#my sister though. i told her about it and she got uncomfortable | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

girlgenius1111 · 11 months ago

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hallmarks of sisterhood

putellas!reader. r mediates a fight between her sisters. they don't realize they're tearing her apart in the process. at least, not until they ruin an important night for her. can they make it up to her? fluff & angst.

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Being significantly younger than your sisters, you were the true baby of the family, and were treated as such. You were already a pretty sensitive person, and the overprotective tendencies of the entire family only increased this. You were quite different from both your sisters. Alba was an extrovert, always talking, always laughing, never thinking too hard about anything. Alexia was quieter in public, but always loud at home in an attempt to match Alba’s energy. The competitive gene only seemed to skip you, and you hated conflict. Any type of it. You didn’t like yelling, you didn’t like arguments, and you couldn’t stand when people were mad at you.

It made sense then, that you’d always been the mitigator between your sisters. They were always fighting growing up, and it took a very small you to break up the fights that the teenage versions of them would get into, often shoving your small body in between theirs and singing a song so loudly they had no choice but to stop arguing. If the singing didn’t work, then you’d cry, and that always worked.

As you got older, your role changed slightly. You were still the mitigator, but more because you were logical and smart and both of them could normally trust you to be objective. You didn’t really enjoy it, but you hated it more when they weren’t speaking to each other, so you did what you could to resolve their fights easily.

All of this considered, you were not surprised to catch yourself in an argument between them yet again. This one wasn’t super similar to the others, though, in that it was much more emotionally charged. Both Alexia and Alba seemed angrier at each other than normal, and you didn’t know why. Still, you tried to fix it, as best you could.

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“I cannot believe you, Alba.” Alexia sighed, shaking her head at her other sister.

“Don’t try to guilt trip me, Ale, this isn’t my fault. I told you before there was a chance I’d have to go to this conference.” Alba shot back.

“You don’t have to go, you are choosing to go. So you can hook up with that coworker you're seeing.”

Alba flushed red with anger.

“Let’s calm down, guys,” you began, shifting uncomfortably in your seat in the corner of the sectional. Neither girl paid you any mind.

“I am going for work, Alexia, I wouldn’t sleep with anyone at a work conference.”

“Oh, yes of course, you’re so above that. You are notorious for not hooking up with people in inappropriate situations Alba, how could I forget. It was only 4 of my teammates you slept with? And how many of my other friends?”

“You are such a-”

“Stop.” You cut in. “Alexia, that was mean. Alba, she’s just disappointed because she was looking forward to spending time with everyone.” You cut in, trying to cool the rising temperature of the room.

“No, I am disappointed because we made a commitment to do this for Mami and now she’s backing out. Like always.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Alba scoffed.

“The last trip to Ibiza. Mother’s day last year. My 25th birthday,” Alexia began to list, counting the events off on her fingers rather condescending.

“Guys, please calm down.” You attempted.

“Will you ever get over me missing your 25th birthday? Or are you going to have it engraved on your tombstone? ‘My sister missed my birthday once and I never shut up about it.’” Alba yelled, getting to her feet and walking closer to where Alexia was sitting at the kitchen counter.

When Alexia rose to meet her, you stood nervously, too, moving a bit closer. “Why don’t we all stay seated?” You tried.

Both of them continued to ignore you, as if you weren’t even there. “That is not the point, Alba.”

“No, Ale, the point is that only your career is important. Everyone has to drop everything for football, but what I do doesn’t matter, and I have to bend over backwards to make things work with your insane schedule. The world doesn’t revolve around you, Alexia.”

“Oh my god, Alba. You are such a bitch.” Alexia sighed, rolling her eyes in a way she knew would make the younger girl furious.

“You are the bitch, Alexia. A selfish, bossy, mean bitch,” Alba yelled, crossing her arms and taking a step closer to the older girl.

“Alba, I swear to god,” Alexia threw back, the volume of her voice making you flinch. You stepped in between them, forcing them to both back up a bit.

“Please stop shouting.” You pleaded, looking between them. Both of them turned to you, annoyed.

“Go somewhere else if it’s bothering you, pequeña! Adults argue. Grow up.” Alexia yelled, sending a glare your way. You stopped back, blinking away tears, looking incredibly hurt. Alexia sighed. “Sorry, nena, I didn’t mean-”

It was too late, though, you were pushing past her towards the door of her house. “No, whatever. I’ll go. Solve your argument by yourselves for once.” You snapped.

“Nice job, Ale, you made the el bebe cry.” Alba said mockingly.

“Shut your mouth, Alba. Pequeña, come back,” Alexia called, but the door was already slamming shut behind you.

You wiped at your eyes furiously, getting into your car. You’d always hated how sensitive you were, how anyone raising their voice at you made you cry. You couldn’t argue, couldn’t disagree without dissolving into tears. Normally, angry tears. You’d always been like this, and your sisters often made fun of it, but were aware of the fact that you hated yelling, and tried to avoid doing so. Even when they were fighting with each other. Today got too out of control, though, both of them taking this specific issue very seriously.

They’d have to figure it out themselves, this time. You were done with this. They knew how you felt about conflict, and yet they always put you in the middle. It was exhausting and hurtful being caught in between them. They were adults, they could solve this argument.

You and Eli didn’t live far from Alexia, and you reached home before you were really ready to. You needed to erase all evidence of your tears from your face before heading inside, because Eli could not know about this. You and your sisters did not tell on each other, for one thing. For another, there was a possibility the trip in question could be rescheduled and you didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

You checked your face in the mirror, took a deep breath, denied Alexia’s phone call, and headed inside, prepared to pretend that nothing was wrong.

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You got past your mother with very few questions asked, as she was distracted reading over Alexia’s new Nike contracts. Your sister still had Eli read all her contracts, a habit you and Alba teased her about often.

Eli did come knocking, though, only a few hours later, while you were in your room getting some homework done. “Nena?” She called from the hallway, not hearing a response to her knock.

Still, you didn’t say anything, so she pushed the door open, only to find you asleep at your desk, your head resting on a pile of photographs, your computer opened up to photoshop. A black and white photo of your sister at training was pulled up, and Eli quickly averted her eyes, knowing very well she wasn’t supposed to see this particular assignment until you were done.

“Mija,” Eli said, covering her eyes as she heard you stir. “Go to bed, it’s late, and you are exhausted.”

“Do not look, Mami!” You cried, sitting up completely and quickly flipping everything over and shutting your computer.

“I’m not!” Eli replied, laughing at how secretive you were about these photos.

“Okay, everything is away.” You said, standing to give your mother a hug before getting into bed. She squeezed you tight, as she always did, kissing your cheek before letting go.

“Goodnight,” she said, giving you a kind smile.

“Goodnight mami,” you replied, knowing she was smiling because she knew you were about to get back on your computer as soon as she left the room.

“Oh, do you know why your sister’s are fighting? I texted the groupchat with them, and they both replied to me separately.” Eli asked with an eye roll, quite used to your sisters’ antics.

“Something dumb, probably.” You said with an unconvincing laugh. Your mother gave you a weird look, like she didn't believe you, but didn’t push it.

As soon as she was out of the room, you were, in fact, back on your computer, finishing up the final touches on a photo of Alexia. You were really too excited to be preoccupied with your sisters at the moment. You were in school studying photography, and after a recent exhibition at your school, a gallery in Barcelona had reached out and asked you to shoot a series for them to display. They’d given you full creative control, which was an insane amount of trust to put into a 20 year old, and you were determined not to mess it up.

If that meant staying up late making sure every photo was perfect in the next couple days, so be it. You were proud of this work, and that wasn’t really a common feeling for you. You’d grown up in the shadow of your two sisters. Alexia was the best female footballer in the world, and Alba was… Alba. Everyone loved her. Nothing you ever did seemed to really make anyone pay attention, except for your Mami. Eli had always been careful to celebrate your and Alba’s accomplishments, like she celebrated Alexia’s, even if they weren’t of the same magnitude. Your sisters were a bit better than the rest of your family and friends, paying attention to what you did, but it always felt a bit like your mother was making them do so.

This was your chance to do something impressive of your own. Something that everyone could understand, everyone could be impressed by. It was an opportunity you were not about to waste. You didn’t realize the potential that other people had, though, to ruin it for you.

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The next few days were busy. When you weren’t working on your photos, making sure they were perfectly edited and printed properly, you were worrying about what people would think about them. Or you were trying to pick the perfect outfit for Saturday evening, the opening of the gallery. There wasn’t a ton of time for you to respond to Alexia’s repetitive apologies, or to Alba’s pleading for you to be on her side. It was annoying, really, that during such an important and stressful week, they couldn’t leave you out of their argument.

You finally had enough on Friday, pulling up the groupchat with both of them in it, and sending a rather harsh message. It wasn’t like you to be harsh and snap at them, and you were hoping they would get the message that they’d upset you, and you wanted to be left out of this.

If one of you texts me one more time about this idiotic fight, I am going to tell Mami that it was you two who dented her car, not the neighbor backing into it. I am so tired of being pulled into the middle of this. Both of you apologize to each other for being mean, and get over it.

You hoped that would be the end of it. When your phone buzzed a few minutes later, though, you knew that had been a naive hope.

Alexia had responded first.

It should not be hard to pick a side when I am right, nena.

Alba responded after that.

You always let Alexia get away with things you’d yell at me about. You can both apologize to me when you are ready.

You weren’t really sure how Alba had decided that you’d sided with Alexia, but you certainly were not going to be apologizing to her anytime soon. You left them both on read, figuring they’d make up before the gallery opening tomorrow night.

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You were up pretty much the entire night before the gallery. This time, not because anything needed to get done, but because you were nervous. You were thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong. By the time morning rolled around, you slept for maybe a couple hours, and created a decisive list of every bad thing that could happen today.

You actually hadn’t thought of everything, but you wouldn’t know that until later.

You’d passed out just as the sun had started to rise, and Eli came in to wake you up only a few hours later.

“Nena, despierta,” she said softly, setting down a mug of coffee on your nightstand and shaking your shoulder.

You bolted upright in bed, and looked around frantically, startling your mother. “Am I late?!” You gasped, moving to get out of your bed as fast as possible.

“No, no, you aren’t late. It is only 11. Relax, mija, everything is okay.” Eli soothed, gently pushing you back down onto the bed.

You let out a relieved sigh, rubbing at your face with your hands. “Sorry.”

“Did you sleep at all?” Eli asked with a disapproving look.

“Not much. I tried, I swear, I just couldn’t turn my brain off.”

Your mother patted your cheek reassuringly. “You’re almost done, nena. It’s all going to go perfectly.”

You nodded, trying to believe her words. You just had this weird, nagging feeling that something was going to go wrong. There wasn’t time to focus on this feeling, though, no matter how much you wanted to. There was simply too much to be done. Accepting the hug your mother offered, you got up, ready to prepare yourself for the long day ahead.

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You didn’t really think anything of it when you didn’t see either of your sisters right away. You were busy greeting other people, family and friends. Some of Alexia’s teammates had made it, and you spent some time taking in the awestruck expression on Mapi’s face when she saw the singular photo of her included.

That was the best part of the whole thing, you decided. Getting to see everyone’s reactions to seeing themselves up on the wall.

The theme was people you loved, in their happy place. The project was joyful and fun, radiating happiness. Looking at the photos made you smile, and you were glad to see that everyone seemed to have the same reaction as they took their time looking at each image.

You had Mapi giggling at something Ingrid had said, a candid taken after a Barça game. Ingrid was smiling back at her, like making her girlfriend laugh was the only thing she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

You had your Mami, sitting in the stands of one of Alexia’s games, looking on with pride all over her face. You had her pinching Alba’s cheek, a fond smile on her face as your sister said something that was, no doubt, ridiculous.

You had your aunts and your uncles around the dinner table, all laughing hysterically.

You had your friends at the beach, all lounging and staring out into the ocean, looking peaceful.

You had your best friend sitting in the driver's seat of her car, singing along passionately to her favorite song.

More than anyone else, though, you had your sisters.

Alexia preparing to take a penalty, determined. Celebrating with her teammates after a goal. Cheekily blowing a kiss to Olga in the stands. Smiling proudly at Vicki after an impressive goal. Proudly wearing the captain’s armband in front of a completely sold out stadium. Leaned against Olga on the couch after a movie night, out cold. She was completely peaceful, with Olga looking down at her adoringly.

You had Alba at the school where she taught. Candids of her face, when one of her students got the answer right, or made her laugh. With her dog, holding him up at the aquarium, eye level with one of the dolphins. You had her watching Alexia play, too, a grin on her face that you were sure she was unaware of. Your favorite of Alba was a photo you’d taken in your Mami’s kitchen, while she’d been baking. Alba was sneaking a taste of the cake batter, and you’d captured her mid-wink, giving the camera a smile while Eli’s back was turned to her.

They hadn’t seen any of these photos; you’d almost gone crazy not showing them, and not giving in to them when they begged to see.

You’d finally managed to break away from a crowd of your friends, having a moment to yourself, when you realized that you still hadn’t seen your sisters yet. Ale’s teammates were here. Some of Alba’s friends were here. The whole family was here. You checked your watch, a frown on your face, seeing that they were both already over a half hour late, which was unlike both of them. It was only when you saw Olga looking up at one of the photos she was pictured in, all by herself, that you really got a sinking feeling in your stomach. She was talking to Irene when you walked over and interrupted, gently pulling Olga away from the conversation.

“Where is Ale? Is she coming late?” You asked, confused by the sad look on Olga’s face.

“No, nena, I’m sorry. She didn’t want to see Alba, so she decided not to come. I tried to convince her to, but she didn’t listen.” Olga said delicately. You looked like you’d been hit across the face, honestly, and Olga wanted nothing more than to march home and drag Alexia over here, but she knew better to try to convince the blonde to do something she had decided she wouldn’t. “She said she texted you?”

You pulled your phone out, taking a deep breath when you saw almost identical texts from both of your sisters.

Can’t make it tonight. I’ll come see it another time. Good luck!

Sorry, hermanita, I can’t come tonight. Love you.

You had been so excited for them to see their pictures. There was a little note up on the wall, too, a statement thanking everyone for coming. In it, you mentioned being excited to allow your sisters to finally see the photos, as they’d been begging to for a while now. And they hadn’t come.

A wave of embarrassment washed over you, your cheeks flushing red. You were angry, too, but you blinked your tears back, looking up at Olga and trying to look more put together than you felt.

“No Alba either.” You said, your voice cracking slightly.

“Oh, nena, I am so sorry.” Olga whispered, pulling you into a tight hug. It was too soft, and too comforting. You pulled away rapidly, shaking your head.

“It’s fine. I don’t care.” You said, cutting the brunette off before she could say anything else. “I have to go talk to someone, thank you for coming, Olga.”

You rushed away from your sister’s girlfriend, focusing on taking deep breaths. You couldn’t be sad, not right now. So many people had come here to celebrate you and your work, and you weren’t going to ruin it. You could be upset later. It was almost excruciating, pretending that you weren’t upset that your sisters hadn't come, but you managed it. You kept up a pretty good façade for the rest of the evening, even when you saw Olga speaking in hushed voices to Irene and Mapi, even when everyone kept asking where Ale and Alba were. You held it together. Because you, unlike them, could pretend that nothing was wrong for the sake of others.

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Your mother knew you better than anyone. You should have been thrilled, ecstatic. Everything had gone so well. Your photos had been a hit, the owners of the gallery had been thrilled. She realized neither of her other daughters had shown up, but she assumed they had talked that through with you. She wasn’t sure what was wrong with you, but when you declined going out with some of your friends as the night came to an end, Eli knew something wasn’t right.

She had every intention of letting you come to her, but you weren’t talking. As everyone began to file out of the gallery, saying their final goodbyes, Eli overheard you tell your friends you were going to go home because you were tired. You didn't say a single word to her aside from telling her that you’d see her at home, before you practically fled the building, heading for your car. She didn’t couldn’t imagine what was wrong, never expecting her daughters to have done what they did. Eli didn’t even think of them being a possible reason as to why you were upset. Mapi pulled her aside, though, before she could go after you, an infuriated look on her face.

“Do you know what your daughters have done?” She asked quietly.

Eli frowned. “No. What have they done?”

Mapi shook her head. “They both bailed on tonight over text to pequeña. They are in some stupid fight that they’ve put her in the middle of, and they didn’t want to see each other, so they didn’t come.”

Suddenly, Eli was quite furious at her eldest daughters. There would be hell to pay, she’d make sure of it. How could they be so selfish, and ruin your night like this? You’d been almost beside yourself for weeks about this night, and she knew the people you wanted to impress most were your sisters. And they hadn’t come. Before she yelled at them, though, she needed to go home to you, because she was very sure that you weren’t okay. Your odd behavior made sense, now, and Eli’s heart ached at the thought of you driving all by yourself while you were so upset.

“I will deal with them.” Eli said quietly. “Thank you for telling me, María, and for coming. It meant a lot to her.”

Mapi smiled sympathetically. “Of course. Let me know if you need help kicking some Putellas ass.”

Eli chuckled. “I will.”

She set off to her car after that, ignoring Alexia’s numerous phone calls. Likely, Olga had arrived home and laid into her for not coming, and Alexia was looking to be let off the hook from her Mami that she hadn’t messed up that badly. Eli wouldn’t be doing that.

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You didn’t make it far into the house. In your new dress, one that was reminiscent of the dress Alexia had worn to win her first balon d’or, you’d collapsed onto the couch, harsh sobs ripping their way out of your chest. You cried until your makeup ran and your chest hurt. Until your Mami arrived home, rushing through the door, her heart breaking when she saw the state you were in. Eli was by your side instantly, pulling you into her arms. It was rare that a hug from your mother didn’t make you feel better, but this was the case today. You weren’t really sure that anything would help, but you still buried yourself into your Mami’s arms, wishing more than anything that she could fix this for you.

“They didn’t come, Mami,” you sobbed.

“I know, mija, I am so sorry.”

“Am I not more important than their stupid fight?” You asked, looking up at your mother with a devastated expression on your face. “I was so excited for them to see, I just wanted them to be proud of me.”

Eli felt anger fill her at a level she’d never quite felt before. “I am proud of you, cariño, so proud of you. It’s all going to be okay, I promise. Everything is going to be fine.” She soothed, running her hand through your hair, shushing you softly. Her fury would have to wait, until you stopped crying. Eli would always put you first when you needed it, even if your sisters didn’t.

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It was late by the time you’d stopped crying and headed up to bed. With a soft goodnight to your Mami, you’d slumped upstairs, barely changing into your pajamas before you collapsed into your bed, absolutely exhausted. Being disappointed was tiring, apparently. And you were more disappointed than you’d ever been in your life.

Downstairs, Eli waited until she heard your door shut before she pulled her phone out, returning one of the 15 missed calls from her eldest daughter. Alexia picked up quickly, her voice dripping with guilt.

“Mami, I-”

“No. Do not try to explain yourself. You and Alba have done a terrible thing, Alexia. I am not sure how you will make it up to your sister, but you will. You will figure out how to fix it, you will apologize, you will mean it.”

“Sí, Mami.” Alexia said, her voice small like when she used to get scolded for kicking the football in the house or holding the tv remote high out of her sisters’ reach.

“I am so disappointed, Alexia. In you and Alba both.”

“I know, Mami.” Alexia replied, blinking hard to fight off her tears. “I’ll fix it, Al and I will fix it.”

“You will. Goodnight, Alexia. I love you.” Eli was furious, but she’d always say it, always make sure her daughters knew how loved they were.

“I love you too Mami,” the blonde choked out, feeling worse about this than she’d ever felt about anything in her entire life.

Eli called Alba next, who was significantly more clueless about the situation. Neither had known the other wasn’t going, but it was beyond your mother how either of her daughters could have underestimated how important to you this night was. Alba was in tears, like Alexia, by the end of the call, also promising her mother she’d fix it.

Eli knew the level of guilt Alexia and Alba must have been feeling at the moment, considering how protective they were of you. They never wanted you to be hurt, but you were. And they were the reason why. As she checked on you, ensuring you were asleep, she knew that her older daughters would go to the ends of the earth to make this up to you.

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Alba was sitting on her couch, willing herself to be the bigger person and pick up the phone to call Alexia, when she heard a knock at the door. The brunette knew who was there before she pulled it open, not flinching when her older sister was standing on her front porch.

Alexia had a drink carrier in one hand, and two bags in the other, giving Alba an unreadable look. “Can I come in?”

Alba nodded, stepping aside to let her sister in. The blonde headed for the living room, setting the coffees down, and grabbing hers out of the holder. Alba grabbed the other, noting that it was her favorite coffee, and her favorite breakfast pastry, from her favorite bakery. A bakery Alexia didn’t particularly like, but had clearly stopped at just for Alba.

It was a peace offering. One that Alba took, grabbing the coffee and the pastry, sitting on the couch next to her sister in a much less tense silence. They made up in the way only sister’s could, with no words necessary for either of them to know that the other was sorry for what had been said.

“We fucked up.” Alexia said after a minute, glancing at her sister.

“We really did.” Alba replied.

“We have to fix it.” Alexia declared.

“We really do.” Alba agreed.

“Are you going to keep agreeing with me, or are you going to come up with a solution here?”

“As the one who started the fight that led to us letting our sister down, I think it should be you who solves the problem, Alexia.” Alba retorted, a smirk on her face.

Her sister shook her head, shoving the brunette’s shoulder lightly. “You are supposed to be the smart one, hermana. Get thinking.”

“New car?”

“New house?”

“Can we buy her a country?”

They broke into laughter, the tension completely gone from the room, before they really got brainstorming. They were a good team when they weren’t fighting, and it wasn’t long before they’d come up with something that they hoped would make up for their horrible behavior.

-------

The minute you saw Alexia’s car pull into the driveway from your spot on the couch, you were standing up, prepared to flee the room. You’d known this would happen at some point today, but you weren’t ready to see them. You felt so humiliated and so neglected, you were sure that seeing them would have you in tears, and you didn’t really want to show that emotion in front of them. Not now, not when they were the reason you were so upset.

You knew how important family was to your mother, though, and you knew that if she told you to stay and talk to them, you would. Looking at her cautiously, you took in the wary expression on her face.

“Do you want to hear them out, mija?” Eli asked gently.

“No. I don’t want to see them right now. Please don’t make me.” You begged.

“I won’t make you do anything. Go upstairs, I’ll tell you when they’re gone.” Eli sighed, and with her permission, you practically sprinted up the stairs to your room, closing and locking the door behind you.

Your older sisters walked through the doors to the house like they were afraid of what awaited them inside, and it seems that they should have been. Eli stood from her chair, walking over to them, looking unimpressed at the large present in Alexia’s hands.

“Hola Mami,” Alba greeted softly. They both wanted to make this up to you, of course, but they also hated when their mother was mad at them.

“I do not think that buying her a present is going to fix this.” Eli said pointedly. Alexia and Alba exchanged nervous glances, relaxing slightly when Eli allowed them further into the house. “What is it?”

“It’s the new camera. The brand new canon model that she wanted, with all the extra lenses and storage and stuff.” Alexia said, feeling less and less confident about how she and Alba had chosen to go about this.

“And you think that is enough?” Eli asked bluntly.

“It’s a start.” Alba said, a bit defensively. “We know we messed up, Mami, and we missed the opening night but we can go see it today. Are you not being a little dramatic about this?”

Alexia shot her younger sister a look, knowing exactly how hurt you were, because Olga had returned home from the gallery and told her.

“You did not see her last night. When she realized you weren’t coming? She completely shut down. She talked to everyone she needed to, but I did not see her smile the rest of the night. She rushed out of the building just as the evening ended, and by the time I got home, she was sitting on the couch, sobbing. It was supposed to be her night, and you ruined it.” Eli snapped.

Alexia and Alba both looked appropriately ashamed, their heads dropping, gazes pointed at the floor in an almost identical fashion. They felt guilty, obviously, but Eli wasn’t quite sure they understood that it wasn’t just about them missing your event. It was so much more than that.

“She asked me why she is not more important to both of you than an argument. I do not want to spoil the gallery, but I do not think you understand how embarrassing it was for her to have countless photos of you two up on the wall, when you did not even come.”

Both her daughters’ heads snapped up at this. “Of us?” Alba asked. “The project was of us?”

“It was about her loved ones. You two were featured more than anyone else. She was so excited to see your reactions to the photos.” Eli continued, only making them feel worse.

“Please, Mami, I cannot hear anymore.” Alexia said softly, her heart aching at the thought of how upset you must be at the moment. Every detail that her mother added made it worse. She wasn’t sure she’d ever done anything like this to you before, and the thought that you might not forgive her was filling her with anxiety.

“No, you will hear all of it.” Eli said, shaking her head. “She said to me, ‘I was so excited for them to see, I just wanted them to be proud of me.’”

“We are proud of her, she has to know that.” Alba cut in desperately. Her mother just shook her head.

“She does not. Nothing she ever does feels very important to either of you, because it is always something you have done before. This was something that was her own, and she just wanted to share it with you. Everything your sister does is so that you two will be proud of her, and pay attention to her.”

At this, Alexia stood up from the couch, walking over to the window and putting her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook with silent cries, and neither her mother or her sister were very surprised at the emotional outburst. Alexia was always emotional when it came to you; she remembered the day you’d been born, every milestone in your life. You were your very tough sister’s soft spot.

“Do you think we can fix it?” Alba asked quietly, terrified of her mother’s answer.

With a deep sigh, Eli nodded her head. Alexia turned around hopefully, hanging on to Eli’s every word. “Your baby sister has always been more forgiving than both of you. She is hurt, but she will forgive you. She loves you both too much not to.”

Every word Eli said felt like a bullet to the chest to both of your sisters, something your mother was well aware of. She wasn’t going to sugar coat this. It was silent in the room for several minutes, every member of the family lost in thought. Alexia looked furious with herself, Alba looked like she was close to tears, and Eli just looked disappointed. She’d always trusted your sisters to take care of you when she couldn’t, but she wasn’t so sure she had that confidence in them anymore.

“I have an idea.” Alexia said finally, looking between her mother and her sister hesitantly. They both agreed to what she proposed, though, and it wasn’t long before Eli had pulled out some paper and pens for her daughters. They both sat on the floor around the coffee table and got writing. It was reminiscent of when they’d do their homework in the same spot years ago, sitting on the floor so they could play with you while they finished their assignments.

Now, though, you were painfully absent from the scene in front of your mother, and Eli could only hope that this would work.

-------

Alexia and Alba agreed that only one of them would go upstairs, give you the two pieces of paper, and let you be for the evening. Alexia was desperate to see you, while Alba wasn’t sure she could do so without crying, and she didn’t particularly want to put that on you at the moment. You hated seeing your sisters upset, and she didn’t want to inadvertently guilt you into forgiving her before you were ready. So, Alexia made her way upstairs, agreeing to Eli’s warnings to leave you alone if you wouldn’t let her in.

Her knock on your door was uncharacteristically gentle, and her voice was almost shaky as she announced herself.

“Nena? Can I come in for a minute?”

Taking a deep breath, you opened the door, feeling rather satisfied to see the guilt all over her face.

Alexia stepped into the room, looking so nervous and so unlike herself. She was fidgeting with two pieces of paper in her hands, barely able to bring herself to look you in the eye. “I am so sorry, hermanita. More sorry than I can put into words.” She didn't seem to know what else to say, and you rolled your eyes.

“Do you think that is enough?” You asked.

Alexia shook her head rapidly. “No, I know it isn’t. Alba and I are going to fix this, nena, I promise. Whatever we have to do, whatever it takes. We will make this up to you. There is nothing more important to us than you.”

Your eldest sister could tell you didn’t believe her, the way you looked away from her was a dead giveaway.

“I know you are upset, and that is okay. I just… can I give you a hug, nena? You can still be mad at me and everything. I’d just really like an hermanita hug.” Alexia said vulnerably, tears clouding her vision. She had underestimated how painful it would be to see you so upset with her, but her chest truly ached as she took in the betrayal and disappointment on your face. A few tears fell from her eyes, and it was this bit of emotion that had you nodding your head, stepping forward as Alexia wrapped her arms around you almost painfully tight.

It made you feel better, even though it probably shouldn’t have. Your sister’s hugs always felt warm and safe, and today was no exception. Even though she’d hurt you. It was still Alexia, and she was a hard person to stay mad at. Still, you pulled away before you wanted to, and the blonde cleared her throat, holding out the pieces of paper for you.

“From me and Alba. We will be downstairs, if you want to talk.” Your sister opened and closed her mouth a few times, before shaking her head, mustering a weak smile, and leaving the room. She shut the door behind her, something she never did, always insisting on leaving it open just to bother you.

You opened your sisters’ letters, not quite sure what you would be reading. You weren’t quite angry anymore, just sad. You were never one to hold a grudge, but you weren’t sure how they were going to be able to make this stop hurting.

You underestimate, however, how well your sisters knew you, and combined with the information they had from Eli, they knew just what to say. You read both the letters a few times, tears streaming down your face for what felt like the 12th time that day. This time, though, they were good tears.

Both letters were similar, but very… specific to each of your sisters.

Alexia’s was practically a bullet pointed list, in her messy, big handwriting. There was a mark on the page that looked suspiciously like a teardrop, and Alexia talked about her emotions in the letter the way she always did in real life; saying as little as possible, while still somehow saying a whole lot.

Alba’s was a real letter, paragraph after paragraph of neat writing, beautifully articulating what she wanted to say to you. It was always a bit surprising to remember how perceptive Alba was. She was a forgetful person, but not when it came to the things that mattered. This was clear in the letter, as she listed small details out that you hadn’t thought she’d noticed.

Both of the letters were an apology. An apology, and a deep dive into how proud of you Alexia and Alba were. They apologized for not making it clear, before going back to when you were a baby, and they watched you walk for the first time. Through the years, they had overlapping and different memories of things you’d done that made them swell with pride. There were things you remembered, and things you didn’t, but they made you feel special all the same. Alexia and Alba did pay attention, that much was clear. Even if they weren’t always the best at showing it, they paid attention to you.

It did more than a verbal apology could have ever done. It was something tangible, kind, warm and loving. It made you feel loved, and seen. It made you feel like you mattered. You weren’t Alexia, and you weren’t Alba, but you were you, and they felt that to be something much more special.

You tried to hold out a bit longer, you really did, but you were putting the letters down and rushing downstairs before you could really stop yourself.

You passed the kitchen on the way to the living room, where your Mami was preparing dinner, a small, relieved smile on her face. Wishing you had something funny and unbothered to say, you walked into the room, seeing your sisters sitting on the couch, looking pathetically distraught.

“Hola.” You said softly, feeling indescribably happy when both of their faces lit up at the sight of you, and you quickly crossed the room, wedging yourself in between them. They made room for you, as they always did, allowing you to fit easily into your spot squished with Alexia on one side, and Alba on the other.

They each wrapped an arm around you, and both tried to pull you in opposite directions. It was ironic, the way they used you to play a silly game of tug of war. This time, however, they stopped pulling when they realized neither of them would win. Instead, they both wrapped you into a very awkward and suffocating hug, arms wrapped around you from seemingly every direction.

“I love you, nena.” Alexia whispered, pressing a kiss to the side of your head.

Alba did the same to your cheek. “I am so sorry, hermanita, and I love you so much,” she whispered.

“I know.” You said softly. “I forgive you.”

And if it had been either of them in your position, it would have taken a lot more. You were the forgiving sister, though, and you’d really just needed proof that your sisters thought that you were as important as you felt them to be.

When Eli came in the room a few minutes later, it was to see the three of you in a rather familiar position; you in the middle, each of your sisters holding on to as much of you as they could, completely content. They’d always like to hold you like that, starting when you were a baby. Alexia would carefully put you on the couch in between them, and put a movie on. They would take turns telling you all the important details your brain was far too small to comprehend, but you didn’t squirm, and you didn’t fuss. You would stay plopped right in between them, one of each of their fingers gripped tight in your hands.

It was a lot different now, because you were all bigger. It looked like an uncomfortable pile of limbs on the couch, but Eli knew you were all as comfortable as you’d ever get.

-------

Neither of your sisters seemed very willing to let you out of their sight anytime soon, which you were sure would grow annoying very fast. For now, though, you enjoyed the attention, especially when Alexia pushed the wrapped box that had been sitting on the table into your hands.

And, you’d already forgiven them before you’d seen the camera they’d bought you, one that you’d been desperately wanting for a while. If you hadn’t forgiven them, though, you would have now. You could be bought, and your sisters were well aware of it. As was your Mami. She rolled her eyes as you stared in awe at the camera, as Alexia and Alba looked on proudly, sharing a discreet fist bump. Personally, Eli thought you’d let them off kind of easy, but she shouldn’t have underestimated you. You were a youngest child, and you knew how to get what you wanted.

“Can we go see your photos after dinner?” Alba asked, not even getting a glance from you, your attention completely zeroed in on the camera in your hands.

“Nope.” You replied. Alexia and Alba looked uneasily at each other, and then at their Mami for guidance, before you spoke again. “Alexia, you are going to clean my room. And Alba, you are going to make me those cookies I like. We can go see the gallery tomorrow.”

Your face was smug, and your mother stifled a laugh as your sisters looked disgruntled at each other. Begrudgingly, though, they both nodded.

“Anything for the princess.” Alexia mumbled, and Alba snickered quietly.

“What was that?” You asked, turning your attention to your sisters. They looked at you in defiance, smirks on both of their faces, not willing to let you completely walk all over them, even if they deserved it.

“You heard me.” Alexia teased. “The baby princess always gets her way.”

“Really, Ale?” You asked calmly, before turning to Eli, your new camera briefly forgotten on the table in front of you. “Mami, do you have any plans in two weekends? I was thinking we could take a trip just the two of-”

Alexia cut you off by rather aggressively throwing herself at you, covering your mouth with her hand. “NO HERMANITA!” The blonde shouted. “Oh, gross, nena, really?” She groaned, pulling her hand away when you licked it. You smiled triumphantly, managing to push away from her a bit.

“You are not a princess, nena. Just a little baby.” Alba chimed in, reaching over from her chair to pinch your cheek in one hand. “Now keep quiet before you ruin the surprise and give Ale a stroke.”

Your mother shook her head, taking pity on her eldest daughter, who looked prepared to explode at the thought of the surprise being ruined. “Do you think I do not know you were planning a trip for the four of us, Alexia? Honey, you asked me several times if I was free that weekend, and reminded me not to make any plans then either. You also asked me for hotel recommendations, and pretended it was for you and Olga. You are a bad liar, mija. I have known for weeks.” Eli laughed.

Alexia frowned, shoving you and Alba both away from her as you both collapsed into giggles, despite the fact that this was entirely her fault, and you and Alba were blameless. She knew there was teasing coming her way, but the smile on your face was well worth it. Order had been restored, and both of your sisters had made promises to themselves, and to each other, to not let their arguments hurt you anymore. You were just happy to have them both there, at home. All four of you together, how it was supposed to be.

-------

it will really always be funny to me that my sister and i do not say the words "i'm sorry" to each other. like we'd both rather die than apologize. she could hit me with her car and i wouldn't want her to apologize because... ew. anyway sometimes having a sister is cool and sometimes its not but i love mine.

everyone applaud me for not splitting this into two parts. seriously i am astounded at myself right now.

hope you all like it :) give me all your thoughts.

#woso imagine #woso x reader #woso one shot #woso fanfics #alexia putellas x reader #putellas!reader #platonic reader

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am-i-the-asshole-official · 11 months ago

Note

AITA for yelling at my sister for being disgusting?

I (19M) have been dating my boyfriend (20M) for 6 months now. I currently live at home with my mom (50F) and my sister (15F) while I'm at a local college.

My boyfriend, obviously, is gay. We are both gay. My mom was supportive when I came out and my sister was too.

When I started dating my boyfriend (Kev), my sister got a little obsessed with him. It just seemed like a weird teenage sister thing at the time, but it turns out according to my mom that she actually has a crush on him. Which... weird, but again, a little sister thing. It's not going anywhere. I've told Kev about it and he thinks it's a little uncomfortable, but he can deal with it. If she kept it to herself I wouldn't mind it, but she fucking doesn't. She constantly wants to hang out with us whenever he's over, never giving us a moment's peace.

Last time Kev was here, we were in my room and she walked in on us making out (without knocking, btw :/) and huffed before slamming the door. After he left a few hours later, she came into my room again to talk to me.

She proceeded to tell me, to my absolute fucking shock, that Kev wasn't gay and I was abusing him by not letting him leave me. I didn't even know what to say, so I just asked her what made her think he wasn't. She said he was obviously into her instead and was using me to see her.

I completely fucking lost it. Months of borderline harassment towards my boyfriend and that's fucking why? I told her that her creeping on him and making him feel uncomfortable didn't count as interest, and that she was a horrible person and an awful sister. I told her to stay the fuck away from my boyfriend, and if she ever brings him up again I'll kick her ass.

She started crying and ran off into her room, but I don't fucking care. I'm sick of having to act like she never does anything wrong. She essentially called my boyfriend a fucking pedophile and called me an abuser. I'm sick of it.

My mom said Kev isn't allowed back at our place until I apologize to my sister. I said good, I don't want my creep of a sister around him, and we can just hang out at his apartment anyway. I'm spending pretty much all my time at school and his place. As time passes though, I keep wondering if I overreacted. She's 15 but it's still so disgusting. I just couldn't take it anymore.

AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole

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cressidagrey · 6 months ago

Text

Stars all aligned - Chapter 9

Summary:

If there was one thing that both Azriel and Zahra Archeron had in common, it was that they were both very good at blending into the background.

They just never thought that their family were going to be the ones who never saw them at all.

Warning:

I'll keep the warnings, even though there is no outright mention in this part: Bashing of like...every IC member? Especially the Archeron Sisters, discussion of chronic pain, discussion of Infertility, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Underage Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Accidental Baby Procurement

If any of this triggers you or makes you uncomfortable, please, take care of your own mental health and don't read it.

(Lovely dividers thanks to @sweetmelodygraphics)

"He'll be fine," Esmeray said evenly.

Zahra couldn't help but flinch, her eyes fixed outside the window. She didn't get to see anything, there was nothing to see, but…"How do you know that?" Zahra demanded sharply.

Esmeray didn't seem the least bit surprised at the harsh question."Because my son will always do whatever he has to do to survive," she said drily. "Just as he should. He'll come home to you." Her words were blunt, straightforward and to the point and Zahra felt the sudden tightness in her throat ease slightly.

Azriel was going to come home…it wasn’t like he was walking into…enemy territory right? He had survived two wars…he could survive dinner with his family…

“But normally his enemies aren’t his own brothers,” she whispered. Regardless of her own personal feelings about Cassian and Rhys…she didn’t doubt for a moment that…they were both exceptionally powerful.

Esmeray said nothing for a moment, her face pensive. She watched Zahra with an intense gaze, the silence drawing on as Zahra tried not to fidget under her scrutiny, her own gaze meeting Esmeray’s as the older woman tilted her head.

“Has Azriel told you what happened to his hands?” Esmeray finally asked her.

That…wasn't what Zahra had expected to hear. Zahra blinked as she stared at Esmeray, her mouth opening uselessly for a few seconds as she tried to form words. But in the end, she couldn’t find the words and settled for a shake of her head, her eyes wide as she stared at Esmeray.

She had seen the violent scars. Of course she had. They were impossible to miss. And she knew how they had pained him…though the useless golden glow of hers seemed to at least have eased that particular agony. It hadn’t seemed like they had bothered him again.

“Or where he spent the first few years of his life?” Esmeray continued.

"No," Zahra admitted, her voice small.

She had an inkling that whatever had happened to Azriel as a child...it must have been bad. Really bad.

“I was 17 when a Azriel was born. One of the Lords at a War Camp fathered him,” Esmeray said, her voice quiet. “I was young…I was stupid…and my family had too many mouths to feed. So…I became his mistress. He took my son from me, when he was still a babe. And he kept him from me…for the years that followed. I was allowed to only see him an hour a week. My own son,” she spat out these words

Zahra stared at Esmeray.

She felt...sick. Sick and furious and heartbroken all at the same time as she listened to Esmeray's admission."Any other child...They wouldn't have survived these years locked away in that dungeon. And if they had....they would have been angry at the world and ready to watch it all burn," Esmeray continued softly. "But not Azriel. Not him. Not my son… He got the scars on his hands when his half brother’s decided to see how fire and oil would mix. The scars… were the result."

She wanted to vomit.

The pain and heartbreak in Esmeray's eyes spoke of horrors that she couldn't possibly begin to imagine.

"The shadows came to him after that...And his father...he realised how dangerous Azriel would be in the future. So he send him away. To train. And for one decade, I thought I was never going to see my son again," she recounted, shaking her head. "I thought that if the years in the darkness hadn't killed him...then the training would. Illyrian start training young. He was already 11. He couldn��t even fly, Zahra. They had bound his wings to his back since he was a baby."

Zahra stared at Esmeray, her eyes wide.

She swallowed. It sounded like torture. Plain and simple.

She hadn’t been treated…well as a child... hadn’t slept in the same nursery as her sisters, but instead in the servants quarter on a lumpy mattress with some mice to keep her company…but she hadn’t been…she hadn’t been locked in the darkness. She had gotten food…not the food the family ate but what the servants ate. She had been ignored…but even if Nesta hated her…she had never put her hands on fire.

And Azriel…

"But he survived," Esmeray continued. "He survived. With these shadows of his. And he became a Carynthian, he touched the sacred peak of Ramiel...and then he came back for me," Esmeray said with a shake of her head and a shaky sort of laugh. "He came back for you?" Zahra repeated, her heart twisting in her chest as she listened to Esmeray’s words.

She couldn't even begin to imagine the love and loyalty Azriel must feel for his mother, to survive all that, and return for her.

"He did," Esmeray said softly. "He had every right to forget I even existed...but he didn't. He killed one of his half- brother during that Blood Rite...and he killed his father the moment he set a foot in that training camp where he was born. And then he came for me and brought me here," Esmeray said softly. "This is what he did for me, his mother. For his mate? I can promise you one thing, Zahra, with absolute certainty: As long as there is breath left in my son, he'll return home to you."

The words sounded almost like a promise and Zahra felt the tightness in her chest ease. Hearing the conviction in Esmeray's voice, the absolute belief in her son...made Zahra believe, just for a moment.

"His father wasn't a...good man. He was a monster," Esmeray said softly. "And he did...horrible things to me. But I'll never regret having Azriel. He's the only good thing that male ever created."

Zahra felt her throat close up at those words. At the unwavering and fierce love in Esmeray's voice, even as she spoke of the monster...and her son.

Zahra thought about herself. She didn't know if she could have...if she could have loved a child created from what had been done to her. Wouldn't know if she could have...if she would have been...able to love them as fiercely and beautifully as Esmeray clearly loved Azriel.

"He’ll come home to you," Esmeray repeated. "Don't borrow troubles."

It was easier said than done.

"I never wanted him to fight with his family for me," Zahra said weakly.

"It's your family too, is it not? Your sister is married to Rhysand…your other to Cassian," Esmeray pointed out reasonably. "What happened?"

Zahra felt her face heat up in shame as she avoided Esmeray's gaze.

"My sisters don't particularly like me," she said weakly. "I am a constant reminder of our father's...infidelity."

"And what does that have to do with you?" Esmeray asked, voice sharp.

Zahra flinched back in surprise at the sharp tone and how direct the question was.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Esmeray snorted derisively. "Your father's infidelity...is exactly what it says on the tin: your father's sin," she snapped. "Not yours. You are your own person, not an object created solely to hurt your half-sisters or their mother. Who do they think they are, to decide who you are based on their father's mistakes?"

She could just blink at Esmeray as she felt a knot in her throat. Zahra swallowed past it tightly. She had always just been a bastard created by her father’s infidelity. That was the one thing…that she would never get away from.

But there was also…

"... I had an affair with a married man," she admitted weakly. "While I was human."

Esmeray fell silent, the only sound echoing the quiet.

Zahra didn't meet Esmeray's gaze, her hands curled into tight fists on her lap as she waited for the older woman to speak.

She was waiting for judgment.

“Do you really think, you’ll get judgment from me, when I did the same?” Esmeray asked her, her voice quiet. “Azriel is the result of that, Zahra. So were you…But you must have been…awfully young?” Esmeray said softly. “You are what? 20 now?”

"24," Zahra corrected her weakly. "I was 15. When it started."

Esmeray's face twisted in fury when Zahra answered her question. It was clear that she already put the pieces together, even before hearing the young woman's answer.

"You were a child," Esmeray snapped. "How much older than you was he? A few decades, l imagine?"

"Eighteen years older," Zahra responded quietly, her voice trembling slightly. "...Feyre was sick. He owned the apothecary. We had no money and she needed medicine and I..."

Zahra swallowed back the bile rising in her throat as she recalled the fear of those days, the pain and terror as she desperately tried to protect her sister.

She remembered how he used her. How he took advantage of her when she had no one else to turn to, no one else to rely on.

"In what world would you call this an affair, sweetheart?" Esmeray asked her weakly. "How long did it go on?"

Zahra took a shuddering breath as she stared at the ground.

"Six years," she answered, voice shaking. “I would rather call it an affair than call myself a whore,” she said weakly.

Esmeray reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. "He hurt you." It was said flatly. Not a question.

"Yes," Zahra choked out, forcing the words passed the knot in her throat. "He hurt me." The words tasted like ash as they left her lips, the pain and shame they came with making her feel sick to her stomach.

She didn't want to think about it, about him, or the pain he made her feel.

She never wanted to think about it again, she didn't want to recall the things he did to her. There was no escaping the pain the memories brought, or the pain he caused for all those years. And still to this day.

"I won't be able to have kids," she whispered. "He took that from me too."

Esmeray reached forward, a shaky hand resting in the younger woman's.

"Oh, sweetheart," Esmeray muttered, her voice shaking in sympathy and fury. And then..."There were two pregnancies after Azriel," she said softly. "I miscarried the first...the second...he beat me so badly that...the baby was too small to survive," Esmeray said softly. "Not anymore after that. He took that from me too."

Tears welled in Zahra's eyes as she listened to Esmeray's soft words.

"I'm so sorry," Zahra whispered. The pain Esmeray felt was so evident in those words, and Zahra couldn't help but feel sorry for her.

She couldn't begin to imagine how it must feel, to lose children the way she did.

"Don't be," Esmeray reassured her, voice shaking. "It was a long time ago...and I love my son. I love Azriel. He's more than enough for me. Why mess with perfection?" she asked, her voice firm. Zahra couldn't help a weak laugh that escaped her.

"And if you and Azriel decide that you want children one day...there are ways to have children that aren't the traditional way," Esmeray continued. "There are plenty of illyrian children that are simply...thrown away. Not here in Rosehall but in some of the more traditional camps. Not enough food for too many mouth to feed...bastards themselves...physical disabilities...plenty of reasons," she said with a shudder.

Zahra blinked in surprise at the words.

She...she hadn't had the chance to think about anything beyond surviving yet, let alone how...how she and Azriel would have children some day in the future, if they wanted. after everything that happened.

But children, a family...she had always wanted a family. A family of her own. She just...hadn't even considered how that could ever happen to her.

There were children like her, thrown away as unwanted, but she hadn't known that it was such a... common occurrence.

"That's horrible," she whispered under her breath.

To think that those children were left behind, abandoned, or thrown out when they were too young to even take care of themselves... It filled her with rage. How could an entire society treat people like that?

"Sometimes it's something as simple that they are girls," Esmeray said, her voice bitter. "Girls are useless in their eyes."

Zahra felt her heart twist in fury at the words.

The fact that an entire society could think that girls were useless enough to throw them aside...it sickened her.

"Azriel will come home," Emeray promised her with a squeeze of her hand once more as she pulled back to go back to her cooking. "Could you set the table?"

Zahra nodded quietly, her words stuck in her throat as she swallowed her tears.

She stood and slowly went over to the kitchen, gathering the things necessary to set the table for dinner.

But she couldn't get one thing out of her head. "Do you...Do you keep an eye on his half brother?" She asked the shadows softly. "So he'll never hurt Azriel again?"

The shadows writhed in the air, twisting around on themselves for a few moments as if in agitation.

Zahra swallowed slightly at the sight of the shadows reacting like that.

"Could you?" Zahra requested. "please? Just for my own sake of mind?"

The shadows writhed a little more before they seemed to quiet down, only a gentle shift in movement now, as if the shadows had accepted her request.

"Thank you," she said softly.

You're welcome, the voice was as soft as a breath, as otherworldly as that as well.

Zahra couldn't help the shiver that ran down her spine at the voice that echoed in her head.

It was as otherworldly as it was strangely soothing.

***

Azriel was tired. Tired and exhausted and hurting and furious and hungry, his rage and exhaustion leaving him on a hair trigger.

His shadows writhed in the air around him, agitation and fury rolling off of

It was done. He had had that talk. It had gone...better than he thought it would. Which was something, he supposed. But it left him tired...

His exhaustion was seeping into his bones, settling deep and leaving him heavy and...worn. He was exhausted deep in his marrow, all the way down to his very soul.

He didn't like to fight. He had never liked to fight. Especially not this kind of fighting. Fighting with knifes and swords was one thing...this kind of emotional bloodletting was another thing entirely.

It hurt so much more, to be vulnerable, to lay his emotions, his deepest secrets and insecurities, bare and have others know them. Have others be able to twist and use those things against him if they so desired.

And even when this had needed to have happened...needed to be done...this didn't make it any easier.

It had made him feel horrible to use…Zahra’s most traumatic moments as pressure points.

He just needed...he just needed to see Zahra. Jsut needed to know that she was safe.

That need rose like a crashing wave.

He could feel it now, the need to get to his mate, to know that she was safe, to see her and feel it.

So he winnowed. The wards around Rosehall bent to his will...and just seconds later, he got to walk through his mother’s front door.

He heard voices, his mother's low murmur and Zahra's soft responses to the older woman, the words a quiet hum in the air that carried him further into the small home.

The smell of food rose in the air, the rich scent of stew and bread wafting through the hallway as he followed the voices and the scent of food into the dining room.

„Azriel!" and then Zahra was already throwing herself at him and he caught her instinctively, burying his face against her shoulder. Not a scratch on her. Nothing. Just the warm scent of her.

Honeysuckle and something he never could quite place.

His mate was safe. She was whole and unharmed and right there...in his arms.

“She was worried for you," his mother said drily.

He ignored the words for a few moments longer, clinging to his mate.

Azriel took another deep breath, the scent of his mate so close easing the tension in his body little by little.

He finally pulled back, his hands moving to frame her face, just to feel her warm skin against his palms.

Their gazes met, the green of her eyes familiar and safe and comforting and Azriel felt some of his exhaustion and tension bleed away.

Being in her presence always felt like he could simply...breathe, no matter the circumstances.

In her presence, he could breathe.

"All is well," he promised Zahra who leaned into his touch, her eyes misted with tears. But she simply nodded.

She believed him.

That small, simple gesture. The way she nodded and trusted his word, was enough to make him lean in and press a kiss against her forehead.

"Are you hungry? We made stew. Esmeray was nice enough to teach me how to make Illyrian flatbread." She asked him and he nodded. His stomach twisted a little at the reminder.

Yeah, he was hungry. Starving actually.

"Food and then bed for both of you," his mother said with some amusement as she filled his plate for him.

He huffed out a breath, his hands still in a gentle grip around Zahra as if to ensure she wouldn't slip away from his grasp.

For once, he couldn't bring himself to complain about his mother's bossy attitude.

The idea of food and then sleeping in a warm bed with his mate curled up against his chest, her steady heartbeat and slow breathing a reminder that she was there, safe and whole beside him...it sounded like perfection.

He cleared two plates of stew and then curled up in the guest bedroom with Zahra, tucked safely and warmly underneath his mother’s quilt.

"How did it really go?" Zahra asked him in the darkness of the room, drawing random patterns onto his naked chest.

"Both better and worse than I thought it would," Azriel answered honestly. Then he grimaced. "...I told them. About what happened to you."

"Oh," she said, voice quiet even as she shifted closer and wrapped her arms around him. "How did they…..take it?"

He had expected anger. Expected…something. "You aren't angry?" He checked and Zahra just weakly shrugged. "They wouldn't have understood without, would they?" She forced out, her voice trembling.

She was right. He wished they didn't need to use her trauma as a shield but...

She was right.

He hated it. But he couldn't deny the truth in her words.

"Your sisters were distraught," he said delicately. "Elain wants your forgiveness… Feyre wanted to know where you are."

He heard Zahra take a shuddering breath, felt the way her chest rose as she tensed.

"Why?" she muttered, sounding more tired than angry.

He didn’t need to be Rhys to be able to read her thoughts. Why did Feyre care now?

"She wanted to apologize," he answered softly as he felt the tension in her body, rubbing her should gently.

"And Nesta?" Zahra asked weakly.

"Let's just say, I am pretty certain that Cassian and her are going to have a screaming match sometime soon."

"Why?" she asked, her voice so quiet and small that it made his chest ache.

His hand moved to gently brush over her waist, slowly stroking along her side in what he hoped was a soothing motion.

"Let's just say that she didn't take the news of our mating bond well, and leave it at that," Azriel said with a snort. "It doesn't matter what she thinks."

Zahra huffed a small amount of breath, the tiniest of laughs.

"No, it doesn't," she agreed, body leaning more heavily against his as the tension slowly drained from her. "Your mother is lovely, by the way," Zahra said softly.

That made him smile a little bit, warmth flooding him at the mention of his mother. He was so glad Zahra and Esmeray seemed to get on as well. He couldn't quite put it word, the relief and happiness he felt at the knowledge that the two people he loved seemed to get on so well. And the shadows... well they were already enamored with Zahra as well.

He felt the shadows curl and twist around his waist in fond affection and he couldn't help but smile faintly.

They had been fond of Zahra since the beginning, but now..they were practically in love with her.

He pressed a kiss against her forehead and closed his eyes.

Between one breath and the next Azriel fell asleep.

Only to be roughly awakened by his shadows what seemed like seconds later.

Master. Master, you need to wake up. He was awake immediately, thrown back to the last time they had done the very same thing to him. But there was no iron-rich scent of blood in his nose. Nothing of that sort. And Zahra was peacefully slumbering away next to him, looking younger in her sleep than she did awake…nothing out of the ordinary.

What's wrong? he demanded immediately. He could hear his mother's quiet heartbeat down the hall, nothing seemed to be amiss with her either.

Something… happened, his shadows whispered hesitantly and the sound of it made him sit upright in bed, his grip tight around Zahra, shielding her from danger as he stared into the darkness of the bedroom. We…maybe broke a rule, Master.

A rule.

There were only very few rules the shadows had gotten from him. Mostly to not outright starting to murder anybody unless he allowed it.

What did you do? he asked with a sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. Had they gone back to their habit of gambling a truly ridiculous amount of money all at once? He had gotten them to do it more often but with smaller sums of money so it wasn't as obvious as it once had been centuries ago.

Esmeray told her about what happened to your hands, Master, the shadows admitted softly. And that you went to get her after the Blood Rite... Our Mate asked if the shadows kept an eye on…*him*.

Oh, he breathed out, the tension in his shoulders easing a little. What did you do? he asked with a sigh. Did he want to know? If they had killed his half-brother that would be...well there were worse things they could have done, he supposed...He just hoped they made it look like an accident if they did murder him.

The shadows stayed silent for a moment.

He's still using the dungeon, the shadows said softly. But the warding is...broken. The warding that had kept him contained. Now it would be nothing but a blink of an eye to break...but for a weak 8 year old...it had been impossible to escape.

What did you find? he asked, swallowing.

We may have...taken her, the shadows admitted quickly. But if we hadn't, who knows how long she would have survived down there!

Azriel stared into the darkness, taking a breath at the word.

Who exactly is *she*? he demanded sharply.

His bastard daughter, the shadows said quickly. She's just a baby!

You kidnapped a baby?!?!

#acotar fanfiction #azriel x oc #azriel x reader #azriel fanfiction #azriel fanfic #Azriel x Archeron!Reader #Stars all aligned

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deansbeer · 3 months ago

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★ soup, snuggles, and mr. wiggles // beau arlen.

synopsis. you're sick during a visit to montana, but your dad, comes to the rescue with chicken star soup, snacks, and your old childhood stuffed bear, reminding you that you're never too old to be cared for.

kari yaps. i love my pretty cowboy sheriff sososo much && literally don't have anything written for him + this idea was perfect for beau, because one im an older sister / daughter myself & two my brain was wired up @ 2am ???? n i took that opportunity to write. but i only got halfway & BARELY got to finishing it 2day.

you knew it was a bad idea the second you bit into the chicken sandwich. something about it tasted... off, but you hadn't eaten at all during your flight from houston to montana, and your stomach didn't give you much of a choice. by the time you arrived at the airbnb you rented, you were already feeling the first signs of regret—your stomach twisting uncomfortably, your body heavy with fatigue. you chalked it up to exhaustion from the drive, but when you woke up the next morning, nausea hit you like a freight train.

you'd planned today for weeks—just you and your dad, a father-daughter day he'd been talking about nonstop since you told him you were visiting. he'd even promised emily she'd get her turn after you left because, as he put it, "this one's special. just me and my girl." and now, lying on the couch of your airbnb, wrapped in a blanket, you felt guilt gnawing at you because there was no way you could keep those plans. your stomach rolled again, and you groaned, reaching for your phone to call him.

"hey, sweetheart," he answered on the first ring, his voice bright with excitement. "you ready for me to pick you up? i've got the whole day mapped out—breakfast, a little fishing, and maybe we can stop by that trail you liked last time."

you winced, both at the enthusiasm in his voice and the wave of nausea that hit you. "uh, about that…"

he instantly picked up on your tone. "what's wrong?"

"nothing," you said quickly, even though your voice was weak. "i just… i don't think i can make it today. i'm not feeling great."

"not feeling great how?" his voice lost its lightness, replaced by concern.

"it's nothing, dad. probably just something i ate. i just need to rest, that's all."

there was a pause, and you could practically hear the wheels turning in his head. "where are you staying again? that little airbnb by the creek?"

"dad, no, you don't have to—"

"i'll be there in twenty," he said firmly, already moving. "and don't even think about arguing with me."

you sighed, knowing there was no point in trying to stop him. "fine. okay, dad."

"what kind of dad would i be if i didn’t take care of my girl when she's sick?" he said, his voice softening. "sit tight, sweetheart. i'll be there soon."

true to his word, twenty minutes later, you heard the familiar rumble of his car pulling into the driveway. you managed to shuffle to the door, opening it just as he walked up, two large grocery bags in his hands and a determined look on his face.

"you look terrible," he said bluntly, though the warmth in his eyes softened the blow. "not that you're not still the prettiest thing i've ever seen."

"thanks, dad," you muttered, stepping aside to let him in. "just what every girl wants to hear."

he set the bags on the counter and turned to you, his hands on his hips. "all right, let's see what we've got here. crackers, ginger ale, that soup you used to love when you were little—chicken and stars, remember that?—and some popsicles, because you'd always ask for those when you were sick. oh, and a heating pad, in case you've got chills."

you felt a lump rise in your throat as you watched him unpack everything, his movements quick and efficient. he was always like this when you were a kid—hands-on, attentive, making sure you had everything you needed even when life got chaotic. and now, standing in your little airbnb kitchen, he looked just the same, though his beard was a little grayer and the lines around his eyes a little deeper.

"dad, you didn't have to do all this," you said, your voice thick with emotion.

he glanced at you, his expression softening. "yeah, i did. you're my kid, darlin'. it doesn't matter if you're five or twenty-five, i'm always gonna take care of you."

you blinked rapidly, willing the tears not to fall. "i suppose you're right."

he gave you a small smile before turning back to the bags. "and because i know you're gonna get crabby—don't deny it, you've always been a little bear when you're under the weather—I brought backup.” he pulled out a small stuffed bear, its brown fur worn and familiar. "found this guy in one of the storage boxes last week and figured you might need him."

you let out a surprised laugh, reaching for the bear. "oh my god, is this… is this mr. wiggles?"

"the one and only," he said, grinning. "thought he'd been retired, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

you hugged the bear to your chest, shaking your head. "you're ridiculous."

"and you love me for it," he said, nudging your shoulder gently. "now, go lie down. i'll heat up the soup and put on a movie."

you didn't argue, too tired and too grateful to protest. you curled up on the couch again, the blanket pulled snug around you and mr. wiggles tucked under your arm. a few minutes later, your dad appeared with a tray—soup, crackers, and a glass of ginger ale—and set it on the coffee table in front of you.

"all right, what's it gonna be?" he asked, grabbing the remote. "something funny? or one of those sappy movies you always make me watch?"

you smiled faintly. "sappy. but you're not allowed to complain."

"wouldn't dream of it," he said, settling into the recliner next to you. "though if i start crying, you're not allowed to tell anyone."

"deal," you said, your smile widening.

as the movie played, you found yourself relaxing for the first time all day. your dad stayed by your side, occasionally cracking jokes or making comments about the characters, his presence a constant comfort. and even though you felt awful, you couldn't help but feel a little better knowing he was there.

"thanks for coming, dad," you said softly as the credits rolled.

he reached over, brushing a strand of hair out of your face. "always, sweetheart. you're stuck with your old man, whether you like it or not."

and in that moment, with the warmth of the blanket, the faint taste of ginger ale on your tongue, and your dad sitting nearby, you realized there was no place you’d rather be.

SPECIAL TAGS. @floralscented @titsout4jackles @deansbite @deanswidow @jasvtsc @beausling @ultravi0lence14 @figthoughts @lacydollette @lustagel @ultravi0lence14 @beausling @ostaramoon @rubyvhs @aileenunfiltered @bluestrd @jackleslvr @fallbhind . . . ૮っ ̫ _ ྀིა

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writteninlunarlight-years · 9 months ago

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How about the "there is only one bed" trope with our lovely Hazbin Boys; Alastor, Husk, Angel Dust, and Lucifer? <3

Scenarios

I made these two parts because I love all the Hazbin boys, and I am a sucker for this trope. I didn't add pentious because I am not confident writing for him. Val is well, Val. Pt1 Pt2

Adam

It was a fucking shit show trying to find an excellent place to stay on this side of heaven. The big man upstairs decides to pay a visit, and Adam just has to see him in person, as if he hadn't seen him twelve million times before. Originally Lute was going to go with him however a situation occurred with the exorcists, you personally think that is a lie but so be it. Being Lute's little sister and third in command over the executioners, you got the job of babysitting Adam.

It wasn't that you disliked Adam for any reason towards you; Lute made it very clear when you joined the battalion that you were off limits; he could flirt, sleep with, and kill anyone he wanted to. Just not her baby sister. So Adam never really got to hang around you much, probably cause he was so afraid of your older sister. However, unbeknownst to you, Adam had a thing for you; though he knew you were not some innocent flower by any means, he knew that touching the forbidden had its perks; I mean, hell, Eve did it.

Sighing, you found one hotel still with a vacant sign; you thought traveling with the first man meant you had ease of access everywhere fucking wrong. Still, you walked in and managed to book the room. The poor elderly angel, though, was so difficult to speak to; you were glad that you went in, not Adam; otherwise, he would have been a dick. Grabbing your bag and motioning him to follow you two heads up to the room. "Yeah, she said it was pretty big, I mean, it should be for two beds." Adam pouted, "Aw babe, you don't want to share a bed with me? Now is your chance to get in my pants while Lute is gone." You scoffed and opened the door to your hotel for the night. "Yeah no not only do I not wan't in your pants I also don't....wan't..........death......Fuck me."

Adam laughed and walked in behind you, "What? You just told me not to fuck you, babe can't be acting all coy with me." He finally looked up and saw why you stalled. He is so dead when they get home; he should have listened to Lute and booked a room in advance. You sighed and walked all the way in. There was a couch. At least you could take it. You were smaller.

Carefully, you started to make the couch into a makeshift bed. "Hey toots, no, none of that. You get the bed bitch. I am not going to be the first dick that made a woman sleep on a fucking couch."

You looked at him, surprised at the offer. You nodded your head and went to clean up for bed. As you slid into the sheets, you saw Adam in his PJs, trying to get comfy. You sighed softly and rolled over, trying to ignore him, yet something pulled at your heartstrings. Lute didn't have to know. You rolled back over and saw the uncomfortable man, "Um, hey, Adam, come get in bed with me." You could have worded that better, but you were tired. You managed to miss the blush on Adam's face as he heard you.

"Yeah, can't get enough of the dickmaster, huh," He dodged a pillow attack from you as he made his way over. Gently, he placed the pillow between you two and climbed in. Lute didn't have to know.

Come morning, no pillow was between you two, your head resting gently in the crook of his neck, his arm wrapped around your waist while his other above his head. You wrapped one arm around him while the other pulled to your chest. You both had slept through the numerous phone calls from Lute and the meeting with God. Adam didn't mind; you deserved the break, and it felt so nice to finally hold you close to him.

Alastor

Charlie sent you and Alastor on a mission to help gain more sinners. Why it had to be on the other side of Pentagram City near Vox's tower was beyond you. You loved Charlie like a sister, though, so you wouldn't fight, and you may have some underlying feelings for a Radio Host that may have swayed your decision to go along with him.

After a hard day of recruiting and passing out flyers, Alastor was some help. Seeing as all of Vox's cronies tried to fight you both on each street corner, it was finally time to call it a night. You were eagerly waiting for Charlie's call, looking at your phone; she was supposed to book your room for you guys out here. After the extermination, Alastor was still recovering, so his shadow teleports weren't the best idea, lest you both be stranded in the shadow realm.

Your phone finally rang to a cheerful Charlie on the other end. She directed you two to the hotel and asked you questions about the recruitment process. As you two talked, the hotel came into view; you sat off in the lobby, talking with Charlie about the hotel as Alastor got your room key. Soon, he stood before you and motioned you to follow. "Do tell Charlie that if she was going to talk to you all night on the phone, she should have been the one to come, not me." You pouted at that. Had Alastor had a bad time with you? That was far from the truth, though. Alastor had a great time showing off his impressive powers to you even though he was still injured, yet he was jealous that Charlie was taking all your time. "S-Sorry, Al. I think Charlie was just concerned. She wanted to make sure we got to the room safely." All you got in return was a slight hum and static. You sighed, and Charlie tried to cheer you up on the phone.

Alastor entered the room first and halted, eyes wide, "Fuck." You had only ever heard him cuss a handful of times, and without static, too, it must have been horrible. Yet, as you hear Charlie's slightly high-pitched laughter, you know she is up to something. Quickly, your phone was snatched from your hand, static buzzing. "CHARLIE WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING THERE IS ONLY ONE BED."

As Alastor yelled at her, you winced. Damn, was it that bad to be stuck with you? You pushed your way into the room and looked around. It was cozy, that was for sure, only one bed. As you finished, Alastor hovered over you, and you started to make a pallet on the floor to sleep on. "And what do you by chance think you are doing my little doe?"

You blushed at the pet name and shrugged. You made your way to the bathroom to change and take a quick shower, not wanting to ruin Alastor's night any more than you had. Once you were done and walking out, however, Alastor was in red PJs, and your pallet was gone. "Hey, where did my bed go, Al? I worked hard on that!"

Static buzzed softer as he sighed, "You are not sleeping on the floor, my dear. Now come get in bed. I made a pillow wall; it is safe."

He sounded sad about it, but you didn't want to trick yourself into thinking there was anything more between you two. You nodded softly and curled on your side, gently drifting to sleep. You could have sworn that as the dreams started coming, the pillow wall behind you disappeared.

Come morning, you were safely held against Alastor, your back against his firm chest, and one arm caged you protectively against him. His other arm lay under the pillow, probing his head up as he slept soundly, inhaling your scent. As for you, the blissfully unaware dreamer, your hands were cradled against you, and you slowly pushed yourself closer into the radiating warmth behind you. Alastor smiled a genuine smile softly; he could definitely get used to this for you.

Angel Dust

Val had sent Angel to a bad part of town for a shoot. You, being the caring, adoring friend you are, decided to go with him just to help make sure no fans or crazies attack him. You had gone to plenty of Angels shoots and even was propositioned by Val many times. Yet you always turned him down and showed your distaste for the moth. He always said that you would come around. How about not. Instead, you were in love with your best friend... cliche, but he was terrific.

Angel put on his robe and walked up to you. You had been spaced out watching the shoot, thinking about the handsome spider before you. As he snapped his fingers in front of your face, you finally reconnected with the world and looked up at him. "What? Sorry, Angel. What is going on?"

He laughs softly and helps you stand, your legs feeling like jelly from sitting on the sound box for hours. Falling into him, he laughed and helped you right again, a soft dusting of pink across his cheeks. "Ya fine toots, shoots ova' let's head out to the hotel."

You nodded, grabbed your bags, and followed him to the limo that would take you to the hotel. Val hadn't known you would come on this trip, but Val always had Vox book double rooms for the whole crew on far-off shoots. The only person who got a single room was Val himself. Sighing you looked out the window as the ritzy hotel came in to view. "20$ when Val sees me, he will ask me to go to his room again."

Angel laughed and shook his head, "Oh no, Val isn't here; this was an exclusive shoot for a customer. So it's just the cast and crew and you."

You blushed. How did you not notice Val wasn't there? You were so stupid. You followed the crew into the building, staying close to Angel as the key cards were passed out. Your room number was in the 9's; it was one of the lovely posh rooms. Okay, Vox, you did something good for a change. You rode the elevator up and talked with the others as they reached their floors. A comfortable silence filled the small space when it was just you and Angel.

At the ding, you two walked to the room, entering though you both found the problem....it was a sweetheart's room. This was Val's standard room. "Damn toots, there's only one bed. I will go ask for another room, don't worry,"

You grabbed his arm, not even thinking, "No, it's okay. It would come out of your pay, too. We have been best friends forever, Angel. We can share the bed." You gulped saliva building in your mouth. He gave you a soft smile and a nod.

"Alright, no funny business," he leaned down close to your ear. "Unless you want there to be." You scoffed and smacked his arm, heading to the bathroom first to clean up. Angel smirked; he was excited to finally have this chance. He got the bed situated to try and make it more comfortable for you.

As you exited, you thanked him for the consideration and let him shower and clean up. You got comfy on the bed and closed your eyes. You slowly drifted off to sleep, exhausted from all the running around. When Angel returned, he smiled softly and climbed into bed next to you. Gently, to not wake you, he placed his head on your chest, listening to your heart.

When morning came, Angel clung to you with both sets of arms, holding on to you, his head nuzzling your chest and neck. You had one arm protectively around him and the other in his hair. The rest of the crew left hours ago, but you two stayed tangled in the sheets, having a sweet, cuddly morning.

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megs-1800 · 1 month ago

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hi i love your fics and may i request something angst about mason's family don't like his relationship with y/n and they also dislike y/n because they think she's not good for mason (she's not an influencer, just a private girl and not from a wealthy family). i wanna know how mason react to that, will he decide to break up or keep their relationship

thanks in advance and you don't have to reply to this x 🤍

Getting Them To Like Me

Note: Please keep sending in your requests and hope you like it!

Summary: Mason's family are not your biggest fans. When you go on a family holiday with the, Mason's Ex girlfriend shows up, who Mason's family love. How will Mason react to all the drama? Will this make or break your relationship?

Pairing: Mason Mount x Reader

Word Count: 5.5k

Warnings: Suggestive Themes, Angst, Fluff

“What happens if they don’t like me?” I turn to Mason as he has his eyes on the road. I let myself admire him for a couple of seconds longer then I should. He is just perfect in everyway. He drifts his eyes from the road and meets mine “babe they are going to love you, what isn’t there to love about you?” he gives me a reassuring smile. I can still feel the anxiety overwhelming me. Mason and I have been dating for 6 months, its completely new and being with Mason has turned my whole life upside down. It was a life that I never knew. I just work my boring admin 9-5pm job and had my side hustle as a hair dresser. Me and Mason met in a café opposite my office, he had a hoodie on with his hood up and was one in front of me. He went to pay for his coffee but realised he left his wallet in the car, I have had a bad morning and not in the mood to wait so I just agreed I would pay for it so I could get the line moving. Turned out he was having a meeting using one of the office room downstairs so we got chatting in the hallway, one thing lead to another and here we are. I wasn’t ready to meet Mason’s family yet, he had met mine and of course they loved him but meeting his was a whole other level. It is his sister Jaz’s birthday next week so Mason insisted I attend with him to his parents to have dinner to celebrate. I have never been more nervous.

We pulled up outside their house and I can feel my heart beating in my chest I just want to be sick. Mason can sense my nerves as he rubs his hand into mine as we stand outside trying to calm my nerves. Mason’s mum Debbie opens the door and quickly embracing Mason in a hug “Oh I didn’t realise you were bringing company. Whose this?” Mason moves out the way to let me inside, Mason rolls his eyes. “I did tell you I will be bringing y/n. I told you about her months ago. But Mum meet y/n. Y/N meet my mum Debbie” he gestures. Debbie remains still and just gives me a smile. “Oh yeah I remember now. Nice to meet you Y/N” it sounded like she didn’t really mean it but I am just putting it down to nerves.

Mason leads me into the living room where Jaz, Mila, Summer, Lewis and his dad Tony are all sitting. They all quickly get up and hug Mason and look awkwardly at me. Mason gestures for me to sit down as all of them sit down and introduces them all to me. Mila and Summer are climbing all over Mason “uncle Masey who is this?” as they point at me. Mason gives them a big grin and says “this is my new girlfriend y/n” it gives me butterflies when he calls me that, we have only just started calling eachother boyfriend/girlfriend. It sounds childish but I love when he calls me his girlfriend. “Hey Y/N!” both Mila and Summer say in unity and wave.

I allow all of them to chat and I am just sat there smiling and engaging in conversation the best I can, I feel invisible though. It feels like I am not even there. Debbie calls to say lunch is ready and we all go sit and begin to eat. I feel extremely uncomfortable as I am picking up the vibe in the room, Mason places his hand on my thigh to try and reassure me, he must sense the vibe too. Tony turns to me “So tell us y/n what do you do?” all eyes are suddenly on me and I can feel myself going red. “I am a manager just for a little admin company in the city. I also have my own little hair dressing business on the side.” They all nod confirming they are listening to what I am saying. Debbie speaks up “so have you had more clients now they know you are dating Mason” I am a bit taken back by the comment and I can see Mason shoot daggers at her which I am quickly to reply for my defence, “Actually Mason and I are keeping our relationship under the radar at the moment so only family and close friends are aware”. Debbie gave me a small scoff in response and we all continued eating.

I whispered to Mason that I needed the loo and he told me where it was, as I escort myself I stand at the entrance and listen to what they have to say. “Why are you all being so rude!” I hear Mason shout but I can tell he is still trying to keep his voice low so I don’t hear. “I don’t know what you are talking Mason. We are just asking her questions to show our involvement?” Debbie tried to act innocent. That’s when I hear Jaz but in “we are just trying to look at for our baby brother Mase. Come on she is not famous, she doesn’t have a high end job. She is nothing really special Mase are you really trying to tell me she is with you just for love? Like your job and lifestyle had no factor in her getting with you. Come on Mase, you are blind when it comes to love, you cannot generally believe she loves you for you, come on look at this from our side”. Mason doesn’t reply and that’s my queue to come back inside. Its awkward for the rest of the dinner, and not much more is said.

On the way home me and Mason are sat in silence and all that could be heard is the small sound of the radio playing. I look over at Mason “they hate me don’t they?”

“They don’t hate you they just haven’t been given the chance to know you. They are just protective of me that’s all”.

I look at Mason as I know he is just truing to play devils advocate but still “Mason I heard what they said. They don’t want us together.” With this Mason pulled over at the side of the road and took his hand in mine. “Well I want us together and that’s all that matters” and he places a small loving kiss to my lips. I can feel myself smiling into this kiss, I love how he is protecting me.

A couple of weeks have passed since that lunch, Mason has been a little distant but I put it down to us both being busy. Its date night and Mason arranged for me to come round and agreed he would make dinner. I put some flared trousers on and tucked in a nice top so I was casual but still nice enough for the date. As I walk through the door Mason greets me “that smells amazing” I say as he gives me a kiss. “well I got a surprise for you. I wanted to wait until after dinner but I just couldn’t wait” .

I smile at him and bring him closer “oi oi” I wink provocatively. Mason pulls away and giggles “no not like that. That’s for after dinner” he raises his eyebrows teasing. I follow him into the kitchen and perch on one of the stools at his breakfast bar whilst he stands the other side. “Sooo how do you feel about going to Mykonos?” I look at him in disbelief. I jump across the counter and wrap my arms around him “yes yes yes! I would love to go”. Mason leans down and places his lips onto mine. I have never been so excited, going to Mykonos with the love of my life. Life couldn’t get better.

I was on cloud 9 for weeks after that, starting holiday prepping and I was on good vibes. That’s when Mason had to break to me that it wasn’t just us 2 going away and that his whole family would be going away with us. I was now dreading it, I know they don’t like me so its going to be completely awkward. I agreed to meet Mason at the airport as I didn’t want to do the silent car ride with his family. As I arrived I see Mason wave over to me, as I make my over he wraps his arms around me “hey baby” he whispers into my ear. “Hey y/n how you doing?” his mum questions and gives me a small hug. “I am good thank you Mrs Mount how are you? I am excited to go away with you all.” I say nervously. She pulls away “oh please call me Debbie we are all excited to get to know you better”. She winks as she walks away, I look at Mason with a confused look he leans down to my ear as he wraps his arms round my side “I told them to go easy on you”. I gave Mason a massive smile knowing I can try and enjoy the holiday.

The first couple of the days are bliss, Mason’s family are making a complete effort and trying to get to know me. I am having a much needed shower before getting ready for dinner, Mason walks into the bathroom “damn you are beautiful” in which he makes me blush “I might have to join you” which he winks and starts to undress. I quickly turn the shower off and get out “Uh uh we got dinner we haven’t got time for this”. Which I feel Mason pout into the kiss. I decide to wear a long white Maxi Co-Ord which the skirt has a slit up the side showing leg. I look in the mirror and make the final touches to my hair. I feel Mason wrap his arms around my waist “you are the most beautiful girl in the world” I watch in the mirror as he places small open kiss to my neck, I feel myself relax into him as I left out a small moan in response to the kisses. “I’m the luckiest girl in the world” I rely turning around and continue to kiss Mason’s lips. I pull away a let out a small giggle as my lipstick is now smudged over his lips, I use my thumb to wipe it off. “I love you, you know that” I respond. Mason then kisses me again “I love you more”.

We start to walk down the street towards the restaurant for dinner, Mason and I are walking in front of everyone hand in hand. I hear a snap and then Lewis shouts over “you two are so cute!” I can feel myself blush as he shows me the picture he took. “That’s so cute, send that to me!” which Lewis nods in agreement.

We sit down for dinner which overlooks the sea, it looks incredible and looking over at other tables the food looks like its to die for. We are all chatting away when a women walks over to our table, she is wear a tiny mini dress and looks drop dead gorgeous. She looks incredible, she looks like a Victoria secret model, I feel like I have seen her before but I cannot place it.

Tony stands straight up and brings her into a tight hug “Rebecca darling how are you doing?!” I watch as her face lights up as they engage in small conversation and Debbie hugs her and goes to get another chair. I look at Mason and his face drops “who is that?” I ask but he doesn’t respond. The girl now speaks “I am so sorry I am late guys its been one hell of a travel over here, one of my shoots overran so I missed the flight with you guys, then my next flight was cancelled, then they thought I lost my luggage it was such a hell of a ride but I am glad I am here now”. I watch as Debbie reaches over and rubs her wrist. Who is this woman?

Debbie is next to speak “So Becks where are you staying?” I watch as the woman takes a sip of her drink she ordered moments ago. “Oh Debs don’t even get me started! When I arrived at my hotel they said they don’t even have my booking. I guess I wasn’t the best at arranging these, I use to leave that all upto him”. Which they all laugh at, well apart from Mason. I am still looking around confused. “Well we have a spare room in the villa you are more then welcome to stay. I am sure everyone won’t mind one more” Debbie says and looks around for conformation. Jaz then speaks up “it would be amazing for you to stay. We have so much to catch up on”. I look over at Mason who is shooting looks at Lewis which Lewis shrugs in response. I look over at Mason and ask again “Mase who is that?” but again I am met with no response.

Mason is totally quiet over dinner and chit chat is all turned towards that Rebecca, I quickly escort myself to the toilet and once there I google her name which the first news article that came up “Rebecca Green spotted first time since break up with Man United’s Mason Mount” I feel my heart drop. I knew I saw her sometime. She is Mason’s ex. Why is she here? I feel a lump in my throat rising I need to speak to Mason.

Once dinner is finished we all take a walk back to the villa, its not as loving as it was when we were walking to dinner. Everytime I tried to link hands with Mason he would pull away but then give me a loving smile at the same time so my heads is confused. When we arrived everyone agreed that it was late and everyone was going to their respective room. Mason turned to me “I will be up soon I need to have a quick conversation.” I go to kiss him but he turns his head so I only get his cheek, I nod in agreement and then make my way upto our room, I thought I would have a quick bath and by the time I am out Mason should be out, he will probably just ask his parents what they are playing at inviting Rebecca, I have nothing to worry about I keep trying to tell myself. Once I am out the bath Mason is still not up, I look at the time and its been a couple of hours, I didn’t even realise the time as I was engrossed in the book I was reading. I wrap a towel around me, I go to look on the balcony and the side makes me feel sick. Its Mason and Rebecca sat on the table by the fire laughing away. I try to think nothing of it and get into bed hoping Mason will be back soon.

I am woken by the sound of Mason stumbling into the room, he quickly strips and throws himself into bed. “What time is it?” I ask Mason rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Mason turns his body to me “1ish I think sorry we just got into catching up and didn’t realise the time” Mason pouts and gives me puppy eyes. “don’t be angry at me babyyyyy” he wines. “how can I stay mad at you” I respond giving Mason a little kiss but at the same time my heart still hurting.

I am debating to have the conversation now or in the morning but then I just blurt out “What is she doing her Mase?” I ask sheepishly hoping not to cause an argument. Mason wraps me up “Sorry I really didn’t know she was coming” I nod, it sounds like there is a little bit of a lie in that but right now I am not here to fight. “Don’t you think it will be a little awkward with your ex and your current girlfriend being on the same holiday with you?”

“Only if we make it awkward” in which Mason is quick to reply. I start to kiss Mason as I push my body into his. I pull away and look into his eyes “I was hoping to finish off what we couldn’t earlier in the shower” which I shoot him a wink as I start to kiss his neck. Mason pushes me away “I am knackered baby, its been a long day and I have had a lot to drink. But if you are lucky maybe you will wake up to something jabbing your bum in the morning” which he shoots me a wink. I roll my eyes at his response “how romantic” I giggle and then Mason turns me around as he spoons me and sleeps overwhelms us both.

As I open my eyes I suddenly feel the lack of presence of Masons strong arms around me, I quickly stretch then realise he is not next to me in bed. He cannot have one day off from the gym I thought. I got up and put a bikini on and throw on a dress to cover up as I make my way downstairs. Its quiet and only Lewis is sitting by the pool, I sit next to him. “Where is everyone?” I ask. “Mason and Rebecca are at the gym and the others are by the beach. I told Mason sod the gym in this heat” which we both giggle. “You know that he must be a mad man” I quickly respond trying to hide the twinge of guilt I have.

I didn’t see Mason for the rest of the day, his family are basically acting like I am not there and the only one who is acknowledging me is Lewis. I feel like shit and I just want to go home. I quickly ring my friend Hannah as I sat on the bed. “Hey girlllll! Hows the holiday with lover boy? I am totally jealous and totally hate you right now!” she basically squeals. “Its going alright” I reply looking down trying to hold the tears in. I can see her looking at me trying to figure out whats happened. “Y/N you are literally in Mykonos with The Mason Mount and you are not happy right now whats happened?” as I am explaining everything to her and I can feel the tears running down my face as she tries to reassure me that Mason loves me. I can hear Mason coming back into the villa so I explain to Hannah I gotta go which she understands and we both say our goodbye. I wipe my tears away waiting for Mason to come into the bedroom but nothing is happening. I start scrolling on my phone and I see Mason is tagged on a post:

Rebecca_Green Posted:

The Best Days With You ❤️

I feel myself wanting to be sick as the lump in my throat is formed. At this point Mason now decides to walk into the bedroom. He quickly sees my upset demeanour and runs straight over to me “baby whats wrong?” he asks as he wipes my tears away with his thumb. I show Mason the insta post “you literally went on a date with your ex girlfriend whilst I have been stuck here all day with your family who hate me and haven’t even spoken a word to me! Come on Mason she is wearing your shirt for fucks sake!” I am shouting now as I point at the picture, Mason steps back as he hasn’t been prepared for this argument. “I told her not to post anything!” I get up looking at Mason. “That’s you reply! That you told her not to post anything! So you are not denying you went on a date with her!” I can see Mason started to get fired up and I know he really doesn’t want to right now. “It wasn’t a date, okay, we had a lot to talk about so we did that, I am allowed to have a conversation with her. Also if you want my family to speak to you why not try and put more of an effort into it and they might actually start talking to you” he fired back. I can feel the tears rolling down my face as I leave the bedroom not wanting to ignite the fire more.

As I make my way downstairs the villa is empty and its just Rebecca sitting on her own on the decking. I build up the bravery and I go and sit opposite her. “hey we haven’t had a chance to introduce myself I am y/n” she looks up at me and smiles. “hey y/n! I am Rebecca. So how do you know the Mounts? Are you friend of Lewis’s or Jaz’s?” I look at her confused. Mason didn’t tell her who I am. “I am Mason’s girlfriend” I blurt out with authority. She looks at me with wide eyes like she is shocked at my reply. “I am sorry I didn’t realise Mase had a girlfriend I am so sorry for hogging him since we have been here. We have had so much to speak about” .

“Yeah he said” I scoffed as I replied. She continues to look at me. “I am sorry I am just so shocked that Mase has a girlfriend. He brought me the ticket for this holiday ages ago but then obviously we hadn’t spoken after the breakup, and then Debbie messaged me saying to still come. I wouldn’t think she would do that if you guys were in a relationship and then Mason had to buy another ticket for you”.

I can feel my heart breaking at every word said “I paid for myself I didn’t want anyone thinking I was here for Mason’s money, but also his family are not my biggest fan so that’s probably why they invited you”.

She gives me a smile that I can tell from her eyes is totally fake “sorry I cannot relate on that one! His family have always loved me!” she giggles. I feel the hatred towards her already, and I don’t know why I thought coming down here would make me feel better, if anything it has made me feel worse. I escort myself back to our bedroom which Mason has already disappeared from. I collapse against the door and let my tears fall.

Mason’s POV

I spot Lewis from across the villa “Lew where is she?” Lewis looks at me confused which right now I am not in the mood for this conversation. “Where is who?” I can tell he generally doesn’t have a clue who I am talking about. “Y/n.. we had a kinda fight last night and I left her to cool down but when I came back this morning she was gone all of her stuff is gone and she won’t answer the phone. I am worried about her Lew whats happened?”

Lewis let out a big sigh “I don’t know where she went mate. We had a chat last night as she was pretty upset and you weren’t around”. I am shocked at this, why would you speak to Lewis and not me. “What was said?”

“She was upset about the post that Rebecca put up and I don’t blame her bro it didn’t look good”

“It was nothing like you think Lew. I promise look the one where I was asleep on the beach she said she was going to take a walk and then I fell asleep on the beach I didn’t even know she was next to me. The one she took in the shadow I didn’t even know she was taking the photo I was looking down at my phone. And then one with her on the beach, she asked me to take for her insta.”

“She has your shirt on tho, it does look bad Mason?”

“She didn’t have anything to cover up with, she said she was getting burnt what was I supposed to say no and let her burn?”

“I think y/n’s reply to that would be yes” in which Lewis laugh “she then said she spoke to Rebecca, apparently Rebecca was saying about how you never mentioned that y/n was your girlfriend and how mum invited Rebecca on the holiday as you had already paid for the ticket”. I cannot keep my expression straight, I am now fuming.

“That’s bullshit Lewis! Come on you know that is! You had to of told her that!”

“I didn’t say anything Mase, I don’t know the truth I don’t even know why Rebecca is here so I just listened to her have her rant. Kind of like what I am doing for you now”.

“I told Rebecca that y/n is my girlfriend. That was the first thing she asked me when she arrived was who she was and I told her straight away I was taken. I went to the gym yesterday morning and she just invited herself, and she did the same on the beach. I wanted to speak to her and ask her why she was here. Mum never invited her, she just had the ticket and thought ‘fuck it’ and thought she could come out and I don’t know, rekindle the relationship or something. She is possessive that’s the whole reason we broke up in the first place. Mum just asked her to stay to be polite as she had no where to stay. You know mum always liked her so I think she was just trying to be nice.”

“Oh right, yeah that came up too. Rebecca said about how our family loved her and then y/n said about how much we hated her apparently. I told her we don’t hate her, its just that we are protective of you as you are the baby of the family that’s all. But I know I have got to know her a lot more during the holiday and she is actually a lovely girl and I am sure the rest of the family agree.”

“I told her that!” Then I realise what I actually said “Well actually I snapped at her, and told her if she makes more of an effort then maybe you guys would like her”.

Lewis rolls his eyes and scoffs “Wow that’s nice!” he said sarcastically.

“I didn’t mean it, I let Rebecca get into my head. We always used to argue as she always thought I was cheating and that argument with y/n brought back memories and I just snapped. I didn’t mean anything I said to her I just got angry. I wanted to explain everything this morning but when I got into our bedroom she was gone. Do you think she has gone home?”

“Maybe.. if I were her Mase, I would already be on the next flight home so she is probably doing the same.”

I feel my chest drop as deep down I know Lewis was right. I didn’t want to leave my family as it’s the first time in ages that I have seen them. I spend the next couple of days fighting with my head and heart. I kept trying to call and text you but you continue to read everything that I write and just not reply.

We are sat over dinner with everyone, I told Rebecca to go home after everything I couldn’t cope with her being here, she caused all of this. As soon as she realised it would never be me and her again she couldn’t wait to leave. I told my family everything yesterday as I was moping around and they couldn’t stand my attitude apparently. My dad turned to me as we were eating “why are you still here? The longer you leave it the longer she has to think about all your flaws” that makes everyone giggle.

“You guys didn’t like her anyway” I was quick to respond. Mum give me a sympathetic look, “Mase its our duty to protect you. No girl will ever be good enough for you. Yes I agree we probably didn’t give her the nicest start and we apologise for that. But with your job and fame there are going to be girls who just use you to be apart of that, its our job to filter them out. From this holiday we can tell that she loves you for you Mason and that’s all we want so she has our approval.” My heart melts at hearing that all I wanted was for my family to like you, as I generally think I am proper falling for you. My mum continues “also Rebecca told me when she was leaving, that y/n told her that she paid for her part of the holiday, so you paid for everyone apart from that poor poor girl and she only stayed for half the holiday. I suggest when you get home you give her a one hell of a sorry”.

“In my defence I did offer to pay, she insisted on paying as she didn’t want you guys to think she was using my money.”

“Well then I suggest you go home and make it right Mase. You can see us anytime go home to her”. I have heard all I need to.

I got on the next flight home, it was the longest hours of my life. All I can think about is you, what are you going to think? Are you going to take me back?

Readers POV

Its been a long couple of days, I have unpacked all my holiday stuff, half of it unworn which brings tears to my eyes. It was childish that I left without a trace but I couldn’t be there, its clear that Mason wants Rebecca, why wouldn’t he, she is stunning and I am just little old me.

I am just starting to cook dinner whilst I have my tunes in the background. I am dancing around when I hear a knock at my door. I quickly open it and I am shocked to see Mason standing there, suitcase and all in trail. I am speechless, out of anyone who could be at my door I did not expect him. “W-What are you doing here?”

Mason looks tired from all the travelling “I have a lot of explaining to do. Please 5 mins that’s all I am asking for”. I nod and let him inside, he came back from the holiday early and clearly come straight from the airport the least I can do is let him explain.

“I-If I knew you were coming I would of changed?” I quickly look down at my stained PJs, messy bun and glasses. Mason shakes his head as he takes a seat in my living room “I think you still look unreal” I blush at the compliment. “So explain” I say joining him on the sofa.

“It isn’t what you think okay, Rebecca twisted it all. Let me start from the beginning, so firstly-“

“I know Lewis told me”

“He did”

“Yeah yesterday. He said you had a conversation with him and cleared it all out. He said he wanted me know now as he didn’t want me waiting days and hating you more and more each day. He said that he liked me, and he said that he could see that I meant a lot to you so wanted to make things right.”

“Well he kind of ruined my whole speech that I wrote on the plane” he giggles “but I am glad he told you. I couldn’t stand the thought of you hating me.”

“I could never hate you Mase. I love you. I love you more then I have ever loved someone before. But at the same time you hurt me. Especially when you said ‘if I wanted your parents to like me then I need to make more of an effort’ because I spend all that time on holiday trying to get them to like me and that didn’t work.”

“It did, why do you think I am here. They told me to go fight for you because they can tell you are a lovely girl and wanted to see where this relationship could go. I am sorry for how I acted, but I promise you y/n even if my family didn’t approve I don’t care. I want you and only you. Nothing will ever change my mind”.

My heart melts and I jump across the sofa and wrap my arms around Mason. The kiss was passionate and needy. I straddle his hips as we deepen the kiss. “you have a lot of making up to do.” Mason gives me a suggestive smile. “Don’t worry I kinda thought so. Tomorrow we have date night but tonight I will make it up to you in another way”. Mason picks me up as my legs wrap around his waist as we continue the kiss as we make our way to the bedroom. I am in for a night of apologises and I have absolutely no objections.

#angst #fluff and angst #football #footballer imagine #footballer x reader #footballer imagines #footballer x you #manchester united #mason mount #mason mount x reader #mason mount imagine #mason mount fanfic

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saphronethaleph · 11 months ago

Text

The Rest, is Awkward Silence

"Now cracks a noble heart," Horatio said, his arms holding Hamlet as Denmark's prince slowly slipped away. "Good night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

He slowly let his dear friend go, then turned to see as two men entered the chamber.

"...what am I seeing?" asked Fortinbras, the crown prince of Norway. "What was it you were saying?"

"I was offering a lament for my friend, Hamlet," Horatio explained.

"Right," the other man said – the English ambassador, if Horatio recalled right. "And not for the… hold on… three other corpses in the room?"

"It has been…" Horatio began, then paused. "...a day."

"Then explain, please," Fortinbras asked. "Because I hesitate to hear what could have caused this to happen."

"Well," Horatio said. "To give you the very brief summary… Hamlet is dead because he was stabbed by Laertes with a poisoned sword."

"Who's Laertes?" the ambassador asked.

Horatio pointed. "That's him over there. He was also stabbed, by Hamlet, with the same poisoned sword."

"Right," Fortinbras said. "And… how exactly did that happen?"

"Well, the poisoned sword was given to him by Claudius, I think," Horatio explained. "Who's also dead. Over there."

"Oh, that's a shame," the ambassador muttered. "I was coming here to tell him that his instructions were fulfilled – Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead."

Fortinbras blinked, glancing at the ambassador. "Seriously?"

"King Claudius asked us to, and I was hoping that England would be rewarded for it," the ambassador mumbled. "They delivered a letter that said, please kill whoever is carrying this letter."

"That's a letter Hamlet was supposed to deliver to you," Horatio informed him. "But Hamlet worked out what was going on, and he swapped the letters around."

Fortinbras was starting to look a bit overwhelmed.

"So… I've still got some questions," he admitted. "Firstly, what about that lady over there?"

"That's Queen Gertrude!" the ambassador gasped. "Did she get stabbed by a poisoned sword, too?"

"No, this time it was wine," Horatio answered. "Claudius offered it to Hamlet, who refused, and then the Queen drank it… and, that was poisoned too. That's half of how Hamlet killed Claudius, and I offered to drink the wine as well to follow my friend. But he told me that someone had to be around to explain what had happened."

Fortinbras and the ambassador exchanged glances.

"...I'm not sure you're doing a very good job, but you are doing it," the prince conceded. "So why did all these people want one another dead?"

"I don't think anyone wanted the Queen dead," Horatio said, counting on his fingers. "She drank the wine by mistake, I think. Claudius wanted Hamlet dead because Hamlet had worked out that Claudius assassinated King Hamlet with poison in the ear."

"Oh, this isn't getting better, is it?" Fortinbras muttered. "That explains why Prince Hamlet wanted Claudius dead, I suppose… but it was Laertes who killed Hamlet, wasn't it? And how on earth did they both get stabbed with the same sword?"

"They were in a duel," Horatio explained. "Laertes knew the sword was poisoned… yes, he must have done, from what he said before he died."

The ambassador groaned.

"I'm going to regret asking this," he said. "But why were they in a duel?"

"Laertes blamed Hamlet for the deaths of his sister and father," Horatio admitted, somewhat reluctantly.

"Horatio," Fortinbras said, almost gently. "I know you're in mourning for your friend, but… I'm standing in a room with two people Hamlet killed, and he sent two more of them to be executed by the English king. At this point I'm expecting Laertes to be right."

Horatio looked uncomfortable.

"He didn't kill Ophelia?" he tried. "Though he did insult her, tell her she was a whore, and run off after killing Polonius. So she committed suicide."

Seeing the expressions on the other two men, he waved his hands. "He didn't mean it! He was pretending to be insane."

"Pretending?" the ambassador repeated.

"All right, what about Polonius?" Fortinbras asked. "I dread to think… from context, that must be the father of Laertes."

Horatio looked embarrassed.

"Hamlet stabbed him through the arras," he said.

The ambassador winced.

"Sounds painful," he said.

"An arras is a tapestry hanging," Fortinbras pointed out. "But… all right, why?"

"Polonius was spying on him," Horatio explained. "Hamlet may have thought that Polonius was Claudius."

Fortinbras sighed, rubbing his temples.

"As God is my witness, I'm not sure I want to win the election for this place," he said. "But I think I've got the best legal claim."

He paused.

"So… how exactly did you find out that Claudius killed King Hamlet?" he asked. "I've not heard any such thing, but you sound very sure."

"...Hamlet saw a ghost," Horatio said. "And I'll admit, that sounds bad. But he did a test to prove it! He wrote a play."

Fortinbras groaned.

"Didn't you say you were offering a lament for your friend?" he said.

"It was very meaningful," Horatio defended himself. "I said, may hosts of angels sing you to your sleep."

Fortinbras and the ambassador blinked.

"Isn't he directly responsible for the deaths of about six people?" the ambassador asked, somewhat hesitantly. "I'm not sure if you have a different theology here in Denmark, but I wouldn't exactly expect angels to be involved…"

#hamlet #william shakespeare

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wileycap · 4 months ago

Text

Vi's journey broke my fucking heart and I do not see anyone talking about it, so I will.

The Writing In Arcane Was Very Good, Actually (SPOILERS)

The core of her character is that Vi lets herself be hurt. Again and again, and she asks nothing for herself. In S1E2 when she's talking to Vander, she says "I grew up knowing I'm less than them, that my place is down here. I want Powder to have more than that, and I'm willing to fight for it."

Not "I want more than that." She says "I grew up knowing I'm less" and even then, she's already accepted it. It's fine if it happens to her.

When Jinx blows up the council, again it's "I can do this alone, nobody else has to get hurt." She doesn't want the badge, but she takes it anyways because if she doesn't, Caitlyn will be hurt. So it's fine if it's her principles that get tossed out. It's fine if it happens to her.

When Caitlyn hurts her, again - she directs all the harm at herself. She doesn't grab Cait and beat the shit out of her for hurting her. She goes and becomes a pit fighting alcoholic so that she can keep the pain where it belongs, with her. It's fine if it happens to her.

And then... Jinx comes to get her, and they get Vander. She gets to see Jinx be a big sister, try to carry more so that Isha could carry less. And she sees Jinx lose what she lost. (I want you to hurt like you hurt me today and I want you to lose like I lose when I play.)

She tries to help Jinx again and she gets hit with another betrayal. Except this time... Jinx wants to make the same choice Vi always makes. "You don't need to feel guilty about being happy. You deserve to be with her." She's no longer judging Vi or resenting her, because after Isha, how could she? She understands Vi. She understands her too well.

When she's completely broken down, Caitlyn comes in. And Caitlyn isn't upset or angry, no, Caitlyn knew she'd go to her sister and planned for it. Caitlyn accepted her and her need and put aside her own need for revenge.

This is followed by the best sex scene I've ever seen. Now, you have to understand that sex scenes make me uncomfortable, so this is like, high praise from me.

Vi expects to be punished. "Say it. 'I told you so.'" She is literally imprisoned by her mind (wow, filmmaking 101!). And she expects to be taken out of there, to be put back into the fight (like the first time Cait set her free) so she can be hurt and be useful.

And instead, Caitlyn opens the door and steps inside. Into Vi's prison ("Walls of self-doubt and accepted limitation.") To give her understanding and love and most importantly, time. They have more important things to do. There's an invasion coming. And still, Caitlyn puts Vi first.

And Vi lets her. She initiates it, she leans into the comfort and intimacy being offered. It's actually beautiful.

(And then Jinx comes back to help, too, - healing that wound - and even though she loses her again... she can allow herself to move on and be happy. Like she never could before.)

(And we know Jinx survives, but she leaves because yes, sometimes you have to walk away. Sometimes meaningful healing can't happen if you're stuck in the same situation.)

(And Caitlyn figures it out, but doesn't tell anyone. She learned how to forgive and move on, and she's letting Vi do the same.)

"You've got a good heart. Don't ever lose it, no matter how the world tries to break you."

She didn't.

#the writing in this show is really something else.#the themes of forgiveness and healing are powerfully communicated #and made more poignant by so many people not getting happy endings and nobody getting a perfectly happy ending #they all have loss and trauma that they need to move on from and needs they need to acknowledge and AH.#arcane #arcane spoilers #arcane season 2 spoilers #arcane vi #arcane caitlyn #arcane jinx #caitvi #piltover's finest

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rekino2114 · 19 days ago

Note

Can you do fluff prompt 11 with fem!rin and fem!sae taking care of a sick m!reader

Fem!rin and fem!sae taking care of you when you're sick

A/n:I did good to save this request because now I'm slightly sick and always like to make posts like this when I'm sick

Prompts list

Fem!rin itoshi

While rin may not always openly show it you're the most important person in her life and she loves you a lot

So she noticed that you were sick even before you did, if you coughed or yawned more than usual, if your temperature was a bit colder or hotter, she took notice of all of those details and mentioned them to you saying that you should probably see a doctor

When you got fully sick she was the first to put you to bed with a small "I told you so" even if she doesn't show it she's actually pretty worried about you

Rin basically acts as your personal nurse while you're sick, giving you medicine, making food for you (yes, she spoonfeeds you even if reluctantly and she's actually pretty good at cooking) and not letting you leave the bed until you're fully healthy again

She doesn't let anyone else even touch you, not because she's worried that they get sick too she couldn't care less but because she wants to be the only one to take care of you

One thing she won't do is cuddle both because she's super embarrassed about it and because she doesn't want to get sick too, you'll stay near each other and watch horror movies or football matches though

[Rin walks in your room with a bag in her hands, her gaze softening once she looks at you]

"Oh *cough* hey rin"

"Hi"

[She sits next to you and pulls out medicine from the bag]

"I brought medicine, the pharmacist told me you have to take this 3 times a day"

"Really? But it's so bitter"

"Don't be a baby"

"......ok sorry"

[You drink the medicine trying not to gag when you open your eyes you're met with rin holding your favorite sweet drink out to you]

"H-huh? What's that?"

"Your favorite, I know the medicine's bitter so I got you this to help"

".........wow thanks so much"

"It's nothing, I also brought takeout so you can eat on the bed and pillows if you feel uncomfortable"

".....I love you so much rin i swear You're the best girlfriend ever"

"Don't say corny stuff like that, I'm just doing what every good girlfriend should"

[You smile widely at her as she blushes]

"A-and I love you too"

Fem!sae itoshi

Like rin sae is also really good at noticing whenever anything about you is even slightly off but unlike her sister the moment she sees the first sign of illness she's immediately bringing you ti an hospital just to be safe

She's just really worried about you and the last thing she wants to happen is for you to get seriously sick so she'll get the best doctor in all of Spain if necessary

Just tell her anything you need, and she'll do it for you. You're feeling uncomfortable? She brings you all of the blankets and pillows in the house you're hungry? She'll either just order takeout or cook you something so you don't even have to worry about getting up you're feeling hot or cold? The house has a/c exactly for that reason

She really doesn't want to leave you alone so if she has any matches she'll just tell her agent that she won't play and hang up the phone on his face she doesn't care what she has to do or what are the consequences she will stay near her boyfriend if it's the last thing she does

She's actually really cuddly even when you're sick she doesn't care if she gets sick she just really wants to comfort and cuddle you while you're in pain

"S-sae what are you doing?"

"Hugging you, isn’t it obvious?"

"Yeah, but I'm sick don't you care about getting ill too?"

"No"

"......really?"

"You're my boyfriend y/n, you're way more important than me getting sick"

[You sigh but hug her back as you two fall on the bed]

"Am I comfortable enough?"

"You always are"

"I'm glad"

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rs-hawk · 1 year ago

Note

Another version of Bestie’s Werewolf Brother where you two have fallen out of contact for years and when he finds out you’re having a baby with someone else because you start being friends with his sister again and he gets really possessive and starts stalking you again. He finds out you’re a single mom and suddenly he realizes he just wants a baby with you even if it’s not his pup 🥺❣️Mostly fluff plz but I’d love some smut too

Not you bringing out this trope when I literally posted it’s my fave. Lol. No smut all fluff but I might do more with this if y’all like it 🥰

When you got pregnant your boyfriend acted like he was happy. He lavished you in compliments and told everyone how excited he was to be starting a family with you. Your childhood bestie and you even reconnected, her excited about baby names and planning your baby shower. It’s like you picked up right where you left off.

When you ask about her brother, she’s obviously uncomfortable. She comes up with all kinds of excuses about why he doesn’t want to talk to you, or why he seemed to have just vanished off social media recently. You can’t help but feeling hurt but you keep it to yourself.

When you catch your boyfriend cheating on you, you end up packing up all your stuff in a night and moving back in with your parents. It sucks. You can’t help but feel like a failure. You start going for walks more at the local park, just trying anything to keep your mind off your predicament.

“Hey,” you heard a familiar voice say from behind you.

You didn’t know that he had already been stalking you for months. Ever since he found out you were pregnant. He thought he could get past it, get past you, but hearing that you had been with someone else drove him crazy. He wanted to be angry with you. To hate you, even, and that other man’s baby, but the longer he stalked you, the more he realized how much he missed you. How he just wanted to be around you again.

“Hi,” you said as you turned around, awkwardly holding your arms in front of your stomach. You knew he knew, but you couldn’t help but wish this wasn’t the first time he was seeing you after all these years.

“It looks like you’re doing well.”

You shrugged, moving your arms and shoving your hands in your pockets. “I guess.”

“My sister said you’re… getting engaged,” he managed to get out without growling.

“We were, but some stuff happened. I’m living back at home until I can find a place.”

He knew he shouldn’t be happy, but he was. After that, he started offering to help you with everything. Need someone to drive you to an OBGYN appointment? Needed help putting the bassinet together? Couldn’t figure out which kind of car seat to get? He was always there and offering to help.

You were surprised, pleasantly so. You’d never thought much about it, but you didn’t think that he would be so involved in your pregnancy when 1) you weren’t dating and 2) it wasn’t his baby. As the weeks passed, he started asking to touch your stomach when he saw movement. He came to your parents’ house all hours of the day if you even hinted that you wanted to see him or if you wanted something.

When you went into labor, your mother took you, much to his disappointment. He came to visit you of course, but he seemed a little off when he came in. His head was down, and he wasn’t nearly as imposing as he normally was, especially considering he was mostly shifted. Then a nurse came back in with the baby after giving a bath.

“Oh! Here’s Dad,” she smiled as she placed the small bundle in his arms, though she did admittedly look a little uneasy.

You started to correct her, but he just started at the little one in his arms with wide eyes. You’d never seen him be so gentle. His ears were perked up, and you couldn’t help but notice his tail started to wag. He shushed you mid-sentence as you tried telling the nurse he wasn’t the dad.

“Human babies are so tiny,” he whispered, rocking the baby in his arms.

The nurse looked between you before slipping out. He stayed almost the entire time you were in the hospital. Even your parents left more often than him. While he was attentive to you, he was even more attentive to the baby. Asking the nurses to show him how to swaddle. Reading up on when human babies can eat solid food (because it’s just a couple months for pups).

He’s the one that took you home. Your parents are excited when they see his car pull up and you’re admittedly a little confused. When you get inside, you see that he took it upon himself to baby proof everything. He put together an entire nursery when you were just going to have the baby sleep in your room in the bassinet. He even sprung to get a crib since he had read online that infants can only be in bassinets for a few months.

That’s when you realize that he really is the best for you. He’s always been the best for you, and he’s the best for your baby too. The baby fell asleep in his arms before he settled the tiny bundle into the crib. Tears pricked your eyes as you wrapped your arms around his back, burying your face in his shoulder.

“You’ll stay, right?”

A low rumble in his chest vibrated your body when he spun around, grabbing you up in his arms. “I’ll never leave again.”

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fanfics-i-find-here · 1 month ago

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Do I Know You? Part 14

Synopsis: Girls day out

Notes: I am slowly trickling a kind of backstory for reader. I promise it’ll make sense later. Anyways Enjoy one more chapter of Cass and Steph (plus a sprinkle of Tim).

Masterlist

You wake the next morning with a shiver and the sounds of morning traffic, the warmest spot on your body is where Steph is pressed against you. You’re quick to notice that Cass is gone, and you assume to the bathroom. You stare at the coffee table for a moment, trying to blink the sleep from your eyes, before deciding to get up and make some breakfast for your visitors. You carefully shift Steph, laying her down on the couch. You stretch with a quiet groan. Sleeping and sitting up already wasn’t good, doing so with an already hurt back was even worse. You pause in your stretch, holding still as a lightheadedness hits you. Once it passes the start of your headache returns, but it feels milder than before. Some more pain meds would be your first line of business.

You shuffle quietly into the kitchen and start pulling out ingredients for pancakes, Pans and bowls follow. You move slowly and quietly, not wanting to wake Steph. As you pull the spices from the cabinet next to your stove, you hear the squeak of your window opening. You’re startled, wondering if Red Hood had decided to come visit in the daylight of morning while you had two visitors. You turn to face the living room to find Cass climbing in, decked out in her jacket and boots. She pulls her hood down and unzips her jacket, settling it on a chair in the dining room. She finally looks up to meet your confused eyes with a soft smile.

“Good morning,” She sits on one of the stools at the island and tilts her head in question when you don’t respond.

“Girl, it is freezing outside. What are you doing?” You question moving back to prepping your ingredients for pancakes. Her smile widens.

“The sunrise.” You want to argue that you can’t really see the sunrise from your apartment but you just shrug, still tired. A peaceful silence overtakes you, only interrupted by Steph occasionally mumbling in her sleep. You think about last night and all that you learned about their family. You have more questions.

“Can I ask you a question, Cass?” you ask as you measure out the flour. You see her nod and lean forward on the island.

“Are you and Jason close?” You have a thousand other questions, but Jason was at the top of them.

“It’s complicated,” she says quietly. You wonder what goes on in this family that not one but at least two of the siblings are saying relationships with family are complicated. Cass doesn’t seem uncomfortable about the topic, just slightly saddened.

“Can I ask why?” you mix all the ingredients, putting things away once you’re done with them.

“We believe differently, don’t see eye to eye on everything. It causes a divide between us sometimes. He’s still my brother though.” You nod in understanding as you turn to pour batter into a pan.

“That makes sense. My sister and I are like that sometimes. I think it’s part of having siblings.”

“Are?” You turn to face Cass. Her head is tilted, and a confused look is on her features. You’re still at the question, wondering if Cass knows more about you than you had told anyone in Gotham, including Jason. You stare at her for a moment and you’re about to ask her what she means when Steph’s voice rings through the air.

“Is something burning?” Your eyes widen and you’re quick to turn to the stove, smoke emanating from the pancake that never got flipped. You didn’t try to save it, throwing it right in the trash. You lower the heat and try again. You want to ask Cass what she meant but Steph had already dragged her into a conversation about shopping, so you focus on the pancakes. When you come back to your senses it’s because you realize Steph had asked a question.

“Will you?”

“What?” Steph gives you a teasing smile.

“Will you go shopping with us?” You feel your heart drop. You want to say yes, you really do, but you don’t think you’re ready to go outside. In fact, you don’t think you will ever be ready to go outside. Between Jason and the girls, your apartment has become a very safe space. Cass must sense your hesitance. Her hand settles on the island as close to you as possible.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.” The look in her eye reminds you of Jason again, impossibly knowing and full of understanding. They may be adopted but they were definitely siblings. You shake your head.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just,” you pause unsure if you’re ready to say something out loud that you hadn’t even told Jason (You're sure he knows anyway). You suck in a deep breath, “I am terrified. It’s safe here, not out there”

You drop your gaze on the batter before turning to flip the pancakes. You feel anxious but better at finally admitting how you were feeling. You think you can hear the silent argument happening behind you.

“You can’t stay in your apartment forever,” Cass says.

“Yea, you’ll get lonely,” Steph adds. You can hear the attempt at a playful tone, but it’s smothered in worry. You turn with a few plated pancakes meeting their eyes. The worry in their eyes makes you want to cry. For three years, you had lived in Gotham, and you had been alone. It was only in the last year that your shifts lined up with Darla’s and she had become a semblance of a friend. And now, standing in front of you were two girls who had happily forced their way into your apartment so you wouldn’t be alone and, of course, Jason.

“How could I ever get lonely, with friends like you?” Your voice is weak and wobbly, and you sniffle to stop yourself from crying. Steph practically sprints around the island and tackles you into a hug. She pets your hair like she had before, this time you were actually close to an inconsolable child.

“You’re so right, what were we thinking? You can stay in your apartment forever. I’ll visit you all the time and bring you groceries and whatever you need. Or we can, like, shrink you down and keep you in a jar and you will still be safe, but you could see the outside world still. I think that’s a good plan, then I can really hog you from Jason.” You give a watery laugh, hugging her back, eyes closed. You feel a hand squeeze at your bicep and up to your shoulder. You blindly wrap said arm around Cass’s neck and drag her into the hug.

You’re not too proud to admit you did, in fact, cry. How could you not when these girls were so sweet on you? After what was most likely the longest group hug ever, you pull away. Their smiles are a comfort and it braves you up. With a firm nod, you say, “Let’s go shopping.”

They seem startled by your statement. Cass gives you an imploring look.

“Are you sure?”

You nod, even more sure from her concern, “It’s like you said, I can’t stay here forever. What better way to get on with it than with the two sweetest girls I’ve ever met.”

Steph does a hop and a spin, “This is going to be so much fun!” she squeals, “We can have a runway montage.”

****

You did not have a runway montage. You had all eaten and dressed slowly, no real rush to get out the door. Once everyone was ready, they dragged you down to the nearest subway station, one that you didn’t know about and was within walking distance. There weren’t very many people on the subway, being just before noon on a weekday, but you still felt claustrophobic, jumpy. The girls did a good job of distracting you, so you didn’t have time to panic. A haphazard game of eye spy that led to a debate about whether something was burgundy or maroon. Before you knew it, they were pulling you off the subway and out into the cold winter air. The sun was barely hiding behind some thin clouds and a light breeze blew through the buildings of the Diamond District.

You had never been to the Diamond District, maybe glanced at a few times when Jason would take you for a ride on his bike. To be honest, you didn’t know what to expect. Rows of fancy boutiques lined the street, with fancy suits and fancier dresses. When the girls mentioned shopping, you had assumed something along the lines of thrifting, but you weren’t going to argue this outcome, curiosity getting the better of you. You let them pull you into a nice boutique with a lady, you assumed she must have known them. An easy “Miss. Wayne, Miss. Brown” slipped from her lips when you entered through the door. Despite her polite tone, you don’t miss the second of disdain as she eyes you before her pleasant smile returns. This was definitely not your type of place. Cass pulled you into a dressing area while Steph talked to the woman.

“This place seems pretty baren.” You tell Cass, the walls only covered in a few items.

“That’s because they’re stylists. You tell them what you’re going for and they bring things out to you.” Your brows rise in surprise. This place screamed money, but you were surprised by how neutral the girls seemed about it. It’s not that you wanted to know how much they made in a year, but you were a little curious about where they sat on the tax bracket. Steph skips over to meet you. A smirk grows on her lips when she sees your face.

“It’s a lot, but don’t worry. Nobody will bother us here and we can try on a bunch of clothes. I told her something along the lines of Brunch and high tea, which may be the same thing. I’m still not sure.” You’re pleased at the sentiment of her words. Nobody will bother us here.

You’re easily pulled into a whirlwind of clothes that you're sure cost more than your month's rent. You could see the draw of this whole stylist thing. The woman from before would show periodical and look over the clothes any of you were trying on. She’d pull fabric this way and then disappear to come back with more clothes. She brought you two gorgeous dresses that you liked more than you want to admit. You stepped out into the dressing hall and stepped in front of the mirror. You turned this way and that looking at it. Steph popped out of her room in a glittery number but the moment her eyes landed on you she all but squealed. You met her eye in the mirror, startled before she dragged Cass out of her own room.

You felt self-conscious with the way both looked at you, so you focused on looking at yourself in the mirror. You’d never worn something so flattering before. It hugged in all the right places. Just enough cleavage to look good and a modest slit. Your hands smooth over the waist as you try to catch what the girls were whispering about.

“He’s going to love this,” your brows scrunch at Cass’s words and you turn to look at them.

“What?”

“You look amazing. That dress was made for you.” Steph says. You were starting to realize Steph likes to redirect your questions. You turn to look at the dress in the mirror again.

“I don’t know, I don’t think this red is my color.” Cass comes up behind you with hands-on your shoulder as you meet eyes in the mirror.

“It is,” despite the shortness of the phrase, there's a sternness that you won't argue with. Staph joins you in the mirror.

“You have to get.” You give her a ridiculous look in the mirror.

“First of all, where would I even wear this?” you question because this dress was definitely for something fancy, something you were not a part of, “Second of all, there is no way I could afford this. Playing Dress up has been fun, but I think you’ve gone off the deep end.” You think you’ve made a very valid argument but Steph has a mischievous glimmer in her eye. You look at Cass for support, but you find she has the same look. They were teaming up against you again. You huff off back into your room with an eye roll.

“One more dress, Honey! Pretty please? Then we can go get lunch.” You hear Steph call out. You comply albeit begrudgingly. You pick through the small pile you have left and pull out the pretty floral dress you had eyed before the red. As you change, you wonder who he was they were talking about. Part of the reason the red on the dress threw you off was because the longer you stared at it the more it reminded you of a certain vigilante. One you hadn’t seen in four days. Four days? Had it really only been that long since…

You cut off your own thoughts. Here and now was not the place to think about that. You fiddle with the straps of the dress as you walk out of the room. Cass and Steph sit in their street clothes in chairs waiting for you. You didn’t know it was possible to change that fast, although you're sure just slow, changing still causing a bit of an ache in your back.

“Help,” you say as you drop the straps entirely confused by them.

“Now this is High tea,” Steph says as she picks up one of the straps. She stands and stares at it before waving to Cass to help her. Five minutes later and with help from the attendant lady, you find out that there are four ribbons that made the straps and could be tied however you wanted, bows on the shoulders, as a halter, diagonally across the chest. Any unused ribbon was easily concealed, tucked into the dress. Despite the confusion, you think you might like this dress more than the red one. Skimming just below the knees and evermore flattering. It was nice to be all dressed up after spending the past few days in pajamas. Cass and Steph have that conspiring look again. It’s odd, watching them have a conversation without words. Once they apparently come to a decision, they look at you.

“Gorgeous as always. Lunch?” Steph finally says. You eye them suspiciously, but they look the picture of innocence.

“I don’t trust you two.” You joke and they give you a knowing grin.

You change out of the dress and back into your street clothes. You eye it longingly before leaving them, the idea of lunch becoming more and more appealing. You find the girls at the front counter discussing something with the lady. The girls shush each other once they see you, grinning suspiciously.

“Ready?” Steph asks she wraps her hand around your elbow and drags you out of the store, you barely have time to holler a thank you to the woman for her help.

You end up at a little café in a business area just down the street from the diamond district. It bustling with office workers rushing to get their afternoon coffee pick up. You order the best sandwich you think you have ever had, an idle chatter between the three of you. You're surprised you don’t feel quite as jumpy as you had this morning, despite there being more people in the café than were on the subway. You are more focused on the crowd, eyes scanning like you'll find a face that’s not supposed to be there, one that’s no longer living. During one of your scans, you spot a man on the other side of the café eyeing your table with a smirk. You feel a newly familiar reel of panic seizing your throat. You turn back to the girls hoping your mind is just trying to scare you. Steph is regaling you with a story from when she and Tim had dated.

Your nerves had just started to die down when someone clears their throat next to your table. You tense, hand curling into a fist under the table, nails digging into your skin. Steph glances up but Cass’s eyes are narrowed on you, you feel her foot nudge against your under the table and you have to remind yourself to relax as Steph talks to the man. He’s trying to start up a conversation, presumably to get a number but she talks him down. He leaves peacefully. Your entire body sags and you bury your face in your hands.

“You okay?” Steph asks and you can hear her nails tapping against the counter as she reaches for you. You drop your hands and give them an apologetic smile.

“It’s just nerves. I thought I was fine, but I think the crowds are getting to me.” You admit.

“Then we're done for the day.” Cass asserts, standing up. You easily follow, eager for some fresh air, or at least as fresh as it can be in Gotham.

A few steps out of the Café Steph lets a screech that causes you to flinch.

“Timothy!” You watch Steph skip over to the man who seems just as startled as you feel.

“Oh, Hi,” he says with wide eyes, “What’re you doing here?”

Steph, ever the talker, gives him a rundown of the day. He glances periodically down the street, at you, at Cass, at Steph, at the sky, and nods along to whatever she’s saying. You don’t think he’s listening if only because he looks so tired.

“…and now we’re leaving,” Steph finishes up.

“Sounds like a more exciting day than mine,” He says as his eyes level on you. You stick your cold fingers in the pocket of your jacket.

“I heard what happened, Glad to see you’re okay. Jason was super worried” He says. You shift awkwardly on your feet, still antsy with the crowd.

“Oh, thanks.” You say, though your heart warms because, apparently, Jason has talked with his family about you quite a bit. Although you're less pleased about it being about the incident.

“Hey, can we steal your car?” Cass asks him. Your brows scrunch at the question but Tim just nods.

“I’ll drive you guys. I could use the break from work.” He responds. You finally take in his attire. A nice overcoat opens over a suit with a loosened tie. He starts walking in the direction he had come from.

“I didn’t take you for a businessman,” you admit as you four walk and it was the truth. The first and last time you saw Tim, he was dressed very casually, like Steph had been at the time like they had either just left the gym or were on their way there. Tim glances at you and shrugs.

“It’s not something I try to broadcast. I get enough people breathing down my neck.” He grumbles.

“So, do you do like Data entry or something like that?” You hear Steph laugh and you throw her a questioning look to which she just shakes her head. Tim laughs too with a playful glint.

“Something like that,” He muses, and you suddenly feel left out of an inside joke. You stroll up to a skyscraper with what you think is a W at the top. You're not familiar with this part of Gotham which isn’t surprising, considering you’re not familiar with most of Gotham, but you wonder if its used as a landmark for direction. Turn left at the W building. Tim and Steph easily waltz into the building, past security guards. You falter not because you think you’ll get in trouble but because you feel the same way you had felt at the boutique. That you are wildly out of touch with who your friends might be.

Cass hooks her arm with yours but doesn’t pull. She watches you and once your feet start working again you meet her eyes.

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” She comforts you, patting your arm. You walk into the large lobby and take a moment to glance around. You had never been in a skyscraper building before, having had no reason to, and your wonder is apparent. Cass leads you quietly around men in suits and women in pencil skirts chatting about assignments due by the end of the week. This place was a whole other world. You meet Tim and Steph at the elevators. They give you both a questioning look, no doubt wondering where they had lost you both.

“This very large building,” you state still in shock.

“Wayne Tower,” Cass starts

“Oldest Skyscraper in Gotham,” Steph adds

“Designed by Cyrus Pickney, Funded by Solomon Wayne” Tim Continues.

You stare at them as the elevator dings and you all shuffle in. You continue to Stare at them.

“What?” Tim asks.

“Are you guys an infomercial for the building? What was that?” You playfully jab. They glance at each other before shrugging.

“Bruce.” They say in unison. You're curious about this adoptive father they all share, who apparently has a niche for architecture that he passed on to the kids. But you don’t have the energy to continue the conversation, feeling suddenly drained now that you're not walking through a crowd. The trip to the car in the underground parking garage garners no event. As does the ride to the apartment. You nearly fall asleep in the back seat with Cass had it not been for the pop music that Stephanie insisted on blasting through the speakers. You thanked Tim for the ride, hoping his day would get better and he waves you and the girls off.

You lean on Steph in the Elevator ride up to your apartment. Steph and Cass share a look that you’re not privy to. The moment you're in your apartment, they start to slowly pack up their stuff. You feel a little exposed with the way they could see you. You wanted to ask them to leave because you were ready to be alone if only for a little while and you didn’t want to seem rude. They made it so you didn’t have to worry about any of it.

“We’re going to head out,” Steph says as she pulls you into a gentler hug than you’re used to from her. “If you need anything, text me.”

You smile, “Oh my god, you're like Jason,” you say, remembering the number of times he badgered you about letting him know if you needed him. An offended look crosses her face.

“Don’t ever say that to me ever again,” her face is serious, but you can hear a playful lilt at the edge of her words. Cass is next to hug you. She doesn’t say anything but she does stay there for a while. Whether that’s for you or her, you’re not sure, but you're more than pleased about it. Once she pulls away, she pats your cheek.

“I left my phone number on your fridge,” she says. It’s a simple statement but it shares the same message as Stephs. Let me know if you need something. You nod and thank them a few times as they gather the last of their stuff. Some snacks and skincare left behind for your own use. You wave them out the door with thank yous and see you laters, mind in the middle of a conflict.

You want to be alone mostly for a recharge, but you don’t want to be alone. There was a peace of mind you had with people being around you, people you knew only cared, but you felt so drained like you had spent three days outside in a crowded music festival you didn’t want to be at. Overstimulated and overtired almost instantly. Other than that, you wanted to give Red Hood a chance to redeem himself. You had had people in your apartment for four days now. You chalked that up to why he hadn’t come to check on you. But it was only mid-afternoon, and the night was so far away that you felt exhausted. You glance around your apartment, a little messier than you would usually keep it but it reminded you of the chaos of having visitors for once. You left it the way it was and crashed into your bed for a much-needed nap before nightfall.

Additional notes: Next episode, Jason will be back!!! I wanted to have the Red Hood confrontation in the next chapter, but I think I got over-excited with Jason. I’m still writing, so it could just be that it’s a little bit longer of a chapter. We will see. Thank you for reading!!

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#jason todd x reader #red hood x reader #platonic!cassandra cain x reader #platonic!stephanie brown x reader #do i know you?#kandywrites #fanfics-i-find-here

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