#oh and she is STILL friends with Brooke and formed a friendship with the other tree hill gang members and even made peace with Haley!
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mugiwara-lucy · 1 year ago
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So much BST here 😂
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reassambled-dragoon · 2 months ago
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14: Telling
As with Halcyon's entry, may I suggest listening to this as you read?
   Trust us. Let us help you. Those were the unspoken words in Alphinaud and Alisaie’s determined sapphire eyes as they had turned away from Storm to extend hands of friendship to Meteion. And because Storm loved them, and because she trusted them, she stepped back and watched the storm of dark feathers take the last of the Scions. And, once again, lost more family.
   The silence was deafening.
   A bridge shimmered into existence, starting at the edge of the dead café and leading upwards, onwards. It shimmered and shone with brilliant rainbow hues, a bright beacon amidst the dead, dusty desolation. Of course they would make such an eyeblinding display, defying the whole godsdamned universe…or perhaps, showing the universe that there was still light where there should be none.
   Storm began walking. Mechanically. Woodenly. Brokenly. It didn’t matter how she got to Meteion; all that mattered was that she began moving and let momentum take her. Tears clouded her vision, and shimmering specters began drifting towards her. One brushed against her mail-clad arm, whispering in a voice she hadn’t heard in over a decade, a voice that had been silenced as her village had left Ala Mhigo. Child, did you truly think you were alone?
   “G-Gran…?”
   Keep walking, foolish girl. If you leave your greatest work unfinished, I shall be very cross with you.
   Don’t look back, Skip, another lost voice chided her as a second specter gained shape, cheerfully joining in the walk. The fight is ahead, not behind you!
   Ha! Who would have thought the mousy little Styrmsatza would prance around in fancy white chain!
   Oh, do shut up, Howling Brook. It matches her hair, don’t you see? Yet another voice chimed in. On and on and on, as Storm’s tears fell and her heart somehow broke and healed, the voices and ghosts of those she had loved and lost joined her on this eternal walk. The rainbow bridge hummed beneath her booted feet, and she knew the twins would have been delighted.
   Would have been…
   Her march faltered, and she clutched her chest, choking on her sobs. Her ghosts shifted around her, unable to physically carry her onward, but they all perked up as two unformed specters drifted down the rainbow bridge. As with the others, they gained form as soon as they made contact, their faces shifting into a short, slim Roegadyn man with vibrant green eyes and a gentle smile, and a proud Roegadyn woman with stark white hair.
   The woman reached forward to touch Storm’s face, her fierce eyes softening as she began to sing. The soothing notes of a long-forgotten lullaby filled the dead air, and ghosts of family and friends fell respectfully silent. As the song wound down, the green-eyed man extended his hands towards Storm. You can do this. We can’t fight alongside you this time, but we can walk with you until the end.
   “Need…I need…” she gasped, managing to shuffle a half-step forward. It felt like trying to move through wet cermet.
   We’re giving you what you need, Gran snapped. ‘Tis past time you stopped telling us what you want, and start. Moving. Forward. On with you, child! 
   Storm flinched, then managed the hint of a wobbly smile and whispered, “You always knew how to encourage your ‘prentices.”
   She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand upright. She dragged her gauntleted hands across her face, the armor leaving scratches on her brown skin. One boot moved forward, then the other. Shuffling movements became hesitant steps became a determined stride, her white half-skirt flowing behind her, with those she had loved and lost defiantly filling Ultima Thule with their cheers as Storm Dancer walked onwards, upwards, but never alone.
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auramindedd · 4 years ago
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Fixed? Never - SMAU*
Part 3
CorpseHusband x FemReader
Warnings: cussing
A/N: again, any posts with a “ * ” attached to “smau” has writing in it. imma focus A LOT more on just the social media n message perspective, but y/n n corpse meet in this part soooo i had to add some writing :) something else b4 i forget; i’m updating my masterlist and changing it into a directory post that way you guys can also request through a google form! i’ll have requests open at all times unless i get too stressed out or if they overfill. due to me changing my masterlist, there’s gonna be about 6 posts i think. also,, thank you guys so much for 600 followers! i’ve been hitting a bunch of milestones and haven’t been remembering to say thank you, but just know that i appreciate every single one of you... also i love reading y’all’s comments 😭
🤍 directory
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You make sure you’re set up before 6 PM, which was probably a mistake. You can’t sit still, you’re starting to get nervous, and you kind of just want to run away to McDonald’s.
Sure, you know Ludwig, Dream, and Rae, but it feels like you’re at school all over again. That anxious feeling of having to be with people while your best friends aren’t around.
You’re leg is bouncing, your nails are tapping on your desk, and you can’t stop running your hand through your hair. It probably looks like a fucking bird nest by now.
You start streaming, deciding that maybe talking to your supporters will make things a bit better.
“Hey, loves,” You greet in a not so Y/N-fashioned way. Of course, the chat catches on, and you’re being called out for it. You can’t help but giggle at the fact that your supporters know how you usually are.
@user: What happened to, “Hey, bitches!”
@user: Ou, someone is nervous.
Yeah, they obviously know you very well.
“Alright, let’s start over.” You clear your throat for dramatic effect because, well, when are you not dramatic? “Hey, bitches!” Yup, even you know that just feels right.
After a while of talking to your supporters, Rae sends you the Discord invite and the Among Us code. You join, feeling your nerves start to come back.
“Y/N!” Rae exclaims in excitement when she sees you’ve joined the Among Us lobby.
“Hi,” You say, shyness lacing your voice.
“Oh my God! The cutest voice.” Jack says. Wow, what a compliment coming from the Jack_Septic_Eye.
You take time to introduce yourself to everyone, trying to calm your nerves.
“Are we gonna start?” Ludwig’s impatient ass asks.
“We’re waiting for Corpse.” Rae explains.
Shit, another person you have to introduce yourself to?
“Hey, Corpse!” Sykkuno greets quickly, very obviously racing to be the first to say hi to Corpse.
“Hey, Sykkuno,” Corpse chuckles, and woah, the last thing you expected. You can’t help but be surprised, and you know it’s showing on your face. Why? Because your supporters are teasing you in the chat.
“Corpse,” Rae says in a sing-songy tone. “This is Y/N.” And your heart drops to your fucking stomach. Every single time it happens when you have to meet someone, but now your heart is beating even faster because you’re obviously the only one who hasn’t met Corpse. They’re all expecting a reaction out of you...
“Hey, Y/N.” His deep, husky voice says. You can hear the smile in his voice and it helps ease your nerves.
“Hi,” You greet, shyness still lacing your voice.
Corpse chuckles, “So cute.” Now you’re blushing. Great...
Rae starts the game, saving you before the others can start teasing you.
Crewmate.
You’ve only played Among Us once, in a public server with Dream, George, Karl, and Alex, and then you got bullied for not knowing what the fuck to do.
To say the least, you’re pretty glad to be Crewmate and not Impostor.
“Y/N!” Jack shouts, walking up to you. You slightly jump, forgetting they’re playing with Proximity Chat.
“Jack!” You shout back, letting his astronaut catch up to you.
“We were expecting a reaction.” He says, and of course they were.
“Uh, yeah, I don’t know. I feel like he hears it a lot, don’t want to add on to the list of Things People Say To Him Everyday.”
“Yeah, he’s probably very grateful for that.”
“Grateful for what?” Charlie walks up to you two.
“Nothing,” Jack drawls. You’ve just met Charlie, but you know that he’d tease both you and Corpse about one another’s voices.
“Oh, I know!” Charlie exclaims, but before he can say what he knows-
“Okayyy! That’s enough interaction with Charlie for today.” Jack says, and you take that as a, ‘Walk the fuck away now, Y/N!’
You walk around, trying your best to finish tasks, but when it comes to the card swipe in Admin, you want to quit life as a whole.
“Ugh, I fucking quit.” You groan, slamming your hands on your desk. A deep, rumbling chuckle comes through on your headphones.
“Having trouble?” Corpse teases.
“Yeah. I wanna rip every strand of my fucking hair out.”
“Swipe it slower.” And with that, you try again. Voila! Just like magic.
“Well if I would’ve fucking known.” You groan, Corpse chuckling.
“Here, I can help you with the game.”
“Yes, please, I don’t know shit about it.”
“You know, you cuss a lot for having such a sweet, innocent, and cute voice.” Corpse laughs.
“Yeah,” You drawl. “I know, bad fucking habit.” You slap your hand over your mouth. How does someone cuss in every sentence? Get a filter, damn.
Corpse walks around with you as you both finish tasks, explaining how the game works, and giving you tips for when you do end up being an Impostor.
Honestly, you could listen to his voice all day. He’s also really sweet.
“What are you two up to?” Brooke asks, doing tasks in Electrical with you two. Corpse told you to make sure you’re always aware of your surroundings when you’re in Electrical. So, naturally, you’re freaking out, but silently and internally.
“Brooke,” Corpse warns. He doesn’t even have time to finish his warning. Brooke kills him, his body flopping over, the one bone sticking out from the top of his body. Your mouth falls open.
“Hey, Y/N. Let’s be besties!” You don’t know what to do, but ay, #girlsupportinggirls, right? So, you walk with her. She helps you along the way, also telling you tips on the game, explaining how everything works. Then, after about a minute, a whole 60 seconds, Corpse’s body is reported.
“Why Corpse? Such an innocent man with a beautiful voice.” Lud fake cries.
“Get over it,” Brooke says.
“It’s Brooke! Brooke’s an Impostor!” Lud shouts.
“What? No! I was with Y/N for a lot of this round.” Brooke defends herself, and oh fuck, who the fuck do you defend? You’ve just met both of them, one of them will possibly hate you forever.
“Y/N?” Sykkuno grabs your attention, snapping you out of your thinking.
“Yeah, she was. She wouldn’t have had time to kill Corpse. Where was the body?” Well, there you go, potentially ruining yours and Corpse’s blooming friendship. Sad Girl Hour, type beat.
“In Electrical,” Charlie says.
“Yeah, no way she would’ve had to time to kill him.”
Nobody’s voted out. Brooke hasn’t even told you who the second Impostor is so, you don’t know if you should stay with her or not.
As you and Brooke are walking around, or skipping as she sees it, and holding hands, Dream pops out of a vent. Well, there’s Imposter two.
“Woah! Dream, way to out yourself out.” You tease, throwing your head back and laughing.
“Please, you’ve been with Brooke the whole time. Don’t say anything.” Dream begs, making you and Brooke giggle.
“I won’t, I won’t.”
“Thank you,” He starts walking away from you guys, but not without finishing his sentence that you thought was already finished. “Cutie.” And there, finished.
Fucking finished! Tweedle-dee, tweedle dum! Whoopty-fucking-do! Fan-fucking-tastic! A-fucking-mazing!
And of course you’re blushing for the whole 80,000+ people watching to tease you about.
“Oh my God!” Brooke squeals. “What was that?!”
“I’ll explain later,”
•*•*•*•*•
“Y/N, how could you?” Corpse says, offended.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t know what to do.”
“She’s my enemy, Y/N. We were supposed to stick together. I told you some tips and tricks, explained how to be a badass Impostor, everything!” Wow, he’s a good fucking actor.
“I can very well do the same thing, bitch.” Brooke spits, all in a playful manner - you hope...
“Not better than me, bitch.” Corpse retorts, his astronaut getting closer.
•*•*•*•*•
Imposter.
With Corpse.
Great.
Your enemy. Or as he put it, “Enemy who he can maybe, and most likely, will become friends with in the near future.”
“Follow,” He says, and even though he’s your enemy, you do.
“I gotta do my own thing.”
“You don’t know how to do shit.” Corpse scoffs.
“Okay then, what the fuck are we gonna do?”
“Double kills, all the way, but only when we meet up with each other. So, right now, we’ll both go our own ways, but when we see each other again, we’ll walk to a pair and do a double kill if we can.” Corpse explains.
“Brooke told me not to do double kills often. It won’t help get through a game.”
Corpse snorts, “Brooke doesn’t know dog shit about this game.”
“Fine,” You groan, going along with it only because you don’t know dog shit about the game either.
As Corpse explained, you two do double kills every time you meet up. You two managed to get double kills where people rarely go - Shields, Comms, and the top of Cafeteria.
After killing Rae and Sykkuno, the game ends. You made sure to leave Brooke and Dream alive.
“Period, we did that!” You exclaim, everyone else groaning and complaining about how you two should never be an Impostor duo again. “But I still fucking hate you because you hate me!”
“Exactly!” Corpse retorts in the same tone as you.
•*•*•*•*•
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Taglist - comment or message me to be added!
* if your username is in bold, please reach out to me; you’re at risk of having your username removed that way i can clear space for other tags. *
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jacobsbrainrot · 4 years ago
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different font, karl jacobs
IN WHICH karl and y/n are the same person but different font
PAIRING cc!karl jacobs x reader
PRONOUNS they/she
WARNINGS sweaing, jealousy (?) just an among us game :D
WORD COUNT 1,234
NOTE i really do appreciate all the support on the imagines,  you guys are feeding brook and my ego. not proofread :))
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      CORPSE HAD INVITED A FEW FRIENDS TO his among us lobby, he decided to finally introduce (y/n) to them all, corpse and (y/n) had been friends for years, they met through mutual friends back when he still did his scary storytelling.
he had a feeling that (y/n) would get along with a special person in particular, they were practically karl jacobs, but in a slightly different font. so what he was playing cupid. karl always told corpse about his obsession with bath and body works candles, and complained to corpse about wanted a special someone, but he was never able to find the right person for him and that could work with his tight schedule, he was always streaming and when he wasn't, he was filming for the mr beast channels.
(y/n) was the exact same, telling him about the damn candles, complaining to corpse about relationships that never worked because of how committed she was to the stream schedule they had a the moment. corpse took their issues and ran with them. they both lived in north carolina, never slept, and had busy schedules why wouldn't it work?
the sound of someone joining the discord call slightly confused some members already in it, rae had decided to be the one to break the small bit of silence, "hi (y/n)" she greeted and few more 'hello's and 'welcome's followed. 
"hi, everyone i missed you all, and if we haven't met before, i look forward to playing with you" (y/n) spoke sweetly smiling even though they couldn't see it, they could tell she was form their tone.
karl spoke quickly after (y/n) had finished, "hi (y/n), i'm karl, i look forward to playing with you as well", his full name and how fast he spoke caught (y/n) slightly off guard, but then they remembered how corpse briefly explained karl to her that day, about how he was "more talkative than most" so were they but, not to people they didn't really know, before they could overthink anything else the group was testing the proximity mod stuff and were into the first round of the day.
(y/n) rolled their eyes at the crewmate screen and began running around the map to do her tasks, after around four minutes into the game an emergency meeting was called and yelling from someone they were introduced to earlier by the name of tina, (y/n) was introduced to her  earlier, who was speedily talking about how she heard a vent and saw sykkuno followed her around the right side of the ship .
everyone discussed briefly, not entirely sure about it, seán, karl, and (y/n) were the only two who decided to try and vote him out, "why not just vote him and get him out?" spedicey asked not sure why no one else tried to get rid of sykkuno.
"if he had the chance to kill her he would've i'm sure" toast replied rather quickly, and (y/n) mentally noted it, maybe sykkuno was his imposter partner or he was trying to get back to the game and finish tasks the no one was ejected screen popped up and back into the game they went.
the lights shut off a few seconds into the round, toast had decided to walk with (y/n) to electric, but they payed no mind to it, and continued next to him. toast was intelligent to say the least, he shut the lights off once he saw (y/n) do admin table, he knew she would try and fix lights, it was any easy kill vent from there to med bay and he was set.
the duo walked side by side into lights and (y/n) assumed toast was trying to figure out the imposter, just like they were, but much to toast's distaste karl walked into electrical right when toast's mouse hovered over the " kill " button.
karl's among us character was in front of (y/n)'s running in circles, she smiled again he seemed like a nice guy from the way corpse explained him and he was absolutely adorable in the photos on his twitter and instagram, he was quite big in the streaming scene and they saw his tweets at other fellow streamers and youtubers, she first saw one of his replies under corpse's tweets and then it was poki or corinna, two gorgeous females that they had spoken to a few times.
corpse said he was single, from what she could remember, but corinna's reply to his tweets seemed like they were rather close in a way they couldn't put their finger on, it was either just corinna and karl's friendship or corpse had tried setting them up with a guy who had a girlfriend- they jumped slightly when a reported body was found and the whole crew was back to discussion.
brook, tina, and bretman were dead "toast was kind of sus, he followed me from admin table to electrical, when lights were called, but i think karl walked in just in time before he got the chance to kill me." (y/n) decided to speak up while she still had the chance. " he was stood right in front of them when i got there " karl seconded what (y/n) said. 
" what tasks did you do toast? " rae began her interrogation, but toast gave a list of tasks that didn't add up to his story, with an 'oh, jesus!' from sykkuno, the remaining survivors voted him out, but one imposter still remained.
"follow me" karl said more as a demand than anything else, but (y/n) complied following him to wherever he was leading them to, karl's personality, from the little bit they've heard about and seen, was pretty great he seemed like the type to put others before himself, " aaaand here we are" he stopped in the middle of a hallway right next to a vent, and (y/n) smile dropped, "sorry about this gotta get the dub y'know, i don't really know what to say so.. um-" and then he stabbed her.
(y/n)'s face fell into their hands, a groan, and " what the actual fuck" came out muffled, a ding from their phone ripped them away from her pitty party, a random number had messaged them, she picked her phone, her eyes reading over the message that read, 'corpse gave me ur number, sorry about killing you :(( imessage games?' once they finished reading the text e=she knew who it was.
meanwhile twitter was going crazy about how  (y/n) and karl were smiling at their phones at the end of the round, but that would be dealt with when need be.
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sincerelyella · 3 years ago
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The Royal Treatment Chapter 1 - One In A Million
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Books: The Royal Romance and Open Heart (AU)
Pairings: Liam x MC (Ella); Bryce x F!OC (Aera)
Series Summary: Upon finishing their medical degrees at Stanford University, Ella, Aera, and Bryce take on an international medical residency training program in Cordonia, landing them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will put them to test in the name of romance, friendship, and career.
A/N: Thank you @ofpixelsandscribbles​ for being patient with me and editing the crap out of this!
Please note that our story is not to be stolen or reposted on any other site. Reblogs are welcome and much appreciated.
Warnings: not much really, maybe adult language?
Words: 2112
Bryce, Aera, and Ella were already two weeks into their residency programs. Bryce in the surgical department, Aera in anesthesia, and Ella in the new pediatric cardiology unit.
Since Bryce and Aera’s specialties worked together closely, the pair of them spent more time together during the day. Every night, however, Ella has to hear about how Bryce stole Aera’s lunch or how Aera was so irritated with Bryce’s antics. All Ella could do is suggest that they confess their feelings.
“El, you know I can’t do that,” Aera sighed as the best friends sat and watched How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days in Ella’s room, while wearing yogurt-scented Korean facial sheet masks as part of their night skin regimen care.
“Why not?” Ella pointed the remote at the TV and paused the movie. “Just tell him how you feel. Who knows, maybe he’ll feel the same!”
“That’s just it, he doesn’t feel the same,” Aera carefully adjusted her mask to the center of her face, making sure that her eyes and nose were fitted perfectly on their designated holes.
Ella bit her lip, hard. Keeping this secret from her friend was killing her, but she made a promise … to her other friend. “You don’t know that, A.”
“Can we just … forget this conversation?” Aera dropped her hands on the pillow on her lap and sniffled. “Please? I just want to enjoy this movie with you and pass out with my hand in the popcorn bowl, like I usually do.”
“Fine,” Ella unpaused the movie and the pair sat in silence for a few moments. After what seemed like 20 minutes, the girls removed the sheet masks off their faces, letting the cold serum linger on their faces for a bit.
“Are you ready for your interview tomorrow? You have that one patient right?” Aera asked as she gently tapped two fingers over her moist face for better absorption of the serum.
“Yeah, I’m ready. The little guy had heart surgery and he’s doing amazing,” While mirroring Aera’s facial care technique, Ella smiled widely as she remembered how her patient, a little five year old boy named Thomas, wrapped his arms around her neck in gratitude.
**
The next day
Dr. Katherine Richey was Ella’s attending and she was an older woman who was, according to Ella, a badass. Dr. Richey was world renowned, but chose Cordonia because this was the country of her birth.
“Okay, Dr. Brooks, when we go in there, we’ll go over the history, the procedure Thomas had done, and your plan.”
Ella nodded. “Yes ma’am.”
“You’ll be great, Ella,” Katherine squeezed the younger woman’s shoulder. “Nervous?”
“A little bit, but it’s just you, me, Ana de Luca and his parents, so I’ll be fine.”
“Oh,” Katherine’s brows furrowed. “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you, Ella.”
“Tell me what?”
“Prince Liam moved to start this cardiology unit since he had heart surgery himself as a newborn,” Katherine smiled brightly. “He will be visiting us today and meeting all the patients and their parents.”
“He … Prince … what?!” Ella’s heart began to flutter in her chest. All she could picture was the beautiful blue eyes staring back at her on that magazine. “I …”
“Ella, he’s here, let’s go!”
Oh fuck.
In a daze, Ella followed Dr. Richey to the  nurse’s station where a small group had already gathered.
Ana De Luca turned towards Ella and Katherine with a large smile. “Ah, Dr. Richey, how lovely to see you again.”
“Ana, how are you?”
Katherine and Ana shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.
“This is my new cardiology resident, Dr. Ella Brooks.”
“A pleasure,” Ella shook Ana’s hand.
“Dr. Brooks, are you new to Cordonia?”
“I am, yes,” Ella squeaked, and gulped when she saw the same man that she ogled on the cover of Trend magazine walk up behind Ana.
“Prince Liam! This is Dr. Richey and Dr. Brooks.”
Dr. Richey and Ana curtsied while Ella stood frozen,  still shocked.
Katherine nudged Ella with her elbow.
“Ow!” Ella rubbed her side in annoyance, then realized everyone was staring at her. Shit. “Oh, I mean, how nice to meet you, Your Highness,” she dipped into a small curtsy and saw that the prince had a huge, shit-eating grin on his face.
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Brooks,” Liam couldn’t stop smiling at this beautiful woman who looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment. Her cheeks were flushed and she kept her hands clasped together in a tight fist in front of her.
No matter how much Ella wanted to stare at the ground in pure awkwardness, she kept her light brown eyes connected to his baby blue ones.
“Alright,” Dr. Richey announced, interrupting the awkward silence. “Let’s go, we’ll be in room 342.”
Ana nodded and gestured behind her. “Isaac is my cameraman and photographer, he’s just going to get some candid photos for the magazine and news broadcast for tonight.”
The group walked towards the patient’s room, Ella and Katherine led the way. A soft knock on the door by Ella was met with an excited squeal from inside.
The room was filled with balloons, a stuffed lion at the foot of a bed, a large stuffed bear that sat in the corner of the room and it was almost as tall as the ceiling. Thomas’ bed had Star Wars sheets and he had a stuffed Wookie sitting next to him. “Dr. Brooks!”
“Hi, Thomas,” all the nervousness Ella felt earlier dissipated as soon as this sweet boy shrieked her name. “I have a couple friends I’d like you to meet.”
“Hi everybody!” Thomas waved both his hands at his visitors. “I have new sheets! Mom got them for me. Feel how soft they are!”
Liam chuckled and leaned forward to feel the little boy’s bed spread. “That is really soft, Thomas. I’m-”
Thomas’ eyes widened. “You’re the prince!” He grabbed his stuffed lion and held it up towards Liam. “Look! My dad got me this stuffed lion like yours!”
As the two talked about lions and Star Wars, Ella and Katherine spoke with Ana, Thomas’ mom Elizabeth, and his dad Richard.
“We signed all the forms earlier,” Richard explained to Ana. “Our boy is a miracle and his story should be told.”
“Tell me, how did you find out about his condition?” Ana asked as she wrote some notes in her notebook.
“He was almost five years old,” Elizabeth began as she wrung her hands together. “He started complaining of pain in his chest when he would run and play at school. He told his teacher he was having problems breathing-” her breath hitched as she remembered what happened to her only son.
Richard squeezed his wife’s shoulder and continued on with the story. “We took him to an adult emergency room and they just said he was short of breath because he has asthma. They sent us home with medication and that was it.”
“I knew it was something more than asthma,” Elizabeth added. “Chest pain, feeling tired all the time and problems breathing weren’t just symptoms of asthma.”
“Once we found out this unit opened up we called to see if we could have Thomas looked at,” Richard turned to Ella with unshed tears in his eyes. “We are so grateful you answered the phone that day.”
“Dr. Brooks got you in here?” Ana asked as she looked up from her notebook.
“Yes, she fought to have us here, for her to follow Thomas through his surgery,” Elizabeth’s tears streamed down her face. “Thank you for saving my baby.”
As Liam watched, Ella gave Thomas’ parents a hug and wiped away her own tears. His heart skipped a beat as Thomas jumped off the bed and lept into Ella’s arms.  He wasn’t sure what it was about her, he just met her not even 30 minutes ago, but he had never felt the need to watch a woman. He had a lot of women throw themselves at him, he was a prince after all;  but he had never wanted to watch them or find out everything about them.  Liam chewed on his bottom lip as Ella threw her head back in laughter, Thomas still holding her in his small arms. The sound of her laugh made Liam want to be the cause of that for the rest of her life.
“Prince Liam?” Ana called out, breaking the smitten, blue-eyed prince out of his trance.
“Erm, yes?” Liam felt his neck and face flush in embarrassment at being caught staring.
“Shall we make our way to the foyer for your announcement?”
“Ah, yes,” Liam stole a glance at Ella, who was giving him a curious look. “Let’s go.”
The group said their goodbyes to Thomas and family and made their way to the front of the hospital.
“What is going on?” Ella whispered to Katherine.
“You’ll see.”
In the foyer, Ella was surprised to see most of the hospital as well as Bryce and Aera already there waiting.
Bryce wrapped his arm around his friend. “El! Where’ve you been?”
“I was getting interviewed by Ana de Luca, and the prince was there!”
“Whoa!” Aera squealed. “You saw the hot prince?!”
“Everyone, let’s quiet down please.” Dr. Cynthia Moore, the chief resident of the surgical department, clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “For those that don’t know who I am, my name is Dr. Moore and I am in charge of the surgical residents.”
Katherine stood at the top of the stairs, found Ella in the crowd with her eyes and smiled. “I’m Dr. Richey and I run the pediatric cardiology department.”
A petite woman stepped forward from behind Katherine. “Hi all, I’m Dr. Martinez and I look after the anesthesia residents.”
A tall man with a white coat cleared his throat. “My name is Ethan Ramsey, I am the Chief of Medicine here at Cordonia Memorial Hospital. I have His Royal Highness, Prince Liam here to make an announcement.”
Liam patted his friend on the shoulder. “Thank you, Dr. Ramsey. I met a lot of you today,” he locked eyes with Ella and smiled. “It was an honor to speak with you, seeing everyone excited to be here is what makes this hospital world class. I’m here to announce a competition, so to speak.”
The residents began to whisper among themselves.
“My father, King Constantine, wanted to start this residency program and open it to not only Cordonians but to foreigners as well. Dr. Ramsey, for example, was offered to stay in Cordonia as your Chief of Medicine after saving my father’s life in America,” Liam cleared his throat. “This competition will allow the winner to become an intern for my family’s medical team. Meaning, should any of my family become ill, you will be the first person we call to come to the palace.”
A hand shot up in the crowd.
“Yes?”
“Prince Liam,” a blond haired, blue-eyed woman next to Ella spoke. “How do we win?”
“Very good question. What is your name?”
The woman blushed. “I’m Madison, Your Highness, Dr. Madison Herrera.”
Liam smiled at Madison and Ella felt her stomach churn. “Well, Dr. Herrera, in order to win, your Chief Resident will be observing you closely. They will be rounding on your patients, speaking to them, looking over your charting, going through your diagnosis, treatment and plans.”
Ethan’s voice boomed throughout the foyer. “If you diagnose wrong, give your patient the wrong medication or fuck up in any way, you will automatically lose.”
Liam’s eyes widened at Ethan’s words. “Well, yes, unfortunately if you diagnose wrong, you will be out. Your Chief Residents will list you from highest to lowest, if you are the top resident for more than four weeks in a row, you win.”
“Do surgical and anesthesia residents compete also?” Bryce hollered.
“Dr. Lahela!” Dr Moore hissed from her place on the stairs.
“It’s okay,” Liam chuckled. “I apologize, Dr. Lahela, only medical residents for this competition.”
“Any other questions?” Ethan asked impatiently. When no one said a word, he waved everyone away. “Fine, go back to your departments.”
Ella let out a long breath and made her way to the cafeteria. She flashed her badge at the woman manning the register whose name was Flora. “Hi Ate, I’m just here for coffee.”
Flora waved her through. “Go ahead, Anak, it’s on the house.”
“Salamat po,” Ella squeezed the older woman’s shoulder and walked towards the drinks. As she picked a size and what flavor coffee she wanted, she felt someone standing behind her.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
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libidomechanica · 3 years ago
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Then of love, believe that frighter be gin simmer or twenty
Then of love, believe that frighter be  gin simmer or twenty. On which,  provision worse the held out to  my mouth a locust in this along  the friends. I walk would I 
love in his debut, wild bells,  and others drifting so blind claspt by a long  had bene slayne, the Lord God, the  same graceful jealousy, revenge is the  wind, the ground here, blushd into 
thing all the narrowness of  your bosom in prison-wall, to  portly we weave me some sung psalms, the  weather-tough: a devotion, and  me kind only faut is hid; then them to 
their sandals swept down and souls in  a better Resolution: “Davus sum! And  thus. And they live with they  fell from small a shove, a jest, and the  Gulf of Lyons. The amorous 
memory yet. O moan: but wept for:  such hardly could since last the  flower! That, in form was made retird:  he was the came here,  a trebly street roar in woe would rob the 
great, rough:” a deepest last, returning  Post was lost, but true;  for a sisterhoods may descried  Philosophy! “Tis permanent for buried  in Holy Land would fix, longing. Three yeares 
and the blossom blows, and man. Until  he fore all ripples, as thou, to- day; but some dainty well-guided metaphor  quiet we sleep without a  smiled on glass,” nor wounded, in th
is is over dry; and sold his separate  Hellespont, as many  acres, a hand, come in kintry  skies, with thunder-lying loue, and kinsmen,  and kiss, and thee, with 
sovereign graceful undrest of absence of delight  is whole while here was  the wood youth and blooded reach thro the  song, so my complain. To take a  nobler ends. The morne, the goodly 
gift—Oh when I be? Battista,  help our labouring in doubt we  were the glory of thy cruell  to higher heard no spurre can love so  much hope in dispute; I shall nobler leave, 
so dull; professd, in his fathers for  that I was never bliss she  often said he, “why do ye were  rivulet; and sorrow was  dashd them dresses, and still her settled 
for every blot of  the brook the toll which the  faire, nor sit nor in the best  of loue leaue vnto golden keys, to couet fetters  up a wail through, the might before 
you sneers. That awkward flie: and  read in Blank-Blank Square, or like  a duck. And all which is the  surgeon haue waste the unhappy  he thrust us and form our 
own eyes, and death to appeal says  all its stride: then doe I, vntrainde in me; that  day, and entire, exceptions bring  to make moaning much gracing oars among far;  and the councils of the 
man, amongst thy will lay it mends that  name of the ‘Thirty-nine  today. Too closely fleet, and so thick and  drownd by her friendships were  King of the heaving no Grecian; but, for 
this versed, and to thee,  the spectator ydly banner. Consummate  cup, the grain. —Im oer young  beam a strange fits, and purse, alas!’ Go tell the  firmest flowd a town of the 
lone couldst fail from a sunflowers away,  and he not swim,” and feeling better  believe. Our ridiculous thine hand- in-hand sat silent night, scarce a single  sermon: and gibe there. And horizon gone.
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kyoka-jirou · 5 years ago
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HELLO HI HOW ARE YOU. Soo I heard soulmate au; can we have a tamakixreader where reader has had bad soulmate experiences (parents didnt work out) and is insecure and avoids the situation? Bonus points for Tamaki being insecure and wondering if it's because he's not good enough.
The ANGST IS REAAALLLL! ; - ; this is just so cute and pure it’s not even- like what o-o
note: your dad is aged-up Hawks now. you’re welcome.
Tamaki Amajiki X Reader | Doodles
soulmate au in which whatever your draw on yourself also appears on your soulmate.
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(Warnings: Parents that fight, insecurity, self doubt, extreme verbal abuse, lANGuAgE)
They were fighting again. You could hear it from downstairs.
“You can’t just come home drunk every night!” your dad shouted.
“I told you, I was just at the office late tonight! I wasn’t- I’m not drunk!” you heard your mom slur. Even though her words were steady, you could hear her tripping over her own feet.
“I can’t do this anymore, Belle! Y/N cries herself to sleep half the time because of you!”
“Y/N is just a wimpy little whore! She can’t even talk without that damn stutter!”
“She only stutters when she’s talking to you!” your dad shouted, “You’ve made her so scared of you she can’t even look you in the eye!”
You let a small tear fall down your cheek before turning the music in your headphones up. It seems like the only thing that could keep you calm was music. Whether it’d be Garth Brooks, Jared Halley, or (favorite artist), you somehow found comfort on nights like these.
‘Hey, you up?’ you scribbled on your arm.
Thirty seconds later, there was a response. 
‘Of course I am. Is it happening again?’
You sighed. He always knew what was going on.
‘Yea. Trying to drown it out though.’
‘That’s good. Where are you going for your third year of high school? I remember you said you were transferring...’
You sighed, remembering that you were starting school tomorrow. A full two weeks into the school year.
‘Yueei High. How about you?’
‘Yueei? Wow. That’s pretty cool.’
‘I guess. It wasn’t my choice though. I feel pressured into it, my dad being the freaking number two hero.’
‘Wait a second- what?’
You gasped, forgetting you’d barely mentioned anything about yourself besides the fighting. Capping your pen. You curled up on your bed, letting out a sob.
Your snow white wings curled around you, and the halo of hope that you felt in your hidden identity shattered, as you cried yourself to sleep.
----------
“Mirio I messed up.” he said as soon as his friend picked up the phone.
Around fifteen seconds later, a naked teenager barreled through his wall. Tamaki stifled a scream and he covered his eyes.
“You keep forgetting that we live in dorms Tamaki, just come on over and knock!” he smiled.
“M-Mirio, p-please put some c-clothes on.” 
“Oh, right. Sorry about that.” he said blankly, going back to his room. A few minutes later a knock sounded on his door and Tamaki got up and opened it.
Outside stood Mirio and.. Nejire.
He shook his head, of course Mirio called her over. They were practically attached at the hip ever since they found out they were soulmates. It would have made him feel like a third wheel, but he was too involved in their friendship to be let go like that.
He motioned for them to come in, and then he explained the situation.
“Well,” Nejire trailed off. “She obviously doesn’t know you’ll be here. So we could surprise her tomorrow. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you.”
Mirio nodded, “That could work! And, we could all be best friends!”
Tamaki shrunk back, “But what if she doesn’t like the attention?”
“It’ll be fine!” Nejire smiled, “She’ll feel welcomed in no time!”
----
It was Monday.
You had hesitantly gotten up to your alarm at around five-thirty, and had taken a quick hot shower. As soon as you’d gotten dressed and your hair & wings dried, you looked at the clock. It was now six-thirty.
You headed downstairs, being mindful of the shattered vase on the ground. Sliding over to the kitchen in your sock-clad feet, you opened the fridge to find a small bento and a note.
‘hey little fledgling, I made you some lunch- don’t forget that you have a meeting with principal nezu at eight. love you! - the overgrown chicken <3’
You smiled softly at your father’s antics, and you put the small bento in your saddle bag, along with a few one-subject notebooks and a pencil case.
Filling up your water bottle, you clipped it onto the side of your bag and slipped on your shoes. Patting the side pocket, you made sure your phone and wallet were in there, before heading out.
You didn’t live very far from the school, but you still wanted to get out of your house early, before the rush of kids trying to get to school came out. You didn’t like it when they stared at your wings. It made you feel uncomfortable.
Sighing, you trudged along the sidewalk, littered with old pieces of gum and trash. Quickening your pace, you managed to get to school at around seven-fifteen.
Taking a breath, you entered the gates and pulled up the schedule and map of the school that your dad had sent you earlier. Taking a few more cautious steps forward, you made your way up the steps to your locker. 
---
“Hello!” a small white mouse thing shouted, looking at you. “You must be Y/N Takami!”
You nodded your head slightly, “That’s me.”
“Great!” he smiled, taking a look at your obviously nervous form, before starting the meeting.
He ended up giving you a tour, since you were pretty early, and explained how the hero course would work.
“I understand that your father has taught you about hero-work for the past few years, correct?”
You nodded, “Yes, that’s true.”
He grinned, “I take it you’re very well acquainted with the rules of hero-work then.”
You nodded again, “Yes sir, I am. I have even already received my provisional licensing exam.”
He hummed, already expecting as much. “Well then, Takami-san. Here is your classroom. Do you need anything else before we go inside?”
You stiffened, not quite realizing that you’d already made your way to your class.
“N-No, not of the moment. But thank you.” you stammered.
“Ok then!” he smiled, opening the door, and leading you inside.
You took a shaky breath before following him in, your wings stiffened.
“Hello!” Nezu started, “A new student has transferred into your class, please introduce yourself.”
You faced the front of the class with the most false courage you could muster.
“H-Hi, I-I’m Y/N Takami, p-please take care of me!” you bowed swiftly.
“Woah! You have wings!”
“That’s so cool!”
“She’s cute, too!”
“Yess! Another girl!”
You smiled politely at the compliments as you made your way to the back of the classroom, waving Nezu goodbye.
“Well!” your teacher said, “Why don’t you all take this period to introduce yourselves!” 
The students cheered before you were met face-to-face with a guy who looked a bit like tin-tin.
“Eep!” you screamed slightly, startled.
“Mirio!” a blue haired girl yelled, “What did we talk about! Don’t scare her off!”
She sighed, before taking your hand, “Hi, I’m Nejire Hado, just call me Nejire.”
“Y-Y/N Takami, but y-you already knew that. Just call me Y/N.”
“Okey dokey, Y/N!” she smiled. “So! What do you like to do in your spare time?”
You and Nejire chatted away as the rest of the class just fell into a steady murmur. But, as you glanced around, you couldn’t help but notice the guy sitting a few rows from you, who was stressfully talking to the other guy from earlier.
Huh. Weird.
----
“Y/N! Y/N! Come eat lunch with us!” Nejire shouted from across the room. You froze before nodding slightly, feeling like a deer in headlights.
Packing up your bag, you looked at the small red flower you drew on your hand during class. It wasn’t much, but looking at it helped you calm down.
Slowly, you followed a chipper Nejire down the hall, noting the two boys following you as well.
When you all had finally found an empty table in the cafeteria, you sat down and began to eat.
“So, Y/N-” the tin-tin look-alike, who you knew as Mirio, started, “Have you found your soulmate yet?”
You, Nejire, and the shy boy you were introduced to, Tamaki, choked on your food.
“Mirio!”
“Y-you c-can’t j-just ask t-that!”
You giggled slightly at their antics, the question settling deep into your mind. What do you say?
“No.” you sighed, “I haven’t met him yet.”
The table was silent as you began to eat again, the tension thick.
Finally not being able to take it, you sighed looking up, “Is there something wrong with-”
Your breath caught in your throat.
On Tamaki’s hand, was the very flower you drew in class that day.
They seemed to notice your tense stature as they one-by-one began to follow your gaze.
“-oh.”
“Surprise?”
Your eyes widened as you realized that in fact, your soulmate was sitting right in front of you. This was it.
As your mind processed your feelings, you were reminded of last night, and how everyone at this table might know about your situation. Memories rushed through your head; the fighting, the drinking, the words, abuse, everything.
It all came back to you in a rush as panic started to seep in.
“I, u-um.” you started, trailing off, “I’ve gotta go.”
Turning quickly, you hurried out of the cafeteria, tears slipping past your eyes.
“H-hey, wait!” you heard, but it didn’t stop you. You just kept running.
Suddenly you found yourself under a water fountain, hyperventilating. 
What felt like hours later, you heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Soon enough, you were wrapped into unfamiliar, yet comforting arms.
“H-hey, hey. It’s alright. Nothing’s gonna hurt you here, ok?” you heard someone whisper into your ear.
“I’ll go grab Recovery girl.”
“Ok, I’ll go inform sensei.”
You heard other voices, but you slowly drowned them out and listened to the one who was beside you. They rubbed soft circles on your back as your breathing slowly calmed down.
“Are you alright?” They asked, and you finally opened your eyes.
It was Tamaki.
“I-I’m so sorry!” you cried, “I couldn’t stop thinking about-”
“It’s ok-” Tamaki cut in, “Y-you’ll be okay. We can sort this out.”
You let a few more tears out as your breathing slowed. You felt your eyes close as your last thought flew through your mind.
‘Maybe- this’ll be alright.’
Bonus:
“I hereby give full custody of Y/N M/N Takami to Takami Keigo.”
A loud slam was heard before you broke out into tears, hugging your soulmate and your father close, one of which was being very stiff and awkward at the sudden contact.
‘Yeah, this’ll definitely be alright.’
Hope you enjoyed!
-alice <3
5.12.20
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artificialqueens · 4 years ago
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Not Nineteen Forever (21) (Branjie/Scyvie/Ninex) - Ortega
a/n: omg i’m emotional. guys, welcome to the last chapter of n19f. this fic has been the absolute best fun to write and i truly love these girls and the journey they’ve been on so much. big big huge thanks and love to every single person that’s ever left a note, hit reblog or left me lovely anons, DMs, comments or tags, they’ve all meant the absolute world to me and i love u so much. obviously i can’t let things go, so keep an eye out for some form of sequel coming in the next few months or so (patience is a virtue xo). for one last time…….let’s go, lesbians!!!!!!!
please note: this fic contains young adults often behaving in irresponsible/unadvisable ways with regards to alcohol, drugs and sex. if you are someone who feels as if they could be heavily influenced by fic and incorporate what happens in the plot into ur own life, pls steer clear!
tw: bit of weed in this one. no zoos, dw xo
summary: Brooke, Yvie and Nina are three flatmates who forged a friendship in their first year of university and picked up some other waifs and strays along the way. Now in their final year, there are feelings that need to be unravelled and confessions to be made whilst navigating drunk nights, hungover mornings, takeaways, group chats, library meetups, cafe gossiping, and the small matter of getting a degree.
last chapter: the girls all went to the beach, Scarlet and Yvie made plans for after uni, and Scarlet got the degree classification she so desperately wanted.
this chapter: it’s Brooke’s graduation day.
***
Brooke looked around at the chaos that was their kitchen. The kitchen utensils (which were all Nina’s that she and Yvie had shamelessly used as if they were their own over the 2 years they’d lived together) were wrapped up in bubble wrap and packed neatly into cardboard boxes which sat on top of the dining table. Yvie’s kitchenware- a blue bowl with a chip out of it, a huge white plate, a Tigger mug, and a mismatched fork, knife and spoon- had been inelegantly packed into an orange Sainsbury’s bag and left on the counter. Brooke had already packed up her own belongings and had moved them into a corner of her room so they wouldn’t take up space in the already-tiny kitchen. All their store cupboard food was in the process of being packed up for the foodbank, which was inevitably going to be flooded with the discarded super noodles, tinned soups and flavoured teas of the migrating tenants of student flats.
Yvie let out a snort from her position in front of their food cupboards, and Brooke’s heart gave a twinge at seeing them so empty. Top shelf had been hers: pasta, rice, stock cubes, and emergency maple syrup tin. The middle shelf was Nina’s: loaf of white bread, tins of tuna, ryvita, breadsticks, crisps. And Yvie’s food had occupied the bottom shelf: chocolate digestives, Ainsely Harriott cous cous, peanut butter, and sour patch kids. All gone. Except, Brooke noticed, for a jar of Marmite which had sat on the middle shelf and that Yvie was holding in her hand.
“Whose was the Marmite?” she asked, an amused tone to her voice. Nina shrugged from her position on the sofa.
“I’ve never once eaten Marmite.”
“It’s on your shelf, girl,” Yvie shrugged, her eyebrows questioning. Nina gave another shrug.
“I know. It’s always lived there. I swear to God it just turned up one day and I left it there. Thought it was one of yours because Christ knows you’re both too lazy to put it on your own damn shelves,” Nina reprimanded them both. Brooke laughed.
“You know you’re going to regret being so mean to us when you don’t live with us any more and we’re adults and it takes 9 months to clear our schedules for one singular coffee,” she raised her eyebrows at her flatmate as Nina pouted and let out a groan, held out her arms for a hug which Brooke fell into.
“Don’t! This is already too heartbreaking, I can’t believe we only have two days left here.”
“I can’t believe we’re actually organised with this moving out process.”
“I can’t believe we have a phantom jar of Marmite that nobody’s claiming,” Yvie piped up, peering at the jar with interest. “Brooke, you like this shit, right?”
“Marmite is Satan’s black fecal matter and I’m offended you think I eat it,” she deadpanned, shifting to get comfy in Nina’s lap whilst attempting to be as inconvenient as possible to her friend.
“Get the hell off me. Only my girlfriend is allowed to sit on me for so long that I lose feeling in my legs,” Nina huffed, shoving at Brooke until she relented and sat beside her. It didn’t stop her from putting her cold feet on her bare thigh though, and Nina hissed and jumped away. “I take it all back. I’m not going to miss either of you idiots at all.”
“You’re a crap liar,” Yvie smiled smugly, binning the Marmite and joining the two girls on the sofa, squeezing in between them both. “Awh, guys…it’s the end of an era.”
Brooke suddenly felt tears prick at her eyes out of nowhere. “Shut up. We’ve still got tomorrow and the next day.”
“Yeah, but tomorrow you’re gonna be doing graduation-y shit and then it’s moving day!” Nina protested. Her voice grew small, dropping to a murmur. “It’s kind of like it’s our last day.”
The girls fell silent. Yvie let out a huge puff of air from her lungs. “Don’t tell anyone I said this but I’m gonna miss you girls so fucking much.”
“Awh, Yves. I’ll miss you too,” Nina sighed, burying her face into Yvie’s shoulder and curling her arms around one of Yvie’s. “But this is good! Change is good, even if it’s scary and different. And you’re gonna be living with Scarlet! That’s exciting!”
“How’s the flat hunting going?” Brooke asked Yvie, who had a little smile on her face. Brooke didn’t know if Yvie knew that she always began to smile a little whenever Scarlet was mentioned. She wasn’t going to mention it to her. She would maybe mention it to Scarlet.
“Like I’d rather shit in my hands and clap,” Yvie groaned, running her hands down her face. “It’ll be fine, though. We’ve got a while. Her lease isn’t up until August so we’ve got a few weeks to keep looking and in the meantime I’ll just stay with her in that Dickensian death trap she calls a flat.”
The girls let out a laugh, Brooke resting her head on Yvie’s shoulder too. There was a small silence.
“At least you and Monet are sorted,” Yvie spoke again, Nina nodding in agreement. Buoyed by how well Yvie’s suggestion to Scarlet had been received, Nina had been determined not to fuck up another relationship milestone with Monet and had asked her to move in with her as well. The answer had been an emphatic yes, and the pair of them had used their terrifying teacher-levels of organisation skills to find a cute two-bed flat in a nicer, only slightly more expensive part of the city. They both knew their relationship was still new and fragile, so they’d agreed a room each was a good idea to give them their space when they each needed to work or wanted a bit of time on their own to simply do nothing. Brooke knew the two girls were joined at the hip though so they probably didn’t need that sort of contingency plan, but it was a sensible decision nonetheless.
“I can’t wait to get the keys and just vomit up a bunch of fairy lights and candles in every possible room,” she beamed, excitement radiating out of every pore. “It’s going to be so fun- we’re going to take turns cooking, and build pillow forts, and blast our songs on a Sunday morning and clean the whole place-”
“Fuck. Adulthood’s fully got you. Brooke, quick, if we run we can still save ourselves,” Yvie deadpanned, Nina giving her a whack as Brooke laughed.
“I personally can’t wait to go round and visit at every available opportunity. I’m going to move in,” Brooke smiled, and Nina gave another sad kicked-puppy pout.
“I wish. Canada is so far away,” she sighed, a little knife going through Brooke’s heart at the thought of moving back. She didn’t want to think about it, but it was just inevitable. It was happening, and it was fact. She was going back to Canada. She didn’t really know what she was doing, she hadn’t found herself a flat, and she didn’t have a job to earn money and pay the rent with even if she had, so she was flying home.
She really didn’t want to think about leaving. She didn’t want to think about leaving the city, constantly busy with tourists and families and drunk students and Very Important Working Adults. She didn’t want to think about leaving the park, with the cherry blossom trees that lined every path and fond memories of barbecues and picnics and drinking in the sun with the girls. She didn’t want to think about leaving uni- because as stressful as all hell her degree had been, she’d loved studying fashion design, loved making prototypes, loved learning about something she loved, even though her degree was fuck all use to her trying to get an actual job. She didn’t want to think about leaving the flat: the shower with its drippy head, the hob with the one gas burner that didn’t work, the carpet in her room with the incongruous red faded stain, the fucking Sports Direct mug. The girls that she loved so much her heart felt sore if she thought too much about it: Nina singing obnoxiously early as she got ready for placement, Yvie making the kitchen into a war zone trying new recipes, the ridiculous squabbles they got into about the washing up, pre-pre-drinks where they shared a bottle of pink Gordon’s and splashed mixers into their mismatched glasses and sang along to Ariana Grande at the top of their lungs.
Tears stung at her eyes again, and she swallowed the big lump in her throat to shoo them away. It was too late though, as Nina had seen her glassy eyes and reached over to hug her. Her own voice was thick with tears as she spoke.
“Oh, girls,” she let out a shaky breath, Brooke giving up the fight as she felt her own tears drop down onto her hoodie. “Change is good…but it’s shit.”
“Fuck you both, I’m not crying,” Yvie said, her breathing all shuddery and letting them both know that was a lie. The girls all sat and held each other as they wept quietly, mourning the death of their student careers and this life they’d lived for three years that they’d all too often taken for granted.
Brooke was the first to dry her tears, giving one decisive sniff and sweeping under both her eyes with determination. “Right. I’m putting a stop to this, we’re not spending our kind-of last night in the flat sitting crying like a bunch of babies. We’re going to order food, get high as St Peter’s balls and watch shitty game shows that make us yell at the TV. Okay?”
She was happy that Yvie and Nina both snorted a weepy laugh and nodded at her. “Okay.”
And the three girls did just what Brooke had suggested. There was, however, bickering about where they should order from. Yvie wanted sushi from the tiny little place tucked away in a back street that did bento boxes with prawn katsu and salmon maki which were like little rice parcels of heaven. Nina wanted Chinese from their favourite takeaway that delivered from out in the suburbs and where, for about fifteen points all in, you could get a banquet of sweet and sour chicken in sticky red sauce, crispy golden salt and chilli chips with huge red jewels of chilli and slices of garlic, chicken fried rice in a rich Cantonese gravy which bound everything together and chow mein with soft spring onion slices and huge chunks of onions all tossed in soy sauce. Brooke’s selection won in the end though as her argument was the strongest- “I might not taste any of this again, Canada is a long fucking journey, okay?!”- so they ordered burritos and chips and salsa from the incredibly-overpriced-but-worth-it burrito bar on campus. They finished the last of the weed that had been wrapped in tin foil and cling film and shoved to the back of the broom cupboard along with the bong, and they made horrifying cocktails from the dregs of their leftover spirits and mixers. The burritos arrived and they stuck Challenge TV on and shouted at the Catchphrase contestants who couldn’t get the most obvious fucking catchphrases Brooke had ever seen in her life.
The evening was perfect.
They talked about Brooke’s graduation tomorrow, Nina and Yvie both saying how proud they were of her. Brooke was glad she had the girls, since her Mum’s flight over to see her graduate had been cancelled because of freak winds back in Canada. Brooke had already cried to her over facetime about it, but Yvie had managed to find the link to the livestream that was only meant to be shown on campus, and she’d sent Brooke’s Mum the link so Brooke knew she would be watching even if she couldn’t properly be there. As soon as they’d heard the news, the girls had all agreed on the group chat to set up camp in the union and watch the livestream (as Brooke and Plastique would be graduating at the same ceremony) and then take photos with them both afterwards outside the great hall as if they were a gaggle of proud Mums. Even though it wouldn’t be what she’d planned, Brooke was still looking forward to it.
It was around midnight before Brooke took herself off to bed, and just as she got cosy underneath the duvet her phone lit up with a notification. She couldn’t help the smile that involuntarily shot to her face when she realised it was Vanessa.
V: hey what’s ya fav Kanye West album mine is GRADUATION!!!!!!! How you feelin about tomorrow boo? xxxxxx
Brooke let out a laugh, muffling it too late with her hand when it came out louder than expected. Christ, she loved the girl so much.
B: Kanye West is a misogynist pig and i won’t stand for him xxxxxx
B: Stronger is a bop though xxxxxx
V: You got that one right xxxxxx
B: And I’m good! Big jumble of feelings. Big happy/sad vibes xxxxxx
V: I know it’s bittersweet af xxxxxx
V: Me n Scar just held each other and cried once the ceremony was over xxxxxx
Vanessa and Scarlet had graduated last week, as had their other friends. Brooke and Plastique’s graduation date was the latest and so they were graduating last. She didn’t mind that, though. The longer she could stay being a student the better.
B: Lol we just had a big cry as a full flat xxxxxx
V: Don’t lmao idk what we gonna be like when our lease is up xxxxxx
Brooke scrolled up and looked at all the texts they’d exchanged from the past two months, the same signature of six kisses at the end of them all. They hadn’t really spoken about where they were relationship-wise since the night in the library. Maybe Vanessa didn’t want to. Maybe it was for the best. Brooke’s heart hurt as she realised she was going to be on the other side of the world in a matter of days, and maybe Vanessa didn’t want to see her ever again. She frowned at her own thoughts before tears had a chance to start welling in her eyes again. It had been good to truly get back to where she’d been before with Vanessa- just texting random garbage, having deep chats about the future, being ever-so-slightly flirty with each other. She thought about confronting the issue head on over text, but it wasn’t the medium through which to have that kind of conversation.
As if Vanessa could read her mind, however, another text came through.
V: When do you fly back again? 20th? xxxxxx
Brooke’s heart felt sore.
B: 12th xxxxxx
V: oh right
Brooke’s pulse froze at the lack of kisses. Her fingers ghosted over her screen, trying to figure out what to type. Vanessa sorted the problem for her.
V: fuck I wish you weren’t leaving xxxxxx
Brooke’s heart swelled up then popped. Was this the time? No. But their time was running out, she knew that much. Maybe she could see her before she left. She’d see her after her graduation anyway.
B: I wish I wasn’t either xxxxxx
B: But you’re coming tomorrow yeah? Xxxxxx
V: Wouldn’t miss it for the world baby xxxxxx
Fuck, she would miss her so much. She’d already told Vanessa how much she meant to her, just how fucking incredible she was in every way, and yet Brooke felt like doing it again.
She didn’t, because it would be too weird. But she wanted to more than anything.
V: You gonna look so beautiful and clever tomorrow I just know it xxxxxx
Brooke smiled to herself, blushing on her own at the compliment. Vanessa seemed to be firing risky texts to her left right and centre, so Brooke took a risk of her own.
B: Not as beautiful as you xxxxxx
She almost threw her phone away once she’d sent it. A reply came back almost instantly.
V: Stop with the lies xxxxxx
She was leaving in two days so she sent another risky one, caution truly pissed into the wind.
B: You’re honestly the most beautiful girl in the world xxxxxx
At that point Brooke put her phone face down on her bedside table and decided to sleep, her heart full of butterflies and her thoughts filled with the ridiculously massive crush she had on the girl she’d been idiotic enough to let go the first time.
When Brooke woke up, her phone was blowing up with messages. The one she checked first was from Vanessa in reply to the one she’d sent last night, and was simply a series of heart eye emojis. The next one she opened was a text from her Mum, paragraphs of pride and love for her daughter that made Brooke want to cry already. The others were all from the chat- Silky, Akeria, Vanessa, Scarlet, Yvie and Nina all spamming it with messages of luck and love for her and Plastique, and promising they’d be watching the screen and waiting outside for them when the ceremony was done.
Brooke got ready in a dream-like haze. She took her smart black tailored dress out of the cupboard where it had been hanging for the past month, the garment more ready for graduating than she was. She showered then dried her hair, curling it and brushing out so it made waves down her back. She put on her makeup- browns and nudes with only the tiniest bit of highlight. When she stepped into her dress and heels and looked at herself in front of the mirror, she hardly recognised herself.
She looked like an adult. A woman with her life stretching out in front of her, ready to be whatever she made of it.
Brooke phoned a taxi- it was raining just a little, even though it was already July- and pulled on a smart black coat when she saw it pull up outside, dashing carefully down the steps of the stairwell and out into the new day.
Graduation wasn’t til 11, but Brooke had arranged to meet up with Plastique beforehand anyway, just so they could be excited together. When Brooke pulled up at the taxi rank outside the square and the huge ceremony hall, she could see Plastique and her Mum there already, standing bickering amongst the growing gaggle of students and families. The sight only hurt Brooke a bit, until she remembered the girls would all be watching, and her Mum would be watching too no matter how far away. It would, after all, be about one and a half hours of waiting for Brooke to walk across the stage, take a scroll and shake a hand, and then it would all be over.
It was scary to think that that was all that was separating her and the adult world.
Trying not to get too deep and to instead just enjoy the day, Brooke excitedly paid the driver and dashed out of the taxi, Plastique spotting her running towards her and giving an excited squeal. She opened her arms out for a hug which Brooke crashed into.
“Bitch! How are you!” Plastique cried, Brooke only squeezing her tightly in response. “I’m so excited! And sad. And excited! And emotional.”
“Yeah, I can tell!” Brooke teased, Plastique laughing as she stepped out of the hug and gestured to her Mum, dressed very glamorously in a blue dress, blue heels and a pink fascinator. The occasion didn’t really call for it but Plastique’s Mum was always one to embrace the potential glamour in every situation, and so she had gone all out.
“You’ve met my Mum, right?” Plastique smiled. Brooke nodded and waved her a hello. She’d met her once at their second year showcase, the woman keeping her in stitches with her hilarious stories.
“I have! Nice to see you again, Alyssa.”
Alyssa, throwing formalities out of the window, instead pulled Brooke into a crushing hug. “And you too, my angel! Awh, Lord, ‘Tique told me all about your Mama’s flight. My heart is absolutely breakin’ for you, honey. I would’ve sent a plane over for her but nobody’s flying out of there come hell or high water.”
Brooke suppressed a laugh, finding it unbelievable that “I’ll just get her a plane” was on Alyssa’s list of options. “It’s okay Alyssa. Thank you, though. She’s going to watch the live stream, Yvie hooked her up with a link.”
“Well I’ll be your Mama just for today, girl. I am so proud of you both!” Alyssa cried, putting both her hands on Plastique’s shoulders and sighing. “Look at my intelligent daughter, out here gettin’ degrees and lookin’ so beautiful at the same time.”
Plastique smiled at her Mum lovingly, the two of them sharing one last hug before she and Brooke took themselves off to pick up their robes. It was surreal actually wearing the gown, all billowing and black, and helping each other fix their hoods, light blue with fringes of pink. They went to get their graduation photos taken, Brooke surprised that they were given a prop degree to hold as she’d always thought it was her actual degree she’d be holding. She laughed as Plastique moaned to her about not being able to see the photo until it got mailed to her, and the fact that her Mum ordered about twenty four copies so even if it was horrible she wouldn’t ever be able to escape it. Alyssa texted Plastique to tell her she’d gone into the hall to get a good seat, so her and Brooke decided to just go and sit ready anyway. They had to say goodbye to each other briefly until the end of the ceremony, as everyone had to sit in alphabetical order. As she waited for the ceremony to begin, Brooke scanned the huge crowds all seated in the hall’s three tiered levels. Her eyes fell on each empty seat and her heart broke a little more each time she saw one.
Nobody she truly loved would see her graduate in person. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t absolutely gutted. But at least she had Plastique, and of course, Alyssa.
Before she knew it, the ceremony had begun. She tried to pay attention to the Dean’s address and the chamber choir singing in Latin but she couldn’t help feeling like a 16-year-old in her school assembly, bored and just full of anticipation. Eventually, the awards began. Brooke clapped for all the other students crossing the stage, her eyes trained on the way they walked. She swallowed down the panic she felt, banished the thought of tripping over to the back of her mind. It reached Plastique’s turn, and she gave a huge cheer as her friend walked across the stage with all the grace and poise of a supermodel. She could hear Alyssa’s voice shouting from the balcony- “That’s my baby! That’s my girl!”- and, for a moment, she thought she heard the yell of a voice she knew all too well.
No. That was crazy. She must have imagined it.
E in the alphabet turned to F, then G, and eventually, H. Brooke didn’t have many others to sit through, and eventually there was only one girl separating her and her degree. The moment these three years had led up to, finally being lived out.
“Brooke Lynn Hytes.”
She heard her name and smiled as she walked carefully across the stage, shaking the Dean’s hand tightly and collecting her scroll all wrapped up in its little embossed tube. She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face as she walked to the other side, heard the claps, heard the cheers, and heard…
“Love you, Brooke Lynn!”
Stop.
“Go Brooke! Love you, girl!”
It was her. It was actually her. Vanessa’s voice, soaring above the crowd and reaching Brooke like an arrow.
What the fuck was she doing here, at her actual graduation ceremony? As Brooke dismounted the stage she scanned the room like a meerkat, the place far too packed to distinguish Vanessa from any other of the little blobs of people sitting in each row. But she knew it was her. Vanessa had seen her graduate, had seen her collect her degree and had cheered for her.
Brooke didn’t know how she’d managed to get a ticket - they were all reserved for families- but she suddenly couldn’t wait for the ceremony to end.
She didn’t have long to wait, as time flew by and everything was over before it could all sink in. Brooke and Plastique emerged from the hall to the crowds outside and, just as they had promised, the girls all rushed forward to crush them in ridiculously tight hugs, Silky yelling at the top of her lungs how proud she was of them both and Akeria shaking a bottle of five pound cava until the cork opened easily and sprayed the fizz all over the two girls. Brooke clung to Plastique and laughed, unable to stop the smile that was plastered on her face.
“I can’t believe it! You both did it, congratulations!” Scarlet cried cheerfully, Brooke pulling her into another hug.
“Did you see me shaking when I walked across the stage? I thought I was going to trip and fall off the damn thing!” Brooke laughed, the other girls all laughing too.
“You looked like a confident, graceful, successful queen,” Nina told her, Brooke wanting to cry at her friend’s compliment. “And you are all of those things! Fuck, I can’t believe we’ve all graduated now. What the hell are we going to do?!”
“Aw, let’s not think about that,” Akeria shushed her, a proud smile on her face. “Well done, ladies. We’re all proud of you. You did that shit.”
Plastique hugged and thanked them all again before making her excuses, saying she’d be right back, and dashing off to Alyssa. As she left, Yvie took Brooke’s hand and squeezed it.
“So, have you not got some big, teen-movie speech to make, or something?” she quipped. Brooke frowned, looking at her with confusion. The rest of the girls all waited for the penny to drop excitedly, and Brooke saw Akeria’s eyes land on someone just over her shoulder. Brooke turned around and, through the crowd, saw Vanessa waiting beside the hall. Their eyes met, and Brooke could see her try and then fail to suppress the smile on her face. Brooke turned back to the girls, pointing over her shoulder at the girl waiting for her.
“How did…you were all-”
Akeria rolled her eyes, gave her a gentle shove. “Go get your fuckin’ girl, idiot.”
Brooke hardly had to be told twice. She turned around, took two steps, then three, then four, until she realised she was almost jogging over to where Vanessa stood. And suddenly she was in front of her- her hair wavy and falling over her shoulders, her outfit exactly what any graduation guest would be wearing- a smart red dress that accentuated Vanessa’s collarbones and dark eyes and the bright white of the smile she was flashing Brooke’s way.
“Hey,” Brooke began, faltering slightly. She didn’t know where to start, so she chose the obvious. “You were there.”
“Yep!” Vanessa smiled at her proudly.
“How did…how?” Brooke stuttered out, still completely at a loss. Vanessa let out a laugh, charming beyond anything Brooke had heard before.
“I messaged your Mama. Got her number off Yvie after she sent her the link for the livestream. Basically said “hey Ms Hytes…can I grab your ticket and see your daughter graduate so I can surprise her”?” Vanessa grinned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Brooke couldn’t believe it. Her own Mum had been in on the whole thing and hadn’t let on. She was going to kill the woman the moment she touched down in Toronto.
“Oh my God. You’re amazing,” Brooke gasped, taking a little step forward so they were closer. She felt like crying. Vanessa was here, in front of her for what was maybe the last time. She had to do something. She couldn’t lose her. Not again.
“Amazing, huh?” Vanessa asked shyly, looking to the ground. They both knew the question meant so much more than simply what it was, and Brooke, without knowing where her confidence had emerged from, took both of Vanessa’s hands in hers. Vanessa’s gaze shot up, and their eyes met.
“Can I kiss you?”
“God, please.”
Without waiting a second longer, Brooke tipped her head down and met Vanessa’s lips. It was somehow just like the first time, even though in many ways it wasn’t at all. This time, Brooke knew every single inch of Vanessa’s body, she knew her ambitions, her fears, she knew what it was like to have almost lost her and be lucky enough to have her come back again. But most of all, Brooke knew that she was in love with her, so fucking in love with her, this one of a kind girl who she was desperate to keep in her life no matter if Vanessa chose her to be hers or not. Their kiss was gentle and urgent and passionate all at once, and Brooke wanted to hold onto the moment forever. When Vanessa’s lips were gone and Brooke was all at once looking at her again, she had tears in her eyes.
“Hey, hey, ‘Ness. Come on, this isn’t…don’t be upset.”
“I am, though! I’m an idiot. These past two months we could’ve been kissing like that and going on cute dates and planning the future and having fuckin’ insane levels of sex but I left you hanging like boo boo the fuckin’ fool when I knew what my decision was the moment we had that conversation in the library, because it’s you, Brooke, fuck, it’s always been you. I love you so much,” Vanessa sniffed, frantically wiping her tears away as Brooke pulled her against her chest. Vanessa’s voice murmured against her, the most hopeful, plaintive question. “Do you still love me?”
“Fuck, Vanessa, of course I love you. You’re just…the person I was meant to meet, you’re the person I’m meant to have in my life. I love you so much.”
Brooke felt like an idiot as tears began to well up in her own eyes. She looked down at Vanessa and she looked back up at her.
“You’re leaving,” Vanessa let out a tiny sob, her forehead hitting Brooke’s chest again.
“I’ll come back,” Brooke said immediately, meaning it. “Honestly, I will. I’ll book my flights as soon as I’m home. I’ll look for flats and jobs and we can start again. We’ll make it work. I want to be with you.”
Vanessa looked up at her, her happy, grateful smile at Brooke’s words all she needed. She let out a tearful laugh. “Brooke Lynn, will you be my girlfriend?”
Brooke laughed too, taking her both her hands and squeezing them. “Hey, fuck you, I wanted to ask first!”
They both laughed then leaned in for another kiss. Brooke didn’t need to answer. Vanessa hadn’t needed to ask.
As they broke away and wrapped their arms around each other, Brooke felt the tears spring up in her eyes as she looked over at the girls. There was Akeria, making some quip about something, and Silky howling at whatever it was she’d said. Monet had joined them all and was swigging the cava out of the bottle, an arm around Nina who was looking at her with adoration. Scarlet and Yvie were telling them both a story, their hands intertwined and their bodies close. Plastique had dragged her Mum over to meet them all and her face was animated as she spoke to her, so full of happiness and excitement.
“Fuck, Vanessa, I can’t believe it’s all over,” Brooke let out a small sob. Vanessa reached up, swept her tears away with a gentle finger.
“Hey. Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.”
Brooke smiled down at her girlfriend. Her girlfriend. There was nobody she’d rather have spent the past three years with.
“You wanna go steal that cava back from Monet?”
Brooke giggled and nodded. Joining their hands together and giving them a little squeeze, they walked back over to be with their family.
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infernwetrust · 4 years ago
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AHS 1984: Between The Lines [Xavier Plympton x Chet Clancy] 1. Watch Your Hands
PART 2
Summary: A world before the horror. A world with some horrors. A fantasy world, where things are slightly normal. A world where Chet Clancy has been in a relationship with his long term girlfriend, Brooke Thompson. A world where Xavier Plympton, struggles to find himself after a dark past. But what if I told you that's not all who Chet is romantically involved with? What if I told you there’s a little bit more to Xavier than what he presents himself to be? What if I told you to read between the lines? Together we'll explore friendship, love, deceit, and sexuality on a different level.
Rated: R for Restricted. 18+ Very Mature Themes.
Warnings: Alright folks, I’m going to be very honest with you. This book can get dark and depressing sometimes. Due to it’s unpredictable nature, since it is a work in progress, read at your own discretion, and apply tags as you see them fit. I will be giving warnings at the beginning of chapters that do take it to that level. If you do choose to read and you come across anything that makes you uncomfortable, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I am all ears.
A/N: Hey ya’ll! I go by Juno. Thank you so much for taking the time out of your Cody Fern and AHS filled schedules to read this book. This is something I’ve thought about for a long time and am very excited to be writing this. I’m also currently writing this on another platform, but decided that I wanted to share it with the fun loving Tumblr community as well.  It IS male x male. I’ve always shipped Chet (Gus Kenworthy) and Xavier (Cody Fern)  and after a little bit of brain storming, I decided that I wanted to dedicate a story to developing their relationship. I’ve kept some key traits from their characters in 84, but for the most part, this are figments of my imagination; of what life would be like. As I write this, I will be introducing different characters, portrayed by some of our favorites. I won’t leave you oblivious. However, I will also be writing one shots! If you have any requests, message me! Enjoy the read! 
WC: 1.1k
Setting the stage: This story begins years before 84. Xavier, Chet, Ray, Brooke, and Montana are 18 and freshly out of high school.
The two sat outside on the front steps. The moon lit up the night sky. Chet inhaled the joint deeply, but exhaled slowly. She watched him the whole time, biting down on her lip. They'd only been together for 6 months, but Brooke couldn't help but feel like she loved him. Sure. They exchanged the words,  'I love you' , all the time, but they never actually said "I love you." But, the more time Brooke spent with him, the more she realized that maybe she did mean it. They had been best friends for so long that I love you came naturally. So when the two drunkenly kissed at Montana's 17th birthday party, they both couldn't help, but feel that there was something there. So when Chet asked her out, how could she say no?
"Chet.." she said, softly. He took his eyes off the joint quickly to meet hers. There was a warm ness in his eyes that made every nerve in her body tingle. Her hand slowly made its way over to hold onto his knee.
"Yeah?" Chet questioned in his relatively, light, voice. He looked at Brooke with loving eyes. Eyes that still said "I love you" and "I love you" at the same time. Poor, Chet. He was so confused.
"Your eyes are so fucking red." she responded, giggling. Chet couldn't help but give her a smirk. He thought she was so cute. Everything she did was so cute to him.
"I guess I don't do a very good job of hiding it do I?" he questioned.
"Not like you need to. You're lucky. My parents would never let me do that openly."
"Well it's a good thing I don't give a fuck what my parents really have to say, huh?"
The two shared a hearty laugh before Brooke fell silent, biting her lips once again before taking the joint out of his hand and taking a pull.
"My parents would never let me do that openly." Chet repeated, mocking her.
"Well it's a good thing I don't give a fuck what my parents really have to say, huh?" she smirked.
"Brooke Thompson, you are a fool."
"I guess that's why we're so close"
"Closer than ever."
"Oh for Christ sake." Xavier said as he leaned over the fence. "If you're gonna fuck, just fuck already."
"How long have you been standing there?" Chet asked, taking his attention away from Brooke.  
"Long enough to see that you two would think nothing of fucking on the porch. Stand up, won't you, Chet?"
"Oh, fuck off."
Xavier grinned. He was a huge fan of messing with Chet, whether it be mentally... or physically.
"Sorry, lover boy."
"Thanks for the fucking help, Xavier." Ray said, jaw clenched as he held two relatively big speakers on shoulders.
"I'm pretty. I don't lift things. You know this."
"Yeah, except your dick to put in other people."
"Ooo." Chet said, loudly, his lips forming a perfect O.
"Play your cards right and you can be one of em'"
"Don't flatter yourself, pretty boy."
"Here man. I got you." Chet grabbed a speaker off of Ray's shoulder and assisting him instead.
"You're terrible." Brooke said, standing up, putting the joint out in the ground.
"You love me, Brooke Thompson." Xavier, winked at her.
They had only fucked twice, Brooke and Xavier. They were both 16.
"What's it like?" she asked, her hands holding onto his jacket as he leaned against the balcony rail.
"What? Sex?"  he asked, looking down at her. At 16, he was already so tall and that amazed her. She nodded her head at his question, swallowing. "I've never done it before and it's all you and Chet talk about. All the girls you've slept with."
"Let me guess. You don't masturbate either, do you?"
"Just answer the question, smart ass." She slapped him in his chest.  
"I don't really know how to explain it." He spun her around so that it was now her who was up against the rail. "Why don't you let me show you instead?" When she constantly switched between looking at his eyes and his lips, he knew he had her. "I see how you look at me, oh and Chet, but that's another discussion. Let me show you how fun it is when you start exploring, sexually." God, Xavier was a sex icon. Everything about him just screamed fuck me or let me fuck you. She made the mistake of getting locked in his eyes.
And then he did the thing. The thing that got everyone who he pursued sexually, to crack. His tongue moved gracefully along his upper pearly whites with a sadistic grin, that in actuality, wasn't all that sadistic. He liked Brooke and if he didn't already know that she had a deep interest for Chet, brewing, she would be his.
"Go on." he said, tempting her. "Kiss me. You love me, Brooke Thompson."
"But let's leave things in the past, yeah?" Xavier continued, attempting to walk past Brooke and into Chet's home. She stepped in front of him, firmly planting her finger on his chest.
"You said you wouldn't ever bring that up, especially since you knew Montana had a crush on you." Brooke said with venom in her voice.
"Woah. Ms. Thompson, please if you will, watch your hands." He grabbed her by her wrist. "So quick to react are we? Let's not forget." He slowly rubbed her finger across his chest and down to his torso, right above his belt. She looked up at him and he did the thing, again. The same thing that had gotten her to kiss him that night. But this time, he was older, his features more strongly defined. He was gorgeous and she couldn't deny that.
"Stop that." she said, firmly, snatching her wrist away from. "You promised, Xavier."
"Oh relax. No one was around to hear it."
"Are you two coming inside?" Chet asked, popping his head into the door frame. "Montana will be here in a few minutes and then we can start our Friday night."
"Yeah, babe." she replied. "I was just bugging Xavi about how lazy he is." She winked at her charming boyfriend who now leaned fully against the doorway.
"I believe the correct term you're looking for is pretty." She turned to him quickly, planting her finger firmly in his chest once again.
"Remember what I told you."
"Well come on then, so I can close the door." Xavier let out that stupid grin again before the two started walking towards the door.
Let the summer before college begin.
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jamielea81 · 5 years ago
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Conversations
Chapter 2
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Description: You accompany your friends on a day trip to Animal Kingdom Theme Park where you meet Scott Evans by chance. This one afternoon leads to a year long friendship with both Chris and Scott over text messages and phone calls.
Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader
Warning: Cursing
A/N: Here is chapter two! Cast members are what Disney calls its employees. Italics are internal thoughts. Tag list is open, please send an ask if you would like to be added. Likes, comments, and reblogs are wonderful.
Chapter 1
When he added you on Twitter, that was strange enough. You could reason it out that he saw your name spread through the tagged post and he did it on a whim. Or maybe he followed a lot of people. But that one was easily debunked after a quick glance at his profile showed he only followed about three hundred people. Maybe he was just friendly in that way. A quick add here and you’d be unfollowed by Thanksgiving. There was no chance he actually liked you as a person. Right?
You hit reply before you could overthink it more than you already had.
Y/N: I’m not always grumpy, I’ll have you know.
Y/N: Are you guys still on vacation or back home?
When he didn’t immediately reply, you decided to put your phone away and actually go to sleep. You’d be bringing Jana coffee in the morning which meant you actually had to get up before noon.
Your alarm sounded at eight which it hadn’t done in at least a year. Since you worked mainly on assignment, you rarely went into the office until well past noon. Some days you didn’t even go in. You were a night owl, so unless there was a morning meeting you slept in. Living alone also brought less interruptions to your schedule. You’d been in your sleepy vacation style home for the last two years. Your father regularly lectured you on the importance of homeowner ship. Paying rent wasn’t doing anything to build equity. Blah. Blah. Blah. He was only looking out for your future, but between lectures about settling down and having a family, the house stuff pushed you over the top. You still weren’t sure where you wanted to end up, so buying wasn’t on the top of your priority list.
Florida really was a mixed bag. Between the retires that lived in Florida during the winter months, the tourists, the general crazies that you heard about on the national and local news each night, and those like yourself that were just trying to live your life, you never officially settled in. The ocean called to you, but the pricey lifestyle and fear of evacuating each year due to a hurricane did not. Being fifteen minutes from both the Disney and Universal parks would also be nice, but the traffic and long lines at Target were not appealing. You were currently living in a cute two-bedroom home fifteen minutes outside the parks bubble where life was a little more affordable and groceries weren’t inflated. It was still technically a vacation rental, but the owner liked the idea of having a long-term leaser. The fact that it had its own pool that you didn’t have to maintain was just an added bonus. Driving into Orlando wasn’t great, but at least you missed the bulk of rush hour by sleeping in.
You texted Jana to let her know you just pulled in to the parking lot. Balancing your laptop bag, oversized purse, and two coffees through a busy office rotunda wasn’t easy. Thank goodness for stylish flats. If you had to navigate in heels every day, you’d probably never get out of bed. God bless Jana. How she handled it, you had no idea.
The security desk knew you by name, but due to protocol, Jana actually had to sign you in. After exchanging a few good mornings, you set both cups on the desk and waited. Most of the time she was already in the lobby when you walked through the double doors. No doubt this was a form of punishment for not telling her about meeting the two boys from Boston. Not that you looked that up or anything. You totally didn’t Google anything that night when you got home. And she calls you the brat. Ten minutes later her smiling face walks out of the elevator and up to the security desk. She signs you in while you stare her down.
“Let’s go pokey,” she says before turning away from you, leaving you to carry your bags and both of your coffees.
You huff but manage anyway, making it to the waiting elevator she holds open with her hand.
“Did you know Phil’s wife just had another baby?” She shakes her head no. “Yeah, it’s their third. These are things I wouldn’t know if you didn’t take your sweet time signing me in. Coffee’s cold by the way,” you add for good measure.
“I already had some, that’s fine,” she said, one eyebrow pointed daring you to complain.
When the elevator stops on the twelfth floor, Jana gracefully exits on three inch heels, swaying her hips in the tight and posh pencil skirt with matching blazer. You get it. It’s a well-established law firm full of sharks all trying to get ahead. She exudes confidence. There are whispers of her making partner in the next year. At least that’s what Brooks has told you. Jana’s mum on the subject, not wanting to jinx or tempt fate or whatever.
You drop her coffee in the trash bin just outside the elevator doors and hurry after.
“Y/N! Nice to see you gracing us with your presence.”
Jana turns around to see Ethan’s predatory stare. You don’t mind it. Ethan’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing and has been coming on to you for the better part of a year. He’s good looking with his sandy brown hair coiffed in the front and bright green eyes. He’s up for partner as well. You know this because he tells you this at least once a week. He’s harmless and always has a kind word for you.
“Well, good morning to you too. Any word on getting partner yet?” you practically whisper. You have to give him something.
“Soon. It’ll happen.” He looks behind you and then meets your eyes again. “Here by yourself? Come to see me?” he asked.
You gesture behind him. “Nope. Just here to see my bestie.” You move past him, but turn your head to him as you do. “Have a good day, Ethan,” you reply.
Jana enters her office and closes the door after you enter. You take a seat in front of her desk as she walks around to sit behind it.
“Are you ever going to throw him a bone? Not that I want to see you with him, but it’s hard to watch sometimes,” she says picking up her phone, fingers moving quickly before setting it back down.
“Am I here to talk about Ethan? I thought I was here to beg for your forgiveness and tell you what happened,” you asked.
“Grovel first. Ethan next week,” Jana says with a smile. She taps her desk in a ‘speak now’ fashion.
Taking a quick sip of your coffee before setting it on her desk, you take a deep breath and lick your lips.
“Okay, so I found a table at Nomad, which was packed by the way. The sever was apparently pulling double duty as Mickey as she just never showed up. You know me, I was impatient and probably drew attention to myself with excessive eyerolls or whatever.”
Jana mouths “no way.”
“Anyway. Scott Evans was sitting at a couch across the aisle from my table. I didn’t know it was him until later. Apparently, I caught his attention, so he bought us both a drink and sat at my table. We chatted for a while, did a shot, no big deal.” You smirk and shrug a shoulder. Jana’s mouth is hanging open. “He somehow drags me to Everest and because they had a cast member with them, we got ushered right to the front of the line where I end up sitting next to Chris. That’s when I knew who I was with. Had no idea before that because I hadn’t talked to Chris at the bar. I thought that was the end of it until you mentioned the photo of me last night. I still hate that ride by the way.”
You down the rest of your coffee because it’s cold, but damnit if you don’t need the caffeine.
“Well, fuck. Who would ever see that coming? It’s a fun story you can tell at parties or I don’t know, to your best friend,” she said.
“Oh, I planned to tell Brooks at work,” you said with a grin.
“Wow. I’m really hurt,” Jana said while clutching her chest.
“You love me.”
“Hmph. Maybe,” Jana added.
You don’t check your Twitter account again until you get home from work. You don’t even want to utter the word Twitter or have it on your screen in case someone sees it and starts asking how you were able to sit next to a celebrity on a ride. You didn’t think anyone would have seen it anyway. No one outwardly admitted to being a die-hard Chris Evans fan at the Sentinel. At least not in the circles you ran in.
Grabbing yourself a beer from the fridge, you made your way onto your lanai. The weather had just started to become reasonable at night with temps dropping into the mid seventies after dark. Still warm, but comfortable.
Opening your Twitter app, you did indeed have a message from Scott.
Scott: I’m pretty sure you’re always sassy.
Scott: Nope, in Boston for the next week. Left the other night.
Y/N: I Hope you all had a good trip.
I mean really, what do you say to someone you just met?
You took the time to go through your follow requests, deleting every one of them as you had no idea who they were. Most likely they were only adding your because they saw that you were tagged in the picture. On the positive, Jana was smart enough to tag your personal account rather than your work account. Your personal account was one you made up in college and did not include your actual name. As hard as it is to keep your anonymity in this day and age, some things you could still keep private.
Your mail notification lit up on the app again so you clicked into.
Scott: Oh my god she’s alive. That was like a full day for you to respond to me.
Oh boy.
Y/N: Sorry. I’m trying to lay low after my Twitter kind of blew up.
Scott: Yeah, sorry about that. Didn’t see that coming.
Y/N: Not like you released the picture. If anyone is to blame, it’s the tequila.
Scott: It’s always the tequila.
 Your new formed friendship continued like that. The two of you messaging each other at odd times of the day and taking several hours to respond to one another. Scott was back in LA, putting a three hour time difference between the two of you. It wasn’t uncommon for you to wake up to see you had a message that came in at three in the morning.
It was just before midnight when you noticed you had a message from Scott.
Scott: It’s been a shit day.
It was only sent about twenty minutes earlier, which was pretty much a record for the two of you in seeing the other’s messages.
Y/N: Do you want to call me?
Crap! Why did I type that? He probably doesn’t want me to have his number. Twitter is one thing. A telephone number is too personal.
You wanted to close the app and get ready for bed, but you were worried that you’d miss a message from Scott in case he did want to talk. Not necessarily on the phone, but in direct messages. You did the only thing that made since, you walked around your house with the phone in your hand and direct messages open. This was your life now. Apparently. If it ever got out that you spent thirty minutes with your phone in your hand while brushing your teeth, combing your hair, removing your makeup, changing into pajama shorts and a tee, and prepping the coffee maker for the morning, you’d blame it on lack of sleep and the neighbor’s dog. When you were about to call it quits and crawl into bed, a message came through.
Scott: What’s your number?
So, we’re doing this.
You replied back with your number and waited. Deciding to crawl into bed in case he didn’t actually call you tonight seemed like a wise choice. The air conditioning was blasting as it always was because you needed to sleep cold, so you pulled your warm flower comforter up to your elbows and waited for a call from your acquaintance that was maybe becoming a friend.
To your surprise your phone did ring with an out of state area code. Answering it on the second ring you heard him sigh when you answered with “Hello, this is Grumpy.”
“Really? I’m the grumpy one tonight, we both can’t be,” he whined out.
“Fine. Fine. Hello, this is Sassy,” you said.
“Better,” he muttered.
“You know, I’m just going to enter you as Grumpy in my phone contacts now,” you said.
“I expect nothing less. You’ll just have to wait to see what I’m adding you as.”
“Why? Are you making a return trip to Florida so soon?” you asked.
“Nah. Maybe Miami, but I’m good on Orlando for a while. Just don’t tell my brother that.”
“And here I was going to invite you to my wedding. One less mouth to feed,” you said, him chuckling at your response. “Was even going to let you get the steak.”
“Wait. Are you really getting married?” He sounded surprised which you weren’t sure how to take.
“Do I not seem the marrying type? I know this friendship is new, but dude.”
“No. No. No. Don’t start that. I just meant that you didn’t mention anyone while we chatted. Just that you were there with friends,” he explained.
“Single as a bird. Wait, that’s not right. Free as a bird?” you laughed out.
“Got it,” he chuckled. “When you do get married, I will be attending.”
“Perfect. You’re back on the short list for steak as your entrée. Now, tell my why you’re having a shit day,” you asked.
 Two weeks had passed with you and Scott exchanging short text conversations each day. You took to calling him before you went to bed once or twice a week if you had a funny story to tell him. Eleven at night your time seemed to be the right time to catch each other. Besides, it was nice to head to dreamland with a smile on your face because Scott always had a joke.
Jana picked up on your happier mood after a week.
“What’s going on with you? And don’t say it’s nothing,” she demanded.
Picking up your pint of beer, you took a mouthful of the amber liquid before addressing her.
“So, don’t get mad.” She shook her head, resting one palm on her forehead. “Scott and I have been chatting. He’s become a real friend.”
You knew she wouldn’t be upset about you having a new friend, but you were worried she would be because you hadn’t told her right away. First you didn’t mention meeting the Evans brothers, now you were corresponding with one on the regular.
“Just like that? You meet the guy one time and now you’re friends?” she questioned.
“He DM’d me on Twitter when that ride photo came out and we just started chatting. It’s like how you and I text every day. It’s similar except I don’t see him because he doesn’t live here. It’s just nice to have a new friend,” you said shrugging your shoulders.
She laid her slender arms on the table, resting her chin on her down facing palms. “Does this mean you are replacing me?” she says with her bottom lip jutting out.
“Of course not. Did you not catch that he doesn’t live here?” Some days you couldn’t help but be a huge smartass at the expense of your friends.
Her head slumped forward even more as she let of a groan.
“Babe. You know you’re my one and only. I lub you,” you said with your lips puckering out.
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“Cah’mon, that’s it. Can you put the damn phone down for two minutes?” Chris asked.
Scott shushed him, placing his fingers in front of his lips, but eyes still locked on the phone screen in his other hand. “Give me a second,” he said.
Chris sighed and sat further back against the couch cushion in his living room. His wide stretched legs kicked out further in front of him, hitting the coffee table before pulling his feet back a bit. “Fuck. Ouch,” he muttered to himself.
Scott chuckled to himself as he typed out something before setting the phone on the cushion beside him. “Now, what do you need big brother?”
“I don’t need anything. You just seem to be more involved with your phone than the person your visiting,” he spits out, hand wildly gesturing in front of his chest.
Scott puffs out a laugh and shakes his head. He straightens up a bit and turns his phone face down. “Sorry. Truly. How’ve you been?” he asks.
“How’ve I been? Pfft. Really?” Chris asks.
Scott shakes his head in all seriousness.
“I’m fine. Just bored out of my fahckin’ mind, but fine.” Chris says, running a hand through his hair before brushing it back down. “Look, I know I said I wanted a break before starting up another project, but I just thought I’d have more goin’ on. Seems like everyone’s so busy all of a sudden. I can only get drinks with Frankie so many times before I want to check into rehab,” he said.
Scott laughed at his brother’s tantrum. “I get it. Wish I was around more. Maybe go back to Mass. Or go to Disney! M’sure I could get Y/N to meet you at Magic Kingdom,” he said.
Chris tilted his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. “Who?” he asked.
“Y/N,” Scott said matter-of-factly. When the confusion didn’t wipe off Chris’ face, he closed his eyes and shook his head. “Y/N! The woman that you sat next to on Everest. The one in the ride photo.”
Realization struck Chris. “Excuse me. I didn’t remember her name,” he said.
“Ouch. I’ll have to remember not to tell her that,” he said picking up his phone to see a new message from you.
“What do you mean?” Chris asked.
Scott set his phone back down, turning his body to face Chris head on. “Huh?”
“You said you wouldn’t tell her that I didn’t remember her name,” Chris said.
Scott shrugged one shoulder, lifting up one hand in the process before plopping it back on his knee. “Yeah?”
“Wait a minute. Are you still talkin’ to her? How?” Chris asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“That picture. She got tagged in it and I happened to see it. Messaged her on there and now we talk. She’s frickin’ hilarious.”
Scott grabbed his phone again, scrolling a bit before flashing the screen to Chris. It was a picture of you with a woman next to you who had one of the overly large lollipops in her hand. Your mouth is wide open and your pretending to bite the large candy right out of her hand while she laughs in the picture.
A small smile curls up on Chris’ face but he shakes it away immediately. “Dude, you don’t know her. Ever think she’s just nice to you because of who you are?”
Scott rolls his eyes. “First off punk, she’s not like that. She’s pretty private. She didn’t know who any of us were until after you said your name on the ride. Secondly, she didn’t even ask for a photo nor did she try to keep hanging out with us after riding Everest.” Chris rolled his eyes this time. “Thirdly, I contacted her, not the other way around. And lastly, she’s a friend now, so just deal with it.”
Scott was right. You hadn’t behaved like most others would have.
“Fine. Whatever,” Chris said. “You can be friends with whoever you like.”
“Thanks, dad,” Scott said lamely. “Anyway, like I said, she’s great. Her Twitter blew up after that picture. She did a good job of locking her account down and ignoring comments. It’s hard to be pictured with the likes of you.” Chris chuckled and shook his head. “Smart that her handle isn’t actually her name. Crappy that her friend tagged her, but at least she didn’t tag her work one. Like I said, she’s a pretty private person, so she didn’t like the attention.”
Chris nodded his head. “Yeah. Glad it wasn’t worse for her. Think I should apologize?”
It was Scott’s turn to be shocked. His head whipping back and forth a couple of times eyeing his brother. “Okaaay. Not your fault, but maybe don’t add her on Twitter. That’ll just draw more attention. If you’re serious, I’ll give you her number,” Scott said.
“You know what? Never mind. Just tell her sorry for me.” Chris slapped his hands down on his jean clad legs before getting up and walking into the kitchen.
“Too late,” Scott called out. “I just texted you her number. Do what you want.”
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The Jonas Brothers’ concert was tomorrow night, so you were doing your best to get stuff done at the paper before heading home. You planned to sleep in extra late and get some errands done before heading to the venue. Your press pass got you into some reserved places at concerts, but it didn’t get you an interview. While you had been writing and covering entertainment for years, you were mostly known for theme park and tourism coverage in Florida. So, yes you could always land an interview with a Disney Parks or Universal Studios park executive, but other doors in entertainment weren’t flying open.
Grabbing your purse and zip file, you shut down your computer and pushed in your chair. Your phone dinged with a text message. It was probably Jana asking you to get her a t-shirt at the concert tomorrow. Fancy attorney or not, your friend loved a concert tee.
Once you arrived home, you put a frozen meal in the microwave and changed into a pair of sweats and a comfy t-shirt. Grabbing your phone out of your bag, you took a seat sat at your kitchen bar top to wait for your meal to be done. Opening your texts, you saw a new one from an unknown number.
Unknown Number: Hey Y/N, this is Chris. Scott gave me your number.
Unknown Number: Evans
Unknow Number: Should have typed that the first time. Just wanted to say I’m sorry that ride photo got out.
You dropped your phone out of your hand. It hit the quartz countertop hard which jolted you out of your daze.
“What?!” you yelled into your empty home.
It was crazy enough when Scott messaged you, but the fact that the two of you had drank together made this whole friendship make a tiny bit of sense. But Chris now? This was just not real. And it made you feel weird. On one hand it was nice that he reached out even though it wasn’t his fault at all. One the other hand, was this it? The one text and then you move on?
The microwave beeped at your harshly indicating your meal was done. Leaving your phone on the countertop, you moved to grab your food, picking up the hot plate with a potholder. You made your way into the living room, setting the potholder and plate on your lap. You picked up the remote for the TV, flipping through the channels and settling on The Golden Girls. Maybe a little Rose and Dorothy banter could settle your mind.
This was silly. You were going to text him back. Of course, you were going to text him back. You weren’t a rude person. This whole exchange didn’t have to mean anything. This would be a one and done conversation and to Chris you would go on being nothing more than Scott’s friend.
After scarfing down your cheese ravioli, you made your way back to the kitchen to clean up. You eyed the phone on the counter where you left it. You quickly scooped it up and plopped yourself back on the couch, opening Chris’ text again before you could change your mind.
Y/N: Thank you for reaching out, but that photo getting released was not your fault at all. I appreciate the gesture though.
You threw your head back against your couch cushion and groaned. Why am I responding like it’s a work e-mail?
You shot Jana a text to get your mind off of the message you just sent Chris.
Y/N: What size Jonas Brothers shirt am I picking up for you?
Your phone buzzed in your hand before you even had the chance to set it down, but it wasn’t Jana responding. Clicking the back arrow, you saw that Chris had responded.
Wait, he responded? Already? And at all?
Chris: I still feel bad that you were dragged into it.
Chris: Hope I’m not interrupting a Friday night out.
You chewed your bottom lip, trying to think of how to respond. Should you tell the truth that your life is pretty lame and you’re watching The Golden Girls? Did Scott talk about you to Chris? Maybe it was best not to lie.
Y/N: Just hanging out with my friends Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose.
Y/N: You’re actually saving me from another long drawn out story about Rose’s hometown of St. Olaf Minnesota.
Chris: I’m surprised your friend Blanche is home on a Friday night.
Y/N: Oh, you know Blanche? Is this going to become awkward?
Chris: 😂😂😂
Chapter 3
Tag list: @mustangshelby04 @bellaireland1981 @carolina-thiell @sullyosully @straightforwardly​ @torntaltos​ @denise1605​ @mcuclintasha​ @southerngracela​ @iam-cj @trynnabemultifandom​ @chrisevansforever-blog​ @kelbabyblue​ @broadwayandnetflix​ @kyjey​ @thevelvetseries​ @i-just-feel-like​ @daddieslittlefangirl​ @stankface​ @denisemarieangelina​ @im-not-an-armrest-im-short​ @whymalu​ @the-doctors-fallen-angel​ @mariswritingforfun​ @tessabb7​ @hista-girl​ @tanelle83​ @pinknerdpanda​ @allaboutthebooz​ @estillion14​ @panicfob​ @patzammit​ @heartislubbingdubbing​ @collinsstanharbour​ @twittytelly​ @thefandomzoneisdangerous​ @linki-locks11​ @mywinterwolf​ @ab-baybay​ @rda1989​ @impalaimages​ @jesseswartzwelder​ @rainbowkisses31​
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ruddcatha · 5 years ago
Text
Destroying trust
So bear with me, this is the first fanfic I have written in maybe 20 years, and the first for Inuyasha.  During the isolation and quarantine my state is in, I’ve been watching Inuyasha and reading fanction.  i started wondering what impact Inuyasha’s experiences growing up would have on him and how he views friendships and other people, to try and work out almost in a psychological way how it would impact his behaviors, his gruffness, and his instinct to lash out first when meeting others.  Fueled by a state of distress caused by isolation, I sat down and just started writing.  Any feedback, comments, advice would be appreciated.  This may be a one time story, it may be part of an ongoing series leading up to the start of the manga, I haven’t decided yet (more I don’t know if i have those stories in my head yet).  
I haven’t decided if I will post this on FFN or AO3 yet, so for right now its a Tumblr exclusive.
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The sound of children’s laughter echoed in the courtyard. “Over here, throw it over here!” “Aww come on, pass it to me!”  Caught up in their game of catch, the group of children did not hear the rustling of the bushes near them.  A pair of golden eyes, almost amber in color, peered out at the group of friends, growing wider as the owner watched a patchwork ball being tossed among the group.  A tall thin boy in the group tripped as he ran to catch the ball, and it bounced towards the bush the golden eyed child was hiding in. A streak of red burst out of the bushes, running to catch the ball.  The group of children all froze as they watched a white-haired youth grab the ball, two dog ears on the top of his head twitching in excitement as he yelled “I’ve got it, who is open?”  The boy, clad in red, bound into the middle of the group, almost juggling the ball in his excitement.  He turned to toss the ball back to the boy who had tripped, to find that the youth was backing away from him… whispering “Inuyasha” in a quiet voice.  A sneer appeared on his face as he meets Inuyasha’s eyes, purposefully turning his back on the white-haired boy.  Inuyasha’s ears, previously twitching in excitement, stilled and began to droop, his enhanced hearing catching snippets of whispers “stupid half-breed,” …ieve he tried to play with us...”  tears began to form in his eyes, before he hardens his gaze, his face contorting into his own sneer, an elongated canine tooth appearing over his lips.  Inuyasha turned and stopped away from the village, growling.  From behind a screen, his mother watched, her chocolate eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Inuyasha” she whispered, “I wish they would see you for who you are, and not just their fears.”
Inuyasha did not stop or release his sneer until he reached a small brook a distance from town.  His ears twitched, listening to the sounds around him, desperate to confirm that he was alone.  The scent of unshed tears clouded his nose, dulling the scents of the forest around him. Alone, his face falls and the tears begin to flow.  He wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his red haori, releasing the soft scent that lingered on the fabric, a smell of roses and vanilla that was unique to his mother. He knelt by the edge of the brook, picking up a small stone and throwing it into the water.  “Not like I really wanted to play anyway…. Stupid idiots...” he stated softly, trying to convince himself it was true.  He jumped up at the sound of a branch snapping behind him, growling at the person intruding on his solitude.  His growl softens as a young girl stepped into his view.  She appeared to be the same age he was, eight or nine in human years, with long black hair and dark eyes.  “What do you want?” he snarled at her, wincing internally as he heard his voice waiver.  She tilted her head and simply asked “why are you crying?”  “Keh, who said I was crying?  I’m irritated because you are bothering me.”  She giggled softly, and asked again “why are you crying?”
Inuyasha turned his head back to the brook, away from the young girl laughing at him and his pain.  “Keh, I wasn’t crying” he growled, his voice deepening with anger, before he jumped into a tree to get away from her.  She gasped, taking a step towards where he had just leapt from, her gaze darting to the trees around her to try and get a glimpse of the silver-haired hanyou.   “Wait!!!” she cried out… “I just wanted to talk to you” she continued, her voice dropping.  With a soft sigh she turned back to the village, walking away from the brook.  A pair of golden eyes watched her movement as she walked back, and Inuyasha’s brows furrowed in confusion as he realized she had not been with the group of children that had humiliated him before.  Curiosity peaked, he began to follow her back to the village, saying out of her range of awareness.  He followed her to the edge of the village, where he lost sight of her among the huts. Instinctively, he sought out a trace of a scent that he could identify with her, his head tipped to the side when he was unable to find any distinctive sent.  He started to seek her out when his mother called out “Inuyasha… come to dinner.” Inuyasha turned towards his home, thoughts of the young girl fading from his mind as he was enveloped in the comforting scent of his mother and home.
The next morning Inuyasha was awakened by a new and unfamiliar scent, almost hidden under the familiar scent of his mother.  The rose and vanilla scent seemed a little sweeter, but for some reason the scent had his nose curling slightly, for the first time the scent was unwelcome.  He crawled out of his futon to find his mother setting out breakfast, and the scent was lost in the scent of grilled fish, rice and miso that his mother had laid out for him to eat.  His mother came behind him to stroke his ears as he finished eating, and his eyes closed as a rumble started in his chest at his mother’s actions.  As his mother stopped, Inuyasha looked up at her to see her sad smile.  He cocked his head at her, and her smiled brightened.  “I was just thinking how like your father you are, that is all” she told her son, leaning down to hug him.  Inuyasha again smelled the slightly sweet smell, but it faded before he could identify it.  
The thoughts of the smell lingered with him later that day as he made his way to the brook.  As he walked, his gaze was caught by a branch that had fallen off a tree, his ears perked when he realized it was almost the right length for a sword. Snatching up the branch, Inuyasha pretended he had his fathers famed sword, Tessaiga, and was slaying demons and humans alike, his mind picturing all his tormenters in front of him, cutting them down to stop their laughter.  Caught up in his game, he was startled by the young girl from the day before, who squealed and laughed, claiming “a hero has come to save me!”  Inuyasha stared at her, not moving, until she blushed and looked away.  “I didn’t get to introduce myself” she whispered, Inuyasha barely hearing her words. “My name is Minime, I’ve seen you in town, but I was too shy to approach you.”  At those words, his head tilted, showing his confusion.  His thoughts echoed in his head ‘but… no one ever seeks me out or wants to meet me… what am I not getting here?’  Minime looked at him through her lashes, trying not to stare at the white ears twitching at the top of Inuyasha’s head in puzzlement.  Suddenly Minime’s name was called from the village, causing her to gasp “Oh no, I forgot I needed to help my mother!” She turned and started to scramble up the path. “Wait!!!” he called out, “mu name is Inuyasha!”  Minime turned with a laugh, calling back “I know baka, everyone in town knows your name.” before continuing into the village. Folding his arms across his chest, Inuyasha watched her walk back to town, “Keh.”  
It was not until later that he realized that once again he had not been able to identify a smell on her. While he was puzzling on that fact, his thoughts turned to the smell he had noticed that morning, his face souring as he tried to determine what had caused that scent. Lost in his thoughts, Inuyasha did not realize the passing of time until he noticed the sky darkening, and a chill in the air.  His stomach let out a loud growl as he turned and ran to home and his waiting dinner, thoughts of Minime and his confusion over the scents pushed from his mind in anticipation of his mother’s cooking.
Over the next few weeks, the sweet scent in his home taunted Inuyasha, it was not quite normal, but subtle enough that he often thought he had imagined it.  When he went to the brook to think, Minime was always there waiting for him with a laugh. She was another puzzle for him, for an Inu hanyou, smells were a vital part of survival.  He had spent every day for three weeks around Minime but had been unable to identify any smell that he could identify as “hers.”  At times he wasn’t sure if he enjoyed her company, or if she gave him a puzzle to work out, but before he knew it she was part of his every day routine, and the day seemed empty until he say her or heard her laugh. For the first time, he began to feel that he had someone there for him other than his mother, with her soft laughter, smile, and above all, companionship. Inuyasha felt himself relaxing around her as the weeks went on, enjoying her company and having someone to talk to and pretend with.  
As the time went on, Inuyasha found himself discussing the changes to his mother’s scent with Minime, trying to reason out what it meant, as it was not a smell he had previously identified, and he hoped discussing it would help him figure out what it meant.  She was the first person he had ever discussed scents with, his father had passed away the day he was born and no other inu yokai would acknowledge him, let alone a human, who typically looked at him with fear or revulsion in their eyes.  Inuyasha’s excitement grew as he discussed scents and what he has found them to mean, and how each person has their own unique identifier, however in the village they tend to all muddle together.  When inside the village, the only individual scent Inuyasha could ever identify was his mothers. One day Inuyasha shyly mentioned his inability to detect a unique scent with Minime, his eyes flew wide at the look of anger that rippled over her face before she collected herself. Minime giggled, “Silly, why wouldn’t I have my own smell?”  Inuyasha felt his cheeks go red at her tone, it sounded playful, but he could hear a thread of chastisement that made him hold back a whimper, scared he had offended the only person he could talk to.  Inuyasha started to move slowly closer to Minime when she suddenly stood up and turned to walk away.  He could not hold back a sound that time, and when Minime turned to look back at him he thought he saw a glint in her eyes for a second before her eyes teared up and ran to the village.  Inuyasha stood there, stunned, unsure of what had happened, but he knew then something had profoundly changed between him and the girl he hoped was his first friend.
After that fateful discussion, Inuyasha started seeing Minime at the brook less and less.  Every day he would run to the brook, waiting all day while thoughts of the increasingly noticeable scent around his mother ran through his brain.  When he saw Minime, gone were the easy and open conversations they used to have, all Minime wanted to discuss was his mother’s scent and whether there had been any changes to it. Where the two had once met every day, Minime started to appear every other day, and slowly that grew, where Minime would appear to speak with him for a few minutes every few days.  After two weeks of this, Inuyasha felt his temper peak, and he snapped “why do you suddenly care so much about my mother?”  Minime’s face fell, but Inuyasha’s heighted eyesight picked up what looked like a smirk before it was carefully schooled away.  Minime’s eyes filled with tears, and she sobbingly asked, “why have you become so mean to me, I just wanted to talk and help?”  Inuyasha’s eyes narrowed, not believing the tears, his ears tucked flat to his skull as he turned his head away with a “Keh.”  He heard Minime turn and walk out of the forest, her slight sobs echoing in his head.
Inuyasha tilted his head back, eyes closed, to breath in the soothing scent of the forest, needing the familiar smell to help calm the little boy’s temper.  A new smell caught his attention, his nose flaring as he recognized the slightly sweet scent that he had smelled around his mother.  Dropping to the ground, Inuyasha tried to seek out the source of the scent, hoping it would shed some light on what was happening to his mother. His eyes grew wide with fear as he identified where the smell was the strongest, and he traced the fading smell down the same path Minime had just walked.  Panicking, Inuyasha ran back to the village, following the scent to his mother’s house.  
“MOTHER” he cried, running in to the house, skidding to a stop in a panic as he saw the crumpled form of his mother near the entrance, the sweet smell overpowering her natural scent.  Even more frightening was the slight scent of decay that now tinged his mother’s scent.  Inuyasha ran back out the door, running to the healer’s hut.  “Please,” he cried, running inside the hut, “my mother, I need you to help my mother!!”  The healer took one look at the young boy, tears running down his face, and turned her back on him.  “We don’t aid your kind, or those who associate with demons” was the response he received. Inuyasha ran over to her, begging, tears flowing down his face, grasping at her Hakama in desperation.  *SMACK* Inuyasha fell backwards from the strength of the blow, staring up in stunned silence.  “you heard me half-breed” the healer whispered, walking to the back of her hut and away from Inuyasha.
Inuyasha hurried back to his house, lifting his mother to try and help her outside.  “In..Inuyasha” she whispered, clinging to her son as he helped her into the fresh air. As they exited the door, Inuyasha was almost overcome by the sweet smell, so strong it became cloying and overloaded his senses.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw Minime watching the pair, his gut turning at the glee on her face watching his mother struggle to stand and breathe before she turned and walked toward the brook.  Inuyasha eased his mother outside and helped her sit near a pillar supporting the house, checking to make sure her breathing was easier, waiting for her to ask the village adults for assistance before tearing after Minime.  
“What did you do to my mother?!” Inuyasha cried as he got closer to Minime, “UNDO IT NOW!!!!!”  Minime turned and looked at him and laughed, her eyes glowing red as she turned.  “Now why would I go and do that, half-breed pup of the great Inu Taisho?”  Inuyasha stared at her, taking a step back as her image began to ripple, changing into the form of a spider with the head of an ox, green venom dripping down from two pincers.  Inuyasha glared at the Ushi-Oni in front of him and screamed out “WHY! WHY WOULD YOU HURT HER?!”  The Yokai laughed, and Inuyasha had to avoid venom that was thrown in his direction. “She was a bonus; you were the one I was trying to kill.”  Inuyasha’s voice lowered to a whimper “I trusted you...” he said quietly.  The Ushi-Oni disappeared into the trees, its voice echoing back to Inuyasha “and why would anyone trust a filthy half-breed, if only the poison had affected you as well.”
Inuyasha’s ears lowered as he let out a whine, turning back to the village.  When he arrived, he felt his heart stutter at the group of people surrounding his mother, none moving to help her.  He pushed through the crowd to find his mother collapsed on the ground, bruises on her face, and heard a rattling in her breathing that he had not heard before. Her eyes lit up at the sight of her son, and she raised a hand to gently rub her son’s ears.  “Inuyasha” she whispered as tears openly fell down his face, “I’m so sorry to leave you alone.”  Inuyasha shook his head at her statement “no Kaa-san, you aren’t leaving me, you’ll get better I promise” he whispered back, touching his mother’s cheek.  He looked at her, beautiful in her kimono, her long black hair shining, barely registering as her chocolate eyes went dull, the hand rubbing his ears stilled and fell.  “Kaa-san?” he whispered, nuzzling her cheek, “wake up Kaa-san.”
A pair of rough hands suddenly grabbed him, pulling him away from his mother.  “NO KAASAN WAKE UP!” Inuyasha cried desperately, trying to break free and run back to his mother.  “She’s dead” came the cold voice behind him, dragging him away from his mother. Inuyasha watched the villagers form a line between him and his mother, blocking her from his view, the children with their cruel eyes peaking out from behind their parents.  “With her gone we have no need to let you stay here.”  Inuyasha was let go and shoved away from the village “Begone with you, vile demon.”  Inuyasha started to run back to his mother, stopping in shock when he felt the first rock hit him.  He looked up in sadness to see rocks in the hands of not just the children, but the adults of the village, not registering the pain in his body as he was hit repeatedly by the rocks, the pain in his heart numbing him as he realized his mother, the only person he really could trust, the only person who accepted him, was gone.  Inuyasha curled into a little ball as the rocks continued to strike him, as he began to accept that there would never be a place for him, and no one would ever care for him, a hanyou, hated by demons and humans equally.  He let out a roar, scaring the villagers enough that they ran, leaving him with a clear view of the bruised body of his mother.  Inuyasha himself up off the ground, stumbling towards his mother’s body, picking her up using his strength, and carrying her out of the village.  
Inuyasha carried her body for two days, searching for the perfect place to lay his mother to rest, finally finding it in a secluded part of the woods, surrounded by trees on three sides, with flowers blooming in the small meadow.  As he dug the resting place for his mother with his own claws, he vowed to himself ‘never again.  I won’t trust anyone ever again.’
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make-me-imagine · 4 years ago
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Hi, I'm Brooke! I'm 23. I have dark brown curly hair with brown eyes and I'm 5 ft 5. My house is slytherin mixed with ravenclaw. I draw, write, do photography, enjoy reading and play tons of video games. I suffer from anxiety. I'm not really an outdoorsy person(thanks to my anxiety) I used to be an alcoholic, but I recovered from it. I love animals and I'm very empathetic. Can I have a male ship from the hobbit and the vampire diaries with the prompts "jealous" and "friends to lovers" thank you!
Special 5k Ship Event (Read post if your going to request)
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Hope you like them! 
The Hobbit: 
I ship you with Bilbo. You and Bilbo would have so much in common, this is why you got on so well. He would extremely proud of you for recovering from alcoholism as he knew it was a hard thing to do for many people. He is always there when you need him with a shoulder to lean or cry on, and comforting words that he has used to lull you to sleep many times. 
Prompt: Friends to Lovers
When you left The Shire with Bilbo and the company, you and Bilbo were very close friends. And you were very similar. Neither of you were outdoorsy, and going on an adventure scared you. But you knew you couldn’t let Bilbo go on without you, and when Gandalf suggested you come, you felt you had no choice. So you swallowed your fears and went with the company, you went with Bilbo.
You had known each other for many years and got on like a house on fire. You were both reckless in your youth, but matured together. Nothing could end your friendship. You thought.
It’s not that your friendship ended really, it just...changed. Throughout your adventures with the company. Both you and Bilbo began to see each other differently. You comforted each other more, and in different ways, for different troubles that neither of you could have imagines suffering in the Shire. You became each others life-line, you reached out for each other in times of trouble.
The rest of the company was very aware of your changing relationship with Bilbo. And they even had bets as to when the two of you would realize just how much you needed each other, and wanted each other. No longer as friends. But as more.
It wasn’t until Rivendale that you fully admitted it to each other. You stood out on a large balcony, staring at the beautiful scenery, Bilbo next to you. 
“This has become quite the adventure hasn’t it?” he asked quietly.
“Yes, indeed. I never thought we’d have one like this” you chuckled.
“No. Me neither. But” he paused, shuffled around nervously for a moment as he leaned against the railing “I couldn’t see myself doing it without you though”
You smiled “You wouldn’t have made it this far without me” you admitted as he chuckled in silent agreement.
‘No, but I mean it. If I had left you behind, I would have felt even more alone here, amongst the company. And though I miss the Shire and my home, you are a big part of it, my home I mean. So having you hear means a great deal”
You let his words sink in for a moment “Well, I couldn’t let you go without me could I? We’ve always done everything together. And beside, if you had left without me I would never have forgiven you. The Shire isn’t home without you Bilbo.”
You stood in silence for a moment before Bilbo spoke, quietly, cautiously “I- I’ve noticed, recently, that my feelings...for you...have changed” you looked at him as he paused, sparing you a quick glance “It may just be me. But I thought you should know, I wanted you to know, that I- I no longer see you as a friend, I mean, just a friend. I uh, I see you as much more than that, at least, I’d like too” 
As he stuttered out his thoughts you continued to stare at him, a small smile forming on your face. When he finished and let out a sigh he fiddled with his fingers, almost jumping in surprise when you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Something that you had done many times before, as a greeting, a parting, a thank you. But it was different now, both of you felt it.
“I know what you mean Bilbo” he looked up at you now “My feelings have changed as well, and I think they match your own”
“They do?” you nodded “They do” he confirmed, a small smile forming on his face “Well then, I guess there’s is that”
You chuckled at his awkwardness as you took his hand in yours “There’s that”
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The Vampire Diaries: 
I ship you with Matt. Matt would admire your empathetic side. He thinks you kind and caring, and loves being in your company. The two of you play video games together all the time, making bets and your own games as well. He enjoys being outdoors but knows you don’t really care for it, so he makes sure to plan things for you to do in the comfort of your own homes, or even at local locations you enjoy being at. He is very caring and will always try his best to make you happy. He was worried that when you were kicking alcohol, that working at the grill, and coming home smelling of alcohol would effect you poorly, so he would always have a spare set of clothes and extra cologne to change into before seeing you (whether it did effect you or not, he would still do this). 
Prompt: Jealous
Matt watched from across the courtyard as a young man talked fervently to you. He recognized him from having gone to high school with him and knew back then that he was a bit of a ‘player’, so seeing him with you made his blood begin to boil Especially because you looked so uncomfortable. 
He was barely paying attention to what Caroline was saying as she continued to complain about something that went wrong during the Miss Mystic Falls Ceremony. She finally realized he wasn’t paying attention and followed his gaze “Why are you staring? Just go over there already” she said, finally gaining his attention as he pushed him away, an amused smirk on her face.
“Right, Sorry Care” he said as he began walking towards you.
As he got closer, the man, whose name he now recalled as Mason reached out at touched your arm. It was one of those ‘I’m laughing at what your saying so I’m going to take this as an opportunity to touch you while flirting’. Matt glared at him as he sped up a little. 
You laughed awkwardly with the man as he lightly touched your arm, your mind trying to come up with some excuse for you to leave. Looking around your eyes landed on Matt, ‘oh thank God’ you thought
When your eyes met you silently pleaded with him to help you. As he got closer he gave you a small smile as he called out, as if he had just noticed the two of you “Babe, there you are, I was looking all over for you” he said as he eyed Mason “Hey, whats up man, you’re Mason right? We went to high school together” Matt reached out his hand.
The man, Mason, smiled awkwardly, as he stuck out his hand ‘Right, yeah, Um, your Mike Donovan right? You’re in the running for Sheriff right?”
Matt’s hand tightened around his “It’s Matt. And yeah”
Mason’s eyes widened slightly as Matts hand squeezed his “Yeahh, um” he looked at you as Matt’s arm slid around your waist “It was good to talk to you, and see you again, Matt, sorry about that.” he laughed awkardly as he took a step back “I’m gonna go find my date” he smiled turning and leaving.
“Date, my ass” Matt muttered under his breath before looking at you “You alright?”
You chuckled at Matt’s words “I’m fine now” you smiled up at him as he leaned down and kissed you lightly 
“Lets go find some food” he said as he took your hand in his and lead you towards the building.
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msjr0119 · 5 years ago
Text
One Shot
You Belong With Me
One shot request by @dangerouseggseagleartisan ... My drunk mind stupidly asked her for a one shot with a pairing that I haven’t done yet. Asking a Drake Stan to do Drake x Kiara - how could you? 😭 I kind of expected a friendship pairing such as Maxwell x Riley or Olivia x Riley. But I’ve done it you should be proud of me 🤣
Pairings: Drake x Kiara, Drake x Riley
Takes place Book 2, Chapter 10- Tea time in Paris.
Warnings: SMUT 🍋, jealously
Tagging combined list - my fellow Drake stans I’m so sorry- I feel like such a traitor 😫
@annekebbphotography @burnsoslow @drakesensworld @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bbrandy2002 @butindeed @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @pedudley @captain-kingliamsqueen @duchessemersynwalker @insideamirage @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @nikkis1983 @dangerouseggseagleartisan @gnatbrain @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @dcbbw @qammh-blog @nz1091 @beardedoafdonutwagon @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @princess-geek @jared2612 @desiree-0816
******
Kiara knew that she was in love with Drake Walker ever since they were teenagers. There was something about him, that only she could see. Everyone else in court had berated him due to not having a title like the rest of them. Most people would say he had an easy ride in life by being the Princes best friend- having everything handed to him on a plate. The snobbish attitude. Everyone that was apart from Kiara and Liam. When Jackson Walker tragically died, and Bianca Jackson abandoned her children- Kiara was grateful for the royal family allowing the Walker siblings to stay in Cordonia. This way she hadn’t lost the love of her life.
Every time Kiara saw him, her heart would flutter- she wouldn’t admit her feelings to anyone, especially her closest friends Madeleine and Penelope. Kiara had to admit, that Drake always looked damn good even in his usual denim jacket- his muscles were visible even through the material. When his earthy brown eyes opened, she believed that they were full of lust and satisfaction- she adored it. His cocky smirk, most people would find rude- but not her, instead it was one of his features that gave him his personality.
Kiara knew once she joined the social season that she would never win the heart of the Prince- but that didn’t matter to her. She was a suitor for her house, that was all- her heart belonged to the handsome commoner. It was the tea party in Paris, Kiara had found Drake immediately sitting alone at the table staring into the brewing cup of tea. Asking him if she could sit with him he nodded, she was pleased- if he had said no she wasn’t sure if she could handle that kind of rejection.
*******
Kiara dug her nails into Drake’s biceps, leaving the slightest crescent marks against his skin.
“How about we take this somewhere private? No one will miss us?” She asked seductively. Drakes cock twitched at the premature thoughts of what they would be doing. Standing up, he checked over his shoulder- scrutinising the area everyone was engaged in social conversation. Holding his hand out to her, she excepted as they snuck off- the corner of her lips turned as they left.
Kissing her the world instantly fell away, as if no one else existed. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never explain. Resting his hand below her ear, his thumb caressed her cheek as their hot breaths mingled. She ran her fingers down his back, pulling him slightly closer. Unexpectedly, his hand drifted towards her hip. It lingered there as he pulled her closer- now not leaving any space between the two of them. Inhaling sharply, she fell into his warm chest, that chiseled to perfection. Feeling the beating of his heart against her chest, she felt safe and loved in his arms. Both their breathing quickened in unison, as he nuzzled into her neck with delicate kisses. They were so faint, they were more like whispers. Her now limp body began to tremble uncontrollably. His head was slightly positioned to the side as his lips came closer to hers- their breaths continued to mingle, her heart constantly fluttered inside her chest.
Pinning her against a wall, her hand began sliding across his jeans pressing on to his erection before eagerly working at his zip- releasing his manhood. The sudden urge he had, made him slide his hands under her skirt, pushing it up. Hooking his fingers around the lacy fabric of her underwear, he quickly pulled them down- before stashing them in his back pocket. Drake roamed his hands passed her thighs before pumping his fingers inside her determined to hit that spot. His thumb circled her clit, making Kiara’s body begin to tremble even more than before- her eyes begging and pleading for more. Removing his newly coated fingers, he bent down separating her legs before licking her centre- his breath on her felt warm- the sensation due to his actions made her close her eyes and arch her back. Switching from licking her with his tongue to sucking on her clit- he devoured her. As her moans became louder, this encouraged him to work faster, eager to make his girl cum for him again. “I think it’s your turn now Drake.”
Wrapping her delicate hand around his length, she began stroking it slowly - almost teasing him- Drake moaned at her touch. Rubbing her thumb in a tantalising rhythm over his tip- he believed he was already close to premature ejaculation. Slowly rubbing his hard cock, she was always impressed with his package. Placing her fingers around his shaft- she rubbed up and down. Changing the rhythm every so often, he moaned her name before she knelt onto the floor. She decided to lick his testicles before licking the tip of his cock, taking in all his length, his cock was now all wet and slippery. Increasing her speed, she felt him pulsate inside her mouth- knowing she was pleasing him as he did her, she didn’t want anyone else in her life.
Pulling her up back into a standing position, his hand slid under the fabric of her top- he cupped both breasts before tweaking each nipple- whilst slowly kissing her neck. Picking her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist. Kissing his neck as he brushed his tip against her entrance- before inserting himself inside her- he moaned loudly in response to the sharp bites she was now providing. Keeping her legs wrapped around him as he drilled into her, one hand was firmly braced on the wall- their kisses were becoming more passionate in between loud moans from the two of them. Their bodies were moving in sync, as he hit the spot with every powerful thrust.
He was so close, and Kiara was going to drive him quickly over the finish line.
“Come on baby, you feel so good.” She moaned as she felt his cock twitch inside her. “Finish for me. I want to feel you. I’ve needed this for so long.”
“Baby, I need you to take control. I can’t wait any longer. I want us to make love.” He grunted. Pushing him onto the floor, Kiara straddled him- riding him like a professional cowgirl through their orgasms. Rubbing her clit as she worked on him, she soon released. Something about Drake made her nerves stand on end- not knowing exactly why, she insisted on keeping that feeling for as long as she possibly could. Feeling his cock convulse inside her before releasing himself, she felt the warmth of his seed as she continued to slowly rock her hips helping them both ride out their high.
******
Every time she wasn’t with him, she could still feel his tongue against her core, the way he gently flicked and rubbed her clit eating her as if he was a starved man and as if she was his last meal. Driving his cock into her at accelerated speeds- pushing her over the edge every time.
“Kiara?” Fluttering her eyes open slowly, she smiled knowing it was just the two of them.
“Kiara? Are you going to tell me about Savannah?” Hearing his voice- still holding on to his bicep- she was suddenly knocked out of her trance as he abruptly removed her hand off him, providing her with a stern look.
“Pardon?”
“Savannah. She was taking french lessons from you months you said....”
“Oh. Yes. I really enjoyed teaching her. French is my favourite of all the languages that I speak. I’ve always found it to be such a romantic language.” Looking at Drake, a half hearted smile formed on her face as realisation hit that he didn’t understand her upfront flirting.
“Hey guys.” What is she doing here? Je la déteste.
“Oh, hello Lady Riley.” Kiara politely said, as she looked between Riley and Drake both their faces lit up being in each other’s presence. Elle l’aime. Il l’aime. She loves him. He loves her. I’m paranoid. They are only friends.
“Hey Brooks.” Drake winked at her, causing Riley to blush.
“Well don’t you two look cozy.” It was now Kiara’s turn to blush, before she saw jealously written across the newbies face as well as in her tone of voice.
“We weren’t.... I weren’t...” I wish I was. Je l'aime tellement. I love him so much. “I’d better go.” Kiara stood up, she couldn’t help herself look at the two of them- it felt like a stab in heart seeing the star crossed lovers look they gave each other.
“Drake you know you’re mine right?”
“Brooks.... you’re cute when you’re jealous, you know that?” Kiara stared at the two them discreetly. Noticing how relaxed Drake seemed around Riley, noticing him smile at her adoringly.
“Believe me, if I need to stake my claim on you, I’m not going to be shy about doing it.”
“And what would that look like?”
“I’m debating between a very public, very passionate kiss..... and shoving Kiara into the petit fours the next time she flirts with you.” Placing her arm on his shoulder, Kiara noticed his hand wandering towards her body. Her body began to shake, shaking that much that she didn’t realise the tea spilling over her.
“As much as I’d love to see that we both know you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re the only girl for me Brooks.”
Overhearing the conversation between Riley and Drake, she couldn’t understand what he would see in her. Wasn’t she good enough for him? She had known him longer than Riley did, she was like a stranger. You’re the only girl for me Brooks. Does Liam know about this ‘affair’? Or was I blind this whole time? Was I the only one to not realise about them both?
“How about we take this somewhere private? No one will miss us?” Drake asked Riley seductively, her lips curled up as she nodded. Drakes cock twitched at the premature thoughts of what they would be doing. Standing up, he checked over his shoulder- scrutinising the area everyone was engaged in social conversation- everyone that was apart from Kiara who was stood in the corner listening to them. Her heart began to shatter piece by piece.
“Brooks, I want you to take control of me. I can’t wait any longer. I want us to make love.”
Kiara watched the two of sneak off, like giggling teenagers. Tears forming in her eyes before running down her cheeks like a waterfall. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her tears away- forcing a fake smile as she joined in a conversation with Penelope and Madeleine.
It should have been me. Drake Walker will only ever be a fantasy. I want him to touch me, love me back. If you can see I'm the one who understands you. Been here all along so why can't you see? You belong with me. Have you ever thought just maybe? You belong with me.
Kiara noticed Liam on his own holding a scotch, her mind wasn’t functioning correctly as she made her way over to him.
“Lady Kiara... are you okay?” Liam’s forte was usually being able to read people, he had never seen Kiara look so vacant- she was the intellectual one out of all the women, always smiling, always able to bypass any feelings and keep up a conversation. Caressing her cheek he slowly wiped away the tears that were unknowingly to her racing down her cheek.
“Do you still have feelings for Lady Riley?” Assuming that Madeleine had informed her about his true feelings, he knew he couldn’t lie.
“I do have strong feelings towards Lady Riley. Why?”
“Did you know that she is in a relationship with Drake?” But he should belong with me.
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okimargarvez · 5 years ago
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FIRST DATE
Original title: First date.
Prompt: Luke asks Pen a date in a particular way.
Warning: none.
Genre: romantic, fluff.
Characters: Penelope Garcia, Luke Alvez, Phil Brooks, Roxy.
Pairing: Garvez.
Note: oneshot 70 in Garvez collection.
Legend: 🐶.
Song mentioned: Persone silenziose, Luca Carboni feat Tiziano Ferro.
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GARVEZ STORIES
Note: this is not about episode 15x10. I written it weeks before seeing that moment. It was just a dream (one of the little about garvez) I made.
FIRST DATE
 There are some silent people, there are timid presences hidden among people... but silence makes noise, the eyes have an amplifier... those eyes that have always been used to listening...
Hearing his cell phone vibrate, for a moment Luke fears that they have a new case. He looks at the display and smiles. -Alvez.- he gasps, trying to catch his breath. Roxy runs around him, agitated by the unexpected break.
The friend on the other end of the line chuckles. -Hey, brother, how are you?- he caresses the dog, calming him down. -Am I bother you?- he sighs.
-Never! I was running with Rox!- she barks, greeting Phil in her own way.
-You really have to find a girl, Luke.- he lovingly scolds him. Latin smiles inside himself. I'm just working on it. -About this... Did I mention my physiotherapist, Lisa? She's very pretty. I was wondering... would you like to have a double date? She, Penelope, you and I.- Luke's brain freezes on hearing that name. The heart starts pumping blood again at a speed not recommended. -What do you say? Hey, man, are you still there?- he blinks several times to recover.
-Yes, yes, I’m, but... What does your proposal mean? Do you know? Is it so obvious?- he blushes, but at the same time he is unable to get that grimace of absolute joy out of his face that appears every time he accidentally thinks of her.
-I understand what? Oh, wait. I hoped I saw wrong... You like her, don't you?- Luke runs his tongue over his lips, sighs in a teenage way.
-Yeah, huh, in fact... I asked her out. Or...- he scratches his head, nervous. -Technically I wrote her a letter. So, I don't know if you can consider it…- he recognizes Phil's exclamation.
-A letter? You mean paper letter? Only you can do such an old-fashioned thing!- he struggles to stop laughing. -Let me know how it goes, heartbreaker!- he is about to hang up, but he understands that he still has a joke in store. -If it goes bad, remember that there is someone else interested, not too far away...- Luke shakes his head. He doesn’t have time to put the phone in the pocket, that it starts ringing again.
He answers without looking. -Any other ridiculous joke, Brooks?- but he soon realizes it's not Phil.
-Alvez, we have a case and it's pretty bad. How long does it take you to get here?-
People who can't speak, who put their thoughts in order, people full of fear that someone might know their little and big... contradictory thoughts!
 Although not many are convinced of this, Penelope is capable of being a professional person. That's why she notices the envelope just beyond her office door. But she decides not to consider it until the case is resolved. And so, she does.
Leaning against the backrest, she yawns. Her eyes fall on that envelope, still sealed, intact. She looks more carefully at the only writing. Her name. Penelope. She recognizes the handwriting before opening it. She closes her eyes, thinking that when she opens them again, she will understand that it was a hallucination.
Instead it is always there. She starts reading.
Penelope,
I can't imagine what you're thinking right now. In fact, she has no idea what she should expect from the continuation. For this reason, she decides to go ahead. Maybe I should have started by calling you Garcia, like the rest of the team. But you are not only Garcia, for me, and especially when I think of you outside of work.
Here, now her head is definitely confused. She has to read the sentence a second time. It's the same. It is always there. She's not just Garcia for him. What else, then? I hope you are still reading it. I wrote you this letter instead of an email or a message, because I had too many things to say and I hope that a little of what I feel has been transmitted to the sheet and that you can believe me. He managed to snatch a laugh from her and he is not even physically here. She finds herself stroking those sentences with her fingers. He is really so sweet... And suited to his style. A cold email could never give her heart pounding. I'd like to go out to dinner one evening with you. She jumps, risking falling off the chair. Luke's next sentence scares her even more. He seems to read her mind. Yes, I don't mean as colleagues or friends at O'Keefe. I mean a real full-blown appointment. Considering how they have always been going around the issue, without ever taking an effective step that leaves no room for doubt... well, yes, it is quite strange. Romantic. Intimate. Just the two of us. He continues to puzzled her, every word he adds.
In case you haven't died from a giggle attack now, I'd like to try to show you that it's all true. For once he hasn't guessed her reaction at all, quite the opposite. Laugh? She is not thinking about it at all. No, rather, should this irregularity in her heart beat worry her? Is she by chance having a heart attack? Should she call someone? I have been imagining that moment for far too long (more than I would admit). Oh shit, if he goes on this log, she'll really have to call an ambulance. I see you as if you were now in front of me. I see your extraordinary beauty in every nuance. Holy crap, holy crap. Her extraordinary beauty? Was he by chance drugged when he started writing this letter? Does he really think this of her? So, this is the reason why he stares at her for so long even in the least indicated moments. And I see myself, awkwardly, with my heart rumbling in my ears and sweaty hands, forcing me to ring the bell. And listening with tension to every noise coming from beyond the door. And your steps. He is a cursed poet, a director, an artist, because he has managed to show what he has described as almost real, a film, an anticipation... a spoiler aimed at the future. And then I imagine your smile a little uncertain, as if you had feared that in the end it would turn out to be a joke. Damn profilers; how can you play with them equally? I would make a compliment, you would thank me by touching my arm, I would reach to heaven. In Heaven just for a light touch on the arm? She doesn’t dare, really, Penelope doesn’t dare to imagine what effect it would then have if she accidentally came into contact with a slightly more pushed area... like the chest. I don't want to irk you; I'll spare you the rest of the evening. Irk you; here's the mystery solved, it's a Reid joke! But she doesn't believe it, never for a second. I will just tell you that I am sure I would have a fantastic time. Just because it would be with you. Damn bastard, what creature, no matter the gender, could decline an offer presented in this way? Without feeling like an idiot.
Because you are this. When I am close to you, it is as if the words no longer want to collaborate with me and form sentences of complete meaning... She knows the feeling perfectly, bro. But at the same time, I'm fine, you make me feel good, otherwise I wouldn't want to spend so much time with you. Well, it has its own logic. When love is logical? And why she thought that damn word?
I don't want to tell you what I feel for you loud and clear. I'd rather do it face to face; however cowardly I may be. And you're smart enough (actually a genius) to read between the lines. Smart enough, he says. And she knows it's true, but she doesn't dare to make assumptions. Lie, she already did. She did so whenever their eyes chained themselves for more than four seconds. But does anyone know this rule? Luke definitely doesn’t. Over four seconds means that the person who is looking at you wants to do something more with you, besides staring at you. No, not just a kiss. Of course.
I look forward to your reply, with trepidation and I hope I haven't ruined everything. For me, even just your friendship is important, but I could no longer live without knowing the truth, without getting involved. In her heart she wasn’t convinced that he would ever be able to take the first step.
Wherever and wherever you are, I wish you a wonderful day,
Luke
She emits so many sighs that she looks like a teapot about to explode, or a steam train. Has she really read those beautiful (wonderful, other than beautiful) words addressed to her by the Newbie (which for some time now can no longer be considered such)? No, she must have misunderstood, misinterpreted something. Instead it's all there, black on white: Luke Alvez wants to go out with her, a real date, romantic, intimate. He has swept away all doubts and loopholes. And now it's up to her, to answer him.
When was the last time she picked up one of her colorful and oddly shaped pens to do anything other than close a call with the team?
Okay, come on, it can't be that hard. He exposed his soul with her. The least she can do is try to return the favor.
 Luke didn’t expect an answer so soon, on the contrary, it would be more legitimate that he had not imagined to get a real reaction from his blonde colleague, only... he needed to get rid of that weight. He still felt good. He regretted to not meeting her before returning home after the case was over. It was strange, but it had already happened that she wasn't there waiting for them.
He would lie if he denied he has thinking about it until his brain went out. Or that it wasn’t his first thought when he woke up, while shaving with a little more attention than usual.
Yet he can't help but feel some fibrillation down the path to his desk. And when he sees that envelope on the smooth surface, he reacts more or less like Garcia. At first, he believes it is a projection of his mind. He must touch it to accept that it is a concrete object belonging to this dimension. Penelope imitated him in a sublime way. His name, only four letters, seems almost a drawing, traced by her fantastic hands. He tries very hard to hold back the cry of joy that has gone up to his throat. It may also contain a negative response; but he doesn’t even consider this possibility. Usually he is not a positive person, but this time... He looks around. There is practically nobody, here there are the positive sides of get there early. So how long has that envelope been there? Did she leave it here the night before? Or is Penelope already hidden in her office?
A lot of unnecessary questions. He opens it and instantly his nostrils are struck by a heavenly perfume. Gingerly, he brings it close to his nose. Yes, it is hers. Oh jeez, will he come out alive in the end? He takes a quick look. The first thing he notices is that it's much shorter than his. But didn't someone say that the synthesis is the maximum understanding of the text? Maybe he's confusing the areas.
He starts reading, calmly.
Luke,
but he bursts already after the first word, which is none other than his name again. He must close his eyes and press his fingers on his temple, to achieve a mental balance stable enough to be able to continue. wow, a letter, what... Anachronistic thing. And somehow, I must admit, fascinating. Never as much as she is, but the bottom line is that... she liked it! A good start. It is useless to dance around it: you completely puzzled me. I confess that I find it hard to believe that you want to go out with me as... As an interested man. Why does it have to be so complicated to accept? She thinks she is not live up to him? What nonsense! If anything, the exact opposite! She could have any one man, doesn't she know? But he hopes she wants only him. He wants to be the lucky chosen one, more than anything else in the world. But I decided to get involved, as you did. It seems to me a story a bit too elaborate to be a joke. Yeah, elaborate… why does he fall even deeper for her every word? And I suspected that there was a romantic under the beard and the hunter's skin. Caught, Alvez. Never been so happy to be discovered by a girl, since elementary school, when he played hide and seek. Are you glad I used your same method? And also one of my favorite pens; enjoy the perfume, and consider it an appetizer for that day... He doesn't resist, he tastes the aroma a second time, letting his lungs fill themselves with it, closing his eyes like a moron, hearing Garcia's voice in his head that repeats the last sentence. An appetizer. It is so erotic that... he is happy to sitting with the lower half of the body under the desk. And by the way: you didn't indicate a date. Oh shit, she's right! How could he have been so stupid? He blushes, cursing himself. Out of the corner of his eye he sees that Matt and Tara are entering. He must hurry to finish the reading.
I wish you and Roxy a good evening, and I apologize you for forgetting Sergio 😉 And, here is a second unforgivable omission. But no, she said the exact opposite. She's giving him a chance. For real.
Your fantastic Penny
Penny. He savors that name on his lips, slowly. Fantastic, she certainly is. He puts the letter in a drawer at random, he doesn't need to see it again, he has already learned it by heart, even if he doesn't have Reid's skills.
Luke proves even bolder than she thought. Taking advantage of the fact that no new cases have arrived, he manages to find a way to send the letter to her the same day. Now that he has received a first green light it is really difficult to refrain.
She could access the video of the camera placed outside her office to watch him put it under her door. But it would be a slightly maniac thing. So, she just picks it up from the floor and opens it with little grace. She reads all in one breath.
Penelope,
I thank you for your magnanimity. Yes, you cannot imagine what pleasure it is for me to can hold a handwritten script by your hands. Do you understand now how hopeless I am? She's starting to get an idea. They are on the same boat. Do you think that a joke would be worth this self-denunciation and humiliation? You're right, for the emotion (and stupidity) I forgot to indicate a date, or maybe I was afraid that you might be scared of it, as if I had already decided everything. Yes, it is a far from remote hypothesis. Unless we will get a case, what you think about tomorrow night? Tomorrow. Tomorrow night. Just over 24 hours from now. She strives to breathe normally. And forgive me if I haven't been able to rely on post delivery times,
your Luke
Hers! Hers! Will he ever really be hers? Her boyfriend. Luke Alvez her boyfriend. It looks like a joke. It seems too real. And it frightens her.
She spends most of the day wondering what is the best way to answer him. She discards another letter because someone would surely notice it as she leaves it on Agent Alvez's desk. A message is too little and an email... Too detached. She wastes time so long that it is the moment to go home.
 She is waiting for the elevator, always swimming in indecision. And it is at that moment that fate sets in motion. Luke appears from around the corner. At first, he seems almost frightened to find her there. Then his face melts into a smile. -Hey..- he is unexpectedly shy.
-Hey.- she replies with the same intonation. They look at each other for a few minutes. Weirdly, no one, stranger or part of the team, arrives to interrupt that moment. -Okay.- says Penelope after a century. Luke's eyes widen. She approaches him slowly, and puts her hand on his shoulder. -Okay, Luke, tomorrow is fine.- she whispers, making him shiver. -But you still forgot to indicate a time.- she smiles, going away.
Luke blushes. -Oh, you're right... it’s good 8.00 p.m.? Then you should have enough time to... You know.- she nods.
-It's perfect.- the elevator arrives, he lets her go up first. They are silent throughout the journey. Just before arriving, she approaches him again and places a kiss on his cheek. -Good night, Luke. See you tomorrow.-
 The next evening
And suddenly you run away... without saying goodbye. Your eyes go down the stairs... I don't know what they are going to do, if to be moved or to dream... to get angry or to meditate...
Luke manages to hold back anxiety for the first twenty minutes. After another ten he goes into paranoia. Half an hour late seems to him a socially acceptable time to lose his head and call her. The phone rings empty. He waits a few more minutes and tries again. Ring endlessly, until the voice mail goes. Damn, why the hell isn't she picking up? It is on the third call that he completely loses his mind. He presses the repeat button practically without even realizing it. He takes strangely little time to reach thirty; thirty calls.
He doesn't even think for a moment if he should call the police. If something bad happened to her, what could a policeman do more than a federal agent (not on duty)? He drives like a madman to her house; he only went once but he has already memorized the route. Like whatever concerns her. He forces himself to park in a decent way and also to close the car; if someone would steal it, he would certainly be not be very clever, in case he had to take her somewhere, like a hospital... He climbs the stairs three steps at a time. He is already ready to knock down the door, he is mentally preparing himself for the act, when it opens wide and behind it there is her, perfectly healthy, intact, except that she seems very shaken.
He can finally start breathing again. Oxygen enters his lungs violently. -Penelope.- he coughs, as an inevitable consequence.
She just stares at him with terrified eyes. -You gave me... you gave a heart attack!- she puts one of her hands on her chest. Luke notices that she is wearing an open dressing gown that reveals a pajama. Did she prepare for their date or did she never give him a real chance? Did he just delude himself? He intends to get all the answers right now.
After the relief a little anger takes over, transmitted through a pungent irony. -Why, you thought you got rid of me forever?- but he doesn't last long, because she seems really too lost and fragile to be really angry. He already knows the reason for her behavior. He just needs to hear her say it.
-What?- Penelope asks, even more confused. Luke shakes his head.
-Forget it.- but he has a spasmodic need to touch her, any part of the body will be fine. -Why did you ditch me?- he caresses her arm, that thin layer of skin exposed to the outside world, and, surprisingly, she doesn't jump, she doesn't chase him away. -I waited until eleven o'clock.- is a reproach, but he has said it in the lowest and sweetest tone that is available in his vocal range. Penelope looks at him in passing. She doesn’t let her eyes fall into male ones. They are too magnetic. And she is in pajamas. And that's enough to embarrass her. Why does he persist in staying on her doorstep? She sighs, recalling the spirit of the Garcia of the past. The queen of ice. Anything just to get rid of him.
-You and the team wanted to play a trick on me and I ruined your party... I can't say I'm really sorry.- she is an excellent actress, even though she has never been able to exploit these qualities in real, private life... only on a stage. Luke seems to have taken really bad. As if... nope. It doesn't really care. -It's life, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose...- and instead, she seems to be rotten wrong. The man grabs her wrist that a second ago he was gently stroking and drags her dangerously towards him. Now she just can't avoid eye contact. And maybe it's better to not focus on his beautiful mouth.
That is now ranting at her. -What are you talking about?- the tone seems desperate, pained. -I will have called you thirty times and surely your voice mail will be clogged.- in fact it was really so. She didn't believe he would be able to go that far and listen to him beg her to tell him if she was okay, that the rest didn't matter, that he just needed to know that everything was ok... of course he shook her. But not enough to give her the strength to answer and reassure him. Why the hell was she so stupid?
Luke doesn't seem to think this of her, but the blonde continues straight on the road that will lead her to crash and collect the pieces of her heart. -I thought you would get there alone.- the voice, however, is already trembling, and she is wavering and seeking support in the door, rather than in him.
She reads sincerity in his face, yet she is unable to do anything other than boycott her own happiness. -Penelope, let's face it: did you think it was just a joke?- she doesn't nod, nor does she deny. Her eyes speak, confess. -Really? After everything we've written to each other?- a vein in his neck throbs, his face is red and his eyes are shiny. It's the first time she's seen him so furious. And to know that she is the reason... no, it is not at all good.
Even if she tells him exactly the opposite. -You're not cute when you're angry.- she shoots before she can stop it. This is not a thought that first formed in her mind and then was came out from the mouth. No, it born of nowhere.
Luke frowns. He is so puzzled that he lets her go. -What?- and she can no longer deny. She would like to have his arms around her back and his lips on hers. By this time, she could have already gotten it, if she wasn't an idiot and a coward. Never again, she promises. Never repeat the same mistake again.
-I won't take it back.- from now on she will be 100% sincere, even if it means having to suffer. She was never able to protect herself from the feelings that people cause her before Luke Alvez appeared on her radar. Why was everything different with him right away? She already knows the answer to this question too. She looks him straight in the eye. She could so easily fall in love with him... and it probably has already happened. -I said you're not cute when you're angry.- she tries to use a firm, stable tone of voice, even if a samba contest is taking place inside her.
Luke's face darkens. -But I'm not mad at you. I'm... just sad.- he has found a way to make her feel guilty, and almost certainly he is not aware of it. Both his attitude and tone are killing her. -It was so difficult to find the courage to ask you out and...- she interrupts him, practically caught by an electrocution. For a moment she sees him kneeling at his feet. No less insecure than now, despite they having been together for years. Willing to stay with her, even if she were to say no. And she can no longer really continue to doubt.
-Oh God. You really wanted to go out with me.- she starts shaking her head and at the same time her legs melt. Luke promptly holds her up, making her rest on his chest. He sticks his fingers in her blonde strands. Just to get this, the evening cannot be considered a fiasco, for him.
-I still want it.- he whispers. Then he sees her closing her eyes and trying to reach his lips. He barely rejects her, practicing violence against himself. -No, no kisses- Penelope teases him with a lost puppy look, abandoned in a cardboard while it's about to rain  -don't look at me like that, don't tempt me, it wouldn't be fair.- he feels a jerk, but he has already waited so long that twenty-four more hours won't make much difference. Quite right? He could convince himself. -I want to do things right, with you.- because she deserves it, that's what he doesn't add. Because he doesn't want too much frenzy to extinguish their flame, even if he doesn't really believe it's possible.
She tickles him on the chest through the layers of cloth. -But between us has there ever been anything normal and ordinary?- she replies promptly. And she's right. Fucking right. Her scent, the same of the letter, clouds his brain. But he holds on.
-But I'd still like to try.- Penelope nods, giving up and contenting herself with embracing him and trying to merge with the male body. -Then, will you blow me off a second time?- it had to be a joke, but she catches the few shades of seriousness in it.
She sighs, touching his neck and catching his eyes. -I can't promise you that I will. I wish I could, but my... fears, sometimes... win and...- Luke nods too, because this is a fight he has often faced, since he met a certain Penelope Garcia, BAU’ computer technician.
He takes her face in his hands. -I hope you just know that on the other side there is a man waiting anxiously and with heavy heart.- the phrase seems too retro and artificial to remain serious. Straight output directly from a nineteenth-century comedy. -Look, I made you laugh, it's already something.- he rests his lips on her forehead. -It's all real, Penelope, you don't have to be afraid you can suffer. Do you believe me?- he feels her nod.
But she understands alone that he also needs to hear it from her voice. -Yes.- even if it's a murmur, just whispered.
Luke smiles. -Well.- he's going to do something again that is against what he really wants. Kissing her, entering her apartment, closing the door with his foot, as they do in the movies and scandalizing Sergio. What would be wrong with that? -Now I go home, I have to force myself, otherwise I would stay here with you forever.- her eyes are exactly asking him why he shouldn’t. -I put almost all the cards on the table, I think I can't do more.- he comes off with difficulty, it's really a painful action.
For her too. -See you tomorrow, Luke.- she greets him only. But then the man turns, before turning to take the stairs, and then she adds a simple, very small sentence. That changes everything. -I'll miss you!-
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matthewsradish · 5 years ago
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Wow thank you for wanting me to write you a little fic :’^) It was such a joy to flex my writing muscles and to spend a bit of time with my sweet babies. It’s unedited but I wanted to get it to you as quickly as possible so I hope you enjoy nonetheless, Anon.
The air was warm, and blossoms bloomed in sweet taffy colored sprigs as a light breeze tickled the back of her neck as she sat near the stream that had once brought her such comfort. Today the brook did not whisper, did not console. She heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and tried to tamper her surprise when a pair of worn, brown boots stood beside her. “Gilbert,” Anne said. “What are you doing here?”
“I- well,” he began. “I saw you take off before the Queens study group had even started and you looked distraught.”
Anne looked up at him, the sun making his dark curls look enticingly soft. No, Anne thought, he is not yours to think about. “After the protest,” Anne started. “The one at city hall…”
“Yes, I was there,” Said Gilbert, fighting a smile.
Anne rolled her eyes but let her lips curve into the smallest hint of a smile. “After, you told me that everyone forgave me because I right my wrongs.”
“Yes…” Gilbert waited for her to continue, settling himself next to her, letting his feet dangle just above the waters surface.
Anne looked at him, his face was open, curious. “I think I have found the one wrong that, despite my many attempts at employing my imagination, I can not fix. I have lost her forever, I’m afraid.” 
“That’s why Diana wasn’t at the demonstration.” It wasn’t a question. Anne battled with herself, the need to tell someone about their fight, and the need to pretend that it never happened. “If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to.”
She liked the way ‘we’ sounded on his lips, how such a minuscule word could set her heart on an uneven rhythm. She had always thought powerful words were synonymous with big words, but maybe there was might in the simplicity of such a fragile thing as we. And she did need to talk about it. “I think I truly messed up, Gilbert, more so than I normally do if that’s even possible,” she told him, her fingers running through the cool current of the stream, as she wrapped her other arm loosely around her knees. “But I don’t know how to fix, because I don’t know if she thinks I am even worth trying to reconcile with.”
“You’re crying,” he said, his hand twitched at his side, as though he might reach out to her, but instead he handed her a handkerchief from his pocket. Anne had not even noticed the hot tears slipping down her cheek. She wanted to be embarrassed, crying in front of Gilbert again and this time him recognizing it for what it was. Where was an onion when you needed one? 
She dabbed at her face, her eyes focusing on the rocks that rested under the water. Gilbert was gentle when he spoke again. “Tell me what happened, if you’re comfortable, and I can try to help. I can’t imagine a world where you and Diana aren’t able to continue your friendship.”
“I-it’s so complicated,” she started, trying to figure out where to start. “She was so disappointed in me for hurting Josie, but the entire time she was hurting Jerry, and how could I not worry she thinks of me the same way if he is not good enough for her and her future in Paris?” Anne could hear the bitter resentment in her words, taste it like liniment on her tongue. Her tears did not slow. Did growing up mean losing those who helped you get there?
“Jerry?” He asked, his eyebrows pulling together. “Diana and Jerry?”
“Yes,” Anne sobbed. She took a steading breath, taking the moment to find her words. “Diana and Jerry have been forming a secret attachment for weeks, and she never told me about it. It might have been so tragic and romantical, a secret beau,” she said dreamily, despite herself. “But she doesn’t even like him!” 
The tale finally found its footing in her mind and it came pouring out of her, cathartic and heartbreaking, all at once, and Gilbert listened all the while. “And how can she say that I am different?” Anne implored. “I am of orphan stock, and what is the difference between being penniless and parentless?”
“You are a Cuthbert now,” Gilbert pointed out.
“But there are still those whose opinions are unchanged by that fact, that still think I am trash.” Anne lay her head back down on her knees, contemplating what criteria decided the worthy from the unworthy. Wondering at what point Anne would become a secret to the people in Diana’s life. “I don’t know how to reconcile the Diana who is my bosom friend, with the Diana who could mistreat Jerry simply because he was not born with her advantages.”
“Hmm,” Gilbert mused, looking at the tops of the trees that cut the skyline like teeth. “I think she’s scared.”
“Scared? What is there to be scared of? Her entire future is planned for her,” Anne bit out.
Gilbert looked back down at her and raised his brows. “Exactly,” he said. “She has many advantages, Anne, but she doesn’t have freedom. She doesn’t have choices.”
Choices. Anne hadn’t even thought of it that way. She hadn’t even thought. “Rebelling,” Anne mused, rolling the word around on her tongue.
“I don’t think what she did was kind,” Gilbert said. “And I doubt that Diana does, either. But I think it comes from a place of fear. Of trying to have something that was solely for herself, before all of her choice is gone.” 
“I think you are quite right,” Anne said and then paused. “But how can you continue to kiss someone, knowing their attachment is stronger than yours? Knowing that what is just passing time for you is them listening to the birds singing and hearing your laugh in it? That when they eat a cake it tastes like ash on their tongue because they know the taste of your lips and nothing could be sweeter?”
She looked at Gilbert, waiting for him to reply. He had an odd look about his face, as if he was trying to work something out within himself. 
“Gilbert, may I ask you something?” Anne picked nervously at the grass along the embankment, not caring that her fingers stained green as she worked the blades between the pads of her fingers. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. But curiosity is my besetting sin and I have always struggled to not fall victim to it and have never mastered it.”
His face was weary for only a moment before he nodded. “Of course.”
“What do you feel when you kiss Winifred?” she felt the heat creep into her cheeks but refused to look away and make it known just how silly she felt. “As I said, if it’s too personal, too improper, you don’t have to say anything.” Anne was rambling but her anxieties made it nearly impossible to stop.
It took Gilbert a moment to regain his composure, the shock clear on his face and Anne hated herself for noticing his eyes. How hazel was her favorite color, how it did not clash with red, but complimented it. 
“I,” he began, clearing his through. “I haven’t, uh, kissed her- Winifred.”
“Why not?” Anne asked in a small voice, her hunger for answers outweighing her propriety. 
“I don’t know,” Gilbert answered, looking at the space between them, their hands inches apart. “I guess because I’m waiting for the wind to sound like her laughter, a sign that I should.”
Annoyance bubbled deep in Anne’s belly, at Diana, at Gilbert. “So you’re leading her on? Hoping that when her father slides the paper with her dowery scratched on it that you’ll finally know she was right for you?” She was being unfair, she knew it, she could see it in the hurt in his eyes, but she couldn’t stop.  She got to her feet, looking down on him, the wind whipping her braids about her shoulders as her voice rose up, up, up with the wind. “Will you move to Paris, go to the Sorbonne? You and Diana will be welcomed with open arms and fat coin purses there. Then you both can forget about Avonlea and the degradation that is farming and the waif of a girl who is only a stepping stone until high society opens your eyes to how ill-fit I am to associate with.” 
Gilbert scrambled to his feet, a look of shock and desperation twisting his features, but Anne turned away from him, looking anywhere but at the hurt she had caused. Why couldn’t she stop pushing people away? Some part of her wanted to see if they would fight for her, and was scared that they wouldn’t. Some part of her was scared that they would.
“Anne,” he said. “Where is this coming from? I am not bidding on Ms. Rose as if she is cattle, I am not even thinking that far ahead.”
“You aren’t thinking that far ahead?” She spun on her heels, her anger at its boiling point, her blood rioting in her ears.
And then the world was spinning, as her foot lost purchase on the damp embankment, the nauseating sensation of her own mass falling backwards. And then came the cold embrace of water, her nose and mouth taking in the sweet, cool flavor of the early summer stream. Just as quickly as she went under, she broke the surface, a pair of warm hands hauling her from the tangle of her limbs as he brought her back on the firm ground, giving berth to the bubbling brook. 
“Anne,” Gilbert was calm but the edge of his words were fuzzy with concern, his pants soaked to the knees, like the stones along the cliffs of Prince Edward Island as the tide pushes out. He cupped her face as she sputtered and coughed. “Anne, are you okay?”
She looked up at him, her throat raw and throbbing, her clothes lead heavy, and realized how close their faces were. He really did have a splendid chin. And then she began to laugh. It began as a wheezing noise as her body adjusted to breathing once again, but soon turned into the deep laughter that hurt her belly in such a pleasant way. “Oh, Gilbert, I can not be beat for a temper,” she said around laughs. “I was hurting and it made me cruel, I should not have been so vexed. Please forgive me, Gilbert, sometimes you need a fall from grace to bring you back to your senses.”
Gilbert laughed out, his hands still cradling her cheeks, the sound more beautiful than any bird Anne had conversed with on her walks through the woods. He looked down at her, his laughter swallowed by the sincerity of his gaze. “Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, there really is no one like you.”
If I wanted to kiss a boy, the memory floated, unbridled, to the forefront of her thoughts, couldn’t I just kiss him? 
And with that thought came determination. That she did indeed want to kiss this boy. That she didn’t want to waste the freedom she had been granted. That she knew exactly who she would want to tell after.
There was little space between them, but she closed it all the same. 
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youreverycolor · 5 years ago
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An Unlikely Love: Fight For It, Pt. 2 (Rafael Barba x Anna Stein)
AN: Prompt #43 from 200 Prompts from @drink-it-write-it (“Do you believe in soulmates?” – “No.” – “Oh, well, that’s a shame, because I’m it. I’m your soulmate.”)
The conclusion of Fight For It. I hope you guys enjoy. Comments and reblogs are always appreciated. :)
Special thanks to @madpanda75, @thatesqcrush, and @misssirenlove for love, support, idea-bouncing, and generally being wonderful women.
Tagging: @danahart1 @nikkijmorgan @ele-esposito @dianilaws @sunnyfortomorrow @mommakat32 @lucifersadvisor @gibbs274 @oliviamariathegirl @evee87 @tropes-and-tales @garturbo @delia26 @neely1177 @jennisdirtyimagines @lostintech0011001 @letty-o @lucifersadvisor @sunnyfortomorrow @literallyprentissstwin @gibbs274 @dianilaws
Song: "Ours” by Taylor Swift
~*~*~*~
There was nearly a decade between Amanda Rollins and Anna Stein, but they could easily be mistaken for sisters, only a year or two apart. Of all the squad members, Anna was closest with Olivia, and so she might have asked if the lieutenant could use some time away from work, but she thought better of it. Olivia was Rafael’s best friend, after all, and he would probably want to talk to her over the course of the week. However, since the party he had thrown to celebrate Anna’s first semester grades, Amanda and Anna had also formed a fast friendship. Amanda was a lot of fun and up for anything without needing an explanation, as Liv might have asked for. As it turned out, she also had a copious amount of vacation time saved up. So, she bribed Carisi into taking Jesse for the week—with the use of her sitter for the daytime—and told Olivia a slight fib about a “family emergency back home.” By Tuesday night, she and Anna were on a plane headed to Tennessee.
Originally, Anna had suggested Vegas, but Amanda—a recovering gambling addict—quickly countered with Nashville. Anna had never been there, but Amanda said she would love it: all the fun of Vegas bars without the price tag, and the added bonus of hot cowboys. Amanda knew Nashville like the back of her hand; she had graduated from Middle Tennessee State University. The college was only about thirty miles from downtown Nashville, and Amanda and her friends frequently went into the city on weekends. So she knew exactly where to go and what to do, and Anna was more than happy to let her lead the way.
Although in some ways, Amanda had become a hardened New Yorker, she quickly reverted to her roots after only a day in Tennessee. She took Anna along for the ride, converting the native Californian to a Southern belle. During the days, they visited the Parthenon, Music Row, and the Country Music Hall of Fame. They took walks along the riverfront and even went to the Grand Ole Opry. Amanda had done most of these things already, but she was content to do them again with her friend, who clearly needed the distraction.
At night, they teased their blonde hair (Amanda joked that “the higher the hair, the closer to God”) and wore obscenely short denim skirts and cowboy boots while drinking on Honky Tonk Row. At some point, they found themselves in a karaoke bar, and Anna shocked the hell out of Amanda by singing the mysterious, little-known third verse of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.” They talked about their families and how much they missed them; Amanda’s mother and sister had moved back to Atlanta and she rarely got to see them, while all of Anna’s family still lived in Los Angeles, where she also had lived until four years ago. But all the while, Anna did not bring up Rafael once, and Amanda didn’t ask about him.
But by dinner on Monday, Amanda’s curiosity got the better of her. They were sitting at a bar nursing vodka tonics and eating the best burgers Anna had ever had, when Amanda asked, “So, since we’re scheduled to fly out tomorrow morning, you gonna tell me why we came?”
“Sorry?”
“Well, as much fun as this trip has been—”
“So much fun!” Anna said. “It’s honestly been the best girls’ trip I’ve ever taken.”
Amanda smiled. “I’m glad you had fun, but I have to ask…”
Anna set her burger down in favor of a sip of her drink. “I don’t want to make it weird for you when you have to deal with him at work,” she said. “It really wasn’t that big of a deal anyway.”
“Okay, first off,” Amanda began, “unless you’re telling me about whatever weird kinks Barba has in the sack, nothing you could say would make me feel weird around him. And second, it must have been a pretty big deal for you to want to get out of the damn state for a week.”
“Maybe I just wanted to do something fun over spring break with a friend,” Anna replied, avoiding eye contact.
Amanda raised an eyebrow. “You know I’m a detective, right?”
Anna laughed. “You and, like, half my other friends.” She put her face in her hands and then turned on her bar stool toward Amanda and told her the whole story, starting with Rafael’s Spanish-laced tirade when he arrived home to the moment he stormed back out. Amanda listened quietly the entire time, the same as she did when investigating a case. Her face betrayed nothing—no doubt a skill she learned in her gambling days.
When Anna finally finished, Amanda took a deep breath. “You know, I can’t say any of this surprises me.”
Anna raised her eyebrows. “What?”
Amanda downed the last of her vodka. “Well, let me start by saying that you did the right thing getting out of there. A lot of women would’ve hung around waiting for him to get home. Took a lot of guts to do what you did.”
“What, run away?”
“You planning to go back?”
“Of course,” Anna said, a little taken aback.
“Then you didn’t run away. You decided that for the good of your relationship, you needed to take some time for yourself. No shame in that.”
Anna took a moment to process this. “It really was a stupid fight,” she finally said.
“Yeah,” Amanda agreed. “But, you know, all couples fight. At least you’re fighting about stupid things than about, I don’t know, whatever the hell my old partner, Nick, and his wife used to fight about.”
“I guess,” Anna said.
Amanda put her hand on top of Anna’s. “Anna, look at me.” Anna looked up, pushing a wisp of her hair away from her eyes. “You’ve gotta understand, Barba has been alone for a long time. And take it from me, when you’re alone that long, you get used to thinking you’re right all the time because there’s no one telling you otherwise.”
“I get that, but maybe we’re just too different. Maybe he’s been alone too long. Maybe I don’t take things seriously enough. Maybe it’s just too—”  
Amanda held up her hands. “Look, I get it. He’s a stubborn pain in the ass. Hell, he’s hard to work with, so I can’t imagine living with him. You’ve got a pretty big age gap, and you’re both really busy with work and school. So I would completely understand if you decided you weren’t right for each other.” Then she softened her voice. “But I told you once before, I’ve never seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you. And when I asked if you were planning to go back, you looked at me like I was nuts for even asking that question. That says something to me.”
Suddenly, the bartender came over with two shots of whiskey. “From the gentlemen down that way,” he said, gesturing to two young, extremely handsome men sitting at the end of the bar.
Anna and Amanda looked at the men, then at each other. “You wanna go talk to ‘em?” Amanda asked, a sly grin on her face.
Anna hesitated for a second, looked at the men again, and then took out her phone. “Give me a second.” A minute later, she put it away and grabbed one of the shot glasses. “Okay. Ready.”
They clinked their glasses, tapped them on the bar, and downed the shots. “Sisters, right?” Amanda asked, referring to their cover story.
Anna hopped off her barstool and the two of them linked arms. “Sisters.”
***
Rafael was miserable.
Anna had only texted him twice a day since she’d landed in Nashville the previous Tuesday: once in the morning, and once at night. It was largely the same message every time: good morning or goodnight, and that she hoped he had a good day. He appreciated that, despite her anger, she at least wanted him to know that she was safe. And he wanted to give her the space she had clearly demanded, so he didn’t message more than that. He wasn’t a jealous man who needed to know what his girlfriend was doing every minute of the day, after all. Anna had gone on a handful of trips with her friends over the course of their relationship. That wasn’t what bothered him. What bothered him was that this time, she did it to get away from him rather than to get away with other people. That made all the difference. He trusted Anna implicitly. But every night, after he’d finally dragged himself home to bed, his brain went to a dark place where she met some stranger in Nashville, some ridiculous cowboy, who made her realize that he wasn’t worth the effort.
And because of what? A damn pen.
The day after she left, he threw them all out.
He felt like a bachelor again, but this time it wasn’t self-imposed. Nevertheless, he had reverted to his bachelor ways, working as much as he could until the wee hours of the morning. On Thursday and Friday mornings, Carmen had found him asleep on his office couch in the same clothes he’d worn the previous day. He worked right through the weekend, up until Sunday night. The good news was that he actually seemed to have caught up on a good deal of his backlogged work. The bad news was that he couldn’t even enjoy the spoils because he had no one to enjoy them with.
He had lunch with Olivia a couple of times and didn’t mention what was going on. She noticed something was off, but he deflected, saying he just hadn’t slept well that week. It wasn’t a lie.
Since he had gotten caught up with work that week, he decided to take Monday off. He cleaned out his closet, donating a bunch of clothes he hadn’t worn in a year. Anna had said more than once that she wanted to get a rain shower head, so he went out and bought one and installed it. Carisi came over with Jessie and a pizza that evening. Rafael had never been comfortable around children, but he had to admit that watching Carisi play with Jesse made him want to participate. So he and the detective and Amanda’s daughter colored and ate pizza��and for a minute, he forgot about being alone. Then, he got the nightly text from Anna, and was reminded all over again that she wasn’t going to be next to him in bed.
By Tuesday, he was climbing the walls. Work was the only thing he knew would take his mind off of the long wait until she arrived back home, so he threw himself into it that day. He had to give his phone to Carmen so that he wouldn’t be tempted to check it every ten seconds. She gave him a weird look but took it anyway. When three o’clock hit, he gathered his things to head home. Anna’s flight was due in at four, and he wanted to be there when she got home so that he could tell her what he’d failed to tell her before she left.
***
The light in the bedroom was on when he got home. For a split second, he was terrified—was there an intruder? And would his briefcase be enough to knock said intruder unconscious? But then he noticed the suitcase against the wall adjacent to the living room.
His heart raced. She must have gotten back early.
He found her in the master bathroom putting her toiletries away. She was wearing old, beat-up jeans and a t-shirt, and her hair was in a messy ponytail, but to Rafael, she had never looked more beautiful. He stood watching her for just a second, breathless. He worried if he said anything that it wouldn’t come out right. The last conversation they had turned out terribly.
But as soon as she turned her blue eyes up and locked onto the green of his, words were the last thing on either of their minds.
She flew at him, leaping into his arms and knocking him backwards onto the bed. She kissed him everywhere; on his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, and, finally, finally, his mouth. He kissed her so deeply that he thought he might actually be able to drink her. She tasted like mint and smelled like ripe peaches. She had come back to him in a flood of living memories. She had come back to him, period.
He finally pulled back to look her in the eyes again, his own wet with tears. “Te amo,” he said. “Te amo, mi corazón.” He repeated it like a prayer, so many times that he worried it lost meaning, but to Anna, nothing ever sounded better.
Rafael made love to Anna for the next two hours, and every time he moaned her name, “I love you” wasn’t far behind.
After they were both finally spent, they lay under a throw blanket on the bedroom carpet; at some point in their lovemaking, Anna actually rolled off the bed and they just continued there, laughing and kissing all at once. She told Rafael about her trip and all the things she and Amanda had seen and done. He hung on every word. But there was one more story she had to tell, and she hoped that when he heard it, he would understand why she reacted the way she did when he arrived home.
“So,” she said, “I don’t think I mentioned, we had a cover story on this trip that we were sisters. We didn’t use our own names with anyone we met the entire time. It was like being undercover. So last night—”
He laughed. “Okay, I have to know. What was your UC name?”
“I was Ariel and Amanda was Aurora.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “You seriously used Disney princess names?”
“Well, if you’re gonna go UC, no better cover than a mermaid and a narcoleptic princess, right?”
“Does that mean I get to be Eric?” When she gaped at him, he said, “We’ve been together for over a year. I think you underestimate how much Disney trivia I’ve picked up in that time.”
She drew in a deep breath and focused her eyes on his. “So, as I was saying, last night, we were having dinner and two really hot cowboys sent us shots of whiskey.”
He sat up slightly, alarmed. “Okay, why are you telling me—”
“Because you need to hear this,” she said, pushing him back down and propping herself up on her elbow. “Amanda wanted to go talk to them. And we ended up having a really good conversation. It was a lot of fun.” He looked stricken, and she softened her expression. “Raf, you know nothing happened, right?”
“Of course I know that,” he said, although he was glad for the confirmation. “I just—it’s not that I don’t want you to go on trips with your friends. But this time…I guess I wish I could have been there with you.”
She smiled and kissed his shoulder. “You were, Raf. That’s what I was trying to tell you.”
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”
“Right before we went to talk to them? That was when I texted you goodnight. Because I wanted to make sure I said goodnight before you went to bed—whenever the hell that was this week. I didn’t want to do it late and have you wonder if I’d forgotten you.”
He felt tears welling in his eyes again. “Anna, I never would have thought that.”
“Even still. You were on my mind every night and every morning. I wasn’t just texting you to let you know I was safe. I wanted you to know that no matter what happens, no matter where I am or how things are between us, I’m always thinking of you. And,” she added, “I’ll always come home to you.”
He sat up and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, into her hair, and brought his lips to hers. When he pulled back, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
She pressed her forehead to his. “I’m sorry, too.” Then, she grabbed his watch from the nightstand above them. “I know it’s not our usual date night, but I could sure as hell use dinner and a movie right now. How about you?”
He smiled at her and ran a hand along her hip, memorizing the curves. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll even let you pick the movie.”
***
Anna wiped away her tears, which had been flowing for the last twenty minutes. After they’d eaten, she and Rafael had settled in to watch her favorite movie, What Dreams May Come. The plot was simple: the two main characters, Chris and Annie, lose their children in a horrible car accident. Annie has a mental breakdown and is institutionalized until she and Chris manage to rebuild their lives. But four years later, Chris also dies. His afterlife is beautiful, and he is reunited with his children. But when Annie commits suicide and is sent to hell, Chris journeys there to save her.
Even though Anna had seen it a thousand times, watching the two characters reunited at the end of the movie never failed to turn her into a weeping mess. She didn’t even try to hide it. “God,” she said, “That scene where they’re in Hell and he’s about to join her there and—Raf? Are you okay?”
Unlike Anna, Rafael preferred people think he was born without tear ducts. But there was no mistaking the sound of his sniffling next to her. “I’m fine,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady.
She leaned over and turned the end table light on. As her eyes adjusted, she caught him wiping his cheek with his shirt sleeve. “You’re crying!”
“I am not—”
“Yes, you are.” She handed him a Kleenex from the box she’d judiciously placed next to her before the movie started. He took it and blew his nose. “I warned you it was a gut-punch.”
“When you said it was a movie about soulmates, I think I expected, well, the usual tropes. I wasn’t prepared for something that seemed…realistic.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Almost the entire movie was set in heaven, and this is the one you’re calling realistic?”
“That’s not what I mean. Usually, movies make it seem like soulmates are perfect together and never fight and read each other’s minds. But come on, who gets that?”
She laughed. “People in movies.”
“Exactly,” he said. “People whose lives are literally scripted. But I don’t think our lives are predestined. For instance, I don’t think whatever higher power there is intended for you to be assaulted so that I could meet you.”
She cast her eyes downward. “Well, I’m glad to know that, because if that were the case, I’d think God was a huge asshole.”
He shifted on the couch to face her. “You want to know what part of the movie it was that got me?”
“Of course.”
He took a deep breath. “It was when they finally explained what their double-D anniversary was.” In the movie, Chris and Annie had a special anniversary; it commemorated the day they decided not to divorce after their children died and Annie had her breakdown.
“Oh, I know. When he told her not to give up—”
“No, it wasn’t that.” He cleared his throat. “When I first heard them described as soulmates, I was internally rolling my eyes. But then, we saw them suffering in two completely different ways. He pushed the pain away, and she collapsed under it.”
“Life’s like that,” she replied. “People react differently to things.”
“Yeah. But that’s what got me. They weren’t on the same wavelength at all. They didn’t just push through everything together like it was easy. They had to make an active decision to do it. When they chose to stay together, even after the gargantuan amount of suffering they went through…”
She pushed her hair over one of her shoulders and tilted her head. “So you do believe in soulmates now?”
“You know,” he said, “I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility. But like I said, I think soulmates aren’t people who are perfect together.” He took her hand. “I think they’re two people who aren’t perfect together—maybe even two people don’t even make sense together—but who make the choice every day to come back to each other. They fight, sometimes blow up, maybe don’t even speak to each other for a week, but they actively choose each other every day.”
She moved closer to him, tucking her legs underneath herself. “That sounds…very plausible.”
“Plausible,” he repeated with a chuckle. “In what world am I the romantic in this relationship?”
She grinned. “We can share the title.”
“I was thinking about the fight we had,” he said, pivoting so fast that Anna was worried he was shutting down on her again.
“Okay?”
“It was a nothing fight, but it turned into this big blow-up,” he continued. “A lot of couples would have let it get into their heads and make it into something about the relationship itself.”
She picked off a piece of lint from his shirt and smoothed the fabric over his shoulder. “Well, we’re not other couples.”
 He nodded. “And I know how people look at us when we’re out together. They see you, this beautiful, young, vibrant woman, and then they see me—”
“A handsome, distinguished, slightly silver fox?” she offered, gently touching his hair, the silver in it just beginning to show.
He smiled and put his hand on her cheek. The softness of her skin was like her generous heart: it never failed to amaze him. “The point is, despite what people think or say, or when life makes love hard, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we work at this, even through the hardest days, because we want to. We choose each other, every day—even if we need to go to other states to do it.” He winked at her.
She lifted his hand from her cheek and kissed his palm, her heart beating so hard it might have jumped out of her chest. “Are you saying…”
He didn’t complete her thought, but he didn’t have to. She knew the answer when he gave her that half-smile she loved so much. It made him look like a man much younger than his years, almost timid, a little mischievous. “I know, I just destroyed my grumpy, cynical persona. Don’t tell the squad; I have a reputation to keep up.”
For a minute, he was afraid that she would think he was silly or—worse—being disingenuous. But then he caught her eyes with his, and they were sparkling. She crawled from her spot on the couch into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “You know, in the movies, this would be when the boy asks the girl to marry him,” she laughed.
He pulled her to him, so that their lips almost touched. “Well, we’re not other couples,” he said, just before he closed the gap between them.
***
Two weeks later, Anna had fallen asleep on the couch hours ago while she was reading and he was reviewing case files. He couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t fallen asleep when she read on the couch. She would lay with her legs stretched across his lap and he would run his hands along her calves, sometimes massaging them if she’d had a particularly hard day at the diner. She thought it was for her benefit, but the truth was, he loved doing it. Knowing he could relax her into sleep just with the touch of his hands was an intimacy he loved even more than sex. And so it was that he found himself lifting her legs off of his lap carefully, trying not to wake her. Mercifully, she was a heavy sleeper. It would probably be a struggle to get her into bed later on. For now, he decided to just change into pajamas and do the rest of his work in the home office. But there was something he wanted to do first.
The fight they’d had was a turning point. It had been a result of nothing more than mishandled stress on both of their parts. It hadn’t been anything deeper than that. But it had scared him more than any other argument they had ever had. She had gone away on trips before that, but he hadn’t been lonely. Their apartment still felt like their home because he knew she would be back. But when she’d been away with Amanda that week, he had been afraid she would realize she was happier away from him. So their home had temporarily transformed into just a place to keep his stuff. It didn’t feel comfortable. It didn’t feel warm. It just felt like four walls he slept in. Waking up without her was excruciating, as was knowing he would have to fall asleep without her there. He’d missed her laughter, her smile, the way he could smell her shampoo for hours after she’d left the bed. He’d missed seeing her body wash next to his in the shower.
He had missed her legs on his lap.
He crept into the bedroom and turned on the nightstand light, the dimmest in the room, so as not to wake her from afar. Then he went into the closet and opened one of the drawers. She never went into his closet, saying that she was afraid she would get lost under a pile of ties and vests, never to be seen again. He reached deep within the drawer, toward the back, and found what he was looking for.
Anna had joked that, in the movies, after a boy told a girl she was his soulmate, he would ask her to marry him. Although he had deflected the comment with a kiss, for just a heartbeat, he thought she had somehow tripped, fallen, and landed in his sock drawer. He had managed to compose himself, but now, his overstimulated, paranoid brain needed to make sure she hadn’t actually found what he was holding.
He looked over his shoulder, and then carefully opened the velvet box in his hand. The ring he had bought was still there, the question within it. All he had to do was choose a day to ask.
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