#now that's how you write a show; someone give their writing room an emmy (and also a fair share of the profits ofc pay your writers) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

goldsainz · 2 years ago

Text

masterlist.

a/n: this was going to be longer, but i just couldn’t get myself to do such a long piece. honestly, there’s not a lot of harry mentioning, but it’s still a fun piece, i’m just giving you crumbs. this isn’t the peak of my writing, especially since this is my first time doing second person POV, tumblr is making me try things id never thought i’d do!!

word count: 3,4k

──────────

Y/N Y/LN Keeps A Straight Face While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones

The interview begins with you sat across Sean Evans, the line up of sauces making your heart beat a little faster, not sure how much spice you were actually able to bear.

“Hey everybody! Today we are joined by Y/N Y/L/N, who you may recognise from too many movies and shows to name! She is an Oscar nominated actress, Emmy Award Winner, and an overall talented person. Her most recent project, Don’t Worry Darling which comes out this September 23rd, is coming in no time, so don’t forget to buy your tickets.” Sean introduces you, a stifled laugh leaving your lips. “Y/N welcome to the show!”

“Thank you very much! I’m quite nervous right now, my manager said this could get spicy really quick, but I’m not sure what she meant by that.” You grinned, that signature, award winning smile plastered on your face.

“That depends on how good you are with spicy food, do you have a high tolerance?”

“I think so? It’s not something that scares me while ordering food, but I’m not actively seeking it. But seeing all of these hot sauces is making me sweat just a tad bit much right now.”

━━━━━━

“I’ve actually watched a couple of the Hot Ones interviews.” You confess, making Sean look impressed that you watched that sort of content.

“Now I have to know more, this is one of the best compliments I’ll get in a lifetime.” He then mutters something you didn’t quite get, but it seemed like a praise towards you.

“Well yeah, I sometimes scroll through Youtube, see it pop up, and someone I like is on the cover and I just click it. I used to go ‘Wow, thank god my manager would never make me go on that, don’t think my spice tolerance is that good’, but now I’m here so it seems like the tables have turned for me!”

“I guess I don’t have to tell you how this works, or which sauces go first then.”

“I’ve taken some work off your hands!” You say with a laugh.

“Let’s take a bite then, shall we?” Sean asks, while you nod your head and grab the first wing.

You take a bite, realising it wasn’t all that bad. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all, there was a hint of spice but nothing you couldn’t handle.

“Okay so how are we feeling with wing number one?”

“Pretty good, my confidence level is on a solid 8 for now.” You just knew you would take your words back a couple of wings later, but maybe if you lied to yourself a little it wouldn’t be that hard.

“You said in an interview a while back that you enjoyed cooking, especially spicy food because it was funny seeing how some people crumbled when eating certain dishes. Who would you say had the funniest reaction?”

“I once cooked for Taylor Swift, she’s a good friend of mine who I’ve learnt doesn’t take spice as well as she says she does.” You admit, and if anyone wasn’t watching the interview and just hearing it, they’d almost be able to hear your smile. “I made a dish, I might’ve messed up the amount of chillies I put on it, and I didn’t realise it was that bad until she had tears in her eyes, I felt horrible about it!”

“Did she tell you it was too spicy?”

“She was trying to be nice about it, she was full on coughing, and her words were of comfort because she didn’t want me to feel bad!” Everyone in the room lets out a laugh at your words, nobody was really surprised to know that Taylor was just that sweet.

“Would you say Taylor is one of your closest friends in the industry?” It was a tough question, because being a close friend was such a different question for someone like you, someone who did what you did.

“She’s been through a lot with me, I’ve been through a lot with her. Sometimes we don’t talk as often as we would like, but when we do it’s like we had talked everyday.”

“You met all the way back in 2014, right?”

“At the Met Gala, it was my first one, it wasn’t hers though. We sat at the same table, we talked all throughout it, and the rest is history.”

━━━━━━

The second wing had proven to still be bearable. You weren’t quite sure when you would get hit with all the heat, but you were enjoying your time so far.

“Don’t Worry Darling was a process that took a while to make because of Covid. In fact, filming had to stop because a crew member tested positive, making you have to go through a quarantining process. What was it like filming with such heavy health regulations?”

“It was hard, nothing was really like it used to be. Filming was still fun, but there were many things I hadn’t actually taken notice of until Covid started.” Your brows furrowed, a crease on your forehead present. “Kissing scenes were different, probably the ones we had to be the most precise while filming. They had us take a disinfectant mouthwash, which was very minty, at least it ensured your partner wouldn’t have bad breath!” You joked, lightening the mood of a heavy question.

“Was there a limit for the amount of times you could film such scenes?”

“For sure, we tried to make them work each time, there really wasn’t a lot of goofing around because it was a health risk just to film them. You couldn’t just improvise a kiss, you would have to consult with your partner if they were comfortable with the possibility of you doing that. Harry was always very respectful of boundaries, he never tried to do anything that crossed a line or could just be awkward in general.”

“Would you say that there had to be a lot of trust involved, more than the usual amount?”

“Of course! Before Covid if you didn’t really like your partner you’d just film the scenes, talk with your intimacy coordinator about what crossed a boundary, what didn’t, and then you would just go on with your day. Now, you need to build a certain trust, like the one you’d have with a friend just to make the experience of filming a good one, and not have to shoot a million times because you can’t get the right look of love, or whatever you’re supposed to convey.”

“That seems like a very exhausting process.” Sean says, and you just nod at his words, knowing that it was exhausting but also made you get to know the love of your life a lot sooner in the process.

“I’m eyeing the third wing very hard right now, I didn’t eat a lot today so this is kind of my lunch.”

“Let’s dig in then!” And that you do.

“Oh! This one hits you instantly, I wasn't really expecting it.” He laughs at your comment, but mostly at the straight face you had while eating your wing.

“It just keeps on hitting from now on!” You just throw your head back with a laugh, a groan slipping from your lips.

━━━━━━

“I’m gonna ask you a question, is that okay?” Many interviewers didn’t take it very well when you asked them questions, they felt as though you were taking up their job. So you had learnt it was better to ask and be turned down, than asking right away and having someone be mad backstage.

“Go for it!”

“If at some point I drink some milk, is that a sign of me starting to give up?”

“No, definitely not. Most people drink milk to cleanse their palate, we are not gonna shame you on how well you are doing based on if you drink something or not.”

“Alright, I’m not gonna drink anything yet, but good to know.”

“If you don’t drink anything, then I won’t either.” He decided, making you laugh in response, you probably hadn’t laughed so much in an interview in a very long time.

“You are a very private person, do you find it difficult to manage your public life, your work life, from the private one?”

“I’ve gotten better over the years, when I didn’t have the exposure I had now, I didn’t worry about paparazzi catching moments I wanted to keep for myself.”

“Are relationships the hardest part?” There it was, the relationship question, at least it wasn’t a speculation over who it was. That much was appreciated.

“Maybe? If your partner is famous then it probably is, you don’t only have to balance the image you give for yourself but theirs too. If they’re not famous, then people will start spreading rumours over who they are, what they are doing with someone famous, it can become overwhelming very quickly.”

“But you don’t hide your relationships like some do, you just keep them private, is that correct?”

“Yeah, being someone’s secret isn’t nice. I keep the first months private just because you’re still getting to know each other, and having those moments ruined by the public is not what I want.”

“I’m sure that what you do want is this fourth wing!” You were grateful for Sean’s ability to make his guests comfortable, to make the awkwardness not so overbearing.

“I sure do, Sean!”

You both take a bite, the flavours are good and you remain with a straight face, even when the heat does creep up.

“I’m loving the composure you’re maintaining.” You giggle at his words, making him laugh along with you.

“I’ve done years of acting, some things I’ve taken with me.”

━━━━━━

“Are your eyes glossy?” Sean asks, his voice holding a shocked tone.

“What? No!” You respond, your hand over your mouth as you still had food in it.

“Just wondering if the heat is catching up to you, that’s all.”

“I promise, the fifth wing has not gotten to me.”

“You are known to never take things personally, even when asked rude questions you are never rude in return. Does it get tiring to maintain your composure at times?”

“There definitely have been times in which I want to snap at someone, mainly because they’re being rude, but I feel that if you don’t give them the attention they seek they won’t continue their behavior. I mean, most of them catch the hint, some of them are persistent though.”

“That’s a very interesting thought process, is there someone who taught you to do that?”

“Nope! That’s just been me learning over the years, the industry will make you learn things you never thought you’d need to know.” You say with a sigh, looking at the backstage of the set, not at anyone in particular.

“Talking of the industry, what has been the best piece of advice a celebrity has given you?”

“Do not search your name on social media unless your manager says so.” You confess, the tightness in your voice evident.

“Wow, that’s powerful, can you tell us why?”

“Because people are mean, and I know that they say with fame comes hate, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. I sometimes have the urge to go on twitter, see what people are saying about me at the moment, yet you never know what you might see.”

“I can understand that. I can definitely say I’ve looked up my own name, not much has come up as I’d imagine it would for someone with your influence.” Sean praises, your cheeks heating up at the compliment.

“You never know what to expect from the internet. After I did the reading thirst tweets interview, I for sure won’t look up my name.” An uncomfortable laugh is let out, and he just joins in.

━━━━━━

You were just two wings away from finishing the interview. Your cheeks were definitely a redder than they were at the start, sweat was evident on the top of your brows, but you were still taking the challenge like a champ. Or as best as you could, the heat definitely wasn’t really helping with your perception of things.

“You said your confidence level was 8 at the start, what are you at now?”

“Maybe five, five’s good, I feel like sipping some milk but I can still do this.” You say with slight raspiness to your voice.

“You always say fashion is your passion, and with your collaborations over the years with different brands, what was your overall favourite outfit in ‘Don’t Worry Darling’?”

“Tough question, there are many answers, but I’d have to say the fuchsia dress was one of my favourites. It was so beautiful I wanted to take it home with me, but I couldn’t!”

“They wouldn’t let Y/N Y/L/N take a dress?”

“No, they didn’t! Genuinely can’t be mad though, they take time to make, so I completely understand not wanting to ruin a piece someone could’ve spent weeks working on.”

“Did you ever take anything from the set at any point?”

“You’re trying to get me in trouble, aren’t you?” You tease him, which just makes him laugh while shaking his head, “I did take something, yes. Can’t really confess what, but there is one person who knows what it was, and it’s just because they were my partner in crime.”

“So that secret is going right to the grave of two people?”

“That it will!”

“You only have two wings left, so let’s make it one!”

“This sounds so rude, but I cannot wait for this to be over. I’m loving everything about this, but the spice? Fuck no.”

You grab your wing and make a cheering motion, and just take a bite out of it. Maybe you should’ve gone a bit softer on the bite, because the heat kicks you instantly. It feels like a volcano eruption, which makes you feel uneasy about how the last wing will truly be.

“It’s kicking in, isn’t it?” Sean asks

“It is! I don’t know why you’re eating this so willingly, you do this every other day, mate! You don’t have to prove anything to me, I promise.”

“I know I don’t, this is just my job at this point, eating hot wings for a living!”

“You could not pay me enough to do that. Mad respect, truly, if anyone needs a pat in the back, it’s you!” Your voice is nasally, and you’re sure you have a somewhat runny nose by now.

“You seem like a very sweet person, being respectful to those around you is something not all celebrities engage in. Is that something that can become hard to leave behind when filming scenes for characters which aren’t nice at all?”

“It can get hard sometimes. I don’t particularly engage with the whole ‘Method Acting’ thing many people seem to do, I find it to be unnecessary, and it doesn’t look like a fun experience.” You were trying your hardest to not start any drama with your words, but you could just see the headlines twisting your words.

“So you’d say that filming should be fun?”

“Maybe not so much the filming, but the portraying a character. I’ve seen it firsthand when an actor loses who they are because they went too far with the creative process of being a character. We’re all free to do what we please, but if it harms you or others? I draw the line there.”

“Has there ever been a moment where being a character took a toll on you?”

“There have been quite a few, it’s not the nicest experience to be honest. I couldn’t go to work because I just couldn’t bear being called my character’s name. I obviously got over it fairly quickly because there’s not much time for tears when you’re more than halfway into a project.” You gulp, your eyes become glossy all of a sudden, evidently not because of any wing. “This got very emotional quickly, don’t know how that happened.”

This time when you looked backstage, there was a certain someone with his thumbs up looking right at you. A small smile, a fond one, formed right on your lips.

“It’s okay, heavy questions have heavy answers.”

“Something that’s looking quite heavy is this last wing.” Sean laughs at your comment, making the small smile overtake your face in a split second.

“Now you don’t have to do this, but I sometimes add more sauce on the last wing to end it with a bang. Are you willing to join in?”

“I’m gonna regret saying yes, but why not, can’t let you do it alone now.”

The moment you say that he opens the bottle in front of him, and pours some sauce on it. You eye your bottle skeptically, the overwhelming smell of it hitting your nostrils in a split second. You don’t drench your wing like he does, just place a drop of it.

“Cheers!”

You are more cautious with your bite this time, you don't jump in for such a big bite. You're sure it looks like a bird is biting the wing, but you're not about to risk your tongue being burnt off.

Your face is still stoic, and honestly, youre just doing it so your pride is not as hurt when your friends and family watch the interview. You’re sure Harry will be the first one to tease you about something, yet you can’t wait to hear everything he says, especially since he’s getting every single bit of it.

“Your face is not saying much, so how are you?” You can only respond with a cough, which makes Sean laugh.

“Not good over here! I think I’m gonna have to cave in, and drink some milk.” You’re not quite sure why your voice is so hoarse, but it’s a little funny to hear.

“Go for it!”

You gulp the glass of coconut milk, grateful that it’s not cow milk. You never liked the taste of cow milk by itself.

“Fuck’s sake, that’s lovely, best feeling ever!” You breathe out through a quiet laugh, the slightest drops of milk dripping down your face. Someone off-camera gives you a couple of tissues, and you thank them.

“Everything better now?”

“I’m not sure!”

“The good thing is this is over!”

“No more wings?”

“No more wings.”

“I genuinely can’t believe I made it through this, especially after the 8th wing.” You say with a shudder, remembering how it burnt

━━━━━━

“We are finally done!” Sean says, making you know that there’s practically only the credits left.

“Woo!” You cheer, pumping your fists in their air.

“Y/N Y/L/N you’ve conquered this challenge! Anything left you have to say?”

“But your tickets for ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ because it’s a great movie, and I’m so excited for all of you to see it!”

“That’s it for today, thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for having me.” You say, blowing some kisses to the cameras around you.

The interview ends with a couple of claps, and one of the biggest smiles on your face as you try to hide your face to dissolve the attention from you.

━━━━━━

Comments 31K

username1: she’s my fave celebrity, if anyone asks why, i’m sending them this video

👍 76K

username2: she kept looking at someone behind the scenes, i have the biggest feeling it’s harry

👍 24K

82 REPLIES

username3: SAME

username2: especially since they’ve both been spotted a lot together recently…

username4: props to her for being able to conceal her emotions so well, i could never tbh

👍 19K

username5: the way sean didn’t even have to introduce her as much because she’s such a big household name

👍 59K

username6: Her outfit looks so good, Rebecca is definitely one of the best stylist’s she’s ever had

👍 16K

37 REPLIES

username7: literally so true

username8: top 3 hot ones interviews for sure

👍 9K

username9: whoever she was looking at, is lucky fr, she looked at them like they were holding the entire world in their hands

👍 12K

username10: her and taylor’s friendship is everything to me rn

👍 5K

2K notes · View notes

gucciwins · 2 years ago

Text

Glamour Friendship Test

Harry Styles and Y/N Belmonte do the friendship test

Word count: 3335

A/N: hi friends! it has been a YEAR since i first posted do i know you? (well a year tomorrow the 24th) the start to Bel and Harry's story. i could not even imagine how much you would all come to love them, because here i am still writing about them a year later. not only do i love them but you do as well. happy reading, amores!!!! <3

Warnings: fluff, so much fluff

read the love on tour series here

Glamour Friend Test with Y/N Belmonte and Harry Styles

The video opens with Harry and you smiling brightly at the screen as you begin the introduction.

“Hola, soy Y/N Belmonte” you greet with a small wave at the camera.

“And I’m Harry Styles,” he jumps into the frame, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and holding you close.

“Today, we’re doing Glamour’s friendship test.” You say together in unison.

The frame changes and you’re standing there with a timid smile while waiting for the producers to give you the go-ahead. You’re fiddling with the top of your cream trousers, doing your best not to mess with the silk olive green halter top as you were afraid of wrinkling it due to all of Emerson’s warnings.

“How did you meet?” The producer asked.

“Harry and I met in 2015, if you can believe that.” You fiddle with the multi-colored bracelet on your wrist that Sarai made for you during the holidays. Naomi had gotten her loads of colored threads. “It was a party we were both at. Harry was being his charming self, working the room. He treated everyone with respect and spoke with them as if he knew them already.”

That night changed your life, maybe not at that exact moment, but it led you to where you were meant to be, and you would forever be grateful.

“He introduced himself, and we talked about the night, how good the apple cider was compared to his tequila. It was one of the easiest conversations I’ve ever had with someone I just met.” You look down at your Gucci loafers, a gift from Lambert during the holidays. “I don’t know if people know, but I’m awful with conversation with people close to my age. I get anxious and unsure what to discuss while with someone older, conversation flows. I grew up with my abuelos–my grandparents, so I feel that’s why.”

You nod, trying to figure out how to wrap this up, “meeting Harry and getting to call him my best friend is a blessing. He’s got a good heart. He loves what he does, and he’s always so grateful. He always expresses it in any way possible. He's a great influence. I started doing morning yoga because of him. I’m glad he’s in my life.”

“How did you meet Y/N?”

“I think Bel summed it up perfectly. We met at a mutual friend’s party and hit it off. Then we reconnected at my show in St. Paul, where her friend surprised her with tickets. Bel, when we first met, made a mark in my life. I will say we lost touch but finding her again might have been the best thing to happen to me.” Harry raises his hand and rubs his eyebrow, indicating he is nervous. “I have been a fan of hers for the longest time. My sister and I watched her movies. We watched when she won her Emmy and Oscar. I’m a big fan. She’s the type of artist who puts everything she is into what she does. Honestly, the entire crew is a fan. On more than one occasion, we've gotten together to watch her films.”

You step back into the frame, wrapping your arms around his right arm, squeezing tight for a few seconds but don’t let go after instead look over at the camera.

“And now we’re here in the studio,” Harry says, clearly loving you hanging off his arm.

You straighten up after a few seconds, bumping his hip, getting a laugh out of him. “Finally get to show this one how to do a proper interview."

“I’m older than you,” he mutters.

“Semantics.”

“I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to do this with me. Bel’s got two films debuting soon and currently in the middle of filming.”

You hide your face in your hands. As proud as you are, now is not the time for compliments and praise from Harry. “Nooo, stop,” you plead.

“Dork,” Harry mutters, quickly pressing a kiss to your head before smiling at the camera, knowing if he looked down and saw the wide grin on his face, he’d kiss you, and you both discussed, and it’s not something either of you was willing to share to the public.

“Let’s begin!” You shout.

Exercise One: Stare into each other’s eyes for 3 minutes

Harry shifts closer to you as he gazes down at you. You look up and smile because you love his eyes. You love how expressive they are, and how you can always see the love he has for you in them.

You keep your hands at your side no matter how tempted you are to reach out for Harry; he was more nervous about this video than you were. As much as you assured him that it would all be okay, he was concerned that he’d be too loving with you.

Looking at Harry, he does not hide his affection for you. The smile he offers you is small but enough to keep you staring and leaning closer as if you want to close the gap between you.

“This is a long time,” he jokes.

“Three minutes is a normal song length,” you tell him.

Harry quirks an eyebrow, “is this you telling me you want me to sing for you?”

“Only if you want,” you tease.

He reaches a hand up slowly, causing you to freeze. Not sure what he’s going to do when he gently boops your nose with his index finger, causing you to scrunch your nose.

“Dork.”

His laugh rings loud, his eyes crinkling, and you can’t help the smile that takes over your face because you’re the one who caused him to laugh and shine that bright.

“I could do this all day,” he jokes, stepping closer, your foreheads an inch away from touching, and you know the producers are loving this, and so are you for the moment.

“How did that feel?” The producer asks after the time goes off.

Harry crosses his arms, looks at you, and then looks back at the camera. “Bel looks at you like deep, deep into your soul, and I feel so seen yet so safe.”

“Awe, H,” you pout, not expecting such a genuine answer. He was baring a bit of himself today, and you felt you could do the same differently. You reached for his hand, giving it a quick squeeze. It was so short Harry kept his eyes on his hand, trying to figure out if it was real or if he dreamt it happened.

“Harry’s got kind eyes. You take one look and feel like you’re talking to a friend, that he’s actually listening to what you’re saying.”

“I’m a great listener,” he agrees. “My mum would say so as well.”

“Also, I’m a sucker for green eyes,” you shrug, “I’m easily charmed.”

“Moving on, please. I don’t need competition competing for your heart.” Harry shares proudly, a tint of pink visible on his cheeks.

Exercise Two: Give each other compliments

“Oh, you’re going to love this,” Harry teases as he writes on the notepad they provided each of you with.

You frown but don’t respond by focusing on writing all your favorite things about Harry down.

I love when you comb my hair

Your voice audios always make me smile

Your silly jokes aren’t funny, but you love it when I laugh

The way you love me is something that consumes me entirely, mind, body, and soul.

You rip the page and fold it, causing Harry to stop and gasp, “how much are you writing?” Harry is now worried all he’s writing will not be enough now.

“That was a bad page. I’m starting over.” You actually pocket the paper and promise yourself to hand it over to him at the end of the day.

“That bad?” He teased.

You nod, not bothering to lift your head and meet his gaze, “the worst.”

“Meanie.”

You giggle, poking his cheek until he gives you the smile you were searching for, the smile he only gives you.

“Ready, H?”

Harry scribbles one more thing. As you peek at his notes, you see his chicken scratch writing, only able to make out a few words he’s written.

“Stop it, Bel.” He mutters under his breath, but you know the microphone under his shirt caught that.

You playfully roll your eyes, “not like I can read your awful writing anyway.”

“Rude.”

You stand there smiling at Harry, rocking on the heels of your shoes as Harry begins to read his compliments to you.

“To start off, I want to say I compliment her all the time,” Harry shares.

You remember everything I've told you, in great detail.

Easy. Smooth. You could handle this.

I love your cooking and that you accommodate my needs.

You scrunch your nose at him, knowing you’ve had him try the new recipes of a traditional Mexican dish so he could enjoy them.

You bring out the best in people. I’ve seen it countless times.

That’s when you feel your face start to heat up. Gosh, this really needs to be over soon. Harry’s gaze is intense because he knows you. He knows what makes you tick and hot. You are seconds from looking away. You probably would have walked away if you weren’t being recorded.

My bandmates love you, as do my friends. You fit perfectly with us all.

That compliment has you biting your lip as you try your best to hide your smile, not realizing just how sweet Harry was going to be.

You’re the strongest and bravest person I have ever met.

Harry opens his arms, and you rush into his hold as you whisper your thanks for his sweet words that will be on loop for weeks, possibly a lifetime. He kisses the side of your head before slowly releasing you.

“Come on, Bel. I want you to boost my ego,” he teases. You know he said that to make you laugh, and he knows you well because you let out the tiniest giggle.

You step back, letting him hold your hand while the other reads from the paper in your hand,

Your kindness goes beyond this world.

Harry squeezes your hand in a small thank you.

I love when you send me voice notes of lyrics you don’t want to forget because you appreciate my commentary.

You grin as he shakes his head at the small confession.

You’ve got excellent style. It has been so much fun seeing it develop. Which leads to this next one: thank you for letting me raid your closet.

Harry lets his smile shine for this compliment because it is true. He loves seeing you in his clothes.

You’re my best friend who’s practicing his Spanish for me.

The blush can be seen on his cheeks. Now it’s his turn to hug you, overwhelmed at the small compliments you gave him. Although, you do it on your own accord all the time.

“This exercise was hard for me because I like giving compliments but don’t easily receive them.” You confess to the camera. Harry already knows this about you and couldn’t care because he loved telling you all the things he loves about you.

Harry chirps in, “she is so good at deflecting. It’s a skill she’s mastered well.”

You nudge his arm, making a shushing noise for exposing you openly like that.

“Not nice.”

He laughs, “I have one more compliment. Can I read it?” Harry doesn’t even let you answer before opening his mouth again. “I love your love for music, even if it’s not always mine.”

Y/N giggles, reaching out to squeeze his hand quickly before letting go.

“Who’s your favorite right now, Y/N?” The producer asks.

“Hmm…” you give yourself a moment to think of an answer when you see Harry rolls his eyes, already knowing what you’re going to say. “Bad Bunny.”

“Don’t get her started,” Harry pleads. “I can only take so much.”

“Oh, H hates it when I talk about music because our interests go everywhere, but we somehow always manage to find common ground. But, Benito just has the whole world captivated, including me. I’m a big fan. He has a big influence on his audience. It is amazing to see him use his platform to talk about important issues going on in the world. I’m trying to get out to a show soon.” You playfully raise your hand to your ear, making a ‘call me’ gesture into the camera. Harry doesn’t catch it, but you’ll know he’ll pout when you see the video back together.

“You didn’t tell me that,” Harry gasps, shocked at the news.

“I’m still trying to figure out a day, that’s why.” You playfully pinch his cheek as he huffs out a breath.

“Moving on.” Harry turns to stare straight at the camera, “see what I mean.”

Exercise Three: Hug for two minutes

Harry beams a smile at the camera because he gets to hold you for two minutes. It may only be a short two minutes. It's not very long, but compared to the countless times of holding you for hours, sometimes even through the whole night. Just this morning when he woke up, his arms were wrapped around you and less than half an hour ago, he held on tightly to you in his dressing room, across from yours.

“Ready, Bel?” Harry asks, his arms extended, ready to take her in his embrace.

You don’t answer; instead, step forward, wrapping your arms around his waist.

It’s quiet the first few seconds, something you’re used to. Silence is something that has never bothered you and even less when it comes to Harry. Together you can sit in silence and enjoy having the presence of someone else with you without having to force a conversation.

Everything comes easy with Harry.

You love that your head rests comfortably on his chest. It’s your favorite spot because you hear his heartbeat's steady rhythm. It’s why you love hugging him, as often as you let him be the little spoon, he always gives you cuddles throughout the day because he knows how much a hug from him soothes you.

“She’s a good hugger,” Harry shouts, making the crew laugh.

Time seems to move slowly when you’re in your favorite person’s arms. You managed to stay quiet the entire time until Harry called your name.

“Bel?” He tries again.

“Shush,” you whisper. “I’m comfortable.”

Harry giggles, squeezing you tight for a second.

A timer rings out loud, ending your two minutes, but you both linger for a few extra seconds. You feel your face warm and know that fans will go crazy for this tiny bit of PDA you offered.

“How did you feel?”

Harry gestured for you to answer first. You nudge him but do as he says. “It was nice. Harry runs warm, so I felt cozy.”

He grins at the confession. More times than you can count, you told him that sleep manages to come easy when you’re wrapped in his arms.

“Bel is an amazing hugger. She fits perfectly and rubs your back, making it much better.” He wears his smile with pride.

“I think hugs are great. They are definitely under-appreciated,” you share. “If you ever have the chance to hug Harry, I suggest you take it.” You feel his eyes on you but don’t meet his gaze; instead, you stare straight at the camera giving the audience your best smile.

Exercise Four: Trust fall

“Trust fall is easy,” Harry assures you. “A piece of cake.”

You try your best to hide your nerves, which comes easy as you’re a well-awarded actress. Lifting your head, you meet Harry’s eye and smirks, “oh, I’m not worried, darling.”

Harry giggles loving your display of confidence.

“You can start first then, Bel.”

Harry has been acting too confident, and you want to keep him on his toes. As he counts down for you to go, you let yourself fall forward instead of falling backward. Harry panics and lunges for you, managing to wrap his arm around your waist, straightening you quickly.

Your laugh rings loud, eyes shut as Harry holds you against his chest. You can feel the pounding of his heart and uneven breaths. “Knew you’d save me.”

“You’re mean, Bel. So cruel.” He pouts as he lets you go preparing for you to fall the correct way this time.

“Let’s do it. Serious now.”

You point to the camera recording your every move, “at least it’ll be caught on camera if he does happen to drop me.”

Harry groans, “I won’t.”

You close your eyes and cross your arms across your chest, take a second to take a deep breath, and then fall backwards. It felt like minutes but was only seconds because you feel strong arms around you. As you blink your eyes, Harry stares at you with a dimpled smile, proud to have caught you.

“Hi,” you greet.

“Caught you.”

“Seems you always do.”

A blush rises on Harry’s face as he shakes his head at you. You want him to kiss you. It’s all that’s missing from making this a romantic moment. Instead, he straightens you up and brushes his hands down the sides of your arms, telling you that he’s ready for his turn.

Harry stands in front of you, looking taller for some reason, and you feel the palm of your hands begin to sweat.

“I think this has been a lot of fun. Trusting your friend is important, so I don’t think I’d do this with just anyone. Harry is honestly the best for doing this with me. If you didn’t already get that from this entire video, he's my best friend. He always sings for me. Who does that? And I bake vegan banana bread for him.”

“You’re stalling,” Harry finally interrupts you.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Bel.” His tone softens, and you let your shoulders drop.

“Don’t want to drop you, H.” You whisper, but the microphone connected to you catches your confession.

“You got this, love. I trust you.”

You take a deep breath, shaking your arms and legs before putting on your game face. You can do this.

“Do it, H. I got this.”

Harry turns around, giving you a slight nod, and you smile back at him. It’s fair to say he knows you well because he stands still for a few seconds before letting himself fall back into your waiting arms. You let out a big “oof” when his weight falls on your outstretched arms.

“You did it, Bel!” Harry lets you help him up, and in the next second, you’re in his arms as he spins you around. After a few spins, he sets you back down, he quickly presses a kiss to your forehead.

“You’re heavier than I thought,” you share.

“Oi!” Harry gasps in shock. “You’re lucky I like you.”

“The luckiest,” you agree.

The End

“Well, that was exhausting,” you say, pretending to wipe the sweat off your forehead.

Harry nods, draping an arm around your shoulder and bringing you close to his side. “It was, but I think we passed.”

“Oh, with flying colors.”

“Proud of us.” He looks down at you, his bunny teeth smile on display for you. “We really are friends. Best friends.”

You gasp in shock, “did you hear that?” Harry rolls his eyes at your dramatic act. “He called me his best friend. Take that, Mitch.”

“Think Mitch is happy to pass me off.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you,” you promise him.

You and Harry stare at each other for a few seconds, then at the camera, back to each other. The laughter is pulled out of both of you simultaneously as you turn to wave goodbye to the cameras.

“Bye!”

“Adios!”

“I love being your best friend,” Harry whispers as the cameras are cut off.

thanks for reading, amores <3333 hope you enjoyed

a special thank you to @harrysgoldenbum who really helped me get this story ready.

Taglist: @alienorknight @harry-is-on-route-66 @myfavfanficsever @springholland @michellekstyles @harryismyfwend @japanchrry @onlyamylee @golden-hoax @itsmycorneroftheinternet @harryspirate @tenaciousperfectionunknown @thurhomish @thelovecayon @shawnieeboyy @dontworrysunflower

#harry styles #harry styles fluff #harry styles smut #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fic #harry style fanfiction #harry styles stories #harry styles angst #harry styles love on tour #glamour friendship test #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #fluff #harry styles x famous reader

327 notes · View notes

oneshotnewbie · 3 years ago

Note

THE EMILY ONE SHOT WAS SO GOOD OH MY GOD CAN WE PLEASE HAVE A CONTINUATION

A/N: Guys, I am so sorry for my absence. I've hadn't time two write in two weeks because we are renovating our whole house and I've had to, besides my work and dog to care, do 80% of the shit my mother was up to. But now I am almost finished with it and can say that I came back to my usual routine where I can write more frequently. Thank you for staying with my blog ♥

---

You woke up to different voices, all of which moved around you and discussed quietly to themselves. Like a thick fog around your brain, you heard everything but all information evaporated like a strong wind into nothing.

The attempt to open your heavy eyelids and perceive the world around you failed. Your body also thwarted your plans; it was numb and completely unable to obey your commands. Your dry and chapped lips formed a sentence but your vocal cords failed and only let out a scratchy groan.

"I think she's finally waking up!" remarked someone next to you who held their hand on your head and slowly ran their thumb over your hair. You only realized in retrospect which perfume this person wore and that it was Spencer before you let your head fall closer to her side and she let out a small laugh. "Emily will go crazy when she hears you woke up and she wasn't here."

A light and weak smile came over your lips and you moved even closer to the warm body next to you. The brunette had meanwhile sat down with half of her body on your bed to show you that she was there for you and put an arm protectively over your hip; careful not to hit your wounds and cause you pain.

Your eyes slowly began to adjust to the bright light when it turned into a color that you could stand. You looked around and realized that you were in the hospital. The bare grey walls and the smell of disinfectant that you had previously blocked out, crept into your nose and made it wrinkle.

"Where's Emily? Is she okay?" you asked raspy and looked at Hanna who was sitting on the end of the bed and was stroking your lower legs. She looked down at the duvet before smiling up and nodding. "Calm down, she is okay. You saved her."

"We're so glad you're okay, babygirl." Spencer chimed in and gave you a kiss on your hair before she rested her cheek on the side of your head.

At the perfect moment the door was opened with full force and a totally dissolved and completely finished Emily came running through the door, followed by Aria who had some food and coffee in her hand and all three of you were startled, the brunette behind her was also shocked by your sisters action.

Emily's shiny eyes were red and dull, her perfect complexion was totally ruined by the salty tears that adorned her skin and she looked as if she hadn't slept for nights and, according to the force with which she had opened the door, more Coffee in her system as Spencer in a week.

"Sorry. I- had no idea - ah intention." she stumbled over her own words as she quickly ran to the closet in your room and threw her jacket in to the others. "Em.." tried Aria to get her out of her totally confused situation when she noticed that you were no longer lying unconscious in your bed.

Your sister had apparently not yet noticed that you were already awake and you were watching every movement she made with your tired eyes. "I saved your life and you treat me like air?" you coughed in a harsh and low voice. Hanna was immediately at your side and poured you a glass of water while Emily stopped moving, her back turned to you and still standing at the open closet. "Where is my 'hey sister' and a 'thank you for saving my ass'?"

The older Fields was afraid to turn around. She was afraid of it and that it was all just a hallucination she was in due to sleep deprivation. It was the internal strife between good and bad that kept her from turning to your bed.

The brunette gripped the closet door and wall unit with her hands so tightly that even the blood escaped from them and made her skin look white. She shook her head barely noticeably, but that didn't help either - Emily had to turn around to confirm for herself whether this was just a dream or reality. "Emmy?"

With a deep breath she turned and looked into your tired eyes. Your skin was pale - almost grey from the loss of blood and dark circles formed under your eyes. Your powerless body hung on machines and at this sight her hair on the back of her neck stood up.

In this moment, her mind brought her back to the moment you stopped breathing in front of her eyes. Tears started to form and stung in her eyes, mixing with the view in front of her as she slowly began to walk towards you.

"Y/N." she sobbed while she pressed a strand of hair behind her ear and stopped in front of your bed. Struggling, she raised her shaky hand and gently placed it on top of yours, tapping it fearfully a few times before your hand drew hers into yours.

Your warmth, which trembled into her body through this touch alone, brought relief with it. Like a house of cards, Emily collapsed and fell around your neck. Her tears ran quickly from her eyes and all the pent-up feelings she had been carrying over the last few days left her body. "I am so sorry."

"Don't be, its okay. I am fine."

While you gently stroked her back and she tried to press closer to you without hurting you, Aria, Spencer and Hanna started to pack their stuff and said goodbye to you in silence. They wanted to give you the time and privacy to talk.

"You could have died and I would have never forgiven myself." sniffed the older of you as she straightened up again, wiping away her tears as her eyes met your gaze. You disappeared in your thoughts for a short moment, all the memories from that evening coming back.

The pain that had eaten you up from the inside out and the coldness that took over your body. The cold path beneath you and the slow and unbearable moment where you couldn't fight anymore and lost conciousness. You notices how something in you tried to defend itself against these thoughts as you started to shake and your voice was muffed from all the tears you tried to swallow. "But I didn't, I am still alive."

Trembling, you tried to get into a comfortable position while trying to avoid your sister's gaze. Clearing your throat and with the play of your fingernails, Emily knew that you were trying to hide how you were really doing and how you were coping with the situation and so she stopped talking about her feelings and hugged you wordlessly. Your protective wall broke in her arms shortly after and your strength faded far away.

"We gonna get through this together."

121 notes · View notes

emmyhem · 4 years ago

Text

always (l.r.h) part two

a/n: hi everybody! here is always part two, this is actually one of my favorite writings and one that I was looking forward to writing and posting a lot. it’s another angsty piece but with a sappy happy ending :) also it’s unedited but what else is new. i’ll probably post again tomorrow either a bestfriend!calum piece or a roomate!luke piece that are titled in my masterlist. i hope everyone enjoys and is having a wonderful day. i definitely am after that livestream today. (i would say that i didn’t cry because of how good and happy they all looked but that would be a lie) anyway i hope you enjoy and as always my messages are always open to chat or whatever and feedback and comments are always appreciated. thank you - emmy <33

pairing: luke hemmings x fem!reader

summary: it’s time for you decide whether or not luke’s mistake is worth losing the love of your life.

warning(s): mentions of alcohol, cursing, angst (but with a happy ending), self doubt, insecurity, mention of throwing up

word count: 2.9k

pt. 1

The longer you watched the window the more you were convinced mother nature was taunting you. The rain droplets that cascaded down the glass mirroring the tears that hadn’t stopped falling since you left Luke speechless in the driveway. It had to be for your benefit, I mean it was Los Angeles. California was in a drought for god’s sake.

Despite the fact that nature was mocking you, you couldn’t dare pull your eyes away. The alternative was to face the endless voicemails waiting for you on your phone that glowed dimly beside you. You knew you would have to hear them eventually but right now you knew that even a breath, let alone full sentences from Luke would break you in every sense of the word. You feared the sound almost as much as the content behind it.

You weren’t ready to be okay, you needed to wallow in your pain for a bit longer. As bad as that sounds you knew it was the only way you could convince yourself to let him back in, to forgive him. It was also the only way you could forgive yourself. Your body needed to feel how tortured you were without him, how much you needed his affection, his love, and him. Not his money.

Part of you knew deep down that Luke didn’t mean what he said, the part that awakened the butterflies that had taken permanent residence in your stomach since he had entered your life. The part that caused all your senses to align when Luke kissed you the night you finally understood what it meant to love someone with everything you have. The same part that was clawing at your heart right now as your mind replayed the look of pure devastation that was painted on Luke’s pretty features as you drove away from him. That part was itching for you to run to him, to cuddle into his embrace and say “I forgive you. I’ll never leave you again. Love me?”

But, it was the other part of you that was causing the problems right now, the part that snuck up on you each time you felt secure in yourself and tore it all down in seconds. The part that told you there was no way you were good enough for your boyfriend when you stared at your reflection in the mirror for even a second too long. The part that Luke was typically the one to silence when it overwhelmed you in a crowded room, with just a tender kiss to the forehead, or squeeze of your hand. The same part that constantly craved for Luke to be proud of you the way you were of him in anything he decided to pursue. That part was completely shattered last week when, whether intentionally or not he showed you that not only was he not proud, but also felt burdened by your lack of brilliance.

“Y/n,” your friend called, breaking you from your self-loathing thoughts as she approached your brittle body, enveloped in every single fuzzy blanket you could get your hands on.

“Hi.” you croaked, pulling your stinging eyes from where they had settled on a particularly large rain droplet that had stolen your interest as you wondered how much more water it could withstand before it burst from its flawless embodiment and shattered to the sill below. You wondered the same about Luke, how much more of your insecurity and emotional baggage would it take for him to burst. How much more of your mediocrity could he compensate for before you began to strip him of his excellence?

“Have you talked to him yet?” she inquired, eyes going soft as she looked at you with sympathy.

“No.” you groaned, pulling yourself up. “Do I have to?”

She shook her head, dismissing you. “You know that you’re welcome here as long as you want, but anyone could tell that you’re completely miserable without him, even if he is being an epic prick.”

You sniffled and wrapped your arms around your best friend.

“Am I an idiot for wanting to forgive him?” you spoke into her hair.

She returned the embrace and settled next to you in the bed, “I think if he really is sorry then you’re incredibly strong for it. And you’re never an idiot, that would be your blonde haired beau.”

You laughed softly at her innocent dig, the giggle catching slightly in your throat as it had only been releasing pathetic pleas, and broken sobs for the past few days.

Y/f/n handed you your phone, the photo of Luke and Petunia sitting by the pool being almost completely covered by all the missed call notifications that had taken over your lock screen.

“I think you should at least hear what he has to say babe, for your sake if not for his.”

You let out a heavy sigh and accepted the phone, wrapping your favorite blanket around your shoulders and dragging your feet to the bathroom for some privacy.

You took a seat in the empty bathtub throwing the blanket across your body. You reasoned it was the perfect place to listen to the messages because as soon as Luke’s voice flooded the room you would be completely submerged in him and you didn’t trust your legs to hold you up.

You clicked the most recent voicemail, time stamped from 1:28 am last night. As you selected the speaker option you allowed your eyes to fall closed and without noticing or trying you held your breath.

“Y/n,”

Only one word in you could immediately tell two things without a trace of doubt. One, he’d been crying, and two he was drunk. If you had to guess you would say tequila, it had always been his favorite and he had a bad habit of nursing his wounds in the liquor cabinet. It shattered your heart to think of him broken, and vulnerable and as he continued to speak you found yourself wrapping your arms around your body for comfort.

“I miss you and I’m sorry. I-” his voice cut off as a sob played through your phone. You released a matching one while squeezing your eyes tighter, a shaky hand bringing your phone closer as if it would bring him as well.

As he continued, your mind began to paint a vivid picture. You saw him sitting on the kitchen floor, an old ratty sweatshirt struggling to keep him warm, damp tear stains spoiling the sleeves. There was a half empty bottle to his side and the tip of his nose was red as it peeked out from the hood. You shook your head in an attempt to rid yourself of the image that felt like your personal nightmare.

“I-I can’t live without you, really I don’t think I can. I need you and I love you. I love you so much. Just please come home to me, please baby.” he spoke through gasps of breath that caused worry to spread across your body.

You paused the message as a dull ache creeped up from the bottom of your stomach and to your throat which was tightening by the second. You tossed your phone onto the blanket which you had kicked off as your body heated up, and sprung out of the tub landing firmly in front of the toilet. Gathering your hair into a makeshift ponytail in your hand you hunched over and retched into the bowl. Y/f/n burst through the door as you gagged and coughed repeatedly, she took your hair from you and rubbed soothing circles on your back as you tried to focus your breathing through your nose. This wasn’t the first time you had cried yourself into throwing up during your stay so she knew what to do to calm you down and settle your stomach.

As you finished the glass of water she had poured from the sink while you brushed your teeth she held your car keys out to you.

“Please go see him. I can’t see you like this anymore.”

You nodded accepting the keys reluctantly and made your way to your car.

Once outside you noted that the rain had started coming down harder, it seemed fitting as your situation reached its climax. By the time you got into the car your hair was wet and stringy, dripping onto Luke’s shirt that you had been wearing since the night you left. You quickly tied it back and drove away, hoping the sound of the rain could calm your nerves before you got back to your house.

When you got there the sun was setting and the rain was still falling steadily, you grabbed a jacket from the back seat and held it over your head as you ran to the house. The jacket didn’t give you much protection from the water and you were soaked by the time you reached the door. Taking one big breath, in through your nose, and out from your mouth as you had been repeating the whole ride there, you raised your quivering hand and knocked three times.

Expecting it to take a few minutes for him to reach the door you were shocked when it swung open in just a few seconds. Your heart sunk as you took in Luke’s appearance, although you were sure you looked just as bad if not worse. Deep dark circles sat beneath his bloodshot eyes, his stubble had grown in a bit longer than he typically liked it and his lips were chapped and bitten down. Guilt panged in your chest, how awful of a girlfriend were you to let it get to this point? The thought made you question if he would even want you here.

Apparently the time apart had completely fucked with your ability to read Luke’s face because even frozen in shock, his eyes began to fade into that special soft color of blue they only got to around you. He felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from his chest and just as it had been since the moment you left the only word running through his head was “y/n.”

He didn’t see your messy, wet hair or the ratty tshirt that swallowed your figure. He didn’t see your eyes puffy from crying or your bitten down nails that you were bringing back up to your mouth in that moment as your nerves got the best of you. All he saw was y/n. His y/n. You came home to him and as far as he was concerned you looked like an angel. Warm, sweet, and perfect. So fucking perfect.

Your eyes ran over his face anxiously, waiting for him to say something, or invite you in, or even slam the door in your face. Anything. After a minute of silence you gathered up the courage to speak first.

“Sorry I never called you bac-'' your words were knocked from your mouth when Luke took a step forward and wrapped you up into the tightest hug you’d ever experienced. Your limbs fit together perfectly, and the second your bodies met you felt recharged, as if everything was in place once again. And Luke felt like for the first time in a week he could breathe.

“I don’t deserve you.” he sighed as you pressed your nose into his chest deeply breathing in the smell you could only describe as home. “Thank you for coming back to me, I don’t work without you.”

From your position in his arms you could see the mess splayed on the floor behind him. It was just as you had pictured it earlier, a thin blanket and scratchy throw pillow were scattered on the floor in front of the sink, a bottle lying on it’s side just next to them. Guilt inched up your spine when your eyes made contact with a framed picture of the two of you on top of the blanket.

“I’m sorry.” you sobbed into his chest, your hands clawing at the material of his sweatshirt.

He pulled back quickly, keeping his hands on either sides of your waist, “No baby, why’re you sorry. This is all my fault, I was awful. You...you’re perfect.” he pressed as you shook your head in distress, unable to stop your tears.

“N-no I stayed away for so long, even when I knew I wa-wanted to forgive you. I was embarrassed and...and selfish.” you struggled to speak over your tears while Luke looked down at you sad and confused.

“What’re you talking about, love?”

You sniffed and dropped your hands from Luke’s chest, “I j-just wanted you to be proud of me.” the end of your sentence was nearly lost in your sobs but Luke understood. And in that moment he regretted going into music instead of engineering, or science, or whatever would’ve helped him to invent a time machine so he could go back and beat the shit out of whoever or whatever had possessed him last week.

His hands moved to cup your cheeks, his thumb tracing lightly over your bottom lip.

“I am proud of you baby.”

He leaned in slowly, and hesitantly, almost as if he was testing the waters, like this was new. As if he hadn’t kissed you thousands of times before. You looked up at him through your lashes littered with unshed tears and nodded your head slowly. He still had so much left to say, you still had so much left to say but you both had been needing this for as long as you’d lost it. He pressed his lips to yours gently, afraid that even one wrong move and you would decide that you had made the wrong choice in coming back. He wouldn’t survive that, he couldn’t lose you twice.

As he went to pull away you snaked a hand around the back of his neck pulling him back towards you. This time when your lips collided his body sagged into it, both arms wrapping around your back and lifting you up to the tips of your toes. Your eyes drifted shut and you reveled in the feeling of him pressed up against you like this. When the kiss broke you kept your faces close enough that your noses were touching, and opened your eyes to see Luke’s still closed, his eyebrows furrowed as he pressed his forehead to you.

“You’re what I’m most proud of.” he exhaled, his eyelids still shut lightly. “My greatest achievement is getting you to love me and I can’t believe I almost blew it.”

You brought a hand to his face and stroked his cheek lightly, the feeling of his overgrown stubble foreign to your fingers.

“It would take a lot more to get rid of me.” you assured. “I think m’too in love with you.”

He opened his eyes, locking them with your own, and spoke firmly but with a softness that was and would always be reserved for only you.

“I want to make it clear that you do not in any way leech.” he dragged the last word out, laced in disgust as if it were hard for him to say. “I lucked out. I actually just seem to keep lucking out, my job, my life, and you.” He placed a hand across your jaw and tilted your chin up before continuing. “I completely lucked out with you. I have lots of money, more than I need actually and it makes me feel fucking incredible that I can take care of you. That’s all I wanna do for the rest of my life.”

Your mouth broke into a smile hearing him verbally commit to a lifetime with you.

“But, with that being said I know you don’t need me-”

“I do need you.” you interrupted.

Luke threw his head back at your words, a toothy grin overtaking his face before he pressed a chaste peck to your forehead.

“Y’know what? You’re too fucking cute. I meant financially baby, m’trying to apologize here.”

You nodded for him to continue, struggling to contain your own beaming smile.

“Anything you decide to do occupationally or otherwise could never, ever let me down. You’re physically incapable of it. I’d be a lucky guy if you let me stick around for it all and I promise to never forget that again. I’m sorry I did in the first place.” he took a deep breath before finishing his rant. “M’only able to give you the world if you let me. Let me?”

You answered his question by attaching your lips once again, desire and need radiating off of the place where your lips met. As your taste buds reacquainted themselves with Luke’s mouth you wondered how you had gone even a day without him.

Luke felt like he was flying and he couldn’t wrap his head around how anyone in the world could live without, seeing you, knowing you, and kissing you. He also knew that he would do anything to ensure that he never had to go a day without you for the rest of his life.

“How long does it take to get an engagement ring sized?” he wondered to himself.

If he could’ve read your mind he would’ve seen white gowns, tiered cakes, and little blue eyed, curly haired monsters running amuck.

“I want everything with you, the whole world.” you affirmed when you pulled apart for air.

“Yea?” he responded.

You hummed against his lips, “Always.”

469 notes · View notes

egcdeath · 4 years ago

Text

checkmate

summary: you’ve always refused to lose, and love was no exception. (gone girl-ish au)

pairing(s): ransom drysdale x dark!reader, a special mystery guest ;)

word count: 3.7k

warnings: 18+ because of heavy themes! faked death, framing of crimes, manipulation, alluding to sex, alluding to cheating, terrible relationship dynamic, very loose usage of the word crazy/psychotic, implied mention of self harm, brief choking & slapping (in a non sexual way lol), pregnancy trapping (idk if thats the right term), the reader is a very bad human being, overuse of italics *please let me know if i’m missing any warnings!

author’s note: this is my 2nd submission for @stargazingfangirl18’s 5k soft dark challenge, i decided to make the reader dark >:) but ransom is also not a good person. I used these prompts: “I’ve waited a long time for this, sweetheart.” & The town golden *girl isn’t as sweet as everyone thinks.

this is definitely the most unhinged thing i’ve ever written, but blame @literate-lamb for making me write this because when i pitched this to her and said that i’d probably never write it, she enabled me.

okay that's enough from me. join my taglist if you want :D

“I know women whose entire personas are woven from a benign mediocrity. Their lives are a list of shortcomings: the unappreciative boyfriend, the extra ten pounds, the dismissive boss, the conniving sister, the straying husband. I've always hovered above their stories, nodding in sympathy and thinking how foolish they are, these women, to let these things happen, how undisciplined. And now to be one of them! One of the women with the endless stories that make people nod sympathetically and think: Poor dumb bitch.” Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl

Your whole life, you’d considered yourself a competitive person. Constantly overcompensating for one thing or another, whether it was the chronic desire to achieve perfection that had been installed in you since you were a little girl, or your persistent internalized sense of inadequacy. You realized early on that it was much better for you to win than for you to lose, no matter the physical, emotional, or mental cost of the prize of perfection.

For the most part, this mindset worked out for you. You graduated as Valedictorian from your high school, neared the top of your graduating class at Harvard. God knew you earned it, all those tears you shed into overpriced textbooks, all the popping of unprescribed Adderall, and robbing yourself of the parties and social events that the rest of your peers gladly indulged in.

You were just different, which was why you gained a job nearly immediately after your exit from school, quickly climbing to the top at the Blood Like Wine publishing company after only a few years of being there.

And one night, at the party celebrating the release of A Thousand Knives when you laid your eyes on Hugh Ransom Drysdale, the grandson of your boss, you knew that you needed to have him. Rich, hot, a bit of an asshole. You deserved to finally complete your image, and that socialite flavored eye candy seemed to fit the part perfectly. Luckily for you, he was desperate. It only took a few tugs on your dress’ V-line, and a number of knowing smirks to find yourself being finger-banged in his family manor’s bathroom.

From there, you wormed your way into his life. Leaving belongings at his place as an excuse to come back, and offering booty calls in the middle of the night. Ransom must’ve been much more desperate than you originally thought, as it really only seemed to take one night of stroking his hair while he vented about his family to make him want to be with you. Men with mommy issues were always so easy.

Except, he wasn’t that easy. The longer you got to know Ransom, the more fucked up you realized he really was. He had no boundaries at all, became jealous and enraged at the drop of a pin, and occasionally told you things that made the hairs on your arms rise.

This of course all came to a head after the night of Harlan’s 85th birthday party. When the news broke of his tragic death, you’d immediately known it was the works of your Hugh. If your intuition wasn’t enough, his confession in the shower, where he’d demanded you take off your clothes to display that you were without a bug, certainly was.

You were completely devastated. The man that you’d invested so much into for years had thrown both his and your reputations down the drain in just a matter of hours. Of course, you felt bad for Harlan too. He was a good guy (when he wasn’t instigating a family fight).

Still, you showed up during the funeral in your best mourning clothes and dawning your biggest crocodile tears. You rubbed Linda’s back while she mourned the loss of her father, and the new truth about her husband. You played dumb when interrogated by some Southern private investigator, even giving Ransom an airtight alibi. You testified on his behalf in court with enough conviction to grant you an Emmy.

You’d gotten so far, devoted so much energy into him, that you simply refused to lose now.

To your friends, you’d seemed to lead a near perfect life. Dream job, dreamy boyfriend, dream bank account, but it wasn’t enough. You wanted more, you just didn’t know what.

It dawned on you while sipping mimosas at the country club, Ransom playing tennis with his friends just a few yards away from you while Danielle showed off her brand new engagement ring, a .59 Carat Asscher Diamond, that if you heard her speak of again, would probably make you lose your shit.

You zoned out as she droned on and on about the shape, and how Matt proposed to her in their own private room in one of the most exclusive Parisian restaurants, instead focusing on how you could find yourself in the same position as that airhead next to you. In all honesty, you couldn’t stand the idea that someone was doing better than you, let alone someone in your own social circle. Dani got all the bragging rights of being engaged to the heir of some tech giant, being the first in your friend group to get eloped, and worst of all, Matt wasn’t even making her sign a prenup.

You blankly watched Ransom from afar, taking occasional sips from your sweet drink, while you thought of how you deserved all of that and more, and you were going to get it one way or another.

——

It didn’t take much to come up with something, your first and most obvious plan being to simply ask Ransom when he was going to propose to you. Of course, this wasn’t the first time you’d tried to approach him about this subject, you just wondered if maybe this time things would be different.

Panting heavily after a rather rough night in bed, you rolled off of your boyfriend’s chest and gave him a messy, yet sincere kiss. You knew your man well, and if there was any time to pop the question, it was in his post-nut haze.

“Baby,” you said breathily, “I wanna ask you something.”

“Shoot,” he responded casually, glancing over at you.

“When’re you gonna propose to me?” you hummed.

Ransom groaned and shook his head, rolling his eyes, “this is about Matt and Dani, huh?” he tutted, then extended a hand out to your warm cheeks so he could gently caress one with his thumb. “Thought we agreed marriage is just a piece of paper and it’s stupid.”

You huffed in response.

Of fucking course.

“I never said that,” you muttered, setting a hand on his broad chest. “Besides, it’ll be good if you get pissed and decide to like, kill your dad or something. Y’know, spouses don’t have to testify against each other in court.”

Ransom chuckled as if this whole thing was funny, like your feelings were some kind of sick joke to him. “You know my lawyers, babe. They could prove that bees don’t make honey. That bears don’t shit in the forest. I appreciate your attempt, though. This has been some really nice pillow talk.”

“Whatever,” you muttered, pinching his nipple in retaliation before turning your back to him and yanking the blanket onto your side.

You weren’t sure why you were so surprised that he was being stubborn, most of the time you felt like you were pulling teeth from the man. But that’s why you had a backup plan! You always had a backup plan. That’s what separated you from your boyfriend. Where Ransom was extemporized and impulsive, you were calculating and prudent.

Although you devised your plan that very afternoon while watching your partner backhand small green balls, you were going to need some time to get everything in order, to prove Murphy and his stupid law wrong in making sure that everything that could go wrong wouldn’t.

After all, love was a game. And you sure as hell weren’t losing to Hugh Drysdale.

——

You sacrificed too much to have your plans ruined by some trust fund baby with impulsivity issues. You deserved your dream marriage, the stability you wished you had as a child. You wanted the white picket fence, and everything that came along with it. Your desire to be the best, to be perfect was what drove you to poke holes in every condom in the box, what led you to draw liters of your own blood in hopes of staging a fake crime scene, to buy a cheap getaway car and burner phone off of Craigslist, and reach out to a high school boyfriend who you knew was in a position as desperate as you.

You planted seeds of doubt in your friends throughout the following weeks, feeding them lies about Ransom’s behavior, how you were afraid of telling him that you did in fact see two faint red lines on that damn plastic stick– only half of the statement truly being false–, telling them that he was behaving erratically lately.

It all was going without a hitch. Ransom didn’t seem to notice anything was off, despite your frequent visits to the bathroom and newfound affinity for true crime documentaries.

You almost felt guilty, knowing the world of pain you were about to throw the man into. Granted, he deserved the pain. You were in a relationship with a genuinely terrible person, and that person had made a conscious effort not to commit to you. You tried to make this easy for him, give him a chance to say a few words to you and slide a ring on your finger, but no, he always seemed to take the hard route.

You slept like a baby the night before you were setting your plan in action. You made sure to uphold the facade of everything being fine, making Ransom a nice breakfast before sending him halfway across town to the hardware store with an oddly incriminating list.

Once he was out of the house, you hurried off to the fridge in the garage where you’d been keeping a small stash of your own blood. It wasn’t pretty, but it had to be done. You poured the blood throughout the kitchen, splattering bits of it on the counters and cupboards. You poorly cleaned the mess, just as he would.

You put your next move in motion, falsifying a home invasion. You tossed over a table and some chairs, throwing books and photos onto the floor, but left some aspects slightly untouched, like an upright picture frame to give yet another hint that things were not exactly what they appeared.

You left a tiny blue post-it note on the nightstand of Ransom’s side of the bed, a quick and simple doodle of a ring along with the first initial of your name inked onto the tiny piece of paper.

With that, you were off. Technically missing, soon-to-be presumed dead.

----

The days following your disappearance had gone even better than you’d initially planned. Local news coverage had been all over you, search and rescue groups were assiduously looking for you, your parents had opened a tip line, and begged for you to get home safe on news segments. But the best part of it all was that Ransom had been briefly found himself in police custody, only to be released shortly thereafter. His past of an accused murder quickly made your disappearance even more of a national story, and you watched the whole thing unravel from the safety and comfort of your high school boyfriend, Andy Barber’s Newton home.

Of course, you fed him the same lies you’d given to your friends, and seeing the rather lonely position he was in, he gladly let you stay with him. You were absolutely having a hay-day with it all, dedicating hours of your day to watching Ransom slowly unravel. Maybe it was a bit sadistic of you to enjoy torturing your partner so much, but he needed to learn his lesson. You deserved better. You needed Ransom to rise up to your level, allowing you to finally complete your image. To let you two appear to be the perfect couple. Really, this was all on him.

Andy, for the most part, had been a good host. He was gone for the majority of the day, dedicating himself to his work while you lounged around on his dangerously cozy couch. Around two weeks into your stay, you were sharing a box of pizza in the living room with your old lover when something interesting on the television caught your eye.

Ransom, broadcasted on CBS, being interviewed on your disappearance.

You watched with wide eyes as Ransom begged for your return on national television. It was one thing seeing your mother plead for you to come back, the same woman who had installed such toxic behavior in you sob for your return, but Ransom. You’d never loved him more than in that moment.

“Hugh, if you could tell Y/N one thing, what would it be?” the interviewer asked.

Ransom turned, looking straight at the camera, directly into your soul, “Y/N, I love you so much. More than you’ll ever know. I need you to come back safely, to see you, to hold you again. I’d give anything in the world for that right now,” he looked down, a tear falling down his cheek. “I can’t live without you in my life, I-”

His sentence was cut off by Andy grabbing the remote, and turning off the TV. You turned your head and frowned deeply at him.

“Why’d you do that?” you asked with a bit of a pout.

“I just couldn’t stand listening to him talk about you like he hasn’t treated you like shit for the past few years. C’mon, let’s get ready for bed.”

Your blood boiled. Andy was once a means to an end, but now he was interfering. He was clearly much too selfish to see that you and Ransom were quite obviously soulmates. A match made in hell.

You followed him to bed regardless, curling up on what had been your side of the bed for the past few days, and staring at the wall until Andy’s breaths moved from a soft and rhythmic pattern to loud snores. God, those snores were obnoxious.

You slipped out of bed and to his dresser, grabbing two soft ties from the drawer, and daintily tying his wrists to each side of the bedpost.

“What‘re you doing?” he mumbled, instinctively yanking both of his wrists as he awoke.

“I’m going back home,” you whispered.

“You can’t be serious,” Andy huffed, tugging on the restraint attached to the headboard.

You shook your head, “I am.”

“I should’ve known. Why would you do something like this? Do you know how much trouble you’ll be in with the law?”

“Do you know how much trouble you’ll be in when the world finds out that you kidnapped me?” you retorted.

This threat seemed to wake him up right away, “what about this was kidnapping? I gave you a nice home, fed you, I didn’t even make a pass at you. I didn’t do shit to you,” he hissed. “You think I can’t prove that? I’m a lawyer, for god's sake!”

You nearly laughed, “Okay, Andy,” you paused for a moment, “As a lawyer, who do you think everyone’ll believe? Someone who the world was on a wild goose chase for in the last two weeks? Or the man with a family history of violence? Must I remind you that your father and your son have killed people?”

Andy shook his head, face pinched in sorrow at the mention of his deceased son, clearly a low blow. “You’re insane,” he muttered.

“Swear to god that you won’t tell a soul what happened here,” you leaned over him, getting right in his face. “Or I promise, Andrew Barber, I will ruin you. You’ll spend the rest of your life behind bars, or disbarred, or whatever the hell I decide to do with you. So keep your goddamn lips shut.”

You pulled away and he solemnly nodded, not bothering to put up a fight. You loosened the fabric around his left wrist and walked out of the room. You picked up the keys to Andy’s Audi on your way out, checking the time as you adjusted the driver's seat.

9:45 PM. Fatherhood really changed the man.

You pushed that thought aside and began your drive home, which turned out to be a surprisingly short trip. When you pulled up in front of your home, you were met with a slew of reporters outside of the house, along with a police car that seemed to be permanently camped there.

As you slowly got out of the car, a gasp, followed by a loud silence fell across the crowd. You limped for dramatic effect up the driveway as cameras followed you, and glanced back at them pathetically. From your peripheral view, you noticed the officers get out of their vehicle.

You finally got to your door, ringing the doorbell and waiting. You blinked harshly a few times, conjuring up the tears you needed to really make a spectacle of the event. After a few minutes, Ransom opened the door, eyes widening as he looked at you. He stepped out, and you wrapped him in as big of a hug as you could manage, genuinely missing his embrace. It was possible that you even let out a few real tears in the moment.

Your emotional embrace was interrupted by the man you recognized as Lieutenant Elliott, the same officer who’d been assigned to Harlan’s case.

“Ma’am,” he began, only to be shut down by you.

“Please, just let me be with my boyfriend,” you pleaded, crocodile tears streaming down your face as you spoke with the officer. You still needed time to get your story straight.

“Just give us the night, Lieutenant. We’ll come in first thing tomorrow morning,” Ransom added, furrowing his brows at the officer that he’d come into contact with far too many times.

He looked to his partner, who shrugged, then to you, “enjoy your night.”

Cameras flashed around you as civilians, journalists, and newscasters alike attempted to catch your attention. You grabbed Ransom’s hand and dramatically pulled him inside, insincerely attempting to hide your face by ducking and covering half of your face with your arm.

As soon as you were in the privacy of your own home, Ransom threw you against a wall.

“Why. The fuck. Would you pull a stunt like that,” he hissed through gritted teeth, eyes wild, and a hand around your throat.

You whimpered as he tightened his grip, rage clearly flowing through his system uncontrollably.

“Do you know what you did to me? You almost had me thrown in fucking jail. Do you understand that?”

You nodded weakly, “Ran,” you whispered, “the baby,” you glanced down at your stomach.

He paused, dropping his grip on your neck and staring at you in awe, “no…”

You nodded again.

“How…? You told me you were on the pill… You- you made me use protection…”

“Surprise?” you said weakly.

“You’re a psychotic bitch.”

“I’m your psychotic bitch. And no child of mine will be born out of wedlock,” you taunted.

“That’s what this is about?” Ransom laughed manically. “You did this all because I won’t fucking marry you?”

You didn’t even have to respond.

“I should send you to the loony bin right fucking now.”

“What happened to all those things you said to me on TV?”

“You’re fucking delusional. I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. And you will. I’ve had to put up with you and your stupid little antics for way too long. How do you think I felt when you killed your own grandfather?”

Ransom scoffed, throwing his hands up in exasperation, “you are so fucked up.”

“I’m the fucked up one? You killed your own blood in cold blood! You’re unhinged!”

“You faked your own death for attention, and got pregnant while doing it! Is that baby even mine?”

“The fuck are you trying to say, Hugh?”

“I asked if it’s even mine.”

“Really. You’re accusing me of cheating on you. That’s rich considering Mia, Layla, and whoever the fuck else. You’re being ridiculous.”

“I’m being ridiculous? You couldn’t have a normal adult conversation with me!”

“Are you kidding me? I asked you time after time to marry me and it was always some bullshit excuse!” you wagged a finger in his face as you spoke. “Oh, commitment scares me, oh, marriage is just a piece of paper, oh-“ you mocked his voice in a deeper tone before you were cut off by the sting of his hand against your cheek.

“Can you shut the hell up?” he growled at you as you held your own cheek, before you reached out and slapped him back, “I can’t believe that I’m stuck with such a deranged bitch for the rest of my life.”

“Maybe work on your vows a little, dear. I don’t think that those words are as charming to me as they’d be to the rest of our family and friends.”

“You can’t be serious,” he groaned.

“But I am,” you hummed, rubbing your cheek softly once again. “Look at how fast your life fell apart without me here. How quickly the public turned on you. Imagine how upset they’d be if you left me. I love you, Ran. I really do. You and I are perfect for each other, can’t you see that now?”

Ransom took a step away from you, pacing slowly in front of you. He ran a stressed hand through his hair, and took a long and drawn out breath, clearly at a loss for words.

“So when should we have the wedding? I’ve always wanted a Spring wedding, and I know it’s a little short notice, but I don’t want to be showing too much in my wedding dress,” you grabbed Ransom’s bicep gently, as if you were just having a regular old day with him, as if you hadn’t been choked and slapped moments ago. “But we can make it work. We always make it work, right?”

Your now fiancé stared vacantly at the wall ahead of him, giving you a slow, empty nod of agreement.

“It’s settled then,” you smirked. “I’ll start looking at venues. You find me a nice ring, okay Honey? One that puts all those other bitches’ rings to shame,” you sighed pleasantly to yourself, “I’ve waited a long time for this, sweetheart.”

You pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before hurrying up the stairs and into your bedroom. You heard a distant shriek of “fuck,” from Ransom, but you truly could not care less.

You hopped into bed, grabbing your laptop from its charger and promptly opening it. You couldn’t help but to smile at your own reflection on the empty black screen. This wasn’t how you imagined your engagement, but you did the impossible. You tied yourself down to Hugh Ransom Drysdale, he went down kicking in screaming, and you were likely in for a lifetime of cheating and resentment, but you did it nonetheless.

You finally won.

#ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale x you #dark!reader #ransom drysdale x dark!reader #ransom thrombey x reader #ransom thrombey x you #knives out #knives out fanfic #siris5ksoftdarkchallenge

275 notes · View notes

seoloquent · 3 years ago

Text

project: dance, dance, revolution

summary - you hate that ai robots are beginning to take over the entertainment industry, but you have no choice than to help them. but what if it all didn't turn out to be what you thought it was?

pairing - johnny and fem!reader

genre - strangers-to-lovers!au, robot!au, comedy, fluff

word count - 10.101

warnings - cw! food, there might be some grammatical errors... i'm depending on grammarly on this one

author's note - this is for @pastelsicheng's ai project #14320 collab! this was honestly such a challenge for me since i have been in a writing slump for over two years i believe, but i'm glad it gave me the push i need. i am still super rusty, but i think the dialogue is cute, so i'm happy with it! thank you so much emmy for sharing your great idea with everyone, and i hope you all like it!

************************************************************************

Johnny AI AU - seoloquent

Kun was terrified.

Despite experiencing your various emotions throughout the five years of being your manager, he has never seen you this angry before. But, honestly speaking, he couldn’t blame you. He’d be just as mad if he found out his boss went behind his back and signed a contract with a company he hated. As much as he could sympathize with you though, Kun just couldn’t get himself to understand why you were so upset about working with LSM Incorporated. If he were in your shoes, he’d be doing backflips off the wall! The amount of exposure, and revenue you are potentially going to be receiving… Kun just does not understand what the problem is.

Although your strides were long and strong, Kun was able to keep up with you while making sure he kept his distance, as if a dark cloud followed behind you. As cautious as he was to not have you blow up at him, he still tried to convince you to not make a scene within the conference room by his desperate protests; in which you kindly ignored. Every single word that left his mouth went through one ear and straight out the other as you paid him no mind. You were in a tunnel vision; the only person you wanted to talk to right now was your boss.

Pushing the door open with much force (that Kun had to catch before it slammed onto the wall behind it), you caught the attention of the CEO of your company, as well as Lee Soo Man of LSM Inc. They flashed pleasant smiles your way, completely oblivious of your angry state.

“Y/N, just the person we wanted to se-”

“Are you serious?!” You slammed the contract papers down on the table, your eyes wide and fierce as they stared into your boss’s eyes.

Your emotions were still fresh from when you first received the signed contract papers from Kun about an hour prior. The feelings of betrayal and violation lingered within you, and the uneasiness it caused made you sick. How could someone lack so much human decency that they justified going behind their employee’s back, an employee that has their trust in them at that, and force them into labor; which they have already voiced that they did not want to do? It baffled you, and you were hurt, as you believed that you and your CEO had a great business relationship. But he took that open communication for granted and took advantage of you.

After realizing that you stormed in with anger rather than excitement, he pursed his lips and looked down at the papers, chuckling to himself. “Oh. So you’re still opposed to the idea.”

You couldn’t believe your ears. “Of course I am!” Your voice rose as your eyes grew bigger. “You never talked to me about it again after the first time; what made you think that I changed my mind?”

“Y/N, I have to get you to notice that you are not the only one signed to this company. This will not only be good exposure for you, but for us as well.” He justified. He kept his voice calm, not only to calm you down but also to keep a professional demeanor in front of his newly established business partner.

“Oh, so you’re doing this for yourself?”

“Of course not! This is for the benefit of not only you, not only me, but for the company as a whole.” Your CEO reasoned. Before you could respond, he cleared his throat and turned to Lee Soo Man. “I’m sorry, but will you excuse us for a moment? I don’t feel comfortable having this conversation in front of you as our partner.”

Normally, you would be embarrassed that you presented this side of yourself in front of a potential partner, but embarrassed in front of Lee Soo Man? You care more about a monkey’s opinion about yourself more than his opinion. Besides, it doesn’t seem like he’s phased by your reaction at all. Strangely enough, when you turned toward the founder of LSM Inc., you realized that his arrogant smile had never left his face since the moment you stormed into the conference room. It gave you chills. He seems so artificial that you wouldn’t be surprised if he turned out to be a robot himself.

After Lee Soo Man gave his, “No problem,” your boss stood up from his seat and escorted you both outside the conference room. The moment the door closed, your boss’s true emotion started to show. His eyes grew wide and his fingers grabbed onto his freshly trimmed strands as he breathed out a heavy breath of frustration. Equally as frustrated, if not more, you crossed your arms and made sure your gaze was unwavering; something you needed to learn after being manipulated many times from past experiences with people who work within the entertainment industry. You stepped your metaphoric foot down. Even if your boss had signed a contract without your acknowledgment, you were not going to do the job. That’s not your signature on the papers.

“Are you crazy Y/N?!” He yelled in a hushed tone, careful to not have anyone overhear your conversation. “How could you act like that in front of him?”

“Do I not have a right to be angry? You sold me away to a robot company Jack, a robot company!” You slapped the back of your hand on your other palm, now physically unable to withhold your emotions.

“I didn’t sell you away, you’re getting paid to do this job.” He spat. Now self-aware of how uncivil and unprofessional he was being, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ease his nerves. You are going to get nowhere if you bickered like this, and if you keep it up, he knows he is going to say something he regrets.

Now keeping his tone soft, he revealed, “I chose you because you’re the best for this job.”

“Aren’t there other artists under this label who could do this? I’m sure they’re more willing to work with LSM than I am.” You matched his tone, hoping that this time you could get through to him.

“Those other artists can’t produce the same product as you can.” Jack shook his head disapprovingly. “Listen Y/N, I don’t want to waste any more of Mr. Lee’s time, so I’m going to make this short. I apologize in advance if you find any offense in this, but business is business.” You stared intently into his eyes, in hopes to understand where he was going with his next sentence, but his expression could not be read.

“If you can’t do this job, then I’m afraid that I’ll have to drop you from this label.”

You never knew what people meant by having their hearts drop down to their stomachs until now. You felt as if the wind was knocked out of you, your breath short and shaky and your knees weak. All these years… all this work you put in to make a name not only for yourself but for this company… it baffled you that all that effort could be thrown away so easily, just because of some AI company.

As much as you wanted to keep standing up for yourself and your role in the company, you knew there was no use. Your boss didn’t seem to give you a choice either, seeing that he walked back into the conference room shortly after his bombshell. The only thing you could find yourself doing is laughing bitterly to yourself while shaking your head. What in the world are you going to do now?

***

Maybe it isn’t such a good idea to go to a bar when you’re in a bad mood. The constant noise of chatter and the clinking of glasses did not soothe your nerves one bit. Rather, it made you even more annoyed, and on the brink of yelling out at everyone to just be quiet. Instead of making a fool of yourself in public though, you sat with your head under your arms, forehead resting on the cool surface of the bar. Kun, your designated moral support, sat next to you, tapping his glass of whiskey as he thought of what to say to you.

“So, what are you gonna do?”

That simple yet oh so effective sentence had you throwing your head back and releasing a loud groan. Your reaction had your manager shrugging, his face reading, ‘What did I do?’ You rested your cheeks on the palms of your hands as you thought: ‘What can I do?’

Gazing off into a space of nothing, you replied: “I dunno.” You shook your head, your hands still on either side of your face as you deadpanned. “I have no idea what I’m gonna do.” After a moment, something clicked in your head, and you set your arms down and turned to Kun. “Do you want to bail on them and start a company with me?”

He snorted at the inquiry. “You know we can’t do that! At least not right now. It’s way too last minute.”

You looked down at your arms with a sad expression and sighed. “You’re right.” Not only would it be an impulsive decision, but you had no motivation in you to own a whole entertainment company. “What am I gonna do?!” You cried out, your hands covering your face to hide your shame.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stop the whining!” Kun took your hands away from your face, revealing the pout on your face. “Everything is going to be fine! I’m sure of it.”

Kun, a big pep-talk kind of man, was always ready to reassure you when you were in doubt. And boy was he good at it. You still remember when you were growing anxious before your first big concert at an arena. The staff ran around the whole place frantically trying to find where you ran off to. Thankfully, your trustee manager was able to find your hiding spot, which was beside a vending machine in an empty hallway. His comforting words found a way to ease your speedy heart rate, and clear up your clogged mind. After that day, you knew you could always go to him when you were feeling down or unsure of yourself. He’s a friend you could always lean on.

“How are you so sure?” You asked, your voice so small that he almost missed the question.

“Think about it,” he set his glass to the side and folded his hands together, “this contract is only valid for six months. It’s not like you’re going to be working there forever.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “I know that; but still! I don’t want to do it at all!”

“You never know what will happen until you try though! You might end up liking it.” He nudged your elbow as he flashed a convincing smile.

“Me? Liking it?” You scoffed. “Kun, do you even know me?”

He pursed his lips and sighed. This situation was foreign to him since he always knew what to say. But now, it seemed like everything he was saying was making the situation worse. He wanted nothing more than for you to feel comfortable, but that mission is basically impossible knowing how much you oppose the AI industry. But still, Kun is a persistent man. He wasn’t going to back down just yet.

Finally, something clicked.

“Actually, your idea doesn’t sound half bad.” You cocked a curious eyebrow, surprised that he brought up something you spurted out carelessly. “Think about it: you’re still your own person. Even though you’re technically bound by a contract doesn’t mean that you can’t make a decision on your own. He did give you the choice to leave.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “So you’re saying that I should just leave the company?”

He shook his head. “No. What I’m doing is offering a deal. I want you to try to work with LSM for at least three months. If you try it, you might like it! If not, I will quit with you, and we can try to start a company on our own; which I know we both don’t want. But hey, that might be fun too.”

You thought about the proposal for a moment. It wasn’t too much of a bad idea. It was actually quite reasonable. Yeah, you aren’t looking forward to being surrounded by robots and their arrogant creators, but you guess that it’s worth a try. Just for the experience at least.

“I think we have a deal.” You held your hand out.

He took your hand in his and gave it a firm shake.

“Pleasure doing business with you, partner.”

***

You shivered upon entering the entertainment wing of LSM Inc. You were told that the lab would be a bit chilly, which is why you brought a jacket with you, but the cool air still found a way to nip at your skin through the material. You have to say, the lab was not what you expected it to be. Rather than it being some cold, plain science lab, it was made out to be much more casual. Your eyes settled on what looked like a lounge area for the employees, and you watched carefully as they conversed with one another with soft smiles on their faces. Scanning the place even further, you came across capsule areas, in which you assume where the AI robots stayed. As cool as the dome building seemed, you still couldn’t shake off the grudge you had against the company.

“Oh, you’re here!” A man holding a clipboard exclaimed. He ran over to you and Kun, flashing a bright smile. “Mr. Lee told me that we were to be expecting you both. I was hoping to greet you at the main lobby entrance, but I got caught up in another situation, so I apologize. My name is Kim Doyoung, I’ll be your guide for the day.” He politely held his hand out, and you shook it while replying with a small, “Hello.”

“We’re pleased to have you here with us Ms. Y/N. Please, follow me.” He motioned both of you to follow him. “I must say, I’m a huge fan of your music. I’m really happy that you decided to work with us for the next comeback.”

“Oh. Don’t mention it.” You shook your head while smiling slightly.

As Doyoung lead you to wherever he was leading you, he pointed out different areas to help you grow familiar with the lab. You learned that they have many recording and dance studios like regular companies do. You couldn’t help but wonder why, since they could just be programmed to sing the songs, but you didn’t bother to ask.

Finally, Doyoung stopped at a station, but his bright expression was replaced by a puzzled one. He looked around as if he were looking for someone. You, on the other hand, couldn’t help but stare at what stood before you. The tall human-like… thing, stared right back at you with a neutral expression. It gave you chills how real he seemed; like he could walk past you on the street and you wouldn’t bat an eye. Despite how anxious it made you feel, your curiosity outweighed that emotion, and you inched closer to get a better look.

Your tour guide caught you eyeing the bot, and that smile found its way back onto his face. He heard that you might be a bit opposed to working with the AI’s, so he was glad to find you expressing some sort of interest in their prized possession.

“He’s so human-” As if in a trance, you reached out a hand to touch the robot, but it suddenly stepped back just before you got to it.

“I’m sorry, but physical touch is not allowed unless permitted.” The robot announced before flashing a commercial smile.

Doyoung’s chuckled beside you. “For the safety of our bots, we have prohibited anyone from touching them.” He leaned in to add, “Too many fans at fansigns got touchy-feely.” He shook his head disapprovingly.

“Eager to get a feel of my bot already?” You heard a voice from behind you.

When you turned around, you felt as though you got whiplash. The man standing behind you looked identical to the robot standing before you. The only difference was that the robot had blonde short hair and was styled in fancy clothing whilst the man had long brown hair and didn’t seem to care much about what he had on. He had his hands in the pockets of his gray sweatpants, a sly smirk plastered on his face.

“You’re late.” Doyoung deadpanned.

“I’m not late, I was taking a nap in the Pod, and nobody cared enough to wake me up!” The mystery man shrugged.

Finally, you snapped back into reality, but you still had to verify that what you were seeing was real. When you finally accepted what was going on, you couldn’t help but laugh.

“How cute.” You snickered to yourself.

A puzzled expression masked the mystery man’s face. “What’s cute?”

“What is this? The Man and the Muppet?” Your comment had Kun nudging your arm and shooting you a warning look to which you responded with an apologetic gaze.

Not giving the mystery man any time to respond (merely because he does not have the patience), Doyoung spoke up. “This is Suh Youngho, he’s the head AI Developer of our department. He’s the creator of #S127.” Youngho put his hands behind his back and bowed as his greeting.

“I’m guessing his name is Youngho as well?” You pointed to the robot, still standing expressionless.

“He wishes, but no, we call him Johnny!” Youngho swung an arm over his identical twin of a robot, smiling brightly. “After a long and hard fight for it, he will be releasing his first solo album this year.” He wiped a fake tear from under his eye. “Johnny here is my firstborn, so this is going to be really special.”

“And you’re going to help us make it very special!” Doyoung cheered.

“Actually, speaking of that, what exactly am I supposed to be doing? Wouldn’t it just be easier for me to give you guys a demo and you program him to sing it or something?” You asked.

Doyoung was quick to answer. “That would defeat the purpose of AI robots actually! The thing is, they’re supposed to learn to adapt to certain environments, like we do! So they learn how to sing songs and how to dance complex choreography just like we do.”

This time, Kun was the one to ask a question. “Aren’t you guys just putting more work upon yourself?”

“Yes, and no,” Youngho started, “It’s like a domino effect. The more work we give our bots means more research that needs to be done. The more research that is done, means there’s more data we get. The more data we get means a more refined bot, and then it loops.” Kun opened his mouth in an ‘ah’ shape and nodded his head after the explanation. “Hopefully we can get this bad boy to the point where we don’t have to do any more research and he can be a successful artist on his own.”

Even though this was all very interesting, you still couldn’t help but still be opposed to the thought of helping a robot making it in the entertainment industry. You caught a glimpse of the future as you fell into a daydream: AI’s getting a full sweep in wins at big music award shows, discrediting those who actually put their heart and soul into their work. Robots don’t have a heart, nor do they have a soul. Even if they do seem to “work hard,” they will never be on the same level as a human artist. It just won’t be fair, but what even is fair these days?

“So, to answer your question, we need Johnny to learn what it’s like to be a true singer-slash-songwriter. And to achieve that, he’ll be staying with you for the duration of the six months before his solo debut.” Doyoung’s words snapped you out of your daydream and you turned to him with furrowed brows.

“Oh, so this is going to be like ‘Take your robot to work day’ or something? But just for six months instead?” You questioned.

Doyoung looked up as he thought, nodding and shrugging seconds afterward. “Well, yes, but we were hoping that Johnny could get the full package. We planned for him to stay with you 24/7 so that he could really get a feel of your creative process.”

You did a double-take, eyes wide and mouth agape showcasing your shock.

“E-Excuse me? You mean to say that he will be… living with me?” You spoke low and slow, scared of the obvious answer.

You didn’t see anything about this in the contract papers; not that you read it anyway since you weren’t the one who signed them; but still! You could feel your heart race as you thought of him living in your apartment, those brown soulless eyes studying every move you made. The vision made you shudder.

“Affirmative.” Youngho nodded firmly.

Your heart wanted to burst out of your chest. “I’m sorry, but can you guys excuse us for a moment? I need to speak with my manager in private.” You said just before taking Kun’s hand and dragging him somewhere where the two scientists wouldn’t be able to hear your conversation.

“I’m living with the robot?!” You whisper yelled, careful to not have anyone nearby hear your anguish.

“In my defense, I had no idea about this.” Kun shook his head with his hands up.

You paced back and forth as you panicked. You lifted your hands, but not knowing what to do with them, you just clenched them into a fist. It seemed like your life was spiraling out of your control. Nothing is going your way, and it is driving you insane. You need to get your life back in order fast. If not, who knows what will happen?

“I swear, if he wasn’t the one paying me, I would kill Jack right now.” You grumbled.

“Hey, it’s not like Johnny is a real guy. I doubt he would try to do anything to hurt you.” Kun tried his best to reassure you, but it was not doing much to help.

“You don’t know that! We don’t know what those guys are capable of!” You pointed toward Doyoung and Youngho. “That Doyoung guy is nice, but I don’t know if I can trust him. And Youngho seems like he’s gonna be a handful.” You stared at the said man as he and Doyoung bickered, probably about him being late again.

Kun turned his head to see the two men bickering, and the only thing he could do was chuckle. “I think they should be the least of your worries.” His comment made you sigh deeply. “You’ll be fine, I promise you!” He put his hands on your arms to steady you, but you avoided his gaze as you stared down at your feet with a pout on your face. “You know I’m always on speed dial if you need me.”

You nodded your head, still avoiding his gaze.

“Hey,” his call made your eyes meet his. “If all goes wrong, we can always dump a bucket of water over ‘em.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “Yeah, and then we’ll get sued and possibly go to jail.”

Kun smacked his lips and said, “Eh, I’m sure they’ll be able to fix the guy. A little water can’t do that much damage.” He stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets. After a small moment of silence, he kicked your shoe gently. “So what do you say? You’re still gonna do it, or no?”

A groan erupted from your chest, and you brought your hands down your face out of frustration. You really don’t want to do this, but a deal is a deal.

“Three months. I’m giving three months.”

“That’s my girl!”

***

You found yourself pacing around your apartment in the early morning. It has been about a week since you first spoke with LSM Inc. From this day forward for the next six months (or three months you hoped), Johnny would be shadowing you at all times. You were a nervous wreck since you didn’t know what to expect from living with a robot. What if he suddenly malfunctioned and they blamed it on you? You can’t handle this type of responsibility. Or what if he malfunctioned and started acting violently toward you?

“Snap out of it!” You whisper yelled at yourself, hitting your temple with your knuckles. You always tend to scare yourself when you’re nervous. Everyone you have spoken to about this matter has told you that you had nothing to worry about, so you made it your goal to not worry. But why is it so hard?

DING!

You swore your heart jumped out of your chest when your doorbell suddenly sounded throughout your home. As much as you wanted your heart rate to calm down, it only began to race faster the closer you got to your door. When your hand touched the gold knob, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, then you finally opened the door.

Two identical men stood before you, flashing the same bright smile.

“Good morning to you!” Youngho greeted you cheerfully, to which you replied with a dazed “Morning,” before allowing them inside.

You eyed the two men as they entered your living room, confused as to why they were the only ones here. “Where is Mr. Kim?”

Youngho cocked an eyebrow before turning around to face you. “Who?”

“Your coworker. Doyoung, I believe his name is?” You answered.

“Oh!” He let out a hearty laugh. “You don’t have to call him that, it makes him sound old. And I’m older than him, so that kind of hurts my feelings.” He joked, but the only thing you could find yourself doing was nodding your head and looking away.

Sensing your discomfort, he cleared his throat before answering your question. “He’s busy back at the lab. I’m here to make sure John is all set before I leave him in your care.” You winced at his words. It only added to the overwhelming weight on your shoulders.

“Why do you ask? Did you grow fond of him already?” He slung his backpack from around his shoulder onto the floor. You peeked inside when he zipped it open, finding wires bunched inside.

“Uh, no, I wouldn’t say that.” You let out a nervous laugh. “I just find it a bit overwhelming with only you two here.”

A smirk grew on his face. “So, you’re overwhelmed by my great looks huh?” He flipped his hair and shrugged as if it was inevitable to be starstruck by him.

“I look exactly like you,” Johnny spoke for the first time since entering your home.

You had to hold back a laugh at the sudden comment, and Youngho’s reaction didn’t make it any easier.

“So? You’re inspired by me, so therefore I take the credit of our looks!” He stuck his nose up in Johnny’s face. When the scientist turned back toward you, he realized you were holding back a laugh as your pursed your lips and looked away. “What? You find this funny?”

You put your hand up and shook your head. “No, no.”

Youngho was happy to find you in a better mood than when you first met. Sure, you’re still on the shy side, but at least you’re laughing instead of frowning like the first time. He heard that you weren’t exactly on board with working with LSM, so he made it his goal to have this be an enjoyable experience for you. He hopes that one day your negative opinions about AI’s would change. They’re as special to him as music is to you.

“I need to set up Johnny’s things. Is it okay if you tell me where he’s allowed to sleep?” Youngho asked.

You tilted your head to the side, a puzzled expression finding its way on your face. “He sleeps?”

“Yeah!” Youngho nodded simply. “It’s like setting your computer on sleep mode. Machines need rest as much as we do. Johnny here is a hardworking man, he deserves to sleep.”

You supposed he was right. He might break easier if his gears were running constantly. Plus, he was made to function as a human, but you didn’t know that it was to this extent. To say the least, you were impressed at the attention to detail.

You motioned the two to your guest bedroom, and immediately Youngho got to work. Johnny stood next to you as the both of you spectated Youngho’s work, but you were shortly distracted by the robot.

You peered up at the tall machine with a curious gaze, and he turned to you with a kind smile.

“So, I’m not sure if this is an inappropriate question or not, but I’m curious.” Johnny nodded for you to go on. “Should I, like… talk to you like Siri? Or can I talk to you like a normal person?”

You were startled to hear Youngho’s loud snort in the corner of the room, but instead of him being the one to answer, Johnny did.

“You can talk to me like a normal person, don’t worry.” Johnny shook his head. “If it makes you comfortable, you can view me as a human if you’d like. I’m not that much different than you actually. We’re just wired differently.”

“Hey,” Youngho’s stern voice caught both of your attention. “Be proud of who you are, whether you are a human or robot. We’ve been through this John.”

Johnny nodded. “Right, right. My apologies.”

Youngho hated it when Johnny tried to tell others to view him as a human. Not because he believed that Johnny was trying to fool people, but because being a robot is his identity, and he should be proud of that. Sure, it’s not likely that Johnny could feel the feeling of pride, but Youngho could tell that Johnny was insecure. It worried him, but he didn’t want to tap into his database to change anything since he wants Johnny to be as authentic as possible. So for now, Youngho is keeping track of Johnny’s growth as an AI person.

Soon, Youngho was finished with setting up Johnny’s station. In the corner of the guestroom stood a white podium with a screen built in the middle of it. He let out a deep breath of satisfaction as he stepped back and dusted his hands off.

Before you could ask what it was, Youngho was already answering your unspoken question. “This is Johnny’s Communication Center. Every night he’ll have to transfer data from his system so that we’ll know what he’s been up to and see if he’s made any improvements. That’s if he’s not with me at the lab.” Suddenly, his face grew serious. “For legal reasons, I have to let you know that this station is strictly off-limits. There’s confidential information in here that belongs to LSM Inc.”

Even though you were curious, the last thing you wanted to do was get involved with the law, so you took note of his warning. Hopefully, it isn’t something regarding the invasion of privacy.

You shook your head before you could scare yourself even further. Positive thoughts. Think positive thoughts.

“Alright, on that note, I think my work here is done!” Youngho announced. “Can I talk with you in private?” He asked suddenly, pointing a finger at you.

“Me?” You had to double-check whether he was really talking to you or not. He chuckled as he nodded his head, confirming your wonders. “Oh, okay.”

You followed the man out of the room, leaving Johnny to check out the place he’ll be living in for the next few months.

After the two of you reached your living room, Youngho began to speak. “Hey, so, I really want to thank you for working with us on this project. I heard that you’re not the biggest fan of AI’s, so I was surprised to hear you signed the contract.”

You held back from rolling your eyes as the memories of your boss came up. “It’s not like I really had a choice.” You smiled softly and shook your head.

He tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

You tensed up when you realized what you just said. As much as you did not want to do this job, you made it your goal to remain as professional as possible for the sake of your reputation. After working in the entertainment industry for some years, you learned to keep your personal feelings apart from your job. If- no, when you do end up quitting the job after three months, at least LSM won’t be able to say anything negative about you.

Refraining from explaining yourself, you shook your head once more. “Nevermind what I said. Johnny will be safe in my care!”

Youngho pouted, his eyes scanning your face. He wanted you to elaborate, but he had no time to talk further. He needed to get back to the lab.

“Well, I hope so. Call me if you need anything. I need to get going.”

Nodding, you waved goodbye to him before seeing him off. Your feet ended up taking you back to your guest bedroom, where you found Johnny sitting at the end of the bed, staring at the wall in front of him. You caught his attention after you cleared your throat, and instead of staring at you with that lifeless gaze, he smiled brightly.

You mustered up the courage to walk up to him, still stopping some feet away though. Crossing your arms, you tried to think of what to say. While you thought, he examined your face, trying his best to read your expression so he to could come up with something to talk about. The silence was awkward for you, but Johnny never sensed the discomfort. He was happy to be here with you. You are the gold coin on his road to success, so he decided to cherish you.

“So… it’s quite early and I usually don’t head to the studio until the evening. Is there anything you wanted to do?” You asked.

“There isn’t anything I can think of…” he shrugged his shoulders.

Suddenly, your stomach grumbled and your hand covered it as a reflex. You were so nervous this morning that you didn’t have much of an appetite, but hunger was catching up to you now.

“I didn’t have breakfast yet.” You laughed nervously. “Are you… able to eat anything?” You felt weird asking such a question since he’s a robot after all, but who knows what he can and cannot do? Technology is so advanced these days. Besides, isn’t he made to live like a human anyway?

In all truthfulness though, Johnny isn’t allowed to eat-- sometimes. In special cases, he can nibble on a snack, but eating a full course meal was a no-go. But Johnny was aware of your discomfort of being with him, and he was determined to make you feel the opposite. As long as he doesn’t clog his gears, taking the risk should be okay.

“I know of this breakfast house Youngho likes to go to every now and then. Do you want to go there?”

Your face lit up at the suggestion. You were more excited at the thought of being around others rather than eating. Being in the house alone with Johnny was really starting to suffocate you, and you needed out immediately. Maybe some fresh air and being surrounded by humans will make you feel somewhat better.

The two of you were quick to leave the apartment after you accepted the offer. Johnny led the way to the restaurant, and on your way, he let you know that it was not far from your home. Come to find out, it was within walking distance. You wondered how you never noticed the humble breakfast house, but after thinking about it for a while, you realized that you are always on the go. Ever since you moved to your apartment, you never took the time to stop and get to know your surroundings.

“What’s wrong?” Johnny’s question snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Huh? Oh… nothing, just thinking.” Finally, you noticed that you were standing in front of the restaurant. “Let’s head inside.”

Surprisingly, Johnny was easy to talk to. Even though he had somewhat awkward responses to your questions, it was never boring or dry. You got to know about his life in the lab, and even how Youngho decided to grow his hair out because people mistook him for Johnny so many times. His story was so interesting, and it kept you on your toes, itching to hear more. It was beyond what you could ever imagine.

“So what is your goal?” You suddenly asked.

He tilted his head in curiosity. “Can you elaborate for me please?”

“You know, like what’s your goal as a singer? Or even just as a living being?”

He sat back in his seat as he pondered on the simple, yet deep question. It’s something he’s never had time to think about. Actually, it’s something he never considered thinking about. Ever since he was first powered up, he has always been working. But working towards what, is the question he began to ask himself.

“I… honestly don’t know.” He shook his head after moments of thinking.

“Really?” Your eyes grew wide at his response. “If that’s the case, then why do you expect to learn how to write music? You need to have some desire or passion to do so.”

He crossed his arm over his chest and rested his chin on his other hand. “I guess you’re right… But how do I find out what my goal is?”

You shrugged your shoulders. “What are you living for? What’s your purpose? You have to ask yourself these types of questions.”

It worried Johnny that he didn’t have a passion despite calling himself a music artist. But he knew he needed to figure it out fast because he really does want to be successful in this field. But is there anything really to work for being the person he is?

***

The next day, you were back at the lab for Johnny’s first checkup. The first night at the studio was not a success, which wasn’t surprising considering that he had nothing to write about. This was exactly what you were afraid of. No matter how busy he might be, he hasn’t gotten the real human experience, so what really can he write about? Hard drives and wires?

“Hey Babysitter!” Youngho greeted you cheerfully after spotting you and Johnny some feet away.

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Babysitter?”

“Yeah, you are taking care of my kid after all.” He laughed, ruffling Johnny’s hair, to which Johnny slapped his hand away. “How was the first day?”

You sighed deeply, thinking about yesterday’s events. “It went okay, but we made no progress in the studio.”

Youngho smacked his lips. “Well, that’s alright. We still have six months ahead of us. There’s still time left.”

“That’s true.” You nodded your head. “But on the bright side, Johnny treated me to the best breakfast I had in a while! So brownie points for that.”

Your words came out too fast for Johnny to stop you. He froze, his hand slapping his mouth in shock. He is dead meat.

“He didn’t eat with you, did he?” Youngho blinked at you. Sensing the tension in the air, you nodded slowly, but kept your mouth shut. “Oh my-” Youngho stepped back as if he was about to faint.

He clenched his fist against his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. You felt like you did something wrong, but you just couldn’t figure out what. You were sure Johnny would tell you if you did.

“Johnny, just head to the back, okay?” Youngho said, his eyes still closed.

“Yes sir.” Johnny rushed away without another word.

“Did I do something wrong...?” You asked shyly.

“No you didn’t, don’t worry.” Youngho sighed. “He knows better. If he eats too much he could clog his gears. But mostly, I just hate cleaning him out, it’s so tedious!” He groaned at the thought of all the clumps of food he has to take out.

“Oh my gosh! I wouldn’t have let him if I have known!” You exclaimed.

Youngho shook his head. “It’s okay, you didn’t know. He seems to be functioning well, so he should be fine.”

You were worried at the thought of Johnny breaking while under your supervision. Imagine getting sued by a company that handles AI’s? Your life would be over! You can’t let that happen, you won’t allow it to happen.

“Is there any way for me to know if he’s okay or not? Like does he feel pain or no?” You asked. You needed to know just in case you had to rush back to the lab if anything happens. You’re not going to be the blame for anything.

“Yes, and no.” Youngho went on to explain. “He can feel you if you tap him on the shoulder, but if you punch him, it’ll still feel like a mere tap. But the only time he does feel pain is when something in his system malfunctions.” You tilted your head, still not catching on. He found your expression cute, and he couldn’t hold back a smile. “Just think about it: when you’re using your phone, it can feel your taps as you scroll. But if you drop it on the ground, you don’t hear it screaming out in pain.”

“Ah, I think I get it now!” You nodded your head fervently.

“Right! But we did program him to feel some type of pain just so we will know if something wrong is happening to the important parts.”

“That makes a lot of sense… Man, you guys really have it all laid out huh?” You couldn’t help but be impressed at the amount of thought that went into creating Johnny.

“Yeah, well, it’s nothing much.” Johnny shoved his hands in his pockets as he shrugged nonchalantly. As laid back as he was acting, nothing could hide the blush that crept onto his face. He’s a sucker for people acknowledging his work.

“Well, as much as I want to argue with you about that, I have to get to my schedule! Kun is waiting for me outside and I can’t keep him waiting. I’ll be back soon!” You waved as you began to walk away.

Youngho waved back to you as he watched you exit the lab. He sighed to himself, not knowing what he was going to do with Johnny. But knowing that it is best to get the job done now rather than later, Youngho dragged his feet to the operation room where Johnny would be waiting.

Johnny tensed up once Youngho entered the room, and he avoided eye contact in hopes he wouldn’t blow up at him. Thankfully, Youngho didn’t have the energy to yell.

“Why did you do that?” The scientist asked simply.

“She was uncomfortable and hungry, so it was the only thing I could think of.” Johnny justified his past actions, but Youngho wasn’t having any of it.

“Let’s just get this over with, and then we’ll check your data.” Youngho sighed as he started to prep for the cleanup.

“Wait, wait! I have a question.” Johnny stopped him. “Do you have a goal?”

Youngho was taken aback by the sudden question. “Yes… I think so? I guess it depends on what the goal is for.” He wasn’t very sure if he had a set goal, but he did know that he is satisfied where he is right at this moment. The only thing he is concerned about is making sure #S127 remains on the rise.

“Do you think… I’m able to have a goal?”

“You can have the goal of winning a Grammy!” Youngho suggested.

Johnny scoffed. “Well, yeah, but I’m talking about for myself. Am I able to find a goal or a passion at least for myself?”

Youngho blinked at his robot. He was at a loss for words. It seems like a simple yes or no question, but there are levels to it. The right answer to this question was up in the air somewhere, and Youngho was finding a hard time finding it. What in the world did you do to his bot?

“I’m sure you can if you put your mind to it,” Youngho answered. He grabbed his phone and began texting you, suggesting that the two of you grab coffee when you get back to the lab. He needed to talk to you to figure out the meaning behind Johnny’s words.

Some hours later, you were at a Starbucks near the lab sitting across from Youngho. You were nervous you did something bad after all, but you couldn’t get yourself to figure out what you’ve done. But thankfully, Johnny was the first to speak.

“So, Johnny asked me a question that kind of shocked me. I’m supposing you asked him the same question yesterday.” He began.

“What question are you talking about?” You asked.

“If he has a goal. He’s been thinking about it really hard.”

You felt as if a huge weight was lifted off your shoulders. You thought of something way worse, even though you talked to Johnny a handful of times yesterday, and the conversations the two of you had were never bad or questionable. Your nervousness always found a way to get to you still.

“Well yeah! He needs to have a passion in order to be a real artist. And to have a passion, he needs to have a goal.” You nodded.

“Are you sure he can have a passion? He’s a robot.”

You were surprised at his response. “Aren’t you the one who created him? I thought you would know this! Writing songs isn’t just jotting down words on a piece of paper you know. It’s much more to it than that.”

Youngho sighed. You’re right, and it bothered him. It’s not you that he’s bothered by, but the fact that he really doesn’t have everything figured out. He’s so used to being a genius and having questions answered before people could even ask them, but the fact that he doesn’t have an answer prepared for something as simple as this messed with his head. How did he expect to make a successful idol group if his idols can’t even write music on their own?

“I could always just give you a song to use.” You suggested.

“No, I don’t want that,” Youngho answered quickly. “We do that every comeback. We need to actually make some improvements.”

You took a sip of your coffee as you watched Youngho try to figure out what to do. You knew Johnny writing his own song was too good to be true, but you have to admit, there is a part of you that believes in him. If he can read and understand human emotion, there are chances for him to be able to write a decent song.

“What was your purpose in making Johnny and the other guys in the group?” You asked suddenly.

Youngho frowned at the memories that came up in his mind. “I actually didn’t create Johnny and the others to be idol singers.” You furrowed your eyebrows at the bombshell. “I actually intended for them to be soldiers.”

Your jaw dropped. You would have never thought of #S127 fighting in a war. It’s a complete 180 from what they are doing right now.

“What made you change your mind?!” To say you were shocked would be an understatement.

“I didn’t change my mind.” He laughed. “The government rejected my offer, but they told me about LSM Inc. and now here I am. Lee Soo Man suggested that I use my bots to make an idol group, and I wanted nothing to do with it. But it was either I make a group, or be broke with robots that have no purpose.”

So he was in a similar situation that you’re in right now. It made you feel happy to see that he seems to enjoy his current circumstances, but still, you can’t get yourself to accept that you have to share competition with AIs who can’t even figure out how to write a song on their own. Despite that, you were growing fond of Johnny, and you wanted him to be able to find his passion. He’s the only AI you would allow to win.

“I would have never thought of Johnny being a soldier.” You laughed, shaking your head. “Considering that this is your current circumstance, you need to figure out if they’re able to create their own goals for themselves. I understand the base goal is to win awards at big music shows and hit the charts, but there needs to be a better foundation.”

Youngho couldn’t help but admire you as you gave your advice. Not only are you beautiful, but you’re thoughtful, and the more you spoke, the more it attracted him to you. Where were you when he needed you the most? The company has worked with so many different artists before you, but you’re the only one that is actually helping. He just wanted to take you into his arms and thank you repeatedly at this moment.

From here on out, Youngho was determined to find out what Johnny’s goal is. Whether it is impossible or not, he is going to make sure Johnny becomes the best songwriter there is.

***

The three months had gone by before you knew it, and in all honesty, you didn’t want to quit the job. Johnny and you had grown closer the more you worked together, and you enjoyed seeing his progress as he worked to become a better and more authentic writer. And Youngho and you also hit it off very well, becoming closer friends the more you talked. You also realized that you were catching feelings for the scientist, but you ignored it, believing that it was nothing but a simple crush. ‘It will pass overtime,’ you would tell yourself.

Kun on the other hand did nothing to remind you of the deal that you made with him since he knew you forgot about it. He enjoyed seeing you have fun made him happy, he never liked seeing you in a sour mood. He too has gotten close with Youngho as well after going out drinking with him and Doyoung several times. Just like tonight.

This time, you decided to join the guys tonight for drinks at the bar. Once you found out Kun was hanging out with the two scientists, you felt left out and invited yourself to the next outing. It wasn’t like they minded though since they love your company.

“So, I heard that you don’t really like AI’s Y/N. Can I ask you why that is?” Doyoung asked.

You poked your lip out as you thought. “Well, it’s mainly because nothing they do feels true to me. It’s all programmed. Not only that, but they’re slowly taking over our jobs. I’m not exactly comfortable with that.”

Youngho shook his head. “I get what you’re saying, but that’s not necessarily true. AI’s, at least the ones we make at LSM, is made to function like humans. So everything they do is learned after we establish a little bit of a foundation we put in their program. And there are still significantly more humans who have jobs than AI’s, but I do get your concern.”

What he said had you thinking. You supposed he was right, but you still felt so odd about it. But you figured it’s just something that you’re going to have to learn to accept as time goes on. The only AI you trust is Johnny, and that’s all that matters to you right now.

“You might be right, but it’s going to take me some time to get used to them. I like Johnny at least.” You shrugged.

“And that’s all I need to hear.” Youngho smiled widely.

You giggled at his antics. “Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom really quickly. I’ll be back. Don’t buy any more drinks without me!”

“No promises!” Kun called after you, laughing afterward.

Youngho tapped his glass, trying to decide whether the question he has is worth asking or not. But he needed to muster up the courage since it’s an important question. For him at least.

“Hey, Kun, I have a question.” Youngho started.

“Hit me.” Kun nodded.

“Do you… like Y/N?”

Kun threw his head back in laughter. “What?! Where did that come from?”

Youngho could only scratch the back of his neck and let out a small laugh. He was embarrassed, but it’s something he has been wondering about forever now.

“He’s been waiting to ask that question for ages!” Doyoung exclaimed. “He wouldn’t stop bugging me about it.”

“Well, to answer your question, no I don’t. She’s like a sister to me.” Kun shook his head simply. “You should ask her out on a date. I’m sure she’d like that.”

Youngho shook his head fervently. “I don’t know if I can do that. Not right now at least.”

“You never know until you do it.” Doyoung sing-songed. Kun couldn’t help but laugh.

“Shut up, she’s coming back!” Youngho whisper yelled.

For the rest of the night, Youngho thought about you as the four of you enjoyed more drinks. He knew he had feelings for you, but he wasn’t sure if you felt the same as he did. For now, he just wanted to take more time to read your actions before he let you know of his feelings. He needs time to muster up the courage.

The four of you decided to end the night after realizing how tipsy you have gotten. Kun realized that you had a packed schedule the next day, so they needed to get you home immediately. He already knew you were going to regret it later on.

Kun had made sure you got up to your apartment safely. You stopped him at the door, saying that you could get in the house yourself, and just go home. He at least opened the door for you before leaving, hoping that you’ll get to bed right away rather than finding things to do around the house.

When you entered your home, you began to drag your feet toward your room, that was until Johnny stopped you in the hallway.

He leaned forward and sniffed. “Were you drinking?”

You giggled. “Yeah, I was.”

“You might want to get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow.” Johnny pouted at your condition. Looking at how you were, you for sure were going to experience a hand hangover in the morning.

“Yeah, yeah, I will.” You waved him off. You stepped forward to start going to your room, but you paused and stepped back. You looked up at Johnny and sucked in a sharp breath as you thought. “You look a lot like Youngho.”

Johnny blinked, confused at the sudden revelation. “I am aware of that.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Are you just saying that because you are Youngho? Are you trying to fool me?” You poked your finger into his chest.

“No…” Johnny wasn’t sure how to respond to your absurd words. He’s never been in this situation before.

“Well, Youngho, goodnight. I will see you tomorrow.” You smiled at him. Rather than leaving, you stood there, staring up at who you believed to be Youngho through your heavy eyelids. Suddenly you got on your toes and pecked his lips softly. “Rest well Youngho.”

Johnny stood in shock after you left to your room. What was he going to tell Youngho? He has never allowed this to happen before. The kiss was so unexpected that he couldn’t dodge it! He hoped he wouldn't get in trouble.

The next day, Johnny was at the lab for the daily check-in.

“How was the night at the Babysitter’s?” Youngho asked as he plugged Johnny’s chip into his computer to retrieve yesterday’s data.

“She kissed me.” Johnny found himself blurting.

“She what?!” Youngho squeaked.

“She kissed me.” He repeated.

Youngho couldn’t believe his ears. He shook his head, slapping his hand on his forehead. “Huh?!”

“She kissed me—“

“I heard you the first two times!” Youngho yelled.

Youngho suddenly turned around to his computer and rushed to retrieve any video data if there were any. And there was. The camera hidden behind Johnny’s eyes wasn’t always on, but they only started recording if Johnny felt that he needed to. Youngho played the video, nervous about what he’s about to see. But all that worry washed away after seeing your drunken smile. Seeing you kiss his robot amused him more than he thought, as he couldn’t help but snort and laugh hysterically at what he just watched. It was something he never thought he would see or even hear about.

“She thought I was you,” Johnny revealed, which shut Youngho’s laughter up.

“W-Wait, really?” He was shocked.

“Yeah. She kept calling me Youngho.” Johnny nodded. “I think she likes you.”

A blush crept up Youngho’s neck, and he couldn’t hold back the grin on his face. Knowing that you had the same feelings he currently has sent him over the moon. He just wished you kissed him rather than his lookalike.

Youngho waited until the evening to talk to you so that you were free from all your schedules. The two of you spoke at the convenience store near your apartment, enjoying a canned beverage.

“So… Johnny found out what his goal is,” Youngho revealed.

You gasped, clapping your hand over your mouth. “For real? What is it?” You were slightly disappointed that you didn’t know what it was first since you’re the one that is with him most of the time, but you could care less since the whole point is that he knows what he’s working for now.

“Well, his goal is to gain more of a human understanding. He wants to be able to truly write a song. And he found a passion in… people, to simply put it.” Youngho chuckled. “He talks more and asks more questions than he has ever had before.”

“That’s great! I’m so glad, I was really rooting for him.” You cooed.

“I just want to thank you so much. He has been making so much improvement since he started working with you. You really helped us out. You helped him out.” Youngho smiled softly.

“Oh it’s no biggie. I’m glad I was of some help.” You laughed. “He’s the one who did most of the work, so the credit should go to him.”

“I’m supposing that’s why you kissed him then? Because you’re proud of him?” Youngho asked suddenly, a playful smirk on his face.

“What?” Your eyes grew wide in shock. “I kissed him?”

Youngho’s cackles filled the air. “You don’t remember? Ah, I suppose you wouldn’t since you were so drunk last night. Johnny told me you thought he was I, and you kissed him.”

Your fingertips touched your lips after the memories started coming back to you. “Oh my gosh!” You groaned, dragging your hands down your face. “This is so embarrassing!”

“Don’t be embarrassed! Actually, I’m quite flattered.” Youngho reassured you. “Just be sure to kiss me next time.”

You brought your hands down from your face so you could get a good look at his expression. You had to figure out whether he was joking or not.

And to answer your unspoken question, he cupped your cheek with his hand and placed a soft kiss on your lips.

“Please tell me this feeling is mutual.” You whispered.

Youngho chuckled, poking your nose as he sat back in his seat.

“Don’t worry. I want you to be mine as much as you want me to be yours. You have me baby.”

#nct #nct 127 #nct scenarios #johnny suh #johnny #nct u #nct imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #johnny imagines #johnny x reader #johnny scenarios #johnny drabbles #johnny seo #johnny fluff

90 notes · View notes

gaemkyuu · 4 years ago

Text

Mommy, Can We Keep Him? (Charlie Gillespie x Original Character

Warnings: mention of teenage pregnancy A/N: I was inspired to write a character like Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and thought of what if Charlie had a daughter like that? Then I thought about Dad! Charlie.... Here is my inspired writing piece! Let me know if you want a follow up wedding piece! Disclaimer: This is a FICITONAL writing piece! In no way do I claim characters in this piece act this way in real life.

Masterlist *now taking requests ;)

Mommy, Can We Keep Him? (Charlie Gillespie x Original Character)

Riley King started working for Netflix when she was 18 and impressed everyone at the head office with her hard work and dedication. With her motivation and work ethic, she managed to climb her way to be part of the executive management team all at the ripe age of 21. People often asked Riley how she climbed the ladder so quickly, or what was the secret to her success. No one ever guessed that her motivation came from a little girl who looked exactly like her.

Emerson Gianna King was born on August 31st of 2014 when Riley was 16 years old. She had quite the wild nature to herself, always sneaking out and illegally partying with her friends. It was only a matter of time that she would be blinded by love and give her virginity to a boy she swore would get married. He was 17 at the time and she was head over heels for him. One drink too many and a poor judgement call resulted in Riley’s teenage pregnancy.

Her one true love broke up with her a week after they had had sex, stating that his dad had had gotten a job at a law firm in Miami and that a long distance relationship wouldn’t work. She didn’t know that she was pregnant at the time, but when she did, she tried to reach out to him. His family thought it was stupid attempt at getting back together and claimed that the baby wasn’t his. They were ready to launch a full lawsuit in order to protect their family’s reputation, something that Riley and her single mom couldn’t afford to do. So they dropped it, signing legal papers that they would never contact them again and that their son wasn’t responsible for paying any child support.

This heartbreak and her daughter made Riley clean up her act and graduate high school a year ahead of her friends. She quickly started working for various companies, taking night classes at the local college campus in hopes to get her foot in the door for a bigger company and work her way up. Which is exactly what she did and how she ended up working for Netflix. That’s how she met Kenny Ortega, who introduced her to the actors of Julie and the Phantoms. She mostly worked with Netflix, but she was assigned to be there every day of boot camp to watch and monitor the development of the TV show, making projections about how their viewers would receive the new show. She didn’t anticipate to be a part of the small family that was created behind the scene with the cast and crew, and she certainly didn’t anticipate falling for one of the lead actors Charlie Gillespie.

They had been dating for three months before Riley told him about Emmerson. She had expected that he call off the entire relationship, understanding that not everyone wanted to be with someone who had a baby at sixteen. They were 22 at the time and Riley explained that she was looking to be in a serious relationship for her daughter’s sake. While Charlie couldn’t promise that this relationship would go in the direction they both wanted, he did promise that he would do his best to be there for her. He didn’t know that winning over the little girl’s heart would prove to be difficult.

Emerson wasn’t like all the other kids. For one thing, she was very mature for her age. She was potty trained at two years old and started to learn how to read basic books at the age of 4. She developed her speech quickly and often looked to use specific words that kids her age rarely heard or understand. She was a perceptive little girl and sometimes she was a little too smart and observant for her own good. This made it difficult for her to make friends at daycare because everyone thought she was weird. Riley would often catch her talking to Lilo whenever she put Lilo and Stitch on for her to watch. She would tell Lilo about the frustrating girls at her daycare and how they too “need to be punished”.

So it was no surprise to her that when Emerson first met Charlie, she would be grilling him. Charlie had expected her to be a cute little girl that likes to play with dolls. Instead, he was met with a perceptive toddler that made him question his own intelligence at times. She was very standoffish when she met him, afraid that this man was going to hurt her mommy, but over time Emerson began to open up and trust Charlie. One night, when they were six months into dating, they had to cancel their dinner plans as Riley’s babysitter came down with a flu and no one else could babysit. Therefore, their dinner plans were changed to ordering pizza and having a movie night with Emerson. Riley groaned partly through the beginning of Lilo and Stitch when her work called, excusing herself as it was an important phone call.

This left Emerson and Charlie alone for the first time.

“Charlie, who’s Elvis Presley?” Charlie’s eyes grew big like teacup saucers.

“Your mom hasn’t shown you who Elvis Presley is?! How many times have you watched this movie?!” Emerson shrugged, not taking her eyes off the screen, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth and chewing.

“Do you want the real answer?” he was caught off guard at the frankness in her tone, starting to wonder just how many times she had watched the film. He shrugged it off and paused the movie, pulling his phone out and opening Youtube to educate the child on the legend, Elvis Presley.

When Riley returned to the living room, she was shocked to see Emerson sitting in Charlie’s lap, holding the phone, staring intently at the screen and listening to the music that played out of the speaker. She had never seen her daughter so focused before. She looked at Charlie who was equally focused on the screen of the phone as well, and she smiled to herself enjoying the view. Out of defense, Riley quickly shrugged off the creeping thought that this could be her family. After all, her and Charlie had only been dating for 6 months.

“How have you not shown her who Elvis Presley is?” he exclaimed, noticing her presence. Emerson looked at her with questioning eyes as well, feeling slightly betrayed that her mother withheld such precious information away from her.

“I’m not really a big music person! I kinda just listen to songs I like rather than musicians” she shrugged sheepishly.

“Mommy, Charlie said there’s a documentary on Netflix about Elvis Presley. Can we watch that instead of Lilo and Stitch?” Riley’s jaw dropped at the fact that her daughter was more interested in watching something other than her favorite comfort Disney movie. She silently nodded and changed the settings on the TV, starting the Elvis Presley documentary. This was the first time her daughter ever really opened up to someone and found something in common.

Emerson absolutely loved the documentary and would go on for weeks listening to Elvis Presley nonstop. After Riley waved goodbye to Charlie and closed the door, Emerson sat patiently on the entryway bench for her mother.

“Mommy, can we keep him?”

“Yeah, Emmy. I think we can”

***

It soon became a regular thing to have Charlie stay the night at Riley’s house. He woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, but on his way back to the bedroom he heard soft whimpers and sniffles coming from Emerson’s bedroom. He stood outside her door, debating if he should go get Riley or if he should go in himself. He knew Riley was exhausted having had a full day of work and meetings, so he opted to let her sleep and peek into Emerson’s room. He thought that if it was out of his control, he could always go and get her. The sight of the little girl broke his heart.

Emerson was fast asleep, but she was trembling and clutching onto her stuffed bunny for dear life. She whimpered and tears fell from her closed eyes. Charlie quietly moved to her side and sat on her bed, softly rubbing her back, whispering her name to break her out of her nightmare. It worked, but when she woke up, she jumped into Charlie’s arms and softly cried. He was surprised at first, but quickly snapped out of it hugging the girl and rubbing her back.

“It’s okay Emmy... It was just a bad dream... It wasn’t real... you’re okay... you’re safe” the little girl started to calm down as Charlie soothed her and rocked her side to side a bit.

“They took me away from mommy...” she whimpered and nid her face in Charlie’s neck. He felt the collar of his shirt dampen as she cried, but he picked her up and moved to the armchair she had in her room. He sat down and held her tightly in his arms.

“No one is ever going to take you away from mommy, okay? I won’t let that happen” he didn’t know where these words were coming from or where he got the confidence to say them, but in that moment he knew that he would do whatever he could for Emerson.

“Promise?”

“I promise.” he whispered, kissing her head and rubbing her back. She settled comfortably in his chest and took deep breaths. Charlie instinctively started to hum a song softly as he rubbed her back, until her breathing steadied and soft snores came from the small figure. Charlie smiled to himself that he was able to handle the situation alone, but he realized he wasn’t sure if he was supposed to put her back in bed, or if he had to hold her for the rest of the night. Not wanting to wake her up, he carefully reached for the knitted quilt beside the armchair and draped it over them. Guess he was sleeping in the armchair that night. His neck would hate him in the morning.

Riley woke up early that morning when she rolled over to cuddle the missing Charlie. She bolted up and threw on her housecoat to search for him, but stopped when she noticed Emerson’s door cracked open. The sight inside the bedroom brought tears to her eyes and she covered her mouth to avoid making any sound that would wake them. There was Charlie sleeping in the armchair holding a sleeping Emerson in his arms. They were both fast asleep and quietly snoring.

For the first time, in their nine months of dating, Riley let herself see the possibility of Charlie being the man who could be Emerson’s dad.

***

Charlie fiddled with his collar nervously, holding flowers in the other hand. He took a deep breath and shook off his nerves before pressing on the door bell. He waited patiently and anxiously outside, only to be greeted by his beautiful girlfriend, Riley. She smiled brightly at him and he stood there blown away by her beauty. They were both dressed up semi-formally tonight as Charlie insisted on taking Riley out for a fancy dinner to recreate a cheesy romcom movie date for their anniversary. Their usual dates consisted of hiking or lounging at the beach, so Charlie figured it would be nice to dress up for once, especially since Riley rarely dressed fancy.

“Hey! Come on in, I’m just finishing up debriefing the babysitter” Charlie kissed her cheek quickly and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him as she rushed back to the kitchen. Charlie waited by the front door patiently for her to finish up.

“Where are you taking mommy tonight, Charlie?” he jumped at the voice from behind, turning around to see Emerson sitting on the entryway bench. She looked up at the man who waited for her mom, bunny beside her in one hand and her blanket in the other. Charlie smiled at her presence and squatted down to her level, petting her bunny on the head.

“I’m taking mommy on a fancy dinner. You off to bed?” she nodded and opened her arms, to which Charlie gladly received her hug, only, he didn’t expect her to awkwardly latch herself on to him. Thinking quickly, he adjusted himself and picked her up. She was short and thin, so it was no problem carrying her. Her small stature always made her mother worry that she wasn’t getting enough nutrients. “I guess I couldn’t let you sleep without some snuggles could I?” she nodded as she laid her head on his chest, something her and Charlie had in common was that their love language was physical touch.

“It’s nice to see mommy in something other than jeans or sweats. I like your bowtie too” Emerson fiddled with said bow tie as Charlie gently rocked her. He was always so surprised at how observant she was and how she was able to clearly articulate her thoughts for being six years old. She was very bright and quick to understand situations, which made it hard for her to make friends at daycare. Another thing that Riley worried about often.

“You want me to tuck you in Emmy?” she shook her head against his chest and wiggled, signifying that she was okay with being put down. Charlie obeyed her wish and set her down on the floor, sitting on the entryway bench like she once did. “You’re looking a little sleepy squirt” he chuckled, clearing the hair from her face.

“Mommy said the babysitter and I get to watch a movie of my choice before bed time since it’s Friday. I wanted to watch Big Daddy but mommy said the babysitter might question her parenting choices” he let out a big laugh and Emerson giggled back.

“Having fun you two?” Riley appeared in the entryway with the babysitter. Riley crouched down and opened her arms wide to hug Emerson. The little girl jumped into her mom’s arms, nearly knocking her to the floor. “Love you Emmy. Please listen to the babysitter and go to bed on time” Riley knew she wouldn’t put up a fuss, but she figured she would remind her anyways.

“Love you mommy” she smiled as she kissed her mom’s cheek and walked to Charlie. “Love you Charlie” she tiptoed so that she could reach the man’s cheek, who also gave her a big hug. “Don’t be out too late!” she called skipping into the living room, the babysitter following after. The couple stood in the entryway thinking about Emerson’s last remarks before disappearing.

“Ready to go, my love?” Charlie cleared his throat, opening the door and gesturing for Riley to go first. She playfully rolled her eyes and they stepped out of the house towards the vehicle. Emerson waved at them from the front window, and they waved back, until she couldn’t see them any more.

***

“Remind me again what time you fly in?” Riley wiped some of the water that splashed on her face as she washed the dishes. Like all mothers, she was multitasking. Cleaning the house for Emerson’s birthday and trying to figure out her schedule considering Charlie was flying in from Canada. Emerson sat at the kitchen table quietly coloring while her mother was on the phone.

“Don’t worry about picking me up. You already have so much to do! I’ll just get an uber to your place” Riley toweled off her hands and took Charlie off speaker phone, holding the phone to her ear. Despite dating for a year and a half, they hadn’t officially moved in together. Charlie still had his place with all of his things, but half of his stuff was at Riley’s. “Plus I don’t want Emmy catching on to my surprise for her.”

“Right. Okay, well I’ll keep the door unlocked, since we’re home all day. I gotta go though, I still have to call the bakery to set up a pick up time for her cake and cupcakes” the couple said their quick ‘I love yous’ while Emerson shouted hers from the kitchen. Riley took a moment to herself and sighed against the wall in the corridor. Between everything at work and Emerson’s birthday, she had quite a lot on her plate but she was relieved that Charlie was able to come home a little earlier to help her out. She straightened her spine and returned to the kitchen, kissing her daughter’s head. “Emmy, mommy has to jump on to a zoom meeting in the office, are you okay to color for 30 more minutes?”

“Mommy, when can I go on a date with Charlie?” her mother froze mid movement around the kitchen, the question catching her off guard. “I know we go on dates together, but you always look like you have way more fun when it’s just you and Charlie. I wanna have fun with Charlie too” she smiled at her daughter and sat down beside her.

“Well, why not ask Charlie on a date? You can make him a little card before he gets in tonight and while I do my meeting.” her eyes lit up at the suggestion and she quickly got to work, making her mother smile. Riley got up and headed to her office, not wanting to disturb the project her daughter had started.

Riley’s meeting lasted an hour, much to her displeasure, but it was a productive one. It worked out for Emerson as she had made an elaborate card to give Charlie when he came home that night. Riley helped her daughter take a bath and ordered Sugarfish for dinner, both of them anticipating the arrival of their favorite guy. As soon as Emerson heard the door creak open, she bolted for the entryway and jumped into Charlie’s awaiting arms. He peppered her face with kisses and tickled her until Riley came along, who he kissed deeply and earned a “yuck!” from Emerson. Their dinner arrived soon after Charlie’s arrival and they all sat around the dinner table, Emerson lost in Charlie’s stories of his hometown.

“Emmy, don’t you have something for Charlie?” she perked up remembering and clumsily got out of her chair, putting her chopsticks down to run to the office. She grabbed her card for Charlie and skipped back to the dining room, placing the card beside his bento box.

“Oh? What’s this Emmy? Can I open it?” she nodded her head enthusiastically and sat back in her place at the table. Charlie’s smile wavered as he read the card, feeling slightly emotional. On the front was a picture of the three of them and inside the card read:

Dear Charlie,

Will u go on a date with me?

Love, Emmy

Hearts, flowers and smiley faces decorated the inside of the card, but the text was written in big bold letters. He could tell a lot of effort went into making the card judging by all the neatly placed stickers and carefully drawn pictures and patterns. It still amazed him that for a six year old, turning seven, that she could write so neatly.

“Mommy helped me with some of the spelling, but I mostly did it myself” she smiled, anticipating his response. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful Emmy. I would love to go on a date with you” she clapped her hands and bounced in her seat, her reaction causing everyone at the table to smile and laugh. They continued to eat their dinner while planning things that they could do together, as Riley sat there watching and admiring the relationship that was unfolding before her eyes. How did she get so fortunate to find a man like Charlie?

***

Charlie ended up taking Emerson to Disneyland and even though Riley accompanied them, Charlie and her went on all the rides together. Riley took pictures and held onto their things as the two enjoyed themselves around the theme park. Charlie knew it would be a good thing to have Riley around because she was the voice of reason when Emerson and Charlie thought of having their third Dole Whip of the day. The two of them laughed and had the time of their lives. When supper time came, Riley planned to meet a client over super at downtown Disney, planning on meeting her boyfriend and daughter later on in the evening. This left the two of them to have dinner with Goofy at Goofy’s Kitchen.

As they enjoyed each other’s company and visits from Goofy, Charlie helped Emerson pick out her dinner and order it. Charlie could honestly say this was the most fun that he had had in a long time, but he should’ve known that with Emerson’s intelligence, there was more to this date than just having fun.

“Charlie, when are you going to ask mommy to marry you?” Charlie choked on his water, not expecting the question from the curious little girl. “Mommy said I wasn’t allowed to ask you because it was rude”

“Not rude at all Emmy, but why are you asking me that?” he was genuinely curious, thinking that maybe Riley had been venting to her subconsciously again, or that Emerson overheard a conversation with one of her friends.

“I heard Aunty Savannah teasing her the other day over the phone and mommy got really red in the face. I think you should ask her, I know she’d say yes” Charlie’s eyes grew wide as Emerson nonchalantly recounted the conversation her mother had the other day. Emerson continued to color in the coloring book Charlie bought her earlier.

“Do you want me to ask mommy to marry me?” Emerson nodded her head as soon as the question came out of his mouth. “How come?” the question was meant to be playful, but Emerson’s reply was serious.

“Because I want to be able to call you daddy.”

Charlie felt a lump in his throat.

“I’ve never had a daddy. It’s always been mommy and me. If you marry mommy, then you can be my daddy.” she paused to take a sip of her juice. “I think you’d make a great daddy”.

Charlie wiped away a tear that threatened to fall from his eyes and cleared his throat, feeling emotional. He took a sip from his water and took a deep breath. “You think so, Emmy?”

She nodded her head, continuing to color in her book. “Plus Justina at daycare said that in order for me to have a little brother or a little sister, you have to have a daddy AND a mommy.” Charlie chuckled at the little girl, and got up to kiss her on the head, hugging her too.

“Got any ideas on how I should ask Mommy to marry me?” Emerson forgot about her coloring in that moment as her eyes sparkled with excitement over Charlie’s question.

“Well...I have a couple ideas...”

#charlie gillespie #charlie gillespie x reader #charlie gillespie fanfiction #charlie gillespie imagines #imagine #fanfiction

191 notes · View notes

lets-steal-an-archive · 3 years ago

Text

'Golden Girls' Polishes Its Scripts: Daily Revisions Geared to Sharpen Story and Hone Those Laugh Lines

TRUE OR FALSE:

Actresses Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McClanahan and Betty White write their own dialogue for "The Golden Girls." (FALSE)

Older female writers write all 25 episodes each season because no one else could understand the problems of older females. (FALSE)

In order to keep the shows consistent from week to week, one writer prepares all the episodes. (FALSE)

Ten staff writers work together to prepare a season's worth of scripts. (TRUE)

It's a Monday morning in early October and on a sound stage at the small Renmar Studios in Hollywood, the "golden girls" have gathered to read a new script. This will be episode No. 60 of the series and it will air about three weeks later — on Halloween.

Everyone in the room has heard about this week's story line: Rose writes a letter to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. But apart from the writers, no one has seen the final script until now. It was completed on a Saturday, photocopied 150 times on Sunday and distributed this morning to NBC; co-producer Touchstone Pictures; the show's creator, Susan Harris; the show's lawyers and researchers, and the "Golden Girls" cast and crew.

"Hopefully, they'll laugh," murmurs head writer Kathy Speer as she prepares to hear the "table reading." "If they don't, we'll be here fixing the script for a long time."

The table reading really is at tables — eight of them arranged in a rectangle. The actresses and guest actors sit on one side, facing the writers. To the actresses' left are director Terry Hughes, executive producers Paul Junger Witt and Tony Thomas and co-executive producers/head writers Speer and Terry Grossman. To the actresses' right sit NBC representatives, the show's casting director and props and wardrobe personnel.

They begin. Director Hughes reads the stage directions: Interior, kitchen — day. Sophia is seated at table. She is reading book entitled 'Magic Made Easy.' Dorothy enters.

Bea Arthur, as Dorothy, reads: "Hi, Ma."

Estelle Getty, as Sophia, reads: "Give me your watch."

Another week is under way. As the actresses go through their lines, everyone else listens intently. They laugh (or don't laugh) and take notes. By the Friday-night tapings, this script will need to play at 22 minutes. But Friday is a long way off.

As soon as the table reading ends, the writers, producers, director and an NBC program executive huddle to discuss script changes. Then, while the actresses begin rehearsals using the first draft, the writers rush off to their yellow stucco two-story building nearby to begin rewriting.

"The secret of TV half-hour comedy shows is the revisions," explains Dean Valentine, NBC director of current comedy and also the program executive on "Golden Girls." "What they start out with is 75% away from what they end up with."

"I don't think this episode is going to need much work," co-head writer Terry Grossman announces cheerfully on his way back to his office. "It got a good response at the table. We just have to cut it, smooth out transitions and clarify some story points. New jokes will be the tough thing." He anticipates a few hours' work.

"Early in the first season we were throwing out whole scenes," he recalls. "Now we know what works for each lady and what she does best. That's the advantage of being in the third year of the show. The disadvantage is that stories are harder to come by."

Grossman heads into the office he shares with his wife Speer, who is also his writing partner. They are in charge of the writing staff. "That means we are the two who get yelled at the most when something goes wrong," he jokes.

Also piling into the conference-sized room are supervising producers Barry Fanaro and Mort Nathan and producer Winifred Hervey. Despite their titles, Grossman explains, "We're all writers."

"We are the five most dull people," Nathan insists.

"We're much funnier on paper," Hervey adds.

These five, all in their 30s, met when they worked on "Benson," an earlier Witt-Thomas-Harris series. They have been with "Golden Girls" since the beginning, and every Monday they jointly rewrite the script being taped that week. They jokingly call themselves The Gang of Five.

While they start rewriting, the show's other five staff writers — Chris Lloyd, Jeff Ferro, Frederic Weiss, Robert Bruce and Martin Weiss — go back to their own offices to work on new scripts.

"To keep quality, you like as many writers as you can afford," Speer explains. "This year, we have six 'entities' (writing teams) — four sets of partners and two individuals. And we also use a few free-lance scripts each season."

Approximately 25% of the show's budget goes to the writers, executive producer Tony Thomas says. Staff writers on a comedy series earn a weekly salary plus separate payments for completed scripts. A free-lance writer who does a story outline, a first draft and a second draft can earn about $11,000. (Note: All outside script submissions must come through agents.)

"A good comedy requires a lot of teamwork, a lot of people sitting in a room working together," Thomas emphasizes. "A good team is rare, but it's not extremely rare. It's like winning the NBA title. We had it in 'Soap,' and we had it for some years in 'Benson.' Obviously this is one of the most successful staffs we’ve ever put together."

Both Witt and Thomas deal with day-to-day details on "Golden Girls." Harris, who created the series, is less involved this season because, according to Thomas, "She is working on a feature for Disney with us. But she reads all the scripts and is familiar with most of the stories."

Flashback to the previous Friday, a week when "Golden Girls" wasn't taping. Every fourth week during the season, the show shuts down, giving the actors and crew a rest and allowing the writers to catch up.

The Gang of Five is trying to explain how their writing process works. They insist on telling, rather than showing, because, as they say, they're shy. "At the beginning of the season, even having our new writers in the meeting made me a little uncomfortable," Grossman admits. "It slowed down the process."

"One of the most important things that exists with this group is that the bottom line is making the show as good as possible. It's still very difficult when your script is read for the first time and the material doesn't work. It hurts for a moment. But there's no time to take it personally. It didn't work, and the clock is ticking. You better keep moving and get it right."

Like all sitcoms, "Golden Girls" has a "bible," a book that synopsizes everything that has happened on a series. Thus, new writers don't have to watch all the previous episodes. But there is no master plan of what will happen in the future.

The idea for "Letter to Gorbachev" surfaced last May at a beginning-of-the-season meeting of the writers and producers. "It was one of 20 or 30 story notions kicked around," Barry Fanaro recalls. The obvious similarity to Samantha Smith's letter to then-Soviet leader Yuri Andropov isn't mentioned.

"Most of them didn't work,” adds Fanaro's writing partner Mort Nathan, "but this one sounded amusing. Because Rose is a childlike character, we wondered what would happen if she wrote a letter to Gorbachev about world peace. We started fleshing it out, but we couldn't think of a second act. We went round and round, and finally six weeks later we came up with a way to make the story work."

"The five of us went over it scene by scene and agreed it was workable," Fanaro continues. "Then Mort and I went off and wrote it. It took about 10 days because we were also working on other things."

Each "Golden Girls” episode is written to a formula: "the idea, the act break and the resolution," Grossman explains. "Usually there's an 'A' story and a 'B' story going. It's the natural structure."

Although Fanaro and Nathan, who won a writing Emmy last year for a "Golden Girls" episode, wrote the basic Gorbachev script, the story the audience will see has gone through the usual "Golden Girls" grinder: The Gang of Five read and dissect the first draft, adding new scenes, new lines, new jokes. "It's really a team effort," Grossman stresses.

The jokes can be the easiest part — or the hardest. "They're only hard to write when you've got one that isn't working," Grossman says. "A joke in the middle of a scene can be weak, but the 'out joke' — a snappy one-liner that ends the scene on a laugh — has to be strong."

"We may decide a scene needs a new opening," Speer explains. "There will be a long moment of silence. Then someone will ask if anybody's eaten at some new restaurant. In the course of conversation, somebody will say, 'Wait a minute. I have an idea.'"

"With five of us, at least one of us is paying attention," Hervey deadpans.

"Good writers should be able to write for men, women, old or young," Grossman says. "We all draw on other people in our lives — parents, grandparents. Part of the reason for the show's popularity is that these are very vital people. The very same story you've seen 100 times on every sitcom takes on new light with characters in this age group. That makes life easier for us.

"Also, these four actresses are sensational. To have the entire cast be able to give such high-caliber performances means you don't have to adjust your material. You write the material, and they deliver. If they can't make it work, there's something wrong with the material."

The week goes by quickly. On Tuesday morning, the "golden girls" read over the revised script and discover that one scene has changed considerably. Some lines have been cut, while others have been sharpened. There are several new jokes. A press conference scene has been shifted from a hotel room to the ladies' living room.

On Tuesday night, the Gang of Five works late. During the day's rehearsals they realized that the revised scene didn’t play well so they jettisoned it and added some new dialogue and a few more jokes.

Following Wednesday's rehearsals, they hone the script a little more. Time is pressing. By the Thursday afternoon dress rehearsal, the actresses try to be script-perfect, although they often aren't. By now, the original 52-page script has been reduced to 50 pages, and almost every page has had at least one alteration.

For instance, on Monday when Blanche accidentally spat Coca-Cola on a Soviet Embassy official, he responded by saying, "No apology necessary." Now he says, "No need to apologize. In Moscow, we have to stand in line four hours to get this."

Late Friday afternoon, the audience files into Renmar Studios to watch the first taping. The writers are standing by, just in case a last-minute problem occurs. During the 90-minute dinner break, while a new audience is arriving, the cast, writers and producers calmly discuss how to improve the second taping. A few lines are cut, the taping is completed, and it’s on to the next week.

Source: Mills, Nancy. 1987. 'Golden Girls' Polishes Its Scripts: Daily Revisions Geared to Sharpen Story and Hone Those Laugh Lines. Los Angeles Times, October 30, https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-10-30-ca-11702-story.html

#the golden girls #how the sausage is made #from the archives #tv writing #i just thought it was neat #long post

33 notes · View notes

101flavoursofweird · 3 years ago

Text

Fic Questionnaire

Thanks for @sixtyfourk for tagging me! I’m putting the questions under a cut because it’s quite long :’)

I’ll tag @northernscruffycat, @northelypark, @edward-elbowlick, @vermontwrites, @asa-liz, @yoshi-g-teh-first, @call-me-rucy, and @aquamarineglow but if there’s anyone else who wants to do this, please go ahead!

How many works do you have on AO3?

107… but a lot of these are just reposts or prompt-inspired fics that are 10 lines long!

What's your total AO3 word count?

378242 words

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Professor Layton, PLvsAA, Layton Brothers Mystery Room, Rhythm Thief, Voltron: Legendary Defender (I only watched the first two seasons, haha…), The Ancient Magus Bride (I was in it for the cute dragon mage— not for the main romance), Steven Universe, Ace Attorney (only as a part of PLvsAA), Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, My Hero Academia

…10 fandoms altogether, but some like PLvsAA and LBMR fall under the PL category.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Aizawa Doesn’t Give Hugs - MHA- 1111 kudos - (Why can’t I update my most popular fic?)

Fireflies - Steven Universe - 221 kudos - (Again, WHY DID I NEVER UPDATE THIS?)

Reset - PL - 134 kudos - (This is the one I feel the worst about because it’s an ongoing long fic for my main fandom and I’ve had so much support from readers but I just can’t find the strength to update it…)

Worth Fighting For - PL - 86 kudos - (My incomplete Whumptober fic!)

Mending - Voltron - 85 kudos - (I think this was one of the first fics I posted on AO3 and I was really happy about the response it got! And for a fandom I’d never written for before!)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I usually respond to comments pretty quickly because I want to show my appreciation for people who take the time to comment :) If I’m ever slow to respond it’s probably just because I’m busy or I’m trying to formulate a long response. If a person leaves a longer comment, I try to make my response longer!

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

That’s probably ‘To Boldly Flee’. It’s a fic I originally posted on FF.net but it’s now part of an Aurora & Luke oneshot series called ‘Looking Foward’ on AO3. The fic stars Aurora and Luke in an AU set during Azran Legacy. It diverges from canon after Descole steals the Azran keystone in the Nest. Aurora doesn’t want to go to the Azran sanctuary and face her ‘duty’ as the Azran emissary— she also doesn’t want to get STABBED IN THE HEART— so she decides to run away with Luke.

Aurora receives even more angst in this AU than in canon. After Descole’s betrayal, she starts to doubt herself and her friends, aside from Luke.

With a bit of help from Rook and Bishop, the two of them fly to London and then to Misthallery when they hear Targent have taken over the town. During this time, Aurora has her identity crisis about being a golem and having the fate of the world resting on her shoulders. She eventually decides to help Luke save his hometown because Luke is worth the world to her.

This all culminates with Luke getting fatally(?) wounded and taken to the Golden Garden. Aurora is so distraught by this point that she almost ‘floods the whole world’ in a kind of failsafe doomsday device the Azran may have implanted in her. Luckily, Descole and Layton show up to assure her that Luke is alive— but just barely. Aurora returns to her normal self and they get Luke to hospital. Aurora waits by Luke’s bedside for him to wake up. Aurora mentions that Emmy’s fate is unknown, but they still mourn for her.

In the original FF.net ending, Luke wakes up.

In the AO3 ending, Aurora just keeps waiting for Luke. ‘She could not age, so she would wait until he awoke. Even if it took forever...’

If I ever did write more of this story, Aurora and Co would probably go to the other Azran sites (Ambrosia, the Infinite Vault of etc) to search for a cure for Luke. But at it is, the fic is left open-ended as to whether Luke ever recovers.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really hate but there was one anon review that may have been ‘too brutal’ (their words). I can’t say it hasn’t affected the updates on that particular fic.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I wrote a couple of light smut fics back when I really shipped Layton/Emmy. I think I’d cringe if I went back to read those fics (but then again, I do that with a lot of my old writing). I can’t see myself writing smut now.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I can’t say I’ve had a fic stolen, but I was reading a fic a while ago and the wording was veeery familiar. I’m not sure why because the fic was already good up to that point? Why would they bother copying my writing? XD I can’t complain, though! We’re all technically stealing the original creator’s characters and concepts by writing fanfic.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, for my Rhythm Thief AU, Déjà Vergier! In this AU, 16-year-old Raphael gets taken in by the Vergier family. A Deviantart user called BakApple kindly translated my writing into French. With the help of Google Trabslate, I started translating their French Rhythm Thief fic— ‘July the Fourteenth’— into English, but I didn’t get around to finishing it. My translating skills are nowhere near as good as BakApple’s!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I wrote a PL fic with called ‘If You Only Had Time’ with an awesome writer called Glowbug. It’s an AU (of course) where Rachel Bronev survives and she runs away from Targent with eight-year-old Emmy. Glowbug doesn’t seem to be active online anymore, which is a shame, but I don’t mind! I’m just glad we were able to write 6 chapters.

I don’t think I’d co-write any more fics now… but more for the co-writer’s sake than mine! I’m notoriously bad at updating long fics and I struggle to write under pressure or within a time limit. There’s a reason why I don’t enter Big Bang events, as much as I’d like too :’)

Writing fics is a hobby first and foremost. If I don’t feel like writing something, I’ll leave it and come back later, hopefully with renewed inspiration.

But I’m always happy to discuss fic outlines/ideas/characters’ with other people!

What's your all time favorite ship?

Apparently the ship I’ve written the most fics for is Janice/Melina on AO3?

There seems to be more content for them recently and that makes me SO HAPPY.

Ranhengela might be a close second favourite… Sometimes I literally forget both of these ships aren’t canon.

My favourite characters tend to be those who are so selfless and would sacrifice their lives for the ones they love— e.g. Janice and Henry— even if their significant other is presumed to be dead. I want these characters to be happy but I also want them to through ANGST.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I don’t want to say Reset… but maybe Reset? I haven’t given up completely but I’ve lost a lot of confidence with this fic. What I wanted most out of this story was for Luke to bond with other characters aside from Layton— his parents, Arianna, Emmy, Flora etc.— and to give these characters a chance to shine. But I guess I realised I can do this without all the crazy plot twists and time travel mechanics… like in Ready Now, for example. Most of that fic is just Arianna bonding with Luke, Layton and the others, and it’s hopefully giving Flora her chance to shine too! I guess after giving Arianna her own chapter in Reset I just really wanted to write about her, haha.

What are your writing strengths?

Someone mentioned in a nice review that I often fuse canon with fanon? That’s usually just me poking fun at the series— like when Arianna’s mother asks about Flora’s age and her adoption status, Arianna and Tony just shrug at her comedically. Who knows, really? :’)

I’ll often just make two character sit in a room TALK about their feelings.

Dialogue is an easy one, but I like writing dialogue for characters and getting their voices down. (I will forever portray Dalston with his official Yorkshire accent— not the fake posh accent they gave him the the US version of Miracle Mask.)

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think it’s cool! …If it’s not used to mock another language— apart from English. Please make all the English jokes you want. I’ll probably agree with you and laugh at them.

I remember when I was re-reading Goblet of Fire and I cringed every time J. K. Rowling wrote about a character who wasn’t English.

I’ll occasionally throw French words or sayings into Rhythm Thief fics especially because that’s what they do in the game. It’s hilarious how Charlie has an English accent but then she’ll sprout a random French phrase.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

Pokemon, but that short oneshot is long gone.

What's your favorite fic you've ever written?

I’m going to be boring and say Bonds Left Unbroken— an AU where Layton and Desmond both get adopted by the Laytons. I think I enjoyed the earlier chapters more, focussing on younger Desmond and Hershel, and especially their time in Stansbury. The later chapters don’t really branch out from canon that much, aside from the fact that Hershel and Desmond are on the same page during Azran Legacy.

I feel bad that I never got around to finishing the ‘bonus’ episodes, but it kind of just felt like the original series with Desmond phoned in :’) But I’m still proud of the original fic!

#Fanfic #answers #long post #my writing #my fics #thanks #TW: JK Rowling mention #Tagging just in case!#Bonds Left Unbroken #Reset #Ready Now #Aizawa Doesn’t Give Hugs #Looking Forward #Deja Vergier

13 notes · View notes

general-kenobi357 · 3 years ago

Text

Someday Soon-Chapter 5

Pairing: JJ Maybank x Fem!OC

Summary: John B creates a plan to get the Pogues back together to find the gold. At Midsummers Iz takes a leap of faith that she might regret.

Note: Can anyone tell me why I struggle to much to write a two sentence summary that makes sense, meanwhile I can plan out and write a book in a week. The math is not lining up. Also on an unrelated note, I wrote in that Iz is wearing JJ's Mom's dress they found, since I figured that we haven't seen JJ's Mom so she could be the same size as whoever you imagine Iz to be :)

Word Count: 4k

🔅🔆🔅

All morning I had been pacing around my room, I hadn’t slept all night. John B was MIA, JJ had been arrested and I had no idea how to help either of them.

Suddenly a sharp knock on my window dragged me out of my thoughts, as I practically jumped out of my own skin. Realizing it was JJ and John B, I made my way over to the window.

“Jesus, you two. You scared me half to death.” I told the pair as I opened my window.

“Sorry, Sweetheart.” JJ apologized with a smile on his face, as I got closer to him I noticed the fresh bruises on his face that he hadn’t had yesterday. I didn’t have to ask where they were from as my stomach turned just thinking about Luke Maybank. “We’re getting outta here, you coming?”

“Uh yeah.” I replied, grabbing my bag before climbing out my window. No one else was home but I knew that the cops who were staking out John B’s house were probably also watching the front of mine.

“John, Iz, hurry up. Come on, come on, come on.” JJ rushed us as we all wadded through the water to reach the HMS Pogue.

Once we had all climbed in, John B turned the key, starting the engine and we were off. I sat catching my breath as we watched the Château fade into the distance.

🔅🔆🔅

“First, I almost get strangled to death by Kooks, and now I'm on the hook for 30 grand.” JJ explained bringing John B up to speed on everything he had missed. “We should just dip.”

“Okay, where do you wanna go?” I asked half on board, other than my Mom and Emmy I wouldn’t be leaving behind much.

“Yucatan.” He answered confidently.

“Yucatan? Seriously?” I asked, slightly less on board now that I realized how serious he was.

“No, I'm dead serious right now. Surf all day, and then we can just live off lobsters we catch with our bare hands.” JJ reasoned.

“You just wanna leave 'cause you got your ass beat?” John B spoke up.

“You didn't see the photos.” JJ shuddered.

“Think about it. They're willing to kill for the gold, then it's gotta be out there.” John B said, still holding out hope.

“Have you lost your mind?” I asked, I couldn’t believe he still thought we could find it.

“One hundred years, man. One hundred years, people have been tryin' to find this Royal Merchant, and no one succeeded. And you think you are gonna be the one that actually finds it? When will you get it in your thick skull? If you keep goin' down this road, you're gonna end up just like your dad!” JJ demanded, his voice getting louder as he moved closer to John B.

“I can't give up, you guys!” John B explained, his face full of guilt at the mention of his father.

“What happened to your dad wasn’t your fault.” I spoke softly, resting a hand on John B’s shoulder. We all knew about the argument John B had had with his father before he disappeared, hell I had heard it from my house.

“It doesn't matter whose fault it is! Do you not understand that? I can't give up on the hunt, you guys. I don't care who's out there, who's gonna try to kill us. Do you understand that?” John B told him. “Look, I've got a plan. You comin' or what?” he asked looking between us. “Four hundred million, JJ. How much do you owe in restitution?”

JJ looked back at me before following John B back to the Pogue where he began explaining his plan.

🔅🔆🔅

‘This is an awful plan’ was all I could think as I rang the doorbell at Kie’s house. John B had explained to me that I would go to Midsummers with Kie and make sure JJ got in fine, so that he could deliver a note to Sarah Cameron. I had asked why I couldn’t just deliver it if I was already there to which John B explained I would have to distract Kie so that she wouldn’t find out Sarah was involved. I was about to ring the doorbell again when Kie’s mother opened the door.

“Oh, Isabella.” She said, the smile dropping slightly from her face. “How are you?”

“I’m good thank you. Um Kie invited me to join her at Midsummers tonight, so I’m here to get ready.” I explained holding up the old dress we had found in JJ’s attic, I assumed it had been his mother’s.

“Oh really?” She asked, pasting a clearly fake smile on her face. “She didn’t warn me.”

“Well, she asked me weeks ago, maybe she forgot to tell you?”

“Of course, come in. Kiara’s in her room.” She said opening the door wider.

I walked through the huge house and towards Kie’s room, I wasn’t over here much but it always reminded me of the house my parents used to have which was just down the street from here.

“That’s not a party face.” I teased as I walked into Kie’s bedroom where she was sitting at the end of her bed. She looked up with a scowl before realizing it was me.

“What are you doing here?” She asked, pulling me into a hug. “Here to break me out?”

“Unfortunately I’m here to break in.” I responded.

“Kiara, you didn’t tell me that you had invited Isabella to join us.” Kie’s mom said as she walked into the room. “Here, we ordered a couple extra hair pieces, I’m assuming you just brought the dress.”

“Oh, yeah. I didn’t know those were a requirement.” I answered with an awkward laugh.

“Well, we're leaving in 30 minutes.” She said leaving the room again.

“Hair pieces?” I asked, I couldn’t help but smile as I turned to Kie who was laughing at my question.

🔅🔆🔅

As much as I didn’t want to be there, I was amazed at everything I saw as we entered the club. I couldn’t believe that the Kook’s were spending their nights dancing without a single worry meanwhile my house still had no power or hot water going to it.

“Oh there’s Pope.” I pointed out to Kie as we made our way outside.

“Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?” Kie asked in a terrible English accent. “'Cause it might mess up my costume.”

“We wouldn't want that now, would we?” Pope responded, playing along once he realized it was us. “That accent was bad.”

“It was.” She agreed as we all laughed.

“You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?” I asked, looking around the crowded club.

“Yeah. Last year.” Pope informed us. “We're in the lion's den.” He stated, he was still pretty shook up from his last visit to Figure Eight. “Hey, have you two heard from JJ?”

“Uh yeah, he should be joining us shortly.” I told them cryptically. “I’m gonna do a lap.” I said before I left to give the two some space.

I made my way over to the bar hoping that they would be willing to serve a minor.

🔅🔆🔅

The bartender that the Kook’s had hired didn’t seem to care who she served and had poured me a rum and cola without a second thought. I had already downed one and was now taking a second drink with me as I walked closer to the dance floor to watch all the Kook’s. As I finished my drink I noticed someone walk up beside me.

“You know somethin’ tells me you aren’t 21.” I heard JJ accuse as I set down my now empty glass.

“What?” I laughed while he took my hand and led me to the middle of the dance floor. “They would never serve a minor, that might tarnish the clubs perfect reputation.”

“You look beautiful, Sweetheart.” JJ complimented as he spun me around before pulling me back to him.

“Yeah you clean up alright.” I teased him. “What is this a clip on bow tie?”

“Yeah John B made me wear it.” He explained looking down at his feet.

“I’m just teasing you, it’s nice.” I smiled. “I wasn’t sure how long I’d survive without you here.”

“Eh, you woulda been fine. I’m sure the Kook instincts that you’ve suppressed, would kick in eventually.” He told me, I couldn’t stop laughing at everything he said but I figured that was because of the two drinks I had just downed.

“I’m so happy to see you, I could kiss you.” I confessed boldly, after we danced in silence for a minute.

“Why don’t you?” He asked, a smile playing on his lips.

So I did, before I could think about the repercussions or about what would change. I closed the gap between us as our lips met. For that one perfect moment everything seemed alright as I melted into the kiss.

But as I pulled back it all shattered, JJ’s face had a look of shock written over it as his arms dropped from around me.

“I have to go, find Sarah.” He explained turning to go search the rest of the dance floor, while I stood watching him go. Immediately I regretted what I had done, I wondered if I had just lost my best friend as I watched him disappear into the crowd.

After snapping myself out of the trance I was in, I pushed my way through the crowd looking for Kie, hot tears threatening to spill over onto my cheek. I had just kissed JJ, something I had wanted to do for years and yet it felt like the biggest mistake I’d ever made. I found Kie after a minute talking to some Kook I didn’t recognize.

“You’re gonna have to excuse us.” I apologized as I pulled Kie away and towards the edge of the party.

“What’s up.” She asked once we had stopped, the smile dropping from her face once she finally looked at me.

“I kissed JJ.” I answered, my voice quiet.

“What.” Kie blurted out, shocked.

“He showed up and we were dancing and he was complimenting me and I had just been drinking and so then I told him that I was so happy I could kiss him and he said <why don’t you> so then I did and then he ran away.” I rambled.

“Oh honey.” Kie muttered, pulling me into a hug as the tears finally left my eyes, trailing down my cheeks and onto her shoulder. “JJ is dumb, okay and I’m sure he has no idea what he did. You said John B had a plan so he probably just had to do that, right?”

“Yeah.” I answered unsure. “But what if this messes up everything?”

“It won’t. I promise.” Kie reassured me as she wiped away my tears. “Come on let’s go get something to eat.”

Kie led me back through the crowd, her hand never leaving mine as we went back to the table her parents were sitting at.

🔅🔆🔅

Sitting next to Kie, I was eating some kind of fancy food that I had forgotten how to pronounce when we heard shouting from behind us. Turning to see who it was, we saw JJ being escorted out.

“Look... look, man, I can walk myself.” JJ tried to explain. “I got legs. Can you see that, brother? Come on. I really appreciate what you did back there. Let me just walk out by myself.”

“What the Hell?” I heard Kie’s Dad mutter from behind us as JJ was pushed past our table.

“It's okay, everybody! Do not panic.” JJ addressed the crowd. “Leave it to the men and women in uniform. Let's hear it for them. Rose! You look like Lady Liberty.”

“Let go of him! You can't boot him! I invited him here. I'm a member of this club.” Kie told the guard as we both stood up. But the guard continued to lead JJ through the crowd away from where we stood.

“Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon's, Kie, Iz.” JJ pointed to us. “Pope, you as well, all right?”

Kie looked at me with a smile before grabbing my hand.

“No. Kiara! Hey, Kiara!” Kie’s parents yelled as we ran off to join the boys.

With all of us ditching the party, the Pogues were reunited.

🔅🔆🔅

“Hey, guys. So, like, my dad's already gonna kill me.” Pope told us as we gathered around the fire John B had made. “So what's this mandatory meeting about?”

“Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed.” JJ said to John B.

“You ready for this?” John B asked looking at us all. “So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant.”

“Oh, my God. Here we go again with this.” Kie rolled her eyes from her spot beside me.

“No. All right, wait. Hear him out, okay?” I said, hoping John B would get on with his explanation.

“It's been here the whole time.” John B told us. “It's on the island.”

“I'd like to voice my skepticism.” Pope spoke up.

“I'm sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?”

“Proceed.”

🔅🔆🔅

“Okay, so, guys.” Pope began after John B explained everything he had learned. “What's the plan?”

“Good question.” John B answered. “Sarah Cameron's coming tonight. She'll bring an original survey map…”

“Hold on.” Kie stopped him, I could feel her tense up beside me. “Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?”

“Um…” John B started, stumbling over his words.

“This is gonna be good.” I muttered.

“Sarah, um, she... she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I got the letter.”

“You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?” Kie asked, shocked.

“He was mackin' on her.” JJ told us.

“I wasn't macking. I wasn't macking on her, okay? I was using her for access. I was trying to get into the archives.” John B attempted to explain.

“There was access all right.” JJ muttered.

“Is that a yes?” Kie demanded. “You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe?”

“I was just using her for information.”

“Why don't I believe you?”

“I'm trying to make us filthy rich here. Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or... or, uh... send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies, or move to Hawaii. Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?”

“Uh... Do you want us to answer that, or…” I asked him.

“Look, you don't know her yet. I do!” Kie explained. “You can't trust her.”

“What did she do to you, exactly?” John B finally asked, we all were curious, she had only told me pieces of the story before.

“She's like a... like a spitting cobra. First, she... she blinds you, and then…” She stopped as Pope poked holes in her analogy. “Listen to me! Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take.”

🔅🔆🔅

The lights of the van turned on as we stopped at the Hawks nest, waking me up again, it felt like days since I had last slept well making it easy to doze off.

“All right.” John B said, turning off the van. “So, uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself... tonight.”

“Really?” Kie asked, shocked.

“What?” John B asked as if he had done nothing wrong. “I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery.”

“I just don't understand why we're involving her at all.”

“Kie, we're not involving her, okay?”

“Promise me nothing's happening between you.”

“Nothing is happening, Kie.”

“That was really believable.” I spoke up sarcastically from the back of the van as John B climbed out.

“A hundred percent believable.” Pope said, backing me up.

“Anyways, um... I'm gonna take care of business.” John B concluded before closing the door.

“We'll just sit here…” Pope started.

“...in the hot-ass car.” JJ added.

“Kiara, holding onto your grudge is like drinking poison and thinking Sarah will die.” Pope informed Kie after a few minutes.

“Exactly.” JJ added backing him up. “You alright back there?” He asked me.

“She’s great JJ. Really doing awesome thanks to you.” Kie responded for me, which brought a smile to my face as I drifted off to sleep again.

🔅🔆🔅

I woke up again when the rest of the Pogues started to scramble out of the van, which is when I heard Sarah Cameron screaming for help. I got up with my friends and we all went running to go see what had happened.

Everything was a blur when we finally found them.

John B was lying on the ground as Sarah cried over him. He was moving but barely as Pope rushed back to get the van and get him to a hospital. After we got John B to the hospital a nurse told us to go home and that he would be fine. After some convincing we all finally left. Pope drove us all to our houses, the ride was silent.

🔅🔆🔅

When I entered my house it was dark and everyone else had probably been asleep for hours, I went straight to the bathroom to get ready for bed. As I walked back into my room from the bathroom, I heard a knock on my window. But from inside my dark room I couldn’t see anything, I figured it was just the wind until another unmistakably human knock shook the window. Grabbing the flashlight which was my only light source I crept closer to the window, worried about who might be knocking.

Once I got to the window though, JJ’s golden hair lit up on the other side of the glass. I pushed open the window before taking a step back so he could climb through.

“What are you…” I started to ask before he interrupted me.

“I um, I wasn’t sure where to go. I’d rather not be at home right now.” He explained, looking anywhere but my face.

“Oh, yeah. You can stay here.” I knew he didn’t want my pity but I couldn’t help the sad expression my face held.

“Listen, Iz. I’m really sorry, I shouldn’t have run off after we kissed. I just-I wasn’t sure what to do.” JJ began rambling, this time it was my turn to interrupt him.

“Can we not tonight? We can talk about it later.” I was too exhausted to have a serious conversation. “I just want to go to bed.”

“Oh okay.” He responded, I walked across the room to my bed before I watched him take one of the blankets off the bed and begin laying it out on the floor.

“JJ, what are you doing?” I asked, rubbing my eyes.

“You said you wanted to go to bed. I’m making myself a bed.” He explained confused.

“You’ve been beaten up how many times this week?” I asked. “I’m not making you sleep on the floor when there is more than enough room in my bed.”

Without another word he stood back up and made his way to the other side of the bed. Once he was under the blanket I turned off the lamp before turning so I was facing him. I could barely make out his features, the only light coming from the bright moon outside, but I knew he was there.

“Can you tell me a story?” He asked, I smiled, his question reminded of when I would help put Emmy to bed.

“About what?”

“Hawaii, tell me about what it’s going to be like.”

“What are you moving with me?” I joked.

“Well, if you’ll have me.”

“Of course I will.” I stated before pausing to think about what our life would be like if we could move to Hawaii. “We could buy a big piece of land, with a waterfall and a path that leads right to the beach, and we could build a little house right beside the waterfall.”

“You mean I could build us a house.” He interrupted, trying to be realistic even as I told him a story about our imaginary future.

“Hey I’m the one telling the story.” I complained. “And besides I’ve been getting good at holding tools, I could probably identify upwards of five different tools.”

“Okay, proceed.” He stated, impatiently waiting for me to continue.

“We could spend all day surfing and get a hammock, the best that money can buy.” I continued, adding random details.

“Do you think our friends will visit?” I heard him ask sleepily.

“Yeah, we’ll have a little guest house on the other side of the waterfall for them. John B can bring Sarah, I’m sure they’ll get married as soon as they possibly can.” I said, imagining all our friends grown up.

“Oh definitely, he’s already in love with her.” JJ added.

“And I’m sure that they’ll have a herd of children that follow them around everywhere they go like little ducklings. And Kie and Pope will be together.”

“That is if Pope ever works up the courage to ask her out.”

“That or Kie will just give up waiting and ask him out.” I joked before going back to my story. “I don’t know if they’ll have kids though, I think that they’ll just be the really cool uncle and aunt for awhile.”

“What about us? Are we gonna get married and have kids?” JJ asked after a minute.

“Well that depends if you ever propose.” I pointed out thinking about our future.

“Maybe I’m waiting for you to propose to me. Ever think about that?”

“No I hadn’t.” I paused for a minute before I kept talking. “JJ Maybank will you…”

“Hey, hey, hey. I’m only sixteen, at least take me out on a date first.” He interrupted my question.

“How do you know that I was proposing you didn’t let me finish.” I explained before asking the question again. “JJ Maybank will you, pass me some more of the blanket, you’re really hogging it and I’m getting cold.”

“Oh that was just cruel.” He pouted, as I laughed at my dumb question.

“What you didn’t even want to be proposed to yet.”

“Well I wasn’t going to say yes but I would have liked you to ask.”

“Oh my gosh.” I shook my head at him before I continued to talk about our family. “I think we’d have three kids and they would all look exactly like you. A girl, who is ridiculously smart and kind and helpful. And twins, boys, who are absolute terrors.” I paused looking at JJ whose eyes were beginning to close. “But every night, just as they fall asleep. They look so peaceful and you remember why you love them so much.”

Once I had finished talking I turned so that my back was facing JJ before I finally started to drift off to sleep. As I closed my eyes I felt a warm arm snake around my waist and pull me closer while JJ nuzzled his face into the back of my neck.

“Jade, Jesse and Jacob.” He mumbled, his breath fanning across my neck. It took me a minute to realize he was naming the kids that I had just described.

“Of course you would want all of their names to start with J.” I smiled, on the brink of falling asleep.

“It’s the best letter of the alphabet, Sweetheart.” He responded just before I fell fast asleep.

🔅🔆🔅

#outerbanks #outer banks #jj maybank #jj obx #obx #jj x oc #jj maybank x oc #jj x reader #jj maybank x reader

22 notes · View notes

themanip · 4 years ago

Text

alternate routes

SYNOPSIS — how do you go throughout life? well, you find someone you like. get to know them. start dating. break up a few times, get back together. get married. have some kids. die old. typical. fucking in a back room of an awards show, not once, but twice as complete strangers, was definitely not how most relationships start out.

PAIRING — taehyung x metzi (oc) WARNINGS — descriptions of cheating, fliphones, mentions of getting laid, really bad intros tbh, the introvert line being introverts, and girls who are rlly bad at timing, an asshole named ryan, cursing WORD COUNT — just over 3.1k AUTHOR’S NOTE — hi! i am so fucking bad at writing the first chapter or two, i promise if you can bear the beginning of this story, it gets better. i have two and a half chapters written so far but i am writing super often! once a few more chapters get published i will create a masterlist. please enjoy and if you have any comments or recs don’t hesitate to let me know!! :)))

𝟏: 𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐄

𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟖 ⇥ The universe known to man is a labyrinth—an irregular maze, a passage that cannot be routed—and to understand that took more than an average mind. The matter was far too complicated than any obsolete man to comprehend on a whim. Millenia passed before galaxies were formed, planets were created, all unbeknownst to the stars bursting just miles apart.

From early amphibians, to the ice age, to cavemen, evolution has made great strides in every species. Humans in the past were variants called homosapiens, and most likely came from chimpanzees. Great strides like this were something to be proud of, you'd think.

When Metzi Ludovic realized that birds can fly with natural evolution, while humans had to industrialize it (thanks to the Wright brothers) she was pretty distraught. As an imaginative and critical eight-year old, fifteen years later, not much had changed. Currently, she was pondering over the fact that humans are one of the few species with opposable thumbs.

Majority of animals had not yet evolutionized to create opposable thumbs. While frantic over this, she also imagined her beautiful Pomeranian, with thumbs popping out of his paws. Her thoughts were quickly subdued, thanks to her coherent thoughts making an appearance. As cool as it would be, all other animals would devour humans if they gained that ability.

Is that the only reason humans are all mighty? They can industrialize and aim properly due to their adaptations, so that they somehow became top of the food chain?

Thankfully, she was redacted from her thoughts as her manager, Emmy, let out a distressed sigh. "Wren, we cannot change your outfit again. You look beautiful," At this point, looking at Wren, she knew that she would look good. Somehow, she couldn't convince herself.

"Wren, we can switch. I don't hate green, so you can take blue if you want it. I really don't mind," Metzi smiled softly, and she knew it was the right thing to offer as Wren's face lit up, a few tears being wiped away. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, just do me a favor and loosen the ties on that, please. I have had way too many tacos yesterday to fit into it with the strings that tight," a small laugh left her mouth, and as she laid on the comfortable sofa. It was plush, but somehow offered no lumbar support. Who the hell makes a couch so soft, yet so unbearable for convenience of naps?

Selfish, she thought.

This dressing room was beautiful, so you'd think they'd have enough funds to make a decent couch. She could enjoy the aesthetics of the room, anyways. A luxurious baby pink covered the walls, and was bordered by pristine white. Plush gray carpet was under her feet, and was stain free. With Malorie in here, that probably wouldn't last long.

She was over by the double mirrors, applying powder over her face. She was so beautiful, Metzi couldn't fathom why she insisted on so much makeup. The same could be said about herself, so she kept her somewhat inner misogynistic comments at bay. She was pretty quiet, but something was off. She wasn't usually this quiet, so Metzi shot her a text.

She was very personal, and barely talked about what bothered her. Occasionally, Metzi would get her to open up, which she could physically see the relief on her face as she broke down. A brief, but to the point was written out on Metzi's phone.

you don't seem okay. wanna talk about it? Read 2:33 PM

The three dots popped up, and Metzi's attention was quickly brought to Vida, who sat down next to her, letting out a sigh. "How much longer until Olive gets here? I'm so close to taking a nap," Vida quickly put her hair into a makeshift ponytail, and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"It's only two, so I imagine not for a good hour or so, a nap sounds kind of nice," Wren commented, stood in the other corner of the room, with Emmy helped her undo the straps of her outfit. Her green silk top complimented her skin perfectly, but Metzi knew it was too late to convince her.

"Well, I'm out, wake me up when she gets here," Vida quickly blurts, and her head is now comfortably laying on the arm of the sofa. "I'll get up, I have to go to the bathroom anyways," Metzi commented, sighing before getting up.

Silence followed, and the blonde decided to take a look at her phone. A text was sent back on Malorie's behalf, and she widened her eyes momentarily. Standing still, she turned back to look at her. A face of guilt was evident, and she tried her best to hold her breath.

i have something to tell you, i'm not supposed to. i just feel so bad knowing while you don't i really shouldn't have said anything forget it

meet me in the bathroom

Read 2:37PM

Metzi's mind was in a whirlwind, and she couldn't think of anything she'd be referring to. Of course, it was useless, because clearly she wasn't meant to know about it. She hurried out of the room, the last thing she heard was Wren complaining once more about her outfit.

The hallways were empty, mostly because they'd came so early, and Metzi took her time reaching the bathroom. It was communal, so she really hoped that nobody else was here yet. The awards were meant to start in a few hours, and considering they had three faces to paint with makeup, early was a necessity.

"I hope you won't be mad at me," A small, timid voice aired behind her. The blonde turned around, and clutched her phone in fear. "I'm not, please tell me what's going on,"

As Malorie opened her phone, Metzi tapped her foot anxiously.

God, she really had to piss.

The brunette looked up at her, and showed her a photo.

"What is that?"

"That, was Ryan. On Saturday."

Ryan was her boyfriend of six years. An anxious cramping formed in her stomach at the mixture of his name and the tone of Malorie's voice. The photo she was now staring at made her want to vomit. Her stomach was now doing somersaults.

In the photo, it was indeed Ryan, in Metzi's own bed, with a mop of curly red hair under him. Most was covered by the sheets, but it was enough to come to the correct conclusion. He was clearly enjoying it too, judging by his face. Upon further inspection, she noticed something odd.

Grabbing the phone out of Malorie's hand, she zoomed in. On her nightstand, where a picture of the two usually sat, was now face down. While he fucked another woman in her bed, he turned her face down.

Tears pricked at her eyes, and she took a deep breath in.

What happened Saturday? She was home mostly all day, so when did he have time to do this?

"What—how did you get this?"

"I came to give you your present, and I heard something. Y'know since you gave me keys? I figured it was okay to come in, and your bedroom door was open. I knew Ryan would try to make me the liar, so I took a picture. He told me that if I told you," Malorie pursed her lips, "well he threatened to do something pretty fucked up."

"Holy fuck," Metzi whispered, "I just—I had no fucking clue. This entire time, and who knows how long he's been fucking her?"

One lonesome tear fell down her cheek. In anger or sadness, Malorie didn't know.

Opening her phone, she opened Ryan's contact. "Hey," Malorie whispered, her voice now soft. "If he tells you anything about me, promise you won't believe him?"

"Of course, you come first. Always."

She debated on whether or not to call him, but instead opted on a text.

I hope you enjoyed fucking merida, we're done. get your things out of my house by tomorrow. delete my number.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, and a smile adorned her face. Her bladder problems now the least of her concerns, she started back for the dressing room. Emmy now sat at the vanity, on her phone, and Vida and Wren were basically cuddling.

Surprised at the sudden intrustion, all eyes landed on the pair standing in the doorway.

"Ryan cheated on me, so now we're all single." Metzi gave nobody the chance to respond, as if anyone could think of what to say, and took a deep breath in.

"I haven't been fucked in months, and now I know why. So, I'm gonna get laid tonight, feel free to join me."

All seven of them had their faces beat to perfection, their outfits tailored and steamed of any wrinkles. They looked absolutely impeccable, as if the world around them kissed their feet. Hell, some reporters actually acted like that.

The members of BTS were now known worldwide, and it seemed that they were sought after by nearly everyone. Each member was so unique—so captivating in every aspect. Personalities somehow intertwine perfectly, yet polar opposites sometimes.

Proud but humble men, they basked in the warmth of positive attention. All eyes were on them for now, and they proudly understood it. As they walked on the red carpet of the music event, Yoongi and Jungkook both hated what they would be forced to do in mere minutes. As self-declared introverts, social interactions were about to start, and they honestly would rather sit in the corner and get this over with.

They would meet a few smaller artists, an occasional household name, (which they would fawn over for the rest of the night) and then be on their way. It would probably be in a few news articles, and some artists would insist on pictures, and they would be spread around within minutes. It was the same routine, and almost every time they would speak as little as possible, save for Namjoon, and would discuss it later. Hollywood was English dominated, and they despised it.

"Right now we only have to meet one group, and then we're okay for a few hours," Namjoon spoke quietly and quickly, and they piled off of the red carpet into a building. The hallways were scary, dark and empty, but a light above them quickly lit up.

To their surprise, the hallway was beautiful. The walls were an navy blue, white accents on top and bottom. Numerous gold paintings and records lined the walls, and it seemed to go on forever.

"Who is it we're supposed to be meeting? This hallway is a bit sketchy," Jimin perked up, and Namjoon chuckled. "WB,"

"Who is that?"

"I can't remember what their name stands for, but they sing that one song," Namjoon goes on to hum the tune to a familiar song that got pretty big, and all of the members start singing along. Of course, the lyrics are completely off and the tune is absolutely horrid, but they all recognize it vaguely.

All numbly following Namjoon, he was taking rough instructions from their manager to get there. This was not how it usually happened, but he had said something urgent came up. He had told Namjoon how to get there, and he knew that they were smart enough to make it without breaking a couple ligaments.

"Group? I thought it was one singer," Jin commented, and Taehyung nodded in agreement. "I would have never thought it was more than one. Are they American?"

"I guess we're going to find out," he snickered, and they all stopped at the corner. The door was slightly creaked open, and soft laughter could be heard. It was feminine, soft. It sounded like pure happiness was inside that door.

To double check, Namjoon eyed the sign on the door.

A large, black WB was written so even the partially blind could read. It was odd, the only dressing room out of probably at least a hundred, was all the way back, alone. They had no time to question it before Jin took a few strides forward, and boasted his English abilites.

"Come on-uh, guys."

The rest of them burst into laughter, and Namjoon quickly followed suit, knowing Jin would not be the prime candidate for introductions. He would simply utter a few English words, turn to Namjoon for help, and in panic, make a really bad play on words in Korean.

Timidly, Namjoon's knuckles rapped on the already-open door, accidentally pushing it further open a bit. "Come in!"

They were met with three girls stuffing their faces with chocolate cake, and another laying on the floor, fiddling with a.. flip-phone?

Jin grimaced at the reminder, glad it wasn't pink.

All eyes awkwardly met at the realization, and two of the three muffling down cake choked a bit. "Emmy, I thought you said 5:30?" Malorie was the one to ask, but none of the boys knew that.

"It is 5:30,"

The cake was swallowed within seconds, the flip-phone was now laying on the table, untouched. Four girls scrambled up simultaneously, and watched as the rest of the men piled in. An awkward stout of silence followed, and this so called Emmy, rose and met the boys first.

She had a firm grip, and introduced herself as their manager. The situation was humorous to say the least, these girls who could pass off as teenagers, were standing in single file in shame. The first was a beautiful girl with a large afro, and she kept a tight smile. She did not know who they were, nor did she really care. She introduced herself as Wren.

Next, was a taller woman, who seemed a hint older, with large winged eyeliner. She was Vida. Jin's first instinct was that she reminded him of him, she was definitely the oldest. Then, a smaller girl with a thick smile and soft curls was next. Soft hands, gentle grip. Her name was Malorie.

The last, was a young woman with blonde hair. Realistically, she didn't have any defining features besides her hair, she was the average American-looking girl. She introduced herself as Metzi, and to their surprise, bowed.

"It's really nice to meet you guys," Emmy let out a soft chuckle, and Namjoon nodded tightly. "Are you performing tonight?" It was Malorie who had asked, a soft question. "Yes, actually,"

"I heard you are as well," Namjoon replied, hoping to end the small talk quickly. "Yes we are! I'm surprised you've heard of us, I mean we're not huge."

She wasn't lying, but they definitely weren't small, either. Sixth biggest girlgroup of all time by album sales just behind TLC. Thirtieth on the most followed Spotify artist. Their debut album was certified Gold in six countries. Humble was the key to success, though.

"I'm not sure how big they are in the States, but aren't they pretty well known in Korea?" Yoongi spoke, but of course he wasn't talking to the girls, he was talking to his bandmates. He also spoke in Korean, which is why he nearly had a heart attack when a very feminine voice responded in Korean as well.

"We're big in Korea? I knew we were pretty well known in Japan, but I never really knew about that," It was the blonde one, Metzi. All seven members were in shock, the way she spoke it so effortlessly. If she didn't look the way she did, she could pass off as Native Korean by language alone.

"I know South Korea is very conservative and insistent upon how they operate things, and we're probably the farthest thing from it. I just was under the impression that we didn't fit the mold to do well there," Metzi continued talking, and Wren, Vida and Malorie had absolutely no clue what was going on or being discussed.

Had this been in Spanish, all the girls could have participated. Metzi just insisted on learning Korean, though.

They didn't seem too bothered, though, instead more humored.

"She's been waiting to use that one, huh?" Vida whispered, laughing lightly. "You're not wrong, Korea is known to be very conservative, however, that doesn't mean you have to fit stereotypes to break Korea or any other Asian country for that matter," Namjoon spoke in English this time, and finally the other three girls got a whiff of the conversation.

"We are the farthest thing from ideal boy-groups in America, and we broke it for the most part. Obviously a lot of it is due to our fan base, but point still stands." Seokjin broke in, the conversation now half Korean, half English.

"Good to know," Metzi said softly, a grin on her face.

"How did you learn Korean?" Taehyung spoke up in curiousity, and crinkled his eyes. "I started learning a few years ago before we kind of blew up, and when we visited Korea a few times, I just picked it up a bit. Still a lot I don't know, but I can speak pretty fluently now."

Taehyung nodded in understanding, silently applauding her ability to simply pick up on a language. He doesn't think he will ever gain fluency in English, no matter how hard he'd try. It was a lot harder than he imagined it to be.

"I'm gonna be honest, from media portrayals you guys are made out to be asshats, but you seem pretty down to Earth. Nice to know the fame doesn't get to your head, you know?"

Now it was Wren speaking, and a few snickers sounded from Jungkook and Jimin's mouth. "Asshat," Jimin repeated softly, and they broke into more laughter.

"We appreciate that, thank you. Ignore them," Hoseok spoke this time, a large smile adorning his face. "We will watch your performance tonight, and cheer you on."

"Ditto," Metzi responded in English this time, and Hobi's eyes crinkled in confusion. "Same to you," she clarified in Korean, and he nodded.

They said their goodbyes, and Metzi told all the girls to bow. Namjoon and Vida had a brief talk, and it was no time before BTS and WB were now separate, discussing the events that had just taken place.

The talk of the night was the mysterious blonde girl who spoke fluent Korean.

taglist: @princessoftheroad <3

#kth #kim taehyung #taehyung fic #taehyung fluff #taehyung smut #taehyung x oc #bts smut #bts fluff #bts fic #bts x oc #perrie edwards #little mix #min yoongi #jung hoseok #jeon jungkook #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #park jimin

38 notes · View notes

songtoyou · 4 years ago

Text

PRomance - Part Three

Paring: Chris Evans x Famous Reader

Rating: PG

Word Count: 1,412

Warnings: Some swearing and mention of COVID-19

Description: Chris needs some good press. He convinces one of his closest friends to partake in a PRomance.

A/N: It has been, what, 84 years since I updated this story. I apologize. Like everyone, last year was tough. It was hard to find motivation to write. Hopefully, it won’t take me as long to update, but I can’t make any promises since I do have other fics that also need my attention.

I do not permit my work to be to be posted on any other site without my permission.

Tag list: @ccolz88-blog @katiew1973 @inlovewith3 @thevelvetseries @syms-things-5

When the paparazzi’s Valentine’s Day pictures of you and Chris were released to the media, everything was surprisingly calm. No major freak-outs. No major firestorms. The media was ecstatic at the prospect of a new celebrity couple they could fawn over. The fans of both stars appeared to rejoice at the pairing. Yes, some fans were upset and already pegged it as a PR relationship. But from what Megan had seen online, the overall consensus was that people were happy for you and Chris. It helped divert any negative attention Chris was getting for ASP.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 occurred, and the whole world seemed to stop. It was a crazy and scary time for everyone. Chris chose to quarantine in Massachusetts while you remained in Los Angeles to continue filming your daytime talk show. No longer were you filming the show on a sound stage, but now in your own home. Your crew had helped set up a special room in your home where you could film the show. It was a big adjustment. Especially since the show was in its first season.

You and Chris made sure to continue to keep the PRomance going during that time but kept it quiet and did not blast it everywhere. Which was easy since neither of you could go anywhere.

Once in a while, you both would appear on each other’s Instagram page, but it was sparingly. It was important to keep things minimal and not overblown.

The PRomance was only something to be brought up when you or Chris needed a PR boost. First-round went to Chris.

The second round would go to you. The show had been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, and a PR boost was needed to keep you in the news. Thankfully, it helped that Ellen DeGeneres was going through a scandal about certain behaviors behind the scenes. This had already given you a nice PR boost about people wanting you to take over Ellen’s spot as daytime’s new queen. However, you knew that was not enough.

You knew it was a risk asking Chris to travel during COVID, but thankfully, he agreed. He promised he would take extra precautions when traveling. Plus, Chris had already planned on traveling to L.A. to help Scott move out of his boyfriend’s apartment. In fact, it was one of Scott’s neighbors who snapped a picture of you and Chris moving boxes from the apartment, which quickly spread throughout social media. It was a nice reminder for fans and the media to view it as you two still together.

Of course, Scott knew the truth. “I love you both very much, but I neither of you can bullshit this bullshitter,” he said to Chris while you were outside arranging the boxes in the moving truck. “Now, I’m not judging either of you. I understand the Hollywood game. I simply worry about people like Mom, Carly, and Shanna getting too attached to the idea of you two dating. What’s going to happen when all this is over, huh? Hearts are going to be broken in this situation. It’s bound to happen. Someone is going to get hurt.”

“No one is going to get hurt. When the time is appropriate, I’ll explain everything to Ma, okay. She’ll understand. Carly and Shanna will understand as well,” Chris explained to his little brother, but Scott wasn’t so sure.

Scott spoke your name and asked about you. “What about her?” Chris asked, confused at where Scott was getting at.

He looked around to make sure that you weren’t nearby and said, “Chris…how can I put this lightly, but this whole PRomance is not going to end well. I just have this feeling that one of you will get hurt. If I were to place a bet, then it would on the woman outside taking the time to help me move. She is my friend too, and I don’t want to see her get hurt just because you need some PR everyone in a while to make sure people realize that you are still around since you are no longer Captain America.”

Chris was stunned by Scott’s words. “Wow. That was pretty fucking harsh.”

Scott sighed. “I…okay, that last part was fucking rude of me to say. I’m sorry. But the rest I stand by. Don’t fuck this up, Chris.” And with that, Scott walked out of the apartment and joined you in the truck.

Later that week, you and Chris would have your second official PRomance outing. It would be simple: a walk in the park.

In truth, neither wanted to stay behind to help Scott unpack his things at Chris’s house.

As Chris remembers, he held your hand “waffle style” and led you to an area on the grace that looked secluded.

“I’m tired,” Chris said, yawning and covering his eyes with his arm. You laid down next to him, keeping a good distance between each other.

“I’m tired too. I miss being around people, Chris. I’m miss doing the show in front of a live audience. It is not the same filming at home. I’m sick of Zoom,” you ranted. Lately, everything was upsetting you. It was a depressing time for everyone. But you knew that you were fortunate to still be able to do what you loved to do: entertaining people. You still had your home and a steady income. While others were not as lucky.

“I fucking hate Zoom. It makes everything so awkward,” Chris replied, and he turned his body towards you. He took off his mask since there were no other people around. You did the same.

He reached his arm towards you and began to stroke your hair. Without thinking too much, you scooted over to him and nestled under his arm. You laid your head on his chest while he continued to stroke your hair. It felt nice being close to someone. That is what you both were missing during these times, the closeness with other people. Affection. Intimacy.

You both stayed like that for a while. Neither knew how long time passed until Chris felt buzzing in his pants. It was his phone, and most likely Scott calling him.

“Scott?” you confirmed, looking up at Chris.

He reached for his phone, and low and behold, it was Scott texting that he needed help.

“We should get back, or else nothing is going to get unpacked,” said Chris with a sigh. It had been a week since Scott moved into his home and still had boxes everywhere.

“Give him a break. He is going through a breakup. It is the worst time to go through a breakup. Scott needs our support. Come on, get up,” you uttered, getting up and brushing the grass off of your clothes. You grabbed Chris’s arm and pulled him as well.

“We should stop by the liquor store and pick up some pizza on the way back,” you suggested to Chris as you both walked back to his car.

When you both made it back to Chris’s house, Scott was crying on the couch watching the ‘Notebook.’

“No!” you yelled out. “Not the ‘Notebook,’ Scott. That doesn’t help anyone.”

“I’m in mourning! Don’t judge me!” Scott yelled back. “Is that pizza?”

“You get pizza if you turn off the movie. Come on, we are going to skip the ‘Notebook’ phase of the breakup. Let’s move on to the ‘Steel Magnolias’ phase, which is a much better phase. We’ll still cry but also laugh.”

“I vote for ‘Steel Magnolias’ phase too,’ Chris piped in the pizza boxes on the kitchen counter and got out the blender. “I’ll make the margaritas.”

The park pictures were met with mixed emotions from the media and fans. One side found the pictures adorable. The other side was upset that you two were out walking the streets during these trying times. Unfortunately, it appeared that the critical side was louder this time around.

Thankfully, the negative press didn’t hinder you from winning your first Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host. By July, and after a long time of delays, A Starting Point was finally launched to decent reviews. Chris was happy. You were happy. Neither of you knew where to go from there. Would the PRomance come to an end? Was it still needed since both of you got what you wanted out of the arrangement? Or was it something you both were willing to still put on?

#chris evans #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you

35 notes · View notes

wiypt-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Stark Spangled Destiny

Ch 5- It’s Good Advice, You Should Take It.

Chapter Summary: The final memory Tony and Natasha show Katie sees them back at the compound, in a moment Katie isn’t that keen to relive. And then the time comes for her to say goodbye to her brother and best friend all over again.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words.

Chapter Pairings: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So this is it. The last Chapter of Stark Spangled Destiny. I hope y’all have enjoyed this little mini-series as much as I have writing it. As always, thanks for your continued support, comments and re-blogs, and of course for loving Katie, Steve and the kids as much as I do.

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Stark Spangled Destiny Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Katie looked at the door which led to their apartment in the compound. The familiar smells, noises, sights had all assaulted her senses the minute she had found herself here and she was swamped with a million and one memories of the place that for years they had called home, their private space contained just behind the glossy, dark wooden door she was stood in front of.

She looked at Tony who nodded, as did Natasha- the red head dropping a hand to Katie’s shoulder. With a deep breath she pressed her palm to the pad at the side and the door slid open and she stepped into the apartment, heading into hallway, taking a look around at the earthy tones it was decorated in. She moved further into the apartment, through to the open plan living area, taking everything in, including the large, canvas photo from their wedding day, the pair of them on the dance floor for their first dance, their heads pressed together, stupid grins on their face. The very same canvas now adorned the wall in their entrance hall of their home in Brooklyn, having been moved out of the living room to make way for the various photos of their kids and family.

“I do like that photo.” Natasha smiled and Katie looked at her, smiling herself.

“Me too.” She nodded before taking a deep breath, getting a hit of the wax burner she’d almost constantly had going, with the lingering smell of the Hugo Boss Steve had worn until a few years back when Emmy had informed him that the company had once-upon-a-time made Uniforms for the Nazis. Horrified, Steve had instantly stopped using it, swapping to Gucci Guilty instead, which Katie wasn’t complaining about. She preferred it.

“What am I doing here Tony?” Katie asked, turning to face him, but before he could reply Katie heard the door open to the bedroom. She looked up as Steve strolled in to the room from the hallway, yawning. His hair was shorter, face clean shaven and he was in a pair of sweats that hung off his hips, his top half bare showing off his physique. Katie took a moment, looking at him, taking in how damned young he looked, all the time biting her lip.

Besides her Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re drooling.”

“And?” She shrugged, moving to follow Steve into the kitchen area. His back muscles twitched as he reached up for the coffee and Katie gave a little groan. “I love it when he does that.”

“What, makes coffee?” Nat quipped nudging her, and Katie gave a snort.

“No, flexes his back.” She shrugged “I like it.”

“You know, you’re really fucking weird.” Tony concluded, before Katie gave a laugh which cut off as she caught a movement in her peripheral…

Steve heard a noise and turned round to see Katie padding her way into the kitchen, wearing a pair of sleep shorts and a camisole top, hair piled on top of her head. She yawned and gave him a tired smile.

“Hey beautiful.” He smiled back, leaning down to give her a good morning kiss. “How’s Emmy?”

“Sleeping.” Katie sighed, rubbing her eyes as she yawned again “She finally drifted off about three am.”

Steve bit the inside of his lip as he looked down at the floor. “You know, I really wish I could help. I feel so useless when she has those nightmares, because I can’t comfort her or…”

“Hey…” Katie shook her head, reaching out for his hands and lacing her fingers through his. “You do help. You give her a safe home. She’ll come round in the end, Steve, you’ll see. We just have to let her do it in her own time.”

“I know, you’re right.” Steve agreed, looking at his wife “Still doesn’t make me feel any better. You know, she’s been here almost three months now. Do we need to call anyone, try and get her some help or…”

Katie pondered for a moment before she shrugged “Honestly, I don’t know how she’d react to it. Maybe. Let’s just see how we go ok? Give it another couple of weeks and then if things don’t get any better we can call someone.”

“Ok.” Steve nodded before he took another deep breath “You want coffee?”

“Dur.” Katie smiled and he chuckled at his dumbass question. “Thought I’d do French Toast for breakfast, that sound ok or are you rushing to meet Rhodey?”

“No rush.” Steve shook his head “I don’t need to leave until 10..” Katie stood watching and turned to Tony. “I know exactly what this day is. This is when Emmy had her meltdown.”

Tony nodded “Yeah, poor kid.”

“It’s easy to forget how troubled she was when she arrived.” Natasha mused as the three of them watched as past Katie and Steve moved around the kitchen like a well-oiled machine and Katie had to smile. It was odd watching it from the outside and she’d never appreciated just how tactile Steve was with her. A touch on the arm here, a kiss to the cheek or neck there, but now she thought about it she realised he was still the same now. Like he deliberately looked for any excuse to touch her or show her affection. That hadn’t waned in the slightest after seventeen years of being together.

“Gross…” Tony grumbled as Natasha gave a chuckle when Steve stopped Katie and turned her to face him, giving her a deep kiss which was interrupted by Emmy.

“Sorry, didn’t realise you two were making out.” She said, as she pottered into the kitchen dressed in a pair of pyjamas.

“I was making breakfast.” Katie said, completely unabashed by Emmy’s dig. Steve, on the other hand, flushed red and looked down, suddenly realising he was topless.

“I’m gonna…” He trailed off before he made his way out of the kitchen and Katie looked at Emmy as she pulled open the fridge

“You want orange juice or apple, Em?”

“Orange please.” Emmy said, sitting on one of the high stools. Katie poured her a glass, handing it to her. The eleven year old took it with a mumbled thanks and took a sip, her eyes trained on the surface of the breakfast bar. Katie watched her for a second before she stepped towards her slightly.

“You okay?” She asked, noticing the girl was unusually quiet. She’d come out of her shell a lot more recently but seemed today to be retreating back into it.

“Yeah, I’m just a little tired.” Emmy shrugged.

“I’m not surprised.” Katie said softly

“Sorry.” Emmy said quietly and Katie sighed..

“Em, there’s nothing to be sorry for.” She gently placed her hand on her shoulder. “You can’t help what you dream about.”

“I didn’t mean to wake you both up.”

“Honestly, sweetheart it’s fine.” Katie said, “now, I’m gonna make French toast for breakfast. That okay?”

Emmy nodded and took another drink of her orange juice before Katie turned back to her cooking, Emmy simply watching her. Normally she offered to help but today she was simply sat at the breakfast bar, observing and every so often her eyes would flick round the room. It was a change in demeanour Katie was painfully aware of but let it pass them by, allowing her to do what she felt she wanted, or needed as the case may be, to do.

Just as Katie was serving, Steve emerged fully dressed, hair damp from the shower. “This looks great, thanks honey.” He said, dropping a kiss to Katie’s cheek as she placed a plate in front of him whilst he pulled out a stool and sat down.

Katie settled at the end of the bar, her own food in front of her and she noticed Emmy’s eyes flick from her to Steve before she looked down at her plate. Steve also clocked the look on her face and he glanced at Katie who shook her head telling him not to comment.

“So, what do you two have planned today?” Steve asked instead, breaking the silence.

When Emmy didn’t reply, Katie picked up the conversation. “I have a conference call at eleven for an hour with the guys at SIDE but other than that not much. I do need to go to the store though, that okay Em?”

Emmy shrugged “Fine.”

“I can always see if you can stay with Bruce or Nat.” Katie offered “I know you and Nat have been working through Friends on Netflix...”

Emmy looked at her. “If I’m not too much of a burden.”

Steve frowned and looked at Katie before he glanced back at Emmy. “Of course you’re not. Nat and Bruce love having you here as much as we do.”

Emmy turned her head to Steve, her eyes locking on his almost as if she was searching them to see if he was telling the truth. Eventually she nodded and turned back to her food. “Then if I can I’d like to stay here.”

“Sure.” Katie said, nodding. “To be honest, you can always stay here in your room anyway. FRIDAY is always on hand and if you need anything…”

“Whatever is easier.”

“What do you want to do?” Katie asked, not a shred of impatience in her tone despite Emmy being obtuse. Emmy paused and then looked at her.

“The Common Room with Nat.” she said finally.

“Okay, then when I go down to the office I’ll ask her, ok?”

Emmy nodded. “Thanks.”

Steve looked at Katie once more, before the three of them resumed eating breakfast, Katie and Steve carrying the conversation for the most before Emmy finished and politely asked if she could be excused to wash up and get dressed. After Steve told her of course she could, she took her plate to the sink and then headed out.

“Tell me I’m being overly sensitive but…” Steve began and Katie cut him off.

“She told me before she’s tired Steve.” She replied “She had a rough night, you know as well as anyone what night terrors can do.”

“Think that’s all it is?”

“Honestly I’ve no idea.” Katie sighed. “But until she’s ready to talk what do we do? I’m not gonna keep pushing her as it will make it worse.”

Steve took a deep breath and Katie stood up, reaching for his plate but he stopped her, his hand gently wrapping around her wrist “I’ll do that. You go get yourself sorted.”

Katie smiled, dropped a kiss to his lips and headed out of the room. “I know where this is going…” Katie sighed, “I don’t…do I have to see it again?”

“Yup.” Tony said.

“Why?” she turned to her brother “Why is going over this particular day important?”

“Because it is.” Natasha said simply “You were questioning what the point of you being in your kids’ lives was.” She turned to Katie who met her gaze. “You need to understand just how much of an impact you and Steve had on Emmy, and what your decision to let her stay with you meant for her, and her life. Things could have turned out very different.”

“I know that.” Katie sighed, exasperatedly.

“Do you?” Tony looked at her. “Do you really know or is it just something you think you know?”

Katie looked at him and let out a groan. “Of course I know Tony, she was living on her own…”

“Okay.” Tony held his hands up. “But you’re gonna watch anyway.”

Katie let out a loud noise and when she turned back to the scene in front of her she noticed now that she was fully dressed, in jeans and a sweater and was fishing in the Gold Pineapple bowl. They watched as she fished her car keys from the bowl and then her wallet, opening it, giving an exasperated groan and yelling out the word. “Fuck.”

“Potty mouth…” Tony looked at her and she shrugged.

“My cash was gone.” Katie looked at Tony. “You know, it seems like such an odd thing now but it was so rare in the year or so after the snap. I hardly ever used it, everything was by card.”

“People went into a frenzy, trying to withdraw what they could.” Nat shrugged.

“So much so they basically emptied every ATM in the country.” Tony mused “And to think they ridicule old people for stashing it under the mattress…”

Katie let out a deep breath watched herself ponder something before she headed out, phone in hand, as she closed the door behind her.

“Real informative.” Katie deadpanned, turning to Tony who shot her a scathing look. “Me looking at an empty wallet.”

“Shut up.” Tony rolled his eyes “I forgot what a sarcastic ass you are.”

“I learnt from the best.” She shot back. Natasha gave a chuckle.

“She’s not wrong Shell Head.”

“I hate you both.” Tony sulked, turning away from them as he strode towards the Golden Pineapple on the table. He bent to examine it before he gave a snort and looked back at Katie.

“Why the fuck did you buy this?” Tony looked at her.

“I told you about a thousand times.” Katie sighed “It was a joke between me and Steve. He still has it you know.”

“I don’t get it.” Tony shrugged.

“You won’t because it’s an in joke…” Katie groaned “Look, I know you haven’t brought me here to look at a fucking pineapple bowl.”

“Well I kinda did, in a way, but…” Tony shrugged and nodded back to the door.

Steve opened the door, his hair and shoulders were wet from the shower of rain which had chosen the exact moment he had gotten out of the car to start, and then the moment he’d entered the building to stop. Dropping his kit bag to the floor he peeled off his jacket and hung it on the peg by the door. He then kicked off his sneakers, and made his way into the living area where Katie was perched on the sofa, cross legged. Her hair was pulled up into a hap-hazard bun and her glasses were perched on her nose as she glanced down at the laptop which was resting on her knees, her feet placed on the edge of the coffee table. Sensing his presence as always, she turned over her shoulder to look at him and he smiled.

“You still working?” he asked, nodding to the laptop and she shook her head.

“No, well, sorta…I was looking at some figures but nothing major.” She tapped a button to save what she had been doing before she shut the laptop. Steve flopped onto the sofa next to her, leaning over to place a soft kiss to her lips. “Good day?” she asked.

“Not bad.” He shrugged “I might need to head away again for a while, looks like we’re focussing on another unit in Toronto.”

“How long for?”

“A week, maybe two.” He shrugged “That ok?”

“Yeah, of course.” She nodded “It needs to be done Steve, and like you said, if we don’t then…”

“I know.” He breathed out “Rather be here with you and Em though.”

She chuckled and turned to face him, “Soppy bastard.”

He shrugged before he leaned back against the cushion and she snuggled under his arm. “Speaking of Em, where is she?”

“Oh she’s with Bruce.” Katie replied “She spent a few hours with Nat and then she headed into the lab, she was showing her something to do with…actually, I don’t have a clue. Bruce did try to explain but it went right over my head. Something about energy extrapolation...I think.”

Steve laughed, his hand gently tracing shapes on her upper arm. “Is she feeling better.”

“I think so.” Katie sighed “Hard to gage. She was laughing with Nat when I came back from the store…oh, and that reminds me, Rogers.” She sat up and poked at his chest “Next time you’re gonna use me as your own personal ATM, can you at least warn me first?”

“What?” Steve looked at her, utterly baffled “Personal ATM…I don’t…”

“The cash you took from my wallet.” Katie arched an eyebrow “Not that it matters, everywhere is card, card, card now but you know I like to-“

“Baby…” Steve cut her off, shaking his head. “I didn’t take any cash from you, I’ve still got some spare.”

Katie frowned “Well I know there was about two hundred bucks in there and now there’s nothing, so if you didn’t then…” She trailed off, sighing “Shit.”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” Steve said, instantly understanding and Katie bit her lip.

“Who else could it be?” She took off her glasses and tossed them carelessly on top of her laptop, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“FRIDAY?” Steve asked.

“Yes, Captain Rogers.” The AI responded.

“Has anyone else been in our quarters over the last twenty-four hours?” Steve asked the question, although deep down he already knew the answer. It was impossible for anyone to get into the compound without them knowing.

“Apart from yourself, Mrs Rogers and Miss McKellen that is a negative, Captain.”

Katie looked at him, “Now what do we do?”

Steve inhaled and let out a deep breath from his nose “Ok, we need to talk to her about it.” Katie bit her lip before she stood up and Steve frowned “Where are you going?”

“To check her room.”

“Honey…” Steve started to protest but Katie stopped him dead with a look.

“No, Steve, I’m sorry but…” and with that she headed off down the hall. Steve let out a groan, before he followed her. Up until now Emmy had caused them no issues really in the grand scheme of things. The nightmares and panic attacks aside, ok and the melt down she’d Katie had taken her shopping as she refused to go back to her old foster home to pick anything up, she’d been great. Never complained, never moaned about anything, in fact she seemed positively grateful to be there, which was why this was such a shock to them both. And he still didn’t want to believe it.

However, when he watched Katie pulling a rucksack out of Emmy’s wardrobe, opening the front pocket to reveal the money the pair of them were forced to accept that she’d stolen from them. With tears in her eyes Katie opened the main part of the bag and then tossed it onto Emmy’s bed.

“Look.” She said gently. Steve moved, his hands parting the bag open slightly and he stared at the contents. Clothes, a few toiletries, some granola bars, a packet of cookies and bottles of water.

“You don’t think…” Steve swallowed “She was gonna run away?”

“What other explanation is there?” Katie’s voice was a sad whisper, and the look on her face broke Steve’s heart. “I don’t get it, I mean is she that unhappy here that she’d rather take her chances out there alone?”

Steve had nothing to say. There was nothing he could say, because he felt as helpless and as lost as Katie here. Of the hundreds of missions he’d faced, his various dances with death and that flighty temptress fear, nothing had ever prepared him for how he felt then. He had no Plan A, let alone a Plan B.

Katie swallowed and looked at Tony. “You know, looking back on all of this…it has to be one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I had no idea what to do for the best…”

“Well whatever you did worked out.” Tony said simply, as they watched past Katie and Steve head out of Emmy’s room, Steve clutching Emmy’s bag in one hand, his other gently placed on the curve of Katie’s back.

Katie sighed heavily and shook her head “I really don’t want to see this next bit. Please, I get it…”

“No, you don’t.” Nat said simply and looked at her “You won’t get it until you see it from this point of view.”

“Why?”

“Stop being awkward.” Tony sighed, “Just watch will you, save the questions until after.”

Katie glared at the pair of them before she stalked out of Emmy’s room just in time to see the girl herself walk into the apartment. Lucky padded out of the open plan living area and into the hallway to say greet her. She pet his head and then headed into the living room. Taking a deep breath, as she could remember this next bit like it had happened only yesterday, Katie followed her.

Emmy stopped dead as she saw her rucksack perched on the large oak dining table which was situated in front of the bi-folding doors, behind the sofa. Steve looked up at her from where he and Katie had been sat, both with a mug of tea in their hands, trying to decide how they dealt with the situation.

“You been going through my stuff?” Emmy glared at them both, her arms folded.

“Emmy…” Katie sighed “Sit down.”

“No.”

“Sit.” Steve instructed, his voice a little more stern than Katie’s and Emmy looked at him, her chin jutting out defiantly.

“I said no.”

“Fine, don’t” Katie shrugged “But to answer your question, yes we did go through your stuff…because I was looking for something. Some money that went missing.”

“And you just assumed I took it.” She glared at them both “I get it, the bad foster kid…”

“Oh Emmy stop!” Steve said exasperatedly “For your information, no, we didn’t just assume. We checked with FRIDAY. No one bar us three has been in the apartment. So unless you’re suggesting Lucky stole it then…”

Emmy glanced at Steve and then looked at the floor as from behind the bag, Katie pushed the wad of cash across the table. Emmy glanced up and took a deep breath, at least having the good grace to look remorseful.

“Why did you take it?” Katie asked.

Emmy stayed quiet for a little while before she shrugged “In case I need it.”

“What do you need two hundred bucks for?” Steve asked, his tone softer than it had been before. “Do you owe it to someone? Are you in trouble?”

“No.”

“Then explain to us Em.” Katie sighed, “If you need something or want something, all you gotta do is ask. Not steal from us.”

“I just do…ok?”

“For when you run away you mean?” Steve looked at her “Yes, we checked the rest of your bag.”

“You…you had no right to go through my stuff!” Emmy’s voice raised and Steve felt his temper beginning to rise. He took a deep breath, reminding himself of what she’d been through. Under the table, Katie squeezed his knee gently and he looked away from Emmy, ensuring he kept his composure.

“We didn’t want to.” Katie looked at her “But Em, you stole from us. And you were planning on running away. I don’t get it. Are you not happy here? Do you want to leave?”

Emmy looked down at her feet but didn’t answer.

“This is getting us nowhere.” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Emmy we can’t help you if you don’t tell us what the problem is.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be here!” she said, her voice raising “You’re the one that made me come!”

“Yeah, because you were about to get yourself in trouble…” Steve protested but she cut him off.

“Yeah, yeah, Captain America…can’t bear to see anyone doing anything wrong.” She glared at him and Steve felt the nerve in his jaw twitch “Where were you when we actually needed you huh?”

“Emily…” Katie frowned “That’s not fair…”

Steve looked down at the table, shaking his head “You know exactly where we were…”

“I don’t mean the fight, or whatever…” She blazed “I mean after! It took people months to realise I was on my own, and I’m not the only one.”

“I know!” Katie shook her head “But we had a lot to deal with, why do you think I’m working so hard with setting up these homes?”

“Yeah, great coz that’s what kids like me need isn’t it, to be dumped back in a home.” Emmy shook her head “God this is so shit.”

“Ok, that’s enough.” Steve snapped. “Emmy that day in the store, I brought you back here to try and help and we’ve done nothing but accommodate you. We put a roof over your head, fed you, clothed you…Katie’s sat up countless nights with you when you’ve had nightmares…and this is how you repay us?”

“Sorry I didn’t realised you wanted payment.” Emmy glared at him. “What do you want? I have no money…I could always work the streets, you know, turn hooker…”

“Oh for…” Steve finally snapped, he stood up quickly, his chair clattering to the floor behind him as he turned away, drawing his hands over his face.

Simultaneously, Emmy’s eyes widened and she stepped back further away, an action Katie spotted.

“Emmy,” she began and Steve turned back round. One look at Emmy’s petrified face made his heart sink. He’d frightened her. That hadn’t been his intention, far from it but as he stepped towards her to try and calm her down, she retreated away, moving backwards towards the door before she turned and bolted out of the room.

“Shit.” Steve mumbled, and in a flash he was after her “Emmy…”

“Get away from me!” she screamed, running into her room. “Leave me alone…”

“Em…” Katie was behind Steve, “Emily, just listen…”

But she was having none of it. She reached her room and made to slam the door, and Steve knew she’d lock it if she did so acting on instinct he reached out and stuck his hand straight in between the door and the frame. It slammed straight onto his fingers, and he gave a grimace, gritting his teeth slightly as Emmy screamed and repeated the motion. But he never once made a sound. Katie had tears in her eyes as she looked at Steve and as Emmy made to slam the door on his hand for a 3rd time he reached up with his left one, and placed the palm flat on the wood stopping it dead. He pushed gently, making it swing back open and Katie moved past him into the room.

“Emmy what’s going on?” she asked, “Please, you need to talk to us.”

“You want me to leave!” Emmy cried, as she slumped to the floor in the corner of the room, hugging her knees to her chest.

“No, no we don’t.” Katie insisted, kneeling in front of her, as Steve strode into the room quietly, sitting on the end of Emmy’s bed in an attempt to make himself slightly less imposing in the space of the room.

“I heard you!” Emmy screamed, “I heard you earlier, saying that you’d give it another couple of weeks before you called someone to come and take me and…”

“Woah, woah, woah…” Steve held his hand up, cutting her off. “Emmy, you’ve got it all wrong.”

“Don’t fucking LIE TO ME!”

“Emmy, he isn’t!” Katie insisted, “That wasn’t about sending you away, it was about getting you help with your nightmares, babe.”

Silence fell over the room and Emmy’s mouth clamped shut, her large brown eyes blinking as she looked at Katie then to Steve.

“It’s true.” He said softly “It was my idea.”

“So you don’t wanna send me to a home?” Emmy asked quietly, her tears trickling down her face.

“No, sweetheart, we don’t.” Katie said, her own eyes spilling over as she reached up to wipe Emmy’s tears away “Look, we weren’t gonna tell you until it was all sorted out but a week ago a place for you opened at one of the homes that SIDE has been organising, but…” she took a deep breath and looked at Steve who licked his lips.

“We don’t want you to leave Em.” He finished for Katie. “So, we’ve applied to the Authorities to make this your permanent Foster Home.”

“You have?” Emmy’s voice was a whisper and both Katie and Steve nodded.

“ We’re not sending you anywhere.” Katie looked at her. “As long as you’re happy here then you can stay. But if you’re not then…”

“I am…” she blurted out, before she looked down at the spot on the floor between her and Katie “I just…I’ve been bad and…”

“Emmy, look at me sweetie.” Katie sighed, shuffling forward a little and Emmy turned her brown eyes onto Katie’s.. “Stealing is bad, yeah. But we’re not gonna send you away for misbehaving. Yeah, ok, down the line there’s probably gonna be times we get cross and tell you off but that’s part of us all growing up and navigating this new family life. I promise you, with everything I have, that none of that will ever mean we’ll send you away.”

“But I’ve been really bad. I stole. A lot of money too…” Emmy began to sob again and Katie reached out for her, curling her arms around her as she sobbed against her shoulder. Steve made a moment as if to comfort her too but hastily pulled his hand away and Katie gave him a sympathetic look. She knew not being able to do something as simple as hug her was killing him. Instead he took a deep breath and spoke softly, his gentle baritone carrying over the sounds of her crying.

“We’re not bothered about the money.” Steve said as Katie looked at him as she rocked Emmy gently to and fro “We’re more bothered about the fact you felt so bad and that your first thought was to run away. You should have talked to us, Honey.”

“I know.” Emmy sobbed, her face pressed into Katie’s neck. “I won’t do it again, I swear, I’m so sorry.” She turned her head to look at Steve “I’m sorry about your hand, I didn’t…”

“I’ve had worse.” Steve said, shaking his head as he flexed the fingers of his right hand. It was slightly painful, but he knew there would be no lasting damage.

“Yeah, like the time you put it through the stud wall in the Tower.” Katie looked at him. He frowned, wondering why of all the times he had hurt himself she’d brought that up, but then he suddenly understood.”

“Well, it was a very vivid nightmare.” He shrugged and at that Emmy looked at him, swallowing.

“You had…you had nightmares?”

“Still do sometimes.” He shrugged.

“What about?” Emmy looked at him, wiping her eyes.

“It used to be the War.” Steve said gently. “I don’t get those so much anymore. Now, well it’s mainly about the Snap.” He trailed off, looking at his hands. “I see all those people on that battlefield, our friends…”

“I get them too.” Katie said softly “About HYDRA.” She swallowed as Steve took a deep breath. “About Thanos. I lie awake sometimes, wondering if we could have done more…” she sniffed and her hand moved instinctively to her stomach, caressing the place their surprise baby had been before Thanos had cruelly ripped that away from them too and Steve looked down once more. To not even find out until after it had gone had been a double blow to the pair of them. “But the thing is Em…” Katie looked back at her “We deal with it by talking to one another. We have to, otherwise it would eat us up inside.”

“And I get that isn’t always easy.” Steve said, “Hell, in my day if you talked about stuff like that people looked at you like you belonged in a Bug House.”

“Steve…” Katie chastised his turn of phrase as Emmy gave a soft chuckle.

“Well, it’s true.” He protested slightly, before he looked back at the dark haired girl, who still had her head laid against Katie’s shoulder. “And it took me awhile, almost a year actually, to open up to Katie…and even then I only did that because I fell asleep on her couch and had a night terror there.” He took a deep breath “But the point is Em, what I was worried about was Katie, or anyone else for that matter, thinking less of me if I did tell them what I was feeling, that it would make them believe I was weak because I was dreaming about all this stuff…but that’s not the case. It takes an even stronger person to face up to their fears and admit they’re struggling or scared.”

Emmy looked at him and sniffled a little, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

“Whatever is going on up here…” Katie said gently, tapping at Emmy’s head with the arm that lay round her shoulders “We want to help. But we can’t if you don’t talk to us.” Emmy nodded gently, to show she understood as Katie continued. “So no matter what it is, how stupid you might feel, how dumbass you think it makes you sound, we want you to tell us. Or if not us, Nat or Bruce or Tony. Because then we can help, we can deal with it instead of getting ourselves into a situation like this again.”

“And we promise, and for the record, I’m Captain America ergo I can’t lie…” Steve looked at Emmy and she gave a little titter of a laugh “That no matter what it is, we’re not gonna go mad, or kick you out. We just want you to be honest with how you’re feeling, ok?”

Emmy swallowed and nodded, before the tears filled her eyes. “I know, I really am sorry….”

“We know you are.” Steve said softly as Katie pulled her close again. “It’s ok.”

“Think we can draw a line under this and move on?” Katie asked softly and Emmy nodded against her shoulder, sitting back and wiping her eyes.

Steve looked around the spare room Emmy had taken up residency in. They’d found her a book shelf in one of the old rooms that was no longer used and brought that in for her, Tony had installed a state of the art flat screen TV which linked to FRIDAY on the wall so she could watch whatever she wanted, but it was still bare in a way. There was a lack of real personal touches to the décor, and to him it still didn’t feel like it belonged to her. And then he had a sudden idea “You know, if you are staying, I think this place could use a little personalisation.”

“What do you mean?” Emmy looked at him.

“Well, beige and cream is ok but…surely it could be a little more colourful.” He mused looking around before he looked at Katie “What do you think honey?” Katie smiled and glanced at Emmy “You know what, I think Steve-O might be onto something.”

Emmy chuckled and then looked at Steve “What, so you mean we could paint it?”

Steve nodded “Yeah, maybe pick up a few other things.”

“I’d like a new lamp.” She said a little shyly.

“Why don’t you go to the hardware store tomorrow?” Katie looked at her, then to Steve “See what they have?”

Steve looked at Emmy “I’m game if you are kid.”

Emmy nodded again and smiled before Steve slapped his thighs with his hands “Ok, that’s settled…” he stood up off the bed and offered Katie his hand. He pulled her to his feet and then she did the same with Emmy.

“I’m gonna go wash my face.” Emmy said gently, “And then can I take Lucky for a walk? Just to the lake.”

“Sure. Why don’t you pop back in on Nat?” Katie suggested “Tell her I’m making tagliatelli for dinner. Should be ready for about 6-ish ok, so if you wanna stay with her until then, we’ll see you in the big kitchen.”

Emmy nodded as she headed to the door before Steve spoke again.

“You mind if I join you?” Steve asked “Just for a walk, I could do with stretching my legs, been sat in a Classroom all day with the new recruits….”

“Basically that means he hasn’t been running.” Katie said, winking at Emmy “And you know he gets cranky if he doesn’t do something….”

“I do not.”

“You so do Steve-o.” Emmy agreed with Katie and Steve gave a dramatic sigh.

“I do not get cranky, I just get a little restless…”

“Whatever.” Katie shrugged. “Same thing.”

“No, it’s…they’re not the same at all.” Steve folded his arms and Emmy gave a giggle as Katie looked at him.

“See, you’re being cranky now. Cranky and argumentative.”

“Pot,Kettle Mrs Rogers.”

“Are you guys having a domestic?” Emmy smirked, folding her arms and Katie chuckled, before she leaned up and gave Steve a peck on the cheek.

“No, just reminding him who’s boss.”

“Yeah, that most certainly is not me.” Steve rolled his eyes and Emmy giggled.

As soon as she was gone Katie ran her hands down her face, where they came to rest over her nose and mouth before she looked at Steve.

“You ok?” he asked and she nodded, stepping forward into his arms. He dropped a kiss to the crown of her head and she pulled back.

“How’s your hand really?”

“A little sore but it’ll be fine in a coupl’a hours.” He shrugged “Nothing broken.”

“Do you need to ice it?”

“Nah.” He said, flexing his fingers. Katie took his hand and pressed her lips tenderly to the skin over the already slightly bruised knuckles and looked up at him.

“I can’t believe she thought we were gonna kick her out.” She said sadly.

“Yeah, but it’s done now.” Steve said “We told her not to dwell on it, so we need to follow our own advice ok.” His hands cupped her face gently and he smiled. “Stop drowning in here…” he said, kissing her temple and she laughed a little.

“I remember I used to say that to you.”

“Well its good advice” he smiled, and at that Emmy came back, her face looking slightly less tear stained.

“Ok, do you wanna go?” she asked looking at Steve and he nodded and turned to her.

“You bet.”

She turned and headed back down the corridor and Steve paused in the doorway, turning back to Katie.

“I love you sweetheart.” He smiled at he and Katie’s face split into a grin.

“Love you too Soldier.”

Katie felt Tony’s hand on her shoulder. “You get it now?”

She turned to him, tears stinging her eyes. “It takes an even stronger person to face up to their fears and admit they’re struggling or scared.” She repeated Steve’s words. “This isn’t just about Emmy is it? You want me to realise I shouldn’t have tied to hide what I was feeling.”

“Well, like you so eloquently told Em, We deal with it by talking to one another. We have to, otherwise it would eat us up inside.” Tony smiled, reaching out and gently tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ears. “It’s good advice, you should take it.”

She sniffed and blinked away her tears as Tony wrapped his arms around her. She lay her head against his shoulder, breathing in his smell, his touch, his feel before she pulled away again. And this time she found herself outside the compound, on the large driveway, the setting sun made her squint slightly as it lit up the sky over the roof of the building that she had once called home in stunning streaks of orange, yellow, red and purple.

“So, now my little guided trip through life is over, is the bit where I click my heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home’?” Katie asked and Natasha snorted.

“Why would you do that?” Tony looked at her, before he gestured to his side. “Just drive.”

Katie glanced to her left and saw her Cameo was parked on the gravel driveway beside the Audi. She smiled “I love that care you know, I can’t bear to part with it.”

“I should think not.” Tony scoffed, clearly affronted at the simply idea of that.

“Only because you gave it to me.” She said quietly “It’s had a lot of work done, I don’t use it often but Jamie likes it. Rori too. She calls it the Kardasheen Car.”

“The what?” Tony looked at Katie and she shook her head.

“She saw an episode of ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’, and now she’s obsessed, don’t ask.” She snorted “Ever since then it’s all about her nails, hair, Barbies, blingy and expensive shit…drives Steve and Jamie mental.”

“You know I’m gutted I never got to meet her.” Tony mused “I sense we would have gotten along.”

“I tell her about you all the time, both of you.” Katie swallowed “She knows what her name means, and that she shares her Uncle Nee’s birthday…” she fell silent, the tears once more pricking her eyes “Please don’t go…” she whispered. “I’m don’t want to say goodbye to you both. Not again.”

“Well then, don’t think of it as goodbye.” Tony wrinkled his nose, reaching up to wipe her cheeks with his thumbs. “More like a temporary parting of the ways.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before she stepped back, the tears coursing down her face and she turned to Natasha. The two women smiled at each other and then embraced. “Tell Clint I like my tree.” Nat said gently and Katie gave a little chuckle through her tears before she stepped back and nodded. She took a deep breath, stepped towards her car and then paused.

“Missing something?” Tony asked, waving the keys at her. With a smile she caught them as he tossed them over the roof of the car and took another look at her brother and best friend. The ache in her chest was growing stronger and although she KNEW this was a dream, it was so real, so vivid. The smells, touch, tastes, sounds were all assaulting her senses, and the fact Tony and Natasha were leaving her yet again was killing her.

But, as she opened the door to her Camero, another smell hit her. A mixture of sandalwood and citrus from Steve’s cologne, along with something slightly more gentle which she recognised instantly. She could smell her home. And she was suddenly overcome with a huge desire to be there, with her kids, with Steve and even that damned dog.

At the thought of Stark, she grinned. “Hey Tone, did you know we have a dog named after you?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged, “but I am awesome so…”

She rolled her eyes and looked at her brother, Natasha was now nowhere to be seen.

“So I just get in, and drive?” Katie asked.

“Yup.” Tony gave her a nod his eyes shining in the light “Exactly the same way you got here.”

She paused, and then rushed round from her car to give him one final hug. “I miss you every single day.” She stuttered, her breath catching in her throat.

“I know.” He smiled, his arms holding her close. “And I’m sorry it had to be this way.”

They stayed still for a moment, Tony’s chin resting on her head before she stepped back and looked into his brown eyes “I love you Tone. To the Stars...”

“…and back.” Tony smiled, his own eyes brimming with tears as he sniffed slightly before he stepped back and she moved back to her car “Hey Kiddo…”

She turned to face him and he raised an eyebrow “Next time you have an existential crisis, maybe try and dream up somewhere hot, sandy…I hear Fiji is nice.”

Katie snorted and he shot her one last wink before he climbed into the Audi as she settled in the driver’s seat of the Camero, not sure exactly what the fuck was going to happen when she started driving, but following Tony’s lead she turned on the engine and drove up the drive. As the cars drew to the end where the little lane joined the road she drew level with Tony’s audi and he shot her one last smile as he turned left, and she turned right.

Leaning over she turned the radio on and had to smile as ‘Drops of Jupiter’ rang out around her car.

Their song, hers and Tony’s. There wasn’t anything more perfect for the moment.

*****

“Em, keep an eye on this lot will you, I’m just gonna go put Floss down and wake your Ma.” Steve said. “Food should be here soon.”

“Sure.” Emmy nodded from where she was sat in the Den with Jamie, both of them mid game of Mario Karts. Harry was sat on the rug with a Tonka truck whilst Rori was busy at the little table by the patio doors, sticking something into the Crap Book.

“Come on, baby.” He spoke gently, Flossie nuzzling her face into his neck as he carried her up the stairs, feeling her yawn against his skin. He crossed the landing to her nursery and gently placed her in the crib, tucking the light blanket over her before he turned on the baby monitor and gently smoothed down her hair. Pulling the door to, he then made his way into their room and took a moment to look at Katie. She was led on her side, pillow clutched to her chest, her eye lids fluttering slightly. He moved towards the bed, and then frowned as she started to murmur.

“I love you Tone…” she sighed “To the Stars…”

Steve felt his heart catch, she was dreaming about her brother. He swallowed a little, the emotion of the moment washing over him and then she spoke again.

“Stevie…where..I can’t see you…”

At that he walked over the floor, the carpet plush beneath his sock clad feet, and sat on the bed besides her, gently shaking her shoulder.

“Katie, sweetheart, come on.”

With a gasp she sat bolt upright, her eyes flying open, frantically searching the room.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Steve smiled as her eyes locked onto his, her breathing deep “You alright?”

“Yeah, I…” she swallowed and took a huge gulp of air in “I was dreaming and…” she took another deep breath “Tony and Nat were there, and it was so real and…”

He gently smoothed her hair back “It was just a dream sweetheart.” He said and he wrapped her in his arms, his hands softly rubbing at her beck. He felt her relax into his hold and as she pressed her face into his chest, he heard her sniff and her shoulders began to shake as she started to cry. “Oh honey…” he soothed as her sobs grew stronger, and Steve felt a lump in his own throat as she pressed harder into him. He hated seeing her like this. It worried him, scared him even. To see her struggling as she was it hurt him, more so because there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it other than comfort her. Deciding that would have to do for now, he gently pulled her onto his lap and she pressed further into him. He wrapped his strong arms around her as he rest his chin on top of her head, all the time gently rocking her to and fro. “It’s ok, let it out. I got you.”

“I saw so many memories…” she whispered as he dropped a kiss to her hair. “From years ago.”

“Good ones?” he asked, his hands rubbing up and down her back.

“Some of them.” She nodded “Others…well…”

“Wanna tell me about it?”

She stayed silent before she pulled back and glanced up at him. “I was at the Compound, near our tree. And Tony and Nat appeared, said they had some stuff to show me. It was all like major moments and stuff…” she trailed off before she picked up again, laying her head back on his chest. “You weren’t in all of it, I went right back to before I even joined SHIELD. That was kind of nice actually, to see it from the outside so to speak. I found out it was Natasha that actually recommended me for recruitment, not Coulson as I thought…and the whole New Mexico thing with Thor was a ruse to get me to join…and then I saw the time we went to Niagara Falls.”

“Yeah?” Steve smiled softly and she nodded before she looked back up at him, her brow furrowed.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were going to go into stasis?”

Steve paused, and then looked at her, blinking slightly at the shock of what she’d just said. “What?”

“I saw you with Fury, telling him you’d decided not to go into stasis. You told him what I said you that day at the Falls, you know that the world had changed but that didn’t mean it wasn’t beautiful…”

“How did…” Steve’s mouth dropped open. He’d never told anyone that SHILED had offered him the opportunity to go on Ice and be wheeled out when needed. As far as he knew that was between him and Fury.

“Nat and Tony told me that I was the reason you decided not to do it.” She looked at him. “Is that true?”

Steve swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Why did you not tell me?”

“I didn’t want to burden you.” He shrugged “You know, have you dealing with all the crap that was going on in my head. It wasn't your responsibility.”

“You were never a burden Steve.” Katie shook her head. “You were my friend, I cared about you.”

“I know, but at the time, well my head was all over the place.” He gave her a sad smile as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I was overwhelmed. I felt insecure and unsure about everything and I couldn't cope. I lost seventy years, and everyone I knew or cared about and it was just too much.”

“I wish you’d told me, I could have helped.”

“You did.” He looked at her. “When I was around you, everything just became clearer and that day at Niagara, I realised I had to try and make it work. I can’t explain it any better than that, I just, decided to get busy living…”

“Shawshank.” Katie smiled and Steve let out a soft huff of a laugh as he nodded.

“Who told you?” Steve looked at her, “About the stasis thing?”

“I just said, I saw it in the dream.”

“Yeah, but someone must have told you before.” He pressed.

She shook her head “I never knew, not until I just saw it.”

Steve frowned, “How could you dream something you didn’t know about?”

She paused for a moment, and then shrugged. “I don’t know, I really don’t. Like I said, I had no idea it was Natasha that recruited me, or that the whole Thor thing was a set-up because they knew I’d turn them down until I saw something like that, something so whacked out that I couldn’t turn down the opportunity.” she looked at Steve “Maybe…, do you think I could have actually seen them? Nat and Tony I mean?”

“Honey, I…” he began to tell her that was ridiculous, but she spoke before he could.

“You know what, it doesn’t matter.” Katie shrugged, wiping at her eyes before she gave a chuckle “I slapped him, Tony I mean. For dying.” Steve arched an eyebrow, smiling a little before she carried on. “He was over the moon Parker ended up with Emmy, said they’ll make cute kids.”

Steve rolled his eyes and let out a groan “Seriously?”

Katie snorted “Yeah, and then demanded to know if we’d named Harry after Hank Pym…” she trailed off “Oh, and when I told him what you said about Rori, you know that she looks like me and has his attitude he was pretty pleased about the fact he’s been dead for seven years and still managing to bug the crap out of you.”

At that Steve laughed “Sounds about right.”

Katie chuckled a little before the memory of the last scene flashed across her mind and she took a deep breath “I also saw that afternoon at the compound, you know when Emmy had her meltdown after she stole and how you told her that it takes an even stronger person to face up to their fears and admit they’re struggling or scared.” Katie whispered and Steve looked at her as she bowed her head “I’m sorry, I should have told you sooner how I was feeling, I just thought I could cope and…”

“Hey, look.” He shook his head, his hands cupping her face “I should have noticed how bad things had gotten…”

“No, Steve…” she shook her head “I couldn’t even admit it to myself, how were you supposed to notice.”

“Because I’m your husband.” He said gently, his voice cracking. “It’s my job to look after you, help you, make you feel safe…”

“Oh Steve…” Katie moved so she was knelt up, and pressed her forehead to his “You do. More than you can ever know.” Her lips met his in a gentle kiss and she pulled back, her hand cupping his cheek. “I’ll make an appointment to see the doctor on Monday. Will you come with me?”

“Of course I will, you don’t need to ask.” He smiled, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her back into a hug. He kissed the top of her head again, and then pulled back. “I ordered dinner. I know you said you didn’t want anything but…well Em suggested a double cheeseburger might hit the spot.”

Katie grinned “Great, I’m starving.”

***** Katie was thrilled with the flowers the kids had picked for her, and thanked them all. Jamie gave her a huge hug, tearfully telling his mom he was sorry and that she was the best mom in the world and he loved her so much, before Emmy also apologised for being selfish and vowed never to do it again. And that was it, they drew a line under it and moved on. Because that was how things worked in the Rogers household. Together they sat and ate, chatted, joked, Steve all the time keeping one eye on Katie. He was glad she was feeling better, relieved that she’d agreed to get help, but the thing she’d said about him going into stasis was really, really puzzling him. How on EARTH could her subconscious drag up something she knew nothing about?

Excusing himself from the table under the guise of having left something in his car he wandered outside to take a little air and he felt Stark push past his legs. The dog bounded to the gate, where he stopped and peered through the wrought iron rails and gave a little whine, his ears picking up, tail wagging furiously.

“What is it, pal?” Steve asked, walking over to take a look and he frowned as the figure which was stood in the dark by the ornamental lamp that signalled the point where their driveway met the main road, and then another figure joined from the left, a female. The male turned to her, giving him a clear view of the outline of his profile and Steve swallowed. He’d recognise that nose anywhere, he looked at it on a daily basis on his wife’s face and that of three of his kids. As he watched, the shadowy figures turned to face him, the long hair of the female catching the light with a flash of firey red. Steve felt his heart thumping so strongly he thought it might beat out of his chest. He shook his head, blinked, rubbed his eyes and looked back.

Nothing.

Stark let out another whine, before he turned and headed back into the house, Steve hot on his tails.

“You alright Dad?” Emmy looked at him as she paused in the hallway, her hand on the door to the downstairs bathroom. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“Two, actually.” Steve muttered, closing the door behind him.

What?” Emmy frowned.

“Nothing, sorry.” He shook his head “Ignore me.”

Emmy gave him another puzzled look before she shrugged and pulled open the door, disappearing into the bathroom.

“Do you think I could have really seen them? Nat and Tony I mean?”

Katie’s voice flashed across Steve’s mind as he stood still, wiping a hand over his face. Before it had sounded ludicrous, in fact it still did. Ghosts? Really? Was that where he was right now, that he was starting to believe in the supernatural?

Mind you, he’d seen stuff far more ludicrous really when he thought about it…but, no. Absolutely not. It had been a trick of the light, his mind toying with him after what had been a very, emotional day, nothing more.

He shook his head and walked back to the kitchen, pausing in the doorway to observe his family as they sat round the table, Rori said something that made Jamie and Katie laugh, and Harry grinned along with them.

But, that said, if ghosts did exist… well then Steve couldn’t think of any other two people he’d rather have watching over them all.

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled destiny #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

26 notes · View notes