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sissytobitch10seconds · 1 year ago

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A Duo of Three

Fandom: Free Guy Summary: He's always been insecure, but he didn't think that he would feel that way towards the first healthy relationship that he's ever been in. Warnings: Insecurity, jealousy, and miscommunication Word Count: 3,485 Ship(s): Millie Rusk/Mouser/Walter "Keys" McKey

Archive link!

A/N: I have finally written a oneshot for every single member of this polycule! I'm not going to put them into a series because I don't think they're connected for that but you can go looking for them if you're interested in reading the Millie or Keys one. Stay sissy and bitchy everyone <3

Mouser had always been somewhat insecure. It came with the territory of being the youngest out of three kids. He was never enough for his parents because he had way too much to live up to, and his siblings had always resented him because they believed that he didn’t have to work as hard to get the approval that they wanted. When he went to school, he began to flourish as a gifted kid, but that was quickly crushed when he moved to college and was around actual peers.

He thought that he would have been over it by now, but it seems like the universe is always dedicated to proving him wrong. He thought that working for one of the best tech companies in the world (at the time, because it quickly crashed and burned once it could no longer exploit people) and then with the most popular game of their day and age would have given him the confidence that he needed.

Yet, he found himself wallowing in the feeling again, years after he had thought that it would pass. It was like a great black maw had opened up in his belly so that it could suck in every tiny bit of joy that he would have gotten had it been a normal day. In return for the light and warmth that the stomach-sized black hole took from him, it replaced those feelings with a chill and darkness that Mouser wasn’t quite sure how to deal with.

Those feelings felt like they were exploding out of him. They had long since moved out of the tiny apartment that Millie had been renting when they all got together, into a little house in the suburbs where they wouldn’t be flocked with people. It was in a gated community too, so there was a very slim chance of any paparazzi getting past the armed guards at the gate to come and harass them.

He had never seen his life going in that direction when he was younger, even if he had dreamed about being a keynote speaker at some gaming conference or interviewed on late night talk shows. Realistically, there was always something in the back of his mind that told him that would never actually happen. It was something that every kid dreamed of but very few kids actually got to entertain.

Arguably, the only thing that he should be capable of feeling at this stage in his life is grateful for what he had. He grew up watching his parents struggle against the systemic oppression of their country and he had been able to give them a comfortable retirement home and whatever else it was that they had wanted. He had been given the chance to rise on the privilege of others so that he broke a ceiling for other kids like him. He had a comfortable house, a working car, all the food that he liked stocked in his fridge and pantry, friends, a dog that was polite and kind, and two wonderful partners.

But instead of being grateful that he had been given that, he was just nervous that he was going to lose it all. The time when he was twenty and staying in the same apartment as the two developers he was rapidly falling in love with had long since passed. Now they were pushing their mid thirties and they were more successful than he could have ever dreamed.

Their home was comfortable, their friends were kind, they were able to choose to eat out every night if Millie would stop insisting that it was unhealthy. And yet he was still worried that he was inadequate.

It was something stupid that had brought the massive wave that he was wading his way through currently, something that could easily be cleared up with a tiny bit of communication. It wasn’t the first time that he had felt like that in his relationship and he was sure that it wasn’t going to be the last, but that didn’t make the situation any easier to navigate.

So instead of talking to them about it like the reasonable adult that he was sure was rattling around in his brain somewhere, he woke up early the morning that he could no longer stand feeling like that and walked out to their backyard.

He went out there whenever he was feeling nervous about something because it was grounding. He had lived in one of the biggest cities in America for as long as he could remember, so grass had been a luxury even at the playground of his school. He loved being able to have a very reasonable patch of it in his backyard, though it was mostly reserved for their dog. The rest of the space was supposed to be clover but Keys had never actually gotten around to ordering it from their landscaping company like he always promised to.

The smell of the coffee in the mug he had grabbed before coming out was enough to wake him up, but the burn of it in the back of his mouth was just as grounding as the sun and the grass. It was a beautiful summer day with just enough of an early-morning breeze that he could hear Millie’s lilac tree rustling in the wind. Keys’ fruit trees lined their back fence but hadn’t begun to produce anything yet, instead laden with little green buds.

He hadn’t chosen to put anything in their back garden because he didn’t know what kind of things rich people like them were supposed to grow. Both of his partners had laughed and kissed him on the cheek before they had begun the great rush to get ready for work.

Mouser let out a low breath as he tried to beat back the feelings that had been overwhelming him again. The point of coming outside was to think until Rover woke them, not to wallow.

They had recently cleaned up their little patch of grass, so he was able to sit down on the corner closest to the trees without having to worry about dog debris. He tilted his head up towards the early morning Summer sun so that it was casting the warm beams down directly onto his face. It soothed the ache in his heart at least a little bit and he was reminded of the lecture that Millie had gone on the other day concerning vitamin D and what she had dubbed ‘lizard time’.

He let out a low breath and then tilted his head down towards the cup clutched in his hands. He had to think about everything practically or he was never going to get it out of his head and it would plague him forever. His thoughts felt like a jumbled mess of code that someone had come in and changed without leaving any notes. He was struggling to read it but was also unable to figure out the why and how everything was working.

Two months after Keys and Millie had gotten together, a while after they had gotten the rights to their game back, Mouser had admitted his feelings for the duo and then been brought into their relationship as a third. It was one of the best things that had ever happened to him and he wouldn’t give it up for anything. Something had always bothered him, though, and it wasn’t something that he had discussed with either of his partners up to that point.

Mouser had thought that he had gotten up and slipped out of the house early enough that he would have had at least an hour to himself, but the sliding glass door that led out onto their patio opened and revealed the very people that he was thinking about. Rover darted out of the house and down towards his owner, barking loudly.

“Hey puppy,” Mouser chuckled as he ran his hand over the soft golden hair on the top of his head. They had made an impulse decision when they had adopted a senior pet, but he had immediately gotten the energy of a puppy when he was in a house that actually cared for him and gave him the attention that he needed.

He got a lick to his face for his troubles before Rover ran off to do whatever it was that he did when they let him outside in the morning. Carefully, Mouser tilted his head up so that he could see his partners and take in what they were doing. Millie was dressed in a pair of baggy blue sweatpants that had the heels walked off and a large sleep shirt that Mouser was half sure was his. Keys was wearing a pair of tartan flannel sleep shorts that they had gotten him as a gag gift for his birthday and nothing else.

They looked towards each other as they stepped out onto the deck, saying something that Mouser wasn’t able to make out because of how far away he was. He was kind of relieved about it, even though he usually liked being in the know about everything that was going on around him. He wasn’t sure that his already fragile mind was going to be able to handle them rejecting him or realizing how much they loved each other over him.

The moment that thought popped into his head, he wasn’t able to resist the cringe that forced its way over his features. The entire point of him getting up and going outside was to find out what was bothering him so much about what had happened yesterday and why. He hadn’t thought that it would come to him when he saw the very people that had caused the emotion, however.

Jealousy wasn’t something that had a place in polyamorous relationships. Of course, it was a human emotion and thus it was likely to crop up every now and again. The difference between polyamorous and monogamous relationships was that jealousy was supposed to be addressed as soon as the person feeling it realized what was happening to avoid situations that blew up and shattered the whole dynamic into pieces.

He wasn’t sure that what he was feeling was actually jealousy, however. It had a lot of the hallmarks, like the tight stomach and sour feeling in his heart, but it was also different. He felt a fluttering in his ears like his heart was beating too hard and his throat felt tight with anxiety. He was nervous and insecure, he realized with a start.

Mouser had been so wrapped up in his own head that he hadn’t even noticed the duo making their way down the steps of the deck and carefully over the stone path that led through the untouched dirt and woodchips to their patch of grass. They settled down beside him, both of them facing towards him while half of their body was pressed against the other. It made the anxiety he had already been experiencing increase tenfold.

“What are you doing up so early?” Millie asked, rubbing her eye awkwardly. She reached out and took his coffee cup like it was the most natural thing in the world. Given how much of the stuff that they consumed and the fact that they were often too busy to make more than a single mug, it was. It always had been, even before they had gotten together.

Some of the insecurity that had been brewing inside of him settled when he saw her realization that he had made it according to his tastes and not hers. She made a face so that her mouth was a tight line and her nose was wrinkled cutely. Keys took his coffee black, Millie took hers with cream and two sugars, and Mouser took his with french vanilla syrup or blueberry cobbler creamer.

“I just came out here to think,” he answered after a second, offering them both a small shrug.

“What’s on your mind, then?” Keys asked. He took the coffee cup from Millie and took a sip, making the same face that she had before it finished the circle and ended up back in Mouser’s waiting hands.

He didn’t answer them right away, instead turning his head so that he could watch their golden retriever digging through the remnants of the flowerbed meant for him. He really should have taken them up on the offer to plant something there so that the outside of the house looked just as much like he owned it as it did for them. He didn’t really know why he hadn’t, his mother would have loved to give him advice about the best types of flowers and what they meant.

Millie reached out and then knocked her foot against his leg. It made his attention snap back to her in a second, like he wasn’t always thinking about her. She was cutest when she had just woken up, that was something that he had decided a long time ago. She had her hair back in a ponytail that was partially falling loose around her face and the hickies they had left on her the week prior were peaking out over the massive shirt that she was wearing. She kept having to stifle her yawns and her eyes would droop before she blinked.

“What?” he asked, forgetting the question that she had just asked.

Keys and Millie shared a look with each other, which was also something that they did whenever they were being interviewed about their company. That insecure feeling broke through Mouser’s walls again and wrapped its fist around his stomach so that he actually felt sick.

“Come on, kitten, don’t make us crack in your code like you’re a glitching AI in our game,” Keys chuckled.

The nickname made his cheeks flame to life. It was supposed to be a joke about the nickname that he used in place of the one that he was given by his parents. They had tried to call him ‘Keyboard’ and a number of other computer related parts in the beginning of their relationship as they tried to find something that they could keep just for them, but they found that it was too confusing given what they worked with every day. He was okay with it, especially since they hadn’t gone with the dog breeds that were specifically bred to hunt mice.

He let out a small sigh and then drained the rest of his coffee. The sugar and caffeine worked together as they hit his system so that he felt more awake and able to actually articulate his feelings. “I’m thinking about the proposal.”

“What about it?” Millie asked. She shuffled forward on the grass so that they both had their legs folded and she was able to take his hand. Keys stayed where he was, watching them both with careful eyes so that he could see where he fit in. Mouser related to that a lot, he felt as though he had been doing that every second that he had been in the relationship instead of just physically like his boyfriend was doing now.

“I just…” he paused and had to clear his throat. The words were sticking in his mouth like toffee, uncomfortable and coating his teeth with a taste he wasn’t fond of. It was so hard to be vulnerable and real with them in the way that this kind of conversation required, but he was trying to force it out of where it was stuck. Mouser decided to stare down at where Millie was holding his hand so that he didn’t have to meet those beautiful, sleepy eyes of hers as he admitted, “I’m kind of wondering where I’m going to fit in when the two of you are married and I’m not.”

Millie jerked back very suddenly and it made Mouser raise his head from where he had bowed it so that he could see what was going on. Her bright blue eyes were now wide open and she looked like she had just consumed a whole bag of espresso beans. She whirled around so that she was facing their partner and then said, “Keys!”

“Shit, I mean, fuck,” he began patting his pockets like he was searching for something.

“Why would you have it on you right now? We just got out of bed!” Millie screeched. She was moving on her hands and knees as she made her way over to him so that she could smack his shoulder. “You made him worry for nothing, go and get it right now!”

Mouser didn’t think that he had ever been as confused as he currently was. His boyfriend and girlfriend were always like that with each other, which showed just how long they had known the other, but they very rarely got that upset about anything. He also had no idea why his admission would be making them act like that, but he supposed that there was a chance he was so unimportant that they hadn’t even been actually listening to what he said.

Keys scrambled to his feet as he said, “Yes, okay, yeah.”

He had only just disappeared into the house when Millie turned around. “I’m so sorry that you were feeling like this and we didn’t figure it out. We just got so wrapped up in the announcements that I guess it slipped Keys’ mind. If I had been in charge of it then I wouldn’t have forgotten at all.”

He still wasn’t completely aware of what she was talking about, but he knew that was true. Keys and Millie were the heads of their company and Mouser was under them as their head manager since he had no knowledge about how to run a company and really wasn’t interested in it. Millie was the one that remembered all of their meetings and everything that they had said. Mouser was half convinced that Keys would be walking into doors and getting lost in server rooms if she wasn’t there to direct him towards where he was meant to be going.

The aforementioned man came running back to where his partners were sitting down and then flopped beside them. “So you already know about the ring that I got for Millie when I proposed to her but what you don’t know and were supposed to find out about last night before I promptly forgot after all the interview requests that we started getting,” he began before anyone else could speak. Usually that fact would put their partner out of sorts, but this time she just stared at him with a fond smile on her face.

He pulled a velvet box similar to the one that had been on top of his dresser for the last two months, the one that Mouser had assumed he had presented to Millie during their date. “I was already planning on proposing to Millie after talking to you about it when we went on that nice date at the arcade, but when I went into the jewelry shop so that I could pick something out for her, the only thing that I could think about was you. So I picked this up and figured that I could propose to you and we could get married in the eyes of our friends and family or just Rover even if we can’t get married legally,” he rambled.

Mouser didn’t say anything as he reached out and took the box from his partner. He opened it up and saw that there was a hardy silver band engraved with little slashes where gemstones might have gone if the buyer had wanted it. It was practical but still weighty enough that he would always remember it was there when he had it on.

The thought came to him so quickly he hadn’t even realized that he was having it. He glanced up at Keys with wide eyes just as the other man asked, “So what do you say?”

“What do I say?” he snorted, raising both of his eyebrows. “I told you that I was feeling insecure in our relationship and you fucking proposed to me. That’s the most us shit ever, Keys.”

Keys let his shoulders fall as he laughed eagerly. “I was so worried that you were going to say no because I forgot.”

“You forget everything,” Millie teased with their shared fiance nodding alongside her.

Their conversation continued even after they were joined by their rambunctious dog. Mouser made an internal note that he should contact his therapist about better ways to handle those kinds of feelings and then settled into the love that came with being around his partners. This was a problem that wasn’t going to go away for a while, maybe ever, but for now the demons had been forced back by the heavy metal weight on his ring finger.

#fanfiction #fanfic #writing #ao3 #archive of our own #free guy #millie rusk #walter mckey #mouser #mouser x keys #keys x mouser #keys x millie #millie x keys #millie x mouser #mouse x millie #a duo of three fic

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anxiety-elemental-kay · 1 year ago

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Silly 'What Was Taken' fic thoughts

I haven't really talked or even shared my fic much on Tumblr, which I'd like to change, because babbling random nonsense that might never appear in a thing I write is good for me as a writer, and it's fun to share!

One of my two major Trigun fic projects is a series I'm calling "What Was Taken, What Was Restored", which started as a oneshot that grew out of hand. It's based on Stampede, and the premise is that episode 11/12 had additional consequences for Vash. When Wolfwood finds "Eriks" two years later there's a little boy with blond hair and blue eyes with him named Alex, who's Vash's "little brother".

The first draft of the first oneshot was written after episode 11 came out, as a way to explore my own tokophobia and the Shrimp Emotions that episode gave me. (I had to go lie down somewhere dark and quiet after watching that episode for the first time.) So while exploring those darker themes and the complicated and contradictory emotions everyone feels is what's compelling to write... I'm also starting to think about the possibility for Shenanigans. It's not really Trigun if there isn't some buffoonery going on.

Local kids curious about the strange man in the red coat, maybe even wondering if that's the scary demon man the grown-ups keep talking about. But there's a kid with him so maybe he's not that bad? It turns into a kickball game with Vash and Alex on opposite sides, and while it all remains friendly the two do get competitive. It all ends after Alex's team loses and he declares siege on his big brother and all the kids tackle him 'Get Down Mr. President' style.

The gang finds they have a little extra money and are debating what to do with it when Vash and Alex start chanting "Donuts! Donuts! Donuts!"

Wolfwood takes Vash aside later to chastise him about childhood nutrition and dental care.

To no one's surprise Vash retains none of this. (On the one hand, he's got a lot going on. On the other, you and the kid need to eat yer damn vegetables dammit Spikey)

While the gang is walking somewhere, Alex starts flagging and falling behind. Without a word, Wolfwood adjusts his hold on the Punisher, and kneels down so Alex can hop on his back for a piggyback ride.

Behind them Meryl and Vash start muttering to each other about how Wolfwood never offers them piggyback rides.

Milly, who knows her mentor has a history with Vash and Wolfwood and needs time and privacy to talk to them, rents them a special room for the night and announces this when she hands Meryl the key. She even says she'll babysit Alex for as long as they need time to themselves!! Meryl, Vash, and Wolfwood are all various shades of embarrassed, then Milly gets flustered oh no I didn't mean to imply anything I just wanted to make sure you had some space to yourselves!!!

Alex isn't oblivious to those implications but his primary concern is "Vash STOP going off to have grown-up talks with these people!!! You're always sad after, YOU KEEP MAKING MY BIG BROTHER SAD!!!"

Meryl promises she won't make Vash sad.

Immediately breaks this promise.

When the three come back down later to rejoin Milly and Alex, Vash is still crying and the kid is about to lose his mind. "I SAID NO SAD BIG BROTHER!!" "Alex, it's okay, they're happy tears, everything worked out - " "I'M BANNING GROWN-UP TALKS"

Mashwood do end up together, and are generally more subtle about their affection/getting together to bang. This is primarily because whenever Meryl, Vash, and/or Wolfwood show any kind of affection in public/around their group Alex is in the background making an "ew kissing" face. (Ace/aro Milly is low-key in agreement with him.)

#kay writes things #not putting this in the main tag #since what was taken is overall pretty dark #not confident sharing that too far and wide yet

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lastarabesque · 5 years ago

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smoker: 2/2 (final)

part one

a kid milli scenario where you want him to stop smoking but he’s that hard headed bastard

he loves you though

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catmonk · 3 years ago

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Masterlist

Batman All Media

Bruised Waynes: The one where his kids drive him insane.

Part One Part Two

Wednesday

No I in denial: Wednesday discovers a river in Egypt regarding her roommate.

Part One

Code Geass

Pain in the neck: It's Halloween and Milly Ashford is at it again, join the student council as they suffer through awkward flirting

Oneshot

Twisted Wonderland

At the Kraken of Dawn: Jamil gets kidnapped in the place of Kalim by an awkward pirate

Prologue

Sometimes Its a Hit or a Hiss: You suddenly find yourself the owner of one naga named Jamil Viper

Part one Part two Part three (FIN)

Gimme Some Sugar: oh dear oh no you catch the attention of floyd leech...and its sexy?

Part One Part One Continued

Spy x Family

Straight As A Spy: the world's smallest psychic is nothing if not entertained by both of her fathers

Part One Part Two Note

The Arcana

Morning with Asra: a nice domestic moment

One Shot

Hunter x Hunter

Adventure Awaits: Killua runs away and you have to track him down, (relationship pairing undecided and i don't know if i'll continue)

Part One

#masterlist #the arcana #hunter x hunter #twisted wonderland #code geass #wendesday addams #batfamily #batfam

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fnafstuffiguesslol · 3 years ago

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Requests

Heyo! This blog is gonna be a blog I have for FNaF x Reader stuff. Here is what you may request!

~What I’ll write~

Headcanons

Every once in a while I will do a oneshot **RARELY**

I might do scenarios

I will do:

*Character X Reader

*Female reader

*Gender Neutral reader

*More than 2 characters (as in the character and the reader. Basically what I'm saying is, for example, if you wanted Bonnie x Reader x Chica or something. I personally don't like that specific ship too much but I'd try to figure something out. Heck, maybe I'd even do Bonnie, Freddy and Foxy x Reader or some thing similar if you wanted. Thats basically all I'm saying.)

*Child x Child reader

I wont do:

*Adult X Child (like bro why the hell-)

*18+/NSFW or anything related

*Reader that changed gender (born a male but changes to female or the other way around) **not because I dislike people like that, I just don’t know how to write like that and never have (and even if I tried, I don’t feel the most comfortable with doing it for personal reasons, sorry :P)**

*Male reader (never wrote for a male reader before (I’m a girl and have only wrote for gender neutral/female reader.))

*Angst/Anything sad [thought may make a few exceptions! Depends on the request though]

~Characters~

FNAF 1:

Freddy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Bonnie - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Chica - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Foxy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Golden Freddy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

FNAF 2:

Toy Freddy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Toy Bonnie - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Toy Chica - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Mangle - Male or Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Puppet - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Balloon Boy - Male -

-Platonic (or romantic in a way)

Withered Freddy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Withered Bonnie - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Withered Chica - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Withered Foxy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

FNAF 3:

SpringTrap - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

FNAF 4:

Nightmare Freddy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Nightmare Bonnie -Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Nightmare Chica - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Nightmare Foxy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Plushtrap - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

NightMarionne - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

FNAF Sister Location:

Circus Baby - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

**AU only** BidyBab(s) - Female -

-Platonic

Funtime Foxy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Funtime Freddy - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

**AU only** BonBon - Female -

-Platonic

**AU only** Bonnet - Female -

-Platonic

Ballora - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

**AU only** MiniReena(s) - Female -

-Platonic

Ennard - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

FNAF VR:

Glitchtrap - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

FNAF Security Breach:

Adding soon :P

Pizzeria Simulator:

Adding soon :P

Fazbear Frights Book Characters:

Oswald [Into The Pit] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Spring Bonnie [Into The Pit] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Millie [Count The Ways] - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Funtime Freddy [Count The Ways] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Greg [FETCH] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Fetch [FETCH] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Alec [Lonely Freddy] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Lonely Freddy (Alec as Lonely Freddy) - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Oscar [Out Of Stock] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Isaac [Out Of Stock] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Raj [Out Of Stock] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Plushtrap Chaser [Out Of Stock] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Delilah [1:35 A.M.] - Female -

-Platonic or Romantic

Ella [1:35 A.M.] - Female -

Stanley [Room For One More] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Devon [The New Kid] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Kelsey [The New Kid] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Mick [The New Kid] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Pete [Step Closer] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Chuck [Step Closer] - Male -

-Platonic or Romantic

Note about Fazbear Frights:

For the kid characters, the reader will be around that character’s age so it isn’t.... ehhhhh.. ya know.. ALSO, I’m getting the next books of Fazbear Frights and will add the characters I want to add to the requests eventually. Currently I’m on the fifth book, currently reading ‘Bunny Call’, at around page 50 something.

Note:

Characters that are younger, such as the Fazbear Frights characters or Balloon Boy and Gregory (if I add Gregory lol), will only be romantic if the reader is near that character's age.

Note:

"AU only” means I will only do my AU versions which is basically just me making human designs and giving them personalities to characters. You can request my AU version (human) or normal version.

Note:

Wont do yanderes (I just have a feeling somebody would request it, and I don't want to have to tell them no just because I forgot to put it in here or something.)

#FNAF #FNAF Fazbear Frights #Fazbear Frights #FNAF 1 #FNAF 2 #FNAF 3 #FNAF 4 #FNAF Sister Location

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nicknellie · 4 years ago

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@millie-andrews-rose requested: Alex gets put with a bully on a paired project, so Willie goes with him when they work on it to help him stay calm. Willie and the boy bond over skateboarding and Alex gets jealous, causing an argument between them. The boy then apologises to Alex for being so awful. Alex and Willie make up and it ends with their first “I love you”s. (This was edited/simplified just to make it shorter.)

This is the longest oneshot I’ve ever written and I absolutely love it. I really hope I’ve done you proud, especially since this was such a great prompt! Thanks!

And It’s Not My Fault

Alex adored projects. He loved having something big to focus on, a goal to work towards, something to keep him preoccupied. Any big time-consuming task was a lot of fun for him whether it was a five-thousand-piece jigsaw puzzle or work for school worth a large part of his grade. There was, however, a single word that could be placed before the ‘project’ that would instantly transform it from Alex’s dream to his worst nightmare.

The word wasn’t ‘group’ as it would be for a lot of people. Alex liked group projects almost as much as he liked solo projects. Group projects were what he did with Julie, Luke, and Reggie almost every day, jamming in the studio and working towards having a complete set list in time for an upcoming gig. Group projects were what he occasionally did with Carrie and the girls of Dirty Candi when he would assist them with some choreography. Group projects were even tolerable with people Alex didn’t know well because he knew how they were supposed to work and usually he could convince everyone to do their fair share. So group projects were fine.

The word the ruined any chance of Alex having fun was ‘paired’.

Paired projects were the worst type of project. They always spelled trouble and Alex had never got a decent grade on one in his whole school career. It never felt like his fault, but when he thought about it he was the common denominator in every nightmare paired project scenario, so he had long ago decided that there must be something about paired projects that he was simply doing wrong.

Maybe it was that he wasn’t good one-on-one. Alex had always functioned better in groups (albeit small ones that couldn’t be overwhelming) and being face to face with just one person could be stressful. It was fine if it was a friend, and more than fine if it was his boyfriend, but when alone with a stranger Alex found himself running out of things to say and having nowhere to turn when the awkward silences set in. Or if he didn’t run out of things to say he would eventually say the wrong thing and that would start an entirely new alarm bell ringing in his mind as he panicked about accidentally being offensive. Overall, conversations without his emotional support band could be frustrating at best and somewhat dangerous at worst.

Perhaps it was true that Alex was the link in all these situations, but what he had always failed to consider was the fact that he had never been paired in a project with somebody who was actually willing to try and do well, which perhaps was a more prominent reason he’d never received a decent grade.

Alex had been having a good day. He was feeling bright for no reason in particular – needlessly optimistic days like this were his favourite, even though they usually were followed by needlessly pessimistic days as all those bad feelings caught up with him at once. Still, by now Alex had learnt to clutch that senseless joy while it was there and relish it before it was gone.

The joy was gone by noon.

“Alright, class,” Ms Osbourne said, clapping her hands to gain the class’s attention.

Alex hated his English classes. While he was good at English and rather enjoyed the subject itself, his class was rowdy and unruly and made it difficult to concentrate, while Ms Osbourne was a teacher so strict that if someone so much as thought about breaking a rule she would be able to sniff it out like a dog – but her bark was worse than her bite, and while she would shout an unnatural amount she rarely doled out punishments. The combination made for a lesson that was purely people shouting and no work being done.

The class quieted to a steady hum of chatter which was usually as silent as Ms Osbourne could get it. She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes, and continued. “Seeing as the end of the semester is coming up, I’m going to be setting you a project that will be worth forty percent of your grade. Essentially, it’s your final exam on our study of Macbeth.”

Alex perked up a little. He had been assigned projects for a lot of classes, but English projects were always the most enjoyable – they involved a lot of writing, which most people hated, but Alex found therapeutic; the only downside was that the source material was usually dreadfully dull. Still, Alex suddenly found himself looking forward to it.

And then she had to go and ruin it.

“I will tell you your assigned partners at the end of the lesson.”

Alex felt himself deflate and heaved a sigh. It had been too good to be true. Now he was going to be stuck on some boring project with a random student from his awful English class because he had no friends in this lesson and it was going to be horrible. It was all he could do to not let his head fall onto the table and scream in furious defeat.

It was on his mind all lesson. Who he was going to be with, what specific things the project would be on, how he could get out of it. His mind was buzzing with questions, building up energy that released itself by making his leg bounce up and down. Several times he found himself tapping out a rhythm on the table like it was his drumkit, his bouncing leg acting as if it was pounding the bass drum, and he had to force himself to stop and actually pay attention to the lesson.

The end came painfully slowly. The school bell rang and most of the students were up out of their seats immediately, ready to leave.

“Hang on,” Ms Osbourne yelled. “Everyone sit back down! I need to tell you your partners for the upcoming project.”

Alex listened attentively as she reeled off a list of names. Most people let out an annoyed groan when they found out they weren’t with a friend, and there was the occasional excited, “Yay!”

Alex knew he wouldn’t be one of the ones celebrating.

“Alex Mercer,” Ms Osbourne said eventually, pushing her glasses further up her tiny nose. “Your partner is Harry Reynolds.”

“Oh god,” Alex murmured. He felt his stomach squirm just as somebody kicked the back of his chair so hard that he jolted forward and nearly whacked his face on the table. The person laughed a moment later, obnoxiously loud, begging for retaliation – Alex didn’t dare turn around to look at them.

He knew already that it was Harry Reynolds sat behind him who had kicked his chair. His project partner, and possibly the worst person in the class that it could have been. For reasons unknown to Alex, Harry had always had it out for him. In middle school he had pushed Alex down a flight of stairs and he had landed unceremoniously in a trash can – Harry had started calling him Bin Boy and the nickname had stuck for a year afterwards; Harry was the only one who used it anymore though. Since then, Harry had just been a general jerk towards him, and upon hearing that they were going to be partners, Alex’s whole body told him to run.

Run where? Alex thought. This wasn’t a problem he could run from. Besides, Harry could probably run faster.

“Looks like it’s you and me, Bin Boy,” came Harry’s voice from behind. “I’m sure we’ll have loads of fun.”

Ms Osbourne finally finished listing pairs and then announced, “These partners are non-negotiable. I will not indulge any requests to switch for any reason. Life isn’t fair, sometimes we have to work with people we don’t like. Get used to it. Now go on, you’re already late for your next class.”

Alex wasn’t usually one to ignore instructions, but as the rest of the class filed out into the hallway he remained behind. He didn’t know what he was planning to say to Ms Osbourne, but he desperately needed to find a way out of the project, or at least switch partners.

“Go on, Alex,” Ms Osbourne said, “you’re going to be late.”

He swallowed thickly and said, “Miss, I was just wondering about the proj–”

“You’re not swapping partners,” she returned sternly. “I’ve already said this. I won’t make any allowances.”

“But, Miss, I can’t work with him,” Alex protested. She raised her eyebrows and started walking around the room, putting sheets on each table for her next class. Alex followed her as she went. “He hates me! It’s going to be awful.”

“Well, maybe the two of you can use this as a way to bond and get to know each other better, hm?”

“Miss, please,” Alex said, his desperation finally rearing its ugly head in his voice. He could feel his legs shaking and his hands wringing themselves together and his head tingling in a way he couldn’t describe, and finally he broke. “He has it out for me and I don’t even know why! He’s been awful to me ever since we were kids, he tries to pick fights with me, he calls me names. Last year he chased me around the field with a baseball bat for a whole PE lesson! If I have to work with him I’ll just end up panicking – or dead, that’s also a possibility – and the project will go terribly and I’ll fail the class. Please can I just work by myself?”

Ms Osbourne’s expression softened as she look at Alex over her glasses. For a moment, Alex’s hopes were raised just that tiny bit – maybe he had got through to her, maybe she would see sense.

But then her face turned to stone again.

“No,” she spat. “What you can do is figure out with Harry when the two of you are going to work on this project and how you’re going to go about it. And you can get to your next class.” She turned away with a cold air of finality. Alex could have sworn he actually felt chills.

Without a word, Alex heaved his bag onto his shoulder and made his way out of the classroom, crushed and dejected. He stared down at his feet as he walked and tried not to think about what the next few weeks could have in store for him.

Lunch couldn’t have come sooner. After what felt like an eternity, Alex finally made his way down to the cafeteria to meet up with his friends. If there was any one thing that was guaranteed to cheer Alex up when he was in a bad mood, it was the good company of his band and his boyfriend.

The rest of the group was already sat at their usual table when Alex arrived in the cafeteria; just seeing them laughing and joking together put the tiniest hint of a smile of his face. He headed over to them, but was stopped in his tracks by somebody stood in front of him – it was Harry Reynolds.

The boy had his arms crossed over his massive chest and was leering down at Alex with an expression of disgust. Alex tried to look past him at his friends, to get their attention, to ask for help, but they hadn’t seen him. Instead, he forced himself to look up into Harry’s brutish face and try not to squirm.

“Partners, huh?” Harry grunted. “I’m failing English so you’ll need to get us a good grade.”

“That’s the plan,” Alex said, willing his voice not to shake. It wasn’t that he was too frightened or intimidated by Harry, it was just the fact that he really didn’t feel like getting chucked in a bin today. One wrong move and he could consider that a real possibility.

“Be at my place on Saturday at one. Bring all your notes – I don’t have any.”

“I can’t do Saturday,” Alex told him, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I have band practise.”

Harry took a step closer. Alex couldn’t move back – his feet were rooted to the spot. “You think I care about your dopey little band practise? You’ll be there. That’s that.”

Alex swallowed, nodded hurriedly, and finally forced himself to take a step back so that he wasn’t chest to chest with Harry. “I’ll be there,” he echoed, still nodding.

Harry snarled, condescendingly patted Alex on the head, and walked off. Alex took a moment to collect himself, to breathe, to remind himself that he was okay and he wasn’t hurt, that Harry hadn’t done anything. He steadied himself and kept walking towards his friends, trying to mask the worry on his face.

Of course, he failed miserably.

The moment Alex sat down in his usual space between Willie and Luke, Willie took his hand, watching him with concern. “Hey,” Willie said gently, “what’s up?”

Julie, Luke, and Reggie immediately stopped their conversation, turning to face Alex and Willie. Alex hated the way they were looking at him, like he’d break if they dropped him, but it wasn’t like he could ask them to stop caring – instead, he looked at each of them, trying and failing to give them a reassuring smile before he spoke.

“Nothing,” Alex said, “nothing, it’s just… just this project for English.”

Luke sighed dramatically. “Has your class got that stupid Shakespeare assignment too? I get it, bro, it’s totally pointless–”

“No,” Alex interrupted quietly. “No, that’s not it. Well, kind of. Yeah, we’ve got the Shakespeare assignment but that’s not… not the problem.”

“What is it?” Willie prompted gently when Alex didn’t continue.

Alex shrugged. “It’s stupid.”

Julie leaned over the table and grasped Alex’s other hand. “Alex, your feelings are not stupid.”

She smiled warmly. Funny things happened when Julie smiled – when she did it to Luke, it wasn’t uncommon for him to literally trip over himself; when she did it to Reggie, it made him smile in return for hours on end; and when she did it to Alex, it gave him such overwhelming confidence that for a moment or two he could truly do anything.

“It’s just that we were assigned partners and I got stuck with Harry Reynolds,” he admitted, clutching Willie and Julie’s hands tighter. “It’s nothing and I shouldn’t be worried but–”

“It’s not nothing,” Willie said. Alex couldn’t quite read his expression – it looked to be something between sympathy and outrage. “That guy is the worst. Did you talk to your teacher about it?”

Alex nodded gravely. “She wouldn’t let me switch.”

“How much did you tell her?” Willie asked.

“What I thought would have been enough,” he replied, shrugging like it was nothing. “But it wasn’t.”

“She should be fired for that,” Reggie interjected. Everyone turned to look at him. “I’m just saying – if by ‘enough’ you mean that you told her what a jerk he’s been to you then she should follow that up and treat it like an issue instead of making you work with him.”

What would have been wise words were ruined slightly by the fact that Reggie spoke them around a mouthful of pizza.

“Reggie’s right,” Julie said, “she’s definitely in the wrong here.”

“I know that,” Alex told them, because he did, that much was obvious. “But it’s a little late for that now. I’m stuck with him.”

Willie clutched his hand tighter, threaded their fingers together. Alex leaned to the side, rested his head on Willie’s shoulder. Julie let go of his hand and Willie immediately picked it up – he smiled a little at both of them.

“I know saying it’s all going to be okay won’t help,” Willie whispered to him, “but you’ve got to try and believe that it will. And if it isn’t, I am just one call away. If you need anything – I mean anything – you call me and I will be there. Okay?”

Alex’s tense muscles relaxed the tiniest bit. “Okay,” he muttered back. “That’s okay.”

Willie kissed the top of his head and a fraction of Alex’s anxiety lifted. Willie would be there when he needed him no matter what. That was something he could always count on.

Luke hadn’t been happy when Alex had called him early on Saturday morning to tell him he wouldn’t be coming to band practise that day. He had given Alex a half-hour-long earful about how they had a gig coming up in a few days’ time and they needed to be rehearsing like crazy. It hadn’t been pleasant for Alex in the slightest, but at least it had been a welcome distraction from the other thing on his mind, the reason he had had to cancel band practise in the first place.

It was the day he was supposed to go to Harry’s house to work on their project. Alex had hardly slept the night before – he had lay awake in bed for hours, tossing and turning, trying to empty his mind and relax, but sleep just wouldn’t come. At half past two he had crept downstairs and made a batch of brownies using a recipe of his grandmother’s. At the time he’d thought that maybe he could use them to placate Harry once he got to his house, but he’d accidentally ended up stress-eating the entire batch instead.

He felt sick, but couldn’t tell if it was the brownies or the anxiety. Probably an unhealthy mix of both, he decided.

But he had passed the first hurdle and he told himself to be proud of that – he had arrived outside Harry’s house. It was a small bungalow on a road that led nowhere and Alex was struck by how normal it looked. It didn’t look like the sort of place somebody like Harry Reynolds should have lived; Harry was larger than life, tall and brooding, moody and mean – this house looked as if its occupants sold flowers and rescued kittens in their spare time.

Despite the outward appearances of the house, Alex was almost certain that he was in the right place. The front window seemed to show Harry’s bedroom because through it Alex could see innumerable trophies, all for different sporting events; a large stack of magazines (Alex was sure he could already guess what each contained); and a small enclosure that looked to Alex unbearably similar to a tank that might house a snake or a spider or any other creature that Alex would have preferred stayed thousands of miles away from him where it belonged.

He could not make himself walk into the house.

He had been trying for almost fifteen minutes and had walked past the house almost thirty times. He had counted his steps and was somewhere near eight thousand. His mind was racing, shooting through a hundred anxieties before Alex had the chance to dwell on any of them – maybe that was for the best. But it didn’t help the fact that he could not force his legs to walk in the direction of the door.

The worries stopping him weren’t even big ones like ‘What if he tries to hurt me?’ which Alex stressed over every time he interacted with Harry. It was the little things and the impossible things pricking the back of his mind like needles: What if he doesn’t answer the door? What if nobody’s home? What if I’m at the wrong house? What if he’s changed his mind? What if I got the wrong day? What if I got the wrong time? What if he’s not actually my project partner? What if… What if… What if…

What if I call Willie?

Alex blessed his brain for having its first sensible thought that day. He fished his phone out his pocket and called Willie, who picked up after one ring.

“Hey,” Willie said, “what’s up, hotdog?”

“I, um… I’m at Harry’s house. I can’t go inside.”

“Why not?” Willie asked. “Is the door locked? Are they out?”

Alex shook his head although Willie couldn’t see him. “No. I don’t think so. It’s just… I… I can’t do it.”

“What do you mean you can’t do it?” Willie asked patiently.

“I can’t go inside,” Alex repeated. With his free hand, he tugged at the strap of his fanny pack, fiddling with the buckle where it lay over his chest. “I can’t go up to the door. I’ve been trying for, like, twenty minutes and every time I try my head starts buzzing and my legs go numb and I’m starting to feel really sick now because I ate an entire batch of brownies meant for at least ten people and I can’t do this–”

“Okay,” Willie interrupted. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Breathe, Alex. Remember the breathing exercises we went over? Breathe in for four and out for six. Come on, hotdog, you’ve got this.”

Alex did as he said, taking great shuddering breaths of bitter air and releasing them slowly. Willie kept talking him through it, slowly, softly, kindly, and after about ten minutes Alex felt refreshed. Not necessarily worry-free, but his mind had cleared a little bit.

“Okay,” Willie said. “That was great, well done. Can you give me this guy’s address?”

Alex gave it to him.

“Luckily for you, that’s just down the road from where I am right now,” Willie said, chipper. Alex could hear the smile in his voice and it almost made him smile himself. Almost. “I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll go inside with you, if that’s what you want?”

Alex breathed a haggard, relieved sigh. “Yes. Please. If you don’t mind. Thank you, Willie.”

Willie gave a small chuckle. “Any time, hotdog. You know I’d do anything for you. I’ll see you in a minute.”

And he hung up.

Alex waited, still doing his breathing exercises, but didn’t need to wait long. Hardly five minutes later, Willie rolled up (literally – he was on his skateboard) and gave him a bright smile. Alex didn’t hesitate before lurching forward and pulling him into a hug.

“Thank you, Willie,” he whispered. “I really appreciate it.”

Willie’s response was simply to hug him tighter.

Together, hands clasped tightly between them, Willie with his board tucked under his arm, they made their way up to the bungalow’s front door. Alex swallowed, steeled himself, and then firmly knocked on the door. When nobody answered it in the first five seconds, Alex told Willie, “This is a bad idea,” and tried to turn away to leave.

However, Willie just pulled him back and a moment later the door opened. On the threshold of the house was Harry, staring down at Alex and Willie. Something about him wasn’t quite as nightmarish as it was at school, yet at the same time Alex was much more afraid. He held Willie’s hand tighter.

Harry nodded in Willie’s direction. “Who’s this, Bin Boy? You brought your boyfriend?”

“Actually, yeah,” Willie said, speaking for Alex. He was glad – his throat felt thick and he didn’t think he could have summoned up any words if he tried. “I’m Willie. I’ve heard about you.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? What?”

“Just a few things,” Willie said nonchalantly. “Nothing important. Anyway, I was in the neighbourhood and Alex and I are set to hang out when he’s done here anyway so I thought I’d come along. Is that alright with you?”

“It’s fine,” Harry returned with a shrug. Then his eyes landed on something and his entire expression changed. Alex didn’t think he’d ever seen Harry look like this before. Could it have been what he thought it was: excitement? “Bro! You skate?”

Willie lifted his board half-heartedly. “This isn’t just for decoration.”

Harry grinned, clapping Willie on the shoulder so hard that his hand dropped from Alex’s. “Dude, that’s sick, I do too. Come on, get inside, man.”

Harry headed back into the house and Willie followed him. Alex took a moment to wonder what the hell that had been, then took a deep breath and hurried after them. When he caught up with Willie he grabbed his hand again. Willie just smiled bemusedly up at him.

Harry led them to his bedroom and beckoned them towards his desk.

“Come look at this,” Harry said. “I had a photo taken with Tony Hawk last year!”

Alex perched himself right on the edge of the bed awkwardly as Willie went over to inspect the framed photo.

“Are you sure that’s Tony Hawk?” Willie asked. “Doesn’t look like him.”

Harry shook his head. “You’ve got to imagine he’s holding a skateboard, then you’ll see it.”

Alex watched Willie squint at the photo for a moment or two longer, then he gasped and, to Alex’s horror, began to smile. “Oh, wait… yeah, kinda. That’s awesome, dude!”

“Yeah! Anyway, how long have you been skating for?”

As Willie answered, Alex zoned out of the conversation. Ordinarily, he loved listening to Willie talk about skating – he lit up whenever he explained a new trick he’d learnt, and seeing him flush with pride after he demonstrated it perfectly to Alex always made him feel giddy – but it just wasn’t the same listening to him chat with Harry Reynolds of all people. Alex didn’t even know who that Tony Hawk guy was and it didn’t seem like anyone was about to bother explaining it to him. He would never have admitted it, but listening to Willie talk to Harry was almost annoying.

He busied himself by looking around the room, getting a glimpse at what the real Harry Reynolds was like. At school, Harry was the classic, early-2000s movie jock, on every sports team the school had to offer, constantly bragging about his luck with girls, and picking on people smaller than him (which, because Harry was built like a tree trunk, was pretty much everyone). His room reflected it too; there were even more trophies than Alex had seen through the window, most for football or, unexpectedly, karate, and the walls were plastered in posters displaying buff men and weirdly specific motivational quotes. Only now did Alex notice the skateboards stuck on the wall and the stack of helmets by his bed, as well as several skating posters directly above them.

He turned back to Willie and Harry just in time to hear Willie laugh. Properly laugh, loud and genuine. Willie only laughed like that with his friends and it hearing it in Harry’s room stirred an uneasy feeling in the pit of Alex’s stomach.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, trying to smile.

Willie waved him off. “Don’t worry, hotdog, just a skating joke.”

Harry snickered, shaking his head. “Pretty freaking funny though.”

“Oh,” Alex said. He tried for a laugh but it was the least genuine noise he had ever made – judging by the look Harry sent him, it had been obvious how fake it was to him too. Alex cleared his throat awkwardly. “Shouldn’t we get on with our work? We’re already running behind schedule.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “Shut it, Bin Boy, we’re having a conversation here. You start if you want, I’ll join you whenever.”

Alex sent a look to Willie, eyes wide and pleading. Willie frowned, looking conflicted, but then shrugged.

Willie and Alex didn’t fight often, but Alex wouldn’t have minded giving Willie a piece of his mind right then and there.

He didn’t though. He sighed, shuffled back on the bed so that he could have more room and lean on the mattress, and he started working on the project. It wasn’t too difficult, just an analysis on the themes of Macbeth, something they had gone over in class a hundred times; still, Alex would have appreciated some help, seeing as this was a paired project and he didn’t exactly want to do the whole thing alone.

But it was fine. He kept telling himself that it was completely and utterly fine. But every so often Willie or Harry would laugh or suddenly shout, and the abrupt noise would startle Alex. The third time that happened he accidentally jogged his highlighter so it zigzagged all over his painstakingly neat paragraph on King James I. He gripped his pen so hard that the plastic almost cracked, and set about writing the whole thing again on a new piece of paper.

Alex didn’t know how long he had been working for, but he did know that it had been a hell of a long time and Harry still hadn’t made any effort to help him. He had copied up all his notes on the supernatural, women, ambition, and the Great Chain of Being, all the while Harry had sat there with Willie, not doing anything.

The strange thing was, Alex found himself more angry at Willie than he was at Harry.

Eventually, he checked the time, his hand aching. It was almost five o’clock, which meant he had been working alone for about four hours solidly. He had done pretty much half of the project in that time and was nearing his breaking point – he thought that if he left now he could catch the tail end of band practise and take his frustration out on his drumkit.

Gathering his notes and all his work, Alex said, “I’m going to head out.”

Willie checked the clock on Harry’s desk and then set about clipping his helmet on. “Yeah, we should get going. This was fun, though, man. It was nice to talk to a fellow skater for once.”

“I hear you, dude,” Harry returned. They fist-bumped and Alex physically cringed. “Catch you later.”

Alex didn’t say goodbye, just saw himself out. He didn’t wait for Willie. He simply walked, trying to get out of the house and as far away as possible in as little time as he could. Alex could hear Willie shouting for him to wait up but he didn’t stop.

He felt Willie grab his hand and pull him to a halt, but pulled his hand from Willie’s grasp.

“What’s up with you?” Willie asked, seeming truly bewildered. “I thought that was alright back there, it was relaxed, not stressful. Are you still feeling anxious?”

Alex didn’t answer his question and instead he said with much more venom than he had intended, “What the hell was that?”

Willie looked taken aback. Alex almost felt bad. Almost.

“What was what?”

“In there!” Alex yelled, pointing in the direction of Harry’s house. “You talking to him like you’re best friends! That guy is a jerk, you know that, Willie, so why were you laughing and joking with him as if he’s the nicest guy in the world?”

Willie didn’t look impressed. “Sorry, I was under the impression you wanted me there. I was talking to him to distract from you. That’s what you wanted, right? You were nervous about going so you wanted my help to take the pressure off you. I was helping you, Alex, because that was what you asked me to do!”

“Not like that,” Alex protested. “You weren’t supposed to bond with him, leave me out completely so that I had to do all the work by myself and listen to you two talk about skateboards and… Toby Eagle, or whoever that guy was!”

“It was Tony Hawk. And it’s not my fault that Harry likes skateboarding,” Willie shot back. “It’s also not my fault that I enjoyed talking to someone who shares that interest for once. You listen and you pretend to know what I’m talking about, but it isn’t the same.”

“It didn’t have to be him!”

“Actually, given the circumstances, it did. And like I said – it got the attention off you, so I don’t see why you’re complaining.”

Alex felt his temper rising with each sentence. He never got this upset at Willie, this was a complete first. Sure, they had argued like any couple would, but he had never felt any real anger towards his boyfriend. It frightened him, and that fright stopped him from seeing any sense, taking a step back, calming himself down.

“I didn’t want you to do it like that,” he said, as if it was obvious. It was obvious to Alex – why wasn’t it obvious to Willie?

“I can’t read your mind, Alex,” Willie shouted, pointing at himself. “I don’t know what’s going on in your head!”

“You should know!”

“I don’t! It could be anything! I don’t think you realise that when it comes to you and your anxiety, I’m pretty much flying as blind as you are. Sure, I’ve done my research and I can handle it, but I never know what’s going to trigger you and set you off like earlier today. I may seem prepared, but I don’t know what you’re thinking and I don’t know what you’re going to worry about most. It is not my fault that sometimes I might not handle it in the best way. I’m trying my hardest, Alex.”

“You aren’t the one who has to go through the panic attacks and the constant worry, are you?” Alex seethed.

Willie shrugged. “No, I’m not. But I still worry about you all the time because I don’t know what’s going to set you off.”

“It’s not my fault I have anxiety,” Alex yelled.

“I never said it was! But it’s not my fault either – I dropped everything just to come and help you today and all you’re doing is throwing it right back in my face and arguing with me for helping you out! It’s not my fault that you can’t do these easy things and that you need me to hold your hand all the time!”

Alex froze. Willie did too. The words were out there, they’d been spoken without hesitation. They hung between the two of them like a toxic cloud, as both of them slowly realised the weight those words had held.

Willie broke the silence, reaching out his hand to Alex, trying to bridge that gap between them that had widened impossibly in the last ten seconds. “Alex, I am so sorry, I didn’t mean t–”

Alex stepped back, out of reach from Willie. Willie flinched and he withdrew his hand, instead crossing his arms and rubbing circles by his elbow with his thumb. It was a nervous tick Alex only ever saw when Willie was really stressed out. Normally he would have tried to soothe him, calm him down, but all he could hear were Willie’s words echoing back and forth through his mind.

It’s not my fault that you can’t do these easy things and that you need me to hold your hand all the time!

Alex schooled his features to careful neutrality, not betraying any emotion. It wasn’t hard, seeing as he wasn’t feeling much at that moment anyway, just a cold detachment.

“I heard you,” Alex said quietly. He couldn’t look Willie in the eye. “I heard exactly what you said. I know what you meant.”

“Then you’ve got to know that I wasn’t trying to–”

“I know what you meant,” he repeated. “I’m going back to band practise. I don’t think you should come and watch today.”

He shook his head and, turning on his heel, walked away. He didn’t hear Willie’s footsteps following him this time.

Band practise had helped calm Alex down with a mixture of wrestling his drumkit and talking things out with Julie, Luke, and Reggie. They had all seemed utterly shocked that Willie would say anything like that, but Alex wasn’t so surprised. After all, things like this were what he worried about – being left alone, being disliked by the people he cared for most, being a nuisance, being abandoned. Deep down in the pit of his worst anxieties, he had been worried that something like this could have happened.

He just had never thought it would have come from Willie.

While band helped him calm down, it didn’t help cheer him up. He regretted even bringing the argument up in the first place – if he had ignored his feelings (which Julie had bluntly explained to him were jealousy) then he could have avoided the whole argument. Instead of lying in his cold bed, unable to sleep that night, he could have been curled up with Willie on the couch in the studio, warm and cosy because Willie was like a human radiator.

He knew that neither of them had been fair on each other. He could see Willie’s side of the argument once he had calmed down. But he knew that what he had said was equally valid and he couldn’t get past the scorn in Willie’s voice when he’d said those damning words.

He didn’t hear from Willie all throughout Sunday and didn’t make any moves to contact him himself either. If he did, he had no clue where he would have even begun. Perhaps an apology – but where was he supposed to take the conversation from there?

So Sunday was silent.

Alex was slightly dreading school on Monday, but he wasn’t about to ruin his high grades by not showing up, especially this close to the end of the semester. Grudgingly, he headed to school and went straight to his first lesson, which just so happened to be the lesson from Hell: English.

He arrived there before the rest of the class, including Ms Osbourne, which meant he had time to dwell on his thoughts alone. He probably wasn’t going to fail this class – despite Saturday having been a nightmare, he had managed to get a lot of good work done on the project and it would be of a very high quality when he finally got it finished. But he still had more work to do and he knew that he really ought to do it with Harry. Absently, he pondered whether or not to bring Willie next time he needed to go to Harry’s house.

Talk of the devil, Alex thought as the classroom door swung open and none other than Harry himself sauntered in. He looked at Alex sat there alone, the only other person in the room, and grunted, coming to sit beside him.

Alex didn’t have the energy to be scared of Harry Reynolds today.

“I’ve been looking for you, Mercer,” Harry said conversationally.

“Oh, joy,” Alex deadpanned. Harry looked surprised, probably because Alex wasn’t cowering in fear, but he shrugged it off.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he continued. “I just wanted to say that your boyfriend, that Willie guy, he’s really cool. I mean, the way he was talking about skating the other day – I don’t know if you realise it, man, but he has a real shot at going pro.”

“I know,” Alex spat. “He’s my boyfriend, of course I know. Maybe I don’t skate but I still listen to him. And I know him better than you do.”

Harry held up a hand. “Woah, calm down, Bin B– uh. Alex. I’m just trying to say the guy is really cool and you’re really lucky to have him. And also… talking to him the other day, he said– well, you weren’t listening, were you?”

Alex shook his head.

“We did stop talking about skating at some point, you know,” Harry told him. “Willie was telling me how awesome you are and, you know, explaining why he likes you so much. And I guess it made me realise that I’ve kind of been a jerk to you for a long time – I mean, he literally told me so. He told me to stop being such a douchebag to you.”

Alex grunted. “He’s right. You should stop. It sucks.”

Harry nodded. “I wanted to apologise for it, I guess. I’m sorry for being so nasty to you. I think it’s just because I was young and dumb and I didn’t realise it was hurting you at first, then it just stuck. I kind of always thought it was friendly too – I didn’t think you minded. I thought it was banter.”

“It wasn’t,” Alex said, meeting his eyes. “It never was. I’m terrified of you, you’ve made my life a misery. Thanks for the apology, but it’s no excuse.”

“I know that,” he admitted. “But I just wanted to explain why. I’m going to try my best to be a better guy from now on. It won’t make up for everything I’ve done in the past, but can you give me a chance to get this right?”

Alex considered. Somehow, Harry seemed completely serious. His expression was slightly pleading and he looked a little awkward and uncomfortable to be asking this of Alex, but it seemed real.

So he nodded.

“Fine. Thank you.”

Harry clapped him on the back. “No worries, dude. And, uh… this might not be my place to ask, but are you okay? You look down.”

Alex shrugged. “I had an argument with Willie after we left your place the other day. I’ve not spoken to him since.”

“Was it my fault?” Harry asked.

“Kinda,” Alex told him, shrugging again. “I just… I didn’t like how friendly you two seemed. After everything you’ve done to me in the past, watching him get along with you like it was nothing made me a little mad.”

“Sorry, bro,” Harry said, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m not into him or anything, so you’ve got nothing to worry about there – plus, he’s crazy about you, so even if someone else did like him they’d be out of luck. I just wanted to talk with someone about skating for once, none of my friends are into it.”

“Willie said the same thing,” Alex admitted.

Harry nodded awkwardly. “I don’t have any say in your relationship, but honestly I’m kind of invested in it now and I think you guys should talk it out. I’d hate to think I played some part if you ended up breaking up over this.”

“I don’t want to break up with him,” Alex objected, horrified. The thought of breaking up with Willie, losing him forever, made him feel sick to the stomach.

The rest of the class began filing into the classroom. Harry stood up, shrugged, and then clapped Alex on the shoulder.

“Go talk to him, then.”

Alex, for the first time in his life, took the advice Harry had given him and decided to take that first, absolutely terrifying step towards fixing the break between himself and Willie. If he knew his boyfriend (and he did) then Willie would have gone to the skatepark straight after school, so that was where Alex headed too.

Sure enough, Alex found Willie at the skatepark, sat at the top of the highest ramp. Every now and then, someone on a board would do a trick nail-bitingly close to Willie’s face, but he didn’t flinch even once. He was staring off into the peachy sunset, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Alex climbed up there and sat himself down next to him.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked uneasily.

Willie startled and turned to Alex, caught unawares. “Alex! I thought you–”

Willie didn’t get to finish his sentence because Alex pulled him into a tight, bone-crushing, fierce hug, pouring every last ounce of love and regret into it. He felt Willie hug back with equal force and buried his face into Willie’s long hair. This, he knew, was how it was supposed to be – Alex and Willie, boyfriends who care far too much about each other, not Alex and Willie, boyfriends on the edge of a break-up.

Eventually, Alex withdrew himself and let Willie go mostly, still keeping a tight clutch on his upper arms.

“I am so sorry,” he said, breathless. “I’m sorry for everything I said and for starting the argument and for everything that happened that day.”

Willie shook his head. “Don’t. I’m sorry, I should have realised how talking to Harry like that would have made you feel. It was dumb of me, and I shouldn’t have said such hurtful things to you, and–”

“I get it,” Alex said breezily, “I’m a lot to deal with.”

Desperately, Willie said, “But that’s not what I meant! I can’t explain what I was trying to say, but I wouldn’t change anything about you or our relationship for the world. You mean the everything to me, Alex, and I never want to do something to jeopardise what we have ever again. I’d do anything to take back what I said to you that day.”

Alex pulled him back into the hug, needing to be close to him. “It wasn’t just you. It was both of us. And Harry. But we’ve all apologised now, even him, so we can put this whole thing behind us.”

Willie pulled back, surprised. “He apologised?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, nodding. “Because of you. He said you were going on about how amazing I am and he realised he’d been a jerk.”

Willie blushed the tiniest bit, and playfully punched Alex’s arm. “Well, you are amazing. You’re more than amazing. You’re a miracle and I’m lucky to have you.”

Smiling, Alex cupped Willie’s cheek and gently pulled him in for a kiss. It was soft, slow, and Alex felt like they were glowing, bright and warm and happy. They kissed until every unspoken word had been said, until the last of the orange sunset had ebbed away into night-time blue, until streetlights cast an amber glow across the skatepark, in which they were the only ones left. Alex felt like he was finally at peace, with himself and with Willie.

He pulled back and rested his forehead against Willie’s. “I’m lucky to have you too. I can’t even begin to understand what good luck brought you to me.”

Willie moved back slightly, shuffled further away until he was only holding Alex’s hands, until that was the only point where they touched. Alex missed his warmth.

“Sorry,” Willie giggled, smile bright. “I wanted to be able to look you in the eyes for this.”

“For what?” Alex asked.

Willie’s smile softened. “I love you, Alex. And I’m pretty sure I always will.”

Alex’s heart stopped. It was the first time he’d ever heard those words out loud. Sure, he had felt them in every little action from Willie in all the time they’d been together – he had felt his love in the way he cared for him when he was sick, in the way he bundled himself up in Alex’s hoodies, in the way he played with Alex’s hair, in the way he brought him back from the edge when he was anxious, in the way he devoted every part of himself to Alex.

He had loved Willie in return too, in the little ways – how he listened to Willie talk about skating and watched him practise, how he brushed and braided Willie’s hair to relax them both, how he danced with Willie whenever he wanted because he simply couldn’t say no, how he wrote songs that only Willie would ever hear, how he listened to Willie talk nonsense in his sleep on those nights they slept at the studio together.

But he too had never said the words out loud.

He pulled Willie in for another kiss, brief but burning, and then held his hands again. Willie was right – this was something Alex wanted to look in his eyes for.

“I love you, too, Willie. I’ll never stop.”

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i-am-just-a-kiddo · 4 years ago

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rules: create your own post and tag 9 people to get to know better or catch up with

thank you for tagging me in this, @vishcount, eventhough we catch up every day basically 💞 i am tagging @cortue, @sassyassassy and @the-cloud-whisperer! no pressure in answering these questions to such detail, just do however you feel like. (ED) i’m sorry i forgot to tag @intyalote because i wish to know you better too!

my ramblings under the cut:

last song listened to: Change (Feat. GRAY) (Prod. 코드 쿤스트 CODE KUNST) by Kid Millie

code kunst is one of my absolute favourite musical artists and i always discover new projects he was part of. this one is my recent favourite, i’ve just been listening to it up and down the past few weeks so my youtube shuffle automatically plays this.

last movie watched: The Yin Yang Master (2021)

just like vishie, this was the last movie i watched and i think overall it was very fun? i found it very cute and entertaining in its world-building, as well as the visual design. also chen kun as qingming truly.....hits differently, wow. so it was hard to keep my cool about him because somehow he is way too stunning in my eyes. i also enjoyed the found family trope? it was very sweet. but as vishie noted too, the movie did not leave much place for the characters to develop properly so it would have deserved more time in that department. i was not that attached to any of them because the movie focused more on the plot happening than the character driven story. also funny how the yin yang master: dream of eternity was a wonderful gay feast while this movie just pulled the no homo card lol

currently reading: When The Light Of The World Was Subdued, Our Songs Came Through, A Norton Anthology of Native Nations Poetry (Ed. Joy Harjo, Leanne Howe, Jennifer Elise Foerster and more)

i wished for this book for christmas and finally received it a few weeks ago. the past two years i’ve mostly been reading poetry (if you leave out readings for university) and i really want to educate myself on native cultures and their past. i think this is an amazing book that has a long introduction about its creation and the choices made on how the poems should be assembled. i love how so many different voices across geography, time and ages gets presented and i am excited to read more. apart from that, i am just waiting for uni taking up all my reading space again.

currently craving: a cold beer?

since yesterday the weather has been so incredibly lovely and spring-like, i just want to go sit outside in the park or by the river and have a beer with someone. might do that tomorrow? i am feeling the holiday vibes. (also i am hungry so i should probably cook soon hmm)

current project: uni and fic ideas (and a fishtank?)

for uni i will need to hold a presentation about materiality in viennese modern designs during 1880-1930. i have this ceramic vessel by dagobert peche as my topic and i’m excited to dive into it because i am not well-versed in viennese art in general? and from what i’ve seen from his designs he took a lot of inspiration from japanese ceramics and chinese brush paintings which fits me past studies. also the question of materiality has never been the biggest focus in my studies so i am curious what will come of it, especially since our course leader wants to get us into the exhibition and hold the presentation in front of the actual object, which i have never done before (thanks covid).

i have some fic ideas which i want to get into but right now they are more vague concepts - i’ve been doing some research on korea during the 1880s-1890s for some very loosely dorian gray inspired au, but let’s see if this will take any reasonable shape. i’m also thinking about more wen ning & song lan content and maybe, possibly, some wen kexing character study? let’s see. am slowly getting back to writing and i am lowkey proud.

and yes, i want to get a fishtank in our flat. i am so ready to have one again and my flatmates agreed so there is nothing standing in my way

current mood: tired but content

i overslept my first alarm today so i had a very stressful morning (it usually takes ages for me to get out of bed) and i did most of my first lecture but then decided to ditch it to hang out with my flatmates which was the best decision tbh. i also skipped the second lecture to hang out with them and go on a walk later to enjoy sunshine? so i think this day was very much successful on the social part. i even had ice cream.

current wish: for my writing to return from war

i’ve lamented about this for the past few months on here, but it truly is weighing down my heart a lot. i just miss writing okay. i know i shouldn’t be hard on myself and accept that i need a break too, because indeed - i can’t force it and there is no need in beating myself up. but it still hurts because there is always something missing. i think the past two weeks i have been feeling a little bit more ready to return to it? though i truly need to be understanding with myself if it doesn’t work as i want it to.

currently learning: materiality, persian book art and queer theory

as mentioned above, i have one course about materiality in arts, crafts and designs, focused on 1880-1930 vienna. i am also attending a lecture about persian book art from the 14th century onwards, though i have taken so many lectures with this professor already, i feel like he is repeating himself so much? i hope i will learn something new at least, so far it feels like i’m hearing the topics for the third time. and then i have a lecture about queer theory which is exactly my crowd - the people, the professor and the discussions give me so much and bring all these topics that i think about in my free time into a theoretical and scientific realm? so it’s nice to study these things in a systematic way - as systematic as it’s possible with a topic such as queer theory. this lecture just makes me feel seen and also allows me to get a broader sense of understanding how these studies developed.

something that makes you proud: my niemo oneshot and my social activities

last week i wrote a short snippet for nie huaisang/mo xuanyu and it was the first time i had written in ages? so i feel very proud of it. and something i have been proud of lately is that i manage to be socially active a lot without feeling like all my energy has been sucked out of me? i am genuinly having fun being with people - of course it exhausts me a lot and i take breaks, but all in all it truly got easier socialising ever since i started taking my meds. my anxiety levels aren’t as high as they used to be and it helps me appreciate the presence of other people in a completely new way. this allows me not to feel like i am running away when i take time for myself.

if you’ve read all of this, thank you! this was a fun little something

#nice #i just came from a walk and thought yes #this is the perfect thing to do before i cook something #thank you for tagging me despite knowing most of it already lol #personal #tag game

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agentsix606 · 4 years ago

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Echoes - Damirae oneshot

Wattpad

He snatched his sword with his other arm, hoping that his broken wrist would handle the weight of the blade. It could not.

He felt utterly useless watching Raven try and spell Deathstroke away. His attack had been devastating on the Titans. To his right, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and Starfire attempted to fight a controlled Terra Markov. Apparently, Deathstroke had survived the demolition of Brother Blood’s cave. Terra had not. He used a Lazarus pit on her and warped her mind to make the Titans seem like villains.

Nightwing was in worse shape than the Robin himself. He had protected Damian and subdued horrible injuries when Terra hurled a boulder at the teens. He didn’t have time to focus on that though, he had to help Raven, who visibly struggled against the assassin. Tt, of course, Slade had read up even more on Raven’s powers.

She had a stream of red dripping from her nose, an indication of exhaustion. She was bound to be low on stamina. Damian slammed his shoulder into the pillar beside him, relocating his shoulder. He was an Al Ghul, for fucks sakes, he could handle this fight with these injuries. He picked up his katana again, the pain shot straight to his shoulder, but he ignored it. His only focus had been Raven, who was nowhere to be seen. ‘Wait- where did she go?’ he asked himself silently.

She had been fighting Slade- where did Slade go?

His questions had been answered a milli-second later when Raven went flying into him. It was not a fun experience. She quickly pulled herself up as best as she could.

Slade laughed loudly, pointing his katana at the teens, “Teen Titans? More like Babies in costumes club!” he took a few steps forward, “Well, you might not be bringing me my pipe, but I got your old teammate for that, besides you two are pains in my ass.” He brought the sword down on Damian’s cheek; a small cut stung his face, “too bad you two never got together, you would’ve been cute, and it would make killing you a little more satisfying.”

Raven hurriedly moved her hand towards his shoulder, healing the joint as best as she could.

“Who should I kill first?” he waved his sword between the two, “Al Ghul?” he pointed it at Robin, “Or witch?” he brought it to Raven’s chin, lifting it. Her lip trembled, and hands shook. He laughed, “oh, look at you, standing there, shaking like a scared little girl!”

“I am afraid,” she admitted, stepping forward and pushing the blade closer to her throat, “but I’m still standing here, and I will protect my family, no matter how afraid I am.”

“Oooo, watch out guys, we have a badass over here!” Slade taunted, “You really think you can protect him? In two weeks, he’ll turn his back on you, and you’ll have saved him for nothing!”

“That’s his decision, not mine. I choose to call him my family, and we protect our family! You can cut me down, but I’ll come back stronger.” She smirked, “and I will show no mercy, should you hurt my family ever again.” She growled, her skin starting to turn red.

“I accept your challenge, demon.” He placed his blade horizontally on her neck, threatening to slice.

She reached forward, grasping the sword, and crushing it with a quick “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!”

“Impressive, little birdy!” he reached for three throwing stars and rested them in between his fingers.

“Heads up!” he threw them at the young girl, hoping to distract her enough to attack Damian from behind her, only she put up a barrier surrounding her and Damian. “Not bad, Kid! Perhaps I should keep you alive.” he walked around her shield, tilting his head to the side, “If only just to have some fun, you are a magnificent creature.”

Raven, angered, expanded her forcefield, letting its edges lash against Deathstroke. Her eyes turned to fire, and another pair appeared above her eyebrows. “I will kill you, scum!” a demonic tone overpowered her strong voice. A stream of black magic flew towards the assassin, catching him off guard, cuts appearing all over her body.

Damian was proud of the work she had done.

The demoness sent a hand filled with dark magic at Slade, crushing him.

“Raven!” Damian yelled, “Stop! You’re going to kill him!” although he wished Slade dead in the worst way possible, he didn’t want that burden on Raven’s shoulders.

“Stupid boy, my daughter may hold feelings for you, but should you try and stop me, I will kill you without a second thought.” Trigon sneered, crushing Slade with his spell. Damian picked up his sword and moved to the side, hoping to find a way to will Raven back.

“Raven, you have to fight him!”

“Enough boy!” the demon spat, grasping Damian with his other hand, squeezing.

“Please, Raven, you can do this! Your family believes in you!” he wheezed, the hand crushing him.

“You cannot fight me, daughter! I will-“ the demon stopped mid sentence before howling in pain. “-I will kill the boy if you do not stop, child!”

“I won’t let you!” Raven’s voice screamed, clutching her head and letting both assassins go. She fell to her knees, gasping for air as she fought her father for control. Damian, concerned, tried to get closer to her. However, Deathstroke had recovered quickly and ran towards the girl, katana in hand.

Grasping his sword with all of the strength he had left, Damian sprinted to Raven and blocked Deathstroke’s attack with a swift upstroke.

Using his right leg, he kicked Deathstroke’s hip, causing the assassin to stumble backwards slightly and drop his left arm. His right arm now holding the weight of the sword. Damian lifted his sword up, forcing Deathstroke’s sword away from Raven, before turning around and slicing into his chest. Now in a crouching position, Damian slid on his left knee, using his right to trip Deathstroke after spinning around behind him. Now facing Raven, he dragged his sword towards his opponent and placed its blade against his throat.

“Tt, I guess you’re the one who dies today.” He swung his sword along his throat and watched as he bled out. Breathing out heavily, the boy ran towards Raven, who was staring at the body in shock. “Raven, are you alright?”

Breathing quickly, she looked up at him with wide eyes, “I’m so sorry,” she whispered, “He hurt you.” She reached out to touch his cheek.

“I’m alright Raven, just catch your breath.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and sat beside her, exhaustion filling his body.

“Terra is down, Beast Boy and Blue Beetle are recovering, Deathstroke?” Starfire asked, flying over to the pair.

“Dead,” Damian announced.

“Oh.” She whispered in shock, “Dick?”

“Alive but injured,” Raven whispered. Her hands were shaking violently, her voice wavered as she tried to heal Damian.

“Raven, you must conserve your energy! you are also hurt.”

“I gave you these wounds. I should heal them,” Raven muttered, a black mist circling Damian's body.

“No, you will rest, and my wounds will heal eventually.” He threw her arm around his shoulder, helping her get up. “Do you need help to get to the Med Bay, or will be alright?”

“I’ll be fine, Damian.” Raven sighed, clutching her head and limping towards the hallway.

Sighing, Damian limped towards his brother, whom Starfire was crouched beside.

“What’d I miss?”

“Terra’s back and Slade is dead. I killed him, Grayson.”

The adult’s eyes widened, “Dami, I thought we had this figured out we don’t kill!”

“He deserved it! He would have stopped at nothing to kill Raven and me. He almost did.” Damian winced, his wrist twisting uncomfortably, “I had no choice.” The teen looked down at his feet, feeling slightly ashamed.

Dick softened his gaze, pinching his nose. He sighed, “we’ll talk about this later, right now, we all need to rest and heal.”

“Yes, everyone, let’s head to the Med Bay! We need to make sure no one is too horribly injured then you’re all off for the night!” Kori ordered. “Where’s Raven?”

“Heading to the Med Bay,” Damian answered.

“Great! Let us all head there!”

“Tt, I’m fine,” Damian grumbled.

“Try that again, and I’ll get Alfred to sedate you.” Dick retorted, pointing his finger at Damian.

Growling under his breath, Damian walked with Dick, Kori, Jaime and Gar, who had been carrying an unconscious Terra towards the Med Bay.

#damirae #dc #demon birds #demonbirds #damian x raven #teen titans #deathstroke

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boat-dock · 4 years ago

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“Snapshots” Chapter 1

Hello all! this is chapter 1 of my first ever Her Royal Highness fic. this is going to be a collection of oneshots which will start before they are together and will continue past the end of the book. I hope ya’ll enjoy and as always any and all feedback is appreciated and enjoyed

Chapter 1 “Her traitorous heart” is set between the visit to Skye and the surprise Thanksgiving.

Millie laid on her stomach in her bed, with her laptop open staring at a blank screen where her essay was supposed to be. She’s been sitting there for half an hour trying to do her homework and not getting anywhere. Flora was in the room with her, not helping her distraction levels. Instead of trying to do work, Flora was rolling around the room in a rolly chair, the scraping of the wheels against the floor and her swishing blonde ponytail constantly pulling at Millie’s focus. It was a strangely childlike activity for a princess to be doing and brought a smile to her face.

“Can you please be a little quieter?” Millie groaned, causing Flora’s head to snap towards her, “I’m trying to work.”

Now the chair was being rolled toward her bed so Flora could rest her chin on the edge of her bed, so that she was only inches away from Millie. “But I’m bored Quint,” she whined, a strand of hair falling in front of her eyes.

Millie rolled her eyes at that,” You could try doing some homework,” she offered, trying to nudge her away. Flora huffed at her and scrunched her nose. She was not deterred, however, she seemed even more determined to get attention.

“Quiiiint,” she dragged out, poking her lightly on her arm. Millie ignored her and tried to bring her attention back to her essay, letting her fingers run quickly over the keys even though no useful words came out of it. “Millie,” she whispered and a shiver ran up her spine. She was so used to being called Quint that hearing Flora say her name caused her mind to go blank and her breath to hitch. Millie looked at her and blinked back to reality.

“Yeah Flo?” she asked. The nickname she had heard Seb call her so many times, slipped out without her evening thinking about it.

Flora’s face lit up, but she couldn’t tell if it was from the nickname or just from her attention in general. “I would like attention please.”

It would have been so easy to drop everything and hang out with Flora, in fact she’d been doing that more and more these days and that was doing nothing but fan the flames of her pesky little crush. It was easy to follow Flora, she was powerful and confident in a way that only a princess could pull off. It was dangerous, because Millie found that her feelings were not nearly as aware that a relationship with Flora would only end in heartbreak as her brain was. “I can’t, “ she pushed back,” I have to write this paper.”

The look Flora gave her could only be described as a puppy dog look and Millie’s resolve almost broke. They sat in silence as she tried to keep working, but Flora stayed next to her, watching with her large golden eyes. “Can I have your phone?” she asked. Normally Millie might have questioned this but she was desperate to actually make progress on this paper so she handed it over no questions asked.

With a grin she rolled away from the bed to mess with Millie’s phone. A strange weight was lifted off of her shoulders and she could breathe again. Being that close to her old roommate, now friend, shouldn’t be this hard. The princess was now taking various selfies and saving them to Millie’s phone. “Couldn’t you do that on your phone?”

“Perhaps, but I couldn’t use the fun snapchat filters,” she answered, shooting her a sly grin and snapping another photo. She forgets that Flora isn’t allowed to have social media by her family.

“Go crazy then,” she says, leaving her to enjoy her selfies.

Flora flashed her a dazzling smile and left her to try and do her homework. Even with the new found quiet she still found it hard to concentrate, her mind wandered and all her thoughts seemed to find their way back to her ex-roommate. Somewhere along the way, her fingers stopped typing and her eyes glazed over. She’s snapped out of it when Flora’s voice disrupts the silence, except this time it wasn’t aimed at her.

When she looked she found Flora talking to her phone, “Hi Americans,” she sang, waving at the camera. It was then that Millie noticed the blinking red button on the bottom of the screen that showed it was recording,” I’m..”

“What are you doing?” Millie cut in, scrunching her eyebrows. She shifted her weight so she was fully facing Flora and the camera.

Flora turned toward her and spoke, while sliding the chair back closer to the bed,” I’m talking to the Americans and I’m going to post it to your story,” she said blatantly. She almost snorted but stopped herself, she had at most 20 friends on snapchat, four close friends, her aunt Vi and the rest were random kids she used to go to high school with but never really spoke to.

She leaned forward and rested her head in her hands making eye contact with the camera,” and how many people do you think are going to see that?” she asked.

“Don’t really care,” she commented,” I’m just bored, love.” she now turned back to the camera,” Amelia here, is very busy writing her essay and I have nothing to do.” Millie huffed and gave a small eye roll.

“You could go do your homework ya know,” she was deliberately ignored.

The door to her room flew open as Sakshi and Perry came in carrying snacks and coffee laughing with each other. Flora flipped the phone camera with ease, so that their friends were now in the shot, “ Say hello to the Americans,” she announced, startling them.

Saks regained her composer quickly and answered,” Hullo Americans,” she grinned, waves of super model charms flowing from her.

“Hi,” Perry murmmured,” we come bearing snacks.”

Millie’s stomach growled loudly at the mere mention of snacks. The camera switched back to her and Flora and the filter snapped back into place, giving their skin a ethereal glow that made her kind of uneasy. Not that Flora needed any filter to be beautiful, she always seemed to glow all on her own.

“Time to go,” she said waving,” Anything to say before we leave Quint?”

She thought for a second before smirking and answering,” Send help,” she deadpanned, letting her eyes slide to Flora to see how she reacted.

“Oi!” she exclaimed, in what Millie assumed was mock outrage.

“Kidding,” she grinned,” Bye y’all,” she quickly grabbed the phone, effectively ending the video. Accepting a muffin and coffee from Perry, she tried to forget the video, knowing that Flora definitely was not going to.

“Are we going to ignore the fact that Millie just said y’all,” Saks’ asked through a mouthful of muffin, in a surprisingly unlady-like manner for her.

“...I’ve probably said it before,” Millie answered as Saks sat on her bed on the opposite side of the room. Flora abandoned her chair to join Millie on her bed so that Perry could have it. She sipped her coffee and scrunched her nose, in an annoyingly cute way, before setting it to the side. “I’m from the American south, it’s part of my vernacular.”

“I like it, “ Flora replied, “ it’s got a cute twang to it.”

Millie’s cheeks burned against her will and she ducked her head, avoiding eye contact with everyone. She had gotten used to hearing the Scottish accent around her now, but sometimes it still shocked her. It was strange to think that they might think the same things when they heard her talk. She didn’t have a good way to respond to this, so instead she just kept her head down, ignoring the weight of Flora’s eyes on her and the knowing look Sakshi was giving them.

Her paper now forgotten, Millie closed her laptop and moved to put it on the desk simply so that she would have something to do with her hands. There was officially too much attention on her and she did not know what to do with herself. She was used to being in the background, not the center of attention and right now there was no doubt that all eyes were on her.

Her phone dinged next to her annoyingly quickly indicating that someone had messaged her. She sighed knowing that it was about the video Flora had posted of all of them. The princess eyed the phone but before she could make a move to grab it Millie snatched it and clicked it on.

She had a list of people from her old high school that she did not want to talk to and while the person she caught Jude cheating on her with was not on the top of said list he was definitely on it. Mason’s name sat heavily on her screen and she almost didn’t open it, but her curiosity got the better of her.

She tried to make her fingers move but they sat stubborn and still. This was ridiculous, Mason didn’t know anything about her and Jude, there was no reason for things to be weird between them. Taking a deep breath, she clicked the message.

Damn Millie who’s your friend?

A distressed sound escaped from her throat, it started off as a yelp then turned into a groan. On instinct she threw her phone onto the bed face down trying to erase the words from her mind

No. This was not happening. Not again.

No. No. No.

“What’s wrong with you Quint?” Flora asked, picking up the phone. Millie could see her eyes scanning the message. An all too familiar smirk formed on her lips and Millie could barely keep herself from staring, “Oh,” she says and an emotion that Millie couldn’t place flashed across her face, but disappeared as quickly as it had come,” Some American lad thinks I’m attractive. I don’t think that requires that level of a reaction.” she teased, her smirk returning causing Millie’s cheeks to heat up.

By this point Saks and Perry were peering over Flora’s shoulder to read the message too. “It’s not the message as much as the person that sent it,” she backtracked.

“Who is he?” Perry asked.

She took a second too long to answer, “ his name’s Mason,” they all stared at her, waiting for more information. “He’s who I caught Jude cheating on me with.” she murmured and lowered her eyes.

Saks gasped and before she could blink the phone was in her hand. “I want a picture of this boy,” she announced only to find that there was nothing for her to see. With a disappointed huff she and Flora glared at the home as Perry wheeled the chair across the room to join them.

“Check his instagram,” he announced and then Saks’ fingers were flying over the screen.

“Give me that,” Millie growled, taking the phone back to respond to the message.

I thought you were with Jude?

Mason typed and deleted his reply at least three times before it finally came through.

We broke up about 2 months ago.

I thought she would have told you

Her stomach knotted. She wasn’t happy about that, she wasn’t. But there was some sick satisfaction in knowing that the relationship had not worked out. She pushed down those feelings scolding herself.

We haven’t talked much recently.

Her friends were watching her intently but she made no move to let them read the messages. She deserved some privacy after all.

That sucks

This conversation had turned painfully awkward fast. She started looking for ways to end it.

For you too

She thought that would be the last of it and they would both go back to not speaking to each other for the next three months, until she was back in Texas for Christmas. Sadly she was mistaken.

So is that a no from your friend?

Just like that Millie closed the phone without answering and tossed it, determined to forget the entire conversation had ever happened. Sadly her friends didn’t agree with her. “Well…” Flora pushed, her eyes sparkling with the prospects of new gossip ,” What did he say?”

“Nothing important,” she said bluntly, trying to put an end to this whole thing. They all moved in closer to her and she realized that the only way to end this was to give them what they wanted,” he just said that he and Jude aren’t together anymore and then he asked about you again.”

An annoying smirk was again graced Flora’s face, she was relishing this, she was relishing how Millie was reacting to this. Millie hated how she was reacting to this situation, she hated that she wasn’t mad at Mason because of his relationship with Jude, she was upset because he was interested in Flora. Except she had no right to be possessive over Flora, Flora was not her’s. They were ex-roommates and barely even friends, nothing more.

If only she could convince her traitorous heart that.

#her royal highness #flora baird #princess flora #millie quint #there are not enough fics for this book #wlw

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milliesfishes · 4 months ago

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this is so sweet!!! Bittersweet too, I love this so much 🫶🫶🫶

Midnight Miracles

billy the kid x fem! reader

Summary: To the townspeople you and Billy are complete opposites of each other, like the sun and the moon. The sky only allows the sun and the moon to reunite every few years, but thankfully for you the night takes pity on you both and allows for the two of you to love freely but only when the stars are out.

During the day you and Billy have to pay a price for your love. Weather that be through disapproving glances or words wrapped in judgment, that price always manages to find you two. People often described you and him as opposites. The sun and the moon was the more popular name attached to the both of you. There’s a reason for why the sun and the moon can only reunite and love in peace only once every few years during the eclipse. And so maybe it was just the nature of your relationship that caused things to turnout this way.

But when the moon comes up and puts everyone else to sleep, she allows for you and Billy to love freely. The mouths that once opened to say, “You stay away from him!! He’s not good for a girl like you!!”, suddenly close. The eyes that would judge your every move droop off, losing the ability to tell their opinions of disapproval through their glances.

When you run into Billy’s arms as the stars shine in the sky, he feels tranquility wash over him. If he had it his way you would stay in his arms forever right where you belong, but of course the rays of sunshine have to replace the soft moonlight eventually.

“I missed you”, you mumble softly into his embrace.

He can’t help but smile at that. God you were so sweet, the bare minimum from you could make him fold easily. “You don’t gotta miss me honey, I’m right here for ya sweet”.

He takes your hand in his until you two reach a nearby lake. Your look of confusion humors him and he can’t help but silently laugh to himself.

“Whatcha so confused for angel?”, he asks almost tauntingly.

You’re about to protest and tell him that you guys should turn back. That it’s not safe to swim at night and even if it was neither of you were properly dressed for it. But before a single word can come out of your mouth, Billy playfully pushes you into the water and jumps in to follow you.

It takes you a minute to get the water out of your eyes and the shock out of your system , but once you do you can’t help but laugh. This was the Billy the Kid that everyone feared? The one that was so playful and comical with you?

“What’s the matter with you hm? My girl can’t take a bit of water?”, he teases as he moves closer to you.

“Oh I can handle plenty of it, it’s you I’m worried about”, you say almost smugly. You’ve gotten good at getting Billy to fall for your little tricks. Well, you can’t really tell if he actually falls for them or if he just lets you have your way just so he can see that pretty smile on your face.

He’s about to put his lips on yours when you push a handful of water his way. Not only does it drench his hair, but also his entire face. If it was anyone else he would’ve been annoyed, but you weren’t just anyone you were his girl. And he’ll let his girl have his fun even if he’s the expense of it.

The two of you spend the rest of the night at the lake and when you’ve tuckered yourself out, he lifts you into his arms and carries you back home.

“I can walk perfectly fine”, you protest trying to squirm out of his arms but his grip is tight.

“Shh shh I know you can. I just wanna take care of my angel for a bit? ‘Ts okay with ya right baby?” His hands hold you as if that’s what they were made for, and if you asked Billy that is the reason why they were made.

He carries you to the small cabin you two always spend your nights in. The same hands that make others fear for their lives are the same hands that are so soft and soothing with you. When you fall asleep he moves your hair out of your face slowly, as if doing it too fast would hurt you. When he places your sleeping figure on the bed, he does it delicately as if you were the most valuable diamond in the whole county. When he comes to lie on your side and you slowly stir awake, he comforts you gently as he whispers to you softly how you’re alright and it’s just him.

He could have fallen asleep right then and there, and sleep never came easy for Billy. Going to sleep meant being letting his guard down. It meant vulnerability, something he would never let allow himself to feel. But with you it was different, being vulnerable with you brought him more comfort than fear. So when his eyes doze off while still holding you close to his chest, he truly can say for once that he’s at peace.

Of course, when you wake up he’s no longer by your side. Every night when the moon left the sky, Billy in turn leaves your bed. It’s routine by this point, but it still hurts when the sun rises and the townspeople awaken causing the whispers and stares come back. The only thing that brings you comfort in these moments are the thoughts of dusk. As Billy would say, “We’re gonna be okay, we got the stars on our side after all”.

#billy the kid #billy the kid x reader #billy the kid tom blyth #billy the kid 2022 #billy the kid oneshot #billy the kid x you #millie's recs

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harryissuchalittleshit · 4 years ago

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I really love your series on the members of different houses. I’m really curious about Theo and Padma.....could you please give some headcanons for them.

So the reason why I didn’t write a oneshot fic about them is because I actually have a whole 100,000 word fic written about them and don’t know how I want to edit it to post. It expands from the night the got together to Devansh and Sam’s wedding. It’s Padma and Theodore, but interspersed with Anamika and Louis, in a way that makes it seem like Anamika is telling the story. It’s working title is called Reflections, but I don’t know if I want to post it.

Padma did not want a relationship, at least not with Theodore Nott

He had been in love with her since fourth year

Padma is an Unspeakable after the war, while Theodore is the Head Accountant for St. Mungo’s charitable donations (and he donates his salary back to the hospital)

Theodore is such a trouble maker, it’s the one thing that always made him stand out

The day that he and Padma start hooking up (because that’s what it is in the beginning) is the day his father had been convicted to Azkaban for at least four life sentences

Theodore is also the richest of the Slytherin pack, but chooses to live in a dingy one bedroom flat

He’s surprisingly down to earth, more than most people would think

His father was extremely abusive and so it was easier to hide than anything else

His mother died in childbirth with his little sister Theresa, and his father killed the midwife and his sister on sight

Padma grew up pretty middle class, but her parents went back to India during the war and decided to stay

Parvati and Dean’s wedding is a turning point for their relationship

Padma is already 16 weeks along with Devansh at that point

Being pregnant with Devansh is weird to her, but what’s weirder is Theodore and his friends

She and Astoria do get on right away, before she and Draco even start dating

Padma realizes that she can be with Theodore when someone asks what they’re going to name the baby and Theodore tells them either Devansh or Minali

She didn’t expect that from him and it’s why all of their children have Indian names, Theodore picked most of their first names and Padma picked most of their middle names

All of their names have an English equivalent, but none of them really use it

Padma doesn’t like nicknames but she bends for Vinanti, they call her Vee

So after Devansh they have Hajari about two years later

Padma left Theodore while pregnant with Hajari, and they co-parent but are not good at it

Then when Hajari is about three and Devansh five, Theodore gets really sick

He has cancer and Padma watches him go through the whole thing because of their children

It makes her realize that she really loves him

Anamika is born nine months after Theodore goes into remission and is the first Nott daughter born in seven(?) generations

It takes them a few more years (3) for them to get married, they have a more traditional Indian wedding with some English traditions

During the speeches, Millie steps in as Theodore’s Best Man and makes everyone cry

Minali is born nine months later and Millie is her godmother

Astoria and Padma start to create the Society, a charity group made up of mostly Slytherin alumni

They use their connections to Slytherins (Astoria), the Ministry (Padma and Draco), and St. Mungo’s (Theodore) to do a lot of good

Vinanti is born two years after Minali and they decide they’re done

Three years later the twins are born

Tarika is the older twin and Rishi is the baby boy and hates it

He just doesn’t like all the teasing his older sisters give him

They are a really close knit family, even with the 16 year age difference between Devansh and the twins

There are things that separate Devansh and Hajari from the other five, but they never focus on it too much

Now surprisingly Anamika is the outlier of the family, because Minali and Vee get really close after Anamika graduates and gets married to Louis

But she is still their sister and the girls will gang up to bully their brothers

Devansh and Hajari are really close, but Devansh isn’t as close to Rishi as Hajari is

I have a million headcanons for the kids, so I’m not going to make this any longer

#head canons #harry potter #family #padma patil #theodore nott #Nott family #Anamika nott #so many kids #big family

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fnafandfriends · 5 years ago

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I got into the pit and I’m reading through it

And I’ll be honest I kinda wanna add some elements into my wacky au. So imma just list what I’ll be doing differently from the book canon because I’ve only known these human kids for a day but I want them to be happy and safe:

Into the pit: first off, that rabbit demon thing is a cryptid (all the robots are cryptids here let’s be real) specifically a changeling with some time/pocket universe powers or something. When he takes out Oswald’s dad he essentially impersonated him as both a way to keep an eye in the kid and also get love from being a dad or something. Endings changed where Oswald doesn’t immediately go to get his dad since he’s scared by the bunny (maybe didn’t have that bravery talk with Gabrielle yet) and at one point cries while hugging his mom before bed about missing his dad. Mom doesn’t understand thinking he’s just upset that dad is gone so much for work but promises to spend more time together soon. Rabbit overheard this and went off to think. Next day rabbit takes Oswald back to the pit. Oswald thinks he’s finally gunna die but instead rabbit hugs him, pats his shoulder, and walks into the pit with a wave. Moments later Oswald’s dad is back and he’s fine. Oswald is happy to have his dad back and they go home. I’ll probbaky write a oneshot for this ides later who knows

To be beautiful: Sarah ain’t loosing her body nope I won’t let her! Instead she meets dreadbear (who is definitely a cryptid and also the size of a house) after her failed hair dye attempt. He basicsly befriends her and helps her confidence, when eventually Sarah meets Eleanore she actually doesn’t wish to be beautiful. She doesn’t wish for anything at all actually, but Eleanore wants her body/life so when she tries to attack Sarah dreadbear breaks a window, grabs the noodle clown, and tosses her into the woods like a frisbee. So Sarah’s safe and learns to love herself and it’s great.

Count the ways; replace funtime freddy with Freddy frostbear (an ice cryptid) and instead he sorta traps her In his frost woods laberynth for a bit while telling her about the many cold and ice related deaths (hypothermia, drowning in an ice lake etc) after a bit he lets her go with a warning along the lines of “be sure to cherish the warmth and life you have, child. Else one day I’ll find you and steal it for myself” so Millie goes home and is no longer a brat. Hurray.

Yah these aren’t set just yet they’re more ideas. My au post time skip (basicsly all the games after ucn) gets more into the exostace of ghosts and cryptids and paranormal stuff so maybe the protagonists plus some ocs form like a paranormal investigation club and go hunt cryptids which is more like they just wanna take notes and make people aware of them so they know how to get away unharmed.

My plan is to do something similar with future into the pit stories since I like the oneshot creepy story format a lot.

#fnaf into the pit #into the pit #fnaf into the pit spoilers #into the pit spoilers #fnaf #fnaf au #fnaf itp

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lastarabesque · 5 years ago

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smoker: 1/2

part two

a kid milli scenario where you want him to stop smoking but he’s that hard headed bastard

he loves you though

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imagineaworlds · 7 years ago

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Premiere Night -- Dacre Montgomery

Written By: @aliedelanie

Requested: I started writing this awhile back, and then I magically got this request: “can you do a dacre montgomery imagine where the reader and him are engaged, and in an interview he is asked about a picture he posted of them.which is them in shorts, a hoodie, and boots in the snow taking out a their dog pulling a silly face?”

Warnings: Light cursing at the end.

Pairing: Dacre Montgomery x Reader

Summary: Dacre just loves to show you off to the world at the Stranger Things 2 premiere.

Words: 2609

Listen to: Someone to You by BANNERS

A/N: This fic is based off of this headcanon! @teenwolve. And this. @oneshots-story.

Your relationship with Dacre was no secret to the internet. He was on Snapchat more often just to post pictures of you, and one of every few lines on his Instagram was a series of you. All of the pictures that were on both of your Instagrams of you were taken by him, because he loved to watch you pose. Plus, he dragged you onto the Stranger Thing’s set sometimes, so the kids loved to post silly videos of you— most times it was them pranking you. There was a lot of buzz about whether or not you’d be joining Dacre and the cast on the Stranger Things Premiere carpet, but neither of you had responded to the rumors. It was a big secret, and even the kids and Dacre’s other castmates didn’t know. You loved the idea of surprising everyone, but Dacre was trying really hard not to crack and post a picture of you looking as beautiful as ever trying on ballgowns for the special night.

A good friend of yours, Maika Monroe, who was also Joe Keery’s girlfriend, had messaged you about matching outfits for the event. She said that she was going to wear a red dress, and you agreed, however, when you got to the store and tried on a white dress, you were dead set on buying it. There was no other dress that could have compared to that white dress. And it made sense, after all, Dacre had bought a grey and white suit. Maika understood your decision, praising the dress, and continued to promise to keep your attendance a secret from Joe.

But as the premiere approached and your white dress continued to hang in your shared closet with Dacre, butterflies began to form in the pit of your stomach. The morning of, you woke up looking pale with fright. Dacre rushed to you to feel for a temperature, however, you were only frightened about that night. He laughed at you and pulled you out of bed, dragging you down to a small cafe nearby for a quick breakfast and coffee. The rest of the day was spent preparing for that night. Dacre’s stylists came over and pampered him— only, it was after he insisted that they help you get ready first even though they weren’t really paid to do that. Honestly, you felt like a princess. They curled your hair and did your makeup, and fit your dress with jewelry. Dacre obviously took pictures and photos but reluctantly held himself back from posting them. But, of course, he had to send pictures back to his family. They all raved over your beauty and you blushed wildly.

By the time both of you were ready and his stylists had left, you were escorted down to a limousine in the garage of your apartment building. Waiting for you two was his manager, and Joe and Maika. The look on Joe’s face as you slid into the car first while Dacre held the door open for you, was priceless. “Oh, you’re bad,” he teased Maika and she slightly giggled at him.

On the way to the event, Dacre had his arm slung around your shoulders while he fiddled with his phone in his other hand. Natalia and the kids kept texting you the whole drive about whether you were coming, trying to get you to break, but you refused, teasing them endlessly. Finn sent you a Snapchat of him and Noah making pouty faces when you told them that you would just be in bed all night eating through a carton of ice cream and watching season one of Stranger Things. You leaned into Dacre more as you showed him their Snapchats, and Gaten eventually started sending you videos of him yelling over the crowd for you to show up. He seemed genuinely angry.

The limo turned a corner and suddenly you were all met with cameras flashing in all directions and fans screaming everywhere. Those butterflies that had been forming all day started to flutter fast as you started to feel sick. You weren’t really sure why you were so nervous, you had gone to the Power Rangers premiere with Dacre, and then you weren’t this terrified. This time was much different, and you didn’t know why. You gripped onto Dacre’s thigh unintentionally, watching as you passed all of the fans. Dacre noticed how tensed you had become, mainly due to the fact that you had a tight grip around his leg, so he kissed the top of your head. You smiled, looking up at him, trying to convince him that you were alright.

But he knew you better than that, “What is it?” he asked.

“Nothing,” you shook your head. “Just— what if the media and the fans don’t like me?”

Dacre chuckled, “Trust me, they’ll love you, I just know it. And I’ll be with you the whole time. You say it, and we’ll hide from the cameras for a bit so that you can calm down, okay?” You nodded, resting your head against his chest as the limo pulled up to the sidewalk. “I love you,” he reassured you as he took your hand. “And, if it helps, just think about the kids’ faces when they see you.”

You laughed, hitting his arm, “Shut up.”

Dacre waited for the driver to open the door, and you two climbed out of the car. Fans screamed as Joe jumped out of the car behind you guys and helped Maika out of the car. The four of you were led by Dacre’s manager onto the carpet. As you passed fans, Dacre and Joe stopped to take selfies and give autographs, while you clung to Dacre’s arm. He didn’t seem to mind much how close you were to him, in fact, he loved it. He loved knowing that you were safe and close to him.

When you passed the fans, you were stopped by one of the event coordinators. She approached your group with a clipboard in hand, and started to scream over the loud cheers from the fans and demands from the photographers. “We’ll start with solo pictures first, then couples, then groups. After you’ve taken all of your pictures, you’ll do a few interviews, then go inside. It’ll be an hour or so, preferably no longer. The rest of the cast is inside, they’ll be out in a minute. Mr. Keery, you’ll go first.” She didn’t think twice before prying Joe from Maika and nudging him onto the red carpet in front of all of the flashing cameras.

Dacre turned to you and rested his forehead against yours, staring into your eyes, “How are you so far?” he asked.

You swallowed hard, trying to gather your bravery, “I’ll get used to it,” you said to him. “Are we going to tell them?” Referring to the press, you were curious if he wanted to talk about your engagement. Sure, your fans knew you were engaged, after all, it was on Dacre’s Instagram; however, you weren’t sure if he wanted to address it in any interviews.

Dacre smirked and pulled your hips close to him, his hand resting on the small of your back, “I want the whole world to know how much I love you.” You couldn’t help but blush and hide your face in his suit jacket. Maika was soon pulled onto the carpet by Joe as they took their couples pictures. Your head stayed rested on Dacre’s chest as he held you close to him.

“No… way…” you heard behind you. Dacre loosened his grip around your body as you turned to see who was speaking. Standing in front of you was all of the kids. Finn had said it, but all of their mouths were hanging open wide.

“You— you pranked us?” Noah questioned with disbelief.

You smiled and shrugged, “You know, I really did think about staying home with all of that ice cream, it was very tempting.”

“Well, then, let’s see it!” Millie said as she pushed past the boys, holding Sadie’s hand. They ran to you and grabbed your hand, admiring your engagement ring.

They both gasped, “Oh, my gosh, it’s beautiful!” Sadie complimented. “We’re all invited to the wedding, right?”

Both you and Dacre laughed and nodded, “Of course,” he responded.

“Mr. Montgomery, it’s your turn,” the event coordinator had come back. Out on the carpet, Joe and Maika were further down, talking to David and Wynonna.

Dacre kissed your cheek, “Will you be okay?”

You nodded, “Have fun.” You and Dacre parted as he walked onto the red carpet. You watched him pose, his hands buried in his pockets. He did this thing where he constantly looked over at you, and when he was about to smile, he would sniffle away the feeling crawling onto his face. For some reason he loved to look completely serious in his pictures, hardly ever smiling on purpose. It was always fun on shoots to get him to crack a smile while you stood behind the camera making funny faces, but this time you let him do his thing. Yet, every time he glanced over at you, he could hardly compose himself. He felt like the luckiest man on the planet, and he couldn’t hide it— he was so grateful to have you. You paid him no attention as you talked to the kids for a bit longer, watching some of Finn’s unposted vines that he had made with Jack after filming IT, and some videos of him and the other Stranger Things kids.

Nearly halfway through a video, the event coordinator tapped your shoulder and led you to the carpet, watching you walk over to your fiance. Dacre held his hand out for you as the cameras flashed brightly in your direction. After that, everything happened so fast. All you really knew was that Dacre had his hand on your hip, pulling you close to him, and you had your hand on his shoulder. At some point he had kissed you, and neither of you could help but giggle a bit. The paparazzi loved it. Following that, you went further onto the carpet, joining the rest of the older cast while the kids took their pictures.

Joe and Maika turned to you two as you approached, “The kids are right, you know?” Joe joked.

You raised an eyebrow, “About?”

“You two are totally the parents of the cast.” Both you and Dacre looked confused. “Come on! Like, you’re 100% parent material, look at you two!” Maika hit her boyfriend’s arm playfully. “I’m being serious. The kids always joke about it, but it’s definitely true. And those kids, man do they look up to you both.” Both of you were slightly embarrassed by his words, but were silently thankful that someone had said it, though neither of you would admit it.

“We have to take a family picture!” Finn exclaimed as the kids joined your conversation.

Millia and Sadie were laughing, “Look at how red they are!” Millie grabbed your hand, “Come on, then.”

Finn lined everyone up for a group picture, and for some reason made sure that you and Dacre were in the middle. Next to you was Millie, and next to Dacre was Caleb. When Finn was happy with how the picture would look, he jumped in next to Gaten and we all smiled for the cameras. Nearly a minute into the group pictures, Dacre leaned into you, his breath hot on your neck, “You look so beautiful, love.” You blushed. “Just concentrate on yourself, not the cameras.” You practically melted into his arms as you relaxed at his words. “Let’s do some interviews, shall we?” He took your hand and led you over to one of the reporters set up with a camera behind them and a microphone in hand.

When Dacre started his interview, you stood sort of behind him, talking to Maika, trying to not to intervene with your fiance’s interview. However, you spotted early on. “And, I assume this is the famous [y/n]. It’s very nice to meet you,” the reporter held his hand out, and you shook it. “So, on Instagram, you, Dacre, had posted an engagement photo. What can you tell us about the wedding?”

“Well, it’s going to be a summer wedding. We chose to have it in Australia rather than America. A lot of the big details like that are planned out, but we still have a lot of time to get the rest of it together. Truthfully, neither of us really want to rush this, so we’re taking everything one day at a time,” you responded, looking at Dacre constantly for his approval or if he had anything to add.

“Very good, very good,” the reporter smiled, “Last question before I’ll leave you two on your way. “How did you two meet? Really no one seems to know the story.”

Dacre smiled, “That’s actually a funny story, mate. We met about 2 years ago when I was on my way to an audition, actually. I wasn’t really watching where I was going, and I accidentally bumped into her. She spilled her coffee all over his shirt and fell down— and the thing about [y/n] is that she makes sure that everyone else is alright before checking on herself, so when I bumped into her, rather than trying to get the coffee stains out immediately, she jumped up and asked me if I was alright. So, I told her that I was okay, made sure she was fine, and then I just went to my audition. Following the audition, I’m walking back, and I bump into someone again, thankfully there was no coffee involved this time, but I looked up and I saw that it was her again—”

“So, naturally, he asked me if I wanted to get a cup of coffee with him,” you said.

“We had a great laugh about it, though. But that’s basically the story of how we met, and the rest is history, I ‘spose. Honestly, I’m so glad to have her with me, and I know that through everything I can count on her being there and I can be there for her. I wake up everyday thankful that I have someone as kind as her to be my partner in life. It’s a pure blessing.”

“That’s so cute,” the reporter beamed, “I wish you two the best in the future.”

“Thank you,” you both responded.

Dacre took you to the next interview, the one after that, then the one after that. Interview after interview, they asked about his new character, if he was a fan of the show prior to being cast, what it was like having you on set, your relationship, etc. At the end of the hour, the cast began to clear out the red carpet and went inside for the party. You and Dacre were one of the last to go in, and before you went in, he pulled you into a dark corner and kissed you passionately. Caught off guard, you were momentarily frozen with shock before running your fingers through his curls as you kissed back. “I love you, [y/n] [y/l/n]... I love you so damn much…” he kissed you again.

“I love you, too…”

“I can’t wait to get you home and get you out of this dress.” You smirked and kissed him again. “Or maybe we should just go now.”

“You’re so impatient, Montgomery.”

“I am, indeed. But I’ve never been more eager in my life than to have you be Mrs. Montgomery.”

“Soon, babe,” you promised, “Soon.”

A/N: I’m so sorry this is trash. Idk why I couldn’t actually make this really good. It made sense in my head, but now I’m confused. Welp.

#stranger things #dacre montgomery #dacre montgomery imagine #dacre montgomery imagines #imagine #imagines

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