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fmdduri · 3 years ago

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a headcanon about duri & titan’s title tracks.

word count: 2,422. about: this is how duri feels about each title track of titan’s thus far. duri also very much saying he doesn’t like a song because people work hard,, but you can’t help what you don’t like, right? notes: don’t perceive me for some of this, thank you <3 i believe i did this on duri’s old blog as well but this is all new information !

btd: duri believes that btd (before the dawn) was a rather strong debut song. it showed off titan’s concept rather well, as well as cementing titan as a strong group in vocals, rapping, and dancing - no matter what position you have in the group. btd is definitely a song that still holds up to this day, one that duri really enjoys. however, attached to btd is also the criticism that duri faced about not fighting titan’s concept and saying that he was simply only there due to be a very strong vocalist, especially for the age that he debuted at. nonetheless, god tier debut.

be mine: this was a rather strong comeback song, duri believes. everything about it was rather smooth and he thinks it really showed off titan being a strong group together, once again. even though his styling gave very, your high school boyfriend who fell into the category of emo trying to be some sort of rock god - it did manage to work with the whole mysterious concept of titan. however, duri does prefer btd over be mine, if he had to be honest. duri, yet again, faced comments about not belonging in titan due to the concept and his own image, saying that he was really only there to carry vocally.

paradise: duri likes to forget his hair exists in this. however, it’s clear their producer is truly iconic, especially with something like this. this song tends to remind duri of the 90s songs that he had really enjoyed, but clearly with a more modern push upon it. he wasn’t entirely sure why they spent a lot of the time in a train, but it’s fine, whatever. this is also one of the songs that comments towards duri in the concept had gotten better, but they just weren’t all the way there just yet. but, it was looking up now.

the chaser: probably his favorite of their older songs, as well as really being the song to cement titan as legends in the industry. while duri never fully watched the music video due to the fact that a car accident occurs in the music video (that he didn’t watch while on set, granted he had to walk away from the flipped car at some point, he held up pretty well), it’s still generally one of his favorites. still kind of frustrating though that titan went through all of that in the music video, only for them to not even open the box in end, even though they had the key. this was the comeback that had also solidified duri fitting into titan’s concept. so, it was all around really positive for him and one of the songs he still really loves to perform. this just truly showed how incredible he is with stage presence and something that continued to carry throughout his career. however, the only negative was duri being faced with underaged sexualization because you could see his arms through the mesh shirts he was styled in for music shows.

destiny: another song that is 100% one of their best, at least in duri’s opinion. he really enjoys destiny, the music video itself, and the dancing as well. generally, he just believes that it’s a really good song and something that’s really fun to perform. destiny really just is that girl and there’s nothing else that can be said about it. she’s just sitting very pretty in titan’s discography.

fanfare: to put it simply, this is one of duri’s least favorite titan songs. he finds the beat of the song to be rather odd, to the point that he wasn’t entirely sure how to really sing it at first. also, the “la la las” in the chorus were rather odd as well and he didn’t get it. kind of wishes it wasn’t in the discography. he seemingly just felt awkward in this song.

roar: roar just feels like a continuation of fanfare, with that odd beat that occurred. he really can’t say he even understands why that became such a trend with the last two releases. again, the “la la las” in the chorus is just something that he can’t seem to really get behind. essentially was a fanfare 2.0 and it would be better if this didn’t take up space in their discography.

easy love: easy love... she’s just that girl and you can’t say anything bad about her. this is a song that duri really, really likes from titan’s discography. this is another song that he enjoys performing from their older discography. he really likes the genre it falls in, the beat, and the choreography. after the chaser, this is the second song to really prove that duri does fit into titan’s concept, as well as solidified him even more as a force to be reckoned with in the industry.

last romeo: last romeo definitely falls into the extraordinary part of titan’s discography with btd, the chaser, be mine, paradise, and destiny. they found themselves going back to the older vibes of your emo rock boyfriends, but they really just made that styling work. he can’t say anything bad about last romeo either, he really likes her. sure, the music video is a bit odd, but she’s fun!

back: truth be told, duri probably didn’t fit this concept at all. but, gaia and netizens thought he fit really well, and maybe he just ended up being a rather good actor. this is a song that falls into the extraordinary part of titan’s discography as well. it’s very much god tier with the chaser and destiny. but, in general, he enjoyed this one a lot.

call me baby: this seemingly marked a shift in titan’s sound, as well as rounding out their concept to be even bigger than it was. it still fed a bit into the mysterious heartthrobs in a way, but was also a bit brighter. duri also likes this type of genre a lot, so he really had a lot of fun with call me baby. this was also shaping to him really, really fitting into titan’s concepts and being able to put himself into multiple different concepts of music videos. really just the type of song to shake your ass to!

love me right: the electronic and r&b genre is something that duri really enjoys, which makes love me right go pretty high up on the list of favorite titan title tracks. he gave him that early 2000s boy group that he truly wishes he was because of how much he really enjoys songs from the 90s and early 200s. he felt a little bit cool in the football uniforms as well, even though he doesn’t no one thing about american football in the slightest. but, he looked cool, so that was great.

sing for you: sing for you is probably one of duri’s all time favorite title tracks. however, that probably more so has to do with the fact that it’s one of titan’s ballad title tracks and duri is very much a ballad singer, which definitely shows within this titan release. there’s something rather comforting about the song and the melody that it holds. he really can’t say anything bad about the song at all, and it’s really just a perfect winter song, that’s for sure.

monster: a song that falls into the their more “funky” songs, but it’s something that works really well. duri quite enjoys this song, and holds one of his most iconic lines in a titan song of “creepin’, creepin’, creepin’.” monster is definitely a song that duri wouldn’t ever get tired of, and a song that he really enjoys/enjoyed performing, to say the least. the styling of monster also one hundred brought back the emo wannabe rockstar boyfriends, but it worked really well, so that counted the most. definitely a heartthrob song for sure.

lucky one: probably one of titan’s weirdest music videos, to say the least. the creepy, lifeless stares that they had to do was very chilling to have to see. but, besides for the rather odd music video, she’s a very fun song! following the funkiness again, but it also just works really well. the choreography is a bit odd, mainly because of the head bopping. but, other than that, she’s a very, very good song that duri quite likes. he remembers not having to work out on this filming day because of the amount of running that went on.

lotto: she’s definitely your best friend’s sexy older sibling. while she relies very heavy on autotune for the purpose of the beat and everything else about the song, she really wasn’t that hard to sing on stage. it also didn’t diminish titan’s talents in anyway, even though so people like to drag them for using autotune - duri still really likes the song because it just works so well. plus, he also did feel a bit sexy in this music video because of the cocky attitude he had to portray for some of his parts.

kokobop: this song means a lot to duri, simply because bc entertainment had picked his lyrics for this song. he wrote the title track completely on his own, so he’s probably a bit bias to the song as a whole, but it is one of his favorites, and would even consider it one of their god tier songs - but, that might just be because he wrote the song and he had fun with the song, it went over rather well as well. though, of course, he had to explain a few times that kokobop means “fun dancing” and also comes from the 1959 hit song “shimmy shimmy ko-ko-bop” by little anthony and the imperials. he’s really proud of this song, and it’s something for the girls and gays to shake their asses to in the summer!

power: probably titan’s most hated song and duri holds a rather unpopular opinion about the song. he likes this song, a lot actually. he thinks the song and performance is a lot of fun. yes, maybe he did get to be the hero in the music video and beat the big robot with the shield he created through the music video. but, still, it was a very fun song that he really likes! he likes fun! he likes to have fun!

universe: this is another song that duri really likes, however, it’s most likely because it falls within the genre of ballads. though, it is a bit different due to it being a pop-rock ballad. but, duri still got to shine a lot due to it being a ballad, and really just showing off balladeer duri. it’s another comforting song and generally, the whole concept of baristas and stuff is something that’s very comforting to duri as a whole. generally, he can’t say anything bad about this song at all.

tempo: another god tier song!! though, the only thing duri might hold against the song is the fact that he didn’t get to be apart of the acapella part of the song. however, this holds another one of duri’s iconic lines, with him opening the song with “i can’t believe” and the way that he just sings it, which had often been mentioned in reviews of the song. nonetheless, this is a song that duri really likes, something that falls into the god tier. it simply falls into one of their best songs.

love shot: another incredible song. duri can’t say anything bad about it. it’s very reminiscent of lotto and duri feeling a bit sexy due to the cocky attitude of the song as a whole. generally he just felt very cool in this song and it’s one of his favorites among titan’s discography, he can’t deny that at all.

bad: simply, another god tier song. this song kind of brought titan back to their days of being mysterious heartthrobs, rather than the heartthrobs that they had become over the years. however, it did bring back some more versatility, especially for duri, as he showed off the aggression in his voice some more, like he used to in the older titan tracks - something that hadn’t really been needed the last few years for titan over all. this is another favorite of his, and the music video was a lot of fun - even if he wasn’t really a fan of the small rooms and had a hard time with that. lots of running again.

obsession: obsession is the god tier of god tier. however, that probably has to do with the fact that, once again, duri gets to feel like he’s in a 90s boy band, simply because of how the song is. he also finds it rather cool that they’re all essentially the evil versions of their selves in the music video and performances. there’s simply just something about this song and simply, it’s never going to get old in anyway.

now or never: essentially, he thinks this song is just okay. at least, okay till getting to the chorus. the beat is okay too, if he’s honest. he kind of wishes the choreography was attached to a different song. it’s another song that he can do without, but he doesn’t dislike it as much as he does some others.

o sole mio: this is honestly another song that’s just really good. he doesn’t have anything bad to say about it, she’s really just a whole banger! there isn’t one bad thing about the song in it’s entirely at all. he thinks it was a really good choice for a title track and believes it fits in well with what titan had released in the past.

enough: enough isn’t that bad, either. it’s definitely a song that falls into their emo wannabe rockstar boyfriend with the styling, and adds onto being mysterious heartthrobs. generally, it’s the second best song that titan has released from 2020 to 2021. however, he wouldn’t say it really falls into titan’s best songs either. but, it’s still a bit of a banger.

rpm: if he was honest, this song falls right behind both fanfare and roar in being apart of titan’s possible worst songs. it seems to not really fit in with them sound wise, and the music video is interesting, to say the least. something in duri wishes that a different song was chosen, while also wishing that titan had at least one more song to release this year, rather than leaving rpm as their last comeback of 2021.

#☆ ⠀ ── headcanon ⠀ !

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grovyrosegirl · 4 years ago

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I love your writing for mcsm!!! I binge read all of the posts. If you are still doing it, can you do Champion Lukas AU headcannons and what would happen if that's okay??? I would love to see what you come up with :D

Aw, well thank you! I’m glad my older stuff is still enjoyable! I don’t really write drabbles for MCSM anymore because I kind of got burned out on it, but it’s been a while and I can still write headcanons. Plus, people have been making so much cool fanart for ancient-bird-demon’s AU, so I’ve got some ideas!

Alright, let’s get this angst train going.

Instead of kidnapping either Petra or Jack to be his champion, Romeo’s too angry at all of them for cheating, so he sends Jesse, Petra, and Jack to the Sunshine Institute.

Since he’s still throwing a tantrum, Romeo wants to hit Jesse where it hurts so he decides to grab someone else close to Jesse. His options are either Lukas or Radar since they’re close by. Romeo still thinks Radar is too much of a weakling to be useful, and Lukas is the first one to run back inside to the ice tower after hearing his friends screaming.

When Lukas runs back inside, he comes face to face with the Admin and demands to know what he’s done with his friends. That’s when Romeo’s just like, “Yep. You’ll do.” He places the gauntlet on Lukas and teleports him away. When Radar and Lluna rush back in, he sends them to the Sunshine Institute.

Lukas is taken to this pocket dimension created by Romeo. It’s a floating island in the middle of some strange void. The only things on this island are a tiny cabin, a pond, and a battle arena. Romeo gleefully tells Lukas that this is his home now and he’s the new champion. Now of course, Lukas is like, “NOPE. Absolutely not.” But Romeo is, well, Romeo and tells him that he doesn’t have a choice.

Now, unlike Jack and Petra, Lukas isn’t the toughest combatant. That’s not to say he can’t fight, he’s a really good archer and decently skilled with a sword, but he’s been putting aside the adventurer life for his quiet writer life for a few years now, so his combat is a bit rusty. For this reason, Lukas questions Romeo as to why he picked him. Romeo tells him that it’s because he sees Lukas as a challenge. He wants to shape someone who’s not “champion material” into the perfect champion. So it’s almost like a game for Romeo. Plus, he mentions, he wants to see Jesse's face when they see Lukas as the champion instead of them. In Romeo's words, “Jesse will get so jealous and be begging to be my champion!”

Lukas points out the obvious, “No you jerk, Jesse doesn’t want to be your champion. Do you...KNOW Jesse at all?” Annnd that’s the first time Romeo uses the gauntlet to shock Lukas. Poor Lukas.

Over the next few days, Romeo tests Lukas by summoning monsters for him to fight in the arena. When that gets boring, he gives Lukas crazy puzzles and obstacle courses for him to solve. If he doesn’t cooperate, he gets shocked. These challenges go on for what feels like hours, and Lukas nearly collapses when Romeo finally lets him go back to the cabin to rest.

Eventually, Lukas puts his foot down and refuses to do anything Romeo says. Even after getting shocked, Lukas still refuses. So Romeo decides he needs to change his strategy. The next day, he summons Lukas back to the arena. But instead of monsters or a puzzle waiting for him, it’s...Jesse?! Now of course, it’s not the real Jesse, it’s a fake made by Romeo, but Lukas doesn’t find out until after he’s nearly killed by the fake Jesse.

From then on, every single challenge Romeo gives Lukas is fighting a fake Jesse. He mixes it up too. Sometimes he'll make the arena look like areas from their past adventures. For example, one day he makes it look like the building contest, another day it’s the White Pumpkin Mansion, another day it’s PAMA’s core, so on and on. Romeo kicks it up a notch by making fake copies of Lukas' other friends, like Petra, Axel, Olivia, Radar, or one time he even uses the former Ocelots, to watch the fights between Lukas and “Jesse” and taunt him.

As you can imagine, these “challenges” take a mental toll on Lukas. He knows that the Jesse he fights everyday and the friends cheering it on are fakes made by Romeo. He knows. But they feel so real, it hurts. So his coping method when he fights fake Jesse is to repeatedly mutter to himself, “It's not real, it’s not real, it’s not real...” He does this for the next few challenges, telling himself at night that the real Jesse is on their way to save him. Because of course they are, it’s Jesse. And Jesse has never let him down before, this time won’t be different...right?

In episode 3, if Petra is the champion, she mentions that Romeo took her to some weird dimension where time doesn’t move normally. So that applies here too. Time in the pocket dimension moves a lot slower than it does in the real world. So while it’s only been a few days for Jesse and company, for poor Lukas, it’s been weeks. And his hope of the real Jesse coming to save him is dwindling...

Then comes the fateful day. Lukas is summoned to a new arena. Strange, it doesn’t look like anywhere he’s been before. It looks like a prison. And there’s another fake Jesse in front of him, only they’re wearing an outfit that Lukas doesn’t recognize. And this fake is different. This fake looks more...scared. They're not attacking him like the fake Jesses usually do. And the fake versions of Radar, Petra, Jack, and Nurm keep shouting at him to stop. Weird. Very weird...

Soooo you’ve probably guessed it by now, Lukas is fighting the REAL Jesse this time and doesn’t know it. Despite how much Jesse keeps shouting at him to stop and that it’s really them, Lukas doesn’t listen. He’s convinced that it’s just another fake that Romeo's using to mess with him. Eventually, however, Jesse decides there’s only way to prove it to him. They toss aside their sword, run at Lukas, and hug him tightly. Lukas fights against the hug, but Jesse refuses to let go, and they softly tell him, “It's okay Lukas, it’s alright. It’s me. I’m here. I’m here.”

Then it finally clicks, it IS the real Jesse. Lukas drops his sword and hugs them back, apologizing profusely. It’s finally over. But of course, Romeo is MAD. So he does what he does normally in episode 3, he leaves them all to rot in the Sunshine Institute, transforms into Jesse, and leaves for Beacontown.

When Romeo's gone, Lukas collapses to the ground and breaks down crying. Jesse, Radar, and Petra rush over to him and hug him close, because THIS POOR GUY REALLY NEEDS A HUG, OKAY? They let him cry it all out for a while before they head to Prisoner X’s cell.

The rest of the adventure pretty much goes how it does in the normal game, save for a few details. For one thing, Lukas is EXTREMELY wary of Xara, because he doesn’t trust Admins after what he’s been through. Another thing is that Lukas sticks by Jesse's side for most of the adventure. He doesn’t want to be left behind out of fear that Romeo will snatch him up again and send him back to the pocket dimension. Jesse is understanding, but eventually they have to sit him down when they’re at Fred's Keep and talk about it with him.

After episode 5, with everything over and Romeo either gone or heading off for redemption, Lukas decides to move back into Beacontown with Jesse. Jesse gives him a while to relax and recuperate, and they eventually give Lukas a new notebook to write down his thoughts in.

#rose talks #mcsm #champion lukas au #mcsm lukas #mcsm romeo #mcsm s2 spoilers #OH WOW THIS GOT LONG

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allforhader · 4 years ago

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As The World Caves In

Barry Berkman x (F) Reader

Warnings: Langauge, Violence, TW: Abuse

“Alright that’s the end of acting class. See you next time” Gene ends the class as Barry instantly gets out of his seat grabbing his backpack and waiting for Y/N to simply walk by him. But at least she’s sweet enough to-

“Great work today Barry!” Y/N smiles happily at Barry before exiting the building.

Barry follows respectfully behind her as Nick and Jermaine walk beside him expecting to get drinks. When Barry suddenly stops outside they both bumped into each other watching Barry watch Y/N embrace a man who he thinks is her boyfriend. It’s most definitely the case when he sees the two kiss.

“Damn. We getting drinks or what?”

“Definitely” Barry replies to Jermaine as he pats his back. “Who’s uh. Designated driver?”

“It’s LA Barry. There’s Uber.” Nick laughs walking ahead of the two.

A few rounds later...

Barry was standing outside of the bar with Nick half-passed out on the curb propped up against Jermaine. They waited for their Uber, but the waiting seemed longer than usual.

“Hey, Barry sit down. It’s gonna be a while” Jermaine states as Barry sat down on the curb beside him. “You kept lookin at your phone when girls were tryin to get your attention”

“Hmmmmm he wants one girl” Nick laughs a bit. “Y/N~”

“Go back to sleep”

“Alrighty” Nick laughs a bit more before relaxing on Jermaine’s shoulder.

“What’s so interesting about her anyway?”

“So many things” Barry sighs holding his head down.

Jermaine looks at his friend confused on why he didn’t elaborate but they were all under the influence. Some more than others *cough* Nick *cough* but that’s the biggest reason why he didn’t elaborate that Y/N is the most beautiful talented girl he ever laid eyes on.

“I know the girl is taken. But you can still do a scene together that can make her realize” As the most sober compared to them all, Jermaine’s idea is only going to go downhill of some sorts. “Pick a scene with a kiss and do it with her. Any dedicated actor would do any scene. Despite their relationships off stage”

That could’ve been phrased better, but way to put that idea in Barry’s fucking head.

After finally getting to their apartment of sorts, Barry instantly laid on his bed and pulled up the messages to Y/N.

Barry: You are a god

Y/N: What?

Barry: A god at finding great scenes to do for class

Y/N: Oh! Thank you 🥰

Barry: I know I’m not very good

Barry: But I’d like to do a scene with you

Y/N: Barry! I’ve been waiting for you to ask!!! Plus you are really good! Better than me 😊 What scene would you like to do??

Shit. Think of a scene. FAST BARRY. FUCK

Barry: Um. Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 Scene 5?

Fucking Shakespeare?!?

Y/N: Give me a sec to look up the scene!

Barry: Ok

After a minute passed. Literally. A minute.

Y/N: I’d love to! Hell if we do a good job, maybe Mr. Cousineau would pick it for the next showcase he’s planning!

Y/N: Want to practice tomorrow? After class? I can print you a copy of the scene

Barry: Sounds good

Y/N: Yay! 😊

Y/N: See you tomorrow!

Barry: See you!

Y/N didn’t come to class the next day, which made Barry think he said something he shouldn’t have. But his texts were surprisingly not drunkly influenced for the most part.

“Okay class. Y/N called me saying she won’t be able to be here for the next few classes since something came up. Barry, pick another scene partner or a monologue before we share to pick for the showcase. NOW. Sally you have a monologue you’d like to run by us” Gene states as Sally got on stage to do her monologue but instead of paying attention Barry took his phone out thinking of messaging Y/N to ask what happened. But a part of him thought space was key.

After class, Sally grabbed Barry’s arm to catch his attention.

“Barry, can you do me a favor?”

“Sure?”

“So I need a ride to Y/N’s place. I have her address and everything.”

“Yeah. Yeah I can drive you” Is he going to know what happened along the way? She wouldn’t be going over there if she didn’t know.

The drive was far. Surprisingly further than all of their other friends. Note, Barry has at least driven everyone in their class somewhere at least twice. Usually because it’s expensive to get your car fixed let alone pay rent in LA. So it’s a coin toss and usually the car doesn’t win. Plus his source of income is...not acknowledge and he’s fine giving people rides. But Y/N lived really far in LA that he found himself heading somewhat close to Anaheim territory. Her neighborhood looked still typical LA agriculture and similar to few neighbors closer to the acting class. But when they were driving Sally did tell Barry that this is where Y/N’s boyfriend lives. So who the fuck knows where Y/N actually lives. To his knowledge.

“So Barry, I told her that you were driving me and that I didn’t tell you anything. But we’re here to pick her up then go back to my place. Are you okay with that drive?”

“Anything for the both of you. But I can’t help but be curious” Barry frowns watching Sally give a hesitant halt in what she was going to say but-

“I’m not comfortable sharing something that isn’t mine. She trusted me by telling me. I’m not going to play a game of telephone Barry”

“Okay...just do I go with you?”

“No I’ll go get her myself, just hang tight okay?”

“Okay” What the fuck did this guy do...

Barry waited in the car seeing Y/N step out with Sally, she looks fine for the most part. The closer she got he couldn’t really pin point anything. Just...the girl known to wear colorful clothing and mainly dresses, came out in sweatpants and a hoodie. Style doesn’t describe a person but it made Barry think about what caused a sudden change that isn’t just “to be comfortable”. Y/N sat in the back and Sally day with her.

“Your place right Sally?”

“Right” Sally says calmly setting Y/N bag by her feet.

After the long drive to Sally’s, Barry stayed in the car watching the two go inside. But before he left, Y/N ran over to the car knocking on Barry’s window. He quickly opens it as Y/N slips in a script she had packed before they came and got her.

“I-It’s a monologue for the showcase. S-Sorry I couldn’t do t-the scene with you. Hope this repays for that”

“You didn’t have to repay anything Y/N” Barry frowns watching Y/N pushes her hair out of her face making the man catch a glimpse of the shiner on her right eye that extends to her cheek as well.

“I wanted to Barry” Y/N states before going back inside.

Barry frowns and once she entered Sally’s place. A switch flipped in his head and he drove back to her boyfriend’s house waiting out there until he came home. Barry watches the light turn on inside the house and as he was about to reach for the gun in his glove box. He hesitated.

You don’t want to be defined that way anymore.

The hitman life will only continue if you do this.

You have the make the change.

Take the leap of faith.

Don’t let the past still define you Barry.

Find. A. Different. Way.

“Shit...” Barry frowns smacking the wheel holding his head down thinking. “He doesn’t deserve her...”

The next day came and Barry watches Sally walk into class alone. Where’s Y/N? Thought she stayed with her. He gets up from his seat sitting behind Sally.

“Hey...where’s Y/N?”

“She went back”

“What?”

“....She’s stupid. But aren’t we all? She went back during the middle of the night. I didn’t hear her leave” Sally frowns as Barry felt the fire start to burn again.

Find a different way

“FUCK” Barry exclaims catching everyone’s attention as he sinks into his seat. “Sorry”

“No! Use that energy. Come up here and show us what you got for the showcase” Gene states as Barry immediately regretted it.

Barry got up from his seat after taking out the monologue reading it’s from The Notebook. He laughs a bit to himself before looking out and seeing Y/N walk in in a turtle neck with a hoodie over it and makeup covering the bruises.

“That’s right. We do that sometimes, remember? We don’t cut each other any slack. If I’m being a jerk or an arrogant sonofabitch, you tell me. If you’re a pain in the a—, which you are ninety-nine percent of the time, I’ve got no problem telling you, or hurting your feelings, which have about a two second rebound rate before you’re off doing the next pain in the a— thing.” Barry frowns looking at Y/N as the rest of the class grew intrigued.

“So, it’s not going to be perfect. We’ll have to work at it every day. But I want you. Not for today, or next week, but forever.” He states stepping down from the stage glancing at the script making his way in Y/N’s direction. “Every day, you and me. Think about your life twenty years or fifty years from now. Where do you want to be? If it’s with that guy, go. I lost you once. I suppose I can do it again. Just don’t take the easy way out. Answer one question for me. Forget about me and your fiancé and your parents for a minute. Forget about what you should do. What about you? What do you want?” Barry ended up in front of Y/N watching her hesitantly reach for him before retracting.

“Jesus CHRIST Barry!” Gene smiles proud of the man as he walks over to the two. “If you can be the closing to the showcase with that same amount of energy. Recruiters will definitely want to represent you!” he smiles watching Y/N retract herself a bit before getting an idea. “If it works best with Y/N on the stage. She can be there. Prove you’d be good with a partner even if it is a monologue.”

“If...that’s okay with you” Barry frowns looking Y/N as she nods agreeing to do so.

“Great! Now let’s go to the next person, better have that off script Barry!”

Barry frowns looking at Y/N as she just stares at him. She watches him reach to reassure but the automatic stepping back indicated she didn’t want to be touched. By any one for that matter.

When the class was over Barry stepped out carrying a weight on his chest wishing he can break a barrier and risk it all. But he didn’t want more people to get hurt and he didn’t want to disappear. Barry made his way toward his car about to get in when he felt a small hand grab his sleeve. He turns around locking eyes with Y/N as he of course stopped for her.

“...can um...s-shit”

“You need me?”

“yeah...”

“Just. Text me, and I’ll do whatever you need me to do” Barry says calmly as he connected the dots to why she’s wearing a turtle neck and her voice was low.

First stop was a pharmacy. Barry walked with her as Y/N grabbed what she needed. Ice pack, bandages, anti bacterial spray, and foundation. He felt very protective of her in the public scene thinking her “boyfriend” can pop up at any minute or really anybody would look at her a certain way and he’d want to kick their ass.

“can..I stay with you...B-Barry?” Y/N asks after she paid. She looks down at her feet for a moment thinking he’d say no when he obviously said it’s okay for her to stay with him.

“Um. I have roommates”

“That’s ok...I j-just...don’t need t...the lecture from S-Sally” Y/N frowns watching Barry hesitantly step closer to her afraid anything he’ll do she’ll feel uncomfortable. She looks up at him seeing the worry in his expression.

“Can you let me....take care of you?” Barry knows she won’t directly tell her what the asshole did. Barry expecting a no wasn’t coming from her. She nods watching Barry take her things to carry for her. “Just need to make...one more stop before we go to my place”

“Ok...”

Y/N found herself staying extremely close to Barry in the grocery store as he grabs what he needs to get. She watches around them having the same feeling Barry has except hers is fear driven.

“Broth?” Y/N asks picking up the carton from the cart.

“I’m not gonna give you straight broth if that’s what you’re thinking” Barry laughs a bit catching a smile from Y/N. “Even though I like straight broth” he states putting in a few seasoning in the cart. “Are you allergic to anything so I know not to get it?”

“No, you’re good” Y/N smiles making Barry feel a bit better but he still worried.

A few hours went by and Y/N found herself sitting on Barry’s bed staring down at her phone seeing texts from him and she immediately felt awful. Y/N started to cry thinking about what she’s gotten herself into because she was blind to it all until it got to this degree. The blame was definitely being put onto herself when no one sees it as her fault. Barry especially didn’t and all he wants to do is see her happy again. That smile of hers brightens his day...he misses it. Barry steps in carrying a bowl of soup he made, being in LA for some time you pick up at least ten minutes to watch cooking videos, and he immediately set the bowl and spoon on his desk before moving everything to the side of the bed and sitting in front of her. He didn’t want to pull her into his arms to comfort her but his presents was enough until Y/N grabbed his face resting her forehead against his. She continued to cry but it slowly burned into sniffling. He leans into it feeling her rub her thumbs against his cheeks taking a minute to take it all in.

He cares about you. He’s there for you right now and he always has been. Take a minute to appreciate what he’s doing. He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere....

He’s dedicated to caring about you.

No more words were said that night between Barry and Y/N. Except when Barry wanted to see what he did because he knew Y/N couldn’t see most of the “damage” so he offered to help. He also carries quite the first aid kit with him since he used to get hurt a lot and Fuches was a terrible doc so he had to learn. Y/N took off her hoodie before hesitantly slipping off her turtle neck. Her arms instantly covered herself but once Barry got a look where everything is, he got up going into his dresser and grabbing one of his t-shirts having her wear it so she doesn’t have to sit in just a bra. He moved himself closure looking at most angles of the bruising as he goes into his first aid knowing she bought ice packs but those were ones that’ll take time in the freezer when he has ones you punch and it’ll take a little moment to get there but it’d be cold enough. He popped two of them, one for her neck and the other for her cheek. Y/N had a few bruises on her arms that weren’t as bad as the ones needing the ice packs, he mainly focused on disinfecting the scratches and putting bandaids on the few that need them. Barry watched her start to shake making his worry get worse as he took her hand carefully into his sitting it out with her.

After putting everything away and Y/N eating what he made for her...she took his bed as Barry laid on the floor. The two were awake the entire night and thinking about their own deals...

I love her

He cares about me

I don’t want to step over the line

Why couldn’t he be like Barry?

I risk my life every day...I don’t want her to get hurt by it if she becomes apart of it.

Barry Berkman...you truly do make me feel lucky to be alive.

When the day of the showcase came, Barry took his roommates advice to wear the part with a white button down tucked into his black slacks with a belt and shoes were just his pair of converse. He didn’t wear a tie but the first few buttons were unbutton and his sleeves were rolled up. Y/N was apart of his monologue, clearly with no lines, and she wore one of Barry’s long sleeves for the soul fact that she’s playing a love interest and on the other hand wants to be comfortable. His part was last and he waited behind stage with Y/N until their time to get on stage came. Barry watched Y/N check her phone every now and then watching her eyes trail from one thing to another as her tense expression said everything.

“Barry! Y/N! You’re up next. Be on deck” Sasha states to the two before going back to helping Nick out of his costume.

Barry looks at Y/N seeing her look up at him smiling a bit to reassure them both.

“You’ll do perfectly Barry”

“Y/N....”

“Hm-“

“ON DECK”

The two flinch to the yell before going to the deck staring at Natalie and Antonio get close to wrapping up. Barry quickly turns to Y/N and before he could say anything Y/N grabbed his collar pulling him down to her level kissing him suddenly. The startling factor being the tears that rolled down her cheeks during it. Barry frowns parting gently resting his hands on her face.

“YOU TWO ARE ON!” Sally pushes the two in when the lights were down.

Y/N stood on her mark staring at Barry’s back where he started before turning to the crowd wiping away the tears that shed but a figure in the crowd stung in her heart. She held her head down for a moment before bringing it up when the lights turned on and Barry turned to her.

“That’s right. We do that sometimes, remember? We don’t cut each other any slack. If I’m being a jerk or an arrogant sonofabitch, you tell me. If you’re a pain in the a—, which you are ninety-nine percent of the time, I’ve got no problem telling you, or hurting your feelings, which have about a two second rebound rate before you’re off doing the next pain in the a— thing.” Barry states stepping forward and as he got closer to her his body retracted when she started crying. “So, it’s not going to be perfect. We’ll have to work at it every day.....But I want you.” He says resting his hand on her cheek watching her ease into it.

“I-....” Y/N choked looking up at Barry seeing he’s meaning what he’s saying. For them. Not the scene.

“Not for today, or next week, but forever. Every day, you and me. Think about your life twenty years or fifty years from now. Where do you want to be? If it’s with that guy, go. I lost you once. I suppose I can do it again. Just don’t take the easy way out. Answer one question for me. Forget about me and your fiancé and your parents for a minute. Forget about what you should do.” Barry states feeling her grab his shirt shaking right in front of him as the crying got heavier. “What about you? What do you want?” he whispers but the mic picked it up for everyone and before the lights went down, he presses his forehead against hers.

When the lights went off Barry pulls a bit away feeling Y/N grip onto his shirt for dear life. He looked out into the crowd watching the asshole stand up and he couldn’t take it.

Think of a different way. Fuck a different way.

When the students merged with the crowd, Barry immediately pushes her abusive boyfriend out into the open. Forcing him outside and before any of them said another word.

“Barry please—“ Y/N quickly caught up with the two staring at Barry look at him and the asshole. “Josh. Leave. Please just leave.”

“The fuck? I came to support you. But you went up with this guy? Are you cheating on me with this fucking asshat?” Josh got up in Barry’s face which wasn’t a good choice.

“I DIDNT ASK YOU TO COME” Y/N yells watching Josh push Barry only to make him retaliate the same way. “Barry please don’t do anything”

“Yeah. Listen to the fucking slu-“ before he could finish, Barry had head butted him in the face watching him stumble.

Y/N knew she could get in the crossfire but didn’t care as she tries to step in when Barry stepped in front of her when Josh grew infuriated immediately punching Barry in the face. But before he could retaliate, Nick and Antonio pulled him back as Sally and Sasha pulled Y/N into their embrace keeping her away from them.

“You gotta leave dude” Jermaine states to Josh as he gives Y/N an annoyed looked before looking back at Barry.

“Are you really fucking worth it? Or just an asshole like the rest of us” Josh states pushing Jermaine away from him before storming off tending to his broken nose.

Barry frowns relaxing so Nick and Antonio can let go of him. He adjusts himself before going back inside where Y/N quickly followed him. She grabs his arm forcing him to look at her when they were alone in a hallway.

“Why? Why did you...you didn’t have to”

“He shouldn’t have come..”

“I know but Barry—“

“That asshole doesn’t deserve you. He never did. You deserve so much better. I—FUCK” Barry frowns looking away to take a minute.

“Barry...”

“What?” He frowns looking at her watching embrace his arm being directly close. She looks up at him with a questionable look.

“You care about me....”

“There’s..so much more Y/N” Barry took his arm back to move his hands to her face locking eyes with the gorgeous woman in front of him. “I love you...I love you and it hurt me seeing what he did to you. All....all I want to do is protect you. Protect that smile of yours...only if you let me...and you did that night, but it started a hatred seeing him come tonight. He shouldn’t have come”

“I know...It was...a surprise to the both of us...” Y/N started to tear up again feeling Barry gently wipe them away with his thumbs. “You love me...? Even if...I’m broken goods?”

“You’re not broken goods Y/N...and if it takes a life time for me to show how worthy you are to me and everybody. Then I’m willing to take that time....because you mean the world to me”

“Oh Barry...” Y/N moves his hands off of her face bringing her arms around his neck hugging the tall man as Barry instantly wrapped his arms around her waist lifting her from the ground slightly. Holding her like his life depends on it digging his face into her shoulder. “You mean the world to me too....”

“I love you...I love you Y/N”

“I love you too Barry....”

#bill hader #bill hader gifs #barry berkman #barry hbo #barry block #bill hader x reader #barry berkman x reader #barry block x reader #tw: abuse

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yaya-does-things · 4 years ago

Text

Star Crossed lovers

Satan x gn! MC

BROOOOO. WHy is Romeo and Juliet actually such a good play??? Like have ya’ll read it before? It’s just... so lovely. In all honesty, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve read it, but like I thought of it and was like what better way to express amazing cheesiness than writing Obey Me! content with our favorite book worm??? So yeadh. Basically MC and Satan are just roleplaying at this point, LOL. Enjoy, my loves, for I adore writing in a terrible formal accent

MC is Gender Neutral *wink*

Prompt for this - “Heeeeey!! Put the book down and pay attention to meee”

The House was quiet. Too quiet.

As Satan sat in his usual seat in the library, with a book in his hand, he found the House abnormally silent. Not even a bit of arguing could be heard, which was a common occurrence with his brothers. He couldn’t even make out the sound of Beel in the kitchen, who he knew must be in there, because when is he not? He strained his ears to find something he could pick up, but not a single word, or chew, or even creak could be heard. He wondered to himself if perhaps he was missing something, like a student council meeting or something of the sorts, but couldn’t recall anything. And so, with no remembrance of anything utterly important, and choosing to not care deeply about the House’s abnormal silence, Satan went on to read his book, happy that for oce in his life he wouldn’t be disturbed.

It had perhaps been thirty minutes, however, before he was aware of the world outside of the book he was reading.

“Heeeeey!! Put the book down and pay attention to meeee,” a voice said from beside him. He looked up, moving his head to the side, when he noticed the loveliest of eyes staring back at him.

“Hm?” he questioned, softly smiling as he focused on the face in front of him.

“I’ve been trying to find you, and for some reason it took far too much time to get your attention. What’re you reading that’s keeping you so unaware of your surroundings?” MC asked, a curious expression on their face as they leaned down to place their head on the blond’s shoulder. “Oh! I’ve read this one!”

He turned his head ever so slightly to see MC’s expression, a smile plastered on their features.

“Have you now?” he chuckled, closing the book with his thumb still inside to keep the page.

“Yes! I actually had to study it back when I was in school. And for a book required for learning I found it rather enjoyable,” MC said with a fond look on their face. “Can I look through it?”

“Of course,” he said, quietly. He gingerly handed MC the book, his finger still inside. They took it, eyeing him as they made sure to keep his place.

Romeo and Juliet.

A wonderful romance that ends so tragically.

MC smiled as they turned the pages, recalling all the characters, as well as the quotable intro. They got to a particularly memorable line, and mischievously smiled, taking Satan’s hand to pull him to his feet.

“What are you doing?” he questioned, an eyebrow raised as he smiled at MC’s unknown antics.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I'll no longer be a Capulet,” MC said, in the most terrible accent they could muster. They smiled, and nodded to Satan, prompting him to reply. He blinked, then gulped. Then, he stood straight, taking in a breath as he recited the next line, softly, for only MC to hear.

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

MC giggled, then stood straight too, putting on a longing face as they read the line thereafter.

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.

What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,

Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!

What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name which is no part of thee

Take all myself.”

He took a step closer, and looked straight into their eyes, taking their free hand in his own. He looked serious, and spoke with a soft voice, something just above a whisper.

“I take thee at thy word:

Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized;

Henceforth I never will be Romeo.”

MC blinked several times, eyes still trained on his own, the green irises trapping them from going on. Then, in a quick moment, their eyes flitted to his mouth, quickly eyeing the lips that were ever so close to their own. He did so too, and leaned in further, licking his lips in the process as he kept his eyes trained on MC’s closing ones. The gap between their lips was never filled however, due to the sudden exclamation at the door.

“What’re you two doing!” Mammon’s voice interjected.

They jolted away from each other, snapping their heads to the door to see the Mammon and Asmo standing at the door frame, each curiously watching the fourth born and MC.

“We-w-We were just--”

“We were performing a scene from Romeo and Juliet,” Satan replied, a cool demeanor on his features as he nonchalantly took MC’s hand and kissed it.

“Isn’t that right, my fare Juliet?” he asked, with a wink. MC’s eyebrows furrowed for a split second, then they soon caught on, and smiled. They put the back of their hand to their forehead and feigned swooning.

“I would have to agree, my handsome Romeo,” MC replied. They both smiled at each other, then Asmo spoke.

“WHAT! Satan as Romeo!? I would think no such thing! If anything, I’M the one who’s the most charming, not him!”

MC laughed, while Satan rolled his eyes.

“I would presume you are right Asmo, yet, I do wonder. Have you ever even read the play? Or perhaps seen it?” MC asked, quirking up their brow as they glanced at the blond beside them.

“Well… no… but I know enough about it to know that I would be perfect!”

“You! There’s no way! If anyone’s gonna be Romeo to MC’s Juliet, it’s gonna be me! The Great Mammon!” Mammon exclaimed.

“No way! You’re just a silly scumbag Mammon! There’s no way I would ever let you scar the name of Romeo!”

“I’m not a scumbag! Plus, ya don’t even know what Romeo is like! How would ya ever play him correctly!?”

“I would just use my perfect charm to woo the audience! And my lovely Juliet! Isn’t that right MC?”

The two brothers looked to where they had seen MC standing last, and yet, what’s this? They’re gone!?

“W-Where’d they go!” Mammon exclaimed.

“Yeah! They were right there a second ago!” Asmo said, confusion plastered on his face. The two quickly made it out of the library in hopes to find MC to prove which would be the best Romeo.

And yet, the best Romeo was right beside MC, hiding behind the sofa as the two laughed.

“Fianlly they’re gone,” MC laughed, peeking over the sofa.

“Yes… good…” Satan said, focusing on MC yet again.

They turned their head to him, their smile fading into just the corners of their mouth being upturned.

“So… What do we do know, Romeo?” MC asked, face moving closer to Satan’s.

“Well, Juliet, I would prefer we try a kiss before we must part,” he quietly replied, moving in to close the gap. Their lips connected in a soft, yet dually needy kiss. The two seemed to have been wanting this, and with the opportunity to play the star-crossed lovers, what better time would it be to express the underlying feelings they both exude. Soon, they returned to the real world, both parting as they slowly opened their eyes.

“Perhaps I should go… Those two are looking for me,” MC whispered, face still close to Satan’s.

“Perhaps… but must you go so soon?” he asked, voice just as quiet.

“Alas, it seems I must, but fear not, for I shall return soon.”

They both laughed.

Standing up, Satan took both of MC’s hands in his own.

“You promise to return soon?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then go, and do not keep me waiting for to long, for my heart yearns for your own.”

Another giggle.

“Farewell, my love,” MC said, stepping away and walking towards the door. “Ah, to think it is true. Parting is such sweet sorrow.”

MC left, leaving Satan alone with his book and his thoughts.

It is, it really is.

~~~

#obey me satan #obey me! one master to rule them all #obey me asmodeus #obey me mammon #obey me x mc

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imagines-mha · 5 years ago

Note

So I know this is mainly for our beloved Assclass but, at any point in time because I need more content for my favorite feral copycat, could I get some hcs for Monoma falling in love with someone from class 1-a. I know it sounds impossible but like she finds his snark hilarious and she's always complimenting 1-b and sticking up for them if they need it. Man I would appreciate it so much, thanks!

Omg i LOVE this idea bro i migt actually turn it into a mini fanfic??? Idk yet but it was SO GOOD and fun to write!!! tysm for the request 💕💫 also i got carried away and totally wrote a drabble instead lmao SORRY DUDE

—Love Story- Monoma x reader—

♥️ Im sure i don’t need to highlight it too much, because we all fuckin KNOW.

Monoma is the most dramatic asshole to come from the show. Fr he’s gonna act like he’s living in romeo and juliet every night when he’s in his dorm alone it’s so eccentric like jusT TALK TO HER STOP BLASTING LOVE STORY BY TAYLOR SWIFT AT 3AM YOU HAVE A TEST TOMORROW

Before he knows he’s in love completely, he treats it like a fun game. He always wins at games, doesn’t he?

He doesn’t i have no idea why he still thinks he does wtf

♥️ You’re a new transfer student at UA, and are still settling into the school, meaning you’ve yet to see one of his acts of clownery; meaning he still has a chance

His classmates tell him to quit while he’s ahead. CLEARLY class 1-A have already warned you to avoid him, clearly you’re gonna know to just ignore him when he flaunts his worth to you.

Clearly, Monoma doesn’t listen.

His charm is good though, enough to be able to sweep almost any girl who barely knows him off of their feet in mere seconds. He knows how to script his praises, and ensures he’s done his research on you beforehand to personally detail the comments to suit your style

He has one plan: go and win her over with one compliment. Sweep her off her feet and ride off into the distance where 1-a and 1-b no longer matter and it’s just the both of you alone together i told u he was dramatic dude smh

He’s all prepared for the big moment: he has his hair all neatly done, making it certain he smells nice, slapping on a smirk with just enough attitude that makes it seem as if he wasn’t up all night planning for this exact moment. He’s readier than he’ll ever be

He sees you walking into school with Mina and Uraraka, chattering away, when he suddenly leans against the doorway in front of you, his voice already carrying on with a level of confidence you didn’t even know existed

“Forgive me if i’m wrong, but you must be the brand new transfer student? My, i knew you’d be pretty but i didn’t know you’d be this gor-“

“Don’t be a creep monoma-“ mina sighed, pushing past him and leading you through the door.

“That’s the monoma we warned you about” she laughed, “just don’t pay any attention-“

————————

He should have really been put off from then, but his positivity lived on, even tho tetsutetsu found him sulking in his room later like a 5 year old who just got shouted at by their parents

He’d plan his next strategy the very next day. So straight up flirting wouldn’t work. What now?

He sits and ponders for a while, and i mean A LONG ASS WHILE like two weeks, preferring to stay in the background and admire you from a distance rather than get all up in your face

It seems like a funny joke to his class, and they make fun of him for it constantly. He never has crushes, especially not like this. This is like a golden opportunity: they’re getting peace from his constant idiocy, you were already like their saviour

He’s never quiet, but now he’s almost nervous to speak incase you hear and think he’s dumb. He’s never so...not-annoying, but he doesn’t want to prove to you that Mina was right that day. He didn’t want to be just a warning to you. He wanted to be who you loved, who you yearned for at night, who you grasped when-

“You monologuing again?” Kendo interuppted with a humourous tone from his bedroom door while he sulked into his pillow

He let out a whine and flailed over onto his bed, covering his eyes with his hands

“I just want her to like me...” he pathetically groaned, and for a moment the boy who acted like he was miles above everyone else had succumbed to a normal teenager

Kendo figured she had to thank you for that later

After a small, late-night talk about the importance of being yourself and the unattractiveness of too much pride, Monoma decided that from here on in he’d be completely him. If you didn’t like him for that, then clearly you weren’t meant to be

But he really hoped you did.

———————

A week later, snarky monoma was back in action- and he spent the entire day of training relishing in his insults and cocky comments towards the members of 1-A

To be honest, he was having so much fun riling them up he almost forgot he was looking out to impress you. Typical Monoma.

That was until he saw you giggle at one of his snide comments made at Bakugo, reeling him back to earth immediately from his throne of false royalty

He looked around for anything, some sort of confirmation it was he you were laughing with and noone else, and when he saw Kendo nodding in support to him from the corner, he felt like cheering out loud

It only encouraged him more though, because his cockiness became unbearable to the opposing class. Luckily though, it became even more amusing to you

He was shooting out insults and taunts left right and centre, his eyes darting in your direction each time one left his lips and his heart fluttering when he saw your eyes searching for him at the same time

It was a small haven. Suddenly the two of you were looking for eachother’s gaze whenever someone from your class screwed up in some way, because you both knew Monoma would have something to say about it

You didn’t care that it was against your class either. He was a pain in the ass to them, snd you could see why, but you just found him hilarious above anything

After all, someone needed to put them in their place every so often

Soon enough, both bakugo and todoroki had clearly had enough of his witty comments, and stormed up to to him to “give him a piece of their minds”

After a small outbreak of bakugo’s screaming and Todoroki’s sassy additions to a nonchalant Monoma, you decided to step in

Not that you didn’t value your two classmates...but Monoma did have better comebacks...plus...he was kinda cute

You rolled your eyes and spoke up,

“Leave him alone you idiots- just because he has better sass than you both do doesn’t mean you gotta go all batshit on him” you rolled your eyes at them before stepping to Monoma

“I never knew you could be so good at riling people up-“ you smirked, noting his shocked expression before quickly adding,

“take it as a compliment- your class is lucky to have you-“

He was so awestruck he couldn’t find a word to say, leaving the entire place in stunned silence for a few seconds, before the feud calmed down and training resumed back to normal.

But It didn’t take long for Mina to tug you away to the side,

“Did you just COMPLIMENT monoma?!” She suddenly asked, her tone laced with shock

“Come on Mina he’s not even that bad-“ you laughed, blushing softly and gazing back to the blonde (who was still staring completely stunned)

“I...i can’t believe someone could actually stand him-“ she laughed with you, “you guys would totally make a cute couple!!” She squealed, receiving a smack on the arm from you with copious amounts of “shut the HELL up before he hears you!!!!” spilling from your lips

“Seriously though y/n- a girl from class 1-A and a guy from class 1-B..... the SCANDAL of it all-“ she dramatically grinned, gasping in fake shock, “and it’s not even just a guy...it’s MONOMA himself” she continued teasing you, laughing when you groaned for her to shut up because you totally didn’t mean it like that...did you?

Since when did your life become a shakespeare play?

—————————-

When you guys finally date, noone could really believe it. Monoma, for one, actually liked someone who wasn’t himself. And you...actually liked him back.

This was either a recipe for the sweetest couple in the world, or a recipe for a couple that could kill you and feel no remorse doing so.

But all that mattered to you both was that you were a couple. You loved him and he loved you too- and when you had that going for you, how much more did you need?

#my hero academia #monoma neito #class 1-a #class 1-b #kendo itsuka #mha headcanon #my hero academia imagines

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spicymishtii · 5 years ago

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HE(ART) �� Victuuri

Prelude

Victor Nikivorov x Katsuki Yuuri

Parallel universe AU

Belief.

Ignorance is a bliss and a bitch, a generally popular universal truth, but hey, if that bitch has aided you to slap a quarter of your life with a big bold try me placard by your inner self-uplifter and has made you immune to this oh-so-evil humankind, you would believe the power of ignorance is not just a bliss but a fucking blessing. Unfortunately which, it seems only a chosen few possess.

Hence by laws of the hypothetically giving-a-fuck universe, Katsuki Yuuri just so happens to be one of the few elites. Though his ability is not that of intentional ignorance but plain old oblivion.

At the most recent occasion—that is right now—his ignorance can also be replaced with the fact that he’s running so he doesn’t really have much fuck to give to peers turning around from all directions to look at him.

And while that on a calmer day might reassure his questionable fashion choices, today he knows, he knows he smells dangerous enough to cause an epidemic merely by existing.

You see it was not his fault that his naïve (motherfucking) juniors tried moving an entire rack of chemicals that had just so happened to consist of all variants of Thioacetone.

Of course, the idea couldn't be any worse and by the end of screams, flailings, glass breakings, and trickling of the solutions to any and every corner of the room the lab had come to smell like diarrhea at a super level. He hates college.

After picking his nails while half-heartedly listening to the threats and scolding the ultimate seniors (those crazy Einstein-haired Ph.D. ones) had given to those juniors (who resembled a group of terrified hamsters by then), he reckoned it okay for him to slip out quietly.

He’s sneaky, sue him.

Cue his professor’s email.

He has special ding-ring-ring! notification in his baby to clearly inform him of the demise he acquires from his soul-suckers every now and then. Not that he doesn’t like his professors (he loves and respects them thank you very much), it’s just he’s so tired. Almost fourth year into college and he has given up on his personal and social life.

He has even forgotten the last time he masturbated. Rimming his textbooks (plus internet), mating his chemicals and blowing his assignments are on the verge of making him question his sexuality. But then he remembers, how he has always known what he was signing up for all those years back.

And if he wants to reach the finale, he gotta ace this final. And if he wants to ace the final, submitting his paper on Organic synthesis via Enolates before midnight is a nice starting point.

So he continues to torture his suppressed Usain Bolt gene while eloquently cursing his very respectable prof to be traditional as fuck and not utilize the normal idea of e-mailing.

For the total amount of time and energy his legs have flown him by, he thinks he deserves to be all the way across Iceland, instead, he makes peace with reality whilst reaching the dorms. He’s humble, you’re welcome.

One day, one day, he’s going to go on strike and petition to the admins for a goddamn lift. He has no care about learning to be punctual or money which he knows they won’t have any problem with; he and he’s sure every single living creature in college needs one elevator in their dorms just as badly as Romeo might have all those years back.

But he'll think about it later when his whole third year is not on the line. He needs to get to the most crucial year and graduate the fuck out of this hellhole.

The stairs squeezed out whatever hope was left within his knees until he’s left banging on the door akin to a lunatic with both of his hands. It’s a bad day—the chronicle since this sunny morning is proof enough—so he wasn’t surprised when halfway through his journey he had realized his dorm keys have been forgotten in his lab coat. Why he had even bothered to flick it out of his bag he doesn’t know but life is all about learning through mistakes so.

He can hear the shrill tone of his platonic soulmate/roommate shouting Who the fuck is this?! from inside but he’s too breathless to answer. The door snaps open only seconds later revealing a fuming owner of three hamsters that are perched on different heights of his body.

The person’s expression morphs into that of confusion then concern then suspicion then understanding and lastly deadpan. Yuuri flings his body on the said hamster-father who accepts him with a squeak and almost imbalance.

Subsequently closing the door and carrying the skeleton, Phichit Chulanot has once again proved himself to be The Best Friend™, something he’s going to rub on Yuuri’s face later.

As soon as Phichit sits both of them down on their excuse of a couch, Yuuri shoots up hitting Phichit’s jaw in the process.

“You—,”

“Later Chu!” he cuts the upcoming verbal splash fast and sprints inside his room, snatches the file and he’s out the door screaming bye. He loves Phichit for not barbequing him or offering him up to an asylum and staying by his side loyally.

He has been honestly touched since the time Phichit got so used to unearthly smells on his body that he doesn’t even ask or get mildly uncomfortable now, and readily accepts hugs and cuddles from the human equivalent of a drain. He could never thank the universe enough.

He could faintly hear his platonic soulmate’s voice above his head so he looks up while continuing to dash down the stairs and finds Phichit leaning dangerously down the railing of their floor and shouting something he can’t really make sense of.

“What?!” shouts Yuuri, faltering a little in his pace.

“I said come back home at human hours we gotta be somewhere tonight!” yells back Phichit.

Not again.

“Ugh I’ll try!” he huffs out, almost slipping on the latest step.

“Bitch I’m going to murder you if you don’t get your nasty ass inside before nine it’s important!” screeches Phichit.

“I’ll hecking try I promise!”

“Yuuri it’s really important I have people you need to meet!”

“And I have a year I need to pass I’ll try my absolute best Chi, have faith!” yells back Yuuri and jumps over the last three steps hurrying out the building screaming outta ma way! to everyone around.

Then, he runs.

Their campus is a beautiful place with all the ponds and cherry blossoms that bloom at this point of the year. There are a few benches scattered around along with some intricately designed bushes and trees beaming at him from wherever eyes could reach.

Though the inside of their college buildings are technologically advanced, the outer environment gives off an early Japanese town vibe. He isn’t shy to admit his practice of favoritism regarding one particular pond and cherry blossom tree on his way to the library (where his professor probably is doing his own research).

His lungs are quite significantly burning from whatever the fuck adrenaline did to his conscience but he is one obdurate masochist so his voluntary muscles abide by his brain. His throat is all dried up and his breath keeps getting caught, he doesn’t understand why he is torturing himself this way but then a voice in his head answers he doesn’t have enough money to repeat a year so.

At one point his vision blurs but he supposes it’s because of his lack of sleep. Well, he is pretty exhausted.

Nearing the pleasant scenery, naturally, he glances towards his favorite chilling spot but what he sees effectively makes him stop.

The cherry blossoms, which were supposed to be all fresh and full and thick and brimming with life… is barren. Not a single petal could be seen even beneath the tree, only the desolate brown of winding branches doing little to nothing in shading the newly painted bench underneath it.

It’s detached, the way the bare tree and the empty bench overlook the clear water of the small pond in front; it’s so cold, so lonely, it has never been lonely around it.

A breeze blows by, weakly stroking the skin of his neck and fingers that are exposed. He shivers; it's cold.

It’s spring. He wonders if temperatures can drop so much in the afternoon because he definitely remembers the morning to be all warm and sunny and most importantly, he remembers seeing the tree, the full-thick-jovial tree only yesterday on his way to class.

He, on every molecular level, doesn’t know how what he is seeing right now is even possible. Surely he shouldn’t be the only one right?

His eyes rake over the students running or just walking by around him but none of them look mildly uncomfortable with this situation. He wonders if there has been an experiment or an artificial situation that caused his pretty little blossoms to leave without a farewell.

He wouldn't be surprised if it is so, after all, what he learns on a daily basis about the expertise of this century, he’s sure if there’s something other than criticism that doesn’t faze him anymore, it’s human intelligence. His only discomfort is how and why he hasn’t heard about it of all people.

There is a buzz on his upper thigh through the thin fabric of his ash-colored pajamas. He slips out his phone and stares at the notification of a text from his classmate informing him of his presence being required asap in the library.

Yuuri mutters a shit and pockets the phone, breathing in to keep the formation of lactic acid at a bare minimum for the rest of his way. He peeks back one last time at his beloved, ready to depart, but once again what he sees effectively freezes him.

Because they’re full. The fucking cherry blossoms are full.

Yuuri opens and closes his mouth like a fish in the middle of the street to try and explain whatever happened just now to himself.

He fails.

He’s about to start pointing accusingly at the tree to every passerby and shout in their face if they too saw what he did but surprisingly stops himself before making another rash decision in his life.

He keeps standing quietly before he decides that yes he needs to go sleep before he goes mad for real and maybe get his eyesight checked as well.

He turns around, shakes his head to pull himself out from whatever trance he is in and notes to allow himself to rest. As he has only this assignment to submit, he doesn't think anything can stop him from going dead this weekend, so he pushes himself one last time and promises himself a while of tranquility later.

But this time, he jogs.

Jogs are quite neat, rhythmic and luckily good for health—he will say if you ask him. Considering the number of times he has jogged to reach his lecture halls or played around with Phichit, he can probably say it’s what that has kept him from wilting away like the autumn leaves after inhaling those oil and grease that comes with the college life.

If we ignore the biologically healthy benefits of the kind, he appreciates jogs much more because of his bestie, as all things considered, these are the only moments when they both could goof and run around like they're meant to do without having the weight of both their majors hovering over them like a depressing gray cloud. Phichit misses him, he knows. But Yuuri will go down arguing he misses him more and he rarely lies.

Yuuri stares at the ceiling mutely, a pencil flicking in his hand every now and then.

Phichit glances at him just as quietly while continuing his essay on medieval era music from where he’s sprawled on Yuuri’s bed.

He takes a quick peek at the ceiling then at Yuuri then at the ceiling and then Yuuri. He sums up nothing.

“What are you thinking about? Don’t you have a test tomorrow?”

Yuuri’s gaze doesn’t waver. The pencil between his fingers stops spinning.

“Us.”

Phichit snorts. “You fell in love with me?”

“No, I have standards,” Yuuri replies seriously (“Hey—”) “I just—don’t you sometimes think we were meant to meet, meant to be best friends—be together till now and years to come—and even if we weren’t, we were meant to die together as complete strangers—if that would’ve gone off—as an apology or like, a tribute from the universe for the friendship that we have today that wouldn’t have existed then.

Like there’s this fate, which decides everything for everyone and time which, like you are to me, is the same to fate and both map and plan out everything for everyone from their beginning till end and all the coincidences in between. People say all those quotes about how we write our own fate but in reality, we don’t write shit.

Time makes us do what we do and fate then gives us whatever our actions have earned—good or bad. We both earned to meet each other—time pushed us to the right point and fate just did its magic in return.

They always leave a door open for what-ifs to be guesstimated; they give us doors to go through—most of the time they pull through whichever door we eventually stand across and sometimes they push ’cause they need to. We were pushed Phichit—we were pushed in that lake together to drown—we were pushed to be saved and then, we were pulled to be friends, slowly, at our own pace.

But what if we would have drowned? What if you wouldn’t have jumped in naively to save me when you didn’t know a cent about swimming? What if it had gotten too late? What if the ambulance had got caught up? What if the doctors failed to push out the water from our lungs? What if we had died, together?

They tend to leave these what-ifs a lot so we reflect. We reflect and either we grow better or worse, unlike itself. The universe is so stable, isn't it? With all the dark matter and the little white ones in it—quite like human personality yet it’s us who keep changing; we’re irregular, varying.

Besides that, I wonder if any more pushes are left, any more pushes to land me somewhere crucial yet, because at this point I think I’ve utilized all my pulls. Don’t you, Chi? Don’t you think about the universe?”

Yuuri stares back at Phichit who has gone silent.

Yuuri raises a brow; Phichit closes his mouth.

“Exactly what’s going on in that head of yours? Yuuri are you… are you okay? Why are you talking like this? Just half an hour ago we were having a debate on Teletubbies—you—what, why?” Phichit asks in disbelief.

Yuuri rolls his eyes.

“Just because.”

Phichit looks like he is about to go big bro mode and ask whatever the hell he meant just now but he cannot find a head or tail of how to begin so he shuts up and heaves a breath aggressively.

“We must, shouldn’t we? we’re not even at quarter to our lives. There must still be something, something big, something extravagant—something that push worthy. They should’ve planned it by now. Fate must be waiting; time is slow. Will you be ready for another ‘Kimi no Na wa’-level change in your life?” Yuuri wiggles his eyebrows.

Phichit sighs and decides to go along even though he’s still one hundred percent blank.

“I’ll learn if not,”

"Hmm… we always do I guess.”

Yuuri pushes the door slowly that opens with a haunted creak, the sound pretty much deafening in what it seems a deserted library if not for the clear clicks of keyboard keys from somewhere deep inside. He closes the door as silently as he can with the inevitable old wood creaks.

His slippers tap loudly on the polished marble of fused colors whilst he tries to follow the echo of keys. The library feels odd, this being the first time for him witnessing it so solitary, bleak. He wonders if the students are hidden in corners for their own space. His eyes scan through the shelves to search for anyone, or preferably his teacher. He passes by an aisle quickly noticing motion from his peripheral vision before he backtracks.

There sits his teacher, typing away on his laptop with as much concentration as he narrates his golden days during a substitute class. The volume and number of books sprawled across the table is no joke. Yuuri knows he doesn't want Ph.D. and definitely not Research but the scenes of pure mental torture still cultivates a shudder within him.

He clears his throat. He is ignored.

He sighs and makes way to his teacher’s chair.

“Sir?” he knocks on the table. His professor flinches hard at the interruption.

“Oh… oh you. Don’t scare an old man that way, you imbecile,” he huffs.

Yuuri ignores the comment (he’s used to it) and retrieves the file from his bag.

“Here, sir. By the way, did you ask for me?” he places the file beside a book lying open.

“Oh yes, yes. I need your help young man. I hope it’s not a bother,” he gives Yuuri a quick look and goes back to typing.

“Sure, no problem,” there goes my tranquility, “What for, if I may ask?”

“Thank you very much Yuuri, it’s really appreciated. You just have to type the rest of this document from this paper I have already written and save it. You can leave after that, just shoot me a quick text,”

“Are you leaving Professor Cialdini?”

"Oh yes. I have a meeting with the other professors in the Science department that I couldn't miss for my life. It’s about you lot after all,” the professor teases, “And I need to get this shithead done and published before I die. I refuse to leave earth without doing it so I’ll be very thankful if you just type out the last page. You’re the most reliable regarding this affair, although a little inelegant but it’s just typing and I couldn’t choose anyone else.”

Was that a compliment or insult?

“So I’ll be leaving the rest to you,” his professor pats his shoulder to which he offers his trademark smile and nods.

Professor Cialdini takes his file and disappears around the shelf, the echo of his boots fading. Yuuri heaves a long, long sigh and hopes the writing on this one page is at least eligible. He shrugs off his bag and pushes the chair back to sit down following the faint sound of the door closing.

He checks the page closely from where he’s been told to copy and cracks his knuckles. His professor’s handwriting is shit as expected. Floating his fingers above the keys, his elbow knocks out the spectacles case his professor must have forgotten about. He presses his lips in judgment.

He bends down, folding his body, to retrieve the case and lean back up after getting a hold. Except in the process, his head hits brutally at the table’s edge and he groans, immediately messaging the throbbing area. He tries opening his eyes but everything surprisingly goes into a blur for such a simple hit, it’s as if the blur from a while ago has increased tenfold.

His head hurts not only from the impact but the sides and all over, his head pounds. He senses a feeling similar to being clogged by water. He feels as if he is drowning all over again the way he had those years ago. He can’t speak and his throat indulges to emit only whimpers which are way too cryptic and way too hushed.

He is practically thrashing around in his seat causing the chair to go off-balance several times yet his legs can't find any stored glucose to provide for the use of them.

There’s a shrill sharp beak of sound in his ears which is raucous and increases the hurting of his skull intensively. He wants to shout but he can’t. He bangs his head down on the keyboard, holding it and tugging his hair roughly. He feels so, so exhausted. Grey dots in a vast plain of blackness keep appearing without fail and it is probably what he sees, feels before his body gives up in place of his fortitude.

End prelude.

#au #writerblr #yuri on ice #victor #yuuri #writing #fanfiction #my first time writing victuuri aaaa!!

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palpameddaislife · 5 years ago

Text

"Intrigues in the CIS: Banking Clan Romeo and Trade Federation Juliette"

Before you start reading: This is a crackship fic. Probably the crackest ship. Don't tell me I didn't warn you. (It's interesting tho, give it a chance)

"Our plan is a success." Nix Card said with satisfaction.

"Yes, indeed..." Lott Dod replied.

They were walking side by side as they were exiting the Senate building.

"You sound, let's say, disappointed, Dod... What's wrong?... You didn't like my moves, right?"

"N-no, it's not that... I..."

"Excuses are for lesser droids..."

Lott felt his forehead sweating.

"Gunray is going to smack my head that they let a vote for the Banks to decide for themselves..."

"What now, you don't want my success?!"

"It's not that! You don't know Nute well... He's ruthless..."

"Gunray?! Ruthless...? Are you trying to drive me nuts?!"

"Sigh, Nix... Not now, please..."

"Alright, alright..."

Some time passed, and they weren't talking to each other, until they stopped in front of a hotel.

"What now... You're not going to talk me anymore?..." Lott complained.

"No, you idiot!" Nix chuckled. "I just wanted to play difficult... Here is where I booked for us in Coruscant. Luxury at it's finest! Come, don't make me wait!"

-----------------------------------------------------

"So... What we have here... Dod and Card.... In '24 carats hotel'? Are they messing with me?! Are they conspiring against the Techno Union?! I have to find out!"

------------------------------------------------------

"You cunning little... What have you done here?!" Lott said with a surprised chuckle when he glanced the room they were going to spend the night.

"All this for you, you goof..."

"I'm not a goof! I'm an elegant businessman!"

"Never doubted that." Nix said and removed Lott's hat to land a kiss on his green shiny head. The Neimoidian closed his eyes happily and rested his head on the taller Muun's slender chest for some minutes.

------------------------------------------------

The next day, they had to part, to return to their home planets and their business.

Lott couldn't easily leave Nix's waist from his arms or take his head away from his chest.

"Come on, Lott... We're going to see each other soon... We're going to miss our flights..."

"Yeah... You're right... We're Seperatists after all... We are supposed to seperate... Heh..."

"Have I told you that your humor sucks?!"

"Eheh... Yeah... Four or five times..."

"Hey, come on now... We have to go..."

"Alright..."

They picked their suitcases and left the hotel room.

Little did they know about the probe droid that was spying on them all night...

Hours later, Nix arrived on Scipio.

"Senator, Chairman Hill asked to see you." An officer told him, when he got off his ship.

Nix raised an eyebrow to that. What would Hill possibly want from him?

-------------------------------------

"Yes, Chairman?" Nix clasped his hands behind him and stood with respect in front of him. San Hill was on his chair, hands in front of him. His eyes piercing Nix like the cold ice on their homeworld. Nix easily hid his growing stress.

"So, Card... You hang out with Trade Federation, I heard..."

"Yes, I do, where is the problem with that?"

"Well, this." Hill showed a holo-projector with his hand. It was recordings from the probe droid. Very personal and embarrassing ones.

Nix felt his stomach so bad, he thought it could explode. He hid it as well... As much as he could. It was almost impossible. His legs couldn't support him that time... How?, Why?, Who?!... So many questions...

"No way!... How? You spied on me!!"

"Oh, no, no... Who do you think we are, Card, some cheap spies!? We wouldn't do such a thing, but an ally of us had the humble kindness to give us this sensitive information about you, and to warn us for whom we trust... Because trust nowadays has become extinct..."

"B-but... The Trade Federation are allies too!! Why would you mind if?... Well..."

"As I said, senator... Trust is becoming extinct... And honesty too... And if you rely on, or should I say cling to so called allies, they will probably stab your back before you realise it... And I suggest you keeping your distances from senator Dod..."

"You call Lott, I mean senator Dod a liar?! You know something I don't know?!" Nix's worry was now more obvious.

"Everything is possible, Card. Everything. I don't know... But I still advise you to cease your relationship with him... Brfore things get complicated..."

-----------------------------------

After his very unfortunate talk with San Hill, he, very frustrated managed to contact Lott. An awful move for someone with a sharp mind like his...

He smuggled himself to a Trade Federation ship Dod was temporarily staying. For once he's happy they've done that boring conversation regarding the work they had to do, so he knew Lott would stay there to supervise some tasks, without needing to call him via holo-call.

"This is cargo freighter 'The Opulent', identify yourself!"

"This is cargo ship c-111, asking for permission to enter. I carry supplies."

"Ok, c-111, permission granted!"

-------------------------------------------

Nix quickly wore a hood and a veil.

"Excuse me, sir! Where is Senator Dod's office?"

"Identification please."

He gave a false identification he had made in case of need.

"Ok, follow me." The guard told him.

-------------------------------------

"Senator? You have a visitor."

"Who is it now, I have work to do!"

"It's a guy named Drac Xin. Should he enter?"

"Drac Xin... Oh, of course he should... Tell him to come in and you leave us..."

"Yes, sir!" The guard left. Nix entered and closed the door behind him. He looked left, then right, behind him, behind Lott very carefully and then hugged him tightly. They didn't part for minutes.

Suddenly, Lott burst in tears, which eventually turned to a panic attack. He was struggling for his breath while clinging to Nix, who was trying to calm him down.

"Ssshhh... I'm here now, no one can harm us, we are safe... Shhh.... Calm down..." Nix whispered whlie rubbing circles on Lott's back.

Nix had never ever seen that side of Lott, weak and scared like that. He even tried to hold back his own tears.

He let the Neimoidian sit on his chair to calm down and he sat on a second one, to the other side of the desk.

He looked in his eyes full of fear and asked him. "Did Gunray learn too?"

The Neimoidian only nodded while wiping his eyes.

"That greedy and suspicious rat!! What did he do to you?!" Nix asked with much concern.

"He threatened me... He said that if I didn't end our relationship, he'd end my life..."

"Kriffing idiot..." Then Nix realised that Lott was right when he said Gunray is ruthless. He got Lott's hands in his and warmed them up affectionately.

"If I ever find the spy, I will cut his throat!!"

"I thought we were about business, not violence..." Lott replied with a forced smile.

"Heh... In this case, business is violence..."

-------------------------------

That time, the leaders of the three organisations were arguing via holo-call.

"The very kind senator Saam told me some interesting facts, Hill!" Nute Gunray hissed to San Hill. "He told me that your senator spends a suspicious amound of time with mine! Could this possibly mean that you put him to spy on us?!"

"I would ask you the same thing, Gunray!"

"Wait a minute! So you are not conspiring against us?!" Wat Tambor asked full of suspicion.

"Haaa?! So you actually thought something like that?! You filthy-!" Gunray was cut by an incoming transmission from Count Dooku.

"What is going on here, Gunray?!"

"C-count?! Ooh, n-nothing, everything's under control!!"

"A-always under control!!" Rune Haako replied and hid behind Nute.

Hill and Tambor stayed calm when the angry man raised his voice.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about some issues, but I'd rather learn about your issue now. It seems much frustrating. Go on. Talk." The Count demanded angrily.

"You see, my Lord, two of our senators are seeing each other, if you understand what I mean." San Hill decided to talk.

"And where is the problem with that?!"

"It could be a trap, my Lord!! There are many reasons this is a problem!"

"What do you mean?!"

"This snake, Hill has sent his minion senator to make mine trust him for information!" Nute pointed the Chairman of the IGBC with his index.

"Well, how can you prove you haven't done the same?" Hill said with a gesture of question.

"Well, this is of little importance right now. I will speak to them myself later. Now, to our issues..."

------------------------------

The next day, Alderaan.

Nix and Lott sat on an isolated bench away from the city, with the mountains as view. They had chosen to travel to Alderaan for a couple of days, because there they wouldn't be the centre of attention, plus the romantic scenery.

"I can't believe the Count was so soft on us... I thought he'd act like Hill or Gunray..." Nix said, his gaze lost in the mountains.

"Well..." Lott chuckled. "I have heard that something's being cooked with him and the General... He probably feels us I think..."

"What?! Him and Grievous?! Holy blasts, this is disgusting!"

"Aah, we shouldn't judge... Love is love, Nix..."

"Indeed..."

Lott leaned against him and they stayed like that for a while.

~the End~

Fanfic by Katrín Die Sith Frau

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lycorogue · 6 years ago

Text

So I FINALLY watched Oblivio... and I have thoughts....

First of all.... just... EEEEEEEEEEEE! I mean, I know that the whole episode was basically voided out by the end because of the Miraculous Ladybugs, but still.... EEEEEEEE

Also... this ended up getting pretty long, and I don’t like flooding people’s dashes with long posts if I can help it. The TL;DR version is that I love the caliber of writing used in this episode, and I hope the writers keep up with this standard. Yes, people may be salty because it’s a tease, and the events basically null out at the end, and the reason for Oblivio to be akumatized is kind of lame, especially considering it’s DJWifi, but all-in-all, this was by far one of my favorite episodes of the series.

For all of my thoughts and reasons why I loved this episode, check below the break.

Marinette is so badass in this episode, and I love how much it showcases her strategic mind. Adrien was determined to kill me before the episode was through. Plagg is a bit of a self-centered coward, but he’s also further proving why he’s my favorite. Tikki has some of the most agency showcased all series. DJWifi is terrifyingly adorable. The comradery of the class is so heart-warming. Finally, amnesia episodes are fun “what if” scenarios if done well, and I think this one was.

“Looks like you and I were at the same costume party.” “We must shop at the same jewelry store!” Adrien, sweety, honey, darling, you are just too precious! XD

Marinette again calling Tikki a “bug mouse” and Adrien again calling Plagg a “genie” was beautiful! <3 I love the call-back! I also love how Marinette again cowered with a very “WTF” mindset, while Adrien once more cupped Plagg in his hands; perfectly calm and excited to see the kwamis. <3 <3 <3

So, I get it that the “phone -> turtle” drawing was supposed to mean “Call Fu”, but did anyone else get that it was also a nod to who Oblivio was? Alya being the phone and Nino also being the turtle.

I LOOOOVE the unity of DJWifi, even if it was a joint-akuma. It just shows how in sync they are. Plus, even their banter was equally true regardless of who said it, such as “You remember your BFF, Oblivio, don’t you?” I mean, I know they don’t realize how true that statement is, because they don’t know who LB and CN are, but... still... perfect.

“I’m not convinced this monster is really our best friend.” XD Adrien... Adrien stop. Please stop. Holy crap, stop! XDDDD

The fact that Adrien, without any memories, is still an instinctive protector... I <3 this kid so much!

Adrien bowing when he “meets” Marinette, and her return curtsy was just too cute. I love these dorks! And I love how we get to see how they would actually be around each other if they just got out of their own way. I mean, that blush when their hands touch as they both try to lock the bathroom stall? Precious. The way Adrien was BEAMING as he complimented Marinette as being “someone who always has the right idea at the right time.” Adorable. How Adrien moved to help Marinette out of the air duct just as she leaps out, and she topples him, and they both jump back in mild embarrassment after snuggling on the floor for a second or two? Magical!

Plagg justifying everything he does around the Camembert! XD He likes to make sure he’s my favorite character, doesn’t he?

Marinette, sweety, how is it NOW is when you come up with the idea of breathing on Adrien’s phone to figure out how to unlock it? Where was that ingenuity back during Copycat? XDDD

Can we talk about the fact that Adrien has his bodyguard listed in his phone as simply “G.” ???? XDDDD Holy crap, you guys! Also... going back to the episode Copycat, we know Adrien had Gabriel listed as “Father” (technically, it was “Pere”)... sooooo, did Adrien downgrade his father? Did he become so disconnected that he changed the listing to “Gabriel Agreste”? Also.... no one else has their last name listed, so why is he using his FATHER’S last name in the listing? To be fair, Marinette doesn’t have her parents listed as “Mom” and “Dad/Papa” either. So maybe they learned to put their parents’ names into their phone in case someone else has to call them during an emergency? I know that’s why my own mother is listed by her name with ICE after it (In Case of Emergency).

While it was strongly implied with episodes like Anansi, I love that this episode confirmed that Adrien and Marinette did indeed exchange phone numbers since Copycat. <3

The call-back to the ML anime PV being a canonical feature-length film about the duo was fantastic, and the fact that Marinette recognized the costumes and was able to piece together instantly that it’s her and Adrien was brilliant!

The fact that Marinette having a glamour shot of Adrien as her phone backdrop, and Adrien having dozens of pictures of Ladybug in his phone gallery had them believe they’re dating is hilarious! Like, seriously, kiddos! Also.... why didn’t they find it weird that Adrien ONLY had pictures of Ladybug and NOT Marinette? A bit odd if they’re dating, no? (Alternatively, you could argue the same about Marinette not having CN photos, but you could write that off as her not wanting to accidentally reveal that her boyfriend is a superhero...)

“Then we must have told each other everything. I couldn’t hide my identity from the girl I love.” Adrien, you are going to kill me. You are attempting to murder me. Why? WHYYYYYYYY!?!??!?! Also, it’s adorable that you already figured out again that you love her. I mean... <3 <3 <3 Also also.... coming on a BIT strong there, Romeo! You JUST figured out “you’re dating” and you drop the L-word on poor Marinette? If she could remember that moment she would also die.

Just.... just Adrien’s beaming pride that he gets to be around Marinette this whole episode, and all of his soft looks. The kid may lay it on a bit thick, but holy crow, if she didn’t realize her love for him like Adrien did for her, HOW COULD SHE NOT FALL FOR HIM AGAIN DURING THIS EPISODE!? Like, geeeeeeez!

I love how Marinette had her normal “Ladybug Vision” shots to figure out the phone decoy, but the items just didn’t light up in the traditional red and black spots since she was out of costume. Instead, they were gray with pink dots, to match her coat! Beautiful! Brilliant! This further confirms that this is just Marinette being brilliant instead of a side-effect of the super powers. (Yes, she used the “LB Vision” when her powers were nullified in Sandboy, but still... further and definitive proof)

Also... the jackass picture drawn on the post-it note! Savage!

GUYS! ADRIEN HAD “LB Vision” TOO! He had “Adrien Vision”! AND IT WAS AMAZING!!!!! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Okay... Adrien’s cardboard box Chat Noir costume!? How friggen precious was that!? And the fact that he EVEN MADE A FRIGGEN TAIL AND BELL!? How extra can this boy be!? If/when I have a child, I hope to god they’re just like Adrien! <3 You precious, over-the-top, nerd of a child!

Speaking of his cardboard costume.... HOW QUICKLY DID HE THROW THAT COSTUME TOGETHER!? LIKE, WHAT!?!?!?! Granted, no one actually adheres to proper 5-minute countdown timing in this show, considering LB zipped away from the building nearly SEVEN minutes after accidentally triggering her Lucky Charm, and she HAD to have taken at least a minute to run up to the roof in the first place, but still.... HOW THE HELL DID HE COVER HIMSELF IN TAPE, CUT OUT CAT EARS, DRAW ON THE FRIGGEN POCKETS AND CENTER ZIPPER TO DECORATE THE DAMN THING, MAKE A FRIGGEN TAIL AND PAPER-BALL BELL, PUT THE COSTUME ON, AND MAKE IT TO THE ROOF IN TIME TO SAVE LB? That was like... 15 seconds of screen time!

Backtracking to the “Marinette Vision” solution to avoid Oblivio until they figured out how to transform again, how brilliant was Marinette to give Tikki the mug? First of all, she could create that coffee trail, secondly, since Tikki was holding something she’d have to remain tangible while opening the door to the floor below. This, in particular, seemed quite a brilliant move, since Tikki accidentally phased through the elevator doors before. It is quite possible that either (a) Tikki doesn’t remember how to remain solid when pushing against something, (b) Marinette doesn’t realize Tikki can control it, or (c) a happy combination of both. Regardless of WHY Marinette did it, the fact that she trusted that Tikki holding an object would HAVE to keep her tangible, and therefore could press the lever to open the door, was so clever! A+

“Thanks, but I don’t feel like a superhero at all.” “You’ve already proven that you are one, with or without costume.” Adrien, you precious, darling child! <3

THERE ARE FRIGGEN EMERGENCY USERS GUIDES!? LIKE, WHAT!? Okay, that was a bit Deus ex Machina, but it works...

Marinette’s freak-out over the accidental activation of her Lucky Charm was fantastic!

MARINETTE, YOU IDIOT, YOU MISSED HIS LIPS AGAIN! WHAT IS IT WITH YOU KISSING HIS LEFT CHEEK INSTEAD!?!?!?! (Also, how great would it have been if that somehow jogged his memory by reminding him of Mari kissing him at the end of Mayura?)

I LOVE THAT SHE’S HAVING FUN BEING A SUPERHERO THIS TIME! She was so timid and unsure of herself in Origins, it’s fantastic to see this confident girl (thanks in part to Adrien) trying out her powers for “the first time” and having fun with them!

Plagg being utterly confused as to what’s happening to him as Adrien calls out “Plagg, Claws Out!” is amazing and beautiful and makes me love Plagg even more! Poor dear! <3

Adrien still calling Marinette “M’lady” simply because he was trying to cover up accidentally calling her by her actual name. So great!

“Okay, I’ve got no idea what the Hakuna Matata is, but I trust you.” Adrien! Stooooooop! I’m dying!!!!!!

Guys! Guys! Guys! People can be merged together to create an akumatized villain!!!! I know I touched upon this above when I mentioned how in sync DJWifi were, but this is amazing! I wouldn’t have thought as much, especially since Alya’s twin sisters, arguing over ONE item, were EACH turned into a Sapotis, and they couldn’t have been more unified. Alya’s twin sisters basically have Hive Mind. So the fact that they were EACH a copy of the akumatized supervillain sharing the same akumatized object, and yet DJWifi MERGED.... like... I could write a whole post just talking about THAT!

THE KISSSSSSSSS! THE FRIGGEN LADYNOIR KISS! AND THERE WAS NO “BREAKING A SPELL” ELEMENT, AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. AND THEIR HANDS SLOWLY TIGHTENING AS THEY KISSED; NOT WANTING TO LET GO OF THE OTHER. AND THE KISS WAS LIKE 15 SECONDS LONG! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT AND WONDERFUL AND THE FACT THAT ALYA IMMORTALIZED IT MADE THIS WHOLE EPISODE WORTH WHILE, AND EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Alya: “Uh, Ladybug? Cat Noir?” CN (unblinking that DJWifi are alone with them on the roof): “Guys! You haven’t seen a supervillain named Oblivio, have you?” Nino: “You’ve defeated it already, dude.” Alya: “Actually, he was... us.” LB & CN (in unison and completely accepting of that fact): “Oh. Okay. Pound it? Pound it!” These dorks!

THE LOOK ON LADYNOIR’S FACES WHEN THEY SAW ALYA’S PICTURE!!!!!! <3 <3 <3

Alya: “Remember when we visited Montparnasse Tower?” Oh.... you mean the tower YOU GUYS ARE STILL VISITING!? Nooooo.... >_> They don’t remember it at all. Thanks, Oblivio.... -_-

Okay, can we talk about the reason DJWifi became Oblivio? Because... WHAT!? First of all, they are on a field trip and decided to sneak off to a walk-in closet to.... play a game on one of their tablets? Seriously? And they were caught just before they kissed.... I mean, I know it’s a children’s show, and we saw a flashback still of them playing the game, but are we SUUUUUURE they weren’t about to play “Seven Minutes in Heaven” in there????? Secondly, Nino says “You guys make fun of us for playing that game, saying it wasn’t our age and all.” But then a bunch of kids in their class confess to either playing it or wanting to start playing it. Including Mylene, who tells them “everyone loves that game.” Sooooooo.... two things here: (1) were they REALLY being made fun of for playing that game like Nino claimed, and (2) why was Gentle Giant Ivan part of the flashback shot of classmates laughing at the discovered couple? He doesn’t seem to be the one to tease and bully, plus his girlfriend likes the game. Since it’s established as a great game for couples because you have to find “the right partner” (and Rose backs this idea up by saying she plays with Juleka), it’s a decent guess that Ivan plays with Mylene. So.... what is going on with Nino’s recollection of what happened???? Third, it doesn’t seem like them to sneak off from the class simply to play a game... again, I’m thinking more was going on there (get on that, other fanfic writers). Finally, they got jointly akumatized because they were embarrassed that their classmates found out they play a “kid’s game”? Really? REALLY!? Nino and Alya were each akumatized for much more devastating reasons originally. Do they really care THAT MUCH!? I call foul on this akumatization, as much as I love the rest of the episode.

Adrien finally showcases more of his EQUAL FOOTING with Marinette (ya know, as a partner; not a sidekick), by leading her to the bathroom in the first place, coming up with them trying to signal for help from an empty office suite, coming up with the plan of creating the diversion so they could sneak out using the emergency stairs, helping LB figure out that her Lucky Charms are just HINTS at how to stop the akuma, and making sure his identity is hidden via his cardboard box costume so Ladybug wasn’t fighting alone. Basically, if he stopped using his time to either try to woo ML or protect her like a shield, he could prove himself as more than just a “sidekick-like” superhero. He could truly be more of a partner. He has potential he hasn’t tapped into, or potential Marinette hasn’t allowed him to utilize due to CN “screwing around” a lot of the time. Heck, even in the footage of them getting hit, he clearly joked about them being a couple again.

Marinette: “I can’t believe it! I. Actually. Kissed. Cat. Noir! How could this have happened?” Tikki: “Who knows? Maybe you still have some things to learn about him.” Tikki, you sly bitch! XD You know full well that CN and Adrien are the same guy! I love you, even when you infuriate me. XDDDD

Adrien moping for all of 3seconds about LB “finally falling in love” with him, only for him to forget the experience, and her forgetting her feelings. Plagg’s mocking about how unlucky he is (because I love snarky Plagg). And finally, Adrien, the silver-lining sunshine boy that he is, noting that he now has hope. If she could fall for him once, she could possibly do so again. These kids are going to kill me.

I love this episode sooooooooo much! We got to see so much potential in this episode. We got hints of so many new factors to this universe. And there is a sort of souvenir of the episode, so it isn’t ENTIRELY for nothing. (I can’t wait for some sort of call-back to that kiss!) For me, a fanfic writer, this episode is GREAT for fodder. I can use it as a reference point of how these two morons would act if they just got over their nerves and acted as a true couple. <3

9/10!

#ML #Miraculous Ladybug #ML season 3 #Oblivio #My thoughts #LycoRogue thoughts #ML spoilers #Miraculous Ladybug spoilers #ML season 3 spoilers #Oblivio spoilers #LycoRogue original

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theycallmemoosey · 6 years ago

Text

It’s All Going To Be Ok

Crutchie x Disabled!Reader (Wheelchair)

Warnings: Violence, disability (shouldn’t be a warning but some people get funny about it so here’s your warning), VERY LONG!!!

A/N: Heya peeps! Got an amazing request from the sweetest person, so I really tried my best on this one. For anyone who IS in a wheelchair, for anything that may offend or upset you, just know that it is not my intention and I am sorry for any upset caused. Again, this was so fun to write and thank you so much for sending this request in. Please let me know how this is guys, I really hope you enjoy. Hope I haven’t lost my ability to write decent things yet...Moose :)

--------------------------------------------------

“Y/N! SLOW DOWN!”

You laughed a breathy laugh as you continued to run down the streets, the boys slowly fading into the distance. You groaned, smiling widely as you sprinted past the white ribbon laying neatly in the road, laughs and cheers coming from the rest of the newsies by your side. You slowed down, falling to the floor as you tried to catch your breath again, hearing the boys groaning as they also crossed the line. You chuckled as you saw a sweaty boy look down at you, a scowl on his face.

“You’re called Race for a reason…and you still get beaten by a girl”

“You’re not human, I swear. You just beat the fastest boys in Manhattan. Again! Were you a racehorse in another life or something?”

Giggling, you took Races hand and got up, brushing the dirt off of your back and thighs.

“You win! Again, Y/N! What do we have to do to make you lose for once?”

“Just…be better Jackie. How’s that?”

Jack rolled his eyes and walked off laughing, going to check on Elmer who appeared to be having an asthma attack. You sauntered over to Crutchie, who was smiling widely at you.

“How did I do?”

“Better than last time”

“Yeah?” You asked, hunching over and still trying to catch your breath from the immense run you had just done.

“8 minutes 24 seconds”

“Holy mo…wasn’t my personal best like…12 minutes?”

“Yeah”

“And you really counted each second? For that long?”

“Yep”

“And this is why you’re the best person anyone could ever ask for” Crutchie smiled, pushing himself up off the wall he was perched on, leaning on his crutch as you walked with him behind the rest of the newsies to the lodge. It was silent for a while as the two of you continued to walk, desperate for a bath to relax your sore calf muscles.

“Y/N?”

“What’s up?”

“What’s it like to run?”

You were taken aback slightly, thinking for a moment. Of course, Crutchie had never run in his life before. At least, not without having an excruciating pain in his leg as he tried to run properly.

“It makes you feel free. Like a bird, almost. Feeling the wind in your face and your hair makes you feel like you’re flying. At first, you can’t stop grinning with the pure joy of rushing through the streets and then eventually, you stop feeling like you’re running and you just glide along the road, everything you pass soon becoming just a spec in the distance. Sometimes, I feel like I’m flying and I could just keep on running forever. I could run to the other side of the world if I wanted to…”

Crutchie hummed a sort of laugh, “Don’t you get tired?”

“Sometimes. But I guess when you’ve been running for as long as I have, you just get used to it. Running was all I did as a kid…and it was all I had to get away from all my problems. I guess even now I still run away from everything”

“Jackie said that the fresh air in Santa Fe would make my leg better...I know it’s impossible but sometimes, I like to imagine that its true. And me and Jackie are running across the entire town. Me and Jackie…and, er…and you”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I mean, what’s life without you?”

You blushed, smiling down at your feet before elbowing him in the side softly, “shut up”

“Hey! Love birds! Hurry up! Jack is giving out dinner” Elmer shouted from the door, rushing back inside as you shouted back at him.

“HEY! NOT LOVE BIRDS! NEVER WILL BE!”

Crutchie grimaced and awkwardly laughed, “Never?”

“Well, we’re best friends! Not ‘love birds’” you used air quotes, emphasising what Elmer had said.

“I suppose”

“Come on, I’m starved”

—————————————————————

“What’s happening?” You asked Jack, shouting slightly over the huge crowd of furious newsies behind you.

“They jacked up the price of the papers! They want us to pay 60 rather than 50. They just wanna see us starve to death”

“Woah, Jack, slow down! Maybe they’re just running out of money and they needed to find a solution”

“Oh so they just target the kids, yeah…great solution”

You tried to argue back but Jack had turned away and clambered on top of the wagon, screaming out orders and chanting their demands to the rest of the newsies. You huffed and wiggled your way through the crowd to find Crutchie stood at the back, listening to Jack intently.

“I hate when he gets in these moods” you mumbled, loud enough for Crutchie to hear but quiet enough that you sounded pissed off.

“What mood?”

“I’m Jack. I’m the leader of the Manhattan newsies. This is my terf. I’m the king of the world and anything that inconveniences me is automatically the worst thing there is”

“He’s never like that, Y/N. Plus, he kinda has a point”

You couldn’t argue with that. Instead, you just huffed and sat on the nearest bench, crossing your legs underneath you as you watched the newsies cheer and scream and chant and everything else teenage boys do when they’re angry.

“We, the newsies of Manhattan, are going on strike!” Jack yelled, the newsies cheering in front of him.

“Wait, what?” You asked, although no one was listening.

“We will not sell a single thing until the world understands that we will not return to work until the price is correct”

“Is he serious right now?” You asked Crutchie, although you were immediately shushed as Crutchie kept listening and cheering with the majority.

“We don’t need hats and badges to prove we are a union, we are a union if we say we are. We are the newsboys union, and we demand that the price goes back down!”

“This is such a bad idea” you shook your head, beginning to stand up and head towards Weasel to get your papers.

“Woah, hey, Y/N! What are you doing?” Jack stopped you as he saw you walk past the gate.

“Working”

Jack laughed, “Are-are you deaf? Did you not hear me scream that we are on strike?”

“Oh, you were serious about that?”

“Damn right I’m serious”

“Okay” you laughed out a breathy laugh, “I’m gonna get to work now”

“What? No!” Jack shouted as he stepped in front of you, “Seriously, Y/N! Do you know what a strike is?”

“I have kids to support, you to support, Crutchie to support and myself to support…someone’s got to do it”

“We support each other, Y/N. Since when were you supporting the entire lodging house”

“Since your dumb ass brought me to the house. You know I support these kids, and you know damn well that if someone doesn’t bring any money to the table, these kids are gonna die!”

You had clearly shouted that at Jack a lot louder than you thought you had, as the crowd behind you had silenced and all eyes were on you.

“I’m still working. No strike is going to stop me from looking after these kids” You practically spat at Jack, so close to his face you could see yourself in his eyes.

“Y/N” Jack said calmly, although you could hear he was beyond pissed off, “don’t do this”

You scowled at Jack, your eyes wandering to the right at the crowd of boys. Your eyes landed on Crutchie, who looked at you sympathetically. Taking a deep breath, you turned away from Jack and towards the line of supply newsboys. Each one left the gate and the boys threatened them with a single stare, encouraging them to throw down their papers and join the strike.

“100 Weasel” you asked, placing the money on the desk.

“At least someone has a brain” he smirked, taking the money and placing the papers in front of you.

“Not just a brain, but an entire house of kids to support. Same time tomorrow, Weasel”

“Stay safe, Y/N” he said in a softer voice, having always taken a liking to you more than any of the others.

As you walked out the gate, you felt trapped under the number of eyes of each newsie, although you stood tall, keeping your gaze on Jack as you walked past. You knew none of them were going to even try to threaten or persuade you to stop, instead each one of them sympathetically looked at you. All except Jack who simply scoffed as you walked past him. At the end of the tunnel of newsies, Crutchie hobbled over to you.

“I’m not gonna tell you you’re doing the wrong thing, but are you sure you wanna do this?” He asked

“Someone’s gotta look after you all”

“It shouldn’t have to be you”

“Yeah?” You snapped, stopping in your tracks and scowling at Crutchie, “who else is gonna do it? Jack? Race? You?!”

Crutchie went to argue but you interrupted him, “No, Crutchie! No one else will! I’m the one that’s been supporting this family since day one! Jack has his heads in the clouds, Race and Romeo are too busy chasing after girls, and the rest are too young to know the difference between a dime and a nickel! And you? You can’t even support yourself on two legs, let alone the rest of the lodging house!”

As soon as you said the words, you immediately regretted it but being the stubborn teen you were, you stood your ground and continued scowling. Crutchie stepped away from you, holding his hand out towards the city, not making any eye contact with you.

“See you at dusk”

——————————————————

Night had fallen and you had sold all the papers, trying desperately to cover all the spots that the newsies had neglected that day. Your legs ached and your eyes were weary and you felt yourself yawning every minute. From down the end of the road, you could hear the usual cheering and laughing of the boys in the lodging house. You couldn’t wait to get home and relax with the boys, but as soon as you walked into the dorm, the noise silenced, each boy moving his eyes away from you. You knew you had snapped at them early but you didn’t think that they would turn you away. Not your family. Realising you weren’t welcome, you walked calmly over to the funding box where everyone made a donation to support the house. Well, everyone mainly being you.

“$2. Enjoy” you smiled patronisingly, curtsying before heading outside to sit on the lodging house steps. It was a little while before a crutch slid down the stairs and two legs planted next to yours.

“You ok?”

“Yep” you popped the ‘p’, avoiding all eye contact with him and still feeling guilty about earlier.

“How was your day?”

You turned to him, looking at his joyful eyes, “how can you even stand to be near my right now?”

Crutchie began to laugh, “all I did was ask how your day went today”

“No…how can you even speak to me after what I said to you earlier?”

“You were cross. I know you didn’t mean it”

You tried to say something but nothing came out, so you smiled a tight smile, patting his leg in gratefulness.

You took a deep breath, sighing as you exhaled, “have I done the right thing?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, did I do the right thing? Disobeying Jack and working anyway?”

“Yes” Crutchie stated plainly, “You’re just trying to look out for us”

“I try to”

“And you do” Crutchie exclaimed as he took your hand, squeezing it gently but not letting go.

You smiled softly at him, sniffling as you tried to stop the tears from falling, “you’re too good to me, Crutchie”

“Yeah, so I’ve been told”

Gasping lightly, you let go of his hand and smacked his arm, “by who?!”

“All the boys at least once for as long as I can remember”

Just as you were about to argue back, you were interrupted by a cough behind the two of you, making you turn back to meet Jack. You groaned, turning back around to face out into the open.

“What?”

“Dinner. You need to eat”

“I ate earlier” you scoffed.

“No you didn’t. Eat, Y/N” Jack argued back, placing the loaf of bread and apple in your lap before heading back into the house.

“You guys aren’t going to be like this until the strike is over, are you?” Crutchie asked, watching as you tore into the bread hungrily.

“We’ll see” you replied before noticing the hungry look in Crutchie’s eyes, “want some?”

“I actually ate earlier, with the rest of the boys” Crutchie said shortly before having a chunk of bread shoved in his face.

The two of you ate in silence, watching the streets of New York at nighttime.

“Y/N?” Crutchie asked, chomping on his last piece of bread.

“Mmhm?”

“Promise me something”

“What?”

“That you’ll never leave me”

You looked toward Crutchie in surprise, a mouthful of bread, “what?”

“Oh come on don’t make me repeat it” Crutchie laughed, blushing slightly.

“Of course I’ll never leave you, you ass. You and me against the world, right? Y/N and Crutchie, Crutchie and Y/N”

“Yeah…you and me kid” Crutchie took your hand again, bringing it close to him and kissing it gently.

—————————————————————

You followed the boys to the circulation gate that morning, the same you had done for the past week, lingering at the back to partly keep Crutchie some company but mostly to hide away from the rest of the newsies who had chosen to ignore you at Jack’s orders. You slowed down as you saw the newsies take their positions at the front of the gate, sitting on anything and standing threateningly as they glared at each newsie coming in and out of the gate.

“I’ll see you later, Y/N?” Crutchie said as you nodded your head gently, smiling as he walked to be with the rest of them.

“When are you gonna learn, Y/N? You’re making the wrong choice!!” Jack called as you entered the gate, making you sigh in sadness.

“Double today” you solemnly asked Weasel, placing the pile of coins on the desk.

“Where’d you get all this money from?”

“Hard work”

“You earned all this yourself?”

You nodded, too exhausted to reply. Weasel was about to interrogate you but when he saw the look in your eye, he knew you were telling the truth. You looked so broken. He assumed that because of your actions, you had been isolated and made into a recluse by the rest of the boys. He had assumed right.

“Stay safe, won’t you?”

“Sure thing”

You trudged your way back out of the circulation gate, the boys’ eyes all on you.

“Y/N?” Smalls quietly tried to get your attention, receiving a glare from Jack.

“We don’t talk to the traitors”

“Don’t talk to the ones that support you neither” you mumbled, a few of the newsies nearby gasping and quickly looking towards Jack. Luckily, he hadn’t heard as his attention was focused on something else. Or, rather, someone else.

“Lookie here, Oscar” Morris sneered, “THE Jack Kelly can’t even persuade one of his own to join the pathetic little strop”

“We should probably go and help” Oscar emphasised help, sending a glance and a creepy smirk towards Jack, who knew that the boys constantly teased you and were weirdly sexual towards you.

“Touch Y/N, I’ll break both of you in half” Jack warned, jumping down from the wagon he was perched on and standing in the way of the Delanceys from getting to you. Hearing Jack’s threat, you stopped in your tracks and turned around, surprised that after the way he has been treating you, he would stand up for you like that.

“Oh come on, Kelly…we were only gonna have some fun”

“Yeah, Kelly! We just wanted to have a good time!” Oscar laughed, nudging his brother with his elbow

“A real good time too” Morris growled, his hungry eyes on yours.

You had never seen Jack Kelly completely lose it before, but as soon as you had gasped at Morris’ comment, you saw Jack’s demeanour flick like a switch. Before you knew it, Morris was flat on the ground, his hand covering his bloody face.

“Jack!” You shouted, your breath heavy in fear for what would happen next. Despite how much Jack wanted to, he knew better than to mess with the Delancey’s.

“Oh you’ve done it Kelly” Oscar growled, more aggressively than you had ever seen anyone before.

Oscar and Jack started throwing punches at each other, half the newsies trying to break up the fight and half of them cheering Jack on. You raced towards the crowd, trying your hardest to get to Jack but kept being pushed back by everyone else. In the midst of it all, everyone was so focused on the fight occurring between Oscar and Jack that no one had noticed Morris scurry off back past the circulation gate to gather more people. No one, that is, until everyone started being attacked from all angles. You somehow managed to get drawn into the brawl, never really being violent before. You were surprisingly good at fending yourself off and punching boys that more than deserved it. When you had all of three seconds to breathe, your eyes scanned the crowd for Crutchie, worried that the Delancey brothers would have taken advantage of his leg and taken him away somewhere they could really hurt him. Your heart relaxed when you saw him crouched behind a wagon far away from the gate, hiding behind the crowd of gathering adults. Your lack of concentration on the surroundings proved to be worse than you thought, as before you knew it two boys jumped on top of you, pinning you to the ground as they punched and kicked you continuously, your body beginning to ache. You felt exhausted at this point and your eyes lit up when you saw the police push to the front of the crowd of adults.

“It’s about time you showed up!” One of the boys cried, although you couldn’t see as the two boys who had jumped you were blocking the view. Although, you soon knew that they weren’t there to help as suddenly you heard a grunt, a groan and a whistle.

“JACK! RUN!” You heard Crutchie shout from wherever he was hiding. You assumed it must have been Snider, the police guard that was personally searching for Jack ever since he escaped the refuge - a story Jack told to you so many times you could picture every detail. All your thoughts of Jack suddenly turned to worry as you heard Crutchie scream loudly, the sound of his crutch smacking his body.

Your worry turned to rage and you suddenly found the energy to kick the two boys that had jumped you in the privates and push them off of you, leaving them groaning on the floor and clutching onto where it hurt most. You ran towards Crutchie but stopped in your tracks when you saw him being dragged away by two police guards, throwing him carelessly Into a barred carriage and quickly racing him away to, you assume, the refuge. Crying his name loudly, you felt yourself began to shake - the thought of losing Crutchie, your best friend and soulmate, mixed with the adrenaline of the fight you had just caused made you begin to cry. Time seemed to stand still for a moment, but soon enough you felt two arms wrap around your waist.

“GET OFF OF ME!” You cried, wriggling your way around in the arms of the guard, slipping out and running towards the balcony where the headlines were written out every day. You looked behind you just before climbing the ladder, two of the Delancey gang and a guard on your tail. Climbing up the ladder as quickly as your legs and arms would take you, you tried to push away from the men trying to get a hold of you.

“Oh come on now, we just want to show you what you deserve!” Morris shouted from below the balcony, laughing almost evilly as he saw the number of people after you. The guards had pushed the boys away, and clambered up the ladder after you, taking slow, stalking steps towards you as you back away from them sheepishly. You knew this was it. Your arms went out behind you to hold yourself on the bar behind you. Or at least, the bar that you thought would be behind you. For a few days, the balcony was having work done and the usual metal railings had been replaced with nothing but tape, which broke as you walked back into it. You slipped and lost your footing, gasping for air as you fell down swiftly, blacking out when the pain from hitting the ground became too unbearable.

——

Your eyes watered as you struggled to open them, the harsh light in your face making you wince. You looked around at your surroundings, recognising you were in the doctor’s surgery room.

“What the-“

“Please, lay back down” the nurse ushered you to lay back down, noticing the shock on your face, “how are you feeling?”

“Strangely okay…why can’t I feel any pain in my legs?”

The nurse sighed sadly, looking down in disappointment before meeting your eyes again.

“After the fall you..you became paralysed from the waist down”

“W-what?”

“The fall caused the nerves in your spine to break, which means that you won’t be able to walk. Ever.”

You blinked at the nurse, mouth wide open as you tried to process what she had just told you. You took a deep breath, chocking back a sob as you laid back down, your eyes staring straight up at the ceiling.

“The doctor will be in shortly to discuss the next step in your recovery”

You stared at the nurse in disgust, “Was that supposed to be funny?”

The nurse looked at you funnily before heading out the room. You looked down at your legs, throwing then blanket off of yourself. Trying to move your legs, you became frustrated when you couldn’t move an inch.

“Come on you pieces of shit, MOVE!” You screamed, crying out in a loud sob as it finally sunk in that you may never walk again.

“Y/N?” A small voice came from the door and you turned your head towards it, tears running down your face as you locked eyes with Crutchie.

“They won’t move, Crutchie! Why can’t I move my legs?!” you cried out, shaking with the ferocity of the sobs. Crutchie rushed to you as fast as he could, throwing his crutch on the floor and embracing you tightly, shushing you as he stroked your hair and drew circles on your back.

“You’re alive, Y/N. That fall could have killed you but you’re still here. With me”

“What’s the point of being alive? No one is going to buy from me anymore because I’ll be in a chair and..and I can’t run anymore”

“You forget, Y/N, that I’ve been dealing with that since I’ve been born. I was abandoned by my parents for not being normal or right or fixed or whatever you want to call it. Just because one leg didn’t work, they didn’t love me anymore. But that’s not true with you. You could just be a hand and I would still love you the same way I did when all of you worked. You’re my Y/N, and that isn’t changing. I’ll never abandon you, whether you’re walking on two legs or wheeling around in a chair”

“You’re too good to me, Crutchie”

The doctor knocked on the door and Crutchie moved around to the other side of the bed, sitting down in the chair next to you and taking your hand.

“Y/N, how are you feeling?”

“I’m not, isn’t that the point of being paralysed?” You snapped, Crutchie giving you a look before apologising to the doctor.

“I understand that this has come as a big shock to you-“

“Understatement”

The doctor glared, coughing awkwardly, “You have been prescribed a wheelchair to allow you to travel. It is second hand as I am aware you don’t have a lot of money or insurance”

“Insurance?” You asked Crutchie

“Don’t worry” Crutchie hushed you, still looking at the doctor intently.

“You will have to come here once a week to go through physical therapy. You can come with Mr. Morris when he too comes for therapy”

“Therapy? I can’t even move, what’s the point?”

“For your back”

You hummed, narrowing your eyes before collapsing down back on the bed.

“Your chair unfortunately had to be shipped from West, so you will have to come back to collect it”

“Fine” you huffed, looking towards Crutch who smiled at you sadly.

“Thanks a lot, Doctor” Crutchie smiled, waiting until the doctor had left the room completely before hauling himself up with difficulty.

“I’m going tell the boy’s you’re awake…and I’ll ask Jack to come and pick you up. I would, but…I don’t think I’m capable of carrying you all the way back to the lodging house. I can barely get there myself”

Crutchie turned around from where he was stood at the door to see you asleep in the bed. He smiled softly and pulled the door shut gently before heading off to get Jack.

——

The boys all jumped up from their beds when they saw Crutchie enter the dorm from his trip to see you.

“How’s Y/N doing?”

“Finally awake” Crutchie said, “although we got a diagnosis today…”

“What-what’s happened?” Race questioned, inching forward to the front of the gaggle of boys.

“Paralysis” Crutchie said quietly, a gasp from all the boys, “The doctor prescribed a chair and we have to go and pick it up next week”

“A chair? Like…a wheelchair? Aren’t those really expensive?” Romeo pitched in, knowing that they were short of money after spending everything on the care the hospital had already given you.

“We’ve just got to work our asses of to get the money, won’t we? Why you giving up so soon, Romeo?” Elmer asked, shaking his head.

“Anyone seen Jack? Y/N needs to come home today or else they’ll charge us silly amounts of money for extra care. Jack’s the strongest here”

“No one knows” Smalls said quietly, “he hasn’t been back since Y/N was taken to hospital…Davey and Les went to see if he was at the theatre, but they haven’t come back yet”

“Any idea what time they’ll be back? We really need to get Y/N back from the hospital”

“Right now” Jack interrupted, “What’s the news Crutchie”

“Y/N’s awake” Crutchie began, Jack’s face immediately lighting up.

“What are we waiting for?! Let’s go and bring Y/N home!!”

“Jack wait…” Crutchie stopped Jack before he fell down the stairs in excitement that his favourite newsie is alive, “you need to know something first”

“What?”

“Y/N…after the fall…” Crutchie sighed, “Y/N’s paralysed”

“What did you just say?” Jack said, his tone become angry slightly.

“After the fall, Y/N became paralysed from the waist down”

Jack remained silent, noticing the sad look on Crutchie’s face.

“Jack…Y/N needs to come home and you’re the strongest one here. Y/N probably would like to see you too”

Jack simply nodded, his mouth a tight line as he was still thinking about what he had just been told.

“Let’s go then”

Jack and Crutchie hurried back to the hospital and to your room.

“Crutchie, you’re back” you smiled, pushing yourself up slightly with all the strength you had in your upper body.

“How are you holding up?”

“With my arms”

“Always with the sarcasm, Y/N” Jack smiled, stepping into the room behind Crutchie.

“What are you doing here?”

“Nice to see you too”

“I thought you hated me”

“You’re my family. I’ll never hate you” Jack said softly, stepping towards you and taking your hand.

“I betrayed you”

“You were trying to support us. Everything you said about the fact that you are the only one that supports everyone was entirely true…I don’t know what we’d do without you. And trust me, we as the entire lodging house are going to help and support you. Because like hell do you deserve it. You’re my best friend, Y/N…I know I was mad but I was just so focused on the strike, I wasn’t focusing on you and that’s my fault” Jack begin to sniff, a sign that he was about to cry, “I’m so sorry I treated you that way for so long and I am so sorry I caused that fight and I-I’m so sorry I caused this”

Jack was fully sobbing and you pulled Jack towards your shoulder, shushing him and you embraced him tightly.

“This isn’t your fault, Jackie”

“It’s all my fault!”

“Shh..no it’s not. Jack, it’s ok”

You looked towards Crutchie who was clearly struggling to keep it together himself. You smiled sadly at him, still embracing Jack as he cried into your shoulder.

“Jackie?” You asked when Jack had quietened down, “Can we go now?”

Jack laughed, pulling away from you, “Come on kiddo, let’s go home”

——

A week later, Jack carried you back to the hospital with Crutchie walking beside the two of you.

“You excited, Y/N?”

“About getting my chair?”

“Yeah!” Crutchie added, “Finally some independence! Not having to have someone carry you to the toilet all the time?”

“Please don’t remind me” Jack joked.

“I mean, yeah I’m really excited…but I’m kinda…well..I don’t know. I don’t know how it will do for selling”

“Y/N, my crutch helps me sell twice as much as any newsie here. You in a char will sell a million!”

“The Delanceys are never going to let me here the end of it”

“It’ll be ok” Jack squeezed your leg encouragingly, stepping over the hospital’s threshold.

“Welcome to the Manhattan hospital” the receptionist smiled, “how may I help you”

“Uh…we’re here to pick up a wheelchair” Crutchie smiled back, hobbling over towards the desk.

“Is it for you, sir?”

“Oh. No. It’s for me” you interrupted, waving slightly while trying not to lose your balance and fall off of Jack.

“Please can I take your name?”

“Y/N”

“I’ll get the doctor” she smiled, heading off to find the doctor and leaving the three of you standing aimlessly in the foyer.

“Y/N, I’m going to perch you on the desk ok? Sorry, my back is beginning to hurt” Jack groaned, turning around and placing you on the desk.

“Need a check up? We’re here already”

“Quiet, you”

“Ah! Y/N” the doctor walked in, smiling when he say you on the desk, “How are you feeling?”

“Better, thank you. Managing I suppose”

“That’s fantastic. Have you been coping with getting around alright?”

“The boys are helping me out just fine” you replied, smiling at Jack and Crutchie.

“Amazing. Your chair will be through in a moment. I would just like you to fill out this form if you wouldn’t mind”

“Sure” you took the form and pen off of him and placed it on the desk next to you, using all your strength to try and turn yourself around to fill it out.

“Name? Y/N. No surname…”

“Wait, no surname?” Jack asked you.

“Wow. My best friend doesn’t even know that I don’t have a surname”

“Well, Crutchie and I have one”

“You knew your parents” you replied, smiling slyly as you continued to fill out the form.

“Address? The streets? I can’t put that can I?”

“Lodging house, stupid”

“Insurance? Honestly, what the hell is this?”

Crutchie ummmed and uhhhhed as he tried to think of how to explain it, “We pay a company to pay for our health care. But we don’t have insurance. We have to pay for our own health care. Davey could probably explain it better”

“We can’t afford this…we’re newsies! We can barely afford daily food”

“We’ll manage” Jack reassured, “we always do”

“Seriously, if this is too much and it means we have to spend all the money we have, we’re not taking this chair” you warned, struggling to keep yourself sat up, Jack noticing and moving to let you lay on his back, “Thank you, Jackie”

“Seriously, Y/N. It’s all going to be ok. The strike is over, we’re all back to selling and we’re all here to look after you” Crutchie reassured, hopping over to kiss your forehead before whispering in your ear, “It’s all going to be ok”

——

“RACE! I AM NOT A CAR! PUT ME DOWN!” You screamed joyfully as Race had you tilted up on two wheels, running you down the road as you clung onto the arms for dear life.

“BUT YOU’RE WINNING!”

“AGAINST WHO?”

“THE REST OF THE RACERS, DUH!”

“YOU’RE INSANE!”

Race chuckled as he slowed down to a jog, steering the chair in multiple directions, making a screech as he pulled you to a stop.

“Please, don’t do that again, Race” you laughed, panting.

“All part of the fun of you being half a car”

“I’m still a human!”

“Arguable” Elmer muttered as he walked past the two of you.

“Want to stick a worm in his bed later?” Race whispered to you.

“Make it a whole tub and I might accept”

Race wheeled you to the gate, and headed inside. You had asked him to leave you so you could get the papers yourself, but now you were sat outside, you really regretted asking him. Your heart was beating so quickly you thought it would jump out of your chest.

“Y/N, you coming?” Crutchie asked as he caught up next to you.

“I don’t think I can go in” you whispered almost silently.

Crutchie kneeled down, extending his bad leg so he could get to your eye level and feel more comfortable than he would with it bent, “I’m right here. Stick with me kid, I’ll help”

You smiled and took ahold of the wheels, pushing yourself in and towards Weasel.

“Y/N!” He cried, almost as if he was upset.

“50 today”

“What happened”

“The fall that happened the day of the fight? Well, now I’m paralysed…all thanks to the two dimwits to your left there”

The Delancey brothers growled at you but you scowled back, taking the papers from Weasel and placing them in your lap.

“Are you doing ok? Other than that?”

“Well, my back is constantly in pain and I still have a million bruises but yes, I’m fine. See you tomorrow”

You wheeled away and Jack jumped down from the wagon, “you could tone it down on the sarcasm you know”

“Sarcasm is my only defence…especially now I can’t even walk”

“Hey, positive thoughts kiddo”

“Yeah yeah, whatever”

“We ready?” Crutchie asked as he came up next to you and Jack, struggling slightly to keep a hold of all his papers.

“I honestly don’t know how I’m going to do this” you muttered, trying to keep your papers on your lap while trying to wheel you. Jack picked up on this and placed all his papers on your lap on top of yours.

“You hold them, I’ll wheel you. Teamwork”

“Pathetic”

“No you’re not, Y/N” Crutchie shushed you, a hint of annoyance in his voice, tucking the papers under his arm.

“Sorry, Crutchie”

“It’s ok. Let’s not go too far today so Y/N can get the hang of things”

“Good plan. ROMEO!” Jack called.

“Yeah?” Romeo asked, sauntering over towards the three of you.

“We’re taking your spot. We want to stay close to the gate today so Y/N can get the hang of things, so you take by the bridge today”

“Sure thing, Jack. Come on Finch” Romeo nodded, squeezing your shoulder as he passed.

“Let’s go”

The three of you headed to the square by the circulation gate, Jack placing you and Crutchie by the statue.

“I’m just going to the corner by the bakery. If you need me, just call” Jack said, smiling at you while you nodded in agreement. Jack ruffled your hair before walking away, shouting random headlines that weren’t anywhere in the paper.

“Paper for you, sir?” You asked the closest man to you, who was too interested in the paperwork in his hand to notice you. You watched him walk away but be stopped by Jack, buying a paper and scurrying off.

You took a deep breath, feeling annoyed with yourself and the world before shouting out the headline, “BROOKLYN BRIDGE TO BE DEMOLISHED! CONNECTION BETWEEN MANHATTAN AND BROOKLYN TO BE CUT OFF”

“How much?” A man asked as he walked by, not looking at you.

“Just a penny for you, sir” you replied, smiling at him to try and convince him to give you more.

“Here you-“ the main began, finally looking up to you, “oh. Uh…looks like that boy over there has more papers so um…thanks anyway”

You groaned and threw your paper back on your lap. Your frustration alarmed Crutchie and he hobbled round from his side of the statue to yours, “hey, you alright?”

“I told you this isn’t going to work! One look at me and they walk off! I’m not going to sell a single paper!”

“Positive thoughts. Listen, I’ve only sold 2-“

“2 more than me then”

“Y/N! JUST LISTEN!” Crutchie raised his voice, clearly frustrated before taking a deep breath, “You can’t give up on the first two people. Want me to stay with you?”

You nodded, sorting out the crumpled paper on your lap that you had thrown in a strop.

“NEWSIE PARALYSED FROM FALL! HERE THE STORY FROM RIGHT HERE FOLKS!”

“Crutchie!” You gasped, looking around at the number of people he had attracted, “you can’t use me!”

“NEWSIE GIVEN A WHEELCHAIR AFTER BEING PUSHED FROM SIX STORY BUILDING! BULLIES PARALYSED NEWSIE!”

“You the newsie that got paralysed from the fall?” A man asked that came up, fishing in his coat pocket for some change.

“Yes, sir”

“What happened?”

“A-a fight broke out between the newsies and the circulation boys and-“

“And they got hold of Y/N here and just pushed. Fell down six stories!” Crutchie interrupted, exaggerating the story to get more people passing by interested.

“And you’re paralysed?!” A lady asked having overheard, pulling her husband over with her.

“Yes, maam. From the waist down”

“You poor thing! What’s it like?”

“Well, it’s…hard. To do simple things. I have to rely on the boys back at the lodging house to help me bath and dress and even go to the toilet”

“The lodging house? Are you an orphan?” Another of the crowd asked, louder than the chatters and mumurs around you.

“Yes, I am. I live with nearly a hundred other orphans and abused too” You smiled sadly at Crutchie who smiled down at you approvingly, his eyes lighting up at the way you had finally brought the attention to yourself that you deserved.

“Hey, I may as well take a paper while I’m here…” a man pushed his way forward, holding a few dimes in his hand, “What’s the headline?”

“Still about the Trolley Strike I’m afraid, but there is a very interesting story on a newborn baby born with only one eye”

“Really, oh, darling let’s get a paper!” A lady told her husband, urging him to get some money.

“See?” whispered Crutchie, “told you we’ll be ok”

——

The two of you managed to sell your all your papers before dusk so you headed with Jack to the theatre, where Jack carried you up to the box overlooking the stage, setting you down next to Crutchie before heading back off to finish his painting in the workshop.

“Maybe the chair isn’t bad after all” you whispered to Crutchie, smiling as he took your hand.

“I know. This is the fastest we’ve ever sold all of our papers”

“Thank you”

“What for?”

“Being the best in the whole wide world”

“I’m not” Crutchie laughed, turning his attention back to the show.

“Course you are” you smiled, using all the strength in your upper body to lean over and kiss his cheek.

The two of you watched the show for a while, laughing together when the comedic acts performed and commenting on the singers’ performances.

“I don’t know about you, Y/N, but I’m pretty hungry…wanna get out of here and grab something to eat?”

“What were you thinking?”

“Well…I’m pretty sure Jacobi has something that is on the verge of going rotten that he can’t sell so…how about we stop there?”

“Oh, how high class!”

“I know it’s not much now, kiddo, but I promise…when we get out of that house and proper, paying jobs, I’ll be feeding you the finest foods from England and Africa and everywhere else in the world we may never get to see”

“Don’t get my hopes up now, Crutchie” you retorted, shifting round in the seat to get the attention of the usher.

“When and why would I ever do that?” he laughed, placing a hand on your arm to signal you to relax while he hoisted himself up to find the usher.

You sighed to yourself, “all the time…”

“Sorry?”

“Nothing. Come on, I’m hungry”

“Yes, your majesty” he tried to courtesy, grimacing slightly at the pain it caused his leg.

The usher carried you back down the stairs and helped you into your chair before walking you and Crutchie to the door. When walking (well, pushing yourself) down the streets towards Jacobi’s, you met the two people you didn’t want to ever see outside of the circulation square.

“Shit” you mumbled, Crutchie following your gaze towards the brothers and gulping himself.

“Well well well!” Oscar declared, “Look at this Morris! It’s the wimpy gimp and the vegetable!”

“What did you just call me?” You stopped pushing the wheels of your chair, your voice laced with anger.

“You heard him, veggie. Move along before we make you!” Morris spat

“Shut your goddamn mouths!” You cried, twirling the chair around to face their smirk looks, “Only people with a brain have the right to talk to me! Rats have more right to talk to me than either of you!”

Crutchie whined, knowing what you had just got the two of you into.

“You hear that, Morris?”

“Yeah” Oscar chuckled, “sounds like someone needs to be taught a lesson”

“Don’t touch her” Crutchie warned, stepping forward slightly in an effort to shield you.

“What are you going to do, gimpy? Kick me?” Morris laughed, punching Crutchie in the gut.

You screamed his name, never feeling so useless in your life. You tried to push yourself forward to get to Crutchie, who was laying in a ball on the ground in pain. In the struggle to do this, you didn’t realise Oscar had made his way behind your chair, tilting it so far forward that gravity pulled you to the ground. You groaned in pain, using your arms to shuffle closer towards Crutchie before two hands grabbed your ankles, pulling you backwards and away from him. The brothers continued to punch and kick but gave up when they realised that the two of you were out cold. Instead, they turned to your chair, kicking and breaking it until it was just a pile of pieces on the floor. They had done enough to make you feel physically in pain for a week but mentally for eternity. The brothers made you realise how you were so useless in defending yourself and others when they needed it the most. Jack found the two of you on his way back home from the theatre, calling for help as soon as he realised who you were. He carried you home and a stranger assisted in carrying Crutchie, the two halves of his crutch left behind with the heap of wheelchair pieces.

You dozed in and out of consciousness, hearing Jack whisper, “It’s gonna be ok, kid…it’s gonna be ok”

——

“GUYS! GUYS! Y/N’S WAKING UP!”

You groaned as you blinked, shuffling about in your bed.

“Y/N?” You heard Crutchie ask in a soft whisper.

“Crutchie…”

“Don’t try to talk, sweetheart” Jack interrupted, “you’ve been out cold for a couple days now…”

“What…why?”

“They beat you up pretty bad, kid” Crutchie said sadly, stroking your hair as your eyes adjusted to the light, noticing the bruises and cuts on Crutchie’s face.

“Oh my god, Crutchie…”

“I’m fine, Y/N. I woke up a couple hours afterwards”

“He’s been sat here ever since” Smalls called out, Race shoving him in embarrassment, so he was sent flying to the back out of sight.

“Is that true?”

“Come on, boys. Let Y/N catch up on what’s happened” Jack announced, ushering them out of the dorm.

“Why? Wha-what happened?”

“You’re being laid off, Y/N” Crutchie mumbled, looking down at his hands in disappointment.

“I’m sorry?”

“The World…they’ve uh…well…someone filed a formal complaint direct to Pulitzer about the fact that you were in a wheelchair and-and…well…you’re banned from selling any anything belonging to The World anymore. Apparently even if you cross the circulation gate, you could be arrested”

“Oh” you whispered, sinking down further into the bed.

“You ok?”

“I…I don’t know” you whimpered, your breath quivering as your mind was racing with every negative thought you could possibly find, “Nothing ever works out…does it?”

“Y/N-”

“First I can’t walk, then I can’t sell and now I can’t work. I can’t support myself or anyone or-“

“Y/N-“

“I can’t get myself up in the morning, I can’t even get to the toilet on my own, I rely on everyone else to take care of me and I can’t help anyone in return. I just wish I could look after everyone else because they all need someone to look after them and I-“

“Y/N!”

“WHAT?!” You sobbed, the idea that you can’t even work anymore getting to you.

Crutchie stared at you as you continued to cry, sobbing into your hands until he couldn’t take it anymore. He lunged forward and pulled you towards him, struggling slightly to carry all your weight. Resting your head on his shoulder, you cried as he stroked your head, shushing you calmly.

“Y/N, calm down”

“But Crutchie…”

“No! Listen! You are so loved you have no idea. Everyone will look after you. You have done so much for us since you’ve arrived. Always. Now it’s our time to look after you. We love you. I…I love you”

“I love you too, Crutchie” you sniffed, returning the phrase in the usual platonic way the two of you did.

“No, Y/N…I don’t think you understand. I love you. I would do anything for you. Your smile lights up my world and your laugh is the only thing I live for. I want to look after you…let me look after you. Forever.”

“You really mean that?” You whispered, your heart beating the fastest it had ever gone before. So much so you thought you were having heart failure.

“I mean that more than anything in the whole world” he smiled, leaning in to kiss your forehead.

“I…I love you too” you whispered back, tears falling down your cheeks as Crutchie moved down to place a soft kiss on your lips.

“Two bucks” Romeo nudged Race in the side as the entirety of the newsies were watching the scene play out in through the door that was sightly ajar.

“You cheated. You got Jack to help you” Race groaned as he begrudgingly handed Romeo two dollars.

——

“Y/N?!” Jack called as he raced up the stairs towards the dorm, “Y/N?”

“Here” you replied, pulling yourself up from your bunk using the rails above you.

“Woah, hey. Let me help”

“I’m ok, I can do it” you urged as Jack hurried towards you.

“Seriously, Jack…I can do it”

“No, let me-“

“JACK!” You snapped, glaring at him as you continued pulling yourself up, finally managing to sit up fully, “See? Did it. I’ve been doing it long enough now…no need to doubt me”

“I wasn’t doubting you, I just don’t want you to over do it”

“Did you want something, Jack?”

“Oh right, yeah. I want to take you somewhere”

“Where?”

“Somewhere”

“Oh right yeah, that well known place…’Somewhere’”

Jack chuckled, sliding his arms underneath your legs and back, “come on, smart ass”

“What if I don’t want to go”

“Tough”

Jack carried you down the stairs and out towards Central Park, the two of you talking about anything and everything you could think of.

“So…you and Crutchie?”

“Shut up”

“No seriously” Jack chuckled, “It was meant to be. Always has been”

“Think so?”

“Know so...speaking of which” Jack nodded his head towards the gaggle of boys by the fountain, Crutchie stood near the middle.

“What’s going on?” You asked Jack as you neared the group.

“Well…” Jack began before Race interrupted.

“Since the Delanceys broke your chair, you need your independence back again”

“And you must be bored of all of us carrying you around at some point” Romeo added.

“So we all pitched in and got you something!” Smalls piped up, bouncing with excitement.

Crutchie smiled and disappeared behind the crowd before reappearing, pushing the handlebars of a brand new chair.

“Here you go, kiddo”

“Guys…” you gasped, the chair clearly more modern and new than the one you were initially given from the hospital. It’s seat looked so comfortable and it even had foot rests. The boys had added rubbering around the wheels to make it more bearable to move.

“Want to try it out?” Jack asked, laughing when you furiously nodded your head. He placed you in the chair and you shuffled into it. Crutchie bent down and helped guide your feet to the foot rests, kissing you gently but passionately on the way back up.

“How’s it feel”

“Good…real good” you smiled back, tears threatening to fall, “thank you so much guys”

“It’s nothing. Your family…we love you. We all believe in you, no matter what anyone else in the world thinks. You may not physically be able to, but you still kick ass. You are our everything, and we’re here to look after you forever” Jack announced, smiling at you before remembering the news he had for you.

“We had a little talk with Pulitzer and explained the situation…you may no longer be a newsie but…he’s willing to offer you a place in the journalism department”

“What…writing? For the paper?”

“For the paper” Crutchie confirmed, smiling widely.

“Seriously?”

“YES!” The crowd said in canon, laughing together.

“This is honestly the best day ever”

“Come on boys, let’s get some dinner” Race shouted, waving everyone to follow him to Jacobi’s.

You laughed with the rest of the group, taking a deep breath before pushing the wheels on your chair forward. You smiled as the chair moved so easily and freely, but you were stopped suddenly as Crutchie placed his crutch in front of you.

“You know,” he said as he moved in front of you, “Jack really meant it. I’m going to look after you until you’re old and grey, my little smart ass-kick ass-pain in the ass-partner in crime”

“Promise?”

“Promise. It’s all gonna be ok”

“I love you” you smiled, reaching to grab his neck and pull him towards you, kissing him lovingly.

“And I love you”

102 notes · View notes

jarryprompts · 6 years ago

Text

Filled Jarry Prompt :)

Prompt: “Harry waiting for James under the Christmas tree wearing nothing but a big red bow please…!” Author’s note: I wasn’t sure whether or not Nonny intended their prompt as a reunion fic so I kind of put my own spin on things. I hope that’s okay :)… This was also only supposed to be a 1000 word (or below) oneshot but I kind of got carried away… oops. This fic features a fair amount of Romeo and seeing as I started writing this before the most recent episodes exploring his and James’s relationship aired, certain details may not be perfectly in line with particular events on the show (although I did attempt to tweak most of them to the best of my ability).

Words: 10k

Rated: M

Trigger warnings: Nothing overly graphic but a few references to James’s past regarding Mac’s abuse and Donna-Marie.

Mod’s notes: massive thanks to @jarryxox for submitting!!

xxx

Feeling overwhelmed by the surrounding sea of emptiness that marked the approaching night, James stumbled his way desolately through the ill-lighted village with only the distant flickering of Christmas lights to accompany him on his path back home. He wasn’t sure whether it was to do with the day’s overhanging sense of unity and spirit and the way in which this conflicted with his own foul mood but today, walking alone with the image of his father sat across the table from his son at Christmas dinner etched mockingly in the back of his mind, well he felt especially defeated. It seemed that both the misery and alcohol had done a good job of numbing his senses. It’s not that James couldn’t smell the trimmings and potatoes laced in goose fat or hear the distant muffled blare of Christmas music, he just wasn’t fully aware of it. Pulling the freshly-purchased bottle of red wine that he’d been cradling protectively underneath his jacket in further, he noted shamefully how on days such as these, when there was little else to preoccupy his mind, the day would always end for him in exactly the same way in which it had started. How in both the early hours of the morning and the late hours of the night, he’d make a brief trip to Price Slice to purchase another bottle of wine, face always burrowed deeply into his scarf in an attempt to cloak his misery from the many prying faces that often pervaded the streets of Chester. He wasn’t quite sure at which point in his life he’d came to care so much about what the local ex-druggy, Ken Doll or a McQueen thought about him but shielding his face in his scarf’s soft blanket of warmth and security had become common practice for him in recent weeks.

And it always had to be the same scarf too. He convinced himself that the simple reasoning behind this was because it was the warmest, most expensive scarf that he owned but of course this was not the entire truth. This particular scarf was very special to him for two good additional reasons. Not only had it been personally picked out for him by his beloved grandmother Tabby, but he’d lent this particular scarf to Harry on more than one occasion. Often they’d even found themselves having playful disputes regarding the true identity of its colour. “It’s white.” “It’s grey. “I can assure you, as both its purchaser and proud flaunter for ten or so plus years, the scarf is white.” “You must have just gotten it grubby then.”

Sometimes on his loneliest days, he’d pull the scarf in tighter, close his eyes and allow himself to picture himself enveloped in Harry’s embrace. Of course cashmere could never quite replace the tenderness and delicacy of a human touch and Harry’s was more than just any touch. It was soft, deft, solacing, friendly, understanding, warm… but two glasses in and it was almost easy to pretend; almost. James often tried fooling himself that it was never really about the alcohol, never because he really wanted nor needed it. That it was merely an excuse for him to leave his flat on unbearable days such as today, a brief pause in the routine of solitary and sadness that he had allowed himself to slip into. If nothing else, it offered him the opportunity for a chance encounter with Romeo or his mother (even though admittedly they hadn’t exactly been on the best of speaking terms as of late), without having to go to the grand gesture of knocking on doors. But it wasn’t just that. Besides work and his slowly but surely blossoming relationship with his son, his customary rounds to the local mini-market followed by a thorough search down every turning and alley for a particular face, Harry’s face, felt like his only current motivation in life. Sometimes, in his dreams he’d find Harry dozing away in the folly, his face its same perfect, gentle sculpture, sleepy and content, oblivious to the anxiety and disturbance that he’d caused to James and his life. On other nights he’d have a slight variation of this very same dream and find Harry waiting for him outside his flat still dressed in his same sodden wedding clothes, face and body laced with bruises but somehow still smiling that same sprightly, infectious smile. Unfortunately however, when it came to real life, he never once did strike lucky. Some days he hated Harry for doing this to him. Others he simply hated himself for being so grossly lovesick and allowing himself to be demeaned in such a way. His surroundings being so dark and him being so intoxicated, James took extra care to make sure to keep a sharp eye out for any potential obstructions littering his path (which turned out to be everything in his drunken state; even his own feet). Ten steps in however and this particular train of thought was forgotten, abandoned by the realisation that he’d if not both rather unconsciously and selfishly taken the short route back home rather than his usual thorough loop around the village in search for Harry. Turning back and making his way over towards the folly, he could hear the distant rowdiness of a pair of mutual drunks, singing their own special rendition of Jingle Bells. Nice to hear something human, James thought, although the comforting sensation of Harry’s light breathing against his chest was the only sound that truly mattered to him right now. Finding nothing but a discarded newspaper on one of the benches although reassured nonetheless to find no latest headline of “young rent boy found dead in a ditch”, James was left disheartened to find that his unsteady slog towards the folly had been in vain. The passing image of Harry lying somewhere dead, of the lifelessness in his blue eyes caused a figmental headache to develop in the side of his head, so he allowed himself a moment to try and encourage the image away with a massaging hand. Once again however, his efforts proved futile. Willing to adopt any passing thought in order to drive away the dreadful images playing repeatedly in his mind’s eye, James tried inviting a different stream of inessential thought but his efforts somehow always ended up leading him straight back to Harry. Scratching frustratedly at his beard with his free hand, he tried a different approach of focusing his attention on a different kind of pain, leaving him to consider which one hurt him more: his moments spent wandering drunkenly alone in an empty street or drinking alone in an empty flat. At least, he told himself, when things still moved outside life went on. At least that way when he lay passed out on the sofa by half-eight every evening after his third or so bottle, he could trick his brain into believing that, even if only by the off chance, one of the many set of footsteps that he heard trudging by his flat at night belonged to Harry. He tried playing a similar enough game now, straining his ears that had been furiously tinged red by the cold as they scanned briefly towards the direction of each surrounding household. Each one of them an invisible speck in the universe. The Lomax’s. The McQueen’s. The Hutchinson’s. The Hutchinsons. He was sure that if he dared to listen closely enough, he would hear them now, all so harmoniously ignorant, continuing on with their lives without Harry with such careless ease. He tried distinguishing between each voice, tried pairing each one with a face but it was never the face he wanted to see; never Harry’s. In fact, it didn’t take much to make him think of Harry. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling but it was like the constant dull panging of a toothache. If only, James thought, sleep could alleviate this particular kind of pain. He needed a distraction from it. He did consider, perhaps for the fraction of a millisecond the possibility of paying a quick visit to his son over at 4 Oakdale Drive, his father’s current place of residence. That would certainly help to divert his thoughts away from Harry. His father had after all made it his life’s work to make every waking moment of James’s life a misery ever since the moment he’d been born. It would be difficult for him having to face them all at once: Mac, his mother, Alfie, Donne-Marie… but he knew that it would mean a lot to Romeo and at least that way he could show him that he was trying, really was trying… Deep down however, a part of him knew that this was a terrible idea and he wasn’t entirely confident that in his current drunken state he could resist the urge to turf his father’s smug, complacent ass straight out of his chair. Certainly not upon witnessing him attempting to poison his son against him whilst all the while, everyone else around him remained fooled by his newly reformed, frail old man act. Nor did he wish to contribute towards any kind of happy family pretence that they might have had going. Besides… he didn’t wish to give the wrong impression that he had only dared to show his face there for the company. It wasn’t exactly a particular desire of his to look that overtly desperate in front of an audience…

So instead, James resorted to doing what he had always done on his darkest days in youth, scanning over and counting the cracks in the pavement, tiptoeing between them as if they were snare traps as he made his way back home from school as a frightened, bitter teenage boy. He realised how stupid this might have sounded to any outside party but it gave him a distraction from the truth. Took his mind away from counting down the steps until he made it back home to that monster; to his father and whatever beating he might have had planned out next for him. But at least this way, as he invested himself in scrutinizing the concrete for any of its flaws, he could fool himself into believing that it wasn’t really his life, that it was the path to somebody else’s home. Mimicking those same youthful steps now, tracing the ground with those same vulnerable eyes, he even allowed himself to echo one same juvenile thought. It was a silent plea mostly, that if he had to have this life, if Mac had to be his father, if he couldn’t have Harry then he prayed that the sound of his footsteps mattered to at least one person. In the distance there was this disruptive clompling sound as a figure started to approach about to cross paths with him. So heavily absorbed however, in dodging cracks and the sound of his own drunken steps, James barely noticed it. It was only the blunt impact of human flesh, multiple shopping bags and the consequent driving of the sheltering wine bottle into his ribs that tore him away from his current trance and James’s head was left feeling all the more woozy from the sudden startlement.

“Harr-” “Oi! Watch where you’re going!” chided a scornful voice. Still caught off guard from the collision and needing a moment for his eyes to readjust, James opted not to rise to this particular scolding, instead continuing to hold his gaze towards the floor whilst he worked on recovering both his breath and balance. Then, shaking his head in a further attempt to will the fuzziness away, he tried to make out the sight of the figure stood before him. Heels, he could see a pair of heels. Hideous ones at that if you asked him. And a rather odd choice of shoes for this kind of weather, he added disapprovingly as an internal afterthought.

Once he felt fully braced enough to come face to face with the irked figure that remained towering over him, James allowed his eyes to disengage from the inadequately clothed feet and sweep upwards to find a much less than amused McQueen scowling fiercely back at him. “Ughh, Nightingale! Trust it to be you!” The figure fired a disapproving glance at James before thrusting her arms forward in as best an attempt as she could manage at shoving him, despite the number of bags and gifts she was carrying, causing him to re-lose hold of his footing.

Unprepared for this second blow to the ribs, James grabbed instinctively onto his assailant’s sleeve in an attempt to steady himself. “Ahh, Mercedes,” James unthreatened, began smugly. “So there is life on Mars after all. Glad to see we’re not all that far drunk on eggnog, false jollity and uncharacteristical kindness to the extent of being delusional.” “And there were me thinking that people of your kind spent the day with their faces buried up to their neck in paperwork rather than Christmas dinner.” "Actually,” James said, adopting an informative tone “that’s precisely what I’m doing.” “Oh, so who’s that for then?” Mercedes enquired nosily, eyeballing the bottle of wine that was now swaying loosely from James’s grasp. “That really is none of your business,” James responded bluntly, attempting to brush his way past her. “Go on!” Mercedes encouraged, further blocking James’s exit. “I won’t tell anyone. Who’s the lucky fella?” James stood staring menacingly at her for a while before relenting when it soon became clear that she had no intention of moving. “Okay, fine. It’s for me, if you must know. Do you know, it’s not until you walk the vacant streets of Chester alone on a dark December night that you realise how insignificant you really are in the grand scheme of things.“

“Bit of a morbid take on life that, don’t you think love?” “Maybe,” James replied unleashing a sad, ironic smile.“Only slightly.“ “Well if that’s what a mountain of paperwork does to your head, I sure am glad I didn’t choose to become a lawyer.” "Dad! There you are!” a voice intruded in an overly spirited tone. “And suddenly they all come at once,” James observed, hoping that the enthusiasm carried in his voice would help to conceal the uneasiness he felt at his son’s sudden appearance. In fact, rather ashamedly in that moment, he tried to picture Harry. Just the thought of Harry helped to calm his nerves. Not that he blamed Romeo for any of it but he longed for a day where he could look at his son without seeing her; Donna-Marie and that dreadful night. “Dad?!“ Mercedes was scanning Romeo’s face intently with an amused sparkle in her eyes before allowing her glance to slide back to James as if assessing both of their faces for any kind of resemblance. “You kept that one quiet. Full of surprises you are!” She exclaimed now satisfied, hitting James playfully several times on the upper arm.“Anyway, I’ll leave you boys to it. Besides, I’d best be getting off anyway. Mum’s just about to dish up the turkey kebabs!” James simply nodded in acknowledgement at her goodbye, before drifting his foggy gaze back to Romeo. “Romeo… Look, I know what I said about the possibility of the two of us getting to spend some more time together but now really isn’t a good time.” “And I suppose that’s your third bottle so far today is it?” he replied critically, noticing James’s unsteady stance and gesturing towards the wine bottle. “Well don’t look so judgemental. It’s to accompany me and my ever-growing bundle of paperwork if you must know. You know, James Nightingale, hot shot lawyer. It’s kind of part of the job I’m afraid.“ “Paperwork? But it’s Christmas…” “Please, don’t remind me. And tell me, what exactly am I supposed to be doing anyway? Sing carols? Gorge myself on overcooked turkey? Sit around playing Pie Face with my homophobic dad and my treachorous excuse of a mother? That’s the kind of thing normal people do at this time of year isn’t it?” James was playfully spacing his words as if to add impact to his careless derision. Romeo sensing that his father’s confidence was somewhat forced, allowed his voice to soften. “Well, surely that’s got to be better than—“ James cut him off abruptly. “Please, spare me th—“ “And I thought Christmas day without a father was bad enough growing up.”

“Oh come on, what exactly is that supposed to mean?!” “You really can’t see it can you? All of this, you’re just punishing yourself. You’ve got months of pent up hatred and anger kindling inside of you. You sit around alone in your flat, drowning yourself in drink, putting on a brave face, pretending that you don’t care and then there’s Harry.” “Do not mention his name!” James snapped, defensively taking a step back from Romeo and crossing his arms protectively across his chest. Romeo far from discouraged by this took another step forward back towards his father, securing a hand around one of his noticeably trembling wrists as a gesture of comfort before continuing on "You sit there telling yourself that you’re over him, yet you’re still blaming yourself. And the only person that’s suffering for it is you.” “That’s it, end of conversation!” Face both reddened from the cold and flushed from the outburst, James snatched his arm coldly away from Romeo’s grasp before turning to walk away. “That’s it walk away from me. I’m not the one that’s alone on Christmas day!” “I can’t believe I’m hearing this…” James began incredulously, before turning back to face Romeo. “Who would ever have thought that a woman with standards as low as…” he paused for a moment considering what would be a fitting enough jibe “Ste Hay’s IQ could raise a child to become such a critic!” “Hey, look back off! I’m just trying to help! I know you’ve both got your differences but I’d appreciate you not talking about my mum like that. I didn’t have to come here you know.“ “And why did you come here exactly?” James demanded, inching forward slightly. “Because if it’s presents you’re after, I’m afraid you’re going to be very disappointed. Besides what is it that kids your age are even into these days anyway apart from shoes and cheap-smelling aftershave? Love Island? Those ughhh… those spinny things.” “What, fidget spinners? No, they went out of trend ages ago.“ “Ahhh… the ever-changing, vacillating nature of the youth. Anyway, I’ve got to sort out my taxes and you’ve got a family to get back to. Say hi, to Juliet for me.” “Da- James wait!.” Romeo called out desperately after him as James made to turn away. “Surely you could make an exception.” James stopped in his tracks, scoffing briefly before turning back to face Romeo. “What is it with kids these days and never quite being able to get the point?” Romeo watched uneasily as James began fiddling with the contents of his right coat pocket. Then, pulling out a series of fifty pound notes and attempting to force a handful into Romeo’s clenched grasp he added “Look, take this and I will make it up to you at a later stage, okay? “What, no! You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want your money! I heard from Gran how you turned down her offer to come and join us all for lunch today.” "Oh that,” began James, pausing to give a harsh, derisive laugh. “How was it anyway, your nice little family get together? Cosy and snug, was it?” “Yeah, it was nice. Look, I didn’t realise things were really that bad between you two; between you and granddad.” Unable to bring himself to face Romeo whilst discussing Mac, James refocused his attention back to the floor, carelessly unsettling the frost that had began bonding itself to the pavement. “Yes, well… that is a conversation for another day.“ “You know the day’s not quite over yet. You could still come over. Play some games with us.” “I’m already playing a game my dear boy. It’s called harbouring a broken heart and trying to function on less than three hours of sleep. Besides I’d rather die—” “Look, would you please just stop with the sarcastic remarks. Gran said that you were likely going to end up spending the day alone and I don’t know… I thought that maybe you could do with some company but if you’d rather live up to the whole lonely, empty future prophecy that you appear to have claimed for yourself then be my guest!” “Romeo, wait!” James called after him, gesturing towards the direction of his flat. “I’d like that. Some company I mean.” Romeo simply nodded and smiled as James detected a suspicious, furtive look in his eyes before turning back as if to walk in the opposite direction to the one that James had pointed out. “Wait, where are you going? The flat’s this way.” “Price Slice to get some beer.” “Uhh, I think champagne should suffice nicely enough for you young man,” James said, leading Romeo away by the sleeve. xxx

Romeo flinched as James slammed his fist weakly into his front door, eyes narrowed in frustration at his continued futile attempts to cram a little silver key into the lock. “For crying out loud!” James groused before clumsily dropping the metallic cluster into a teeny arch shaped crevice on the cracked floor. “It’s okay”, Romeo said calmly, ducking gallantly to the ground to retrieve the fallen bunch of keys. “I’ve got it.” Flushed with frustration, James began removing his scarf. The cool air nipped at his previously sheltered skin and he shivered slightly. The thought that the cooling touch of night mist brushing against his cheek and now fully exposed neck would likely be as close to any form of physical contact (at least of the human, intimate kind) he would feel tonight made his stomach lurch with longing. Meanwhile, Romeo undoubtedly sober had succeeded in smoothly working the key into the lock on his first attempt and now stood smugly staring at James. This moment of triumph he felt however, was only a temporary pride as he soon found himself left with his own inanimate rival to contend with when the door refused to budge. James watched in unconcerned amusement as Romeo remained there fighting against it for a moment before opting to kindly put the boy out of his misery. “Home dripping with money,“ he began, emitting the sweet jangling sound of metal as he extracted the keys from Romeo grasp. "Victim to multiple break-ins. Streets bestrewn with innumerable criminals and thugs. Do you really think I’d risk leaving my home unattended to without double locking it first?” Romeo blushed as James fiddled around with various sets of keys before holding an individual key up towards the unlit sky, scrutinising it closely with heavy eyes. Satisfied he presented it to Romeo. The door opened offering a welcoming creak. Once both men had crossed the threshold, Romeo made sure to swiftly force it shut in a bid to keep out the uninvited cold. Moments afterwards Romeo turned to find James stood stock-still a few metres away from him. “What is it?” There was a solicitous tone to the boy’s voice. “I didn’t leave the lights on. Somebody’s been here…” “Are you sure? I mean the TV’s still on. Maybe you just forgot.” Leaving the TV switched on whilst the flat remained unaccompanied had only been a recent habit of James’s. Television could never be a true replacement for conversation but it meant not having to go back to a silent flat without Harry there to drain his hot water and leave biscuit crumbs all over his couch. He tried listening now, drowning out the unrelenting pounding in his ears with the familiar senseless sound of a festive family movie playing in the background. Background noise was after all the best company when there was nobody else. He knew that all too well from his solitary days and nights spent inside prison. James laughed bitterly at the thought that his earlier casual mention of intruders had indeed summoned one. “Yes, I’m sure! I’m just the fraction of the slightest bit tipsy, not senile.” He was positioning his fingers in front of him as if pinching the air in order to illustrate the accurate extent of his drunkenness.“I mean, seriously? What is it with people and breaking into my flat?! In fact, who even needs keys when you can just break into your own home? Everybody else seems to have no problem letting themselves in…” Romeo solely shrugged in response, reflecting with regret his own recent commission of this exact crime.

James relieved himself of his jacket, sauntering briefly over towards the kitchen area in order to reunite himself with his deserted, quarter-full wine glass before stroking the side of his nose as if considering something.

Romeo watched uneasily as James reached clumsily over the sink in search of some form of protection before settling his grasp contentedly on the handle of a well-sharpened kitchen knife with a twinkling blade.

“Wow, okay I don’t think that’s entirely necessary,” Romeo discouraged, teasing the knife from James’s loosened grip. “I mean does it appear as if anything has been taken? Seems like a bit of an odd time and place for someone to opt to choreograph a break-in after all.”

“No but that’s not the point,” James said alleviating the wine bottle of its seal before relenting “Okay, maybe you’re right. Maybe I did leave them on and I’m just being paranoid.”

Emotionally drained, James allowed himself to collapse into the firm, plush security of his sofa, gesturing for Romeo to do the same. Now would be a good time for him to offer Romeo the opportunity to spill any details he thought worthy enough of mentioning about his day, which James would acknowledge with dishonest interest with a few stray nods and insincere smiles here and there. Silence on his part would, after all, offer him the chance to recuperate and regain internal strength after another emotionally demanding day; that and another few glasses of wine.

Romeo complied, noting with amusement his father’s apparent abhorrent lack of hosting skills in forgetting to offer him a drink despite pouring out himself one. He was in the middle of describing Marnie’s idea of a fitting Christmas gift for a long-lost grandson when they heard the interrupting muffled thud of a tumbling object. Despite the effect of James’s carpeted bedroom floor swallowing the thump in a swift and soundless brutality, the noise somehow still sounded maiming to James’s own ears.

Two sets of ears pricking up in alarm and both heads turning towards the sound in a brusque manner, James got up with caution, firing Romeo a brief scolding glare of trepidation.“I told you somebody was here!” Romeo simply offered him an apologetic glance in return.

“Stay here!“ James ordered, handing Romeo his glass and removing his shoes before skulking his way over towards the bedroom.

Romeo obeyed readily, unsure about how this next part was going to play out.

As one of his hands latched shakily onto the bedroom door handle, James allowed himself a moment to inspect the scarce, suspicious glow falling in below the door. Then, watchfully turning the handle, he steeled himself to meet his latest in a stream of intruders.

A millisecond’s death glance at his trespasser and James felt as if all breathing had ceased. It was as if he had taken a bullet straight to the heart. His body remained taut in the doorway, face as white as bones in the snow regarding the intruder intently whilst fighting desperately to avoid his pleading gaze. He was standing right in front of the Christmas tree that Romeo (at the boy’s own insistence) had assisted him in putting up just two weeks earlier. Scanning straight past the near concealed hunger in the indescribably captivating blueness of his eyes, James allowed his gaze to fixate briefly on the hideous sight of a perfectly positioned, giant red bow tied a little bit too immaculately around the lad’s neck. Shamefully saddened to find that the bow’s perfectly-even trimmed ends were concealing a fair section of his naked chest, the images of them in bed together soon surfaced in James’s mind. Harry quietly observed as James’s eyes covered the entire length of his unclothed body, furtively withholding the urge to gather James in his arms as James remained unnervingly impassive. His jaw, a perfectly sketched outline, left unshaven. No bruises like he had dreamt. Abs still as perfectly formed and unyielding as the last time he’d traced them with delicate fingertips. Down further still, no further trace of clothing right down to his feet.

Harry feeling increasingly exposed at James’s hardening gaze and its accompanying silence desperately willed for the moment to pass. Soon enough, as if satisfied, James allowed his eyes to fall briskly towards the floor.

"James?” Harry took several tentative steps forward towards James. An extensive involuntary smile tugged at Harry’s lips. For a blissful moment, Harry allowed himself to replay his desired imagining of their reunion, of James falling bonelessly into his arms, nuzzling his face into the crook of his neck in order to re-familiarise himself with the consoling cloud of Harry’s boyish scent. But James could barely bring himself to look at him. This was not how it was supposed to go. Harry wasn’t entirely sure what kind of reaction he’d been expecting exactly. Not that he could exactly blame James for opting to mask the conflicting emotion of pain and yearning with a hard-hearted silence but his rather dispassionate response stung Harry in a way that he couldn’t quite grasp; at least rage would have been something.

For the first time in months, James allowed himself to lock eyes with Harry to which Harry’s own automatically began to sparkle. James’s face was set hard like concrete, with not a single twitch of resentment or longing to betray him.

“Harry? Wha—”

“Dad, is everything okay?” Romeo froze in wordless terror. The boy was left in an apparent paralysed state of perturbation, all apart from his eyes which had darted with overstated eagerness away from Harry and now remained plastered on the ceiling.

Feeling thoroughly humiliated at Romeo’s unexpected arrival, Harry was certain that he’d never blushed this immensely in his entire life. Hands instinctively slipping in a downwards direction to cover himself, Harry repressed the urge to dive straight out of the window and leap onto the next departing plane to Australia, first forsaking his pride before abandoning his disaster of a life and its many chapters to the mercy of the many intrusive villagers (or cockroaches as James would say) that resided in the streets of Chester.

“I thought I told you to stay put,” James reproached trying his best to sound nonchalant, which was rather a struggle given the circumstances.

Numbly his feet carried him towards a small heap of discarded clothes forming a sodden mound carelessly by the foot of the bed closest to James’s side of the room. A jumper, a vest, a pair of jeans, socks, all dripping wet; odd seeing as it wasn’t raining outside. James released a weary sigh, infinitely grateful to find that Harry’s boxers were not in the same saturated condition as its sopping counterparts. He took a moment to quell the lurching pulse he felt at the base of his throat before turning back to readdress Harry, tossing the only slightly dampened pair of boxers aimfully in his direction. Harry smiled ruefully both in acknowledgement and shame.

Out of respect to Harry, James ensured to turn away whilst Harry made to dress himself. When James finally dared to speak again his voice was very low but still full of indecipherable emotion. “Harry, what are you doing here?” he directed to the floor.

“I…” Harry fell silent, his lips forming a soundless shuddering plea: James, I love you. Just take me in your arms and hold me, please. He was shivering.

James could feel the muscles in his hands twitching, still trying to process the sight of his half-naked lover. Whilst his head desperately told him to flee before his guard had a chance to slip and leave his heart defenceless once more, he couldn’t deny the inner compulsion he felt to just hold him. James’s mouth twitched as if intending to say something but said nothing. Instead he began edging his way across the room but only to retrieve an inadequately-sized fleece blanket from a pile of folded linen to wrap Harry up in. A groan escaped from Harry as James secured the blanket around his pale, trembling shoulders. He was slightly thinner than James had remembered which only made the temptation to submit himself to desire and secure him into a fixed embrace all the more difficult to withstand but somehow he managed. As much as he ached from resisting, James could not quite stifle a feeble, defeated moan from escaping his own lips. Harry’s leaping heart now just a hairbreadth away from his own, he was sure he could feel it reaching for him through the cold air, beating hard against him like a little drum. He tried his best to ignore it before leading Harry unresistingly away from the cold surroundings of the bedroom to the living room.

Romeo long departed from the bedroom by this time, was sitting hunched on the edge of the sofa, apparently so far engrossed in ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’ that it wasn’t until he heard the click and consequent loud steaming of a kettle that he realised Harry sat awkwardly beside him. The blanket enveloping Harry was large enough to just about cover his shoulders but not enough to prevent several abs from peeping through. Romeo was almost certain this had been a deliberate move on James’s part.

Retrieving the hideous, red Christmas jumper that Harry had borrowed from him the previous year (and fucked him in, although he urged this particular thought to fall from his mind), James removed the bow from Harry’s neck before assisting him in shouldering his shivering form into the scratchy, insatiable embrace of the jumper. The jumper was a baggy fit and Harry allowed his hands to disappear into the cuffs. Draping the blanket over Harry’s uncovered legs, James wandered back towards the kitchen to work on making a coffee for Harry in a bid to warm him up further as well as pouring out a glass of champagne for Romeo; as earlier promised.

The dull smack of a porcelain mug on the coffee table signalled James preparing to get down to business, derailing Harry from paranoid thoughts about the possibility of losing James for good in failure of winning around his affections.

Meanwhile, eyes focused and unmoving and ears concentrating desperately on the sounds of the television in a strenuous effort to distract himself from the tense atmosphere, Romeo also started at the sound. When he heard the sound of his own drink smack against the table, followed by the brief scratching of glass against glass as James pushed it close enough towards him for it to be within his reach, he did not waste the energy to lift his head, assuming that his father’s acquired taste in alcoholic beverages would differ vastly from his own. Freeing his hands from the jumper, Harry wrapped them securely around the steamy mug and inhaled deeply, instantly feeling more awakened from breathing in the caffeine as well as alert from the transient sighting of James’s sullen glare.

Both Harry’s modesty and warmth restored, James prepared himself mentally for the gentle method of interrogation he had lined up for Harry, not entirely certain that he wished to know the answers. Restless and unable to bring himself to sit, he began pacing listlessly around the sitting area before planting his feet behind the coffee table, obscuring Romeo’s view of the television. Wine bottle and glass back within reach, he took the opportunity to pour himself out another glass and God he was going to need it. Shuffling as far to the end of the sofa as he could without losing sight of the TV or having to crane his neck to block James out of his field of vision, Romeo remained locked in an awkward position as rigid as a statue until a twinge in his neck forced him to reposition. The sofa’s thick layer of cushions meant that he was already perched awkwardly towards its end, making his position uncomfortable enough already. This as well as knowledge about the probable confrontation that was about to come between the two stubborn lovers did nothing to ease his discomfort. Sighing and surrendering himself to the unwelcome demands of discomfort, Romeo leaned back in his seat. Looking back up at his father, he detected an indication of vexation in his eyes. Maybe the champagne was a good idea after all.

Watching James take a long sip of his drink, Romeo was encouraged to reach for his own glass. Having uttered nothing since his unexpected encounter with a stark naked Harry, the soothing, bitter trickle of bubbles down his throat made Romeo suddenly aware of its niggling dryness. Likening the taste of the champagne to bile in his mind, Romeo forced down the second gulp pulling a discreet expression of repugnance so as not to offend his father.

Meanwhile, Harry couldn’t tear his eyes away from James, towering unstably above the two of them as if about to perform a one-person show. Witnessing Harry staring at him as if his eyes were the window into the soul, as if they held the answers of how exactly to earn back the heart of a resentful, emotionally stunted lawyer, James was encouraged to speak.

“What do you want Harry?”James asked firmly, setting his jaw tightly to keep from losing his composure in front of Romeo.

His tone was still surprisingly calm. Usually Harry loved that particular uncertainness about James, like how he could never quite decide whether his eyes were hazel or green but this current unruffled demeanour of his was causing him anxiety.

“What do I want?” Harry echoed softly, pushing the blanket aside before rising warily up from the sofa. “Isn’t it obvious? I’ve come back to you James.“ James swallowed deeply, only this time it wasn’t enough to quell his anger. “You’ve came back to me? Am I hearing this right?” James disbelieving, began shaking his head slightly as if to clear the buzzing of Harry’s words from his ears. Slowly, the rush in his ears that came with the echo of Harry’s declaration subsided. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through these past few months? Anything could have happened to you! For all I knew, you could have been lying dead somewhere in a ditch!”

A shiver coursed through Harry’s spine, the jumper, blanket and hot tea combination offering only an insufficient barrier against the lancing coldness of James’s tone. Harry all but stammered in response. “I know, look I’m sorry… I should have told you where I was… I just… I needed some time alone to just get my head straight. So much had happened and… I thought…”

James lacking both the patience and will to allow Harry to break into his usual long recitation of excuses cut him short. “You thought what? What exactly did you think was going to happen Harry? You thought you’d come waltzing back into my life wearing nothing but a tacky bow and I’d just be standing here with my arms wide open like the fool I am willing to put my entire life on hold for you at the flaccid snap of your fingertips? As I said you’re a child Harry and I’m not about to let my heart be stomped on all over again by a pathetic schoolboy who can scarcely manage to decide what he wants for dinner let alone who or what he wants from life. People move on. Maybe I’ll give you a little moment to try and get your puerile head around that.” He turned as if to walk away but his feet remained planted in the same position by the coffee table.

Harry allowed his head to fall in grudging defeat.

Witnessing this, Romeo repressed the urge to remind James of the little red bow he’d added as a personal touch to the box of shoes he’d purchased for him just a month ago in a desperate bid to win him over; that and the fact that deciding what was for dinner was in no way an easy affair. Bowing his head to conceal the involuntarily curling of his mouth at the memory, he tried contemplating what would be a more delicate approach to assisting Harry in making his father see sense before settling with “Apart from you haven’t really moved on, have you?” “Oh what, so you’ve known me for five minutes and now suddenly you’re an expert on my love life and the inner workings of my mind.” James countered. “Hey! Don’t take it out on him. This is between us!” Harry interjected.

“Oh so what, you’re allies now are you? Friends? Well at least something good has come out of this rather unsolicited reunion.”

Harry felt a hand plant itself unconfidently on the side of his neck. “He doesn’t mean that,” Romeo affirmed, allowing his hand to slide down towards Harry’s shoulder before squeezing reassuringly.

“Oh, don’t I? Won you over like that did he?” James snapped his fingers. “And all it took was a flash of abs and five seconds exposure to his boyish charm.”

“Well he certainly did a better job of a first impression than you did.”Romeo retorted coldly, watching warily as James began eyeing him closely, subjecting each side of his neck and face to a scrutinizing gaze before turning to address Harry despite Romeo being the chosen victim of his incoming remark.

“Well, would you look at that? It seems as though we have a malfunctioning off-switch and just when I was starting to see the appeal. Remind me to find the receipt and ask for an earlier dribbling replacement model. Sons are no fun once they start talking back to you.” Harry lowered his eyes as James began inching in towards him, lowering his stance until his mouth was at level with Harry’s right ear. “That’s if I haven’t already succeeded in throwing you out by then,” he uttered in a low voice with the balefulness he intended.

The taunting made an angry flush rise in Romeo’s cheeks.

Harry on the other hand did not care for James’s games. He was too far engrossed in thoughts of a future where nights with James were no longer something to be craved for, where they no longer had to act on spontaneity, that and the equal possibility of losing it all.

“Yeah, well you needn’t bother with the replacement. I was just leaving” Romeo spat, rising so hastily from his chair that he felt a sudden cramping in his stomach. Harry looked up at him, a desperate pleading in his eyes as if willing for the boy to stay but he’d already torn his eyes away from Harry’s direction to busy himself with locating his jacket. “No, you are not!” James snapped. “Just sit down and drink your champagne!”

“I’d sooner drink toilet water!” Romeo bristled, still feeling the presence of its vandalising taste on his tongue and lips. Ignoring Romeo, James went to grab Harry by the shoulder of his jumper, fighting to keep his hold of the fistful of wool as Harry struggled fiercely against him.

“Wait, what are you doing? James, wait no!”

Grabbing onto Harry’s arm to secure his hold, James began tugging him firmly towards the direction of the front door.

“James let go!” Feeling the pull strengthen, out of instinct Harry tried his best to resist, planting his feet firmly at first before leaning backwards to make the act of dragging him across the floor all the more arduous on James’s part.

When James’s efforts failed to seize, Harry tried twisting his body around in an attempt to wiggle his way out of the jumper, which only resulted in a tight readjustment of James’s clasp on his wrist convincing him that the use of words as ammunition was probably a better option in trying to reason with James.

“I’m not going to let you throw me out again! I’m not just going to give up on us!”

Harry felt James’s grip automatically loosen at his words. “Us? There is no-” James returned to eyeing the floor. As Harry filled in what James could not bring himself to finish, a whimper escaped from him.

“James, just listen to me!” Somewhere in the midst of all of this emotional outrage and pleading, tears had begun tainting the natural blue glow of Harry’s eyes. He reached for James, tugging defeatedly at his shirt cuff like a kid reluctant to go to school tugging away at their parent’s sleeve.

“Do not touch me!”

“You said before I left that the only reason I was here was because I had nowhere else to go and do you know what James? You were right. These past couple of months away made me realise, now more than ever, I don’t belong anywhere else or with anybody else. I belong with you! You did this! You made me fall in love with you James whether you intended to or not.” “Oh so now it’s my fault is it?”

“Yes!” Harry croaked with furtive defeat, mirroring with hurt the look of lancing accusation in James’s eyes.

For several minutes, nothing more was said. There was just the unrelenting pin drop silence whispering the truth hauntingly to James into the distance. As much as he wanted to deny it, he could not be without Harry and whilst so much had changed for him since the day Harry had left, the overbearing love he felt for the boy was certainly not one of them.

“You told me to go James! You told me it was over!” With a visible effort James returned to talking calmly. “Yes, and what I meant by that was… Look I was angry Harry, justifiably so. And yes, admittedly everything that I said that night might just have been said in the heat of the moment but that doesn’t change the fact that you married someone else-“ “Yes and marrying Ste was the worst mistake of my life!” James went on as though not hearing him. “Nor does it change the fact that you just upped and left without telling anyone, without telling me! Without any means of communication—” “I know but James, it wasn’t planned. Look, after you threw me out, I went to see my dad and he… he made me realise that… that—” James’s insides constricted at the thickness of vulnerability in Harry’s voice.“That what Harry?” He prodded gently.

“That I’m a disgusting person!” Harry choked out.

At that a lump formed in James’s throat which he tried to coax down unsuccessfully. “Okay wow, when you said you were after an emotional reunion this isn’t exactly what I thought you had in mind,” Romeo drawled, just about done with the day’s events.

James forgetting that Romeo was there followed the direction of the voice, turning briefly to face his son who was now standing in his father’s abandoned spot by the coffee table.

“Emotional reunion? What are you talking about?” James uttered cluelessly.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Romeo shrugged off. “Don’t worry about it.”

Several doubts crossed James’s mind but it wasn’t long before concern for Harry took over, pushing away any thoughts he might have had about Romeo and the questionable innocence of his suspicious passing comment.

Switching his focus back to Harry, James reached for him, planting a hand on his back before moving his fingers soothingly along his arm. Harry who stood with his head in his hands, fingers furrowed deeply into his hair, stirred at the feel of James’s gentle touch. For him the slip in James’s mask betraying his habitual overprotective attitude was just the small piece of normalcy in these past few months of emotional turmoil that he needed.

“Listen Harry, you’re not a disgusting person.”

“Apart from I am!” Harry pulled away. “You’re not seriously going to make me go through the whole bright young lad talk again, are you?” “Look, I’m sorry I should never have come back here. I’m an idiot for thinking this was ever going to work.” “No you don’t.” James caught Harry’s wrist before his hand had a chance to reach the lock. “You’re not an idiot Harry. Arrogant, conceited however, that you certainly are. I mean this, really?” James said, briefly lifting up Harry’s jumper and gesturing the length of his partially exposed body. “You thought you could crush my heart from leaving and just win me over like that?” “Are you denying that you weren’t in the slightest part tempted?” Harry blushed. “I just wanted to surprise you.” “Oh, well you surprised me alright.” “In a good or bad way?” “Well put it this way, even if I wanted to, I can’t.”

“Why not?” Harry asked resignedly, sounding disheartened. James lowered his voice thoughtfully in a bid to spare Romeo of any further awkwardness. “If you honestly think I want my son familiarising himself with my sex noises before he’s even had the chance to discover my middle name then you can think again.”

Despite still hearing everything, Romeo let his gaze wander appreciatively over towards his father, finally thankful for an opportunity to leave. “It’s okay, I was just heading off now anyway,” he said, feigning an appreciative smile. “Thanks for the champagne.”

“Oh, it’s nothing” said James, waving a hand in dismissal. “Any time.”

“Yeah, about that…” Romeo began, pulling up the collar of his jacket in preparation for his much apprehensively awaited reunion with the frosty night. “I may have to turn you down on that offer.” Then he turned to address Harry.

“I guess I should probably thank you too, for the…. rather unpleasant sight,” he said, making no attempt to mask the amusement he felt in his voice at the recollection of Harry’s predicament.

Harry looking away but sensing Romeo’s intense gaze boring into his back, shuddered. Hesitantly, he turned towards him nodding a momentary acknowledgment at his words of thanks before remembering something. “Wait Romeo, before you go… thanks for this by the way.” “No problem mate, any time.” James’s heart skipped a beat when he realised what was going on. “Wait a minute. Were you in on this?” “Mostly. Although he might have forgotten to mention the naked part…” Romeo responded rather matter of factly, with total disregard for Harry’s already harmed pride. "So that’s why you were so insistent on cluttering my bedroom up with a tree and cheap charity shop lights.” “I think that’s his way of saying thank you.” “Thank you Harry but I can speak for myself. Romeo… son… I just wanted to thank you…”

Romeo pretending to be underwhelmed at James’s words, screwed his face up as if awaiting more than just a simple thanks for his efforts.

“Wholeheartedly” James added readily if not willingly before opening his arms to offer his son a hug.

“All right that’ll do,” Romeo smirked. “Don’t push it. You’re most certainly welcome Dad.”

xxx

Hearing the door slam behind Romeo, James wasted no time in reaching for Harry in an unconscious act of indulgence. Grasping at the jumper’s woollen neckline he tugged Harry unceremoniously in towards him. At James’s touch, Harry’s composure began to crumble and he allowed his head to fall forward until it rested just below the soothing, incessant flutter of James’s quickened heartbeat. Harry closed his eyes tightly as James cradled his head lovingly against his chest, concentrating only on the sound of James’s breathing and how it calmed at the contact of his touch. It felt so good to finally hold him, to feel James’s warm breathe filter against his cheek, to smell him. Reaching up with his right hand, James brushed his cold fingertips along the fine layer of stubble on Harry’s jaw, around his earlobe and down his neck. Feeling his muscles stir under James’s touch, Harry grabbed a fistful of James’s shirt before reciprocating gentle strokes around the nape of James’s own neck, fingers brushing lightly over the fine mass of hairs there. James lowered his head and at as best an attempt as he could manage at trying to mould the quivering in his voice into something seductive, whispered into Harry’s ear "So, seeing as we’re now alone…” He was interrupted as Harry yanked at his tie, inadvertently tightening it in an attempt to pull James in closer. Harry’s fingers began working eagerly to free his lover’s neck of the long, restrictive piece of cloth but his hands shook so much with the cold and hunger for James’s body that he could not reloosen the knot, only succeeding in tightening it further. After several futile attempts of trying to release the knot, he allowed his hands to fall, inching back slightly as if to leave room for James’s incoming assistance. Smiling down at a defeated Harry, whose cheeks were glowing in frustration in a faded shade of cardinal, James began delicately picking apart the knot with his fingernails. Wearing a self-congratulatory expression, James allowed Harry to do the honours of removing the tie from his neck. Feeling James’s hand slip down towards his waist and cling tightly to him just above his hips, Harry was inspired to speak. “So, tell me… what is it you were going to suggest we do Mr Nightingale?“ he uttered in a low, suggestive voice brushing a thumb gently across his lover’s lips eliciting a broad, mischievous grin from James. "Hmmm, why don’t you go and take these off, put that red bow of yours back on and I’ll walk back in without my sixteen year old son and try to pretend to look just the slightest bit interested.” “I’m not so sure about that.” Harry teased, unlatching James’s fingers from his waist before turning his head mock sulkingly away from him. "After all, you did say that the bow was tacky?” James cleared his throat. “Well…” he began unperturbed. “You know what I said about how some things can be said in the heat of the moment and all.” Reaching for his face, James ran his fingers gradually along Harry’s neck and then down towards his chin, grabbing him firmly by the jaw and turning his face complaisantly back towards him. Looking down, James stared right into the lecherous gaze of Harry Thompson. The lawyer froze. “Screw the bow,” Harry said, heedlessly forcing James backwards into a fortunate soft landing of blanket and pillows. Harry sitting crouched over him, James assisted him in wrestling his way out of the Christmas jumper, relieving his soft skin of its unpleasant scratchy material. Skin exposed to the cold air and chest no longer encompassed in its safe pocket of warmth, Harry began to shiver, not that it at all longer mattered to him that he was cold. What mattered was that he felt an urgent need, one that could not be relieved without the sacrifice of his warmth. He wanted James’s hands and kisses all over him; his admiring touch brushing along every single one of his bones and joints, down every inch and crevice. Harry waited with bated breath as James began the arduous affair of unbuttoning his shirt, buttons escaping fitfully from his fingers at the sense of urgency for him to undress. Every now and then, following a stalled attempt at releasing a button, James would lean in to place a teasing wet kiss on Harry’s neck. “Aren’t you supposed to be the one undressing me?” James mused aloud. “Only if you want to be here all night.” Harry replied softly, beguiling the time it took for James to rid himself of his shirt by attempting to steady his hands, occupying them with gently threading his fingers through James’s hair. He paused occasionally to inhale its enticing scent. All attempts to rein his excitement were futile and he felt pleasurable shudders of eagerness course through him all the same. Reaching the final button, James brushed a hand over Harry’s sandy sweep of hair, running his fingers to the back of his head before coming to rest at the side of his neck. Forcefully stripping James of his shirt, Harry’s fingers curled instantly into the back of his neck, other hand stroking lightly back and forth across his chest causing the lawyer to swallow a moan. Returning Harry’s affections, James began trailing his thumb down the length of his spine, stroking from the base of his skull down to his tailbone, nosing occasionally behind his ear to plant firm, wet kisses on the edge of his neck. Sliding his hand teasingly around Harry’s back across to the graceful build of his abdomen, James began drawing along the soft indentations of Harry’s ribs before roaming downwards, hand stretching the elastic at the front of his boxers. The taunting touch made Harry arch involuntarily upwards. Nearly headbutting James in the chin, he choked down a relieved sharp breath. Then screwing his eyes shut, Harry exhaled deeply, preparing himself for what was to come. “James” Harry whined, cursing inwardly at the fulfilment he felt at the act of James easing the boxers past his waist, dropping at his knees. James developing quite some determination at the rate that things were moving, at how Harry near melted at his touch began guiding Harry’s fingers towards his belt buckle. James’s hands now clutching at his buttocks, Harry carried out the task of unbuckling the belt in a breathless silence, breathing labouredly through wide nostrils and an open mouth. With his fingers trembling as much as they were and incapable of shifting his position at James’s firm groping of his ass, Harry struggled with the buckle. Witnessing just how much Harry’s hands were shaking, James shifted to help, rising slightly to give a better view of the buckle. “Got it” Harry announced beaming, looking up for James’s approval. James began kissing him for a while in ravenous silence, preventing any need for a response. As Harry’s hands began wandering down towards his zip, a soft sigh escaped from James. Feeling the tug below his waist, James reached for Harry’s shoulder, clutching its supple broadness for support, grip tautening as Harry yanked a little harder at the zip. Feeling the eventual downward slide of his trousers closely succeeded by his underwear, James pressed his face into the side of Harry’s neck sucking lightly, gripping Harry tighter still by the shoulders as the lad began groaning aloud pleasurably. Unlatching James’s tongue from his neck Harry coaxed him back down, crouching over him to readopt their earlier position. James could feel Harry progressively hardening against his belly. Allowing Harry a moment to smother his body in tender kisses, James closed his eyes reaching up blindly to tickle the perfect curvature of his abs. Slowly, Harry lowered himself, pressing his face against James’s chest, caressing its fine hairs with rapture. Harry’s fingers reaching the edge of his hip, James laid his hand over Harry’s, stilling it. Taking a moment to appreciate the youthful softness of the hand, James began running his fingers pleasantly along the thin bones, closing his eyes in tender admiration for the simple promise of the incoming pleasure they offered.

Then unable to resist for much longer, James turned over, pulling himself from underneath Harry’s lithe form. Once again freeing his tongue from the confines of his mouth, James proceeded to cover Harry from head to toe in soppy kisses, silence broken only momentarily for Harry to utter “As if you’re starting with my feet?” “It’s called working my way up…. from the best bits.” As James continued working his way up Harry’s body, Harry tensed even more, clawing at a nearby cushion as he endured the pleasurable scraping of James’s beard against his naked thighs, of the warm trail of drool and breath he left behind. Then, feeling the firm parting of his cheeks, of James’s nose brushing against the base of his spine down towards his crack Harry cried out helplessly, eyes fluttering shut as James prepared to take him.

xxx

They lay cuddled up together on the sofa afterwards, James clutching onto Harry’s hand, unwilling to let go. James having found a larger blanket to accommodate the two of them had pulled it far up until it rested snugly beneath their chins. All resentment and tension in their air was gone and there was only tenderness between them. Naturally, Harry laid in front of James, pressed tightly against him as the smaller spoon, James stooping his face slightly every now and then to nuzzle his face into Harry’s hair. They fit best that way.

Tired out from the steady act of making love to his fit, young lover and relishing in the satisfying radiance of warmth that came as a result of their bodies being pressed compactly against each other, James had seen no reason to move. Harry on the other hand, was pained by the one small inconvenience that came with having his back to James, of not being able to admire his beautiful face.

Eventually resigning himself to desire and using cramp as an excuse to move, Harry gradually eased his way out of the embrace with an opposing James. James remained curled up in a worn out slump on the sofa, content and unmoving as Harry spent a long time looking down adoringly at his face, abrading his skin with his stunning blue eyes.

Pressing a kiss on his temple, Harry ran a finger gingerly across a small cut on James’s lip, not recalling the taste of blood during their rather intense and ruthless make-out session on the floor.

Looking up at Harry’s eyes examining his busted lip James laughed. “Don’t even consider taking credit for that. That was me trying to prevent myself from waking up the entire neighbourhood when you started… you know, sucking…”

Harry remaining silent, smiled proudly at the not-so-distant memory.

“So tell me, is this the best present you’ve ever had?” Harry asked eventually, voice still very much hoarse with lust. “Possibly a close fifth,” James smiled wryly. “Fifth? And what would that be after exactly.” “Hmm let’ see, first, a stolen childhood from my father. Second, a false murder allegation that nearly saw me get a lifetime inside. Third, nearly losing you to that drug addled, tracksuit sporting low life—” James began stating grimly before being cut off by a concerned Harry. “Yeah well you’ll get none of those things from me. I’m never leaving you again.” “Lucky me.” James murmured playfully to himself. “Oi! I heard that. So come on then what was the forth?” “Well, I was going to say a child spawned by none other than the prostitute that my worthless excuse of a father forced me to sleep with but seeing as this particular child in question was partially responsible for this most welcomed reunion with my living, breathing bed warmer—” James stopped briefly as Harry shot him a lurid death glance.

The snarky remarks slipped so easily off James’s tongue. Harry had worked him so hard he was surprised he still had the energy to come up with such things. “And might just be starting to grow on me,” he continued. “I guess we could settle for you leaving me to believe that you were quite possibly dead in a ditch somewhere. "Oh come on James, I’ve already apologised for that.” Harry said defensively. “So…” James added quickly, desperately willing for a subject change. “Tell me, how exactly did your clothes end up soaking wet?” “Well I may have run them underneath the shower in cause things didn’t go accordingly to plan.” “Ahhhh…” James quirked an eyebrow. “You know so that you’d think against throwing me out before I had a chance to explain things to you.” "And you weren’t, you know… living on the streets?” James approached this particular subject softly. “No,” Harry smiled assuringly. “I was staying with Mum." "I see.” James sighed relievedly. Harry was gratified at the warm smile James bestowed on him in response. “Well, I guess now it’s time for your present.” “And what would that be?” Harry winked suggestively at him. “Round two?” “Not quite, although that could certainly be arranged…” To himself only, James questioned whether he would last a second round considering how much his muscles ached. “Although…” James began abstractedly. “Although?" "Although, it might be your turn to-” James trailed off, blushing and Harry rewarded him with a grin laced with promise and determination.

“Anyway, your present…” James rose from his cosy nest on the sofa, pausing both to clear his throat and to retrieve something from his jacket pocket. Then, taking hold of one of Harry’s hands and positioning it so that his palm remained widespread, he planted two small, cold shining silver objects into its surface before placing his own hand firmly on top.

“Here’s your… keys back.”

#jarry #filledjarryprompt #au harry returns #tw past abuse #christmas #submission

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