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reawritesthings · 4 years ago

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Stand By You | Rafe Cameron

gif by @rudypankows

you agree to a family dinner with the cameron’s, when ward boasts about his daughter and not your boyfriend, you finally stand up for rafe.

requested: by @drewstarkey!! ( this was originally something she requested for the 100 ways, but i decided to do it into an imagine)

a/n: im not the best writer but i just thought this could be a cute little imagine for you all. I take requests if you any of you are interested, but i understand if you don’t sksks.

❀ ❀ ❀ ❀

You always avoided attending the glamorous Cameron family dinners, and Rafe completely agreed. From the stories he told you, it was definitely not something you could sit through. You could barely sit through a whole forty five minutes of keeping up with the Kardashians; Wheezie’s favourite.

Being Rafe’s girlfriend was a lot of work. It definitely wasn’t a walk in the park. A lot has happened regarding Rafe’s weed addiction and Ward almost kicking him out, he needed you more than ever.

“Babe..” He hummed whilst playing with your hair.

You looked up at him, staring into his blue eyes.

“I know you always say no to this but since you love me very mu-” You rolled your eyes, sitting up as you knew what exactly he was asking you. “Yes, I’ll go to dinner, which is tonight I believe?” You laughed pointing towards the fridge with recipes that Rose had out.

“How did you even know i would ask you that?” Rafe questioned.

“Rose made me clean the cutlery before you decided to wake up. She even made me be her advisor on what dress to wear. Plus, judging by the fridge full of recipes, it wasn’t a hard guess.”

Rafe was amazed, he didn’t even think he knew your family as well as you did his.

“God, that just turned me on.” Rafe smirked, connecting your face with his but you pulled away.

“It’s almost three and you haven’t changed. I need to ask Sarah for an outfit and make a good first impression.” You chuckled, getting up from the sofa stretching out your limbs before the mayhem begins.

“I’ll see you soon, baby. If you need me to help you with the zipper, let me know.” You winked, turning away to find Wheezie shaking her head at the two of you.

“Gross.” She groaned opening the fridge.

“Don’t you have to get ready?” You asked her, placing one hand on your hip.

“Don’t you have a zipper to fix?” She imitated you, even placing her hand on her own hip.

“Wheezie.” Rafe spoke, walking up to her.

“Fine, I’ll go get ready.” Wheezie moaned as she dragged herself away from the kitchen.

“About the zipper….” Rafe whispered but you walked away too, leaving a very frustrated Rafe to fend for himself.

Getting ready for an event like this wasn’t your favourite. It wasn’t you, you didn’t like putting on makeup or dresses just to cover up the drama that goes on inside these walls. Rose peeking her head through the spare bedroom every five minutes wasn’t exactly helping you either.

The creamy fabric of the silk dress fit nicely on your shoulders, hugging your body like a tight embrace. The colour of the dress matched your eyes, and as you turned over to check the back you noticed your boyfriend standing there, mouth open.

“How’s it goi- you look beautiful.” Rafe swallowed his pride as he noticed how your figure stood out in the dress.

Rafe never really tried to make you blush this much, but it was his raspy voice that always got your cheeks burning. Planting a small kiss on your cheek, you turned around giving one back on his lips.

“And you clean up nicely.” You chuckled as Rafe fiddled with his sleeves.

“Are you nervous?” You asked, shoving him off you as you tried to find your earrings.

Rafe nodded. He didn’t exactly have the best relationship with his father right now, and hosting a family dinner certainly wasn’t exactly the greatest redemption. But, that’s the Cameron’s.

“Dad still isn’t getting off my case about me smoking. And that I ruined some stupid business contract.” Rafe huffed, searching for something to press his anger on.

“Baby, breathe. Just ignore your dad for the night. There’s going to be like, over a hundred people here and I’m sure he will be too busy boasting about Sarah. We can hang back with Wheezie…” You chuckled as you saw her figure enter the room.

“No you won’t. I have a reputation to hand out. Plus, Mum wants us down in exactly thirty seconds or we won’t get dessert.” Wheezie threatened, looking over at Rafe who knew that was a legitimate reason to go downstairs.

“Why do we have to go downstairs? It’s not even 7?” You questioned as Rafe pushed you out of the room, closing the door behind you.

“After this, I’ll need a drink.” Rafe whispered in your ear and you rolled your eyes at how dramatic he could be.

“Listen up, Cameron’s and Y/N. Best behaviour, best manners and always be elegant. Y/N since it’s your first dinner with the family, a few little rules.” Rose cleared her throat, taking out the list she hid in her dress.

You looked at Rafe with a look, even Wheezie shook her head too.

“No kissing, no flirting, try not to start any drama and when eating, you start outwards and go in.” Rose sternly looked at you, she wasn’t playing and neither was Ward who was examining the whiskey.

“Who had some whiskey?” Ward spoke, looking directly at the both of you.

“Who do you think?” Rafe spoke, rolling his eyes as he was the only one who would drink at this time.

“How many times have I told you not to fucking drink? Especially my own whiskey. It’s like you want me to kick you out.” Ward roared causing Wheezie to cling onto your hand, which you gripped firmly.

As Rafe was about to defend himself, you opened your mouth immediately regretting.

“Stop being so hard on him, he just had a little sip and I had the rest. You never scream at Sarah when she’s drinking, and she’s what? 16?”

Rafe and Sarah's eyes widened, so did Rose’s, but Wheezie gave you a thumbs up.

“Watch your mouth, girl. You don’t speak to me like that, one more word out of your mouth you aren’t welcome here.” Ward threatened looking at Rafe to make sure he got the same warning.

The awkwardness had now invaded the room, you didn’t even know what to say, but the touch of Rafe’s hand squeezing around yours made you breathe a sigh of relief.

“Let’s just get this dinner over and done with.” Rose stuttered, walking out of the room to finish setting up the dining table.

As everyone made their way out, you and Rafe were left behind. When the door shut, you turned to Rafe but was taken back by his lips attacking yours.

You quickly pulled away, wanting to apologise for what had happened. “I’m so sorry, I know I shouldn’t have done that but he makes me so angry.”

Rafe shook his head making sure the strand of your hair was tucked nicely behind your ear.

“It’s okay, but baby.. try not to start something tonight. No matter how much you want to strangle him, let’s get through this dinner and I can finally rip that dress off you.” He smirked opening the door, leading you to a dinner party you won’t forget.

It wasn’t too bad, there were a lot of people but you were quite happy staying at the back with Wheezie whilst Rafe was mingling with his family.

“How come you aren’t talking to your cousins?” You asked Wheezie who was tapping away on her phone which you took out of her hand.

“Because they are lame and I’d rather hang back here with you, than be with them.” Wheezie whined looking up at you but you just responded with a laugh.

You and Wheezie had an odd friendship, she would often refer to you as Buzz Lightyear and she was Woody.

“I’m flattered.. but, your mother has been staring at us for exactly five minutes. Let’s mingle with the commoners. How about later, we steal the cake and watch a movie?” You negotiated with her, knowing cake always ends up winning.

Wheezie nodded holding your hand as she directed you towards her cousins, not letting go of your hand.

“This is delicious, Rose. How did you make these potatoes so cheesy?” One of the aunties said, taking a sip of wine.

“Cheese?” Wheezie laughed looking at Rose who gave her a glare.

“Funny one you got there.” The aunty mimicked, but Rose just gripped onto her fork hoping no one would see.

“Did I tell you that Sarah is now applying at the top schools in NYC? She even has a scholarship.” Ward beamed at his daughter who frankly couldn’t care less, but for her mother she just smiled.

Before anyone could congratulate Sarah, Ward again, had something to say. “Also, Wheezie has gotten straight A’s in all her subjects. How did I get so lucky?”

Every word that Ward spat out, made the flames inside you burn. Every time he boasted about his daughters and ignoring Rafe, made you want to add more fuel to the fire. Your fist began to clench and Rafe quickly noticed, placing his palm over top but that didn’t stop your rage.

“I almost forg-“ Ward was taken back by the sound of your chair creaking back made everyone’s attention divert to your body.

“Anything you like to say, Y/N?” Ward faked a smile looking over at Rafe.

“As matter of fact, I do. You do realise that you have a son too? A son that tries so hard to make you see him as a human being and not a disgrace. He has worked so hard to get you to value him like you value Sarah. He’s made mistakes but he is human, he may have gotten into smoking weed, but you can’t talk, you’ve done worse. Rafe is just as clever as Sarah and Wheezie are, you may not see it and don’t believe in him, but I do!” You shouted as you noticed a lot of crumbs on your plate.

Ward was boiling, his veins we’re slowly appearing and that was never a good sign. You looked down at Rafe, but he didn’t meet your gaze.

“Rafe, take your girlfriend out of here now.” Ward sneered through his teeth as he grabbed onto the plate, gripping on tight.

Rafe nodded, pulling you harshly away from the table, escorting you towards the garden.

He was mad, you could tell from the eye contact and how tight he was grabbing your wrist. “Rafe, I’m sor-“

He cut you off, “I don’t want to hear it, Y/N. Why couldn’t you just leave it alone? Why couldn’t you just let him praise my sisters and leave it at that? He’s going to kill me now.” Rafe signed, pulling his hair as he didn’t know what to do in this situation.

“How can you stand there and just let him degrade you like that? He was acting as if you weren't even there? You are just as clever as they are. I hate when he treats you like this Rafe, I fucking hate it.” You screamed kicking the swan floaty away from the pool.

“I know, baby. But, you just have to get used to it.. I have.”

“I hate how he treats you… you deserve a better father.” You whispered not wanting Rafe to see the tears that boiled up in your eyes.

Rafe shook his head, lifting your chin up as he pushed away the hair from your face. “I love you, and I’m fucking glad to call you my girlfriend.” He smiled, softly kissing your lips as you slowly moved back to make more space between you both.

The kiss deepened, his hands were firmly tight on your bum as he lightly gripped it causing you to chuckle.

“Your family is inside.. they can see.” You whispered through the kiss but Rafe didn’t care, he was already embarrassed enough. As Rafe took a step closer to you, cupping your cheeks, your shoes got caught in the flare of your dress causing you to fall into the pool.

“Rafe!!” You screamed swimming up to the surface, looking at him whilst he was laughing his head off.

“Are you okay baby?” Rafe laughed, ripping off his suit jacket and jumping in causing the water to splash against the window.

“We are in so much trouble….” You giggled, looking over at the window as you saw someone pull the door open.

Wheezie.

“Can I join?” she asked looking at the two of you.

Rafe nodded, holding out his arms so Wheezie could jump in

“I hope you never break up with her, Rafe. She’s the best sister I ever had.” Wheezie complimented you, as she pulled you into a tight hug.

“What about Sarah?”

“Eh, she’s alright.” Wheezie scoffed, embracing you into a bigger hug that Rafe suddenly ruined.

You may have lost all privileges from the Cameron’s household but in this moment, you didn’t even care. You were happy that you stood up for your boyfriend, and extremely happy that Wheezie finally accepted you. It was definitely a night to remember, and you couldn’t wait until the next one.

If you get invited…

masterlist | TAGLIST

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bisluthq · 3 years ago

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hi nat! i know you don’t believe in kaylor anymore, but i wanted to send in my kaylor/joshlie theory, just as food for thought and fun speculation.

CW: ED

background:

back in 2017, i made a new friend. i quickly became kinda obsessed with her. i idolized how tall and skinny she was, her radiant sunshine-like presence, and the way she was so much cooler than me. something about her just drew me in like a magnet.

one day she told me that she was “bi-curious,” and i felt the unexplainable urge to tell her that i was queer too—so i did.

thus started our intense homoerotic friendship. we talked about everything, and she was rather touchy and flirty with me (we even hooked up a few times). but she was hung up on this dude who she’d been in a long-term off-and-on relationship with. looking back, i think she saw me as a willing participant in her experimentation phase—a source of casual fun while on a break from her ‘real’ relationship (plus, i came with the added bonus of helping her figure out her sexuality a bit).

meanwhile, i was serious about us because i was in love with her. as such, the relationship was obviously very unhealthy: neither of us had appropriate expectations of the other, and because of the imbalance in our level of commitment/love, she ended up inadvertently taking advantage of my friendship in ways that only increased my obsession with her. naturally, our friendship eventually imploded.

i think the kaylor story may look similar.

my theory on kaylor:

i think that kaylor had a very similar friendship as me and my friend. their connection obviously started out as pr, but they ended up getting along well and bonded. thus started their genuine friendship.

i think that their eating disorders were likely a strong source of bonding/connection for them, as this was the case for me and my friend as well. i wanted to emulate how skinny my friend was, just how i think taylor wanted to emulate how skinny karlie was. (remember the vogue best best friends video, in which taylor complemented karlie’s “shiny abs.”) this is obviously an unhealthy place to start a friendship: from day one, you are on uneven ground, where one person is essentially worshipping the other and seeing them as a god-like figure to emulate.

imagine that taylor in that sort of mindset with karlie. and on top of that, she’s attracted to karlie—obsessed with her skinny body, her sunshine-like personality, how sophisticated she is, how effortlessly successful she is, etc. she develops an infatuation with karlie. she wants to take karlie to big sur with her and play 1989 on the way, and she’s so obsessed with karlie that she wants to tell her the truth about the 1989 muse. (trust me, it’s feasible—i told my friend shit i’d never have even imagined confessing to another human, all because of how infatuated with her i was.) so taylor and karlie sit down, have an intensely emotional conversation about how taylor is bi, how the pressures of staying closeted gut her every day, how her relationship with the 1989 muse dianna was so full of strife due to closeting, etc. /// or maybe taylor feels that she must disclose her bisexuality to karlie before the big sur trip. she’s terrified that if she doesn’t tell karlie she’s bi, then karlie will somehow find out. and taylor’s afraid that then, karlie will be creeped out that a ~predatory lesbian~ invited her on a three-month sleepover, leading to the demise of their friendship. so taylor must avoid that outcome – so she must come out to karlie.

so, for either reason i described, taylor comes out to karlie. considering how scared taylor is to come out to karlie (since it might ruin their friendship, or karlie might maliciously out her to others now that she knows, etc.) and considering how generally poor taylor’s mental health was at the time, the coming out inevitably evolves into an intensely emotional conversation about taylor’s fears, insecurities, the pressures of being a closeted mega-celebrity, etc. perhaps karlie feels compelled to match the level of emotion and vulnerability, motivating her to tell taylor “i’m questioning if i might be a little bi too.” or perhaps taylor’s level of earnestness and rawness stirs up the illusion of intense emotions inside of karlie. so, karlie “comes out” to taylor – confessing that she’s questioning/bi-curious (for context, i think karlie is kinsey 1). /// (to show the validity of this possibility – this is how evangelical churches, such as the one shown in the 2006 documentary “jesus camp”, are able to convince children that they’re being overcome by the holy spirit, being prompted by god to break down in tears, etc. – psychologically speaking, when people are put into highly intense emotional situations, [such as taylor breaking down while coming out to karlie], their brains will feel inadvertent pressure to match the level of emotion. as such, their brains will either exacerbate existing relevant emotions, or create the illusion of relevant strong emotions. [this is probably especially true for karlie, since she is an empath and a people pleaser.]).

thus starts the “friends with occasional benefits” stage. karlie views the relationship as something casual, something that gal pals do sometimes, something fun to experiment with while she and josh are on a break, and maybe with the added bonus of helping her figure out if she’s actually a little bit queer.

but taylor falls hard. as i already said, i think taylor was infatuated with karlie’s personality, success, and skinniness. that’s why taylor is willing to engage in such an unhealthy and un-reciprocal relationship: she’s willing to tolerate josh’s presence, because her brain is so fixated on karlie that she’s willing to endure anything for her. taylor may even recognize that kaylor is doomed, but she’s so in love/obsessed that she can’t bring herself to care about anything other than the utter infatuation she feels in this present moment. (this was true of me and my friend – my friend would literally vent to me about her long-term on-again-off-again boyfriend, and i was willing to endure it because of how obsessed with her i was.) or maybe taylor’s somewhat in denial about josh. (this was also true of me and my friend – i had such a hard time conceptualizing that she had feelings for the man that my brain, to some extent, refused to fully grasp the reality of that.) or maybe taylor was even in denial about how intensely she loved karlie, convincing herself that she just really valued her platonic friendship (i also did this – it took me months to admit that i had a crush on my friend and admit that my level of obsession wasn’t normal gal pal behavior – even though i was already out to myself.) also keep in mind the eating disorder dynamic here – taylor looked to karlie as an idol regarding how to eat healthy, exercise, be skinny, and be successful. the mindset of people engaged in eating disorders tends to be obsessive and unhealthy to the extent of being willing to ignore reality / unknowingly refusing to accept reality, possibly including the reality of josh, if taylor feels like her skinniness is dependent on her connection with karlie.

so basically, karlie sees this as a gal pal fling, friends with the occasional casual benefit. taylor, conversely, is infatuated with karlie. one thing that really confirms this for me is kissgate. taylor was liking kaylor shipped tumblr posts shortly before kissgate – she obviously was feeling something for karlie that night. but karlie wasn’t committed to taylor to the same level – yes they (allegedly) made out, but karlie made out with josh immediately afterwards. /// to taylor, kaylor is a ship, an endgame. but to karlie, taylor is just a fun little pit stop, and she’s gonna go make out with her real boyfie immediately after.

eventually, the friendship inevitably implodes, leading to their breakup in 2016. some straw finally breaks the camel’s back on this relationship which was unhealthy and doomed from day 1.

now let’s look at lyrical evidence from repuation that supports my theory.

lyrical evidence from reputation:

ready for it

the bearding anthem. verses “he” are joe, as confirmed by the music video. chorus “you” is her fantasy idealized version of long-term kaylor.

there’s a reason that the “you” relationship (in the chorus) is happening IN HER DREAMS and not in real life – she pines for this committed and serious relationship with karlie, but that’s not reality.

but taylor has hope that it might happen – “i know i’m gonna be with you, so I TAKE MY TIME.” she imagines they’ll be friends-to-lovers, and she’s willing to wait as long as necessary for them to fully reach that lovers stage

this is a stretch, but “thief”/“robber” may refer to how she’s “stealing” karlie from josh lol. “touch me and you’ll never be alone” may also be a cheeky reference how taylor was like a temporary placeholder for josh – when karlie felt alone bc she and josh were on a break, taylor was like “touch me karlie, to keep you occupied while josh has left you alone. and oh yeah, if you end up in a relationship with me, then i promise that you’ll never be alone, bc i will commit to you, unlike that josh boy. i will be so much better than him, if you just let me.”

end game (but only the chorus/verse which taylor wrote)

“i WANNA be your endgame” – taylor is not in a committed relationship with karlie. as karlie sees it, they’re just fooling around. but taylor wants more than that: she wants to be karlie’s endgame.

“you and me would be a big conversation” bc they’re gay. (sorry joseph matthew alwyn, this line is not about you)

“i don’t wanna touch you …… like the other girls do” may be a reference to how karlie is gal pals with plenty of her female friends (example – her platonic yet very affectionate relationship with toni garrn). but taylor wants more than that – she wants their touches to be romantic rather than just platonic/occasionally casually sexual.

“i don’t wanna hurt you” – taylor fears that she’s bad news for karlie (a sentiment repeated in the first line of delicate, the bridge of i did something bad, etc.). this may be internalized homophobia – the predatory lesbian falls in love with her pure/innocent straight best friend and then corrupts her with homosexuality.

“but i ain’t tryna play” – taylor wants this relationship to be more than just the occasional fun/playful/casual hook up. she wants to be karlie’s end game.

“i hit you like ‘bang’, we tried to forget it, but we just couldn’t” may refer to the first time they hooked up. it was unexpected, just happened so suddenly (“like ‘bang’”). and they were just going to put it past them – sometimes friends hook up, it’s whatever. but taylor can’t move on from it.

“your body is gold” – self-explanatory. karlie is the gold rush girl, after all.

“you’ve been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks” reminds me of how i used to try to communicate my seriousness/love to my friend, but she’d laugh it off and assume i was joking. conversely, perhaps the “trick” is that taylor is pretending that she’s not super invested in karlie—maybe karlie is catching on to the fact that taylor is infatuated with her in a ~gay way~. taylor denies it, but karlie calls her bluff on that statement.

“here’s the truth from my red lips” – but in the music video, her lips aren’t red when she says this line. this may allude to all of the lying involved in her relationship with karlie (such as lying about just how in love with karlie she really was). or taylor may have her lips a different color because the truth has changed from the time she wrote this song to the time she’s filming the video – when she wrote this song, it was true that she wanted to be karlie’s endgame. but by the time rep era is here and they’re filming this video, the kaylor friendship is over, and it is no longer true that taylor wants to be karlie’s endgame.

i did something bad

just like in “ready for it”, i think the verses primarily refer to bearding (or maybe calvin/kimye, idk), but the chorus is about karlie.

“they say did something bad / then why’s it feel so good” – it is bad that she slept with karlie despite the fact that karlie is in a complicated long term relationship with josh. but the sex felt good ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

“and i’d do it over and over and over again / IF I COULD” – this implies that taylor only did ~the bad thing~ a few times, and she was unable to do it more times, even though she wanted to. this lines up with my theory that she and karlie hooked up a few times (casually in karlie’s eyes), but taylor wanted it to be more than just a few times (she wanted to be karlie’s endgame). but they couldn’t get to that committed place of routinely having sex bc karlie was still low key hung up on josh.

this is a very unlikely reach but – “he says ‘don’t throw away a good thing’” – “he” might be josh speaking to karlie about their relationship.

in the bridge, taylor says that she is a witch being unjustly burned. the witch is burned because she is being accused of the sin of dark magic – this parallels josh accusing taylor of being a witch who committed the sin of sleeping with his girlfriend, or maybe even the sin of “corrupting” the pure straight girl karlie. furthermore, the bridge invokes religious imagery of purgatory. and tbh, religious imagery is almost always gay xoxo.

don’t blame me

“don’t blame me, love made me crazy” again implies that taylor has committed a sort of ~crime~, such as the ~crimes~ i just mentioned regarding the don’t blame me bridge.

“my drug is my baby” – the drug reference makes me think of dependency. the obsession and infatuation i experienced with my friend (and that i suspect taylor experienced with karlie) is sort of like a drug dependency – and just like a drug dependency, the need for each other is not reciprocal (the drug does not need you back).

“shaking, pacing, i just need you” implies that taylor does not have “you”, which is consistent with my theory that she wanted kaylor to be endgame whereas karlie was only willing to doing occasional gal pal hook ups.

“for you, i would cross the line” / “they say she’s gone too far this time” – sleeping with josh kushner’s ~innocent straight~ girlfriend certainly crosses a line, lol.

“i would waste my time” – as i mentioned in my ready for it analysis, taylor hopes that kaylor be friends-to-lovers. she’s willing to wait as long as necessary for them to fully reach that lovers stage, even though she recognizes that the relationship is doomed and thus a waste of time.

“my name is whatever you decide” – we don’t have to “girlfriends.” we can just be “friends with benefits” or “gal pals” or whatever name you decide, because i am so desperate to have you at all that i will accept you in any form.

“i’m insane, but i’m your baby” – acknowledging that this unhealthy relationship/infatuation she has with karlie is “insane”

“halo hiding my OBSESSION” – “obsession” (!!!!) (that’s what i’ve been saying kaylor was!!!). also, “halo” is a religious metaphor, and religious metaphors are always gay xoxo. and this is a reach, but as a victoria’s secret angel, karlie wears a halo.

“i once was poison ivy, but now i’m your daisy” – i’m sorry, but i’ll never get over the fact that karlie tagged the daisy as taylor, and then taylor drew a picture of a daisy in an identical position above the word “daisy” in the handwritten lyrics.

“for you, i would fall from grace / just to touch your face” – religious metaphors are gay xoxo!

delicate – unsure if this song is about karlie (i think it’s more likely about lily or even joe), but if it is about karlie, it does align well with my kaylor theory.

“this ain’t for the best” – doomed relationship due to josh, corruption of straight girl, karlie won’t commit, etc.

“we can’t make / any promises” – karlie can’t commit to taylor like taylor wants/needs

“is it cool that i said all that? is it chill that you’re in my head? cuz i know that it’s delicate” – is it cool that i have gay feelings for you, bestie, because i know we’re toeing a very delicate line between friends and lovers?

“third floor on the west side” – iirc, the master bedroom of karlie’s west side apartment was on the third floor

“do the girls back home touch you like i do?” – contrasting platonic girls’ touches to the type of touch taylor is giving her. (similar vibe to “i don’t wanna touch you …… like the other girls do” in end game)

“stay here, honey, I DON’T WANNA SHARE” – i don’t wanna share you with josh

“I PRETEND YOU’RE MINE ALL THE DAMN TIME” – implies that karlie is not hers all the time (because she’s josh’s)

“i like you …… i want you” – taylor is Yearning™ for a deeper/more serious relationship with karlie

look what you made me do

i don’t think this song has much substance, but it may draw on themes/emotions from the kaylor friendship break up.

“i don’t like your games” – i don’t like how you led me on, making me feel like we could be forever when, in reality, you were never going to commit to me because you loved josh

“don’t like your tilted stage” – this reminds me of the power imbalance i mentioned earlier: taylor was obsessed with karlie and idolized her. karlie did not reciprocate this dedication and infatuation. because taylor’s love for karlie is so much more intense than karlie’s love for her, the metaphorical scale is imbalanced, making it tilt.

“the role you made me play, of the fool” – you made me out to be a fool, ready to confess my undying love even though you could never reciprocate. // furthermore, the “role” may refer to how they had to act like platonic girl squad besties as per their pr arrangement (reminds me of how karlie publicly said “taylor and i are still besties” after karlie’s name wasn’t on the junior jewels shirt in the lwymmd mv, how karlie promo-ed the “Me!” filter on Instagram, the song closure, etc.)

“your perfect crime” – the crime of sleeping with taylor despite being low key still with josh

“i got smarter” – i began to realize how unhealthy this warped and imbalanced friendship was

“you asked me for a place to sleep / locked me out and threw a feast” – this may refer to karlie had a ~designated bestie sleepover room~ in taylor’s house, and that enty blind about how karlie used taylor’s credit card and that caused a feud lol

i do not think that “so it goes” is about karlie – it’s too reciprocal. i don’t think gorgeous is about karlie specifically – maybe lily or just women in general. and i agree with andy’s theory that getaway car is more so an exercise in storytelling than a song that contains substantive clues about her relationships.

king of my heart

we have the photos showing that taylor wrote/recorded this after facetiming with karlie to watch the sunset together. taylor wrote this right after that romantic coded date, presumably during a high point of their friendship/relationship – as such, this song is more idealistic than most other kaylor songs. taylor is hopeful about the future of a committed endgame kaylor. (but, we’ll also see that taylor does still have some insecurities about kaylor.)

“now you try on calling me baby like trying on clothes” – karlie is just “trying on” calling her baby. karlie is new to this whole wlw thing, and she won’t be wearing these metaphorical clothes (a wlw relationship) for long – she’s just trying them on. furthermore, “trying on clothes” may reference how karlie is a model.

“salute to me, i’m your american queen” – i think i remember from my ttb days (derogatory) that there’s a video clip of karlie calling taylor “the perfect all-american girl” whilst doing a salute.

“you move to me like a motown beat” may reference the “motown beats” instagram post where kaylor are putting on lipstick together

the fact that taylor includes the line “all the boys and their expensive cars … never took me quite where you do” may be a sign of taylor’s insecurity. i think this may be a message to karlie – ‘yes, josh is a rich boy with expensive cars, but look, we are so much better than joshlie is.’ calling josh a mere “boy” is also a funny little insult – he’s not a man, he’s just some silly little boy who can’t satisfy you like i can.

“body and soul” – i think it might be significant that taylor specifies body AND soul. they’re already connected by the soul through their close friendship – but now they’re connecting sexually with their bodies as well. conversely, this could reference how they’ve already connected bodily through casual gal pal hook ups, but now taylor believes that they’re starting to connect on that romantic soul level as well.

“school girl crush” gives me such unreciprocated crush vibes. maybe taylor’s crush was unreciprocated for a while, but she has reason to believe that their relationship is growing into ~more than just friends~, as she’s desired

“drinking beer out of plastic cups” – knicks game

“say you fancy me, not fancy stuff” – “fancy” could just be straight-bait to make swiftwyn beards look more convincing, or it could be a re-dedication of the song to joe (just how the bridge of dress re-dedicated that song to joe). (for context, i believe in swiftwyn beards-to-lovers.) but what’s important here is that “fancying stuff” made me think of how, as a model, karlie is like madona’s Material Girl. rich boy josh with his fancy cars can give karlie more “stuff” to satisfy her inner material girl, but taylor wants to show karlie that she can give her deeper fulfillment than that.

“this is enough” – this might be taylor reassuring herself that their relationship, despite being in a weird ~gal pals who hook up occassionally~ is enough. even though they’re not ~girlfriends~, the relationship is enough, because taylor believes that they’re working their way towards that ~body and soul endgame wives~ type of relationship.

“all at once” may refer to a seemingly sudden shift in the nature of their relationship – one day, they’re (infuriatingly) just gal pals who hook up, but all of a sudden, taylor has reason to believe/hope that maybe they’re starting to be more than that, maybe inching their way towards endgame territory.

i do not think that dancing with our hands tied is necessarily about karlie. it seems too reciprocal to be just about her; it might be an amalgamation of many relationships and how she frequently fears being outed.

dress

“a golden tattoo” – drake’s party. also, karlie is gold rush girl

“all of this silence, pining and anticipation / my hands are shaking from holding back from you / all of this silence, pining and desperately waiting” – once again implies that taylor does not have karlie the way she wants her. there’s “pining” because she wants more than karlie can give. and taylor is “desperately waiting” in hopes that maybe one day karlie will reciprocate her love to the full extent that she desires

“i don’t want you like a best friend” – self-explanatory

“carve your name into my bedpost” – taylor is making a request – ‘please commit, please leave a sign that you are committed to me forever, please be my endgame.’ note the dichotomy between this plea for karlie to take the initiative to make the carving, versus the statement in the first verse of how karlie inadvertently left “an indentation in the shape of” her. the indentation was not an act of karlie’s chosen will – taylor just so happened to fall in love with her, and now she’s asking karlie to reciprocate by making that carving.

“inescapable, i’m not even gonna try” – taylor is resigned to the fact that she’s fallen for karlie, even though the relationship might be doomed (as the next line demonstrates)

“if I get burned, at least we were electrified” – taylor is acknowledging that this relationship is low key doomed, and if anyone is going to get hurt, it’ll be taylor. taylor will be the one getting “burned” by the intensity of her infatuation, whereas karlie won’t be burned because she never reciprocated that intense love. /// going back to my commentary on “carve your name into my bedpost” – note how taylor frequently references karlie “claiming” her (with “marks”, “indentations”, “carvings”, and now “burns”), whereas taylor never states that she’s claimed karlie in any way. i think this may reflect taylor’s recognition that she has fallen much harder for karlie than karlie has for her. karlie does not bear marks, indentations, carvings, or burns from their relationship, because she was never as committed as taylor was. but taylor bears all those things because it is she who fell so hard for karlie.

“you kiss my face and we’re both drunk” reminds me of that trope where the gal pals only make out when they’re drunk because they’re convinced they’re actually straight. maybe karlie is one of those straight girls who only has so much capacity for wlw sex, meaning that it happens more often when she’s drunk than when sober.

i do not think that “this is why we can’t have nice things” is a direct karlie song. it may indirectly reference how karlie “broke” the “nice thing” that was their relationship by refusing to commit, but i don’t think that the song has anything substantive to show us about kaylor.

i’m not sure if i think “call it what you want” is a kaylor song. on some level, “fit like a daydream” does sound like eating disorder taylor idolizing karlie’s body, and it’s interesting to me how the subject of the song expresses virtually no devotion to taylor, whereas taylor spends the whole song telling the subject “call it what you want – call us girlfriends, gal pals, whatever you want as long as i can keep you.” this reminds me a bit of kaylor.

new year’s day

“don’t read the last page” because i know that this book has a sad ending. this relationship is doomed, and it’s going to end poorly. but let’s put that out of our minds – i’m to infatuated with you in this moment to think about how this will inevitably end.

“i stay when you’re lost and i’m scared and you’re turning away” – when karlie is “lost” (leaving taylor to go back to josh) or “turning away” from taylor to go back to josh, taylor stays. she’s scared that she’s going to lose karlie, but she’s still going to stay, because she’s willing to “waste her time” (don’t blame me) waiting for karlie to choose her.

“i stay when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes” – taylor is willing to stay through the mess of their imbalanced and un-reciprocal relationship even when that inevitably gets hard. their relationship is “wrong” because karlie is josh’s, and maybe kaylor was a mistake because of joshlie, but taylor doesn’t care – she loves karlie too much, so she’s going to stay and wait for karlie to choose her.

“i WANT your midnights” – implying that taylor does not currently have them, because karlie is not reciprocating the level of love taylor is giving and wants in return.

“hold on to the memories” implies that this relationship will be ending soon (because it is doomed), leaving karlie only memories to hold onto.

“i will hold onto you” – this goes back to the theme of taylor’s obsession. karlie is her drug – she’s addicted to her, and she will “waste her time” eternally waiting for karlie to choose her because she’s that obsessed with her.

“please don’t ever become a stranger” – why is taylor worrying about this? because the relationship is doomed, and becoming strangers feels like this horrible yet inevitable ending that will be a part of “the last page”

thanks for reading, and sorry about any typos!

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

SUBMISSION

I found this as part of my Insta ask era but let’s look over this for thoughts. Haven’t read it yet but I know anon was stressed it got lost (it did because y’all talk too much but also don’t stop I love it).

#nat talks kaylor #submission

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rejectclone · 3 years ago

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does anyone other than b055 m4n truly love [R] or do most people at the police station just tolerate him out of obligation? is there any possibility that someone else will warm up to him someday and view him as a member of society? socially speaking, is there any hope for [R]?

To be honest, in terms of PURE unconditional love, yes it’s really only B055 who would absolutely do anything for [R] 10000%. Even though they’re not biologically related at all and that he’s only been his adoptive father for only about 3 years of [R]’s lifespan, he sincerely loves his son so goddamn much that he’ll literally break his hard-coded data (the thing the government implanted in him that keeps him ‘in-check’ from having complete freedom over his thoughts and actions, as it limits him and his control over any electrical or internet source he can tap into) and essentially break the law just to protect him in any capacity.

As for the others at the station, most only tolerate him, as eventually it becomes literally the worst hate crime ever to purposely verbally hurt or physically assault any sort of human clone (the US government is still reeling from [R]’s existence and all of the new kinds of social legal baggage that comes with it, so they went the EXTREME route in order to protect him and the very few other ‘healthy’ clones that exist to avoid further new law writing chaos in the Senate) so they becomes just incredibly overly kind around him, fearing for their jobs at this point. They all treat him with kid gloves, either being overly kind or wanting to assist him when he’s stuck doing something. Eventually [R] realizes that all of their ‘kindness’ is just a facade, and he becomes quite distressed, and eventually begs for the others to treat him like a ‘normal’ person and not some charity case. Some do eventually oblige and appear to be more lax around him, while others are still clearly stressed out and overly kind when talking to him.

Devon however seems to be the most comfortable around him, and is actually a pretty good friend to [R]! Before his exposure to the world, back when he hid behind a hazmat suit, Devon would already take him out to the local aquarium, mall, and other various fun locations to just chill. Due to Devon being mute and also a bit shy when socializing thanks to their imposing physique, and [R] struggling to speak clearly a lot, they both confide in each other’s mutual silence and seemingly are at peace when being together. Even their body language now seems to be much more lax and comfortable around each other, as Devon usually is seen as on-edge and tense, while [R] is usually seen as a timid wreak on the verge of tears. Their platonic relationship would definitely become stronger over time as they can go to more locations that [R] previously couldn’t go to, and especially since….. [R] does have a massive crush on Devon……..

Lydia has also warmed up to him, as she essentially became not only his caretaker but also fills the role of a mother figure in his life, but still feels a bit perturbed when he addresses her as ‘mom’. Jared is a mixed bag, as he sincerely feels regret and shame for treating [R] like TRASH when he used to wear the hazmat suit to hide his true appearance. He’s trying to make amends for his previous transgressions towards him, but internally now has a massive fear of being literally beaten and torn to death by [R], as he subconsciously feels like he deserves it/is his eventual fate. Ren is similar to Devon in terms of being a close friend and deeply sympathizes with [R]’s plight, and those two will hang out occasionally, but oddly enough only at nighttime (it seems like REN’s underground reputation is taking a hit from him being all buddy-buddy with a kiddish clone, but at the same time he genuinely enjoys being with [R] and doesn’t want to ruin their relationship).

[R] doesn’t want to talk about him and Deangelo’s former friendship.

As for society as a whole, [R] has become the public face for the humanitarian issue of fighting for clones to be seen as natural human beings, regardless of their non-live birth origin. His appearance has been plastered all over the news for such a short time, and yet nearly every human citizen on Earth knows who he is (even the clusters of moon colonists, who absolutely despise ‘non-colonist’ news and have their issues to handle on the moon, have been following his case intently) and they all feel some sense of complete sympathy or absolute fear when talking about him. He can’t really go anywhere without people staring in either horror or pure fascination, and it obviously makes him feel so distressed. He doesn’t want to be seen as some sort of symbolic icon for non-human equality, and just wants to live a normal social life. People would constant stop him to take a picture, and he usually obliges since he doesn’t want to be seen as a cold clone, but it makes him feel like people only see him as some sort of twisted mascot.

Because of this, he’s usually only out in very brief stints with Jared, Devon, or any other appointed cop from the station, as they essentially act as private security for him while also just helping him get around the city, since [R] does tend to feel spatially lost easily. In regards to his relationships with robot citizens however, they’re ALL fully accustomed to his presence and treats him the way he wants to oddly enough. Every robot on Earth is already hard-coded with the three laws of robotics, and thus are literally incapable of any sort of discrimination to any sort of living being, regardless of if they’re a naturally born human or a human clone. [R] is quick to befriending a lot of specialized occupation robots across the city (mainly ones that work at restaurants and art stores that he frequents) and they all treat him with the mutual respect he always wanted.

It will probably take a decade….. or two for human society to properly embrace [R] with open arms, but slowly but surely people will realize that him and the other surviving clones are just as human as them….. maybe even more human.

#if humanity can become FULLY accustomed to robots having the same rights and protections as humans….. why not for clones?#[redacted]#B055 M4N #devon cox #jared clements #lydia hall #ren nakamura #deangelo moore #vinyl scratching

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conradscrime · 4 years ago

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Winnie Ruth Judd: The Trunk Murderess

March 11, 2021

This is one of my all time favourite true crime cases. I first heard about Winnie Ruth Judd, also known as “the Trunk Murderess” a few years ago when my grandmother let me borrow a book she had read about it. The book I read was written by Jana Bommersbach and was truly amazing, she did an incredible job telling the story and did not skip a detail. This is a long case and I will not be covering everything in this short post, however I encourage everyone to do their own research and read the book!

Winnie Ruth McKinnell, also known as Marian Lane later in life, was born on January 29, 1905 in Indiana to parents Rev. H. J. McKinnell who was a Methodist minister and his wife Carrie.

Winnie met and married Dr. William C. Judd in 1922 at the age of 17. Dr. Judd was 20 years older than Winnie and a World War I veteran and their marriage had various problems. Dr. Judd was a morphine addict who had a hard time keeping down a job thus making the couple move around a lot and face financial struggles. Winnie was unable to have children and this further strained the marriage.

In 1930 Winnie and her husband were living separately but still communicated quite frequently. Winnie moved to Phoenix Arizona and began working as a governess for a wealthy family.

It was in Phoenix where Winnie met John J. Halloran, also known as “Happy Jack” by the media. Happy Jack was a very well known businessman and extremely good looking and though he was married him and Winnie began an affair.

Winnie found a job working as a secretary at a medical clinic and this where she would meet her two best friends, Agnes Anne LeRoi and Hedvig “Sammy” Samuelson who were roommates having moved from Alaska to Phoenix due to Sammy contracting tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was extremely common back in the 1930′s and it was known that areas of warmer climates helped those with TB get better, so Phoenix being an extremely hot and sunny place was ideal.

Anne and Sammy also knew Happy Jack and it seems as though they were very flirty with him as well. Jack apparently was the ladies “meal ticket” they relied on him heavily financially and emotionally and he had made a connection with all of them.

The three women hit it off and soon became fast friends, with Winnie even moving in with Anne and Sammy for a brief period in 1931, though she soon moved out in her own apartment as there was some differences among them. I’m assuming these differences were very minor, they just seemed to have differences about running a household because the three remained besties even after Winnie moved out on her own.

On the night of October 16, 1931 an alleged fight broke out between the three women and Winnie Ruth Judd murdered Anne LeRoi and Sammy Samuelson. Winnie shot both women with a .25 caliber handgun in their bungalow and what she did with the bodies is extremely disturbing.

Two days later on October 18, 1931 Winnie boarded the train on her way to Los Angeles, California and had two trunks of luggage with her. However, one of the baggage handlers said the luggage smelled really bad as well as he could see some kind of “fluid” escaping from them. He notified the district baggage agent thinking that what was inside the trunks was just deer meat. How wrong he was.

The trunks were then tagged to be held for inspection and when asked for the key to open the trunks Winnie Ruth Judd claimed she did not have a key for them. The trunks were sent to the police station where the police finally opened them and what was found inside was extremely disturbing.

The dismembered body of Sammy Samuelson were found inside of the trunks, while Anne LeRoi’s body was found stuffed into a trunk but completely intact; she had not been dismembered. Winnie was not there when the police discovered the contents in the trunks, she had actually gotten her brother to pick her up and drop her off somewhere in L.A. When the contents of the trunks were discovered Winnie Ruth Judd had disappeared though she eventually turned herself in a few days later on October 23, 1931.

Of course Winnie became the prime suspect right away since she literally was attempting to travel with two trunks full of her best friends dismembered bodies. She was dubbed “The Trunk Murderess” “Tiger Woman” and “The Blonde Butcher” and the media had an absolute field day with it.

The main motive people suspected was obviously jealously. The prosecution believed that Winnie had murdered her friends because they also had feelings for Happy Jack and that the women were fighting over him when they were killed.

When police visited the bungalow where the murders took place on October 19, 1931 they made some shocking discoveries. According to police it did not appear as if the women were shot during an enraged fight at all, it appeared as though they were actually shot and killed in their sleep.

The strange part was that both of the women’s mattresses were not found in the house when police went. One mattress was found miles away in a vacant lot with no blood stains on it and one mattress was never found at all.

Winnie Ruth Judd’s trial began on January 19, 1932. She was only being tried for the murder of Anne though, not Sammy, therefore the dismemberment aspect was never brought up in court because Anne had not been dismembered.

They argued that the murders were premeditated and that Winnie had planned this due to the fact that the women’s friendship was deteriorating with jealously over Jack Halloran. Winnie herself had a gunshot wound on her left hand which they believed was self-inflicted; her attempt to take the blame off of herself.

Winnie Ruth Judd was charged with first-degree murder on February 8 and was sentenced to hang on February 17, 1933. They figured a death sentence would make Winnie confess who her accomplice was because a lot of people found it impossible that a small woman like Winnie Ruth Judd would have been able to kill, dismember, and get the bodies in the trunks all on her own.

However, Winnie’s death sentence was overturned after they found her mentally incompetent and she was sent to the Arizona State Asylum for the Insane on April 24, 1933.

Jack Halloran became under suspicious when it was found that he had been having an affair with Winnie. Lots of people believed that he was Winnie’s accomplice in the murders and had helped her dismember them. Winnie testified against Jack in mid January 1933.

Winnie claimed that on the night of the murders she had gone over to Anne and Sammy’s place to hangout and play bridge with them. At one point she said the three women began fighting because Winnie had told them that another woman Jack had been seen hanging with named Lucille Moore had syphilis and was being treated for it. Supposedly the women began telling Winnie that she needed to let Jack know about the syphilis but Winnie told the women she could not tell Jack about Lucille’s medical history because of her job and the risk of losing it plus according to her Jack and Lucille were just friends.

Anne and Sammy did not believe this and Anne threatened Winnie telling her she would tell Jack about Lucille’s syphilis. Winnie fighting back told Anne that if she told Jack, Winnie would go around and tell everyone that Anne and Sammy were lesbians which I think was a rumour going around considering the two women lived together and were unmarried at their age, and back in the 1930′s that was insane.

Winnie said the women started physically attacking her and she killed them in self defence. I just want to say the above information about syphilis and lesbianism is from one source I found and there is probably no way of knowing if this is exactly what started the fight between the three women.

Jack’s team argued that Winnie was crazy and that this was the story of a crazy person and Jack was freed from the case on January 25, 1933 though his reputation was still ruined and he eventually fell out of business and died in 1939.

Winnie escaped from the asylum a total of 6 times, with the longest time being from 1963 to 1969 when her identity was finally discovered in California and she was taken back to Arizona.

Winnie Ruth Judd was paroled on December 22, 1971 and in 1983 she was issued an absolute discharge meaning she was no longer considered a parolee. Winnie Ruth Judd died at the age of 93 on October 23, 1998 in Stockton California.

Winnie had written a confession in 1933 stating that she had planned to murder Anne due to her fighting for Jack’s affection with Winnie. Winnie claimed she had not intended to kill Sammy, but when Sammy walked in on Winnie and found Anne dead she began to fight with her. In this confession Winnie said that everything had been done by her alone, she had not had an accomplice, not even to help her transport the trunks.

Some people do not believe that this is a true confession, they think that Winnie just wrote this in an attempt to keep going with an insanity plea. So what do you guys think? Is Winnie guilty of murdering her friends in cold blood, did she really just mean to kill Anne or did she kill both women in self-defense? I’d love to hear what you guys think about this one!

I barley scratched the surface of all of the interesting information about this case, I 100% recommend you all look further into this one because it’s insanely interesting to me and there’s so much more to it.

I don’t think we will ever truly know what happened on the night of October 16, 1931, but after almost 90 years this case still haunts America.

#winnie #ruth #judd #trunk #murderess #truecrime #true crime #unsolved #solved #1930s #arizona #california #Crime

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nctzendreamz · 5 years ago

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Crazy, Rich, and They Hate Me :: Finale

Jaehyun finally takes you home, but he forgets to mention that his family is the richest in South Korea.

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five

Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine

Jaehyun x Reader ft. NCT

Genre: Angst/ Fluff

You and Jasmine had ran to eachother for a lot of things. Boy problems, girl problems, health problems, money problems; any problem. But as you stood infront of her door, the audio of the doorbell making your ears ring even worse. You didn’t want to be here.

This had to have hit too close to home, right? I mean, during your whole friendship it was a running joke that the two of you were the complete opposite, when in reality you were more alike than either of you had wanted.

You knew if you just pulled up, sad attempt to confess what just happened, you wouldn’t be able to open your mouth. You were guaranteed to make up some lie about how his mom officially forbade you to be in a relationship with Jaehyun, so you told her the whole story as you walked to this destination.

Before an hour ago, you felt so pretty. Usually you hated red, but that way Jaehyun’s eyes just couldn’t leave your body made you feel a confidence you hadn’t felt in too long looking so dressed up. You hated him now. You knew it wasn’t his fault. But you did. You never wanted to see him again.

A now familiar sight to you, the door slid open, but the Jasmine you had known all your life wasn’t behind the door. There was nothing but pure sympathy in her eyes, and she opened the door at a slow place. She clearly didn’t know exactly how to react, not that she was supposed to.

“I’m so sorry.” Her voice trembled.

Tears were the only source of communication you could give her.

“I’ve been gone a month, Jangmi. A month!” Minjun screamed, clearly fuming as he paced back and forth around their eerily empty mansion.

Jaehyun hadn’t had such a moment since he was a child. No one in sight except the three of them. No workers running around, ready to do whatever they asked. Not even the smell of dinner from his grandma could be scented. And his dad being here? This couldn’t be real.

“What is that supposed to mean?” His mother argued, staying seated on her velvet loveseat. Her and her son both silently agreed that they couldn’t be near eachother right now. She was on one side of the seat, while Jaehyun had completely rose when she arrived to the scene, unable to look her in the eye.

“I told you that Jaehyun was serious about that girl, didn’t I?”

“Was I supposed to take you seriously? Hm?” She protested loudly, her voice raising in volume with each word. “Why are you yelling at me when you should be yelling at your son!”

“My son?” He scoffed. “You mean our son.”

“You know what I meant.”

“Our son found a woman that he loves. What’s the problem?”

“Did you not just hear what I told you?” She accused. “Her life will completely ruin our reputation. Every single thing the world thinks our son is, will crumble as if it was never there. Why can’t you see that!”

Jaehyun was trying his best to keep up with the heated discussion that echoed through his childhood home. But the only thing at the forefront of his mind was you. A nervous habit he had formed after falling in love with you; his body rocked back and forth, and his fingers couldn’t remove themselves from the grip of his teeth as he thought about all the terrible things that could’ve happened to you in the last hour.

He had never hated himself until today. Why did he bring you here? He should’ve just kept you a secret. He should’ve flew for the festivities, and came back to you tomorrow morning, where your life would still be intact. Your self-esteem would be at its normal level, where all he had to worry about were things that he could fix with his kisses and sweet nothings.

His bloody hands had been wrapped all alone, although in any other situation, his mother would’ve taken care of it. They probably would’ve joked around about his bruises, or something similar. That was the mother he knew. This vile, angry beast that he watched approach his father with sharp fingers wasn’t who he loved.

He didn’t want to be here anymore. Even in the bask of his fathers glory who was clearly fighting for him, couldn’t make him want to be here. His life was over, and not because of your news. It was because he knew; he fucking knew clearer than ever now that he had lost you for good. And it was his fault. All those times he tried to be the good guy, not trying to start any conflict. For the sake of you, and him, and your serenity, but it was doing nothing.

He let this happen, and now he had to pay the price.

He stood up abruptly, the both of his parents stopping their arguing to stare at him. He looked broken. He didn’t need a mirror to see that. He felt it. He felt too many things right now. If he didn’t go into his room right now, he didn’t know what was going to happen.

“Where do you think you’re going!” His mother spat. How bold of her. If anything, she should be begging for his forgiveness, but she couldn’t even stuff her pride.

“Jangmi, let him deal with everything that just happened. Let him breathe.”

“No. He needs to hear what we’re going through simply because of him. You came home expecting good news, but now we’re broken.”

Jaehyun continued to take gentle steps forward, remembering your own techniques for calming down. He never thought things like this worked, and he was correct in this theory.

“Your mother is—

“Mom! I am angry at you! More than angry!” He yelled suddenly, shaking the house. The minute he had to use his diaphragm, the burning of his nose took it as a signal to let the liquid drip from his eyes. “Do you not realize what the fuck you just did to me? Are you really that blind? You ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And I let you.” He trailed, looking at his higher power in embarrassment. “I let you.” He giggled through his tears now, looking nothing less of a psychopath. “You, the cousins, Yuna, grandma, everyone here. I let you guys trick me into believing you could be saved. I watched you destroy everything she had going for her when she came here, and I let you.”

“Son...” his father attempted to approach him, but Jaehyun snapped his shoulder away, making him flinch at once.

He wanted to say so many more things. Things that he didn’t mean, just so his mother could feel the hurt that was making his body pulse. But he decided to keep walking, knowing he wouldn’t be stopped this time.

Days had passed, and your phone had been off for the same amount of time. You wanted no parts in seeing any pictures of you and him. You didn’t want to see all of his apologies. You wanted to go home.

“Y/N, you need to eat.” Jasmine would say everyday. Even Heechul, who always had a snarky comment was being extra sweet to you, making you little pastries that were said to soothe you.

You’d always eat just enough to protect yourself from any true damage you could do to your body. You would always feel as if you had to throw up, but it would never actually happen. You knew it was all in your head.

The silk sheets that rested on your body were so uncomfortable right now; more proof that this life wasn’t for you. They were making you so hot.

“Y/N.” Jasmine’s soothing voice whispered into the large space of her many spare bedrooms, one you had happened to choose. You expected her at this time, with a tray of your favorite snacks. But when she appeared infront of you, she was empty handed. “We need to talk.”

You couldn’t deprive her of that. Neither of you had spoken about what you learned, and you truly believed it was because neither of you knew how to approach it. You weren’t ashamed of being adopted, and you hoped she knew that. Your lack of eating, and showering, and good hygiene in general wasnt because your true parents. It was because you knew you and Jaehyun were officially done. And you knew you were probably going to ruin his life, as his mother was just too spiteful. She would probably get the information out just because he was surely fighting your love; even through all of this drama.

Just to make him look bad, she’d do it.

“Do you have any questions?” She questioned awkwardly, fiddling with the rings she never took off. A gift from her new family, she explained.

“No.” Was all you could say, unable to look her in the eye.

“I hope you’re not ashamed. Or see yourself as less than because of what you know. You still have great parent—

“Jas.” You whispered in a purely sincere tone as your eyes filled to the brim with tears, “do you think I looked at you differently because you’re adopted?”

“I just—I know it’s not ideal. And I didn’t come from good parents and I just—“ Her voice cracked, and for the first time in your life, you were watching her cry. Her fighting spirit had her refusing to be in your arms, but you didn’t listen to her silent wishes. You snatched her up just as she had when you were on her doorstep about to have a mental breakdown.

“I have never looked down on you. To be exact, I’ve always looked up to you. I know you had your demons, and things that upset you, but you were always positive. I always wondered how you could be like that. How you could be so damn strong even though you had every right to be pissed off at the world.” You kissed her forehead, hating the way you were mimicking Jaehyun’s every move right now. “I love you, Jas. And so does your family. I hate that you met them later than you wanted, but what do I always say?”

“That everything happens for a reason.” She choked out.

“Exactly.” You took a deep swallow, knowing that was slogan but wanting it to be un-true in your case. You didn’t want this to be what fate wanted. You wanted there to be mistake in that foreign world. A mishap. But as you continued to dwell on your thoughts, you didn’t have positive feelings on it. No optimism.

You woke up the next morning with Jasmine in your bed, her tears still stained on the pillow beside you. Today was your last day before you had to take your flight, but you couldn’t just leave.

You turned your phone on, knowing it had a chance of practically blowing up from all the texts you knew you recieved. They were all from him. Every single one.

Twelve missed calls. A no exaggeration—twenty separate text messages from him. They started off so concerned, begging you to answer the phone. He was explaining that he just needed to hear you voice to make sure it was actually you responding to him.

As you continued to read, he told you that his father was here, and that he finally told his mom off. He confessed that even so, he felt no better, because he was weak. He didn’t say everything he wanted to say, and he wanted to go back in time to say everything over, better.

He then went on to tell you how much he loved you. He seemed to be arguing with himself, as he kept mentioning that he wasn’t enough. That it was he who didn’t deserve you, and he hated how terrible he was with words. He was trying to fit all of his love for you in a text message, and believed he was failing.

Even as the days skipped, he updated you about his day. He said he wouldn’t eat until he wanted to, which was never. His apologies were never ending, and your heart was close to its end.

He told you he was crying, and couldn’t stop. He told you that he cried so much that he had thrown up, but that he needed it. That it made him feel better for all you had gone through for absolutely no reason.

You couldn’t read any longer, feeling sick to your stomach as you knew he was telling the truth. A man didn’t do all of this for a woman he didn’t love. At least, not a man like Jung Jaehyun.

But love didn’t matter anymore.

You texted her, setting a time and place. She argued, saying that it would be best if you just came to the house.

Unlike every other time you were at the Jung residence, you weren’t dressed up today. Even with the preaching you planned to do in just a few moments, you couldn’t help but to feel so insecure. So less than.

“Y/N.” Was all she said when she let you in. “As you can see, he’s not here. I wasn’t lying.”

“I didn’t think you were.” You whispered, looking at your toes.

She didn’t look good. Now more than ever could you see the resemblance between the two of them. His dimple always shined at you when he was happy, but the exact same one was now moped out, cause being because she had her lips sucked in. It was the kind of expression one wore when they didn’t know what to say.

“So, what did you have to say to me?”

“You know I love Jaehyun, right?”

She was quick to answer. “Yes.” You knew she wasn’t going to miss a beat just yet.

“Do you think Jaehyun loves me?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you fight it so hard? Why wasn’t love enough for you?” Your tone was surprising gentle considering the words you were speaking. You preyed around her home, eyeing all of the artwork you never got to admire because you were always being bullied when you came here. Their family portrait actually read them to be great people.

“Because love isn’t enough. Do you know how many people in the world love eachother? If we married just for love, the world we be in a deeper hell.”

“So you don’t love Mr. Jung?”

“I got lucky.” Her voice waivered. You couldn’t see her facial expression. You didn’t want to look at her just yet.

“Lucky how?”

“Me and Minjun were soulmates who happened to come across eachother. We had love and the resources.”

“So you’re saying that if you didn’t have the resources, you shouldn’t have been able to marry the man you love?”

Her trailing of your moves stopped, as she could finally understand your game. She obviously didn’t like it. “Say what you want to say or get out of my house.”

You turned around from the splash art you were observing deeply, staring straight into her cold eyes. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume she had no soul. But you knew that wasn’t the case. She just didn’t like you.

“This will be the last time you see me.” You confessed, and you saw the way joy sparkled in her eyes. It hurt, even though you should’ve seen it coming. “And I know even right now you’re planning my departure, and trying to figure out who should really be Jaehyun’s bride. Who actually deserves him. Your choice. But never forget, that it was me, a poor girl from Los Angeles that is the reason that you will get your son back.”

She seemed shocked at your strong words. She clearly thought this was a bold claim from the way her eyebrows connected immediately, scoffing in offense.

“You can say what you want about me. And you can say what you want about our relationship, but your son is in love with me. And I know that eats you up inside, but read my lips when I say that we were in love. And we made eachother happy. I will always love him.” Your voice cracked, but you quickly sniffed to pull it together. “So ten years from now when you have little grandchildren running around, making everyone in the house laugh, but Jaehyun’s sitting in the corner and you just can’t seem to understand why he looks so unhappy, know it’s because he’s thinking about me, and about how this could’ve been us if only; you didn’t make me leave.”

“You watch—

“I’m giving you what you want. So I hope your happiness continues to override his own. And I hope that whoever he does marry doesn’t have to go through half the hell I did.”

And with that, you left. Even with her yelling after you. Even when you wanted to badly to turn around, and run upstairs, because you knew he was listening. You knew he heard every word, and would probably go to cry again. But you had to. They got what they wanted. And now you had to sleep. You had a flight in the morning.

You forgot how hot the California sun could be. Especially on a day like this, where you were already in such a horrible mood, nothing felt right. At the same time though, it felt so good to be home. Even though you had only been here for a measly three days, it was so refreshing to not get weird stares and judge mental looks from people who didn’t even know you.

The streets were busy as always, people walking across the road to get to other shopping centers, but your focus was on the familiar diner that now brought you horrible memories.

God, you remember how excited you were when he told you about Johnny’s wedding. It had never even crossed your mind that it would be the last time you saw him, and the last time you would ever call him your boyfriend.

“Y/N! How was the trip!” The owner yelled in an enthusiastic tone, clearly missing your buisness.

“Good.” You responded simply, sitting down at your usual booth.

“Just good? And in that tone? Who died?”

“My relationship.” You chuckled sadly, feeling it all rush back to you at once. All the memories of you two wouldn’t go away.

“Don’t tell me...”

“Yeah.”

You hated that you sounded like this right now. This was exactly how you behaved before you met Jaehyun, and he made you bloom into this so-called beautiful human being. You always shut down.

You couldn’t see what the older man was doing. Out of your peripheral, you could see him whispering to the cook in the back through the tiny window they used to communicate.

Jaehyun hadn’t texted or called since your conversation with his mother. Maybe he hated you too. Everytime your phone would ring, or vibrate, you would rush to it praying it was him. You were so broken. All it would take is one more text, and he could have you back.

Gusto—the owner of your favorite eating place, sat across from you now. He had your favorite milkshake in one hand, and an abundance of fries in the other.

“Thought you might’ve wanted this.”

“Thank you.” You laughed, trying your best to be happy. Or at least look it.

“Listen to me doll,” his hand reached for your chin, lifting it up from its grip on the food. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I do know that you are a very strong girl. You know, your dad was just like this. When him and your mom would get into it, he’d come in here.”

“Did he really?” You sniffled, being reminded about the problems you had to deal with now. You were still trying to figure out a way to approach your mom about it.

“Yeah. And he would get this exact milkshake too.”

As it had been for the last few minutes, the bell connected to the door rung; indicating someone had swung it open. Probably some teenagers who had just came from the rink.

You put the straw to your lips, knowing that the taste of Oreo mixed in with chocolate would soothe your scrambled mind even if it was for a few. It didn’t feel the same now that Jaehyun wasn’t sharing it with you, but it was still so delicious. You hadn’t even realized that Gusto had risen from his position in front of you.

Your breathing unconsciously got deeper and deeper, trying to take in all the familiar smells of LA. One deep breath, and your heart stopped. You choked on the cookie that was so close to going down your throat.

It was him. He was here.

“Jaehyun—I—

“I know you have a million things you want to say to me.” He whispered. His hair was its usual messy nature, and he was no longer in a polo, or suit as he had been during your whole trip. His grey sweats made your heart beat for a few seconds at a fast pace, but his eyes finished the job.

They weren’t swollen. If you didn’t know any better, you would even say he was happy right now. His eyes were filled with sincerity as his scent hugged you all around.

“Usually people say that when they met their soulmate, they had no idea that they’d love them as much as they did.” He began, taking your hand into his own. “But when I met you, I swear I knew. I called Johnny and told him I had met my wife. He laughed, but I knew it was true. I knew you were the one, Y/N.”

Neither of you could notice, but the crowd began to form, clearly seeing something coming that you couldn’t.

“And still, right now, I look at you and know you’re the one. No matter what anyone says. No matter who tries to stop me from getting what I want, it’ll never happen.” He sighed, reaching for his back pocket and slowly skimping down to one knee.

“Jae...” you trailed off, emotions trying to come out from your eyelids.

“Let me finish.” His voice was wavering, a clear indication that he was incredibly nervous. “I love you, baby. Every damn thing about you, I love. I love how much you love to stay at home, doing absolutely nothing. I love how strong you are, even when you don’t have to be. When every damn thing in the world is trying to get in your way, you kick it down, and I admire you. I can’t even properly get my words out because their aren’t enough words to describe you. Hell, I even love the excessive amount of ketchup you put on your fries. All of that makes you, and I want it for the rest of my life.” His hand was shaking now, but he still managed to open the box, revealing the ring that was seemingly forbidden in his family. His grandmas ring was standing right infront of you.

“Oh my goodness.” Was all you could breathe out, clutching your chest for support.

“Please, make me the happiest man in the world, Y/N. Let me show the whole world who I love. Marry me. I can’t live without you and I know you love me just as much. Please.”

The hell you went through was trying to replay through your mind like your favorite song, but you had to block it. It didn’t deserve to win in such a moment, and all your focus was on your boyfriend. The man who you would die for.

“Yes. How could I say no?” You choked out, letting him place the ring in your finger as you bounced around like a child, immediately jumping into his arms as he held you tighter than he had ever held you in your whole relationship. His face nuzzled into the crevice of your neck, and even in this crowd of people, you couldn’t save it. You had to kiss him.

“I love you, Y/N.” He whispered as you two embraced once more. “And I meant it when I said I always will. No matter what.”

“No matter what.” You cooed with a head tilt, pressing a teary kiss to his plump lips once again.

This was fate. This was how your story was going to end. It may have hurt like hell to get here, but you were going to marry the love of your life, and you didn’t care what anyone thought about it. Neither did he.

A/N: Wowwwww it’s crazy how long this series has been going on. I am so appreciative of the love y’all gave this, and I am truly sad to see it go. I know you guys probably hated this as the final part, but I plan to do an epilogue soon and also a surprise conversation between two people that I think you guys would enjoy. Thank you so much and I can’t wait for you guys to see the things I have planned next.

#nct #nct 127 #nct jaehyun #jaehyun nct #jaehyun #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct series #nct scenario #nct scenarios #nct fluff #nct angst

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jessevans · 4 years ago

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I've always be yours

Pairing: pre-war!bucky barnes x reader

Words: no idea

Warnings: fluff

A/N: Okay... First I would like to apologize for my English. That it is not my first language. And that I "learned" by myself, so, I already apologize. And second, I'm extremely nervous about posting this one shot? that I wrote five years ago, so e nice with me haha. Anyway, I hope you guys like it. Feedback it's always welcome..

It was a hot summer day in Brooklyn where the three childhood friends, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers and Y/N were bored and heated.

"Oh my God. I can't take this heat anymore! Nothing I do seems to do any good. Look! I'm practically soaked with my own sweat!."Y/N said sitting in the middle of the two boys who had a small smile from the corner of their mouths when they saw the girl trying refresh herself with a bottle of water.

"I think that only a beach would solve your problem Y/N." Steve said cluelessly that he had just said everything Y/N wanted to hear.

"YES! Rogers, you are a genius! Come on guys, I'm going to make a picnic basket, Bucky you and Steve are in charge of getting the umbrella, the ball and everything else." Y/N said jumping off the couch and running excitedly to the kitchen to prepare snacks and everything else.

Bucky in particular was not so euphoric to go to the beach, but the truth is, he was completely in love with Y/N since the moment he saw that little girl of only 7 years old with those big Y/C/E eyes completely furious because Dilan Craig was hitting little Steve, and she couldn't bear to see a boy almost the size of a bear hurt the poor boy, so she decided take care of that, with her own hands.

Bucky was completely in love when he saw the way she helped Steve get up off the floor, and the way she tried to tame without caring much her long, full, messy curly hair after rolling on the floor with Dilan and showing what happens to a bully. After that, Bucky decided that he needed her in his life, making the three of then inseparable ever since.

Over the years, Bucky has become one of the most handsome boys in the neighborhood and attracting many young ladies. Steve with his poor health was always a little aside when it came to girls, like he always said he was looking for the right girl to marry. Y/N was no longer that awkward and shy little girl, she became a beautiful young woman that wherever she arrived, stole the whole attention.

And that didn't go unnoticed by Bucky, he knew very well that what he felt for Y/N was much more than a simple friendship. And that feeling was much more special than he had ever felt for any other girl. But seeing the beautiful woman that Y/N has became he couldn't help thinking that she deserved more than a simple boy from Brooklyn, so he choose to leave his feelings for himself.

That’s why he always did everything to be close to her, and she wouldn't like it any other way, because secretly she carried the same feelings for him. But just like him, seeing all the beautiful girls who threw themselves at his feet, she couldn't help but to think that she would never be good enough, that one day he would choose her. BUCKY!

- "BUCKY!" Steve passed his hands in front of Bucky's eyes to get his attention - "Huh? What?" - "You were far away, huh ... Maybe thinking about a certain girl? - "Don't even start, I wasn't thinking about Y/N" - "I wasn't talking about Y/N" Steve smirked. - "Shut up!" turned his back, knowing he had been caught. - "Hey, come back here, I can't carry all this my myself!"

*******

- "Ah, this will be great! it feels like forever since we've been on the beach!" Y/N said excitedly walking between the two boys - "I think you are making us carry a lot of junk. I bet it will rain." Bucky said carrying all the heaviest things. - "No, It won't.!It won't. Stop talking like that!" Y/N said putting the sunscreen in her bag, totally excited - "Come on boys, run!" Y/N running when she spotted the beach, leaving the two behind - "Is she seriously telling us to run? She knows we're carrying all the weight, right?!" Steve said carrying the heavy picnic basket that Y/N prepared. - "Don't be so soft, Punk." Bucky said smiling. - "I'm not soft, Jerk!"

*******

- "Ah, so much better!" Y/N said settling under the umbrella with the two boys. - "It didn't solve much for me, doll. It's still hot." Bucky said not missing the chance to tease the girl. - "Simple. If it's hot just go for a swim, that's why we came to the beach, Buchanan." Y//N said knowing that Bucky hated being called by his middle name - "I will go in one minute." Y/N says. - "No, you won't! Did you forget what happened last time?" Bucky said looking at the girl who rolled her eyes. - "Bucky, it's been 10 years and you still insist on reminding me of it." - "It doesn't matter, you won't go swim alone!" said Bucky firmly to Y/N who didn't like to be contradicted at all. - "Cool, I want a milk shake! Will you guys want the usual?" Steve asked getting up and cleaning his shorts. - "Yes" said the other two. - "Ok." Steve said turning towards the ice cream shop.

- "Why do you insist on treating me like a child?" Y/N said mad at what Bucky had said. - "And why are you so stubborn? Do you know that you don't know how to swim and you want to go alone in the water?" - "Then come with me!" - "Later. Come here, I don't like to have these fights with you" Bucky said pulling her close to him and wrapping her in his arms. A little smile appears on Y/N face. - "Simple, stop acting like an asshole." a mischievous smile on her face when she says it, very close to Bucky's face getting a laugh from him. - "You are incorrigible, doll." - "That's what they say" smiles the girl

But the moment in they little bubble of happiness is interrupted by none other than Dolores who everyone know as Dot. Dot is one of the most desired girls in the neighborhood and with the worst reputation one of the ex-Bucky’s little cases who didn't seem to know what "we're done" means.

- "Hello James, interesting to meet you here" she said sitting next to Bucky completely ignoring the presence of Y/N. - "Hi Dot. Yeah, It was Y/N idea. Right now we were talking about taking a dip, right doll-" - "Ah, I would love to! Come on, Bucky!" said Dot pulling the boy before he could make an excuse. - "Er... Ah, you know what...I forgot we just had lunch, Steve is just now buying ice cream because we forgot to bring dessert."

Y/N who was sitting there tired of rolling her eyes because Dot, decided to go for a walk near the rocks that were nearby. She couldn't stand to see the redhead caressing Bucky's arm and chest and he didn't doing nothing to stop it. In her mind she certainly had no chance to compete with Dolores' beauty. Little did she know that for Bucky, she was one in a million.

- "Bucky, I think I'm going to take a walk near the rocks, there is a horrible smell in the air that is making me sick." said the girl, standing up and referring to Dot's very strong imported perfume.

- "Do it, James and I need some time alone to finish some things we left pending last night." Dot said sensually looking at Bucky. Without waiting any longer, Y/N turned towards the rocks leaving Bucky with no time to stop her.

- "WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? Why did you say that to her? I haven't had anything with you in months! It doesn't exist yesterday, nor today, much less tomorrow for us! It's OVER!" - "James, love, you can't be serious-" - "I'm serious, Dolores! Don't look for me anymore, you're not the girl to me!" - "And who would it be? Huh? Who? That stupid Y/N?"

The moment Dot mentioned Y/N Bucky lost control, he grabbed her by the arm and made sure to look the redhead in the eyes. - "I will say this just once, Dolores ... Don't you dare mention the name of Y/N again like that in front of me, or I won't answer for myself!" - "Get your hands off me!" said the redhead walking away from him - "you'll regret this, James!" - "I really doubt it! Goodbye, Dolores!" Bucky turned and went looking for Steve.

It didn't take long for Bucky to find Steve, who was stuck in line to buy ice cream

- "Yeah, I know I'm taking too long. But look at the size of this line-" - "Steve something happened. Y/N and I were sitting there after you left and I almost had the chance to confess everything I feel for her but then Dot arrived and ruined everything, she invented it in front of Y/N that yesterday we were together and then Y/N went for a walk on the rocks. Steve you need to help me find her! You know I wasn't with Dot, yesterday we were playing cards! " Bucky was panting after telling his best friend everything

- "Bucky, calm down! I know, I know! Calm down! Let's find Y/N and solve everything. But calm down!" - "Ok. Okay, I'm calm." - "Great. So ... Confess yours feelings, right?! ... I knew!" Steve said with a very mischievous smirk - "Shut up, Rogers." Bucky said smiling to his friend, going to find Y/N.

But suddenly a turmoil around the rocks caught the attention of the two friends, when a woman who was around spoke terrified:

- "Oh my God! a girl slipped on the rocks and fell into the sea, and she hasn't left the water yet."

A terror was stamped on the faces of the two friends, Bucky shot out towards the sea that surrounded the rocks. After he dived and swam for what seemed like an eternity, he found the body of whom he was hoping to find, Y/N. He picked up her already unconscious body and took it to the surface where Steve ran to help.

After her body was placed in the sand, and seeing that she was not breathing, Bucky started doing resuscitation and mouth-to-mouth breathing, trying not to panic. - "Come on, doll! Please don't do this to me. Come on ... 1, 2, 3" That was when Y/N's eyes opened and finally she spit out all the water she had swallowed, but still coughing and breathing hard, they decided it was best to take the girl to the hospital, just in case.

*******

In the waiting room Steve was sitting while Bucky paced around. - "Bucky, can you calm down! She's fine! She was breathing much better when we got here" - "Then why nobody came to give any news? It's been almost 1 hour since she is in there!

That was when the doctor who helped her was leaving

- "Doctor! Doctor wait! Please, my ...friend has been in there for almost an hour, please, can you tell us how she is? She drowned, her name is Y / M / L / N" Bucky said and Steve gets up right behind

- "What do you mean, nobody came to tell you?" the doctor ask

- "Tell us what?" The blond said

- "She is perfect fine. She is resting right now. In this afternoon she will be released to go home, you two can go and see her, but the hospital rules only allow one at a time." Said the doctor already retiring.

- "Thank you Doctor!"

- "Thank you!"

- "You go there Buck, you two have a lot to talk about."

- "Are you sure? I can go later if you want-"

- "Bucky!!! Go."

Entering the room Bucky saw Y/N sleeping like an angel.

He pulled up a chair near her bed where he took her hand and brought it to his lips

- "You gave us a good scare this time, doll. For a moment, I thought I was going to lose you without even having you for real. I'm an idiot. I should have done this a long time ago. The truth is ... The truth is that I love you you Y/N. So much! From the moment I saw you all enraged because Steve had been beaten by Dilan Craig. You with all your bossy, stubborn way. And totally sweet at the same time.You drive me crazy, doll. I'm crazy for you. And I wish I had enough balls to tell you that with you awake." Bucky looks down, rubbing his face in his hands and doesn't realize when Y/N opens her eyes after hearing every word that he said. - "I think I did you a favor then" Y/N said with a smile and eyes with tears from knowing that her feelings were reciprocated.

- "Y/N? B-but I thought, I thought you were sleeping, y-you-"

- "I was sleeping, but you are so noisy when entering somewhere, I woke up with the noise of the chair and then when you started saying these beautiful things to me, I didn't want to interrupt you."

- "Doll, sorry if I woke you up, you must be tired I'll call someone-"

- "Buchanan! Stop talking a little, and just listen "

Bucky nods looking down

- "I've never imagined that I was going to be saying this -at least not out loud-" Y/N says -"But the truth is that I love you too Bucky. So so much! But I never, ever imagined that you could feel the same it’s just... I am, I ... I am not like the other girls, Bucky. I don't know how to be... glamorous, or elegant, much less beautiful! I'm not ... I am not like Dot." Y/N said looking at Bucky who was looking at her like she had two heads.

- "Are you listening to yourself, woman? How can you say such a thing, Doll? Don't you ever looked in the mirror? And WHAT? "I'm not like Dot"? For God's sake, of course you not! I wouldn't love you if you were." Bucky said now getting up from the chair and sitting on the bed with her "For me, you are the most beautiful ..." he would whisper and get closer ... "the most glamorous -whatever that means... "holding her chin, whispering very close to her lips "...The most perfect girl for me."

And with that his lips take yours in a soft and full of passion kiss, stoping just for breath.

- "Just for the record, last night I wasn't with Dot, I haven't had anything with her for a long time. I was with Steve, I was teaching him a card game-"

- "I know Bucky. I saw Dot with her parents on my shift last night at the cafeteria." She said kissing him, now passionately.

When they eventually stop to catch their breath, he rests his forehead on hers and whispers

- "Please, Doll. Say that you will be mine?"

- "Buchanan, I've always be yours."

#Bucky Barnes #bucky x reader #pre war bucky #steve rogers #pre war steve #Sebastian Stan #chris evans #Capitain America

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rgecrge · 4 years ago

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♡ CHECK IT OUT , i totally just saw REGINA GEORGE ! some people say she reminds them of REGINA GEORGE ( MEAN GIRLS ) , but that’s just hearsay . it could be because she is CAPTIVATING but can also be a bit DESPOTIC on a bad day . either way , i heard the TWENTY - TWO year old is working as a PRODUCTION ASSISTANT / SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER and is studying PRODUCING . if only she could stop playing MANEATER ( NELLY FURTADO ) on repeat so she could actually focus , then her neighbors in HOLLYWOOD might get some sleep . all i know is that she reminds me of A PENDANT WITH A BEJEWELED LETTER ' R ' DANGLING FROM A SLIM NECK , AN ICY ALL KNOWING STARE THAT PEERS INTO YOUR SOUL AND THE CLICKING OF HIGH HEELS DEMANDING ATTENTION OF THOSE NEARBY TO HER PRESENCE and can be seen as THE QUEEN BEE .

♡ info .

full name. regina monica george.

age. twenty - two.

date of birth. june 12th, 1998.

zodiac. gemini sun, scorpio moon, leo rising.

gender. cis woman, she / her.

orientation. bisexual.

occupation. production assistant / social media influencer.

qualities. captivating, seductive, astute, incisive, cordial.

flaws. despotic, haughty, omnipotent, callous, deceitful.

faceclaim. halston sage.

based on. regina george from mean girls.

♡ bio .

( injury tw, parental cheating tw )

to be straightforward — regina monica george is a girl who’s never been told the short, two - lettered word, ‘ no. ’ — though, born and raised in the upmost wealthy, luxurious part of chicago, illinois, to her mother, juniper, a former preppy sorority girl trapped in a housewife’s body, who dropped out of school to pursue her father daniel, a successful big - shot divorce lawyer twice her age, it was only predestined. from the day she was brought home from the hospital to the present day she left for college, regina has always had everything handed to her. the george’s had no financial worries or woes — living in a multi - million dollar home with a pool in the backyard and three cars in the driveway. growing up, regina was spoiled. she always received the newest, most polished clothes and the brightest and shiniest toys — no set rules or curfews, and very flimsy responsibilities and boundaries from both of her parents, it was only right in her mind she kept this demanding standard in school, too.

and that’s just what she did. regina naturally carried a glamorous air to her, one that had all the girls in her grade trying to emulate her presence. regina was incredibly popular among her peers for her haughty attitude and mesmerizing style, so anything she said, went. though she was envied, and even greatly disliked by those same peers. to parents and teachers, it seemed girls just being catty, but inwardly, the social paradigm was much more psychological and manipulating. those who went against regina’s will, were put down and shut out by the outnumbering amount of people who wanted to be apart of her world.

as she got older, her home world became more rocky. in turn, regina became more ruthless, lashing out at close ‘ friends ’ and anyone who stood in her way, really. many are told ( and then led to believe ) that they should be empathetic to their bullies. that the reason they treat you so terribly — must be because said bully is receiving the same treatment at home. but for regina, that wasn't necessarily the case. on the outside, the newly tween was perfect in all aspects — looks, possessions, grades, talents. she upheld her reputation well with charm and calculated poise.

so, it didn't matter that she walked in on her dad and his receptionist in his study the night before her thirteenth birthday party, or that her parents had her little sister kylie in an attempt to save their marriage when her mom found out. or how her dad wrote a big check to create a new gymnasium when she flunked all of her classes freshman year, or how she used to look at herself in the mirror for hours on end after her newfound ‘ friends ’ — or, rather, assimilated drones — gretchen and karen left her house after school, noting every imperfection that she could see . . . because, at least outwardly, regina was perfect, and she wanted to keep that perception of herself at school if she couldn’t control it at home.

however, regina was far from escaping the glaring flaws that were beginning to show in her personality. as mentioned, sure, she was popular, but that didn’t mean people really cared about her, or liked her. even her closest ‘ friends ’ didn’t even like her. mostly, regina had sought them out because they were threats to her status — gretchen with her families’ wealth, and karen with her looks — and they remained loyal to her as to not be thrown under the bus. but all of that changed when cady heron arrived at north shore high.

what seemed like was another attempt at assimilating someone who could take her spotlight — cady being a new girl with her interesting backstory and cluelessness — her intentions backfired on her when their friendship had all been a plot to ruin regina’s life and when all was said and done, all karmic forces seemed to smack regina in the face for having been so cruel all these years : by being hit by a school bus.

she spent the remainder of her junior year bedbound and in physical therapy . . . and actual therapy, receiving the advice to channel her rage into contact sports, where the girls weren’t afraid of her. her parents separated, and with a sense of closure, regina went her separate ways with cady, gretchen and karen. she then graduated high school and now attends UCLA, hoping to earn a degree in talent producing.

now on her own, regina is facing a new kind of challenge. currently, she works as an assistant to an production agent, hoping to one day climb up the ranks and become a hollywood producer. however, she wasn’t prepared for the workload, pressure and stress that came with this new job. she looks around at the celebrities and influencers her boss manages and the lives they lead . . . and a small part of her yearns for that lifestyle too.

♡ more .

all in all, regina is a lot more calmer and genuine than she was in high school, she learned to let go the events of her junior year and is less vindictive and outwardly cruel to people. but, because of her injury, she barely remembers it and sees the whole thing as a weird, hazy blur.

that doesn’t mean she’s let go completely of her old self, however, she has trouble forming real relationships with people still and being authentic around new people, and even friends/people she’s close with. she’s never had many true friendships, so she isn’t sure what those are supposed to look like, but she isn’t 100% unwilling to learn. though . . . she still tends to slip into manipulation and charm tactics to get things she wants.

she’s kind of a loner now, and maybe it’s for the better. she mainly buries herself in her assistant job and studies, and no one can get in her way of that, no matter how stressful and daunting it may be for her.

still loves fashion, and is still very hyper - feminine in how she presents herself, but is more relaxed about it. she loves to shop and splurge, and her closet in her apartment is a testament to that fact.

still very much a queen bee in the fact that she demands attention everywhere she goes. very intimidating and serious. she gets bored if one doesn’t keep her entertained and she makes it very clear that her opinion of you is supposed to matter to you.

♡ connections .

any and all mean girls characters. c’mon. let’s reunite the plastics y’all.

i’m very open to anything ! ! ! friends / exes / flings / clients are wanted especially. but i have so many ideas in general so please let me know on here or on discord. love ya ! * blows a kiss *

#iconshqintro #♡ 001 . ／ ooc .

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ansheofthevalley · 5 years ago

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In one kiss, you’ll know all I haven’t said - Chapter 2 “The ‘Jon Situation’”

The party's time of death was 12:42 am.

Sansa and Margaery were sitting on the steps leading to the entrance of the house, bored and tired.

"So... why did you say that you didn't want Robb to see you like this?" Sansa ventured. Almost instantly, Margaery's cheeks flushed in a shade of pink oh so lovely. She knew that she would regret teasing her friend, especially when it was Jon, out of all people, who was coming to get them home safely. But she teases me endlessly, she thought. Now I can tease her.

"No reason" she muttered. She wouldn't meet her eyes. So unlike her confident (and normal) self. It only made Sansa smile. "I can't have him saying that I'm not a goddess 24/7. I got a reputation to look after" she elaborated, but her words didn't quite match her semblance. Sansa's smile morphed into a grin. Oh, she would have her time on the sun. Or on this case, the moon.

"You like him!" she gushed. Margaery tried to cut her off but it was of no use. "You do! You like him!". Sansa started laughing, a strange exhilaration taking over her. Gods, I am drunk.

"It's not my fault your hot brother dropped by the other day, all flushed and sweaty from running" her friend blurted. "I'm still a woman, Sansa. A human being".

"First off, ew" she started. Margaery threw her hands in the air as she mumbled something to herself in response. "Secondly, he dropped by? When?" she asked her. Their parents and younger siblings would be coming down to King's Landing to spend the holidays with them. Sansa knew her brother Bran wanted to check out Jaehaerys' Philosophy School. He still hasn't made his mind about which college to choose: King's Landing College or Oldtown University.

"He said it was about your parents. Apparently, they rented a house just outside the city" Margaery told her. "He wanted to let you know that you could bring a friend over if you wanted. Which is a godsdamn tragedy, since I'll in Pentos for the holidays" she pouted.

"And he couldn't tell me that over the phone?" Sansa wondered out loud. Her friend just shrugged and realisation hit her hard in the face.

Gods, he's pulling a Sporty Robb, Sansa thought, becoming exasperated in a second. Sporty Robb was the absolute worst. When she was a freshman in high school, Robb was the guy all the girls were mooning over. She had to endure the helpless sighs the girls would make each time they'd arrive, or leave, or just walked from classroom to classroom. Obviously, all that attention got into his head, in part thanks to one Theon Greyjoy, a new student from Pyke. Every time he would finish his rugby practice, he would go straight to where the cheerleaders were, trying to make idle conversation and flirt with a new girl each week. He would do that, every. single. week. And that's how Sporty Robb came to be.

She couldn't believe her 20-year-old-brother was behaving like a teenager again. She'll have to talk to him about Marge. She wouldn't let him ruin one of the few friendships she has in the South.

Though I hardly believe True Love is what Marge feels for him, she thought.

She spares her friend a look; she's resting against one of the marble columns, looking up at the sky, mesmerized by the stars.

Gods, we're both so drunk.

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

"How long till your darling Jon comes? It's not like we're in up in the Vale" Margaery complained.

Your darling Jon

Sansa can feel her face redden. "He was sleeping when I called him" she said all too fast, her voice too high. "He lives near the Iron Gate and we're practically in Rosby". She hoped that her reasonable explanation would be enough for her friend to shut up. "Besides..." Don't do it, screams the voice in her head. Don't you dare do it. "He's not 'my darling Jon'".

And then, there's that look in Marge's face. That 'bitch-please-you-can-try-to-fool-yourself-all-you-want-but-you-won't-fool-me' look. I walked right into that one, she half thought, half chastised herself.

"Really?" her friends said, lifting a perfectly trimmed eyebrow. "We're gonna do this again?"

"He's not 'my darling'" she basically shouted. Get a fucking grip, that same annoying, yet reasonable voice inside her head told her. "He isn't" she said, once she gained some semblance of composure.

"Then why is it that since your arrival" she started "you haven't been out in a single date, hm?" she was looking at her as if she were a police detective fishing for answers from a criminal.

Sansa would've laughed, if only she didn't have the impulse to scream at her in exasperation.

"Because not all of us think about dating all the time" she retorted.

"But you do think about Jon all the time" she pressed on. Gods, she was relentless.

"I do not think about him all the time" she said, outraged.

"Yes, you do" Margaery teased in a sing-song tone.

"No, I don't!" she denied, feeling her cheeks starting to redden once again.

"You do!"

"I don't"

"Yes, Sans, you d-"

"Would I have secured a date with one of the boys from the rugby team if I was thinking about Jon all the time?" she retorted, in hopes to make her shut up, but as soon as she said it, she regretted it.

"You naughty, naughty girl" she said, all too amused. "Dating one of your brother's teammates". Oh, she was delighted. "Does he have a name?"

"Dickon" she replied through gritted teeth.

"The Tarly boy?" she gasped, bringing her perfectly manicured hand to her chest. Sansa could only roll her eyes at her. "Girl, you got your she-wolf paws on a hottie. Let me tell you. One time, I went to the running tracks after our Political Theory class to meet Loras. I don't remember what for... but that's not the point. The point is that I arrived just after rugby practice had ended, and I saw your Dickon along with Robb, cooling off near the benches-"

She had to stop her. Or else she would be like this during the whole ride home and Sansa simply wouldn't survive that. It was too much. "We just agreed to go out someday, it's not like we're having a full-blown love affair" she interjected, grabbing her friend by the shoulders, begging her to stop her drunken rambling. But Marge could only flash her that beautiful smile of hers. That infuriating smile of hers.

Just as she finished talking, she heard a car pulling over. A black Camaro SS. And suddenly, she felt her whole body redden at what was going to happen. She didn't know what would happen exactly, but she knew nothing good would come out of this. Nothing good can happen in car ride with me, Jon and a drunk Margaery, she thought somberly.

"Jon, the Dark Knight, to the rescue" Margaery shrieked, full of glee, and stood up as soon as she saw him. Sansa didn't need a mirror to know she was as red as a Dornish Camellia. She chanced a glance of Jon; a beautiful shade of pink starting to cover his cheeks. He always looked so cute when he'd flush. She didn't notice she was staring, at least not until she saw him standing right before her.

Shit

"So, I guess you had a great night" he offered with that gorgeous half smile of his. The one that would make her heart skip a beat or two. She saw that half smile transform into a full-blown smile and Sansa could swear she felt weak in the knees. You. Are. Staring, the -apparently sober- voice in her head told her.

"'Twas alright" she said, trying to appear nonchalant. "It was pretty snobby, actually. Marge and I tried to save it, but it was of no use".

Margaery, upon hearing her name, snapped out of her own world to correct her. "More like I tried to save it. I danced my ass off trying to revive the party and what did you do" she complained. "You know what she did, Jon?" her friend asked him, her voice full of hurt and wearing the most endearing (and hilarious) version of her "little rose" face. "You know what she did?" Seven Hells. Drunk Margaery had even more of a flair for the dramatics than sober Margaery... and she was pretty dramatic while sober. "She ditched me" she finally said, voice and face equally hurt. "For a handsome, tall stranger. Can you believe?". The astonishment in her face and the whole clutching-my-pearls pose would've been hilarious to Sansa... if it weren't for the tiny fact that she was telling Jon fucking Snow she flirted with Dickon, as in Dickon, his and Robb's teammate. "She's even gonna go on a date with him" she whispered to him, giggling like a child, because of fucking course, Margaery was having a field day with this.

Jon turned to look at her, his cheeks turning pink again, and Sansa wanted nothing more than for the earth to swallow her right there in that exact moment. She was about to say something when she heard Margaery's playful and oh-so-innocent voice. "So, it looks like you might have some competition now, Dragonknight" she added while walking towards Jon's car. Sansa could just feel the smirk in her friend's voice.

The Stranger take me.

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

The one-hour ride from Harry's mansion to her and Margaery's flat was the longest hour in Sansa's life.

They spent the first fifteen minutes in silence: Margaery fast asleep in the backseat, Sansa staring out the window and Jon focused on the road.

With each minute, the silence grew stronger and stronger. It's was deafening and unbearable. She was desperately looking for something to say, but didn't trust herself in her drunken state. And in the trance Jon puts me in every time I'm close to him, her thoughts reminded her, proving her point.

She was starting to panic, when words left her mouth, without her permission. "Sorry about Marge" she tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. Jon spared her a quick look. His eyes looked almost black and so deep and beautiful... Fuck. "You know how she is when she's drunk" she explains with a laugh; a laugh that sounds too forced in her ears. The thing is, Jon doesn't know how Marge is when she's drunk because this is the first time that she has to be alone (and wide awake) with Jon while being drunk. At least last time, I was lucky enough to pass out, she thought, feeling resigned. Here's the thing about about first times: they were fucking terrifying.

Jon only hummed in response. His eyes never leave the road.

It only made look at him again. Carefully.

His hair was pushed back from his face, into a man-bun. A few unruly curls still found their way to his face. He looked like he just woke up, and seriously, it just isn't fair. It's not fair that he looks like that after just being woken up by his best friend's sister. He truly was The Warrior come alive. Aemon the Dragonknight reborn (if he had black hair and gray eyes). Looking at him, she wanted nothing more than to push those unruly raven curls back. She wanted to touch his face, let his beard tickle her palm. She wanted to stand so close to him so she could see the gray in his eyes. She wanted to be oh so close to him that she could breath him in, the scent that made Jon Jon.

It wasn't until he looks back at her with curious eyes that she realized that she was staring. Again.

Sansa tried to do her best to salvage the situation her thirsty, drunk self put her in. "You really are the best" she says. She could feel the flush creeping on her cheeks once again. Like a fucking schoolgirl, she thought.

Her words made him blush and that made her feel more lightheaded than the alcohol. "Stop it" he told her, trying (and failing) to hide his beautiful smile.

"You are" she insisted. "Here I am, miles away from campus, in the house of some rich asshole." Her description of Harry made him laugh. And in that moment, she realized she could get high on that sound. She could let it lift her up up up until she reached the clouds. "Drunk, with an even more drunk friend" she laughed, while sparing her dear friend a look; she was sleeping like a baby in the backseat. A beautiful, drunk baby. "And I call you in the middle of the night and you come to my rescue. Even though you have practice tomorrow". She couldn't help the softness in her voice as she told him all of this, because it really warms her heart that he would drive up to Rosby at 2 a.m. for her.

He just took a quick look at her, then at the road.

And then the most catastrophic thing happens. For her heart, at least.

He gave her an earth-shattering smile. The kind of smile that makes you weak in the knees and makes you wonder 'how dare he be so godsdamn beautiful?'.

Fuck

"You make me sound like a hero, Sans" he laughed. "Like one from the stories you love to read".

Seven fucking hells

He remembers. "Well, that's because you are" she said, trying to put an end to this conversation because at this rate, she would make it home as human goo.

Then, the strangest thing happened. He looked at her with such tenderness. His eyes were incredibly soft. His lips were a little bit parted. He looked like he was about to say something.

The sight made her heart go berserker in her chest.

But something shifted in his eyes. Made them hardened, even if it was just a little bit. But Sansa noticed. He half-smiled at her and returned his attention to the road ahead of him.

She rolled to her side, looking out of the window, paying attention to the trees and the stars; but soon closed her eyes. She wanted to remember every single detail of the look that Jon gave her.

Even though it most probably become all hazy in the morning.

(Continue reading on AO3)

#jonsa #jon x sansa #sansa x jon #actuallyjonsa #jonsa fam #jonsa fandom #got #asoiaf #holidays au #modern au #college au #jonsa au #my fanfiction #my writing #my stuff #enjoy some fluff just in time for the holidays #this is the fluff ball that that's been taking me almost a year to write #so pls read it

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of-dxnger · 5 years ago

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ʻ / let me introduce you to a prized member of our mens lacrosse team , nicholas “nick” black . this cis-male aries has been a student at our institution for 3 years and is currently a twenty one year old junior . through the halls , he has always reminded me of maxence danet-fauvel , but there is always more than meets the eye , like the fact that his father has covered up the deaths of two of nick’s friends over the years. coral cape has made their future just as bright as their smile , i assure you . ʼ ( muse #7 , billie , 25 , gmt+10 , she/her )

your friendly neighbourhood nerd, hi. hit me up on discord ( one salty nerd#9483 ) if you want to plot. below are some facts and details about my misunderstood child nick.

~DOSSIER !

Name: Nicholas Xavier Black Nicknames: Nick Age: 21 D.O.B: 13th April Height: 6″1 Degree: Business/Economics Nationality: French-American Languages: English, French Gender: Cis Male Orientation: soooooo bi

~ HISTORY !

TRIGGERS: death, drugs, alcohol.

ʻ / The taste of his power is rotten; leaves left to fester beneath an autumn sky. Emotions like an ensnared animal, vicious, writhing, raw. That is how he grew, a black pit that demanded attention from everyone around him. His ability was to infect those around him, until it consumes everything and leaves only a vacancy for disdain.

His father had been a strong presence in his life, not always a positive one. The two of them butted heads almost every chance they got these days. Arguements about nearly everything, his lack of commitment, not attending mass, fighting, drinking and drugs, his choice of partners, turning up in shirt and jeans rather than a suit. Nothing he did was good enough so he stopped putting in the effort. It didn’t help that his little sister was the apple of his father’s eye. It had been harder growing up with that, constantly in competition, but it hadn’t taken him long to realise that it wasn’t worth it. He didn’t need his fathers approval, she could have him.

He wasn’t a mother’s boy either, but he certainly had a better relationship with her. He felt bad for leaving her in the house all the time with him. It wasn’t that he was violent to anyone in their family, by no means. But there was something corrupting about him, he didn’t want her to become like him. She was too good. She was usually the one that could get him to go against his own interests, a worried look, a pout, heaven forbid tears. Letting her down or breaking her heart wasn’t something he ever wanted to do, that was why he still did well at his studies, he never caused too much of a scene, although that was by his standards, not hers.

ʻ / Look at me walking around, all Black, free and ungrateful. How dare I, skip a “Hallelujah” to tell you the church is on fire.

Church had always been a big part of their family, they’d always been catholics the Blacks, every sunday was a family trip to mass. Neatly kept hair, fresh pressed clothes, polite hand shakes and smiles reserved for those that he was supposed to respect. It was exhausting. He went and did as he was told, sitting there quietly daydreaming, musing to himself. His attendance waxed and waned, but everytime his mother fussed and worried about him, he felt guilty and would go for her. There were many aspects of being catholic that bothered him, but he was more concerned with being himself, it was why he didn’t feel ashamed when he discovered he was into guys as much as girls. His father had given him a warning to not let it ruin his future, Nick had laughed, and clearly ignored him. His father was so hellbent on imagery and what the public thought of their family, but Nick couldn’t care less.

He’d found himself in the cathedral at university twice in his three years there. The first was when he was just in there for the peace and quiet. He may have been a little high, and laying down on the pews with the stained glass windows bathing him in a kaleidoscope of colours was mesmerising. The second was when he’d gotten so stuck in his own head, panicing and re-living past events, a panic attack wrapping its way around his heart, the only place that made sense to him was the church. Strange, but it worked.

ʻ / Prayers whispered on trembled lips; a wish, a hope that he wasn’t beyond redemption. Pressed to his forehead were the rosary beads of a long dead family member that he’d never met.

Seventeen. How does one learn to cope with losing a friend? Losing someone is never a thing that someone should have to go through. It is only made worse by the fact that no one knew what happened exactly. There was a party, being the rich and spoilt kids that they were, there was of course alcohol and someone had drugs even though there wasn’t supposed to be, that was a problem with spoilt kids, they didn’t like rules. Bryce had been drinking a lot and there was supposedly drugs in his system but Nick was sure he hadn’t taken any, everyone knew him and everyone had talked to him or interacted with him to some degree, so there was an easy to follow timeline. Up until Bryce died. Supposedly falling down the stairs, a nasty wound on his head. But it never sat right with most of the peoeple that really knew him. Friendships dissolved, suspicions tore people apart but the world moved on. What Nick didn’t know was that his father had helped keep the story from reaching the media, had kept certain aspects of the case quiet. He’d never been overly religious, but after this his faith began to falter, he hadn’t properly attended church in a few years, but now he almost felt ashamed to.

Nineteen. He and his lover at the time, Tobias, were perched at the top of a building, not that high. But high enough. Legs swaying in the breeze as they looked over a city that he would one day rule. They’d been up there to talk, somewhere private, yet calming. Nick was calling things off. After sitting there so long in silence, the boredom and finality in his voice was abbrasive even to himself. Tobias hadn’t taken it too badly, obviously there was emotion and as he went to stand up off the ledge and leave, he’d slipped and was dangling from the roof of the building. Nicks fingers gripped so hard at his jacket and wrist, wishing that he had more upper body strength, or the will to lift up other. But after what felt like forever, there was an emptiness in his hands, followed quickly by the disfugred body below. The first thing he did was call his father, call it intuition, or perhaps because he knew deep down that his father wasn’t above dealing with such things. It had taken him so long after that to trust himself to let anyone in, he’d tried rationaising with himself that it was an accident, but it had taken so long for him to truly believe it, there were still times when he didn’t think it was. He’d let go. He never went back to church after that. Occassionally walking by it and considering it, his rosary beads still hung in his room, not quite ready to get rid of them compeltely, but he felt damaged, damned even.

Was he due for another death? After all, things came in threes and he was twenty one now.

ʻ / Trust given without being earned loses meaning; a rotten power he inherited from his father. He tastes it in the smiles of his lovers and the glances of his classmates, in the teachers who congratulate his achievements, and the friends who invite him to party after party. He is wanted and praised, yet not loved.

It was his last name, his family. It opened so many doors, a situation he was willing to take advantage of when the time called for it, but it also meant that a lot of people that tried to ingratiate themselves in his life, were fake. There only to get in good with the family and make their own opportunities. It was bareable at a young age, even invisible. But as he grew it became more obvious and more exhausting to deal with. To the point where he tries to hold off on people finding out he is a Black.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be part of his family. But sometimes the name came with too much baggage. Some his own, some his siblings or parents. But the reverse of his wanting to stop people trying to use him for what his family could give them was to fiercly protect what was his. His friends, his loved ones, those that he truly cared about... there was nothing he wouldn’t do for them. He’d crossed a boundary once before for a friend and it didn’t bother him as much as it should have. But that’s who he was in his core, protective of his own, once again much like his father. It was infuriating how much of his father he saw in himself when he looked in the mirror.

ʻ / Calloused fingers tracing his bloodstained lips – only to have it wipe away. Shrill screeches of the final whistle, they’d won again. Smug grins were worn that could rival the devils. Yes, they had a reputation for being a rougher team, but it just meant they did whatever it took to win. The blood clinging to net of his crosse, lightly spattering his lips only confirmed this.

Lacrosse had been an exceptional distraction when he’d first started playing for the university during his first year. But it became a rather delightful way to channel his anger and frustration while using his smarts to play tactics. His father told him he should have gone into something stronger, but that was part of the allure of lacrosse, the rebellion. Nick was able to have something that was truly his that his father couldn’t ruin. At least not yet. It was almost a ritual of his to step off the field and smoke a joint before hitting the showers. Something to help mellow him out a little before his shoes hit the flagstones of the university.

Getting his hands dirty wasn’t something he was afraid of, there were plenty at the university that focused on nothing more than books, looking down their noses at sports. Hard work and getting down in the mud were things he guessed he’d picked up from his father, but he knew that his fathers penchant for getting his hands dirty had grown into something more twisted and sinister since he’d left university. It would not be the path that he walked.

~ TL;DR !

From a catholic family.

Has daddy issues.

Sees too much of his father in him (and hates it).

Knows someone who knows someone. Has used drugs. Only shares his stash with a select few.

Likes to be the centre of attention, usually not in a good way.

Antagonistic.

Will start an argument/fight because he is bored.

Is remarkably intelligent.

He finds everyone attractive, super bi, used to feel bad about it, doesn’t care anymore.

May or may not be responsible for someones death.

Lowkey thinks his soul is damned.

~ CONNECTIONS !

( plots are open to anyone and everyone regardless of gender ^_^ )

~~ THE RIDE OR DIE ;; someone who has become increasingly close with nick, they share almost everything with one another, inseperable is a word to describe them, but not so clingy. { OPEN! }

~~ THICK AS THIEVES ;; friends, cause who doesn’t need friends. he’s never really had many close friends. { OPEN! }

~~ THE TEMPTATION ;; someone that acts as a corrupting/distracting influence. { OPEN! }

~~ THE FORBIDDEN TASTE ;; a relationship kept on the down low due to whatever reason, someone he is attracted to. { OPEN! }

~~ THE GIRL NEXT DOOR ;; living next door or down the hall from one another, they could hang out, maybe not? do they get along or merely tolerate one another? { OPEN! }

~~ THE LOVER ;; someone he has been seeing, this is not only about the physical, but the attraction of personalities. neither has taken the initiative to ask themselves if this could be something more. { OPEN! }

~~ THE SAINT ;; a friend or just someone who looks out for nick and often acts as a conscience or moral compass to him, or rather they try to. { OPEN! }

~~ THE EX ;; whether it was a one night stand, a small fling or something more serious, things were broken off for whatever reasons (plots). this could have been a mutual agreement or ended on bad terms. { OPEN! }

~~ THE THORN IN THE SIDE ;; not quite enemies or rivals, but someone that bothers him, or gets under his skin easily. { OPEN! }

~~ THE RIVAL ;; someone that he has a rivalry with, both equally matched, and the tension can be caused by anything, mutual friends, lovers, goals etc { OPEN! }

playlist

anyways that’s my boy, i’m terrible at these so please feel free to message me with any and all plots ^_^

#about #connections #nick #capecoral:intro

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scbincx · 5 years ago

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𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐚.

[ ESTER EXPOSITO, 22, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER ] welcome to the du pont institute for the young & gifted, [ SABINA MARQUEZ ]. you have been accepted as a [ REGULAR ] student from [ SPAIN ], going into your [ SENIOR YEAR ] and majoring in [ INT'L BUSINESS MANAGEMENT ]. your peers at the institute say that you are [ ASTUTE & SELF-ASSURED ], but being [ VEXING & CONNIVING ] may be the reason why the police are asking about you. did you think they wouldn’t find out that you were michael’s [ GIRLFRIEND ]? [ ADMIN J, 23, CISFEMALE, SHE/HER, EST ]

hi friends! jocey here with my first bby, sabina. i’m just gonna get this out of the way right now - apologizing in advance for all that is sabina because she’s truly just the worst™. lol anyways, gimme a like or hmu on discord if you’d like to plot with my little demon child!

name : sabina isabella maria marquez nickname : friends call her sab age : twenty-two sexuality : bisexual hometown : madrid, spain major : int’l business management, minor in entrepreneurship extracurriculars : student council president, business leaders of tmrw, du pont editor, honour society, model UN (spain)

━ the marquez family is known to have a bit of a controversial reputation, mostly surrounding how they made their fortune. what started out as a small delivery company in the canary islands decades ago has now expanded to a global empire of sorts. officially, marquez enterprises is a shipping company that controls the major ports in spain, and owns several businesses throughout europe and latin america.

━ but off the books? well, let’s just say there may be rumours that they’re involved in some shady business and have quite a few shady interesting contacts from all around the world, from politicians to some less than savoury people. regardless, it’s common knowledge that the marquezes are filthy dirty rich, enjoy living extravagantly and lavishly, and are practically seen as spanish royalty in the social scene.

━ as the eldest born to the head of the marquez empire, sabina was always groomed to take over marquez enterprises one day. she has a younger brother, though he shows no interest (or any capabilities, for that matter) in even being a part of it. then there are all of her cousins who want the seat - her seat - at the head of the table for themselves, like her cousin cristiano. well, over her dead body. and even from the grave, she would never let that happen because this was her birthright. while most kids dreamt of flying to the moon or being a princess, sabina always knew she was going to rule the world marquez empire one day.

━ sabina is her parents’ daughter in every way possible. they taught her everything legal and illegal that she needed to know in order to be successful in life. but some things even they couldn’t quite explain themselves. like when three-year-old sabina stole all the crayons in daycare to force other kids to buy them back with their snacks. from a young age, she quickly learned that tricking people into giving her what she wanted out of their own dumb free will was so much more satisfying than stealing it from under their noses. she may be named after a saint, but anyone will tell you she is anything but.

━ a hustler with an alpha bitch mentality, she’s always outsmarting people and outsmarting the system to get things to work in her favour. and when that didn’t work, no one could ever say no to a big fat wad of cash. because sabina marquez never loses. she doesn’t just play the game, she owns it, makes the rules and wins. every. damn. time. sabina strongly believes that playing by the rules was for suckers and if you weren’t the best, then you were nothing at all. and sometimes being the best required playing dirty. if she has to ruin someone else’s life to get her way, then she will gladly pour a jug of gasoline, light a match and enjoy watching it go up in flames. hell, sometimes she’ll do that just for the fun of it anyways. and if that’s what she does for her own enjoyment, then you do not wanna know what she does when she’s pissed off.

━ with that mentality, it’s no surprise that sabina easily became the top student of her program and student council president. though she may have lied and cheated her way to the top on several occasions, there’s no denying that she’s fucking brilliant. yes, she could have done it the right way, but where’s the fun in that? if anything, pulling off all the lying, cheating and scheming proved just how smart she really was. and maybe that’s why michael fell for her.

━ sabina always thought she was too good for michael. in fact, too good for almost anyone at this school. the whole golden boy, mr. popular act was boring and cliche, and she saw right through it. and yet somehow, almost as if it’d happened overnight, michael had won her over and they were quickly known as du pont’s ‘it’ couple. everyone envied them and wanted to be them. they couldn’t be a more perfect couple and she was the perfect girlfriend - sweet, adoring, supportive. in fact, so perfect that no one ever knew that deep down, sabina had never hated anyone more in her life than michael fucking valmont. and she couldn’t be happier now that he’s dead.

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

BEST FRIEND ━ someone who can put up with sabina’s awfulness, or maybe they’re just as awful as she is. this is probably one of the few people she’s actually relatively nice to (at least, by her standards) and will always have their back. possibly even one of the few people she’ll ever let her guard down for. preferably m/nb tbh bcuz she tends to be a bigger bitch to girls cuz they’re obvs more threatening than dumb boys are lol. taken by simon bexley, cade harrington, sofia gonzalez-cortes MORAL CONSCIENCE ━ does sabina even have a moral compass? your guess is as good as mine. this is someone she is more likely to listen to and could try to sway her from doing, y’know, ~*just sabine things*~. kind of the angel on her shoulder? often tries to get her to be nicer and overall be a decent human being. taken by grant winter-grandview EXES ━ either she dumped him/her, or she was dumped (in which case, rip my friend). maybe there are lingering feelings. who knows?? could be interesting if they’re very different from sabina and that’s why it didn’t work out despite the chemistry or whatever. RIVALS/ENEMIES ━ ho’boy. homegirl can piss off a lot of people just for shits and giggles, nor does she care to be likeable and personable, so i’m sure she’s got a hella long list of enemies/people she rubs the wrong way. also people she’s sabotaged and manipulated to get her way? plz. taken by adelaide montserrat, alice coltell, saylor winter-grandview, daisy kennedy CHILDHOOD FRIEND ━ self-explan. they’ve known each other since they were kids and their parents are likely friends. taken by madelyn vasquez UNWANTED CHILD ━ sabina somehow ended up being this person’s very reluctant mom friend. she hates it, she does not want to deal with them, and yet she’ll still go pick up their drunk ass at 4am. she’s all about tough love, so while she may be super harsh and hard on them, she does it out of love and because she cares. not that she’d ever admit caring. taken by nicollo fernez, james thompson UNLIKELY/ACCIDENTAL FRIENDS ━ they shouldn’t get along, but somehow, they just do and their friendship works. not typically someone sabina would see herself being friends with, but somehow an accidental friendship of sorts developed. taken by aurora van der berg, crimson cooper SECRET FLING ━ the person sabina cheated on michael with. it’s definitely more than a one-time hook-up, but not quite a relationship yet either. she cares about them a lot more than she’d ever care to admit out loud, but it shows through her actions. taken by william acher CAT & MOUSE ━ the more sabina can’t have something, the more she’s driven to go after it, even if it’s just to prove a point. and that point is that she’s always right and she always wins. so she’ll flirt, sweet talk and pull out all the stops just to get them to admit that they’re wrong about her. could also work the other way - the more they want her to cave, the more she’ll push and fight it. taken by gabriel johnson

okay, that’s all i can think of off the top of my head. some plots i’m open for multiple characters to fill, unless it has been crossed out. and ofc, i’m always open to new ideas too!

#dupont.intro #intro. ( sabina marquez. )

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labime · 6 years ago

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Klaroween Bingo - “You are officially dead to me”

The city is more alive late in the night than in the day.

The dingy alleys are sedated, silent as a cemetery on those nights she can hear the wind susurrates its secrets with the merest of brush, the windows are closed, shutters rolled down and flying curtains allowing nothing but glimpses at outlines of swaying shadows cut into near-blackness, the skyscrapers are enclosed in wan silver light, the roads are deserted and seemingly unlimited as the headlights-illuminated expanses spread out, the streets are calm after the activity of day.

The world seems asleep.

The world seems dead.

But like for many things, it's only the beginning.

After the sun dies on its last citrus-red rays and before the night sky slant to submit to the day, appearances are the first thing to fall apart.

The shroud of normality vanishes and the dingy back alleys are vibrating with hushed whispers and ugly shouts that break the silence, the closed windows conceal the vices boxed in that arch up in the confined space, stretch out like they can't in the judging candescent daytime, the silver lights distract from the multicolored neon-bright signs of entertainment all over the city, the roads indicate who couldn't get out before dusk settled, the streets hide the stealthiest night creatures.

In the city that never sleep, monsters made a nest for themselves, prowl smoke-hidden the neighborhood and startle unsuspecting meals who waste their last breath to scream a soundless scream, bone-shredded bodies found in the middle of torn chunks of their own flesh and attributed to various criminals, bloodbaths that easily disappear when water licks at stains.

Thankfully, nobody pays enough attention to see through the cracks and connect split-second understanding with lifelong rationality.

When they can no longer find refuge in their convenient ignorance, compulsion has to be used.

It's always the case when Caroline throws a party.

It wasn't always like that.

Caroline Forbes was kind, once, or tried her hardest to be. She wanted simple things, had dreams not that singular for a teenage girl; she craved love, and acceptation, and friendship and nice things and she was willing to pay for it, accepted to bend her spin and crack her bones so that she might fit into a shape people she loved and who claimed to love her would choose.

Caroline Forbes bit molar-shaped ugly holes in her tongue from holding up everything she had to say but couldn't, she presented her hands for people step over uncaringly and thought with shyly fluttering hope in her stomach that they would hold them instead, she scrubbed away the spit of their condescension and pretended it was never there, trapped herself in a claustrophobic basement where they decided they could finally love her if she acted like someone she wasn't.

Caroline Forbes died on February 26, 2010. One moment she was talking to her friend, and the next air was everywhere except in her lungs. No one noticed, no one cared and no one would.

She died and memories came flooding back to her, slicing through a clueless brain, filling in blanks with blood-soaked horror and humiliation she was forced to see again, replaying right before her very eyes like a bad cliche horror movie. The stupid superficial blonde cheerleader who stupidly goes home with that guy who so obviously isn't that into her and whose sexual promiscuity gets her abused and nearly killed but doesn't because the brooding hero saves her for the virtuous heroine, the one who really matters in that movie. You've already seen that movie. You don't care about that girl. But then again, no one did.

She killed that night. First, the nurse, and then, her abuser. She relished in the blood spilling on her tongue, in the screams she ripped with razors from Damon's throat, a crimson rain bursting from his chest, had played with her toy for days as Stefan and Elena and Bonnie were running around looking for Katherine who had evidently abducted people Elena cared about to get to her out of sheer viciousness. She listened to the fluid of his body leak as his pissed and shit himself like an animal, shackled up to the Lockwood cellar wall, and then she staked a sharp wooded weapon into his heart.

She didn't look back as she left the town.

Once or twice every year, Caroline hosts a party that is more a rallying point for vampires to save beneficial connections with the oldest and the strongest of their kind than an opportunity to relax and appreciate the evening, even though their motives mingle and overlap in frenzy hedonism at the end of those nights she always finds herself panting with her dress blood-damp and a body close to her as she drains it dry, with the rest of her guests feeding or dying, or watching in a sleepy fog from fear can’t break through compulsion.

Everything is golden.

Caroline thinks with the nostalgia reserved for ancient dreams, for the phantom of past expectations, that this is exactly the kind of party a little small-town girl would have looked at with earnest stars glinting in her young eyes. The Old Hollywood kind, pretentious but elegant and dignified. Pale honey everywhere, splashed from the constellate crystals attached at the chandeliers by fine ropes of dusky rose pearls down to the high ornate walls and taffeta curtains and cold marble floor her heels clink over.

Her frozen-green dress rubs like liquid warmth against her bare skin as she dances with her guests, twirls and sways and laughs with the others at the latest insignificant gossip they hear. It’s like a vicious game they intentionally drag out, a different kind of chase they partake in as the humans mill around with a confidence that comes with wealth and power and who forget the fragility of life, paper-thin, easy to tear through.

She’s standing alone near the buffet where she’s just ruined her perfect manicure with macaroons-brown strains, laugh not yet having died in her throat and hand flicking up to grab a champagne flute, bracelets jingling down her forearm, when the crowd is cut into two neat sides.

Klaus emerges smoothly from the space he cleanly cut into the room, wearing a coal-black tuxedo with a bowtie, offering a few nods to the vampires whose back twist down with bowed heads and pointedly ignoring those don’t with a sort of indulgent disinterest. Murmurs vibrate and resound across the assembly, a thousand drops of water falling into the chilled icy surface of a lac in winter, waking up the nearly drowsy serene gathering; some know him, know his reputation, know who she is to him, others doesn’t and look with imperious questions and doubts that their survival instincts stifle.

In the end, it doesn’t matter.

He doesn’t concern himself with them, isn’t there to reassert his authority but for her. He wears that boyish smile that makes his forever-youthful face wrinkle around his eyes and lips, he has that look in his eyes that punch into her chest because it doesn’t—never ever—graze at anyone else’s form, and from where she stands with a sparkling champagne flute she hasn’t tasted yet his smile flashes hello, sweetheart and it was a long time and I missed you and many other things he won’t say with so many ears listening.

And then it changes.

Klaus pauses. The two men to her right still. Someone else says something, urgently. That something must be important

In the blink of an eye, in the backspace it takes for thoughts to roll back, for her to understand—

The room erupts into a chaos of bursting organs and horror-stricken screams and fleeing feet and flying stones and tumbling bodies as Klaus cleaves flesh from bone.

Her scowl is steadfast as he compels the last police person to leave and report a fight that devolved into some bleeding but nothing serious. The man nods, in a daze he won’t get out from so soon, and repeats the words, the paramedic by the small pond do the same and they both leave with compulsion-induced steps self-confidence.

The bloodied footprints marking the floor are carefully measured as they make their way back to a fuming Caroline sitting on a plush padded chesterfield sofa that was maroon when she brought it but turned ruddy-red a few hours ago, holding her anger tight when she feels it quietly slips away from her with every minute like a small fragile-winged butterfly. Which she knows is what he wants, has waited for, stalling for time.

“Elijah’s men just found the last of your guests. They’ve all been compelled,” Klaus says with the resigned acceptation of a man who knows he’s not getting away with this one with the marked absence of an apology. “I admit,” he adds when she doesn’t flinch a muscle, arms still folded over her chest and neck metal-rigid, “that I should have chosen another course of action.”

“I can’t believe it,” she bleats, jumping to her feet and throwing at him a gold-rimmed cushion he catches easily with amusement.

“No, you know what?” She inhales sharply through her nose. The pestilential odor of decaying bodies hit her nose, makes her wrinkle it. “That’s exactly what I expect from you. You just don’t think of anyone else but your own precious person.”

Her words sting, she knows it when his jaw clenches, juts out, amusement fading from his eyes. He wouldn’t care about that remark coming from someone else, not if she wasn’t included in it as a faceless unimportant person, worthless to him, but his eyes narrow as he says, almost disapprovingly, “You know that’s not true.”

She knows. But she doesn’t want to delve into the barbed maze of their latest breakup tonight, had anticipated none of what happened tonight. The ends to her parties are always messier, if she’s honest, more gore and more screams and more bodies strew around like the cast-off broken dolls she’d get bored with as a little girl.

Caroline ducks her head, fiddles with her bracelets, looks around and feel an old itch to clean, the disorder making her insides churn unpleasantly, and finally glares back at him. “No one’s going to come to my parties before a long time now. Not if they think they will get chopped off on a whim.”

She flops down, refusing to look at him.

She hears a rush of air, feels a hand touch her jaw, tipping her chin up and the other combing her curls, and she swallows thickly. The firm touch of his hand is charring, leaves imprints-blackened burns that never disappear, that she can always feel to the marrow of her bones. It’s everlasting. Like them. Like a curse.

“Who were they?” she asks before he can say anything, referring to the pile of arms and feet sticking out of a huge garbage bag.

“Old enemies,” he answers, smirking with devilish glee.

“They tried to overrule me, questioned my authority, gathered more than a few who thought they could kill me without killing themselves.” Gleaming white teeth show over the edge of his cherry lips, not in a smile. “Those three escaped,” he goes on with regret. That he hasn’t made it worse, last longer, she sees. Understands, really, because she’s learned that the only answer to an attack is to eliminate it, to hit harder, to hit fatally, otherwise the impending threat never cease, not for an obsessive brain like hers and a paranoid mind like his, like an analog clock, the hands rotate and circle and overlap and eventually come straight to the same point they started from. If they can’t reach their goals, can’t get rid of a problem, can’t find a solution—time stops. Everything stop, freeze and burn in a puddle, and freeze again, indefinitely—until they get what they want.

She frowns at the triangular table where hot and cold intricate dishes remain untouched, shakes her head and thinks that this is the saddest excuse for a party she’s ever had.

“You are officially dead to me,” she grumbles, but it’s half-hearted, at best.

A laugh slither along the side of her jaw, a pulse of breath that punishingly reminds her where he has touched her face tonight, every other times he touched her everywhere, everywhere, everywhere, not one inch of her skin uncovered by his skin and lips and tongue, oh—Her breathing quicken, copper still present in her mouth from the appetizer she’s had earlier, from the less than human-potent blood in the ballroom. She closes her eyes, chest heaving slowly, savoring the sensation of blood coursing through her body to the apex of her thighs, skin too sensitive in the room that feels stifling-hot all at once.

His eyes are the first thing she sees when she opens them again, swirling with unmasked desire, gold-splotched and raw. The entranceway to his mind isn’t open to her but she doesn’t need to slip in the lock to see what he want to do with her right now, shoulders set straight with tension and glance flickering to the slit of her dress that almost reach her hip in that position—he wants to turn her around, bend her and fuck her and watches her takes him from behind.

She raises up so fast he’s forced to take a step back, drawing out of his daze like someone might blink up at the blazing morning; it takes a while to adapt.

“I think you should stay tonight”, she starts, her intention clear when she runs her eyes all over him. “To help me clean.”

Neither of them mentions they have minions for that.

“Of course,” he drawls, the quality if his voice rougher now, “that’s the least I can do.”

#klaroline #klaroween bingo #klaroline drabbles #drabble #mywriting #first time i post one in the tag #i hope it's okay

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darisu-chan · 7 years ago

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Christmas Yearning

Hey, this is my present for murasakihime! Again, I’m sorry to take so long, but I wanted your present to be perfect and I’ve had little time due to the holidays. I really hope you like it, and I hope your Holidays were amazing!

You can also read it here.

Summary: Ayato has a crush on his best friend, Amon is head over heels for his boss’s daughter, and Touka has been in love with the same man for four years. Hoping for a miracle, will they be able to confess their feelings during Touka’s Christmas Party?

It was freezing outside. It hadn’t snowed yet, but Ayato thought the biting cold from the wind was far worse than snow. He had had to walk to school and back with a flimsy jacket, ─because wearing one of those puffy coats would totally ruin his reputation─ and now he was shivering, he had a runny nose, and he would most likely catch a cold. Great. Pouting and still shivering, he entered :Re and almost shouted with glee the moment he felt the warmth of the coffee shop.

“Ayato, it’s almost time for your shift!” Touka, his older sister, reminded him the moment she saw him.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Ayato said, and went straight to the break room to change.

“Are you alright, Ayato?” Yomo Renji, his uncle, asked him when the teen passed by the kitchen.

“Yeah, just a bit cold.” He simply answered, and then opened the door to the break room.

The seventeen-year-old boy took off his school uniform and exchanged it for his waiter uniform, which consisted of black pants, a white shirt, and a black vest. He put his school uniform inside of his school bag, and headed to the café area, where his sister was already waiting for him. She gave him a notepad, and nodded towards a table, wordlessly telling him that the couple sitting there was ready to order. Using his best fake smile, he walked towards them.

“Are you ready to order?”

This was his daily routine. Go to school, then go to the coffee shop. Some days, like today, he worked shifts of four hours as a waiter, and the rest he still went to the café, for he lived in the apartment above the place. :Re was a coffee shop co-owned by his sister and uncle, and sponsored by their former employer, Yoshimura. The two of them worked there every day, giving Ayato the opportunity to help them out a few days during the week to make extra money for his personal expenses. Though his sister annoyed him a lot, he was honestly happy to work there, especially since his sister and uncle busted their asses off daily so that he could lead a nice life. Even though his parents were long dead, he had a loving sister, an uncle who gave up everything to raise them, a nice apartment, a family business, and money to spare. He didn’t lack anything at all.

Suddenly, the bell from the café chimed, signaling someone had entered. He turned to the door, and he became breathless.

“Good afternoon!” A sweet, angelical voice greeted them.

“Ah, good afternoon, come in!” His sister greeted the girl back.

“Ayato, good afternoon!” The girl said happily, as she walked to where he was standing.

Although Ayato had everything a lot of people would die to have, there was just one thing, or rather one person who was missing from his life. Her name was─

“Hinami.” He greeted the girl back.

She giggled. “Why do you sound so scared?”

Ayato was about to reply, when his sister interrupted him.

“Ignore my brother, he gets like that when he sees a cute girl.” Touka teased him, and then promptly left them alone.

He blushed, and angrily barked at her. “Aneki, shut up!”

Hinami laughed again.

“You really love seeing me miserable, don’t you?” He asked her.

“Always.” She replied, and then playfully stuck her tongue out.

Ayato rolled his eyes. “Anyway, what do you wanna order?”

“The usual, please.”

“Coming right up.”

Fueguchi Hinami was her name. He had known her for more than four years, before :Re even existed. Her mother was a friend of Yoshimura’s, and she frequently visited Anteiku, the café where Touka used to work. After losing her husband, Fueguchi Ryouko stayed for a few months in Yoshimura’s spare room along with her daughter. During this time, Touka did everything in her power to make Hinami comfortable, including forcing him to befriend her. At first, Ayato was annoyed with this turn of events, especially because Hinami was very shy, but after spending time together doing a school project, he finally warmed up to her. He discovered they had a lot in common, and that they could relate to each other because both missed their parents. After that, they were practically attached by the hip, and became best friends.

Now, they were finishing their second year of high school, and things had changed for Ayato. He was no longer a boy, but was quickly becoming a man, and Hinami was also becoming a woman, a very warm, smart, and beautiful woman. It was natural that Ayato would notice, and sooner rather than later, his opinion of her would change. He had always loved her, mind you, but lately his feelings had strayed from friendship. In short, he was deeply crushing on her, and lately it had been hard to hide his feelings for her. Sure, he could tell her and put an end to his misery. However, he had one little problem.

“Good afternoon!” A man said as he entered the café.

“Onii-chan!” Hinami exclaimed, and stood up to greet the newcomer.

“Oh, Hinami-chan, have you been waiting a long time?”

“None at all! Please sit here!”

Ayato’s problem had a name, and it was Kaneki Ken. They had met him when he started working as waiter at Anteiku. Hinami became close to him when Kaneki had helped her read difficult kanji on a book she was reading. After that, they had started talking about books, forming a close friendship, even when Kaneki was four years older than her. Hinami always said that if she had had an older brother, he would have been like Kaneki. Ayato was no fool, however. It was easy to see that Hinami had a huge crush on Kaneki, which became even more apparent when Kaneki had become a renowned writer. It sucked because Ayato would never be able to compare to him, and his crush would always be unrequited. This was the reason why each time Kaneki came to the café, Ayato’s mood would instantly sour.

“Stop pouting.” His sister whispered in his ear.

“I’m not pouting.” He denied it, although Touka’s shit-eating grin said otherwise.

“Come on, help me with the table over there, while I give Kaneki his coffee.” She said, and made her way to where Kaneki and Hinami were sitting. Ayato watched her as Touka smiled sweetly at Hinami, and then said something to Kaneki while handing him the cup of coffee, to which the man smiled. Touka smiled back at him, and started walking towards the counter, while trying and failing to hide a smile. Oh yeah, he had forgotten to mention it, but his sister was in love with that bastard as well. Oh joy. Kaneki would either become his rival for Hinami’s affections or his brother-in-law. Being Ayato was being in a constant state of suffering

He sighed, and tried to collect himself.

“Ayato!” Hinami called him and he, like a puppy, instantly walked to her.

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to tell you that both Onii-chan and I will be attending Onee-chan’s Christmas Party!”

Ayato internally flinched. He had wanted to spend Christmas Eve with Hinami, and give her the gift he had bought for her ─a hair pin which had flowers on it. However, his plans would be interrupted by Kaneki’s presence. Great, just great.

“Ah. That’s good.” He simply answered.

“Isn’t it? We’ll be all celebrating together!” The girl said, her cheeks flushing in excitement. “Which reminds me that you’ll be getting your present during the party.” She added mysteriously.

Ayato fought back a blush, and smiled at her. “I’ll be looking forward to it, then.”

“Yeah!”

It didn’t really matter if she loved someone else, he’d always love her, no matter what. And maybe, if he could catch a break, he’d be able to tell her his feelings.

“See you in school!” Hinami waved at him before leaving.

“Yeah, see ya!” Still feeling giddy, Ayato watched Hinami go home alone, to his delight. Then, he saw Kaneki move to sit on the counter, chatting rather amicably with his sister.

“Goddamnit.” He hissed. Of course that guy would flirt with two girls on the same day, the only two girls Ayato happened to love too.

Before he could think of ways to slowly murder Kaneki, the bell chimed once again. He turned to look at their new costumers, a tall man with dark hair, accompanied by a pretty young woman.

“Welcome to :Re.”

Amon held his coat closer to his body. It was unusually cold that day. It definitely wasn’t the time to be outside, but alas, as a detective, he had to investigate a rather difficult case. He shivered. He really should have brought a scarf and gloves. He cursed himself for rushing out his place in the morning, merely grabbing a grey coat. Then, Amon turned to his side and glance at his partner. She was doing no better than he was, rubbing her hands together to warm them up.

“Maybe we should rest for a while.” He said, stopping on his tracks.

The woman seemed alarmed. “But we need to solve this case! We can’t afford to rest!” She exclaimed.

“Akira.” Amon said sternly. “Resting is also important for a detective. If our minds are not well-rested, we might not be able to piece everything together.”

Akira contemplated his words for a few seconds, and then nodded. “I suppose we should go somewhere warm. Any thoughts?”

Amon thought and looked at his surroundings. His favorite coffee shop was just a block away. “Yeah, follow me.”

He led her through the streets until they reached an establishment. A sign outside had :Re written on it with black letters. Amon opened the door, listening to the bell chiming. Akira followed suit, observing her surroundings. A waiter, who looked like a teen, welcomed then and showed them to their table. They sat down, and started browsing the menus.

“I didn’t know you knew this place.” She commented. “So, what’s good here?” Akira asked him.

“Well, I’d say everything. They have all types of blends and a wide variety of cakes.”

She nodded. “Oh yeah, for a second I forgot you love sweet food.”

“Yeah, and you like spicy food. Maybe a café wasn’t the best idea for you.” Amon said, thoughtfully.

His partner shrugged. “If you like this place, then it must be good. I’ll just try your favorite dishes.” She said, giving him a warm smile.

Amon gulped. “Well, I really like their chocolate cake, and their vanilla lattes.”

“Then, let’s order that.”

Their waiter, who said his name was Ayato, took their order and left them alone. They talked a bit about their current case, and then proceeded to talk about their coworker Takizawa’s latest stunt at work. Finally, their food arrived. Amon looked at his cup of coffee and found that it was decorated with a dog.

“Oh, my latte has a cat on it. It’s cute.” Akira whispered, her cheeks flushed like they did when she talked about cats. “It looks like Maris Stella.”

“Yeah, it kinda does.” It did look like Akira’s cat, even the whiskers looked like the cat’s own whiskers.

Next, Akira took a bite from the cake, and moaned. “This is actually delicious.”

Amon smiled softly. “Yeah. I think it’s their best cake.”

“You have great taste, Amon.” She said in a tone which appeared to be rather suggestive. Amon blushed.

Akira had been his partner for several years now. At first, the purpose of their partnership was to teach Akira how to lead and continue an investigation. Since Amon had been a detective for five years already, and was a very patient man, it seemed like he was the perfect choice to be young Akira’s new partner. At first, she had given him a lot of attitude, but now they got along quite well, even if Akira was still stubborn as hell, like earlier that day. They had become inseparable, and with their closeness came unwanted feelings.

“So, after we finish this cake, we’ll go back to the case?” She asked him, licking the fork.

Amon tried to ignore the way her tongue licked the metal. “Yes. We must go back to the office and look at what we’ve got.”

“Do you already have a lead on our suspect?” Akira asked him with raised eyebrows.

“I think so.”

“I’ve already looked into the guy that you’re thinking of.” She replied, smirking.

“Oh really?” He shook his head. “Always a step ahead of me.”

“It’s what you love about me.” Akira said confidently, still smirking, while Amon internally screamed.

Looking back, everyone should have seen this coming. Amon was a young, attractive man, and Akira was a young, attractive woman. They had a lot of chemistry, and their personalities blended quite nicely. They were bound to like each other in a non-platonic way. And, even if that wasn’t reason enough to fall for each other, Akira was smart, responsible, diligent, and extremely badass. Amon would be a fool not to be fall for her. However, there was one little problem that kept him from making a move. It wasn’t the fact that he was six years older than her, or that they were coworkers. No. The problem was that she was Mado Akira, the only daughter of Mado Kureo, who so happened to be his boss. And he was Amon Koutarou, the adopted son of a pedophile. He instantly reached for his silver cross hanging from his neck.

“Are you alright?” Akira asked him, clearly concerned. He only reached for his necklace when he felt conflicted.

“Yeah. I think it’s time to leave.”

His partner nodded, though she was clearly unconvinced he was actually alright. He asked for the bill, and a pretty woman, who was the manager of the coffee shop, gave it to him. He put the exact amount the needed to pay, plus the tip for the waiter, and promptly ignored Akira’s protests to pay.

“I invited you, so I’m paying.” He said, while Akira rolled her eyes.

The manager smiled at them and gave them flyers. “The coffee shop is hosting a Christmas Party on the 24th, after closing time with our customers. We would be delighted if you could come.” She explained them.

Amon examined the flyer. It said there’d be free food, music, and karaoke. The party was sponsored by one Tsukiyama Shuu, from the Tsukiyama family. The party did sound nice, and he knew for a fact the manager was nice, for he had chatted with her a few times. Honestly, he was tempted to go, but he wasn’t sure if he would be able to, or even if Akira was interested.

“Sure, I’d love to come.” Akira said, giving the manager a smile.

“Great. Then I’ll see you on the 24th. Have a great day!” With that, the manager left them alone.

“You’re actually going?” Amon asked her, quite perplexed.

“Yeah. We need to relax from time to time, right? Besides, I’ve never gone to a Christmas party, so I want to experience being at one.” She explained. “Will you come with me?”

Amon thought about it. He never really did anything on Christmas anymore. The memories from his Christmases as a child haunted him. However, he could make new memories if he went with Akira. And, he thought as he looked at her, perhaps he would be finally able to tell her how he felt.

“I’m going too.”

She smiled at him.

Touka looked as one of his regular customers, Amon, left with the pretty girl he had brought this time to the coffee shop. Then, she turned to look at Ayato, who was grumpily cleaning a table. She snorted. She focused her attention back to the blend she was preparing. This was from a new brand, and she had been dying to try it out.

“You’re playing matchmaker now, Touka-chan?” A voice interrupted her musings.

She looked to her right and acknowledged the man sitting there. “That man has been sulking here for over a year. It was obvious he liked that girl he brought. I’m just doing him a favor.” She explained herself. In reality, during one of her conversations with Amon, he had mentioned being in love with a girl, but being unable to tell her his feelings. So, Touka had seen this as the perfect opportunity to give Amon a chance.

The man looked like he didn’t believe her one bit, but he just shrugged. “Whatever you say, Touka-chan.”

“So, Kaneki, are you coming to our Christmas party?” Touka asked him, trying to appear nonchalant, but she was nervous about his answer.

“Yeah, I am. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He answered earnestly.

Touka hid her blush. “Is that so? Then, I hope you’ll help me clean.”

Kaneki snorted. “Of course.”

He sipped his coffee, while she finished her blend. She decorated the latte with a bunny, and then she gave it to Kaneki.

“Try it.” She commanded him.

Kaneki took the cup in his hands, chuckling when he saw the bunny. It was very cute. He blew the steam off before taking a sip. He closed his eyes, and took his time tasting the new blend. It was different from Touka’s usual blends, but delicious nonetheless. He smiled at her.

“It’s amazing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, taste it.” Kaneki lifted his own cup to Touka’s lips. This time, she couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

“It really is.”

“Is it a new blend?” He asked her, finishing his latte.

“Yeah. I wanted to see if it was good enough to include it on the menu.”

“So I was your guinea pig?” Kaneki joked.

“You can say that.” Touka replied.

They both shared a smile. Kaneki went back to the book he was reading, and Touka started cleaning cups and plates. While she worked, she quietly observed him. He was wearing his reading glasses. He looked very handsome with them. Then, she looked at his black hair. It looked soft to the touch. Next, she noticed the way the muscles on his arms would flex when changing the pages of his book. At first glance Kaneki didn’t look like it, but he was fit. She shook her head, she shouldn’t be distracted by such thoughts.

“So, what have you been reading lately?” Kaneki suddenly asked her.

Touka blinked twice before answering. “A novel I found recently. It’s not really something you’d like. It’s a sci-fi novel.” She explained.

“Tell me all about it.” He told her.

Four years ago, Touka would have never been able to talk about books with Kaneki, for she hated literature. That was her worst subject in high school. She wouldn’t be talking to Kaneki anyway, for she hated him as much as she hated reading. Well, that wasn’t completely true, but she couldn’t stand him. They had met when Kaneki had started walking at Anteiku part time. Touka, at first, had thought Kaneki was too weak and mild. A classic nerd who studied literature in college. But, after spending a lot of time together at work, and learning more about each other, they became friends. Touka discovered he was kind despite the bad situations he had been through, something she admired. He was passionate and strong in his own way. Above all, this stranger cared for her in a way no one ever had before. That fact changed her whole world. Could you fault her for falling in love with him? For falling in love with a bright, handsome, caring man?

She sighed. She had loved him for the past four years. She had watched him grow from a boy into a man. She had been there when he finally published his first book, and started working at the university. In turn, he had been there for her on her high school graduation, and when she and her uncle finally opened :Re. They were together, and yet so far apart. Because, in these past four years, she had never said a word about her feelings. Touka had watched him be surrounding by beautiful women and handsome men. People smarter, stronger, and more attractive than her. She had watched him grow out of his shell, and become his best self. Yet… yet she couldn’t tell him her true feelings out of fear of losing him, losing him to someone better than her. This was about to change, though. Because she had promised herself that, finally, she would confess to him. Even if he didn’t love her back, it didn’t matter. She’d be there for him no matter what.

“I’ll buy it.” Kaneki said after listening to Touka tell him all about her new book.

“Oh?” She smiled. “Speaking of new books, when are you going to publish your new novel?” He had been working on a new novel for about a year now, and she was curious about it.

“Hmmm, you’ll have to wait.” He said mysteriously, and stood to leave.

“What does that mean?” Touka asked, clearly confused.

“Guess you’ll have to find out.” He retorted, equally as mysterious as before.

Touka huffed. “Don’t try to act so secretive. It doesn’t suit you.”

He laughed. “Well, I gotta go, Touka-chan. Thanks for the cake and the coffee.”

“Wait!” She called out to him, and then gave him a bag she had retrieved from behind the counter. “Happy birthday, Kaneki.”

Kaneki stared at her, gawking, and then looked at the bag.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Well, what are you waiting for? Open it.”

Kaneki nodded, and opened the bag. Inside he found a bag of his favorite coffee, and the first edition of one of his favorite books. “Thank you so much!” He exclaimed, briefly hugging her. “How did you know I wanted this book?”

“I actually listen when you talk, y’know.” She said, and Kaneki grinned at her.

“Thank you! Really! I’ll treasure it forever!”

With that, Kaneki left, even skipping a little bit, unaware he had left Touka completely flustered after his little display of affection. The manager sighed. Kaneki would definitely be the dead of her.

Ayato grumbled as he moved another chair from the center of the coffee shop to the sides. Today was the day they were holding their Christmas Party. They had closed early to prepare, but that meant that they had had to clean the whole place, rearrange the tables and chairs, and prepare the food for their guests. They had bought a tree, and had decorated it. They put banners and took out their fanciest silverware. Cleaning and decorating was double work, and Ayato was exhausted.

“Cheer up, Ayato.” His sister said beside him. “That was the last chair. Now go on and change.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, aneki.”

Touka shook her head, and let him go to his room.

He reached his room, and took out a pair of dark jeans, a navy shirt, and his favorite leather jacket. He got dressed and then put his boots on. Then, Ayato looked at his mirror and, using a comb, tried to brush his messy hair. Today was important and he needed to look his best. However, he couldn’t find a style that suited him, so he let his hair be. He sat down on his bed, and reached for a bag he had hidden on his top drawer. Inside the bright pink bag rested the pin he had bought for Hinami. He hoped she liked it.

Ayato stood up, and went to his living room. Uncle Renji was already ready, wearing what looked like a suit. Together, they watched TV and waited for Touka to be ready. After half an hour, she came out of her room wearing a little black dress, heels, and makeup. Ayato blinked, and turned to look at his uncle, who was blinking too.

“What?” Touka said, sounding mildly offended.

“Why are you dressed like that?” Ayato asked.

“It’s the first Christmas party that I’ve ever hosted, and I want to look nice. Is that wrong?”

Ayato shook his head. He had never intended to upset her, but her chose of clothes was weird. She was definitely up to something. He stopped himself from thinking about why she was wearing that dress, or rather, who was it for.

“You look pretty, Touka.” Their uncle said.

“Thank you. Now let’s go.”

They made their way to the coffee shop area to wait for their guests. As usual, the firsts to arrive were his uncle’s friends, Uta and Itori. Ayato rolled his eyes at their antics. They were weird. Next, old Yoshimura, and his employees Irimi and Koma arrived. They had brought the cake. One by one the rest of the guests got there. Kaneki arrived soon with his friend, a blond guy, and both made their way straight to where Touka was. Tsukiyama, though he had sponsored the event, arrived fashionably late, accompanied by his friend Kanae. Once he set foot there, he jumped on Kaneki’s back, going on about how happy he was to see him. Nishiki, their old coworker, arrived next with his girlfriend Kimi. Then, a couple Ayato recognized as the one he had served a few days ago, arrived too. Touka’s best friend, Yoriko, and her fiancé arrived next. Most everyone he knew, and a few customers, had arrived, but Hinami was still missing. He texted her but she didn’t answer. After an hour and fifteen minutes had gone by, Ayato was starting to lose hope that she’d actually get there. However, someone opened the door frantically, and Hinami rushed in, followed by her mother.

“Hinami.” He said, awestruck the moment he saw her. She looked beautiful. Hinami was wearing a pink dress, a grey, cozy jacket, and boots.

“I’m sorry we’re late! We lost track of time.” She explained, trying to catch her breath.

“No, it’s okay. Do you want something to drink?”

“Yes, please.”

Ayato gave her soda, and then watched as she greeted everyone she knew. Once she reached Kaneki, he feared she’d stay with the older man, but she turned and greeted other people, before going back to him. They sat down and chatted. Hinami told him about a new book she was reading, excitedly recalling the best parts of the book. Then, Ayato showed her a few songs of a new heavy metal band he had discovered. They talked about school, their families, Ayato’s work, and more. It was like being in heaven.

Next, they ate together, sitting on the same table as Hinami’s mother and Yoshimura. After dinner, the karaoke started, and Ayato was forced to sing a duet with his sister, and then one with Hinami. However, the moment Tsukiyama grabbed the microphone, Ayato took her hand, and let Hinami to the farthest end of the room, close to the Christmas tree.

“What was that about?” She asked him.

“That guy’s voice is super shrilly. I hate it.” He grumbled.

Hinami giggled. “You really hate karaoke, don’t you?”

“It’s stupid.”

“Yet you sang with onee-chan and me.” She said.

“That’s different!” Ayato defended himself.

“How so?”

He scratched the back of his head. “I guess because you two are important to me.” He said, looking down, his cheeks turning red.

“You’re important to me too.” Hinami said, her cheeks as red as his. Then, her eyes strayed to the tree, specifically to the presents set there. “Oh! I almost forgot!” She yelped, and then grabbed a blue package from the tree. “Merry Christmas, Ayato!” She gave him the package.

“Ah. Thanks.” He said, feeling bashful. He opened it carefully, and discovered that inside was a t-shirt from his favorite band. “Wow! Thank you, Hina!” He said, as he got it out.

“Do you like it?” Hinami asked him.

“I love it! How did you get it? It’s super expensive!” He said in admiration.

Hinami looked down. “Well, I saved for it, but really, it was no problem!” She shook her head adorably.

Ayato’s face softened. “Why would you do such a thing for me?”

She grabbed his hands in hers. “Isn’t it obvious? Because I really, really, care about you. As in, more than care.” She confessed.

Ayato opened his mouth, and closed it several times. “But I thought… I mean… why do you even care about me? I thought there was someone else.” He said, partially looking at Kaneki, who was laughing with his sister.

Hinami followed his eyes, looked at Kaneki as well, and then snorted. “Really, Ayato? You should really stop thinking.” She said jokingly. “I care about you because you’re honest, headstrong, and brave. There’s no one I’d rather be with tonight.”

The boy blushed after listening to her words. Then, heart beating fast, he intertwined their fingers. “I care about you too… I… I love you, Hina.” He finally confessed.

Hinami’s eyes widened, and then she laughed. “I’m so glad. I love you too.”

Next, in the blink of an eye, Hinami stepped on her toes, and kissed him on the cheek. Ayato stuttered, unable to say anything else. “But… I…”

She giggled. “Come on, let’s sit somewhere.”

Ayato laughed, relieved and ecstatic that Hinami felt the same way, when he realized he had forgotten about his present. “Wait!” He yelled loudly, and then grabbed the pink bag from earlier from under the tree. “Here.”

“Thank you.” She said as she grabbed it. She opened it and gasped when she saw the pin. “Ayato, it is so beautiful! I love it!” Then, she hugged him.

“I’m happy that you do.” He said, while hugging her back.

“Help me put it on.” She said.

Ayato grabbed the pin, and gently put it on her hair. His hand caressed her cheek, and then he leaned down, only to stop on the last second. Hinami shook her head, and then pecked his lips. Ayato blinked twice, and blushed.

“Come on, let’s sit, boyfriend.” She said, and taking his hand, she led them to a nearby table, which happened to be empty.

Ayato smiled like a fool for the rest of the night.

Amon felt more awkward than he had ever felt in his entire life. That morning, he had honestly thought he’d be able to have fun at the Christmas Party. He had gotten up early, gone to the gym, taken a shower, and then eaten healthily in preparation for dinner. He had picked up his favorite pair of black pants and a white shirt with black stripes from the dry cleaner’s. When it was time, he put them on along with his shiny black shoes. Then, he grabbed his grey coat, his wallet and keys, and went to pick Akira up. He had been breathless the moment she came out of her apartment, wearing a maroon dress which showed her legs and gave a nice view of her chest.

“Are you staring at my breasts?” Akira had deadpanned, and from then on things had been awkward.

Getting to :Re had not improved the mood. Although everyone received them warmly, and they were included in all of the activities, it was uncomfortable to be surrounded by strangers who knew each other well. Furthermore, they were still barely talking and it was so frustrating. Amon wanted to scream or do anything that would break the silence.

Suddenly, Akira started giggling.

“What is it?” He asked her.

She snorted. “Look at those too.” She said, pointing to two teenagers who were singing. The girl had a nice voice, but the boy looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there.

“What about them?”

“He clearly has a crush on her, and that’s why he’s even there.” She said.

Amon raised an eyebrow. “How can you tell?”

“It’s so obvious. Look at their body language.” Akira explained. “He’s trying to get closer to her without it seeming too obvious, which makes it all the more obvious. Besides, he’s blushing.”

Amon observed them. It was true. The boy, whom he recognized as their waiter from last time, was progressively getting closer to the girl, but every time she turned to look at him, he would trace his steps back. He chuckled, remembering when he had been that age and had liked a girl for the first time. Good thing he had outgrown that stage.

Akira, then, laughed at the new karaoke participants, and his heart stopped. Had he actually outgrown that stage? It didn’t seem like he had, for he hadn’t even been able to tell her about his feelings. He glanced at Akira. She was smiling as she clapped along with the song, her eyes sparkling in amusement. Would she be happy if he confessed his feelings to her? Would that ruin their partnership? What would his boss say? Shaking his head, Amon rid himself of such thoughts. There was no use in thinking about it, when he was there, at a Christmas party, and Akira looked more beautiful than ever.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Akira asked him suddenly.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“Me too. I’m glad we did this.” She said honestly.

“We could do it again sometime.” Amon asked, feeling uncertain.

She smiled again. “I’d like that.”

The manager of the shop suddenly appeared, smiling at them. “Hey there, how’s it going? Would you like some wine?”

Amon looked at his partner, who nodded. “Yeah, thank you.”

“Here you go.”

A few drinks later, Akira had gotten him to sing on the karaoke. She was tone-deaf, ─not that he’d ever tell her─ and he wasn’t doing any better, but still, everyone clapped and hooted as they sang. After their song ended, they got a standing ovation, and both sat down still laughing.

“I’ve never done anything like this in my entire life.” Akira exclaimed. Amon nodded. She was always so serious that he really couldn’t see her singing in public, of course, until tonight that is.

“I actually have.” He admitted. “When I was a child, we would sing in the orphanage when we got bored. Haven’t really done it since, well… you know.”

She looked at him, her eyes boring into his. “You should do it more often. You have a great voice.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re drunk.”

“Maybe.” She answered, an amused smile gracing her lips.

Amon chuckled, and sipped his wine. Then, he turned around and saw the two teenagers from earlier sitting together on the farthest end of the shop. They were holding hands, and were whispering in each other’s ears. Amon gasped. He’d be damned! The boy did what he hadn’t been able to.

“Oh, will you look at that.” Akira said. “What an interesting turn of events.”

She looked too pleased with the fact those two were together now, apparently. “You seem pretty invested in their love lives.” He said.

“Hmmm… I suppose… It’s just, there’s nothing sweeter than young love.” She said wistfully.

Amon didn’t know if he was too drunk or feeling braver, but he asked her, “Have you ever been in love?”

Akira stared at him with an undecipherable look on her eyes. “I have. What about you?”

“Perhaps.”

They continued drinking in silence, observing the people around them. The manager seemed to be very busy, chatting amidst a lively group if people. Amon couldn’t help but see as a man with black hair stood way too close to her. He smiled. Good for her. She deserved to be love. Speaking of love, the two teens on the back weren’t the only couples in the party. Amon could see many couples everywhere, and he started to feel self-conscious. Were Akira and he being mistaken for a couple? What would people think if they realized they weren’t together? But what if they were together? What would Akira think about it? Would they be holding hands and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears like the two teenagers?

“Here.” Akira said, giving him a bag.

“What’s this?” He asked the moment he took it.

“It’s obviously your Christmas present.” Akira said. “Come on, open it.”

It had been years since he had last received a Christmas present. It was common in the Catholic orphanage he had lived at as a child. Every Christmas, all of the children would receive a small gift. But, he soon learned all those gifts he had received, and even his very stay in the orphanage came at a high price. Amon resisted the urge to grab his cross, and instead opened the bag, discovering a high-quality watch in it.

“Akira… you really shouldn’t have.” Amon said as he examined it. It must have cost her a lot of money.

“Of course I had to. It’s so you’re always on time.” She joked. “Try it on, and say thank you.” She added when she realized Amon kept staring at his present.

“Yeah, of course. Thank you very much.” He said, and started to put it on, only to be stopped by Akira.

“Let me put it on.” She said and, taking his hand by the wrist, he started putting the watch on.

Amon flushed at the contact. Her hand was warm and soft to the touch.

“There.” Akira said, admiring her handiwork.

It actually was a pretty nice watch. It was silver and big enough that it fit perfectly in his large arm.

“Thank you.” He said earnestly. She smiled.

“Anytime.”

“Oh, that reminds me, here’s your gift.” He said, pulling a velvet black box from his pocket. She looked at him wide-eyed, and he realized what that looked like. “Wait, it’s not what you think.” He began explaining himself, but she laughed.

“Just give it to me.”

“I hope you like it.” Amon muttered as he watched Akira open the box. Inside, there lay a silver necklace he had bought for her. It had a pendant in the shape of a cat.

“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Akira exclaimed. “The cat looks like Maris Stella.”

“Yeah, I thought so too when I bought it. Do you like it?”

“I love it! It’s perfect.” She said as she looked at it. Then she handed the necklace back to him. “Help me put it on?”

Amon swallowed, and then stood up, walking towards her until he reached her back. He grabbed the necklace and gently put it on, his fingertips gracing the skin on her neck.

“There.” He said, praying his cheeks weren’t red.

Akira took his hand. “Thank you, Amon. I really love it.”

He nodded. “I’m glad you do.”

Looking at his new watch he noticed it was almost midnight. It was late already, and tomorrow they had to work.

“I think we should leave.” Akira said, reading his mind.

“Yes. It’s getting too late. Let’s just say goodbye to the manager, and then I’ll walk you home.”

Together, they walked to where the manager was standing. She looked at them, and made her way to the couple.

“Leaving already?” She asked them.

“Yeah. We should head home.” Amon answered.

“Well, I’m glad you came. I hope you had fun.”

Akira looked at her partner. “We definitely did. And if you host anymore parties, we will surely come.”

“Then, I’ll host more parties.” The manager said, and then her eyes widened when she looked above their heads.

Amon followed her eyes and his own widened. Was that…?

“Oh, mistletoe.” Akira said, recognizing the plant.

“I put them there for decoration, honestly hoping someone else would end up under one.” The manager said, briefly glancing to where the two teens were sitting. “So, you don’t have to do anything.”

Amon silently thanked her. He was beginning to sweat from how nervous he was feeling at the moment. They could have laughed it all, and left the party. He could have walked her home, and said a friendly goodbye, not changing anything. However Akira, as unpredictable as ever, changed the course of the night.

“Well, it is tradition. I’d hate to break the rules.” Akira said, making Amon choke. Then, she grabbed him by his tie and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him. It wasn’t just a peck, she was actually kissing him. His mind went blank for a second, and then he reacted, grabbing her back and pulling her closer.

“Oh my.” The manager said, although she was smiling at them.

When they pulled back, they smiled shyly at each other. Amon then coughed.

“We’ll be going now.” He said.

“Again, thank you for inviting us.” Akira said, clearly unfazed by the kiss.

“Anytime. I hope to see you soon!”

They walked home in silence. Each deep in thought. Amon resisted the urge to touch his lips. He had kissed girls before, but this had been on a whole other level. He felt electricity flowing from her skin, and it made him warm all over.

“Are you gonna say anything?” Akira was the first to break the silence.

“Well… I… I mean… I…” Amon stuttered, making her laugh.

“Are you always this eloquent?”

“Akira.” He half-whined.

“I’m just kidding.” She said, and then stopped. “But you know, I thought the kiss would clear things up.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if I need to spell it out, I’m madly in love with you. Head over heels. Going crazy.” Akira said with her same monotone voice, but her bright red cheeks betrayed her.

“Wow.” Amon murmured.

“Wow? That’s all you have to say?”

“No, I mean, I’m just surprised about this turn of events. Shocked even.” Amon said and Akira scoffed. “But, yeah, I feel the same way.”

“The same way?” The minx asked, clearly wanting for him to say those three words.

“I love you.” He proclaimed simply.

Akira smiled. “That’s good, because now you won’t be able to get rid of me.”

“I wasn’t counting on it.”

They walked the streets of Tokyo hand in hand.

Touka watched the couple exit the shop with a smile on her face. She resisted to urge to sigh. That kiss had been very romantic. It was more than what she had expected. This definitely had been quite a night.

“Playing match-maker again?” Kaneki whispered from behind her.

Touka turned to look at him, a glint on her eyes. “Whatever do you mean?” She feigned ignorance.

He chuckled. “Well, your plans worked nicely. Your customer got to kiss his crush, and it seems we have a new couple around here.” He said, turning to look at where Ayato and Hinami had been hanging for a while, their hands intertwined.

“Then I’d say everything’s been a success.”

They smiled at each other.

To be perfectly honest, the night had gone better than she had expected. Touka had purposely hung mistletoe all over the place hoping Ayato and Hinami would end up under one. She wasn’t no fool, and she had clearly noticed the moment both of them had fallen in love. However, she had been frustrated at their lack of development. However, her plan had entirely failed, except for the fact the two of them had kissed on their own. Yes, Touka had seen it. Call her an overprotective older sister, but she was looking out for both of them. Yet, her plan hadn’t entirely failed for her customer, Amon, and the girl he had brought to the party, were the victims of the mistletoe and they had kissed. Touka was sure that the next time she saw Amon, he would bring the girl again.

Now that her matchmaking plans were taken care of, she needed to think about her own plan to confess. If luck would have it, there’d be three couples that night instead of two. Everything was going well on that account. From the moment Kaneki had arrived at the party, he had remained by her side, and on his own accord too. She was glad of that, for he looked extremely handsome that night. He was wearing a white and black suit, with a nice black shirt which made his muscles more visible. His hair was also slicked back, showing his beautiful eyes. Okay, she was getting side-tracked. The point was that she had been truly enjoying herself, and she didn’t want the night to end. Speaking of which, most everyone had left already and she was running out of time to confess.

“Hey, where’s Hide?” Touka asked him noticing that his best friend was nowhere to be found.

“Oh, he left a while ago.” Kaneki answered.

Touka was almost sure that, at some point, Hide had clearly given her a thumbs up, as if knowing exactly what she was planning to do. Hide, sometimes, was too perceptive.

“Yeah, almost everyone’s gone.” She said, inspecting the room. Even shitty Nishiki had left already.

“It’s getting late. It’s almost midnight.” Kaneki said, looking at his phone.

“I suppose I should start cleaning soon.” She said, then she looked at him. “And remember you promised to help.”

He sighed. “Hai, hai.”

Then Touka started walking towards the buffet table with the purpose of cleaning up a bit, when she didn’t notice there was wrapping paper lying around and, since she wasn’t used to wearing high heels, she tripped on it.

“Watch out!” Kaneki yelled, and managed to grab her in time.

Touka felt Kaneki’s arms wrapped around her. Looking up, she could see his eyes staring right into hers. Both were panting, and she couldn’t help but blush when she noticed how close they were. If she were to move her head forward, their lips would meet.

“Are you alright, Touka-chan?” He asked her, his arms still wrapped around her.

“Yeah, thanks.” She breathed out, still looking into his eyes. God, she could get lost in them.

Then, he looked down and stared right into her cleavage. Touka had actually chosen to wear that dress because it showed her boobs nicely, but now she was second guessing her decision as Kaneki’s eyes stared right into them. Both blushed and quickly separated.

“I’m… I’m glad you’re okay.” Kaneki muttered, still completely red.

Touka smirked. So, he had liked her breasts. That was progress. Now, all she needed to do was to find the courage to get him alone so that she could confess her feelings already, and hopefully they would be kissing too.

“Hey.” Kaneki said suddenly. “I was wondering if…” But he couldn’t continue, for he was interrupted by a loud yell.

“KANEKI-KUN!” A wasted Tsukiyama screamed.

“Oh God.” Touka muttered. Of course Tsukiyama of all people would be the one to interrupt them.

“Yeah?” Ever kind, Kaneki said, approaching the karaoke machine where Tsukiyama was standing.

“You need to sing one last song before we leave!” Tsukiyama slurred, barely standing. Kanae was having a hard time keeping him upright.

“I don’t think so.” Kaneki answered.

“But I don’t want to be deprived of your angelical voice! Please, sing for me!” He yelled again.

Kaneki thought about it for a moment before answering. “Fine, but only if Touka-chan sings with me.” He said, looking at her with a small grin.

“Wait, me?” Touka asked, dumbfounded.

“Yeah.” Kaneki nodded, still smiling.

“But─”

“Come on, Kirishima-san, sing with him!” Tsukiyama exclaimed.

Thinking that it’d be a bother if Tsukiyama kept making a ruckus, Touka accepted, although she was internally shaking. The only time she had sung with a boy who wasn’t her brother, it had been Nishiki as a dare.

Kaneki chose the song, a romantic duet which got everyone raising their eyebrows. Next, he took her hand and led her to the center of the room. As they sang, Touka couldn’t help but question his actions. The karaoke wasn’t the first weird thing Kaneki had done all night. First, he had never left her side all night. Secondly, he had flirted with her all night. He had touched her arm and hands on repeated occasions, had whispered in her ear and had laughed at every single one of her jokes. Now, they were singing a love song. Touka didn’t want to get her hopes up, but what was she supposed to think. The only logical explanation was that he returned her feelings.

After singing, and after Tsukiyama finally went home ─Thanks, Kanae!─ they started cleaning. Everyone else, reading the atmosphere around them, thankfully left them alone, as Touka, jokingly, forced Kaneki to help her clean up. They both talked and laughed as they cleaned. Touka was feeling nervous yet again. She wanted to confess, but was second-guessing herself. Had she read the situation wrong? She cursed herself. She couldn’t go back. She had to tell him.

“Kane─”

“What do we do about the tree?” Kaneki interrupted her, staring at the tree she had set up.

She swallowed. She’d get another chance. “I think we need to take it down.” She said.

Kaneki kept looking at the tree. “Yeah, but before that, look, there’s a present underneath!” He pointed to a blue bag which was hidden under it.

“Oh, you’re right. Let me get it.” Touka said, crouching to get it. “I wonder for who is this.” She said out loud.

“Why don’t you read the tag?” He said gently.

Touka did so and she gasped when she read the tag. From: Kaneki To: Touka-chan was written in bold black letters. She turned to look at Kaneki, and found him staring at her with an intense look in his eyes and a warm smile.

“Merry Christmas, Touka-chan.”

“I… Kaneki… you shouldn’t have.” She said.

“Open it, come one.” He gestured towards the bag.

Touka nodded and started opening it, only to find a book. The cover was black, and in gold letters she could read The Tragedy of The Like-Minded Souls and A Black Centipede by Sasaki Haise. As expected, the title didn’t tell you that much about the book, and could even be said it was pretentious, but it exude the literary prowess Kaneki was famous for. It was signed by his penname, because he hated the attention in his day to day life.

“It’s your new book.” She whispered as she touched the cover.

“Yeah. And you get the first copy.” Kaneki said happily.

“When did you finish it?” Touka asked him, still admiring the novel in her hands.

“A while ago. But I didn’t want to say anything so it’d be a surprise.” He confessed.

Touka looked at him softly. “Thank you. I love it.”

“And that’s not the best part, open it.” He said.

Touka raised her eyebrows, and then opened the book. She swiftly found the dedication page. She skimmed through it, and then gasped loudly, her hands trembling as she read it.

For T:

These past four years you have always been by my side, supporting me and telling me when I’m being stupid. Thank you for listening to my rants, for encouraging me in your own unique way, for reading my drafts, and for giving me copious amounts of coffee. I would never have finished my past novels without you. Thank you very much!

I dedicate this novel to you for not only being the best co-worker I ever had, but for being my best friend, and always having my back. There’s no one like you in this world, and I hope you know I’ll always be grateful for everything you’ve done for me. And I hope that someday I not only get to call you my best friend, but my wife.

Love,

S.H.

Tears streamed down from Touka’s eyes as she read the dedication. All this time of wondering if Kaneki loved her back, and he had been as in love with her as she was in love with him, even more if he had basically proposed to her on the dedication.

“I take it you liked it?” Kaneki asked, cheeks completely read and looking more handsome than ever. She just nodded. “Good, because I wasn’t sure if─”

She didn’t let him finish, she crashed her lips on his, pouring all her love for him through the kiss. Kaneki closed his eyes and pulled her close to him, even lifting her a little. After breaking the kiss, they pressed their foreheads together and smiled.

“Touka-chan, will you be my girlfriend and, eventually, my wife?”

Touka’s eyes lit up. “Yes.”

They kissed again and held each other for what seemed like hours.

“But this doesn’t save you from cleaning duty.”

“I know.”

The following year would find Hinami and Ayato preparing for entering college next semester, their relationship going stronger than ever, and Ayato already planning to ask Hinami to move in with him after college. On this same date, Amon would make a fancy dinner for Akira, and after it was over, he’d take a black box from his pocket, and this time it’d be a ring, to the delight of a very proud father and boss. Meanwhile, Touka and Kaneki, with matching rings and matching smiles, would be preparing for the arrival of their first child and Kaneki’s upcoming novel in a matter of four days titled Coffee, Books, and Complete Happiness.

#tgsecretsanta2017 #touken #ayahina #akiramon

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motiveandthemeans · 7 years ago

Photo

“C’mon...son of a...” Betty grunted as she twisted the bolt into place. Often times, when faced with a dilemma, the blonde found herself tinkering with her Grandfather’s 1941 Ford F1 pickup blaring her favorite playlist consisting of the Beastie Boys, the Ramones, Bruce Springsteen and other greats.

But not today, no, today she was just spending her day off in the garage of her rented town-home. Nope, she wasn’t bothered by anything this breezy November afternoon. Certainly not by some boy...guy. Man. Person-thing!

Betty frowned as she mounted the clutch plate. Who did Jughead Jones think he was, turning her away like she was a high school freshman asking a senior to the prom? Sure he’s the leader of a notorious biker gang and yes, he had a reputation of being a philanderer, but did that mean they couldn’t be friends?

In all honesty, Betty didn’t know why she was so upset. Apart from the previous night, she’d scarcely spoken two paragraphs to the man. It was just as well, she thought. There was no room in her life for a Shakespeare reading, high and mighty, narcissistic prick fluent in sarcasm. Traveling contracts only lasted 13 weeks after all, and only eleven were left to go (With the eager offer from hospital administration to stay permanently), there wasn’t a point in making...friends.

With the garage stereo blaring The Rolling Stones, the off-duty nurse practitioner spent the next several hours crancking and wrenching and slotting under the hood of her Pa’s old truck.

By the time she realized it, 8:30 p.m. had rolled around. Deciding to call it a night, Betty pack up her tools and spare parts, then headed directly to the shower in hopes of getting at least some of the grease off her skin. In a fortunate turn of events, her best friend Kevin Keller was in town visiting his dad (The Sherrif) and they’d made plans for dinner at Pop’s before she dropped him off at the airport about an hour away for his return flight to Chicago.

She’d always worn scrubs to the bar, but tonight Betty Cooper was going to make Jughead Jones eat his heart out...subtly, of course. Donning her favorite pair of skinny jeans, a form fitting white t-shirt under her favorite flannel and heeled ankle boots, she looked especially good. After blow drying her hair and applying the slightest amount of make-up, she grabbed her keys and her khaki flack jacket and headed for her favorite booth at Pop’s.

“I still haven’t forgiven you for leaving Chicago.” Kevin stated, his blue-green eyes narrowed playfully and Betty couldn’t stop her smile. “We had so much fun! Why did you ruin it to come back home, of all places? You and I both know how much it sucks coming back here. I mean, really Betts. You were like a kid in a candy shop working at that trauma center. Makes no sense.”

“Riverdale Hospital needed the help.” She said. “Plus it’s been a while since I’ve seen the twins and Polly. Lord knows my mother cannot be trusted to offer any help without providing her unsolicited opinions.”

Kevin shared her shudder. “Okay, fair point. So where will you go next? Please say New York? I’m staying with Veronica and Archie while I’m there for the Hamilton tour production meetings.”

“Maybe, we’ll see.” Betty winked. “I’m really enjoying the hospital here, actually. I’ve got so much more freedom at a non-for-profit hospital versus the university hospitals. Doctors are more laid back, the staff is friendlier, the hours are better. I’ve got to say, it’s rather tempting.”

“Yes, but you’d also inadvertently become a social pariah with no hope of finding a man anywhere near your level. All that’s left here are closeted husbands and construction workers. Unless there’s a hot MD that’s caught your eye?”

“Well, I am a Doctor of Nursing Practice, so I guess I that makes me the hot doctor.”

Kevin smirked, raising his red velvet milkshake in a toast. “Long may you reign, Doctor Nurse Betty.”

At 10:30 p.m. she dropped Kevin off at the airport with the promise of weekly FaceTime’s and a hug she wanted to sink into forever. By the time she got back to Riverdale from the airport, it was midnight. Parking in the same spot she was instructed to each time, three blocks away from the Whyte Wyrm, Betty spied a familiar Serpent waiting on his bike.

“Hey Betty.” Joaquin smiled, handing her the extra helmet.”Looking good.”

“Thanks!” Smiling, she slung her medical bag across her shoulders and climbed onto the bike, wrapping her arms tightly around Joaquin’s waist. The trip lasted all of two minutes, but Betty still loved the thrill of the ride. Maybe she’d look into learning to ride herself. Oh, to see the look on her mother’s face!

Once the pair dismounted, they entered the bar.

“Hey, Betty!”

“Aye, Coop!”

A wolf whistle sounded. “Looking good there, Nurse Betty!”

The blonde smiled and waved at the Serpents who greeted her, it was a full house tonight; Betty had to turn sideways to get through all the bodies as she tried to follow close behind Joaquin.

Suddenly, a loud raucous stirred at the pool tables and several people were pushing around to get a view (or get in on the fighting). Before she even had the chance to get through, Betty was unceremoniously knocked off her feet, a yelp of surprise escaped her lips.

But impact never came; she’d fallen into a pair of warm arms, lean and muscular, the left covered in a giant snake tattoo sleeve. He smelled of cologne and tobacco and oak.

“Alright there, Betts?” Her savior’s voice rumbled in her ears.

Of course it was Jughead, because her life was just one big soap opera of predictability.

“I’m good.” Thankful her voice wasn’t shaking. “You can ah, let me go now. I’m okay.”

Betty had not meant to look into is dark blue eyes, at some point she has turned in his arms, her hands on his chest. Jughead’s arms wrapped around her waist.

The...embrace, for lack of a better word, had lasted mere seconds, but felt like an eternity. It was almost as if they were the only two in the room and a bar fight had not just erupted around them.

The sound of shattering glass broke their reverie. Betty watched as Jughead’s expression went from pensive to peeved in an instant.

“I need to take care of this, go upstairs. I’ll meet you there.” He instructed in a clipped tone. The blonde felt uneasy, as if she were the reason he was angry when his grip around her tightened at the rising volume..

“Jug, truly, I’m alright.”

His resolve didn’t seem to waiver. “Go on. I’ll be up in a minute.”

Not wanting to poke the beast, Betty excised herself from his hold and went straight to the stairs. Joaquin had waited at he last step, watching her with eager curiosity. Betty knew that look, it was the same Kevin had when she’d spoken to any mildly attractive male.

“So, you and Jug?” He asked conspiratorially as they made their way up the stairs to Alex’s room.

“Jughead and I what?” She feigned ignorance.

“Oh don’t play coy, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.”

Betty gaped at Joaquin, who in turn looked extremely amused.

“You could do a lot worse, you know. He’s rough around the edges, but Jug’s a good guy.”

“Touching as your efforts are to get your friend into my panties, I should inform you that Jughead doesn’t wish, in fact he expressly said that he wanted only to have a professional relationship with me.”

“Did he really say that?”

“Mmmhmm, said he was a good judge of character and that a friendship between us would not be in my best interest.”

“Well if that’s the case, you should seriously consider suing for unwarranted sexual advances in the work place because baby, he looked at you like you were the only girl in the room.” Joaquin said.

Betty frowned as they reached Alex’s door. “I want a new chaperone.”

Joaquin merely grinned and took up his usual position of standing guard outside of the room.

Alex was asleep, no doubt due to painkillers. Completely absorbed in her task (an involuntary switch went off in her head, changing her state of mind she fondly referred to as Nurse Mode), Betty had failed to notice Jughead had entered the room, seating himself in the chair beside the door watching her every move. It wasn’t until she looked up after finishing the dressing change and throwing away the used supplies that she noticed him looking at her.

Looking at her like she was the light on and he was coming home. Butterflies erupted in her stomach, her palms going clammy despite the draftiness of the apartment.

“Done?” He asked tonelessly.

Betty nodded, not trusting her voice. They ambled quietly down the narrow stairs, she was acutely aware of how close they were. When they reached the bottom stair, Betty found it to be quieter than before. The music turned down to a bearable octave, Serpents and patrons alike chatting quietly and sharing low rumbles of laughter.

“See ya, Nurse Betty.” Sweet Pea winked from his spot at the poker table, earning a smack upside the head from Tall Boy. “Ow! Hey!”

“Mind yer Manners.” The older, wiser Serpent snapped. “Later, Betty.”

“BYE BETTY!” The bar choursed. The blonde blushed, waving sweetly with a happy smile before Jughead opened the door and lead her out.

“Seems you’re popular around here.” Jughead chided, but Betty wasn’t in the mood for teasing, not from him.

“They’re good people.” She smiled benignly.

The pair were quiet for the first block, but Betty could tell Jughead was uneasy. Every ten paces or so she would notice his eyes flit to her then back forward.

Hello awkwardness my old friend, Betty mused. Good. She hoped he felt weird after rejecting her friendship 25 hours and 32 minutes ago. Not that she was counting, or anything.

“You look nice tonight.”

The blonde was sure that she’d given herself whiplash. Had Jughead Jones just...complimented her?

“Er, thank-you. I met a friend for dinner before coming here.” As if she’d get gussied up to see Kevin, her best friend was luck if Betty was out of her pajamas before they hung out.

“Oh? One of the four?” He was teasing her again.

Well, two could play at that game. Unable to control it, a light laugh escaped her lips. “Yes, he made the cut.”

The nurse didn’t miss the way he tensed at the use of the male pronoun.

“And?” He probed.

“And...what?”

“Did the evening go well?” He asked evenly. Was he annoyed, angry or hurt? Betty gave up trying to decipher Jughead’s moods.

“Yeah, of course. We went to Pop’s just like old times.”

“So he’s from RIverdale?”

She nodded. “I’ve known Kevin Keller my whole life, we lived together while I was working at that trauma center in Chicago. He’s an ensemble director.”

“Keller? As in Sherrif Keller’s kid?” The Serpent King asked as they reached the second block.

“Yes, his only son. I take it you’ve met the good Sherrif?” Betty smirked playfully.

Jughead matched her smirk. “On occasion.”

It was no secret the Sherrif’s boy was gay, everyone knew it. She watched his body language relax, no longer throwing out a line of questioning. They were quiet again for the rest of the second block, it was less ominously suffocating than the last silence.

“I never thanked you.” Dark blue eyes gazing at her intently. “For what you’ve done for Alex, for protecting the Serpents.”

“I’m happy to help.”

“Still, I know you’re risking a lot.” He continued. “We...I, appreciate it.”

“Anyone else would’ve have done the same.”

“No, they wouldn’t have.” Jughead said with a hint of admiration. “If there is ever anything you need, Serpents pay their debts.”

Betty let out a humorless laugh, they were well into the third block.

“Why can’t you accept that I don’t want anything from you? All I ever wanted from you was your friendship but I guess helping Alex and protecting your anonymity doesn’t warrant such benevolent from the Serpent King.”

They’d reached her car, Betty unlocked the trunk and threw her bag inside, slamming it shut. How did he always manage to piss her off? God, he was infuriating!

“Betty-” Jughead grabbed her arm gently.

“No! You don’t get to decide things for me, Jughead! I’m capable of making my own choices, I get to choose who I share my time with-”

“I know, I-”

“And for you to just shut me down after-”

“Betts!” He said sternly, they were close now, his face only inches from hers.

But the blonde found no trace of anger in his eyes, in fact all she saw was a tenderness, an amused smile played his lips. Jughead reached a hand to cup her face, running his hand across her cheek.

“Yes...Jug?” She whispered breathlessly.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked softly.

“Friend’s don’t kiss.” She replied, heady with the intimacy of his gaze.

“Then it’s a good thing we’re not friends.” He said before leaning in and pressing a long, tender kiss on her lips. Betty sank into his arms, running her hands up his chest and into his dark curly hair, twisting it gently around her fingers. He pressed her closer, deepening the kiss and a soft mewl escaped her lips. Jughead moved his hands to her thighs and suddenly picked her up, Betty let out a gasp of surprise as he placed her on top of the trunk and stepped between her legs, reconnecting their lips.

They kissed till they were out of breath, Jughead nuzzled her neck inhaling her scent. Betty kissed his soft hair, running her hands up and down his arms.

“Betty?” He whispered.

“Jug?”

“Do you work tomorrow night?”

She shook her head in the negative.

“Then I’ll pick you up from your place at 7:00.”

Betty bit back a smile as she gazed into his dark blue eyes. “Jughead Jones, are you asking me on a date?”

“Like you said,” He replied salaciously. “Friends don’t kiss.”

#riverdale #bughead #Jug is serpent leader #jughead jones #betty cooper #Betty is a nurse #love #AU

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im-not-a-what · 8 years ago

Text

What the Deuce, Ch. 3

Title: What the Deuce

Summary: Neal Gold and Lily Vincent don’t start on the right foot when they meet at camp. But friendship blooms, and they discover some odd coincidences about each other’s families. Before they know it, they’ve stumbled on a long-kept secret that will throw the Golds and the Vincents for a monumental loop and into an overdue reunion.

Rating: T

Genre: family, friendship, humor, drama

Chapter: Exposure {1} {2}

AO3 link

Notes: At last, some Rumbelle!

The last week and a half had felt impossibly long.

Neal’s absence wasn’t completely to blame, but it was a factor. His being in another state for camp this year shouldn’t have made much difference—two weeks away from home measured the same for both him and Rumford Gold no matter where they each were. The older Gold justified his restless anxiety with the fact that he couldn’t visit the camp at the drop of a hat (well, he could if he were desperate). He’d not done that since Neal was in sixth grade, when his son had laid out all the valid reasons a boy his age didn’t need and didn’t want his father checking in halfway through sleep-away camp in person. At least the option had been there, regardless.

Instead, Rumford had to ease his worries with routine text messages. He eventually learned to restrain himself to early-evening well wishes rather than sprinkling them throughout the day. “If he’s not answering,” Belle had advised, “that’s probably a good thing. It means he’s busy or having fun with other kids.”

Rumford had half-seriously retorted, “What if he’s not answering because he’s paralyzed?”

“I think you should be more worried that he’s annoyed by all the messages.”

“Point taken.”

Rumford settled for the nightly greeting and a countdown of the days till he picked up Neal. Of course, crossing off the days on the calendar was a guaranteed way to delay the inevitable crawl of time.

All these little torturous details accounted for, the wait for Neal wasn’t the only reason he wanted to drink himself into an oblivious stupor.

Word had gotten out about the engagement. In an irritatingly cozy town like Storybrooke, secrets couldn’t stay buried. Rumford and Belle did their best to work around this. The wedding would be small-scale, reserved for only their closest loved ones, and even they remained mostly, and temporarily, in the dark. A knot in Rumford’s stomach was born from the wild speculation that Neal, one of the handful of people informed about the engagement, might’ve let it slip to his school friends. But no, his boy knew better. Someone else had to be at fault.

Rumford met no success in solving the mystery. Belle insisted it didn’t matter. One thing they did agree on: being outed for the entertainment of their neighbors was mortifying. But Belle wasn’t going to march into the news station and wrangle the information out of Sydney Glass. Well, that made one of them.

In a brilliant (and frustrating) stroke, she intervened in Rumford’s attempt to bang down the door of the newspaper offices—literally. When she couldn’t talk him out of going inside, she warned him that Sydney probably didn’t know the source (the article cited an anonymous tip) and making a scene would earn only more bad press. Rumford barely contained a grimace as he and his fiancée walked in, side by side, discarding any pretense. He bristled at the sight of Regina Mills in Sydney’s office, a glass room sectioned off from the work floor. No article needed to print for everyone to know that the editor-in-chief was under the mayor’s thumb, hopelessly enchanted and intimidated by her.

Judging from the way she leaned on Sydney’s desk, one-handed so the other could perch on her cocked hip, Regina was very intent on him pulling some favor. Could it have to do with Rumford’s engagement? After many years of deals and business arrangements, he and Regina had developed a rapport that had the unspoken, mutual understanding of like-minded people. That took a turn when it became evident to the town that the taciturn pawnbroker and landlord was dating the sweet librarian. Regina started mocking him and throwing Belle passive-aggressive comments.

While he had to wonder if she found out about the engagement and ordered Sydney to run it, Rumford was a little tickled to see her response. She would’ve loved to humiliate him given any opportunity, but in this case, his impending marriage didn’t qualify as “dirt” in her eyes. But maybe he was underestimating her pettiness.

Belle led the way. She knocked on the office door, not at all spooked by Regina’s presence. The two women were hardly on friendly terms. After some tense confrontations over Regina’s unreasonable cuts to library funding, Belle had resolved to take the high road in future. Regina wanted to get a rise out of Belle if not intimidate her into meekness. Belle squared her shoulders and smiled as Regina and Sydney paused their unheard conversation to look at the intruding couple. She took slower steps so her cane-reliant fiancé could keep up. Rumford more than compensated with his far-reaching glare, which hit Sydney long before Belle greeted him.

“Forgive the interruption,” she said, “but we need to talk to Sydney.”

Sydney stuttered a nervous laugh. “Ah, just one moment, if you please. We were—”

“We’re done for now.” Regina spoke with a calm that belied fire. Her attention shot past Belle to Rumford. “I hear congratulations are in order. When’s the joyful occasion?”

“Haven’t decided,” Rumford said through cutting teeth. “You’ll be the first to know.”

A smirk slid over her ruby lips. She swiveled her attention to Belle. “Don’t let him snake his way out of setting a date. He just might slip through your fingers.” The pearly grin that blossomed was as amiable as a Venus flytrap’s jaws.

The lift of Belle’s chest came from all the words she had to hold back. It killed her, Rumford knew, to let Regina have the last word. If she forsook mature restraint and let her sharp tongue loose, he wouldn’t blame her. In fact, he would’ve mentally cheered, maybe even left Sydney alone so he could take Belle home and show his appreciation, or comfort her if Regina managed to retaliate.

Slightly inappropriate thoughts brushed back, Rumford focused a chill eye on Regina as she sauntered past him out the door. She might’ve exited in good spirits; Mr. Glass wouldn’t, and for now, that would have to suffice.

His icy attention shifted to the newspaper editor. Sydney went as stiff as a statue.

“Sydney,” Belle interjected again—a serious declaration, yet far kinder compared to the stare coming from behind her—“I’m sure you know why we’re here.”

The man’s fear thawed enough so he could answer. “Let me first assure you that I thought the announcement had your blessing.”

“Don’t start lying now.” Rumford kept his voice at a low rumble that made Sydney’s bones shudder.

“I-it’s not a lie. It’s a simple misunderstanding. But I’m afraid what’s done is done.”

“That much is right,” Belle said, letting her vexation manifest. “You had no right to share our personal life without our explicit permission!”

“I’m sorry, but it’s called ‘free press’ for a reason.” Sydney dared the smallest smug smile.

“The term protects you from political imprisonment.” Rumford slowly advanced, a predator moving in on his quarry. “Not from the deep displeasure of your exploitive publications.”

“Exploitive? Look who’s—” Sydney stopped himself.

“Yes? Please, continue.”

“I—I didn’t mean—”

Belle closed in, too. Not to attack. Her body shifted a little further between Sydney and Rumford. Her firm stare was a refuge. Barely so. “Who called in the tip?”

“You know I can’t tell you,” Sydney said almost pleadingly. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

“What reputation is that?” Rumford sniped. “As a snoop and pet for Her Royal Highness? Did she put you up to this?”

“No, and that’s all I can say.”

“You could say a bit more than that. With the right incentive.”

“No, I really can’t say who called! I didn’t recognize the voice.”

Rumford laid on as much disgust as a scoff could carry. Belle delivered a disappointed frown that could crush hearts. “Sydney, you wrote an article of interest from an unverifiable source? On the basis of hearsay? Can you imagine now why people don’t hold your newspaper in higher regard? You’re better than that.”

To Rumford’s incredulity, Sydney looked genuinely sheepish. He recovered soon enough, if not with the same unctuous attempts at charm. “I do what I must to keep readers picking up the paper.”

Belle threw up her hands, her composure finally giving way like a worn, overburdened basket. “You have no competition!”

“But I do! Online articles people can find with one Google search! They’re more interested in real celebrities, but they’ll take what they can get in this town. And really, announcing your engagement is hardly the worst news!”

“It’s still private news,” Belle pushed back.

“Well, I’m sorry I ruined the moment. But I did verify the tip. One of my interns noticed the necklace you were wearing. It’s new, and you’ve been hiding whatever’s on it under your clothes. They checked—innocently, as I was told—that it had your ring on it.”

Belle’s hand pressed to her collarbone. It cupped around the barest bump under her blouse.

Rumford stalked up to Sydney’s desk. “You mean to say that one of your goons looked down my fiancee’s shirt?”

Far from being just as appalled, Belle rolled her eyes.

Sydney lurched back all the same. “What do you want me to say, Gold? I’ve apologized! I’ve explained myself!”

“And yet, for some reason, I still want to smash in your skull with this!” Up the cane flew in Rumford’s hand, swinging in the light by the flick of his hand.

Belle grabbed his arm. “Rumford, that’s enough.” She began pulling him away from the desk.

“Answer me this,” Rumford barked, even as his steps reluctantly followed hers, “was the caller male or female?”

“M-Male.” Sydney trembled, maybe a bit from relief that he could throw the snarling dog a scrap of cloth with someone else’s scent.

Rumford was placated enough that Belle could successfully remove him from the building and the premises. She strongly suggested they go for a cool-off walk.

“I don’t want to say I told you so,” she remarked many quiet minutes later as they rounded the corner toward the library.

“Yes, you do,” Rumford said.

“Okay, maybe I do. You get my point, right?”

“At least I know there’s a bloke out there I need to educate in minding his own business.”

“Have you considered that maybe it was Neal? Maybe he was tired of the secrecy but didn’t know how to tell you.”

“I’m not going to assume that. It’s rubbish.”

“We have our reasons for wanting to hold off on the announcement. Whoever did this, maybe they had understandable reasons for wanting it known. Let’s wait to work up a fury when we know the who and why.”

Rumford slowed his walk. “I thought you said you didn’t care who tipped off Glass.”

“I don’t think it should matter.” Belle took advantage of their reduced pace to stop entirely and hold one of Rumford’s hands. “I’m not going to let whoever it was ruin this for us. The best revenge is being too happy to give a damn.”

“Can’t we be happy and want to give the bastard a thrashing?”

“I don’t want to have to marry you in a prison.”

“I’m not going to murder anyone.”

Belle narrowed her eyes. “Assault is still a crime.”

Rumford harrumphed. “When did they add that to the law book?”

“Since the Age of Enlightenment, I’m guessing.” She tilted her head and started to smile.

A burgeoning smile of his own came with a caress down Belle’s shoulder and arm. She leaned into the moving touch. He let the air rest between them, buffeted only by the lightest breeze, before giving his reply. “I am happy. Not about the article, obviously. But I am happy. Happiest I’ve been in a long time. I don’t want that ruined.”

Belle licked her lips. She did that when she was trying to work out a problem. Or was aroused. Rumford safely guessed the former.

“What if we went out of town to get married?”

Rumford’s eyebrows twitched. “You don’t mean Vegas, do you?”

Belle laughed, a welcomed sound. “Somewhere closer, and classier. But just far enough that we won’t have to hear the tittle tattle.”

“Well, once I get Neal from camp, I’ll consider it.”

“Right. We’d have to bring Neal along, right? And your aunts. And Dad.” She pursed her lips. “Hmm, maybe a destination wedding would be tricky.”

“Not impossible. You could still invite your friends.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But thank you for thinking of them, too.”

Up on her toes, she kissed his cheek. That small gesture had done its fair share of soothing his nerves in the following days under every awkward or cheeky glance from the rest of the town. With each one, Rumford was more inclined to take Belle’s suggestion, even if marrying somewhere else created different complications.

Just wait it out, he told himself. Wait till Neal came home. Then, somehow, things would fall into place.

#ouat fic #fic: what the deuce #rumbelle #sprinkles of papafire feels

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