#she wants her crush to notice her perfectly teen behavior

[somethingsad]

Aqukana are so sweet nothing coded and HSJFKFKIFJF IN THIS ESSAY I WILL-

Ok so Kana loves Aqua as he is and really does not want anything in return from Aqua, she doesn't put him in a pedestal or idolizes him intensely. To her he's an idiot and an idiot that she has a crush on. She banters w him, calls him a gloomy narcissist, and asks him to tell her jokes. To Aqua, Kana is that window to normalcy that he has, he's just a teenager w her and he doesn't have to act or walk in eggshells w her. He shines a light on her darkest moments and she is his light. They can be who they are with each other, Kana doesn't have to hold her tongue, Aqua doesn't have to act around her. In fact when Aqua is asked by Kana if he hates her he answers "It's actually the opposite.." like sir who are you fooling🤨🤨

Edit:

Adding smth to this, Kana comes home to Aqua's sweet nothings. Aka Aqua would never demand perfection from Kana. Kana doesn't have to pressure herself to reach Aqua's expectations, she's perfect as she is.

[maddiwrites]

The Hybrid (Prologue)

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Summary: The Pogues rekindle their friendship with their old childhood best friend and JJ’s first crush, Y/N. Old feelings resurface for JJ and Y/N, possibly leading to a summer neither one of them could ever forget. Due to past trauma, Y/N is reluctant to let anyone into her heart, but JJ never backs down from a challenge, even if he knows it will come back to haunt him in the end.

Note: So happy to be back with another series!!! I honestly really missed posting. Unlike Secrets of the Shore, updates will be slower because I don’t have them all written out yet. A couple things I wanted to let you know before you read. I based Y/N’s family off of Gilmore Girls. I thought they were the perfect fit for this story and the show in general and I just love their dynamic. (Including Luke who I renamed Steve for obvious reasons). Chapter 1 will explain more obviously but I wanted to give you guys a little snippet of the characters and relationships. So let me know what y'all think!

Word Count: 3.3k

Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. As you know, the Outer Banks is essentially divided into two groups. If we want to be blunt - it’s the rich and the poor. Figure Eight is home to the rich. Aka the Kooks. With houses bigger than necessary with extra rooms that go untouched, boats the size of homes on the Cut - the other side of the island. Most people who live on Figure Eight are your naturally raised assholes. People who don’t know the value of a dollar and take advantage of people who do most of their dirty work that lets them prance around the island with perfectly manicured fingernails. These hard workers are the Pogues. They live on the south side of the island where most Kooks wouldn’t be found dead. They serve fancy meals at the country club for shitty tips, mow lawns, and work their asses off at any other job for minimum wage. The drastic difference in lifestyles tend to cause many spats and arguments between the two communities. Especially between the teenagers who still don’t know how to control their raging emotions or know when to bite back their tongue. For the Kooks, every fight is a fight for dominance where as the Pogues fight for equality - to put the Kooks in their place. Many of these fights happen at summer parties where the two groups clash to find a good time with their friends filled with alcohol, drugs, and good music.

That’s where they find themselves tonight. The infamous Pogues. John B, JJ, Kie, Pope, and now Sarah Cameron. Although born a natural Kook, she’s earned her spot next to the adventurous teens and her boyfriend. Unlike her brother Rafe who basically is the leader of his notorious group. Topper and Kelce are his best friends who follow him blindly.

The Pogues watch them from their spot surrounding the keg. Kie purses her lips in distaste as the boys cat call for the ladies around them. Somehow most of them finding it flattering. Sarah sips on her beer to hide her embarrassment, often wondering how she and her brother grew up to be so different. Pope and John B stay mostly disinterested, only worried if they try to make a pass at an unwilling girl or fire a degrading comment at their short tempered friend. JJ Maybank is known around the island for his trouble making behavior. Usually if he gets in trouble for fights, no one ever asks who the other people were in the scuffle. Because if JJ Maybank is in the fight, he’s the one who started it, right? Wrong. In fact, JJ usually is never the one to start it. He’s good at keeping his head down and only speaking when spoken to when it comes to the Kooks - the only form of advice worth taking from his father. But his short temper is something the Kooks his age loved to take advantage of because they liked getting a rise out of him. It was like an adrenaline rush.

Luckily, tonight both groups were keeping their distance, either only talking to each other or random Tourons that have found their way to the party. This is usually JJ’s favorite part of a boneyard party. Finding his one fish in a sea of many that he can reel in just for the night and never have to worry about seeing them again.

He has his eyes set on a beautiful blonde making her way to the bonfire when all of a sudden Kie’s voice pulls him out of his trance.

“What’s she doing here?”

JJ follows her line of vision, spotting you walking down the wooden steps that lead to the beach, pulling your best friend behind you by his wrist. He first notices your smile and how it brightens up your entire face. Then of course his eyes scan down your slim but athletically toned body. You’re wearing a pair of jean shorts and a cropped white T shirt that says UNC across the chest. Who knew someone could look so good without even trying?

Well JJ did. He’s known it for a while.

“Careful. I think you’re drooling,” John B whispers in his best friend’s ear.

JJ pushes him away and mutters, “Shut up. No I’m not.”

But maybe he was.

Y/N Y/L/N is a unique resident of the island. Unlike majority of the island, she doesn’t fall in either Kook or Pogue category. She’s what everyone calls the Hybrid.

People who work hard for what they have but haven’t fallen to be Pogue status. Quite literally living in the middle in a place they call the Crest.

Your story is well versed among the gossipers of the island (which tends to be just about everybody).  And mainly that’s because of who your grandparents are.  Claude and Doris Y/L/N. Two of the riches people on the island, living in a three story house on the beach. Many people fear them, others envy them. Most feel both. Even Ward Cameron walks on egg shells around them, which is quite often, considering he works for Claude. They’re the kind of people who have never heard of Barefoot wine or Walmart. They keep their noses up and turn a blind eye to the suffering communities around them. Thirty four years ago, Doris gave birth to a daughter that couldn’t be more opposite than them. Lorelai Y/L/N was a wild child. A rule breaker. She snuck out at nights, dated boys her parents would never approve of, dabbled in breaking the law here and there. It didn’t matter how many times her parents disciplined her. She always managed to make her parents’ life a living hell. 

No one was surprised when word got passed around that Lorelai had gotten pregnant at eighteen. Although it was with another Kook, she brought shame upon her family name when she refused to get an abortion, even when her mom tried dragging her by her hair. 

Lorelai risked everything by running away from her parents’ home in the middle of a windy night. With only one suitcase, the baby daddy out of the picture, and less than a grand in her pocket, she managed to make a life for herself on the South side of the island. She worked two jobs, found an affordable apartment for cheap rent, and managed to save some money before her babies were born.

Yes, babies. As in more than one. Five months after running away from home, she gave birth to twin girls and they instantly became her entire life. With the help of her best friend Steve, who she met one month after being on her own, meeting him at his automotive shop when she very much literally rolled her junky car into the garage, she raised you and your sister on the Cut. The two of you are her greatest accomplishment. Every now and then, she mentally throws up a middle finger to everybody who doubted her, proud of who the two of you have become. 

Right before you turned ten, your mom took a business risk and opened her own Cafe. The Bikini Beans cafe, very popular amongst both Kooks and Pogues. The business did so well that she was able to move the three of you out of your shitty apartment into a beautiful one story home with three bedrooms in between the Cut and Figure Eight, aka the Crest, the summer going into your freshman year.

You actually used to be best friends with John B Routledge, JJ Maybank, and Pope Heyward. It was easier being friends with them than the girls, finding more joy in sports and rough housing than makeup and gossip. 

Doing the same summer that you moved, your mom pulled you out of Kildare County High and placed you in Outer Banks Private Academy. Aka Kook Academy. Around this time, your grandparents had also become more involved in your life, and you wondered if they had somehow bribed your mom into forcing you to transfer schools. You tried asking her during one of your many fights that started with you begging her to keep you at Kildare County High, but she quickly shut you down and told you to be grateful. That was ironic coming from the woman who ran away from the people giving her an expensive high school career. 

You had no choice but to do what your grandparents wanted and attend Kook Academy. Making friends was a lot harder there than it was in Kildare County High. You managed to make one friend in your freshman year. Andre Cortez. Due to an incident a couple years back, you built thick walls and Andre was the only one able to break them down. You were grateful for your friendship, but hanging out with him was nothing like hanging out with the Pogues. 

When you transferred schools, you lost touch with the Pogues slowly. Your life became busy with school and playing dress up for your grandparents and the boys were starting to work. Eventually all contact was cut and ever since, you’ve felt a void in your heart.

“Look,” You tell Andre. “I told you I would be your wing woman and I’m not backing down from what could possibly be the most important role in my life.”

You didn’t notice the Pogues or any of the stares around you. It’s true you’re not much of a party girl. I mean, you’ll go out here and there, have a drink or two, but you felt more comfortable at places where you weren’t surrounded by drunk and horny teenagers. 

“He’s probably not even here,” Andre says. He’s trying to look nonchalant but you notice the way his eyes dance from face to face of the people around him. 

“He told you he was going to be here, right?” You ask him with one brow raised. Andre nods. “Then, we’ll find him.”

Sarah and Kie never made any effort to talk to you at school, but to be fair, neither have you. You’ve heard mixed reviews, some people call them spoiled brats, ungrateful...some even go as far as calling them ‘The Cut Sluts.’ Of course you never take any of those things to heart. You can’t judge a book but it's cover. Plus, they’re friends with your old best friends. They can’t be that bad for John B and JJ and Pope to be hanging out with them, right?

“You think she'll come over here?” Kie asks. No one’s ever said it out loud, but her friends wonder if deep down, Kie was a little jealous of you. Because you were their first real girl friend. You were the first girl they ever let in and opened their heart too. That was a tough pill for Kie to swallow when she originally thought she was that girl. Of course the boys don’t like you any more than Kie and vice versa. But sometimes Kie wishes she could have grown up with the boys the same way you had. 

“Probably not. Unless she’s drinking,” Pope says and motions towards the keg they’re near. 

“I have an idea,” John B says and fills up a red solo cup. He hands it to JJ. “Why don’t you go offer her a cup.”

JJ snags the cup out of John B’s hand and glares at him. “Fuck off, dude.” 

“Do you guys ever see her around at school?” Pope asks the girls.

Sarah shrugs. “Not really. She doesn’t really get a long with my old group of friends.”

Kie rolls her eyes. “No one gets along with your old group of friends.”

Sarah playfully shoves Kie by the shoulder and they laugh. 

“I heard she turned down Raymond Easterling a couple weeks ago and he didn’t take it very well,” Pope says, remembering the words he heard from the kids in his class roaming the school hallways. 

Raymond goes to Kildcare County High with the Pogues. He’s known to be a trouble maker and a class clown. He works with JJ at the country club. The kid can make JJ laugh sometimes, but he wouldn’t necessarily say he likes him all that much. He can be an arrogant asshole with an ego bigger than it should be.

“She turns down everybody,” Sarah says. “Some people at my school call her ‘The Heart Sucker’ because she can pull people in with the snap of her fingers and break their heart just as quickly.”

Something stirred in the pit of JJ’s stomach.

“Hey! Where you going?” John B calls out to JJ who’s making his way deeper into the sea of people on the beach. 

“Taking advantage of a good boneyard party, my friend,” JJ calls back and slugs the rest of his beer. Looking left and right, he searches for the blonde he had eyes on earlier. Because right now, he needed a distraction. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The party starts to die down a little after midnight. Some people leave to find another party, some are passed out in the back of their cars, and others had already found what they were looking for - someone to leave with. 

The boneyard party wasn’t as bad as you expected it to be. You had found a couple of kids from your school who were nice enough to make small talk with you while Andre left to find a guy named Devon, a Touron he’s been talking to who’s renting for the entire summer. 

Now you’re waiting for Andre to come back so the two of you can walk home. You find comfort under a slanted palm tree towards the back of the beach, scrolling through random apps on your phone to pass the time.

“Y/N?” You look up from you phone and smile when you see your former best friend inching closer to you, squinting in the dark to see if it’s really you. 

“Maybank? What are you still doing here?” You stand up and pat the sand off your hands on you thighs. 

Your heart skips a beat in your chest when you look at him. He’s beautiful. Lucious blonde hair, perfectly tanned skin, piercing blue eyes. You always knew JJ was going to grow up to be gorgeous. He was cute when he was younger. At least you always thought so. 

“I was just leaving, but I thought I saw you sitting here and wanted to make sure you were all right.” He knows it’s not like you to stay this late at a party, especially all by yourself. When he first saw you sitting there, he didn’t know if he should say something. Mostly due to nerves of seeing you again. But the other Pogues had already left and he didn’t trust anyone else at the party to be near you alone late at night. It didn’t matter if you were sober or not. 

“Aw. Was JJ Maybank worried about me?” You tease. Talking to him felt easy. As if you never stopped being friends. A few years ago, you and JJ had the best banter. Despite constantly bickering back and forth, John B always swore the two of you would get married one day. The two of you just always clicked like a natural connection. And even now, when only seeing each other every now and then for a few minutes at a time, it felt normal. You smirk when JJ rolls his eyes. “I’m kidding. Yeah, I’m okay. Just waiting for my friend to come back from his little rendezvous,” You say. 

JJ nods. “Did you have a good time? I feel like I never you see at these things.”

“Yeah. Parties aren’t really my thing. But Andre was nervous to meet this guy he’s been talking to for a little while so I came for moral support.”

“Looks like he didn’t need much of the support.”

You shrug. “It’s better that way, anyway. I don’t mind waiting for him. What about you?”

“What about me?” 

“Did you have a good time tonight? I hear your quite the ladies’ man at these things.”

“Come on, Sparky. You know better than to believe everything you hear.”

Your face lights up at the mention of your old nickname. You use to always be busting out the seams with energy. On days where the boys just wanted to chill and play video games, you would drag them to the park for a game of kick ball. Or when they wanted to sleep in after a long week, you showed up at 8 am to drag them out of bed to catch the morning waves. So one day JJ started calling you Sparky, and it stuck with the rest of your little gang. You always pretended to hate it, but secretly you loved it. 

“Oh I don’t believe everything I hear. I do, however, believe what I see. And your arm around that tall blonde in the little black dress looked quite convincing.”

You first saw JJ at the party when he was making his way to the pretty girl by the water. Your teeth involuntarily clenched and there was a twisted feeling in your stomach you couldn’t shake whenever you looked at them. 

In that instant, JJ felt grateful for the dark sky. He felt the rush of heat rise up his neck to his cheeks before he could stop it. He knew the motivation to see that girl was because of you. He just wished you never saw it. But he didn’t know why. 

“I walked her home. She wasn’t my type,” JJ plays it off. 

“I didn’t realize you had a type,” You giggle, but a small part felt relieved to hear this. “So what is it? Your type?”

Hybrids with a Pogue attitude, bright smile, beautiful eyes, and a mouth that could make any sailor turn around, JJ thought. 

“I don’t know. Haven’t figured it out yet.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Well, when you figure it out let me know.”

“Why? So you can transform into my ideal girl?” He teases.

Now you’re the one thankful for the dark sky. “In your dreams, Maybank. But so far, I do have the perfect wing-woman track record, so if you needed help -”

“I don’t think I need any help in that department. Thank you very much.”

You throw your hands up in fake surrender. “Ooo. Touchy subject.”

JJ rolls his eyes at the same time your phone pings with a text message. You pull it out of your shorts pocket and open the text from Andre, telling you to leave without him because he’s gonna stay out late with Devon and won’t know what time he’s going to be done.

“Everything all right?” JJ says, watching you read the message.

You lock your phone and stuff it in your back pocket again. “Like I said. Perfect wing-woman track record.”

“That was Andre?” 

“Yeah. He’s most likely not coming home tonight.”

“Lucky bastard.”

“At least one of us is,” You joke. 

JJ’s grin slightly falters but you don’t catch it. You have no idea how much he wishes the two of you could be equally as lucky. Together. 

“Well, I should probably go,” You say and bend down to grab your flip flops.

“Let me walk you home,” JJ offers. 

“Oh no. It’s okay -”

“You’re cute. It’s wasn’t up for debate. I’m not letting you walk back by yourself.”

You scoff lightly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just humor me.”

You roll your eyes and smirk but choose not to argue. In fact, you’re excited to spend more time with JJ. It’s been so long.

“Fine.”

“And here I thought you might’ve grown out of your stubborn phase by now.”

You shove him playfully by the shoulder. “Shut up!”

And just like that, it felt like old times.

[shesclearlya3]

Class Fight (p.1)

pairing: teen!dandy mott x teen!reader

word count: 3,303

warnings: language, jealous dandy, slightly au!dandy, all characters are 18

part 2 part 3

1.

It was the first semester of your Senior year. The first month of school had flown by, and the Fall dance was just a few weeks away. Your small group of girlfriends was anxiously awaiting for their crushes to ask them.

You weren’t particularly concerned with this. The dance fell on the one Saturday of the month where you had to accompany your mother to some stupid Tupperware party. It was the newest trend in American dining, and your mother needed you as her plus one. It wouldn’t hurt to miss one dance… right?

Your best friends Winter and Zoe were excited, but they were devastated you couldn’t come. You always went with them as a trio.

“Are you sure you couldn’t cancel?” Winter asked while you washed your hands in the bathroom sink. The school day was over, and you planned on accompanying her to the diner for greasy food and to catch up on homework.

“I already promised her weeks ago,” you said, drying your hands. “There’s still prom?”

Winter nodded in understanding, and you both knew it was the end of that discussion. Zoe came out of the stall, her face flushed and hair tied back. She looked clammy.

“You alright in there?” Winter asked her as Zoe took a disposable cup and drank some water.

“Kyle asked me to the dance!” Zoe replied breathlessly. You and Winter both congratulated her, and Winter asked why she looked so sick.

“I just got overwhelmed, you know? He came up and asked me right as I put my books away. I didn’t think he was going too, he never brought it up before-.”

You followed them out as Zoe recanted the story of how Kyle asked her. The halls were mostly cleared now as kids scrambled to leave as soon as possible.

“You’re riding with us, right?” Zoe then asked you, raising a neat eyebrow at you.

“Yes, Dandy probably left already.”

The girls both smirked to themselves, but you ignored it. You were used to it by now.

The thing was, Dandy Mott was the best looking guy in school, in your opinion. You had never attended a public school in your life, but you knew those boys could never compare. Dandy was from the wealthiest family in your private district, and with his looks, girls were all over him.

However, he was quite the character. 

Dandy didn’t necessarily associate with a particular group of kids. He was reticent and didn’t bother with any clubs, but he was quite attuned to the drama program. He was also known for his temper if things didn’t go his way, but age matured him, mostly. You were one of the few people who he actually gave a damn about in life. You attributed that to knowing him before school. Your grandfather was a business partner with the Mott family, where your family name found their wealth, and how you two were friends.

You weren’t bothered by the unwanted attention you got from girls attempting to weasel their way into your circle for the chance to talk to Dandy. Most of them gave up quickly, and that was that. Plus, you had Winter and Zoe as your protectors. They weren’t afraid to kick a bitch in the vagina if they overstepped the clear boundaries you had set for yourself. Dandy trusted you, and you weren’t about to fuck that up.

Plus, his mother, Gloria, was continually trying to set him up with girls in other parts of town. 

You climbed into Zoe’s new car, buckling your seatbelt and glancing across the almost deserted parking lot. You spotted him instantly, sitting in his car and staring right back. You slowly raised your hand, giving him a wave. Dandy slowly reciprocated the action, and you swore you saw him smile.

You spent the evening with the girls, eating dinner and trying to explain the symbolism in the required reading in English. The football team had finished their practice and were crowding what few booths and tables were left. You tried to block out their raucous laughter, loudly asking Zoe to read your theory to see if it were plausible. 

Winter had noticed the Quarterback, Jason, occasionally staring at you as he chewed his burger. Your back was to him, so you had no idea. She didn’t say anything, instead watching him from the corner of her eye, figuring he wouldn’t approach your table. 

“I just think it only makes sense to me,” you told Zoe, scratching your head. “I can’t concentrate with the boys screaming for no reason.”

“I think it makes perfect sense. You did misspell authority, though…”

You laughed to yourself, glancing around the diner as Zoe fixed your spelling. You were so distracted, you misspelled simple words. 

“We should get ready and go, it’s getting stuffy in here…” Winter commented, closing her English book. 

“Just a moment!” Zoe said excitedly, scribbling down in her own notebook now.

You had started gathering your things when both Zoe and Madison looked behind you, looking a mix of concern and amusement. You glanced behind you to see Jason Dean, smiling down at you. His dark hair covered his eyes, and he pushed it back.

You had no idea what to say. The last conversation you had with Jason was probably in fifth grade when he commented that women were weak while helping you carry boxes of school supplies, and you accidentally dropped a massive box of markers on his foot. He cried for an hour. 

“y/n,” he addressed you. You glanced at your friends who were eagerly watching you with their faces hidden behind their textbooks. Winter’s was upside down.

“Hi, Jason,” you responded, hearing the confusion in your voice. You listened to his friends giggling behind you, and you wondered if this was a joke. 

“I haven’t seen you in a minute,” he said cheekily, and you nodded. “You look good.”

You quickly looked him up and down. Jason was muscular but not bulky, and he was definitely a whole foot taller than you. He grew into his facial features, and he was a handsome guy. You assumed he was just talking to you on a dare, so you finished putting your things in your bag. Zoe and Winter didn’t budge, still pretending to read their books.

Jason realized you were dumbfounded at his statement. He quickly backtracked, “I just wanted to say hi. I’ll see you around.”

You bid him farewell, turning to your friends who were having a hard time concealing their laughter. You heard Jason’s best friend, Matthew, call him an idiot and what sounded like a smack on the back.

“y/n, you have a boyfriend?” Zoe asked, smirking at you.

You glared, standing up as they shouldered their bags and grabbed their books. “You know perfectly well I don’t speak to him.”

“I bet he wants to ask you to the dance.” Winter grinned at Zoe, who nodded in agreement as you stepped into the cold autumn air. 

“I’m not going either way.” you mumbled, and the girls dropped it until the next morning. 

2.

You didn’t think it was that big of a deal that the Quarterback tried to talk to you at the diner a few nights before. All the students who were present spread gossip like wildfire. You ignored it. You knew they were just children speculating what it could mean when it probably meant nothing. 

Zoe and Winter never brought it up again, and you were relieved that your friends didn’t dwell on it for too long. You loved that about them. 

It was after lunchtime when you sat in your History course, going over the notes for the test. You heard Jason and a few of his friends pile in, laughing and making comments under their breath. They took their designated seats in the back, and you felt eyes on the back of your head. 

A group of popular girls across the room started to giggle, and you glanced up to see Dandy walk in, his nose up and sauntering to the seat directly behind you. You wondered why he didn’t acknowledge you, but you didn’t dwell on it long. Dandy was often absent from any social interaction. 

Your teacher began the class the moment the bell rang. She decided to go over the notes an extra day and postponed the test. You were mildly disappointed but knew the material well, so you decided to doodle in your journal. One of the girls in the front occasionally popped her gum. 

Ms. Strode was talking about World War II when you felt something hit your elbow. You glanced over and saw a balled-up piece of paper. You glanced around to see most people were either frantically jotting down notes or not paying any attention. You picked it up, assuming it just needed to be passed ahead.

However, you read your name in neat cursive and opened it under the table.

Would you go to the dance with me? - Jason

You read the short invitation a good ten or so times before you could comprehend what he was asking. While the teacher wasn’t looking, you peeked over your shoulder to see him staring at you. His buddies were hiding their own smiles, but you didn’t see any malice behind it. Was he serious?

Of course, you’d have to decline. You already have an engagement. You promised your mother. You already declined the evening with your two best friends.

You didn’t send a note back, knowing it would be too distracting trying to pass it. Dandy would never try to give a stupid message.

However, Dandy had been paying attention and had managed to read the note over your shoulder when you laid it on your pencil case. He became green with envy, closing the book he hadn’t been paying attention too in the first place.

You hardly spoke a word to him this year. He wondered why that was. Dandy was very particular who he said too, and gave any sliver of his precious time. You were a comfort to him and probably didn’t realize that. Dandy knew he couldn’t seem desperate for your affection, or at the very least, your attention. He had hoped you’d be waiting for him in his car after school like the previous years before. Did he do something to upset you? Were you too good for him?

Dandy spent the rest of the class staring at the back of your head. He knew that wasn’t the case. Perhaps it was his behavior that steered you away. Of course, he liked being friends with you, but maybe it wasn’t enough. He was a loner who enjoyed his alone time. Dandy heard what people said about him. The general consensus was that he was doing everything right. 

When the class was dismissed, he hung back, watching as you quickly gathered your things and paced out the door. 

“Tough blow, man!” he heard Matthew say.

“She’ll come around.” Jason replied, his tone snarky. Dandy watched as they walked out of the room, his brows furrowing as he debated on taking the high road and asking you to the stupid dance himself. He wouldn’t go willingly. His mother, Gloria, needed him to be involved as much as possible. To keep up appearances, of course. Not for Dandy’s own goodwill. 

Dandy trailed out of the class, seeing you across the hall at your locker. Winter was beside you, somehow talking and applying lipstick at the same time. He stood off to the side, not minding all the bodies bumping into him and temporarily panicking that he’d yell at them.

This is it, Dandy thought. It’s a war, whether Jason Dean knew that or not. 

3.

Jason approached you the following day and asked if you’d mind talking to him at lunch. You hesitantly agreed, catching Zoe’s eye as she hugged Kyle before going into her class. She smiled at you, and you gave her a hesitant one in return. 

He definitely matured through the years. Jason was interested in you, and you felt comfortable talking to him through the entire lunch period, even catching yourself laughing at his sense of humor. Dandy played with the apple in his hands, glaring daggers at the back of Jason’s messy head. Winter noticed from her spot at your usual table and nudged Zoe, gesturing for her to look. 

“He looks pissed.” Zoe giggled, and Winter nodded in agreement. 

“I think Mott is going to kill him!” Winter said, stabbing at her steamed broccoli.

“Shouldn’t we let y/n know?” Zoe asked.

“I think she’s about to figure it out.” Winter said as Dandy stood up, heading directly to the table where you were sitting with Jason. Zoe and Winter fell into a hush, shoving food into their mouth and intently watching what was about to unfold. 

Jason saw him approaching first and paused, sizing the other guy up and down. Jason was bigger than Dandy in height and muscle tone from being an athlete, but Dandy wasn’t lanky either. You turned around, shocked to find Dandy staring down at you. 

“y/n,” Dandy nodded at you, ignoring Jason.

“Dandy, hi!” you said, genuinely happy to see him. “How are you?”

“I’m decent.” he said, smiling a little. “Could I have a word?” 

You glanced at Jason, who seemed timid, but he nodded. You stood up, promising Jason you’d be back as you followed Dandy out to the hallway. Multiple eyes followed you, and you heard the whispers starting as the door swung shut. 

“How are you?” Dandy asked now, looking down at you. His dark hair was neatly gelled and had a slight curl. 

“I’ve been good. I haven’t heard from you in a while…” you said.

Dandy nodded, “I could say the same. I assumed you’d come back around soon enough.”

You felt he was hurt by your absence. Dandy looked bothered, and you felt terrible. However, he was capable of approaching you as well. Which is what he thought he had to do. 

“Is everything okay?” you questioned, hoping his mother was doing well. You hadn’t seen her all Summer. 

“y/n, you know you’re one of the only people I care about in this stupid town,” Dandy said, glancing towards a teacher walking to the lounge. He gave you guys a questioning look but didn’t comment, disappearing into the next room. 

You weren’t sure how to respond to that, so Dandy continued, “Which is why I think you shouldn’t go to the formal with Jason.”

You frowned, “How do you know he asked me?”

“The whole school knows!” Dandy retorted, and you remembered. “I think it’s a bad idea.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not going either way.”

Dandy looked surprised, and you saw the relief in his eyes. He laughed a little, his fingers drumming against his leg. “Oh.”

“What, are you jealous?” you asked, laughing at him. Dandy tried to hide his laughter, but it didn’t work. The quiet hallway was filled with your giggles.

“That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” Dandy said, and you were saddened to hear the bell ring. Dandy straightened up, the smile leaving his face as kids filed out of the cafeteria and the surrounding classrooms. Kids stared at you and whispered, many laughing and wondering if you were now a couple. 

Jason slowly walked in your direction, but you didn’t want to say goodbye to Dandy. You were ashamed that you had avoided him for so long. You missed him. Dandy glanced behind you, his eyes sharpening as your new suitor waited patiently, his hands in his beige jacket. 

“Be careful around him.” Dandy whispered to you before he disappeared down the hall.

You approached Jason, who gave you a soft smile, “Am I missing something? Are you two together?”

You shook your head, a light smile on your lips, “No. We’re just friends.”

“Oh…” Jason nodded, “Look, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry if I freaked you out the other day. We don’t have to go to the dance together, but-.”

“Oh!” you gasped. Jason frowned, giving you a quizzical look. “The dance… I forgot,” you lied. “Uhm, I’m actually not going. I have other plans…” you said.

Jason looked defeated but took the rejection gracefully. You promised you’d sit with him again tomorrow, and he visibly cheered up at that. You ended up having to sprint to your locker for your books after saying goodbye, but you couldn’t stop thinking about Dandy’s warning. 

“Be careful around him.”

The Friday before the dance went to complete shit.

That morning you ate your breakfast slowly, listening to your parents argue in the kitchen over a business deal your mother thought was a bad idea. Your father was greedy and looked towards the top dollar than what was best for the business and the family. 

If that wasn’t bad enough, Winter fell sick and couldn’t go to school. You had to wait for your father to finish getting ready before he could drive you. You were ten minutes late and got a verbal warning; you never got in trouble at school. You had three tests in a row, and by lunch, you were about to rip your hair out.

Jason was nowhere to be found, so you sat with Zoe. She was worried that Winter would miss the dance but was happy that she’d at least have Kyle if Winter canceled. Kyle came and sat with you guys, his shaggy blond hair wet from the downpour outside. 

You were anxiously looking around the cafeteria for any sign of Dandy. He had missed a few days of school, citing a fever when you called his house and spoke to his maid, Dora. You wished him well and knew he’d pull through fast. Plus, you saw his car this morning when you got dropped off. 

“They’re going to cancel the dance if more kids fall ill,” Kyle said as he ate a burger. Zoe glared at him, telling him to look on the bright side of things. 

“What? I am!” Kyle replied, smirking at his new girlfriend.

“I’m sure they won’t cancel.” you placated Zoe, who beamed at you. “All the parents who gave money will be pissed.”

You ate most of your lunch when the principal walked in. The room immediately quieted as he observed the tables before landing on you. He walked to you briskly, and you felt your heart racing as he approached. 

Am I getting detention? I’ve only been late once!

“Ms. y/l/n, could you come with me?” he asked politely, smiling at you, Zoe, and Kyle.

You nodded slowly, bunching up your trash and placing it on the tray. Zoe told you to leave it, and they’d take care of it. You quietly thanked her and followed Principal Harmon out, struggling to keep pace with his long, thin legs.

“Is everything alright, sir?” you asked. Now wondering if your parents died in some fiery crash or if you failed a class. 

“There’s been a disturbance outside this afternoon,” Harmon replied, his voice grim. “With Mr. Mott and Mr. Dean.”

You were shocked to hear this. You were silent during the rest of the trek to his office. When he opened the door, you saw both boys sitting in chairs. They both had packs of ice on their faces and sheepish expressions.

“What were you thinking?” you hissed to them as Mr. Harmon gestured for you to take the empty seat next to Dandy.

“Well, now that y/n is here, I think you both owe her an explanation and an apology.” 

Jason and Dandy shared a look. Dandy now looked pissed, and you could only imagine what lead to this. 

Oh, I have a pretty good fucking idea.

[angelkurenai]

Twisting the knife - Chris Evans x Reader

Title: Twisting the knife 

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader, Ransom Drysdale x Reader (/Reader’s Character)

Warnings: None

Summary During an interview you are asked various questions about your role in the new “Knives Out” movie, alongside that of your husband’s. Although you had been originally cast as his character’s sister, you reveal that due to your chemistry, the role changed to an adopted sister who has a complicated relationship with his character. In between admiting all of that, however, it is impossible to hide your small crush on your other costar which inevitably makes your husband jealous. (Requested)

“Hey, little sis, going somewhere?” your way was blocked even before you could comprehend it, leaving you little choice as to where you should go. As expected, you couldn't spend more than ten minutes of peace and silence – well, almost silence when it concerned a party – in this house before it all came crushing down. And it always seemed to be by the same person every single time, how not surprising.

“For the sake of my poor sanity? As far away as possible from you, Ransom.” you didn't even look in his direction, making sure to fill your glass with just a bit more wine before moving to rest your weight against the doorframe and take a rather large sip of it. You felt like, if you could and if didn't draw too much attention from the family and even more so the man next to you, then you'd have downed the whole glass in one go. All the while, said man made sure to leave barely a couple inches of space between the two of you, just for the sake of making it worse and make you realize just how trapped you were.

“And yet, here you are, closer to me than ever before. How about that?” the smirk was as evident on his voice as it was on his face when you turned to give him the hardest glare you could master. Not that it had the effect you wanted it to because neither could you keep it up for long – your mind instantly being occupied with the thought of how you wanted to wipe that smug smile with a kiss more than a punch – nor did his smile fade in the least bit.

“I could answer that but trust me, you wouldn't like me to do so in front of the whole family. So for one, if it wasn't for grandpa's birthday I wouldn't even be here to see your face. But what can I do, we all must suffer a bit for those we love. And for another-” with a sudden move of your arm you actually managed to elbow him right in the stomach, making him let out a loud groan and almost double “Oops, sorry for that. Did I hurt you maybe?” you asked as innocently as you possibly could, loud enough for the family who was now looking at you to hear.

“Hey, what's going on there? Ransom, stop bothering your sister!” Linda was instantly speaking up in your defence, having a soft spot on you from the day she met you at the orphanage on one hand and on the other knowing her biological son all too well to know that whenever there was a fight between the two of you it was always his fault. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong.

“It's fine, ma. It's actually my fault, Ransom was a bit too close-” you looked at him from the corner of your eyes, trying to put as much meaning behind the words as possible for only him to understand “And I accidentally elbowed him. That's all.”

You heard a small scoff and laugh coming from Meg “If you could accidentally repeat it, don't think the rest of humanity would hold it against you.”

You could hardly hold back a laugh at the girl who felt more like your family than anybody else besides Linda and Harlan. While the woman would more often than not come off as stern and emotionless, she had shown you more love and compassion as a mother than your biological one ever had, let alone when she had abandoned you at a very young age. Richard too was a good father albeit absent most of the time he was caring, in his own way. You thought they were all caring in their own way, and as much as they could be, especially given when you had joined the family you were already 16. They had grown to accept you and you them. Well, almost all of them.

It was no secret to every member of the family that you and the older son didn't get along. While there had not been any major fights, not with any yelling for sure – Ransom surely didn't need to raise a voice to get under your skin and you, well, you didn't have the strength or patience to raise yours when it came to him – it was obvious that you could barely stand to be in the same room as him. Despite any efforts you had made at first to get along, all those years ago, it was obvious he wouldn't change so you too had stopped trying altogether.

As far as the rest of the family was concerned you didn't care whether he shut up because he died or... any other reason really, so long as he was no longer around you. As far as you were concerned, however, you cared because if he kept talking and kept getting closer to you, you might just shut him up with your lips and that would be a game you didn't want to play. Not again.

“Exactly.” the smile was back on his lips but certainly vanished from yours when you felt his arm around your shoulders “There's absolutely no harm done here, certainly no fight. If anything, (Y/n) and I are the closest we've been, we've grown past our differences and are ready to call truce once and for all. Make love not war, that's what they say. Isn't that right, little sister?” he squeezed your shoulder and you nearly broke the glass in your hand “Two very loving siblings!”

“You better.” Linda gave him a look before turning to the rest of the family, the other family members doing the same before slowly but certainly the conversation grew louder and you were quickly forgotten.

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” you hissed, grabbing his hand only to push it off your shoulder – although he did resist for a couple seconds.

“What?” he asked so innocently it got even more frustrating “I'm merely reassuring mother dearest that her son is on his best behavior and a loving big brother to his-”

“Alright, that's enough. Stop, just- stop it.” you all-but-growled at him, which really did nothing to lessen the smile that had turned into a smirk but you barely cared “I don't know what your problem is but I don't care to find out either. I'm living the best life I ever have, ever since I met you now that I am so many miles away from you. And if it wasn't for meetings like this I'd be perfectly content the whole year round. But I'm not about to shy away or not say a word like the little teen girl you first met, Ransom, and I can sure as fucking hell fight-”

“Whoa whoa easy little sis, I di-”

“I'm not your bloody sister!” you nearly yelled at him, oh how you wanted to scream it right in his face “I'm not and I will never be. And you're not my brother. Stop calling me that, just stop it. We both know very well that it is not how you see me, you never did and never will. And it sure is for the best because you and I-”

“Oh no, no please go ahead. You and I?” he smirked, taking another step closer to you again “I'd love to hear you finish that sentence with your own words. I sure have an idea or two in mind.”

You took in a deep breath, trying to gain some sort of courage but you realised very soon what a mistake that was. Standing so close to him you couldn't help but inhale his cologne, mixing with that significant aftershave and on top of the characteristic warmth of his body you were already feeling your knees go weak. It came in shaky and he noticed because his smirk got wider. It was as if he had won something and possibly he had.

That was the crazy or maybe even scary part of it all: You realized it too and instead of hating him more for it, you felt even more drawn to the man.

“You're right.” he straightened a bit, glancing at the family that were totally oblivious to the two of you “We're not siblings, and it's a really good thing we're not, because- well, we both know why. Just like we both know why... I'm going to keep calling you that, over and over and over again, even more so in front of our loving family. I'm going to keep saying it until you give in... again.”

“Listen here you bastard-” you hissed “I don't know what your game is and I don't care to anymore. Do your thing, as always, I don't give a damn. I'm actually bloody thankful I'm not related to you or your lifestyle in any sort of way and I plan to keep it that way, whatever you do. I'm not getting pulled into your game.”

“Oh really?” he grinned, getting so much closer there really was no room for you to back away and yet plenty enough for it to seem totally natural “And what are you going to do exactly? What do you think I am going to do?”

“None of your business. Look-” you let a short huff of air “I don't know if that's what you get off to, Ransom, I don't know if-”

“What? Oh (Y/n).” he actually laughed and you didn't know if you hated him more or found the sound too endearing for your poor heart “That's cute but calm down, will you? What I get off to? Oh no, no of course not. That's so far from the things I like.” he rolled his eyes playfully, before taking another dangerous step closer to you “Besides-” he smirked, leaning closer to your ear after a glance at the family “You do know better than anyone else what I get off to, don't you (Y/n/n)?”

If it wasn't the damn nickname he had come up with, if it wasn't the proximity, if it wasn't his breath fanning over cheek, if it wasn't his lips brushing over your ear as he whispered into it then it was certainly the combination which had you shaking. And you couldn't have been more thankful to Marta in your life for informing the man that his grandfather wanted to see him in his office, making him leave you alone for the rest of the party.

Not that he left you without his trademark wink that is.

And with that the screen faded to black and it didn't take longer than a second's silence before the crowd was erupting in cheers. You along with the rest of the cast clapped as well.

“Now I feel like-” you glanced at your husband with a wide smile “I have to say this, honey, I have to.” you told him before turning to the crowd “And in those last few seconds, I realized, he was no longer acting. But they kept it in the movie you see.”

“Wh-what?” your costars and husband were already laughing much like the host himself.

“I think- I think given that you've been married for a year you should know but uh-” Jimmy's words didn't really make it any easier but as the host he tried to keep a serious face and tone the laughter down “It is a great scene nonetheless, so we'll just-”

“Oh it is my favorite scene!” Ana spoke up though in between her laughter there was only so much she could do.

“Let's all agree it was a good scene and move on from it cause knowing (Y/n) she will have plenty of comments to make on it and therefore me in that scene. Please?” Chris spoke up too and you smiled even more widely.

“Come on you guys, it's not like I said 'Get you a man like Chris Evans: Steve Rogers by day and Ransom Drysdale by night.' or anything that might imply how he's in bed! Did I?” you asked so innocently that anyone - or at least anyone that was not your husband - would have easily believed it was nothing more than just a slip and certainly very true - part which you were not going to deny. But if it wasn't for your laughter, which you could hardly contain when the rest of the cast burst into laughter of their own and which in the end gave you away, you would have kept your act up and made them believe that you did none of it on purpose. Something which of course, again, you did.

“Alright this taking a turn for the-” Jimmy chuckled “For something we didn't expect, not that the fans will complain of course. I see- I see a few people there cheering!” he pointed at the audience.

“What? Want more details? With pleasure, I could go on for hours!” you said eagerly, making Chris look at you with horror on his face.

“Oh no. No no no! Absolutely not! Let's- Let's change the topic, yeah?” he tried to look serious but the wide smile on his lips was not helping, he was having fun even though he was already feeling embarrassed. The entire cast already knew it, probably the entire world too after so many years of working with Chris and so many years in relationship, but if there was one person that truly knew you and how far you could really go was Chris himself. So when he said that it was best if you changed the subject then he was absolutely right.

“Yes, I think it's best if we do change the subject. I think-” Jimmy chuckled as Chris tried to get everyone to calm down and not ask any more questions - despite Ana whining a bit and saying she wanted more details, just like the rest of the crowd you were sure “Calm down everyone, I'm sure she will share more details later.”

“Oh you bet!” you grinned, only for all of it to turn into laughter when you saw your husband hiding his face behind his hands mumbling “Oh no.” on repeat.

“Alright-” Jimmy cleared his throat, trying to get back on track as everyone else calmed down again “I think I had a few questions for you, (Y/n), concerning this scene. It was incredible by the way, so many things going on at the same time and you two manage to make it flow seamlessly. Can you- can you tell us a couple things about it?”

“Uhm yes of course.” you nodded your head “It was actually the first scene we had to shoot as our characters for the movie and I remember being so nervous about it, it's something I can't help every time, it gets really bad sometimes to the point I can't eat anything for the whole day until, you know, I calm down and the filming starts and I get told I'm doing ok-”

“Says the three-times-Oscar-winner.” your best friend gave you a look and you laughed, shrugging before Ana went on to add “But who cares about that when you've got Chris Evans to comfort you every five minutes, am I right?” she smirked as everyone laughed.

You couldn't help but grin as well, giving her a small punch on the shoulder “I mean, yes that did help a bit... lot.” you laughed “But I think it did just as much as having the scene itself with Chris. After so many years of working with him, friendship or relationship o-or marriage aside, we know the tricks and moves each other has. We know how the other one acts, in every detail it sometimes is scary for some-” you chuckled “And so to fall into synce is a piece of cake anymore. I mean, we could change the whole order of the lines but still find a way to include them all in the dialogue in a perfect flow without a single hesitation. So yes, on that aspect it was really helpful to be with Chris on that very first scene, I'm-I'm actually glad that the chemistry and all this uhm closeness came through in such a good way.”

“Why, yes, I think the fans were incredibly excited about that part! You two- you have quiet a few scenes together and- Let me ask, was that the original plan?”

“The original plan was uhm a bit more... simple and yet ten times more complicated. I auditioned for the role of his sister, his biological sister because that was the script at first. However, later there were many many changes made to the script so that my character was more of the adopted sister with little relations to the family and a questionable relation to Ransom because it felt like it fit more. See they really wanted me for the part, there was no questioning that, but uhm I think I could say it was discovered that uhm Chris and I couldn't get over the- what's the word. Uh well, I don't know how I could descri-”

“Sexual tension, just say it already!” Ana once more piped in, making you laugh just like everybody else “We all know it, it's always there! Just admit it, (Y/n).”

“Already, it might have been that. Maybe. I don't know.” you shrugged innocently “Who can blame me anyway? Look at this man!” you took hold of his face and kissed his cheek as he chuckled “But yes, yes Jimmy, I think that the chemistry came out as a little more uhm personal so they switched it up.”

“I- I don't think it was a problem, though.” Chris spoke up, a second afterwards “I think- because it seemed like they were all along planing to take it there. It was still the very first couple of days, no official filming had started out yet, and so (Y/n) and I were more comfortable so we didn't care if it came out our characters talking or us going through the lines of our characters. We were doing more of the second, you see, and they took notice of that and I suppose liked it enough to change it all.”

“Wow that's amazing then! Not just for you guys but for the fans as well.”

“Yeah, everyone went kind of nuts, and this one didn't help the case by posting photos all the time.” Chris chuckled, pointing at you.

“Were you excited about it (Y/n)?” Jimmy asked what was most likely a rhetorical question but you were already nodding anyway, seeing no harm in the simple question.

And leave it to Ana to make it worse “The real question should be why were you excited (Y/n)?”

“I hate you so much right now.” you told your friend and she giggled “I knew it was going to be a good movie and real fun to film. Just a look at all the cast and crew and script, which is is a masterpiece I had no doubt. I mean with my husband, my best friend and so many great actors why not-”

“So many, yes, of course. Cause she cared about all members of the cast equally. It's because of all of us she wanted to bein so much hmh.” she nodded her head, the smirk not leaving her lips and you hid your face behind your hands “Why, this is an oscar-worthy performance now.”

“You're the worst, literally the worst. Alright, fine-” you huffed “I will admit that I may or may have not accepted the role before even knowing half the thing I should about it. I received the first script and Chris had already gotten his role and we were talking a lot about the movie and he told me about the cast that I was totally sold just at hearing about them, you see. I kinda did it for all of them yes.”

“All of them, indeed.” Ana muttered not-so-silently.

“Wait, I don't get it. I, as well as I'm pretty sure every other fan out there, thought you auditioned for the movie because you'd get to be with Chris. Careful of your answer, don't break too many hearts!”

“I-” you laughed “Well, Chris knows it so I won't be breaking his, but no I didn't go for the role because of Chris himself. I just loved the idea of it all. Honestly, I was actually hoping I'd get to be Ana's character's wifey, but instead I got stuck with this guy yet again so I guess I had to play my part. I mean, they had that chance and it had so much potential-”

“So much!” your friend agreed passionately “We have been robbed! First time I got to be in a movie with my bestie and we've been robbed! I wanted that to happen too. Why should Chris be the only to brag he's married to Wonder Woman, I wanted that too! I was so sad we didn't get that. So sad.”

“Exactly.” you agreed “But no, I guess they were like: Chris Evans. Take it or leave it.” you shrugged “So yeah, I kind of rolled with that. Again.”

“You-” your husband couldn't contain his laughter “You say that like it's a bad thing! Wow, married life. Isn't it great? Maybe I should have really paid more attention to RDJ's speech. My own wife!”

“Come on, don't be a sore loser. Second place is just fine!” Ana said only half serious “You're on the top three of the people she loves most in the cast, that's what counts. I'm fine with third place!”

“Wait, did you just say third?” Jimmy asked the question many surely wanted, except for you.

“Oh you think she came to the movie for her best friend or husband? Oh no, no.” she grinned and your breath got caught in your throat, you knew that smile real well and you had been lucky to avoid it so far but apparently no more “Let's all be honest: great cast, amazing script, awesome director- Tha means shit,it fades into the background when-”

“No, Ana please don't-” you pleaded but you knew there was no use.

“It all means shit when Daniel Craig is going to be there!” she exclaimed and you squeaked, hiding your face behind your hands “She doesn't give a singe f for the rest of us. Nothing and nobody else exists! Daniel Craig, it's all about that man and I have facts when I tell you that she wanted to be in the movie for him!”

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. She said it. I can't believe she said it. I'm so glad he's not here to-”

“Do you think he's going to come on set today? Chris told me he's going to show up one of these days this week! What if he shows up today and the first scene they film it's the one we have together?! How will I do that? I'm not ready!” she mimicked you a little over the top and you literally yelped.

“But I don't sound like that!” your voice came out a bit high-pitched “And that's not what I said... entirely.”

“Not on a normal basis, but when it comes to Daniel Craig? Yes, yes you do!” she laughed as some of your co-stars chuckled. In fact all of them except for one: your husband.

“How come I didn't know any of that?” he did try to seem relaxed, but his smile wasn't his usual warm.

“It's no big deal-” you started, elbowing Ana who scoffed a laugh “I've kinda only told this traitor here, and it's not like I plan to talk about it again. I didn't...” but you trailed off, looking at your husband who had a raised eyebrow which made you bite your lip to keep yourself from grinning.

“And that, everyone-” you turned back to the audience “Is how his Ransome starts showing!”

[messwithideas]

Attached To The Fool

Pairing: JJ Maybank x reader Words: ~2.2K

[A/N: english isn’t my “mother language” so i’m sorry if there’s mistakes, typos, or it doesn’t make any sense, i’m sorry…]

You told your heart and head “Stop making me looking like a fool!” whenever you saw yourself smiling when someone mentioned his name. Even JJ was one of your friends, you didn’t want to have a crush on him, but your emotions decided to put a target on him and boom, there you are, shaming yourself for having a crush to someone who you don’t want to have. 

  You really didn’t find JJ as person who you would get a crush on, he was way out of your league. But you didn’t find him ugly, oh god no. You find him more handsome than John B, Pope or any other guy in the island, but something on his actions and decisions made you shake your head. Every time you, Pope, Kie, John B and JJ were hanging at the chateau, JJ always messed up something. He either set a tree on fire by dumping his joint to the dry grass under the tree, risked his life by doing something stupid or came up with the most idiotic ideas what you’ve ever heard.   He was a brainless crackhead who everyone somehow loved, and you seemed to love him the most, even you didn’t want to. You always loved guys who were like Pope; had brain, had a good life in their way and was just a golden boy. But guess watching JJ’s actions way too long, your type had changed and now you were attached to the fool.   You’ve always been yourself around Pogue; laughed at stupid dad jokes, freaked out a little bit when someone got a wound to their body, were like a toddler who’s not getting enough attention and acted like a high school’s football captain when the Kooks were around. You were full of different personalities and emotions.   But after you started to realize why you were always feeling nauseous around JJ, always smiling when someone said his name, always having his stupid, high smile on your mind, you started acting like a dude around JJ; always scoffing him, always hitting him “manly”, always hating his cheesy comments what he said about someone and every time you noticed yourself turning into a guy, you were already shaming yourself before doing anything and questioned your existence.   You didn’t know why you acted like that, and sometimes Kie came to you and asked “What are you doing?” and you always said the same thing: “I really don’t know”. But one time, when Kie asked her usual question about your behavior, you couldn’t keep it inside anymore.   “I think I like JJ” you said confused. “You think?” Kie snorted. “I know you like JJ. You’re acting hard to get. You want him to chase after you for not showing him any kind of interest” and that made you shame yourself even more.   “Is it that obvious?” you asked hiding your face in your hands and Kie nodded her head, smirk growing on her face. “Oh fuck…” you breathed. “But what’s wrong with JJ?” she asked and you looked at her through your fingers. “Everything” you said. “Open up more, please” she laughed. “I… You know what he’s like, right?” you started to chuckle nervously. “A crackhead, an idiot, feisty…?” Kie listed all the qualities of JJ.   “Yes” you said and Kie wasn’t following you at all. “I’m not understanding this situation” she laughed. “JJ is out of my… league. He’s not my type. I like golden boys” you groaned and Kie put her hand on your shoulder. “Everyone’s ”type” changes. Everyone doesn’t have just one type” and your head started to ache.   “C’mon girl, you can get through this” she tapped your shoulder. “No I won’t. I want to act normal around him but I just can’t. I hate myself because of that” you rubbed your head. “Maybe you should just tell him” Kie said and you put your frightened eyes to her. “Are you crazy?” you raised your voice. “I think he won’t mind…” she said a little bit allusive. You looked at her a while, your brain shutting its doors for not working anymore. You were so confused but didn’t ask any further questions.

  Pogues threw a party in the Boneyard and all the teens were there and everything was going well, except your control in drinking. You took one sip from your cup and soon you noticed you were stumbling with your words and steps. For the others it was funny to watch how you talked nonsense to everyone and tried your best to walk on tree logs –or standing still.   The night started to get long and your drinking had got to that point where your emotions started to feel strong and you needed some alone time. You walked to the shore and sat down on the sand and looked into the pitch dark ocean while the water was flowing through your feet.   You were thinking everything from plants’ existence to your emotions’ acts and soon found yourself thinking about that one person who you didn’t want to think at all. His whole appearance and actions made you to grow a smile on your face, but your smile wasn’t fulfilled, not yet. You only needed to hear his voice, then your smile would be completed.    “Why you’re sitting here alone?” and your sweet smile had a hold on your lips. You turned to look over your shoulder and only thing you could see was one pair of skinny legs and a little bonfire coming behind them. “I just wanted to” you hymned and turned your head back to the black horizon.   “C’mon, let’s get you bed. It’s getting late” JJ came next to you and offered his hand. “I can get up all by myself” you pushed his hand away and started to get up, but sitting a while on the sand and still feeling heavy by the booze, you had lost your balance and you crashed back to the sand when you were almost on your feet.   You heard JJ laughing at you. “I guess I need a hand” you chuckled and he helped you up. You found really hard to stand and as you were up, you almost fell down again but luckily JJ put his arm around you and helped you walk away from the shore to the bonfire.    “There you are” Pope, John B and Kie laughed when they saw you in JJ’s arms walking to the light what the bonfire were glowing. “Did I miss something?” you asked because why else they would’ve said that. “Nope” Pope smirked and all the three looked at each other. “Okay then…” you said. Your head started to feel heavy and you tried few times to keep it still, but you were out of energy and you let your head to drop on your left but it leaned on to something, someone. You looked up and saw JJ smirking at you –you’d totally forgot that JJ was still next to you and having a hold on you.   John B, Pope and Kie looked at each other and then JJ who was looking at you and his lips turned to a sweet smile and his cheeks went red. JJ made quick eye contact with the three and all of them winked their eyes to JJ.

  JJ put you sit down with him on a log and he just sat next to you silent, and still having his arm around you. John B, Pope and Kie had a little plan in their head and JJ was aware of the plan, but you weren’t. Pope took his phone from his pocket, connected it to their speaker and started slowly turn the mood to tense and sweet.   All the three turned their heads to you and JJ and as the previous song ended and next song started to play, you woke up immediately by recognizing the song by its first beat. You took your head off from JJ’s shoulder and started to listen closely. 

I don’t wanna be alone tonight It’s pretty clear that I’m not over you

It surely was Sam Smith - Dancing With a Stranger, one of your favorite songs and you couldn’t listen it without dancing.   You looked at JJ and were surprised when he was looking at you with a grin on his lips. “You wanna dance?” he asked politely and your heart started to beat faster than ever. “S-sure” you stuttered and he helped you up, still stumbling with your steps.  You started to feel the song deep inside and you didn’t care who where watching you dance. But as you were dancing, you started to feel some eyes on you. You turned around and saw JJ watching your moves and smiling at you. You blushed and got a little embarrassed smile on your lips and stopped. JJ shook his head, came closer to you, put his hands on your waist and made you to continue your beautiful dance moves as he gets along with you. 

Look what you made me do, I’m with somebody new Ooh, baby, baby, I’m dancing with a stranger

  “You think this is going to work?” John B asked while the three were watching you and JJ getting close. “I hope so” Kie said rubbing her chin. “But how we get them burst their feelings out to each other?” John B asked and Kie took Pope’s phone from his hands and started to search one good song.   “Are they smart enough to concentrate to the lyrics?” Pope looked at the song what Kie had put on queue. “I hope so” Kie looked nervously you and JJ.   You and JJ were having fun with each other but JJ was nervous because he knew what is going to happen but he didn’t know when –now or in 30 minutes.   The song ended and the next started and it was way too slow comparing to the previous song. You looked at the speaker where the song was coming and then you looked at JJ and saw how swallowed nervously. 

When I hold you close to me I could always see a house by the ocean

“May I have this dance?” he asked like a little boy, head a little bit down but puppy eyes shining. You couldn’t do anything else than smile and take his hand.   JJ gently placed his hands to your hips and you securely wrapped your arms around his neck. JJ started to pull you closer and you started to move together, perfectly to the music as one. Your bodies molded together. Every move he made was attached to you. You started to feel so comfortable under his touch that you rested your head on his chest and you heard the beat of his heart. It was calm.   The heat of JJ’s hands and body contained you and you no longer had control of your body or mind, you had never before experienced anything like this, neither was he. 

And you were imagining sitting next to me And holding my hand for the whole thing

The lyrics really made sense and somehow you started to think that was this JJ’s way to tell his feelings? There had to be a reason why he suddenly asks you to dance with him and especially have the night’s slow dance with him.   But the longer you were in his arms, the more you started to feel how the attachment grew with each sway and touch. Even you haven’t said a word, you both felt that the love was already there and not a single doubt existed. 

Falling in love Falling in love Deeper than I’ve felt it before with you, baby I feel I’m falling in love with all my heart

  “How sure are you that this is really going to work?” John B groaned when nothing major had happened yet. “Be patience JB” Kie said. “It will happen, I know it will” Kie said and never let her eyes go from you.   They were watching you two swinging along to the all love/slow dance –songs and getting closer and closer. But nothing had happened and John B, Pope and Kie started to get frustrated.   “Maybe we should just give up on this…” Pope said and turned on his heel but Kie stopped him. “No. They both are shy to make the biggest move, okay” Kie hissed, wanting also to give up.   As Pope and Kie was sighing and groaning while nothing was happening, John B breathed in like, everyone just thinking he was frustrated, but out of nowhere he opened his mouth; “Can you two just fucking kiss?!” and it reached to your and JJ’s ears. “JB!” Kie smacked his arm and Pope hit John B’s head. “What? You wanted it to happen” John B giggled but Kie and Pope shook their heads.    As John B’s words reached to your ears, you looked at JJ and saw how ashamed he was. “Wait a minute” you opened your mouth. “Did you have something to do with this?” you chuckled and JJ nodded his head humbly. You snorted quietly and put your head back to rest on his chest, but JJ took your head immediately to his hands and looked deeply into your eyes. “I’m just gonna say that you look stunning, every day” he smiled, pulled you in and you get along with the kiss.   John B, Pope and Kie looked at you, still having your moment and John B hymned. “I wanna know would that even happened if I would’ve kept my mouth shut?” John B smirked and he got Kie and Pope to slap his head yet again.

[noaltbruh]

BRUNO SURVIVES AU

HUGE SPOILERS FROM PART 5, VENTO AUREO

Everything seemed to have come to an end, Giorno took one last look at the river where Diavolo had fallen down, then summoned Gold Experience Requiem.

For a reason not even the boy himself could understand...He was afraid of his stand. It kept on staring him right in the eyes, like a slave waiting for his master's commands.

He knew it couldn't hurt him, but it didn't matter, he couldn't bring himself to believe this was really an incarnation of his soul.

"At your service, how may I assist you?"

Upon hearing the stand talking like an independent identity, the fear inside Giorno's heart grew even bigger.

"I need to know...What have you done to Diavolo?"

He said, directing his sigh to the arrow stuck in its palm.

"I gave him the punishment a being like him deserves. He wished to be at the top, to overcome any...Error of his past, to become unkillable. And now... He will be experiencing death until everything ceases to exist. I'd dare to say, it's almost amusing, wouldn't you agree?"

The stand concluded, a little smirk formed on his face.

Giorno didn't have the courage to look at the...Creature he had just given life to, he instinctively turned around, facing away from it.

"Master? Aren't you satisfied with my work?"

The godly entity said, approaching his user, trying to get him to and face it.

But Giorno still resisted, instictly closing his eyes.

"Be more specific, what kind of punishment is he enduring?"

"He will be constantly sent to alternatives realities, and in each one of them he will experience a different form of death, like drowning, to make a simple example. Even right now, as we're talking, Diavolo has already been killed multiple times"

The young boy bit his lips, when he felt something touching him on the shoulder, it didn't take much to realize whose hand it was.

"What's the matter, Master? Your behavior is quite...Unusual"

"...Everything is fine"

"Allow me to remember you, that I'm nothing more than a manifestation of yourself, hiding your thoughts from me isn't going to be particularly useful"

"I'm not hiding anything"

He said, retracting his stand, a drop of blood fell on his chest

"Know your place"

He turned around and reopened his eyes; his attention was caught by Mista and Trish sharing a laugh together. Giorno wondered how they could be so carefree after everything they've been through.

Abbacchio... Narancia... Bucciarati...

He asked to himself how he could have ever explained to them that the man was gone, and that he had known it from the beginning.

"Come on Giorno, we gotta save Bucciarati!"

Mista said, interrupting his friend's thoughts.

The blonde, in return, did not say a word; trying to avoid anyone's gaze, he followed the older boy and Trish to the colosseum, bringing Polnareff along with them.

His steps were slow, reluctant, and heavy. He didn't have the courage to face what was going to happen next.

"Uh...This place didn't look so big earlier, we're gonna take hours to find him! Giorno, can you use Gold Experience to sense his life energy?"

"My stand has been quite active lately, I'd rather not overuse it, if you don't mind"

It was the best excuse he could make up on the moment, he has always had a talent to trick everyone around him as it pleased him, but this time...It was different. He wished he could have just run away, and convince himself that it was for the best.

Before Trish could answer, they heard a scream coming not very far away from them, it was Mista's.

The girl grabbed Giorno by the arm, and ran into the direction where the sound came from.

At last...There it was: Bucciarati's body. His eyes were open, but there was no flicker of light inside of them, just a plain, dull blue. A part of his clothes was torn, even though there wasn't a single drop of blood on him.

"It...It can't be...This is a joke, r-right? Bucciarati is going to wake up...He'll be fine...RIGHT?"

Trish fell to her knees, as the tears started flooding on her face.

Even if she had known the man in white for such a short time, he had been a better parental figure to her than her own father ever was.

Mista put an hand on her shoulder, trying to restrain from bursting in tears as well.

Giorno simply stood there, constantly switching his sigh from the two mourning teens to Bruno's corpse.

The shell of the turtle he was holding slipped away from his palms, and fell to the ground. Every inch of his body was shaking like the last leaf left on a tree in the middle of October, fighting back, to show that he was stronger than the ones around him.

Shaking...That's what he would always do whenever he felt fear invading him.

"There's no point in crying" is the phrase he'd constantly repeat to himself as a child, every time his mother would leave him in the middle of the night, or his father would brutally hit him with the closest object he could find.

When Narancia's soul left his body, for the first time in his life, Giorno felt his eyes getting wet, but he refused to let the tears flow, he couldn't show such sign of weakness in a situation where all of their lives were on the line.

But now... Staring at that body completely drained of any sign of energy, reminded him of the heart crushing sensation of seeing his closest friend vanishing in front of his eyes, and not being able to do anything to save him.

For a split second, he felt the urge to jump from the railing that ideally separated the two of them. He wanted to follow him, he didn't care where they would have gone, he could not bring himself to accept that Bruno was not there anymore.

Giorno was just a boy, and despite how much he didn't want to admit it, he was still immature, he refused to let go of the blue haired man.

He had already experienced it in Venezia; when he noticed that his attempts to keep in contact with Bucciarati inside the tower had failed, he panicked, and did something no member of an organization like Passione should do: disobey his Boss' orders.

And even then, his desire to keep him by his side...Was so strong that he said 'no' to death itself.

But in the end, it was useless, bringing him back was just a fake hope Giorno had decided to believe in.

Mista turned around to look at the boy, his expression was a mixture of anger and deep sadness. He was clutching his teeth, breathing heavily.

"What are you waiting for? Heal him! Bring him back before it's too late, or are you just going to stand there and let him suffer until he dies?"

"M-Mista...You know I can't do that, just like I couldn't bring Abbacchio or Narancia back, Bucciarati's soul has already left his body"

He reached out his arm into the gunman's direction, but Mista pulled away, pointing his stand right into the boy with green eyes' head.

"How are you so calm, uh? How aren't you shedding a single tear? Did you ever even care about him, about ANY of us?!"

"...I understand how you feel, but Bucciarati was perfectly aware of the risk he would have taken when we betrayed Diav-"

"YOU DON'T KNOW A DAMN THING, GIOVANNA! STOP ACTING LIKE YOU'RE SUPERIOR TO ALL OF US"

He said, nervously tickling the trigger. He was expecting Giorno to get back, or to at least show any kind of concern. But the boy did not flinch, looking at him with eyes emptier than Bucciarati's.

It almost seemed like it was exactly what he wanted: he was waiting- no, he was hoping for Mista to shoot at him.

"W-WHAT THE HELL GIORNO? DO YOU WANT ME TO P-PUT A FREAKING BULLET I-IN YOUR HEAD SO MUCH?"

"Do as it pleases you, I am not going to fight back"

"...You knew a-about this, didn't you? What did you do to him inside the tower in Venezia?"

"..."

Mista put the gun down, and grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing him against the floor. Giorno's curls were reduced to a blonde mess.

The back of his clothes got torn as well, one of the lady bug ornaments fell to the ground, breaking in two.

"I told you, I'm not going to resist"

The calmness that came from his voice was unnatural, like a patient mother who had seen her child throwing a tantrum multiple times, and had become apathetic to it.

"I won't say it again, Giovanna. What did you do to Bucciarati in Venezia?"

Giorno sighed heavily, then took a deep breath. Despite how numb he may have looked from outside, he was just as much, if not, more hurt to see Bucciarati in that state than anyone else.

"Bucciarati was killed"

Those words resonated throughout the entire Colosseum. The two boys could hear Trish's sobs becoming even louder than before, but they brushed it off.

"...The hell are you talking about? Did you go insane? Are you seriously telling me your stand can bring people back from the dead? I want the truth, not some fairy ta-"

"You're not entirely wrong, but you are not right either"

"W-what did you just say?"

"I did bring him back to life, or so I thought...To the very least. But the energy that my Gold Experience was able to inject inside of him only lasted for a very short time. His soul was perfectly intact...But his body was simply too unstable"

Mista let go of the boy, gesturing for him to get up. The anger in his eyes seemed to have vanished, his tone was now resembling Giorno's.

"Alright, I believe you"

The latter picked up what was left of his left brooch, and tried to get some dust off his clothes.

"Very well, I'm glad we could-"

"Do it again"

Mista said, kneeling down to Bruno's level, to check the parts of his body that he had previously shot to.

"You said you brought him back, do it again"

Giorno got closer to his companion, putting an hand on his shoulder.

"Mista... I cannot do that, some stands are remarkably powerful, but they have limits too"

"Maybe before, but yours is not a normal stand anymore, if he managed to survive for a while using only its old powers, who says that it's not going to work permanently this time?"

"I'm-"

"Not leaving until you try"

He concluded, stepping back so that Giorno could have a full view of the body. Reluctantly, he summoned his stand, still avoiding doing eye contact as hard as he could.

"Master, if I may, I don't believe this is exactly a very smart idea"

"I know, and I agree, but we will never see the end of this if we don't at least give it a try"

"Don't...Please"

"What's the matter? In the worst case scenario, nothing will change, we'll just give Bucciarati the burial he deserves, and move on"

"This will be the biggest regret in your life, we don't have to do this, YOU are the Boss now, Mista has no authority over you"

"...You're right"

He gently put the man's head on his knees, placing an hand on his chest.

"And you don't either"

Before the stand could oppose any resistance, a blindly beam of light surrounded the three.

One, two, three minutes passed. Nonetheless, such a small period of time seemed to be never-ending.

Gold Experience Requiem vanished,  accompanied by the sound of Giorno's heavy breathing, he could barely keep his eyes open.

That's when he suddenly heard something resonating, even though he could not tell where it came from.

It was a calm, slow sound, that seemed to become slightly more intense with every moment that passed.

Instinctively, he looked down, and was met with a pair of bright, blue, lively eyes staring back at him.

That sound...Was Bucciarati's heartbeat.

His lips were contracted, forming an imperceptible smile. He put his hand on the boy's, it was warm, and delicate.

"G-Giorno? I...I don't understand... Why am I here? Y-you...Didn't die, r-right? We were so close to d-defeating Diavolo, don't tell m-me..."

"Everything is okay, Bucciarati. I'm alive...And so are you"

"What? But...My s-soul...How did this happen?"

"I'm...Not quite sure, to be honest. I suppose my stand has truly surpassed any other"

In a matter of few seconds, the man found himself surrounded by Mista and Trish, who hugged him tight with tears in their eyes.

"Bucciarati...You're alive! It worked, it actually worked!"

"We...We thought we had lost you forever...I'm NEVER letting you go again!"

The man chuckled softly, moved by their genuine concern for him.

He turned his attention to Giorno, who had immediately retracted himself in the moment the two had threw themself on him.

"Aren't you happy to see me? Don't you want to join us?"

"I...never really liked physical contact, I hope you understand"

"Is that so?"

Bruno summoned Sticky Fingers, giving the blonde boy a small push from behind, making him fall right on him.

"Forgive me, but I have no intention of letting you out of this group hug"

He smiled sweetly, hoping for a smile in return, but Giorno lowered his head, his hands still welded to his hips.

"If...You insist"

[dreamcatcherfication]

If I Say I’m Fine Enough Then I’ll Believe It

@nightingale6374 I’m back on my bullshit. (Okay but I named this fic a while ago, so does it really count???)

Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Anne angst. You guys really love Anne angst, I’m starting to learn. This was a mix of two prompts that just went too well together for me to resist. You can check them both out here, but the basic summary was that Anne has a heart attack onstage and the queens and audience witness it. I did a little research on heart attacks, but I can’t promise this is completely accurate. Regardless, I hope you enjoy this one shot! Sorry for any spelling/grammatical errors, there are a thousand pigeons attacking me right now. 

Writing Masterpost

If you want to send a request or a prompt, my inbox is always open! I publish a story at 8:00 AM PST everyday, so I’m always in need of new ideas. If you want to be tagged in my works, just let me know and I’ll be sure to tag you!

Prompts | More Prompts | The Trifecta of Prompts | Original Prompts

Trigger Warnings: Heart attacks, general anxiety, mentions of beheading

Anne was fine.

Perfectly, A-okay, stable, and healthy. Fine.

The tightness in her chest wasn’t enough to stop her from performing, Anne kept assuring herself. All day Anne had been off, her chest feeling like something was crushing down on it, making it almost impossible to breathe. But she was on for the show tonight, and Anne refused to be stopped by some chest ache that probably meant nothing.

Joining the other queens for places, Anne adjusted her in-ear and stood in her position. Soon enough the ladies would start playing Greensleeves and she would put on her show persona. Jane shot her a glance and smiled. “You ready?” she gently asked.

Shrugging, Anne showed her teeth in a semblance of a grin. “Yup, never better.” If Jane noticed Anne’s strange behavior, she didn’t comment. 

Anxiously tapping her foot, Anne watched the ladies in waiting, begging for them to start the intro. Sure enough, the opening notes played and Anne sighed with relief. The tightness seemed to be fading as her body numbed slightly. She could make it through the show like this. It was only just over an hour, Anne could make it.

Entering the stage, Anne put up her mask. Her back was to the audience, thankfully, or they might have seen the grey ashiness that was taking over her face. Listening to the music start up was almost surreal for Anne. It felt like a faded melody in the back of her mind, and her body was only going through the motions of performing. She couldn’t even believe her body was keeping up with all the other queens as they moved around at what looked like the speed of light.

Her lines must have been lackluster, because the other queens started shooting her strange looks as they introduced the ladies. The audience wouldn’t be able to see it, but there was concern in Kat and Aragon’s eyes as they noticed the way Anne’s words seemed forced out. Cathy and Anna shared a look across the stage, but they kept silent. Jane furrowed her eyebrows at Joan, but the pianist could only mouth I don’t know lest Anne hear her through the in-ears. 

No Way seemed to pass quickly, the dance moving by in a blur for Anne. She was starting to grow nauseous, the tightness of her chest spreading to her limbs and her jaw. It would be incredibly hard to sing, she noted, but still pressed on. Her whole little intro went off without a hitch, Anne throwing in an extra high giggle in order to convince the audience that she was better than ever. Standing up, Anne stumbled on her feet but quickly recovered.

Singing the opening lyrics to her song, Anne went over the top, probably appearing like an overexcited teenage girl to the audience. But Anne knew if she let even a little bit of her facade slip, she would go tumbling down.

Making her way over to the side of the stage, Anne turned to look at her fellow queens. She almost cut off her song in the middle of the second verse when she saw their concerned faces. Why were they looking at her like that? Was something wrong? Ignoring it, Anne moved to center stage, her body slow and barely keeping up with the tempo. Her voice was cracking between syllables, and clearly people were starting to notice. “Anne?” she heard Joan in her ear.

“Sorry not sorry -” Anne managed to get out before her body seized up and she collapsed, limp on the floor. 

Immediately, Kat shrieked, dropping her character and rushing to her cousin’s side. The audience had gone completely silent, unsure of what was happening. Microphone discarded, Kat started to shake Anne. “Anne? Annie? What happened? Why aren’t you saying anything?” The poor girl was terrified, watching her cousin’s blank, empty face. 

For a moment, there was stillness throughout the entire theatre as Kat leaned over her unconscious cousin, eyes filled with tears. Then everyone sprung into action, all reacting at once. The four other queens scrambled over to Anne’s body, trying to see if they could get a response. Anna put a hand on Kat’s shoulder and tried to pull her backwards softly, trying to offer support for the worried teen. Jane was instantly at Anne’s other side, examining her face. Aragon and Cathy were standing over Anne together, not wanting to get too close and invade the girl’s personal space.

The audience was reacting terribly, having not expected something so unbelievable to occur. Many of the guests towards the back were trying to get out of the theatre, not knowing what had happened other than a performer seemed dead. A handful of the audience has pulled their phones out and were recording, documenting the events as they unfolded. But the majority of the audience was talking frantically as they watched the queens for any sign of what to do.

The ladies in waiting were the real saviors. Maggie ripped off her guitar and scrambled towards one of the audience members, asking, “Can I use your phone?” Maria and Joan scrambled backstage to look for anything to help Anne while Bessie moved to join Maggie and crowd control. The person Maggie was talking to fumbled for their phone, getting it out and handing it over to the lady. Maggie quickly dialled 999 and waited for a responder to pick up.

Kat had fallen backwards into Anna, gripping her arm. The older queen was holding her friend tight against her chest, making sure she had someone to hold onto. Maria and Joan returned with a couch pillow that they slipped under Anne’s head to better support her. Kat mumbled something, but Anna couldn’t make it out over the cacophony of sound the audience was making. “Say that again,” she rubbed Kat’s shoulder, trying to make the girl feel safe.

“Is Anne going to be alright?” Kat mumbled, slightly louder this time.

Anna didn’t want to make a promise she couldn’t keep, so she told Kat the truth. “Honestly, I don’t know. But Anne’s a fighter, and whatever it is, she won’t go down easy.”

Kat nodded and sunk further into Anna’s arms. Her eyes never left Anne’s prone form, but her breathing slowed down, if only by a little bit.

On the other hand, Jane was very much still freaking out. Cathy had migrated over to her side and Aragon was talking with Maria and Joan by Anne’s head. “Why did we let her go on?” Jane’s face was turning white like Anne’s ashen one. “We should have noticed something -”

“But we didn’t,” Cathy cut her off. “What Anne needs right now isn’t regrets, okay? She needs you to be strong and ready to help her when she needs it.”

“I can do that,” Jane glanced at Cathy. “We can do that.”

“Yes we can,” Cathy agreed, taking Jane’s shaky hand in hers. It was only a small source of comfort, but it worked in the moment. “Things will be fine.”

Aragon couldn’t help but overhear Cathy and Jane. She sighed, itching at her big costume. It wasn’t the ideal clothes for a moment like this, but that wasn’t something she would complain about. None of this was ideal, but it was reality and Aragon had to wake up and face it. “Maggie’s already called an ambulance, they’ll be here any moment,” Maria told her friend.

Watching Anne out of the corner of her eye, Aragon prayed the ambulance was about to enter the theatre doors. “What if it’s already too late?” Fear was starting to creep into Aragon’s body, swallowing her with it’s black, unforgiving jaws.

“It’s not,” Bessie promised, “It can’t be too late.”

“But what if -”

“What if’s mean nothing Catherine,” Bessie explained. “The ambulance is almost here and that’s what you can rely on.”

As the words came out of Bessie’s mouth, the theatre doors slammed open, EMTs rushing down the aisle and up onto the stage. They shooed the queens away from Anne, picking her up with ease and setting her on a stretcher. In the blink of an eye they were gone, rushing back out of the theatre with Anne in tow. 

Shooting out of Anna’s arms, Kat gasped, “We have to follow her, go to the hospital!”

“Kat, we’re in our costumes in a theatre full of confused people -” Aragon tried to say.

“We can handle the crowd,” Joan took Kat’s side. “You get changed and head to the hospital where Anne is.”

That was all Kat needed to bolt offstage and up to her dressing room. The queens thanked the ladies and stood up, following Kat to get out of their costumes. Once they were offstage, the ladies turned their attention to the clamoring audience. Maria picked up a discarded microphone and tapped it. “Everyone!” she called for attention. “I’m sorry you had to see that. I wish I could tell you that we know what happened, but the truth is we don’t. If you could please give us all some privacy while we deal with this, it would be greatly appreciated.” Before the audience could respond, the ladies turned off the microphones and prepared themselves for the onslaught of questions they were about to face.

Thankfully, Aragon had decided to drive the group to the theatre earlier instead of taking public transport. All the queens piled into the car and drove in silence on the way to see Anne. There was a clear tension among them, no one having the answers they all so desperately wanted. It felt like hours before they finally reached the hospital, but Aragon pulled into a parking spot and they were free to rush to the front doors.

Kat made it first, followed closely behind by Jane and then the other queens. They entered the hospital and beelined for the nurse’s desk. The woman sitting at the desk looked up and smiled kindly. “How can I help you?” she asked.

“Anne Boleyn,” Cathy informed her, “she has to be recently admitted.”

Scanning her papers, the woman nodded. “It looks like she’s in intensive care currently, but I can send over a doctor to talk to you.” At her words, Kat recoiled, her arms wrapping around her body. The girl’s breathing sped up and she stumbled into Anna, pulling her friend close.

Keeping her composure as best as possible, Cathy nodded. “If you could, please.” The nurse pulled out a phone, but Cathy had turned her attention back to the other queens. They were all in different states of shock. Kat was on the verge of tears in Anna’s arms as the German queen scrunched her face together in order to hide her emotions. Aragon was staring at the ground, her body unresponsive. Jane was holding a hand to her mouth, her eyes wide and unseeing. And Cathy herself was doing everything possible to hold herself together in order to keep some form of control over the situation.

A moment later, a doctor emerged from the hallway next to the nurse’s desk. “Family of Anne Boleyn?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. The five queens nodded frantically, their distress clear as day. “Well I hate to tell you this,” the queens inhaled sharply, “But Miss Boleyn had a heart attack.”

“Wh-what?” Jane stuttered.

“How is that even possible? She’s young and fit,” Cathy furrowed her eyebrows, not convinced by the doctor’s answer.

The man put his hands up in defense. “We really don’t know what caused it, probably something genetic. There’s a lot we don’t know about you bunch, so we can’t say for sure. But one of her main arteries was severely blocked, so much so that she could have died.”

“Could… have?” Kat asked.

“Could have,” the doctor confirmed. “Miss Boleyn will be fine, and hopefully soon too. But right now, she needs her rest. We’re lucky we were even able to help her so quickly. I suggest coming back another time.”

There was a universal sigh of relief among the queens at the doctor’s confirmation. Even if they couldn’t see Anne, even if she wasn’t with them, she would be soon. “Can we come back tomorrow?” Anna questioned, pulling Kat closer to her.

Clicking his tongue, the doctor shook his head. “You can come check in, but you won’t be able to see her for a couple days. But I’ll make sure you’re all told when she wakes up.”

“Thank you,” Aragon’s smile was small, but genuine.

“Of course,” the doctor nodded and disappeared once again. 

It had taken a couple days, but finally the queens would get to see Anne. It had been chaotic, trying to deal with all the videos that had surfaced of the girl’s accident and all the rumors that had popped up. The media didn’t quite understand that the queens and ladies wanted privacy as they tried to deal with the fallout of Anne’s heart attack.

But none of that mattered, because Anne was awake and they were going to see her. “Do you think she’ll be sick?” Kat asked, playing with the edge of her coat.

“Why would you think that?” Cathy replied as she opened the doors to the hospital.

“Well some symptoms of a heart attack are nausea and vomiting, so I thought maybe she might be feeling sick,” Kat explained.

Aragon patted Kat on the back. “I don’t think they’d let us see her if she was still sick. But there’s only one way to find out.”

The nurse at the front desk acknowledged the queens, remembering them from previous visits. She pointed down the hall, a small reminder of where Anne’s room was. This would be the first time they would actually get to see her and not pace around outside her door. “Moment of truth,” Anna psyched herself and the others up, putting a hand on the doorknob. Slowly, she pushed it open so they could see Anne on the other side.

There were plenty of machines and tubes surrounding Anne, but her face was no longer grey and her eyes had regained a familiar light. “Queens!” she gasped when she saw them. “You came.”

Kat rushed over to Anne’s side, but restrained herself from hugging her cousin. Instead, Kat slapped Anne’s hand lightly. Kat then gave a hmph and crossed her arms. “What was that for?” Anne frowned.

“You scared us,” Kat dropped her arms and leaned over Anne.

“We thought you were going to die,” Jane spoke up from across the room.

Turning her attention to Jane, Anne attempted to shift herself in the bed. “Jane,” she huffed as her hand almost slipped, “I wouldn’t have died. I’m Anne Boleyn. It takes a sword to the head to get rid of me, not a stupid heart problem.”

“But,” Aragon spoke up, “What if it gets bad again?” She internally cursed herself for going back to the what if’s. 

It was surprising how Anne was the most laid back of them all. “I won’t let it. We won’t let it. So what if I have heart problems, apparently. Not doing anything isn’t going to fix it either, so I’m still gonna dance and sing. Sound good to you?”

Anna chuckled and put a hand on Anne’s shoulder. “Sounds great to me.”

And together, all the queens shared a genuine smile, relief washing over them like a calm wave. Anne hadn’t sung her last performance, and she hadn’t taken her last breath. And that was the important thing, they realized. Maybe Anne wasn’t on stage, singing her heart out. But Anne was fine.

Anne was fine. 

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Tag List:

@radcowboyalmondtree @boleynhowards @annabanana2401 @babeebobo @dont-lose-your-queerhead @everything-insanity @mindless-pidgeon @i-wanna-dance-and-sing-six @thedemidisaster @its-totes-gods-will @thatbolxyngirl @thenameisnoone @sixqueendom

[ddp456]

A Little Lumberjane Christmas - A Gravity Falls Christmas Story/Poem (Re-post)

Hey, all!  @ddp456​ here, and due to the season, I wanted to re-share one of my favorite creations to spread some holiday cheer.  I changed the format a bit, hopefully making it a bit more readable on Tumblr than the original versions here and here.  Again, happy holidays, and please enjoy!

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Written by @ddp456​ Illustrations by @codylabs​ Based on an idea by Wolf90

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It was Christmas Eve and time to deck the halls, in the podunk town called Gravity Falls. Weirdmageddon had pass, its horrors thankfully gone, bringing peace back to the sleepy state of Oregon.

Its natural weirdness seemed to had taken a pause, as the whole town awaited the arrival of ol' Santa Claus. Stockings were hung and trees were dressed really bright. From a distance, the whole town looked like a giant Christmas light.

Families were brought together, and friends would come and unite, proving enough Christmas cheer can make anything right. But one unfortunate soul didn't see things that way. She sat on a rooftop, watching nightfall rise up from the passing day. Who was this person, seemingly unaffected by Christmas joy? Why, it's the Lumberjack Princess, Wendy Corduroy!

Wendy hidden herself away at the top of the Mystery Shack, as the brutal winter winds blew away at her back. She didn't mind the cold, save for the tips of her boot-covered toes, and the feeling of frost nipping away at her stubby little nose. Wendy wanted a safe place to brood and mope and think, as she sipped from a thermos of hot cocoa, her favorite winter drink.

She had gotten out of her dad's apocalypse training by lying about work. She avoided Soos's Mystery Shack staff party by saying it wasn't her quirk. The rest of the town was swept away in the Christmas action, as McGucket threw a huge celebration in what was once the Northwest Mansion. Her friends Tambry, Lee, Nate, and Thompson begged her to come. Wendy refused. "No thanks. It sounds kinda dumb."

Even the Pines twins made their own attempt. An offered trip to Piedmont, California only added to Wendy's contempt. Wendy turned down their invitation, hoping Mabel and Dipper wouldn't shed a tear. "Sorry, guys. Maybe we'll see next year."

All Wendy wanted was to be left alone with her pain. Why did the world make it feel like she was insane? To her loved ones, she didn't want to seem like a grouch, but because of all the lies she told, Wendy couldn't even go back to her own couch.

Wendy's wandering mind instantly came to a halt, as she could hear crushed snow beneath a heavy foot fault. She sprang into action, her ninja-like moves were so slick. Wendy couldn't believe her eyes, "Holy crap! It's St. Nick!"

Santa Claus stood before Wendy in all his glory. The red outfit and fuzzy beard definitely matched the often-heard stories. Despite her older age, Wendy didn't doubt her own eyes. After all, this was Gravity Falls, where the weirdos loved to hide!

Wendy asked, "Santa, no offense, but what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be posing on soda cans with a cute polar bear? Don't you have, like, a zillion presents to give out today? I won't bother you. You can be on your way!"

Santa laughed. "You need not worry. My deeds with get their well due. But tonight, dearest Wendy, I've come to speak with you. It makes Santa sad to see you so blue. Your Christmas spirit I intend to renew. So, come join me this night. Give me a chance to help make things right. By Christmas Morn, I make this promise so true, your outlook on Christmas will gain a new view."

"Thanks for the invite, Santa." Wendy scoffed at the plan so bland. She sat back down in the snow, "But, yeah, a hard pass from me, my man."

With her back turned, Wendy was definitely out of range, to see "Jolly ol' St. Nick" undergo a sudden change. His famous smile faded into a frown turned amiss, as his opened, gloved hands turned into enraged fists.

"Young lady," Santa said without as much as raising his voice. "I'm afraid you don't understand. I'm not giving you a choice."

"WHA – "

Before she knew it, Wendy was tackled to the ground, She punched, scratched, and kicked, but in the end, was helplessly bound. Left in a hogtie, Wendy could only look around, the identity of her attackers made her let out a disgusted sound. "The gnomes from the woods?! This can't be right! Why are you bugging me on Christmas Eve night? And what's the deal with the elf uniforms? What's your beef? I thought you reformed?"

Jeff the gnome stepped up, since the other gnomes weren't very social. "Sorry, kid. It's just business. I swear this isn't personal. We gnomes need extra scratch for these long winter seasons, and the big man likes to outsource. Need there be a better reason?"

"HO HO HO! Well done, my boys!" Santa heaved with huge amounts of joy. "Please place Miss Corduroy in my big sack of toys! For a job well done, expect a little extra in your checks. Consider it a gracious extension of my respect."

The gnomes cheered as they started to drag Wendy away. Their redheaded captive did everything she could to stay. She pulled and tugged and screamed with all of her might, but the ropes holding her were simply way too tight.

"You can't do this to me!" Wendy yelled. "I have rights! What's the matter, Santa? Too scared to fight your own fights? You know against me, you'd have no such luck! For the last time, let me go, ya fat fu – MMPH!"

The angry ginger's potty mouth was hurting the simple gnomes' brains, so they decided to gag her with a candy cane. From her lips, Wendy couldn't get the sticky treat to waver. The only positive in all this was that it was mint-flavored.

They tossed Wendy into the oversized bag, usually filled with cheer. She let out a muffled cry, landing hard on her derriere. The sack's top was then tied off, robbing Wendy of all light, as Santa and prisoner sailed away well into the night.

Hours felt like seconds until the sack's top was undone. Wendy sprang up from the bag. This was her chance to run! Her ropes and candy cane gag had disappeared. The road in front of her had been perfectly cleared. Before Wendy could take one step, a sturdy hand clamped onto her shoulder. She turned to find Santa, about two seconds away from scolding her.

"Welcome, Wendy," he greeted, "to my humble abode. I wouldn't bother fleeing, for there's nowhere to go. We're at the North Pole, far away from civilization. This is my workshop. Call it my own private nation. Your cell phone won't work. All internet access is password-protected. My best advice is for you to do what you're directed. Now, join me, won't you? The next room is pretty fine. I really want you to see my toy assembly line."

Wendy sighed. There wasn't anything she could do. What if Santa's words were absolutely true? The best course of action was to play along with the part, and trick the geezer that she had a change of heart. The two walked down and across a large loading bay while Santa's nine reindeer happily ate their servings of hay.

Santa led Wendy to the toy assembly line, when the annoyed teen let out a whine. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm telling you, I can't stay. Can't you just leave coal in my stocking, and send me on my way?"

"HO-HO-HO!" Santa chuckled. "Why, Wendy, you're such a kidder! You can't lie to Santa. I must insist you reconsider. I know alone in the dead of winter is what you'd prefer. But in this case, I really cannot concur. There are reasons to my seemingly harsh way. I promise you'll reflect fondly on it one day.

Wendy crossed her arms and stuck out her tongue. "I really doubt that, you kidnapping pile of cow dung!"

Santa beaded his eyes, as he tried to stay reserved. "Maybe it's time to get what you deserve. With that negative attitude of yours – and your bad behavior. Santa's got the way to curb that. How about some hard labor?!"

With a hard push, Wendy nearly crashed into the conveyor belt. She looked around to see the hand she'd been dealt. An army of elves stood neatly in line, they slaved and worked tirelessly to finish their projects in time. An endless supply of toys, games, and electronics flew by at frenzied rates, to order to reach children in every country, province, and state.

"Whoa!" Wendy noticed. "Those aren't the gnomes. These elves are real!" "Of course they are," Santa prided. "Back home, this job needs the real deal! Who else could deliver such gifts with speed and joy? They pull out all the stops so each child gets a toy. These wondrous folks are able to look past their own wants and needs, to bring Christmas cheer by doing good deeds. Such is the lesson I expect you to learn tonight. So, jump right in and help, and please don't put up a fight!"

Wendy stepped up to the belt, finding that she was way too tall. "Hey, how can I help? These tools were made for someone super small!"

"Hmm…" Santa stroked his beard. "By George, you're right! Why didn't I see it before?" The old man snapped his fingers. "There! Now, you can easily do your chore!"

With a blink of her eye, Wendy had shrunk by half. She was horrified to see that she barely reached Santa's calf. Her lumberjack outfit and thick winter coat, were now a dorky, striped one piece, and curled shoes that looked like boats. Dipper's pine-tree cap became a cute matching hat with bell tips. Her long copper hair turned pigtails made her lose her grip.

"AHH!" Wendy shrieked as she felt her now-pointed ears. "Change me back!" She demanded. "Don't think I can't kick your chunky rear!"

Santa used one hand to hold back the pint-sized, fist-swinging threat. "Oh, give it up, kid. Just look at me! I'm not even breaking a sweat! All this protesting is really getting you nowhere. Help the elves with the toys, and I'll think about changing you back. I swear. Only when your Christmas spirit is revived, will you be allowed to go home. I'll leave you be now. Santa's got better things to do than listen to you drone."

Santa took his leave, when he stopped after a few paces. "I hate to do this to you, but to be honest, I'm really too old for chases." He snapped his fingers once more, the room echoed with a click. Wendy looked down, "What's this? Another one of your tricks?"

A metal tether was placed around her ankle, meant to hold her in place. Wendy couldn't run away or jump. She could barely walk around or pace. "You think you got me, old man?" Wendy bragged. "I'll be outta here super-quick." She reached under her hat, "As soon as I find my lock – "

"Looking for these?"

Santa flashed a grin, displaying Wendy's trusty lockpicks in his hand. "That's right, kiddo. Santa knows all your secrets. That's why he's the man!" Wendy was left speechless as her captor soon disappeared from sight. She pulled on her chain with all her might. The freckled elf tugged and yanked and fought against the shackle, but every escape attempt resulted in a painful ankle tackle.

Now faced with no other choice, Wendy turned around to accept her fate. She grabbed a toy off the assembly line and followed alongside with her elven mates. But after a few minutes, Wendy found the task to be a bore. She elbowed the nearest working elf neighbor, "So, what are you in for?"

The tiny elf stared at Wendy in a confused state. "I don't think you understand. We elves choose our own fate. We each have free will. Santa doesn't force us to stay. All of us volunteer here. We don't even ask for any pay!"

Wendy looked around at the other elves workers walking around scot-free. She was the only one chained down to the heavy machinery.

"Then, I don't get it." Wendy asked. "Why do you do all this?" The elf replied, "Because the end result is truly pure bliss. Seeing the happy, smiling faces of the grateful girls and boys, it's what powers our great quest. It brings us great joy!"

Wendy grew more curious. "But how can you see all of these things? There's too many to see and they're so far away. Are you just pulling my strings?"

"Watch…"

Wendy grew silent as from the assembly wall came something new. From a small crack, some kind of electrical portal grew. The portal shifted from different planes into a whole new world. Before Wendy's emerald eyes, did the elf's story unfurled.

A little girl knelt on the side of her bed, praying to the powers that be to watch over her loved ones' heads.

"That's little Clara," introduced Wendy's new friend. "She volunteers to take care of her grandma, helping around the house to no end. Even though her family has little money for presents, she gives them little grief. For this, we're giving her a special dollie to provide her some well-needed relief."

A new item flew down the conveyor belt at rocket speeds. Dozens of elven hands rushed to give it the details it needs. A blonde, huggable doll was the final result. Its design was truly perfect. There wasn't anything possible to insult. It flew off the line and into Santa's bag in an almost magical way, and soon, into Clara's awaiting arms on Christmas Day.

"I have to admit," Wendy's mood began to lighten. "That was really neat." She no longer felt like fighting.

"Then, why don't you give it a shot," the elf did suggest. "You're part elf now. You can do it. Try your best!"

Wendy began to picture a child in need, someone who was indeed worthy of the elves' creed. She opened her eyes and gasped aloud, as Wendy was soon presented with her very own cloud. The other elves murmured and gathered around, to see what child Wendy's mind had found.

The image became clear, displaying a teenage boy in punk clothing. His hair was blue. His jeans were torn and holey. But man, was his attitude loathing. The teen was with his mother, doing some late holiday shopping. But to Wendy's shock, she could make out some swears dropping. "No, Mom, you moron! What were you thinking? Are you always this dumb, or have you been possibly drinking? I said I wanted Super Linguini Bros. 3, not Part 2! Man, I honestly can't believe I'm related to you!"

As the image in the portal faded away, Wendy's blood boiled, perhaps more than anytime that day. The boy's expected present had appeared before her, half-finished. But her budding Christmas spirit had been quickly diminished. She picked up the video game machine, and threw it over her shoulder. Wendy let out a chuckle as her insight became ever bolder. All of the elves were shocked and frozen in pause, as the now-wrecked toy landed at the feet of Santa Claus.

Wendy spun around in horror. She knew an apology would be way too late. This latest outburst would surely seal her fate.

Instead, he approached Wendy without a sign of anger and rage. Santa rubbed his bearded chin, knowing he had to take from another page. "Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. We need to go inside to find why you despise Christmas Day."

He stepped up to Wendy, who was still stuck in place, and placed his black glove over her freckled face.

"What are you doing?" She tried to pull away. "Stop being a creep! Get your stinking hand off me! I can't see a peep!"

Santa removed his hand, and Wendy was now filled with a sense of dread. She had been warped to a dark room with a yellow light hanging ahead. "Hello?" Wendy called out, no longer shackled. "Is anyone there?" "Sorry!" A new voice answered. "I'm on my way. I had to finish my hair!"

A purple and pink glow invaded the darkened space. Wendy entered a fighting stance, just in case. The small ball became a pixie, straight out of a fable. "Weird." Wendy noted. "You kinda look like my friend, Mabel."

The brunette fairy gave off a familiar smile, "Hey, there! Welcome! I hope you stay awhile. Beyond this point, lie the doors three. They represent Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Yippee! Each door will take you to a different point in time on Christmas Day. By journey's end, we'll learn the real reason of why you feel this way."

Wendy shrugged, "It isn't like I have any choice." The pixie agreed and waved, "No, not really. Just follow my voice! If you need anything, I'll be your busy bee! All you need to do is shout, "Hey, Christmas Fairy!""

The fairy led Wendy to the door labelled, "Christmas Past." She opened the door, "Come on! This will be a blast!" Wendy was reluctant, but did what the sprite asked. The redhead couldn't believe it! She was now ten years in the past!

They stood in a better version of the Corduroy household, one that hadn't been yet damaged by Manly Dan's tantrums left uncontrolled. In the farthest corner of a somewhat messy kitchen, a super-tall, redheaded woman baked cookies as her pigtailed daughter pitched-in. The child was covered in white flour from head and toe, and her chubby, little fingers were caked in sticky dough. But the deed was finally done. Into the oven, the cookies went in. The mother tightly hugged her baby, looking over her proudly with a grin. "I'm so proud of you, my little one. You perfectly made my recipe: Chocolate-frosted Christmas trees with just a pinch of sesame. One day, you'll be able to do it alone. Maybe to impress some lucky boy, or when you have a family of your own, my dearest Wendy Corduroy."

The little girl held her mother even tighter, her hidden anxiety and social fears became a tad bit lighter.

"Mama…"

The Christmas Fairy watched the heartwarming scene with glee. "How adorable!" She turned around, finding something unexpectedly. Wendy had turned away from the memory, as she hugged her own shoulders. "Can we get out of here, please? This all is getting older and older."

The pixie sighed, as she waved the memory away. "Maybe we can find something even better here in present day." Wendy followed the fairy to the next Christmas door, "Are we almost done? I'm not gonna lie. This is becoming a chore."

The fairy reached the large door, marked with label, "Present," so that Wendy could bear witness to ongoing Christmas events. This time, she was presented with not one window, or two, but three! On her left side, Wendy could make out a familiar, half-broken Christmas tree. The Gift Shop of the Mystery Shack was decorated with green and red. A nearby buffet table held quite an awesome spread!

The new Mr. Mystery, Soos, stood at the counter with elbows resting. His saddened face was downright depressing. Melody, his girlfriend and partner at the Mystery Shack, suddenly snuck behind him and gave him a hug-attack. "Hey, why so glum, big guy?" she wondered. "Gee, Melody." Soos lamented. "This party was nothing but a blunder. Everybody went to that McGucket shindig instead. With the way things are going, maybe I should have stayed in bed. Even Wendy, who works here, couldn't even bother to attend, Let's face it, this idea was nothing but a dead end."

Melody lowered her head against Soos's shoulder fat, "Oh, don't be silly. Just you forget about that! They can have their stupid party. Let them be. We'll have our own little Christmas; just you and me! And don't mind Wendy. You know she doesn't mean to hurt you. Besides, with us alone, we can make our Christmas a bit more "blue.""

The couple's lips met as they shared a Christmas kiss, though Wendy turned her head and quickly dismissed. "Okay! Moving on!" She fled the scene with swift feet, though she secretly thought the moment was sorta sweet.

The middle window allowed Wendy to view the snow-covered woods, as four burly soldiers followed a path, their heads covered in hoods. Wendy easily recognized those running around in the dead of winter making noise, It was her father, Manly Dan, and her brothers, the Corduroy boys!

Marcus, Kevin, and Gus followed along with dear old Dad, "Keep going!" Dan barked. "Onwards, my beefy lads! Those monsters this summer were only the beginning! We'll practice and train day and night to make sure we keep winning!"

The youngest boy, Gus, started to complain, "How'd Wendy get out of this? She's totally to blame! She said she couldn't come because of work? Yeah, right! She's full of it! What a jerk!"

It was then when Manly Dan came to a stop. The boys crashed into his mighty form, and dropped. He stuck a finger in his smallest son's face. "You watch your tongue, boy! Don't be a disgrace!" That girl beat the odds and surprised us all, She helped saved this town from its ultimate downfall. Wendy's proven herself to me. My stone-cold heart she had won, I only wish she was here to show you boys how to get the job done! But my girl's not here, so us four will have to do. We'll work together on this blessed day to show the world that Corduroys rule!"

The boys rallied around their father's battle cry, and Wendy watched them march without batting an eye. "Don't think I'm not touched by Dad's words. I hate to betray his trust. I just wanted to get out of apocalypse training without a fuss. Living through Weirdmageddon was more than enough for me. After that mess, couldn't we relax and let things be?"

Wendy's attention was drawn by the window on the right. Every part of the Northwest Mansion was bathed in glorious light. Its new owner, Fiddleford McGucket, had really turned things around. To properly celebrate, he threw a Christmas party for the whole town! Mingles of classes, both rich and poor, engaged with each other without signs of bore. Gathered at a distant table were a collection of Wendy's chums, Thompson, Tambry, Nate, Lee, and even Robbie V., that gothic bum. They sat bored out of their minds, their attention spans were wearing thin, without their fearless leader to swoop in for the win. The plucky cashier's mischievous mind usually created their favorite dares, games, and pranks, and now without her around, the mellow atmosphere really did stank! Surprisingly enough, Thompson threw his fist down! "Why are we just sitting here? Sure, Wendy's not around, but would she want us to sit around and pout? No way! She'd tell us to get off our butts, no doubt! C'mon, guys. Let's make our Wendy proud! We'll cause a little mayhem and make this party loud! He lifted his half-drank cup of punch into the air, as the rest of the teens joined in with the cheer:

"For Wendy!"

Wendy backed away from the third open portal, "I'm not really sure if I get this moral. Sure, all three present views have people that miss me, but their Christmases seemed to be better if I left things be."

The pixie bobbed her head, "Oh, Wendy. Try looking at this way instead. All of these groups would be better if you were there, but in your absence, they refuse to let their Christmas fall into despair. They celebrate what they have, versus what they have not. Now, with that said, maybe is there something more to Christmas that you thought?"

"Perhaps…" Wendy said, stroking her chin with curiosity. "Great!" The fairy proclaimed. "There's one last thing to see!" However, Wendy's interests soon broke away, as the door called "Christmas Future" made her want to stay. "Hold on!" The sprite cried out. "There's nothing interesting in here, I bet, and I'm not sure if Santa wants you to see that yet."

"It's nice to want things." Wendy opened the door and smirked. "What's Santa hiding now, that big, colossal jerk?" To Wendy's amazement, she was back at Santa's workshop. The lines of elves went on building toys non-stop. The big man himself surveyed his on-going mission, as he stood at the assembly line with his newest addition. Santa patted the shoulder of the pigtailed elf with a familiar, striped uniform. Her frozen, freckled beam was anything but the norm. The elf didn't even so much as breathe or blink, as her hands blindly manufactured new goods with a "clink, clink, clink!"

Wendy covered her mouth, "No! No way! This cannot be! I know that mindless little elf – that's me!"

Wendy's stomach grew nauseous as she stumbled away. Her pixie friend pleaded with her to stay. "Please, Wendy. You don't understand! This possible future is not Santa's ultimate plan!" But Wendy refused to hear her anymore. "Stay away from me! Let me outta this place!" she roared.

The blackened arena shattered like broken glass, Wendy was back in front of Santa and his elven class. The force of the mighty ginger had broken Santa's spell, as her outburst made him land on his jingle bells.

Wendy marched towards him with a nasty glare, until she was pulled back by her ankle snare. "I've had it with you, fat man! You've hit my last nerve! Now, it's about time that I give you what you deserve! You kidnap me and bring me to this awful place, and then you turn me into one of the elven race! You threaten me with child labor? So what? Big deal! Do you know the geezer I work for? He's an even bigger heel! Then, you dare to invade my mindscape and some, and pervert my most private of memories, you scum! You wanna make me your slave? I'd want you to try. Come a few steps closer, and I'll be happy to give you a black eye! I'll give you one last chance to change your mind. I'm too generous, I know. I'm not asking, I'm telling: LET-ME-GO!"

The other elves remained silent as Santa stood upright. His demeanor had changed to that of sorrow, not fright. "My poor Wendy Corduroy. I feel I failed you. For on this night, I was unable to give you Christmas spirit renewed. Your anger and pain is just way too great, I fear this time, ol' St. Nick had arrived too, too late. Your fate has been sealed. I'm sorry it sounds so grim. I have no other choice but to leave you to…him…

With that, Santa and his elves took their leave, leaving Wendy stunned as she couldn't believe. "Where are you all going? What? The truth was too much to bear? Didn't anyone hear me? I said lemme outta here!"

Now, left by herself and trapped in the empty hall, Wendy slumped down into a saddened ball. Her green eyes grew watery, but she refused to cry. To give her captors the satisfaction, the girl would rather die. The worse thing of all no one knew she was stuck here, as they enjoyed their Christmases without worry or care.

"I can't really blame them." Wendy said, with her chin on her knees. "I know I have hang-ups about Christmas. That part's solely on me. Still, I wish that someone could look beyond their bliss, and see that I was missing and things were amiss."

Little did Wendy know, as her mind began to wander, a new portal formed on the assembly wall beyond yonder. She didn't notice the window leading away from this nightmare, until she could make out familiar voices she'd know anywhere.

"Dipper? Dipper? Are you in there? Where are you now? To where did you disappear?"

Wendy climbed on top of the conveyor belt, as the icy feeling in her heart started to melt. Dipper Pines sat on his bed, with a wireless phone in hand, as his twin Mabel charged into the room with a demand. "Dipper, come join the party! What's the matter with you?" He explained to his sister, "Mabel, it's Wendy. I can't get through! All I wanted was to wish her a Merry Christmas, but no one seems to know where she is! I tried the Shack, and Tambry and Nate and the other teens. And no one picks up at her home. The phone just rings and rings! I don't mean to be overprotective, Mabel. I know I have a choice, but I'd feel so much better if I could hear Wendy's voice."

"Oh, Dipper," Mabel sat next to him on his bed. "Quit being such a big worry-head. Wendy's a big girl. She can handle things by her own. The last thing she'd want you to do is make this overblown. It's not a big deal. Christmas isn't Wendy's thing. If she wanted to be here, she would have given us a ring. Remember last summer? Here, I'll give you a clue. You can't force someone to do something they don't wanna do. Now, come on, already! Turn that frown upside-down! Let's get back to the party before anyone notices you're not around!"

And with that, Mabel went back on her way, but in spite of her speech, Dipper still wanted to stay. His parents' party was filled with family friends unknown, and older cousins that rather spend more time on their cell phones. The thirteen-year-old felt like a stranger in his own house, wishing for something that could keep his Christmas spirit from being doused.

He sighed, and lurched forward with a sigh. "Mabel's right, but I couldn't help but try. I know Wendy's busy, but I still wish she would have come. Maybe then, this stupid party wouldn't be so lonely and dumb."

It was then that Dipper made a wish that he hoped would travel far: "I hope you're having a Merry Christmas, Wendy…wherever you are."

A heartbroken Wendy rested her forehead against the portal's seem, when at long last, her eyes started to teem. A line of tears traveled down each cheek as she started to cry. She didn't think of herself, but of her special little guy. "I'm so sorry, Dipper." Wendy sniffled. "I really made things a mess. I wish I could make it right. I should have said "yes.""

"Wendy?" "Dipper?"

"AAH!" The boy screamed as he flew off the bed, convinced at first, he was hearing voices in his head. But sure enough, in a wavy window above his room, contained the image of Wendy, with a sense of doom.

"Wendy?" Dipper asked again. "Is it really you in there?" "Of course it is, dork." She said from the portal in mid-air.

Dipper moved towards the vision of his crush, and upon seeing what was wrong, his voice went in a rush. "Wendy, what's happened? Why aren't you tall? Your hair! Your ears! And what's the deal with that weird hall?"

Wendy wiped her face and started to plead her case. "Dipper, you gotta help me get out of this place! You're not going to believe this! I'm at the North Pole! Santa kidnapped me, and he won't let me go! He's forcing me to make toys and talk to Christmas ghosts. It's like he's trying to find what irritates me the most!"

Dipper immediately sprung to the rescue. "Don't worry, Wendy. I'll find a way to save you!" He examined the portal up and down and side-to-side, But hadn't an idea how to reach his secret love without a guide. After a few minutes, Dipper stood on his bed, as no more plans danced around in his head. "I'm really sorry, Wendy. I haven't a clue. I've never seen anything like this before. I don't know how to help you."

The two teenagers stood on different borders of time and space, as they met for the first time in months face-to-face. Dipper placed a hand against his side of the plane, The shine in his eyes had vanished and drained. "I – I wish you were here with us…with me…" Wendy set her palm against her devotee's. "I do, too, buddy. Trust me. Right now, there's no other place I'd rather be…"

All of a sudden, as though a Christmas blessing, their hands were able to touch through the barrier's meshing! Wendy and Dipper's fingers entwined as they laughed in disbelief, the ability to make physical contact came as such a relief.

Dipper said, "How can this be? I don't understand. Is this really happening? Or is it sleight of hand?" Wendy squeezed harder, "Hey, kiddo? Not at all trying to be rude, but Santa's coming back soon, so please, pull me though, dude!"

With that, Dipper tightened his grip and gave a tug, His noodle arms pulled Wendy into a huge bear hug. Once the slender redhead was more than halfway through, their worries returned with a threat somewhat new.

"What's wrong now?" Dipper strained. "Of all the dumb luck…" "I almost forgot, Dipper." Wendy explained. "I'm stuck! That old fat jerk snapped a cuff on my foot super-tight, to make sure I'd stay in his crummy workshop all night!"

Dipper wouldn't stop trying. "There has to be something I can do. There's no way I'd ever give up on you!" Though the kind words touched Wendy deeply in this situation out of whack, a second later, she could feel something try to pull her back. "No!" Dipper dug his heels deep into the blankets of his bed. "Don' t think this is over! I'd rather drop dead!"

"Dipper! Don't let go!" "I won't!"

Both Dipper and Wendy screamed as they were pulled into the wormhole, They landed back at Santa's workshop back at the North Pole, where Santa awaited with a horrific beast by his side, a ten-foot, horned demon, a so-called protector of yuletide. It was bearded and dressed in tattered clothing, its appearance was terrifying and somewhat loathing. The screams of the damned came from a container on its side. It held a wooden paddle, meant to tan wicked hides. Upon seeing this monster, the partners-in-crime shrieked, holding each other in terror as their knees became weak.

Santa shook his head, "Wendy, I've tried my best to make this right, but I feel there's nothing I can do to have you see the light. There's only one way to curb your attitude so pompous. I introduce to you, the Christmas monster known as the Krampus!

The fanged behemoth unleashed an unearthly roar, that even managed to shake the whole floor. It took a hooved step forwards in its quest, far from trendy, to claim the soul of the wicked child known as Wendy.

"Wait!"

Dipper shielded his still-ensnared sweetheart, He held his arms outwards, ready to do his part. The tiny boy's eyes met with his one-time rival, "Santa…" he greeted, thinking only of Wendy's survival. "Dipper…" Santa replied in the same, sober tone. "So, how goes those "Anti-Santa" traps in your home?" "You already know," Dipper grimaced, "That they're far from okay, but that's not the reason I'm here today. I don't have all the details, but I think I know enough. Please let Wendy go, and we'll be gone without a huff! I know at first, Wendy seems aloof and really tough. But she's so much more than that! Take it from this cream-puff! I get that Christmas spirit is your thing. That's okay and fine. If it's such a big deal, then what about mine? There is nothing I want more than to have Wendy to come home with me, so I ask you kindly, can't we please just let things be? I don't have a leg to stand on. But still, I'll beg this of you today: Please, Santa. Don't take my Wendy away!"

Dipper turned back to see Wendy slightly blushing. He corrected the mistake he made by rushing.

"I mean, "Don't take Wendy away!"

Santa and his pet gave each other a quick look, Their combined decision no more than a split second took:

"NO!"

The Krampus crept by Wendy, as she froze in a trance, as Dipper fought back with a second chance. "All right! You want a bad kid to give your curse? What if I could name someone even worse? A person that definitely deserves your type of misery? Here's a thought. How about you take me?!"

"Dude, don't!" Wendy said. "You really need to shut up now! If you keep going, you'll end up as this thing's Christmas chow!"

But Dipper ignored his crush's protests, and began to list off his sins and confess. "I've lied, cheated, and stole too many times, and that's only the beginning of my crimes! I beat up a gang of gnomes and marked them for dead. I fought living wax statues and cut off Larry King's head! I raised zombies up and left those secret agents to die, and made my sister, Pacifica, and even Wendy cry. I won't fight you, creature. I'll admit I made my own bed. I'll ask you a second time, leave Wendy, and take me instead!"

The Krampus licked his lips with a sense of glee, truly fascinated by Dipper's dirty laundry. He changed course to add Dipper to his collection, as Wendy dashed in front to offer her protection.

"Ain't going to happen, ugly! Not no how, or no way! Lay a claw on that kid, and I swear you're going to pay! If you want Dipper, you'll have to go through me first! So, come on, tough guy! I'm prepared to take your worst! If anyone deserves a decent Christmas, it's Dipper, my boy! And it's gonna happen, or else, my name's not Wendy Corduroy!"

To Wendy and Dipper's surprise, both tormentors began to laugh. Santa and Krampus supported each other so they wouldn't split in half. The elder's smile returned, "See, Wendy? I knew you would come through! Your act of sacrifice shows your Christmas spirit has been truly renewed! Santa's deed has been done. There's no further need for this. You two are free to go and enjoy Christmas bliss!"

Wendy raised an eyebrow, worried if there was another trick to be found. "Seriously?" Santa snapped his fingers a third time, as her shackle opened and fell to the ground. "Seriously."

Dipper and Wendy walked to the portal shining so bright, as Wendy realized something still wasn't quite right. "Santa, my man, I really don't mean to stall, but before we go, can you please make me tall?"

Dipper elbowed his friend, "I dunno. I think I like you better this way." "Please, Dipper, don't give him ideas." Wendy whispered with dismay.

Santa let out another joyful laugh, "Oh, I almost forgot, my dear. When you go home, your natural height will return, so have no fear." He and the Krampus offered a wave as the duo traveled back to California. "Have a Merry Christmas! But if not, you can't say we didn't warn ya!"

Back in Piedmont, Wendy and Dipper landed back in his bedroom, as she discovered she was no longer fitted in elven costume. Wendy's lumberjack clothing and height were rightfully restored, as the portal closely behind them, hopefully forevermore. Relieved, they rushed in for a snuggly embrace, their hearts still racing from escaping such a crazy place.

Dipper looked up at Wendy, "Are you sure you're alright?" "Thanks to you, buddy." She grinned and held him tight. "I don't know what to say, Dipper. Tonight, you really came though." "Oh, it was nothing." He blushed. "If reversed, I'd know I could count on you."

Their touching reunion was suddenly interrupted, as from the doorway, a shrill squeal erupted: "Ohmigosh!" Mabel grabbed her cheeks. "You're really here!" She wrapped around Wendy's waist as the much-taller girl rubbed her brown hair. "I knew I heard your voice! Did you change your mind?" Wendy turned to Dipper as she was caught in another bind. "Actually, Mabel." Dipper started. "Wendy wanted to surprise us. She spent all day and night traveling here on a small bus." Wendy followed along with Dipper's white lie about her stay. "I hope I'm not too late to join you guys on Christmas Day?" "What? No way!" Mabel exclaimed with excitement and great cheer. She flew from the room, "Hey, everybody! You won't believe who's here!"

With the two following along at a safe distance, Wendy gave Dipper a love tap, "Hey, thanks again for the quick assistance." "No biggie." He said with an embarrassed modest. "But if I can ask, are you sure you're ready for all this?" She threw her arm around her favorite little dork. "Of course I am, but now, let's get to work! I have something special to share with you two. Call it an old family recipe: Chocolate-frosted Christmas trees with just a pinch of sesame."

As they rounded the corner, Mabel teased, "Hey, you two! Guess where you're below? You guys are right under the mistletoe – "

"O-kay! That's enough right there!"

Wendy leaned forward on her knees as Dipper remained cross-legged on the colored rug on the floor. They looked up at Soos, dressed in a Santa cap, as he read from a selection of his fanfiction in Stan's recliner.

"Wow…" Dipper rested a heavy head against his fists. "I really didn't believe Soos when he said he made a Christmas story starring us, but there it is…"

"What's the matter?" Soos asked with a disappointed look. "You guys didn't like my Christmas rhymes?"

"No offense, Soos." Wendy threw out an arm in outrage, "But that story was kinda sexist, don't cha think? Why was I the one kidnapped? And Dipper saving me? Isn't that sorta cliché?"

"Well," Dipper held a finger up. "There was that one time at the Dusk2Dawn…"

"Exactly, buster! One time! Check the rescue scorecard, pal! I guarantee I have more saves checked off than you. Bet on it! And you really think Santa can take me on? Let 'im try! I'll punch him in the mistletoe, and break my foot off in his ho-ho – "

*CRASH!*

A thunderous crash could be heard on the Mystery Shack's roof. The sound made all three freeze in their tracks.

"Um," Dipper mumbled. "What was that you were saying, Wendy?"

"I – I," The lumberjane rambled nervously. "Like I was saying, maybe we should take a break, and get some hot cocoa and cookies, and see if there's any wholesome Christmas TV specials on."

"Good idea!"

"Sounds like a plan!"

The boys and Wendy jumped up and left the room, pressed together back-to-back. Their eyes searched every corner, in fear of a possible yuletide attack.

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

"And from this point here, our story finally concludes. Have a Happy Holiday, my friends. And remember, Santa's always watching you…"

[wickedcxre]

► — now announcing their royal highness, [ ADELAIDE KANE ]  ! oh , wait . that’s just [ GWEN GASTON LEGUME ] , the [ BAD ] child of [ GASTON ] they are currently a [ 24 ] year old [ PAWNSHOP WORKER ] of [ AURADON ] , but were originally from [ THE ISLE ] . people say they remind them of [ LONG, SILENT STARES, QUICK FINGERS, WORN LEATHER BOOTS. ] & that they are [ + RESOURCEFUL , + LOYAL ] but also [ - OPINIONATED , - LEERY ]. welcome , to the beginning of the new united world.

HER HISTORY

Gwen was born a twin, on a stormy summer night in May. her brother came first, then she followed. though there are exactly six minutes between them. 

with a twin brother and older brother, Gwen grew up wanting to be just like them. one of the boys. initially her father was against her learning to use the knife and sword, along with the rifle and bow, but he changed his mind when he one day took the time to notice her natural affinity. 

the fact that she went from being told off and smacked around when she was found with a practice sword in the yard or making her own bow in her room to being trained alongside her brothers has given her a deep need to prove herself and gain her fathers approval. 

while she was treated harshly, Gwen was often shielded from her fathers most violent behavior by her brothers, even when she asked them not to. 

all her life Gwen has been very proud of bearing her fathers name, and she always believed in his cause. because of this she harbors a hidden yet fierce resentment for the entire Florian family and anyone supporting them. 

though she finds it unfair that her father never seemed to approve of her older brother and it cast a shadow over her relationship with him as she grew older and realized just how unfair he was being. 

as someone who idolized her brothers, she found it nothing but natural to follow Gil and become apart of Uma’s crew. 

there she found family, a place to belong, people who did not judge her, though in the beginning some of the boys did tease her and underestimate her. she quickly set them straight. 

both as a teen and later in life, Gwen has been a pickpocket, robber and a spy. she loves to refer to herself as ‘a great thief’ and finds nothing but pride in stealing and deceiving others both to her own ends and the ends of her friends, family and superiors. 

as a child she was often accused whenever something went missing on on the isle, though more often than not her accusers were without any tangible proof. 

that did not however prevent this individual or that to pick a fight with her or challenge her, which Gwen relished in. most of the times she won, though her family grew used to her showing up with varying degrees of injuries over the years. 

Gwen’s pride and single mindedness are her biggest weaknesses, as she doesn’t take to being beaten well, and can become quite fixated with this or that. 

while Gwen has a lot of opinions, she only shares with those she trusts, and its a short list. 

most of her life she’s gotten used to discussing her doubts, opinions, fears and thoughts with her twin brother. when without him she often ends up feeling lost, adrift and unusually insecure. 

she’s always been seen and described as a lively girl. easy to laugh, quick to take a joke, pleasant to be around. when you strip away all the layers of spy training and her chamelion like instinct to blend in, you’ll find Gwen is a heart girl. she wants the very best for those she loves and will die for them without hesitation. 

Gwen is bisexual, but she’s slightly ashamed of it, thus most of her entanglements with women have been secretive an closeted. She doesn’t quite know how to handle her sexuality.

She’s done a lot of brief relationships and dating, but because Gwen is so cautious and struggles to trust easily, she’s never been with someone for more than six months. 

though Gwen is a big fan of having flirts or friends with benefits to sleep around with. 

HER PRESENT 

Gwen couldn’t stand the idea of being too far away from Gil, so she found herself a job at the local pawn shop in Auradon. 

she actually enjoys the work quite a lot and secretly spends a lot of time at the public library whenever something historical comes up that she feels she should know more about. 

obtaining knowledge trough books has become a slight obsession given that her whole life she has been unable to go to school and learn about the world. though she’s very grateful that she was able to convince some of the islanders to teach her how to read. 

not unlike the rest of her crew, Gwen is in Auradon to spy and keep an eye on things, as well as wanting to be close to them and her brother.

while she’ll come of as assured and confident with a mouth on her with family and friends, she inhabits a much quieter persona at work and with hero kids. then she’s more of an observer, somewhat reclusive though often sarcastic. 

its not lost on Gwen that she is in enemy territory and while she knows perfectly well how she feels about Auradon’s hero population and its rulers, she’s not the kind to express this openly. no spy would ever blow their cover like that..  

MISC DETAILS

while during the daytime she wears a couple of thin, gold tinted glasses, looking quite bookish, these disappear the second she’s out on the streets and dark falls. its one of many subtle disguises she loves to wear to confuse people and trick them if she must. 

she inherited her fathers leather boots at sixteen and while they are at least three sizes too big for her, maybe even more, she wears them as often as she can. 

she cut her hair short when she moved to Auradon to obtain a bit of a ‘fresh start’ look. 

she smokes and drinks but rarely to excess, unless she’s very upset or frustrated about something. 

she has an infinity symbol on her inner left arm/inside of her elbow with her own name and her twins name in either circle. to her its a way to show that their souls will always be connected and able to find one another. 

her motto is: make your own path & women can do anything a man can do

WANTED CONNECTIONS

crew members 

frequent customers at the shop

frenemies and enemies 

old isle friends who’s known her since childhood

new auradon friends both bad and good 

her twin brother (pretty please someoneee!!) 

ex boyfriends 

crushes 

FWB’s 

ok that is all i could think of and god damn it became so long :’) anyway feel free to poke me for plotting and chats!! :)

[j-j-ehlby-writes]

Păpuşă (s.s.)

Pairing: Sebastian Stan x Reader

Word Count: ~6.3k

Summary: You and Sebastian just finished a movie together. This is your first promo interview. What happens when an unknown truth is revealed?

Italicized = flashback

My Masterlist

“My first guest tonight is starring in her very first movie, a hilarious romantic comedy with Sebastian Stan that’s coming out in theaters this Friday. It’s her first time on the show- her first interview even. Please welcome to the show, Y/F/N Y/L/N.”

I come from behind the curtain and am greeted by Jimmy Fallon. He shakes my hand before giving me a light hug as I step up onto the stage in the 5 inch heels I immediately regret choosing for this interview. I wave at the crowd before taking a seat.

“Welcome to the show, Y/N.” He greets.

“Thank you! I’m excited to be here.” I cross my legs at the knee to get more comfortable in the outfit my stylist picked for me. This was my first promo interview for my very first movie. It’s expected to do fantastic at the box office. I know it’s going to be a great film.

“So this is your first movie. How cool is that?”

“Oh it’s beyond cool. I can’t even explain how excited I am for it to finally come out.” I smile, thinking about the last year of my life and how much it has changed.

“And your co-star and love interest is the amazing Sebastian Stan. Tell me how that was and how that came to be.”

“That’s a funny story actually. I insulted him during the first round of auditions.”

“Can you believe you’re headed to your first audition?” My friend shrieks in my ear through my headphones. I walk down the sidewalk from the bus station, trying to re-read the script we were all sent to make sure I memorized my lines.

 “No, I can’t. Don’t get your hopes up. You know how rare it is for someone to book their first ever audition? Practically unheard of.” I finally find the building after hanging up and go inside. I follow the signs until I reach a large room with dozens of people waiting their turn. People left and right all reading from the same script I have. I feel like the complete amateur I am in this crowd. Everyone looks so professional and not at all nervous, like I am. I find a quiet corner where there aren’t very many people.

 “Hey.” I hear someone one say over my soft music. I pull out my earphone to see a gorgeous girl standing in front of me. “Do you need help running lines?” She asks offering a kind smile.

 “Sure.” I unplug and put away my phone.

 We go over some small talk before turning to the script. I feel foolish doing this in front of her, but at least it’s some practice that I definitely need. I feel like I know this script front-wards and backwards by now, but I still feel like I will mess it up somehow.

 After we rehearse the necessary scenes, we continue to chat. She tells me that this is her tenth audition this week and I instantly want to drop out. There’s no way I will get picked over her. She looks like she belongs in this world. I don’t. The best that I could probably get would be someone in the back with no lines. I know it’d be something. Getting even a small part in a movie is something. But I want to go big. I wanted to go for the female lead. Go big or go home, right?

 We’re standing around, waiting for the process to start.

 And then he walks in.

 “Who,” I drag out, “is that?” I try not to stare too much, but it’s hard not to. He is one of the most beautiful men I’ve ever seen. His shorter dark brown hair is covered with a dark blue baseball cap and his steel blue eyes are shaded by a pair of tortoise sunglasses, but he’s not fooling anyone. His beard is perfectly trimmed, trying to hide the sharp jawline but failing miserably. No one seems to have noticed his entrance, or if they did no one wanted to react.

 She turns around to see who I’m gawking at. “You seriously don’t know who that is?”

 “Oh no, I know exactly who that is. I just wanted to have that ‘movie moment’.” She laughed at my silly behavior, before looking behind me again.

 “Well get ready to have another because here he comes.”

 By the time I turned around, he was a few feet away from us. He greets the girl next to me. “Who’s your friend?” He asks, looking at me.

 “Y/N.” I introduce myself. I see out of my peripheral vision him hold his hand out to me. I shake it, trying my hardest to keep my fangirling at bay.

 “Nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Sebastian.”

 I chuckled at how humble he is. He’s an A-list actor. He needs no introductions anymore. “I know. You played one of my least favorite characters on Gossip Girl.”

 “One of?” He asks, feigning offense. He crosses his arms over his broad chest, trying to act like a tough guy. “Who’s worse than me?”

 “Georgina,” I don’t hesitate to say, “and then Louis and Marcus tie for a close second. Blair didn’t have the best dating history.” I just finished re-watching all six seasons of the show for like the fifth time, so everything is fresh. I never thought my knowledge of a teen soap-drama would actually come in handy one day. “A history that briefly included Carter, even if it was to just piss off Chuck.”

 “In your eyes, what made Carter so bad?”

 “What he did to Beth was inexcusable. He deserved to work off his debt to the Buckley’s. And then lying to Serena about how long he’s known about where her dad is? That was sketchy and unnecessary. He didn’t deserve Serena. I was happy she left him on the side of the road.”

 He smirks at me, “You seem to have a strong opinion.”

 “Well I did just finish watching it again so you could say I’m pretty well-versed on what happened with Manhattan’s Upper East Side elite.”

 “I’d love to hear what other opinions you have.” His smirk turned into a smile that lit up the room.

 The first name was called into the audition room, bringing us back to the reason we are all here.

 “What part are you auditioning for?” He asks after the conversations continued around the room.

 “Noelle.” I name the main female character and ask the same question in return.

“Forrest.” He answers with the name of the main male character a.k.a. Noelle’s love interest. “Do you want to run lines together real quick before we get called in there? It’d be nice to go through it with someone who actually knows the dialogue.”

“We ran lines together and found out we just fit. When we made it to the chemistry read round, they told us to pair up. You can imagine everyone wanted to be his partner.”

“Everyone wanted to be Bucky’s partner.” Jimmy filled in.

“Everyone!” I emphasized. “I mean, how could they not? He’s a phenomenal actor and an even better human being.” I had to stop myself from gushing about him. I didn’t want to give everyone the wrong idea about us… “And much to everyone else’s dismay, he chose me because of how well we had gotten along the last time and we remained a pair for the rest of the process.”

“That’s awesome. And since this is your first movie, it must have been helpful to be surrounded by so many veterans.”

“Oh gosh, was it ever! I had no idea what I was doing the entire time. I felt like a fish out of water. Thank God I had someone like Sebastian to help whenever I needed something, which was a lot.”

I slam the door of my trailer and immediately fall apart. Today was bad. No, worse than bad. It was a trainwreck. I wouldn’t be surprised if they fired me after that awful performance.

I don’t know what was wrong with me today. I kept forgetting my lines, constantly messing up the take and having to do it over and over again. I know the director and everyone else involved must be frustrated with me with wasting everyone’s money and time. I also kept missing my marks. Somehow my feet and my eyes couldn’t register where I was supposed to stand and stop in the camera shot.

But worst of all, I couldn’t get into character. Getting into another head space right now didn’t seem possible no matter how many times I read the scene, I just couldn’t do it. It was frustrating as an actress because that’s what I’m being paid to do and I can’t do my job.

Knocks on my door nearly scares the crap out of me. I don’t get up from my spot on the floor. I don’t want to talk to anyone or have anyone seeing me like this.

Unfortunately I forgot to lock the door, so whoever knocked opens it and comes in. “Hey.” Sebastian’s voice fills my trailer with no trace of frustration. I run my fingers through my hair and wipe the tears away. He sits next to me, not saying anything else.

“I’m so sorry.” A new wave of tears threatens to fall, but I push them back. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Nothing is wrong with you.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders. “You’re just having an off day. Everyone has them. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you.” He coos. “Frankly, I think we’d all be surprised if you didn’t have one. Then we may think you’re a Russian spy coming to infiltrate.”

A very unattractive snort came from my nose as I tried not to burst out laughing. I finally look at him to see him smiling. Even if my dark trailer, his grin lights up the entire room like it always does. “You should know! You’re the Romanian vampire who never ages.”

“‘Romanian vampire’ is kind of redundant.” He pursed his lips, nodding. “All vampires are from Romania.”

“Oh shut up!” I use all of my strength to push him over but because his arm is secured around me, he barely moved more than a few inches and brought me with him. He keeps going though, lying on the floor, pulling me to his chest. We lie in the new calm silence.

Over the last few weeks, Sebastian has become more than just my co-star. He’s someone I would call a good friend. I can go to him if I need help knowing he would never judge me. I can bounce ideas off of him for our upcoming scenes. I can talk to him so easily about anything that’s on my mind and he will engage in the most meaningless conversations with me. I truly enjoy his company more than I ever thought I would… which definitely didn’t help with the slight crush on him before I even met him.

I tried to bury it as soon as we were both cast in this film. I didn’t want to ruin this job because of it by making things awkward on set when I couldn’t get a grip on reality. I managed pretty well until we had to do our kissing scene… When I found out there was going to be one, I instantly dreaded it. My only hope was it was done right away. I wanted to get it out of the way so I could then get over it and look at him as just a friend and co-star for the rest of the movie.

Luck was not on my side though. It took two months before we got to that scene. Two whole months of hanging out with him on and off set, running lines behind the scenes, him bringing me Starbucks every morning, and me slowly falling for him before finally getting to that scene. And to say it made things worse would have been an understatement. Every scene we’ve had to do together after that, I messed up at least twice getting lost in the things he said and the way he looked at me. I’d try and explain it away by blaming the lack of sleep for clouding my mind, but that can only go so far and can be used so many times before people start getting concerned about my health and work ethic.

“Are you going to be okay, păpuşă?” He asks breaking the silence with his Romanian that sounds like the most natural thing in the world. I wish he would tell me what that word means. I asked him the first time he used it, but he said, “Now păpuşă, if I told you that, then I’d have to kill you.” So now I just deal with it and hope for the day he finally tells me.

“Did you two get close during filming? I ask because when he was here earlier in the week, he said he told the casting people when they offered him the part that he wouldn’t do the movie if you weren’t cast as Noelle. And there are plenty of rumors about the two of you being an item.”

My heart dropped. “Did he really say that?” I hadn’t had a chance to watch his interview from last week. I had been so busy with preparing all of mine in the coming weeks that I haven’t had much down time. And he didn’t say a word about it to me. Jimmy played the clip where he indeed said that. “Wow. Um...” I manage to squeak out before snapping out of it. “Yeah, we did get pretty close. I’m lucky enough to be able to consider him my best guy friend now. He’s someone I trust wholeheartedly.”

“So those rumors about you two dating are…?”

“Untrue. I am single and he is, too.” At one point during filming, I wasn’t sure that was true…

“Cut!” The director yells. “Alright, that’s a wrap today! Good job everyone. Be back here at 9 am tomorrow.”

I turn to one of my co-stars. “Thank God this day is over! I’m so tired. All I want to do this weekend is go back to my hotel room and stay there until Monday.”

“So you and Sebastian don’t have plans this weekend?” She asks as we walk back to our trailers.

“No? Why would we?” We do hang out a lot after we’re done filming for the day and sometimes spend the weekend hanging out in one of our hotel rooms, but we’re not always together like she is making it seem.

“So he’s free this Friday?” She tried to hide the smile on her face by biting her lip.

I shrugged, “As far as I know, yes? Why don’t you go ask him yourself? I’m not his keeper.”

That Friday, as we finish filming for the day, I see him leaving with her and I don’t hear from him again until I see him Monday morning. She was grinning ear-to-ear the entire day and he acted odd around me for the week following. He didn’t look at me unless we were filming, he disappeared during our lunch break, he would give short answers to my questions but then run away as soon as he saw an opening, and he’d be gone before I finished changing in my trailer. By the next weekend, I had had enough of it.

I bang on his hotel door and wait. It took a few minutes before I heard the lock on click and the door open to reveal a shirtless Sebastian and a pair of low-hanging sweatpants around his waist. His hair was also a mess, hanging in front of his eye. “Y/N, this isn’t a good time. I-”

“Why have you been avoiding me? Did I do something? I thought we were-”

“Is that the room service, Sebby?” I hear someone call from inside the room.

And suddenly, I realize what an idiot I was. He wasn’t avoiding me. He was just occupied with someone else now.

He turns back to me with the guiltiest look on his beautiful face. I swallow the lump in my throat. “I’m sorry, I, uh, I’ll see you Monday.”

“Y/N!”

That weekend was probably the worst I had had in a very long time. I locked myself in my hotel room and ignored everyone except for the delivery guys when they brought me food. Sebastian came to my door a few times, knocking and begging for me to open up for twenty minutes the first time but then got shorter every time he came back.

By Monday, I plastered a smile on my face and planned on giving the performance of a lifetime, but fell incredibly short. I could barely look at him without feeling betrayed. But why did I feel like that? We weren’t together. He can hang out with whomever he wants. He’s a gorgeous single man who could have his choice of any girl and he’s choosing someone that isn’t me.

“Cut! That’s lunch.” Everyone scatters after the announcement. I make a bee-line for my trailer to eat in peace. I picked up something before coming in this morning for this very reason.

“Y/N, wait!” I hear Sebastian shout. As much as I want to ignore him right now, I have to get along with him for the sake of filming. But if he wants to talk about anything other than the movie, I’m out. He appears in front of me, halting my steps. “Now who’s avoiding who?”

“I’m not avoiding you. I just want to get to my lunch. I’ve been looking forward to it all day and I’m starving.” I step around him to continue my journey.

“Subway again?” He guesses correctly walking along with me. I don’t answer. I just kept going finally seeing my trailer in sight. “Can I please explain myself?”

“You don’t need to. You don’t owe me anything.” I yank open the door and step inside. He follows.

“I know I don’t need to, but it’s obvious you’re upset-”

“Upset? What gave you that impression?” My sarcasm bit. “Was it ignoring your constant knocking on my door? Or was it the fact that I didn’t return any of your phone calls and texts? Oh no, it must have been my blatant disregard for your repeated efforts to talk about it. I’m just giving back what you gave me all of last week.”

“I’m sorry.” He apologizes, “I know I should have talked to you.”

“Why? Like I said, you don’t owe me anything.”

He steps closer. “But I do. We’re friends, Y/N. I should have told you what was going on.”

Friends. The worst F word a person can hear from someone they like.

So he explains. She had asked him out on a date last week. He said yes. They had a good time, but ultimately decided they were better off as friends. He was weird around me last week because he didn’t know if he could talk to me about it. He didn’t know if we were at that level of friendship yet, but I assured him that he could talk to me about anything, even girls no matter how much that would hurt. Of course I didn’t say that last part.

“Are we okay now?” He asks from his seat across the table. “Can I have my best friend back?”

“I’m your best friend? I thought that was reserved for Evans or Mackie.” I cross my arms on the table, smirking outwardly at his statement. My heart hurt a little to hear it. I don’t want to be his best friend… I want to be more.

“I think they’ll understand.” He smiles at me only confirming my stupid feelings.

“Well in that case, we have to be okay. If I’m going to face their wrath, I’m going to need some Winter Soldier protection.” My smirk turned into a smile as I imagine what their reactions are going to be.

“I gotchu, păpuşă.”

“Well if you’re both single then why not make it true? I saw the movie. Your chemistry is fire.”

I tried to hide my being uncomfortable with laughter. “I mean,” I shrugged, “I’m never going to say ‘never,’ because you really don’t know what can happen in the future, especially in Hollywood. But as for right at this moment, I am single.”

“And are you ready to mingle?”

“I am so ready to mingle!” I exclaim. “You have the connections, set a girl up!”

The rest of the interview went smoothly after that. I was escorted back to the dressing room, where I met up with my agent. She confirmed I had two phone interviews later, but I wasn’t listening very much. All I wanted to do was talk to Sebastian.

When I called him, I got his voicemail. “Bună iubito,” I use the greeting he taught me that meant “hey dude,” or something along the lines of that, “can you give me a call back as soon as you’re not busy? I need to talk to you about something.” I leave my hotel information before hanging up.

I just hang up with room service later that evening when there’s a knock on my door.

“I come bearing food!” He greets as he steps into my room.

“I just ordered room service.” I whine before taking a look at what he brought. Subway. Of course. I shake my head at how well he knows me before joining him at the table.

“Thank God because I’m starving. I only got this for you because you said you wanted to talk. I figured I needed to apologize for something, so I brought your favorite to soften the blow.”

“You know I had my Fallon interview today, right?” I ask getting straight to the point.

“Oh yeah, how’d that go?” He started unpacking my food, not looking at me.

“Good…” when he didn’t say anything, I add, “He told me what you said.”

His head dropped and his shoulders slumped. A sharp breath of air came out like a weight just lifted. “I was waiting for this.” He mumbles as he turns around to face me. “Look, if it sounded like an insult, I didn’t mean like that. I just meant that I believed in you so much and we got along so well during the audition process that if they didn’t choose you to play my opposite, then I didn’t want to be a part of the movie.”

“Why would you do that though? I’m sure there were more well-established actresses that auditioned that you would have gotten along with just as well. You took a huge risk betting on me.” I can’t imagine what this would do to his career if this fails because of me. “Not to mention, you could have lost the movie completely because of your foolishness.”

“I know, I know. There was just…” He paused, gaining a half smile at the image in his head, “there was just something about you that I wanted to know. I couldn’t let the opportunity go; I couldn’t let the possibility of being around you more slip through my fingers.”

Even in the poorly lit room, I could see the emotions in his eyes. The emotions I’ve seen multiple times while filming this movie with him… The way I imagine I look at him when he’s not looking. My heart races at the possibility of what he could be saying. I’ve had a crush on this man for years before I met him. Even the mention of his name made me smile and seeing videos of him interacting with fans always ended with me giggling because he was just so adorable. Then I actually met him and he has exceeded all of my expectations since then. He is the sweetest, most down to earth, hard-working, kind-hearted, passionate human being I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. And by some miracle, he might feel the same way about me that I do him.

“Sebastian…”

“Y/N…”

I had to sit down. If we were going to have this conversation, I wanted to be sitting. I curled up on the couch. He followed, sitting facing me resting his arm on the back of the couch. “When?” was the only question I could ask. My mind was spinning. Was this really happening right now?

His big, mesmerizing blue eyes locked on mine. They were filled with nostalgia as he remembered the moment. “It was the first time we hung out off set.”

After a long first week of filming, it was finally the weekend. One of the other actors suggested we all go out to celebrate surviving. I immediately turned to Y/N, waiting for her answer. All week I have been wanting to hang out with her off set. She is hilarious while just the two of us are between takes but shy when around everyone else, I wanted to know what she would be like in a more casual environment and not surrounded by dozens of people.

During lunch we all agreed to meet at this “cool” club downtown. Even as she said yes, I could tell she didn’t really want to. She’s an introvert. She doesn’t like crowds of people she doesn’t know. When we got back on set, I promised her I wouldn’t leave her side. She seemed reassured by it and that made me happy.

She makes me happy. Being around her has made me feel truly happy for the first time in a very long time. From the first moment I met her, she wasn’t afraid to tell me how she felt about my portrayal of an Upper East Side elite dick. Her conviction about a simple show showed me a side that interested me. What else made her blood boil? What other kinds of things is she passionate about? I had to know.

So when I was offered the part of Forrest, I asked who they were going to cast as Noelle. I panicked when they were leaning more towards someone else. I wanted to spend more time with her. Filming nearly every day with her for three to four months and then promoting the movie afterwards will give me that time. I knew I was risking everything by saying I wouldn’t do it unless she was Noelle. My agent definitely wasn’t happy with me about it when she found out. Thankfully it all worked in both of our favors.

She wasn’t like anyone I’d met in this industry and I wanted to see what else there was to her. I vowed not to waste any opportunity to do so.

I told her I would pick her up at her hotel and then we could go to the club together. But when she opened the door, she looked me straight in the eye and asked, “Do you just want to order pizza instead?”

No matter how badly I wanted to say yes and completely forget the plans we had made, I knew the two leads had to participate in a cast get-together even if it was only for a short bit. I did manage to convince her to go at least for a little while and then we could get pizza. I even added ice cream to the deal to persuade her.

When we got to the club, she instantly clammed up. I did all I could to make her feel comfortable for the time being by upholding my earlier promise. I never left her side. We ordered one drink, toasted with the cast, chatted for about ten minutes, and then we left.

The second she stepped out of the club, she was back to being her confident self. She complained about how stuffy it was in there, how loud and obnoxious the music was and how all she wanted to do was go back to her hotel and eat pizza and ice cream. Her wish was my command…

After we finally got our food, we went back to my hotel room. I was right about her having a whole different side to her outside of work. She is laid back, incredibly funny, and outgoing once she gets comfortable with you. I learned she has many different laughs for different situations, all of them equally as adorable as the last. She snorts when she laughs so hard that she can’t breathe. She squeaks when she likes something, her nose crinkles and her upper lip kinks up when she doesn’t. Each and every time she laughs, her smile lights up the room. She does have very strong opinions on more things than TV shows she knows well. I got to know her more than I ever expected.

“You know I didn’t initially want to be an actress?” She says lying on the couch with her feet on my lap. “It was more like a last resort thing. I never thought I could do it.”

“Why didn’t you think you could do it?” I ask flabbergasted by her inability to see how talented she is. Throughout the audition process, if I didn’t already know she was a newbie, I would never have guessed it. She acted like a pro. She nailed just about everything that was asked of her.

“Well,” She finishes her last piece of pizza, impressing the hell out of me. This girl isn’t afraid to eat. She consumed the entirety of her own pizza. I love it. “It’s not that I thought I couldn’t act. It’s that I knew it would a long shot that anything would ever come of it. All you ever hear about are people struggling to make it in LA. I’m one of those people that doesn’t like failing. If I didn’t get this movie, I probably would have given up on acting completely and tried something else.

Plus, it was drilled into my mind during my formative years that being an actor or a singer ‘weren’t real jobs’ so I just kind of swept it under the rug, never to be thought about again… until a few months ago that is.”

“Just goes to show, păpuşă, that you shouldn’t listen to the doubters.”

“Pap-what?” Her brows furrowed and her mouth hung open in confusion.

“Păpuşă.” I repeated fully knowing she has no clue what I’m saying. I’d been calling her that in my head ever since I met her, guess it just kind of slipped out.

She sat up and scooted closer to me. “I know you fluently speak Romanian, no need to show off to the rest of us that are inept and uneducated at languages. What does it mean?”

I tucked some of her hair behind her ear, taking in her natural beauty. When I met her, she wasn’t wearing much make-up, and she looked stunning. She’s complained to me many times this week that she has to wear more than she’s used to for filming. She thoroughly enjoys when she can take it off at the end of the day. She goes into her trailer as a beautiful woman, but she comes out the most stunning woman I’ve ever seen when she is without any. Not only is she naturally beautiful, her hair smells heavenly I literally want to bury my face in it constantly, she’s smarter than she thinks she is, she’s kind to everyone on set, she’s caring towards all she meets, she’s creative on and off set, she’s extremely passionate about many different things, she’s… everything I had thought she would be and so much more.

I like her. A lot more than I ever thought I would. I see that now.

“Now păpuşă, if I told you that, then I’d have to kill you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I ask after going down memory lane of that night. We went to McDonalds later because we were both still hungry and were craving their fries. We walked a few blocks to do so, singing Disney songs to each other down the empty streets to pass the time. It was an adventure that I never expected but am extremely grateful for. It showed me a side of him I had always wanted to see… and it only worsened my feelings for him.

“I didn’t want to make things awkward on set if you didn’t feel the same way.”

“And that date you went on with-?” It was only a month after our first hang out that he went out with our co-star. If he liked me then, it doesn’t make sense why he would go through with it.

“I did agree to go on a date with her, but only because I couldn’t go out with the person I really wanted to take out. And as soon as we got to the restaurant, she told me she only asked me out because she knew you wouldn’t. She was hoping that her even mentioning asking me out would spark something in you. That gave me hope.” Even the small smile that appeared beamed causing my insides to feel all melty.

“If you had hope then why did you ignore me after that?” All of the pieces are coming together now; it’s all starting to make sense.

“I only ignored you because every time I looked at you, all I wanted to do was tell you how I felt. But I didn’t want to tell you unless I knew for certain that you liked me back. I didn’t know how to handle it correctly. The night you came to my hotel room, she was only there to try and convince me to tell you. I had just gotten out of the shower when she arrived, so she had ordered room service while I was getting dressed. That’s when you knocked on the door. Nothing was going on between us.” He reached over, taking my hand in his. “It shattered me to see how hurt you were.”

I shook my head at the memory of that night. “Did you even suspect why I was so hurt?” I know at times I wasn’t subtle about my feelings for him. I always had a stupidly big smile on my face when I was around him, finding every opportunity to bring him up in a conversation… but that night, I was sure he would find out. When he didn’t ask me about it specifically, I thought he didn’t notice or care.

“Believe me, I had hoped that the reason you were so upset was because you cared about me the way I did you. But when I explained everything and you didn’t say anything, I assumed…”

“When you called me your best friend, it kind of slammed the door on that talk. One of the reasons why one day I literally could not do anything right was because of how I felt about you.” I admit, “I think I just got so overwhelmed with everything going on with the movie and how quickly life had flipped upside-down, trying to make sense of my feelings for you and maintaining a façade that my mind just could not do what everyone asked of it.”

He titters, “The day we laid on the floor in your trailer for so long that we fell asleep.” I nod. As we both reminisce about that day, his thumb rubs circles on the back of my hand. We fell asleep for quite some time too. It was the best nap I had had in a very long time. No one had any idea where we were and why we weren’t back on set when called. It was slightly embarrassing to be found in that position but since we were both clothed, no one suspected anything happened.

“I tried to bury my feelings for you when we were cast, but every day we’ve spent together has just-”

“made them stronger?” He finishes, locking eyes with me.

“How freaking cliché is that? Falling for your co-star?” Everything is telling me that this wouldn’t work. The track record of celebrities starting relationships on set and staying together is staggeringly low. I don’t want to become another statistic, but with the way Sebastian is looking at me right now, it makes me feel hopeful that we’d be one of the success stories.

“I mean, I liked you before we were even cast. Doing the movie together just helped those feelings grow exponentially.” He smiles at me again, caressing my cheek.

“You made sure of that,” I chuckled.

“And I think I made the right choice in trusting my heart.” He grabs both of my hands and pulls me up off of the couch. “If we’re going to do this, I want to do it right.” He takes a deep breath, letting his smile take over his handsome features. “Will you, Y/F/N Y/L/N, go out on a date with me?”

“It would be my humblest honor, Sebastian Stan.”

“Great, how does now sound?” He asks eagerly.

“Now? But Subway and room service…” I whine, eyeing the long white plastic bag on the table.

“You know as well as I do that you can have it later or tomorrow.” He gave me a pointed look, daring me to argue with him. He knows that’s what I’ve done multiple times; he knows I can’t argue with him. Bastard.

“Ugh, fine!” I whine some more. “Let me just take off my make-up and then we can go.” I still hadn’t taken off the stage make-up from my interview earlier. I felt disgusting and in need of a good face wash.

“Păpuşă, you look perfect.” He pulls me to him after I exit the bathroom, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Are you ever going to tell me what that means?” I giggle as he buries his bearded face in my neck.

He laughs, pulling back. “Doll.”

“What?”

“Păpuşă means ‘doll’.”

Permanent taglist: @elusive-beauty @drakesfiance @im-a-slut-for-an-accent @fantasy-is-my-reality @naniky

[tarisilmarwen]

Tari’s Top Twenty OTPs - #1

OTP: Robin/Starfire

Fandom: Teen Titans (2003 animated cartoon)

Robin: The leader of the Titans, Robin is generally stern and determined, a tough, driven fighter who never gives up.  He takes his role as a hero very seriously.  He’s smart and cunning, quick on his feet and with his wits, and the writers often describe him as the type who can jump off a building and figure out how not to die on the way down.  When not in leader-mode, Robin can be pretty laid-back and warm and approachable, and is always there for his friends with an encouraging word or two. Robin is often brash and overconfident, competitive to a fault, and he sometimes falls into periods of obsession and self-hate.  Despite this he manages to be an overall effective leader, and a generally nice kid, if a bit of a socially awkward one.

Starfire: Starfire is the second-born princess of the planet Tamaran, and is considered the “heart” of the team, the glue that holds them all together. She’s bubbly, enthusiastic, and has very little trouble expressing herself, wearing her heart and her emotions on her sleeve. Kind-hearted and naïve, Starfire often finds herself frustrated and confused by Earth and its culture, and makes her best attempts to learn and fit in.  (Because of this, she is endlessly curious and thirsty for knowledge.)  She frequently feels very awkward and out of place.  She’s also self-conscious about her body and what other people think of her.  But she also has a fiercely loyal protective streak.  She tends to believe the best of others but she can throw down like a champion if you threaten those she cares about.

Together: Robin and Starfire are best friends, and tend to have a positive, balancing effect on each other.  They lift each other up when one of them is down.  Starfire encourages and consoles Robin when he’s being self-deprecating and destructive.  Robin patiently explains Earth things to her and tries hard to make her feel comfortable and wanted.  They’re very protective of each other and they have a strong bond of trust between them.  They have faith in each others’ characters and abilities and they mutually care very deeply about each other.

How I Got Into The Fandom: In the summer of 2006, my family went on a cruise and one night my sister and I tuned in to Cartoon Network to watch some TV. Appropriately enough, “Final Exam”, the first Teen Titans episode ever broadcast, was on.  Upon returning home I did some YouTube archive binging (this was back when they weren’t as vigilant about copyright protection), watching episodes and fanvids like my life depended on it.

When I Started Shipping Them: Practically from the start.  The very first moment they walked into the common room together in “Final Exam”, and then the way Starfire got super worried and almost hysterical about his disappearance just had something inside younger me… intrigued.  As I continued to watch fanvids and blaze through the first season, I found myself giggling and “Aww”-ing at their cute moments.  I liked that they kissed and hugged and made blushy faces at each other.  I enjoyed their obvious protectiveness over each other.  And then came the trifecta of episodes “Masks”, “Mad Mod”, and the “Apprentice” finale.  Robin and Starfire got to be Battle Couple for the first time and we got to see the serious and mature side of their relationship.  We saw Starfire calling out Robin’s self-destructive behavior because she cares about him and saw his worry and concern for her safety driving him to work hard to put Slade away, saw them unable to hurt each other when forced to by circumstance, saw Robin being spurned into action by Starfire’s tears, and saw her eaten up with guilt for doubting, even momentarily, in his goodness of character.  And I was pretty much a goner from then on out.

Why I Love Them: They are THE OTP of my OTPs.  They have everything I love in a fictional couple.  They were, in fact, formative of a lot of my preferences when it comes to fictional couples.  The boy being an adorable awkward stammering dork who can’t quite spit out how he feels.  The girl being strong and kickass and the boy totally liking that.  The starting off from a strong bond of friendship.  The mutual care and concern for each other’s emotional and physical well-being.  The balancing-out effect they have on each other.  The mid-battle tag-teaming.  Robin and Starfire have a paradoxical relationship dynamic: on the one hand they’re nervous teenagers hopelessly crushing on each other and struggling to figure out their feelings for each other, but on the other hand they have such strong trust and faith in each other that their relationship gets pretty darn epic at times.  They are amazingly compatible and they mesh together so well, both as friends and as lovers.  They make each other ridiculously happy.  They will forever have top billing in my heart and they are my favorite fictional couple of all time.

Three Favorite Moments:

1. “Stranded”

Can I list the entirety of “Stranded” as a moment?  Is that allowed? Because seriously there is way too much shippy goodness in that episode for me to pick just one standout moment.  I love it all.

Robin and Starfire tag-teaming against the monster, perfectly in sync and in tune with each other.  Robin showing complete faith and confidence in Starfire to catch him when they leap off the balcony and the ledge together.  The two becoming suddenly flustered and confused when they have to confront their painfully obvious feelings for each other.  Robin devolving into a stammering dorkwad, flailing about and just generally failing at How To Do Feelings. Starfire being so emotionally rattled and insecure by her doubts and confusion that her powers fail.  The two of them stumbling through a semi-confession that yeah, they do actually sort of like each other Like That.  And everything culminating in Robin taking Starfire’s hand, telling her, “As long as we’re together, we’ll be okay.”, and the two embracing tenderly once they’re safe.  It is heartwarming and precious all the way through.

2. The face-off in “Apprentice Part Two”.

The bits leading up to that make it better (or worse, depending on your point of view), because Robin has been noticeably and deliberately avoiding Starfire the whole fight. He can’t bring himself to fight her, can’t bear to even remotely hurt her.  And she too is reluctant to take action against him at first.  She just stands there, calling out to him, reaching for him, watching in paralyzed horror as he attacks their friends.  It’s only when they’re forced to that they point their metaphorical guns at each other, only when Robin is about to get away and Starfire, in her moment of doubt in him, puts aside her feelings for her duty and blocks his way and Slade orders Robin to use the thermal blaster on her.

And they still can’t do it.

After a tense moment, Starfire’s love for this boy comes charging back to the fore and she stands down her guard because she’d rather die than hurt him or be in a world where they have to be on opposing sides.  And Robin, too, stands down at once, disobeying Slade’s orders, because the thought of hurting Starfire pains him, he can’t hurt Starfire, he won’t.  Again, after this whole face-off, he deliberately avoids attacking her. Even when he has a clear shot.  Because even shooting her to save her life when Slade activated the nanites inside the Titans’ bodies was too much harm caused to her.  This is one of THE most epic moments of their relationship, and certainly one of my top favorites.

3. “Haunted”.

Starfire rips through the floor with her bare hands in order to get to Robin.

Starfire RIPS THROUGH the INCHES THICK STEEL FLOOR with her BARE HANDS because ROBIN IS IN PAIN AND HURTING HIMSELF AND SLOWLY DYING SOMEWHERE IN THE TOWER AND HE NEEDS HER.

And when she finds him he just smiles at her, tells her everything’s okay now, and collapses into her arms.  And she just holds him. Epic.

[virtuoussnapdragon-blog]

What else was She to do?

Chapter 1:

The Summer Job

Thomas:

We met at our job. It was the summer of 56 and I had just been certified as a lifeguard. So naturally I sought a job at the neighborhood YMCA. She had already worked there before. She had experience with the people there. I was new and therefore nervous. Eager as I was to make friends I also had a hope in the back of my mind that I might meet someone. My childhood sweetheart Janice Spence had just dumped me. As soon as I walked into the first staff meeting I knew.. that I was in love with the girl sitting next to her. Yeah, I won’t lie about it. I didn’t initially notice her, but once I did there was nothing I wouldn’t do to get to know her. The girl next to her was Melissa O’Riley. Melissa had lovely red hair was cut in a sort of bob at the neck. Her eyes were bright blue and she had a persuasive laugh- the kind you want to listen to again and again. So I made her laugh as often as I could for the first two weeks. She was obliging and I was in heaven until I realized she wasn’t funny at all herself and had little interest in anything but gossip. Within 20 minutes of speaking to her I learned more about every staff member than I could ever want to. So eventually my sights drifted and settled upon the true heroine of this story: Eva Sandoval. Eva was quick witted. And that’s all I knew about her for a long time. She wasn’t shy and she wasn’t obnoxious. When she was talking to you it seemed as if she might love you for all the courteous attention she bestowed with those entrancing brown eyes. But as soon as she walked away you felt unsure of her admiration, and doubted she had ever had any interest in you at all. She was spectacularly mysterious and I was desperate to gain a better understanding of her. Thank goodness we had the same shift or I might have never gotten to know her and my life would be drastically different than what it is now 5 months after this story begins. 

Eva: 

It was my 4th year working for the YMCA of Pendleton Springs, AZ. I had renewed my lifeguard certification again for this year because Ma kept nagging me about it. “Miha you must have a job if you wish to be anything. Learn to work now so you never struggle as I did. When your sainted Pa was taken from us I thought we would starve, but you know what I did? I walked into town and asked every shop on the street if they would hire me- I mean it! Every single store I asked! And when I reached the end of the street I had the means to a living. Ah, but it was brutal- learning to work hard takes time Miha. And I don’t want you wasting it! Go down to the class after school today and get re-certified!” She had delivered this monologue in variation after variation since I was 11. The year after my father was killed. Me and my little sister Mari listen attentively every single time but I must admit after 6 years its getting a bit old. But no matter! I went down to the pool directly after school that day and Mari tagged along. When we got there the instructor hadn’t arrived. There were a few familiar faces milling about in the water. Melissa, David, and Patsy I had worked with the past two summers. They smiled and called for me to change quickly so we could adjust to the chill of the water together. I dragged Mari from the edge of the pool, over to the changing rooms, where she had been animatedly trying to engage Melissa in conversation about how she was thinking about bobbing her hair too. For a few months now Mari has been seeking out other girls my age for advice and validation. She’s 13 years old and is desperate to be a fully-fledged teen. I asked her once why she didn’t come to me for stuff like that and she answered after thinking a minute, “You’re just different than the other girls Evie, I’ve seen you dance to the crooning of Cosby. I can’t ask you for advice after seeing that!” I actually thought it was kind of funny. But I still didn’t see why she had to talk to Melissa about it. Melissa is alright I suppose, I just don’t want Mari to become half as dull as she is. Soon we were changed and I was reviewing strokes with the rest of the gang. Sooner than I’d have liked our instructor arrived. I was expecting Mrs. Taner like every year, but was surprised to see a man striding forward in a swimsuit with a whistle slung around his neck. He seemed to be in his 30’s. I couldn’t tell for sure because I was overwhelmed by how absolutely mature he looked. So calm, so above it all, and with a dark mustache to boot! I was already smitten. “Hi,” said he with a look into the pool, “I’m here to teach the recertfication course. Am I correct in assuming you are my students?” We stared dumbfounded for a moment before Patsy spoke up, “ Where’s Mrs. Taner?” 

Melissa chimed in, “Pats didn’t you hear! Mrs. Taner is pregnant.” 

“Yes and I will be taking charge of the pool over the summer while she is unable to supervise.” The man said, “My name is Mr. Micklesby and I look forward to a great summer.” He spoke all this with energy and dropped a quick and somehow remonstrating smile. He didn’t seem to be nearly a peppy as Mrs. Taner. But I didn’t mind at all. 

Any ideas I had about finding a new job for the summer were wiped from my mind by that afternoon. Mr. Micklesby was demanding and stern and utterly charming. I never performed stronger or faster strokes than during that course. Now please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not the type to go after someone older than me. I’m not the type to go after anybody. But I did have a terrible crush and was determined to prove my proficiency and worthiness as a member of the staff. And thus my summer began. Staff meetings came and went and I adored Mr. Micklesby from atop my tall wooden chair- while of course scanning the pool responsibly. 

“Why do you think Mr. Micklesby is in charge now?” David pondered aloud after one of our shifts ended. Pendleton Springs has one of the largest pools in the state so many of us had to be on duty at a time and thus got to take breaks together while the other staff took a turn. 

“I don’t know, but he seems very qualified.” I answered trying to keep the partiality out of my voice.

Melissa came up behind us, “My mother says he was in charge of the pool in a neighboring town and wanted to be at Pendleton for the pay raise. Some say he actually saved a child from drowning once!” She finished this with an impressive look.

“As uptight as he is I can’t imagine him swimming for fun. Wonder how he got into this line of work?”, this came from Thomas the new guy. Melissa laughed appreciatively then slipped into the locker room. He gave her a satisfied smile and followed suit.

We all have lockers for our clothes and lunches while we work. That’s why my locker is my favorite sight at the end of a long shift. It means lunch and giving your eyes a rest from the monotonous task of watching people bob up and down below the surface.

Chapter 2: 

 My Father, Mr. Micklesby and that new kid Thomas.

Thomas:

So I started that summer thinking I’d actually be swimming. Wrong. It was mostly watching other people swim and telling kids to stop holding each other under the water for too long. In a word, it was boring. Luckily, I had an interesting cast of characters to entertain me. To start there was Patsy. Patsy was colorful and cheerful until she saw kids running. To watch the split second transformation from beaming benignity to the ferocious dragon of a girl who screamed across the water for the kids to halt was fascinating. She sat nearest to me so I had a front row seat. She also had a deep infatuation with bugs. Anytime I was with her she had a new fact about a different species. Not being especially keen on insects I would try to steer the conversation away from the topic. She however could relate every subject to a different bug and its behavior. The second week I worked there she was obsessed with the banana spider and she didn’t run out of “interesting” facts till Thursday. Melissa and Eva I’ve already taken time to describe so I’ll skip them. There was David. He, I got to know on breaks mostly. He was vegan and well informed. He knew everything there was to know about American history and modern politics which would have been dandy if he didn’t assume I was as knowledgable as he. I spent a good deal of time faking my way through conversations about people I had never heard of. However I stayed close to him because he at least, was talking about people instead of creepy-crawlies. He was a perfectly friendly chap till you took out your lunch. Then he would eye my roast beef sandwich with dismay and mutter to himself about the cruelty animals were subject to. And then finally my boss: Mr. Micklesby. The ridiculousness of his name extended to his looks and demeanor. He was short and mean. His dark hair was styled in a positively ancient do involving copious amounts of gel so that it looked as glazed as a donut. His feet were especially large for a man of his height but who knows maybe he’ll grow into it. But for now it rendered his walk rather absurd. I would never say all this about him if it weren’t for the fact that he obviously thought himself superior and was incredibly short tempered. Now I know that as a newbie I was bound to make mistakes, but his bursts of short cutting commentary never helped. He was even curt with the more experienced staff. So I did my best to avoid him. That is until I noticed Eva was always near him during breaks. I thought she must have been a super hard worker because she was always asking if there was anything else she cold do to help out before she went to have lunch. So despite my wariness I began to ask if I could help out as well. Mr Micklesby almost never had anything for us to do, but I would come up to him at the end of every shift because I knew Eva would be there. After days of asking for more work and being turned away we were given something to do.

“Good gracious I never saw such eager kids,” Mr. Micklesby said with a derisive snort, it didn’t appear to be a compliment, “ugh, fine why don’t you- I don’t know.. Scrub down the old paddles boards huh? I guess I’ll just assume you two will figure it out?”

“Sir, I’ve been doing this for four years. I know what to do.” Eva said with composure.

“Yeah and I’ve been breathing since birth but that doesn’t mean I know how it works,” He said with a condescending chuckle.

I had barely muttered, “What does that even me-,” when he started again.

“Look there are some wipes in the shed, just use those- I don’t want you two rubes handling anything stronger than that ok? No cleaning chemicals allowed.” 

I was surprised by how well Eva took all this. I had seen her tell off quite a few people since week one and I knew she wasn’t opposed to really letting someone have it. But she nodded her understanding and set off towards the shed. Catching up with her a few feet later I tried to make a joke, “if only his temper was as long as his feet right?” I said looking at her hopefully. She gave a quick but uninterested smile and didn’t slow her pace. I tried again, “I think it’s really cool how much you want to help. Is that just how you are or is it the job you care about?” 

She actually slowed a little when I said this and answered in the direct and confidential tone I’d soon come to know well, “ Thanks, but I only really do this job for my Ma. She makes such a big deal out of it every year. How important it is that I’m a worker and how much it means to her to see me as independent.” 

“That’s sweet. Does the job make you feel independent?”

Her eyes were on mine now as we reached the shed and started unloading the paddle boards and searching for the wipes, “It should!” She said with a merry laugh, “I’m paying rent. My ma never mentions that to me. She always says its for my betterment that I work.” Her jovial manner had slackened as she concluded.

“Wow, you.. pay the rent? That’s a big responsibility..Do your parents not work?” As soon as the words left my mouth I realized what a personal and harsh question I’d asked. How open she had been with me had lured me into a false sense of security. I didn’t know her near well enough to ask her this stuff. To my immense relief her attitude towards me didn’t change. She continued.

“My mom does. And my abuela takes in small sewing jobs. And my father is.. dead. So he doesn’t work.” She finished with a significant look. 

“I’m so sorry I-“

She cut me off placing a hand on my shoulder in an older sisterly way, “Of course you couldn’t know, you needn’t be sorry because you didn’t know him or me till now, and I didn’t mind you asking.” Her words were so unapologetic and yet she said them in a way that made me feel I hadn’t done anything to upset her opinion of me. I decided to change the subject. 

“Hey, you never really answered my question though.” I said with a tsk.

A smile returned to her eyes. “What was the question again?”

“The point of it was to determine why you’re always asking Mr. Micklesby for more work.”

She actually colored a little at this and with a sigh said, “Since you know me a bit better I don’t mind telling you I’ve got a bit of a crush,” she laughed a little and continued, “I know its silly, but it’s still my summer and I’m going to do what I like with as much of it as I can. Now, you seem like a decent guy- won’t tell anyone will you?”

As horrified as I was this new information I avowed in a joking manner to never tell a soul. I couldn’t understand it for the life of me why she could feel anything friendly towards such an absurd fellow. This hardly mattered though as we wiped down boards and chatted our break away. It was during that hour I knew she was someone I wanted to spend time with. Thankfully I think she felt the same. 

Eva:

About the fourth week of the summer I got to know New Kid Thomas. That’s what everyone called him anyhow. I first took especial notice of him when he started asking Mr. Micklesby for extra jobs at the end of our shift. Which is what I had been doing. I was greatly annoyed at first. I was just using those moments as an excuse to talk to Mr. Micklesby and attempt to guide him into a conversation with me or at least get him to compliment my work ethic! Of course New Kid Thomas made it impossible to do this any longer. With both of us badgering him he dismissed us double quick. I made a point not to encourage Thomas even when he would try to joke as we walked to the locker room. But one day when we were finally given a task I actually took time to talk with him. He has a way of making you at ease. Maybe it’s how he alternates so quickly from goofus to focused. When I talk I know he’s paying attention to what I say and making mental notes. I like feeling heard like that. With four very opinionated people in one household its hard to have the last word on anything. So I ended up sharing a lot with him. Nothing specific just the basics of who I am. He could have asked anyone at school and gossips would have mentioned most of it. But the more we talked the more I wanted to share. I even told him about my crush on Mr. Micklesby and we had a laugh about that. When we were done wiping down paddle boards I checked my watch and saw we only had 20 minutes left before break ended. 

“Lets head back and get lunch!”I suggested standing up and stretching. Sitting all day takes such a toll. 

“Yeah ok! I know it’s silly but do you wanna race back? I’m so sick of not moving.” 

“On your mark get set go!” I cried tearing away from the shed and across the lawn towards the locker rooms. He set out after me and was gaining when a piercing whistle rang out.

“Are you KIDDING me?!” Shrieked Patsy. Her eyes were wide with anger and if possible her dark curly hair seemed larger and more intimidating than it ever had before, “I spend ALL DAY telling these dratted kids not to run near the pool and look up to see my FELLOW LIFEGAURDS.. FLAGRANTLY disobeying such a SIMPLE rule?!” 

“Pats I am so so sorry,” I stammered, out of breath. Taking a few steps back I continued, “We weren’t thinking and-

“Is it gonna happen again?!” She spat.

“No way ma’am. I mean-I’m so sorry Patsy-it was my idea and-,” Thomas made to keep talking but Patsy cut him off.

“Whatever- as long as it doesn’t happen again… you both are forgiven.” She said, slowly becoming the dear and charming friend I knew and loved once more. 

Seeing Patsy in such a terrifying state always gave me chills but having it directed at me was another thing entirely! I thought I might never run again. Then a though occurred to me.

“Patsy dear what are you doing so far from the locker room? Isn’t it your break too?”

“Yeah but I was worried Micklesby was making you guys work through your break entirely. I wanted to come over and remind you two to eat something before the next shift starts.” She said in such a concerned and gentle tone you would have never known she’d just been screaming her head off.

I turned to Thomas with a laugh, “No I’ve just been getting to know the new kid. We were just heading back to grab our lunches.”

“Yes I saw.” Said Patsy with a stern glance.

“Well lets all head back now,”Thomas interjected with a worried look at Pats. “How much time do we have now?”

I checked my watch, “15 minutes and we can make it back in time if we.. walk quickly.”

So we walked at a checked but rapid pace and got our lunches out of our lockers. I watched Patsy join Melissa and David outside then followed with Thomas close on my heels. 

“What you have for lunch today?” Said Thomas seating himself between Melissa and myself.

“Eva always has the best food!”Melissa said eyeing my brown bag.

“Its true!” David interjected, “One time she let me have a bite of a tamale and I thought I’d gone to heaven!”

I smiled with more than a little pride. My abuela and ma are the best cooks in the world. Not that we eat out often or anything, but I’m pretty sure they cook better than anyone in Pendleton. “Today I have the classic chicken quesadilla.” 

“Can I try a bit?” Thomas ventured timidly. 

I thought about it for a full minute before responding, “Sure- I’ll even give you half (Melissa uttered a gasp and Patsy hmphed) If!..You give me half of your weird sandwich thing.”

Like I said we don’t eat out. Ever. As much as I love and enjoy the things my family makes me sometimes I’m in the mood for something new and can’t get it. Going to a restaurant would cost too much so I never even mention it to Ma. 

Thomas laughed, “From what I hear, you’re being more than fair. Its a roast beef sandwich. Try it!”

We switched and on everyone’s countdown took our first bites. Thomas’ eyes lit up and even I had to admit his roast beef was excellently juicy. This started a tradition that would have lasted the entire summer if things hadn’t changed so drastically for me a week later. 

It started as such a pleasant afternoon. Thomas and I were playing cards by the side of the pool during our break together. He had become very quickly a confidante. I had a great amount of faith in his judgment and soon was spilling open with the little things I hadn’t even admitted to myself I was upset about. He was soon familiar with my family stories, my worries over money and Mari. He opened up to me as well. He explained how afraid his parents had been of migrating to America from Vietnam 12 years ago when he was five. They had come because his father had been offered an excellent job which he still had today, but his mother always worried about what would become of them if he were to lose it- arguing there was no other future for them if anything should go wrong. He shared his fretting and frustration over having to go with his parents everywhere for even the simplest of things so he could translate. Our friendship was so special to me after so little time. It made work so much easier knowing we would split or lunches and talk after every agonizing shift. 

It was on a fabulous afternoon such as this when things went wrong. Out nowhere storm clouds were amassing themselves over our pool and at the first roll of thunder everyone was ordered out and told to go home until further notice. It was only 2 and our break time was just about to end. Mr. Micklesby, who I had started to care for less and less, told the staff to go home. He warned us to stick to our landlines in case he called to say the pool needed to be reopened. 

[a-sad-excuse-of-everything]

Dreamless (Part Five)

Izuku x reader

Prologue Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Izuku is at his wits end, but how will it effect those around him?

(Y/N) was surprised to see Izuku at ten am in the dream world.

Recently he had been coming to this world a lot more than he did originally. Before it was regular sleeping hours, but he had been sleeping way more than usual at this point. She was concerned for him, and asked as he arrived what he was doing there. He seemed offended at first, as if he felt he was unwelcomed, but that was not the goal at all. She assured him that him coming around was fine, great even, but she was just wondering why he was there.

“Don't you have school today?”

“Don't worry about it (Y/N), today we had a day off!”

She nodded along.

They went and talked over sweets and tea per usual, Izuku talked to her about the sports festival. She smiled, remembering that she had finally seen him on screen, saw his power in action. That night when he stumbled into the dream realm she was worried sick, immediately taking his wounds onto herself before he had time to react. He was so worried about how her hands turned purple and her arms took on his previously damaged look, but she assured him she was okay. The next day he came back and she was perfectly fine.

She was listening to his side of the story, aka all the juicy gossip he had about his fight with Endeavors Son, Shouto. (Y/N) knew him well, her parents being in the same circles and such. He was the only person besides Izuku that she talked to, and the only one who knew about her quirk.

“Ah yes, Shouto. He needed to start learning to use his right side, thank you for convincing him to do so.”

Izuku’s head seemed to perk up at the sound of his classmates first name. “Do you know him by any chance?”

She smiled. “He’s the other friend I was talking about. Our parents know each other.”

He nodded, taking a sip of his tea and looking out on the lily fields.

What a beautiful day it was.

Soon enough Izuku was awoken by Iida, making him very aware in his drowsy state that lunch had begane. He looked around to see no one around, and the clock showed that he had slept through all of his classes. Walking out of the classroom with his two friends, Izuku blocked out his bluenette friend’s lecturing and instead looked outside of the hall windows. Grey clouds covered the sky, and a light drizzle had started to come down. It reminded him of his life.

Dull.  

The next day, Izuku was once again out the door with much haste and got to his class just as the bell rang. As he sat down he began to listen in on his class, his mind drifting off as it usually did in the middle of Aizawa’s talk about training. As he listened he couldn't help but want to be back with (Y/N). He had packed his pills intentionally today, the idea in mind to take half of one at lunch, but after re thinking his situation he decided now was the time. In all of his classes it was going to be reviews, and he had paid enough attention to get passing grades, so why not?

Before he could lay his head in his hands, he saw a quick glance thrown at him from the two toned boy in the corner.

As time passed, this became his regular behavior. (Y/N) learned to accept him coming into the dream realm at all hours. Iida and Ochako still woke him up everyday before lunch, and then after that was training, but everything else had been pushed aside. Everyday he got up, went to school, and dreamed. His classmates started to notice, Ochako was worried about her crush’s stability, and Iida was worried about what had affected him due to his persevering personality. Todoroki also noticed, and observed from the background to try and put the puzzle together, while Bakugou watched in the background as his plans fell perfectly in place.

Aizawa, his teacher, also noticed and was sick of it. Izuku had potential, he had proven himself time and time again, but now something was up. He could not act as the others did by just asking, that would not get through to him. Instead he waited for the perfect opportunity to strike, and when Midoria had fallen asleep once more in his maths class the perfect opportunity came to be. While the other teacher was leaving, and Aizawa started his lesson, he casually walked around the class while speaking and spotted a transparent orange bottle sticking out of Izuku’s bag.

His math class was right before his lunch, and with the constant awakenings his body had started to grow accustomed to waking up around that time. As the drowsy teen pulled himself up from his slumber, he looked up to be face to face with his sensei. He was confused for a moment, but realized what was happening as soon as he saw the bottle of pills in his hands.

“Oh no.”

“Midoriya, what are these?”

He froze, shocked that his secret was exposed. So many thoughts raced through his head. Would he be kicked out of class? What would all Might say? What would his mom say?

A nervous smile grew on his lips and he let out a shaky reply. “Oh, it's nothing-”

Aizawa looked down at the boy, reading clearly through his lie, and read the title. “Temazepam? Meet me in the hall.”

Shoving the pills in his pocket, Aizawa made his way to the door with Midoriya in tow. As he stepped out the door he could hear his classmates whisper behind him.

“What's Temazepam?” Denki asked Jiro.

“Dude those are over the counter sleeping meds.”

The door shut before he could hear any more of the conversation. Aizawa looked down on the boy with a blank stare.

“Why are you taking sleeping pills in class, Midoriya?”

“W-well, you see I was just….”

Izuku grasped for an excuse and Aizawa watched him try and fail at his attempts. he should have been more careful, more strategic with his times and places but no, he was sloppy with his execution and now he was here.

“I was just….”

He looked down at his shoes and sighed, fighting back tears he looked at his teacher.

“I…. I can't tell you.”

His teacher was not amused. “What?”

“I can't tell you.”

Aizawa sighed, knowing he could not get much out of the kid.

“Well if you can't tell me, surely you can tell All Might or your mother. Go back to class, I am calling her now.”

He nodded his head and looked at the ground. A few tears escaped his eyes, but he swiftly wiped them away and opened the door to the class. Stepping back into the room of teens, the whispers and conversation around them came to a sudden halt. Izuku could feel their stares on his back, and instinctively his form shrunk. The walk to his desk felt as if it took forever, but just as he had pulled his chair out his shoulder was grabbed by a familiar pale hand. He was turned around with the aggression and force that he had felt for years prior to this moment.

Katsuki bent down so his face was in front of Izuku’s.

“Why the fuck are you taking sleeping pills? Are some kind of druggie or something?”

The tears Izuku so desperately tried to keep down had sprung up once more and started to rain down his cheeks. He breathed in deeply to try and clam down, but Katsuki’s death glare just kept getting worse and worse.

“N-no I’m….. not a druggie….”

He looked at him, a mixture of angry and confused painting the taller boys face. “Why are you taking pills then, Deku? You got a deathwish or something?”

Kiroshima saw what was going on and placed a hand on Katsuki’s shoulder. “Stop it man, I'm sure he has his reasons. Shouldn't you give him a break?”

Katsuki ripped his body from Kiroshima’s grip. “Give him a break? Why should I do that you dumbass? He deserves everything that happens to him.”

“Dude, seriously, calm down-”

“No! If he’s going to do something as stupid as take sleeping pills in class, then he should take the whole damn bottle and sleep forever!”

By then, more classmates had stepped in to stop Katsuki’s aggressive behavior.

“Seriously Katsuki, stop.”

As the group of teens surrounded the bleach blond boy, Izuku walked through the crowd as if he was parting the red sea. Katsuki had stopped his struggles to get free from Kiroshima and Denki, and Izuku looked him in the eye. Despite the tears that continuously welled in his eyes, Izuku stared him down like never before.

“You know Katsuki, you should be more careful with your words, because someone actually might do what you say.”

The class stopped at his words, not knowing what to say. Ochako stepped forward, her hand stretched towards her friend.

“Izuku….”

Before she could even do anything he was out the door.

Izuku ran home. No one stopped him to ask if he was okay, no one spared an extra glance at the crying boy tearing down the streets of their downtown area. Jamming his house key into the doorknob of his apartment, he opened the door and made his way to the pantree. He opened box after box from the medical company that sent his mother her prescriptions, but they were all empty. In his distress he did not notice the person walking up behind him until they spoke.

“Izuku, they're gone.”

He froze for the second time, petrified. This is the second time today someone he looked up to and cared about figured out his dark habits. Soon enough word would get around the school, all of the hero’s that taught him and his friends would look down on him with pity and disappointment. He would eat lunch alone each day surrounded only by the gossip his peers spread about him, and walk home alone only to be greeted with Katsuki’s daily beatings time and time again.

He stood up and turned around to face his mother. “Mom it's not what you think-”

Her eyes were shiny with tears that she dabbed away with a tissue, but her authoritative tone still shone through her emotions.

“Izuku, what is going on with you?”

“Mom I’m fine.”

“Izuku you are not fine! Everyday you come home and eat little to nothing and just sleep! You sleep all the time and you constantly look so sad. You have lost interest in everything around you and you have kept me in the dark throughout all of it.”

Izuku had cried a lot already today, but seeing his mother so worried made his heart shatter.

“I-Im sorry mom...I…”

He didn't know what to say. His mother looked so sad and stressed. He failed to realize how worried she was. He didn't see the dark bags and tear filled eyes until it was too late. He just wanted to fix it, hit rewind and have things turn back to the way things used to be.

“Izuku, why? Why did you start doing this? Did some kids in your classes pressure you into it? Are you being bullied? What's going on?”

“I…… I need a moment. Can we talk over dinner? I promise I will tell you everything, every last detail as to what is going on.”

Inko nodded and gave a strained smile to her son. “Alright Izuku, go and get some rest, I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”

He could tell she was hesitant to let him go, but she did anyways

Izuku nodded back at her and made his way into his room. Lying down on his bed, he wrapped himself in the cool sheets and let his mind wander. He needed to put his thoughts together and think.

He had ruined everything, and it was all his fault. If he had not took the pills he wouldn't be here. His teachers would not look at him with that disappointed stare, his classmates wouldn’t hate him like they hated him now. Who would want to be friends with the spineless, crybaby drug addict? The weak one with a quirk he doesn't deserve and one that he can't control. The kid who takes pills to go to a fantasy land to visit some mystery girl who might not even be real. His mother was heartbroken, he has caused her so much worry. If he didnt take those pills she wouldn't be worried. If he wasn't here to begin with she wouldn't be worried.

If he wasn't here, none of this would have happened.

He decided then that he needed to see (Y/N), the amount of time he needed to be there was unknown to him. He looked towards where he would usually put his bag but stopped and facepalmed at the sight of its absence. He had left it as school. It wouldn't have mattered anyways, Aizawa had confiscated the pills.

He sighed in frustration. He needed so see (Y/N), he needed to. Before he told anyone she needed to know the whole story. He knew it was the right thing to do, she was one of the people swept up into his web of problems, but he couldn't get there.

Izuku kicked over his trash can in frustration, and an idea struck. Emptying out the small metal can, he rifled through the trash before he found a folded up piece of paper. Unfolding the page, he was met with half a bottle’s worth of pills stained in ink. When working on an art project a few weeks back, he had set it aside to dry while he went to bed for the evening, but knocked over the bottle of meds in the calligraphy ink by accident. He had discarded the pills at first, but now they were just what he needed. Grabbing the oblong objects, he threw them all into his mouth and swallowed with the help of a glass of water from the night prior. The ink was sour on his tongue, but at this point it didn't matter.

Falling back onto his bed, Izuku let himself drift off for the last time.

[saultnpeppah]

With Love

Submission for Day 3..more like 3.5. So sorry it’s late and sorry it’s so long. 

@fyeahwonderbat

The morning light peaked into the room, the small sliver of sunlight shining onto the face of the room's only occupant, forcing a groan from the woman's lips. She had been perfectly content with the idea of sleeping in, having spent a good chunk of the night on a mission with some of the other members of the League. She had come home , exhausted and sore, and had crawled into bed, intent on waiting for Bruce to return from patrol. However, when she had woken up a few hours later when Bruce had crawled out of the bed to head into work, she knew she had missed her opportunity to see him.

She rolled over, turning to face Bruce's empty side of the bed, her hand coming to rest where he usually laid. Ever since moving into the manor, laying next to Bruce every night had been Diana's favorite thing. She loved watching him sleep, watching how his face relaxed and was relatively more calm as he slept next to her.

She also loved the late night conversations the two of them had. She would occasionally find herself waiting for Bruce to come home from patrol, wanting to know how his day had gone, and surprisingly, Bruce was willing to tell her nearly every detail of his day, and night; there were some things Bruce still felt the need to protect Diana from.

There was a small knock on the door, forcing Diana to open an eye, immediately groaning at the intrusion of the light, before she shut her eyes tightly and pulled the covers over her face. She was still so exhausted and was starting to form a splitting migraine. Surely Alfred would understand she needed a few extra moments of rest.

There was another knock on the door and Diana let out a sigh, knowing it was time to get up for the day. She glanced over at the clock on Bruce's nightstand: 6:12. Maybe she would be able to see if Bruce was available for brunch later.

She quickly tossed the covers off her body and swung her legs off the bed, before she stood, reaching up to stretch her sore muscles. She quickly grabbed the robe that was hanging off the back of the chair near the bed, throwing it over her shoulders and tying it around her waist, before she made her way to the door.

Diana quickly opened the door, fully expecting to see Alfred standing behind it, however her lips curled into a small smile when she saw who was standing in his place. "Hi, Diana, I'm sorry to wake you up…..but you had a package waiting for you."

Tim placed the wrapped box into Diana's hands, smiling when the Amazon gave him a warm smile. "Thank you Tim," she said, her eyes glancing down at the box in her hands. What had come for her, and why was Tim the one delivering it? "Where is Alfred?" she asked, glancing down the hall over Tim's shoulder.

Tim shrugged his shoulders. "I think he had some errands to run, but he should be back soon." With that, Tim walked down the hall and bounded down the stairs, wanting to get a quick breakfast in before he had to run off to school.

Diana watched Tim walk away, shaking her head when he hopped down the stairs. Since coming to live in the manor, Diana and Tim had formed a special bond, and she had come to regard the teen like a son. She loved him, and even if he hadn't told her on multiple occasions, she knew he had felt the same about her.

She quickly retreated back into the room, gently closing the door with her foot, before she walked to the bed and placed the package on top of the mattress. Careful not to rip the bow on the top, she carefully pried open the lid, peaking inside, her smile growing when she saw the dress laying inside.

Diana pulled the dress from out of the box, holding it up to her body, marveling in the light fabric and how it felt against her skin. It was a red summer dress, stopping just above her knees, with two thin straps that were to rest on her shoulders. Diana's smile widened when she realized Bruce must've picked this out a few days ago when she had come home from Metropolis, as she had told him she had spotted the cutest boutique the last time she had gone to visit Clark and Lois.

She carefully placed the dress onto the bed, careful not to wrinkle the item, before she reached back into the box and pulled out the envelope that was laying at the bottom. She quickly opened it and read the words written in Bruce's handwriting, something she had come to familiarize herself with pretty early in their friendship.

I hope you enjoy this dress, Princess. I know you will look beautiful in it, as you do in anything.

With Love,

Bruce

P.S. You look beautiful out of clothes too ;)

Diana let out a chuckle, before she shook her head. She quickly placed Bruce's note back into the box, before she walked into their bathroom, preparing to shower and get ready for the day.

Diana trotted down the stairs, her long hair gently bouncing as she moved. The fabric of the dress Bruce had bought swayed with each step, and she couldn't help but smile when she realized it had been a perfect fit. Bruce truly did know her body more than she thought.

She jumped off the last step and walked towards the kitchen, the smell of a delicious meal wafting throughout the manor. Alfred must have returned to the manor while she had been getting ready. She quickly walked into the kitchen, the sight of Alfred pulling something out of the oven while Tim curiously glanced over his shoulder sent a smile to her face.

"Good morning," Diana said, walking into the room. She took a seat next to Tim on the breakfast bar, gently patting his back as he flashed her a smile. "Don't you have a big presentation this morning?"

Tim settled back in his stool, watching with wide eyes as Alfred popped the freshly baked muffins onto a cooling tray, his mouth watering. "Mmhmm," he said, taking a sip of the orange juice from the glass in front of him. "I'm going to crush it," he said, finally turning his attention to Diana, offering her another smile.

Diana smiled, giving him a small nod, as she graciously accepted the cup of tea Alfred handed her. "Thank you Alfred," she said, before turning back to Tim. She took a small sip of the hot liquid, watching as the butler gave her a large grin.

"You're welcome Ms. Diana," he said, turning just in time to see Tim sneak a muffin from the counter. He shook his head, watching as the teen took a bite of the baked good, his mouth opening when the still hot food hit his taste buds. "I do believe Master Bruce did a good job," he said, nodding at the dress she wore.

Diana looked down at the dress she wore, a smile on her face as she nodded in agreement. "And where is Master Bruce?" she asked, grabbing a napkin and using it to pluck a muffin off the rack in front of her, having learned from Tim's mistake. She quickly pulled off a piece of the muffin and put it in her mouth, her smile growing when the muffin hit her taste buds. Not only was Alfred a remarkable cook, but his baked goods were to die for.

Alfred poured himself a cup of tea and stood across from Tim and Diana. He caught Tim's eyes with his own and raised an eyebrow, to which Tim responded with a slight nod of his head. "Master Bruce had something to attend to," Alfred responded, before he pulled an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Diana. "But he did want me to give this to you."

Diana grabbed the envelope, carefully looking over at Alfred, her eyebrow raised in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked, watching as Alfred shrugged, before he took a sip of his tea, trying to occupy his mouth . He knew he couldn't lie to Diana, but he also knew he couldn't spoil the surprise Bruce had been working on for the past month. Diana, knowing she wasn't going to get anymore information from Alfred, turned to Tim, who had tensed when he felt her gaze on him. "Do you know anything about this?" she asked, raising the sealed envelope in her hands.

She watched as he cautiously shook his head, his eyes avoiding hers. She noticed Alfred shake his head, telling Tim to remain quiet, before she crossed her arms over her chest. "Timothy," Diana warned, causing the young teen to panic. Diana never called him by his full name unless he was in trouble, and although he wanted to tell Diana what Bruce had planned, he wanted her to be surprised.

Tim quickly shoved the rest of his muffin into his mouth and hopped off the stool. "Presentation. Can't be late," he said in between bites, before he grabbed his backpack from the floor, slung it over his shoulder, and rushed out of the room.

Diana listened as the front door slammed shut, before she shook her head and chuckled to herself. She broke off another piece of the muffin in front of her and placed it into her mouth, turning to glance up at Alfred. "What is he hiding?" she asked, her eyebrows raising, amused by Tim's behavior.

Alfred merely shrugged once more, finished his tea, and placed the empty cup into the sink. "I do believe I should take Master Tim to school." He walked around the breakfast bar and gave Diana another smile, before he nodded towards the small envelope in his hands. "I believe you'll find an answer to one of your questions inside." With that he walked out of the room and out of the manor.

Diana took another bite of her muffin and let out a small sigh, before she ripped open the envelope in her hand, pulling out the note and placing the damaged envelope onto the breakfast bar. She quickly unfolded the paper in her hands, a smile unconsciously gracing her lips when she saw Bruce's handwriting once more.

Princess,

Meet me where we had our first kiss.

And you better be ready to kiss me again.

Love,

Bruce

Diana's smile grew when she read his note, happy to see he had made time to see her today since they hadn't had any time together for the past few days. He had been busy with both Wayne Enterprises and his nightly patrols in Gotham, and she had been working tirelessly with some of the other League members, they had barely seen each other, let alone had a decent conversation, during the last week. She was more than ready to get some quality time with him.

She quickly hopped off her stool and walked out of the room. She made her way to the room where the grand piano was, pushing open the door, before she leaned against the door frame. She remembered when she had first saw Bruce play, how he had amazed her with how skilled he was, and in all the years of knowing him, she wondered how he had been able to hide that part of him for so long. She remembered confessing her feelings to him and his response had been to grab her face and kiss her sweetly, before she laid her head on his shoulder and continued to listen to him play. In the year since that day she had heard Bruce play a handful of times, only feeling inspired when she sat by his side. She didn't mind though. She loved being his muse, and she loved watching him play. A love for music was something they both shared, and she couldn't have imagined a different way for them to have shared a beautiful moment, and a beautiful kiss. But as she leaned against the door, a smile on her face, she suddenly realized something: it had not been their first.

Their first kiss, which had been made during a desperate attempt to hide her and Bruce's identities from the Thanagarian soldiers, had been in an Indian restaurant. She remembered it vividly, and although she had tried to talk to Bruce about it for months after, he had refused to discuss it until they had started dating, when he had told her he had wanted to kiss her again, but he knew they had more pressing matters to attend to in that moment; he had more than made up for it since.

She quickly pushed off the frame of the doorway and turned on her heel, trotting down the hallway until she reached the front door to the manor. Quickly slipping on a pair of heels, Diana opened the door, making sure to grab her purse that had been hanging near the door, and walked outside.

Alfred was still driving Tim to school and she knew he wouldn't be back for another twenty minutes, but she could not wait that long to see Bruce. Instead, she jumped into the air and flew off towards the familiar location, knowing she would be able to see Bruce soon.

She quickly landed in front of the restaurant, startling a few pedestrians, before their eyes grew wide in awe. "Wonder Woman," she heard some of them whisper as she made her way to the front door, flashing them a dazzling smile before she opened the door.

Her senses were immediately assaulted by an assortment of smells and sounds, and her stomach began to grumble, letting her know she should have finished her muffin before she left the manor. She quickly stepped inside, letting the door shut behind her, before she watched the owner walk up to her. "Wonder Woman," he said with a smile, the slight accent in his voice bringing her back to that night over two years ago. "So nice to see you. Come, come. Mr. Wayne is waiting for you."

He motioned for her to follow him into the next room, before he moved aside, allowing Diana to see Bruce sitting at a private table, his phone in his hand as he stared intently at the screen. "Thank you," Diana said to the owner, watching as he nodded before he walked into the kitchen, leaving the Amazon to stare at Bruce.

She watched as he typed something on his phone, his eyes narrowing at whatever he was working on, before he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He carefully laid the phone on the table and let out a sigh, before he glanced up and saw Diana standing in front of him. His face immediately lighted up, his lips curving up into a smile when he saw his girlfriend standing a few feet in front of him. Without a word he rose from his seat and opened his arms, his smile growing when she walked up to him and into his arms. "Morning Princess," he whispered, his arms wrapping around her, keeping her firmly pressed against his body.

"Morning," she mumbled against his chest, taking a deep breath, breathing in a mix of his cologne, aftershave, and body wash. It was intoxicating, and until recently, she hadn't realized how much she had missed smelling him besides her at night.

Bruce dropped his head, letting his nose fall into her hair, taking in a deep breath. Likewise, he had missed smelling the vanilla of her conditioner in bed, and having her there in his arms made him realize how he didn't want to go that long without seeing her again. "Sorry I didn't wake you this morning," he said, placing a kiss on the crown of her head, "I knew you were exhausted and wanted you to rest."

He pulled away from Diana, stared into her eyes, and watched her give him a nod. "I appreciate it," she said with a smirk, "But I would have appreciated a kiss more."

Bruce let out a chuckle, before he leaned in and kissed her lips. "How's that?" he asked, pulling back from her face, watching as she scrunched her nose and shook her head, before he leaned down and captured his lips once more, this time moving his hand up to gently cradle her face, using the pad of his thumb to gently stroke her cheek.

He slowly pulled away from Diana, watching as she opened her eyes slowly, the smile on her face too big to hide. "Much better," she whispered, before she pulled away from Bruce and took a seat at the table. "Who was on the phone?" she asked, crossing her legs as she leaned back into the chair.

Bruce took a seat and gently shook his head. "Just work, Princess," he answered, his hand finding hers on the table. "Nothing to worry about." He gently intertwined their fingers, taking a moment to glance over her body, before he gave her a grin. "You look beautiful by the way."

Diana looked down at the dress she wore and gave him a smile. "I think my boyfriend has some excellent tastes," she replied, watching as his grin grew.

"Your boyfriend is a lucky man," he said, before he reached into his jacket pocket. "And he would like to ask you a question." He quickly pulled another envelope out from his jacket and placed it on the table near their adjoining hands. "I have to go away for a bit," he began, watching as her eyes narrowed.

She let out a sigh and bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to show her disappointment. "How long?" she asked. She knew Bruce was a busy man, and running a multi-billion dollar company required him to take frequent, and sometimes long, business trips, but she was hoping she would be able to spend some time with him before either of them had to leave again.

"A few days," he responded, before he pulled his hand off hers and reached for the envelope on the table. "But," he began, opening the envelope. "I wanted to know if you'd like to join me." He pulled a photo from the envelope and placed it on the table, watching as her eyes widened. "It's not Themyscira, and I will still have to have at least one business meeting, but I think a few days in Greece, away from Gotham and the League would do us both some good."

Diana looked up, her eyes meeting his, unsure of what to say. "Bruce," she began, taking the photo from off the table and bringing it closer to her eyes. She remembered the spot fairly well, having spent a few days there last year when the League had helped end a ring of arms dealers. She had loved the small island, feeling like she was back home, and had told Bruce she would have loved to visit once more, but under better circumstances. "I would love to go," she said, "But Gotham, the League-"

Bruce shook his head once more. "Already taken care of," he replied, "Clark says to enjoy yourself. As I'm sure I will enjoy you," he added with a wink.

Diana chuckled and gave him a nod. "Sounds promising," she responded with a wink of her own. She watched as Bruce nodded, his smirk growing as she moved her foot up his leg, startling him. "When do we leave?"

Bruce leaned back in his seat. "After lunch," he said, watching as the owner walked over to their table, his hands full of food. "Alfred has everything already packed and ready to go."

Diana laid her head on Bruce's chest, letting it rise and fall with his heavy breaths. They had arrived in Greece the morning before, and although Diana had wanted to go out and experience the sand between her toes, the sunlight on her face, Bruce wouldn't let her leave the bed of their suite. They had spent the last twenty-four hours familiarizing themselves with each others' bodies, glad to finally spend time together, with no distractions. "This was well needed," Bruce said as he placed a hand under his head, supporting his neck, as he glanced down at the woman on his chest.

Diana turned to face him and smirked. "The sex? Or the vacation?"

"Both." He placed his hand gently on her back and began to run gentle circles on her skin with his finger. "But as much as I'd like to stay in this bed with you, I have a meeting to get to in an hour. And this prospective client is not the most patient."

"That's fine," Diana said, lifting off his body. She crawled off the bed and walked into the bathroom, calling over her shoulder, "Maybe I can meet you for dinner."

Bruce nodded, even though she was no longer able to see him. He quickly reached down and grabbed his phone off the floor, before he opened the last message that had popped up on the screen.

I will be there, but not for you. I'll do it for her.

Bruce walked up to Diana, a smile on his face as he pulled her into his arms. "Glad you found it," Bruce said, kissing her cheek. His meeting had gone a lot later than he had planned, but he knew he would be done in time for dinner. So, Diana had offered to meet him at a nearby restaurant, wanting to finally experience the beauty of Greece from someplace other than their hotel suite.

"It wasn't that hard," Diana said, looping her arm in Bruce's, letting the sleeve of his shirt gently brush up against her bare shoulder. He led her into the restaurant, waving at the bartender as they made their way to the table near the back. "How did your meeting go?"

Bruce smirked, the memory of the past few hours fresh in his mind. "Surprisingly well," he responded. "You look beautiful by the way." He glanced down at the dress she wore, a smile on his face as he took in how the light blue fabric stopped just above her knees, swaying gently with the casual breeze. He would definitely have to pay Alfred and Tim for rummaging through Diana's closet and choosing the perfect attire for their trip….then again, she'd look beautiful in anything.

"Thank you," Diana said with a smile, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "So what kind of business was this?" she asked, watching as he smirked.

"Oh, no more business talk," he said, patting the back of her hand, "Right now, I have a surprise for you."

He continued to lead her to the back, watching as she stopped in her track when she saw who Bruce had been having a meeting with. It had been the last person she had expected to be here, let alone meeting Bruce, but when she saw the blonde stand and take a step towards her, she couldn't help herself.

She quickly rushed into the woman's arms, her face resting in the crook of the blonde's neck, as the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. "Don't cry my little sun and stars," Hippolyta said, gently patting her daughter's back.

Diana hugged her mother tightly, never wanting to let her go. It had been nearly a year since she had last seen her mother, when she had gone to explain her and Bruce's relationship, knowing her mother needed to hear it from her rather than hear the news elsewhere. Hippolyta hadn't been too happy, in fact, she was downright angry that her daughter had decided to have a relationship with a man, when she was supposed to be working as a hero. She was supposed to be an ambassador of Themyscira, there to help mankind, not run around with men, starting romances and flings with people who did not deserve her time.

Diana had left the island that day heartbroken, wanting nothing more than for her mother to accept Bruce and their relationship, but she knew it would take time. She had been meaning to go back and demand she meet Bruce, allow him the opportunity to show her mother how much they loved each other, and show her what they had was real, but the League and Gotham had kept them both busy.

"How are you here? You left the island?" Diana asked, her eyes wide with realization. She pulled away from her mother and looked into her blue eyes.

Hippolyta's eyes glanced over at Bruce, before she let out a small sigh. "Hermes came to me, saying I was needed off the island. When I arrived with him, he informed me Bruce had prayed to the gods, wanting to get in contact with him, begging to get a message to me." She watched as Diana looked over at Bruce, her eyes widening when she heard Bruce had prayed to her gods. Since the moment she had met him, Bruce had been against the idea of her gods existing. He hated magic, and he never wanted anything to do with it. Why the sudden change? "Hermes showed me how to get in contact with Bruce," she said, flashing the small phone in her hand, her eyebrows furrowed from the frustration with the device.

She watched as her daughter continued to stare at Bruce, her smile widening as she looked at the blushing man. "What are you doing here?" Diana asked, "Why did you contact my mother?" Her last question was directed towards Bruce, and she watched as he shrugged, before he placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"I wanted to surprise you. I knew you needed to speak to your mother, and I wanted to give you that opportunity," Bruce explained. He watched as Diana continued to stare at him, the tears spilling out of her eyes, and he smiled, before she jumped into his arms and pulled him into a hug

"Thank you," she whispered, before she pressed her lips against his. "I love you, Bruce."

Bruce placed his hand on the back of her head, holding her close, as he kissed her once more. "I love you too, Princess," he replied. He watched as she smiled and placed her head on his chest, before he glanced over her shoulder at Hippolyta.

She glared at him, her eyes narrowing at the sight of his arms around her daughter. He was a mere mortal man, how dare he think he could touch the Princess of the Amazons. "Diana, I would like to speak with you," Hippolyta began, watching as her daughter pulled away from Bruce, her hands remaining on his chest. "Alone," she said, continuing to stare at the duo.

Hippolyta watched as Diana turned away from Bruce to stare at her mother, her eyes narrowing when she realized what she was doing. She was trying to push Bruce away, but she didn't know just how connected the two of them were. "Mother," Diana began, stopping when she felt Bruce's hand fall on her shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered, his eyes meeting Hippolyta's. "You two enjoy the day together. I'll be waiting at the hotel." He gently placed a kiss on the back of her head, before he walked away from the two and out of the restaurant.

Diana watched Bruce leave, a small sigh escaping her lips, before she turned to face her mother. "I've missed you," she said, watching as Hippolyta cracked a smile.

"I've missed you too."

Diana walked side by side with her mother, smiling as Hippolyta continued to tell her latest news from Themyscira. She hadn't realized how much she had missed home, but seeing her mother, and listening to her talk about her Amazon sisters made her realize how homesick she had truly been. Maybe she should plan on visiting sometime soon.

"So I take it things between you and Bruce are progressing well?"

Diana glanced up at her mother, making sure not to run into a tourist who had stopped to take a photo in front of them. She watched as Hippolyta placed the last of the chocolate in her mouth, a small smile on her face as she savored the last piece of the sweet Diana had introduced her to after dinner. "Bruce and I are great," Diana said with another smile, watching as her mother nodded and let out a sigh. "But that is not why you wanted me alone, is it?"

She watched as Hippolyta crossed her hands behind her back, one hand holding the other's wrist, before she gently bit her bottom lip, contemplating how to move forward with the conversation. After Hermes had informed her that Bruce had requested an audience with her, Hippolyta knew it could only mean one thing: he wanted to marry Diana. She had hoped she was wrong, having wanted Diana not to worry herself with any relationship, whether it be with a man or woman, but when she had seen Bruce in that restaurant, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared at the ring in his hand, she knew she had no such luck.

Hippolyta had asked Hermes to give her any background on Bruce, as during their last meeting Diana had been vague with details of who her beloved was, and he had shown her what he could find on such short notice; she was not impressed. Bruce Wayne, according to the papers, was a selfish womanizer who had too much money to know what to do with. He didn't take things seriously and would always be a party boy. The Prince of Gotham was what the news reports had called him, making Hippolyta scoff and toss the article into the trash, angry with the title; a true member or royalty would never act as he had.

When she had actually spoken with him, and he had told her his intentions of marrying Diana, Hippolyta had shook her head in protest, adamant about keeping her daughter away from such a man. Bruce was respectful, she'd give him that, but he wasn't afraid of her. He had contacted her because he loved and respected Diana, and knew she would want her mother to be a part of this important milestone of her life. She hadn't known just how much he had pushed his pride aside and prayed to gods he wasn't entirely sure he believed in, but he did it for Diana.

"I don't like Bruce," Hippolyta replied, taking another step down the street alongside her daughter. She watched as Diana followed her actions, crossing her arms behind her back, and gave her head a small shake.

"You don't know Bruce, Mother." Diana glanced at her mother, taking in her regal posture as she took another step down the street, unphased by her daughter's rebellious words. "Bruce is much more than he appears to be."

"Ah yes," Hippolyta began, "The Batman." She watched as Diana quickly turned her head to face her, her eyebrows furrowing as she pressed her lips into a firm line. "And what does that do for the two of you?"

Diana paused for a moment, before she let out another sigh. "I fell in love with The Batman, and I fell in love with Bruce," she said, her voice low, trying not to attract the attention of the few people around them. They may have been in another country, but she still would protect Bruce's secret. "The longer I knew him, the more I came to realize they were the same person, and I love both parts of him. He is a warrior, Mother, and he fights for those who cannot fight for themselves." She looked her mother in the eye before she added, "And he treats me more than just another woman. He loves me for who I am, the woman and the warrior, just as I love the man and the mask."

"So you would say yes? You would allow Bruce to be a distraction from your responsibilities?"

Diana raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" she asked, "Yes to what?" She stopped walking and turned to face her mother, letting her arms drop to her sides. "And Bruce would never be a distraction, Mother. Bruce helps me with my mission as Wonder Woman, and I like to think I help him with his in Gotham." Diana watched her mother take in her answer, before she raised an eyebrow. "And what would I have said yes to?"

Hippolyta narrowed her eyes. "Bruce wants to ask you to marry him." She watched as Diana nodded, not fully understanding her words. "He showed me the ring," she said, watching as Diana's eyes widened, finally fully comprehending what she was saying, "And as your Queen-"

"As my Queen, you banished me," Diana said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I understood why you did what you did, and I am grateful you allowed me back, but-"

Hippolyta placed her hand on Diana's shoulder, stopping the Amazon from speaking, before she wiped the few tears that had fallen from her face. She knew Diana had been hurt, betrayed, by her banishment, but in that moment Hippolyta thought she had done what any good Queen would have. If it had been another Amazon, if it had not been Diana, she would have done it without a second thought, but that day haunted her every waking moment. She had sent her only child away, disregarding Diana's feelings just to uphold the law; she was grateful she had been able to right her mistake, even if it was years later.

"I understand, my child," Hippolyta began, her voice growing softer as the emotions she was beginning to feel began to rise to the surface. "I don't know Bruce, and maybe with time I will come to accept him, but I do know one thing: As your mother, I want only your happiness, and if that is with Bruce, then so be it."

Diana gave her mother a small smile, sniffling as she realized this was her mother's way of giving her her blessing. She may not have liked Bruce, but she was willing to set her feelings aside for her daughter. "Thank you," Diana whispered, rushing into her mother's arms, her smile growing when she felt the Queen's arms wrap around her. "You'll come to love him too, I promise."

Hippolyta chuckled and patted Diana's back gently. "For both of our sakes, I hope you are right." She watched as Diana pulled away from her, the tears now absent from her eyes, before she grabbed her mother's hand gently. "Go on," she urged, "It's late, and I should be getting back to the island. Gods know Antiope will only keep the throne warm for a moment, before she is tempted to go back out and train your sisters."

Diana chuckled and nodded, knowing the Amazon general and her habits all too well. "Safe travels, Mother," Diana said, pulling her mother into another hug, closing her eyes as she smelled the scent of her childhood radiating from Hippolyta's blonde tresses. "May we meet again soon."

Hippolyta nodded, pulled away, and kissed Diana's forehead. "Of course, my little sun and stars," she whispered, before squeezing her daughter's arms, knowing she could not wait until the next time she saw her child.

Diana entered the hotel suite quietly, careful not to wake Bruce should he be asleep. Inside it was dark and Diana let out a small sigh as she gently closed the door. She knew Bruce had wanted to spend time with her on this vacation, but she had been so excited to see her mother, she had spent more time out with her than she should have, ignoring Bruce; seeing all the lights off in the suite made her feel bad that she hadn't let him take her out to dinner like he wanted to.

She walked further into the suite, dropping her purse near the door, before she made her way through the dark room, her mother's words still ringing in her ears. He showed me the ring. Bruce wanted to propose to her, and apparently he wanted to do it soon. He had a ring already, and he had brought it to Greece with them; was he planning to do it during the trip? Or did her mother's reaction to him make him second think his decision; did he even want to marry her anymore.

She quickly shook her head free of those thoughts. She loved Bruce and didn't need a ring to be happy with him. But that didn't mean she wasn't curious. She quickly glanced over her shoulder at the closed bedroom door, making sure the light inside was off, before she made her way to the entertainment center.

Diana had lived with Bruce long enough to know where he hid things, and she knew he would never stay in a place without checking for more hideouts. She quickly rummaged through the drawers, careful not to make any noise that would wake Bruce. When she found nothing, she let out a defeated sigh and stood, before she made her way to the bedroom. She knew there were other potential places where Bruce could have hid the ring, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized she wanted it to be a secret, even if her mother had ruined a big part of the surprise.

She quietly opened the door and peeked her head inside, her lips curling into a smile when she saw a lump on the bed she knew to be Bruce. She silently slipped inside, letting the door shut behind her, enveloping her in the darkness. Careful not to bump into anything, she shuffled across the floor, letting out a small groan when her foot collided with the bedpost.

Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hand, not wanting to wake Bruce, before she exhaled harshly. "I was wondering if your mother had taken you back with her."

Diana jumped, startled to hear his voice. The light near the bed flickered on and Diana saw Bruce turn to face her, a smirk on his face when he saw her eyes begin to wonder over his nearly naked body. "Bruce," she began, trailing her eyes down his body until they landed on the waistband of his boxers; the only item of clothing he wore. "I didn't know you were still awake."

Bruce sat up and shrugged, watching as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, before he rested a hand gently on her thigh. His fingers gently grazed the skin that had exposed itself when she had taken a seat, the dress she wore hiking up on her long legs as she leaned into one of the pillows situated on their shared bed. "I couldn't sleep without you," he confessed. "Besides, I wanted to ask you," he began, his eyebrow raising when he felt her muscles tense under his touch.

Was this it? Was he going to actually propose right now?

Diana watched as he scooted over in the bed, resting next to her, before he chuckled. "How was your time with your mother?"

It was Diana's turn to raise an eyebrow in confusion, as she stared at Bruce, unsure of what to say. Did he know she knew? Was that his plan all along: have Hippolyta tell Diana so she would be anticipating it every second? No, that wasn't it. Bruce loved to have the upper hand. He would not have been able to sit next to her so calmly if he knew she knew.

"It was great," she said, reaching up to pull her hair out of the ponytail she wore. She let her hair cascade down her back and over her shoulders, turning to give Bruce a sultry smile, letting him breathe in the scent of her shampoo. She heard him release a small groan, before he leaned in and placed a kiss on her bare shoulder, letting his hand wander up to the thin strap of her dress. "I really appreciate what you did Bruce." She looked him in the eye, her face softening when she remembered what her mother had said. "Did you really pray to the gods?"

He nodded, his eyes never leaving hers, as he answered. "I did." He paused for a moment, contemplating his next few words, letting his fingers gently stroke her face. He didn't smile, his lips remaining in a tight line, as he leaned in to kiss her lips softly. "I didn't think it would work, but you needed to see your mother, and I wanted to give that to you."

Diana let Bruce kiss her lips once more, gently resting her hand on his arm as he leaned his forehead against hers. "But you hate magic," she said, letting him run a hand through her wavy hair.

"I do," he whispered, "But I love you more."

Diana smiled wide, letting Bruce run his fingers through her hair once more before she let him kiss her lips again, this time lingering a bit longer. She felt Bruce's hand fall to the back of her neck, pulling her close, before she let out a small sigh. "Why the trip to Greece all of a sudden?" she asked, watching as he sighed before he placed his head on her shoulder, defeated.

"Your mother told you, didn't she?" He watched as she nodded, her smile fading as she watched his face. "And what do you think of the idea?"

"Of marriage?" Bruce nodded. "Bruce, I don't want you to feel like you have to marry me to make me happy. I love you and I am happy with you and our relationship and I don't want you to second guess anything." Bruce quickly jumped off the bed, switching on the light, before he searched the floor for his discarded pants. "Bruce," Diana said, standing from the bed as she saw him grab his pants. Was he leaving? Had she scared him off?

She watched as he walked to where she stood, the pants in his hand, before he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small box. He looked up at Diana, watching as she took a seat on the edge of the bed, the realization suddenly hitting her. "You were going to propose tonight," she whispered, watching as he nodded, gently turning the box in his hand as he dropped the pants back onto the floor. "Why didn't you say anything?"

Bruce shrugged. "I could have planned another proposal, but you weren't guaranteed another visit."

Diana stared at the man as her heart beat a little faster with his confession. He had thrown away all his plans to propose, something he had probably worked on for weeks, all so she could have a few hours alone with her mother. Gods, this man was truly amazing, and she loved him dearly for everything he did for her.

Her eyes trailed down to the box still settled in his hands, the corners of her lips turning up into a smile. "Yes," she said, watching as Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" He watched as Diana's eyes glanced towards the box in his hands, before he chuckled. "I haven't asked you anything yet."

"Well then ask me," she said growing impatient and anxious.

Bruce shook his head as he continued to laugh. "So impatient," he said, before he lowered himself down onto one knee. "Diana," he began, grabbing one of her hands, "I love you, and I wish I could have given you a big and grand proposal, but I can't wait to ask you this. So, Princess, will you marry me?" He opened the box, revealing a beautiful ring. The princess cut diamond sparkled in the light, and Diana didn't realize she ever find a piece of jewelry so magnificent.

She looked into Bruce's eyes, her smile widening. She took in Bruce's attire and chuckled to herself, suddenly not caring that he was proposing to her in his boxers, in their hotel room. He could have proposed to her in a broom closet and she would have thought it was perfect. "Yes," she exclaimed, jumping into his arms. She placed her lips onto Bruce's, smiling against his lips when she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"I think this is for you," Bruce said, pulling back from Diana just enough to slip the ring on her finger. He placed a kiss on the back of her hand, smiling when he realized the most beautiful woman in the world had just agreed to be his wife.

"It's beautiful Bruce," Diana whispered, lifting her hand to get a better look at the ring. She placed a kiss on his cheek, before she moved to kiss his lips, smirking when he pulled her into his lap. "You brought my mother here to ask permission?" she asked as she felt Bruce's hands roam over her body.

Bruce scoffed, before he placed a kiss behind her ear, watching as she shivered before he kissed her neck. Batman didn't ask anyone for permission to do anything, but this was Diana. He was going to do anything he could for Diana. "Not permission. Just her blessing."

Diana nodded before she ran her hand through his hair, listening to Bruce release a small growl as his hands gripped her thighs tightly. She felt his lips continue to kiss her neck and she knew there was no other place she would be than here with her fiance. She couldn't wait to marry this man.

[crypticcravings]

Perfect: An ML Secret Santa Gift

I am so excited to participate in this year’s @mlsecretsanta exchange, especially because I had the honor of writing for the amazing and talented @ming85! I have been a fan of your art for ages. This piece was partially inspired by this piece of your art from the Paris Landscape series. I know you said that it was based on another fic, but this scene was so powerful I had to write my own version, as well. By all rights, this should have been a multi chapter fic. Unfortunately, I had to cut a lot out. It still ended up being double the originally planned word count. I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I loved writing it!!

Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays <3 <3 <3

Musical Inspiration: Perfect by Ed Sheeran

Also On AO3

Marinette sighed and sank down into her chair even further, tuning out whatever it was Alya was talking about. She felt a little guilty ignoring her friend, but her worries were assuaged by the knowledge that Nino at least was paying attention.

Marinette just didn’t have the mental capacity to focus on anything today, not after what happened this morning.

Her eyes flicked to Adrien, sitting across from her at the library table, and accidentally made eye contact. She felt her cheeks burning and turned away as quickly as possible, feigning interest in her best friend’s story.

Even without looking, she could feel his eyes on her still. It made her want to fidget, to somehow squirm away from his intense stare. She turned her head again, blue eyes meeting green, and the whole world spun around her.

Because Adrien was Cat Noir.

They never intended to reveal themselves to one another.

At least, not anytime soon. Ladybug said it was safer for both of them to remain anonymous, even to one another. Cat Noir may not have liked it, but he had to agree. It was for the best.

They never intended to reveal themselves. Which is why it came as such a shock when it actually happened.

Ladybug was racing over the rooftops, zigzagging between buildings and alleyways to shake off any remaining media and de-transform in peace.

She dropped down into a familiar alleyway, near the school and away from prying eyes. There were mere seconds left on her transformation, and suddenly Ladybug realized she wasn’t alone.

On the other end of the alleyway, eyes wide as saucers and the last pad on his Miraculous beeping frantically, was Cat Noir.

There wasn’t time to process what was happening, no time to turn away or close their eyes. They could only stare, frozen in place, as their transformations wore off, and suddenly they weren’t Ladybug and Cat Noir anymore.

In their places were Marinette and Adrien, classmates, friends, and apparently partners.

All of that had happened after an early morning akuma attack just before the start of classes. Now, just a few hours after a jarring reveal, the two of them were forced to act natural, like nothing had changed, like they hadn’t just discovered that their superhero best friend had been so close all along, while they worked on their history project.

There hadn’t been enough time to process everything.

Adrien?! He had been Cat Noir the whole time?

Sure, the two of them were friends. They hung out all the time, whether it was alone or with other friends. She was finally starting to act like a regular person around him, slowly getting over the way her words turned to soup in front of him. Now she had to deal with the fact that her amazing, smart, kind, handsome, perfect crush was also her silly, brave, kind, amazing partner, too! How could she possibly be expected to act like a normal person in front of him now that she knew both sides of him?

Adrien, for his part, wasn’t much better off. Ladybug was right there. He’d looked for His Lady in every blue eyed, dark haired girl he’d come across in the hopes of finding her, only to have her sitting behind him in class the entire time. He lamented the missed opportunities, but they didn’t really matter any more. What mattered was that they knew now.

“Hello,” Alya said in her sing-song, are-you-paying-attention voice. Of course neither of them had been. “Did you guys hear me? The Holiday Gala at Le Grand Paris?”

“What about it?” Marinette asked, hoping to distract herself from the blond boy across from her.

Alya rolled her eyes. “Are we going?”

“Isn’t that one of Chloe’s dad’s parties?” Nino wondered. “How are we even going to get in when she hates most of us?”

“My mother is the head chef,” Alya pointed out. “She has her ways. Besides, I’m sure Mister Adrikins Agreste over there is already on the guest list.”

“Yeah,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, “Chloe’s been talking about this party for a while. My father’s all for it because it will be a good networking opportunity. There won’t be many people our age there, so it would be great if you guys can make it! I bet even Chloe would enjoy the company. These things can get exhausting when it’s just businessmen and company representatives.” Adrien turned to Marinette. She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but something in his eyes seemed more...heated, more intense than usual. It made heat rise from her neck to her cheeks. “There will be a lot of people in the fashion industry there, too. You could make some good connections, Marinette.”

Marinette made a quiet, strangled noise in the back of her throat. “Really?” She managed to squeak out, “That’s wait! I-I can’t the great to a party!” Oh, no, of course the word soup would come back at a time like this! She groaned and took a steadying breath. “I mean, I can’t wait to go. To the party.”

Alya gave her a strange look. It had been quite some time since Marinette had been this nervous around Adrien. Alya must know that something was up for her to suddenly revert to this kind of behavior again.

If Adrien noticed, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he simply smiled at her, the same way Adrien always smiled at Marinette, as if their whole world hadn’t changed just hours ago. “It might be a good opportunity to show off your design skills.”

Marinette gave a single stiff nod. She did have a few works in progress that she could have done in time.

“Great!” Alya said, clapping her hands together twice, “it’s settled, then. I’ll tell my mom we’re all on board. The Gala is in two weeks, so clear your schedules. Nino, my dress is going to be orange, just so you know.”

“Why are you telling me that?” Nino asked.

Alya groaned. “So that your suit can match, obviously.”

“This isn’t some American high school prom, Al,” Nino pointed out, “dates don’t need to buy each other corsages and match perfectly.”

“What’s so wrong with matching? You look good in orange!”

“It’s a white tie event! I’m not showing up to a high class event like this looking like I just walked off of an American teen rom-com…”

Marinette giggled as she watched her friends argue playfully, swinging her legs idly under the table. She had nearly forgotten about her earlier revelation until her foot casually brushed up against Adrien’s leg.

The heat returned to her face immediately as the two of them made eye contact. They stared at one another for just a moment before quickly averting their gazes.

This whole identity reveal thing was a disaster, after all.

Marinette flung herself onto her chaise lounge with a groan.

That had to be the longest school day she’d ever been through.

She couldn’t stop staring at Adrien--even more than usual. She’d been trying to match him up to her image of Cat Noir, and she was finding it easier and easier to do the more she thought about it. Now that she’d been stewing the entire day, she was thinking a bit more clearly and it actually made sense. She and Adrien were practically the only people that hadn’t been akumatized. Besides that, he and Cat Noir were more similar than she realized, for good reason. Beyond the fact that they were both tall, blond haired boys with green eyes, they both had terrible senses of humor. They were both extremely skilled in a fight, with Adrien’s fencing skills and Cat Noir’s amazing reflexes with his staff. And both of them were quick on their feet, able to catch her quickly when she fell.

That last thought made her heart skip a beat.

She’d always been in love with Adrien, that was an undisputed fact nearly since the two had met. And Cat Noir had always held a special place in her heart as her partner and best friend, maybe even a little bit more than that if she was being honest with herself.

To have those two incredibly precious people suddenly morph into one amazing, funny, handsome, kind, smart, miraculous package was just...too much.

How could she possibly be expected to face them both at once?

“It’s Marinette,” Adrien sighed, flopping onto his bed.

He hadn’t really had time to process the sudden reveal of Ladybug’s identity that day, not with school and work and activities cramming his schedule, and his brain.

But now that he had a couple of hours to himself, his mind began to wander.

Marinette was Ladybug.

Ladybug was Marinette.

It made sense, really. He could kick himself for not seeing it sooner. It wasn’t like the signs weren’t there, he just hadn’t noticed. Hadn’t been looking at what was right in front of him--or rather, right behind him.

Now that he knew that his amazing friend and beloved partner were one in the same, he couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. He didn’t think he could love Ladybug any more than he already did, but apparently he could. Knowing the girl behind the mask had made his love for her grow tenfold.

“Gross,” Plagg said from his perch on Adrien’s desk, “would you stop sighing like that? It’s ruining my appetite.”

“I can’t help it, Plagg,” Adrien said, picturing Marinette’s blushing face from that afternoon, remembering the way her lovely bluebell eyes caught the light in the library. “She’s just so great.”

Plagg made a gagging noise. “Just ask her out already, then. If you’re going to be this disgusting, at least do something about it.”

That was it!

Adrien hopped up out of bed and grabbed Plagg off of the desk. “Plagg, you’re a genius!” He said, dropping a kiss to the top of his kwami’s head.

The little black cat made a hacking sound, but Adrien ignored it in favor of spinning around in a circle. He just had to confess.

Marinette tried to pass the next week at school as naturally as she could.

Unfortunately for her, “natural” didn’t come easily to her. It never had.

If she thought her word soup had been bad around Adrien in the beginning, it had nothing on this. It was as if her tongue turned to lead any time she saw him, which was literally all the time. It was like he was purposefully getting in her way any chance he got.

Forget discussing the aftermath of their revealed identities, Marinette couldn’t even holding a friendly conversation with the guy. It was like she was in middle school all over again, and she absolutely hated it.

How was she supposed to fight off akumas if she couldn’t even say “hello” to her partner in the hallways?!

To make matters worse, Adrien had developed this habit of touching her any time he saw her, something he did regularly as Cat Noir that seemed to carry over into their civilian lives. Every time he brushed her hand with his, or nudged her with his shoulder, an electric current would run through her body, temporarily short circuiting her brain.

“I don’t know what to do, Tikki!” Marinette complained after an especially stressful day. “What if I can never talk to him like a normal person again?”

“You can do it, Marinette.” Her Kwami encouraged. “How did you learn how to talk to Adrien the first time?”

Marinette considered that. There had to be at least some reason she’d started talking to Adrien normally, didn’t there? “I guess...it was because I got used to him? We started to talk more outside of class, and we spent time alone together, and eventually my words did what they were supposed to.”

“Then maybe you just need to get used to him again!” Tikki suggested. “This was quite a shock to you, right? It’s a lot to handle, and your brain needs time to connect everything. If you spend time with him, as Adrien and Cat Noir, then maybe your words will do what they’re supposed to like before.”

It was a possibility, for sure. Marinette still worried what might happen if something went wrong, though. What if she said something totally weird and ended up chasing him off? She’d had enough close calls with that. What if she called him “hot stuff” to his face this time instead of to his voice mail? Or something even more embarrassing? It was bad enough to say those things to Adrien when he was just Adrien, but Cat Noir, too? She couldn’t even begin to imagine how mortified she would be.

She couldn’t let this setback get in the way of protecting Paris though. She had a responsibility to her city first and her heart second, so for the sake of her city, she had to figure out how to talk to Adrien/Cat Noir like a normal person ASAP.

Their first patrol since their accidental reveal was definitely a bit...strange.

Typically the night began with Cat Noir prattling off a number of jokes, some light hearted banter and flirting, and maybe a spar. This night was different, though.

Because now they knew who it was under the mask.

They had tried to tell themselves that knowing the person under the mask wouldn’t change anything. Cat was still Cat and Ladybug was still Ladybug.

Yet as much as they reminded themselves of that fact, things between them were still strained. Cat Noir was more careful with his words, and Ladybug more guarded with her previously casual physical contact.

After an especially quiet circuit around the city, the two of them found themselves sitting on a rooftop with a calculated amount of space between them. They hadn’t spoken much that night, or that day at school. Or really in the entire week following the accident.

Things were starting to get awkward, and they both hated it. But of course, neither of them knew how to make things right, either.

They just couldn’t figure out where they stood anymore.

“It’s been really quiet tonight, huh M--my--Marinette?” Cat Noir winced. Real smooth.

Ladybug jumped at his sudden use of her real name. “Y-yeah! Super quiet.”

“Maybe Hawkmoth decided to retire?”

“We can only hope,” she giggled.

Then it was quiet again.

Marinette could kick herself. This was Cat Noir. She should at least be able to crack a joke with him or something, but instead she was sitting there not sure of what to say and making a complete fool of herself. She was so stupid!

Unable to take the pressure anymore, Ladybug began to rise to her feet.

“Hey, um, Ladybug,” Cat Noir said hesitantly in a tone so un-Cat-like, but so very Adrien that she couldn’t believe it. “Before we call it a night, can I ask you something?”

Ladybug paused. “Of course.”

Cat Noir scrambled to his feet in front of her in a move that was so unlike what she expected of Adrien. She was beginning to see that the reason she had such a hard time connecting the two of them in the beginning was because he really did act like a different person with the mask on. When he was Adrien, he was this picture of perfection: well groomed, well behaved, well mannered, always smiling that model smile. But when he was Cat Noir, it was like he could really let his hair down. The wild streak that Adrien occasionally hinted at with a stray wink and a sly grin, or a particularly well placed pun came out full force.

Marinette both understood why she never connected the two and wanted to smack herself for not seeing it sooner.

Standing in front of her was both well mannered, poised Adrien Agreste and the silly tom cat, Cat Noir, wrapped up into one phenomenal person that she got to call her best friend and partner.

Her best friend and partner who had apparently just asked her a question that she had completely missed. He looked at her expectantly, and Marinette rattled her brain to figure out what he had just said, but she just had not been listening at all.

“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” She said with a flush.

“I asked if you would go to the Holiday Gala with me.”

Marinette though she was imagining the question. Had he really just…

Looking once again at the way he glanced at her before quickly glancing away, not so casually rubbing the back of his neck in his usual nervous habit, Marinette knew the question was very real.

“Aren’t you going with Chloe?” She asked, immediately wanting to smack herself. That was so not what she should be saying right now.

“What?! Chloe?” Cat held up both of his hands and shook his head. “No, no, Chloe isn’t...I’m not...I’m not going with Chloe. No.”

“Then…” Ladybug averted her eyes, not quite able to meet his dead on. “Yes, I’ll go with you.”

Cat Noir’s grin was blinding under the dim city lights. “Great! Then, I’ll pick you up at your house before the party?”

Ladybug nodded. “That sounds good.”

“Alright,” he laughed. “Great!” He pulled out his staff and extended it, already ready to take off. “I”ll see you then!” With that, Cat Noir jumped off the side of the building and vaulted on to the next one, heading home without any further adieu.

“You know, I’ll still see you at school tomorrow, too, right?” She called after him.

His only response was a distant whoop. Ladybug shook her head. She should be following the alley cat’s example and heading home as well. She had a dress to finish, and only seven days left to finish it.

In the days leading up to the Holiday Gala, Marinette should have been working on her dress, but as the day approached she couldn’t seem to take her mind off of her partner. The snow kept patrols short, and he had been pulled out of school more often than usual to attend networking events with his father.

So instead of working on the gown she would be wearing to what was likely going to be one of the most glamorous nights of her entire life, Marinette found herself working on Adrien’s Christmas present.

There were two things she knew Adrien loved: sweets and handmade gifts. All these years later, he still carried around the lucky charm she’d given him. Not that she was much better. She’d fastened the one he made her to her purse so that it was always with her.

Fortunately, Marinette was skilled at two things in particular: making food and making gifts.

She’d been planning this gift for a while now, ever since Adrien started complaining about a sore back, supposedly from all of the photo shoots his father had him doing this season. Now that Marinette had a little more perspective on the matter, she had a feeling his sore muscles had more to do with being thrown off of buildings and battling supervillains than with posing for cameras, though that probably didn’t help much. Fortunately, she’d recalled a conversation with Cat Noir on a similar matter only a few days before the reveal about how much of a pain the cold weather was moments before he draped himself around her and begged her to be his hot water bottle for the rest of the winter.

She grinned to herself as she finished sewing a zipper into her gift. Working on finishing this had taken some time away from finishing her Gala dress, but she had a feeling that his reaction would make it all worth it.

Marinette quickly wrapped the present, tossing in some hand made Christmas chocolates and tying the bag off with a bow.

“When are you going to give it to him?” Tikki asked, landing on the bag’s stiff, straw handles.

Marinette was focused on the card, sticking her tongue out as she drew out the careful calligraphy. She hummed thoughtfully. “I think I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“Aren’t you guys exchanging gifts next week, though?” Tikki asked. Marinette and her friends typically exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, but things were different this year.

“I think it’ll be worth it to give this to him a little bit early this year,” Marinette explained. “Things have been a little tense ever since our...little accident last week, but I think he’s trying to make things normal again. That’s probably why he asked me to the Gala with him.”

“Are you sure he didn’t ask you because he genuinely wants you to be his date? Like, in a romantic way?”

Marinette paused over the front of the card, pondering over how to address it. “We’re friends, Tikki. We’ve been friends for years, and I’m pretty sure that he just wants to go to this party as friends.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Tikki warned. “Have you forgotten the way Cat Noir flirts with you?”

“That doesn’t mean anything. We’ve always played that game with each other. Besides, he never flirts that way with Marinette, and he hasn’t done it at all recently. I guess it’s weird now that we know each other.”

Tikki gave Marinette a skeptical look, but didn’t press the issue further.

Marinette sighed and scribbled down the address on the front of the card without any more hesitation and shoved it into the bag, unintentionally knocking her kwami from her perch.

“Hey!” Tikki protested.

Marinette winced. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

Her kwami grumbled, causing Marinette to giggle. She glanced at her mannequin and the nearly finished gown. The Gala was only a couple of days away, and Adrien was taking her as his date. She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Tikki was right. She didn’t want to get her hopes up for anything, but if something did happen…

Marinette shook her head. She couldn’t get caught up in thoughts like that.

She turned off her light and headed up the ladder to her loft bed. She would just start small, take things one step at a time. She would give Adrien his Christmas present tomorrow, put the finishing touches on her dress, and go to the gala with Adrien. He would take one look at her amazing dress and decide that he couldn’t live without her anymore. Her kitty cat would sweep her off her feet and propose on the spot, and they would get married, have three kids, and a cat. The power of their love for each other would overwhelm the entire city, and Hawkmoth would have no choice but to surrender, and they would live happily ever after...

Marinette groaned as she flopped on her bed, heart racing in her chest again. She pulled her stuffed cat from the top of her bed and cradled it against her chest. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t help herself from dreaming.

“Dude,” Nino said, smacking Adrien on the shoulder when they met up on the school steps, “why didn’t you tell me you were taking Marinette to the Gala?”

Adrien winced and rubbed his shoulder. He’d overdone it on patrol the night before. Ladybug had the night off, and he’d been going solo. Unfortunately, even though she hadn’t been with him, Adrien’s thoughts had been thoroughly consumed with Marinette the entire night. He’d been distracted and taken a pretty bad tumble when he tried to land on a ledge that was just a little bit out of his range. “You knew she was going…”

“Yeah, but I thought we were just meeting up there. You never said you were bringing her as your date! I had to hear about it from Alya!” Nino complained. “Are you finally making your move, dude?”

“What do you mean ‘finally’?” Adrien asked, removing his scarf as they passed through the school entryway. He felt his cheeks heating up.

“I mean have you finally realized that you and Marinette are made for each other?”

In an uncharacteristically clumsy moment, Adrien stumbled. “We’re what?”  Sure, Adrien had always thought that, about Ladybug at least. The two of them were Yin and Yang, two halves of the same whole. Of course, since Marinette was Ladybug, it went without saying that the sentiment extended to the girl behind the mask as well. In fact, the feeling that they belonged together had never been stronger. But there was no reason for Nino to know about all of that.

His best friend shrugged. “It’s obvious, my guy. You and Marinette would be a great couple. Everyone thinks so. I’m proud of you for finally making a move.”

“Everyone thinks so?” Adrien repeated.

“Everyone since college, bro.”

Adrien didn’t have time to mull over that revelation as the two of them entered the classroom. His attention first landed on Marinette, who was unusually early to class, bent over her desk as she sewed fabric flowers to a hair clip. He wondered how late she’d been up working on her dress. He knew she had a tendency to hyperfixate on her projects.

He was just about to greet her when Nino nudged his arm and pointed at Adrien’s desk.

On his desk right in front of Marinette’s was a large green bag with a carefully tied silver bow and small card nearly hidden in a ton of carefully arranged silver tissue paper.

Adrien glanced up at Marinette again, but she was very deliberately not looking at him. She just carried on looping the thread through the fabric flowers and securing them to the clip in her hands.

He sat down at his desk and plucked the card from the tissue paper. The card was hand painted, with little pictures of holly decorating the border. The address in the center written in delicate red calligraphy brought a huge grin to Adrien’s face.

“To keep you warm and ease your pains. Merry Christmas, mon chaton.”  

The card wasn’t signed, but it wasn’t hard to figure out who had left it there.

“Are you going to open it?” Nino prompted.

Adrien glanced at his friend and resisted the urge to turn and look at his Lady behind him.

He carefully untied the ribbon and began pulling out the tissue paper. Inside the bag was a small package of chocolates, decorated with little white chocolate cats and snowflakes that warmed his heart. He dug a little deeper in the bag until his fingers brushed against soft, plush fabric. He gripped what felt like a pillow with a hard center and lifted it out of the bag.

In his hands was a clearly hand stitched, cinnamon roll shaped pillow that was about half the size of his torso and plump with stuffing. He traced his fingers along the spiral in the center and the bronze, shimmering threads of cinnamon sugar that made the plush look good enough to eat. He ran his thumbs over the seams, wondering how long it had taken her to make such an amazing gift, when he felt a hidden zipper. Curious, he opened up the cinnamon roll from the side.

Inside of the delicious looking bun was a large, empty hot water bottle. Hadn’t he just told Ladybug the week prior that he was looking into getting one of these? When had she found the time to put this together? And in the shape of one of his favorite sweets, too…

“Dude,” Nino gave a low, impressed whistle. “That thing looks good enough to eat! What does the card say?”

Adrien pressed a finger to his lips and grinned conspiratorially. “That’s a secret.”

He could hear Marinette stifle a  giggle behind him, which only made his grin grow wider. Nino glanced between the two of them, his confusion evident on his face. “What…”

Adrien winked at his friend. “Don’t worry about it.”

Nino cringed and took his seat next to Adrien. “That was gross, bro. Don’t do that again.”

Adrien chuckled and clutched the cinnamon roll to his chest, savoring its warmth even without the hot water bottle.

Only one day left until the Gala.

Adrien had pulled Marinette aside after classes to thank her for the gift, and she was right when she predicted that the extra time put into it would make his reaction worth it. As he held up the cinnamon roll pillow, his eyes had sparkled in a way that she typically only saw when he was Cat Noir, soaring over the streets of Paris. It had sent her heart soaring to see so much joy bubbling out of him. She even felt a little bit closer to him now. She was thankful that her gift had fulfilled its purpose.

The only problem was that she had put herself more behind schedule than she originally thought. Marinette cursed her inability to do things simply as she sewed a few last minute rose embellishments into the bodice of the gown. She’d had some extra shimmering thread left over from Adrien’s present, and she wanted to put it to good use. The extra touch would definitely be worth it, but at what cost? She was working so quickly that she’d inadvertently stabbed herself six or seven times with her embroidery needle in the past hour and a half. Her fingers were covered with bandages. If this went on, she’d have to wear gloves at the gala just to be presentable.

“You should take a break, Marinette,” Tikki urged.

“Can’t,” she muttered around a mouth full of pins. She pulled out another as she incorporated the tiny fabric rose into the embroidery pattern. “Need to finish.”

She only had a day to finish. Alya had already booked them for hair appointments that could take a couple of hours, so there would be no time to work the day of. Things had to be absolutely perfect.

Tikki watched as her charge pricked herself for the eighth time as she secured another flower to the bodice. There was no doubt that the dress was beautiful, but Tikki worried about Marinette’s health. Sure, she and Adrien were finally starting to warm up to one another again after the shock of the unplanned reveal, but had they rushed things a bit too much? Marinette swore this wasn’t a date, but Tikki still worried. Marinette was deep in denial about Adrien/Cat Noir’s feelings for her despite the fact that they were glaringly obvious. Now more than ever, he looked at her as if she hung the stars in the sky. When he finally confessed, Tikki had a feeling that it would knock Marinette completely off her feet.

The day of the gala snuck up on Adrien. He’d been formulating his plan for days, ever since Marinette agreed to be his date.

This was the night he was finally going to confess to his Lady.

In just a couple of hours, he would go to her house to pick her up. They would dance together, laugh at silly jokes, and when the moment was right, he would tell her how he had felt since the beginning and kiss her senseless. It was perfect.

“Tonight’s the night, Plagg,” Adrien said, ladybugs doing a giddy dance in his stomach. “I’m finally going to do it.”

His kwami rolled his eyes. “Just don’t make a fool of yourself.”

Adrien looped his cravat around his neck and tied a simple knot at his collar. “I wasn’t planning on it, but thanks for the confidence.”

It was finally happening. He was finally going to tell his Lady he loved her, and his pessimistic kwami was not going to bring him down.

Marinette wasn’t ready, but she was going to have to be.

The night was finally here.

Alya had left about an hour ago after they finished their hair appointments and doing their makeup in Marinette’s room. Nino would be picking Alya up soon as well. Marinette was staring at herself in the mirror, looking for anything left in her hair or makeup that she needed to fix.

“You look amazing, Marinette,” Tikki said. “Adrien’s not going to know what to do with himself when he sees you.”

Marinette opened her mouth to remind her kwami once again that, as much as she wanted it to be, this was definitely not a date, but she was interrupted by a knock on the downstairs door.

Marinette heard her mother answer the door and immediately panicked. It was never a good idea to leave her parents alone with Adrien for too long, she’d learned that the first time he came over. They were bound to say something embarrassing.

Marinette grabbed her coat and purse from the back of her desk chair. “Quick, Tikki!”

Her kwami nodded and zipped into the small bag.

“Marinette,” her mother called from downstairs, “A very handsome young man is waiting for you.”

Marinette felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she lifted the trap door. “I’m coming!”

Marinette gathered her dress and carefully descended the stairs, careful not to trip in her kitten heels.

She kept her eyes on the ground until she reached the bottom. When she finally stood on solid ground, she finally looked up. Adrien was sitting in the kitchen having a conversation with her father. He had on a suit that most certainly was from his father’s winter formal line: A five piece suit that consisted of perfectly tailored jet black pants and a jacket. The white dress shirt underneath was perfectly pressed, so much so that it didn’t look real, not that Marinette could expect any less from the son of a fashion powerhouse like Gabriel Agreste. But what really caught her attention was the waistcoat-tie-hankerchief matching set. It brought a pop of burgundy to his outfit. All three silken pieces were embroidered with the same, slightly darker red floral pattern, making the already eye catching suit appear even more distinguished. What was more, the colors were a near exact match to Marinette’s own dress, as well as the rising flush in her cheeks.

When Adrien caught sight of Marinette, his breath caught in his throat. He rose from his seat and rounded the island, his conversation with her father all but forgotten.

She looked...miraculous.

Her gown must have taken ages. On top of the amazing Christmas gift, Adrien wondered if she had gotten any sleep at all over the past week. The floor length organza ball gown was just formal enough to call itself white tie, without overdoing it. The off shoulder sleeves, adorned with fabric roses and golden embroidery swooped into a lovely sweetheart neckline that showed off Marinette’s prominent collar bones. Her hair was pulled back into a high, full bun, with the rose hair clip she’d been working on in school that week at the center. A few loose curls gently framed her face, softening her appearance slightly. The only jewlery she wore were her miraculous stones, black and inactive, catching the light and giving the appearance of black jade.

Adrien was glad he’d requested this color. After seeing the shade of the hair clip in class that week, he’d specifically asked his father to switch from the blue suit he’d been intending to wear to this one. Nino may not have been into matching, but Adrien wanted everyone at this party to know that Marinette was his Lady. By the end of the night, he hoped she would be for real.

Marinette’s parents watched as the two kids seemed to get lost in their own little world.

Tom nudged his wife slightly, “did they start dating already, and we just missed the memo?”

Sabine hummed, “I’m sure Marinette would have said something if that were the case.”

When it became obvious that the two teenagers had reached an impasse, Tom cleared his throat to bring them out of their daze.

Marinette shook herself off first, turning to wish her parents a good night. “I’ll be back before midnight, I promise.”

Adrien finally found his tongue. “I’ll take good care of her tonight,” he promised her parents.

Tom nodded, unable to hide the mirth in his eyes. “See to it that you do.”

Tom and Sabine both saw the kids off to meet Adrien’s driver downstairs, equally pleased and amused that, if the look in that young man’s eye was anything to go off of, their hopes for their daughter’s crush would likely be coming to fruition that night.

The ride to Le Grand Paris was...a bit awkward, much like the rest of their interactions had been lately, though it was blessedly short. It seemed that for all of the progress they had made towards being normal in the past week, it had all vanished in that evening. If they had been just Ladybug and Cat Noir, they could have bantered playfully, maybe even flirted a little bit on the way over. Cat Noir could have winked at her and said how purrfect that color was on her, and Ladybug could have booped his nose and teased him about looking so dashing for a tom cat.

If they had been just Marinette and Adrien, they may not have flirted, but at the very least Adrien would have complimented the amazing handiwork on her gown, and told her how impressive it was that she finished it in such a short amount of time. Marinette could have fought through her rapidly beating heart and subsequent nerves to tell Adrien that she was so glad he asked her to come with him that night. They would have been comfortable in either situation.

Unfortunately, instead of being just one or the other, they lied somewhere in between, simultaneously both and neither at the same time, leaving them at a loss for words. Which approach was the most natural for the situation? Which persona should they embody in the presence of their partner and friend?

They didn’t have much time to ponder that question before they arrived at the hotel. Their tense time on their own was abruptly brought to an end as they entered the ballroom, the party already in full swing. They were greeted immediately upon their entrance by a whirlwind of friends, acquaintances, and familiar figures of influence. People flew by in a blur; Jagged Stone, Nadja Chamack, Mayor Bourgeois, Alya, Nino, Kagami, even Chloe stopped by to say a civil hello.

By the next time Marinette even had a moment to breathe, her worries over how to behave had virtually disappeared.

She sighed in relief near the refreshments table as Adrien handed her a glass of sparkling cider.

“Are you sure this is your first time at one of these parties,” he asked, “you’re holding up really well.”

“Definitely never done this before,” Marinette said, taking a sip of her drink. “Is this what you have to do working for your father?”

Adrien nodded. “Sometimes. Get ready, future designer, the fashion world is all about networking.”

Marinette scanned the room, taking in the beautiful works of art some of the party guests were wearing. “Well,” She said thoughtfully, “if I get to see such amazing designs and talk to such awesome people every time, I guess I don’t mind that much. Besides, chaos is nothing new to me.” She deliberately tucked her hair behind her ear, letting her miraculous catch the lights from the dance floor.

Adrien caught her meaning and chuckled. “I guess you’re right about that.”

He looked at his flute full of cider and considered his next move as he watched the bubbles pop to the surface. He could do this. He wasn’t about to lose his nerve. He scanned the room and found a door leading out to a balcony with just the lightest dusting of snow and a beautiful view of their favorite spot in the city: The Eiffel Tower. “Hey, Marinette.”

She turned to him, bluebell eyes glittering and a soft smile painted across her face making Adrien’s breath catch at how lovely she looked with that expression.

He swallowed a deep breath and summoned a little bit of Cat Noir’s courage before he spoke again. “Do you mind if we take a step outside for a moment?” He indicated the balcony door.

Her brows knit together for a moment, but she smiled nonetheless. “Of course. It’s a bit warm in here anyway.”

She shifted her purse on her shoulder and placed her glass on the table, ready to follow him across the room to the balcony’s doors, when suddenly Chloe returned with an elderly gentleman in tow.

“Adrikins,” She said, ignoring Marinette. “I have someone you should meet. He’s a friend of daddy’s, and he is a huge fan of your father’s line.”

Adrien shot Marinette a look, apologizing for the interruption without words.

Marinette smiled, understanding what he meant to say. She silently assured him that it was fine by shrugging her shoulders good naturedly and shaking her head. As Chloe continued to prattle on about the man at her side, Marinette pointed down the hallway and mouthed, “I’ll be right back.”

Adrien nodded and watched her go. As he spoke with the man who’s name he had already forgotten, he realized just how easy things were with Marinette when they weren’t so caught up in their own nerves. The ability to communicate without words had been with them since their first Akuma. He didn’t share that kind of trust, closeness, and understanding with anyone else, so knowing that he still had it with Marinette even outside of the suit was an incredible realization. It was something he never wanted to lose.

When Marinette returned to the ballroom, Adrien wasn’t where she left him. He must have been dragged off by Chloe to meet more of her father’s friends and work associates. Marinette had done her fair share of mingling that evening, especially after Jagged Stone had introduced her to some of his acquaintances in the music industry and declaring her “the best up and coming talent in the design industry” that he had “personally discovered”.

She would be leaving the evening with a number of business cards as well as a few possible commissions for future projects. She would have to send Mrs. Cesaire a thank you gift basket for getting her the invitation.

She stopped to talk to Alya and Nino for a bit, neither of whom had seen Adrien in a while, before Nino took Alya out to the dance floor when their favorite song started up.

Marinette glanced around the room one last time, looking for any sign of glimmering blond hair. When her attempt to find him failed, she sighed and wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.

It was way too hot in there.

Marinette could feel the sweat in her hair. If she didn’t get away, all of her curls would fall completely from the humidity. She cursed her heavy Chinese hair for it’s inability to hold a style. When no one was looking, she snagged a bottle of sparkling cider and a glass and slipped out the door to the balcony.

“Marinette,” Tikki said, popping out of Marinette’s purse, “It’s freezing out here! You’re going to get sick!”

Marinette shook her head. “I won’t be out here long. I just want to cool off a bit.”

The night with Adrien and the rest of her friends had been absolutely magical, and she knew she would have to go home soon, but she wanted to hold onto the magic for just a little bit longer. The music from the ballroom poured out of open windows and balcony doors. Marinette gazed upon the Eiffel Tower, the symbol of her city, the city that she and her Cat protected together.

As beautiful as the view was, she could think of one that would be even better.

Tucking the bottle under one arm and shifting her grip on the glass, Marinette approached the ridged siding of the building and the heavy lattice that led up to the roof.

“Marinette!” her kwami protested. “That’s too dangerous!”

Marinette giggled, too busy riding the joyful high of the evening to be concerned with her kwami’s warnings. “I’ll be fine, Tikki. Besides, it’s plenty sturdy.”

She tucked her friend back into her purse and closed the clasp before putting her hands to the lattice siding. In the spring, there would be vines with climbing roses and ivy down the entire side of the hotel, but it was the dead of winter. Marinette was glad that she didn’t have to navigate prickly thorns and delicate flower buds. It took some maneuvering and a reliance on her Ladybug agility, but Marinette managed to climb over the balcony’s railing and scale up the side of the hotel until she was perched on the edge of the rooftop, looking over her city with its twinkling lights glistening off of a light dusting of snow. With her long skirt billowing in the breeze, Marinette took a sip of her cider.

As she looked over her city and listened to the music and laughter drifting up from the gala, she could only reflect on how much her life was changing. She was going into her final year of lycee, and soon her future would be ahead of her. Just tonight, she’d made so many connections with big names in her industry. Building relationships with any of them would make the path to success in the fashion world so much easier. And on top of all of that, her favorite black cat was at her side.

At first, knowing that Adrien was her partner had been terrifying. Even tonight, it had taken them some time to get used to one another.

But that didn’t change the fact that he was her’s, and her love for him was growing brighter every day. Even seeing the smallest things in him brought her joy, from the way he teased her on the battlefield, to their friendly banter during patrols, and especially that look in his eye that he got when he was just so happy, just the way he had looked when thanking her for the cinnamon roll the other day.

It had been scary at first, but Marinette quickly realized that she wouldn’t want anyone else for her partner. She was even thankful for the reveal happening when it had. The thought of her future was still a little bit scary, but with Cat Noir by her side, Marinette was sure she could face anything.

Marinette happily hummed along with the song pouring out of the window, and felt a familiar presence as the sound of footfalls behind her reached her ears.

“What have we here?” He asked, approaching her from behind. “What is this princess doing hiding away from everyone a top her tower?”

Marinette grinned at the way her old nickname fell so easily from Adrien’s lips. She had actually missed the nicknames from him in the past couple of weeks. “I just wanted some time to myself.”

A warm jacket suddenly draped across her shoulders, but it was too thin to be the winter coat she had worn to the party. “If you stay out here with nothing to keep you warm, you’ll get sick.”

Marinette pulled the jacket closer, realizing it was from Adrien’s suit. It smelled like him, like sunshine, grass, and the tiniest hint of camembert cheese.

“But how will you keep warm if you give me this?” She asked, finally glancing over her shoulder.

Adrien stood on the roof’s ledge slightly above her, hand extended towards her to help her to her feet. “I’ll manage.”

She took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“Sorry I was pulled away earlier,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know how Chloe can be.”

Marinette nodded sympathetically. She certainly did understand. “It’s alright.”

The moments passed, and the upbeat song that had been playing shifted to a slower, more intimate tune. Marinette didn’t miss the fact that Adrien still hadn’t let go of her hand, and wondered if maybe Tikki had been right after all…

“My Lady,” Adrien said, the use of her nickname startling her out of her thoughts and making her heart race in a way that only her name on his lips ever could. He bent over her hand in a move that was very Cat Noir and kissed her knuckles. “May I have this dance?”

Marinette giggled. Seeing him finally fall so naturally into the mannerisms of his alterego was simultaneously strange and comforting. “Of course, Chaton.”

He pulled her arm up to his shoulder before circling it around her waist. He set the pace by leading her in a slow dance to match the tempo of the ballad and guided her around their makeshift rooftop dance floor.

“I really wanted to talk to you tonight.” Adrien said conversationally.

“Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?” Marinette teased.

“I don’t want to just talk to you,” he clarified, “I mean, I do love talking to you, but I need to tell you something, something important. Will you hear me out?”

Marinette felt a tingling sensation in the tips of her fingers and her heart constricted in her chest. She felt as though there were a thousand little ladybugs dancing in her stomach. She didn’t trust herself to speak without making word soup in that moment, so she simply nodded.

“Marinette, you’re one of the most important people in my life, as my friend and as my partner. I’ve wanted to say this to you for a while, years, actually, and I’ve even tried a few times, but something always got in the way. But now that I know how amazing you really are, knowing you as Marinette and as My Lady, I can’t keep this inside any longer.” Adrien’s grip tightened at her waist, and a light flush rose in his cheeks. When he met her eyes, there was a heat behind his gaze, the same one she’d begun to notice more and more since the reveal.

The ladybugs in her stomach picked up the tempo as her heart attempted to beat its way out of her ribcage completely.

“The truth is,” he said, “I’m completely in love with you. I have been practically since we met. And knowing that you’re both my fantastic friend as well as my crazy awesome partner only makes me love you more. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but if it’s possible, I want to be with you. I want to dance with you like this, and kiss you under the stars, and share every moment I can with you, because the more I know about you, the less time I ever want to spend apart.”

Marinette felt like she couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t fair. Why did he have to be so good with words when she could barely string  a sentence together?

“Do you think...that could be possible?” He asked, lowering his eyes in a shy manner that she wasn’t used to seeing from him.

“I, um” Marinette said, her voice cracking with the weight of the emotion she was feeling, “I think that I...I’ve always wanted that, too.” This was her partner, her best friend, the person who has had her back and believed in her since the beginning, even when she didn’t believe in herself. Here was this amazing person who was kind, smart, generous, and sometimes even funny. Knowing that he has been by her side this whole time was almost more than she could take, and suddenly this amazing person was telling her that he was in love with her? She felt herself growing light headed and wondered if this could even be real.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, sure that if she said anything more she would completely fall apart in his arms.

As soon as the words left her lips, Adrien acted on pure impulse and threw his arms around Marinette, crushing her to his chest. “Please,” he murmured, “Say that again.”

Marinette wiggled a bit so that she could speak up, “I-I love you.”

She could feel him practically collapse against her as his grip tightened even more. “I love you, too.”

It was like a dream. They stayed like that for some time, simply repeating those special words over and over again as one song changed to another and the moon rose high in the sky.

Marinette was definitely breaking curfew, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Thank you for being here with me,” Adrien said.

The music had changed to a familiar tune that set them off dancing again. Marinette smiled as they swayed in a circle on the rooftop. “Thank you for asking me.”

He brought her close to his chest again, pressing his lips into her hair. “I love this song,” Adrien whispered against her.  He began to hum the tune into her ear as he guided her in a more intricate dance.

“So do I,” Marinette said, savoring the way his heart thrummed against her fingers.

“We are still kids but we’re so in love, fighting against all odds,” Adrien sang along with the music, right into her ear, drawing an embarrassed giggle from Marinette as she buried her face in his chest. “I know we’ll be alright this time.” Adrien took Marinette’s hand, drawing her out to spin under his arm before pulling her back into him and continuing his serenade. “Darling, just hold my hand, be my girl I’ll be your man. I see my future in your eyes.” He took another chance and dipped her back, forcing her to clutch tighter at his forearms until he brought her back upright again. “Baby I’m dancing in the dark with you between my arms, barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song, when I saw you in that dress looking so beautiful, I don’t deserve this, darling you look perfect tonight.” At the end of the refrain, Adrien bent down and nuzzled his nose against her’s.

She smiled and pressed her forehead against his. “I love you.” She murmured for the hundredth time that night.

Adrien smiled like it was the very first time, and snuggled even closer to her.

Their reveal had definitely been nothing like either of them had expected. It had been unplanned, rockey, and awkward at times, but it had been what brought them together on this rooftop, keeping each other warm on a cold winter night. There was no where else either of them would rather be. Things were absolutely perfect just the way they were.

“Merry Christmas, Lovebug.” Adrien said, pressing a soft kiss to the top of Marinette’s head.

Marinette nuzzled further into his neck, never having felt more at home than in this moment. “Merry Christmas, Alley Cat.”

[dc-x-readers]

Work Yourself to Death (Raven x Reader)

Request: Hi I read your recent teen titans Raven imagines and they are really good. Any chance I could request one like that? The reader being interested in Raven and she back, but the reader tries to evade her (often by spending to much time training and overworking) because the readers afraid to tell her their ace?

Alright I need to be perfectly honest, I am not ace, and I am really worried that I didn’t write this well or that I made fun or light of an issue that ace people face everyday. My first girlfriend ever was ace and I tried pulling from my memories of our relationship to voice the reader’s insecurities. If this is offensive to anyone please let me know, I will take it down and I’m so sorry.

Trigger Warnings: Over-working (trending towards anorexic behaviors), severe insecurities  

It was becoming a problem. The massive crush you had on Raven was a serious problem. It got to the point where you couldn’t really talk to her without you heart beating so fast you worried that your chest will explode. The constant blush that was on your face when you saw her didn’t help much either, and you really wished you could just quell the emotions in you chest.

To make matters worse you best friend, Cyborg, new about your crush and would tease you constantly.

Today you were training with Cyborg, you needed to learn how to fight without the crutch of your magic. Just because you could project illusions didn’t mean it had to be the only way you could fight. That’s what Victor said at least.

With little warning Cyborg ran at you, your first reaction was to project an image of yourself in front of you to confuse your friend. At the last moment you remembered that this was a a test in learning to fight without magic, so you let you illusion fall. You didn’t even have time to roll away before Cyborg football tackled you to the ground.

“You didn’t use your powers. That’s a start.” Cyborg grumbled getting up and offering you his hand.

“Again.” You stated.

This time you didn’t even throw up and illusion, you just rolled out of Cyborg’s line of rampage, but Victor easily pivoted to face you again. He took you down within seconds. You didn’t understand, on television it looked so easy, and when you cast illusions during a fight it was as simple as breathing. How could it be this hard?

You still lay on the ground when you heard a monotone voice behind you, “Impressive.”

It was Raven, Raven you unbelievable crush just saw you get your ass kicked! You couldn’t let Raven see you as such a loser, not if you ever wanted to tell her how you feel. You blushed profusely, but didn’t let Raven’s words get to you. Instead you rose again and commanded for Victor to do it again.

And again.

And again.

The training lasted well into the night when the cybernetic teenager finally told you to rest, and went off to the kitchen to get a pizza. However you weren’t tired, the energy burned through you like fire. You needed to get more done, especially since your room was right next to Raven’s. It would be mortifying to come back now, you hadn’t won one match against Cyborg the entire night!

The sleek gym called you name instead of the bed, and you wandered down the halls until you got to a treadmill.

Running had never been something fun for you, it was boring, mind numbingly so, but you needed to burn off all the extra energy thrumming through your veins.

You started running, and let your mind wander. First you thought of your home, your family, who probably missed you so much after you disappeared learning you had magic. Then to Victor who had been your friend before the accident which had taken his human body and replaced it with a metal one. Then to Raven, and how she would react to you telling her you loved her, how she would react to you being asexual.

Your mind wandered so much that you didn’t even notice Robin until he tapped your shoulder. A small scream escaped from you lips, and you looked straight at your perpetrator who had a disapproving scowl on his face and his arms crossed tightly over his chest. Why was he so angry?

“Did you run all night?” Robin asked, prompting you to look around, it was indeed morning, early morning. The sun was just barely peaking out above the horizon and the world was awash with a warm grey instead of the inky blackness of night.

“No, of course not. I woke up early to get my workout in.” You replied non-enthusiastically. Truthfully the sleepless night was starting to get to you, and you just wanted to sit down and take a quick nap.

“Uh huh,” Robin stated looking at the sun then to you, “And what time is it that you woke up for this workout?”

Shit! What time is it now? What time could you lie about? When does the sun rise around here?

“4:30?” You asked skeptically, but you knew it was over. Robin just gave you a disapproving stare and pointed at the door, telling you to get some sleep.

The next week went much the same, you would spar with one of your teammates, not Raven of course, and avoid the purple haired beauty at all costs. After training and you friends told you to get some sleep you would go to the gym and work out, thinking of what you could say to Raven. How you could explain to her your crush that would never have any sexual feelings.

It got to the point that all the Titans checked on you, “Friend Y/N it is not healty to stay awake so long.” Starfire you chastise and lead you back to her bedroom to watch you sleep through the night.

“Come on dude, don’t you want a slice of pizza? You haven’t eaten in forever.” Beast Boy would wave a piece of pizza in front of you.

“Y/N, you can’t keep doing this, the human body will break.” Robin would claim as he walked in on you exercising more.

“No more training Y/N. I mean it!” Cyborg would say sternly, but you wanted to stay distracted. You wanted to hide your feelings for Raven, this crush was turning poisonous and you figgered the best solution for both Raven and your own health was to squash any feelings you might have for the solemn sweetheart.

“Y/N we need to talk.” It was Raven that day, and her stern voice shocked you into looking into her worried violet eyes, “Cyborg told me you have a crush on me.”

Well if you weren’t mortified before, you sure as hell were now. How could Cyborg divulge such important secrets without your permission? What was he thinking?

“Is that why you're doing all this, because of me?” Raven asked, and you swore you could hear a quiver in her voice. She never cried, Raven was solemn as a stone, why would she waste tears on you? “Because you don’t need to I like you just the way you are.”

You looked up at Raven in surprise, she still stood over you, but somehow she looked small. This was clearly getting to her, “Would you still like me if I told you I am ace?” You asked.

Raven let out a choked laugh, it wasn’t that she found any of this humourous, but for you to think something as miniscule as that would stop her feelings for you was ridiculous. Raven was head over heels for you, she always had been.

“Oh Y/N. I don’t care if your ace, as long as you're healthy and happy.” Raven murmured, finally sitting down next to you.

Neither of you touched each other for a minute, but slowly you lowered your head onto her shoulders. Your chest was heavy and you weren’t sure why you wanted to cry so badly in that moment, but you just wanted to let tear gates flood forever.

“We should go to a doctor, to help you through this. I will be there too, the whole time.” Raven spoke softly, and you nodded.

You would go to a doctor, you would get help. But not tonight, tonight you wanted to lay on Raven’s shoulders. Because Raven liked you back, because Raven didn’t care if you were ace, because all Raven seemed to care about was you.