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myers-meadow · 3 years ago

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Michael Myers x ofc/you

Title: Care for me, part 1.

Part two here

Part three here

Part four here

Part five (final) here

Warnings: therapy, obsessive behaviour. References to past murder.

Contents: Rob Zombie's Michael Myers in Smith's Grove meets a new therapist with unconventional ideas. Over 3k words. Michael x you/ Michael x ofc. 'You' have a name, since i find y/n somewhat awkward for longer fics.

I am also proud to say that this fic is heavily inspired by Michel Foucault's ideas on power difference and how this comes into play in the anti-psychiatry theories. Also: 80s fashion. I'd love to have feedback on this, since i choose a very particular, somewhat fragmented writing style (it is what i immensly enjoy).

Routine. That was what defined his life at Smith’s Grove. And Loomis’ voice, somehow. The waiting was long, but Michael was patient. One day, a Tuesday no less, something new happened.

Loomis had brought someone else with him on his daily visit. You, a young woman, with supple step and a relaxed posture. Behind his mask, his eyes followed you with apt curiosity.

“Michael, hello, today our session will be different. As you can see, there is someone new to help you. I have asked her to take over for me once a week.”

“Hello, how wonderful to meet you, my name is Marion van Doorn.” You made no move to shake his hand, not expecting him to even accept.

Loomis continued. “She is specialised in some, well, unconventional forms of therapy that have proved very helpful for several other patients that have been treated here. I will leave you to it, y/n.” And briskly, Loomis left the cell.

“Bye, doctor, meet you at lunch.” You called after him, then turned your attention to Michael. His gaze was unsettling in its unseen intensity. “Alright, I will explain my methods.”

You crossed your legs and leaned forward, not keeping your posture open as the other professionals did. “I am not a doctor like Dr. Loomis or any of the nurses who may have treated you. I’ve heard bits about you from Dr. Loomis, but was frankly unsatisfied with the data in his reports on you.” Your voice showed obvious displeasure. “All of it was focused on getting you to speak, to communicate, in order to treat you. It’s just data, things they can write down, right? Words. But I think, that if we listen, really listen, then we can go past ‘words’ and towards understanding. And if I look around me,” you gestured to the room, plastered in masks, and then returning your eyes to his with a genuine smile, “it seems like you are already communicating plenty.”

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

And so it started. Loomis seemed impressed with you and the way you were able to connect with your patient. And when you were gone, there was gossip in the hallways.

“And she’s so young, too. Do you think she can handle him?”

“You heard what he did to the other nurse all those years ago – it’s only a matter of time with those methods of her.”

“Calling them methods is rather generous, don’t you think?”

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

Next Tuesday, second session. You sat down in front of him, the door to his cell partly opened as a safety measure. Guards outside.

Michael once again noted the absence of a clipboard, you did not carry anything but a tweed blazer over your arm. The weather must be getting colder again.

“Hello again Michael.” You started, gentle smile, making eye contact, relaxed, informal posture. “Last time we met I explained some things, but from today onwards I would like to put some things into practice if you’d like.”

Silence, but you didn’t seem to mind. His eyes never left yours, sharp behind the mask. He chose a funny one today, white with black, crude lines.

“I’m not looking for results, see it more as exercise. Dr. Loomis values routine as a cornerstone of therapy, of building a stable life and that makes a stable individual. You’ve probably noticed; lunch is at the same time each day and lasts exactly forty-five minutes, two hours a day in the recreation room at two, and so on… I’m not saying he is wrong, but he is. For me, agency is what makes the difference. If you cannot choose what to do when, not able to do as you feel like doing things, you cannot build a trust in yourself to stand on your own feet. People who are here, can rarely choose things for themselves. So, I’ve taken the liberty to bully Dr. Loomis until he gave in and let you choose a part of your daily activities. Your sessions with Dr. Loomis will still happen at the same time every day, and there is a limit to how much time you can spend on some activities, but I hope having the choice will make things a little lighter. Please let me know if any guards or nurses give you trouble and I’ll make sure your wishes are honoured.”

Michael never answered, just looked at you with intelligent eyes. Somehow it reminded you of the raptors in the Jurassic Park films. The kind of attention that would be incredible from any other patient, but from him it made your skin prickle.

“Alright, that is all. Then have a great week!”

He watched as you closed the door softly behind you.

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

You did not show up that next week on Tuesday. Dr. Loomis was unable to take over the session on such short notice – Michael overheard staff: called in sick with barely half an hour notice. It left him with time to fill, to think and think some more while working on another mask.

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

Wednesday. With little notice, guards pulled Michael from his cell. He had walked these depressing corridors so often, but the longer they kept him walking, the less he knew where they were headed. Past the recreation room, past the courtyard, past the lunchroom. Eventually they passed another locked gate that brought them to the front of the building, just near the entrance. This was not part of the sanitorium that he visited often. The visiting area was the destination.

“There ya go, someone’s here to see you, you bastard,” said one of the guards, giving him a shove that barely moved the large man.

He stepped in quietly. A few visitors sat by the windows, a few by the door, causing a soft chatter to echo throughout the room. And for him, in the corner, sat you. You waved him over, standing to make him notice you.

With mean smirks, the guards moved to fasten his chains to the table.

“No, no thank you, that won’t be necessary,” you interrupted, holding up your ID. And in a kinder tone, to him: “Good afternoon, Michael.”

He sat down, not being able to help the tiniest twinge of a smile underneath his mask. The absurdity of having a visitor, after not seeing anyone he knew outside of this place was… something. And how you seemed to trust him, with a body and a humanity so fragile.

“I hope you don’t mind my little stunt – but that is the thing with spontaneity, isn’t it?” you grinned. “How have you been this past week? Have you had fun with the new freedom?”

Then you propped your bag on the table, reaching inside. “I can’t stay long, but I wanted to give you this.” You got out a journal, with bulky pages. Michael’s massive hands took it from you as you slid it over the table to him.

“This is my art journal. Frankly it’s just something that I do to for fun, it has whatever I feel like; some drawings, collage, my failed attempts at learning water colour… If it’s of no interest to you, please give it back next week.” You leaned forward on the table, your gaze penetrating his, as if his mask was not even there. “Be careful with it too, and please don’t tell Dr. Loomis. He would not approve.”

You stood up and while you passed him, you halted, mischievous smile. “I marked the pages with nudes on them by folding the corners. It was very nice to see you again, have a lovely week.”

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

Back in his cell, it took Michael a few moments to realise what had just happened – what was still happening. The A5 journal was clasped tightly in his hands. He had not wanted to the guards to catch sight of it, had hid it as best he could in his robe.

He left it untouched for several days, debating to look in it or not. It seemed so personal. Seemed to break too many patient-therapist boundaries. He kept it inside his pillowcase, since there were not many hiding spots in the cell.

Saturday was the day he found his curiosity outweighed his complicated thoughts. He skipped recreation hour to leaf through the journal instead. Indeed, its contents varied wildly. Some pages were clearly unfinished, a few torn out, others scratched or painted over. Some entries were dated. Next to the botanical studies were the foreign names of the plants, must be your native language. True to your word, the pages with nude figures, mostly ink drawings, were dog-eared. A few of those even showed a pair together, of varying genders. The chaotic ink lines suggested movement and passion.

With a snap, he closed the journal. Why had you given him this?

It was after a night’s sleep, that he looked through it once more. You were right, this was unprofessional and Loomis would probably terminate the sessions if he knew. Having looked through most pages now, Michael found about a dozen empty pages at the end of the journal. Were you still using this? Then why would you part with it?

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

“Michael, nice to see you so busy this early in the morning. The guards said you were drawing. Is that going to be a new hobby for you?” Loomis was back for his daily meeting. He bent over Michael’s desk, looking at the papers scattered over it. Drawings. The remainders of a mask he had not yet finished. Underneath the papers; paint stains. As always, Michael did not respond, not even to look at the doctor.

“Ah, I see, you’ve drawn…” Loomis’ voice caught in his throat as he picked up one of the sheets. “You’ve drawn Marion.”

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

You were called in and came the next morning, early, which happened to be Tuesday regardless. Loomis accompanied you to Michael’s cell to speak with you. The doctor had not explained much, only that you had to come and see what had happened. The excitement in his voice somewhat unsettled you, and at the same time you were glad, even proud, to hear your methods had had some effect on the patient.

“He has taken up a new hobby,” said Loomis during the speed-walk through the bland corridors. The door to the cell was already opened by the guards who saw the two of you approaching hastily.

“Good morning, Michael,” Loomis continued. “I hope it is okay, but I thought Marion might like to see your new drawings.”

Michael’s eyes were on you from the moment you entered. You went over to the desk, gestured there by Loomis.

“Ah, drawings, I see. They’re very good,” you said, clearly impressed. Then you spotted it, a portrait of you. And another. Different angles, different expressions. Is this what you look like to him? They were not perfectly realistic, but it was certainly you; you recognize all your distinct features. Beneath those there were more, most were not finished. You could only stare, surprised.

“Is that me?” and you point to yourself with a small finger.

His eyes meet yours and he nods once. That moment of eye contact stretches on, as scribbles from Loomis’ pencil on his clipboard were heard. Feeling flustered, you gather the papers and stack them in piles, unable to look away from the large man for long. With a pull at the collar of your blouse, you sit down next to Dr. Loomis in front of Michael again.

“I must say this is a very interesting development,” starts the doctor again. “Michael, is there a reason you have drawn your new therapist? Do you perhaps… like her?”

Your eyes shot to the doctor, disbelief. “I can imagine it being nice to have some more freedom and more informal interactions.”

“Informal? What are you referring to?”

You gesture to yourself. “No uniform, no clipboard, no questions. I’ve not even read his file.”

Michael watched the two of you bicker.

Dr. Loomis holds up a finger at your words. “You have not- you haven’t read his file?”

“Nor your book. The blurb was enlightening enough.”

Confusion fills the doctors features. “But you said- Your methods of…”

You shrug, turning your gaze to Michael instead. “Should we continue the session?”

He continues, temper rising. “So when you said that you disagreed with my methods, you did not even know my methods?”

“Oh, I do, Samuel. I fail to understand how looking a child in his eyes and declaring him evil incarnate would help any situation. How old was he again?” your tone was sharper, eyebrows raised. Michael saw the glint in your eyes, the weight of your words.

“You do not know how things went down all those years ago. You do not know what I have seen.” Loomis hissed. Inwardly you cursed yourself. There was no way saying something so accusatory would lead anywhere.

You sigh. “I’m sorry, that was harsh. If you want to discuss this, let’s do so later.”

It was almost as if you and Loomis were his parents; fighting about him as if he wouldn’t hear you from the other room.

There was also something calculating in Loomis’ stare. “As you wish.”

Then silence, during which you looked at Michael’s hulking form opposite of you. It seemed nothing affected him. Yet he was following every word, noticing every change in expression and tone.

The doctor cleared his throat. “So, Michael, how are you today? Is there anything you wish for us to know?”

Silence.

Since you decided the awkwardness was too much, you stood up, putting on your blazer. “Thank you for letting me see your drawings, Michael. You are very skilled, excellent eye for detail. I will be back again next Tuesday. Have a nice day, the both of you.”

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

The Tuesday after that, you came for your agreed upon session. Something felt different. The guards seemed to tense at the sight of you, rather than greet you as warmly as before. Loomis had dragged his feet over your methods, wanting to keep to his original schedule for Michael’s day, but you told him it could never hurt to try it out for a while. For long enough to notice changes. He relented in the end. The damage control you had to do did not sit well with you, but you kept your eyes on your goal: to help patients.

“Morning, Michael,” you stepped in the cell, keeping the door halfway open as was agreed. Immediately your eyes were drawn to the walls of the cell. They used to be covered in paper mache masks, but were now a part was replaced with drawings. Of you. The artist of the drawings was standing instead of his normal hulking position on the bed. You had not seen him standing often before, and the immense size of him was almost enough to drop your confident tone. He was looking at you, head raised. He wore an orange mask that looked vaguely like a pumpkin, with a wide jagged grin.

“How have you been doing? I know I’ve said it before, but let me know if anything interferes with your afternoons.”

The man remained silent, as usual. What was not as usual, was that he moved. Towards you, to be precise. Caught of guard, you instinctively took a step back. Then stopped yourself, even though he had taken a second step, covering more ground than you had.

To fill the awkwardness, you resumed talking. “I’m sorry about last week. It was unnecessary and I have apologized to Dr. Loomis.”

You thought that Michael was heading to his cot to sit down, so you intended to let him pas. Yet that didn’t happen, and now he was much too close for comfort. He smelled of soap and something manly, and of glue.

Looking up at him was intimidating. The need to put space between you was overbearing, so you stepped back, and stepped back until your hands felt the door behind your back. Do you need to act? Leave? Notify the guards?

That choice was taken from you not even a second after you had registered the thoughts, as Michael pressed the door firmly closed, almost soundlessly, with a hand next to your upper arm. Your breath hitched. Then that same hand touched your arm, as you lifted it to press against his chest – to stop him from coming ever closer.

“What is it?” you asked, mouth dry. You licked your lips. “You are… very tall.”

The feel of him against your hand: warm, you could feel his heart beat steady, and it pressed your elbow against the door. The fabric he wore was thin, soft.

Then the guards noticed. A quick rapping on the door. “Ms. Van Doorn, are you in there? Are you alright?”

“Yes! Yes, everything is fine,” you called out, turning your head to the side. Breathing seemed difficult so close to him. His hand covered the one on his chest, warm, large. When you looked back at him, his other hand was at your cheek. His eyes were something fierce, searching your face. How far could he push you? Thumb brushed your lip. Moved down to your neck, pressing lightly, then the thumb returned to rest against your bottom lip. Unsure of what to do, lips fell open just slightly, which was enough. The finger moved in between your teeth, and you let it in, too late now, just to stop its advance by pressing your teeth to his nail.

“We need to open the door,” called one of the guards. The knob jiggled. The hand on your arm quickly returned to press above it, stopping it from opening. “That is procedure, ma’am, or we will have to call for back up and assume the worst.”

A light squeeze against your throat made your eyes flutter shut, before regaining your senses. “Yes, of course,” keeping your tone as neutral as you could. Then, as if nothing happened, Michael stepped away. The door opened, bumping you in the back, and the guards escorted you out. You were unable to answer their questions.

.・*・.・*・.・*・.・*・.

When you returned to your car, shaky legs, your hands found not only your keys in the pocket of your blazer, but also a folded drawing. Its edges were torn and it was barely A5 size. You sat down behind the wheel, glad to be no longer standing, before looking at it. It depicted you, but not just you. It was you, held by the throat, eyes closed, head fallen back (some mistakes in perspective here), and a much larger figure pushing one of your legs up around his waist, cut off by the end of the scrap of paper. The large figure was undoubtedly Michael, with his long hair. Your hand was on his shoulder. Was this your death? Is this what was going to happen back there? His hand had not been rough, but it had left a ghost in its wake that you could still feel. You drove home with your own hand pressed below your adam’s apple.

It was at home you realised he was probably not hungry for murder.

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lilasblanc · 3 years ago

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i was listening to ivy by taylor swift, and i couldn’t help but reminisce about the life i once had around late 2013-2016; the summers i spent at my dear godmother’s country home, feeding the chickens, running around town with the pets bobby, tiger, and finally yorkie, when bobby and tiger passed. the pictures we had framed and printed at the local printing shop. my afterschool club, where there were wonderfully kind leaders like olive, bridget and ainé who helped us with homework and planned trips, like the time we went surfing at inchydoney beach and the cultural festival we had in town where i got henna for the first time. the weekends when me, my sister, and our friends amira and michelle went to our mutual friend mary’s house (her mother being friends with my mom and she still sends us birthday cards and money every year), her beautiful, big home that was surrounded by forestry, and how we’d crush over her brothers jude, ernie, florrie, and blaise. and we’d spend our time exploring the area. how we joined the local junior orchestra, me and my other friends adiba and osas, and we picked up the violin, our teacher gifting us each a fiddle of our own, and the lessons spent giggling and learning to play nursery rhymes, albeit with a well-known, childish dissonance. and how we’d all, including bradley and russell, flock to the computers in the main room of the lodge we lived at, and play video games like fire boy and water girl, fighting over who’d be water girl because we were all used to using the arrows instead of the standard WASD. and the day me, my sister, and amira went with my mother’s other friends, her name stolen from me by time, to the woodland grove with all the fairy houses and we learned to make our own. and how we’d spend the night at amira’s, watching her mom playing coronation street on the telly, or at michelle’s, where we were frightened of her porcelain doll. how we snickered at bradley having to do his communion with us because he was held back, but promptly apologised after we realised he was upset. the aforementioned communion day, where i was adamant about frowning in all my photos due to my aversion at having my picture taken, and the only picture with me displaying a true smile was when i was surrounded by my dearest, precious childhood friends and we were elated about getting a table all to ourselves with fancy golden-rimmed cups, glass plates and silverware, and we laughed and smiled, because we were children and everything felt infinite. how much fun our school days were; the time i got my first splinter from running my hands too quickly along the wooden fence and cried for the first time at school, my classmates comments on how i was only five and in their class, nationality day, when my teacher told me off for writing on the desk, our school play of the nativity where i was one of the three wise men when i desperately wanted to be an angel, and how the parents clapped when we all joined as one on stage, our frequent visits to ucc and how we congratulated caolin for being our class representative, and when our first teacher retired and we were sad because she was the best. the time it started hailing on our way to school, and we ran back to the lodge, our home, screaming and yelling giddly until we noticed zainab was bleeding, but we got to skip school that day, so all was well. when we’d name the horses, flora, chocolate and brownie, that roamed the field across, and we’d beg the man who was responsible for their keeping to let us ride them and feed them. and our devastation when buttercup (a small gray pony with a golden mane) went missing, was found, and died shortly after from a sickness that i no longer remember. the day when school ended and summer arrived, and we went to a mud camp and spent it sliding into muddy water and playing pranks on each other. how none of the photos taken that day, that i still own, have me in them. and how we all cried and stared in confusion, when zainab’s mother passed, and most of the adults left to attend her funeral. and nothing was really the same.

#childhood #reminiscing about the past #yearning #online diary #thoughts #Spotify

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let-this-ship-sink-already · 4 years ago

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Tearing down the Tomdaya timeline, created by "Spidermaninlove" - Part 3 (2018)

I am not using evidence or "proof", which is OUT THERE, to show that this timeline is only based on the emotions/opinions of its creator and is therefore falsely claimed as a fact.

(Warning: Editing is off in this one.)

January 9, 2018

Dom, Tom’s dad, blogs he is flying with Tom to LA today. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 10, 2018

Tom photographed by a fan in LA wearing what appears to be Z’s leather jacket. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 11, 2018

Dom blogs Tom is in LA for voice recordings. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 12, 2018

Dom blogs Tom is in LA for Spies in Disguise. Tom departs LAX for AZ for the ACE Comic Con. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 13, 2018

Tom at ACE Comic Con. When asked if he would do a musical with Z, he replied, 110%. She’s great. She can sing way better than I can, but I’d give it a try. -> IRRELEVANT.

Z followed and then immediately unfollowed a Tom Holland Instagram fan account. -> IRRELEVANT. Everyone goes down a rabbit hole on social media sometime and accidentally follows someone.

January 14, 2018

Tom arrived in LA. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 18, 2018

Tom returns to London. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 19, 2018

Tom retweets Z’s tweet: "First of all", “bottom line” and “end of story” are all phrases you should avoid when arguing with me cause that means war. -> IRRELEVANT.

January 25, 2018

On January 25, 2018, Z’s interior designer posts a photo of Z’s coffee table with a copy of the November 9, 2016 edition of The Hollywood Reporter (THR) magazine on it. This is the edition in which Tom and Z appear together. THR’s annual Next Gen assessment of Hollywood’s best and brightest, 35 and under.-> IRRELEVANT.

February 15, 2018

Z spotted at Heathrow airport.

It appears Tom foregoes the BAFTA pre-dinner party that Haz attended to, dare I say, spend that time with his very very good “freind”, Z? -> ASSUMPTION.

February 16, 2018 – Tom and Z photographed together at Harrods and the Tower of London. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 17, 2018

Z and Tom attend Burberry fashion event together in London. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 18, 2018

Tom and Z photographed together with a fan in Kingston (Tom and his parents live in Kingston). -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Z filled in for Sam (”Samdaya”) on Tom’s IG live story for the Brothers Trust drawing. Z attempts a British accent, and Tom and Z exchanged smiles, laughter, and heart eyes during the live. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. ”heart eyes” is an INTERPRETATION.

Z appears in first known photograph with the Hollands, including Nikki, Tom, Dom, Paddy, Harry, and Tessa. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. Also, isn’t it the only picture out there?

Z and Tom attend the Vogue and Tiffany & Co BAFTA after party in London. Both Tom and Z were styled by Law. Tom was photographed with Z and Darnell while at the party. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 19, 2018

Both Tom and Z depart London and arrive in LA on what appears to be separate flights. -> ASSUMPTION/IRRELEVANT.

February 21, 2018

Tom spotted at a gym in Northridge, CA – the area in which Z lives. -> Tom is staying at Zendaya‘s place when in LA. If your friend stayed in town, would you host them as well or let them stay at a hotel?

February 22, 2018

Tom and Z spotted at In-N-Out Burger. They were also photographed and filmed by the paparazzi while out for lunch and denied they’re a couple. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. So much for “never denied” dating.

Damage control: Tom in Z’s Snapchat story about the paps. Z tweeted: “When you realize you ain’t really got the juice cause paparazzi only find you when @TomHolland1996 is in town…” -> Knowing what “damage control” means for Zendaya is an ASSUMPTION.

Z and Tom reportedly spotted by a fan at The Grove. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

February 25, 2018

In Z’s stylist, Law’s IG story, he says “tuxedos for Tom.” -> IRRELEVANT.

February 26, 2018

Tom and Z spotted together at a fan’s workplace. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 1, 2018

Tom spotted at the gym in Northridge again.

Analysis: Is Tom driving all the way from a hotel to Northridge to use a gym there? Hotels have gyms. Z lives in Northridge. Conclusion: He’s not staying in a hotel! -> It is known he was staying with Zendaya in LA which is what friends do. Doesn’t confirm they are dating.

March 3, 2018

Tom and Z photographed with a fan in Beverly Hills. Another fan tweeted he spotted them on Rodeo Drive today. Z, Tom, Darnell, and Law photographed by the paparazzi while shopping in Beverly Hills. Tom and Z were also spotted having lunch together at a restaurant. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 4, 2018

Z and Tom sat next to one another at the Oscars and they left the venue together. Both attended the Vanity Fair after party, left the Vanity Fair party together, and arrived together at the Governor’s Ball. Law Roach styled both “him” and “her”. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 6, 2018

Tom and Z spotted together and photographed at Target. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 8, 2018

Z and Tom spotted together by fan in Beverly Hills. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

March 10, 2018

Tom departs LA for London. -> IRRELEVANT.

March 17, 2018

When asked on Twitter, “When is @Zendaya going to date someone publicly I’m ready for it,” Z replied, “Never”. -> IRRELEVANT.

March 19, 2018

Law Roach, Z’s stylist, stated on an IG live story that he is Tom’s stylist as well. -> IRRELEVANT. Merely explains why they hang out so much.

March 25, 2018

Per Dom, Tom is on his way to LA. -> IRRELEVANT.

March 28, 2018

Tom sighting at a Chipotle in Northridge (Z’s neighborhood). -> It is known he was staying with Zendaya in LA.

March 29, 2018

Tom and Z spotted by several fans at Crossroads Kitchen, a vegan restaurant. According to a fan, Tom photographed Z with the fan at the restaurant.

Note: Tom met Jake Gyllenhaal at Crossroads Kitchen. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

They were also spotted shopping together (shoes, comic books, etc.). They were photographed posing together with a Spider-man statue outside the Golden Apple comic book store. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. Also looks like a pap walk. Two actors from the Spiderman movies going out to buy comics and posing with a Spiderman statue. 🤡

It appears Tom was wearing Z’s t-shirt, and they were wearing matching shoes. -> ASSUMPTION.

March 30 - 31, 2018

Tom photographed by paparazzi leaving Z’s house with his luggage on March 30. -> Tom is staying with Zendaya while in LA.

Tom departs LA and arrives in London. -> IRRELEVANT.

April 19, 2018

Tom departs China for LA. Z spotted at a gym in her area. We all know Z rarely, if ever, goes to the gym, and Tom has been spotted in the past at a gym near where Z lives. -> IRRELEVANT.

April 27-30, 2018

Tom and Z spotted together by fans at a theater in Northridge seeing Infinity War (IW) on April 27. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom and Z attend City Year LA Spring Break: Destination Education at Sony Studios on April 28. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Z and Tom spotted by employees at the In N Out Burger drive-thru in Northridge on April 28. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom and Z spotted at a theater seeing IW again on April 29. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom and Z photographed by a fan at Home Depot. Note: Tom went to carpentry school. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

May 1, 2018

Tom photographed by the paparazzi leaving Zendaya’s house with his luggage, and was spotted by a fan at LAX. -> Instead of staying at a hotel, Tom stayed at Zendaya’s place again.

May 2, 2018

Tom in London. Z attends College Signing Day event in Philadelphia. -> IRRELEVANT.

May 8, 2018

Tom posts a photo of Z at the Met Gala on his Instagram account. -> Co-workers/friends supporting one another.

June 1, 2018

Z wishes Tom a happy birthday on Instagram. -> Co-workers/friends supporting one another.

June 23, 2018

Jack, @tomdejaa, Instagram, asked Tom at the Seattle Comic Con if he was okay with Tomdaya shippers, and Tom said, it’s fine. -> What was he going to say? “Fuck off”?

Zendaya in London for Spider-man Far From Home

-> I could sum the entire weeks up as “co-workers-friends hanging out together because at the time, they were filming together. 🤡

June 24, 2018

Zendaya arrives in London. -> IRRELEVANT.

June 25, 2018

Tom returns to London from Comic Con in Seattle. -> IRRELEVANT.

July 11, 2018

The content drought is finally over. Tom and Z were together today watching the soccer game. It appears they may have had lunch together too. -> The drought” is over because they are literally working together. They have no choice but to spend time together.

July 14, 2018

Tom, Z, Jacob Batalon and Tony Revolori attend Lovebox 2018 in Gunnersbury Park, London. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

July 21, 2018

Tom and Zendaya were spotted together by fans. According to one fan, they saw Incredibles 2 with cast members. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

July 29, 2018

Tom and Z sighting on the Tube in London along with Jacob and Tuwaine. They visited the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London. Tom’s Mum and Dad visited as well. Afterward, they dined at a nearby restaurant with Tom’s family. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom is wearing a Daulton jersey. Darren Daulton, nicknamed Dutch, was an American professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies…

Note: Tom’s nickname is Dutch. He stated this in an interview with Z.

@currentlyinterested asked me if I think Z got Tom the Phillies jersey when she went to Philadelphia for the College Signing Day event with Michelle Obama. Yes! Yes, I do. -> All 3 are ASSUMPTIONS/INTERPRETATIONS.

August 3, 2018

Tom and Z along with Jacob, Tony, Remy, Darnell, and Zach bowled and played arcade games tonight at the Hollywood Bowl in Watford. Z and Tom played air hockey together and sat next to one another. -> They sat next to one another :O - On a ”serious” note: co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Someone commented on an Instagram post of a fan photo with Tom that Tom and Z are at the cinema in Kingston all the time. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

August 4, 2018

Tom was with friends and family at the Shoreditch House tonight and Z tweeted: When people don’t directly ask you to go somewhere you didn’t wanna go and they also know you didn’t wanna go, but you still feel a way.

Shoreditch House is a mostly private members’ club with a rooftop pool, restaurant, bar, and hotel. -> IRRELEVANT.

August 11, 2018

Tom and Z were spotted at the Secret Cinema in London along with FFH cast and Haz. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

August 13, 2018

Z and Tom were spotted with Tuwaine, Harry, and Haz at the cinema in Watford this evening. -> Co-worker/friends hanging out together.

August 19, 2018

Tom, Z, and Spidey cast spotted by fan in Hertfordshire. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

August 22, 2018

Tom was at Z’s hotel. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. How do people know Zendaya’s hotel though? 👀

August 27, 2018

Z & Tom had dinner in St Albans with Z’s mom and Kamil.

Z & Tom sat together. Z left the restaurant as the fan who saw them took a photo with Tom.

Tom was wearing an AllSaints t-shirt that looks exactly like the one Z was wearing last week.-> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

September 1, 2018

Z’s birthday

Tom posted this on Instagram: “Me, myself and the birthday girl. Happy birthday mate - keep killing it and paving the way for the rest of us ♥��” -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom, Z’s fam, friends, and some Spidey cast and crew had a dinner party in the Silver Room at Annabel’s, a private Members’ Club, in London. Tom has a membership to this club.-> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Z posted a story showing the paparazzi following her vehicle after she left Annabel’s. -> They wanted to catch Zendaya leaving with Tom, which would make the “relationship“ more believable. They didn’t leave together.

September 2, 2018

Skai Jackson’s mom, @kiyacole, who follows and is followed by Law, responded to an anti on a post about Z’s “real-life boyfriend Tom Holland” on the justjared Instagram account:

@kiyacole: “Yes. It’s true. They been on the low for a while.”

Law responded but later deleted: “@kiyacole Really? And how would you know.”

And how would you know.”

-> THIS IS A BIGGGG ONE FOR TOMDAYA STANS. They believe it’s evidence and outs them as a couple. What it actually is? A person, who absolutely knows nothing but pretends she does for attention.

September 3, 2018

Claire, Z’s mom, posted on Instagram, “A Wise Woman Once Said Nothing!” and “#truth #butiwanttobepetty”. Was this in reference to @kiyacole’s comment? -> ASSUMPTION. TO ME, it’s meant in a “Don’t talk when you don’t know anything.” way, not a ”You just outed my daughter’s relationship” way. But this can be interpreted anyway you want.

September 4, 2018

@kiyacole, Instagram, posted on her account that she had been hacked. Commentators on the post called her out on it stating she had posted stories of herself around the time of the alleged hacking. -> She wasn’t hacked, she just stuck her nose into other people’s business. She said later on: ”I don’t know who is dating who nor do I care.” She didn‘t know though she cared enough to comment. She did it for attention.

Czech Republic

September 10, 2018

Tom & Z spotted on a flight to Prague. Z photographed Tom with fans at the airport in Prague. Z and Tom left the airport together. -> Co-workers/friends catching a flight together to the next filming location.

September 11, 2018

Tom and Z photographed separately with fans in Prague. -> Two actors spotted at a new filming location.

September 12, 2018

Tom & Z spotted together in Prague today getting into a taxi together. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together, traveling due to work together.

September 16, 2018

Z’s cousin, Whitney, liked several Tomdaya posts on Instagram. -> IRRELEVANT.

September 17 - 19, 2018

Z and Tom filmed night shoots on the Charles Bridge in Prague. They shared a sweet moment hugging during a break. -> Co-workers/friends working together.

September 24 - 25, 2018

Tom and Z were photographed in a hotel in Prague. Z was wearing the same dress she wore while filming with Tom on the Charles Bridge last week.

A fan spotted both Tom and Z alone at 1:00 a.m. on the 25th near the Prague castle where FFH was filming that night. They were wearing their coats so they were not filming at the time the fan stopped them to get Tom’s autograph. -> Co-worker/friends working/hanging out together.

Venice

According to a longtime Italian fan who delivered gifts to their hotel, Tom and Z shared a room at Hotel Danieli where they were staying in Venice. -> A fan wouldn’t have that knowledge. Sharing a room, while working, is highly unprofessional. Hanging out in one room together/sharing a room - there is a difference.

September 26, 2018

Tom and Zendaya arrived together in Venice with Darnell in tow. The rest of the cast took a separate flight and boat to this destination. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

September 27, 2018

Tom and Zendaya were spotted and photographed by the paparazzi and fans in Venice along with Martin Starr, Darnell, Jacob, and Tony. Tom was wearing the Tomdaya flannel shirt today. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. There is no such as a “Tomdaya” flannel shirt, it’s a shirt that both Tom and Zendaya were wearing. Does sharing clothes proof that you are dating? No.

September 29, 2018

Tom’s grandparents arrived at his hotel around 4 pm.

Several videos were posted by fans of Z sitting with Tom and his grandparents at a restaurant/bar at the hotel where they’re staying.

According to a fan, “So as far as I can tell from the two hours they spent in the hotel, they sat next to each other for a really short time. They even had two different tables. Z was at the table with Jacob and two other guys, while Tom was w/ his grandparents, Harry and another guy. While they were together, they didn’t do anything that could make you think they’re dating.“ -> Maybe, because they are not dating?

Z, Tom, and Jacob were photographed with a fan while at this restaurant/bar.

Z and Jacob departed the hotel via boat to an unknown destination.

Tom changed clothes and returned to the restaurant with his grandparents and Harry.

Tom and Harry departed from the hotel on another boat to an unknown destination.

Z posted two stories of herself sitting with Jacob at what appears to be a lounge. One story was muted. The other story included Remy. Darnell posted a story at the same location one hour later which showed Tony and his family there. Crew member, Danni, posted a story at the same location three hours later. Harry was in Danni’s story. Analysis: Tom was also there. -> All of the above: Co-worker/friends hanging out together.

September 30, 2018

Tomdaya Fam Day

Tom and Z toured Murano, an island near Venice, with Tom’s grandparents and Harry. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together. Zendaya was tagging along as a friend.

Tom and Z were photographed with a fan at their hotel. Both Z and Tom had obviously just showered. -> They are spotted together because they are staying in the same hotel. Implying that they showered together is clownery at this point.

That night, Tom, Z, Tom’s grandparents, and Harry depart the hotel via a boat. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 1, 2018

Tom and Z were spotted having dinner together by a fan’s mom. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 2, 2018

Tom and Z were photographed at a restaurant in Venice. Martin Starr and Jacob were also there. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 3, 2018

Spider-man Far From Home wrapped filming in Venice.

Tom and Z were spotted at the Skyline Hilton (rooftop) Bar in Venice.

In a video taken of Tom and Z at the Dandolo Bar at the Danieli Hotel in Venice, it appears they are sitting next to one another in a settee. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 4, 2018

Zendaya spotted at Newark Liberty International Airport. She later posted a story from her home in LA. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 5, 2018

Z confirmed she is in LA for a couple days and will soon be in NY. -> IRRELEVANT.

Tom was spotted by several fans en route from Atlanta to La Guardia. -> IRRELEVANT.

New York

Z and Tom at a restaurant in Brooklyn, NY (exact date unknown). -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 6, 2018

Z and Noon departed for NY, and were spotted at JFK. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 9-10, 2018

Tom was spotted on another flight from Atlanta to New York. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 12, 2018

Tom and Z filmed Spideychelle scenes in NYC. Their chemistry was insane even with Tom in full Spider-man costume.

Z and Tom were filmed sparring together and were also spotted hugging in between scenes on set. This was in preparation for a scene. -> Them having „insane“ chemistry is an INTERPRETATION.

After they wrapped for the day, Tom waited in his vehicle while Z greeted fans and then departed the set after Z had left in her vehicle. -> This is what a fan said and making it look like Tom waited for Zendaya is an INTERPRETATION.

An accounting of one fan, @parkerxdaya, Twitter, who was on set that day:

There are a lot of pictures of Zendaya smiling while filming the scene with Tom as Spider-man. I hope you all know that if she is smiling in the picture, that is ZENDAYA not MJ. MJ is frightened during the scene, then a little uncomfortable, then concerned. Her expressions during the scene were serious. But in between takes, her and Tom laughed, joked around, danced, made fun of us, waved to other fans, talked to Jon, Harry etc. It was very windy, so yes Tom helped fix her hair at points. It became a problem during the scene because her hair would cover her face. They would cut, laugh about it, and would go again. However, that video of them play fighting and running in place, then hugging, was just them tiring themselves out and picking up where they left off from the other scene. That does not take away from the fact that it was super cute. Zendaya looked so genuinely happy, and it made ME happy to see her so happy. I couldn’t see Tom’s face with the mask on, but I just know he had a dorky smile on his face the whole time. They both were so comfortable with each other. -> INTERPRETATION.

October 13 and 14, 2018

Tom and Z filmed on a closed set. Leaked videos from the set on the 14th revealed an additional Spidey and MJ scene that was filmed outdoors in front of a blue screen. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 15, 2018

Z and Tom were photographed with young fans during a break while filming at the Newark NJ airport. -> Co-workers working together. 🤡

October 16, 2018

Remy, Jacob, Zach, and Tony have all wrapped. It’s Tom’s last day filming. Z is still in NY.

Tom posted a pic of himself with Z as Spider-man and MJ on Instagram when he wrapped filming Spider-man Far From Home in NY. -> WORK RELATED.

October 18, 2018

Tom appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Brooklyn show. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 19, 2018

Tom and Z were spotted together at the play American Son on Broadway. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 20, 2018

Tom and Z photographed sitting together at Peaches Restaurant in Brooklyn. Z and Tom spotted and photographed shopping in SoHo. They were also photographed outdoors in SoHo with Noon and company. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

October 22, 2018

Z was spotted by fans in NY. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 23, 2018

Z’s Instagram story: “Always working…” She appears to be doing a photoshoot. No sign of Tom. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 26, 2018

Tom posted on Instagram: “Went to do some work on chaos walking with @dougliman.” -> IRRELEVANT.

October 28, 2018

Z spotted at JFK and LAX. -> IRRELEVANT.

October 29, 2018

Tom spotted in London. -> IRRELEVANT.

November 12 - 19, 2018

On November 12 and 13, Tom participated in the Cooking with the Avengers event at the Russo brothers’ restaurant and bar.

Tom and Z were spotted having dinner. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

Tom was on the set of Euphoria visiting Z. -> Co-workers/friends supporting one another.

On November 17, Tom and Z were spotted at the Arclight theater at the Sherman Oaks Galleria mall near Northridge. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together if truly happened.

On November 19, Tom was spotted in Beverly Hills. -> IRRELEVANT.

November 24, 2018

Tom at Z’s after Thanksgiving party. -> Co-workers/friends hanging out together.

November 25, 2018

Tom returned to London.

Tom and Zendaya obviously spend a lot of time together but there is not even a little bit of „evidence“ that they are dating. People who see chemistry between them, who get couple vibes from them or are convinced they are dating? It’s their perception, their interpretation of events but absolutely nothing in this timeline “exposes“ them as a couple. They are spending time together because Spiderman 2 is in pre-production and then the filming process has started. Would they spend AS much time together if it wasn’t for work? I personally doubt it.

TO ME, they are definitely friends. They do PLAY IT UP for promotional purposes though. This is how Hollywood works.

What doesn‘t confirm a relationship:

- spending time together

- sharing clothes

- staying over at someone‘s house

(And that’s basically all we get from Tom and Zendaya. Plus, them denying dating rumors.)

#Tomdaya #Tomdaya timeline #Spidermaninlove #toxic shipping #shipping is toxic

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chilling-seavey · 5 years ago

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Nothing Revealed/Everything Denied (c.s.) - Chapter Four

A/N Oh, hey! We’re back with this story. Thanks for being patient with me while I focused on Amoureux! Now let’s give Christian the spotlight he deserves with NR/ED <3

Quitting his job at the gym was the best thing Christian had done in a while and he felt as light as air when he stepped back out onto the street in the LA sun. It was barely noon as he paid the parking meter and hopped back in the car to head to the first of many official meetings for the film.

Christian was the first of their hired actors, so he was ahead of the game while auditions for the other roles were still ongoing. That day in particular was measurements for costume design. The studio was already set up with plentiful mirrors and measurements and fabrics and sketches, not a clear surface in sight. The open manuscript was laid out on top of everything, certain descriptions highlighted for details.

Christian set his bag on the floor by the door as he was greeted by a rush of people, Michelle among them. She passed him a cup of coffee and he thanked her with a smile as he was led towards a little pedestal to start measurements right away.

“The Costume Designers don’t mess around.” Michelle chuckled at his surprised expression, standing near by, still out of the way of the job being done.

“Apparently.” Christian replied, letting the various people wrap tape measures around various parts of his body.

“How was your morning?” Michelle asked.

“My morning has been great actually. Quit my job at the gym. Which is exciting.”

“Oo, we love that. A man with a full-time job now.” she complimented.

“Thanks to you.” Christian smiled at her.

“Stop moving!” one of the older ladies snapped, making the two young adults smother their awkward laughter into their drinks.

He watched them work through the mirror, letting them poke and prod away with their measuring tapes. Soon, Christian was sketched out perfectly onto a sheet of paper, his measurements down to the 1/8th of an inch and he was free to step down from the pedestal. One of the designers splayed out the costume sketches over one of the tables to show them what they had planned.

The uniforms were drawn to the best historical realism, down to the patches on the sleeves and the buttons on the collar. They were to be made with only the best material and fabric, the film budget allowing for plentiful amount of breathing room to perfect the historical accuracies. Christian was more than excited to be able to actually put on the jacket he was staring at in pencil lines, the girl next to him bouncing on her toes with her own excitement as she started to see her story being pieced together into reality bit by bit.

After everything was cleared up with the costume designers and they were left to start working, Christian and Michelle left the building together, talking excitedly about what the uniforms were going to look like.

“Hey.” Michelle stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, making Christian stop and turn back to her. “I have something for you.”

“What’s that?” Christian asked cautiously.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a white envelope with his name on the front. She held it out to him.

He narrowed his eyes at her with curiosity as he took it and opened it, pulling out a cheque. His eyes went wide as he read the official signature of the company and the amount of $1000.

“It’s not much because it’s only the first cheque but it’s enough to get you started throughout fittings and things. I told David I wanted to give it to you myself just to see the look on your face.” Michelle chuckled at his saucer wide eyes and gaped open mouth as he started down at the piece of paper in his hand, “It was worth it.”

“This is my $1000?” Christian looked back up at her in awe.

“Yeah!” Michelle laughed. “Wanna go to the mall and blow it in one go?”

“Yes!” Christian high fived her and they got in the Tesla to drive farther into downtown to the Grove. They rolled down the windows and Christian connected his phone to the Bluetooth to play only the best music as loud as the car would allow. He was more than relieved that Michelle knew most of the songs that played, and they sang a bit too off-key together on their way to the mall.

They stopped for lunch first, talking over their take-out plates of Panda Express in the loud food court, planning what stores they were ready to blow their money at. With a fresh $1000 deposited in his bank account, Christian barely knew where to start but they popped into store after store, trying on the most ridiculous outfits and most expensive pieces, but they eventually came out with many bags on their arms and a nearly drained bank account.

“Now this is the LA life I had been waiting for.” Michelle grinned as they walked back to the car in the May heat, past palm trees and sports cars, dripping with spent money on their arms and already wearing their favourite outfit of they many they purchased.

“Me too.” Christian unlocked the Tesla and they packed their bags in the back seat.

“You know what’s missing though?” Michelle asked over the roof on the other side of the car.

“What’s that?”

“Instagram pictures.” she looked at him with a smirk over the top of her sunglasses.

“I think we’re gonna get along just fine.” Christian beamed.

They drove down to Rodeo Drive for those iconic LA glamour shots and walked down the street to find the perfect locations. Christian prided himself on his Instagram photo taking skills – even if his friends never gave him photo credit when they posted – and that day was no different, taking plenty for Michelle and she returned the favour. It helped that he was so natural in front of the camera, working all his angles like it was second nature. They swiped through the pictures together and laughed at the ones that turned out blurry on their way back to the car as the sun set, nearly tripping over each other with how close they walked. Michelle took the job of car DJ on their drive to her apartment and she didn’t have a problem making a fool of herself doing dances to TikTok songs in the passenger seat that made Christian laugh with second-hand embarrassment.

He dropped her off at her apartment and she sang the rest of the song out loud to herself as she gathered her bags even though the music was stopped and her phone was back in her pocket. Christian rolled down his window as she walked around the car.

“It was a fun day, Mr. Seavey.” she held out her hand to him and he took her handshake.

“Wouldn’t want to blow my first paycheque with anyone else.” Christian grinned.

“I’ll see you.” Michelle grinned before heading into her apartment building. Christian waited until she was safely inside before leaving, turning onto the main street to head home, unable to wipe the grin from his face the whole drive back.

#christian seavey #christian seavey fanfic #seavey #daniel seavey #crawford collins #oscar guerra #franny arrieta #why dont we #why dont we fanfic #wdw #🎞#novel

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crossroadsfossil · 4 years ago

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The Star, The Spring, and the Knight of Wands

The castle is still as he remembers it. It has been years and yet the castle feels familiar. Not comfortable. His predecessor felt comfortable here, and while he took the mantle and wore the crown and the past still bled into the present, he could not afford to feel comfortable here. Past fondness could not bleed through the boundaries. The title may be the same but the holder was not. Gods, he didn’t want to come here. He didn’t want to ask this but he had no favors to barter elsewhere. He could no more rely on the old relationships than he could rely on the humans saving themselves.

He knocked upon the door. The grounds around the castle thrummed with the faint edges of summer, a reminder that his time was short. Still, over the thrumming of the following season, he felt the ripe joy of spring, the plants that were basking in the sun and growth and the animals humming brightly with life and death alike. The soft end of winter had long since passed and everything was active and filled with energy. So focused on the feeling of the ecosystem around him he didn’t notice the door had been opened until he felt a touch upon a shoulder.

He startled, head swinging around to meet the stars’ eyes. Pale eyes in a pale face framed with shining pale metal-hued hair met his, soft amusement coloring the blacksmith’s face.

“You’ve gone and grown facial hair.” The faun blurted out, mouth running away from him as his brain fumbled for the reins. Sterling laughed.

“I have.”

“Maddie would have loved that.” The spring said, mouth continuing to run freely. The rest of his consciousness wailed and shouted for him to stop talking, for the love of all the gods that have existed. Sterling’s expression softened, still holding onto a smile on his lips and a crinkle of a laugh in his eyes.

“Is that so? Please, come in.”

Of all the traditions that the lord of spring was acquainted with, the breaking of bread was one of his favorites. It changed over the centuries and across continents, but the tea was welcome and the snacks laid out looked tempting. He settled his tea onto a knee and waited for it to cool sufficiently.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. Silver.” He tried, not sure how to address the older gentleman. He was older than almost every living being on this planet, save perhaps a few of those who were not born on it, and that skewed his idea of formalities a touch. That, and the fact that he once only knew the other as the lover and partner of his former boss-slash-predecessor.

“Please, use Sterling. We’ve known each other long enough. Goodness knows you’ve been subjected to plenty thanks to Spring.” Sterling said, sipping at his tea. The faun inclined his head in agreement. His predecessor had absolutely no shame.

“Speaking of Spring, how is…. How is he?”

He took a moment to sip at his own tea, trying to organize his words. He had known this question would be asked. He’d known that it would be something that would be discussed upon this visit. He knew this was a hurdle he had to cross before he begged a favor. He still had no idea how to address it.

“Is he…?” The star starts, words trailing off as he came to his own conclusions in the meandering silence. The spring flails, almost dropping his cup in his haste to gesture ‘no’.

“Oh gods, no- no gods. Definitely not. He’s… He’s alive. He’s… Well.” He let out a noise caught between a groan and a sigh. “He’s in a plant.”

“A plant.”

“A plant.” The spring confirmed. He set the tea on the nearby table, internally cringing as the spilled liquid pooled beneath the cup. “As far as I and the other lords can tell, he’s… sleeping? The new autumn says he’s repairing and changing and… updating? She keeps comparing him to a phone that needs a software update.” The spring wasn’t as comfortable calling the process a ‘software update’ but it usually got the point across.

“The witch we’ve consulted- you know her, Mrs. Bennett? She says something similar.”

“I am familiar with Michelle, yes. It’s been a while since she and I have spoken. Since the birth of her youngest, I believe.”

That was… quite some time ago and it triggered a sense of deep unease within the spirit.

“Mr. Sil-” there was a sharp look from the smith. “Sterling,” The spring corrected, “has anyone taken you to see him?” The look that Sterling gave was answer enough, but he responded in the negative shortly after. The spring would need to remedy that.

“I have… a favor to ask. You are welcome to decline it, but perhaps after I get this problem settled I can take you to the grove where Maddie is? I’m not… I’m not sure if or when he’ll return but… I can… I can do this for you.”

“I would appreciate that. What then, is this favor?” Sterling said.

“I want you to know that you can decline, seeing Maddy won’t be contingent upon this, alright?” The spring said. He wanted, no, he needed to make this point clear. Sterling waved the faun off with a huff.

“Yes, yes. The favor.”

“Ah, well. I need an expert smith to help me with an issue.” “How familiar are you with sentient armor?”

@shiningsilverarmor

#10x100 warmup #Sterling Silver #Original fic #Original characters #Starling Hollowsway #Mentioned Lord of Spring #lord of spring #original and successor lords #may be continued #aka scooby doo plotline of sterling and starling dealing with a sentient suit of armor #my fic

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smile-grove-memes · 10 months ago

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Hey gamers (gn) I made a chatfic come check it out

To convince you, here’s a snippet:

@itzstormbabeyyyy : wait huh

@itzstormbabeyyyy : whats going on

@g.alodia: I believe Ms. Michelle is telling us what is going on, Storm.

@itzstormbabeyyyy : ofc your the type of guy that types with capitalization

@itzstormbabeyyyy : sickening

#smile grove #podcast #storm smile grove #grey smile grove #nikolai smile grove #tida smile grove #michelle smile grove

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rattlinbog · 5 years ago

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Favorite Books in 2019

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

Underland by Robert Macfarlane

The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond by John Zada

The Terror by Dan Simmons

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Some other favorites included The Time Traveller’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer, Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq, In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick, Red Clocks by Leni Zumas, There There by Tommy Orange, Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue, Nightwoods by Charles Frazier, The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook, Magic Words by Gerald Kolpan, Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry, and Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue

Read 68 books this year (includes a few re-reads too). Full list under the read more. Love discussing books so let me know if you’ve read any of them and loved/disliked them, or have any questions about any of them, or just want to chat about books!

January The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell The Sawbones Book by Sydnee and Justin McElroy The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer

February Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq The Distance Between Me and the Cherry Tree by Paola Peretti We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai Boy Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs

March Theft by Finding by David Sedaris The Hundred-Year-Old Man who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (reread) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (reread) Pachinko by Min Jin Lee April The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan The Sweet In-Between by Sheri Reynolds In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick Jacob’s Folly by Rebecca Miller May Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories by Washington Irving The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner Mordecai by Emily Bingham Love and Resistance: Out of the Closet into the Stonewall Era by Jason Baumann She Would Be King by Wayetu Moore Red Clocks by Leni Zumas The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter by Hazel Gaynor The Ultimate Book of Lighthouses by Michael J Rhein and Samuel Willard Crompton The Viking Wars by Max Adams June The Princes of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd The Rebels of Ireland by Edward Rutherfurd The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides July Unearthing the Past by Dr. Douglas Palmer Neither Wolf nor Dog by Kent Nerburn Pretty Is by Maggie Mitchell And After the Fire by Lauren Belfer Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi Underland by Robert Macfarlane The Voyage of the Narwhal by Andrea Barrett August The Accidental Further Adventures of the 100-Year-Old Man by Jonas Jonasson The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid There, There by Tommy Orange Forgiveness Road by Mandy Mikulencak The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (reread) Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford September The Round House by Louise Erdrich Nightwoods by Charles Frazier The Which Way Tree by Elizabeth Crook Girls Like Us by Cristina Alger The Mascot by Mark Kurzem In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond by John Zada October Magic Words by Gerald Kolpan The Tenth Muse by Catherine Chung The Home for Unwanted Girls by Joanna Goodman We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (reread) Salem’s Lot by Stephen King (reread) The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel by Alyssa Palombo November The Terror by Dan Simmons The Book that Changed America by Randall Fuller The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah December How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Church of Marvels by Leslie Parry Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

#books in 2019 #books #booklr #reading list

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the-record-obituaries · 5 years ago

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Jan. 15, 2020: Obituaries

Ellen Lankford at 16

Ellen Kay Lankford, age 57

Miss Ellen Kay Lankford, age 57 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Monday, January 13, 2020 at her home.

A Celebration of Life Service will be held 2:00 PM, Saturday, January 18, 2020, at Arbor Grove United Methodist Church on Arbor Grove Church Road in Purlear, with Rev. Dr. Susan Pillsbury Taylor officiating. Speakers will be Mr. Ken Welborn, Mr. Larry Griffin and Mrs. Janet Lael Wood. The family will receive friends immediately following the service in the fellowship hall of the church.

Miss Lankford was born August 1, 1962, in Wilkes County to Samuel Hayden and Willa Mae McNeil Lankford. She was a laboratory scientist with Guilford County Health Department and was a member of Arbor Grove United Methodist Church.

Ellen always excelled in school. She attended Millers Creek Elementary and West Wilkes High schools. During her senior year, she transferred to Wilkes Central High School to take advanced classes, which allowed her to enter college as a sophomore. She went to Appalachian State University in Boone where she earned her bachelors degree in biology. She continued her education at Wake Forest Baptist Medical School and Appalachian State University, going on to earn her masters degree in biology.

During high school she worked for Winn-Dixie grocery store in North Wilkesboro and later for Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission under the late Betty Baker. After completing her college education, she worked at Davie County Memorial Hospital in Mocksville. Later, she went to work for the Guilford County Health Department as a laboratory scientist. She also worked part-time at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro in the same capacity.

She lived in Greensboro during most of her working career. She retired from the Guilford County Health Department. Ellen moved back home to Wilkes in August 2015.

Ellen had no children, but rather looked at her brothers, Mike and Jerry’s, children as her own. Later, when Jerry’s grandchildren arrived, she acted as a grandmother to those children as well. In return, they all loved her dearly.

Although she had many hobbies and interests – mostly dealing with more intellectual endeavors – her main passion and love was for her family, whom she treated wonderfully.

Ellen was also an accomplished pianist and vocalist. She could also play the dulcimer.

She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers; Gary Steven Lankford and Michael Grayden Lankford.

Ellen is survived by a brother; Jerry Alfred Lankford of Millers Creek, five nieces; Eva May Lankford and fiancé Robert Carlton of Millers Creek, Heather Renee Greene and husband Joven of Wilkesboro, Jennifer Osborne and husband Edwin of Millers Creek, Anna Lankford and husband Josh Church of Millers Creek and Gabriella Lankford of Hamptonville and two great nephews; Sammie Osborne and Charlie Church. Ellen is also survived by her two dearest friends: Janet Lael Wood of Wilkesboro, and Lisa Church of Millers Creek.

There are also four special people Ellen claimed as family. They are Destiny, Cassidy and Samantha Toliver - whom she considered nieces - and their father, Ken Toliver, all of Wilkes. They are the children and husband of Ellen’s dear friend, the late Carmel Toliver.

Special music will be provided by Gabriella Lankford, Destiny Toliver, Larry Griffin and Rev. Dr. Susan Pillsbury Taylor.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Window World Cares St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital 118 Shaver Street North Wilkesboro NC 28659.

Online condolences may be made at www.reinssturdivant.com

Deborah Parsons, 67

Mrs. Deborah Annette Walker Parsons, age 67 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Sunday, January 12, 2020, at Wake Forest Baptist-Wilkes Medical Center.

Funeral services will be held at 2:00 Thursday, January 16, 2020, at Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Casey Walker and Rev. Tyra Eugene Martin officiating. The family will receive friends from 6:00 until 8:00 Wednesday, January 15, 2020, at Reins Sturdivant Funeral Home. Burial will be in Scenic Memorial Gardens.

Mrs. Parsons was born March 6, 1952, in Surry County to Bradshaw James Walker Sr. and Rebel Augusta Mitchell Walker. She was a member of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Taylorsville. She was employed by Tyson Foods for over 25 years. She was also employed as a CNA for several years to follow.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband; Robert Parsons, a grandchild; Joshua Preston Fraser and a sister Margo Adams.

She is survived by a daughter; Deva Waugh Fraser and her husband Shiles of Winston Salem, a sister; Jettie Walker of Roaring River and a brother; Bradshaw James Walker Jr. of Alton, VA. She is survived by nieces and nephews; Tianna Adams, Brian Adams, Meanna Adams, Bradley Walker, Greta Ferguson, and Erica Harper.

She was loved by many and always greeted people with a smile and an infectious laugh. She was passionate about her gardening and had a remarkable green thumb. She never met a stranger and showed concern for all.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wilkes Senior Resources PO Box 2695 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659.

Leatrice Clonch, 44

Leatrice Ann Clonch, of Millers Creek, passed away on Saturday January 11, 2020.

Leatrice was born on Sunday April 13, 1975 in Wayne County to Roger Lane Laws and Barbara Cecilia Clonch.

Leatrice is preceded in death by her father; brother Daniel "Shane" Clonch and step father Roy Bare.

Leatrice is survived by her mother, Barbara C. Clonch of Millers Creek, brother, Cecil Gordon Bare and wife, Amanda of Purlear and many nieces and nephews.

The Family will conduct a celebration of life Thursday, January 16, 2020 at Church of God of the Union Assemble in Wilkesboro form 6-8 p.m.

Rev. Ronnie Bumgarner and Rev. Chris Slane officiated

Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes has the honor of serving the Clonch Family.

Martha Shaw, 77

Mrs. Martha Jean Corley Shaw, age 77 of Wilkesboro, formally of Carrollton, Mississippi, passed at her home on Friday, January 10, 2020.

Memorial services were January 13, at Wilkesboro Baptist Church with Rev. Tad Craig officiating.

Mrs. Shaw was born December 13, 1942 in Pascagoula, Mississippi to Robert R. and Jimmie Lois Eubanks Corley. She grew up in Thebes, IL and considered her hometown as Chicago, IL. After moving to Itta Bena, Mississippi, she met and married Jimmie Bryant Shaw, Sr. while he worked as the Town Manager for her father, Robert R. Corley, the Mayor of Itta Bena. They married on March 12, 1977 and were married for 40 years prior to his death on September 10, 2016. During her career as an Office Manager she was employed by The Greenwood Commonwealth, Scientific Telecom and Johnson Implements, all located in Greenwood Mississippi. She retired from Johnson Implements. Martha Shaw was an accomplished business woman, loving and doting wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She loved her family, loved to craft, sew and scrapbook. Her legacy is the love she gave to her husband, children and grandchildren as well as her extended family and friends.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Jimmie Bryant Shaw, Sr.; a son in law, Wesley W. Gregory; a sister, Bobbie Johnson; and a brother, Robert Hal Corley, who died in Vietnam.

She is survived by three daughters, Gia Amato Gregory of Wilkesboro, Michelle Amato Livingston and husband, Matt of Greenwood, MS, Stephanie Amato Morris; a son, Dr. Francis X. Amato, III and wife Gena Amason Amato of Blowing Rock; a step daughter, Loretta Shaw Langdon and husband Dirk of Smithfield, NC; ten grandchildren, Chase Alexander Wylie, Justin Brady Morris, DJ Langdon and wife Jodee Boswell Langdon, Gray Robert Brower, Madelaine Claire Amato, Lillian Nicole Amato, Abigail Leigh Amato, Shelby Layne Browning Warren and husband Caleb Warren, Sarah Landreth "Laila" Browning and Nathan Lewis; a great grandson, Finley Shaw Langdon; three sisters, Peggy Green Palmer and husband Alex of Red Banks, MS, JoAnne Williams of Cape Girardeau, Missouri and Mitzi Pittman Workman of Collierville, TN; a brother, Jack Corley and wife Doreena of Valparaiso, IN; and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like for memorials be made to the American Cancer Society PO Box 9 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 or to Aiden's Army c/o Sharron Amason, 322 Clawson Street Apt. 108 Boone, NC 28607 to help Aiden Amason fight a rare childhood cancer.

Clyde Brown, Jr., 87

Mr. Clyde R. Brown, Jr, age 87 of North Wilkesboro passed away Friday, January 10, 2020 at his home.

Funeral services were January 12, at Lutheran Church of the Atonement with Rev. Roger Hull officiating. Burial was in Mountlawn Memorial Park.

Mr. Brown was born August 1, 1932 in Rowan County to Clyde Roscoe Brown, Sr, and Mary Eliza Overman Brown.

He was a member of Lutheran Church of the Atonement.

He graduated from Catawba College and later served on the Board of Trustees for Catawba College.

He was a long term member of the Elks Club, served on the Board of Social Services and Wilkes Cares.

He also served as the Chairman of the Wilkes County March of Dimes, Vice President of the N.C. Lutheran men and served many years on the Atonement Lutheran Church's Church Council. Mr. Brown made his career at Lowe's Companies where he retired.

In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two sisters and brothers-in-law; Madge Russell and husband Gilbert, Mildred Brown and husband Leo and brother-in-law Milton Crowther.

He is survived by his wife; Anna Hughes Brown of the home, three sons; David Lewis Brown and wife Janice of Efland, Martin Andrew Brown and wife Leisa of Gastonia and Douglas Warren Brown and wife Melony of Lewisville, seven grandchildren; Matthew Brown and wife Jessie, Genavee Brown, Kristine Brown, Lee Brown, Marinn McKelvey and husband David, Jessica Brown and Noah Brown and one sister; Louise Crowther.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Wake Forest Care At-Home Hospice, 126 Executive Drive, Suite 110, Wilkesboro, NC 28697.

Mark Anderson, 30

Mr. Mark Alan Anderson, age 30 of North Wilkesboro, passed away Thursday, January 9, 2020 at his home.

Funeral services were January 13th, at Flint Hill Baptist Church with Pastor Kent Wood and Pastor Kevin Souther officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mr. Anderson was born April 28, 1989 in Wilkes County to Danny Talmadge Anderson and Deborah Gail Eller Anderson. He loved video games and most of all he loved his family.

He was preceded in death by his Father; Danny Talmadge Anderson and Grandparents; Troy and Twila Eller and Talmadge Anderson.

He is survived by his mother; Gail Minton and step dad Roy Minton, Jr. of Hays, brother; Phillip Daniel Anderson, grandmother; Ruth Anderson of North Wilkesboro, Aunt and Uncle Frances Cleary and husband Brent of North Wilkesboro and two cousins; Matthew (Larrisa) and Martin (Patricia).

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the Donor's Choice.

Melissa Norman, 74

Mrs. Melissa Mae Joyner Norman, age 74 of Ronda, passed away Wednesday, January 8, 2020 at Rose Glen Manor in North Wilkesboro.

Funeral services were January 11, at Temple Hill United Methodist Church with Pastor Matthew A. Nichols and Rev. Clyde Holeman officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery.

Mrs. Norman was born January 23, 1945 in Davie County to Wilson Joyner and Mamie Welborn Joyner. Melissa was a graduate of Appalachian State University where she obtained a Master's Degree. She was retired from the Iredell County School System as a School Teacher and was a member of Temple Hill United Methodist Church.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Mrs. Norman is survived by her husband; Benjamin (Benny) H. Norman of the home, a sister; Magdalene Pinnix of Booneville, a sister in law; Faye Cornog of Springfield, Il, a brother; Woodrow Joyner of Ronda, a brother in law; Paul Norman and wife; Jean of Mint Hill and several nieces and nephews.

Flowers will be accepted.

Charles Miller, 70

Mr. Charles Danny Miller, age 70 of Millers Creek, passed Thursday, January 9th, 2020 at his home.

Funeral services were January 13, at Union Baptist Church in the Wilbar community with Rev. Steve Faw and Rev. Julius Blevins officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery with Military Honors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1142 Honor Guard.

Mr. Miller was born February 13, 1949 in Wilkes County to Charlie Miller and Bernie South Miller. Mr. Miller served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He was retired from AEV and was a member and deacon of Union Baptist Church.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his infant granddaughter; Jessica Miller.

Mr. Miller is survived by his wife; Bobbye Griffin Miller of the home, a son; Guy Miller and wife Jamie of Millers Creek and two grandchildren; Jake Miller and Kaylee Miller.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes for memorials to be made to Gideons North Camp PO Box 1791 North Wilkesboro, NC 28659 or Union Baptist Church Cemetery Fund c/o Lanny South 165 Kingcross Lane Millers Creek, NC 28651.

Helene Napoli, 69

Ms. Helene Clara Napoli, age 69 of Moravian Falls passed away Thursday, January 9, 2020 at her home.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Ms. Napoli was born November 16, 1950 in Nassau, NY to Louis John and Evelyn Jane Callegari Napoli. She was a member of Mt. Carmel Baptist Church and a Licensed Practical Nurse at John J. Foley Nursing Home. She also volunteered at BROC and Boomer Community Center.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

She is survived by three daughters; Maria Coles, Patrina Brown both of Wilkesboro, Lisa Conroy of Cary, two sons; Anthony Coles and wife Bonnie of Mastic Beach, NY and Jason Coles and wife Cheryl of Moravian Falls, five grandchildren; Tiffany Marie, Marc Anthony, Ebony Rianne, Logan Joseph, Mickenzie Lorraine and one great grandchild; Daniel Michael, two sisters; Joanne and Maria and four brothers; Louis, John, Peter and Paul and an aunt; Anne Easton of Mesa, AZ.

Ted Nelson, 87

Ted Carlisle Nelson, age 87, of Hays, passed away Thursday, January 9, 2020 at his home. Ted was born August 10, 1932 in Buncombe County to William Terry and Pansy Robinson Nelson. He was a member of Round Mtn. Baptist Church and a US Navy Veteran. Ted loved to garden and fish. Mr. Nelson was preceded in death by his parents; his loving wife of 58 years, Jessie B. Nelson; and brothers, Boyd and Bill Nelson.

Surviving are his children, Thomas Nelson and spouse Delilah of Haleyville, Alabama, Alice Childress and spouse Paul, Susan Teague and spouse William, Terry Nelson and spouse Lisa, Ronald Nelson, Ellen Teague and spouse Larry all of Hays; sisters, Dorothy Hall of Castle Rock, Washington, Elizabeth Nelson of Asheville; eight grandchildren; ten great grandchildren; and two great great grandchildren.

Graveside service with military honors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard Post 1142 was January 12, at Round Mtn. Baptist Church Cemetery with Rev. Roger Jennings, Elder Anion Cole and Rev. Larry Teague officiating. Flowers were accepted or memorials may be made to Round Mtn. Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, Airport Road, Hays, NC 28635. Miller Funeral Service was in charge of the arrangements.

Bruce Blackburn, 94

Bruce Blackburn, age 94, of Purlear, passed away Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at his home. Mr. Blackburn was born September 4, 1925 in Wilkes County to Levi Gentry and Celia Jane Holman Blackburn.

Bruce was a veteran of WWII and was stationed in the South Pacific as a U.S. Navy Radioman. He was awarded the American Theater Medal, Asiatic Pacific Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon and the Victory Medal. Before retiring, Bruce worked as a full-time mechanic. He was an avid farmer, raising cattle for many years and then continued to find great joy in helping his son with cattle in his later years. He loved spending time with his grandsons. He was a member of Lewis Fork Baptist Church and also enjoyed attending church with his son and wife at Fishing Creek Arbor.

Mr. Blackburn was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Helen McNeil Blackburn; brothers, Ray Blackburn, LG Blackburn, James Blackburn, Worth Blackburn; two brothers that died in infancy (David and Joseph); sisters, Arlie Blackburn Dyer, Vetra Blackburn Watson; half-brothers, George White Blackburn, Wintford Blackburn, Sherman Blackburn, Edgar Blackburn; and half-sister, Blanch Blackburn Elledge.

Surviving are his son, Benny Bruce Blackburn and spouse Anita of Purlear; daughter, Karen Blackburn of Peachland, N.C.; grandchildren, Daniel Bruce Blackburn, Esq. of Charlotte, Joshua Kirk Blackburn of Raleigh, Kristopher Ray Stanley of Asheville; and one great grandchild.

Funeral service was January 11, at Lewis Fork Baptist Church with Pastor Dwayne Andrews and Pastor David Wellborn officiating. Eulogy will be provided by grandsons, Daniel Bruce Blackburn, Esq. and Joshua Kirk Blackburn. Burial with military honors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Guard Post 1142 will follow in the Church Cemetery.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to Lewis Fork Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 395 Lewis Fork Baptist Church Road, Purlear, NC 28665. The family has requested no food. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

Pallbearers were Daniel Bruce Blackburn, Esq., Joshua Kirk Blackburn, Kristopher Ray Stanley, John Dyer, Shelmer Blackburn, Jr. and Robert Blackburn.

Carol Weaver, 76

Carol Rebecca Weaver, age 76, of North Wilkesboro, passed away Tuesday, January 7, 2020 at her home. Mrs. Weaver was born October 27, 1943 in Tazwell County, Virginia to Charlie and Thena Sparks Waddell. She was a member of Northside Baptist Church. Carol was preceded in death by her parents; and brothers, Jim Waddell and Bob Waddell.

Surviving are her husband, Sam Weaver; son, Steve Weaver of Elkin; daughter, Treva Prevette of North Wilkesboro; grandchildren, Noah Weaver of New York, Ronald Rhodes and spouse Sarah of Ronda, Harley Weaver of Elkin; great grandchildren, Haylee Rhodes, Aaron Weaver, Abigail Weaver, Emma Weaver; brother, Ted Waddell of Virginia; sisters, Joyce Crawford, Joan Alley, Mary Wood all of Virginia; several nieces and nephews.

Funeral service was January 11, at Miller Funeral Chapel with Brother Jason Whitley officiating. Burial was in North Wilkesboro City Cemetery. Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to the donor's choice. Miller Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements.

Jonathan Parish, 30

Mr. Jonathan Lee Andrew Parish, age 30 passed away Sunday, January 5, 2020 unexpectedly in Raleigh.

A Celebration of Life Service was January 11, at Reins-Sturdivant Chapel with Rev. Daron Brown officiating. A private burial was be held.

Mr. Parish was born August 1, 1989 in Catawba County to Frank Tony Parish and Melissa Dawn Sheets Parish. He was employed by DoneRight Merchandising. He served in the United States Army National Guard Bravo 3-47 1st Platoon.

He was preceded in death by his grandfather; Frank Parish.

He is survived by his parents, his wife; Amanda Colene Pearson Parish, his children; Jameson LeeAndrew Parish, Trever Long, Jayceelee Diane Anderson, Isaiah Patrick and Jonah Glenn Parish, one sister; Anthea Dawn Parish, grandparents; Rick and Barbara Poteat, Barbara Parish, Tom and Shelba Sheets and Jeanie Francis-Hayes.

Flowers will be accepted or memorials may be made to a trust fund for his children at any State Employees Credit Union Branch.

Raymond Schwind, 75

Mr. Raymond Edgar Schwind, 75, of Wilkesboro, passed away Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.

Raymond was born Saturday, May 27, 1944 in Oxford, New Jersey, the son of the late Gerardt Paul Schwind and Edna Wildrick Schwind Haper.

He had served in the United States Army Armed Forces.

Those left to cherish his memory include: his wife, Nancyann Mary Schwind; children, Tonyalee of Pennsylvania, Nancylynn of Jew Jersey, George of North Carolina, Chad of Pennsylvania; twelve grandchildren; sister; Dorothy of New Jersey; brothers, Alfred of Pennsylvania, Paul of Arkansas, Richard of Texas, Larry and Joseph, both of New Jersey, and John of Pennsylvania.

No formal services to be held.

Adams Funeral Home of Wilkes and cremation services is honored to be serving the Schwind Family.

Hubert Dancy, 91

Mr. Hubert Everette Dancy, age 91 of Mocksville, passed away peacefully, Wednesday January 1st 2020 at Kate B Reynolds Hospice Home in Winston Salem.

Mr. Dancy was born December 28th 1928 in Wilkes County to James and Lala Dancy. He was an avid wrestler in high school and college. He lettered in the 9th grade and was a state champion. He continued wrestling at Appalachian State University where he was on the Mountaineer wrestling team contributing to a national team scoring record in 1950. He left college to serve in the Air Force during the Korean War later to return and graduate with a physical education degree. He retired after 30 years with Boeing as a production manager. He was a member of Wilkes United Methodist Church where he enjoyed cooking with the Methodist Men during church functions. After marrying Mary Ann, he was blessed to become a father, grandfather and great grandfather. He loved his family.

A skilled craftsman, Hugh spent lots of his retirement days in his workshop where he could create just about anything anyone asked for; but his passion was making knives. His love for model trains was shared with his friends and fellow members of the Black Cat Station in North Wilkesboro. He also loved to cook, work the puzzles in the paper and watch sports especially Appalachian State Football. He loved his kitty Ellie and Addie a small dog he kept during the day.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two wives Rachel Anderson Dancy and Mary Ann Pennell Dancy and two brothers Harold and Willard Dancy.

He is survived by his stepdaughter Michelle Rundle of Mocksville, step sons Michael Cooper and wife Margaret of N. Wilkesboro, and Jeffery Mark Cooper of San Diego, California. Three step grandchildren Megan Fiedler and husband Jim of Pennsylvania, Michael Cooper Jr of Raleigh, North Carolina and Sierra Cooper of California. Two step greatgrandchildren Mason and Madeline Fiedler of Pennsylvania.

Memorials may be made to Wilkesboro United Methodist Church PO Box 197, Wilkesboro NC 28697 or Kate B Reynolds Hospice Home (Trellis Supportive Care Attention: Finance, 101 Hospice Lane, Winston Salem, NC 27103).

Per his wishes, after cremation a private ceremony will be held at Scenic Memorial Gardens.

James Curry, 82

Mr. James "Sonny" Albert Curry passed away at Curis Nursing Home in Wilkesboro on December 27, 2019, his 82nd birthday.

Sonny was a good hearted man and devoted father who was loved and well respected by friends and family. Sonny graduated from East Mecklenburg High School and was in the United States Army. He graduated from Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, FL. Sonny worked for Lowe's for 28 years as a commercial artist. He liked bowling and golf and was a fan of the Carolina Panthers and Duke University Football.

He is survived by two daughters; Emily Moran and Brooke Curry, a granddaughter; Hailee Curry, a brother; Jerry Curry and a nephew; Jonathan Curry.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Sharon Presbyterian Church, 5201 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.

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myers-meadow · 3 years ago

Text

Care for me: Michael Myers x OFC/You ch.4

Title: Care for me, part four! :)

Part 3 is here. Part 2 is here. Part 1 is here.

Final part 5 is here.

Warnings: very possesive + obsessive behaviour. References to murder. This part has smut, 18+, very explicit, female reader. Light choking, stalking, blood play, knife play. Michael himself is a massive warning and I suggest you heed this. Some darker themes for this chapter.

Contents: Rob Zombie’s Michael Myers in Smith’s Grove meets a new therapist with unconventional ideas. Michael x you/ Michael x OFC. ‘You’ have a name, since i find y/n somewhat awkward for longer fics. Still, I like experimenting with second person perspective.

I am also proud to say that this fic is heavily inspired by Michel Foucault’s ideas on power difference and how this comes into play in the anti-psychiatry theories. Also: 80s fashion. I’d love to have feedback on this.

November crept by as the spiders that constructed their webs by the windows. Food disappeared from your fridge and pantry at times, and your hairbrush went missing, only to return to another spot with several blond hairs inside. You knew who it was that entered your home, you knew that just because you didn’t see him, didn’t mean he wasn’t there. That he didn’t watch you.

And somehow, it made you feel something. Something good, even. Was it the imagined safety? Having the worst possible evil watch over you… To be seen is to be loved, you thought to yourself, during one Sunday afternoon. If the traces of him, of all the things he touched inside your home, were not there, you could have imagined he had forgotten about you. It felt like living with a memory of him.

Your job was always busier before the holidays. It was easy to get lost in the hurt of others, even when alone. Family brought back old hurt and old coping patterns, not to mention seasonal depression, and it was a common occurrence to see clients more frequently during this season. Dr. Loomis hadn’t called anymore and you were relieved.

Then the note appeared. It was roughly mid-November, if not nearing December. The cold crept through the windows at night. It was clear the note was from Michael, as his handwriting was easy to recognise.

‘Marion,

Wait for me tonight. I want to take you somewhere.

M.’

So you did, staying up and fully dressed. A knock sounded roughly around eleven. You opened the back door, and it was him. Seeing him again made your heart leap. It was easy to forget how imposing he was, how he changed the atmosphere by just being there. He wore working clothes, steel-toed boots, and a large chunky sweater over his coveralls. No stains. In his hands were flowers, an arrangement with white lilies. Your heart dropped at the sight of them, but smiled at him regardless.

“How nice to see you again, Michael. Are those for me? Thank you,” you said, taking the bouquet from him and walking back to the kitchen to put them on a vase.

He gripped your upper arm, stopping you. The mask betrayed nothing. He shook his head, mentioned to the outside instead.

“Alright, let me get my coat and shoes.”

Once outside, you hid your face in your shawl from the biting wind. Michael didn’t seem bothered by the cold at all. Seeing his state of dress, you grabbed him an extra shawl and stood on your tiptoes to get it around his neck, but he seemed to care so little for the cold. He allowed you to wrap it around an extra time, by bending his head slightly.

“So, where to?” you asked, knowing there wouldn’t be any answer. He pointed vaguely to the woods you were about to enter. It was so dark, deeply ink black, in between the trees. His strides were long and confident, where you stumbled unable to see your feet. With something akin to a sigh, he grasped your hand and pulled you along, watching for fallen branches and lead you around.

After a good, steady half hour walk, the woods opened up to a small clearing. The sliver of moon lit the area eerily, unnaturally white. The white of his mask seemed even paler. In the middle stood a little house, with a smaller shack for tools and a pile of chopped wood next to it. He handed the flowers to you and stepped closer to the little house, unlocking the door. He gestured for you to enter.

“Inside?” you asked with raised eyebrows. “Is this what you wanted me to see?”

The lights flicked on, and the inside was just out of a movie. Picturesque paintings of mountains and lakes on the wall, all wooden flooring and walls, armchairs with the velvet cushions, heavy dark curtains over small windows. There were candles on most surfaces, already partly burned. It looked like someone had just walked out, like someone’s home. You moved through the hall into the living room. The kitchen was smaller, and separated by only a partial wall.

“Who lives here?” you wondered aloud, trailing your fingers over the headrest of the chair. When you looked back at the door, Michael was nowhere in sight. The flowers laid on the table by the door, you moved to put them in water. White lilies… hopefully it was not a threat on his end, but you doubted he would feel the need to threaten you.

Michael returned as suddenly as he disappeared, this time pulling you into his chest in a hug. You could barely fit your arms entirely around his broad chest. The jumper was scratchy, but warm beneath your cheek as you rested it against him. With nothing but a soft grunt, he lifted you off your feet, hands under your buttocks. Laughing, you clung onto him, trying your best to hook your ankles behind his back.

“It’s so sweet you brought me flowers,” you mumbled against his shoulder, caressing the back of his neck.

Not even five minutes later you were in the upstairs master bedroom. Michael laid you down gently on the bed, and he looked at you for a long while, leaning back on his heels. It surprised him how willing you were to trust him, that you smiled at him so lovingly after knowing of his crimes. Ever since you stepped into his cell, he felt something when he was around you. With a firm grip but trembling fingers, he removed his mask. Logically, you couldn’t possibly read his mind or even his moods, but how did he feel so connected to you? And when you hadn’t ratted him out to the guards, it solidified the moment he knew you felt something too. You met his gaze, and it was soft, and Michael thought he was looking at the most precious human in the world. He let that thought go, fingers twitched for a short moment. Did you know..? It seemed to be so easy for you, to care, to accept his touch. Before he could resist, his hand slipped to your face. Feeling your features with rough fingertips. You closed your eyes when he trailed his fingers from hairline to chin, exerting no pressure on the skin. To give in so easily… Michael wondered what you felt. Where such deep trust came from. He leaned forward to hover over you, fingers pressing on your lips. Your eyes met his again, and he pushed past the barrier as you opened your mouth for him just enough. Your hand trailed up his arm, resting on his bicep. He hadn’t expected you to curl your tongue around his fingers like that. A wave of heat made him shiver. With just the slight movement of an eyebrow he knew you noticed, and then the scraping of teeth. Was this natural to you? What was it about him that you received with such affection? What if you shared these affections with others? His jaw clenched, he pulled his fingers back, slick with saliva. Crudely spread it over your lips. Again, your reaction surprised him: soft panting, half lidded eyes, and you shifted on the mattress. Had you loved another before? Done all these things for them, and more? Had they whispered the things in your ear that you were wishing to hear? Something bad rose in his throat.

His hand, steadfast again, slid to your neck, clasping around it tightly. The noise you made at that, high-pitched, needy, with the fluttering eyelashes, spurred him on. His thoughts were all-consuming. Your hands slid under the sweater he wore, pushing it up to reveal the coveralls. Unbothered, he let you remove it, only breaking his hold on you for a second. Your own blouse was next, and then your tights, skirt, everything, until his other hand groped at plush skin. He leaned down until his forehead pressed against yours, your hands roaming his back, hips, sides, back up to shoulders, neck, hair… He huffed out a breath at the sensations.

“Michael, touch me, please,” and you pushed up in an attempt to kiss him, but he pulled back just before you could. Hand on your neck forced you down into the mattress. Voice slightly strained from the pressure, “what is it?”

Then his lips found yours, and you sighed from the softness. Opened your lips to lick at his lip, but he was gone again, only cold now caressed your skin. ‘Take only as much as I give’, Michael thought, as he watched the expressions shift over your face. The darkness of his mind made his fingers twitch around nothing, seeking the comforting grip of- His hand already reached for the knife on the nightstand. You shifted beneath him, worried, but his grip around your neck tightened. The cold steel replaced his earlier wandering hand. Up and down your chest, circling your nipples, finally stopping on your cheek. He knew just how hard to press to release those few first droplets from the skin. You sucked in a breath. Would you beg, he wondered, but you didn’t, and your trust encouraged him. The scrape of steel against skin as he lifted it away from your face hung in the air. It returned over your heart, against the breast bone.

“Please be gentle with me,” you whispered, and finally Michael softened his grip on your neck.

He cocked his head as he looked at you closely. His earlier thoughts caught up again, the thought of another’s hands – no, of another body between your hands…

“Is this what is bothering you? I can take it,” voice without waver. “I trust you.”

The first cut was on the breast, long and straight, and you protested, said it stung, but your hand rested on his without pushing him away. He shushed you with a kiss to the forehead. Two smaller ones, another long one. He pressed hard enough to make blood well up, but not to make them truly bleed. Your pants would make you lightheaded, he thought, pressing down for another long stroke, on the other breast. The beads of blood that welled up formed a path to the breastbone. Two shorter ones, and with careful precision on your heaving chest, the final, shallow cut. Immediately, he released his hold on you, instead pulling you up to him. The knife clattered to the floor somewhere to the side. He kissed you deeply, with warm lips and the softness you desired from the beginning. None have touched you like that, he thought, none but him will see you like this. The blood was wet and sticky against his chest, already thickening. You kissed him, and he relished in the feeling of your affection. Your lips nipped at his, then your tongue slid past his lips. Taste of dessert, of coffee and cream. Did you understand his actions? It sickened but delighted him that he was the one to have showed you such ferociousness.

When he laid you back down, you protested with soft whines, and you looked almost dizzy like that, eyes half-lidded, hair messy on the pillow, blood drying on the skin. Michael pressed you down with a hand on your torso, avoiding the cuts, and shifted so he was in between your legs. Opening them was easy, but as soon as you realised what he planned to do, you jolted. His hot breath fanned over your labia. Fingers found his scalp to push him closer, and the light scraping of the nails set something alight in him. The first lick had you mewling. He pressed you firmly back into the mattress, legs wide for him. The hand on your thigh pushed the labia open and he pressed a kiss to the slick skin. Another to the clit. A lick then, experimental. He registered each sound and twitch and hitched breath. The taste was unlike anything he had tasted before. Something felt so utterly right about it. So pure. He curled his tongue around the clit, then sucked it shortly. The fingers on your labia pushed in, one at first. It was difficult to resist, and he felt his weeping cock yearn to be touched. Simultaneously he curled his finger inside you, and his other hand around himself. A duet of moans filled the air. His licks were wet, soon became sloppier. He groaned and dug his tongue inside, desperate for more.

The tugging at his hair came close to painful, and he looked up. Immediately, his face and neck flushed at the sight of you. You pulled him closer, lips meeting, breathy moans as he grinded his cock against your core.

“Michael, please, god, oh please…” With another kiss pressed to his lips, you turn around beneath him. “Like this, it’ll feel so good like this.”

He trailed a hand over your back and shoulders, seeing the acne scars and the indent of the bra strap, then he wound his hand in your hair. You cried out, pressing your ass to his crotch. Michael let out a shuddering breath, as he pressed his cock against your core. The head entered effortlessly, slick with saliva and arousal. He missed his hand around your neck, but seeing you grip at the sheets was something he wouldn’t soon forget. He was slow in his descend inside, shuddering each few centimetres of how amazing it felt. The warmth of being connected to you spread through his entire body. He was in fully, pressing it in just a bit deeper, until he could no more. He concentrated on holding his balance, on breathing through the intense arousal. You sighed sweetly.

“Feels great, doesn’t it?” you asked, voice wanton and muffled from the pillow. Michael groaned in response, and moved. The first drag out was almost excruciatingly tight, but soon moving became easier. Faster and ever so deep. He enjoyed the high pitched whimpers and yelps each time he hit home, sought to take even more from you. All care thrown in the wind, he pulled you by the hair, hand supporting your head on your throat, reaching over to press kisses to your temple. His thrusts were brutal, fast and unforgiving, and he felt so good.

“I- I’m so close, god, yes, please, more- ah! Michael, Michael, please, god so good.”

His teeth sank down in your shoulder as he increased his messy pace, before finishing and collapsing in an overstimulated heap. Each touch of hair to his skin felt like too much. Then your eyes met his, and he softened like clay. You wiped the sweaty locks from his face, and kissed him deeply, slowly. You wrapped his arm around your waist and settled against his chest. Heartbeats returned to their own pace over time, breaths quieting down, fingers playing with each other. He traced a pattern over your hip, and pressed a kiss to your crown. A blissful sigh left your lips before falling asleep.

The next morning he was still there, wrapped around you. What was the last time you slept so deeply? The clock on the nightstand read 7:48. Whose house is this? Michael took you here. He brought flowers, then the two of you ended up in bed together.

Michael stirred, kissing your shoulder. You pushed yourself up to leave, and he sat up with you. His eyes were at your chest, and something in that gaze scared you. You looked down, and what happened last night hit you all at once. He had markedyou. His initials in your chest, two jagged M’s. The blood had long since dried from the thin cuts. They didn’t outright hurt, but the meaning behind them made you shiver.

You went to take a shower. The warm water stung the cuts, but it felt great to be clean. A few strange muscles were sore, and your hair was a mess, but when you thought of the man in bed, you had to suppress a grin. You dressed, regrettably in the same underwear as yesterday, and looked for Michael.

He was in the kitchen, making two bowls of cereal. He wore just the sweater, that rid up a little as he reached for the higher cabinets, and a pair of wide working man’s trousers with large pockets. He wore the mask again.

“Good morning,” you greeted. He nodded at you, features hidden from you. He handed you the bowl and a spoon. The kitchen table was so small that, as you both sat down, your knees were touching. It looked awkward to see him at such a tiny table, hunched over the bowl. Again you wondered about the house.

“Will you be staying here?” you asked instead. He nodded. His hand reached out for yours and you gave it to him over the table. You thought he wanted to hold hands, to affirm what he did the night before, but instead he drew on your palm. They were letters. It took a bit to catch up, but once you did, it was easy to understand what he was writing.

‘Stay here?’ it was, and he gestured to you, and then another question mark. You pulled you hand back.

“Even though I’d love to, I can’t stay. I have to see clients. If this is your home, we live so close we can visit any time, right?”

He grasped your chin, ferocious gaze through the holes in the mask. The beginnings of fear tingled at the base of your neck. A tap to your lips, before he let go. With sure fingers he traced the shape of the cuts, pressing against sore skin through your blouse.

Heart beating faster, eventually you nodded. “I can stay for a bit, but there are people who depend on me, and they will worry if I disappear without letting them know. You would also feel upset if I just left and you couldn’t find me, right?”

That seemed to do it. He nodded and stood up briskly. The chair scraped the floor in a terrible sound. The only thing he did then was take his bowl and eat while leaning against the counter, eyes not once leaving you.

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crazyzaika · 6 years ago

Text

Love on Detours - Chapter 1

So my dears,

I'm translating this and hope you like it. I know, this sort of story isn't really new. But I never had read a good story with this and so … yeah. Tell me your thoughts. Oh and some terms. And it's not checked, but it will be. So pls be nice on false words and stuff.

Oyabun = the head of a yakuzaclan

Kobun = the biological or adopted sons of the Oyabun.

Summary: Lucy Heartfilia lives with her sister Michelle, her cousins Mirajane and Lisanna with her grandfather. Together they all have a quite peaceful life in the temple. If only there wasn't her friendship with Natsu. Nobody from her family likes him, everyone hates him and thinks that he has a bad influence on her as Kobun, the son of Oyabun Igneel Dragneel. Until now she always thought that this was simply a hair-raiser, but then a harmless party ends with fatal consequences.

Rating: M - Smut, Violence, Bad Language

Pairings: Nalu, Gajevy, Gruvia, Miraxus, Hints on NaLi, IgGran, WenRo, Jerza

RL-AU

Greets Z ♥

Chapter 1

She heard the drone in her ears, distorted her lips and buried herself deeper in the warmth that enveloped her, rubbed her nose against warm skin and sucked the bitter scent of aftershave into her lungs. It was so comfortable here. She clearly didn't want to get up. And then ... slowly it came through to her what she felt.

Naked skin?, thought Lucy and opened carefully an eyelid. Her heartbeat accelerated as she stared directly at a well-trained chest. She blinked and stopped breathing. Was that a joke? As carefully as possible she looked up and at the sight she saw, her heart almost stopped in shock. He slept deeply and firmly, absolutely peacefully and definitely deeply relaxed. The first rays of sunshine pushed through the dark curtains and made the pink hair shimmer. She swallowed, feeling her dry throat. She felt like she had a furry animal on her tongue and knew she had definitely drunk too much yesterday. Redness spread across her cheeks as she carefully lifted the blanket and pressed her hand in front of her mouth to suppress a panic squeak. They were naked. Burning redness lay on her cheeks and she panicked. How much to the fucking ass of heaven had they drunk yesterday that a One Night Stand between them ... a buzz penetrated her ears and then she was pulled by two slightly scarred arms to a warm, naked body. She pulled in the air sharply and did not dare to move. Her heart hammered painfully against her ribs and she felt him moving again. He pushed one leg over hers and pulled her closer to himself. The redness on her cheeks became stronger and she felt his best piece ready and clearly pressing against her stomach with a morning boner. Lucy's eyes widened in panic and very carefully she raised her head. He was still asleep.

Okay ... just don't panic ... it's not even sure if we ... really ... too. Gaaaarrrr, come on, calm down. You just have to wiggle out of his embrace and get out of bed. And act as if nothing happened. He certainly doesn't know anything more about yesterday ..., she thought and swallowed lightly. Natsu was strong and she had already slept over a few times. He had the habit of cuddling and especially when he had been drinking he became affectionate. They had never been naked in bed before, but with best friends it wasn't surprising, was it? They were just best friends, understood each other without words and ... Sex was actually no option. She didn't find Natsu bad in itself, really not, but this friendship was simply too important to her. It was too important to her to want to risk it with sex. Lucy gently loosened the grip of his arms and carefully pulled her legs out between his. Her heart pounded to her neck as she slowly crawled to the edge of the bed, trying not to make a sound or wake him up.

She looked around and saw one of the large pillows lying on the floor, then shuddered, and before he could wrap his arms around her again, she pressed that pillow into his arms. Just in time, because his arms closed around the pillow like a reflex. He frowned and growled softly and Lucy froze. However, he didn't wake up and she climbed out of bed as quietly as if she had committed a crime and now had to flee. Hastily she picked up her clothes and put on her uniform again. She saw her bag, checked if everything was there, then she tiptoed to the room door. At the door she looked at him again and pain burned in her heart as he lay there and embraced a pillow. The light almost made his hair shine and fine dust fluff flew around, shining through the morning sun. She bit her lower lip, then she pushed herself through the door, closed it quietly again and swallowed, breathed deeply, then she walked quietly through the hallway, across the polished floor, past the living room.

If she was very quiet, no one would know she had been here. Then perhaps they could just ...

"Morning, Lucy."

She literally froze in the movement. Goosebumps spread over her body and her heart had stopped for a moment, only to return twice as fast. Very slowly she turned her head and looked tense in the direction from which this deep voice had come. The deep dark eyes of him hit hers and she swallowed easily.

"As I see you are already awake? Very beautiful. The next time you come by to send my son to heaven, please be quieter," Ingeel Dragneel sat at the table, drank a cup of coffee and then took a pull from his cigarette. Lucy blinked and then swallowed. Igneel pulled the newspaper towards him and smiled slightly as he blew smoke towards the ceiling.

"I don't suppose you were using contraception as drunk as you two were yesterday," he asked when she still hadn't said a word. She stood there stiff as a stick and her lips turned to a panic-stricken grin.

"G-g-g-good morning, Igneel-san," she brought out, and you could see her tension. He pulled a narrow dark red brow up, then sighed deeply, put the cup down, put the cigarette out in an ashtray and rose from his seat. His gaze was cool and controlled. He wore a simple black kimono and a Haori in red. The cloth gaped open and she saw the color of his tattoos, swallowed easily and then looked up slightly frightened. Igneel was the Oyabun* of his clan, the boss, and he towered over her well by 2 heads. Fear reached for her heart. He wasn't a bad person in himself, but he had an extreme protective instinct. Something Natsu clearly had from him. He stared at her and Lucy swallowed nervously.

"I... I don't know," she whispered and her voice sounded thin and trembling, not as strong and self-confident as usual. Actually she was used to that. Why did this frighten her so much? Her nerves were simply shattered. That was a fact. A grin spread on Igneel's lips and the hardness and cold disappeared from his features and made way for a shit eating grin.

"If you should be pregnant, then you come immediately to us, only that this is clear, yes?", he had bent slightly forward and she nodded mechanically. Her knees felt like jelly.

"Well, then shoo off. I think, you want to escape the embarrassing morning afterwards, don't you?", the grin broadened as she looked shamefaced to the ground and nodded. Igneel hit her shoulder and laughed quietly.

"Then let's go," he replied and dismissed her. Lucy didn't let herself be told twice and fled the old Japanese estate in a breakneck speed. She dodged clan members, sprinted to the entrance, slipped into her brown leather shoes, then ran on. A few of the clan members had followed her to the door in amazement and looked after her Kobun**'s best friend. They had never seen Lucy so panicked.

" Well if he did anything wrong," Metalicana grinned wide and dirty. Atlas stood next to him and laughed quietly. They looked at each other, then both frowned.

"So ... your son would do something like that but the little one?"

"What's going on here?" Skiadrum joined the two clan members and seemed quite bored and sleepy. Metalicana growled quietly. He and the black haired one didn't like each other, even if they were brothers.

"Lucy just escaped," Atlas said, scratching his back of his head, disarranging the long red hair even more than before. Skiadrum pulled a black brow up and his red eyes glided to his older brother.

"And you believe that the two ... ", he began, but interrupted himself. Reddish spread on his cheeks and Metalicana grinned broadly, laughed softly. His brother was once again as shy as ever.

She ran faster and faster, followed the road and fled. Her lungs were burning and her chest hurt. Panting, she stopped at a high staircase and paused for a moment. She hoped, no prayed, that he would not remember anything. Otherwise it would only make everything more difficult. Unwinned tears burned in her eyes and she straightened up again. The gaze of her deep, chocolate brown eyes glided to the stairs, followed her and glided over the Torii. She stroked the red lacquered wood and felt it leafing under her fingers. Soon she would have to paint it again. Her lips pressed together to a firm stroke, then she took the high stairs at a run, sprinted through the second Torii. Her gaze glided over the temple.

The courtyard was paved with large stone slabs and well maintained. A gentle bamboo grove surrounded the area and she looked over to the temple. Fear seized her senses and she felt her legs give way. If her grandfather or sister would find out that. She blinked violently. It was bad enough that his father knew.

No one here was particularly enthusiastic about the friendship between Natsu and her. Neither her grandfather nor her sister, not to mention her cousins, who also lived here. And that was only because Natsu was the Kobun of Igneel. And that Natsu was constantly fighting, always involved in brawls and Lucy had followed him everywhere and all the time. They had been at the same primary and secondary school and when her grandfather had wanted to send her to an elite girls' school, she had refused knitting. She had gone to a school full of delinquents for Natsu. Oh, how had everyone raved except Natsu. Even her father and mother had travelled there and had given her hell, but she hadn't let it get her down. She still wanted to be friends with him and there was nothing wrong with it, was there?

But last night, this party? She wasn't even old enough to drink alcohol after all, but that didn't stop Natsu or her. They had poured so much beer and sake into them. And wine. But everyone had drunk so much. Even Levy had shot the bird and Gajeel had brought his drunken girlfriend home. Lucy could remember pretty much everything. Again panic seized her senses. How did they think sex between best friends was a good idea? She bit her lower lip hard and her fingers clawed into her hair. Oh and Lisanna would be so damn jealous. She knew it already. Her cousin was head over heels in love with Natsu and she knew that he liked her somewhere, too, even though he had never really made an effort to do anything with Lisanna. Mirajane had taken care of that. And Elfman.

Hectically Lucy looked around, but still everything was quiet. Nobody seemed to have got up yet and she got up, hurried quietly over the stone slabs to the family house. Everything had been built in the old Japanese style. Carefully she walked around the house, then unlocked one of the exterior sliding doors, quickly looked around, took off her shoes and closed the door behind her again. Then she tiptoed to the sliding door of her room, carefully pushed it open, slipped into her room and closed the sliding door behind her again. She breathed a sigh of relief and her knees gave way and she let herself sink to the floor. Luckily it was weekend and she didn't have to go to school today. That might have been embarrassing. She swallowed slightly, then pulled herself up again, took off her school uniform and picked out normal everyday clothes. She briefly sniffed her clothes and distorted her face. Clearly, she would have to wash her uniform because it reeked of alcohol and cold smoke. Apparently Natsu had smoked like a chimney yesterday. Again, although he had promised her to stop. A soft beep sounded and she jerked violently. Quickly she pulled on her shirt and crawled to her bag on all fours, pulled out her cell phone and opened it. When she looked at the sender, she froze and swallowed. Natsu.

#naluff #fairytailff #nalufanfiction #natsu x lucy #lucyheartfilia #natsudragneel #fairytailrlau #gajevy #gruvia #miraxus

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1dffexchange · 6 years ago

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Am I My Brother’s Keeper

To: Leigh @thatoddpanda

From: Kate @fireawaynjh

Warning: Alcohol. Mild Swearing

Summary: Harry and Niall. Niall and Harry. Best friends, partners, practically brothers. They were inseparable for the majority of their adult lives and no spat could break their friendship. They’d survived missions through MI6 together, loss of loved ones, long nights and pub crawls when they got time off at the holidays. Nothing could touch them. That is until Anna appeared in both of their lives. They’d never fancied the same girl before and Anna had never dated two guys at the same time. When Harry and Niall discover they’ve both been dating the same girl, it’s an instant competition to see who can win her heart. But it doesn’t take long for the friendly contest between two gentleman to turn into a full on War. Who will Anna choose?

Harry and Niall had been partners since the academy. They’d been through mission after mission together. Harry had been there when Niall lost his wife and child in a car accident. Niall had been there for Harry when his father passed away. Nothing could have come between them.

Harry had been pushing Niall to start dating again but Niall didn’t want to hear any of it. He was focused on his job and only his job. Besides having a relationship while working for MI6 always had its drawbacks. He could never tell someone about his work and in the past that had always caused problems. His wife and him were on the brink of divorce when the accident occured. He couldn’t get back into that again, it was better if he just stayed single.

That was until he met Anna. He had been walking down the street to the pub for lunch. Some bloke had tried to make off with her purse and he’d chased him down to return it to her. She’d been so appreciative of his heroism that she’d offered to buy him a drink.

“Thank you darlin’ but I’ve got to head back to work, I’m just on me lunch break,” he replied easily.

“Then let me buy you lunch, I can’t thank you enough,” she insisted. She was enthralled by his Irish accent and was swooning over his charm. She hadn’t been this taken with a man since high school when she first laid eyes on Marcus Landry the keeper for the school’s football team.

“Alright then fair enough,” Niall replied. He was enticed by her too, her eyes sparkling and her smile blinding. He swallowed as they turned to walk through the pub doors again.

“I’m Anna,” she added quickly as they made their way to the bar.

“Anna. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Niall.” She smiled and shook his hand. The two sat and ordered lunch. Niall wasn’t ready to leave when it came time for him to return to work.

“Anna?” he asked timidly as she finished signing the bill. “Could I call you some time? I really enjoyed talkin’ t’ya today.” A pink flush spread across her cheeks as she scribbled her phone number on the top half of the receipt and pushed it across the table. Her heart raced as his long fingers grabbed the small paper and tucked it carefully into his jacket pocket.

“I’d like that a lot Niall. Thank you again for returning my purse to me.” She smiled as they both stood and went their separate ways, Niall back to the office and Anna to the market for groceries.

As Anna wandered through the tents of fresh fruits and vegetables she passed Harry, who had just been chatting up the daughter of the citrus grove farmer. Her sweet perfume wafted under his nose and turned his head to find the source. Her beauty stunned him and he compulsively followed her over to the vegetable stand.

“Y’know I have the greatest zucchini bread recipe,” he said looking over at her delicate hands as she picked out three near perfect zucchinis. “I could make it for you some time if you like.” Anna rolled her eyes. She was so tired of guys thinking they were so hot and smooth. She also was too preoccupied thinking about Niall. She ignored him and moved on to the carrots.

“Or maybe my stir fry recipe? See the secret to a good stir fry is fresh ginger.”

“Thank you for offering but I’m not interested,” Anna snapped. Harry chuckled.

“Come on love, I could teach you a lot,” he smirked. She wasn’t falling for his moves though and Harry could tell. She paid for her vegetables and turned around to leave but she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw a couple walking towards the stand. Anna knew eventually she’d run into her ex and his fiance, she just didn’t realize that it would be so soon after hearing about their engagement. Carl had called her when it happened and asked about her life. Truthfully she hadn’t seen anyone since they’d broken up and the only relationship she had was with tequila, but she was too embarrassed to tell him that so she lied and said that she too was in a serious relationship.

The closer he got the more panicked she grew. She grabbed Harry’s hand and laughed as if he’d just made a joke.

“Please just go with it,” she begged through a smile. Harry nodded and slid his arm around her waist as she made a move to walk.

“Anna! Hi!” Carl grinned. “It’s so funny you still shop here. You remember Michelle right?” He gestured to the woman on his arm.

“I do, I do. Congratulations, speaking of I do’s,” Anna nervously laughed.

“And this must be your boyfriend.” Carl smiled extending a hand to Harry. “Carl Roberts, Anna and I used to date in uni.”

“Harry Styles, lovely to meet you.” He glanced down at Anna. “You never mentioned him before sweetheart?”

“Oh um, I never thought about it really,” she replied bashfully. She couldn’t lie, Harry’s posh London appearance put Carl’s Liverpool persona to shame. She could tell he was threatened and a part of her loved it.

“And that is why I adore you so much,” he grinned and leaned down to press his lips to her softly. The tenderness of his lips shocked Anna, she started rethinking his suave persona and lame chat up attempts. As he pulled away Carl laughed awkwardly.

“Well it was great to catch up Anna, and nice to meet you Harry.” He nodded and left with his bride as Anna and Harry rounded the corner to the next stand.

“So, I’m your boyfriend now am I?” He smirked charmingly. “Can’t say I’m complaining.”

“I’m so sorry, thank you for not selling me out,” she sighed.

“No worries.. But you can continue to thank me at dinner tonight.”

Anna wanted to protest, but she owed him so she simply nodded and gave him her phone number so he could let her know when to be ready.

Back at the office Niall was beaming as he stared at the torn receipt and the numbers neatly scrawled across it. He had already saved them to his phone and had started and erased a dozen messages to her. Harry noticed right away the change in his best friend’s mood, forgetting about Anna as he sat down.

“Alright who’s the girl?” he asked smugly.

“Dunno what you’re on about Harold.”

“You’re smiling, you never smile, so tell me who did you meet?”

“No one okay? S’nothin mate.”

“Fine then I’ll tell you about the bird I met.”

“Another model for you then? At this rate you’ll have hooked up with the entire cast of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show,” Niall loved to poke fun at his best friend’s casual dating habits. Everyone knew Harry as the smooth, typical James Bond type.

“No I met her at the farmer’s market.”

“Oh so you’re going for the health nuts now are ya?”

“If you tell me about your girl I’ll stop talking about mine,” Harry countered.

“Fine mate, she was at the pub and some bloke nicked her bag, I got it back for her and she bought me lunch.”

“Look at you Romeo, when are y’takin her out?”

“I’m not, relationships are too much for this job you know that.” “Mate just call her an ask her out tonight,” Harry pressed.

“No that’s too fast,” Niall replied. Harry stared at him. He knew if he stared long enough Niall would cave. And after thirty seconds he sighed and picked up the phone to dial.

“Oh, hello love,” he smiled. “Listen I was thinking maybe we could have dinner tonight?”

“Oh, y’know I’ve got a work meeting that’s going to go late tonight, but how about tomorrow?” Anna smiled to herself. She wasn’t very interested in Harry but she did owe him a favor and she wasn’t one to break plans.

“Yeah tomorrow works great, I’ll um, I’ll text you.” He smiled as he hung up.

“So dinner tomorrow?” Harry smirked. “Look at you mate! Finally gettin’ out there.”

“Yeah yeah, we’ll see.” Truthfully he was beyond excited to see her again.

Dinner was a success if Niall did say so himself. He took her to his favorite Italian place and they stayed out for hours. Anna appreciated that he moved slow and didn’t try to make any big moves. She had gone to “dinner” (it was actually a club that served caviar to the VIP customers) with Harry the night before. He had tried to get her to go home with him and she didn’t enjoy it. He’d been respectful of course that wasn’t the issue. She didn’t like how sauve he thought he was. Sure he had reason to be, he was handsome and tall and very very charming, but he was in no way humble about it. Not like Niall, he was sweet and thoughtful, gentle even. She had agreed to another date with Niall that night, Harry hadn’t asked her again yet, she hoped that he got the message that she wasn’t interested.

Niall had given Harry all of the details of the night the following morning only after Harry nearly beat it out of him at their gym session. They’d made their way back to the office after showering, Harry embellished the very few high points of his date, neither of them realizing they were seeing the same girl.

Harry knew he wanted to see her again. He sat at his desk for an hour before pulling out his phone to call her.

“Anna love! How are you?” Niall’s head shot up as Harry said her name.

“I’m well how are you?” she replied easily.

“Excellent, listen I was thinking we could get lunch today, I know this great spot, has the best french cuisine in all of London.” He was beaming over at Niall who was furrowing his brow in confusion.

“I um I’m working right now but,”

“I can come pick you up when you take your lunch break, just text me alright?” Anna didn’t have the heart to tell him no. She gave a pleasant goodbye and hung up.

“Who’s Anna?” Niall asked warily.

“The bird I took out the other night.” He kicked back in his chair with a smirk. Niall froze in his. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.. It’s just um... the girl I’m seeing is named Anna too.” Harry furrowed his brow.

“Yeah, that’s a crazy coincidence.”

“Yeah coincidence huh…” Niall swallowed thickly.

“Well pull up a picture of her.” Harry replied. He couldn’t deny the butterflies building in the pit of his stomach.

“You too. You show me first.”

“Oh don’t be a baby Niall we’ll show each other at the same time yeah?” Niall nodded. The two typed on their computers, each pulling up her instagram page, clicking the first selfie they found.

“On three?” Harry asked. Niall nodded with sweating palms. “Right.. One..”

The tension tripled in that one second. Both boys were intimidated by the other, though they would never say so out loud.

“Two….”

Niall wanted to throw up and Harry was ready to rip out his hair.

“Three.”

Both boys turned their monitors to reveal the same photo, confirming the fears they both had. Their Anna was the same Anna

“You can’t have her I met her first!” Niall said immediately.

“Mate I love you but clearly she’s out of your league.” Harry wasn’t trying to be mean, but his track record with girls was far better than Niall’s.

“I’m sorry d’you want t’say that again t’me?”

“She’s. Out. Of. Your. League.” Niall threw his foam football at Harry’s head.

“She actually likes me-” “She’s going to lunch with me.”

“You could have hundreds of birds mate why this one?”

“I like her, she’s fit.”

Niall set his jaw and took a deep breath.

“Let’s let her decide,” he suggested. Harry thought about it. If he was honest he didn’t want to enter a competition with Niall. Yeah Harry had experience but Niall was a quality man, he had a kindness and charm that Harry couldn’t come anywhere near to achieving. But there was something about Anna, something that made his heart stop. Maybe it was how softly she kissed him despite the abruptness of her actions. He knew in his heart this was the only way for him to get her.

“That seems.. fair,” Harry conceded. Niall nodded. “No interference?” He nodded. “No hard feelings?” Another nod. “Okay...let the best man win.”

The two returned to their work, but while Harry was at lunch with Anna, Niall sent an intern to follow them and report back.

Anna hated to admit that lunch with Harry was incredible. He was right when he said it was the best french cuisine. They sat for a good hour, her talking about the event planning she did, her latest client a russian billionaire, and Harry talking about his “job” as a travel agent. Anna grew more and more fond of him the longer they talked. She never would have guessed it but Harry was an incredible listener. He made thoughtful comments and asked genuine questions. It shocked her truthfully.

“So what’s the best place you traveled to?” she asked as she took a small bite of her salad. Harry had learned a lot about her in the short time they’d been eating. He realized she didn’t want some suave successful rich guy, she just wanted an honest man. So he didn’t try to impress her with charm and grandiose, he just gave truthful answers.

“How do you determine the best? Because my trip to Spain was brilliant, loads of fun and great scenery, but I also did some work in Sri Lanka and that was the most humbling thing I’ve ever done.”

Anna was stunned. She’d expected him to say Amsterdam or Ibiza or some other typical party spot. She felt guilty for writing him off as some macho Don Juan the first time they met. She just didn’t know him that was all. Harry showed her photos of the kids he met while he was there. His dimpled smile and obvious comfort around children warmed her heart.

Harry paid for lunch and dropped her off at her work again. He was kind and only hugged her goodbye but a small part of her wishes he had kissed her. She waved goodbye before disappearing inside the building and heading straight to her best friend’s office.

“I fucked up.”

Sadie looked up from her day planner. She saw the panic written on Anna’s face, not an unusual look, she panicked over her parking job most days.

“How much will it cost to fix?” she asked assuming it was work related.

“It’s not work.” Anna bit her lip nervously and sank back into the chair.

“Anna I swear to god if you’re pregnant and you don’t know the father-”

“No! No oh my god no I haven’t had sex in months! No there’s no way but honestly that’s kind of part of the problem I don’t know what to do and what if it’s bad oh my god how do-”

“Anna!” Sadie snapped, jaring her friend out of her panicked word vomit. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m dating two guys.” Sadie’s jaw dropped. Anna was the queen of calculated, no risk decisions. She over thought everything that’s why she threw the best events in the office. Sadie used to swear she did background checks on every guy she ever crushed on.

“You? You are dating two guys?” Anna nodded. “So what’s the problem?” Anna wrinkled her brow. Wasn’t it obvious? Sadie looked at her waiting for a response.

“I like them both! But it’s not okay to lead them both on!” she cried.

“This is literally so small on the scale of problems you could have Anna, you just have to make a choice. I mean seriously, just date them both for a few weeks and then decide who’s better.”

“Can I do that?”

“Babes men do this, women do this, teenagers do this, yes you can do this.” Anna nodded solemnly. She fired more anxious questions at Sadie, only stopping when the phone rang to signal Sadie’s client had arrived.

Harry returned to the office smug, having noticed Niall’s intern the minute he and Anna arrived at the restaurant.

“How did it go?” Niall asked innocently.

“You mean your pathetic little errand boy didn’t tell you already?” Harry challenged. Niall scoffed and scrounged for a defense. “Don’t worry mate he still thinks he’s a good spy.” Niall set his jaw and turned back to his computer. “Only he left before he could see me kiss her goodbye.” Niall grabbed for a stress ball sitting by his desktop monitor and Harry casually flipped through a file, feet propped up on his desk as he smirked about his lie. Niall knew Harry would get him back, he was just scared to think how.

He told Harry the wrong place when asked about his date with Anna, truth was he was bringing Anna back to his place for a home cooked dinner. But Harry knew better, Niall always wooed women by making them dinner. He sent his intelligence team to the house to bug it with cameras and microphones.

Anna nervously knocked on Niall’s door that night. She was hesitant to be at his house but at least if he tried to sleep with her it would make her decision easy. Niall opened the door for her, smiling brightly like always, and led her to the kitchen to pour her a glass of wine while she waited for dinner to be ready. But he was perfect gentleman, making her dinner (that was absolutely divine, she’d never had a butternut squash ravioli before) and playing soft music while they sat outside and talked late into the night. She learned he was a travel photographer, and about the end of his marriage and his daughter. And at the end of the night when she stood up to head home, claiming an early start at work, he nodded and walked her to the door, kissing her cheek politely.

Harry sat in the intelligence room watching the whole exchange. His blood boiled because he knew Niall was wooing her, no one could resist his charm when he decided to use it and there was no way she could say no to a widower. He sighed and shut off the screen when Niall closed his front door. How would he stop him. He’d never felt this strongly about a woman before, maybe he could just tell Niall that? He sighed and stood up to go home. He knew he’d just have to win her cause there is no way Niall would give her up. Not to Harry anyway.

He didn’t know how he got home, he was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't realize he was parked outside until he stopped the car. He opened a beer once inside and texted Anna.

Can’t stop thinking about you….

Back at her own home Anna sat ridden with guilt as she read over the words. Me either she quickly replied. The guilty pit in her stomach grew larger as she hit send. It wasn’t a lie, she found herself thinking about Harry quite often. But she also thought about Niall too. She still couldn’t decide. Her eyes glanced over the clock that read ten after midnight. She quickly dialed Sadie.

“Are you okay?” Sadie asked immediately. Anna had told her she was going to Niall’s house incase anything bad happened.

“Yeah I’m fine I’m at home. I just can’t decide who to pick” she whined, flopping back on her sofa. Sadie groaned.

“So don’t date either one, there are plenty of blokes in the world you’ll be fine.”

“But Harry is so handsome-” “So date him.” “But Niall is so kind…”

“So date him.”

“Sadie you’re not helping.”

“Anna I don't know how to help you!”

“Can’t you choose for me?” The line was silent for a few moments. “Sadie please you’re always so perceptive of guys.” Sadie finally sighed.

“Send me photos.” Anna squealed in excitement as she sent links to both of their Instagram pages.

“Oh...Oh wow you weren’t kidding about Harry.. Fuck and what a name, Harry Styles? God damn.” “I know… and he looks like such a wanker y’know? Like he knows he’s a lads lad. But he’s not really like that cause he was so nice at lunch the other day, he volunteers to build homes in developing countries and he’s great with kids, he’s a great listener.”

“And he clearly loves dogs, and he travels to cool places… and he seems like he’s secretly a sensitive guy. I think he just tried too hard to make a good first impression y’know? You could do that whole, ‘breaking down his walls and building a relationship on trust’ thing you love so much.” Anna nodded despite her friend’s jab.

“Yeah...” Anna let out a deep sigh.

“That was a love struck sigh if I ever heard one.”

“What about Niall?” She said rolling her eyes,

“Okay first impression? He looks like a wuss. But if you look back he looks like he used to have loads of fun. He probably went through a hard time and has just matured.”

“His wife and daughter died three years ago.”

Sadie stopped. “Oh shit that’s insane… are you like the first girl he’s dated since?”

“No but he did say he hasn’t dated very many people since.”

“Okay.. cause you do not want to be the first girl to a widower, it’s messy.”

“So which should I pick?!” Anna sighed.

“Honestly? They’re both great.”

“That doesn’t help.”

“Fine pick Harry,” Sadie sighed thinking maybe making a choice would help her friend decide. Sadly she had no luck and spent another half an hour creating pro con lists.

“I’m gonna flip a coin,” Anna decided. It was a long shot but at least it would make a choice for her. Or she would make choice while she flipped it.

Harry and Niall both continued to pursue Anna. She didn’t have the nerve to flip the coin yet, and work had started to pick up as she planned the Russian billionaire’s event. Work picked up for Harry and Niall too. Word came through that diamonds were being smuggled into London and Niall and Harry were assigned to the case. Tensions were high between the two as their efforts to thwart the other increased and their work suffered because of it. Spats over who would take lead and who would interrogate sources brought operations to a slow and delayed any progress they might have made. Days passed and the sting to nab the diamonds at the airport failed due to Harry’s refusal to wait for the signal and to be the hero. Their failure led to more tense arguments and the possibility of losing their jobs.

“Mr. Horan, Mr. Styles. I think we got something.” Both agents crowded around the monitor, examining the screen.

“The exchange is at an event?” Niall asked. “How are they going to do that?”

“Who knows sir, but we’ll get access to all the security and get agents at the event once we know more.”

“There has to be something that tells us more..” Harry mused. “Are there any big gala’s in town?” The tech shook his head.

“Steve... bring up the top 20 wealthiest people in london at this current moment, non residents as well.” Niall had a feeling this wasn’t just a smuggle but a sale. Steve brought up this list. “Scan for their names in the news in the last two weeks.” Steve clicked away at his keyboard again. After a few moments Niall pointed at a result. “That’s it.. That’s where it’s going to be.” Harry froze.

“Fuck.” Niall looked over at him concerned. Harry met his eyes. “That’s Anna’s event.” Niall paled and stood up straight.

The day of the event came around and Anna woke up more nervous than she could have imagined. This event was high profile and if she ruined it she’d never get another offer again. She paced around her kitchen while her espresso brewed, turning over every what if problem she could imagine. Before she knew it she was reaching for her phone. She needed someone there with her, she didn’t realize who she was dialing until he answered.

“Hey,” she smiled as his charming ‘Hello’ sounded.

“Hello love, how are you?” he knew this was the day of the event, he hoped she wouldn’t catch him there that night.

“I’m good I’m good! Listen I um.. I’m planning this event tonight and I um… I thought you might want to… go with me?” she bit her lip praying he didn’t already have plans. His lips stretched into a wide grin. But then he thought about the mission. Could he let down his team like that? Yes, he’d still be there, just in a different capacity, in fact this would be better! He found himself nodding before he spoke. Anna needed him.

“Yeah of course, black tie I assume?”

“Yes! I um, I can come get you at say 7?”

“That’s perfect love I’ll see you then.” She nodded as he hung up and she stared at her phone. It looked like she’d made her choice between her two beaus.

He didn’t tell his partner he was going with Anna, He didn’t want to cause any more fights that could put her in danger. Instead he avoided all cameras inside the venue and waited for the team to continue without him. He shut off his phone too so they couldn’t call him.

His team sat in the surveillance van across the street waiting for him to answer his phone.

“I swear to god if he isn’t here in two minutes I’m going in without him.”

“Sir you can’t do that it’s against protocol, you’re one of the lead agents.” Steve protested.

“Yeah well so is he and he was supposed to be here an hour ago.” The team sighed. Two minutes passed and he gave the signal to begin. He strutted forward in his best suit, flashing an invitation at the bouncer and making his way into the party while the rest of the team stepped in as wait staff. He casually stopped at the car, ordering a scotch neat as he scanned the room. That’s when he saw him, Anna draped on his arm as they laughed with a few guests. His face grew a deep red as anger flooded his body. He tossed back his drink and started making his way over there. 20 steps in and Anna excused herself to the restroom. His fist was already in ball as he neared his supposed best friend.

“Sir did you find the suspects? Is this the signal?” The voices of his team echoed in his ear piece.

“No this is not the fucking signal. This is fucking revenge.” He was less than three meters away when he locked eyes with his friend and he realized what was happening.

“Niall I can explain.” Harry defended as Niall raised a fist to his jaw.

“Explain what?” Niall snapped as his best friend lay on the ground clutching his jaw. “That you fucking betrayed me for some bird? You left me stranded I didn’t know if you’d bloody show!” Harry slowly stood up.

“What was I supposed to do? Call you up and say she invited me to go and that I’d have to help you when I got here? And have you go into another depressive episode because she picked ME over YOU?! Have you ruin the whole bloody thing because y’got your feelings hurt?!” Both of them were seething as the insults flew. Luckily no one was paying them any mind as they stood off in the corner away from crowds.

“I would have fucking understood but you have put us ALL at risk do you fucking understand?! You’re me fucking best friend Harry and you’re tossin all that over some stupid girl?!”

“I am not. I can still do my part of the operation, I just got in a different way.”

“No you can’t. You’re fucking off the team I don’t fucking trust you.” Niall spat.

“Me? You don’t fucking trust me?! Thats bloody rich who was it who started the whole spying on the other business?! That was you Horan! You!”

“I told you I met her first! But you just had to go and have the one thing you couldn’t! You’re a goddamn child!” Niall was faintly aware of someone saying his name in his ear but he was too infuriated to listen to it.

“What so just because your wife died means you get automatic claim to any bird y’fancy? That’s bullshit Niall fuck you.”

“Niall?” They both froze. “Niall what are you doing here?” Anna looked at the two boys in front of her. The more she looked the more she saw, both of them realizing it too. “You two know each other?”

“Anna darling I promise it’s not what it seems,” Harry insisted, reaching for her but she stepped away.

“Both of you get out… don’t talk to me again.” she demanded, motioning for security to come escort them out.

“Wait Anna no, no you don’t understand!” Niall pleaded but security backed them away to the exit, closing the doors once they were both outside.

They both stared at the door as the cold breeze blew, Harry breaking the soft silence.

“Shit.”

“How the fuck are we gonna do this?” Harry asked as they sat in the van.

“We’ve got more waiter costumes, we could sneak back in?” Niall suggested. Harry was right, he did have his feelings hurt, but not because Anna chose Harry, because he’d turned on his best friend and he’d most likely lost him. Harry could sense the uneasiness in his friends.

“Niall..I’m sorry for what I said, and I should have backed off of Anna, But y’got to understand, she’s different for me, she’s someone I could spend me whole life with. But if It means I lose you as me best friend then I’ll never talk to her again.”

Niall sighed. “Why didn’t you just tell me? I mean honestly yeah I’d have been a bit upset but I’d never ruin a mission or our friendship because of this.”

“I know.. I should have told you, I’m sorry mate.” He opened his arms for an embrace. Niall broke a small smile as he hugged his best friend for a moment before stepping back. He reached for his gun and slid it in it’s holster, looking his best friend in the eye.

“Right, let’s do this.”

#1dff #exchanges

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