#so uh something happened today that made my insecurities flare up

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

hey, here's a reminder that Foul Legacy loves you no matter what body type you have! personally he would be delighted if you were a little soft and squishy, it makes you that much better for hugging and snuggling with. no matter what you look like, he still adores everything about you, nuzzling his head into your stomach and purring; on bad days where you can't stand looking at yourself in the mirror, he scoops you into his arms and nudges his mouth delicately against your cheeks in his form of a kiss, occasionally giving you single cheeky licks.

Foul Legacy loves you, no matter what <3

[bugsbucky]

Cotton Clouds

Bucky Barnes x Reader

Request: Hiii lovely! Could I kindly request a Bucky x plus!size reader - she is really shy and insecure about her body weight and is more like the chef to the avengers (cooking breakfast and dinner for them and that kind of stuff) she is also being secretly bullied by a lower rank agent and one day the bully shoves her and she falls over, hurting herself and Bucky saw everything and just!! Protective Bucky is my life. Please don't rush! There's no pressure from me 🖤 love you!!

Warnings: Angst, body shaming, insecurities, bullying, asshole agents, protective!Bucky, protective!Steve (kinda), language, broken noses, a little pussy that probably shat his pants, fluff, happy endings.

Word Count: 3,007

Authors Notes: thank you dear anon for sending in this request. I’ve combined this request for the @the-ss-horniest-book-club​ 24 hour surprise drabble and Summer Loving Challenge and I chose Rooftop bar/restaurant.

If anyone ever makes you feel this shitty, you just tell them to fuck off and mind their own business. Nobody, NOBODY has the right to degrade you for your weight or anything else for that matter. If they are bullying you, it only means there is a problem with their own reflection and it’s not actually you. You’re loved and James Buchanan Barnes loves and worships you so much. 

My taglist is actually open so if you’d like to join please feel free to send me a message/ask :)

Since becoming a part of the Avenger family as their personal cook, you’ve established strong bonds with just about everyone on the team. They accepted you for who you were and never once made a disrespectful comment or snicker about your soft belly or thick thighs. Of course, it didn’t stop you from wishing you had a figure like Nat or Wanda, but the team didn’t make you feel less of a human and despite their kindness, you often still felt out of place and insecure about your weight. The one person who made you feel extra special was Bucky Barnes. During movie nights his fingers would circle your soft waist, his hugs also lasted a lot longer than what was considered necessary. Over time, the two of you became close friends. You ended up developing a small crush on him, imagining yourself waking up in his arms every morning and reminding you just how beautiful you are.

Around them, you were shy and barely spoke a word other than a good morning greeting or an ‘enjoy your meal’ as you dished out their food you had cooked. You were preparing some bacon and toast in the kitchen when James, an agent on the lower rank pranced into the kitchen, puffing his chest out and grinning at your shock of seeing him.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asks and takes a step closer, forcing you to take one step back. Your eyes flicked over his shoulder and saw 3 other of his friends snickering near the doorway.

“S-sure.” your voice croaked, ignoring the splutter from the coffee pot.

“Do you sleep in a bed like a normal human being, or do you sleep on the beach like a whale? I’m not sure where whales your size sleep.” The laughter behind James formed a lump in your throat. 

“Morning folks! Uh James, you’re not supposed to be in here.” Steve walked in with his Captain America suit on and warned. His hands just above his belt as he took the burning bacon off the gas.

“Sorry Captain. Just had to ask Y/N for something.” James winked and smiled innocently at Steve. You never told anyone about the things James would say to you. They were far too embarrassing and you were secretly scared they felt the same way but just didn’t have the heart to say anything.

“No problem. Just don’t let it happen again.” Steve warned as James left, reaching up in the cupboard for a mug. He looks at you briefly, concern washes over his face as he saw you were batting tears away. “Hey are you okay? He didn’t do anything to you did he?” Steve wondered, folding his broad arms across his chest. 

“No no! I’m fine really. Breakfast won’t be too long.” you lied and busied yourself in the kitchen that Tony had put in especially for your needs. 

“Okay well look, if he or anyone is giving you any problems, you come to me alright? We don’t tolerate harassment here.” Steve gave your shoulder a squeeze, the words on the tip of your tongue that this has been going on for months. You want to tell Steve that but you’re hesitant and bite your tongue, just nodding and thanking the captain for caring so much. You quickly pull yourself back together and resume the task of breakfast.

Your hesitancy didn’t go amiss by Steve. He knew you wanted to say something but you were so shy he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. He didn’t want you suffering either and since the team were leaving for a one month mission, he chose to ask Bucky to stay behind to keep an eye on things. Since Bucky was sidelined from an injury to his flesh arm, he wouldn’t have gone on this mission anyway.

Once breakfast to the Avengers was served and they were happy, you quickly untied the apron from around your waist and hung it on the hook. The kitchen was cleaned and you headed back to your room for a much needed shower and break. You would normally join the team for breakfast but after the question James asked, you quickly came up with an excuse why you wouldn’t be joining them today.

Your gaze was kept to the floor as you walked and your shoulder bumped into someone else’s. Before you could apologise, an obnoxious laugh pierced your ears. 

“Watch where you’re going you glonk!” It was James and you sighed. 

“Sorry.” you muttered and steadied yourself. Pulling your baggy shirt away from your stomach.

“Wouldn’t bother doing that. Unless you can stick a bag over your head and hide your ugly mug too.” James snickered, encouraged by the roaring laughter of his friends standing behind him, throwing the occasion comment in your face too. 

“I said I was sorry!” hot tears rolled down your cheeks, leaving behind a wet streak in the process. “I’m sorry for everything!” you crumbled under the pressure. Apologising to this asshole for what exactly? For being softer than the other girls who worked in the compound? For being too shy to stand up for yourself? For not being good enough? In truth, you didn’t know why you were apologising. You were doing nothing wrong.

“Apologising won’t mean shit to me!” James taunted walking behind you and giving you a hard shove. You fall forwards, your knees hitting the hard marble floors first. Your hands stop your face from smashing against the floor. 

“HEY!” a loud voice and footsteps echo through the hallway. The friends of James all scattered and ran down the hall as Bucky stalked towards you. “What the fuck are you doing?!” you recognised Bucky’s voice, of course you did. It was your favourite voice in the compound because it belonged to your crush. Bucky was a sweetheart, always making sure you felt better about yourself. He was quiet just like you, but the confidence he would give you made you feel so much better about yourself. Of course, it didn’t work so well since James started bullying you.

You peeked up. Bucky’s nostrils were flared, his jaw clenched and his eyes insanely wide, anger swirling around behind his irises. His metal arm whirring down by his side as he clenched and unclenched his fist. He saw what this jerk had done to you and no woman should be treated like that.

James remained silent, looking like a deer in headlights. Bucky wasn’t impressed by his lack of answers and with his metal arm, shoved James against the wall and his hand wrapped around his throat squeezing his windpipe slightly. 

“You gonna talk now huh? Where have your fucking balls gone?” Bucky spat in his face, his flesh arm in a sling pressed against his chest.

“I- I am sorry!” James was gasping for air and Bucky eased off his throat just a little. 

“How long has this been going on?” Bucky wanted answers, and he wanted them now.

As their confrontation was just getting started, you pushed yourself up off the floor ignoring the aching in your knees as you stood next to Bucky. Your hand on his metal arm to try and diffuse the situation. It was no use, Bucky hated bullies and he wasn’t going to let go of this guy’s throat until he had the answers he was asking.

“HOW LONG?!?!” Bucky roared, saliva spraying James’ face. You have never seen Bucky like this, so enraged and protective. It was almost like something or someone had woken The Winter Soldier up inside of him. 

Bucky liked you a lot. He liked your soft belly,  thick thighs and rosy red cheeks. Your disheveled hair in the mornings and your cooking was absolutely amazing. To him, you were the perfect wife. Without you even knowing, Bucky would often daydream about the two of you living in the country with your children and you baking some homemade pies. The two of you were like the perfect balance in his eyes, you were soft and fluffy and a sweetheart and he was damn sure no man or woman was going to ever hurt you.

“Months.” James gasped out. This angered Bucky more as he growled in his face. 

“Bucky.” your voice was quiet as you pleaded with him, his eyes momentarily flicking down to yours with your soft eyes staring back at him that he loved so much. Bucky released his grip from his throat, but not before punching him square in the nose. The audible crack made you cringe and you brought your hands up to cover your mouth as blood dripped from the obvious broken nose.

“Let me tell you something you little shit. If you EVER approach Y/N again, if you EVER breathe in her direction or lay one dirty finger on her again and I promise you, not only will I break every finger on your hand and your legs but I’ll make sure you’re kicked off the team. Do you understand me you fucking asshole? You touch or speak to her ONE MORE TIME and don’t you dare test my patience.”

“Y-es Sergeant Barnes.” James was full on crying, either from the pain of his nose or the threats Bucky was spewing in his face or the combination of the two, you weren’t sure but as soon as Bucky stepped back and pulled your body close to his, James took off staggering up the hall, occasionally glancing back to make sure the winter soldier wasn’t following him, leaving droplets of blood as a trail.

“Are you alright sweetheart?” Bucky’s softer voice took you by surprise. His metal appendages stroked your warm cheeks and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

You shook her head and Bucky’s eyes narrowed. Your knees were badly bruised and he clicked his tongue. His arm wrapped around your shoulder and he walked you back to your room in silence. The anger was still radiating off him, just his very heavy breathing filling the silence. His disbelief that any human could hurt you the way James did. If you were not there, he most likely would have ripped him a new asshole. But since you weren’t a fighter, he didn’t want you scared or panicked.

When you eventually got back to your room, Bucky marveled at how beautiful, neat and tidy the space was. Books scattered over a couple of shelves and your computer neatly placed in the middle of a white desk with your pink and white office chair. You reminded him of a fluffy pink cloud with some chunks of marshmallows. 

He loved the aesthetic comfort it provided.

“Wow this is so beautiful.” He complimented as you sat on the end of your bed. You smiled back sheepishly, feeling the warmth of the blush creep back up your neck and cheeks. 

“Thank you.” you sighed. Bucky’s eyes were soft and so blue. You could stare into them for hours.

“You’re welcome doll. He won’t bother you again and if he does, you tell me immediately. I won’t be so kind next time.” 

“I know. I’m just… ashamed.” you dipped your head and fiddled with the hem of your shirt.

“Doll, let me tell you something.” Bucky sighed as he took a seat next to you, throwing his arm back over your shoulder. Nuzzling your face into the warmth of his chest, breathing in his fresh sandalwood scent. “As a man who grew up in the really old days and a man who was given the best eyesight. I can honestly say, with my hand on my heart that you are really gorgeous, beautiful and so special. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, the fault is with him, not you. Maybe he’s jealous because he doesn’t have killer thighs or something.” you chuckled into his chest, his heart pounding against your ear. 

“You think I’m special?” your question was muffled but he heard you clearly. Your eyes glancing down at his thick thighs.

“Of course I do. You’re the first person I look for when I enter a room doll.” 

“Thank you Bucky. You’re just amazing in every way.” You pulled away with a triumph toothy grin on your face and pink tinted cheeks. 

“Don’t have to keep thankin’ me doll. Though if you really wanna say thanks, accept my invitation and come to dinner with me tonight.” he cocked an eyebrow and your anxiety washed through you. 

“Wh-where?”

“There’s this rooftop restaurant Sam recommended and I really want to go but I don’t want to go alone.” he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the hairs on the back of his neck. “Please?” and out came the puppy eyes. You chuckled and nodded your head.

“Sure. Of course.” Bucky grinned and leaned in and pressed a kiss to your rounded cheek. 

“Thanks doll. I’ll pick you up at 7pm.”

A few hours later

A loud knock - metal on wood sounded at your door and you sighed, checking out your attire for this evening. After hours of wondering what to wear and taking Nat’s advice and smoothed the dress over with your hands, giving one final look in the long mirror. You slipped into your expensive heels and opened the door. You gasped, Bucky was wearing a dark navy sweater with a collar, one arm missing as he kept it under the sweater and dark clad jeans matched with his combat boots. You saw the silver chain shining around his neck and you assumed he was wearing the dog tags he recently retrieved, his hair slicked back into a low bun in the nape of his neck, a day old stubble peppered his chin and cheeks and you were tempted to run your fingertips over the prickly hairs. While you were busy ogling his attire, he was also checking you out. Your choice of dress was gorgeous and it hugged your curves just perfectly, revealing just the right amount of cleavage that Bucky knew he would have a hard time keeping his eyes off during dinner. Your makeup was nothing too crazy, opting for a natural look. 

“Wow doll, you look amazing.” Bucky gulped and shifted on the balls of his feet. 

“You absolutely do too, Buck.” you exchanged a smile and walked down the hall with him, occasionally stealing glances at one another. When the two of you stepped out of the elevator into the lobby, he offered his arm and you gladly took it. 

The restaurant Bucky took you to was absolutely perfect. A single candle in the middle of the 2 seater table with a rose in a vase. Champagne in a bucket of ice. 

“People are staring.” you stated as Bucky pulled your chair out for you. He leaned down and kissed your cheek lovingly, causing an eruption of tingles in the pit of your belly.

“Let ‘em stare. Probably just jealous because I’m with the most sexiest woman here.” he spoke nonchalantly. You giggled and hid behind your hands. The city lights illuminated both of your features as you sat and talked about everything and anything that came to mind.

Bucky told you about the new music he was listening to and how he didn’t like it. You laughed and agreed and told him to listen to some 80s with a promise you’ll personally create him a playlist. Bucky told jokes and you laughed heartily. Exchanging flirty glances and smiles every now and then. The one thing that really set your soul on fire was when you caught him glancing at your chest and licking his lips. You were grateful to Nat for the suggestion of a push up bra to push your boobs together and made a mental note to thank her later. 

“I have something for you.” Bucky said, putting down his glass of champagne and reaching into his front pocket of his jeans. He pulled out a small black velvet box and put it down in front of you. He laughed at the look on your face. “Don’t worry, it’s not an engagement ring.” he clarified and you blew some air out. Picking up the little black box, you gasped when you flicked the lid open. Wedged between the slit was an expensive looking silver ring with diamonds. 

“Bucky! Oh my god! What is this?” Was he sure it wasn’t an engagement ring? The two of you weren’t even dating, surely he wouldn’t.

“It’s a promise ring. I was going to give it to you on the weekend when I was hoping you’d go to dinner with me when we were alone in the compound but things changed.” his chuckle turned into a smile and you mirrored it.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous!” removing the ring from the box, you slip it onto your finger and it fits like a glove. How he guessed your size was anyone’s guess. 

“Doll. I promise you that I will be here to protect you. Nobody will ever dare speak a bad word to you again. But I also promise to take care of you and make you smile and laugh every single day. I care about you so much and I mean everything I’m saying. If you’ll have me of course.” 

Tears pooled in the corners of your eyes as his words sank in. He really did mean them. 

“My weight. It really doesn’t bother you?” you bit your lip with your eyebrows raised. 

“No it absolutely doesn’t. And if you’d let me, I’d really like to spend a long time proving it to you that I love you and your body the way it is. I’ve waited a really long time for you doll. So, will you be mine?” 

“Always.” Bucky reached over and grabbed your hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss your knuckles. 

“My doll.”

“My Bucky.” 

“Forever your Bucky, doll. Let’s order dessert then we can go home and have some real dessert.” he winked and you chuckled, dipping your head and blushing for the hundredth time today. 

Taglist: @jobean12-blog​ @marvelgirl7​ @godofplumsandthunder​ @hawksmagnolia​ @crushedbyhyperbole​ @deanthedemon​ @sarge-barnes-sir​ @emilylyoness​ @jamesbarnesappreciationclub​ @littleredstarfish​ @kitkatd7

[elisaphoenix13]

Like Days Of Old

"I think I'll take Peter out for the day." Stephen tells Tony as he starts the coffee for him.

Tony looks over from feeding Lucy, and huffs when the spoon is smacked out of his hand in her excitement to slam her hands on the highchair's tray. "Oh yeah? What's the occasion?"

"None really. I just figured he hasn't gotten the attention he was used to now that we have the other kids." The sorcerer replies. "I think I'll put aside a day for each one every once in a while."

"Hmm...maybe I should do something like that too." Tony ponders and then winces. "We've been so wrapped up with everything, I'm sure the kids feel a little neglected."

Stephen pours the coffee into Tony's favorite mug, a black one painted with red and gold that Diana made for him, and takes it over to his husband. He was sure that the kids weren't feeling neglected, but then again, no matter how comfortable they were with telling their parents everything, telling them that they felt ignored was not one of those things. Every single one of their boys were insecure about asking for attention and maybe even felt like they were too old to do so. The boys felt lucky enough that Tony and Stephen took them in when they had nowhere else to go and that was enough for them.

Stephen sighs. "You might be right. The boys don't easily communicate those needs with us...even Harley. The girls on the other hand have no problem doing so. We've just been so busy lately."

"Your idea is a good one. We'll start setting some time aside for some one on one." Tony says. "Starting today."

Stephen sips the tea he had brewed while waiting for the coffee and mentally prepared for the day with Peter. Assuming the teen didn't have other plans. He didn't think so as Peter hadn't said anything recently. Going to Mr. Delmar's for lunch was a must but besides that, he could probably have Peter decide what he wanted to do.

"Victor, could you have Peter come here please?" Stephen finally requests his AI.

"Yes, Doctor."

It took a few minutes but Peter finally came out of his room drying his hair with his towel and only sporting some basketball shorts. Clearly he had been in the shower and put on the bare minimum to see why Stephen needed him.

"Need something?" Peter asks when he drops the towel a bit to look at Stephen.

"I thought maybe you and I can spend the day together. Just the two of us." The sorcerer replies and Peter looks at him in surprise.

"Wait. Really? What about your Sorcerer Supreme duties...and Val?"

Stephen chuckles. "Nothing needs my immediate attention and I'm sure William wouldn't mind helping your father with Valerie. Or Cassie for that matter."

"What would we do?"

"Whatever you want. Delmar's for lunch of course."

Peter grins. "I'll finish getting ready!" He disappears back into his room and Tony raises an eyebrow.

"Yikes. If that's how he reacted, we've really been slacking."

"We're doing something about it now." Stephen reassures him.

He finishes his tea and takes it to the sink to rinse before putting his mug in the dishwasher, and raises his own eyebrow when Lucy smacks the spoon out of Tony's hand again. It wasn't that she was fighting the food being given to her, she just really liked the apple and blueberry puree and Tony couldn't seem to feed it to her fast enough. The small flex of his fingers was enough indication that Tony's arm was bothering him today and it made Stephen frown.

"Ask the twins to help you today. Cassie too if she's free." Stephen says. "Try not to carry Lucy around too much today."

Tony sighs. "Honey, I'll be fine. Worst case scenario, I get Porcupine."

"He's at the station right now. You can always call me if it flares up, or if it can wait, ask Bruce to get your sleeve-"

"I'll be okay. I'll get the wonder twins and Miss Sass up here to help." Tony huffs fondly. "Maybe even Nat. I promise the tower will still be standing when you two get back. No promises about the kids being in one piece though."

Stephen snorts. He knew Tony was joking and that everything would be fine...he really was just too far deep into this role. Being a doctor didn't help things either. Stephen would suffer through pain and sickness to take care of his kids if anything happened, and he proved that when the boys and Diana came down with a cold. It was a pretty bad strain to get Peter and Thomas sick too, and of course Stephen caught it while taking care of the kids, and he powered through it to continue taking care of them. He nearly collapsed doing so and Tony almost had to manhandle him to bed.

"Oh. One more thing." Stephen says as Peter joins him. "Don't let Thomas and Pietro run around together."

"Don't worry Duchess. We're on the same page. I don't want another tornado either." Tony huffs. "I'll glue their feet to the floor if I have to."

"Are we going now?" Peter asks.

Stephen nods. "Yes, let's go before your sister finds out I'm leaving. We can discuss what we're going to do while we walk."

Peter nods and heads for the elevator, followed by Stephen once he kisses his husband goodbye. Athena walked over with the intent to leave with him but the sorcerer shook his head.

"No, Athena. Stay here and help with the babies." Athena whines and nudges his hand.

"I don't mind if she comes." Peter shrugs. "Levi is still here. It likes nannying."

Levi vibrates in its excitement when Peter mentions it and Stephen rolls his eyes when it flies over to grab a napkin and help clean Lucy's face. It was a great relic and liked being useful, but Stephen never would have thought it would help like this. Not even when they had this many kids. Most of the time, Stephen didn't even tell it what to do. In a manner of speaking, Levi had a mind of its own and decided nannying was what it wanted to do when it wasn't helping its master in battle. Wong always joked that if the Ancient One was still alive and had seen this, she'd probably be somewhat offended. She'd probably say something like relics weren't to be used for everyday use or whatever.

"Alright," Stephen relents. "Go get your vest." He tells the wolf.

And she did. She went straight for the hook that held her vest and leash, used the wall to stand up and retrieve them, and then carried them back over to Stephen. It was easy to put the vest on her, but her leash he held for now. It wasn't necessary but he did have it on him in case Athena made people uncomfortable when they didn't see a leash. It fortunately hadn't been a problem yet.

"We'll be back later." Stephen tells Tony.

"You both have your phones and suits?"

"Yeah, you can track our every move Dad." Peter rolls his eyes as Stephen joins him on the elevator.

"Don't sass your father!" Tony calls out just before the elevator closes.

Stephen chuckles. "So, any ideas what you want to do today?"

"Hmmm…" Peter folds his arms and tilts his head as he ponders. "Oh! Can we swing by that bakery on our way home? You know the one we practically bought out a few years ago? Is it still there?"

"I think so. I don't think the owners were snap victims and their bakery managed to survive the five years. Which I'm not totally surprised, I'm sure people needed something to keep them going." Stephen says.

"That's a depressing thought."

"Wait...did you even have breakfast yet?" Stephen asks and when Peter looks at him sheepishly, he snorts. "Right, maybe we should grab some food."

So that was the first thing they did, they walked to a nearby cafe and ordered something they could eat as they walked around the city. Despite their intentions though, they did stop at a park to sit down and eat before they continued on. Peter decided he wanted to go somewhere to get Cassie a gift, reassuring Stephen that he wanted his opinion and since he couldn't make up his mind, they ended up going to the mall. By portal of course. That was a little too much of a walk.

"Oh! Let's stop in there!" Peter points to a store with candles and Stephen frowns.

"Are you sure? Usually something like this gives you sensory overload."

"On second thought…" Peter looks down at Athena, who was whining a little. "I don't want to torture Athena too. It does smell kinda strong and we're not even in the store."

"How about one of those edible flower kits?" Stephen suggests. "She likes baking and they would be a nice decoration that can be eaten."

Peter perks up. "Do they sell something like that here somewhere?"

"I'm sure there is."

Stephen chuckles when Peter looks for a nearby map of the mall. Athena sits next to Stephen when they join him at the map, and the two point out different possible locations that might sell what they're looking for. Stephen was never worried about his wolf attacking anyone, as she only did so when he commanded her or if someone attacked the family. A lot of those aggressive instincts were practically non-existent. Not that they actually were, she was still born and raised in the wild, but Stephen was pretty sure that when he communicated the rules of their home and what to expect, it was a big help. She was simply a protector of Stephen, of the family.

She was a companion that Stephen adored.

"Alright I think the closest store was this way," Stephen says as he points past the map.

"I think she said something about needing new food coloring and piping bags too." Peter adds as they make their way to the first store.

Stephen laughs. "We're out and about to spend time together and you want to shop for your girlfriend."

"Oh...uh...we don't have to--"

"Relax. I was just teasing you. We're still spending time together and this is what you want to do right?"

Peter shrugs. "Yeah. I like making her happy."

Stephen couldn't help the smile that graced his features. Peter was always thinking of others, but hearing him admit something like that? He'd certainly matured these past couple of years. He was still the adorable, nerdy dork that he met what seemed like three years ago, but he was leaving the nest so to speak. He and Harley didn't seem inclined to move out, which was just fine with Stephen and Tony, but that was because they wanted to stay with the family. To help them and be around...it made Stephen wonder if that would be the case for Thomas and William too.

"Hey, wanna get something for you and Dad here?" Peter asks, interrupting Stephen's train of thought.

When the sorcerer looks in the direction his son is pointing, he sputters when he finds an adult store.

"No. Absolutely not. I'll never leave the room if I do and I can't believe that you of all people are suggesting that!" Stephen grabs the back of Peter's shirt and drags the laughing teen away.

"Don't tell me you guys get it on with Lucy in the room!"

"When you have seven kids, you take what you can get." Stephen mumbles.

"Not even a pair of lacy underwear?" Peter cackles at the mortification on Stephen's face.

"Just what do you think I--no. No. Don't answer that." Stephen sighs. "This is the thanks I get for rearing children. Sass, sarcasm, and belittling."

"Sheesh. I thought Dia got her drama from Dad." Peter rolls his eyes and Stephen whaps the back of his head in response.

They finally found the first store, but after some browsing and asking an employee, they didn't find what they were looking for. They didn't find it in the second store either. The third time truly was the charm because Peter found everything he wanted to get Cassie, including the flower kits, and he made his purchase before they decided on walking around the rest of the mall. Stephen stopped by one of the shoe stores to get Thomas a couple of new pairs of sneakers that would undoubtedly be worn through by the end of the month, then the craft store for some things for the girls, a game store for a game Harley wanted but didn't have the time to get, and then finally a toy store. Stephen went straight for the puzzles and picked out a couple of jigsaws with about three thousand pieces in each that he and William could work on.

By then, they were ready to stop by the bakery and head home, but Peter suddenly stopped and Stephen didn't notice until he was a few feet away. When he turned to find out where the teen had gone, he found him in front of a jeweler's and looking through the window.

"Peter?" Stephen asks when he rejoins him. When he doesn't get an answer, he follows his gaze and ends up smiling again. There were engagement rings on display. "How long have you been thinking about it?"

"I...a few months now." Peter admits. "I really love her."

"What's stopping you?"

"I want to get her parents permission first."

Stephen pats his shoulder. "You'll get it Spiderling. They'll probably give you grief for a little while first."

"I'm honestly a little worried that Quill might kill me." Peter groans as they step away to a secluded spot and Stephen opens a portal to the bakery.

"He won't. He knows I'll find a way to make his death permanent if he tries."

Peter laughs. "Thanks. Really. For today too."

"Well, I figured things have been crazy and your father and I need to start putting time aside for you and your siblings. Like this."

Peter nods in understanding and ends up with all of the bags so Stephen can open portals, buy out half the bakery again, open another portal to Mr. Delmar's to pick up lunch for everyone, and get them back home. When they stepped through the portal home, Stephen froze. The penthouse was covered in splotches of paint and it was clear that he caught the culprits in the middle of trying to clean up the mess they made. Namely Harley, Thomas, Diana...and Tony.

"Where's Lucy and Valerie?" Stephen asks curtly and the other four cringe.

"Cassie and William are upstairs with them." Thomas responds.

"Why is there paint everywhere?"

"It was an accident!" Tony says. "Sort of? Thomas and Harley wanted to see if he could run and catch a bowl of paint that Harley and Diana threw to see if he could do it without spilling any."

Stephen takes a deep breath and exhales loudly. "First, that isn't an accident. Second, it obviously didn't work, and third...you couldn't have them at least do it downstairs on the actual art floor?"

"It was already too late when I came in on it." Tony says. "I already chewed them out."

"As punishment I'll have to go return the lacy underwear." Stephen says and Tony's eyes get comically wide and Peter bursts into laughter.

"Wait, no! Why am I being punished?! Lemme see!"

Stephen only smirked in response and winked at Peter who was still doubled over laughing. Tony soon discovered though that there unfortunately had been no such purchase in the first place. The fact that he was disappointed made Stephen wonder just how much Tony might have liked them.

Harley and Thomas on the other hand gave Stephen their own mortified looks for just the suggestion.

[jingabitch]

a concept (but also a request) --- a saesang discovers yn and tries to harm/blackmail her, and is almost successful. i'd love to see how the boys react and how they protect her

It has been a while !! since I wrote anything for this and I always worry that I’ve lost the AU. Let me know what you think as always, and I’m sorry it took me so long to get to this!

Word count: 5k

series index

Spa days are fun. They’d always been something you enjoyed, but didn’t have the money or time to indulge in before the boys. Since you’ve come to live with them, however, it’s become a group activity for you, which is all the better. Needless to say, pampering yourself is now a regular hobby, one they’re all too willing to encourage. It’s a nice compromise for when you feel like going out – they drop you off at the spa on their way to work and pick you up on the way back, and the spa employees know to text Namjoon frequently about what you’re getting up to.

Today’s spa session, however, is even more exciting than usual for you, because you’re preparing to attend an award show. Not as their date, of course – kpop idols don’t get dates – but as a member of the audience. They’d managed to wrangle you a ticket to the best seat in the house, after your persistent begging for weeks, and definitely way too much flaunting of your new engagement ring because all of them grew soft when they saw it.

It was all worth it in the end, because they eventually caved and let you go for the show. Not without a bunch of rules like ‘don’t talk to anyone’ and ‘come straight home’, or hiring what amounted to an armoured vehicle to ferry you to and from the event, but you’re excited nonetheless.

The show is tomorrow, and you’re going to be alone for most of the day because the boys have to rehearse for their performance, go early and all that, but for today, you’re with the seven of them being massaged and waxed and scrubbed together, and it’s amazing.

“Joonie-oppa?” you say into the dark silence of the room where you’re all lying as you get facials.

“Hmm?” he mumbles back, clearly half-asleep. You bite back a smile of fondness, not wanting to disturb the layer of goop on your face.

“Thank you,” you say quietly, knowing that he’s the one who made all the arrangements for you to go. It can’t have been easy, since you’re a secret they’re determinedly keeping.

“You’re welcome,” he responds, his words still slightly slurred.

“Why didn’t you say thank you to the rest of us?” Jimin, ever the needy one, whines.

“I’ll thank you when we get home,” you respond, biting your lip against the smile that threatens to emerge. They’re all so cute, you just want to pinch their cheeks and show them love. And now you get to do just that for the rest of your life. What a lucky girl you are.

Getting ready for the show isn’t nearly as glamorous as one might imagine. For one thing, you’re alone in the apartment, doing your own hair and makeup. For another, you’re hardly able to focus on anything because the boys are constantly texting you. It’s like every second they aren’t actively rehearsing or doing sound check or whatever it is, they want pictures of you, updates on how you’re feeling, and, of course, it wouldn’t be Yoongi without repeated questions about whether you’re sure you really want to go for the show.

You love it, of course. After being alone for so many years, you’re hardly in a position to complain about too much attention. There isn’t such a thing, as far as you’re concerned, so you happily pose for pictures with half-done makeup, in the expensive silk robe they’d bought you.

When it comes time to get dressed, the boys insist on Facetiming you so they can see your reaction to the dress they’d bought for you. You know it’s expensive because it comes in a giant Dior box, but the boys had insisted on it remaining a secret for you until it was time to put it on.

With the boys eagerly watching from your phone propped up with some pillows, you lift the lid off the box and promptly gasp in shock. The gown is white, with silk chiffon buds sewn into it. As you lift it out of the box, you note that it’s a gorgeous A-line cut with a flared skirt that will leave only your ankles exposed, and that while the bodice is white, the skirt fades into deep blue and violet, with tiny yellow flowers adorning the hem.

“Oh, my God…” you marvel, speechless as you hold the dress up.

“Do you like it?” Hoseok asks eagerly, unable to stay quiet. He and Taehyung fought for almost a week over the dress before settling on this one, and he, for one, is rather proud of their selection. From afar it looks simple enough, with a classic cut and colour that you, with your more conservative fashion sense would feel comfortable wearing, but still unique, with intricate detailing that satisfied the boys. After all, even if no one at the show knows that you’re theirs, they should still admire you.

“It’s beautiful.” Your voice wobbles slightly, and Jimin immediately crowds closer to the phone, blocking most of the other boys.

“Y/n-ie, are you okay? Are you upset?” His voice is slightly panicked, and you sniffle as you blink away the tears.

“I’m fine, Chim. It’s just… this is so pretty; you guys are always too good to me,” you choke out.

“Stop it,” Yoongi says, knocking Jimin’s head away so he can take his turn peering at you. “You’re perfect; we’re the ones who don’t deserve you,” he says gruffly, clearing his throat. You know he isn’t the most vocal about his feelings, so you just smile at him.

“Okay, oppa,” you accept. “Thank you boys for this.”

Jimin returns enthusiastically, pressing his face so close to Yoongi’s that their cheeks are practically touching. You stifle a giggle at how cute they look together. “Y/n-ie! We’re not done! Look in my closet!”

“Uh… okay.” You pick up the phone and leave Yoongi’s room to go down the hall to the bigger one that Jimin and Hoseok share. Sitting on top of the drawers in Jimin’s section of their walk-in closet is a distinct blue box. “You didn’t,” you gasp, setting down the phone to open the box.

“Do you like it? It matches your ring, doesn’t it?” Hoseok yells from somewhere in the background. You stare reverently at the necklace and earrings set, a diamanté chain with a massive teardrop-shaped pendant dangling from it, and matching dangly earrings.

“Yeah, it’s gorgeous.” Ridiculously, you’re on the brink of tears again.

“Well, stop staring at it and go get ready, Y/n,” Seokjin frowns at you. His good-natured nagging is welcome now more than ever, and you nod obediently.

“Okay… I’ll see you later?” The statement comes out as a question against your will. Stupid, of course. The whole point of going to the show is to see the boys accept a whole slew of awards.

Yoongi smiles softly at you, though. “Yeah, baby, we’ll see you later,” he confirms before hanging up, and for the rest of the time that you’re getting ready, you can’t stop grinning.

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

The show is spectacular. From where you’re seated, you have a perfect view of the celebrities in their own section, seated around tables – although you’ve really never understood why, since it’s not like this is a banquet. You ooh and ahh at the appropriate moments, applaud (smugly) when your boys sweep the awards, and in general have a grand old time. You’re alone, of course, but that doesn’t really bother you when you’d had so much time to get used to it in the past.

Besides, it’s somewhat different today. Even though the boys can’t text you given that all eyes – and cameras – are on them and they need to look like they’re engaged with the happenings of the event, their eyes are constantly drifting over to the audience, where they know you’re seated. The urge to wave at them is overwhelming, but you know how imperative it is that you not show any sign of knowing them in public. It was something that Namjoon had emphasized to you repeatedly last night, even though you’re not that sure why that’s the case. He’d said something about hate and crazy fans…?

Truth be told, though, you think his concern is just a tiny bit overblown. Sure, there are overzealous fans out there, but these days it really does seem like fans are becoming more mature. Even Chen from EXO had gotten married recently, and when they announced their engagement most of the reactions had been fairly positive. You hate doubting your boys, but it feels a little like they’re ashamed of you.

Once the seed takes root in your mind, it becomes almost impossible to shake. Years of coping with your insecurities and loneliness have primed you to think the worst, although the boys have always been so attentive that it’s impossible for even you to feel like they don’t care about you. Now, though, with the short distance between you that feels like an insurmountable barrier, it occurs to you that this is a metaphor for your lives. You’ll always be on the outside, looking in. They own you, but the inverse will never be the same.

Thinking about it threatens to send you into a spiral, and you know that you can’t have a full-blown panic attack here, so you leap out of your seat and bolt for the exit. Some fresh air will do you good, you think slightly hysterically, trying to put off the inevitable.

The cool spring air feels good on your overheated cheeks, and you pace up and down the alley next to the building, your arms folded across your chest. It feels like your ribs are constricting your lungs, and you suck in deep breaths of air, trying to calm yourself. Before you can get too caught up in your own mind, however, you hear footsteps behind you and whip around to see who it is.

“Hey,” Yoongi says simply, his hands in his pockets. “You okay?”

“Yes,” you lie, not wanting him to worry, but your voice wobbles slightly before you can catch it. You clear your throat loudly, hoping he’ll think it was just something stuck, but he just raises a brow at you.

Your shoulders slump defeatedly. You know you’ll never be able to hide anything from Yoongi. He’s the one who knows you the best, who saw you at your worst, back when you’d been alone and before he saved you.

“What happened?” he asks, holding his arms out for you, and you dive into them gratefully. You’re careful not to press your face against him, knowing that he can’t go back in with makeup smeared on his clothes, but you rest your chin on his shoulder and let him wrap you up in a hug.

“Are you embarrassed for people to know you’re with me?” you ask in a small voice.

Yoongi’s reaction is almost comedic. The normally lackadaisical man lets go of you to take a step back in shock, one hand on your shoulder as the other tilts your chin so that you have no choice to look at him, despite your best efforts. “Of course not,” he says emphatically, almost shaking you in his eagerness to make sure you understand just now serious he is. “Why? Who told you that?” His voice starts to rise and he starts turning away from you, almost like he’s going rush right back in to yell at his brothers.

You grab his hand so he doesn’t do anything ridiculous and drastic. “No one, it’s just… I don’t know, I feel like a dirty little secret sometimes, you know?”

“Baby…” he sighs. “You know why we can’t go public. It’s not safe for you.”

“I know… but Taeyang got married and it was fine, and Chen’s pregnancy reveal went all right too. I don’t know, I just feel like things might be changing, y’know?”

Yoongi frowns. “Chen’s wife’s identity isn’t revealed to the public, and he’s terrified to let her go out alone these days because of all the backlash from the fans.”

You pout a little. “I never go outside anyway; what does it matter?” you complain a little petulantly.

Yoongi sighs, sensing that this is something you’re going to dig your heels in over. “All right, I’ll talk to the others about it,” he says. “We can test the waters tonight, but promise me that you’ll let us prioritize your own safety over going public, okay?”

You nod obediently, smiling up at Yoongi. “Okay,” you agree. He drops a kiss on your forehead, then sends you back in, waiting a couple of minutes before he re-enters through the back entrance that celebrities use so no one suspects anything.

Little does he know, it’s already too late for such measures.

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

Returning to your seat for the last part of the awards ceremony, you honestly feel a lot better. You don’t know how Yoongi knew you needed him, but he did, and he was there for you, no questions asked. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get you out of your own head. Unconsciously you start stroking the edge of the ring adorning your finger. It was something you’d started doing for the boys, but along the way you realized how much the action comforted you as well, reminding you of the commitment they’d made to you.

You’re already seated when you see Yoongi returning to his, winding through the tables spread across the floor to get to the one the boys are at. They look at him inquiringly, but he just shakes his head and explains quietly, looking up at the audience for a second. If you weren’t looking out for it, you wouldn’t have noticed that he was talking about you.

Unfortunately, someone other than you is also looking out.

At the end of the event, the idols start standing up to leave and when your phone buzzes in your clutch, your eyes fly to the boys. Jungkook is casually adjusting his clothing and you can see him slip his phone back into his pocket. You smile to yourself. What a cute boy. He’s not that much younger than you, but you always feel the need to baby him.

You open up your clutch to check your phone, slowly standing to leave. The message you find causes you to glance back at the boys, who are now in a sea of idols all crowding towards the exit points. Taehyung sees you, though, and winks at you. Stifling a giggle, you wink back and follow the crowds out of the auditorium, heading towards the restrooms.

There’s a long line (of course) but you don’t mind, smiling to yourself as you text the boys, letting them know how proud you are of them, and how happy you are to be able to see it this close. The girl standing in line behind you taps you on the shoulder, and you look up at her, confused. “Yes?” you ask, politely, you hope. Your social skills have really deteriorated since moving in with the boys, not that they were necessarily excellent before.

“Your dress is so pretty!” she compliments you, and you giggle in response, flushing.

“Thank you so much!” you accept with grace. You know the dress is amazing – the boys have impeccable taste, after all, and the expensive accessories only highlight your whole outfit. You’re probably overdressed, but you don’t much care. You so rarely get to go out as it is, and you have to admit, you love playing dress up with the boys. It’s like Hobi and Taehyung think of you as a doll sometimes, and you don’t mind it at all.

“No problem! I think BTS liked it too,” the girl giggled. “They kept looking over at you just now.”

“Oh…” you laughed awkwardly, not sure how to respond. “I don’t think so; they just look over at the audience a lot because they care about their fans, I think.” Your excuse was weak, but without any warning, it was all you could come up with.

“No way! They were definitely looking at you. I bet you might even get some numbers tonight,” she whispered conspiratorially.

“Wow, that would really be something…” you trailed off, letting the conversation die. Thankfully, your phone pinged again and you excused yourself to continue texting the boys. You thought nothing more of the strange interaction you’d had, assuming it was just some overzealous fan who’d wanted to gush about the boys.

You took your time in the restroom, then hung around the entrance for a bit, watching people leave for the subway or get into cars. When it seemed like most people had left, you slipped back into the building, heading for the backstage area. You slipped in and someone with a clipboard and headset came to chase you away, but before he could, Namjoon came to get you. He brought you to the dressing room where the boys were hanging out, most of the stylists having left already.

“Baby!” Hoseok sprang up and ran to greet you in a way that honestly reminded you of Yeontan. You laughed and opened your arms to hug him, which he accepted happily. He took a step back a second later to take a good look at you, dripping in diamonds and adorned in the dress he’d chosen. You were always prettiest when you wore the clothes he picked, and it was a good thing you tended to agree with him.

He tugged you over to the couch where you sat, squished between him and the other boys. Spending time with them truly was the balm to your soul, you thought. With them around, you could definitely take on anything – overzealous fans, paparazzi, even strange personal encounters like the one you’d had earlier.

You had Yoongi’s jacket over your shoulders as you half-leaned on Taehyung, Jin standing behind you on the couch when you heard a commotion outside the dressing room. Before you could react, there was a scuffling sound and then someone burst through the curtains that were being used to give the rooms some semblance of privacy.

All of you turned, shocked, as the girl you’d been talking to earlier half-fell into the room. “You!” she gasps, just as surprised to see you. The boys immediately stand up, putting their bodies between you and the girl, so you can’t see each other anymore.

“What’s going on?” you wonder, your voice not working well enough to enunciate your words clearly.

Namjoon steps forward, Hoseok right behind him. “Get her out of here,” he directs security sharply, and they make to follow his orders, going to grab her to drag her out of there.

“Wait!” she gasps, lurching forward out of their grasp. “I just wanted to say hi.”

“Well, you’ve said it, now please leave. You’re not supposed to be back here.” Jimin, always the most polite one, says.

“Who is that girl?” the girl ignores Jimin to crane her neck so she can see around the boys.

“None of your business,” Jin snaps in response. While she looks up at him, hurt, the security guards take the opportunity to drag her out of the room.

Immediately, the boys turn back to you, rushing over to make sure you’re okay. Taehyung is so concerned he almost launches himself back onto the couch next to you, and Yoongi admonishes him to be more careful in case he actually hurt you. You smile up at Yoongi, accepting his gentle kisses and concern, but tell him that you’re not that fragile, that Taehyung would never actually hurt you.

When all the boys have made sure that you’re okay and gotten their share of hugs and fussing in, all of you make your way back home.

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

For the next couple of days, it seems like everything’s gone back to normal. You hang the gorgeous dress up next to all the others you now on, and return to your usual attire of loungewear, hanging out on the couch with Yeontan most of the time. The boys, of course, still have to work, so you end up ordering a lot of takeout when Jin isn’t free to cook for you.

Then you start getting sick. At first, you think it’s probably just an upset tummy and review your takeout places, cutting out those that might have caused the issue. But it doesn’t stop, and you keep getting sicker. It gets to the point where you can’t hide it from the boys anymore, after running to the bathroom to throw up right as you’re getting comfortable to watch a movie together on one of the rare free nights they have.

“Baby? You okay?” It mortifies you to note that all the boys are standing right outside the bathroom door, watching you worship the porcelain god.

You give them a weak thumbs up, feeling like you’ve gotten it all out of your system, but then another wave hits and you’re forced to turn back to the toilet. A fresh wave of alarm runs through the boys. Jimin, Taehyung and Yoongi try to burst through the door at the same time, getting stuck before Yoongi, the most determined, pushes past the others and runs to you, rubbing your back gently. The others hover back, concerned but also kind of grossed out by what’s happening.

Eventually you stop and reach up weakly to flush the toilet. Yoongi helps you to the sink where Jimin’s already gotten your toothbrush loaded up to brush your teeth. As you snuggle up in bed – at Yoongi’s insistence, despite your insistence that you feel better already – the boys all take care of you in their own special ways. Namjoon, wondering if you’ve developed a sudden food aversion, starts Googling potential causes and making a table of all the things you’ve eaten in the past couple of days, separated by ingredient. Jimin, who’s curled up next to you, tells Namjoon that you should rest, but you shush him, letting Namjoon fret about you in his own way. Jin is in the kitchen, making porridge and mild soups for you to eat for the next few days, while Yeontan lies on the bed, mostly oblivious but pleased to be around everyone anyway.

Over the next few days, you seem to get better, and all of them are relieved to see that you’ve returned to your usual self. Of course, with how busy the boys are, Jin can’t keep cooking for you, and you go back to the takeout food once you’ve finished the last of his porridge.

Immediately you deteriorate again, even though you changed all the places you were getting takeout from. It’s infuriating and confusing, and truth be told, you’re getting a little scared. Not wanting to worry the boys, you try to hide it from them, but your cover was blown when you had to run out of the bedroom to throw up in the middle of the night, probably trampling over a couple of them in your hurry.

After that, you’re forced to confess that ever since you finished Jin’s home-cooked meals, all the food you’ve ordered is making you sick, which makes no sense because you aren’t even ordering from the same place more than once anymore. When you explain that, Namjoon’s jaw does that ticking thing and he kisses your forehead, telling you that everything will be okay, that he’ll take care of it.

The next morning, he’s gone before the rest of you really wake up, to talk to the security staff and check out the camera footage. When he comes back, you’re still in bed, but the others are in various stages of getting ready to go to the studio. He enters the apartment dramatically, slamming the door open and stomping into the bedroom, although the way he trips over the step to get past the entryway undercuts the effect of his rage slightly.

Yoongi is getting dressed when Namjoon barges into the room, but he’s so used to the other members seeing him in various states of undress that he doesn’t even react as he finishes taking his pajamas off. “What is it?” Yoongi asks, deadpan as always.

“That person at the award show has been intercepting all her meals,” Namjoon explained tightly, his jaw clenching.

You and Yoongi looked at each other as the dots connected in your mind. A second later, Yoongi had all but exploded with rage, pacing up and down while muttering about killing her. The others came to see what the commotion was about, Jimin still fastening his earrings and Taehyung buttoning his shirt as he stood in the hallway, and Namjoon had to explain all over again, and then calm everyone down because even if they all felt like it, murder wasn’t really an option for them.

“Guys…” you called from inside the room, since all of them seemed to have forgotten that you were even here. “It’s fine, I’ll just stop ordering delivery and the problem will be solved.”

The boys blinked at you, incredulous at your lack of anger and basic self-preservation. Then again, it was what had led you to them, so maybe they shouldn’t be quite that surprised…

“Well, yes, of course you should stop ordering delivery until we catch this person, but that can’t be all…” Even Hoseok was shocked at your carefree attitude towards someone literally trying to poison you.

“Sweetie, don’t you want that person to be put behind bars or something?” Jimin asked tentatively.

You shrugged. “Sure, but karma will take care of all of that.”

Karma…? Before any of them could question it, Namjoon cleared his throat, bringing everyone’s attention back to him, to explain the plan. Hoseok and Jin interjected once in a while to ask questions and add their suggestions, but the rest listened. Yoongi was still far too furious to think rationally, aggressively cuddling you and wrinkling his clothes, although he brushed that aside when you pointed it out. The younger ones listened with wide eyes, somehow shocked that something like this could happen, even though all of them had experienced crazy stalker fans before.

It was impossible for all of them to stay home, of course. Not only was this completely infeasible from a practical perspective, but there were various phases of the plan that were required to fully ensnare the stalker – not to mention, punish her for her actions. It was the only way that any of them could convince Yoongi to go along with the plan instead of going off by himself to commit murder or something.

First, they realized that since they didn’t actually have video footage of her messing with the food, they didn’t have enough evidence to hold up in court, so additional cameras were installed around the building, in the elevators and even a little one right outside their front door that was hidden in one of those silly “Welcome” signs people liked to put up on their doors. It was obvious that the case going to court would be impossible – they were in the public eye so often that everyone knew none of the boys were sick, and they didn’t want you to have to testify, which would reveal to the world that you were living in their dorm with the rest of them.

Then they had to figure out how she knew which deliveries were theirs. It wasn’t like she was hanging around their apartment complex all day, since that would definitely have aroused suspicion among the security guards. After trying out a few different experiments, they realized she’d somehow managed to tap the landline and intercepted every delivery that was ordered by you with one portion. It was genius, but they weren’t in much of a mood to appreciate it.

It took a couple more weeks, but eventually they managed to get enough footage of her taking their deliveries, sprinkling some sort of powder over it and then delivering it to your apartment. Since she always just knocked and then dropped the food off at your door, you never realized that all the deliveries were being brought to you by the same person.

Meanwhile, to prime the public to rain hate down on her when she was arrested, the boys had been taking turn releasing cryptic messages on vlives and weverse alluding to someone who was harming them and the precious people in their lives. Taehyung even teared up on vlive, which had fans ready to wield pitchforks and torches to hunt down whoever it was.

In the end, instead of taking their evidence to the police, a clip compilation showing the girl poisoning the food and delivering it to the boys’ apartment was ‘leaked’ online, prompting a police investigation without the boys even initiating it with a report. The public outrage was so intense that in a strange turn of events, police protection had to be deployed for her safety, and she quickly pled guilty without trial to avoid the drawn-out agony of a public trial.

In the end, fans all around the world were made aware that there were some lines that the boys wouldn’t tolerate being crossed without serious retaliation. Through the whole debacle, none of the boys made any open statements, but their vlives and weverse messages made so much more sense now that everything was out in the open. It was honestly chilling, how far they were willing to go when boundaries were overstepped.

They didn’t know what exactly had set them off, but you knew. It was you.

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 23

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 11,552

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

"Sorry, did I miss a point back there where my car transformed into a submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean?"

I turned my head towards Lea, knitting my eyebrows together. "Pardon?"

"Well I just don't see how else we would have ended up at freaking Buckingham Palace," he muttered, keeping one hand on the steering wheel while the other tipped his aviators forward for a better look at the mansion at the end of the long, extravagant driveway he was currently cruising his car down. He gave a low whistle, "Shit, all it's missing are those dudes in the highschool band uniforms and big fuzzy hats."

Rolling my eyes, I snorted softly. "Oh come now, it's not that big."

He scoffed, "'Not that big' is something girlfriends say about their exes to protect their insecure boyfriends' fragile male egos. It's not what you say about the Taj Ma-fucking-hal here."

The dreaded weekend was upon us at last.

You know. The Weekend. Capital T, capital W.

Aka, the visit with my parents.

Operation Boyfriend But Shh Not Really was about to be tested to the extreme limits.

The chateau in question (maybe villa would be a better word? Or manor, perhaps? Really, it wasn't big at all, Lea was just exaggerating) belonged to my parents. This was the home I'd grown up in. It was weird coming back here now after all that had happened. Was still in the process happening, I suppose. My fingers fidgeted with my braid as the mansion loomed ever higher the closer we got.

Actually… now that we were more up close and I was really seeing it again… oh gosh, it was rather enormous, wasn't it?

...had it somehow grown in size since last I-?

Shush, now, don't be ridiculous. That was just the anxiety talking.

Of which I was in no short supply of. I still had no clue what was in store for this weekend. Anna seemed almost just as much in the dark as I was, which was strange seeing as how she still lived here. Then again, I was pretty sure she'd been spending a lot less time around home lately in favor of staying over at her new boyfriend's place. A man I still surprisingly knew absolute zilch about, but I was hoping Anna had invited him to join us for this weekend as well. That way, I'd get to meet him and maybe even have a little of the attention taken off me. Long shot, I know, considering he was only Anna's still relatively new beau whereas I'd skipped out on my own wedding and shamed my whole family (apparently), so this guy was kind of small potatoes by comparison. But hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

It was actually Friday evening right now, so we were going to be in for more of a long weekend - in every sense of the word. Lea and I had both worked early shifts today before going to our respective homes, getting changed, packing bags for staying over for two nights and then finally heading up. Not knowing what this weekend was going to entail was wreaking no small amount of havoc on my nerves. That said, it could have been worse. Pretty sure I'd actually been more nervous for the audition a couple days ago than I was for this. Maybe that was because the audition had just been so last minute, whereas I'd been preparing for this little get-together for a couple weeks now. Even I had to admit that Lea and I made a pretty convincing couple at this point. Sure, I still got a bit awkward with PDAs, but I was no longer anywhere near as bad as I had been the day I'd seen father at my old condo.

...then again, doing the whole relationship act around the mall for the past couple weeks was one thing. Trying to pull off the same charade in front of my parents now, not to mention the Duke as well? Probably was going to be a lot more complicated.

I really had no idea what was going to happen the moment we passed through those ornate double doors leading into my parent's home.

But I was about to find out.

Whether I liked it or not.

"Alright, we made it," Lea announced as he parked the car next to the big fountain in the middle of the circle driveway, shutting off his engine. He shot me a grin, "You ready for this, my lil sötnos?"

I blinked over at him, then narrowed my eyes. "Do I even want to know?"

"It's a Swedish term of endearment. Its literal translation is sweet nose. And if yours ain't the sweetest, I dunno what is," his grin twitched wider as he reached over to tweak said nose.

"Sweet n-" I groaned, swatting his hand away. "Veto."

"Aw c'mon, I thought that one was cute!" he gave a little whine. I just drooped my eyelids at him and he sighed, stretching over to open his glove compartment and pull a black marker from it. "Guess America's just not ready for the sweet nose," he grumbled, pulling the cap off with his teeth and marking something off on his palm.

I frowned. "...what are you doing?"

"Regrettably giving up on what is arguably the greatest pet name of all time, that's what."

"No, I meant with your hand." I snatched his in both mine, yanking it over in front of my face to discover a small list written on the inside of his palm, located at the top of which was sötnos with a line struck through it. "...are these... more terms of endearment for me?"

He smirked as he leaned in closer to stare down at his palm alongside me. "Yup! Since the big weekend's here, figured I'd best come prepared. This is important stuff we gotta nail down!"

I squinted at the words before me, reading, "Kruzynko…?"

"It means breadcrumb."

Scrunching up my nose, I stole the marker from him and crossed that one off. "No. Bogárkám?"

"My little bug," Lea supplied, sounding more confident in this one.

A snerk. "Nope," I popped the P. And another one bites the dust. My tongue tripped uncertainly over the next one, "Blodyn tatws?"

"Heh… potato flowers?" he asked hopefully.

"Oh wow, I love that one."

He perked up, "Really?"

"Absolutely... not," I said flatly, looking him dead in the eye as I drew a line across it as well.

"Aw man, not cool!" He pouted, then pursed his lips to one side. "Hey, is now really the best time to be doing this? We, uh…" he chuckled sheepishly, holding up his second hand to reveal a whole other list scrawled on that one too, "...might end up being here all day."

I stared blankly at him. "Just how many more of those do you have?"

"I'd show ya, but that'd require me going a lil more half monty than you'd probably prefer I'd get in your parent's driveway."

My brow furrowed and I leaned away slightly, eyeing him up and down. "...where…?"

He waggled his eyebrows at me, "That's for me to know and you to find out."

I let his hand drop from my grasp, "I'm good, thanks." As he snickered, I looked away, rubbing my fingertips over one of my (now brought to a low simmer) cheeks. "Can't you just stick to El? It's simple. Nice… I like El."

"You do?" I heard him ask and I directed a furtive sideways glance in his direction. A slow smile was curling his lips, "Alright… El it is." But then he was peeking down at his palm again. "...and also krúttið mitt."

Biting back a grin, I swat his shoulder. "How would you like it if I kept calling you some weird pet name in a foreign language all the time?"

Lea beamed, "I'd like it very much actually."

"Really? Fine," I took up his hand again, scrutinizing his palm, "...mo chuisle it is then."

His eyes lit up, "Ooo, that one's spicy!"

Oh dear, why had I thought this was a good idea again?

"...what's it mean?"

He bent towards me, eyes hooded as he purred, "You just called me your pulse."

I've made a grave error this day.

"Ah-ah!" he chirped, pressing a finger to my lips as they began to part. "Too late! No take-backsies!"

I huffed, unbuckled my seatbelt and got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me.

Lea looked far too smug as he climbed out himself, retrieving both our bags from the backseat of the car on his way out and slinging them over his shoulder. He removed his aviators, hooking them into the collar of his black, fitted v-neck shirt as his eyes took in the mansion before us once again. He'd reclaimed his leather jacket to wear for this, accompanied by snug jeans tastefully ripped at just one knee and a pair a black, heavy, steel-toed boots. He'd blinged out a bit as well, sporting a small sun medallion that hung from a chain down to his mid-chest, along a few strappy leather bracelets and a couple of rings decorating his fingers. His winged guyliner was somehow even darker and bolder than usual and his hair had been pulled back into a half-tail.

Not going to lie, my traitorous fingers practically itched to pet that little red tuft at the back of his head.

Instead, I settled for fussing with the necklace that rested against my skin just above my collarbone. The pendant was formed of three blue, almond-shaped gemstones gathered together at one point. A present from Rayne to wish me luck on this trip. I was a much bigger fan of her good luck charm than I had been of the one Lea had "gifted" me with for the musical tryouts. I wore the small charm with a classic little wrap dress in a soft lilac. Off the shoulder of course - it was me we were talking about here, so you can probably guess it before I even say it at this point - and with the hem of the skirt flaring out around the knees.

Needless to say, looking at him and me side-by-side right now, it was clear one of us was either severely over or underdressed. Considering it was my parents' door we were about to knock on, one guess as to who was what.

"Try not to scratch the paint, chief!" Lea chipperly called out as he was suddenly tossing his keys at one of the staff under my parents' employ who just so happened to be walking past us in that second.

Eyes widening, the man fumbled to catch them. As Lea turned to head towards the front door, I followed, quirking my eyebrow at him. "What was that?"

"I'm blending in," he flashed a cheeky smile, shoving a hand into one pocket of his jacket. "Whatcha think, do I sound like a rich asshole or what?"

I tipped my head to one side. "...actually, you kind of sounded like my ex."

A snort escaped through his nose. "I'll take that as a yes then."

We walked a couple steps in silence. Then, "That wasn't a valet, by the way."

He froze midstep, looking at me sharply. "What?"

"That was a gardener. My parents don't even have a valet."

"Oh." Lea glanced back over his shoulder, frowning. "...maybe I should go get my keys back then."

I hid a small grin behind my fingers. "Maybe you should."

Waiting politely, I watched him jog back towards the worker to do just that, along with offering what looked to be quite the humble apology. "Got 'em!" he declared once he'd rejoined me, flinging them up into the air before catching them again to slip into his pocket. "So even a proper gent like your old man feels the need to prove what a hot, young stud he still is, eh? Wouldn't of thought him the type."

"What?" I blinked a couple times. Where'd that come from?

He tossed his chin back towards his vehicle. More specifically, at the few other cars he'd parked next to. "I recognize Anna's Porsche over there, but that blue Ferrari reeks of midlife crisis."

"...that's my car." Then I grimaced and amended, "Rather, was my car."

"Huh?" he looked taken aback. "You drive? Since when?"

I gave a small shrug, "Since always."

"Then why're you always having me n' your roomies chauffeur you around? Not that I mind..."

"I don't have a car or the funds to purchase one." He wordlessly jerked his thumb back towards the Ferrari, face blank. I sighed, "My parents bought me that. It didn't feel right keeping it after… everything. Not with me trying to separate myself from them and make it on my own. No, I plan to buy my own once I've saved up enough."

"Shit, still shoulda kept it," Lea said and I gave him a dull look. He hastily waved a hand in front of him, "Even if ya didn't want it, you coulda sold it and made bank before giving all that munny away to charity. Ya know, just so you could really stick it to your folks."

Shaking my head with a soft chuckle, I started walking towards the entrance again. "Let's just get on with this."

"Aye aye, Capitaine," he gave me a two-fingered salute, catching up to me with his long strides.

Feeling my chest start to constrict as we drew nearer to those doors, I blew out a soft, slow breath. "I hope we're not late. I shouldn't have let you talk me into that salon visit after we got off work."

"What, you needed something to help ya relax and a quick spa day was just the ticket! 'Sides, I wanted to make myself all pretty for this! Whaddya think?" He stretched his arm out before us both, fingers wiggling to show off his fresh coat of black nail polish. "If this doesn't impress your folks and tell 'em what a man of sophisticated tastes I am, I dunno what will!"

I snorted. "I think my father is more of a mauve man himself."

"Really? Crap, you shoulda said something! I'd have asked for a matching color so he and I could be twinsies! Shucks," he snapped his fingers, "missed opportunity."

Coming to a stop on the doorstep, I reached for the bell, but my fingers hesitated.

This was so strange. I'd lived here. Spent my childhood here. I'd never had to use the doorbell before.

...why did the idea of doing so now seem so hard?

A sudden warmth enveloped my other hand. I looked down to discover Lea was holding it. He gave it a small squeeze as he said softly, "Hey. Whatever happens in there, just know I'm here for you."

I felt a small stutter in my chest as a tiny smile tugged at my lips. "...thank you," I murmured, squeezing back before looking to the doorbell once more. Taking a deep, calming breath, I pushed the button at last and a heavy chime could be heard within.

While we waited, a glimmer of something at Lea's waist caught my eye and I turned to see what it was. A crease formed between my eyebrows. "...is that… a wallet chain?"

How had I missed that thing until now?

"Hm?" he followed my gaze. "Oh! Yup! Heh, thought it might really pull the whole look together! Do I look like a punkass bad boy now or what?"

"Or what," I fixed him with a deadpan stare. "You look ridiculous."

He splayed a hand against his chest in mock offense. "Rude. Can't believe you'd talk to your pulse like that."

Face warming, I hung my head. "...I'm never going to hear the end of that, am I?"

"Nope!" he grinned wickedly.

"Would you just take that silly thing off?"

"No can do, sweetcheeks! Boys like to accessorize too, ya know," he sniggered, giving the chain a little twirl. "Just be grateful I left the spiked choker in the glove compartment."

"Spi-?!" I spluttered over the word before managing a scoff and crossing my arms. "Oh, trust me, I am. The point is to get my parents to back off, not to send them into cardiac arrest!"

...huh… Lea in a spiked choker…

"You're trynta imagine what I'd look like wearing it now, aren't ya?" he'd hunched down beside me to whisper into my ear with a smirk.

My cheeks burned so hot, you could have roasted marshmallows on the damn things.

"...am not."

I was almost grateful when the door swung open just then. And also a little surprised, because the face that greeted me wasn't that of my parents' house maid Gerda.

No, instead it was that of a pale, wide-eyed, huffing and puffing Anna.

(With Gerda right behind her, looking quite harried and put out by the fact that my sister had stolen her job.)

"Elsa!" she cried out in relief. "Finally! What took you so long?!"

Furrowing my brow, I began, "Anna? What-?"

"No time! Get." She lunged towards me. "In here." Her hands seized my shoulders. "Now!" I was forcibly yanked inside.

I heard the door booming shut behind me and could only hope that Lea had managed to slip in himself in time as well. Gripping my sister's arms, I tried again, "What's going on? We couldn't be more than a few minutes la-"

Her hand suddenly shot out to squeeze my cheeks together between her thumb and fingers, squishing my face and effectively silencing me. "Shush! No talkie! Only listen! Oh, it's bad, Sis. Really, really bad! It's him! He's here! Like, here here! Right friggin' now!"

"Who's here?" I asked, tugging my face free of her vice-like grip and working my jaw. I knit my eyebrows together at Gerda, who was frantically circling us as she kept trying and failing to get a word in edgewise. "The Duke? I already knew-"

"No! Not the Duke! Of course not, he won't be here until tomorrow! Gah! You know, Sis, sometimes you can be really-" Anna cut herself off in a tiny snarl, fingers curling in front of her to strangle empty air. "Ugh! Anyway, it's- I didn't- It was just- Out of nowhere- Mom and Dad, they- He- His-"

"I think she's trying to tell us something. What is it, Lassie? Timmy trapped in the well again?" Lea snerked as he let our luggage fall to the foyer floor beside his boots.

Ignoring him, I gently rubbed my hands up and down Anna's arms. "Breathe. Calm down. Take a minute to gather your thoughts."

"People!" she suddenly blurted out, startling me a bit. "Lots of them! Loads of them! So many people!"

I frowned. "People? Where? You mean here, now?"

She shook her head rapidly, "No, no, no, no! Not now people! Future people! Tomorrow people! And… and caterers! And musicians! And decorators and, and, and him! He's- Right now, he's- just down the hall, he's- he's-"

"Who, Anna? Who?" I insisted.

Her hands violently shook me, "Him!"

Right. Thanks, Sis. Big help you are.

Why was she like this?

The maid finally managed to pipe in, "What Miss is trying to tell you is that your-"

"Got it, Gerda, thanks!" Anna huffed out with a tiny scowl. Then she took in a deep breath, preparing to say something.

"Crap, I think that dude just robbed us," Lea chimed in first.

Holding a finger up to Anna, I whipped my head around to see what he was talking about: an older gentleman in a black suit walking briskly away with our bags. "Oh, that's just Kai."

Lea cocked an eyebrow at me, "The robber's name is Kai?"

"No, the butler's name is Kai."

"Why would the butler rob us?"

"He's not robbing us, he's just taking our things up to our room." I blanched. "Rooms." Plural. As in more than one. My parents would never, not in a million years, have put Lea and me in the same room under their roof… right? Oh gosh, why was the possibility only just now occurring to me? "He's, uh… he's p-putting them where we'll be staying. Separately. As in, not together. Completely and one hundred percent apart," I (overly) clarified, fighting that blush I felt creeping up my neck now.

Anna suddenly grabbed my head with both hands and forced me to look at her again, grounding out through her teeth, "You're. Not. Listening to me!" Then with a grumbling sigh, she snagged my hand in hers and started dragging me down one of the many corridors that branched off from the foyer. "Come on, we better hurry, they're probably wondering what's taking so long."

Gerda squeaked and scurried after us. "Right this way, please, and I'll see you to the Marigold Room where your hosts await your presence!" she awkwardly trilled, trying to maintain some semblance of performing her duties despite Anna's continued interference.

A whistle from Lea confirmed he was following as well. "Lemme guess. The Duke in the conservatory with the candlestick."

"Wha-?" my voice faltered as my feet tripped trying keep up with Anna, only barely managing to keep myself upright.

He grinned down at me as he strode along, shrugging. "This whole place is a legit, life-sized Clue board. Just trynta play the game here."

I stumbled again. "Ow, Anna! Not so hard. What is the rush?"

Not slowing down, she glanced back at me over her shoulder. "Come on, Elsa, think! What day is it?"

"Uh…" Was this a trick question? "...Friday?"

A low, agitated noise emitted from her throat. "No, what day?"

I squinted up at the ceiling in thought. "...the seventh?"

"Yes!" she spun around to tap her nose excitedly, her feet still moving backwards. "Which would make tomorrow…?"

"The eighth." Lost by this line of questioning? I know I was.

"Of?" she pressed. "What month, Elsa?"

"The eighth of… oh!" It finally clicked and I staggered again, my eyes growing round. "...oh no. It's his birthday. Oh gosh, he's here?! Right now?!"

"Yes! Finally! Thank you!" Anna cried out in exasperation.

"Who?" Lea asked, both eyebrows shooting up his forehead at my sudden change of attitude.

"It's-" I began, but that one word was all I got out before Anna took a sudden sharp turn, yanking me into the Marigold Room with her and bringing us face to face with-

"Grandfather!" I breathed, feet faltering as Anna brought us both to a sudden and jerky stop before him.

He cut an imposing figure, my grandfather. Tall, like father, and with the same red hair too that had been passed down to Anna. His however bore prominent streaks of grey at his temples - really the only sign of him getting on in years as he otherwise looked remarkably good for a man of his age. Still fit as a fiddle, barrel-chested, with a strong, square jaw and a sharp, piercing gaze.

A gaze that was so cold right now that I didn't know how I wasn't frozen into solid ice on the spot.

Anna had been wrong.

This wasn't bad.

This was catastrophic.

Because my grandfather? Not exactly the nicest person. Remember what my father had been like? Well, just think - he'd had to learn it from somewhere. And next to Grandfather, my father seemed warm and cuddly. Like sunshine and rainbows. Heck, Father was as friggin' teletubby by comparison to the man who'd raised him. Grandfather was cut from the same cloth as his brother, the Duke. The epitome of old fashioned and proper etiquette. The thing was, where the Duke was all bluster and tantrums, Grandfather just got quiet when he was angry. Like... really, really quiet. An ominous kind of quiet. A bone-chilling kind of quiet. Whenever Grandfather stopped talking, that's when I really got scared of the man.

No, scratch that. That was when I got petrified of the man.

So the fact that he was just staring down his nose at me right now, eyes narrowed, lips set into a grim, disapproving line, and not uttering a single word? Would have been enough to turn my hair stark white if it weren't pretty damn close already.

And to make matters worse? Mother and Father stood not five feet behind him looking rather unamused with me themselves.

Oh gosh, this wasn't going to be some pleasant, little family gathering.

This was going to be an execution. Mine, to be exact.

Gerda suddenly appeared off to one side, panting to catch her breath and making a hasty curtsy towards my parents and grandfather before announcing, "Elsa and her guest have arrived."

...thanks, Gerda. I think they figured that out already.

I watched as she turned and hurried to make her exit before reluctantly returning my gaze to Grandfather. Still, he said nothing. Just arched one bushy eyebrow at me and waited.

Oh fudge, he wanted me to be the first one to speak? Where do I even begin? What do I even say? Could I even talk right now? I don't think I could, not with how heavy my tongue suddenly felt, like it had turned into solid lead. What was I supposed to do here? How-

Suddenly, I felt it. A hand. Lea's hand, slipping across the small of my back and coming to rest on my hip, pulling me gently into his side. "Aren'tcha gonna introduce me, babe?" he asked, voice low and sugary-sweet as he grinned and pressed a kiss to my temple.

Grandfather's thick mustache gave a little twitch.

That's all it took for me to know. Not thirty seconds into this and there was absolutely zero doubt in my mind.

Before this weekend was out, Grandfather was going to murder Lea.

Inhaling and exhaling, I wrung my hands together and somehow figured out how to do this thing called 'talking' once again. "F-Father, you've already had the, uh… the pleasure, but Grandfather, Mother… this… this is…" I screwed my eyes shut, trying to steel myself.

Come on, Elsa, you can do this. Just one word. Just one measly, little word.

"This is my boooooo-" What was this? What was I doing here? "-oooooooooooooooo-" Why was I stretching the syllable out so friggin' long? What, had I gotten stuck? "-oooooooooooooo-" Dear god, how was there this much oxygen in my lungs? "-oooooooooo-" I didn't think there was even this much oxygen on the whole planet, much less inside my lungs. "-oooyyyyyyy-" Oh good. Progress. At this rate, I'd complete the word sometime this century. "-yyyyyyyyy-"

Anna, my divine saviour and blessed angel of mercy, jabbed her elbow into my gut.

"-friend!" I finished at last with a cough. "Boyfriend. This is my...my boyfriend. Yes. This is he. He is this." A beat. Then, "Lea! By the way. His name, that is. Yup. Lea the Boyfriend. My boyfriend. That's right, Lea is my boyfriend. My boyfriend is-"

"I think they get it, Sis," Anna hissed quietly out of the corner of her plastered-on smile.

Gee, I was getting so good at this whole lying thing, wasn't I?

"Pleased to meet ya, Gramps," Lea stretched out a hand towards him.

Grandfather didn't take it. Instead, he just stared long and hard at it. At the black nail polish and rings adorning it. Finally, he lifted his chin with a sniff and straightened his already ramrod posture even further. "That'll be Sir to you, young man."

"Oo, how formal. Whatever you say," he retracted his hand with a smirk, "Sir Gramps."

This had been a mistake, using Lea as my rent-a-boyfriend.

Actually… no, mistake would be an understatement. This was a powder keg and Lea was a goddamn burning match.

Pushing past my now rigidly stiff grandfather, Lea approached my parents next. "Pops, always a pleasure. Ma'am," he took my mother's hand in his to politely press his lips to the back of it, "lovely to make your acquaintance."

She looked slightly taken aback, blue eyes widening. However, Mother recovered quickly, delicately plucking her fingers from his grip to smooth at the tight bun her brown hair was currently up in before primly folding her hands together just below her waist. When she smiled, it was gracious but tight. "As it is yours," there was a briefest of pauses before she tacked on a hesitant, "Lea. Please, take a seat. Dinner should be ready shortly, but would anyone like a drink prepared while we wait?"

I was relieved to hear Lea answer with, "I'm good, thanks." Because a return of Wine Tipsy Lea was by far the very last thing this situation needed right now. As I declined as well, a quick look around brought to my attention the fact that we were the only two not partaking as it seemed the others had already started before we'd gotten here. Mother and Father were sipping at what looked to be some sort of dark red cabernet, while Anna retrieved her own glass and moved towards the mini bar to refill it - most likely with something sweet, fruity and potent enough to bring down an elephant, knowing her. On the low table around which all the seats gathered was a sturdy glass full of ice and an amber liquid. Probably Grandfather's. Probably bourbon.

I shifted over towards the sofa opposite the table from my parents and all three of us took a seat at the same time. Lea joined me soon after, slipping his arm around my shoulders as he flumped down into the cushions beside me. Grandfather, however, hadn't budged from where he stood since we'd entered the room. Not one inch. "Father," was all my father said to him - partially warning, partially pleading.

Grandfather's mustache twitched again and his left eye ticked. But then he moved to sit down in the armchair in front of the bourbon, snatching up the glass and sullenly nursing it.

Dear lord, this was a nightmare. No, this was Hell. That had to be it - I'd died and was now in my own little corner of the Underworld specifically designed and crafted to torture me in the cruelest way possible. I could already feel the stress burning an ulcer into my stomach and no amount of Lea's fingers lightly trailing up and down my arm would calm me down.

There was no point in putting it off, right? I should just do it now. Bring up the thing that was on all of our minds but no one was talking about. You know, the thing. The wedding thing… or rather, the whole lack of the wedding thing. I should just get this over with. Rip the bandaid off. Getting it all out in the open now had to be better than this. Anything had to be better than this… right?

Hands fidgeting furiously in my lap and this close to dislocating a finger, I licked my dry lips and managed to find my voice. "Perhaps now… we should discuss what exactly h-happened on… on my-"

"That is a topic that would be best saved for later," Father talked over me, his stern voice cutting me off. "Let us speak of other things right now."

My head rocked back at that, my forehead wrinkling. I flicked my gaze over to Grandfather briefly - who was still stewing quietly over his drink - then back to my parents. "But I thought-"

"Now's not the time, Elsa," Mother insisted firmly. "This is not a discussion that will be brief, nor will it be suitable to have over dinner. Besides, your father and I will have our hands full preparing for the party tomorrow evening, so this is a conversation that will just have to wait until the day after."

A frown tugged at my lips. "You're hosting a party?"

"For Grandfather's birthday," Anna plopped down onto the sofa beside me, freshened drink in hand. "Since, ya know, it's such a huge one. The big seven-oh. The whole family is going to be there to celebrate. And I mean, the whole family," she shot me a pointed look over the rim of her glass as she took a swig.

Oh. So that's what she'd meant earlier by "tomorrow people."

Why couldn't she have been this articulate when she'd greeted me at the door?

Mother added, "You are, of course, invited to attend the celebration as well, Lea. I know Father would be thrilled for you to join us."

Uh-huh. Sure. Grandfather looked positively pleased as punch over there at the very prospect.

"Sounds like a blast, count me in," Lea grinned.

Alright so… the birthday soirée would be tomorrow, then The Talk™ would be the day after. Roughly two days… forty-eight hours of waiting and worrying and dreading and- oh dear, I had to wonder what the world record for longest sustained panic attack might be. Start the timer, I was about to shatter that sucker.

A hush fell over the room, with the only sound coming from the clinking of the ice in Grandfather's drink accompanied by the ticking of the ancient but well-kept longcase clock in the corner. The ticking seemed to get louder with each passing second.

After one painfully long minute, Mother was finally the one to break the silence. "So Lea," she began, her eyes intent on him, "please… tell us a little about yourself."

"Where to even begin? Lessee here." Uh oh. I didn't like that little gleam he had in his eye as he rubbed a curled finger over his chin. "Well, I guess ya could say I had the kinda childhood every lil tyke dreams about: full of joy and love and the foster system." It was probably a good thing I hadn't gotten a drink because I'd probably be choking on it right now just like my parents were with theirs. "But I mean, with a druggie dad who bought the farm and a druggie mom who split outta my life first chance she got, where else was I s'posed to go?

"As for the rest after that, let's just give ya the highlights." Now he started ticking off his fingers, "College dropout. Ride a motorcycle. In a hardcore death metal band. Smoke ten packs a day." For the love of… he did remember the part about not giving my parents a heart attack, right? "Just got my thirty-day chip from AA - hey, fifth times a charm, right? Oh, I'm also a wanted felon in three different states. Wait…" he squinted one eye, pursing his lips to the left, "...make that four. Always forget about Connecticut. Which reminds me, I need to check in with my parole officer."

"He's joking!" I said quickly with a tiny, nervous laugh.

"Or am I?" he leaned forward in his seat to whisper conspiratorially, eyebrows bouncing. I pinched his arm, forcing a soft tch from him. "But let's not forget the most important thing ya need to know about me: how completely," he kissed my pinky, "and totally," another one for my ring finger, "head over heels," three more, one for each word and each remaining finger, "I am for your daughter."

Alright, you need to cool your jets, cheeks. This was all just part of the show, after all.

A show that was possibly being performed a bit too well. Grandfather's knuckles had gone so white around his glass, I was surprised the poor thing hadn't shattered into a million pieces yet.

Lea tapped his index to his lips now, "Hmmm, what else? Oh! Got a pretty cool story about this gnarly scar my half-brother gave me with a-"

"Anna!" I suddenly burst out, turning towards her at the same time I snagged Lea's hand, keeping him from lifting the hem of his shirt. She froze mid-sip, glancing at me out of the corner of her eyes. "What about you? What's new with you? You have that new boyfriend of yours, right? What about him, will he be joining us this weekend?"

Who me? Trying to change the subject? Psh, I would never!

She winced, averting her gaze and lowering her drink as she traced a finger around the rim. "Oh jeez, my…? Well... he, er… he was going to make it for dinner tonight but… something… unfortunately came up! But he should definitely be here in time for the party tomorrow, so… don't worry! Heh… I- oo, little cheeses!" she cried out excitedly as Gerda abruptly appeared once more to place a small platter of hors d'oeuvres on the coffee table. Anna immediately proceeded to stuff her face with them before pointing at her bulging cheeks and shaking her head, signaling she could no longer talk.

A crease formed between my eyebrows.

Huh… was it just me or was Anna acting kind of weird?

Maybe the tension around the room just had us all on edge, even her. Yeah, that was probably all it was.

"And you, Elsa?" Father's cool tone snapped my attention back to him. Each word that followed was slow and measured, as if he were picking them very carefully, "Tell us how you have been keeping yourself occupied during these past several weeks."

"Oh!" I gnawed on my lower lip, my fingers already tugging at my braid before I'd even realized it. "Well, I've… reconnected with an old friend - you remember Rayne from when I went to summer camp? Well she's married now with a baby on the way, can you imagine? And… and I've gotten myself a place to live and have found a job and-"

-and auditioned for a musical.

That was what I'd been about to tell them. However when I tried, the words got caught in my throat.

I knew they'd disapprove. That they'd probably scoff and wonder why I was still wasting my time on such childish, useless things. But it wasn't childish or useless, at least not to me. To me, the audition had been so important, had brought me so much happiness. I didn't want to give my parents the chance to belittle and ridicule it. I didn't want them to take this thing that was so special away from me.

So instead I released my braid and folded my hands in my lap, sitting up a little straighter as I simply said, "...and that's it really."

I could sense Lea's eyes on me. I think he knew what I'd purposely omitted. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut about it.

"So… Lea…" Grandfather spoke up suddenly, his voice dangerously low and making me flinch. "I hear you're in the…" his lip curled in a slight sneer, "...pizza business? Is that right?"

Smirking back, he slouched a bit more comfortably into his seat. "That's right. I sling dough at a lil pizza joint in the local mall food court. Great place by the name of Pizza Planet… you ever been?"

His jaw clenched ever so slightly. "No, can't say that I have. But this... Pizza Planet," he said it like those were the two most offensive words in the english language, "...is that where you see yourself working for the rest of your life?"

Lea chuckled, his hand batting the air, "Nah, that'd just be silly! No, I won't be selling pizza forever." His mouth curved into a cheshire grin, "Instead I'll be selling ice cream."

"He plans to own his own business, Grandfather," I hastily clarified.

"His own business… selling ice cream," he growled, pointer finger incessantly tapping against his glass now. "And this is how you would plan to provide for and take care of my granddaughter."

"Pardon me, Sir Gramps," there was a hint of an edge to Lea's voice now, despite his unwavering smile, "but I was under the impression that your granddaughter was her own person fully capable of taking care of herself."

You know that chilling, goosebump-inducing, hackles-raising energy you can feel crackling in the air right before a devastating storm strikes and ravages the land?

That was exactly how it felt right now in the space between Grandfather and Lea.

Luckily, Gerda appeared in the nick of time to divert the tempest by announcing, "Dinner is ready!"

"Thank you, Gerda," Mother had stood in the blink of an eye and was already making her way over to Grandfather. "If you would be so kind as to escort me, Father?"

His hard, unblinking gaze was still on Lea and for a second it seemed like he hadn't even heard her. But at last he tore his eyes away with a harrumph and put his drink back down on the table with a sharp, audible clink. "Of course, my dear," he said evenly as he rose from his own chair, offering her his arm and leading her out of the room.

I turned to Anna, but before I could say anything she'd already bolted up and around the table to grab both of Father's hands in hers. "C'mon, Dad! Walk me to dinner too!" she yanked him up, startling a soft grunt out of him as he staggered to his feet. Then she was hooking her arm through his elbow and all but dragging him out of the room with her.

What the…?

...maybe Anna was just super hungry?

"I think that went really well!" Lea chirped, giving me a thumbs up.

I merely drooped my eyelids at him and said nothing.

Later that night found me in my old bedroom. I'd deduced this was where I was expected to sleep, seeing as how this was where Kai had deposited my luggage. As suspected, Lea had been set up in one of the guest rooms further down the hall, so it was just me alone in here now.

It felt odd being back in this room. Just like it'd felt odd returning to my parent's home or going back to my old condo. I don't know, I guess I just didn't feel like I... belonged here anymore. Like I was some piece that everyone else was trying to force into the wrong puzzle, even though my edges didn't fit and the picture didn't match at all.

Sighing, I shifted in my chair to face the mirror on my vanity once more - this one a lot nicer than the one we'd scrounged up for my room back at the apartment I shared with Rayne and Riku, as you might imagine. Having just finished combing out my hair, I set my brush aside and my fingers idly went to work on rebraiding as my thoughts began to wander.

Dinner had ended up just being the sequel to drinks in the Marigold Room. My parents had continued to try and maintain some semblance of being hospitable hosts while keeping up strained conversation. Grandfather had continued to be a seething ball of barely-held-in-check fury and I don't think he'd said more than two words for the rest of the evening. Lea had continued to… well, be Lea. And as for my sister…

I quite honestly had no idea what was going on with her. Maybe it was just my imagination but it seemed every time I'd tried to talk to her, something else had always gotten in the way. Like I'd open my mouth to speak but before I could so much as make a peep, she'd already engaged Mother or Father in some new topic. Or I'd ask her a question only to have her look at me, lips pursed shut against a mouth full of food and shoulders shrugging. There was even one time where all I'd said was her name before she'd accidentally knocked over her drink. At least, I thought it'd been accidental… unless...

Could it be that she was... purposely avoiding talking to me? Had I done something to upset her? I couldn't even begin to think what. Last I'd seen her a week ago, she'd been fine. Everything had been normal between us. What could have possibly changed since?

...maybe I was just reading too much into it. It was probably just a lot of coincidence and poor timing. In fact-

There was a knock at my door just then.

Ha! Bet you that was her now. See? Nothing to worry about, I'd just been overthinking it all. Tying off my completed braid, I rose to answer the door.

And indeed, it was a redhead that I found waiting in the corridor on the other side.

Just not the redhead I'd been expecting.

"Lea?" I frowned, both my eyebrows rising.

He snerked, "Yeesh, don't act too excited to see me."

"What? No, I'm- You're just not who I-" I pressed my lips shut, heaving a small sigh through my nose. "...nevermind. What brings you here?"

"Brought ya something," he grinned and for the first time, I realized he was hiding his hands behind his back. "May I come in?"

My head tipped to the right. "Uh...sure," I opened the door wider, my bare feet stepping off to one side as I absently smoothed at my dress - the same one from dinner. Lea had arrived just before I'd been about to change for bed.

He was still in his earlier clothes as well, though he'd left behind his boots and jacket. I couldn't help but notice he hadn't taken that cute little half-tail out of his hair yet. I also couldn't help but notice the way he carefully managed to keep whatever he had behind him out of sight, even as he walked past me into the room. I closed the door and when I faced him, he hunched down to my eye level, "Ya ready?"

I crossed one hand over my abdomen and gestured with the other for him to continue.

"Ta-da!" he brought one hand forward now, revealing a little black strip lined with sharp, metal points dangling from the clasp pinched between his fingertips.

That's right. It was the spiked collar.

...whatever I'd been expecting, it hadn't been this.

My eyes blinked once. Then twice. "...you were serious? You actually have one of those?"

"Course! What, didja think I was lying? I'm offended, madame," he hmphed, putting his free hand to his breast.

I snorted with a roll of my eyes, "Well no, not lying, but more so just joking."

"I never joke about studded leather," he waggled his eyebrows at me.

Nose crinkling, I delicately poked a finger into one of the spikes. "Alright, so why exactly are you showing me this?"

Lea smirked and shrugged. "Your curiosity just seemed so piqued when I mentioned it earlier."

I gave him a flat look. "It was not piqued."

"Keep telling yourself that," he chuckled then paused, eyes crinkling. "...so you wanted to know what it looked like on me, right?"

Cheeks lightly toasted now, I scowled, "I never said-"

He wrapped the thing around his neck, holding it in place with a hand instead of fastening the tiny buckle in back.

Oh.

Oh, I see.

...it was, um… hrm, it was… interesting.

Damn it, face, be cool. That goes double for you, heart! Don't go thinking I can't hear that racket you're making down there!

"Well, I guess that's one mystery solved," was all I said as I glanced away, hand coming up to cover one cheek in a vain attempt to hide the growing blush.

"Glad I could be of service," he murmured as he (mercifully) removed the collar from his throat once more.

"...why do you even own one?" I asked, hesitantly reaching for the accessory now.

He let me take it from him. "Just a relic from my pissed-off, rebellious juvenile delinquent days that I managed to dig up again recently. What a punkass lil poser I was back then, huh?" he hummed a tiny laugh as he looked down at his feet, lightly scuffing one against the carpet.

Intrigued by it now, I turned it over in my hands as he spoke before taking it over to the mirror on my vanity. "I suppose we all try to find different ways to express ourselves when we're young. Just a part of growing up and figuring out who we are," I said distractedly as I watched my reflection bring the choker up to encircle her neck, tilting her head slightly to the left with a thoughtful frown.

"Well I guess that'd make me a-" whatever quip he'd had locked and loaded was forever lost as he made a sudden strangled, choking noise.

I looked over at him sharply, brow furrowing as I lowered the spiked collar once more. "You okay? What happened?"

His fist thumped his chest as he fought for breath, which was making his face red. "N-nothing," he wheezed, rapidly shaking his head. "Just oxygen, man. That shit'll kill ya, am I right? Heh."

I squinted at him dubiously.

Lea was such a weirdo sometimes.

He averted his gaze now, rubbing at the back of his neck. "You, uh… that choker looked good on ya. Like really, really good."

"You think so?" I frowned down at where it rested in my palm before holding it out to him, "I'll just have to take your word for it."

"Keep it," he grinned, pushing my hand back towards me. "Ya never know when you'll need one for an impromptu angry goth phase."

I smiled at that, "I think I'm in the clear. Isn't that more of a teenager thing?"

"Please. Angry goth isn't an age, it's a state of mind."

"If you say so," I snorted, but put the choker down on my vanity. I had to wonder what my parents might say if they ever discovered it in here with the rest of my things.

"So," he piped up once more, pulling my attention back to him, "this is the bedroom that sweet lil El grew up in, huh?"

As I watched Lea take a few steps further in now, it suddenly occurred to me... this was the first time a boy had ever been in my bedroom. And not just any boy - this was my crush.

Wow… it felt so highschool when I put it that way.

To be fair though, this wasn't an experience I'd ever got to have while I was actually in highschool.

Better late than never, I suppose?

I only wish it didn't make me want to squirm so much as his eyes roved over everything in here, from the big, purple, gauzy canopy bed to the embellished, oversized wardrobe and matching dresser set. From the cushy, inset bench beneath a grand window in the unique shape of a triangle to the tall, antique shelves of neatly arranged novels and DVD cases of old musicals and plays. From the small sitting area in one corner furnished with plush red chairs to the vintage Broadway posters hanging from the walls in expensive frames.

The room was not small by any means, but him being in it somehow seemed to make it shrink. Like here was this big guy that had somehow found his way into a cutesy little dollhouse room. The comparison did not make me want to fidget any less.

Trying to take my mind off it, I began, "So… earlier at drinks and dinner, did you really have to be so…" I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to find the right word. "...just so, ah…"

"So much of a grade-A jackass?" he suggested brightly. Not exactly the word I would have used, but still, I gave a slow nod and he laughed. "Remember, the whole point was for me to be a total hooligan so they didn't just think me some pushover they could boss around or scare off. Think they got that message loud and clear. 'Sides, pushing every last button of the girlfriend's folks is kinda a hallmark of being a classic bad boy."

My fingers found their way to my braid, running up and down it. "But there's a big difference between pushing a few buttons and having a deathwish."

"Aw, how sweet, you worried about lil ol' me, El?" He paused briefly in his casual perusal of my room to glance my way, flashing me that cursed dimple of his, "I'm so flattered."

I shook my head, "I just think you didn't have to go to such extremes or be quite so-"

"Gotta question for ya," he interjected, coming over to stand in front of me. "Say I had showed up on my very best behavior. The perfect gentleman, minded all my P's and Q's and was just the saintliest boyfriend to ever saint. Do you think your family would be singing my praises right about now?"

My eyes shifted about and I tried weakly, "...well… maybe if-"

"Do you truly, honestly believe that your family would ever accept a white trash lil nobody like me dating their precious princess of a daughter?" he pressed quietly yet firmly.

I tucked in my lower lip, hesitating for a long moment before a tiny grimace twisted my face and I mumbled, "Probably not, no."

Lea gave a little smile that almost seemed a touch sad before he turned away once more, returning his attention to exploring the bedroom. "Thought so. I was screwed the second I so much as dared to breathe the same air as your gramps. So if they're all gonna hate my guts whether I play the part of boy scout or hoodlum, might as well go with door numeros dos and at least have some fun while I'm at it," he chuckled.

"Fine, I see your point," I crossed my arms with a frown. "But still, you might want to tone it back just a smidge. Grandfather has munny and connections. He can seriously make you disappear."

A snerk. "I'd like to see him try. I'm one tough son of a bitch to get rid of," he muttered as he neared my bed now, reaching out a hand to poke some of the draping aside as he peeked in, "Trust me, no one axes me that easily, got it memorized? He's in for one rude awakening if he thinks he can just- gah!" he stumbled back in surprise, blinking a couple times before shifting the canopy again for a second look. "The fuck is that ugly lil bastard?!"

I rushed over, snatching up the stuffed plushie sitting atop my neatly made bed and hugging it close as I glared at Lea. "It's a snowman and shush, he's cute! Cuter than you anyway!"

His horrified gaze darted from me to the doll and back. "Dear god, I hope not!"

Sitting down on my mattress, I spun the little guy around in my lap for a better look at him - it'd probably been at least four-some-odd years since I'd last seen the plush, after all. And okay, sure, I could admit he probably wouldn't be winning any beauty contests any time soon, but give the poor, stuffed snowman a break! I had had him since I was a baby and he had had to endure more than one stitch repair job, especially with what a destructive little toddler Anna had been. Despite all that, I still thought him rather handsome with a unique, quirky charm to him.

Giving Lea a flat look and hitching my chin, I said dryly, "My statement stands."

"Wow, guess it's true what they say, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder," he grumbled, narrowing his gaze on the plushie as I snuggled it close to me once more. But then one corner of his lips quirked up and he bowed down to look me in the eye, tipping his head to one side as he murmured, "Hope I at least rate a close second."

Resident cheeks be advised: flash fire warnings are now in effect.

I held my tongue and just glanced away.

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he straightened back up and shoved his hands into his pockets. "So… about that big party tomorrow…"

Thank goodness, a new topic! "What about it?"

Shrugging, Lea said, "Just wanna know what to expect."

My fingers idly stroked at the snowman's head - the fabric still felt soft after all these years, even if it had taken on more of a dull gray color by now as opposed to its original pristine, snowy white. "Well… it'll probably be held in our ballroom-"

"This small palace has a freaking ballroom too?" He shook his head with a snort, "I was kidding before, but this place really is just one big damn Clue board."

Rolling my eyes, I continued, "And it'll probably be packed with all our relatives. Believe me, there are a lot of us on both sides of the family. Acquaintances too. Honestly, it'll most likely all be rather boring. Just a whole lot of mingling, maybe a speech or two, and an over abundance of food accompanied by music."

"Music…" he repeated, frowning up at the ceiling now as one hand went to the nape of his neck, tugging at the little hairs there. "So that mean there'll be dancing? Like… the fancy kind?"

I cocked my head at him. "Are you worried about having to waltz?" Resting my stuffed doll against my pillows, I stood up, "I can teach you if you'd like."

He blinked at me, expression unreadable. Then, "Alright."

I stepped over to stand before him. Now that I got close, I was reminded of just how freakishly tall the man was. My stomach did a little somersault at that and I was already regretting this decision. But it was too late to turn back now. Beating the blush back, locking it up and throwing away the key, I schooled my face into seriousness.

I was going to handle this like a professional, damnit!

"It's fairly simple really, and you've probably seen more than your fair share of it in those sappy movies you like so much. Our hands come together, like this," I joined my right with his left, holding them up to one side. "While your other hand goes…" gingerly taking his wrist in my grasp, I tentatively guided his palm to rest on my hip, hoping the action didn't seem as awkward as it had felt, "...right there." Finally, I settled my left hand on his shoulder and looked up the few inches that separated us.

Big mistake.

Jeez, having eyes as green and beautiful and heart spasm-inducing as his should've been illegal!

And being surrounded by his warm, cinnamony boy scent was not helping matters one bit.

I hastily broke eye contact, opting to look down at our toes instead. Toes are nice. Toes are safe. "It's, uh... it's very easy. You just take steps in the shape of a square. Watch my feet and follow along, I'll go slow. Forward with your left foot first," I took a step back and he moved with me, "then to the side with your right… now bring them together… Good. Then back with your right… out with your left… and together again." I took him through it a few more times without issue. "See? Simple. You're already getting the hang of it."

"I just must have a really good teacher," he said in a low hum.

"At this rate I'll soon be the one following your lead instead of… wait," my forehead wrinkled, "...you are already leading." I looked up at him suspiciously. "Did you already know how to ballroom dance?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Heh… guilty?"

"You brat, why did you tell me you didn't?" I laughed, trying to step away from him.

"I said no such thing," his hand shifted from my hip to the small of my back, not letting me escape. To be fair, I didn't try that hard. "You just assumed I didn't know how. And you know what they say when you assume," he teased as he continued to lead me in our little dance.

I scoffed in spite of the upward tug I felt at one side of my mouth. "Where did you even learn to waltz?"

"My lil secret," Lea winked. "But you know the deal. I'd be willing to give it up for one o' yours."

"You want me to give you a secret?" My eyes darted to the left. "I'm not sure I even have anymore…"

He snerked, pulling me ever so slightly closer to him. "Now I know I don't believe that. You must be able to think of at least one."

...actually yes. There was… at least one more I could think of…

That of certain feelings I was having for a certain redhead.

Sensing a small, familiar heat creeping up into my face, I cleared my throat and shook my head, still not meeting his gaze. "No… no I don't think so. Pretty sure I'm all tapped out."

He dipped his head down next to mine and I could feel him smirking against my ear as he whispered, "You wouldn't be lying to me now, would you?"

His warm breath tickled and I had to suppress a shiver. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let him know. I finally looked at him with a small, playful smile that I hoped didn't betray my hammering heart. "Come now… does this look like the face of someone who'd lie to you?"

Lea bit back a tiny, crooked grin as his eyes hooded, his thumb tracing small circles against the fabric of my dress. Then his lips parted, about to speak.

That was when, for the second time that night, a knock came at my door.

That must be Anna. Smile widening as I continued to stare up at Lea, I called out, "Come in."

I heard it open followed by a soft, "Oh!" that caused me to pale and my feet to stumble.

That wasn't the sound of my sister's voice.

My head whipped towards it as I stammered, "M-Mother!" This time when I attempted to break free of Lea's hold, he let me.

She stood there, posture perfect and hands clasped together in front of her. "Sorry, I didn't think you already had company."

"S'okay, I was just leaving," Lea said before pressing a tender kiss to my forehead. "Night," he told me, voice low as his fingers tucked some of my hair behind my ears. Apparently, he couldn't just depart without giving me one final whammy of the warm fuzzies. Jerkface. "Ma'am," he nodded to my mother as he walked past her towards my door, closing it behind him on his way out.

My gaze followed his exit before drifting over to my vanity right beside the door.

More specifically, to the spiked collar still resting on top of it.

Fudge. Had I wondered what my parents' reaction would be if they ever discovered it in here? Yes. Did I particularly need to find out the answer to that little question this very night? Hell no!

Luckily Mother hadn't seemed to notice it on her way in and her back was currently to it as she said, "That young man is… quite the character."

Funny. That's what Father had said. Almost verbatim. I wondered if my parents rehearsed these things.

"He, uh…" I sidled past her, putting myself between her and the choker, blocking her line of sight to it. Then I forced an innocent smile and a weak chuckle, "...he makes me happy."

If she thought my movements strange, she was good at hiding it. "And he seems very fond of you."

"Ah… yes, I suppose so." I casually leaned back against the piece of furniture and slipped a hand behind me, discreetly moving the offending item into one of the vanity's small drawers.

Whew! Mission Hide The Goth Contraband was a success!

The small feeling of victory swiftly waned however and I frowned. "Mother, I…" I began, only to find I had no idea what to say to her.

I hadn't had any idea for years now.

It had not always not always been like this. In fact when I'd been very little, I'd felt like I could share anything and everything with her. She'd been my biggest supporter in all things, especially in my love of the performing arts. As I'd always been such a shy child, she'd gone so far as to even encourage the activity, perhaps in the hopes that it would build my confidence and make me more outgoing.

But as I'd grown older, our relationship had changed. She became more aloof and distant. I suspect she and Father had hoped my interest in theater was just a phase, one I'd grow out of eventually. But when it seemed I wasn't going to - not on my own anyway - she'd started taking a sterner approach with me. That's when she stopped being my friend. That's when it became harder to talk to her. And it'd only gotten harder and harder with time. Things were never quite the same between us after that.

She watched me now, patient for me to continue. Worrying my bottom lip between my teeth, I finally settled on, "Why are you here?"

"I would think the answer should be obvious." Her small, gentle smile caught me off guard, but not nearly as much as her now stepping forward to take both my hands in hers. "I wanted a little time alone with my daughter. Away from your father and grandfather... just the two of us."

My breath hitched, my chest constricted, and before I knew it I was blurting out, "I auditioned for a musical."

Her head reeled back slightly and I winced.

Welp. So much for not letting that cat out of the bag.

I swear, mouth, I can't take you anywhere.

Waiting with bated breath, I searched her wide-eyed gaze for any clue as to what she might be thinking. Was she angry? Annoyed? Disappointed? I couldn't tell as her face gave away nothing for several long seconds. Finally though, she tipped her head to one side, "...did it go well?"

I blinked, a crease emerging between my eyebrows. "I, uh… yes, I think it did. But they won't announce casting until next week."

"I see. Well," and here she was smiling again as she leaned in closer to whisper, "we can just keep that our little secret, hm?"

...who was this woman and what had she done with Mother?

I stared at her before slowly nodding. It was all I could do. Words abandoned me at the moment. I hadn't been prepared at all for this.

And I was even less prepared for what came next.

Mother's gaze softened as she brought her hand up, cupping her cool fingers to my cheek. "That must have taken a lot of courage. I'm very proud of you."

My throat tightened and I swallowed past the lump I felt forming in it. I blinked away some tears, my voice hoarse as I somehow managed to get out, "Th-thank you… Mother."

Had I entered some sort of Twilight Zone? If so, I never wanted to leave.

She regarded me kindly for a second more before her expression turned to that of concern. "You look tired. Have you been sleeping well?"

Honestly, I hadn't. The last good night's rest I'd had was the unplanned sleepover in Lea's room. Every night since then was one night closer and closer to this weekend and whatever unspeakable horrors awaited me. Every night had been less and less dreams, replaced by more and more tossing and turning. I'd actually spent all of last night wide awake, just staring up at my ceiling until the sun had at last arisen.

So, naturally, my answer to Mother was, "Yes."

Her quiet tsk said she didn't believe me. "Come here," she turned away, walking towards my bed and lowering herself down onto it. I hugged myself, feet rooted to the spot as I stared after her, bewildered. Sitting back against my pillows and tucking in her legs, her hand patted the spot on the mattress beside her, "Cuddle close, scooch in."

Instantly I was transported back to when I was a little girl. Back to the last time I'd heard her say those words to me. My response was automatic and before I'd realized it, I'd already curled into her side and was resting my head against her shoulder.

She started humming a familiar lullaby. One she had used to sing for me all the time when I was small. It was from my favorite musical, the same one that the song I'd sang in the tryouts had been from.

This was nice. It wouldn't put me to sleep, but still, it was... nice. Comforting. Nostalgic. Her hand was lightly stroking my arm, my hair, my cheek. Then she was trailing the tip of her pinky down the bridge of my nose slowly before bringing it back up to do it again. An old trick she'd used to use to get me to pass out. Cute. That may have worked when I was a child, but I was an adult now. There's no way it could still possibly have the same effect on me now, not in a million-

Within minutes I was out like a light.

Author's Note: Ah, it's finally here! The dreaded weekend with (dun dun dun)… The Parents (TM)! Elsa's spent most of the story in Lea's KH universe, now it's his turn to spend a few chapters in her Frozen world xP Let me tell you, when I was writing outline notes for this whole story, I had very little planned for this arc at first. I had a smattering of a few vague ideas, but hardly enough to fill even so much as one chapter with! But thankfully, Frozen 2 was released, coming to my rescue and giving me a whole new host of Frozen characters to include xD Then the ideas started flowing, thank goodness! Soooooo, more F2 characters to be introduced in the chapters to come! Fun Fact: Elsa's dress this chapter (complete with lil necklace) is loosely based on the dress she wears at the beginning of F2 for the Some Things Never Change song, just picture it shorter (cuz apparently I just want to do that to all her dresses) and with a maybe slightly poofier skirt.

Next chapter, what new trial and tribulations does The Weekend (capital T, capital W) hold in store for our couple? Is there something up with Anna or she just being her normal oddball self? Was there a reason behind Mother's unexpected show of affection? Will there be trouble brewing at Gramps' bday shindig? Just who REALLY is the cuter cutie to ever cute: Lea or Elsa's wonky snowman plushie? Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[bngtanah]

The Difference Between Boys & Girls | o4

summary: Sam & Erin are university students who share a cheap one bedroom apartment above a shitty takeaway restaurant. Due to the limited space, they’ve grown accustomed to sharing just about everything, including the occasional kiss.

pairing: Jung Hoseok (Samuel Park) feat. Park Jimin  x Named OC characters: meet the cast.

words: 3.5k genre: angst, romance, fluff

chapters: o1| o2| o3| o4| o5| o6| o7| o8| o9| 10| 11| 12| 13| 14

warning: boyfriend!hoseok, jealous!hoseok, friends to lovers trope, college au, angst, sexual themes, slow burn

a/n: still a fool. still reuploading.

Samuel wasn't exactly sure just how long he'd been laying there, lazily staring at Erin while she slept peacefully. However, he did know that it had been long enough for him to discern that she had a weird habit of muttering things to herself while she slept. Most of it was nonsense, but that didn't make it any less charming in Sam's eyes. Which is why Erin awoke to the sight of him gazing at her with an exceptionally large grin on his face.

"What are you doing?" She asked without so much as a flinch, she was used to waking up him in the same bed as her by now. Albeit he was usually never this close when she woke up but Erin decided that it was too early to question things.

"Watching you sleep, did you know that you talk in your sleep, noona?" Sam said, his eyes never leaving her face as she shifted on the mattress to sit up and rub her tired eyes.

"I do not" Erin scoffed.

"You really do, it's fucking weird."

"Well, if I'm such a weird sleeper why are you in here?" The brunette asked while she moved to lean over Sam's body, detaching her cell phone from its charging cable then leaning back down to rest the back of her head against her pillow.

"It's cold in the living room and the heater is still broken" Sam pouted and snuggled closer to his friend by wrapping his arms tightly around her waist and placing his head on her shoulder.

"Why don't you make use of that electronic blanket I bought you?" Erin asked while caressing his cheek with one hand and using the other to scroll through the few messages she'd received while asleep. Quite a few of them were from Brian which made her smile inadvertently.

Erin may not have noticed the smile creeping up on her face but Samuel did, which made the pleasant grin he was wearing waver slightly then fall completely when Erin removed her hand from his cheek and began replying to the messages with questions about their date later than night. Samuel coughed slightly and detached himself from his best friend.

Noticing the loss of warmth next to her, Erin looked up "Where are you going?" 

"Uh-I've got a class soon. I should start getting ready for it," Sam replied from the edge of the bed, looking back at Erin over his shoulder "I'll see you later, all right?"

"Alright. See you." Erin said softly as she watched him get up and leave the bedroom without a second glance. She sat in silence for a what couldn't have been more than a few seconds, waiting for his head to pop up in the corner of the doorway like it usually did when he was getting ready for class but it never did. Instead, Erin only heard the sound of the shower turning on and the gentle ping from her phone to notify that she had an incoming message.

It had been a long and tiring day for young Samuel Park.  He never enjoyed going to any of his classes, but he attended them all because he knew that was expecting of him. He suffered through the mind-numbing bore that was majoring in Engineering, knowing that his last year was coming up soon and this would all be over, eventually. After he struggled through the three classes he had that day he moved from one level hell to another, namely his part-time job at a convenience store a few blocks away from his apartment. The job itself was easy since Sammy loved people and he had the indescribable quality to make everyone like him for no real reason, even the particularly annoying customers didn't bother him as much as his manager did. The man did everything he possibly could to make sure that Sam worked twice as hard as anyone else there when they worked the same schedule. Cleaning the bathrooms, mopping up spills that never seemed to happen when Sam worked by himself or with another member of the team; there were even a few times where Sam found himself washing his manager's car just to avoid being fired or punished with something much worse. 

Even with all that; the stress always seemed to melt right off Samuel's shoulders when he got home, especially when Erin was already home and he could hear her voice. Today was different though, Sam inhaled and exhaled deeply when he opened the door and stepped over the threshold of their shared apartment. He was met with the sound Erin butchering some song that he heard a lot on the radio from her bedroom, her knowledge of the language was nearly perfect but Erin was far from a talented singer. With an amused grin on his lips, Sam pushed off his shoes, kicked the door closed behind him and headed to the source of the loud music. 

"At least one of us had a good da-" Sam begin to say before he stopped in the doorway with a dumbstruck look on his face. He could tell she was getting ready to go somewhere judging by the amount of makeup things she had spread across her vanity, but that wasn't what made him stop. It wasn't even because she was dancing around the room with her eyes screwed shut screeching into a hairbrush like a twelve-year-old, what gave him pause was the fact that she was doing all of this while wearing one of his oversized t-shirts and little else. His fingertips twitched with the desire to touch her by his side, making Sam stuff his hands into his pockets and clear his throat loudly while leaning casually against the doorpost.

"You run out of clothes?" He asked coolly, as if one of his fantasies wasn't playing out before his very eyes.

"Aigoo, Sammy! You startled me," Erin grinned as her eyes shot open and she clutched her chest "I didn't think you'd be home yet, sorry about the noise" She apologised and moved toward her cell to lower her music. 

Sammy nodded toward her torso and Erin glanced down, his earlier question playing back in her mind "Oh this..... this isn't what it looks like" She motioned to the shirt that barely covered her thighs before reaching down to toy with the hem "I'm wearing white tonight and I didn't want to risk getting any makeup on my top. I thought it'd be okay since I hardly ever see you wear this." Erin shrugged and glanced at the ground.

"I can take it off it bothers you,"

"No!" Samuel replied, a little too quickly. "I mean it's fine, you're right I don't wear that anymore," He said with an awkward laugh  then took a few steps forward. "Hot date tonight?"

Erin nodded "Uh yeah, with Brian" She sighed as she took a seat on the edge of her bed to pull on her jeans. Sammy really tried his best not to glance, but that was a losing battle. "We met up for coffee yesterday but tonight will be our first official date."

"Nervous?" He asked while hovering close to where she sat but never quite getting close.

"I wasn't at first but now I kind of am?" Erin looked up and smiled "Is that pathetic? I haven't been on a proper date in a very long time, what if I say something stupid?" She groaned which made Sammy smile and finally sit down next to her, his hands coming out of his pockets to rest in his lap.

"He'll just think you're cute, that's nothing to worry about" Samuel reassured Erin by gently squeezing her knee and rubbing against it with his thumb.

It was the first form of contact that he'd initiated with her that wasn't just a hug apart from the cuddling that morning and the action sent sparks of raging fire surging throughout Erin's body. When she worked up the courage to look up Erin nibbled nervously on her bottom lip, he was giving her the same look he was that night after the gallery viewing. Except this time his intense gaze seemed to drift from her eyes and lips down to her torso then back up to her face.

The air between them was charged and only took the feeling of Sam's hand gingerly moving up her thigh for Erin to force air into her lungs again "I should probably finish getting dressed" she breathed, her voice scratchy and meek. Sam stilled his movements and then looked into her eyes and nodded, his standard smiling expression replacing the look of desire he had been wearing just a few seconds earlier "Yeah.... I'll get out of your hair" He said with a curt nod while standing to his feet.

"Speaking of hair... when did yours get so curly again?" He turned to ask on his way out of the room. 

"Oh. I stopped doing the magic perm thing a couple months ago, I've been using a flat iron to keep it straight but I decided to let it free tonight. What do you think? Too much?" Erin asked with a twinge of insecurity in her voice.

"No." Sam sighed "You look perfect."

The warm sensation of Samuel's hand caressing her thigh still replayed in Erin's mind; it flared up throughout her subway ride to Hongdae and the feeling continued to surround her with warmth as she walked the few blocks toward the address Brian had texted her. It was silly of her to stop him and Erin knew that but she didn't want to go there with Sammy until she knew exactly what he wanted from her. Well, besides the obvious. Sleeping with him or even just making out with him at this point would only make their friendship and living situation awkward unless they were both ready to commit to whatever was building between them.

"You made it!"

Brian's lilt voice broke Erin's train of thought and she looked up to see her date for the night standing with an arm outstretched and a welcoming smile on his face. Erin nodded and brightened up as she closed the distance between them, vowing not to think about her roommate for the rest of the night.

"I was just about to call, I though you might have gotten lost," Brian said while offering her his arm.

"Ah, no just late. You refused to tell me where we're going so I didn't know what to dress for." Erin replied, all of her nervousness returning as she took hold of Brian's muscular arm.

He laughed, and the sound seemed to calm Erin but not much. "Trust me you look great, come on it's not too far from here" Brian stated and began leading them up the street.

The pair made small talk during the brief walk, mostly about their day and compliments on their attire. Brian was dressed more casually than he was the first time they met, trading his button down and khaki slacks for a plain white tee, a large coat and a pair of distressed jeans. On his feet were a pair of golden brown Timberland boots, which seemed to add a few inches to his height but Erin kept that observation to herself. His hair was still blindingly orange but instead of being neatly styled and pushed back from his face it all seemed to fall forward and stop just above his eyes tonight. Erin liked being able to see his features more, but this way was nice too. Brian seemed like the type of guy that could put anything on and make it work for him.

"Here we are!" Brian announced as they came to a stop, Erin looked up and immediately felt all the warmth drain from her face. The sign that immediately caught her eye was DVD방 and the feeling of surprise she felt first was immediately replaced with annoyance as she turned to look over at Brian who seemed to be oblivious to Erin's reaction. 

"There's the most amazing little pub in the basement of this building," He started as he began leading her forward "Most nights you need a password to get in but I got my manager to put us on the list tonight."

Erin said nothing, only allowing herself to be led forward and down a mirrored staircase until they were standing in front of a room with an unmarked door. Brian knocked twice and a pair of thin eyes appeared from behind the slot in the middle of the door. He whispered a few things that Erin couldn't make out and after a few seconds the door opened to reveal an elaborately decorated bar.

It couldn't have been any bigger than Erin's living room and it was packed to the brim with different types of alcohol and decorations that looked like they were lifted straight from the year 1922, leaving just a bar and a few tables for seating. There was soft music playing in the background but the volume was low enough to encourage conversation and not the opposite. Brian led Erin to a table in the centre of the room and pulled out her chair for her then took a seat himself. "Have you eaten? They make great Kimchi bokkeumbap here."

"That sounds good," Erin finally scratched out in response to his question, removing her coat and laying it across her lap.

Having gotten over her initial shock, Erin loosened up as the night went on, the bottle of soju they shared helped that, of course. They covered standard first date topics; where each of them grew up, went to school, what Erin was studying at her university since Brian wasn't enrolled in any college, what Brian did when he wasn't painting. The conversation ebbed and flowed in a way that was natural and didn't seem forced on either party. After a few hours had passed by Erin rested her hands on the table and gave Brian a mischievous look that made him raise his eyebrows.

"Can I say something?" She blurted out after a second.

"Of course," he replied.

"I am just so glad that you're not one of those kinds of guys," Erin answered, sounding exasperated.

"What kind of guy?" he asked and leaning forward as if he was intrigued to hear her analysis of him after just a few hours.

"Y'know... the kind of guy that meets a foreign girl and expects her to sleep with him after buying her a cup of coffee and saying some cute things in Korean."

Brian's eyes widened with shock and he stammered over his words "W-why would you think that?"

"I went to high school here Brian, I know what it means when a guy brings you to a DVD방 on the first date."

"Oh my god," Brian stuttered as realisation soon washed over him "I wasn't even thinking about that, I am so sorry. T-that wasn't even crossing my mind-."

"It's alright, it's alright. I figured that out once we sat down and actually started eating," Erin laughed as she tried to ease her date's nerves.

"Okay that's good" Brian sighed and relaxed in his seat. He leaned back and folded his arm across his chest for a few moments, looking pensive. "Hey, since we're saying things... can I ask you something?"

"Sure,"

"What's the deal with your roommate? S..am was his name, right? Are you guys... like..... Or have you ever..." He was fumbling over his words and making gestures with his hands that made Erin break into a laugh and cover her mouth with her hand.

"Ah, we're just friends. We've never dated or anything like that," She replied, which was mostly true. They hadn't dated. "Actually, calling him just a friend doesn't seem good enough. He was the first genuine friend that I made after moving here and he's been my very best friend ever since. His family moved in next to mine and we all became really close, his mom even taught me Korean," Erin mused with a wide smile. "I mean I had a tutor at school and everything but she really helped me appreciate the culture behind all the words I was learning. Without Sammy or his family being there for me I don't think I would have found any happiness here when I was younger, so in a way he's more than just a friend to me. He's family."

Brian nodded as she spoke, noting the way she seemed to smile a little brighter whenever she said her roommate's name. He thought of bringing it up but the night had been going perfectly he didn't want to risk offending her. She wouldn't be here with him if there really was something going on with her roommate, right? 

"Okay," Brian said with a small smirk "I was just wondering if I'd have to put up a fight for your heart" He teased and reached across the table to lace Erin's fingers with his own. Gentle pangs of electricity buzzed on the surface of her skin, it wasn't much compared to when Sammy touched her but still, it was something.

"I’m pretty sure you'd be the only one fighting for it" Erin giggled and trailed her thumb against his hand. Also, technically not a lie.

"Good."

The rest of the night went off without a hitch and soon Erin and Brian stood in front of Erin's apartment door while Erin fumbled around awkwardly to find her keys. "Thank you so much for walking me to the door, you really didn't have to." Erin said once her keys were finally in hand.

"I couldn't let you walk up those stairs alone this late at night," Brian answered and reached up to rub the back of his neck.

There was a moment of silence when their eyes connected and they both knew how they wanted to end the night but neither of them seemed to have the courage to make the first move. 

"I had a really nice time with you tonight, Erin" Brian was the first to speak and take a slight step forward.

Erin nodded and matched his step with one of her own "Really nice, you have to take me to that bar again sometime."

"Definitely," Brian whispered and kept moving forward until there was just a sliver of space between them. One of his hands reached up and delicately framed Erin's face, his eyes bore into her own and held her gaze until Erin silently gave him permission to proceed. He moved slowly at first, not wanting to giveaway just how much he had been wanting to kiss her. Once their lips touched, however, it only took seconds for his body to betray his mind. His lips were soft, just as soft as Erin had imagined they would be when she found caught herself staring at them earlier that night.

When their mouths connected Brian spared no time and gingerly teased her lips apart with the tip of his tongue. She felt herself smile against his lips as his palms smoothed down from her waist to grab her a handful of her ass. In one smooth movement, Brian pulled her body as close to his as possible and Erin gasped lightly, breaking their kiss momentarily. Every curve of her body was pressed against his like a puzzle piece and Erin could feel a reason for them to stop slowly beginning to brush against her.

“It's getting late” Erin murmured against his lips before pulling away.

"Yeah, it is" Brian returned as he let the grip he had on her body go lax, "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Erin nodded and waved at him slightly while he disappeared down the stairwell.

Her fingertips pressed to her lips and Erin beamed as she unlocked the front door and tiptoed into her apartment, not wanting to wake Sammy.

"How was your date?" She heard from the couch.

"Oh, you're awake, I thought you'd be asleep by now,"

"I couldn't sleep knowing you're out in the city with a strange man,"

Erin laughed and shook her head, walking toward the couch where Samuel was stretched out on the pull out mattress and sat down next to where he laid.

"Seriously, how was it?" He asked again.

"It was.." Erin looked down at Samuel's tired face, threading her fingertips through the front of his hair to push it away from his forehead then she moved her palm flat against his cheek and held it there for a few seconds. Samuel responded with a warm smile.

"It was good."

[captainsuperamerica]

Let’s see where the night takes us | Chris Evans x Reader

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Summary: Y/N wishes a happy birthday to her co-star Chris Evans.

Warnings: mentions of smut like things at the beginning, insecurities, low self-esteem 

Word Count: 3K

Author’s Note: This was suppose to come out on Chris’ birthday when it was under 800 words but then I read through it and kept adding things and here it is at it’s 3k glory two days later. I really hope it isn’t too much now

He stood behind her, his body wasn’t touching her but his presence was strong. She could smell his cologne, feel his body heat, hear his ragged breaths. The binds she placed around her arms and the blindfold around her head prevented her from turning to look at him.

His hands were gently pressed into her back, the touch was light but enough to make her arch her back into his movements as they traced her spine upwards. One of his hands wrapped around her neck, holding her in place. The another had something that jingled by her head. Rubber traced her lips prompting her to open her mouth and allowing him to push the ball in, eliciting a moan from her as it secured it’s spot. She could feel the leather bands wrap around her face as he tied it on the back of her head.

She tried to suppress a giggle that was building in her chest. She tried to bite it down by grinding her teeth into the rubber ball but it didn’t last. Her entire body hunching over, shaking from silent laughter.

“Cut!” She heard. The blindfold was taken off her face and the gag was undone. She looked out on set to the twenty or so people watching her, tied to a chair in nothing but her underwear. “We’ll take a break!” The director called as they moved equipment around. Stage hands came over and undid the ropes letting her stand for a few minutes and stretch her muscles.

“Hey,” Chris walked around the chair to face her, “I wasn’t hurting you or anything, right? Didn’t make the ball gag too tight? Grab your neck too roughly?” Y/N shook her head at him, a big smile across her face, it wasn’t common to get a co-star who actually cared during scenes like these.

“You’re fine, Chris. I just broke character.” She reassured him. He nodded his head, flashing her a smile before turning away.

Her P.A. came over and handed her a robe to cover her bits. “Hey, what’s today’s date?” She asked.

“June 13th. Why?” Her assistant gave a puzzled look that turned into a devious smirk. “Going to go wish someone a happy birthday.”

“Just want to make sure I got the date right.” Y/N rolled her eyes while putting on her robe.

“Maybe hoping for some birthday sex, especially after a scene like that.” Her assistant hinted at Y/N making the young actress blush. She stuck her tongue out and walked over to Chris who was throwing his shirt over his head. “Hey there.” She said to get the star’s attention. He turned to greet her, his eyes lightening up when he saw her.

“Hey! Is everything alright?” He asked her.

“Yeah! Everything is fine. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” It was common knowledge that could be found a Wikipedia page but she still wanted to have a chance to tell him one on one even though they never really had a real conversation between their scenes. She looked at the ground shyly, not knowing what to say next. Chris let out a soft chuckle. “Thanks… You're the first person to say it to me today.”

“Chris! Come here!” The director called him over.

“Gotta go. Duty calls! Let me know what your safe word is when we get back.” Chris called after her as he jogged across set to meet the director. Y/N couldn’t help but chuckle at him as he left.

They were able to get back to the scene and finish flawlessly for the day. They were putting props and equipment back when the director called for the cast and crew to gather around.

Once everyone got near, they killed the lights. Flares of sparks appeared behind the director’s back and he stepped aside to reveal a tall cake with a mix of sparkler candles and regular candles making the cake flare up. The bottom of the cake read “Happy 37th Birthday Chris!” in large icing letters. The crew and cast began to sing. Y/N blushed but joined in, she had no idea that was going to happen.

“Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday Dear Chris

Happy Birthday to You.”

Y/N looked over at Chris, his usually pale face was as red as a lobster, his hand tried to cover it up but as some of the crew grabbed a hold of his shoulders and shook him. His head fell back and his hand flew up to his chest, specifically his left pec. They shoved him toward to cake as the sprinkler died out, leaving the regular candles to be blown out. “Make a wish.” She whispered amongst the crowd.

She could have sworn Chris looked back at her and gave her a wink, but it only lasted a second. Y/N pushed the thought away, thinking he was looking at the gorgeous actress next to her whose eyes just screamed the affection she felt for Chris. Those two seemed to have real chemistry in their scenes that bleed into real life as Y/N watched them interact offset.

Chris blew the candles out and the crowd around them cheered.

After a few moments the lights didn’t turn back on. Mumbles erupted from the crowd as people pulled out their phone to use as flashlights. She could hear the director’s upset yelling about the light crew leaving the switch panel. She tried to walk around people as they ran around like chickens with their head cut off trying to get the lights on. She tripped over a thick cord into a warm body, one she was all too familiar with from their shots. “I got you,” he said softly as his arms wrapped around her form.

The lights flipped on and she came face to face with stunning blue eyes looking down at her, his beard grown out and hair lengthened for his movie “The Red Sea Diving Resort” that he was filming simultaneously.

His arms dropped much too soon for Y/N’s liking, his touch leaving a burning feeling behind. He gave her a humble smile before turning away and talking to one of crew members, leaving Y/N by herself, her body yearning for the warmth he teased her with.

She snapped out of the daze she was in and began to mingle with others. She watched from sidelines as Chris popped bottles of champagne and fill plastic flutes to be passed around. The gorgeous actress walked up to him confidently; her hair bouncing with each step she took, her gracefully smile that showcased pearl white teeth, her hands running along his bicep, her fingers tracing the veins that jutted out. He smiled down at her warmly. Y/N’s eyes peeled away from them, trying immersing herself into the conversation in front of her while sipping her drink, wondering how long is an acceptable time to stay before she could sneak away.

There did come a time when her cup bottomed out and she needed to replenish it. She walked over to the table where they had a couple champagne bottles lined up for people to grab from freely along with some of the cake that was left. She began pouring her glasses when Chris walked up next her. His hand was casually placed in his pocket to hide their fidgeting. His throat bobbed as he tried to find the words to say to try and start a conversation.

“Enjoying the cake?” He looked down at her and noticed she was getting a drink instead of food. The word stupid was rammed into the side of his head and began playing like a broken record. She looked up at him from the corner of her eye. “Probably thinking I’m an idiot,” Chris thought.

“I enjoyed some earlier, it was good. Thanks for having a birthday.” She said, her voice clammy as she tried to make a joke, a lopsided smile creased her face as she attempted to ignore how terribly her voice came out. She tilted her flute to him in a toast. He smiled as his lifted his cup to hers with a small clank.

“So,” Chris began slowly, irritated at his own nervousness, “I know you’re not suppose to share your birthday wish because then it won’t become true but, I feel like for it to happen I need to share it.”

Y/N turned her whole attention to him which made it even worse for Chris. He swallowed the lump in his throat, leaned against the table trying to appear cool and collected.

“Would you go out with me? Tonight?” Y/N’s face flared up at Chris’ questions.

“Tonight?” She sputtered out. Chris’ eyes widened as he realized how rude he sounded, she might have other plans.

“I mean it doesn’t have to be tonight! Only if you’re free, and you want to.” Chris scratched the back of his neck, diverting his eyes away from her, missing her face turning a shade of beet red.

“I think I can make some room in my schedule. Pick me up in front of my trailer in about an hour?” She asked, biting her bottom lips as she looked up at Chris. He let out a breath that he didn't realize he had been holding. “Awesome, I’ll see you tonight.” He turned around back to crowd to hide the smile that he just couldn’t keep down, missing as Y/N bite her lip harder and look back toward the ground as her eyes glistened.

Y/N ran back to her trailer to wash off the sweat and grim from today’s shoot. She wasn't a professional make-up artist but she could hold her own. Her hair was a problem, without any product it was as bad as a lion's mane. She decided to throw it up in a ponytail to keep it neat.

There was a knock on her door, she hurried across the trailer and opened the door, expecting Chris. She was not expecting the blonde haired actress that was flirting with Chris earlier to be on the other side. “Hey Y/N! Have you seen Chris?” She gleamed. A pit in formed in Y/N’s stomach as she looked at the beautiful woman.

“Uh, no, I haven't.”  The actress seemed disappointed in her answer.

“Well if you see him, tell him to call me.” She turned and walked down the steps of the trailer. Y/N closed the door and took a seat on her couch. Her hand covered her face as disappointment set in. “Why would he date me when he could have her?”

It was fifteen minutes past the time she told Chris to meet her. She assumed that he must have run into the blonde hair woman and ditched her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she walked over to her mirror and began to clean the makeup off her face. She understood why he wouldn't want to go out with her, she was extremely underwhelming as a person. She just wished he wouldn't have ask her out and gotten her hopes up. A knock on her door brought her out of her mind. She turned off her sink and walked to the door figuring it must have been a stage hand telling her they were closing up the set for the night and to ask her to leave. She didn't expect to see Chris standing on the other side of the door out of breath. He looked up at her a bit taken back, probably because she wasn't dressed up nor was her face the way she wanted it. She hoped he didn't think she was a slob.

“Hey…” He breathed, gaining his composure. “I'm sorry I'm late. I had to help clean up after the party. I couldn't just leave it for everyone else since it was my party, you know?” He held.open the door and stepped the side to let her down the stairs.

“Yea, that's fine, I totally get it.” She tried to sound like she good. She ran her hands down her simple black dress and through her hair, hoping they were at least neat. “So where does the birthday boy want to get dinner at?” She asked looking up at him. His eyes gazed down intently at her making her blush.

Chris was so caught up in staring at Y/N that he didn't realize she said anything until she looked up at him. He was so used to seeing her face dressed up in exaggerated makeup for their scenes that seeing her without any memorized him, he could see curves to her face that he’s never seen before. “Uh, I'm sorry. What did you say?”

“Where do you want to go tonight?” Chris was so caught up in her looks that he completely forgot where he planned for months to take her to if he got the chance. He racked his brain trying to think of the place’s name. His head became more fuzzy as she looked at him expectedly.

“How about we just drive downtown and see where the night takes us?” He reached to grab her hand. Their movements were clumsy as they tried to wrap their fingers together. Y/N hoped that it was just her imagination and that her hands weren't as clammy as they felt. He led her to his Lexus and opened the door for her to slide in.

The ride wasn't too bad. Y/N scanned through his radio, noting most of his stations were rock genre. She picked a station that happened to be playing “Basket Case” by Green Day and nodded along to it, some verses she would mouth to the lyrics. Chris took occasional glances at her, he enjoyed seeing her in her own little world like this moment or when she was acting. Chris pulled up along the sidewalk along the busy streets of Atlanta, GA. He jogged around to the other side to grab the door for Y/N, offering a hand to help her out of the car. They walked down the street looking for places to eat, an awkward silence setting between them as they no longer had music to fill the gap between them. Y/N couldn't help but keep going back to her co-star at her trailer, and how she even got lucky enough to be standing next to a man like Chris.

“I’m sorry,” she broke the silence, grabbing Chris' attention, “I have to ask; why me?” Her eyes directed to the ground as the bold question spilled from her lips.

“Do… do you not want to here?” His voice sounded discouraged as he looked at Y/N. Her face shoot up to look at him, his eyes showed hurt.

“No! I mean, I want to be here. It’s just,” she became flustered as her worries began to surface. She hasn’t felt this insecure in a while, “what about that gorgeous actress? The blonde haired one that you seem so cozy with.” Y/N was filing through her brain trying to remember the actress’ name. “You two seemed to really hit it off and she came to my trailer looking for you.”

Chris looked down at the woman next to him, his eyebrows raised as a grin spread across his face. “You mean Scarlett?” A laugh bubbled up from his chest making Y/N feel more humiliated about sharing her feelings. She slapped his chest making him laugh harder. She tried to distance herself from him, her arms crossed over her chest but he pulled her right back to him by wrapping his arm over her shoulders.

“She’s just a friend. A very good one I’ll admit but nothing more. I have been in seven movies with her since 2004, probably more now. To tell you the truth, she’s kinda the reason we’re here tonight.” It was Chris’ turn to look at the ground as Y/N lifted her brows in amusement, prompting him to continue. His unwrapped his arm from her, running his hands through his hair as they walked down the sidewalks. “I was too much of a huge meatball to do it myself. Scarlett told me if I don’t ask you out soon then she was going to make me regret not doing it on my own terms. Like I said, after thirteen years of knowing her I don’t want to know what she had in mind nor did I want her going it.”

Y/N kept her eyes to the ground, unsure how to process this. “I can’t tell you how to feel,” Chris spoke up. He stopping in the middle of the walkway to look at Y/N, admiring her beauty as her soft curls bounced around her body as she turned to look at him, “but I sincerely hope that it won’t stop you from giving me the privilege of finishing this date and possibly having a second one.”

She eyed him up and down, unsure if she should trust him. Her gut was doing flips as her mind came to a halt, overthinking to the point that there was nothing to think about. She eyed his arms as they hung loosely by his sides. Biting her bottom lips she took a step forward.

“Let’s see where the rest of the night takes us.” She grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers fluidly with his.

[river-phillips]

River and Charlie attend a fundraiser event at Soapberry Springs University. What starts out as a fun afternoon quickly turns into a whirlwind of jealousy and mixed signals...and a learning experience for the both of them.

@charliesfins

Charlie held River's hand as they led her toward the festival. When they'd heard about the fundraiser event for the university library, Charlie couldn't imagine a better way to spend the day, especially if it meant getting to show off with River a bit in public. They did hope that the overall numbers for the day weren’t too overwhelming to allow the two of them to enjoy themselves. "Any bands in particular you're excited about?" they asked, eyes flashing toward their girlfriend with a grin.

River was actually looking forward to today. It was nice out, and Charlie seemed excited for this fundraiser as they led her deeper into the campus from where they'd parked. This was only her second time at the university and she still wasn't very familiar with her surroundings, but at least she had a guide this time. "Oh, uh, I don't actually know a lot about the local music scene, but that one band of all female werewolves....fuck, what were they called?...Oh! The Femme Fangs! They seem pretty cool." The pair of them started to head over toward where music was playing, seeing the stage, booths, and carnival games set up for the fundraiser not far off now.

Charlie squeezed River's hand. “I hear there's going to be a seafood truck that's actually run by seafolk, so we should have plenty to come by for food.” Being on campus, Charlie was immediately back in their element. Their classes hadn’t started yet, so they were more than pleased to be able to chat with people they hadn't seen all summer. They ended up introducing River a lot, but they also didn't want to throw too many names at her. As they leaned against the counter at a milk crate throw stand, they glanced at her curiously. "Think you can win me a prize?" Charlie winked, knowing that if either of them had any chances, it was definitely River. Charlie may have looked good, but they had no athletic abilities, especially when it came to something like throwing. "I've got something special planned if you do."

"That offer an open one?"

Charlie turned around rather sharply, but they let out a squeak of delight and threw their arms around the neck of the man standing there. "Dre! I didn't think I'd see you here." Figuring it was best to introduce, they turned back to River. "Dre, this is my girlfriend. River, this is Dre. He was my partner for some pretty gnarly projects last year."

There were a lot of people around, but River was at least able to breathe in the outdoor atmosphere, and the whole thing wasn't as overwhelming as it could have been. Having Charlie glued to her side was an added comfort, and she smiled like a dutiful girlfriend as she was introduced to friendly people she honestly probably wouldn't remember, but every time she heard Charlie call her their girlfriend, her heart swelled with pride just a bit. Once they got to the milk bottle toss booth, River smirked cheekily at Charlie's challenge. "Damn right I can. I played softball in high school. I don't care how rigged these games are, those bottles are going down." She rubbed her hands together but when she heard the voice behind them, she turned quickly to find Charlie throwing their arms around the neck of a man. It seemed friendly enough, but River couldn't help the uncomfortable twinge that shot through her spine for a moment. She smiled brightly. "Nice to meet you, Dre," she said, offering him a hand to shake.

Charlie was looking at River and completely missed the hungry look Dre flicked down their body. Leaning against him, they said, "I don't think I would have made it through that one printing class without him."

"Nonsense," Dre said, waving a hand. "I only did so well because I had such a willing partner." He smirked as he shook River's hand. "Describes our Charlie well, don't you think?"

River definitely didn't miss Dre giving Charlie a hungry once over, nor did she miss his hand gripping their hip as they leaned into him. River felt her face getting hot as she squeezed his hand, probably a little harder than she meant to. "Yeah, that's them all right," she said quietly, actively having to focus on not gritting her teeth together. "You still want that prize, babe?" She turned to the counter and slapped a five dollar bill on it, getting 3 balls in return. With an elaborate windmill underhand pitch that felt like muscle memory from when she was a teenager, she knocked down all the bottles on her first try. She turned to smirk at Dre before grabbing Charlie's hand.

Charlie let out a sudden bark of laughter as River effortlessly knocked down the pins. "Knew you could do it!" they said as they let River pull them forward. Charlie pressed in, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "We'll have to catch up later," Charlie said over their shoulder told Dre. "You're taking Douglas's medieval class, right?" But they didn't actually wait for his answer as they scanned the prize wall with River. "Do we go cliche and grab the puppy or in your direction and grab the baby seal?"

River leaned into the kiss on her cheek, but she didn't take her eyes off Dre over her shoulder as he slowly retreated, muttering a few words of farewell in Charlie's direction before leaving the two of them. River felt satisfied, but oddly conflicted in the pit of her stomach. She’d basically just flexed in front of this guy, and she couldn’t help feeling a little guilty for being so petty. She attempted to shake off the feeling as she turned to the prize wall. "The real cliche would be if they had a giant stuffed bear," she joked, but she ultimately pointed to the puppy, her next words seemingly innocent, but with an edge of something else. "I vote puppy, because I'm the only seal you need to cuddle, right?"

Charlie grinned at River's logic and gladly selected the puppy to carry around with them. "You have one, and now I do too," they teased, slinging it under their arm before leading her toward the main stage to watch for a while. They goofed off and laughed, dancing with the puppy since they knew River grew self-conscious about dancing. As Charlie pretended to grind on the puppy, they realized they'd attracted a few extra eyes, but they only paid attention to River and fell to the ground to sit with her after. Still, it was nice to have the extra appreciation.

River tried to let the encounter with Dre slip out of her mind and have fun with Charlie, and it didn't take long for just that to happen. Laughing and enjoying Charlie was so easy. So natural. They made it easy for her to relax and while her insecurities were always there, it was easier to not care about them. At least not as much. Familiar feelings flared up as Charlie's dancing got a little more raunchy. And while River was enjoying the view, she noticed others were as well. She shot off unintentional glares at a few of the wandering eyes, before she was pulled to the ground to sit with Charlie. "People were staring at you," she stated quite plainly, lifting Charlie's arm over her own shoulder.

Charlie shrugged as they lifted the puppy to pretend it was giving River a kiss. "Let them," they said. "I've got my eyes right here." They leaned against River as they listened to the music. Charlie teased their fingers across River's side, content to just sit there until River was ready to move. "Do you want to stay for the rest of the set or just the next song? I'm down for either."

River was comforted by Charlie's words, and she smooched the stuffed animal playfully before leaning up to give Charlie a quick kiss. She was being stupid, she knew she was, and she just needed to relax. "Actually, I'm pretty hungry," she answered. "Let's check out that food truck you were talking about." They stayed for the rest of the song, and then went on the search for the food truck, literally able to follow the smell of cooking fish to find it. Inside the truck taking orders was a young woman whose eyes lit up at the sight of Charlie, though River couldn't quite tell if it was because she knew them, or for other reasons.

Charlie closed their eyes and breathed in the smell of fish cooking. Landfolk did all right with it, but they could always tell when it was being prepared properly by seafolk. To all appearances, it was the same process, but Charlie knew better. They'd seen and accomplished the subtle differences that went along with it. When Charlie opened their eyes, they looked up at the trunk and grinned. "Jo-Jo!" Charlie said as she moved closer, still holding River's hand. "I haven't seen you in forever! Did you find a new roommate yet?" The woman had crashed on Charlie's couch a few weeks the previous semester when she and her roommate hadn't been speaking. "River, have you ever met Jolene? We're in for a treat today because she's one of the best seafood cooks I've ever met, and I don't say that lightly."

River let herself be dragged a little quicker toward the truck as Charlie excitedly greeted the woman. God, she was like, intimidatingly attractive. From her position up inside the truck, River felt like she was being looked down on like Jolene was the judge and she was the defendant in a courtroom receiving her sentence. "No, I haven't. Uh, nice to meet you," River said, almost unable to look at her. But it didn't matter because Jolene's eyes were glued to Charlie. They seemed to know everybody personally wherever they went. This was a small town, but jesus... "How do you two know each other?" River asked.

"Jo-Jo lived with me for a little while, but we go way back," Charlie said. "I actually knew Jo-Jo back in high school when I was just an awkward otter, and her pod would meet ours every once in a while. You had things way more together than me back then."

Jolene laughed and shook her head. "Oh please, you've always been a looker." She leaned forward, finally acknowledging River. "You've got good taste," she said to River. "Don't let anyone else snap them up."

Charlie rolled their eyes. "Teasing her seems really unnecessary." The words could have been a reprimand, but Charlie didn't put any heat behind them for their old friend. They glanced up at the menu, but it all looked good. "You want to make me whatever you like best? What would you like, babe?"

River steeled herself a little when Jolene finally addressed her. "I won't," she said, trying to sound playful, but her tone came out a little darker than intended. She wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulder and pulled them closer. She watched as Jolene pursed her lips a bit, but soon adopted that same sweet smile once Charlie started talking about food. "I'll just share with you," River answered. "I'm not that hungry anymore."

Charlie frowned slightly. "But you're always hungry," they protested. Turning back to Jolene, Charlie offered a quick smile. "Why don't you give us two of whatever it is."

"Anything you for," she said as she disappeared from the window to figure out the food.

While she was gone, Charlie slipped an arm around River's waist again. "You okay?"

River shrugged, trying to sound chipper even if her face might have been betraying her a bit as it faltered. "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry." She was doing the one thing she'd told herself not to do: swallowing down her emotions. But it felt like the right thing to do. She knew she was being irrational. No point in ruining the day with her stupid emotions.

Charlie didn't quite buy River's story, but they let it go. When Jolene appeared at the window again with two plates of food, Charlie took them happily. "You're the best, Jo-Jo!" Charlie raised an eyebrow up at her with a smirk. "Do I owe you anything?" It was a cheeky comment, but the kind that Charlie was pretty sure they could get away with.

"You?" Jolene asked. "Honey, you know you can have whatever you want."

Charlie winked at her as they said a quick goodbye. They led River to a nearby table, coaxing her to eat some as they listened to one of the side performers fill time in between big events.

River scowled slightly at Jolene's comments, and couldn't help but shoot a side-eye glance at Charlie as she watched them wink back. But Charlie didn't notice, and as they left, River glanced over her shoulder at Jolene, who was giving her the same type of smirk River had given Dre. It made a heat boil in her chest, but she took a few deep breaths as they sat down at the table. River picked at her food, and for the first time in the day they were both pretty quiet. River at least had the excuse of eating to cover up the fact that she wasn't in the mood for conversation. And dammit, the food was amazing, which honestly only made River angrier. But she just focused on calming herself down, repeating to herself how dumb she was being. "What now?" she asked as they finished cleaning up their food.

Charlie swallowed their last bit and looked at their girlfriend. "I could be down for just about anything. We haven't looked at the shopping stalls yet. Want to do that?" Charlie waited until they had River's confirmation and wandered that way. Most of what they passed included things like pottery and jewelry, but Charlie quickly zeroed in on a stall filled with leather work. "This is beautiful," they said, holding up a leather bracelet. Charlie's attention quickly shifted from the bracelet to a selection labeled bikinis that were clearly not intended for the beach.

"What do you think?" they asked River with a smirk as they held up what would have been a bikini top, had it not been simply long fringe trailing down from the collar. "I think I could rock it."

"If you put it on now, you can get anything else cheaper free," offered the woman in her late thirties manning the booth. She smirked at the two of them.

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "When there's nowhere to even change? Come on, I'd think the bikini itself should be free for that kind of show."

River happily agreed to go over to the vendor stalls, feeling a little better once she'd eaten despite who had prepared it. The two sort of drifted away from each other, though not too far, as they checked out different stalls. River had been eyeing some tie-dye shirts when she heard Charlie call something beautiful and strode up to join them. As Charlie held up the leather top to themself, River swallowed hard as she couldn’t help imagining them in only the leather piece, biting her bottom lip slightly. "You definitely could," she confirmed with a nod. But apparently she wasn't the only one that thought so as the vendor's voice cut through her dirty thoughts. She cocked her head to look past Charlie at them, raising her eyebrows. "Do you ask all your customers to strip?" she asked, her tone a little indignant.

Charlie put a hand on River's shoulder. "It's not a big deal, babe. You and I both know I'm comfortable with it." Charlie held it up as though inspecting the quality. Really they were still hoping to end up with an offer of it free if they got the bracelet or something else smaller. It was fun to wiggle their way into a better deal.

"Hell," the woman said. "Change here and now, and I'll give ya two. You and your girlie friend can have a matching set of them." She smirked, as though the idea was funny and looked around. "I'm sure you'd drum us up plenty of revenue."

Charlie laughed, shaking their head. "Oh I'm sure I would, but I'm not about to go strutting around in it." They were standing with large displays on what were the most traffic heavy sides, so Charlie pulled their shirt up and over their head. They'd actually worn a bra that day, but they didn't bother removing it before fastening the glorified necklace around their neck. "And how much is this worth?" they asked, their voice teasing as they posed a bit.

River resisted the instinct to pull away from Charlie's touch. They might be comfortable with it, but she sure as hell wasn't. But she just kept her mouth shut, knowing that wasn't fair. Charlie's body wasn't her's to police. That didn't mean she had to be happy with what was going down in front of her though, grinding her teeth and crossing her arms as Charlie took off their shirt and put on the leather piece. She was standing behind Charlie, and they couldn't see just how upset she was getting as she ran a frustrated hand through her hair, glowering at the vendor who looked overly pleased with herself.

Charlie ended up getting the top at half price, which was plenty off for them. They'd seen landfolk wear just as little at the beach and still didn't really understand what the distinction was between bikini showing off and bra modesty when they covered the same things. "What do you think? Should I just wear this all day?" Charlie asked as they turned back to River. Once they saw her face, Charlie faltered, taking in the heavy frown on her face. "What's wrong? Am I supposed to change or something?" The vendor snorted, and Charlie shot her a look now that they weren't using being cute as a bartering chip.

River tried to cover her expression as Charlie turned back, but they were too quick for her, and the thin lips and furrowed brow gave her away before she could relax them. "You look great," she muttered, her face softening. "You always do." Too good, apparently. She shot the vendor a look too, before shrugging and leading Charlie away from the stall. "You can wear whatever you want. I won't stop you."

Charlie followed behind River, still holding their shirt instead of wearing it. Obviously River was annoyed about the clothing, but Charlie didn't know what to do about it if she didn't want to talk about it. "Do you want to watch the main stage again or do something else?" they asked. Since River was looking the other way, Charlie glanced down, enjoying the way the fringe parted to show off their bra. If she learned to forgive them for buying it, Charlie suspected River would enjoy coming home to find Charlie in it.

River suddenly felt exhausted, stopping in her tracks as Charlie questioned what she wanted to do now. If she was honest, River wanted to go home. She felt uneasy now, like something was crawling underneath her skin and making her itchy and paranoid. She kept glancing all around her, as if watching where the eyes of passerbys were resting. And as she could have guessed, most of them rested on Charlie's new article of clothing. Or lack thereof, really. She took a deep breath and scratched her cheek absentmindedly, trying her best to swallow down her emotions and act normal. Maybe they needed to talk about this, but if they did, they'd do it later. River's anxiety had ruined the last time they'd went out somewhere. She wouldn't let it happen this time. "Main stage is cool," she decided. "You really do look great in that, by the way."

Charlie preened under River's compliment, not necessarily paying attention to the other eyes around around them (but appreciating the attention in an absent way). "Cool." Charlie grabbed her hand, the puppy from earlier still tucked under their arm. Once they got to the main area, Charlie found a nice stop for the two of them to sit, and they leaned back to do a little sunbathing while they listened. They didn't need the tan by any means, but if they couldn't be in the water, this was nice too.

River sat down next to Charlie on the ground and tried to crawl out of her own head and just listen to the music and enjoy the sun as it got lower and lower in the sky. They'd been out all day and while River's paranoid mind was focusing on the negatives, they'd had a lot of fun today too. She just needed to calm down. "This is nice," she said, finally unfolding her legs out from under her and leaning back on her hands. The current band wrapped up their set and River perked up a little as she glanced at her watch. "Oh, the Femme Fangs is up next I think!"

Charlie looked over at River with a smile. They were glad she was having fun. "Did you look up their music at all or just like their aesthetic?" Charlie asked. While they didn't personally have an opinion on the band, Charlie had a feeling they'd enjoy listening to them purely because River did. Actually Charlie planned to spend most of their set watching River's reaction. In the back of their head, they thought it would be nice to make out a little, but they had a feeling River wouldn't go for that in public. Since Charlie didn't want to freak her out, they refrained from suggesting it.

River smiled a little sheepishly. "I might have looked up a thing or two," she admitted. "They're totally cool though, like they've got this weird punk techno sound that just fits together so well and like, the lead singer is the bassist, which I'm always a little weak for." She furrowed her brow at her last comment, acutely aware that if Charlie had been the one to say that to her, she wasn't sure how she'd feel about it. "I might be fangirling a little," she said, pressing her finger to her lips. "Shhhh, don't tell."

Charlie didn't mind River's comment about the bassist. They'd always been a pretty firm believer of look-don't-touch as a relationship philosophy, but maybe that was because they knew more than a few people's girlfriends had flirted with them over the years. Charlie had always had a rule about pursuing that kind of thing. They'd never willingly help anyone cheat, but Charlie figured a little flirty conversation was harmless. "I've always been more about drummers," Charlie said. They reached over to poke at River's rather defined biceps. "They've got good arms."

River smirked, shaking her head. "But have you seen a bassist's forearms? They're like rocks." She curved her arm to flex her forearm. She liked when Charlie admired her muscles, even if it did make her feel like a frat boy a little bit, especially given that they were on a university campus. "Fingering the strings is hard work," she quipped, her voice a little lower now. She blushed, but she knew what she'd said as she quirked an eyebrow at them.

Charlie raised an eyebrow, unable to hold back a smirk. "Is that so? I can think of a few other things a bassist might be good at fingering." Charlie knew logically that the line was garbage since neither of them played, but they couldn't resist when River had set them up so well with the innuendo. Since River seemed to have enjoyed their touch, Charlie continued to run their fingers along her arm and shoulder. Hearing strings plucking from on stage, Charlie looked up to see sound testing. "Looks like they're getting ready to start."

River leaned over a little so their faces were inches apart. "Maybe I should learn how to play?" But when she heard the noise of a sound check up on the stage, she pulled back, almost bouncing a little where she sat. She knew she had probably just teased Charlie a little, but she relished in it. When the band was announced, everyone shot to their feet, including River, and the crowd was alive more than they'd been for any other performer (because most of the others had been pretty chill acoustic sets, admittedly) and River was nodding her head to the beat and jumping around with the rest of them, even if her and Charlie were a little further back as not to be overwhelmed by the crowd.

Charlie was about to go in for a kiss, but the sound check was very poorly timed. They pouted up at her in amusement for a second as River jumped up so quickly, but Charlie followed suit. Wrapping an arm around River, Charlie pulled her closer to dance more together. It was about the music and the band first, but Charlie just enjoyed being together and being able to have fun like this. As they danced and jumped through the various numbers, Charlie was having a great time, almost glad they hadn't put their shirt back on to soak with the sweat forming on their back. "This is great!" they said to River at one point as the band played a particularly catchy anthem.

River was focusing on letting loose, which probably sounded pretty counter-intuitive. But she had to force herself to not worry about how she looked as she jumped and danced around. Charlie always helped with that. The way they looked at her, the way they moved... "I'm glad we did this," she said, finally able to overlook all the weird feelings she'd had throughout the day as she watched the fringes of the leather piece Charlie was still wearing dance around on their chest, and watched their smile brighten up the world around them even though the sun was quickly setting.

"It's amazing," Charlie agreed, leaning in to press a quick kiss against River's face. The two were moving enough that their aim missed, and Charlie ended up leaving a sloppy kiss against her neck. "You're so much fun to dance with, babe." They pretended to survey the band again, although they'd formed an opinion songs ago. "And I suppose I agree. That bassist can really play." Charlie internally groaned as the band announced their last song. "Guess we'd better make it count," Charlie said with a grin. Their was one more group after who were pretty well known in the area, but their music was more jazzy than upbeat. They didn't know if it would honestly be something worth sticking around for when they'd already had such a great time listening to this group. "Do you want to get in the signing line when they're done?" Charlie asked. "I think we can buy and get signed all in one go, it looks like."

River shivered at the kiss against her neck, brazenly pulling Charlie a little closer as they danced. "What can I say? I have good taste," she said, having to yell a little bit over the music. As the set ended, River cheered loudly with the rest of the crowd, feeling newly energized even though she was drenched with sweat and panting. "Yeah! Though I'm a little nervous to like...meet them." But she still started heading in the direction of the merch line, even as she voiced her hesitations.

Charlie pumped their fist a couple times as everyone cheered at the end. Charlie scooped up the puppy as River yanked them away. Their shirt got left behind, but it wasn't an expensive one. They weren't too concerned about leaving it behind. "I'm sure they'll be friendly," Charlie commented as they got into the line. "After a show like that, they've got to be lit up at least a little bit."

River nodded along with Charlie's logic. "I hope so. I also hope I don't just stand there and not talk like an idiot. It's happened before." She shrugged casually, but freezing up like that always made her feel broken somehow.

Charlie squeezed River's waist, providing her with a little chatter to ease her nerves as the two of them moved up the line. Finally they were at the merch table, and Charlie looked between their most recent CD and a poster. "What are you getting?" They asked. Charlie debated also getting something, but they decided the memories would be enough.

River looked over the merch table and decided on a CD and a t-shirt with a pretty cliche picture of four wolves howling at the moon with the band's name on it. She loved it though. "You ever tattoo an autograph onto somebody?" River asked as they moved down to get in the signing line, but then she let out a chuckle. "Just kidding, I'm not fangirling that hard. Still curious though."

Charlie laughed. "No, but it could be interesting. I have to duplicate scripts and fonts when people have something specific in mind, so I suppose an autograph wouldn't be particularly different. I know one of Devon's regulars his mom passed down has a tat of Elvis's signature on her shoulder. She's an amazingly righteous hippie, so it works for her." Charlie wasn't sure if she was actually old enough to have met Elvis, but it was possible. They followed River over as she paid, still thinking about the autograph bit. “I could probably get one of those. It could be cool. I just don't know who I would do."

River was just thinking about all those women in the 80s that got hair bands to sign their chests, then ran across the street to a tattoo shop to get it on them permanently. She wondered if any of them regretted it. River had her impulsive moments, but that was too impulsive even for her. "It's like that 'who would you have lunch with, alive for dead' type question. Too much pressure to choose," she said. They were quickly approaching the table with the band. They all seemed friendly enough, but River felt herself freezing up. "Oh god, what am I supposed to say?" she asked Charlie frantically.

Charlie shook their head. "Well, the problem with that question is that it's too open. It has literally infinite possible answers that change with the day, your mood, and what you want to talk about over lunch. Hell, even what you want for lunch can change that one. It's just a rude question." Charlie realized they'd been babbling their way through the line. Squeezing River's hand, Charlie shrugged. "Whatever you want to say--that you liked their set and think they have an awesome name or whatever. It's the same stuff you were telling me."

River didn't have a lot of time to think on Charlie's advice though, because suddenly it was their turn. She approached the table, squeezing Charlie's hand for dear life, her palms gross and sweaty. "Hi," she said dumbly, her voice sounding weirdly high pitched and far away. "You guys are....cool," she chuckled nervously, handing her CD over. "Can you sign this?"

The band greeted the two of the warmly, and the bassist/frontwoman smiled directly at River. "Of course. What's your name, hun?"

River felt herself blushing. "River. And uh, this is my girlfriend, Charlie." She hadn't asked, but River felt like sharing.

The bassist smirked, signing her name and passing the CD around to her bandmates to sign before leaning forward a bit. "A selkie named River. That's adorable." She leaned forward a bit and inhaled deeply through her nose, before leaning back in her chair and smiling. "Both seafolk. You two are a cute couple," she said. "Plenty of fish in the sea but you've already caught yours." The drummer heard that and suddenly had to frantically writing something down, then passed the CD back to River.

Charlie grinned as they listened to River and the bassist interact. They angled their head in curiosity as the drummer added something, but they didn't want to take it until River had the option to look. "You guys sounded great," they said as the drummer handed the CD back. Charlie flashed another smile in the band's direction as they wrapped an arm around River's waist to lead her away. "What does it say?" they asked, unable to keep from asking.

River glanced down at the CD. Everyone else had signed their names but the drummer had added a little note. "It's what the bassist said," she said, squinting at it since the writing was a little messy. " 'Plenty of fish in the sea but you've already caught yours'...and next to it it says 'You're gonna be on the next album'...?" A confused smile set on her face as she cocked her head to look up at Charlie. "I think we just...inspired a song?"

Charlie leaned over River's shoulder, a smile spreading across their face. "That's so cute!" they said and spun her around to kiss her. Charlie pulled back, still smiling as they looked down at the CD again. "Is their whole set from tonight on their or is some of it like a separate EP?" They started walking again, dangling the puppy with one hand and holding River's waist with the other.

River fell into the kiss and with it all her troubles from the day fell away too. That cute little gesture had her riding high now. "They've got two EPs before this, and a couple singles too." She smiled sheepishly. "I might have done a little too much research. We gotta be big fans now though. They're apparently fans of us!" she joked. She held the CD up and waggled it a bit, draping the t-shirt over her shoulder.

"I thought you'd done more than you were letting on." Charlie pressed a kiss against River's forehead before moving away from her long enough to stretch.

"Charlie?"

They turned away, lighting up as they saw a blonde woman walking toward them. "Cordelia! What's up?"

She didn't hesitate to pull Charlie in for a hug as she commented, "I thought I'd recognize that ass anywhere. Love the top."

River turned slowly as she heard Charlie's name, almost as if in a daze. It made her reactions slow when Charlie was basically ripped away from her by Cordelia's hug, and reality came roaring into focus at full speed and volume suddenly as they disconnected, just in time to hear the blonde's comment. River just stood there for a moment, struck dumb by the suddenness that she'd been grounded from her high. It was all so fragile. So fleeting. "You just know everybody around here, don't you?" she finally said, trying to keep her voice casual still.

Charlie smiled as they turned to River, but they paused, realizing that she very much wasn't happy. "I guess I just know a lot of people from this and that," Charlie said. "This is Cordelia. She's a friend I partied a lot with a while back."

Cordelia let out a low whistle and made no pretenses about sizing River up. "I know we said no labels, but 'friend' seems awfully small for what we were doing."

Charlie cleared their throat, but they did chuckle a bit to relieve tension and acknowledge Cordelia's point. "I suppose that's fair. This is River, my girlfriend."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're doing labels now." She turned toward River with a bitchy smile. "Good for you, love."

River felt her heart sink at the realization. It was stupid. People were allowed to have exes. People were allowed to hug their exes. If Rye showed up in town again River would probably hug them. But the way Cordelia had her hand on their shoulder, touching remnants of the hug they'd just shared that Charlie wasn't rebuffing. The way River was unmistakably being sized up and talked down to. River had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. How did Charlie put up with this bimbo? Though looking at her, she was definitely more attractive than River was. Her chest was bigger, her hips curvier. Her lips fuller and her confidence stronger. "Thanks," was all River was able to get herself to say. She forced a smile, tight lipped though it was.

Charlie didn't think anything of the hand on their shoulder, but they could definitely tell that River wasn't happy. Charlie just couldn't pinpoint why. Because Cordelia was their ex? But they'd looked unhappy before then.

"You know I thought it had been a while since you called," Cordelia commented, squeezing Charlie's shoulder. "Is this why?"

Charlie may not have been good at relationships, but they were good at reading a room. "Actually I just thought you and I weren't clicking anymore," they said, trying to make it sound light. "I can only drink so many fuzzy navels in a short time before it becomes too much."

River couldn't help it. The scoff fell out of her mouth before she could stop herself. She was a this now? She couldn't couldn't stop seeing it though. The two of them together, despite Charlie's words. River not needed. Not wanted. Not when someone looking like that was around. Or looking like anyone else around them, really. Looking like anyone but her. Replaced by another blonde head. She could tell Charlie was picking up on River's vibes. She wasn't exactly hiding it anymore, but Charlie wasn't exactly disengaging either. A fact that Cordelia seemed to revel in. "So when'd you last fuck?" River asked bluntly.

Charlie tensed even before River's question, but they stepped back away from both women at that last remark. "It's been a while," they mumbled, shooting River a look. They could understand her being unhappy, but she didn't have to be rude about it in front of someone else.

Cordelia simply raised a brow as she studied River. "Not the secure type, hm? Didn't expect that for Charlie's tastes."

"Knock it off," Charlie snapped. "You don't know everything about me. Far from it actually. I was going to suggest we catch up, but I'm not sure that's a good idea."

She turned her nose up, scowling at River. "I understand. Can't pull too hard on a short leash." She turned to go and called out as she walked away, "Call me if things change."

"What a bitch," Charlie said under their breath. "Not calling her--deleting her number." They turned back to River, pursing their lips as they waited for some kind of explanation.

The moment the words left River’s mouth, she regretted it. But it was too late to take them back, and the chain reaction that was set off in front of her made her want to just throw herself off a cliff. While River couldn't say she was sad Cordelia was gone, she could definitely say that with the look Charlie was giving her now, she'd have put up with that bitch for an eternity instead. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that," she began, squeezing her eyes shut and running a hand over her face. They were still sort of stopped off to the side of a path through the festival, but the crowd was starting to dwindle a bit. "It's just...people have been all fucking over you all day. I couldn't take it!" She sighed a huffy, angry sigh. "Did you even see the way that Dre guy was looking at you? He would have fucked you right there on top of the milk bottles if he could. And you were leaning all over him. Oh and 'Jo-Jo'." She did some air quotes to punctuate. "She was throwing herself at you with her words and you were just eating it up. A-and this!" She pointed to the leather fringe covering their bra, her hands trembling. "You stripped in front of that pervy vendor like it was nothing. Just soaking up the attention. Then Cordelia. That bimbo was just the last straw."

Charlie stood speechless as they listened to River's accusations. "Dre's just a friend," Charlie said. "Jo-Jo too. I'm sorry if it bothers you that I have friends." They knew that River was right about the level of attention today being a little high, but Charlie hadn't done anything to deserve it. And they didn't play along with any of it that they would have been uncomfortable with River doing the same. "And the lady in the tent? Who cares?" Charlie looked down at their chest, still not seeing what the big deal was. It was a rather skimpy piece, yes, but it wasn't any worse than what people wore to the beach all the time. "Before we were dating, you and plenty of other people saw me in much less before or after a swim. I don't see what the big deal is!"

"You don't--" River let out a sharp, gasping chuckle. "You don't see what the big deal is?!" She took a deep breath, letting the breath slip out her nose as she closed her eyes for a moment. "Look, you're right. It's your body and it's not my right to be policing it," she admitted. "But when you do shit like that, it makes me feel like I'm not enough for you." She spotted an empty paper cup on the ground and kicked it away in frustration. "I know it's stupid. You've given me no reason to think you're gonna walk away with the next best thing, but it's hard to watch you smile at someone else the way you smile at me, even if you're just trying to get something half price." She sighed again, running a hand through her hair, pushing it all out of her flustered face. "And I know that's just how you are. You flirt. You make dirty jokes. You smile at strangers and give friendly touches. But my mind won't stop telling me it's because they're all better than me. That you need...more than I can give you."

Charlie froze. "I didn't think about it like that." It sounded like a lame excuse in their own ears, and Charlie assumed that it was for River as well. "I just... I've always been a touchy-smiling person. It's not flirty, it's being friendly. I know-" They paused. "You remember when you were dating Rye? Think about how I treated you and how I treated people today. It's the same. You now? That's not the same." Charlie wasn't sure if River would allow them to touch her, but they decided to risk it. Reaching forward to pull her toward them by the waist, Charlie let their voice drop. "I don't look at you the way I looked at them. If it's the touchiness that bothers you, I can try to remember to tone it down. I'm not about to stop interacting with people, but I'll tone it down." They let out a shaky laugh. "This whole thing with relationship boundaries is new for me. I'm not used to being on this side of the line."

River knew they were right. Charlie had acted that way before they'd gotten together. Friendly smiles and arms draped over shoulders. Hell, she'd seen them basically naked the first time they ever met. "I know..." she answered, her voice tapering off. She didn't protest when Charlie touched her, and she let them pull her closer, and for the first time in the conversation she looked them straight in the eyes. Their piercing gaze bored right into her. "I wouldn't ask you to stop interacting with people. Never. I guess I just ask that you...think of me when you do. Think about how your actions might make me feel." She ran comforting hands up their arms. "I know this is all new for you. I mean, it is for me too, just in a different way. I’ll try to, like, lay off, you know? Not be such a petty bitch.” Charlie’s stare was so intense that River had to look away. “It’s just hard to make my brain shut up."

Charlie swallowed hard. "I don't think petty bitch is the right way to phrase it, but I would appreciate if you trust me, babe. I'm not going anywhere." After River looked away, Charlie pressed a kiss to the top of her head, just tall enough to do it comfortably. "I think maybe we should go over a few more ground rules of what we expect. I'm not... Those expectations would help me a lot. Again, I'm not promising I'll follow personally to what you want, but we can't figure out if it works if you don't tell me, deal?"

Trust. What a loaded subject. "I do trust you," River retorted. No offense in her voice, just an urgency she hadn't realized was there. "That's the problem. I trust you in my heart, but my stupid brain...." She leaned her head against Charlie's chest, wrapping her arms around their middle. As they made the suggestion of ground rules, River nodded against the leather fringes, a few of them sticking to her sweaty cheek for a moment as she pulled away and they fell back in place. "Ground rules. Yeah, okay." She furrowed her brow in thought. "We can talk about it later."

"Later seems like a good idea," Charlie agreed. They were still in public, after all. "Tell your brain I don't appreciate that kind of thinking." Charlie's track record wasn't great, but not in a cheating kind of way, just a confused hit-me-up way. Cordelia might have been being super passive aggressive about all this, but she was right about one thing. Labels weren't Charlie's usual fare. But they could handle it. They liked River enough to at least try. "Do you want to hang out a little longer or go get something else to eat?"

River smiled at Charlie's kinda sorta joke. River didn't appreciate her brain's kind of thinking either. "Actually, I think I just want to go home," she muttered, glancing around. She'd almost forgotten they were still on the campus. "Not home home. Your place like we planned." They both had the next day off and she'd planned to say over. "Is that okay?"

Charlie squeezed River once before stepping back. "Of course it's okay. And we can talk more on the way."

[marvelsuperfangirl]

Not Confident ( Peter Parker x Reader)

Hello! Only my second time writing for Peter and certainly not the last, enjoy :)

Warnings: The reader lacks of confidence, kind of bullying and the reader receiving mean comments.

Words:2386

Every friday, you and your friends had a free period which mean that you didn't know what to do not to be bored during this time.

But today you all decided to play " Who's the most or less likely to" but it was a remixed version. The questions were like: " who's the one with the ugliest eyebrows? Who's the laziest? etc

Now, the question that have been asked was " Who's the one who attract guys less?". You looked at the papers in your hands with the names of each of your friends on it and decided not to show any because none of you were being flirted with nor had a boyfriend or a crush.

When  you looked back up you took a look at the names on your friend's papers and you were surprised to see your name on each of them.

Your friends were all smiling and started laughing , you laughed along like the situation was funny .

But deep down at the center of all your blood vessels and veins, you broke. Your friends just told you not so subliminally that you weren't attractive and that nobody would ever think about you like a potential significant other.

You knew that you weren't he most attractive person of your school but you didn't find yourself ugly either.

The game continued on and that embarrassing moment was forgotten, at least for your friends because if you were honest with yourself you only wanted to run away and cry. But you held back your tears and smiled trying to think about happy things to keep a joyish face.

When the last bell rang you felt you were finally free of the act you had put up since the game. The scene was replaying in your head again and again breaking your heart a little bit more each time. But fortunately you had the weekend to get better and you were sure that a few TV shows, food and reading some fanfictions would be enough to throw the memory out of your head.

Oh, girl, you were so wrong!

When you woke up on monday and start getting ready you couldn't help but sighing when you saw your reflection in the mirror. It couldn't hurt to put some efforts in your appearance right? So here you were picking up a tube of mascara that you didn't use since at least a year and a matte liptstick of a nude pink color. You felt like it was a really special day because when you look at yourself in the mirror with your make up on you felt like someone else and also a bit better than usual, even if it wasn't that noticeable.

During your walk to school, you were full of confidence and happy with the slight change you made in yourself.But when you walked through the gate of Midtown High, that confidence shattered and was replaced by your usual insecurities. The fear of what you friends and the other students would think of your new face was far stronger that your new found confidence.   You walked to your first class of the day where your friends where your friends were already sitting and chatting. You join them, praying for them to see your efforts and maybe give you some compliments.

" Hello" you said

As you settled yourself in your usual sit, you could feel their eyes glued on you and looked up.

" You're wearing make up?!" one of them asked

You shyly nodded and brushed it off like it was nothing to continue to take your things out of your bag. But you were glad that they noticed it, at least you didn't spend five whole minutes applying this thing on your lashes for nothing and being careful not to put lipstick next to your lips.

" You're better like this" another said.

Boom! Another hurting comment. Even if it was kind of a nice one, it still hurts because it's never pleasant to hear your friends saying that you're naturally ugly.

You just smile like it was nothing and concentrated back on your school supplies.

Later, at lunch, you and friends sat at your usual table, quietly eating and listening to whatever was being discussed. It always was somethin related to one of your friends's existential problems.  " My parents this....", " My crush that...",etc...

Then Kyle, a guy that was in most of your classes and that you knew since middle school, approached and stopped right in front of you.

" You know, Y/N, it's not a bit of make up that will make you more desirable to the men's eyes." he said, loud enough for the tables around to hear. He offered you a cruel smile before leaving with his friends while laughing at his comment.

Your friends silently watched the scene and the students aaround started whispering, some een laughed. Your friends told you that the guy was an idiot and that you shouldn't listen to what he was saying , returning to their previosu conversation .

You knew very well that they didn't care about  what happened nor about you but they were your friends and you were always there when they needed you and they weren't when you needed them. You felt ashamed and didn't dare to look up at the others students, to afraid to cross one of their pitiful of mocking eyes. After you finished you lunch you left the table, without telling your friends where you were going and ignored their shouting and questions. They weren't you friends, they were just a a group of people you knew since a few years but now they only became a crowd you were hanging up with because you had no one else. You wished to find someone that would at least care a little about you.

You left school. You knew you couldn't stay there and handle all the comments and the looks all the students would give you after the events of today's lunch.

You went to your favorite coffee shop and ordered a tea with a triple chocolate muffin and sat in a corner of the shop. You took out your private notebook where you wrote everything you had in mind.

But most of the time it was fantasies about you, meeting a cute boy that you would fall in love with and have a wondeful relationship with. There were also time where you would write about being friends and living adventures with your idols; the Avengers; damn they were so cool!

But these fantasies never came true and there you were again, instead of sharing a good time with someone you loved , you were alone in a coffee shop, scribbling on a notebook like some kind of lonely and misunderstood teenager.

After a good half an hour, you looked around and the only people present at this hour were workers typing on their laptop's keyboard or discussing some kind of important business with their coworkers.

Letting out a long sigh you went back to your writing and didn't notice the new customer that was just entering the shop.

It was a boy, looking like he was your age and with backpack, suggesting that he was a student. He walked to the counter and ordered a hot chocolate and two triple chocolate muffins.

You were completely immerse in your words and didn't pay attentionto the boy that was walking toward you. A shadow placed itself on your table, depriving  your notebook ' page  of light.

You slowly lifted your head, ready to face someone from your school who would have find you here and was ready to make fun of you. You were effectively facing someone from your school but instead of a mean look you were met with a pair of sweet chocolate eyes accompanied by a kind smile.

" Hi" the boy you recongnized  as Peter Parker said.

You were a bit taken aback at first because why a cute boy like him would talk to you.

" Hi, Peter" you replied shyly, feeling the heat settle in your cheeks.

" Hi, Y/N"

The situation couldn't be more awkward, greeeting someone twice was already weird and both of your faces that were a deep red color was also a clear sign of awkwardness.  

A smile appeared on his face and he lifted his hand wiggling the little pastry bag he was holding.

" Hum...I saw that you finished your muffin, so I bought you another one" he handed you the bag.

You put your pen down and gladly took the bag in which the delicious treat was. You offered a smile to Peter and opened the bag taking one of the muffins.

" Also I wanted to know if it would disturb you if I sat down with you?"

" No, no, it's okay " you said gathering the stuff you had scattered on the table to make room for the boy.

" Thanks." he said taking his backpack off his shoulder before sitting down in the chair opposite yours.

The both of you sat there in a still awkward silence, taking glances at each other and everytime your eyes would meet the other's you would quickly look away with blushing cheeks.

" I'm sorry, I don't really know how to do this, you know...the whole talking to a girl thing."

You chuckled

" And I don't know how to talk to boys so we're pretty even" you said.

It was his turn to laugh. He took a deep breath, looking at his lap before resting his gaze back on you.

" I saw what happened at lunch." he blurted out.

Your stomach clenched and your heart did the same.

" Oh..."

" You shouldn't listen to that idiot! You could be the prettiest rose in a garden and there always would be a jerk who will say they prefer daisies."

Your  face flare up at his words and you couldn't find something to answer.

Whas this your fantasy becoming real? A coffee shop, a cute boy bying you a muffin and then comforting you. A typical fanfictionnal situation.

" I didn't know you were an amateur of poetry " you told him while using your hand to make yourself some air.

" Well...Uh...I'm inspired by pretty things" he said

If he didn't stop complimenting you , your face would probably set on fire.

" I know it's easier to say than to do but , just don't listen to what people say. Your real friends will love you just the way you are and that's what you deserve"

You nodded , letting his words enter your mind and try to keep them inside to persuade yourself that it was true.

" Thank you Peter. I think you were exactly what  I needed ."

You grabbed your stuff and put it in your backpack, careful not to forget the muffin Peter kindly bought for you.

" I have to go. Thank you again." you said, getting up and leaning down to kiss his cheeks before heading out of the coffee shop.

The next day, despite all the confidence Peter gave you, you were scared of what would happen. Will the others mock you because you ditched class after a guy insulted you? And you friend that in reality weren't your friend, would they find a way to criticize you again?

You went to your locker without making eye contact with anyone and managed to get there safely. When in the middle of exchanging the books you didn't need against the one you needed , the door of your locker violently closed, almost hitting your hands in the process.

" So, I've noticed you weren't in class yesterday, after lunch " the scary and annoying voice you heard  saying so much mean things  to you. Kyle. It was always him, the demon on your shoulder remind you of all the insecurities you suffered about.

" Did you go crying to your mother because she didn't make you beautiful enough?"  he laughed evilly.

The only comment about your appearance was enough to bring tears to your eyes, you would have cried there and then if an arm didn't placed itself on your shoulders.  

" Hello, beautiful" a sweet voice greeted you

You turned toward the owner of the voice and discovered Peter, he offered you a smile and kissed your cheek.

" How are you today?"

You went to answer his question but Kyle beated you to it.

" Did I miss something? Ugly Y/N and Nerdy Parker are dating each other? So fucking cute!" he snickered clearly sarcastically.

Peter didn't let the bully impress him and carried on the conversation,  ignoring him.

" I'll walk you to class alright? And how about we have lunch together?" he asked while leading you away from the idiot.

When you were out of Kyle's earshot you let out a sigh of relief.

" Thank you so much. If you didn't show up I would have burst into tears. You are my hero" you smiled widly at him.

" No need to thank me, It's totally normal"

Peter walked you to class and offered to come nack to get you at the end which you gladly accepted.

Your friends spent the whole hour pestering you with questions about  what you did after you left school the day before, if you cried and also if you would wear make up again because you apparently looked better with it. You just ignored them and daydreamed about  your cutie in shining armor.

 When the bell, signalling the end of the hour came like a savior to you and couldn't wait to see Peter again.

As he promised he was waiting at the door for you to come out, he waved at you and you waved back. Your friends witnessed the scene and asked you another ton of questions  to know if the two of you were dating or anything. You ignored them again, earning scoffs from them but didn't care the slightlest because  Peter was the person you just needed in your life to make you feel good and offer you a chance to be happy and you wouldn't dream of anything else.

[flighty37-blog]

Managing (#1)

Summary: Dan and Phil are both pregnant at the same time. Experience the joys of impending fatherhood; ready for loads of bants and snark coming your way. My first mpreg fic.

Prologue:

Dan and Phil had been dating for quite some time.

In fact it had been almost a year.

They'd been living together for six out of those eight years they'd known each other in a flat. They had decided to share the same room, but Dan still wanted his bed and fairy lights, for when it got too dark, and so, with much aggravation, they brought Dan's bed in with Phil's and together it made an almost king-sized bed. And so they slept together.

Month 1, morning of the impending announcement:

Dan Howell was usually a light sleeper. He went to bed at four a.m., and by the time he crawled into bed, and had snuggled down with Phil, Phil was starting to try and wake up. Sometimes. But today....

"BLURGH!" A retching noise came from the nearby loo, and Dan covered his head with one of their pillows.

"That's disgusting!" Dan slurred/yelled out.

"I can't help it! It's the sickness!" Came the pitiful response.

"Embryo, it's not even been a month yet, and don't forget...." Dan's voice trailed off as he flopped over onto his back.

"I know, I know! Mum wants us to visit the specialist!" Phil called back.

"That she does. How is it that we both ended up preggers again?" Dan asked.

“Lots of unprotected sex, DNA, and a sprinkling of pixie dust,” Phil emerged from the bathroom, and grinned down at his flatmate, his lover.

"Aww Philly," Dan smirked, and opened one eye up at him.

"I like the pixie dust part," Dan answered, and sat upright on the bed.

“Awww Danny-Boy,” Phil responded in kind.

“Uh-oh!” Phil raced back to the loo. Coupled with his motion sickness, morning sickness had been a constant plague in the flat. Only Dan didn’t get morning sickness. No. He got cravings. Lots of  weird cravings.

They had decided to announce their pregnancies on a live show.

Since their announcement that they were dating nearly a year ago, there’d been a huge support group. What if throwing a double pregnancy at their audience caused their sites to crumble? Men didn’t normally get pregnant, at least not two at the same time.  

“Phil? Are you going to be okay for the YouNow Broadcast?” Dan was worried.

He had tried to be supportive, and he hated it when Phil got sick. He swung his legs over the side of the massive bed, and put on some gray jogging bottoms, and put on a black T-shirt. He went to get the mop. As of late, that had been their routine. Phil equaled morning sickness, and Dan was the clean up crew.  

A couple hours later:

“So here we are, cutest couple on the internet….BLURGH!” Dan pretended to be sick all over the monitor.

Phil laughed a little, though not too much, as it might send him racing back to the porcelain toilet.  

“As we click baited, we’ve got some important news. But since it’s real news, then it isn’t click bait,” Dan tried to reach out to their audience.

“You can’t just do that waffling thing,” Phil protested. And then he spoke some more, “I have an announcement. I’m eating for two!” He giggled and held up a pregnancy test.

“Really? Just like that? No music, no flare? Just ‘Ta-da I’m pregnant’?” Dan tried to look stern, but he instantly melted at Phil’s pout.

“Ta-Da! I’m pregnant!” Phil repeated. Then Phil spoke before Dan could again,

“And Dan’s got an announcement too! Show them, please?”

“Alright, fine! I was going to wait until we got Phil’s pregnancy questions sorted, but sure. Let’s make it doubly hard on me. I’m in the baby way as well. Thanks a lot, Phil, for ruining the surprise,” Dan held up his own pregnancy test.

“Now before all the doctors on here say, ‘men can’t get pregnant’....That’s true. It’s very rare. And since we’re rare, and very clumsy, it’s happened to us. At the same time,” Dan started.

“Don’t worry we’re going to see a professional,” Phil chimed in, as they fielded questions left and right.  

“Phil’s mum, and my mum found a very good one,” Dan reaffirmed.  

“We don’t know the genders. We’re not that far along,” Dan said.

“I have an inkling,” Phil grinned.

They banted, they joked, they answered questions and then they shut off the laptop. Dan yawned widely. It was after midnight, and he was tired. He had been unusually achy as well. Coupled with the weird cravings, he just felt weird all over.

“Let’s go to bed,” Phil said.

“Sounds good to me,” Dan answered. They made it to their bedroom, and fell face first onto the pillows.

The Next Morning:

“Wake Up Dan!” Phil pleaded for, what seemed like the tenth time that morning.

“No!” Dan mumbled against the pillow.

“We have an appointment,” Phil slid back the curtains, and Dan rolled onto his side to escape the brightness; Phil hopped onto the bed, and leaned over Dan’s long legs.

“She’s supposed to be really good!” Phil breathed in Dan’s ear.  

“You don’t stop breathing in my ear, and you’ll be eating through a straw,” Dan gritted out, as Phil backed away slowly.

“Besides, shouldn’t she be making house calls or something?” Dan asked, as he tried to go back to sleep.

“Doctors haven’t been making house calls for  thousands of years. Get up!” Phil tugged on Dan’s arm.

“Alright, alright, I’m gonna get up, but I’m not going to be all bubbly and fantastic,” Dan said.

“I’ll make you some breakfast,” Phil wheedled.

“Deal!” Dan answered. Dan sat upright and tugged on his jogging bottoms, black of course; and he put on a dark gray jumper.

He felt his stomach rumble. Bless Phil for braving smells and being kind enough to bribe him with breakfast, so he’d be awake enough to endure the doctor’s office.  After a hearty breaky, they arrived at the doctor’s office via the Tube. Doctor Alicia Taran was an expert in male/male pregnancy.

She’d had several same sex couples come into her practice, that were in the ‘family way’, but most of her experience had, mostly dealt with, one partner at a time. This was truly an unusual case. The two men waited in the room, side by side, heads down, feet touching feet, hands holding hands, breaths stilled for a moment at a time.

The clock ticked in the corner. Each had their hoodies over their heads.

“What if we’re both high risk? What if one of us is high risk? What if….what if the babies don’t survive? And how do we know we’re even pregnant? It could be a fluke,” Dan’s insecurities tumbled out and under his breath.

Phil patted Dan’s hand. “Well, we haven’t been traveling recently so I shouldn’t be as ill as I am right now,” Phil said.

“It could just be a mutated form of the flu, or worse. You had swine flu before, what if you’ve got avian flu?” Dan peeked up and over at Phil.

“I checked remember? The specialist assured me that I wouldn’t be able to spread swine, or avian flu. You were there you nutter,” Phil responded, and playfully knocked knuckles with Dan.

“And since we’re on the subject of being paranoid. What about you? How do you know you’re pregnant?” Phil countered. Dan shrugged awkwardly.

“So that’s why we’re here. To really find out. Even though we both already suspect. It’s rare. Very rare, but like I always say….” Phil’s voice trailed off.

Dan picked the sentence up again, “Life finds a way.”

“Yup,” Phil nodded.

“Life always finds a way,” Dan repeated.

“So there you go. Explanation, explained,” Phil said, and patted Dan’s shoulder in a comforting way.

“Mr. Howell? Mr. Lester?” A nurse walked up to them.

“That’s us!” Dan said in a haltingly chipper way.

“Follow me, Dr. Taran will see to you shortly,” Nurse Hammerson said.

They followed her, both giving each other nervous glances. Once inside the room, Phil sat on the padded examining table, and Dan sat on one of the rolling stools, and started to roll briskly across the floor.

“Calm down,” Phil said. “Shouldn’t I be telling you to calm down?” Dan countered.

“I’m not the one using the floor like Mario Kart’s race track,” Phil doubly countered.

Just then, Dr. Taran appeared, she was dressed in sensible scrubs, and her hair was in a tight bun. “Hello, I have read your files and you’re both pregnant?” She turned the statement into a question.

“It’s the only explanation we can come up with,” Dan spoke up.

“I’ve been projectile vomiting for nearly a month, and that almost never happens except when I’m sat in a car or a train, or anything that moves,” Phil explained.

“And I’ve been having the most unusual cravings. For the past few weeks, I’ve been craving this peanut butter smoothie, with barbecue crisps, and some orange gelatin all blended together, and I’ve just been drinking the hell out of it,” Dan also explained.

“Right, right, well it sounds as if you might be becoming parents. Which, if this is what you want….” Doctor Taran’s voice trailed off.

“Well they weren’t planned, but we’re keeping them. If they are a them,” Phil said.

“Right, well let’s get on with it. Who wants to go first? Daniel?” She glanced at Dan who was leaning against the wall now, arms crossed protectively over himself. He shook his head,

 Dan sarcastically smiled, “Phil likes to try new things.”

“Alrighty then,” Doctor Taran turned to Phil. “If you’ll be so kind as to lie on your back, and pull your shirt up just a little,” She instructed, and rubbed the goop onto Phil’s bare stomach.

“C-Cold,” Phil’s teeth chattered.

“Sorry,” Dr. Taran said, and she put the handheld monitor over him. There appeared a slight fuzzy blob on the screen, and Phil waved.

“She’s beautiful,” Phil gasped out.

“She?” Doctor Taran looked confused.

“I’m psychic,” Phil explained.  Doctor Taran looked at Dan who shrugged helplessly.

“Okay?” Doctor Taran’s response was weak.  

“My grandmother was psychic and passed the gift on to me, therefore I’m psychic and she’s gonna be a girl. Aren’t you Dorothy Catherine?” Phil asked as the blob moved towards the screen and seemed to ‘kiss’ it.

“Well ‘she’s’ responsive I guess?” Doctor Taran blinked.

“She knows who her daddy is! Don’t you Sweet Pea?” Phil cooed at the screen.

Dan had abandoned the wall and was sat next to his significant other, holding his hand, and smirked as the baby bounced about.

“Oh dear, I get motion sick. Could you please settle?” Phil asked of the baby.

“She can’t hear you,” Doctor Taran protested. The baby instantly calmed down.

“You were saying?” Dan and Phil asked at the same time.

“I guess I was wrong,” Doctor Taran answered.

“I guess so,” Phil grinned at her.

“Your turn Mr. Howell,” Doctor Taran guided Phil off of the table. Phil sat beside Dan, and held his hand.

“I can’t wait! Double the babies, double the fun!” Phil squeaked out.

When it came time for Dan to be slathered in goop, the same sort of fuzzy blob appeared. But something swiped across the screen. Dan lifted himself up, propping himself on one elbow.

“Did you just flip me off? How the hell did you even learn that?! You can’t even see the outside world! Don’t you flip me off again!” Dan was shouting at the screen now.

“No, no, little genderless child, who I am definitely not assigning a gender to, unless you want a gender, or if you want to wear a sparkly tutu and heels, I won’t object. But I am definitely objecting to when you flip me off. You’re in timeout now, and until you’re born,” Dan said.

“That was not nice, you don’t flip anyone off. Ever,” Phil’s quiet voice chimed in.

“Did  you hear that voice? That was your other parent. Don’t go flipping people off,” Dan said.

Doctor Taran face-palmed. This was the most unusual ultrasound session she’d ever had, and she’d had plenty of unusual ones.  The same sort of fuzziness swiped across the screen again.

“Okay, I warned you, you’re in timeout,” Dan said.

“I think we know you’re both pregnant, I’ll be overseeing your cases for the next few months; and if you have any problems, questions, here’s my mobile number,” Doctor Taran handed them a card that looked to be a business card.  

Going Home:

“We’re going to be parents, confirmed. This is going to be such a maniacal, topsy-turvy household,” Dan worried.

“We’ll be fine. The kids will be well rounded, with senses of humour and tons of love poured on them,” Phil responded.

“Yeah, I guess, I’ve never been a parent before,” Dan insisted.

“Neither have I. But we’ve got two sets of great examples,” Phil answered.

“And we’ll have our mums to help out and give advice,” Dan said.

“Precisely!” Phil held up a pointer finger.

“Christmas is going to be so expensive,” Dan sighed.

“Again, family, the grandmothers will love to spoil the grands,” Phil insisted.

They arrived home from the Tube in one piece.

 And they both went and called their families. Of course both mothers were thrilled, and both fathers gave grudging congratulations. Adrian wasn’t too sure about the male biological system, and being only fifteen he really thought it was disgusting that his brother was pregnant.

“All I can think about is placentas,” was his one and only wry comment.

“Thanks, thanks a lot Adrian,” Dan muttered, and said goodbye to his family.

Then another phone call….  

“YES!! I’m finally going to be an uncle? I’ll be the best uncle that ever uncled, in the entire ‘Uncle-y Universe’!” Martyn said, very thrilled.  

“That’s so exciting. So any names picked out?” Cornelia asked.

“Just the one so far; because Phil’s so sure it’s going to be a girl,” Dan said.

“She is! Her name’s Dorothy Catherine. I think I’ll call her ‘Dory��,” Phil decided.

“That’s such a cute name,” Cornelia gushed.

“Nikki, will be the best Auntie in the universe,” Martyn interrupted.

“Oh Martyn,” Cornelia said. There was the sound of a loud kiss, and Phil nearly dropped the phone,

“Bye you two love birds.” Phil ended the phone call.

 “That was interesting,” Dan said.

“Well you know my family,” Phil answered.

“And you’re the shy one?” Dan asked. Phil shrugged and smiled broadly.  

Dan threw a pillow at him, which he ducked but it grazed his shoulder. Phil stuck out his lower lip and sank down onto the foot of the elongated bed.

“You’ve injured me,” Phil said.

“Have I?” Dan sat down next to Phil

“You have,” Phil milked the injury.

“Well the carrier of your child is having a mini crisis,” Dan pointed out.

“The carrier of my child?” Phil furrowed his brows, as Dan leaned into him, using his patented stare to look deep into Phil’s eyes.

“I’m not assigning myself a role, just like I’m not assigning this kid a gender, until he, or she, comes into their own,” Dan replied.

“I feel bad for assigning Dory’s gender,” Phil sighed.

“Don’t feel bad. I’m sure she wanted you to know,” Dan patted Phil’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” Phil answered, looking less sad, but he leaned his head on Dan’s shoulder, and Dan patted his cheek.

“I’m so glad I’m back on solid food,” Phil suddenly said.

“It feels nice when I don’t have to brandish a mop every morning,” Dan said.

“That’s true, and not feeling the top of the porcelain top of the toilet is nice. I’m hungry now that we’re talking about solid food,” Phil said.

“What d’ya need? Anything crazy?” Dan asked.

“No, I just want some cereal,” Phil said, standing up.

“Me too. Let’s go eat some and we’ll have a nice sit down and eating binge,” Dan said standing up as well, and taking Phil’s hand in his. 

They managed to make their way to the kitchen without a single incident. Luckily being pregnant sort of equalized their equilibriums and they were pretty steady on their feet.  So far.

Month 4:

“So I’m thinking we’ll make it gender neutral, a nice soft yellow,” Dan said of the spare room.

“I like it, and we can buy things in bulk, and two cribs. We’ll need two of everything,” Phil said.

“Don’t I know it. We’ll have to buy enough nappies, and bottles, and clothes to provide for an Army. Even though there’ll only be two babies in the flat,” Dan answered.

“Maybe one day we’ll get a proper house,” Phil mused.

“A white picket fence?” Dan asked.

“If that’s what makes you happy,” Phil said.

“No, infinite Wi-Fi, that’d be a dream home,” Dan replied.

“As long as it’s free,” Phil chuckled a little.

“Always thinking frugally,” Dan returned.

“I know! Let’s order all the stuff online,” Phil suggested.

“Great idea,” Dan took control of the desktop, and Phil laid down on his back and looked up at the ceiling.

“Bulk?” Dan asked.

“Bulk, bulk, bulk it up,” Phil murmured.

“Things Phil Shouldn’t Say Volume 14,” Dan responded.

Dan ordered what they needed and he looked down at Phil who was still on the floor, but his eyes were closed.

“Come lay over here. You’ve got that look in your eyes,” Phil added.

“What look? You can’t see me, your eyes are closed,” Dan said, although he got out of the chair and went to lie beside his significant other.

“You forget, I am psychically connected to the universe. Ergo you. You are my universe, now get under my arm, and cuddle me you fool,” Phil blindly kissed Dan, and ended up kissing him on the arm.

“Yeah, thanks for that,” Dan grumbled good naturedly, and he cuddled as best as he could. Their tiny bumps touching a bit.

“They’re going to be almost twins,” Phil piped up.

“Close enough, but I think Dory will come first. She’ll be ready to see the world,” Dan guessed.

“Maybe. Don’t judge a baby by its cover,” Phil answered.

“Don’t what?” Dan made his way over to Phil’s lower body, and made it so that Phil was his body pillow.

“Ahhh much better,” Dan leaned back and closed his eyes. 

“Sure make yourself at home,” Phil smiled, and put an arm over Dan. The two fell asleep shortly thereafter.

Month six:

“If I get any bigger I’ll pop!” Dan said.

“I look like I’m going to have twins, but there’s just Dory in there,” Phil piped up. 

“I can’t even tie my own fucking trainers,” Dan replied.

“I don’t even know what trainers are anymore,” Phil opined. 

“Sorry,” both said in unison. They helped the other out of bed, and made their ways slowly towards the kitchen.

“Mind the glass door,” Dan said a bit too late.

“Ouch! New brain cells!” Phil held his forehead and part of his eye socket.

“Yeahhh….Move out of the way?” Dan asked.

Phil moved and Dan slid the door open.  They ate their meals in silence.

“We really need to move,” Dan said.

“After the babies are born, and maybe a few months old,” Phil said.

“If these cracks get any bigger, and if those people don’t stop drilling, and if that neighbour downstairs doesn’t stop with the sex noises, we’ll have to start looking; more than just glancing at the classifieds,” Dan said.

“Alright,” Phil nodded.

“I want a brick house, Wi-Fi, a picket fence, a huge garden, and you know just the stereotypical place where we can potentially raise a family,” Dan said.

“I hear ya. I hear ya. We’ll start looking soon. And then we’ll move when they’re about a year old or so,” Phil said, and patted Dan’s shoulder.

“I’m tired of hearing that damned phone ringing!” Dan groused.  

“Me too,” Phil sympathised.  

“We’ll look after the babies are born,” Dan closed the conversation.

He put the bowl in the sink, and walked out of the kitchen, slightly bumping his head a bit.

“Son of a bitch,” Dan said through gritted teeth.

“Not in earshot of the babies,” Phil protested.

“Damned door,” Dan gritted out, as Phil patted his back.

Month 7, Finished nursery/new arrival?:

It was the middle of the night. Dan was awake like usual, and he was recording the nursery’s new finished look. It was a good thing that both of them slept on their backs, because they were much heavier now.

“So we’ve got double the nappies, the two cots symmetrically in a corner, the little mobiles above the bed, and just all around cuteness,” Dan said into the camera as a twinge assaulted his back, and he grimaced.

He’d edit out the grimace later he decided. But then, a sharp pain through his abdomen brought him up short.

“PHIIIILLLLL!!!!” Dan called out.

“Yeah?!” Phil’s quick response, followed by a swift jog into the nursery, had his flatmate by his side in no time.

“What is it?” Phil looked concernedly at Dan.

“I-I think….” Dan squeezed his eyes shut.

“I think, I’m in labour….” Dan gasped out as another sharp pain hit, and he doubled over.

Phil helped Dan to the sofa and surrounded him with pillows, he called 9-9-9, and was assured an ambulance was on the way.

As they waited…. “Shit! My fucking water just broke!” Dan exclaimed between contractions.

“Oh dear,” Phil said, and he fidgeted.

Just then there was a banging on the front door. Phil let the EMTs in and they carried Dan down to the gurney.

Phil took out his camera, “Hi guys! So this is the ambulance taking us to the hospital. It looks as if Dan’s in labour. Hopefully we’ll have news soon.” He cut off the camera and hopped inside the back of the emergency vehicle.

“Did you just upload a video, whilst I’m lying here in the back of this ambulance, in agony!?” Dan gritted his teeth.

“Maybe?” Phil meekly answered.

“ARGH!” Dan grunted back.

“Sorry?” Phil furrowed his brows. Dan just blindly reached for Phil’s hand.

“If you’ll stop having a domestic argument for a minute….” The paramedic said, and put an oxygen mask over Dan’s face.

“Heartbeats are normal, everything’s pretty much regulated. Breathe Mr. Lester….” Susan the paramedic said.

“I’m Daniel Howell,” Dan managed to breathe out.

“Right, sorry, we just assumed….” The other paramedic, Fernando started.

“Not yet,” Phil sounded hopeful, Dan just glared at him, and squeezed Phil’s hand so hard, it cracked a bit.

“Not so hard Dan,” Phil pleaded. Dan squeezed harder.

“OUCH!” Phil bit his lower lip and his eyes slightly watered with the pain. Dan slid the oxygen mask off,

“Yeah, how d’ya like that? I’m in labour and you’re prattling on about stupid shit. Uploading a video without my consent. Arsehole,” Dan muttered.

“S-Sorry Dan,” Phil managed to splutter out.

They made it to the hospital, thankfully Phil was in one piece, minus the hurting hand, and Dan was still in labour. Doctor Taran met them, and wheeled him into the O.R. Phil was ordered to wash up, and then it was time for the cesarean section.

“I need medicine!” Dan yelled out.

“We’ve got an anesthesiologist on the way now,” Doctor Taran assured him.

“He’s so early and he’ll be so tiny,” Phil blurted out.

“He?! Tiny?! Phil? Did you know the gender before me?” Dan asked.

“You didn’t want to know, and I did, and I sneaked a sneaky-peek at her clipboard,” Phil admitted.

“Phiiilllll!!!!” Dan grunted, just as the anesthesiologist came in.

Dan was helped into a sitting position and they injected him in the spine.

“Jesus Fuckin’ Christ!” Dan yelped.

“It’ll be okay Dan,” Phil promised.

“No it won’t!” Dan yelped again, as Phil took out his camera and he chronicled the birth.

“You put that camera away, and be moral support!” Doctor Taran commanded. Phil reluctantly put the camera down, and went to sit beside Dan.

They opened him up, and a few minutes later, Dan was presented with a boy.

“He’ll probably be jaundiced, and he’ll probably need to stay in the NICU, but he looks fine,” Doctor Taran announced. Phil cut the cord, and soon the baby was washed and swaddled.

“Now hash out names,” Doctor Taran said. She and the others had stitched Dan up. Dan was groggy, and a bit high from the meds.

“I can see our house from here,” Dan slurred.

“Sure you can….” Phil, still holding the baby sidled up next to Dan.

“Names?” Phil asked.

“I want him to have both of our names,” Dan said, a moment of lucidity peeking through.

“James Michael?” Phil asked. Dan shook his head in the negative.

“Michael Daniel James Philip?” Dan asked.

“He needs to know how to write his name eventually, I don’t want him to have carpal tunnel so early in life,” Phil chuckled, and looked down at the baby in his arms.

“Michael James?” Phil asked

. 

“Michael Daniel?” Dan said at the same time.

“I like Michael Daniel,” Dan said.

“Michael Daniel  he’ll be,” Phil decided.

Then Phil questioned,“Last name?”

Dan sighed and answered, “I don’t care.”

“What about Michael Daniel Lester-Howell?” Phil prodded.

“I guess,” Dan yawned.

“Welcome to the world, Michael Daniel Lester-Howell,” Phil grinned, and Dan reached his arms up to cradle the newborn, and kiss his forehead.

“I see you hashed out the names right quick,” Doctor Taran said in an approving voice.

“Yeah,” Phil said, and Dan reluctantly handed the baby over, and then Dan was wheeled to the recovery room. Michael didn’t stay very long in the NICU, he was pronounced healthy although premature.

Two and a half months later:

Phil was overdue by half of a month, and he was getting tireder and tireder of waiting for the little one to come out. He hid himself in his room. He was cranky, and Dan was in charge of taking care of Michael, feeding the three of them, and being on top of their YouTube enterprise.  Michael was, surprisingly asleep, and Dan, was just finishing up plateing some fruits, and vegetables, going to give Phil something to eat.

Dan looked over at the baby, “Your sister seems to be quite comfortable where she’s at. Like me. I wasn’t ready to see the world….”

He paused and then continued, “Just stay asleep for a few more minutes.” He padded to the bedroom, and sat beside Phil who was concentrating on his laptop screen. He nudged Phil’s arm.

“What is it?” Phil almost, not quite, snapped at him.

“I’ve got you some food you weirdo,” Dan answered, and Phil looked at the plate.

“Yummy,” Phil answered and settled the plate on the duvet. The duvet rippled with the baby’s movements.

“I wish she’d come out,” Phil said for what seemed like the millionth time.

“She will when she’s ready; meantime let’s make a collaboration video. You’ve been stuck in here for far too long. And whilst I like solitude as much as the next person, I miss you,” Dan wheedled.

Phil smiled a little and munched on a carrot stick.

“Besides Michael’s asleep,” Dan said.

“Alright, well done, you’ve convinced me,” Phil put the plate beside him, and got out of bed, steadying himself on the headboard.

“So you will?” Dan asked.

“Of course I will. Just need a shower, and a quick change,” Phil answered.

Dan took a moment to admire his partner’s body, and would have taken that moment to get in the shower with him, but a cry interrupted his thoughts and he went to see about the baby.

“Are you hungry?” Dan asked, as the baby looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Eyes the same shape, and probably would be the same color as Phil’s. He already had Dan’s hair, it would be interesting to see how he looked as he grew.

Dan found a dummy on the floor, washed it and stuck it in the baby’s still open mouth and the crying subsided. Dan smiled, and picked up the baby. He cooed at him, then put him back in the swing.

“I love you so much,” Dan whispered, and sat down on the sofa. He opened his own laptop. Phil walked in, and he leaned over the swing. Michael reached up and reached for Phil’s fringe.

“Hey hey, I just got the fringe how I wanted it,” Phil kissed the baby’s chubby cheek, and sat down beside Dan. He put the plate next to him on one of the tables.

“Ready?” Dan asked. Phil nodded as he munched on some carrot sticks. He was ready.

“I feel like a whale,” Phil muttered, as a slight electric shiver went up and down his back. He rolled his shoulders.

Instantly Dan was on the alert, “Phil? You alright?”

“Yeah I think so,” Phil said, and turned a slight shade of sickly greenish-white.

“I’m fine,” Phil repeated.

“Okay,” Dan said as they went live. But then Phil’s hand slammed the lid of the laptop.

“I’m not fine!” He stood and warm liquid seeped through his trousers.

“Shit!” Dan said, and he scrambled for the phone. First he called an ambulance. Then he waited, like Phil had done with him. He texted Susan Howell, and then he texted Catherine.

Susan, being a bit closer was there in a little over twenty minutes, she had broken every speeding law known to man, and she’d managed to drag Adrian with her.

“About time,” Susan said as she hugged Dan, and felt Phil’s forehead. The paramedics arrived, and Phil was loaded onto it.

“If I die, I want you to take good care of Dory,” Phil said, in between his breathing exercises.

“You’re not gonna die you ass. I went through this, and I didn’t die!” Dan ‘encouraged’.  

“Thanks Dan. I feel so much better….Hee-hee-hoooooo….” Phil breathed in and out.

“That’a boy,” Dan said, and they got into the ambulance. It was the same procedure all over again, and soon they were in a recovery room.

A plastic baby cot next to Phil’s bed.

“She’s gorgeous, she’s ginger, and she’s asleep. Three very good things for a baby to be,” Dan said, as he gingerly held the baby girl in his arms.

His daughter, their daughter. Dorothy Catherine.

“Mum laughed, and was pleased at the same time when I told her the name,” Phil started.

“Really?” Dan asked.

“Yeah, and then she asked Martyn and Cornelia why they hadn’t given her grandchildren yet, seeing as they’ve been together for as long as we’ve known each other,” Phil said, and chuckled.

“What’d Martyn say/do?” Dan asked.

“He nearly choked on his water, and ‘Nelia  said it would happen all in good time,” Phil said. “Cornelia’s good at smoothing things over. Just like you Phil,” Dan nodded, and handed the baby back to his partner. His life mate.

Epilogue:

A red brick house, a white picket fence, a huge garden. Two men were vlogging, while the raven haired one was grilling and wearing his ‘body builder’ apron. It flapped in the mild breeze, and two children were chasing each other.

One had unraveling plaits flying behind her, her ribbons ripped to shreds. Her hair was a dull red, almost a strawberry red, just like her uncle Martyn’s hair. The two were both wearing jeans, though the boy who had brown hair, and tri-colored eyes was wearing a rainbow striped jumper. The girl was wearing a pink sparkling jumper, she had dark brown eyes like Daniel. She suddenly tripped.

“Oh dear! I’ve ripped my jeans again,”  she said, and looked down at her dirty hands, wiping them on the side of her jeans.

“It’s okay, I’ve ripped mine too,” The boy said as he caught his breath and stood beside her. 

“Michael Daniel Lester-Howell did you undo your sister’s plaits?!” Dan yelped.

“Ha-Ha Papa Bear full named you,” the girl said.

“Shut up Dory,” he playfully slapped her arm.

“No I didn’t!” he turned to answer his father.

“Good,” Dan sat down and finished.

“Grub’s up. Let’s eat fam,” Phil said, as he plated up the burgers.

“Don’t ever say fam,” Dan implored.

“Hashtag let’s eat?” Phil tried again, as the children sat down.

“No! Stop trying to be trendy,” Dan said.

“Nobody says hashtag anymore,” Michael said.

“Then what do they say?” Dan asked.

“They say hash-hash,” Michael said it all in one word.

“Nobody cares,” Dory said. The two parents laughed.

“Alright guys, time to go,” Dan finished the vlog.

“Say bye everyone,” Phil said.

“Gooooddd….Bye!” Phil started.

“Bye guys,” Dan said.

“Later,” Michael said.

“Love you,” Dory said. Then it was cut off and uploaded.

“Eat!” Phil said, and they all dug in.

The End.

[spaghettiintherain]

Love Within the Ivy

Summary / Prince Daniel hates himself in the castle. So when he runs away and is hidden away by a young man named Phil, falling in love isn’t what he expects / 3,768 words /

Warning / uh, indirect homophobia? I think that’s it. Some fluffy ass smut /

Authors Note / hi guys! This is my first fic (that I’ve published) , so I hope you guys enjoy it!! /

He ran, faster than he ever had, steps echoing through his head, blood pumping in his ears. Thorns tore at his face and clothing, little rips in the fabric where blood can now be seen. The shouts of guards were getting quieter due to the distance, but the panic of getting caught still pooled in his chest. He looked back, glancing quickly to see if anyone was upon him but felt himself slam into someone else’s chest. He felt his head crash into another, his chest slam into a torso. To compensate for crashing into this person, he fell backwards into the dirt. “Prince Daniel?”

Dan snapped his head up, looking to the person he crashed into. He rushed a half bow,  then offered his hand. Dan took up and made his way off of the ground, looking up to the boy in front of him. He was tall, lanky, and quizzical, and his eyes shone in the golden sunlight.  They were blue and green and yellow, swirling like flowers in the lake Dan spent most of his days on. His skin was a pale ivory, a contrast to the raven black hair. “I-i need a place to hide.” “What?” His face shone with incredulous belief, “Please! I can’t…I can’t go back there.” “I’m Phillip. Come with me.” He smiled at Dan, and took his hand much to Dans astonishment. “I think he went this way!”

Shouts of the guards echoed through the empty forest, and panic flared through Dans chest. His eyes widened in panic, and his hand clasped around Phil’s. Phil started running, his strides lanky and not so graceful, but experienced, stepping over sticks and stones. He ducked through a wall of ivy, a curtain of green stems winding in different directions. Sliding through the wall of greenery, Dan felt a wave of calmness slide over him, and he looked around at the alcove that held a small house, a  colorful garden, and a small pond. He cocked his head and smiled, taking in the smell of herbs and earth,  along with the soft sweetness of flowers and water. The sun was beginning to set, the colors or blue and oranges and pinks swirling in the air. He felt at peace, but with Phil’s hand wrapped around his he couldn’t seem to slow his heart rate. Phil lead him inside, but didn’t let go of his hand until he realized Dans eyes were glued upon them. He let go with a start, a blush covering his cheeks.

“Ah it’s late I’m sure you’re hungry-” “Oh no Phillip I can make food. You’re already hiding me, for which I am extremely grateful.” The shorter boy smiled, a dimple showing up in his cheek, sweet and soft. “You can cook?” “I’m a prince not a king, I’m not entirely useless.” The jab at his father was indirect and tasteless, but hidden under the sense of humour. Phil smiled, and Dan couldn’t help but stare at him. He shook his head and got up, took a breath, and lit the fireplace. Phil watched in a state of awe as he began to cook, not at the skill but at the fact that he had PRINCE DANIEL in his kitchen, and he was cute. “You look pretty young to be living alone.” Dans voice was subdued, and he didn’t turn around to Phil as he spoke.

“I’m not that young..and my parents died a couple years ago. My brother is off in some village. Who knows.” The conversation turned atrabilious, and Phil couldn’t help himself. “Why did you leave the castle? Why don’t you want to go back? If I were you I would relish living in such a place.” Frustration flared up in Dans chest, a hatred for the life clear for Phil to see. “You would wouldn’t you?!” He snapped, but then closing his eyes and taking a breath. “May I go outside?” Phil was dumbfounded, he wasn’t sure why Dan seemed to snap, but he nodded nonetheless. His steps were light and springy despite his tall nature, but they echoed through the tension. He closed the door lightly, walked outside. Dan smelled the familiarity of earth, the sweet scent of flowers. He sat down on a rock by the pond, his fingers skimming over the blue water. Something in his mind compared it to the lake at the palace, though that one reminded him of tears washed away by the tide.

This one, Phil’s lake, felt like warmth, like being wrapped in a blanket before a fire, the snow falling around him. Before his knew it, his fingers were undoing the buttons on his shirt, and it was sent off his head and discarded onto the rock behind him. He did the same with his pants, and then his shoes. He slid into the water, and the tips oh his toes slid ober the mossy rocks. He ducked under the water, feeling it run over his head. When he came back up, his hair was wet and curly, less contained than what it had been before. Worry was a knot in the back of his mind, a voice telling him, over and over, to go back, to leave, to hide, to run. It was contradictory and confusing, and he hated it. It was only when a tear dropped noisily into the water underneath him that he realized he was crying; crying for the loss of innocence, crying because he missed his home bit not the people, crying with depressive emotions he hated.

Dan heard a gasp, and his head shot up from gazing into the water below, and his eyes fell upon Phil. Both blushed, Daniel due to the embarrassment of being caught, his head overflowing with regret. Phil was distracted by Dans chest poking out of the water, drops falling down his collarbones and tears falling down his face. “O-oh! I’m so sorry I wasn’t thinking I-i-i-” “No! It’s fine honestly I swim in there all the time…” Phil spoke sheepishly, trying not to stare and Dan; the mixture of his pale chest and tired eyes intoxicating. “You um…you can join-well if you want to I wouldn’t want-” “Thank you.”

Dan looked away, blushing as Phil undressed behind him. He fell noisily into the water, his face flushing as the water surrounded him. Dan turned around as he heard this, but as Phil misjudged the depth of the pond, he was propelled forward and into Dans lips. They froze in shock, their bodies bobbing together in the water. Phil broke away, turning around with a face as red as a tomato. The shame of his clumsiness was played throughout him, and he moved to push himself out of the pond. Dan snapped out a stupor as Phil began to leave, and  placed his hand warily on Phil’s shoulder. His touch shocked Phil, and he turned around. He slid back into the water, his face closer to Dans than it had been with anyone.

“Close your eyes.” Dan whispered, his arms wrapping around Phil’s neck, tying to him like a tether. Phil did as he said, abandoning sight in the romantic spur. Dan took a shaky breath, pressing his lips to Phil’s once more as the water pounded to the sound of his heartbeat. The sky changed as their lips met, a perfect explosion of emotions influenced by events. The sun set around them as they embraced, two strangers with lips locked through a new tide.

The next morning awoke with tea and fresh smiles, a conversation of new beginnings.

“I have a spare room. It’s not much, only a small cot and a side table, but…” A lovingly silent breakfast was interrupted, and Dan imagined life in Phil’s simple cottage. “Its perfect.” Dan whispered, his eyes plastered into the cup in front of him. His eyes flashed up, staring into the blue-green eyes of the boy in front of him, a new hope boiling in his chest.

Love wasn’t something they had hoped for, or anything they thought would happen; it was absentminded smiles in the dawn of morning, and soft embraces by the fireplace. It was splashing eachother in the chilly water of their pond and fresh tea left on side tables. It was the weak look that Phil gave Dan silently as he sang, and Dans simple smiles when Phil left freshly sewn clothes on his cot. It was vibrant kisses stolen under moonlight accompanied with nights of gin. It was minuete glimpses of bare skin, the impending blush that followed. It was Dans soft beauty and Phil’s underlying innocence, and the event fueled depression that chased them both. They took salvage in eachother, weeping angels in eachother arms. They healed eachother, all the while forging their own strength, and the strength of an unimaginable love.

Dan was wrapped in Phil’s arms, the bitter and cold December night air freezing their small cabin. He was all too aware of Phil’s body around him, skin to skin, electric love zipping through his skin. His heartbeat quickened, and his breathing hitched as Phil rested his head on Dans shoulder. It had been very little time Dan had found out his own shock of falling in love, and his senses seemed like they were dialed up to eleven around Phil. His mind raced, the imagination of Phil leaning to kiss his neck, up his jaw and onto his pink lips. He imagined laying together, and often blushed after. Coming out of his stupor, he realized he hadn’t imagined it all.

Phil was there, raven hair and pale skin and all, placing chaste and innocent kisses onto his neck. He froze, his body tensing up, wrapped in Phil’s lanky arms. “P-Phil?” “Yes Daniel?” “What are you doing?” His voice was quivering, silent, nervous, and insecure. “I had a realization today.” Dan turned around, his twisted knees resting in Phil’s lap, and his face eye level with Phil’s.

“I love you.” Dans breathing stopped, and his eyes were frozen on Phil’s, searching for a lie or a trick. But there was nothing but truth in his eyes, an undying honest love trapped in the eyes of a young man. “I love you too.” Dan stuttered silently, his eyes wide and filled with shock. Love was a new emotion.

Dans lips were soft, and was Phil easily lost in them, a winding spring day, smells of water and poppies and the breeze. Phil was lost in Daniel, lost in his scent and his taste and his laugh; lost in everything about him, and lost in love.  Dan was in ecstasy, with Phil’s lips traveling across his face and his neck and  down his chest. He was still sitting in Phil’s lap, and Phil’s arms were wrapped around him as Dan breathed in his scent. Their touches were electric, Phil’s aura making Dan dizzy, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t take himself away from what he wanted for so long. Phil stood up, breaking away from Dans pale skin and offering his hand, like he had done so many months ago.

Dan shivered, taking his hand easily as Phil lead them towards his bedroom. Dan couldn’t tell if he was nervous or excited, his heart was beating faster than it ever had, and yet he was calm. He laid Dan on the bed, kissing him anywhere he could, innocent and lovely, yet filled with something they did not know. Like so many months ago, Dan was entranced,  now by the angel in front of him, and his fingers moved to slowly untie Phil’s shirt. Phil’s touches were delicate, living pinpricks of lightning. As clothes were abandoned so were words, replaced by erethral glances and innocent touches.  Dans gasps were as beautiful and as graceful as his voice, and Phil’s want to touch every inch of skin that he could over took them both. And as they laid together, in love and stupor and giggles and honey kisses, they unified something stronger than love, stronger than hope, they made a future, a picture of only themselves.

As they awoke in a mix of warm skin and tangled limbs, the crisp winter sunlight shone through their window. It bore into their eyes and as Dan was blinded, he dug his head into Phil’s shoulder, pressing a kiss into his collarbone. “How are you my love?” Phil’s voice was gravely and barely awake, and he closed his eyes as he hummed into his lovers ear. “Its too bright.” Dans voice was muffled through his shoulder, and Phil felt the tickle of Dans eyelashes on his skin. Phil kissed his head lightly, and danced his fingers up his bare back. “Let’s make breakfast angel.” Phil’s voice had woekn up, amd become soft and sweet, and Dan loved every second of listening to it’s soothing tones. Dans mouth watered, and he lifted his head up, squinting his eyes to see Phil’s eyes, bright and beautiful. When they eventually got up, he was doe-eyed from sleep, his hair missing into a mess of directions, the curls wildly unruly.

Like they had the night before, they sat together, entangled in front of the fireplace. They drank tea that warmed their bones and ate berries; an adorable playfulness echoing through the air as they threw food into each others mouths. And yet, though they had professed a beautiful and undying love, they were the same. Phil still caught Dan staring at him with wide eyes, staring at his face in the light. Phil’s breath still stood still when he saw Daniel in the pond, pale skin shimmering in the water. 

Winter and spring had come and gone, and the sweet sticky sense of summer had returned, making their hut unbearably hot and the forest a haven for heat. Dan spent most of his time in the pond, skimming fingers over the water and splashing around with his feet. Days were at a normal, lovely and constant, cooking dinners together and lying under the shade of trees and sweet kisses.

Phil wandered the forest, picking berries and looking for some abandoned haven.  Phil hummed a song he had heard Daniel sing, and stopped when he heard a rustle, a branch break. He took a shaky breath, it was probably just an animal, he had thought. “Phillip!” He heard Dans cry,  and his head snapped up. He dropped what he was carrying, breaking out into a run, his footsteps pounding in his head and snapping under his feet.

“Daniel! Dan I’m coming!” He shouted over the thumping steps, breaking through the trees and into the yard of their home, only to see the rustle of the ivy opening. “Please no! Don’t take me back there please!” Phil heard his lovers screams, and the image of tears streaming down Dans face crossed though his mind. He ran faster. He burst through the ivy curtain, seeing two guards dragging Dan by the arms. Something flared in his chest, but he forced himself to hide behind them and watch, quietly.

Dan struggled, kicking his legs and twisting his body, trying anything he could to break their grip. They thrust him forward, dragging him by his biceps, everything else dangling and forgotten. Dan, for a moment, stopped his struggle. He had noticed Phil peeking around one of the trees, and though he felt useless, a small smile crossed his lips. Unfortunately, one of the guards noticed. “What are you smiling at boy?” “N-nothing!” His tears remained, streaming down his face, but he had a new sense of calmness. “Something’s up.” The guards whispered to eachother, but the graceful sounds of the forest couldn’t cover their words. “You stay here with the prince. I’ll look around.”

The bulkier guard took off, leaving a tall and younger looking boy holding onto Daniel. Dans breath was ragged, he stood with arms loose around him. When the guard ducked around a tree, Phil ducked out, and Dan broke out of his imprisonment. He burst out into a run, grabbing Phil’s hand as he ran, breathless and desperate. They held hands for dear life, and tried to run from the shouts behind them.

They ran, heavy breaths in sync and an overall panic, they couldn’t hide forever. Their harmonious sanctuary was broken, and the guards were gaining on them. They were eager to get away, to escape the shouts and the terrors of life and just live alone; in their own perfect world. A rough hand grabbed Dan, pulling his arm back and then wrapping another around his torso. He screamed, being ripped from Phil’s hand.

“No! Let me to go no! Leave me alone!” He screamed in a useless panic, they were dragging him, draining his energy. The younger guard grabbed Phil, who kicked and screamed, trying to get to Dan. The larger man had charged forward, separating the two, and after a while of struggling, they both gave up. The guards trudged forward, forgetting any sense of sympathy. The castle was nearing them, and as Dans cries picked up again his breath quickened. Dan felt himself slip out of consciousness, a toxic combination of fear and exhaustion and hurt. His petaled eyelids closed, and he vaguely heard Phil call his name.

As he awoke with dreams of loss, his eyes opened to see the face of his father staring down at him. He recoiled, pulling up his legs and backing into the corner of his bed. He wanted to avoid his eyes, to look away, to escape. But his father’s eyes held such heartbreak, such anger, and an acute sense of love. “You’ve been sleeping for a while.” Dan didn’t respond, he couldn’t. His throat was frozen in fear and he wish, with every fiver of his being, that he was home.

“You’re home son, you don’t have to worry anymore.” “Home? I’m not home.” Dams voice was bitter and hurt, opposite of his normally sweet tone. “Where’s Phillip?” “You mean your kidnapper.” “Excuse me?” Dan was disgusted, the thought that Phil had taken him by force, or hurt him in anyway, killed him. “Thats what we have to say to…to hide your…tendencies.” “We have to lie about an innocent man to pretend I’m something I’m not!” Dan was screaming in anguish, his passion and anger bubbling over the surface. Anger flourished through his father, and the sharp crack of a slap rippled through the room. His breath was a shaky inhale, and his eyes were steely as he stared his father down. “There will be a trial in 5 days. You will not leave this room. I will let you rest.”

A questionable panic rushed through Dan, and his eyes widened. Dan screamed, asked why he was doing this, yelled not to hurt Phillip. He screamed until he heard the lock on the door, and then fell into a desperate rack of sobs. He cried until his eyes were dry and he had exhausted every bone in his body. There wasn’t one soul in the castle who hadn’t heard his cries; not one person who hadn’t grieved.

Sobs racked his whole body, shaking him in his bed. He slept on off for days, until the end of the fourth day. He knew that tomorrow, the love of his life would be sentenced to die, and he could not sleep. He cried for hours, silent tears creeping down his face and writhing their way into the wrinkles of his face. When the sadness had taken over and made his body collapse, he slept, nightmares filling his mind with images of Phil, tear stricken and in pain.

He was shaken awake in the deep of night, navy blues and violets shone through his window. “My prince, we have to go.” “Hm?” His face was red and his voice was groggy, and the light had left his eyes. “We need to leave.” “Leave where what are you-” “I know you love him.” Dan was at full attention now, anything regarding Phil gave him unbridled hope. “I can get you both out of here. Phillip is waiting with horses and supplies, go somewhere far from here. Don’t stop, don’t look back. Pack a few things, but be quick.” Dan shot out of the bed, pulling clothes into a satchel, along with a picture of his mother. He followed the young man silently, trying to think of words to thank him. He winced at the creak of the floors and his harsh steps, but his hope never waned. Dans heart was beating out of his chest, he feared that it was echoing through the castle halls, he feared that it would be the cause of their capture.

They slid out the oak doors as silently as they could, and at last, he was free. The navy blues and violets that had once shone through his window now adorned his face in beautiful colors. He faintly heard a horse winney impatiently, and his heart spiked at the thought of seeing his love. Dan took a breath and noticed his whole body was shaking, from his fingers down to his breath. The man in front of him beckoned, but placed a slender finger across his lips. They turned a corner, and there he was.

Phil was just as beautiful as the day they had met, the day he had lost him, and every day in between. The dark hues of night wrapped around him, but his features were lit up with the warm honey yellow glow of a lamp. Dan swalked to him, eyes wide in shock. “I never thought I’d see you again.” He cupped Phil face with his hands, softly, as if anything harder would shatter him. Phil’s eyes were full of tears, and Dan could see himself in them. They wrapped their arms around eachother, holding on for dear life. They forgot the people and they forgot the world. They only saw eachother. They clasped onto eachother, crying and beaming wildly, their love raw and true, visible for all to see, and they didn’t care.

“This is beautiful to see my prince, but you really need to get going. The servants are going to wake up soon.” They broke their embrace, neither of them wanted to. They had lost eachother once, though only for a few days, they didn’t want to do it again. Mounting the horses, Dan stared at Phil. The lights shone on his face and he was ethereal, and he knew he wanted to look at that for the rest of his life.

[dahcyst]

A Flower for the Bee [Chapter 3]

[AO3 link : http://archiveofourown.org/works/9238850/chapters/20976065]

He didn't have to talk to Victor and explain his behaviour from the day before. The man was sitting amongst the bleachers with J.J., far enough so no one would be able to ear them talk. Both them didn't have a joyful conversation, it was clear. J.J.'s features were almost dark at that moment, though he tried to smile as often as possible, probably in order to look like himself. But it wasn't J.J., yuri could swear. J.J. was unearable, talkative, saying silly things all the time, making fun of him -and he didn't even try, not even once, when they met earlier. Or if he did, it was just so lame that Yuri didn't even notice it.  

"YURI! FOCUS FOR GOD'S SAKE !"

"Yeah, yeah," the blond boy mumbled.  

A soft yet audible cheer came from the bleachers and Yuri barely waved at Victor for that. He knew that the man woudln't reproach him anything, wouldn't say anything as long as it wasn't on the ice.  

"More flexible! Hey, what's that move, Yuri?"  

Yuri winced while arching his back as much as possible after the next jump. His knees were killing him every time he was working on them, jumping, taking speed, lowing down on his legs.  

The sudden and brutal feeling of ice against his skin hurt, shaking him with violence and pain. Screams quickly surrounded Yuri, and the sound of skates moving around him barely reached his ears as he was trying to get up on his own skates.  

"Hey Yuri! Are you ok?" Mila's voice finally came out and he could feel two hands on his shoulders. But the touch wasn't the same as before, strong but not as much as before. She wasn't stronger than him anymore. She wasn't taller, he noticed when she pulled on his hand to lift him at her level.  

His arm and side hurt, but mainly because of the shock and the cold contact with the ice. He nodded when she asked again about how he was doing. On the edge of the rink, Yakov was silent, staring at them. Yuri glanced at Victor and J.J., who where looking back at him.  

"That's red, " Mila said while twisting Yuri's arm in every sense possible. "Wanna go to the nurse?"  

"It's ok, I told you." He let go of her hands, trying not to be too rude at her. "I fell that's all, right? It still happens to the best of us."  

She frowned a little. "Oh you, little brat--" But Yakov voice suddenly resonated, calling for the boy. When he reached the man, he knew somehow that it wasn't for some care.  

"Bench," Yakov sighed. "Take a break."  

"But coach--"

"We might have taken all this a bit too far for you lately."  

Yakov voice was so low that Yuri had to give an attentive ear to get it, and he felt his blood freeze in his veins.  

"What?"  

"Break," the man repeated.  

For a few seconds, they stared at each other, then Yuri lowed his eyes down to his own feet. Slowly, he left the ice, and the blade of his skaters on the plain floor was suddenly the worst feeling he'd ever had under his feet. He almost let his body fall on the bench were his towel and phone were waiting for him, and immediatly opened the screen. The amount of notification, again, put him on the nerves again, if not a lot more than what it was already. It was the same than before. Birthday stuff. This time, he didn't even took the time to dismiss the unwanted notifications, going through al of them to reach what he needed. The name was written big again, and with his heart beating fast from his pain and need to read, he pressed his thumb on the conversation.  

 Ota-bee : "I wish you can tell me soon irl"

Yuri stared for a moment at his screen, unsure about wht he was reading at all, read again his own "fuck you" sent to Otabek and there he stare again at the weird sentence. Well. What did he mean? That he wanted Yuri to actually tell him to fuck off? Wait, irl, like In Real Life, but still? Did it mean that he wanted to see him again? Like, for real? Or did he just mean that he wanted to be fuck--

When his train of thoughts started to digress, Yuri felt his face turning hot and red, and he immediatly ran a han all over his face. His cold fingers should be enough to make him think about something else and cool his mind, but there was no way to make it better at that very moment.  

Or maybe yes, there was a way. Mila and Yakov were watching him, he finally noticed, and his hot mood suddenly went back to the normal. He mumbled nonsense to himself, sighed and felt a bit lost before answering to Otabek.  

 Yura : "really"

The Kazakh didn't waste time before writing back, and Yuri wondered what time it could be for him to be so fast on his phone.

 Ota-bee : "what"

 Ota-bee : "it's been a while"

Yuri couldn't stop staring at the screen. He could feel his heart flustering in his chest, didn't really wanted to know why but Oabek words appearing on the screen one after one were something. Oh, it was here again. That soft and warm feeling spreading in his body and mind. Was he smiling? Probably, so as soon as the thought hit him, he put a hand on the lower part of his face to hide.  

Otabek didn't stop at that, didn't wait for an answer from him.  

Ota-bee : "three months is a bit too long i guess"

Yuri felt his heart make a huge loop in his chest again and, not pretty sure about how to react at it, he looked on his right, on his left, up the bleachers, then on the rink where Mila was skating with an amazing energy.  

He didn't know what to answer. Three months, he had to agree with Otabek, were too much. But, for what? Too long since the day they met? Chatting through social network for three months was too much, maybe?  

When Mila's gaze came to him, Yuri lowered his eyes to his phone again and he rubbed his cheek with his free hand. Shit. He could feel the soft burn of his skin there, it might be red or something. But she didn't say anything and actually he wouldn't mind at all. Otabek had written again.  

 Ota-bee : "Hey flower"

 Yura : "?"

 Ota-bee : "I miss you dumbass"

Fuck. Yuri's mind was racing, coming to nothing at all in the end. The sound of skates on the ice didn't reach his ears anymore. Yakov voice wasn't so annoying and felt like miles away from him. There were Victor's and J.J.'s voices above his head and he turned a little to look at them. They sightsaw his move, because they instantly stopped talking to met his gaze. J.J. was still smiling, and even if it wasn't as bright as the true and stupid J.J. he knew, it was still better than earlier.  

He couldn't answer Otabek, but an idea had somehow blossomed in a corner of his head and Yuri stood up. A few steps after, he was almost at their level and glanced up at the two men.  

"Hey," he started.  

"Hi, Yuri!" Victor greeted him with his abusively stupid face and smile. "Happy birthday! You're a big boy, now!"  

"What the..." But Yuri stopped himself pretty quickly before bringing both them in a new quarrel they didn't even need. He knew it, he knew that he shouldn't have flared up so easily –but it was his feature. Instead, he bite his low lip, mumbling. "T-thanks..."

J.J. raised his eyebrows, eyes suddenly bright. "Oh my, you're right, I didn't say it this morning I think! Happy birthday boy!"  

"Uh, thanks...Say, Victor?"  

Yuri got a curious look from the man. Slightly leaning toward him to ear what Yuri had to ask, Victor was slowly tangling and untangling his fingers without thinking so much about it. "Yeah?"  

Yuri gave a quick look at J.J. and the man immediatly guessed what it would be about; he hold on a smile and shrugged gently.  

"What about the Spring gala?" Yuri asked with no more tact. After all, J.J. had brought the subject already, and if anything had been hidden it wasn't his faut nor Yuri's. He needed to know. The Spring gala was pretty important and three months ater winning this gold medal, he needed to show what he was able to do now.  

"Oh."  

Victor turned to J.J. raising an eyebrow at him. "You told him, right?" At the simple nod, Victor sighed softly. His hands stopped moving with no reason and he rubbed them on his trousers. His shoulders had tensed up a little and he was frowning a little, focusing on a point before him. But not on Yuri.  

"How to say?" He murmured. "Not that we wanted to hide anything, right? Wait a second..."  

Victor stood up for a few second, hand cupping around his mouth as he screamed. "YAKOV! GONNA TELL YURIO!" And the old man only made a annoyed face, if not red to the ears.  

The man turned his attention back to Yuri. "Well, see that grandpa? Don't mention his lack of paternity, okay? He could be my grandfather, really...He's all shy and that stuff, see!"  

"Victor..." Yuri sighed, gripping his phone tightly in his hand and for a second he wondered why he tried to ask Victor instead of Yakov. But Victor finally continued, more serious.

"Do you know why you're training with Mila lately?" he asked.  

"Duet," Yuri automatically answered.  

"So?"  

Victor's smile was genuine and simple. Not the dumb one he was having on his face most of the time. Yuri found himself insecure in front of the man.

"I...I know I'm training for skating with someone, probably Mila as a couple duet, for exhibitions, but I don't see--"

"You're training with Mila because she's the strongest person we have at the moment," Victor corrected. "We were actually planning to tell you soon, as the Gala is in twenty days now. Don't look at me like that! I said SOON! Like, uh, today or tomorrow, or after tomorrow, but really, soon!"  

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Yuri suddenly spit out. "Say it!"  

"Okay okay! You're gonna be paired on the Symphony N°9 with your duet for the Spring Gala and be the main attraction, it was meant to be a surprise as you're turning sixteen this month!"  

Yuri was speechless at that. They dared. They dared plan something like that and put him aside like a kid, not even checking if he even wanted to--

His phone suddenly felt heavier in his hand as something hit his mind. Victor was already standing before his bench and screaming at Yakov again. "YAAAAKOV YOU WERE RIGHT HE'S JUST SOOO MAAAAD!"  

"Victor, what do you mean...Wait a second, stop yelling like a fucking dog!"  

Victor obeyed pretty nicely. His ice blue eyes looked down on Yuri as he was still standing in front of him, and a smirk stretched his lips. During a second, Yuri felt like he was facing the old Victor he'd always known, the one he was before the first time he met Yuuri Katsuki. Before that dancing night.  

"What I mean? I think you already know what's the meaning of all this, Yurio." Victor said quietly. "J.J., I have to leave both you, I have to do some things. See you right after for lunch?"  

J.J. nodded with a funny smile. And moved a little his legs for Victor to pass and leave. Yuri wasn't talking, nor trying to stop the man, only staring t his back, then his body when he was going down the stairs and joining Yakov beside the rink.  

With a quick glance at J.J. who remained silent –and somehow it felt scary as the man was litterally staring at him, Yuri went back to his message box, checking Otabek's conversation, and instantly blushed when he read again the last sentence sent by the Kazakh.  

"J.J.," Yuri half whispered, half moaned, and he knew he had caught his attention right away. "How did you know, for this morning?"  

"Whaaaat? Didn't like me saving your cute ass?" J.J. laughed genuinely and all yuri could do was pouting at the man. J.J.'s fingers were twiddling with a small thin gold ring around his finger. Around his left ring finger to be exact. "Oooh right, right, I know you didn't recognize me at first, ok? I've felt sorry for not being him, you looked pretty sad to see the amazing King of the Ice instead of the Prince, boy."  

Yuri was red. Definitively. From his neck to his ears, he was red and hot, it felt like his skin was burning in hell and J.J. was just fighting a huge laughter at his lost facial expression. Oh dear god. What was that?  

"W-what do you mean?" Yuri deeply growled.  

"Ah, your death gaze isn't very convicing today," J.J. ribbed.  

"Shut up! Why can't you simply answer instead of silly talking all the time?"  

"Are you hot? You're amazingly red! That's just freacking cute!"  

"Stop that!"  

"What's with your phone by the way?" J.J. continued. "You're blushing whenever you look at it."  

Yuri felt his face go even hotter at these words and he couldn't help hidding himself behind his palm, looking again at the screen.

 Ota-bee : "sorry sorry srory taht sounded so gay im sorry"

 Ota-bee : "that*"

 Ota-bee : "sorry*"

 Ota-bee : "shit"

"Uh, errr, nothing, it's ok," Yuri mumbled to J.J. but his attention kept caught by his phone, until a soft sound reach his ears. A camera. He lifted his eyes with a threatening scowl to J.J. and his cellphone's camera pointing toward him. J.J. was already typing on his screen pretty quickly and Yuri didn't waste a second more being motionless.  

"H-hey, what are you doing, jerk!?"  

"Mmmhhh who knows?" J.J. made a blase face for a second then suddenly burst in laughters at Yuri's finger pointed on him. "Oh my, my, my...Don't be that upset, princess!" "I'm not a fucking princess!"

J.J. shrugged it away, putting his phone in his pocket. "You're right, rather the 'Prince fucker' now I guess? Still cute in a way."  

"What the...What are you even talking about!? Oh my god, why can't you answer my question for fuck's sake!?"

"Sorry sorry!" .J. waved at him with his hand, smiling softly but still amused by their conversation. "So, what is it all about?"  

Yuri sighed. Having a proper conversation with J.J. was always a pain in the ass and that was probably the first time he was actually trying to have one. "When you helped me, you knew what you were doing, didn't you?"  

J.J. stared at him for a moment at that, his gaze intense, and it made Yuri feel a little uneasy. Eventually, J.J. shrugged again. "Well, I guess that everyone know how much of a trouble it is when it comes to you and your fanclub. We all remember your last birthday, right?"  

Yuri winced deeply at that. He had to hide for several hours in a clothing store and could only go outside after dressing up like a girl. His grandfather never accepted to throw the dress away after he came back home, probably because he'd never laughed so much in his life. The worst was, with no doubt, the picture of him that was taken secretly and sent on social network through an anonymous account.  

"I remember," he growled. "But how did you know where I was?"  

"Fate?" J.J. tried.  

"Fucker."  

"Everyday," and J.J. suddenly sighed. There was a weight on his face that settled pretty quickly and he leaned a little, his forearms resting heavily on his thights. "I've been talking to Otabek a little lately."  

The name immediatly soothed Yuri, and J.J. glared at him before letting a little smile lingering on his lips when he noticed how attentive he'd suddenly become. "He was pretty worried about you for today, probably thought that something bad might happen. He wasn't so far from the reality in the end."  

Yuri sallowed thickly, mind racing again on the probabilities. "Did he asked you to come here?"  

J.J. shook his head a little. "I told him I had to go to Moscow anyway and that I could give a look. So he told me when you would leave home. That's creepy, I know, I've felt like a fucking stalker, Jesus! But him knowing so much about your daily routine sounds even more creepy. How comes he knows that perfectly your everyday planning?"  

The reason? Yuri wasn't sure, but there was the perfect answer, the perfect excuse in a corner of his head. Something that left everything weird behind them and so they wouldn't think too much about it.  

"We..." But even if it was easy in a way, there was that part, that shy part of him, that hardly said it out loud. "We're friends, that's why..."