#i'm very curious to go into the tags and to watch reactions later and see what everyone thought

[leloise]

OUGH OKAY. i loved that, i was so thoroughly invested the entire time. it definitely lost me in a couple places during the second half, and i was NOT AT ALL expecting the way multiple things played out. overall really really enjoyed it!

[xthe-writing-vampirex]

Hi I have a question! Um I know you wrote it like a while ago, but do you think you will do a part 2 of the mechanic y/n with the animatronics? The one where she has a fear of them. If you do a second part do you think you can tag me?

Mechanic Y/N Part 2

Word count: 1,732

Finally got around to actually writing another part to this! It's looking like my brain is actually letting me write again and I couldn't be happier. I hope this went in a direction you like. I figured I'd try to give Y/N some one on one time with Chica since I don't think I've ever actually written that. I'll probably try to do the same with Roxy at some point as well but I figured Chica would be the most likely to be able to actually calm Y/N down. Anyway I hope you like it!

🌿🌿🌿

Your brush with a very grumpy Monty left you shaking and desperately trying to find somewhere you could actually be alone and try to calm down. Being around your bosses or coworkers like this would definitely not bode well for you. You honestly doubted they would fire you due to something like this but they would question your ability to properly do your job and you just couldn't let that happen. Spotting a nearby janitor's closet you rush over, opening the door and stepping into the surprisingly large space. The closet is full of the typical cleaning supplies and back up parts but it also opens up to what looks like a walk way that could serve as a back way to get from place to place. Closing the door behind you, you move forward, curious about the odd space you've found. When you round the corner however you notice a charging pod, blue lightning bolt glowing to signal someone is in it. You look up towards the little window that lets you see inside and your eyes land on the familiar face of the papa bear himself, Freddy. He doesn't notice you at first, eyes closed as if he's sleeping. It stands to reason that recharge is sort of like sleeping for them so it makes sense he would treat it like that. Curious, you step closer, watching the bear for any sign he might wake up. Unfortunately for you, with your focus so intently on Freddy you don't notice a piece of metal tubing haphazardly placed against the nearby wall. Your foot hits it, causing it to fall down with an audible clank. You flinch, looking up towards the bear again hoping it didn't alert him to your presence. Unfortunately for you, Freddy is a light sleeper.

“Y/N? What are you doing back here? Most of the staff don't come back here unless they're looking for something. Is there anything I can help you with?” The bear asks, stepping out of the charger and causing an audible hiss when the door opens. He steps down, looking down at your small frame and waiting for you to respond to him. Meanwhile you can't get your mouth to actually open and form words, too terrified by the sight in front of you. You're extremely close to the bear, face only coming up to his stomach hatch area. “Uh…..Y/N? Are you alright?” He asks, noticing you seem completely frozen and unable to talk. He's not sure what's going through your head but he's certainly not used to this sort of reaction from people, even in the past you'd never done this. Then again you'd avoided ever actually being this close to him. Eventually the bear gets down on one knee so he's more eye level with you, trying to snap you out of whatever trance you're currently in. “Superstar?” He says worriedly, moving to put a hand on your cheek. The movement knocks you out of your trance and you immediately move away from the bear, leaving him stunned with his hand still in the air.

“Y-Yup! I'm totally fine Freddy! See you later!” You reply quickly, wanting nothing more than to get away from the animatronic. First Monty and now this? God could you really do this job if you were this scared? Freddy pauses, bringing his hand down and trying to figure out what's going on here.

“Y/N. Wait a moment. I know something is wrong. Your heart rate is elevated and you seem to be going through a panic attack. How can I help?” The bear asks, causing you to stop and give him a rather rushed and fake smile.

“N-No no! No panic attacks here! I don't know what you're talking about Fred!” You reply, still frantically trying to think of a way to get out of this situation. “Gotta go check in on some of the staff bots! See ya!” You reply before quickly moving away from Freddy and out of the janitor's closet, leaving the bear still down on one knee and completely stunned by the whole interaction. Was it something he said?

After that ‘terrifying’, at least in your mind, interaction you head towards an out of place little hallway, shaking all the way there and trying to catch your breath. Freddy hadn't done anything scary persay but just being that close to that big of an animatronic scared the absolute shit out of you. Again you question how the hell you're going to do this job if you can't even get close to these robots without having a panic attack. Letting out a sigh you let your back fall against a nearby wall, sliding down it until your butt hits the ground. Should you just quit now? You'd been able to handle taking care of the simpler robots around the place but maybe that's just because they're closer to the size of normal people and unable to really do what the main four could. Sighing once again you put your head in your knees, trying to calm yourself down so you can go back out and actually do your job.

Just then you hear the familiar sound of an animatronic as they walk, getting closer and closer. Your head pops up immediately, eyes landing on the relatively short form of Chica, who thankfully is around the same size as a typical human female being the shortest of the group. Before you can protest the chicken comes and sits down next to you, smiling warmly at you.

“Hiya rock chick! Freddy told me what happened. I figured I'd try to find you and see if I could help ya out!” The chicken says cheerfully, You sit there nervously eyeing her and she eventually puts two and two together. “Would it help if I move away a bit, sweetie? I don't want to scare you or cause you more anxiety.” She explains, your look of confusion at what she says answers quite a few of her questions without you even having to say a word. The chicken moves away a bit, sitting with her legs closed and to one side. “Look sweetie. I'm not sure what we've done to scare you but none of us are out to get you. We just want to make sure you're okay. Freddy is worried sick about you and is convinced he did something wrong.” She explains, earning a confused look from you once again. You can't get over just how lifelike these beings are. They're unlike literally anything you've worked on before and they seem to have their own thoughts and feelings. Biting your lip nervously you try desperately to think of something to say to her, feeling kinda bad for worrying Freddy like this. Though to be fair you weren't even aware he could actually worry like this.

“You don't have to talk if you don't want to Rock Chick. I don't want to make this any more scary for you.” Chica states, keeping her movements slow and visible while monitoring your heart rate and breathing. “I do want to know though. Did we cause this in some way? You can just shake or nod your head if you want.” She explains, smiling when you shake your head no in reply. “Oh good. I was scared maybe Monty did something that freaked you out, or Roxy. I love her but she can be so blunt sometimes.” She rambles, which surprisingly is actually helping to calm you down. Despite knowing Chica is an animatronic she's actually extremely like a normal human in size and personality, like a bubbly friend who loves to talk. “Is it the whole size thing? Seems to make the parents a bit nervous too.” She continues, pausing to see if you'll shake your head in reply which you eventually do, a nod to be exact though the size thing isn't the only thing about them that scares you.

“I-Its a lot of things….” You manage, Chica playfully gasping in response.

“It speaks! Well I can't say I blame you for being nervous Rock Chick. Those boys make even me nervous sometimes. Especially when Monty gets angry and messes up his room. I think that would scare anyone. We really don't mean any harm though…..well me and Freddy don't. He's just a big teddy bear…..and I don't think Roxy or Monty do either, they're just difficult sometimes.” She replies, still smiling warmly to try and reassure you. “It's totally okay to take a while to get over this too Rock Chick. But I'm happy to help however I can!” She finishes, smile still bright as the sun. She puts a hand out for you, waiting for you to make a move to actually grab it. She doesn't have the sharp claws like the others do and her hand more or less just looks like a humans for the most part, like you can still tell she's an animatronic but at least they tried to make her more human like. You pause, staring at her hand for a few moments while she patiently waits to see if you're willing to take it. Eventually, albeit hesitantly, you put your shaky hand into hers and the happy little smile that she gives you when you do makes you smile a bit in response. How could you not? She just seems so happy that you actually gave her some trust.

“There you go sweetheart! Well done, I'm so proud of you!” She praises, making you blush a bit in the process. “Awe, you're so cute when you blush! You should do it more often, cupcake. Do you want to come hang out in my green room so you can calm down? We can get you some sweets and have some girl time hm?” She suggests, causing you to pause for a moment. You're worried about being seen by the others but are hoping maybe Chica will send them a message and tell them to leave you be for a bit, actually the chicken thought to do just that as soon as you nodded your head in response to her question. She bounces happily before carefully standing and starting to help you up. “Yay! Let's get to it, Rock Chick!” She states happily before beginning to lead you back towards rockstar row and to her room.

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers : 1x2 - Shock and Delight (Part 1)

Hi! Welcome back to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

You know, I've never really paid attention to the episode names until I started going this... Time to shock and delight you. Okay, maybe not shock you. But hopefully delight you! As this episode gives a bit of comedy in the best way!

Condition

Okay, before I get into it, I need to mention that it feels weird seeing actual servants in the Featherington household. I'm used to just seeing Varley and Rae -- and I know them losing money is a plot point later on but I'm kind of curious to watch for when it changes.

In general, though, the first season feels like it was best at trying to be closer to historical accuracy? Look - I love Season 3, and it is by far my favorite, but it is historical fantasy more than anything else.

Anyway, we kick off this episode with the Featherington girls gossiping a bit about Marina's 'condition'. How did they find out? Servants? I don't think Marina actually confided in any of them. And with their lack of knowledge on clear display in this scene (among others) I don't think they worked it out for themselves.

I kind of love the little bit of comedy we get in this scene. Everything from Portia's over-reaction to the situation, Varley's quick little -- 'they know' comment, Lord Featherington (does this dude have a first name, gah, I should google it)'s chill calm down hysterical wife comment, to the Prudence's 'eeww' look during the whole scene.

And then Penelope's startled little 'oh no!' look when Portia claims if they don't knock it off, pregnancy could be catching. Makes me laugh every time. Girl does not want to be pregnant and have babies this very second.

But I mean, in all seriousness, it's really sad how poorly women were educated. They know nothing about sex or babies or anything and while it's use as a source for comedy on the show (there are truly some amazing moments because of this) it does show just how much these women are sheltered.

Two key points for Penelope here, though... A) Gossip queen is gossiping. She wants to know! And I mean, she wants to know because she truly is a curious person and who knows she's not getting the full information that's out there. I love that she wants to know things, and yes, she does like the gossip, but she loves knowledge, too, and I love that about her. B) I want to state right here --- they'll show later in this episode how gossip is key for communication. Penelope knows NOW that Marina is pregnant but chooses to keep that information safe and sacred. Because she has no want or need to really harm Marina in anyway. Another person as Lady Whistledown may not have been so careful with the information.

Accomplishments

I LOVE this little scene. It is great for both Eloise and Penelope -- as it shows off a lot of their characters and character dynamics in a very short scene.

Eloise is going on and on about Daphne and Simon, and how it shouldn't really be a big deal that someone finds someone else attractive. Who cares - there are accomplishments to achieve. We learn a LOT about Eloise - what she values in life, her frustrations with being a woman, and how women can't get anywhere on their own and are forced to be attached to men. It's really her struggle through the whole series -- and why I love her character so much.

(And, as an aside, why I struggle to reconcile the possibility that Eloise is going to have some kind of traditional love match -- let this girl be single and free! Or... something.)

But here's the thing about Eloise -- she goes on and on and on, and I think a lot of the time Penelope is right there with her. But I think for different reasons. Eloise comes from a very stable and loving household. She wants to go see the world and learn about it and achieve things for herself -- but she does so from a desire of extreme independence.

Penelope wants that independence, too, but maybe in a different way, for a different reason. As I mentioned above, Penelope is a very curious person, too, and wants to learn and know things. But she also comes from a very verbally abusive household, that doesn't seem to love her unconditionally. She's also treated like an ugly duckling by the ton in a way that Eloise is not. She yes, she wants to be the same strong, independent woman, too, but she has desires in the way that Eloise doesn't.

She longs for romance and love and acceptance and feels lonely and in all those ways she diverges from Eloise. Their friendship is fantastic, and I love it, but they've come together feeling like outsiders, and ultimately, their goals in life are different, even if they think similarly and enjoy and want similar things in life. It's an interesting contrast that will be the source of friction for the series.

Here's the other thing about Eloise -- (and I say this with all the love for Eloise, because she's one of my favorite characters) -- she loves to talk, but she's terrible at listening. She's (rightfully) indignant about a lot of things, but she pays little attention to what's going on around her.

(I mean. I'll say this right here -- I'm genuinely confused how (other than the plot needed her to be) she didn't pick up that Penelope had feelings for Colin. It is so blatantly obvious all the time. But I mean, one can chalk it up to Eloise being in her own little world and us being more privy to Penelope's inner thoughts. Still...)

Penelope is kind of lost in her own thoughts -- thinking about babies and Marina and confusion over how a thing like it happened. Penelope fills Eloise in on the situation (only lies and claims it a maid). I love the bit of comedy we get in Eloise discussing this -- the little digs at Portia for being old, and then Eloise's utter fear that the 'maid' is unmarried. WHAT IF IT HAPPENED TO THEM!! No doubt, this would be the utter worst for Eloise. She does have accomplishments to acquire.

It's interesting the Penelope is the harder read in this scene. She's worried for Marina. She's worried for herself. She doesn't necessarily seem to enjoy the scandal of it. So, now the two of them need to figure this all out. Pen will eventually go talk to Marina. Eloise as something Pen doesn't have... a family to ask... (for what good that will do.)

Babies

We are back in the Bridgerton drawing room where Colin (and Benedict) are doing what brothers do best and are teasing their sister -- Daphne, for getting so much attention at the ball. No, look, one of the things I adore about this show is that they don't shy away from actual sibling dynamics. The playfulness and antagonistic nature they all have with each other is delightful and real and as someone who has three brothers of her own, this author appreciates it.

I cannot stress this enough -- CLAUDIA. JESSIE. IS. A. GODDAMN. COMEDIC. MASTERMIND. (Another reason she and Nicola work so well together as Eloise and Pen.) Her delivery of -- 'how does a lady come to be with child' and 'I thought one needed to be married. Apparently that's not even a requirement' just gets me every time. I love her bluntness.

Colin has some great background moments, at first snickering at the question and then in shock that Eloise keeps pushing the subject. Again, great sibling dynamics in this scene.

I love that Eloise goes directly to her brothers -- which, again, I love this sibling bit. I have to wonder how many times Eloise did go to her older siblings -- and specifically her older brothers -- to find something out. And I have to wonder if most of the time, her brothers are happy to indulge. Here... it's a bit awkward.

Benedict doesn't even want to acknowledge the conversation. Colin is going to do what he always does -- and makes a joke out of it with the visiting a farm suggestion. (I LOVE Benedict smacking him upside the head -- it's such a brother thing to do then they're being a smartass.)

And I mean - okay, there's the obligatory mature vs immature comment I feel like I should make about Colin here. I do think Season 1 Colin is young, and is immature. He's also the youngest boy out of the initial three, who is prone to making light of situations, especially when his older brothers are often so serious.

But... maturity (or lack of) aside, this is honest to god such a sibling thing. It really doesn't matter how old they all get, Colin will probably continue to make jokes because he can.

I also want to mention, even though Eloise and Benedict are probably closer as siblings, I think Colin is more inclined to help Eloise when he can. He's got a good natured and helpful heart, even if he does it in the most sibling way possible.

THE TAKE OUR STICKS OUT INNUENDO! Honest to god, this moment makes me cackle every time. Colin Bridgerton! Indeed!

I love that Benedict is giggling. I love that Eloise is just so confused. I love that Colin is now intentionally getting under his mother's skin. It's such a funny, little family moment of ridiculousness.

I don't think this show gets enough credit for its moments of comedy, because they have some great comedians on the show.

I hope you enjoyed that bit of levity from Colin - because it's 8 minutes into the episode and that's the last we'll see of him in any kind of meaningful way for the rest of the hour. :P

An Extra

Alright, well, we'll have to go wade in the dramatic side of the pool for a moment with some unhinged Anthony.

The reason I'm even bothering is that we get a mention of Colin and Pen when Anthony is raving about how little it means that Daphne is being 'courted' by Simon. He's trying to claim that without a proposal, what Daphne and Simon are doing in public isn't much of anything. -- Look at Colin dancing around with the Featherington girl. That doesn't mean anything -- it couldn't possibly mean anything, they're just friends. Kinda. Whatever. Daphne - you dancing with Simon is nothing like that!

Lol - Anthony is some day going to have to think over every interaction he's noticed between Colin and Penelope and reevaluate things.

But the point here, it's a nice little Easter Egg. It's nice way of nodding that Daphne and Simon are a little like Colin and Pen, and that Colin and Pen are a little like Daphne and Simon and, yes, we will get to that love story but right now we're in the middle of being dramatic so that'll have to wait a few years.

Anyway... it's a cute little shout out, and a nice stopping place for now... :)

[purplecatghostposts]

Pls pls pls more of the lil one off u just wrote. I'm just really curious to see Tim's (and Jay's) full reaction once Brian actually wakes up, all the questions- the feels that could be had.....oh man

Hell fucking yes, let’s continue this bad boy! (Previous Part Here!)

This ended up being a lot more of Tim and Jay talking but Brian is still very important I swear

Tags: Hospitals, Mentions of Blood and Violence, Arguments, Hurt/Comfort, Smoking, Self Deprecation, Very Minor Self Harm Via Pulling On Hair

Word Count: 2k Words.

— —

Tim made his peace with the fact that Brian was probably dead years ago.

No, that wasn’t right…

Tim accepted the fact that Brian, along with Seth and Sarah, were probably dead years ago. There was no peace to knowing this however. It haunted him— looming over him like the very same childhood monster come to life that now was tearing his life as he knew it apart. His first and best friend was probably dead and it might’ve be his fault and there was nothing he could do about it.

Now that Brian very much wasn’t dead (yet, he was losing a lot of blood still) and instead, lying in the backseat of his car unconscious, Tim was… Processing some things. A lot of things. Then when he realized how hard it was to take all of this in and drive at the same time, Tim focused on getting them to a hospital first and figuring out the rest later.

It’s a blur, really. Tim and Jay administer Brian under the claim that he was injured during a hunting accident and they accept it. More common here than most places— it’s a good lie. Tim watches them wheel Brian away with the promise that they’ll be updated as soon as they have new information. Tim and Jay find a place to sit down in the waiting room, in the corner and away from everyone else.

Then Tim can think. He can think about Jay shifting restlessly next to him and about how they fought the last time he saw him. He can think about Brian, being alive and how he’s the Hooded Guy and how that maybe means he hates him. He can think about how Brian isn’t dead but might die anyways and there’s nothing he can do but wait. He can think about trying to say something to Jay but being unable to voice any of it.

There’s a lot to consider. Tim thinks he would have a breakdown if he didn’t feel so numb.

He tries to look around and focus on something else but this time, he feels anxiety creep under his skin. Because the walls are sickeningly white and they’re closing in on him and fucking hell he hates hospitals so much.

Jay startles when he stands up, tensing immediately. Tim hates that Jay doesn’t trust him like he used to and maybe some of that is deserved. Not all of it though. Nonetheless, Tim meets his gaze steadily and says, “I need a smoke, you want to come?”

“Shouldn’t we wait?”

“We don't have to go far.” Tim points out. “And I can’t stand being in here another minute so I’m going with or without you.”

Jay hesitates, then stands with him and follows him out when Tim heads for the nearest exit. They settle by the side of the hospital, away from prying eyes. Tim fumbles for the last remaining cigarette in his pocket and feels a little tension bleed out when he takes a drag from it. It’s not much, but it’s what he has, so Tim clings to the thing that makes sense in front of him and breathes out slowly, pressing his back against the wall.

Jay’s eyes dart around but they keep coming back to him. His lip is tight, shoulders hunched, and after a couple minutes of nothing, Tim sighs. Now or never apparently.

“So,” Tim says, and Jay snaps to attention, “Where do you want to start?”

Jay doesn’t say anything for a while, but Tim can see the gears spinning in his head. He doesn’t need to clarify, Jay has been wound up like a spring the entire time. Full of questions but angry and processing, the same as Tim.

“You lied.” Jay spits out at last, and somehow, Tim knew that this would be where they would always end up. “You said no more secrets but you— you knew. You knew I was still looking for Jessica and you still didn’t say a thing! Is she even still alive?”

“She’s alive. And I didn’t tell you because I was trying to protect her.” Tim tells him, calmer than he feels. Inside it feels like a storm. Crackling full of emotions that make his throat burn but he shuts it down. Not now. If he lets this fight blow out of proportion, it’ll get physical, and that’s the last thing either of them need. He can be angry too but one of them needs to be in control and looking at him now, Tim knows it’s not gonna be Jay.

“Protect her?” Jay repeats, fury flashing in his eyes. “I’m not Alex! I’m not going to try and shoot her!”

“But Alex will and that’s why.” Tim pushes back. “All you did was ask some questions and it almost got her killed.”

“What, so it’s my fault?”

“That’s not what I said.” Tim doesn’t rise to the bait. “But this whole thing we’re doing? It gets people killed. Alex thinks she’s dead and it’s safer for her if it stays that way. Like it or not, if you set foot near her, Alex has a chance of tracking her down.”

“You could’ve told me all this! If you explained then— then I wouldn’t go near her! But you didn’t— you didn’t fucking trust me!”

Jay bares his teeth, hackles raised and waiting to strike. Ironically enough, some of the fight drains out of Tim upon seeing it. When did it become like this? When did all those months of having no one but each other wash away and bleed into bitterness?

They were close. So very close. And now Jay is ready for a fight that he expects to start and Tim still feels angry. For Jay attacking him over a tape— twice— and for the fact that Tim almost wants to punch him. Almost.

But he breathes in deeply, shoving the urge back where it won’t bother him, and he puts out the cigarette. It can’t help him like he needs now. It’s barely ever been able to help him really, but that’s another matter entirely.

Tim stands up straight and Jay shifts, a spring locked and loaded.

Tim says, “I’m sorry.” and watches as Jay visibly falters.

“I’m sorry,” Tim repeats again, just to drill it into his head, “But you’ve made some rash decisions in the past and I made the choice before I began to trust you. By the time I did, I had forgotten about it until I saw it again. I panicked— I knew what it would do to us if you found out so I tried to hide it and… You know the rest.”

Jay’s eyes search his own, squinting hard like he’s trying to find a lie or a trick. When he finds none, his shoulders go slack and Jay lets out a long breath. “Oh.” He says, no longer looking at him. His eyebrows scrunch together, deep in thought.

Tim doesn’t say anything, letting Jay figure out how he feels about that. After a long while, Jay says, “Thanks. For— apologizing.”

Tim nods. Another beat passes before Jay says, “I’m sorry I proved you right.”

Tim lets out a long huff. “I didn’t exactly put you in a good situation.”

“I pulled a knife on you.” Jay points out.

“You did.” Tim agrees. “That part was fucked up.”

“I don’t know why I did it.” Jay confesses, approaching at last and sitting up against the wall. Tim sits down beside him, watching as he rubs his eyes. “I mean— I know why. I was pissed and— I didn’t want to stab you but I wanted you to listen to me and answer all my questions and that just… Seemed like the only way to do it?

“I was just so fucking mad. It felt like you betrayed me and I couldn’t believe I fell for it again. Couldn’t believe that I always fucking fall for it.” Jay’s hands travel up to his hair, gripping onto it in a way that has to hurt. “Something is wrong with me.” He says, muffled, and his eyes squeeze shut.

Tim frowns. He knows that tone all too well. He knows exactly what’s running through Jay’s head.

Gently, he loosens Jay’s grip until it falls away from his hair and no longer hurting him. “You’re a person who needs help,” Tim murmurs to him, “Not a monster.”

Neither of them say anything for a long while. It’s fine for the most part. Peaceful. Nobody pays them any mind.

But eventually, Jay clears his throat and starts with, “So. Brian.”

Tim swallows thickly. “Brian.” He echoes.

“He’s alive.” Jay says. “And the Hooded Guy. And he saved my life and when I asked him why he said— he said that he did it because he didn’t know what else to do.”

Tim doesn’t know what to say. He rubs his eyes, trying to think. “You almost died.” Is all he can manage in the end. Then, bleakly adds, “Brian might still die.”

“He… Might.” Jay agrees weakly. “But he might not.”

Tim almost laughs. “I’ve never been that lucky.” He finds himself saying. “I just got him back and now I’m going to lose him.”

“You won’t.”

“And how do you know?”

“Because— because he’s the Hooded Guy. And he’s never gone down before so something tells me he’s not going down now.”

Jay says it with such an air of finality that Tim finds it hard to dispute it. This time, he does laugh, a breathy sort of laugh but it’s a little easier to breathe once he does. “Good point.” Tim smiles, and Jay smiles back.

The tension is gone, or at least, enough of it is that it feels like they can relax with each other. Tim rests his head on the wall behind him, shuts his eyes, and lets himself believe that everything will work itself out, one way or another.

—

Brian is stabilized. The nurses tell them that he’ll probably be out for a while since he lost a lot of blood and needs time to rest and heal.

Jay and Tim spend as much time as they can stand by his bed and the rest just around the back of the hospital, close enough to be warned but not trapped within. Though, that’s more an issue for Tim than it is for Jay, but Jay tells him that he’s not that big of a fan either.

Two days after administering Brian to the hospital, Jay and Tim are softly talking to themselves when the back door to the hospital opening causes them to look over. Immediately, both of them scramble to their feet.

Brian stands in front of them, a few feet away from the back door, and stares at them. His hospital robe has been discarded, blood-stained hoodie and jeans back on, with the only things missing being his gloves and his mask. His gaze is intense but Jay hasn’t the slightest idea what he’s thinking, as his face betrays none of it.

Then, after a long and silent standoff, Brian turns and begins to walk away from the hospital. Fortunately, with how weak he is, it’s easy enough to catch up, but Jay struggles with what to say.

“Brian?” He asks, and Brian’s face twitches in a way that feels uncomfortable. “Brian, you can’t just— you were hospitalized for a reason! You have to go back!”

Brian finally stops, spinning around to face Jay. Jay almost steps back from the weight of his gaze but stands his ground the best that he can.

“A hospital,” Brian says, voice rough, “Is the first place Alex will look. You’re lucky he didn’t find any of us here.”

“He can’t— he won’t shoot any of us in public!” Jay protests.

“No.” Brian agrees. “But he can wait until we leave, tail us wherever we go, and kill us there.”

Jay’s mouth snaps shut. Brian turns away again but Tim catches his wrist before he can move and causes his whole body to still. Brian looks back and Tim doesn’t so much as blink twice. He’s focused, unrelenting, and doesn’t leave any room for an argument.

“We,” Tim says, “are going to book a hotel room, sit down, and talk.” His gaze hardens. “You owe us answers.”

Brian says nothing, not even to defend himself. Slowly, he nods, but Tim doesn’t let go as he leads the rest of them towards his car.

“Won’t the hospital staff look for us?” Jay asks the other two as they walk, feeling eyes on him but unable to pinpoint from where.

“They won’t remember us.” Brian tells him without looking back, a certainty tone in his voice that tells Jay that he has experience in this matter. Jay can’t find it in him to dispute it.

— —

Anddd I’m gonna stop it there because it’ll take me a lot longer to write them actually having a Serious Talk with Brian bc I gotta think about what he’d tell them and what they’d ask a lot more BUT I hope this was still good!! Damn this might as well be it’s own mini series at this point.

Requests are still open so feel free to send another for a continuation or otherwise! Thank you for the ask, glad you enjoyed the first part :)

[khaleesiofalicante]

Hey again ,how are you? Hope you're doing well and getting some rest. I love the back to back updates (even though I can't bring myself to read them yet, again, like I said, still a little obsessed with IALS but I will soon!) but you need to sleep and rest and take a break my friend! So,when I told you I'll be spaming you with my IALS feelings, I meant it. This is all your fault though, you are too good of a writer😭

Okay IALS scenarios that I can not stop thinking about, I have some theories about them that I will share later:

Where did all of Max's trophies go? Why did Magnus and Alec take them down in the first place?

I would love Lance's reaction when he realized that the song he played for his audition as a kid is the song that brought his parents together, I think he would act all disgusted by how gone they are for each other but would be secretly pleased and kinda happy about it on the inside because he's secretly a softie🥰

I would really like to think they get married eventually, maybe one day after they move to France, they kids are there to visit them and David walks downstairs and he sees Max cooking with the kids and laughing, they way they did when the kids were little, before the divorce and thinking, damn I have to make that man my husband again (officially)

I can't stop thinking about the first time they kiss or the first time they have sex in the same bed or when they move together (I know they don't mean that David is all healed but they're still pretty big milestones and must have meant a lot for both of them)

I also can't stop thinking about them in France, David going to the place he ran away from and doing it with Max, I can't even imagine how that conversation went before they agreed to do it, it must have been really difficult for both of them

I remember Max telling Arthur that he'll let him know the next time he washes his hair so he can teach him how to braid them, I can just see Arthur needing more than one time to get it right and David tagging along, you know, for research 👀

I know David loves Max's tattoos too much and eventually (after many years perhaps) did eventually made him strip and asked (kissed and licked) about every single one of them (a girl can dream and I dream big)

I kinda keep thinking about how Mavid running into Jaden again would go. Or even Mona, I have to admit I'm more curious about Mona, what can I say, I think about jealous, possessive David, I melt away, I'm a basic bitch

Completely unrelated, but the "I love you. I'm going to kill your dad. But I love you" quote you posted from your new fic scares me. I have many theories, but I really hope it's Max saying it to David. The pour guy didn't even get to punch the sadistic prick in IALS. He deserves compensation

Okay, that's about it for now, I'll go back to uni stuff. Have I mentioned how much I hate uni stuff?? Do you feel that way about work stuff too? Or do you actually enjoy it? Seems like a silly question but I'm curious, okay byeee🌷

PS: Song rec~ You are the reason by calum Scott and Leonard Lewis, I keep thinking about David playing this on the piano for Max and I just can't function🥹

LISTS AND SPAM? MY FAVE! LET'S GO!

They took it down with Max's permission and at his request. I think Max didn't want it anymore because he didn't want to be defined by it - and he didn't want his boys to feel the same pressure (We already saw Lance feeling it a little). Although I don't think malec threw it away. They know how hard Max worked to win every single one of them. It's probably in a storage unit :)

He would definitely find out about it (because he is watching the show now). I think if he was with Theia he'd sniffle a little. If he was with his parents he'd be like 'ew wtf is wrong with yall'. (as if this hypocrite doesn't compose music for his gf lmaooo)

I see it happening very much like that. It's not a big moment. Just a soft realization. It's a 'he is still here' and a 'i am ready now'.

I was extremely tempted to write this scene. But it did not make sense in the epilogue. I did not want it to be rushes so I left it out :(

Very difficult indeed. Also for Max - because it's a place that cost him a lot. A place that reminds him of Mallory. Moving to France is a symbolism of a big step. Bigger than even marriage or sex. It's a 'i'm not scared anymore'. They might not be fully healed (and perhaps never will) but they are not afraid of that anymore and that's beautiful.

I MISSED THIS FLUFF AHHHH

He did he did he did

One can never get enough of Jealous David content. Although I can see them meeting Jaden again and a lot of passive-aggressive comments lol. Of course Lance was there to serve cunt. Tempted to write this too...

You shall wait and see :)

I am fortunate enough to pick and choose what kind of work i wanted to do and what to avoid. so i mostly like the work i do - i just find it tiring because it's a lot. but of course even among the stuff i do choose, there are bits i don't like and hate (and it's often other people who make it feel so). if you ever want to rant about uni stuff or just wanna talk about it, you know where to find me x

ps - THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVE SONGS OMG.

[randomshyperson]

Wanda Maximoff x Reader - Sorry for your loss - Part II "I will try"

Serie Masterlist here || Part I || Read on AO3 

Summary: When your wife Natasha passes away in a car accident, a part of you dies with her. It takes a few months of mourning for your psychiatrist thinks the best alternative is for you to join a grief group. And there you meet Wanda Maximoff, and learn to live again.

Warnings: (+16) mentions of death, panic attacks and anxiety, grief, self sabotage, mentions of abusive family background, mutual attraction pining, explicit consent, therapeutic conversations about death, self-deprecation, healthy methods of coping with grief, possible triggers about anxiety, domestic Wanda, hurtful behaviors.

Tag list: @imapotatao / @aimezvousbrahms/ @ensorcellme/ @helloalycia / @mionemymind / @abimess / @stephanieromanoff / @yourtaletotell / @tomy5girls / @justagaypanicking / @thegayw1tch

//-//

Chapter II - I will try

You hate waking up.

Because your bed is empty on the right side.

Grumbling slightly, you push the covers away from your body and get up, running your hand over your face.

It is therapy day.

After brushing your teeth and putting on a sweatshirt that smells like fabric softener, you walked downstairs.

"Good morning, honey." Your mother greeted you as soon as you entered the kitchen, a cup of coffee in her hands. You mumbled the greeting back, walking over to the cabinets. She let out a disgruntled exclamation when she saw you take out a box of cereal. "As much as I think it's great that you're eating again, why don't you try something healthier today? I'm getting worried about the amount of sugar you're taking in these last few days."

You rolled your eyes, but obeyed as you put the package back in the cupboard. Ever since you regained your appetite, your meals, especially in the morning, consist of sweet things. Bread, cereals, and even chocolate. You were eating again, but the chance of diabetes was very high.

"Do you need a ride?" Your mother asks a moment later, when you are already sitting at the table, pouring yourself some orange juice.

"Agatha thinks I should try the subway."

"And what do you think?"

You laughed humorlessly.

"That's a new one." You retorted without taking your eyes off the newspaper in front of you. "Someone asking what I think."

Your mother sighs.

"Don't be like that." She says and then rises to kiss your forehead, the car keys in her hand. "Call me if you need anything."

You bite your tongue, stopping yourself from whispering the words "I need my wife," because you didn't want to cry over coffee.

After eating, you looked around. You hated empty houses. So you hurried to get your wallet and left after locking the door.

//-//

With headphones, the subway was not so scary.

The music on the latest volume muffled the ambient noises very well. And even with a fast heartbeat, you managed to walk correctly, and keep your breathing under control until you reached the city downtown.

You walked from the station toward the building where the therapy was taking place, humming softly the music you were listening to.

Startled slightly when someone touched your shoulder, you turned, only to see Bucky standing beside you, smiling gently. You took off your headphones, moving away from his touch, he didn't seem to notice.

"I called you a few times, but I don't think you heard me under the headsets." He commented amiably. "I think we came from the same subway."

"Okay." You said simply, not knowing what to add to this conversation. Bucky smiled however, and you started walking side by side.

"You know, if we arrange the time, we could come here together next time" He says and you frown slightly. "I wish I had someone to laugh at my comments about the man in the cowboy hat who hangs out at the Sixth Avenue station." He jokes and you force a smile, trying to think of how to decline the invitation. But then you remember how Agatha insisted that you make new friends, and you are letting the words of agreement escape your mouth. "Really? I'm glad you like the idea then. We can meet in any of the first stations and come the rest of the way together."

"That'll be great." You mutter to the man who smiles contentedly.

When you arrive, Bucky waves to a few people and says he will say hello, so you walk into the gym alone.

You try not to feel so nervous about your first session with a therapy partner.

//-//

Stephen is almost late. He apologizes to everyone even though he didn't, saying that he had a minor conflict in traffic. You were already sitting in the circle, waiting for the meeting to start, when the other people came in and sat down.

Wanda sat in the chair in front of you, and you smiled awkwardly at her, who repeated the gesture before looking away from you to Stephen.

"I hope you all had a good week" Stephen began next. "Today I will be handing out the schedule of duo activities, and I expect all of you to accomplish these goals within six to eight months. Of course, no pressure." He jokes last, making the group laugh. You frown, because you are curious what kind of activities these are. "Jessica, take one and pass it to the side, please.”

Stephen asked handing some papers to one of the girls in the group who was sitting next to him. As each member took one, Stephen again spoke of the importance of communication between pairs, and how he would like to monitor everyone's progress closely. You stopped paying attention when the paper came into your hands, focused on reading the words.

Your hand rises in the air a moment later.

"Y/N, do you have a question?" Stephen asked as he interrupted his own speech when he saw your hand. You had your heart racing when you asked.

"It says drive a car here." You replied looking at him. "I don't... I don't drive."

You know that some members exchanged glances with each other, but you kept staring at Stephen.

"You can leave this activity for last. At the end of the treatment....

"No." You interrupted with a dry laugh, running your hands through your hair. "I'm not driving. I don't..."

"Would you like to share why that is?" Stephen asks tenderly, and you look around. Everyone looks at you curiously, and you feel your face heat up. Then you stare at the paper in front of you. Taking a deep breath, you try not to crumple the paper so hard as you tell it.

"My wife died in a car accident." You narrate, trying not to be bothered by people holding their breath for your confession. It was awkward to talk about it, and it was even more overwhelming to deal with the reactions of others. "I was driving, and... I can't anymore since the accident." You explain. "It's like I'm back in the car again."

You fall silent, unable to hold back your tears. The group says "thank you for sharing" next, startling you slightly. Stephen smiles at you as you look at him.

"Would you like to add anything else?"

"I would like you to tell me that I won't need to do that."

Stephen laughed. And then he denied it with his head.

"It's the opposite of that actually." He says. "I think you do need it. Maybe more than anyone else here."

You sighed, looking down. He spoke again after that, but you paid no further attention.

//-//

You swallowed your nervousness when Stephen called for the pairs to begin the first exercise.

Getting up and walking over to Wanda, you kept your gaze on the floor.

"We're going to try blind trust today." Stephen explained as he opened a small box, and began handing out black blindfolds to the pairs. He handed one to you. "You will blindfold your partner, and lead them around the gym for two minutes. And then switch who is blindfolded and repeat."

You blinked in confusion, taking one last look at the object in your hands.

"Right." You mumble, raising your eyes to the woman in front of you. "May I?"

Wanda hesitates a second, but then she nods. You turn around her, placing the blindfold under her eyes gently, and tying it to the back of her head. Wanda holds her breath momentarily, probably getting used to the lack of visibility.

" Can I hold your hands?" You ask softly as you circle her again, watching her blindfolded face. She looks... cute. The same second the thought hits you, you push it out.

"Yes." Wanda sighs raising her hands at chest height. You smile, interlacing your hands together.

"Well, we were in the circle, right?" You begin. "Come this way so you don't bump into the chairs."

Guiding Wanda through the gym, you stand close and with your hands interlocked so that she doesn't get scared of bumping into something. You catch a quick glance at Bucky, who was guiding his own partner as he passes your side.

Two minutes later, you exchange.

You hold your breath when the blindfold is on your eyes, but Wanda's hand is soft as she guides you around.

When you stumble slightly because you thought she said right instead of left, it's the first time in six months that you really laugh. It's short and quick, but it's a real laugh. Wanda laughs too, squeezing your hand lightly to get you back on the right path.

You feel a little lighter when the activity is over.

"I liked today." You comment with a shy smile after the meeting is over, and you and Wanda walk out of the place together. She smiles in agreement.

"Yeah, me too." She says. "Now we only have another twenty-four activities ahead of us."

You let out a nasal laugh, putting your hands in your pockets.

"About the homework, I can meet you when you have time." You start to say, remembering the information in the booklet, and how you probably had much more free time than a mother, and it would be kinder for you to follow whatever schedule Wanda had. "You can text me anytime you are free."

She looks slightly surprised at your words, and looks down at the floor a moment before speaking again.

"Actually, I'm free now." She says, and it is your turn to be surprised. Seeing your expression, she quickly adds. "But it's okay if you're not, or if you don't want to..."

"No, it's fine." You interrupt with a lopsided smile. "I can. I'd... uh... I would like to too."

Wanda nods frantically, and then you are silent for a moment, before turning shyly toward the street, walking side by side.

"What are we going to do first?" You ask looking forward. Wanda bites her lips, thoughtful.

"Are you hungry?"

Not much, but you don't tell her that. You just shrug, and Wanda smiles, saying that you could try the lesson of sharing a meal together.

This is how you end up in a cafeteria for lunch.

Wanda is sitting on the bench in front of you when she speaks again.

"So...do you want to have a normal conversation or do you want to follow the script of questions?"

You blink in surprise, and give a short laugh.

"Wait, is that for real?" You ask fiddling with your pockets, Wanda looks at you curiously. You take out the pamphlet you got in class, then read the back, and let out a giggle. "I hadn't seen that part. Wow, that would have been so helpful at so many times in my life."

Wanda smiles, watching you read the pamphlet.

"So you're not good at talking to people huh?"

You place the flyer on the table, looking at her.

"Are you?"

"No." She says shrugging. "Socializing has always been much more my brother's thing than mine."

You make a noise with your mouth in agreement, and Wanda's cell phone on the table vibrates. She lowers her gaze to the device, and lets out a light sigh.

"Speaking of him." She mutters as she raises her finger to the screen. She reads the notification, but does not touch the device again.

"I would like to have a brother." You count next, and Wanda looks at you. "I think it would be nice to have someone growing up together with me. Sometimes it's pretty lonely being an only child."

"I'll lend you mine if you want." Wanda teases with a smile, and you laugh lightly, looking away momentarily.

" How many siblings do you have?"

"Two." She counters. "Pietro is my twin. And the youngest is Lorna."

"How are they like?"

Wanda sighs, thoughtfully.

"Pietro is loud and nosy. And Lorna is blunt and judgmental." She says and you nod in understanding, but Wanda adds a second later, smiling, "They're amazing, really. Pietro is...very caring. He looks after the boys for me. And Lorna lives in Sokovia, but she's always calling and asking how we are, as well as visiting whenever she can."

"That seems nice." You reply. The waitress attends you two next, and after ordering, you both wait in silence for a while.

"Why haven't you asked me about my loss yet?" Wanda asks suddenly, and you look away from the wordplay that was drawn on the table to look at her with a frown.

"What do you mean?"

"I shared my loss with the group the week before you joined us." She counters. "You never asked me who I lost."

"Do you want me to ask?"

"I don't know." She replies staring at you as a mixture of confusion and surprise. "It's just... that's usually the first thing people want to know."

You nod looking away.

"Well, I just want you to tell me whatever you want to tell me." You say. "I know very well what that feels like. I don't think I could talk to any of the people I know without them asking me about Nat every time they saw me."

Wanda makes a noise with her mouth of understanding, and you fall silent again. She checks her messages next and makes a slight grimace, you can't hold your curiosity and let the words "everything okay?" escape your lips.

"Yeah, it's just... Monica." She sighs running her hands through her hair. She types something next, and looks up at you. "Monica is my brother's wife, She is... pushy."

"How so?"

"She just...she wants to help. But she wants too much, you know?" Wanda begins. "She has the best of intentions, but she just suffocates me sometimes." She counters by tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, as you look at her intently. "She lost her mother when she was younger. And since... since Vis died she just... she wants me to talk to her about it. But I can't."

You nod in acknowledgement, hesitating between what to say next, because the mention of this Vis guy seems to have left Wanda quite shaken, as she quickly wipes a tear from running down her cheek. She forces a smile, shaking her head.

"Sorry about that. It's not the best thing to cry at our first lunch." She then remarks, and you smile shrugging your shoulders.

"Don't worry, I can cry at the next one and then we'll be even." You retort and Wanda laughs. You like the sound more than you should.

When your food arrives, you and Wanda thank the waitress and talk again the next moment.

"Accordingly to this, what is our first question?" Wanda asks you nodding lightly to the pamphlet you have left on the table. You eat one of your fries as you look at it.

You lower your hand to the paper, and then let out a chuckle as you actually read the questions.

" This is ridiculous." You observe, making Wanda look at you curiously. "All the questions are death related, see: If you died, how would you like people to remember you?" You read. "Or, what song would you like played at your funeral. My god, this is a joke." You grumble as you fold the flyer, and put it back in your pocket while Wanda giggles. You look back at her next. "I am decreeing that we will not talk about death on our outings, Mrs. Maximoff. It's a rule."

Wanda smiles at you, agreeing.

"Wanda." She then adds and you look at her with confusion. "You don't have to call me Mrs. Maximoff. Wanda is fine."

You smile, nodding in agreement.

"So, Wanda, where do you live?" You ask with interest in your voice, biting into your burger next.

"Queens." She replies. "Two blocks past Bucky's apartment, who lives in Brooklyn."

"You are friends then?"

"Yeah, he's the one who introduced me to the group." She explains as you eat together. She chews some of her salad before speaking again. "And you?"

"Staten Island." You retort. "But it's actually my mother's house. My apartment is in the Bronx."

Wanda doesn't pressure you to tell her why you are living with your mother. A part of you thinks she knows why, but you are grateful that she just waits for you to share what you want, just as you do with her.

"What do you work with?" she asks next, and you sigh, biting back a smile.

"Nothing at the moment." You say, and she frowns with confusion. "It's just that I write. I’m actually a writer. With a publisher and everything. But, I'm not writing anything right now."

"I don't think I've ever met a writer before." She comments with a smile. "Do you like it?"

You look away, playing with your fries.

"I used to." You confess, but not wanting to make the conversation sad, you quickly add. "What about you? What do you work with?"

"I own a flower shop." She tells and you let out a low exclamation, finding it amazing. "I haven't been going there much lately, but I like it. It's always been what I've wanted to do since I was little."

"I'd like to visit someday."

Wanda smiles, assenting.

You spend lunch talking about the most diverse subjects. It is the lightest you have felt in a long time. Wanda tells you about her family, you learn that she lives in a big house with her two twin five-year-old sons, Billy and Tommy, and that her father was spending time with her since she lost Vis, who you figure is her husband, because Stephen mentioned that you had things in common, and it's not hard to connect the dots, even if she doesn't talk about it.

She also tells you that Pietro and Monica are helping the flower shop to keep running, and that Wanda's children love to stay at their house because Wanda's niece, Luna, is the same age as the boys.

She tells you some of her tastes, and you do the same. You both smile when you discover that you used to study at the same college, but Wanda graduated a few years before you.

When you leave the restaurant, you are not quite sure how to say goodbye to Wanda, but you don't mind her kissing your cheek and telling you that she enjoyed her lunch. You enjoyed it too, much more than you expected. She nods and turns away, and it takes a moment for you to do the same.

//-//

You decide to fix the broken screen of your cell phone.

It is because you now receive notifications of messages from Wanda, and you want to read them correctly so as not to get confused with the locations of your meetings for group activities.

You also enjoy the company of Bucky Barnes now. The first time you went to therapy together, it's a little awkward because you didn’t quite knew what to say, but he was friendly and kind, and you learned to trust him. Soon it becomes easy to share and laugh at his jokes.

In the second week with grieving pairs, Stephen brings in question and answer games. You and Wanda do very well, because it is surprisingly easy and comfortable to talk to her. You don't have lunch together, but she invites you to have coffee with her the next day, and it is very nice to see her out of therapy for once.

In the third week, you cook together. Stephen contacts a local restaurant owned by a friend, which is closed for the day, and they lend their kitchen. You and Wanda try to bake some cookies, and as you work together, the job is decent. It is probably because Wanda is a much better cook than you, and you are happy to obey whatever she tells you to do. You have lunch together again, and you find yourself suggesting that you do this whenever possible, and Wanda smiles when she agrees.

In the fourth week, there are obstacle competitions in the group. It's noisy, and it requires physical effort, but it's fun. It's the first month, so Stephen wants to see how everyone is progressing. It's only when he talks to you that you realize all the positive changes that have been happening.

You have been eating properly, and going for walks. Your nightmares have stopped since you started texting with Wanda, because she is usually busy all day and can only text at night. There is still work to be done, because you still can't talk about everything. You are still not sharing as you should, and you haven't gone back to work. But Stephen is proud, and he hands you a little progress brooch.

"I think you guys can start with the activities outside the group." Stephen suggests as soon as you accept the brooch.

"What do you mean? We have lunch together every Wednesday." You count, and Stephen laughs through his nose.

"Yes, and this is excellent." He says. "But it's still after therapy. You and Wanda have been getting along well haven't you?"

You think about the lunches. Yes. It's been amazing. You nod in agreement, and Stephen smiles.

"Why don't you invite her over for something on the other days of the week?" He suggests and you frown thoughtfully. "You could try outings that you both enjoy. Or just get to know each other's family."

"Why would we go and meet each other's family?"

"Friends do that." He says and you sigh, feeling your heart racing slightly. "Take Bucky for example. I suggested that he and Sam move in together and..."

"Wow, I'm not moving in with anyone."

Stephen laughs, touching your shoulder gently.

"I didn't tell you to do that." He says. "It was just an example. What I mean, is that socialization outside of the therapeutic environment is essential. I'd like to see you having fun excluding the activities I put on here, too."

You sigh, agreeing. It's not really a bad thing, you like Wanda. It's just weird to let people into your life again.

When you tell Wanda about Stephen's idea, you get too anxious and fumble with the words. She laughs as she raises her hands to your shoulders, asking you to breathe and repeat. She thinks the idea is very good when she understands.

Then the next week, you go to Central Park. You walk together, drink juice, and talk. You thought you would make things awkward, and not have anything interesting to say to keep Wanda's attention, but she is kind and thoughtful, and pays attention to every word you say, and finds your jokes funny. And the next thing you know, you've been talking and walking for six hours, and she has to run because she has to pick up the boys from music class.

It didn't take long for you to establish a rhythm of outings. At least twice a week outside of the therapy day, you did something together. Be it walks, or trips to the park, or sharing a meal.

You didn't want to admit it, but Wanda became your favorite person very quickly.

//-//

It was February when you met Wanda's family.

Wanda invited you to the birthday party of Luna, Pietro's daughter. It was going to be the first party you had attended since Nat's death, and to say you were feeling anxious was an understatement. But as long as Wanda was by your side in the atmosphere, you thought you would be fine.

Your mother gave you a look of mixed surprise and pride when she saw you leaving the house in an outfit other than a sweatshirt, but she didn't say anything, and you hurried to catch the subway.

It took a while to get there, but when you did, there were already a few people around the house.

You took a deep breath, and walked to the front door that was open. It was a very nice house, and you tried to find Wanda as quickly as possible.

"Hey, you came!" It was Bucky, who saw you arriving from the kitchen. He was wearing a very nice set of jeans, and smiled encouragingly at you. The two people he talked to looked at you curiously, but Bucky hurried to introduce you as "a good friend of his and Wanda's" and you felt your cheeks blush. "This is my husband Sam and this is his sister, Sara."

You smiled politely as you greeted people.

"I'm looking for Wanda." You say to Bucky, and he makes a thoughtful expression for a few seconds.

"Try the garden, I think she was helping Pietro with the snacks." He says as he puts his hand on your shoulder, and turns you in the right direction. "Follow straight this way and you'll get there."

You thanked them and waved to the other two before heading outside.

It took two minutes to find Wanda. She found you actually.

"Hi." She greeted you shyly with a smile as she approached. You mimicked the gesture. "So glad you could make it."

Wanda hugged you quickly, and you were a complete mess. Disguisedly, you smiled awkwardly, telling her you were glad to be here and wished you could meet her brother.

"Pietro is upstairs changing Luna's dress. She spilled juice on the other one." She counters and you mumble in understanding. Wanda's gaze races around and then she lets out a low exclamation. "Come, let me introduce you to Monica."

"Hey, Mon, I want you to meet someone." Wanda says as soon as you two reach a woman at one of the outside tables, wearing a very pretty blue dress. She seemed to hand out some napkins on the table.

"This is your mystery friend I imagine." Says the woman cheerfully, extending her hand to greet you.

"Hi, thank you for having me." You say clumsily as you accept the greeting. Monica doesn't mind your clumsiness one bit, and smiles, and thanks you for the small package you hand her. You were always taught that one should bring a gift if you were going to the party after all.

"It's so nice to finally meet you honey." She says smiling. "Wanda won't stop saying how funny and entertaining you are."

You cast a glance at Wanda, who just has red cheeks as she looks away.

"Here comes Pietro." Monica then exclaims, waving to someone behind you. "Come on babe, it's Wanda's friend."

A tall man approaches you, a little girl on his lap wearing a princess dress.

"Hello." Pietro greeted you politely as he stood at his wife's side. "We finally met you. We were beginning to think Wanda made you up."

You let out a half-hearted laugh, and Wanda grumbles that suddenly everyone has decided to tease her with flushed cheeks.

"Daddy, can I go play now?" The little girl asked. She was adorable, and looked a lot like her parents.

"You'll be careful, right?" Pietro asked her. "No other princess dress for you."

The girl nods and Pietro sets her down after kissing her cheek.

"I need to greet the other guests, but make yourselves at home." Monica then said, touching your shoulder lightly before leaving. You thought she was very gentle.

For the next few minutes you were basically interrogated by Pietro, but in the most polite way he could manage. Wanda stayed by your side though, so you didn't bother to tell him what you did for a living, where you resided, or with whom. He was sensitive enough not to ask about who you lost, and you were very grateful for that.

"What's he doing here?" Wanda exclaimed suddenly, interrupting Pietro's talk about his job as a seller. She had her gaze in the opposite direction from where you were standing, and Pietro sighed.

"Wanda, it was a last-minute invitation." He began, and Wanda turned her head to him quickly, a mixed look of anger and hurt. But then she took a deep breath, and forced a smile, making you frown at the whole scene.

"No, Pietro. It's okay." She says. "Don't worry, it's a party, isn't it? We're here to have fun."

A man with a thinning beard reached you all next, and you were slightly surprised when Wanda grabbed your hand, but you didn't say anything.

"Wow, it's amazing to see you guys again." The man said smiling encouragingly. Pietro rushed over to hug him quickly.

"Good to see you too, Tony!" he greeted smiling, but he also looked slightly tense. You didn't know what the story was there, but clearly Wanda was not very comfortable in the stranger's presence.

"Wanda, look at you, my little sister-in-law!" Tony said excitedly extending his arms. But Wanda didn't move, squeezing your hand lightly. The man didn't seem to mind, moving forward and hugging Wanda anyway. He pulled away quickly however, still smiling, "And who are you?” He asked you next.

"I’m..."

"Leaving." Wanda cuts you off, ducking her head as she pulls you away with her. You hear Pietro sigh lightly, imagining that he would apologize for whatever this was.

As you two walk back into the house, you consider asking, but Wanda is looking around, clearly searching for someone. She lets out a low exclamation when she finds Bucky in the living room.

"Hey, Wanda." He says as soon as he sees her. "You've seen him, right?"

"You knew he was coming?" she asked, letting go of your hand, looking annoyed. You were starting to get very uncomfortable.

"Yes." Bucky confesses looking upset, and Wanda lets out an exclamation of indignation and surprise. "I told Pietro that it wasn't a good idea, but he still needs help with the Vis business..."

"No." Wanda interrupts by closing her eyes momentarily. You blink because she seems on the verge of tears at any moment. "I just..." She starts and takes a deep breath. Bucky steps forward with his hands in the air to touch her, but she forces a smile, denying with her head to signal him not to. "We're not going to make a scene, are we? Nobody's going to want that. I just... I just need a moment."

Wanda walks upstairs next, leaving you and Bucky behind. You really didn't understand what happened, and started to consider going after her, and as if reading your thoughts, Bucky patted you on the shoulder.

"Leave her alone for a few minutes, okay?" he asks. "She just needs to get used to the idea of seeing her late husband's brother again."

You swallowed dryly, nodding in understanding. Bucky smiled weakly at you, nodding for you to join him in the small circle of people he was talking to earlier.

//-//

Every minute without Wanda at your side with a bunch of strangers was like torture. Your heart was racing and you thought you were going to hyperventilate at any moment. Bucky was probably the only thing familiar, so you stood static next to him, trying to disguise yourself as much as possible while listening to people talking.

"Thor, I'm waiting for the invitation to your wedding!" Sam joked in the middle of the wheel, drawing laughter from everyone. The tall, blond man next to him looked mildly embarrassed.

"Tell that to Jane, she's the one who's postponing it." He replies in the same tone. You don't want to hear about engagements and weddings. So you mutter to Bucky that you need to use the bathroom and he points you in the direction.

Pietro's house is easy to get lost into. You are looking for a secluded corner to stay in, and as you pass through the empty hallway, you hear a noise that attracts your attention. It sounds like loud breathing.

Confused, you walk toward the sound, carefully opening the door to what appears to be an office. You find the switch, and your eyes widen in surprise when you find a child. It is a small boy, sitting on the floor with his head between his knees. It takes a second for you to realize by the height of his breathing what is happening.

Closing the door behind you to muffle the sound of the party, you rush to kneel beside the child.

"Hey, kid." You whisper tenderly but he just sobs. "What's your name? Hey? Try to say your name for me okay?"

You bring your hands to his and he raises his head, his face stained with tears as he breathes hard.

"T-Tommy" He gasps and you nod, squeezing his hands lightly.

"Okay, Tommy. I want you to breathe along with me now okay?" You ask as you signal with your hand the movement of your breath. "In and out like I'm doing."

"I-I can't." He cries, but you insist, squeezing his hand lightly.

"Tommy, in and out. This way." You repeat firmly, until he imitates. "All right, kid. Keep going. Breathe."

When Tommy manages to start breathing properly again, you smile at him. "You see, you did very well. Want me to give you a hug?"

He nodded, and you stepped forward, hugging him tightly. He didn't let go for long moments, and you began to think he might have fallen asleep, but he moved again, and you let go.

"I'm sorry." He asked weakly, and you held his hand.

"No, honey. It's okay." You say gently, crossing your legs to sit more comfortably in front of him. "Do you want me to stay here with you?"

He nods, looking at you quickly. You wipe away his tears afterwards.

"I don't know you." He says a moment later, and you smile slightly.

"I don't know you either."

"My name is Tommy." He replies with his hands folded in his lap. "This is my aunt and uncle's house, but I've never seen you at a party before."

"Wow, you are Wanda's son." You realize with surprise. Tommy blinks.

"Who is Wanda? I'm Mommy's son."

You laugh, nodding in agreement.

"Well, Tommy, your mother's name is Wanda." You explain, and he lets out a sigh of understanding. "I'm her friend."

"Okay." He says simply. He sighs lightly then. "I'm hungry."

You look at him curiously.

"Do you want a hot dog?" You ask, and he nods frantically, smiling. "Do you want to go outside and get it, or do you want me to bring it for you here?"

Tommy is thoughtful for a few seconds, and looks at the door for a moment.

"I want to go."

"Okay."

You get up first, and then help him to stand, and keep your hand in his to comfort him.

"Hey, is everything all right?" You ask as soon as you open the door. He has his thumb in his mouth, but nods, his eyes attentive to his surroundings.

Fortunately the kitchen is empty, since the house seemed to get warm enough for everyone to go outside. You sit Tommy down at the kitchen counter and prepare a hot dog for him.

"Do you like ketchup?" you ask and he nods smiling. After handing the hot dog to him, you made one for yourself. You smiled as you both took big bites of your food. "Does your mom let you drink soda?" You ask a moment later, and Tommy looks thoughtful. "Don’t lie."

Tommy grimaces mischievously, and nods his head in denial. You laugh and reach for two glasses, pouring some grape juice for you.

"Thanks." He says thank you as soon as you hand him the cup. You think it's adorable how polite he is at this age.

"There you are, Tommy." Pietro spoke as he appeared in the kitchen. He watched the scene with curiosity. "I've been looking all over for you."

"Sorry, Uncle." Murmured the boy lowering his head. "My head was hurting again."

Pietro sighed and you exchanged a look with him. He nodded in understanding before helping Tommy down from the countertop.

"Billy and Luna are eating candy in the backyard, honey." He says as he bends down to the boy's height. "Go ask Aunt Mon to give you some too."

Tommy seems content to leave after that, but he turns and hugs your legs quickly, muttering a "thanks for the hot dog" before running outside. You place his cup of juice in the sink along with yours before turning to Pietro.

"Where did you find him?" he asks leaning on the counter with his arms crossed. You mimic the position on the opposite side.

"In the office down the hall." You count. "What does he have?"

"We don't know yet." Pietro says. "He won't turn six until November, and the diagnosis can't be made before then." The man explains, running his hand through his hair for a moment. "But I've had anxiety since I was a kid, so his doctor thinks it's the most likely possibility."

You grumble in understanding, biting the inside of your cheek.

"He's been pretty nervous lately." Pietro continues next. You don't want to interrupt him. "I guess that makes sense. I got worse when my mother died, too."

You swallow dryly, really not being intimate enough to know what to say next. But Pietro doesn't mind, he smiles, shaking his head and reaching up to pat you on the arm.

"Sorry, I don't mean to make the subject morbid." He comments humorously. "Thank you so much for helping Tommy. Come have a drink outside."

You laugh half-heartedly, denying with your head.

"Thank you, Pietro." You say. "But I think I'd better go."

Pietro blinks in surprise.

"Are you sure?"

You nod, your gaze quickly going to the stairs before returning to him.

"Yes, I'm... I'm tired." You say. "Crowded environments are quite difficult for me."

Pietro nods in acknowledgement, and then smiles, thanking you again for coming and hugging you quickly.

You smile awkwardly before heading for the exit just as he returns to the garden.

Ignoring the urge to climb up the stairs after Wanda, you leave.

//-//

When you get home, there is a message on the refrigerator door from your mother, telling you that she is going out after work and that you shouldn't wait up for her. You grumble slightly, sending her a message to use protection, before leaving your cell phone on the counter.

After taking a shower and putting on the most comfortable and warmest set of sweatshirts you have, you go back to the living room, looking for some entertainment on the television.

It must be about eight o'clock at night when a knock at the door startles you.

You are surprised to have Wanda at your front door and she hesitates as soon as she sees you.

"Hi." You say.

"Can we talk?"

You make room for her to enter, closing the door afterwards.

Wanda stops in the doorway of the room, holding her purse tightly.

"I'm sorry I left you alone at the party." She begins and you look at her attentively, noticing her nervousness. "It wasn't polite of me."

You blink in confusion, but don't interrupt her. She closes her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before looking back at you.

"It was not the right way to behave and I am sorry. I hope we continue to be grieving partners" She says.

"Wanda, why are you here?" You ask with a frown, trying to understand exactly what you are witnessing. Wanda blinks in confusion.

"To apologize."

"Yeah I'm not buying it." You retort. "I don't care about the whole manners thing, I wouldn't treat you differently just because of the party. What's going on?"

"I don't... I don't know what you're talking about." She says shaking her head slightly, her eyes wide. You look at her in disbelief, she seemed on the verge of an outburst. "I just came to apologize for not being a good hostess, and not even a good friend. And..."

"I don't give a damn if you weren't behaving as you should." You interrupt seriously. "You don't have to pretend to be okay with me. I saw the way you were forcing yourself to smile during the party. What was all that about? Why are you pretending?"

Wanda let out a humorless laugh, holding up her hands, her eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know what..."

"If you're going to lie you can leave." You interrupt seriously pointing to the door. Wanda swallows dryly, looking at you in surprise. "I'm not like those people, Wanda. I don't want to see your version of the perfect housewife, who pretends everything is fine while it's falling apart so others will feel better. Either you tell me the truth, or we' re not going anywhere."

Wanda stares at you for several seconds, then looks away, tears streaming down her face. You sigh, uncrossing your arms to walk toward the door. As you begin to open it, however, Wanda rushes in and pushes the wood with one hand, the noise and movement startling you momentarily.

"Please." She begs throwing herself against you, her arms clutching around you as she buries her head in your chest, her tears wetting your shirt. "I can't lose you too."

You sigh, hugging her back in the same intensity to calm her.

"Breathe, Wanda." You say. "I'm right here."

When she stops crying, she breaks the embrace, and you give her a smile even though she is looking at the floor. You bring your hands to her face to wipe away her tears, moving closer to give her a kiss on her forehead before pulling away.

"Let's have some tea."

As you prepare the drink, Wanda sits down on one of the stools in the kitchen. You join her after lighting the fire.

"Do you want to talk now?" You ask next, swinging your seat slightly. Wanda gives you a weak smile, nodding her head. She sighs before she begins.

"My husband died last year." She counters with a lost look on her face. "That man at the party...his name is Tony. He is my brother-in-law. He... My husband died in an accident. He..." Wanda paused, probably overwhelmed by the memories, you reached out for her hand on the counter, and she sniffled before continuing. "Tony is an alcoholic. He...he needed someone to pick him up. So he called. And Vis... They... They argued outside the bar, and someone thought Vis was a cop. And then someone had a knife and..." Wanda stopped in a sob, releasing her hand to cup her face. You stood up, hugging her by the shoulders, and she buried her face in your neck, crying heavily.

"I'm sorry." You sighed, squeezing her. Wanda cried, hugging your waist. You only let go when the kettle beeped.

She wiped away the remaining tears as you went to turn off the fire.

"Do you want to go on?" You ask as you join her again, holding her hands. Wanda gives you a tired smile, denying it. "Let's drink our tea, then."

//-//

"Can I sleep here?" The question doesn't surprise you. After you had finished drinking tea, and you tried to distract Wanda with some small talk, you stood up to take the mugs to the sink, and her voice invaded your ears with the question.

You bit the inside of your cheek, but when you turned around, you didn't hesitate to agree.

And that's how you ended up in your closet doorway, looking for extra pillows.

Wanda walked around, observing your room with curiosity. You mentally thanked your mom that it had only been two days since her monthly cleaning, and your room was not messy.

"Who is this?" Wanda asks as she holds one of your frames in her hand. You have an extra comforter in your hand as you walk over to her to look at the picture.

"This is Bruce." You say looking at the photograph for a moment. Ignoring the wave of guilt that fills your stomach, you walk over to your bed. "We've studied together most of our lives. And the girl next to him is Carol, she was my maid of honor."

"Are they the friends you don’t talk to anymore?" Wanda asks as she returns the picture to the headboard. You mumble in agreement.

"Done, Wands." You say as you place the comforter on the bed. "You can have my pillow, I'll use the cushions on the sofa anyway."

Wanda frowns in confusion.

"Aren't you going to sleep with me?" She asks and you laugh in surprise, feeling your heart race.

"W-what?"

"I thought..." She starts and seeing your reddened face she looks away, clearing her throat. "I'm not going to make you sleep on the couch."

"It's okay, really." You assure her with a smile. "I'll be downstairs and if you need anything you can wake me up."

"Y/N..."

"Good night." You interrupt with a smile, moving closer to place a quick kiss on her cheek before turning and leaving the room, your heart racing.

You haven't slept in the same bed with another woman in many months. That is absolutely not going to happen tonight.

When Wanda finally lies back against the sheets, she grumbles softly. Your scent is everywhere, and she knows very well what it means when her body shivers and she feels a small warmth at the pit of her stomach. Pushing these thoughts away, she closes her eyes, hoping that the tiredness of the day will be enough to make her sleep.

[dragondemoness]

Please do part 3 of Jack Frost request on the day the phantom thieves sent the calling card Jack Frost accidentally found skill card psiodyne on joker bag during the boss fight with mariko shadow the phantom thieves are having a really hard time then they thought they gonna be defeated Jack appear and full of bravery he attack shadow mariko with psiodyne saying after very attack hee ho that for yelling at me that for making me and my fiends frost almost pass out and that for hurting my dads

I have to say, I'm having way too much fun with this series~ I hope we can do a part four

Our Little Buddy - Ryuji Sakamato x Male Reader Part Three

It had been a day since your last encounter with Mariko Hyodo. 

Since then, you and Ryuji made sure to keep Jack Sakamato (Last Name) away from her. Nothing was gonna upset your little buddy on your watch.

Now you had the calling card written, and all that was left to do was post it. While that was being done, you and Ryuji took Jack on a walk, wanting to give him some fresh air.

It was late at night, so nobody else was around. While you were walking, Jack found an empty card on the ground.

"Ho?" He tilted his head, curious.

He had seen Joker give these cards to Yusuke, and he could apparently make these cards useful.

So after returning to the camper, he gave the card to Yusuke.

Yusuke took the card from him and inspected it.

"Ah, I see. Where did you find this, little one?"

Jack pointed to one of the windows.

"Out there, ho!"

Yusuke nodded.

"I see. Well, it may not be from the Metaverse, but I should still be able to make something with this. I will have it to you tomorrow."

Jack nodded and thanked him before heading back to his spot in the cooler and going to sleep.

Next morning, it was go time.

The calling card had been posted, and now it was time to enter the jail

Yusuke gave Jack the card he had found, now containing the powerful Psi move Psiodyne

Jack hadn't told you or Ryuji that he had found it, wanting to save it for a later date 

He wasn't sure why, but he felt like he needed it for something

When the Phantom Thieves entered the Jail, Jack walked alongside you and waited while you fought your battles

He still didn't want to attack his former fellow Shadows

He understood them, after all

After all was said and done, the Phantom Thieves arrived at Mariko Hyodo's castle

Jack felt disturbed at seeing his former boss again

You could detect his fear, and kept your hand on his shoulder to help calm him down

Eventually, Hyodo grew irritated with the Phantom Thieves trying to reason with her, and her shadow grew into a larger, even more disturbing one

Now, it was time for battle

It had been almost half an hour, and you had gotten nowhere.

Every time Hyodo swallowed someone, you dropped a chandelier on her and made her spit them back out, only for her to swallow someone else again.

Eventually, you ran out of chandeliers.

Haru's Persona was the most effective in causing damage, but her Persona was well out of energy, as were the others.

You and Ryuji tried to tag-team her, but you both only ended up tired and hurt.

Hyodo's shadow laughed tauntingly at you and your fallen comrades.

"Come on! Is that all you can do?! You're all so weak!"

Haru winced at her words, hating what had become of her old friend.

Jack seemed to have the same reaction, remembering what she had said to him and his former fellow shadows.

He looked at you and Ryuji, supporting each other to the best of your ability.

He hated to see his new family hurt, especially the two of you.

He knew he could stand by and watch no longer.

He reached into your bag and took out his Psiodyne card.

Now was the time, and he used it and learned the move. 

As Hyodo prepared to finish you and your friends off, Jack ran up to her and used his new move.

It was incredibly effective, and it caused a great deal of damage to Hyodo's shadow.

She recoiled, and she faced him with an angry glare.

"Well, well. If it isn't the absolute failure of an employee that once worked for me. You couldn't do your job right back then, but you can now, for this sad little group of thieves? How pathe-"

Jack cut her off with another Psiodyne attack.

"Hee! Shut up, ho!"

He landed another attack, and another.

"Hee! That's for yelling at me every day, ho! That's for hurting my friends, hee!"

And he landed another one, hard on Hyodo's face.

"And that's for hurting my dads, ho!"

You and Ryuji exchanged a proud look.

You watched your little buddy, happy to see how far he had come.

Jack kept attacking Hyodo until eventually, she collapsed, and returned to her original Ursula-lookalike form.  

You stood up and ran over to Jack Sakamato (Last Name) and gave him a big hug.

"Jack! I'm so proud of you! You did an amazing job!"

Jack looked up at you.

"I did, ho?"

Ryuji joined you and ruffled Jack's hat.

"Hell yeah, little guy! You really kicked that ugly hag's ass!"

Haru stood up and gave him an uncomfortable look.

"Um, please don't call her an ugly hag... But you did amazing, Jack!"

Your fellow Phantom Thieves also stood up and congratulated Jack.

"Hm. I see you made good use of that card. Well done," Yusuke said with a smile.

Jack smiled widely and jumped on you.

Never in his life had he ever felt so important, so significant.

Now that Hyodo was down for the count, you, Haru and your fellow Phantom Thieves finally got her to listen to reason.

She finally admitted her wrongdoings, and took her crown off her head.

She turned to Jack and weakly smiled.

"And you, little one... I'm deeply sorry for all hardships I've caused you. You truly are a brave little soldier. I do hope you can forgive me."

Jack looked up at her in shock for a moment, before nodding with a smile.

"Hee! No hard feelings, ho!"

You and Ryuji smiled at each other, proud at how far your little buddy has come.

With Joker and the Phantom Thieves, you retrieved the Desires and exited the Jail, happy to put yet another mess behind you.

After arriving back to Sapporo, you watched Hyodo's apology speech with the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

In the middle of it, you realized something that was bugging you.

"Jack, where did you get that Psiodyne card, anyway?"

Jack thought for a moment before he looked up at you.

"Hee, found a card on the ground, ho! Mr. Yusuke made it for me, ho!"

Yusuke nodded proudly.

"It was an honor to use my artistic talent to assist in our otherworldly adventures once again!"

You sweatdropped at that.

"Right... Thank you, Yusuke."

Then you remembered something; the Sapporo Jail hadn't disappeared. So Jack Sakamato (Last Name) could go back in if he wanted to.

You dreaded to ask him, but you loved him, and would support anything he wanted to do.

Ryuji seemed to sense your anxiety, and rested a reassuring hand on your shoulder.

You cleared your throat before speaking.

"So Jack... The Sapporo Jail is still intact. With Hyodo gone, you can go back and live with your old friends, right?" 

Jack's eyes widened for a moment.

"Ho?"

"I-I'm just saying, if that was something you wanted to do... I'm not stopping you."

Jack looked away for a second, before throwing himself against your side while laughing.

"Hee hee, don't be silly, ho! Jack wants to stay with his dads and his new friends, ho! Jack would never leave family behind!"

You couldn't say how happy you were to hear that. You smiled widely and lifted your little boy into your lap and hugged him tightly.

"Hee! I love my dads, ho!"

You chuckled and patted his head.

"I love you too, Jack. My little buddy."

Ryuji flashed a grin and patted him on the back.

"Yeah, I love ya too, bud. I'm real glad you decided to stick around."

You smiled as Hyodo finished her speech, solidifying that the Jail infiltration was successful.

You planned to tell the Phantom Thieves about Jack's experience with Mariko Hyodo, but decided to wait for the right moment.

You weren't sure what the future held, but you couldn't be more glad your little buddy would be a part of it.

[professorsnape394]

The Potions Master’s Apprentice

Chapter Eighteen: Faith 

A/N: This is the Eighteenth part to my fanfiction ‘The Potions Master’s Apprentice (Severus Snape x OC)’. Chapters 1-18 can also be found already uploaded on Wattpad under the same name. Feel free to leave requests in my inbox for anything Snape related you want me to write. Leave a comment below or send me a message if you wish to be added to my tag list.

Pairing: Severus Snape x OC (Dumbledore’s Granddaughter)

Summary: A talented young witch is employed as an apprentice professor at Hogwarts, but who will she be working under? Severus Snape is not best pleased with his new responsibility of taking on an apprentice, however she is relentless to create a friendship between them. Will she be successful? Or might the friendship just go a little two far? With the eyes of her grandfather constantly watching over them, an attempt at a relationship might not be in the cards for Aria Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Word Count: 4199

Warnings: n/a

Credits to Gif Creator

The rapping of knuckles against the old oak door echoed throughout the potions master's office. Breaking through the thick silence that had engulfed the room, a wave of anxiety washed over Severus Snape.

"Can I not go one day without you bothering me, Miss Dumbledore." Snape complained, trying to hide slight crack of nervousness in his voice.

"Sadly, Severus, it is not your beloved Miss Dumbledore." A thick Bulgarian accent announced.

Admittedly disappointed by the unveiling of his visitor, Severus lowered himself back down into his chair, not willing to make an effort for anyone but his apprentice.

"Why are you here, Igor. You should have learned your lesson by now to leave me alone." He said, rubbing his eyes back into focus and running a hand through his hair lazily.

"I have something you'll want to hear." Karkaroff divulged mysteriously, plopping himself down on the chair across from the professor.

"I do not imagine anything you have to say is of any interest to me."

"Then lucky for you Snape, I won't be the one talking."

Unbothered by the man's deliberate awkwardness, Severus allowed him to ramble on, too exhausted to argue with him.

With a flick of his wand and a small puff off smoke, the space between the two men began to whirl and spin, slowly forming a picture-like image in the air, the scene beginning to unfold. Revealing a staff room full of unusually dressed professors, the focus turned to a small cluster of teachers gathered in the centre of the room. Recognising both Igor Karkaroff and Aria Dumbledore sitting side by side on the old couch, Snape grew suspicious of the man's intentions.

"Why are you showing me this?" Severus asked, unsure of whether he wanted to see what was about to happen.

"Just listen." The Durmstrang headmaster hissed.

~

"How do I feel about Snape?" Aria wondered, the scene enclosing in on her.

"He's... curious. He has the capacity for love and friendship just like the rest of us, yet he chooses to be mean-spirited."

~

"I don't want to hear this." Snape declared, turning his eyes away from the woman.

"You must." Igor demanded.

~

"...he can be mean and arrogant and cruel. And despite it all I try my best to show him kindness, but where does that get me? He calls me out in front of practically the whole school? That was so fucking humiliating, and I'm just supposed to forgive him? I think it's safe to say I'd live a happy life if I were to never see that man again."

~

Severus felt his heart drop in his chest, unable to process what he had just heard. Slowly a sharp ringing in his ears grew louder and louder, deafening him to the scene before him, as well as the reality in which he existed. He refused to believe the woman he cared so much about, the woman who had demanded to be his friend, had lied about everything. Did she truly hate him beneath her annoyingly cheerful demeanour, was it all a façade?

He wanted to insist Karkaroff had fabricated the whole thing, but he knew exactly what spell he had cast, there was no way he could have faked it.

A deep rage grew within the man, an anger he had not felt in a number of decades. Severus Snape prided himself on having a monotone disposition, void of all emotion. But that familiar feeling of being betrayed by someone he trusted brought forward a plethora of pent up emotions, namely anger and frustration.

A wide, devilish grin spread across Karkaroff's face, satisfied by his colleague's reaction.

"You see now what she is truly like, Severus. You see now that she was playing you all along. That girl pretends to be your friend to keep her job, not because she likes you." Igor laughed maliciously. "You and I both know what is coming, and when it does, Dumbledore is prepared to replace you. Even he knows where your true loyalties lie. Do not be fooled into thinking the Dumbledore's are your friends. They use you for their own advantage, but the second you are no longer useful, or you become a threat to them, you'll be taken down by any means necessary."

"You're lying." Snape tried to convince himself, refusing to meet the professors gaze. "You're scared of what he will do to you if he returns. You need an alliance with someone on the inside."

"He has returned, you must feel it just as I do." The ex-deatheater practically screamed.

"I will not be manipulated by you Igor. This changes nothing, the girl was nothing but a distraction."

"We both know that isn't true." He sniggered, attempting once last time to convince Snape. "Do you know what she said to me, the last time I was in this office? She told me she could never be with a man like you, she told me your actions were unforgivable. I can prove that as well if you don't believe me."

"Get out, Igor. Just leave." Severus exhaled, starting to pace slowly behind his desk. He knew Karkaroff was trying to manipulate him, he was not stupid enough to fall for that. But proof does not lie, and the facts remain. Everything he was saying true, there was no denying it.

With a short bow, Igor danced out of the room. Completely satisfied with the havoc he'd reeked. He'd successfully toyed with what little emotions the great dungeon bat had left. And who's to say what can happen when Severus Snape's feelings get hurt?

*

Hoot. Hoot.

The bird bleated as it swooped through the open window.

"Another letter for the pile?" Aria sighed to herself. "Will he ever stop?"

Whoo.

It purred in response.

The witch couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence.

"You know exactly who." She giggled, plucking the envelope from the creatures beak, and throwing it on the ever growing pile.

"I just wish he would give me some time to think, you know?" She asked turning back to the barn owl, only to witness it taking off, disappearing into the distance.

Look at me. I'm talking to a bird. She thought with a roll of her eyes. I need to get some sleep.

Catching a glimpse of herself reflection of the window, Aria decided she needed to freshen herself up with a little pamper time, finishing the day off with a very long and well deserved nap.

Dumping almost a whole bottle of bubble bath into the tub, topping with springs of lavender and dried chamomile, Aria plunged herself deep into the warm water.

Relaxing for approximately 2.5 seconds, the woman flew out of the bath, her naked body sopping with bubbles, dripping puddles of water as she explored her quarters impatiently.

"Why can I never find any of my books when I need them most!" She groaned, shivering from the sudden change in temperature as goose bumps formed all over her arms and legs.

Letting out a single yelp of excitement, Aria grabbed the first book she laid eyes on and dived back into her tub.

"Pride and Prejudice, of course." She mumbled, thinking back to that night Severus visited her quarters.

As she read and her mind wandered, Aria found herself making unconscious comparisons between the infamous, brooding Mr. Darcy, and her stern, yet lovable Potions mentor, Severus Snape. They were both mildly rude and arrogant, determined to never show their true emotions, but deep down it was quite possible that they loved more fiercely than anyone ever could.

Elizabeth Bennet enchanted Darcy mind, body and soul. If only there were someone brave enough to do the same to Professor Snape. Aria thought, as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep in the water.

Hours later a thunderously loud 'Bang' frightened Aria awake.

Although not positively sure of how much later it was, she could be certain a decent sleep was had given the icy temperature of the water.

Aria allowed herself a moment to come to, bracing herself against the cold, her was body aching from the ceramic constraints of the tub.

A series of bangs came this time, chapping very loudly on her chamber door. Who ever it was was clearly extremely impatient, forcing her to hurry herself up.

Wrapping herself in nothing but a white cotton towel, the witch slid her way through her rooms to the door. Clearly she wasn't even awake enough to remember where she was, and that answering her door half naked wasn't exactly professional.

Bang. Bang. BANG.

The knocks reverberated through her body, sending shivers down her spine.

Gingerly she opened the door, revealing a more than pissed off Severus Snape.

"Severus." She yawned. "What's wrong?"

"Don't act dumb with me, girl. I am not falling for this act any longer." He snapped.

"What act, Severus? Why are you here?"

"Just tell me why?" He seethed. "Why did go to so much trouble trying to convince me to be your friend, only to confess to Karkaroff, as well as the rest of the Hogwarts staff, your true feelings. Why couldn't you just leave me alone."

"Severus listen, I think we need to talk about this in private. Please come in."

"So you can try and seduce me again? I don't think so. Jesus, look at the state of you, are you really that desperate to entice me? What's next, showing up to dinner completely naked? You really are just as I thought." The potions master growled, his pitch back eyes looking her up and down.

"Severus stop" Aria begged. "I thought we had moved past all this."

"So did I. But considering you have deemed me as "unforgivable" then there doesn't appear to be much point in trying to redeem myself, does there?"

"But you're only going to make everything worse. Let me explain myself, please."

"There is nothing to explain, I shall be putting in a formal request for the headmaster to employ a separate tutor for your apprenticeship in the morning, so you never have to see me again."

The professor stormed off, just as quickly as he had arrived, achieving exactly what he had come to do; humiliate Aria Dumbledore.

Desperate to apologise for her cruel words, Aria made to follow Severus to his classroom.

Forgetting her attire, or rather lack of, she was soon reminded of it when a crowd of Slytherin students erupted in a fit laughter with its fair share of cat-calls and whistles. Clearly they had emerged from their common room to investigate the noise, but stayed for the show of the two arguing potions professors.

"Nice legs, Miss." One of the older boys called, sending a wink in her direction.

Shit. She mumbled under her breath, rushing back to her quarters to change.

Hair still dripping wet, Aria shoved it into a bun on top of her head and pulled on some shorts and an oversized t-shirt, before hunting down the potions master.

"Severus, open the door." She called, upon initially finding it to be locked.

He didn't even bother to reply.

Fine. She thought. I'll do it myself.

"Alohomora." The lock burst apart, allowing the door to slowly creep open, revealing a dishevelled and distressed professor sitting at his desk.

"Severus, please." She whispered softly, realising he had clearly come down from his short outburst of rage.

"Get out." He commanded, though he didn't make any effort to remove his head from his hands.

"Let's talk about this." The woman pleaded, pulling a chair up next to the man. "Let me explain everything."

Snape stirred from his position the closer she came, until finally he was able to look her in the eye.

"Go on." He droned. His eyes red and blood shot, whether it was from lack of sleep or tears was unclear.

"You know more than anyone that Karkaroff cannot be trusted-"

"Don't try and lie to me, Miss Dumbledore. I saw the whole thing with my own eyes." Snape snapped.

"Will you let me finish. I'm not lying to you, Severus." Aria promised. "I said what I said because I didn't want them to know the truth, Karkaroff especially. I don't know what his problem is but I know he's up to something and it involves you. You really think I'd answer any question he asked me truthfully. You're my friend, Severus, I care about you, and that man is a snake for trying to turn us against each other."

"Why should I believe you. I've barely known you a few months, I've known Igor decades."

"That is precisely why you should believe me. He's not your friend, Severus. If he was he'd be able to see the real you; the man behind the mask." She urged, begging for his trust.

Reaching out her hand to take his, Aria stroked a thumb over the cold and calloused hand of her friend.

"And who might that be?" Severus questioned in return, feeling slightly nervous under her touch, but not enough to want to pull away.

"A man." She stated simply. "Not a beast, as you and many others may presume. A good, and decent man. Perhaps he's a even a little bit scared, of what I'm not entirely sure yet. But I will find out one day, if you'll allow me, that is. Let me be your friend, Severus. Let me see what you hide from everyone else. And I promise, I'll be there for you when it matters most."

Her sweet soft tones encapsulated Severus. He had become so lost in her words and her touch that without realising he found himself falling for her speech wholeheartedly. He even risked settling his remaining hand upon hers, clasping her delicate fist between his palms.

"Well then I suppose an apology is in order. I believe I may have acted rather rash and unprofessional."

"There's really no need. You reacted just as you should have to the things you heard. I would have done the same thing in your circumstance." Aria admitted, removing her hand from his, as she made to stand up. "Though there is one thing you could do to make it up to me." She suggested.

"Dare I even ask?" Severus joked.

"I want to know what Karkaroff's after. Tell me how you know him. Why does he care so much about your life?"

Snape practically laughed in response.

"We may be friends now, Miss Dumbledore, but I'm afraid that information is rather personal. And I am not convinced we are quite at that stage in our friendship, just yet."

"I respect that." She shrugged, knowing he wasn't about to give in that easily. "I suppose that just means we'll have to get to know each other a bit more." She smiled almost ear to ear at the prospect.

*

"What do you have planned for your lesson today, Professor Dumbledore?" Severus queried, finally using the woman's rightful professional title.

"Ooooh 'Professor' now, am I?" She smirked, sashaying in front of her co-worker, balancing a handful of potion ingredients in her arms.

"I suppose that is your given title after all, I might as well start using it."

"Hmmm I'm not sure. I think it make's me sound too much like my grandfather. I'm not sure I could pull of the beard quite as well, what do you think?" She giggled, holding her long hair in front of her chin, imitating the old wizard playfully before clumsily dropping another dozen bottles on the table.

Severus tried his hardest to conceal his smile, busying himself with paper work, but however hard he tried he could not hide it from Aria. Every so often she managed to catch him off guard, with a silly joke, or a quick witted comment, in those rare times he allowed himself a glimmer of emotion she always managed to notice. Most of the time Severus found himself smiling at the woman for no reason other than she was simply smiling too.

Finally turning her attention away from the potions master, Aria finished setting up her table full of small bottles and vials.

"We're going to play a game." She announced cheerfully spinning on her heel.

"A game?" Severus asked, unable to stop himself turning his nose up at her idea.

"Yes. It's like a test, but more fun." She persuaded, sensing his judgement.

"And what, might I ask, is wrong with a traditional test."  He queried bitterly.

"The students need motivation, Severus. The word 'test' makes people nervous. With nervousness comes panic, and with panic comes mistakes. Fear is not an accurate motivator, however competition is. The students will be less inclined to make mistakes, if they are rewarded for their efforts." The apprentice hypothesised.

"And this reward is?"

"I haven't decided yet."

Severus fought the urge to roll his eyes, but allowed her to do her thing uninterrupted.

Since their little 'heart to heart' that night in Snape's office the two professors were finding working with each other a lot more amiable. Severus had given Aria a little more free reign with her portion of the lessons, which in turn, allowed her to respect Severus' strict theoretical practices without causing too many interruptions. The pair had almost started to enjoy working together.

Student by student the class trickled in, each of them intrigued by the new set up of the class room.

"Everyone please take your seats, do not touch the table at the front of the room, class will begin momentarily." Miss Dumbledore announced.

A moment of panic set in as Aria scrambled around Snape's desk, looking for her list of possible potions. This may not have been her first time teaching solo, but it was, however, her opportunity to prove her practices are successful in front of her mentor, Severus Snape. The man in question could see the fear in her eyes, and that she was desperate to impress.

"Here." He mouthed, handing her the piece of parchment. "Relax."

Brushing fingers, as she took the parchment from him, Aria grinned.

"Thank you." She whispered, once again turning to face the class, now with a little more confidence.

"Now today, as you may have guessed, we are going to do something a little different. Professor Snape and I have chosen to take this opportunity to allow you, our promising young N.E.W.Ts students, to show off your skill set to the best of your ability's. On this table in front of me you will find a select variety of potions ingredients that correspond to a number of potions all very much within your capability, your task is to complete one of these potions within the allotted time, at the end of which, a winner will be selected by us."

"What do we win then, professor?" One eager student asked.

"A potion of their choice." She declared, impulsively.

A murmer of chatter instantly broke out among the class, intrigued at the prospect of winning such a thing.

"That all sounds very exciting, Miss Dumbledore." Snape cut in, unwilling to take a backseat quite so easily. "However, sadly as an apprentice professor you are not permitted to take anything from my stores to use so frivolously. The prize will have to be decided at a later time."

Unsurprisingly the students weren't too pleased with Snape's intervention causing for a series of disappointed groans and heckles.

"Then I shall make it myself." Aria concluded.

Another bout of cheers erupted.

"Collect your ingredients, light up your cauldrons, your time starts now!"

Immediately the students jumped from their seats, swarming the table to get what they needed. The professors moved away from the crowd, giving the class a moment to get started.

"Miss Dumbledore, this is not a wise decision." Severus spoke in hushed tones. "I understand entirely the prize of a potion chosen by you, but to give them a choice could be extremely dangerous, think of the chaos that will ensue."

"How about you have a little faith in them for once. Trust that they will make the right decision."

Looking down on the woman, Severus couldn't help but trust she would be right.

"I have faith in you. Not in them." He made clear.

Severus made to walk away, leaving Aria to relish in her small victory, until he was suddenly pulled back by the young woman's hand in his. Not saying a word, Aria Dumbledore gave him an appreciative squeeze, before releasing him back to his desk.

The first hour of the classes passed by effortlessly, the students worked quietly and Severus found no reason to complain. All in all, Aria was quite pleased with how her lesson was going.

That was until...

"Oh shiiiiit."

"Language Mr. Lawrence." Severus warned, briefly looking up from his marking.

"Right, sorry sir. But what the fuck am I supposed to do when this thing starts bubbling like crazy." He freaked out, completely ignoring the potions master's warning.

"What?" Aria gasped, only just becoming aware of the situation.

"Yeah like this thing looks likes 'bout to blow, to be honest with you." The seventh year Hufflepuff boy informed nonchalantly.

"Step away from that cauldron students, quickly!" Aria ordered, ushering them to the sides of the classroom.  "You were attempting a wit-sharpening potion, is that correct?"

"Yup."

"I'm afraid there's no saving it now, Mr. Lawrence, the best we can hope for is that it does not turn to acid and burn through bench."

"Out of my way." Severus huffed impatiently, forcing his way through the crowd of students that had formed around the cauldron.

"Pass me that root of ginger" Snape demanded, positioning himself in front of the ever growing cauldron of bubbling green liquid. Aria obeyed hastily, as the professor performed what she could only describe as a miracle on this horrifying concoction. "Some more newt spleens." He requested, holding out a hand expectantly, while the other gripped onto his wand, casting an enchantment over the potion.

The potions master continued adding a bit of this and a dash of that to the potion, all ingredients Aria Dumbledore would never have considered to associate with this particular brew. Jars of herbs, spices and animal parts were passed through the classroom in order to reach Professor Snape who continuously stirred the potion, muttering all sorts of charms and spells.

However skilled Aria had assumed she was at the art of potion making, it was made clear to her that she was no match for Severus' skills, brewing potions was second nature to him now. Within minutes he had achieved what Aria Dumbledore had deemed impossible, and thus the potion was brought back to it's natural state.

"Severus..." The apprentice gawped. "That was amazing."

"That was nothing." He replied curtly, removing himself from the scene. "Everybody back to work, this is not an excuse to slack off."

Still in awe at the pure artistry she had witnessed, Aria trotted sheepishly back to the front of the class.

Blissfully unaware of the pure talent they had just seen, the students continued on with their work. The Hufflepuff boy did not even have the decency to thank his professor for salvaging the mess he called a potion, let alone be grateful he never received a detention, or deduction of house points.

"What are you staring at, Miss Dumbledore, is there no better way you can spend your time?"

"I'm sorry Severus, but that display was just... brilliant." She beamed.

"Like I said, it was nothing. It comes with the job, I refuse to have any of those delinquents burn through my entire store cupboard because they cannot brew a simple potion, a year below their level no less."

"Well, at least we know who definitely won't be winning anyway." Aria giggled.

"The most we can hope for from that boy is that he manages to finish his potion, god knows he'll need it."

Playfully slapping Snape on the arm for his cheek, the witch perched herself on the edge of the professor's desk, attempting a quick sketch on a scrap piece of parchment, while the students begun to finish off their potions.

"Professor Snape, the winner?" Aria asked, turning to her colleague for a verdict once all of the potions had been completed.

"You want me to choose?" Severus replied, skeptical of her offer.

"Of course. I don't think it would be fair of me to do it, considering I've been giving all of them tips this lesson."

"Very well." He droned, stepping forth to analyse the contents of the cauldrons.

"This one." He announced, pointing a single finger to the cauldron of a young Slytherin witch. "Given that it was the only potion brewed to complete perfection, there is no other possible candidate. I suggest the rest of you get studying before your N.E.W.T's exams, at the rate you lot are going, none of you besides Miss Johnstone here is likely to pass." Snape scolded.

"Well then, congratulations Miss Johnstone, you are the winner of a potion of your choice. See me after lessons tomorrow and let me know your decision."

The girl practically beamed with pride, expecting nothing less than first place.

"Class dismissed."

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[neptunetheplanet7]

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 - 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐨𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫

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;mikasa ackerman x fem!lesbian!reader

;modern au, band au

word count: 3.3k

warnings: fluff at first, angst ig, angry levi, hitch, swearing, arguing/fighting, yelling

sorry it took a while to get this out there. school started for me last week and it’s been hard getting back into the groove of things. thank you for being patient with me!

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A couple of days passed since Zeke's sudden arrival. Eren agreed to your terms of his brother's stay with reluctance. He understood where you were coming from, though. Armin was right about him respecting your decision.

Tonight you and your bandmates would meet your large friend group at a nice restaurant nearby. You stood in the bathroom attached to your room, styling your hair the way you wanted.

In the last two days, you received texts from a few of your curious friends. They all seemed very interested in who you were bringing to dinner. If only they knew it was the strong-willed girl you'd had a crush on for years.

Sasha and Connie put the pieces together and teased you relentlessly about 'bringing a date to dinner'.

You were nervous to see the reactions of your friends when you walked in with Mikasa. Unlike you, they didn't get a warning of her return.

Stepping back from the counter and smoothing down your outfit, you exhaled softly. You took one final glance at the mirror and left the bathroom.

Two blonds were arguing in the living room when you entered.

"What's going on?" you asked cautiously.

"We can't leave him alone in the house while we're out. He's like a child! He already broke two vases because he slipped while looking for spare change!" Armin explained. He was wearing a white dress shirt and black slacks. He ran a hand through his silk hair then placed both hands on his hips.

Zeke protested, "Y/n, you can trust me. Don't listen to him, he's delusional." He was still in his usual attire, a t-shirt, and jeans.

Armin's face turned red from anger. "Why you-"

"You broke my vases?" you interrupted.

"No."

"He did! I watched him do it the second time!"

You learned the hard way that messing with Armin was a death sentence. Especially when he was mad. The argument had to stop before it turned physical.

"Zeke, get dressed. You're coming with us, but you sit far away. You don't talk to us or our friends." You pointed a stern finger at him.

He pouted and groaned like a child before slumping his shoulders and stomping down the basement stairs.

Armin rubbed a hand over his face and, in an annoyed fashion, checked his watch. "Will they ever be done?"

You chuckled. "You're always the first one ready. Don't you know that by now?"

He rolled his eyes and fell back on the couch. "Shut it."

Eren appeared at the basement door, looking frustrated. In his hand, he held out the tie to the suit he was wearing. "How the hell do you tie this thing?"

Armin sighed and stood back up, his rest short-lived. They made their way over to him and began to walk him through each step while his eyebrows only furrowed more.

His long hair fell around his face as he tried his best to maneuver the tie correctly. His face lit up once he got it right.

"How have you gone this long without knowing how to tie a tie?" Jean leaned his head out of the hall bathroom, which you didn't even know he was in.

"Shut up, Kirstein. I get by." He glared.

Jean laughed and fully emerged from the bathroom wearing a beige suit vest and slacks. Underneath, he wore a cream-colored dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His hair was tied back in a short ponytail with a few strands falling loose.

Your eyes shifted back to Eren, who was struggling to put on his suit jacket and you stifled a laugh.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny." His words were hard to understand since he held around three bobby pins between his teeth.

You laughed some more despite his agitation. You were disrupted by the light clacking of heels on the stairs to the second story. Looking in that direction, you saw Mikasa walking down and you had to stop your mouth from dropping open.

She was wearing a simple tight black dress that reached just above her knees. Silver dangly earrings were in her ears and a dainty silver necklace hung around her neck. Her ring adorned fingers played with the hem of her dress. She smiled at you from across the room.

Eren bumped your hip and you nearly shrieked. His presence next to you had gone unnoticed until then. He snickered at you and nodded to Mikasa. You narrowed your eyes and tugged a lock of hair out of his bun.

His smirk dropped. "What'd you do that for? Now I have to do this all over again. Bitch." he grumbled the insult and left your side.

Mikasa walked over to where you stood. "Hi."

"Hi." You returned her smile.

She sucked a quiet breath. "You look nice."

You couldn't fight the grin that spread across your face at her simple compliment. "As do you."

She smiled again and you felt you might collapse from the surge of butterflies in your stomach.

Zeke came up from the basement, gaining everyone's attention. "What the hell are you wearing?" Eren chided.

He was adorned in a baby blue suit with ruffles decorating the dress shirt. You struggled to hold in your laughs, as did the woman beside you.

"Don't talk about it." Zeke lowered his eyes to the floor as Eren laughed loudly without shame.

"Marco's here to pick us up," Jean announced, shoving his phone into his pocket. He wanted to see Marco's reaction to Mikasa's homecoming at the dinner, but that dream was cut short when she answered the door to him the day prior. He was shocked, to say the least.

Sure enough, when you looked tho the front door, you could see the glare of Marco's headlights in the darkness.

He waved you all over to get in his car. Jean sat in the passenger seat, perks of dating the driver. In a backseat that was designed for three people, you were crammed inside with Armin, Eren, and Mikasa. Zeke was forced to ride in the trunk.

Mikasa was pressed up against your skin. In the confinement of the car, you could feel her warm breath tickling your shoulder whenever she spoke.

A shiver ran through your body and your hands gripped your knees. Nobody noticed, thank god. You were very grateful that the only light sources were phone screens and the button rims inside the car.

Everyone chatted mindlessly until Marco turned a corner into a parking lot. He parked the car near the entrance and got out with everybody following suit.

Once you were inside, you were greeted with the familiar smell of the restaurant. It was the one you always went to when meeting up with the group. You didn't know the owners, but Reiner did, and he was the one who planned these gatherings.

"Welcome to Galliard's!" greeted a blond man whose name tag read Colt. A look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh, it's you guys. Right, this way." He grabbed a menu for each person and led you to a large booth in the middle of the restaurant.

You took a good look at everyone. You all went to the same high school, some of you just didn't meet until later. Like you, Sasha, and Connie.

Five people were seated at the table. Two were missing. Ymir and Historia were late. Figures.

They all saw Mikasa looming behind you since each of them had some form of shock on their face. Several voices suddenly arose from the group.

"When did you get back? And why did I not hear about it?" voiced a betrayed Bertholdt.

"Mikasa, I didn't know you would be here," Annie said coolly.

"Oh my god, Mikasa!" Connie tried to act surprised.

"Mikasa! I had no idea you'd be here." It turns out Sasha was just as bad of an actor.

"This is your plus one, Y/n?" Reiner held a knowing expression.

"So no one is happy to see me?" Eren sounded hurt.

Reiner wasted no time standing up to pull you in for a hug. He pulled back after a few seconds and held you by the shoulders at an arm's length away. "Like the beard?" He gestured to his chin.

"Sure, Reiner, it suits you." You patted his shoulder and he returned your cheerful smile. He moved to talk to the others as Bertholdt came into your view.

When he hugged you, you noticed how much taller he was than you. You had to stand on your tip-toes to see over his shoulder. "What the hell, Bertholdt?" You fucking ladder," you blurted.

He laughed at your lovely way with words. "Hi, Y/n. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you're still doing well."

"It has. I feel like I haven't seen you in forever. How's it going at the school?"

"It's definitely going. I'll tell you about it in a second. You wanna sit down?" He moved to the side to let you slide into the booth. Mikasa was on your right and Bertholdt was on your left.

Everyone was seated except for Zeke, who stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Eren told him to find someone to get him to a table. He just pushed up his glasses and left.

Across from you sat Sasha, Connie, and Jean who were laughing their asses off at something Marco said. Reiner, Eren, and Armin sat on the cushy bench across from Annie who sat on one of the three chairs pulled up to the table.

"So, Mikasa, when did you get back?" Annie asked.

"Earlier this week."

"What? You've been here that long and we didn't know?" Reiner gaped at her.

"We thought it'd be a nice surprise." You shrugged.

"I thought you were bringing a date. Or is she your date?" Connie teasingly wiggled his eyebrows while Sasha laughed loudly.

You blushed madly at his question. "Shut up, guys! You already knew I was bringing her, anyway."

"You knew?" Bertholdt's eyes boggled.

"No wonder you're so calm. Out of everyone I'd expect you two to go ballistic," Annie pointed out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Connie lifted his arms in an attempt to appear threatening.

A new voice spoke, "It means you're an idiot." You looked up to see Ymir stood behind Annie's chair with one hand around Historia's shoulders and one in the pocket of her suit jacket.

"Ymir, hi!" You greeted and she raised an eyebrow.

"This is your date?" She chuckled.

"She's not my date," you grumbled, folding your arms. Ymir just snickered and sat in the chair next to Annie's, Historia sitting next to her.

"Quit it, Ymir. Is that all you have to say to someone we haven't seen in two years?" she scolded her girlfriend.

"How is it, Mikasa?" Ymir turned and asked.

"It's good. Glad to be back." She gave a small smile.

"That's good to hear! We're all happy you're back," Historia said with enthusiasm. Mikasa nodded in response.

You picked up your conversation with Bertholdt from earlier about his job. He was an elementary school teacher and from what he told you, he was very good at what he did.

Other conversations went on, jokes were told, and by the time the waitress came to the table for your orders, you'd caught up with everyone. The whole group was excited Mikasa came home and it showed.

Her hand brushed against yours multiple times under the table and your shoulders tensed up whenever they touched hers. She didn't seem to mind the contact. You wished she'd just take your hand since you were too scared to do so yourself.

Those moments of giddiness were short-lived because you noticed two familiar figures at a table toward the back.

Hitch smiled maliciously and waved at you while bringing her champagne glass to her lips. Marlo sat across from her on his phone, drumming his knuckles on the table.

Your eyes widen and you quickly move away from Mikasa, startling her.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" She placed a hand on your shoulder with a worried expression.

"I'll be right back." You brushed her hand off and shimmied out of the booth, heading to the bathroom.

You pushed the door open and luckily no one was inside. Your hands gripped onto the edge of the counter as your mind raced. What the hell were they doing here? Why tonight? Your blood was beginning to boil as you became angrier by the second.

The door swept open and in walked the woman of the hour. "Hello, Y/n," she sang.

"What are you doing here? Can I not have a meet-up with my friends without you riding my dick?" you sneered, looking at her in the mirror.

Shock flashed across her face and she let out a breathy laugh. "Such colorful language, Y/n! I didn't expect that from you!" She turned to face the sinks and your eyes met in the mirrors.

"What are you doing here, Hitch?"

"I'm having a nice dinner with my friend, that's what I'm doing. It just so happens you were here tonight as well," she said.

"So it's a coincidence? If you say so, I don't believe you."

"That's exactly what it is. You don't have to believe it, but it's the truth. I can promise I wasn't planning on spying on you tonight." She blew her bangs away from her face.

She honestly couldn't tell if she was lying or not but your anger level was rising quickly and you didn't know if you'd be able to stop yourself from saying something you would regret.

"What is your problem, Hitch? Seriously, have you nothing better to do? I haven't seen half of those people in months." You tore your eyes away from the mirror to fully look at her.

"I told you, Y/n. I wasn't here for you. I don't have a problem." She narrowed her eyes as she stood at her full height, facing you.

You scoffed. "Tell me what your problem is. I want to hear you say why you're doing all this. You never did give me an explanation."

"I don't have a problem."

"Yes, you do. Why did you follow me in here? Do you think you can intimidate me or something?"

"I know I can intimidate you. Stop acting like you're the one with the power right now. I'm the one who has the guts to tell people what we were. You wanna know my problem? My problem is you. You couldn't get over a stupid high school crush. You still aren't over it and it's fucking weak."

You backed away as she got angrier with every word she spat. She hesitated for a moment and inhaled sharply.

"What's weaker is how much I care. I gave a shit about you and you couldn't see that she didn't. I knew about your feelings the whole time. You think I'm dumb? I know you thought of me as a distraction. And I liked being your distraction. But you run away from everything. You're a fucking coward."

You were too shocked to even try to apologize. Your mouth fell open and tears pricked your eyes.  Her breathing was ragged and her eyes were big. She blinked several times and the light caught a few wet streaks on her face when she turned her head.

"Hitch, I-"

"Please, don't say anything."

The state of shock you were sent into was broken when a sudden bang sounded outside of the bathroom.

Hitch looked desperate to get out of the situation, so she took the opportunity to bolt out of the bathroom. You took a moment to compose yourself before leaving to assure your friends you were okay.

The moment you stepped out of the bathroom, you stopped dead in your tracks when you were greeted with the jarring sight of Zeke seconds away from being punched in the face.

A man with short black hair was kneeling on Zeke's table with one hand gripping his collar and the other pulled back in fist.

"Zeke Jaeger right? You owe me a lot of money and my wedding ring," the man seethed and punched Zeke hard in the jaw.

He fell to the floor, clutching where he was hit. You stood there, stunned. Just as the man was bringing his leg forward to kick him, your instincts kicked in and you rushed to crouch in front of him.  You braced yourself for the impact that never came.

"You'd really kick a woman?" an unfamiliar voice spoke.

You looked up and saw him being held back by a man with a slicked back undercut and a bomber jacket adorned with patches.

Eren and Mikasa were at your side in an instant with the others following closely behind.

"Are you okay, Y/n?" Mikasa put her hands on your shoulders and you nodded. Eren shot you a worried glance while tending to Zeke.

The short man was still being held back by the guy from before, but now someone new was at his side. He looked like bomber jacket dude but with a different hair color and style. He was trying to talk down the black-haired man.

Bomber jacket interrupted, "Look, dude, you're scaring my customers. We don't do that shit in here. One of my waitresses panicked and called the cops. They'll be here soon for you if you don't take this the fuck outside."

"Porco! Watch your language," the brunette hissed. 'Porco' glared at, who you assumed was, his brother.

Eren and Mikasa helped Zeke up and began to lead him out of the restaurant. You and the others followed, except Annie, Reiner, and Bertholdt who stayed to talk to the restaurant owners.

Once you had safely gotten outside, you sat Zeke down on a bench. Sasha managed to snag some napkins for his wound.

Everyone except for you, Eren, and Mikasa were seated on the sidewalk. You three were also on the bench.

The door to the restaurant was pushed open and two voices were heard. The short man was walking out and a taller blond man was lingering behind.

He noticed Zeke and stopped his mumbling. He pointed a shaky finger at him and his face contorted into a nasty glare.

"Where's my money, bitch?" he shouted.

"Levi, why don't you calm down before you do something again." The blond man said.

'Levi' scoffed. "I just want my money back. And my wedding ring. Where the fuck is my wedding ring?"

The color drained from Zeke's face. Levi yelled at him again, "Where the fuck is it?"

"I pawned it."

If looks could kill, Zeke would be dead. The pure anger that was displayed on the man's face was enough to make you cower.

"Let me at him!" Levi purged forward and Jean attempted to stop him, but just ended up on the concrete. He pushed past Eren and in the blink of an eye, Zeke was on the ground. He was getting the shit beat out of him in front of your eyes.

Your friends yelled at him to get off. The man who was following him tried to hold him back, but Levi seemed even angrier than he was inside the restaurant. Eren tried pulling Zeke away with help from Mikasa.

Sirens sounded in the distance and you knew they were growing closer with each passing second. The staff hadn't called off the police, you realized. "Guys," you called.

"I'm gonna kill you!"

The sirens were muffled by the yells.

"Stop, Levi!"

They were clearer.

"Get off him!"

They were loud.

"What the fuck is your problem?"

Blaring lights could be seen over the hedges.

"Get off my brother!"

"Guys!" you yelled over everyone. You pointed to the police cars that were now pulling into the parking lot.

posted: 9/7/21

neptunetheplanet7© 2021

no reposts, edits, or modification to my work by anyone other than me.

[scintillatingshortgirl19]

Loki Episode 2 Thoughts (Finally)

I’m extremely late here but wanted to post this anyway - just some thoughts and reactions I had while watching episode 2.

I loved how playful he is when he's trying to hit Miss Minutes with the magazine - he does that look over his shoulder to make sure no one's watching, and I ADORE the little excited thing his eyes do when he's trying to swat her - there's something kind of cat-chasing-a-laser about it. Very, very cute.

Magic nerd Loki! Gotta love a confirmed headcanon. 

And I like that this episode also confirmed my headcanons that Loki might slack off when he's not engaged or interested, or considers something unimportant (didn't watch all the propaganda training vids, wasn't interested in Miss Minutes' questions), but is an incredibly focused and hard worker when he's invested in what he's doing.

Tom has talked a lot in interviews about Loki's initial motivation being to find out what's going on, to understand the TVA and how it works, and just generally satisfy his curiosity. It was cool to see that play out and I love Loki's overall curious attitude.

I do like that they're being open about the fact that Mobius is using Loki, and not pretending that Mobius is some kind of perfect angel - Mobius talked about the two options for to explain why he's sticking his neck out for Loki (feeling sympathy for a scared little boy or saying whatever he needs to to get Loki to help him) and it absolutely seems like it's both. I like the way their relationship is developing so far.

Tears again! Not as much as in episode 1, but still good. Two episodes in and we've gotten tears in both - let's keep up this momentum guys (tears in every episode would be lovely, please and thank you)

Is...is someone going to tell Loki that he actually saved a whole bunch of Asgardians?? That his destroying Asgard was a heroic moment and not a villainous one? Did he read about that in the file or does he think he just up and destroyed his home planet a few years after he attacked New York? I just want him to know that that was a heroic moment for him and not a villainous one.

If Loki doesn't get to try candy and Mobius doesn't get to ride a jetski, I'm going to be very disappointed (I mean seriously the jetski thing did feel like foreshadowing, and I just NEED confirmation of Loki's sweet tooth. I NEED IT). And somebody please show Casey a fish. 

Speaking of which, I was rather disappointed by the lack of Casey. As fun as the brief exchange was, I was really hoping for another actual scene with the two of them, even a short one. Maybe in a future episode?

Loki being an absolute dork while demonstrating with Mobius' salad was adorable. He’s so proud of himself and I love him.

Still not a fan of the “stabbed people in the back 50 times” line, but something I do really like comes a few seconds later - Mobius’ laugh. I get the feeling people aren't usually amused by Loki. If they're laughing during a conversation with him it's probably at him and not with him - but when Mobius laughs in this scene, it’s because he seemed to genuinely find Loki amusing and endearing. 

At first I thought the way Loki acted in Pompeii was ooc, and while it is pretty over the top, I feel like that can be explained by a combination of it being a performance (he's trying to be as dramatic as possible in order to test his theory) and the fact that he's trying to distract himself from finding out about Ragnarok. And I loved Loki's frustration with Mobius’ suggestion to make bird noises. In terms of Loki’s behavior/attitude in that scene, a lot of how I feel was explained in this post by @iamanartichoke.

Sleeping Loki!!! Outstanding, beautiful, 10000/10

I loved how proud Loki was of doing a good job. Please give my boy all the validation.

And I love that this episode showcases how smart Loki is! Not just mentions it, but actually shows Loki being the one to figure things out and solve problems.

LET MY BOY HAVE HIS KNIVES

Multiple hair flips! Excellent!

I genuinely don't know what Loki's actual plans are at this point - obviously he wants to be free of the TVA and not get erased from existence, but I don’t know if he was telling Sylvie the truth about specifically wanting to overthrow the TVA, or he was lying, or if (most likely) it's some combination of those.

Sylvie seems cool but I’m really hoping she’s the enchantress and not Lady Loki, partly because I am just really really not into the idea of any version of Loki being blonde. Why.

It'll be really interesting to see what the tone of episode 3 is like. With the way this episode ended, I imagine the next one will be a little less lighthearted. 

I think I’ll make a separate post about this, but I thought it was good that they verbally mentioned Loki being Jotun. This tells me they're at least not forgetting about it, but it also makes me worried that this is as far as they’re going to go. I’m going to be disappointed if they don't at least do a tiny bit to address Loki's internalized racism. Especially with the cast and crew talking about how the theme of the show is identity, it would fit incredibly well from a story perspective and would be a strange thing to leave out, considering how central it is to Loki's identity and how it’s one of the parts of him that has had the greatest impact on his life. 

Tagging a few people since I’m posting this so long after the episode aired: @delyth88 @thelightofthingshopedfor @iamanartichoke​

[boop-le-snoot]

PARTY FAVOURS | CHAPTER 5

Rating: Explicit.

‼️TW: Reader is EIGHTEEN! Recreational drug use, smoking and alcohol consumption, deeply internalised self-loathing, very questionable moral standards. Daddy kink taken half-seriously. BDSM themes in later chapters - explicit content will come with it's own TWs. FIRST PERSON POV.

Summary: You're Peter's classmate, a child of rich and famous but uncaring parents. Getting paired up for a lengthy project with the boy was an interesting turn of events and you don't know whether to feel blessed or cursed when you develop, seemingly, a perfectly normal, harmless crush on Tony Stark. Fueled by feelings of inadequacy and boredom, your life spirals out of control - and you're lucky your newfound friends are there to pick up the pieces even if you cannot find it in yourself to believe these amazing human (and not so human) beings voluntarily give you more than a fleeting glance and an offhanded thought. And they brought cake!

A/N: Revenge is sweet but a well-timed dick joke is sweeter. xoxo gossip girl. Please supervise one Bucky Barnes on the internet. Questionable music taste. Detention is the price we pay for justice. Bruce Banner is too precious for this world, too pure.

THE TAG LIST IS NOW OPEN! @another-stark-sub ​ @mostly-marvel-musings @vozit​ @littlegasps​ @pilloclock​ @shereadsinquiet​ @downeyreads​ @hermione-grangers-wife​ @individualistfem​

Beta read by the lovely and patient @miscmarvelwritings ! 🎶🎵I love you biiitch ain't ever gonna stop loving you biiitch 🎵🎶

"Initiate phase one," I added a growly undertone to my whisper, holding my phone inconspicuously, as if I was making a simple phone call. There was no answer but I didn't expect one: I was testing the voice recorder app that I had downloaded for the sole purpose of documenting and relaying the inevitable fall of one Flash Thompson. 

Making my way through the crowd of students during the busiest time of the day, I made the most intrigued and outraged facial expression I possibly could. Spying my targets, I leaned against a nearby wall, putting a hand over my mouth in fake outrage, keeping my eyes wide and trained on the opposite wall. Just as I had predicted, the two sophomore girls started giving me side-eye by minute two of my staring and finally approached me as I contemplated the wall for whole five minutes.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" The brunette asked, her blonde friend hanging a step back.

"Yeah, totally," I mumbled. "I'm, like, shook beyond imagination, but nothing, like, bad."

The girls traded a curious look, seemingly coming to some sort of conclusion. The greedy gleam in their eyes had me internally cheering. "What happened?" The blonde one asked, coming closer.

"I'm not sure if I should tell that to anyone," I stammered, watching them bodily move forward. "Well, okay, I can't keep quiet. But you must never, ever speak of it or I'll get expelled or something," I said nervously. They both nodded so rapidly it reminded me of Funko Pop figurines. "You know the senior guy, Flash? Brown hair, kinda hot?" Again, they both nodded, conspicuously grinning. "I think I just saw him in the closed girls bathroom on the third floor with, like, some brunette from Ms. Johnson's History class," They both gasped. Predictable. "But that's not the worst! They were like, y'know," I made an obscene gesture with my hand and they instantly covered their own mouths with their palms in shock. "And the chick was like 'is it in yet?' and he was like 'yah' and I just closed the door and ran, oh my god I hope they didn't hear me," I squealed at the end, playing the part of a mortified teenager.

All three of us giggled uncomfortably for a moment. The blonde girl stared at me suspiciously. "And what were you doing there?"

I faked a nervous stammer, looking around briefly and showing them my lighter for a moment. They both gasped and nodded in recognition. "Don't tell anybody or my mom is going to have kittens," I pleaded. Both of them nodded solemnly, noticing their own group of friends approach. I used the brief moment to get lost in the river of pupils and by the time they turned around to introduce me, I was already at the opposite part of the hallway.

For the time being, everything seemed peaceful. There were a few giggles and side-eyes directed towards Flash Thompson but nothing out of the ordinary. He was disliked by most of the student population even if nobody dared to admit it outright. I took care to walk around without my earbuds for the day and pulled out my phone to record the most interesting conversations around me whenever I caught the tell tale signs of a gossip mill beginning to run its course around the school.

"Oh my god, I heard about this girl that was caught fucking Flash in the girls bathroom and she literally said 'is it in yet', can you imagine the shock, jeez!"

"Some chick literally just rejected Flash because his dick was too small."

"Rebecca from AP chemistry told me someone saw Flash's micropenis. Poor guy!"

"I wonder if his girlfriend dumped him because he can't do shit, I mean, he doesn't look like the type to eat the kitty."

Those were just the highlights of the Friday afternoon. Come the weekend and the news of Flash's unfortunate condition will make the rounds through every single group chat that the school has and by the time Monday rolls around, nobody will have a clue who started the rumour in the first place. I had to carefully select the girls who were to distribute the rumour and I was happy with the outcome: Marissa and Layla with their squad of chatty, bored rich girls were the perfect choice. I thought they would jump at any opportunity to cause drama and I was right.

It was sufficient to say I was bristling with pride as I cut and compiled the audio track from today's school day before sending it to the group chat.

Clint, Peter and Natasha appeared online as soon as the message delivered and I was delighted at their response. Romanoff's kind words, specifically, made me all warm and mushy inside. I didn't resist the feeling, basked in it even as I did a happy dance around my room. Peter's nonsensical string of emojis was another point of laughter for me. 

It wasn't exactly the smartest way to go about killing Thompson's reputation... Alas, simplicity is the way to success when it comes to large crowds of teenagers. That tiny little vindictive part of me was very much looking forward to the weekend and the results of the inevitable distortion of the rumour I had started. Who knew, maybe by Monday Flash Thompson would not only have a micropenis but horns and hooves as well.

Near bedtime, I had all the avengers send me their regards and thumbs up. I answered the flurry of texts as quickly as I could but there was no point in keeping up with ten or so people constantly streaming their questions, opinions and comments. 

I settled on a single easiest response: pulling my dad's old uni sweatshirt over my tiny lacy pajamas to preserve some modesty, I settled in front of my mirror, turning on my Bluetooth speaker to play "Boss Ass Bitch". In true gen-z fashion, I put on my best resting witch face and solemnly lip-synced to the song's eponymous chorus. My eyeliner was sharp enough to cut paper and my prismatic highlighter glittered enigmatically in the cold light of my blue lava lamp.

The response was, once again, delightful and I genuinely belly-laughed at the adults' attempts to meme after Peter. His blushy face emoji started a whole nother conversation that I didn't participate in but watched from the sidelines with glee, snorting every time his friends and mentors gently teased him about the very obvious crush he harboured on me. 

Seeing Peter starting to go absolutely nuts, I interjected with an offer (more like a dare) of a lip sync battle. He jumped on the bandwagon, immediately going offline to undoubtedly film an epic video of what I thought would be dorky-dancing to some hipster song. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a pre-recorded tik tok video of him and Ned fighting with lightsabers while mouthing the words to Fergalicious that played over the Imperial March.

Weirdos. I still followed him on the app, though, it was pretty funny.

Bucky interjected with a very well executed rendition of "Bring Me to Life": he was wearing his full Winter Soldier get-up, complete with an AK-47, dramatically serenading Steve who looked seventeen shades of done with his partner's antics. Wanda's following twenty second voice message consisted of nothing but pure hysterical laughter, summing up everyone's reaction to the video. Bucky was going to go viral one of these days...

Obviously, I had good competition and nobody else seemed to want to participate so I rearranged my surroundings a little bit and stood up at my full height and swapped the old sweatshirt for a cute crop-top hoodie. My thigh-highs were on display and with my make-up, I looked like a proper internet e-girl. I leaned against the mirror as I mouthed along to the song with my best interpretation of the famous Lucifer smirk, seasoned with a tiny bit of angelic innocence: "Doctor, doctor, give me the news, I got a bad case of loving you..."

Needless to say, I won the competition. Eventually Wanda joined in, looking menacing and ominous with her dark clothes and Natasha's red hair flashing somewhere in the background; even Tony did a round (AC/DC as his soundtrack of course) with one of his Iron Man suits but nothing beat my stunt and the reaction that it caused.

I had accidentally called out Bruce with the choice of my song and his teammates gave both of us a lot of cheeky comments about it. We relented and flirted with each other a bit as the conversation flowed into more mundane discussion; I said my good nights somewhere between Tony's bitching about the hobbies of my generation and my nightly skincare routine. The little green heart that I'd become accustomed to over the past few weeks greeted me just as I was about to lock my phone.

Bruce was really too precious for this world. My crush on him was different than the one on Tony, it mellowed out in comparison. I wanted him to hold me, to stroke my hair, to call me his darling and wrap me up in one of those dorky button-ups that he insisted on wearing in spite of Tony's unwanted, however very valid, fashion advice.

For all that's worth, the scientist probably knew or at least suspected and had the good grace to play along just enough to satisfy my deep need for attention... Without crossing any actual lines. It was frustrating, it was disappointing but I had virtually nothing to complain about. Besides, I didn't want to lose the quirky friendship that we had. Banner was, probably, the least judgemental person I knew and I wasn't about to trade that for an awkwardly stolen kiss.

Monday and Tuesday passed in a flurry of giggling and snorting every time Flash walked by. His girlfriend broke up with him, very publicly, accusing him of cheating and he didn't even deny it - just insulted her and stormed off, leaving even his friends looking lost and clueless. I started dragging Peter and his two pet nerds along with me just about everywhere I went in case Thompson decided to do something stupid again. If judging only by the looks he was throwing our little company, he was on his way to figuring out who began nibbling at his reputation.

The week was coming to an end and the rumour began dying off, slowly. That just didn't sit with me, I wanted the fucker gone. Due to the obvious time constraints, I approached MJ regarding Peter - after a brief argument, we came to an agreement regarding Peter's safety should I need to leave him alone in the hallways or at lunch. 

I needed to do this alone so if I got caught, I won't drag them down with me. Granted, I would probably get something like a suspension and the school will attempt to call my mother (she never picks up) but that's about it. That's where her reputation comes in handy-people consciously avoid dealing with her, she can be that unbearable.

But first, I needed to get a teacher that's on my side. After carefully considering the candidates, I settled on my Social Studies professor - he taught the college-level classes and was overall a very chill, nice dude. And he disliked bullies with a flaming passion. So it didn't take me long to work him into a righteous fury - just a quick chat over a cup of tea in his homeroom and a few pictures of Peter's bruised face, complete with my own pleading puppy eyes. We agreed Mr Davies would "accidentally" leave the teacher's lounge unlocked during third period and I would sneak in. The plan wasn't foolproof but if it worked, not only Flash, but also his whole misogynistic, bigoted family would go down.

As I was leaving, Mr Davies looked up at me with a bright smile: "Give them Hell, alright?" And I suddenly noticed he was, in fact, very attractive. The smile brought out the fine wrinkles around his mouth, the crow's feet around his eyes - he smiled a lot. Silver strands mixed in with the wooden brown of his hair.

I let my eyes slide over him briefly before baring my teeth in return. "I owe you one," I don't know what possessed me to say that. My mouth really had a mind of its own sometimes. The room suddenly became hot.

"Sure," He replied, totally oblivious.

On Friday, I made myself a small nest in the empty classroom opposite the teacher's lounge and sat waiting for the signal from Mr Davies - he'd tap on the door once and I'd quietly go inside the teacher's lounge, retrieve Thompson's file and make my way back to the empty classroom to grab my backpack and carry the file to my locker for further examination. 

The first part went successfully and I managed to snag Thompson's file. It was heavy and hefty, all the evidence of his rowdiness compiled into one flimsy plastic folder. There were A LOT of pink slips and I rejoiced internally: at least there was a paper trail of his exploits. The principal didn't do anything about it which was... If not against the rules then at least frowned upon; the plan was to take copies and anonymously submit them to the school board prompting at least an investigation into the blatant disregard for Flash's immoral and illegal behaviour.

On my way back I stumbled upon the principal herself which got me not only a stern talking to, but a whole detention for skipping class. Whatever, I was too elated from potentially ruining the life of a dumb fuck who ruined my friend's face.

Surprise came in the face of Mr Davies, who, having heard the commotion in the hallway, stepped out of his class and saw me being lectured by the principal. 

"I'll take her for the detention," I heard the familiar voice behind me. The principal nodded solemnly and I had no choice but to sigh in resignation. "Three thirty, be here," He nodded to me, walking back, looking way too smug for his own good. So I wasn't the only one excited about the successful completion of stage two of my nefarious plan. Cue evil laughter.

[musette22]

I'm intrigued about the discovering fanfic-fic, is there anything you can share about it? 😊💕

Hiiiii Elle baby!! Well that one has been in my folder for ages but I still really like the idea for it so maybe I should write it someday... 

This also needs a little bit of a disclaimer, I think: I’d like to make it very clear once again that I do NOT endorse showing or sending celebrities fanfic that features them or their characters in sexual situations (or asking them about it), but like I’ve always said, if they go looking for it themselves, then that’s their choice. They know what it is of course, but they shouldn’t be confronted with it if they haven’t explicitly asked or made an effort to find it themselves! So the below is purely a self-indulgent fantasy and a ‘what if, but in no way an endorsement of showing celebs fanfic or asking them about it..! 

The premise for this one is basically that Sebastian was filming E,B and Shailene and Jamie and Seb get talking about Fifty Shades because Jamie was in it, of course. Jamie mentions that Fifty Shades was basically fanfiction based on the Twilight series, which prompts a conversation about fanfiction. Shailene goes online and finds the list of most written about pairings and is shocked/delighted to find out about Stucky. She tells Seb, “Oh my god Sebastian, Steve and Bucky are like one of the most popular pairings!” and Seb is like “Yeah I know, it’s great that fans get creative and can write the stories they want to see.” But when Shailene asks him if he’s ever read any of it and he confesses he hasn’t, she’s like “Well, how do you know if it’s great if you’ve never read any of it?” 

And Sebastian has to admit that she has a point, and he should probably know what he’s endorsing, even if it’s only superficially, but he has no idea where to start looking. There must be hundreds of stories (hahaa oh Seb). So Shailene offers to find a good one for him, something not too out there, and send it to him, and she does. Sebastian reads it - and it’s really something, incredibly well-written and beautiful, so he’s compelled to read a couple more and finds himself trying some of the sexier stuff as well which... okay, he guesses he can see why people like this 👀

And then he accidentally finds the Evanstan tag. And he’s torn because oh man, he shouldn’t be reading stories about him and his straight friend/co-star getting it on but god, he’s always had a bit of a harmless crush on Chris and he’s super curious, and figures he’s sort of crossed the boundary already with the Stucky stories... So he opens one and, well... it kind of blows his mind. His reaction to it is much stronger than he’d expected it to be, and he goes to bed, tosses and turns but eventually falls asleep, and has a VERY vivid dream about Chris. And he sort of tries to forget about it but it keeps popping up in his mind. Then, a few days later, Shailene invites him to a party, and Chris is there... 

Sebastian finds himself acting all weird around Chris and of course Chris notices and asks him what’s the matter... Since Seb has had a bit to drink, he blurts out that he’s read some fanfiction and asks Chris if he’s ever read any..? Chris says no, he hasn’t, but he’s curious now and he asks Seb to show him something that Seb liked, so Sebastian opens a Stucky fic on his phone and hands it to Chris.

Chris gets really sucked into it, and Seb watches Chris nervously as he sits in a corner at the party just reading stuff and not showing any kind of reaction, until Chris suddenly looks up and his eyes find Seb’s. Sebastian swallows and goes over, and is like “Well..?” And Chris says “Did you read this?” and shows Seb one of the Evanstan fics that apparently was still in his browser history. And Sebastian is mortified and stutters that he only glanced at it, until Chris cuts him off and says “Dance with me.” The look in his eyes is all dark and heated, and Sebastian nods dumbly, heart in his throat, so the two of them get onto the dancefloor. Of course things get steamy fast, and they start making out and Shailene whoops and hollers and but they don’t even notice her. 

Finally, Chris whispers in Sebastian’s ear, “So... wanna come back to my hotel and try some of that stuff from that story?” 

And they do 😌

[khoicesbyk]

A/N: I'm officially obsessed with Wolf Bride and what does one do when she's obsessed with a certain book? She writes an AU about it! 😁 So, Talley Ho! *in my Sherlock Holmes voice*

Rated: Mature. | Contains sexual content and strong language. (You know? The usual from me. 😁) | Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters. | Main Characters: Roman (LI) and Naia Evans (MC) | All Characters and names: (except MC and certain original characters, created by me) are property of Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 1,970 words.

Prompt Time! Since this is what consider to be a Drabble I’m using @wackydrabbles Prompt #77 “I didn’t mean to worry you.” It’ll be in bold in black.

Song And Story Inspiration: Fallen (Video Edit)-Mya | Break Of Dawn-Michael Jackson

Tag List: @lifeaskim @choiceslady @pixie88 @lucy-268 @bebepac @sfb123 @secretaryunpaid @choicesficwriterscreations @wackydrabbles

If you’d like to be added to my tag list. Just reblog or dm me and I will gladly add you. 😁😘

This story is ongoing as the game chapters are released weekly. So as soon as I read them (or reread the latest chapter), I’ll write the chapters to this story.

This series is rated Mature. It is NOT reading material that is safe for those under 18. Reader discretion is STRONGLY advised!

Chapter 1.) Call Of The Wolf.

It had been a 3rd straight week of weird dreams for Naia Evans. She would wake up in a cold sweat, a racing heartbeat and goosebumps on her skin. And like clockwork she would lay in bed staring up at the ceiling for 2 hours. And when she was never able to go back to sleep, she would put on jogging shorts and a tank top and go for an early morning run to clear her head.

All of her dreams started after she did research about her mom’s hometown of Hunt’s Peak West Virginia. She wanted to know more about it. Because every time she asked her mother about Hunt’s Peak, her mother immediately shut her down. She was all but forbidden to mention it, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to learn more.

She would look up Hunt’s Peak on Google and see pictures of the forest, mountains and the town square. She would think of meeting the uncle she never knew. But mostly, she wondered why her mother left a seemingly sleepy town in a mountainous area.

After her early morning run, Naia hopped in the shower then got ready for work.

Life for her was as normal as it gets.

She was born Naia Michelle Evans on October 30th 1988 in Raleigh North Carolina to Laurie and Shane Evans. And being an only child, she was spoiled rotten, especially by her daddy. She had a good job as an interior designer. But she wasn’t so lucky in the love department though. After two failed relationships, Naia was back to living at home with her parents in the Washington D.C. area. Although in some way, she felt somewhat unfulfilled. She felt like there was always something missing but could never figure out what it was or why she felt that way.

After coming home from a long day of work, she was in the shower. After the bathroom filled with steam and she stepped inside the shower, she heard a voice.

“Beloved.”

It was a man's voice. One she’d heard for weeks now.

“Come.”

“No.”

She leaned against the shower wall.

“Go away!” She whined.

“Come home.”

She groaned and closed her eyes trying to block it out.

“Come to me…”

When she opened her eyes, the voice was gone. It was just her and a hot shower. She showered, changed into her pajamas then climbed into bed and went to sleep and began to dream. In her dream is where she saw a wolf.

But she wasn’t scared. Strangely, she was calm even a little bit curious. She watched its fur bristle as it walked towards her. As it got closer, she saw its beautiful eyes.

They were golden and bored into her. When she reached out to touch the wolf, it changed into a man. He was what she always known as tall, fine and chocolate. But the one thing that struck her were his eyes. They were just as golden as the wolf’s eyes.

He reached out a hand and she took it. Soon she was in his arms, looking up at him. She felt safe, wanted, needed and desired. She felt his strength and passion while she stood in his arms. She reached up to touch his face and watched him lean into her touch. He looked real. And when he kissed her, he felt real. Her knees felt weak and her body temperature skyrocketed. She needed him just as much as he needed her. Her body yearned for him. Her heart raced. And when their kiss ended, she was dizzy.

It felt real to her. She wanted more, especially after seeing his golden eyes. She felt a connection with this dream man and couldn’t explain it.

“Touch me…” she begged.

He tilted her chin up then whispered, “soon Beloved. Very soon we’ll be together.”

She woke up gasping for air right after those words were uttered. Breathing heavy, heart pounding in her chest and in a cold sweat with goosebumps all along her arms. Just like many nights before but this time was different. Because her body felt like it was on fire. Craving to be touched but not just by anyone. Her body craved him and his touch. When her heart stopped racing and her breathing calmed down she checked to see what time it was.

4:45am.

That’s the time her phone read after she woke up.

She sighed to herself and laid back down then eventually went back to sleep. Dreaming of his golden eyes. As weird as that dream was to her, she wanted it again. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to feel his arms around her again. She wanted to kiss him again.

Later that morning after breakfast she was in the kitchen, having a conversation with her daddy about Hunt’s Peak.

“I don’t know why you won’t but I wish you would drop this, Naia.”

“Daddy you know why I can’t.”

“Naia I’m not having this conversation with you.”

“You and mama never do! It’s like you’re ashamed to tell me anything!”

“There’s a reason for that! Just leave it alone!”

“Why won’t you tell me?”

Just then her mother walked into the kitchen and their conversation.

“Because it’s better for you to never know. Baby I know you want to know but it’s nothing that concerns you!” Her mother snapped at her.

“But mom!” She began to protest.

“No! No more! This conversation is over, Naia!”

Once again her mother shut her down.

“You two are absolutely impossible!” She fussed.

Her mother sat down at the kitchen table and looked at her daughter.

“Trust me baby, I’m doing what I know best.”

“And what is that mama?” Naia asks.

“I’m protecting you!” Her mother replies.

“From what? What could be so bad about a small sleepy town?” Naia asks.

Her mother took a deep breath before she spoke.

“When I was 18 something terrible happened. And I told people. But no one believed me. They said I was lying. That it couldn’t have happened. The people in that town said I was exaggerating the truth. So I packed up and left and I never looked back. That town and those people are dangerous. And I am telling you to stay away from it and them.”

Naia’s eyes went wide.

“Oh my God! Mama were you?” She asked in a panicked voice.

“No I wasn’t sweetie.” Laurie replied.

“But what about your brother?” Naia asks her.

Laurie scoffed and replied, “ohhh you mean the coward, who wouldn’t protect his only sister?”

Naia went quiet.

“Listen to me baby. You are a grown woman. More than capable of doing any and everything you set your brilliant mind to. You can be anything from being an architect like your daddy to a nurse like me, hell I can even see you being the next and first black female president. Hell for all I care you could even be a drug dealer both legally and illegally. As long as you apply yourself and you enjoy it. But this? I can’t allow this. Now I can’t tell you how to live your life or what to do with it. But what I am telling you is this: you are NOT to go anywhere near Hunt’s Peak! Do I make myself clear?” Her mother asks.

“Yes mama. I understand.” Naia replies.

Her father cleared his throat then spoke in a stern tone.

“Naia baby, your mama and I love you more than we could ever tell you. And we are only trying to protect you. Hunt’s Peak isn’t the friendly place you’re thinking that it is. I am begging you to listen to your mother. Hunt’s Peak is no good. So trust us when we say that you are NOT to go there!”

Naia knew she wasn’t going to win this argument.

“Okay. I’ll drop it.” She said to her parents.

Laurie reached out and took Naia’s hands in her own.

“Good. I know you think that we’re not being fair but sweetheart you have to trust us. Especially me. Because if something were to ever happen to you because of those people and town, I would never forgive myself. So you need to drop this once and for all.”

“Yes mama.”

Her mother kissed the side of her forehead.

“Thank you baby. Now if you don’t mind I have an anniversary trip to finish packing for.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” She asked.

Her father scoffed then replied, “we barely want you in the house so no. You’re not going.”

“But daddy it’s Paris! I’ve always wanted to go to Paris!” Naia whined.

“And one day you will go to Paris. Just not today.”

They all laughed.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

Her father stood then wrapped her up in his signature bear hug.

“Baby we know that you’re curious about your mom’s hometown but it’s safer for you to just let it go.”

“I promise I won’t bring it up anymore.”

“Good. Now what are you gonna do while your mother and I are gone?” Shane asks.

“Netflix, Hulu and takeout. Ohh and maybe porn.” Naia replied.

“NO!”

Naia chuckled.

“I just wanted to see what your reactions would be.”

“Laurie…get your child!”

“Ohhh so NOW she’s my child? Any other damn time you’d be willing to fight me to claim her!”

The rest of her Saturday went on as it usually does. But that night was anything but usual. After drifting off to sleep, Naia began to dream. And in her dream she saw him and his golden eyes. She was happy to see him and he was happy to see her. She couldn’t run into his open arms fast enough.

“I missed you.” She said to him.

She could feel his arms tighten around her, lovingly and protectively.

“I’ve missed you too, Beloved.”

“It’s time, Beloved.”

“Time for what?” She asks.

“Time for us to be together. It’s time for you to come home. To come and be at my side.” He replies.

“Where are you?” She asks.

He looked deep in her eyes then replied, “Hunt’s Peak.”

“I can’t. I promised my parents that I wouldn’t.”

“We are destined for each other Beloved.”

“But I…”

He silenced her with a kiss so powerful that it made her body weak.

“Come to me. Be with me. Answer the call.”

She woke up soon thereafter. She sat up in her bed and it became clear to her: she had to answer the call.

She HAD TO go to Hunt’s Peak. She had to find him. She had to be with him. So she made a plan to go to Hunt’s Peak. She knew it was a risk and she knew that she was disobeying her parents. But she knew that she had to take it. She needed to know. She had to know.

The next day she set her plan in motion. She waited until after her parents left for the airport, before she packed up her personal items, loaded them into her SUV and left her parents a note before leaving.

“Dear Mama and Daddy,

I’m sorry to write this but I’m going to Hunt’s Peak. I have to go, so please don’t be mad at me. Please forgive me. I love you. Again I’m sorry.”

After driving for several hours, she checked into a Days Inn on the outskirts of town to rest before she continued on.

She was sitting on the bed, blow drying her hair after stepping out of the shower, when there was a knock at her door. When she opened the door, her jaw hit the floor. It was him. She couldn’t believe that he was real and he was looking at her.

[wildlittlefoxsworld]

Loving you against all odds | The Old Guard | Andy x Fem!Reader

Part 1

A/N: I got this idea from a prompt of @promptsforthestrugglingauthor.

You find it here.

Summary: Andy meet the reader in San Francisco in 1929. The reader is twenty-three years old and will marry her fianceé in a few weeks. Andy and the reader get very close, but is this enough for the reader to stop the wedding? Leaving her family to be together with Andy? A family curse makes the reader's life difficult and the reader will need to fight for what her heart desires.

Warnings: slow burn, family curse, minor character death and temporary main character death (in later parts), soft Andy, more tags follow

The Old Guard Masterlist

***

San Francisco, 1929

As the firstborn, you had never worried about the family curse; every second child was doomed to short life of misfortune, but everyone else was left unharmed.

But after your father passed and your mother remarried a partner with a child older than you, you discovered that the curse considered step-siblings as part of the order. But you only noticed it when it was almost too late.

The life of your younger sister Mary, the second the child of your mother, was filled with castastrophic incidents since the day she was born. As a premature infant the pediatrists gave her a loss expectation of life, but your mother called Mary a miracle when she was allowed to take yor sister home after twenty weeks in the children's hospital.

Mary was of slight build, always smaller as the children of her age, caused by the consequences of two months born premature. Children were cruel and made fun of her. You were three years older than her, which made you her protector on the schoolyard. It was something your mother had wished for, but you were well-informed about the family curse. Unlike your mother you understood the impacts the curse had on Mary. Everyone were powerless, nobody could stem Mary's future of never ending misery.

Nobody, until the day your mother married a rich, kind-hearted man named Chandler Prescott. His first wife died a few years ago and together they had a son, Jonah Prescott. Handsome, tall, icy-blue eyes, dark-brown hair. A boy that broke every girl's heart one day. You never hated him, nor did you liked him.

The summer you, Mary and your mother moved in with the Prescotts will you never forget, it was very sticky for early June and you remembered the smell of azaleas, this time changed your life irrevocable.

You were curious of the new town where you lived now. Unknown and mysterious places to discover, but always the voice of your father in the back of your head: never trust strangers. You did follow this rule on every day and it came a day when you didn't. In a little café a half hour by feet away from your home, you met a brunette women, a few years older, maybe in her early thirties. Pretty green eyes, tall, slim figure, very athlectic. You couldn't tell what was special about the woman, but you were impressed by her.

The curve of her mouth formed a charming smile and you felt your stomach doing a flip. It was a foreign feeling when you looked at her, but you ignored it and left the café hurriedly.

The next Wednesday you found your way miraculously back to the little café you liked so much. And there was a spark of hope you would see the stunning woman with the green eyes again. Your eyes roamed the room for her, but you were dissapointed when she wasn't anywhere to find.

“Hello,” spoke a melodic voice behind you and you flinched slightly. You turned your head and looked at the woman that haunted your mind for an entire week. “Hi,” you replied shyly.

“I hoped to meet you again,” she acknowledged and smiled at you. Her gaze was earnestly and you felt your cheeks heating up. You had the same feeling in your stomach as last Wednesday, it was familiar with your typical reaction when a handsome man had complimented you.

“I'm glad to see you. My apologies… for leaving so fast … last week.” You wondered that her presence made you nervous and stuttering. “Well, you came back today,” she appreciated.

She told you her name was Andy. No surname. You respected it and she was relieved that you didn't ask questions about her origin. You spend the whole afternoon together, time flew by like the wind. You talked about casual things, your childhood and parents, but the curse wasn't a topic. And Andy simply listened. You had the feeling that she was the first person in your life who was really interested in you. The moment for your goodbyes came and she hugged you like an old friend. You agreed to meet on next Wednesday at the same time.

At the weekend your mother was buzzing with excitement when the daily newspaper arrived and she read the announcement on page three that the heir, Aaron Grey, of the richest bank director of San Fracisco will marry you on 28th of July in St. Margret's Cathedral.

At twenty-three you could call yourself lucky to get a outstanding match with an noble man like Aaron Grey. You met him at one of the countless parties your step-father hosted. You danced the whole evening with Aaron and you fell in love his his dark brown eyes and warm-hearted laugh. At least you thought it was love you felt.

You couldn't await Wednesday. Andy sat at the same table and you sat down across from her. Her charming smile was back the second she looked at you and a warm feeling spreaded in your chest. You felt bad for the blink of an eye, because you never were so happy when Aaron smiled at you. But you brushed it off, you needed to know him better first.

You forget about Aaron on this afternoom completely. Andy spoke of the places she visited in her life and you decided that you want to see them, each of them. Andy chuckled and responded vague she would take you there someday, but you saw in her eyes she wished for it.

When you walked home, after you promised Andy to come next Wednesday, you thought about your up-coming wedding and if you should tell your new friend about it. Shouldn't you be happy to marry a good man like Aaron Grey. You weren't. In your mind were only green eyes and a charming smile.

Aaron picked you up for dinner with his parents in one these fancy restaurants at Friday night. His parents were very polite and friendly. Aaron and his father talked about business and his mother couldn't wait to have grandchildren. In your opinion the evening was a disaster. But you assured Aaron how lovely his parents were and you looked forward to marry him. You lied to him. You were dissapointed of the outlooks for your future, but you still hoped it will get better. Anyway you liked Aaron and you were sure he would be a caring husband.

The meetings with Andy on Wednesdays were becoming a routine. You entered the café punctual at 2.30 p.m. and spotted Andy in your usual corner. You learned she loved her coffee black, no milk or sugar. You approached her and noticed the white mug with hot chocolate. She remembered your favorite and you beamed with delight. A simple gesture that showed you she cared.

Your conversations were easy, you found always topics you could discuss and you were impressed how adept Andy was in arts, history, languages and travelling. She talked about those things like she had expierenced all of it, like she lived hundreds of lives. Yet you didn't know what she did for living, but you knew she lived with good friends in a cottage at the outskirts of town, near a forest with a lake. She was always vague with informations of her current life and spoke only about her past. One time you asked about her family and she went silent, her mouth a thin line and her eyes cold that it made you shivering, she answered they were passed away a long time ago. You never asked her again.

At home you didn't tell your mother or sister about Andy. She was your only friend here and you wanted something for yourself. You knew it was selfish, but you were sure Andy wouldn't like to be pomped for information about her life.

On the Wednesday three weeks before your wedding she brought you a gift. A box full of conch shells she collected all over the world in different shapes and colours. You loved it. You took a few in your hands and admired their beauty. But you had to admit you never saw more appealing or dazzling than Andy. Sadly you weren't brave enough to tell her. Little did you know she thought the same about you.

The box got a special place in your room.

A week later you had your usual drinks. Andy seemed pensive.

“Are you alright?” you asked her worriedly and knitted your brows together. Andy nodded slowly and glanced outside on the street. It was a sunny day, no cloud in the sky and pleasant warm.

“Would you like to take a walk? There's a park around the corner,” she suggested smiling suddenly. You were excited. You never went anywhere else with Andy than the café.

“Sounds good,” you agreed. Your mugs were already empty and you followed her out of the café. She walked elegant, her back straight and head up. Andy was confident and you wished sometimes you would be like her. She was free to go wherever she wanted and you would marry a man in one and half weeks who you didn't love. The more time you spend with Andy, the less you were in Aaron's company.

The park was marvelous, pink and red and yellow and white flowers everywhere. You weren't the only people here and you walked along the gravel walks.

“It's long a time ago that I was in park. Well, with someone else than the people I live with,” Andy confessed. “I feel honored,” you replied truthfully.

You knew that Andy didn't have many close friends and you were happy that she considered you as a friend. You were lost in thoughts and didn't notice that you went into an area of the park where was only Andy and you. You didn't mind privacy, but it took you by surprise when Andy interlaced your fingers with hers. You watched her with widened eyes, but when you noticed her insecurity, you felt sorry for your reaction. Your expression softened.

“Is this okay?” she asked carefully. You nodded smiling slightly and squeezed her hand in reassurance. Andy's touch, feeling her warm and smooth skin, made your heart beating faster and your stomach flutter. You thought a lot about the feelings you had for Andy and admitted it was more than a friendship between two women. You read about feelings for the same gender and it wasn't common in the society. But your private life wasn't an issue of the society. You knew your mother expected from you to marry and have children, but in this moment you got doubts if you could ever be a loving wife for Aaron and if the wedding was the right decision. Andy made you to question every decision of your potential future and you thought if you could have a future with Andy.

Andy savoured every minute with you. She felt so alive like she hadn't in centuries and you made her life brighter. She hoped that you cared for her as much as she cared for you. Andy was happy when you didn't pull your hand away and it was a milestone. She knew that you were mortal, but maybe the both of you could make it work, even if these thoughts were ridiculous.

Andy felt like someone watched you both behind her back and glanced over her left shoulder. Not far away stood Booker and nodded once. Something was wrong and she knew it was time for her to leave today.

“I'm devasted, Y/N, but I need to go. I know we usually spend more time together,” Andy declared and her heart ached a little when she saw you were dissapointed. “It has nothing to do with you. A friend need my help,” she added hastily.

Andy didn't want to leave you and she thought about what would make you smile. She looked down at your hands and got an risky idea. She lose your hands and pulled you in a gentle hug. She rubbed the small of your back and then shortly before she pulled back, a feathery kiss was pressed on your cheek. You felt your heart racing and the blush rised up your neck. The skin tingled where her lips touched and you smiled bashfully.

“I'm fine, Andy. Go help your friend,” you responded. Of course, you were sad that she wanted to leave so early. You only had one and a half hour together, usually you spend three to four in the café and you were glad about Andy's choice to walk in park. It made up for her early leaving.

With a small nod she went the way back you came before and you watched after her until you couldn't see her anymore.

*****

“She is a pretty, young woman, boss,” Booker remarked with a half grin.

“I know,” Andy answered simple.

“She seems nice.”

“Yes, she is.”

“Is it then wise to make her any hopes?” Booker accused and Andy stopped walking. She looked back to you and shook her head. “It's too soon to assume that.”

“I don't think she was uncomfortable when you kissed her,” he interjected. Andy snorted and went to the car she parked down the street.

“I didn't kiss her,” she gainsaid.

Andy groaned annoyed. “I don't know if I tell her. I know her for five weeks. It's not like… well, I will see.”

“But it was close. Next time it will be her mouth,” Booker said shrugging. “I only recommend you to be careful. She's mortal. She will age. Does she know you don't?”

Booker glanced at Andy when she started the engine of the car and pulled out into traffic. She didn't want to think about the possibilities she could have with you, how it felt to be loved by someone she loved back. You were the first human that catched her interest in her entire life. She spent time with you, because she liked you, but she didn't know it was worth it to risk everything because she could fall im love with you.

“How got you here?” Andy asked to switch the topic. She needed to be focused and concentrated for the mission. There wasn't any other reason she knew about why Booker would come to get her.

“Nicky and Joe dropped me off. Their already on the way. We will meet them at a dinner,” he explained and Andy nodded.

“Good.” The drive was silent and Andy tried hard to suppress the memory of the shimmer in your eyes after she kissed your cheek.

The job went off without a hitch and Andy was statisfied with the precise and flawless teamwork. She only suffered a few injuries from gun shots and a knife, but she didn't die this time and everything was already healed.

“Good job,” she told her family members and they drove back to the flat they stayed in a small town in the north Texas.

Andy's thoughts wandered to you and she asked herself if you would want a life like that. Always on the run, without knowing what will come tomorrow. And could she on the opposite settle down with you. Spending fifty or sixty years or a little more with you before the nature would take back the life it gave you.

Andy took a deep breath. She had to make a choice: destroying the tender bonding between you or letting her feelings grow for you and risking that it could break her heart.

***

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[wr1t3-my-wr0ngs]

Good Soldiers- Chapter 2/4

Remembering Yesterday’s Tomorrow (In the Here and Now), Part 4 Cont.

After hours of thinking, he has a plan. Not a good one, but this is Umbara he reminds himself, no plan is a good one, only some that have fewer casualties.

If he's honest with himself, he's not sure if this will have fewer casualties or not.

It occurs to him that he could just kill Krell (he refuses to even think of him as a General), and save everyone pain. As an idea it's extremely tempting. But if this is real — and he still has his doubts, but if it is— he needs to be smart. Can't let his uncertainty in his reality keep him from action. Otherwise, he knows he will get nowhere, knows that not being smart will get him a court-martial, or worse.

So, no. Killing Krell isn't an option, not at this point.

Getting dressed is something of an experience. He's done it hundreds of times, knows the motions by heart — almost on autopilot, which is his saving grace as he deals with the competing signals that say this is normal and this is wrong. He'd forgotten what it was like to have knees that didn't hurt with every step, forgotten how much smaller he was. Not that he has any shame over how he changed with the years, not the hair loss, or the aches, or the extra weight. He got old, was one of the few clones who did, and there's a lingering sense of guilt attached to that, but not shame.

It's with reluctance that he slips off his ring and carefully adds it to his tags around his neck. But it's for the best, he's already planning to change things, and the last thing he needs is to raise suspicion. Nor does he want to lose it in the field, where the odds of finding it in the crushing darkness of the planet are close to impossible.

For all that it's a simple band of steal, after two years of wearing it, he feels naked without it on his finger.

It's both hard and easy falling back into the role of clone captain; he catches himself at times about to say something, only to realize that what he wants to reference hasn't happened. Not yet. But at the same time, details are right there for him to grasp. Rules and battle strategies and conversations he hadn't known he had forgotten sit at the surface of his mind. 

But there is nothing that can prepare him for the torrent of emotions he feels when he sees them again.

His brothers: alive and loud, cracking rude jokes and swapping the latest gossip.

Hardcase, who died on this planet doing the right thing because the right thing needed to be done.

Jesse, who inspires such a mix of emotions that Rex has to studiously not acknowledge them because once he does, he knows he won't be able to hold it together.

Dogma, headstrong and loyal, who Rex never saw again after he was taken away. Heartfelt sorrow rises when he thinks of the fate of his little brother.

Fives and Tup, and the tangled knot of guilt, pride, shame, and remorse that they illicit. Emotions he can't even look at obliquely, or they undo him. Not even to compartmentalize and examine later.

He's glad he has his bucket and the fraction of privacy it gives him. Especially as he makes his way to see Krell. He doesn't need refreshing on the orders to prep the troops, remembers having relayed them before he had fallen asleep. The clock is ticking. But he needs to know that he can trust his memory, trust in the reactions, and there is no better person to start with then Krell.

Being in the same room as the Besalisk makes his skin crawl, and the idea of showing him any inch of respect chafes. He stands at attention anyway; he has a part to play and will be damned if he makes things worse by blowing his cover.

The conversation goes down almost exactly as he remembers, with some changes. For one, it happens earlier, which means since he hasn't actually learned that they have cracked the Umbaran codes, he has to phrases the suggestion of using the Umbaran craft as a hypothetical — that he thinks they may be close to a breakthrough. The idea is met with all the disdain of the first time, the same feeling that the men aren't worth the mud on the Generals boots, and that the Captain is little better.

He's on his way out of the command center when the Besalisk offers one last parting blow.

"CT-7567, next time, I expect you to remove your helmet when speaking to a superior officer."

His teeth clench, and he forces himself to spit out an "Understood, General" in the most neutral voice he can manage without moving his jaw.

His blood boils all the way to the hanger, the knowledge that his memories (if that's what they indeed are) are reliable makes for a poor consolation to the dehumanization of being reduced to his number.

He tries to distract himself by running the plan over in his mind, but it feels too much like counting a casualty report before the end of a battle, daunting and setting himself up for heartbreak. So he switches tracks and focuses instead on just the next part in his plan: Getting his brothers on board.

Jesse, Hardcase and Fives — he is reasonably certain — will agree once they know that his goal is removing Krell from his position and stopping this massacre. Tup, he's aware, will take a little convincing, but the rookie has a solid head on his shoulders. Painfully shy at times, with a habit of letting others speak for — and over– him, but willing stand for what he believes in when push comes to shove.

The wildcard is Dogma (and even through his anger and nerves, he takes a moment to laugh to himself at comparing Dogma to a wild-anything). Loyal and honorable Dogma, who may not be as much of a rookie as Tup, but is still painfully young and so profoundly dedicated to the cause, he refuses to see the dark truth of the war.

It's a risk involving Dogma at all, and Rex wouldn't be surprised if he's reported for insubordination before the battle even starts. But the same something that told him to lean in and kiss Ahsoka on Endor, that told him it was his time to die, the instinct that told him that waking up wasn't a dream, is telling him that Dogma is important.

With no one else to bounce his idea off of, no experience in this specific situation to draw from, all he has is this gut feeling and the knowledge that last time, Dogma did what Rex couldn't and that it's not impossible to get the trooper to recognize the truth before it's too late.

He rounds the corner into the hanger and spots them. Instantly his hands tremble, and his breath shudders and the emotions associated with his brothers (so well buried by his anger at Krell that he had momentarily forgotten them) lodge themselves in his throat. He takes a second to compose himself because there is no way for him to face his brothers with his bucket on without arousing their suspicion. Pulling off his helmet and tucking it under his arm, Rex briefly lets his hand linger over the spot where his wedding ring rests against his chest, eyes closed, and centers himself, before plunging into the busy room.

He arrives a little late in the conversation, but it seems to have progressed the same without him. It's a relief and makes waiting for an opportunity to present itself easier.

"— 100 megaton yield. We won't even make it to the delta."

It Jesse who notices his arrival.

"Any news, Captain?"

Rex shakes his head.

"Afraid not. We are to proceed as planned."

Hardcase groans.

"Great, another suicide mission. The Capital is too well armed."

"Why does it seem like he has it out for clones?"

Tup punctuates his words with a wave of his wrench, addressing the group at large.

"I think you're all over reacting. Obviously, General Krell knows what he's doing."

Rex seizes his chance.

"That's what worries me."

He considers that he may have over-seized his chance because it's not just Dogma looking at him with open shock; he has everyone's attention. Hardcase looks equal parts proud and stunned, Jesse looks like he can't believe what he just heard, Tup is suddenly engrossed in the mechanics of the ship he's working on (but Rex can tell he's listening, he's holding the wrench backward and not really doing anything), and Dogma...

Dogma looks scandalized, but also curious.

Which...is better then Rex had hoped for.

Its Fives that concerns him, with his squint-eyed calculating look, like the Captain is a puzzle that he only just realized he's missing the pieces too. Concerning, because Rex knows how far this particular brother will go to chase a suspicion or put a mystery together.

If nothing else, it serves as a reminder to watch his words.

Hardcase, unsurprisingly, is the first to recover his voice.

"Care to elaborate?"

Rex opens his mouth, then hesitates, glancing around. The hanger is many things, open chief among them, and hardly the place for this conversation. There are too many people, too many ears around for his comfort — wants to smack himself for letting it happen in the open last time.

"Not here."

He leads them to the barracks, where they all settle in, exchanging glances when they think he can't see them (Fives hasn't taken his eyes of him once, and it's unnerving to be under such close scrutiny by this particular brother). Rex chooses to rest himself against the wall, crossing and uncrossing his arms before sighing deeply. Not sure how to start despite things going, so far, as planned.

"Well?" Jesse prompts.

"This is just talk, understand? If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, and nothing will come of it." He's not, knows he isn't, but he's walking a fine line between plausible deniability and treason and is very aware which side his next words put him on.

Everyone nods, Dogma more to show his understanding then actual condoning of whatever is about to come out of his Captain's mouth, but Rex takes it as a good sign.

"I've had my suspicions for some time now that General Krell is no longer loyal to the Republic."

Chaos, absolute chaos, erupts as soon as the words leave his lips. He's not even sure who is saying what for a moment. Despite the pressing need for both time and discretion, he can't help the swell of fondness that rises as he takes in the scene: Hardcase's shouts that he knew it the whole time. Dogma and Fives who look to be gearing up for a fist fight, leaving Jesse and Tup torn between jumping in if need be to separate their brothers and staying out of it. Its familiar, and Rex never imagined that he would miss it.

It is also incredibly loud.

"OY!" 

It would be laughable if the topic of conversation weren't so serious, with how quickly everyone settles down.

"Like I said, this is just talk."

Jesse snorts, leaning forward on his elbows.

"Big talk. What do you know?"

"I've been keeping an eye on his casualty counts, his strategies, his reports, and things don't add up."

Its a half-lie, he hadn't really heard or paid much about the General the first time, only the scuttlebutt that floated around the commanding officer's gossip network. But after Umbara, Rex had dug into the Generals history, read every report, counted every brother lost because of Krell, wondered how he could have been so blind.

"For someone who claims to be dedicated to ending the war in the name of the Republic, his strategies cost the GAR deeply in terms of both manpower and credits."

It goes without saying that the two, as far as the Republic is concerned, are essentially the same thing.

"That's what I've been saying!" Hardcase says from his bunk.

"But, " and Tup sounds horrified, looks it too. "The Generals a Jedi."

"They're still just people." Hardcase points out rather magnanimously.

From the corner of his eye, Rex can see Dogma shaking his head, eyes closed, a pained expression on his face.

He wants to go over, see how the trooper is doing because he knows what it's like to have your whole world view shaken to the core, but his attention is split as Jesse starts talking.

"So, what do we do?"

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Fives steps forward from where he had been leaning against the opposite wall, punctuating his words with his hands. "Krell has turned traitor and is killing brothers; we need to remove him."

Dogma shoots to his feet.

"What you're suggesting is treason."

"I'm being realistic."

The two advance on each other, voices rising with each passing second.

"You're planning a coup!"

"Against a General that knowingly sends his men out to die and undermine the entire cause of this army? Yes!"

Rex darts in, physically putting himself between the two, a hand on each man's chest.

"Fives, control yourself. Dogma, take a walk."

"Sir-"

"That's an order, Trooper!"

The air is tense as the two go eye to eye, and Rex sees the moment when Dogma realizes that the Captain isn't on his side, and for a second, Rex wonders if the trooper will listen.

"Yes, Sir."

It's spoken with more vitriol then Rex had known Dogma was capable of, hissed and quiet. Everyone watches in silence as he leaves the room, exchanging glances in shock, and looking to him for direction. Rex, suddenly drained, doesn't have the energy for a proper dismissal and vaguely waves everyone off, waits for everyone to shuffle out before burning his face in his hands. 

That...could have gone better. Even so, he doesn't think Dogma will report him, but only time would tell what the fallout would bring.

He's on his way out of the barracks when he meets Fives at the door coming back in, who waits for the door to shut behind him before crossing his arms and putting on his "don't give me any karking shit" face.

The Captain's heart clenches. It was easy enough to ignore his emotions when there was more than one brother in the room. But like this, face to face with nowhere to retreat to, he can feel his mask cracking.

It must show too, because Fives goes from stern to worried, arms falling to his side.

"Are you alright, vod?"

He considers lying. Secrecy, especially in his position, is paramount. He dismisses the thought rather quickly, in part because he knows he's a horrible liar. Sure, he can pull off small parts on missions when required, but there is a very good reason he wasn't assigned to the Couricanti Guard. He can't bluff for the life of him, and not even nearly Forty years' life experience had changed that.

But it's not the only reason.

Messy, tangled emotions aside, this is Fives. One of the most loyal and trustworthy brothers he has ever had the honor to know.  Who has always put his brothers first, even in the most insane and ridiculous of situations. If there is anyone, anyone, that Rex could trust with his secret and not worry about being handed over for reconditioning, it would be him.

And he is incredibly tired. Not even a full day, and the weight of his secret has eaten away at him. He hasn't felt this alone since his first days on the run from the Empire — before he had found Wolffe and Gregor — surrounded by unknowns, hunted by people he considered family (they didn't stop being his brothers just because the chips were activated, and that knowledge had only made it worse).

He exhales a shuddering breath, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks, and wills himself to meet Fives gaze.

"No, I'm not."

Like that, the dam breaks and he buries his face in his hands. Distantly, he's aware of being led over to the nearest bunk and sat down, of Fives gently rubbing his back through the plastoid (it doesn't do much, but the gesture is nice). He's not sure how long he cries for, but when he's done, Fives silently hands him a rag, and he able to muster a weak smile in return.

After a moment, Fives speaks.

"Want to share?"

Rex hesitates, brain still a little foggy from crying, and mentally checks over what he can and shouldn't say.

"It's...complicated."

He tries his best, details what he can in broad strokes. The end of the war, the fact they lost, him going into hiding, joining the rebellion, his death, and waking back up. He doesn't mention the chips; it's neither the time nor the place to worry about them, and he knows the moment that Fives finds out about them, he would take on that responsibility too.

When he's done, Fives is silent for a few moments, elbows on his knees, fingers steepled and pressed against his mouth. When he does speak, he looks at the Captain.

"There's more, isn't there?"

Rex nods, and sighs.

"Yeah, a lot."

"How old were you when...?"

Fives trails off, and Rex isn't sure if it's because he doesn't want to say it or doesn't know how to phrase it kindly. But he knows what his brother is asking.

"When I died? Thirty-Nine."

His brother laughs.

"Should I start calling you Gramps?"

Rex groans, because if there is one thing he doesn't miss about the rebellion, it's that particular call sign, and gives Fives a playful shove.

"Respect your elders."

They grin at each other for a moment, but the light mood doesn't last.

"So, Krell's fallen?"

Rex nods, and Fives goes quiet once again. In the vacuum that the silence leaves, a question pushes to the front of Rex's mind. He's afraid to ask, not sure he wants to know the answer, but certain that he needs to.

"You believe me?"

"I don't know yet."

It hurts to hear, but he can't fault his brother, because he knows how crazy it sounds, and if the positions were reversed, Rex is sure he would feel much the same.

"But, " Fives continues, "I can see for myself that something isn't right with the General, and if you say that it's because he's a traitor, I believe you."

The ARC trooper squares his shoulders and looks at Rex, certainty and determination radiating off him.

"I'll follow your lead, Captain. What's the plan?"

[jojosthetic-boogaloo]

Hello, I'm back! I'd really like a matchup please (M!)! I'm a white girl, who is 5'4" with green/blue and gold brown eyes and wavy to slightly curly extremely dark brown hair. I love to read (mostly historical fiction), write stories, and play video games, most of which are on the rpg genre. Most of my friends say that i am very nice and willing to help anyone who needs it, as well as having a very dark sense of humor. Most people don't know that i also have a really bad short temper, that used

Welcome back, Emily dear! Thank you so much for the kind words!!! <3 The matchup is all yours, hope you like it! //AND sorry for taking a while!!! Lemme tag you (if tumblr lets me) so you get the notification @emilyd-i-c-k-ens ;;//

Okay this is gonna sound a bit weird, but at first I didn’t know who to match you up with! Why? Because except on the physical aspect, you and I are pretty similar! Imagine the struggle of not just slapping in here a moodboard of my biggest stinky jojo crush...

NO MATTER! I found the answer in the end! And it’s double, so bare with me please!

Translation: “Love, with you by my side, I can do anything!”

Narancia Ghirga!

He just finds your natural charm and mature air tremendously magnetic. It’s like you’re exactly the balance he needs in his life. 

You met at the movies when you went to see the same one, you went by yourselves so when you sat down and saw the theater almost empty and the single spot between you two vacant, Narancia just decided to sit next to you and give you a bright smile to start up chatting before the movie started rolling.

You had time to introduce yourselves, and you heard him ramble on how much he liked this kinda movies! He was so excited it made you feel his own excitement in return, making you naturally relaxed and bubbly around him.

When you got out of the movies, he chatted with you about it all the way outside, with your small input from time to time when he slowed down for a second. Once outside under the night’s sky, he seemed to look around curious, raising an eyebrow and looking back at you while scratching the back of his head. “Say, Y/N, is no one coming to fetch you? It’s pretty late to walk around alone...” He drifted off, even more surprised when you shook your head to confirm that, in fact, no one was coming. 

“Well, in that case, I’ll walk you to your house, if you don’t mind it!” He asserted, showing you some quite comical flexing and posing to pretend he was strong and fearsome. “Alright, let’s get going then, Narancia.”

You didn’t live that far from the theater, so it didn’t worry you to make him lose his own path back to his own place. While you walked in silence, his hands in his pockets and kicking the occasional peeble on the pavement, he seemed to steal quick glances on your direction, thinking you didn’t notice.

“Something on my face, Nara?” You asked, both amused and curious. His reaction made you chuckle, as he shook his head from side to side violently and turned his gaze away from you. “No it’s...” He started, quietly. After a sigh from him, he finished his sentence. “You look pretty, that’s it.” Even if his tone sounded uninterested, you knew full well he was actually very embarrassed. The shade on his cheeks and his slight pout gave him away.

“Why, thank you, you look handsome too.” He gave you a look, his lips contorted into a lopsided smile and his eyes cast into the ground before him. Taking one of his hands to the back of his head, he kept walking with a small smile on his face. “Well, thanks, Y/N.” That was the first time a girl as pretty as you had called him handsome. Hell, the only one that called him that sometimes had been Buccellati when he asked if an outfit was ill-fitting on himself.

Before you’d realized, you stood at your door, turning to face him and give him a smile. “Thank you Narancia, it was a pleasure to walk home with you.” You started, not expecting the dark haired male to almost instantly extend his arm towards you, firmly grasping a phone in his hand that pointed in your direction. “P-please, could I have your number, Y/N?” Silence, and Ghirga felt some sweat beads on his temples. “I-I mean, I just really want to keep taking because you’re so nice and, and we like the same stuff and well I-” He was cut off by you gently hoovering your index finger on his lips, taking his unlocked phone and introducing your number in his contacts. “Saved.” You announced, giving him back his device and turning around once more, and waving him off with a little amused smile on your face.

He gave a little jump in front of your now closed door, that you didn’t fail to notice since you could see him through the window right next to it. This adorable gesture made you let out an amused small chuckle and a hand be brought to your chest. He was a cute one, and you wanted to get to know him better. 

Almost around midnight, a text message entered your notifications from a new number, and you smiled. You couldn’t fall asleep thinking on how well your evening went, and the cause of that state just texted you without even thinking that people are usually asleep at that hour.

“Wanna go the arcade tmrrw??” Yes! You wanted to! And you let him know. 

You went to the arcade and spent a wonderful time in there! He’d playfully bump your shoulders together when playing on the racing games, making you lose your balance to give him advantage. Whine even if he was amused when you beat him in crane games, and even sticking his arm inside with the risk of sticking it inside to get you a price that didn’t quite fall right!

It was a cute teddy bear, the perfect size to sit in your palm. Fluffy as all could be, and it held a small heart between its tiny arms. Narancia gave you a shy smile. “It reminds me of you and me, Y/N!” He said, cheery. “Why is that?” You replied between giggles and fist-bumping his shoulder gently. He reluctantly rose his hand to his neck and looked down. “Well.” He started. “We just met it, and it already holds a heart between its hands. You two are similar.” You took a second to understand what he meant, giving him a shy smile. Damn, he really went for it all huh?

“That’s so sweet, Narancia.” You replied, giving him a soft smile and gently grabbing his wrist, only to tug at it and start leading the way. “Come on, I wanna try and beat you on DDR*. Winner gets to challenge the other on whatever they want.” 

The violet eyed male blinked a few times before smiling and following after you with an excited step. He was very good at DDR, excellent almost. As you stood both in your positions, one to the other’s side, he was already thinking about what he’d challenge you to.

As soon as the coins slid down the slot and you’d chosen your song, it was clear that neither of you were playing around. Nevertheless, Narancia’s movements were smoother, precise, his “Perfect!!” combo streak never faltering. You, on the other hand, were growing weary. Why’d he have to choose the difficulty? You were trying your best to keep up, when you slid your arms behind you and rested them on the support bar, while looking at the screen and trying to keep up. Unfortunately, last minute, when you tried to step on the correct arrow, your foot slipped and you fell on your butt, the last 4 arrows going by and the song ending with a nice little tune. Of course, Narancia had won.

“Y/N! Are you okay??” He missed his last notes to come immediately help you up though; and you couldn’t help but smile at him and swat your free hand to make him rest assured, while your other hand was the one he held tightly to help you. “I’m... fine, don’t worry.” You stared at him, he was close. 

He gave you a lopsided smile, never letting go of your hand as he almost hoovered over you, you could barely feel his chest press on yours. “You know what, I think I know what I challenge you to, Y/N.” He started, tilting his head slightly to the side as he gave your face a short scan with his beautiful eyes up and down.

“Yeah? ... What is it?” You replied, your voice quiet, feeling a weird sensation turn and tighten in your stomach, your heartbeat in your ears. He smiled, showing you his slightly pointy canines and leaning close to place a soft kiss on the tip of your nose. 

“I challenge you to have another date with me, next time, we can meet in my apartment, I got Danganronpa on my PC.” You raised your eyebrow and gave his shoulder another soft punch. “That, that fills me with hope.” You replied, making him chuckle and gently let go of you, holding his hands behind his back. “Well then, it’s settled!” He exclaimed, balancing his body on his feet one time on his tip toes and one time on his heels. “I would have been filled with despair, otherwise.” 

You laughed at his reference and gave him an amused smile. You liked him, you really did.

After you start dating some months later, he’s just... a wonderful boyfriend, you really have no complaints. He loves to laze around with you at home, playing whatever games you particularly enjoy. He particularly loved to watch you play Stardew Valley, he found it relaxing, even if sometimes, he got pouty and was overly clingy almost not letting you move when he noted that “You married a small pixel character and had two children and he was stuck as the pillow boyfriend”. You smacked him softly when he said such stupid things, but, it made you laugh, and he knew that.

Get ready for lots of cuddling and just physical affection while you watch movies at home together. Sometimes, you’ll feel him shake if something on the movie disturbed him. Occasional screaming when he gets scared. You noted he feels more distressed when watching indie horror movies, such as the Blair Project. He claims “he just likes the adrenaline they give him” when you ask him why he watches if he’s scared.

Fugo Pannacotta!

He finds support and understanding in you, he sees you as a strong pillar, he really admires you! As a person who’s had some problems with keeping his rage under check, he finds your understanding of the situation very assuring; he feels like a completely normal guy when he’s with you.

He thinks you’re the most interesting person around that does not get on his nerves, ever. (Narancia, does, even if he loves him very much, all has to be said.) You read very interesting books too! He respects that hobbie, sometimes he’ll sit with you to read his own and then quietly comment on how’s each other’s lecture going.

Your dark humor... He loves it. Each time you crack a way too dark for normal comfort joke, he absolutely cracks up. He just really likes how you have no trouble saying such things, besides, that’s his type of humor too man! He loves that!

He really likes your eyes! That’s a weird trait, but he really likes to focus on people’s eyes, and yours were so pretty and full of depth, he really liked what your eyes communicated. It made him feel assured and relaxed around you.

A smaaaaall side note on the * ; For the younger peeps, DDR means Dance Dance Revolution. And in my time (I mean i’m not THAT old but yeah), it was basically the most popular, fun and stressing dance game there was at the arcade back then. Now it’s rare to find one of those machines, at least where I live!