#ollie x tara

[ollypopwrites]

Gale x Druid!Tav 🌿 Bonding with Tara

Rating: T (very brief and subtle mention of sex)

Notes: this is v domestic and I love Tara

Tara only gets to meet Tav briefly in the city but she’s known Gale long enough to know that look in his eye

Shes got manners so she’s not rude necessarily but she is stand-offish with Tav because well… she’s protective as much as Gale considers her his most dear and oldest friend he is hers and his mother is hers and he means so much to her

And Mystra well… I have a feeling Tara has some strong opinions on her. so naturally she’s cautious where she thinks he won’t be because he’s earnest and romantic and loves with his whole damn soul

And I talked about it before but! Tav and Gale have only known each other a short time, and they are certainly forged in fire so to speak but from the outside this whole thing looks like fiery whirlwind of feelings and fears of dying or becoming illithid

And Tara has concerns about that: is it going to fizzle out as quickly as it started? Is her Mr. Dekarios going to be left alone again sequestered in his tower? Is this flame going to burn him and leave another scar on his body and soul?

So if Tav accepts gales proposal and goes to Waterdeep Tara is not sure about the whole thing

And tav is… just a bit rugged in the space of Gale’s tower which can get dusty sure, and trinkets and books and quills are always somehow littered everywhere but its not quite the same

Tav’s shoes seem to always be steeped in 6 inches of mud, there’s dirt under fingernails, flowers or leaves in their hair and if Tav isn’t wearing those damned muddy shoes then they’re BAREFOOT and for all intents and purposes Tara feels like Gale found a feral stray animal and decided to bring it into the house

But Gale really enjoys it? He’s ready to renovate the tower so Tav can have a big greenhouse, space for more animals and they’re going on more outings to explore the wildlife around the harbors and beaches and Gale is beginning to sport a lovely tan and Tara isn’t sure she’s ever seen him spend so much time out of the tower but he’s practically glowing and she’s hard pressed not to be pleased he found someone who will literally make him touch grass

And despite being a Druid Tav doesn’t care when Tara hunts little mice and errant birds (which she definitely made a show of dropping small animal carcasses on the windowsill to once Tav nursed some injured bird back to health) but Tav just shrugged cuz circle of life and all that just please none of my pets thank you ms. Tara

She also lingered in the bedroom many a night because she’s a little shit who knows Gale won’t even take off his shirt if she’s there but then they started locking themselves in the bathroom and she flies off to his mothers house the moment she hears bath water start sloshing through the door

She admires the fact that Tav is not put off by Tara’s incredibly forced indifference and tendency to sit between them in the study because well Tav understands nature and she knows sometimes creatures become attached or just simply don’t want you to fuss over them or even touch them and Tara is of course, not a cat but a tressym, but the point still stands and Tav is just not bothered by any of it they’re very happy to simply cohabitate with a disinterested Tara

It isn’t until Tav wildshapes into a cat to sleep in a rare patch of sunlight during the winter that Tara breaks down

She comes over, at first sitting next to Tav and looking at her oddly but Tav just rolls onto her side and continues napping

With the unpracticed grace of a tressym who despite all her higher knowledge and powers loves scratches behind the ears and the spot on the window to watch birds fly by, she flops down to lay with Tav and its… actually quite nice especially when TAV STARTS PURRING.

And it feels nice to cuddle with someone cat-shaped almost, it taps into some far gone memory of piling with family

Thus the winter of snuggles begins where they lay in the sun and play fight and do Cat Things and Tara always flys off if she hears Gale coming around the corner and Tav never tells him about it so she’s spared any teasing and Tav never brings it up ever so as not to embarrass her

Until one day Gale finds them deeeeeeeep in a midday nap but decides not to tell them he found them

And he definitely was not teary eyed about it either that was dust in his eye

[shadesslut]

a father’s malice

Pairing: (Ex-Gf!Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader)

Content Includes: (Angst)

Summary: After the Ghostface attacks, Y/N tried her best to move on from Ethan with raising their son, but things get harder after Ethan gets out of jail.

part 1 part 2

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Things were starting to go better for Y/N. It had been a year after the incident, a year of therapy sessions, and a year of Y/N trying to move on from Ethan Landry. It’s also been a year since she found out she was pregnant. She couldn’t believe it; that Ethan was a Ghostface, and she couldn’t believe that Ethan could help create something as innocent as their kid. She named him Ollie, short for Oliver, and the last thing Y/N wanted was Ollie to resemble anything like his father.

Ethan was the only Ghostface survivor in the attack and was now currently residing in prison. She had visited him twice; once to tell him how much she hated him, and twice to tell him she never wanted to see him ever again. He kept his head down during both visits, not saying more than two words. He only nodded when she told him she’d never visit him again, and his fingers instinctively twitched, resisting to reach out and touch the glass.

It was hard, but she pushed through during the past year, especially with the help of her friends. They gave her their sympathy, but they didn’t understand; they never liked Ethan, so they weren’t as upset. Except Chad. Chad was the only one who bonded with Y/N over Ethan’s betrayal, which led to Chad being Y/N’s number one supporter with taking care of Ollie.

“Can you warm up his bottle?” Y/N asked, rushing to gather all of Ollie’s necessities in her bag. Ollie’s cries echoed throughout her apartment while Chad bounced Ollie on his legs. Chad winced as Ollie’s cries grew louder, and he nodded before standing up and shifting Ollie to sit on his hip.

“Here,” she offered out her hands towards Ollie, who happily reached for her. His cries quieted, and he rested his head in the crook of her neck, gently closing his eyes. “Finally,”

Chad held the bottle of milk under the faucet, turning on the hot water. He looked back to her and softly smiled.

“Hopefully, he’ll stay like that when we get there. Speaking of, Mindy texted me saying to hurry up.” Y/N sighed, throwing the bag over her shoulder and took the warm bottle from Chad. Chad sighed, and he took the bag off her shoulder, swinging it over his. “You ready?” He asked, turning off the lamps. She nodded, and she followed him out the door.

–

Sam smiled down at Ollie, who was letting out a very contagious laugh. She continued to tickle his round belly, while Tara held up one of his stuffed animals. The sisters were sitting on the floor in their living room as Y/N and Mindy washed dishes in the kitchen.

“Did you see the interview?” Mindy asked Y/N, slowly turning her head towards her. “And the bullshit Ethan said?”

Y/N’s hands stopped, and her shoulders slumped. She only shook her head silently in response.

Y/N’s hands stopped, and her shoulders slumped. She only shook her head silently in response.

“He said his dad manipulated him and Quinn, and that he honestly didn’t want to hurt anyone. And he blamed Anika’s death on Wayne, so now he’s just serving time as an accomplice. Total shithow,” she cursed, aggressively drying the plate in her hand. Y/N only had a solemn look upon her face as she dried her hands.

“Do you think they’ll let him out?” Mindy asked. She knew Mindy meant well, but God did she wish she would just shut up about Ethan.

“Mindy, stop talking about him.” Chad yelled at her from the living room. Chad gave Y/N a supporting smile, to which she returned. Mindy quietly apologized, before leaving the kitchen. “You okay?” Chad whispered to Y/N as she sat down next to him on the couch, looking over at Ollie.

“I’m fine.” She told him, but he didn’t believe her. She felt her eyes start to water as she looked at Ollie. He really did look like Ethan. His soft curls pointed in different directions, and his brown eyes were bright and big, just like Ethan’s. Ollie noticed her stare, and he immediately giggled before crawling over to her, hugging her legs.

She softly chuckled as she picked him up, and she laughed as he rammed his head onto her chest, cuddling with her.

“Okay!” Tara clapped her hands together. “Time to watch National Geographic!” She said in a baby voice, pinching at Ollie’s cheeks.

“Ollie, you wanna see the sharks?” Sam asked, also making her voice high-pitched.

Ollie’s head perked up at the word, and he immediately swung his arms up and down as he celebrated. The girls giggled as they turned on the TV.

It had been an hour of the group watching shark videos, and as cute as it was watching Ollie get excited over them for thirty minutes, it got a little boring. Chad, Tara, and Mindy had fallen asleep in their spots, and Chad’s head rested on Y/N’s shoulder as he snored lightly.

Sam looked over at the two and softly smiled as the two boys who were passed out on top of Y/N. She nudged her shoulder, causing Y/N’s droopy eyes to open.

“So, we haven’t had time to talk tonight,” she whispered.

Y/N yawned, trying desperately not to move to wake up the boys. “No, we haven’t.”

“How have you been?”

“It’s been hard. I know everyone else has moved on-“

Sam interrupted her, “You don’t know that, and it’s okay if it’s true. I’m still not over what happened with Richie.”

“Really? You seem so,”

“Put together?” Sam asked, dryly chuckling. “Not at all.”

Y/N’s mouth formed an ‘o’ as she looked down. She rubbed the side of her finger over Ollie’s cheek, it slightly squishing.

“What about you and Chad? I think he likes you,” Sam smiled at her, bringing her attention back to her. Y/N looked over at Chad and snorted. His mouth was wide open, and drool spilled out of his mouth and onto his shirt. She never noticed Chad’s pining over her, she only ever saw him as her comfort person.

“I don’t know. Chad has always been, well, Chad.” Y/N answered.

Sam lightly chuckled, before her phone rang. The two looked at each other with concern, but it faded once they saw Danny’s contact. Sam smiled at Y/N, before getting up and answering her phone.

Y/N checked her phone, the time reading 9:34, and she started to lightly shake Chad. He groaned, rubbing his eyes.

“Time to go,” she whispered.

The two gave their quiet goodbyes to Sam and an angry Tara who was woken up by Chad’s voice. Two two walked in a comfortable silence to their apartment, enjoying the soft breeze that made their noses cold.

Chad sighed, setting down the baby bag on the couch as Y/N locked the door.

“Here I can put him down,” Chad offered.

“No it’s okay, you go to sleep.” Y/N said softly. Chad nodded and smiled, flicking his eyes up and down at her. He waited, like he wanted to tell her something, but instead, he whispered a goodnight before retiring to his room.

She sighed, resting Ollie in his bed, gently tucking him in as not to wake him. She laid her head on the headboard, sadly looking down at his sleeping position.

“I know you don’t understand this,” she whispered to him. “But I miss your dad.”

Ollie continued to softly snore, his chest rising up and down as he peacefully slept. She reached down and moved a few curls out of his face.

“I know you probably think Chad is your dad, and I’m dreading the day you realize that he’s not. I honestly wish he was sometimes, you know? That your real father isn’t a murderer, and someone who enjoyed hurting others. I don’t want you to end up like that; I want you to be a good person.”

Again, Ollie only snored in response.

“I love you Oliver, and I’m sorry. Sorry for continuing to love your real father.” She softly started to cry, her tears rolling off her cheeks onto Ollie’s forehead. She sniffed and wiped it off.

A loud banging on the door woke Ollie up, him instantly crying from the tiredness.

“Jesus Christ,” she muttered, picking Ollie up into her arms as she wrapped her hand around his head. He cried louder, and she groaned as she walked towards the front door. She unlocked the door and opened it.

“What?” She asked sternly, immediately freezing at the person in front of her.

It was Ethan, hair a little longer, face paler, wearing the exact same outfit as he wore the day he was arrested, and a hopeful glint in his eyes. He smiled widely at the sight of her, and his eyes went straight to Ollie. Y/N shifted, turning her body to create distance from Ollie and Ethan.

“H-How-“ she stuttered, eyes widened nervously.

“They let me out. Someone sent me bail money.” Ethan cut her off. He looked happy, excited. Like a husband coming home after a business trip to his family.

“Who?” She shook her head. No this can’t be real.

Ethan shook his head, not knowing who sent the money. He covered his mouth with his hand as he looked at Ollie, smiling. “Is…I-Is he mine?”

She didn’t answer, her silence answering for him. He let out a happy laugh as his eyes watered.

“Who’s at the door?” Chad groggily asked, yawning as he appeared in the doorframe. His fight or flight kicked in once he saw Ethan, and he immediately pulled Y/N behind him. “What the fuck-“

“C-Chad, hi,” Ethan nervously stammered, trying to peek around him to look at Y/N and Ollie. Y/N started to cry again, holding on tightly to Ollie.

“Don’t fucking look at her, I swear to God I’d fucking kill you right now if she wasn’t right here.” Chad cursed, grabbing Ethan by his collar once again.

“Some things never change, huh?” Ethan lightly joked at Chad.

But Chad wasn’t laughing, he threw Ethan against the wall and spat on him, slamming the door shut. Chad locked the door, and instantly turned to hug Y/N. “What was he doing here? How’d he get out?”

“He said someone sent bail money. I-I don’t know how he knew where I lived. B-But Chad,” Y/N said, looking up at him.

He wiped her tears with his thumb.

“He knows about Ollie now.” She cried.

Chad sighed, resting his hand on the back of Ollie’s head, and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to either of you.”

They ignored the continued knocks on the door throughout the night. Chad had practically forced Y/N to let him sleep with her and Ollie that night. He barricaded the door with her dresser, wiping his hands on his jeans as he finished. He curled up against the two of them, letting Ollie wrap his fingers around Chad’s index finger. He looked up at Y/N, who was worriedly staring at Ollie.

“He’s gonna come back.” She whispered to Chad. “He won’t stop now that he knows he has a son.”

“It’s going to be okay. I’ll never leave your side.” Chad comforted her.

She softly smiled at him, before drifting off to sleep. Chad followed shortly after. As for Ethan, he didn’t get much sleep that night. He slept in the lobby of their apartment building on a bench. As he shifted his body uncomfortably, he felt giddy inside. He had a son, a son with Y/N. He wondered what his name was, how he would react to Ethan saying it. He smiled to himself, thanking God he was alive. Somehow, and he had no idea how, he was going to slip his way back into her life. He was going to help raise his son, and he was going to treat him the way Ethan wanted to be treated. He was going to be loved. More importantly, he was going to be protected. Because Ethan, oh, Ethan would kill anyone, for coming in between him and his family.

[scarisd3ad]

Superstar | football player!Joel miller x popstar!reader

Chapter six - obsessed

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Masterlist

Taglist

Warnings - mentions of sex, cursing, body image talk, insecurity

Summary - when you find out about a certain football player showing up at your tour you decide to reach out just because of all the dating rumors, but what if thoughs rumors turn into reality?

A/N - it’s finally here, sorry for it being so late! But now that I’ve gotten this out of the way I’m aiming for the first chapter of jump then fall to be out sometime next week! re posting this chapter because my computer deleted the edited copy and I didn't notice till months after it had been published.

The next day I woke up with an empty imprint of where Ollie had been sleeping, Joel's arms wrapped around me in a comforting hold, and about 5 million notifications. Mostly notifications from being tagged in posts and stories, but there were some from friends and family too. Like one from Tara with a screenshot of a 'TMZ' article titled 'popstar y/n l/n photographed with new boyfriend Dallas Cowboys star football player Joel Miller on a post-game drive' paired with a dramatic open-mouthed emoji. I rolled my eyes and sent back a 'stfu' before dropping my phone back onto the mattress.

I turned, hearing the bed frame creak quietly as I admired Joel's sleeping figure. He was lying on his stomach with one arm lazily wrapped around me. His hair was messy, but he still somehow looked flawless. Joel stirred as his phone, which lay on the nightstand on top of his wireless charger, began to ring. It flashed a few times, showing off a picture of his mother and him paired with the contact's name 'momma'. Unfortunately, the phone stopped ringing before Joel could fully wake up, letting him fall back into sleep.

"Joel," I whispered as I took my hand that wasn't tucked underneath myself to shake him. He groaned, his eyes not even opening as he hummed a quiet "What?" as his arm that was once lazily wrapped around me pulled me closer. "When's your mom 'sposed to drop the girls off?" I whispered as his head ducked into the crook of my neck, pressing lazy kisses to the length of it. "Dunno. She has a key. She'll let them in when they get here." My neck muffled his voice as he took a small chunk of neck flesh into his mouth and began to suck at it. "Joel," I giggled as I pushed him away, "can't leave marks, can't have any of that at any of my shows." He rolled his eyes as he pressed his lips to mine.

We were interrupted by the sound of childlike giggles running up the stairs. "Speak of the devil," Joel chuckled as he sat up, preparing to greet his girls. The door was thrown open, revealing Sarah and Ellie. "Daddy!" both squealed as they launched themselves into the bed. "We had pancakes for dinner last night!" Sarah said as she leaned her head against her father's chest. Both girls excitedly told their father what they had done with their grandparents the previous night as he took turns pressing kisses to each one's forehead. I felt like I didn't belong during moments like this, family bonding. I wasn't their mother who could sit back fondly watching with a small smile. I was just some stranger lying in their father's bed. They hardly knew me, and I hardly knew them. Thankfully, a call from my mother was able to whisk me away.

"Hi Mom," I said, standing in the bathroom, phone pressed to my ear as I stared into the mirror. "How are you doing?" she asked, her voice low as if she was trying not to wake someone. "Fine...I'm doing fine." I had another 3 shows in Houston next weekend, so that weekend and that entire week were just about relaxation and mentally preparing for my next 3 shows, which were very physically and mentally demanding sometimes. "Your dad saw you on TV last night. He got real excited seein' you." I wished every older man in his 50s felt like that about me right now. Almost every man from the ages of 16 to 70 was pissed off at me cause they 'saw me too much' last night. I wished I didn't let it get to me, but it did. I put up this strong front like no one's able to hurt my feelings but everything they were saying about me did because, for some odd reason, men thought not liking me meant they were allowed to call me a slut and threaten to kill me if I showed up the next game. I was just glad Joel hadn't seen them yet. "Yeah?" I let out an awkward cough. "Yeah...your dad and I are trying to make it up to Houston next weekend. Dad wants to see you perform again." I smiled, though my father never understood one thing about my interest in music and songwriting, he was always my biggest supporter. "Really?"

"Y/n can you hurry up? I've really got to pee!" I heard Ellie shout from outside the door as my mother asked, "Where are you?" I sighed, unlocking the door and letting Ellie rush in as I rushed out. "Um Joel's house...but I've gotta go, alright? Love you."

I walked back into Joel's bedroom. Both girls were now gone, leaving their father alone to scroll Twitter and find out for himself what was the trending hashtag of the day. #fucky/n. How original. How old were they? This was all immature, coming mostly from men over the age of 20. He was looking down at his phone, brows furrowed in a scowl, finger still swiping. He heard my footsteps and looked up, letting out a quiet "oh." I sighed, arms wrapping around my body. "Who was that?" he asked. "My mom," I replied as I walked over to the bed and took a seat. "You don't gotta go to any of my games again...if you don't want to," he whispered. His head cocked to the side as my brows furrowed. He interpreted my sense of confusion as an answer and said, "Y/N, you're getting death threats."

I shrugged my shoulders. "I've been getting them for the last 5 years. I normally just ignore them." He sighed loudly as if he didn't understand my way of thinking, before changing the subject. "You stayin' for breakfast?" I shook my head. "No. Gotta studio session this morning..." Joel nodded. "Can you keep Ollie for a few hours? The session is early and I'm not gonna have enough time to drop him off at home."

-

I was in my car, driving down the freeway when I got a call from Will. I had met William early on in my music career. For years, Will and I had been writing music together for his albums and mine, and sometimes even a duet here and there.

"you're late," he said, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of a few people in the background. "I know, sorry. Got held up at Joel's." I could almost hear the eye roll through the phone. Will wasn't the biggest fan of my past boyfriends. It had started with Will hating Andy; he must've seen the red flags before I did. Then he hated Harry because of his reputation of being a 'womanizer', and then there was Tom who he hated simply because he could practically see through him. And now the tradition had gone on to Joel. He didn't have a reason to hate Joel yet, but he'd find one eventually, he always did. "I know, I know, alright. I'll be there in like 5 minutes, okay?"

"Alright, okay, see you in 5," he hung up the phone, leaving me to drive the rest of the way to the studio in silence.

-

When I get to the studio, a crowd of paparazzi is outside the door waiting for me, and Will is standing by the door, holding it open for me. Will's hair is a lively shade of blonde, and it falls in abundant, floppy locks that twist into gentle curls at the ends. His glasses, while stylish, are slightly oversized for his face, and they add a charming touch of quirkiness to his appearance. His voice is deep, and carries a prominent british accent, which seems to contrast with his facial features. "morning," he says with a nod as I walk into the studio, letting the door slam shut behind me. "Got anything prepared?" he asks as we walk down to the studio we had booked for the day. "A little thought you could help me finish the rest," I say as Will pushes the door open, letting me walk in first before he does.

"Alright, let me hear it," he says as he sits beside a bunch of sound equipment. I unlock my phone and open the voice memo app before playing the most recent voice memo, ' Sparks fly? ' From a few nights ago.

The voice memo starts with me playing guitar before I start the first lyric, "The way you move is like a full-on rainstorm, and I'm a house of card. You're the kind of reckless that should send me running, but I kinda know that I won't get far," will nods as he pauses the memo before unpausing it and letting it play the rest through "and you stood there in front of me, just close enough to touch. Close enough to hope you couldn't see what I was thinking of. Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain. Kiss me on the sidewalk, take away the pain. Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile. Get me with those brown eyes, baby, as the lights go down. Give me something that'll haunt me when you're not around. Cause I see sparks fly whenever you smile," The memo ends, and will look over at me.

"Kay, I like it. What were the cords you were playing?" shit, I hadn't written them down like I usually did before studio sessions. "Um fuck, I don't know...I think I played A, F, C, and G? Maybe those," he picks up his guitar that had been discarded beside him and begins to play almost identically to how I was in the memo. "Aright was the end the chorus?" I nod a quiet "mhm." "Alright, you got anything else?" I nod before saying, "Yeah, keep on playing." He continues playing his guitar, trying to fill in the missing pieces to continue on the song's instrumental part. "My mind forgets to remind me, your bad idea. You touch me once and it's really something. You find that I'm even better than you imagined I would be. I'm on guard for the rest of the world, but with you, I know it's no good." 

- 

We finished off the rest of the song, tweaking some lyrics here and there and even recording the music before we decided to head out. I'm in my car driving by 11:30 when I get a call. The caller ID shows up on the screen on my dashboard. Joel <33. I answered the phone call, and Joel immediately started talking. "Hey baby, what you doin'?" he asks. I can hear him inhaling and puffing out air, letting me know he's probably out on his back porch smoking a cigarette. "Driving. Whatcha need?" he sighs out "nothin' really. Just wanted to know if you want to stay for dinner t'night" I laugh as my car comes to a slow stop at a red light. "Yeah, sure, what you guys havin' tonight?"

"Probably pizza doesn't feel like cooking. The girls will be happy with that," he says, punctuating his sentence with a loud inhale before a matching exhale a few seconds later. "So, how long do you think you'll be?" I hum, pondering a bit as I hit the gas, following after the car in front of me. "maybe 7 minutes? I'm a few lights away," I say. I hear him slide open his sliding glass door and presumably walk inside. "Alright, I'll let you go and Rangle up these kids before you get here. See ya in a bit." The almost piercing beeps as he hangs up fill my ears before my phone begins playing the song it had been playing before Joel's call. 

7 minutes later, I pulled up in front of Joel's house to see him sitting on the porch, cigarette hanging from his mouth, while the girls sat on the driveway drawing with chalk. I chose to park on the street so I wouldn't disturb Sarah and Ellie. I leave the car, shoving my phone into one pocket. "y/n!" Sarah leaps up from the pavement, dropping the chalk stick in her hand before running towards me. Tiny arms wrap around my body as she hugs me. "Are you staying for dinner? Daddy ordered pizza," she says excitedly as Joel walks up behind her. "Go on and play with your sister, Babygirl. Let me and y/n talk, alright?" Sarah pulls away, nodding, before running back towards her sister.

"Hey, sweetheart," he says before pressing a short but sweet kiss to my lips. "Pizza'll be here in about 10 minutes. I ordered it right after I hung up with you," he says as he places the cigarette he had pulled from his lips a few seconds ago, slotting it against his upper and lower lip. I nod as I lean into his body. "How was your thing," he asks, arm wrapping around my waist as we walk back towards his front porch. "good," I reply simply as he unwraps his arm around my waist and sits down. Somehow, being in a relationship with Joel Miller was so easy I forgot how my life used to be. My entire world now revolved around football games, touring, Joel, and his girls. I almost forgot that 3 months ago, I was still rotting in my bed, sobbing over the ending of a relationship I thought was going to be forever. The moment I took one step into Joel's life, I was sucked in and hoped to God I'd never be pushed out.

"y/n! can you come draw with us?" Sarah asks from her spot on the pavement. I look at Joel, giving him a look that almost asks, 'Is that okay?' he nods, saying, "Go, we'll talk later." I walk over and sit beside Sarah on the still-hot Texas pavement. Ellies sat across from us, so deep into her drawing that she didn't even look up to greet me. Her knees are scratched up, probably from the pavement, and her forearms and hands are covered in different dusty chalk colors. "Look at my drawing," Sarah says, pointing at a larger drawing to her right. 4 stick-figured people, 3 female, one male, and one stick-figured cat, are drawn to the left of the smaller stick-figured humans. Each is labeled 'Daddy,' 'y/n,' 'Sarah,' 'Ellie,' and 'Ollie.' I almost want to cry at how adorable it is. She smiles up at me, so proud of her work. I wanted to take a picture but decided to take one later.

I want to stay here forever, or at least have something similar to this forever. Joel sat puffing on his cigarette a few inches away, admiring from afar as I interacted with his children. Interactions that make him wish he could have met me first. Before the Barbara's, or Annas. Interactions that make me wish he was the man I met 7 years ago on a red carpet, wishing I hadn't spent 7 years delusionally praying for a ring from a man who fell less and less in love with me every day.

A car with a bright red and white Papa John's logo attached to the top pulls into the driveway. It's almost like the girls have a routine for pizza nights. They both jump up, leaving the chalk on the sidewalk and run into the house, squealing, "Pizza!!" as Joel snuffed out his cigarette against the pavement before walking up to the young brunette man with a wad of cash. I, similarly to the girls, discard the chalk on the pavement and walk inside. I wash my hands before meeting the two girls at the table. Their father already passing out slices. 

-

"Cheese or pepperoni, Ellie?" Joel asks. Ellie, who sits up on her knees in the chair, says, "Both!" he shakes his head. "Nope, you won't eat it all, one or none. El's pick one," she pouts as her arms cross over her chest. "Peperoni," she mumbles under her breath as she sits back down on her butt. Joel nods before placing a slice of pepperoni pizza onto a red plastic plate and sliding it over to her. "Cheese," Sarah says before her father even asks her.

My elbows are on the table, and a half-eaten cheese pizza sits before me. This is something taken straight out of a movie, with the family sitting at the table casually talking about each other's days. Sarah told her dad about the funny joke her grandfather had told her last night. Joel chuckles, recalling the same joke being told to him more than 20 years ago when he was her age. It all felt so surreal. How could I be a part of this? I met these people less than 3 months ago and am already at family dinners. Sometimes, it makes me feel insecure; at moments, the thought of feeling so left out because this is not my family, even though I'm sitting at their family dinner. He's my boyfriend, but these are his children, not mine; I've known these people for less than 3 months and have only been actually dating Joel for one of those months.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Three loud, sharp knocks at the front door pull me from my thoughts. Joel sighed, dropping his slice of pizza before getting up and mumbling about how he'd 'be right back.' The dining room is silent as we hear Joel's hushed voice whispering to whoever is on the other side of the door. Sarah stood up slowly, walking over to the doorway so she could get a look at whoever was at the door. Ellie follows as usual. Monkey see, monkey do. A loud sequel-like shout makes me get up just in time to see Sarah running to the woman standing at the door. "Mommy!" 

She looks like Sarah, with similar but tighter dark curls and a slightly darker complexion. She is beautiful. Her hair is pulled up in a ponytail, and though she's only wearing a tee shirt and jeans, she pulls it off fabulously. Though there seems to be not even one wrinkle on her face, I can tell she's closer in age to Joel than I'll ever be. Joel stood at the door uncomfortably as Sarah hugged her mother.

She's tall and thin, thinner than I'd ever thought about being. I could tell she was a model not only because of her stature but also because I'd seen her online. Probably an Instagram account, though I can't recall what platform I saw her on. "how've you been, sarbear?" she asks as she hugs her daughter tightly. "good," Sarah giggles as she steps away from her mother. The woman's eyes now fall to Ellie. "Hey Ellie, how have you been" Ellie shrugs from behind me. Being her usual Ellie self when it comes to people she doesn't know well.

Joel tilts his head almost as if he's saying, 'Come here.' I comply, walking over to him with Ellie trailing close behind. Joel wraps his arm around my waist as the woman's eyes fall on me. She looks me up and down about 2 times before smiling, "And you must be..." She drags out the 'e' sound of be until I answer back meekly, "Y/n...I'm y/n." She nods, a genuine smile on her face like she's actually happy to meet me, which is not a regular occurrence when an ex meets a new girlfriend.

"Nice to meet you, y/n. I'm Barbara, but you can just call me Barb," I nod, smiling, trying to match the genuine smile she had on her face because despite the millions of insecure thoughts swirling inside my head, I was genuinely happy to finally meet her. "How long have you two been together?" she asks, eyes flicking up to Joels. "Um, bout 3 months, right honey?" he says, a fake smile gracing his lips as he leans his head down a bit to press a kiss to my temple. "Yeah, about that," I say with a forced giggle as I lean into Joel a little more. Right at this moment, my insecurities flood back in, realizing I look nothing like her. She's thin, her body fills out right where it needs to, she has no hip dips, scars, or stretchmarks. she was perfect. If this was his ex, was I not his type, or was she not?

I was looking at her body and then comparing it to mine. Wondering if he liked her legs better than mine? Did he like her hips more? Her boobs? Her butt? Her eyes? It's almost like I'm looking at her like I want to be hurt. I don't know if I'd rather him tell me straightforwardly what he liked better or me sitting here riddled with my own insecurity. I wonder if she could smell the insecurities practically dripping off of me.

"Barb, why are you here?" Joel asks; she looks at him and just laughs his words off. "I'm here to see my daughter," she says with a scoff as her hands placed on her hips. Joel rolls his eyes. "it's not like you wanted to for the last 2 years." I know this is my cue to take the girls and let them have their 'adult conversation', so I pull away from Joel and say, "Common girls, let go play with Ollie?" both girls excitedly race upstairs towards Joel's room, where we had put Ollie while we ate. 

-

I sat on the bed with the girls, my anxiety and insecurities festering inside me as the girls swooned over my cat. Would Barbara's reappearance randomly rekindle their relationship? Would I just be left in the dust? I know he was acting like he was annoyed with her downstairs, but I bet if she tried, he'd get back with her, right? He'd probably rather be with the mother of one of his children than me.

Sarah deserved a perfect family, a mom, a dad, a little sister. She didn't deserve whatever she had right now; I know Joel knew that. And I know he didn't want it to be this way. From what I heard, it seemed like she was not around a lot, and that was why he was so uncomfortable with her being here, but if she proposed to start their relationship again, I'd bet he'd agree. Her having him would mean she'd stay. Even if it wasn't for Sarah, she'd stay, and Sarah would have her mom back for good. There would be no need for some 'pretend mom' anymore. No more revolving door of girlfriends, though I desperately didn't want to be a part of that revolving door. Joel barges into the room, instructing his daughters to get ready for bed before slamming the door shut behind him. Leaving just him and me in the bedroom, alone.

 "She's staying the night." He grumbled, arms wrapping around my waist as he pulled me close. I don't ask why, feeling as though it is none of my business. I hum with a slight nod. "I was just bout to head out then," I say, pressing my head into his shoulder. Our 'sleepovers,' if you even can call them that, typically only lasted one night, maybe till dinner the next night, but definitely not a second night. "You're leaving?" I can almost hear the frown on his lips. My brow furrowed in confusion. Normally, he wouldn't budge when I said I was leaving. A few kisses, and I'm usually off, but not tonight. His arms instinctively wrap tighter around my waist as if to say, 'Don't go.' but his ex is here, Sarah's mother. Isn't that awkward?

"I thought I'd just go...cause she-she's here. But if you don't want me to leave, I can stay," I whisper, pressing a few soft kisses to Joel's exposed neck. "Yeah," he mutters with a nod. 

-

Barbara is on the couch downstairs, both girls are fast asleep in their beds, and I'm still awake scrolling mindlessly though Barbara's Instagram. she's got millions of pictures posted dating all the way back to 2014. she's nice, and I really like her I do but I can't help but feel jealous of her when I get posts from 2015. most with Joel who looks so much younger, I can tell she's pregnant in most of them. 

I can't help but obsess over every part of her body that doesn't look like mine, wonder if he prefers her body over mine. I wonder how she was during their relationship. was she good in bed? better than me? did he prefer sleeping with her? did he ever think about her? was she still friends with his friends? did his mom like her better than me? and it doesn't make this any easier on me knowing he's got a kid with her and not with me. she's forever attached to him because of Sarah but me I'm disposable. his children aren't my blood, they aren't from my womb he could forget me easily if he really wanted too. he can't forget her because he sees her every time he looks at Sarah.

I'm trying to pick out something for me to hate her, and the only reason I've come up with is because she's basically abandoned Sarah. I guess I'm turning into will. the only photos posted of Sarah was 8 years ago on her birthday July 20th, 2015, baby Sarah all swaddled up being held by Barbara who laid in a hospital bed, Joel stood next to her admiration and joy gleaming in his eyes. then 2 months later Sarah being help by Joel with the caption 'favorite people'. then after than nothing radio silent it's like the baby disappears. people in the comments must've thought that too because every comment for the next few months of posts are along the lines of 'where's the baby?'. I'm guessing that's when she left.

I know Joel loves me, and that I'm probably going crazy, but I can't help but obsess over her. "you're still awake?" Joel slurs, voice deep from sleep. I turn off my phone immediately and turn so I'm facing him. one of his arms wraps around my waist pulling me closer to him. "can't sleep" I mutter as he presses open mouthed kisses to my neck and jawline.

 even as he's practically sucking hickeys into my neck all I can think about is that he's probably done this to her, while she was laying on the same side I was as he whispered quiet 'I love You's into her neck. I can't help it as tears form in my eyes that are quickly blinked back. I can't let him know how insecure I actually am. I don't want him to know how insecure I've gotten in the last few hours because I know there's a chance, I could get hurt. 

"wha's wrong? you're tense" he says pulling away from me. I freeze staring him in the eyes as his brows curl into a furrow. "what's wrong?" his left hand reaches from my cheek caressing it softly. "nothing" I mutter leaning into his soft touch. he hums questionably like he doesn't believe me but goes onto press his lips against my none the less. 

I'm so obsessed that once Joel goes back to sleep, I can't help but scroll her page. I don't even know why I'm so obsessed, it's not like I'm ugly I'm just not anything like her so maybe that's why I'm letting it get to me. deep down I'm terrified that she's his type more than I am, that maybe her long legs, perfect hair, and confidence will sweep him right back off his feet and I'll be all alone again. I'm terrified of him leaving and stop loving me like Andy did. I don't want to rot in bed again over a man I have stupidly fallen head over heels in love with again. I don't want to this to end because of how deeply have fallen into this. I don't want him to fall onto my long list of ex-lovers and have yet another reason to be called a slut. 

Taglist

@taylarxse @none-of-this-makes-any-sense @ktheunready @camixkami @skysmiller @mars743 @tylrswftss @alyhull @jenna-mcgraw19 @h4teh3x @lexloon @greensabereyesforcevictim @cozylibraries @celebrities-imagines @nezukos-number1fan @abbysgirll @marispunk @hopelessromantic727 @fairyain @joeldjarin

[euripidesredux]

Extended credits for Museum at Tomorrow episode 5

Below the cut are all of the folks who I used (and asked to be credited) for recordings in Museum at Tomorrow episode 5- specifically, the "This is not for You" recordings.

(The list was too long for podcast episode descriptions)

These recordings were mixed into the soundscape of the show, heavily processed- so you may or may not be able to pick out your voice. Each unique recording is preserved as rhythem, timber, and shape within the episode.

Thank you for your work in creating the canvas of this piece.

Kate Bullen

K R Forsyth

Vega Jacobsen

Charlie

Rovi

Grace Gamble 

Wesley Lee Balete

Charlie Sloykowski

JC Hendry

Courtney Brothers

Arabella McDonald

Hanc Finestra

Katie H

Galacticguppy 

Beck Smith

GreenHeronHive

Micheal Vee

Mira Singer

Laurent J.L. Hall

Carley Mothersell

woaaah

cmt

November_Clouds

Elliott Neptune

Enrica Jossi

Ace

Jahan Shah 

Morgan Galagher

Niall LG

  Bates

Caroline Mincks

Daniel Kurtz

AJ Fidalgo

Tani

Shura

Zedek H

Halebop

Malia Northstar

Greg Ruddick

Solstice Hannan

Jessamy Thomison 

Cassie A.

Rachel Spokony

miss mr meow

Arti Richardson

Mattie J.

Geddy Cary-Avery,

 Ophelia Cary-Avery

Sophie Kaplan

X Speaks

Devin

Craux

Cap

Joe R

Ray Goldberg

Mog

The Marble System

Tina Case

Kate Bullen

Marionette

LD

Maddy Searle

Remi P

Meg Taylor

Beth

Evan Tess Murray

Amanda Jones

Amanda Ehrhardt

Nathan Fisentzou-Haji-Leonti

Johanna Andersson

Tess Huth

@faeriebullshit

Olivia Lion

Ange

Bridget M. Mueting

Wil Williams

Katie Utke

aceofgames

Savy Stay

Graham Rowat

Meredith

spaceacebreakface 

Molly Walsh

Belinda Parker

Erin Celovsky

liz

Caden Osojnak

Danniac 

Ray Schrader

Atlas Byrd

AJ. S.

JayseHasNoGrace

Fay Blackmore

Sharon Peterson

Katharina Abschlag 

Izzy

Ace Tayloe

kat B

Siz Hart

moth

Kathryn Cox

G. Honnigford

Pine Gonzalez

sisyphus

Essay

artie eigengrau

Rook Davis

Izzi Mata

grayson

Tamara Jones

Willow

G.F.

Leigh sharpe

Zelda MacFarland

Arkyn Wolf

Elany

Elaine Wiley

Mary Lewis-Phillipps

Claudia Elvidge

Kei Burke

Katie Vargas

Karleen Preator

Alicia Babich

Jonathan Sciance

Étoile

Hayden Laver

Barrett Vann

S Kramer

Maya Hiers-Lairson

judas

Archer Hickerson

Malinda

Nicole Liang

LF Haye

Louis Carroll

Stefanie K.

Autumn Wang 

jayvin

Badger Merriweather

Aiden

Sender Paulson

vexxervee

Rob Weiner

Peril

Lotte Schmidt 

fynn

Lor

Josie D. 

Jaryn Tyson

Common Blue Icarus

resplendeo

Claire Alpern

skelejor

Matt Weiss

M Zemlock

Kay Eileen

Callisto Holmes

Rhys

Noah Quinn

Sarah Elizabeth

Willow Belden

Amanda McCormack

Esrah Del Carlo

sunny

the Hartmans

Lee Ann Eden

Bob Proctor

Clueless

deda eliensis

Ohallo

Tara Schile

Marzi 

Flameheart Dryad

Sarah Lambrix 

JB Segal 

Ellis C

Ash

Autumn

Jaime Tamar

Haze Peers

Moose

Erin Bevan

Luci Tomich

Bryn

Michael W.

Kim Fukawa

Amy Strieter

Petra Hall

Mal

Charlie Rayshich

Susan Weiner

Everett Blackthorne

Vergess

Tor

ArionWind

M. Alti

N. B. Green

Aiden Nicholson

Jacky Rubou

Nura Lawrence

Gwen Clancy

Ollie M.

Caroline

Duo

Iris

ML Beck

Ray Makowski

Eljay Rich

MV8

Michelle Pigott

Rachel Pfennigwerth

Janika

Jamie Gump

Mason J Miller

Ella Watts

Cole

Mady Oswald

Valerie "ShinyHappyGoth" Kaplan

Anne Baird

Emily Ricotta

el-draco-bizarro

Ansel Burch

Nathan Sowell

LM Heß

Cy

Richard Peers

[ao3feed-narlie]

Lost Love: Resurfaced

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/NoMjqVU by str4ngcrs Nick wasn't just a distant memory; he often lingered as a constant ache in Charlie's chest. The late night balcony conversations, the cuddles and the secret touches they once shared held a special place in his heart. Nick used to be special, he was the warmth Charlie had on cold nights, he was the reason he knew his bad days would be okay, he was the first person who made Charlie feel loved and made him want to love. But this was all before he left, though. Nick wasn't as “special” in Charlie’s life anymore, not all that positive either because he left. He’d left and he hadn’t contacted him. not once. He was Charlie’s favourite person turned into a lesson he never wanted to learn. So naturally, when they finally meet again, thing were never going to go as either of them had pictured it. In other words, a The Boy Next Door x Second Chances romance, but make it Nick and Charlie. Words: 913, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Heartstopper (Webcomic), Heartstopper (TV) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: M/M Characters: Sarah Nelson, Nicholas "Nick" Nelson, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper), Victoria "Tori" Spring, David Nelson (Heartstopper), Jane Spring, Julio Spring, Oliver "Olly" Spring, Nellie Nelson, Henry Nelson (Heartstopper), Tao Xu, Elle Argent, Darcy Olsson, Tara Jones, Isaac Henderson (Heartstopper), Aled Last, Michael Holden (Solitaire), Original Male Character(s) Relationships: Nicholas "Nick" Nelson/Charles "Charlie" Spring, Nicholas "Nick" Nelson & Charles "Charlie" Spring Additional Tags: the boy next door, Slow Burn, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Resentment, Romance, Not Beta Read, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Fluff and Angst, I Made Myself Cry, Charles "Charlie" Spring (Heartstopper) Needs a Hug, Nicholas "Nick" Nelson Needs a Hug, Jealousy, David Nelson Being an Asshole, No Benjamin "Ben" Hope, Good Sibling Victoria "Tori" Spring, Complicated Relationships, Protective Nicholas "Nick" Nelson read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/NoMjqVU

[only-the-gentle-survived]

ollie thinks he's still married to tara and i'm gonna be crying over this for at least a week

[abigail-stan]

Bonus:

[elenarodriiguez]

yellow and blue striped shirts | n.n. & c.s.

summary: normally work is terribly boring and if it weren't for darcy, nick would've quit weeks ago. but if that were the case, he wouldn't have met a very distressed but insanely cute charlie spring trying to find his younger brother.

pairing: nick nelson x charlie spring

word count: 1595

read it on ao3

The one thing that they never truly tell you about university is how bloody expensive it is. Nick was lucky in a lot of regards: his mum earned far less than his dad and since he lived with her, he got a lot more student loans than some of his mates did.

However, living in Leeds isn’t as cheap as he’d thought it would be. Between paying for student accommodation, keeping on top of his car payments, and financing the ridiculous amount of compulsory excursions for his fieldwork modules, he’s lucky if he has enough money to get his shopping for the week.

And seeing as the SU wasn’t hiring at the moment - probably the only time that has ever been the case - here he was, spending his evenings and weekends wearing the most obnoxious yellow and blue striped shirt known to mankind. It wasn’t all bad, he’d made a great friend in Darcy, his work spouse, and had actually been reunited with an old school acquaintance in their girlfriend, Tara.

Of course, he could certainly do without working four days of the half term week. There was nothing worse than trying to avoid little kids running amok while their parents let them burn off energy in an enclosed environment. All the while you’re trying to avoid causing serious harm to them, by errant furniture or otherwise, in fear of one of their parents ripping your head off.

And so when he sees a flash of black hair zoom past him at the speed of light, he thinks very little of it, simply sending Darcy a look of despair which they reciprocate. However, what he doesn’t expect to see minutes later is a much taller messy head of hair jogging up to him, seeming to be on the verge of a breakdown.

“Hi, sorry to bother you, have you by any chance seen the devil incarnate in the body of a eight year old pass by?” The boy pants, bending over in an attempt to try and catch his breath.

“You should stand upright.” Nick says dumbly, cursing himself for saying it even if he does get a proper look at the curly haired boy’s hazel eyes. “Bending over like that only makes the breathlessness worse. As for your question, quite possibly, is he your brother or something?”

“At the moment, I’m leaning towards ‘or something.’ I’m so sorry to ask, I know you’re probably like super busy but my mum will kill me if I lose him, would you mind helping me find him?”

“Not at all, come on, he can’t have gone too far.” Nick says, gesturing for the boy to follow him.

They wander through the kitchen segment, introducing themselves to one another, Charlie softly smiling at him, showing off a set of dimples that would be making Nick swoon if he had time to dwell on the matter. Every now and then they call out Ollie’s name, not wanting to garner too much attention in case Charlie’s parents hear.

From there they walk into the lounge area, Nick secretly glad that Ollie hadn’t decided to make a pit stop here, and the bathroom design room, Charlie’s strides increasing in speed as they struggle to find his brother. In order to distract him, Nick starts asking him questions about everything but his brother, doing his best to stave off a panic attack.

“So, what brings you to Leeds? Not being funny but you don’t exactly sound like you’re local.”

“Neither do you really. Maybe a tinge of the Yorkshire accent but nothing major. I’m actually here for an offer holder day at Leeds, if all goes well I should be starting a law degree here. Mum and Dad just thought it’d be a good idea to let Ollie loose in Ikea since we don’t have one in Herne Bay.”

“No way. That’s so weird.”

“I’m sorry?” Charlie says, his apology hesitant and full of confusion.

“You say that a lot. No, it’s just, I’m from Herne Bay too. I’m a first year, although I’m not doing anything smart like bloody law.”

Charlie’s cheeks flush pink and he mutters under his breath about how he isn’t that smart, before asking Nick where he went to school. As it turns out, while Charlie went to Truham, Nick had gone to St. Johns on a rugby scholarship, something which Charlie takes great pride in equal parts gawping at and making fun of. They both are so wrapped up in their own little worlds that they hardly notice the pintsized torpedo sprinting in their direction and latching onto Charlie’s legs at a breakneck speed.

“Oof.” Charlie huffs out, moments later hefting his brother onto his hip without any issue, much to Nick’s silent appreciation. “Ollie, what did Mum and Dad say before they left us?”

“¡No huyas sin Charlie! Lo sé, lo sé, pero vi a este niño con este peluche de tiburón súper genial, y quería encontrarlo antes de que Mamá pudiera decir que no.” Ollie rattles off, sounding more like an unintelligible babble than anything else to Nick.

“Okay, that’s great and all, but you still ran off without me. Tell you what, let’s ask my new friend Nick here, who was helping me try to find you, if they have a shark toy that you can get Dad to buy you. Nick?”

It’s as if Ollie has just noticed him and his brother weren’t alone, as his eyes go wide and Nick can see briefly his face flush bright red before he hides his face in his older brother’s shoulder. He’s a sweet kid, if a little shy, and the fact that Charlie obviously knows Spanish well enough to understand his brother gives Nick ideas he shan’t be entertaining in front of present company.

“We should have a bunch, come on, there’s a shortcut this way, and then we can get you back to your mum and dad, does that sound good?”

Ollie nods hesitantly, not shifting from his position clinging to his older brother, and Charlie simply lets out a resigned sigh before motioning for Nick to lead the way, mouthing his thanks over his brother’s head. The walk to the children’s department is fairly quiet, although he doesn’t miss Ollie’s loud whisper asking Charlie if Nick was his boyfriend.

Nick freezes momentarily, eyes wide and praying that any deity out there would be swift and merciful with his demise, however Charlie laughs it off, informing his brother that just because he’s gay and has made friends with a guy doesn’t mean they’re dating. He references a couple guys whose names are, unsurprisingly, brand new to Nick, but Ollie nods and sighs with more disappointment than should be possible in a child that small.

As they get to the bin filled to the brim with the desired shark toy, Ollie squirms in his brother's arms until he drops to the floor rather unceremoniously and sprints over to it, grabbing the toy and squeezing it close to his chest. He runs over with it, jumping up and down and tugging on Charlie’s arm to get him moving, meanwhile his brother nearly gets taken to the floor with the force the eight year old is pulling.

“¡Eh! ¡Basta ya! ¡No seas grosero! I am so sorry Nick, give me one second.”

“It’s fine.” Nick says, trying to subtly feel his cheeks to determine whether he looks as flustered as he feels right now.

“No, it’s not, and Ollie knows better.” He glares at his brother who mutters a sincere apology. “Thank you for all of your help today, seriously. I’m sorry if this is forward but, would you want to keep in contact? Follow each other on Insta or something, I dunno.”

“Stop apologising,” he laughs and Charlie laughs with him, “I’d love to. I don’t have my phone on me, but if you give me yours I can follow you back when I’m off work.”

Charlie hands his phone to Nick, their fingertips brushing as Nick takes it in his hands, and he grins when he sees Charlie’s gay panic wallpaper, looking at the curly haired boy and saying “same” before pulling up Instagram and following himself from Charlie’s account. Handing the phone back, Ollie impatiently tugging at his brother’s oversized jumper, he wishes them luck finding their parents before heading back to his section.

By the time he’s weaved around all of the people walking in the right direction, Darcy is leaning against the pristine countertop, a knowing smirk welcoming Nick back to reality. He holds his hand up in a vain attempt to silence the meddling blond, however it appears they couldn’t care less, loudly bragging about how they already told Tara that he’d left looking like a lovestruck idiot.

“Thanks Darce. Nice to know I can rely on you to keep things secret.”

“I never promised you secrecy, especially not when you’re crushing on someone actually attainable for the first time ever. So tell me, did you get his number?”

“No.”

“Nicholas!” They punctuate their annoyance with him by slapping his bicep, glaring ferociously at him.

“But,” he says, teasing them with his playful tone, “I did get his insta. And he’s from my hometown, so I’ll probably see him in the school holidays.”

“Nick. O. Las.” This time every syllable of his name is accompanied by a slap. “Why didn’t you lead with that? I was going to offer my sympathies to you, but you obviously don’t deserve them. So tell me, what’s he like?”

“Well, he speaks Spanish-”

[mercurie-and-me]

ok a definitive rating of all dance academy couples i'm 100% right on this don't even try me

tara x christian - always have been and always will be the no 1 christara slut on this planet like i'm sorry but for me they are truly a romeo and juliet, rose and jack, once in a lifetime relationship, they will always belong together and always find their way back to each other, even if they fuck up and hurt each other sometimes

abigail x ethan - i never truly appreciated their relationship until i got a little older but they are so good for each other, just completely on the same level regarding their wants and needs and i'm so mad that they weren't endgame

sammy x abigail - especially in s1 they just hit different like they are so cute together and i'm obsessed with their dynamic and i truly think if sammy hadn't died they could have become a really great couple in s2 as well because they had both matured so much

tara x ben - although imo benstara wouldn't really have worked out in the long run, they're still really good for each other and i like that tara gets to live out her sillier, more carefree side with him. ultimately though, i don't think that 100% fits her so they're definitely better off as friends

sammy x ollie - i absolutely adore ollie in s3 but i think in s2 he definitely still had a lot of work to do on himself. again, if sammy hadn't died their relationship would have been good to revisit in s3 after he's grown a bit and i think they could have become really awesome together

kat x christian - they were cute while it lasted (and i do think they make a very attractive couple, not that that's important), but you could tell christian's heart was never truly in it and kat just deserved better than that

abigail x wes - i mean i guess they're fine but tbh i just don't like abi ending s3 with someone who's not a part of the main squad, it just doesn't feel right. i love that they have some history in barcelona though, and the scene where he was dancing shirtless under the bridge and abi breaks down does get me

grace x ben - i think if grace has to be with anybody in the group, ben is the best fit and i do like their dynamic in s3, but tbh i think grace has a lot more work to do on herself before she can actually enter a serious relationship. on another note, my aroace grace (arograce?) headcanon just doesn't allow for this

ollie x rhys - terrible. rhys is a fine enough character (even though he's such a non-character like i couldn't name a single thing about him) but imo it was just so obvious that they were scrambling to have everyone end up with someone by the finale and also they didn't want to make anyone of the main cast gay so they did this. their chemistry was fine i guess but it just felt so rushed and underdeveloped

tara x ethan - i think tara x ethan were never meant to last more than a couple episodes, this was more for narrative purposes, so all of what i'm saying is very much canon but they just never fit together. when they were together they were at completely different points in their lives and they could never have given each other what they needed and deserved

kat x ben - also out of nowhere, i don't think their storyline should have gone any further than ben having a crush on kat in s2 and her rejecting him. this is one decision they made in the movie that is truly baffling to me, like what 👏🏻 was 👏🏻 the 👏🏻 reason 👏🏻 ? imo ben should have realised during the pas de deux with ollie that he is actually bisexual and then gotten together with ollie (still mad we didn't get to see a single second of them dancing together), and kat is the biggest lesbian anyways which is why all of her relationships on the show were so shit

kat x jamie - suffering from the ollie x rhys problem, jamie is just very transparently a character they brought on so kat could end the show in a relationship. i actually love that he's so goofy and i love his and kat's dynamic as weirdo besties but he doesn't fit with her romantically at ALL

kat x myles - stupidly terrible, i mean not only was myles like in his mid-twenties at the youngest and kat was like 16??? hellO how did no one think that was weird?? their relationship was also so fanfic-y and myles was just really not likeable to me. i kinda love that the show broke with that in order to not have him in s2 and were like 'actuallyy he's still annoying and everything he said about himself and his goals in s1 is not true, he's actually just a whiny bitch' gotta respect that

kat x the dude from the movie, i can't be bothered to look up his name - that tells you all you need to know

kat x lukas - do i even need to say anything, like this was obviously only a thing to show that kat was not doing well and holy shit it worked, babygirl i KNOW you're a repressed lesbian and can't choose good comphet relationships for shit but really?? that piece of toenail? jesus

[scp2316]

members mw? thank you!!

okay this list is really long, but i'm not sorry our members are so fun and good i want to give everyone everything they want. so the following and more would be loved;

buzz lightyear is highly requested, as well as forky, jessie, and bo peep from toy story, fiona, shrek, and thelonious from the shrek extended universe, the lost boys from peter pan as well as peter pan, and the three darlings, PLEASE please the rest of the belchers, i'm like dying to see bob and linda, as well as regular sized rudy, andy and ollie pesto, and tammy larsen all from bob's burgers, anyone from homestuck, dimension 20 characters (any campaign i'll kiss you on the mouth), grishaverse, the magnus archive charas, horror charas have been highly requested- for example lorraine and bobby lynne (x), sue snell (carrie), colin (jennifer's body), sidney prescott, randy meeks, the meeks-martin twins, and tara carpenter (scream), large screams for the rest of the losers especially from the admins, as well as the rest of the party from stranger things (i mean come on this season goes crazy we need them), daisy tonner, basira hussain, sasha james, michael shelley, jonathan sims, elias bouchard (tma), bart torgal, robin ayou (subnautica), praetor rykard, rya/zorayas, fia, rogier, ranni, blaidd, nepheli loux, morgott, malenia (elden ring), please please PLEASE bring us yakko and wakko there's a family rivalry involved, also huey duck this is not a joke, any and all marvel charas will be loved by all of us- we're all massive fans, and also please more dc my boy jason would love to see the rest of his family, and also his crew

[louddreaming]

thank you for tagging me @occhi-verdi-come-il-mare ♥

Three ships: okay, that one’s hard. I’d go with Karin x Stefan from a German tv series called Der Lehrer (the teacher), Wilmon from Young Royals and Constance x D’Artagnan from The Musketeers. ooooh i just can’t decide it huuuurts to choose!!!!

First ever ship: i don’t really know about my first ship but the one that comes to my mind is Christian x Tara from Dance Academy. the first series i fell in love with. (and that said, Sammy x Ollie!!!!!!!)

Last song: “You Got Nothing to Lose” by the Julie and The Phantoms Cast

Last film: i rewatched Camp Rock 2 on Sunday 🤷‍♀️

Currently reading: still haven’t finished “Holding Up The Universe” but only a few more pages to go! reading much fanfiction at the moment tbh

Currently watching: i finished Bridgerton S2 yesterday, i finally decided to continue watching Downton Abbey and watched an episode today and right now i’m watching a German series called “In aller Freundschaft - Die jungen Ärtze” (it’s the german equivalent to Greys Anatomy lol)

Currently consuming: too much fanfiction lol?

Currently craving: a partner lol

I’m tagging @giirlinterrupted , @iliketheusual , @bluecloudy and everyone who want’s to it. 🥰

[shadesslut]

So for the father's malice series, could you possibly make Ollie's first word to be "Dada"/"Daddy" (referring to Ethan) which is surprising since Ollie has barely been around him, and it basically warms both Y/N's and Ethan's heart <3 thank you

a father’s malice, pt. 3

(a/n: THIS WAS SUCH A CUTE IDEA THANK YOU)

Pairing: (Ex-Gf!Ethan Landry x Fem!Reader x Chad Meeks-Martin)

Content Includes: (Slight alcoholism?, self-hate, fluff, angst)

Summary: Ethan starts to turn to alcohol as a coping mechanism for his guilt and trauma with his father. Ethan also starts his job in a bookstore! :D

Masterlist

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His adrenaline was high, and his pupils were dilated. A part of him liked the chase, the thrill of playing cat and mouse made his hands shake in excitement. It was who he was chasing made his stomach turn. 

Y/N was close to the main room where the others were. Her cheeks were stained with old and new tears. 

Ethan chased her as he swerved around the beat-up furniture. She moved to the side, trying to cut him off, but she tripped. Her shoe got caught on a wooden panel on the floor, and she stumbled, letting Ethan catch up to her. His heart dropped as she tripped, not wanting to catch her. 

He tackled her to the floor, and she let out a sob. She didn’t want to go out this way; alone and cold. She wanted to be held by Ethan or Chad. Not pressed between the floor and her killer. 

Ethan raised the knife in the air, stilling his movements as he looked down at her. She cried, but didn’t fight back. 

“Come on, Y/N.” Ethan whispered under the mask. “Don’t give up.” 

But she did. She went limp under his hold, and Ethan knew what he had to do. He cried with her as he swung his hand down, sinking the knife into her chest. She coughed out blood, and her hands gripped around Ethan’s wrist. 

Ethan slid his knife out as he stood up shakily. He looked down at her, and a part of him wanted to take off his mask, to tell her it’s going to be okay. He didn’t do that though; he only sniffled and left her there. He heard Tara’s scream, his cue, and he glanced back at Y/N one last time. 

He whispered an “I love you,” to her as he left. He didn’t know she was pregnant then, but again, it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. 

—

The truth was, Ethan wasn’t doing well. Don’t get it wrong, Ethan was ecstatic to be spending time with Ollie and Y/N, but whenever he wasn’t bonding with Ollie, he was bonding with Chad’s stash of liquor. He had never been known to drink, and to be honest with himself, Ethan hated it. But it was the only way he felt good about himself. 

He hated himself. And everyday he thought of it. 

“Hey!”

Y/N’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked to her, apologizing under his breath. She looked concerned.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Ethan asked softly. He leaned further towards her on the couch. She had her laptop resting on her thighs. 

She sighed, smiling. “Are you nervous for your interview?” 

He had stayed with them for two weeks now. Chad had softened up on him a tad, but it seemed a lot to Ethan. Y/N did too, finally giving in to letting Ethan sleep in her bed. They never touched though, keeping to their sides. Only reaching out their hands towards each other. Ethan applied to hundreds of places. You know how it is, being famous for the only surviving Ghostface ever, no one really wanted him. He received a few calls, fortunately. 

“A little,” Ethan answered. Y/N placed her hand on his, her warmth causing him to smile. 

“You’ll be fine. I know that.” She comforted. “Do you wanna get lunch when Chad gets back?”

He shook his head as he stood up. He wiped his hands on his jeans and adjusted his shirt. “Nah, I gotta head out. Give Ollie a kiss for me.” Ethan smiled, before grabbing his wallet and walking out the door. His smile disappeared as he shut the door. 

–

Ethan sighed as he swung the door open. The bell rang and he cringed, not wanting to bring attention to him. A girl at the counter welcomed him in, and her face was covered by the stack of books in her hands. Ethan shifted awkwardly. 

“Uhm, I’m here for an interview.” He said, moving towards the desk she was behind. 

“Oh!” She exclaimed, before dropping the stack on the counter. She had frizzy blonde hair, was short, and had glasses that were way too big for her face. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ethan. Great. Ethan thought to himself, nervous that she recognized him. 

“You’re Ethan Kirsch,” She mumbled, pointing her finger at him. “I just saw you on the news,”

Ethan winced, and he rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah,” 

She didn’t respond. She only stared up at him, adjusting her glasses as she pushed them up. Ethan coughed. “I’m sorry, do you want me to-”

“Sorry! I-I’m just a fan of yours. I’m Mary.” 

“‘A fan’?”

She nodded, and she waved her hand, urging him to follow her. He looked around at the bookshelves as he walked behind her. He ducked his head under a short doorway, and she stopped abruptly, causing Ethan to run into her back. She turned around and smiled brightly up at him. He looked around. 

Ethan felt his chest tighten. The walls were covered with Ghostface and Stab merch, a robe was dressed on a mannequin that sat in the center of the room. Pictures of previous Ghostfaces hung on the wall, including him. She laughed nervously as she watched him take everything in. 

There was a section of the room specific to his family, specific to him. He had seen the fangirls that made threads online about him, just like his brother, but he never thought he’d meet one in person. 

“Yeah, I’ve made quite the collection. It took too long for merch of you and your family to be made, so I just made it myself.” She giggled. Ethan only looked at a picture of his father and sister in horror, mouth agape. “I’m sorry, but I just have to know, did you do it?” 

Ethan jerked his head towards her. 

“Do what?” 

“You know,” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Kill Anika and Paul.” 

Ethan clenched his fists. This is exactly what he wanted to escape from. He didn’t want to be constantly reminded of his sins. 

“Excuse me?”

“C’mon, everyone wants to know.”

He shook his head, and her shoulders slumped. She seemed extremely disappointed, like her favorite singer had turned out to be an awful person. It was the opposite in this case. “Oh,” 

He still, he only stared at her in shock, not knowing what to say or do. 

“People argue that you were the one who did the bodega kills, but I don’t know. I think that one was too vanilla for you. You like to be hands-on and kill with your blade, so there’s no way you’d chase Sam and Tara around with a gun.”

“Mary, please. Whatever you believe, I’m not gonna say anything. I’m trying to move on from who I used to be.” Ethan ignored her previous statement, pleading to her that she’d drop the subject. 

She adjusted her glasses. “Yeah but, you don’t have to do that here. I want you to be yourself.” 

Ethan sighed at her. She really wasn’t going to let his past go was she? 

“So, um, about that interview.” Ethan said. She nodded, and her hands played with the strings of her hoodie. 

“Don’t worry about it, you’re hired.” She smiled, walking out of the room. Ethan sighed, knowing she was gonna be awkward to work with. He put up books onto shelves, following the chart Mary had given him. Soft music filled his ears as he worked. 

He’d space out here and there. The lyrics of the song he listened to would be incoherent, the titles of the books he fixed blurred. He would hear their screams, Y/N and Chad’s. He could hear it faintly as he zoned out. 

He remembers it as if it were yesterday. The way their bodies twitched as he stabbed them. The way their blood stained his robe, and even his clothes underneath. 

He’d wanna hurt himself every time he thought about it. He would go to the bathroom to take a breather, and then he’d come back, starting all over. 

Every so often as he worked, he’d look over his shoulder to glance at Mary, who would look away once his eyes landed on her. Yeah, this was gonna be a problem. 

Ethan sat behind the desk, finished with his training as he began to clock out. He smiled brightly at his phone. A picture of Ollie glew on his screen, he wore a fluffy brown onesie, and Y/N’s smiling face was behind him as she held him up. He loved Ollie, deeply, and even though he thought he had changed, he would kill anyone for him. He loved Y/N too, sometimes he loved Chad. 

Y/N

Chad & I are almost there

6:00 pm

“Is that your kid?” Mary appeared over Ethan’s shoulder. 

“Jesus!” Ethan yelped, dropping his phone. 

Mary grabbed his phone, zooming in on the picture. She squinted her eyes, before Ethan yanked his phone out of her hands. “Yes, that’s Ollie.” Ethan answered. Mary nodded and stepped back. It had only been a few hours of Ethan knowing Mary, and already he was uncomfortable at her presence. It was obvious she was a fan of his, another die hard fanatic that fabricated theories. The door rang, and Ethan couldn’t move around Mary fast enough. “Hey!”

Y/N smiled, holding Ollie in a green baby wrap. Her hair was up in a bun, and Ollie still wore the onesie from the picture. Chad walked in as well after her, and all Ethan wanted to do was go home with them. 

“We’re closed,” Mary said in a monotone voice. She glared at Y/N, and specifically Chad. 

“It’s okay they’re picking me up,” Ethan said before Chad or Y/N could reply. Ethan hunched down slightly as he greeted Ollie, making a funny face, opening his mouth in a smile. Ollie giggled and swung his arms as he stimmed. “C’mere,” Ethan said in his baby voice, giving Ollie a fat and wet kiss on Ollie’s cheek. 

Y/N giggled as she watched the two, but Chad stared at Mary in dominance. She stared back. 

“So you have my number right?” Mary nodded in response. 

“I’ll send you your schedule.”

“Thanks,” Ethan trailed off, opening the door for Y/N. He didn’t tell them about Mary’s shrine, or her obsession with him. He couldn’t. He knew he’d feel guilty if he brought up the past, and he didn’t feel like talking about it anymore tonight. 

—

Ethan hid behind a curtain as he watched Quinn chase after the others. His mask was off, and his cheeks were stained with tears. He replayed his last moments with Y/N in his head. As soon as the knife broke skin, he regretted everything he did. She was the first person to ever show Ethan love, and he hurt her like it was nothing. 

His father’s voice played in his head over and over again.

“If you kill them, you’d be doing the world a favor.”

“It’s not easy what you and your sister are doing, and I need you to be perfect.”

“Richie would be proud of you.”

The night he killed Anika, his father praised him. He praised him like Ethan was Richie. And Ethan finally felt a part of the family. That was the only night he didn’t cry himself to sleep at the thought of Y/N’s near death. 

Ethan’s eyes darkened, and he slid the mask back onto his head. Chad just punched Quinn, knocking her down. Ethan’s legs bounced up and down as he watched Chad lift a glass candy dispenser in the air, preparing to throw it on Quinn. 

Chad had done everything for Ethan. He urged Ethan to ask Y/N out, disregarding his own feelings, and he was the one who pushed them together. He was the one who took Ethan to everything, and he always made sure to make him feel included. He was Ethan’s only friend. 

He huffed as he rushed in, stabbing Chad in the side. 

—

“So, you think you’ll like it?” Chad asked, mouthful of one of the tacos they had picked up on their way home. 

Ethan shrugged, picking off tomatoes from his food. “Seems alright,” Y/N cut a few strawberries up, feeding Ollie small chunks as she listened. 

“Your boss seems weird.” Chad stated simply. The truth was, Chad wasn’t an idiot. He had plenty of experience of reading people’s emotions from their behavior. He knew Mary most likely was attracted to Ethan, and that pissed Chad off. In a weird way, Chad only wanted Y/N and Ethan to himself. Three was enough in their relationship. 

Not that they were in a relationship, of course. 

Ethan nodded in agreement as he rewrapped his taco. 

“These are the best tacos, I swear to god,” Y/N groaned, taking a bite. 

Chad chuckled. “I’m surprised you’re not tired of them. You had them like every day when you were pregnant.” Ethan smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to react to that. It wasn’t any secret about how much Chad was there for her when Ethan…well wasn’t. 

Chad noticed Ethan’s change of demeanor, and he casually rested his palm on Ethan’s knee. Ethan’s eyes widened at his hand placement, and he gulped, not knowing how to react to that.

“Dadda,”

Ethan jerked his head towards the sound. Ollie was standing in front of the couch, next to Ethan’s legs. His small hands rested on the couch cushion, and he started jumping up and down. 

“Did,” Ethan’s voice suddenly became high-pitched. “Did he say that to me?” 

Ollie’s eyes glimmered at Ethan, his gummy smile showing. 

“He’s lookin’ at you,” Chad responded in a whisper. “He only ever calls me daddy anyway, not that I blame him…”

Y/N threw a couch cushion at Chad, who laughed as it hit him in the chest. Ollie reached for Ethan, insisting that he’d pick him up. Ethan obliged happily, and he rested Ollie in his big arms. 

“Did you call me dadda?” Ethan asked, smiling at Ollie. Ollie giggled, and Ethan’s heart swooned. He’d never felt this way before in his life. Y/N stared happily at the two boys, and she glanced at Chad, who also grinned ear to ear. Maybe this could work, maybe they could be a family; all of them. Maybe they could forget about the Ethan that hurt them, maybe he was gone. 

Ethan kissed Ollie’s cheek and blew a raspberry, earning a loud laugh from him. Y/N let out an involuntary choked laugh as she held back tears. Ethan stood up, sliding Ollie to sit on his hip. 

“Think we should celebrate with some shots, huh?” Ethan baby-talked to Ollie as he tickled his belly. Y/N gave Chad a pointed look after Ethan spoke. Chad cleared his throat. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little late?” Chad asked Ethan cautiously. “Don’t you have work in the morning?” 

Ethan turned around, his smile slowly dropping. “I think I can handle one shot.” 

“Eth, you’ve already had four beers,” Y/N said softly, gesturing to the empty bottles that sat on the coffee table. Ethan’s eyes followed to the table. 

“Let’s just go to bed.” Chad spoke again, his tone more stern this time. Ethan rolled his eyes, and Y/N stood up next to him, adjusting her jeans. 

Ethan stepped away from her. “I wanna have a shot.” She shook her head and sighed. Her fingers pressed to her temple, applying pressure. Chad stood up as well. 

“Dude, just go to bed. You’ve had enough to drink.” Chad warned, rolling his sleeves up. Ethan ignored both of them, taking Ollie into the kitchen with him. Y/N sternly said his name as she followed him, Chad behind her. 

Ethan grabbed a shot glass from the cabinet, and he reached his hand to the top of the fridge. His head snapped up once he realized the bottle of liquor wasn’t up there. 

“I threw it out.” Chad stated as he leaned against the counter opposite of Ethan. Ethan groaned at his words. 

He couldn’t take being sober anymore, even tipsy, he needed something. He needed to feel the burn of alcohol soothe down his throat. He needed to make the noises go away. He needed to stop hearing his father’s voice. He needed to forget about that day, and he needed Chad and Y/N to stop looking at him like that. 

Chad cautiously walked up to him, holding his arms out to take Ollie. “Go away,” Ethan mumbled, but he wasn’t talking to Chad. The voices of his father rang in his head. 

You were born to hurt people. 

Chad put two hands on Ethan’s shoulders, which caused Ethan to tense. 

You’re not good enough to be my son. 

“Come on dude, just come to bed. We want you to come to bed.” Chad whispered to Ethan, gently rubbing his shoulders. Ollie babbled to himself, and Chad smiled at him and put his hand and the back of Ollie’s head. Ethan saw this, and he immediately reached to grab a knife from the knife block. 

Chad’s eyes widened, and he stepped back. 

“Get the fuck away from me!” Ethan screamed, holding the knife up at both of them. Y/N held her hands up in defense, her eyes flicking to Ollie, who started to cry. She slowly said his name and walked towards him, hoping to take Ollie from his arms. 

Ethan turned the knife towards her, causing her to stop in her tracks. “Ethan, please,” she cried. While Ethan was distracted by her, Chad inched towards Ollie, finally sliding him out of Ethan’s arms. Ethan turned towards Chad, and for a split, measly second, he saw his father. He saw his father instead of Chad, and he laughed sinisterly as he held Ollie. 

He couldn’t let Ollie get hurt, he made a promise. He swung the knife, cutting his father’s arm. Y/N and Ollie’s cries filled Ethan’s ears as he watched the blood seep down his arm. But it wasn’t his father’s groans he heard, it was Chad’s. 

He looked back up with widened eyes. Chad clutched Ollie in his left arm, and he hissed as he looked at the fresh cut on his right. Chad looked at him in horror and anger. 

Ethan’s hand shook as he slowly looked at the knife in his hand. He heard ringing in his ears as the knife fell from his hands, clattering on the floor. 

“I-I…I’m sorry,” Ethan stammered. He looked at the blood splatters on the floor from the knife. His eyes started to water, and he cried along with Ollie. Chad mumbled something to Y/N, and she shakily took Ollie into her room. “Y/N wait,” Ethan begged as he tried to follow her. Chad stopped him by pushing his forearm against Ethan’s chest. 

“Leave it,” Chad muttered. Ethan’s chest rose up and down as he stared at him. Chad looked like he was about to cry, but he repeatedly blinked and held back his tears. 

Chad whimpered as he looked at his arm, and Ethan immediately reached for him. “Let me help,” he offered in a small voice, but Chad jerked away. 

Ethan had never hated himself more than now. He thought he could change, become a different person than the one his father molded him to be. Maybe he was wrong. Was his father right? Was Ethan always going to be like this? Maybe Ethan should have stayed in jail, and he silently cursed the person who bailed him out. 

“I’m sorry,” he said in a whisper as Chad picked up the knife. Chad didn’t say anything, he only glanced at Ethan before leaving him alone in the kitchen. It was mere minutes Ethan stood there, alone with the blood stains on the floor, until he finally left. And as Y/N stitched Chad’s arm, exchanging soft whispers and tears with each other, Ollie peacefully sleeping in their bed, the dresser moved back to barricade the door, Ethan went to the one place he knew he was welcome at.

(Taglist: @onlyreadz, @lloyd907, @hearts4meeks, @emitaylorsverson, @depressedseaweed, @athenalive, @b3bybunny, @aliciacat20, @whoaitsbibi, @fallinforhappiness, @Dabbin22, @leyla-1905, @sflame15-blog, @i-love-milfs2, @zerodotzer0, @ahalliwell5, @gabbylovesreading, @wishyouwere-sober, @leaveitbythewave, @itsnotino, @elltheawkward, @writinganything, @buffhoshi, @reysdriver, @asapkyndall, @champomiel)

[scarisd3ad]

Superstar | football player!joel miller x popstar!reader

Chapter Four - labyrinth

Previous >> next

Masterlist

Taglist

Warnings - angst, cursing

Summary - when you find out about a certain football player showing up at your tour you decide to reach out just because of all the dating rumors, but what if thoughs rumors turn into reality?

a/n - okay so since I've never really introduced Joel parents they are introduced here. his mother is named Juliana in this, and his father is named tom (because tommy just feels like he'd be a jr)  <3. also, song reader sing is labyrinth because I love labyrinth and Taylor sang it at n1 in Argentina.  

‘Oh no, I’m falling in love’

I let out a deep sigh as my fingers pressed against the piano keys. The same piano I sit at weekend after weekend with a large screaming crowd showing all their adoration for me through screams and chants. I pull my in-ears out so I'm able to hear the actual volume of the crowd. "Holy shit," I whisper into the mic in front of me. They're loud, so loud it's impossible to believe that this is my life. Screaming crowds, fans, concerts at venues this big it's incredible. "you guys are so unbelievably awesome you don't even understand," I say as I place my in-ears back into my ears. I can still hear the screams the in-ears just kind of lower the volume. "So, I um, I wrote a new song and I want to see if you guys like it," I say with a smile. They scream as I begin to play the notes on the piano. I take a deep breath before starting the first lyric.

"It only hurts this much right now...was what I was thinking the whole time" It's a little nerve-wracking performing a song that I had just written last night to a whole crowd of people. I didn't even know if they were going to like it, let alone like that I was playing an unknown song rather than a song that they all could sing along to. But despite my anxious thoughts, they scream, scream like this is their favorite song ever. "Breathe in breathe through breathe deep breathe out. I'll be getting over you my whole life," they scream again, astonished by the lyrics, astonished by what these lyrics might mean. I know there's already a video posted somewhere speculating what these lyrics mean and who they're about. That's just how the internet works. But I'm the only person who will ever truly know what this song and its lyrics are about.

"You know how scared I am of elevators, never trust it if it rises fast, it can't last" I hear a loud "I love you y/n!" from a girl sitting in the very front row closest to the stage. I smile as I start the next lyric. "Uh oh, I'm Fallin' in love. Oh no, I'm Fallin' in love again" Screams from the crowd start up because these lyrics just have to be about Joel, right? I know that's what they're thinking and they're right, or at least partially, about him. "Oh, I'm Fallin' in love. I thought the plane was going down. how'd you turn it right around?"

-

"Sooo, why aren't you out with Joel?" Tara asks from her spot at the end of my bed. It was my off weekend. I had one weekend off from performing, and this was it. I let out a sigh. "Um, he invited me to something just didn't feel like it" She rolled her eyes; she knew I was lying somehow. it wasn't anything about 'not feeling it' it was all about the kiss, and the 'good job' afterward, the way my heart dropped right after he said that too. We just needed some space. I needed to be away from him for a little while to try and rid myself of this crush I had on him.

"Is that true?" I let out a sigh as I shook my head and murmured, "I don't want to talk about it, kay?" I wrap my arms around Ollie, who is nestled up beside me, and pull him closer. He lets out a tired "meow" but forgets about the fact I had moved him about 2 seconds later. "c'mon y/n tell me y'know I don't judge" I roll my eyes as she props herself up with her arm. "He kissed me," I whisper. Her brows furrow in a confused curl, which sends me tumbling into an explanation. "He kissed me, and I think I'm in love with him. And the kiss was all for the paparazzi," I whisper as I lay my head back down on my pillow. She sits up quickly, snatching my phone off the bed. "Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" I shout as I quickly sit up. She tumbles off of the bed running away. I let out a groan as I scurried off of the bed to follow after her. She's letting out giggles as her thumbs type away. "Seriously T, what are you doing?!" I shouted as I followed her down the stairs, almost tripping as I came to the bottom.

She stops in the kitchen and pushes herself against the counter. "You're going out with Joel" my eyes widen. I plan on ignoring him for a few weeks before cutting the deal off. "Because you need to figure this shit out 'cause I know it's not fake for him either" She hands me back my phone and I'm quick to open the messaging app.

Joel Miller

y - hey, plans changed. I'm able to go to that thing if I'm still able to.

J.M. - what happened to your sisters?

I rolled my eyes it was obvious that I did not write the text. This was just going to break my heart even more. I don't even know why she'd do this. "Tara...why seriously this is just going to hurt me even more" I whisper, she shakes her head as her arms cross over her chest "he likes you too, y'know have you seen the way he looks at you?" I don't even know how her brain works; he looks at me like how a normal person looks at another human. There was not even a hint of love in his eyes. I stare at her, waiting for her to explain. "Oh my god seriously, are you blind?"

Joel Miller

y- canceled, can you pick me up?

y- please?

J.M. - yeah, sure, be there in 15.

I let out a sigh as I stuff my phone into my pocket. "he's gonna be here in 15 so I better..." I whisper, my voice trickling away as I make eye contact with Tara. I'm not mad at her because I just can't be mad at her, but I'm just so anxious that I seem mad. "Are you mad?" her smile immediately drops. Sometimes Tara just plays too much. She didn't realize how brokenhearted I was after he kissed me, not until now. I turn around and begin to walk away. "Hey y'know, he does like you, I wouldn't lie to you." she chases after me, "I know I just don't trust your judgment," I whisper. It wasn't that Tara liked to lie and make things up, she just embellishes the truth sometimes, especially when I like a guy. She likes to add things to make me feel good. "Just let me get ready...by myself," I whisper.

I throw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt before putting on some makeup and doing my hair. I was anxious to meet his entire family. That was the main reason I didn't want to go because it just felt like a little too much for fake dating. my heart pounded against my chest as I sat on my couch waiting for him to show up. I was trying to hype myself up in my head, but I had no luck in doing so. I was still a big bundle of nerves who didn't want to be talked to at the moment. My hands shook and my chest was rising and falling so fast it was concerning. And then when I heard three soft knocks on my front door, I wanted to hide.

knock knock knock

I take a deep breath in mutter "I've got this" before standing up and stuffing my phone into my back pocket. "Hey Tara, I'm leaving kay?" when I hear a muffled "okay!" from upstairs I open the front door. I'm met with Joel standing at the door dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a cowboy's tee shirt.

"Hey, darlin', how have ya been? Haven't heard from ya in a while." My heart flutters at the nickname, and at the thought that he cares about how I've been. "I-I've been good, you?" he waves me off. "No, I wanna hear about you. How was your concerts last weekend, huh? Heard they were all sold out," I giggle, flustered that he had even thought about my concerts. "Go-good, I um performed a new song," I say as I smile up at him, a disgustingly lovesick look on my face. But I can't help it, he just makes me feel so good. So free, so loved even if it is fake.

"Need ya to sing that to me, darlin," he says as he grabs my hand. It felt so weird having a man care so much about my music. Every time I see him, he asks about my concerts or how I write my songs. I've been with men who cared I made so much music with Andy, but Joel just feels so different. "y-yeah um I can if you want me to," I whisper as he leads me toward his car. Unlike every other time I had seen him, there wasn't even any paparazzi outside my house. So, him holding my hand is pointless.

-

When we pull up to his house, it's nothing like I imagined it to be. Unlike most other celebrities his age who have large mansions that span many acres, it's a normal 2-story suburban home. It's a stereotypical picket fence home with a large tree in the front yard and faded chalk drawings on the driveway. It was unexpected for a man with so much fame and wealth, but not unexpected for a man like him. Joel was a regular Texan man, a father, a son, and a brother. A man who lived in a simple 2-story, 3-bedroom, 2-bath house. Picket fences, scrapped knees, and handmade drawings stuck up on the fridge. Normalcy, that's what his house felt like. It felt like my childhood. It felt like suburban neighborhoods playing with the neighborhood kids, and ice pops on the front porch. It felt like playing in sprinklers, puddles, and mud. It felt like baseball in the backyard. I felt happy that his kids got that, although their father was such a star. They didn't have to grow up in a large mansion with no kids around like other celebrities' kids got.

As we walk into his house, Joel's hand is splayed across my lower back. There were a lot of people sitting on his couch, some women, some men, but they all felt older than me. "Back...Um, this is my...girlfriend y/n...y/n this is my uncle Walter, aunt Gabriela, my mom Juliana, my dad Tom, and our neighbor Jason" My eyes widen a bit at all the new names and faces I'm taking in. "hi" I squeak with a tiny smile. "She's a superstar, famous singer, right darlin'?" I didn't even have enough time to become flustered at the fact that he had called me his girlfriend because I was met with bunches of hands and people trying to hug me. "I um yeah, yeah I sing a little" I whisper as I try my best to hide myself behind Joel. it's a weird feeling being around all these people who are just so much older than me, I felt like I'd fit in more with his young daughter than with these people. "'Sing a little' c'mon darlin', don't sell yourself short. This girl is performing for sold-out stadiums" he says with a chuckle, "I-I yeah um-" Thankfully, I'm cut off by a scream and the feeling of a little body smashing into my leg.

I look down to see Sarah with her arms wrapped around my torso. "you're here! Daddy said you couldn't come" his family begin quiet 'aww's and 'look how cute's "y-yeah I um I could make it after all," I say with a shy smile. For someone who has stadiums full of people cheering me on, I'm so shy in front of a room of just 5 people. I look up to see a smaller girl standing just a little behind Sarah. She has a paler complexion and straighter brown hair. She's got her arms crossed over her chest; she can't be any older than 5. when she opens her mouth and begins to talk, I can see that her two top teeth are missing. "Who's this?"

"This is daddy's friend I told you about don't be rude Ellie" Sarah whispers as she turns so she's facing her sister. Ellie looks up at me, her head cocking to the side as she takes me in. "I went to your concert" she whispers, "it was too loud" she mutters before walking a bit closer. Her father chuckles behind me. "We-well, I'm sorry bout that," I whisper with a little laugh. "she's the one who has a cat," Sarah whispers and it seems like Ellie's eyes instantly turn into two hearts. "Cat? what's its name?" Ellie asks as she approaches me. "His name is Ollie," I reply as I kneel, so I'm face to face with her. "Can I come see him?" she asks. I nod "Yeah if your daddy lets you" She looks up at her father and puts on the cutest puppy dog eyes. "Can I go see the cat, Daddy?"

"Maybe one day El" I feel a tiny hand wrap around mine before I'm quickly pulled back to my full height and pulled out of the living room "Let's go play y/n!" 

-

I'm outside in the backyard chasing around all the kids in the backyard while Joel and his father grill burgers on the deck. "ahhhh you can't catch me!" Ellie screams as I grab ahold of her arm and pull her towards me. We both topple to the ground as I begin tickling her. She screams out loud giggles as she tries to squirm away. Once she finally gets away, she stands up and places her hands on both her knees, trying to catch her breath. I sit up noticing Joel has now walked back inside. "Hey, I'm gonna go get a drink alright?!" I shouted, not only to acknowledge Ellie but to the other children who were playing as well. Ellie just nods as she breathes heavily. I push myself up off of the ground and begin to make my way up to the back door.

"May- maybe she could be like their mom. They need a mom, Joel. I know you are all they need, but they need a mother," I hear Joel's mom say as I open the back door slowly. Joel's mom stood at the counter, staring out the window above the sink as she prepared a salad. Joel stood next to her, chopping up the chicken. "I-momma she-we're-" I know what he means we're not real, this is temporary. I clear my throat before saying, "I-um, is there anything I can drink?" Joel's mother begins to swat at her son's arm. "Oh god sweetheart, I am so sorry. Joel, get your girlfriend a drink," she says before shoving him my way. "I-um..." he stutters, as he opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water. He hands the bottle to me.

"Let's go outside," he whispers before turning back towards his mom. "You got this, Mom?" she nods before shooing him away. His hand slots into mine perfectly as we walk outside. Everything about him made my heart just leap with excitement. It was embarrassing. We stand on the deck watching as the children run around screaming and laughing. "I don't know how they have that much energy," he chuckles as I twist the bottle cap open and take a swig. "Yeah, they wore me out in like 2 seconds," I reply with a smile. "They like you a lot, y'know Ellie and Sarah" I nod, I just wished they didn't. it wouldn't be this hard to break things off if they didn't like me. "Wish they wouldn't get so attached," I whisper. "It's not going to be easy on them when this ends." his face contorts into an expression I can't read. It's a mix of sadness and realization.

"y-yeah but you can still come around. As my friend, we don't have to not talk after this" I nod acting like I would, but I knew I probably wouldn't because it'd be too hard on me. I can't just be his friend, that's the problem. I wouldn't be able to see him with another girl without being heartbroken. "I know" 

-

Once everyone had left, I sat on the couch with both his children while Frozen was playing on the TV. "You need me to take you home?" Joel asks as he walks into the living room. I've been trying to convince myself it's time to break this off before the kids get too attached. I decided I should just rip the band-aid off before I had time to overthink it and not do it at all. "Um, actually..." I quickly rise to my feet. "Can we talk...alone?" Joel nods, his brows furrowing together in a questioning look.

I follow after him as he leads me to a room far enough away so the kids won't be able to hear us. His arms crossed over his chest as he asks, "What's up?" I take a deep breath in before saying, "We should stop this. I can't do this anymore." his brows furrow into a knot as I see the look in his eyes change from curious to hurt. His head cocks to the side "Wh-why? did you-" I shake my head as I run my hands through my hair "I-I um I can't talk about it." his hands shift so they're placed on his hips. Why did this hurt worse than any breakup I've ever experienced? Why was my heart shattering over a man I was never even in an actual relationship with? "I-I just need to know why. closure y'know," he whispers.

"I-I-" I sigh as my head lowers so I'm not making eye contact with him, "y/n..." my hand squeezes against my opposite arm hard as I try to keep quiet. I can't tell him. I can't, I just can't. "I-I think... I think I'm in love with you and I know you-" lips pressing against mine interrupt my words, instantly alleviating all my fears. Nothing mattered but his lips against mine. He pulls away and places his hand against my cheek. My lips chase after his, which makes him chuckle. "Do you l-" he cuts me off with a simple "mhm," and I nod before our lips meet again.

Taglist

@taylarxse @none-of-this-makes-any-sense @ktheunready @camixkami @skysmiller @mars743 @romeestrvjds @lightxzhan @alyhull @jenna-mcgraw19 @raindropsandteaandtears @winkuchu @lexloon @greensabereyesforcevictim @cozylibraries @celebrities-imagines @joeldjarin @nezukos-number1fan @abbysgirll @sadbloatedegg @hopelessromantic727

[tw-anchor]

28. Deucalion and the Darach

Anchor

Stiles Stilinski x Original Character

Episode: 3x04; Unleashed

Word Count: 8,853

Warning(s): Mature language, canon violence + gore, talk of sex, blood

Author’s Note: Stiles teams up with Lydia to do some investigating and Olivia has her first real interaction with Deucalion and the alpha pack. Hope you enjoy! Make sure you tell me what you think! Reblog and like!

Story Masterlist in Pinned Post!

"I looked everywhere. It's like he just walked away," Scott told Stiles. "He left his car and his dog."

As soon as Stiles and Scott walked into the boys' locker room to get ready for cross country practice—which was mandatory for lacrosse players, who needed to stay in shape during the fall—Scott had started to tell Stiles about the previous night at work. Apparently, a senior that was on the football team, Kyle, had come in with his little dog. After they left, Scott was taking out the trash when he heard the dog barking. Kyle was nowhere to be found.

Stiles nodded shakily as he slipped on his gray hoodie over his practice uniform. "Okay. Was he, like...could he have been a virgin maybe? Did he look like a virgin? Was he, you know virginal?"

"No, definitely not," Scott pulled on his own sweatshirt, a giddy smile on his face. "Deaton makes me have sex with all of his clients. It's a new policy."

Normally, Stiles would have laughed at Scott's joke because they were few and far between. This wasn't a normal situation, though. He might not be a virgin but the love of his life, his girlfriend, was. There were already three virgins dead, so if Kyle was a virgin, too, the rest of them in Beacon High were screwed—and not in a good way.

Scott sighed when he saw the blank look Stiles was giving him. "No, I don't know if he was a virgin," he told his best friend. "And why are you talking like he's already dead? He's just missing."

"Missing and presumed dead because he's probably a virgin, Scott," Stiles didn't know how much simpler his explanation could get. "You know who else is a virgin? My girlfriend, all right? Her lack of sexual experience is now literally a threat to her life. And you know who keeps putting sex off? Me because I'm an idiot who wants her first time to be special."

The locker a few down from them was slammed shut by Danny. He turned to face them, stating, "I know a guy who would—"

"Don't be a dick, Danny," Stiles stopped him before he could finish his statement.

No one was going to have sex with Olivia but him, thank you very much.

As Danny shrugged and walked off to talk to one of his friends on the team, Scott raised an eyebrow at Stiles. "Have you told Liv that, you know...you're not a—"

"No, I haven't," Stiles huffed, frustrated with himself. "And I'm a total hypocrite because I told her that we shouldn't lie to each other but I—I don't know how to bring it up."

"You don't have to tell her."

"Yeah," Stiles shook his head at Scott's suggestion. "I do."

"Mr. Lahey!" Coach called as Isaac scurried into the locker room fifteen minutes late. "Happy to have you back. Not happy that you're late."

"Sorry, Coach," Isaac mumbled as he went to his locker, only a few away from Stiles and Scott; they both nodded at him in greeting.

Coach shook his head and addressed the boys' team. "I'll remind you all, cross-country is not optional for lacrosse players. I don't need you turning into a bunch of fat-asses in the off-season," he paused as Isaac and Danny took off their shirts, both of them fit. "So work on that."

Five minutes later, Stiles, Scott, Isaac, and the other members of the team were lining up outside of the mini cross-country trail behind the school. Stiles and Scott settled at the back of the group and waited for Coach to blow his whistle, allowing them to start running.

Coach blew his whistle and everyone took off. "Pace yourselves! Come on!"

Stiles started jogging beside Scott but both of them stopped by Isaac, who hadn't started running and was still on one knee where he had been tying his shoe. Just as he was about to start sprinting, Scott grabbed his shoulder. "Isaac!"

Isaac turned to face them, an angry look on his face. "It's them."

Before Stiles could even ask who 'they' were, Isaac ripped himself away from Scott and took off.

"Isaac, wait!"

Stiles shrugged and started jogging, watching as Scott started running after Isaac. He settled into pace, grateful that he had always been a natural runner, and soon overtook some of his teammates. Soon, he fell in pace with one of his classmates.

Riley was trying cross-country out for some type of extra-curricular besides student government but she wasn't used to running a mile or more at a time. She was asthmatic, her inhaler clutched tightly in her hand, and she usually took an aerobics class every Saturday. Yes, she told him all of that while he ran beside her, voice breathless because of her light wheezing.

Eventually, she started slowing down.

"I need to take a break," she wheezed as she veered off the path, pressing her inhaler to her mouth.

Stiles didn't feel right just leaving her to work through her asthma attack—or rather, the start of one—so he stopped with her. It looked like her asthma was stronger than Scott's had been; her face was stark white as she stumbled toward a tree to sit against until she felt better.

Stiles followed her and stood still when he saw the body tied against the tree in front of them. Like the others, it looked as though the guy had been strangled, had his throat slit, and his head bashed in. Another three-fold death, another sacrifice.

Riley saw the body and only took a second to let out a high-pitched scream. Within minutes, the rest of the team was gathered around the body and the police were called. Stiles barely looked away from the body as Scott and Isaac ran up to his side.

Stiles looked away from the body to glance at Scott. "It's him, isn't it?"

Scott, who was looking at the body in horror, nodded slightly.

The body was Kyle, the guy who went missing from the animal clinic the night before.

-

"Hey, get out of the way. Get back," Noah burst through the teenagers forming a circle around Kyle's body, Deputy Tara right on his heels. He got to the tree where Stiles was hovering, trying to get a better look at Kyle's injuries, and turned back to Tara. "Get this area cordoned off before they trample every piece of evidence."

Deputy Tara immediately got to work. "Back up!" she raised her voice to get everyone's attention. "Everyone back!"

Noah gently pushed Stiles away from the body. "Get these kids out of here!"

Stiles slapped away his father's hand and stepped back toward the body. "Dad, look. It's the same as the others, you see?"

Noah looked at him firmly yet calmly. "Yeah, I see that. Do me a favor and go back to school, yeah?" he turned way to address Coach. "Coach, can you give us a hand here?"

"You heard the man," Coach called out to his students. "Nothing to see here. It's probably just some homeless kid."

Stiles stared at him in disbelief while Scott sighed, "Coach."

Coach turned to him. "Yeah?"

"He was a senior."

"Oh," Coach sighed sadly, holding his fish against his mouth. "He wasn't on the team, was he?"

Stiles rolled his eyes just as Kyle's girlfriend, Ashley, came sprinting up to the tree, already crying. She took one look at the body and screamed in grief, a heartbreaking look on her face as sobs broke through her chest. Deputy Tara grabbed her before she could get to Kyle's body and held her tightly as she broke down into hysterics.

Noah pushed against his chest, quietly urging him, Scott, and Isaac to get back to the school. The three of them walked away solemnly, all of them feeling bad for Kyle and Ashley.

"You see the way the twins looked at him?" Isaac asked as they left the group surrounding Kyle's body.

Stiles remembered the look that the alpha twins had given the body and it seemed more like shock than anything else. "Yeah, you mean like they had no idea what happened?"

"No," Isaac said determinedly. "No, they knew."

"The kid was strangled with a garrote, all right?" Stiles spoke with exasperation. "Am I the only one recognizing the lack of 'werewolfitude' in these murders?"

As they came to stop only twenty or so feet away from the crime scene, Isaac faced Stiles with a look of disbelief. "Oh, you think it's a coincidence they turn up and then people start dying?"

"Well, no, but I still don't think it's them."

Both of them turned to Scott, who had been way too quiet for their tastes. "Scott?" Isaac grabbed his attention. "How about you?"

Stiles crossed his arms over his chest expectantly, waiting for Scott to be on his side, only for him to be disappointed.

"I don't know yet."

Stiles raised his eyebrows. "You don't know yet?"

Scott shrugged and nodded toward Isaac. "Well, he's got a point. Seriously, dude, human sacrifices?"

Now Stiles knew what betrayal really felt like. How could Scott—his very best friend, his brother—agree with Isaac over him? His theory was so sound yet he choice to agree with Isaac, when he had only known him for what, six months? He and Stiles had been friends for a decade.

"Scott, your eyes turned into yellow glow sticks, okay?" he was more than a little huffy. "Hair literally grows from your cheeks and then will immediately disappear, and if I were stab you right now, it would just magically heal but you're telling me that you're having trouble grasping human sacrifices?!"

"That's a good point, too," Scott sighed, looking at Isaac; Stiles nodded in satisfaction.

"I don't care," Isaac stated firmly. "They killed that kid, they killed the girl that saved me. I'm gonna kill them, too."

-

-

Ollie: How's Cora doing?

Derek: She's still healing

Olivia raised her eyebrows in surprise, only glancing away from her phone for a second to see if Mr. Harris had turned away from the board; he hadn't.

Ollie: She's actually staying still?

Cora had always been an active child. When they were little, she couldn't count the amount of times Cora asked her to play tag, hide the flag, or go on runs. She had always exhausted Olivia, who wasn't the type to just run around for fun.

Derek: I didn't say that

Olivia huffed silently in amusement and slid her phone back into her leather satchel to turn her attention back to Harris' lecture—of which she had already knew.

"All right," Mr. Harris finished writing on the board and turned to face the class. "since inertia is a subject of which you all know plenty, why don't we start with momentum?"

"Isaac," Scott whispered from behind her and Isaac, who was sitting next to her. For some reason, Stiles was mysteriously missing from his seat beside him. "they're here for a reason. Give me a chance to figure it out before you do anything, okay?"

Apparently the boys had quite the cross-country practice that morning. Stiles and some girl on his team had found a senior's dead body and from the quick explanation that Stiles gave her before he went running off, he had been killed by a three-fold death. Another sacrifice; she wasn't going to lie, it scared the shit out of her.

Olivia glanced at Isaac to see if he was going to agree with Scott but jumped when Mr. Harris got her attention.

"Olivia," she looked over at him to see that he was starting at her expectantly. "what do we know about momentum?"

"It's a product of mass and velocity," Olivia answered easily; this was her thing, after all. "The more massive something is, the faster it's going—"

"Mr. Harris," Isaac interrupted her in order to get the teacher's attention. "can I use the bathroom, please?"

Olivia gave him a half-irritated and half-curious look. Why did he need to go to the bathroom so urgently? She quickly figured it out; he wanted to go after the alpha twins.

Mr. Harris sighed and gestured toward the door. Isaac quickly got to his feet and walked out of the classroom.

Scott rose from his own seat. "I have to go to the bathroom too."

"One at a time," Mr. Harris reminded him of the school-wide rule. The rule was supposed to cut down on hook-ups and smoking or whatever it was that students did while skipping class but she didn't know if it actually worked. The only time she had skipped class was when Stiles was trying to teach Scott control.

"But I really have to go," Scott said urgently as Olivia grimaced, nervous about what Isaac was going to do. "Like, medical emergency have-to-go."

Mr. Harris stiffened and Olivia just knew that he was going to rant. She was right.

"Mr. McCall, if your bladder suddenly exploded and urine began to pour from every orifice, I would still respond with one at a time," despite Mr. Harris' irritation, he kept his voice calm. "Is that enough hyperbole for you or would you like me to come up with something more vivid?"

"No," Scott quickly sat in his seat. "That's pretty good."

All of a sudden, everyone in the classroom heard a huge bang come from the lockers on the other side of the wall. Mr. Harris made his way over to the door and the rest of the class followed him. Olivia and Scott stuck together as they pushed past their classmates in order to see what was going on.

Isaac stood in the middle of the hallway with one of the alpha twins at his feet, beaten up and bloody. Olivia's attention was immediately captured by the other twin, who was casually turning into another hallway; she quickly nudged Scott and nodded at him and his face lit up in realization. It was clear—to them, at least—that Isaac hadn't done anything to the twin at his feet. No, the alphas were trying to get Isaac into trouble.

And it worked.

"Isaac, what the hell did you do?" Mr. Harris asked him angrily. Before Isaac even had a chance to explain, he added, "You'll be seeing me at lunch detention."

They all went back to class and before long, they were at break. Olivia and Scott escorted Isaac out of the room, Olivia holding onto his arm tightly so that he wouldn't lose control.

"Don't let it bother you. It's just lunchtime detention," Scott said as they came to a stop by Isaac's locker. "If all they want right now is to piss you off, then don't give in. They're just trying to get to you."

Isaac paused, his eyes down the hallway. "It's not just me."

Olivia and Scott followed his gaze and saw that one of the twins—the one who hadn't got beaten up—was chatting up Lydia. They watched as he smiled flirtatiously at her until she closed her locker and leaned against it before playfully patting his chest.

Olivia pressed her lips together, displeased. Lydia was her own person and everything but Olivia didn't want her cousin fooling around with someone as dangerous as an alpha who could conjoin bodies with his brother and had a hand in killing Erica.

"Now they're getting to you," Isaac commented to Scott.

Olivia stormed away from Scott and Isaac and made her way down the hall to where Lydia and the alpha were still talking.

"Lydia," she took her cousin's attention away from the twin. "we need to talk."

"We were kind of in the middle of something," the alpha douche objected as Lydia nodded at her.

"Were you?" she asked sarcastically.

"Aiden, here, was offering to help me study," Lydia raised an eyebrow at Olivia, as if to say 'get a load of this guy'.

"Really?" Olivia looked back to Aiden. "You have an IQ higher than 170?" when Aiden faltered, she continued, "No? Didn't think so. Scram."

Aiden narrowed his eyes at her and even though he could rip her apart and it did kind of freak her out, she raised her chin, meeting his gaze head-on. She wasn't going to back down.

"I'll see you later, Aiden," Lydia dismissed him.

Aiden huffed and sent Olivia one last glare before walking away.

Lydia turned to Olivia once he had walked out of the hallway. "What was that about?"

"Lydia, he's one of the alphas," she told her cousin, watching as realization dawned on her face. "Yeah."

"The one that can conjoin...?"

"Yep."

"Shit," Lydia sighed in disappointment. "but he's so hot."

Olivia didn't agree but she and Lydia had always had different taste in guys.

"Sorry—"

Olivia instantly cut herself off as a tingling sensation started in her belly and a flash of Derek's loft came and went quickly as her head and ears started to ache from the intent voices spinning through her mind.

Derek, Derek, Derek. He's in trouble. He's going to die. Derek, Derek, Derek.

She gasped sharply as she came back to reality, noticing that Lydia was giving her a worried look.

"Liv, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah," Olivia answered distractedly. "I have to go to Derek's."

Lydia furrowed her eyebrows. "What? It's not even lunch yet."

"Yeah, I know," her vision was flashing between normal and purple; she had to get out of there. "I'll, uh, I'll see you later."

She turned away from Lydia and marched out of the school, ignoring the surprised looks that Scott and Isaac were giving her. She quickly got into her car and set to Derek's loft. He was in trouble and if she had to guess, it was the alpha pack who was responsible.

-

-

Stiles peered over the windowsill that allowed him to look into the main office. He could clearly see his dad and Deputy Tara asking Kyle's girlfriend, Ashley, if she knew anything that could help them investigate his death. He waited, trying to listen and gain as much information about Kyle's death as he could—the walls weren't good at keeping out voices, which was a concern for the school—and there were some things he found helpful.

But he still needed to know if Kyle was a virgin.

He waited until Tara had Ashley wait outside of the office while she conferred with Noah to go up to Ashley and speak to her.

"Um, hi, Ashley," he greeted her hesitantly, reminding himself to have tact; she looked at him unsurely. "Can I talk to you for just one sec?"

After she nodded silently, he gently moved her so his dad nor Tara could hear what he was going to ask her. He was going to Hell for it, he didn't need to get into trouble with his dad, too.

"I just need to ask you something really quick and it's gonna sound really unbelievably insensitive, so I apologize in advance," he cringed and took a deep breath. "Um, was Kyle a virgin?"

Ashley jerked her head a little, surprised. "What?"

"Your boyfriend," Stiles said patiently. "was he a virgin or did you guys, you know, have sex—"

Stiles was cut off by a harsh slap in the face. His head turned to the side, he blinked in shock while his left cheek stung from the force of Ashley's slap.

Yeah, I deserved that, he thought to himself.

He looked back at Ashley, about to serve her an apology, but she was being whisked away by Deputy Tara, who was giving him a look of disapproval. They were only a few feet away from him when Ashely turned back to him.

"No, he wasn't a virgin."

Her answer had his mind racing. There were only three virgin sacrifices then, which made everything all the more confusing. Then again, the number three did have a bunch of meanings, especially for ancient civilizations. Maybe that could be something to go on...

"Have you completely lost your mind?" his dad's voice brought him out of his head. Stiles took one look at his father's angry expression and bowed his head, scratching his nose unsurely. "I've got four murders, Stiles. You see those men in there? That's the FBI. They're pulling together a task force to help because it looks like we've got a full-blown serial killer on our hands. You get that?"

Stiles pressed his lips together, trying not to get angry in response. "Yes, Dad, I get that."

"Then what are you doing?"

He hesitated for a moment. "I'm trying to find a pattern."

And right now, all he had were three virgins and Kyle to go on.

His dad wasn't pleased with his answer but he didn't yell at him again, either, so that was a plus. With another disappointed look—which Stiles was more than used to by now—Noah was on his way and Stiles had to get back to school. Thankfully, the juniors were on lunch break so he had time to visit Kyle's locker, where a memorial of sorts was set up for him.

Kyle's locker was covered in brown paper so that his friends and classmates could write messages to him and put up any pictures they might have had with him. He read through the messages, each one of them a memory of the person of Kyle. Though Stiles knew Kyle because he was an athlete and they went to the same school fundraisers and stuff but he hadn't known him very well. He seemed like a cool guy and the memories on his locker supported that.

Stiles stepped back from the locker as Boyd came over and clipped a blue card with the ROTC emblem on it to the brown paper.

"Hey, Boyd," Stiles nodded at him in surprise. "I didn't know you were back at school."

Olivia didn't tell him anything about it. She had said that Cora, her cousin who came back from the dead—which was really confusing, by the way—was still healing but nothing about Boyd.

"Yeah, I would have told you but we're not actually friends," Boyd stated.

Ouch.

"Oh, yeah," Stiles blinked awkwardly and hurried to move on. "Hey, so did you, uh—so did you know Kyle?"

"Yeah," Boyd nodded, looking back at Kyle's locker with a solemn look on his face. "we were in Junior ROTC together."

"So, you two were friends, then?"

"I only had one friend. She's dead too."

Boyd quickly walked off after that, leaving Stiles to look back at Kyle's locker unsurely. He took another minute to study it for any hints that might have led Kyle to his murder before turning to walk away.

While he walked through the hallways to his locker, he pulled out his phone to call Olivia. She didn't answer, even after three calls. It concerned him, because she should be at lunch just like he was and she usually looked through her phone while eating. She wouldn't just ignore his calls since they had made up and apologized to each other about the fight they had the week before.

He was about to call her a fourth time when he spotted Lydia at her locker, down the hall from his. He quickly made his way over to her, ignoring the annoyed look she shot him when he popped up next to her.

"Hey, have you heard from Olivia?" he asked her while shooting a few texts to his girlfriend.

Sweetcheeks: Hey, where are you?

Sweetcheeks: Why are you ignoring my calls?

Sweetcheeks: Are you okay?

"She went to Derek's," Lydia told him as she grabbed her textbook for her next class. "She had an episode."

"She did?" he asked worriedly. "Did she say what was wrong?"

"Nope."

"And you didn't go after her?"

"Nope."

Stiles scoffed in disbelief. "Why not? You know she's all out of whack when she has her episodes. Aren't you a little worried about what was so wrong with Derek that she had an episode in the first place?"

Lydia shrugged, frowning slightly. "Scott didn't seem worried."

Stiles rolled his eyes and messaged Olivia again.

Sweetcheeks: Do you need me to come to Derek's?

He was in the middle of an investigation but he would drop it for her, especially if she was in any danger.

His phone dinged:

Livvy: Everything's fine. Don't come here.

All right, then, Stiles furrowed his eyebrows and stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

"Okay, I can't talk to Livvy about this but I can talk to you, right?" he addressed Lydia as she closed her locker.

Lydia sighed, like listening to him was the most boring thing she had ever had to do in her life. "I guess."

Stiles didn't pay attention to her attitude. He didn't have Olivia to bounce ideas off at the moment so the next best person who had the same amount of knowledge of him and Olivia was Lydia. She would have to deal with him.

"Okay, so did you know that there's a temple in Calcutta where they used to sacrifice a child every day? That's every day a dead baby, Lydia, every day!" he exclaimed as they walked out of the school and through campus to the building that held the cafeteria. "Hey, you want to know what today is? It's dead baby day. Oh no, wait, that's every day because every day is dead baby day, yay!"

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Livvy's not here and Scott, Isaac, and Allison are dealing with the alpha twins," he answered diligently. "You know about them, right?"

"Yep, Ethan and Aiden," Lydia confirmed almost bitterly. "Liv shared the news this morning."

"Good, good," Stiles nodded and continued with his theory. "So look, here's what I'm thinking. I'm thinking that the murders maybe come in threes. Ancient people love things in threes, right?"

Lydia shrugged lightly.

"So, maybe first it's three virgins and then, I don't know, maybe it's three people who own little dogs."

Lydia stopped in her tracks—Stiles following her lead—and stared at him blankly. "We have a little dog." Stiles grimaced. "We're not getting rid of Sirius."

"Look, I love Siri as much as you and Livvy but if—"

"No," Lydia interrupted him sharply as they started walking again. "And by the way, you can't discern a pattern by a single data point, so stop trying."

Somehow, he knew that Olivia would have said the same thing.

"Okay, so what, I'm just supposed to wait around for someone else to die then?" Stiles asked, growing a little irritated. "I'm just supposed to sit there and watch them die? Just wait for them to wither up and die right in front of me?"

Lydia paused again, giving him a strange look. "Wither?"

Wither might have been the wrong word, he admitted to himself.

"You know what I mean," he snapped and gestured wildly as he continued, "Die in just a hideously awful, strangulating, head-bashing, throat-cutting kind of way."

Lydia grimaced and looked away, making him feel bad because he knew that she had seen Heath's body the same way as he did.

"Maybe it's not your job," Lydia said after a few seconds. "They were strangled with a garrote and we both agreed that it was something a human would do, so...Maybe you should just leave the figuring out part to someone human."

"You mean someone like my dad?"

"No, I mean your dad," Lydia emphasized, rolling her eyes as she began to walk away from him. "The sheriff!"

-

When Olivia received the warning that Derek was in trouble, she expected that something was wrong and that it had to do with the alpha pack. What she didn't expect, however, was that the alpha pack—other than Ethan and Aiden—would be gathered in the loft and that the female alpha would have Derek pinned to his hands and knees on the floor, a metal pipe impaled through his stomach.

She had been taken aback by just how serious the situation was. Maybe she should have asked Scott and Isaac to come with her. Maybe she shouldn't have told Stiles that everything was okay.

All eyes went to her as she frantically pushed the metal door open and stepped into the loft. Other than the twins and the brief glimpses from Isaac's memories, she hadn't seen the other alphas that made up the alpha pack. There were three of them in Derek's loft; the female who was hovering over Derek, who looked like she could be feral and in need of a desperate pedicure to take care of her clawed toenails; a massive guy who was standing behind Cora to make sure she wouldn't move, his head bald and his muscles massive; and a guy who sat in front of Derek that she figured was Deucalion due to his seeking cane and dark glasses.

Her skin crawled from their attention; the female smirked viciously and the huge guy eyed her with cruel eyes.

"Ah, Olivia, right on time," Deucalion greeted her casually, causing her eyes to widen in fear.

"Ollie—" Derek grunted, unable to speak because the female alpha twisted the metal pipe in his stomach.

"Ollie, get out of here," Cora urged, glancing from her to Deucalion.

"Oh, no, she should stay, I insist," Deucalion stated. "Ennis..."

The big one, which was now known as Ennis, made his way toward her. Olivia didn't dare move, listening to the voices in her head that warned her that fleeing would be a bad choice. Ennis roughly took one of her arms and shoved the door closed with the other, before dragging her over to stand next to Cora, where he could watch over the both of them to make sure they wouldn't make any moves against him or his packmates.

Finally, Olivia found her voice, her eyes stinging as her eyes locked on her cousin's form. "You're killing him."

The female turned to her with a smirk and shook one of her clawed fingers at her. "Not yet, little Anchor, but I could," Olivia paled when she turned back to Derek and nudged and twisted the pipe. "Who knows if it's five minutes or five hours before it's too late to take this thing out. But, just to be on the safe side, Duke, you might want to get to the point."

"Now that Olivia's here, I can," Deucalion rubbed his hands together and addressed Derek, continuing their earlier conversation that Olivia wasn't privy to. "You see the problem with being in an alpha pack. Everybody wants to make the decisions. Me? I'm more about discovering new talents. Like your cousin over there," Olivia winced in fear and when Cora took her hand, she squeezed it tightly. "And you."

Derek coughed and blood splattered on the floor beneath him. "Not interested."

"But you haven't even heard my pitch."

"You want me to..." Derek was panting, in too much pain to speak quickly or all at once. "kill my own pack."

Olivia's eyes widened. We're screwed.

She had known that the alpha pack were after Derek as she had been privy to that knowledge since the beginning of summer but this situation was much, much worse than she thought. They wanted Derek to kill his pack—which sucked for her, Isaac, Boyd, and now Cora—and for some reason, they wanted her, too.

And all she could come up with for a reason for that was that she was an anchor.

"No, I want you to kill one of them," Deucalion told Derek. "Do that and I won't have to ask you to kill the others. You'll do it on your own. I did it. Ennis did. Kali did," Olivia guessed that was the female and she was proved correct when Deucalion nodded at her. "Tell him what it's like, Kali, to kill one of your own."

Olivia and Cora shared a horrified look as Kali answered him, "Mm," she hummed. "liberating."

"Listen to me, Derek," Deucalion drawled in his British accent. "Do you really want to stay beholden to a couple of maladjusted teenagers bound to become a liability? And believe me, they will become a liability. In fact, I have a feeling one of them is getting himself into trouble right now. Just ask dear Olivia."

For a moment, Olivia had no idea what he was talking about. Then, her gaze went purple and her mind flitted away from reality. The part of her brain—or soul, or whatever, that kept track of her pack—told her that Isaac was losing control. She didn't know why and she didn't know where, but she knew that he was having trouble.

"Isaac."

She didn't know that she had spoken her friend's name but Deucalion, Kali, and Ennis stared at her intently as she went through another episode, like the one that had led her to Derek's loft. Cora squeezed her hand, trying to get her attention—she hadn't seen Olivia like this yet—but it was no use.

Olivia's mind was split as she heard herself mentally call for Allison. She was in danger and Isaac...Isaac was with her—No, Isaac was the one who hurt her. He didn't mean it, but he was out of control for some reason.

Isaac, Allison, Isaac, Allison...

Come on, Isaac, she mentally pleaded to him. You're in control. I'm here with you and you're in control. Just hang on. Come on, come on...

Olivia came to when she felt a familiar voice rock its way through her head and Isaac took control of himself. Her wrist tingled from Allison's injury but she knew that her friend would be okay. So would Isaac.

"Fascinating," Deucalion said while she noticed that he, Kali, Ennis, and Cora were staring at her; she blinked and the purple in her vision went away. "See, the reason I'm always interested in new talent is simple," he stood up and folded his cane, his head still facing Olivia, though she knew he was addressing Derek again. "The stronger the individual parts, the greater the whole."

He unfolded his cane again, letting it snap back into place. "When I lost my sight, one of my betas assumed I wasn't fit for my role anymore. He tried to take it from me," he folded the cane again; Olivia guessed he was fiddling with it for symbolism, though she was pretty sure that her, Derek, and Cora could understand perfectly fine. "Killing him taught me something about alphas I didn't know they could do. His power was added to mine. I became stronger, faster, more powerful than I'd ever been."

Olivia shivered but tried to stomp her fear down. Although she knew that the alphas could probably smell it on her, she didn't want to give them the satisfaction of letting it show on her face of with her body language.

"I tested this new ability to subsume the power of your own by killing another one," he continued as he folded another part of his cane. "In fact, Derek, I killed them all," he folded the cane again. "I took the individual parts and became a greater individual whole."

Deucalion shook out his cane, making it snap together once again. He kneeled in front of Derek, who was getting weaker and weaker—Olivia was hearing more of his name than what Deucalion was saying at that point—and grabbed his head, pulling it up so he could feel Derek's facial features.

"You're right, Kali. He looks like his mother," he commented as he stood up again, slowly walking over to the table in front of the wall of windows. "You'll get to know me, Derek, like she did."

More blood dripped out of Derek's mouth as he spoke, "I know you. I know what you are," he grunted breathlessly. "You're a fanatic."

And psycho, Olivia added in her head.

Deucalion set his cane on the table and turned so he was facing Derek and the others again. "Know me?" he repeated slowly, his voice hard. "You've never seen anything like me."

Thunder started to rumble as he raised his voice. "I am the alphas of alphas," lightning flashed somewhere outside the building. "I am the apex of apex predators! I am death, destroyer of worlds! I AM THE DEMON WOLF!"

Olivia winced in pain and stepped backward with Cora, both of them hiding behind a pillar from the fear that Deucalion's words and alpha voice had stirred in them. Even though she wasn't a werewolf, her entire being told her that she needed to obey and cower from the alpha in front of them. His display of power and ambiance struck such a fear in her that she had never felt before.

She hid her face in Cora's shoulder and only looked up when the lightning and thunder stopped. Deucalion's glasses had cracked and when he took them off, his eyes were crimson red. His voice and demeanor had softened into a casual tone that only psychopaths could manage after such strong words he had given only a second before, "I hate when that happens."

Kali ripped the metal pipe from Derek's body and smirked when he started to fall to the floor, the puddle of his own blood soaking his skin and clothing. Ennis stepped away from behind Olivia and Cora and followed behind Kali as she grabbed Deucalion's arm and led him out of the loft.

When the metal door slid shut behind them, both Olivia and Cora rushed to Derek where he was laying on the floor. Tears stung Olivia's eyes as they coaxed him into a sitting a position, both of them sighing in relief when they saw that his wound was already healing.

Olivia glanced at the door once more; they were in deep trouble.

-

-

Having no idea what was going on across town in Derek's loft, Stiles had skipped class in order to speak to someone who he thought would know what was going on with all of the murders.

He parked in place outside of the animal clinic, glad that no one seemed to be there but Deaton, and entered the building. Deaton, dressed casually in a t-shirt and no coat—Stiles guessed he was at lunch—walked out behind the front to see how it was that had the dogs in the back barking like crazy.

Deaton gave him a surprised look. "You're out of school early."

"Yeah, free period, actually," Stiles lied. "Um, I was just headed home to see my dad. He's, uh—you know, I guess you probably heard people are kind of getting murdered again. It's his job to figure it out."

"I gathered as much from the sheriff title," Deaton stated sarcastically, though the tone kind of fell flat. It was a good thing that Stiles was fluent in sarcasm.

"Yeah," he nodded. "You know, but it gets kind of hard for him to do his job when he doesn't have all the information. And we all know he's missing pretty much half of the story here, right?

Yeah, um... You know, but it gets kind of hard for him to do his job when he doesn't have all the information. And we all know he's missing pretty much half the story here, right? So—so, then I started thinking and I remembered someone who does have a lot of information."

He saw Deaton shift uncomfortably and figured he was in the right place.

"Someone who always seems to know more than anyone else around here," he finished, giving the veterinarian a pointed look. "You."

Deaton pressed his lips together and nodded toward the back of the building where his exam room was. "Let's talk back here."

When Deaton opened the wooden gate to let him back, Stiles quickly walked through and shut it behind him, knowing that it was important to the man that the mountain ash barrier was always complete in order to protect him from wandering werewolves and the like.

"All these symbols and things, the triskeles, the bank logo, the mountain ash," he started speaking rapidly, hoping to get answers right away. "all of it is from the Celtic druids and anyone who has ever looked up human sacrifice before knows that the druids had a pretty big hard-on when it came to giving one up to the gods. You ever hear of the Lindow Man?"

Deaton just stared at him and Stiles knew that the veterinarian was intelligent and probably knew of the story but he told the gist of it anyway.

"He was a two-thousand-year-old body found in England. He was found strangled, head bashed in, throat cut—a threefold death," Stiles stated firmly. "They also found pollen grains in his stomach. Guess what favorite druid plant that was?"

Deaton picked a jar out of the box on the steel table they were standing around and pulled a sprig from it to show to Stiles. "Mistletoe."

Stiles stared at the plant for a few seconds before he looked back up to Deaton's face. "I'm just telling you everything you already know, aren't I?" Deaton didn't say anything, which was an answer in of itself. "Then why aren't you telling us?"

Deaton put the jar of mistletoe back in the box and looked at him, ashamed. "Maybe because when you've spent every moment of the last ten years trying to push something away—denying it, lying about it—it becomes a pretty powerful habit."

Stiles softened only a little. "All right, so this guy—is he a druid?"

"No," Deaton shook his head. "It's someone copying a centuries-old practice of a people who should have known better. Do you know what the word druid means in Gaelic?"

"No."

"It means wise oak," Deaton informed him. "The Celtic druids were close to nature. They believed they kept it in balance. They were philosophers and scholars. They weren't serial killers."

"Yeah, well this one is," Stiles scoffed lightly, only to pause when his phone vibrated in his jeans pocket. He answered it, seeing that it was Lydia who was calling. "Hey, I can't talk right now."

"Well, Olivia isn't answering my calls, so you're my best bet," Lydia rushed, her voice panicked. "Look, I'm in the band room and the teacher is missing."

"Wait, what?" Stiles blinked in shock. "He's missing."

"That's what I said!"

"Are you sure?"

"Actually, I'm not sure he's missing," Lydia corrected herself, exhaling deeply. "I think he was taken. Like Heath and the Kyle guy were."

Stiles pressed his lips together and looked over at Deaton, who was patiently waiting to hear about what was going on. "I'll be right there and I'm bringing Deaton with."

Twenty minutes later, after several calls to Olivia—who still wasn't answering, which was a whole other panic-inducing situation—and sneaking Deaton into the school without a visitor's pass, the two of them, plus Lydia, were searching through the band room to find anything that could tell them where the band teacher had gone. It wasn't a question of if he simply didn't make it to class, the bloody handprint on the piano gave them enough evidence to the contrary.

While Deaton listened to a recording on the teacher's phone, Stiles searched through his desk. The creepy voices coming from the speakers creeped Stiles the fuck out but he kept himself busy by going through the teacher's stuff.

"Can we get a copy of this?" Deaton asked Lydia, who stood by his side.

Lydia took the phone ands started to transfer the recording to herself so she could pass it onto Deaton.

Stiles opened the top drawer in the desk, finding nothing so far. "Hey, Doc, any held would be, you know, helpful."

"Each grouping of three would have its own purpose, its own type of power," Deaton spoke thoughtfully. "Virgins, healers, philosophers, warriors—"

A lightbulb went off in Stiles' head as he laid his eyes on the photograph on the teacher's desk. It was from his wedding, where he stood next to his gown-clad wife in his military uniform.

"Wait, wait, wait," he cut Deaton off as he picked up the picture, his mind still racing. "Warrior, could that also be like a soldier?"

Deaton nodded. "Absolutely."

Stiles showed him and Lydia the photo and added, "Kyle was in the ROTC with Boyd."

"That's got to be it. That's the pattern," Deaton declared. "Where's Boyd?"

Stiles grabbed his phone from his pocket and glanced at the time as he started to call Boyd. "He's probably home by now. I'm gonna try to get him on the phone."

He pressed the phone to his ear as Deaton looked over at Lydia, who was stiff and looking ahead of her thoughtfully. "Lydia, is something wrong?"

Lydia shook her head. "No, it was, uh," she grimaced. "I mean, I just thought of someone else with a military connection."

Stiles dropped his phone from his ear, ending the call before Boyd even answered. "Who?"

"Mr. Harris."

Stiles sighed in realization; why was their dick of a science teacher involved in every supernatural drama that ever came up in Beacon Hills? "He went to West Point. He has the honor code on his desk and everything."

Lydia bit her lip. "We should go see if he's in his classroom."

He wasn't. The classroom was empty by the time Stiles, Lydia, and Deaton entered, and Mr. Harris wasn't to be found. On his desk were many ungraded tests, though some of them had letters written in red at the top, and his briefcase was on the floor next to the desk.

Deaton looked around the room cautiously. "This is just one of many possibilities," he muttered as he came to the desk where he and Lydia were looking around. "He could have simply left for the day."

"Yeah, well, not without this," Stiles grabbed Harris' briefcase and held it up for Deaton to see.

As he set the briefcase back down, something caught his eye. One of the graded tests he had looked at before didn't hold an A, B, C, D, or F. At the top of the packet was a letter that he had never seen on graded homework before; it was a 'R'.

"What?"

"This test is graded 'R,'" he showed Deaton and Lydia the packet.

Lydia pursed her lips and looked down at the tests, grabbing another one that was graded unusually. "This one's an 'H.'"

A bewildered expression passed over Deaton's face as he grabbed both of the tests from them. He set them on Harris' desk and rearranged some of the tests until the letter grades spelt out, 'DARACH'.

"Stiles," his voice conveyed the worry on his face. "you remembered how I told you druid is the Gaelic word for wise oak?"

"Yeah," what did that have to do with anything?

Deaton had his answer. "If a druid went down the wrong path, the wise oak was sometimes said to have become a dark oak," he looked over at him. "There's a Gaelic word for that as well. Darach."

Stiles grimaced; they were in deep trouble.

-

-

Olivia would probably be scrubbing Derek's blood from her nail beds for a week. It seemed like it was everywhere but in reality, it was isolated in the puddle in front of her where it had started to dry on the floorboards as she mopped and scrubbed it away. She wasn't one to get sick over blood but she still wasn't a big fan of it—especially when she had the job of cleaning it up.

Cora was upstairs with Derek, helping him clean and disinfect his wound before it healed up all the way so that left Olivia to do the work. Isaac, the little fucker, had refused to help her clean it up when he got home from school, and she would never forgive him. She had been on her knees the past hour or so after she finished mopping, trying to get the stain out of the floorboards. She was almost there.

"I think you missed a spot," Isaac called idly from his place on Derek's couch, his English textbook opened on his lap.

"Isaac, I swear, if you say another word..." her voice took on a warning tone that had Isaac smirking to himself.

Satisfied that he wouldn't say anything else, Olivia went back to the large, soapy sponge in her hands, wishing that the stain would just be gone already. She didn't want Derek to have to see it; her cousin was more than capable of protecting himself physically but she wanted to support him, even if she had to clean up his blood so he wouldn't have to do it himself.

She heard the metal door slide open and she only stiffened for a second before looking up and sighing in relief when she saw who it was. Stiles walked into the loft and rolled the door closed behind him before turning around to look at Isaac and then Olivia.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"She's cleaning up Derek's blood," Isaac answered casually, turning the page of his book. "He had a little accident."

Olivia rolled her eyes at him and then looked back at Stiles. "The alpha pack made a surprise visit."

Stiles winced worriedly. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"No, but Derek was," for the moment, Olivia gave up on the blood stain, throwing the sponge in the bucket of pink water and getting to her feet. "Kali decided that he needed a pipe through the stomach."

"Fuck, that had to hurt," Stiles made his way over to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pressing a quick kiss to her temple. "Why'd they come?"

"They want Derek for their pack," Olivia kept it simple for now; she could tell him all the details later.

Stiles, who usually had a hard time picking up silent signals that a person didn't want to talk, just nodded in understanding. Olivia was one of the people he could read the easiest—other than his dad and Scott—so he knew she didn't want to talk about it. Usually, he would have pushed her to tell him anything but for some reason, he knew that tonight wasn't the night.

Olivia looked away from Stiles' face when she noticed that Cora was descending from the spiral staircase. Her cousin was dressed in a black t-shirt now, rather than her workout clothes, and her hands were cleaned of her brother's blood.

"How is he?" she asked her.

"He's getting dressed," Cora answered, her eyes flitting toward Stiles before pointing at him. "I know you."

Olivia furrowed her eyebrows as she looked between her cousin and her boyfriend. "How do you know Stiles?"

Stiles' eyes were lit up in recognition, as well as horror and embarrassment. "We met last summer," he told Olivia before looking at Cora accusingly. "You said your name was Cara."

Cora folded her arms over her chest, looking uncomfortable. "Yeah, well, I lied."

Shit, I'm fucked, Stiles cursed himself. I'm so fucking fucked.

Olivia was still confused. "Wait, what?"

Stiles nor Cora got a chance to answer as Derek came downstairs, cleaned up and dressed warmly to combat the slightly chill air from the storm going on outside. Olivia, Stiles, Isaac, and Cora turned to him and waited for him to say something.

Derek's expression was somber as he addressed Isaac. "Isaac, I need you to leave."

Olivia shut her eyes tightly; somehow, she knew this was coming. She knew Derek better than she knew most people; it was unfortunate that he was doing this but he was trying to protect Isaac. She just hoped he wouldn't screw it up.

"When should I come back?" Isaac misunderstood his alpha's words, closing his textbook and standing to his feet.

"No, I need you to move out," Derek elaborated, a grimace on his face. "It's for your own safety."

Isaac gave him a curious look. "Did something happen?"

"It—the alpha pack—" Derek shook his head. "Look, it's not important. You didn't do anything wrong but I need you to go."

Isaac's blue eyes were wide as he looked between Derek, Cora, and Olivia. "Where am I supposed to go?"

Olivia's heart ached for him; the loft was Isaac's home. He had been with Derek since his father was killed by the kanima last spring and he had no other family to go to. She was going to offer him a room at her and Lydia's house but surprisingly, Stiles was the one to speak up.

"I don't have a guest room at my place but Scott does," he said, uncharacteristically kind—when it came to Isaac, anyway. "I'm sure Melissa won't mind."

Derek looked at Isaac and Olivia could see the sadness in his eyes; he truly cared for his betas and he hated the fact that he had to send one away from his home. "Is that okay for now?"

Isaac nodded hesitantly. "Yeah, it's fine."

(Gif is not mine)

[bellamysgriffin]

when sammy died.... when sammy died.... when sammy died...

kat cried the hardest. she got the phone call, heard the news and started screaming and screaming and then she cried and didn’t stop, not while holding abigail, not while hugging tara, not while going to sleep, and when she woke up the next day, the tears were fresh on her face still. she went to shower and found herself huddled in the corner, knees tucked in, thinking that if she turned the water up hot enough, it would overpower her sobs. all that happened was her exiting a half hour later, once the water had already run cold, still crying, body red and raw and sore. but why should she complain if her body hurt? sammy was hit by a car, a car, and he’s gone he’s gone he’s gone and he was her first friend at the academy and he’s not coming back he’s not coming back and he’s the only one who stuck with her and he’s gone and who’s going to stick with her like that now who is going to care about her that much. but kat didn’t say that. she just cried and cried and cried, and when her tears ran out, she cried still, dry and painfully, until her eyes ached almost as much as her heart.

everyone could see ollie suffering. everything he said to sammy ran through his mind, over and over again, on repeat. he got the phone call, heard the news, and then promptly threw his phone across the room, shattering it. because yeah, they broke up, but ollie had always thought - he had always figured - that eventually they’d make their way back to it and there’d be time for apologies and soft kisses in the sunlight and the company, and dance training and the open future splayed out ahead of them. christian let him keep the cardigan, though he didn’t say he would. ollie wrapped it around himself, inhaling it, because it still smelled like him. like french fries and dust and the stupid sweaty jock straps he hated so much. when his mum washed the cardigan on accident - because it had been lying out for so long, and it smelled horrendous - that’s when ollie cried the hardest. because no matter how hard he tried, all it smelled like was the cheap lemon detergent they got at the store and that’s when he finally threw the stupid thing away.

ben grieved quietly and alone. because he only knew sammy for a little under a year. what right did he have to grieve harder than those around him? sure, ollie knew him less, but he was his boyfriend and that was different. so he helped the others. he partnered abigail, because although he was good, he was definitely not much better than sammy, and abigail still couldn’t stomach a good partner. he sat with christian on the beach and ignored the fact that they both knew christian was only thinking of the times he did it with sammy, the times sammy understood in the ways ben could never. with kat, he took her out to eat a lot, and let her push him around, and when she tried and tried to get him to talk about his issues, even if he had no glaring ones, he’d make up something for her to solve and codename because that’s what she did with sammy so that’s what he let her do with him. sometimes, with tara, it was hard. sometimes, she’d treat him like a brother, because christian could never be that for her again, and her and ethan rarely talk, and though he’s her boyfriend, sammy was her brother, so he lets her do it. they both know it’s not the same. and then, at the end of the day, when ben felt like he’d given all the smiles and good thoughts away to everyone else, he’d turn on the dvd sammy was going to use for his solo and watch it and cry and cry and tell himself it’s fine because it’s healthy for boys to cry, boys cry all the time, it doesn’t mean anything, and ignores that the last time he cried that much was when he was seven, because he must have missed a time he must have he must have-

christian was guilty, and everyone could see it. how many times had sammy gotten on his case for screwing things up with his best friends? and then, there he was, with two broken hearts and one broken body on his shoulders. because he could’ve picked sammy up. sure, it wasn’t his fault, sure he wasn’t in the car, but the truth is, if he was there, there at least had been a chance. but, no, he always had to have his way, he always had to make things about him. so he clung to tara, because she was the only thing he had left. funny enough, he knew he didn’t even like her that much anymore. not like that. he could learn, too, sure, if he really tried, but he didn’t want to try. they were different now, they were all different, too fundamentally changed. and so he clung to tara, tara who had kissed him like no one ever had before. tara who he’d held on the boat ride that felt like it could last forever. tara he’d kissed on the beach when he thought no one was looking. tara who the summer he’d spent with was the best few months of his life. tara who he had been really happy with, who life had been simple with, once upon a time. never mind that she looked like she’d pass out from the pain every time no one was looking. never mind that she didn’t dance anything except the red shoes for two months after the performance. never mind that she didn’t bother with picking four leaf clovers off the ground because they didn’t save sammy’s life so what’s the use? because if he held that picture of her, maybe it would be okay, and maybe they could heal together, and maybe he wouldn’t have to think so hard and maybe-

tara’s grief was so unlike any other pain in her life. she imploded, folding into herself and her pain. because sammy had been the only one who really understood. sammy had been the only one who’d got it, the only one to make her feel better on that first day, not by trying to, but by being like her. they knew what it was like to be underdogs, they knew what it was like to have everything working against them. but they’d made it anyway, they’d made it to nationals, beat the odds and the expectations and they had made it. well, she did. because he was close and then a stupid driver in a stupid car, on a stupid street ran into a stupid sammy who got himself killed and then left them to pick up all the stupid bloody pieces. wasn’t that a laugh? soon as he made it, he was dead. and tara supposed she never really made it either. grace had won, not her, and she put everything she had into her solo. maybe she wasn’t cut out for it. maybe she wasn’t cut out for anything. tara had tried to stop smiling. every time someone told a joke, or she saw a rainbow or a sunset, or ben’s eyes sparkled, and she wanted to smile, she stopped herself, because she shouldn’t smile. what kind of person smiles when their best friend is dead? who does that? but it was so hard, because everything made tara smile, everything, and she shouldn’t smile, she shouldn’t, because sammy didn’t get to smile. sammy wouldn’t ever smile again. and the last thing he’d done was leave her a voicemail. his last thoughts were about someone else’s happiness. messed up universe, tara thought. she used to think she could fly, and now, tara supposed she was destined to let other people fall.

when abigail got the call, she was still smiling. still. just like a year ago when he’d kissed her on the log at camp and she couldn’t stop smiling the whole night, he’d kissed her again and lifted her up and she went to rehearsal and heard the teacher tell her how she was actually dancing with feeling for once, and she went to her dorm and smiled and had dinner and smiled, because she was finally letting it all in, she was finally allowing something good to happen to her. and then she got the call and she smiled, because she hadn’t checked caller id and she just assumed it was sammy, because all she could think about was sammy, and in a twisted sort of way it was him. except it was ms raine. ms raine who’s voice trembled like abigail had never heard it and then ms. raine who she never imagined she’d hang up on, but here she was, doing it. so she stepped into the shower and tried to let it wipe his scent off her, tried to let the water scrape the emotion off her skin, and though her clothes were heavy her mind felt even heavier and she could feel her breath get shallower and shallower and she didn’t care because he kissed her like they had a lifetime and they did have one but it wasn’t her lifetime, it was only his. abigail was only in the shower for twenty minutes before kat and tara found her, but it wasn’t until six months later that she really pulled herself out. and she knew that her heart was broken, and it was always going to be broken. she was going to carry that pain around with her forever. forever. and that made her happy, because he’d be with her. even though, he was never really going to be by her side.

they all went up to dance, because it was what sammy would’ve wanted. even though kat’s bones ached with the exhaustion of staying upright, and the though of abigail dancing with a partner other than sammy felt wrong, and ollie knew sammy was his only real link to the group, and tara knew there was always going to be a missing link and ben knew that his dance was taken from the person who should have gotten to perform it. they danced their hearts out, because sammy would never get to see it. they danced stronger than they ever had. and they knew that even though the idiot had died, his death ensured their fates together. they were always going to be bonded in an indescribable way and it was all sammy’s fault. but even though it hurt, and even though they were tired, they danced and danced and danced like their lives depended on it, because sammy’s did. sammy’s life had depended on dancing. except it hadn’t, really. it had depended on them, together. and if they danced, sammy might never see them again, but in the dance, he would always be, and then - and then - he would live forever. 

[only-the-gentle-survived]

also not ready for another truckload of tara references next week when ollie has to work alongside her surgeon

seriously, why are they attacking us with tara feels and jas feels at the same time??? it's just cruel