#it pisses me off a little because I thought I had sworn off anything related to Marvel but here I am

[ravenpureforever]

I regret to inform you all that Deadpool & Wolverine is actually very good and just gay as everyone says

[stuff-from-the-void-matron]

Laurel Wreaths & Animal Teeth (8)

(c!Technoblade x fem!Reader)

(Still no Tech this time, please don’t be mad! But hey we’re in L’manberg now! That’s pog right? Plus we officially meet Wilb and Fundy! But remember y’all, if this chapter doesn’t do well then I can’t write chapter 9! So show chapter 8 some love!! <3)

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MOAR ART!

I tried drawing Reader! -> She.

And xoxoyukixoxo-art-dump on here drew her too! She looks so SICK! SHE!

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He’d been watching her for some time now. 

Not all day and night like some weirdo but he’d noticed instantly when she’d ‘logged on’ so to speak. The first thing to make him curious was him wondering how she arrived here in the first place, but when he tried teleporting to this new person it strangely hadn’t worked. He’d simply not gone anywhere, which was beyond puzzling. He should be able to teleport to anyone on this server. That little tidbit, the not being able to teleport to her, was the second thing to make him curious. So curious in fact that he spent a very long time just looking for her. When the ability to teleport to her was no longer an option he’d found searching for someone was much harder, but in the end he’d found her. And good lord was she a big one. Not taller than endermen or anything bigger but she definitely towered over the villagers she lived with.

He didn’t know how she ended up here since you needed an invite to be allowed on the server. And he knows she wasn’t invited, because he knows ALL the people who are invited. Hell, at one point he even tried banning her (an action which kicks players from the server) but… nothing had happened. He’d been hidden and watching her when he’d done it and she’d not even noticed, just kept on planting flowers around one of the villager’s houses without a care in the world.

He’d unbanned her and nothing changed again. Then he’d tried using other commands on her. Teleport, clear, give, and even Kill. Not a single one did anything. That made him nervous. He’d never encountered something like this before. It was unheard of. If this player decided to become hostile, or End forbid, GENOCIDAL… it would have very disastrous consequences for the other players on the server..

He decided then and there to monitor her deeply until further notice. 

Which turned into him popping up by her village and sneaking in to watch her and what she did day in and day out for a few months. And honestly.. She seemed pretty benign. 

All she really did was change up the village she lived in and decorate. When not doing those things she would do other hobbies like cooking and potion making. She’d also leave the village sometimes to just explore. He took those chances to go inside her home and snoop around. He also noticed aggressive mobs were pretty neutral towards her for whatever reason. That only ever happened if a player had a clear relation to a mob (aka a hybrid) or if the player had creative… Which it looked like she had. But she also didn’t look fully human.

“What a strange being you are..”

-0-

Before you knew it the next day had come, bright and early. 

You’d had to go back to the Overworld around sunrise to get ready to greet Tubbo. You’d explained to Azo that you’d try to come back as soon as you could but for now you had to go on a trip for a while. She was sad to see you go but said okay and to hurry back. Your heart broke all over again, feeling terrible that you had to leave her alone but there was nothing you could do. You’d bring her with you if it were possible but you knew her entering the Overworld would turn her into a zombie instantly. And that’s not a fate you’re willing to make anyone go through.

But you left her a chest with some golden carrots, some apples, and even some of the stew you’d made for Tubbo and Tommy. She liked the stew, so you left her a few bowls and even some juice to drink in case she got thirsty. You hugged her goodbye and told her you’d bring her a gift back. She nodded happily and then you sadly had to leave through the portal. Which you made sure to destroy after exiting it. Didn’t want anything wandering through. That would be a disaster. 

Once you were back in the overworld you went home and sat on your bed and just thought. More than anything you just wanted to step in and prevent Schlatt and Quackity from winning. But you didn’t know if doing that would have dangerous consequences or not. You’d seen so many movies where a small change in the past ends up having massive effects in the future. Damn butterfly effects. Stopping them from winning the election could end up causing a civil war within L’manburg. Or Tubbo, Tommy, or Wilbur could end up hurt or even lose a life. Or something even more devastating could happen. 

...But you hated the thought of Tommy and Wilbur getting exiled. It wasn’t fair or just. Especially while getting shot at and chased down like dogs. Schlatt and Quackity really pissed you off with that part. Seeing Ponk and Punz just instantly turn on the two original founders left you feeling utterly appalled. Schlatt hadn’t even been sworn in as president yet! He’d not taken an oath or anything! None of what he ‘decreed’ should have been taken as law! None of it was legal-

You pause. None of that WAS legal.. right? Did the citizens even know that? Were they aware that simply winning an election wasn’t the instant inauguration that Schlatt and Quackity made it out to be? Surely there was more to L’manburg than simply the bare bones parts that were shown on youtube in your original world. There had to be actual systemic structure for this whole ass small country. You wanted to believe there was, because the alternative made you facepalm. But at this point you honestly just didn’t know. You would need to have a discussion with Wilbur and Tommy (Wilbur more so since he was the adult in this situation).

You needed to talk to Wilbur asap.

-0-

Tubbo and Tommy came to get you bright and early, the blond looking more anxious than he was trying to let on. Seeing the usually so upbeat and grinning boy so nervous made your stomach churn. So you’d pulled him into a hug, not even letting him finish his greeting to you before you did. He went silent and was tense at first. But you took in a breath and said in as reassuring a tone as you could physically muster,

“Don’t worry kiddo. Things WILL be okay. I’ll make sure of it, alright?”

Tommy was silent, but you could hear the choked gasp of breath the boy took in, and you felt how his lanky body seemed to relax in your hold. He awkwardly put his arms around your back, seemingly not used to this, the whole hugging thing. At least not such heartfelt ones. He’s hugged Tubbo, Wilbur, and Philza but this one just felt different. It felt safer. Like if he stayed here nothing could hurt him. It was weird but.. nice. Part of the boy didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to leave this new safe place. Here hugging you there was no fear of losing the election, no worries of wars with the DSMP, there was nothing bad. Just a pleasant warmth he felt like he could just fall asleep to.

But the bigger part of him knew he’d never hide away from his problems. It wasn’t who he was. He wasn’t some baby coward who hid behind mommy for protection when shit got tough. (missing how his subconscious referred to you as ‘mom’) He was a MAN! Nevermind he was barely 16! He was practically an adult (in his own eyes)! He’d fought in a war for independence! He’d battled for his and his countrymen’s freedom! There’s no way he’d cower away from this damned election! 

With a new fire in him, largely in part to the confidence you seemed to have for him and L’manburg, he eventually pulled back from the hug and gave you one of his signature bright grins. He said thanks but there’s no way he was worrying! Like you said, things were gonna be fine! You gave him an encouraging smile in return and agreed, then added that if anything DID go wrong you’d stick by them and make sure it all got resolved. The teens looked grateful for your support. But then you bid the villagers goodbye for now and told the iron golems to make sure to keep them all safe.

Then you three were off to L’manburg.

-0-

Walking into L’manburg was weird. You’d only ever seen parts of it via the videos you’d watched from the various minecraft youtubers. But being there in person was wild, seeing all the buildings and pathways was interesting though. Tommy and Tubbo changed into their ‘presidential attire’, which were just those vaguely old school British military uniforms they wore at the start of the L’manburg thing. You still ruffled their hair and cooed over them, saying they looked like official little men. They got all huffy and Tommy swatted your hand away, making you laugh. Tubbo suggested showing you around before the election began, which you thought was a good idea. So the pair escorted you around L’manburg, showing you the main places plus their houses and favorite spots. You gave Tommy a Look and asked him if he really lived in a dirt hut.

“It’s DIRT Tommy, not even cobblestone. Just a dirty dirt hut,” you said with a sigh.

Tubbo snickered while Tommy tried defending himself. But he honestly was just making excuses though thankfully he got cut off by Wilbur showing up. He was in the same uniform as both teenagers and you saw him giving you a wide eyed look as he walked up. You could tell he was used to not being around someone so much taller than him. Which you guess made sense since he’d been hanging out with teenagers, a girl, and his own son mostly. You think Dream is taller than him but you don’t know how often they’re around each other peacefully to notice height..

“Oh, hello, you must be Reader! Tommy and Tubbo have told me about you!” the brunet man said with a charming smile. 

You returned the smile and held your hand out for him to shake. He gave a firm handshake and you said he must be Wilbur and that the boys had mentioned him to you. He gave a sly smile to the two boys and asked if that was so, and said he hoped they’d said good things about him. Not liking his teasing tone Tommy cut in and said he told you about Wilbur being a bitch! You laughed and Wilbur punched Tommy in the shoulder, laughing when the boy loudly claimed he was abusing a child!

Wilbur rolled his eyes at the blond boy and asked what the occasion for you visiting his lovely country was. You gave a relaxed smile and said you just wanted to come out and support ‘big man’ and Tubbo on this exciting day! Wilbur smiled and perked up when Tubbo said they were giving you a tour of L’manburg. Wilbur asked why the shortest boy didn’t say so before and gestured for you to follow him, saying the best person to give a tour is always the president! You liked his charming enthusiasm but you could still see the nervousness just lurking under the surface for all three of them. You hated that their worry was justified. 

-0-

Wilbur took over showing you around, Tubbo and Tommy right behind him adding little comments here and there to irk him. You ohh’d and ahh’d at the polite times, even saying how cool the place was. You even got shown Wilbur’s ‘ball house’ and their extensive nether pathways briefly. You got a bit distracted in the Nether, wondering if Azo was okay. Though you supposed she was a tough kid, what with having survived in the Nether her whole life so far. But she was just a little kid, still a toddler. She shouldn’t have to survive. She should be living.

“And I guess that’s the whole tour! I hope we’ve given you a good impression of my country~” Wilbur said with a smile, thoroughly snapping your attention back to the present.

You were thankful they couldn’t see how your eyes widened when you realized you’d totally zoned out during the last leg of the tour. Instead of worrying you just gushed and said you’d been really dazzled! The trio grinned and you ruffled Tommy’s hair and said you could expect no less from the big man himself and sweet Tubbo. The pair were happy to hear you praising the country they’d worked so hard to have, with Tommy even playfully swatting your hand away from your hair and saying anything he helped with would be the best. Wilbur gave a very big brother reply of ‘oh really?’ that was dripping with doubt, which started to set Tommy off.

The two started going back and forth, causing you to roll your eyes. Yeah they definitely had the brother vibe about them. Though Wilbur lost interest in arguing when he spotted someone a bit aways behind you and Tommy. He perked up and waved, calling out ‘FUNDY!’ to get his son’s attention. You all glanced over to see a fox hybrid in a uniform that was the same as the boys around you, only the coloring was off. Fundy’s was more pastel colored while the others were darker/more saturated. Wilbur waved him over and you noticed the way Fundy’s muzzle scrunched up when Wilbur threw an arm around his shoulders, but you said nothing. Not really your place but from what you remember of the smp videos… Wilbur wasn’t the ideal father figure to his furry son..

“Fundy, this is Reader! She’s a friend of Tubbo and Tommy’s! She came to support us today,” Wilbur said with a smile.

The fox quirked an eyebrow at you and asked a mildly incredulous voice if your name was actually ‘Reader’. Tommy told him to shut up and pointed out that his name was ‘Fundy’ so he had no room to be criticizing anybody’s name. Fundy raised his paws in surrender and said fine, whatever, no need to jump down his throat about it. You chuckled and said it was okay, it was a rather odd name. And you liked his name, it was cool. Tommy actually boo’d you while Fundy smiled, glad at least someone stuck up for him. Though that reminded Fundy to ask Wilbur if he’d seen the ballots…

Wilbur’s mood darkened and he gave a clipped, “Yeah, I saw them.” His tone making the other L’manburg citizens feel uncomfortable. You spoke up, asking what was wrong with them? Had someone tampered with them or something? Fundy sighed and rubbed the back of his neck and said yes and no. Yes someone had changed them but it wasn’t really ‘tampering’, just altering to fit with the new campaign runners. She gave his upset father a side glance, his triangular shaped ears going back when he saw the way Wilbur’s eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw clenched. Seems the current president was still pissed off that his son and first lady had decided to run against him together..

“Well we had to change the ballots to include all the people running, and even an ‘other’ option… Yeah,” Fundy said lowly.

You couldn’t help the way you raised an eyebrow at that and said, 

“Isn’t that just the standard for ballots? Designing ballots to not show all the people their options would just be criminal.”

Wilbur didn’t seem to like your (in his opinion) unwanted input and said however L’manburg designed their ballots was none of your business anyways, especially since you weren’t even a citizen. You could feel yourself narrowing your eyes at the brunet, though nobody could see it, and replied that you didn’t need to be a citizen to point out that not putting all the names of those running on an ELECTORAL BALLOT was hugely unethical and borderline malicious hindrance to the citizen’s right to free choice. This little snit between you and the current president had dropped the mood low, with the three boys beside you looking more than uncomfortable. 

But thankfully Tubbo found his voice and before Wilbur could retort to your statement he turned to you and said the election and debate would be starting soon and that he’d sit in the audience with you. This reminded Wilbur that he needed to practice his speech and debate responses with Tommy so he straightened his posture and adjusted his coat before giving you a faux smile and then telling Tubbo they’d see him afterwards. You kept a polite smile on your face as the four led you to an open part of the village center where a large stage/platform had been built along with seating in front of it. Wilbur jerked his thumb towards the stage and told Tommy to come on and the blond boy said he’d be right there in a moment. The brunet looked put out but nodded and stalked off, leaving the four alone in the audience area.

Once he was out of earshot you turned to Tommy and gave him a disbelieving look and said in a hushed tone,

“Tommy, you and Wilbur weren’t ACTUALLY planning to tamper with the ballots were you?? That’s insanely unconstitutional! The people of L’manburg have a right to know and be able to choose whichever voting option they want. If they don’t have that option then it’s not a real election, it’s just the illusion of choice.”

The blond looked uncomfortable, sweating and avoiding eye lens contact with you. He felt ashamed because… well that HAD been the plan. At least Wilbur told him it had been before Quackity found out. He’d not been sure about the plan but he hadn’t done much to argue with Wilbur either. He’d convinced himself it wasn’t that big of a deal, but seeing how shocked and offended you looked that they’d even thought about doing that made him feel like a bastard. You saw how nervous he looked and sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing softly before reassuring him you weren’t angry.

“I’m not mad at you Tommy, I’m just disappointed that this was something you went along with. You have to know how wrong that was? Imagine you were a regular citizen and you voted in the election but later found out it was all rigged, you’d never had a choice regarding your country like you’d been led to believe. Wouldn’t you feel wronged?”

Tommy seemed to deflate at your words but gave a remorseful nod, neither of you noticing that your words seemed to have also struck a chord with both Fundy and Tubbo as well. You gave the blond boy a reassuring smile, saying that part of being a member of government was respecting the people’s choices. Even if you think it’s stupid and wrong. You have to let the people choose for themselves. The ability to choose is sometimes the only difference between merely existing on this bitch of a world and actually Living~

Tommy seemed to have taken your words to heart, making you smile at him before pulling him into a half hug and saying sincerely,

“I’m proud of you Tommy, Tubbo too. You’ve both done so much for this country. More than any child should ever have to. I wish more than anything that you’d not HAD to sacrifice and lose so much. But I’ll be here to support you both going forward. I just don’t want either of you doing anything unethical. You’re both better than that.”

Tubbo almost teared up and came over and let his face rest against your side in a show of affection. He’d never had anyone say they were proud of him before and honestly.. he didn’t know how badly he needed to hear it until you said it. Tommy leaned into your hug, close to tearing up like his best friend but he blinked rapidly until the tears faded.

None of them noticed the envious way Fundy stared at them, feeling jealousy bubble in his stomach at the way you seemed to care for the two boys. He felt childish for feeling that way but he couldn’t help it. You clearly cared about the two in a maternal way, that much was obvious. But you weren’t treating them like babies either. You were respectful and loving at the same time. Fundy wondered if that’s what it was like to have a mother..

“TOMMY! COME ON! THE RALLY STARTS SOON!”

They all broke away when they heard Wilbur yelling down at them from the podium. Tubbo sighed and Tommy straightened his hat before giving a cheeky smile. You told him to go give his best, and no matter what happened you’d be proud. This pumped the blond boy up and he gave a cheer before ruffling Tubbo’s hair and turning to the stage and running up around the side to get to the top, you and the brunet watching him go. That’s when you remembered the fox hybrid that was still standing close by. You offer him a calm smile and say kindly,

“So, Fundy was it?”

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tagged folks: @salinesoot​ @lady-bee-fechin​ @kacchasu​ @putridjoy​ @lunawritesstories​ @galaxypankitty3030​ @paradigmax​ @zachariethememerie​ @killmewithafanfic @trinity-1002107 @hufflepuff-demigod @truthdaze @exorcisms-with-elmo @redbloodtea @heythereimhaylz @olyink @jackalopedoodles @nikkineeky @artsimatsu @hufflepuff-demigod @corpiet @beepa99 @anxiousnarwhale @bananaaddictmilkshake

[forthekags]

Number Nine

Kageyama Tobio X FemReader

Part 2

Read Part 1 Here

About: You were introduced to the Karasuno Boys’ Volleyball club during your second year. Yachi needed help after Kiyoko had taken her leave, so she asked you to join her. Although, it would have been smarter to look for a first year, but you were new and looked lonely. When you met the boys you were bit overwhelmed but they grew on you in no time. Kageyama was a little rough around the edges at first, he was awkward and couldn’t hold eye-contact. He was a blushing baboon for the first few days. He was sure to keep his distance but you only found it exciting and hilarious. Sure enough you two became friends from all your taunting and teasing. You’re about to enter your third year, and this was your make it or break it. You had to start thinking about your own future- and so did Kageyama.

A/N: Thank you for the support! And new follows! I’m glad I’m not the only Kageyama simp :) I also like creating shorts with random prompts, it gets the creative juices going. So if you have any requests or such, please let me know. And... uh hope you like this part. 

Cloudy Skies

Kageyama would never admit it but he kept thinking about that question. He answered truthfully but something bothered him about that. Not that it was honest but rather the answer itself. 

"Kags!" You screamed before the ball could hit him in the face, but he just snapped his head to you. The sound echoed in the gym and he fell backwards at impact. Everyone flinched and made a pained face but your eyes widened with worry. 

"I'm so sorry, Kageyama!" Tadashi bowed and apologized several times. He grew red in embarrassment and you would have teased him and called him cute if it wasn't for the growing red mark on Tobio’s cheek. You rushed over with Yachi along with Coach Ukai. 

"Come on kid, talk to me." Coach Ukai examined the bruise. It wasn't anything too serious but he knew it had to hurt like hell. Especially to a body who wasn't ready for impact. "Someone go get a bag of ice!" Yachi ran. 

"Don't say sorry to him, Yamaguchi, he was the one who wasn't paying attention." Tsuki pushed his glasses up even though they're his volleyball ones. A habit that hasn't died down. He was the only one who didn't step a little forward towards Kageyama. 

"Put a cap on your salt, Tsuki," you yelled. It surprised a few of the players with your sudden authority. Even Tsuki tsked quietly. 

There was little more venom in your words than usual, like a warning to back off. 

"Woah! Did you mean to catch that with your face?!" Hinata jumped to get a better look. "If it wasn't for Y/N, you'd have a bad nosebleed right now Kageyama!" 

"Can someone shut him up?" He groaned trying to get up to a sitting position. You shot a look at Shoyo that begged and ordered him to settle down, which he took quickly. Coach Ukai let out a sigh of relief when Tobio finally spoke up. You released a breath- one you didn’t know you were holding. 

Coach Ukai asked him a few questions to check how hard the ball hit him. He answered them as best as he could but you snickered when he couldn't answer any government related questions- although Ukai looked around to verify if it was wrong or right with other team players. He was okay. Okay as he could be. 

"Alright kid, take a break and we'll fill in for you. Get whatever is on your mind out, it's important that you find that focus again." Ukai helped him up and ushered him off the court. You grabbed onto his arm, in case he needed help with his balance, and led him to the sideline where you and Yachi stayed. Yachi came back with the ice pack and accidentally shoved it too hard onto Kags. 

"Ah!" He winced from the cold and the pressure on his bruise. 

"Sorryyy…. Here." She handed you the pack abruptly. "I'll go get a chair!" You watched as she ran and struggled to get a chair out. Hopefully someone will help her out. 

Kageyama leaned on the wall for support and winced again when he tried to touch his cheek. You swat his hand away-

"Hey!" He glared at you for a second but once he saw your worried look he glared at the floor. "You'd make a horrible nurse," he mumbled. 

However, he was taken by surprise when your fingertips made contact with his cheek. You grabbed his face and turned him to you so gently he wanted to flutter his eyes closed to rest a bit. It was then he knew that what he had said was a complete and total lie. 

You applied the ice to his cheek, careful with the pressure thanks to Yachi. You were close, almost as close as when you were dancing together. He could feel you- like a presence, it made sense cause you were right there. But it still felt weird to him. And for a second- but what felt longer- you were the only thing in his vision. Your soft smile of reassurance and your caring eyes and how they expressed more emotion than words. He even noticed some marks here and there that he could've sworn weren't there before… and yet he found them...he found them beautiful. Like they added to you being already perf-

"Does it hurt?" Your voice was low and gentle, completely different from when you used it at Tsukishima. You were worried he might be playing the pain down, so he can jump back into practice. You should've pulled him aside when he wasn't responding to Shoyo's usual banter. He was quiet, and clearly lost in thought but you assumed it had to do with volleyball. You expected him to be back to normal once he started playing. And once he was reacting slower and moving slower than usual, you realized he wasn't fully here. 

He realized you asked him a question after a moment. "No...no, the ice is working." 

You smiled in relief and let him take over the pack. You took a few short steps back and crossed your arms content with your minimal work. 

"See," you said confidently, "I might be a good nurse after all." 

Before he could agree, Yachi came rushing in with a chair. Kageyama took his seat without argument, a surprise to both you and Yachi. 

"Take all the time you need and then some, we'll be right over there if you need anything." 

"But don't let that go to your head, your majesty," you teased. He hates that nickname with a passion so there was always some sort of burst of energy. But all he could do was roll his eyes. It let you know that something was still bothering him, and that wiped away your grin. 

The rest of practice, Kags quietly stayed on the sidelines but watched the team with a sharp eye. It was weird of him to not want to continue playing, but you were also sort of glad he took time to rest. Maybe that ball did hit him a little too hard though… No- he said he was fine. Plus, if it was serious, Ukai would've rushed him to the nurse or something. There have been worse injuries in the team and Hinata has taken a few shots to Kageyama's head. So… he should be fine. 

During clean up time, Ukai told Kageyama he can head home early, instead he stayed and helped a bit then waited for you. After changing, he stood by the stairs and stared at something in the distance with his back towards you. For some reason you were nervous. Your foot wouldn't stop tapping or you would pull on your fingers and try to crack your knuckles. He was being annoyingly quiet, and that put you on edge, clearly. You thought Kageyama was a simpleton, he only thought about volleyball and food. But you liked that because you always knew what he was thinking. 

Until now. He's right there and he's quiet and he's not talking and he has almost no expression on his face and he's just not... here. Did someone say something to him? Was he upset? Or sad? 

You wondered all of this as you got closer to him, you thought he'd be too lost in whatever was bothering him to notice you but he glanced at you. 

"Ready?" He asked, tightening his strap. Once you gave him a small nod, you both started walking towards your house. 

"You sure you don't want me to walk you to your house? We don't have to study today if you need some time alone," you offered him. You didn't want him to feel obligated to go to your house. You told him during clean up he didn't have to, but he just ignored you by scowling Shoyo over some sloppy mopping. 

"Do you not want me to come over?" He looked at you from the corner of his eye waiting for your reaction. You just shrugged awkwardly and looked away from him. 

"It's not that, it's just you got hit and-"

"It's just a bruise, Y/N." 

You snapped your head back at him with a wild look. "Well yeah! You don't really get those!"

"Volleyball guarantees bruises, you know that." His voice didn't elevate like yours did, it was unbothered and didn't show any signs of caring. 

"What were you thinking about during practice?" 

He didn't respond. You thought he might be taking a minute to figure out his wording, like usual, but he was just straight up ignoring you. 

"Tobio!"

Nothing. He was giving you absolutely nothing. He just kept walking while you waved your hands like a crazy person. So you stopped walking. You would've let it go if he told you he didn't want to talk about or hell, even if he said it's none of your business. But not responding and obviously ignoring you!? 

He stopped and turned to you a few feet away. The sun was setting and the street lights behind you were turning on one by one. He noticed the thick clouds gliding towards you two, another rainy afternoon. 

"Y/N, come on let's go. I'm not getting stuck in the rain again." He looked tired, like the thought of arguing itself was draining him. You would've walked in silence, but you were a bit pissed off. Why? Why was his silence bothering you so much? Was he finally getting tired of you? Were you the one who said something? What did you say? If it bothered him so much, he should've said something! Or… was it the dance? Did you step out of line? But… 

"Tell me why you've been so quiet, Tobio." Your demand did little on his reaction. He sighed and placed his hand on his forehead, tired once again. When he just mentioned the rain again, you stomped your foot like a child. "Fine! Don't tell me and don't come over today!" You marched past him with your arms crossed over your chest. 

He felt a drop on his nose and heard the sound of the approaching rain. You were mad and it almost seemed like the rain followed your gloomy state. 

"You really don't want me to come over?" 

"No!" 

"Y/N, you're being ridiculous." That seemed to piss you off even more. So you quickly turned to scream almost a block away. 

"And you're being a shady idiot Kageyama! Since when do we keep secrets!" 

"Why are you so keen on knowing?!" 

"Because you're not being yourself! You're worrying the team and the coach and ME!" You pointed to yourself feeling a bit selfish without the guilt. 

“I’m fine, Y/N! Nothing is wrong!” 

“Then tell me! If it’s really nothing, tell me what’s been going on in that head of your Tobio!” You waited and watched as he physically restrained himself from saying anything. And you know it shouldn’t be such a serious topic or conversation, to be honest you thought this whole argument was childish. And yet, here you were acting like a child who wasn’t getting what they wanted. 

The silence hurt you for some reason. It was like he didn’t trust you, he didn’t rely on your comfort or need you to listen to him. He didn’t need you. 

“Fine. I’ll go home,” he said finally. You didn’t just feel a drop, you were immediately drenched in the rain. You watched him rush off through the rain while you felt something awful. 

An even more awful thought sparked when he was completely out of your sight. It was possible that he didn’t need you, but you knew for a fact that you needed him.

[codythecheshirecat]

Binary Sunset Ch 1: The Prophecy

Story Summary: Obi-Wan finds himself decades in the future on the ship of a Mandalorian that seems like the last thing he wants is to be sidled with another lifeform. Or two, because suddenly they have a little...tiny... Yoda to deal with. Not actually Yoda, Obi-Wan knows, but still. It's weird, and stressful, and there's an entire Empire that's come and gone (going?). He just wants to rest. Figure out what exactly has happened and maybe, maybe find a way to stop it, if he ever gets back to his own time. Better that than wallow in misery and pain of a past he got plucked from, yet still feels the pain of.

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30771671/chapters/75953153

    Obi-Wan rubs his face. Christophsis-- and the entire ordeal with Jabba the Hutt’s son-- has been incredibly tiring. And this is only the beginning. The only thing he has to look forward to now is more fighting, more war, and the exhaustion that comes with it. Jedi aren’t generals. They shouldn’t be in this position. But who else would be able to? The army was made for the Jedi. They’re fighting against Sith. There’s no other option, really. And so peacekeepers become the leading force in a war that barely seems to make sense.

    Cody left him a cup of tea a few hours ago. He glances at it, but it’s long gone cold. He supposes things could be worse; after all, Christophsis had been an approximate success, all things considered. While there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight, that doesn’t mean one won’t come. Quickly, even. Stay positive. He sits back in his chair. His quarters are small, but he’s not particularly bothered by it. A Jedi doesn’t need worldly possessions. Even… even if they do enjoy them, sometimes.

    The world seems to flicker around him. Obi-Wan pauses, looking around. No, everything is just fine, just as it should be. But what..? He could’ve sworn something just happened. I need some sleep, he decides. I’m starting to see things. No need to have a repeat of the time Anakin decided to stay up for three days straight and forced me to do the same.

    The world flickers again. This time he’s ready for it; he sees gray metal walls and a space not much larger than his quarters. Then everything is right once again. A ship. I’m hallucinating a ship? He stands. Perhaps a bit too quickly, because the world twists in a spout of vertigo and he very suddenly collides with the floor, face first.

    He groans. His nose hurts, now. What the kriff?

    There’s a blaster pressed to the back of his head. That shouldn’t be there, not at all. None of his troopers would do that. Have I been poisoned? And someone has snuck onto the Negotiator to kill me? No, that doesn’t make sense. Why poison me and shoot me? Maybe they want to take me prisoner?

    “Who are you?” A voice growls, sounding just so slightly off from a vocoder. His attacker is wearing a helmet, then. Maybe this is some sort of a joke from the troopers..?

    Obi-Wan frowns. “You’re in my quarters.” He mutters. You should know who I am.

    “...What?” The voice says.

    Obi-Wan lifts his head from the floor, ready to tell his attacker off (it’s unlikely they’ll shoot him now if they haven’t already, him being an annoyance be damned), only to freeze. This isn’t his quarters. This isn’t his quarters at all. It’s some sort of… cockpit? He really can’t see much from his position on the floor, unfortunately.

    “Ah, nevermind.” Obi-Wan says. “I’m afraid I have no idea where I am.”

    His attacker grunts. “Who are you?”

    “My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

    “And?”

    He raises an eyebrow, despite knowing his attacker can’t see it. “And what?”

    “How did you get on my ship?”

    “I have absolutely no idea. I was on my ship, and then I was here. I don’t even know where here is.”

    There’s a pause. “Turn over.”

    Obi-Wan does as told, rolling onto his back. He keeps his hands carefully out in the open. His attacker-- or apparent partner in crime, if they’re both equally confused with the situation-- is an armored Mandalorian. Obi-Wan studies the shiny silver helmet for a moment, and then moves to the rest of his armor. Rusty red paint covers most of the rest of it. He wears a tattered black cape. The Mandalorian continues to point the blaster in his face.

    “You really don’t know how you got here?”

    Obi-Wan shakes his head. “I was in my quarters, on my ship. The world seemed to flicker around me and I thought it might be from lack of sleep, so I stood to walk to my bed. I got dizzy and fell, and then you put a blaster to the back of my head.”

    The Mandalorian tilts his head. “One second I was alone, the next you were on the floor.”

    “It seems we’re both a bit confused about this.”

    “Yeah.” The Mandalorian says. After a moment, he lowers his blaster. “Where was your ship?”

    “Orbiting Coruscant.” Obi-Wan shifts. “Where are we now?”

    “Heading to Nevarro.”

    Nevarro. Hm. He can’t say he knows where that is. He says as much.

    “It’s in the Outer Rim. Coruscant is Core, right?”

    “Right.” Obi-Wan agrees. “Seems I’ve managed to travel from the core worlds to the outer worlds in… I’m really not sure how quickly, actually. Or how.”

    They lapse into silence. There really isn’t much else to say. Yet there’s very much to say. But how to say it? Where to begin? And Mandalorians haven’t worn armor like this in years, if he’s remembering correctly. Not mainstream Mandalorians, in any case. The New Mandalorians. Jango Fett had been an outlier himself. Perhaps when Satine… this Mandalorian may not have wanted to give up his armor. It would explain why he’s in the outer rim.

    “If you would bring me to Coruscant, I would be very happy to pay you for your efforts.” Obi-Wan smiles. “Ah, after you bring me there. I don’t believe I have any credits with me at the moment.”

    “Are you Imperial?”

    That’s- what? Imperial? He frowns. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

    “Are you Imperial?” The Mandal- Mando- repeats, more insistent. “Were you a follower of the Empire?”

    Something grows in the pit of his stomach. “What Empire?”

    “The Galactic Empire? The one that ruled the galaxy for almost three decades?”

    Oh, no. This doesn’t make any sense at all. “What, ah, year is it?”

    Mando’s helmet tilts. “Nine.”

    “Nine? Nine what?”

    “ABY, I think. Why do you want to know what year it is?”

    He presses his lips together. “I think… I’ve never heard of the ABY calendar, and if it’s used on Coruscant now... and there hasn’t been an Empire in a very long time.”

    “The Empire fell about five years ago.” Mando says flatly. “So yes, there has been an Empire lately.”

    “Well, then something is seriously wrong.” Obi-Wan says. He swallows thickly. “I suspect I may not be in the time I should be.”

    “Like… time travel?”

    “Like time travel.”

    Mando sighs. He steps back, collapsing into his pilot’s chair. “I have no reason to believe you.”

    “Well, I have no reason to believe you, either.” Obi-Wan sits up. He crosses his legs. “Except, of course, that I’ve somehow managed to appear on your ship with no discernible reason.”

    Mando grunts. “Right.”

    Something occurs to him. He has no frame of reference as to the date, when his time is in relation to the one he’s in now. If he’s in the past… or the future. He doesn’t know the ABY calendar, but it’s something that could easily be lost to time and renaming conventions. But Mando might be able to help with that. “How long ago did the Clone War occur?” If it’s occured at all.

    “A few decades.”

    “Ah, so right on time for the Empire, then.”

    “Yes.”

    I need to meditate on this. He sucks in a breath. “So, the Clone War occurs, the Empire takes over, a few decades later the Empire collapses, and a few years later here I am.”

    “Are you from the time of the Clone Wars?”

    “Right at the beginning. I think. Enough for me to have suspected it would be known for years to come, which seems to be the case. Well,” he rolls his shoulders. “At least if I manage to make it back to my time I’ll have an idea of what to stop in the future.”

    “I don’t think one man can take down an empire.”

    “I wouldn’t be alone. I’d have the entire Jedi Order to help.”

    Mando glances at him, tilting his head yet again. “Then why didn’t they stop it in the first place?”

    “I-” A feeling of cold dread washes over him. “I couldn’t say.”

    “Well, I’ve never heard of a Jedi Order--”

    “You haven’t? Not at all?” Obi-Wan asks. His chest is tight.

    “No.”

    “Oh, kriff. Oh, kriff.” He squeezes his eyes closed. “Every word out of your mouth only serves to make me feel worse.” Mando doesn’t say anything to that. Obi-Wan swallows. “Do you mind if I meditate here?”

    “Go ahead.”

    He should tell Mando his name. It’s only polite. “My name is Obi-Wan, by the way.”

***

    Obi-Wan meditates the rest of the way to Nevarro. He cracks an eye open to stare at Mando as they enter the atmosphere. “I suppose you have business here?”

    “You could say that.”

    “And I suppose you won’t want to be seen with me if you don’t have to?”

    “Not really.”

    Obi-Wan grimaces. He stretches. “Is Nevarro big enough that a newcomer won’t be noticed?”

    Mando pauses. He glances at Obi-Wan. “You should stay on the ship.”

    He quirks an eyebrow. “I would have imagined you’d want to be rid of me as soon as possible.”

    “I do. But I want to know why-- and how-- you’re here more. I’ll do my business in town, you stay on the ship and don’t touch anything, and when I’m done we can talk more.”

    “And if I want to stretch my legs?”

    That earns a glare. He can tell, despite the helmet, that Mando is glaring at him. “Then make sure you blend in.”

    ...Alright, he doesn’t actually want to piss Mando off more than he already, unwittingly, has. So he sighs. “I’ll stay on the ship. For now. Would you mind at least telling me the business you have here, or is it confidential?”

    Mando stands, taking a moment to stretch (as much as he can, wearing all that armor). He walks to the door of the cockpit. “Bounty hunting.”

    And then he’s gone. Obi-Wan hears him moving around on the lower levels of the ship, and then the door opens, closes, and he knows, for the moment, that Mando is gone. With a groan, he lays back, letting his hands flop and hit the floor maybe a little harder than what’s comfortable. He stares at the ceiling.

    I am not where I was. That’s the only truth he has. I am not on my ship like I am supposed to be, and I don’t know how I got on this one. He might have been drugged, kidnapped, and Mando is lulling him into a false sense of security. To be turned over to the Separatists and the droid army and Dooku. Make it seem like he time traveled to keep him confused. Don’t let him out of the ship or he’ll realize it’s all false.

    Or, he really has time traveled. Space traveled, too, without a ship or any other obvious means. One second he’s here, the next he’s there. Time travel is so… unlikely. Unheard of. Fanciful, strange, absurd. And yet it cannot be ignored. I am not where I was. I have traveled through space instantaneously. Why not add ‘traveled through time instantaneously’ as well? Is it really that much less absurd?

    He’d meditated on this all already, but it’s a topic that’s impossible to just let go of. He just… circles through the thoughts, theories, over and over again, to try to make sense of it. There’s no sense to be had. It must be the will of the Force, and the Force is rarely easy to understand. It’s still exhausting, though, and no amount of meditation will truly fix that, so for the time being, Obi-Wan allows himself to fall into a shallow sleep.

***

    He wakes to Mando standing above him, helmet tilted slightly to the side. Obi-Wan peers at him. “Yes?”

    “Get up.”

    Ah, so maybe I have been drugged and kidnapped. “Where are we going?” He asks as he does so.

    “There’s someone who wants to talk to you.”

    They leave the cockpit, go down a ladder, and Obi-Wan finds himself in the main part of the ship. It’s small, crowded with a lot in a little space. Mando shoves something into his arms. Obi-Wan looks at it. He looks back at Mando. “A coat?”

    “Make yourself look less posh. Take the robe off.”

    He does as told. He’s not entirely sure that just exchanging his Jedi robes for a beaten up coat will do much, but he won’t argue. It’s not like they have a lot of options, after all. Mando clearly doesn’t wear coats. He doesn’t think much of it as he leaves his robes in a pile on the floor and follows Mando out of the ship.

    They walk through the streets. They’re fairly busy, with people at various stalls along the streets buying this or that. Nobody pays any attention to them, except for a small glance here and there. Mando must be old news, enough that they won’t even pay attention to his companion. They turn down a side street, and then another, and Obi-Wan really doesn’t pay as much attention as he should because suddenly, they’re underground.

    In a dimly lit cave system.

    He raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. His hand twitches to his belt, where his lightsaber is, except-- it isn’t there. Of course it isn’t there, because he’d set it on his desk, confident that if he needed it he could grab it easily from the desk and move on to whatever he needed it for. He doesn’t have his lightsaber. He doesn’t even know where to begin looking for it, or if it’s even worth it. Obi-Wan shoves down the discontent curling in his stomach. A Jedi’s lightsaber is their life, yes, but a Jedi is not useless without it. Only at a disadvantage.

    They turn a corner. There are more Mandalorians here, sitting along the walls in chairs and carved outcroppings. This must be their home, he realizes. Are they hiding? Nobody says anything as they pass, but he can feel their eyes boring into his skull. They don’t want him here. Why did Mando bring him? Because somebody wants to talk to me?

    Mando leads him into a room. It’s a forgery. Obi-Wan watches the flames of the forge for a moment, lost in the blue-white of them. A Mandalorian with a gold helmet sits at a small table.

    She tilts her head. “Sit.”

    Obi-Wan knows she’s talking to him, and he takes his place in the chair across from her. Mando stands behind him. Obi-Wan knows without looking that he practically towers over him. To anyone else, it would be intimidating. Obi-Wan isn’t particularly concerned.

    He nods his head respectfully. “I’m afraid I’m not entirely sure what this meeting is about.”

    “Our bounty hunter came to me and told me of you. I wish to speak about what may have brought you to his ship.”

    “I see.” It’s what he expected, really, and nothing more.

    “I am this covert’s Armorer, and it’s leader. You are a Jedi.”

    “My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.” He says, expecting something of a similar reaction to Mando’s.

    “He said.” He would almost call her voice amused. “I know that name, even if he doesn’t. And I know your face. You are either the true Obi-Wan Kenobi, or you are a very good fake.”

    A smile twitches across his face. “Oh, I’m the real Obi-Wan Kenobi, I assure you. Whether that’s good news to you, or bad news, I suppose I can’t say. I can say, though, that I really don’t know how I ended up on that ship.” He shrugs. “The will of the Force, I suppose.”

    The Armorer hums. “Indeed. You must have a lot of questions.”

    “I do. And I’m sure I have many more questions I don’t yet realize I want to ask. Is it… is it true there was an Empire?”

    “Yes.” The Armorer’s voice is heavy, if not in emotion then in the finality that she says it. “The Empire destroyed much in its reign of power. Your Jedi order being one of them. Alderaan. Mandalore. Many more planets, many more people. Even with the Empire gone now, the galaxy is still trying to find order.”

    He hates the way his chest constricts, how his throat feels raw. He swallows. It doesn’t do anything. “Are you the last remaining Mandalorians?”

    “There are others, scattered, as I expect there are other Jedi scattered and hiding. Not as many as there once was. Not living as we once did.” She looks at him, she’s been looking at him, but somehow, her gaze freezes him with its intensity, filtered as it is through her helmet.

    Gold, for vengeance. Red for honoring a parent. Or perhaps the colors of her armor have no meaning at all.

    “Mandalorians and Jedi were enemies, once. We fought great battles and adapted to the others’ weaknesses. But now is not the time for enemies. I am no Jedi, and I hold no esteem for the Jedi way of life. The Force is real, however, no matter the name it is called by, and I, too, believe that you were brought here by the will of the Force.” She leans forward almost imperceptibly. “You are here for a reason, Obi-Wan Kenobi. So you will stay with our bounty hunter and discover that reason.”

    He licks his lips. “I can certainly do that.” I have nowhere else to go.

    With that, he’s dismissed, and he follows Mando back out of the sewers and into the open air, turning over the conversation in his head. Mando must have known this was coming from his previous talk with the Armorer, or if he didn’t, then he knows she isn’t one to cross.

    When they step onto the ship and the door closes behind them, Obi-Wan turns to Mando. “So… where to next?”

    “Saleucami.”

    “Oh… lovely.”

[irishseeeker]

                                                the story of us

summary:  Five times Kate Sheffield and Anthony Bridgeton were just friends and one time they were more.

find chapter 1 here or here 

------

chapter 2:  I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?

Anthony Bridgerton’s summer gets significantly better the minute Kate Sheffield steps off the train.

He’d been abroad for the first two weeks of the summer with friends from university, Kate had only come for a few days before she went away with Mary and her sister, and he returned to England to wait out the rest of the summer with his family. He couldn’t stay away for too long, the guilt of leaving his mother and siblings alone would nag at him until he couldn’t focus on anything else. They needed him.

When they hugged on the platform, the familiar, comforting scent of lilies and soap filled his nostrils and he felt this calm feeling seep deep into his bones.

He’d missed her.

When they broke apart, he took her suitcase and he raised an eyebrow at the bouquet of red roses tied up with brown paper and a ribbon.

“Aw, did you get me flowers?” He teased, and she stuck her tongue out at him. He snorted loudly.

“They’re for your mum, dipshit.”

He pulled up her suitcase’s handle, beginning to wheel it and walk with her off the platform. “Charming. What did you get me?”

“Oh, this.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out her middle finger, smirking as she waved it at him.

They walked out of the train station and towards his car. It was a quiet station, right in the middle of the countryside. The main station was in the middle of town, which was a twenty minute drive.

He pressed a button on his car keys and the boot automatically opened. He was driving their Range Rover, one of their bigger cars for the country. They always spent the summer at their country home Aubrey Hall in Kent, leaving London for most of the summer.

The countryside used to be his favourite place.

Now, it just reminded him of his father. Every room and the long hallways were plagued with memories. Memories that would only grow older. His father wouldn’t. His father would never be a part of another memory.

“Jesus, did you pack your entire wardrobe in here?” He huffed as he bent down, putting his weight onto his knees as he hauled her suitcase into the boot.

She scoffed. "You brought at least six suitcases to university.”

They climbed into the car, Anthony clicked in his seatbelt. He turned to glance at Kate, who was tying her hair back in a plait. The golden sun shone through the window, lighting up Kate’s face and dotting it with subtle sparkles.

It suddenly became quite hard to breathe.

“Anthony?”

Her timid voice snapped him out of his daze, turning to her. “Yeah?”

Kate was frowning at him, her nose wrinkling like it always did. “You’re staring. Is there something on my face?”

“I wasn’t staring,” He mumbled, turning on the car and avoiding her eyes. “We better get back. Mum will kill me if we’re late for lunch.”

“I hope your mum hasn’t gone to too much trouble,” Kate murmured, fiddling with her hands with a nervous expression on her face. He knew that look, he had seen it a lot over the past two years. She was biting her bottom lip, which was an unwelcome distraction while he was driving. “It’s so nice of her to let me stay.”

He had been with Kate for five minutes and his mind was already drifting there.

It started a few weeks ago.

He had a dream.

It had started out relatively normal. He was laying on his bed, naked, wrapped in a white sheet. He wasn’t alone.

A woman was with him. A naked woman, her long legs covered by the white sheet. He couldn’t tell who she was at first, laying flat on her stomach tucked against his side.

He notices the dark curls first.

Anthony wraps a thick strand around his hand, watching it slowly twirl around his fingers and wrist. He can see the sharp edge of her jawline, the flutter of her long eyelashes and the fullness of her rose tinted lips.

All of her features form a face.

Kate.

Her face is carved into his memory. He can’t stop thinking about the sprinkle of dark freckles across her nose, the slight pink tint to her cheeks and the delicate leanness of her fingers as they stroked his cheek.

It’s like he never truly saw her before and now she’s all he can see.

The dream always ended the same way. Kate slowly moves on top of him, her hands on either side of his face as her body pressed against his, chest against chest. She leans down slowly, their lips inches apart-

He always wakes up the same way-panting and sweating.

At first, he thought it didn’t mean anything. Kate may be the first woman he had a platonic relationship with that he wasn’t related to and having a sexual dream about her didn’t mean anything.

It couldn’t mean anything.

But-

He kept having the same dream.

The woman was always Kate.

It was ruining his life.

It’s not like he had never noticed Kate. He wasn’t blind. She had always been beautiful. Anthony had just never thought of her that way. He had never allowed himself too.

Kate was his best friend. Kate had sat down in the same tutorial as him and quickly began to argue with him and he had been stuck ever since.

He wouldn’t lose her because of his behavior. His track record with women had been treacherous and Anthony knew it was mostly his fault.

Something had died inside of him when his father did and he had accepted that. It wasn’t fair to expect others to as well. He was emotionally unavailable and he wasn’t ready for a relationship. Siena had proven that.

That painful disaster wasn't something he planned to repeat.

He couldn’t fix himself. There was a part of him that would always be broken.

Anthony realized he hadn’t responded to Kate, so he asked her about her trip. He knew most of the details, they had facetimed nearly every day since they had been apart.

Kate had suddenly appeared in his life and she had remained there ever since. It still frightened him, how in two years she had become so vital. Kate had become his anchor. He never intended for her to happen but it was out of his control. Kate had fit into his life in a way no one else had since his father had.

She was the first person in a long time Anthony felt understood him. There had only been one other person who ever could and he had died.

Kate had lost her dad too. It wasn’t a taboo topic between them. They could speak openly about who they had lost and they understood each other.

He didn’t have to be anything for her. He didn’t have to be her emotional support person like he had to for his mother. He didn’t have to be a surrogate father like he did for his siblings. He didn’t have any pressurizing responsibilities like he did in every other part of his life and he didn’t have to put on a false façade that he was fine and everything was fine.

Anthony would do anything for Kate, he just didn’t have to. It was a comforting thought that lifted the heavy weight off his shoulders just a little.

He had survived two years without crossing that line with Kate.

His subconscious had decided to take it upon itself and do it for him. It was as if a switch inside of his brain had flicked and it was all he could think about. Thinking of Kate in that way.

Lately, Kate was all he could think about.

He was convinced his subconscious was playing tricks on him-if something was meant to happen between them, it would have.

It didn’t matter, in the end.

Kate would never see him in that way. Kate had always been hard to read but he had become accustomed to seeing through the cracks in her built up walls and he was certain she would never feel anything for him but friendship.

He could live with that.

He just couldn’t live without her.

“Here we are,” He said, nodding his head towards the house as they pulled up at the two black iron gates guarding the property. He pushed on the break, reaching out the window to type in the key code to open the gates. “Aubrey Hall.”

“Wow,” Kate said, leaning forward towards the dashboard as they drove up the long pebbled driveway towards the house. “It’s beautiful. It’s finally time to meet the Bridgertons.”

Anthony let out a low chuckle, nodding his head. He didn’t doubt for a second Kate knew every little detail he had told her about all of his siblings, he did talk about them a lot. She had met Benedict and Colin a few times when they visited Oxford and had seen Benedict quite a bit once he became a student himself but she had never met his younger siblings or his mother.

He had never brought anyone to Aubrey Hall before.

His mother, of course, appeared at the front door as soon as the car came to a stop. He didn’t doubt she had been waiting at the window, peeking behind their curtains for them to arrive. Violet Bridgerton had been asking a lot of questions about Kate since Anthony had asked if she could come to stay.

His mother didn’t ask questions without insinuations behind them.

Benedict and Colin had found it particularly amusing, taking every opportunity to take the piss out of Anthony. They gleefully egged on their mother’s eagerness of meeting Anthony’s potential girlfriend despite Anthony reminding his family daily Kate was his friend.

Apparently, he talked about Kate a lot. He obviously disagreed, which made Ben and Colin tease him further. What fun things do you have planned for you and Kate when she comes, Anthony? A romantic picnic in the gardens? What would Kate say about that, Anthony? Aw, didn’t you and Kate do that Anthony? Anthony, are you feeling okay? You haven’t talked about Kate in five minutes. The girls had even joined in. Even Frannie, his sworn ally, had teased him a little.

Traitor.

He was adamant he did not talk about Kate that much.

It was a perfectly normal amount.

They got out of the car and Violet walked towards them, ignoring Anthony as she pulled Kate into a hug. “Kate, it’s so wonderful to finally meet you. Please, come in! Anthony, get her bags darling.”

“Miss Bridgerton, it is so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for having me,” Kate said, handing her the bouquet of tulips and a gift bag. “It’s not much, but I hope you like them.”

“Kate, we have heard so much about you.” Violet Bridgerton smiled at her and gasped at the gifts, ignoring Anthony’s glare at her jibe and Benedict’s snort from the doorway. “Oh! You shouldn’t have. Thank you so much. These are gorgeous, I’ll have to get a vase-girls, stop that right now! Excuse me, dear.”

Daphne and Eloise were on their third argument of the day, right on schedule. They quickly shut up and ran away from their scowling mother who was charging towards them.

They all watched Violet in amusement before turning back to each other, and Benedict grinned at Kate and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“Katharine.”

“Benedict.” Kate chimed back at him, reaching up to squeeze his cheek. “You’re so grown up.”

Benedict turned to smirk at Anthony, his eyes sparking with amusement. “Anthony has been counting down the days until you arrive. Marking them off that little corgi calendar you gave him, bless his little heart-”

Kate gasped, turning to Anthony delighted. It made something inside of his chest flutter a little. “You’re using the calendar?”

Anthony shrugged, trying to appear unbothered. “It’s practical. The girls liked the pictures.”

“Ben, I hope you’re not taking the piss out of our brother without me.”

Lord give him strength.

Colin, his 18 year old brother who was about to set off travelling on his gap year in a few weeks, strolled into the room. His brown hair was sticking up in all directions and he probably just woke up.

Benedict, smug as ever, turned to smirk at his younger brother. “I was only warming up.”

“Hey, Kate.” Colin grinned easily at her, crossing his arms as he joined them. “Don’t lie, Anthony. The girls liked looking at it for a few minutes. I drew a penis on it one time and you got all moody-”

Anthony narrowed his eyes at his brothers.“I will murder you, you know that right?”

Kate glanced between the three brothers, looking highly amused. “This is going to be fun.”

Deciding he had had enough of his brothers for the afternoon and validly cautious of what else was going to come out of their mouths, he gestured towards the staircases. He nudged Kate along. “As delightful as this little catchup is, I’m going to show Kate her room.”

“Can we get you guys anything? A snack? A condom?” Colin called after them, Benedict and his snickering filling the hallway. Kate snorted from beside him, jogging up the steps.

Anthony threw the first thing he could grab, which happened to be one of Hyacinth’s tiny pink uggs. It narrowly avoided his great aunt’s blue clay pot on the hall table as it hit Colin smack on the head.

“I’d ask for one but then you’d actually have to be having some to need them, right Col?” Anthony winked at his brother who was rubbing his head, glaring at Anthony from across the hall. “Hang in there, mate.”

“I have plenty of sex, thank you very-”

“Colin Bridgerton!”

His mother had walked into the hallway just as her third youngest opened his mouth and landed himself right in it. Her jaw dropped open and Anthony took the opportunity, laughing at his squirming brother, to nudge Kate upstairs just as his mother started giving out to Colin.

“They’re idiots,” Anthony said, rolling his eyes as they walked along the first floor’s maroon carpet towards her bedroom. His eyes anxiously flicked towards Kate, hoping they could ignore the awkward mention of condoms.

He was going to kill Colin later.

“Funny idiots,” Kate agreed, smiling at him as her eyes moved around the hallway and the painting and pictures on the walls. All of the siblings were on the first floor, except for Gregory and Hyacinth who were on the second floor with their mother.

“I’ll give you a tour later, let's just drop off your stuff first.” He opened the door to the guest room, that would someday be Gregory’s room-it was right opposite his bedroom. “Here we are. I’m just across the hall.”

“This place is incredible. It’s so beautiful,” Kate said, turning to him with a teasing smile. She dramatically bowed, her long dark hair flipping over her head and back as she stood up. “Lord Bridgerton.”

“Fuck right off,” Anthony said, collapsing on the bed and Kate joined him. The familiar memorizing scent of lilies and soap filled his nostrils. Kate had looked up their families on an ancestry website last year and had found out Anthony was from a long line of nobility and had called him Lord Bridgerton for a solid month.

God, he had missed her.

He turned to her, flexing his biceps as he stretched his stiff arms over his head. “Are you happy to be home?”

She nodded, her chest moving up and down slowly as she relaxed on the bed. “I loved being away, but it’s so nice to be back and to be home. Did you get my postcards?”

The last person he had gotten a postcard from had been his grandmother when he was younger until Kate. She’d sent him a few from around Europe, from Rome to Paris, and he kept them all in the drawer beside his bed. He’d started eagerly checking the postbox everytime post had come once she had started sending them. “I did. They were great. They’re in my room. Otherwise, Gregory or Hyacinth would find them and colour them in. I loved the Amsterdam one.”

“I thought you would. Oh! I got you presents,” Kate said gleefully, pulling neatly wrapped bundles out of her bag as she sat up on the bed and crossed her legs. “They’re not much, but I thought you might like them.”

“You didn’t need to get me anything,” Anthony said, completely stunned as he took the presents Kate eagerly handed him. She looked so excited and it made his stomach flutter uncomfortably.

It wasn’t butterflies. Anthony didn’t get butterflies. It was probably a digestion issue or something.

He unwrapped the first present, grinning at the perfectly neat wrapping. It was so Kate. Each corner was perfectly taped and folded properly. He unwrapped a small shot glass wrapped in bubble wrap.

“A shot glass, of course.”

He let out a low chuckle, “I wouldn’t expect anything less, Sheffield. Thank you, this is brilliant.”

The next present was a big box of foreign sweets and crisps, ones that reminded him of being on holiday. There was a mixture of haribos, chewy sweets from Spain and exotic crisp flavors that you could never get in England.

His mouth watered. He had an extreme sweet tooth and Kate was always pestering him to eat some fruit or vegetables. He’d smugly remind her he’d never had a cavity. “This is amazing. I’ll be hiding these from everyone or they’ll be gone in an hour.”

He unwrapped the next package which was an assortment of jams, of different colours and varieties.

She grinned as she pointed out the different flavors. “I thought you’d like them for when we go back to university. I know how much you love jam, I wouldn’t want you to starve. I got them in Normandy, at a farmer’s market. The pear one is unbelievable.”

Anthony had never been gifted in the kitchen. They’d been lucky to grow up with nannies and cooks, and both his parents had been talented in the kitchen-something that was not passed onto Anthony. Besides meals in the catering hall at university, Anthony had solely survived on toast with butter or jam before Kate took pity on him and started feeding him.

“This is the last and my favourite one.”

The package felt soft and he carefully unwrapped it, curiously pulling the little bag out of the paper. It was a brown leather case with a fine detail of stitching around the edge.

“It’s made out of Italian leather,” Kate explained, gesturing to the case. “It’s a case for your pocket watch, so you don’t break it. It can clip onto anything, so you’ll always have it.”

“Thank you,” He mumbled, looking oddly dazed. He reached into his pocket, slowly pulling out the silver chained pocket watch his father had passed onto him. It didn’t really make sense, having a pocket watch when watches and iPhones existed. It was old fashioned.

The watch had been passed through the Bridgertons for years and his father had loved it. He’d let Anthony play with it when he was younger until he had been given it on his eight birthday. It was one of the last things Anthony had of Edmund Bridgerton before he died.

He opened his mouth to say something, failing to find any words that could explain how grateful he was. The pocket watch slid into the case perfectly. “Kate. This is..this is amazing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Kate said, smiling softly at him and lightly squeezing his arm. He was staring right into her soft brown eyes, full of warmth and kindness. She knew how much it meant to him and she had thought about him and got him this.

He wasn’t used to people thinking about him like that.

He felt something stirring inside of him, a tight feeling in his chest about to burst as he looked at her. She was looking right at him and he swore he saw her eyes flicker between his eyes and lips. “Kate-”

They both jumped startled as their eye contact broke, the moment fading, when there was a loud knock on the door, followed by a voice. “Anthony? Kate? Lunch is ready.”

They stood up slowly, Anthony sliding the protected pocket watch into his pocket and clipping it to the inside of his pocket’s material and headed to the door.

Benedict had been the one sent to fetch them, Colin was nowhere in sight. “Colin is trying to convince Mum to let him eat lunch. His comment didn’t go down well earlier and he’s apparently corrupting our younger siblings.”

Anthony let out a deep chuckle, turning to Kate with a smirk. “If you want to punish Colin, take away his food. He inhales anything in sight.”

Once they sat down for lunch, Kate was an immediate big hit with the Bridgertons. Hyacinth threw a fit until she was allowed to eat lunch on Anthony’s lap, quite suspicious about his new friend. Kate quickly got into her good graces when she put two carrot sticks in her mouth to look like a walrus, making walrus noises until Hyacinth laughed so hard she spat out some of her juice.

Daphne chats away to Kate about her plans to study architecture in Cambridge after her final year in school, which Anthony had spent the last few weeks helping her prepare for her applications and for her interviews. Daph announced she was pleased there was finally another female in the house to combat the massive levels of testosterone, as Eloise apparently didn’t count (who gives her the finger which their mother quickly scolds her for) and Frannie is always disappearing.

Anthony knows he shouldn’t have favourites. He loves all of his siblings, he really does-but Francesca is his favourite.

His brothers are his best friends, Daph is the person he shares a lot of the same hobbies with-riding, swimming and Eloise is the person he debates and watches documentaries with. At six and three, Gregory and Hyacinth are still babies. It’s different with them, they don’t remember their father. Anthony desperately tried to be that for them. He had to take care of them after their father died and Hyacinth was born a month after and their mother didn’t leave bed for weeks. Anthony is definitely their favourite sibling and it does wonders for his ego.

Francesca, however, is Anthony.

They both aren’t the loud ones-they leave that to Colin and Eloise. They’re not the artistic ones either-Daphne and Benedict were the ones who had art shows and were stars in their school plays.

Anthony is pretty sure Francesca is the only other sibling who will join the family business in the future. He can’t say for sure because Gregory and Hyacinth are so young, but he doesn’t doubt if for a second for Francesca. They read the newspaper most mornings together, they send each other articles and book recommendations when she’s at home and he’s at university. They’re both fiercely competitive and play on any sports team they can.

Frannie is very serious for a twelve year old with an incredible emotional intelligence, something Anthony was always told he was like, except for the emotional intelligence part-he’s been told he’s rather lacking in that area-and he knows she worries about him. Their father’s death had given him a responsibility that he didn’t want her to have. Francesca didn’t agree. She had been nine when he passed. Yet, she had always been at this side-helping with the babies, insisting he ate if he had forgotten and talking to Colin when he acted out in grief and fought against Anthony helping him.

They had all helped each other in their grief but Francesca was the one who saved Anthony from drowning.

They understood each other and Anthony wouldn’t have survived that first year after Edmund’s death without her. Their mother had been recovering from a traumatic birth and was still grieving, he had cancelled his gap year plans to take care of the family before university and was trying to stop them from falling apart.

Whenever she needed time alone, she disappeared in the house, usually to her bedroom, the library or the treehouse. Anthony had always retreated when he needed some time to breathe. Her spots had become Anthony’s spots, whether it was in Kent or in London, and they would sit in silence doing whatever.

Frannie turns to him one morning at breakfast, handing him the finance part of the paper and taking a sip of her orange juice. “I like her.”

“Kate?” The topic of their conversation was cooking pancakes with Eloise and Daphne, the three of them laughing about something. She catches his eye, grinning at him before turning to listen to what Eloise was saying.

“So do you,” Francesca said, as if it was a casual thing to say. “I think you should, you know. It would be nice, to be happy.”

Anthony actually stutters. “I-I am happy.”

Francesca sighs, shaking her head. “Of course you are. You have been since Kate arrived. I wonder why?”

Everyone else joins the table, cutting off their conversation as they hand out the pancakes. Anthony stares at Frannie in bewilderment before turning back to his food. If his internal battle and feelings were that obvious, he needed to work on being more subtle.

That summer is the best Anthony has ever had.

One warm August afternoon, Anthony takes Kate away from the house so he can get her to himself for a bit. He decides to take her horse riding to the nearby stables where they used to take lessons and go riding.

Anthony hadn’t ridden since the summer of his father’s death. They had spent every summer in Kent before their father died and before that, they had lived there until Anthony was five before permanently moving to London. Their father had always loved riding and had taken them out for rides and lessons, but their mother was never that fussed. Anthony had been shocked when his mother announced she wanted to go back to Aubrey Hall this summer, having been so insistent on staying in London for three years straight. He didn’t think she would ever be able to go back, but she seemed to be coping well so far or he just hadn’t seen her break down.

His siblings could just go to the stables if they wanted to go for a ride, but none of them were that fussed except for Daphne. She had always loved riding and she had competed in competitions for years before quitting to focus on school. It wasn’t the same after their father died, he had always been at every single one of her competitions. It had usually been the two of them and their father going out for rides together during the summer.

Anthony and Daphne had gone for daily rides since their arrival in Kent, deciding to continue the tradition they had always loved. Convincing Kate to, on the other hand, was not looking likely.

Kate was biting her bottom lip, looking at the horse in front of her. “I don’t know.”

“You’ll be fine.”

She was still hesitant. “Is there like a pony or something? Something smaller?”

“This is the smallest mare they have. She’s very calm. Eloise rode her last week and she’s never been fond of riding.”

“I don’t trust it,” Kate whispered, stepping closer to Anthony as if she was afraid the horse could hear her.

Anthony let out an amused, slightly frustrated huff. He was trying to be patient, but it was wearing thin. “It’s a horse, Kate.”

Kate turned to glare at him, narrowing her eyes. “Not all of us came out of the womb and onto a saddle, Anthony. Horses are large and intelligent creatures. What if it doesn’t want me to ride it and throws me off?

“Do you trust me?”

Kate sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yes,” She said, begrudgingly.

He extended his hand to her. “I promise you’re not going to fall off. I’m going to walk you around before we go for a ride. She’s a good horse, she won’t throw you off. Just get up and shut up.”

“Wow. You’re so kind. With an attitude like that, it’s a mystery to why you’re single.”

He mimicked her, and she mimicked him back, and they stood there mocking each other for a few minutes until she shoved him into the muck.

He wouldn’t talk to her for ten minutes, covered in dirt, and she nearly wet herself she was laughing so hard, and he eventually joined in.

He eventually helped her onto the horse, a gentle brown mare called Iris. Kate clutched at his hand as he helped her up and the electricity sent jolts down his spine. He walked her around for a bit before leading her for a ride across the fields, which Kate seemed to love.

They trotted for most of it and Kate made him take a picture with her with the blooming fields in the background to send to Mary and Edwina.

He definitely doesn’t send it to himself later and keep it on his phone.

It was one of the best afternoons of his life.

Things tended to be amazing whenever Kate was around.

It was becoming quite the problem, especially whenever she smiled or laughed, causing him to get this uncomfortable, warm feeling in his chest.

Kate even gets up with him in the mornings with the babies when he gave his Mum a break, watching cartoons with Greg and Hyacinth who wake up at illegal hours most mornings.

The rest of his siblings slowly join them, everyone tired and weary as they sit on the couch. The early morning silence slowly begins to fade with the chatter in the room.

“I love this.”

“Mm?” He hums, turning his attention away from the cartoon to look at Kate.

“How noisy it is here. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family so much. It could just get quiet at times, you know? I’ve always wanted a big family.”

“Oh,” says Kate softly, looking down at a sleeping Hyacinth against his chest. “She’s adorable.”

“Yeah,” said Anthony, smiling down at his sister. “Until she’s screaming her lungs out after you turn off Peppa Pig after four hours of watching it.”

Kate chuckled softly, “She's quite the character. She looks like you, you know.”

“You think?” said Anthony, his voice softer.

She nodded, smiling warmly at him. “You’re doing an amazing job, you know that right?”

It wasn’t anything like his father would be doing if he was still here. Anthony had made his peace with the fact he could never be the man his father was. However, hearing it from Kate made it feel like he was doing something right.

“Alright, Greg,” Anthony was kneeling down to his little brother’s height, holding him steady. “I’m going to take these stabilizers off, and you’re going to pedal towards Kate. Just like we practiced on Eloise’s old bike.”

Gregory blinked up at him, eyes wide and terrified. “What if I fall?”

“You get back up,” said Anthony, brushing his thumb over his cheek slowly. “Besides, I’m going to be right beside you. I’d never let you fall.”

After a few tries, a few near falls and some tears, Gregory successfully cycles around the front garden all by himself.

He swung Gregory around, grinning at her laughter as the rest of the Bridgertons clapped.

Kate was smiling at him, and the sun made her face glow, and he knew in that moment he would do anything just to see her smile like that at him for the rest of his life.

They sat around the fire on the patio later that evening, roasting marshmallows on metal rods.

“I’m sorry if this is boring,” said Anthony, biting his lip as he glanced around at his family. “I know it’s not the most exciting summer.”

“Are you kidding?” said Kate, grinning at him as she shifted Hyacinth on her lap. She had refused to sit anywhere else, and Kate didn’t seem to mind at all. Anthony was eternally grateful, as he didn’t have it in him to deal with a Hyacinth Bridgerton tantrum that evening. “This is amazing. Thank you for inviting me.”

She’s smiling at him again and it’s getting very hard to ignore the hammering inside of his chest.

“She fits in well, don’t you think?” Violet Bridgerton says to Anthony in the kitchen, one evening after dinner when they’re both cleaning up. “As if she belongs here.”

“Mum,” Anthony says sternly, in a tone usually reserved for a parent scolding a child, but he knew exactly what she was insinuating. His mother’s favourite hobby was meddling in his love life. “Don’t go there.”

He wouldn’t let himself go there.

He had been internally debating it with himself for a while now, but he always came to the same conclusion. His reputation wasn’t stellar. His relationships never worked out.

He wouldn’t risk losing Kate.

It almost felt normal, her teasing him over a girl-as if the last few years hadn’t happened. As if his father’s death and Anthony’s role in the family hadn’t drastically changed everything. As if his relationship with his mother wasn't broken.

“Where, dearest?” Violet said, smirking at her son before walking back into the dining room.

Anthony sighed, leaning against the counter. He pushed the thoughts spiraling in his head and his recurring dream to the back of his head.

The women in his life were going to kill him.

They get the train to London on a Saturday for their friend Rob’s 21st birthday, and they stay for the night. They spend the day wandering around London, grabbing lunch at Camden market before getting ready at his house.

Kate’s dress is black and clings to her curves in a way that forces Anthony to remember to breathe.

Rob’s parents are divorced and his dad spends a lot of his time abroad, so the party is in his dad’s empty townhouse in Kensington. The party is in full swing by the time they arrive and they’re both drunk and laughing within an hour. They haven’t seen their university friends in a few weeks and when Anna sees them, she screams and jumps into their arms.

They eventually get separated, Anthony plays beer pong with some of Rob’s school friends and Rob, Luke and Ethan from uni. His head is buzzing, he feels slightly dizzy but the party is packed, he’s having a good time and he keeps on drinking.

When he eventually spots Kate, she’s leaning against the wall of the kitchen talking to a tall guy. Anthony doesn’t recognize him and the feeling in his chest isn’t warm or fuzzy.

He can’t help himself. “Who is Kate talking to?”

Rob turns his head around, looking in the direction Anthony nodded. “Oh, that’s David. We’ve played football together a few times in uni. He’s decent.”

Anthony takes a long swig of his beer.

Kate eventually finds him outside with the rest of their friends, Anna beside her as they join the group. It had taken everything in him to not interrupt her conversation with David, or whatever the fuck his name was. Kate was far too good for him. He had distracted himself with a blonde girl called Ella instead, who had left the party over an hour ago.

It didn’t work.

“Hey,” said Kate, yawning softly as she climbed onto his lap, pulling his blanket over herself. Anthony tries to look unaffected, but his heart is hammering inside of his chest. She's all he can smell-lilies and soap. The scent is overwhelming. They were all sitting in camper chairs around a firepit, and they stayed there until 5am before Rob told people they could stay over in any bedroom that they wanted.

He carries a drunk Kate to bed, finding an empty bedroom and laying her carefully on the bed.

He takes off her heels, wipes her makeup carefully off with the wipes she had brought in her bag and he leaves a glass of water beside her bed. “G’night.”

“Where are you going?” Kate asked, frowning slightly as lifted her head off the pillow. She looked so adorable, her eyes half closed as she looked at him.

“I’m going to sleep on the sofa.”

“I’m pretty sure someone is having sex on the sofa. Just sleep here.” Kate mumbled, yanking at his shirt to get him onto the bed.

Anthony hesitated, biting his lip. This was definitely crossing a boundary. The rest of the rooms were taken, the couch was currently in use and he didn’t fancy sleeping on the floor. He also knew he wouldn’t sleep at all, knowing Kate was right beside him.

He convinces himself he’s staying to make sure she’s alright, in case she needs to get sick or needs something. Kate is already asleep by the time he climbs into bed, determined to stick to his side. He’s practically falling over the edge of the bed when he falls asleep.

They wake up in each other’s arms the next morning.

“Do you ever think about the future?” Anthony asks Kate one evening, after a long day of eating food in the living room and having a Friends marathon.

Kate’s lying on her back, attempting to throw popcorn in the air and catch it with her mouth. “My only plans are becoming a solicitor and getting a corgi.”

Anthony snorted. “I don’t get your obsession with those dogs.”

“Insult corgis and see how it works out for you.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a threat, Sheffield?”

“No, it’s a warning.”

They’re sitting on opposite ends of the long sofa. She kicks his foot, and he grabs her foot and pulls her towards him. He knows exactly what he’s going to do, and so does she-he ignores her protests.

“Anthony, I swear to god-”

He grabs her easily, leaning over her as he tickles her sides. She’s incredibly ticklish at the age of twenty one-and there’s a loud cough.

Anthony springs off Kate like a cat touching water.

“I just came to see if you guys wanted pizza,” Eloise says slowly, a mixture of amusement and shock plastered on her face. “We’re ordering some for dinner.”

“Pineapple, please.” Kate squeaks, avoiding Eloise’s gaze and instead focusing on the screen.

“Pepperoni,” Anthony says, trying to keep his facial expression impassive as he held his sister’s gaze. Eloise leaves after that, an amused hum leaving her lips before she wandered off.

They stay on opposite sides of the couch for the rest of the night.

They go for a swim in the lake the evening before Kate goes home. The sky looks like cotton candy, the sun setting in the distance and the warm air makes the cold lake bearable.

“Why do we have to swim in the lake when there’s a perfectly good pool?” Kate asked, glancing back at the house and back at the lake. “There’s nothing in it, is there?”

“Adventure, Katherine.” He took off his t-shirt, stepping into the lake before feeling his feet sink lower and eventually lose their grounding. “There isn’t anything. Come on.”

Kate hesitantly follows him in at a snail pace, which forces Anthony to stare at the water instead of her yellow bikini.

“What was that?” She squeaked, splashing the water as she jumped up in the air, feeling something brush against her feet. She grabbed him, launching herself into his arms.

“Don’t be such a baby,” He teased, trying desperately to ignore the fact she fit perfectly into his arms.

Kate always fit.

His hands were wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him. This was breaking every boundary and rule he had put in place, but he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He could feel her soft skin under his fingertips, drawing patterns against her skin.

He felt her body relax, but she didn’t let go of him. She looked at him, pouting slightly. “I’m not a baby.”

“Kate?”

“Mm?”

Their faces are very close.

He lets out a shaky breath. “I’m glad you came here.”

She blinks at him, nodding her head slowly as a small smile erupts on her lips. “Me too.”

He’s going to kiss her. He’s going to kiss her. There’s no way he can’t kiss her. He has to kiss her. He’s going to ki-

There was a scream, and both of their heads flicked towards the two children running towards them, Colin and Benedict behind them.

They quickly broke apart, Anthony swimming towards the edge of the lake in case Gregory or Hyacinth rushed in. He nodded at his brothers apologetic stares, who clearly hadn’t meant for their younger siblings to disturb Anthony and Kate.

He doesn’t kiss her.

“Thanks for having me.”

“Thanks for coming.”

They’re both standing on the train platform, Kate’s train pulled into the station a minute ago. She’s going back to Somerset for two weeks before university starts, and then they’ll be together again.

He tries not to look as disappointed as he feels.

“I’ll see you in two weeks?”

“Not if I see you first,” She said, grinning at him as she slowly pulled him into a hug. She can never reach his neck, so she wraps her arms around his waist instead and leans her head against his chest.

Anthony holds her tightly. Anthony had needed her here this summer. It had been their first time at Aubrey Hall since their father died. Kate had made it easier. She’d made it fun.

As her train pulls out of the station and a waving Kate through the window disappears, he can’t help the pang of regret he feels as he watches her go.

He can’t help but think of everything he should have said, but didn’t.

He has a bitter taste in his mouth for the rest of the day.

“I think everyone’s going to the pub in an hour. Do you want to go?”

They’re finally back for their final year of university, and they’re busier than ever. Before they know it, the leaves have fallen off the trees and the cool November weather has taken over Oxford. The workload, readings and assignments are piling up and they had spent the evening reviewing each other’s thesis proposals and giving feedback to each other.

Kate looks up from her laptop, typing for a few seconds before shaking her head. “I can’t. I have a meeting.”

Anthony looks up from his laptop, raising an eyebrow. “A meeting?”

Kate takes a deep breath, staring at Anthony with a “If I tell you this, you have to promise you won’t make fun of me.”

That catches Anthony’s full attention, “I promise.”

“It’s our last year here,” Kate begins, closing her laptop and standing up. “I want to make the most of it, get more involved. So, I’ve joined the botanist society.”

Anthony blinks. “The what?”

“It’s a science society, about gardening and plants. I always use to garden with dad. It’s actually really fun and interesting. We just drink and chat and they organize trips to museums and botanical gardens. There’s a trip to the Netherlands later just before Christmas, I’m going to go.”

His face softened. He knew what it was like, avoiding things if they reminded you of someone you lost or clinging to them for dear life. He could take the piss out of her, but he doesn’t. “I think it’s great. I didn’t know we had a botanist society.”

“David told me about it, actually.”

“David?” Anthony asks as if he doesn’t know, but he knew exactly who David was. He can hear his hammering pulse in his ears.

“I met him at Rob’s party. He’s in his final year of biology. He’s nice.” Anthony doesn't know what to say, so he doesn't say anything. He just feels sick. Was David going to be there?

“That reminds me,” Anthony says, swiftly changing the subject before he said something stupid. “I got us tickets to the law ball. We should go together.”

Kate blinks at him through her reflection in the mirror. “Together?”

Anthony shrugs, blushing slightly at his impulsivity. “Everyone else is bringing dates. Anna and Luke are going as friends. We’re both single. Unless you’re bringing someone else?”

Kate shakes her head quickly and Anthony has to stop himself sighing in relief. “No, no. That’s a great idea. I’d love to.”

It was getting extremely difficult to fight his feelings.

Kate looked beautiful.

He can’t stop the words coming out of his mouth and tries to hold in his grin when Kate blushes and rolls her eyes at him.

It’s the night of the Law Ball and their entire friend group is having pre-drinks in the common room before they headed to the college where the ball was being held.

Kate’s wearing a long lavender dress, with a V-neck cut and straps that hang loosely on her shoulders. Her hair is long and wavy down her back and he has to count slowly in his head to stop himself from staring at her.

Anthony didn’t like taking pictures but if they involved wrapping his hand around her waist, pulling her close to him-he’d never complain again taking them for the rest of his life.

Anna insists on getting multiple shots of them together, which takes a few minutes. Anthony swore he saw her wink at him at one point or he was just drunker than he thought.

The ball is brilliant, their entire friend group sits at the same table and he doesn’t remember the last time he laughed so much. They’re all drunk and sloppy, confessing their love for each other and how much they’ll miss each other when they graduate. Anthony spins Kate around the dancefloor and her arms are around his neck, and he wants to stay in that moment forever.

That voice rings in his head.

Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her.

He doesn't kiss her.

“I’ll see you when you get back.”

It was around 4am when they all walked back to their rooms, after a quick stop at McDonalds for some food. Kate had a flight in about five hours and Anthony left their friends to walk her to their room.

Kate’s smile is playful as she hands him back his suit jacket . “Not if I see you first.”

Kate flies to the Netherlands with the botanist society the next morning and Anthony goes home to London. He desperately needed a distraction and his family were the perfect fit. He brought Gregory to football, Hyacinth to swimming and spent the night with all of them while their mother went out with some of her friends.

He couldn’t focus on any of his readings for his lectures.

He couldn't stop thinking about her.

Nothing could distract him from his thoughts. The more he thought about her, the more he realized what an idiot he’d been.

He should have kissed her. He should have kissed at the ball, he should have kissed her in Kent, there were a thousand different times he should have kissed her.

It suddenly clicked. He couldn’t deny it anymore. The final piece of the puzzle.

He was in love with Kate Sheffield.

After the long weekend, he arrived in Oxford after Kate did. He had spent the day having a Sunday roast with his family before driving back to university.

His hands were shaking as he heard of his phone buzz, seeing Kate’s name appearing on his screen.

Kate: i’m back! Where are you?

Anthony: Just parked. Where are you? I’ll come to you

Kate: i’m at the pub! come!

He was going to tell her.

He had to tell her how he felt.

They could make it work.

They had wasted nearly three years not being together.

He didn’t bother going back to his room as he sprinted to their local pub, which was only a five minute walk from their accommodation.

It wasn’t just him. He was sure of it. Right? They had a moment over the summer at Aubrey Hall. There had been so many moments over the years. Kate had always been there for him. They had nearly kissed, they would have kissed if he hadn’t been interrupted. His younger siblings had asked if Kate was coming to visit soon while he went home over the weekend. His family loved her.

He lo-

“Anthony!”

His head flicked around the pub, focusing on the voice that called his name. It belonged to Anna, who was sitting at a table with Rob and Luke. He rushed towards them.

“Hey. Have you seen Kate?”

“She’s busy,” said Anna, the frown on her face evident as she nodded her head towards the bar. Anthony raised a curious eyebrow at her expression before turning around to follow her nod.

Kate was standing with her arms around David, who leans down and kisses her.

He felt something inside of him break.

Kate’s face lights up when she spots him and Anthony manages a smile, ignoring the pain in his chest.

“Anthony!” Kate said, walking towards him with a grin as she wrapped her arms around him to pull him in for a hug. “This is David.”

“I really like him. Please be nice,” Kate whispered in his ear, smiling up at him before taking a step back.

Kate looked so happy.

David grins at Anthony, placing two pints on the table before extending his hand. “Hey mate, nice to meet you.”

He had to remind himself, having Kate was better than not having her at all.

He couldn’t be a dick. He couldn’t push her away.

He swallows the vile taste in his mouth, mustering a smile as he shook his hand. “Hi. Nice to meet you. So, how was the trip?”

He sits there and he listens as they talk about their trip. David is a biologist.

It becomes clear quite quickly David is everything Anthony isn’t.

Anthony hated flowers. Flowers and plants usually meant bees.

“I’ll be right back,” Anthony said, standing up and grabbing his coat as he walked out of the pub. He walks around the side, where there’s no smokers or people chatting. He leans his head against the brick wall and tries to breathe.

He reaches for his phone, sending a text Benedict. He needed his brother. He needs someone. He couldn’t have Kate. His chest was so tight, he was finding is hard to breathe.

“I was wondering where you got off to.”

Anthony’s head snapped up as he saw Kate standing a few inches from him, looking at him curiously. He tries to control his breathing. She looks concerned, walking towards him. “Is everything okay?”

Anthony nodded, trying to relax and he stood up straighter. “Long day with the family. I’m just exhausted.”

He didn’t want to ask, but he did. He had to. “So, how did you two happen?”

The soft smile that breaks out on her face nearly destroys him, but he tries to smile back. “We met at the party, but I didn’t think anything would actually happen. We’ve seen each other at events and meetings for the past few weeks. He’s nice, you know? We have a lot in common. He told me he liked me during the trip and asked me to go to dinner. He bought me flowers. It was sweet.”

Kate had once told Anthony that she was the only person to ever buy her flowers. He had sent them to her every birthday and Christmas since then.

Now he wasn’t.

That was another thing David had taken from him.

“Do you like him?” Kate asked, taking a sip of her glass of water. She looks hesitant as she asks the question and Anthony knows he has to be careful. He doesn’t want to hurt her, none of this is her fault.

He had been wrong about everything.

No. “I suppose. I don’t really know him.”

“Anthony.”

“He seems nice.”

“Why do I bother asking?” Kate teased, taking a sip of her drink. “You don’t like anyone.”

Anthony didn’t miss a beat. “I like you.”

Anthony wanted to bitterly laugh at the irony of it all, but he stopped himself. This wasn’t about him.

Kate rolled her eyes. “I like you too. Seriously, though. It’s important to me that you like him.”

He pretends to look at the group of people ahead of them, just to avoid looking at her. “I want you to be happy. If he makes you happy, that’s all that matters.”

Even if it makes him feel like this.

Kate hesitates, before giving him an affirming nod. “I am.”

He swallows hard. “Good.”

She leans her head against his shoulder, and they stand there in silence. It’s not uncomfortable, it’s just silence.

“We’ll always be friends, right?” Kate breaks it eventually, shaking her head. “God, I sound so childish. I just mean-we’re graduating soon. I know we’re both moving to London. I just-I don’t want us to drift apart.”

Anthony swallows his feelings and shakes his head, smiling playfully at her. “Do you think you can get rid of me, Sheffield?”

“Never, Bridgerton,” She said, laughing at him. It was ridiculous how her smile and laugh made him feel so light and free. He didn’t have the right to feel like that with her. Not like this. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Let's go back inside.”

He can’t sit in there for the next hour and watch them. The thought alone makes him nauseous. “I’m going to head back. I’m shattered and I have some reading to do for the seminar tomorrow.”

Kate looks slightly disappointed, but she musters a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” They walked to the font of the pub and he smiled as she walked in, turning around to shoot him a smile over her shoulder as she walked in.

He watched her through the window, joining the table where their friends sat. He watched David’s arm wrap around her shoulders and Kate’s head fall back as she laughed at something he whispered into her ear.

She looked happy.

It isn’t because of him.

That’s a particularly hard pill to swallow.

[damedamedame]

akane aoi + reader | say what ?

| description ! | your current relationship with akane gets a little out of hand (which may or may not be good?) (yes, there’s a question mark).

prev | next

You flip to a page, one to a theory about a mysterious creature who could control the time around the halls of Kamome Gakuen by their own hands and by their own choice. There’s even a sketch of what it could be... and it looked nothing like the boy standing in front of you now. Your finger points to a space, wordlessly wanting him to sign it if your pleading face was anything to go by.

Akane stares at you blankly, then to the picture book in your hands. The expression on his face screams confusion because of your actions but you were insistent.

Being an enthusiast for all sorts of supernaturals and apparitions that had crossed your path (which may or may not have led to various dangerous incidents), you stood your ground as firmly as you possibly could.

Even if you wanted to melt at the sight of this new Akane Aoi.

Fuck it, you probably already melted when he saved you mere minutes ago.

Sucking in a deep breath, you continued to ask another question, briefly ignoring the fact that Akane didn’t bother to sign. Maybe he had no pen?? What kind of apparition has a pen in his pocket?? Wait would they--

“C-Can you help me investigate more s-supernaturals?”

‘OH NO.’ You looked at the ground as if it was the one who was making your cheeks redden to the max. ‘I STUTTERED TOO MUCH DHBFSH--’

“Interesting offer but….” Your head shot up to meet his smile, it didn’t meet his eyes but it made you look like a tomato nonetheless. A shudder goes down your spine at the way he stares right through you. “I don’t think I can handle another second seeing any one of them.”

…?

“W-WHY?? SUPERNATURALS ARE AMAZING CREATURES !!” You cry out, unable to hold back.

“Wha…? What makes you say that?”

There’s a hint of a spark happening between you two, one filled with tension and the start of a very very long argument between the justification of supernaturals.

Not that you intended to speak up and start a fight about it, you had only wanted to bring up a few points. Which he had a rebuttal for every time. Perhaps this is why you liked this smartass, but never did you think that you would be on the opposing side of the debate.

“Aoi-kun, I’m pretty sure not all of them are bad..!”

“You might want to see a certain seventh somewhere--.”

“YOU KNOW THE SEVENTH MYSTERY ???”

Secretly, your foot hurt like actual hell, having been pushed to the ground rather harshly after almost being struck by a truck. But how could you let this chance pass by? You were finally talking to the boy you simped for and you have the chance to meet more supernaturals and apparitions!

Granted, you almost died and you were both arguing about the goodness of supernaturals and apparitions, BUT STILL—!!

“I don’t think he appreciates seeing someone limp into his stall.”

Akane motions over to your foot. The foot that you were trying so desperately to hide but alas, the awkwardness stood out.

“Um… I-I’ll go to the clinic then! After that, you can take me to see Hanako-san…!”

Two steps forward and you were already wobbling. You were determined to get to the clinic without any hesitation if it meant finding out more of these supernaturals that always invaded your mind, if you weren’t already thinking about Akane.

Being the gentleman that he was forced to be by one strict Teru Minamoto, he had, as much as he didn’t want to offer because he was salty, offered you a, “Do you want me to take you to clinic?” which you may have replied with a small nod, the flush on your cheeks rising significantly so.

Significantly so may have been a slight understatement.

Your cheeks—no, your entire face raged with a pink blush once Akane put his hand on yours, telling you to lean on him if your legs hurt too much. The way he held your hand calmly without hesitation made it seem like he experienced this sort of thing before. Or maybe he spent his time eagerly researching this for Aoi’s sake. ‘Okay, yeah, it’s definitely the second one.’ You sink your head low in dismay.

Thankfully, the clinic wasn’t too far off since the incident took place right at the exit of the school. Making quick work into getting to the clinic, also avoiding the people who looked at you two quietly bickering about another something related to your slowly developing debate about supernaturals and all that. Or perhaps they looked at you two and wondered why two simps were spending time with each other. What if they thought you were dating him (finally) and Akane had given up on Aoi--

You scoff, immediately letting the fleeting thought away. Akane raised an eyebrow at your action but you simply looked away, not acknowledging the other thoughts that crowded your mind.

“Can you open the door while—”

“Yeah, I think I can just…”

After a few minutes of trying to open the door leading to the clinic, and failing miserably, your prayers have finally been answered. By a fellow Student Council Member.

“Oh! (L/N)-san!” This girl is… the ‘Secretary’ of the Student Council, if the messy black hair, the dark red ribbon hanging loosely around the back, and the round glasses framing her small face was any indication. “What happened?”

“I tripped and fell on the sidewalk.” You explain, not delving into any of details because even if the guy you just had to like out of everyone else (seriously, why couldn’t you have liked Minamoto-senpai instead? It’d probably be so much easier) had a bunch of hatred for the ones you absolutely adored (and you still didn’t get why he hated all of them instead of merely hating the ones who pushed Aoi), you still didn’t want to cause any trouble for him.

The ‘Secretary’ looks at you two for a bit, a small knowing smirk gracing her lips, which she tried to hide with her hand but failed, and walked away. She also mentioned something about the ‘President’ dropping off some paperwork on his desk. You don’t know why Akane’s expression turned into a disgusted one but you didn’t want to pry on that.

Oh nono, you wanted to pry about something else.

Right after sitting down on the bed after the nurse had told you to do so, you began swinging your legs out of nervousness. And you regretted that a second later because the pain finally settled in. Akane had thrown an ‘are-you-kidding-me?’ look at you and you replied by rolling your eyes into oblivion. Not wanting the silence between you two to thicken (or maybe you should, you were literally on the verge of kicking your crush when he mentioned how annoying your beloved Mokke were), you somehow managed strike up a conversation.

“Say… what happened to that truck a while ago?” Gold star for not stuttering over there, champ.

Akane turns to look at you, lips screwed tight and eyes wide. Had he not noticed it? How his supernatural suit and tie and honestly aesthetically pleasing outfit went away and changed back to his normal uniform? How the truck had crashed into a pole instead of you? Considering the amount of shock graced his features, it’s safe to assume that you were correct. Seriously though, how could he not have noticed?

‘Maybehewasfocusingonyou—SHUT UP’

He’s silent, not willing to admit that he did not, in fact, notice the truck nor his outfit changing. You hear him mumble a few words under his breath, definitely not missing the ‘That bastard might actually kill me this time’ or the ‘If Ao-chan ever finds about this…’ but he stops when the doctor of the school clinic came in.

“So, (L/N)-san, what do we have here this time?” The doctor, Nito-san, asks for the third time this week (or was it the fourth…?). He kind of looked frustrated with you, which you brushed off with an awkward chuckle. You could have sworn you heard Akane stifle a laugh. “Did you fall from the stairs again?”

“Not today, haha…” ‘CNDSJFNDSFOSID’ You fumed, hands clenching into fists. Now you heard Akane actually having to hide his laughter, which resulted in you having to cover your face with your hands.

Oh, why did you have to come in like this Nito-san??? WHY???

As if God Himself heard you, you were blessed when Teru Minamoto poked his head in from outside the room’s door. Funnily enough, he did not have his usual smile and ^^ on his face. He just looked lowkey pissed, which was a first for you and for people inside the clinic.

“Aoi-kun, why don’t we have a chat outside?”

You glanced at Akane in concern, and your choice was right, he should be of concern right now. He looked like a man about to be executed.

“Y-Yeah…”

At this point, you might as well plan his funeral. Yes, Aoi is going to have to give a speech about him or he would haunt the school. ‘Wait isn’t he already haunting the school—’ You thought as Akane was pretty much dragged outside by Teru. ‘Oh, I didn’t get to ask him about Hanako-san!’ You frowned, slapping yourself on the face. Although, you probably shouldn’t be focusing on that as of now, since Nito-san looks... positively furious.

| end notes ! | i’m so sorry for the long wait !! and i’m really sorry if the update wasn’t as good as you’d thought it would be,, not that it was alr good to begin with :’>

taglist: @astrxrism​ @sparkleswritings​ @closetweebsmh​ 

[rosy-cheekx]

“It’s cute that you tried to protect me and all, but you’re like a foot shorter than me, you know?” with jon and anyone??

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28062798

Sooo, here’s the thing. Along the way it became “It’s cute that you tried to attack me and all, but you’re like a foot shorter than me, you know?” The premise is the same but things sorta got out of hand. Either way...Happy Birthday Rye!! This is for you 💕😊

Tim was exhausted. He’d been up late the night before pouring through books on historic architecture, trying to find anything referencing Robert Smirke and his…unique building practices. While he wasn’t usually the one to take work home with him, this statement Jon had recorded, one about Leitner and Gerard Keay and the tunnels underneath the Pall Mall struck a chord with him. It felt just wrong enough to be related to Smirke. So he had been up at all hours, researching Smirke and any associations he may have had with Pall Mall. He had been successful, at the end of it, but had fallen asleep near five and gotten barely four hours of sleep before he was dragged to wretched consciousness again by the sun streaming through his window.

Normally, Tim would grab a coffee on the way to work, but honestly he was nearing a little too close to hand-to-mouth living as it was, especially with their paychecks not being due til next Friday. There was a coffee maker in the Archives breakroom, sputtering as it was. Coffee was coffee and coffee was what Tim needed. It was half eight, a little earlier than most of his crisp, just-late-enough-to-piss-Elias-off-but-not-enough-to-get-called-out-for-it 10:15 arrivals, but it didn’t matter. If he was lucky, no one else would be there.

-

Jon was in the Archives. When wasn’t Jon in the Archives? They were his Archives after all.

Jon blinked and peeled his cheek from the cool metal of his desk, wincing at the ghostly impression left from the heat and oils of his skin. His neck and spine protested in clicks and pops as he straightened himself up, wincing at the angle he had allowed himself to sleep in for so long. It was just after nine, according to the ever-ticking clock above the door to his office, the only door, the door he left propped open unless he was certain he was the only one there. (No one needed to come knocking for him.) He wasn’t sure when he had fallen asleep but it had definitely been past midnight, after even Elias had left his office and the hum of The Institute faded to a strangely comfortable silence, nothing but Jon and his files and statements. Just one more statement, he had thought to himself, wearily regarding the ever-growing stack of “To-Do” files in the box on his desk. One more and then I can go home and rest. One more now is one less Elias can ask after, the acknowledgement of Jon’s failure in his voice. Jon wasn’t sure if he had turned the tape recorder off or if he had just run out of tape-did they even run out of tape? They never seemed to. On investigation, the faint snuffling sounds he heard when he played the tape back proved he had forgotten to tur-

Wait. What was that?

Jon frowned and rewound the tape a few minutes, listening intently. There was the unmistakable sound of footsteps, faint but definitely there. Was someone in his archives? Jon pursed his lips and glanced again at the clock. Just after nine, even Sasha wouldn’t be here yet, the punctuality of her 9:25 arrival something you could set a clock to.

Jon glanced around, not really sure what it was he was looking for. Something to defend himself, maybe? He wasn’t sure when he’d decided to identify the source of the sound, but something in his gut had shifted. He settled on grabbing a crutch resting in the corner of his office, abandoned from his recovery after the Prentiss attack.

Armed, Jonathan Sims crept to the door of his office. The automatic lights in the hallway flickered on as he slowly peered down both sides of the hallway, curly hair a mess and swinging unhelpfully by his cheeks. No one. The hallway was empty, no shadows to be seen sweeping menacingly around the corner.

God. He was probably being stupid. It was probably the statements getting to him. But still, something urged the back of his mind. He couldn’t shake the notion he wasn’t alone in the cold, lonely basement.

Cautiously, Jon crept down the hall, holding the crutch first by the handle, then clumsily turning it over to hold it by the base towards the ground. He didn’t make a habit of watching American baseball, but he imagined he looked rather like the players at bat, the rest of the crutch resting on his shoulder, elbows cocked uncertainly.

“Sasha? Martin? Tim?” His voice was somewhere between a croak and a shout, halfway between cowardice and curiosity. No answer, not that he really expected one.

Jon listened intently as he reached the bullpen of the archives, where Tim, Sasha, and Martin’s desks were arranged. It took him a moment to register what was bothering him about the room before he realized it with a start: the lights were on. These were also automatic; Jon knew this from the number of times Tim, Sash, and Martin had burst into laughter and cacophonies of “no!” and “guess we’re done!” whenever they sat still too long, engrossed in their work. Jon had privately wondered if it had been set up to keep them from being productive.

But the lights were on. That meant someone had been through here. And recently. Jon was paralyzed for a moment, wondering what he should do. Call 999? Or Elias? If it was supern—strange, police wouldn’t be able to do much anyways. Furthermore, if he was imagining things, he would never here the end of it from Elias. What if he asked him to step down from the position? No, Jon could handle this. Of course he could. Whatever it was, he needed to see what was happening and could make a decision from there.

He heard a shuffle from the break room, a scuff of shoe on the worn lino. A thief who just decided to stop for a cuppa and sandwich? Well, the breakroom was next to the records room…what if it was a thing here to steal a statement? A thing like Jane Prentiss, or-or a vampire, or, god forbid, Michael?

Jon felt woozy with fear and nervous energy as he crept forward blindly, twisting the crutch in his hands as he approached the open doorway to the breakroom, the light to which was off. This bulb wasn’t auto, unfortunately. As Jon stood in the doorway, he let his eyes adjust the darkness of the small room, blinking nervously and sweeping the room with his eyes desperately, looking for a clue.

There.

A darker blackness in the black, making up a vaguely humanoid shape, standing motionless by the cupboards. Jon tried to speak, to address it, but his voice was barely a whisper, caught in his throat.

“W-Who are you?” No answer. Jon could’ve sworn it shifted towards him, the thing that looked like a head bobbing slightly.

It would take maybe six steps to get there. The light switch was by the fridge, at the other end of the room. Was it worth it? Jon could probably run and flip the switch but the creature would definitely know he was there. Maybe it was better to just run.

Jon was suddenly struck with a terrifying thought as the creature seemed to shift again, shuddering to itself. What if it was Jane Prentiss, lying in wait for Martin any one of them to come back?

He had to attack. Jon steeled himself, tightening his grip on the crutch.

Three.

Two.

One.

“Gahhhhhhhh!” Jon ran forward, swinging his makeshift weapon towards the creature. He watched the shape in the darkness shifted and seemed to compress and duck out of the way of his swinging, in slow motion but all at once. His crutch struck the countertop, and Jon vaguely registered a shattering as something hit the ground

“Jon!”

“…T-Tim?”

The shadow in the darkness shrunk and Jon blinked at the sudden brightness as the light came on, finally recognizing the creature as Tim, eyes wide as he surveyed his boss in front of him, hair mussed from sleep and wielding a crutch like a cricket bat.

“Jon, what the hell?” Tim’s voice was somewhere at the intersection of confusion, anger, and dazed humor, hard to pin down. “What are you doing here?”

“Me? What are you—It’s nine in the morning! How did you get in?” Jon felt all the adrenaline leave his body at once, and he dropped the crutch to the Formica counter he seemed to have chipped, shoulders sagging.

“I-coffee!” Tim gestured to the shattered ruins of a Derwent Water mug, an orange kayak in two distinct pieces as a coffee spread across the tiles slowly. Jon’s face must have shown the incredulity he was feeling, because Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “I couldn’t sleep, figured I’d be more use here. Didn’t feel like making a Costa run. That’s second to the real question, though, which would be: Why are you trying to kill me?”

Jon scrubbed his hands over his face; of course it was just Tim. He had been so terrified and it was just Timothy fucking Stoker. “I-I’m sorry, Tim. I heard something on my tape, and I thought there was someone in here…a-and there was. But I mean, someone who wasn’t supposed to be here. I-I did call out, b-but no one answered.” Jon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I thought maybe you were a vampire. Or Michael. Or Jane Prentiss,” he admitted after a moment, voice quieter.

Two beats of silence, three, before Tim’s raucous, barking laughter finally broke the silence.

“Were you going to kill a vampire with a walking crutch?” Tim managed between chuckles, doubling over. “Just-” he makes a sweeping motion with closed fists over each other, “with a bat, like-like a piñata?” He was taken over by giggles again and Jon was left staring blankly, trying valiantly to figure out what was so funny.

“I-I dunno, maybe? I didn’t want to just do nothing.”

“I’m sorry, I-I shouldn’t be laughing, it’s-” Tim straightens and gestures at Jon, composing himself. “It’s cute that you tried to attack me and all, but you’re like a foot shorter than me, you know? You’re not exactly physically menacing.”

Jon stared. “I wasn’t trying to be menacing, I was trying-shit.” He felt warm liquid seeping into his socks-how did he just realize he wasn’t wearing shoes- and stumbled back, grabbing for the paper towels on the table. “I was trying to save my own ass. And I’m not that short.” Another snort from Tim, acknowledging and rejecting his argument. “Sorry about your mug,” Jon continued, dropping to a squat to sweep up the milky coffee and ceramic in a bundle of sopping paper.

“Meh, worth it,” Tim shrugged, dropping next to him and spooling towel into his own hands. “Yep,” popped the p. “The image of you baring your teeth at me like a wild dog is totally worth it. Besides, now I have an excuse to ask Sash to buy me a coffee from the posh place near her flat.”

“Oh, no, please. I should buy you something from the Costa down the street. I-! need to get some anyways.” Jon glanced over his shoulder at the doorway to the now unlit bullpen, trying to pretend he didn’t obviously look like he slept here.

“Yeah, no, you look like shit. No offense,” Tim added absentmindedly, pretending not to acknowledge the fact that Jon did not, in fact, drink coffee. “Did you sleep here again?”

Silence as Jon gathered the coffee-soaked towels in his hands and rose, tossing them in the bin by the door.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“I wasn’t trying to. I just nodded off. I was recording statements and lost track of time.”

“Ohh, so you heard me come in?”

“Kind of. Heard it on the tape—”

“Hello?” Martin’s voice called out as the bullpen lights flicked on. “Oh, hey Tim, Jon! You two alright?”

“Heya, Marto. Jon and I were just about to hit up the café. Want something?”

Tim got a caramel latte. Jon got a chai. Martin and Sasha got muffins, a very good story, and a lightly blushing (and smiling, though he would deny it) Archivist.

-

Tim was grateful to Jon for never asking why he had stood so long, in silence and dark, staring at his cup of coffee as if it wasn’t even there. He never asked why his shoulders had been heaving and why his eyes were as baggy as they had been. Jon did offer more often, though, to get coffee with him, in the odd mornings that they were both there absurdly early and battling their own demons. Tim always said yes.

[amazingphanisnotonfire-imagines]

Sweet Pea//maybe that’s the most heartbreaking thing of all

Request: i requested this before but idk if it went through may I please request an imagine where the reader is Jug's little sister by a year and sweet pea goes out with her because of a dare but actually falls for her but she finds out and breaks up with him but he goes to her begging for forgiveness but she refused and ends up dating someone else but they break her heart and sweet pea is there and she is crying about not being good enough for anyone and he tells her how perfect she is how much he loves her and she forgives him admitting to still being in love with him and they get back together maybe it could be the first time they say they love each other

hey!! i hope you enjoy this! i struggled at the beginning to get in the flow of it but i got there! also. this goes right back to the beginning of imagine writing. its got all the abbreviations, so just in case you’ve forgot, or you’re new...here’s a quick guide: 

y/f/c - your favourite colour 

y/l/f/c - your least favourite colour 

y/f/a - your favorite animal 

Couples having their first date in Pop’s is nothing new. Its somewhat of a tradition in Riverdale, even more so after the drive-in closed down. Everybody either has or will have a date in Pop’s. With great food, cozy booths and neon lighting it makes the best backdrop to love. 

And tonight was your turn to experience the magic of it. 

Three days ago, Sweet Pea had approached you out of the blue while you were sat with your friends in the lunch hall. 

At first you thought he was going to give you a not very nice message to pass on to your older brother. Despite Jughead being a year older than you, he often got involved in very childish rivalries. The main one being between him and the very tall serpent in front of you, and even though they’d kissed and made up by now, there was still always something bubbling under the surface. 

But to your surprise and secret delight he’d asked you out on a date, and you of course said yes...probably too quickly. He then nodded towards your friends, all of which were trying and failing to hide a smile as they watched the interaction, before sending you a quick wink and leaving with a few of his friends. 

Once you were sure he couldn’t see you anymore, you let the blush on your cheeks fully take over and a small squeal left your lips. 

Tonight, you’d let out the same small squeak before you left your house. Saying a quick goodbye to your dad and Jughead, both of which suspicious as to why you were so happy and dressed up. You told them you were just going to see a movie with your friends and although you’re sure they hadn’t really bought it, to be honest you didn’t really care. 

You were going on a date! 

With Sweet Pea!! 

There are so many girls that would quite literally kill to be you right now, and if it weren’t for your brother being serpent leader, they probably would have by now.

As you turn the corner into Pop’s parking lot, you can see Sweet Pea pacing just beside the steps. He’s on the phone to someone and a small smile appears on your face as you hear him laugh. 

He doesn’t notice you’ve arrived until you’re tapping him on the shoulder making him jump a little. His laughter stops once he see’s you and your smile falters a little. He had been worried that you wouldn’t turn up. The only way his dare would count (and he’d get paid) was if you:

1. Actually turned up to the date 

And

2. If the date lasted at least an hour. 

He had one of those things, now he just had to get you to stay. 

Easy. 

His smile returns as he figures out the best way to get you as interested in him as he can. 

“Wow.” He mutters as he looks you up and down. A blush appears on your cheeks making you look at the pavement. “You look amazing.” He adds and the blush grows. Smoothing out some invisible wrinkles in your outfit, you force yourself to look back up at him, but soon realize just how much of a mistake that was when you feel your knees go weak from the way he’s staring at you. 

“Do you want to go in?” You change the subject and he nods, opening the door and letting you walk in first. 

There’s an empty booth right at the back of the diner and the two of you rush towards it. He lets you sit down first before joining opposite you and you send him a shy smile. 

“Sooooo.” He looks around awkwardly. “What are you getting?” 

“I’m not sure.” You say while scanning the menu. “I don’t know whether to get my usual or try something new.” 

“Try something new.” He replies quickly and you look at him a little surprised. “We both can. Its a special night after all.” He watches you decide what you want, a small smile on his lips as you read all the options out loud. But then he remembers what this is supposed to be. 

A dare. 

Nothing more. Nothing less. 

Easy money and a chance to piss off Jones. 

His smile completely disappears as he tries to tell himself not to get caught up in you and you frown when you notice his expression. 

“Are you okay?” You reach out to him and gently squeeze his hand. “We can go if you want?” 

“No!” He says rather too loudly and you stare at him confused. “I mean. I’m fine. Have you decided what you wanted?” 

“Yeah! I think I’m going to try this.” You lean over the table slightly, pointing at the food on his menu, but he’s not listening. Because the close proximity is doing something to him and if he breathes he can smell your perfume and its surrounding him, making him feel overwhelmed. “What about you?” You look up at him, your faces mere inches apart and you have to take a second to get your head to stop spinning before you sit back down properly. 

“I-I think I’m going to decide on the way there.” He stutters a little while standing, grabbing both menus. 

“I think they come and take your order if you’re sitting in.” 

“Its fine. It might be done quicker if I go up and order.” He shakes his head.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Your tone is playful as he walks away, but it makes him anxious anyway. He needs to keep you here for another 55 minutes, and the fact that Fangs and a few other serpents are hiding in the other corner of Pops, spying very badly on the two of you, isn’t making him feel any better. 

Once he orders he slowly makes his way back over to you. As he approaches he notices you texting, a soft smile on your face as you type and he has to push away the feelings of him being an awful person before he can sit opposite you again. 

“Do you know how long its going to take?’ You ask, locking your phone once you notice him. 

“About twenty minutes I think.” He replies. 

“So, about the same time if you’d stayed?” You say teasingly and he rolls his eyes in reply. 

“Whatever.” He huffs. He looks cute when he huffs. He always looks cute, but when he pouts like, you just want to kiss him. Woah...calm down. This is just the first date. Keep it in your pants Y/l/n.

“So. What do you want to talk about?” You change the subject before your thoughts become slightly less PG. 

“I don’t know. What do people usually talk about on first dates?” He asks and slumps a little while you think. 

“Oh!” Your eyes light up. “What’s your favourite colour?” 

“Really?” He sends you a look, making a soft blush appear on your cheeks. “Thats what you came up with?” 

“Hey. I have so many better questions but I thought I’d start off easy. So, are you going to answer or are you one of those people that ‘like all colours the same’?” You mock him and he rolls his eyes playfully. 

“Fine.” He shrugs. “I’ll answer your question, but you’re not allowed to laugh. My favourite colour is yellow.” He mumbles the last part and your eyes widen in surprise. “I told you no laughing.” 

“I’m not laughing.” You hold your hands up. “I’m just a little shocked. You do know yellow is a happy colour right? I don’t I’ve ever seen you wear anything brighter than dark blue.” 

“Thats because you don’t have to wear your favourite colour.” 

“I’m wearing my favourite colour.” You reply and motion to your outfit. 

“So you like y/f/c?” He asks and you nod. “It suits you.” He adds making your cheeks heat up. Thankfully the corner you’re sat in is quite dark, so you’re hoping it covers up just how much you’re blushing. Frankly its embarrassing just how much he makes you blush. But then again, this is Sweet Pea. Thy boy you’ve been crushing on for years.

“Thanks.” 

“So if we’re doing favourites. What’s your favourite animal?” 

“Really?” You raise an eyebrow and he looks at you offended. “And you complained when I asked about colours?” 

“Animals are living things. A colour is just something you paint your walls.” He replies and you just stare at him for a few seconds, a completely bewildered look taking over your features.

“You have some very strong opinions.” You take a mental note not to ask about his favourite food because god knows what reaction you’ll get. “But my favourite animal is y/f/a.” 

“Yeah. Thats a good choice.” He nods. “Mine is a dinosaur.” 

“What?” 

“My favourite animal is a dinosaur.” 

“How old are you exactly? Because I could have sworn you were the same age as my brother.” 

“Ha. Ha.” He replies sarcastically. “Dinosaurs are cool. They’re diverse. They’re old as hell-” 

“They got taken out by an asteroid.” 

“They look badass.” He glares at you. “There were some the same size as chickens. Can you imagine how cool it would be to have a dinosaur as a pet?” 

“Again, taken out by an asteroid.” 

“They also had two holes behind their eye sockets. And jaw muscles went through the holes to attach directly to the top of the skull. Which made the jaws able to open wide and clamp down with more force.” 

“Well, isn’t that lovely?” You grimace, although there’s a smile threatening to appear and you have to force it away. “Its like you’re a walking national geographic channel.” 

“Actually I learnt that from The Natural Museum website.” 

“Sorry.” You tease. “Wherever you learnt it though, I’m very impressed.” 

“I’m a lot smarter than what your brother might have told you. Speaking of, whats it like being related to Jones?” 

“Not as bad as everybody makes out.” You shrug and he sends you a look. “Its not. Sometimes he can be a bit annoying, but all older brothers are.”

“Sure.” He replies. “Blink twice if you need help.” He says making you laugh.  

“Here’s your food guys. I hope you enjoy.” Veronica smiles as she places the plates down. She sends you a wink before leaving you both alone.  

“You’ve really never had a burger and fries before?” You raise an eyebrow at him while you sip your drink. 

“What?” 

“You said you were going to try something new.” You giggle and point to the food in front of him. 

“Oh.” He looks down. “I er. I must have forgot.” 

“Are you sure you’re alright? Because if you’re not we can leave.” He looks away from you, trying to find Fangs in the now very busy place. He finds him, eventually and he’s already looking at him, holding his phone up and shaking his head. He then checks the time on his phone and notices you’ve only been in here for less than half an hour making him sigh. “Sweet Pea?” 

“Huh? What?” He looks back at you quickly, shoving his phone in his pocket. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yeah. I’m er. I’m just tired. I’ve had a busy day.” 

“Hey. I have a new favourite question.” 

“Go on. Impress me.” He challenges. 

“Whats your favourite memory?” 

“A picnic when I was 8.” He answers almost instantly. “My mom was at work so my grandma was looking after me. It was only in the back garden but I had so much fun. She never had anyone really look after it so it was full of really tall weeds that I used to play in and pretend to cut down with a plastic sword. She let me pick a spot and we managed to flatten enough of it to lay a blanket out and she’d gotten all my favourite food. It was really nice. And when my mom came to pick me up we were still out there so she joined us and the three of us shared the last cookie while I told them both terrible kid jokes.” 

“Thats really sweet.”  

He shakes your comment off, smiling bashfully as he watches you eat. He’s never told anybody that. If he’s being honest he really didn’t want to tell you that, but there was something about the way you looked at him and the happy tone in your voice that made him crumble. The way you asked him, and then listened, a smile growing on your face the more he told you. It was the first time anybody has really, actually, genuinely wanted to hear about his life. 

And that terrifies him. This isn’t supposed to be real. He isn’t supposed to feel real feelings. Its not real. He reminds himself. 

“What about yours?” He asks, desperately wanting to get the attention away from him because he’s scared if you continue looking at him like this he’s going to tell you his entire life story and he’s never been that vulnerable with anybody before. 

“Hmm.” You think about if for a few seconds. Your eyes sparkling as you go through every memory you have. “When I had my first kiss.” You chuckle at the memory and he looks at you confused. 

“What?” 

“Hear me out.” You laugh. “It was with Archie.” 

“What!?” 

“Yeah. And it was a dare.” 

“What?” His blood runs cold. Is he really that obvious? Have you figured it out? Of course you have, you’re clever and funny and smart and pretty an-

“It wasn’t like that though.” You shake your head. 

“Like what?” 

“Like, I dare you to kiss her and I’ll give you $1 for it.” You explain.

Change kiss to date and $1 to $50 and its almost the same. 

“I was 13 and he had just turned 14. He still hadn’t kissed anybody and he was worried. At the time I didn’t really know why, but when you look at all the girls he’s dated since, I can understand why he was worried. So I dared him to kiss me and he did.” 

“What was it like?” 

“Awful.” You laugh loudly and he feels himself relax again. “But at the same time it was nice. It was sweet. Plus, I always have that I was the first person to kiss Archie Andrews. When I’m feeling down about myself I like to tell myself that the reason he’s dated so many people is because he’s trying to find someone that can kiss as well as me.” 

“You should never feel down about yourself.” He says sincerely, and there’s not enough darkness in the world that could hide your blush. 

“What made it even better was that Jughead walked in on it and him and Archie almost got in a fight.” 

“I would have payed to see that.” He laughs. “I still would to be honest.” 

The two of you continue to eat, exchanging small conversation every so often. After you’ve both finished eating, he checks the time while you laugh at something he’s said, and notices that its almost been an hour and he’s happy that its nearly over. 

But the other part of him is sad that it might be ending. So he ignores time and the real world, in favour of pretending with you. He doesn’t even come back to reality when Fangs and the rest of the serpents leave, subtly dropping money on his seat. 

The next time either of you check the time is when Veronica comes over after a few hours and asks if you want anything else. Thats when you realize its almost 11, and that your dad is going to kill you. 

“Oh shit.” You panic. “I’m supposed to be back at 11.” 

“Fuck.” He stands up, quickly noticing the money and slipping it in his back pocket while you’re busy putting your jacket on. “Okay, I’ll pay and then I’ll give you a lift home.” 

“Sweet Pea. I can pay for my own food.” You argue. 

“I know you can. But I want to. And we have ten minutes to get you back home so you can’t afford to argue with me.” He replies and you roll your eyes but agree anyway. 

“Fine.” You huff. “But I’m paying for the next one.” You add and he freezes. “Thats if you want another one I mean. No pressure.” You back track, while he just stares at you. 

“I-er-” 

“Here’s your bill.” Veronica hands you a receipt and Sweet Pea lets out a breath. 

He pays quickly before leading you out into the dark parking lot. 

“Here.” He hands you the helmet and you take it, carefully placing it on your head. The ride back home seems far too short for you’re liking and the next thing you know he’s walking you up the steps to the front door. 

“You didn’t have to give me a lift you know?” You say. The two of you are stood on your porch. You’re sure if either your dad or Jughead look out the window they will definitely be able to see who you’re with and where you’ve been, but right now, you don’t care. You can deal with that later. 

You’re just enjoying spending time with Sweet Pea. You’re also glad you didn’t die on the journey back. Riverdale may have strict driving laws, but Sweet Pea does not stick to them. However, if you did die, you would have died happy with your arms wrapped around his chest and a bright smile on your face. 

“I know.” He shrugs, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “But, I’m going that way anyway soooo.” 

“You’re such a gentlemen.” You tease and the two of you giggle lightly. 

“What’s it like living in Coopers old house? Do the ghosts of her messed up family haunt the halls?” He asks and you roll your eyes, nudging him a little. 

“No.” You deadpan. “Its weird. Especially if you’ve lived in a trailer for the majority of your life. And even weirder now that Betty and her mom live with us. But I wouldn’t say its bad. Its kind of nice to have some sort of normal...ish family for a change.” 

“Your definition of normal and everybody else’s definition of normal are too very different things.” 

“Shut up.” You punch his arm lightly and he feigns hurt. 

“This was nice.” He says, now feeling more awkward than he ever has in his entire life. 

“It was, yeah.” You nod. 

All he has to do is say goodnight and leave. He’s completed a dare, he’s made some easy money and he’s had some great food. Plus it was nice to go to Pops with somebody other that Fangs. 

“Night.” He gives you one last look before turning around and starting to walk down the steps. 

“Sweet Pea?” You follow after him. “Tell me another dinosaur fact...please.” 

“The word dinosaur comes from the Greek language and means ‘terrible lizard’.” You laugh and a soft smile comes to his face.

Your eyes flutter closed as you slowly move towards him. Kissing him nervously, he freezes for the second time in one night. However he doesn’t stay like that for long, his arms wrap around your waist as he kisses you back.

Never has Sweet Pea been kissed like that before. So gently and like kissing him any harder would break him. 

But now he has a problem. 

Because he liked it. 

And he definitely wants to do it again.

“Goodnight Sweet Pea.” You kiss his cheek before jogging up the steps and through the front door. 

What the hell is he supposed to do now? 

----

Sweet Pea has been trying so hard to avoid you. No matter how hard his heart protests. 

It was one date, for a dare. Thats what he keeps telling himself. 

But deep down he knows that it wasn’t just that. He had a genuinely nice time with you. 

You’re sweet, pretty and kind. And despite the fact that you’re related to Jones, he knows there’s so much more to learn about you. 

“Hey!” Your smile is bright, and he can’t help the smile that appears on his face as he watches you sit beside him. Despite the fact that his heart is racing, either due to the fright you gave him, or the mere presence of you, he manages to reply. 

“Hi.” He mumbles, finding anything but you to look at. Only now has he realised how bland the walls are in the school cafeteria. Who paints a school cream? Cream is the worst colour in history. “What’s your least favourite colour?” 

“What?” You laugh.

“Well we talked about your favourite colour the other day. What’s your least favourite colour?” 

“Err.” You think for a moment before scrunching your nose up. “Y/l/f/c. Yours?” 

“Cream.” 

“Wow. You were very quick to reply. What’s cream ever done to you?” 

“Made everything boring.” He replies making you laugh and shake your head. 

“I was wondering.” You take a glance at your friends who are all giggling and whispering to each other while they watch you, which surprisingly doesn’t do much for your confidence. But you fight through it and decide to just get straight to the point.  “Do you want to go out again?” 

His eyes widen a little as he searches the room for Fangs or literally anybody. He’d even settle for Jughead coming over. Just anybody to get him out of this because he know’s he’s going to say something stupid like...

“Yes.” dammit. His mouth moved before his brain even had time to comprehend what he was saying and now he hates himself, and more importantly Fangs for being late. What the hell where all the serpents even doing? 

“Great!” Your face lights up and his entire body sinks. “I’ll see you tonight at Pops again? At 7 maybe?” 

“Ye-yeah.” He nods. “That sounds great.” 

“Great!” You repeat and you seem even happier than before. “By the way, you do know there’s a serpent meeting going on right?” 

“Shit.” thank god. he can get out of here now. 

He somehow seems to be digging an even bigger hole for himself and now he has no idea how he’s going to get out of it. Definitely not with the help from any of his friends. 

----

The second date you and Sweet Pea had, was definitely different from the first. 

You’d met at Pop’s. But as soon as he saw Fangs sat by the window he decided that maybe going in there wasn’t the best option. 

Thankfully you didn’t notice the sudden change of heart, so didn’t think it was too strange when he suddenly shouted about going to see a movie. 

And to his surprise. He actually enjoyed himself. Well, he knew he was going to enjoy himself anyway. But it was better than he could of imagined, despite the slight crushing feeling in his chest. 

Plus he got to kiss you again! 

After the movie you walked around town for a little bit and talked about life and dreams and more favourite things...no matter how much he complained about that part. 

So maybe this isn’t such a bad thing. I mean, yeah, it started out bad. But plenty of good things come from bad experiences. He can’t think of any every time he tries, but he’s sure there is some and thats good enough for him. 

Plus, its not like he’s going to tell you about the dare. He likes you and he doesn’t want to hurt you. And he can’t imagine the rest of the serpents mentioning anything. Weirder and crazier dares are done by them everyday, this is ancient history by now. 

So a week after your first date, he decides that he’s going to make his first proper move. He’s ready. He’s only really known you a week but he knows your special. And you’re definitely worth putting up with Jughead for. He just needs  a milkshake first to collect his thoughts. 

Once he walks through the doors of Pop’s he’s hit with two things. 

One. How empty it is. Its Friday night, he should have to fight to get through the amount of people in the place. But there’s barely anybody here and he has to try and remember if he heard of any parties happening tonight. There’s none that he can think of, but it might be a last minute thing. Yeah, its probably a last minute thing. 

The second thing he notices is you, sitting in the corner again and his breath hitches as the sight of you. But then he see’s you crying and his heart aches. 

“Whats wrong?” He asks, sitting beside you as quickly as he can. As soon as he sits down his arms are around you, pulling you close. 

A part of him is scared that you’ve found out and that all of this is going to be over before its even began. But when you cuddle further into him he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, relief flooding every part of him. 

“Its nothing.” You shake your head. “Its not important.” 

“Clearly it is.” He says and slowly pulls you away from him so he can look at you properly. How do you manage to still look cute despite crying? “Come on. You can tell me.” 

“I just feel a little left out.” You sigh. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Just, when we were younger me and Jughead were really close. But now it feels like he’d rather hang out with anybody but me. And that really sucks you know? I know we can’t do everything together, he has a life, I have a life. But I just feel like I never see him again. Plus, all my friends have gone to a stupid party and they didn’t invite me.” 

“I understand.” He says, your eyes meeting his making you feel a little breathless. “And it does suck. But just because you don’t spend all of your time together, doesn’t mean he loves you any less. I mean, he almost fought Archie for you.” 

“That was years ago.” Your roll your eyes. 

“And I’m sure he’d still do it now.” He replies. “He’d probably lose, but still. Its the thought that counts.” 

“Hey.” You shove his arm. “Thats my brother.”

“I know. And everyday I feel sorry for you.” He says sincerely.

“And as for your friends? Idiots. Because that party is going to suck without you.” He reassures you.

“Thanks for making me feel better.” You kiss his cheek softly before leaning your head on his shoulder. 

“Well, thats what boyfriends are for.” He replies, eyes widening once he realizes what he’s said. This was not how he was going to ask you. 

“Boyfriend?”  

“I er-” 

“I’d like that.” You smile. “I’d like it a lot.” 

“Yeah?” He looks down at you. 

“Yeah.” You agree before kissing him sweetly. “At least now there’s one person who’ll never forget about me.”

There’s something about that sentence that doesn’t make him feel right for a few seconds, and he can’t help wonder if he did the right thing. 

----

“Just a few more steps.” You say while looking over his shoulder. You didn’t think guiding a giant into your back garden would be this difficult, however you’re now regretting not giving something to use as a blindfold. He’s practically dragging you along behind him and you’ve never met a clumsier boy. “Mind that stone.” You say but he’s already stumbled over it and you roll your eyes at him, despite the fact he can’t see you. “Okay. Stop.” You say and he stops walking abruptly. You groan as you bump into his back making him chuckle. “Ass.” You mumble and shove him a little. 

You move your hands away from his eyes and he gasps as he looks around. 

“Whats this?” The two of you look at the blanket and basket sat between the surprisingly long weeds that surround you and slight blush dusts your cheeks as you kick your foot about. 

“A picnic.” You reply, moving to stand in front of him. “Do you like it?” You look at him hopefully and he nods quickly, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you in for a kiss. 

“Hey!” You hear Jughead bang on his bedroom window and the two of you pull away, flipping him off as you do. 

“I remembered the story about your grandma and thought I’d do something like it.” You explain while sitting down. “I even made sure my nobody moved the lawn for a few weeks to get the desired weeds.” You explain making him smile. “And I got your favourite.” You pull food from the basket and hand it to him making his smile grow. 

“You’re just the best.” He replies, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“I know.” You mumble. “And, I have even upgraded the whole favourite series of questions, because I know how much you hate them.” 

“I love you.” You know he’s only joking. He knows he’s only joking. But the sentence takes the two of you by surprise and you quickly scramble to think of something else to talk about. 

“Whats the best thing you’ve ever done?” You ask and take a bite of a strawberry. 

“This.” He laughs as he watches some of the juice dribble down your chin. “Here.” He wipes it away and you smile at him thankfully, despite the reddening of your cheeks. 

“What about you?” He asks, stealing a bit of chocolate from you and you glare at him playfully. 

“This.” You nod.  

“Whats the worse thing you’ve ever done?” 

this. “Probably the time I convinced one of my friends that he didn’t exist.” 

“What? How did you even do that?” He looks down embarrassed and you can’t help but admire the cute little bashful smile on his face as stares at the blanket beneath the two of you. 

“I got all of our friends in on it so it wasn’t just my fault. But I made him believe that I was the only one that could see him. When we’d hang out just us I’d be normal, but if all our other friends were with us, we’d all pretend he was invisible. One day I convinced our entire class to do it and he ended up crying so hard his mom had to come and pick him up.” 

“Holy shit.” You whisper. “Thats awful.” 

“Yeahhhh. I know.” He shakes his head. 

“But I suppose I still love you.” You add and he looks at you quickly. 

“Are you sure?” 

“Yeah.” You nod. Both of you know the ‘i love you’s’ were silly. Far too soon to be saying, but even if they weren’t real, they made you feel something you’ve never felt before. And you’re excited for when they do have meaning behind them. 

“What about you?” 

“Who said that?” You tease and he shoves you playfully causing you too fall backwards. Your about to sit up again, when he appears beside you and so you decide to stay. Who needs to see the world when you can just look at him.

He moves to lie on his side, his head resting on his hand while he looks down at you. His free hand caresses your cheek and a soft breeze flows makes a piece of his hair fall in front of face. You move it gently and the next thing you know he’s leaning down to kiss you. Its so full of love and happiness that it makes you a little dizzy, so when he pulls away you’re glad you’re already lying down. Especially because your legs would not have been able to keep you stood up. 

“I once called my mom a bitch when I was 10.” 

“Ouch. What did she do to deserve that?” 

“Not cut the crusts off my sand-which.” You mumble making him snort. “That was so cute.” You tease and pinch his cheeks. 

“Nope.” He moves out the way. “You can’t change the subject after you told me you called Gladys Jones a bitch. How are you still alive?” 

“Believe me, I was very close to death.” 

“What saved you?” 

“The fact that I needed to go to school. I didn’t come home until about 8 that night. She was so worried that something had happened to me that she kind of forgot about the whole name calling thing.” 

“I don’t believe you could ever be that mean.” He kisses your nose. 

“I can prove it if you want.” 

“Yes please. I’ve very excited to see this.” 

You think for a moment. What’s the meanest thing you could say to him? 

“Ass.” really? growing up with gladys and fp as your parents and thats all you’ve got?

“I have a good one? Thank you.”

“You really are unbelievable.”

The first time you say this to him its said playfully, to annoy him with a soft smile on your face. The next time you say it, there’s nothing sweet or happy about it. Its said angrily, with tears running down your face instead of the smile that he’s grown to love.

However, at this minute, you have no idea what coming. You don’t know that all of this is going to end in tears and heartbreak. And maybe that’s the most heartbreaking thing of all.

----

“Please. Just let me explain.” Sweet Pea pleads. 

His trailer has never felt so small, despite the distance you’ve put between the two of you. You’re looking at him like he’s a stranger and he’s never felt so horrible in his life. 

You’d only gone on his phone to find a specific picture of the two of you. But when he’d gotten a text from Fangs asking if he’d let you down gently yet, you’d actually found a whole group chat title ‘dares’, the biggest one being your entire relationship with him. 

“I was just a dare. A stupid, idiotic dare?” 

“Yes.” He nods. “It was stupid and idiotic and I’m really sorry.” He walks towards you but you back away, closer to the door and he really doesn’t want you to leave. He’s gotten so used to you being around the past six months he doesn’t know how to cope when you’re not with him. 

“Our entire relationship was a dare?” 

“No, no. Just the first date. The rest of it was real.” 

“Oh, so that makes it alright then if it was just the first date? What the hell Sweet Pea. Why would you do that?” 

“I really don’t know.” He shakes his head. 

“I think that makes it even worse. Even if your excuse was just about getting back at Jughead, I think that would make me feel a little better because hey, its not just me. You didn’t just see me and think ‘she’d make a good target for a dare. she’s liked me for ages so she’ll obviously say yes’. But you just did it because? Because of what? You were bored?” 

“I’m so, so sorry.” 

“Is there anything else you want to tell me?” You cross your arms. “Did you also make a bet? Are people betting on how long we’ll be together?” 

“No, of course not.” He argues. 

“So you’ve made no money from this?” You ask and he goes silent, looking at the floor. 

“You’re really are unbelievable Sweet Pea.” You sigh, grabbing your jacket from the sofa and storming out. 

How the hell did he not see that coming? 

----

*three months later*

“Jones? I know you said never to come round here again but there’s a problem with a few of the serpen-oh hey Y/n.” Sweet Pea has only been in the Cooper/Jones’ house a handful of time, practically all of them because of something bad, but this is by far the worst.

He’s never seen you like this, and he never wants to again. 

And the worst thing about it is that he’s the reason. He’s why you’re sat in the dark with a blanket wrapped around you and tears streaming down your face. 

“Whats wrong?” He takes a few careful steps towards you, completely forgetting the reason he came round in the first place. His only focus is you. He needs to make this right. This may be the only chance he has seeing as though Jughead is doing everything to keep the two of you apart. 

He did manage to get you alone one time, but it was only for a few minutes and they were the second worst few minutes of his life, the first being when you broke up with him. He’d tried to say sorry, to explain it. But you’d just told him to leave you alone and that you were seeing somebody knew. 

He wonders if they’re the reason you’re so sad. He isn’t sure if that would make him feel better or worse to be honest. 

“Y/n?” You continue to ignore him so he decides to just sit beside you. He makes sure he isn’t too close to you, no matter how much he wants to wrap his arms around you and tell you everything is okay. 

“Go away Sweet Pea.” You mumble and his heart cracks. 

“No.” He argues and sits back a little. He hears you huff in reply and wrap yourself further in your blanket. 

The two of you sit in silence for a while. Before you could sit together for hours without speaking, and be in total bliss just enjoying each other’s company. But as each minute drags on you find it harder and harder to breathe. 

“I thought I finally had everything figured out.” You eventually whisper and he sits forward, placing a careful hand on your shoulder. He’s expecting you to shrug him off, but you don’t and he’s almost certain you relax a little. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean. I thought I finally had everything figured out.” You glare at him and he gulps a little. 

He doesn’t really know what to say to that, so he just sits and lets you talk. 

“And now everything has gone to shit.” 

“It hasn-”

“I loved you Sweet Pea! I actually loved you.” You stand up and the sudden movement startles him. “The first boy I’ve ever loved, I was just some stupid dare to. And then when I try to move on. When I think that maybe I should try and forget about you and the way you made me feel...both good and bad. The next boy I end up with dates me for a few weeks and then breaks up with because I wasn’t what he was looking for. What the hell does that even mean?” 

“Y/-” 

“Is it me? It must be me. There must be something wrong with me. Or maybe I’m just not good enough for anyone. Maybe thats it. Maybe I’m going to go through life dating a string of disastrous boys who just use me to find something else. I don’t want that. I want love. I want all the stupid stuff you see on TV. Is that so hard?”

“Y/n?” 

“Why?” You drop back onto the sofa, utterly defeated and all he wants to do is go back in time. If only he’d never agreed to that stupid dare. You would still be happy and sweet and not totally broken. “Why would you do this to anybody? Why would you take their heart and smash it like its nothing?”  

“Because I’m an idiot.” He replies and for the first time in three months you actually agree with what he’s saying. “And so is that other boy.” He adds. “You are far too good for this world Jones, and you deserve somebody that loves you and treats you the way you deserve. And I haven’t done that, even though I should have. I never should have agreed to that stupid dare, but I thought nobody would get that hurt from it, but I’m definitely an idiot. I’m really sorry Y/n.” He rambles while you sob beside him. He pulls you into a tight hug, stroking your hair softly as he tries to find the right words to say. But there’s only one thing he can say. “I love you Y/n.” 

“What?” You pull away and look up at him. 

“I love you.” He repeats. More sure of this than he ever has been of anything. “You’re perfect. And I love you.” 

You so desperately want to tell him to leave. To go away and to never talk to you again. To never think of you for as long as he lives because he hurt you, more than you’ve ever been hurt before. 

But you love him. 

Despite everything. Despite the fact that he is an ass. 

So instead you say something probably very stupid, but it feels right. 

“I love you too.” 

And this time it has meaning behind it. 

Something you’ve been waiting a while for.  

[didsomeonesaydaddydraco]

You suck, you should fix that | d.m (requested)

Request: yes (@ brycelahelalover)

“Hii, I'm a new follower of yours and I have a request. So the details are: my reader's name is Orchid Sterling. She has achy blonde kind of hair, green eyes. And she's a Gryffindor for the sake of the story. Draco Malfoy. Where the reader is Dumbledore's granddaughter and part of the golden trio. And she and draco go from enemies to lovers kind of thing. She never really bothered with his insults and always ignored them by rolling her eyes or something? Anyways, thank you”

World count: 2805 

Do you know the feeling when you just want to stay in bed all day long and do absolutely nothing? Well, it was one of those days for me. Most of my weekend was spent with Harry, Ron and Hermione at the library, working on a big essay for our Potions class with Professor Snape. And if all the school work wouldn’t be enough, Harry wanted to wander around the Castle because he thought he heard weird noise coming from the walls even after the Chamber was officially closed, and wanted to found out what it really was or where it came from. Of course we all went with him, and almost get detention for not being in our dorm rooms past our curfew.  We hardly had any time left to relax and have fun by the Great Lake. So when Monday rolled in, I only wanted one thing: to be done with the day.

- Don’t you look just drop dead gorgeous this fine Monday morning, sweet Orchid? – I groaned at the voice which greeted me when I stepped into the Great Hall to have breakfast with my friends.  I rolled my eyes at him when I walked past Draco and his group of fans.

- I’m so tired – Harry put his head in his hands and I was positive he was seconds away from passing out. We only slept for a couple of hours before we had to wake up to go and attend our classes – We shouldn’t have stayed awake for that long last night.

- Oh, you don’t say? – I asked, my voice filled with sarcasm. We were lucky, that we weren’t caught last night, sneaking out of our dorms once again, but this time to go to the library to find something odd about the Castle that might be an explanation for the voice Harry had been hearing – Maybe we should just sleep at night, instead of going on little adventures. Snape will literally hex us if he finds one of us outside of the Gryffindor’s Dormitory past out curfew again.

Ron and Hermione tried to stay out of the conversations, both of them being quite busy with eating or reading something. Harry thankfully dropped the subject, and instead of talking, he took a few minutes nap on the dining table. I was enjoying my morning pumpkin juice, when all of a sudden, a paper cane came flying in front of me. I slowly opened it:

“What? No witty comebacks for my lovely morning greeting? – D”

I sighed and torn apart the message. Draco and I had been enemies ever since we arrived to Hogwarts at the age of 11. It started with me talking back to him, and Malfoy not liking the fact that someone wasn’t afraid of him. There wasn’t a day without us fighting about or over something. He irritated me with his arrogant and selfish attitude, but at the same time I found something very amusing in the way he always got so angry and frustrated at something I said or did. The fact, that Dumbledore was my grandfather, didn’t really helped to develop our relationship with each other. Draco finding every possibility to come at me with this fact. In exchange, I never failed to remind him to go and tell his father about someone who talked him back. I swear to Merlin, telling his father everything and anything was his hobby.

- You know – Hermione giggled, when she figured out the reason behind my sudden annoyance and anger - Malfoy and you are the living proof that you can hate and love someone at the same time. It’s very amusing to watch how you both cannot go a day without bothering the other.

- I have no idea what you’re talking about – I drank the last of my juice and started to pick up my stuff to leave for my DADA class, when the huge doors of the Great Hall flew wide open and a rather angry Professor Dumbledore barged in. All eyes were on him.

- Orchid Sterling-Dumbledore – his voice echoed through the huge Hall. He stopped right in front of us, and his usually kind eyes now were filled with anger and worry.

- Hi, Grandpa – I smiled at him innocently, but I knew it was already a lost case when he put his hands of his waist. I looked at Hermione, who was already looking at me with a “what have you done now?” look.

- Don’t Grandpa me now – he said – You, Mr. Potter, Mr. Wesleay and Ms. Granger go to my office in this second – he ordered. Love of Merlin. We all knew why he was so pissed at us. Harry, Ron and Hermione quickly picked up their bags and followed Professor Dumbledore.

- You too, Mr. Malfoy – Dumbledore said to the smirking blond and dragged him with us by his robe. The four of us were changing confused glances between each other, not knowing why he had to come with us as well. Mentally, I was prepared for my Grandfather’s speech about the dangerous of sneaking out of the dorm rooms at night, knowing very well that Voldemort was back and tried everything to reach Harry and kill him. Along with everyone who would try to save him. All five of us were sitting silently there, watching Professor Dumbledore walking around his room, listening as he went on and off about how many times we had already broke the rules of Hogwarts, putting ourselves exposed to anyone who would try to hurt us, and disobeying our Professors and Prefects’ orders. I knew for sure I wasn’t going to hear the end of this during Christmas break.

- And not to mention – he looked at Malfoy and me – Duelling at the courtyard? You two aren’t supposed to use your wands for such activities, only if you are in danger.

- Malfoy started it – I shrugged – I was only trying to protect my nerves from him. He tends to like getting on them and…

- ENOUGH – Grandpa yelled – All five of you, detention. Harry, Ron and Hermione you are going to help Professor Snape cleaning his equipment for Potions class, and will do as he orders. Three days. And I don’t want to see any of you out of your dorms after dinner, am I clear?

- Yes, Professor – they said in union and were free to leave, leaving Malfoy and I behind.

- As for you Ms. Sterling and Mr. Malfoy – he sat down by his huge desk – You two are going to spend your detention together. In that case, you might learn how to act like civilized witches and wizards. You two are going to put away the books in the library, so you cannot scream at each other.

- Excuse me, Professor – Malfoy spoke for the first time since we had arrived – I might have zoned out a bit, but why am I getting detention?

- For the same things as Ms. Sterling over here – he gestured to me with his hand – You were in the duel as well, throwing back spells, and also left your Dorm after the curfew. I know you had the best intentions by telling Professor Snape that they sneaked out, but you followed them, and broke the rules too.

If eyes could kill, Malfoy would have been dead by the time Dumbledore dismissed us. I rushed to find my friends and tell them it was Malfoy who snitched on us to Snape, and he was the reason we got detention. In the middle of my rage, George and Fred joined us in the courtyard, and watched me with smirks on their faces.

- Young love – Fred sang and danced around alone, while George tried to stop him from bumping into something. I scoffed at them and sat down next to Ron, who was eating chocolate frogs and looked like he didn’t care at all for getting detention and him being forced to spend even more time with Snape. Of course he didn’t mind, he had Harry and Hermione with him. He didn’t have to be with his sworn enemy for a whole week.

- It’s funny how much you love each other – George added and ruffled up my hair.

- Were you even listening? – I asked them angrily – I was literally going on and on for hours who much I hate Malfoy for being an arrogant git and…

- All we heard was, you talking about him nonstop – they giggled – Like you have been doing for the last couple of months. You know Orchid, the more you hide your feelings from someone, the more you fall for them.

I glared at my friends, who found my situation rather funny. None of them tried to help me out, confirming my hatred towards the Slytherin boy. It was like, they were all on the same page.

- Alright – I sighed – Maybe I don’t hate him. Hate is quite a strong word, and he might have his reasons why he’s acting like a total jerk, but still. I’m just not necessarily excited about Draco’s existence.

- Talking about me, Princess? – an annoyed groan left my lips when I heard him from behind me. There was his usual smirk on his face, and he looked quite satisfied with himself. I checked my watch to see it was almost time for us to serve our detention at the library – Grandpa dearest wasn’t too happy about you sneaking out in the middle of the night, right?

- Don’t mess with me now, Malfoy – I hissed as I walked past him, bumping my shoulder into his. I heard his footsteps following me and soon enough he appeared in front of me, walking backwards so he could face me.

- Or what? You’ll hex me? – he laughed and bit his lower lip – You are one of a kind, aren’t you? Black sheep of the family? Always getting in trouble, talking back and so on. I wonder if you weren’t related to Dumbledore, you still would have been sorted into Gryffindor. Or you might have been a Slytherin – he stopped when we reached the entrance of the library – You know, I offered my friendship to you on the train and warned you about who you are befriending.

- Oh shut up, Malfoy – I pushed him inside. We went to find Madam Pince. She told us our first task and asked us to stay silent for the sake of the students who came to the library to actually do school work or just read. I tried everything to stay away from Malfoy, but he always find a way to join me and bother me with the most nonsense questions or just tried to make me feel uncomfortable. For some unknown reasons, I started to think about all those things the twins and Hermione had been telling me. Was it possible? Did I really had feelings for him? Even if I did, it must have been Stockholm Syndrome, cause there was no way a normal mind would fell for such an arrogant asshole. But at the same time, on days, when he was too tired or was busy with something else, I missed his attention. Him always having something to argue about, picking on me, bullying my friends or just being himself and getting on my last nerves. So on days like those, I always find something to tell him. Most of the time we ended up being pairs in classes, and even though be argued through the whole class, we always managed to be ready with a high mark on our assignments, gaining House point for Slytherin and Gryffindor.

- Thinking about be? – he suddenly appeared behind me as I was collecting a few books from the furthest table in the library. He put his hands on my sides, locking me between his body and the desk, not having any exit for me to escape. My senses were filled with the warmth of his body, and with his signature cologne and mint scent – I don’t mind at all. You haven’t left my mind for the last couple of months… – his minty breath tickled my neck, and goose bumps appeared on my arms.

- Bullshit – I rolled my eyes and tried to escape, but Draco pushed me against the desk, his body brushing against mine – What do you want now, Malfoy?

- Well, I have a few things in my mind – he whispered in my ear and his hands found their way to my hips, squeezing it lightly – But I want to know why you hate me so much.

I turned around in his embrace, and I couldn’t tell if my cheeks were red because of the boiling rage in my body or I was blushing because of his touch and sudden mood change. I looked up him, seeing that he honestly wanted to know.

- Where have you been all this time? – I raised an eyebrow at him – We have been like this ever since we first met each other. You’re an asshole, and I cannot tolerate your arrogant and selfish behaviour, and I haven’t even mention the fact that you somehow find amusement in bullying everyone who isn’t a pureblood or a Slytherin.

- Come on, Sterling – he laughed a bit – We both know this is something you had gotten over a long time ago.

- Fine – I sighed - I’m not saying I hate you. What I’m saying is that you are literally the Monday of my life. Always pissing me off, always having something to surprise me with and…

- And? – he pulled me closer to his body. Draco’s icy blue eyes were shifting from my green eyes to my lips, than back to my eyes again. His light pink tongue ran along his slightly plump bottom lip as he played with the ends of my blond hair. I could feel the tension growing second by second and I was glad we were far away from the few students who were left in the library.

- You suck, you should fix that - I pushed him away from me and picked up the long forgotten books from the desk to go and put them away. I walked to the correct section and started to put away the books, when he appeared again out of nowhere, scaring me a bit.

- You know – he leaned against the bookshelf – When I think of you, I have this weird feeling. It’s like I want to throw you off a cliff, then rush to the bottom to catch you.

I looked at him with raised eyebrows. I wanted to throw some witty comeback at him, but I was caught off guard and all I could do was rolling my eyes at him. When I turned my back at him, Draco suddenly pushed me against the bookshelf with such force, a few books fall out of their places. One of his hands were on my hip, keeping me still, so I couldn’t leave, and the other pulled my hair softly, so I was looking into his now darkened blue eyes.

- Fuck – he breathed into my face – You drive me crazy. The way you roll your eyes at me, or when you bite your lip after a good comeback – his lips were almost on mine. I could almost feel how soft they might be – Or when you get all frustrated at me. Damn, I want to drive you crazy too.

And he did. When his lips met mine we both knew we were screwed. We kissed each other like there was no tomorrow. Lips moving in sync, while our hands tried to explore each other’s bodies as much as we could. I failed to cover up one of my moans, when Draco started to leave small kisses along my neck, and sucking on one point to leave his mark. My fingers were pulling on his platinum blond hair, leaving it a hot mess.

- What happened with throwing me off a cliff? – I asked jokingly. Draco growled and bit my shoulder.

- The only place I want to throw you at is my bed, woman – he answered and pushed his toned body against mine even more – But for now – he whispered – Shut up, Sterling.

- Make… - he didn’t let me finish it and kissed me again. This time with even more passion. They were right. Young love. From that day, we were the same. We argued, picked on each other, always bothered the other with something but there was something new. We kissed and held hands. He got overprotective and jealous, for which he usually ended up in detention, but that was his way showing how serious he was about our unfolding relationship.

[a-n-conrad]

Fighting and Flirting (Bakugo x Reader)

Chapter 15: Afterwards

[Summary: The Sports Festival reaches its end and the aftermath brings a few interactions and realizations that you weren't entirely prepared for. 

A/N: I refuse to write Bakugo being chained up at the end of the sports festival. They’re really just trying to make him look like a villain.]

Masterlist

The match sounded intense, though you didn’t get to see it. Your hearing recovered before your visions, and even if it hadn’t you were sure you’d hear the explosions anyway. Bakugo seemed pissed, and you really wished you could see the fight. Maybe then you’d be able to figure out exactly what had pissed him off so much. Maybe he didn’t listen to you when you told him not to take Shoto not using his fire personally. You supposed that would be in character. He always was a hothead, and never really tended to take advice from others. 

When the noise finally died down, the boys were dragged into the temporary nurse’s office, where you were still waiting for your vision to recover completely. You could see, but Recovery Girl refused to let you leave on your own until your vision stopped being blurry. And she saw right through you every time you tried to lie.

They had to help Shoto walk in since he seemed to be in rough shape, and they dragged Bakugo in kicking and screaming. You assumed Bakugo won, but from the looks of it, it seems like he wasn’t very happy about it. Not that Bakugo really ever seemed happy. They actually chained Bakugo down to the bed they put him on before they left them to Recovery Girl.

“Fuck you, Icyhot,” He shouted, fighting against the chains that were holding him down to the bed, “Why couldn’t you just fight me like you fought Deku?”

Shoto just rolled his eyes in response. He obviously wasn’t in the mood to fight back but to be honest, you couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation. It honestly kind of reminded you of some of the arguments that you and Shoto had gotten into in the past.

“What the hell are you laughing at, light show!?”

You tried your best to stop your laughing, but even when you finally managed to talk it was mixed with giggles, “I’m sorry, it’s just, doesn’t this seem familiar, Shoto?”

“What are you talking about?” Shoto asked, raising an eyebrow at you. His voice was flat, but you could tell there were a lot of emotions going through his head. You were sure he was conflicted about what happened today, but there really wasn’t anything you could do about that. He’d have to figure out how he was feeling on his own.

“Come one, Sho,” You smiled at him, “How many times have I yelled at you for shit like this?”

“That’s different.”

“Oh yeah?” You saw him roll his eyes at the challenge in your voice, “How?”

You saw him try to work out a way to phrase the difference between this time and all of the times you yelled at him for going too easy on you during your sparring matches. Really, the biggest difference was probably why. Usually, he’d go easy on you because you were his friend and he didn’t want to hurt you, but he was going easy on Bakugo purely to piss off his dad.

“Whatever,” He muttered, a little annoyed. 

You sat on the foot of Bakugo’s bed as Recovery Girl healed Shoto. You were honestly kind of surprised when he stopped kicking against the chains when you sat down. The look on his face surprised you more. You couldn’t figure out exactly what it was, but you got the gist of it when you raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

“I’m literally chained up and you’re still going to sit next to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Something in his eyes seemed soft and painful. It was only there for a second and it was hard to spot, but he looked hurt. Like a child who had just been screamed at. 

“The adults all seem pretty worried I’m going to blow up the entire stadium if someone gets too close.”

You hear Recovery Girl scoff at little. You have a feeling she’s going to be telling someone off about the situation pretty soon.

“That’s pretty stupid of them, hothead,” You said. 

“Hothead?”

“Yeah, Bakugo. Hothead. You’re a hothead, but you’re not as dangerous as they’re making you seem. God, they really wanna make you look bad today, huh?”

There was a pause before anyone spoke again. And that only happened when Recovery Girl finished up with Shoto and walked over to where the two of you were.

“The girl’s right,” She said, “They have All Might and a ton of pros if they really thought you were that dangerous. There was really no need to chain you up. And if the girl who’s nose you broke not that long ago is willing to sit and talk to you as a friend, they must really be overreacting.”

You laugh a little and Bakugo furrows his eyebrows. It really seems like he doesn’t know how to respond, so instead, he goes with, “Whatever.”

“Oh, and Bakugo,” You say, he glares at you a little, but you know better by now than to take it personally, “Maybe calm down before they chain you up on the podium too. You really shouldn’t make it any easier for them to make you look like a bad guy.”

Recovery Girl nodded and got to work checking him over to make sure he was alright. 

- - - - -

Eventually, it was time for all of you to stand on the podium to get your medals. Bakugo had actually kind of calmed down, though he was still sulking. Iida wasn’t there. You heard he had some kind of family emergency, but no one would tell you anything more. You figured he’d tell you when he got back, so you weren’t going to focus on it too much for the day. 

The podium was built to be raised into the arena with the people who had earn medals already standing in place. All Might was going to present your medals to you after that. The first place section looked odd, though.

“I’m sorry,” You turned to one of the men standing near the podium, “What’s the deal with all of the chains?”

You felt Bakugo stiffen a little beside you as the man answered, “We’re going to have to chain up Bakugo to ensure that he doesn’t cause any trouble.”

“That’s ridiculous,” You state, just as you hear Bakugo suck in a breath, about to start shouting. He froze when you cut in, and honestly, you had a feeling that was for the best.

“He’s obviously aggressive and since he’s too strong for us to deal with him if he picks a fight with All Might during the medal presentation.”

“He’s a student!’ You snap, “Are you really going to imply that All Might can’t handle Bakugo just because he won the sports festival? Do you really think that lowly of the number one hero?”

“Hey,” Bakugo snaps behind you.

You wave him off, “You guys are really planning on chaining up a kid? Because All Might can’t deal with him if he decides to start trouble? Besides, he’s obviously not picking a fight right now, so there’s no real reason to chain him up right now.”

The man seems reluctant, but as you stare him down you can tell he’s getting nervous. You supposed most people aren’t used to being told off all of a sudden like this. He really seemed to look back and forth between the other men around, preparing for the ceremony, as if asking them to back him up. They just shrugged in response.

“Fine,” the man grumbles before he leads you all to your spots on the podium.

You had never been a part of a ceremony like this before. And as the podium was raised up into the stadium, the nerves really started to hit you. The thought of all of the eyes out there and the cameras pointed at you was really making your heart beat faster. 

Before you knew it, you were out in front of everyone. You froze. You could hear all of the people around you, and despite them having been there the whole time, their presence was finally just then sinking in. The cheering and screaming was honestly overwhelming. You hadn’t had time to really notice all of the attention during the festival. You were far more focused on winning than noticing all of the people watching. You definitely weren’t used to this much attention.

“Calm down, light show,” Bakugo mutters, “You look like you’re about to pass out.”

You rolled your eyes, and as you were about to shoot back with some sort of argument, you realized that it had actually distracted you from your nerves. You had to wonder if maybe that had actually been the goal. 

Surprisingly, aside from that, the medal ceremony goes off without a hitch. Bakugo sulks through most of it, but that was much better than him being chained up throughout the whole thing. All Might presented you all with your medals, and as the weight of the surprisingly heavy medal around your neck, you actually felt surprisingly calm. Maybe it was the pressure on your heart from the medal or maybe it was having both Shoto and Bakugo drawing all of the attention. You knew since they got higher, more people were going to focus on them.

- - - - -

When it was time to leave, Shoto was dragged off by his father. Endeavor was obviously pissed at how the final fight went and he was planning on making it clear to Shoto. You were worried about him, but you were also worried about walking home alone. 

To be honest, you hated walking home alone. Especially since it was starting to get dark by the time you had gotten changed and collected all of your stuff. You tended to pass a lot of large groups of men, and even when you were walking with Shoto, a few of them tended to give you some looks you really couldn’t say you appreciated. Even thinking about the look on the face of one of the men you had walked past not to long again made you shiver. He had a grin on your face that you could only relate to wolf staring down a rabbit. 

Just as the shiver ran down your spine, someone tapped your shoulder and you nearly jumped out of your skin.

“Christ, Lightshow, What’s got you so spooked?” Bakugo asks an eyebrow raised as you turn around to face him.

“Ah, sorry,” You force a smile, “I was just thinking. What’s up, Bakugo?”

You could’ve sworn the look on his face looked like concern for a second, but you supposed you still didn’t know exactly how to read him, yet. 

“Where’s Icyhot? I thought you guys walked home together all the time?”

“Yeah,” You replied, “He had to go home a bit early, so I’m on my own today. Did you need something?”

“Oh, yeah,” He seemed a little nervous, “Um. Thanks. For stopping them form chaining me up out there.”

“Huh? That was no problem. That seemed a bit dramatic of them, so it really wasn’t a problem to step in. And it seemed like you were freaking out a bit there when they mentioned it.”

“Whatever. Just don’t tell anyone,” he mumbled, glaring a little.

“Of course,” You laughed.

The two of you actually stood there for a little. A silence hanging over the two of you as neither of you knew what to say. You kind of just awkwardly stared at each other for a little while, each trying to think of something to say. Were his eyes always such a pretty red color? Why were you noticing that all of a sudden? 

“Are you really gonna walk home alone?” Bakugo asked, breaking to silence finally.

“I guess,” You replied, you could feel a bit of a blush heating your cheeks up. Did he notice you staring? Did he care? “I don’t really have anyone else to walk with.”

“Where are you headed?”

You describe where your house it, explaining that it isn’t too far from the school, but it’s a little out of the way for most people.

“Oh, that’s actually not too far from the train station I usually go to,” He mutters, a little awkwardly, “Come on, Boombox, let’s go.”

“Go? Where?”

“I’m walking you home, dumbass. Obviously.”

- - - - -

The walk was actually a lot calmer than you expected. You had honestly never seen Bakugo that calm before, but you didn’t say anything, fearing that pointing it out would only make him angry again.

He was honestly good looking when he was calm. His spiky hair shifted in the breeze in a  way that you could watch for hours, like a little field of dandelions or a tree in autumn. His eyes were such a pretty shade of red, though they didn’t hold the same spark as usual. You wondered what he was thinking of so intently that his eyes were glazing over like that. 

“You sure are staring a lot,” He muttered, his eyes moving from where they were fixed in front of him as you walked, “Are you sure you don’t have a concussion?”

You quickly turned to look in front of you. You wondered if he could see your blush. Why were you staring? Why were you thinking about how pretty he was all of a sudden? Weren’t you just focused on him because you wanted to fight him? If that wasn’t why, why were you so distracted by him?  

Oh.

OH.

OH NO.

[mercyxkilling]

send ‘mistletoe!’ for our muses to get caught under mistletoe!

@phantomdream said: MISTLETOE FOR EVERY SINGLE MUSE MERCY WANTS TO MACK ON -- which is one of the most dangerous things a person could ever say to me

god. why did this have to happen?

mercy massaged her temples, as if it were going to somehow magically alleviate the pain that was building up behind her eyes. whether it was from the cacophony of noise or stress she didn't know, she just knew she wanted out of here. her brother had been so generous in offering to fly some of the family into japan for christmas this year, and she'd managed to get herself caught up in all of it. she'd planned on leaving before anyone had managed to arrive, but she hadn't been fast enough. what was worse, adachi was with her, and got roped into all of it, too. why he hadn't faked a phone call to leave yet was a mystery, but he was being as polite as he could be considering everything happening. her mother and other family members were all asking him intrusive questions, and he was doing an astounding job of keeping his mask on through it all, because It was taking all that she had to keep herself from backhanding her mother's fucking lipstick off.

“mercy, why you bein' so quiet? you're always usually talkin' and we couldn't ever get you to shut the fuck up. now you ain't sayin' a fuckin' word. the fuck is wrong wit' you?”

her mother's voice wormed its way into her ears, and she looked up to find that she'd approached, a hand on her hip, looking ready to dig into her daughter now. maybe she'd finally decided adachi was too boring, posed no threat, or he'd successfully batted her away by playing dumb.

maybe if she'd grown up in different circumstances, she'd have been happy to have this family gathering, and to have been surrounded by familiar faces and delicious food. maybe if her mother had been a normal, doting maternal figure who didn't beat her with broom handles and leather belts, if she hadn't taken her to conversion therapy, or if mercy didn't suspect the woman of having a hand in her father's murder, she'd have been a lot more conversational. maybe she'd have been able to grow up a healthy, functional human being. maybe she wouldn't spend every waking moment trying to prove something, or would have been able to feel anything other than horrible every goddamn second of every goddamn day.

but as far as she was concerned, her mother and her side of the family were the root of all the problems in her life. she had no desire to speak with her, or even look at her.

“if there's anything wrong with me at all, it's prob'ly a direct reflection of your shitty parenting, marie.”

she watched with some small measure of satisfaction as the older woman's features seemed to show pain. it wasn't anywhere near what she wanted to unleash, but at least mercy had managed to get something punishing out.

“what--”

everything shifted into something much darker, though, as her mother's tone changed to one of absolute rage. but before she'd allow for such a verbal assault mercy heaved a sigh and got to her feet, feeling the gaze of her brother and her uncles upon her as she made her way over to the front door to slip into her heels, gaining considerable height by doing so.

“as cool as this all is. i'd rather spend this time with someone i actually want to be with. so. adachi. you ready to go?”

she pulled her coat from the rack and shrugged into it, then reached for his and offered it to him.

he'd been so charming all evening. so friendly and adorable, even when her mother was picking at him, and her uncles had been staring daggers at him after they'd learned he was a cop. He deserved better than this, and he didn't deserve to be put through any more of it. If that meant he left immediately after they both hit the door then she wouldn't blame him. if anything, she could relate. mercy wanted nothing more than to run away from her brother's house, move out of his guest house, and be alone. joshua was just as intense as their mother in his own right, and made her feel just as awful. if it wasn't the bodyguards preventing her from doing what she wanted to do then it was the constant berating about how she'd never be anything other than contemptible scum. how his kids had ended up being sweethearts was beyond her, but mercy suspected it had something to do with their mother, her sister-in-law. himiko was a saint. she and her nieces and nephews had gotten considerably large gifts this year for treating her like she was an actual human being.

her thoughts kept her from paying much attention to the rest of the room, and it seemed her mother wasn't going to take her abuse lying down. as adachi awkwardly shuffled across the room, marie was shoving past him to her daughter, arm pulled back and ready to strike.

“you can't treat me like that! i am your mother!”

because she'd been extending an arm out for adachi to take his coat, and because her thoughts were already elsewhere, mercy hadn't been prepared to adequately defend herself. she'd lifted her free hand to try and fend off the older woman, but she'd been too late. a resounding slap! rang in her ears when she felt marie's palm come in contact with her face. but it hadn't stopped there. she was pulling hair and repeatedly swatting, and it had taken her brother to pull their mother away.

“let me go! she can't talk to me like that, josh! she can't talk to me like that! let me fuckin' go!”

it hadn't mattered that all of mercy's nieces and nephews were there to see that. apparently proving a point and asserting her dominance over her daughter meant more than scarring her son's children. hopefully they wouldn't grow up the way mercy had. she cared very little about most people, but those kids were angels. they deserved better.

adachi by now had made his way to her and, in an unexpected moment of care, brushed her disheveled hair from her face.

“let's go,” was all he'd said as he slipped his shoes on and took his coat. He was pulling it on as he reached for the door and opened it.

mercy quickly walked outside into the night, and no one tried to stop either of them when they exited the house.

she might have hated the cold, but the snow and wind were far more inviting than the living room had been. she pulled the collar of her wool coat up to shield herself from the elements, then turned to face the detective, whose expression was strangely unreadable.

“i'm surprised you just took all of that. why didn't you do anything?”

was he... mad at her? or was he actually upset that her family treated her like garbage? she didn't want to ask, almost as if she were afraid of the answer.

“because what good would it have done me? besides. we've all gotta take a beating once in a while. just the way things work.”

“that's the stupidest shit i've ever heard you say, mercy.” he sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, then looked up at her. “whatever. but... your family. they were really starting to piss me off. probably better that we had that happen before I had to stay any longer.”

“if we did, i'd probably have ended up slitting everyone's throats before midnight.”

“i wouldn't even mind the clean up if you did.”

“you say the sweetest things.” she could have sworn she heard him chuckle, but maybe she was just imagining it. “anyway. you should get outta here.”

“you talk like you aren't going to come with me. we're getting a drink after all that. i think we both need one.”

“i didn't want to--”

“shut up. you aren't staying here tonight. and you aren't coming back until that bitch goes back home, either.”

“i'm not?”

“no. you aren't. now move. i don't wanna be here.”

she didn't like him giving her orders, but mercy also appreciated the fact that he seemed to care enough to get her away from her family. she still couldn't get an absolute read on the guy, he was an enigma, but this didn't seem like an attempt at manipulation. and if it were, mercy wasn't sure she'd have cared enough to try and fight it. she was too emotionally drained to try.

“mmn, okay. but, hey. listen. before we do.”

he'd already started to push into motion, but paused and turned on his heel to face her again, inquisitive. his grey eyes followed to where she was pointing.

“mistletoe?”

“mmhmm. that means you have to kiss me. obviously.”

he stared at her for the span of two heartbeats, as if he weren't sure if she were being serious or not. but because mercy wasn't moving seemed to clue him into the fact that she refused to budge until he did what was expected.

he rolled his eyes.

“this is stupid. I figured you'd wanna get out of here before your mom comes out here with a broom handle.”

“cool of you to bring up my childhood beatings, but. I still want you to kiss me.”

“no.”

“tch, man, fuck you. get the fuck over here and put your fucking tongue In my mouth.”

maybe she'd gone a bit too far, and was still carrying a bit of anger from that little scenario just moments ago, but her tone was far more harsh than she'd intended. adachi probably hadn't liked it by the way he took a step closer and closed the distance between the two of them... and forced her back against the door by taking another. but then he moved his hand to her face, held her chin between his thumb and forefinger, and tilted her face up to force her to look him in the eye.

“not sure you deserve it after talking to me like that. But... it is christmas.”

and with that, his mouth was on hers, and his other hand had fisted around a handful of her hair as he parted her lips with his tongue and gave her what she'd asked for.

and god, was he delicious.

mercy clutched at his lapels to pull him further into her, no longer aware of the cold, or the loud and obnoxious voices barely audible behind the front door behind her. she felt his hand move from her hair and his arm move to dip around her waist possessively.

after a moment, he pulled away, released her, and stepped back.

“will that shut you up for now?”

“mmn, if i say no, would you do it again?”

he scoffed and turned to move down the steps of the porch, giving her her answer.

“can we go get that drink now, for fuck's sake?”

[queen-of-deans-booty]

The Real Ghostbusters: Part One

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,665

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

There was only one thing on your mind ever since you left Gabriel in the warehouse was his words on Amara. The Michael and Lucifer thing was tragic, of course, but you couldn’t help but think of Amara. She was everywhere you looked. It was bad enough you had dreams about her; now she was affecting you when you were awake. Neither of the brothers knew how bad it is for you since you didn’t like talking about it. They had enough problems of their own, that they didn’t need your dreams to worry about since there was nothing they could do about it.

Chuck texted Sam urgently to come and meet him at a hotel along with “life or death” and “911”. Thinking he was in trouble, you and the brothers hopped into the car and drove all night to get to where he was. The motion of the car didn’t help your headache. Medicine wasn’t going to help you if your magic couldn’t. The only thing you could do was lie on the back seat, fold your legs close to your body, and close your eyes tightly.

“You okay, sweetheart?” Dean asked from the front seat.

“Yeah, just a headache,” you sighed.

“Hang on, we’re almost there,” Dean promised as he stepped on the gas pedal.

It didn’t take him long to get to the hotel that Chuck was staying in. When he parked, you forced yourself out of the backseat even though your headache seemed to get worse. You could have sworn you saw Amara out of the corner of your eyes, but you couldn’t be sure about it. She was affecting your daily life, it was getting hard to shut her out.

Walking around the shrubs and bushes, you stopped in your tracks when you saw row after row of Impalas that looked identical to Dean’s. Dean must have seen the same exact thing because he stopped as well. Sam passed by you, and when he noticed you two didn’t follow him, he turned around and urged you to come.

“Come on!” Sam didn’t seem to notice the cars, and you shook off the strange feeling before approaching the stairs that lead up to the hotel.

Chuck was seen pacing at the bottom of the stairs with his finger in his mouth to nervously bite at his nail.

“Chuck! There you are!” Sam exclaimed, sending a pulsating wave of pain throughout your skull.

“This is going to be hell,” you muttered to yourself as you joined the men.

“Guys?” he asked, clearly surprised.

“What’s going on?”

“Ah, nothing. You know, I'm just kinda hanging. What are you guys doing here?”

“You told us to come,” you winced, pressing a hand to your right temple.

“Uh, no, I didn’t.”

“Yeah you did, you texted me. This address, life or death situation. Any of this ringing a bell?”

“I didn't send you a text.”

“We drove all night!” Dean shouted.

“Please don’t shout,” you whispered, and Dean placed a hand on your shoulder as if to apologize for doing so.

“I'm sorry, I don't understand what could—oh no.”

“What?”

“You made it!” Becky screeched from the top of the stairs.

Groaning, you backed away from the group to try and prepare yourself for what is about to happen.

“Oh, ah, Becky, right?” Sam asked.

“Oh, you remembered,” her voice lowers. “You been thinking about me.”

“I—”

“It’s okay,” she interrupted the younger brother, “I can't get you out of my head either.”

“Becky, did you take my phone?” Chuck asked before noticing you off to the side.

“I just borrowed it from your pants.”

“Becky,” he sighed.

“What? They're going to want to see it!” she squealed.

Chuck decided that the brothers could handle this on their own, and he walked over to you to see if you were okay.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m going to ask you this one question, and I need you to be honest with me, okay?” you blurted, looking at him through squinted eyes.

“Okay.”

“Does the name Amara mean anything to you?” you hoped.

Chuck’s mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, unsure of how to answer the question. He seemed a bit nervous at the question, but he didn’t have time to answer it. A man with a clipboard came out of the hotel to address Chuck.

“Hey Chuck? Come on pal, it's showtime.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, turning to face the brothers, “for everything.”

Chuck left your side and entered the building. Taking a deep breath, you entered the building last before finally understanding why Becky was so excited and Chuck was so apologetic. A large man with a stein of beer walked past you and the Winchesters with a smile.

“ha-ha-ha. Hey Dean, looking good.”

“Who the hell are you?” Dean snapped.

The man turned back to him with a confused look. He was wearing similar clothing to Dean, straight down to the Samulet around his neck.

“I’m Dean too. Duh,” he chuckled.

Dean looked at his brother who was just utterly confused. Along with some other men who were dressed like Dean, there were also people dressed as Sam and even as you. To complete Sam’s look, they had long-haired wigs on with plaid, and for you, they wore bright blue eye contacts to represent the very real magic inside your body.

“What the fuck?” you whispered.

Along with the people dressed as you three, there were also people dressed as monsters you’ve killed in the past such as the scarecrow that was really a pagan God, demons with black contacts, Bloody Mary, and there were people dressed as Rufus, your dad, and even Ash. A scarecrow came closer to Sam with a scythe in one hand and a can of soda in the other. He waved his scythe in Sam’s face while pretending to scare him.

“Uh-oh. It's Sam, Dean, and Y/N. I'm in trouble now. Have fun you two. Aaaah!”

Sam gave the biggest bitch face to the man, and Becky was giggling next to the giant.

“Becky, what is this?” you asked the fangirl.

On the far end of the room were tables of merchandise with the Impala on coffee cups, chuck’s books on display, and a lot more things relating to your life.

“It's awesome!! A supernatural convention, the first ever!” she laughed.

Sam still sported his bitch face, Dean was confused as fuck, and your headache only got worse.

“Welcome to the first annual Supernatural convention,” the convention manager addressed the small crown that faced the stage inside the conference room. “At 3:45 in the Magnolia room we have the panel, 'Frightened little boy, the secret life of Dean'. At 4:30 there's the 'Homoerotic subtext of Supernatural’. Oh, and of course the big hunt starts at 7pm sharp. But right now, I'd like to introduce the man himself, the creator, the writer of the supernatural books. The one, the only, Carver Edlund!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd as Chuck walked on stage. If he were to look at you right now, he would see Sam and Dean with stone-like expressions and you with a painful one, but still deadly.

“Ok. Ok good, this isn't nearly as awkward as I,” he clears his throat nervously, “dry mouth.” He grabbed a glass of water and began gulping it down without a break. There was complete silence in the room until he asked the million-dollar question. “So, I guess... questions?” Everyone’s hands shot up in anticipation of getting picked. “Uh, you?”

“Hey, Mr. Edlund,” a skinny young man in the front row said with a grin, “I was just wondering, where'd you come up with Sam, Dean, and Y/N in the first place?” Chuck glanced at you and the brothers who cocked your heads in curiosity of his answer.

“Oh, ah, I... it just came to me,” he chuckled nervously.

Dean purses his lips and tilts his head back. Hands shot up in the air, and Chuck picked on the person dressed as the hook man.

“Ah yeah,” the man spoke in a heavy German accent, “Why in every fight scene, Sam, Dean, and Y/N are having their gun knocked away by the bad guy? Why don't they keep it on some kind of bungee?”

That comment made Sam interested, Dean pissed, and you annoyed at the kinds of questions that were being asked. This definitely wasn’t helping your headache. The only good thing about this convention is that Chuck didn’t write about Amara yet, so no one knows what she looks like or how she dresses. The only person who knows what she looks like is you… and apparently Gabriel.

“I... yeah, I really don't know.”

“Ja, follow up. Why can't Sam, Dean, and Y/N be telling that Ruby is evil? I mean she is clearly manipulating Sam into some kind of moral lapse. It's obvious, nein?”

Now, Sam is pissed, Dean is thoughtful about this, and you are still annoyed. Becky is shooting death glares at the hook man, and you knew she was about to do something dramatic. She walked down the row of chairs until she made eye contact with the man.

“HEY! If you don't like the books don't read em Fritz.”

“Okay, Okay, just… okay, it's okay. So, next question,” Chuck smiled nervously before choosing someone else. “Yeah, you.”

“Yeah, at the end of the last book, Dean goes to hell. So, what happens next?”

“Oh. Well there lies an announcement, actually. You're all going to find out,” he nodded, looking at you and the brothers who could only eye him suspiciously. “Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're going to start publishing again.”

Becky outright jumped into the air in excitement, and everyone else in the room started cheering and clapping loudly at the news.

“I can’t be here right now,” you whispered, opening the door and leaving through it.

This was just proving to be too much.

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[arreisstorm]

404 Not Found

***SPOILER ALERT***

I'm not sure what to think right now. On one hand, I just watched one of the most complex and interesting characters die after the person he loved the most basically told him to fuck off and stated that he didn't care about him; however, when the moment came to leave him behind, he showed him in the end how much he actually DID care by displaying reluctance and then refusing to let him die alone in the woods.

Yet, on the other hand, Sam said from the beginning of this season, no one has guessed the correct ending yet. Not fan theories or detailed Reddit posts of episodic breakdowns. Apparently we are all going to be thrown for a loop on the final episode, when everything wraps up and I don't know about you, but from the way things are going so far, I feel like anything is possible now. Time travel, alternate realities, all deaths are actually concrete and the story is what it seems, or even the theory that everything was a dream and the whole universe of Mr. Robot has been a long-running psychoses from Elliot's own mind.

Either way, I just want to make sure that people still appreciate this show for what it is, which is so much more than just ships. And I'm saying this as one of the biggest Tyrelliot shippers out there (well aside from our captain Martin that is). I love the dynamics of Tyrell and Elliot, and I have enjoyed following their character development, both as individuals and as a whole. It's been touched on multiple times in multiple episodes how big of a part Tyrell plays in Elliot's life, and how much the two are intertwined in each other's existence, that it seems impossible to ignore or simply write off. In fact, every single person on Mr. Robot is complex, broken in one way or another, and ultimately shows us the very depths of what it means to be human. They are relatable and entertaining and that speaks volumes to the writers ability, as well as the actors' to be able to portray them in such a way that connects to the fans and the audience.

I know a lot of you are pissed and irate by recent events, but don't let those moments of angry draw you away from possibly one of the best series in TV history. Honestly I have never found a world or people that I am able see myself in more than that of Mr. Robot.

As someone who struggles with mental illness and depression, I can't tell you how much it means to me to watch a show where these kinds of themes are not romanticized or parodied in any way, and instead we are subjected to the full unapologetic, and dark truth of how mental illness can effect both you and those around you. On top of that, Sam created this show with a vision in mind, and its objective was to pull the wool from over our eyes and make society wake up, face the world that so many have been numb to for so long, and start to actually give a shit about things other than materialism or whatever your preferred methods of ignorance are

From the first line of dialogue from the very first episode I knew that Mr. Robot had me in its clutches. This was partially because I have always had a huge fascination with the world of hackers, partially because the writing was so philosophical, intellectual, and on a level all of it's own, and partially because I could've sworn half the words that came out of Elliot's mouth could've come straight from my own mind, our thought processes are that similar. This is what I meant by finding a show I could relate to so easily.

For four years now I have been mesmerized by the sheer brilliance of this cast, this crew, the writers, and the innovative concepts that have been incorporated throughout this series. I couldn't imagine my life without Mr. Robot as a part of it, and unfortunately I only have 6 more episodes before that unimaginable reality becomes truth. There are so many topics that society would rather shove under the rug than partake in, but Mr. Robot and Sam Esmail never shied away from any of them. He has made his opinions known, whether they are political, ethical, or anything else, and that's exactly why I have so much appreciation and respect for him.

Every little detail placed into this show, all the symbolism that could be mistaken as coincidences in every episode, every season, has been carefully planned out and executed to the standards and image that Sam crafted. I mean he brought in actual experts to make sure that the hacking scenes were authentic. He created a whole treasure hunt online simply for clues to reveal secrets about the newest upcoming season. If that's not dedication I don't know what is.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, appreciate the show for the extraordinary phenomenon that it is and don't let the controversy or diminishing of ships deter you from continuing to watch and support this show. The cast alone deserves at least 10 Oscars each. Please keep showing them how much you appreciate their hard work and efforts 🖤

[dummythiccisheretowrite]

drunken confessions

Brian May x Reader 

SHE LONG 

  this was requested by @kazzish (btw you’re rlly pretty and my bi heart is quaking uwu) also, I can’t remember if this is fully what you requested and tumblr isn’t letting me look at your request so I’m sorry if it’s not. Also I’m finishing this at one am so it might not be the best. Pls be gentle on me I am but a creature, I cannot help this ok goodnight uwu 

BTW I have literally NEVER been drunk before, only tipsy and I don’t really remember what it was like. I was told that I apparently started literally crying when my Friends took a cooler away from me tho. So there’s that. ALSO, thoughts are like italicised or whatever you call it idk they’re like this

Okay, onward with the fic, comrades :( 

College so far was a fucking mess, weekends were filled with parties; beer bottles and the strong stench of weed. Weekdays were filled with stressful cramming for tests and projects and the nursing of regretful hangovers. You were ecstatic that summer had finally arrived and your seemingly never-ending second year had finally ended. You had plans on going back home and staying with your mother for a bit and to top it off your older brother had invited you to a show he was playing at with his band. Originally, he was in a band with his friends Tim Staffell and Brian May, which lasted until Tim left the band to join another one. Luckily, soon after, him and Brian formed a new band called Queen with another one of Rogers friends, Freddie Mercury, and later on one of his newer friends, John Deacon. 

The drive home was long and tiring, after having supper with your mum and Roger you all decided to head to bed with Roger going back to his flat he shared with his friends. Being back in your old bedroom felt weird, sure there was less stuff because most of it was at your flat; but there was still posters of bands you had liked on the walls and old clothes of yours hanging in the closet. It had been over a year since you were last in here but it looked untouched, and you wondered if your mum had come in here at all since you’d left. You could barely sleep that night, excited to see the band the next day and see Freddie and Brian. They’d always been very kind to you, Freddie always gifting you clothes he’d thought you’d liked and Brian helping you with your studies. You’d always had a bit of a crush on Brian, Freddie being the type to have some sort of weird sixth sense on these type of things, caught on right away and always relentlessly teased you about it. 

The next day, Roger picked you up to go to the flat he shared with the others; Freddie hadn’t changed a bit and greeted you with quite a dramatic “darling, it’s been so long!” John, the newest member you hadn’t met yet gave a shy smile and a quiet, polite “hello, nice to meet you.” Brian, if possible, seemed even taller and more handsome than he had the last time you saw him. Feeling bold, you gave him a hug and a smile, pulling away you could’ve sworn you saw a blush appear on his cheeks. The day was spent getting caught up and spending time with everyone until evening came and their show was soon to start. 

You watched backstage as they went on to perform, sipping a beer as you couldn’t help but stare at Brian as he played. He looked almost angelic like this, curls lightly bouncing and an intense look of concentration written on his face. You started growing nervous at the realization that maybe your teenage crush hadn’t gone away, attempting to forget about it, you started drinking more and more. By the time they came back, you were absolutely smashed. Brian gave you a worried look as he put down his guitar and walked up to you. “Now we know she’s for sure related to Roger,” Freddie joked, as Brian took the beer bottle away from you. Roger groaned in frustration as he attempted to try to get you to stand up. “Now I’ve gotta fucking take you home and mum will have a fit if she sees you like this,” he complained as you lost your balance and fell back in your seat. 

“I can take her home,” Brian offered, already putting his coat on and grabbing yours. “Are you sure?” Roger asked, “you really don’t have to do that.” Brian nodded, “I don’t really feel like drinking anyways,” he said as he helped you stand up. You held onto his arms, scared that if you didn’t you’d lose your balance again. “Don’t do anything stupid,” Roger called as you two started to head out of the pub. “Basically don’t do anything Roger would do then,” Freddie quipped, which earned him a smack to the arm from his friend. 

The drive back to their flat was peaceful, it was decided that it’d be better for you to crash there for the night rather than take you home and have poor Brian try to explain to your mother why you were incredibly intoxicated. The night sky was filled with stars, you were drifting in and out of sleep as Brian talked to you about all the constellations. You could barely understand what he was saying, especially in the state that you were in but his voice sounded soft and sweet and you couldn’t help smiling as your eyes closed. 

The car pulled to a stop and you heard Brian open and close the door, you yawned a little when he came to your side and opened the passenger door. You couldn’t help but think of how nice he is as he helped you out of the car and into the flat; an arm wrapped around your waist to keep you steady. “Thank you,” you slurred as he unzipped your coat and helped your arms out of the sleeves. “I just don’t know why you drank so much,” he chuckled, leading you to his bedroom. You shrugged, “just nervous, last time I saw you I-,” you stopped talking, a little aware that sober you wouldn’t appreciate drunk you revealing your crush. Brian raised an eyebrow, a curious expression on his face. 

“You what?”       

You sat on the bed, trying to look at anything else but him. 

The floors are carpeted, neato. There’s a sock, it’s got stripes so it’s kinda cooler than the carpet. There’s a speck of dust, not really cool. 

“Y/n, is everything okay?” Brian was sitting on the bed next to you now, you couldn’t tell if you were nauseous because of nerves or because you had chugged around three beers an hour earlier. Probably both.

“It’s really stupid,” You cringed at how shaky your voice sounded and wiped your sweaty palms on your pants. “Like really stupid, it doesn’t even matter. You’re probably tired, we should just go to sleep,” You moved to lay down, facing away from him. You felt even more stupid when you felt tears prick at the corner of your eyes. “Whatever you have to say it’s not stupid, it’s better to talk about it than keep it in,” Brian said, putting a hand on your shoulder and rubbing it softly. You exhaled shakily and wiped some tears away. 

“I like you, like more than a friend.” 

A painful silence filled the room, you pulled the covers over your head and Brian quickly pulled them away. “Piss off, I’m trying to suffocate myself,” you said, nudging him with your elbow, earning a soft chuckle from him. “I like you too,” he replied, you stopped trying to suffocate yourself with the covers; instead sitting up and turning to face him. 

“Wait, what?” 

“I like you,” Brian repeated. He was staring at you now, a mixture of sincerity and adoration in his eyes, “I really do.” You swallowed a lump that’d formed in your throat, “oh, okay,” you said, rather dumbly. Brian playfully frowned, “that’s it? Oh, okay?” he mocked. You rolled your eyes and lightly shoved him, “I’m drunk, tired and an idiot, let me be,” you whined. Brian smiled, “go to sleep, we can talk more about this later,” he promised. You frowned, wanting to argue, but found yourself too tired. “You’ll still feel the same tomorrow, right?” You asked, laying down and wrapping yourself in the covers. He nodded, moving to lay down next to you. 

“Promise?”

“Promise.” 

[geekygoddesss]

Parenting (Mashton/2)

Michael 

“I am really sorry” I said for what felt like twentieth time already as my hands flew to my face and I bit my nails in pure nervousness. This has never happened before and now that it was happening I didn’t know what to do, I was having a bit of a parental crisis right now and that is never good.

I tried to find the words to express how sorry I actually was as a strange woman stood in front of me, holding the hand of her crying daughter and not looking very happy about it.

“Honestly if there’s anything I can do” I say, again not really finding the words but suddenly an idea hit my mind and without thinking twice, I bent over a little and spoke to the crying toddler “Uh Oh- there's an ice cream shop right there, do you want ice cream, sweetie?” I said with a nervous smile on my face, doing my very best to not seem like a crazy woman, but after this, it was really the least I could do.

“It’s alright” the mother said as she nodded at me giving me the green light to raise from my lean. I stood up straight, biting my lip as I stared at her, this was too awkward, I didn’t know how to manage it, that woman though, she looked like she knew better than me.

See, when your only son goes and hits a girl for no reason in the middle of a park full of kids, there was only a handful of things you could do, but saying sorry was now the top of my priorities, this has never happened before, I was ashamed of it.

She grabbed her daughter in her arms and adjusted her on her hip as she asked. “is it your first son?”

I nodded as I mouthed a quiet “Yes” not being able to stop myself from blushing.

she nodded, gave me an understanding smile and said “I’ll give you some advice”  she said in a decisive voice “tell him about what happen and take some action, this happens with kids but you need to teach him that this is wrong, otherwise he’ll never learn” she said, her voice a little authoritative, like she has handled this exact kind of situation a million times before and she probably had, seeing that she was older than me and more experienced, at least she did not yell at me like if I was some child.

I smiled at her shyly. “Thank you” I said and just for the last time I made clear “I’m very sorry”

The woman nodded, said she understood and left me without being able to do something to make up for this bad time my son made her have, this was embarrassing. I love my baby, I really do, but when this kind of situations came up it was really hard to know how to handle it, especially as a first timer, I sure did not know what to do at all.

So I call for help, it’s the best option I have anyways.

I look around the big park and try to spot the one person who is for sure going to give me some support in this, I was praying that he didn’t leave the park when I most needed him to be here, but for my luck, I only have to turn around a couple of times and in less than a minute, I see him far away from me talking with some friends he apparently just ran into, he was laughing, like something was super hilarious to him, I kinda felt bad for breaking it to him but this was necessary.

“Michael” I call his name loud enough for him to hear it.

He turned around at the sound of my voice and smiled to me as he waved his hand in the air. I waved back, telling him to walk over here but he looked over at his friend for a second and smiled uncomfortably. Sometimes he was kind of a dick, I got that he wanted to talk with his friends a little longer, but this is important.

“Yes?” he yelled back, raising his eyebrows underneath his dark sunglasses.

I made a gesture with my hand and asked “Got a sec?” I said loud enough “It’s important, sorry”

He nodded to me once I pointed out that this was not just something I needed to tell him, but that it is sometimes that was quite important right now. I don’t know who he is talking to but right now, we need to team up and make sure our kid does not go any more problematic than he is already being.

Michael excuse himself with his friends and says their goodbye to them and goes to walk his way to where I was standing, which is fairly close to the playing area where I could see exactly what was happening, even when I apparently missed some things.

He jogged up to me once he noticed that what I had to say was really something important and he needed to know what was happening, so once he was with me, he gave me a smile and reaching up to pinch my cheek he said in a sweet tone:

“What's up, cutie?” he spoke, playfully squeezing my cheek on his fingers and caressing it softly afterward.

I sighed  heavily “We have a problem” I admit, grabbing his arms to pull him a little closer before whispering “Parker just hit a girl”

His eyes widened under his shades to then clearly frown “He did what?” he asks in disbelief, he shook his head, trying to get the idea in his mind that his son has done such a thing. “Why?”

I shrugged “I don’t know!” I said, still not believing this whole thing as I told the story “They were playing and apparently they got into a little argument and he pulled her hair”

Michael laughed, not a good laugh, he was outraged, he couldn’t believe that his sound would even be capable of something like that. If that is something he learned from somewhere, he didn’t know where the hell that was and I didn’t either, because this was something so unlike him or any of us, we weren’t the problematic kind, we had to stop this before it became worst.

“Oh my god” Michael sighed as he looked over at the playground with about thirty kids on it “where is he?”

I shrugged a little as I pointed “I think he’s over there” I said, pointing at the castle thing area. I grabbed Michael’s hand, got his attention to me and said “you gotta go tell him off”

His eyes widened once again, he tried to speak but no words came out, instead, he let out one annoyed ground and said: “Why me?”

I gasped, crossed my arms over my chest as I reminded him “You’re his dad”

“You’re his mom” He argued back, throwing his head back at the thought of having to do such a hard part of the job when he was well known in the house as the fun dad.

“And Why do I have to be the one doing that?” I argued, shaking my head at his stubbornness.

“Because, I don’t know how to, you hang out with him a lot more, you do it, you know how to roll with him better” he excused, I have to admit, he was kind of right with that, he had a point, but on situations like this he had to be the one stepping up and teach Parker that this is wrong, otherwise, he will never learn that when this happens, both of his parents would not be happy at all. It’s common sense.

“I will be the bad Mommy then” I whined in a childish voice. Throwing my head back in pure annoyance.

“So I have to be the bad Daddy?” He asked whining back just a little.

I nod very dramatically. “You won’t be bad daddy! You’ll be his Dad, the one who tells him he’s doing wrong when he does these things” I explain, keeping my voice down so we didn’t have anyone eavesdropping. He sighed, rolling his eyes and looking directly at the playground. I nudge him a little “Michael, just go talk to him and tell him we’re leaving, we’ve had enough park for today”

He looked at me shortly, then looked away. He wasn’t sure what to do in these things. Again, we are first timers, Parker has never done anything like this and it was so difficult to take such a big step and be mad at that little person who was just a pure angel most of the times. Whatever happened right now was very confusing.

Michael didn’t say yes, but didn’t say no either, he just took a minute to look around and see if he spotted his son somewhere around, and he did, because the second he saw Parker sliding down the slide, he let out a groan and walked up to him with a steady pace.

I didn’t dare to go after him or anything related to that, I just stayed where I was and stared at the scene from afar. He reached up to where all the kids were and called for Parker, made sure they were away from everyone else and out of the actual playground to then kneel on the ground, made eye contact with Parker and asked him what happened.

It only took a minute or two for Parker to break into tears, even when Michael hasn’t really yelled at him or anything like that, he just wanted an explanation, however, he made clear that he wasn’t happy about it and that, he made him know that he was very disappointed at his behavior.

Parker knew what he did was wrong and as he tried to explain Michael what was going on his words got difficult to explain until he couldn’t anymore and just covered his face as he cried it out.

“You can't hit girls or anyone, do you understand?” It’s what I heard Michael say in a harsh tone, as he got up from the ground and grabbed Parker’s hand and started walking.

I guess it’s time to go.

I try to put up a smile as they walk up to my direction. Parker is still sobbing and trying to wipe away his tears with one hand as Michael hold his other hand making him walk, on the other side, Michael looked pretty pissed, he carried a very serious look and I could have sworn he was glaring at me through his sunglasses, but I decided to ignore that.

“Hi buddy” I say as I leaned down, trying to be at his level as I asked “you Alright?”

“Are you mad at me too, mommy?” He cried, rubbing his tears away as he made his very best to speak clearly.

Seeing my little boy cry breaks my heart. “No baby, I’m just disappointed that’s all” I say, reaching to brush some of his long hairs off his forehead and clean his tears away.

Michael let go of Parker’s hand, repeated my move, leaning down just a little and say to him “We won’t ground you, okay? But if you do it again we will, got that?” he told Parker in one serious voice.

Parker sniffed and nodded hardly “Okay”

Michael nodded too, I could almost see his heart aching for making Parker cry, but it was normal, he felt bad for what he did and he’s a kid, after all, he’s sentimental.

“Come here bud” he said, picking Parker up and letting him cry on his shoulder. “there, there” he said, rubbing Park’s back “no need to cry, see? No ones crying anymore” he said, pointing to both of us “you’ll make momma cry” Michael said and I pouted.

Sometimes we would think this could work for him to stop crying but this time, it didn’t work, he just cried harder this time, forming a big wet patch on Michael’s shirt and feeling worst for not only being problematic but now making his mom cry (even when this last one wasn’t true).

“I’m sorry” He cried again as he said “I’m sorry”

“it’s okay, baby” I cooed, kissing his tear stained cheek so I tried making him feel a  little better. “I think you’re a little sleepy” I said, caressing his cheek as I looked up at Michael.

He caught my sign immediately.

“Let’s go home” He said, adjusting his hold on Parker with one hand and grabbing my hand with the other. It’s been one weird day. But this is a little milestone we have to cross as parents and now that we did, I have to say, It wasn’t so bad, but one thing is for sure, I just hope it doesn’t happen again.

Ashton 

“Daddy you’re doing it wrong” I heard that familiar and childish voice say on the living room as some music was playing in the background and both of their laughs filled the room.

“How can I be wrong?” Ashton asked loudly as he tried to control his laugh.

“You have no stars!” Julie yelled as the sound came to an end and she yelled again, this time louder than ever “I won again!”

“Oh no! Holy ravioli!” Ashton said in a childish voice.  “I guess you’re just better than me”

I do my best to walk in the room and put up my best happy face for my family to see, even when I was totally tired and not in the mood to do much aside from sitting on my ass for the rest of the night and sleep. My job had me drained, as much as I love it, it comes to be exhausting sometimes.

I try to put up a smile as I spot my two rays of sunshine, standing in the middle of the living room in front of the TV and watching some videos of them replaying on the screen of them dancing to some pop that was very last year. It was adorable.

“What’s with all the yelling?” I ask, making myself noticeable in the room, and the crowd goes wild.

Suddenly Ashton is stopping the game with the controller in his hand and smiling at me as my little girl jumps around and hugs herself on my legs, not letting me walk any further. Showing me how excited she was that I finally got home.

“Hi cupcake!” I chuckled, leaning down and dropping the heavy bag hanging on my shoulder to hug her close and lift her on my arms.

“Mommy” she chuckles when I lift her up and hugs me very close “I beat daddy on just dance!” she laughed, pointing at Ashton, who unstrapped that controlled from his hand as he walked up to us.

“Again? Woah” I say, acting surprised, Ashton has never been good at this game.

“I got four stars out of five” He said, excusing himself almost as if he wanted to impress me.

“No he didn’t” Julie whispered in my ear, as she hid her face on the crook of my neck and giggled on my ear. Gosh, she was so cute.

Ashton sighed one dramatic sigh “She’s just that good” he said shrugging and leaving the controlled on the coffee table, he made sure to be quick and while Julie wasn’t looking, he kissed me on the lips and asked  “how was your day?”

I sighed, putting Julie down on the sofa to then lay on it myself right beside her “Busy, boring, nothing unusual” I resumed in just a couple words as I reached my daughter with my arm and hug her “did you have dinner baby?” I ask, pulling her into me and kissing her forehead.

She nodded, playing with the ends of her shirt as she said “Daddy made soup and sammich”

I smiled at her bad pronunciation of the word ‘sandwich’ I thought it was so cute, it always reminded me how she probably needed to correct that, but it was incredibly cute how it just came out naturally from her. I love her so much.

“I got her to eat tomato soup and grilled cheese” Ashton explained with a winning smile.

I gasped. That is for sure a big deal, after having try to eat more vegetables for a couple weeks and after trying and failing a lot, she was finally eating something healthier and not in pure vegetable form. Smart move from him, I have to admit.

“What?! You’re not serious” I say in surprise looking at him with wide eyes, he chuckled and nodded at me, then I looked at Julie and she nodded too. it was true. “did she liked it?” I asked with a bright smile on my face.

he nodded “Yeah, she ate all of it”

“Yes” I celebrate, hugging Julie even more and kissing her cheek “I love you so much” I mumbled pressing my lips to her cheek even more. I kept her in my arms, washing her with kisses and eventually tickles until she got enough of them and managed to wiggle out of my arms and towards her Daddy, she jumped up and down, being very hyper for some reason and with a big wide smile on her face she asked.

“Daddy, Can we do another song?” she said, wiggling her body on every direction as she grabbed his hand and tried pulling him towards the center of the living room, that for the last hour the have converted into a dance floor.

“Sure bab-“ he started, but I cut him off immediately.

As much as I would love to have them play a little longer, it was late already. Thank god she was already on her pajamas and had something to eat, because this just made the job a little easier, and now that she was this hyper, she was probably tired enough to sleep it off.

“No, Juls,  it’s late, It's time for bed” I instruct, making my best effort to sit up the straight on the sofa and give a sign to Ashton to turn the tv off.

“Mommy I’m not tired” She whined, loudly as she saw how Ashton grabbed that controller and turned off the screen without arguing at all.

“Yes you are, look at your face” I say, getting up and rubbing her cheek just a little. She did have a bit of a tired face, it was normal, it’s already 10 at night, she should be sleeping right now.

“Daddy” she whined, looking at Ashton, as I walked up to her and picked her up in my arms.

“Sorry Kenz, rules are rules” he shrugged, moving to kiss her cheek and caress her hair a little.

I smile to him at the support he is giving me, he knows that it was no time for her to be awake and it was school night. I fixed her in my arms and turn to Ashton just enough to then nod to her.

“Say goodnight to daddy” I say almost like an order, as she rubs her eyes as her eyelids started to get heavy.

“Night night daddy” she said, leaning on the opposite side for Ashton to hug her.

“Good night baby girl” Ash said, kissing her head shortly and ruffling her hair. “I love you”

She hummed something, not being really happy that I was sending her to bed, but naturally super tired from all the dancing they had for the day. It was time for her to rest.

This was the harder part of the night, almost every night. It was a whole routine. I would take her to her bathroom and make her brush her own teeth all by herself, which always took a good minute or two,  after that I would set her in the bathroom counter and give her some vitamins her doctor told her to take, we took a potty stop before moving on and then came the hardest part of them all, actually put her to sleep.

Sometimes this part was harder than others, but for my luck, today was not one of them, because the moment I put her to bed, fix her blankets on her and put on the night light, she was already closing her eyes to sleep it off and it only took a couple of minutes until she was already breathing heavily and falling in one deep slumber.

Thank god, this could turn into a totally different situation and more difficult time in the wrong kind of days, good to know today is not one of them.

I get out of her room once I knew she is one hundred percent asleep, and making my way back down to the main floor of the house, I sigh, feeling how the little bits of stress started leaving my body and I started feeling a lot more relaxed, because my time of relax started now.

I walk straight to the kitchen, seeing that Ashton was not around the living room anymore but still there were sounds coming from somewhere around. I found him on the kitchen, heating up a small bowl of soup from earlier and prepping some grilled cheese for me. That was so sweet, I was starving.

“She’s out, I think” I announce, sitting on the first chair I found and sighing “Hopefully she is, I’m so exhausted” I say with a bit of an exaggerated tone as I lean back on that chair.

He laughed, shook his head but never really argued with me about it, he knew how exhausting taking care of a child was and after work, I just wanted some time for myself and my husband, if I didn’t pass out at first try. He moved fast, pulled the warm bowl of soup out of the microwave and gave it to me, along with a freshly toasted grilled cheese sandwich, all for me.

I didn’t hesitate to give it a bite as soon as it is in front of me, because I couldn’t wait to have something in my stomach after so long.

“Wine?” he offered, watching me with a smile as I ate.

“Yes, please” I said, smiling a little as he moved over to grab one brand new bottle from the cabinet. “How long have you been home?” I ask, watching him as he looks around for the wine opener.

“All afternoon”  he explained, as he grabbed the opener and proceed to the heavy duty “We did all the homework, had dinner, played games all evening, really, it was fun” He smiled at the thought, he loved spending time with her.

If it wasn’t because I knew him so well, I would have thought that every time he hung out with Julie he would be dancing around like a fool and tiring himself out while I was out there at work, but I know how things roll around this place and in my honest opinion, it was kind of hilarious and smart to know the real reason of why he chose to play that game for her right this day and left her way too hyper and eventually tired for the night.

“You put that game on purpose, didn’t you?” I say with a funny smile as I watched him open that wine bottle way too easily.

He laughed, looked up at me from the side of his eyes and moved back to grab a glass from the cabinet.

“There’s one way to get her tired” It’s all he said, as he grabbed that glass and poured the right amount of wine in it.

“Oh lord” I laugh, even though I saw that coming “you’re mean” I state, taking that glass of wine with me.

“No, I’m not, I was spending time with my daughter” He said, trying to argue, even when he knew I was right, but he doesn’t keep on the topic, he leans over to me and kisses my forehead softly, caresses my head as he said “And I want to spend some extra time with my wife so..”

“So?” I raise an eyebrow.

“I say it’s worth it” he explained, chuckling a little as he went ahead and took the sit right beside me, let me eat some of my food. He was smiling at me suggestively and I knew what that meant, it’s been our number one topic to talk about for a while now. How could I not know?.

“Are we still on the same page? Baby number 2? yes, no, maybe?” He asked, now mumbling as I munched some of my sandwich.

I shrugged, looking down at my plate. “I don’t know”  I said mumbling as I turned to him. This is a delicate thing to talk about. “Are you ready for baby number two?”

His eyes widen a little, but not in surprise at all. He nods. “I am, but are you?”

I shrug. I wasn’t really sure about it, but I didn’t mind  “If you are ready, I am” I confess.

A smile spreads along his face and as he reaches my hands and grabs it softly he asks “So?”

I blush a little, nodding my head at the silent question that floated between us. It was very obvious, he wanted to give it a try tonight, again, just like we’ve been doing for a while now. So I look at him straight and with a smile peeking through my lips I say. “Let’s do it”

“Let’s do it! Yes!” He says immediately, smiling widely as he gets up his sit quickly, he was very excited about this, he couldn’t wait for this whole process to start. “You just made the best decision ever” he said, moving on to kiss my forehead and saying. “Shall we take this on the bath my lady?” he asks on an overly polite voice.

I laugh, shaking my head as I mumble. “Dork” I chuckle, looking up to peck his lips very shortly  “Meet me there, I’ll finish here first”

he nodded quickly, kissed my cheek and said: “Your wish is my command��� before leaving the room and going to what mattered to him the most right now, setting up the mood.

This was something that made me really happy and somehow scared to think about. Having another baby, after almost five years of having Julie, it seemed terrifying, but at the same time, I was excited about it, because in reality, I do want another baby and the thought of giving Julie a new brother of sister made me want it even more, because I knew she really wants one with all of her heart. So as soon as we are all ready for this big step, I will do it gladly, because I was more than glad to make this little and beautiful family grow. My perfect little family.  

[darrowsrising]

You know, I will just throw questions back at you if you don't mind because I can finally scream with people! Tell me about your favorite RR characters aswell, please? ♥

I never mind people asking me things about RR. I love this series with my heart and soul and everything in between. Also, stop apologizing to me about long posts regarding RR, I love them and I have lots of long rants to confirm that.(don’t search for them, they are full of spoilers…and my distaste for Dancer and Roque!) Also, I’ll try not to spoil the fun for you…

Darrow:

My absolute favourite. I love him to bits, he’s my precious, murderous baby! I’d start a #DarrowDefendingSquad or a #DarrowPreciousMurderousBabyBoy, but that’s not my style. Or his style for that matter. He can take care of himself, 75% of the time…the other 25% is not really up to him (it’s a combo of his friends and pure luck).

Jokes aside now, Darrow’s feelings and realness always got to me. When I started reading Red Rising I was 17 and I was recovering from a very bad…burnout (I went to see a psychologist and she told me that I was hurting emotionally from many bad things happening at once, but it wasn’t like…depression or anxiety per se). His feelings, whether it was rage or kindness or anything in between, were so valid to me. He reminded me that it’s perfectly alright to have confidence in yourself, to go after what you want, to be proud of yourself, to love again (friends, lovers, whatever) and many other things. I was at my lowest then and he showed me that ambition is not a dirty word, that confidence in yourself isn’t a bad thing and even if these things intimidate the people around you, they are valid and you shouldn’t be ashamed of despicting such things.

That made me relate to him a lot. I still find myself (whenever I revisit the books) being like “mood” or “same” or “that’s my boy” or “my pride and joy” or “Hail Reaper” at many of his thoughts, actions and one liners. I will always love him, although he is very thick headed sometimes and that’s annoying.

Mustang:

She is my favorite female character. I love the fact that despite growing up with Nero au Augustus as a father and Adrius as a twin, she is still kind. She is also fair, open-minded and highly intelligent. And strong in more ways than one. I love that she is multi-faceted (although haters think she is bland and 2D…Pixies, where? Did we read the same books?) and despite her family and the way she was brought up, she finds it hard to pretend and is mostly genuine (unless she has a plan). I love how she doesn’t give (to use Sevro’s terminology) two squirts of piss over the title of heir of House Augustus, although she’s more than capable to fill in the spot. But she’s more concerned with making the world a better place (she is a Reformist and although the story follows Darrow more, that is a big deal giving that she tried to make laws to help other Colors including the banning of the Board of Quality Control). I love how she is a logical person, yet she sacrifices a part of herself for her family, because she is human and bound to do illogical things. I love how, despite loving her family so much, she often goes against them, because it’s the right thing to do. I love how she is underestimated and she just spits (not literally) in their faces. I just love how she is a fighter, a politician, a leader, because we rarely see females like that. 

Sevro:

Sevro is a breath of fresh air. He is who he is without warning labels and apologies. He is a survivor, a loyal friend (very rare kind), a badarse. He is amazing. His existence is a defiance and I love it, although that resulted in a lonely childhood. I love him to bits tho, because he also shows how good it is to be yourself and like yourself despite everything. He is very sweet despite being a hard arse and his insults always leave me very impressed. It’s obvious that at the Institute, he just wanted to survive and get a modest job (like Fitchner - thing which Fitchner probably encouraged), but he started to see Darrow and his behavior with the others and he wanted to make friends. And when Darrow became his friend - his only real friend until then - it made him want more, dream for more. And I just love that. I love how Sevro evolved and how he protects his friends - Howlers included. The only thing I’m not a fan of is his hygene…and his pornographic collection of holoFilms.

Victra:

Victra is a warrior, an heiress and a business woman. She kicks arse, takes names and simply slays. I love that there is more to her than meets the eye (although I don’t trust NerdsTM to appreciate her like she deserves). I love how bad arse and loyal she is. I love how she enjoys life and all it entails. I love that she lets herself be vulnerable in public and it makes her courageous. I love how open she is about herself, yet she is still mysterious. I love the fact that she never lies and she loves jade jewelry and displaying her scars like jewelry and the smell of the air before the rain hits the ground. 

Fitchner:

I feel like Fitch is way too underrated. He was fairy chosen to be Rage Knight -  a position Lorn filled which only makes it legendary and harder to get. He beat Proctor Jupiter and Tactus’ eldest brother - which I hope is Tharsus, because Apollonius is in my graces atm. Not only that, he created the Sons of Ares, he lead them and infiltrated into the Society’s highest ranks to destroy it from the inside and build something better. It was his plan, his sacrifices, his dream. There would be no Rising without Fitchner. Not even Sevro, but hey, it’s not like the guy would say something like “The entire world should thank me for Sevro - he came from my sperm, ok, my swimmers made the little Goblin. You’re welcome!”…when we all know Sevro’s enemies would rather curse Fitchner’s balls for helping create their doom…

Getting back on track, Fitchner was the okay-est Proctor and one of the best characters.

Adrius: (no, it’ not an unpopular opinion, here we love Adrius)

I believe Adrius is the best villain hands down. There are no excuses for his actions, he is a genocidal maniac with daddy issues. He looks at people like they are objects, not human beings, he has no compassion and has no knowledge of empathy. And I love him. I give him sympathy, because he is a monster, but he was made that way. Although he displayed terrifying behavior from a young age, his fall towards evil could have been avoided if his father gave two (2) fucks about him. I love his relationship with Darrow and how they were rivals, then sort of allies, then…you’ll find out. I just love how Adrius was written. He is really great as a villain. I hate what he did to Darrow, tho. When he killed Nero I was happy for him, but no one touches Darrow, so that was his worst move ever. Like…Pixie, you just signed your death warrant, stay away from Mustang’s Bitc- Boo!

The Telemanuses: 

All of them are amazing! Much love to all of them! They deserve the world! I include Niobe, Thraxa and Xana, but that’s all I’m going to say, because you need to read for yourself to believe me.

Cassius: (long stoty, because i didn’t really like him at first)

You know what? I disliked Cassius as much as Darrow did first time he saw him…too annoyingly perfect. And after what Darrow endured it felt like a disgrace to see an entitled little Pixie dance his way on marble corridors at the expense of so many Colors. As the story progressed, Cassius’s entitled arse didn’t improved and the most annoying part was him bragging about the death he claimed. I know he did it to make people talk and find out who killed Julian, but that doesn’t make him right. The 49 other people killed in the Passage were just as innocent as Julian. He made the death of the person he killed sound cheap. Even Antonia had more respect towards that. And Titus made it worse, but that gets off tracks. I understand his pain. If someone would have killed my sister in the Passage, it would have sworn revenge too. But the painful thing is that Cassius saw only Julian’s death, Julian didn’t deserve to die. But that is also true for all the other people who got murdered in the Passage. They didn’t deserve to die either, but you don’t see anyone going at Mustang or Sevro with blood oaths to murder them. The whole system is fucked up and must be changed. Killing Darrow might be a thing of honour, but honour doesn’t bring back Julian.

The fact that he lied to everyone that Darrow was killed by Adrius to claim his spot as Primus of Mars wasn’t good publicity either. And then, he got to be even more of a Pixie in Golden Son. But it was Mustang who convinced me to give him a chance. Because she was the one who revealed that Cassius is conflicted, that he regrets losing not one brother, but two. That he suffers, but tries to do his duty to his family and honour them. Bit by bit, I was open to seeing Cassius from this perspective, so I gave him lots of benefits of the doubt. Until he killed Fitchner and all I wanted was to see his head on a spike turned ugly by gore and maggots. Then Morning Star happened and I went from: fuck Cassius (and not in a nice way) to Bloodydamn finally, Pixie, you made me so proud. Then, we got Iron Gold and man, if something happens to him I’ll kill all the Gold families of the Rim and then that bitch of a ward. 

I really love his character development. I can see that mine is an unpopular opinion everywhere in this fandom, given that even the author has a soft spot for Cassius (not that that stops him from making Cassius suffer even more), but yeah…that is the story of how I got late to the “We love Cassius” party. I’m being short on the good details, because I don’t want to spoil you, but I hope you understand.

Holiday and Orion:

They are amazing human beings and although they are side characters I love their contribution to the series. I love their personalities and talents and their overall no nonsense attitude. 

I’ll stop here, before we go off charts. Here are some honourable mentions in no particular order: Aja au Grimmus, Ragnar Volarus, Theodora, Matteo, Mickey, Tactus au Rath Valii, Lorn au Arcos, Apollonius au Valii Rath, Alexandar au Arcos, Rhonna of Lykos, Diomedes au Raa, Trigg ti Nakamura, Volga Fjordan.