#so sorry lizzie i took your post idea

[cosmotiquecore]

happy friday guys!! anything you guys want me to post on the main mahou planet account?? any ideas?

(will likely take these ideas and put them in a poll in the discord server which yall should DEFINITELY JOIN)

[aliceintheworld]

PURE ATTRACTION | JJK | TATTOO ARTIST

Pairing: TattooArtistJungkook X NaiveReader

Summary: "I shouldn’t be watching a man undressing, specially not from the house next door."

Warning: Angst 🥺 conversation about suicide, depression, uncertainty about oneself, Misuk being the best character of all 🫶 Namjoon finally makes an appearance (he appears a little, but then a little more, I promise) Jungkook being an idiot – forgive him, for he doesn't know what he's doing.

A/N: I'm back!! First, I wanted to thank you all for the affection I've been receiving. Thank you so much for the messages and interactions! If you want to send non-anonymous messages, I even prefer it, because I can follow you 🥰 Pure Attraction is a not very elaborate story, I know, but it has become an important part of my life, so I thank you for reading all these chapters, you don't know how much this means. Without further ado, here is the chapter.

P.S.: Later, still today, I will post the next chapter 🤌

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Chapter 10

The journey back home has never felt so long. Minutes pass, yet it feels as if the clock's hands are stuck. I try to take a deep breath, but I can't. My head is filled with memories, occasions when I could have done something different. I was so foolish, so stupid. Filled with regret, I can't even look at myself in the reflection of the window. I remember my father, my mother, and I wonder what they would say if they knew I made a mistake with no way to turn back. My eyes fill with tears, almost instantly, for the fourth time today alone. Mrs. Jeon remains silent, looking through the coffee table of her house.

She sighs and gaze at her own hands before locking eyes with me, as if she understands me in some way. But I don’t know if anyone could comprehend what I’m going through at this moment. I feel... used. As if, even with my consent, Jungkook took advantage of me, of my innocence and of my inexperience. At the same time, I can't place all the blame on him. I made a mistake, I should have been more cautious and I let him inside of my life.

"Are you okay?" Misuk asks, almost in a whisper. I try to shake my head and force a smile, but I can't. She sways her hair and clicks her tongue nervously. "I can't believe Jungkook did this to you, dear. He’s my son, but I don’t agree with any of this."

"He’s not the only one to blame," I deny; I barely recognize my own voice, weak and trembling.

The last time I saw myself this way was when, during a difficult year, I didn't want to visit my father's grave, and my mother opposed it. The anguish is different, but equally overwhelming.

"Can you explain how you two got so… close?" she questions. "I mean, it hasn’t been long since he came to Busan. Did you have many opportunities to talk?"

"A few." I shrug. That doesn’t matter now. I’m angry and don’t want to talk to anyone. I want to lock myself in my room and pretend everything was a terrible nightmare. "Sorry, I don't even know where to begin. I feel awful."

"You can talk to me."

"You’re his mother."

"I am." She smiles, placing a hand on mine, gently caressing my skin. I immediately feel a maternal love and care I haven’t experince in years. My crying intensifies as I realize that the person I need right now isn’t with me—my mother. Even if she were here, she wouldn’t help. She would judge me, make me feel bad about my mistakes, just as she has done in the past, and I don't need this right now. "Y/N, I’m Jungkook’s mother, but I understand what you’re going through. You have no idea."

"What do you mean?" I frown, confused. Her dark eyes fill with tears, just like mine.

"When I was around your age, I fell in love with a man. He was two years older, and so handsome. He seemed like a dream, someone so different from me, yet so similar—almost like he was a part of me." She tells me looking ahead, as if she could see the memories playing out before her. "He is Jungkook’s father. He was my first love."

"What do you mean?" I whisper. "Mr. Jeon isn’t Jungkook’s father?"

"He isn’t." She shakes her head. "That’s why I say I understand you. It was the first time I fell in love with someone. It was also the first time my trust was broken. When he found out I was pregnant, he left. I was alone, working a part-time job I didn’t even like, that paid poorly and had no support. Those were the worst years of my life."

"Misuk, I don’t know what to say," I respond, with a knot in my throat. She had never shared this while we talked about the past. But I understand her, in a way. It must be hard to relive those memories, and even harder to confide them to someone.

"You don’t have to say anything. I, after all this time, have moved on. The fear of being abandoned, however, still hasn’t healed, even with twenty-six years gone by." She smiles again, but I know she’s more hurt than she wants to show. "Dear, I care about you. I love you like a daughter, even. You’ve been with me during these days, and we’ve grown so close. I see parts of myself in you. The way my mother treated me, the absence of my father. It’s all so similar. That’s why I say I understand you."

"It all happened so… suddenly." I comment to myself, looking down. The shame of crying, and the shame of what I did, prevent me from looking her in the eyes. "I know I should have been more careful, but I was so happy... I don't get it."

"Jungkook, being more experienced than you, should have talked to you, asked what your expectations were, and told you what his intentions were. If he didn’t want something serious, a commitment, he should have warned you." She argues, not letting me continue. It’s as if she wants to lift the guilt I’m feeling, and I'm really thankful for that.

"Yes, but I was so naive. I was a fool to think he could like me the same way I like him." I groan, covering my face as more tears come. My chest hurts just remembering him. His kisses, his touches. He was so gentle with me, treating me like no one else ever had. He listened to me, and that was enough for me.

"Did you... did you have sex?" Misuk asks, running her hand along my back in a comforting gesture that soothes my pain, at least a little.

"I-I... Misuk..."

"It’s okay. You can trust me. You can open up and tell me." She smiles, without judgment. I just shake my head embarrassed, exposed, somewhat humiliated.

"We did it last night. It was very sudden." I try to explain, even if I don’t have many words to do it.

"Was it your first time? Is that why Eunji thinks you slept at my house? She said that yesterday, and I didn’t understand."

"Yes, but that night was the first time I slept at his apartament and we hadn’t done... you know."

"You hadn’t had sex, just other things." She concludes with a smile, tucking my hair behind my ear.

My cheeks burn, even when I try not to. It’s very difficult to talk about this kind of subject, even with Misuk, because I never had anyone to talk to when I was a teenager. My view of sex always came from books, whether educational or romantic.

"That’s it." I confirm, shaking my head.

"Are you in love?" Mrs. Jeon asks me when a silence falls between us.

I take a moment, reflecting about the question as if it were the most difficult one of my life. What does it mean to be in love? Is it feeling a flutter in your chest every time you see the person? Is it having a wild rush of energy that courses through your body uncontrollably? Is it standing still and feeling your heart race a thousand miles an hour? Is it missing that person and wanting to hear from them every day? If that’s the case, then yes, I’m in love. The realization of this fact hurts me even more. It makes me feel weaker. How could I be so foolish? How could I think someone would be interested in me when no one else had?

A flood of memories overwhelms me. If I had known I’d feel this pain, I would have never gotten close to Jungkook. I would have shut my window the first time I saw him, and never opened up again.

"It’s okay." She reassures me, hugging me. I hug her back, trying to purge the feeling of rejection that’s almost lodged in my chest.

"He just turned his back on me. He didn’t even see me when I left. It’s as if he got what he wanted and then I wasn’t worth the effort anymore." I vent, hurt, too wounded to stop the words pouring out.

"Jungkook is a fool." She shakes her head, pressing her lips together. "At the same time, he’s stuck in this messed-up relationship. I’ve told him millions of times that they’re not good for each other. I told him that true love doesn’t hurt, doesn’t deceive, but he’s stubborn like no one else."

"Does he really talk to his ex?" I ask, hoping it’s not as I imagine. That maybe they talk, but not as much as I’ve put in my head.

"The last time we talked about this was two days ago. He told me Namjoon called him, and they had a conversation for twenty minutes. He’s very deluded." She shakes her head, angry. Two days ago we were texting. I know we had no commitment and hadn’t established anything, but to me it’s worse to know he didn’t respect this moment. That it didn’t mean anything to him. While I melted over our messages and smiled like a fool for his attention, he was with his ex, doing the same with someone else.

"Did Namjoon really cheat on Jungkook? Why does he still try? Why does he still talk to him?"

"Namjoon was his first boyfriend. They were together for almost five years, and at one point, they practically lived together. When Jungkook was alone in Seoul, working in a tattoo studio, he met Namjoon and fell in love almost at first sight. He was very shy, introverted, with few friends in the new city. I think that helped them form a strong connection." Misuk explains. She seems to know a lot about the situation, as if she followed everything in detail, even from a distance.

"Have you ever met him... I mean, have you met Namjoon?" I ask, hesitant. My heart races for some reason. My hands feel cold with anxiety.

"Yes." She nods, sighing. "He’s a great guy, I can’t deny that. He works at a book publishing company, very intelligent and kind. I think that’s why Jungkook fell for him. At the same time, Namjoon is someone who wants more. He wants to achieve other things, and when the relationship got in the way of his goals, he didn’t think twice before stepping on everything they built together. Jungkook was devastated."

"How long ago was that?"

"About three months." She says; her body suddenly tenses. "That’s when I tried to take my own life."

"Mrs. Jeon... Jungkook told me what happened." I say, not really knowing if it’s right to tell her the truth. But it’s the first time she’s opened up about the subject, and I don’t think it’s fair, especially now that she told me so much about her past, to hide this from her. Her eyes widen, and then she smiles awkwardly.

"He really is an idiot. He must have told you to keep an eye on me." She says, shaking her head as if recalling her son’s actions, however she doesn't seen to hold any resentment towards him, regarding this. "He’s always been very careful. Always very protective. Jungkook has his flaws, but I think I understand why you fell for him. He’s stubborn but takes care of those he loves. I feel guilty for, even unknowingly, adding this weight to his shoulders. I’ve been feeling better now."

"Are you really okay?" I ask, somewhat uncertain.

"I am. I’m taking my medication, going to therapy, and visiting support groups once a week. Sometimes when I feel bad, I seek comfort. I know that ending my life isn’t an option. I don’t want to leave my son alone." She states. I search her eyes for any hint of untruth, anything that tells me she’s not okay, but I find nothing. I’m glad to know that, at least she, is evolving and improving. "But you know what’s making me feel better, Y/N?"

"What?" I ask, eager to know the answer. Whatever it is, I need an urgent dose of what is making her feel better.

"You." She smiles; more tears appear in her eyes, this time from happiness. "You’ve made my days better. I want you to know you can count on me. For everything." She confesses. Her voice deepens as I break down again.

"Thank you so much." I say sincerely. I have a friend. I have someone I can count on, and that brings me such a great relief that it feels like I could die.

"It’s okay. No more crying Y/N." She gets up from the couch, smiling. She raises her arms and wipes her face with her shirt. "Dear, tell me. Did you use protection? Did you take precautions?"

"No." I flush at the confession, feeling like a child who has no idea of the consequences of her actions. "He went out to buy a morning-after pill, but you arrived and..."

"It’s fine. Don’t worry." She holds her hands up, as if all of this doesn’t matter. "You don’t need to explain. I know that in the heat of the moment, you don’t think about anything. That’s why I had Jungkook when I was twenty." She laughs, making me feel even more embarrassed. "I’ll buy you a pill. Don’t worry; everything will be fine."

"Mrs. Jeon, you don’t have to. I'm going to do it."

"I don’t want to be a grandma so young, Y/N." She jokes, making me laugh too. "And it’s not a problem at all. I want to see you well, and that’s what matters."

"Thank you." I express my gratitude. Not just for the pill, but for everything. Even though it hurts, being here with her alleviates, at least a little, the torment I’m feeling.

"You don’t need to thank me. Everything will be okay." She assures me, and I accept it. I pray to God that all of this I’m feeling will soon come to an end.

"Y/N, what are you doing here?" I hear a voice behind me. I don’t look right away, afraid to fall.

Since the library shelves are very high, I usually use a mobile ladder to organize the books, so before I make sure who it is, I carefully step down the rungs. When I finally reach the ground, I regret coming down. It’s Hayun, Jungkook’s friend. Not because of her, of course, as I enjoyed meeting her, but because of him, who has kept me awake for the past three days.

"Are you okay? It’s been a while since we last saw each other." She smiles. She approaches and kisses my cheek suddenly. She seems to genuinely like me, and I’m grateful for that. Her outgoing personality couldn’t be better right now. My energy, ever since that argument happened, has been dwindling.

"I’m okay." I say, putting on my best smile. "And you? How have you been?"

"Busier every day. With the move and everything."

"You’re moving?" I ask, curious.

"Yes, didn’t Jungkook tell you?" She asks, and just the mention of his name makes my chest ache. The crying and tears have passed, but I’m far from normal with everything that happened. He hasn’t sent me any messages, and I can’t stop thinking that somehow, I was just a conquest for him. A night of sex that is already forgotten.

"No, he didn’t tell me. We haven’t... talked."

"Seriously? He’s been talking a lot about you." I raise an eyebrow, startled.

"What do you mean? What has he said?" The words fly out of my mouth before I can control myself. Hayun laughs, as if she notices my sudden interest.

"He says random things. That you like to read, or that you’re in college and you cook well. Random stuff like that." She comments, approaching one of the shelves to take a look at a book. "Anyway, I’m moving soon. Me and the guys, we’re all going to Seoul."

"With Jungkook?" I bite my lower lip, intrigued.

"Yeah, I’m from Seoul and wanted to go anyway, but we’ve been talking about everyone moving there for years. We were just waiting for Bora and Taehyung to finish college." She closes the book and puts it back, shrugging. I nod in agreement. Good for them. It feels like I’ll be the only one stuck here, stagnant for the rest of my life. I feel bad. I should make a list of topics I can’t discuss without feeling like a fraud. Damn it.

"That’s great... Hayun, I have to go now. I’m working. But it was nice to see you again." I say sincerely. It’s like seeing her again makes me a little closer to Jungkook. I don’t want to think about him, yet simultaneously, I can’t get enough of him. I’m going to go crazy.

"It was nice to see you too, really." She says, smiling. "I don’t want to bother you or anything, but before you go... I wanted to ask, are you going to the party tonight?"

"What party?" I frown, confused.

"The celebration. The studio opened, and we’re having a party at Yoongi’s house. It’ll be the last one before we move to Seoul. What do you think?" She grabs my arm, full of excitement. I shake my head immediately, flustered. Jungkook probably hasn’t told his friends what happened between us, and I don’t know if I should be sad or happy about that.

"I can’t, really." I respond, trying my best expression.

"Come on! Let’s go, Y/N, it’ll be fun. It’s for Jungkook. It’s important to him."

"It’s precisely because of him I’m not going." I whisper to her, softly. Hayun stops smiling and glares at me intently.

"Did something happen? You can tell me. Did the idiot do something to you?"

"He didn’t do anything." I half-lie, half-try to hide. Him sleeping with me while still talking to his ex isn’t exactly a huge thing. We hadn’t established anything serious yet. Though, in my head, he is wrong in any case.

"If he didn’t do anything, you should go. He’s really happy about the studio. He worked for about four years to save the money he needed."

"Hayun..." I sigh, embarrassed. "Actually, something did happen. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to go. It’s to avoid ruining his night that I’m saying no." I finish, somewhat nervously. My body trembles with sadness and bitterness.

"Hey, you can count on me. I won’t tell the idiot anything you say. I’m a jerk, but not a bad friend." She rolls her eyes, clapping her hands together. I chuckle helplessly. She’s funny. I had forgotten this little detail.

"Alright, but I’ll be brief. I really need to get to work." I say. Hayun nods silently in agreement. "Jungkook and I did have a thing."

"I knew it!" She exclaims, in the middle of the hallway. Since it’s a library, her loud voice echoes throughout the place, drawing the attention of the few customers to us. I laugh in despair, covering my mouth with my hand. "Sorry, I spoke too loud. But I knew it! the way he talks about you... he likes you."

"I don’t think he likes me that much." I whisper, losing my smile. "He doesn’t want commitment, and that’s why we drifted apart. He still seems to care a lot about his ex."

"Namjoon." Hayun grunts his name without enthusiasm, rolling her eyes. Her once cheerful face, suddenly tightens. "I know. I liked him until I found out what he did to Jungkook. No one has spoken to him since."

"Yeah. Well. That’s why I think it’s better not to go. I want this to be a good moment for him, anyway. I don’t want to cause any discomfort." I vent, gathering my hands that get sweaty, every time I think about this topic. I have to swallow hard to avoid more tears and appearing like a fool in front of his friend.

"I still think you should go. You won’t ruin anyone’s night; I’m sure of that. And it's Yoongi’s house, it’s not like you can’t go." The brunette argues.

"Even so, the party is for him."

"Y/N, Jungkook won’t be in Busan for long. Don’t you think it’s better for you to talk, whether to end whatever it is you have, so you can both move on without resentment?" She suggests, making me think.

I shake my head for the tenth time in this conversation. I don’t know if it would be a good idea. It’s the first time I’ve ever had feelings for someone, and I don’t know if to end what I feel, I should talk to him. My romantic experiences are based on books, and in books, the heroines are never rejected. Just imagining even for a second, if I go to this party Jungkook will show discomfort or indifference, makes me panic. A strong shiver runs through my whole body with the thought.

"I don’t know if it’s a good idea." I reply, shrugging. Hayun sighs, tapping her boot on the wooden floor.

"Okay. Let’s do this: you’ll go. Stay for five minutes. If you see it’s better not to force things and forget all of this, I’ll take you home myself." She says, putting her hands together as if in prayer.

"You’re quite persistent, huh." I murmur, laughing. I roll my eyes, reflecting. Should I talk to him? Should I give myself a chance to hear him out and maybe understand his side? Even if we don’t end up together, and I end up sad, wouldn’t it be better to finish whatever it is we had, so I can move on?

For the past three days, all I could think about was him. There hasn’t been a single hour where I could relax, read, or watch something like I always did. I sigh, groaning. Then I nod my head, still unsure. My mother is still out of town, and that gives me a little more freedom than usual. Hayun lets out a high-pitched scream and bounces around, hugging me. It’s as if with my decision alone, I’ve made her day happier.

"You’re going to love it! Yoongi’s parties are always so much fun." She assures me with a confidence I don’t have. I went to a party once, and I remember hating everything. Both the music and the people.

"I hope so." I laugh, not very sure about what I’m doing. I want to give up on this idea because it makes no sense, and at the same time, I want to show that I’m brave. That I can face my fears. I don’t want to run away of everything forever.

I can do this!

I can’t do this. I can’t do this!

I look at my outfit and feel like going back outside, running after the taxi I took to get here. My long dress, made of thick fabric, has nothing to do with what these people wear. It’s as if I live on another planet, literally. The music is upbeat, playing from two speakers in the middle of the room. It’s good, considering the bizarre things I’ve heard out there. The lights are all purple, giving the place a sensual and enigmatic look. There are many people, and none of them I know. On one hand, I thank God for not running into Jungkook. On the other, I wish he’d appear before me out of nowhere, just so I could put an end to all of this, once and for all.

But what would I say? You’re a bastard, Jungkook. You didn’t promise me anything, but actions speak louder than words. Your actions didn’t show me you still loved your ex. I could say all of that, but how would it help me? Being honest with myself, I came because I felt afraid that, that morning, three days ago, would be the last time I would see him. The last time I could look into his eyes and feel his presence. I am truly in love, and I don’t want to hold onto another regret in my life.

I look side to side, trying to find Hayun, but in the middle of so many people, it’s hard to recognize anyone. I walk through the room, bumping into a few women. They don’t mind, though. I don’t know the environment very well, but the further I get from the crowd, the more I can enter the open backyard, which has a huge pool. Hayun sent me the address an hour ago; maybe if I called her, I could find her more easily. When I take my phone out of my small bag, determined to complete the call, I spot a red-haired figure that catches my attention. Yoongi. It must be him. I walk slowly towards his group of friends, feeling apprehensive, afraid of accidentally colliding into Jungkook.

"Y/N! Over here!" I confirm my suspicions when Hayun waves her arms in the air, as she recognizes me despite the low light. I smile faintly, walking closer to everyone. They all seem unbelievably beautiful, well-dressed, with an air of excitement that I don’t possess. "You made it! I thought you got lost."

"I took a taxi. It’s just far from where I live." I apologize, shrugging.

"Don’t worry. I haven’t had anything to drink. If you need anything, I’ll take you home, okay?" She smiles, placing her sunglasses on the top of her head. Hayun looks prettier when she does that. "Guys, look who’s here. Y/N!"

I shake my head, greeting them. They seem happy to see me, which relieves 50% of my worries. My stiff and tense shoulders, from imagining scenarios where none of them wanted to see me. I’m relieved to realize that this isn’t happening in reality.

"Y/N, how are you?" Bora kisses my cheek, just like the other girls. Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung nod, sipping something from their cups.

"I’m good." I smile, feeling awkward. I look around for Jungkook, but he’s nowhere in sight. At least not as far as I can see. "It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other."

"Right? What have you been up to, Y/N?" Yoori, Taehyung’s girlfriend, asks. I open my mouth to respond, but I don’t have much to say.

"I’ve been working a lot." I say, honestly. Partly because it’s true, and partly because I don’t know how far I can tell. Do Yoongi, Jimin or Taehyung know that I was with Jungkook? I’m so paranoid about this I can hardly look them in their eyes.

"She works at the Dongseo University bookstore. When I went to pick up some books, I found her there." Hayun circles her arm around my shoulder, smiling. I nod in agreement. "Y/N, Jungkook is around here; he went to get something to drink." She whispers the last part in my ear, trying to keep everyone else from hearing, and with all this noise, it’s not too hard.

My breath catches when I think I might run into him at any moment. My heart beats like it’s going to burst out of my chest, and my legs feel like jelly from so much nervousness. When I think of a mantra to calm me down and finally face things like a normal person, head held high, I see him coming toward his friends, not really seeing them. It’s as if he’s so lost in thought that he can’t see anyone a foot in front of him. Hayun beside me suddenly gasps. She mutters something near me, and I only feel her tense body, because she is pressed against mine. Everyone looks at Jungkook with expressions of discomfort that I can't quite understand.

"Y/N, I’m sorry. I didn’t... I didn’t know." She says, shaking her head. I frown, confused. What’s happening?

"What’s wrong? Is everything okay?" I ask, anxious, feeling all kinds of emotions at once.

"That guy next to Jungkook." She says, discreetly pointing to a very handsome man, just a few inches taller than him. "That guy is..."

"Namjoon? What’s he doing here?" Jimin questions, crossing his arms over his chest, interrupting his friend. My eyes widen as they approach. My whole body pulls back, and I want to disappear. To be swallowed by the earth and never inhabit this world again. But it’s too late. Jungkook is already here. And his dark, big eyes grow wider when they see me.

"Y/N?" He asks, confused.

Fuck.

"J-Jungkook. Hi." I nod my head. The fear of making any move and embarrassing myself in front of everyone, is overwhelming. The fear that he might just ignore me and pretend I don’t exist, is even greater. I swallow hard, frozen in place. I can’t even greet him properly.

Jungkook doesn’t move either. He stares at me in a static way, and everyone in the group seems to notice. Even Namjoon, his ex-boyfriend. He’s handsome. With his black hair, lean strong body, and a masculine perfume that exudes confidence. My insecurities about myself intensifies. If I had known he would be here, I would have never come. I was a fool to think this would be a good closure. Jungkook hasn’t wanted to talk to me for the past three days. Why would he want to talk to me now? The urge to cry returns, and I’m tired of this situation.

"I didn’t know you’d come, Namjoon." Hayun says beside me, still with her arms around my shoulders. I lower my head, embarrassed.

"I decided at the last minute. I had to come to support Jungkook." He smiles, and he’s even more attractive when he does, forming charming dimples on his cheeks.

"Wonderful." Yoongi grins, but I have the feeling it’s not very sincere. His dark eyes show feelings far from happiness. "I hope you came to stay for a short time. I don’t want certain people in my house."

"Yoongi!" Jungkook scolds his friend, and my throat tightens. Is he defending his ex-boyfriend? Doesn’t he realize the gravity of what Namjoon did? He cheated on him!

"Don’t worry." He places a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder and squeezes it with an intimacy that makes me extremely uncomfortable. "I came just to see you; I won’t stay long, anyway."

"He was kidding." Jungkook clarifies to him, his voice somewhat hoarse. Then he lowers his head and looks at me again. His eyes are so intense that I have to take a deep breath, struggling to breathe normally. "Actually, I need to talk to Y/N."

"What?" I ask, surprised. My body tenses up again, stiff. Hayun lets out a small smile that everyone notices, and shakes her hair, almost as if the whole situation were a movie, and she’s the spectator.

"I told you it would be a good idea for you to come." She says, and her voice is so loud that it’s as if she wants everyone to hear, especially Namjoon, who bites his lips and watches me. His gaze is enigmatic. I can’t tell if he feels anger or discomfort. Or neither.

"Hayun, please..." I whisper. "And Jungkook, I was actually leaving."

"You weren’t." Hayun argues, furrowing her brow. "You just got here, and you’re staying. You’re welcome here."

"I don’t know..."

"Please, Y/N, I wanted to talk to you. Stay a little longer." Jungkook whispers, biting his rosy lips. His face looks sad, but I can’t believe it’s because of me. If he liked me, even a little, he wouldn’t be standing next to his ex with almost an intimate proximity. I can’t understand him. Not at all.

"Okay." I agree, uncomfortable with everyone watching us, as if we’re animals in a zoo. I don’t want to imagine what they’re thinking.

"Namjoon, I’ll talk to Y/N. I’ll be back soon." He smiles faintly, looking at the dark-haired man. Namjoon just nods and gaze at me one more time.

"Okay. No problem. I’ll stay here with your friends." He says, and I catch a glimpse of Jimin sighing as he takes a large gulp of his drink.

We move away from the group in silence. His hand approaches the end of my back, but he doesn’t touch me. My brain feels like it’s going to fry. There’s so much I want to say, and at the same time, so much that isn’t worth saying. I feel so bad. The way he said he would return to his ex is one of those reasons. Why does he stay in this relationship? Doesn’t he realize he would be happier if he just distanced himself from Namjoon? But that’s my opinion, and he clearly doesn’t think that way. We approach a tree, further away from the party, in the backyard. I lean my back against it, fearing I won’t have strength in my legs. I can’t even look him in the eyes. I don’t have the courage for that. We stand in silence for a few seconds, but it feels like an eternity.

"Are you okay?" He asks me quietly. If he weren’t so close and we weren’t so far from the music, I wouldn’t be able to hear him.

"I am." I respond, trying to form a smile that isn’t real. "And you?"

"Yeah." He smiles too; he tosses his hair back, closes his eyes and sighs, watching me. "You look very beautiful."

"Thank you." I say, feeling awkward. I don’t feel beautiful; I feel terrible.

"Y/N, I don’t know what to say." He says, placing his hand on the trunk of the tree, behind me. His scent invades my nose whether I like it or not. I have to use all my self-control not to respond to any of his movements. "I haven’t been well since that morning. I don’t feel good."

"You don’t feel good." I repeat his words, finding it amusing. He doesn’t feel good? Seriously?

"You may not believe it, but I had to hold myself back from calling you."

"You could have called." I shrug, speaking. My voice sounds ironic, but I can’t be any different. I’m angry. So angry and sad. It’s as if all the bad feelings are inside my chest right now.

"I could, but I shouldn’t. I wanted to take some time to think, and you needed that too." He argues, furrowing his brow. "I want you to know that Namjoon is here, but I didn’t know he would come. It was a surprise to me too."

"You must have been thrilled." I respond with a not-so-happy smile. Jungkook runs his tongue along the inside of his cheek, and tightens his jaw, irritated.

"I wasn’t thrilled. I’m not happy, if that’s what you're saying."

"Jungkook... I get it. You want to be with him. I may be inexperienced, but I can read the situation. You don’t need to explain yourself to me. There’s nothing to explain. I just came because I wanted to say I’m happy for you. To congratulate you. Just that."

"You didn’t come just for that." He says in denial. "I can see it in your eyes."

"You know me so well, don’t you?" I respond ironically, trying to hide the extent to which I’m affected. I want to leave. I shouldn’t have come to this party. I shouldn’t be here with him.

"Y/N, please..."

"Jungkook, what are you doing here with me?" I lose my patience, finally reaching my limit. I push away from the tree, my stomach churning. "Why aren’t you with him? With Namjoon? I’m not important to you, so why are you pretending like I am?!"

"I already told you to stop acting like you know me better than I know myself." He grunts, his face reddening with anger.

"It doesn’t matter what you say. I’ve already told you: actions speak louder than words, and you’ve proven that to me since that morning. You didn’t call me for three days simply because you didn’t want to!"

"Y/N..."

"You don’t want to be with me, and that’s fine. You don’t have to be. I already understand where your limits are; just... just don’t pretend to like me if you don’t care about me!" I finish, trembling. My eyes fill with tears, and I feel so vulnerable, anxious. Jungkook has always brought out the best in me, and now I don’t even recognize myself.

"I care about you." He moves closer, furrowing his brows. His dark eyes grow bright. If it weren’t for the lack of light, I could swear he’s about to cry too. He gets even closer and touches my cheek with his hand, gently caressing my skin, sending chills down my spine. I want to pull away from him, but I can’t. "Y/N, I really like you. I didn’t call because I needed some time."

"Stop..." I plead, in a whisper. Both for his words and for his touches. I wrap my hand around his wrist, but I don’t halt him from continuing. I don’t move, half weak, half uncertain, afraid he’ll stop and nervous he’ll keep going.

"I missed you." Jungkook says softly in my ear. His body almost fully pressed against mine. His breath hits my neck; his strong chest touching my breasts. And I don’t know if it’s his heart or mine, racing a thousand miles an hour, so fast and strong.

"Jungkook, stop." I beg, but I can’t pull away myself. He takes his face away from my neck and looks at me once more. His pupils dilate, and they go straight to my mouth. A shiver runs through my entire body as he moistens his lips with his tongue, with a desire so exposed that I can’t mistake it for anything else. And I let him come closer, so damn slowly, as if we’re in slow motion. When I finally close my eyes, surrendered, hypnotized, I hear someone calling him.

"Jungkook?"

Ask for a TAGLIST in the comments

@joonwater @ane102 @ttipa @kookienooki

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Part 21: The Shadow of the Abattoir

Summary: Tommy's ambitions take them to new heights, but not without consequences looming on the horizon.

Word Count: 4,005

Warnings: Sexual content and references to torture and pregnancy. Bit of a bittersweet ending here, so sorry about that!

Notes: I originally considered including some more detailed aspects--even potentially a full chapter--detailing Lizzie's pregnancy and Ruby's birth, but I have tokophobia, and just wasn't comfortable going into that much detail regarding that topic. So apologies to anyone who wanted to see more of that. And I promise that the Lizzie drama is only just beginning, and will be a big part of the next couple parts, so please consider checking those out once they're posted if you're interested in seeing a continuation of that aspect of the story.

Also, I just want to give a huge thank you to everyone who has read this story. This is to date the biggest single fic I have ever written, and the support you have given me means so much. I promise to have more featuring Tommy and Lucy out very soon!

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Part

Chapter 29: Shake Hands with the Devil

Returning to work had been the right idea.

Already, Lucy was starting to feel better, work helping to drive the dark thoughts that had been plaguing her lately to the back of her mind. They were still there, but they weren’t nearly as loud as they once were. 

Tommy’s new plan required a good amount of logistics and organizing, both of which she was eager to take on. And another action, one somewhat less desirable, but just as necessary. 

She was surprised at just how easy it was to get Jessie to give up the name of the leader of the cell. All it took was a kiss from Tommy and a declaration that he wanted to help her cause to have information already spilling from her lips. 

But then again, Tommy always seemed to have that effect on women. And Jessie, despite how she may have presented herself, was desperate for connection.

“You alright?” Tommy asked, after Jessie had left the office with the promise that they’d meet up later.

“I feel a little bad for what we’re doing to her,” Lucy sighed, leaning back into him while his hands rested on her upper arms, chin settling on the top of her head.

“If you really don’t want to go through with it, we can figure something else out–”

“No, it’s fine.” She turned around in his arms to face him, resting her head on his chest, leaning into the warmth of his body. 

It was a shitty thing, what they were doing to Jessie. But fucking her was necessary to ensure her loyalty until the election was done. And to maintain the steady stream of information she could provide them about the communists–at least, that’s what Lucy was going to keep telling herself in order to be able to sleep at night. 

“Just…” she worried on her bottom lip, feeling Tommy’s hand settle protectively on the back of her head. “Promise me that you won’t come in her.” She didn’t need to specify as to why, feeling him tense a little against her of the reminder of Lizzie and her approaching due date. 

“I promise.”

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “We really should talk about what you want to do about Lizzie.”

“What do you mean?”

She hesitated, unsure as to how she could properly broach the subject to him, feeling a tear begin to cleave its way through her heart in response to what she was about to suggest. Even as she forced the words to come out. 

“You should marry her.”

Tommy jerked back, staring at her with a furrowed brow, frown pulling his lips downwards. “What?”

“You can’t be unmarried with an illegitimate child if you want to move into politics, Tommy.” Knowing him, winning the position of MP was just the beginning. He had big things ahead of him. “You have to project the right kind of image. And if you want to be able to be involved in any sort of significant way with the baby…”

“But I love you,” he said softly. “If I’m going to marry anyone–”

“It needs to be the mother of your child,” Lucy finished for him stubbornly. He shot her a wounded look. 

“I don’t want to marry her.”

We don’t always get what we want, she thought, but bit her tongue. If things had been different, maybe it could have been her that he would marry. But they weren’t. 

“And besides, what about you?” he pressed.

“I think that I’m a small price to pay for the betterment of your child’s life and your career.”

The hurt in his eyes deepened. “Well I don’t!”

“Tommy…”

“We’re not talking about this,” his jaw twitched unhappily as he shook his head, turning towards his desk.

“Sweetheart, please…”

“I’m not giving you up.” That stubborn sharpness entered his eyes, jaw setting, and she knew that she would get nowhere with him on the subject. At least not yet. He’d have to see with his own eyes that she was right before he budged on it. 

She sighed. The last thing that she wanted to do at the moment was fight with him. “Alright.”

They did not speak of the matter again. Though it lingered in the air between them like a ghost. 

∗ ∗ ∗

They laid side by side in the narrow bed, Tommy in the middle with Lucy on one side of him, Jessie on the other. He was thumbing at his brow with one hand, staring up at the ceiling while Jessie slipped out from under the sheets to go get dressed. Lucy watched her lazily, shifting to tuck herself more closely into Tommy’s side. His arm dropped to wrap around her shoulders, fingers tracing over her back. She shifted nearer to him, suddenly needing the closeness.

“You okay?” Tommy whispered to her in the dark. When she didn’t respond right away, his voice grew a little strained with worry. “Lucy?”

“‘M okay,” she said, nestling her head more firmly on his chest, eyes still watching Jessie carefully. They could not talk while she was in the room with them. At least not really. 

She ached pleasantly between her legs from having him buried inside her but only a few moments ago. And while the pleasure from the orgasm he’d given her was still rushing through her veins, she was coming down from it rapidly, crashing back to earth in an unpleasant plunge. 

It would appear that Lizzie’s pregnancy had more or less killed a lot of the enjoyment that threesomes once held for her. She’d felt an unfamiliar surge of anxiety as they’d taken Jessie to bed, the kind that sex normally helped to dull. But this time the tumultuous, overwhelming feelings only seemed to grow as she watched Tommy fuck their new lover. Even though he’d kept his promise and not emptied himself inside of Jessie, the threat of yet another unintended accident from their liaison had set her so on edge that she found it almost impossible to fully lose herself even in Tommy’s familiar kisses and touches.

She was pretty sure that he was able to sense her nervousness, but whether he was able to guess the actual reason, or thought that she was just anxious because this was the first threesome they’d had since what had happened with Luca, she wasn’t sure. Either way, despite Jessie being the primary focus of the evening, he was being notably attentive towards her, eyes constantly darting over to check on her throughout, warm mouth seeking out her skin in attempts to pull her out of her own head. 

He was looking at her that same way now, a slight crease forming between his brows. Lucy offered him a weak smile that only caused the look of concern to deepen, his other arm joining the first in wrapping around her so that he was hugging her tightly. Lucy squeezed him back, closing her eyes and burying her face in his chest. As if by doing so she could somehow hide away from the entire world. 

∗ ∗ ∗

Tommy left his meeting with Arthur Bigge in high spirits. It had taken some convincing, but all his conditions had been met. Everything was going according to plan. 

Well, not everything. Lucy was still worrying him. She was doing considerably better than she had been during their holiday, but she still wasn’t wholly herself. 

She used to smile and laugh so easily. Even at the absolute worst of his jokes, or with the smallest little bit of teasing, and he could have her giggling, trying to shield it behind one of her hands even as her amber brown eyes lit up, entire face crinkling with mirth.

But nowadays, a melancholic aura had draped over her, seeming to cling to her skin, casting a film of sorrow over her eyes. Of course Tommy did not expect her to go back to the way that things were before Luca. But it killed him to see her so despondent and broken. 

He missed hearing her laugh. 

What he would give to make it all better for her. To pull the sadness out of her eyes. Take it into himself, if he had to. Just so long as she didn’t have to carry it anymore. 

She was still having nightmares and the occasional panic attack, as was to be expected. He had been worried originally that all the work that came along with preparing for the election would cause her too much stress. Especially with how fragile she still was. But if anything the work seemed to help, so he let her be. 

But her comments about how he should marry Lizzie had struck a nerve in him, planting a seed of dread in his chest. He had always assumed if he were to ever marry again after Grace, it would be to Lucy. No one else. Especially not Lizzie.              

He had meant what he’d said. He wasn’t letting her go. He’d rather burn his reputation and even the entire bloody company to the ground before he even considered something like that. But his Lucy seemed incapable of understanding that, and he was beginning to grow more and more worried that no matter how much he tried to reassure her, she was doubting her place at his side.

When he first brought up the idea of running for MP, she had asked him what was to become of her position as his assistant after he took office. The question had taken him aback. It had seemed so obvious to him that she would come with him. He’d hardly given it any real thought. Wherever he went, so did she. That was how things had always been, and he had no intention of changing them. Her worries seemed only somewhat abated when he smiled and coyly told her that MPs still needed assistants. It wasn’t long before she was fretting over the possibility of rumors spreading regarding their relationship and tarnishing his reputation. 

As if his reputation was not already drenched in blood and mud. 

He’d just grinned and kissed her temple, trying to appear relaxed and unbothered by any of it. Hoping that if he did, it would help to soothe her. 

“Most politicians are sleeping with their secretaries, love. We won’t exactly be unique in that regard,” he’d told her. It seemed to have calmed her concerns enough. At least for the moment. 

Adjusting the grip on his briefcase, he pushed out of the door and stepped into the crisp fresh air. Glancing around, he frowned when he didn’t spot Lucy on the bench where he’d left her before going in for the meeting. Bigge had wanted to meet with just him alone, and while Tommy had been inclined to kick up a fuss about it until he let Lucy accompany him, she’d insisted that he shouldn’t risk irritating Bigge just so she could be in the room while they struck their deal. 

He hadn’t been particularly happy about it, but ultimately he had to admit that she had a point. 

Looking around, a beat of panic tightened in his throat at no sight of her distinctive crimson hair. His heart started to pound hard in his chest. No. No, no, no, no…he’d just left her there for a second, she’d been armed, there were dozens of people around, surely she couldn’t have been just snapped up right off the street…

His head swiveled around, scanning the people passing by him. Maybe he’d just missed her. She was so short, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility that he’d just lost her in the crowd of people.

He was just beginning to properly panic when he heard his voice at his elbow. 

“How did it go?”

He whirled, eyes wide, chest still heaving with the startings of his panic attack, to find her standing there none the worse for wear, black coat pulled in tight around her.

Relief hit him like a blast to the face, and it took all his self control not to seize her in his arms and squeeze her tight to him. Instead he just let out a deep breath, shoulders relaxing. His eyes closed as he steadied himself, taking the time to remind himself that she was there and she was fine.

He opened his eyes again to find her still looking up at him, head cocked curiously. “Where were you?” he demanded, tone perhaps a bit sharper than he’d intended. 

“I got bored, so I went for a walk.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s just…you weren’t here and I…” he huffed. “It’s alright. C’mon,” he indicated with his head towards the car that he’d parked on the edge of the curb. He held open the door for her, then slipped in after she’d gotten settled in the passenger seat. Setting his briefcase down and closing the door behind him, he turned to look at her. There was an odd bulge in the front of her coat. His eyes narrowed. The bulge twitched. “What’s that?”

Lucy clutched her coat tighter to her body, blinking up at him innocently. “What’s what?”

“What’s wrong with your coat?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her coat meowed. Tommy raised an eyebrow. Lucy pouted, letting the garment fall open to reveal a tiny little black and orange tortoiseshell kitten hidden underneath, blinking up at him with scrutinizing green eyes. 

“What the bloody hell is that?”

Lucy stroked the little animal’s head. “It’s a kitten, Tommy. Surely you’ve heard of them before.”

He rolled his eyes. “I know what a kitten is, Lucy. What’s it doing tucked in your coat?”

“I heard her crying in the alley behind the bench I was sitting at. And when I went to look, she was soaking wet and shivering all alone in this little box. I couldn’t just leave her there.”

“The fuck are we going to do with a stray kitten, Luce?”

She shrugged. “We can keep her at the house. She could help with the mice problem.”

“We don’t have a mice problem.”

“And now that we have a cat, we never will.”

He eyed the kitten warily, still feeling like she was sharply analyzing him. Her little tail flicked back and forth, paws kneading at Lucy’s thighs. When Lucy scratched at the top of her head, she angled her face up, and batted at her playfully with one soft paw. Lucy giggled. 

Tommy looked up sharply at the sound, biting the inside of his cheek to try to maintain his serious facade even as he felt himself soften at the sight of her smiling down at the cat. 

“And you immediately assumed that I’d be alright with this?” he asked, the amusement obvious in his voice.

“You don’t have much of a choice.” Lucy flashed him a grin before her attention returned to the kitten, who’d curled up into a ball on her lap. Tommy raised an eyebrow, fond smile threatening to break containment as it tugged on the edges of his lips. 

“No?”

Lucy looked up at him, a challenge entering her eyes. “You knocked someone else up.”

He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. “You know what–that’s fair.”

She snickered, leaning forward to peck his cheek to let him know that there was no real bite to her words. Tugging off one of his gloves, he held his hand out to the cat. She sniffed at his knuckles, whiskers twitching with consideration, and then rubbed her cheek against his hand. 

“She likes you.”

“Mm.” He gave her a few scratches under the chin, begrudgingly admitting to himself that the kitten was pretty fucking cute. And Lucy was right; the least he could do was let her keep the cat. “We’ll have to get her checked out by the vet before we take her home.” 

“Of course. Who knows what she might’ve gotten into living on the streets. Poor baby.”

Tommy let his hand stroke over the kitten’s back. She was so little, he could probably have fit her in one palm when she was all curled up. He felt a slight buzz under his hand as she started purring. He could feel Lucy watching them both fondly. 

“So it went well?”

“Hm?”

“The meeting with Bigge. Did it go alright?”

He smiled at her softly. “Yes; it went alright.” 

Her face lit up, leaning into him. “Good.”

He turned his face to catch her lips with his, kissing her gently in celebration.

Between them, the kitten meowed. 

∗ ∗ ∗

“Don’t you dare.”

Lucy grinned to herself as she approached Tommy’s office, hearing his voice even before she pushed open the heavy wooden door. She was greeted with the sight of the kitten perched on his desk, her little paw batting his box of matches closer and closer to the edge, her head cocked with intrigue. 

Her green eyes peered over at him, holding his gaze, and promptly batted the box onto the floor. Tommy sighed, reaching across to scoop the little monster up and plop her down onto his lap. “You’re gonna be a little troublemaker, aren’t you?” But he was smiling to himself, a dimple appearing in his cheek when the kitten meowed in agreement. 

Lucy smiled as she stepped fully into the office, walking over to set down a fresh stack of papers onto his desk. “Need you to sign these.” She collapsed back into a chair across from him as he plucked up a pen. 

Her hand raised to rest against the side of her face as she watched him. With every passing day, the election drew nearer, and with it, her anxiety grew. 

She’d been keeping an ear to the ground, regarding anything that might hinder him winning. But so far, with all the careful bribing and other methods of rigging that they’d implemented holding strong, it seemed like it would be an easy path to victory.

But there were some rumblings regarding Lizzie and the pregnancy that had started to spread. Lucy was pretty sure that they could keep them suppressed at least until the election was over. But not indefinitely.

It was going to become a problem.

She supposed it was almost funny, in a way. How being unmarried with an illegitimate child was likely to cause more harm to his reputation than being a notorious gangster. 

They needed to address it. Figure out what they were going to do. And the longer that they took, the more damage the whole situation was likely to cause. 

The kitten jumped into her lap, curling up with a soft purr. Lucy let her hand stroke mindlessly through her black and orange fur.   

“Tommy?”

He looked up at her through the glinting lenses of his glasses, eyebrow raised, papers still clutched between his fingers. 

“Yes?”

She’d been reluctant to bring up the subject ever since he so thoroughly shut her down the last time over it. But if she was being truly honest with herself, that wasn’t the only reason why she’d so willingly let it go.

She didn’t want him to marry Lizzie. And she sure as hell did not want to let him go. 

We’ve still got some time. We don’t need to do anything about it yet.

She swallowed hard, feeling like the worst, most selfish scum on the earth, even as she forced a wobbly smile on her face. 

“Never mind.”

∗ ∗ ∗

Time passed at seemingly the speed of light. And before she knew it, she was standing next to Tommy, the rest of the family–except for Lizzie who had to wait outside with the baby–crowded around him. They were all waiting with baited breath as the results of the election were announced over the loudspeaker. Lucy could feel her guts twisting nauseatingly inside her with nerves, heart leaping into her throat. 

It had been an insane handful of months, and they’d all seemingly passed within the blink of an eye. She didn’t even know where all the time had gone. 

Not long before the election took place, Lizzie gave birth to a baby girl, already bestowed the name Ruby by Polly before her arrival into the world.  

And oh, did Tommy love that little girl. 

It was heartwarming to see him fall so deeply in love with her, and every moment spent watching him with her made Lucy’s heart jump. 

But God, did it also hurt.

She kept her melancholy and jealousy over the gorgeous little family he now had with Lizzie tucked down deep and away, where no one would ever find it. Ruby was a sweet baby, and she deserved nothing but good things in life. And Lucy did love her. Enough that she was more than prepared to walk away forever if she had to in order to give that girl a chance at growing up with a proper family around her. 

She knew it made Tommy sad, to not be able to see her all the time. Ruby and Lizzie still lived at the home Tommy had bought for them, and while he visited when he could, he still did not get to see his daughter as often as he would if she lived at Arrow House. 

They still had not had the conversation about what to do regarding that situation long-term. She’d tried to bring up the idea of him and Lizzie getting married again a handful of times, especially after Ruby’s birth, but Tommy still wouldn’t hear of it. 

A part of her was worried that, despite the promising polls, his personal life would hinder his victory. And it would all be her fault. Because she had been selfish and decided to try to hold onto him, even though the selfless thing–the responsible thing–would have been to let him go so he could build a proper personal life to go along with his new ambitions. 

A huge breath of relief left her when his name was announced over the loudspeaker, a wide smile quickly replacing the look of apprehension that had been there a moment prior. She hugged Tommy back tightly in celebration when he engulfed her in his arms, briefly forgetting that she was trying to behave more distantly towards him in public. Like a mere colleague rather than a lover. To try to save his reputation before the rumor mill fully caught wind of their affair and ran with it. 

“I now declare Thomas Shelby to be the new Labor Member of Parliament for the constituency of Birmingham South,” the announcer boomed for all to hear. Not just in the room that they were all crowded in to hear the results, but across the entire bloody country. 

Cheers erupted, everyone in the family swarming around him, all smiles and uninhibited joy. They soon made their way to the doors, out to where Lizzie was waiting with Ruby clutched in her arms. Tommy beamed as he scooped Ruby up, lifting her high above his head, the baby squealing and giggling in delight. Lucy smiled at the display and the baby’s happy coos as her father adjusted her to rest on his hip and carry her with him down the rest of the stairs. But her smile quickly fell when she spotted Lizzie flashing a truly snide smirk at Jessie where she was standing in the crowd. A tendril of trepidation coiled itself around her, wondering if she would be on the receiving end of such a look sooner or later. Lizzie had been behaving decently towards her as of late, but she was not fool enough to expect that to last.

She followed Tommy and Lizzie down the stairs, lingering back to let them both go first, walking side by side with their baby while she trailed behind them; alone. 

And despite their current string of good fortune, of endless possibilities and new doors opening up before them, she found herself struggling to muster up any real hope for the future. 

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Part

Thank you for reading! Please consider leaving a comment, reblog, or like. I always appreciate feedback and love getting the opportunity to interact with you and hear your thoughts!

[goldenempyrean]

sick reader and elizabeth using “It sounds like you’ve caught that bug going round.”  and “Naps are only for babies and old people. Im neither.”  

Should've Stayed Home

〚 Notes - Just posting the fic I wrote last night :) This hasn't been edited/checked well so sorry about mistakes! 〛

〚 Pairing - Lizzie Olsen x Reader 〛

〚 Summary - You insisted on visiting Lizzie's parents with her, even when you weren't feeling great. But once you arrived there, it seems that maybe staying home would've have been such a day idea. 〛

〚 Wordcount - 1300 〛

〘 Check Out My Masterlist! 〙

╚════════ ⋇⋆✦⋆⋇⋆✦⋆⋇ ════════╝

“Maybe you should stay home today sweetheart.” Lizzie sighed as you coughed into your elbow, “It sounds like you’ve caught that bug going round. We can always reschedule, or I can always go visit my parents by myself for a few hours and then come home again.” 

But you only shook your head as tossed her the car keys, “No, we’ve been putting off seeing your parents for weeks and I’m not even that sick either, my throat’s just being a little temperamental.” 

Lizzie hesitated for a moment, worry creasing her forehead, but ultimately, she relented and took the keys from you. She watched as you gathered your things and made your way out the door, wishing she could convince you to stay home and rest. 

As you drove to Lizzie's parents' house, you couldn't shake the feeling of fatigue that settled in your bones. You tried to ignore it, focusing instead on the radio and the passing scenery outside the car window. The coolness of the glass felt amazing against the throbbing which had begun to pound in your temples. 

The drive wasn’t too long at least, that was a positive. Not only had your head begun to pound, but you also found yourself beginning to sniffle repetitively, unable to keep your nose from running. Those sniffles only intensified further when your nose itched sharply. 

“H’h..h’tschoo! Heh’hupsshooo!” 

Lizzie chuckled, reaching over to squeeze your thigh gently, “Bless-“ She started but stopped when your breath hitched again preemptively. 

“H’htschoo!” You ducked your head into your elbow as you covered your final sneeze, sniffling wetly in the aftermath, scrunching up your nose as you wiped it against the end of your sleeve. 

“There's tissues in the glove box baby, blow your nose.” Lizzie sighed, regretting that she hadn’t pushed further for you to stay home. 

You nodded and reached for the tissues, blowing your nose loudly and rubbing at your eyes. The headache was only getting worse, and your throat felt like it was on fire. You tried to distract yourself by looking out the window again, but everything seemed to blur together in a dizzying haze. 

By the time you arrived at Lizzie's parents' house, you were feeling worse than ever. Your head was pounding, your nose was running nonstop, and your throat was so sore it hurt to swallow. You tried to put on a brave face when you greeted her parents, but they could tell something was wrong. 

As soon as you walked in the door, Lizzie's mom greeted you with a big hug. "Oh, honey, you don't look so good. Are you feeling okay?" she asked, concern etched on her face. 

You forced a smile and nodded, not wanting to worry her. "I'm just a little under the weather. Nothing to worry about," you replied, your voice scratchy and hoarse. 

Lizzie's dad came over to give you a handshake and a pat on the back, but you winced in pain as the pressure on your back sent a wave of pain through your body. Lizzie noticed your discomfort and quickly intervened, guiding you over to the couch and offering you a glass of water. 

You gratefully accepted the water, taking a sip to soothe your sore throat. Lizzie sat down next to you, her hand resting on your knee as she asked, "Do you need anything else, love?" 

You couldn’t help but feel your heavy eyes begin to close on their own as you fought to keep yourself awake as you leant your head against Lizzie’s shoulder, “No, it’s fine.” 

Lizzie frowned as she felt the heat radiating off of you. She knew that you were running a fever, and she didn't want to push you too hard. "Maybe we should head back home, sweetheart," she suggested gently. 

You shook your head, not wanting to ruin the visit. "No, I'm fine. Let's just hang out for a bit," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. Lizzie hesitated, but eventually she relented when she parents joined the two of you in the living room. 

You tried your best to keep yourself composed as you chatted with Lizzie's parents. But as the conversation went on, the pressure in your sinuses began to build, and you knew that you were on the verge of a sneeze. 

You tried to hold it in, but it was no use. Your body gave in, and you let out a loud, explosive sneeze. "H'tschh!" Your hand shot up to cover your nose and mouth, but it was too late. 

Lizzie's mom rushed over to you with a handful of tissues, concern etched on her face. "Oh, honey, are you okay? Do you need anything?" she asked. 

You nodded, grateful for the tissues. You blew your nose, wincing as the pressure in your head intensified. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks as you tried to hide your embarrassment. 

Lizzie's dad gave you a sympathetic smile. "It's okay, we've all been there," he said, trying to make you feel better. 

“You’re definitely getting a cold.” Lizzie sighed, pressing a tender kiss to your cheek. You could do little more to respond, that insistent itch still lingering in your nose before you eventually sneezed down into your tissues yet again, mumbling out your apology afterwards. 

Lizzie's mom reached over to hand you another tissue, giving you a sympathetic smile. "Bless you, dear. It sounds like you're really not feeling well," she said kindly whilst Lizzie wrapped her arms around you, holding you closer to her. 

You nodded, feeling a pang of guilt for not listening to Lizzie's advice to stay home. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make a scene," you apologised, your voice still scratchy and hoarse. 

Lizzie's dad patted you on the back. "No need to apologise, we understand. Sometimes these things just happen," he said, giving you a reassuring smile. 

But you couldn't shake the feeling of embarrassment and discomfort. You were starting to feel like a burden on everyone, like you were ruining the visit. You tried to excuse yourself, saying that you needed some fresh air, but Lizzie insisted on coming with you. 

Outside, the cool air felt good on your flushed face, but you couldn't escape the pounding in your head or the congestion in your sinuses. You leaned against Lizzie, feeling her warmth and support as you tried to catch your breath. 

"I'm sorry," you mumbled, feeling tears prickling at the corners of your eyes. "I didn't mean to ruin the visit." 

Lizzie pulled you closer, rubbing soothing circles on your back. "You didn't ruin anything, sweetheart. We just want you to feel better," she said, her voice soft and gentle. 

You leaned into her, feeling the weight of exhaustion and sickness weighing you down. "I just want to go home," you said, your voice barely audible. 

Lizzie nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation. She helped you back to the car, settling you in the passenger seat before going back inside to explain the situation to her parents. 

As Lizzie drove you home, you leaned your head against the window, feeling the cool glass soothing against your hot skin. Lizzie's hand found yours, squeezing it gently as she drove. 

“Maybe you should try and take a nap sweetheart, you look exhausted.” 

 “Naps are only for babies and old people. I'm neither.”  You mumbled, but still you found yourself giving in and closing your eyes. 

Lizzie chuckled softly. "Well, in that case, you're just taking a rest. You need it." She whispered, her voice filled with sympathy and love. 

You nodded sleepily, feeling grateful for Lizzie's understanding and care. As you drifted off to sleep, you knew that you were in good hands, and that Lizzie would be there to take care of you until you were feeling better. 

〖 Join My Taglist! 〗@scrambled-brain-eggs @natashamyl0ve @shin-conan-kun @bloomingflowersthings @kathleenmikaelson @shamelessbearunknown @inluvwithfictionalwomen @ceiestiaie @fluffyblanketgecko @kljhsong @santana1437 @lovelyy-moonlightt @juiles @lots-of-pockets @sashawalker2 @natashamaximoff69 

[hellowhisperingstars]

Chapter Fourteen: The Court Date

Summary: Finally back in Hawkins you talk to Dan about everything that happened and a surprise guest shows up to support you at court.

Pairing: Rockstar/Bar Owner!Eddie Munson x Baker!Reader

Words: 7.1K

Warnings: 18+, Y/N used, sensual undressing, legal/court talk, cussing, abusive parents, dom/sub dynamics, I think that's it. Please let me know if I missed anything!

A/N: One more chapter after this one! It's going to be the epilogue! I hope you liked this one sorry it's taken so long to get out. I hit a wall really hard when it came to writing and it took me longer then I would have liked to get back up but here it is! I have no idea how the court system works so if anything is wrong let me know!

Likes, comments and reblogs are always greatly appreciated! <3

Please let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list! I will be double checking if you have your age in your bios! AGELESS OR BLANK BLOGS WILL NOT BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST!

Previous - Masterlist - Forward

By the time the four of you got back to Hawkins you were passed out on Eddie’s chest as he hugged you close. His eyes closed, completely at ease. He felt like he could breathe easier knowing that you were right here and not stuck far away from him anymore.

Dan eased his car into the parking lot of Hellfire and pulled into a spot at the front. Looking into his rearview mirror he gave Eddie a small nod when his eyes opened when he turned the car off. “We’re here.”

Nodding Eddie rubbing his hand up and down your back briskly, his face hiding in your hair. “Baby. Gotta wake up. We’re home.”

You mumbled in your sleep before squinting your eyes open and lifting yourself up a little to look around. In your post sleep haze it took you a few seconds to recognize the area and soon a bright smile lit up your face. You were at the bar. You could finally relax now. Sighing, you leaned your forehead against his chest listening to his deep chuckle.

“Come on,” Eddie said with a smile. “Let’s get you inside.”

Nodding, you sat up and eased back onto the bench seat to let him get into an easier position so he could open the door and you smiled as he held his hand out for you, his rings shining in the sunlight, once he was standing in the parking lot. Slipping your hand into his you let him help you out of the car, only tripping over your skirt once but Eddie caught you around your waist before you even hit the ground.

“Woah, easy baby.” Eddie laughed while he helped you stand. “Drink any of that church wine while you were in there?”

Giving him a look you rolled your eyes. “You’re so funny.”

“I know.” Chuckling, Eddie closed the door behind you and took your hand to walk you into the bar. As soon as the doors opened you were attacked by Robin, Lizzy, and Ada who had been pacing the bar waiting for you to get back. The rest of the band lounging around trying not to look worried, but Eddie would see the relief on their faces when they saw you.

The three girls were talking at once as they hugged you, holding your face in their hands, pulling at the skirt of your dress telling you how pretty it was, it was so loud and overwhelming but it made you laugh. Turning you looked over at Ada who was crying a little and you hugged her close to you. “I was so scared you weren’t coming back.”

“So was I.” You said quietly. Pulling away from her you held her by the shoulders. “How’s Tiff? Marty and Emma? A-a-and the bakery?”

“Fine,” Ada nodded with a smile. She was so damn happy to see you. “They are all just fine.”

“Good, good.” You nod with your own smile before you pull her close again. “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

“Ladies,” Eddie said gently, “I hate to break this up but Y/N really needs to get out of that dress.”

“Oh my god, yes please.” You sighed and leaned back from Ada’s hug. “This is so fucking tight.”

“Come on baby,” Eddie said, holding his hand out for you again. “Let's get you more comfortable.”

“I’ll see you guys later.” You promised as you took Eddie’s hand and let him lead you up the stairs, your skirt in one hand so you wouldn’t trip as you took the steps one by one.

You give Ruby a quiet hello when you pass her frame and follow Eddie to his apartment door. He unlocked it quickly and let you inside. It was exactly the same, a little messier, but it felt so good to be somewhere familiar. Dropping your skirt you looked over your shoulder at Eddie as he closed the door. 

Coming up behind you he kisses your bare shoulder. “You look beautiful in this, you know?”

“You should have seen the monstrosity that Mrs. Malloy wanted me to wear,” You laughed a little. “That was straight out of Gone with the Wind. Evelyn told her I would love it. It was awful.”

“Oh I’m sure you looked lovely.” Eddie laughed a little as he started to untie the corset back of the dress, he struggled with the knot at the bottom, his usual nibble fingers failing him. “Jesus, who tied this thing, the Marquis De Sade?”

“Evelyn,” You shrugged. Your hand moving to the bottom of the bodice on the dress to try and hold it in place as he struggled. “I yelled at her this morning in the hotel and I think she purposely over tightened it to get back at me.”

Eddie stopped for a moment and blinked at you with a smile spreading over his lips. “You… yelled at her?”

Looking over your shoulder at him you nodded, proud of yourself for your one moment of strength. “She was nitpicking me about literally everything so I told her to shut up and asked if she always had to be the most miserable person in the room. Then I told her that she and my dad deserved each other because they were both assholes.”

The metalhead let out a laugh and dropped the tie in his hand to grab your waist, pulling your back to his chest, his arms moving around you to hug you to him. “I am so damn proud of you.”

You giggled a little happy that you made him proud. “You should have seen her face. She had absolutely no comeback for it.”

Chuckling, Eddie kissed the back of your head before he pushed you forward again gently so he could get you out of the dress. He struggled for a few more minutes until he let out a frustrated sound. “Are you attached to this dress?”

“No,” You said, shaking your head, a sound caught your attention and when you looked over your shoulder again, a pocket knife had materialized in Eddie’s hand and when he noticed you looking he winked before he started to cut away the knot at the bottom of the corset ties. “Did you have that the whole time?”

“I always carry one with me.” He said tossing the knot he cut off onto the coffee table before he closed the knife and slipped it back into his pocket. Slowly he started to pull the jagged ends through the little loops until it reached the top where he pulled it out completely tossing it to the side. He watched as you let the dress slip down off your frame to land in a puddle on the ground around your ankles and when he looked up he felt the breath stall in his lungs. You were standing in a pure white lingerie set and heels, you looked stunning and god damn if those little lacy panties didn’t give him some very dirty thoughts. He felt the crotch area of his jeans get just a little bit tighter. ‘Focus!’ He yelled at himself and shook his head free of his thoughts. There would be time for that later, right now he just wanted to get you comfortable.

Stepping out of the dress on the floor you turned to look at Eddie as he watched you move, his eyes never leaving you. “What?” You laugh a little. “You act like you’ve never seen me in lingerie before.”

“I just…” Stepping around the dress on the floor Eddie reached up and cupped your cheeks with his warm hands. “You look so… fuck..”

He kissed you then, his plush lips pressing against yours and you giggled a little into him. You loved his kisses. This one started sweet and slow, the two of you finding each other again until you felt needy and pushed up taking the kiss deeper. You nipped at his lower lip making him smile into the kiss.

“Needy little thing.” He said as he broke the kiss bumping your nose with his. Looking into your eyes he cocked his head to the side watching you for a moment. You looked so relaxed. 

“You look happy.” You asked, looking up at him. You could practically see the hearts in his eyes.

“I am sweetheart." He nodded his head, his hand coming up to push the hair that fell into your face away. "You make me happy and I’m so fucking happy to have you home.”

You smiled up at him before your face fell a little. “I'm sorry I didn’t tell you about what happened with my father. He’s cruel and would have ruined you.” 

“Baby you don't need to apologize. You were scared. And given the situation I understand.” He soothed. “But we do need to talk about you breaking a rule.”

“What rule?!” You asked, your eyes wide with shock.

“Rule number two. Communication. Our relationship only works if we talk to each other. I can't fix something if you don't tell me what’s wrong.”

You looked away guiltily, you knew what he was getting at. You didn’t stop to think or talk, you just reacted. You pushed him away to save him. Glancing back up at him you bit your lip for a moment. “You gonna punish me?”

“No. I think you’ve been through enough. But we are going to talk about it after I take this sexy little number off you and you talk to Dan,” He said, as he caressed your cheek with the back of his fingers. “And I’m going to take my time doing it while you watch every second of it. Do not take your eyes off me.”

You nod with wide eyes as he walks you backwards, pushing you down onto the bed, a smile spreading across his face when you bounced a little and watched while you laid back looking up at him. He noticed that you didn't answer properly but he let it slide this once. Your eyes never strayed from his face as he knelt down and pulled your white heels from your feet tossing them one after the other towards your dress with one hand, the other one never leaving your calf, his fingers kneading the muscles under your nylon covered skin. You giggled when he turned back to you leaning forward to kiss up your left leg to the pale blue garter that sat circling your thigh, his eyes made contact with yours as he grabbed the frilly little thing with his teeth and pulled it down your leg and off, letting it hang from his teeth before pulling it from his mouth and tossing it behind him.

For the next few minutes you sat back watching as Eddie took his time undressing you, unclipping the suspenders from your thigh high nylons to pull those down, then moving to pull the white lace panties from your body. You gasp, eyes closing when he places a kiss right on your mound, followed by a small slap to your thigh that brings your attention back to him. A tiny correction. “Eyes on me baby.”

“Sorry, Sir.” You answered breathlessly as he leaned over you again to pull the garter belt off, you lifted your hips to help him pull it over your ass, you watched when he tossed it behind him to join your other items of clothing. He’s back in seconds gripping your thighs before he manhandles you in a way that you love so he could flip you over, a laugh leaving you as you try to look over your shoulder at him, making sure he’s always in your line of sight less you get another correction. 

“Look at you,” He smirked, your gazes connecting again as he kneaded the fat of your ass with his calloused fingers. “Such a good girl, keeping your eyes where they're supposed to be.” 

The praise heats you up and you bite your lip, your body jolting to the side a bit when he starts to untie the laces on the back of this corset. You felt your lungs start to expand easier as he loosened it and you let out a little moan of relief when he’s finished. “Holy shit, I can breathe.”

“I’ll have to tie you into one properly some day.” Eddie laughed as manhandles you once more so you are laying on your back your eyes still on him as he pops open the busk on the front of your corset the little metal rings opening one by one until he’s able to toss both sides away from your body with a flick of his wrists. He stopped for a moment as he looked at your chest, there between your naked breasts sat your collar. 

“It never left my side since the night you gave it to me.” You muttered watching him. 

He smiled then, a bright shit eating grin, his fingers traced the little stone pick where it sat on your sternum before taking it in between his fingers to lift it up, the warm chain still sitting on your heated skin. “I think it's time to put this where it belongs… don't you?”

“Yes, Sir.” You nodded your own smile just as bright when he took your hand and pulled you into a sitting position. Slowly you slipped off the bed to kneel at his feet, your hands sitting prettily on the tops of your thighs, palms up towards the ceiling. A familiar position that he had taught you months ago. Usually your eyes would be on the ground but he never told you to stop looking at him so you didn’t look down. 

“Good girl. Eyes straight ahead.” He smiled as brushed his hand over your hair as he moved behind you, you heard him fiddle with the necklace before he lowered it past your vision and then set it around your neck, you could hear the little snick when the clasp closed into place. It landed just below the hollow of your throat, the stone pick still warm from you and Eddie handling it. 

You smiled as you felt his hands move from your shoulders around to the front of your throat, one hand moving up to cup under your chin, while the other touched the stone as it passed on its way down to your breasts, his fingers giving your nipple a good pinch that made you squeak. The whole time you stared straight ahead like he instructed. Giving him control was easy, you trusted him to have your best interests at heart. You looked up at him when he used your jaw to bring your head back to lean against his clothed crotch, a sigh of contentment leaving you when he kissed your forehead. 

“Let's get you dressed.” He whispered against your skin as he leaned up and moved around you, holding his hands out for you to take so he could help you stand and he pulled your naked form close to him when you were on your feet again. He hummed as his hands roamed up and down your back. He wanted to do so much more but he knew Dan needed to ask you questions so he pulled himself away looking like it physically hurt to do so, his pout making you giggle. “Okay, shit, okay. Dressed, gotta get you dressed, can’t have you talking to Dan naked.”

You laughed at his flustered mumbling as he moved to the dresser under the window pulling open the drawer that held your clothes and grabbed two items. Just a shirt and a pair of sleep shorts. You bit your lip when he came back over to you the shirt thrown over his shoulder as he held out the shorts for you to step into. “No panties?”

“You know the rules,” He smirked. “No pants in my house but since we need to talk to someone you need to have pants on.”

“Sounds reasonable.” You laugh and let him dress you. Lifting your arms in the air so he could pull the shirt over your head. Once your head and arms went through the holes he tugged the shirt down over your soft stomach and pecked you on the lips making you giggle again. 

“I love you.” He says, cupping your cheeks in his hands again.

“I love you too.” You smiled back at him.

“Get comfy,” He said as he kissed your forehead once more before he moved around you, slapping you on the ass as he walked to head out the door. “I’m going to get Dan.”

“‘Kay,” You nodded and turned to start to pick up wedding attire that Eddie had so meticulously pulled off you draping it across the chair in the living room before you moved into the bathroom to wash away the makeup from your face and do something with your hair now that you have no need for the pretty wedding style. Plus it was giving you a headache. You heard Eddie and Dan come back in a few minutes later as you were drying your face. Moving out of the bathroom you smiled a little at the two men as Dan got settled at the small dining room table in Eddie’s kitchen. 

“Feeling better?” Dan asked now that you had the time to get more comfortable. 

“Yeah, thank you.” You nod as you move to sit on the bed again your legs crossed under you so you could grab one of his pillows and cuddle up to it. “I have a bit of a headache though, not sure if that’s from all that crap they put in my hair or the fact that I haven’t eaten much today.”

Eddie made a face at you before he moved into his bathroom to get you some pills and then went into the kitchen to get you some water. “You should have told me sooner, babe.”

“You were a little busy.” You laughed, smiling at him when he handed you the items. 

“I’ll make you some food.” He said petting your hair for a moment as Dan continued to set up a recorder on the table with a notepad in front of him. 

Dan clicked on the recorder and nodded at you. “Whenever you’re ready. Tell me everything.”

Taking a deep breath you took the pills and got up from the bed moving to sit in front of Dan at the table so the recorder could pick up your voice better. Putting the cup of water on the table you wiped your hands on your legs as you prepared to tell your side of the story. “Okay. I met the Malloy family at a business party my dad threw last summer…”

For hours you sat at that table with Eddie and Dan telling them everything that happened since you met the Malloy’s and your fathers demands of you. You took a break to eat a small bit of the meal that Eddie made for you, you wanted to eat more for Eddie but you could only stomach a few bites before you felt sick. You were hoping this shit would end quickly now that you were in a safe place with your rockstar. The retelling stopped once more at Dan’s request to have Steve join you to get his side of things since he met the Malloy’s at the New Years Party. 

You watched Eddie’s reaction to your words and you felt awful when you got to the part where you broke up and why. His jaw tensed and his fists clenched on the table, it made you get out of your seat and walk over to him letting him pull you onto his lap for comfort, his or yours you weren't sure but you loved the closeness of him. The heat from his body made you feel sleepy but you needed to stay awake if you wanted to give Dan all the answers he needed to help your case.  

“Blackmail, coercion, forced marriage, and to top it all off false imprisonment.” Dan sighed as he took notes. “That’s a hell of a list, that’s also not including all the dirt I found on your dad. There’s bribery, tampering with private records, and a slew of other things.”

Letting out a low whistle Steve sat back in his chair, "At least he didn’t fuck with your inheritance from Nana.”

“Not much he could do with pearls.” You shrugged

“Not the pearls,” Steve said leaning forward again to look at you with his brows furrowed as confusion showed on his face. “The money.”

It was your turn to look confused as you leaned forward on Eddie’s lap, his hands falling to your waist. “What money?”

“The money Nana left you.” 

Shaking your head you looked around at the three men. “I didn’t get any money. Dad told me the only thing willed to me was the pearls and that’s it.”

“I knew something was fucked when he showed up to the reading without you.” Steve shook his head. “It was at Nana’s lawyer’s office in Indianapolis. Nana left both of us a nice chunk of change.”

“Good thing is once a will is read it becomes public record,” Dan sighed as he made a new note to his paper. “If what you said is true we can also get him on withholding of inheritance.”

You let out a disbelieving laugh as you stood up and walked around the kitchen for a moment. Your hand sitting linked together on the top of your head as you tried to calm down. “This just keeps getting better doesn’t it?”

Getting up from the table Eddie followed you into the kitchen so he could grab your hips and pull you to him. “Don’t worry babe. We’ll get you your inheritance. All of it.”

Shaking your head you gave him a sad look. “I’m not worried about the money. I don’t care about the money. I’m just so fucking tired of finding out the new ways my dad was controlling me or the things around me.”

“I know it’s frustrating,” Eddie sighed, wrapping his arms around you so you could lean your head on his chest. “It’ll be okay. I promise.”

“We have more than enough to get your father on. I need to do a little more research into the Malloy’s but I can only imagine they are just as crooked as he is.” Dan looked up, giving you a small shrug. “No offense.”

“None taken.” You sighed cuddling into Eddie’s warmth. Now that everything was starting to settle down for the moment, at least until you had to go to court, you felt… sad. This was your dad. The man who helped bring you into this world, who raised you (for the most part), who was supposed to love you, and he was making your life a living hell. For what? A business deal? All to keep his partners happy. But what about you? Shouldn’t he care if you were happy? Yeah he said what he was doing would put you in a good spot financially but why couldn’t he see that you didn’t need all that? You felt like a broken record, just repeating the same questions to yourself over and over again. Tears welled in your eyes before you buried your face into Eddie’s chest to hide them from the others. 

Eddie felt your shoulders shake a little and he hugged you closer before looking over at Dan and Steve. “I think we’re done for today.”

Dan looked up from his notes to see you hiding in Eddie’s chest and nodded his head moving his hand to turn off the recorder. “I agree. I have a lot to work with and we should be able to get a date for the case soon.”

Steve stood from the table and wandered over to you and Eddie, his hand going between your shoulders. “Let me know if you guys need anything, okay?”

You nodded your head listening to Dan pack up as he spoke to Eddie and you looked up at your Dom when you heard the door shut behind Dan and Steve. “I’m sorry. I -”

“Don’t be sorry.” Eddie said, shaking his head. His hands rubbing up and down your back. “Today was a lot. You need more time to decompress, let’s just sit on the couch and watch some TV, yeah?”

“Please?” You asked, nodding a little as he stepped back from you, his hand never leaving yours as he pulled you towards the couch. Together you got comfortable, Eddie sitting in the corner of the sofa, his legs stretched out to sit on top of the coffee table and you laid down with your head in his lap as you watched some show you didn’t really pay attention to while Eddie played with the ends of your hair. 

After a few days of hanging around the bar catching up with everyone you were finally able to convince Eddie to take you back to the bakery. You wanted to go home and sleep in your own bed. You felt excited as you walked through the back doors into the kitchen of your shop. Jumping a little when Tiffany dropped the empty pan she was holding onto the counter with a loud clang before she crossed the room to tackle you into a hug. You could feel her shoulders shaking as she cried. Hugging her back you looked over at a smiling Ada from where she was leaning on the kitchen island. Marty and Emma rushed in from the front of the shop to see what all the commotion was and yelled in excitement when they saw you. 

Eddie closed the door behind himself both as he walked into the kitchen with a smile on his own face as he watched the friends reunite. He leaned against the counter by the door with his hands in his pockets while he took in the bakery. Everything looked normal. That was good. You would need a little bit of normal as you settled back into your routine. 

You laughed as you took turns hugging everyone in the shop and while that was happening Eddie moved around you with his hand on the small of your back as he made his way upstairs to check if your apartment had been messed with while you were away. Once he was satisfied that everything was fine, he left your apartment to join you in the kitchen, making a mental note to get a new door knob and keys for your apartment just in case your father had copies made. When he walked down the stairs and saw you at the corkboard looking at the orders trying to choose which one to do he smiled even more. He loved you so damn much it was nice to see you back in your element. 

Taking a seat at the little lunch table in front of your office Eddie just watched you move around your kitchen back to business as usual. He could sit there and watch you bake forever.

You spent your time in the bakery making orders, restocking the displays in the front, listening to music, and laughing with your friends as you fell back into the rhythm of the kitchen. You, Ada, and Tiffany moving around each other in a dance that you had practiced for years. Every once in a while you stopped to grab Eddie a coffee or a treat before you went upstairs to make lunch for the two of you. 

Later that night after dinner you found yourself sitting on the floor between Eddie’s legs, your head resting on his thigh, his fingers playing the ends of your hair as you watched TV when his phone rang. You looked up as he lifted his hips and pulled his cell from the back pocket of his pants. He took a moment to look at the caller before he answered it. “Hey Dan.”

You perked up then, crawling up onto the couch to sit by Eddie, leaning your head close to the phone to try to hear what was being said. Eddie chuckled quietly at you and pulled the phone away to put it on loudspeaker. “-by the end of the month.”

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” He asked, looking over at you. You looked nervous, your lower lip was pulled tight between your teeth. Lifting the hand not holding the phone he used his thumb to pull your lip back out before you hurt yourself.

“I said that Peter Malloy was going to represent himself, his father, and Y/N’s father but since he has his license in Chicago he can’t represent anyone in Indianapolis. So they hired William Powell. Now he’s good but I'm better. We spoke to a judge today and we were able to get a date for the end of the month. That gives us more than enough time to prepare.”

Sighing, you nod your head and lean back against the couch. Eddie watched you as he spoke to Dan some more about the case.

“One more thing,” Dan said before he hung up. “I looked into Peter some more and he has a long history of sexual harassment towards women and from what the others I spoke to in Chicago have to say there is a possibility of evidence tampering. But since his father is who he is it’s all been swept under the rug with a good amount of money exchanged. I’m going to try my hardest to get him disbarred. And if we succeed, there’s a possibility that most, if not all, of the cases he’s ever won will end up being reopened to go over any evidence that could have been messed with. He pretty much fucked himself.”

“Holy shit,” Eddie said, blinking at the phone. 

While Eddie and Dan continued to talk, you took a breath, a headache started to throb dully in your head as you thought about all the other women Peter might have done this too and you felt sick to your stomach. Of course your father would give you to a man who has a history this fucked up. Getting up you pointed to your room and left Eddie on the couch after he nodded. You needed some time to think a bit. 

Eddie watched you move, turning his phone off speaker and bringing it back up to his ear. “Yeah, yeah, okay. You’ll let us know when you have an exact date?”

Flopping down onto your bed you listened to the rest of the conversation before Eddie hung up and joined you in the room. Laying down on the bed next to you Eddie placed his hand on the small of your back. “You okay baby?”

“Once this is over I will be.” You nodded your head before you turned over to look at him. “I’m so just so tired Eddie. My dad almost successfully sold me off to a man who has had god knows how many sexual harrassment suits against him.”

“I know I sound like a broken record,” Eddie started as he brought his forehead to yours. “But it’s going to be okay. I’ll be right there with you the whole time, and if you need me too I will make good on my promise to fight your dad if it comes to that. I’m not scared of punching an old guy out.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. 

The end of the month rolled around faster than you were ready for and the morning of your court date was here. Your leg bounced and you couldn’t help but pick at the skin around your nails as you watched the buildings of Indianapolis fly by while Eddie drove you both to the courthouse. Was this smart? Suing your own fucking father? What could this possibly even prove?

Anxiety coursed through you and you jumped about a foot in the air when Eddie placed his hand on yours to keep you from picking. “Deep breaths, baby.”

Nodding you took a few breathes, watching Eddie turn the wheel into the parking lot of the courthouse. No more time to panic, it was the end of the line. Together you and Eddie stepped from the car, seeing that the rest of the band, Lizzy, and Robin were there waiting for you at the stairs to the courthouse with Ada and Tiffany. You had closed the bakery for the day so you didn’t have to worry about it while this was happening. 

Cocking your head to the side you looked around the grounds of the courthouse before looking over at Robin when you got close enough. “Where’s Steve?”

“He’s on his way. He had an errand to run.” Robin smiled a bit and looked at Ada who just nodded.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be here.” Ada nodded as she stroked your arm a little. “Let’s head inside.”

Hand in hand with Eddie, your group walked into the building together and up the stairs to the second floor, meeting up with Dan who was standing outside the courtroom door looking immaculate in his three piece suit and a briefcase. 

“Morning.” You mumbled as you stood just to the side of him.

“Good morning everyone.” He smiled, patting Eddie on his shoulder and then putting his hand on your head in a comforting way. “Are you ready?”

“No. But I have to be.” You shrugged as you looked around. Hoping that your father or Peter weren’t coming up behind you. 

“It'll be okay. Let me run you through what's going to happen in there,” He said as he started explaining everything to you, what would happen in the courtroom, where everyone would sit, what would be said on his part and so on. It was all confusing but he gave you a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry. Everything will work out. You have one hell of a support system.”

“Y/N?” 

At the sound of your name you looked up and felt your breath stop in your throat. Your mom stood in the hallway just a little ways away tears in her eyes as she looked at you. Steve stood behind her a bit looking pleased with himself, his hands in his pockets.

“Mama.” You muttered as you left the group quickly to hug your mother. Her arms felt safe as she hugged you close. “How? What… What are you doing here?”

“Eddie called me.” She said as she squeezed you tightly. “I needed to be here for you.”

Leaning back you looked at her for the first time in a few years, she looked good. Healthy. Smiling, you let her wipe the tears from under your eyes as she held your face, her eyes studying you just as you were her. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.” Your mother whispered as she tried to hold back her own tears. 

Shaking your head you pulled her back into a hug. “It’s okay. I’m okay. This will all be over soon.”

“Sweetheart,” Eddie called out, smiling over at the two of you. He didn’t want to interrupt your moment with your mom but you were needed, plus she would be here a few days you had time to catch up later. “It’s time.”

Looking over your shoulder you nodded and together with your mom you walked towards the group Steve following the two of you towards them. Once in front of Dan you looked up at him and squared your shoulder. You could do this. Your family was here, your friends, everyone you needed. Nodding, you took a deep breath. “Let’s win this case.”

“That’s the spirit.” Dan said with a grin and opened the door gesturing for you to enter first. 

One by one you all filed into the courtroom, your head held high as you and Dan moved to take a seat at one table, the older man pulling your chair out for you before getting all his material ready for the case, the others sat in the pews behind the little gate on your side of the room. 

A chill went up your spine as the door opened again and you could physically feel the room shift when your father, Oscar, and the Malloy’s entered and took their places. A sharp yelping noise made you turn to look over your shoulder to see a surprised Evelyn staring at your mother before she got a grip and took her own seat on your fathers side of the room.

Looking back at your mom she gave you an unimpressed look with a roll of her eyes that made you stifle a giggle before you turned back around.

It wasn’t long after that when the bailiff entered the room, along with all the other courthouse personnel that would be here today and once they were all set the bailiff stepped forward. “All rise! Court is now in session. The Honorable Judge Howard Stone, presiding!”

“Here we go.” Dan said quietly to you as the two of you stood. 

The judge walked into the room with a file folder under his arm, you watched him set the papers down before he took his own seat getting his area set up. Moving the microphone close to his lips he looked up at all of you. “Please be seated. Today we are hearing the case of L/N vs. L/N. Let's begin.”

For the next few hours you sat there at that table listening to Dan and your fathers lawyer battle it out on how this whole thing went down. Your fathers lawyer tried to paint you as an alcoholic, selfish, naive child who needed her father to intervene to set her on the right track. That you had agreed to dating and marrying Peter. He made sure to emphasize that you could not take care of yourself so you needed help. That Eddie was only hurting you and moving you down the wrong path. How the Malloy’s were a safer, sturdier, and smarter choice for you. He was only doing what he did to protect you. Somehow no matter how much time they had to get their case ready, and no matter how Mr. Powell worded things, you felt like your fathers lawyer was very unprepared.

But Dan. He blew all of that out of the water. Thank fuck for Dan. He was prepared. Dan painted you in the best light ever. He told the judge of your accomplishments, of your business that you had started from the ground up with your friend, how you were a well adjusted young adult capable of taking care of herself and making her own choices. There were character statements, paper trails, evidence of your fathers record tampering, a copy of your grandmother's will that showed he purposely withheld your inheritance, and all that he could find on how he blackmailed you. How he used all that to trap you far away from your home and coerced you into marrying Peter, who by the way had his father pay to sweep his own misconduct of sexual harassment and evidence tampering under the rug many times, by threatening the man you really loved. He threw in how he tried to ruin Eddie's career with these slanderous claims against him. He even asked for an order of protection.

In the end the judge looked incredibly unimpressed by your fathers arguments and sided with you. He demanded your father give you the inheritance that you were owed, a nice chunk of change for any distress he had caused, along with one hell of a hefty fine, and a mandatory thirty days in jail, after he got his affairs in order of course, plus the judge granted the protection order. With one bang of the gravel it was over. You had won and you were finally free of your father. 

You knew with your fathers status in the community it meant that he wouldn't get much of a punishment and even though it bothered you, you tried to let it go. Your father was red in the face with anger. He wanted to yell at you, you could tell but he had been embarrassed enough today, he didn't need to add to that by losing his temper in public.

You hugged Dan after the judge left the room. You couldn't thank him enough and the smile he gave you washed away all rest of the anxiety you had in your body. It was as you were leaving the courthouse that there was a brief moment when you and your father locked eyes as you walked towards the steps towards the parking lot. You weren't sure what you were looking for… remorse? Love? But whatever it was it wasn't there. He narrowed his eyes at you but you held your head high, he wasn't so scary now. He was just a sad little man who needed to bully his way into getting what he wanted. You looked away as Eddie gestured you down the stairs away from the courthouse and your father with his hand on the small of your back. You knew as soon as you left you would never see him again, and you were okay with that. 

You had two more court dates for your cases against the Malloy’s and you won those too. They were ordered to pay you a gross amount of money for mental and emotional distress and you were granted another order of protection from them as well. Now neither your father or the Malloy’s could come within a hundred feet of you.

Later you found out that Peter ended up being disbarred and could no longer practice law, and Dan had been right, most of his cases were reopened to look for evidence tampering. And once again, even after all of the fines, Mr. Malloy paid to keep his son out of jail. The Malloy name was currently being dragged through the mud.

It was a few days later as you were sitting outside of a little bistro with Eddie, your mom, and Wayne that it finally hit you. You were free. There were no more threats, no more waiting for the other shoe to drop, just nothing but peace and quiet. You looked at Eddie as he laughed at something your mom had said, he had made all this happen. He never let you down, not once. Leaning over to him you kissed him on the cheek. 

Eddie looked up at you with his normal goofy smile. Moving his arm around the back of your chair he pulled you closer and you melted into him.

He had been right. Everything was okay.

Tag List: @eddiesprincess86 @haylaansmi @micheledawn1975 @chloe-6123 @wendyfawcett

[ibelieveinahappilyeverafter]

Original Story: Three Conditions

A/N: Originally this was written for my Pop Fiction class in college, but I am now posting it here and thinking about turning it into a full on novel. Let me know what you guys think!

Summary: Randy was looking for a fake partner for the very simple reason of avoiding making a scene at a fashion gala that his toxic ex would be attending. He was not expecting Sage Ashton.

***

Finishing up his rather long-winded and rambling explanation and plea for help, Randy focused on keeping calm as he took a sip of his drink in the silence that followed. “So,” he finally said. “What do you say?”

Alex, one of his closest friends that had stood by his side for the hell that was his college years, laughed. Randy resisted the urge to end the phone call there and then. He didn’t bother to resist the urge to down half his drink in one go, though. 

“So- So, okay, let me get this right. Your mom is forcing you to attend some rich person ball and you need a fake girlfriend or boyfriend to get through the night so you don’t get proposed to? Seriously?”

“Gala,” Randy stressed, absolutely certain the silence that followed was judgemental as all hell. “Alex. My mother is a fashion designer icon and this gala is essentially a who’s who of those in the industry. And as archaic and insane as it is, it’s also the perfect opportunity for about a dozen families to push their children at me and hope a marriage comes out of it.” 

“It’s about time for you to settle down, you’re getting up there in years, after all, and you’ll need someone to take care of you-”

“I am twenty-five, you are an asshole, and you are also my last chance. Andy already said no because he’s out-of-state still for the next week, Novan told me to go fuck myself, Luna laughed in my face, and Lizzy… Lizzy was a little too excited about the idea.” 

“So I’m your fifth choice, huh? You really know how to flatter a girl, Randy.” His bad. That- Yeah. That was his bad. “Before I crush all of your cliche rom-com hopes and dreams, what’s the real reason you need a fake date for this thing? Avoiding marriage proposals is a little too big a lie even for you, bud.”

“Yeah… that’s what all the others said, too,” Randy groaned, raising his hand for another drink and ignoring the slightly judgemental look the bartender gave him. So what if he was sad and alone and on his phone with a drink? That didn’t mean his life was miserable! He did make sure to pay for that drink and his previous, though, to lessen the glaring. “I really do have to go, especially with how much I help with designs now, but… Tabby’s going to be there.”

A sharp hiss of breath crackled over the phone, Randy feeling the sympathy through the phone. “Crazy ex Tabby who tried to control you like a dog and then said you were only on a break after you dumped her?” Randy figured his silence spoke enough for him. “Damn. I’m sorry, Randy, I- I have work that night, and the bitch manager is on duty so if I try to flake I’ll risk this job.” 

Randy groaned, trying to make it pained and dramatic and hating that a little bit of his hopelessness was genuine. “Can’t I just pay you off? Come on, this is basically one of your novels come to life!” 

Alex started saying something, but it could have been in another language for how little Randy was focused on the words. Instead he was focused on the young woman who took a seat next to him at the bar and gave him a serious look with a tinge of desperation before saying, “I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend for the next three to five minutes.” 

“Uh…” Hm. It was New York. He was in New York and this was a New York bar. This wasn’t even the strangest thing to happen to Randy that day. “Sure? Alex, I’ll call you back as soon as I can, I need to go play white knight.” Hanging up and ignoring the shouting and complaining, Randy felt two hands wrap around his arm. 

“Cool, I’m Sage Ashton, twenty-one, we started dating six months ago, we’re taking things slow, but it’s starting to get serious between us and we’re thinking we might move in together in the next few months.” 

At least three of his friends would be yelling at him to turn around and get himself out of the situation he now found himself in, Randy mused. On any other day he probably might have, but considering Randy was trying to do the same thing she was of finding a fake partner, he couldn’t exactly go around throwing stones at glass houses and all that. Plus, when he had agreed, there had been a lot of relief in her expression.

“Randy Beaumont,” he finally said, deciding he’d deal with whatever consequences came later. Besides, it wasn’t the first time he played pretend boyfriend to a scared person in a bar. “Twenty-five. We started talking about moving in a couple weeks ago and we’re even looking at possibly getting a cat together.” The dazzling and relieved smile he was given came a few seconds before the shout of her name. 

“Sage! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” A man probably somewhere between their ages came up to the bar and leaned in on Sage’s other side, two other guys hanging a few feet back before awkwardly moving to order drinks. “Come on, baby, you know I wasn’t serious, right?” His gaze trailed to Randy, a frown appearing. “New friend?”

“New partner,” Sage said firmly, leaning back into Randy and wrinkling her nose. Going by the slightly glazed look in the guy’s eyes, he had already been at the bar for a few hours, at least. “And I thought I remember telling you this conversation was over months ago.” Ah, right, Randy and her had been ‘dating’ for six months. “Randy, this is Jake. He’s… someone I don’t talk to anymore.” 

“How long has this been going on for?” Jake smirked, looking like he was about to catch them in a lie as he kept his gaze focused on Randy. Personally, Randy thought he did a great job of raising his eyebrows and looking a mix of disdainful and annoyed. 

“‘Bout six months,” Randy said with a convincing glare, using the grip Sage had on his arm to pull her closer, ‘lowering’ his voice. “Do you wanna get out of here?”

Before Sage could answer, Jake was raising his voice, “Six months! So what, you left me and then had someone waiting in line for you! Or was he there before you walked out-” 

“On you and Jessica having the time of your lives on my bed?” Oh. Oh, damn. That was… no wonder she had wanted a fake boyfriend as backup. “I wasn’t the one cheating, Jake. Besides, I met Randy a week after that.” 

“Mutual friend set us up, in case it actually matters to you,” Randy said, really selling the story. He hoped so, at least. “C’mon, let’s get out of here, hun.” Standing up, Randy threw a couple bills down for a tip and to cover any of Sage’s possible drinks before he was placing an arm around her waist lightly and tugging her along. When it looked like Jake was about to say something no doubt degrading, Randy stood up straighter and narrowed his eyes. “What.”

“Bitch,” Jake muttered, acting as if he had gotten the last word in before slinking off to re-join the two others he had walked over with. 

As soon as they were outside and on the sidewalk, Randy removed his arm and smiled at Sage, “Sorry if any of that was uncomfortable.” 

“No worries,” Sage beamed, looking a lot more relieved once outside. “Jake’s not really, you know, violent, but… seeing him at a bar drunk with his brother and idiot best friend? Better safe than sorry, you know? You looked like you could throw a punch, at least.”

“I have been in my fair share of bar brawls,” Randy nodded, going for wise elder and probably hitting annoying considering the jab he got to his side. “Seriously, do you need help or to talk to the police or anything? Any stalking from him?”

“Just bad luck,” Sage shook her head, giving him a smile. “Thanks for the worry, though. But, no, I was about to move when that whole thing went down anyways, so, you know. He doesn’t even know where I live. I’ll now be changing bars, too, so with luck on my side and the enormity that is New York, I should be just fine. Shall we now break up and go our separate ways? I can even throw in some crying, if you want, or screaming to make you really look good.” 

“But how would my heart ever heal?” Randy asked, placing a hand over his chest and grinning at Sage’s laugh that definitely seemed to have taken her by surprise. For someone who had grabbed him in a bar and asked him to be a pretend boyfriend, she wasn’t half bad. In fact… he just had an idea. “Actually, my wonderful pretend girlfriend, while we’re on the subject of needing fake partners…”

Sage didn’t miss a beat for even a moment, instead starting to grin, “Yeah? Need me to scare off a crazy ex-girlfriend who can’t let you go because you’re soulmates?” Oh, Randy was definitely going to get Sage’s number after this. It was like talking to himself only with more sarcasm and attitude. 

“Honestly? You hit the nail on the head. Plus, if you say yes, it actually might be one of your top weirdest New York experiences.” A fake boyfriend for five minutes was a lot less to ask than an entire night as a fake girlfriend at a fashion gala. 

Sage didn’t respond right away, which was relieving in a way, and instead simply stared at him as if she was trying to figure him out. It felt like a couple of years before she finally nodded and asked, “Are you hungry?” 

“I could eat.” Rolling with the punches seemed to be the best way to navigate a conversation with Sage from what he could tell so far. It was like improv only with less comedy. Probably. 

“Good. It’s a fast food kind of day. Let’s go get dinner.” Sage bumped their shoulders together, giving a grin. “You can give me your pitch as we’re walking.”

Thankfully, it was New York and they were in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. There were fast food places everywhere. Even more thankfully, Randy was done explaining about the situation by the time they had their food in front of them — the real one, and not the fake marriage proposal one.

“So.” Sage finished sprinkling three packets of salt over her fries before starting to eat them, Randy watching in a mixture of fascination and horror. “You need a fake partner to go to this fashion gala with you since you’ll almost definitely be running into an insane ex-girlfriend who wants to own and control you like a poodle.” 

“That covers all the major points of it, at least,” Randy nodded, not even surprised when Sage took a sip of his drink before drinking from hers and then swapping them. He supposed he would be drinking Coke instead of Sprite. “I’d offer to pay you, but that makes it sound like something vaguely illegal is happening.” 

“As opposed to you living out a fanfiction trope used by fourteen-year-olds just learning to write gay fanfiction.” Sage decimated a quarter of her fries before Randy found his voice again because that description had been horrifyingly beautiful — and accurate. 

“Moving on.” Yeah. Okay. He deserved the laugh to his face on that one. “I really am out of options. All of my friends are either working, out-of-state, or don’t feel comfortable enough to go. But this is also a voluntary experience. You can opt-out at any time.” 

“Is this conversation being recorded for training purposes?” Ah, the sass never stopped. Randy hated how much fun he was having. “Alright, more seriously, I’m… not totally against it. I guess I do kind of owe you after the whole Jake thing.” 

“That was a debt-free fake-boyfriend event,” Randy said, shaking his head when Sage looked ready to argue. “No, seriously. I know how that kind of thing goes, and I’d rather play boyfriend to someone actually decent than have you end up in a bad situation, especially when you’re on your own in a bar.” 

Sage was quiet and Randy was starting to think he had offended her or had gone too far before she placed a hand to her chest. “Randy… I think I’m ready to move in with you.” Randy wasn’t even done laughing before she broke and laughed herself. “Seriously, though, I’m not against it. Attending a fancy party with free food and getting the chance to piss off some rich jerks? I’m in — but on three conditions!” 

“Name them,” Randy said at once, not at all caring how desperate he came across because, well. He really was desperate. He needed to be at that gala, both to support his mother and to start making his own name in the industry. The idea of running into Tabby, though… He had barely managed to scrape together the courage to leave her the first time. She knew just what to say to tear him down and keep him under her heel and he’d rather avoid re-living and going through more emotional abuse if he could. 

“Alright, condition number one, I get to take my own transport there. I am not showing up in some damn limo or fancy looking car. I have standards, Randy.” Sage grinned, Randy feeling the tension drain out of him as he relaxed. “Two, I’m not going to kiss you or anything just to fool some rich snobs. My emotions are far too delicate for such a thing like that.” 

“Oh, absolutely,” Randy nodded quickly, trying to hide his smile behind his drink as Sage ‘glared’ at him. She then stuffed another handful of fries in her mouth and looked more like a chipmunk than anything until she swallowed. 

“Three — the last and most important one.” Sage looked solemn, but Randy wasn’t willing to buy it quite yet. “We are not going to be a trope, Randy.” Sage didn’t even pause at his laughter, instead talking over him. “I’m serious! We’re not going to fall in love and get together and have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence and- Hang on. We’re in New York. Right. We’re not going to fall in love and move into a two-bedroom apartment with our rescue cat!”

Randy was still laughing even as he held out his hand, Sage clasping it firmly with a grin. “Sage Ashton, I agree to your terms.” 

“Then Randy Beaumont, I’ll see you tomorrow night.” 

***

Adjusting his outfit and doing last checks for the fifth time in the rearview mirror, Randy continued speaking towards the call he had going. “Yes, Mama, I’m on my way there now. Remember, Sage and I are madly in love and you’re looking forward to your future daughter-in-law joining the business.” 

“Where did these dramatics come from? I know they couldn’t have come from me.” Ha. This from the woman who convinced three models to quit at a rival’s fashion show and then gleefully took credit for it. “Will my future daughter-in-law that you met while playing hero be dressed appropriately, at least?”

“Mama, please, there’s no need to insult me. I managed to tailor some spares I had while working on the Spring collection.” 

“Premaire or Coupled?” More smug at the question than he probably should have been, Randy thought back to when he had invited Sage over the day before the gala to try on outfits to find something for the ball. It had been a fun afternoon teaching her about fashion, the industry at large, matching and combining fabrics, and creating something entirely new for her to wear — as well as something that would match his own outfit. 

“The silk-lined plum chiffon blouse from Premaire and the combined wool leggings and skirt in black from Coupled. Also threw in the boots from the Fall Lessons collection.”

The sound of clapping over the line had him beaming, “Bravo! That’s my boy! Some excellent choices and I look forward to seeing them in person! Hopefully my future daughter-in-law fits the clothes?” Ah, she was so protective. 

 “Trust me, Mama, I think you’ll actually like her. She’s… fun. Nice. I think I might actually see if we can be friends after this. Some of the others would love to meet her.” 

“Mm…” Oh, he did not like that teasing, knowing hum of hers. “I’ll be sure to expect us to see a lot more of my future daughter-in-law, then.”

“Now, hold on a minute there, that doesn’t mean-” 

“Ta, darling, I’ll see you soon!” 

The call ended before his phone switched back over to his music, Randy suddenly finding the whole ‘daughter-in-law’ joke a lot less funny after that last comment. Honestly. Years of trying and still he couldn’t get the last word in when it came to his mother. 

At least traffic was actually decent for once, Randy making good time even with him seemingly hitting every red light in the state- Oh. Now that was interesting. Randy was eighty percent sure he was seeing Sage come out of an apartment complex. He wasn’t absolutely sure, considering the distance, but chances were good considering the woman who had just come out was dressed up in the outfit he had tailored and put together along with make-up done to absolute perfection and curled, wavy hair that was woven and braided in around a headband with a black and gold butterfly on the top. 

Ah, well, even if he was wrong people had heard weirder shouted out to them from cars with their windows rolled down. “So how firm was that first condition,” he shouted, grinning as the woman jumped and looked over at him, expression blank before it became angry as heeled boots started stomping towards his car and oh, yes, that was definitely Sage. 

The light turned green just as Sage finished sliding into the car and shut the door behind her, Randy doing his best to not laugh as Sage ‘glared’ at him. It was more like a pout, if anything, and even that was stretching it. “Randy Beaumont, you are on thin ice right now.” 

“I’m sorry, but we’re still five miles away and do you really want to step on public transit dressed like that when it’s getting to be night?”

“You sound like my dad,” Sage huffed, Randy seeing what was coming the second realization sparked in her eyes and a smile started growing. 

“No- No, no, don’t-”

“Does this mean I get to call you Daddy?”

“Get out of my car right now. I'd rather deal with the emotional trauma.” 

Randy couldn’t even try to be angry as Sage laughed loud and bright, almost bent over with the force of her laughter. Honestly, it was a sight that put him at ease and made him think that the gala wouldn’t be near as bad as he was expecting. 

It was a shame that he had forgotten that God hated him and cursed his existence each day he managed to survive. 

While the ride to the gala had been delightful, and the first half hour had actually been fun with the low, scathing commentary Sage happily whispered to him about everyone they saw, the current moment he had managed to find himself trapped in was a moment from hell. Of course it had been just as Sage had left to hit the bathroom. 

“Really, Randall? You hired someone to pretend to be your girlfriend just to avoid me? I’m almost hurt.” Tabitha Fields smiled beautifully and coldly, dressed beautifully in shades of red and gold, and Randy felt like he had swallowed ice. He didn’t like the fact that she had obviously been watching him and had waited for him to be alone. “Darling, when are you going to quit all this fuss and stop running away from me?”

“I didn’t run away from you, Tabby,” Randy said firmly, the words feeling like a lie. “I left you. I also didn’t hire anyone to be my girlfriend. Sage is here of her own free will.” 

“I doubt that. It couldn’t be more obvious that she doesn’t belong here, darling,” Tabby laughed, bright and sweet and one of the first things Randy had fallen in love with. “Baby, don’t you think it’s time for our break to end? I promise I won’t even be upset with you.” 

“I-”

“Last I heard he had dumped you!” The warm, happy look in Tabby’s eyes went cold and flat like he had last remembered, Randy taking a breath as Sage wrapped her hands around his arm and leaned in close to him. “You must be Tabby! I’m Sage Ashton, Randy’s girlfriend. A shame Randy didn’t manage to fully convey how much of a bitch you are, though.” 

Tabby stared and Randy couldn’t blame her because, well, people normally didn’t just come out and call someone they just met a bitch. Especially not at a fancy fashion gala where the average outfit cost more than a year’s worth of salary for some people. Sage, he was starting to fully realize, wasn’t exactly someone normal. He was surprisingly okay with that. Besides, Tabby deserved it. “I beg your pardon-”

“Then beg,” Sage said cheerfully, Randy shaking as he tried to hold in laughter because that- Who went up to people they didn’t know and said those things? “Sorry, I’m just a dumb little commoner around here, you know, I don’t know all these fancy unspoken rules and regulations. All I know is how to spot an abusive bitch.” 

Tabby’s expression had changed to something more suited to an apocalyptic rage, Randy swallowing and tugging Sage closer to him, who only laughed. “Easy, Tabby, easy. See, right now I’m smiling and laughing, but you’re looking more and more angry. If you were to break and start yelling, and I went from smiling to crying, what do you think that would do to your reputation?” 

Randy felt himself freeze the same moment Tabby did and oh… Sage was brilliant. At a gala like this, where so many people in the industry were as well as reporters? None of them could afford to make a scene. Part of why Randy had been so scared of coming alone was that he knew he couldn’t make a scene against Tabby without bringing negative repercussions to himself and his mother’s business.

“The beautiful, composed Fields heiress yelling and insulting the sweet, starry-eyed girlfriend of Randall Beaumont? It’d look pretty bad for you, I think.” Huh. Randy hadn’t thought Sage had been paying attention when he had started rambling about the political and reputation side of the fashion industry. “So, why don’t we just smile and go our separate ways and avoid each other for the rest of the night?

“Oh, and Tabby? One more thing, before I forget.” A hand cupped his cheek and Randy realized what was happening a second before lips were connecting with his. He had expected a quick brush, something similar to what was done for a play or a joke, but instead he got a kiss. He did his best to relax and make it feel like it was something natural, something they had done before a hundred times, at least. He was… a little scared, actually, of how easy that was to do. 

When Sage finally pulled back from where she had been leaning up and huh, apparently Sage, even in boots with a heel of three inches, had to lean up to kiss him. That was a detail he hadn’t thought he’d need to know, but there it was. He should probably focus on what Sage and Tabby were saying, no doubt making enemies of each other and Tabby threatening to bring Beaumont Fashions down, but Randy couldn’t drag his focus away from how nice of a kiss that had been. 

It wasn’t steamy, or overwhelming, or some true love’s kiss, but it had been- It had been nice. It felt like something soft and familiar. It wasn’t just that, either, but Sage seemed to be soft and familiar around him. Even as they were surrounded in an environment where she had to pretend to be in love with someone she had essentially just met, she was relaxed. She had been joking with him and teasing him and acting as if she had known him for years. It felt like they had known each other for years. She was leaning into his side and tangling her fingers with his and- 

“Randy.” Snapping to attention, Randy realized Tabby had left and Sage was grinning up at him like he was an idiot. He was very quickly becoming alright with that. “As I was saying, your personalized demon from hell just left. Maybe we should introduce her to Jake. They can be toxic assholes together! At least, I’m assuming she was toxic going by what you’ve told me and how terrified you looked there when I came back.”

“I-” Right. Get it together, Beaumont. “Yeah. That’s pretty close to it, at least. Bad parting. And relationship. Um, about the… the-”

“Yeah,” Sage nodded, playfully glaring at him again. “That’s two conditions broken, Beaumont. Don’t think I’m not keeping track.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Randy managed to respond in a tone that was probably normal, not even fighting it as Sage dragged him over towards the table where his mother was sitting and yeah… Yeah. His life had definitely become the manuscript of a romantic comedy. 

That made him feel kind of alright with how he was about to break condition number three.

[tmntxthings]

Ohman, your newest one "ruin the moment" is making me confused at the ending and I feel like it's supposed to be, I was thinking for a second if this is like Donnie imagining Atomic Lass LMAO; but the end with us on the screen? Is he just imagining a whole different person to deal with the touch starvedness? Did we become a character in the movie we were watching? Are we real and we're just off somewhere? Dead or alive? How long has he been isolated and for what and why? Sorry if this is too much questions am very curious! Do the brothers, Splinter, April, and others know what's going on? Does Donnie himself know what's fully going on? BRO POTENTIAL THOUGH YOU'RE RIGHT

the post we are discussing > ruin the moment <

I rlly rlly rlly like how people can kinda sorta come up with their own theories/conclusions! But to answer some of those questions…

i guess the easiest way to explain my thought process would be to run down the song ‘ceiling by lizzy mcalpine’, the lyrics inspired me immensely (practically just took the song and was like yes I’ll write about this but make it turtles)

the first two verses, she sings of being with another, that she is fine and more or less satisfied just to be in that moment with them, that those moments remind her of a familiar movie scene

but as the song goes on, she doesn’t like how quickly things end, how he ends up driving her home, he kisses her, and that’s it! there’s nothing to note beyond that and she never works up the courage to say how much she enjoys him/loves him bc she doesn’t want to ruin the moment, i think she is implying she also wants more, she wishes it wouldn’t end so quickly

then the last verse, it hits her, she’s in a car, ‘he’ doesn’t exist, she can’t even remember a time when she was last kissed, and from what i assumed she was daydreaming, putting herself in a scene of a movie that she’s seen before

so! in my mind it’s like the song^ but i just inserted ‘us’ or ‘reader’ as the actor from the favorite movie Donnie was watching, we are real unless he’s watching a cartoon/anime it’s up for debate heh

right for the whole isolation thing, i imagine that the turtles never met April, so they grew up with only themselves, they started going on patrols recently as older teenagers, so little to no human interactions up until that point and the ones they have are usually just fighting bad guys, after patrol it’s back to the sewers the only thing keeping them together mentally is the internet and each other

(but i guess this scenario is only so dramatic or drastic bc i wanted it to feel like donnie rlly was with someone, that he thought he was at least, he could ‘feel’ them, and yet his subconscious was telling him to don’t actively touch bc if he did the mirage would be over, so he needed to want interaction and touch from another person desperately enough to risk it, [insert touch-starved, isolation]

i don’t think the other brothers or splinter would know about donnie’s fantasies since he’s kept his real favorite movie a secret to begin with, definitely up for interpretation if donnie is fully aware of what is happening, or if he knows it’s his mental, I think both answers would be interesting povs

rightttttt?!? i loveee the potential and honestly i hope this doesn’t deter people from putting their own opinions/thoughts out there, bc interpretations are personal! i don’t think any answer could be called wrong, I’d love to hear if anyone’s mind headed in a diff direction, send me an ask! we can talk/share ideas :D

.

.

[rottingskunk]

Blessed By Enderian Hands

By: rottingskunk

A drabble based on Ldshadowlady’s session 6 events. (Major secret life spoilers ahead.)

Trigger warning: Descriptions of violence, implied death,description of scars (not detailed but good warning)

“What happens if Lizzie survived the fall?”

Scott and Lizzie visit the end for a secret slumber party however Scott never knew Lizzie’s true intentions until it was too late. They both travel to the end and explore the barren land full of endermen and an abandoned ender dragon post. It felt odd to Lizzie that she could hear murmurs of conversation from endermen speaking in enderscript but she shakes it off and continues forth.They converse briefly about the party and how Lizzie invited everyone to join. “Nobody is ever gonna find you here” She said sinisterly. It felt ominous and sent chills down Scott’s back. “Why did you say it like that?” Scott asks unsure what will occur in this realm. “It’s nothing to worry about.” She replies and laughs it off.

~~~

As they reach the edge of the world Lizzie offers Scott a enderpearl so that he can “teleport” to the party. Wielding her axe she strikes Scott in the back heavy handed with a good amount of damage. Scott in a panic shouts “Lizzie what are you doing?” “Oh nothing it’s just a something on your back” Lizzie replies back with a innocent yet sinister tone. “That took three hearts of damage Lizzie!” He replies back worried about how much damage it was. Lizzie grins and decides to strike him more in the air aiming for a crit.“That only took one heart of damage.” Scott says plainly,he secretly tries to find his way back when suddenly an enderman punches Lizzie in the face. The impact was intense and felt as if she was thrown off by a few feet. The enderman says “⟟ ⏃⋔ ⌇⍜⍀⍀⊬” and knocks Lizzie off the edge after punching her one last time. Lizzie knew what the enderman said to her [I am sorry-who says that??] she thought in her head as she screamed at her unending demise. Scott shouts her name one last time “LIZZIE!” Reaching out to the cliff where she fell. He stands there stunned, unsure what happened to her but quickly flees the scene as he cannot look at the eyes of endermen.

~~~

Her fall felt as if she was like icarus crashing into the ocean after his wax wings melted off. Lizzie tries to throw an enderpearl but is unable to due to panicking from the fall. The screen turns into frozen static Stating “you ran out of lives”. It remained the same for five minutes but there was a corrupted “respawn” button that showed up on her screen. Unsure if it was a good idea Lizzie impulsively clicks on the respawn and thus wakes up back in the over world.

~~~

She wakes up in a cold sweat in her light pink bed. The end’s aura felt heavy around her, unsure why that was the case she shoos it away and gets out of bed to wash her face. She turns on the faucet and washes her hands but the water makes her flinch in pain. She screams at the pain, roughly shaking her hand. “Did someone trap this with lava? It can't be…” Lizzie’s glances at her appearance in the mirror and is shocked by her appearance.

~~~

Half of Lizzie’s face has a scar that mimics End particles etched into her skin. Her right eye appears to be a deep purple with pink accents similar to an enderman’s eyes. Lizzie screams at her reflection out of confusion. She then looks at her arms and legs and some patches of her skin have similar effects of an endermen. Looking at her hands shaking slightly from the gravity of this situation they look discolored with shades of purple up until her elbow. “This can’t be happening—-I should be dead!” Lizzie touches her face out of disbelief and she hears whispers of the end and starts running out of her house.

~~~

“My skeletal steed we must run off-somewhere,anywhere!” Before Lizzie leaves in such haste she checks her chests for any important items. “Where are my ores? Skizz must have stolen them, I’ve been robbed!” Lizzie takes anything she has and places it inside her inventory, unsure whether she will ever return to her pumpkin cottage she hoists herself up on the skeletal steed. The steed gallops into the air and off they go who knows where.

~~~

After traveling half the day Lizzie stumbles upon Joel’s base in the distance. “Did you bring me here my good steed? What a good skeleton horse.” She pets the boney steed and gives it a small kiss on the forehead. Lizzie looks around and sees a small gravestone at the back of the helter skelter. “What’s this?” Lizzie inches closer and sees the etching on the sign. “R.I.P Lizzie I will win for you Lizzie”. A wither rose was attached to the front of the gravestone and she collapsed onto the ground with tears in her eyes. “I’m so sorry Joel-I messed up.” She cries to herself unable to get up from seeing the gravestone.

~~~

A rustle of wheat being removed alerts her and steps moving forward makes her head lift up. “Joel? Is that you.” Lizzie whispers, still hoarse from crying and wailing for the guilt. Joel had a solemn face as he carried his stack of wheat to feed the cows and he found Lizzie next to her grave. “LIZZIE YOU LIVE!” He drops everything and runs to her and they both tumble into a small patch of sunflowers. They laugh at the entire ordeal and give each other kisses on the cheek and forehead.

~~~

“I missed you so much so much has happened while you were in the end. Scott told me everything and Skizz gave me your ores-I am so sorry for asking you to kill Scott I shouldn’t have done that”. Lizzie smiles at her husband who is speaking at the speed of life about different events conspiring. *“⟟ ⏃⋔ ⌇⍜⍀⍀⊬ ⎎⍜⍀

⟒⎐⟒⍀⊬⏁⊑⟟⋏☌” Lizzie spoke in unknown tongues, Joel looks perplexed. “Did something happen Lizzie?” He says worringly Joel tucks a lock of her hair aside.* “⟟ ⎅⍜ ⋏⍜⏁ ☍⋏⍜⍙” Lizzie attempts to speak to her husband but she cannot speak overworld. Joel takes her inside the helter skelter and tries to understand her. Joel looks through his chests to find the tools for a book and quill. He fishes out what he could and places it on a crafting table and magic particles craft the book and quill.”Maybe you should write it inside this book” Joel asks Lizzie as he gives it to her.She gets the book and writes “I can’t speak in english.” She wrote in a steadfast manner and both had lost the color in their face.

[Authors note: Hi guys i wrote this on a whim i might continue it bc i actually like this au a lot and i would love to write more about this Ender!Lizzie au^^! The english translation of enderscript in the last paragraph(1) “I am sorry for everything”. (2) “I do not know”. Ok thats all bye yall HAHAHA]

[pjunicornart]

FIRST OF ALL I LOVE UR LITTLE OTP SO MUCH. how they never crossed my mind baffles me bcuz that is gen such a good pair??

ANYWHO any hcs?? im so curious like yes yes tell me more about ur ot4.,.,..

ALSO ANY IDEA OF A SHIP NAME???

Hey! Sorry it took me so long to get to this. It was because my body was basically BEGGING me to take a break... I had a pounding headache and my drawing arm and hand felt heavy and sore. So to any artists out there... don't be like me. Take breaks. In fact, I'm probably not gonna be posting any art for a few days so I can give my body time to rest. Unfortunately, I inherited my father's workaholism...

ANYWAY. Glad you like it! Meet the Robinsons needed more... gay. So, I provided! When I first revisited this movie and saw all four of those characters I knew my gay ass brain was gonna do something with them. And that, it did.

The piece I did was them within the AU. Let's give the characters some brief summaries before going into detail (under the cut)... - Lewis is a nerdy finger gun bi disaster. 'Nuff said. - Goob is a jock type. - Lizzy is the goth girl, with a hint of weirdcore influences. - Franny is the choir girl. - All of them are 16.

Lewis He was the one Goob, Lizzy, and Franny had in common. Essentially, all three of them liked Lewis "in that way." The three of them had kind of silently agreed they all wanted to get with Lewis. Nevermind that Lewis was completely oblivious to all of this and deep within his own bi panic! In this AU, he attends high school like everybody else, but he does go off campus for a couple of periods for college classes. He's a star student! Not popular in the sense that he's the school hot shot, but in the sense that everybody knows him for being very kind and an overachiever. Oh, and Lewis was never given up for adoption! He lives with his birth mom and about-to-be step-dad.

Michael (Goob) He's the ACTUAL school hot shot. Star baseball player who holds the school athletics records. I'll admit, Goob was kind of my way of making Jock Paperjam from the OG NaJ AU not problematic, and like how I imagined him being. To channel the trauma and come out from it, y'know? (Heh, I even gave him his face shape...) He's the tallest of the four, and the strongest, too. Only his girlfriends and boyfriend know how sweet and loving he is. His love language is definitely physical touch and protection. I specifically imagine him holding Lewis close to his chest while laying on the couch. Goob is not a bully, I want to make that clear. He's just a little cocky.

Lizzy Ah yes, the goth girl. I expanded her special interest from ants, to bugs in general. Her favorites are still ants, obviously. I imagine she has a couple of creepy crawlies in resin sitting on top of her dresser. Like a tarantula named Nacho. She's not necessarily full goth, because in the image I drew she has purple as well. So she's more of a pastel goth, maybe nu-goth. Lizzy is definitely a teaser! Her favorite to tease is Goob, because she likes to see him get worked up. She may be small, but she's a fire cracker!

Franny Last - but certainly not least - Franny. She's in the school choir, and is overall very musically gifted. Both of her older brothers are away at college, so it's just her and her mom in the house. Within the relationship, she's the one who showers them with kisses and hugs. She's very bubbly and energetic, and she has no bad bones in her body... except when you talk shit about her boys and girl, then you better hope you're not karate chopped in the throat. I also turned up her love for frogs into a hyperfixation, hence the froggy bucket hat. You have no idea how tempted I was to buy that hat when I saw it in Hot Topic...

The ship name is really quite simple: Family.

I saw the templates in your other ask! I'm gonna keep there for a bit, and I'll fill them out when I'm not actively dying hopefully!

[lavender-gayz]

Part 2 of Lizzie the Musical commentary – responses to @thegirl20 comments

Responses to @thegirl20’s comments on Part 2 of Lizzie the Musical at Southwark Playhouse Elephant – Some Little Moments That I Love

Here’s a link to my Part 2 again: Part 2!

@thegirl20’s very thoughtful comments are copied in black below

responses from me are set out in this shade of purple below

tg20: Living for these commentaries. I’ve added some thoughts.

tg20: (When I reference the script below, you can access it on the Lizzie Broadway Licensing page and click on ’Read for Free’. It’s not the full script, unfortunately, but it’s interesting to see what’s in there as stage directions and what isn’t.) gayz: This is such a handy resource, thank you! I cannot believe Alice is canonically described as a luscious pear in the character intros.  tg20: This got very long so…. gayz: Oh no, a long post about Lizzie the musical!! How awful :)

tg20: THIS IS MY JAM - Shattercane and Velvet Grass was the song that stayed with me after I saw the show for the first time. That melody haunted my dreams. It’s still a fave. tg20: (Fun fact - one time Lauren brought the teapot down so hard it broke one of the legs off.) gayz: This was an early fave for me too! Lauren noticeably damaging a teapot midway through the song is hilarious. I also witnessed a prop mishap at a show – one of the coat racks doubling as a corpse fell apart while Mairi was moving it to a standing position. She kept her cool and just fixed the base back onto the coat rack and went, ‘There we go. Where were we? Right, I was so sorry to hear about your father – ’ and just continued her conversation with Shekinah / Emma. The professionalism!

tg20: I didn’t know that Emma was hanging around in the aisle! In Manchester, I think both she and Alice were in the little alleys that ran up the sides of the stage giving the atmospheric backing vocals (I could only see Alice from my seat but I assume Emma was on the other side). So is it possible that Alice was in the other aisle at the same time? gayz: Oh that is cool to know! Yes, in that case it is entirely possible that Alice was downstairs in the other aisle directly beneath me. On the other hand, Emma just seemed to be standing in the aisle and not singing along? Or maybe I just missed it!

tg20: I go back and forth about what my interpretation of who is influencing who is to be honest. Did Emma leave the book purposefully to help Lizzie along with her ‘what if Mrs Borden dies first’ idea? Did Bridget purposefully not pack it so that she could give it to Lizzie? Bridget does seem to be the background antagonist at various points, but when Emma returns from Fairhaven, it’s clear she had expected Mrs Borden to be dead, but not the father. So it’s a hard one. gayz: I agree, it’s a hard one. My interpretation from the first show was that it was Bridget, rather than Emma, who wanted to show Lizzie the book of household poisons – it just seemed like such a weird thing for someone to want to take with them on a trip. But then again, as you say, Emma did seem like she had expected Mrs Borden to die at some point during Emma’s trip…

tg20: Alice makes good on the invitation from this morning and comes over to hang out! - One of my favourite things is Alice standing to the side of the stage, straightening out her skirt and fixing her hair, waiting for Lizzie and their date. So cute. Also, sometimes MQB really leaned into the flirting of ‘Shall we go upstairs?’ And sometimes she played it quite innocently and sweet. And both were valid. gayz: Yes, I loved that too!!! So cute and both so valid!!

tg20: The milk, the milk that comes in a can - That bloody milk speech. I assume the cast must hate that speech. It amuses me that the writers took that almost wholly as is from the court records and just dropped it in. I am glad they didn’t make it into a song, though. gayz: The milk speech! It’s just so hilariously long-winded. I love it.

tg20: I do enjoy Lauren expressing her increasing frustration at Alice’s very sensible responses to the poisoned milk claims. She turns away and frowns.

tg20: One of the things I noticed in London that I hadn’t in Manchester (again, I could only see down one of the side stage bits) was that Bridget was listening to this conversation while sweeping up. So she heard the ‘We were all sick, all but Maggie’ and she didn’t look happy about it. gayz: Yes! At the first show I went to, Ayesha was playing Bridget and she looked extremely offended by this.

tg20: IT’S JEALOUS PEAR TIME - I love the sexy pear song. It gave me a lot of feelings the first time I saw it, front row centre. A lot of feelings. Alice’s metaphor of Lizzie as a rose is interesting though. Lizzie consistently likens herself to birds, wanting to fly away to freedom. Birds and trees go together, so Alice could have stuck with the bird thing, but she didn’t. She wants Lizzie rooted firmly to the ground. gayz: Oh my gosh, the first time I saw it I hadn’t listened to the soundtrack yet so you can only imagine my mounting excitement: ‘is she constructing an elaborate story where she’s a pear?’ ‘gathering up in skirts, you say?’ ‘will you lay next to me??’ ‘WILL YOU BITE THROUGH THE SKIN TO THE SWEET FLESH WITHIN???’ ‘SHE’S LUSCIOUS TO THE TASTE AND IS ALWAYS EATEN IN GREAT HASTE????’ I was absolutely under the impression that they had a friends-with-benefits situation and that Alice wanted Lizzie to engage more with her feelings, lol. And ooh, that is an interesting point about Lizzie seeing herself as a bird and Alice seeing her as a rose…I guess with the rose we get the duality of it being something beautiful and something dangerous so we get the progression from Will You Stay to Will you Lie, whereas birds, um, probably eat pears? I suppose Alice could have chosen to be something other than a pear…

tg20: (A weird thing that I noticed is after their initial near kiss, Lizzie gets up and should say ‘I have to be on my way’ (because it rhymes with ‘will you stay’) but Lauren routinely said ‘I have to go’. Idk why it stuck out to me so much. ELH said the correct line.) gayz: Oh yes, I also noticed that Lauren says ‘I have to go’ instead (I listened to the soundtrack a lot between shows so any differences really jumped out)! I figured she was just modernising it, but it’s quite odd that she says this and ELH doesn’t. Hmm. Perhaps an aversion to extra syllables?! I hadn’t noticed that ‘on my way’ rhymes with ‘will you stay’ but you are correct of course! I guess ‘I have to go’ sort of goes with ‘hear of all your woes’.

tg20: Alice during this whole song manages to be vulnerable, sweet, commanding, cute, powerful, protective, alluring, sexy, masterful, seductive and innocent. And that’s impressive. Huge kudos to MQB. gayz: Yes, these excellent adjectives all apply here!!! All the awards for MQB, honestly.

tg20: And I agree the kissing is definitely mutual in this production. I have heard people saying that Lizzie is already thinking of manipulating Alice by using her feelings at this point, but I don’t take that away from it at all. I think it’s genuine attraction and affection on both sides, regardless of what happens later on. gayz: Yay and yes, I’m so glad we both saw this the same way!

tg20: Somehow, another banger! - Genuinely, a song about decapitated pigeons should not go this hard, but it does. gayz: It really does! Why ARE all these heads off?!

tg20: I didn’t notice laughter at the final show, but it is understandable. Everything is so very far from fine. gayz: Maybe it was just the mean people in the balcony!   tg20: Mercury Rising - For me, this is the weakest song in the show. It’s sung beautifully and the staging is suitably dramatic, but it feels like the only filler song. I mentioned elsewhere I wish Bridget had got a funny solo rather than this. (Although in the script it is implied that Bridget is supposed to be a banshee, and that’s why she’s always doing the banshee wails and why she is involved in the precipitation of the deaths. Which is an interesting idea.) gayz: For me, Mercury Rising is a slow song where they give us a little space to breathe while ramping up the tension even more after Why Are All These Heads Off. Sort of like that bit in rollercoasters where you’re just coming off a really steep downward bit and you’re very slowly climbing up again and you know it’s going to be even more insane when you eventually reach the peak. That being said - justice for Bridget! Banshees can want people to have breakfast, too.

tg20: I love the chaos of Somebody will do something. There’s so much going on and it’s another full on banger. gayz: It really is!

tg20: (I didn’t love the choice they made in London to project Lizzie’s face onto the back wall during this number though. They didn’t do that in Manchester and I’m not sure it worked. Especially with Lauren’s blonde hair, it blended in with the set too much. I blame Sunset Boulevard.) gayz: I think I only noticed it at the first performance – it didn’t leave much of an impression on me! For the subsequent productions I was focused on the (real-life) Lauren running around with her axe. What are they doing on Sunset Boulevard?

tg20: BRIDGET is the one to hand Lizzie the axe – I don’t know if this is how they do it in all productions - It is in the script, so she’s definitely supposed to be integral. gayz: That is so cool to know, thank you!

tg20: ‘OOH Miss Lizzie you startled me’ - I adore this line, and I adore that Mairi delivered it just a little bit differently every time I saw it. I love it when actors play around with delivery and try different things. Bridget just coolly getting a wee fright when Lizzie barges out and then making no mention of the fact that she’s covered in blood and holding a dripping axe just delights me. gayz: I know, right! Hear no evil, see no evil etc.  

tg20: ‘HE’LL WISH HE’D HAD THAT SON,’ - One of my favourite line deliveries. Both Lizzies nail it with the right combination of unhinged, angry and just a little bit gleeful. gayz: Yes! That sense of triumph! You go, Lizzies.

tg20: Can’t wait for act 2!! gayz: Thank you so much! I really appreciate that you took the time to share your thoughts with me as well :)

[letstalkaboutit100]

Ideas part 8: Blue=concepts pink=ep ideas. blue/pink=both

Thanksgiving(or a wonderland version of it) at Lizzie's is crazy! her mother and aunt are like Jessie and Darla lol.

Episode idea (season 1): Cupid tries to break Raven and Dexter up. For this ep idea, this is where Cupid and Dexter first meet. Cupid just arrived at Ever After. She's shy and new so she has some trouble asking people where head master grimms office is. Dexter sees and comes over to her asking if she's new and needs help. She says yes and they become friends! He shows her around, and they go to the coffee shop, laugh, and have a great day! By the end of it, cupid has a big crush on him! So the next day she was about to thank him and tell him she likes him! But then he meets Raven! (this is my other episode idea where they first meet. Even though he already knew his way around the school since he and his siblings arrived late he pretends he doesn't) So throughout the whole day, Cupid follows them wondering what Dexter sees in her! They watch them and see they have similar humor, likes, and dislikes and is really upset! After she sees them laughing in the same coffee shop she leaves and goes to her room crying. The next day when she tries to talk to Dexter asking if he wants to hang out he says he can't and is really sorry because he's hanging out with Raven again. *totally says it with a dreamy sigh lol* (He is a nice boy!) So Cupid decided to follow them to ruin their "date". For the rest of the day, she's in terrible/funny disguises and does crazy things to ruin their hangout. Which all backfires and happens to her lol. In the end, she gives up and goes back to her dorm. Later she hears a knock at her door. She opens it and lord and behold there dexter! With a big bouquet of pink roses! He says that he's sorry that he's sorry and asks if he can come in. *cue puppy dog eyes lol* She lets him in and they sit on her bed. He's says that he's sorry again for blowing off and hanging out with Raven. Then he goes on a rant on how she's the first girl he's ever liked and has no idea about love and really wants to try and be her friend first. And all the while he's talking cupid is of course listening and giving some advice but is also really sad! After his rant, "She's just so amazing! You know?" "Yeah I know..." he notices her sad face and asks her what's wrong. She of course starts to act happy and that she ok and is glad that she has him back! He smiles and hugs her thanking her for being his friend. (maybe even first friend! I feel he was lonely as a child so darling was his only friend. He totally would get teased/bullied a lot so she always sticks up for him) Cupid of course blushes like crazy and starts to stutter saying your welcome and stuff. Dexter leaves and Cupid signs flopping on her bed with the roses still in her hand. As she's caressing their petals she notices a card in the bouquet. It's from Dexter! *He put it there in case she wasn't in her room or wouldn't let him in* 'Sorry about bailing on you! I'm terrible for that! Your new and everything and were the only one who took notice of me and asked me of all people to show you around school! I promise I won't ever let a girl get in the way of our friendship! ox Dexter. Ps. meet at the coffee shop tomorrow? :) *squeals and blushes* *whispers*: "your forgiven. *Kisses the letter and starts to happily squeal/dance and pluck the petals saying "he loves me, he loves me not".

Hunter sees Cerise as his little sister. He and Raven are the only ones that know about her family. (and later Ella lol. What? She's his girlfriend!)

Raven rants to Maddie about apple

Apple's mother is like an alumni. class rep/pres. prom queen. she's that rich white mom who helps with school fundraisers and donates a lot. That is why Apple at first got a suite (my other post about a reboot version of season 1)

Ariel's daughter Meeshell would have a crush on Tiana and Naveen's reboot-shy son. But he likes Lenny! (Lottie's daughter) Lenny isn't like her mother completely though. She does have blond hair and blue eyes. And LOVES pink. She of course is spoiled by her grandfather! But she's more a bit hands down. Almost like Tina, But for the most part her mother. Just a bit more cooled-down version of her lol. And they end up together. She's 2 years older than Tina. But a year younger than him.

Meeshell and Sparrow would be good friends. His first female best friend! They have a sibling-like relationship. Faybelle and Sparrow are exes. Nothing serious. Just a fling.

Ep idea(season 4): They met when he went to the school pool to play his guitar cause the music room was closed and he likes the acoustics. (like bathroom acoustics) He didn't know that she was there swimming, but she heard him. So as he was playing she was under the water listening. She heard him playing and thought that he was really good and couldn't help but sing/hum along. Sparrow didn't notice at first, but she got so lost in the song that she came up to the surface *the mermaid hair flip like her mother lol* and was full out singing her golden voice out! (She's the best singer in the whole school. She and Raven do duets all the time) He hears her and looks up and stops playing and watches her as she sings and uses her powers and watches as she makes water shapes and a geyser that lifts her in the air. She didn't notice that he stopped playing, but when she did, she froze. Stopped mid-note. She squeaked and the water went away and she dropped. Soaking the whole pool area and him. Sparrow was shocked! Mouth agape. "THAT WAS AWESOME!" "I HAVE NEVER HEARD A VOICE SO POWERFUL! SO STRONG!" *peaks up from the water* "I'm so sorry! I was listening to you playing and I just couldn't help myself. My powers get out of control whenever I get lost in a song..." "Na man! That was great!" *holds his hand out* "I'm Sparrow. Sparrow hood." *Does some weird hat thing and winks* *giggles* "I'm Meeshell. Ariel's daughter." "Ha. That makes sense. You have a great voice! *They start to talk and become friends!

Every time Daring and Apple break up they go through the worst heartbreak stages you have ever seen. Crying to their friends, eating ice cream, and being all depressed. Apple's mascara is running, she doesn't even change out of her Pajamas! Just eat junk food all day! Won't even go to class. You wouldn't even recognize her! "Are you sure this is apple white?" "This is the fairest of them all?" Even though by now her friends are used to it, the school still goes "Again?" But also crazy! Girls start to go find Daring trying to "comfort" him. But he's also in his room eating ice cream and watching romantic movies shouting at the TV saying, "They perfect for each other! Don't fall into her trap! She doesn't deserve you!" and stuff. His friends try to snap him out of it. Go to clubs, talk to other girls, but he's just at the counter with his head down looking depressed and the waiter keeps on giving him milk shakes lol. That would make a couple good, funny episodes lol.

Hunter and his family go over to Cerise's place a lot for dinner. Their all practically family. Their dads are best friends! Like brothers! I know in the original show Hunter's dad wants him to be a hunter and all that stuff, but if there was ever going to be a reboot I would want them to be in on the secret of the hoods. Support!

Ramona is a mama's girl and Cerise is a daddy's girl. They both can turn into wolves too. Sparrow is scared of Ramona, to be honest lol (Their all cousins)

The Cheshire cat used to be human. Rather handsome. That's how kitty's parents meet. his color scheme was pink and purple like the original animation. But he got turned into a cat by a wizard. (Don't ask. It's an embarrassing story lol) And the reason Kitty and her mom's colors are the same is because she tries hard to be like her. (Mommy issues)

Poppy and Willow, Holly and Cassandra. enough said. They're the 'cool aunts'. I would LOVE to see adventures between the four.

They also call Pascle "little brother" like Mulan does. They have their own chameleons too!

Since they were little no matter how much trouble they got in (more Holly than Poppy lol. But if Holly got in trouble then Poppy would demand that she be in trouble too so they could be together. AW!) Enguene would always check up on them and bring them cupcakes! Even if he was the one who was mad! He loves his girls!

Snow White and the Evil Queen used to be friends.

[twodiamondhoes]

Oh wow, I didn't realize my ask would be replied back with a fic snippet!

Concept 1 sounds a bit like The Highwayman so I'm glad Dirges took a new turn (the snippet was awesome though!). Concept 2, though, that sounds so cool! I'd love to see a fic where Tango takes more of a proactive role in death and protection as a soulkeeper! Maybe you could spin it into an AU with it's own brand of spookiness, with or without Del Sombra.

I now want to ask another thing: what made you decide to use Empires characters in Dirges? And are we going to see more of them in the character stories?

Haha, hope you enjoyed it! I figured it would just end up continuing to collect dust in my docs folder otherwise, and your ask was the perfect reason to post it.

This got longer than expected, so I'm going to put it under a cut. :D

Fun fact 2! I was about halfway through plotting the revamped second concept when I read The Highwayman (if you haven't read it, go go go!! it's so good) and let me tell you, the crisis I had once I'd finished it and come down from that "I just read an excellent fic" high was major. I was in full on panic mode for a few days, worried that even though I'd already changed so much from that original concept that Dirges would still be too similar. My partner had to remind me that there are entire library sections out there that are similar premises with vastly different executions (please see: westerns, lol), that no one could write the story I had in my head but me, and that even if no one read Dirges, it would still be worth writing.

But let me tell you there was a period of twenty-four hours where I tried to think up a fic that I would want to write more than Dirges for the sake of the Big Bang and I just couldn't. So in the end, I kept going, ended up with the final concept for Dirges, re-plotted the whole thing, and then basically ate, slept, and breathed Dirges for about four months. I'm not going to be doing that with the sequels because holy smokes that was a lot of writing in a very very short time, but I still can't quite believe I pulled it off in the end.

As far as Soulkeeper Tango goes, I might see about giving him his own au! The idea is so near and dear to my heart. I've got a lot on the docket for the future, but I'm going to keep him in the back of my head, in the hopes that inspiration strikes and I can give him the story he deserves. I have toyed with the idea of a smaller fic, loosely based around the original Concept 2 plotline for Dirges (so basically an au of my own au lol), but we'll see!

Oooh excellent question! The short answer is, I needed a huge cast. The longer answer is, it felt odd to have Jimmy be the only non-hermit in the entire story, and to separate him from his buddies on other servers, especially because I wanted Lizzie as the fourth Ratcliffe sibling, so it would be Lizzie and Jimmy versus the Hermitcraft members. There was also the factor that both Pearl and Gem were on Empires 1, and the HC/Empires crossover made it an easy leap to make. I wanted Jimmy to have been able to make friends, and to make the world feel populated, without having Del Sombra be the only place the Hermits congregated, since I'd already made Joe Hills Mayor of another town, and the places I could think to put a lot of the other hermits were Elsewhere. My options ended up being: either come up with a bunch of OCs, or see if I could sprinkle in some Empires characters, and it all kind of spiraled from there! I wasn't sure how people would receive a plethora of OCs, and since the Hermitcraft cast was a limited pool of folks that I'd already placed in the world, I figured adding in some other MCYTs couldn't hurt. So, I started with Shelby and Sausage and it all kind of fell into place from there!

As for if we'll be seeing them in the other stories, absolutely! There are some Hermits I haven't included yet (sorry Iskall, my beloved), and there are parts of some of the sequels that will be taking place around some of the Empires members as well as HC members that we've seen, and some that we haven't! For example, the reason Iskall isn't in Del Sombra to pester Stress and the others is because he's a holdover from one of the Earlier Concepts and I like his role too much to change it, so it's going to be folded into one of the later stories. Oli will also be showing up at a couple of very specific points! Those are the two examples off the top of my head, but there is definitely more to come!

Thank you for the questions! This is a lot of fun XD

[eemoo1o-animoo]

for the ask game, perhaps N? and/or P?

Ask me stuff

This took so long to answer! I’m so sorry for the wait. And the links. And the tangent. Aahsbhdb

N – Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice):

This is tricky! I tend to just be like “Augh I wish there was more of that” and then forget all about it. I guess I’ll try thinking of things in the fandom and not in the canon material? Hm – tricky.

Black Butler fandom – I want more aroace William, or at least ace William, representation. I don’t want him shipped with Grelle, I want them being BFFs. *Pointing with judgement* Let them crack open a bottle of wine and/or whiskey by the fire after work and talk about nice, idle things, like their sonboy Ronald (who’s pawing at the babygate like the sad goldendoodle he is because he wasn’t allowed in due to his alcoholism).

Black Butler canon/fandom – I want Snake to speak for himself. Like, either in fanfiction or — more preferably — canon, where he at last breaks and, against the opinions of his snakes, goes “Fuck you, Ciel!” and then full stop. No “says Emily” or “exclaims Oscar”. Nothing. It’s meaningful. Poignant. You can tell that Snake is really hurt about having his found family lie to him so easily, to be betrayed by his second family after losing his first. This is Snake, even if it’s just for a moment, talking for himself. Poor Snake :(

Black Butler fandom – I want more creepypastas / grimdarks / etc.. Plain and simple, it’s meant to be a dark, perhaps horrific at times, franchise and so where are the creepy one shots? The “The Woman In Black” parodies? The subtly dark pieces where Ciel is stuck in an endless game of fleshy marionette for Sebastian’s own amusement? Where?

Bonus:

Sk8 the Infinity fandom/canon – I want more Adam-facing-consequences fics (and hopefully canon content in the upcoming season two), and Tadashi and Miya interaction, because those two look related and hardly interact in canon. I’ve only ever come across one (platonic) fic of them on AO3. One.

P – Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas):

Oh, this is tricky! I don’t think I think of many AUs? At the very least they’re fleeting and / for one shot purposes as opposed to a full-fledged universe? (Alternatively there’s also an idea I had of making a book of rarepair scraplets vaguely set in the same universe for the reader to piece together, like a one shot where Soma, Lizzie and Sieglinde are paired together “trying to get back to ‘x’” and Soma has to carry Sieglinde because her spider legs are broken and Wolfram is nowhere to be found.)

So seeing as you told me about your Snake/Edward / Sieglinde/Lizzie Friendship is Tragic-esque AU I’ll go ahead and state my Fallout Equestria-type one (why did I need brony comparisons for that?) that was kind of eluded to in this post (which is also kind of inspired by this post and its reblogs).

So in the post it was inspired by, I discussed if “shinigami and grim reapers” were different, and that “shinigami” were like “the original grim reapers” (don’t think of them like those things from Death Dote, but rather like The Exterminators from Hazbin) and that the redemption that the reapers work towards is actually fake, just a rumour used to keep them in line and then used as the excuse when reapers go “missing” (aka. the “Higher Up”, so to call them, of the original shinigami and/or older reapers that are in-the-know) to make way for newer reapers when Ole McLimboville becomes overcrowded (which it will as time progresses from the canon’s 1889 into modern day, as per real life suicide stats).

With my theory preluded, the AU would start off with Will’s “promotion/redemption” (#2 from (x)) (as it is known outwardly by the other reapers), but as the numbers begin to spike, a purge starts by the Higher Up / shinigami and Grelle and Ronald make it out after Grelle’s seen Othello die protecting her (a point which will later be paralleled when Grelle then does so for Ron), and go looking for the Undertaker, in case he knows what’s going on (after all, he and Othello are the same age-ish and Othello told them to find him).

I’d also thought about a possible, background Grelltaker flirtation, but that point can be ignored for now. I think if this is the case then Undertaker dies in front of Grelle rather than Othello, who, in this case, she just knows died? Also an point where Ron and Grelle begrudgingly take r!Ciel along with them (if he’s still alive / existing … he can be written out easily, though, I just remember him being a part of my original rough idea), and then it’s later just Ron looking after him after he and Grelle are separated (I’m still unsure whether a fakeout death is in order, or too cheesy to be worked into the plot well enough).

Essentially, it’s just Ronald then — as per his and Grelle’s plan after talking with the Undertaker — looking for a means to summon a demon (whether this will be Sebastian or not is undecided, though is the most likely because… why would I make an OC for something that isn’t TSoGtR? Really, now.) as to try and get an equal footing in the fight against the original shinigami (and the reapers in allegiance with them as part of the Higher Up’s council… as guides to the to-be ‘redeemed’, or even some of the redeemed themselves).

Perhaps there’s also a twisted element from the Higher Up like “You’re finally getting what you came here for/what you wanted, and yet you still fight it?”, when — on the reapers’ side of things — it’s actually because they want to avenge their friends for dying in massacre, so dishonourably (in some cases), and that they know that if they lose / give up, this will only go on and on, until it eventually happens again.

It’s an AU I definitely haven’t thought of in a while 😅 so trying to remember the better half of it was a bit of a struggle, but I enjoyed doing it! It’s a fun idea that I hope to revisit (though most probably will not, as I suck at action scenes / sequences / drama, so it would most likely turn out slow, and corny when it picks up pace, with plenty of emotional moments and monologues but not enough action/fighting).

Thanks for the ask! I enjoyed replying to it (though it took me, like, an hour to, by god).

[warmmilk-n-honey]

So...I made a post about this, because I really wanted to hear someone's point of view on this, but it's hard to get noticed on social medias, so I didn't get a single interaction. I thought I could tell you about it and ask what you thought, since you don't mind abt asks and actually rewatched season 2 recently. Basically, I have no intention of rewatching season two bc I know it will make me uncomfortable (plus its trash, I hated it even when I was a teenager who hadn't read the manga), but since I got into Cielois recently and wanted to write a fanfic, I thought I would at least read Alois' past on Wikipedia! And this got me thinking...Manga o!Ciel and Alois have (ironically, since Alois was made to be the opposite of o!Ciel) quite the similarities... I have recognised three. First, they both lost their brother, someone they really cared about, when they were really young. Second, both go by a fake name. o!Ciel uses his brother's identity, Alois is actually named Jim. Third, they're both victims of CSA.

I just find it interesting, and wished we could have seen a better interaction for these two, one where the plot was actually well written, and o!Ciel was in character with his manga personality...

That's all. Thank you for your time!

Hi anon, I know how disheartening it can be to have no one respond to a post that you want to start a conversation on, so yeah feel free to come to me directly!

I agree and I find it interesting that manga O!Ciel and Alois have so many similarities. I have no idea if this was just a coincidence in the case of their brothers, we know that Yana probably gave the anime writers an outline of her story for season 1, so she could have told them she had a character who lost their brother. I have no idea if that's the case I don't even know if the writers for season 1 are the same for season 2, but yeah it's definitely interesting.

I actually wouldn't mind if Alois was in the manga but I would need there to be some major changes, I wouldn't want him to have any of his demons or be the lord of a manor (cause c'mon that's just a copy of Ciel's story), but I think it would be cool if he was like one of the boys at Weston or somehow he got into the Soma, Lizzy, Sieglende friend group-idk I kinda go back and forth on whether I think his inclusion would be a good idea.

I very much encourage you to write your fanfic, you can always ask the Alois blogs if you need more insight about his character, they know everything about him lol. Also even though season 2 is a train wreck that gives me second hand embarrassment, it is also pretty funny so I encourage a re-watch if you have the stomach for it. I'm pretty sure @nullb1rdbones created a chart that shows which episodes have yikes content in them, so I think you can ask them if you want to avoid the troubling stuff.

sorry it took a little while to respond to this I've been a bit busy and I always like to spend some time responding to asks

[hushroomloser]

Chris Evans short story part 6

Pairing: ReaderxChrisEvans 

Request: Meeeee 

Prompt: “I’m sorry I thought you were somebody else”

Warning(s): I’m a first-time writer

Word count: 1747

A/N: Hey online strangers, I wrote the first part a while back and have the rest of the story in my drive but have never posted it. This story I wrote way back in 2019 :'(. I will be posting at random times if you stay and read it thank you so much. Enjoy xoxox - I have no idea how many parts this story and technically I haven’t an ending yet. 

I honestly to god have no more inspiration so this story will just be here for another 3 more years 

Bye 

… I am back lol. I have no idea who even is enjoying this but yeah. I wrote this during finals so please excuse everything from it. From the grammar to the plot lol. I shall maybe edit it or something. Honestly didn’t this story needed more parts or anything and plus I am trying my hardest to make into a your name type without writing yourr name cause I never found it cute and plus whenever I read a yn i read out the yn has like yoon for some reason. So yeah 

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

Chris had been in and out of his thoughts during this whole ordeal. He sat on the chair next to the doctor typing away notes on her computer thinking back to this morning.

And yesterday.

Yeah, let’s start with yesterday.

Catherine called. More than once. He couldn’t sleep well and woke up early. Went on a run. Got hungry. And got hit by her. The one he mistook the other day at the same coffee shop. Took a cab together. Where he couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

She was beautiful. He wondered, not really, why he wanted to hug her? In all that beauty, sadness seemed to poke out like weed on the pavement. He wondered who or what made her sad. He wanted so badly to take it away from her. To make her smile. He wanted to see that smile of hers, that smile that made his heart beat ever so slow each time. 

Should he ask her out? He thought he couldn’t, could he? How could he? He didn’t know her. He didn’t even know her name. Or what she did for a living. Or what was her favourite song or movie? The list goes on. He knew nothing. 

Lost in thought he didn’t hear what the doctor had said. “Yes doctor, I am sorry could you repeat that.” 

“I just asked you if you had any questions for me.” 

“Ohh no I am okay thanks.” 

“She must have thought that she hit you harder than she did.” Giggling at the thought of your backside hitting Chris Evans. “Honestly, I am surprised she didn’t run away or something.” 

“I am surprised I ended up here. For a small fall.” Surprised but happy. “Is she also a doctor?” He couldn’t keep his curiosity in anymore, he had to know something. 

“Uh, no she’s one of the medical physicists in training.” Asking questions, check one. “Ah, I think I am out of my league. A medical physicist what is that?” Lizzy only had two options here. One she wished but knew wouldn’t happen and one she did not like but would for sure happen. 

“Ah.” Opting for the second choice. “I am not the best to explain what it is but the gist of it is they keep us safe from all the radiation coming from imaging.” Well, this is not option two, she thought. “Why don’t you ask her about it.”

“I am sure she will give you a better explanation.” God, where was her Oscar. She a hundred and thousand percent knew what her best friend did. She looked at him waiting and waiting. 

Was she bating him? Chris had a feeling that this doctor knew her very well. And just maybe, saw him look at her earlier in the hallway before she walked away. Maybe he should catch the warm she’s throwing at him. 

“That would be best wouldn’t it.” His phone rang reminding him he could not stay any longer. “But, I think I have to go.” He shook the doctor's hand and opened the door to leave.

Thanking her one last time. “Her name is … she works in the nuclear department.” 

“If you come through the same doors and then turn left and take the elevators to the 9th floor.” 

“Y’a know for flowers or whatever.” Reminding herself what she was doing. Deciding maybe now silence would be best. God, her friend was going to kill her for this. Why was she giving away information like that? These celebrities make you do the weirdest things. 

He waved back remembering all the information that was given to him. Her name is beautiful, he would not forget it. How could he it rolled in his mouth like sweet nectar. 

“fuckkk”, Lizzy remembered. She didn’t ask for a picture or an autograph. Maybe she professionaled a bit too hard this time. 

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

She had come at the right moment for her and the wrong moment for him and Lizzy. She had seen him leave and hid in a corner. Why may you ask? She couldn’t answer it either. Or maybe she was too afraid to acknowledge it. Knowing very well that during the cab ride the whole world could hear her heart. She could not muster any strength to talk to him during and after the ride. Gesturing the way to the ER reception earlier. In a perfect world, she would take the strength she always had and maybe just maybe ask him out for coffee. The least she could do after hitting him. Or even... Even. What could she even do? She could even come up with something so easy. Had she fallen into the trap of a superstar’s charm or was she genuinely into him? Into the real Chris and not just Chris Evans. How could she answer that question when she didn’t know who he was. 

“So what’s this emergency.” Finally taking a sip of her drink. It had cooled down by now. Sitting next to her friend. 

“You know I love you.” Looking at Lizzy wondering how this related to the emergency. 

“Yes, I do.” 

“And you know I always want what is best for you.” 

“Yesss.” She figured where this was going. 

“So why bring him here when you could have accessed him on your own.” It wasn’t a question. You knew, and she knew you knew how to. You and Lizzy spent many long nights practicing and studying for her boards.

“I…” I don’t know, she thought. 

“Next, question.” 

“You like him?” She looked at her friend, was she that easy to read. Lizzy figured it out and put it into words faster than she could have. 

“And you can’t lie to me.” 

“Why didn’t you just ask him out or better yet stayed there and bought him coffee or something.”

“What is liking someone even, Lizzy. I mean I don’t know the guy and he’s a celebrity. Let’s be real here.” Lizzy had rolled her eyes so far back, her friend and her rational brain. “Okay let’s put it like this if he wasn’t him but just a random person on the street.” 

“ohh but dear friend do you even see me talking to random people on the streets.”

“Men! Me and men.” She emphasized. “Do not work and I am very happy keeping it that way.” 

“Ohh really now, I saw the way he looked at you.” It was her turn to roll her eyes.  “That fine specimen likes you, and you can deny it all you want.” 

“Whatever, it is not like I will see him ever again.”

“Oh, but you will!Trust me. I sense those kinds of things.” Lizzy had already imagined and planned out your life for you. “Plus, I invited him to our wedding.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I could have if I wanted to.” 

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

Two weeks had passed, and Chris was done with the first part of shooting. On break, he finally had the time to do what he wanted. To go and see her again. He had gone to that coffee shop every morning for the past two weeks hoping he’d see her again. Did he scare her off, he wondered. She hadn’t come, he even asked the cashier if they knew her or if she was a regular. He couldn’t get her out of his mind, he had to see her again and talk to her properly this time. 

He had planned to send her flowers during the week but decided against it. It would be more meaningful if he brought it to her in person. That’s exactly what he was doing. He had asked the florist to make him a beautiful arrangement. Delivering just that, beautiful could not come close to the bouquet he had made him.  Daisies and orchids filled the colorful arrangement and he had added lavender and iris to it. He did not know much about the meaning behind each of those flowers but hoped it meant something good. Following the doctor’s directions, he had been repeating it all week long; straight through the ER then turn left and take the elevators to the 9th floor. 

The warmth he had been feeling all morning long kept him pacing back and forth. He kept repeating the instructions like a chant, his hands had started to clam up. A new thing for him. He got nervous for auditions and first days on sets, even on talk shows. But this. This almost took him out a few times. 

“Breath, the worst thing she could say is no.” Well, that and maybe call security. Feeling like he was about to pass out, an overstatement of course. Because he was a grown man, and this is normal. Right?

He reached the elevator and pressed number 9, thankfully there wasn’t anyone in it. So, he breathed, in and out. 

Floor 2.

In and out. 

Floor 5. 

In and out. 

Floor 8. 

In and out. 

Floor 9. 

He quickly fixed himself before exiting the elevator. 

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

Two weeks had passed, and she couldn’t concentrate on anything. Not her research. Not her work. Not anything. A little sad that he didn’t come back, she questioned everything. Maybe it really was just me feeling things. And maybe it really was just the superstar’s charm that had her this weak in the knees for a stranger. 

She had plenty of fake cries during the days that passed, she couldn’t believe she was not only charmed but that she had hit him like that. The patheticness had reached an all-time high that week. Oliver had been laughing for a week straight, Lizzy had told him about the whole ordeal, and he couldn’t stop laughing. While Lizzy was planning a fictional wedding. 

“God am I pathetic?” she questioned. 

“I hope not.” A whisper in the back made her regret everything. She knew that voice, she had listened to that voice all week long. My patheticness level increased. Praying that her mind was playing tricks on her she looked at back. 

Damn, she cursed at herself, the only time she had to go see patients and leave her office. 

“hi.” Hopping the crack in her voice did not give her away. She repeated with more strength. ‘Hi.” He looked so beautiful in his sky-blue shirt and jeans. “If you are looking for Dr. Kelley she is not in today.” 

“I am actually looking for you.” His face had turned a crimson red. God, he looked cute when he blushed. My patheticness level increased. Again. 

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

Girl this make me feel like this specific girly don't know how to act like I could write a novella about my own relationships why she acting like that 😭😭😭😭

Anyways, hope you enjoy.

constructive criticism is very much appreciated, thank you. 

xoxox

[cavernsofdarkness]

Hi! I really love your cyberpunk screenshots!

-What reshade presets do you use in you cyberpunk screenshots?

-Do you know where can I find the cyberpunk dialogues template that you've used on this post https://www.tumblr.com/cavernsofdarkness/687178468069408768/%E2%B1%A1%C3%B8-%C5%82%C3%B8-lizzies-bar-after-the-last-few-weeks-e ?

-Also, do you have some advice for someone who want to start storytelling a cyberpunk story in the sims?

Sorry for all this questions and have a wonderful day!!

Hi! *waves*

I've made a post here going over and linking the presets that I use. Like I mentioned there, I do edit in addition to using reshade. Also, when it comes to using the SSR shader (the one that gives all those nice reflections), I take the same picture twice (once with the shader on and once with it off or at a lower setting) and then layer them over each other in editing that way I can erase what I want and control where I want the reflections to be.

Unfortunately those weren't templates. I took an actual screenshot from Cyberpunk 2077 and cut out what I could of the HUD details and then color-picked and recreated the rest from scratch to the best of my ability. I myself have been looking for cyberpunk templates and assets, so if you come across any let me know.

I think this applies to any genre of storytelling/worldbuilding but, do some research and familiarize yourself with the hallmarks of the setting you're trying to portray. In the case of cyberpunk I would suggest reading through the Cyberpunk wiki; this includes all of the lore from the ttrpg and video game universe. Take a look at what the societal structure is like, what kind of factions exist, what kind of technology is used and the type of language that is used. You can use this as inspiration for your own ideas. (You can also check out 'Deus Ex' and 'Mirror's Edge')

Additionally, just search 'cyberpunk', 'cyberpunk 2077', and 'cyberpunk art' on tumblr/pinterest/google and scroll through the images. Often I am inspired by images, scenes, or types of characters that I then find a way to work into my own world. You don't have to have some grand, overarching plot from day one; just start with a character or two, decide who they are within the context of the world and do some slice of life stuff. The more you flesh out those characters the more the world around them will also reveal itself to you and potentially the story that you wish to tell.

I don't mind at all! I quite enjoy when people ask me things about my game/stories, and I'd love to see some more cyberpunk/sci-fi/futuristic content from the simblr community!