. Not needing to be told twice, Josie got up as Ashton crouched down enough so it was easy for her to hop onto his back, arms winding loosely around his neck as his hands gripped her thighs to keep her up as he stood straight. She grinned where she was settled on his back, catching the exasperated shake of Luke’s head and the fond grins on Michael and Calum’s faces before they all continued on their way.

Moments like these made Josie a lot happier than one would think. For as long as she and Luke knew the boys, Josie had always feared that she was encroaching on her brother’s friendship with them. When they were kids and she would sometimes tag along, at first Luke had been irritated, but his fondness for Josie always won out in the end, and he’d bring her along to get food or to the park when he would go with the boys. Because of that, the rest of them grew fond of her too. It wasn’t hard, either—it wasn’t like there was years and years separating her from them in age. Only a couple, but she was still Luke’s little sister. And even though they would harmlessly tease her for that, always playful and never spiteful, there had been moments when Josie would think they were sick of her tagging along when she did.

Now, though, with all of them in their twenties, that feeling never came back. Even if it did, Josie knew that Luke would never allow for it to stay for too long. Same went for the other boys. And Josie loved them for it.

“Come to think of it—I don’t think it’s that great of an idea for you to give me a piggy back ride after eating,” Josie piped up, glancing down at Ashton with a raise of her eyebrows.

He made a noncommittal sound, utterly at ease as they continued. “It’s either this or listen to you complain—which I can totally do without.”

Josie scoffed at his teasing as she heard Calum lowly chuckle next to them. “I’ve got my arms around you, Irwin. I can easily choke you.”

She couldn’t quite see his face, but Josie heard the smirk in Ashton’s voice as he responded, “Sounds kinky.”

Luke, having heard him, shot Ashton a scandalized look that the rest of them merely laughed at. Josie was sure she heard him mutter something about his friends corrupting his little sister, and she rolled her lips into her mouth as she glanced down at Calum to her right. He met her gaze, mirth and mischief both dancing in his eyes, silently letting her know he’d heard Luke as well.

They kept making their way down the sidewalk until Michael stopped in front of the glass walls of a vintage looking record store. He didn’t even have to tell them he wanted to go in before everyone was already turning towards the shop, Josie hopping off from Ashton’s back as she wandered inside. It smelt just like Josie thought it would; of plastic wrap, laminated cardboard, and heavily treaded carpet, yet there was something familiar about it as she danced the tips of her fingers over a few records stacked on the table in front of her.

They all shuffled through the aisles, looking at the various records, an unfamiliar classic rock song playing in the background. As Josie moved, she happened to glance up, only to freeze when her eyes startlingly met an achingly familiar pair of green ones. The breath caught in Josie’s throat, nearly choking her, as Austin stood a few tables away, a furrow knitting together his eyebrows as he registered exactly who he was looking at, too. And when he did, the confused frown transformed into a scowl, and the blood in Josie’s veins froze, ironically springing her into action, too.

“Oh, fuck me,” she whispered, unaware of Michael’s confused glance her way. The panic heightened, though, when her ex-boyfriend moved to approach her, and with her eyes widening in alarm, Josie silently turned around and swiftly made her way out of the store, ignoring Michael’s confused calls of her name.

Shit, shit, shit. She did not want to have an unprecedented confrontation with her ex-boyfriend, who—by the looks of it—seemingly had a bone to pick with her. Pushing the door of the store open, Josie stumbled out onto the sidewalk, the fresh air not enough to loosen the tightness of her throat, and she’d barely made it two steps away from the store when Austin’s voice froze her in her tracks.

“Do you ever get tired of running away?”

Josie squeezed her eyes shut momentarily, face scrunching in aggravation before she forced herself to turn around, meeting Austin’s unimpressed gaze. Despite herself, Josie rushed out, “I don’t run away.”

He scoffed, not at all convinced with his arms crossed over his chest. His tattooed biceps was a bit more pronounced under the short sleeves of his shirt than she remembered. He’d been working out, it seemed. “That’s exactly what you just did,” Austin pointed out, a wry smirk tilting at his lips. “What, you didn’t want me to see you with your new boyfriend?”

As if the universe had some kind of personal agenda against her, just as Austin had asked his question, the door behind him opened and out stepped her brother and the rest of the boys. Josie was biting down on the tip of her tongue as Austin stepped away to look at both her and the boys, and the panic quickened the pace of her heart as Austin gave them all a once over.

Luke frowned at Austin, knowing exactly who the guy was, jaw tight as he asked, “What’re you bothering my sister for?”

Just as he had asked that, Josie had simultaneously told Austin, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

She’d desperately wished the words hadn’t fallen past her mouth, noting the brief flicker of Calum’s gaze to her, and Austin rolled his eyes at her words. There was something dancing in his green eyes, and Josie recognized it as his intent of making this as difficult for her as possible, a resentment driven need for some kind of revenge over her breaking up with him more than once.

“No?” Austin cocked his head to the side, challenging. Josie was fully aware of everyone’s gaze on her—especially Calum’s. But she watched as Austin allowed his gaze to wander over the four other men, a sardonic smirk on his lips as he asked, “Tell me, Josie—which one of your brother’s buddies are you fucking around with?”

Her heart jumped out of her body, as if a bucket of ice cold water had been poured over her head as she gaped at Austin and the obvious smug expression he wore. Oh, God. No, no, no. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go down. She couldn’t even be furious with Austin for pulling this shit—Josie was too busy drowning in the panic and anxiety that churned her stomach, the busy buzz of the street silencing into the background, all too aware of her thundering heart beat. This wasn’t happening.

Josie vaguely heard Luke sputter indignantly, ready to give Austin a piece of his mind, but her ex beat him to it as she watched his gaze take in the other men standing before him. She watched as Austin’s gaze ultimately landed on a stone faced Calum, who also looked about two seconds away from breaking Austin’s nose, before her ex huffed out a humorless laugh through his smirk and jutted his chin at the tattooed brunette. “It’s this one, isn’t it?” He clicked his tongue, a knowing expression flickering across his face. “I saw you with him around campus a couple of months ago. Should’ve known.”

Josie’s gaze flashed to Calum, who didn’t meet her gaze. Instead, he was too busy glaring at Austin, hands curled into fists at his side. Michael and Ashton remained silent, the tension enveloping them nearly suffocating as Luke’s confused glare settled on Austin. “Yeah—I told them they should hang out when Cal was visiting. . .”

The way he trailed off, his stare flickering between his hardened best friend and frozen sister, Josie could pick up on his confusion, the skepticism that was filtering into his voice as he looked between the two of them. Luke looked unsure of what to believe, his irritation with Austin’s arrival overshadowed by the bewilderment his accusation brought. 

Next to her, Austin snorted. “Looked way more than hanging out to me,” he surmised, and Josie was overcome with the urge to sock him in the jaw, too. God, what was he doing? Why was he doing this?

Of course, she knew. She was just still trying to process.

His green eyes met her unblinking, startled blue ones, and Josie’s heart dropped at the guiltless look in his gaze, utterly unapologetic that he just majorly screwed things up for her. With yet another sardonic smile, he quipped, “Nice to know I’m not the only one you’ve fucked over.” He purposefully looked towards her brother, let out a scoff of contempt, before pushing past them to head back into the store.

Everyone was a bit too shocked to do anything but let him go.

Hesitantly, Josie shifted her gaze and it immediately landed on Calum. He was watching her and Josie’s throat tightened at the concern she was met with. He looked worried—not that Josie blamed him. She was pretty sure she hadn’t taken a breath in the past few minutes.

Calum looked like he wanted to step over to her, to hold her hand, but he also looked conflicted, unsure of what the right move was. Josie wasn’t sure, either. Yet her softened gaze remained on him, hoping her silence would convey that she understood, that this was all so royally fucked.

But then she looked at Luke, who had been watching them this whole time, and Josie’s throat locked up when Luke’s blue eyes narrowed. He took a step away so he could look at both Calum and Josie, eyebrows drawing together as Michael and Ashton exchanged a look. “Is he. . .” Luke trailed off, a disbelieving scoff escaping him as he looked at Calum and Josie. “Is that true? Did you two—”

All she could make out in his tone was one of disbelief, nothing else to give away how he was feeling. Maybe he was as numb as Josie felt. 

Her lips parted but no words came out, because Josie truly didn’t know what to say. Should she confirm Austin’s accusation—his truth? Or deny, deny, deny? It seemed that in that moment, all of the sneaking around behind Luke’s back and subtle lies were starting to choke her, daring her to spew out another one right to his face after basically being told the truth from a third party. Sure, maybe Josie could play off Austin’s words as some jealous, resentful ex, and maybe Luke would believe her. 

But, God. She was sick of the lies.

Before she could even decide what to do, Calum moved, and Josie’s gaze instantly fell upon him as he came to stand next to her. She watched him, wide eyed and parted lips, as his gaze remained fixed on Luke, who was watching him with sharp eyes. “We aren’t fucking around,” Calum told him, all confident and firm despite the bombshell he was dropping. “And it wasn’t just a random hook up. Josie and I are together.”

Her heart was in her throat, anything she could possibly say dying on her tongue as she looked up at Calum, eyes wide at his confession. They hadn’t quite discussed when the right time would be to tell Luke about them, and Austin had made sure they wouldn’t after what he’d done. And as surprised as Josie was that Calum took it upon himself to confirm the truth, there was also the tiniest bit of relief she felt relax her stiff muscles. The kind of relief that came with letting go of a secret that had been weighing her down for too long.

Calum’s gaze flickered down to her and Josie inhaled softly at the look in his eyes; soft, reassuring, encouraging. It was enough to make it easier for Josie to breathe.

But when she looked back at Luke, who was still silent, it felt as though an iron grasp had found its way around her heart. 

And instead of exploding on them in a fury as Josie had feared, Luke remained still, Ashton and Michael watching the scene unfold intently. But Josie remained focused on Luke. His expression was empty, features never giving away what he was thinking, what he was feeling. Luke, who was so expressive, but looked utterly blank in that moment.

Who was quiet. Too quiet—a complete contradiction to the betrayed anger that was swirling in his eyes. And, Josie realized with her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach, Luke’s silence was a whole lot worse than anything she could’ve imagined.

--

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