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freaoscanlin · 3 years ago

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Put It On the List

3283 words, rated PG. Clint/Laura, Laura & Natasha, Natasha & Clint.

A few months before the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier, the spy life interrupts the Barton family on a normal errand. Perhaps bringing the scary ex-Russian spy was a mistake. She thinks so, at any rate.

A/N: I wrote this as something of a prelude to an Endgame fix-it fic in progress. It predates everything in that fic and it's cute, so I'm tossing it up here for now.

“Everybody’s allowed one fun item, too. House rules.”

“Not sure they sell anything I consider fun here,” Natasha said, glancing up at the rafters dubiously, “but I’ll take it under consideration.”

“Dirty,” Clint said, walking by with a green bunch of bananas.

“Sorry we can’t provide more excitement than grocery shopping,” Laura said as she pulled out the stash of reusable bags from the trunk.

“It’s fine.”

Laura was of the opinion that a vacation should be taken somewhere exotic, or at least filled with bottomless alcoholic beverages, especially given as young and unfettered as Natasha was. But the woman who had recently become Captain America’s partner at SHIELD had apparently decided a week off merited a trip to Iowa and she had been absolutely content to tag along on family outings with no apparently sign of boredom at all.

“It’s okay,” Clint said, hopping out from the driver’s seat as Natasha unhooked Lila from her car seat. “Nat’s secretly boring at heart. It’s the best kept secret at SHIELD.”

Natasha gave him a puzzled look. “Now, that can’t be true if even you’ve figured it out.”

“Excellent burn,” Laura said, laughing. “You really should come stay more often.”

“Somebody needs to keep Cap in line, otherwise I would.” Nat easily swung Lila onto her hip, following the other three as Cooper grabbed onto his father’s hand.

Laura had already spent the entire dinner the night before peppering her with questions about working with Steve Rogers, the Captain America from the comments. Clint had mentioned him a few times after that kerfuffle in New York with the Chitauri (“Nice guy, wears khakis.”), but Natasha had the inside scoop. And more willingness to share if he was as attractive in person as he looked on TV in that ridiculous star-striped uniform (“If you like that square-jawed All-American sort of thing, sure.”). Laura had even pointed out that, hey, if he was single...

“Yes, the ex-Russian spy and the American war hero. It sounds too much like a bad eighties movie.” Natasha had helped herself to more creamed corn. “I think I’ll have to find him a girlfriend to avoid ever having to answer that question again.”

“Hey,” Laura had said, protesting.

“Fair,” Clint had agreed.

And now here was the ex-Russian spy herself tagging along at the grocery store, carrying Lila and looking like there wasn’t anyplace else she’d rather be than the big chain grocery store a few towns over because they had a better selection of gluten free snacks than the Shop A Lot back home. She trailed along as Clint took over the cart, Lila kicking her legs happily from the child’s seat atop.

“You’ve got the list?” Laura asked.

“I thought you had it?”

“Clint, I said you need to grab it off the fridge before we left. Weren’t you listening?”

“I always listen to you. But it wasn’t on the fridge, so I thought you had it.”

“That’s ridiculous, I put it there last night and—” Laura turned to see Natasha silently holding it out, eyebrows high. “Oh, that works. Thanks, Natasha.”

A half-shrug. “He would’ve forgotten it.”

“They’re impugning my honor,” Clint told Lila and Cooper, the former of whom giggled back at him. “What’s first? Edible or not edible?”

“Food first. Oh, hey, did you remember to put the popsicle sticks on here? Cooper’s day camp was asking people to donate supplies, and I put us down for those.”

“Yes, I absolutely did that. For no reason whatsoever, may I see the list?” Clint grabbed it away and underhandedly passed it to Natasha. Since Laura caught the move, she figured they weren’t actually trying to hide it.

When the list returned to her, “popsicle sticks” was written on the appropriate line in slightly loopy handwriting. “Cute,” Laura said. “Also, if there’s food you want that we don’t have at the house, make sure you put it in, Nat.”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay. Just keep it in mind.” Laura smirked. “Everybody’s allowed one fun item, too. House rules.”

“Not sure they sell anything I consider fun here,” Natasha said, glancing up at the rafters dubiously, “but I’ll take it under consideration.”

“Dirty,” Clint said, walking by with a green bunch of bananas.

Natasha rolled her eyes at him, but a small smile broke out when Laura laughed. Later, Laura noticed that a small bag of nectarines had been added to the cart.

Normally she did this errand without two spies in tow, which was a matter of getting the groceries as quickly as possible and especially speeding through the aisles with the brightly colored boxes that would make Cooper and now Lila whine. Clint’s paycheck was more than generous enough to cover their expenses, but she liked to keep the sugar down at least a little. Grocery trips could be a nightmare from that alone. But now she could send one of them down the danger aisles, while the other distracted the children.

She could get used to this.

Of course, she could have just sent Clint or even Natasha to do the shopping—or gone herself—and she imagined they’d have it done in less than a fifth of the time it took them to wander the aisles now. But Clint had been called on so many SHIELD missions lately that it was nice to just have some family time together.

She was about to suggest they hit up the putt putt course on the way home when Clint’s body language snapped into readiness. On the other side of the cart, Natasha turned away in what most people would deem a casual fashion, but Laura was surprised to see tension running across the line of her shoulders as well.

Instantly, she began to turn her head, to see what had set them both off.

“Don’t look,” Natasha said, Clint echoing her a split-second later.

Cold panic sprang up, but Laura froze in place. The air conditioning turned abruptly frigid. In the basket, Lila had conked out, wheezing a little, and Laura had never been so grateful for her daughter’s ability to fall asleep anywhere.

“This way,” Clint said in a murmur, scooping up Cooper. To strangers, it would never look out of the ordinary, but Laura knew her husband too well to be fooled. And his partner, too, apparently, for she could sense something amiss as Natasha fell in step behind her. At the end of the aisle, away from the registers and most of the store, Clint began shoving aside various things in the cart to deposit Cooper in there. He glanced at Laura. “It’ll be okay, honey. Nat, are they here for you or me?”

“Me.” The word was flat. “They’re scoping out women.”

“Who? Who’s here for what?”

She’d seen Clint and Natasha’s silent conversations before, usually at holiday dinners, but those were always warm and amused. Now, Laura was treated to the fact that they seemingly had their own entire language—and the ability to hold arguments with little more than a few nods and pointed looks.

“Mom, what’s going on?” Cooper asked. “Dad put the stuff back wrong.”

“I know. It’s okay, though. The store employees will know where to put it back properly.” Her pulse had begun to hammer, but Laura did her best to keep her hands steady as she petted Lila’s bent head.

“Fine, you win,” Natasha said, the first words she’d spoken aloud. “Where?”

“Northeast corner, break room.” Clint collected an oversized bucket of licorice, and as Laura and Cooper gawked at him, popped it open and dumped the individually wrapped candies into the cart.

Natasha dropped her phone into it and grabbed Laura’s purse.

“What? Hey, don’t—”

Natasha pulled out a few items, including Laura’s phone. This she dumped in the bucket. An unfamiliar black box, she tossed to Clint. Laura stared mournfully at the shimmery blue phone case bought off of Etsy only last week as the entire bucket was hidden on a shelf behind a case of gum. Clint tossed his hooded jacket to Natasha, gave Laura one brief, heart-stopping look, tousled Cooper’s hair, kissed Lila on the head, and strode off without looking back.

“We were followed,” Natasha said in an undertone, pulling the hood over her distinctive hair.

Followed could mean anything from evil assassins to space aliens at this point, and both of those options led to nauseating conclusions. But Natasha shot her a look, so Laura nodded and swallowed back any panic. And then she changed again, quicksilver just like Clint, so that she was bright and happy Auntie Natasha once more. She picked up Cooper out of the basket and held onto his hand, swinging it cheerfully. “Time to play a new fun game. It’s called ‘Let’s be invisible.’”

“How do you play?”

“Our job,” and Natasha actually hunkered down so that she was on eye level with Cooper, “is to get all the way there,” she pointed to the back of the store, “as fast as we can without running. Because if we run, we won’t be invisible anymore.”

“This is a silly game, Auntie Nat.”

“That’s half the fun, isn’t it? Shh, come with me.” Natasha rose and made brief eye contact with Laura, then headed down the aisle in the opposite direction from Clint. She walked briskly, but not fast enough to draw attention, and Laura had to follow. “Clint’s scoping things out,” she said in a low voice as Laura caught up with the sleeping Lila. “He’ll be fine. I’m taking you and the kids to hide.”

“Are you going to stay with us?”

“You’ll be safe.”

So that was a no. Because she knew her friend well enough, she knew Natasha was tense and watchful, but not a single thing about her betrayed that fact. Natasha didn’t lead them straight to wherever they were going, either. They crossed the store through random aisles, first through the art department and then sporting goods, and Laura’s heart sank as she noticed they were approaching the toy department. They were never escaping without at least one meltdown.

But Natasha surprised her by leaning down and whispering something to Cooper that had him giggling. And right on through they went without a single problem.

“Shh,” Natasha said to Cooper as she pushed open the door to a break room. She peeked inside, then jerked her head for Laura to follow.

“What are we doing, Auntie Nat?” Cooper asked as Natasha immediately climbed onto a table and reached for the ceiling.

“New part of the game,” Natasha said.

Laura looked at the human-sized trap door she’d opened and thought Oh no.

“You get to go up there,” Natasha said. “And it’ll be like hide and seek.”

Cooper’s expression suddenly shouted that he found the prospect of invisibility much less enchanting now. “It looks scary.”

“I’ll be with you,” Laura said. “The whole time. We’ll be invisible together, okay?”

“You first, and I’ll hand them up,” Natasha said.

Laura clambered gingerly onto the table, wishing she’d worn better shoes for this. She put her foot into Natasha’s cupped hands and hauled herself into a very, very dusty vent. Darkness surrounded her and she thought Oh, no. Cooper needed a nightlight on the best of nights. Her son was far cleverer than most; even with Natasha’s easy cheer, he could clearly tell something was off. And if he began crying, Lila was bound to wake as well. Keeping them both quiet would be beyond impossible.

Natasha passed Lila up first, and the toddler barely even stirred. Before she could lift Cooper, she hopped off the table and down to his level. Laura couldn’t hear what she said, but she saw Cooper nod and hold his arms up, completely trusting.

When Natasha lifted him up into the vent, he had his chubby little fist wrapped around a little flashlight. Laura hadn’t even seen Natasha pull that from the shelf, though she recognized it as being from sporting goods. Cooper waved it about, wildly.

“I couldn’t grab much,” Natasha said, hauling herself up so that she hung half off the trap door. Laura would kill for that kind of core strength. She slid over two coloring books and crayons. “Sorry about that. Stay here until Clint or I come to get you. If somebody comes in, we’re invisible, right?”

“Invisible,” Cooper agreed, scrambling for the coloring books.

“Good man.” Natasha reached up to ruffle his hair like Clint had done. She glanced about the air vent in a distinctly sardonic way. “Cozy.”

“Stay safe.”

“Will do.” She raised an eyebrow at Laura, and disappeared down the hatch. A few seconds later, the trapdoor slid back into place, leaving Laura in a dark vent with her children and no cell phone to keep them company.

She had to remind herself that they were lucky something like this hadn’t happened before, though that felt like cold comfort when everything smelled like dust. She shifted the sleeping Lila in her arms. “Here, set it here,” she said, helping Cooper open the coloring book. “What shall we color first, huh?”

* * * *

Nearly eleven minutes later, Natasha knelt down next to the man she’d cornered in Home and Garden and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Coincidence.”

“Yup.” Clint sounded close to laughter, the traitor.

“The whole thing. Coincidence.”

“Looks that way.”

Natasha sat down hard on the bottom shelf, which held giant sacks of birdseed. Slamming his head into those rather than the concrete floor was probably the only reason the thug was even still breathing. She’d need to hide the body soon, and alert SHIELD, but she had a few minutes to recover. The cell phone she’d stolen out of his pocket after their fight didn’t show an image of her, as she’d expected, but a completely random woman who looked nothing like Natasha outside of being the same height.

It had definitely been a hit, but she hadn’t been the target.

At least they’d saved some random woman, so there was that.

“We should’ve known they weren’t here for you when there were only two of them,” Clint said over the earpiece. He’d teased her about stashing them in Laura’s purse before they left, the traitor. And look who’d been correct to do so. It had kept them in contact as he’d stalked his own target back to the clearance section in the back. “Mine’s taken care of. You?”

“One minute.” She hauled the man bodily onto the shelf and tossed sacks of birdseed over him.

“I’ll get the phones and swing by to steal the surveillance. You fetch Laura and the kids.”

Natasha winced. The last thing she wanted to do was face Laura after ruining this outing for everybody. “I think they’d rather see their daddy after being stuffed in a dark place out of nowhere.”

“Nah, Auntie Nat is just as good,” Clint said. “Face it, you’re part of the family now, god help you.”

“Yeah, part of the family that can’t even let us go grocery shopping without disaster striking.”

There was a warm laugh from the other side of the comms. “Disaster? This is nothing compared to getting two small children through the cereal aisle without a tantrum, Romanoff.”

Natasha, reaching up to fix the braids that had become disordered during the scuffle, wrinkled her nose. She debated whether or not to swing by the staff restrooms on the way and clean up the lucky hit the thug had landed, but decided it was more important to get la familia Barton out of the vents quickly. The less time the children spent in a dark, scary place, the better.

She resolutely did not think of the absolute darkness of thatshipping container, which unfortunately brought the thoughts closer to the surface than she liked.

But she also didn’t want to scare the children, so she grabbed a hand towel off an endcap as she passed, and dabbed at her face.

Mercifully, the break room remained empty when she stepped in. “All clear,” she said, moving the table back under the trap door. “Invisible game’s over.”

From inside, she heard thumping. “Auntie Nat!”

“Cooper, wait—” was the only warning she had before the trap door opened and Cooper launched himself at her.

She snatched him out of the air, and absolutely did not think about what could have happened if she’d been slower to react. “Whoa, okay. Excited to get out of there, huh?” Laura’s white face appeared over the edge, eyes wide. Natasha mouthed he’s fine back at her. “Here, climb down, let me help your mom and your sister out.”

“I stayed so-o-o-o quiet,” Cooper said. “We colored in a dinosaur for you, but we didn’t know your favorite color so I picked red like your hair. What is your favorite color? There’s another dinosaur on the page, so if it’s not red, I can use that color instead.”

“I do like red a lot.” Natasha thought about it. “Purple, too, maybe.”

“You can’t have purple, that’s Dad’s favorite color.”

“Coop, more than one person can have purple as their favorite color,” Laura said, transferring Lila down to Natasha. Mercifully the baby had slept through all of it. “I like purple, too, remember?”

Cooper wrinkled his nose at that. “Okay, fine. I’ll make it purple.”

“I can’t wait to see it,” Natasha promised. Once the entire family had been retrieved, she pushed the trap door back into place. Of course Clint had scouted this spot months ago. His paranoia remained legendary. “Family’s secure, Barton.”

“Got it,” Clint said. “Heading to the front.”

“Meet you there,” Natasha said. To the others with her, she tilted her head toward the door. “Ready to get out of here?”

Laura looked more or less composed, which Natasha had to credit her for. Civilians rarely handled those kinds of curveballs well, but she’d been married to Clint for a decade. It stood to reason this might not even be the first time something like this had happened. Her grip on the sleeping Lila remained tight. “Coop, hold Auntie Nat’s hand, okay? Humor me.”

“All right, I guess.”

“Everything good?” Laura asked.

“False alarm,” Natasha said.

One eyebrow went up. “A false alarm gave you a split lip?”

Natasha worked at it with her tongue, scrunching her nose at the brief spark of pain. “Just another exciting day in our line of work. It all turned out okay, if you ignore that we were unsuccessful in our primary objective.”

Laura looked blank, so Natasha prompted: “Getting the groceries, Barton.”

“Pfft, whatever. We’ll get takeout. We’ll consider it an adventure, and it won’t even be the first one today. Hopefully there will be less dust this time.” Laura leaned over, conspiratorially. “I am getting my phone back, right? I really like the case, and it’ll take forever to get another one like it.”

Years of espionage training kept Natasha from staring at her like she’d sprouted a second head. Clint had told her years before that his wife was far more pragmatic than either of them, but she’d never had a chance to witness it in action before. She almost wanted to ask if this was some kind of backwoods Midwestern thing, but it seemed better not to do that.

So she settled into a helpless laugh. “Yes, we’ll get your phone back. The case is really cute.”

“Good. I knew you’d agree.” Laura squeezed her shoulder with her free hand, and it felt more like a thank you than Natasha had ever received after years and years on the job.

“One point,” Natasha said, feeling a tiny bit shy as as she pulled out a package she’d swiped on their trip through the store earlier. “We should probably pay for the coloring books. And these.”

Laura looked down at the bag of popsicle sticks and laughed. “You really are a hero.”

FIN

(the target was a leaked witsec hit. Bad timing all around)

#avengers fanfiction #natasha romanoff #black widow #hawkeye #clint barton #laura barton #cooper barton #lila barton #fanfiction #fanfic #my fic #not simple to say verse

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violetwolfraven · 4 years ago

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41 for javid would work so perfectly ahfkfjxhsga and/or 34, whichever one u want 🥺🥺🥺

I was scared to come out and ask you out because I didn’t know our entire friend group was gay but I definitely know now???

and

We broke up but I found the letters you wrote me before that and I still love you so wanna get back together? (did I copy this from one specific fic I read? Possibly.)

Ok! Buckle in your seatbelts, y’all! This is gonna be a MASSIVELY LONG THING! Also @61-flaming-sour-cherry-scones I love your url. Just getting that out there. Modern AU, btw. Also does this end in December, 2019, conveniently avoiding COVID? Possibly! :)

...

Jack didn’t mean to find that box, but in his defense, it was not hidden well. Just in the back of his closet, which he hadn’t cleaned out since... damn. Since the breakup.

And Jack was fine with said breakup, by the way. Him and Davey weren’t right together anymore.

And Jack didn’t smile less, or work himself harder as a distraction, or whatever bullshit his brothers, mom, and all his friends said.

If Davey never texted first anymore, or barely even talked when friends asked him to hang out or whatever, that was none of Jack’s business.

Jack had texted Davey exactly once since the breakup, because Elmer had told him that he had an anxiety attack in a bar, which he was only there in the first place because he was designated driver.

Davey had said he was fine, and that meant he was, right?

Davey had not mentioned anything about leaving a shoebox in Jack’s closet. As a matter of fact, he hadn’t mentioned it, ever.

Did it sting that Jack’s ex had kept a secret box of... something? from him? Maybe. Whatever the case, Jack was curious by nature, and he was definitely opening the box.

It was... letters? Sealed letters in envelopes, the earliest one on the very top, in one corner of the box. The only thing written on it was a date; September 7th, 2011.

That would be... 8th grade? Probably the first day of school? Jack was super confused. Still, he opened the letter.

Dear Jack Kelly,

I know this is terrible and corny and I’m probably going to shred this letter with the pocket knife Sarah got for our last birthday, but I had to write it down somewhere.

I think I’m gay. Specifically, gay for you. And I know that’s weird, I can’t stop thinking about you. You’re like the living personification of the moon. (Not the sun. I’ve never understood why people compare their crush to the sun. Nobody likes looking directly at that.) You saw me sitting alone before school and you took me in. I mean it. You brought me over to your friend group and said I was a new kid who was going to be your friend now, and the whole group just adopted me without questioning it. All of you are so nice. At first I thought it was a trick, but then I saw you comforting Blink when he had a panic attack. (Also, I’m still getting used to the nickname thing. That’s still weird and I’m not sure how I feel about the one you gave me.) You were so gentle with him, Jack. You knew exactly how to calm him down and you were so patient with him while you helped Mush drive the fear away. I didn’t think boys our age knew how to be like that. I do now, because of you. Well, and because of Race being, well, Race. I don’t think anyone could mistake him for a bully. Or Crutchie. Or Romeo. Heck, most of your group is just so nice I can barely believe it. I think I’ll bring Saz to meet you tomorrow. She already made a friend, but she said that this girl, Katherine, said she already knows you. Maybe we can all be friends.

I really wish we could be more, but I know that would never work. I can’t tell anyone I’m gay. You’d think I’m a freak. But since you’ll never read this, I can admit it here: I have a massive crush on you, Jack Kelly.

Sincerely, David Davey

Jack was not going to let himself cry about a letter written in 8th fucking grade. He was, however, very confused about why it was in his closet.

A letter from before Davey was out of the closet found in the closet. If Jack wasn’t so goddamn depressed, he would appreciate the irony.

The next letter was dated: September 24th, 2011.

Dear Jack,

We’re all friends now. Gotta say, I already can’t imagine my life without you and the other guys. And maybe I didn’t meet Kath that first day, but she’s probably my best friend, besides you, of course. She’s the only other one with brain cells, besides maybe Specs. Us three had to talk you and the others out of riding a shopping cart Albert stole from Walmart down a hill yesterday. Honestly, would it kill you to be a little smarter? I know for a fact you can be, Jack Kelly. You and the others actually have a fair amount of brain cells each when apart. It’s only when the only group gets together that you all do stupid stuff.

I didn’t shred the first letter. I think maybe I’ll keep these and we can look back someday and laugh about me having a crush on you in middle school. Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get over it before it ruins our friendship.

I honestly don’t see how I’d survive losing you, Jack. So, please, do me a favor and keep being oblivious to how I really feel about you until I digest those butterflies you give me.

Sincerely, Davey

Damn. Reading that was like a punch to the chest and Jack had to take a deep breath before moving on to the next letter.

The next few were just mundane stuff. Little notes on how Jack laughed or interacted with certain friends or whatever. The way he painted each friend something little for the holidays and how they all had a picnic potluck for Thanksgiving.

Then he got to one that was different: January 22nd, 2012. It was written in a panicked, hurried script.

Oh, damn. Jack remembered what this was about. What happened January of 8th grade.

Dear Jack,

Something’s wrong. You’re on my couch right now, crying. I don’t know what’s going on, but you’re trying to put on a brave face for Les and failing miserably. Medda didn’t have time to say much when she dropped you, Crutchie, Race, and Romeo off, so all I really know is that Blink is in the hospital and she’s gonna pick up Mush before going to see him. Crutchie is trying to comfort you, by the way, but he’s crying nearly as much as you are. Race and Ro are in shock, I think. They haven’t said much. Sarah’s making them hot cocoa. I’m in my room, writing this really quick because I don’t know what I can do. You’re so good at comforting people, but I don’t know how. I wish I knew how you did it. I think I’ll go try one of the things I’ve seen you do with panic attacks. It’s got to be better than nothing.

The rest was calmer, clearly written later.

It turns out Blink is in the hospital because his dad put him there. And he wouldn’t be alive at all if he didn’t call Mush in a panic right when he heard him get home. Mush called the cops and they barely got there in time. Blink was already half-dead when they did, but they managed to keep him alive long enough to get an ambulance. God, I don’t want to think about what would’ve happened if they’d been just a little bit slower.

Medda called you a couple hours ago to let us all know that Blink is in bad shape, but he’s gonna be okay. She’s gonna try to file for custody of him, but Mush’s mom is gonna try, too, just to give him twice as much chance of staying with us. His dad is in jail, but you and me agree that he deserves to die for what he did. In the selfie Blink made Mush send the group chat, there was more bandage visible on his face than skin. It made me so damn angry, but I didn’t show it because you were so angry you almost punched a hole in my wall.

I’ve made a decision, Jack. I can’t be separate from the group anymore. I always hang with Kath off to the side where we can intervene as the voices of reason if needed, but I’m not going to do that anymore, because I. can. not. do this again. I want our friends to trust me like they trust you so maybe if one of them is in a house with a dad that would beat them within an inch of their life, they’ll tell me and I can get them out.

I guess that means I’ll have to get better at lying. I’ve been staying separate mostly to hide my crush. And I think I’m pretty good at that, but being right at the center of things, with you? I’ll have to be careful to make sure no one notices. Especially not you. I hope I can pull it off.

You definitely aren’t making it easy on me, are you? You’re passed out in my bed, for heaven’s sake. But it’s fine. This is fine. I’m fine.

Sincerely, Davey

Jack remembered that night as one of the worst of his life. He’d thought Blink was dead by how Mush sounded when he called. And even though it turned out he wasn’t, he was going to be okay even if he lost an eye, after Jack’s childhood, he’d always hated when he couldn’t protect the people he loved.

Davey had been the one to reach him in that bad place he fell back to, the one where people he loved, kids he considered his little brothers, were getting hurt. Davey had pulled him out of there, and though it would take Jack months to realize it, that was the day he started to fall in love with him.

The next Monday, though, Jack had tried to give him space. Knowing how intimidating it all had to seem, he wasn’t sure if Davey would bail on them.

But he didn’t. Jack had never stopped appreciating how Davey had seen the darkness under the innocent, normal friendship and stayed anyway.

The next few letters were mostly a lot of pining on Davey’s side as he struggled to integrate himself more deeply into the group.

Jack still remembered that shift, how once Davey earned the others’ trust, Jack had gone from being the only one everyone was relying on to half of a pair that a lot of their friends had jokingly called ‘mom and dad.’

It was kind of sad, knowing that for most of them, Jack and Davey gave them more love and attention than their actual parents did, but the two of them would have to do—and they had. For a long time, the two of them were an unstoppable duo of hugs and snacks and homework help.

The letter from June 15th, 2012, had weird spots on it, almost like... almost like tear-marks. It was shorter than the previous ones.

Dear Jack,

Saz just came bouncing into my room to announce that she’s going with you to the Eighth Grade Dance.

I don’t know why I’m sad about it. I knew you and me would never be a thing.

But it still hurts, Jackie. It hurts so much.

I’m going with the rest of the group, just as friends. No one has dates except you, and I think maybe Romeo.

Jack knew for a fact that Blink and Mush had gone together because he remembered accidentally walking in on their first kiss, but apparently, Davey hadn’t known that.

Les is knocking on my door, so I’m gonna have to drop my math textbook on the floor really loudly so I can tell him I’m crying because I fell.

Sincerely, Davey

There wasn’t another letter until 4 months later, Octobe 16th, 2012.

Dear Jack,

So. Something weird just happened. Saz just came into my room and said she’s not going with you to Homecoming because you’re going with Kath. I tried to comfort her, but she didn’t seem sad about it?

She asked me if I wanted to go with anyone and seemed surprised I said I didn’t. (Not like I’m telling her a part of me wishes I could go with you.) Then she mentioned that Blink and Mush are going together, and I don’t see why she cares because if you don’t have a date why not go with a friend, right? Why do girls have to be so confusing?

Sincerely, Davey

Oh. Oh, God.

By the beginning of freshman year, Blink and Mush hadn’t been the only gay couple in their friend group.

Albert and Finch had gotten together over the summer, and so had Smalls and Sniper.

Romeo and Specs were in the ‘flirting terribly’ phase, and though Jack didn’t know it at the time, Race was already sneaking around with Spot by that point.

Ike had asked Hotshot to that Homecoming, though they wouldn’t officially become boyfriends until almost a year later, Buttons and Elmer became official at that dance, and Jojo and Mike had that falling out because of misread signals towards the end of it.

Hell, Jack only went to that dance with Kath because she couldn’t let her parents know she was actually going with Saz.

Homecoming freshman year was... eventful, to say the least.

And Davey had known exactly none of this. That... explained a lot.

Being only freshmen, none of the couples were exactly casual in their relationships. They didn’t kiss in front of people, and a few were too embarrassed to so much as sit next to each other at lunch. With the ones who weren’t embarrassed, it still honestly wasn’t much more than the affection they all already showed among friends.

God, if Jack had known how scared Davey was to come out, as he said in the next few letters, he would have... what? Told him he loved him right then and there? Probably not, but he would have done something differently.

The next really significant letter was dated December 11th 12th, 2012.

Dear Jack,

I have no idea what to think.

I’m in the bathroom right now, and it’s just after midnight on 12/12/12. You and your brothers threw a party in case the world ended with the whole friend group. It was kind of like a New Year’s party, but with a lot more cynical talk about the coming apocalypse and bet placing on what said apocalypse would be. Towards the end, we all got caught up in the drama and sleep-deprivation and started giving speeches about how much we loved each other. It was cringy, but in a good way? I’m sure we’ll laugh about it someday.

Or maybe we won’t. Because I have no idea what to think anymore.

Oh, shit. This was the part Jack was kind of dreading reading.

I’ve been terrified to come out because I thought I’d get kicked out of the group if you guys knew I was gay.

Which was why it was such a shock when the countdown to midnight ended and half my friends kissed friends of the same gender.

Jack remembered yelling at them to break it up. He’d been so busy being exasperated with his kids that he hadn’t even noticed Davey had slipped away until Crutchie pointed it out.

It was quick, so I don’t think I could name all the pairs if I tried, but I definitely saw Sarah kiss Kath, which, honestly, explains a lot.

I can’t help but wonder... Why didn’t anyone tell me? How long has this been going on? Has it been since the beginning and I was just too oblivious to see it?

Oh my God. Now that I’m looking for it, I can’t stop seeing it. The way Blink is defensive and angry all the time and he’s soft for Mush. The way Sarah hates spending time on her hair and she’ll sit for hours letting Kath try out styles on her. The way Buttons and Elmer just do little things for each other every day. None of them are subtle and I am an idiot.

Jack had to laugh at that.

Does this mean I should come out, too? I know now no one would judge me for it, but... I don’t want to mess things up. I love our friends, and I don’t want to lose them. If I lost them, now, it would be because I like you, specifically. Would you be disgusted with me if I told you?

“No,” Jack whispered, before remembering that this was 14-year-old Davey, and he wasn’t here.

I like to think you wouldn’t be, but I can’t risk it. If I lose you, I lose all of them. And if I have doubts about if I could live through losing you, I definitely can’t survive losing everyone. I love them all so much. I love you.

Jack sucked in a breath. As far as he knew, this was the first time Davey had ever said anywhere that he loved Jack.

But I can’t tell you that. So if I come out, it definitely won’t be by saying who I like.

Love, Davey

Jack totally wasn’t crying as he reached for the next letter. It was just current events, random stuff. There were certainly a lot of letters, weren’t there? Davey had documented everything, from Jack attempting to teach him to draw, to the time they both auditioned for the school play, to that time they had to talk Jojo off a ledge when he realized he loved Mike. That one was short but bad. (Honestly, Jack still hated Jojo’s super religious parents for that. Fuck Jojo’s parents.)

Davey did come out in a letter from almost six months later, but it wasn’t until Homecoming sophomore year that things started getting really interesting.

Dear Jack,

I honestly might never talk to you again outside these letters. Sarah’s banging on my door telling me to, and I’m quoting her here, “open the fuck up, David Jacobs.” Mom’s yelling back at her to watch her language. They’re now having a screamed bitching match in the hallway.

Long story short, we were at Homecoming and you asked me to dance. My brain kind of short-circuited, but I said yes right as a slow song came on. Shockingly, you didn’t seem to mind, and you danced with me to Photograph by Ed Sheeran.

Oh, God, Jack remembered that song. It had been their song. He still couldn’t listen to it anymore.

You were singing along to it and smiling at me. It was really sweet, and it was kind of my dream, to be honest, and I guess I lost all control of my body for a second because I kissed you during the last chorus and I didn’t stop kissing you until the end of the song.

Jack remembered that like it was yesterday, because it was their first kiss. It was a million perfect colors exploding across Jack’s brain and feelings he could barely identify swirling into a moment more beautiful than any painting he could ever create.

Then a faster song came on and I don’t know if anyone saw, but I really hope they didn’t because if they did that means they saw what happened next. Which is: I ran away. I ran all the way to my car and drove home and locked myself in my room. Sarah came home not 5 minutes later, so I think she knows, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t know how I can face you after this. In hindsight I think you were kissing me back, and if you were that means I just ran out on you and it probably hurt when I did. If not, that’s even worse because I kissed you and you probably just didn’t pull away out of pity.

Holy shit, I think you’re here, now. I can hear you outside my door with Saz, and maybe Kath, too. She’s trying to calm her down, which, honestly, good luck, Kath. Wait. No. Shit. I guess being her girlfriend has its benefits. It’s just you, now. You’re talking really softly, but I can’t understand you through the door. This is why we enunciate, Jackie.

Jack rolled his eyes on reflex.

I’m still pretty scared, but I think I’m gonna open the door. Scratch that, I’m definitely gonna open it. If you yell at me, I’ll probably yell right back. Funny, isn’t it? How I never would have done that before meeting you? If we have a huge fight, remember that you’re the one who taught me not to censor myself. David never would have even opened that door, but Davey is your monster. Good luck. I’ve out-argued you before, Jackie, so you’ll need it.

I should stop stalling and open the damn door.

If you break my heart, Jack Kelly, I’m going to kill you.

Love, Davey

Reading that last sentance, Jack froze.

If you break my heart, Jack Kelly, I’m going to kill you.

Time was a bitch, because by all accounts, they were both broken-hearted, now.

Jack wiped away his tears and realized there was a little bit more writing.

P.S. I guess you get to live, Jackie, because we had a talk and you kissed me again and now we’re together. Like, boyfriends. I can’t stop smiling. It’s stupid. I’m probably not going to sleep tonight and it’s all your fault because my stomach is full of butterflies and I can’t stop thinking about how much I love you.

Jack didn’t let himself process that, going for the next letter instead.

Oh, shit. November 1st, 2013. This was going to be a bad one. Still, Jack took a deep breath and started reading.

Dear Jack,

Well, today was emotionally draining. (Halloween was fun, but what came after definitely is not.) It’s already past midnight, but it’s okay because I’m sleeping over at your house tonight. After Saz and I explained the situation, Mom and Dad agreed we should. God, said situation it makes me so angry.

Katherine’s parents kicked her out. They found out about her and Sarah, made her pack a bag, and tossed her away like she was nothing.

She’s 16. She’s a goddamn child like the rest of us. How could they do that to her? I guess it’s good she’s out of that environment, where she has to hide who she is and walk on eggshells with every conversation, but she’s on your couch right now, crying so hard she can’t even drink the tea Medda made her. Sarah and you are trying to calm her down, but I hate seeing her like this. Kath always seems kind of unshakable, like nothing anyone says will get to her. I’ve never seen her this broken. Judging by the look you’re giving me from across the room, you haven’t, either.

You think I’m making a grocery list. Medda told me to, seeing as how she’s busy helping clean out your guest room, Saz is on ‘shoulder to cry on’ duty, and I’m the only boy who lives with a girl. Kath didn’t get to pack much more than a couple of outfits and her toothbrush.

You know what? Fuck it. You and me are her parents, now. You’re good with that, right? We’re already stand-in Mom and Dad for several of our friends—what’s one more? Ha ha, you and me have so much practice already that we are going to be great parents for real one day.

Jack sucked in a breath. Real parents? As in, the two of them staying together long enough to have kids?

Wow. That is wildly inappropriate to think about when we’re literally a couple of 15-year-olds. Also, it makes me think about how Kath is technically a few months older, but whatever. I guess I should actually make that grocery list, now, and stop daydreaming about a hypothetical future while one of our kids now is sobbing across the room from me.

Love, Davey

Davey had never even told Jack he wanted kids.

Sure, they were both a little young for that, but in the future..? Jack had always been scared that he wouldn’t be a good dad, after never having a good dad, himself, but sophomore year Davey was right. He had gotten a fair amount of practice with his friends.

That night, when Kath showed up at the Larkin house, crying so hysterically the makeup from her Halloween costume was running and saying she didn’t know where else to go, Davey was the first person Jack called. Him and Sarah had shown up not fifteen minutes later, probably having been lucky not to pick up a speeding ticket (or you know, gotten arrested for underage driving without an adult) on the way.

15-year-old Davey was right. That night was the most broken Jack had ever seen Katherine. Even if it had worked out okay in the end, with Kath staying with them and being their new sister in every way but on paper, Jack still kind of wanted to throat-punch her parents.

It was... oddly comforting, to know that Davey felt the same. He hadn’t shown it back then, knowing Kath needed him calm, but... to be honest, Jack would have feared an angry Davey Jacobs more than an angry Jack Kelly. You’d get punched by an angry Jack, but an angry Davey? He was smart enough to burn down your world. Jack smirked, thinking about how lucky the Pulitzers were that Davey possessed impulse control.

Most of the rest of the letters were just Davey talking about their relationship as it evolved or recounting whatever drama happened to be going on, (with one in the middle of junior year that was basically just ‘wtf Race is secretly dating Spot Conlon???’) because as the only group of out gays in the school, a few of whom happened to be in not-so-good homes, there was always drama.

Then came the stress of senior year, SATs, and college applications. Davey and Jack had a few fights, which were all well documented here. 17-year-old Jack and Davey hadn’t known that those fights were the beginning of the end.

The letter dated June 5th, 2016 was the one that finally made Jack cry for real .

Dear Jack,

We’re fighting again. We have before, but this time, it’s actually serious.

I get that you’re going to school in Santa Fe and I’m staying in New York. What—did you expect me to follow you all the way across the country? I’m not asking you to stay, because that wouldn’t be fair of me. You’ve got dreams and a scholarship to an art school and that is great. I’m happy for you. But I’m not going with you, because why would I? I’ve got dreams, too. Did you think I would put my life on hold for you?

We can’t stay kids forever, Jackie. Growing up means things change. I thought you knew that. Our friends are spreading out across the country and most of the couples aren’t going to be in the same state. Hell, Specs is going to Harvard in Massachusetts and Romeo is moving to Hollywood to go try his luck and they’re not having problems. If your own brother can do the long-distance thing, why can’t you?

I’m scared, too. I don’t want to lose you, either. I know doing a long-distance thing won’t be easy, but when was the last time either of us gave up just because it was hard? Jackie, if I wanted something easy, I would have bailed after we almost lost Blink. My love for you aside, I didn’t because that’s. not. me. I fight for what I love. And I know you do, too, so... so fight for me. I need to know you love me enough to fight for me, Jackie.

I know you. When you want something—really want it, there is not a force in this world that can stop you from fighting for it. I love you, Jack Kelly. I’m not going to stop fighting for you, so please don’t stop fighting for me.

Love, Davey

Jack choked on a sob. He’d failed. Davey had asked him to fight for him and he failed.

Sure, he hadn’t known that Davey wanted him to fight for him, but... God, if he had...

Jack would have fought, would have walked through hell, would have done anything to keep Davey by his side.

He still loved Davey, no matter what he’d been telling himself since the breakup, and... And he needed to read the rest of these letters. Even if Davey started hating him when the fighting got really bad or wrote about what he was feeling during it.

Shit. There weren’t that many more. The remaining letters were spread out somewhere between high school graduation and when Jack and Davey broke up; a year and a half ago, and... and those would probably be the hardest ones to read

Jack waited a bit until the tears had stopped before opening the one from November 20th, 2016.

Dear Jack,

I haven’t wrote one of these in a while. College has been a bitch, but also...

You and me barely talk anymore. We text each other memes about once a week, (don’t worry. you still know exactly how to make me laugh with those dumb little shitposts.) but we don’t really talk. I can’t remember the last time we FaceTimed. I miss you, but I don’t know how to say it anymore.

I’m thinking about this because it’s Thanksgiving break. Of course, it’s good to see everyone. Kath got home this morning. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed her. Elmer texted me a couple minutes ago that he’s an hour away. Of course that dumbass is driving all the way from Michigan. I’m sure we’ll both have more than enough words for him when you get back because you’re flying in tonight.

I don’t know how I feel about that. I should be excited, but... I don’t think I’ve been this nervous about anything involving you since I ran away after our first kiss. I think I preferred it last year, when we were fighting, because even when we were pissed at each other, at least we were communicating.

You remember when we were kids and you always knew exactly what to say exactly when someone needed to hear it? How you helped calm down Kath when she got kicked out, talked Jojo off a roof, and convinced Spot to tell Race he loved him? It was amazing. I never quite mastered that. I usually know what to do, just never how to voice it. But this time, I don’t even know what to do. We’re not on the same page anymore. I don’t think we’re even in the same book.

Jack took a shaky breath. He and Davey hadn’t been on the same page. And Jack definitely hadn’t known what to say to him, either. They weren’t the unstoppable duo they’d been in high school.

But... damn. Those things Davey had mentioned him doing? He couldn’t have done those alone. For all of those, he had needed Davey there, helping him. Maybe that was why it was so hard, being there for anyone since the breakup.

I hate how five years of being an unstoppable duo can be undone in only four months, and it wasn’t even by fighting. If it was a fight, we could solve it, you and me vs. the problem. But there’s no fight, no problem. It’s just you and me and the growing chasm between us.

You know what? It’s probably just the distance messing with us. We’ll be fine. We just need some time together. Thanksgiving will be good for us. And I’m flying out to Santa Fe for the winter holidays to spend it with you, so that’ll be good, too.

I’m gonna text you right now. Your flight probably won’t be leaving for another hour or so, so we can talk. Get back in rhythm.

I still don’t know what to say. I guess I’ll just ask about how hot Santa Fe is in winter and we can go from there. Here’s hoping this makes things get less awkward.

Love, Davey

Jack remembered that text conversation with Davey in the airport. He remembered how much hope it had given him, and how after Jack went back to Santa Fe when the holiday was over, how much better Davey and him had been. That Christmas/Hanukkah had been great, especially considering most of Jack’s classmates were at home and they’d had the dorm to themselves.

Of course their friends and families had known that was why Jack didn’t come home that year, and he distinctly remembered getting texts from all three of his brothers on Christmas morning asking if Davey was good in bed, but that was besides the point.

The next several letters were from their second wind, the rest of the school year. And yeah, they were hard to read, but they brought back happy memories. Even only seeing each other over breaks and computer screens, it seemed that Davey was happy, too. For a while, it had seemed that Jack could have his dreams of art school in Santa Fe and the love of his life.

Then, of course, during that summer of staying together at whichever house more often than not, they started fighting again. Over nothing. Over stupid things. Over who loaded the dishwasher wrong and who said he was going to pick Les up from his friend’s house.

Then they started fighting over big things. Over harsh words Jack never meant and judging by these letters, Davey didn’t meant, either.

August 2nd, 2017:

Dear Jack,

I fucked up. We just had a big fight, I said a bunch of things I didn’t mean, and like an idiot, I let you leave for the airport without apologizing. Now, you’re acting like your phone is already on airplane mode even though I know for a fact your flight doesn’t leave for another hour. Also, I can see that you’ve read all of my texts, you moron, so I know you’re just ignoring me.

Aw, hell, I don’t even blame you. I said some really bad things. I said you love your art more than me, and I know that’s not true. I know you’d never prioritize material things over the people you love, because Jackie, you prioritize those people who have earned your loyalty over everything, including your own mental and physical health. I know because it annoys the hell out of me, how you never give yourself a break. They’re all adults now, Jackie. They don’t need us as much anymore and you never stop acting like they do.

I shouldn’t be angry with you for that. I know with your childhood, trying to protect Crutchie, Race, and Romeo and sometimes failing, you still feel like you have to save everyone. It’s how you’re wired and I love that about you. I wouldn’t change it if I could. I just wish you’d stop running yourself into the ground to do it.

Is this it? I already feel like we’re on borrowed time, here. Sarah says she thought we were going to break up last year. Kath says she’s sure it’s not that bad. (they’re talking about it very loudly in the hallway. or maybe they’re arguing. who knows?) Les just said that my mom said nobody marries their high school sweetheart. (thanks, Mom.)

I think even if we never said it, that’s what we were both hoping for. I know you, Jackie. I’ve watched your favorite romcoms and Disney movies. I know you want the perfect fairytale relationship with the whole package of ‘and they get married and have kids and live happily ever after.’ And I want that, too. I really wanted it with you. Ugh! I still want it with you! I can’t imagine any alternate universe where I don’t want that with you!

It’s probably inappropriate to think about all that. We’re nineteen. We’re not even old enough to drink yet and we’re definitely too young for me to be thinking about marrying you.

Jack inhaled sharply. Oh, God. He was going to cry again.

But for the record... I do want to. I want everything with you and I cannot imagine any circumstance, any extreme, any bad breakup where I stop wanting that.

Just to be safe, though, in case something I can’t foresee happens and I never say it again...

I love you, Jack Kelly. I have loved you from the first day I met you and I can’t see anything happening in any version of reality that makes me stop loving you. You’re still like the living personification of the moon to me and no matter how much you piss me off, Jackie, your glow doesn’t fade. You shined a light on the parts of me afraid of judgement and taught me to shine, too, despite them.

I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you and I probably never will. I just need you to know that.

Love, Davey

Jack was already crying, but he panicked as he realized there was only two more letters.

A part of him wanted to wait. These were words Davey hadn’t spoken to him. These were the last pieces of Davey that were still Jack’s.

But he needed to know. Were these letters from before they actually broke up? After? Had Davey been wrong in the previous letter and he’d stoped loving Jack?

There were no dates on the envelopes. Still, Jack had to know. He took a deep breath and opened the second-to-last one, the paper covered in old, dried tear marks.

Dear Jack,

We had another stupid fight and we tried to fix it but that just ended in more yelling. That’s happened a few times before, now, but this time, it was different.

Oh, no. This must be from the big one Spring Break of their sophomore year of college.

Jack had come home for the break, it had been great to see his friends, but then he and Davey had started fighting. Like, really fighting. Worse than they ever had before.

And then there was the big one. It was two days before Jack flew back to Santa Fe. It was the one where they actually broke up.

This time, you told me to leave. And I kind of yelled at you to just go back to Santa Fe as you shoved me out the door. Then you yelled that if I wanted you to fly away so badly, I shouldn’t bother visiting again and you slammed the door in my face.

I think we just broke up. I’d be angry about it if I wasn’t so damn sad.

God, this is messed up. I know you’re alone on your bed with those stupid Star Wars sheets you’ve had since you were twelve and you locked the door because you don’t want anyone to see you cry. Thinking about that makes me want to run right back there and say I’m sorry.

I wanted to do that the second I got back to my parents’ house, but they convinced me not to. Sarah yelled at them for it. She said I had to make my own decision. They said I’m too emotional to think clearly. They’re right, of course, which is why I’m here writing this and not on my way back to your mom’s house already.

Now, Les is the only one outside my door. Are Crutchie, Race, Romeo, or Kath outside yours? Les is trying to guilt me into opening the door by telling me he cancelled a date for me. I’m not weirded out at all by the fact that my baby brother has way more game than I did when I was fourteen.

Are we really done, Jackie? For good? I keep waiting to hear you out in the hallway. And probably Kath, because she’s a better driver than you. I can’t keep thinking about this. I’m just gonna to go to sleep.

Davey

Jack wiped his eyes furiously. There was one more letter and he needed to read it, consequences be damned.

This last letter was probably from when Davey cooled down. Maybe the next morning or something. If he didn’t hate Jack while he was emotional and raw from the initial breakup, he might in this letter. But Jack opened it, anyway.

My Dearest Jack,

We really are broken up. You haven’t called me, but I got a very angry text-rant from Crutchie (for which he apologized 10 minutes later) which basically boiled down to him saying I broke your heart. Romeo called me, said ‘dude, not cool,’ then hung up. Race and Medda seem to be trying to see both sides, and though Kath did tell me that the last few months have been like ‘listening to mom and dad fight downstairs,’ she’s not offering any advice. I think she and Sarah are waiting for me to come to them.

I’m so sorry, Jackie. I know this is mostly my fault. Still, I can’t make the first move. Don’t forget: I know you. You’re more concerned with other people’s feelings than yours, so if I ask you to take me back and you do it, I can’t be sure you didn’t just do it for me. If we ever get back together, it has to be because you want it, too. However, I know you won’t even consider we could get back together unless I give you a sign, which is why I’m leaving you my letters.

You went back to Santa Fe two weeks ago and I’m finally stable enough to come get my stuff from your house and drop off what little you left in my room. While I’m there, I’m gonna hide this somewhere. I guess we’ll both have to pray no one else in your family finds it. That would be awkward.

When you find this, I want you to think long and hard about what you want, Jackie. I want you to make a decision for you. Goddammit, think about yourself first for once.

If you fight for me, I want you to do it because it’s what you really want. That fairytale romcom ending with me is still yours if you play your cards right. (Don’t think I forgot all the hurtful things you said to me, even if I’m 70% sure you didn’t mean them.) It might take... I dunno, therapy or something, but I still think we can fix this. It won’t be easy, but neither is love. Neither is our entire messed-up, broken group of friends.

I used to think I’d lose all of them if I lost you. Maybe I would have, if I’d messed up like this in 8th grade. But now, I know I won’t, because they’re all blowing up my phone as much as I’m sure they’re blowing up yours, asking if I’m okay. I see now that they need me as much as I need them. And they still need you, too, even if you do need to accept a little more that we’re all grown-ups now.

Where was I going with this? I had a point.

I guess all there’s left to say is that if you still want that perfect ending with me—getting married and having kids and having them call all our friends ‘auntie’ and ‘uncle’—fight for it. Loving someone the way I’m in love with you doesn’t happen twice, so I’m not going anywhere. You know where to find me.

You probably won’t find this for a while. Hell, you’re not even coming home again until summer break. But that’s probably a good thing. It gives us both some time to cool off and think.

So think, Jackie. Think long and hard and make a choice. Fight for me or don’t. In case I never get a chance to say it in person again...

I love you, Jack Kelly.

Love, Davey

Oh shit.

Davey left this in Jack’s closet a year and a half ago. He’d probably expected Jack to find it that summer. In fact, he probably thought Jack had found it and just decided not to fight for him.

Jack still wanted to fight for him. He had no doubts about that.

But did his have to discover this box now? When he was leaving for Santa Fe to finish his senior year tomorrow?

Fuck it. Even if it had been almost two years, even if there was a high chance Davey wasn’t waiting for him anymore, he still had to do this

Driving to the Jacobs house right then and there was probably the stupidest thing Jack had ever done, and that was including riding that Walmart shopping cart Albert stole down a hill in 8th grade with Race, Romeo, and Albert when Davey, Kath, and Specs weren’t there to stop them.

Sarah was the one who opened the door, and she... Jack hadn’t talked to Saz since the breakup, since she’d been staying mad at him out of solidarity. Honestly, he was now realizing that he’d missed her nearly as much as he’d missed Davey. They’d been good friends, once upon a time.

Now, she glared at him, “The fuck are you doing here, Kelly?”

“I...” Jack honestly couldn’t think of a good way to explain this, “Is he home?”

Sarah snorted, “What? After a year and a half, you’ve finally come to your senses and realized you’ll never find another one like my brother?”

“I never planned on anyone like him in the first place,” Jack snapped, “Davey was always... even back in middle school... You think I’d ever believe I could find someone else like that? I’m dumb, Saz, but I ain’t stupid. I always knew I was givin’ up on forever when I didn’t try to get him back, but... but I thought he didn’t want me anymore.”

Sarah froze, then leaned against the doorframe, laughing kind of hopelessly, “You are stupid, Jack Kelly, if you think my brother wasn’t totally gone for you and totally broken-hearted when you didn’t try to fight for him.”

Jack definitely had an oh shit moment, “Wait, do you know? About the..?”

“The box of letters he left you? Yeah. He told me last year, after you left for junior year without coming for him.”

Jack took the last letter out of his pocket, “I just found it.”

Saz took a second to process that before motioning for Jack to come in, shouting up the stairs, “Davey! Get your butt down here!”

Les, sitting at the kitchen table, looked up from his sandwich, “Holy shit. Jack?”

“Hi, kid,” Jack said, trying not to be weirded out by how the now-16-year-old was taller than him.

“Davey?” Sarah yelled again, clearly impatient.

“Alright, alright! God, Saz, what couldn’t wait 10 se—“ That was when Davey looked up, seeing Jack in his kitchen.

“That couldn’t wait,” Sarah said pointedly, “Les, let’s go... not be here.”

“If I eat in my room, Mom’ll kill me,” Les said, picking up his sandwich, anyway.

“Eat in my room, then.”

Jack and Davey were silent until the other two Jacobs siblings were upstairs.

“Why are you here, Jack?”

Jack had to take a deep breath before he responded, “When was the last time you went somewhere besides school if somebody didn’t drag you out of the house?”

“What?”

“Do the people who love you say you’ve changed? Do they keep saying they need a designated driver only to try to get you drinking and dancing like it’ll make you smile?”

“What are you—“

“Are there songs you can’t listen to? Movies you can’t watch? Have you so much as called someone back when they gave you their number?”

“Jack,” Davey looked at the ceiling, “What’s this about?”

“You once said you wouldn’t put your life on hold for me,” Jack said, “And you were right not to. I can be overprotective, sometimes. No one should put their dreams on hold because of a lover, but... my dreams are the only thing I haven’t put on hold, Dave. I ain’t been living since I lost you. Not really. And when our friends all said I was smilin’ less, I never let myself think about it, because if I did, I’d have to think about how much I was still hurtin’ over you.”

Davey laughed sady, “Jack, if you really wanted me, you would have fought for me a long time ago, so—“

“You’re talkin’ about the letters?” Jack asked, holding up the one he had on him, “Davey... I just found them. Today.”

Davey was silent, his face completely unreadable. Jack was holding his breath.

“Jack Kelly,” he finally smiled, “I should have known you would take this long to clean out your damn closet.”

“I think you spent enough time in the closet for the both of us.” Jack joked.

Davey rolled his eyes, “Very funny, Jackie. Anyway... I don’t think it’s any secret that we can’t just pick up where we left off.”

“Of course not.”

“So... coffee? If we’re trying again, I’d prefer to take things slow.”

Jack nodded, “Probably a good thing I’m going back to Santa Fe after tomorrow. That ain’t enough time for us to do something we’ll regret.”

“Yeah, I guess mostly just texting is one way to take it slow... speaking of which, one of us should probably text the group chat.”

“Oh yeah,” Jack grinned, “They’re gonna freak.”

#newsies #javid #javey #jack kelly #davey jacobs #jack and davey are the mom and dad friends #sarah jacobs #katherine plumber #background newsbians #background blush #background spromeo #background belmerttons #slight angst #violet’s writing

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jonathanvik · 4 years ago

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Starlight Dream - Chapter 2

A cruel chuckle escaped Lilha’s lips as she watched her prey walk down the street with her ridiculous friends. Her fairy companion circled around her, chatting away useless nonsense. Above the vampire queen, the sun rained down its hateful light. While not dangerous to a higher vampire like herself, it still significantly weakened her. At this hour, most vampires were asleep, hiding in terror from this magical girl menace.

She’d been planning this attack for days, studying the girl’s habits and moods. A predator needed to understand its victim before destroying them. Since the return of the sun, Seina had spent an unhealthy amount of time outside. This park was one of her most favorite places to visit. It wasn’t difficult to devise the perfect plan to kill this pathetic, naive girl. Once Lilha’s plan was complete, vampires would return to their correct position as the world’s undisputed masters, now and forever! Darkness would reign again for all eternity!

“Uh, excuse me, but could I have a scoop of chocolate ice cream?” A young child asked, interrupting Lilha’s victory gloating.

Reality crashed down on the vampire queen, forcing her to return to her job. When Seina had devastated her vampire masters, Lilha had lost everything, a queen in name only, forced to work at an ice cream stall to pay the bills! Her uniform was a tacky red hat and an ugly striped shirt.

Before, she had lived in a palace that even the richest of kings would envy. Now, she dwelled in a one-room apartment with a leaky roof and rats. In happier days, her late husband delighted in making humans live in utter squalor for his amusement. It didn’t leave her with many suitable places to live. Her pride made her refuse to live in the sewers like other displaced vampires.

“Here,” Lilha said, handing over the boy’s orders with little enthusiasm. Her excitement had drained away, making her feel dead inside. This brought back too many terrible memories of working at a McRonald's before her queenhood. Back then, Lilha had sworn she’d possess only the best in life.

Curse that magical girl! Curse her! From the corner of her eye, Lilha watched Seina get into position. She bubbled with excitement, eager to see herself avenged.

“I love this view!” The magical girl said, looking over the bridge, watching the clear sky and the cars driving beneath them. After the vampire’s downfall, humans were working hard to return to their lives pre-darkness. While there were fewer cars than in ages past, it was a solid return to normalcy.

“Really?” Colten asked, tilting his bulbous head. To him, it wasn’t that extraordinary. “Oh right. You seldom saw the sun.”

Seina shook her head. She closed her eyes and extended her arms, soaking in the sun. “I could stand here all day!”

The magical girl’s brainless friend laughed. “You’re so silly, Seina!”

The fairy, however, seemed touched, lips extending into a slight smile. “Stay as long as you like.”

Idiot, you’re making this so much simpler! With a slight flick of her hand, the vampire queen signaled the beginning of her plan. In a few moments, the meddlesome magical girl would be dead.

From the darkness behind a trash can, Cugo, the fifth greatest vampire assassin, struck. He pulled out a long green tube and placed it over his shoulder. After closing one eye, Cugo aimed his rocket launcher and unleashed the missile. The target struck home, and Seina’s friends screamed in horror. The projectile exploded, sending the magical girl flying upon impact. Lilha cackled in delight as the girl’s body rag dolled in the air, landing in the busy street.

“Seina!” The fairy’s voice cracked, eyes widening in horror.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Lilha’s mirth increased as the magical girl’s lifeless body landed before a heavy truck carrying construction equipment. The vehicle couldn’t avoid the girl in time and bumped as its enormous tires ran over her.

I did it! Lilha did a victory dance, heartened by the gruesome death of her most hated enemy. Freedom at last!

“Oh, she’s fine. T-thank goodness.” Colten said, throwing cold water at Lilha’s celebration.

I-Impossible. The vampire’s queen stomach twisted in dread, running towards the railing. Sure enough, Seina was sitting up, rubbing the back of her neck. Except for her charred and burned dress, the girl seemed otherwise unhurt. The truck driver exited his cabin, relieved to discover the girl he’d struck unharmed.

“You have to got to be %@$&* kidding me.” Several more curses escaped the vampire queen’s lips. How, why? How did she survive without her magical powers?!

“Change Change, Magical Love Dress Up!” Moments later, Seina leaped to the bridge above to confront her attacker.

“Aiko, are you okay?” Seina asked, concerned.

“I’m fine, just a little scared.” While a little bruised, the girl appeared alright.

“What a dirty trick! Vampires.” The fairy used the name like a curse.

A new voice snorted in derision. “Lucky. I've heard you weren’t easy to kill.”

“So, you’re my attacker.” Seina glared towards the newcomer. Her friend yelped in surprise and fear, hiding behind a nearby bush.

The vampire cackled. “Correct, little girl. My name is Cugo, and I will be your death!”

The vampire was a gruesome sight. Over his pale bare-chested pasty body, tiny bones protruding from his body, each from his many victims. Cugo enjoyed claiming tokens from the people he killed. The sight made the magical girl recoil in disgust.

“Like my prizes?” Cugo purred. “I have so many. It’s my goal to one day kill a billion people!” The vampire assassin cackled again.

Colten snorted in amusement. “You already look like a pincushion. How the heck will you fit a billion?”

“Yeah, I don’t really see how that works,” Seina added. “Why kill a billion? And doesn’t it hurt?”

“Pain is my power! I revel in slaughter and blood! Death is my constant companion.” Cugo withdrew a knife, licking the blade with his tongue. Blood oozed from where he’d sliced its surface. The blood muffled the next words pouring from the assassin’s mouth. “Hurt me more! The more pain you cause me, the more invincible I become!”

“Okay,” Seina replied, nonplus. “And that doesn’t really answer my questions.”

“Why’d I even bother?” Lilha returned to her ice cream cart, discovering several more children impatiently awaiting their treat. While she served her customers, the ex-vampire queen heard her hired assassin’s screams. Moments later, the park was silent. That sneak attack had been their best opportunity to kill the hated magical girl. Lilha wasn’t under any illusion that the idiot had any chance otherwise.

Is this my life now? A single tear slid down her face. Fate had thrust Lilha back into the horrible existence she lived before her turn. The ex-vampire queen wiped her face and pretended to smile as more brats demanded ice cream. She could at least maintain some dignity.

---

“I’m fine, don’t fret, Colten,” Seina said, both annoyed and amused by her fairy friend’s attention. He was examining her for injuries, making sure everything was okay.

“I’m just worried. I was so scared I’d lost you!” Tears welled in the fairy's eyes.

Moved by her friend’s distress, she gave Colten a hug. “I’m not going anywhere, okay.”

Colten sniffed and nodded. “Yeah, I’m just being silly.”

“That was something. How did you survive that?” Aiko asked. “I’m glad, but I thought your brooch gave you power.”

“Yeah, what happened?” Siena asked.

In the month since they’d first met, he’d been vague about this magical girl business. The fairy only stated he’d arrived from somewhere beyond her universe. He’d mentioned magical girls were common where he came from, but revealed little beyond that tidbit. Seina pressed him for more information, but the fairy was sparse on more details.

“It’s your magic, Seina,” Colten replied. “It protects you even when you aren’t transformed.”

“What happens if she loses the brooch? Will she be vulnerable then?” Aiko asked, curious.

“Nope, it’s part of her soul now,” Colten replied smugly. “She’s a magical girl forever.” Despite this simple explanation, Seina got the distinct impression that was something else her fairy friend wasn’t telling her. What was with these secrets? Did Colten enjoy just being obtuse?

Whatever, she’d press him for more answers later. Seina just wanted to enjoy the walk with her friends. Vampires or other problems could wait. They deserved the peace. Besides, she could handle any trouble that could arise, even if she hadn’t learned how to cast spells with her staff yet. The trio was laughing and joking as they headed back home.

After the fall of the vampires, Seina had taken residency in an apartment building uptown. The new prime minister had insisted that she live with him after multiple assassination attempts. With no other place to go, she’d readily agreed. Seina still wasn’t on speaking terms with her parents. They’d disappeared since the incident in the colosseum. Not that she needed them, anyway. She was a big girl, almost an adult! Besides, she had Colten, she didn’t need anyone else.

“Seina, thank goodness you’re okay.” The guard, Ryo, said. “We heard about the assassination attempt. We’ve been looking for you!”

“I’m fine.” Seina waved a dismissive hand. “I’m not even scratched. Prime Minister Ogawa doesn’t need to worry.”

“No, the Minister insists on seeing you, now.” Ryo pushed Seina towards the elevator leading to the Prime Minister’s office, leaving a waving Aiko behind.

“Seina, it’s so good to see you safe!” Uncle Kenji batted his head with a handkerchief. He wasn’t really her uncle, but she’d known him since childhood, and the nickname stuck. After Lothaire’s fall, people had thrust him into a leadership position, taking advantage of his natural talent. Taking the position hadn’t given him much pleasure, but someone needed to be Prime Minister.

“I’m fine,” Seina said, annoyed. “Like I keep telling everyone.”

“If we ever lost you…” The Prime Minister coughed into his hand, embarrassed. “Well, I suppose you magical girls are tougher than you look. Lothaire learned that the hard way.”

“So, what’s for dinner?” Seina had wanted some ice cream, but Colten had insisted it would ruin her dinner, leaving her starving. “Is it true they’d finally caught some fish?”

The darkness had devastated the earth’s wildlife, not leaving much food for humanity. Still, life persisted, and fishermen had already constructed new boats, hoping to return to their old profession and feed their families.

“That can wait. There’s something I wish to discuss first.” Uncle Kenji said.

“About what?” Colten asked, landing on Seina’s shoulder.

“It worries me every time you leave the safety of this building.” The prime minister sat behind his desk and steepled his fingers. “I realize you’re young and you can’t stay cooped up here. After some consideration, I decided it would be wise to assign you a guardian. Come in.”

Moments later, a scary-looking man with intense, piercing eyes entered the room. His brown hair was wild, and silver earrings pierced both of his ears. A small goatee ordained his face, adding to his rough features. He gave the Prime Minister a bow and studied Seina with interest with those terrifying eyes of his.

“This is Masato Kiyojiro, and he’s going to be your bodyguard.”

The man in question gave a polite bow. “I will protect you with my life.”

Seina gave her own awkward bow. After a moment’s hesitation, she gained the courage to speak her mind. “Um, I don’t need a bodyguard. I’m pretty powerful by myself. Not even a rocket launcher can kill me!” What if he attempted fighting something beyond his ability to beat? He couldn’t really protect her, so she hated putting him to the trouble of watching over her.

“This isn’t only about having someone to protect you. You’re a ten-year-old girl, Seina. You need someone to watch over you, and Kiyojiro is the man.” Kenji replied.

Colten snorted and puffed out his chest in pride. “She doesn’t need a protector. Seina has me!”

“Didn’t you say you’re nine?” The prime minister said, amused by the fairy’s bravado.

“A very mature nine!” Colten shot back.

Seina gave Mr. Kiyojiro a polite bow, who only replied silently with a cold-eyed stare. “I’m sorry, Mr. Kiyojiro, but I don’t think this will work. You’re just, well, a guy. It’s best if I worry about my own protection.”

“Seina, we aren’t arguing this. Kiyojiro is accompanying you from now on.” The Prime Minister’s voice brooked no argument. “And that’s final.”

“But!”

“Seina.” Uncle Kenji’s expression hardened.

“Fine.” Seina looked away, surrendering to the adult’s argument. Still, why this man? The prime minister could have found someone nicer.

Might as well face it now. “Hi, I’m Seina. It’s nice to meet you.” Seina gave her best, winning smile. It did little to improve her bodyguard’s mood, he only gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Seina's smile turned awkward, but she wanted to make a good impression.

“This is so dumb!” Colten flew around in circles in agitation. “Well, I suppose it’s nice to have someone around to carry our bags or something.”

The fairy flew into the bodyguard’s face. “But know this. Seina’s protector is me! Got it? We’re partners, after all.”

Mr. Kiyojiro scowled, giving a snort of irritation. Colten quickly flew behind Seina for protection from his magical girl’s thuggish bodyguard. Seina sighed, knowing this change would be difficult to adjust to. She only hoped her new guardian wouldn’t scare her friends away. Her life had enough complications!

“Anyway, I’m famished,” Seina said. “Let’s get something to eat.”

Mr. Kiyojiro nodded. “I’ll prepare something for you. How does curry sound?”

“That would be great,” Seina replied, taken aback.

Truth be told, she’d never eaten curry before. For most of her life, before the sun’s return, Seina had spent her days eating nothing but slop and the occasional rat for a special treat. It was hard to know what exactly she liked with such little experience with actual food. Still, curry sounded interesting, and why not? She’d taste anything once.

“Mr. Kiyojiro is an excellent chef.” Uncle Kenji said in amusement. “It’s one reason I hired him. He isn’t just muscle, you know.”

“Huh, I suppose that somewhat justifies keeping him around,” Colten replied.

---

“So, this is the place? You’re certain?” Takako tilted her head, studying her surroundings. She watched as a couple walked down a park. Despite the park’s dead trees and general ugliness, they held hands, smiling without a care in the world.

“It should be. The universal coordinates are correct.” Nier said, landing on her shoulder. “Something’s not right here. Can’t you feel it?”

“Yeah.” Takako flicked her skull-shaped earrings.

People approached, and she hid behind a tree before they could notice her. These folk dressed in thick overalls, picking up trash, cleaning graffiti, and marking trees they found too hopeless to live. She’d seen people like this all around the city. They were ordinary folk attempting to restore the broken pieces of their lives and repair their broken world. It seemed almost everyone had volunteered to restore the city to its former glory.

“This wasn’t how they described this world to us at all!” Nier’s flying became more erratic as he got frustrated.

“Something huge happened here.” A jogger passed her, each step filled with effort and determination. The general wrongness was making Takako’s stomach queasy. While faint, her senses detected something. A presence that shouldn’t exist.

“We should find the source before this gets worse!” Nier said, and Takako couldn’t agree more.

With a gesture, she returned to normal. Her transformed state would draw unwanted attention. Whatever had caused this radical shift might learn of her existence, and that would be bothersome. Nier flew into her handbag. His head popped out, watching his surroundings with a keen eye. While still flashy, Takako’s outfit wasn’t as noticeable as her magical girl form. Takako briefly considered disguising herself in the local rags but decided against it. She had standards.

With a flick of her hand, a black umbrella plopped open and placed it over her shoulder. The shade it provided was a great comfort. The sun’s rays were almost oppressive as it shined down on them.

“Come, let’s investigate!"

#fiction #anime #anime stories #written story #parody #Starlight Dream #magical girl #humor #vampires #Adventure

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doc-pickles · 4 years ago

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i won’t hesitate (for you) ch. 9

Jo is happy, at least she feels like she is. When someone from her past shows up, will her and her daughter’s world ever go back to normal? Or will things change for good?

Me? Updating? It's more likely than you think apparently. I struggled, s t r u g g l e d. through this chapter but I think the rest will come a bit easier. S/O to Ren for proofing the first half of this and to Nat for demanding the second half hahaha. Also I know that the plot for this whole child support thing is totally out of left field, but I'm going with the Grey's motto of "enough logic to be believable but probably not real world" so there's that. Anyways enjoy! PS: In the interest of me not sending myself to an early grave, there's no flashback in the beginning of this chapter!

“Can’t believe we have to go to court, this is a waste of my time and my good suit,” Alex grumbled as he tightened this tie. “I had to pull it out of the boxes and then get it dry cleaned, I should freaking bill her for this.”

“This’ll be over with in a few days and we can go back to our normal lives, well as normal as living in a loft overrun with cardboard boxes is,” Jo exited the bathroom and navigated around a stack of boxes before finally making it over to Alex, moving his hands and helping with his tie. “You look so handsome, if we didn’t have somewhere to be I would drag you back to bed.”

“Well our bed isn’t even here for you to drag me to,” Alex moved his lips to kiss along Jo’s neck, a soft giggle coming from her as he did so. “Movers are coming in 45 minutes and we have to be out the door in 15.”

“That’s enough time for a quickie in the bathroom,” Jo’s proposition caused Alex to pull back and look her up and down with an amused expression. “What? I’m seriously horny all the time and you look good in a suit. I can’t help all the hormones running through my body. In fact! It’s your fault for getting me pregnant!”

Alex rolled his eyes, pressing one last kiss to Jo’s lips before pulling back from her.

“If I remember correctly, there were two of us in that elevator,” grabbing his keys and coat, Alex held his hand out for Jo to grab. “And I wasn’t the one gasping and moaning and practically begging the whole time.”

“If you keep using verbs like that you’re gonna make us late,” Jo swatted at Alex’s ass before grabbing his outstretched hand, following him out of the loft.

As they locked the doors and headed downstairs, Alex let his hands fall to Jo’s growing bump, showcased by her form fitting black dress. At almost 18 weeks pregnant now, Jo couldn’t attempt to hide her bump anymore. She’d been nervous that her pregnancy would impact the court case one way or another, but Alex had reassured her that he just wanted her there with him, consequence be damned. Things had moved quickly though, and in the end, Jo had been called to testify as a character witness so her protests didn’t matter.

The speed of the case making it to court probably had something to do with the fact that Izzie hadn’t bothered to fly back home to file a claim, instead calling the first paternity lawyer she could find on google and starting up the legal process in Washington. While it was a minor relief that Alex wouldn’t have to split time between Seattle and Kansas, both he and Jo were worried about how seriously Izzie had taken things.

Getting into the car and pulling on her seatbelt, Jo begins to ramble nervously. “How’s this going to work? I mean… they’re not yours, right? How is Izzie even allowed to do this?”

A loud groan left Alex as he settled into the driver's seat of his car. He’d wondered the same thing, but he knew that him signing all those papers when he moved to Kansas three years ago had definitely helped Izzie’s case. Even back then, he’d thought in the back of his mind that he should have asked more questions, demanded a paternity test, but he hadn’t. All he could focus on were these two perfect children standing in front of him, children that he now knew weren’t even his. Alex’s blood began to boil with anger at the thought of Izzie lying to him for so long, but he let out a deep breath and began to drive towards the courthouse instead.

“I don’t know, but I saw those blood test results myself and there’s no damn way those kids are mine,” Jo’s fingers rubbed against Alex’s arm, calming him slightly. He looked to her briefly before speaking again. “I’m sorry you had to get dragged into this, I wish I could protect you from it all.”

He could feel Jo’s gaze on him as his eyes stayed on the road. Alex could almost hear her thinking of how much she wanted to make Izzie pay for what she’d done to him. He was almost certain that pregnant or not, she’d fight Izzie if she came at her again. As if reading his mind Jo let out a chuckle and squeezed his arm reassuringly.

“I’m a big girl, I can stand up to bullies on the playground,” Jo squeezed Alex’s arm once more before bringing her hand to rest on her growing bump. “Let’s just get through today, this isn’t going to go longer than a day once they figure out you’re not those kids dad.”

But it did end up lasting longer… Once they got to the courthouse, Alex realized with a sense of horror that Izzie wasn’t messing around. She had two lawyers and was wearing a dress that looked like it cost more than his paycheck. And she wasn’t holding back anything, her lawyers showed that loud and clear.

“My client went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, there’s no possible way that she could conceive without the help of artificial insemination and the sample that Doctor Karev provided,” Izzie’s lawyer was a short, pudgy man whose voice echoed through the courtroom unforgivingly. “We’re asking for Doctor Karev to back pay child support for the three years he knew about and took parental responsibility for both children as well as therapy for the children in the wake of his sudden departure.”

“Your Honor, these claims are absurd! Doctors Karev and Stevens performed a blood test that showed that one of the children has a genetic disorder that neither of them have, meaning that if Doctor Stevens did indeed give birth to both children, that Doctor Karev could not be their biological father,” Alex’s lawyer fought back, eyeing Izzie and her lawyers as she spoke. “All we’re asking for is Doctor Karev to be released of all parental responsibility for both children and for Doctor Stevens to repay him the legal fees for these proceedings, as well as cover any other expenses he’s incurred while being involved in this trial.”

A quick and calculated silence followed the statement, Alex’s eyes flitting nervously from Izzie to her lawyer to Jo, who sat behind him with her hands nervously running over her bump. He’d seen Izzie watching her with a venomous expression earlier, Alex’s grip around her waist tightening as they’d shuffled into the courtroom.

“Your Honor, we’d like to call Doctor Josephine Brooke Karev to the stand before we proceed,” Izzie’s other lawyer, a tall woman named Eleanor Krause, stood and gestured towards the witness stand. She wore an almost permanent scowl on her thin face, her dark eyes staring menacingly around the courtroom. “I have a few questions for the other Doctor Karev.”

Jo rose and quietly made her way towards the stand, eyes meeting Alex’s briefly before swearing in and turning to face Miss Krause.

“Doctor Karev, are you and Doctor Alexander Michael Karev still married?”

“No we are currently divorced,” Jo’s voice was clear and stoic as she answered, staring directly at the lawyer questioning her. “We’ve been divorced for almost three years now.”

“And the dissolution of your marriage occurred when separated he moved to Kansas to be with Doctor Stevens?”

“Correct…,” then quickly adding, “after learning of their existence, Alex determined he needed to sever all ties with Seattle to be there completely for his children. At least who he thought were his children.”

Krause’s eyes lit up suddenly, a wicked smile appearing on her face as she stared down Jo. Alex could feel his stomach drop, knowing that whatever the woman was going to say next would not be friendly or civil.

“And you also have a child fathered by Doctor Alexander Michael Karev, is that right?”

“Yes, my daughter Harper Josephine Karev, who is two, and the child I’m carrying now are both Alex’s,” Jo’s brow furrowed, hand settling onto her abdomen as she watched the woman take a step closer to her. “I don’t see what that has to do with the case at hand though.”

“I just want to know if the other Doctor Karev paid you child support during your first pregnancy and the two years of your daughter’s life that he wasn’t present,” Krause’s voice was practically dripping with malice as she stared Jo down. “I mean, we are here to make sure that he’s doing his duty as a father, whether he’s in the same state as his children or not, right? So, has he been paying child support to you, Doctor Karev?”

Jo’s eyes flitted to Alex nervously, his own telling her that it was okay to tell the truth. To be honest, he was scared what Jo’s answer would affect in the case, but he knew that at the end of the day he wouldn’t have to pay a dime to Izzie because her kids were not his.

“No he hasn’t, but he didn’t know he had a daughter until four months ago,” Jo argued, turning momentarily to the judge. “He’s been a present and wonderful father since he’s known about Harper.”

“Doctor Karev, are you sure beyond a reasonable doubt that both of your children are indeed Alex’s children? Did you not have your daughter shortly after your now ex husband left you?”

“What’s the relevance here,” Alex’s lawyer finally stood and challenged the woman accosting Jo. “Doctor Josephine Karev’s children shouldn’t have any effect on her ex husband's child support case! It’s cruel and malicious to be questioning her like this on the stand.”

Alex turned to glare at Izzie, angered that she wore the same expression as her shifty lawyer. She knew about what Krause was plotting, he would put money on the fact that she’d planted the seed of whatever cruel idea it was in her head.

“I’m just questioning Doctor Alexander Karev’s intentions when it comes to his children, however many that may be,” Krause shrugged, eyes narrowing in Jo’s direction. “You’ve filed papers to move forward with adding Alexander to your daughter’s legal paperwork, is that correct?”

That all too familiar feeling of horror flooded Alex’s senses again, overtaking everything as he watched Jo answer affirmatively, her eyes moving to him again. There were tears welling up in them now, the fear he felt in the room spreading to her as well. His breathing hitched as he listened to Izzie’s lawyer prattle on once more, her biting voice breaking through his mental fog.

“I’d like to request a hold on any formal paternity proclamations concerning Doctor Alexander Michael Karev’s alleged children until their paternity can be confirmed via DNA testing,” Krause moved her line of sight to Jo once more, a sharp note ringing through the courtroom as she delivered her final, jarring blow. “I’d like to request that all four of Doctor Karev’s alleged children are tested, I believe that Josephine here is still well within the window to have an amniocentesis performed.”

“No, hell no!” Alex stood from his chair, eyes blazing as he stared down Krause. “I am not letting you poke and prod my wife just for a damn child support case, especially one she’s not directly involved in.”

Both Alex and his lawyer turned pleadingly towards the judge, who was eyeing both Izzie and Alex warily. He was never one to feel anxious, but he couldn’t help the worry mounting in his chest. Finally, the judge spoke, his words directed towards Izzie’s lawyers.

“How long would this process take?”

“If we proceeded with the amniocentesis, we’d have results in as soon as three weeks,” Krause’s eyes moved to Alex, a sick look of delight glowing in them. “If you’re uncomfortable with that though, we can draw this case out until the baby is born.”

“I’ll do it,” Jo’s voice rang out before anyone else could answer, making all eyes in the courtroom turn to her. Alex felt his heart constrict as he watched her speak. “I’ll do the amnio, I don’t mind.”

“With Doctor Josephine Karev’s confirmation, I’m adjourning this case until the DNA results for Alexis Isobel Stevens, Eli George Stevens, Harper Josephine Karev, and Doctor Josephine Karev’s unborn child come back. Court adjourned, you may leave now,” the judge rose and left the courtroom quickly, not bothering to witness the pure mayhem that descended upon the room.

“You did this on purpose,” Alex was up and out of his seat before anyone could stop him, feet heading towards Izzie who wore a smug expression as she looked him over. “You disgust me, you’ve weaponized your own children against me and now you’re trying to jeopardize the health of my unborn child and wife?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Alex,” Izzie batted her eyelashes in Alex’s direction, her self satisfied smirk growing as she watched him become more angry. “Looking forward to seeing you again!”

Before he could respond to Izzie, a gentle hand pressed into Alex’s back and ushered him towards the exit. Jo’s presence, even if he hadn’t looked into her eyes yet, was an instant calming effect over him.

As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Jo and Alex were in each other’s embrace, steadying breaths matching the others as they tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Her face pressed against his chest, Alex could feel the slow shuddering breaths that left Jo as he held her. He knew the questions Izzie's lawyer had posed were ones that were a sore spot for Jo, ones she’d begged him not to believe as she’d cried into his arms just a few weeks earlier.

“Just one punch,” Jo mumbled the words against Alex’s chest, looking up to make sure he heard her. “Please? I just wanna punch her one time.”

Alex chuckled, looking down at Jo with a glint in his eye, “You know I can’t let you do that, even though it would make me happier than I care to admit.”

“You kept calling me your wife in there,” Jo pressed her hands against the lapels of Alex’s suit, avoiding his stare as she fixed her gaze on her hands. “I don’t hate hearing you say that again.”

The words made Alex’s heart stutter under Jo’s gentle touch, his mind racing as he took in fully what she was saying. Did she really want to be his wife again? After years of him being away, of her raising their daughter on her own? After he had all but abandoned her and told her via letter?

Watching Jo for another moment, Alex brought his fingers under her chin and met her eyes, “You wanna marry me again? After all the shit we’ve been through?”

“For some reason I do, you make me better,” Jo finally lifted her gaze back to Alex’s face, eyes welling with tears as she spoke. “You’ve given me the best things in my life, you’ve made me a better person. And if we can get through some of the things that have been thrown at us, then I truly think we can get through everything. I love you Alex, more than I can ever say to you. I know you think you’ve fucked up, but through the past few months you’ve shown me how much you’ve grown.”

Not knowing what to say, Alex leaned down and captured Jo’s lips with his own. If there was one thing that was almost always blaringly clear for him, it was that he didn’t deserve the woman in his arms. He couldn’t begin to fathom how much it had taken to forgive him, to even trust him again after what he’d done. But just as she’d always done, Jo saw him for who he really was underneath all of his layers of bullshit.

“We can go right now, we are in the courthouse,” Alex joked, prompting Jo to roll her eyes and gently slap his chest before walking towards the exit. “What? Not a funny joke? We had fun last time and the SUV has a bigger backseat than the Audi did.” “Mmm yeah, you know we made a baby that night, right?,” Jo raised her eyebrows, a mischievous grin lighting up her face as she took in Alex’s shocked expression. “You have really good luck, you know? You made one baby in the backseat of a car and another on the floor of an elevator.”

A peel of laughter escaped Jo as she tried to unsuccessfully move away from Alex’s grip on her hips, instead falling back into his arms as his lips grazed her neck.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, woman,” Alex whispered the words as he turned Jo around in his arms. “Weren’t you just trying to jump me in the bathroom a few hours ago? Is the car not up to your standards?”

“No, I’m just thinking that Link is keeping Harper overnight and our bed probably got to the new house already,” Jo smirked in satisfaction at the dark look that fell over Alex’s eyes at her suggestion. “Now's as good a time as any to start christening the place. Unless you can’t keep up with a younger woman?”

“Josephine Karev, you know I can keep up with you any day of the week,” Alex’s lips ghosted Jo’s ear as he lowered his voice, pressing her closer to him and making his aroused state perfectly clear for her. “Let’s go, before we have no choice but to finish things up in the car.”

Twenty four hours after leaving the courthouse, Alex and Jo find themselves in an exam room on the OB floor. With the amniocentesis being court ordered and both of them wanting to get things over as quickly as possible, they’d booked the first appointment that was available.

“How are you not nervous,” Alex sat beside Jo, her hand in his as Carina ran an ultrasound wand over Jo’s stomach. “I mean I’m not trying to make you nervous, but you know what happens here!”

“Can’t be any worse than a 15 hour unmedicated labor that ended with a 9 pound baby making its way out of your vagina,” Jo shrugged, Carina chuckling quietly next to her. “I came up with some very interesting curse words that day.”

Alex and Jo both watched the ultrasound screen intently, their baby reaching one leg up to kick at the probe. Carina furrowed her brow, watching the baby move languidly on the screen, “You’re going to have to get them to calm down, I cannot go in while they’re kicking all around like that.”

“Talk to them, they always calm down when you talk to them,” Jo turned to Alex and raised her eyebrows. “Go on! I don’t have all day to lay here Alex.” Alex looked between Jo and Carina before leaning down and speaking in the same mellow tone that Jo had become so used to hearing while they laid in bed at night, “Hey kiddo, you gotta slow down in there. Your mom and I are tangled up in this stupid ass thing-”

“Alex!”

“And we’d really appreciate it if you cooperated so we could get this done,” Alex glanced to the ultrasound screen, noticing that the erratic movements had lessened and the baby had calmed. “See, that’s more like it. You know your sister is very excited to meet you, she keeps running around talking about how she’s gonna be a ‘big shitser’ which is super adorable if not the most inappropriate thing to come out of a two year olds mouth.

“She wants to name you Elsa or Hei Hei, those are the options I was presented with a few nights ago anyways. I don’t think she really gets it, but she’s gonna be great,” Jo’s eyes closed quickly as Carina pulled out the needle, her hand squeezing Alex’s. “Okay you gotta be super still now, mom’s got a big needle in her-”

“You are not helping me, Alex.” “And she’s all done! Look at that, easy peasy,” Alex pressed a kiss to Jo’s forehead, following the once again active baby on the screen. “Hey look at that, baby’s flashing us!”

Jo sat up quickly, eyes scanning the screen as well with a laugh, “Well that’s one way to do a gender reveal.”

Alex leaned up to kiss Jo, laughter bubbling from both of them as they let the realization sink in. They had a house, they had two healthy kids, they had the promise of a great big future ahead of them. Court case be damned, they were happy and things were going right between them for once.

#jolex #alex karev #jo wilson #jo karev #greys anatomy #jo x alex #jolex fanfic #greys anatomy fanfic #nina writes #hesitate

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tirimsil · 5 years ago

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“Alicorns” are dumb

Please see “How fantasy works: Symbolic magic / thematic magic” for context.

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In Friendship is Magic, there are four basic pony races, defined here as cartoon horses who normally have cutie marks:

Earth pony, look like normal cartoon horse, much stronk, good w/ plants

Pegasus, have wings, can stand on clouds, fly, generate wind currents

Unicorn, have horns, can do telekinesis & other magic stuff

Stronk + wings + horn, eventually called “alicorn”

When the show was first conceived, the only “yeah I’ll take everything” ponies were Celestia & Luna, the mysterious Princesses of Equestria. There was no special term; both were considered unicorns in early promo material.

Lauren Faust made them like that to symbolize that they were unbiased representatives of all three pony races.

Because they were all three races at once, and so far as anyone knew at that time they always had been, and they were the only two around, they could not be racist in favor of their own race.

... of course, due to Half-Elf Syndrome, this would not completely stop racists from hating them for being two-thirds another race... but it’s a big help.

Now let’s get into the nomenclature of “alicorns”...

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The word “alicorn” originally referred to the material composing a unicorn horn, or to an entire horn intact. In ancient times, swindlers would pass off various animal body parts as alicorn, claiming that alchemical mixtures containing it would promote health and long life. The most popular actor to play alicorn was the spiraled tusk of the narwhal, and today unicorns are almost exclusively depicted with very similar spiraling horns.

Sometime around 1984, fantasy author Piers Anthony re-appropriated “Alicorn” as the personal name of a specific winged unicorn; he apparently saw it used in reference to a statuette of a winged unicorn in an ad, and had never heard of the word before then.

Anthony was a prolific enough author for this errant usage to quickly spread into the fantasy vocabulary of several languages - as in, several besides English, the only language where the word already meant something. Like “Pegasus”, it quickly changed from the name of an individual to the name of a species.

"Alicorn” eventually found its way into the brony fandom, where it became one of those words used obsessively to make sure everyone knows you know the word exists, even though Celestia and Luna are all three races and not only the two covered by the term, and the show lifted it from there.

Oh, right, let’s talk about that.

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We’re all aware that Twilight, originally a unicorn, later became an “alicorn” (with the first in-show use of the term uttered by Rarity) thanks to a Deus Ex Machina. “Here’s a song, have some wings, OK bye”.

I got childishly butthurt about that like everybody else, but I realized in hindsight that it should have been very predictable: The most popular MLP toys were always the most princess-y ones, and Twilight was the main character and easily the most popular of the six both with little girls and with poonhounds, so of course they’d make her a Princess (at least in form) so they could release a whole second toy to make, to use the industry term, “a buttload of money”.

Twilight transforming into an “alicorn” was only mildly a problem unto itself:

It questioned the viewers’ natural presumption that “alicorns” were always that way and not a transformation to begin with.

It threw off the balance of two to a race the main characters had.

It worsened the narrative underuse of Rarity’s unicorn magic by making her even more obsolete in favor of Super Twilight.

It was a very clumsy end to a very clumsy season.

Still, it opened the door for further alterations to the “alicorn” concept.

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What walked in the door was Cadance. She ruined everything.

Faust originally designed Princess Cadance (supposedly a royal family member) as a normal unicorn, the same way that Prince Blueblood (supposedly a royal family member) was a normal unicorn. I distinctly recall Faust’s immediate reaction to first seeing Cadance with a horn and wings was grumpy drunk-Tweeting, but don’t take my word for that.

The spinoff novel Twilight Sparkle & the Crystal Heart Spell, which was obviously written to send back in time to a little girl from the mid-1800s, clarifies that Cadance was born as a pegasus. She just kinda worldspawned in the woods like Minecraft. She beat an evil witch with the witch’s own magic that Cadance turned into love magic despite not being a unicorn and then Celestia showed up out of nowhere like Gandalf to just POOF make her “an alicorn” because apparently Celestia can just do that.

Also Cadance is adopted.

The adopted pegasus is an “alicorn” whereas the actual blood relative of the “alicorns” is just a unicorn. No wonder Blueblood has nothing but contempt for all living things.

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The malafest pit of corruption that is Cadance’s uterus had to make her kid (Flurry Heart) “an alicorn” right at birth.

Celestia and Luna said they’d never heard of a pony being born as an “alicorn”, which means Celestia and Luna weren’t born that way either.

This destroys the entire reason “alicorns” were ever conceived.

If Celestia and Luna were once any of the normal three races (presumably unicorns), then they are no longer race-neutral; racists will still treat them like the race they started as, and the public can accuse them of bias in favor of their original race, all the same as if they were never “alicorns” at all.

Of course, Twilight (unicorn) and Cadance (pegasus) would suffer the same obstacle, with a mild advantage to Cadance in that what her original race is may not be public knowledge since that happened off in the magic fairy forests of horse-Germany and only Celestia, Princess of Trolling, is a credible witness.

Only Flurry Heart, 15+ years down the line, could reasonably claim to be race-neutral... but who’s going to believe her? That’s never happened before. The greatest living minds and oldest memories of Equestria, Celestia and Luna themselves, said they’d never heard of such a thing. The public will much more likely forget any proof they ever had of Flurry Heart’s birth and presume that, like every other “alicorn”, she wasn’t originally one and that she’s trying to hide “what she really is”.

After all, racism is founded on delusion; it doesn’t matter what race Flurry really is, merely what parody of race she can be plausibly dubbed as.

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Race-neutrality was the only reason to have any “alicorns” at all and none of them can fulfill that purpose; not even the one who’s actually race-neutral.

Here’s what we got in exchange for that blunder:

Absolutely nothing

"Alicorns” gained no consistent lore or mechanics for how they occur, nor any clarification of how or even whether they differ from unicorns in magic or from pegasooses in flight.

There is no clear meta-reason why the writers even need them, other than as bland children of destiny, drivers of toy sales, and general fanservice.

None of the events centering around the game of Who’s The Next Alicorn adds anything particularly profound or even consequential, and none of the characters seem to really give a damn about “alicorns” in general. Nobody is even all that surprised to see Twilight’s transformation; they just go “Wow cool!” and roll with it. The only strong reaction is the characters’ horror when they see Flurry Heart’s wings and realize the show officially doesn’t give a shit anymore about making sense or having cohesive themes.

It doesn’t even benefit the people who make bad Mary Sue OCs on DeviantArt, because they were already making “alicorn” OCs when it was only Celestia & Luna. That’s where the show got the term from, after all.

What a complete waste of potential.

#mlp #g4 #g4 mlp #pony #my little pony #friendship is magic #alicorn #g4 pony

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e-spexially · 5 years ago

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If you don't want to read this whole thing, I've provided the audio reading of it. I suggest giving it a listen, it adds a whole different and more unsettling mood

youtube

I’d like to share with you all an incident that actually happened in my little home town. When it first happened, I was pretty young, so I just picked up bits and pieces from hearing adults talk. But that was rare. It’s like they thought, whatever happened, there was something in it that had to be shameful. It always scared the heck out of me when they did whisper about it. Now, after what happened here and knowing more, it’s even scarier.

For me, it started when I was nearly ending my shift at the clinic one night. It was a gloomy evening. We’d had a hunting accident earlier, but otherwise it was quiet. Mitch Lemieux, this guy who owns a garage on Cartier Blvd, five-time arm-wrestling champ down at the Caribou bar, comes in panicking, looks spooked out of his mind. Never seen him so much as flinch before that. So I’m expecting some serious carnage.

He’s shouting for help, so I call two EMTs to go out with him. They come back with a half-naked girl. Her clothes are torn to ribbons and what’s left of them is soiled. She has cuts, bruises, and like pond scum or something over her. She has this deadness in her eyes like nothing I’ve ever seen.

They get her in a blanket, a stretcher and take her away. Everyone in the waiting room is standing now and the only sound is Mitch panting. Because everyone knew that girl was Chantal Norman. The same Chantal who’s been missing for twelve years.

Since then, I’ve found out a lot more details about her disappearance. I had to. I got specifics wherever possible. I’m going to lay them out here.

The Girls Who Went Away

I may have heard more talk than some as a kid because my big sister, Virginia, was friends with Chantal and the other two, Jenna and Lise. She was supposed to hang out with them one weekend. I remember she was talking about it all week. I guess Chantal’s parents were out of town, so she was excited.

When Thursday came around, she starts saying she doesn’t feel like going anymore. My Mom questions her, asks if she’s had a fight with the girls, that sort of thing. Even if she’s pregnant. Virginia got upset and left the table, saying, “You don’t understand.”

By Saturday, she was starting to cry all the time for no good reason. She finally told my parents she knew something bad was going to happen that weekend. “They’re going to die, Mom!” she said. That sticks in my memory like it was yesterday. She was so certain it gave me chills. But nobody believed her.

On Monday, Virginia came home from school hyperventilating. My Mom could hardly get a word out of her. When she did, it was, “They’re gone!”

Soon the story was all the town could talk about. The three girls disappeared that Saturday night. Had Virginia gone, she would’ve been the fourth.

The night of the disappearance, Maestro’s Pizza had a call from Chantal’s phone at 8:47pm for pizza. The driver recorded the delivery at 9:20pm. He said the girls looked ok when he delivered the pizza. All three were at the door. He said it seemed like one of them kept looking behind her, like someone else was there. He couldn’t see anyone.

A receipt from a nearby liquor store was timestamped 9:39pm. The clerk recalls only seeing Jenna and Lise. (Chantal was not yet 18, so that may have been why.) They did not seem distressed to him, although one kept checking her watch.

At 10:14pm and 10:17pm, two calls were found in Chantal’s phone records. Neither call was local. One was to a law office three-hundred miles away. The recorded voicemail was one minute and sixteen seconds of breathing. The second call was to a residence on Prince Edward Island. The woman who answered the phone said the caller asked, “Is he there?” and hung up before she could get clarification. She’d never heard of Chantal and had no idea why Chantal would be calling her. The law office said the same.

That was the last confirmed time anyone heard from Chantal, Jenna, and Lise.

At 11:29pm a 911 call was placed from an unknown phone. A woman is heard whispering, “Send someone, please.” And when the dispatcher asks where, she says, “We don’t know” and the call drops. None of the girls’ parents could say it was their daughter. It may have been a coincidence.

The next day, after not being able to reach her daughter or Chantal, Lise’s mother calls for a wellness check. At 5:45pm on Sunday, police arrive. Chantal’s home is locked up. No signs of a break-in or a struggle. The alarm system was in ‘Home’ mode. The cars were still parked outside. The girls’ phones had been left on the table, one was even left charging. Nothing had been stolen. Slices of pizza were out on the coffee table, partially eaten. Half-drunk drinks were beside the plates.

It’s like they’d just been in the middle of having a good time, drinking, listening to music, when they suddenly dropped everything and ran off. It’s not even clear how they locked up, because the house keys were found on the kitchen counter.

Nobody could understand it. But there was a bad feeling about the whole thing. Even the cops say they felt “dread” when they approached the home. They felt what Virginia had felt before: that something terrible happened.

The usual events that surround missing girls followed. Much of the community helped search surrounding wooded areas. Signs were put up everywhere, all the way to Montreal. It must’ve cost a ton. The bay was searched and a body was found. It turned out to be someone else. In fact, I believe that body was never positively identified.

Police questioned everyone who knew the girls. Family, friends, neighbors. Nobody saw anything, heard anything particularly suspicious. They questioned Virginia a few times about why she didn’t spend the weekend with them as planned and why she wasn’t helping with the searches. To the latter, she said, “It’s too late.”

The Case Gets Stranger

That’s when the weird stuff started to come out. I think every case that’s low on leads like this is going to have some degree of strange tips that go nowhere. But these strange tips went somewhere. This is the stuff that made people not so keen to talk about it.

The first strange report was from an old man, an ex-cop, in a town an hour away. The night the girls disappeared, he was having trouble sleeping. This was around 1 am, he says. While he’s taking a leak, he thinks he hears someone in his yard. It sounded like it might’ve been giggling. Figuring it was kids, he ran out with a bat just to scare them. When he got to his backyard, which backs up to the tree line, he saw three girls holding hands and running single file into the woods.

He ran after them, because there’s a lot of woods back there. He was afraid they’d get lost or hurt. When he got to the woods, he couldn’t find them. They were just gone. He felt stupid about the whole thing, so he kept it to himself. Until he heard three girls had gone missing.

A search was conducted in the area, dogs brought in, but nothing was ever found to say the girls were actually there. It creeps me out thinking about it, because, if it was them, why would they be there? It’s a long walk from Chantal’s home to this town. Why would they walk all that way to wander into the woods?

Chantal’s parents were questioned repeatedly if they’d received demands. Someone said they’d seen Chantal’s father meeting with some men in black suits the week before the girls disappeared. They were getting into a black car when he’d been spotted. Chantal’s dad was a roofing contractor, so top secret meetings wouldn’t have been his thing. He denied it at first. Later he said they were hardware salesmen. So why’d he start by lying? What hardware salesmen act like that?

It didn’t help their case that Chantal’s mother believed the girls were dead. She said it was because of something that happened while she was out of town. At the hotel where she was staying, three birds got into the lobby the same night the girls disappeared. Staff got a 40 foot ladder to get the birds down, but when they got up there, the birds were nowhere to be seen. “Why exactly three birds? That was their spirits. They’re with God now.” That’s what she used to tell people.

I guess that brought her comfort. Someone told Virginia about it once and she said, “They’re nowhere near God…”

Some people shared that opinion because, when police went through their search history, there was a lot of odd stuff you wouldn’t expect popular, cheerleader types to be into. There was a lot of occulty stuff and conspiracy theories. One weird search phrase stood out on the report, “can a TV signal make you do things” and variants on it. The last item in Chantal’s history, at 10:01pm, was for a mountain cottage in Arkansas.

They were in contact with someone with the handle ThePrince. Not many details of those interactions came out. I heard from someone in the police department that he was telling them to do things. There was only one of those he felt he could tell me: this guy had asked them to do something to Virginia. He wanted them to bring her out to this old woodshed back behind the yellow house on Nelson Rd. That was supposed to happen the night they disappeared. “Think about it,” he told me. “What do you think would’ve happened to your sister if she went that night? What would’ve happened?” His look told me this was something that kept him up at night thinking about it. I know the feeling.

They were never able to track down who this ThePrince was, from what I understand. Efforts to contact him online failed.

One of their mutual friends heard Chantal talking about some guy named ‘Vincenzo.’ How Vincenzo knew everything and told them things nobody’s supposed to know. She said Chantal told her Vincenzo took them out to a secret place. Another friend said while sitting with some other friends he saw Chantal talking on her phone at school. She was talking for five minutes or so. She came back and said it was Vincenzo. But everyone at the table swore she didn’t even have a phone in her hand. She was just facing the wall, talking. Whether real or made up, Vincenzo was another dead end.

And there were sightings of the girls everywhere. Sometimes locally, but some claims came from as far as Vancouver and even Australia. Sometimes in the woods, sometimes walking along the street, at the beach. Someone said he was sure it was Chantal who begged him for money in Toronto. Someone else said they saw the girls along the street on a vacation to Mexico. She said the girls retreated into the crowd when she called to them. “Why would they run away like that?” she asked.

Maybe the strangest was a guy who could point to some photos he and his wife had taken at a party. In the background, two girls and part of a third that looked just like them. The thing is, the photos were at a watch party for the fall of the Berlin Wall. The girls were infants at the time those pictures had been taken.

There was a lot mysterious about this case. Why’d they disappear? How’d they get where they were going? Was someone else involved? Where’d they go? Were they dead? The odds of them still being alive were extremely low. Nobody believed we’d ever see them again. With the reappearance of Chantal, the question now was: Where have they been for the past twelve years? And where are the others?

Chantal

Mitch told me, officers, everyone who’d listen, how he found her. He’d been out on his own land—his father’s land, technically, acres and acres of it going way back into the woods—hunting deer. He was up in his stand, way back there, having a few beers. He saw some movement far off in the trees. He was ready to take a shot, but something made him hold on. Just the way it’s moving. Too slow and unsteady for a deer, even a wounded one. It’s a sickly walk. He keeps watching as it comes closer. It’s a person, he’s sure. He’d normally be furious someone was trespassing. But this is too weird. She’s slowly walking straight toward the tree where his stand is and he can now see it’s this half-naked, beaten girl.

“Wherever she’s been, I don’t ever wanna go there,” he told me that night. Sent a shudder right through me. He reeked of something, like a scorched tar smell. And all I could think was that she’d been to hell and back.

The ER docs concluded she was physically ok. She needed food and warmth, but otherwise just bruised up. What she needed was psychological evaluation.

Whatever peace and quiet she had in her room ended quick. Police arrived to question her, her parents (now divorced) were called, and they all wanted to know where she’d been, if she was ok. She still had that dazed, mindless look, even with her mother caressing her.

When she finally spoke, she gave an address. They tried to get her to say more, but that’s all she’d tell them. Just the address. It was a local one, on the other side of town past the old drive-in. Not many people live out that way anymore.

Police sent someone to the address immediately, hoping the other girls would be there. I found out from a friend that they had trouble finding it because the yard was so overgrown that the house number was covered. The house itself was sagging, a rotten old house with busted out windows.

Two cops were checking it out and even with two of them, both armed, the place made them nervous. They go inside and find an old mattress and a bunch of dolls on the floor. They heard a thudding sound from upstairs. One of them went up to check it out, while the other looked around downstairs.

The one upstairs went room to room looking for the source of the noise. He comes to one room where he sees the window shutters are open. He thinks he’s seen this in the movies before: it’s just the wind. What next, a cat jumps out? So he goes and closes the shutters. Then it occurs to him. There isn’t any wind.

He searches the upstairs and finds no-one there. He runs downstairs and asks his partner if he’s seen anyone. He hasn’t. He’s been flipping through a book he found. It’s a book about the Nazis with polaroids of children between the pages. They decide to get out of the creepy place and come back in daylight. On the way out, they both notice the back door’s been opened. They were sure it was shut when they’d arrived.

Investigators looked all over the property the next few days. One of the upstairs rooms has a lot of bloodstains. They’re tested and come back inconclusive. The polaroids are reviewed, but no-one recognizes the children. There wasn’t even a hint that Chantal or the others had been in that house. They can’t figure out why Chantal was so fixated on that address.

The owner of the house, according to records, made the purchase in 1974. Nobody in town had ever seen or heard of this person. More, as far as police could determine, this person didn’t exist. Others still living in the area say they’ve seen vehicles at the home before, years back. Never the same vehicle twice. But they never met anyone.

Hospital staff left Chantal’s mother stay with her the rest of the night. She didn’t want to leave her side. She was afraid of losing her again, perhaps. One of the nurses heard her mother asking her, “Where were you all that time, Chantal?” and saying things like, “You don’t look a day older.” And Chantal said, “I wasn’t anywhere.”

Technically my shift was over, but with what happened, I stayed on to help. And I was nosey. I didn’t try to go visit Chantal. I never really knew my sister’s friends. So I was surprised when I heard Chantal wanted to see me. I figured it would have to do with Virginia and I was right. She asked me if Virginia could come see her.

I just imagined how much she missed her friends and family after all this time, so I was quick to promise I’d try my best. Virginia had left town eleven years ago. She rarely even called. Something about the incident changed her. But I had her number, of course, so I called and told her everything that happened.

Up to, “She’s been asking to see you, V. Maybe she’ll tell you more.”

I was sure she would say she’s hopping on a plane. Instead, she said, “Chantal is dead. They’re all dead. They’ve been dead all this time.”

I said, “V, I was looking right at her. She spoke to me. She’s on an IV drip. She’s alive.”

“I don’t know who or what that is. All I know is if I come home, I’ll never be seen again.”

And she hung up. I called back a few times. She wouldn’t answer. My parents couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t answer for them either. I couldn’t go face Chantal with that news, so I just went home.

I spent the night beating myself up about it. I could hardly sleep. Around 3am I heard faint knocking on my front door. All sorts of ideas went through my mind. What if Virginia decided to fly in after all?

Before I could go to the door to look, my phone rang. It was Virginia. I answered and asked right away if that was her at the front door. She told me she had a bad feeling and woke up in tears, sure something had happened to me.

“Don’t answer the door,” she said. “Please.”

I didn’t. I heard the knock again and I didn’t answer. V and I weren’t close. But I trusted her. I spent the rest of the night hiding in my own home, because she really freaked the shit out of me.

I found out the next day that Chantal had gotten out of her bed during the night, around 2:45am, while her mother slept. Hospital cameras show her walking out calmly, nobody notices. And just like that, she disappeared again. Nobody’s seen her since. No idea where she went after leaving the hospital, and still no idea where she’d been for the past twelve years. There’ve been searches, but I’m sure it’ll be all dead ends again.

#scary stories #reddit #this literally scared the shit oit of me the first time I heard it #its so good

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dicapriowleo · 7 years ago

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Deaded Deals II Legot

Who: Margot Robbie ( @marg-robbie ) and Leonardo DiCaprio Where: NYC What: After a run-in at a local bagel shop in New York, Margot comes across pictures of Leo with her dad. The conversation leads to closed deals and a new found maturity between the ex-couple.

Margot: Being in NYC always felt like home. It had been awhile since Margot had lived there, but every time she came back, it just felt right. It was way more comfortable for her than LA. She loved everything about it: the hidden gems that had the best food, the hustle and bustle, the liveliness, the New York Rangers (who didn’t make the playoffs, sadly), the diversity. It felt like home, but during this trip, not so much. That could be largely due to the fact that she left Conor and their son behind in Ireland, what with Conor still trying to lay low ahead of his court date and not wanting their 8 month old to do any unnecessary traveling (nor did they want to expose him to the harshness of the paps. With the recent events, they were more brutal than ever right now) That’s probably why she found herself in a familiar spot: her favorite bagel shop. A way of trying to cheer herself up and ease the homesickness. “Everything bagel, toasted, with cream cheese and a small coffee, please.” She was more of a tea girl, but when in Rome, right? The blonde handed over her credit card to pay, then made her way to the other end of the counter as she waited for her order. Looking down at her phone, she opened a text from Conor. Her lips instantly spread into a smile as a picture of CJ smiled back at her on the screen. God, she missed them.

Leo: After a few days in Australia, Leo felt at ease being back in NYC. It was home, it always will be home. He loved the fact that he could walk around or bike in the city without being bothered. It was a lifestyle he genuinely took to because at the end of the day, Leo was a private person who hated being in the limelight unless he purporsely placed himself there. The weather was gorgeous out in the city, and Leo wanted to take advantage of that since in a few months, he'd be starting filming again. Not to mention, he'd be producing a new movie as well. It seemed like he only had a handful of free days left. Grabbing his wallet, Leo walked outside and down the street to the local bagel shop. He loved that everything he could possibly need was literally around the corner it seemed. As he walked inside, he placed his order of a small black coffee with an egg and cheese on a plain bagel. He paid the cashier and and made his way down to the end counter. He wasn't paying much attention, his gaze focused on his phone as his assistant texted him about his upcoming schedule the same time. It wasn't until the cook at the back called out Margot's name to give her her food that Leo's head lifted to notice the younger blonde. "Fancy seeing you here, kid" He said with a smile as his blue eyes landed on her.

Margot: If Margot hadn’t been so focused on her phone and texting back Conor about CJ, she would have heard the familiar voice. But she was zoned in. Hearing her name being called out for her order, the blonde looked up and smiled. “Thank you,” She told the man behind the counter as he handed her the order. Just as she was turning to grab a seat, she practically ran into someone. A familiar someone. An apology was about to escape her lips, but then she realized who she nearly bumped into. Letting out a small laugh, she held up her bag a bit to motion to the bagel inside. “Still the best in New York, I can’t help myself..” Thanks to Leo, this was her go-to place to grab a bagel ever since the first time they came to NYC together. Even after they split, she still found herself stopping here every time she was in The City. Bagels in LA, or anywhere else for that matter, just couldn’t compare. The Aussie tucked a piece of her short blonde hair behind her ear, and glanced over to the counter as Leo’s order was called. Margot stepped aside, allowing him to get his food before they continued a conversation. They had run into each other in LA recently, just before the Oscars. Before that, they hadn’t seen each other since just after they filed for divorce - that night in Australia where they (very drunkenly) spent one last night together, despite the two of them knowing it was over. Coincidentally, that was the night before Margot had met Conor - or, well, messaged him without any shame. “Think they’ll ever set up shop in LA?” Margot questioned as Leo rejoined her, talking about the bagel company. It was small talk, and she really didn’t know what else to say, despite having some normal conversations lately. Perhaps it was good to get all of that out of the way before they had to work together again.

Leo: As Leo made eye contact with Margot, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself as she mentioned it was the best in NY. "It is, it is. This place really is a diamond in the rough" He said, looking around at its worn down demeanor. As he grabbed his food, he thanked the cook and left a hefty tip for the man before he nodded his head in the direction of an empty booth off to the side. "Wanna join me?" He said with a friendly grin as he walked over and placed his items down. "They might. But it won't be as good. Bagels taste good because of that New York water" He said in a thick brooklyn accent, trying to lighten the mood as bit as he sat down and took a sip of his coffee. "It's nice to see you though, you look good, kid. How've you been?" He asked, noticing his phone buzzing off with a million messages from his agent, but he decided to ignore them.

Margot: “Sure,” Margot smiled, accepting his invitation to eat with him. Might as well, since they’d be seeing a lot more of each other soon. The actress took a seat across from her ex- husband, placing her food and coffee down. She couldn’t help but laugh and sarcastically roll his eyes at his comment about the water. “Pretty sure they said the same thing in Entourage. You New Yorkers are all the same.” Which wasn’t shocking since his best friend was part of the cast. “It’s good to see you, too. I’ve been good, I’ve just been-” Leo’s phone was buzzing, which was a bit distracting, but not far off was her phone. “Sorry,” Pulling out her phone with one hand, she took a sip of her coffee with the other. It was terrible table manners to be on your phone or allow it to make as much noise hers was making, no matte how well you knew the person you were dining with. Margot went to switch off the volume, but Veronica’s name was all over the screen. “..just one sec..” It had to be important if she was going this crazy. The paps had caught her leaving Ireland yesterday, but nothing too crazy happened. They just yelled some stuff about Conor’s court date and asking how she felt about it. Besides that, everything was relatively chill lately, what with Conor and Margot laying low. Reading over what Veronica sent her, she almost couldn’t believe it...but then there were the pictures. The man sitting across from her, the man she called her ex husband, pictured with her...father? Her father whom she didn’t speak to, whom she hadn’t seen in years. There was no way to explain this. Her blue-green eyes looked at Leo, unsure what to say. She didn’t want to cause a scene, nor did she have it in her to fight with him right now. “I can’t believe you’re still talking to my father,” A laugh of disbelief, rather than humor, escaped her full lips. “All those years and I didn’t even know you two were friends behind my back,” She corrected with a low, non angry tone. Her tone was soft, yet filled with confusion and hurt. With a shake of her head, the woman stood up, not even bothering to take her uneaten food or her coffee with her. “I have to go,” With that, Margot turned and walked out of the bagel shop, her head reeling from the news. Raising a hand as she saw a taxi approach, she quickly got in and gave the man the address of the Manhattan condo she shared with Conor. She was in disbelief, feeling betrayed after all this time. They weren’t even together anymore, nor had they been for years, yet Leo still found a way to hurt her.

Leo: Some things never changed, considering both their phones were going off like crazy. As Margot took the chance to check her phone, Leo decided he'd do the same. Instantly his heart dropped as his agent began to send him pictures of himself with Margot's father. "Fuck.." Leo said under his breath, closing his eyes as he pressed his lips together and shook his head slightly. If his phone was going off with this news, he knew right away what Margot was looking at as well. Maybe they weren't as off beat as they thought. At her words, it came as no surprise to Leo. The pictures looked bad, but it wasn't what she thought. It was far from it, actually. Just as he was about to reply, Leo saw the younger blonde get up and scurry away. No matter where they were in their lives, seeing that image of Margot just leaving was not only deja vu, but it still stung just like the first time. Letting out a sigh he didn't know he was holding, Leo grabbed his cup of coffee, as well as Margots, and quickly followed behind the blonde actress. He couldn't let her leave without knowing the truth behind those pictures. He watched as she got into the cab, and he quickly maneuvered himself to the other side of the backseat. He opened the door and slid into the car - just as the driver pulled off heading to Margot's destination. "You left this behind." He said calmly as he handed Margot her cup of coffee. "Can you please just... hear me out?" He asked, his tone soft and full of regret. "It's not what you think, I can assure you that much."

Margot: The last thing Margot expected was for Leo to get into the cab with her. Before she could get out or protest, the cab was already in motion. She silently and hesitantly took her cup of coffee. /It’s not what you think./ The photos looked pretty bad. Maybe not to anyone who didn’t know who the older male was in the photos, but for Margot, what else would she think? It looked like two pals, hanging out. Her ex husband and her father, for lack of a better word, who had left her and her family when she was only four. However, here they were, in the back of a cab with no where to go. With the years that past came maturity. The blonde wasn’t the same woman she was back when she was married to the man beside her. She had grown up. She didn’t have the urge to fight him on everything..or anything at all. So, as Leo asked to explain himself, she nodded. Margot wasn’t about to ask the cabbie to pull over so she could find another ride home, nor was she about to yell at the man for betraying her. And the fact that Leo was in the cab with her, trying to calmly explain himself, meant that he had matured as well. “Okay,” One simple word, and she allowed him to tell her his truth behind those photos.

Leo: The older actor was bracing himself for a complete screaming war - even though he didn't have the energy to do so. But when he heard Margot simply said okay, he was surprised. Time really had made both change their ways, and it was for the better. "Not that this is going to sound any better than the word 'friends'.... but..." Leo's voice trailed off, clearing his throat as he sat up straighter, a lame excuse to buy a few more seconds of time. "But ever since that night you saw your father with me last year, well, he walked away that night because I paid him off to leave you alone." Leo's head lowered, as he played with his fingers out of anxiety. "Then... he kept contacting me and kept saying he was going to see you. So, I've been consistently paying him off to keep his distance from you."

Margot: It was obvious Margot’s dad came back around a couple of years ago for the wrong reasons. He wanted to conveniently come back into the actress’s life just as her career was skyrocketing. She had two summer blockbusters coming out that year, and suddenly, the man who walked out of her life when she was just a kid was wanting to reconnect? Margot didn’t buy it, and she even offered to pay him off that night. However, instead, she had run back into her hotel room, needing to get away from the man. Little did she know, Leo had actually paid him off that night. If it stopped there, she wouldn’t be surprised or upset, but the fact that he was continuing to do so, despite their divorce? That wasn’t normal. “You’re still paying him off..” She said out loud, trying to comprehend it. Paying him off kept him away, but it didn’t stop Doug Robbie from talking to the press about her. Not long after CJ was born, he was telling the tabloids that he knew Margot was a great mum, and he always knew she would be. Talking about her was one thing, but when he brought her son into it? That pissed her off. “Leo... I’m engaged. I have a son. You’re my ex husband. Don’t you see how inappropriate this is?” There was no doubt Conor wasn’t going to be happy about this, and she knew she couldn’t keep this kind of information from him. Letting out a sigh, her blonde head shook. “Look, I know you’re still trying to protect me in a way, but this has to stop. You can’t keep paying my father off to leave me alone. Protecting me isn’t your job anymore, Leo..” The funny thing was, Margot knew this wasn’t some ploy for Leo to try to win her back. It was obvious he was trying his very best to keep this a secret from her, to protect her because he knew her history with her father. They had both moved on after years of trying to make their marriage work. Margot found the person she was meant to spend her life with and started a family with him, and Leo had moved on in his own way. Whatever the man’s intentions were for doing what he did, it was still inappropriate in Margot’s eyes and, in a way, disrespected Conor...even if that wasn’t Leo’s intention. "He's a manipulator.. he manipulated you into giving him more money. I know money isn't an object for you, but still. He doesn't even deserve that. Trust me when I say he's not getting anywhere near me."

Leo: Hearing Margot's words, Leo nodded. In no way was he ever trying to hurt Margot or win her back. He just wanted to make sure that the man who caused her the most pain would stay away from her. He didn't really keep up with her dad and what he said in the tabloids aside from the man calling whenever he was 'running low'. Which always seemed to baffle Leo because what exactly was the man doing with all the money in the first place? It wasn't his business regardless. "No, I understand. And I hear you. I'm gonna stop, alright? It was never meant to cause any harm. Just a way to make sure he kept his distance is all." He said genuinely, taking in a deep breath. He tapped the cab drive gently on the shoulder. "May I get off here, please?" He asked, quickly paying the cab driver. As he stepped out of the cab, he looked bad at Margot. "Congrats on the engagement by the way. I'm happy for you, honest to God" He said, giving her one of his charming smiles before he closed the door of the cab, making his way over to one of the citi bikes a few blocks away.

#legot #para

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elanorjane · 7 years ago

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Picture of Beauty (Ch 5/?)

Summary: Fashion house Jefferson-Mills needs inspiration. Photographer Gold believes a librarian he photographed by accident has what it takes. Now it’s up to Gold to turn Belle into a model worthy of Paris Fashion Week. Based on the movie Funny Face.

AO3

A couple hours later the pilot once again came over the speaker, signaling their decent. Gold heard bursts of laughter, indicating that Belle, Jefferson and Grace had finally emerged from the back bedroom. He could pinpoint Belle’s melodoldic laughter among the others. To his disappointment, they took seats behind him. He’d been so preoccupied with Grace and their annual tournament of cards that he’d barely been able to talk to Belle on the flight. He craned his neck to try to catch of glimpse of them but the high backed seats obscured the group.

Once they were safely on the ground, the chance to stretch his knee properly was too great so he departed the plane with Regena first. He should have brought his cane. But when he was packing he had seen it propped next to his suitcase and, while it wasn’t an age-related injury, for the first time the walking aid had made him feel old. And so he’d left it behind. As long as he didn’t walk long distances and had an assistant set up any low shots, he’d be fine. He and Regina crossed the tarmac to stand by the two cars ready to whisk them to their hotel and waited for Jefferson, Grace and Belle to emerge.

Grace, the only one who didn’t seem like she’d been on a plane for 7 hours, bounded off the stairs, “Wait ‘til you see her,” she told them, “She’s sooooo pretty.”

She was already pretty, Gold thought automatically at he looked to the forms emerging from the plane. From what he’d gathered of Belle’s kindness, she’d probably let Grace paint her face every shade of pastel.

The first thing to emerged were her legs. Her very bare legs made all the more shapely by the towering red heels they’d put her in. Despite probably not having much practice, she didn’t stumble or trip. In fact she looked perfectly poised as she carefully navigated the plane stairs. Compared to the long skirts she’d favored before, in the sleeveless blue lace dress she wore now she looked practically naked, even though the new frock was perfectly chaste. The new outfit brightened her more, if that was possible. She reminded him of a Scots bluebell. Her hair, which was usually pulled off her face in some way, had been let down and curled so it tumbled down around her shoulders. Presented with the whole picture, his mouth went dry. ‘Pretty’ didn’t begin to describe her.

Jefferson reached out and nudged Gold’s chin shut, though he hadn’t realized it had fell open. The designer looked very satisfied with himself, which made Gold nervous for what kind of clothes he’d be putting her in going forward. Jefferson shoved Belle towards him, “Take her to the Eiffel Tower,” he demanded.

Belle wasn’t ready for the jostle, especially on her new heels, and Gold reached out to steady her. He was forced to grip the soft, perfumed skin of her arms. “Me?” he questioned, “I have work.” It made him so unnerved to have her in his arms he had to tamp down the urge to push her back at Jefferson.

Jefferson was unperturbed. “The girl’s never been to Paris, Gold. She’s all dressed up with nowhere to go.”

“I want to g…” Grace exclaimed and Jefferson clamped a hand down on her mouth.

“We,” he stressed, “have to finish the clothes. No clothes, nothing to photograph. There’s no darkrooms to hide in here, Gold. Have fun,” he sauntered off, wrestling Grace into the first car. “We’ll get everything to the hotel.”

Gold looked to Regina, who finally glanced up from her phone, “I’m too busy to care what any of are talking about,” she said bluntly, but pointed at Belle, “Just don’t get bags under your eyes, we have a photoshoot tomorrow.”

Belle took a step away from Gold and out from under his hands that lingered on her skin. The last thing she wanted was to be thrust onto an unwilling sightseer, “You don’t have to…” she began.

But Gold had managed to compose himself, reverting to his usual formality. “Nonsense, Miss French. I’m partly to blame for you being here. The least I could do is show you around.” He opened the door to the second car, “Miss French, may I escort you to the Eiffel Tower?” he asked properly, bowing dramatically.

She smiled and curtsied, “Why thank you,” she played along. She slid into the spacious backseat behind the partition that separated them from the driver.

“Have fun, kids!” Jefferson waved out the window as the car that held him, Grace and Regina pulled away.

Belle settled in the plush seat. The driver informed them it would be a 45 minute car ride. Beside her, Gold stiffened at the announcement and rubbed at his knee nervously. Belle remembered speculating on the plane whether they’d be able to connect on this trip like they had bonded in the library. It had felt so nice to talk to someone who didn’t think her strange. At least, he hadn’t acted as though he found her ramblings about books and travel bizarre. Maybe that had been just a ruse to gain her trust and cooperation and now that she was in Paris he could ignore her. Belle turned to the man she hoped to get to know better, “Is the view from the top amazing?” she ventured.

Gold shrugged, “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been.”

She gasped, slapping her palms down on the white leather, making him jump, “You’ve been to Paris how many times and you’ve never gone to the top of the Eiffel Tower before?”

He was baffled by her disbelief, “I come here for work.”

Belle rolled her eyes. If she was given an all-expenses paid trip anywhere, especially Paris, she sure wouldn’t spend all of it working. “You work too much,” she scolded, shaking her head and looking out the window, her eyes devouring the French scenery.

Something about her disapproving tone made him smile. It reminded him of similar admonishments from Bae. “Maybe,” he conceded. His phone pinged and he pulled it out of his jacket. It was a text. Rarely anyone texted him because they knew they wouldn’t get a response back but his son liked to send him pictures from New York sometimes. Gold frowned at the screen.

Belle peered across the seat, “What is it?”

“Jefferson. He called ahead and said we should just go to the front of the line and give our names.”

Belle beamed, “That was kind of him.”

“Mmhm,” he agreed dubiously. He believed Jefferson had other motives. Jefferson, who rarely let things develop at their own pace, whether that be clothes or people. Now Jefferson had purposefully placed him in very close proximity to a very pretty girl and was trying to...what, tempt him? It was ridiculous. He and Belle had a professional relationship, one. Two….well, look at her. And look at him. He was putting her in front of the camera for a reason, and not just for her looks. She radiated light and everything that was good in the world. He was behind the camera for a reason.

When they arrived, they strolled through the Esplanade on their way to the entrance. Looking up at the structure, they lingered on the intricacies of the wrought iron lattice that are lost in photographs. It was difficult to appreciate the majesty of the tower until you were under it. Gold watched Belle as she spun on her heels, never looking down and the soft smile never leaving her lips. He was surprised to think of how enjoyable it was going to be to see Paris and the circus that was Fashion Week though her eyes instead of his tired, jaded ones.

She bypassed the gift shop completely. After giving their names she didn’t even ask him before forgoing the stairs, which he knew he wouldn’t be able to manage, and leading the way to the elevator. They stopped at the first floor to see the transparent bottom, peeking down at where they had just stood minutes before. They exchanged queasy looks and scurried back to the opaque flooring. They rambled through the interactive displays on the history of the tower, which Belle of course had to read thoroughly instead of scanning and feigning interest like everyone else. If he was going to visit the Eiffel Tower with anyone, he was glad it was her. Not to compare them, but he couldn’t picture his ex-wife lingering over flipping blocks of historical photos or looking thrilled instead of terrified when they found out that the machines that operate the Tower’s lift they road in were more than a century old.

The second floor offered views of the Louvre and Notre Dame. Belle was tickled to see the Eiffel Tower’s Michelin-starred restaurant was named after Jules Verne. They pressed their faces up against the glass of the macaroon bar, admiring the dazzling rainbow display of biscuits of every flavor. Gold pulled out his card and bought them a small box of chocolate, coffee, lemon, and strawberry to share.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Belle smiled as she nibbled on the strawberry.

“Wasn’t for you. I’m going to need something to settle my stomach after the ascent.”

She giggled, “Ready to go to the top?”

He steeled himself. “We’ve come this far together.”

Packed inside the glass-walled lift, Gold kept his eyes on the signs warning them of pickpockets instead of the structure zooming by them. To distract himself from the motion, he was forced to focus on the closeness of Belle. Their hips bushed against each other as the other people in the carriage jockeyed for position. She didn’t seem to have the same reservations as he about looking out the windows. Her curls tickled his nose and he breathed in. Lavender and vanilla. Two calming scents he zeroed in on until the lift blessedly came to their final destination.

They shuffled out to the open air deck. Suddenly, Paris was at their feet. He had to admit, the view was stunning.

“Isn’t it amazing?” she whispered beside him. Other than the voices of the other tourists and the wind, it was quiet at the top. You could see Paris but couldn’t hear it. The breeze whipped her hair gently around her and, despite the surge of people, she was completely serene.

He drew the Fujifilm X100F he always kept on him out of his jacket. She hear the snap and whirled around. “Practice,” he explained smoothly, sliding the camera back into his pocket. “You must get used to the camera.”

Belle’s hunger for the sights and sounds of Paris were hardly satiated. They were barely back in the car and pulling away from the Eiffel Tower when she had her window rolled down and was leaning hard on the door. He was afraid he was going to have to catch her as she fell out. He watched her head oscillate for a while before he leaned forward and rapt on the glass partition. They’d only been in the car ten minutes.

“Are we at the hotel already?” It was hard not to hear the disappointment in her voice.

“I thought we could walk for a bit,” he suggested. She perked up immediately.

He led them confidently down the street towards Le Grand Pigalle. She kept craning her neck up at the storefronts, wondering how he know where they were when they were surrounded by tall identical tan buildings. No longer watching her step, she teetered on her heels, tipped and almost fell. Gold caught her and, without comment, looped her arm snuggly through his.

They walked like that for a few blocks until she was forced to extricate herself to rub at her forearms, “Jefferson didn’t think to give me a coat.”

“No, I’m sure he did,” he mumbled, effortlessly shucking his coat and settling it over her narrow shoulders. She tried to parse his words but they didn’t make any sense to her.

Soon after he stopped her at the corner, holding a door open for her and ushered her through the hotel lobby. “Gold and French, checking in. Our luggage arrived ahead of us,” he announced to the attendant.

The desk manager handed them their tasseled keys and Gold thanked him in French. They walked silently through the carpeted hallways before they were forced to split, her room on the right, his on the left.

While she thought the ice had been effectively broken with their adventure to the Eiffel Tower, he’d been oddly distant with her since giving her his jacket. Just when she’d thought they’d made progress and become friends, he slipped back into his stiff, polite manner. “Thank you,” she told him, “for taking me.”

He bowed his head slightly “It was my pleasure, Miss French. Goodnight.” He disappeared behind his door.

“Night,” she replied, and slipped into her own room. It wasn’t until she leaned against the door, the excitement of the day finally catching up to her, she realized she hadn’t given him his jacket back.

#rumbelle fanfic #rumbelle fic #picture of beauty

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kazosa · 7 years ago

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Secrets - SoA: Chapter 13

Summary: Reader has lived in a life full of secrets. When her father dies unexpectedly and sends her on a trip all over the country, she finds out just how much like her father she really is. The end of her trip brings her to Charming, CA where she finally gets some big pieces of her family puzzle put back in place and form new relationships with the people there. Chapter 13: The hearing. Warnings: language A/N: If it wasn’t clear before, this takes place after the events of the final episode, SPOILERS! Italics are for Chibs and his inner thoughts. Bold is for the reader’s inner thoughts. Word Count: 2151 Tags: @telford-ortiz-teller @sam-samcro @tstieff @yourcroweater @kacilove26 @hiddlelove @evilsorceress @reallynigga21 @suz-123 @between-shades-of-winchester @caitcrook @i-was-made-of-nutella @charlottecl @gunsnrosesislife @yoonjigu @mkindoll2016 @confidencerush @jade770 (hope I didn’t miss anyone, if I did, please let me know!)

Chibs sat down at a desk in the corner that they used for the clubhouse. He hated that they even needed one, but more often than not, it seemed like it came in handy. They’d gotten a computer that “fell off a truck” a while back when the Sons were running protection for Montez. It was state of the art and loaded full of porn. Chibs shook his head as he closed all of the windows and cleared the cache and browser history the way Juice had taught him years ago. The guys looked at some weird shit. He made a mental note to talk to Tig and Happy about it.

Tig and Happy had left. Tig had to get Venus and Happy needed to get to his mom’s house for dinner or she would “string me up and let the animals get me.” He’d almost laughed at the idea, but he knew better. Happy didn’t get his… talent from a stranger. A few moments later, Chuckie came up with a plate with a cheeseburger and fries on it.

“Here ya go boss,” was all he said.

Chibs didn’t notice the look of concern on his friend’s face.

“Thanks, Chuck,” he muttered as he opened a search engine website.

Chuck left quietly and Chibs got about his business. He typed in the lass’s name and pressed enter. He didn’t know what he’d expected, but he hadn’t thought there would be so much. He added “1997” after her name and it brought up pictures and an article about the crash.

“…at one point having reached speeds over 120 mph. The chase eventually slowed and the driver lost control on the curve of North Union Street when the car hit a gravel patch. Local doctors say…” He clicked on the pictures of what used to be a car.

The next article was about how her ex-boyfriend stalked her and beat her to a pulp after she left him. She’d managed to call the MPs before passing out. Her ex-boyfriend had been caught as he was getting back to his place, eventually landing in prison for aggravated assault.

He was about to search for “engagement announcement” when Chuckie came back. Chibs just thought he was there to collect the dishes. He’d already gathered the ketchup cup and napkin for him.

“Thanks, Chuckie, delicious as always,” he handed the plate to him.

Chuckie took the plate but was fidgeting more than usual.

“Boss?” he asked tentatively.

“What is it, Chuck?”

“There’s an executive-type guy downstairs asking for you,” he sputtered.

“Shit,” he’d lost track of time. “Did you get him some food?”

Chuck shook his head, “Said he ate on the jet.”

“The jet?” he said to himself. “Was there a tiny hell-cat of a woman with him?” If Debbie was there, he needed to prepare himself for the verbal onslaught.

“Just a guy,” Chuckie said.

“Thanks, Chuck, be right down,” he told him.

The internet search would have to wait. He closed all of the windows and shut down the computer to follow Chuckie downstairs.

When you woke, you had no idea what the time was, but you figured it was early, the jailhouse was still quiet. You hadn’t slept very well, it was too quiet and too empty. You missed Chibs. You missed the way he wrapped himself around you and held you close.

He’d moved into your heart so quickly, it was hard to believe what you were feeling was real. When you were with him, you were home. Waking up without him next to you made you feel very lonely. You tried to reason with yourself.

“Stop it. It’s only been a few days, it’s just infatuation…or lust,” you told yourself. “Then why do I miss him and want to see him?” “Cuz you’re stupid and are acting like a teenager.” “I don’t think I am though, not really. He treats me better than anyone ever has, including Tom. I can be truly me when I am with him and he doesn’t care about all of the bullshit I’ve done.” You sighed, “Just try to enjoy it, however long it lasts.”

You quit berating yourself when the cellroom lights were flicked on and the sound of a commotion came from outside the room.

“You will NOT keep me from my client!” the voice said.

You knew Jack would have to call a lawyer. He could have done it, but he wasn’t licensed in California. The familiar staccato was getting closer. You shot up off the cot, almost standing at attention, waiting. It only took a few more moments for the clicking shoes and the person wearing them to be standing in front of you. Five feet, four inches of holy terror.

“This is a fine mess you’ve gotten yourself into,” she said.

“Hi Mom,” you said.

You listened as patiently as you could while your mother went on and on about how you were just like your father, always getting into trouble (“But at least HE grew out of it!”) and so on and so forth. Over the years, you’d gotten good at making it look like you were listening while your mind went to another place. You were wondering why your father worshiped the ground she walked on.

“Kiddo, your mom cares, a lot. Maybe too much. She’s hard on you because she cares. She’s been through a lot,” he’d told you. “Just try to remember that when she’s laying into you.”

He’d never told you to quit doing the things that drove her up the wall.

“What the hell are you smirking at?!” your mother demanded. “Were you even listening to me?”

“Yeah, I know. This is exactly what you warned me about. I’m more than old enough to make my own decisions. If I want to “ruin” my life, that’s up to me,” you told her.

“What did you do to get up this cop’s ass?” she asked you point blank, switching to lawyer mode.

You rolled your eyes, “She is a vindictive bitch that thinks she belongs with Filip.”

“Chibs? Are you shitting me? You can’t just get in with some dumb prospect, you gotta go for the fucking President of the club,” she was pacing now.

She either hadn’t talked to Filip yet, or she had and he hadn’t told her that you and he were together. Your mind was spinning, putting pieces together. When you were a kid, once a month, she’d be gone for a long weekend and you were always told it was for “girls’ weekends.”

“Alright,” she said with a huff, “tell me everything you know.”

“Did you already talk to Chibs?” you asked.

She looked very severe in her suit. It was tailored just for her. Her steel gray hair was pulled back in a tight bun, her pearl earrings hanging from her ears, her standard matching pearl necklace in place. Thankfully, she’d never worked for your dad’s business and you hadn’t had to deal with her on a daily basis. Jack and his associates usually took care of the business’ legal matters. Debra was a criminal prosecutor. Everything about her screamed, “I will fuck up your life,” and she usually did in one way or another. She was small but mighty and scary as all hell. Gemma had said once that she was one of the three people that scared her.

“I want to hear your side. I’ve made notes already and have a few ideas to get this bullshit dropped. Favors were called in to get this heard so quickly,” she said. “I want to make sure there are no… surprises and get this mess behind us.”

You told her what you knew, what you had speculated, and she took notes as you spoke. She asked you a few questions for clarification purposes and to elaborate, but you got the feeling like she already knew what you were going to say, Chibs had probably told her the same thing. You couldn’t imagine what she thought you might say, because you couldn’t remember when you had been so honest. The last 5 days had been lily-white for you, no speeding, no scoping out cars, and no looking at the sports pages.

“Mrs. (Y|L|N), you need to leave now. It’s time to transfer the prisoner,” a deputy said from the entry.

Your mother left with an irritated look on her face, but that was normal for her.

Soon, you were on your way to the courthouse. The deputy pulled the squad car into a secured garage and escorted you up to the courtroom your hearing was set for. As you rounded the corner to the courtroom, your mom was already there and she was pointing her finger up in Filip’s face, Tig and Happy were avoiding looking at the interaction. The deputy was holding the space between your cuffs, pulling you along.

It made you more than a little happy to see them all there. The deputy brought you to where your mother was standing and Chibs immediately pulled you into an embrace. He briefly let you go so you could lift your shackled hands above your head so he could slip under.

“Don’ worry, luv, everything is goin ta be jus’ fine,” he whispered in your ear.

You didn’t even have time to ask him what he meant. A bailiff had stuck her head out of the courtroom.

“The judge is ready to get going,” she said.

Next thing you know, you’re uncuffed and standing at a table in the courtroom, Jarry at the other table across the aisle. Chibs and the boys were behind you. Surprisingly, they weren’t being rowdy, yet. You were in a daze and couldn’t hardly think for yourself. A cold trickle of sweat ran down your spine and your vision was wobbly. You were in robot mode and your mom was the remote control. Of all of the things you’d stolen, you’d only been in a courtroom one time prior and you were terrified.

You vaguely registered your mother saying, “Motion to dismiss. Witnesses all say the plaintiff instigated the fight, was trespassing, stalking and numerous other offenses. My client won’t press charges if the plaintiff drops her charge.”

The judge sighed heavily and that was the first time that you really looked at him. He seemed familiar, for some reason, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on where it was you’d seen him before.

“Miss Jarry, get up here,” he ordered.

You couldn’t hear what the judge was saying to her, whatever it was, she didn’t like it one bit. You could see her skin turning red and moving up the back of her neck. She gave the judge a curt nod, he said one or two more comments to Jarry and you watched her with wide eyes as she walked back to her spot at the table. She looked like she could bite a nail in two.

“Plaintiff has agreed to drop charges and stay the hell away from the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club,” he said. “Charges dropped, case dismissed.” The judge banged the gavel. The boys were whoopin’ and hollering, clapping Chibs on the shoulder.

Though you didn’t have on your glasses, you could have sworn that the judge low-key winked at you. Turning around you were met with Chibs’ beaming face, his cute dimples showing.

“Did he just…”

“I’ll tell ye about it later, lass. For now, let’s get the hell out of here,” he suggested.

You were all for that. If you ever saw the inside of a courtroom again, it would be too soon.

Back at Scoops, your mother and Jack were sitting at a table, eating the burgers and fries that Chuckie had made them, and was working like crazy to produce for everyone that was coming back from the courthouse. The silent ride back was frigid, to say the least. Your mom was a good lawyer, you knew that much, but jesus, you never thought you’d need her to be yours.

Too riled up to eat, you were standing at the counter with Chibs. Looking over Chibs’ shoulder at her, you could tell by the set of her jaw that she was not happy about being there. Turning back to the counter, Chibs was watching you.

“Ye alrigh’, lass?” he looked concerned.

“I’m just worried what’s going to happen next. I know she’s not done with me today,” you confided.

“Yer tougher than ye think,” he pulled you close and kissed your forehead.

“Filip Telford!” your mother called, catching both of your attentions.

You both turned toward her.

“Debbie (Y|L|N),” he retorted.

“I need to speak with you,” she pointed her bony finger at the open space across from her.

Chibs put his hand on the small of your back and was going to lead you over to the table.

“Just you, Filip,” she glowered.

“Shit.”

#secrets #sons of anarchy fan fiction #reader insert #chibs x reader #chibs telford #Chuckie marstein #althea jarry #reader's mother #fan fic #kazosa

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payspersonal · 7 years ago

Text

Distracted// Min Yoongi

➤ Pairing - Yoongi x Reader

➤ Summary - You’ve been feeling a little doubtful of Yoongi when he goes out clubbing with SeokJin, Namjoon, Hoesok, and Jimin. One night when you stayed with Jungkook and Taehyung at the dorm, everything becomes clear.

➤ Word Count - 2.5k

➤ Genre - Angst/Fluff

➤ Warning(s)/Heads-up - Another large lump of depressing and sad feelings. Get a box of Kleenx, you might cry, because I did.

➤ Author’s Note - akgnedkg Chapter one is finally completed! I hope you guys like it! Also, the prologue was in Third Person’s POV, this is now in your POV. I’m taking requests for imagines, so don’t be afraid to send one in!

➤ Parts - Prologue- CH 1

After knowing the truth about Yoongi's hookups, your heart had been torn into two but leaving him felt worse. It was like being separating two conjoined twins, no matter how disturbed it sounded. It was like losing your other half, being ripped away from you because of the world's dark humor.

It felt like you were flatlining, only to never be brought back by the person who was supposed to be there for you, to make sure you were going to be okay, the person who made me feel most safe in their presence.

It had all been thrown away, for a low price of drunk sex, a worthless physical pleasure that lasted a matter of minutes when our relationship lasted for years.

Knowing the truth about Yoongi's night after clubs hurt, but leaving him was like dying. You couldn't see him anymore, not that you wanted too, but it pained you to know, even that you felt hurt and angry at him, that he was hurt too.

You still love him, of course, you spent three years of your life getting to know him as a person and less as an idol, getting to bond with him over our interests and similarities, and two years loving him as Yoongi, talking about your deepest secrets and feelings, planning a future together.

No one could get over that in just one night, but it had been two weeks since you left our shared apartment.

You refused to go back, no matter how much my heart clenched with pain knowing Yoongi was crying.

Once leaving the apartment, you felt more alone than you ever have. It felt like it was crushing your soul to walk out, your suitcase in tow in your left hand. You wanted to look back, the urge pounding your heart as tears flooded my water line, escaping, and falling down your cheeks.

This was not how you imagined your week to start.

You had hailed a cab to go to your eldest sister’s, Yoo Eun-Yeong, apartment, that was not far from yours, and which you were extremely grateful for. You’ve been staying there for the past two weeks.

Whilst she had given you a place to stay, a shoulder to cry on, and food to eat, she had encouraged you to talk to Yoongi, which you had no plans to do, not soon anyway.

Hearing Eun-Yeong leave for work, you exited the guest room, which you had been secluded in for the past two weeks, watching K-dramas, only to leave when you were required to for work.

Shuffling towards the fridge, you opened it, only to see that all the colas were gone. You sighed, looking up from the fridge to see a note left by Eun-Yeong.

Y/N,

Please go to the market later to pick up some groceries, besides, you need to go out, I’m worried you’ll only come out of that room to eat and go to work, and that’s not healthy.

Love, Eun-Yeong

You sighed once more. She was right, you were starting to get paler than you originally were. You saw a grocery list under the note, pulling it off the magnet and going to the guest room to change into a simple black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of black Converses.

Grabbing your keys, the grocery list, headphones, and phone, you walked out the front door of the apartment, locking it behind yourself, and plugged your headphones, turning on your favorite playlist, pressing shuffle as you stuffed it in your back pocket along with the list.

You walked to the nearby market, humming along lightly to the beat.

When arriving at the market, you took out the list, grabbing a cart and started to look for the groceries Eun-Yeong wrote down, mentally checking them off one-by-one until you heard someone call out my name.

Turning around, you saw Seokjin, a soft smile on his face as he made his way over to the section where you were.

You smiled kindly at him, “Hey, Seokjin,” you said, hoping nothing would be awkward and that he wouldn’t mention Yoongi because you didn’t even talk to Eun-Yeong about him after the first day you showed up at her apartment.

“Hey, Y/N. What are you doing here?”, he asked, the immediately wanted to slap himself for asking such a stupid question, seeing the shopping list in your hand and cart right next to you.

Chuckling lightly to yourself when you saw him cringe at himself, “I’m just shopping for my eldest sister. Have you already ran out of food to feed the boys?”

He nodded, “Ya. So, you’ve been staying at your sister’s apartment?”, he asked, looking down at you. You sighed internally, this is exactly what you didn’t want to talk about; your ex-relationship with Yoongi to someone who is basically his older brother.

“Ya, since my older brother and other sister live back in my hometown,” you informed him, praying mentally that he wouldn’t ask any questions.

“So, how are you holding up?”, he sympathetically asked, looking down at you with pity.

“I’m fine. How are the guys doing?”, you tried to direct the conversation to his band members.

You looked up, meeting Jin’s pitiful eyes and frown, making you instantly look back down at the shopping list again.

“They’re good, but they all miss you. You should come over sometime...”, he said, hesitating slightly as he continued,”when Yoongi isn’t around. He’s planning on going to the studio tonight if you want to come over later to see them.”

He saw you visibly pale at Yoongi’s name. He pitied you for knowing about Yoongi’s hookups and for when you had left him. He felt terrible for not being able to stop Yoongi so neither you nor Yoongi would be going through any pain.

You nodded slowly, “Ya, I can come over tonight. I’ve got nothing else to do than watching K-dramas, so why not?”

He nodded, smiling lightly, then you two soon said your goodbyes and continued shopping.

After going back to the apartment, you made dinner and ate with Eun-Yeong as she told you about her terrible boss and how he had another anger outburst and yelling at an employee, then firing the employee.

Not long after finishing dinner, you told Eun-Yeong you’d be going to the Bangtan dorm for awhile.

Grabbing your phone and headphones, you hailed a cab, telling the cab driver the address to the dorm and relaxing in the backseat, your headphones in, playing one of your most recent favorite songs, watching as the buildings went by as the cab driver drove.

When pulling up to the dorm, you paid the driver, thanking them, and walked to the front door to the dorm. Knocking, you heard shouts of who would answer it and you unknowingly smiled, you had missed the boys.

Watching as the front door open, you saw a smiling Seokjin,”YN! It's about time you got here.”

“Y/N?!”, you heard numerous shouts and footsteps, seeing the guys crowd into the front entrance then capturing you in a bone-crushing hug, yelling about how they all missed you so much and to never stop talking to them ever again or they’d hunt you down.

“Guys.. hard... breathe..”, you choked out, feeling like your lungs were being squashed.

Apologizing, they let you go, letting you catch your breath, smiling brightly down at you as you fixed your wrinkled shirt.

“Hey guys, how have you been doing?”, you smiled, genuinely happy that you got to see them again.

“Great!”, Taehyung chipped then pulled you in the door and dragging you into the living room while Namjoon shut the front door. They all crowded around you with curious expressions.

You rolled your eyes, knowing what they wanted to ask.

“Now, Y/N, how have you really been?”, Namjoon looked at you with a straight face, silently giving you a look that demanded the truth.

You sighed,”Want the truth?”, you asked and they all nodded their heads like little kids,”Well, my boyfriend of two years cheated on me for how knows long, only to find out when I was hanging out with my best friends, then proceeded to hear him having sex with someone else when I called to ask him the truth. I feel betrayed, hurt, like crawling in a hole to die because I felt like I wasn’t enough for Yoongi that he needed to get his needs fulfilled elsewhere. How else am I supposed to feel? My boyfriend of two years, and who I was madly in love with and wanted to have a future with, cheated on me,” you let out a huge breath after talking, feeling like less stress has been lifted off your chest.

You looked up at them and saw Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook with tears in their eyes, making you frown and motioned for them to hug you, which they complied to, wrapping themselves in your arms, “I’m sorry. You guys are his brothers, I shouldn’t have said any of that. I don’t want you guys to think differently of him because I know how much you care for each other.”

They sniffled, leaning back and wiped their eyes, shaking their heads.

“We’re just glad you told us this instead of keeping it to yourself,” Namjoon spoke up, looking down at you then at the maknae line. You nodded, smiling lightly at the three, which looked back up at you with small smiles.

Hoseok and Seokjin nodded to Namjoon’s words. (That's why he is the dad)

You smiled up at the three, nodding at him.

After the silence for a few seconds, you heard someone’s throat clear. Looking behind Seokjin, Hoseok, and Namjoon, you really did want to crawl into a hole and die now.

Yoongi was standing against the wall, looking at the guys with scrutinizing glares.

After hearing shouting and sniffles, he headed to the living room, about to yell that he didn’t appreciate being woken up from his nap. Expecting to find the boys on the couch, probably watching a movie with a sad scene, he quietly made his way to the guys.

As he cleared his throat, watching the guys turn around, he didn’t expect to see you sitting on the couch behind them, looking at him with you big doe eyes, widening in shock as you saw him, your face paling.

He moved his gaze to the floor,”Will you idiots shut up? I’m trying to sleep,” he grunted.

You felt your bottom lip tremble, starting to feel tears threaten to spill as you looked at Yoongi.

He looked terrible. He had bags under his eyes, his cheeks not having the same puffiness they used to when you would pinch them when you found him so adorable.

“Y/N?”, you heard Seokjin speak up, something damp pressing to your cheeks. You sniffled, wiping your cheeks with the backs of your hands, realizing you were crying.

“I’m sorry”, you hiccuped, burying your head in your hands, closing your eyes and trying your best not to shed any more unwelcome tears.

Not only had it hurt to see Yoongi, it hurt to see him so unwell. You had secretly wished that he’d get over you, even though you weren’t clearly even close to getting over him, you’d rather see him healthy and happy than hurt and ill-looking.

You wanted to scream at him out of anger and betrayal, pain, and hurt he caused you, but you also wanted to cry because he clearly wasn’t taking care of himself, You wanted to tell him that he should be worrying about how his fans would feel about seeing him such a state.

“I-I’ll be okay.. just give me a minute,” you said, repeatedly wiping your eyes, wanting to get rid of the useless tears, They didn’t do you any good, letting the guys see how broken you were about this.

Yoogi looked up, hearing you sniffle and watch Seokjin wipe away your tears, his gaze softening when you buried your head in your hands and saying that you’d need a minute before you’d be okay again, which he only knew the facade would’ve been fake.

He felt terrible, guilt, and so stupid for what he caused you. He wished he could’ve taken it all back, all the nights he could’ve spent cuddling you and telling you how much he loved you, he’d take back those 3 years where he hadn’t confessed his feelings for you, he’d also take back all of the immature fights you had and the big fights where neither of you would talk to one another and one of the guys would force you to settle things.

He’d take back everything to make sure you would never feel this kind of pain ever in your life.

Before he knew what he was doing, he walked over to you, moving the guys aside and wrapping you in his arms, moving you into his lap as you buried. Your head into his shirt.

With a motion of his head, he silently asked the guys to give the two of you some privacy. Whilst Jimin, Taehyung, and Jungkook had been hesitant, the older three nodded, dragging the boys with them.

He rubbed your back as you sobbed into his shirt, fisting it with both hands,, holding onto him like you were about to die or he was about to disappear. He could hear you start saying,”Why? What did I do wrong? Was I not good enough? Am I too ugly? Am I not smart enough?”

He frowned, burrowing his chin into your soft hair. He wanted to cry himself when he heard you say that. He placed a soft kiss on the top of your head.

“No, Y/N, you are perfect. Please don’t say that, please don’t. I was the one who did everything wrong. Don’t blame yourself. It was all my mistake,” he smoothed out some of your hair, hoping it would help calm you even just a little, “It’s all my fault. You are the best woman any man could ask for. You are amazing, beautiful, and very smart. Don’t hurt yourself for something I caused.”

He felt he was going to start crying himself, but he forced his tears back. He wanted to comfort you while he could because he knew you probably wouldn’t come back while he was around. You’d probably never speak to him again, much less find comfort in him when it was him you were crying over

He wished for everything that he could make everything right. He would’ve given you everything and more and you wouldn’t even have had to ask because he’d willingly give you his heart and his soul. He’d even give you the world just to make you smile brightly like you used to.

God, why did he have to fuck everything up when it came to you? Why were you the one thing he could never do right by? Why did you have to be one of his rare weaknesses?

This was fate laughing at his face, using you to toy with his emotions.

And he felt like he deserved every second of it for what he did to you.

#min yoongi #yoongi #distracted #chapter one

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