#like kinda? she was like 'hey i do the sitting along with tours and customer relations but i also do recruiting and you do a really

[vampmilf]

weather was so bad today we skipped two stops on the last tour bc no one even wanted to get out of the bus and we just drove extra circles around the island and i talked a little more and everyone told me i did a good job but i was kinda panicking a little bc a quality check person from the cruise was on my tour and i was like nooooo i promise usually this is fun!! keep coming here dont tell your boss to skip this stop!! :((( and uhhhhh. she gave me a job offer actually.

[collabwithmyself]

1-3: Turnabout Transfix (1/2)

Ray and Maya both teased him about his "old man phone," but in Miles's opinion, it worked perfectly well, so he saw no point in replacing it. It was simple, it was solid, and most importantly, he could still customize a ringtone with it.

This meant that waking up abruptly to a tinny rendition of the Steel Samurai theme song had him in a marginally better mood than if it were a normal, repetitive ringing dragging him out of slumber an hour earlier than usual. He fumbled blindly for the cell phone chiming away on his nightstand and dragged it over to him, squinting futilely at the caller ID before answering.

"Mlejerth," he managed.

"My!" screeched a voice, shouting directly into his ear and startling him into sitting up. "It's a disaster!"

"Wh-- Maya? What happened? Are you in danger?"

"It's the Steel Samurai!" Maya wailed. "He killed the Evil Magistrate!"

"Well, that seems largely out of character for him," Miles mused, rubbing his eyes. "...Wait, hold on, where did you get this information? Why are you giving me spoilers?"

"I mean in real life! Turn on the TV, or whatever it is you old men do to get news!"

"In real--" Miles's sleep-addled brain struggled to comprehend what Maya was trying to tell him. "You... do you mean their actors?"

"Yes! Duh!"

He fell back against the headboard in shock. "You're telling me Will Powers killed Jack Hammer?" Why didn't she say that in the first place?!

"That's what the police are saying! You're a defense attorney, My, do something! There's no way the Steel Samurai would kill anybody!"

"Wh-- Maya, you can't expect me to be able to catch the attention of a celebrity, let alone be picked by him to defend him in court! I've only acted as an attorney in two trials!"

"Yeah, and you beat Sascha von Karma! That's better than a whole resume of cases or whatever! Come on, My, you gotta!"

Miles pinched the bridge of his nose. "You won't stop pestering me until I agree to this, will you?"

"Nnnnope!" Maya popped the P emphatically. "Meet you at the detention center!"

"Yes, I'll see you--"

Click.

"...there..."

What had he just gotten himself into?

⁂

"So this is Global Studios?" Maya asked, hands on her hips as she peered around. "I kinda expected it to be... I dunno, bigger."

"Bigger isn't always better, you know," Miles replied, pushing up his glasses. "They make do excellently with what they have, wouldn't you agree?"

"You can say that again!"

Maya strolled closer to the gate, standing on her tiptoes. "Geez, where's the handle for this thing? You think we might have to climb it?"

Miles gave her a look that he hoped conveyed his lack of amusement properly. "We are not breaking into the studio. I highly doubt they'd let just anyone in, especially after a murder just took place. We might need to go back and get, well, a permission slip from Mr. Powers."

Maya smirked at him. "You just wanna get his autograph."

Miles's ears burned. "It's important to the case--"

A horrible screech startled them both, and Maya sprang back from the gate, reflexively snagging Miles by the sleeve and making him flinch a second time. It took him a moment to recognize the piercing cry as a human voice instead of some furious animal.

"Hey! You there! You wanna get in, you're gonna have to go through me! Honestly, all day I've had to deal with nothing but gawkers and sightseers, it seems like nobody in this city knows how to keep their nose out of things, they've all got another thing coming if they think they can get past me--"

He turned to find a person in blue storming out of the nearby security station and towards them both. Intimidated, but knowing better than to let that show, he straightened up, and beside him, Maya did the same.

"Er, pardon me. I'm a defense attorney, and this is my," Miles hesitated, "paralegal. We're here on behalf of--"

The elderly woman squinted at him, then brightened like a light being turned on. "Oh! What a lovely young man you are, aren't you just a sweetheart?"

Miles blinked at the praise. Beside him, Maya made a sudden retching noise, though he couldn't fathom why. "Er, I'm representing Will Powers," he continued, gesturing to the badge on his lapel, "and I was hoping you could let us in to conduct an investigation? You are the security guard, aren't you?"

"Oh, where are my manners? Wendy Oldbag, Global Studios security, but you can just call me grandma!" The old woman waved a hand at him. (Miles was... not going to do that.) "Why, you're so polite, not at all like most people these days, so pushy and impatient, looking to sightsee just because something horrible happened! No, I can tell you're an honest young man, you wouldn't dream of causing trouble, would you?"

Miles shook his head. Oldbag continued to ramble, so his gaze slipped away from her and towards Maya, who looked positively mortified.

"My, I think she likes you," she stage-whispered.

"Is that not a good thing?" Miles was puzzled. "She'll be more likely to let us in."

"Ohh, boy..."

It took a lot of convincing to assure this woman that they didn't need a personally guided tour, thank you, and it was Maya being her blunt self that eventually got her to take the hint and leave in a huff.

"That was..." Miles searched for the right word as he gazed about the studio grounds.

"Yikes," Maya finished.

"Maya, she was a perfectly agreeable woman--"

"Are you that oblivious, My? She was totally into you!" She threw her hands into the air. "You get such a bad crush you practically block out your memory when Mr. Powers talks to you, but this lady flirting with you doesn't set off any alarm bells?"

Miles spluttered. "She was not flirting!"

"She was totally making kissy eyes at you!"

"This is an entirely irrelevant discussion topic anyways, we should be investigating."

Maya puffed her cheeks out, balling her fists. "You can't just stand there and let weird old ladies creep on you, My!"

"Believe me," he huffed with finality, "I would never let any weird old person get into my head."

They didn't get far before a figure standing under the archway leading to the studios spotted them. The already large detective puffed up in anger when they approached.

"Hey! Aren't you that murderer from the other day?!"

Maya squeaked, bravado evaporating. "Yikes! It's that himbo detective...!"

"I-- I beg your pardon, Maya, what--"

The detective - Gumshoe, was it? - stomped a foot in frustration, chest heaving. "Prosecutor von Karma's real upset because of you! All frustrated and can't focus on work, staring out the window and muttering..."

Maya seemed to regain her resolve. "How is it our fault she's a sore loser, huh? And besides, if anyone's at fault, it's you for doing sloppy detective work!"

This only served to agitate Gumshoe further. "Don't you insult my boss!" he exploded. But then, all at once, he deflated, brows knitting together guiltily. "...I did my best..."

Maya looked thrown. "Um... s-sorry," she stammered. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings..."

The detective shook his head. "Nah, you got a point, pal... I shouldn't be blaming other people like that..."

Miles refrained from pointing out that it was pretty much his job to be blaming other people, along with his boss's. "Well, I suppose there's always the next case."

"Yeah... hey! Speaking of which! What the heck are you two doing here?!"

Maya put her hands on her hips and tried to make herself look bigger. "Well, we're on this case too, pal!"

Gumshoe's mouth fell open in offense. "Hey! You can't just go around calling people pal! That's my endearing character trait, pal!"

"Well, what are you gonna do about it, pal?!"

"Pal, I'm gonna--"

"Are you here," Miles interrupted loudly, "on behalf of Miss von Karma?"

It was the wrong thing to say, evidently, as Gumshoe set his jaw again. "I told you to address Prosecutor von Karma by the proper title! Don't let me catch you saying that around my boss, or you're in for it!"

What an odd thing to insist on, Miles thought, but he nodded along nonetheless. "Well? Are you?"

"Am I what...?" Gumshoe took a moment, most likely replaying the conversation in his head. "Oh! Yeah! Prosecutor von Karma's on this case, and this time, we've definitely got it in the bag!"

Miles remembered the strange, uneasy feeling he'd gotten when staring down that woman in court. How her eyes burned with a disgust and hatred Miles couldn't hope to decipher. How her cold composure had dissolved into furious outbursts and frantic bluffs in an effort to save face as Miles took her case apart. How angry, humiliated tears had pricked at the corners of her eyes, and she'd clung anxiously to her right side like she was preventing a wound from bleeding out.

"I'd be worried about her punching you, My," Maya had said to him, "but I think she might just break her hand trying."

How the scrawny brunette managed to be so imposing, Miles had no idea. Everything about her made his stomach twist, like something was inherently incorrect about her. He almost felt sorry for her, having to be raised by a man like Manfred von Karma, but she had been molded into his likeness - a ruthless prosecutor who sought no less than a perfect win record - which made her his enemy.

Some part of him wondered if they could have been friends in another life - a life where they'd crossed paths earlier.

But Miles had far more important things to worry about than that.

[samanthadalton]

You’re latest Ina Fanfic was sooo lush! Can you write one where Ina and MC bump into each other in NYC on Christmas Eve? Just think that would be super romantic ❤️

hi anon, im sorry it took a while, im slowly trying to get back into my requests, hope you enjoy ❤️

pairings: Ina x Bea

taglist: @cloud9in @kulaykape @citybornchick @helpconfusedpersonhere @astrangeandunusualgirl @jenxespinoza @thedaft1 (added people from my ina taglist if you wanna be added in future fics let me know 😊) 

word count: 1.7k 

Holiday tour date

You wade through the busy streets of New York as the streets are in full pandemonium, as patrons roam the streets, most likely doing their last minute christmas shopping. You take a minute to watch the looks on their faces, so full of worry, so far from the christmas cheer they’ll most likely plaster on their faces tomorrow morning. As you look around the streets you see a woman who kinda looks like Ina, she even has the same glasses as Ina- wait… that IS Ina. What is the coincidence that you’ll bump into her on Christmas Eve??? 

You’re about to approach her, until you notice the crestfallen expression on her face, her corner of her lips drawn downwards as she wishfully stares up at bustling crowds. After a few more moments of deliberation you decide to take the plunge and approach Ina, after all it's Christmas Eve and no one should be sad on Christmas Eve.  

“Hey stranger.” You announce as you edge closer to her. As if startled by the sound of your voice, Ina jerks her head towards your direction, her eyebrows shot up. 

“Bea!” She looks at you like you’re not real, unable to hide the sound of surprise in her voice. “What are you doing here?” 

“I saw you from across the street and decided to say hi to my favourite professor.” You give her a sweet smile and see some of the shock dissipate from her face, as her expression softens and relaxes. 

“I meant what are you doing in New York?” She quirks an eyebrow up at you. “I thought you said you were going home for the holidays?” 

You sigh sadly, and pointedly glance away, “yeah, I was planning on going home a couple of days ago but there’s a storm back at home so all flights got cancelled.” You give her an empty smile, sadness swimming in your eyes as you draw your gaze back to her. She frowns slightly, her expression solemn as she looks at you apologetically. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. What about your roommate Zoey? Surely you aren’t spending Christmas alone?” 

You are but for some reason you don’t want Ina to know that so you give Ina a teasingly smile and retort, “wouldn’t you like to know?” Ina huffs, her cold breath clouds out of her mouth as she does, and you can’t help but smile. “So what are you doing here professor?” 

Ina gazes at you, a calculating look on her face, and you can almost feel her building the walls around you, but as the intensity of your gaze darkens, Ina sharply inhales before running a hand through her hair. 

“Lexi decided to crash my Christmas Eve party and try to parade me around my colleagues like I’m some trophy she’s just won.” At the mention of Lexi you feel your blood beginning to boil, that try hard wouldn’t know what’s good for Ina even if it slapped her in the face, and with how arrogant she acts, you would just love to give her a nice slap on her stupid face. Ina glances over to see your fists balled up and places a sweet hand on yours, her fingers gently rubbing soothing circles on your knuckles. “Something the matter?” You see the amusement glistening in her eyes which just frustrates you more. 

“No.” 

“Are you sure,” she playfully asks, and you feel the walls she put up before, crashing down as she teases you. 

“Lexi needs to get a job and stay away from you,” you grumble. 

“She’s a renowned anthropologist.” 

You sigh, “no, it’s a saying.” You relax your hand opening it up and Ina slips her hand into yours, fingers intertwining. You’re not sure if she’s purposely done it or not. “Enough about Lexi, I don’t want to hear about her anymore than I have to.” 

Ina flashes you a wide grin, “and what do you suppose we do?” 

“It’s Christmas Eve, why don’t we live a little?” You gently tug Ina towards you, her slender fingers tightening against your hand even more. “It’s my first Christmas in New York, why don’t you show me around?” 

“Okay, but be warned this won’t be an ordinary tour, where we go to the conventional places every other tourist goes. I’m going to give you the full New York experience.” Ina’s gaze darkens and just as the air surrounding the two of you begins to feel dense with anticipation, she pulls you out of your trance as she trudges along the soft snow begins to cover the ground. 

Ina first takes you to a food stand where she orders apple pie nachos for you to share

“What the hell is apple pie nachos?” 

“You’re about to find out.” 

The vendor hands Ina a box and she slips a $20 bill in his tip box and places her hand on the small of your back to guide you away from the stall as other customers begin to order. You look at Ina as if she’s heaven sent, your heart unable to take the softness overload of this woman. 

Ina licks her thumb after opening the box and raises a confused eyebrow at you, “what?” 

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a saint?” 

Ina lets out a small laugh as she hands you the box, “everyone could use something extra during the holiday.” 

You take the box, your fingers brushing against hers as you do, “so this is the famous apple pie nachos?” You inhale the sweetness of the food, your entire body going into sensory overload just by the smell of the cooked apple infiltrating your nose. You lift up one of the nacho pieces and all but moan when you crunch into the apples, “oh my god this is heaven.” Ina watches you eat, as her gaze drifts down to your lips and when you catch you, you catch her cheeks dusting with red. “You want a bite?” You take a piece of the nachos and hold your hand out to her, inviting her to have a taste. Ina leans forward, her eyes never leaving yours as she wraps her lips around the piece of food and all makes a satisfied groan and she relishes in the taste. 

“Mmm.” You feel transfixed by the way her tongue darts out to lick the glaze on her lips, unable to look away. Ina’s lips quirk up a little and you feel like it’s your turn to be flushing red. Once you finish the box you look at the time on your phone. 

“Don’t you think it’s getting late? You should be getting home.” You try and hide the sadness that’s lurking in your tone. Ina’s eyes search yours, before she gives you a small smile. 

“Why would I leave now when I haven’t even shown you the best part?” You feel your heart doing somersaults as Ina’s hand finds yours once again and she pulls you into a cab and whisks you away to an unknown place. 

… 

“Trust me Bea, it will be worth it.” You trudge behind Ina, your legs beginning to burn as you walk up a secluded hill, you mentally groan and berate yourself for not being fitter but you don’t mind the view of Ina’s ass in front of you and she effortlessly ambles up the hill. “Almost there.” 

Once you reach the top you triumphantly cheer, your legs slumping over as you sit on the slope of the hill looking out to the rest of New York, the brightness of the christmas lights glowing every inch of the town. 

“Wow.” You breathlessly say as Ina sits next to you, your legs brushing together. 

“Wow indeed.” Ina wistfully gazes at the town, her eyes contemplative. You bask in the silence for a few moments, reflecting back on the night you’ve had so far with Ina. It’s been a while since you’ve seen her so free, so careless. Ina breaks the silence, when she speaks her voice is low and soft. 

“Charlotte loves christmas, so does Lillian.” You hum as you recollect the time Ina told you about her sister and niece, you remember the cheerful glint in her eyes as she told you about the time she took her niece to a theme park. “Sometimes Lillian gets mad when I place work over her, but sometimes I have to sacrifice things for the sake of my career.” In your peripheral vision you see her eyes move to yours, filled with sadness and longing. She sighs dolefully before speaking out again. “It’s why I love Christmas so much, it gives me an excuse to be with my family and put them first no matter what.” 

“Ina?” Ina hums in response. “If spending Christmas with your family is so important, why are you here with me right now?” You gaze up at her, anticipating her answer. You see a smile ghost around her lips as she meets your eyes, her brown eyes glistening under the reflection of the lights, “because we should all have some company during the holidays. I can’t imagine how you’ve been feeling without your family.” 

You nonchalantly shrug, trying too hard not to think about being away from them, “it is what it is I guess. I can’t control the weather. But thank you Ina. Tonight was great.” 

“Bea,” your name escapes her lips in a breathy fashion, “I know that this,” she gestures between the two of you, “is unconventional to say the least. But you must know I,” she pauses, her eyebrows furrowed together as she looks away from you, unable to finish her sentence. 

You cup her chin, bringing her gaze back on yours, “I know Ina. Let’s just forget about everything else tonight. Right now we’re just two people with a connection we can’t ignore.” 

“Right,” she nervously chews on her bottom lip before leaning down, capturing your lips in a soft and slow kiss. Before she can pull away, you lean in more, your hands hooking around her neck as you draw her in closer, the kiss becoming more fuelled as she slips her tongue into yours and you involuntarily moan. You enjoy the sensation of her lips on yours for a few more moments before pulling apart resting your forehead against hers. “Merry Christmas Ina.” 

“Merry Christmas Bea.”

[marjorie189]

Chapter 8

I looked at myself in the mirror, looking at my final look before I meet Shawn at Starbucks.

I look cute, I noted to myself.

Outfit, Hair, and Makeup:

I got my keys and went onto my car quietly. It was early so most of the members were fast asleep.

I drove down the Calabasas Hills and out of the gated community, heading to Starbucks.

Hopefully the paparazzis aren't out this early, I don't want them interrupting Shawn and I.

I pulled up to Starbucks parking lot and saw Shawn's Jeep parked.

I smiled, he was here already?!

I parked next to him and locked the Range Rover. I started walking to the entrance since the parking is in the back of Starbucks.

A fan then came up to me. I smiled and waved to her. I believe she was just coming out of Starbucks.

"Omg! You're meeting up with Shawn!! I just took a picture with him inside! No wonder he had two drinks!! I love you so much!" She rambled, embracing me in a hug. Recording a video.

I giggled, and hugged her tightly.

She pulled away, looking at me.

"Sooooo... You are meeting up with Shawnie boy!" She said teasingly poking me.

"Whaaat!! Pssshhh no!" I said jokingly. She laughed.

"So is it a date??" She said.

"What! No. We just met yesterday. We just want to get to know each other and become friends before tour." I explained, giggling.

"Hmmm sure... I'm predicting that you guys are gonna date some day!" The fan said suspiciously.

"I mean we're dating.... In my fangirl dreams you know!" I joked.

"Y/N!! You got me there!!" She screeched.

I laughed and said goodbye to her. We took pictures and I went inside.

I looked around and saw Shawn sitting in a table with two drinks.

He made eye contact and instantly smiled.

I smiled back and started walking towards the table.

"Hey!" I said happily sitting down.

"Hi! I got you your favorite drink!" He said sliding the drink towards me.

I looked down at the drink, and smiled.

It was my favorite, a Java Chip Frappe. (Add your favorite drink if you'd like!).

I looked up to him, "How do you know my favorite Starbucks drink?" I asked giggling.

"I told you, I watched a bunch of your videos! You told your vlog your favorite drink." Shawn said smiling.

I giggled taking a sip from my drink. "Oh yeah, I remember that vlog!"

He chucked.

"Have you told The Dream Team the news?!" Shawn asked.

"Actually yes! I told them and my family!" I said excitedly.

"How did they take it?" He asked curiously.

"They were really happy and glad! They also really wanna meet you! That's one of the first things they said, when I told them the news! They were surprised that you were the artist, since I admire you and your work!" I said.

"You mean obsessed with me." Shawn said sipping his drink.

I felt my cheeks flushing. "Yup...Yeah! Something like that!" I said avoiding eye contacting.

Shawn smiled like the dork he is.

"I'm just teasing you! I actually think it's kinda cute." Shawn laughed putting his hand on top of mine.

I felt butterflies erupting in my stomach, unfortunately he pulled his hand away.

"Yeah! They were really happy for me! And they starting teasing me!" I said rolling my eyes.

"What? Why?" Shawn said furrowing his eyebrows.

"Because I fainted!" I huffed taking a big sip from my drink.

Shawn chucked. "Ohhh!"

"Yeah!" I said.

"Mason's really cute!" Shawn said.

I chucked.

"Thank you! He actually likes you! Every time he hears your songs he sings along and dances!" I giggled.

"Ohh that's adorable! I can't wait to meet him sometime." Shawn said.

"I'm sure he'd be happy!" I laughed.

We talked a lot more, until I realized something.

"Shawn??!" I said.

"Yeah!" He said confused.

"You paid for my drink!! I told you I would pay for myself yesterday!! You were here before me and you already had my drink. You're so sneaky!" I screeched.

He smirked, and laughed.

"I told you I would find a way to pay for your drink!" Shawn said.

I rolled my eyes.

I got my purse and looked for spare cash.

"Oh stop! You're not gonna pay me back!" Shawn said.

"You're lucky I don't have spare cash!! I'll let this pass... for now!" I said with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah... Aha!" Shawn said sarcastically.

I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

"So you're very family orientated aren't you?" Shawn asked.

"I am actually! I love my my family! They're the ones that are always gonna be there for you and they always support me!" I explained.

"I totally agree! I love my parents and sister! Family is always first and will always be there when you need them!" Shawn said.

Another thing we have in common, I noted to myself.

"Yeah, I can tell your parents and Aaliyah are very proud of what you've become!" I smiled.

"Yes they are! And gosh you're so obsessed! You even know who Aaliyah is!" Shawn sassily said.

I glared at him.

"Heyy!! You knew who Mason was!! You're the one obsessed! I've been a fan since magcon! And you've known me for a couple of what, weeks?? And you already know my favorite Starbucks drink and my little brothers name!! Gosh who knows what else you know about me??!" I sassily said laughing.

"Yeah, Alright! I don't have a come back for that one!" Shawn chuckled.

"Yeah cause you know it's true!" I said sipping my drink.

He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

We talked for about 20 minutes more until we noticed that we've been in Starbucks for about an hour and a half.

We decided to film a video for my YouTube channel.

Since we're both Potterheads we decided to buy a bunch of mystery wands from Walmart and open them up, hoping we get all of their wands.

"I hope we get Sirius' wand!" Shawn said as we walked into Walmart.

"I hope we get all of them!" I giggled.

Once we walked into Walmart a few workers and customers saw us and gasped.

I smiled and Shawn chuckled.

Mostly everyone took out their phones and started recording us and taking pictures.

I honestly prefer this than paparazzi. Cause in this case the fans and people that support me are the ones recording me, not some random guy pressing me on questions!

Some came up to us and we gladly took pictures with them, and this was just the entrance of Walmart, imagine when we actually go into Walmart.

"Hey hun?? Do you know where the Harry Potter section is?" Shawn asked one of the fan employees.

She blushed, and I laughed.

"Yeah it's in the second floor! You'll see a huge banner." She said happily.

"Thank you!" I said and we hugged her before we went walked towards the elevator.

A few elderly people were looking at us confused. I guess they didn't know why we were getting a lot of attention. With people coming up to us and recording us.

When we passed by them, I smiled and they smiled back.

We went up the elevator and saw all the mystery wands.

I took out my vlog camera and did a montage with Shawn and the wands.

I finished with the montage shots and started talking to the vlog.

Shawn and I were on the camera.

"Alright guys so right now we just got 15 mystery wands!! We're hoping we get all the wands!!" I said into the camera.

"I'm so excited to film this video! I mean even if they aren't the real ones that they sale at Universal Studios, it's still exciting to open them up!" Shawn said into the camera.

"Hey! Your a natural at this!" I said complimenting his vlogging skills.

"What am I not good at?" Shawn said cockily.

I rolled my eyes at him.

I then noticed that my head was the only thing the vlog camera was showing since Shawn's a giant compared to me.

I started laughing and Shawn was looking at me confusingly.

"S-Shawn l-look!" I said pointing to the camera in bits of laughter.

"You're head is floating! You're body less!" Shawn laughed.

"Well yeah you're a giant! If I move the camera down to show my body you'll be headless!" I laughed showing the camera headless Shawn.

We goofed around the store for a while and turned off the camera.

We took a pictures with some more fans on the second floor and went down to the first floor to pay.

"Be ready for all the pictures and photos of us to go viral!" Shawn chuckled.

"How much you wanna bet that's it's already viral!" I said laughing.

"I wouldn't doubt it!" Shawn said.

It was our turn in line to pay.

"I'm paying now!!" I said inserting my card before Shawn could argue.

Shawn was left with his mouth open.

I rolled my eyes and laughed.

I thanked the cashier and got the bags, Shawn followed behind me in shock.

"Hey!! I could've paid!" Shawn said pouting.

"I told you I could pay for myself Shawnie boy!" I smirked.

Shawn rolled his eyes and got the bags off my hands.

"Wow so kind!" I said laughing.

"That's the least I could do since you paid!" Shawn said faking his sadness.

I laughed.

"We're filming in the Dream Team House right??" Shawn said.

"Yeah!" I said.

"Wait... that means I have to meet them?" Shawn said nervously.

"Don't worry they'll be more nervous, at meeting you then you'll be at meeting them!" I said.

"I guess! But their your best friends!" Shawn said.

"Don't be nervous. They already love you!" I giggled.

"Alright! I'm trusting you!" Shawn said reluctantly.

I giggled.

"Do you want the address or do you wanna follow me to the house?" I asked.

"I'll just follow you." Shawn said putting the Walmart bags in his Jeep.

"Alright meet you there!" I said going into my Range Rover.

He nodded and went onto his Jeep.

I didn't tell the members that Shawn was coming, I wanted to prank them.

Dream Team POV

"Hey guys!! Y/N pulling up to the driveway!!" Jazzy yelled to the other members.

"Wait?? Who's pulling up behind her?" Emilio asked.

"Wait who has a Jeep?" Bethany asked.

"Doesn't Erika have one?" Froy asked.

"Yeah but hers is white! And this ones black!" Tessa said.

"Here let's go wait for her in the front!" Ivan said and they all went down the stairs.

Y/N POV:

Shawn and I got off the cars.

"Are you nervous?" I giggled looking at him as he got the Walmart bag.

"A little! I mean they seem cool on the camera!" Shawn said.

"Trust me, they're the same in and out of the camera!" I said as we walked towards the house.

"Your house is beautiful by the way!" Shawn said.

I smiled at him. "Thank you!" I said.

I opened up the huge doors and let Shawn in.

He gasped in awe.

"It's so huge compared to the videos!" Shawn said looking around.

I grabbed his hand, "here let's go find the rest of the members!" I said leading him around the house.

He intertwined his hand with mine. I smiled and walked into the living room, not expecting the members to be there. But they were.

Once I saw them all sitting down I pulled my hand away from Shawn. I'm sure the girls noticed we were holding hands.

"Hey guys!" I smiled at them. Yet they didn't answer they were all looking at Shawn surprised.

"Hmmm ok! HEY GUYS!" I said louder.

"Oh hey!" Froy said.

"Yeah hi!" Tessa said blinking.

Shawn stood timidly next to me.

"This is Shawn!" I said looking at him.

"Hey guys! I really love your videos!" Shawn said.

"That's really sweet of you!" Jazzy said and stood up walking up to us.

She hugged me and then Shawn.

Everyone else then stood up and hugged Shawn and I.

We all sat down in the couches. Shawn sat next to me and on the other side of me was Tessa.

Tessa nudged me teasingly but I ignored her, not wanting Shawn to see them teasing me.

Shawn and the members got to know each other very well, after the awkward introduction.

"Hey! We should go to the gaming room!" I said.

"Yeah I'll beat you at Mario Kart!" Shawn said competitively.

"Hmmm I doubt it Mendes!" I said and we all went to the gaming room.

45 minutes later

After everyone competed with each other in different games, Shawn and I decided to start filming the video.

"Alright guys! Shawn and I are gonna film a video!" I said.

We started walking out of the room when Jazzy called me.

"Hey Y/N??" Jazzy said.

I turned around and walked towards her.

"What up?" I said raising an eyebrow.

The girls and I were all huddled up, and Shawn was with the guys.

"You should invite Shawn to dinner later tonight!" Jazzy whispered.

"Yes you should!" Bethany said happily.

"You guys think so??" I said.

"Yes you should!" Tessa said excitedly.

"Hmm.. Ok!" I said.

"I'll ask him later.." I said.

"No ask him right now!" Tessa said pushing me.

"What??" I said confusingly.

"Yes just go! Jazzy said.

"Ok fine!" I huffed.

We walked towards the guys.

"Hey Shawn?" I said.

"Oh you wanna go now?" Shawn said talking about the video.

"Yeah! But before that I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to dinner later?" I asked.

"Yeah, Shawn you should come!" Ivan said.

"Yeah you should if you don't have plans later tonight!" I said.

"No, I don't think I have plans later tonight! I'd love to go!" Shawn said.

"Great!" I said.

Shawn and I started walking up the stairs, towards my room.

"So this is my room!" I said opening the door.

Shawn sat in my bed and I got the camera and tripod.

"It's a nice room!" Shawn said looking around.

I smiled as I setup the camera, "Thanks!"

Recording Video:

Y/N: Hey guys! Today for the video we have a very special guest with us!

Shawn comes into the camera frame and smiles

S: Hey guys! *Waves and sits next to me*

S: I'm Shawn! I mean I'm pretty sure they already know who I am since you always talk about me *laughs cockily*

Y/N: Hmmm...I mean like I guess

Y/N& S:* Laughs*

Y/N: so today I'm going to do a video with Shawn! *Smiles and side hugs Shawn* *Putting head on his shoulder*

S: *smiles and puts his head on top of Y/N head*

Y/N: *Pulls away from hug* Since we're both Potterheads were going to do a video about Harry Potter! *looks at Shawn* Do you wanna explain?

S: So we got a bunch of mystery wands from Walmart and we're hoping that we can get all the characters wands!

Y/N: *inserts the Walmart footage*

I open up the first one to find a Draco wand and I let out a small scream.

"What?" Shawn asks.

"It's a Draco wand. I love Tom Felton! He's such a good actor!" I say with slight excitement only because Tom Felton plays the character.

"Oh so you love him more than me huh!?" Shawn says faking the jealousy.

"Oh I totally do!" I say sarcastically.

He fakes a sad, but cute pouty face. I giggle then side hug him.

"Awww muffin boi it's ok! I love you so much more." I say as I ruffled his soft curly hair.

"I know, because well who couldn't love this face." I laugh hard as he points to his face.

"Although if I got to meet Tom I'd probably puke or something." I laugh at my own exaggeration and Shawn chuckles.

"At least you would only faint for me." He jokes around and then grabs another wand pack opening it. I rolled my eyes at him!

"Yay, I got Harry! And dang look that the bookmark it's so cool!" I laugh as Shawn seems memorized with the bookmark.

At the end of the video we've opened all the wands and ended up with three Harry wands, two Draco, two Sirius', one Hermione, one Ron, one Nymphadora Tonks, and one Luna Lovegood. We didn't get Voldemort's , Neville's or a death eater's wand.

End of Video

I was kinda sad, when finished with the video I turn my camera off and turn around facing Shawn to see him on his phone. My phone then goes off so I grab it seeing a text from my brothers in our group chat:

When I get done texting my brothers I put my phone on my leg as I sit on the bed next to Shawn. Shawn looks over at my phone and laughs.

"What?" I ask him.

"Nothing, just....... can I ask why you have those photos as their contact photos?" He points to their contact photos, laughing

"Oh yeah of course! Well Dylan's contact photos was when I surprised him! I got him to throw the opening ball for the Mets, his favorite team ever. He was so happy and, I had to take this picture of him." I say showing him Dylan's profile picture.

I then pull up Garrett's.

"And for Garrett's I just really liked how he looked! He looked somewhat nice that day, he always wears sweats. So it was crazy when he's not wearing them so I took this." I say with a smile and a giggle.

I then close my phone and throw it on my bed lightly. I look up at Shawn to see him looking at me.

"So you actually want to go to dinner?" I ask.

"Yeah of course! Why would I not??" Shawn said.

"I don't know? I just thought maybe you didn't want to go... I don't want you feeling pressured to go or something." I rambled.

"No! I really want to go! It's a celebration that your going on tour! That's a huge step in your career and I want to be there for you!" Shawn said reassuringly.

I blushed and smiled.

"And plus your family is going to be there! I would love to meet them!" Shawn said.

"I'm sure they'd love to meet you too!" I said.

"I'll go in one condition though!" Shawn said cutely.

"And what will that be?" I say, giggling.

"Do I get to sit with you?" I laugh some more at his weird, but cute self.

"Of course! I would love too! Although you'll probably have to fight one of my brothers for that spot." I laugh again thinking about my childish brothers. I then laugh again as he holds up his Harry wand.

"I shall come then!" I giggle as he sits back down.

"Ok that settles that!"I giggle some more.

"Ok. Dinner with your family it is!" He says in a funny tone.

"Ok. Warning though if you do come, you may have a talking to from my older brothers." I say.

"From Dylan and Garrett? Ok what about?" I giggle at his cluelessness.

"It probably be about you taking care of me on the tour and yada yada ya...." I walk off into my closet.

"Oh ok..... of course, they have nothing to worry about though." He says.

"Oh of course they don't! You must know what being a big overprotective brother is like?" I giggle, thinking of him and Aaliyah's brother-sister relationship.

"Yeah... hence why they have no reason to worry." Shawn said. I giggle coming back out of my closet with an outfit.

"And the restaurant is fancy. So you'll have to get all dolled up!" I laughed.

"Well I better go get ready for tonight then! Which restaurant is it?" Shawn says.

"I'll send you the address and we can meet up in the restaurant??" I asked.

"Yeah! Or I can pick you up and we can go together?" Shawn asks.

"Yeah! That's sounds like fun!" I say smiling at him. "It's called Cielo." I say in a positive tone.

"It will! Well I better start going since the dinner is in a few hours! See you in a bit!" He says and hugs me.

I hugged him, and smelt his cologne.

"Bye Shawn!" I say.

"Bye Y/N/N" He says and walks out the room.

Y/N POV

I giggle then get ready to take a quick shower.

Once out of the shower, I check my phone then get dressed.

Outfit:

C

Necklace:

Tiffany and Co Bracelet:

Earrings:

Ring:

Makeup:

Hair:

I looked into my vanity! I looked stunning!

I went into my walk in closet and walked toward the huge mirrors.

I took out my phone and took a few selfies and some mirror photos.

I posted some on Instagram!

As I walk out I grab my shoulder bag that can turn into a clutch bag and walk out of my room.

As I'm walking out I see Jazzy walk out of her room.

"Wow! Girl you look amazing!" She says grabbing my hand and spinning me around in a circle.

"Thanks! You look fine to babe!" I say giggling.

"Girls we have to take some boss pictures!" Jazzy yelled to the other girls.

The girls all came up the stairs in their stunning dresses.

We all were in awe, in our cute dresses.

We all complimented each other.

"You look beautiful!" Tessa said all giddy.

Tessa came in for a hug.

Girls Dresses:

Jazzy:

Bethany:

Tessa:

We all started posing for pictures!

*Imagine them in their dresses*

"Are the guys ready yet?" Bethany asked frustrated.

"You know they're never ready!" Tessa said rolling her eyes.

"Come on! Let's go to my bed!" I said.

We all sat down.

"So Y/N!!!" Jazzy said excitedly, smirking.

I furrowed my eyebrows at her smirk.

"What?" I said confused.

"You and Shawnie Boy!" Tessa said.

"What about Shawn and I?" I asked not catching on to their conversation.

"You guys were holding hands when you walked into the living room!!" Bethany said pushing me, teasingly

"Yeah and? I was just leading him into the living room cause he was too busy looking at the house! It wasn't anything intimate!" I said.

"Hmmm, Yeah sure!" Jazzy said.

"Oh god!" I laughed.

"Aww you like him!" Bethany said.

"No! Or I don't know! It's different like actually talking to him in real life not like me talking about him in a fangirl way before I actually met him!" I said confused on my own feelings.

"Awww it's ok!" Tessa side hugged me.

"It's like I have butterflies when we talk and when we have a great time! Like we get along so well!! And like certain things he does! Like sometimes he holds my hand or puts his hand on top of mine!" I say blushing.

"Really?" Tessa gushed.

"Like give us examples. Like when has he done these things?" Jazzy asked.

"Like today in the morning when we met up at Starbucks he put his hand on top of mine on the table. And on the first day we met! When we had the meeting he put his hand on my leg under the table!" I gushed.

"Aww he likes you!" Bethany said adorably.

I snorted. "I doubt it!" I said doubtfully.

"We should ask the Froy and the twins!! They're guys they should know these things!" Tessa said.

"Yeah!! We can ask them on the drive to the restaurant!" Jazzy asked.

"Can you guys ask them for me??" I say.

"You're not coming with us?" Bethany asked.

"No! Shawn is picking me up!" I said blushing.

"Yup! He likes you!" Tessa said nodding her head.

"Oh stop it! He just wasn't sure if he's been there or not." I said.

We started walking down the stairs once the guys were finally ready!

"You look beautiful!" Ivan said hugging me.

I giggled into the hug.

"You guys look so good!" I say to the guys.

Froy and Emilio hugged me.

Ivan and Emilio:

Froy:

"Your boyfriend....I mean Shawn is here!" Tessa said looking through the glass doors.

"Oouuuu!" He boys teased.

I glared at them all.

"Would you all quit! We're not together!" I let out a huff, trying not to crack a smile.

I open the door to see Shawn standing there with his fist up ready to knock.

"Hi to you to" I giggle as he hugs me.

"You look beautiful!" He says into the hug.

"Thank you! You look handsome!" I smiled pulling away from the hug.

Shawn Outfit:

He smiled and said hi to the rest of the members.

"Here let me take a picture of you two!!" Bethany said taking my phone.

Shawn and I got close. I put my body against him and he put his hand behind my back. We both smiled into the camera.

*Pretend Hailey is you*

"Aww!" Jazzy said looking at the photos.

"You guys have to post this!" Tessa gushed.

Shawn and I Looked at the photos.

"Send me the photo! I'll post it!" Shawn said.

"I'll post it too!" I said looking at Shawn.

-

We got into Shawn's Jeep, and we buckled up.

Shawn turned on the engine and the music started playing.

"You have a playlist of my covers? Really? Who's obsessed now? I say in a playful tone.

"What I just really like your music." He says shrugging.

"Ahh it's ok I must admit I have a playlist of all your songs as well." I say trying to not sound fan girly.

"Yes I know!" Shawn laughed as he focused on getting out of the driveway.

"Right! My vlogs!" I laughed.

He nodded and chuckled.

"Ok. Give me directions." He says starting to pull out.

"Aye aye captain!" I say fake saluting him.

He laughs and I pull up google maps, and Shawn starts driving to the restaurant.

[peace-coast-island]

Diary of a Junebug

Tulips, windmills, sketches, and floral wreaths 

Hello from Windy Grove! We’re here with Leif, Elodie, and Kia for the Windmill Tulip Festival! 

Daisy Jane, Alice, Fauna, and I have been busy helping Leif plant tulips all week. Planting flowers is a lot of work - at least according to me - so I don’t tend to my garden as much as I’m supposed to. I try but sometimes I find myself intimidated for some reason. The only exception is flower events, those I can handle since they’re only for a short period of time and don’t involve cross pollination. 

Just to be clear, I don’t hate gardening - in fact I enjoy coming up with rare flowers - but it’s one of those things that usually gets put into the backseat. I do try to keep up - and I’ve been doing pretty good so far in terms of trading flowers for stuff recently - but sometimes things fall to the wayside, especially when life gets busy.

So I did a lot of gardening this week and quite enjoyed it. Probably because I had a lot of help - flower food’s hard to come by; friends, not as much - so things went by a lot faster. Though to be honest, I think I’m gonna take a break from gardening for a while when we get back to the camp.

(Sorry Mom - we have a lot in common, but a green thumb ain’t one.)

It’s nice catching up with Elodie and Kia again now that Wildflower Wagon’s back in business after a short break to reorganize things. Seeing their stand at the festival brings me such joy - it’s amazing how far they’ve come! What was originally a side hustle in Elodie’s room turned into something big and now she and Kia are traveling around the world. Along with floral arrangements, they also sell art prints and enamel pins - all which are very pretty and whimsical.

When I last saw Elodie and Kia, they were in the middle of making some major changes to Wildflower Wagon. Basically their small business has grown so much that it’s no longer possible for the two of them to run it alone. According to Cecelia - a well seasoned self employed artist, it’s a good problem to have because that means things are going well. But it can quickly become a bad problem if you don’t plan ahead.

As of two months ago, Nuvola and Mariya have joined the Wildflower Wagon team! Mariya’s not technically a full-time staff member but she supplies flowers she grows at the community garden at Mushroom Village. So she’s kinda like a supplier for uncommon flowers. Nuvola, on the other hand, is a full time employer, so she does customer service like answering emails as well as help package orders and send them out for delivery.

Since Mariya can’t be full time because of the Matcha Mint Cafe, Elodie and Kia are still in the process of taking on one more employer. Since Nuvola’s still new to everything and everything’s going smoothly, it’s not a priority at the moment. They didn’t say much, but if I had to guess who’s on the list, I’d say it’s either Tsuki, Shannon, or Theda. 

Probably at some point in the future it’ll be all three. At the rate Wildflower Wagon’s growing, that future could be within the next year or so. 

Things in Mushroom Village have been slow as usual, which is why Mariya and Nuvola joined the Wildflower Wagon team. Nuvola’s been going a bit stir crazy because of life stuff so I think working with Elodie and Kia will be good for her. She’s got experience as a secretary so customer service isn’t unfamiliar territory for her.

Poor Nuvies isn’t having the best week so the festival’s a good distraction for her. At least she’s in the process of leaving the Mushroom Village Gazette so that’ll be a load off her shoulders. I wouldn’t say she’s a bad reporter, more like badly miscast. She’s a curious one, just not one who's meant to dig up dirt on others. 

Ask an innocent or seemingly harmless question and suddenly it bursts open a can of worms. Where others dig up rocks, Nuvola somehow ends up with a landmine that immediately explodes the second she puts her hands on it. No matter how hard she tries, half the time her good intentions blow up in her face. Nuvola may not always know how to read the room but somehow she can tell exactly what’s troubling you - often in the most roundabout way.

Thankfully the fun festivities are enough to lift one’s mood after a rough week. Watching the windmills is enough to put me into a relaxing trance. Sometimes I wonder what it’s like to sit on one of those blade thingies and ride a windmill. It’s a good thing Siobhan isn’t here or else she’d be climbing up a windmill and hopping on a blade. And she’ll definitely get kicked out.

Getting lost in the tulip fields is a colorful experience, to say the least. I really need to restock on tulips for my garden. They won’t be as pretty and vibrant as the ones in Windy Grove, but at least I can plant my own colorful garden. Pink tulips are my favorite though lately I find myself gravitating towards purple. Both are rare - purple being more uncommon - so I’d better get cracking on planting and cross-breeding tulips if I want to get more purple tulips as well as other rare hybrids.

At some point I ran into Daisy Jane in the tulip fields and we did something that we hadn’t done in forever. I’d pose with the flowers and she’d sketch away in her book. Sometimes we’d turn it into a game where I’d do something silly and Daisy Jane would kick it up a notch in her drawing. So if I hugged a windmill while holding a bouquet of tulips in between, then she’d draw an octopus astronaut being hugged by a windmill covered in vines blooming with tulips and thorns. 

Let’s just say that if a stranger got a hold of Daisy Jane’s sketchbook or saw what we were doing, they’d be like WTF is going on in their heads? Because we too sometimes think that when we look back on these sketches.

After making up ridiculous stories behind the sketches, Daisy Jane and I met back up with the others to make floral wreaths. It’s kinda like making a flower crown but a lot more elaborate. Maybe I went a bit too overboard with the flowers, but hey, at least it looks super colorful! I don’t really go for a maximalist kind of look because I tend to overthink things and end up making it look too cluttered/unbalanced so I’m quite happy with how my wreath turned out. For a wreath, it sticks out just right!

For about two hours we visited various stands and bought a lot of stuff. I tried tulip bubble tea for the first time and it has an interesting flavor. A bit too floral for my liking but it’s not too bad. Of course, I bought art prints and bouquets from Wildflower Wagon, as well as a bunch of stuff from Folksy Florals, Ladybug Gardens, and Coconut’s Grove. I got to talk to Cecelia for a bit before the festivities really took off so that was nice. As for rides, I went on the windmill ferris wheel - which made me feel like I’m on top of the world! - and the flowery porch swing merry go round. 

Two hours flew by and next up on the itinerary was a windmill tour at the center of Windy Grove. The Grand Ole Windy is the oldest building in the village and it’s been taken care of by the same family for generations. While the ferris wheel made me feel on top of the world, gazing out the windmill window made me feel out of this world!

Then it’s back to the festivities for more fun activities. Bug catching contests, fortune telling crystal balls, furniture crafting workshops, tulip mochi treats with lavender tea, group pics in front of the gardens and windmills, bike ride tours around the village, quiet moments in the tulip fields - the hours flew by as dusk slowly turned into dawn.

I’d say the night is still young, but it’s almost sunrise. At moments like right now, sometimes I wonder what even is time?

[prettytoxicrevolver]

Colorful | Corbyn Besson

Warnings? Nah, I think the ending kinda sucks tho 

Requested? Yup! I hope you like it @abbyhauck13 :) 

Summary: (y/n) and her sister have been wanting to get meet and greet for their favorite band forever but when the time comes, their luck runs out. However everything changes the day before the concert and (y/n) meets her soulmate just before summer ends. 

Word Count: 2,294

��Did you get vip?” Your sister Ari asks you. 

“Nah I was at work and even when I tried on my break they were all gone,” You sigh and fall back onto your bed. 

Your sister lays down next to you and you felt like crying. Your favorite boy band Why Don’t We were coming to your city and you couldn’t even get meet and greet for the first time. While you would still go to the concert, you wished you could meet the five boys that brought a smile to your face no matter what. 

“Who knows, maybe we can win a contest or buy tickets off of someone.” 

And that was that for awhile. You’d see plenty of people going to their concerts and their pictures with the boys and a pang of hurt hit you. You were positive and hyped everyone up as much as possible though. 

“(y/n)!!” You hear your sister scream up the stairs. Before you can even think about responding, you hear her bounding up the steps and towards your bedroom door. 

“I met my soulmate!” She screams and your jaw drops open. 

“What!? How? When? Where?” You fire off questions as Ari sits down on your bed. 

Ever since you can remember, you and your sister loved the idea of finding your soulmate. You both dreamed of how the world would look when the gray lifted and every extraordinary color shone in your eyes. Growing up, Ari dated a bit but never found her soulmate. 

You wanted to date, but you also didn’t see any point in it. If you were to have a soulmate, someone you spent your whole life with, why endure the heartbreak? Besides, all the firsts would mean even more if you did them with the one. 

You understood where she came from though. It made you kind of nervous to dive into a brand new relationship without any warning was scary. What if you messed it all up because you didn’t have any experience? You tried not to think about it too much. 

“So I was at the library studying,” She starts and you scoff. “Okay, I was at the library to see Sam,” She admits. Sam was her boyfriend but recently she had been saying she wanted to break up with him. 

“And I was going to break up with him.” 

“You were gonna break up with him at the library?” You ask incredulously. 

“Yes move on,” She responds and you roll your eyes. 

“So, I’m at the library and Sam is there studying so I ask to talk to him. He doesn’t want to leave so I tell him that I want to break up.” 

“He didn’t take it well did he?” 

“No,” She admits and you laugh. 

“Anyway, he starts freaking out and causing a scene.” 

“Naturally,” You chime in and your sister looks like she wants to punch you. 

“And this guy steps in front of me and tells Sam to chill out. He storms off and whatever and then when the guy turns around it hits me,” She says dreamily as if she falls back into the feeling of what it was like.

You practically fall into the same feeling with the way she begins to describe it. While you wouldn’t understand what the world looks like now to her, you still dream about it constantly. Ari was beyond lucky to be able to meet her soulmate so young. 

“We’re gonna hangout again tonight,” She smiles dreamily. 

“I can’t wait to be there at your wedding you two already sound so cute.” 

She gives you a soft smile before taking your hand and squeezing it lightly. “You’ll meet him soon I know it.” 

The rest of the summer seems to fly by. Ari is preoccupied with her soulmate, getting to know him and starting their lives together. You were beyond happy for her to finally find true love but you couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. 

Not only were you not able to meet your all time favorite boy band, you had nothing else to do all summer but work. It was tiring and boring but you were making bank all summer. Besides, there was always the next tour. 

Tonight you were working the closing shift. It was 6pm to 12 am and honestly your least favorite shift for work. You were alone for the last two hours and the only thing that kept you company were the creepy night shoppers and terrible 80s music. 

You tried to make the most of it tonight and bring your headphones so you at least had something different to listen to. As you’re saying your goodbyes to your coworkers, you pop a headphone in and pull up your why don’t we playlist. 

You decided to start cleaning the registers first as you wait for the occasional customer to come stop your busy work. As you clean, you find yourself bopping to your music and even singing along. Even though you were alone for the last two hours, doesn’t mean you can't have fun. 

Just as you move to your next register, you stop when one of your favorite songs to dance to, friends, comes on. You do a little happy dance before pausing and starting to do your practiced choreography. You loved learning the boys dance moves to songs so you could pop off during concerts. 

“I’ll bring a couple of things along,” You sing quietly before performing the tricky steps and landing the beat. You smile proudly at yourself since you had been practicing that move for ages and you finally perfected it.

Just as you’re about to walk away, you feel a tap on your shoulder. You turn quickly on your feet but end up getting tangled mid spin and before you know it you’re falling. You hear someone call out but it’s too late. 

You land squarely on the ground, sliding back about a foot before slouching back down. You sigh and before you can move, the boy is sticking his hand out to you. You take it, and he hauls you up. 

“Are you okay?” He asks and you check your hands and arms to make sure they’re okay. You pull your phone out to see it’s almost completely shattered and you sigh. 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to scare you,” The boy apologizes and you finally look up at him. Your jaw drops open and you try to form a response but nothing comes out. 

“You’re Jack Avery,” You state. 

“Guilty as charged,” He admits and you still can’t process it. 

“You’re Jack Avery,” You repeat. “What are you doing here? Not like Connecticut I know you’re here for the concert tomorrow but what are you doing here? This is literally the middle of nowhere and you’re here at my job and i’m embarrassing myself.” 

“It’s fine. What’s your name?” 

“(y/n),” You respond and he nods. 

“Well (y/n), anyway I can make that up to you?” He asks gesturing towards your shattered phone. 

“I can buy you a new one? Or get you limelight? Or both?” He asks unsure of what to do in this situation. 

“Both works,” You joke and he smiles. 

“Both it is.” 

The two of you talk for a bit longer, and he gives you his phone number with the promise you won’t give it to anyone else. By the time he’s finally checked out and leaving, you’re clocking out. 

“I know this is a really random question,” You start and Jack looks over at you. 

“But have you met your soulmate yet?” 

“Yeah about a year ago. Why?” 

“My sister met hers this summer and I can’t stop thinking about it,” You respond shrugging your shoulders. 

“Hey, you never know what could happen. Maybe it’s someone in the band?” 

The next day you wake up and almost forget what happened the night before. When it hits you all over again, you rush straight into your sisters room. She’s still asleep but that doesn't stop you from running over and shaking her awake. 

“Ari!!!” You scream. 

“What?” She asks annoyed. 

“Get up! We’re meeting Why Don’t We today!!” 

At those words, she bolts out of bed and lets out an excited scream. She runs over and hugs you and the two of you jump up and down in excitement. This was a dream come true for the two of you and you were still in shock of it all. 

“How did you get meet and greet?” She asks after settling down a bit. 

You explain the events of last night, and when you're done, Ari freaks out all over again. Suddenly your phone starts to ring and you head into your room with Ari hot on your trail. When you reach it, you see Jacks contact pulled up and your sister shrieks in excitement. 

“Answer it!” 

You swipe right on the call and Ari leans closer to you to hear what he’s saying. He explains when to get to the venue and where to meet him and when you hang up, Ari and you both cheer in excitement again. 

The two of you then decide to split up and start getting ready for the concert. Jack told you to be there in two hours leaving you an hour to get set. After changing and fixing your hair and makeup, you and your sister set out. 

“I can’t believe we’re meeting them! This summer is literally the best.” 

The drive is quick and you find yourself starting to freak out. Last night was a dream meeting Jack on accident. Meeting the rest of the band is everything you’ve ever wanted and more. You find parking and head inside the big casino. You head for the arena and when you get there you walk towards the security guard sitting out front. 

“Hi, uh (y/n) (y/l/n) and Arianna (y/l/n)?” The security guard gives us an uncertain look but before he can say anything, the door behind him opens. Jacks head peaks out and he smiles widely at us.

“Hey (y/n). Come on in.” The two of you slip past the security guard and start to follow Jack. As you walk, your sister hits your arm dramatically trying not to freak out too loudly.  

Jack talks as the three of you walk, explaining that limelight doesn’t start for another hour and that he wanted you to have time to hang out with the guys. He leads you towards the back of the stage and into what he told us was the dressing rooms. 

When you walk in, the boys are relaxed around the room talking. You spot all of the band members except Corbyn and when they realize Jack hasn’t come back alone, they stop talking. Jack steps forward and introduces the two of us before explaining what happened the other day. 

“So that’s why we had to make a stop at the apple store?” Daniel asks and Jack nods. 

“You didn’t have to buy me a new phone I was joking,” You chime in and Jack shrugs. 

“I felt bad and besides you shouldn’t have to deal with a shattered screen forever because of me.” 

After initial introductions, the six of us sit around and talk. Every once in awhile your mind would wander to where Corbyn was but you figured he’d be around eventually. You were still pretty starstruck anyway all things considered so you were just trying to process that this was actually happening. 

About ten minutes before limelight was supposed to begin, Corbyn finally walks into the room. He explains where he was and apologizes for not being here earlier. He heads over to Ari first and offers her a hug before turning to you. 

And it’s just like Ari explained but even better. 

Just as Corbyn turns, his eyes move slowly upwards till they’re gazing into yours. You’re thrown into a state of shock and wonder as the edges of the room slowly start to color. You look to see the walls are a startling white, the carpet black with a red stripe down the middle, and a larger array of colors shadowing across the room. 

You look down and realize your outfit displays about four or five colors that this morning you would have described as different shades of gray and black. Finally, when you look back up, Corbyn is staring at you with the softest and most loving smile you had ever seen. 

“Hey soulmate,” He greets and your smile widens. You’ve waited ages for that term to be sent in your direction. If this wasn’t happening literally right before you’re eyes you wouldn’t believe it. “You’re so colorful.” 

“Hey. You seeing what I’m seeing?”  

“Just that I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with the most gorgeous girl ever? Totally,” You laugh at his cheesiness but you never felt happier than in this moment. You were damn lucky Corbyn has always been your lane ever since the band started. 

“Good because I don’t think you’ll ever get rid of me.” 

“Wait I was right?” Jack asks upon realizing what was happening between you and Corbyn. “Yo I’m a psychic.” 

The rest of the boys laugh at this and you’re still figuring out how you had the worst and best luck of all time. You couldn’t believe that the universe had decided today wasn’t gonna go in your favor until the very last second. It was truly crazy. 

“If Jack’s a psychic we’re all in trouble,” Jonah jokes and you burst out laughing. 

“I don't know man. This is damn good for me,” Corbyn adds before looking over at you and smiling. 

“Same here,” You respond. 

[theherothechampiontheinquisitor]

Unto the Breach

Pairing: Eventual Pepperony, past Tony/May

Rated G

Iron Dad galore

Summary: At the age of 16 Tony Stark became a father. He also gave up his claim as the Stark heir and cut off all ties to that life to raise his son on his own. 15 years later his past finally begins to catch up to him and he has to set aside his pride and open his life back up to his parents in order for his son to have the life he deserves.

OR

A Gilmore Girls AU 

Notes: I know someone recently did something similar but this has been languishing in my drafts and I really loved it and wanted to post it so here it is. Not everything will be accurate to the show and I kinda made May Peter’s mom because I was watching Only You when I wrote this and yeah, they made a cute couple. lol Don’t judge.

Read it on AO3

------------------- The front door of “Pepper’s” burst open, nearly taking the bell off as it rattled and jingled the arrival of the only customer who could make an entrance like that. A cool breeze blew in behind Tony Stark, signaling what would soon be the start of crisp fall mornings, as he stumbled like a zombie towards the front counter, desperately clutching a well worn travel mug in his hands.

“Pepper, light of my life. Pepper, please you have to help me. I need you.”

He could feel Pepper roll her eyes as she moved around behind the counter, sizing him up as he collapsed onto the first empty stool.

“How much have you had today, Tony?” She raised her eyebrow at him and dared him to lie to her.

“Erm, this will be my first of the day…” It was mostly true. Her stare pierced down to his very soul and he squirmed awkwardly, the squeaks of the stool echoing beneath him. “Okay, the first of a normal person’s morning.”

“And how many before that?”

“Three but who’s counting? You know yours is the best anyways.” 

Pepper’s coffee couldn’t be beat. It made every other brew taste like dirty dish water in comparison to the rich, smooth blend that was sitting in a pot just barely out of his reach. It was tatamount to torture to be this close and his cup still so empty.

Pepper’s stern face came back to his vision as she leaned down towards him, hands gripping the counter. “You have a problem Tony.”

He smiled what he hoped was a charming smile. “My problem is this empty mug, Pep.”

She just shook her head in despair and sighed. “Say it with me Tony…”

“I am addicted to coffee,” they both spoke at the same time, Tony’s voice slightly manic over Pepper’s monotone. She did this to him on purpose, always on the days that he needed his fix the worst. Tantamount to torture, damn it. 

“There! I've admitted it. My shame is out there for all to know.”

She gazed into his eyes for a long time, before cracking a real smile, finally satisfied that she had made him suffer enough. Pepper swiftly turned back around and grabbed the coffee pot returning to slowly fill up his cup. 

“And I am sadly your enabler.”

Tony inhaled the steaming brew as his cup filled and immediately took a large gulp, not caring how hot it was. He had developed an immunity to hot coffee by now. The groan it elicited could have put Meg Ryan to shame.

 “You’re a godsend Pep and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Pepper just shook her head and went back to what she was doing before he burst through the door. Over her shoulder she asked, “Where’s Pete?”

“Oh, you know,” he began, sneaking a blueberry muffin from the display in front of him. “He fell behind on my quest for coffee. Decisions had to be made, casualties were endured.”

It was that precise moment the door blew open again and the younger Stark entered looking frazzled. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, coming up to the counter and collapsing his books next to Tony. Tony jumped reflexively and nearly spilled the precious brown liquid all over his shirt.

“Man, for someone with short legs I’ll never get over how fast you can travel when properly motivated!” he exclaimed and Tony just shrugged, picking a couple of pieces from the muffin and sliding the rest down to Peter.

“Hey, we have the same genes so I would watch it if I were you.”

“Yeah, but I at least have the benefit of a few more years of growing to do.”

Tony frowned and nudged Peter’s shoulder. He took another sip of coffee as he evaluated the boy. “You’re being a terror this morning, let me help you out. Coffee?”

Peter nodded desperately. “Coffee.” 

Tony waved Pepper over, taking Peter’s Spiderman mug, a gag gift from last christmas, and holding it out beggingly before him. He jutted his bottom lip out and giving the red head what he hoped was his most pitiful look.

“Please ma’am, may I have some more?”

“Don't go on tour anytime soon, your Oliver Twist is terrible,” she deadpanned.

“So, I’ve heard. Please, it’s for Pete. He’s a growing boy.”

"You know coffee actually stunts your growth right?"

"Lies and slander, probably made up by tea drinkers." Tony shuddered in his seat for dramatic effect.

Pepper eyed him up and down. "Sure about that one? You seem to be missing a few inches."

Tony scoffed. "C'mon Pep, stop browbeating me and do it for the boy."

Pepper looked between the pair and Peter had joined Tony in giving his best wounded puppy look. The pair made a striking picture, their features mirroring the other so perfectly, one would be hard pressed to deny their relation. Looking at Peter especially though, Pepper felt that same protective urge stir inside her that she had when he was still just a child, those big doe eyes pleading for another sweet. She relented, as she always did, filling his mug to the top. 

Tony motioned to his now empty mug with a grin but she just gave him a pointed stare and put the pot back.

“Sorry, no refills to coffee moochers.”

“Aw, Pep don’t be like that. Just put it on my tab.”

“You don’t have a tab, Tony.”

“Well, I should.”

“Forget about it, you’re lucky you got what you did. I can’t enable you any further this morning.”

“This is oppression!”

Peter watched the exchange with a smile. It was old hat by now, the start of a thousand mornings for the Stark men. 

“Thank you, Ms. Potts!” he called out to her and took a large drink from his own mug, Tony looking on enviously.  Peter just ignored him and whipped out his cell phone, tapping a few buttons and bringing up a text thread.  

“So, check it out, I was texting Ned this morning and he said that the acceptance packets for Midtown were supposed to be sent out this week. We could be getting them as soon as friday! And I was looking at the uniforms online again and they’re really not that bad. I mean I can deal with the coats and ties for a bit if it means getting to take robotics…”

He eagerly shoved the phone into Tony’s face, scrolling through the stock photos of the school uniforms that they had already perused through a million times at home. His excitement was contagious and Tony smiled along with him and listened as he described the different classes that he was hoping to take. 

They had applied for the late fall term having completely missed the early fall registration deadline because Tony had stayed up all night on an inventing bender and passed out around six am, totally blowing through the morning alarm. Peter was a notorious heavy sleeper too, so neither stirred until well after the window for registration had closed. Tony felt awful but Peter had taken it all in stride.

The phone suddenly started buzzing in Peter’s hand, the Imperial March from Star Wars blaring across the small cafe making customers heads pop up and search out the cause of the disruption. Peter panicked and immediately declined the call from Ned, shooting him a quick text that he’d call him later, but it was too late and Pepper had already marched her way over to where he sat and eyed the phone he hastily tried to pocket.

“Peter, c’mon. Do you see the sign?” she asked turning around and pointing to the sign that boldly stated the cell phone free zone. 

“Oh, I know, sorry Ms. Potts! I was showing him the uniforms for Midtown and then Ned called, but I told him I’d call him back after I leave,” he started rambling nervously but Pepper cut him off with a wave as Tony snickered in the background.

“Don’t worry about it, just remember for next time.”

“Oh, of course,” he smiled so earnestly it was hard to even feign annoyance.

“So, Midtown,” Pepper began, settling back between the pair, pretending to wipe down the already clean countertops. “Did you get in finally?”

“We don’t know yet. Should be finding out this week. If it’s a small envelope we’re doomed, but a big envelope and you’ll be looking at Midtown class of 2020.”

“Well, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you,” she smiled and squeezed his hand affectionately. “You make it and I’ll make you that pie you always harass me to make out of season.”

Tony blanched. Pepper didn’t make concessions to anyone, even as doe eyed and innocent as Pete. “Um, okay, how come he gets the special treatment?”

“He’s more polite than you.”

“I resent that remark.”

“I can’t help the truth,” she shrugged and and headed to the other end of the bar to wait on a pair of blondes that walked in, looking very lost and out of place. Passerbys Tony, would wager.

“She’s in love with me,” he said with a matter of fact nod. Peter rolled his eyes so hard Tony worried they’d get stuck that way.

“I can tell by the way you both verbally assault each other every morning.” 

“It’s just a matter of time, I’m telling you. She can’t resist the Stark charm forever.”

“Is that what that was?”

“Hey, don’t you have a bus to catch?”

“Nah, I have a few minutes. I like to watch Ms. Potts dance circles around you.”

“And just for that one you have lost coffee privileges,” he said and reached over to snatch up Peter’s mug before he could even protest. Tony threw it back in one drink as Peter unsuccessfully tried to get it back.

“You’re getting me more, that’s not right stealing a man’s coffee like that.” Peter folded his arms across his chest and glared.

“Please, you’re still a boy, and no refills remember?”

“That’s only for you.”

Tony slid the mug over to bump against Peter’s school books. “Then I guess you should start working Pepper now for that next fix.”

Peter groaned and playfully shoved Tony as he stood up and made his way to beg for more lifeblood. 

Tony watched the boy go and felt the same immense pride and happiness swell in his chest that he always did when looking at Peter for too long. The kid was brilliant, maybe even more so than he was, only he was going to make something more of himself than a failed inventor moonlighting as an inn manager. He couldn’t dwell too hard on his own failings though. For the most part he was exactly where he wanted to be and it was sure as hell a much better enviornment for Peter to grow up in than that empty and foreboding Stark mansion. 

Though the money of that life would definitely have been a huge help. By Tony’s estimation it would take around $75,000 altogether to put Peter through Midtown and he had no idea where he was going to come up with that kind of dough. They had enough money put back to be comfortable where they were but it wouldn’t take long for it to be bled dry. He wouldn’t let Peter worry about that though. Tony would stand out on a corner selling himself if it meant the kid got the education that he wanted. Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t come to that particular extreme, but there was nothing that he wouldn’t do to ensure Peter’s continued happiness. 

A shrill laugh filled the air and brought Tony out of his daze. Peter still hadn’t returned and he looked around the small room searching for his curly bedhead. He spotted him at the end of the bar leaning back awkwardly, one of the leggy blondes from earlier practically sandwiching him against the counter. She had been the source of the laugh. Tony evaluated the scene and could tell that Peter was clearly uncomfortable as the woman looked at him like he was prey. 

Pepper shot concerned glances every couple of seconds but she was busy helping another customer, unable to come to his rescue. 

Tony hopped down from the stool and shoved his hands into his jean pockets as he approached.

“...cabin in the woods for the weekend. I’d really love it if you could join us too,” Tony caught the blonde saying in a suggestive tone as he approached.

Peter laughed nervously and rubbed his neck with the hand that wasn’t holding the newly refilled coffee.

“Is everything okay over here, Pete?” 

Peter’s eyes shot to Tony’s in relief and he scooted towards him subconsciously. The blonde turned towards Tony too at first with a look of disgust and annoyance at having her conversation interrupted but then she raked her eyes across Tony’s form appreciatively and her grin from before grew more predatory if it were possible.

“Yeah, I was just getting coffee from Ms. Potts when I was…”

“Accosted?” Tony supplied helpfully.

The blonde tsked. “Hi, I’m Christine.”

“Tony,” he said with a nod.

“Tony. I was just discussing with your little brother here, that I was just passing through on my way to a weekend retreat with a friend. I think it’d be really nice if you guys could join us. We’ll go hiking, make a campfire, maybe some skinny dipping at the lake,” she raised her brow suggestively and Peter’s face turned an impressive shade of beet red.

Tony’s mind hadn’t even got to processing that part of the conversation yet.

“Brother?” he asked and looked over to Peter, holding the laughter at bay. The thought seemingly finally permeated his understanding as well because then Peter was laughing and Tony was right there with him.

Christine stared at the duo blankly as they tried to get the laughter under control.

“She thinks…” Tony began.

“That me and you…” Peter continued.

“This always happens.”

The laughter finally stopped and they both straightened up, Tony turning to Christine and schooling his features back to what Peter called his serious face.

“Peter is not my brother.”

“He’s not?” Christine asked in confusion. She looked the duo over once more noting the similarities in eyes and facial structure. 

“Peter is my son.”

“Your son?” she gaped.

“According to the birth certificate,” Peter added, his confidence and joking manner returning at the shift in power of the situation.

Christine tried to recover from her error and squared her shoulders. “Well, the offer is still open. Father and son changes things a little but I do have a friend,” she motioned to a brunette that was sitting at a table glued to her cell phone an inch away from her face.

“Slow down, cougar town don’t let his height deceive you. Peter is 15 years old. You’ve been sexually harassing a minor for the last ten minutes.”

Christine’s eyes practically bulged from her skull and she backed away slowly, bumping into the table behind her. “I am so sorry, you look...and he looked…” she stuttered and snapped in front of her friends face a few times. “Jillian we need to leave.”

Tony had never seen such a hasty retreat in his thirty one years of life. He and Pete started laughing again and headed back to their original seats, Peter hastily grabbing his books from the counter and shoving them into his backpack.

“Well, that was fun,” he remarked and then threw an arm around Tony’s neck and giving him a quick squeeze. “Love ya, Dad. Star Wars marathon tonight?” Peter asked backing up towards the door with finger pointed at him. “You promised.”

“Original trilogy only,” Tony replied firmly.

“You’re such a snob.” Another eyeroll. Tony didn’t know how he didn’t get dizzy. “Take out from Joe’s and that new chinese restaurant?”

“Done.”

Peter smiled again and finally satisfied darted out the door and to the bus stop. Tony watched him run down the street until he couldn’t see him anymore, a grin still plastered to his face.The sound of coffee filling his empty mug caused Tony to whip around in wonder.

“I thought there were no refills?”

He folded his arms across his chest as Pepper just shrugged in response.

“Consider it a thank you.”

“For what?”

Pepper smiled sweetly and Tony got that fluttery feeling in his chest that always occurred when Pepper Potts smiled at him. He wanted to take a picture and frame it forever. She glanced to the table that Christine and her friend had vacated and then back to Tony and winked.

“For taking out the trash.”

He smiled back and took a long drink of the perfectly blended coffee. He didn’t care what jokes Peter made. That Stark charm was definitely wearing her down. Now if only they were close enough to ask her for a boatload of money to put his son through the school of his choice.

Tony did have other options.

He could call...them.

He would almost rather die though. Almost. They could definitely afford it and would almost certainly be thrilled to help their only grandson, but he didn't want to let them get their hooks in Peter and by extension himself. He spent so many years distancing himself from that life and proving that he didn't need them and their money. To come crawling back even for such a noble cause was painful. And who knows. Maybe Peter wouldn't even get in.

Shit. Who was he kidding? Peter was almost guaranteed to be admitted. He was his father's son after all.

Still. He could put off Howard and Maria a little longer.

Pulling out his phone he scrolled through his contacts. He had friends but none that he could impose upon like that.

There was one more person though. He scrolled down to the M's and his finger hovered over May's number. He and May had always retained a great friendship. They chatted often enough and she always made time to ask about and talk to Peter. If anyone would help him and not make him feel completely humiliated in the process it was May Parker. This was technically 50% of her responsibility after all.

She was Peter's mother.

[artificialqueens]

Échappé / Chapter 7 (Branjie) - DenDenMonMon

A/N: Things will be happening now. The idea was to write nothing too explicit, maybe like the movie channel after ten o’clock but, well, this story decided to go Places. Sorry (kinda). -Monkey.

AO3 Link

Chapter 7

They were early, and Brooke knew it. People often joked about her, her and the medical condition that made it physically impossible for her to be late. Technically, they weren’t wrong. She just couldn’t risk not being on time. That was the reason why she rushed all her dancemates to get changed as fast as they could after the show to make their way to the club.

Ben drove the limousine through Hollywood Boulevard, the dancers stuck their heads out of the sunroof. They laughed, and screamed, and waved at tourists, like teenagers on their way to prom.

Brooke felt happy, the happiest she had been in a really long time. She wasn’t entirely sure why, or, better yet, she had so many reasons to be happy that picking one would be unfair. Instead of worrying about that, she basked in the feeling of accomplishment. They had finished one more leg of the tour and she couldn’t be prouder of her team. Everybody worked so hard and the results were a marvelous set of shows worth celebrating.

The loud music could be heard coming from the inside of the club when they got there. Brooke stared at the neon letters blinking in the same colors as the last time she was there. The girls had offered the strip club as the venue for the after party; Brooke figured the ballerinas would object, but the response was nothing like she had expected. Once again, she was surprised to realize how intertwined the different dance groups had become. Two completely different worlds had merged and given birth to one big, dysfunctional family.

Silky was on stage, thanking a dancer who picked a police uniform up from the floor, and did her attitude check. Brooke yelled her reply with the rest of the club as she led the girls to their reserved area. She sat on the same couch as the time before, and the rest of the company quickly filled that and the two adjacent booths.

A waiter appeared, tray with drinks already in hand, and informed them the first round was on the house. The ballerinas took one each and raised their shots at the same time, toasting to a job well done. Brooke gave a few words, not really in the mood to deliver a full speech when there was a girl removing her pants on the platform behind her. Nonetheless, she wanted to thank her friends for all their hard work, and encouraged them to take the next city by storm. They drank and danced to the music used to accompany the stripper on stage. The dancer wore nothing but a thong and a couple of the ballerinas approached her, placing dollar bills in the straps holding together the small piece of fabric.

After that performance, Silky took the microphone again. All the lights went out except for the big spotlight above the stage. “Alright, y’all! We are having a celebration tonight!” She shook her shoulders, making her breasts bounce arrhythmically. The crowd clapped and cheered, oblivious of the reason for the celebration, but infected by the happiness of the host. “We have some fancy-ass guests in the audience tonight. These girls, they can set stages on fire, girl. They are fabulous dancers, who sell out… theaters, probably arenas, too. I’m guessing. I’m not sure. And, apparently, tonight they were on a budget,” she spoke the last words between chuckles, eliciting the ballerinas to giggle right along with her. “Nobody is judging,” she pointed, and winked in their general direction. “We do have a little surprise for you, you high class hoes. Not only because you did that Disney princess movie typa thing, but for everything that you have done for us, for our girls, for our center. Now, y’all may have saved our asses but don’t forget to tip our girls, okay. Every dollar counts, honey. Hit it!”

Between cheers and whistling was that a girl appeared on stage. Trixie did a cute little number. Dressed as a cowgirl, she moved around the platform to an upbeat country song. Brooke’s eyes immediately went to Katya, who mouthed the words as Trixie peeled pieces of clothing off her body. Brooke had never heard that song before, and Katya never liked country; Brooke had to wonder how come her friend knew all the lyrics. As she fixed her stare on Katya, Brooke noticed she knew the steps too.

There was a sharp pain in her heart when Katya moved to place a stack of bills in Trixie’s bra. They kissed openly for a moment too long, before Trixie went back to her song. Katya mimicked every move from the side of the stage. Brooke could very easily see Trixie and Katya, really late at night, practicing the number; maybe at the girls’ apartment, maybe in Katya’s rented suite. It was a beautiful mental picture of two girls falling instantly in love. They had become so close just to be separated after a few weeks. Because that was what hurt Brooke, her friends having to part ways for a long period. That was surely it.

Looking down at her phone, Brooke realized it was already past midnight, they were technically leaving the next day. A sigh escaped her lips heavily.

Yvie was next on the stage. She twisted her body in ways that could not possibly be human, and took her clothes off in a way that was more entertaining than sensual. The crowd loved her, and showered her with money as she went around the pole at the end of the runway.

Brooke knew what was coming next. Her body tensed as she sat with her back impossibly straight.

The lighting changed again and, even when she was covered with a cloak, Brooke could recognize those pony legs stomping on the stage. Miss Vanjie stood in the middle of the runway as Rihanna’s voice sounded loudly all around them. The beat dropped and that’s when the covering garment found the floor. Vanessa’s hair looked incredibly long, let down in natural waves that almost reached her butt. She wore some sort of basketball outfit with her own name printed on it, white letters against black fabric. If it had been anyone else, it would have looked silly, on her, it looked insanely sexy.

Vanessa, with her mocha skin covered in glitter, moved around the stage at an incredibly fast pace. She commanded the entire floor doing nothing but walking in her leather boots, her hips swaying more than necessary as she waited for the music to pick up again. Her hair followed like a dark curtain behind her until she flipped it over one shoulder. There was a dramatic change in the tempo as she hit her second mark.

Her dancing was hot and sensual. She dropped to all fours, crawled across the floor, and knelt down right in front of the ballerinas’ booth. Her knees spread apart and closed together several times, the muscles of her thighs contracting underneath the pair of black shorts. The palm of her hand landed flat against her breast, her tongue went up against her lip as she massaged herself through her clothes. She lowered her hands and played with the hem of her shirt, revealing her toned stomach. Brooke suddenly wanted to run her tongue between the muscles of her abs. She settled for the best next thing. She got up and went to Vanessa, just in time to see the top flying across the stage. Her fingers came in contact with hot skin as she placed dollar bills, one at a time, in the waistband of the shorts.

“Thanks, Mami,” Vanessa whispered against her hair, before placing a soft kiss on her cheek and getting up.

The song ended too quickly, and Vanessa left the stage with her sparkling underwear still on. Brooke was actually happy about it, but that was a thought she wasn’t going to entertain. She knew what Vanessa did for a living, she knew that Miss Vanjie was a major part of who Vanessa was as a person, Brooke couldn’t possibly have any negative feelings towards it.

Luckily, before she could spiral down that particular chain of destructive thoughts, the strippers joined the ballerinas. There was loud screaming, congratulations, and more glasses of shots going around.

Vanessa, still in her underwear, right away moved to Brooke and stood between her opened legs. “Hey, there, my little fairy.”

Brooke couldn’t help but smile. She ran her fingers through the ends of Vanessa’s hair as she spoke. “Did you like the show?”

“Bitch, I loved it. My ass sat there in awe for the whole two hours, ADHD and all!” She laughed loudly, sinking down slowly and finding a seat on Brooke’s lap almost without noticing.

Before she could reply, Nina called for Brooke’s attention. “Hey, Brooke! We have decided on a name for you two.”

Nervous chuckles left Brooke’s lips. “What?” she asked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“Branjie!” Nina offered, as if the word by itself meant anything. “You know, Brooke and Vanjie. Branjie!”

Brooke was shocked to see how everybody agreed with the name, commenting on how fitting it was and pronouncing it repeatedly, tasting the new term against their tongues.

With a roll of her eyes, Brooke dismissed the subject. “Oh, shut the fuck up everyone. Go away!”

The group laughed at her response, making her even more uncomfortable; but then Vanessa was getting up and pulling her by the hand. “Actually, Branjie,” she drawled the word, her voice going up a few octaves. “Is the one that’s gotta bounce. See ya later, hoes.”

They started walking away and nobody stopped them. Brooke allowed herself to be dragged to the back of the place, where she remembered the private area to be. A rush of heat went through her when Vanessa pulled the last curtain of the row opened, pushing her inside the pink cubicle.

“Sit,” Vanessa ordered, it wasn’t a request. Brooke could do nothing but obey. “You paid for a lap dance that you never got, remember?” A slight nod of Brooke’s head answered the question. “We run some serious business around here, child, and there’s nothing I hate more than an unsatis… unsate… a not so happy customer, okay?”

It wasn’t like she wanted to ruin the mood, Brooke knew exactly where the situation was going, but she had to laugh at the minx before her. It was fascinating how Vanessa was this sexy cultural mixture that would stumble with her languages more often than not.

However, the giggles died on her lips as soon as Vanessa’s hips started swaying. With her legs closed, and bending her knees, she slowly went up and down, her body moving in sexy waves that formed a perfect S. Her eyelashes fluttered rapidly and her lips parted slightly. Her hands went up and down her sides, stopping momentarily to unclasp her bra. Her fingers easily unhooked the little silver wiring between her boobs, and then dropped her arms, slightly stretched back, to let the garment fall to the floor. Brooke was sure she hadn’t seen anything sexier in her life. She bit her lower lip and pressed her thighs together. The wave of heat had found the perfect place to settle in her crotch, where she throbbed to the rhythm of her speedy heartbeat. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs, and felt almost embarrassed. She felt like a teen, getting turned on just by witnessing a sensual dance; nobody had even touched her yet.

Vanessa took care of that right away, almost as if she could read her mind. Each of her legs landed on the cushions as she straddled Brooke’s lap. Her hands found support on Brooke’s shoulders and her hips started rocking back and forth. Vanessa wasn’t really following the music that came from the main area, but Brooke didn’t care. The soft touch of skin on skin made it irrelevant. She could feel the heat emanating Vanessa’s body, trespassing through her own skirt.

Tilting her head to the side, Vanessa made her hair rest on one side of her head. She pressed her cheek against Brooke’s face. Soft grunts and light puffs of hot air hit Brooke’s ear, who simply sat there as Vanessa’s core traveled across her thighs and hit her pelvic area repeatedly.

She looked down, just to admire the small perky breasts pushing against her torso. She licked her lips, wishing she could be licking something else.

“You know you can touch, right?” Vanessa asked, before her lips wrapped around her earlobe.

Brooke shivered unintentionally. Her body responded automatically to the movements and saltry tone of voice of the fireball on top of her. Without thinking about it, her hands landed on Vanessa’s butt, guiding her to rub against her harder and faster. She parted her legs slightly, and that was enough cue for Vanessa to snake her hand between them. Brooke knew what Vanessa was going to find, she was sure she had soaked her own underwear. In a twisted way, it turned her on even more. She wanted Vanessa to know what she was doing to her.

A deep groan came from the back of Vanessa’s throat when she found her prize. “Oh, Mami, you are so ready.”

Their lips met for the first time that night as Vanessa entered her. It felt like a million stars had burst inside Brooke’s body, galaxies crashed with one another and filled her with light. There was nothing but emptiness around her, she could hear nothing but the sound of wet lips smacking together. Fireworks were starting to line up, ready to be set on fire any minute now, which forced her to stop. Somewhere between the fog of desire, Brooke had a clear view of things. She didn’t want their first time to be like that. Not in a place with see-through curtains and on a couch where who knew how many people had done the same thing. They deserved more than that.

She took a hold of Vanessa’s wrist, stopping the thrusting of her finger. “Let’s get out of here.”

Vanessa bit Brooke’s lip, then ran her tongue over it to sooth the pain. “Your place or mine?”

“How is that even a question?” Brooke smiled, letting her know there was no harm in her words, and pushed her to stand. “Go get your stuff. I’ll get us a ride.”

Brooke gathered her things, giving explanations to nobody, and soon was joined by Vanessa in her basketball outfit. By the time they exited through the backdoor of the club, Ben was already waiting for them.

“You better look away, Benny Boy,” Vanessa warned as they climbed into the backseat. “Things are about to get real hot real quick back here.”

The driver chuckled softly. He didn’t respond but did move the rearview mirror a little bit higher, unsuccessfully avoiding the makeout session taking place behind him. It took mere seconds of mouths capturing lips, tongues running against teeth, and hands brushing over skin, before he decided to put the division up without asking.

Downtown LA was far from Century City, where Brooke rented a condo during her stay. Yet, without the day traffic, and time becoming completely irrelevant to the kissing couple, it felt like they got there in a blink of an eye.

Surprisingly, they were able to contain themselves as they went through the lobby. The elevator ride did nothing but build up the sexual tension. When Brooke punched in the code, and the doors slid open, all restraints were forgotten. She placed both hands on Vanessa’s face and kissed her, hard but slow. The nearest wall worked as support as Brooke pressed Vanessa against it. She wanted to take her time, to make each second count. She wanted to let Vanessa know just how much that moment meant to her.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered into Vanessa’s mouth.

Vanessa was tiny, despite the high heeled boots she never failed to wear. Brooke had to hunch over just to kiss her properly. Taking advantage of her position, Brooke dropped to her knees with ease. She hooked her fingers to the elastics of the shorts, pulling down and letting them pool around Vanessa’s feet.

“I need you to tell me if I’m doing it wrong,” Brooke’s words got lost between Vanessa’s thighs.

“Bitch, don’t tell me you have never – oh!”

Brooke smiled proudly at the reaction. Her lips curled up as she sucked on Vanessa’s most sensitive spot. She dedicated her sole attention to the bundle of nerves, sucking, kissing and running her tongue around it. She kept a steady pace, literally feeling how Vanessa melted above her, before pushing a finger in.

“Yo, girl, you want to kill me, child?” A second finger was inserted to her words, making Vanessa scream in surprise.

It felt so natural to be there, on her knees, pleasuring such a beautiful girl. Brooke could stay like that forever. Vanessa, however, had a different idea. Just when her legs started to give out, she pulled Brooke’s hair, mumbling something about that being unfair and exhaling a request to be taken to the bedroom.

There was no time to lose. The pair of shorts was left right there in the middle of the hallway, and the black thong was dropped somewhere around the living room. When they reached the bedroom, Brooke gave Vanessa specific instructions to keep the boots on. She obeyed. With a kinky grin adorning her lips, Vanessa moved to undress Brooke. She took her time, and Brooke felt about the explode with each painful second.

They fell on the bed in a naked mess of limbs as their mouths devoured each other.

“I can’t believe this is actually happening,” Brooke confessed, when the lack of air forced them to pull apart. “It’s just so… unbelievable.” Her breathing was heavy, she could feel her chest going up and down erratically.

Vanessa’s hand traced lazy circles around her navel. “Do you want to stop?”

“Are you kidding me? Fuck no!” Brooke confirmed her words by thrusting her hips up, connecting Vanessa’s hand to her center.

It was a matter of seconds before Brooke was shaking uncontrollably, her inner walls clenching around three very skillful fingers. She returned the favor in the same matter, pushing Vanessa over the edge a few minutes later. The second round of sexual bliss found Brooke screaming Vanjie like a mantra, her hands keeping Vanessa’s head in place between her legs, allowing Vanessa to lick her through the waves of pure pleasure. The next orgasm hit them in an awkward position. Brooke’s flexible leg stretched up to rest next to her own head, meanwhile Vanessa sat on her crotch, and grinded their sexes together until they came at the same time.

Being with Vanessa was making love for the first time. All of those times that Brooke had had sex before crumbled and disolved into nothing in comparison. She wondered why she even bothered in having any other sexual partner in the past, it was clear she was meant to become one with Vanessa since the beginning of time. It had finally happened, they had finally found each other. It was a comforting thought, one that pulled her into the most peaceful sleep she’d experienced in her entire life.

[harrystylesgoldencreature]

Just a Flicker of Hope-Chapter 4-New Year, New Beginnings

She looked around the crowed bar and sighed. She had always hated working on holidays, but the money was well worth it. Her boss had always been good to her when it came to holiday pay, and she definitely could not pass it up. Besides, it was not like she had any plans for the New Years anyway. The customers were loud and rowdy, as they celebrated the last day of the year. Fortunately, she wasn't scheduled to close that night. She would get off just in time to watch the ball drop in Time Square. It had always been her favorite thing to do, at the end of the year. She had not missed it, since she moved there 6 years earlier. Felicity was lost in thought, as she refilled her customers drinks. It had been a very busy day, and she had not had time to take a break. Nor had she had time to think. This seemed to be for the best since all she could do now a days was think about Harry. Lately, she couldn't take her mind off of him. He was in her every waking thought, and it drove her crazy. Not to mention, she had even started to dream of him at night. Harry had been coming into her bar, everyday for the past week and a half now. Being she had to work on Christmas, they spent the holiday together. He had yet to tell his family what happened between him and Courtney so he faked an illness, to get out of his annual family dinner. However, he had not wanted to spend the day alone so he came into the bar. It had become routine for them to chat and flirt with one another. She thought the flirting was harmless at first, considering he was still getting over a heartbreak. She had refused to allow herself to feel anything towards him other than friendship. Although she did like him as more than a friend, she refused to be his rebound from Courtney. The girl had already stolen Mark from her, she didn't want her to be the reason that Harry wanted anything to do with her as well. She would never be able to live with herself. Oddly, Harry had yet to make an appearance today. She kept waiting for him to come strutting into the bar and say something cheeky to her. She had become fond of his many pet names and flirting banter. She secretly loved it, though she would never admit it to herself. Looking at the clock for the hundredth time, she sighed in relief. It was finally ten o'clock when meant it was time for her to leave. She loved her job, and her customers, but she did get tired of the place at times. Filling up her last customer's glass, she headed back behind the counter. She started to grab her things and clock out. “Oh don't go!” Jenna whined. “Come on! Stay here with me. Since I can't go out and party, you shouldn't be allowed to either.” “Hey now! You always go out partying and leave me behind. Pay back is a bitch!” She teased. Jenna stuck her tongue out, in a childlike manner. “Well since you're going out anyways, at least find you a man. For the love of God have a goodnight for once! Go crazy!” “Yeah right,” Felicity said rolling her eyes. “God you're so dull!” She whined, only partly joking. “Well some of us can't get any guy we want like you!” “Oh whatever! I see how that Harry guy looks at you! I also see the way the two of you flirt! Why not take a shot on him? He looks like he would be great in bed.” “I told you, Harry just got out of a relationship.” “And? Rebound sex is amazing.” “That's the thing! I don't want to just be some rebound. I don't see a point in that! I would just end up having feelings for him, and he wouldn't want anything more from me.” “You don't know unless you try.” She said stubbornly. “I really don't want to talk about this now! I need to be going. See you tomorrow?” “I'll be here! Have fun!” She called out. Walking towards the exit of the bar, Felicity waved to a few of her regular customers that she knew quite well. The cool breeze hit her, as soon as she stepped outside. She stood with her face looking towards the sky for a moment. The cool night air felt good on her hot cheeks. She tried to keep her mind clear, and free from thoughts of Harry, as she made her way home. The walk only took her about five minutes. She hurried inside and set about getting ready to go to Time Square. She decided she would dress up a bit. Taking a shower, she blow dried and curled her hair. She carefully applied her make-up, making sure not to over do it. She wanted to look good, but didn't want her make-up to looked caked. She had always hated it when girls wore too much. It seemed to make them look desperate and needy. She deliberated for about ten minutes on the right outfit. In the end, she opted for a red sweater dress. It was velvety and sparkled every time she moved in the light. She threw on some black stockings, to keep from getting cold. Knowing it was probably gonna to be a major mistake, she also threw on some killer heels. She knew that she would regret that decision, when she had to walk back home. Wrapping a scarf around her neck, she grabbed her clutch and threw her things in it. Looking herself over in the mirror, she was highly surprised. She looked beautiful, even to her eyes. Without another thought, she turned off the lights and headed out the door. Time Square was just a few blocks from her house. She had never minded walking to places, she actually enjoyed it for the most part. Every since she sold her car in order to help her brother out in a crisis, that was the only way she had to get around. The streets were crowded with people cheering loudly. There seemed to be highly intoxicated people everywhere she turned. She smiled slightly at the ground. She had always enjoyed watching other people when they were happy and having a great time. Time Square was in full swing, when she finally made it. She had always loved arriving early, in order to watch the performances. Halsey was currently on stage. She was a big fan of hers. Felicity had loved her voice and truly admired her songs. Surprisingly, she was able to make her way to the front of the stage. She merged into the crowd and started to sing along. Dancing, she let lose and just enjoyed the moment. To her disappointment, however, she had gotten there right at the end of the performance. A man came center stage and started to introduce the next performer. “How are we doing tonight New York City? Is everyone enjoying the show?” He paused briefly, as he wanted for the crowd to calm down. “Our next performer has always been a favorite of mine. He has come a very long way since he first got started out. He has just finished up on his first world tour as a solo artist, and I think I speak for everyone when I say his album was AMAZING! Please join me in welcoming the amazing and extremely talented Harry Styles!!” Felicity gasped, as Harry made his way to the stage. He looked extremely handsome in a simple black suit. She couldn’t believe her eyes. “Of course!” She said out loud. Her voice was drowned out by the screams of the crowd as Harry started his song.

“She worked her way through a cheap pack of cigarettes

Hard liquor mixed with a bit of intellect

And all the boys, they were saying they were into it

Such a pretty face on a pretty neck

She's driving me crazy

But I'm into it, But I'm into it

I'm kinda into it

It's getting crazy

I think I'm losin' it, I think I'm losin' it

Oh I think she said, “I'm havin' your baby”

It's none of your business

I'm havin' your baby, It's none of your business 

(No, it's none of your, it's none of your)

Just havin' your baby, It's none of your business

I'm havin' your baby, It's none of your, It's none of your

It's New York, baby, always jacked up

Holland Tunnel for the nose, it's always backed up

When she's alone, she goes home to a cactus

In a black dress, she's such an actress

Driving me crazy

But I'm into it, But I'm into it

I'm kinda into it

It's getting crazy

I think I'm losin' it, I think I'm losin' it

Oh, I think she said, “I'm havin' your baby”

It's none of your business

I'm havin' your baby, It's none of your business 

(No, it's none of your, it's none of your)

I'm havin' your baby, It's none of your business

I'm havin' your baby , It's none of your, It's none of your

She sits beside me like  a silhouette

Hard candy drippin' on me till my feet are wet

And now she's all over me, it's like I paid for it

It's like I paid for it

I'm gonna pay for this

It's none of your, It's none of your

I'm havin' your baby (It's none of your)

Havin' your baby, It's none of your business

Havin' your baby, It's none of your business

It's none of your

Hey!”

She had known every word to the song. Of course she had always been a fan of Harry’s, ever since his One Direction days. How has she not realized who he was earlier than now? When he came into the bar, he always dressed casually. He wore hats that would partly hide his face and oddly seemed different. He was still the same man, however. She had never felt more like an idiot, in that moment. She was embarrassed, for her utter stupidity. She had just about decided the leave the stage entirely, when he caught her eye. He seemed both surprised to see her and happy at the same time. He gave her a wink, and she smiled and waved in return. His performance soon came to an end, and he exited the stage without another glance in her direction. Deciding she needed a drink after her newest revelation, she started to head out of the crowd. She was pleasantly surprised, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Expecting Harry, she turned around immediately. She was slightly disappointed when it wasn’t Harry who stood in front of her but another man. “Are you Felicity?” He asked right away. “I am.” She said in confusion. “Hi! My name is Jeff, I’m Harry’s manager.” He said lowering his voice he took a step towards her so as not to be overheard. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said shaking his out stretched hand. “He wanted me to see if you would care to join him? He would have come himself but there are quite a few fans here.” He explained. She nodded her head in understanding. “I see.” “Would you like to join us?” He asked again. Not entirely sure what to say, she just shook her head. She seemed to be at a loss for words, in a daze. “Splendid!” He cheered. “Follow me.” He took her around the massive crowd and headed towards the back of the stage. Showing the guards his badge, he was granted passage immediately. “She’s with me,” he said casually. The two security guards simply nodded their heads. They looked utterly bored and uninterested in her entirely. She continued to follow Jeff behind the stage. They passed by numerous dressing rooms and she had to force herself not to fan girl when she saw Halsey from afar. Finally, they reached their destination. Knocking slightly, Jeff poked his head in the door. “Hey mate, I have her here. Need anything else?” “I’m good, thanks Jeff!” She could hear Harry call back. “Anytime.” Jeff gave Felicity a wink, as he held the door open for her to enter. “Thank you,” she told him softly. Without another word, he shut the door and left the pair alone. Harry was sitting on a rather plush blue sofa and had on a bright smile. “Well if it isn’t Harry Styles! What an absolute honor,” she teased placing her hand over her chest. He laughed. “I didn’t know if you were a fan or not,” he said. “I also wasn’t expecting to see you here.” He admitted “Well in all honesty I didn’t put two and two together until a few minutes ago. I feel like an idiot for not realizing it sooner.” He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. “But yes.. I’ve always been a fan, which is why I feel utterly stupid for not recognizing you.” He smiled at her shyly. “I’m kind of glad you didn’t.” He said honestly. He patted the spot beside him, motioning for her to join him. Slowly, she made her way to the couch and sat down beside him. “Why do you say that?” She asked curious. “Well every since I’ve been in the spotlight, it’s been hard to tell what someone’s true intentions are when they’re with me. You make me feel like a normal person, and that’s been oddly nice.” “Wait! So you’re telling me you’re not a normal person? What are you? An alien?” She teased. He laughed once more. “You know what I mean!” “I know,” she sighed. “I would’ve have treated you any differently, even if I had known who you were when we first met.” He stared into her sparkling green eyes, as he took in her words. He had already known that she wasn’t the type to be with someone just because of their fame and fortune. He had known that from the way she had taken care of him on that very first night. “I wish more people were like you,” he whispered not exactly meaning for her to hear his words. She looked away, to hide her blush. “You’re quite cute when you blush.” He teased. “Oh whatever!” She said playfully pushing his shoulder. “You are!” “How much have you had to drink tonight?” “Ummm... a bit.. but that’s not the point! I might not be 100% sober, but I still know beauty when I see it. And you, my lady, are utterly beautiful!” Rolling her eyes, she simply shook her head. “If you don’t believe me, go ask Jeff! I saw the way he was eyeing you!” “Jealous are we?” She teased. “No,” he said stubbornly. He stuck out his bottom lip, causing her to laugh. Hearing her musical laugh, he had a hard time keeping up his charade. This seemed to entertain her even more, as she watching him struggle not to smile. “You’re something else,” he told her shaking his head. “So I’ve been told.” They heard the crowd shouting loudly outside. Glancing at the clock, Harry jumped from his seat. “Come on!” He shouted, grabbing her by the hand. “We’re going to miss it!” Trying to keep up with his long legs, she followed after him as he led them outside. They seemed to make it just in time. The crowd started the countdown, screaming loudly. “10...9...8...7...6...” Suddenly, Felicity’s heart started to pound in her chest. Harry caught her by the wrist and turned her towards him. He was staring deeply into her eyes, as the countdown continued. “5...4...3...2...1...HAPPY NEW YEARS!!” The crowd cheered. The crowd seemed to fade out entirely, as Harry unexpectedly leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss had been everything she had imagined it would be. His warm lips were soft yet firm against hers. She seemed to melt into him, as he deepened the kiss. It was a very magical moment, as fireworks erupted throughout the sky. She had never once been kissed like this, in all of her life. They were both breathless, when he reluctantly pulled away. Resting his forehead to hers, he smiled at her shyly. “Happy New Years.” His velvet voice whispered.

[positiveparker]

I miss you (part 3) | h.o

hey guys this is a longer chapter as requested :) do let me know if you want a part 4

- pairing ; harrison osterfield x reader 

- warnings ; swearing! fluff!

- song ; kiss me: ed sheeran (trust me the lyrics apply to the story so freaking much!) (listen here)

(y/b/m) ; your birthday month

(y/e/n) ; you exes name (if you have one, if not just use a random one :))

(y/e/bf/n) ; your ex best friends name (again you probably have one but if not use a random name :))

not my gif

As soon as I ended the call a burning fire started in the pit of my stomach. It wasn’t a messy fire that burnt and singed my happiness, it was a warm happy fire that started a smile in the corner of my mouth. I chucked my phone away and across the sofa, it slid under the pillow and I felt weightless. 

The shower squeaked off and I heard the faint noise of Harrison stepping out of the shower and onto the tiling. Then soon after he unlocked the door, a towelled, shirtless Haz covered in small beads of water came into the living room kitchen and stood in front of me. I tried not to gawk at his rippling abs by keeping straight eye contact with him. Though I did waver a few times I don’t think he really cared. 

“Where are the clothes Tom wanted to give me?” Haz asked breathily

“Oh they are under the bed” I replied smiling, Haz looked at me confusedly so I huffed and stood up leading him to where the clothes were. I crouched down and reached under the bed, I grabbed a huge black bin bag of clothes Tom had borrowed from Haz for his last press tour. I heaved the bag onto the bed and Haz reached his hand into it. The veins on his arms were prominent and I could feel the familiar heat of the hot water radiating from his skin. He picked out a black top and some grey tracksuit bottoms. 

“Thanks” He said returning into the bathroom to change. When the door shut I put the black bin bag under the bed and checked the time on my alarm clock. 

5:07

I was kinda starving since we fell asleep before we got to finish the pizza. I walked back into the kitchen living room and picked up the cold pizza box, throwing it in the trash. I opened the doubled door fridge yet again and looked at what food we had. Everything Tom ate was highly nutritious as he had a whole meal plan to be healthy enough for his films. I sighed whilst looking at all the kale and quinoa we had collected and slammed the doors. Haz came from out of the bathroom in his new attire, his hair was slightly damp and messier than before.

“I heard the fridge door slam, are you hungry?”

“yeah, but all we have is salad and quinoa” I huffed. We both stared at each other in awkward silence then burst out laughing. 

“oh god, why does he eat that bullshit”

“well he is more ripped than you” I joked

“hey!” Haz replied joking angrily “I am so ripped”

“not half as ripped as Tom” I joked. Haz ran towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist lifting me over his shoulder. I squealed and thrashed my limbs around. He spun me around until everything around us was blurred by the vertigo of my brain. We both chuckled and then he finally set me back down onto the kitchen floor. He smirked down at me and I blushed back up at him.  I was lost in his speckled azure blue eyes.

“You have nice eyes” He blurted out 

“Really?” I replied “I thought they were kinda boring”

“No way, (y/e/c) are super nice” He replied in his usual assuring slur. I smiled at him and he did his usual grin back at me.

“So should we go out to eat then?” 

“yes definitely”

“Chinese?” Haz smirked

“Of course” I smiled back. Haz ran his hand through his damp hair and smiled back.

I switched my dirty black hoodie for Tom’s white one, though it did smell of him I covered it with my Chanel perfume. Haz and I ran out the door and into the (y/b/m) air. The Chinese restaurant was just down the street, I analysed the busy street whilst Haz was telling me about how his dog once ate his own lead.

“He actually swallowed it?” I interrupted, my mind wasn’t really in the conversation, I was busy looking for paparazzi until I realised there wouldn’t be any being with Haz. My body sort of relaxed more and I seeped back into the conversation.

“…and then my mum had to take him to the vets and he had his stomach pumped” Haz carried on, he did actions in his sort of theatre kid way. 

“wow” I replied nodding my head at him.

We turned the corner and came to the Chinese restaurant. There was a small cue from outside the door and we quickly joined the line. Sweet smells wafted out of the door every time old customers came out of the door and back into the open. 

“How many?” A waitress grinned as soon as we got inside. 

“2” Haz smiled back. The waitress led us to a quiet table in the corner and we sat down. I sat facing all the people and I soon realised my ex (y/e/n) was sitting at the table opposite us. My stare caught his gaze and he recognised me. 

“shit shit shit” I whispered under the breath

“what?” Haz said touching my arm. 

“my ex”

“what?”

“my ex is over there”

“the kinda good looking one?” Haz chuckled

“yes HIM” I spat

“oh he is looking right at you” he smirked “oh and now at me and now the both of us”

“oh my god make it stop” I spat covering the side of my face

“oh no he’s coming over”

“no he fucking isn’t”

“oh yes he is and he is about to-“ Haz stopped and changed his posture. I looked up to see (y/e/n) smiling at me.

“hey (y/n)”

“oh uh hi uh”

“is this your boyfriend”

“well ugh no ugh”

“yes” haz said grabbing my hands and smiling protectively at him. I caught Haz’s gaze and he smiled and widened his eyes at me.

“yeah well newly together” I said smiling and going along with Haz’s plan

“well, I will um see you around” and then my ex was gone and back at his table.

“oh my god” Haz mouthed

After some light conversation and ordering tons of food Haz looked at me uncomfortably.

“what?” I asked

“he is looking at us again”

“shit”

“who’s the girl?”

I turned around to see my ex best friend (y/e/b/n) with her head rested on his shoulder. She then kissed him and looked spitefully over at me. I turned back around and Haz had leaned really close to my face.

“what are y-“ I muttered, I could feel his breath on my face.

“trust me” he whispered back, and then Haz’s lips were interlocked with mine. My heart raced and the noise of the restaurant became faint.

I leant away and smiled. “did it work?” I blushed

“oh yeah” Haz said smugly trying to look over “she looks highly pissed off”. Haz looked back and me and we both started laughing. The waitress set down our food and we indulged in conversation. Words and conversations flowed so easily with Haz. They weren’t interrupted by fans, paparazzi or important phone calls. My face ached from smiling so much. 

“so then I fell over” I was in the middle of telling a story when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I whipped my head around to see a little girl gripping a huge phone and smiling innocently at me.

“are you Tom Holland’s girlfriend?”

“yeah uh I am” I replied awkwardly 

“can I get a selfie?” The girl pleaded

“yeah uh sure” I replied, I had never been asked for a photo before but I grabbed the girls phone and took a smiley selfie with her.

“thank you” she grinned and then skipped away to her mum and a near table. Her mum nodded and smiled at me approvingly. I turned back to my conversation with Haz and he gave me a look of shock.

“you have fans” He laughed

“hardly” I chuckled. 

The waitress took our plates and Haz insisted on paying.

“NO! I insist” he bellowed, so loudly I felt all the gazes of other people on us

“nope” I urged him setting down my credit card and passing it to the waitress. Haz sighed and proceeded to tell me that just because Tom’s credit card is connected to mine doesn’t mean I should pay.

We walked out of the restaurant into a douse of rain. I pulled my hood up and Haz gripped my hand. We ran through the rain but suddenly I started hearing clicks. The clicks became much louder until I realised they were a camera. I stopped running jarring Haz to a stop swell, I looked around and spotted a huge crowd of paparazzi across the road.

“shit” Haz muttered.

“can we get around them?”

“the apartment is down that street though” Haz said in a panic. 

“let’s run”

I gripped Haz’s clammy hand harder than before as we ran through the rain and straight into the storm of flashes and clicks. 

“(y/n) who’s your friend” one shouted

“(y/n)!” was repeated and ingrained in my brain as if I didn’t know my own name already. I just stayed looking down and tried to refrain from making any contact with the cameras. I pulled my hood as much over my face as possible. I could feel Haz trying to push through the crowd, everything was in slow motion and the crowd felt like the parting of a dark sea. 

“excuse me” I heard Haz shout repeatedly. Then it hit me, these photos of me and Haz would be everywhere by the end of the night.

“(y/n)?” I heard Haz mutter, I seeped out of my thought and pushed my hood back.

“these pictures are gonna be everywhere!” I said in a panic, my breathing became rushed and unsteady.

“don’t stress” Haz pleaded holding my shoulders 

“but Tom is gonna see them!” I said tears brimming in my eyes

“we were just holding hands it’s gonna be okay” Haz said pulling me into a hug, I cried into his t-shirt. He smelt like everything good combined, earth, flowers, bonfire and fresh cotton. Then clicks rattled in my ears from behind us.

“hey asshole” Haz shouted, his arms left my back and my body sighed. Haz started waving his arms in the air and the few cameras left. I grabbed him and we ran all the way back to the apartment. 

“that was eventful” Haz said slumping down on the sofa, I grabbed my phone from under the pillow on the sofa and started scrolling through my Instagram feed. Then that was when it all changed, a photo from through the Chinese restaurant window had been taken. Haz and I were kissing, it was so clear and obvious. My heart dropped and then a text from Tom came through, that was what made the guilt take over.

[jamesbvck]

lost & found | b. barnes | part three

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader (AU, Bartender!Bucky) Summary: Being lost was something foreign to you. Beginning a new life was an uphill battle. Being found was a surprise, especially unexpectedly by a man his own questionable past. Word Count: 3.4k Warnings: Brief mentions of anxiety, PTSD.  A/N: Welcome to part three! Please please please let me know what you think! :) 

MASTERLIST

Bucky knew Brooklyn like the back of his hand. He had spent many nights wandering the streets when he and Steve were kids and teenagers. On late nights when neither of them could sleep or they just needed to get out for a while, the streets were their jungle. Bucky made sure you were following closely as he looked both ways before crossing one of the busier streets. He could hear your shoes stamping against the pavement in order to keep up with his quicker strides. The place he knew had been around since the the mid-80s, always served the freshest bagels and food, and had the best coffee anyone could imagine. It wasn’t fancy or upscale; in fact, it was between a popular burger chain and a old ghostly-looking church.

The door chimed as the two of you walked in. The place was open 365 days a year, but Saturday mornings were their busiest. A line was formed and Bucky stood at the end of it. His eyes scanned the menu board, even though he got the same thing every time he was here. He could feel your presence beside him, arms lightly folded over your chest as you read the board as well. The line began to shuffle forward, with customers leaving with their white paper bags or going to sit on the red chairs to eat.

“Hey! Mister Bucky!” An older man with a white apron behind the counter greeted Bucky with a wide grin and a firm handshake. He looked to be in his late fifties, but seemed chipper and delightful.

“Hey Vic.” Bucky shook the man’s hand. “I’m going to have my usual and a small coffee.”

Vic punched some buttons of the cash register. “One everything bagel with egg and bacon, small coffee. That’s all?”

Bucky turned to the side. You hadn’t realized you were sort of hidden behind his bulky build. “She’s with me.”

Your eyes snapped towards him, then to Vic, who was giving Bucky a bit of a glare. It reminded you of the look a dad would give a son about not speaking up and ‘being a man’. But Vic’s glare turned into soft eyes and he gave you a warm smile.

“I’m sorry about that, dear.  Since Bucky here has always been terrible at introductions - I’m Vic, this is my place,” he said, and extended his hand to you. He seemed old fashioned, like he appreciated handshakes and decent manners.

You laughed quietly, with your eyes flickering to Bucky for a moment. He had a slightly flustered expression and you swore you could see a tinge of pink colouring his cheeks under his scruff. Politely, you shook Vic’s hand and introduced yourself to him.

“I think I’ll just have whatever Bucky’s having, I’m not too picky.”

“Two everything bagels with egg and bacon, and two small coffees.” Vic gave the total and Bucky already had the money in hand.

Bucky moved to the pickup corner, tucking the change away into his pocket. The two coffees appeared on the counter first and he handed one to you.

“Made a mental note that both you and Steve don’t let me pay for things.” You opened a small packet of sugar and poured it into the small cup, and then stirred in cream.

He half laughed, sipping his straight black coffee. “I guess our mothers raised us well enough.”

“I suppose they did.”

Vic waved the white paper bag in Bucky’s direction. Bucky leaned over the counter and took the bag. There was some extra weight and he knew Vic had thrown in two muffins for the hell of it.

“Thanks, Vic.”

“Tell Stevie boy to drop in!”

Bucky gave a nod, saying thanks again before exiting the bagel shop.

“Do you want to go eat in the park? That’s where I usually go.”

“Sure,” you agreed, and once again followed him along. The streets in Brooklyn blended together in your eyes, but hopefully sooner rather than later, you would be able to navigate without having to rely on Google Maps or a stranger on the street.

This time, you kept in time with his walking as you made the half-mile trek to Prospect Park. You felt like a tourist with Bucky guiding you. Clearly he had a specific spot he liked to go to, and that spot was a bench by one of the ponds. It was a wide open space, with greenery and tall mature trees waving in the breeze. It wasn’t as humid as the previous few days, which was a nice break.

Bucky sat on the bench, digging through the bag to get out one of the wrapped bagels for you.

“Vic also put in muffins, if you’re extra hungry.”

You smiled and unwrapped the bagel breakfast sandwich. It was a hefty food item but looked delicious. Your stomach rumbled as you took the first bite. Bucky was right; he knew a place, and that place was damn good. The two of you sat in silence, listening to the birds chirp and the ducks flap in the pond. Bucky had inhaled his first half before you were even three quarters of the way through.

“So, Natasha’s not your girlfriend?” You brought it up casually, or as casually as you could. There was curiosity poking in the back of your mind.

Bucky didn’t mind the question. It was a fair assumption, since she had been there so early in the morning. It probably seemed suspicious.

“No, she’s not, she’s a good friend,” he began to explain. “Nat is…I guess you can say, complex. Her story isn’t mine to tell, but sometimes she crashes at my place. I didn’t know she was there until I got home from closing up the bar.”

You nodded along. Somehow that eased you for whatever reason. It was nice that he helped out his friend when she needed it, and you wouldn’t pry for more information about her background.

“You guys never dated or anything?”

Bucky’s shoulders raised then lowered back to a relaxed position. “We’ve never dated. It’s not like that. We kinda messed around but that was a long time ago.”

You had a feeling that’s what it had been. To each their own and c’est la vie. Who were you to judge? The lid of the coffee cup met your lips as you took a long sip, then placed it back down on the bench. Bucky’s breakfast sandwich was finished with the wrapping crumpled in his hand. He plucked one of the muffins from the bag and peeled off the paper.

“I should tell you what happened last night,” you thought aloud.

“You don’t have to.”

You shrugged. “I’ve been told it’s helpful to talk things out and not to bottle it up, so,” you shifted on the bench so your body was angled towards him. “I kinda blacked out. I guess not kinda, I did. I freaked out, tried to keep myself calm, and couldn’t manage it.”

“Is that the first time that’s happened?” he asked.

You tore off a bit of bagel, examining the poppy and sesame seeds. “No,” you whispered. Bucky turned to look at you. His eyes were sympathetic, and the corners of his lips tugged into a frown. “I haven’t had something like that happen in a while. It’s not anyone’s fault. I just moved here, was pushing myself to be a good employee, and pushed too hard. I got overwhelmed.”

“The table next to those guys told me they were harassing you. And I’m sorry about that.” Bucky almost seemed ashamed, like it was his doing when he wasn’t even there. He had no idea, but he felt bad.

You wanted to tell him again that it was nobody’s fault, that this had stemmed from something in the past and you were working your way through it. That your ex-boyfriend was not the nicest of guys and put you through a version of hell. That each day was a new battle, but you were fighting. But your mouth remained closed and silence draped over the two of you. Perhaps it wasn’t the first real conversation you were to have with him anyway. It was too personal and uncomfortable.

There was a quarter left of your bagel and wordlessly you offered it to Bucky. He reached out and took the piece, popped it into his mouth, and began to chew. You brought your feet up onto the bench, tucking them under your legs. The park was occupied by joggers and morning walkers; yogees praised the sun and shade-goers buried their noses in paperbacks. It was serene. For a while, it didn’t feel like you were in a bustling city.

“I was in the army.” Bucky’s voice was somber. “Did two tours with Steve, and we did one with Sam. The last one ended in a downfall. Sam lost his best friend Riley and I got a little fucked up along the way.”

He stopped, and you weren’t sure if he was going to elaborate. He didn’t have to, didn’t need to if it was something that haunted him so deeply. In return, you had your own frown and concerned eyes. Your lips parted, but Bucky continued.

“What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that I understand. We’re all dealing with something,” he said, his voice turning into a mumble. His fingers fiddled with the muffin paper and his gaze was lost off in the distance.

“Is that what Sam was alluding to? Do you go to his sessions?”

Bucky nodded, “I go twice a month. Used to go twice a week but time passes. I didn't think progression would happen, but it has.”

You didn’t know about Bucky’s drinking or the stupid decisions he had made. You didn’t know how Steve had to bail his ass out one too many times. You didn’t know a lot of things but maybe you didn’t need to. It was a beautiful day yet here you were sitting with some semblance of a friend talking about issues and shit. Bucky was non-judgemental and at the end of the day, he was there the previous night when you had a small episode. There was a connection, a common ground that you had with him.

“Sometimes I feel lost.” You tugged at a loose thread from your shorts and ripped it clean from the hem.

Bucky inhaled as he straightened out his back. “Yeah, me too.”

His eyes caught yours and held your fixated stare for a moment. It ended with two shy smiles; his was bashful and tiny, while yours had a bit of hope attached to it.

Later, you held onto that morning with Bucky, jotting it down in a blank notebook Corinne had laying around. You weren’t fully sure what it meant to you yet. It could have been a breakthrough or progression. Either way, Bucky had unknowingly helped you. There was a bounce in your step as you walked into work on Monday. He was kind enough to let you have Sunday to yourself as well, but you didn’t want your co-workers to be angry with you. You were friendly to everyone, saying hello and putting your things in the back room. You grabbed your waist apron and tied it around yourself, before scraping your hair up into a ponytail.

It was quiet at noon, so you occupied yourself by rearranging the liquor bottles with one of the bartenders. You caught Bucky out of the corner of your eye. He had a black ball cap on and one of his three-quarter length sleeved shirts he always seemed to wear. He locked the door to his office and pocketed the keys. He had his session to go to in a while, but he seemed to be heading out early. He stopped as he turned to go, glancing at you. You smiled and gave a small wave from your spot behind the bar. Bucky walked over.

“Alphabetizing?” he asked.

“That’d probably be easier, but we’re categorizing by type, then alphabetizing,” you replied.

Bucky nodded. “I suppose that’s one way to kill time.”

“Yeah.” You smoothed down your apron. “Going to your appointment?” You phrased it generally, unsure if others were aware or not.

“Gonna go meet Steve, then head there.”

You hadn’t really talked to Steve after you had finally replied to his text from Saturday. You kind of felt bad but you didn’t necessarily owe him anything.

“Tell him I say hello.”

“Sure,” Bucky agreed. There was a slight awkward moment and you turned to go back to rearranging the bottles. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye Bucky.” You stopped again to watch him go. Your eye flickered to the floor once he left and you breathed out a built-up sigh.

It was much of the same as the days passed. You and Bucky would have small, meaningless conversations throughout the work day. You caught him looking over, causing him to act quickly like he was busy doing something, but it would always result in sheepish smiles and sometimes a laugh from you. Bucky checked up on you, making sure you were fine and that everything was handled. He was taking precautions in order to make sure there were no repeats like that one Friday night. If he wasn’t busy, he’d sit with you while you were on your break. You enjoyed his company, since it was better than eating alone, and you secretly hoped it’d become a regular thing. There was nothing wrong with being friends with your boss, right?

One evening, after your busy afternoon shift was over, you sat at the bar beside Sam. He was chatting away as usual, filling in the empty air. He was a walking talking book with never-ending stories. You really didn’t mind. Sam was easy to converse with and could always make you laugh about something.

Natasha walked in with a confident strut, head held high, and went straight to you and Sam. Men snapped their attention to her as she passed them. Easily she ignored them, not bothering with dogs like them. You barely knew her, yet you already had admiration for her.

“Look who’s here! What up, girl?” Sam greeted Natasha with a half hug. “Have you met—“

“Hi again,” Natasha greeted you. She took the open stool beside you and shrugged off her leather jacket. You smiled in return and said hello.

Sam blinked. “Alright so you’ve met.”

You laughed. Natasha ordered a drink and spoke again. “Few days ago at Barnes’ place. Where’s he anyway?”

Sam looked to you with questioning eyes and his brows almost reaching his hairline.

“Erase those thoughts from your mind, Sammy. I was returning something.” You took a long sip of your drink.

“I’m not thinkin’ nothin’.” He focused back on Nat after with their own conversation beginning.

Bucky and Steve wandered in from the back entrance. Your posture straightened and your fingers wrapped firmly around the lowball glass. You hadn’t really seen Steve; he had been busy, and so had you. That was a typical adult life anyway. He looked good, a little too good, and with Bucky next to him it was almost looked like a movie poster for a buddy cop movie. Both leads were inhumanly attractive. You mentally kicked yourself; you couldn’t label your boss-friend as hot. That was unethical.

“Hey, stranger.” Natasha greeted Steve with open arms as she swiveled around in the stool.

Steve had a big grin, embracing his friend. “Romanoff, forget how to use a cellphone?”

Natasha didn’t respond. Instead there was a half smile before she turned to talk with Bucky. You wondered what Natasha did. Maybe she travelled for her job, or maybe she was just really bad with using a phone. Steve hovered close, moving to stand in between you and Sam.

“Have a sec?” he asked. You nodded, sliding off the stool to go with Steve.

Bucky glanced over as you followed Steve. There was something unsettling that panged in the pit of his stomach. Tapping the bar top, he told Natasha he had to go handle a few things. The redhead hummed, picking up the beer bottle.

“Give me the rundown.”

“Corinne’s baby sister. First night her and Steve talked, he took her to a Yankees game,” Sam explained. “He’s smitten, but I think she’s undecided.”

Natasha nodded along. “He brought out the big guns early and took her to a game. I’ll give him ten points. Her and Barnes?”

“Employer, employee.”

“And?”

Sam shrugged. “Haven’t paid too much attention.”

“Slacking on the gossip, Wilson. I’ll ask Wanda.”

There were nerves rapidly building. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous around Steve, yet here you were. He stood in front of you, tall, clean-shaven, and you swore he only owned t-shirts that were a touch too small. One hand was in the pocket of his jeans and he leaned casually against the tall table.

“I wanted to apologize.”

“Apologize?” You were puzzled. “For what? You haven’t done anything wrong. I think.”

Steve chuckled. “Just in case I overstepped any boundaries. I was worried about you, about what Bucky told me.”

“Oh, Steve, that’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” You tucked some hair behind your ear. “I should apologize. I’m not a great communicator. I’m still trying to get used to a new city and not fuck up my job.”

You were navigating. Each day you had to prepare for and learn something new. You didn’t expect so many things to occur at once - friends, a job, some semblance of a normal life. On paper it read perfectly, but double checking the details, it was still in its first draft.

“I understand.” Steve was too kind. His bluish green eyes were too charming. “Just know you have a friend in me for whatever you need.”

Was Steve being a little suggestive, or was that just him wrapped up in a pretty bow and being perfect? You figured you’d never know, but nonetheless said thank you. He escorted you back to the others sans Bucky.

“Tell Buck I’ll talk to him later. Gotta go meet Tony,” Steve told them. “He’d probably like to see you, Nat.”

“Everyone would love to see me, Rogers,” she mused.

Natasha could hold her alcohol. She had already surpassed you and Sam and she was perfectly normal. You managed to pull some information out of her about how she could never stay in one spot for too long. She craved new things, new people, but somehow always found her way back to New York. It explained why she crashed on Bucky’s couch until she found something temporary (mainly at Clint’s, which you had learned later). The more you talked, the less intimidating she got. If anything, Nat was the best female you had ever spoken to.

Sam had taken notice of a pretty girl at the other end of the bar, situating himself with her and her friends. You smiled to yourself.

“I wonder where Bucky went,” you hummed.

“He disappears. It’s his thing. He’s like a ghost,” Nat joked.

“I’ll go find him. You gonna be okay here?”

Natasha gave you a look that made you laugh. She was capable of handling herself. You wandered off around the bar, searching around to see if you could spot him. He wasn’t in his usual spots, so you decided to head to the back to his office. The door was closed as you approached and you could hear voices on the other side. One was definitely Bucky’s, but two others were unfamiliar.

“Look— I’ll have the money, just give me another 48 hours,” Bucky spoke. “Shit’s tight around here.”

“Do I look like a fuckin’ fool to you, Barnes?” a rough voice barked back. “36 hours, money in my hand and I won’t show up in your area until the next payment is due.”

Bucky heaved a frustrated sigh. “Fine. 36 and I’ll have it.”

“It’s a nice place you got here, Barnes.” The other voice had a European accent. “Hate to see it all go down in flames.”

You heard footsteps coming towards the door. Quickly you fled and hid yourself in the narrow cleaning supplies closet, closing your eyes tightly. In total, you could hear two sets of steps on the tiled floor, which exited through the back door. You waited, slowly opening your eyes until you were certain they were gone.

Bucky stood in the middle of his office, looking a little roughed up. You didn’t dare enter or speak. You peeked to see him; he wore a frustrated expression and his right hand was curled into a tight fist. Immediately you knew this was bad. Whatever it was, Bucky was fucked.

tag list: @willhrndale @sweetpca @wintersparker @classicalbughead @abbadontherisingqueen @mystic-scripture@stardustparker @bleedlikerubies @fallenaristocat @beanie-betty @bubblybuckybarnes @queenlydias @eventyyr @thorins-queen-of-erebor @buckybarnesappreciationsociety @capbuckybuchanan @sweetpeassweetheart @beauty-who-doesnt-need-a-beast @lovinglokiforever @flannelfogarty @dontpanc @my-world97 @kali-rambles  **Please let me know if you wished to be added to the Bucky tag OR removed from the Bucky tag.

[alloftimeandspacetosee]

King of Anything

This one was just... it was a very clear image when I listened to the song. It still is, tbh, every single time.

 The twins just. really are like that. They’re sixteen and have no shame.

 (Keone is basically their tour guide in this city, ze’s genderfluid and Aurora has a massive crush)

~

Arlette passed her empty plate across to the waitress with a smile before settling back, clasping her cup between her hands.

“So you’re saying – your performance, day before yesterday – that’s actually how you make money?” Keone asked, leaning forward now the table in front of zir was cleared.

Aurora grinned nodding. “Yeah, sure. I mean – currently it’s just like that, busking – we juggle and dance and sing, too – but to actually hit it on a stage would be so neat.”

“Plus you have your instruments, too.” Keone smiled, dipping zir eyes as ze took a drink. “That’s so neat, you know what you want to do.”

“Uh–” Aurora blinked, almost stuttering.

Arlette smirked. “Well, it’s kinda like a work in progress? By which I mean we’re totally making it up as we go along.”

“Yeah. That.”

Arlette glanced up at her sister, laughter in her eyes. Aurora kicked her under the table.

“I’m just saying is all. Don’t see many ladies like yourself in our profession.” The man’s voice broke in from behind them, loud and clear.

“It’s… we’re in gardening. It’s stereotypically–”

The twins exchanged a glance, and Arlette raised an eyebrow.

“Oh no, it’s much more than that, don’t you see? We’re cultivating a whole experience for anyone who stops to savour it. This is complicated science.”

Aurora twisted to see the table, just the other side of a railing from them.

The couple were sitting in profile to them, the woman with her arms folded and looking spectacularly unimpressed as the man leant forward, hands up to demonstrate something.

“I know, and back home we–”

Aurora looked back to her sister and thumbed at the woman, raising an eyebrow.

Arlette squinted and then nodded, ever so slightly.

“Oh yes, you aren’t even from here! You must let me show you around, we have some splendid flowers for you to take cuttings from.”

Aurora smirked, as she pushed her chair back up against the table, pulling her phone out to send a message.

“What are you doing?” Keone glanced between them.

“A flash performance,” Arlette said. “Be right back.” She stood carefully and made her way to the counter.

“I imagine it’s far different from anything you might have seen before, yes?” The man hadn’t stopped talking.

“See we have our licence for performing in the streets, but coffee shops are a little different.” Aurora put her phone away as she pulled her bag up onto the seat beside her, sorting through it.

The woman’s phone let out a chime, and she checked it. “Sorry, I’m expecting my girlfriend–” She cut off, frowning at the screen. Then she looked up and around, tapping out a reply.

“You’re just going to – do what?” Keone was frowning, one eyebrow slightly raised.

“You’ll see.” Arlette grinned, taking her seat opposite her sister again. “Ready?”

Aurora’s phone chimed and she checked it briefly before nodding and pulling out a tacky plastic crown.

“Do – do you just always have your stuff on you?” Keone shook zir head.

“Always prepared.” Aurora smirked.

“You go.” Arlette gestured at her. “Get the note right.”

“Oh.” Aurora slapped her hands lightly on the table, at a volume clearly meant to carry through the whole coffee shop.

“Oh.” Arlette echoed her, on a different note.

“Oh?” Alé looked between them.

At a different table, Warren looked up and then ducked his head. “Oh.”

Nyx looked up as well as Arlette leant back, tapping her fingers against the railing behind her.

At a different table again, as Aurora and Arlette continued the introduction to their song, Zlata and Ryun watched, with Hohen in the seat between them and Soise idly swinging on the chair beside them.

“Keep drinkin’ coffee stare me down across the table,” Aurora sang out, leaning forward to stare her sister down, “While I look outside.” She turned her sister’s head to look out the window, beyond a few tables. “So many things I’d say if only I were able,” she continued, letting go and pushing her chair back, “But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by.” She tapped her finger through the air, as if counting something.

The cafe around them had fallen silent, the customers turning to watch them.

“You’ve got opinions, man? We’re all entitled to ‘em.” Aurora stood, slamming her palms into the table.

Keone grabbed zir cup back before it could be upset, shrinking down in zir seat.

“But I never asked.” She swung her coat up onto her shoulder. “So let me thank you for your time,” she stepped away from their table and up beside the couple next to them, “And try not to waste any more of mine.”

The woman looked up, frowning at Aurora. “Are you–”

Aurora smirked, grabbing her forearm. “Get out of here fast.” She gently tugged the woman out of her seat, and the woman followed easily, smiling slightly.

“Hey, if you don’t–” The man frowned and reached out as if to stop her.

Arlette slapped his hand down with a rolled up piece of paper, suddenly sitting on the edge of the table right beside him. “I hate to break it to you, babe,” she sang, leaning in. “But I’m not drowning.”

“There’s no one here to save.” Aurora smirked, winking at Shae as she spun her around in the small floorspace they had.

“Who cares if you disagree?” The twins chorused, Arlette jumping back from the table to brush up against Aurora’s back, taking the crown from her hands, “You are not me!”

“Who made you king of anything?” Arlette dipped forward, placing the gaudy plastic crown on his head. “So you dare tell me who to be?” she whispered the phrase, smirking as she let all the levity drop from her expression, eyes flashing like steel.

“Who died and made you king of anything!” Aurora sang out behind her, unaware of her sister’s sudden seriousness.

The man wriggled out of his seat on the other side, slapped down some money, and ran from the shop.

“Let me hold your crown, babe!” Arlette called after him, spinning the crown between her hands.

There’s silence after his departure.

“So you don’t want the next eight verses?” Aurora smirked.

“Shame, right?” Arlette bounced up to sit on their table.

The other customers burst into applause about them.

Arlette grinned, waving as Aurora bowed.

Warren had his head on the table as Nyx laughed, leaning over to pat his shoulder.

Zlata was looking a little aghast, while Soise was grinning, clapping in delight. Ryun was faintly shocked, while holding Hohen back from joining them.

“So.” Aurora turned to the woman at her side. “Shae, right?”

“Yes…” she frowned at Aurora. “We met… a couple years back?”

“Through Ace and Aro.” She led Shae back to their table. “How’s the rest of them?”

“Sorry if that was a bit much, but you didn’t seem like you wanted him.” Arlette slipped from her perch, bringing Shae’s drink with her. “Here.”

“Thanks.” Shae took it, grinning. “Yeah, I came over for a conference and he… uh, thought I was a hanger on.”

“Lovely.” Aurora snorted, taking her seat beside Keone. “Hey, this is Keone. Keone, Shae.” She flicked her hand between them.

“Delighted.” Shae flicked her head, giving Keone a half salute. “How long’ve you known these two?”

“Not long enough to be used to that.” Keone laughed.

“Yeah, that takes a while.” Shae grinned, looking around. “You have other friends in here, right? The ones that are sighing at us?”

Aurora looked round, caught sight of Warren, and waved, grinning at him.

“He… performed with you the first day, though.” Keone glanced over at him.

“Yeah, only because we chose a tale he liked and because we kinda...”

“We were asked to drag him in.” Arlette smirked.

“And he’s still friends with you.” Shae laughed.

“Grudgingly, grudgingly.” Aurora smiled. “How long are you here for?”

“A couple weeks,” Shae replied, standing up. “But ah – I have to… move on, right now. Sadly. Being paid to be here and all.”

“Worth a shot.”

“Thanks for the save.” Shae clapped Arlette on the shoulder. “We’ll meet up some time, though?”

“Anytime.” Arlette grinned.

“I’ll hold you to that.” Shae smirked and left, waving a hand back at them.

[lollercakesff]

Time & Again 5 & 6

Because they kinda go together, here’s parts 5 & 6 from AO3

—-

She doesn’t call him. The weekly dinner happens but it’s Jonathan who drives him and Will over to Hopper’s place and they don’t bring up Joyce throughout the meal.

Later, when El is helping to wash the dishes after the boys have left, she’s the first to bring up the incident from the barbecue.

“I don’t want a new Mama,” she states absently and Hopper freezes, his grip tightening on the dishcloth he holds.

“Oh?” It squeaks out of him, his heart beating heavily. He would die for this kid, her approval is everything to him, but the fear of her not wanting Joyce in their lives breaks him inside.

“She couldn’t be my Mama. Nobody else ever could be. But I’d be okay if she was my Joyce.” El stops rinsing a plate to look up at him with her blatant honesty. “Mike and Will were talking about you at school and Will and I talked and it would be okay if maybe - I don’t know. I would be okay if Joyce was my pretend Mama. Like you’re my pretend dad.”

Hopper feels like the Grinch with his heart growing out of his chest with every word that El speaks. As though a weight has been lifted, he sets down the dishcloth and pulls her in for a hug. When they pull apart he ruffles her hair and stays crouched at her level.

“No one will replace your Mama, I promise,” he says carefully, eyes searching hers. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Joyce, but I appreciate you saying that.”

“Appreciate?” She frowns, her head cocking slightly to the side in her usual search for an explanation. He chuckles, returning to his spot drying the dishes.

“Yeah, like, I value your opinion and I’m happy you support it. We’re family now, or at least I think so, and I hope you feel the same. We’re in this together.”

“Okay. So does that mean you are going to call her?” El questions as she too turns back to the sink.

“No. I’m going to be patient and wait for her to call me.”

“That sounds stupid.”

“Oh yeah?” He pauses, stopping to lean against the counter as he faces El.

“Yeah. If you both like each other, what are you even doing? It seems inevitable,” she adds and shakes her head, the grown up reaction throwing him off.

“Inevitable, eh? Where’d you learn that word?”

“Dustin. He said you and Joyce were inevitable. Did I use it right?”

“Yeah kid, you did,” Hopper nods and takes the glass from her hand to dry as a smile lights his features.

—-6

“Flo, has J - “

“No, Chief. If you ask me again, I’ll ban donuts from the station permanently. Just call her already - would you?” Flo chastises him as he pases by her desk for the third time that day.

Grumbling, he heads to his office with coffee in hand and sits heavily in his chair. He doesn’t want to look at the files on his desk, the petty cases uninteresting to him as he leans back and sips at his coffee.

It’s been over a week since the barbeque and he’s growing more nervous with every day that passes. He figured she would have called him by now, she wasn’t a cruel woman, but she still hadn’t reached out. So much for being a patient man, he realized.

To be honest, he never should have kissed her. He could have gone on without her for months if he hadn’t felt what it was like to have her in his arms and her lips on his. No, that was definitely the mistake he’d made and now he had to live with it.

And the dreams.

God, he needed to get her out of his head. Joyce had him tangled up in knots and he couldn’t remember feeling this way, even with Diane. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like he was helpless to solve his own problems and he’d done two tours in the war.

“Fuck,” he hissed, setting down his coffee and getting up to pace his office. Pausing at the window he watched as a car similar to Joyce’s pulled into the parking lot. Immediately his blood started to pound until a lanky teenager he didn’t recognize emerged from the driver’s side. “That’s it, I can’t do this.”

Returning to his desk, he grabbed for his hat and shoved it onto his head before walking swiftly out of the building. He made it to the store where Joyce worked in record time, his truck practically parking itself as he pulled into a spot across the street. Through the window he could see Joyce behind the till as she rung through a customer. As soon as the man left the store Hopper forced a calming breath into his lungs and made his way into the shop.

“Hey Joyce, just gotta grab some stuff, I’ll be out of your hair in a second,” he lies, wandering down an aisle and pulling items off the shelf without looking at them. What was he even doing here? He was being ridiculous. They had an agreement and he was breaking it.

“Are you really going to take care of a Chia Pet, Hopper?” Joyce says from her perch on the store ladder. He hadn’t even realized she’d climbed up it, so desperate he was to keep up this charade that he was oblivious to how hard it would be to run into her when she was four feet in the air. Sighing audibly, he looks down at what’s in his hand and feels the heat rise to his cheeks - thankful in that second that his beard covers most of his embarrassment.

“Yeah. I mean, it was a gift, for El,” he adds lamely, pretending to read the instructions and act casual in front of the woman who has him all tied up inside.

“Good. Cause I thought you were here to see me,” she says under her breath, stepping up another rung. He turns to face her head on then, his hand setting the plant back on the shelf in defeat.

“I lied. You didn’t call.” The pathetic hint to his tone makes him cringe internally. Though he’s always been an honest man, he finds himself wishing he could lie his way out of this situation. Why was this so hard? He’d done this all before and stayed cool - why was this so different?

Because this mattered. And he knew what it was like to lose something that mattered and he couldn’t do it again.

“I’m sorry -” His heart drops at her words, all of his strength threatening to leave him as he stands empty handed. “I meant to, but I didn’t know how to say what I want to say.”

He needs to hold it together. Needs to breathe through the pain in his chest. But he can’t. She doesn’t want this - she doesn’t want him.

“Okay. No problem,” he forces from his lips, though from where he found those words within him he’s not sure. Joyce shifts on the rung, turning half her body to frown at him.

“No problem? What? Hop, I - “

“You don’t have to say it, Joyce. It’s okay.” She shakes her head and throws her hands up in the air, seemingly losing track of where she is or what she’s doing. From where he stands it’s like they both realize what a mistake that was one second too late - Joyce’s hands flail in the air and she tumbles backwards, her feet slipping from the rungs and her small frame sliding off of the ladder and onto the floor with a thump.

“Oh god,” she groans as he drops beside her a second to late to catch her fall.

“Joyce - fuck, are you hurt?” He questions the obvious, his training failing him. “What were you thinking?”

“I hit my - ow!” She screeches as his fingers prod her leg, the one that had somehow gotten caught up in a rung of the ladder. He turns just in time to see the fear flicker across her face as the tears rush in, adrenaline pumping and pain starting to bloom. His mind automatically fills with Sara, the look she had when her first symptoms started, and he has to blink away the memory.

“Did you hit your head?” He questions, concern lacing through him as he checks for bumps along her skull.

“No, but - “ She hiccups as she focuses on catching her breath, eyes trained on the ceiling to fight against the burning pain. “I think I hurt my - “

“Arm - yeah, no - don’t look,” he pulls a towel from a nearby shelf and covers her torso from sight. “I’m going to call the ambulance. Don’t move.”

When he returns she’s crying silently, her eyes closed and her body already starting to bruise on its visible skin. Kneeling beside her he pushes the hair away from her face and shakes his head.

“It’s going to be okay,” he soothes and cups her cheek in his hand, a thumb brushing away the tears.

“I fell off a ladder.”

“I know. I saw. But you’ll be okay.” She laughs in between her sobs and he tries not to smile at her reaction. Of course Joyce would laugh at a moment like this - she was stronger than hell and undefeatable. He just wishes she’d held on better so they could have finished their conversation.

[justvibesbro]

Tell Me You Love Me~

A/N: This fic was written for @inickel based from her post! (And side note: thanks for getting me addicted to this song like omgg it’s a bop.) This is a songfic based on The Weeknd’s, “Wicked Games.” Enjoy!! <3

Word Count: 2,316. 

Warnings: Harry x Uma, Swearing, & Angst.

It rained while he walked. The murky waters of the isle swishing back and forth to the land. The pitter-patter sound of the rain had combined with that of the waters it was falling on, creating a comforting tune of dampness in the brunette boy’s ears as he ventured. The young pirate kept walking until he had reached restaurant that towered over him. That of which, was Ursula’s Fish and Chips. The boy breathed out a sigh and stepped in. Upon his entrance he was greeted immediately with a rather angry turquoise headed girl holding a tray of rotten fish.

“Harry, where have you been!? Your shift here started ten minutes ago!”

“Sorry Uma, I ran into a little problem.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Me hook needed polishin’ “

She huffed and smacked the fake hook out of his hand.

“Aye! What was that for?!”

“What was it for? Maybe because you’ve gotten so wrapped into that fake hook of yours that you totally forgot about life outside of it. Like the fact that you’re late for your brand new shift here, or that you haven’t been hanging around me much.”

He paused slightly at her words his classic smirk slowly making itself perceptible to Uma’s eyes.

“Well now, if I wasn’t so sure I’d be sayin’ you’re kinda of jealous of the hook, aren’t ya?”

Her eyes widen, a slight wave of blush slowly forming on her cheeks. Her eyes then went back down and her eyebrows furrowed.

“No! Why on earth would I ever be jealous of a stupid hook? Why would even think that?”

“Oh why it’s pretty obvious love, you love me, don’t you?”

She was taken a back at his question. Her cheeks grew more hot as the slight blush that was evident on her cheeks grew to not be so slight anymore.

Harry stood staring at his captain anticipating Uma to admit her love; only to hear the very opposite.

“No. I do not love you. I will never love you, Harry.”

Harry’s smug demeanor faded away and left a sadden expression in return.

“W-What, but I’m your first mate.”

“Right, and that’s all you’ll ever be, my first mate. Not first love, not first date, not anything! I don’t care about you!”

Harry gazed at her with eyes of sorrow. Tears slowly accumulated in his sockets.

“B-But, Uma I-”

“Don’t but Uma me, Harry! Okay? I said what I needed to say! This isle is place of anger and sadness! Love does not exist here, nor will it ever!”

“But it can exist! I can make it exist, Uma!”

“Fine, be my guest, but if you plan on finding someone to love you, you might wanna bring a map. ‘Cause it sure the hell ain’t here.”

Uma strode off. The tray of fish still in hand as she served a customer. Her gaze met Harry’s who was wide mouth at her words.

“Get to work, first mate, captain’s orders!”

Harry didn’t know what he wanted to do. A part of him wanted to shout and throw a fit out of anger. Though another wanted to bawl his eyes out. His emotions took a toll on him and stood there at the entrance stunned.

“Didn’t you hear me? I said get to work!”

“No!”

“Excuse me?”

Uma furrowed her eyebrows again and sauntered towards him angrily. Harry had not known what to do at that moment. The sight of an angry Uma was not one he enjoyed. He only did the one idea that came across his mind at that moment. 

Run.

He quickly picked up his hook and bolted out the entrance. The rain he had left was still pouring hard. A couple lightning strikes even lit up his path as the quakes of thunder followed. He didn’t care however, he’d rather face the the mighty forces of nature than that of Uma. Eventually, when he knew the coast was clear and he was far from the restaurant, he sat down against the wall of an alley. There he started to think. He thought hard. The realization struct on him on what he done. He had abandoned his own captain. He had left her side. And now she’s probably hunting him down with the rest of the crew ready to chop his head off for leaving them and acting like a baby. 

This thought of disloyalty made him angry. Up until, another thought entered his head. One that reminded him of Uma’s words that made him run. Her saying she didn’t love him, no, that never loved him. It might sound quite childish, but Harry always had at the back of his mind that Uma had a thing for him. He knew he did. Everywhere he treated her like a goddess. He kept to her every word since they were younger and up until now. Though, all of it, was for nothing. Tears formed again in Harry’s eyes. He then slammed his hook on the ground with the very little anger he had when he took notice to them forming. If the isle wasn’t a place of love, it most definitely wasn’t a place of crying. He had known that all too well. Though, in this moment, he just gave up on the isle’s rules.

He slowly brought up his knees to his face and brought his arms on top of them, making them cross. He slowly but gently lowered his head to his arms and started to bawl. He cried for a good while. He was going to cry until he knew couldn’t no more. Or at least, until he was interrupted by an individual.

“Harry..?”

Harry froze. After a brief moment he looked up only to find a blue haired girl looking down at him along with her three other friends behind her.

“Are you okay?”

He then rubbed his eyes and stood up quickly to not seem weak to the rotten four.

“Yes I’m okay! What’s it to ya?”

Jay walked over.

“Oh really, dude? ‘Cause your crying begs to differ.”

Harry groaned.

“What do you idiots want, huh? I thought you all were Auradon snobs now.”

Mal then walked over.

“Well, disregarding that diss, I can tell you that we came here to give Ben a tour of the isle. He always wanted to visit here.”

Evie pouted.

“Though, since it’s storming our tour for him got cut short, he’s back there with the limo waiting on us.”

She then pointed to a shiny expensive looking limo that was sitting in front of a bright beam of golden light making a road across the waters from the isle to Auradon.

Harry saw the limo and knew what he had to do.

“Let me go back with you all.”

The four paused. Carlos crossed his arms.

“Uhm, why, exactly?”

“It’s a long story, but I-I just don’t wanna serve Uma anymore. I’m sure she wouldn’t care if leave.”

Evie walked over to Harry and rubbed his back. Mal then patted his shoulder.

“Welp, okay then, I’m cool with that. Just hop into the limo with them. I’ll meet you all there I just gotta get some spray paint from my old place to make some graffit- er, I mean, art, at Auradon.”

Harry nodded and walked back with the others. When he reached the limo he told his story of what had happened to Ben and the three as they waited.

Carlos patted his shoulder.

“Well, dude, I know you feel awful right now, but trust us, Auradon will make you feel better. Hey, how about some tunes while we wait?”

Harry nodded at Carlos’ offer and Ben turned on the radio. A tune played.

I left my girl back home I don't love her no more

The very first words of the song entered Harry’s mind. He felt they related somewhat well to his situation. He had left his girl back home. And he didn’t love her no more. Though, did he?

Jay groaned and reached towards the radio.

“Ben, what the hell man, turn this sappy shit off!”

Harry caught Jay’s arm just before it had touched the radio.

“No! Leave it!”

Harry then sat back and meditated to the lyrics some more. The bridge of the song soon came on.

Bring your love baby I could bring my shame Bring the drugs baby I could bring my pain I got my heart right here I got my scars right here Bring the cups baby I could bring the drink Bring your body baby I could bring you fame And that's my motherfucking words too Just let me motherfucking love you

Harry broke down at those words. All he wanted to do was to show Uma how much he loved and adored her. And he did, though she didn’t love him back. Though, did she?

His eyes were full of tears and his ears were full of the song as it continued.

Listen ma I'll give you all I got Get me off of this I need confidence in myself yeah yeah yeah oh yeah oh Listen ma I'll give you all of me Give me all of it I need all of it to myself

So tell me you love me Only for tonight Only for one night, even though you don't love me oh oh Just tell me you love me I'll give you what I need I'll give you all of me, even though you don't love me oh oh

Harry sighed. The words seeped into his mind. Especially the final part. The, “I’ll give you all of me, even though you don’t love me,” part. The boy frowned and wiped off his tears. Uma doesn’t love him. He needed to face facts and get over it. Starting a new life at Auradon would be just what he needed. He needed to leave this all behind him. He needed to leave Uma once and for all. His classic smirk had once again made an appearance on his face. He was finally ready. He turned around to look to see if Mal was coming, though unfortunately, she was still in her old home. He sighed and kept looking around at the sight of his old home of the isle before he left to leave for his new one. Everywhere he looked he felt more and more grateful to be leaving. He saw dingy looking areas, angry vicious people, and more distasteful things. Although, one thing didn’t look quite distasteful. This thing being a turquoise headed sea witch standing far from the limo.

Harry’s eyes widen at the sight of his former captain standing there. He looked around some more to see if she had brought the crew after her. He found nothing. Just her. And on second glance, he didn’t see her with her sword she kept on her at all times. So to him it was safe to assume she didn’t come out to bring harm. Harry looked at her some more. He looked at her face. The face he had expected was one of anger, though this had not been it. It was rather sad looking. Uma’s eyebrows were raised up in a face of sorrow rather than furrowed in a face of fury.

Harry felt something in him. He felt something. He felt, sorry for her. He tried to shake off the feeling but as he continued to look at that face of hers, it all came back to him. It was just so weird that she would be legitimately sad rather than mad. Didn’t she say she didn’t care about him? Then it all sunk it. She does care! She always did! She was lying! After a moment, Uma started to walk off. A part of him wanted to let her go and another didn’t. He was back at it again battling himself on what he wanted to do. He grew frustrated and groaned.

The three took notice to his groan.

Carlos rubbed his shoulder.

“You okay, man?”

Harry looked at him and then at the rest of them. He didn’t know how to answer. He didn’t want to answer.  He only did the one idea that came across his mind at that moment once again.

Run.

He unlocked the door and ran out into the towards Uma. Luckily, his speed was very fast and he managed to make it up to her just in time.

Uma turned around.

“Huh? Oh, uh, hey.”

“Hey, Uma, look I-”

Uma covered his mouth.

“Yeah, I know, you’re leaving with those traitors, go ahead. See if I care.”

“But that’s the thing, though, you do!”

Uma cocked an eyebrow.

“H-Huh?”

“You clearly care! I jus’ saw you starin’ at the limo, you knew I was in there. And you just, stared. You didn’t try to fight or nothin’, you just, stared.”

“U-Uh, so what? Just ‘cause I look at you it means I care about you? Get real, Harry.”

“For Pete’s sake Uma, you literally came out here to watch me join sides with your enemy’s team. If you didn’t care you would’ve just stayed at the restaurant.”

Uma paused. He was right and she knew it. Harry then continued.

“And, if you caring about me is true, then, I’m sure you loving me could be as well, hm?”

Uma’s cheeked grew warm as a rising blush grew.

“I, uhm, I,”

Harry gently put his palm to Uma’s face and lifted her head up. His eyes met hers. He then spoke in a gentle tone.

“Just tell me you love me.”

“I-I, I love you!”

With that Uma brought her face to Harry’s locking lips with the boy. The two stood like that for moments on end, the rain from above pouring on them. And the two would’ve stayed liked that had they not been interrupted.

Mal walked to them, spray paints in hand.

“So, I guess, you’re staying here, huh?”

Harry broke apart from Uma.

“Guess so, love on the isle has gotta exist somehow.”

Uma smirked.

“And we’re gonna be the ones to make it happen.”

The two chuckled and leaned back into their passionate kiss. Leaving a groaning Mal to watch.

[deanmiles13]

My Very First KISS Concert.

KISS- August 10th, Indianapolis, IN. 1979

I can’t actually remember where/when I first heard them, but I do remember the two brothers we hung out with who gave my first KISS record. The NUGENT!!! Brad and Brian. We always wondered and asked about the TED connection... They said it was true.

Anyway, one day, they said I could have this album called Rock and Roll Over. I was immediately drawn to the cover. We lived in the same apartment complex and I ran home and never took that album off. In fact, it was like a drug. I had to have more. Luckily, KISS was everywhere. Magazines, Records, Toys etc. Baseball cards were the big thing at the time and I would steal packs of these. Easy to steal and satisfied my craving for these new monsters that filled my imagination. Also fueled my desire to collect anything and everything KISS. My walls were covered in posters and pages from Circus, Sixteen and Hit Parader. The inside of my closets were top to bottom covered with stuff as well.

The Kabuki make up of my new idols was transfixing. I would notice if a lazy photo editor had published picture of my heroes with their guitar backwards or even lettering on the cases. I would pour over each detail of these pictures until I had exhausted all possibilities as to what was going in the photos. Like where WERE they?!?! Had they beaten up Shawn Cassidy for real? Was IT. goats blood? Did Peter stab someone with a drumstick?

This was pre internet and it was awesome!! But the MUSIC?!?!

 It was the real hook. It had me. I had to have it all. We lived near a Woolworth’s and man did we turn that place inside out. We would spend hours there just running all over. I remember people lined up out the door to play Atari -Space Invaders- the day it came out. I took my turn and then got back in line to play it again. Anyway, somehow my brother and I came up with a brilliant scam to get records. In them days, when you would buy a record, they would fold the receipt and staple it to the outside of the bag. SO... We went and bought just one album, and then we just used a “dummy” bag to procure our new drug, a couple of albums at a time. My mom got to asking about my new phono collection and I just told her that a friend “gave them to me”. Well this led to endless hours playing these records.

They never would play KISS on the radio back then, and I would just have an ALL KISS - ALL DAY sorta thing and play these albums back to back. I still own these very same KISS records and there is nary a scratch on them. I covet them!

I would even call radio stations and request KISS. They would straight up laugh and tell me that they would NEVER play that crap on the air. I must’ve been just one of many Flaming Youth trying to set the world on fire.

But when KISS came to town?!?! Man, was Q95 happy to have them down to promote the show. It must have been weird for KISS. Their music wouldn’t /couldn’t be played on radio, yet they still needed radio jocks to promote the show?!?!

Which leads to August 10, 1979.

Market Square Arena (Built in 1974, brought down in 2001) Capacity 16,000 KISS Opening act: Michael Stanley Group.

It was the last Peter Criss tour with them. I don’t remember the build up to the show much. I’m sure we had to go to J.C. Pennys or something to get the tickets. It used to be at Customer Service where you would put payments on layaway stuff. The day of the show however we were off the wall in anticipation.

I wondered where they would be sleeping? When they got here to Indy (Apparently Paul was stopped by a frisky female officer while on i-465. He had a love gun on him). The whole day we were on my Mom, “We gotta go!!! Now!!!” See, this was “Festival Seating” and that was first come- first served. Hell, I would have waited all week if I knew it meant Iwould be sitting up on the front.This was just a glimpse of my dedication and love for Rock and Roll.

But my Mom, she just kept saying “The show don’t start til’ 8:00!” Man, it was the longest day of my life. The show?!?!? I can remember the smoking guitar. Beth... N.Y. Groove and I was made for loving you baby. And sitting so far away, you couldn’t even see the make up they had on. I recall the blood, the smashing of Paul’s guitar.... I still have the program.

But the show, the crowd, the smells. Fuck yes!!! My Mom RULES. Setting a 9 year and 6 year old kid in the middle of this, was baptism by fire.

Back to MOM.....

She knew I was stealing those records. She saw my devotion to this band a saw how it made me feel.... GREAT!!! So, it was slightly weird when I was asked to take down all the posters etc. She said the apartments we lived in wanted to paint each unit and we had to prep. This meant removing everything from the walls.

So, I neatly rolled all the posters and put them in grocery bags. And waited.... And waited... It NEVER crossed my mind why my Mom wasn’t “prepping” and taking stuff off the walls of the apt.

No paint crew EVER arrived. It was front and center on my mind, but slowly slipped from it and so did my posters from my life. I turned around one day to put them back up and couldn’t find them. Our apartment was small and I knew every inch of it. I couldn’t find them anywhere.When I asked my Mom about them, she would just shrug and say “If it was on the floor, I probably threw it away!”

I’ll never forget those words. My temple to the Gods of Thunder was gone. Just like that!!!

This was a life lesson I was being taught by a very caring and loving mom. I know she had no intentions of creating a collecting monster that she did. Years later as I look back on all the boxes of fliers and posters, it all makes sense. Actually, I learned this in therapy years later.

If not for KISS I would never have picked up a broom (works best for Gene/Bass) or a tennis racquet (best for Ace/guitar). But more important, it made me wanna be cool like the cat man. The best voice KISS had. The one with the big hit that made em’ mainstream. The DRUMMER!!! I would play along to the records, air drumming, all the time, The one to set the bar to was Alive. I would grind that one out on Friday nights with my pillows and headphones.

Eventually, my musical taste changed and I kinda moved on from KISS. I would see them a few more times and then with no make up. The WTF moment for all fans. It was uncomfortable to watch them roll with the changes and get more frilly.... UGHH!!!

The next band I got into hardcore, was The Ramones.

 Seems to be about right. 4 NY guys, straight up rock, a uniform image, intensity, passion!!!

HEY HO LET’S GO!!!!

[cafesandlatenights]

Chapter One [Beyond the Sunrise, LMMxReader]

Summary: The stranger from the diner is more familiar with your family than you realized.

Word Count: 2,377

Warnings: Slow burn, mentions of drinking?

Authors notes:  Sab - Guys. Dreams are coming true (specifically, mine). This is the first chapter and we are so excited to share with you guys! Mostly because pre-ITH Lin is my spirit animal.

Ren - You guys have no idea how excited we are for you to finally dive in with us into this story! Sab and I have a ~thing~ for pre-ITH Lin and the way this story flows when we write kinda speaks for itself. We really hope you guys enjoy it as much as we do!

askbox | masterlist | prologue | next chapter

“Mom, slow down- What do you need me to do?” You thanked the universe for having a slow day at your job when your mom called. Those phone calls were never calm or short, but today she sounded especially nervous. “Ava? Is she okay?”

“I got a call from school, hon, they asked to pick her up earlier, something about a stomach or a headache, I don’t remember.” You rolled your eyes at your mom’s neglect and how it never changed, even after having three daughters. “Since your job is closer to Hunter and I’m on the other side of the city I was wondering if-”

“If I can pick her up? Sure, I’ll have to talk to my boss but we’re having a slow day anyway.” You took a deep breath after listening to your mother giving you instructions on how to find your way inside Hunter like you have never been there, hanging up on her after a quick goodbye.

Getting the time off wasn’t a problem. Your manager was truly considerate when it came to family instances, and this hadn’t been the first time your mother dropped the ball with your freshman sister: your role as big sister doubled as a psychologist, driver, nurse and more often than it should, mother.

You checked yourself in the bathroom’s mirror at work, straightened the pencil skirt you hated so much and putt a few strands of hair back in place. Hunter was no place for you, you knew that the first time you stepped into the prestigious high school in jeans and a t-shirt during your little sister’s tour, earning a few side looks from other family members that were accompanying the kids as well.

You dreaded walking on the campus. Snooty teachers and teenagers that were already much smarter than you’d ever be put you on edge. If your sister was sick, however, you had no choice. Leaving a note for your co-worker by the desk telling them you’d be back soon and stepping out of the Natural History Museum, you made your way quickly to the parking lot, quickly finding your car: used and with way more mileage than it should, the old thing did the job just fine for now. You took some pride on having it, since it was one of your first purchases with your own salary, but the car was old.

At least that’s what your mother said. You liked the word vintage much more.

You had to admit it was a bit embarrassing rolling up to your sister’s prestigious school in the beater, but it was not like you had another option.

You knew the layout of the campus fairly well, and was able to navigate to the front office with little trouble. A quick conversation with a woman at the front desk had you stuck in a waiting room before being allowed access to the nurse’s office. Waiting was one of the few things that you utterly hated.

Waiting gives you time to think, thinking leads to overthinking, which was something that you already did too often without the spare time sitting in a room with nothing to do gave you. Your eyes wandered through the walls, all full of old pictures, almost historical ones, of classes that graduated before you were even born. The place was a museum almost as much as it was a school, and you noticed how different it was from the school you attended as a teenager.

Your school wasn’t the most funded or filled to the brim with the highest test scores in New York, but it was home for four years. So were the places nearby, your mind shifting your thoughts to the Salt & Pepper diner almost immediately. It was a place that had been up and running for decades - even when your mother was in high school.

You pictured how different the dynamics were back in her time, and how there was almost a zero percent chance she’d have had the night you had with Lin. Lin. You didn’t see him again ever since, nor had you asked Sonya about him, it wasn’t like you two were friends or anything.

Lin hadn’t had the time to return to the diner in the past week, the unscheduled early morning chat putting a dent in the time he set aside to grade papers.

It seemed like his week had been clouded with you, so much so that his students had begun to notice a certain off-ness to his attitude: he was distracted and would often lose his line of thought, which was really uncommon to Lin. He noticed some kids whispering to each other as he took a deep breath to collect himself to what looked like the millionth time that morning. Thankfully, a middle of the day prep period meant he could busy himself with making copies and catching up with his co-workers after the weekend.

The office was always his first stop, the copy machines promised to be flooded with other teachers with just as many stacks of papers as he had. To kill the time, he would listen in on the gossip the women at the front desk would dish - always taking their remarks with a grain of salt.

Usually it was what teachers they thought were hooking up (they had quite the idea that him and Mr. Martinez, the band teacher, would make a lovely couple). Today, they pouted over one of his favorite students.

“Poor girl, sick to her stomach and her mother can’t even come pick her up. The sister has to leave work.”

“Well, when was the last time we’ve even seen Ava’s mother? Orientation, maybe?”

Craning his neck to see if the line was moving along at all - it wasn’t - Lin abandoned his place and made a beeline for the nurse’s office. The fastest route was a straight shot, but Lin liked to avoid a certain section of the office where yard duties would squabble about the appropriate length of girls’ skirts.

A sudden left turn had him in the attendance office, only a few doors down from the nurse’s office. He stopped walking once he passed by the waiting room and saw someone. You. He walked back, catching your attention.

“[Y/N]?” The happiness in his voice matched the sparkle in his eyes, it was adorable. “What are you doing here?”

“Lin, hey!” You got up, wrapping your arms around his neck for a quick hug that lasted a few seconds too long. You felt your heart beating fast once he let go of you. “I’m picking up my sister, she got sick and my mom couldn’t come...” Your eyebrows raised in a silent question.

“Oh! I’m working.” His hand found his teacher badge, dangling from a lanyard around his neck.

“Mr. Miranda. English department.” You read aloud. “Substitute teacher?”

“Yep, I have to pay the bills somehow,” he shrugged. “I feel bad about the other night. Venting to you until the sun came up and I didn’t even ask for your number.”

“Oh, right! I felt like it was my fault, I just left after I- I’m sorry,” you replied, with an apologetic smile. “Here,” you shuffled through your bag for a scrap of paper as he fished for a pen from his pants pocket.

You hurriedly scribbled down the digits, passing him the crinkled note.

“The Natural History Museum?” He asked, squinting at the faded watermark above your number.

“You’re not the only one that has bills to pay,” you shrugged. “Front desk, half-time job. Welcome to the American Museum of Natural History, how can I help you today?” Your ‘customer service’ voice had Lin giggling, recalling a similar tone he used when he served strangers one dollar burgers.

“Hey sis I- Mr. Miranda, hi!” Your little sister broke into the waiting room with her backpack hanging on one shoulder, a small smile showing up on her face when she noticed who you were talking to.

“Hey, how’re you feeling?” Your arms went over her shoulder as you pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

“Nauseous. Tired. Hungry.” She listed.

“Did you go out drinking last night?” He teased, knowing your angel of a little sister wouldn’t even consider it.

“Totally wasted.” She answered, “Don’t tell my sister, she’s lame.”

“And with that,” a glare in her direction silenced any more of her teasing, “we should get you home. Lin, it was great to see you again.”

“Likewise,” he nodded. “Maybe next time we have coffee you’ll at least try not to peel the crust off your grilled cheese?”

“We’ll have to find that out,” you joked. “You have my number now, so…”

“I’ll text you.” He announced, making you giggle while you left with your little sister, who looked at the both of you with curiosity.

Once Ava and you got in the car, you bit your lip, turning on the radio to avoid any conversation about what just happened, but at the same time you knew that never stopped Ava before. Just as you expected, after a few songs, she started asking questions.

“So, how do you know Mr. Miranda?” You little sister asked while turning the radio’s volume down a few numbers.

“We met at a diner a few nights ago.” You simply commented, not taking your eyes from the streets. “Had to get some work done and we were the only people there.”

“He is awesome, you know?” You knew. “And he totally asked you out there.” The certain girlish giggle that escaped your sister reminded you that she was only fourteen.

“What? No!” You turned to her once he car stopped at a red light. “He knows it was just as friends… Right? I mean it’s coffee not dinner.”

“I don’t think so, sis.” Ava was typing on her phone while talking. “You should consider it as a date, though.”

“Ava, I have a boyfriend, remember? Stephen?”

“Stephen is a bore, [Y/N].”

“I thought you liked him!”

“I do, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is really boring. Mr. Miranda is one of my favorite people in the world, you can’t expect me to be on Stephen’s side on this one.”

“This is so none of your business,” you commented, right before arriving at your mother’s street, finding a parking spot right away. “Okay, you’re home.”

“You’re not coming in?” Ava’s eyes widened.

“I’m avoiding any chance to face mom, Ava.” You took a deep breath, placing a strand of hair behind her ear. “If you need anything, just call okay?”

She mumbled a reply, swinging her bag on and closing the car door behind her. You sat and watched her safely disappear into the house, firing up the car and pulling out of the spot.

You hated to just leave your little sister by herself at home, but if you lingered too long your mother may corner you into a conversation. And the conversation would be considered a passive-aggressive attack on every single aspect of your life: your mom loved you, you knew that, but she also had an abnormal amount of high expectations about your personal, professional and academic life.

She could drone on for hours about Stephen. How he was perfect for you. How he had a career and aspirations and money. Stephen was the only aspect of your life that your mother happily approved of and ironically, the only aspect of your life you couldn’t care less about.

Work was always a nice escape from thinking about these things. Forcing smiles and directing tourists distracted you from the man you had dedicated over two years of your life to. He wasn’t horrible.

He was nice, and sometimes he made you laugh and he definitely had money, something that came in handy when you decided to move out and he promptly invited you to move in with him. No matter how nice he was, however, you had to agree with your sister. He was a bit boring.

Work only lasted so long, you conceded, enjoying the final moments of solitude as you drove home from the museum. After dropping your bag by the door, you noticed the sun setting, giving the whole place a golden glow. As you walked towards Stephen’s home office, you found the guy typing while listening to someone on the phone, which was stuck between his shoulder and his ear.

You watched him for a few moments until he ended the call, going to him and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “Hey.”

“Hey, I didn’t even hear you coming.”

“I noticed,” you replied with a smile. “Busy day?”

“As always. Yours?”

“Had to pick up Ava at school, mom called last minute.” You sat on his desk by his laptop while he finished typing. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Anything you want,” he smiled.

And that was that. He would hold himself in his office until dinner, where he would make a quick appearance and press the same kiss on your cheek as he had the night before. He’d return to his office until bedtime, where you would sit up, watch a single late night show, and be tucked in by eleven.

It was while you were setting up the table for you and Stephen when your phone buzzed on your back pocket, the confusion on your face when seeing the unknown number being replaced with a smile after seeing the message.

From: Unknown number

To: [Y/N]

Hello! Hope your sister is feeling better (she does have a very very important essay due at the end of the week!) and that you weren’t kidding about getting coffee again?

Your thumbs hovered over the phone before starting to type a reply.

From: [Y/N]

To: Lin Miranda

Yes and yes. Ava is already annoying me with texts again so she’s probably fine. And nope, not kidding! Coffee sounds great.

That didn’t sound flirtatious, right? Stephen shifted in the other room. No, definitely not flirtatious. Still, you hesitated before hitting ‘send’.

From: Lin Miranda

To: [Y/N]

I’m sure your schedule is a little crazier than mine. School and work and all that? Pick a date and time and I’ll be there.

tags:  @smileystumph - @justanotherhamiltrash - @always-blame-jefferson - @itsjaynebird - @angerybisexual - @l-nmanuel - @voldecrux - @phangirldil2022 - @jzzyjones