#my great grandmother passed away the moment we got back to the hotel

[lunni-e]

graduation was very good and im very proud of myself, but the world always knows when to make grief strike

[echantedtoon]

Allison Chapter One

Allison Gale is newly turned twenty two fresh out of college and just learnt her grandmother had sadly passed away and had left everything to Allison. Well, she doesn't have any place else to go so why not move out of state? But unluckily for her, she's about to get dragged down the rabbit hole by a crazy but familiar old face.

(A story based on the concept art of Vivziepop's old project Allison. I do not own any of the characters, I just wanted to make a story of it based off my own headcannons. The coverart tho is mine. If you don't know what it is please go look it up. It was made by the same person who made Hazbin Hotel.)

It was a beautiful day.

The sun rays shone down upon the world as the calm quiet woods sounded with the life of birds and insects happy the sun warmed them from up above. The light shone through the tree leaves as their branches leaned over the road and blocked most of the sunlight, casting long shadows to dance on the old dirt road that only lead deeper and deeper into the forbidden woods- Well almost forbidden. The yellow blur of the taxi as it kicked up dirt was the only thing interrupting the silence of the silent woods as it sped down the dust path. Shining light went inside the cab and caught on the dark reddish-brown eyes attached to the sweet strawberry blonde haired lady as she stared out of the window watching the green world go by. It's was almost like a dream to come back all these years to the place she used to play and live as a small little girl. Running through the woods, climbing trees, swimming in the giant pond, playing with her blue furred imaginary and her granny coming out to find her and dragging her back in again. She almost smiled remembering the thoughts, or she would have if another thought didn't hit her. What would her granny say if she saw her no? Washed up without a job and dropped out of college at twenty two. A great way to start off life, am I right? A small bump sent her jostling and reaching a hand over to grab the large suitcase in the set next to her and the smaller gym bag on top of that, scrambling to not them fall on the bed of the car as another bump threatened to send them over again...When no more bumps can after a few moments she slowly let go and sighed when they didn't fall over and leaned back into her seat.

"You ok back there?," the cab driver bluntly asked not even taking his eyes off the road. His tone was just bored instead of that chipper happy tone from when she got rides back in her own town.

She pushed some of that strawberry blonde hair out of her face and taking a breath. "Y-Yeah. I-I'm ok. Thanks." He didn't answer her back and she sighed, looking back out the windows at all the pine trees and other nature scenes. "This forest sure is big."

"It's the Oceanic Forest. Our world is one half water and these woods make up a big chunk of it what land we have left." She jumped slightly and blinked back at him. He muttered something else under his breath she didn't quite catch, his black eyes seemed almost nervous gazing out at the woods like he was expecting some kind of monster to pop out in front of him and glance back up at her with a almost stern look. "....Some folks say this place is cursed. Cursed for thousands of years."

"I-I know, but it all sounds rather silly." She shook her head and looked back out the window with a small smile. "Fairies and strange powers that doom anyone who harms the forests. Heard it over and over before. Curse thee those who's hearts are easily closed minded." She gave a chuckle to it all trying to lighten the mood but stopped once her eyes looked over and caught him giving her a stern look through the rear view mirror.

"These aren't things that should be joked about young lady. If I had it my way, I'd turn around right here and now and drive back as fast as I could to the safety of the sidewalks and man made houses." His eyes darted back to the brightly lit dirt road and even though it was daytime he acted like it was night time and something would jump out at them at any given second. "B-But lucky for you my boss would have my hide if I turned down any job. I've seen things. Strange things. That no one could explain in these very woods."

Her eyes scrunched up in curiousity and perhaps mild fear at why he was acting so weird. "Like what exactly?"

"Shadows! If you look out right now and look around you may or may not see one!" He stated matter of factly and looked around quickly again at the peaceful woods. "It doesn't matter if it's day or night for them. They'll always move around waiting for their victims, but as long as you stay out they'll leave you alone. Oh, nono. They'll creep to the very EDGE of the last tree that begins the forest line and reach out for you I heard. Snatch you if you get too close. But they'll never fully leave the safety of their vast woods. Just never go into the woods and stay away, and you will always b-be safe." His voice trembled as his grip on the steering wheel increased. "May god have mercy on the poor souls who don't heed the warnings and travel to places they don't belong."

Another moment of silence passed and she temporarily gazed out the window. She didn't know why but she squinted her eyes out the window at the forest surrounding them and especially the shadows. There wasn't anyway she was superspicious but looking never- She jumped seeing something move behind a tree, but quickly relaxed when her brain registered it as a deer. The poor thing ran off probably from the car speeding through it's home and she smiled. Fairies and shadow ghost and curses. And she supposed Santa Clause and the Sand Man were right around the corner too. Her small smile returned as she looked over to the driver again.

"And I don't suppose there's a legend behind these woods too is there?" She couldn't help but sound a little amused which still made him irritated.

"This isn't funny! People say these woods were cursed by demons and witches thousands of years ago. Making this place a literal hell on earth!"

"Well. I grew up in these woods. And nothing ever bad happened to me or my granny when she was alive," she said smiling back out into the beautiful woods, "I played in the woods all the time as a kid, and I never saw any scary shadows or anything."

...."Then you're really lucky young lady." He seemed to almost shudder with his next warning. "If I were you I'd handle up whatever business I had with this dead grandma's place and get out of here."

...This time she scowled. "I can't! She left it to me, a-and I don't have anywhere else to go." Her face glanced off to the floor of the cab as her faced turned sour. Remembering the faces of the landlord who happily evicted her for bills she couldn't pay anymore, the cousin who conveniently didn't have any room for her to stay, or the teacher who wouldn't let her go back to school when she couldn't afford the college anymore. Working the dead end job at the local pizza place wasn't enough money and she only had a highschool degree. God she really did mess up huh?

"Mark my words. Nothing good could ever come from this place. Just don't say I didn't warn you, Kid."

The rest of the trip there was rather peaceful except for the man staring at the woods around them with a scared matter, until she saw it. Pale white paint chipping off the old looking brown wood giving the small house an old abandoned look. It was-...Not lot she remembered. And it only made it more apparent when they got closer. The old metal fence was barely hanging into it's place in the ground and wild vines were all plastered over it, making the tall grass and weeds look even more eerily. It...It looked like the place had been abandoned for years as it rolled closer and eventually loomed over them with a shadow once they came to a stop right in front of it. She just...stared at it. This wasn't the same white house and neat yard she remembered from when she was little-

"That's no house, that's termites holding hands...No offense."

"...I-It's ok. Nothing a lawnmower and paint can't fix."

He hummed. "Well my job's done. Grab your stuff and get out so I can leave."

She looked to him and blinked. "You're not going to help me?"

He looked around to her with a stern face and gripped the steering wheel tighter, "Lady! I ain't getting out of this cab and getting snatched up!"

She scowled but didn't argue when she pushed her door open and got out, turning around and grabbing her bags, pulling the heavy suitcase and bag out and hitting the ground with a thud, she scowled and mumbled to herself before slamming the door shut and dragging them a few feet away from the- SCREEE!! A cloud of blinding dust and screeching tires suddenly hit her and filled her lungs. Those hands went up to cover her mouth and wave at the air in a futile attempt to swat away the dirt stinging her eyes and making her eyes sting. Reddish-brown eyes blinked and through the settling dust and saw the faint sight of a blurry yellow taxi speeding away with a dust trail kicking up behind it. A growl escaped her throat and she scowled at the fading menace.

"HEY!! YOU JERK!!", She yelled back. Not that it would do her any good now or ever.

She groaned loudly and with a grunt, she leaned back down to grab the two giant and heavy bags filled with personal belongings and began to pull and tug them towards the house. That took a while with her small form heaving the objects through the tall weeds and grass towards the front door of the old home the shadow of the old place looking over her swallowing her whole and blocking out the sunlight, once she got to the porch she stopped though. Looking over the steps with a scowl before sighing, and continuing, the luggage thumping and jarring being pulled past each step. It always seemed like it was harder bringing things up stairs than down don't you think? One back breaking pull later, they were redropped onto the hard old porch and she sighed. Hands going to her back as she stretched it out with a pop and brown-red eyes looked around the front door and everything around it. ...Where did the lawyer say the key was again? OH!! RIGHT!! She quickly looked to her feet and smiled at the old welcome mat under her, stepping off and leaning down to grab and lift it, underneath was a small golden key that looked to match the doorknob. With a smile she stoof back up and went to insert it into the keyhole, with a twist and click, it opened. She just stood there as the door very loudly opened revealing the inside of the house and it-......It looked exactly as she remembered. The large living room opened up to her was littered in old worn furniture, a small shelf lined with her grandmother's old glass figurine collection still stood there as small shiny glass statues ranging from a small cat to a couple kissing each other stood proudly. She remembered sitting by the fireplace right next to it staring at the figurines and making up stories about those figurines. How the couple was a secret runaway princess and her lover. How the ballerina next to them was the greatest dancer in the world with many admires, how the cat was a glass version of her imaginary friend. She giggled remembering the funny things they would get into when she was younger. Everything looked the exact same. It was almost like-...she never left. As if she turned her head- Her eyes turned to glance at the old rocking chair by the fireplace- her granny would still be right there. Rocking back and forth, knitting her whatever new sweater or clothes she needed. Like she said when she was a little girl:

"You don't need distractions like television and all that nonsense. The woods and imagination take you places other's can't even dream about-"

"Go play. Create fantasies a bundle." She slowly muttered to herself. She still stared at the rocking chair, a light breeze blowing in through the open door, blowing her hair around and the rocking chair moved just slightly in the wind. ....She sadly smiled and turned back around. Discarding the key into her pocket and turning back to the luggage still sitting behind her on the porch with a sigh. She still had a lot of work to do. So that's why five minutes later she was pulling both bags across the floor one giant tug at a time, she would go one bag at a time but she just wanted to get this over with. It was when she encountered the stairs leading up to the second floor of the building when she wished she had superpowers of flight or teleportation or strength. It'd make things very easier, but alas magic didn't exist. While going up the stairs she passed by different picture frames hung on the walls, some really old black and white photos, others looking a bit more modern but still older. An old black n white photo of her young grandparents on their wedding day, a new one of her granny as a young lady, another of her holding a younger version of her- She stopped and stared at the picture of herself...A younger her. She remembered the day this was taken. Mother's day when she was just six years old, she made her and her granny matching flower crowns and she took the photo...She smiled a bit at the fond memories of giggling and sweet scented flowers. Before she grunted and started pulling again. The heavy bags hitting each step making a giant thump sound that vibrated through the empty house. She passed the mirror hanging against the wall as well and if she would've taken a look at it she might've seen the pink and yellow strange mitchmatched eyes blinking at her from the fan on the ceiling as she continued to grunt and pull the heavy thing up the stairs away from the mirror, but those eyes remained glued on her as the small blue person just blinked and turned as she reached the top of the stairs. She gave a sigh...before grunting and starting to pull the thing towards the old bedroom she used to stay in. The pink door to the far right. The small blue figure on the ceiling fan tilted his head at the obvious struggling before she just dropped them with a growl to the floor. Looking at them for a long moment before giving them a kick of frustration and turning to the pink door. She hesitated....before pushing it wide open and walking in. The small blue figure tilted his head to the right before blinking, arching his body and shaking lightly before hopping down off the fan and landing to the floor with the softest thud. He crept over to the doorway and poked their head in to watch her. She looked all around the small room. Faded beige walls with flower wall paper stared back at her, a regular sized bed, dresser, and desk lined the left wall and a small shelf with old toys and books leaned against the other side. A smile came to her face seeing the old pictures still tacked onto the wall. One of a crudely drawn grandma and child holding hands and another next to them a small blue crudely drawn kitty wearing some kind of white shirt and red bowtie. Unconciously she raised a hand and touched the picture with a smile at the memories. Oh the adventures she had as a child. She missed the small blue head (that looked oddly like a better version of the blue cat in the drawing) when she turned back to the door and went over to regrab at the heavy things, grunting as she pulled them in and laid them in the middle of the floor and sighed. Before unzipping the first bag on top and reaching inside to pull out a pair of clothes. These things wouldn't put themselves away, and she had a lot of work to do later fixing up the place and cleaning all the dust up.

The small figure that hid from before peeked out from the top of the doorway upside down and kept quickly ducking whenever she turned her head in that direction. Always missing the figure as she worked to unpack and definitely didn't see the wide fanged grin. Or hear the mischevious giggles. Or even hear the playful voice.

"Welcome back, Allison."

[helloalycia]

my patient’s neighbour [five] // wanda maximoff

summary: Wanda decides to ruin your chance at moving on, which doesn't go down well with you.

warning/s: none

author's note: jealous!wanda is one of my favourite wanda’s 👀 also your comments/feedback always make my day so thank you so much! ♥️

part one | part two | part three | part four | part six | part seven | masterlist | wattpad

Meeting Anna's granddaughter wasn't something I'd ever imagined, since Anna rarely mentioned her unless it was to recall a memory that eventually made her quiet for the rest of the day or to make a snide remark out of annoyance. So, to have her here in front of us was definitely... new.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asked with disbelief.

Sasha blinked awkwardly. "I, er, got a call from the nurse. She said you'd hurt your back, so I thought I'd check in." Her gaze fell to Wanda and I. "I see you've got company."

"Sorry, we'll give you a moment," Wanda blurted, before looking to Anna reassuringly.

I did the same before eyeing Sasha suspiciously then following after Wanda into the hall. When the door closed behind us, I wondered what exactly would happen in there. To say I was overprotective of Anna was an understatement.

Taking a seat on the chairs outside her room, I became acutely aware of how stupid I looked in my trainers, Mickey Mouse pyjamas and raincoat. Especially when Wanda sat beside me, knee brushing mine.

"Do you want a drink or anything?" she asked suddenly, earning my attention.

I shook my head, crossing my arms and leaning back into my seat. "No, thank you, I'm good."

She hummed in acknowledgement but said nothing else. The awkwardness that lingered between us was overpowering, but nowhere near as overpowering as the scent of Wanda's shampoo that was drifting up my nose from how close she was sat to me. I tightened my crossed arms, trying to think of something else. Then I remembered what had happened in Anna's room before Sasha interrupted.

"What were you and Anna arguing about?" I asked, glancing at the witch.

She winced, but didn't look my way. "Nothing. Just neighbour stuff."

I smiled bitterly. So, she didn't want to share. Fine. No big deal. Who was I but her neighbour's carer anyway?

After ten minutes of waiting, we decided to head back inside to make sure Anna was okay. What we saw was Anna and Sasha crying happy tears as the latter sat at her bedside, clutching her hand.

"Damn, sorry," I apologised for Wanda and I, realising we'd interrupted a special moment. "We can–"

"No, we're done," Sasha said, wiping away her tears with embarrassment. "Sorry about that."

"Devushki (girls), this is my granddaughter, Sasha," Anna introduced, and I'd never seen her look happier.

As Sasha stood up and rounded the bed to approach us, I realised she seemed familiar because of the photographs I'd seen around Anna's apartment.

"It's nice to finally meet the two people who have been taking care of my grandmother," Sasha said, before putting out her hand.

I bit back from retorting with something along the lines of 'we wouldn't have to if you had cared for her yourself', and instead shook her hand. Wanda glanced at me, probably sensing the negative thoughts in my mind with her powers, but she said nothing as she smiled politely at Sasha and shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Wanda spoke, realising I wouldn't. "Anna talks a lot about you. I was hoping we would eventually meet."

Sasha sighed regretfully, smile fading. "Yes... well, I haven't been around as much as I should have been. I know that now."

"Took you long enough," I muttered under my breath, it slipping out without me realising.

Wanda shoved me in the arm in response and I frowned, rubbing the sore spot.

"You're right," Sasha said, looking to me apologetically. "But I'm here now. And getting that call earlier... it made me realise that I've treated Anna horribly. That's why I've invited her to live with me. To make up for lost time."

Certainly not expecting that, my jaw dropped with surprise. "What?"

Sasha sat back down beside Anna's beside and I exchanged startled looks with Wanda before looking to the older woman in question.

"No offence," I started, glancing at Sasha, before focusing on Anna again, "but are you sure this is the right move? It's not too sudden?"

Anna shook her head and grabbed Sasha's hand. "She wants me to be around her family. And I want it too, Y/N. I miss them."

I nodded, but chewed on the inside of my mouth anxiously. It's not that I didn't trust Sasha (okay, maybe it was a little), but I was scared for Anna. I didn't want her to get heartbroken all over again.

Be supportive, Wanda's voice filled my mind, and I looked to her to see her eyes fading from red to green.

I clenched my jaw. Stay out of my head.

With a bright smile, she ignored me and looked between the grandmother and granddaughter duo.

"I think that's wonderful, Anna," she said kindly. "I mean, of course I'm going to miss having you as a neighbour, but this is all you've wanted. I'm thrilled for you. And so is Y/N."

When she looked to me for confirmation, I felt a familiar anger in the pit of my stomach, only reserved for Wanda Maximoff. But this wasn't about us, this was about Anna.

"I am," I agreed, eyes flickering to Anna. "It sounds great."

"You can both visit whenever you want," Sasha said, nodding enthusiastically. "Anna loves you both so dearly."

"You can't get rid of us even if you tried," Wanda joked, flashing Anna a teasing smile.

Anna chuckled. "I knew you would both understand."

I smiled halfheartedly, glad that everything was working out for Anna but knowing I would miss caring for her greatly.

"We should leave you to rest," I said with finality.

"Thank you," Anna replied, and by the way she looked at me, I knew she was thanking me for a lot more.

"Get well soon," I told her in my 'nurse' voice that she hated, a playful smile on my lips. "I'll check on you tomorrow."

Anna nodded. "Tomorrow."

After saying an awkward goodbye to Sasha, I left the room and headed for the lift down the hall, not bothering to wait for Wanda. Thankfully, she must have known I didn't want to speak to her, as she didn't speed after me.

—

Since Anna moved in with her granddaughter, the last time I saw Wanda was at the hospital. Two more months passed and I had no need to bump into her at Anna's apartment since Anna didn't live there anymore. And the one time I visited Anna since she moved in to Sasha's house, Wanda wasn't present.

I guess it made it a lot easier to attempt to get over her. Six months since she broke up with me was long enough to move on, I think. I'd been on a few dates, none really going anywhere until Natasha decided to set me up with someone a few weeks ago.

It was a family friend of her Avenger's teammate, Clint Barton, and though it was a blind date, it actually worked out well. The woman was called Elise and she was very sweet and charming on our first date, having a similar sense of humour to mine and a killer smile. It was actually the first time since Wanda left that things felt like they were falling into place. We went on a few more dates, deciding not to rush things, and I found myself looking forward to going out with her.

It was a few weeks into our dating relationship when Natasha gave me a call, inviting me as her plus-one to Clint and his wife's vow renewal. They were having a whole celebration at their homestead in Missouri and Natasha figured I'd enjoy it, able to take a weekend break and join her at the lavish hotel she'd be staying in. And also because Elise would be there.

"Oh?" I said with surprise. "Elise didn't mention anything."

"She wanted to," Natasha said with amusement, "but she didn't want to bring it up in case you didn't want to go."

I quirked a brow, despite her being unable to see me. "And why wouldn't I want to go?"

Natasha hesitated. "'Cause Wanda will be there...?"

A sigh escaped my lips as I massaged my forehead. Elise knew about Wanda because it came up when she asked how Natasha and I became friends. She was actually really chill about the whole thing, which I appreciated, but I could only imagine how she must have felt knowing that Wanda would be at the vow renewal.

"You should still come," Natasha encouraged when I didn't say anything. "I already spoke to Wanda and she said she won't cause a scene or anything."

"I doubt that she would," I mumbled.

"She just wants you to be happy," Natasha finished. "So, be happy as my plus-one and get a cute date in with your girlfriend whilst you're there."

I tried to stifle the smile on my lips. "Elise isn't my girlfriend."

"Yet," Natasha added knowingly.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Look, send me the details and I'll be happy to be your plus-one."

"Yes!" she exclaimed, and I could just imagine her fist-pumping like an idiot. "I'll see you then, Y/N."

"Goodbye," I told her, though a smile of amusement was playing on my lips.

After that call with Natasha, I didn't hesitate to give Elise a call, hoping I wasn't bothering her whilst she was at work.

"Hello?"

"Hey," I greeted, smiling to myself. "Is this a bad time?"

"Well, luckily for you, I'm actually just starting my lunch break," she said in a joking manner. "What's up?"

I scratched my head uncertainly. "Well, Natasha just called and invited me as her plus-one to Clint's vow renewal. She said you would be there, too, obviously, but I just wanted to check in and see if it was okay that I went."

I left out the part about her not telling me about it, but she seemed to pick up on it anyway as she breathed out slowly.

"I just don't want to step on your toes," I quickly added, before chewing on my lip.

"You could never," she said reassuringly. "I actually wanted to ask you to be my date, but I thought it may be too soon. Y'know, a vow renewal when it's only what, the sixth date in?"

"It's not too soon," I said, before adding, "I can just come as Natasha's friend and we don't have to make it a date."

"There's also the fact that your ex will be there," Elise added, and I frowned at the mention of Wanda. "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

"It's been six months," I told her with certainty. "I'm as comfortable as can be."

She paused. "If you think you'll be okay, then I'd love to see you there, Y/N."

"I know I'll be okay," I said promisingly. "And I'd like to go and maybe see you, too."

She laughed quietly and it made me smile. "In that case, I guess I'll see you there."

"It'll be fun," I said knowingly.

"It will," she agreed. "And now I can't wait."

It was my turn laugh. "Me either."

And fun it was... along with many other words.

The day of the vow renewal came by quickly enough and as promised, I went with Natasha as her plus-one. She made it as enjoyable as she could for me which I appreciated, with the two of us getting first-class tickets which Natasha was happy to pay for, and checking in to a beautiful hotel for the weekend. And that was just the accommodation.

The actual vow renewal was a stunning affair, as Clint and his wife, Laura, had gone all out with decorating the homestead and it's fields in a traditional, romantic way. A flower arch stood front and centre, with rows of seats set out for guests. Bouquets lined the outside and lights were strung above and all around the trees which I could only imagine would look stunning once the sun set.

"They really went all out," Natasha said, impressed as she took in the scene before us.

I hummed in agreement. "It's beautiful." I glanced at her adding, "Bet you wish you brought an actual date now."

Natasha smirked knowingly. "What's to say this isn't one? This could all be a plan to steal you away from Elise."

"Because that makes sense," I played along with amusement. "The woman who set me up with her best friend's family friend is trying to steal me away from said family friend. Makes complete sense."

"True," she said with a shrug, walking forward. I followed her as she continued, "If I was trying to make a move, you wouldn't see it coming."

I tried not to laugh. "Sure, Natasha."

"Trained assassin, expert in espionage, master of lying and hiding in plain sight," she listed off her skills one by one on her fingers. Shooting me a knowing smile, she repeated, "You wouldn't see it coming."

I rolled my eyes playfully and the two of us made the rounds, myself reacquainting with the other Avengers whom I hadn't seen since, well, since Wanda and I were together. It was a little awkward, since I was never really close with them and vice versa, but they were polite and kind and made me feel comfortable (probably because of Natasha, which gave me yet another reason to be grateful to the redhead).

Eventually, it got to a point where Wanda was the next person to say hello to and I truly thought six months would be enough to get over her; oh, how sorely mistaken I was.

She was talking to Sam Wilson, the two talking about something or the other that was clearly entertaining enough to warrant a laugh from Wanda. As we approached them, the sound of her laugh taunted me, melodic and dancing around my ears like a terrible reminder of what I couldn't have.

They spotted Natasha and I soon enough, their conversation ceasing and Wanda's laughter silencing as her eyes met mine. I tried not to let her effect me, but it became increasingly different when I noticed how beautiful she looked today, wearing a maroon-coloured dress and wearing her brown-red hair down in curls. Of course, all of that didn't compliment the giant scar on her forehead.

"Y/N, it's so good to see you!" Sam exclaimed, trying to prevent an awkwardness from occurring. "How have you been?"

I smiled his way. "I'm good, Sam. You?"

We talked for a little while, catching up, before Natasha decided to drag Sam away for a stupid, fake reason that was clearly said on purpose. Knowing I couldn't exactly stop her, I let her get away with it, figuring I'd have to face Wanda at some point.

"You look good," she spoke first, making me push a stand of my hair behind my ear to give my hands something to do.

"Thanks," I mumbled, before clearing my throat and meeting her gaze. "So do you. That's, er, that's always been your colour."

She smiled in response and I cursed inwardly, wondering why the hell I said that.

"You sound like you've been doing well," she said, referring to the conversation I had with Sam.

I nodded. "Yeah, I have."

A silence filled the air that none of us knew how to fill. I stared at my shoes so hard that I'm surprised a hole didn't form. Wanda hugged herself, unsure whether to speak or not.

"What happened to your head?" I finally thought of something, nodding to the scar.

She subconsciously reached up to touch it, though she didn't seem affected by it. "Oh, nothing. Just happened in a recent mission."

I nodded uncomfortably, never responding well to when she got injured. But she knew that.

"So, Nat said you've got a date," Wanda said, and the way she said it made me think that maybe she'd been wanting to mention it for a while. "Elise, right?"

I swallowed. "Yeah. She's just helping the Bartons out with some stuff then I'll be seeing her after."

Wanda nodded, eyes flickering between me and the floor. "That's nice. So, is it new?"

God, this was awkward.

"Kind of, yeah," I answered, not even sure why. "It's not, like, exclusive, but it's nice to move on, y'know?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, so you're moving on?"

I pressed my lips together firmly. She was watching me curiously, green eyes bright with intrigue.

"I'd hope so," I answered, cocking my head to the side and watching her. "It's been six months."

She nodded, looking down. "Yeah, okay... so you're not in love with her?"

I clenched my jaw. "Is that really any of your business, Wanda?" She didn't answer, so I straightened up and avoided her eyes. "I should go. Ceremony is going to start soon."

Walking away, I left with tense shoulders and more nerves than when I headed in. She had no right to be jealous. She left me.

I found Elise just before everybody was told to take their seats for the ceremony. She apologised for missing me before, mentioning how she was helping Laura with getting ready, then proceeded to shower me in compliments which sent me into a blushing mess. After catching up, we took our seats for the ceremony and waited for it to begin.

Feeling someone's eyes on me, I glanced to my left and saw Wanda sat on the other set of rows, but she was staring right at me, lips pressed together thoughtfully. I rolled my eyes and looked ahead, ignoring her stares. As if sensing my mood, Elise grabbed ahold of my hand gently, glancing at me with a small smile as if to check that was okay. I squeezed her hand in response, letting her know it was.

Are her hands sweaty? Because they look sweaty.

I clenched my jaw and shot Wanda a glare, seeing the amused smile on her lips as she watched me.

Stay out of my head, I told her mentally, knowing she was listening, before rolling my eyes. And her hands are soft, thank you very much. Yours are the sweaty ones.

Though it was a terrible comeback, Wanda lost her smile and rolled her eyes before looking away. I tried not to let her annoying self bother me as Elise and I sat together, watching the ceremony.

It was short and sweet and though I didn't know Clint and Laura too well, it was easy to see they loved each other very much. Their vows were beautiful and it was adorable when their kids ran up to them at the end to give them a giant hug. I didn't know much, but I knew that I'd love to have a love like theirs some day.

After the ceremony came the reception, and there were loads of tables and chairs set up for guests, including a stage and dance floor next to it, perfect for a nice celebration after the vow renewal. It was all wonderful and I was excited, until I learnt that I was sat on the same table as Wanda.

Me, Elise, Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Bucky Barnes were all sat at the same table, which definitely didn't help with the awkwardness as Wanda eyed me from across the food. I tried to ignore her presence and focus on having a great time with Elise. Natasha promised that Wanda wouldn't make a scene, so I just had to believe her.

"So, what can I get you all to drink?" a waiter said, stopping by our table.

Everybody told him what they wanted and when he looked to me, I shrugged.

"Literally anything is fine with me," I said, before quickly adding, "Well, anything except gin. Not a fan of gin at all."

The waiter nodded and smiled politely. "I'm sure I can get you something good without gin."

I returned his smile as he nodded to us all once more before walking away to get our drinks.

"So, what did you think of the ceremony?" Elise asked, giving me her attention.

The two of us erupted into conversation, as did everyone else, and I was genuinely having a good time with her. The food was good, too, as were the drinks when they arrived. But the one problem was Wanda bloody Maximoff who couldn't keep her eyes away from me and was agitating me with her mere presence. I tried so hard to ignore her, but God forbid my eyes flickered over to her and she was already looking my way.

After a delicious meal and lovely conversation with the others, everybody began to get up and mingle with the other guests. I took this as my chance to steer away from Wanda and instead catch up with Natasha and hang out with Elise, who got on with everyone wonderfully. Sadly though, she had to keep nipping away to help the Bartons with some stuff for the party, but I didn't mind. I figured that was also part of the reason why she didn't invite me as her plus-one, so I didn't take it personally.

About an hour into the celebrations, I was mid-conversation with Natasha when we were interrupted by Wanda. I rolled my eyes as she looked to the redhead questioningly.

"Have you seen Clint around?" she asked. "Laura wants me to take everything from the gifts table inside and I need the key."

Natasha pursed her lips, shaking her head. As her eyes looked around for him, she said, "I'm not sure where he is..."

Before either of them could come to a conclusion, Elise appeared by my side with an apologetic smile and a drink in her hand.

"Hey," she greeted, squeezing my hand gently. "Sorry for ditching you before. I had to make sure the bar didn't run out of alcohol."

"It's all good," I told her with a small smile.

"I got you this gin cocktail to make up for it," she said sweetly, making me eye the drink like it was a bomb.

Wanda snorted suddenly, making me look to her with a glare. She tried to hide her laughter behind a smile as she looked the other way, though that didn't stop her from commenting in my mind with her obnoxious, intrusive powers.

Real good listener this one. Didn't you say you didn't like gin earlier?

I refrained from smacking her. Go away, Wanda.

"Thank you," I said to Elise gratefully, accepting the drink. "It looks great."

"Oh, I think I see Clint," Wanda said, before shooting us all a smile I'd love to punch. "Catch you later."

"See ya," Natasha said, as Elise waved and I rolled my eyes.

—

Dancing was fun and I liked to think I was good for an average person. So, when the DJ put on some fun music and encouraged guests to have a little dance, I immediately asked Elise to join me. Unfortunately, she wasn't exactly the most confident of dancers. She was adorably apologising as she held my hands, letting me take the lead.

"It's okay," I reassured her with a laugh. "You're doing fine."

But as she stepped on my foot for the millionth time, I could tell she thought she was doing anything but. I didn't mind though since it was amusing and cute all at the same time.

Be careful over there, Y/N. You may have been better off wearing some steel-toed shoes.

At the sound of Wanda's voice infiltrating my mind, I searched around me until I caught sight of the familiar green eyes over Elise's shoulder. She was stood to the side, entertained smile adorning her lips, as she watched Elise and I dance.

Why don't you piss off and mind your own business before I buy a pair of steel-toed shoes just to kick you with!

She didn't respond, so I focused my attention back on Elise and paused as something a little slower and more romantic played in the background. Offering an encouraging smile to Elise, I held out my hand which she accepted happily.

"Luckily, this one is pretty easy, so you might avoid bruising my feet," I joked to lighten the mood.

She flushed with embarrassment but let me pull her close as I took the lead. Subconsciously, my eyes wandered back to Wanda, who was now crossing her arms with annoyance and watching me with glowing red eyes. She had absolutely no right to be jealous. But I didn't care. It wasn't my business.

After sharing a lovely dance with Elise, the two of us took a seat at our empty table to have some water and talk. Of course, as we were chatting, our conversation was interrupted by none other than–

"Wanda," I got out through gritted teeth.

She grinned as she took a seat next to us, crossing her legs and resting her intertwined hands on her knees comfortably.

"I figured I'd introduce myself properly since we haven't really met before," Wanda explained, eyes dancing with mischief before she looked to Elise. "I'm Wanda Maximoff."

Elise smiled politely. "I'm Elise Fey. And I know who you are. A really impressive Avenger at that."

I narrowed my eyes as Wanda waved her hand dismissively. What was she playing at exactly?

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," she said bashfully. "But I guess, since you know who I am, it's only fair I return the favour. After all, you're here as Y/N's date, and as Y/N's friend, I thought it would be nice to get to know you."

"Friend," I repeated the word bitterly. "So, that's what we are now?"

Wanda chuckled, brushing off my words, before focusing on Elise. "So, what do you do, Elise?"

"I'm a veterinarian," she quipped proudly.

"How cute," Wanda said, tilting her head to the side and smiling. "How long have you been doing that?"

"Only a few years," Elise said, glancing at me with mild confusion. "It's a really rewarding job."

"I can imagine," Wanda said, before pulling a puzzled expression. "But wait, how does that work with you both? Since Y/N is allergic to pets an' all?"

Locking my jaw with agitation, I stared at Wanda's doe-eyed face. Elise looked to me with surprise.

"You are?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

I shook my head, smiling at her. "No, not really... I mean, well, rabbits. I'm allergic to rabbits. I didn't think it was a big deal."

"It kind of is," she said playfully. "What if I had treated a rabbit at work and then went on a date with you?"

I chuckled awkwardly. "Hmm, yeah, okay, maybe it's a little bit of a big deal."

She hummed disapprovingly before looking back to Wanda, who watched us both curiously.

"So, you work as a vet in New York?" she asked Elise, and I couldn't tell if she was actually interested or just trying to piss me off. When Elise nodded, she continued, "Are you from New York?"

"I'm originally from here actually," Elise said, motioning around us. "My family knew Laura's family before she married Clint. That's how I know the Bartons."

"Oh, so your parents still live here?" Wanda asked, leaning her head in the palm of her hand as she continued to question her.

"Yeah, not far from here actually," Elise answered with a smile.

Wanda nodded. "Cool... so how would that work, the whole visiting them thing? I mean, Y/N works a lot, right? And I assume you're close with your family. So, how does taking the time off to visit your parents work with you both when it's, like, 16 hours away?"

I squeezed my hands together to contain my frustration towards Wanda. Elise opened her mouth to respond, then closed it when she realised she didn't know how to answer. Her eyes darted to mine, asking for help, and I knew she was too polite to call Wanda out for her bullshit.

"We're still newly dating, Wanda," I answered through a fake smile. "We haven't even talked about meeting each other's parents, so it's not an issue right now."

"Right now," Wanda echoed my words, as if adding a double meaning. "But it will be in the future?"

I tried not to react harshly as I said, "That's not what I said."

Wanda nodded slowly, smirk tugging at her lips. Saying nothing more on the subject, she looked to Elise with dark eyes.

"It was lovely meeting you," she finished. "I'll see you around, I guess."

Elise nodded uncomfortably. "You, too, Wanda."

Shooting me a smile, she got up and left Elise and I sat there in mixed emotions. I was peeved at the Sokovian woman, not understanding why she had to try and ruin my one chance at moving on.

"I'm sorry about that," I said to Elise, a frown on my lips. "I don't know what the hell happened, but I definitely didn't expect it."

Elise chewed on her lower lip with thought. I waited patiently, wishing I knew what she was thinking. Finally, her blue eyes met mine apologetically.

"I don't think Wanda is quite over you," she said quietly. "And maybe you're not over her either, Y/N. At least not as much as you think you are."

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Elise, she's just being a dick to piss me off. It's not like that."

Elise winced. "I think it is. And honestly, you're a lovely person, but I just don't want to get involved in something like that right now."

I knitted my brows together with confusion. "What do you mean?"

She rested her hand on mine atop the table. "It's probably better we stay friends. Easier."

"Elise... c'mon. We just– we only just got to know each other." I frowned, feeling bad that she didn't want to see where this would go.

"For what it's worth, today was really fun," she said with a smile, trying to make light of the situation. "And every date we've shared has been fun, too. But I can't compete with the history you share with Wanda. And I don't want to."

I didn't know what to say, speechless, unable to understand why she was doing this. Taking that as her chance to leave, she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek before standing up and letting go of my hand.

"I'm gonna leave early," she explained. "I hope you work stuff out for yourself."

I looked up to her, watching as she smiled once more before leaving me be. We'd only been dating a few weeks, I knew that, but I still felt saddened to know she didn't want to keep things going. And with the realisation that it was because of Wanda, my sadness was quickly replaced with anger. It always came back to her.

Scowl on my face, I stood up and knew one thing: Wanda Maximoff was dead meat.

[rikorene]

𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐢𝐢. // ushijima wakatoshi [reader insert]

[ a/n : my procrastinating ass says hello. ]

genre: angst

“if i had the chance to do it all over again with you, i would.”

[ part i ] [ part ii. ] [ alternative universe ]

Breathing in the nostalgic scent of your favorite café just down the road from your place gave you this home feeling, you felt protected and safe in this space. It was a cozy café that was decorated with things that you can find in your own grandmothers’ house, it gave you peace and quiet, it was also unpopular so it rarely had costumers which was a bonus point for you.

Just one problem, when you turned your head to the right there you saw Ushijima and Semi staring at you when you entered the café, you gave them both a sheepish smile and a wave before going to your usual spot which was on the other side of the café. Far away from the two who just gawked at your presence, Semi nudged Ushijima with his foot and subtly pointed at your direction.

“Go talk to her!” he whisper-yelled at his friend who looked at him with a dumbfound expression as if asking “Why?”

“Go, go!” Semi continued to encourage Ushijima, who just sighed at his friends’ gesture and stood up from his seat. He walked over to your table and you looked up at him with wide eyes as you put your cup of coffee down.

“Is this seat taken?” Ushijima asked, referring to the seat in front of you. He swore that his heart skipped a beat when you smiled at him in a soft manner, it was as if he was his old self again, the one that fell for her that windy spring day.

“No.” you replied, holding the warm cup of coffee with both of your hands. Ushijima nodded and seated himself in front of you, it was an awkward silence, but you didn’t mind it knowing how Ushijima can be with words.

“How have you been?” he asked, putting his hands on his lap, nervously fiddling with his own fingers by lightly scratching at his tips. He could never get rid of that habit, and you knew that without even looking.

“I’ve been doing great. I heard that your team went to nationals for a few times in a row now, congratulations.” You said with that soft smile that made Ushijima’s heart throb in regret. You were such a supportive person that he took for granted, you even learned how to set a ball back then just so he could practice his spikes, yet he had left you claiming that he had wanted to pursue volleyball.

I’ve been a bad person to you, haven’t I?

“Thank you.” Ushijima responded shortly, his gaze dropping onto the table. You took notice of the look in his eyes, so you then reached your hand out on the table and tapped it making him look at you in the eyes once more.

What was that emotion in his eyes? Was it sadness? Or perhaps it was regret. You didn’t wanna know.

“What’s the matter, Ushijima?” you asked, setting your hand on the table. It had been years since you and Ushijima had spoken to one another, it felt a little foreign to you to talk with him so casually even after all the things that has been said and done, but it somehow felt nostalgic to you to be talking to him.

“… Wakatoshi.” He muttered, just a low mumble. You had thought that your ears were playing tricks on you, but then he repeated what he had said.

“Please call me Wakatoshi again.” He said in a low voice, he reached out and held your hand that was on the table. His hand was warm, warmer than the sun. your hearts was beating louder and louder by the second, your silence was something that he didn’t take as a good sign, maybe you were surprised?

“Ushijima-“

“Wakatoshi.”

With a sigh, you looked at him with those eyes of yours, sparkling in the sun. the same eyes that he loved drowning in whenever he got the chance to stare at you, now he was questioning himself why did he even break up with you when you were the loveliest girl that he has ever met.

“Why?” you asked, a sad smile on your face. He froze on the spot. He wanted to respond, to tell you that he regrets every single bad thing that he did to you. But he couldn’t speak, it was as if a cat got his tongue.

“Ushijima, you love volleyball more than anything. I don’t want to be a hinderance to your outstanding career.”

No.

“Perhaps you’re just confused, after all, we were each other’s first love.”

Even so, you are still the one that I love.

“We both know that this can’t work out, you’re aware of that aren’t you?”

No, I still want to try. I want to keep fighting for you.

“Ushijima…”

Please call me Toshi. Call me YOUR Toshi.

“I really did enjoy spending my time with you back then. And maybe…” you voice trailed off and slowly took your hand away from Ushijima’s warm hand.

“In another life, I would fall for you again.” You smiled at him, as if on cue the bell rang at the café door and there stood Kuroo who was holding a red scarf in his hand. You gave him a smile and wave.

“I’ll take my leave now.” You said as you stood up, but Ushijima grabbed your hand, he stared at you for a bit making your raise an eyebrow at him. He reached his phone from his pocket and handed it to you.

“Your number, I want to talk to you again.” He said, and Kuroo’s eyebrows shot up staring at Ushijima with this look on his face. He didn’t like it how Ushijima thought he could slide his way back into your life after he practically kicked you out of his.

You smiled and grabbed his phone as he let go of your wrist, you typed in your number and handed it back to him. You smiled at him one more time and waved at him and Semi, who was watching it all go down, Kuroo wrapped the red scarf around your neck as he smiled at you and the two of you left, Kuroo sent a glare at Ushijima before he went out the door.

You were older, much more wiser than Ushijima himself, you knew your worth and refused to let others drag you down. He knew that as the years passed, you were someone that you were finally proud of.

Semi went to him and coaxed him to get back to the hotel they were staying at. Ushijima was uncomfortably quiet that night, even Tendo didn’t bother him that much, Semi told them the story later when Ushijima headed to the balcony to cool his mind.

It wasn’t that he was angry, no, not at all. He was somewhat wondering; wondering what he could’ve done at that point in time. Maybe he could’ve said to you what he wanted to say, but the words were stuck in his throat.

“Maybe… in another life, I would fall for you again.”

Your words to him ran around his head, trying to grasp the message in between those words. He wanted to believe that he still had a chance for a future with you. As much as he had tried convincing himself, he didn’t want to let you go.

He didn’t want to be loved in the next life, he wanted to be loved in this life. In this life, if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would. With you, he would.

He gazed at the moon and stared at it.

Were you gazing at the moon? Maybe you are, maybe you aren’t. but the thought of being under the same moon, it was comforting. Even if it was the only thing that was in common with you now, he appreciated it.

A faint sound of music broke his thoughts and he looked to the other balcony of the hotel that was in front of him to see a couple slow dancing to a song, they looked like they were in love. So in love.

He blinked at their affection and let out a dry chuckle, it was as if karma was biting his ass even harder now. Oh how he hated moments like these, moments that would remind him of you. But, everything reminded him of you. From the warm sun, to the glistening moon, everything beautiful reminded him of you.

If there was another life, would things even end up this way? Would he keep on breaking your heart for his own expense? He hoped not, may it be in this life, or in the next. He wanted to keep you.

“Wakatoshi!~” Tendo’s voice broke him out of his thoughts as he opened the balcony door. “Let’s go to bed!”

Ushijima sighed in response and looked at the moon once more.

Why would I wait for the next life if I could have you in this life?

“Yeah. Okay” he replied to Tendo, leaning away from the ledge and walked back inside.

[platypanthewriter]

The Tanning Rock

Harringrove April prompt 28, Tanning--Creatures!AU (This one grew to nearly 6k and I’m so sorry) @wasting-time-again​ HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, HAVE A MERMAN!  XD

The lawyer who summoned Billy—about an inheritance, he said—was...weird.  Straight out of a movie, with long incisors and a cravat, and he steepled his fingers as he talked.  

Max said he was probably actually a vampire, and Billy agreed—which was weird, because as far as Billy knew, his mom’s family wasn’t exactly old money, and it was hard to imagine a vampire getting on a plane to fly clear to California and summoning him to a crypt full of file cabinets, all just to read a will about his mom’s collection of surfing stickers and pile of old National Geographics.  

Billy knew his father had disowned him, so he bit his lips together, waiting to hear that his mother had died.

“I am here about the estate of your grandmother,” said the vampire lawyer, and Billy drew a shaky breath of relief.  “Your mother was disowned—” he said, and Billy almost snorted a laugh—like mother, like son, he thought, “—and so her domicile has passed to you.”

“Wait, what,” Billy breathed, wide-eyed.

“It is an unusual case,” said the lawyer—Fangun and Stayk, est. 986, read his card, but Billy wasn’t sure whether he was speaking to Fangun or Stayk, or whether the whole thing was a joke yet, so he kept his mouth shut.  “You will take ownership of the house and land, however, you may not live there—that is, not year-round, not unless you are given an invitation by a resident.  It is a closed community.”

“...can I sell it?” Billy asked, and the deepset eyes of the lawyer stared back at him, bloodshot and dry.

“At well below market value,” he said, steepling his fingers again.  They made a dryish noise.  “As I said, they dislike outsiders.  And a stranger will be even more of an outsider than you, in whom runs...the blood of the place.”

Billy wondered, dully, whether he’d inherited a haunted graveyard, or a den of werewolves, and groaned into his hands.  Maybe he was part zombie somehow.  Just his luck.  “Where is it,” he sighed.

“It is not on commonly available maps,” said the vampire, and Billy nodded.  It figured, he thought, though his ears perked up considerably when his grandmother’s lawyer laid out a map of Hawaii.

 They got a ride from the shore on a fishing boat at four o’clock in the morning.  “It’s barely tourist season yet,” said the fisherwoman, showing Max how to steer.  “There will be a ferry, in a week or two, but I can give you two a ride out the day your visa’s up if the ferry quits sooner.”

“We want enough time to look around,” Max said, glancing at Billy.  They’d let their lease run out, and sold most of their things, because a few orange crates of records were a small price to pay for never running into Neil Hargrove around town.  “You could get a job on one of the normal islands,” Max had suggested, quietly, over and over.  “If they don’t like us enough.”

Billy’d never suggested moving Max so far away, but she’d assumed they were going, and after a while he went along with it.  It wouldn’t be so bad, he thought, getting a job in a hotel somewhere after the islanders threw him out.  Max would probably love it, in Hawaii.  

A fresh start, she had said, and it sounded good.

He and Max were greeted by a woman in a wheelchair, who stamped their passports.  “Technically, we’re a different country,” she said, smiling.  She had very brown skin, and looked contentedly half-asleep in the sun.  “You’re the only visitors on the island, for a week or two,” she said, cocking her head.  “We’re not always in a big hurry to scrub up the ferry for the summer.  We love the money, but the tourists...” she laughed, shaking her head.  “Three-month pleasure trip visa.  Have a nice summer,” she said, waving them away.  

Her benign lack of interest lessened Billy’s initial fears that he’d inherited membership in some rich, yoga-pants-wearing, white Human Superiority cult.  

 The house was traditional-ish, with a grass roof and walls, big open windows with no glass, only shutters, and a wide shaded veranda all the way around.  It looked over a beach with rolling waves, and Billy couldn’t wait to get his board out there.

“I’m gonna look around the house,” Max said.  “See if I can find any neighbors.  Maybe I can bring them cookies.”  She set her jaw, frowning around at their luggage, and the scattered pillows.  “Maybe we can buy some furniture somewhere.”

“...we can always just come here for summers,” Billy told her, breathing it in.  

“Yeah, you’re gonna have a great time getting a tourism job where you don’t work summers,” Max said, raising a sarcastic eyebrow, and Billy realized with a sinking feeling in his stomach that she expected him to figure it out.  Find someone who wanted him to stay, here, on the island, at his grandmother’s house.

“I’m no good at making friends, Max,” he reminded her, and she snorted.  

“Better get out of my hair, then.”  She folded her arms, taking another deep breath of the smell of grass in the sun.  After a long moment, she looked back at him again.  “...we’ve got a little over three months, Billy.”

He suspected it sounded longer to her.

 When he wandered down to the beach, Billy could see someone’s tanned shoulders lying across a jutting rock about fifty feet out, and he paddled a ways towards it on his surfboard, getting the lay of the ocean.  There was a rip tide, dark and eerily quiet, to his right, but the rest of the beach had shallow, warm, clear waves over white sand and coral until a dark dropoff about fifty feet out where the rolling waves began.  

As he paddled closer to the rock, he could see the man on it—asleep, Billy thought, just lying in the sun as the waves lapped at his skin.  As Billy drifted closer, paddling with his hands, he could see a long-fingered hand hanging in the water, and he paddled faster, suddenly wondering whether the man wanted to be out on a rock, or whether he was a Dude In Distress, his leg cramped, needing a ride to the beach on Billy’s surfboard and a trip around the boardwalk, and maybe some shaved ice.  

As Billy approached, the guy opened his eyes, frowning over at Billy with wide, half-awake brown eyes.  He pushed himself up on the rock with his arms like the goddamn Little Mermaid, Billy thought, amused. His throat went dry watching the flex of muscle, and the water droplets where the dude had lifted himself out of the bay.  

Billy paddled at random, a little, unable to tear his eyes away.  He cleared his throat.  “Just, uh, making sure you didn’t need any help,” he said, staring at the tanned arms and swimmer’s chest in front of him, nearly triangular, like a superhero.  “I, um.  Guess you’re fine.”

The guy raised his eyebrows, starting to smirk, and then his eyes widened, and Billy realized in a flash of blue and foam that he’d drifted right into the fucking rip tide.  Right in front of the gorgeous dude on the rock, Billy thought in the back of his mind, trying to hold onto his surfboard and let the rip tide take him wherever it would.  Just his luck, he thought, dying because he was so damn gay he saw nice shoulders and his brain switched off.  He hadn’t even gotten a chance to breathe before he got sucked down, and his lungs and sinuses were starting to ache worse than the rest of him, even as he was buffeted around against his board, when an arm slid around his waist.

He wanted to yell at the guy—and he did, in an explosion of bubbles—because what the hell good was it gonna do, swimming into a rip tide, but the muscles against his back and butt flexed, and they were moving sideways out of the rip tide, and then Billy’s head was above water.  He gasped and choked, coughing up half the sea.  The ocean moved soothingly around them, as this dude had no trouble holding Billy up, and Billy tried to clear his throat and eyes.  

“Have you seriously never seen a tail before,” the guy groaned, hauling Billy along like he was no more effort to lift than a little kid at the pool.  Billy felt rock against his thigh, suddenly, and scrambled onto it, coughing and wiping his eyes to see he was on the jutting rock the dude must have jumped off of, to save him.  

“How-how fucking humiliating,” he gasped out loud.  “Can’t believe.  C-can’t believe I fucking p-paddled into a rip tide.”

“You drifted back into the...yeah,” his hot rescuer said, still in the water, with one hand on the rock to hold him steady as he frowned at Billy.  His voice sounded a little odd—Billy was reminded of the Chinese grocery by his house, where their English was perfect, but they had a lilt as they tried to speak an atonal language with a tonal ear.  Up close, he was even prettier, with moles Billy wanted to track down his neck and shoulders, and a doubtful, scrunched-up mouth Billy wanted to kiss.

“Sorry,” Billy wheezed, still coughing.  “Sorry, I’m such a moron, sorry.”  He tried to keep his eyes above the water level, but some part of his brain kept looking for tanned legs kicking under the surface, and he suddenly registered that the moving colors weren’t just fish and anemones.  “Holy shit,” he coughed out.  “You have a tail.”

His rescuer frowned harder, probably worried Billy had brain damage.  “I figured that’s why you swam into the rip tide,” he said slowly, and Billy shook his head, groaning.

“No—fuck, I’m sorry, you—you’re just hot as fuck, I’m just a moron, I’m—damn it,” he sighed.  “Sorry, jesus, I’m so fucking rude, sorry, I just didn’t notice, I was like ‘How the hell did he get me out of there?  OH!’, sorry,” he muttered, sighing.  “...drown me.”

“I am though, right,” the merman said, grinning, “—hotter than you,” and Billy realized he’d found the only person on the island more annoying than he was.  

“Yeah, yeah, just laugh at the poor gay moron who nearly drowned staring at you, that’s nice,” he huffed, lying back against the warm rock to catch his breath.  

“Was it love at first sight?” asked his rescuer, and Billy opened his eyes to glare.  

“Shut up, asshole,” he grunted.  

“Just asking,” his tormenter asked.  “Are you gonna pine away, sighing over me?  Hey, d’you think you’ll always do that?  If I swim over in town, you think you’ll fall off the boardwalk?”

“Fuck you,” Billy told him, leaning his face in his arms and laughing.  “Yeah, probably, you shithead.  Are you gonna...follow me around?  So I can look like more of an idiot?”

“Mmm, can you though…” the gorgeous merman asked thoughtfully, and Billy growled into his arms, feeling his whole body warm.  He blamed it on the sun.  “Why,” his rescuer asked, pulling himself up to laugh against Billy’s ear.  “—you want me to follow you someplace?”

“Oh my god,” Billy groaned, laughing harder.  “Are you afraid to leave me alone now?  What if I try and eat my surfboard?”

“...are you gonna?” 

“Maybe?!��� Billy told him, then pushed himself up, frowning around to look for it.

“I’ve got it, it’s right here,” the smug asshole told him, waggling the surfboard in the water.  “Want me to take you back to shore?”

“No!” Billy laughed, sighing.  “I’m going surfing, just because I nearly died making an ass of myself doesn’t mean—”

“Hrm, maybe I should keep an eye on you.” 

“Why,” Billy asked, then pitched his voice just a little lower.  “You like what you see?”

“I could get used to it,” the merman said, and Billy started to preen, but the dickhead finished with “—kind of a comedy special, kind of thing,” and Billy reached over and smacked a big splash of water at him.  

He laughed, his throat arching back, the gills along it thin dark lines that Billy fantasized kissing around.  

Just as Billy was considering grabbing the surfboard and using it as a weapon of blunt force trauma, the merman leaned in close, his smirk widening around pointed teeth, and his cool, salty lips pressed firmly against Billy’s.  Billy made a weird gulping noise in his throat, and the asshole started to pull away, but Billy leaned in, and fell clean off the rock.  His weight dunked them both, and they rose sputtering and laughing, Billy held securely in his merman’s arms as his surfboard floated away.  He couldn’t really bring himself to care.

“...my name’s Billy,” he panted.  

“...Steve,” the mer-dickhead said, raising his eyebrows, like it was weird to want to know his name.  

“...I inherited a house here,” Billy told him in a rush, drunk on kisses.  “I’m from California.  My mom used to talk about this place when I was a kid.  Surfing here.  With her mom.”

“...is she here?” Steve asked, steadying them with one hand on the rock, and glancing back at the beach.

Billy laughed, shaking his head.  “Fuck, sorry, you don’t need to know my shit.  We can make out.  You’re short-circuiting my brain.”

“...I should probably get your surfboard,” Steve told him, grinning, but he leaned his head in again, gentle with his sharp teeth, and Billy inhaled shakily as the points grazed his lips and tongue.  

“Jesus,” he whispered, once he could talk, and then he licked his lips and wrenched himself away to swim after his surfboard, just so his smug rescuer wouldn’t have to fetch it for him.  The waves got bigger as he got out to where the trees weren’t acting as a windbreak, and he clambered up on his board, glaring back as Steve wolf-whistled.

 When he let the tides pull him back towards the gorgeous merman on the rock, he lost his mind again, telling him his tail looked like a peacock butt, and Steve cracked up, grinning at him.

“...so, neighbor, you have to win someone over enough to invite you to stay,” he said, cocking his head.

“Yup,” Billy told him, pointing up at the house he’d inherited, built into the hill, the old grass vacation cottage blending in with the trees.  

“And your method is to tell me I look like bird ass,” Steve continued, and Billy grimaced, waving his hands.

“No!  No, I don’t—I know people have to get to know you.  Here.  I’ll…” he sighed.  “I’ll try for a few months and see what happens.  If nothing...clicks, maybe I’ll try again next summer,” he said, grimacing, and wondering what Max would do, if they weren’t allowed to stay.  Leave, maybe, he thought—she was seventeen, and she could get a job herself.

 He ended up teaching Steve to surf, after showing off his best efforts.  When he swam back, panting, Steve looked properly impressed, and even more tanned.  “Teach me,” he said, and Billy leaned in to kiss him again, nodding.  

“That gonna get you to like me enough to let me stay?” Billy asked, and Steve frowned at him, but Billy laughed, and leaned in for another kiss.

“Tomorrow?” Steve had whispered against his lips, and Billy got no sleep at all that night, he just rolled over every couple hours to check the clock, and see that another two minutes had passed.  

Steve was fascinating to watch on the board, his tail trailing as he controlled it with his hands around either side, his abs flexing as he held himself in a kind of plank pose with the support of his tail.  Billy watched, and realized he was drooling.  

“You like me enough to keep me?” he asked that night, teasing, and Steve laughed.  

“Ask me again tomorrow.”

 Merpeople—or at least, Steve, Billy corrected mentally, realizing he was dealing with a sample size of one—loved bread.  Like a cat, Billy thought, watching Steve eye his croissant, or bagel.  He started just bringing one every morning for Steve, and some coffee, and it was hilarious watching the fluffy flesh of a croissant dangling between Steve’s shark-like teeth.  He waited every morning, and even though Billy wasn’t sure whether Steve was waiting for Billy or the bread he was carrying, he got heart palpitations every time he came down the ramp to the dock, and he could see the little lump of Steve’s head on his folded arms, the rest of him hanging off into the water.

“A few bagels aren’t enough to win me over,” Steve told him, and Billy’s stomach twisted, a little.  He wished he hadn’t brought it up, kind of—the knowledge that he might have to leave hurt, like a sore tooth he couldn’t stop worrying at in his mouth.  “Maybe more croissants,” Steve said, smiling, and Billy brought him more croissants.

 When they’d arrived, they’d discovered the town was filled with mermaid stuff, and at first, Max and Billy had snickered at it, because surely even if there’d been a merperson or two living near a human town once, they’d died decades ago, or they just traded with fishing boats, far out at sea.  They hadn’t considered the amount of people in wheelchairs, or the spray bottles close to hand.

When Billy suggested he bring lunch down from town, Steve swam over to haul himself up—his tail flashing in the light—through the bottom of one of the little sheds on the dock.  Moments later, he banged the door open, wheeling out in an old rusty wheelchair.  He spun it in a circle, waiting for Billy to climb out of the water, and then zipped ahead up the ramp to the path.  

“Wait up, jesus,” Billy yelled after him, and Steve laughed, the muscles in his arms mesmerizing as they spun the wheels.  He slowed down eventually, panting, enough for Billy to jog and catch up.  “...lemme know if you want me to push,” Billy told him, and Steve snorted.  

“Touch my chair and die,” he said.  

“Fair enough,” Billy said, holding his hands up, and Steve laughed.  

“It makes me…” he squinted, thinking.  “...seasick…?” he offered, and Billy nodded, trotting along next to him.  

“Motion-sick, probably,” he suggested, and Steve mouthed it as he rolled along.  

 The lady at the shaved ice stand leaned out and folded her arms on the edge of the little window, laughing at Steve.  “You know they make those that work!” she called, and he flipped her off.  “They don’t have to be electric!  They make ‘em that just move smoothly.”

“It’ll just rust in my shed,” Steve told her, shrugging.  “It’s fine.”  As they waited for their tacos, Steve pulled up to a table, and his rusty, janky wheels kept rolling backwards, until Steve sighed and bent down to stuff some rocks under there.

“My friend Robin and I went in together on a nicer one,” he said, “—but I can’t park it in the shed.  This one’s not so bad,” and Billy’s perception of it shifted a bit—maybe it was more like getting stuck with an old beater car occasionally, instead of something Steve needed help with.  “...want to wander around, after?” Billy asked.  “I haven’t got any souvenirs yet.”

Steve paused, then licked his lips.  “Planning your trip home already?”

“...dunno yet,” Billy said, the invitation unspoken between them.  It seemed ridiculous to want to stay so badly just because he’d met a pair of gorgeously tanned shoulders and a teasing smile, but it also wasn’t...hard to imagine, lingering on the island to go snorkeling with Steve, and learning about the reefs—he’d absorbed enough for a few semesters of marine biology, he was fairly sure, but told as stories, just off-handed things Steve had seen—and Billy was already wanting a drysuit, so he could go in the fall.  Maybe Billy could get a job on a fishing boat, he thought vaguely, or help out in one of the shops.  

If Steve would invite him.

Steve had slid his hands under Billy’s swimsuit a few times, pressing him back on their rock, or on the docks, rocking into him as Billy panted and gasped and fell apart under his hands—but he never said anything, after, and Billy hesitated to ask whether it was...anything, to Steve.  Maybe he picks an idiot every summer, he thought, watching Steve smile at the depictions of mermaids on every surface of every shop on the main street.

“You all spend so much time keeping everything dry and dead,” he said, grinning over at Billy, who’d been anticipating a comment on the mermaid’s hourglass-like proportions, not her lack of water damage.  

“...oh,” he said.  

“I have a figurehead like that, but covered in anemones,” Steve said, cocking his head.  “It’s beautiful.”

“I mean...you could...plant a vine on it, maybe?”

Steve nodded.  “Put it outside in the rain, let it grow.”  The lady behind the counter sighed, rolling her eyes, and Steve laughed.  

“There’s a whole movement to ‘preserve’ our art,” he whispered to Billy.  “Which mostly means they don’t let it become our art.”

“Huh,” Billy said, wondering whether human houses looked like museums, or mausoleums, to merpeople.  

“Not to say that I’d pour water on your television set, or drop your mattress in the bay,” Steve said, grimacing a little, and watching Billy’s face.  “I get that much.”  He looked kind of uncomfortable with the lady behind the counter glaring at him, ducking his head.

Billy leaned to kiss him.  He nearly steadied himself on the chair, and then remembering it would roll, and just held his hands away.  Steve grinned up at him, particularly at his outstretched hands, and yanked Billy down on his not very much of a lap, hurriedly curling his tail up and around Billy’s waist as Billy threatened to slide down the smooth scales to the ground.  Billy threw his arms around Steve’s neck, wide-eyed, as Steve held the wheels firmly, keeping the chair from rolling backwards under the weight of two grown men.  

“Let’s go,” Steve whispered, and Billy nodded, breathing Steve’s sun-and-salt smell, and wondering whether it was okay to ask whether Steve would consider inviting him to stay—just until the next season, Billy thought, as the chair and Steve’s tail moved under him.  Until the next summer, when he could ask whether Steve wanted him to stay again, or whether he wanted Billy gone.

After staying a whole year, Billy thought he might not have it in him to ask whether Steve was tired of him yet, but the thought of waking every morning to run down to the docks with coffee and banana bread was addictive, and he tried not to think about the end.

 Billy ran into the lady who’d stamped his passport, and caught himself staring at her tanned legs propped up on the railing.  “Oh, I’m human,” she said, laughing.  “But I love it here.  I can even shop in the little bookstore, imagine,” she said, and now that Billy thought about it, he realized it had an elevator in the back, and little lifts for the walkways along the higher shelves.  “I’ve never had someone offer to lift me into their cafe, here,” she said, her nose wrinkled, and Billy nodded slowly.  

“Shoot that thing!” she yelled, when she saw Steve’s awful old wheelchair, and he flipped her off.

 “We can only invite a few people,” Steve told him, as they ate noodle bowls.  “It’s for somebody you marry, you know, their family, maybe.  Or if you leave the island, and have a kid.”

“Yeah,” Billy said softly, hearing the message clearly—invitations were not to be wasted, and Billy wasn’t special enough to keep.  He finished his lunch, trying not to feel all butthurt about it.  Max would probably understand.

Steve kissed him again, on the docks, and Billy leaned into it, feeling the familiar pressure of tears in his sinuses, and behind his eyes.  He had three weeks left, he told himself.  Three more weeks.  Steve slid a hand up the back of Billy’s head, humming against his mouth, and Billy let himself go soft in his arms.  

When they returned to the docks, Steve dug a big beach blanket out, and they spread it out on the sand, and Billy stayed out that night, losing himself in Steve’s warm hands and mouth, under stars like he’d never seen before.  

 Steve was watching his face the next morning, with a little frown, and Billy pulled away, sitting up.  

“Better than croissants?” Billy asked, smirking a little, and Steve sighed.  

“Was that what this was?  Fucking me won’t make me give you an invitation,” he said.  He didn’t look amused, the way he had over the bagels, and Billy wondered whether it had worked, a little.  Billy’d always had a talented mouth.

“I won’t know if I don’t try, will I,” he said, laughing.  “Maybe another round will help?”

“...I have to go,” Steve said, and he didn’t even fold up the blanket, just pushed himself off the edge and slid over the wet sand into the water, gone in a flip of tail.  Billy watched for long minutes to see whether he’d come back—they’d been spending every day together, but probably Steve had stuff he needed to do, all the things he’d done before Billy had shown up at the island, easy with his body and his affections.

Billy folded up the blanket, and sat it in the shed, looking around.  There really wasn’t much in there—it was the size of a small bathroom, with some knives for fishing, and a frayed net, and the beat-up wheelchair.  

It smelled like Steve, and Billy stood and breathed, his eyes blurring with tears.

 Steve didn’t come back, and after an hour or so Billy walked home, and ran into Max returning.  “Billy!” she said, with a wide grin.  “Nice night?  I was out getting breakfast.”  She told him about somebody named El, and somebody else named Lucas, and a Dustin.

Max was making friends too, he realized, which kind of made everything worse—she was doing her best, and Billy was just mooning over some guy who thought he was barely good enough for a fuck on the beach.  She’d even met their families, he realized, listening, and registered that he hadn’t met any of Steve’s friends.  He groaned into the pillows tossed around on the mat floor, and sighed.  

“Should I stop seeing him?” he asked, mostly at the ceiling.  

“I dunno why now,” Max said.  “You’re not gonna find somebody else in a couple weeks.”

“Shit,” Billy groaned again.  

“We can try again next summer,” Max said.  “I like it here.”

The idea of returning the next summer, once Steve was bored, was enough to make Billy clench his jaw tight against the pillow he was hugging, squeezing his eyes shut against tears.  “...yeah,” he said softly.

“God, you sound tragic,” she sighed, wandering over and dropping to sit on his butt.  He grunted.  “It’s fine, jesus.  Worst case scenario we have a, like, vacation home.  The vampire dude said we didn’t have to pay taxes on it.”

“Yeah, just pay for plane fare,” Billy sighed.

“He’s out there, y’know,” she said, “—tanning,” and Billy scrambled up so fast he dumped her with a drum noise on the taut mats.  

 When he swam out, Steve just stared out to sea, and Billy clung to the edge of the rock, biting his lips.

“I’m not giving you one of my invitations,” Steve said.  “So stop trying to manipulate me into it.”

“Yeah,” Billy said, kind of wishing they’d never met.  “Yeah, okay.  Do—is that all, or are you sticking around?”

“I’ll stay,” Steve said, frowning at him, “—if you still wanna waste your time on somebody who’s not—how do you say it?  Putting out?”

“...it’s not a waste of time,” Billy told him, swallowing hard.  “I just wanted it to last longer, is all—” and Steve’s eyes narrowed intently.  He grabbed Billy around the back of the neck, and yanked him into a kiss.  

 The remaining weeks, he took Billy snorkeling, and they had sex every night under the stars, Billy panting Steve’s name, and Steve holding him so tightly it almost hurt.  Billy took him to meet Max, and she eyed him warily, but Billy fought and succeeded at securing Steve a plate of brownies, and he was vocally appreciative.  She softened a little, at that.

 Two days before they had to leave, Steve was lying next to Billy on the wet sand, the waves lapping up nearly to their waists.  His shoulder was warm under Billy’s head, and smelled like the high ocean waves.  

“...d’you think you’ll come back next summer,” Steve asked, and Billy snorted.

“Depends on whether I can afford airfare,” he said, sighing.  “Depends on whether I can get a job somewhere that doesn’t need me in the summer.”

“...so I might just never see you again?” Steve asked flatly, and Billy laughed, shrugging.  

“I don’t know,” he said, “—do you want to?”

“...fuck you,” Steve sighed, and Billy pushed himself up to frown at Steve’s face.  

“I don’t know what you want,” he said, glaring back at Steve’s narrowed brown eyes.  “You wanted me to shut up about staying.  What am I supposed to say?”

Steve bit his lips together, and looked away.  “...you know I’m gonna give you an invitation.  You can just tell me.”

“What,” Billy whispered, scrambling to sit up, his heart pounding as Steve flopped over to scrabble around under his wheelchair, his tail flapping around a little in concentration, like a cat’s.  He held an envelope out to Billy without even looking over.

“There,” he said.  “All yours.”

“What,” Billy breathed, and then he half-crumpled it, opening it clumsily.  “You—you’re giving me one?”

“Two,” Steve said, flatly, frowning down at the sand under his hands.  “You and Max, right?”

“Holy shit,” Billy whispered, scrambling over to kiss him, once, then twice, relishing the little noise Steve made in the back of his throat when his lip slid between Billy’s teeth.  “I have to go tell her,” he said, half laughing, his vision blurring with tears.  

“Okay,” Steve said, quietly, and Billy hugged him before scrambling up and running back to the house.  

 Max stared at the two calligraphed invitations on the odd plasticky “paper” the merfolk used, written in Sharpie, and shook her head slowly.  “You did it,” she said, and Billy laughed, nodding.  

“He wanted me to stay enough,” he said, wiping his eyes, and desperately wanting Max to offer to handle the paperwork, so he could run back and kiss Steve.

There was a knock on the door.  Max ran and opened it, and a short-haired woman wheeled in in a rainbow overall dress, and a small, fancy electric wheelchair, her tail the reds and oranges of a sunset.  Billy never quite stopped being envious of how pretty the merpeople were.

“Steve gave you his invites, didn’t he,” she said, and Max slid them around her back, her eyes narrowing.

“...yeah,” Billy said, warily.

“Give them back to him,” she ordered, glaring between them.  “He’s been saving those a long-ass time.  He’s got plans for those, and he doesn’t need guilt-tripping by a pair of manipulative orphans, jesus.”

“I didn’t guilt-trip him,” Billy said, feeling guilty, suddenly, and remembering Steve’s stiffness as he handed them over.  “I didn’t,” he said, less certainly.  “...he...he just likes me, he wants me to stay—”

“He’s known you three months, and you told him you fucked him to get someplace nice for your sister to live,” she said crisply.  “Give them back.”

“He’s not giving them back,” Max hissed, but she was staring at Billy in horror.

“I didn’t say that,” Billy said, waving his hands.  “I didn’t!  Not...exactly.”

“Fuck you,” the woman said, glaring.  “You pressured him.”

“Fuck,” Billy agreed, his eyes tearing up again.  “Lemme—lemme go talk to him.  Max, give—give ‘em here.”

“No,” she said, sounding choked, but he walked over and grabbed them, and hugged her.  

“We’ll figure it out,” he said under his breath, for her ears only, and ran back out.

 Steve was perched up on his rock again, and Billy grabbed his surfboard and sat on it to glide out, paddling with his hands.  The water was clear under him, his shadow passing over the anemones on the reef, and he watched the fish darting around, swallowing repeatedly.  

“Hey,” he said, when he got close enough, and Steve’s head jerked around, glowering warily.

“...you came back,” he said.

“...you want me to stay, right,” Billy said, cutting straight to the chase.  “You gave me these because you want me to stay.”  Steve frowned back at him, and Billy’s heart sank.  “Answer,” he said, his throat closing around the word.

“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it,” Steve said, reaching out, but he just grabbed Billy’s board before he could drift into the rip tide again.  “You wanted to stay.”  He was tense, and he wouldn’t meet Billy’s eyes.

“What do you want,” Billy asked again.  “...because I think your friend Robin’s in my house, and she says I guilted you into it, talking about Max.  Do you...if I didn’t need an invite.  Would you want me to stay?”

“...I guess,” Steve sighed, and Billy swung his leg over the board, dumping himself straight down in the water, because he was definitely about to make some kind of awful noise, and the sea felt good on his hot, wet cheeks.  Steve couldn’t see him crying underwater, he thought, grabbing a jut of rock to keep himself from floating back up.  

He wished he could take a few slow breaths, he thought, closing his eyes, and then something brushed his arm.  He opened his eyes on Steve’s wide-eyed face, his hair swirling in the water.  Billy bit his lips together harder, his hands clenching on the rock, and Steve shook his head, pointing up. 

“Up,” he mouthed.  “Come on.”

Billy let himself be hauled upwards, and pushed up on the rock again, like when they’d first met.  

“What are you doing,” Steve asked, hanging on to Billy’s surfboard.

“Nothing,” Billy said, keeping his voice level.  “I thought you wanted me to stay.  For me.  You can have your invites back.  I didn’t—” he took a deep breath, hearing Steve’s voice say stop trying to manipulate me, and Robin’s guilt-tripping.  “I fucking know I’m pathetic, okay, you don’t have to pity me.  Sorry I—sorry I fucking tried, jesus, I just—” he shut his eyes tightly again, laughing as he imagined Robin’s disgusted look knowing Billy’d gone out and cried.

“Wait, fuck,” Steve whispered, clambering up next to him, where Billy barely fit by himself, since it was high tide.  He was warm from the sun, his tanned skin gleaming with water droplets, and Billy salivated, because his dick obviously hadn’t gotten the message it wasn’t wanted.  “Wait,” Steve said, half on top of him, his weight grating Billy’s shoulder blades against the rock.  Billy didn’t really mind.  “You only want to stay if—if I want you, what—what does that mean—”  His brown eyes were huge.

“...don’t really know how to be clearer,” Billy told him, unable to pull his eyes from Steve’s mouth.

“You don’t want to stay unless I’m happy about it,” Steve said, grabbing Billy’s hands.

“Yeah, that’s kinda how it gets, when you fall for somebody,” Billy told him, raising his eyebrows, and Steve took a shuddery breath and kissed him again.  He didn’t stop, though, he just kissed Billy and kissed him, laughing shakily, his eyes welling up with tears.  

“Don’t go,” he whispered, as Billy clung to him and the rock, trying to keep them from tumbling off.  “I want you here, I want you.  Stay with me.”

“I’m what you want?” Billy asked, startled, his brain hazy from warm kisses, and the scrape of pointed teeth.  “‘M yours then,” he whispered.  “All—all of me.  S’yours.”

They laid there so long, whispering and giggling, that Billy had tan lines of Steve’s fingers on his shoulder for months.

Here are the other Harringrove April prompts I’ve done!

[rocketink]

SUMMER SNOW

In which you confess to your summer crush on a hot july night that you’ve never seen the snow.

pairing: mingyu x reader

Words: 1.5+K

Genre: fluffy + friends to lovers

Warnings: none I think. English is not my first language so apologies!! I needed to cuddle and this was the result get me a boyfriend so I can stop writing about my fantasies, please

A/N: Uploading this bc I can’t stand this blog being inactive and I’m planning more things so I need to let this fic go already haha

Whenever people fought over "what is better? Summer vs. Winter edition" you always said summer. Summer to you was special because it meant much more than hot weather for 3 months, beaches, and pools. To you, it meant a getaway. Summer was when you left the polluted air from the gray town you usually live in to go to your grandmother's town, lost somewhere in South Korea but also next to the coast. It meant three months of partying with friends you only see in summer, with those cousins that live far away that visit your grandmother too, and also Mingyu.

Kim Mingyu was always there. Despite looking like he could buy the entire town and spend his holidays at a luxury hotel in New York at the same time. Mingyu is just as poor as the rest of us, mortals, but the way he carefully chooses his clothes, the way he keeps his hair swept back, and, of course, his breathtaking smile makes him look like a young millionaire. He laughs every time you tell him that. Mingyu has been your summer friend ever since you were kids. When summer finally arrives you know it's time to spend all three months with the person you cherish the most and do all sorts of things together, and of course your favorite plan:

"Shall we go stargazing?" He usually asks, two blankets under his right arm and one basket in his left hand.

"Oh, yes, please." You always say.

Stargazing is supposed to be a soft, entertaining activity to do with your friends, right? But how can you do anything soft and cute with Mingyu without risking selling your heart to the most perfect person you've ever met? You don't know the answer to that because your heart has belonged to Mingyu for a while now. It began as a small crush, something you were sure would fade when you go back to your hometown. When you were about to get rid of your feelings, summer came again, and his presence woke up the butterflies within you. At some point, you stopped pretending you had no feeling for the silly boy just because you weren't seeing him during the year.

However, last year’s third day of September made a difference between you two.

It happened while stargazing.

"Don't you think stargazing is not as fun as when we were kids?" He asked.

"It is a bit different now, I guess. Two twenty-two years old do different things. I still enjoy spending time like this with you though." You answered truthfully, and almost fainted at the last part.

Just why did you say that?

"I enjoy it too. You are the only reason why I spend summers here."

"Are you saying that you like me more than Seoul?" You joked.

"Could be, or maybe is because Seoul is beautiful in winter but unbearable in summer, so I just settle for you." You made a face and he laughed. "It's because of the snow, Seoul looks like a romance film in winter."

"It snows there?" You felt your eyes sparkling. "Woah I've never seen the snow in real life."

"Really? Well it's fun at first, but don't get so excited you get used to it after a while and it's not as amazing."

"I just want to make a snowball and throw it to your face, I'll be satisfied just with that." He pretended to be offended and tried to tickle you in revenge, but somehow he ended on top of you and his face approached yours dangerously. You thought you were going to faint.

"Then let's make a deal."

"Surprise me."

"You give me something I really want this summer and next summer I'll bring a jar with some snow on the inside, okay?"

"What type of deal is that?" You would have laughed at his face if he had stopped approaching, but your faces were just a few centimeters apart. "Mingyu, it will melt."

"We can try."

"I'm getting nothing out of this deal, I won't have snow next year."

"How many excuses should I make up just to kiss you?"

"None Mingyu, just go for it" And just like that, his lips covered yours and you melted in a soft kiss.

That was the best night you'd had for a very long time, but you barely enjoyed it because the next day Mingyu was gone and the last thing you knew about him was a message he left to your grandmother: to tell you he suddenly had to leave to Seoul because of some family issues.

22 years of knowing the boy and still you never got his phone number.

The only thing you know is that September is not September without Mingyu.

"Are you still thinking of the summer guy?" Your mother asked you in December. You simply nodded. She didn't know Mingyu but she did know what your grandmother tells her about him, and the last thing your grandmother knew about Mingyu is that deep inside he didn't want to leave so suddenly and without warning you himself. He looked regretful and heartbroken.

This time, it was harder to forget about Mingyu, but you are not sure if you tried enough. You actually thought about him more. You aren't sure if he regrets the kiss or if he wants you or even if he just did it for the thrill of the moment (even if Mingyu is not like this, he wouldn't cross that line, risking to lose a friend). You just want to talk and end your suffering. But when June came once again, you are not sure if you are ready.

You see each other again on the first night of July, later than expected. At this point, you thought that Mingyu wasn't going to spend his summer in town and you kept a sad face for an entire month. He took you by surprise, you were stargazing on your own at your usual spot on top of your grandmother's house.

"Hi y/n." You almost choke on your spit.

"Mingyu?"

"Before you say anything, I've brought you a little something, and you have to see it right now."

"Uhm, okay?" He wastes no time and opens his basket. He pulls a small jar filled to the top with something white.

He gives it to you, and the first thing you notice is that it is icy.

"Open it." He encourages you.

It feels weird, and it melts right when you touch it.

"You've brought me snow?" You can barely find your voice.

"Well, I tried. Do you know how hard it was to keep it as snow and not water or ice? My parents were so worried that his son had lost his mind. Now, make that snowball and throw it to my face." He sounds more amused than he should.

You try, but every second that passes it becomes more watery and you are not sure if you can even grab it. You throw what you manage to keep in your hand to him, and he laughs and hisses at the sudden cold contact.

"It's very nice for the summer to be honest." He laughs.

"Our deal is done now, is it?" You don't even know why you bring it back, memories from that night come to your mind and you wonder even if it was real.

"I'm sorry I left so suddenly."

"Oh no, that's fine, is everyone okay?" You ask, concerned.

"Yes, everyone is fine now. Our house wasn't, we almost got robbed that day, but everything is fine now" You sigh in relief and he smiles softly.

Kim Mingyu if you don't stop right now... You think to yourself.

"I actually was wondering something."

"Okay then, surprise me once again." You want to stop making references to that night but you just can't.

He seems to catch the reference and smiles widely. He grabs a little piece of paper from his front right pocket and gives it to you, still with his signature puppy smile on his face.

It says 'Mingyu's mobile phone, for future inconveniences’

"I realized this winter that I don't want to spend another nine months without hearing from you. It was thrilling at first but it's not anymore. Call me anytime you want, actually just call me, please." His cheeks are tinted with a light shade of red and you feel yours burning.

"And I was also wondering if you'd like to visit me for Christmas in Seoul? You can stay at my house if you want to and we could spend more time together. Summer is not enough for me." Your heartbeat accelerates and you feel yourself nodding without thinking. "Great! I have so many things I'd like to show you. I want to take a walk with you in Seoul if it snows, and we can make snowmen and you can properly throw me snowballs if you feel like it. We can skate on thin ice and get hot chocolate and eat sweets and..."

He stops suddenly and you can tell he feels embarrassed.

"I guess I just want to do all the romantic things couples do at Christmas movies... I guess I just want to properly date you."

This time you are the one to initiate the kiss and all your worries of not being on the same page with Mingyu that you've had for almost ten months dissipate as he deepens the kiss and holds you tighter.

[bluesylveon2]

My My, I Could Never Let You Go

Summary: Sasha Zoe just wants her dad to walk her down the aisle. There is only one problem: she doesn't know who her dad is! Sasha invites 3 men in hopes of finding out which one is her father. What could possibly go wrong?

Pairings: Levi x Hange, Sasha x Niccolo, and other background relationships

Disclaimer: This is a Levihan Mamma Mia au. This fanfic is inspired by Mamma Mia which is directed by Phyllida Loyd, written by Catherine Johnson, and uses music from the pop group ABBA. Attack on Titan is a manga/anime series written by Hajime Isayama and published by Kondasha

Author’s Note: NOW EDITED! This chapter and maybe the next few will include character background. I know the movie doesn’t include that, but I am! This story will have some added/deleted scenes from the movie. I hope you like it though! Also, the characters are in their Season 4 looks. The 104 group will be 20-21. Niccolo is 23. The adults:

Hange, Nanaba, Rico, and Mike - 43 | Levi - 45 | Erwin - 46 | Moblit - 40 | Pieck - 37 | Porco - 35

Yes, the adults are mostly in their 40′s, but look young. Let’s just go with it

I will try to keep a weekly or week and a half update depending on school. 

Now let’s move to the chapter where we meet a happy and engaged Sasha! 😁

Need to catch up? Catch up here!

Ch 1: Honey, Honey

Kalokairi, Greece

1 day before the wedding

Two passengers walk out of the docked ferry. Mikasa - the tall one with short jet black hair and dark brown eyes - was grabbing the rest of her stuff while her friend Historia - the shorter one with long blonde hair and blue eyes - searched for Sasha. It didn’t take Historia long to find her. Sasha wasn’t hard to find. Despite her wearing her brown hair in a ponytail and wearing casual clothes; she was running towards them at full speed. Sasha also held a small book with her. 

“OH MY GOSH! YOU ARE FINALLY HERE!!!!” Sasha screamed as she ran towards her friends on the dock. 

Mikasa Ackerman is half Japanese and half German. She originally lived in Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Germany but moved to Kalokairi after her parent’s death when she was a teenager. Mikasa’s parents dreamed of visiting the island one day when Mikasa was older. She used to sit on her mother’s lap as she told her about the island's beauty. After Mikasa’s parents died, her great aunt on her mother’s side reached out to her from Japan and provided Mikasa enough money to move to Kalokairi. Mikasa’s great aunt was unable to take care of Mikasa because of her old age, so Mikasa chose to live in Kalokairi to fulfill her parent’s dream. The only downside was that Mikasa lived alone. Her home is a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom home. It’s enough for a person, but Mikasa felt alone without her parents. It was where she met Eren Jaeger's family. Eren’s mom, Carla, often invited Mikasa to eat so she wouldn’t get lonely. Eren gave Mikasa a red scarf as she was leaving the Jaeger household. He claimed it was a gift, so she didn’t feel lonely. Mikasa, touched by the gift, started visiting the Jaeger family more, and she even met Eren’s freind, Armin. The Jaeger home became Mikasa’s second home, and Mikasa was not alone anymore. It changed after Historia moved the island. 

Historia Reiss came from Munich and ran to Kalokairi to get away from her family. She felt confined in her home when all she wanted was freedom. She had also learned the ugly truth behind her family name a week after moving in with her father, Rod Reiss. Her uncle, Uri, was the CEO of the Fritz company, a conglomerate in Germany with other branches across Europe. The company also did some shady business orchestrated by Rod, but it was hidden from the public. The only plus for Historia staying home was seeing sister, Freida, more often. 

The only downside of running away to another country was not knowing the language. Historia was walking around the island when she accidentally bumped into Mikasa. Mikasa noticed how lost Historia looked, so she invited her into her home. Historia spills her entire life story (including her real name) to Mikasa the moment Mikasa sat down in the chair in front of her to eat dinner. Historia was horrified after she finished her story. She just told her story to a stranger who is most likely going to kick her out. Historia flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Mikasa looking down at her with a smile. Mikasa understands what it is like to be alone, so she invites Historia to stay in her home. The girls eventually lived together as roommates until they had to leave for their modeling careers. Mikasa and Historia have even walked in Milan Fashion Week. 

The home is still under Mikasa’s name (originally it was under her great aunt, but it went to Mikasa after her passing). The girls (and everyone in their friend group), use it when they stay on the island. The current inhabitants are Hanami and Mina since they were the first to arrive. Mikasa, Annie, Hitch, and Historia are the only girls from the group staying at the hotel. 

Historia also started going by her real name after an incident with the company. Rod went to prison and Freida became the new CEO. She and Freida keep in touch often via mail to make up for the lost time and update each other of their lives. Historia told Freida about her freinds, her new maternal figure (Hange), and her girlfriend, Ymir.

Sasha met Mikasa and Historia on the island in high school. Mikasa was with her friends, Eren and Armin when Sasha met her. They were often paired up for projects and events that their friendship happened naturally over time. Sasha met Historia when she gave her some bread after Sasha was caught eating in class. Mr. Shadis, their teacher, is really a strict man. He made Sasha run laps around the whole school as punishment. Sasha wouldn’t stop thanking Historia after that. 

“SASHA!!!!!!” Historia shoved her stuff towards Mikasa and began running towards Sasha. 

“MIKASAAAAA!!!! HISTORIA!!!!!!!!!” Sasha continued yelling before glomping Historia. Luckily Historia caught herself without falling into the water.

“And where is my hug?” Sasha heard behind Historia before looking up to see Mikasa smirking at her. Sasha opened one arm out to initiate a group hug.

Mikasa briefly put both her’s and Historia’s stuff down and joined in on the hug. 

“Ugh, it’s been so long! I missed you both so much!” Sasha complained dramatically as she let go of the girls. Mikasa and Historia grab their things and start heading towards the beach with Sasha. 

Sasha looked at the group and noticed someone was missing.

“Is Ymir not coming, Historia?” Sasha asked while tilting her head to the side.

“No,” Historia says sadly, thinking about her girlfriend as she looks down as she walks. “She has caught up with work lately and won’t be able to attend your wedding.” Historia looked up and smiled “She wanted me to tell you congrats on your engagement though.”

“Well we would have been here earlier, but someone” Mikasa glared at Historia “insisted on being fashionably late” Mikasa grumbled. She gave air quotes on the words fashionably late with her free hand. 

“Well are we?” Historia giggled. She waved her hand innocently while ignoring Mikasa’s last statement 

“No” Sasha laughed “Aunt Nanaba and Aunt Rico will be here later on today, and Aunt Pieck will be here tomorrow.”

Aunt Pieck is Sasha’s only known family member from her mom’s side. 

(Sasha also heard about a grandmother, but her mom never talks about her)

According to Hange, Pieck is Hange’s younger cousin. Hange’s mom and Pieck’s mom are sisters, but they weren’t that close. Hange’s mom was more focused on her singing career, and Pieck’s mom wanted to focus on her daughter. As a result, Hange would often visit Pieck’s house in Santorini. Pieck would tell her stories about Kalokairi during one of Hange’s visits. Pieck’s stories of Kalokairi sparked Hange’s interest in the island. Pieck is currently a photographer who lives in Portugal after marrying Porco Galliard. She met Porco after a photoshoot in Spain. 

Porco is a veteran from Portugal. His brother, Marcel, is also a veteran and he was in the same unit as Porco. Both brothers began traveling around Europe after finishing their service before settling down. One day, the brothers were in Valencia, Spain after hearing of the La Tomatina Festival in Bunol. Porco met Pieck during the festival after she threw a squashed tomato straight at his face. Porco had to face her alone (Marcel was somewhere deep in the crowd) and decided to get back at her. It was a battle between speed (Porco) and stamina (Pieck, Porco had no idea how Pieck was not getting tired). According to Aunt Pieck, it was like the others in the crowd didn’t matter to them. It was her vs Porco. The two got to learn more about each other after the festival ended, and they exchanged numbers. 

Sasha has not seen her Aunt Pieck since her high school graduation. Her aunt had moved to left Greece after marrying Porco, so her visits were less frequent. Nevertheless, Sasha enjoyed looking at the postcard and photos her aunt sends every year. Seeing her aunt and uncle’s happy faces puts a smile on Sasha’s face. She wishes her mom had a similar experience. 

“I knew we should’ve waited longer,” Historia complained to Mikasa and threw her arms up for dramatic effect.

“Yeah me too,” Mikasa says sarcastically and rolls her eyes.

“Speaking of guests, are the other girls here already?” Historia asks Sasha and looks around the beach expecting the others to magically appear before them.

“The other girls are here,” Sasha replies “Mina is hanging out with Marco, Hitch is dragging Marlowe around the island, Annie is on a date with Armin, and Hanami is probably trying not to kill Jean. She has been here longer and is working together with Jean on the wedding”

Hanami is a sweet but oblivious girl they had all met in high school. She is known for making rash decisions, and it worried them. Jean usually reprimands her for being rash, and Hanami would fight back verbally. She and Jean used to not get along before, but their friendship has improved over the years. Nowadays, the both of them just like messing with one another. 

“Let’s hope that your wedding does not end in disaster,” Mikasa says with a hint of worry in her voice.

Their friend, Hanami Richter, is Sasha’s maid of honor. She was born in Greece after her parents moved from Cambridge. She is both Japanese and German like Mikasa, but looks more European. Hanami has short dark brown hair, dark brown eyes,  and wears glasses. She looks like she could be Sasha’s long lost sister. (The girls switched places once, but Hange figured out ‘Sasha’ was not Sasha. Luckily Hange didn’t get mad, but she was impressed).  Hanami is currently attending the University of Vienna to study International Business Administration. 

“Oh!” Historia exclaimed in an attempt to change the subject “Show us your ring!”

Sasha laughed before stopping their walk to extend her left hand. She showed Historia the beautiful ring on her ring finger. The ring consisted of a 2-carat diamond glistened from the sunlight. The ring was not too over the top. It was a white gold ring with a diamond placed in the center surrounded by smaller diamonds to form a halo. 

Historia let out a whistle “Niccolo did really well! Let me take a picture and send this to Ymir. She was expecting a big diamond”

Niccolo is a young chef with wavy blonde hair and green eyes. Niccolo dreams of working as an executive chef after traveling the world. However, no one appreciated his cooking despite working in a famous restaurant. Sasha met him when she and her girl friends went on a summer trip to Italy. During the trip, the group decided to eat dinner at a well-known restaurant in Rome. Everyone, especially Sasha, was enjoying their meal until Sasha started eating her lobster. The girls will never forget how Sasha couldn’t stop complimenting the lobster that she wanted to meet the chef who made it. Niccolo was shocked when his co-worker mentioned what was going on outside the kitchen. Someone was actually appreciating his cooking and he moved them to tears! Niccolo had no choice but to agree. He wanted to meet this person. Surprisingly to the girls, the restaurant let her meet the chef, but only after closing time. Sasha was in tears as she hugged Niccolo, and Niccolo was shocked to see how his food affected her. (Niccolo never told Sasha, but it was love at first sight for him). They met again months later when Jean invited Niccolo over to Kalokairi to surprise Sasha. Sasha and Niccolo eventually started dating, and Niccolo proposed to her after 2 years of dating.

As Historia took some pics on her phone, Mikasa remembered what Sasha mentioned in their group chat before they arrived.

“Sasha, what’s the big news you mentioned a few days ago?”

“Right!” Sasha exclaimed and covered her mouth with her unoccupied hand “I want you guys to guess before the big reveal.”

Historia was pocketing her phone and let Sasha drop her hand back to the side. Historia let out a gasp. She put one hand on Sasha’s shoulder and the other on her stomach. 

“You're pregnant?!?!?!” Historia yelled

“No no no! You're wrong Historia.” Sasha laughed and held up both of her hands in front of her body

(Historia was relieved. Mikasa considered Niccolo lucky because won’t be sporting a black eye on his wedding day. She didn’t say that out loud)

“So what is it then Sasha?” Mikasa after the girls started walking again.

“Weeeellllllll. I invited my dad to my wedding!” Sasha screams with glee

“What?!” “You finally found him” Mikasa and Historia shouted at the same time and looked at Sasha

“Not exactly,” Sasha replied before sitting down on a rock down the beach with the girls. Their spot at least gave them some privacy to talk.

Suddenly, Sasha’s happy expression turned serious. “You also cannot tell anyone what I'm about to say. You have to promise me that and do the salute to it too?” 

“Yes ma'am. We promise” Mikasa and Historia said before facing Sasha and doing their salute. They put both of their hands in a fist. They placed their right fist over their heart and their left fist behind their backs. It was the secret salute their friend group came up with in high school. Mikasa and Historia sat down on some rocks across from Sasha after they did the salute.

“You know what my mom says when I ask about my father. It was a summer romance, and he was gone before she realized she was pregnant with me. I would accept it and never ask more questions.”

Historia put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder and gave her an empathetic smile. She understood where Sasha is coming from. Historia didn’t know much about her family as a child since she grew up with only her mom. She met them after her first year in high school, but it was not a pleasant experience, and she would rather choose to forget it (except for Freida). 

Mikasa also gave Sasha a smile before motioning with her hand to continue.

Sasha smiled at both of her friends. “Well guess what Hanami and I found while looking through the attic for wedding decorations,” Sasha says before pulling out a leather journal. It was a brown journal that looked worn and had a leather strap to seal the book closed. 

“Is that-?” Mikasa asked

“No way-” Historia began

“Yes!” Sasha squealed “It is my mom’s old diary she kept while she was pregnant with me.”

Sasha set the diary on her lap and opened it to one of the bookmarked pages. She began to read a journal entry. 

July 17

What a night! Levi took me to a secluded beach here on the island. We danced on the beach. We kissed on the beach and-

“Dot dot dot,” Sasha said

“Dot dot dot?” Mikasa asked with a perplexed look on her face.

“What does that mean?” Historia asked Sasha confused

“Who knows?” Sasha replied with a shrug “It’s from the olden times. They had weird terminology back then. Now let me continue.”

Sasha stood up abruptly and walked off from Mikasa and Historia. The girls quickly grabbed their things as they stood up and followed Sasha.

Levi is such an amazing guy! Yeah, he may be short, is always scowling, has a funny way to drink tea, and tells poop jokes, but he is such a sweetheart. He never shows it to others, but only me. Me! I get dizzy looking at his charm and going on new adventures with him. Is he some sort of a love machine? He's practically everything I want in a guy! I really think he's the one.

“Your mom sounds like she’s really in love with this Levi guy.” Mikasa comments (she also starts questioning Hange’s tastes in men. A guy who scowls and tells poop jokes? That baffled Mikasa.)

“I think it’s cute,” Historia says with hearts in her eyes and turns to Sasha “Is Levi your father?” 

“Oh but wait” Sasha stops walking on a cliff that overlooks the sea. She gestures to Mikasa and Historia to sit down before continuing.

All this time Levi tells me he loves me, but I’m doubting that now. He’s been hiding things from me, and I found out about it this morning. He suddenly announced that he was engaged, and had to leave to get married. 

How dare he?! I was too blinded by anger to think rationally. I packed Levi’s stuff, dragged Levi out of my house, and threw his stuff (and Levi) to the nearest ferry while demanding him to leave. I didn’t want to see him again, and I didn’t want him to see how heartbroken I was. 

“Oh no. Poor Hange” Historia says sadly. Mikasa didn’t say anything, but she scowled instead. 

“The plot thickens,” Sasha says and continues reading

I texted Nanaba and Rico to do some snooping for me since the internet can be weak here on the island. I gave them the information I knew about Levi and let them do the rest. Rico managed to find some things about Levi.

How dare he? He lied to me this whole time about his last name, how he is the heir of Ackerman Bank, and possibly his love for me? No wonder he was acting mysterious when we first met. I just want to-

Sasha stops abruptly. She looked at the page again to be sure she was reading it right. The page had her mother’s writing, but there were some scribbles and small crinkles. Sasha knew right away that her mother must have cried while writing the entry.

“There are multiple tear marks and some scribbles here” Sasha comments with a solemn expression on her face.

Historia and Mikasa looked at Sasha with sorrow. It seemed as if her mom went through a lot before she was born.

There was a moment of silence until Historia spoke up in an attempt to lighten up the mood. 

“At least your mom didn’t damage the diary, or we wouldn’t have any clue who your father is. Remember that time Eren and Connie accidentally knocked over that old vase at the hotel?”

All 3 girls shivered at the memory

“Well, at least the journal didn’t meet your mom’s wrath. We got lucky there.” Mikasa says with a small smile on her face

“Yeah” Sasha laughed. It’s rare for her mom to get angry. She has only seen her mother really angry once, and it was after the incident. Luckily, her mom never got mad at her. She showered her with love and affection instead. 

Sasha turned the page to another bookmarked section and looked to her friends sitting nearby. Historia looked as if she was in deep thought. Her arm was propped up on her knee and she rested her head on her fist. 

“Something on your mind Historia?” Sasha asked

Historia perked up at Sasha’s question. She then glanced at Mikasa and then the journal. Historia looked at Sasha.

“You said Levi’s last name is Ackerman, right? What if Mikasa is related to him?”

Historia gasped and turned to Mikasa with a gleeful look on her face “You and Sasha could be related! Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“I would rather not be related to Mr. Poop Jokes. He hurt Hange and he sounds like an asshole.” Mikasa scoffed and dismissed the idea. It would be nice to be related to Sasha, but not through Levi. 

Meanwhile, Sasha laughed when Historia’s smile turned into a pout. She and Mikasa are really close friends. It would be nice to at least have one of her friends be blood-related to her.

“Wait until you hear this,” Sasha says before standing up and walking away from their spot on the beach. She started heading towards the stairs along a cliff while reading at the same time. Mikasa and Historia stood up and followed her. They don’t want to miss the rest of the story if they let Sasha walk away.

Both of them sweatdropped as they ran towards Sasha

“I don’t understand why she needs to walk off from us. I get that she needs to guide us to the hotel, but couldn’t we have heard the story all in one sitting?” Historia says to Mikasa

Mikasa shrugs before jogging (and dragging Historia behind her) to catch up to Sasha. Luckily Mikasa is still athletic from high school, so it didn't take her long to catch up. 

August 4

I met Erwin Smith - a tall man with blond hair, blue eyes, and the biggest eyebrows I’ve ever seen. He looks like the star of the latest superhero movie - out of the blue when I was walking around town. He looked lost, so I offered to show him around the island. He’s such a sweet and understanding guy. Although I’m still obsessed with Levi, one thing led to another and-

“Dot. Dot. Dot” Sasha says laughing

Mikasa and Historia gasped as the girls made it towards the entrance of Hange’s hotel (aka Sasha’s home)

August 11

Mike Zacharias - a tall man with blonde hair, light green eyes, and has a tendency to sniff people - took me to his yacht for our nightly yacht ride. We spent the night gazing at the stars and telling stories. 

The girls climbed up the steps towards the hotel. Once they made it to the top, Sasha stopped and turned around to face Mikasa and Historia before finishing up her story. 

Mike is so wild and such a funny guy. One thing led to another and-

“Dot! Dot! Dot!” Sasha and Historia squealed at the same time. Mikasa watched her friends excitement with a smile on her face

A door opens behind the girls. Hange Zoe comes in with her full glory wearing her signature white shirt with overalls while carrying a broom. She sets it off towards a nearby wall.

“Here come the bridesmaids” Hange sang with her arms open for a hug

“Hange!” Mikasa and Historia say with excitement and run to get a hug and a kiss on the cheek from Hange. Sasha quickly hides the diary behind her back. She is thankful that her mom was focused on her friends instead of her.

“Look at you! You’re both so beautiful and you need to start growing” Hange ruffled their hair and laughed

“You look like you’re having fun” Hange smiled and gave them the proud look only a mother would give towards her children

“I used to have fun” she added with some reminiscence in her voice. She thought of the 3 men who impacted her life as she turned around to pick up her broom. 

“Oh, we know.” Historia giggles before Mikasa discreetly elbowed her to tell her to shut up.

Hange looked at the girls suspiciously and Sasha smiled before motioning to her friends that they needed to go. Hange shrugged before going back to the door she came from, leaving Sasha and the others alone.

The girls let out a sigh of relief before heading to Sasha’s room. Hopefully, no one else runs into them or it would raise suspicion.

Sasha walked towards her bed and sat down once they made it to her room. Mikasa and Historia set their stuff off to the side and stood in front of Sasha.

“So, who is your dad? Levi, Erwin, or Mike?” Mikasa asked

“I don’t know!” Sasha exclaims 

“But which one did you invite?” Historia asked

Sasha didn’t answer and stayed silent. Historia and Mikasa picked up on her silence and immediately knew

“Oh. My. God.” they said while simultaneously stepping back and sitting down on a nearby chest

Sasha squealed as she stood up. A big smile grew on her face 

“Do they know?” Historia asked

“Well, would you write to a total stranger ‘Will you come to my wedding? You might be my father?’ No! They think mom sent the invites and no surprise with what’s in here-” 

Sasha picks up the diary from her bed

“They said yes!” Sasha squealed causing Historia and Mikasa to jump up with glee

The girls proceed to have an impromptu dance party in Sasha’s room to celebrate. They danced around for a bit but stopped after Sasha decided to head out to her balcony with her mom’s diary. Mikasa and Historia stayed behind and sat down on Sasha’s bed. They wanted to give her space to think about everything so far.

“I’ve heard so much about them, and I want to know more about them too,” Sasha says softly to herself. She glances down at the diary and smiles “Once I do, I can know how much they mean to me.”

Skiathos, Greece

1 day before the wedding

Two taxis were heading to the Skiathos port. Both taxis were trying to reach the ferry before it left for Kalokairi. 

Erwin sat calm and composed with his business suit, but he was nervous on the inside. How would Hange react to his sudden appearance? What would she say? Is she still with the other man? He can feel the timer to the meeting counting down in his head. “If only the taxi went a bit faster,” Erwin thought to himself. 

Meanwhile, in another taxi, sat Levi. He was starting to get impatient. Levi cursed his luck before putting his pocket watch back in his shirt pocket. He would have been on Kalokairi a lot earlier if the 1 stop of the flight didn’t take too long. Levi leaned forward to tell the driver to speed up, but it seemed as if the ride to the port was too slow (in Levi’s opinion). 

As Levi sat back, he dug into the pocket of his slacks for a small blue pouch. He untied the knot and dumped whatever was inside the pouch onto his palm. A simple yellow gold ring with a diamond fell out. Levi bought that ring weeks after coming back from Kalokairi and settling his family drama. It was kind of a dumb purchase if Levi thought really hard into it. He broke Hange’s heart and she kicked him out. It’s simple, really. Hange would not say yes if he had returned to Kalokairi and proposed to her. 

Nevertheless, Levi thought yellow gold would look good on Hange’s skin because it reminded him of the yellow shirt she wore when they met. He only kept it because of the memories they had, and Levi will always treasure it. Levi puts the ring back in the pouch and pockets it. He doesn’t see himself opening it again if Hange decides to kick him out for a second time. 

Both taxis make it to the port, and both Levi and Erwin run towards the ferry only to see it leaving.

“Damn it!” Levi yells

“I agree,” Erwin calmly says next to him

Levi looks up to find a tall man with blond hair and the biggest eyebrows he had ever seen, He didn’t notice Erwin’s presence until he spoke. Levi looked at him. He internally prayed to himself that he would make it to the wedding on time and see Hange. 

“When is the next ferry leaving?” Levi asks Erwin. Levi didn’t know much Greek since Hange was the one who helped him before. He hoped the blonde stranger at least knew something

Erwin walks towards the nearest sign and reads it using basic Greek he learned years prior 

“Monday,” Erwin says dejectedly and Levi groans in frustration

“Hey!” they hear from the sea and turn their heads

They both see a tall, blond-haired man with a mustache and a beard waving to them from a yacht. There was another man with him who looked like he was doing last-minute preparations before sailing. 

“Are you heading to Kalokairi?” the man asks Levi and Erwin

“How did you know?” Levi yells. The man is a good distance away from him after all.

The man laughs “I could practically smell the desperation off of you”  Erwin’s face turns red from embarrassment. Levi scowled

“You can come with me. The name’s Mike Zacharias by the way. That man over there” He points to a guy with brown hair styled in a pompadour “That’s Gelgar. He’s been taking care of my yacht since I was away. He can help bring us to the island.”

“Sure,” Erwin spoke up. “My name is Erwin Smith. He then raised a hand and gestured to Levi 

“This is-”

“Levi Ackerman” Levi finishes for Erwin. Levi revealed his last name to them unlike when he first met Hange. Luckily both men didn’t make any connections between him and his family business.

Mike turned to Erwin “Well then, Erwin.” He turned to Levi “and Levi. You better hurry up and board the yacht soon. We are heading to Kalokairi once you are settled.” Mike said and walked off to check on everything with Gelgar

Levi sighed. He had no choice. He might as well go with Erwin and Mike since Mike is his only hope of reaching Kalokairi on time. 

Meanwhile, Erwin recognized Mike after many years. He had some physical differences but didn’t look much different overall. Erwin knew that Mike was the man Hange was with when he came back to see her. 

There is only one question that kept playing in Erwin’s head. Is Mike still with Hange?

©: This is where I insert all rights reserved stuff. This story belongs to me. Do not modify or republish

References used/Notes:

Obviously the salute used in the military

Sasha having the girls salute is a nod to OVA 2 where she makes Reiner do it

Some inspiration from both Mikasa and Historia’s backstories

Hanami is my OC from AOT 2 FB (I posted what she looks like on my Tumblr bluesylveon2)

I added more characters because I want Sasha to have more friends in her bridal party

Levi being the heir of Ackerman Bank is based on list I found of big businesses in Germany. Two were based in Frankfurt and were only banking, hence the name

But Levi owns a cafe in the Prologue? Will be explained later

Sasha and Niccolo’s first meeting is from the recent episode

I decided for Porco to be Portuguese because Porco means pig in Portugese

I’ve heard of La Tomatina and it looks like fun

I base the character nationalities on names/some reddit posts. I saw one where Pieck was Greek so I added that to her character

I picked Santorini because it’s a city I want to visit one day. Also Sootopolis (from Pokemon) is based off of there

Hange’s diary is the same journal as the one seen in AOT (Ilse’s notebook and AOT 2 FB)

The ‘Erwin from a superhero movie’ is because of Chris Evans

Hange is canonically the scariest when mad. I tried to portray this with Levi’s backstory and the vase incident 

I added the ring scene with Levi for future purpose

[not-all-dead]

angstpril day twenty-three, part two: alone

CW: very bad mental health issues, intrusive thoughts, depression, death, more death, the second being a su*cide, super super super super long (again)

part one is here, and the sequel short is here

fic under the cut

She was at a party, but she wasn’t really there. She’d been feeling like that for a while now, months, years, she couldn’t tell anymore. It was an odd feeling, like she was disconnected from everything around her. People moved and talked and danced and her body went along with them, but she was nowhere to be found, not really anyway.

So there she was, at yet another party, there in body but not in mind. She was standing by the drinks table, sipping a strong, clear liquid from her glass, when someone she didn’t recognize came up to her.

“You’re Kya, right?” they asked.

she nodded, staring into space and only half-listening to what they were saying. That is, until they mentioned her father.

“...and I heard about Avatar Aang taking ill and was all like ‘No way! That’s terrible!’, because he’s like, the Avatar and everything, but then I remembered seeing you around and thought ‘Hey, isn’t she the Avatar’s kid?’, so I decided that whenever I saw you around next, I’d say something. So yeah, I’m so sorry to hear about your father, and I wish all the best for you and your family,” they smiled at her despite her distant expression, waiting for a reaction for a long moment before their expression changed.

When Kya noticed them raising an eyebrow in confusion at her silence, she shook her head and forced herself to focus.

“S-sorry, I uh- my father’s sick?” she stuttered, meeting their eye cautiously.

“Oh, you- you didn’t know, I’m so sorry, uh-,” they paused and looked around, pretending to see something across the room.

“My uh- my friend just came in, I think, I think I should just,” they stopped and scurried away, leaving Kya alone to understand what had just happened.

“Avatar Aang taking ill.”

“I’m so sorry to hear about your father.”

“You didn’t know.”

Kya downed the last of her drink and wove her way through the crowd, easily avoiding bumping into people without really having to look.

“You didn’t know.”

She broke out into the cool night air and took in a deep breath.

“Taking ill.”

She rushed down the steps of the venue, starting on her walk back to the hotel.

I didn’t know.

She made quick work of the walk, arriving back at her room in under a half an hour.

Dad’s sick.

She collapsed backwards onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling, her head spinning.

Dad’s probably dying.

She gasped, her own thoughts surprising her. She closed her eyes and pushed the thought away, trying to convince herself he wasn’t that sick. That he’d be alright.

Her eyes remained closed as she sifted so that slightly more of her was on the bed. Once she was relatively comfortable, she sighed heavily and let herself give in to the alcohol for the night. She slept deeply, but couldn’t keep herself from having nightmares about her father, standing in her bedroom, a corpse rather than a living man.

She woke in the morning with the sun streaming through the hotel’s large windows and the sound of voices in the halls. She rolled onto her side and gazed at the carpeted floor, but didn’t move to actually get up. Her mind was blank, her eyes unfocused as she stared at nothing in particular, unmoving on the bed. She drifted in and out of a light sleep, her father’s face consistently appearing behind her closed eyelids as she did.

She wanted to cry, wanted to sob like there was no tomorrow, but she couldn’t. Her body was too tired, her mind too lost. She could see what was around her, and knew she should be going back to Air Temple Island, but… but first she had to get out of bed. And that was seeming more and more impossible with every passing minute.

Get up.

Get up, get up, get up.

She rolled over again, curling up so that the now very bright sun coming through the windows hit her back. Her eyes traced over the clothing she’d thrown on the floor days before, quickly becoming heavy again. This time, she fell back into the deeper sleep she’d had before.

“You should have been there.”

“How could you betray me like that.”

“I never really loved you, anyway.”

Her eyes opened groggily and she blinked away her father’s rotting face. She sighed quietly and ran a hand over her face before turning to look out the window. This time she pushed herself up so that she sat cross legged in bed, though she still couldn’t bring herself to actually get up.

The sky had darkened again, the dull night creeping up on her quickly. Her stomach growled in disagreement with her having not eaten since the party… however long ago that had been. She sighed again and let herself fall to the side, her head landing heavily as she did.

Everything felt so out of reach. She knew there was a buffet downstairs, where she could easily satisfy her hunger. A train station in town that could bring her more than halfway home. Paper and a pen in her drawer that she could at least write home with. But the longer she stayed in bed, the farther away everything seemed.

The drawer was miles away every time she’d look sideways at it, hoping this time the effort of opening it wouldn’t be too much.

Smells from the buffet would occasionally waft up, reminding her of how long it’d been since she’d had any food or drink. Each time her nose caught one and her stomach complained, she felt more and more deserving of the hunger.

She could hear the trains going by reasonably often, and began to count them for lack of anything else to do. The higher the number climbed, the more and more she saw Aang’s sunken face watching her with disappointment.

She counted the trains silently, her arm falling asleep under her. She lost count every once in a while and had to start over, and the entire time her eyes continued to close, periodically pulling her into nightmare-ridden sleep. The sun rose and fell again, and then again a third time, before anything changed.

First, there were voices outside her room’s door. New voices, familiar voices, not just the cleaner or the cook.

Then, there was her door opening. She kept staring into space, not bothering to look at who it was. It wouldn’t matter soon anyway, so what point was there?

But then there was a man crouching in front of her bed putting a hand gently on her cheek. She forced her eyes to look at him, recognizing him as soon as she did, but still not saying anything. Still not finding the will to get out of bed.

“Kya…” he said quietly, looking at her with a great deal of sadness in his eyes.

She couldn’t help but be jealous of her uncle at that moment.

At least he feels sadness.

At least there’s something more behind it all.

She turned her eyes away from Sokka, who sighed and stood to his full height again. He left her as she was on the bed and began moving around the room, opening and closing drawers and packing all her things into her suitcase. It didn’t take him long, her limited belongings helping with the quick cleanup. He set the packed suitcase on the bed and walked back around so he could look Kya in the face.

“We have to go home, Kya,” he started gently, trying not to be too forceful to the clearly distressed woman.

When she didn’t respond, he crouched in front of her again. He pushed her hair out of her face and then placed his hand over hers, pressing slightly in an attempt to get her to look at him. Her eyes remained glazed over, though, and she still said nothing.

“Can I please bring you back to the island?” he asked.

Still, no response. Kya wasn’t sure what she was waiting for, if she was even waiting for anything. She didn’t want to go back, because that meant accepting the reality of what was happening. But she didn’t want to miss saying goodbye to her father, either.

Saying goodbye.

She blinked a few times and looked at her uncle, her eyebrows drawing together. Her eyes flitted around the room and she pushed herself into a sitting position, pulling her knees to her chest and hanging her head.

“Kya?” Sokka asked, moving so that he was seated on the bed next to her.

He put a hand on her back, watching the minute changes that danced across her face. When she settled back into her blank, seemingly emotionless state from before, he spoke again.

“Almost everyone is already on the island. I-,” he sighed before continuing. “I know how hard it is, Kya. I know how much it hurts. But believe me, it hurts more when you don’t get to say goodbye. So, so much more, because then there’s a regret that you can’t get rid of. My mother- your grandmother, neither Katara or I got to say goodbye. Her death was so much harder than dad’s, because we had the chance to talk to him before he went. I would hate for you to have to live with that regret, Kya. So please, let me take you back to Air Temple Island.”

Kya looked down and nodded, taking a moment before letting her legs fall over the side of the bed. She let out a long, heavy sigh, and Sokka placed his hand over hers again.

“We’ll get through this, alright? All of us, together,” he said before standing.

Kya stood slowly after him, closing her eyes against the dizziness that suddenly hit her.

“Woah, there,” Sokka said, grabbing her around the shoulders to steady her.

Kya mustered up a weak smile but kept her gaze down, straightening herself and nodding to signal that she was okay to stand on her own. Sokka walked around the bed and grabbed her suitcase, turning back to her and watching her walk slowly after him.

“When was the last time you ate something?” he asked, eyeing her frail and unsteady form as she walked.

Kya shook her head and looked up at him, a hint of guilt gleaming in her eyes. Sokka pursed his lips then smiled, throwing his arm over her shoulder again.

“Let’s get you some food before we head home, yeah?” Sokka looked at her out of the corner of his eye as she gave a single nod.

They walked down to the buffet on the main floor and Sokka got himself a plate of food alongside Kya. Kya was absolutely ravenous and ate more than even she had expected, not leaving room for herself or her uncle to say anything. Once they finished Sokka went to the desk up front to pay before going back to Kya so they could leave. He held out his arm for Kya to take, which she did tiredly after a moment.

Neither of them spoke on the way to the train station. Sokka talked to the person at the ticket office to buy their passes home, but then fell back into silence as they headed towards the platform. They found two seats when they got on the train and took them, Sokka looping his arm over Kya’s shoulders before they both fell asleep. They slept for the majority of the train ride, Kya not having nightmares for the first time since she’d heard that Aang was sick.

“Tickets, tickets please,” Kya heard a nasally voice calling, pulling her out of the dreamless sleep.

She looked over at Sokka, who was gazing quietly out the rolling hills they were speeding past. He turned his head to her when he felt her shift, a small smile tugging at his mouth. He reached into his pocket and grabbed their tickets, giving them to Kya and looking behind them at the ticket master.

“You okay to give those to him?” he asked, looking back at Kya.

Kya nodded and he turned back to the window, letting out a sigh. Kya fiddled with the tickets in her hands, keeping her gaze cast down as she waited for the ticket master to get to them. When he did, she failed to notice until he cleared his throat above her.

“Tickets?” he asked, tapping his foot impatiently.

She jumped in her seat and looked up at him, blinking a few times before realizing what he was asking. She handed the two tickets to him and he scrutinized them, stamping them reluctantly before handing them back to her and moving on.

The train pulled into Republic City’s main station a little under a half hour later and practically everyone got off. Sokka led Kya outside to where a taxi was waiting for them. They got in and sat wordlessly for the entirety of the drive, raining silent as they rode the ferry over to Air Temple Island and then walked up the long path to the temple. Just before they got to the temple, Sokka stopped Kya, pulling her in for a hug.

“Your dad will be so happy to see you, Kya,” he said against her head before drawing back to look at her.

She looked like a shell of herself, the bright and energetic girl she’d once been lost deep in the numbness that now encompassed her. She met her uncle’s eye briefly before looking at the ground, turning and walking the rest of the way to the temple. She heard Sokka following her, but didn’t turn back to him. She hardly even looked up when her mother came running down the hallway to greet her.

“Kya!” Katara cried, wrapping her daughter in a tight hug.

Kya stood stiffly, not returning the hug or greeting her mother back. She closed her eyes after a few seconds, sinking slightly into her mother’s embrace, only for Katara to pull away all too soon. Her mother cupped her face in her hands, forcing her to look up at her.

“Oh, baby…” she murmured, glancing at Sokka who was standing just behind them.

Kya pulled away from her mother and hung her head, walking to a nearby pillar and leaning lightly against it. She stopped listening as her mother and uncle talked for a minute, though she did notice how often they looked over at her. Katara hurried down a long hallway when they finished speaking, while Sokka turned to Kya.

“Katara’s going to see if Aang’s awake, so we can go in and talk to him,” he said, taking a few steps towards her.

Kya kept her eyes trained on the ground, wrapping her arms around her stomach. She didn’t want to see her father dying. Not now, not ever. Even so, she followed her mother and Sokka when Katara said Aang was awake and wanted to see them. She remembered what Sokka had said to her the night before in her dingy hotel room, and figured she could at least say something to her father. When they stopped outside his door, though, she suddenly felt as if she couldn’t breath.

Katara had left them at the start of the hallway, wanting to give them space to see Aang on their own. Sokka had been about to open the door when he noticed Kya’s sudden change in demeanour, turning to her and placing his hands on her shoulders right away.

“Hey,” he started, glancing around them.

“Kya, hey, it’s alright. Let me go in first, okay? It’ll be okay, you’re okay, just… sit here for a minute,” he stepped away from her and grabbed a metal chair from a few doors down, placing it by Aang’s room for her.

She took the seat gratefully, bouncing her leg and clasping her hands tightly in front of her. Sokka went into Aang’s room and she tried to listen to what they were saying, but kept losing herself in worry.

Dad’s dying.

He’s really dying.

I’ll probably never see him again after today.

When her mind finally became too much to sit alone with, she shoved up from the chair. She stopped briefly before opening the door, peeking her head in just slightly. She watched her uncle crying into her father’s shoulder for a long moment before Aang noticed her, pulling back from Sokka. Sokka wiped his cheeks before he turned and saw her, smiling and waving for her to come in.

He put his hand on Aang’s shoulder as she took a single step into the room.

“I’ll miss you,” he said to her father, just before turning and gliding past Kya.

Kya dragged herself over to the chair by Aang’s side. She paused for a second and looked at her father, huffing lightly before sitting down. She didn’t care if he noticed something was wrong or not, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. That is until he turned his hand so his palm was up and looked at her with an overload of concern.

“Hold my hand?” he asked, as she looked up to meet his eyes.

She lifted her hand and curled her fingers in with her fathers, her face practically going slack as she stared blankly ahead. She tried to focus on what was going on in the moment, but found it impossible with her thoughts criticizing her so loudly.

“Kya, what’s wrong?” Aang asked, the sound of his voice distracting her from her mind for at least a few seconds.

She opened her mouth to respond and took a deep breath, but couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Finally, after what felt like hours to both of them, she found her voice.

“Dad,” she whispered, looking up at him again.

He looked back at her sadly and she couldn’t help but beat herself up for it. She didn’t want him to feel bad on her behalf, and yet here they were.

She watched as he tried to take a deep breath but instead started to cough, getting himself under control after a moment but still wheezing slightly. She felt her eyebrows draw together almost imperceptibly, but had too little energy to show her concern any more. She could tell by how he looked at her how empty her eyes were, his own eyes dulling with each passing second.

“Tell…” he trailed off, trying to muster up enough strength to finish his sentence before continuing.

“Tell everyone I love them,” he said, barely louder than a whisper.

Kya furrowed her eyebrows as Aang slid down in the bed just barely, his eyes watching her with sadness.

“Dad,” she whispered again, panic growing in her chest.

“Dad,” she said louder as he closed his eyes, his face relaxing.

She pushed out of the chair and leaned over him, putting her hand on his cheek. Her eyes were wide with shock and she grabbed his shoulders, shaking him harshly. When he didn’t respond, she whipped her head around the room for some source of water, only to come up dry. She turned back to her father, breathing far too quickly, and raised her shaking hands to his chest.

He’s dead because of you.

She started making compressions on his chest, trying hard to keep his heart beating. With every compression, she felt more and more panicked, her vision blurring with tears.

They’re all going to blame you.

They’re all going to hate you.

She let out a sob and her elbows gave out, and before she knew it she was kneeling on the floor by the bed. Her hand slid back over to his, grasping it tightly as she sobbed. She had no idea how long she was there before someone called to her from outside.

“Kya?” they asked just before opening the door.

Kya turned her head to see a shocked Tenzin standing there.

“No…” he whispered, looking between his father and sister.

Kya watched as her little brother became quickly very pale, only finding the strength to move when his eyes closed and he went limp. She caught him just in time, sinking to her knees with him, sobs still tearing through her body.

Katara heard Kya’s cries as she walked down a perpendicular hall and immediately knew what had happened. She rushed to Aang’s room, bursting through the half open door and taking in the scene before her. She knelt down beside Kya, taking Tenzin off of her lap before looking over at Aang. Kya saw her mother’s eyes fill with tears and had to hold her breath against a loud sob.

Just then, Sokka came rushing in, along with Bumi, Suki, and Izumi. Suki dropped to her knees next to Katara while the other three gathered around Aang. Kya pushed herself up from the ground and all but ran from the room, trying to escape the chaos of the others and of her own mind.

They all already hate you.

Shut up.

They’ll never forgive you.

Leave me alone.

You killed your own father, you monster.

I didn’t- I didn’t kill him.

But you couldn’t save him either, and what is that if not just as bad?

She ran across the courtyard in front of the temple, finding her way to the trail that led up the mountainside. She kept running until her lungs burned and her face was dry of tears, the view from the edge of the mountain’s tallest cliff filling her with an incredulous sense of awe. She didn’t realize someone had followed her until she heard the sound of fabric shifting behind her.

“Don’t,” she warned through gritted teeth, stepping closer to the cliff’s edge.

“Kya,” her mother’s voice said softly, a thickness to it that told Kya she was crying.

“Mom, please, leave,” Kya rasped, not looking back as she inched still closer to the edge.

“Kya, no, just-,” Katara cut herself off with a blood curdling yell as Kya stepped from the cliff.

“Kya!” She shouted, running to where her daughter had stood moments before and falling to her knees.

Kya looked up at the sky as she fell, an odd peace spreading through her body. It dissolved when she heard her mother’s scream, her heart abruptly shattering with the realization of what she’d done.

“Mom,” she whispered into the wind, just before her body slammed against the rocks below and her mind went black.

[dreamescapeswriting]

The Dreamwalker ~ JHS [Request]

↬↬↬Word Count: 1.8K

↬↬↬Genre: Fluffy, fantasy

↬↬↬Pairing: Hoseok x Gender Neutral Reader

↬↬↬A/N: I hope this is okay for you! I’m really liking fantasy at the moment so I might try and improve in my spare time!

The fan signing was going great the boys were all signing albums and getting to connect with ARMY for the first time in months, Hoseok had missed doing this. He loved the way everyone would talk to him and he would get to connect with people he never normally would have, 

"Have a nice day, it was lovely meeting you." He cooed to another crying fangirl as she let go of his hand, he wished there could have been more time with each of the fans but if they did any more they'd be there all night.

"We're on the final fans guys," Their manager said as he stood behind Hoseok and Taehyung, Hobi picked up his bottle of water from under the table to have a drink but as he looked back up there you were. You were dressed in a pair of black jeans with a blue dress shirt on only the dress shirt was tied to make it look less fancy. 

"Hobi?" Taehyung question running his hand in front of Hoseok's face but it was no use, Hoseok was too busy staring at you and wondering how it was possible. How was it possible that you were right there when you'd been in his dreams every night for years without fail, the way you held yourself was the same. The way you threw your head back and laughed at something Jin was saying to you was the same way you would laugh in his dreams it was almost as if someone had picked you out of his brain and placed you into his reality. 

"S-Sorry," He stuttered out looking to the boy in front of him as he signed his album and tried to make some conversation with him but his mind was drawn back to you. 

"Hobi! Come on it'll be fun!" You called out, stripping down from your clothes as you ran along the sand with Hoseok close behind you, he laughed as you freely rushed into the water diving in when it got deep enough and smiling as you came back up to the surface for some air. Hoseok watched in awe as you swam around in the ocean on your back, he could have sworn this was real for a moment but he knew it was a dream since you were the one with him, that and all the other people you seemed to encounter in his dream didn't have faces. 

"It's perfect in here Hoseok I promise." You cooed to him and he smiled taking off his jeans and shirt before swimming out and over to you in the water, you wrapped your arms around his neck and smiled. 

"You know I love it when we can be together like this." You said to him as he pressed his forehead against yours, he smiled at you leaving a small kiss on your lips as he wrapped your legs around his waist. 

"In our dreams, we can be together," He laughed softly as you said that to him it was true though. He'd never seen you before and yet whenever you were in his dreams it was as if he'd known you his whole life...Well, he kind of had. You were always in his dreams, every night without fail and if he ever had a nightmare you were there to comfort him through it and help him calm down. Reminding him that anything scary that was happening wasn't real, that you were the one thing he could count on to help him through his rough dreams.

"You're daydreaming again," Taehyung mumbled nudging Hoseok in the side with his elbow as he came back to reality, you couldn't have been real. You were only supposed to exist in his head, weren't you? Of course, he'd heard rumours of dreamwalker's before but he never for a second thought they would be real, that you could ever be real. The way you were as a person was far too perfect for you to ever be considered real.

"What is it, you've been staring at them for so long now," Taehyung whispered while he waited for the next fan to come to them, 

"T-They're always in my dreams, every night since I can remember." Taehyung frowned looking at you and then to Hoseok. 

"A dreamwalker?" Jimin turned to look at Taehyung and Hoseok upon hearing the term they'd all be fascinated with things like that Jimin and Taehyung would regularly lookup new articles about people that were dreamwalkers,

"If they are though, they won't be able to remember anything Hoseok-" Jimin stopped talking when you stood in front of Hoseok and smiled at him but it wasn't the smile that he saw in his dreams whenever you were together. This one was a nervous smile like you didn't know who he was personally so you were doing your best to remain calm in front of him. Then he remembered what Jimin had just said, dreamwalker's don't tend to remember anything they've done in their dreams so you had no idea who he was.

"Y/n..." You frowned as he said your name to you but then you remembered they probably had their managers inform them on everyone's name,

"Hi, Hoseok it's nice to meet you." You held out your album for him to take and his fingertips brushed along your skin and it sent images flashing through your head. You scrunched your eyes closed trying to ignore them but it was like a movie was running through your head, images of you and Hoseok together on a beach, in a park and even somewhere you were just in a white empty space together. Kissing, laughing, hugging and acting like a couple you stepped away from the table as you looked at him, 

"You remember me-" He couldn't finish talking to you you rushed away from the table leaving everything behind, you had to get out of there. You had no idea what it was but all of these memories you'd never had before were running through your head as you tried to push them away it was starting to make your head throb the more you thought about it. Hoseok picked up your bag from the floor and slid it under his feet before any of the fans or managers could see what he was doing but Taehyung saw and he frowned. 

"What are you planning on doing?" He questioned as they waited for the next fan, 

"Returning their bag to them like a gentleman." He smiled up at the fan and began signing away. 

Later that night there was a knock on your hotel room door you groaned raising yourself out of the bed, you'd been trying to get some sleep but every time you closed your eyes there was Hoseok filling your mind with memories that couldn't have been real. 

"Hi, don't scream." Hosoek was standing at your door holding up your bag and the hotel key you'd left inside, you stood there with your mouth hanging open as you tried to think of something to say to him.

"You're a dreamwalker." You knew that already, your grandmother was a dreamwalker but she'd passed away before she could tell you anything about it. Hoseok held up some papers in his hand, 

"Let me come in?" You stepped to the side so he could make his own way into the room and then you watched him closely as he sat down on the sofa inside of your room. It was like he'd always been in your life, the longer you stared at him the more you began to remember all of the times you'd spent together. In his dreams he wasn't Jung Hoseok he was just your average guy Hoseok or Hobi as he asked you to call him. 

"Why do you remember everything and I don't?" You questioned sitting on the sofa but the futurist away from him as you could get, you didn't know what to do with the dreams and memories swimming around in your head now. 

"You're the dreamwalker, you come to my dreams and I guess that's why I remember and you don't...I suppose if someone came to your dreams you'd remember them-"

"I don't dream, I never have." You whispered as he laid out bits of paper all over the small coffee table in front of him. Each piece was an article or scientific research about people who were dreamwalkers.

"There has to be someone in your family that-"

"My grandmother, it was how she met my Granddad." You told him as you inched closer to him to get a better look at everything he had in front of him. You placed your hand down on the sofa to move closer and he placed his on top of yours, this time instead of flinching away when the memories came to you, you let them slowly submerge into your brain. Images of you and Hoseok on a beach together were the clearest ones that you could see, you were kissing in the water and then dancing on the sand together before sleeping in front of a firepit. 

"They always end the same, we fall asleep somewhere and I wake up." He told you as he watched you staring into space, 

"Do you know who I am? Did I tell you everything about me?" You whispered feeling scared at the thought of travelling into someone's dream, having them know everything about you and yet you know nothing about them.

"I grew up with you in my dreams, you've been there ever since I can remember...I've watched you grow up, it's-"

"Oddly a nice feeling." You finished for him and he nodded his head linking your fingers together with his, it felt familiar to you. The warmth of his hand holding onto you spread throughout your body making you feel connected to him in a way you'd never been able to connect with someone else before.

"Will I ever remember everything?" You questioned as you looked at your hands together, you wanted very much for it all to be real. To spend those dream dates with him in reality, 

"I guess we'll see as we go." 

"As we go?" You whispered looking up into his eyes, his eyes were filled with love and hope as he stared back into yours smiling softly as he nodded his head. 

"I-I was hoping you would want to try and see how we go...See if our-My dreams can be our reality." He lifted your hand up and sat it on his knee playing with your fingers as he spoke to you, 

"I'd love that Hoseok- Hobi," You breathed out remembering that it was what he liked to be called by you, he liked the way it rolled off your tongue. 

"What about dinner in the hotel restaurant in an hour?" You nodded your head excitedly and he gave you a small kiss on the cheek as you got up to walk him out of your room. 

Returning back to the paperwork you saw you album stashed under the papers, signed by all seven of them with Hoseok writing his number in the back of it with a smiley face. You smiled to yourself reading through the paperwork while you waited for time to pass you by. 

 Tagline: 

@snowy-meowl​ @jooniesdarlingdimples​ @lyoongx​ @fan-ati--c​ @mitzwinchester​ @rjsmochii​ @callingmyangel​ @kneel-begyourpardon​ @taestannie​ @innersooya​

[tinyyoungblood]

saved by beauty | tom holland

summary: for the past couple of weeks, you’ve been delivering cheesecakes to the same movie star and every time, there was something off about him, so what better way to cheer him up than to take him to your parents’ house to ride your old bikes together?

pairing: tom holland x reader

word count: 2.2 k

warnings: mention of loneliness and mental breakdown, fluff

song/based on: Young & Alive by Bazzi

--masterlist

* * *

Fyodor Dostoyevsky: “The world will be saved by beauty.”

* * *

As always, the clock ticked toward late afternoon when the doorbell rang. Rising out of the dark, shuffling to the door, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes—it didn’t matter how much he prepared himself for the daily doorstep exchange, just like any other day, he was blinded by his counterpart and in return, prompted to match her energy whereas she was prompted to act blind—it was a painful interaction. Fake smiles, worried eyes, and another careless lie. And you were sick of it.

“I’m good, thank you, keep the change, have a nice day,” Tom rambled and was just about to shut the door on your face when you quickly put your foot on the threshold, keeping the door open by bashing two millimeters. He cocked a brow. “Sorry, did I forget something?”

Not having thought it through, you shook your head slowly and fumbled with the dollar bill in your hand. “I just wanted, uhm, just wanted to see if you, uh…would like to go for a little trip outside?” Neither of you said a word and Tom watched through wide eyes as you shuffled from one foot to another, stupidly animating you to keep talking.

“Uhm, you’ve just been ordering so many cheesecakes, like, so many, every single day without a doubt, and I’m in no place to judge really, I mean, I just deliver your addic—I mean your food, and you always look really sad—I mean, not sad, you look great! I mean, not great great, that would be a lie, but I’d still go how you doin’ for you, and even if you keep saying you’re fine, I know that’s bullshit, but I just wanted to make you feel a bit better so, uh, how do you feel about going for a ride? ” You squeezed your eyes shut and balled your fists by your sides to let the moment fly by. When the silence was nibbling on your skin, you peeked at Tom through your lashes. He held no expression on his face. Grimacing, you stuck out your open palm, almost colliding against the stranger’s chest, and mumbled shamefully, “You can take back the change if you want.”

Eyeing your stretched-out arm, a small chuckle left his lips and you glanced up from the floor. “It’s yours, you should keep it.”

Almost in slow motion, you tucked the cash into your back pocket before rocking back and forth on your heels. He watched you in silence before shaking his head with a mumbled what the hell. Snatching his key card from its holder, he stepped over the threshold and jammed his hands into his front pockets with a small nod and grin of excitement. “Let’s do this.”

Once in the car, he placed the box with the cake carefully in the backseat and in the blink of the eye, you were already turning the corner to drive to your destination. After a few moments of utmost awkwardness and uncomfortable shifting, you cleared your throat and glanced at the celebrity in your passenger seat. “So Cheesecakes, tell me, what got you so down?” His nose crinkled at the nickname and he turned to watch the passing houses through his window.

“That’s an interesting question to ask first.”

“What do you mean?” You glimpsed at him and he shrugged.

“No what’s your name? or do you happen to have a criminal record? You know, your typical first questions to set a ground foundation of trust.”

He had never spoken this much before, so you were taken aback by the string of accented words, but you hid your surprise and met his eyes with a teasing smile. “Well, technically, the first question I asked you was would you like a fork for the cake? So I’m pretty sure we’ve already established some kind of intimacy here. It’s so erotic, I would never ask my grandmother that.”

Tom laughed and the tension slowly chipped off. He found himself tucking his hands in between is arm pits, only to take them out again to slot his fingers together.

“I’ve just been lonely lately.” He confessed, his low voice held insecurity and shame, causing your heart to shatter.

“It’s okay to feel that way, you know.”

“I know, I’ve just…” You peeked at Tom as he drew his lower lip between his teeth. “I’ve just been working abroad for five months straight without really clicking with anybody from my…my workplace. And all my friends and family are in England while I’m stuck here in an empty hotel room munching on cheesecakes. I guess, I’m just homesick and I feel bad about it. I should be over the moon to be given this opportunity, not complaining. I know I’m blessed, but at the same time, I don’t really feel the blessing. There’s nothing that lights up my day anymore—“ except when you show up at my doorstep every day, he mused but kept it to himself.

In anticipation of your reply, he cautiously observed the way you were chewing on your bottom lip while staring engrossed on the road ahead. He watched as you pulled into a random driveway and killed the engine, and his stare never left either as you turned to Tom with softened eyes. “It’s normal to feel homesick when you’ve been away for five months. You should never feel bad about it. It’s not your fault.” You found your hand linger on his arm and you wanted to pull back, but his hand landed on top of yours, and you kept going.

“You need to understand it’s only temporary. All of this will pass, and before you know it, you’ll be back in England with your friends and family and it’ll all be worth it.” His eyes were focused solely on you, taking in every word, and deep down, you were glad that you had decided to do this. “Those feelings will come and go and sometimes it’ll be overwhelming, but that’s what this bad boy and I are here for.” You jerked your thumb to the backseat to point at the white box. “You’re always welcome to reach out to me and I’ll do anything in my power to make sure that you’re having a good time in the States.”

He cracked a meek smile, shimmering eyes softening under the sunset rays, and you returned it. “Thank you, love.”

That pet name seeped effortlessly through the air and made the pit of your stomach bubble. You were sure, if it weren’t for the fleeting glance at the house, you would have sat there until the end of your time. Instead, you almost sprinted out of the vehicle.

Tom mirrored your actions and leaned against the car to watch you open a stranger’s garage. He crossed his arms and called out with amusement, “I really appreciate your offer, but when you said a good time, I didn’t think you meant trespassing and breaking into somebody’s house.”

You ignored him, entered the garage and returned with two bicycles, one was red, the other blue. “It’s my parents’ house, dummy.” You offered him the red bike with a glimpse of excitement. “Let’s ride our bikes like it’s 2005.”

Before he could respond, you swung your leg over the saddle and peddled down the street, leaving behind a stunned Tom. He stared after you before hurriedly grabbing the white box from the backseat to tuck it under his arm. He decided to ride behind you, taking his time to admire your freely outstretched arms and the way your hair was blowing in the warm wind. Moving toward the sunset with its deep, rich reds and glorious golds, you still found yourself looking over your shoulder with a huge smile and his breath hitched. As you caught sight of the carton box under his arm, you let out a laugh and the melodic sound made him smile broader.

“Why 2005?” He called out to you, and you slowed down to ride beside him. You shrugged. “I don’t remember much of that year, must have been nine or eight, but I like to think that it was a great year. We were young and alive and, I guess, that was enough.”

You knew your words didn’t make any sense, you weren’t even sure if they made sense to you, but in that moment, they did to Tom. A wide grin curved around his lips and his eyes traveled up to the cloudless sky. Punching his arm in the air, he cheered loudly and you joined in. The echoes of your laughter melted with it, and you were left with comfortable chatter as you rode through passing memories of the quiet neighborhood that you grew up in. You pointed out little spots and stories those places held and Tom listened tentatively.

Leading both of you up the familiar hill, you stopped in the middle of the field and let your bike fall to the ground. Tom followed and with the compressed box in his hands, he tilted his head to the side. Beaming excitedly at him, you took his arm and walked backward to guide him to the big oak tree blooming in luscious tones of green. He kept his eyes on you, not wanting to miss a second of the glow. Settling underneath the trunk, you patted the spot next to you and he landed on his bum without hesitation.

“You brought me up here to sit underneath a tree?”

You shook your head and simply pointed ahead. His eyes followed your finger and, in an instance, they lit up with amazement. A wide array of faraway roofs cascaded along the landscape while mountains in the far formed waves along the horizon. The sun’s orange streaks were stretching out in advance and bathing the sight in warm colors while behind you, the sparkling night sky was curving over the globe. But even with all of this surrounding him, his eyes found themselves settling back over your face.

His thoughts involuntary flicked back to his daunting hotel room and a shiver climbed up his spine as it reminded him that you had saved him from an unforeseeable mental breakdown without even knowing it.

“It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” You spoke up, soft and gentle, eyes staring ahead, and Tom was only able to nod. The sun was engulfing its last stripes of soft gold on your skin and leading you into a warm dance. And his heart was dancing right with you, making him let go of his anxious thoughts.

“I like this.” He found himself admit and you hummed, head falling on his shoulder. His heart race picked up and the comforting scent of your shampoo filled his nostrils. He glanced at the leaves above him and he let his thoughts form to words. “I think I like you more though.”

He expected you to jump off him, stare at him in bewilderment, maybe even push him down the hill, but instead you lifted your head from his shoulder and gradually averted your gaze from the scenery to him with a glowing smile that reached up to your eyes.

“I think so too.”

He found comfort in the way the corner of your lips curved into a smile that had grown so valuable to him over the past few months.

“What do you say? I could take you out for some cheesecake. You might like it.”

He played along and nodded. “I’ve heard it’s good—Oh my, would you look at that?” He held up the white box with feigned surprise. “I guess your wish just got true,…?”

“Y/N.”

“Tom.” His smile was a little bigger than needed as he held out his hand, and in return your fingers lingered a little longer. You felt your cheeks warm up and retracted your hand to grab the box off his lap.

“You want a fork for the cake?” You asked absentmindedly while lifting off the top. When a chuckle left his lips, you gazed at him with a quizzical look. “What?”

He smiled cheekily and shrugged. “Please don’t tell your grandma you asked me that. I don’t want to screw this up.”

You laughed at his bad joke and Tom glowed with admiration. Even with the breathtaking view that the hill allowed, he couldn’t drag his gaze from you and it slowly reminded him of all the beauty of this world.

His mind wandered off to the fields of flowers blessing the world with their wild colors to the deeply mysterious waves that stretched widely from ocean to ocean. From the silver crescent of the moon smiling down from the sea of stars to the hummingbirds that were flying by in all its vivid glory.

With all the beauty that these things held, he knew that neither of them would save the world. It was instead the beauty of human souls filled with light and love. And the girl with the red cap and the warm smile was one of these people.

* * *

she’s alive! i haven’t written something in a whole week so this is wobbly but that’s okay. leave some feedback or talk to me abt anything so i can distract myself from school. c: love you guys <3000 stay hydrated!

masterlist

taglist: @honeypie-holland @nerdyandproudofitsstuff @himarisolace @duskholland @insidiousslut @totallyfangirling7177 @siriuslyslyslytherin

[obx-saltlife]

Can’t Quit You

gif credit goes to always awesome @ptersparkers​ This came outta nowhere, tbh. I was thinking about the fake dating trope and it kind of evolved into this. I kind of wish I had enough to make it a longer thing but I think I’m gonna leave it as it is for now. Warnings: Smut, obviously. Fluff, if you squint. But like, really squint. Oral sex (female receiving) and dirty talk, I guess. If you’re not comfortable, don’t read, etc etc etc. Ward is strange and I don’t know how to write him. Word count: 2.5K+ Rafe x Reader smut.

Was this actually real fucking life?

It couldn’t be. Not really.

It couldn’t be that you were here, in a car with Rafe and Wheezie, heading to The Island Club for the annual Midsummer’s party. When Rafe had come to you to ask about it, you thought he was certifiably insane. You guys had broken up almost two months ago, after a screaming match where you both said less than desirable things about one another; things you weren’t so sure you’d ever come back from. It had been extremely awkward seeing as you saw each other around the island often, not to mention Sarah was one of your closest friends.

You had both only very recently started talking to each other again, at least in a civil manner. And really, mostly because you had recently started making appearances at the Cameron house again. Never mind asking each other for favors, that was definitely new in this new dynamic between you. And wasn’t that exactly what this was, just a favor? When Rafe had stopped by your house one night, waiting for you on the porch as you stumbled home from drinking with Sarah, John B. and the rest of their crew. He had looked so sincere; it threw you off balance for a moment.

“Listen, I know I have no right to...or…fuck me, I need you to…” he ran his hands through his hair, making you notice the lack of hair gel in it and how long it had gotten. He continued running a hand over his face and growled deep in his throat before you put your hand on his shoulder and he began to calm down.

“Just ask whatever you want to ask, Rafe,” you said softly, your buzz still flowing through you body as you made polite conversation with him for the first time since your big blow-up. You sat beside him on your porch at 2AM and listened to what he had to say.

“Midsummer’s is coming up and Ward wants all of us to show up as some big happy fucking family because he’s getting an award or something and if I show up alone it’s just another reminder that I’m the family fuck-up and it’s gonna be a fucking wreck…because I haven’t really told anyone that we’ve broken up, except I guess Sarah knows but she hasn’t said anything so I’ve kind of just let it go…and well, Ward and Rose like you, and I told them…Can you come with me? I’ll do whatever you fucking want. Whatever it takes…give you head for hours…I’ll let you use those handcuffs on me…I’ll-“ you laugh and put your hand over his mouth to stop his rambling.

“I’ll come. Of course I’ll come.” You said, taking your hand way. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint Ward,” you added with an eye-roll, really meant to be sarcastic but you know how hard he took Ward’s criticism and even if you had ended things with Rafe he didn’t deserve half of the shit he got from his father.

And now, now you were on your way, in a fancy dress with you hair done and your makeup done as good as it was going to get with the humidity and the summer heat. You felt a little awkward that Wheezie had decided to hop in Rafe’s truck with the both of you. She kept throwing you and Rafe looks from the back seat as if something sketchy was going on.

Walking in to the party, it was just like any other Island Club party you’d ever been to with Rafe. Various Cameron Family friends nursed drinks as they nibbled on expensive hors d’oeuvres being passed around. You’d never actually been to a Midsummer’s party though; you hadn’t been officially together with Rafe for last year’s so you relished in the fact that everyone was dressed up to the nines and enjoyed the fancy party.

Food at these kinds of Island Club parties was legendary. They obviously didn’t scrimp when it came to food choices. You were just about to grab another amazing little puff pastry filled with something you weren’t sure what it was (but you were also not going to ask) when you felt Rafe’s hand on your lower back as he stepped up beside you.

He looked fucking good in his suit, you couldn’t lie. You smiled up at him and reached up to straighten his bowtie. “Having fun?” you asked, feeling the tension radiating off of him. His fingers dug into your skin and he looked around. You definitely knew that look.

“Yeah…no…fuck no-“ he said, looking down at you. “I’m sorry I asked you to do this, it’s so pointless. No matter what I do-“

You didn’t have to look over to know that Ward had walked up to both of you.

“Jesus, Rafe. Can’t you stay away from the bar for fifteen minutes?” You both turned to see Ward’s face pulled in tight. You felt Rafe tense beside you.

“Nice you see you again, Mr. Cameron.” You offered with a small smile, trying to difuse the tension and shaking his hand lightly.

“And what have I told you about calling me Mr. Cameron? Ward is just fine.” He smiles aggressively at you before you stepped back and grabbed Rafe’s hand in yours, giving it a small squeeze.

“Hey Dad, ready to go talk to the Walkers about that deal?” Rafe slid his other hand into his pocket and nodded his head at his father.

“Yeah, glad you and your date could make it out tonight, it’s an important night for the family.” Ward chuckled softly.

“Oh! That reminds me…” You said, shaking your head. You tossed back the champagne flute you were holding before handing the empty glass to Rafe and reaching into your small bag.

“I forgot I was holding on to this,” you added, pulling out a small card and an even smaller velvet drawstring bag. “My grandmother said Knights of the Rhododendron used to pin these to their lapels when she was a member here. Nobody in my family’s going to use it so…just a gift from Rafe and I, I guess.” You said, handing the small bag over to Ward.

Rafe looked at you questioningly but you just shook your head as Ward opened the card and then the small little pouch. Inside, a small, silver, leafy-flower shaped pin. “Thought you might like something, other than that big medal to go with the honor tonight. I should’ve given it to you before walking in but I forgot.”

“Wow, this is great! Rafe, you think you can help me pin it on?” He demanded, handing Rafe the pin and pointing the left side of his chest towards his son. Rafe pinned it on his lapel before stepping back. “Glad you understand how important tonight is, son. This is a great gift.”

“Yeah…yeah, of course.” Rafe swallowed, looking down at you. You looked up at him, flashing him a cute smile and a wink. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to your lips, grateful that you played along and didn’t act as surprised as he felt he was acting right then and there.

“Well, make sure you keep this one, Rafe. She’s good for you. I like her better than the revolving door of girls you keep trying to bring around.” Ward said before waving at someone in the crowd. You didn’t really know what to make of his statement and if you were confused, you knew Rafe was too. Ward was very strange; you didn’t really know how to act around him half the time. But it was important that you stepped it up tonight, even for Rafe’s sake.

“Excuse me, you two, come by our table later, I’d like to introduce you to some people Rafe.” He added before walking away.

“That was a fucking beast move you pulled there”, he said looking down at you. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“I figured a little sweet-talking wouldn’t hurt. Plus it was true; nobody in my family was going to use that. I saw it on the mantel and figured to put it to use. I knew he’d eat that shit up.”

“You really saved my ass. Listen...-“

“Rafe!” Topper interrupted whatever he was about to say. “Come check this out, bro!”

“You better go before he does something dumb.”

“Can we talk later?”

“Rafe!”

“Of course, Rafe. Go!” You said with a laugh and pushed him towards his friend with a laugh. He gave an exaggerated sigh and went, leaving you with tingling lips and something resembling desire pooling in the pit of your stomach.

You watched Rafe with his friends. Topper and Kelce pulling him along as he laughed with them. You shook your head, smiling, glad to see him have a semblance of happiness in his life. Why was it that at that very moment, you couldn’t remember for the life of you, why you had ended thing with Rafe?

Why was it, that all you could think about was his lips on yours? If you were going to make it through the rest of the night you really had to stop thinking about that. You shook your head and headed for the bathroom to splash some cold water on your face.

Fixing your lipstick in the mirror, you heard the door open and close and looked over, surprised to find Rafe.

“Did you know you’re in the wrong room?” You asked with a laugh as you put your lipstick back in your purse. Rafe walked over and pushed each bathroom stall door open before going back to the restroom door and locking it before crossing the small distance towards you in three long strides. He grabbed your face in his hands and leaned down; pressing his lips to yours in a passionate mix of want and need.

You breathed a sigh when he pulled away breathless, lips swollen. “Rafe…”

“God, that was fucking sexy, you know…” he asks, his hands running down your sides, stopping at your hips. He lifted you and placed you on the small vanity table you could always find in fancy hotel bathrooms.

“You show up, looking like a whole ass fucking meal. You impress everyone I give remotely two shits about.” He starts murmuring, placing kisses against your throat, his hands coming up to pull some of the fancy pins out of your hair.

“I’ve been half hard all night long and I can’t do this anymore.” He pulls back to look down at you, bunching up your dress at your hips and revealing the lace pair of panties you’re wearing.

“Now,” he starts, sinking down to his knees, lifting your legs and hooking them over his shoulders. “You can say no, if you want.” He said, as he started peppering soft kisses along your thigh. “But I actually think I might die if I don’t get to eat your pretty little pussy right now.” His eyes searched yours for a yes or a definite no. You lick your lips, no use in denying how wet you already are as you nod at him, giving him the full go ahead.

“Thank fucking god”, he groans as he tests a lick over your panty-covered slit. His hands flutter for a moment before he shrugs and rips at the lacy material at your hips, letting it fall to shreds on the table. “Don’t even – I’ll buy you another fucking pair, don’t get mad.” He said before he buries his face between your legs.

Rafe’s large tongue licks straight up your slit, collecting your sweet slick with a groan. A gasp falls from your lips, feeling his lips vibrate with the sound. Your fingers go straight into his hair, holding him in place. How was it even possible that you’d forgotten how good he was with his tongue?

“God, you taste so fucking good, pretty girl.” Rafe moaned, smirking up at you, sucking two of his fingers for a hot minute before pressing them into you. Your hips push towards him as you clench around his fingers, feeling delightfully good but not quite full.

“Do you feel that? Feel how much your tight little cunt wants this?” He asked, his other hand, pulling your lower lips apart so he can see his fingers pushing in and out of you. “How fucking tight you are,” he continued, before leaning down and putting his lips around your clit and giving it a suck.

“Oh fuck!” Your hands go back into his hair, pulling tightly at the roots. He continued his assault on you, the sounds of your wet cunt being fucked by his fingers mixed with the sounds Rafe makes as he messily eats you out is the only thing you can hear over your whimpers and moans.

He pulls his fingers out of you, replacing them with his tongue. His wet fingers wrapped around your thighs as he pulled them even further apart. You wrap your legs tighter around him, your hips moving against his mouth as you hold him to you. You feel him chuckle against you, the vibrations going straight to your clit and deep into your core.

“Shit, Rafe.” You groaned out, trying to disengage from holding onto him so tightly.

“No, no.” He groans and pulls back to look at you. “Smother me in your tight little pussy, pretty girl. I want to die here. Fuck my face,” he added, biting at your inner thigh, definitely leaving a mark.

“I want you to cum down my throat, think you can do that baby?” He waits for your hands to find their way back into his hair, pressing him back where you want him before he continues to suck and nibble at your clit. His fingers curve up to find your unsuspecting g-spot and it sends your toes curling in your fancy heels. You dig the shoes into his back and pull Rafe even closer.

“Fuck, I’m so…I’m so so close,” you pant out in a ragged breath. Your hips move against Rafe’s mouth and his fingers. He presses around one of his fingers inside you and repeatedly hits that spot before his teeth scrape ever so lightly against your clit. It’s like you lose all connection with reality as you cum against his fingers and into his waiting mouth. Your walls clench around his fingers that he has to coax you to relax so he can pull them out of you. Rafe stands and brings his hand to his lips before sucking his fingers clean. He lets you sit back against the wall, your breathing is ragged and you’re panting, your cheeks are his favorite shade of  ‘just fucked’ pink. You look up at him, biting your lip ever so slightly and he beams down at you.

“You did so fucking good, pretty girl.” He said, leaning down and pressing his lips to yours, letting you taste yourself on his lips and tongue. “Now, let’s say goodbye so I can take you home and fuck you all night long.”

[caribou-stories]

Ni-ka-wi (My Mom)

Today is Mother’s day and I will be honouring and celebrating my late “nikawi” with a meal and traditional hand drum song. It has been 3 years since nikawi travelled back to the spirit world. During the month of May and leading up to, I am reminded of her power and sacredness. Sometimes it hurts a little too much, but I revere her memory to the best of my ability. She loved it when I sang particular songs at home, so that’s what I continue to take care of my spirit. The grief around losing your first home is unexplainable. You have to lose it to understand it.

The influence she has been in my life so far has been humbling. She raised me to be loving, free, and gifted in wealth. She catered to the artist that dwells inside of me, and so have the matriarchs before her. I remember one summer trip we took up in the Timmins area. We were living in Sudbury with my grandparents John and Sarah at that time. The drive up to Timmins, Matheson onto Kirkland Lake was memorable to say the least. I must have been about 13 years old and our original plan was to go to one of our first Sundance lodges that came to Northern Ontario, so we can visit relatives visiting from being away for so long. The highway was peaceful and we enjoyed ourselves, listening to Def Leppard and laughing the entire way along. Once we arrived to Matheson, which is a very small town, we were greeted by a vast dark sky and some casual lamp posts here and there. We were a little shook that there wasn’t anyone really in sight, except a few workers from abroad at a small motel. Nikawi drove up to these folks and began asking, “do you guys know where Nitaskinan is? It’s a place where we have ceremonies”. She was so spunky and had a good set of interpersonal skills. When she worked at a hot food deli, she never cheap-ed out on the wing sauce or cheese on the pizzas for her customers. Everyone remembers her for her wit and charm. Now days, I have a good chuckle revisiting that time she asked some non-indigenous folks for directions to our ceremonial grounds because although they has not the slightest idea of where to point us, one of the ladies kindly guided us to the OPP station nearby for some help. I guess she wanted to exude the same kindness nikawi approached her with. But, we were too shy so we decided we would be back, and kept driving onward to Kirkland Lake. Turns out we had relatives staying at an elders’ home there since the hospital in Attawapiskat flooded. Nikawi’s now late aunt Maniashin (Angela) and late uncle Eli, along with one more elder I cannot recall, were there and we were going to go visit them. 

Upon our arrival that late evening, we almost did not find a place to stay. Luckily, there were two hotels in town and we managed to get a room. I remember feeling unsure of the situation we found ourselves in but, very safe in nikawi’s care and protection. In the morning, we got some Mcdonald’s and proceeded to check out where the elders’ home was. She asked me to navigate some directions by mapping a way there while we had some free wifi. Once we found the right place, I remember arriving onto the floor with my mom, being mindful of the hospital like finishes on the railings and wallpapers. It was nice, well kempt. It was a small floor but nice, very intimate and homey. Nikawi bee-lined to the nurses station and asked where we could find Angela and Eli. I followed her to their room and saw a face resembling my Gookum Sarah very much. Her light hazel or blue eyes, matched with a light grey haircut that fell to her shoulders. With her cute button nose, and ever warming smile, I met my great-aunt Maniashin (Angela) who was my Gookum (Grandmother) Sarah’s older sister, and Eli their older brother. I was named after my Gookum Sarah (my mom’s mom). I listened to their conversations during that afternoon, enjoying our beautiful language. I’ve never felt more safe than around my grandparents who only speak ininimoowan (Cree). These days, I can keep up with conversations but less than I could as a child. I wish I could converse in proper ininimoowan. 

After a bit, Eli and nikawi went somewhere he needed her assistance. I sat with Maniashin for a few moments until she began asking me things about myself. When she asked if I make anything with my hands, and I said eh heh (yes). Her eyes lit up and smiled a beautiful grin. I told her I made gloves, beadwork, slippers, and other artistic crafts. She then began to share, once you’ve been making these things for so long, you won’t be able to do it anymore. Your grandmothers and I cannot do these things anymore because of our bones. You need to carry this tradition on, just like all of your grandmothers (Angela, Sarah, Madeline, and Pauline, all sisters and my maternal grandmothers). You’re young and you’re able to do it, so keep doing it. Don’t forget about what you have now. Over the years, I’ve begun to understand how important that means, like really means, not just to me. Nikawi always nurtured my artistic abilities by always providing me with crafts like markers, paper, paint, crayons, and then a miniature sewing machine, small pieces of fabric, and then more onto beads, leather, and good scissors. Since I had grown up in the care of Nikawi and my Mooshum and Gookum (Grandfather and Grandmother), I was very fortunate that I could spend moments of my childhood watching and learning about what Gookum was making. She was often crafting up nibagan (goose down blanket) bags made out of heavy duty canvas and doubled down straps, or hemming a pair of goose-beaded moccasins bigger for my younger cousin who’s now at a staggering 6′8′’. 

My Gookum Sarah has always played a big role in passing along knowledge and skill to me. I remember when I was making my first pair of gloves. I used Gookum’s beadwork and based my work off Maniashin (Angela’s) semi-completed glove. The leather pieces were complete except the lining and fur. All the materials were given to me by my Gookum. I had such a hard, testing time with the lining. Little did I know, Gookum advised Nikawi not to try to help me because getting frustrated is a part of the learning. I would figure it out, and I did (to the best of my abilities!). I must have put a few solid days of work into these gloves. Upon completion, I showed my grandparents and mom my first pair of gloves. I was rained with kisses, hugs, and excited laughter. Gookum taught me how to braid the 4 strand yarn strings for the gloves, something that a lot of Omushkego folks have on their gloves or mitts so they can hang off the shoulders. I was especially excited to learn how to make the signature pom-pom tassels. Ever since that day, I always showcase my completed projects to somebody. 

My Gookum Sarah wearing the gloves I just completed assembling. 

Rounding back to the story, we stayed in Kirkland Lake for 2 days and it was a powerful experience to watch my mom be with our elders. During our time with our elders, nikawi took care of their needs. There was no hesitance, she just did what she needed to do. She fed our elder relative her food, and made her tea while she conversed with Eli and Maniashin. The lunch hour was full of laughter, head nodding, and sitting together. One last elder we payed a brief visit on our way out, was an elder nikawi held in high reverence. I cannot recall which elder this was. She described him as this influential, outspoken leader-man she had grown up looking up to. When she would describe him, I imagine how he looked like as a young man while we were in the elevator. Strong, tall, lean, wearing a weathered outdoorsmen coat, beaver pelt hat, matched with jeans or tough twill, and footed with traditional winter moccasins that wrap around the ankles and shins. When we arrived on his floor, we saw him sitting in a chair and nikawi began to greet Mooshum. He was very elderly now. I watched and smiled, then she began to shed some tears. He comforted her and held her hand. It was a powerful exchange to witness.

Nikawi was a Personal Support Worker in Fort Albany, so she spent a lot of time taking care of elders for years. She still worked while she was pregnant with me and she told me that the elders loved to greet me and acknowledge the journey I was making into this world. Her gift as a care taker was out of this world. Our departure from the Elder’s home was bittersweet as that was the last time we saw Maniashin. We attended her funeral a few years later. Eli then passed years on later. I’m grateful to Nikawi for bringing me to visit them with her. Afterwards, we trailed our way back to Matheson to find the Sundance grounds, and we did. During the last day of the ceremony, we enjoyed time with our relatives and spent some time in the lodge. We received healing from the Horse and Contraries. The following years, I would return to the grounds to be with family and the lodges. 

All in all, I will always miss Nikawi, my mother, my first home. I will always be grateful for all the things she did to help me find my path as a young person. And, I’m grateful for those elders who shaped her to be the fierce mother she was to me. The resilience she had fostered within me is incredible, regardless of how challenging and painstaking the lessons near the end of her life were, she still taught me the rawness of love and caretaking. The story of Nikawi’s passing will wait until a later time; I’m lucky to have chosen her to be my Mother, even if it was for a short time. She still visits me in my dreams, and I miss her.

Nikawi wearing her purple sweater from her sister, Maniashin (Angela) wearing a blue cardigan, and our elder relative in the bottom left of the photo.

Eli and Nikawi speaking about land in ininimoowan. When Eli passed, I imagined him flying in the sky with the stars. 

Nisakihetin dushineh mama. 

Kindly, 

S

[fallingstarsarentreal]

The Blue-Haired Minnie Mouse/ Purple Hoodie Guy

September 14, 2020 (6 months after Hellish pandemic break loose)

The situation is not getting any better in the Philippines. Everything is just being a huge joke here and we’re not actually getting proper response from the high ranking officials. Hence, I cannot help but feel quite hopeless with the situation. Also, the toxicity of my fandom has been getting to me at one point in time. So I have decided to go away for a bit, and go back to what soothes me at hard times, Music.

Truth be told, I liked his former band’s music, but I’m not in to the point that I will be stanning them as hard as I am doing right now. (I’m really not into KPOP except for Blackpink so I don’t have much reference... And I usually like ballad and relaxing songs.) I didn’t have the time to watch series then because I was too busy in my former job. Also, I have been into writing way before, so I would be satisfied with listening to their music from time to time.

However, by the time that I have fallen in love with their band, 9by9th, I found out that their “End Route” means the end already, no more renewal of contract of 1 year. I was quite devastated with the news and I kinda took it hard and tried to go fan girl over series instead. *SOBS*

(9x9th members: L-R: Thanapob, Ryu, Captain, Porsche ^^, JameyJames, Third, Jackie, Jaylerr, IceParis)

When Trinity debuted, I was really focused on Third and I can remember that I cried over their MV (Hater’s Got Nothing) because I thought that Third will be able to continue with what he’s passionate about. (Third is originally from Kamikaze group but the company disbanded, and his second group is 9x9th but disbanded as well after one year). I kind of followed them for a bit but then I started managing Philippine Fan club bases of my favorite series, with everything that happened, I got too busy... but all I can remember then was the old me crying because I cannot buy the merchandise from before. (Quite a noob then and I didn’t know about pasabuys and stuff.. so yeah). T_T.

(Trinity members: L-R: Jackie, Porsche <3, JMJ, Third)

Before hell broke lose in the whole world, I had the opportunity to go back to Thailand for the second time and I met those artists that I am following. I actually wanted to meet Trinity but there was no opportunity for me to do so because I didn’t even check their schedule then and I think there wasn’t any update regarding their work, so yeah... T_T. (Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed my stay in Bangkok)

So yeah.. After probably taking in shit from the govt for about 7 months already, and toxicity from something that I really used to enjoy and made me smile, I started to distance myself for a bit because what I really need now is not stress, but something that will probably lift up my mood. So what I did was to stress myself even further... watch mystery series that will probably make your head burst into thinking... so in the end, I actually stopped watching BL series and stumbled into their first series together as 9x9 boys, In Family We Trust.

So an excerpt from Wikipedia says,

The Jiraanan family is a wealthy ethnic Chinese business family, whose extended family spans three generations. Grandfather (A-gong) and Grandmother (A-ma) have four children. Prasoet, the eldest son, heads the family business, Jirananta Hotel, and manages its main Bangkok location, while Phatson, the only daughter, manages its Pattaya branch. Met, the second son, is a single stay-at-home parent, while the youngest son Konkan lives a playboy lifestyle. Among them (and a deceased fifth sibling), they have nine third-generation children. The family members seem to get along well as they celebrate A-gong's birthday, but when he dies of old age shortly after, and his will is revealed to exclude Phatson from inheritance of the hotel, she gets into an argument with Prasoet regarding its management. Prasoet is then found dead from a gunshot in his bedroom, and Phatson becomes a prime suspect. Prasoet's wife Chris also becomes suspected when it is revealed that Prasoet had been seeing a mistress for twenty years. The grandchildren, especially Prasoet and Chris's son Pete and Phatson's eldest son Yi, become involved as each family tries to prove their innocence and uncover the mystery of the case.

This was the first time that I started to look at him. Porsche played the character of Kuaitiao, the orphaned grandson who lived with Grandpa and Grandma. Kuaitiao is actually an art student here and he’s passionate about his drawings.

What probably captured my attention is his ability to lighten up the mood around him. Even at awkward situations he was able to make me laugh. And probably the fact that he’s close to his grandma and a sweet grandchild even if he’s an adopted one. It kinda got into me. I’ll be honest. There was a scene where Grandma wouldn’t eat, and he pretended to be angry and did not eat as well. I found it cute and smiled at first, but after few moments, I was sobbing already. He made me miss my grandma who passed away last July 15.

Over all, I loved his acting here. Rating 4.5/5

(But please, don’t make him cry because I’ll end up crying as well).

(He’s such a precious person guys, pleaseeeee... make him smile a lot, okay?)

So, of course, once you’re interested in your new bias wrecker’s work, you’re going to check his latest and previous works, right? So what I did next is watched their latest series (still with 9x9 boys, but this time, it was 7/9 only. I just found out that Thanapob cannot join the series anymore because he’s busy filming another series and Ryu is actually an actor of another channel. Hence, his few appearances as Macao in In Family We Trust) entitled as, Great Men Academy.

(Great Men Academy Cast: Porsche as P’Good <3, Third as Nuclear, JameyJames as Love, Jackie as Menn, Captain as Sean, Jaylerr as Tangmo, and IceParis as Vier)

The excerpt of the story is as stated below,

Love (Chanyapuk Numprasop) has always been a fan of the popular guy Vier (Paris Intarakomalyasut) of the famous all boys high school Great Men Academy, but she has never had the chance to meet him. One day, she sees the mystical unicorn rumored to fulfill wishes and wished for her love for Vier to get a chance.

Unfortunately, the unicorn interpreted her wishes in a different way and Love wakes up to find herself in a male's body. She is able to switch between genders under the condition that she must return as a girl before midnight each night. Love attends Great Men Academy as a guy, and works through the complications of winning Vier's heart and meeting new people while trying to keep her identity a secret.

I actually fell in love with P’Good’s character here because he’s such a stern but doting brother. Good is kinda strict when it comes to Love at first because he has to be strong for their whole family because his dad passed away. He’s a very smart guy, yet clumsy fellow. He can also be shy when it comes to Me. (His crush in the series. Why can’t it be “me” instead? Just kidding).

Over all, I loved how he brought to life my favorite glasses ikemen on this series. He made me cry with the way he handled the vulnerability of his sister, Love. His acting for me in this series is a complete 5.0/5.0! *For the love of Good, Please?*

I rest my case. I’m dying again of spazzing to Phi Good. (Okay. I have a huge crush on this character. The character, okay?!) hahaha

Wait... let me breathe for just a bit... *hyperventilates in Good’s name*

Then after watching the said series, I started to rewatch their Elements MV. And that got me hooked. I noticed his talent in rapping, singing and dancing that I wouldn’t have normally seen in the first place because I have a bias of my own before.

It’s like the more that I watch him, the more I fall for this person (in terms of being a fan of his). I kind of accepted that he’s my bias on Trinity now when I saw this video. (ปาว ปาว (Shout) – V.R.P kamikaze)

I’ve been reading articles about him when I came across the interview of Bangkok Post with Third and Porsche regarding their new work. (being 9x9th members and In Family We Trust). I found out that Porsche was actually a member of VRP of Kamikaze and I watched all his previous work. So when I saw the video Paw Paw/ (Shout), I burst into laughter. I knew from that time that he’s such a funny guy and he’s giving me positive vibes.

As I continued watching, I saw him with a Minnie mouse headband, and I lost it... I laughed a lot, which I rarely do these days. So by then, I wasn’t able to help it, I started to love this kid more.

I continued to watch all the showcases, the fancams, the v-live videos, the vlogs about him and goodness gracious, I am really swoon. This kid is such an interesting person and I really regret not knowing him right away.

As I get to know him, the more I admire him. I mean... for real, it’s even funny knowing his quirks. Like he likes to draw stuff, he likes to play the piano, he loves Anime and his favorite anime is Hitman Reborn! (I wonder if he likes Hibari Kyoya too). Anyway aside from his talent, another selling factor of him to me is his positivity towards life.

“Don't worry na krub, all TWILIGHT. No matter what will happen in the future or the situation, we are always TRINITY and we will do better than before krub.” #XXSIVK #PorscheSivakorn 

His positivity and his ambition would inspire you to do well and go on no matter how difficult things may be.

Thank you Porsche, you are indeed a good source of a breather in my life. Things have been quite difficult in the Philippines and no matter how much I wanted to take a vacation now, I can’t. Your music makes me smile a lot and at times, I forget my worries when I watch you dance. It’s like watching someone you idolize do what they love to do and give it all with passion makes you motivated as well and keeps you going.

Truth be told, you remind me of one of my favorite persons. He used to be brimming with life. But covid made things difficult for him... well it made things difficult for everyone. I really hope he gets his footing soon.

PS. I might not be able to get to know you in person in this life, but I really wish you success. I will always be watching from afar. :)

I’ll be waiting for your come back again. Thanks a bunch XX :)

[bastillewolf]

The Grand Tranquility Hotel (II)

Pairing: Alex Turner/Reader

Summary: An eccentric hotel owner and an inquisitive writer find solace in each other when they both seemed to be at the edge of rock bottom.

Notes: Most chapter titles are indeed going to be the song titles from TBHC. Hope you enjoy!

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list.

Chapter II - She Looks Like Fun

She’d picked out a darker dress with a wavy skirt. Something comfortable, yet still classy. She could almost imagine her mother squealing with joy, because up until a few months ago she would’ve never worn anything like this.

Her mother used to reprimand her for it, because she’d always said that her legs were far too nice to be covered up by trousers or any of the sort. And if she was being honest, her legs did look rather nice. She’d actually shaved, while it was still the cold season. A season where shaving legs was not necessary. She felt a sense of pride. It quickly simmered down.

She hated the fact she couldn’t tell her mother these things anymore. She supposed that wearing skirts and dresses was her own way of dealing with things. Trying to rid of the guilt of having been gone for so long to find work in all sorts of places. Not calling enough. Skipping holidays and family meetings. She was grieving, and though there was probably some psychological explanation for everything she was doing, she really didn’t care enough to find out.

She was still adorned with her grandmother’s watch, possibly the most valuable family heirloom in her possession. Perhaps not so much in price, because the gold needed a good polish and there were enough scratches and dents to tell a tale of a lifetime or two, but it sure meant a lot to her emotionally. It was the only thing she had left of her mother. And any time she felt a wave of anxiety or couldn’t catch a night’s sleep, she listened to the soft ticking of the seconds hand. It reminded her of where she was, what she was doing, and that everything would be fine. As she now didn’t feel the anxiety anymore of dining all by herself. Because in a way, her mother was with her.

While exiting the room, she didn’t stop to think about the sinister half-opened door at the end of the hallway and quickly made her way downstairs. It was a bit before seven o’clock.

The dining room was really something else. It was a grand open space adorned with golden chandeliers and tables with pristine white napkins on shining plates. It was a symmetrically satisfying sight to behold, and she felt out of place to take a seat on any of the luxurious furniture. She wondered if they were actually expecting a grand feast soon or simply out of their minds. She presumed it was the latter.

When Nick thought enough time had passed for her to take in the spectacular view, he cleared his throat. It made her jump and though it amused him greatly, he quickly apologized. “I’m very sorry ma’am, but I’m afraid all the tables are reserved for our other guests.”

She grinned at him. “Ah, I see. That’s very unfortunate. I suppose I’ll just sit on the floor, then.” When she moved to swat some imaginary dirt away from the varnished wooden surface and was about to sink through her knees, Nick hurriedly stopped her. “Actually, I just got a message through that a reservation has been cancelled. No need to sit on the floor. Now, if you’ll follow me, miss,” he politely sputtered. She could see the relief washing over him when she stood again, and she only now figured it probably would have been a sight to see a guest sitting on the floor because a waiter had jokingly told them all the tables were reserved.

“What a shame they had to cancel their reservation, this table has such a good view,” she told Nick, as he held a chair out for her. He’d seated her beside the central window, overlooking the great view of the well-kept gardens. She spotted Matthew in front of a big fountain, who was struggling to control a rearing horse and she swore she heard Nick sigh and mutter “idiot” under his breath. She decided not to comment on it.

A figure appearing beside Nick made her turn back. “I think I’ll take it from here,” he said, offering a smile to Nick and then to her. Nick nodded, his eyes not leaving the unruly horse. “If you need me, I’ll be right outside,” he muttered, before taking off.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, miss. My name is Jamie, and I’ll be your chef for the time you’ll be staying with us,” he told her. He was adorned in a black kitchen uniform, not a crease or spot to be seen, with a leather apron tied around his waist. His hair was slicked back, in a similar fashion to Matt’s, styled to the sides and back from where his hair parted. He had a kind twinkle in his eyes yet seemed a bit on the awkward side judging from the way he fumbled his hands a bit much. “It’s nice to meet you too, Jamie,” she replied kindly, “I was wondering what the menu is like for today? I fully understand if it’s a limited one, seeing as I’m presumably the only one staying for dinner tonight.”

Jamie’s eyes widened, almost as if he remembered what he was supposed to be doing. He quickly sprinted off and was back in almost the blink of an eye, in his hands a neat menu card. “My apologies. I’m not used to serving people,” he explained, “I used to only be at work in the kitchens and send my own servers out with plates, but since we had to make quite a few cuts…”

She had been intently and quietly listening as to not snap him out of his ramble out of her own pure curiosity to know more about the hotel, but unfortunately, he caught wind of what he was saying out loud and paused mid-sentence. “Anyways,” he cleared his throat, “I can make you anything you’d like. Even if it’s not on the menu.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you with that,” she told him, “I’ll see what the menu has to offer.” “Miss, you could never be a bother,” he replied, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. Her lips quirked up.

“Alright, how outrageous would it be if I asked you to make me a cheeseburger?” He laughed, “That would probably be the least outrageous request I’ve ever gotten from a guest, miss. I’d be happy to.”

As he was about to turn, she continued, “Have you had dinner yet, Jamie?” He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “No, miss. I usually eat after all the guests are done along with the other staff.”

“Will you and the rest of the staff join me, then?” She wondered. “I don’t think that’d be very appropriate, miss,” he replied shyly. “I insist. I feel like an idiot eating dinner all by myself in this huge room. Please?” She added and tried her best to look as miserable as possible. Jamie looked inflicted, his eyes darting to the entrance of the dining room for a moment as if he was checking to see if no one had heard him when he agreed.

It didn’t take that long for Matt and Nick to show up and take a seat at the table, and though they looked as if the horse had given them more trouble, their frowns quickly turned upside down when they heard Jamie was making cheeseburgers. “I’m starting to like you more and more by the minute,” Matt told the smiling woman. “Thank god, I wouldn’t want you to spend dinner while thinking of me as bad company,” she replied. “Like I already told you, miss,” Jamie said as he set plates of cheeseburgers and chips on the table, “You could never be a bother.”

Conversation was made considerably easy given the fact that she was talking to staff she had only just met, but she was glad they felt comfortable enough to let their guard down around her. “So, what do you do, if I may ask, miss?” Jamie asked. “Enough with the ‘miss’, Jamie. You can call me by my name,” she answered, “and I’m a writer. At least, I try to be.” Nick, who was chowing down a burger, looked up in interest. “Really? Written anything I know?” Matt smacked him across the head. “Speak with your mouth empty, you’re talking to a lady here.”

She laughed, “That’s quite alright. I really haven’t published anything yet except for the article here and there, but I think I’ve recently stumbled across an idea for a book.” “That’s great!” Matt commented, “What’s it gunna be about?”

She hesitated a moment before answering. “I was hoping to write about the hotel, actually.”

They all froze in the spot. She’d expected this response when she’d formed the plan to invite them to dinner and was about to elaborate when she realized it wasn’t just what she’d said that was the cause for their sudden discomfort.

“What’s going on in here? Having a tea party, I see?” A deep voice grumbled from behind her.

Turning around, she was faced with the sharp features of none other than Alexander Turner.

When she had read about him in the papers, she’d always imagined a much older man who was going to retire soon now that his hotel was bankrupt, trying to save his last bit of pocket money. The person in front of her, was the complete opposite of what she’d expected. A young, lean man dressed in an expensive-looking blue three-piece suit was staring at her with striking chocolate brown eyes. His hair was slicked back and his face clean shaven, defining his jawline and cheekbones in an impeccable way. He was an intimidating figure to say the least, and it seemed as though everyone at the table, save for Matt, had shrunken into themselves a bit.

“Miss asked us to join her for dinner,” Matt responded coldly, his hard gaze unwavering. She had to admit that she admired his boldness in this moment. This was not the same Matt who had given her a ride and had been dining with her just now.

“Ah, of course,” mister Turner replied smoothly, “allow me to introduce myself, my name is Alex Turner. I’m the owner of this establishment.” His hand took hers. “It’s nice to finally meet you, miss.” And he kissed it courteously, making her skin tingle. “And you can call me Alexander.” His eyes shot up to lock with hers and she was completely entranced.

“Nice to meet you as well, Alexander,” she managed to reply, as he slowly dropped her hand. “I was just asking your staff more about the hotel. I’m rather interested in writing a piece about it.”

“Ah, a writer then,” he said as his sharp gaze flickered over said staff. “I hope they haven’t told you too much about the hotel. Wouldn’t want to share our best kept secrets, now would we?” The underline of his tone was threatening, and she was almost worried she’d gotten the guys into trouble, when Matt spoke up, “Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that, mister Turner. I’m sure those secrets will unravel themselves when the time comes.”

The silence that followed could’ve been cut with a knife as Alex’ eyes turned cold. “I’d like to have a word with you when you’re done, Matthew.” It was all he said before storming out.

Matt sighed. “I’ll best be going, then.” And quickly followed after him.

“What was that about?” she questioned. Nick shook his head, “They’re always this dramatic.”

In the small office behind the entrance desk, Matt leaned against the doorpost as Alex filed through some paperwork. “I don’t tolerate backtalk in front of our guests, Matthew. You know this,” he said, not bothering to look up from the unorganized mess of files.

“She’s our only guest, Alex. You should take it easy for a little while. You know, come and stay with us.”

Alex rolled his eyes at the remark.

“But really though, what did you think of her?” Matt continued.

Alex looked at him and Matt saw a familiar twinkle in his eyes, one he hadn’t seen for a long time. “She looks like fun,” he simply responded.

[sleekervae]

Yoü & I [1.4]

Masterlist

At first thought, eating octopus was not something that was super appealing to Charlotte. Her grandmother had tried to cook it time and time again and she was always adversed to it. It was just never something she could bring herself to like. So, she got shrimp takoyaki as opposed to octopus.

The kids sat on some benches in Prince Shiba Park, the world seeming to pass them by. Luke was feeling much better than he had been before. And Chloe was grounded -- as far as the girls were concerned -- and had her phrase book taken away. They would be leaving Japan the day after tomorrow anyway, and Kimberly vowed she wasn't allowed to pick up any more languages.

Maria was becoming annoyed as Chloe kept picking the octopus out of her takoyaki and placing the fish in her paper carton.

"Really?" Maria glared at her.

"I don't like octopus," Chloe shrugged back.

"Well, then why didn't you get the shrimp one?" Calum asked.

Chloe glowered, "... Because I suck at Japanese, that's why,"

Calum smirked, "You should try learning Spanish first, it's way easier,"

"I tried that bullshit," Chloe replied, "I scraped by with a C,"

"And you just got graded a major F in Japanese," Maria replied, flinging back the octopus into her carton, "Eat your fish!"

"I feel like I'm chewing on latex!"

Charlotte shook her head at her friends, taking another glance at her backpack where the phrasebook was being kept. She felt a tap on her shoulder then, turning around and nearly jumping out of her seat when she found Luke was inches from her face, octopus tentacles sticking out of his lips.

"Oh -- jeez!" she pushed him away, much to his amusement, "Who are you supposed to be? Davy Jones?"

Luke simply shrugged and slurped the tentacles into his mouth, much to Charlotte's disdain, "You got a problem with it, Shorty?"

"You disgust me," she replied casually, "You're like Godzilla, slurping octopus for Pete sakes,"

Michael looked the taller boy up and down, "I wouldn't say so, Charlie," he shrugged, "Luke's the breadstick that comes before the octopus,"

"He's a bland appetizer," Ashton grinned.

Luke proceeded to pout, "What have I done to deserve this, now?"

"We're just teasing, honey," Charlotte smirked, "It's not our fault though that you're a pasty bitch,"

"Oh yeah?" Luke took some of the sweet sauce onto his finger, "How's this for teasing?" and he smeared it over the bridge of Charlotte's nose. She pulled her head away but the damage had been done.

"Really?" she glared back at him, fumbling for a napkin, "Real fucking mature,"

"Says the kid who sucks on lollis at eight in the morning," Luke replied smartly.

"Oh, leave me and my sugar alone, Orange Crush!"

Kimberly quickly interjected, "Alright children. Let's finish lunch and try to get a cab back to the hotel,"

Calum quickly stuffed what little food he had into his mouth and crumbled the carton into a ball, "Actually, that was pretty good," he nodded, "Never had takoyaki before,"

"And I now have a new food pun," Ashton grinned.

Michael glanced at him, "What'cha takoyaki 'bout?"

Ashton glowered back at him, "Hey! I claimed it first!"

"But I used it first," Michael replied.

Chloe crumbled her own carton into a ball, "Well, we never would've found lunch if it wasn't for my great sense of direction," she said, hoping the group wasn't still mad at her.

"Yeah, you did okay," Maria replied, "But from now on, you are not allowed to be our translator. Evangelical Lutheran Church," she shook her head.

"I admit, not my best moment," Chloe nodded, "In my defense..."

The others waited patiently for Chloe to continue, but she was stalled in an elongated pause, "So, what's your defense, Chlo?" Charlotte asked finally.

Chloe simply relented, "I'm an idiot. That's all, really,"

They started walking back, just until they could hail down a couple of cabs and get a ride back to the hotel. The girls were in one and the guys were in another. The ride was silent for the most part, that is, until Charlotte started smiling to herself. Like, a really big smile.

"What is it?" Kimberly asked when she took notice.

Charlotte shook her head, "Nothing. It's stupid,"

"Darling, you're riding in a cab with Stupid," Chloe said, pointing to herself, "Come on, what is it?"

Charlotte only shrugged as the girls had become intrigued. It was a stupid idea, but the more she thought about it the more fun it sounded.

"I don't know, I just thought... what if later on we..."

♛♛♛

A few hours later and Luke was standing in front of the vanity mirror in the dressing room, fixing his hair and popping the collar in his shirt. Just down the hall he could hear the drowned music from Catch the Caper's opener. Right now they were playing a song off of their EP called 'Navy Blue', a sadder song about expired love and reluctantly moving on. It was one of Luke's favorites, not just for the lyrics but for the unexpected bass drop in the chorus that always had the crowd stomping along.

There was a part of him that was expecting another phone call from Melody, and there was another part of him that figured maybe he should go ahead and call her. But he distinctly remembered that she was the one who hung up on him and he pushed the thought aside. He wasn't going to let her make him feel guilty for doing nothing wrong.

"Ya' look handsome, darling," Ashton came sauntering up beside him, ruffling a hand through his floppy hair.

"Oh, thanks sweetheart," Luke replied.

"Everything okay?" the older lad leaned against the vanity table, watching Luke with uncertainty in his face.

Luke simply nodded back, "Fine. Tomorrow we'll try to find the arcade, yeah?"

"Yeah," Ashton simpered, "Got the directions from a guide, there's one just down the street from here. No more Chloe Columbus,"

"The intention was there," Luke said, "And hey, we got to try fried octopus for the first time,"

Ashton grinned at him, happy that he was in much better spirits than he was last night, "How are you doing, mate?" he asked then.

Luke shrugged, "I'm good. Tired but -- can't complain," he replied.

"Good," Ashton nodded, "Ya' know if you ever wanna' talk about --"

"I'm good, man," Luke nodded quickly, knowing fully well what Ash was alluding to, "I swear. I'm good,"

Before Ashton could rebuttal, all heads turned when they heard Michael swearing up a storm in the bathroom, "What the actual fuck!?"

Calum swore under his breath, "Oh, tell me he didn't fall into the toilet bowl again,"

The boys went rushing through the hallway, thinking the worst. Yet, when they arrived, they were quite confused yet pleasantly surprised to find a piece of cardboard had been duct-taped to the bowl with a two inch hole cut into the centre. Around the hole, 'Aim Here' and 'Boss Level' had been scribbled in sharpie.

"I have mixed feelings about this," Calum said, looking perplexed.

Luke just shook his head, and Ashton just clapped his hands together with delight, "Don't tell them, but I'm a little impressed," he giggled deviously.

"The prank war has commenced," Michael announced dramatically, putting his hands on his hips, "The Capers won this round,"

"What makes you say that?" Luke asked.

"They duct-taped the bloody toilet shut! I gotta' pee through a hole!" Michael replied.

"It's no big deal, Mike," Calum said, glancing down between Michael's leg, "I think it'll fit,"

Michael glared down at him, "Fuck off and help me,"

Calum smirked, "Well, which is it? You want me to fuck off or you want my help?"

"I need to take a whizz!" Michael exclaimed, "Quit being a smartarse and help me!"

"Alright, alright!" the two boys crouched down and started to peel off the layers and layers of tape, all the while Michael kept squeezing his legs together so he wouldn't have an accident.

"You know, you could just use the bathroom on the other side of the theatre," Luke told him.

"Are you crazy? He'll wet himself before he makes it past the doors!"

"Shut up, Ash!"

♛♛♛

The concert was another rousing success. Applause was rapid, the screams were deafening and the energy was electrifying. It was easily the best show Catch the Caper had ever played.

Hours later, when the venues were clear, the fans had dissipated and exhaustion was thick in the atmosphere, the girls were somewhat annoyed, somewhat elated when Kimberly had a wild idea.

"Can we try the McDonald's here?"

Maria gawked at her, "Girl, it's nearly eleven at night,"

"I know," Kimberly shrugged sheepishly, "... But I kinda' want a Big Mac. In Japan. Which is like -- double the awesomeness,"

Chloe snickered, "Because she didn't fill up on octopus tentacles..."

Lo and behold, and with little convincing for 5sos, the bands made a quick stop to the nearest Micky D's.

The door to his hotel suite burst open and Luke and Charlotte sauntered in, both of them clutching a small McDonald's bag. Charlotte was curious to try the filet-o-ebi (shrimp) burgers they had both ordered, with a side of fries, of course.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this," Charlotte huffed as she collapsed onto his couch.

"What're you talking about?" Luke fell down beside her, "We've had McDonald's way later than this,"

"I know," she nodded, unfolding her bag, "I've just never figured McDonald's would be a staple in my visit to Japan,"

Luke grinned as he unwrapped his sandwich, "Having shrimp burgers at eleven at night ain't my usual either, but hey -- I'll try anything once," he pulled back the paper and took a large bite. Charlotte was bemused as a droplet of orange mayonnaise stained both end of his lips. He innocently raised his eyebrows when he saw she was staring at him.

"Wha...?" he mumbled.

Charlotte chuckled and grabbed a napkin out of the bag, "You are a fucking disaster, sometimes," she wiped the mayo from his lips. Luke shrugged back.

"Isn't that why we get along?" he replied, "Eat your fucking burger. It's actually pretty good,"

"Oh, great," she took a tentative bite of her own burger. Charlotte didn't see what the hype was all for; it was shrimp diced up and fried together in a panko patty. She could easily have made it back home. She supposed it was just partaking in the culture -- as culturally relevant a McDonald's could be.

"Tomorrow, first thing after breakfast, we are tearing off for a true, psychedelic Japanese arcade," Luke declared, mouth still full of food.

"I didn't mind today so much," Charlotte shrugged, "I mean -- getting literally lost in Japan is probably the best way to see Japan. And we tried octopus,"

"I ate octopus," he pointed out, "You chickened out with shrimp,"

"You can call me whatever you want, I don't have octopus breath though," she replied.

"You're eating shrimp again!" Luke pointed out.

"I wanted a Big Mac! You convinced me to get this instead!" Charlotte whined, "It's your fault I'm doubling down on my crustacean intake,"

Luke, still chewing away, opened his mouth and putting the mushy mess on display for Charlotte. She gagged and pushed him away, "You're sick,"

It was then Luke's phone began to ring, a shrill scream for attention. Charlotte could see by the disenchanted look on his face she knew Mel was calling, hopefully to apologize.

"I'll be right back," he stood up and disappeared into the bedroom. Charlotte was left alone on the couch. She could hear the faded murmuring from behind the bedroom door, but Luke didn't sound angry or upset. They were making up again.

"I know... I'm sorry too,"

Charlotte had heard those words time and time again, but she was the one saying them. She was the one who was constantly apologizing to Ben after their fights. Luke had fallen into a familiar pattern and Charlotte's concern only grew. She wanted him to be happy, but she didn't want him to circle the drain like she had.

She took a couple of his french fries and popped them into her mouth, the small crunchy ones. She always loved those best and Luke would always get after her for stealing, but she lived for the annoyed pout he's put on afterwards.

Luke came back to stand in the doorway, smiling as he watched Charlotte snatch some of his fries. He snapped his finger to get her attention and she went red, seeing she'd been caught. She flipped him off.

"What time is it over there?" he asked Mel, "We can skype in a bit. I miss your face,"

Charlotte pretended to gag. Luke grabbed the throw pillow off the armchair and tossed it at her. She caught it with ease and tucked it behind her.

"An hour's fine. I'll be up," Luke sat down beside her, "We're having McDonald's shrimp patties. They're not bad actually,"

Charlotte gagged again and Luke shoved her with his foot. Feigning insult, she grabbed the pillow and whacked him with it. Luke covered his head and threw a taunting look her way.

"No, I think they discontinued that McGratin shit. Were no good," he said, trying to ward off more pillow blows from Charlotte.

Charlotte was now like a child begging for attention. When the pillow wasn't working she reached over and squeezed Luke's ribs. He jumped and let out a yelp.

"Jesus! Why?" he whined at her, "No honey... everything's fine," Luke grabbed another pillow and placed it between them. Charlotte was unfazed, she kept reaching over and trying to tickle him.

Luke defended himself as best he could before he couldn't take it anymore, giggling more than he was talking, "Babe, I'll call ya' back. I gotta' take care of a pest!" he didn't even wait for Mel to respond before he launched himself at Charlotte.

"You fucking little shit!" The pair crashed into the cushions, wrestling and trying to pin the other down. They were awash in giggles and squeals until Luke had Charlotte firmly under him, hands darting under her shirt and squeezing her waist and hips.

Charlotte finally kicked him off and Luke dropped to the floor with a hard thud, "That's what you get!" she exclaimed with triumph.

Luke glared back at her with irritation, "You started it!"

"And I also ended it!" with a heavy huff she extended her hand out to him, "Truce?"

"Yeah," Luke grabbed her hand -- only to yank her off the couch with a hard tug. Charlotte screamed before she could even realize what was happened and she landed on the hardwood beside him.

"That was for the toilet seat!"

[ellie-scribble]

Show Me (2/3)

A Bucky x Reader fic long overdue for a request I got a WHILE ago from @letstalkaboutsebbaby :

Ok. Ruin me is great. I want to read more from you so I’m going to ask for this: it’s the 40’s and Bucky’s mother asked him two things: to take her best friends’ daughter to a wedding out of the city and not to touch the girl. The young woman on the other hand asked him to show her how it was to fuck. :)

Summary: Basically what the ask says. Smut won’t come (hehe) until the second or third part probably. A little bit of fake dating/bed sharing, but it’s not fake for long.

Warnings: Maybe language and smut in later chapters.

Word Count: 1465

masterlist — series masterlist

After you and Bucky had unpacked all your things, you made your way back down to the commons area, hand-in-hand.

“So. Tell me about yourself.”

“What?”

“Well, if we’re gonna be seeing each other, I ought to know all about you, doll,” Bucky said.

“I suppose you’re right,” you string together, “Well, my favorite color is yellow. If you’re buying me flowers, daisies are the way to go. I don’t drink coffee, but if I go without tea I am not the most pleasant person. I love dancing more than anything and my dream job is to perform at jazz bars.”

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Bucky smiled down at you. It was hard to not get caught in his amazingly blue eyes. They drowned out the world around them, all except for his goofy grin.

[[MORE]]

“Your turn,” you say, trying to shake yourself out of his stupor.

“I’m sure you’d love to know all about me,” you roll your eyes, “My favorite color is gree-”

“Y/N! I’m so glad you could make it!” You groan as you hear the voice of your aunt from across the room.

“Aunt Gladys!” you say as you force a smile.

“It’s so good to see you dear. Now have you listened to my advice? It doesn’t look like you’ve lost any weight, but perhaps the personality fixers I gave you helped. Although I don’t see-”

“Hello, madam. I’m James, Y/N’s boyfriend.” You almost cried in relief when you felt Bucky’s arm around you again. Your aunt had been grilling you for years, at every social event, on when you were going to get a boyfriend. She even gave you ‘tactics’ and many, many suggestions on how to attract men. Which you promptly ignored.

“Well I guess my tips helped after all,” she said in a low voice to you. You rolled your eyes for what felt like the hundredth time. “I’m Gladys, dear. I’m sure my niece has told you all about me.”

“Yes, she did. I’m sorry, Gladys, but I have to introduce myself to Gramma Minnie. Excuse us.”

Thank god for Bucky Barnes.

He leads you away from her. Lord knows you would have been stuck talking to Aunt Gladys for hours.

“Thank you,” you mutter as you drag Bucky across the room towards where Gramma Minnie was sitting.

“What are boyfriends for if not to save you from unmanageable relatives?” he chuckled.

As he lead you over to your grandmother, you couldn’t help but think of how nice it was to finally have someone, even if it was fake. You had someone, once. But he wasn’t in the relationship for the right reasons, so you ended it before anything happened. You cleared away memories of him, though, as Bucky caught your eye.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about, doll?”

“Doll?”

He waggled his eyebrows at you, “Yeah. If we’re together, I’m not just going to call you by your name.”

“You’re sure taking this pretty seriously, are you sure you don’t want to make it real?” You sure as hell did. He was a perfect gentleman, and you knew he would be good to ‘show you the ropes’.

He groaned, “Doll, you know I’d love to, but my ma-” He was cut off as you got in earshot of Gramma Minnie.

“Hello darling! I’ve been waiting to talk to you and this handsome man you’re with. What’s your name, sonny?”

“James, miss.”

“Ooh a gentlemen. I used to have one of those. In fact, when I was younger, I knew the kindest man. His name was Richie, and he actually looked a lot like you. I can still remember those days-”

---------

After socializing with your extended family for a few hours, you and Bucky decided to take a tour of the area, which really meant walking to the nearest diner.

“So, Bucky, what do you do? Or don’t do, I guess, if you were able to come on this trip with me.”

He nudged you with his elbow, “C’mon now, you wouldn’t have it any other way.” You rolled your eyes but didn’t comment. After a moment of silence, he continued, “I work on the docks, mostly. With the war coming up, I’ll probably enlist, if I don’t get drafted. Ever since my pa passed away, I’ve been working as much as I could to support my family.”

You turned a corner and reached the diner you had been heading towards. The yellow lights gleamed out of the hazy windows and left shadows across the sidewalk. The sun was nearly set, but still left a golden shine on everything it touched.

As you walked into the diner, you heard a little bell chime to indicate your entrance. A waitress dressed in red to match the colors of the diner came and led you and Bucky to a table. After staring at the menu for a minute, the waitress went back to the kitchen to get the milkshakes Bucky had ordered for the two of you.

“So, Bucky, what do you like to do for fun?”

Bucky took a second before replying, “I like to go dancing, especially with a beautiful dame-”

“Such as myself?” You interrupt.

His mouth fell open as he looked on me with faux shock on his face. “And why would you say that? I was going to say like your Aunt Gladys.”

You burst out laughing and a couple other people in the diner looked over at you, but you were too happy to care. “Well if you really want to dance with her, there’s a practice dinner tomorrow night, and there will be dancing after.”

“Now how would it look if I danced with my girl’s aunt instead of her?” Bucky’s eyes were so blue in the yellow light of the diner. You could get lost in those eyes so easily. You shook yourself out of the James Buchanan Barnes induced stupor and refocused on the conversation at hand.

The rest of the night was the same, many laughs, which meant many looks from the other guests, and it ended with you and Bucky walking hand in hand back to the hotel. Just to keep up the boyfriend facade, of course. You went up the elevator to your room, and even though there was no one to see, your hand stayed in Bucky’s.

Once you got into the room, you remembered the dilemma. Well, not so much a dilemma as a helpful little circumstance: there was only one bed. Normally, it would be very improper for only a boyfriend, not a husband, to sleep in the same bed, but the hotel had said that there were no more rooms left, what with everyone staying for the wedding. You didn’t mind one bit though.

“Doll, I can sleep on the floor if you want to-”

“Nonsense. We’re both adults, correct?” you begin, “We can stay on separate sides but there’s no need for you to break your back sleeping on the floor.”

He seemed to ponder this for a second, weighing the pros and cons of either action. His bushy eyebrows furrowed deeper into his shockingly blue eyes. His lips pursed slightly, and your eyes were drawn to them. They looked soft and full and perfectly kissable. You looked for another few moments, then realized he was staring at you. Well, not just you, but your lips. He noticed your attention and coughed.

“Yeah I can take one half of the bed, for sure. No problem.” He did not sound like that was not a problem. He could not even convince himself.

“I’m going to get ready for bed in the bathroom. You can use it after I’m done.” With this, you grab your bag and head into the bathroom, leaving Bucky to his thoughts for 15 minutes.

When you came out, Bucky was sitting on the edge of the bed, reading the paper from this morning. He looked up to see you had vacated the bathroom and dashed into it.

What the hell?

20 minutes later, he came out, looking very refreshed.

“Why is the stereotype that women take longer than men to get ready so popular? It clearly isn’t tru-” you were cut off when Bucky interrupted-

“How else am I supposed to get my hair this perfect?” You both chuckled at that, but it seemed to be a little less lighthearted than it was earlier at the diner. The air was heavier now. You shook off that thought.

As you both crawled into bed and turned the lights off, you became hyper aware of each other’s movements. Every deep breath caused a dip in the mattress, every shift a sharp intake of breath. Eventually though, you both fell asleep, unknowing of what would come in the morning.

Part Three