#thank you for help deciding what to draw Corey!!!

[gophergal]

TFTober 18 - Headcanon

[writing-good-vibes]

For Valentine's Day, number 1 under angsty prompts. The Replacement. A little bit of jealous ex!Corey maybe...

ahh thank you for your req !!

WARNINGS for (past) corey x gn!reader, jealousy, mildly stalkerish behaviour, dark post accident!corey, mentions of joan being The Worst and mild implications of violence.

💔 very cute divider by @/firefly-graphics 💔

taglist: @slutforstabbings @ethanhoewke @voxmortuus (just let me know if you want to be added or removed !!)

Corey didn't like being jealous. Being jealous made his stomach ache, a horrible sickly feeling deep down in his gut that wouldn't go away, made worse by his tossing and turning at night while he tried to sleep. Being jealous made his fingers hurt, and he'd clench them into fists, hard enough for his blunt nails to leave red crescents in his palms, to try and ease the pressure in his sore knuckles. Being jealous made his eyes water and his chest tight and it made him want to scream, sat in his bed alone at night, watching the radio tower blink tauntingly through his window.

But Corey couldn't help it, Corey was jealous.

Maybe it was his own fault -- it was definitely his own fault -- that you didn't want him anymore, that you got out the first chance you had, that you chose to dodge the bullet that is Corey 'Kid Killer' Cunningham.

And he can't really blame you because he knows that you were getting bored with his reluctance to go anywhere, and with all his nervous habits he still hadn't been able to shake.

He knows it's because the looks got too much for you. Because the mutterings behind your back were starting to take their tole. Because the soda thrown at him from a car window as you walked down the street was only a taste of what was to come.

He really only had himself to blame, and yet he couldn't make himself let go of you so easily. Especially not now he'd seen his replacement.

It's difficult not to compare himself. Corey's been monitoring his placement in every league possible since middle school; popularity, academics, looks. He'd skated along in the middle of the pack popularity-wise, which suited him just fine, and he was never quite top of the class but he was close enough to keep his GPA up, and well... he wasn't winning any prizes compared to some of the guys at school, but he'd lived with it.

But next to his Replacement? Oh, Corey never stood a chance.

And Corey doesn't want to do this. Of course he doesn't. He sees you from across the street, holding his hand. He sees walk you around the dollar store while he pushes the cart. He sees you take him back to your place. And he follows you back to his sometimes too.

Momma's upset with him when he's late for dinner.

It's funny how much he still misses you, even when he sees you all the time. You smile and your smile is like sunshine. You look and your eyes are sharp and clever and deep enough to drown in. Your voice, god he could listen to you forever and ever and never get bored.

He closes his eyes and thinks about it, reconfigures all these sightings onto himself. You smile at him, you look at him, you talk to him, not his replacement

He's cold, and his stomach aches, and his fingers hurt, and his chest is tight when you open your door. He doesn't remember looking through the kitchen draw, or leaving home, or when his cheeks got so wet.

"Corey? Is everything okay?"

Momma always told him no one else would ever love him, and that's Corey down to the bone: always wanting something he can't have.

on the topic of jealousy, you should also read [warnings apply]:

clean again by blake (@/slutforstabbings). after corey survives the events of ends he travels south and, against his better judgement, falls in love with the reader. corey's jealous streak is strong in this story, but it comes up most directly in chapter 7.

rock bottom by toxic (@/toxicanonymity). corey can't decide if he wants to do the reader or michael, so he does both. and even though he gets the best of both worlds, he's still somehow jealous of both of his partners.

[littlemisslipbalm]

“your turn”

Harry Styles was a romantic. He hated weddings. Rori Williams was practical. She hated weddings, too. How could she deny a man who had just drunkenly confessed his love for her at a wedding? Even if it was completely and totally untrue.

A story of two semi-strangers to lovers with weddings, drunken confessions, and girls with two names.

gif has nothing to do with it but he looks fancy and i like it :) tpwk

Hi! this is for @meetmeinfleetwood to lovers fic challenge! and it’s a little cruel of me to post it today after those wedding pics came out but i have been working on this for awhile and tomorrow’s the deadline so if it’s too soon im sorry and if its just what you need enjoy! I used prompts 12 and 15! It’s my first ofc story which is a little strange for me but i wanted to use a name for this, but besides her hair and eye color and a name she’s pretty generic,,, idk thank you all for always reading and all of that. lmk what you think and reblogs are always really appreciated

Word Count: 9.3k | Warnings: drinking, swearing, implied? smut (couldn’t bring my heart to write any my apologies), harry being a silly drunk, mentions of being afraid of someone taking advantage of someone under the influence but ofc no! actual any misconduct -- a SITCH wedding!!! so cute ::))

Harry Styles was a romantic.

He loved love songs that professed their undying love for their significant other. He loved romance movies, rom coms especially, because they were happy and in love and he got to cry and laugh all in one. He loved writing his own songs about love and he loved spreading the idea of loving and treating others with kindness. He loved first dates and the relationships that sometimes sprouted out of them. He loved reading books about love and how to make it last. He loved poetry that waxed eloquent about love. He loved love.

He hated weddings.

Well, he hadn’t always hated weddings. In the beginning, they were like every other aspect of love, he loved them. But slowly, as he kept receiving announcements of engagement and wedding invitations and he kept not sending out letters of his own, his aversion grew.

Sure, he still loved going. He still wept for the happy couples when they committed themselves to each other. He still clapped profusely and danced to the dj or live band. He still tried to enjoy it. But with weddings he had a nagging sense in the back of his head reminding him that he still hadn’t found it yet. Each of his relationships had fallen short in some way as to not lead him to this destination. So when he sat at his assigned table at these various gatherings, he held a bit of apprehension, a bit of envy, about everything going on. He knew that his smiles were all a little forced and his laugh not quite genuine. His thoughts always managed to be controlled by his green-eyed monster that he always attempted to keep locked away. But at weddings, especially when the alcohol started flowing, he had a harder time controlling it.

Seeing all his friends getting together, getting married, and having children wore on him. Wore him thin more than he ever let on to anyone but his therapist. And his therapist couldn’t seem to give him a better answer than to be patient and not give up hope.

By 2021, Harry had decided that maybe he was just meant to be alone. Love was something he could admire, but it wasn’t meant for him. He could chase it, but it would never let him have it. He was unlucky in love and by Sarah and Mitch’s wedding in the Spring, he had come to terms with it.

He had even been optimistic for it, being Mitch’s Best Man and all had gotten his hopelessly romantic heart all aflutter. He was introduced to Sarah’s Maid of Honor, Renee Williams and she had been lovely. She was 31, a little older than Harry - but age wasn’t something that deterred him, and she had worked with Sarah in Los Angeles before Harry recruited Sarah for the band. They were best of friends and Sarah had known for a long time that Renee would be her Maid of Honor.

When Harry met Renee, he was sure that she was meant to be his person. She was beautiful and hilarious, her beauty mark at the side of her lip was so utterly unique he called her a “right Marilyn”. She insisted she was not a Marilyn Monroe type at all and had laughed. Harry had charmed her with his expert flirting and claimed that just because she was a brunette didn’t mean she was a Marilyn. She had smiled and bantered through the rehearsal dinner with him at her side. He was entranced, it had to be Renee, he had been so sure of it.

When Renee had walked down the aisle just before Sarah, Harry had been sure of it. When Renee had smiled at Harry as Mitch slipped on Sarah’s wedding band, Harry had been sure of it. When he had hooked his arm around hers as they walked down the aisle and into a foyer, Harry had been sure of it. When she laughed at his jokes while they waited for their wedding party photos to be taken, Harry had been sure of it.

When Renee walked up to Harry at the reception with another man wrapped around her, Harry wasn’t so sure of it anymore.

“Harry, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Corey,” Renee smiles giddily between the two men.

Harry’s eyes widen slightly at the word ‘boyfriend’ and he swallows harshly before blinking and putting on a sweet smile. He thrusts his right hand out for Corey to shake.

“Hullo, mate,” Harry says happily.

Corey greets Harry, extending his hand to meet Harry’s with a warm smile and a “how are you”. Harry laughs boisterously and takes a sip of his champagne flute. They shake hands with a firm up and down motion.

“Planning on getting really drunk,” Harry says in response to Corey’s question. “Have a great night, you two,” he finishes and stalks off for a refill.

Renee watches him go with a little bit of a confused look on her face. She sees him tilt his head back and finish his drink before turning to face her boyfriend and peck his cheek. She mumbles to him, “He’s a really nice guy, wouldn’t stop chatting my ear off the past few days. All these people must make him antsy.”

He nods back to her, “They must.”

Harry sidles up to the open bar, discarding his empty flute and exchanging it for a much stronger drink.

“Tequila. Neat...Please.” He sighs and runs a hand through his curls that are slowly becoming less and less coiffed. His fingers slide to the collar of his shirt and tug, attempting to loosen it a little.

“Rough night already?” Someone asks from beside him.

His face turns to them and sees a smiling brunette. Her eyes are big, larger than most eyes he’s come across. They’re brown with tinges of gold and green, likely making them hazel by her standard since most people prefer saying hazel eyes to brown. Her smile is bright and clean and if Harry hadn’t already heard her speak he would assume she was American from that smile. It was perfect, too perfect - the teeth both straight and blindingly white.

He raises his eyebrows at her and thinks about his response. His tongue darts out to wet his lips, leaving them parted, but he remains silent when the bartender hands him his tequila. Harry wraps a specifically less ringed hand tonight, he had forgone his ‘H’ and ‘S’ rings as well as the rest of them actually on his left hand. His right hand still had two: the large flashing lavender gemstone encrusted in a gold casing from Stevie Nicks on his middle finger and then a clean gold signet ring with little crosses on the sides on the adjacent ring finger. Every other finger was noticeably empty. So when he picks up the glass there is no familiar clink which draws the attention of himself.

The woman doesn’t pay any attention to his hand, she’s still waiting for him to respond to her question, as well as waiting for her other drink to be made. She was taking advantage of the two drink system and getting two for herself right now, so she didn’t have to come back until much later.

“You have no idea,” is how Harry decides to respond and then turns to leave. He forgets about the woman and sits at his assigned table for his entire drink, talking casually with the people who come to speak with him.

When he's finished, he goes back to the bar to order a second tequila. He thinks about the girl who had stared at him with her big brown eyes. How she had seen him and thought to ask how his night was when it seemed to be going to shit. And how he had blown her off with barely a glance. God, he could be such a prick. After he receives his drink, he forgets yet again and continues to drown his sorrows in the golden liquid that helps him numb the pain that he had once again missed out on his fairytale love story.

The girl Harry had run into sat in the corner of the ballroom for the majority of the night. She settled on just having that first round of drinks for herself and one glass of obligatory champagne during the toasts. Other than that, she had promised herself she wouldn’t get drunk and go off with a random stranger. This was not a wedding for that. This wedding couldn’t be for that. She just needed to keep her head low and try to have a semi-pleasant time.

When she was nursing her champagne through the toasts, the man at the bar caught her eye again. She knew who he was. He was the Best Man after all. Sarah talked about him a lot, even Renee after the past few days, but seeing him at the bar had been the first time she’d ever seen him up that close. It was strange, he was so human. So tangible in that moment. His shoulders shook with each breath he took. His fingers tapped as they waited for his drink. His green eyes blinked and darted around as he took in his surroundings and even looked at her. He simply was and it had startled her to see him in a slightly bewildered state at the bar, but again, she wasn’t one to judge.

Get through the wedding. Try to have a semi-pleasant time.

It was time for the Best Man’s speech. Renee had just given the Maid of Honor’s and now Harry was up. He stood up and wavered a little as he tried to stand up straight. The neat tequila likely makes his stance a little harder to maintain. Mitch looks up at Harry at his side and smiles fondly.

Harry raises one hand in an awkward wave while the other is planted firmly on the table.

“Hullo,” he starts, “I’m Harry and I’m the Best Man, but I’m sure you knew that already.”

The entire group of guests laugh wholeheartedly, taken by the talented young man.

“To start,” he stutters, his words slurring slightly from the alcohol he’s had, and his smile slithers into a smirk. “Let’s hear it for the bride and groom, the lovely Sarah and Mitch Jones!”

Queue the laughter again. Harry laughs too when Mitch slaps his arm playfully, he turns to look at him with a mock ‘what did I do wrong’ expression.

“I had a speech written out, took a week to write, made it nice and poetic for these two lovebirds, but it seems I’ve misplaced it,” he pats at his pockets and sighs before rubbing his forefinger at his bottom lip. “I hate weddings.”

Everyone laughs again, thinking he’s joking. Harry grimaces but it passes as a smile even though she can tell it doesn’t meet his eyes.

He rambles on for a few minutes about love and commitment, how this is just the beginning for Sarah and Mitch and everyone laughs at the appropriate times and just when he’s wrapping up, successfully stumbling through his messy mind, everyone begins to clap.

“To the happy couple…” queue applause, but she sees him say something else, it’s drowned out by the crowd cheering and clinking glasses again.

He sits back down, downing his champagne glass that’s been refilled twice already during the speeches. Mitch leans over and whispers something in Harry’s ear as he twists a hand through his hair. Harry shifts away from Mitch and gives him a look, telling Mitch that he’s fine.

The party goes on, a few more speeches, a few more glasses of champagne for Harry, a few more sighs from the girl in the back of the room.

She watches the first dance of Mitch and Sarah but once that part is over she slinks off. She’s got half a drink left and all she wants is to be alone. Tired of the party, tired of the people, tired of having to try to have a good time. The Rowland-Jones Party had rented the entire place out, so she wanders out of the main room and down a hallway until the music is a faint buzz in her ear. The air grows colder as the amount of people dwindles from over a hundred to one.

There’s a door to her right that has an intricate golden handle that she pulls down on. It opens quietly onto a similar ballroom that is slightly smaller than the one the party was going on in. It’s quiet and spacious, her steps echo as she enters on heeled feet. The clicking of her satin stilettos resonate against the linoleum. She walks to the center of the room and turns around herself, lifting her head to the light in the room. An ornate chandelier is still above her, it’s the same gold as the handle that let her in. Her eyes travel to the walls that contain swirls of gold as well, everything was encrusted in gold and splotchy vintage mirrors. It was beautiful and she saw herself in the reflection of one of those splotchy vintage mirrors and actually felt beautiful in that moment.

No one else saw her but herself and she thought she was beautiful, a fleeting thought as she watched her body move. No one to watch as her reflection swayed with her. Her lavender dress swished back and forth, the end of it brushing around her ankles. The tulle fabric climbed her torso, cinching at her waist and draping over her breasts. The sleeves fluttered over her shoulders and ended midway down her upper arm. The somewhat sheer material made her tan skin look all the more carmely in the golden light of the chandelier. Her pendant necklace was silver and glinted in the light as it sat evenly over her exposed clavicle and decolletage.

In the corner opposite of the door there was a single table with three chairs. It seemed whoever was meant to put things away had grown tired and left these out. She wasn’t complaining as she crossed the floor to take a seat. It was the perfect escape. It was quiet and not too cold in the room, which was especially nice since she had left her jacket in the coat room. What wasn’t so nice is that her phone had died and she had nothing to do in the room. It wasn’t horrible though, she had wanted to be alone with her thoughts. She just feared what would happen if she sat alone too long with no escape of the internet to drown those thoughts.

That contemplation was squashed with an unwitting solution not ten minutes later. She had been sitting at the table, sipping her drink occasionally and staring at the chandelier. Sighing with content that it was finally silent beside the clink of her melting ice cubes. The house mixed drink was strong, but with each passing second it grew more and more diluted. She considered herself completely sober.

She only questioned that when she noticed a second person in the room. She hadn’t heard them open the door, but she heard their loud footsteps shortly after.

He all but stumbled in and was entranced by the chandelier like she had been. He walks to the center in a similar fashion and twists around, only this time his balance isn’t as good as hers. He ends up on his ass, legs splayed in front of him and hands behind him only cushioning his fall a little. He lets out a huff, “Fuck.” He runs a hand over his face before bringing it down to look around the room again. His eyes are foggy with alcohol, everything hazy and slightly blurry. It feels like he’s moving with superspeed but as she watches him with a tilted head she wonders why he’s moving so slowly.  

He squints while looking around after a moment, running a hand through his thoroughly tousled hair. His tongue comes to wet his lips, but this time it's for a touch too long like he’s genuinely tasting the liquor on them. She raises her brows, observing him, her presence seemingly unknown.

“Oi, you!” He slurs the words and points lazily at her reclined in her chair. “Are you real?”

She half smiles and replies with a simple ‘yes’.

“I like your dress,” he says merely like he was stating a fact rather than giving a compliment. His hair falling into his eyes again despite him just pushing it back.

“Thanks.”

He makes his way to standing, his process rather ungraceful. He twists onto his hands and knees and begins to push himself up. He slips once before making it to full standing, he sways slightly and looks around again like he’s forgotten why he stood up. His eyes land on her again and he decides to make his way over to the table.

“You should probably sit,” she says, watching him splay his arms around him to keep his balance. She had seen him an hour and a half ago and he seemed fine, but now he seemed absolutely and utterly pissed.

“Thanks, mum,” he says as he thunks into the seat beside her, his hand waving off her suggestion.

Her brows raise at the slightly rude comment, but she leans back in her seat still observing him.

“Why do you hate weddings?” She asks once he’s settled and has his head propped up with one of his hands. She takes a sip of her drink as she watches him scan her face again, trying to see if he recognizes her.

His mind must come up empty, a vague memory of the bar slipping away without a second thought.

“It was a joke,” he shrugs.

“No it wasn’t,” she replies easily.

His eyes narrow and he leans forward a little shakily, “Who are you?”

“Aurora.” She licks at her own lips, a stray bit of liquid lingering on her lips.

“That’s a Disney princess name,” he says, unconvinced, how most drunk people were when you told them the truth.

“And my great-grandmother’s and mine,” she responds, a grin playing on her lips as she watches him think it over. “It’s wild how multiple people can have the same name. Did you know people can share a last name as well?”

He leans back in his chair now, unhappy with her snarky response.

“Isn’t that why we’re here, two people joining together and sharing the same last name now?” He threads his fingers as he speaks, mimicking something coming together.

“Yep,” She perks at the question he poses. “You still didn’t answer my question.” Her brows raise once playfully.

“What?” Harry seemed to have lost the plot, his fuzzy drunken brain choosing to forget the first thing she asked him while in this private ballroom of theirs.

“Why do you hate weddings?” She repeats, louder and with emphasis, the words echoing this time.

“Oh,” he looks up to the ceiling and blows air past his lips harshly, “S’ a long story.”

“We got all night,” she offers, and raises her glass to her lips once again.

“A night wouldn’t even cover half of it,” he ponders seriously, his mind reeling. “I’d rather talk about you.”

“Why me?”  She laughs like she’s just received the most delightful surprise.

“Because,” He starts and then sits quiet for a moment before leaning forward, elbows on the table as he peers at her, “I think I’m in love with you.”

“You only just met me,” she responds. “Not to mention, you’re drunk as fuck, Best Man. Just minutes ago I watched you stumble in here and truly fall on your ass.”

“Then tell me about yourself and I’ll explain my hatred for weddings.”

“You’re awfully good at bargaining for being this inebriated.”

“I never lose my charm, no matter how pissed I may be,” he smirks and gives a sloppy wink, hair falling in his face yet again.

She scoffs, but she is rather amused and intrigued by the man beside her. His tie now completely loosened, hair falling every which way, and his green eyes set on her. The shiny shoes he wore slipped around on the ground as he shuffled his feet below him like a child wanting to go play. She figured it was just his drunk brain trying to amuse himself or something. How could she deny a man who had just drunkenly confessed his love for her at a wedding? Even if it was completely and totally untrue. She at least had to entertain the foolish notion that maybe he actually was interested in getting to know her. If anything, it would help pass the time until she could go home.

“I’ll bite,” she relents.

The smirk doesn’t leave his face, it only widens, “Only if I can, too.”

“I wasn’t saying-”

“Shush, sh-sh-shush. I know that,” he holds a hand up at her, trying to get her to be quiet. He sways again, even in his seat he looks as if he could fall over at any moment. She wondered if he might not remember this tomorrow. “I was bein’...” he licks his lips in a pause, “suggestive.”

She laughs again, knowing his sober brain probably would have chosen a more articulate and suave word since ‘suggestive’ was rather tactless and more straight to the point. If she learned anything from all the conversations she overhead about him, Harry was definitely one for tact.

“You were something, that’s for sure,” she wraps a hand around Harry’s wrist, she draws the hand down from its hovering state and lays it against the table again. She withdraws her own hand back to her glass, her drink almost completely gone now.

He smiles, pleased with himself, but unaware that his charms had worn off with his exorbitant amount of alcohol consumed. At least on this girl they weren’t working. She had never been attracted to people who were too drunk to help themselves and she always hoped that’s how others felt too. She was thankful he had stumbled in on her rather than someone who didn’t feel the same way. It made her sick to think of what someone with evil intentions might do if they came across a babbling drunken version of Harry. Pushing those thoughts away since that wasn’t the case, she decided to pat his hand once just in reassurance to herself and him that this was really happening.

“I’m twenty-five.” She states.

Harry nods, a small smile on his lips now rather than a smirk as he watches her again. He liked how smoothly she moved rather than the rest of the world in his drunken eyes, everything else was choppy and fast. She was elegant and fluid, calming even.

“I love love,” Harry says, eyes remaining on hers, no trace of a joke in his tone, “And it hates me.”

“That can’t be true,” she squints at him, a frown gracing her face for a moment at the sadness she sees in his watery eyes. Not crying watery, just watery from his drunken state.

He says nothing, waiting for her to offer more information about herself before he says anything else. This was the deal after all. She quickly realizes why he isn’t responding and sighs, conversation with drunks was tedious already, but Harry seemed determined to make it even harder.

“I’m from California.”

“They always are,” Harry mutters to himself. He ignores her hum of a question, asking what he just said with a simple sound. “All my friends, they’re either getting married or they’re already married and got kids on the way or whatever. They all found love and I’m just here with fuck all.”

She sincerely doubts what the drunken man is telling her right now, but she knows how to play the game now to get more information. “I hate my job,” she states.

“Sometimes I feel like I'm cursed, like I fucked up one too many times and now I’m doomed to never find love.”

Her eyes widen at this, he sounds so damn sad and she wishes she could take his pain away. She knew what a good guy and she couldn’t imagine why he would deserve to feel this way. No one deserved to feel like they weren’t worthy of love. His sad state truly almost brought her to tears. She’s there in a stunned silence and Harry is confused why she hasn’t said anything more about herself. It was her turn.

“What’s something else about you?” He asks, his hand fiddling with itself on the table. She notices once again that there aren’t as many rings on his fingers as what she thought was usual.

She licks her lips and reaches her hand forward. She grasps Harry’s fiddling hand and stops his movement. “I feel sorry that you feel this way, no one deserves the kind of pain you’re inflicting on yourself. I’m very very sorry for you, Harry.”

“That’s not really…” He trails off, losing his focus on her face and instead looking at their hands touching. The feeling is so intense in his buzzing body. Her touch was so calming compared to the electric feeling in his body. It felt nice.

“Can I ask you a different question and then I’ll tell you something no one knows about me?”

He nods eagerly.

“And you can’t dodge the question, you really have to answer it, okay?”

“Okay.”

“What did you say at the end of your speech? It got drowned out by applause, but I saw you say something.”

“You noticed?” He asks kind of surprised, then scratches at his eyebrow. He sees her slight glare and knows to get to his answer. “Asked when it’d be my turn…like to fall in love, y’know.”

She sighs, saddened yet again by his words. “Okay, well, here’s my secret... I hate weddings, too.”

Harry’s eyes light up, maybe he really was in love. She purses her lips and pulls back from him.

“I think you’re my soulmate,” he breathes out, again making a false confession. His drunken brain wants it to be true. He’s desperate for his search to be over, for her to be his person.

She smiles that same sad smile that she keeps getting when he says these sad things to her.

“I assure you, I am not, Best Man.”

He looks at her confusedly. She was beautiful, she was clarity to him. Her brown hair was straight with a little wave in it, like it was straightened for the occasion but never truly that way otherwise. It flowed around her head and shoulders, but she had it tucked behind both ears. She wasn’t trying to impress anyone, she just simply was beautiful. Her sun tanned skin looked soft under the golden glow and Harry was sure she was an angel or something.

“Why not?” He insists, leaning forward.

She stands up from her seat. He follows clumsily behind her, standing as well. He was still taller than her even in her high heels. He smiled like a lovesick child down at her, his eyes as big as the moon. She bites at her lip as she sees him look at her so lovingly, so misguidedly. Then she leans up towards his face, up on her tiptoes and past his lips. Her hands hold him straight with them curled in his suit’s lapels. She presses a sweet and gentle kiss to his cheek, closer to his jaw than anything.

“Good night, Harry,” she whispers against his skin before pulling away.

His eyes flutter open, his looks at her confusedly, slightly unaware that he had closed his eyes at all.

“Good night…” He had already forgotten her name, something with an A...or was it an O? He’d have to ask Sarah and Mitch about the girl who had talked to him in the empty golden ballroom, the girl he had fallen in love with. He was certain. She was the one - if only he could find out her name. If he remembered this at all or if he just thought it was a dream.

She leaves the room before him and as she leaves she wonders if she maybe should have made sure he was alright, but she figured their talk was sobering enough. The night was ending and she had a sneaking suspicion that there were plenty of people here tonight looking out for him.

-

Harry forgot about the girl in the ballroom. Or at least he wasn’t sure if it was a dream or reality. He had woken up at Tom’s place where he had said he would stay after the wedding reception so he hadn’t gone home with a girl. He couldn’t remember her name so he couldn’t really ask anyone about her and he didn’t exactly have a lot of people he could ask. He wanted to ask Sarah and Mitch, but they were already off on their honeymoon and he was one of those people who would never bother a couple on their honeymoon. He was too embarrassed to ask Renee and anyone else for that matter.

So, instead, he forgot. Harry forgot about her for three weeks until Sarah and Mitch returned. He had called them for a hike and lunch the moment their plane had landed. He had missed some of his best friends. It was a lull in the year, where he wasn’t touring or in the studio, just living and writing when he felt like it. So maybe he was in need of some inspiration.

“Ah! The Jones’!” He exclaims as he walks up to their parked car at the head of the trail.

Sarah laughs and Mitch rolls his eyes, half-heartedly since he’s just as happy to see Harry as Harry is to see him.

“I missed you,” Mitch says as he brings Harry in for a hug.

“Don’t let the missus hear that,” Harry tuts while he sends a wink over Mitch’s shoulder to Sarah.

“It’s all he could talk about for the past few weeks,” Sarah jokes as she goes in for a hug with Harry. “How do you think Harry is? Hope he’s eating? I miss Harry.” She mimics Mitch’s voice.

Mitch shakes his head shyly, a smile spreading on his face after a moment. “That. Is not true at all,” he assures Harry, “But you do look a little thinner. What have you been eating?”

Harry elbows him with a grin, “I’m fine. Been bored so I’ve just been filling the time with working out.”

They start their ascent up the hill and into the canyon. Mitch nods, his worry for his friend subsiding momentarily before he says something strange.

“I’ve been wanting to ask, but you’ve been gone, about a girl at the wedding.”

“Oh?” Sarah gives Mitch a knowing look.

“Yeah, well the thing is, I’m not sure if she was real or not. I think she was real, but I was so drunk, there’s so many bits missing in my memory.”

Sarah and Mitch both laugh. “You were very drunk, H,” Mitch confirms.

Harry ignores him, “I even asked her if she was real and she said yes, but y’know people can lie in dreams. All I remember is she was amazing and she had a princess name, I think.”

Sarah thinks about the guest list. “No princess names that I can think of. What did she look like?”

Harry squints ahead of them, his sunglasses pushing his curls back on the top of his head. “She had straight brown hair, not long or short. She said she was, uh, twenty-five. She was in lavender, I think.”

“You think a lot,” Mitch interjects which earns him a glare from Harry.

Harry thinks about this part that he remembered vividly, how she had been so confident that he wasn’t. He adds, “...And I told her I was in love with her.”

“Oh god, Harry,” Sarah sighs.

Mitch gives Harry an apologetic smile.

“She didn’t buy it, but she didn’t run off either. We talked for awhile.”

“Maybe it was a dream,” Sarah says.

“Okay, let’s see,” Mitch grows to be the leader of the investigation, wanting everything for his best friend to find the love he knew he deserved. “Twenty-five year old brunettes at our wedding who are single. C’mon there weren't that many people there.”

Sarah thinks about it again. “Renee’s sister is twenty-five. I don’t remember what she was wearing, I hardly saw her all night,” she pauses, “Which is strange since she wasn’t on the job for once.”

“What do you mean ‘on the job’?” Harry asks curiously, remembering his girl saying she hated her job.”

“She’s a wedding planner,” Sarah says, glancing at him because she was almost sure that Renee’s sister was not who Harry was talking about. “But she had referred me to someone else for the wedding, she consulted sometimes and got us a discount, but said she didn’t like working with people she knew personally.”

Harry nodded, how could Renee’s sister be his girl? How could a wedding planner hate weddings? And wouldn’t it be all the more awkward if the girl was Renee’s sister? Renee’s little sister, could it be? He had no clue.

“I don’t think it’s her, though,” Sarah gives a half-smile, “She’s not super...uh, how do I say this?”

As Sarah says “touchy-feely,” Mitch interjects.

“She’s pretty cold-hearted. She’s relatively nice, but what makes her such a good wedding planner is she doesn’t get caught up in the sentimentality of it, she just understands other people’s emotions and knows how to make them feel amazing.”

“That’s a little harsh,” Sarah looks at Mitch with a strong glare. After all, he was talking about her best friend’s little sister.

“Well, what’s her name?” Harry insists, semi-off put, but knowing her secret made him think it was possible for Renee’s sister and his ballroom girl to be the very same.

“Rori Williams, think it’s short for something else, but I don’t know, as long as I’ve known her she goes by Rori.” Sarah gives Harry a sad smile and it reminds him of his mystery girl.

“Do you think I could meet her or something? I just want to know if it’s her.” Harry says as they reach the first peak on their hike. He looks out at the view from there, Los Angeles was green for once, but he knew it would quickly fade to brown and tan as the spring plants died off again from the summer heat.

“Pretty sure she’s off working on some destination wedding right now. She doesn’t like being bothered when she’s working,” Sarah gives Harry a look for two reasons as she says that. One, because she knows his next question would be to contact her anyway. And two, she’s saying how he is exactly the same, hates being contacted when he’s busy with work. “I can text Renee to see what’s up.”

Harry nods, “Please…” He begins to imagine Rori as his ballroom girl and mutters to himself, “A June Wedding…” getting lost in a silly little daydream.

-

“Harry Styles is asking after you,” Renee snickers over the cellphone line.

“What is this? The 1800s?” Rori sighs, as she holds the phone to her ear with her shoulder. She tries to brush her hair from her face with a flick of her head, which makes for a rather silly sight as her head and shoulder move awkwardly. “People don’t ‘ask after’ anyone anymore.”

She was in Hawaii, Maui specifically, steaming a sneaky last crinkle out of the latest bride’s wedding veil.

“Well, he still is doing it. You know how he is.”

“I actually don’t,” Rori responds, easily, ignoring the memories of her two encounters with him. “What does he want?”

“Wants to meet you or something,” Renee says easily. “Thinks he met you at Sarah’s wedding, obviously impossible since I know you scampered off half way through the reception and he was falling down drunk at the half way marker as well…” she trails off.

Rori knows her sister well and expects the next thing to come out of Renee’s mouth.

“Oh my god! Did you hook up with him?!”

Expecting this, Rori responds quickly and calmly, “No, we did not hook up, I would never... I did watch him fall on his ass, though.”

“So it was you!”

“What was me?” Rori squints her eyes at her sister over the phone and finally straightens from her steaming task. She feels like she’s only half paying attention to the conversation, especially since she had no intention of meeting up with Harry. He had been so sweet and sad, and she truly wished him the best, but she knew she wasn’t the answer to his problem.

“You!” Renee all but yells into the phone, “Are his dream girl! He’s been wondering if you were even real for weeks.”

“I’m real,” Rori sighs and crosses the room she’s in to sit at the desk she was using as a work space. She flicks through the planner she was using for the Hearst wedding, set to take place tomorrow. “But I’m certainly not his dream girl...I told him that when he said he was in love with me.”

“He what?!” Renee exclaims and hears her sister sigh once again, she knows Rori is growing tired of the conversation and is ready to offer an excuse to hang up any moment now. “Nevermind that, I’m going to tell Sarah to give him your number and the date you get back to Los Angeles. Keep next weekend clear.”

Before Rori can open her strawberry pink lips to reply, Renee is squealing a goodbye and hanging up. She felt her shoulders sag with the empty line, she reclined into the nicely plush swivel chair. This is why she stayed out of love and relationships when they didn’t relate to work, they were exhausting. Too much ‘he said, she said’ going on at all times. Color palettes, seating arrangements and menus were simple, they made sense, they could be arranged and put into place. Relationships were messy, the actual event of a wedding could even be messy, but when she planned them out, for a single moment everything was orderly and simple. She was in control. She knew she couldn’t be Harry’s dream girl because she knew she couldn’t control that situation.

-

Upon arriving back in the continental United States, at the end of June, Rori ubered immediately to her apartment in Silverlake. Well, it was a converted garage behind a house of a friend of Renee’s. Like most apartments in Los Angeles, it was funky, but it was Rori’s until she decided where she wanted to move. She never wanted to buy in LA and she never wanted to upgrade from the place she had called home for the past four years.

Almost immediately after dropping her pink work tote bag and worn backpack on the floor next to her medium sized navy suitcase, her phone rang through the ‘Do Not Disturb’ setting with an unknown number. A New York number. Possibly a new client, she picks up quickly and shuts the window-paned door behind her. The days were long, the longest day of the year had almost arrived, yet the sun was still beginning to set in the sky and turn the light blue into a painting of oranges pinks and purples.

“Hello?”

“Is Rori Williams there?” A British voice asks, almost timidly.

“Who’s asking?”

“...Harry.”

“I was told you’d be calling or something along those lines,” she smiles to herself.

Harry sat in his room, chewing at his lip, still unsure if the voice on the other side of the phone call was the woman he had talked to previously.

“Can we go for a drink sometime? How’s tomorrow?”

“Someone is quite enthusiastic.”

“It’s just...I’m trying to figure something out.”

“So I’ve heard,” she chuckles slightly.

“So you won’t tell me whether you’re the girl I talked to at Sarah and Mitch’s wedding will you?”

“What would be the fun in that?”

“So it’s a right Cinderella, if the shoe fits situation,” he mumbles, slightly to himself, but she hears him clearly.

She laughs.

“I don’t really care for Cinderella, I’m not really one for Disney princesses at all, actually.”

His breath catches, a foggy memory of something having to do with princesses tries to break into his mind. He couldn’t remember still and he vowed time and time again that he would never get that drunk again. Too much time lost.

“Alright, Harry. I’ve just gotten home from a work trip so I’m planning on a bath, some wine, and some terribly raunchy TV to get my mind off of my life. How about you pick a time and a place for drinks and hopefully I will show up? Great! Goodnight.”

She doesn’t wait for a response, just clicks the red button that hangs up the phone and goes on with her professed plans. Harry sits in stunned silence for a few moments, whatever he had gotten himself into was going to be a ride of a lifetime.

-

At a quarter past six, Harry sits anxiously at the bar top of a semi casual, semi fancy, totally cool bar he loved. It was private so he wouldn’t be bombarded with people, but it was still lively enough that it wouldn’t be dead silent if conversation lulled between him and Rori. That is, if she showed up.

His foot begins to tap, ever so persistently against the silver footrest at the bottom of the bar. His eyes shift from right to left, not wanting to order a drink before she arrives, but also not wanting to wait much longer and not order a drink. He’d waived off the bartender twice already.

She walks in, right on time, Harry had just arrived early. Her lips part into a happy smile at his anxious stance at the bar, he mirrors her expression at the sight of her.

She’s wearing a billowy white button down, the sleeves cinching perfectly at her petite wrists, cinched beneath a brown corset-like tank top. Her breasts showed their true size today in this outfit. She had the collar pulled out and the corset made it so that her cleavage was perfectly sculpted just beneath the crisp white cloth. Her pants were sleek and black, understated to draw more of a focus to her top as well as the lavender jewel inlaid pendant hanging just above the swells of her breast. Harry’s eyes dipped to that level for a moment, but quickly recovered to focus on her face. The night of the wedding had been blurry, but he was sure Rori’s face was the one of his mystery girl.

He’s shy tonight and a little more reserved than last time. He’s out of his comfortable bubble, what could anyone expect from a man so constantly watched. He fidgets with the top most button of his shirt that was buttoned and thinks about unbuttoning it to reveal a little more of his chest, but he refrains. At a friend’s wedding he feels safe, but in public he’s always watching, always aware of the possible prying eye. But like he had said drunkenly to Rori, he always maintained his charm, no matter the circumstances.

“Lavender was gorgeous on you, but this…” he gives a graceful sweep of his hand to gesture at her outfit tonight, “is extremely enchanting.”

“So you remember me in lavender? I thought you couldn’t remember me at all.” She grins as she stands directly beside him, similar to the first time they had chatted at a bartop.

Harry clears his throat at her tease, “I knew once I laid eyes on you, I would know. So now I know.”

She smirks at his reasoning and orders a vodka cranberry, both not wanting to get off her ass or look any certain way. Vodka cranberries were acceptable mature drinks, but not overly pretentious in any way. Harry tells the bartender to make it two. She looks at him with a discerning eye.

“Do you remember the first time we met?” She asks as she slides into the bar seat that seems to be trying to look vintage but was likely made no less than five years ago.

Harry sits too, more easily since his legs are longer than hers. “We met in the ballroom for the first time, did we not?”

“No...we met at the bar in the reception room.” Her hand splays to feel the stone of this counter, cold unlike the wood of the previous one. “We were about this close after you’d rudely stepped ahead of me and ordered before I could...not that you noticed. I asked if you were having a rough night and you pretty much dismissed me.” She bites her lip as she tells him the story, her eyes widen as she watches the distress roll over his features at what she says.

“Oh god,” One of his hands reaches to grab her hand to emphasize his apology, “I’m so sorry, that’s so rude. I was having quite a rough night as you would eventually see.”

He stares at her face, trying to meet her eyes, but she’s glued to the sight of their hands intertwined. He was so smooth and it was making her melt, making the walls she had purposefully put up for this date weak. She had rules, especially for guys like Harry - not that there was anyone that compared to him in her life, but she had them and she knew she couldn’t just be swept off her feet by his sweet voice and gorgeous face that has the most puppy-dog look on it.

She knows she shouldn’t but the extra ice she had added to her personality melts away, her eyes going slightly moony as she watches him visibly relax again. “No worries, I enjoyed your company upon the second meeting, even if you didn’t even remember my name after it.”

“Well,” he finally catches her eye, “That’s where I have a bit of a bone to pick.”

“Oh?”

“You didn’t tell me your real name...gave me some fake name I can’t even remember, but it certainly wasn’t…” His eyes shift to her pendant again and he looks back at her brassy eyes in the bar’s lighting. “If your name is Rori Williams, why is your pendant an ‘A’?�� He says slowly, another foggy memory trying to break the surface of his knowledge but still failing.

She finally feels in control of the situation, calm and assured of herself, which was maybe unfair since it seemed Harry really had a hard time remembering that night and she could really fuck with him if she wanted to, but she wouldn’t - couldn’t - with those earnest eyes looking at her.

“I told you my real name the first time we talked, Harry. It’s Aurora,” she retracts her hand from beneath his grasp and touches at the necklace, “I go by Rori both socially and professionally, but officially it’s Aurora and this had been my great-grandmother’s. I don’t go anywhere without it.”

“Almost as beautiful as its wearer,” he smirks, his gaze stuck on her face, attempting to convey something specific. She thinks she knows what he’s saying with his look.

“You’re quite the flirt,” she rolls her eyes playfully before specifically choosing to take a sip of her drink through the little straw the bartender had put in it. It draws Harry’s attention to her lips, and after a moment they were wet with a bit of excess vodka cranberry and Harry felt himself grow a little hot at the tips of his ears when her eyes meet with his. She had caught him staring, but he recovers easily.

“I remember telling you I never lose my charm, it’s true is it not?” Harry inquires, head leaning closer to her as he takes a sip of his own drink, making a show to lick his lips after removing them from the edge of the lowball glass.

Her laughter is loud but not overbearing, Harry thinks it’s the best laugh he’s ever heard even if she’s laughing at him. She’s true in that laugh, she’s not trying to make him fall for her with that laugh, it’s just her enjoying herself.

She responds with something sweet and the two begin the back and forth of a successful date. They both drink around three drinks as the night persists, but it’s enough for her to feel the burning pull inside the pit of her belly for Harry. His hands stay relatively to himself besides a few subtle touches at her hair and hands every so often, his feet are the ones to blame. At one point in the night, he hooks his loafer covered foot around her ankle and she is quick to lean into it, reciprocating the footsie with ease. Each brush of his leg against hers is electrifying, every nerve in her body was beginning to go crazy. She was buzzing in a way that she hadn’t when she had first encountered Harry. Tonight he was more suave, but with a tinge of timidness that made him irresistible.

Harry made sure he wouldn’t get drunk tonight, ordering only as much as Rori. He didn’t want to be the fool who couldn’t remember their time together, again. Plus, he didn’t want to forget any of their time together, he wanted to remember it all. Everything about her was amazing, the feeling he had about her, the nagging desire to meet her was for a reason, he was sure of it. If her voice was a melody, then she was the most beautiful love song he had ever heard.

At 11:30, he leans in close to Rori, his nose brushing at the hair tucked at her ear and asks her if she wants to leave. She looks at him confused, the warm feeling in her stomach falls because she thinks he wants to end the night.

“Oh,” she says dejected, she swore it was going well. “Right..That’s it.”

Harry’s brows crinkle at her sad face.

“No, love, I was saying,” he raises his brows, “Y’know.”

“Oh! Right! You just sounded so...I don’t know, serious.” She sinks in her seat, realizing her presumptions had been wrong.

“I was trying to be,” he twists his lips trying to find the word, as blush rises on his cheeks. “Seductive.”

The two of them are quickly realizing they can’t pretend with each other. Rori can’t keep up the harsh facade against love with him, he sees right through it. Harry can’t play his old tricks with her, she sees right through them.

She laughs again, “Well, it just sounded like you were bored. Sometimes your moves fall really flat.” She offers a sweet wink in consolation for his failed attempt at trying to really get her weak in the knees.

They were a lovesick mess together as they clambered off their bar seats and exit the bar that had gotten increasingly loud.

“So what’s next?” She asks on the warm summer night.

He steps closer and takes the liberty of fiddling with the strap of the corset she has on. His head is tilted down as he towers over her. “You know me Rori, I’m a hopeless romantic so I desperately want to take you out for dinner sometime and slow dance with you until the sun comes up, but,” his breath fans over her face now as he shifts impossibly closer, “I also want to grip your hair as I watch you writhing underneath me. Just tell me what you’d prefer and it’s all yours.”

Her breathing has become a slight pant as his words wash over her. His nose brushes over the ridge of hers and she takes the moment to put her hands on his shoulders and pull him onto her. They were in the alleyway beside the bar, away from prying eyes except a few people too drunk to recognize Harry's face that is all but hidden in Rori.

“Harry,” she breathes, her eyes fluttering shut as she makes the decision to cross them into the point of no return. She wants this too much. She hadn’t thought this would be how her night would go, thought she would brush him off and never see him again, but god, she needed his warm body everywhere. Needed him to touch every part of her.

“Rori,” he responds.

“I want the second one first,” she whispers, feeling a little too eager, but feeling Harry press excitedly against her reassures her.

His lips press a searing kiss to her and she makes a sound of happiness at the contact. Her hands fist at the fabric of his shirt as she presses her lips feverishly back onto his. Harry’s quick to grip at the back of her neck and the small of her back, keeping her tight to him as he licks into her mouth.

“Can still taste that last vodka cran,” he notes before kissing her again.

Their tongues rub against each other, sloppily but with a tenderness hidden there as well. She snorts at his words which makes him smile and they’re kissing is becoming more silly as they try to contain their laughter. He pulls away, finally giving up trying to maintain the kiss while they both laughed.

“Would you like to come back to mine?” Harry asks as he leans his forehead against hers.

Rori’s eyes flicker open and stare into his, the focus only on his eyes and the sprinkle of light freckles and beauty marks below them. She nods her head, making his move with it. They both smile, trying to contain their laughter once more.

She presses her lips against his once more for a small peck and then lowers her head into the crook of his neck. The skin warm and smooth against hers as she whispers happily to him.

“It’s your turn now, Harry,” Rori says blissfully.

She had been the answer to all his questions.

-

[that-was-anticlimactic]

I barely know how hanahaki works but I’m having a lot of feelings about shadow right now, thank you corey

May I interest you in shadow hanahaki thoughts based on your post (yes I did make myself sad while writing these sorry but I can’t suffer alone 😬):

- shadow hiding in the greenhouse to cough up flowers and then trying to clean them up before anyone notices

- his manager walking in while he’s getting rid of them and is like “oh no where’s the sick plant” and he’s like skajfskdj I took care of it!!! but he didn’t because he is the sick plant

- hanahaki advancing so he can’t always be there for his friends and then the disease advancing MORE because he feels even more unloved because he can’t do the one thing that he’s pretty sure they all keep him around for

- shadow alone in his hospital room getting diagnosed with hanahaki and trying to decide what to do while everyone else is at S watching Reki race Adam

- platonic hanahaki for his friends and romantic hanahaki for his manager at the same time so when his friends find out he has it and are like WHAT WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL US and make it very clear that they obviously adore him, the platonic hanahaki goes away but the romantic one is still there

- shadow coughing up different flowers to represent everyone in the group, and the amount/frequency of each one changes based on who he’s feeling most sad about at a given time

ELI ELI ELI AHHHHH I WILL CRY i read this during work and then got emotional but couldn't respond cause i was at work and then i forgot about this ahhhhh this got long so imma put some under read more jihugfgyhu

bUT SHADOW HIDING IN THE GREEN HOUSE WHEN HE HAS A BAD FIT AND PRETENDING THAT HE'S JUST SWEEPING UP PETALS THAT FELL FROM FLOWERS AHHH

"but he didn't because he is the sick plant" -- eLI PLEASE THIS ISN'T SUPPOSED TO BE FUNNY BUT I LAUGHED

... God the self-destruction... his hanahki preventing him from driving... from SKATING??? like he literally would not be able to handle going to s physically especially also because he would start to lose weight which, in turn, leads to losing muscle and his s costume is pretty exposing... ugh and how that in turn makes him feel even more left out and he can't even do the one thing he thinks he's good for

AHHHH YEAH !!! and then shadow feeling bad for missing reki's race or thinking that they would bring reki back to the hospital because. like. he saw the race that kid is not okay but he gets a call from cherry who's like "hey wanted to update you on reki--we're taking him to my place because he refuses to go to the hospital" and shadow being "oh. uh, yeah. okay"

aT THE SAME TIME AHHHHHH

okay wait i see that and raise you... what if he only tells them about the romantic hanahaki... or what if he thinks it's only romantic until he gets over his feelings... ugh

but everyone making sure shadow knows how loved he is... reki, langa, and miya making him this HUGE get well soon card and forcing joe and cherry to help them decorate it and reki and cherry are Actually Trying to make it look good while everyone else is just. being chaotic. miya using an unnecessary amount of stickers and placing them ever where and langa trying to draw pictures just like reki but uh. let's be real, langa can't draw. and cherry is trying to write beautiful phrases in calligraphy but joe is always peering over his shoulder and seeing cherry's kind and inspirational phrases and then writing either the opposite of what cherry writes or simplifies what cherry writes and eventually they get in a fight and one section of the card is Very Smudged and reki made matchablossom apologize on that section

wait what if reki includes a doodle of shadow and is like "this is how we see you :D" and it's like this genuine doodle that highlights all of the things that he loves about shadow and it doesn't include the clown makeup ("i never saw you as a clown") and just. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh FEELINGS

WAIT WAIT WAIT ELI ELI ELI YOU ARE A GENIUS DIFFERENT FLOWERS FOR EVERYONE AHHHHHHH and them getting worse based on who he feels "hates" him most i will cry this is so good i am having so many feelings... now i need to look up flowers and their meanings and ahhhhhhh

wait what if this makes shadow hate flowers... like... how is he supposed to work in a flower shop once he recovers from the hanahaki? how is he supposed to see the flowers--especially the ones that had just been ravishing and wrecking his body... oh

WAIT WAIT WAIT OKAY HEAR ME OUT--

oka is the only one shadow tells. you know why he tells oka? either oka recognizes the signs or the hospital says that he needs someone with him or someone to pick him up and he panics and says oka because he doesn't want to bother anyone and oka promises not to tell anyone and this is the beginning of shadoka... which ends up being a very gradual ship and oka catches feelings first because he's never seen this side of shadow--this nervous, anxious (cause he has anxiety !!! will fight !!!) shadow who is starting to open up to oka and who listens to oka and never makes fun of him and says that he's a great cook (cause oka starts making meals for shadow) and when shadow mentions that he feels useless because he can't skate and says that he misses skating, he ends up asking oka why he doesn't skate at s and oka opens up to him and he encourages oka to drive him to the skate park and sits on the side lines and helps him with skating stuff...

oka brushing his hair out of his face when he falls asleep on the couch and shadow waking up to oka still at his house doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen... and shadow is like "you don't have to do that" and oka saying "i know" and then continues... oh i am having feelings...

and what if since shadow isn't sure if he's ready to go back to the flower shop once the hanahaki goes away and he's healed, oka gives him a job at the skate shop...

eli... eli... i am in shakespeare... i cannot cry now... you've opened this up so much... i cannot write this right now... i literally cannot... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[formerprincess]

A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 60

Chapters: 60/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken, Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, Nolan (Teen Wolf) Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken, Canon-Typical Violence, Smut, Mates, Liam and Theo are mates, Top Theo Raeken, Bottom Theo Raeken, Top Liam, Bottom Liam Dunbar Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack

Liam meets with Luka again and learns a bit more about the other werewolf pack. The friendship is blossoming.

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

"Thank you for dropping me off." Liam climbed out of the passenger seat of Savannah's car and closed the passenger door behind him. "Don't forget to text me!" The blonde yelled through the open window before she reversed her car. Liam waved at her and watched her drive away before he finally made his way to the front door of his house. Luka, Savannah, Maddie, and he had sat together in the bar and talked for a while until they all had to disperse in different directions. Maddie and Luka had matters to attend to in regards to business and coven, Savannah had plans with her friends later on but offered to drop Liam off. He had gladly accepted her offer since it saved him from riding the bus during summer. Would Theo or someone else had come to get Liam? Absolutely but his Betas were not his chauffeurs.

Liam unlocked the door now and stepped into the house. He heard the tv running, the bass of Mike's music coming from downstairs. As always, it filled Liam with the undeniable feeling of home and happiness. Here he belonged. He hung his keys up and walked further into the house. Theo and Mason lounged on the opposite ends of the couch; Theo with a book in his hand and Mason with his notebook. Corey sat in front of the couch table and solved a puzzle. Tim sat in one of the chairs and watched tv. "Hey, you're back." Mason checked his watch. "Way later than I expected you to be. So it was good?" The others stopped what they were doing and turned to Liam. Tim even muted the series he had been watching. "Mixed, I would say." Liam kissed Theo and then sat next to his mate. Theo licked his lips. "Have you've been drinking lemon shots?" "I'm concerned how you got that from just one kiss", Liam remarked. Then he decided to answer Mason's question. "First of, those Alphas really think they're something else. Something I'm not. I don't have enough millions in my bank account to ever have them accept me." "That bad? I'm sorry." Corey grimaced. His parents were like that as well and he despised them for it. "Most of them, yeah. But I met three people who are very cool. First of, Mase, were cheetahs and vampire are a thing." Mason squeaked and pushed his notebook out of the way. "Tell me everything!" "The hotel had such old Hollywood glam style. Not my chic but whatever. First I met Savannah. She's the cheetah. Alpha of a very small pack here in Seattle. Outgoing, very direct, and honest. She talked to me before I even entered the meeting room. Was her first time too. We kind of stuck together. Then we met Meadow, the vampire. She has been to meetings before but she does not like the Alphas. She has a human best friend and told me he also has some notes about the supernatural community. I invited the two of them here cause I thought you and him could maybe check your notes, combine them so to speak. He surely will have things you don't have and vice versa, Mason and Corey." "Great idea." Corey helped Mason with the Bestiary and he would also profit from meeting Asher. If Asher wanted to follow the invitation. Maddie had said it would not be a problem but Liam would wait for clarification from Asher himself. "You said you met three people. Who's the third?" Theo asked. "Luka. He's the only other cool werewolf I met. Also older than us but his pack is from around. They're more modern and open-minded. Like ours is." "Sounds good. All in all, it seemed as if the meeting wasn't for nothing." Mason smiled. "And vampires. Wait! How was she there? Can she walk in the sun? Did the other Alphas wrangle her into the hotel? Is she traveling in a coffin? Did she try to drink your blood? What was she like??" "Jesus, Mason." Corey shook his head. But Liam gladly answered every question his Emissary had. "I'll stay in contact with them", he finally ended and his mate, as well as Consultant and Emissary, voiced their agreement. "Liam?" Tim said shyly. "Didn't you put up a rule of not having strangers come to the house? When you said you invited the vampire and her friend here, are you not breaking your own rule?"

Shit. Oh shit.

Liam had completely forgotten about that rule. Yes, he had told his Betas not to bring strangers into their new home. And here he was breaking his very own rule. Great, Dunbar! "No...I mean...yeah, I did....But...." Tim got up to leave the room. "I mean, you're the Alpha and therefore it's your decision. You can do whatever you want. I just remembered the rule." He gave an insecure shrug and then left the room in the direction of his room. Liam huffed. "You forgot you had put the rule in place, right?" Theo guessed. "Yep." Liam closed his eyes for a moment and scolded himself mentally. Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! "I mean, you are the Alpha. We can still follow the rules but what you do is up to you", Corey suggested softly. Liam's eyes snapped open. "No!" He said sharply. "We're not running a pack like that! If rules are in place, we all have to follow them. Including me. Especially me." "Then you have to decide what to do with that situation. You could always meet with Meadow and her friend somewhere else", Mason suggested. "No. The rule made sense back then but not it's not feasible anymore. And I will tell Tim that."

The young Alpha got up from the couch and marched downstairs to his Beta's room. He knocked, waited a few moments, then opened the door. Liam peeked into the room. "Hey. Have a minute?" Tim had sat on his desk and now spun around in his chair, a mixture of shock and surprise written on his face. But then he caught himself and nodded. Liam walked in and closed the door behind him. "You can sit on the bed if you want." Tim pointed at said furniture piece and Liam sat down on the edge. He rubbed his palms over his thighs. "You're right. I set this rule and I completely and utterly forgot about it. Had you not said anything, it would have left my mind forever. I am sorry about that." "It's okay. As I said, you're the Alpha. You make the rules, you sure can break the rules." Tim tried his best to give off the impression it was really okay. But Liam was stubborn. "It's not okay", he stated calmly. "When I set the rule, it seemed reasonable to me and came from a place of being worried about everyone and our home. I wanted to be absolutely sure nothing could get to us. That was weeks ago. I should have kept it in mind and change it again after Ever cast the spell and we were more secure. I didn't. I fucked up and I am sorry about that." Tim opened his mouth to protest but Liam was faster: "I am grateful for you guys calling me out. Tim, you're my friend, my family, my Beta. You and the others absolutely should call me out when I do something wrong. I'm not perfect and I will make these mistakes. But only with this echo from you, I can improve and become a better leader. I'm not mad at you and you don't have to be afraid to speak up. This rule was okay back then but now is not anymore. Therefore I cut it. Gone! Just like that! thank you for bringing this up. I mean it. But what will never happen is that I set rules for you and then don't follow them myself. This is not the type of leader I wanna be. Okay?" Tim gnawed on his lip. "I would not care so much but this is the first house I am not judged and ridiculed in. I can be myself and I want to protect it as much as I can", he confessed. "So do I, Timmy", Liam promised him. "I would never let anyone in here I might consider not fully trustworthy." Tim considered. "So you trust Meadow and her friend?" "I do, yeah." Liam nodded. "Do you consider them good allies for the pack?" The twenty-year-old had to laugh. "My brain's not wired like that." Liam played with his hands. "Theo is good at that, Mason too. But I don't think strategically. On the lacrosse field, yeah, that's my jam, but not when it comes to people. I meet a person and I either like or dislike them. Maybe I trust too easy and maybe I will make a fool out of myself but then I have to take responsibility for it. I can't, I don't want to meet someone and be like Your name is what? Oh, you will be a splendid ally to my pack. This is not me and I will probably never get there. Hence why I keep Theo around", he joked at the end. Tim chuckled but then sighed. "I know what you mean. I'm not like that either. It would feel...I don't know...like..." They both thought about it. "Like using someone", they both finally said at the same time and this time they both laugh. "Mike is good at it too. To easily find out how people can be useful to him upon meeting them." "Maybe it's a survival tactic", Liam put out a theory. "How can you help me in my current situation to get a better stand and survive. Would explain why Theo is so good at it. He and Mike both needed to survive in a world that didn't want them." Tim raised his shoulders. "My survival tactic is not being seen or heard. Not draw any attention." "Well, I hope you don't feel like that anymore in the house or around the pack in general." Liam sounded like a father, he realized that himself. But wasn't an Alpha supposed to be a father sometimes? Tim shook his head. "Not always. But it's hard to unlearn what I learned for nineteen years. You know, you guys are great! You make me feel welcome! Don't think anybody else, please!"

He moved his hands around and knocked over a small can filled with brushes of all kinds. They clattered to the floor. Liam knelt and helped him pick them up again. "Didn't know you were painting, Timmy. Those are many brushes." His Beta turned a concerning shade of red and stuttered. "I...No...Not...Irgs. I don't paint! Pictures! I don't paint pictures!" "Then what do you paint?" Liam had never seen Tim being creative with brushes in any shape or form. From how his friend acted, one would think he was doing forbidden things with those brushes. "You don't have to tell me, of course. I'm just curious." You could basically see Tim's thought process on his face. Denial, fear, nervousness, fear again, shame. Finally, he pointed to the other side of the room. There was a large board with something tiny on it. Curiosity got the better of Liam and he stepped closer. Tiny little figurines were placed all over the board, along with trees, and various other little things. There was even a tiny truck looking amazingly similar to Theo's truck. And there was a car looking like Liam's. Wait a second. "Are those figurines of the pack?" Tim rushed next to Liam. "I can stop with that if you think it's weird. It's just, I like making those little scenes and take inspiration from real life." He gently pushed a tiny figurine in a blue jersey. A tiny Liam in lacrosse gear, Liam realized. "You've got to be kidding me! This is awesome! Can I touch it?" Liam was in awe. Tim blushed furiously but then gently placed lacrosse Liam on Liam's palm. The young Alpha turned the figurine to inspect it from all sides. For such a small thing, the details were incredibly detailed. "I make the figurines from a special clay and then I paint them. I hope you don't think it's weird. I am sorry if you do. I'm not a creep, I promise!" Tim almost stumbled over his words in his haste to get them out. "You make them? This is incredible, Tim! Why did you never show us this? That's not creepy or weird, this is fucking amazing! You're crazy talented." Liam could not stop praising the guy. And Tim beamed under the praise. Once he realized Liam did not find anything weird about that and actually loved it, he preened. "Does anybody in the pack know you're doing this?" "Mike knows." Tim smiled shyly. "But I made him swear he wouldn't tell a soul. Made him swear on something important to him." "Uh uh. What did he swear on?" Now Tim blushed again. "Our friendship." "Aw." Those two were cute and deserved each other. Mike because he needed a calm anchor in his life, Tim because he needed someone to speak up when he couldn't himself. "But seriously, Timmy, those are cool. I'm not going to say anything but if you ever want to share with the rest, I can already assure you, they will be as amazed as I was. It's a really cool hobby. I imagine it takes a lot of time?" "Oh, it does. But I like to modulate all the figurines and then paint them. It's calm work and I can think while doing it." Tim began chatting about his hobby. Now that Liam knew it seemed like a dam had burst and he could share it with the Alpha. Liam willingly listened.

****** "I'm glad you could clear the air with Tim." Theo pulled the covers back and crawled in bed. Liam was already under the covers and had scrolled through his phone but now put the device away to concentrate on the talk with his mate. "I'm glad too. It is important to me to get those kinds of replies so I can reflect on myself. I'm not doing everything right. But I'm working on it." "You're doing a lot of things already right. The things you're not doing right, well they partly make you Liam. Not perfect but human and very loveable." "How were you ever the chimera of death?" Liam teased and Theo smacked him with his pillow. Liam laughed. "I am trying here to compliment you and you do not appreciate it? You should be ashamed of yourself!" Theo wailed. Liam laughed louder. "Naw, you will survive that one, big boy. You know I love you." To prove it, he pressed his mate down on the mattress and kissed him passionately. Theo laughed into the kiss but returned it soon enough. "I know you love me", he mumbled after they parted. "And I love you, Lee." Liam was proud to hear that and he smirked. His phone chimed and he let go of Theo to grab it. "It's from Luka. He's asking if I want to meet up sometime next week. Cool." Liam already typed an answer. "You really like the three, right?" Theo mused. Liam looked up from his phone screen. Theo was watching him with questioning eyes but there was no sign of jealousy as he had shown with Scott in the beginning. He sighed. "I do. It's strange. They're all older than me and yet they never acted like they had to explain the world to me. Never a patronizing word, never telling me I'm still so young. I was just Liam and from the get-go, I was part of this little gang. I didn't have to prove myself to them. Because it felt like I had already proved myself prior to meeting them and they didn't even care. It was nice. I wasn't...." "You weren't the fourteen-year-old?" Theo asked amusedly and yet with compassion. "Yeah", Liam confirmed. "I wasn't even Liam the twenty-year-old. I was just...Liam." He fell silent for a few beats. "Doesn't mean I will leave you guys behind. You're my family." "Nobody's thinking that!" Theo furrowed his brows. "If we did, we would be bad friends and family members. We all are individuals outside of this pack and we all will make friendships without the pack being involved. If not, we would be one lousy pack. What we are is, happy you found people appreciating you and liking you for who you are." He reached out and pushed Liam's chin up so the couple looked at each other. "Liam, you have so many things going on for you. Your age shouldn't be one of the first things to notice." It was still strange to hear those things with such sincerity and Liam swallowed dryly. "What's the first thing?" He asked softly. Theo smiled lovingly. "Your good heart. And your eyes. Not because of their color - even though it's a beautiful color - but because they shine with such honesty and happiness." They stared at each other, Liam lost for words. He found his voice only after moments passed. "Were you always that poetic?" "You bring out the best in me", the ex-chimera replied and then kissed Liam deeply.

****** "Not to be pessimistic or something but would it not have been better to plant the flowers after the heatwave?" Liam stood in the open front door and watched Brett watering their plants. Nope", the tall werewolf replied and carried on with his task. "Because?" "Because I wanted to do it now", Brett simply answered. He gave Liam a cheeky grin. "That's reason enough." "Why would I ever doubt that?" Liam remarked teasingly. "Careful before I water you. You could use some growing", Brett teased back. The next moment, he was distracted by the red convertible oldtimer rolling into their driveway. The car was highly polished, not one speck of dirt to be seen, and it was sparkling in the sun. "Holy crap, that is awesome." Brett didn't even realize he was watering the ground instead of the plants, too busy staring at the car. It stopped in front of the entrance and Luka in the driver seat smirked. "Hi." "Hi." Liam laughed. "Nice car." "It's the pack car when one of us wants to go for a nice ride. Holden, a pack member, resto moded it but he lends it to everyone. Thought it's a nice day, why not take it?" He took off his sunglasses and seemed quite proud of his Beta's skills. Liam had no interest in cars but it was a pretty one and why not? He had no objections to driving around in this. Mike and Theo came out of the house. "Dude, that car is sick!" Mike jumped down the stairs and rounded it. Luka preened. "I'll forward it to Holden." Theo was also circling the car, as amazed by it as Mike and Brett were. Liam could only shake his head. Who knew those guys were such car freaks? "Luka, that one over there is Brett and that guy there is Mike. And that is Theo." "Nice to meet you." Theo was the only one to actually shake Luka's hand, the other two simply waved and then continued to fawn over the car. "Nice to meet you too", Luka replied. "You're Liam's boyfriend, right?" "I am", Theo proudly confirmed. "Bring him back in one piece." "I swear on my life", Luka promised in a playful serious tone. Liam grunted. "I can hear you guys! Theo, maybe I won't bring Luka back in one piece. How about that?" "As long as you bring the car back in one piece!" Mike cut in and made them all laugh. "Okay, now that some of my Betas embarrassed me in front of you, I'll get my sunglasses and we can go", Liam called out to the older Alpha and ran into the house and upstairs.

It took him a little while to find his sunglasses (he really needed to try and be tidier) but when he found them under some papers, Liam let out a triumphant cry and ran back downstairs. His Betas were involved in a conversation with Luka (surprisingly not about cars) which Liam now interrupted. "I'm ready." "Great. Hop in." Liam opened the passenger door and marveled at how smooth this was going. He somehow expected the door to get stuck because of age. But this car looked and felt like a brand new one. "See you guys later. Don't burn the house down", he joked. "Yes, dad!" All three Betas chimed in unison. Theo smirked and came to the passenger side to give Liam a quick kiss. "Have fun", he mumbled and Liam nodded. "Bye, guys. See you next time!" Luka called out before he started the car and soon they rolled down the driveway.

"You're one of the few people in this car to use the seatbelt immediately", he informed Liam when he turned into the street. The young Alpha looked down. "I do this in every car. My mother drilled this into me from a young age. I could not drive in a car without buckling up." "My mom was like that too. She always said just because were werewolves didn't mean we had to challenge fate. And she got mad if she saw one of us without a seatbelt on. Not just her own kids but basically everyone. There is a story where she refused to drive another Alpha's wife to the airport because the lady refused to put hers on. It's said they sat in the car for forty minutes until my dad went looking for them." Liam started laughing. "That's dedication. It's that the temper you were talking about?" Now Luka laughed. "My mom was stubborn. I'm too. And my sister is as well. Fun times during puberty, I can tell you. Good thing my dad was good at finding middle ground." "Your parents seemed like an amazing couple. Their personalities really matched with each other, from what I already heard." He wanted to know more about his new friend. And Liam wanted to share things about himself as well. He believed Savannah was right, this could become great friendships. "They were the perfect match even though their personalities were as different as they can be. But they balanced each other out. They were incredible Alphas for our pack." "You say Alphas. Were both real Alphas? Or just an Alpha couple?" Luka stopped at a crosswalk and let some pedestrians pass. "Technically, if you base it on red eyes and stamina, my father was the Alpha. My mother was a Beta but no one would have dared to treat her like one. Or like she was just dad's wife and mate. The way she cared for her pack, the way she made decisions, the way she spoke, she was an Alpha. There is so much more to an Alpha than red eyes. It's all about behavior and the relationship to the pack members." "I don't base it on the red eyes. Theo, he's also a Beta, but we call him Second Alpha. He takes over if I can't. We're the Alpha couple. Why should the color of somebody's eyes define their role?" Luka agreed with Liam's point of view. "There are some packs without an Alpha with red eyes. One Beta is in charge and guides them." "I didn't know that, that's awesome. But wouldn't that be an Alpha by conquest in the long run?" "Depends on how serious the pack takes it. Not all packs are focused on Alpha and Betas, some are more lenient. There are so many kinds of packs. Not just different species but different versions. There are also many Alpha Omegas around." "Alphas without a pack? So wolves with the Alpha spark." "Yeah." "Huh." Liam had never considered that. To him, Omegas had always been those wolves. With normal wolf powers. What were normal wolf powers? Betas? Liam guessed so. He never bothered to really make a distinction or think about what exactly Omegas were. "I kind of don't know a lot about the supernatural. I know how to fight and about several evil beings but all those connections between weres, species, what other magical beings are there, rituals, I know nothing about." Luka didn't take it badly. "At what age were you bitten?" "Fourteen." "You're twenty now. Which means I'm twelve years older than you. Trust and believe me when I tell you I didn't know that much more when I was your age. Plus I have the unfair advantage of being born in a werewolf family." He smiled impishly. Liam grinned. Yet he still insisted on his opinion. "I still think the first few years as a werewolf did not prepare me for that."

Thus he found himself telling Luka everything, from how Scott bit him to the hyenas. It was somewhat therapeutic to talk about all this with another wolf without knowing him beforehand. He didn't need to find periphrases for things, could tell it how it happened and didn't need to sugarcoat the events. He also could be as open as possible without having to worry about insulting some old friends. It had been the same with Byron.

He talked until they parked in the parking lot of the restaurant they had picked to grab something to eat. Liam didn't know the place but according to Luka it had delicious food and you could sit outside under trees so it would not be too hot. "See? That's the reason why teenagers shouldn't become Alphas", Luka said matter of factly and killed the engine. "I don't mean this condescendingly but it is what it is. Maybe if Scott had been a born werewolf it would have been different but I understand why this was all complicated. And why you didn't learn about the supernatural community. You had enough other problems to take care of." "I just wished I could have learned more. Maybe being an Alpha would be easier then", Liam mumbled. "Nah." Luka denied. "Becoming an Alpha does not mean you suddenly get access to this knowledge. It's not like a hatch opens and it's flowing into your brain. You have to make mistakes to find your footing as an Alpha." He unbuckled his seatbelt. "I was prepared to become an Alpha after my father's death for years. It could have become anybody in the pack but since I'm the oldest it was kind of expected for me to take over afterward. But it's not possible to really prepare someone for the weight we shoulder as Alphas. For the magnitude of responsibility settling in. It's something we just feel. And every Alpha has to find their own way to cope with that." Liam frowned. "How do I know I'm doing the right thing then?" Luka gave him a brotherly nudge. "I'd say you're on a good way already. When the first Alpha came to town, your Betas followed you into a potentially deadly fight. They were willing to die by your side. That's a type of loyalty you cannot buy or blackmail. It's loyalty coming from the soul and the heart. And it's only happening because an Alpha made the right decision for those Betas. You're young, Liam, one of the youngest Alphas I've ever met but you marched into the Alpha meeting without a care in the world. Do you think any of those Alphas would have done that at the age of twenty? From my point of view, you're doing absolutely great. Don't focus so much on being perfect and rather follow your heart and gut and you're set. You will be fine." It felt good to hear that. Byron told him that often enough but now a second experienced werewolf told Liam the same thing. He felt flattered. Those men saw him as equal, not just as a teenager. Saw eye-to-eye with him and respected him the same way he respected them. Enough to give Liam a soaring feeling in his chest. "Thanks." He clapped Luka's shoulder. "No come on, I'm hungry."

They exited the car and walked to the restaurant entrance. The hostess greeted them with a friendly smile and an even friendlier one when she got the first good glance at Luka. Liam was friends with Brett so this was not new to him. He was flabbergasted still. "How do you do that?" He had to inquire once they sat outside on their table and the hostess left to get menus for them. "Do what?" Luka acted innocently but his grin and the sparkle in his eyes betrayed him. The hostess came back and made a show to slowly put the menus on the table. She didn't pay Liam any mind and that was fine, he was mated, instead just gave Luka a coy smile. "Don't hesitate to ask me in case you need anything." "Will do. Thank you", he repaid her with a charming smile of his own and she left in a slow, seductive motion. On top of the menus, she left a little note with digits behind. "You barely talked to her and still got her number. Brett managed to pull this off as well. How? Not that I will ever need to try since I have Theo but how the fuck do you pull that off?" Liam could not find any satisfying explanation. Luka had gazed back at the hostess but now his head snapped back. "Luck, I guess. And charm, maybe." "Maybe, uh uh." Liam snickered. Luka had a certain boyish charm about him and that made him attractive. Not taking life too seriously, giving everything an easier vibe. Liam also understood the hostess because the deep green t-shirt Luka was wearing brought out his eyes nicely and accentuated his fit body perfectly. "I like sex. What can I say? Everywhere. No matter what country I am." Luka was not embarrassed to share this. "Have you always been like this?" "Frankly? Yeah. I always liked to flirt and when I was old enough to actually become sexually active, I saw no harm in there. I don't play. That's how my parents raised me. My mother always said: Go and have fun with whoever you want to have fun. But don't break hearts if you don't have to. Be upfront. If it's just sex, say it. Saves you and other people heartbreak. I always followed that. Yes, I had relationships but most of the time I have been single and had one-night-stands. Or several night stands. Whatever. The minute I'm interested in someone or in a relationship, I'm faithful. I can't stand cheaters." "That's the right answer. Sex is nice, with the right person even better, but I don't like players. Nice to hear someone having values."

Liam took a look inside the menu. Right on cue, a waiter appeared. "Hello gentlemen, I'm your server for today. Would you care for a drink?" The Alphas looked at each other. "Just water is fine for me", Liam decided. It was hot, despite the trees providing shade, and he would become thirsty, he knew himself. "Water is good", Luka decided himself and the waiter went to fetch their drinks. "You said no matter what country you are in. Are you traveling a lot?" Liam had picked up on that. "For work yeah." "What are you doing for a living?" "I deal in car parts for either oldtimer or pimped-out cars. Like the convertible. Holden is the mechanic, we work together. He screws the cars together, I contract the clients and the manufacturers. We have business all over the world since some of the parts are very rare. So I traveled a lot. For periods of time, I wasn't home for months. I never had my own apartment because it made no sense to pay for something I used. Tried it once and after weeks my landlord called and said he just wanted to check if I was still alive since I never came around. So I moved out again and if I stayed home, I stayed with the Alphas." "And that was okay? For you to be gone so long?" "My parents ket an open door policy. If something important came up, they called us home but aside from that, we were free to leave as long as we wanted. We knew we could always return to the pack house. No matter how late, even in the middle of the night, we were always welcome. We all made use of that rule over the years."

The waiter brought their drinks and took their order. When he left the two alone again, Liam raised his glass. "Good idea to meet up again", he praised. "Well, Savannah said it right, it's the beginning of wonderful friendships. So of course." Luka smiled and they clinked their glasses together. Liam took a sip. Perfect, cool water, he never drank anything better. He put his glass down again and savored the sip. "Uhm, I never got the chance to ask. How many Betas do you have? We're only talking about me." "I don't mind. You're good at telling a story and explaining things. Somebody ever told you that?" Luka had put his glass down as well. Liam made an incredulous face. "No. What would they? I'm kind of dumb." It had slipped out faster than Liam could have stopped it. Luka's frown was almost instantly. "What asshole told you that?" "No one. Life experience, if you will. I'm not the brightest." "You don't have to be a genius but you really don't appear dumb, Liam. Don't believe it when people tell you that. They're just haters." It had the same vibe as a worried older brother giving a stern talking to his younger sibling and Liam chuckled. He was a big brother but not a little brother and yeah he called Scott his brother sometimes but that was different. Maybe because Scott was only two years older than Liam himself. They came from the same walk of life, small town, maybe that was also a factor? Liam could not really put his finger on it but it hit differently with Luka. "Okay", he said to end this topic. "I will remember this talk." "Good", Luka looked stern but then he smiled. "To get back to the question, seven Betas. A few less than you have." He leaned back in his chair. "There is my younger sister Delaney. Younger by three years. An absolute firecracker. If she gets angry, if you piss her off, she will cuss at you and rant for hours if you let her. Especially in the background of a phone conversation. Very entertaining, if I'm being honest." Luka laughed. But the love for his sister was evident in his words. "Then there is Simon. He is...was dad's best friend. They've been to school and college together and he acted like some sort of advisor for the pack. Helped with international deals and connections. He's my godfather and like a second dad. I'm happy I still have him after I lost dad. It doesn't bear contemplating if he would have been also gone..." Luka trailed off. Liam managed a compassionate smile. "I am sorry for your loss. Losing somebody we love is never easy." He touched his collar bone where the Lion King tattoo was hidden under his shirt. Luka appreciated the sentiment. He continued his list on a lighter note. "With Simon came Holden, his son. Holden's just a few months younger than I am, we grew up together." "Holden's mom is not part of the pack?" "No. She never wanted to get married or have kids. Yet she married Simon and got pregnant with Holden. Weeks after his birth she handed Simon the infant and announced: I don't want to be a wife or a mother. Here's the child, I'll leave your life for good. He does not have to search for me, I want nothing to do with any of you. My lawyer will send you the documents where I signed my rights away and the divorce papers. Got her suitcase and left. From that moment on, mom and dad gave a hand to Simon. Holt and I basically grew up like brothers. He annoys Delaney the same way I do." Liam giggled. "Are younger siblings not something fun? I have a younger brother. He's ten but living at the lake." "Aw, they're so cute at that age. And then they start stating their own opinions and become brats." It was obvious Luka didn't mean a thing he said about his sister. They both began to laugh. "Holden's a great guy but he can be a hothead. Impulsive and very brash. Those are not his finest moments and we have to hold him back. But he's fiercely protective of the pack. Would do anything for us. Another one of my Betas is Sandro. Alessandro. My second in command. We met during freshmen orientation in college and clicked almost instantly. Have been inseparable ever since. When I brought him home the first time, mom looked at dad and said: Look, it's Luka in another body. Our parents often joked how they could each take the wrong son home and nobody would notice cause we're so similar. It's eerie. "

Their food came out and they interrupted their talk to thank the waiter and dig in before Luka resumed talking. "Sandro was human when we met but after a while, he noticed my family was hiding something. He confronted me and after consulting with my Alphas I came clean to him. Thank god cause when he was twenty-five, he go involved with a lone Alpha and said Alpha got a bit too excited in bed. Right before a full moon. Sandro showed up at our doorstep, bloodied and already on the verge of transforming. Dad took one look at him and dragged him to the basement where we keep a cage for those things.  I stayed with him the whole night and after that, it was more or less clear he would become part of the pack. Sandro helped me a lot after my parents' death. He took charge when I couldn't do it and held the pack together. That's why he became my second in command, just like Theo is for you." Luka drank from his water. "We have two other women in the pack. Bryn and Lynn. Laugh if you want, their rhyming names are a running joke in our pack. Bryn I know for almost her whole life. How fit are you in werewolf genetics?" Liam snorted. "That a thing? I'd give it a solid zero." "To keep it simple: The werewolf gene is dominant most of the time. Werewolf parents will have werewolf children. Even if only one parent is a wolf, the child likely will be one as well. The chances are even higher by born wolves rather than bitten ones. But if you have several generations of werewolves mixing with humans there is a slight possibility to have a human child even as werewolf parents. In Bryn's family case it was the opposite. There had been some wolves here and there, some of them had been in contact with my father's pack, but for generations, there were only humans. Until Bryn was born. Boom. Human parents with a werewolf baby." "You're kidding me!" Liam was amazed at how crazy nature could get. "Absolutely not. But her family knew about werewolves and so they knew the name of my father's pack. They grabbed their daughter and moved closer to us, showed up at our door, and kindly asked my parents to help them. To make having yet another child running around somewhat plausible, we started calling Bryn Delany's and my second cousin. We kept this til this day and mostly refer to her as our cousin. Lynn, on the other hand, was bitten after a night of clubbing and then left to die. Mom found her somewhere in the ditch and brought her home. We were not sure she would survive but that girl is tough as nails. Don't underestimate her." "She reminds me of Sadie. One should never underestimate Sadie as well. She will kick your ass and probably gnaw on your bones without ruining her makeup." "Somehow that description also fits Maddie and Savannah", Luka realized. Liam had to agree with that. "Anyway, you said you had seven Betas. One's missing." "The latest addition to the pack before my parents died. Will. He's Sandro's cousin, full-blood-related this time. They have been close while growing up and he visited one time. This family is good at picking up things and he got curious. We never got to explain to him everything cause a hostile pack attacked and he was wounded badly. Dad turned him in an attempt to save his life. It worked and Will moved to live with us. Funny enough, he and Holden clicked almost as instantly as Sandro and I did. They just balance each other a bit better. Hopefully. One's a hothead, the other is too cocky for his own good sometimes. I think the day these two linked, Simon's world kinda ended. He had several gray hairs more after that day. Lynn once kept a tally which one had to get bailed out of jail more often..." Luka tilted his head. "Huh, wondered what happened to that. I think I was the third place..." Liam smirked and Luka gave him an innocent smile. "I mean, we are all law-abiding citizens and never do anything wrong. We stick together and love each other, as a family should." "So do we. My pack and I. They're my family and I don't want to miss anyone of them." "Tell you what, Liam, why don't you and you pack visit us? We could have a BBQ party. Next Friday, is that good?" "That's a great idea. I'll check with the pack and text you."

__________________________________________________

When I started this story, I imagined how many chapters this might will have and thought sixty was a good number. Now we are at chapter 60 and this story is far from over. I can't believe that. It's absolutely amazing and I want to thank every single one of my readers for the support. You all are amazing! Thank you!!!

In regards to this chapter, I like the friendship between Luka and Liam. They both are on the same wavelength and get each other. And it was fun working out Luka's Betas. In the next chapter, both packs will fully meet each other. I am excited.

[annab-nana]

Savior - Colby Brock

Y/n’s life is basically controlled by her abusive boyfriend, but one night at a party that she was forced to go to, Colby shows up and helps her out.

Requested by an amazing anon on Wattpad 🧡

Warnings: some curse words; mentions of abuse

Word Count: 3.2k+

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

"Ashton, I don't really feel good. Please don't make me go to this party tonight," I pleaded with my boyfriend of almost two years. He has made me go to party after party after party and I don't want to go and be used as an object by him. I want just one night off. I shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't want to have a night off from my boyfriend, right? I should want to be around him all the time.

I don't even know when things started to get like this. I used to love being around Ash. He was everything I wanted and everything that I looked forward to spending the rest of my life with. I don't know where it got messed up, where I lost the man I loved. I fell in love with the sweet, caring Ash. The one who was a complete gentleman to every person he met, and when his beautiful green eyes lit up every time he saw me, my heart would melt right then and there. His once genuine, kind smile is now pretend and all for show.

I think it all started when Colby and I became friends. It's Ashton's fault really. He brought me to a party, and I met one of my best friends, Katrina Stuart. At a Halloween party last year, Ashton was invited and obviously, I went with him. This was before he forced me to go to these things with him and we just went for fun. He dressed up as a cowboy and I was his cowgirl, simple and cute. Ashton went off to talk to some of his friends and I wandered around until I found Kat. We hit it off great and then, she introduced to some of her other friends since I didn't really know anyone there. I met Jake, Aaron, Corey, Devyn, Sam, and Colby. I'd be lying if I said Colby wasn't cute because he is. Anyone could see that. But I had and still have eyes for Ash and only him.

Anyway, I met Colby and we got to talking. We had a lot in common and he was super funny. I loved being around him. His energy was just attractive, drawing me in. He was also very relatable and a great listener. We clicked so well. As we talked, he got a little closer and rested his hand on top of mine which was sitting on the countertop. Before I could say anything about it, some random guy came into the kitchen with a flame thrower and blasted it right in front of us. I couldn't help the squeal that escaped my lips when Colby's arms wrapped around my torso, pulling me away from the burning fire that was right before me. My hands went on top of his as they rested on my sides for second before he let me go. I turned around to thank him but caught a glimpse of Ashton and he didn't look happy. I talked to him, assuring him that nothing was happening and that he was saving my stupid ass from a fucking fire that some crazy guy was shooting around. Ashton seemed to understand at the time, but that was when everything changed. He started acting different and changed almost everything that I loved about him.

Colby and I became best friends anyway. Ashton became more and more controlling. It started with suggestions, then manipulations, and now he basically tells me what to do. I need to figure a way out, but I don’t know how.

“Y/n, you’re coming to the party. Now, go get dressed. We aren’t arguing about this.” He demanded. I didn’t have it in me to put up a fight, so I listened. I walked into our room and started getting ready. I did my hair, makeup, and then put on some clothes, even though it felt like I wasn’t wearing much. I put on the tight blue dress that had a cutout on the stomach that Ash got for me a few days ago. I hate wearing shit like this, but I really didn’t want to deal with the fight if I tried to cover up.

It wasn’t long before we both got into Ashton’s car and headed to the party. As he drove, I stared out the window watching the other cars drive by, wondering where they were going and were they going to have more fun than I was.

“So, whose party are we going to anyway?” I asked him as I placed my hand on top of his which was resting on my thigh.

“What’s it matter?” He shouted at me and ripped his hand from mine, gripping it firmly on the steering wheel. I let out a sigh, returning my gaze to out the window as tears pricked my eyes.

“I was just wondering,” I whispered softly. I heard him sigh as well and felt his hand come back to mine.

“Hey, I’m sorry,” He whispered before continuing. “I don’t know whose party it is. Jacob was invited by some girl who said he could invite a couple of friends, He invited us, Jess, and Dylan.” He told me as he rubbed on the back of my hand with his thumb. I nodded at him and kept my mouth shut for the rest of the trip in fear of starting another argument. Slowly but surely, we approached a place that looked slightly familiar. I didn’t question it and grabbed onto Ash’s hand as we walked up to it. When we walked in, we met up with Ashton’s friends. Jacob, Jessica, Dylan, and the blonde girl that invited all of us were in the corner by the front door.

“Hey, Ash!” Jessica drunkenly shouted. She was always the first to get drunk. She eyed me down and gave me a fake smile. I shot her one right back as we approached the group.

“Hey guys, this is Corinna,” Jacob said as he gestured to the girl in his arms. She waved at us and giggled. She has had a little bit to drink as well. This girl seemed familiar too, but I couldn’t quite place my finger on it. “Corinna, this is Ashton and y/n.” We both waved at her and Ashton started a conversation with the boys as we girls just waited patiently for them.

“Y/n, could you get me a beer?” Ashton leans down to whisper in my ear. I nod at him and leave the group to find the kitchen.

“Y/n?” I hear a familiar voice ask. I turn around and am met with blue eyes, pale skin, and blond hair.

“Hey, Sam!” I say, excited to find someone I know here. We hugged each other and got to talking.

“Hey, do you know where the kitchen is?” I ask him. I was wandering around aimlessly earlier, desperate to find it.

“Yeah, of course. Follow me.” He said as he grabbed my wrist to lead me through the group of people. It doesn’t take long before we make it to the kitchen. “What are you looking for?” Sam asked me as he opened the large fridge and browsed through the drinks.

“A beer, please,” I smiled at him and his kindness. He grabbed one beer and two white claws from the fridge. He handed me the beer and a white claw. I gave him a weird look but shrugged it off.

“So, do you know whose party this is?” I decided to ask him to make conversation.

“Who’s asking?” He questioned me with a suspicious look on his face.

“I was just wondering, and Ashton didn’t know when I asked him earlier,” I tell him as he smiles.

“I’m just messing with you. It’s David’s.” He told me before we were interrupted.

“Sam!” Ashton grinned as he came to give him that bro hug thing that guys do. They had met at parties before and talked some. Sam talked to the group as I handed Ash his beer.

“Thanks, babe,” He said softly as he sipped on the beverage. I should probably warn him that Colby might come since Sam is here, but maybe he won’t show. I don’t know. We’ll see if he does and this is a big party, so if he does come, the chances of him finding me are unlikely.

An hour or so passes and Ashton has drunk more and more. The more he drinks, the meaner he is.

“Can I go to the bathroom?” I whisper to him.

“No, you can stay right here.” He growls back.

“Please, babe, I really have to go.” He rolls his eyes and lets out a huff of air.

“Fine, but hurry back,” He demands me. As I stand up to walk off, I feel him swat my ass. I send him a death glare and the group around him erupts in laughter. I shake my head and desperately search for the bathroom. Finally, I find one and open the door to see to a few couples making out.

“Sorry!” I shout as I close the door. Fuck, I really have to pee, and I can’t find a fucking bathroom.

“There you are!” I hear a chipper voice yell over the loud music.

“Here I am!” I repeat the words and turn to the guy I have dreaded seeing all night. If Ashton catches me with Colby, I am as good as dead. Colby greets me with a tight hug and lifts me off the ground a tad.

“Sam told me you were here, and I was waiting until I saw you.” He told me as he set me down.

“While I’ve got you here, can you show me where the bathroom is?” I ask, feeling a slight bit awkward. He chuckles at me and grabs my hand to lead the way. I look around everywhere, making sure Ashton was nowhere in sight.

“Here we are,” Colby replies as he gestures towards the door.

“Thanks,” I tell him as I place my hand on the doorknob, still searching around for Ashton.

“Hey, are you okay? What are you looking around for?” He asks me, placing a hand on my arm. That little act gave me so much comfort, but at the same time made me worry.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Thanks for showing me to the bathroom.” I spit out as I quickly open the door and slip in. I look at myself in the mirror and gaze at the girl staring back at me. This isn’t me. This isn’t who I am. This is who Ashton wants me to be, but I’m not. And I let him treat me like shit. I don’t do anything about it. I don’t know what to do. I sigh and do my business before washing my hands and leaving.

“What are you still doing here?” I ask Colby who was leaned up against the wall by the bathroom door.

“I need to talk to you.” He stated. I looked around again before replying.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I have to get back to Ashton before he starts to worry.” I lied. He doesn’t really care. He just wants someone to fetch his beer and to put his hands on.

“It won’t last long. Come here.” He stretched out his hand for me to take and reluctantly, I did. I followed him up some stairs and into a vacant room. We plop down on the empty bed in the room.

“Y/n, do you have anything you need to tell me?” He asks me, looking deep into my eyes. I sigh and shake my head.

“No, everything’s fine. Do you have something you want to talk about?” I turn the question around, hoping he’ll understand and leave me alone about it.

“Yeah, but I don’t think I’m the one who should initiate the conversation.” He says as he leans back, appearing to be ready for some big talk.

“Well, what is it?” I ask him. He lets out a huff of air and begins to talk.

“Kat thinks there’s something wrong with you and Ashton and I can’t help but notice some weird things as well,” Colby confesses. He stares at me with his perfect blue eyes as if he’s trying to read something in mine.

“Colby, I trust you so I’m going to tell you this. I’m trying to figure a way out, but I don’t know how. I have nowhere else to go. He’s everything I have and if I don’t hurry back, I’m going to be in trouble.” I say as I glance at the door and stand up.

“You could always stay with me.” Colby states. I take a few steps closer to the door.

“I’ll talk to you later,” I tell him as I leave. I make my way back down to Ashton and the group. He grips my hip harshly, pulling me into him.

“What took you so long?” He asks, voice low and demeaning in my ear. I wince at the pain in my hip but ignore it to answer.

“I couldn’t find it,” I whisper back in his ear. He gives me a questioning look before turning his attention back to the group.

“Alright guys, y/n and I are gonna head out. We’ll catch y’all later.” He states as he grabs my hand and leads me out to the car. The car ride home is dead silent, and I feel like a little girl who is in trouble with her father, but she doesn’t know what she did wrong. Probably because she didn’t do anything wrong. We get to our place and he grabs my hand again, leading me into our house as if I don’t know where I’m going. Once we finally make it inside, I break.

“Will you tell me what the hell is wrong with you?” I ask him as I tear my hand from his. He turns around to face and he is fuming. I step back in pure fear.

“Don’t lie to me, y/n. You know I hate it. What took you so long in the bathroom?” I roll my eyes, probably fueling his anger but I don’t care.

“I already told you. I couldn’t find it. Someone noticed how confused I was and helped me out.” I raise my voice at him.

“Who?” He questioned.

“Some random girl. She had blonde hair and was wearing a red dress that was covering less than I am right now. You would have liked her. She’s just your type.” I didn’t care anymore. I just kept going and going.

“I saw Colby at the party. He wouldn’t have stopped you?” Ashton stepped slightly closer to me with each question.

“You know what? He did. We said hey to each other and talked for a little bit. Anything else you would like to know?” I put my hand on my hip as I stared up at him. We were face to face at this point. He gripped onto my wrists hard.

“You know I don’t want you talking to him.” He hissed at me as his grip tightened on me. He was livid.

“Ash, you’re hurting me.” I whimpered softly. He let go and pushed me into the door.

“If you want to talk to him so badly, why don’t you go to him? You obviously want to be with him more than me. But, when you realize that I am the only person who will ever love you, don’t come back.” He shouted as he walked to our room and slammed the door. I looked down at my reddened wrists. I knew there would be bruises on them tomorrow. Probably some on my hip and back too. I grabbed my phone and called an Uber to Colby’s apartment building. It wasn’t long before I was there. I walked up to his door and knocked, hoping he would answer. After a while, I never got a response, so I sat my angry little self down on the floor next to his door because he said I could always stay with him. As I sat there, my mind raced of all that occurred tonight, and I grew madder by the second.

I heard the elevator ding and the doors open. A few seconds later, the laughter of my best friends filled the fifth floor. I could hear Colby’s laugh over the other two and a small smile grew on my face. One by one, they came off the elevator. First, my blue-haired bestie, followed by her lover, and then his best friend.

“Y/n? What are you doing here?” Kat asked as she ran up to me. The reason I’m here came back to mind and I was filled with anger all over again.

“I came to talk to Colby, but since it looks like you two have had some drinks, I don’t think we will be able to hear each other over the noise of what y’all are going to be doing in there,” I said as I gestured towards Sam’s door. We chuckled lightly before Colby walked over to me, holding a hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up. We said goodbye to Sam and Kat as we went inside his apartment.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Colby asked as he patted a spot next to him on the couch for me. I took it and turned to him before speaking.

“Do you remember saying that I could always stay with you if I wanted to get out?” He nodded his head as he gave me a sad look. He knew something happened after I left the party.

“Can I take you up on that offer?” I said as tears pricked my eyes and a hiccup escaped my throat. I was about to break down and he could tell. He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me. Right there, I cried for a good while before pulling away and looking at the tear stain I left on his shirt.

“I’m so sorry,” I laughed out, pointing to the mess I made. He looked down and laughed as well.

“Don’t worry about it,” He smiled and looked up at me. “It’s nice to see your pretty smile again.” A blush rose to my cheeks at the compliment.

“Stop, I know I look a mess right now so don’t even try to pretend that I look the slightest bit good,” I tell him as I push some hair behind my ear.

“No y/n. You are gorgeous. Even right now. I’ve always thought that about you, and I was so upset when I found out you had a boyfriend. Trust me, if you didn’t have him, I would never stop trying to make you mine.” He confesses. The smile on my face grows wider by the minute and I look down for a second before meeting his blue gaze again.

“What’s stopping you now?”

[b0sscrew]

Pokemon au!

Another Ducktales AU! Shocker!

Welcome to the inevitable crossover! There are three versions of this (trainers, human trainers, and reverse gejinka) but we'll just focus on the human trainers first because I'm not comfortable with showing my Ducktales drawings yet! This is just for fun and not definitive. I'm going to be doing this like a real adventure! We'll be following the triplets as they travel the region of... Americaw... Sure, we'll go with that for now.

I want this to be a story in many parts. I also want all their adventures from the cannon to be here as well, except it's just the kids facing them most times. Like let's say all the battles are monsters and baddies they've actually fought in cannon. That would be fun!

Oh, let's bring characters into the mix. Let's say that Webby is the boys' rival and best friend. Violet is also their rival but on a slightly lesser scale(mostly to Huey). Boyd also becomes a rival of sort later on(mostly for Louie). So that only leaves Dewey, and to be honest, I'm not sure. I think Webby would be his biggest rival but he doesn't have a secondary rival. I might just make my own rival for him too be honest, but I wish I knew who to put that's around his age. (Also, I realize Boyd is Huey's best friend but Violet is literally his rival in an episode.) I already have an idea for Lena so I can't add her to the rival crew anyways.

Let's talk about the Duck family.

So I decided it would make the most sense if Della and Donald shared custody of the boys. Donald is still Uncle Donald, don't worry. But since Della is always busy with the league they decided it would be easier to just have them both raise the boys. Donald is basically a stay at home dad while Della is constantly working as one of the core members of the elite four. Della is a flying type expert and Scrooge's favorite relative.

Feathery is an amazing boy! He's constantly working with the elite four as the Regions main professor. He's so excited about all pokemon, but his favorite are water types, because they make him giggle like a little kid. He's Huey's favorite uncle and the only adult he can truly relate to. Feathery is still the biggest sweetheart but now everyone takes him seriously and hang on his every word, even if he doesn't realize it.

Gladstone is one of the sole reasons the champion is still the champion. Because of his luck no one has gotten past him and his grass types. If he didn't have his luck people wouldn't have this issue, but he's cursed with it so he literally can't lose. Of course every Pokemon he has ever caught has been a shiny because they seem to gravitate towards him. The only time he can't find one is when he wants to give one to his family. I guess that's just his luck.

Scrooge McDuck, the richest duck in the world. Despite being part of the elite four, he doesn't really have to do anything. Since he's challenged after Gladstone his battles are few and far between. So he began running his company's full time. Although he does have to leave his work to protect the region at least once every two week. He is the most loved of the elite four and also the most hated, with all his enemies. Good thing he's the best of the league.

Region time!

So, Americaw is based off the world of Ducktales and all the places they've been to by the time of the season three hiatus. I also decided you can find any pokemon in this region (even if characters share pokemon sO MaNY TIMES!), and some come earlier than we're used to. Most of the region is mostly forests with ruins but later on is more of the places we know and love, victory road and the league is even one of my favorite places in the entire series.

Gym leaders, baby.

Gym leaders are characters that are associated with the McDuck clan, mostly working for them in some way. I also tried to put a twist on everything and some of the gyms are ones you wouldn't expect for that character. Let's go over them real quick, shall we?

Owlson, the Normal type gym leader. I thought she was perfect for this because she does technically work for Scrooge now. There's nothing too special about her except that she really wants things to go right and she doesn't have room for silly things. I thought she would be fun as a first gym so the kids could get a taste of the adventure ahead of them. She uses a Hoothoot (to harken to her being an owl) named Natasha, and she has a Porygon (to harken to her being a buisness woman) named Charity.

Ludwig Von Drake, the Poison gym leader! As goofy as the man is he is very competitive. He works with Gyro and Fenton on many projects but has his own lab away from them. I think he works the best for poison because than he could be more of a chemist than the other two scientists. He's also the gym leader we see the least of. He's always in a rush to finish his project just to get on the next one thats probably even more dangerous. He uses a Grimmer (chemicals) named Paul, and a Toxel (science in general) named Corey. He also has a Rotom, named Walker, that just helps around the lab.

Fenton, the Steel gym leader. Since fenton is a superhero I thought he could take his typing from Gizmoduck. He's the main one out of the three scientists that makes weapons and items for the police force. The military forces also thank him very frequently. But since he has so many idea's there's no way for him to do them all. He usually overworks himself because of this and it's obvious to anyone who so much as looks at him. Even so he is the most optimistic of the gym leaders and goes nowhere without a smile. He uses a Pawniard (Gizmoduck) named Hero, an Aron (Robots) named named Titanium, and a Scizor (Gizmoduck strength) named Bromine.

Gyro, the electric gym leader. I thought Gyro fit best with electric because of presumably obvious reasons. Gyro is the wildcard of the three scientists and will do anything for science. He can't count how many times he's almost accidentally killed himself with an experiment. He might seem like he's the only one that slows down out of the three scientists, but you're dead wrong. He probably works the hardest and has the most unhealthy habits out of all of them. He's the best scientist in the region and refuses to give the spot up for anything. He's currently trying to find a way to turn his blood into coffee. He's as brutally honest as ever, and still full of himself, but will admit defeat. He uses a Magneton (robots) named Maggie, a Rotom (Lil' Bulb) named Tom, and a Vicavolt (robots) named Vic.

Duckworth, the ghost gym leader. He might be a ghost but that just makes him better at his job. He's extremely neat and gets annoyed if a picture is tilted. He doesn't hesitate to greet challengers with a smile and even give them tips during battle. When he looses he still acts like a gentleman. He loves his work and refuses to leave life without "good reason". He uses a Gengar (his demon form) named Káge, a Banette (being able to poses things) named Mary, a Polteageist (because he's fancy) named Green, and a Mismagius (just because he's a ghost) named Lady.

Lena, the psychic gym leader. I told you she had a job. But I also know this typing might not seem like it fits. But trust me, it does. Her magic is what I imagine when a pokemon is Psychic type, so I thought it was perfect. She's rough around the edges when you first meet her but she grows on you once you get to know her. She's loyal to her friend's and already knows the kids once they get to her gym. I believe she is the only one that doesn't work for Scrooge in the cannon. She's basically the same she was in the show. She uses a Hypno (dreams) named Dreamcatcher, a Hatterene (being trapped by magica) named Princess, an Espeon (her necklace) named Garnet, and a Lunatone (the eclipse) named Lunar.

Launchpad, the dragon gym leader. Plot twist! Let me explain before you start yelling at me. I wanted Della to be the flying type specialist, so I had to do something else for Launchpad. It took me forever to figure out what to give him, I even considered the option of repeating flying, before I finally remembered dragon. It hit me that it was perfect! The dragon type embodies everything he loves. Flying? Boom, dragons fly! Superheros? There's a dragon that looks like it was made for a superhero. Airplanes? There's plenty of those. Acting like a child? How about one that looks like a child's imaginary friend! The list goes on! The dragon type was perfect because it's so loose. Anyways, back on track. He uses an Altaria (clouds) named Fluff, a Salamance (superheros) named Comic, a Noivern (DW) named DW, a Flapple (childish) named Flapper, a Drakloak (Sunchaser/Cloudslayer) named Sunchaser, and a Duraludon (vehicals) named Crash.

Ms. Beakly, the dark gym leader. She's a freaking spy, of course she's dark type. She's the hardest gym to beat, even for final gyms. She's tactical and knows (almost) every trick in the book. She'll point out what you're doing wrong and still beat you if you do everything right. She doesn't go easy on anyone so you better be prepared. Despite all of this she is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. When you loose to her she has a plate of cookies for you to take with you when you leave, and if you beat her she gives you an item that'll help you the most with the league, plus cookies for your travels. She loves Webby so much, enough to teach her almost all of her tricks. She's a good woman. She uses a Tyranitar (strength) named Tyrone, a Pangoro (capabilities) named Gordy, a Grimmsnarl (I just thought it fit) named Grimm, a Malamar (that expression) named Mal, and a Honchkrow (spy) named Krow.

I love this idea and can't wait to expand apon it. I alread have so many ideas that it's hard to not spoil any plans I have. I just hope I don't overdue it. I want it to kinda be like a little more serious version of the pokemon anime. Not too serious, but I want it to be like what you'd find in ducktales (just maybe a tiny bit less kid friendly).

Well I hope you enjoy my idea and have fun with it. Well anyways, have a great day!

Also, here's a picture of the HDLW designs.

[waywardnerd67]

Fast Cars & Bleeding Hearts Part II

Summary: Charlie speeding back into (Y/N)’s life leaving her mind and heart spinning. Unable to focus on her races costs her, but nothing compares to the thumping ache in her chest watching Charlie winning races. Will she be able to push aside her feelings long enough to win the most important race of the night? Characters: Charlie (OMC), Jessie (OFC), Kyle (OMC), Joel (OMC), Sean aka King (OMC), Reader Pairing: Charlie x Reader / Joel x Reader Warnings: Angst/Fluff Word Count: 2399 A/N: Once again, Charlie Hunnam starred in my dreams and I am here to continue the story.

Check out: Fast Cars & Bleeding Hearts

(Y/N) let her eyes wander up Charlie’s body. His jeans were hanging low on his narrow hips. His chest and shoulders were broader. Even through his hoodie, she could see his biceps bulging. Charlie had shorter hair now from what she could see under his black ball cap. Then her eyes connected with his, the same deep blue ones she fell in love with when they were teenagers.

“It’s nice to see you again, (Y/N). You look great.” His hand ran over the back of his neck as he smiled at her.

(Y/N) shook her head slightly, “Thanks, you too. What brings you back to town?”

His eyes glanced behind her, “Wow, your car looks great. May I?” he asked, starting to walk past her.

“No,” she reached out pressing her hand against his firm chest, “you gave up the right to look under her hood when you ditched us five years ago. I suggest you get your own car ready because King will be starting soon.”

She turned back towards her car not looking back at the man her heart ached for. The man who disappeared from her life in her weakest moment. (Y/N) heard Kyle talking to Charlie as they walked away. She leaned against her car placing her head down on it when Jessie stood next to her.

“When he first reached out to Kyle, I told him to tell Charlie to fuck off.” (Y/N) looked over to her best friend chuckling.

“Let me guess, he used his charm on you to get you to agree to him having the apartment.” she lifted her head and turned to lean her back against her car.

Jessie shook her head, “No he couldn’t charm me if he tried. Charlie told me where he had been the last five years and why he left. It was time for him to come home.”

(Y/N) scoffed, “Really? What could he have possibly said that justifies him leaving his coma ridden girlfriend?”

“That’s his story to tell, (Y/N). For what it’s worth, I think you should hear him out,” Jessie touched her shoulder, “However, right now you need to focus on kicking ass and winning races.”

(Y/N) laughed, “You’re right. King is going to start soon.”

Race night always began with Sean or as he was known on the streets, King, having a drivers’ meeting. He would go over rules, expectations and then draw for races. Normally she would listen carefully since King was known for changing things up. Tonight, she could not focus on anything but the pair of blue eyes across the drivers’ circle staring at her.

“Alright, looks like our first race will be (Y/N) and Ronan. Y’all have twenty minutes to get to the line.” King dismissed them.

(Y/N) watched as Charlie walked over to King having an intense conversation. It was only when someone tapped her on the shoulder that she looked away. Kyle was standing next to her and she gave him a gentle shove with her shoulder.

“I know you hate him and I know you want answers. For now, push it aside and focus on the road in front of you.” Kyle’s calm voice brought her mind to focus clearly.

She gave him a short nod before walking alongside him to her car. Exactly twenty minutes later, (Y/N) was revving her car on the starting line. Ronan next to her with his ‘87 Camaro z28 which was nearly five hundred pounds lighter than her Chevelle. She turned back towards the road in front of her when her eyes went wide seeing who was flagging the race.

Charlie stood in between them about six feet up. A flashlight in his right hand and his blue eyes on her. (Y/N) was even more surprised to see sympathy in his eyes right before he flashed his light signaling for them to go. Being focused on Charlie caused her to be slow off the line. She lost to Ronan by half a car length which was not too bad, but if she had been focused she could have won.

Driving back to her trailer, she parked taking off her helmet, “Shit!” she yelled opening the door.

“What happened?” Kyle asked as Corey popped the hood of her car.

(Y/N) spotted Ronan making his way over for the two hundred dollars they had bet. Walking up into her trailer she grabbed their money box to get the money.

“Off your game tonight, (Y/N).” He said holding his hand out.

She slapped the two bills in his hand, “I guess your lucky night. I’ll get that back from you soon, Ro.”

He walked off laughing while she walked back to her car. Kyle and Corey were looking over the data on his computer.

“King is fucking with me, isn’t he?” she asked when her friends looked over to her.

Kyle nodded, “You knew he would. You’ve taken a lot of money off his guys and now he sees a way to make the playing field even.”

“When’s my next race?” (Y/N) pulled her hood on her head and grabbed her headphones from her purse.

Corey looked up at her, “At least a half-hour. I wouldn’t tune anything on the car so she’s ready.”

She gave them a thumbs up then started to walk down the path towards the entrance they all came in. There were only King’s watchers out there keeping an eye out for cops. (Y/N) pulled out her phone turning on her favorite playlist. Her favorite band blared into her ears calming her instantly. She loved it when they would race out here. The night sky was cloudless which meant the stars were shining bright. Letting out a long breath seeing it in front of her, (Y/N) began to walk back towards her car.

The night was turning out to be a bust. No matter how hard she tried, Charlie flagging her races were too distracting. Every race she was up against one of King’s drivers. After her third loss, she stormed off to confront King about it. Kyle and Corey hot on her trail.

“King!” she called out as she approached his trailer.

Sean was a larger than life kind of guy. He was nearly a foot taller than she was and a round belly that was usually hidden under a baggy t-shirt. She never had an issue with him until one night his drivers kept challenging her to races and she took all their money. It was all fair and square which was the way King ran all his races, but apparently he does hold grudges.

“(Y/N), what can I do for you?” he said, stepping out of his trailer with a smug smile on his face.

“Well you could start by stop fucking with my races.” She stood with her hands on her hips staring right up at him.

His eyes flashed with anger for a moment, “You’re accusing me as messing with your races. Why would I ever do that?”

Before she could say anything a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist pulling her back. She watched as Kyle and Corey started to talk to King as she was being dragged away.

“Hey! Get off me!” she yelled trying to break free from whomever had her.

A familiar raspy voice had her body stiffening, “(Y/N), shut up before King decides to do something rash.”

Charlie let go of her and she whirled around with her fist connecting with his jaw, “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?”

Charlie chuckled, rubbing his jaw, “Damn… forgot about your killer right hook.”

“Is your life’s mission to make my life a living hell?” she asked, pushing him as hard she could.

“Of course not, (Y/N). I don’t want to do this, but I have too whatever King says. It’s part of my agreement to be back here. And you know what?” He pulled her closer to him, leaning in until their noses were almost touching.

She sucked in a breath, “W-What?” she whispered.

“It’s all worth it to be able to see you again, pretty girl.” His lips pressed against hers making her head spin.

“(Y/N)?”

She pulled away hearing her name only to come face to face with her boyfriend, Joel, eyes wide in shock. (Y/N) looked between the two men in front of her. Her mind urged her to run and her body gave in to that urge as she ran past them both. Each of them called out her name but she did not stop running until she was at her trailer again.

Jessie was talking with Kyle when (Y/N) got there, “(Y/N), what’s wrong?” she asked.

“Joel. Charlie.” she said in between gulps of air.

Kyle grabbed a hold of her shoulders, “We’ve got bigger problems than that right now. King wants you and Charlie to be the last race. A thousand dollars on the line and that will be the last of our cush fund.”

Her body shook and she felt as if she would pass out, “I-I can’t.”

Kyle helped her over to a chair in the trailer while Jessie grabbed her a water bottle, “Look I know a lot of shit is going down, but we need this win. I don’t know what Charlie’s deal is with King but he won’t throw the race. We need you to win.”

(Y/N) took a long drink from the bottle nodding, “Okay. Okay. Let’s make some adjustments to the car because we know Charlie has got some power under his hood.”

Ten minutes later, (Y/N) was pulling up to the starting line where Charlie’s cherry red Chevelle was already there. He was looking straight ahead gripping his steering wheel tightly. One of King’s drivers was flagging the race and she turned her eyes to the road ahead of her.

“When you’re on the line don’t look anywhere but the finish line. The people around you, the driver next to you means nothing. The only thing that matters is crossing that finish line first.” Charlie’s words from when they raced together echoed in her mind.

Focusing on the quarter mile in front of her as soon as she saw the flashlight shine, she pressed her foot to the accelerator taking off like a bullet. Everything blurred around her as she kept her car steady in a straight line. A speck of red creeping up on her right side as the finish line came into view. Pressing her foot down further trying to edge out Charlie the finish line flashed beneath them as both their chautes popped out.

Both cars stopped and they each took off their helmets. Looking to one another a wide smile was mirrored across their faces as they got out of their cars. (Y/N) jumped into his arms as he spun her around.

“Damn pretty girl, that is the best race I’ve had in a long time!” Charlie put her feet back on the ground, his arms keeping her against him.

“Yeah it was even if King will make it to where he gets the money.” She tried to take a step back, but Charlie held her closer, “Charlie…”

“I know. Your boyfriend gave me an ear full. I just want you to hear my side of what happened that night. I will keep my distance out of respect for your boyfriend, but I… I can’t leave here tonight without this.” His lips crashed against hers.

Time froze in that moment and it was just the two of them together. All the anger and resentment she had for him vanished. Her hands found their way up into his soft blond hair. A low groan rumbling from his chest as his hands slid down to her hips. Just as quickly their kiss started, Charlie broke away stepping away from her.

“Boyfriend or not, I’m here to stay,” he stepped closer his lips near her ear, “and you’re worth the wait pretty girl.”

Charlie stepped past her getting back in his car and driving back to the starting line. (Y/N) stood there her mind wildly trying to process everything that happened. She quickly got back into her car, making her way back to the starting line where everyone was waiting. Pulling up, she found Kyle, Corey and King looking at a computer screen.

Parking her car, she walked up to them just as Charlie was, “What’s going on?”

“It was too close to call so they’re reviewing the footage.” Jessie explained coming to stand beside her.

(Y/N) glanced over to her, “Where’s Joel?” she whispered.

Jessie nodded towards their trailer, “Back there. He didn’t want to watch the race.”

“We clearly have a winner.” King announced.

Seeing Kyle and Corey’s faces told (Y/N) everything she needed to know. Just as she assumed, King announced Charlie the winner by a bumper. Corey was cursing under his breath as he handed her the money. She walked over to King and Charlie handed him the money.

“Good race. I’ll win this back soon.” she said as she held her hand out to him.

Charlie shook her hand holding onto it tightly, “I’m sure you will.” he winked at her before letting go of her hand.

Walking away from him was hard for (Y/N) but she looped her arm with Jessie’s making her way back to her car to pack it up for the night. Joel was standing beside the truck talking with Kyle while Corey finished packing up their stuff.

“Give me a ride home, handsome?” she asked, bumping his shoulder with hers.

“Yeah, I think we have a lot to talk about.” Joel started walking toward his car as Kyle gave her sympathetic squeeze on her shoulder.

Her and Joel drove in silence for a while until he pulled off to a rest area. There was no one around and they were still an hour from being home.

She turned in her seat towards him, “You’re not going to murder me out here?” she joked.

Joel shook his head not looking at her, “Tell me everything about Charlie. Don’t leave anything out including your feelings for him. Then, we can decide if this relationship is worth keeping for either of us.”

Tagging: @maddiepants​ (because she read the last one lol)

[xmxisxforxmaybe]

Decryption_Error: “Darlene”

Summary: Amidst an unsettling arrest at CIStech, Elliot decides it’s time for Y/N to meet his sister, Darlene. He’s also ready to acknowledge his feelings, and afterward, Y/N takes it a step further to offer Elliot some more consistency in his life.

Story Summary,  “The Server Room, Part I”,  “The Server Room, Part II”  “The Long Weekend, Part I”,  “The Long Weekend, Part II”,  “The Aftermath”,  “Undecided”,  **“Decided”,  “Spooked”,  **“Fourth of July, Part I”,  *”Fourth of July, Part II”

Word Count: 7600

Tags: @sherlollydramoine @rami-malek-trash @teamwolf2411 @limabein @txmel​ @alottanothing @ouatlovr @backoftheroomandnotbelonging @moon-stars-soul​ @free-rami​ @ramimedley​ @hopplessdreamer​ @sweet-charmie​ 

*Updated tags--If you want added or I’ve missed your request, let me know. 

Warnings: Mild sexual content, mild description of a panic attack

“How could this have happened?” I asked more to myself than to Alison Shaye, head of HR, as I rubbed my temples and looked over the substantial brief one more time.

It was mid-August and the summer heat had reached a sweltering climax. It hadn’t rained since the day Elliot and I drove back from my parents’ house in Greenwich, and the city was collectively frustrated by the hot weather.

Everyone except Elliot and me—we had been wrapped up in one another, running our new daily program which now included seeing each other almost every night. Even though Elliot hadn’t yet returned my pronouncement of love, I could tell there was something different in the way he looked at me since that night on the floor of my closet.

As promised, I didn’t push. I never asked for more from him than he was willing to give. I still told Elliot how I felt when I felt it, and he answered me with a smile or with a head shake of disbelief.

And I let it be enough.

“He’s been selling our data for over two years—ever since he had to split the custody of his son with his ex-girlfriend,” stated Alison, yanking me back to the madness of my current situation.

“But it’s Colin. He’s an asshole, not a criminal.”

“Apparently he’s both,” Alison said in her colorless tone, showing for the first time I had ever seen, a less than professional impartiality.  

“And the police were just sent this file? A neat little package of all that Colin’s been doing? This had to take months to put together—bank transactions, meeting dates, cell phone records, IP addresses, logins, everything.”

“So it seems. About a month ago, an attorney called to confirm Colin’s hire date, our company’s pay dates, and a few other simple employee identification questions. I didn’t think much of it because I assumed it had something to do with a custody suit. When I met with a detective last week for more thorough questioning, my confirmation of dates must have been the last thing they needed to make an arrest. Colin lawyered up, confessed, and took a deal. Didn’t even try to fight the allegations.”

“Damn,” I breathed, still in disbelief.

“Ms. Y/L/N? You need to head upstairs for your meeting.”

I stood up and thanked Alison. As she left, I steadied my nerves and gathered up my files. Since Precision Machining was our host company, its Board of Directors controlled us as well. Miles said I would occasionally be called in for meetings with them as the highest person at CIStech, but who knew my first meeting would be one about an employee caught committing insider trading?

I swiped my badge and rode the elevator to the second to last floor of our building. The vibe at the top is always different in any office building. Things are quiet, sterile, and there’s a general feeling of ill-ease, like no one wants to talk too loud or draw too much attention to what they are doing. Even the phones ring quietly on the top floor.

I checked in with the receptionist and she took me straight back to the board room. My father still retained his seat on the board, so I knew there would be at least one face in the room I could focus on as I faced the inquiry.

My eyes scanned the room and I couldn’t help but inwardly sigh at the sea of white, grizzled faces, only two women amongst them, and none of them with a welcoming expression.

I lifted my chin and walked quickly to the open seat at the end of the table, the chattering continuing as most of the members hadn’t noticed my entrance. Only when I was settled, my hands folded on the table and my breathing even, did I risk looking up to find my father’s face—his features etched into a mask of indifference until I locked eyes with him.

He was watching me, and when I met his gaze, his handsome face filled with concern.

“Oh—CIStech’s here,” the president of the board said when he noticed the addition of a body to the table.

The other board members grew quiet and turned in their highback, expensive leather chairs to face me. The table was steel, possibly something that had been done in one of the machining shops to add to the sterility of the room which contained nothing remarkable except for the window-lined walls that opened up to a glorious view of the city.

I looked around, making eye contact, knowing I had to project confidence. They were looking for someone to blame, and I was their best choice until I convinced them otherwise.

The president began the meeting by summarizing Colin’s offense. It was then that I learned Colin took a deal that sentenced him to six months in jail for securities fraud, plus a year and six months on probation. He defrauded Precision Machining of $450,000.

“I guess my question for Ms. Y/L/N, is how the hell did this happen?”

I explained my understanding of the police report, adding in relevant tech details. To finish, I added, “The truth of it is, Colin Greene used his position at CIStech to gather sensitive information he then sold on the dark web that resulted in his own financial gain.”

“How do we get that information back?”

Christ, I thought as I fought not to roll my eyes at the outdated question from someone who had no clue how the internet worked.

“There is no such thing as ‘getting back’ information once it’s been propagated online.”

“The more important question is,” spoke up the baldest, loudest man to my right, “how you stop this from happening again. Isn’t that what you do? Isn’t that what you have a whole company doing?”

“We work very hard to keep your information secure—”

“Damn good job, you did of it, too, tootsie,” spoke up an equally bald, but less loud board member who then shot my father a scathing glare before saying. “I don’t care that your dad’s sitting across from me. 450k is nothing, a drop in the bucket, but what happens when techs like you and yours get greedy?”

“Colin’s arrest has proven there are consequences for this sort of crime—”

“Yes, if someone outside of your company reports them.”

I looked at the woman who spoke up, her mouth set in a firm line, her eyes staring at me with an unrelenting gaze.

“I understand your frustration, but I assure you we prevent far more—”

“That’s supposed to reassure us? It’s not an exaggeration when I speak on behalf of the board to say that we see your charts, your data analysis, and we have, until now, assumed it all correlates to the near-perfect record of cybersecurity this company has maintained. But this event casts serious doubt on your ability to protect us against . . . ourselves.”

She had a point, and for the first time I faltered, looking down at the thick police report, realizing I did indeed fail to stop something dire from happening within the company. I glanced to my father and he gave me a small nod of encouragement, looking at me with eyes the exact shade of mine.

I took a deep breath and began again. I fielded questions for well over an hour, answering every concern and theoretical potential fix the board members threw at me until I had sated them. Though they were all wealthy, many of them far worse people than Colin and with even less regard for the stockholders they served, they were no different than anyone else who wanted to have their voice heard. They felt vulnerable, something people in their position had the luxury of rarely feeling. Their reactions were out of fear of that vulnerability, so I tried my best to alleviate it.

And this time, it worked.

“Thank you for your time, Ms. Y/L/N. We will expect an update on your aforementioned new protocols at next month’s board meeting. You did say you’d have data by then?

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

I gathered my files and left the board room, only to be greeted by Miles who had been waiting to see me.

“How’d it go in there?”

“Well, appalling to start, but I think I brought them around.”

“We need to talk about Colin’s replacement.”  

“Talk or tell?”

“Tell,” Miles said, walking me to the elevator, getting in, and selecting his floor.

We rode down the few floors in silence and I followed him past his secretary and into his office, a corner office with a perfect view—just what Miles had always wanted.

“Nice digs,” I said, smiling a little.

“Damn right.”

“This is going to be painful, isn’t it?”

“Certain individuals within the company feel it would be best to put someone of a particular pedigree and integrity in Colin’s office. They want to send the message that everyone is replaceable . . . with someone better.”

“Okay?”

“Ali Olayan.”

I snorted, surprised, but not actually. I moved to sit down in one of the comfortable chairs across from Miles’ desk and I crossed my legs before tossing my files onto the seat next to me. I rested my hands on top of my knees and looked up.

“And if I say no?”

“You can’t say no. Not if you want this company to continue to take you seriously as Y/N Y/L/N and not just as daddy’s little girl.”

“You remember what Ali did?”

Miles rolled his eyes before continuing, “You made the choice to get involved with Alderson knowing the possibility of a move like this. When we kept Corey and Ali, it would only be up or out for them. It was a 50/50 chance, Y/N. You bet the house, and you lost.”

I looked to the side to look out of Miles’ magnificent set of windows. For the first time, I wondered what it would be like to leave this world, to leave Wall Street and to never look back.

* * * * *

Elliot watched from the sofa as I stormed around my apartment, slamming the refrigerator door for the fifth time having not pulled a single thing out to eat or drink.

“I just can’t fucking believe this! How could I not have known Colin was selling off our data, fucking Martha Stewart insider trading horseshit right under my fucking nose!?”

I walked back the hall, turned around and came thumping back into the living room, circling the couch, ignoring Elliot’s alarmed expression. I slammed my hands on the counter and he jumped, finally tired of twisting to watch my movements, so he used the momentum to stand up.

Elliot was still dressed in his work clothes due to the forcefulness of my invitation to come home with me. Rarely, did we leave the office together, but I gave Elliot little choice today. Everyone on the floor, including JaLeah, watched with interest as I damn-near yanked him out of his chair and told him he was done for the day.

“Why—why are you so angry?” Elliot asked, his face filled with concern. “I thought you didn’t like Colin?”

I took a deep breath, glanced at Elliot, and decided to finally open a bottle of wine to take the edge off. I moved around the counter and fished out my corkscrew.

As I chose a bottle of wine from the little wire rack on my counter, I started to explain. “It’s not about Colin. Well, it is. But it’s more about who they want me to have replace him.”

“Oh,” Elliot said quietly.

“Yeah,” I said, sticking the screw into the cork of the wine bottle and twisting.

“Ali Olayan.”

“Oh,” Elliot said, his voice a lower and darker.

“And I wasn’t given a choice—it’s Ali . . . or me, essentially. Do you want any of this?” I asked as I reached for a wine glass.

“No.”

I pulled a single glass out of the cupboard and began to pour.

“If I comply and make it a smooth transition, I’ll keep the respect I’ve earned, the name I’ve made for myself. If I refuse, if I complicate this promotion, I may as well resign because everything I’ve worked for will be made into a mockery—daddy’s little girl, does exactly what she wants because she can. Because she’s so fucking privileged.”

I took a long drink and continued as Elliot’s eyes flicked between the counter and my face. “You should’ve seen the file this tipster compiled on Colin. It was a detective’s wet dream. Literally everything tracked, everything monitored, times, dates, transactions—everything. Whoever put it together is a fucking genius. Even better than you,” I said with an eyeroll and a snort into my glass as I took another drink.

Elliot looked at me, his eyes oddly focused this evening. Normally, if I was overly emotional, he was unsure how to proceed and kept as much distance as he could. But tonight—something was different. He was much more sure of himself.

“Maybe it needed to happen?” Elliot offered.

“What do you mean?”

“How much longer could he really have gotten away with it? You can bet he would’ve fucked up soon enough—it’s Colin, after all. And you’d be in this exact same position a month or two months from now. If—if it weren’t for me, would you go along with it without protest?”

I looked at Elliot for a long time and felt like I was being tested as his gaze remained fastened on mine.

“I don’t know,” I sighed.

“You’ve made it personal, Y/N. Well, I’ve made it personal.”

“I’m afraid of breaking your trust by not pushing back.”

“Is that the only reason why you want to push back? For me?”

“No—it’s, it’s not the right thing to do, to promote someone because of their connections, their wealth and status, it’s not the right thing to do. I got into tech because I wanted to protect people, people like my dad—good people, not just rich people—who pour their souls into their businesses. When people are that invested in their business, they’re going to be that invested in their employees.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Yes,” I said with a conviction.

“You’re a good person,” Elliot said as he moved closer to me. “The best person I know.”

“That’s not saying a lot considering you know maybe five people, including me,” I teased.

Elliot laughed softly, his face set in a sweet smile.

“I guess you’re right.”

I turned to face him, my hand still resting on the stem of my glass as it sat on the counter.

“So what do I do now?”

“You play their game. You protect yourself, gain their trust, and bide your time until you can enact change.”

“That’s not what I want to hear.”

“But,” Elliot continued, moving so close he was now a breath away from me. “You’ll still be a good person. A good person caught in the machinations of corporate greed—you had to know something like this would happen if you stayed on Wall Street.”

I looked into Elliot’s face, his grey eyes filled with concern and also with a confidence I rarely saw—he was right and knew he was right.

“You’re right. Unless I just walk in and quit in a fiery rage,” I finished, remembering the feeling I had in Miles’ office as I looked out of the window.

“You’re not a quitter,” Elliot said, his hands coming to rest on my upper arms. “Places like that need people like you in positions of power. It’s all about balance.”

“I’m vastly outnumbered.”

“All the more reason to stay and fight.”

“Who are you tonight?” I asked with a huff of a laugh.

Elliot’s face turned serious and he gripped my arms a little tighter.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re just . . . so sure of yourself.”

Elliot shook his head.

“I’m sure of you,” he said before pressing his lips to mine, kissing me with purpose until I almost forgot the horrors of the day. I was enveloped by him, quickly lost in his citrusy scent that curled around me so totally that I nearly forgot I needed to ask him something important.

I broke the kiss, pulling away and causing Elliot to start stammering out an apology before I shushed him as I waved my hand.

“I almost forgot! Can you do something for me? Can you see if you can figure out who tipped off the police? I don’t have that kind of skill set.”

“Are you asking me to hack? I thought we lived by the rule of, ‘Don’t hack, ask?’” Elliot said, his lips twisted into the perfect curl of a grin again.

“I’m being serious—can you just see what you can find out? I don’t ever want to be blindsided like that again. Dad said the first time the board put Miles through the ringer, they had to call the meeting short so he could collect himself. I get why. It was brutal, and I never want to feel that unprepared again.”

“I can look into it,” Elliot said as his hands slid up my arms to rest on either side of my face, his thumbs settling on the outer corners of my mouth.

“Thanks, El,” I said before his lips were on mine and I let myself go, lost in that citrusy-grey darkness that was Elliot, the day’s events fading away until they were barely visible in my mind’s eye.

* * * * *

A few days after Colin’s arrest, I was sprawled out on Elliot’s bed, answering emails I hadn’t gotten to during the day. It was 8 pm when he walked into my office, the building long emptied, and told me it was time to quit. Once again, he was right, and he knew he was right, so we went back to his place for some takeout.

I had moved to his bed to stretch out after eating, loving the way I could just snuggle in and be surrounded by everything that was him. Elliot was in the kitchen finishing up the dishes when he asked, well, stated that he’d like me to meet his sister.

I stopped reading and stared at him, unsure if I heard him correctly.

“What? Are you sure?”

“It’s been over a month since I met your family. It’s time for you to meet mine.”

“If you’re sure?” I said, my heart picking up its pace a bit as I finally tossed my phone aside, officially quitting work for the day. I could always count on Elliot to provide a thorough distraction, on purpose or not.

Elliot laughed, “Are you nervous?”

“Yes!”

“Darlene is not someone to be nervous about meeting. Buy her dinner and her loyalty is yours,” Elliot said as he toweled off his hands and walked toward his bed.

“She’s not a stray cat! She’s your sister—the only person, well aside from Angela, that you really seem to give a shit about. What if she thinks I’m bad for you? That would be it. You’d be gone. And—”

“You’re babbling,” Elliot said, cutting me off as he crawled onto the bed, moving to sit beside me and to take my hand.

He lifted my palm to his lips and pressed a kiss there before continuing.

“This is not even in the same ballpark of the kind of daunting meet-the-parents plus the whole family thing that you did to me.”

“Fuck me,” I said, thunking my head against the wall.

“Alright,” Elliot said with a mischievous light in his eyes.  

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Not funny.”

“I seem to recall a girl who said something wildly inappropriate to me just as we pulled into her parents’ driveway.”

“That was funny.”

“No.”

You harrumphed and Elliot chuckled before pulling you close.

“I can’t keep you a secret forever. Don’t want to.”

“Adopting my lifestyle now? Elliot Alderson is climbing out of the shadows?”

“Fuck no—I still like my…mysterious persona. Keeps people at a safe distance.”

“Didn’t work on me.”

“No, you little weirdo. You were like a moth to a black flame.”

“I really was,” I said through a soft laugh. “I think I was half in love with you after the night I helped you prep for idiot Colin’s presentation.”

“And now you’re all the way in love with me?”

“For the thousandth, unrequited time, yes,” I said turning my head to smile at him.

“It’s not,” Elliot said, his face growing serious, my own smile faltering as I looked at him in the dim lighting of his apartment.

“What?” I whispered, my voice sounding like it was a million miles away.

“It’s not…unrequited. I—I love you,” Elliot said, his eyes suddenly finding a spot to look at on the bookshelf next to me.

“I love you, too,” I said, my face stretching into the biggest smile it had ever achieved.  

Elliot took a deep breath and his eyes flicked to me now that the danger had passed, relief settling over not just his face, but his entire body.

“Check something for me?”

I furrowed my brow and slowly said, “Okay. . .”

“Check outside and see if hell’s frozen over.”

I laughed and launched myself into his arms, half sitting on his lap.

I pulled back from my hug to search his face, my thumb resting on his cheek as I cupped his jaw.

“Hell doesn’t freeze over when you tell someone you love them.”

“I feel a little sick,” he said, smiling shyly up at me.

“That feeling in the pit of your stomach,” I began as I touched him there, “like everything is just too much, like you’ve just gotten out of a bathtub after having your skin scrubbed raw, that vulnerability. That’s love.”

“I’m not sure if that’s poetic or if that’s even supposed to make me feel better, but it’s pretty fucking accurate.”

“I’ve been feeling it longer, so I’m the expert.”

“You haven’t—I just haven’t been able to tell you until now.”

We looked at each other for a long, long moment and I knew he meant it. Elliot loved me. I moved all the way into his lap and straddled him.

“I want you so much, El,” I breathed. “All of you. All the time.”

“I’ll always give you as much of myself as I can—promise,” Elliot said as he closed his eyes and let me kiss him.

The kiss was as slow and as sensual as our sex; we undressed each other, took turns kissing one another from head to toe. By the time Elliot slid into my aching, wet heat, I was near tears, overwhelmed by the intensity of our now shared, raw emotion.

We came, successively breathing one another’s names over and over, and I was sure that life couldn’t get any better than this.

* * * * *

Darlene Alderson may have physically resembled her brother, beautiful face with big eyes that made me feel exposed as they traveled over my face, but that’s where their similarities ended. She was outspoken, crass, and owned any room she was in. She projected a confidence I only rarely saw in Elliot, and she also seemed to speak each thought as it popped into her mind, very unlike her brother’s labored communications.

The plan was to meet at Elliot’s apartment to watch movies and order a pizza; I asked if we should go out somewhere nice and he outright laughed.

“Darlene doesn’t really do . . . nice.”

“Everyone likes a little nice.”

“Not my sister,” he said with a hint of annoyance.

I thought he was wrong, but then again, Elliot had been right about a whole lot of things lately.

Despite asking Elliot to look into the people who hacked Colin, he hadn’t been able to find anything. I was surprised, but I knew if anyone could find something, it was him. Since he hadn’t, it made me more nervous because so far, we were the vigilante’s only target. Insider trading wasn’t something rare—if the hacker’s goal wasn’t exposure, what exactly was it?

My anxiety had been worsening since Colin’s arrest and resulted in my first full-blown panic attack in months. I woke up, sweating, certain death was imminent as my heart hammered so hard I could feel it pounding when I held a hand to my chest. I was relieved Elliot hadn’t spent the night. I didn’t want him to see how much all of this stress was affecting me.

But thankfully, Elliot continued to provide ample distraction and waiting to meet his sister made me a different kind of nervous, one that forced me to put Colin out of my mind, again.

I roamed around Elliot’s apartment, straightening things that didn’t need straightened. I had made the bed twice and was now giving it another weary eye.

“Please let me buy you a bed.”

“I can buy a bed if I want to.”

I growled and left Elliot to fuck around on his computer, not really looking at what he was doing. He usually wasn’t on it when we were together, but he said he had something to finish before Darlene got there.  

“Stop . . . fusspotting,” he mumbled without turning around and without missing a keystroke.

I stopped in my tracks and marched to stand behind Elliot’s computer chair.

“That’s what my nanny always said! She called me her little fusspot.”

“I know,” Elliot chuckled as he swiveled his chair around. “Your mom told me that. She said you’ve always been a nervous person, even as a child. And, it’s selfish, but I like it when you’re outwardly nervous—makes me feel more normal.”

Elliot scooted forward and ran his hands up my thighs, pulling me close to hug me, his head resting on my stomach as his hands cupped my ass.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at what he was doing on the computer. It looked like he was creating a virus—

Elliot pulled open the button of my jeans with his teeth and successfully diverted my attention.

“Elliot! Your sister will be here any minute.”

“I’ll lock the door,” he said in a muffle as he started licking at the skin he had just exposed.

But it was too late for that.

The door to Elliot’s apartment flung open and Darlene came in, causing me to jump back from him so quickly I tripped and fell onto the mattress, causing Elliot to then tumble out of his computer chair.

I quickly rebuttoned my jeans and prayed to god for the mattress to open up and swallow me.

“Ew,” Darlene said, staring at the two of us.

Elliot rolled over onto his back, his sides shaking with a silent laugh until I kicked his shoulder and rolled off the bed.

I knew my cheeks were red, so I took a deep breath and gathered what respect I had left for myself and walked over to Darlene.

“Hi—sorry about that. Your brother’s a complete dick.”

Darlene grinned, and I was struck by how much she looked like Elliot when she smiled.

“Finally! Someone else gets it. I’m Darlene,” she said with a wave as she dumped her bag on Elliot’s table.

“Y/N,” you said with your own wave and embarrassed smile.

“I think you dislocated my shoulder,” Elliot said from his spot on the floor as he watched us both turn to look at him.

“Good,” Darlene and I said at the same time before looking at each other and laughing.

“Fuck. I’ve made a terrible mistake,” Elliot mumbled as he pulled himself up and back into his chair.

“Did you fix my virus?” Darlene asked as she moved past me to stand beside Elliot’s chair.

Elliot turned to look at her, clearly telling her to shut the fuck up with his eyes, but I spoke up.

“I can see it’s a virus. And you only popped the button of my jeans to distract me from looking at it.”

They both turned to look at me, twin expressions of incredulity, waiting to see what I would say next.

I crossed my arms and waited—I knew how to wait Elliot out.

“Darlene writes viruses and sells them to companies that make antivirus software.”

I raised my eyebrow, “Interesting niche.”

Darlene grinned, “We can’t all be corporate sellouts like you two.”

“Darlene,” Elliot warned.

“It’s a joke, douche,” Darlene huffed as she plopped on the bed.

“I knew this job would make you uptight—no offense, Y/N. I mean, someone’s gotta do it. Just never thought it would be my brother.”

“Do you . . . want a job? We could always use another tech.”

“No,” Elliot said, a look of horror washing over his face.

Darlene laughed and lifted her head to turn her eyes to me.

“So, you could just do that? Snap your fingers and get me a j-o-b?”

“You’re Elliot’s sister, his family. I’d do anything to help you—if you wanted it,” I added hastily.

Elliot and Darlene looked at each other, and Darlene laughed, laughed so hard a tear squeezed out from the corner of her eye.

“Elliot told me you were, like a good person or whatever, but shit. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t wanted to fuck me has ever offered to do anything that nice for me. Wait--you’re not into freaky siblin--”

“Darlene!” Elliot yelled, the vein in his neck popping.

Darlene raised her arms in a gesture of surrender and said, “Excuuuse me.”

I watched their exchange with a smirk of understanding. I did have three siblings of my own.

“Jobs aren’t exactly a scarce commodity for techs on Wall Street,” I said, crossing my arms and drawing their attention back to me.

“Just something to think about if you ever want some stability,” I added as Darlene continued to look at me like I was an alien.

“Elliot says you’re rich—”

“Fucking shut up, Darlene!” Elliot groaned, twisting his hands in his hair and standing.

“My father is rich, so yeah. I’ve never gone without,” I said with a slight head shake at Elliot’s distress.

“I’m so sorry about her,” Elliot said taking a step toward me while still glaring at Darlene who only rolled her eyes.

I chuckled, “It’s fine, El. She’s curious and clearly doesn’t beat around the bush—unlike you.”

“Ha!” Darlene said, raising her middle finger at her brother’s back.

This was . . . interesting, I thought. Not at all how I thought it was going to go, but there was something refreshing about Darlene, something childish in the same way there was something childish about Elliot—only on opposite ends of the spectrum. She had a child’s impetuousness, while Elliot had a child’s reservation. I wondered for the millionth time just what it was like growing up for the two of them because I had a feeling it was, at best, difficult. Most people shed those traits with maturity, and it was odd neither Elliot nor Darlene ever did.

I did enjoy Darlene’s assertiveness, even though I was certain it had gotten her in trouble over the years, but that’s what big brothers were for, right?

“Anything else you wanna know?” I asked as I sat on the edge of Elliot’s mattress.

“Since you both have fancy ass jobs for a fancy ass corporation, why the hell are we eating pizza in Elliot’s shithole apartment?”

“I told you,” I said looking at Elliot with a smirk.

Elliot sunk into his chair, sighing heavily before he popped the CD from his computer and tossed it to Darlene.

“Let’s go out,” I suggested. “Elliot and I had this debate before you got here, and I’m happy to say that he just lost because I was right.”

“Elliot needs a good check. He’s not always right,” Darlene said, glancing at him and giving him a smirk.

Elliot just looked at Darlene and shook his head.

“So, dinner in Midtown? Do you like seafood?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“I’ll make a phone call,” I said smiling, enjoying using my privilege to impress Darlene.

I wanted her to like me; she was the only family Elliot really had, and she could be a good ally if he ever needed more than just I could give him.

“El? Do you feel like going out?”

“Does it matter?”

I looked at him and wondered if our teasing really had bothered him.

“Of course it does,” I said with a soft tone as Darlene looked between us, watching our exchange with interest.

Elliot’s eyes ran over my face, and his lips gave me a ghost of a smile.

“I guess even Darlene likes a little nice.”

“Told you,” I said before I went to retrieve my cellphone.

As I made reservations, I could hear the quiet mumble of Elliot’s voice in the background and Darlene’s much less quiet answers. When I hung up with the restaurant, I ordered an Uber.

“Uber will be here in 15 minutes. Should give us plenty of time to make our reservation.”

Both Elliot and Darlene looked up at me, that twin expression again which was starting to unnerve me a bit. Getting up from the bed, Darlene took the CD Elliot gave her and shoved it in her bag. She pulled out her phone and checked it, her thumbs moving quickly as she answered a text or an email.

Elliot turned off his computer before turning his attention to me.

“Thanks for doing this,” he said quietly as he put his hands on my waist.

“I want her to like me,” I said into his ear as I hugged him quickly.

“She does,” he whispered back, pressing a barely-there kiss to my temple.

* * * * *

Dinner was fun and easier than when it was just Elliot and I sometimes. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy quiet nights with Elliot; it was that, given what happened with Colin this week, I greatly appreciated the distraction. It was nice to get lost in Darlene’s stories, and as it turned out, there wasn’t much she wasn’t willing to share, talking almost nonstop about everything from her love life to her and Elliot’s childhood.

Elliot listened, but I could tell he wasn’t truly present. There was something about his sister that seemed to make him retreat further into himself. I wasn’t sure if it had something to do with me or if it was something to do with their childhood. After the Fourth of July, I hadn’t pressed Elliot. He seemed to be in such a good place that I didn’t want to open up a door he clearly needed to keep closed.

“Do you remember that, El?” Darlene asked.

“Hmm?” Elliot questioned, clearly not listening.

“That first time we went to the museum in Queens with Angela? The place you always ran away to?”

Elliot gave a half-convincing nod.

“Anyway, it has this really cool model of the entire city. You should check it out.”

“I’ve lived here forever and never knew it was there. I love finding spots in the city I’ve never visited.”

“We should go—all of us,” Darlene suggested, looking at her brother.

Elliot didn’t answer, which seemed to be something Darlene was used to. She gave him time, but when it became clear that was as far as she was getting, I spoke up.

“Are you busy Saturday morning-ish?”

“I keep my life pretty open to my whims,” Darlene said as she chewed her roll.

“I need to find a dress for this dinner thing next week. Do you want to come shopping with me? I could use a second opinion—and lunch would be my treat for putting up with my indecisiveness.”

“Sure,” Darlene said with a grin. “Let me get your number.”

She opened her phone and quickly created a new contact for me to enter my number. Elliot watched us with a little more interest now that Darlene wasn’t talking about their childhood.

By the end of the night, I felt like Darlene and I were on our way to becoming friends. When the Uber took us back to Elliot’s, I let them go back to his place alone to have some time, probably to talk about me.

Elliot gave me a look and a wave as he shut the door, and I could hear Darlene chastising him for not kissing me goodnight. I waved and shook my head, giving the driver my apartment’s address.

* * * * *

As it turned out, shopping with Darlene was fun. While I tended to err on the side of being reserved and polite, she was to the point, and I ended up finding a dress more quickly than usual thanks to her frank opinion.

We had lots of time before lunch to wonder through a few more boutiques and Darlene stopped to try on some sunglasses. She looked particularly cute in a pair of heart-shaped ones, and I offered to buy them for her as a thank you.

She accepted with a shrug of her shoulders and a grin, once again the complete opposite of her brother, which I told her.

“I know, right? Elliot said I get it from dad. He was never afraid to say what was on his mind.”

“Does he talk about your dad to you? Or your mom?”

“Not if he can help it. We had a pretty shit childhood. Dad died when I was 5, so I have trouble remembering him. It hurt Elliot—they were best friends. I think my mom was always kinda jealous of that and really took it out on him. Which is really funny because it only made us hate her more.”

“Is she still living?”

“Yup. But she’s in assisted living. Fuck if either one of us was going to take care of her when she started getting sick. When Elliot left for college, I counted down the days until I could get the fuck out of that house. Without him, it was depressing as shit.”

“So you two are really close?”

Darlene gave me a measured look before replying, “How long have you known Elliot?”

“Mmm, almost a year.”

“But, like, you haven’t been close until, what, like a few months ago?”

“We were pretty close at work from the start. I was one of the only people he talked to.”

“But you didn’t really hang out a lot?”

“No.”

“And, since you got close, nothing strange has happened?”

I stopped walking and turned to face Darlene.

“Strange as in . . . occasional memory loss?”

“Yes!” Darlene said, her face filling with relief. “I was fishing because I didn’t want to—you know, Elliot is the best person I know. I would do anything for him, anything to protect him the same way he’s always protected me.”

“I understand. There’s something about him that makes you want to give him a really big hug and tell him the world isn’t as shitty as he thinks it is.

“But fuck if he’ll let anyone. I mean, you’re the only real girlfriend besides Angela he’s ever had. And they had some sort of friends with benefits thing going on—she’s her own basket of freshly baked fucked up.”

I laughed, “What the hell did they put in the water where you’re from?”

Darlene chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway. Elliot’s had those weird blackouts since we were kids. I’m convinced it has something to do with keeping people at a distance, at least that was what it always seemed to be with us. But that shit works on your nerves and for a while Elliot and I just didn’t talk. I mean, we kept tabs on each other, but we didn’t see each other.”

“Well, I think you’re good for him. He needs people who care about him actively in his life. Being alone like he was—that’s not good for anyone.”

Darlene smiled.

“I’m glad he has you—not just because you’re rich, but you seem cool.”

“Thanks, but no worries. I come with my own, how did you put it? Basket of fresh-baked fucked up?” I asked through a laugh.

“That was a good description, huh?”

“It was. So, maybe you can help me figure out how I’m going to tell Elliot I’ve rented him a tux and he has to attend this event with me?”

Darlene threw her head back and laughed, clearly loving that her brother had just been sentenced to a night of boring horror, and we linked arms as we walked to a café around the corner for lunch, grinning as we guessed at his response.

* * * * *

I hung my new dress on the back of my closet door, making a mental note to go through my shoes to see what matched and to remember to tell Elliot he had plans on Wednesday night.

Spending the day with Darlene had been fun, but exhausting. Getting to know people was hard work, especially people as complex as the Aldersons.

Elliot had said he wanted to come over, so I left my door unlocked while I ran a bath, loading up on the bubbles.

As I watched the tub fill up, I thought that maybe I should give Elliot a key to my place. Elliot Alderson most likely wasn’t about to break up with the person he finally got the courage to tell he loved, so the gesture might be another nice piece of consistency for him (and for me).  

I stepped out of my underwear and slid into the tub, luxuriating in the warmth and the sweet scent of coconuts. I had almost fallen asleep when there was a soft knock on my door before Elliot pushed his way into the bathroom.

He gave me a soft smile and took a seat on the edge of the tub.

“So you do use this thing?”

“Everyone loves a good soak in the tub.”

I paused, then seductively asked, “Want to join me?”

“No,” Elliot said flatly, making me laugh. He was such an atypical man that it was refreshing at times.

“That’s okay—I’m wiped. Your sister is exhausting. She has more energy than a child.”

Elliot nodded, his eyes incredibly focused on my face.

“I like her, though. I want to spend more time with her.”

“I’m glad,” Elliot said with relief. “I wasn’t sure if she’d be too much for you. She’s too much for me sometimes.”

“She loves you, El. So much. It’s sweet.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, a) she’s your sister,” I said, sitting up a bit and shaking off my sleep. “And b) she said you were the best person she’s ever known. I’d say that means she loves you.”

“I really don’t deserve that. I’ve done some shitty things to her.”

“Haven’t we all? I mean, to our siblings. Erin told you all about the epic chip battle of 1996.”

Elliot snorted, “I hardly think that counts.”

“I was being funny. We weren’t about to rehash the time she fucked my prom date in our limo the first time you met the family.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Erin was evil to me throughout high school. Granted, she was addicted to pills and to boys—she was six shades of fucked up.”

“What—why?”

“Two excellent questions, both with pretty blasé explanations. She got in with the wrong crowd, loved the attention, and just got sucked into that shitty world. It took years of therapy, and she was in and out of rehab until she finally found a purpose. She’s one of the lucky ones—so many addicts can’t find their way back once they take their first hit.”

“Wow. Never would’ve guess that.”

“You didn’t hack them, did you?”

“What?”

“Don’t sound so surprised—I trust you, El, however, I didn’t define all the grey areas, did I?”

“Not really—but I just assumed the whole ask, don’t hack applied to everyone in your life.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.”

“Hmm.”

“Is there something you want to ask me?”

“No,” I said a little confused. “Should there be something I should be asking you?”

“No.”

“Okay then.”

“Do me a favor?”

“Sure.”

“Beside the front door, there’s a ring of keys on the very last hook closest to the wall. Bring them to me?”

Elliot got up without saying a word and returned a minute later, the keys jangling as he walked. He handed them to me, and I shook the bubbles off my hand before I searched for my apartment key and wriggled it off the keyring.

“Here you go,” I said, holding the little silver key out to Elliot who now looked like he had a mouth full of peanut butter.

“Huh?” he asked, his mouth barely parting.

“I want you to be able to come and go as you please—and it also means I don’t have to get up to answer the door anymore, or leave it unlocked if I know you’re coming over at some point in the evening. It’s a gift of convenience.”

“Are you . . . sure?”

“It’s just a key to my apartment, El. Not an invitation to our wedding,” I finished as I closed my eyes and didn’t bother to hide the smirk on my face. I could practically hear the pistons misfiring in his brain at the mention of a wedding.

“Thanks,” came his cautious, quiet reply.

I nodded my head, not bothering to open my eyes as I let the warmth of the water envelop me again.

[lovingthereign25]

Never Again

CH 9

Weeks had passed you were still waiting to hear about Roman's case against Kelsey. But tonight you were gonna try to put that behind you and enjoy the Hall of Fame with Roman.You were still working things out Roman had rented a little apartment two blocks away. You were finishing getting your makeup done by Sasha when Roman comes in.

" Jesus Christ Y/n, you look amazing!" He smiles eyeing you from head to toe.

" Thank you, you look pretty damn good yourself" you smile back

"Well I'm all done here, she's all yours" Sasha says patting Roman's shoulder.

"Don't tell me that, we'll never make the ceremony if that's the case" he winks

"Oh god" Sasha laughs leaving

" Do you always have to be so dirty minded" you laugh

"When my wife looks smoking hot in everything she wears? yes, yes I do" he smiles

You shake your head as you take his hand and head down to the limo. You and Roman were riding with Seth, Becky and Carmella and Corey.

After a few pictures with Roman and a couple with some of the girls you go inside and take your seats. The ceremony was actually pretty good every other year you've found it boring. Roman couldn't keep his hands off you at the ceremony whether he was holding your hand, rubbing by our knee, or stroking your thigh.

"What do I have to do to get me some of you tonight?" He whispered in your ear.

"It that all you think about?" You laugh

"With you yes! And in my defence it's been about two months" he smirks

"4 to 6 weeks remember" you smile 

"Baby it's been 6 weeks I've been counting" he say squeezing your thigh. Making you laugh.

After the ceremony, the six of you decide to have dinner, as you were waiting for the food to come  you all start talking about the Hall of Fame. Roman places his hand on your thigh we which you didn't think much about until you felt him inching up more and more until he was just below where the slit started on your gown.

"Ro, Don't." You whisper placing your hand over his.

" Don't what?" He ask

"You know what, please!" You beg quietly

"What this" he says as his fingers brushed your heat. " No panties Y/n" he growls 

" I never do in dresses you know that" you say biting your lip.

"Mmmm….baby you wanted this didn't you?" He growls again

"Y-Yes, but not here Ro, we're in public" you whisper

"That never stopped us before" he says slipping two fingers into you making you gasp.

"You good?" Carmella asked

" Yeah, got a chill" you smile.

Roman started to pump his fingers in and out of you every now and then rubbing your clit. You bit your lip as hard as you could to stop from moaning.

Finally your food had come out making Roman remove he fingers sucking them clean with a smirk on his face. You tried to collect yourself while eating knowing all to well after your husband was done he'd be going back to torture you in pleasure 

You excuse yourself to the bathroom Carmella going with you.

"Couldn't wait until you got home huh?" Seth asks Roman quietly for only him to hear.

"What?" Roman asks

"Come on bro, Poor Y/n's face is flushed, I'm surprised she didn't draw blood biting her lip so hard" he laughs

"Can't help it man it's been too long, I've been a patient man but I have needs" he laughs.

The rest of the night you tried indulging in conversation so Roman wouldn't start teasing again and it worked very well. But once you were alone in the elevator going to your hotel room he started his teasing once more. Grabbing you from behind bringing you close to him so you could feel his member getting hard on your ass, sliding his hand up the front of your dress grabbing your heat.

"Daddy's about to tear this tight little pussy up baby girl" he says kissing your neck. "Believe that"

"Ahh, Roman there's cameras in here"! You point out

"I don't care. Let them know who's this is!" He growls.shoving two fingers in you

"Y-yours it's yours" you moan resting your head on Roman's shoulder.

"Louder Y/n" he demanded

" God Roman it's yours" you yell.

Roman removes his hand turning you around kissing your lips, the elevator doors open. You pulled away and smile seeing an elderly couple getting on. You passed a few more floors. They were on the same floor as you a few rooms down 

"Enjoy each other, Stay in love.Love is precious and the love you two have seems beautiful," the man said smiling at you two.

Once you in your room Roman's hands went right for the zipper on your dress undoing it.

"Take is off...slowly" he demanded

"Like this? " you ask slowly bring the straps down you arms pulling your arms out one by one never breaking eye contact.

" Just like that baby" he says "Strip for me".

You do as you're told still taking the dress off ,then giving him a little lap dance

"God Y/n you are so fucking sexy" he said undoing his belt and pants taking his semi hard dick out pumping it as he watched you.

"Come fuck me" you say crawling on the bed.Before you reached the top Roman grabbed you by your heels pulling you towards him.

"Roman" you giggle

"Shh. Just take it" he says as he thrusted into you.

"Holy shit Roman" you scream in pleasure.

Roman continued to thrust into your core harder and deeper each time. 

"How's that feel baby? How's it feel having Daddy fuck you again?" He asked grabbing your hair pulling back to him.

" S-so good baby. I missed this big dick in my tight pussy daddy" you moan 

"Who's Pussy?" He growled

"Mine" you say knowing exactly what you were doing. He started getting more rough thrusting harder than before hitting g-shot repeatedly.

"Oh fuck Roman, yes yea right there ahhh fuck me" you scream

"Who's pussy?" He asked again 

"Shit Daddy it yours!! You own this pussy Roman!" You moan

"Damn right I do!" He laughs as his thrust start to get a little sloppy.

"Mmmm..Roman you feels so good baby I'm close" you moan

"Me too baby" he says thrusting  few more times

"Y/n I'm gonna cum" he moans

"Shoot it in me, fill me up Daddy" you say biting your lip.

Roman released his hands from your hips as he slowly pulled out of you collapsing next to you on the bed.

"That was definitely worth the wait" you say missing his lips

"Baby, that was only the beginning, you have six weeks worth of dick coming" he smirks

"I can take it" you smile kissing his chest

"I know you can. Now come on get on top. Ride this dick like only you can" he says licking his lips.

It was definitely gonna be a long night for not only the two of you but your neighbors too.

Your Hall of Fame outfit:

[vgckwb]

ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 43: Abuse of Power!

“Nooroo! Dark Wings Fall!” Nathalie Hawk Moth called.

Nooroo reappeared as Nathalie returned to being herself. “I see you haven’t been using the peacock miraculous” Nooroo said.

“Yes, well, Mr. Agreste said I shouldn’t unless we absolutely need to” Nathalie said.

“I’ll tell you this as well” Nooroo said. “There is a chance Judgement Wolf could pass the both of you if you allow him to test you. He could help in other ways. I know Beyyo. He would never choose someone who upon finding out who you are will have you taken in right away. Please listen.”

Nathalie looked at the kwami. “I’ve heard what you had to say, but I'm still going to listen to Mr. Agreste.”

“You’re so devoted to him. Why is that?” Nooroo said.

Nathalie sighed. “Very well.”

She began telling the story of when she worked at an agency for secretaries. Her boss, Phillip Forestier, was working her to the bone as his own personal secretary. Most other secretaries of his quit or were fired because they weren't good enough. Rumors speculated that some left because they wouldn’t submit to his advances.

It was tough on Nathalie, but she needed to persevere. She was looking through her notes when she got a call. “Hello” she said.

“I’m coming over. I’ll see Mr. Forestier in 15 minutes” the voice on the other end said, angrily. He hung up.

Nathalie walked into Philip’s office. “Sir, a man just called saying he’s coming over now,” she said.

“Did he sound angry?” Philip asked. Nathalie nodded. He sighed. “Figures.”

15 minutes later, Gabriel stormed Philip’s office. “You keep giving me bad secretaries!” he said.

“Gabriel, baby” Philip said. Nathalie rolled his eyes. “What was wrong with Corey?”

Gabriel slammed his hands on Philip’s desk. “I have several things I need to keep track of. I need the latest fashion new, appointments, ideas, meetings, interns, workers, contracts, and a son, whose mother just went missing, and Corey can barely keep a hold of my coffee order and whatever meetings I have in the day! He has the potential to be a good secretary, but pawning him off on me is throwing him in the deep end!”

“What do you want me to do?” Philip asked.

“I want your best secretary!” Gabriel demanded.

“Well, unfortunately, all of our best secretaries are busy” Philip said.

“What about her?” Gabriel asked, pointing at Nathalie. She was shocked.

“What, Nathalie?” Philip asked. “I’m sorry, but she’s MY secretary.”

“You can have Corey” Gabriel said. “He’s free, and I can guarantee you that being your secretary is going to be a lot easier.”

“But he’s-” Philip began. Halfway through, he realized he didn’t want to finish that thought. “Whatever, I’m paying Nathalie a lot to be my secretary.”

Gabriel laughed. “Philip, we both know I could match what you’re paying her 5 times over.” Philip growled. “This is a fight you can’t win. However, I am in such a mood right now. You could have her back in a few weeks if she’s not great.” Philip relented and handed Gabriel the paperwork to sign. “Now, Nathalie, was it?” Nathalie nodded. “Come!” The two left the office.

At the Agreste manor, Gabriel was going over her new tasks. “Uh, sir” she spoke up.

“What is it?” Gabriel asked.

“Why did you want me?” Nathalie said.

Gabriel explained “I saw you roll your eyes at him. You were able to follow our conversation well enough, and I have to meet with people and talk with them at that speed on a regular basis. You seem like you’re up to the task.”

Nathalie was confused about something. “What does rolling my eyes have to do with anything?”

“It shows that you don’t just go along with things,” Gabriel said. “Natalie, my wife recently went missing. As you can imagine, I am in disarray. I’m not always make the right choices because I’m so worried about her. I need someone who can stand up to me. Tell me what I’m doing is wrong. No one else I've hired so far can do that for me. But you? You can. I need that. I need someone to keep my head above water. Otherwise, I’d be more of a mess than I am.”

Nathalie nodded. “I will do my best” she said.

“Thank you, Nathalie” Gabriel said.

“Truth be told, I’m glad to not be working for Philip” Nataline said. “He works his secretaries to the bone. He’s very controlling and forces them out of the company if they don’t comply with his every whim. Also, there have been some rumors that he makes advances on his secretaries, so giving him Corey is a nice little touch to leaving.”

Gabriel glared. “If what you said is true, he shouldn't be where he is. He should be in jail. Nathalie, I want you to investigate this, and if you find any evidence of your claims, give it to the police.”

“Yes sir” Nathalie said.

“I’ll be in my office” Gabriel said.

“You have a phone meeting at 4” Nathalie said. Gabriel smiled, knowing he picked the right person for the job.

In the present, Nathalie finished the story. “I collected information from everyone, and we got Philip arrested. The company is being run by someone more forgiving now. Ever since that first day, I could tell that Mr Agreste’s heart was in the right place, he just needs help from time to time figuring out how to use it.”

“And you don’t think this is a bad idea?” Nooroo said.

Nathalie looked at Nooroo. “I don’t think it’s the best idea, but it’s either this, or Mr. Agreste giving up on his wife. Which would mean giving up on the world to him. That would leave Adrien truly alone. I’m trying to do what’s best for everyone, but sometimes there are no good options.”

“I keep telling you, Judgement Wolf!” Nooroo said. “He could help. He could be the key to this!”

“I’ll talk to Mr. Agreste about this” Nathalie said. “In the meantime, I’ll keep doing what I have to do.”

“I understand” Nooroo said. “I’m just worried.”

“We all are” Nathalie said.

Meanwhile, Marinette flopped on her bed. “A meeting? Tomorrow? At ADIREN’S?”

“Marinette, calm down” Tikki said. “It’s going to be fine.”

“I know, Tikki” Marinette said. “But, it’s just so sudden!”

“Marinette, akuma attacks are sudden, yet you’re always prepared for those!” Tikki said.

Marinette smiled. “You’re right TIkki. I just hope things go well. Good night Tikki.”

“Good night Marinette” TIkki said.

Adrien flopped on his bed. “Can you believe it? I’m having my girlfriend and her parents over tomorrow!” he said.

“You know, most people would be more worried about that” Plagg said.

Adrien put his arms behind his head. “But Marinette’s going to be there. She always knows what to do during an akuma attack. I just need to follow her lead.”

“Look, kid, she’s a great Ladybug, but you know how she manages in social situations” Plagg said.

“Well, that’s why I’m there” Adrien said, nervously. “Look, tomorrow is going to be a great day, and nothing you say can make me think otherwise.”

Plagg looked at Adrien. “You right. Sorry.”

“It’s OK Plagg” Adrien said.

“Well, good night” Plagg said.

“Good night” Adrien said.

Judgement Wolf was standing outside of Nathaniel’s house. He made his was to Nathaniel’s window, and snuck in. Nathaniel was sound asleep. “Wolf Mist!”

“Huh? Where am I?” Nathaniel said. He looked around and realized he was in Chloe’s penthouse.

“Pound it!” Ladybug and Cat Noir said.

Ladybug then noticed something. “Cat Noir...We have a problem.”

“What is it, bugaboo?” Cat Noir asked. Ladybug turned his head to Nathaniel. “Oh.”

“What is it? What’s going on?” Nathaniel asked. He stood up and felt something on his arm. He looked at it and saw it was a drawing tablet. “GAH!”

“I thought we deakumatized him already” Cat Noir said.

“We did…” Ladybug said.

“Wait, was I akumatized?” Nathaniel asked. “I’m sorry.”

Ladybug smiled. “It’s OK,” she said. “You’re fine now.”

“But maybe we should have a chat” Cat Noir said.

“Right” Ladybug said. “Grab on.” She extended her hand and lifted Nathaniel up. The heroes and Nathaniel took off to a different rooftop in Paris. 

Once they landed, Cat Noir asked “OK, what’s going on here?”

“I’d like to know as well” Nathaniel said

“I don’t know. This never happened before” Ladybug said.

“Do you think it works?” Cat Noir posed.

“Only one way to find out!” Ladybug said. “Nathaniel, can you draw something on that tablet?”

“Uh, sure. I just need a pen” Nathaniel said. He felt around and found one in his pocket. He was surprised. He drew a flower and it materialized. “Woah!”

“That was your power when you were Akumatized” Ladybug said. “You can also erase things.”

“Yeah, it was really troublesome” Cat Noir said. Ladybug gave him a look. “But we won anyway.” Ladybug facepalmed.

“So, does this mean I retained my powers?” Nathaniel asked.

“Looks like it” Ladybug said.

“So, can I be a superhero with you two?” Nathaniel said, excitedly.

“I don’t see why not” Cat Noir said.

“Well, we have to look into how he retained his powers, but I suppose in the meantime there’s no harm in it” Ladybug said. Nathaniel smiled. “But, you have to only use your powers in emergency situations.”

“Understood” Nathaniel said. “Um, could you let me down?” The heroes took Nathaniel to street level. “Thanks again. Now, how do I compact this so it’s not just there all the time?” The drawing tablet compacted itself. “Oh.”

“Well, see you around” Ladybug said. The two heroes left.

The next day at school, Chloe was giving Marinette a hard time. “Seriously? Do you even have half a brain? Watch where you’re going next time!”

“Sorry Chloe” Marinette said.

Nathaniel saw this. He wanted to intervene. He pulled up his arm and was ready to draw something. But then he looked at the wristband that could turn into a tablet and thought about what Ladybug has said. This isn’t an emergency, but I can’t leave Marinette alone like this. Nathaniel instead decided to walk up to Chloe. “Hey. Leave Marinette alone!”

“Oh, and what are you going to do about that, loverboy?” Chloe snarked.

Nathaniel glared at her. “We don’t need this. Marinette, let’s go.” Nathaniel took Marinette and walked away.

“Ugh! Whatever” Chloe said, walking the other direction.

“Thanks” Marinette said.

“No problem” Nathaniel said. “So, what did she mean by ‘Loverboy’?”

“Well… when you were akumatized, you kind of asked me to go on a date with you” Marinette explained.

“Oh no! Did I hurt you?” Nathaniel asked.

“Not at first” Marinette explained. “I agreed but I made you promise not to hurt anyone. However, I met with Ladybug. She saw you and came up with a plan to get your akumatized object away from you. She said she had a secret mission to go on, so she sent Cat Noir to help me. But once you picked up on what was going on, you trapped us on a sinking ship. Luckily, Cat Noir got us out in time.”

“Oh” Nathaniel said, sorrow filling his eyes. “Marinette, I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK” Marinette said. “You weren’t yourself.”

Nathaniel smiled. “So, um, would you go out with me for real?” he asked nervously.

Marinette fidgeted nervously. “Sorry...but I like this other guy…”

“I understand” Nathaniel said, disappointedly.

“But, I still want to be friends”! Marinette said.

Nathaniel smiled. “Of course.” Marinette walked away. Nathaniel saw Adrien. Marinette was fairly obvious about her affections. Nathaniel thought he could use his powers to thoroughly embarrass Adrien. No. Not only is that not an emergency, but that would make me just as petty as Chloe.

Nathaniel walked to class. On his way, he saw another kid getting bullied. But this isn’t the type of bullying Chloe usually does. The kid was pinned to the wall. The bully raised his fist. OK. This is an emergency! Nathaniel took out his drawing tablet and drew a wall between the bully and the victim.

“OW!” the bully said after punching the wall. “What the?”

“Run!” Nathaniel said. The victim complied.

“So, who are you?” the bully asked.

“Me? I’m just someone who won’t stand for innocent people getting hurt” Nathaniel said. He added more walls around the bully until he was completely encapsulated. “There. Now all we have to do is wait for the teachers to arrive.”

“Nathaniel” Lady Ladybug appearing behind him.

“Ladybug?” Nathaniel said, turning around. “This was an emergency! Someone was going to get hurt!”

“There weren’t any akumas” Ladybug said.

Nathaniel was shocked. “So, you think an emergency can only happen whenever Hawk Moth strikes? I’m sorry Ladybug, but I can’t agree to that. The reason Hawk Moth strikes in the first place is because of incidents like this. One bad day is all it takes from someone to become an akuma victim.”

“Well, we have powers. And it’s our responsibility to not use our powers in everyday life” Ladybug said.

“I know we can’t use our powers for selfish reasons” Nathaniel said. “But that kid was going to be hurt.”

Ladybug looked sad. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to fight you.”

“How?” Nathaniel said. “I’m not working for Hawk Moth anymore! I don’t care about your miraculous. I can just as easily erase it!” Ladybug was shocked. “I can create whatever you could using your Lucky Charm! Meanwhile, you don’t even know why I still have these powers.”

“Nathaniel…” Ladybug said.

“I don’t want to fight you, Ladybug” Nathaniel said. “You’re amazing. You save Paris all the time. And I even understand you not using your powers in everyday situations. But we need to be heroes both in and out of akuma attacks. I believe that sometimes my powers are necessary.

And look! I didn’t do anything more than just prevent someone getting hurt! The bully is fine by all accounts. I didn’t create anything that could seriously injure him. I just stopped him from hurting someone.”

Ladybug smiled. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” Nathaniel lowered his guard. “Your powers are different. You’re different. You seem to be very responsible with your power. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”

Just as Nathaniel was about to say something, an explosion happened. “What was that?” Nathaniel asked.

“An akuma!” Ladybug said. She reached her hand out to Nathaniel. “Do you still want to save Paris with us?”

Nathaniel smiled. “Of course Ladybug!” He grabbed her hand.

Suddenly, everything around him disappeared into a white void. “Well well, it looks like you’ve passed” Judgement Wolf said.

“Judgement Wolf?! So this was my test?” Nathaniel said.

“Of course” Judgement Wolf said.

“Fascinating” Nathaniel said.

“Of course, Beyyo still has to approve. But I have a feeling he will” Judgement Wolf said.

“Beyyo?” Nathaniel asked.

“He’s my kwami” Judgement Wolf said.

“Oh. OK” Nathaniel said.

“Well, good night” Judgement Wolf said. He left the Wolf Mist and headed home. Nathaniel fell back asleep.

The next morning, Marinette’s alarm went off. She sleepily silenced it and sat up. “Marinette! Get ready! Were heading to Adrien’s house!” Sabine called.

Marinette woke up instantly. “Right! I’m on it!” she said, nervously. She began her morning routine.

[cobythinks]

I Don’t Do Soulmates || A Sanders Sides Soulmate AU

A/N: This is a long one, so most of it is under the cut. Also, be sure to check out my MASTERLIST.

Summary: Roman doesn’t do soulmates, even though he has three. Dalton doesn’t do soulmates because he doesn’t have any.  Despite Roman’s best efforts, though, it feels like he’s destined to meet his soulmates one day. That doesn’t mean he has to like it.

Ships: Roceit, LoganxPattonxVirgil, platonic LAMP

WARNINGS: sympathetic Deceit, mentions of death, mentions of a car accident, food mention, swearing, depression, talk of self harm/suicidal thoughts. Nothing super explicit. Please stay safe!

Roman liked fairy tales. He always had. He loved the stories about the kings and the queens, knights, princesses that needed saving, evil stepmothers, fairy godmothers, dwarves, beasts, soulmates, and especially happy endings. When he was little, the bookshelves in his bedroom were dominated by various copies of the books and CD cases. His walls were covered in drawings of those stories - and sometimes stories of his own.

The day he found out that he was lucky enough to have three soulmates was the best day of his life. The thought that he could be a prince or a knight and protect someone who meant so much to him? That just fueled his creative energy into more. He’d write stories to his soulmates in bright red marker and pen, usually accompanied by illustrations.

Roman never once considered that most of his heroes had a tragic backstory. After all, that was just a story. Just something to make the stories more interesting. His life was fine - perfect even. He had three soulmates, more than anyone else he knew! Patton, who never seemed to use the same color of marker. Logan, who always used dark blue ballpoint pen. Virgil, who seemed to only own black and purple markers.

Even his parents only had each other, just one soulmate each. Unlike some antagonistic fairy tale parents, they were wonderful. They encouraged him in writing his stories - sloppily relayed to his soulmates across his arms and sometimes legs.

As far as fairytales go, Roman was sure he’d gotten the better end of the deal. He didn’t have a curse or a wicked stepmother, he had all the good.

At least… he did.

Roman was nine years old when it happened. It wasn’t anyone's fault, of course. Accidents like that happen all the time. It was January, and it was getting dark as they drove home from the movies on the backroads. No one could have seen the patch of black ice covering the road. No one could have stopped them from sliding, spinning off the road. No one, not even a prince from one of Roman’s stories, could have stopped his parents from dying.

After the crash, stricken with grief and confusion, Roman stopped writing to his soulmates. How was he supposed to protect people he’d never met if he couldn't even keep his own parents alive? He couldn't keep making them promises he’d never keep. So it would be best, he figured, to not. At least for a little while.

A little while turned into eight years.

“Roman, get your lazy ass out of bed!” Roman groaned, rolling out onto the floor. “Now! The bus will be here in five minutes and I am not driving you again!”

“Okay! God, Aunt Rina,” Roman muttered under his breath as he pulled himself standing, glancing with a frown at his mirror. He’d fallen asleep in his clothes again, not wanting to change and see the messages written there.

Not that he didn’t read them. Roman smiled sadly, pulling at his wrist to examine an intricate flower in black and purple. He read all the messages he got from his soulmates. He never replied. They didn’t deserve that. They’d stopped trying to directly contact him years ago, Roman wasn’t even sure if they remembered.

“ROMAN!”

“OKAY!” Roman yelled irritably, grabbing his backpack. One plus side of accidentally sleeping in his clothes and shoes, he could just leave his aunt's house as soon as he woke up. He hurried through the kitchen, avoiding looking at his aunt.

“Hey,” Roman sighed and lifted his head to look at her. She sighed. “Breakfast.” Roman caught the banana she threw at him and turned without replying, hurrying down the street to the bus stop. He stuck the banana in his backpack, halfheartedly planning to eat it at lunch.

His aunt wasn’t a bad person… they just didn’t get along. They never had, and it probably didn’t help that Roman had three soulmates he refused to contact. She had none. So, it was natural she’d be bitter and angry about it.

Roman slipped into the backseat of the bus and pulled up his sleeve, smiling fondly at the poem written in dark blue ink. Even after all these years, they used the same colors. Virgil with his purple and black - eternally edgy. Patton continued to supply different kinds of inks and colors - some complete with glitter. Roman sighed and pulled the sleeve back down, looking up moodily as someone else got on at the next spot.

He didn’t recognize them, they must be new. It was the beginning of a term. Roman sighed, watching as the kid looked around. Then they locked eyes, and for some god-forsaken reason he smiled and walked over, sitting across the aisle from Roman.

“Hey,” Roman grudgingly smiled. No reason to be rude - this guy hadn’t ever done anything to him. “You’re new, right?”

“Uh…” The kid shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah. I’m Dalton.”

“Roman.” Roman ran a hand through his hair. “Nice to meet you.”

“I guess.” Dalton sighed and shook his head. “You too.” Roman nodded, looking down as the pink Crayola marker traced the outline of a few hearts on the back of his hand. He shoved it into the pocket of his jacket, planning to check the finished design once he was alone.

“Are you in drama?” Dalton suddenly asked. Roman looked over in surprise, nodding.

“Uh.. yeah. How’d you know?”

“Your jacket…” Dalton shrugged sheepishly. Oh yeah, he was wearing the hoodie from the play last year. Roman smiled. “Is it hard? I kinda wanted to try out, but I’ve never really acted before…”

“You should do it,” Roman said, turning to face him better. “It’s really cool, and I think you’d do well.” Dalton frowned.

“You just met me.”

“Yeah,” Roman shrugged and looked at the floor. “Anyway, where’d you move from?”

“Oh, just a few towns over.” Dalton sighed. “I came to live with my mom and her new husband, and his kids. Long story.”

“Hey,” Roman held up his hands. “You don’t have to tell me, we’ve all got long stories.” Dalton smiled.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” Roman looked at the back of his hand and smiled fondly at it.

Four hearts in a group covered most of it, and Patton seemed to be highlighting them with all different colors. Purple, navy blue, and sky blue… and red. Roman looked away and put his hands back in his pockets. Dalton didn’t seem to have noticed, he had turned to look out the window as they pulled into the parking lot.

“Do you have your schedule?” Roman asked with a sigh, grabbing his bag and standing.

“Uh…” Dalton rifled through his pockets and pulled out a folded paper. Yeah. “Logan just graduated last year, he made me a map…”

“Cool.” Roman tried not to think about the poem on his arm when he heard the name. Logan was a common name. “He’s…”

“My step-brother,” Dalton said as they slowly made their way to the front. “Like I said,”

“Long story.” Roman grinned. “Who do you have for first period?”

“Mr. Corey,” Dalton frowned. “Math. why did I decide to have math in first- nevermind.”

“I have him second,” Roman said. Dalton nodded, then smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry I’ve kinda bugged you all morning, uh… but thanks.”

“It’s nothing,” Roman, threw an arm around the other kids' shoulders. “I’ll show you where Mr. Corey’s room is.”

“You sit alone?” Roman’s head jerked up from where he’d been reading Virgil’s to-do list. He yanked his sleeves down when he saw Dalton. Dalton slid down the wall next to him, pulling out a paper bag.

“Uh, yeah,” Roman shrugged. “Gotta fill the quota for teenage brooding, y’know?”

“But like, you don’t have any friends?” Dalton seemed completely surprised. Roman frowned.

“I mean…”

“You just seemed like the popular kind of jock guy. Theater guy.” He corrected as an afterthought, pulling out a sandwich.

“Well, not everything is obvious.” Roman sighed, then dramatically pouted. “Are you saying you aren’t my friend?”

“Hey-” Dalton frowned. “That’s not fair, dude, come on!” Roman laughed, shaking his head.

“I’m kidding. Geez. You don’t have to sit with me.”

“I want to,” Dalton shrugged and took a bite of his sandwich. Roman watched him for a moment, then remembered his own lunch. The projectile banana from Aunt Rina. He sighed and grudgingly pulled it out, Virgil’s handwriting flashing through his mind.

‘Remember to eat’ he was always writing things like that. ‘Water is actually important.’ Whether it was for himself, or for his soulmates, Roman didn’t know. And he certainly never planned on asking.

“What do you have after lunch?” Roman asked as he peeled the fruit.

“Creative Writing,” Dalton replied. “You?”

“Do you have Bird?” Roman asked, face lighting up. Dalton pulled out the wrinkled paper, transferring Dorito crumbs onto it, then nodded. “Well, that’s at least one class we both have.”

“You write?” Dalton’s face lit up. “That’s cool!”

“I mean…” Roman shrugged and rubbed the spot where Logan’s poem still remained on his skin. “Kindof. I like to, but I don’t know if I’m good.”

“I’m horrible,” Dalton said matter of factly. Roman frowned.

“I refuse to believe that.” he declared.

“I am!” Dalton laughed. “I mean… I might not be horrible. But I’m not good. I’m nothing like…” he trailed off and shook his head. “Logan hates it when I compare myself to him. I can’t help it. Did you know he graduated a year early? He’s the same age as me, but he’s already graduated!”

“...yeah?” Roman tried to ignore thoughts of scribbled conversations between his soulmates. Talking about grades and accelerated programs in that dark blue ink. “Well, you shouldn’t compare yourself.”

“You haven’t read his poems,” Dalton put his sandwich down.

“Do you have any poems of your own?” Roman asked. “I don’t care about Logan, I’ve never met him. I want to read yours.”

“You… you do?” Dalton stared at him for a moment before he sighed. “I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? You could stop talking to me, and we’ve only known each other a day. Wouldn’t be that devastating.”

“What, you don’t find me absolutely charming?” Roman grinned. Dalton rolled his eyes, then pulled out a notebook and flipped forward a few pages.

“Just don’t make fun of me, okay?”

“Would a prince charming ever make fun of someone like you?” Roman joked, accepting it. Dalton chuckled.

“Prince charming, huh?”

Roman didn’t respond, eyes skating over the words on Dalton’s page. He was good, which meant he had really bad self-esteem or that Logan guy was amazing. Maybe as amazing as the one who used blue ink. He quickly banished the thoughts and looked up, grinning.

“This is great! Mr. Bird is going to love you.” He declared, passing it back as the bell rang. Dalton smiled, shoving the notebook into his bag as fast as he could.

“I want to read some of yours eventually,” he declared as they stood up. Roman shook his head.

“I don’t write poetry. I write stories.”

“Well, I wanna read your story.”

“You will, we’re required to peer edit in Birds class anyway,” he explained.

“You know what I mean,” Dalton laughed anyway. “Show me the way, then, Prince Charming.”

Roman ignored the slight flush to his cheeks when Dalton said that and nodded, turning into the English hall. What right did he have to think about this kid when he ignored his own soulmates, anyway?

Roman sighed, staring down at his bare arms. Well, no sleeves. They were in no way bare. Virgil’s morning to-do list was faded, and at the moment being ‘bedazzled’ with glitter gel pens in gold and silver. On the other arm, the poem had grown. Roman knew it had been open-ended, but he hadn’t realized it was just unfinished.

It was beautiful.

Everything they did was beautiful. Their drawings, Logan’s poems, just the way they talked to each other. They did more when they were younger before they exchanged phone numbers and started talking that way. Roman closed his eyes to block out the marks.

He didn’t want to talk to them. He’d just let them down. It was best that he hadn’t let a pen touch his skin in years. It was best that he just… avoided it. He couldn't break a promise he didn’t make.

And then there was Dalton. Roman sighed, running his hands through his hair. Someone who didn’t think Roman was weird, who didn’t know he was a depressed orphan who spent a summer in a mental health facility because he wanted to see his parents again. Dalton didn’t know. And Roman didn’t know about his past, they didn’t know each other's long stories. That was the best part about being friends with Dalton. The past didn’t matter.

Roman opened his eyes again and stared at the hearts on the back of his hand. They were beautiful. What started out as some kind of doodle - probably because he got bored during school as always - had somehow become some kind of 3D masterpiece. It was beautiful.

And there were four hearts. Roman ran a thumb over it, smiling sadly. Patton remembered him. There was no other reason to draw four hearts. God, why did he have to care so much? Roman buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. Why did he have soulmates? How could he have one soulmate? Let alone three! It didn’t make any sense! It had never made any sense.

“Hey, your aunt said you were-” Roman’s head jerked up in surprise. Dalton stood awkwardly in the open door. “Uh… sorry. You left your phone in the drama room, and…”

“Th-thanks.” Roman got up, letting his hair fall over his eyes to try and disguise the tears. “Sorry, you didn’t have to.”

“It’s okay.” Dalton shrugged. “Uh… are you good? Sorry I barged in, your aunt said it’d be okay.”

“It’s fine.” Roman snapped, tossing his phone onto the bed. Dalton frowned. “Sorry, D, you just came over at a bad time.”

“Sorry about that,” Dalton said quickly.

“Don’t be.” Roman grabbed his jacket and pulled it on. “What’s up?”

“Logan’s being an ass.” Dalton declared, leaning against the doorway. Roman snickered, turning to look at him.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He met one of his soulmates last week and ever since then he’s been super weird. Now the guy’s at our house and… yeah.”

“Oh.” Roman pulled the sleeves of his jacket down to cover his hands. “Sorry about that, buddy.”

“It’s okay.” Damien walked over and sat on the bed next to him. “I don’t care about soulmates, the guy’s just annoying. He keeps trying to hug me.”

“Wow, what a horrible thing,” Roman said sarcastically. Dalton rolled his eyes.

“Okay, whatever.”

“I don’t do soulmates either,” Roman mumbled.

“Well, guess we can complain about Logan together.” Dalton laughed, bumping him with his shoulder. Roman chuckled, nodding.

“Sounds perfect. You can come complain about him, and I can listen and nod slowly and agree.” He declared.

“What, you don’t have anything to complain about?” Dalton asked skeptically. “Like your crazy aunt who eats chocolate covered bugs?” Roman groaned.

“I told her that was disgusting.”

“It’s okay. You can complain about the bugs, I’ll complain about the step-brother. It all evens out.”

“Well, you’re better at math than me so that sounds right.”

Logan and Patton met. Roman didn’t care. At least, he tried not to care. But how could he not care? Why did he have to keep getting their marks if he didn’t want them? Why did they happen to meet at the same time as Dalton’s stupid step-brother and his? Why did he have to be so certain that Dalton’s stupid step-brother was his soulmate?

Roman sighed, staring at the ceiling.

He doesn’t do soulmates. He’d decided that… well, he never necessarily decided that. He just didn’t want to talk to them. He didn’t want to meet them. He didn’t want to disappoint them. It was inevitable that if he contacted them, he’d disappoint them. Besides… he didn’t need a soulmate. He had a friend - for the first time in years. And that was fine.

If only there was a way to get rid of the marks.

He’d spent the past three hours googling it, and he had nothing. According to science, there was no way to get rid of the connection between soulmates. He was stuck with it, and it was stupid.

“How’s that ceiling looking?”

“Ugh, I’m trying to brood Dalton come on.” Roman sat up, frowning. “How long have you-”

“I didn’t want Rita to offer me another weird snack.” Dalton shrugged. “Anyway, what are you brooding about?”

“Nothing.” Roman barely got the words out before a pillow smacked him in the face. “Hey!”

“Cut the crap, you dummy,” Dalton demanded, holding the pillow threateningly. Roman squinted at him. “What the hell is going on with you? You’re lucky enough to have three soulmates and you claim you ‘don't do soulmates’? You’ve been googling all about them for days now.” Roman sat with his mouth partway open, surprised. “I rant to you about my crap. Can't you just… talk for fifteen minutes about whatever it is?”

“...I don’t get it.”

“What’s wrong, dumbass.”

Roman sighed, shaking his head.

“How do you know I have three soulmates?” he asked. Dalton rolled his eyes and pulled Roman’s jacket off.

“Three handwritings,” he said softly. “Different colors. Come on, I’m not an idiot. Logan has two, and… wait.” Roman tried to pull his arm away but Dalton pulled it closer. “What the hell?”

“D, listen, I-”

“This is Logan’s handwriting. And Patton’s. What the hell is going on, Roman?” Dalton shoved Roman’s arm and got up, folding his arms. “My step-brother is one of your soulmates?”

“No.” Roman pulled his jacket back on and stood up. “I mean… yeah. It doesn’t matter, though. I told you before that I don’t do-”

“You don’t do soulmates, I get it!” Dalton yelled. “I don’t either. Know why? I don’t have any soulmates! You have three! I drew on my arms all the time until I was fifteen just trying to get someone to respond! You’re an idiot!”

“Look, I’m sorry,” Roman spread his hands miserably. “I never asked for soulmates… I don’t want to meet them! I haven’t drawn on my skin in years because I don’t care. Okay?” Dalton sighed, burying his face in his hands.

“I just… when you first said you didn’t do soulmates…I thought you were like me. I thought, that maybe, we could be actual friends. But…”

“I don’t have soulmates.” Roman insisted. Dalton looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “Okay? Just… I just have whatever they draw. On my skin. Like soulmates. But they aren’t. Please stop yelling at me.”

Dalton just looked at him, and Roman looked back.

“Logan has been studying soulmates for years.” Dalton finally said. “If there is anyone who can get rid of them, it would be him. I’ll ask.”

“Wait- really?” Roman stared at him. He couldn't tell if the feeling in his chest was sadness or elation. It was just something. “Are you sure?”

“Of course.” Dalton scoffed. “When you get Logan talking, he never stops.”

“Thanks.” Roman wrapped his friend in a hug and Dalton laughed, returning it. “You’re the best.”

“Yeah well, you better believe it. I’m gonna have to listen to all Logan’s crap to find this out for you.” Dalton laughed.

“I owe you,” Roman said enthusiastically. “I will get you five boxes of chocolate covered crickets.”

“If you do that, I’m gonna cut your hair off,” Dalton said, shoving Roman away playfully. Roman frowned but nodded.

“Okay, no crickets. I’ll think of something!”

“But before I go back to my house, where I’ll be forced to hear many many things that are irrelevant to the question I’ll ask, let’s go do something actual people do.”

“Everyone stares at the ceiling all day,” Roman said, waving a hand dismissively. Dalton rolled his eyes.

“Your aunt said she’d bring us snacks in fifteen minutes and if we aren’t gone I’m jumping out the window.” He said, turning to the door.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Roman chuckled. “Bye Aunt Rina!”

“Don’t get hit by a car.”

“So, you’re saying that hypothetically, you want to know how to cut off a soulmate bond?” Logan asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Hypothetically,” Dalton said, smiling winningly. “I figured you’d know, you’re almost an expert.”

“D…” Logan shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ve been trying to figure that out for ages, too.” Dalton frowned.

“You just wanna know everything, cuz you’re an ass.” Logan sighed, rolling his eyes.

“Look, Dalton, I want to know the same thing you do. But scientifically, biologically, even spiritually which is a load of shit but I still looked into it, there should be no reason you stop having a connection with your soulmate.” Logan shook his head. “Why do you care? You don’t have a soulmate!” Dalton scowled, stepping back.

“Oh, that’s nice.”

“Okay, I’m sorry, I-”

“Shut up, you fu-”

“Dalton, I’m sorry!” Logan yelled, grabbing his arm. “I know you’re upset about that, and I get it. But no one can control soulmates. Anomalies happen, and that’s why Ro- and that’s why no one understands it.” Dalton frowned.

“I was asking for a friend,” he said, pulling away from his step-brother’s hands. “Because unlike everyone else on earth, he knows that soulmates are stupid!” Dalton stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Logan had been about to say a name, and he knew which one. How did he know who Roman was if they’d never met? If Roman hadn’t written to them in years? Dalton hurried down the street toward Roman’s house. He had to figure this out, he had to figure this out before he got in too deep. Before he got his hopes up.

“Hey Dalton,” Rina said when he walked through the door. “I didn’t hear you knock.”

“Where’s Roman?”

“Where do you think?” Dalton ran down the hall and slammed open the door.

“Holy shit-” Roman scrambled to get up from where he sat on the floor. “Dalton?”

“What are you-” Dalton’s eyes flew immediately to Roman’s hands. He scowled. “Roman!”

“What?” Roman asked bitterly, tossing the pocketknife onto his bed.

“What the hell are you doing!” Dalton stormed over and grabbed Roman’s arms, glaring at the handwriting scrawled across it in purple. The sentence severed in several places, and Dalton glared up at his friend.

“Listen, you can’t do this.”

“Go away.”

“No.” Dalton shoved Roman into the desk chair and pulled open a drawer, rifling through it. Of course, Roman had a stash of bandages in there too. “How many times do I have to tell you-you're-”

“An idiot! I know!” Roman snapped. “I’m sorry, okay? I just hate seeing Virgil’s stupid…” he shook his head and Dalton sighed. “Nevermind.”

“Logan knows your fucking name,” Dalton said, pressing the bandages over Roman’s arm.

“What are you talking about?”

“I asked him about the soulmate thing,” Dalton said, walking to the bed to pick up the knife. “And he got really upset. Logan doesn’t get upset. Apparently, he’s researched soulmates for a specific reason that he didn’t specifically tell me because he stopped himself halfway through saying ‘Roman’.”

“Yeah right.”

“So what’s your deal?”

“I just…” Roman shook his head and Dalton raised an eyebrow. “I can never talk to them. Okay?”

“...okay.” Dalton sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Please don’t do it again, Roman.”

“I’m sorry,” Roman muttered, rubbing the bandages. “I just…usually, no one cares.”

“Well I do, so stop being…” Dalton took a deep breath. “Please.”

“Okay, whatever.” Roman pulled on his jacket, concealing both the bandages and the Muriel covering his right arm.

Dalton leaned against his desk, trying to think of something to say that wouldn’t make things worse. He was always making things worse. But now, this time, he really didn’t want to make things worse.

“Why do you care?” Roman asked softly. Dalton sighed and looked up at him, offering a small smile.

“Cuz I’m in love with you, dumbass.”

Somehow, Roman was less bothered by the marks on his skin than ever. He barely noticed them, most of the time. He kept his arms covered - though sometimes their doodles would creep onto his hands, but he didn’t mind. After all, who needed a soulmate when you had a boyfriend who wasn’t fated to love you anyway? It was still difficult because Roman did care about the people writing on his arms. But he didn’t have to be involved with them, right? He could still laugh at the puns Patton might scribble in green marker, he could still use Virgil’s to-do list as his own if he was having trouble. He could still read Logan’s poetry, though it wasn’t as good as Dalton’s.

“We’re out of milk.” Roman sighed, slamming the fridge shut.

“I live a block away, let’s just make cereal there,” Dalton said, standing up with his bowl. Roman snickered.

“Do you have milk? What if we walk all the way there and you guys are out too?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. Dalton rolled his eyes.

“We always have milk cuz I’m the only one that drinks it. My step-dad is lactose intolerant.”

“Let’s go.” Roman grabbed his own bowl and Dalton chuckled. “We’re going out, Aunt Rina!”

“Have fun and don’t murder anyone!” Rina yelled back. Roman rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but grin as he and Dalton walked down the sidewalk. He grabbed Dalton’s hand, ignoring his boyfriend’s protests.

“It’s fine,” he promised. Dalton raised an eyebrow. Roman grinned. “We’re just two soulless guys who happen to be dating, right?” Dalton rolled his eyes.

“Right.”

Dalton led the way up the front steps and into the kitchen, where he put the bowl down and pulled a gallon of milk from the fridge.

“Tada! I was right.”

“I didn’t doubt you,” Roman scoffed. Dalton laughed, pouring his milk before doing Roman’s as well. “Aw, for me? You’re too kind.”

“Dalton?” both looked up when someone poked their head into the room. He was tall and pale, with black hair and glasses. Roman knew it was Logan, he had a purple grocery list on his left arm. “I thought you were going to be at your boyfriend’s house.”

“We were out of milk,” Roman said, lifting his bowl. Logan stared at him, lips pursed.

“Don't worry, geez.” Dalton waved a hand. “We aren’t gonna bug you guys. I told you soulmates are stupid.”

“Good.” Logan adjusted his glasses. “We’ll be in the living room, you can manage to stay out of that room can’t you?”

“Yeah.” Dalton looked at Roman and rolled his eyes, Roman chuckled. Logan sighed and left, shaking his head. “...that’s Logan. I told you he was an ass.”

“I still believe you,” Roman promised. “You’re stuck with me, understand?”

“Thank god.” Roman glanced toward the hallway when the doorbell rang, but Logan answered it almost immediately. Dalton chuckled, elbowing him as they heard a chipper voice start to ramble. Roman wasn’t really listening until he heard him say;

“And this is Virgil!” Roman stiffened, and Dalton gently leaned his head on Roman’s shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he whispered softly. Roman frowned. What exactly was he referring to? He opened his mouth to ask, but then the owner of that chipper voice bounced into the kitchen.

“Hey Dalton!” he said, beaming. “Oh! And Dalton’s handsome friend!”

“He’s my boyfriend,” Dalton said, narrowing his eyes. Patton laughed - it had to be Patton.

“Awe! Hi, I’m Patton!” yep, it was Patton alright. Roman smiled, nodding politely.

“Patton, Dalton promised not to bug us, and-” Logan sighed as he walked into see Patton trying to hug both Roman and Dalton at the same time.

Roman pushed him away, feeling his heart race. This was not a good time to be at Dalton’s house, obviously. Shit, he never wanted to meet his soulmates and now all three of them happened to be here.

“Oh, sorry!” Patton chuckled, stepping back.

“It’s fine,” Roman said in a soft voice. Dalton took his hand, smiling supportively. Roman frowned. What was with him right now?

“Well, I guess you've met Patton.” Logan sighed. “This is Virgil, he’s our... other soulmate.” He walked in, followed by a short teenager with purple hair and a black jacket. Just like Virgil would most definitely look.

“This is my boyfriend,” Dalton said as he squeezed Roman’s hand. “Roman.” Roman’s head swiveled and he narrowed his eyes. Dalton just smiled back sadly. The other three just stood there for a moment.

“...that’s a nice name.” Patton finally said. “I’ve always liked it, anyway.” Roman self consciously rubbed his arm through his jacket sleeve, knowing that a purple grocery list was on his arm just like the other three.

“Yeah, well,” Roman shrugged. What else could he say? He looked back at Dalton, who was obviously trying to convey silently that he should do something. But Roman had no idea what it might be.

“Erm, anyway,” Logan chuckled nervously as Dalton’s eyes flicked between Roman and the group of others. Roman scowled. Dalton could not be serious. They were dating for crying out loud! “Nice to meet you, Roman. Dalton’s boyfriend.”

“Dude.” Dalton hissed. Roman glared at him.

“Let’s just pop in here,” Patton was obviously forcing a smile as they all went to the living room. Roman turned to Dalton.

“What the hell!” he hissed. “Dalton, what was that!”

“Roman, they’re your-” Roman raised an eyebrow and Dalton lowered his voice. “They’re your soulmates. You should at least tell them.”

“No, are you crazy?” Roman shook his head. “I can’t. I told you that a month ago, D!”

“What did they ever do to you?” Dalton demanded. “I just want you to make sure you’re happy, okay! I care about you!”

“Then why did you try that?” Roman demanded.

“Soulmates are real, Roman. They’re a thing. We’re really close, but I know you wish you could be with them! I’ve always known!”

“No, I don’t.” Roman insisted. Dalton frowned, folding his arms.

“Why?”

“They’d be disappointed,” Roman said, repeating the lie he’d told himself for years. Dalton snorted. “They probably don’t even remember me and-”

“You know they do. You saw their faces when I said your name!”

“Well, I don’t care!” Roman yelled, pushing Dalton away from him. Dalton stared at him, eyes filled with hurt. “You don’t get it, Dalton. I can’t risk letting them down!”

“How can you let them down if they don’t even know you?”

“I just will. It’s inevitable.” Roman sighed, burying his face in his hands. Neither of them seemed to realize they’d been shouting, and that it had attracted the others back to the doorway. “Besides, I’m as good as dead to them. I haven’t let ink or paint touch my skin since I was nine years old.”

“Roman-”

“I’m serious! You said it didn’t matter! You said that we didn’t need soulmates, so why are you doing this?”

“ROMAN!” Dalton grabbed his wrist and shook his head, pointing to the doorway. Roman turned, eyes widening. All three of them stood there, looks of shock on their faces. Roman pulled away from Dalton and shoved past them, refusing to make eye contact. He tried to say something to his boyfriend as he left, but it was like his voice stopped working. So he just left, and as soon as he left he started running to get as far away from there as he could.

“Roman!” Dalton went to run after him but Logan grabbed his arm.

“Dalton, what’s going on?”

“Let go, you fucking asshole!” Dalton yelled, karate chopping his stepbrother in the arm.

“Language!” Patton said indignantly. Dalton rolled his eyes.

“Dalton!” Logan tightened his hold and Dalton sighed, glaring at him. “Tell me right now what you know about this.” Dalton closed his eyes, shaking his head.

“I can’t.”

“It’s obvious. Let him go.” Virgil said, pulling Logan away. “Your step-brother is dating our soulmate. Duh.”

“...why? How? What?!” Logan’s voice rose in volume with every word. “Dalton, how long have you known that?”

“Since the universe was created,” Dalton said sarcastically. “Can I go? Roman’s upset.”

“At you.” Logan pointed out. Dalton glared at him.

“Hey, why don’t we all calm down?” Patton said softly, stepping between them. “Dalton? Can you please talk to us?”

“Roman was my friend,” Dalton said softly. “Then he was my boyfriend. I’d seen all Logan’s marks often enough to figure it out. So we talked. Roman…” he sighed, closing his eyes. “Whatever you guys did when you were kids made him hate you or something.”

“What? We didn’t do anything!” Virgil snapped. “He’s the one who just disappeared.”

“I don’t know!” Dalton shoved past Logan, shaking his head. “But he’s my boyfriend, not yours! So I’m going to go find him to make sure he’s okay!” he took off, running to the street. He couldn't see Roman. He had no idea which way Roman went.

“Dalton, please!” Logan said from the porch. Dalton didn’t turn around to flip the bird, then decided Roman wouldn’t want to be found, so he sprinted away from both their houses. He turned left, running up the street. “Dalton!” Dalton kept running, trying to hold back tears. He had to find Roman before he did something stupid. God… what if Roman was going to do something stupid?

Dalton didn’t stop when Logan’s car pulled up next to him. Where would Roman go? He wouldn’t go back to his aunts' house, he hated it there. He might have run to the high school to hang at the theater… maybe?

“Dalton!” the car pulled in front of him and Dalton stumbled to a halt, glaring at the people inside.

“What?”

“Let us help you.” Patton leaned out the window. “We can find him faster driving, okay? We aren’t going to steal your boyfriend.” Dalton narrowed his eyes.

“Yeah right.”

“We just want to make sure Roman’s okay.” Virgil piped up, opening the back door. “Get in, and tell us where he could be.” Why Dalton trusted Virgil more, he wasn’t sure. But he clambered into Logan’s car anyway.

“I don’t really know,” he confessed. “When Roman’s upset we usually just go for a walk. But he’s mad at me this time. I’d check the high school theater.”

“On it.” Logan hit the gas and drove toward the high school. “While we’re driving, can you please explain why Roman hates us?”

“I don’t know. It’s not my business,” Dalton shrugged. “But he doesn’t hate you. He just… doesn’t want to meet you. He doesn’t like the idea of soulmates.”

“Really?” Patton asked sadly. “When we were kids he seemed so excited about us, and then one day he just stopped writing. He used to write stories to us, like fairy tales.”

“I don’t know!” Dalton snapped, glaring at him. “We just need to find him before he…” oh god. Please don’t let Roman try anything.

Roman stared blankly down at his arms, where yellow writing appeared a few minutes ago. At first, he’d thought it was Patton. But it wasn’t. It was one of Dalton’s poems. He must be writing on one of the others. Roman reached up and brushed tears out of his eyes, taking a shuddering breath. He’d been about to cut again - but he couldn't break one of Dalton’s poems. Was that why he was doing this? Classic. Why did Dalton care, anyway? How could he care if he didn’t have to, according to fate?

“Stupid Dalton,” Roman muttered, then felt horrible. Dalton wasn't stupid, he was Roman’s best friend. More than that, his boyfriend. So why did he do what he did? Why did he tell them he was the fourth soulmate? It wasn’t fair. Roman didn’t want this. He didn’t want anything.

“Roman!” Roman’s head jerked up and he stared in surprise as Dalton tumbled out of a car, sprinting across the parking lot. “What are you doing here?”

“...sitting.” Roman sighed and looked around the strip mall.

How did he end up here, of all places? Dalton fell to his knees next to him and grabbed Roman’s arms, inspecting them worriedly. There was nothing but the healing scars from the month before. Roman sighed sadly.

“I’m so sorry.” Dalton suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. Roman’s eyes widened, but he returned it. “I know you didn’t want to meet them, but I thought…. I thought it might make you happy if you just tried. I just want you to be happy.”

“It’s okay.” Roman sighed softly. “I… I don’t mind meeting them. But I still love you… you know?”

“You do?” Dalton sat back and grinned, wiping tears from his cheeks. “Really?”

“Of course! You’re stuck with me.” Roman repeated, then looked over Dalton’s shoulder to where his three soulmates were standing near the car. He lowered his voice. “Do they hate me?”

“No one hates you.” Dalton scoffed, sitting against the wall like he had that first day in the cafeteria. “They’re just worried. Virgil let me write to you, y’know.” Roman looked at his arms, nodding.

“Thanks. I’ve always loved your poems.”

“Do you want to talk to them at all?” Dalton asked softly. Roman scowled.

“I’m not gonna break up with you unless you want me to.” he insisted. “So yeah, I can talk to them. And you don’t have to worry. Alright?”

“Sounds good.” Dalton looked over at the others and nodded. The three of them walked over and sat down, completing a circle on the sidewalk.

“Hi,” Roman said softly, staring at his hands.

“It’s so good to meet you!” Patton said, beaming. Roman smiled.

“You gave us quite a scare,” Logan adjusted his glasses. “Dalton was very upset.”

“Like you weren’t.” Virgil scoffed, elbowing him. “Anyway, Roman. I’m just glad you’re okay. I always wondered what happened to you.”

“Oh, that,” Roman sighed and shook his head. “I didn’t mean to vanish… I just took a break from writing and never… finished the break.”

“That’s alright,” Logan said matter of factly. “Statistically, only sixty percent of soulmates ever meet or actually enter any kind of relationship. Half of those people remain only platonic soulmates.” Roman smiled.

“Well good, cuz I’m taken,” he said, elbowing Dalton. Dalton elbowed him back, harder. “Hey!”

“You started it.” Dalton shrugged. Roman chuckled.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for vanishing. Just got in a funk.”

“Well,” Logan stood and brushed off his pants. “Would you like a ride home? You walked quite far.”

“Sure.” they all stood now, and Dalton took Roman’s hand as they walked to Logan’s car. “Thanks, really.”

“No thanks needed,” Logan waved a hand. “Just don’t hurt Dalton or I will run you over with this instead of giving you a ride.” Roman’s eyes widened.

“Okay, geez.”

“Wow, you care about me?” Dalton laughed as they got in.

“Of course I do.” Logan scoffed. “Just because I am, as you so eloquently put it, ‘an ass’ does not mean I don’t care about you.”

“Good to know,” Dalton muttered, leaning his head on Roman’s shoulder. “Hey, why don’t we go hang out at your house Roman? I bet your aunt has some good bugs to serve as snacks.”

“Oh my god.” Roman glared at him. “You know those are disgusting.”

“I don’t want to know what you’re talking about.” Virgil declared, shaking his head. Dalton laughed, smirking up at Roman. Roman smiled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Maybe things would turn out okay after all.

The End

[officialthiamlibrary]

Hello! Hello! Hope everyone is having a glorious weekend thus far.  With enthusiasm, we are finally introducing you to another spectacular creator, pettigrace. The author of buy and sell gravity, its sequel free fallin’ in the jungle lights, and other fantastic works across 5 fandoms! Why don’t we just dive in?

Omg, Yas! Hi. It took us a while to get here, but we finally made it haha. Why don’t you start by telling us about yourself? The twist, the word count has to be either equal to or less than the number of letters in your two favorite Teen Wolf episode names.

Motel California and The Divine Move are the only episodes I remember by name, so I guess they must be my favourites. (15 + 13 = 28)

My name is Yas, I am an aroace being from Germany and I absolutely fucking hate time travel. I work as a journalist sometimes and I love writing.

Oh wow, a journalist! I love meeting people who’ve made a living out of their writing! What’s a typical day like as a journalist?

Mind you, I am not your typical journalist. I may look like Clark Kent most of the time, but I don’t do the stuff he does (that extends also to the superheroing, sadly) - I work for the youth page of my local newspaper, which means I get to write a few articles about/aimed at children a few times a month. I usually go for reviews of media (as in books and tv shows most of the time but movies, games and all that jazz, too!) but every once in a while I get to do something bigger as well. That means (typically) interviewing people in sports clubs, writing about my personal experience about a topic or doing surveys about things. It’s not much, but my name is in the paper pretty much every week.

I’m trying not to be super impressed and failing, but that’s honestly phenomenal! Obviously, you’re a huge fan or movies, books, and tv shows. Did that influence your name, pettigrace?

It refers to Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter! (But Yas, you go, isn’t that the guy who doomed James and Lily Potter? To which I say: He also killed Cedric Diggory! And faked his own death! And gave Voldemort back his body!) No, hear me out. I don’t love the guy. Hell, I hate Peter Pettigrew as much as we all do. But he’s an important character in the world of HP and doesn’t get the recognition for it. He’s the unsung villain of the story. Is he a good villain? Heck no, he’s probably one of the worst. He doesn’t even have his own agenda! Still, he symbolizes something that’s important to me when I look at characters: The way they develop. How they used to be in certain situations. General character development. We don’t talk enough about the secret talents and thoughts of him.

Also, ace. Because like many characters, I headcanon Peter Pettigrew as asexual. Thank you.

And, how did you find your way to the Thiam fandom?

Here’s the funny thing: I think that I only started shipping them as much as I do now while I already wrote fic for them. I don’t know, I saw the appeal because I love those ships with awful banter and the enemies-to-lovers trope, so the arguments Theo and Liam kept having right from the beginning practically screamed at me to ship them – even if it didn’t fully hit me yet and I hated Theo during season 5 (which is to say, I loved him as a villain. He has always been a great character, just not a good person.). I’ve read a couple of fics for them at the end of last year and then decided to write my own and both of those actions made me realize how well they fit together and helped me learn to appreciate them both in their own ways.

Gasp, How can anyone hate Theo?! Though, I might be a tad bias lol. I think a lot of people would agree with you about how well they fit together. Since you’ve only had time to grow in your appreciation for their relationship, why don’t we try a little game?

Let’s pretend this was a Stranger Than Fiction situation and you could predict any aspect of their lives with your writing. How would you set up the follow scenarios:

a. Their first postseason 6 interaction:

Okay, I’m a sucker for canon so let’s stay with that. I think that after the hospital scene, after Theo’s taken Gabe’s pain and the battle is won, it would not be Liam who approaches Theo to talk about. In my head, it would be Mason – he’s the one who realizes the significance of this, he’s the one who told him he doesn’t care enough to take someone’s pain (I think Liam doesn’t know about that in canon? If I remember wrong, let’s just pretend he doesn’t know.).

So I don’t know, maybe Theo leaves the hospital while everyone’s celebrating, completely overwhelmed and also feeling wrong there – he’s not part of this friend group and now that the battle is over, they don’t have any use for him any more, right? So he slips out; only to be followed by Mason. And we know Mason.

He’s clever and determined and he doesn’t back down from confronting someone. He doesn’t like Theo, he’s said as much, but now he’s seeing progress in him. He knows what an aide Theo has been for Liam, both in the fights and with his anger. He addresses all of this and Theo reacts like we all expect that he would: dismissive and sarcastic. Mason doesn’t buy into it for a single second, but he doesn’t try to make Theo stay when he says he needs to leave. I feel like it would actually be good for him to leave for a while because boy, does he need a time-out. Let’s be real. It’s clear that Theo isn’t as much of Liam’s responsibility any more. Liam doesn’t keep him close and he can leave and Liam wouldn’t feel like he needs to watch him. Theo’s come back from hell and then he’s had to fight battle after battle. He’s not friends with any of them and there’s no reason for him to stay around. So, he leaves, and Mason lets him leave, both because he gets it and he doesn’t really care if Theo is around or not.

Now Liam. I feel like even at that point in canon, Liam doesn’t really see Theo as a person. He knows him as a villain and as an ally but never just as Theo, and even with the almost-kiss between them (because that’s what the elevator scene has been, goddammit. There’s an attraction between them and it’s only been increased by the adrenaline, but especially Liam doesn’t really realize that he cares about Theo), he doesn’t even notice at first that Theo is gone. He’s too full of ecstasy and when he’s reunited with the rest of the pack, that only becomes more. It takes him a few days, maybe even weeks until he truly notices that Theo is gone. It’s not that he just forgets about him – Theo’s been present enough in the past few months, especially to him – so the remainder of him helping clings to Liam’s mind. He doesn’t ask anyone about Theo, though. It’s not like anyone really cares, he thinks. And he knows Mason’s dislike for the chimera, so bringing it up to him wouldn’t be fruitful either.

Of course, Theo comes back. Beacon Hills is his home and he just feels this draw back to it and (that much he can admit to himself) to Liam. He’s also the only one whose phone number he has so after much thinking – and Theo’s logical, so he doesn’t try to convince himself to ignore it – he calls Liam. It’s awkward because Theo had just disappeared like that (which Liam would call him out for) and maybe that leads to a fight between them; one that ends with Liam admitting he’s needed Theo around because he’s felt so restless and he’s not stupid, he knows that’s what it feels like to lose your anchor. Theo grows silent at that, not sure what to answer, and Liam almost hangs up because he’s too embarrassed by that confession and hell, they’re not even friends. He practically admitted to be in love with him, which is not even the case. They’re not in love yet, that’s for sure. But then, suddenly, Theo just says, “I’m coming home,” and that’s a promise.

The call would end shortly after that, with awkwardness hanging in the air, but Liam’s excited and content at the prospect of Theo coming back. And Theo, completely beside himself, sets off towards Beacon at once.

I have the image in mind (and heck if I knew if that works time zone-wise but maybe Theo’s still in the same) that the next day when Liam comes out of school, he finds Theo chilling in the parking lot, leaning against his truck like that’s his usual spot. Liam, not sure whether it’s appropriate to hug him or whatever but shit, is he happy to see him, jogs up to him and beams, saying, “You came.” And Theo, the little shit that he is, just rolls his eyes and clicks his tongue and goes, “Yeah. You’re paying lunch.” And then they climb into the car and ride off into the sunset.

(God I can’t believe this became almost two pages of basically just relationship study, I’m so sorry!!)

Never apologize for passion! What about a Thiam Double Date with any other ship from the show?

Well, Morey is obviously a given. Seriously, once Thiam started dating, Liam would definitely make the two of them see how much Theo has changed – I have no doubt it would become somewhat awkward, with Mason outright having stated that he despises Theo and Theo having worked with the people who killed Corey… Still, I think they’d go out for a movie or something or maybe just happen to be all at the Geyers’ home at the same time and maybe they would bond over video games or something.

I could also see that after some time, Theo would make up with Melissa. If he stays in Beacon Hills, he might end up being the one who brings her lunch – a weak attempt at making up for all the things he did to her and her family, but it’s the best they can do. After a while, Melissa would probably inquire him about what has happened and try to make him deal with the guilt; at the same time, she could see he’s different now, so then she insists that Scott and Stiles see it, too. So, she’s the one who’d set them all up. Probably a giant dinner or something at her house where she invites Thiam, Scalia and Stydia. And maybe she has Papa Argent over, too. It would be awfully tense, especially with Stiles’ and Malia’s hatred for Theo and maybe it ends in a disaster, who knows? But maybe Melissa mentions a fun story from when they were kids and Lydia, though she isn’t completely at ease either, would remember something she saw the guys do in elementary school (remember, she was there, too, even if they weren’t friends) – and then they would forget themselves and explain how they came up with the idea of stealing a toilet seat or something. They’d just chat about how things have been and then suddenly there’s a silent where they all swallow and remember that it can’t be like that anymore, can it? But there’s a promise: If they all can remember and laugh about it, and if Theo’s truly changed, then maybe there’s hope.

Finally, one conflict they’d have as an official couple:

Liam’s anger, without a doubt. I don’t think Theo can be as patient as fics make him out to be. He probably doesn’t know how to actually react to one of Liam’s outbursts and the way he talked to him during 6B wouldn’t always help. If Liam lashed out at him, Theo would probably let him – that’s another topic between them, the way Theo will accept anything as a sort of punishment for what he’s done. Liam would be overwhelmed by guilt and Theo would try to talk him out of it, say it’s okay and it’s not like he didn’t deserve it. And then Liam would tell him that no, he doesn’t. Theo’s already paid for his sins and he’s learnt to do better and anyway Liam isn’t his judge. It’s a vicious cycle because they’d argue and then Liam would get angry again and maybe then he’d just walk away and punch a tree, but the problem stands. I just made myself sad :(

If you could magically write any Thiam story with your mind, what story would you craft?

I have a few stories in mind that I want to write, especially for Thiam, but there’s one I keep putting off because it would require me to rewatch some of season 5 and basically all of season 6. I just don’t have the time or spoons for that at this point. If I had, though… Oh dear, hold on to your seats.

It’s told from Mason’s point of view, believe it or not. Either while or after he’s been possessed by the Beast, he’s developed powers of his own: He can suddenly see some kind of aura around people. It’s kind of a count for karma, with bad people having really dark colours while good ones have bright colours – later, though, he finds out that was aren’t general ratings but how the people view themselves. So, the last glimpse Mason gets of Theo is before he goes to hell. 

His aura is really bright except for a few specks here and there. When he comes back from hell, it’s the darkest Mason’s ever seen. 

Basically, the story would be about character growth and the way people see themselves. For example, both Stiles and Liam have darker auras than you’d expect them to have, because they’re good people, right? It wouldn’t surprise you after the nogitsune and Donovan that Stiles doesn’t think that of himself but Liam? It gives both the reader and Mason new insights into the characters of Teen Wolf.

The fic stays close to canon as it plays out, only that with Mason being the narrator, you get to see more of the puppy pack, of course. The way both Liam’s and Theo’s auras change as they interact with each other and Theo truly betters himself until in the end… Well, that’s it, right? Does the end stay lie in canon, too? Would Mason do something about the way his best friend feels better about himself when he’s around Theo? Who knows, definitely not me yet.

I’m excited to jump into your writing! First, if you could describe your creative process as a living entity, what would it look like? Wear? Listen? How does it handle conflict?

Hm, they‘re always around, though usually pretty chill in the background. Like, you turn around and they’re there but it’s not like they’re really annoyingly present, if that makes sense? I’m always working on something in the back of my head, and a lot of time it becomes more pregnant, so from time to time this person would be more active. And maybe they would be annoying from time to time, like when an idea doesn’t let me sleep or occupies my thoughts at all times, though that’s become a rarer happenstance lately. They’d be dressed pretty casually, maybe just a hoodie and sweatpants or something – my writing isn’t anything extravagant, and neither is the process of it for me. Actually, I don’t think they’d be a person, to be honest. I literally just described my cat.

ALOL, well, looks like we’ve discovered one of your writing influences haha! Do you and your cat have any Writing Kryptonites?

Oh, probably action. Which is especially sad in regard to Teen Wolf because you can come up with such amazing fight scenes in this fandom! But I’m struggling with writing motion, actually. No idea if it’s just that my vocabulary is limited in that area, being non-native to English and all, or if I generally suck at it, but it always feels so wrong to me. I write from a single person’s perspective, usually, so I’m limited to what they see and how they move and even then, it doesn’t feel swift enough. I’m working on that, though – there was a time when my writing basically only consisted of dialogue, and that became much better during the past years.

That’s amazing! What are some ways that you try to better your writing? Besides, well...writing haha. Have you done any type of skill building that you thought worked for you?

Most of it has definitely come just from continuing writing, to be honest. I’ve only once told myself to actively focus on something (it was really early in the beginning of my writing where I tried to get more skilled in describing people - the way they look and move, stuff like that). Otherwise, it’s basically just that. In writing class ,there were a few things you could try out, such as focussing on different emotions while writing or something.

Things that do the trick for me, usually, are PoV switches (meaning one chapter from A’s perspective, the next from B’s, stuff like that) and waiting to write something specific until I’m in the same mood as well. So if a character’s particularly sad in one scene, I’ll leave that for a time where I am sad as well. It works well for me because I don’t write chronologically anyways.

And is there one trope or scene that always ends up in whatever you’re writing? 

Well, I barely write anything that doesn’t include an asexual character. Also, there’s always some meta-ish reference to canon in AUs and, weirdly enough, I always have characters either watch or talk about Star Wars. That even happened before I watched the movies myself!

In case of Teen Wolf, there’s always the act of redemption for Theo. I feel that it’s an essential part of both him and Thiam as a relationship – the way Theo grows as a person and becomes better. I’m a sucker for parallels to canon, so that’s always a topic in one way or another. Of course, Theo doesn’t kill someone in every AU, but he deals with something that holds him back, makes him kind of a bad person, every time.

And then, I always come back to his friendship with Scott and Stiles, especially the latter. I’d have loved to see more of that in canon, maybe in stories or flashbacks or something. You’ve always had Scott and Stiles as practically one entity up to season 5 and suddenly Theo comes along, and you’re supposed to believe they used to be three? And nothing was ever mentioned? Of course, the writers only came up with that plotline for season 5, it makes sense they didn’t have anyone discuss Theo before. Still, it feels like something is missing there to make you truly believe it and I love to reflect on that, play with it. Stiles’ stance towards Theo draws me in a lot – how come he doesn’t trust him right away? Was something happening between them? How would it have been if Theo never left? I love to dig into that.

Mental illness is also a big thing for me. We have canon evidence for mental illness, even if they’re never named. They all must have PTSD. Stiles shows extreme signs of ADHD. Lydia is practically a survivor of sexual abuse. Multiple characters have attempted suicide. Liam is canonically diagnosed with IED. It would be ignorant not to refer to any of that while writing. Lots of fics I’ve read mention the struggles, depict them greatly, but only a few talked about handling them, about recovery. It’s about time we make progress in that department.

Hmm very true. And not a thought, as a perpetual fluff writer, that I’ve considered until now. You deal with quite a bit of mental issues within your main story, Buy and Sell Gravity. Before we chat about it in depth, can you give us a quick synopsis?

Buy and sell gravity starts with one of Liam’s outbursts of anger. In his social studies class, Monroe has talks badly about adoptive/step-parents and Liam started arguing with her until said he sent him out. So, then he goes and slashes her tires in classic Liam-style. Theo, who has only moved back to Beacon Hills recently and is surrounded by awful rumours, but nothing specified, catches him and decides to take care of it. He saves Liam’s ass and in return he demands that Liam pays for his food during lunch. But then they actually become friends and Liam learns more and more about Theo.

And did anything inspire you to create the premise?

The idea just came me at random – I just had that image in mind of Thiam making a deal. It’s classic romcom stuff, right? And I had thought it would just turn into a lengthy oneshot at most but now it’s the longest thing I have ever written. It’s crazy.

The story is told from Liam’s perspective. Do you think the story would unfold differently had we’d experienced it from Theo’s POV?

I’m actually writing a sequel at the moment, which is from Theo’s perspective. There’s references to buy and sell gravity, of course, so you actually do get part from Theo’s point of view! In general, though, had you seen it all from his point of view, the slow burn would have felt even longer, I imagine. The sound of the fic would have been darker, because that’s Theo’s mindset for the most of it, and there wouldn’t have been so many questions. Theo doesn’t really wonder about anything in this fic, he reflects and draws his own (mostly correct) assumptions. I feel like it would have sounded pretty monotone – it made sense to only pick up his PoV in the sequel and if you’ve read buy and sell gravity, you might be able to tell why. He’s opening up more towards the ending and a more pleasant person to be around to.

I’ve noticed most of your stories turn into longer fics. Have any tricks for keeping yourself motivated to write those longer plots? (Clearly, this is purely self-indulgent here haha. It’s a near miracle if I stick through a long, complex plot!)

I usually only start posting multichaptered fics once they’re already finished. This way you can motivate yourself by going “Well, if you don’t finish it then you won’t post it, nobody will see it and you worked for nothing.” That method works well for me because I love recognition for my works, even if a lot of them are for obscure pairings.

In case of buy and sell gravity, I’ve already started posting while working on it, however. I’ve felt stuck because it’s been my first fic for Teen Wolf, so I was very unsure about whether I hit the characters correctly, if it felt believable; stuff like that. I needed feedback from more than one person and since I’ve never really been in the fandom, going ahead and posting it was my only option. I wanted to know whether it was worth continuing working on it. the feedback was amazing and the fact that a few people came back for every new chapter was a wonderful motivator. Oh, and it certainly doesn’t harm when you have someone literally show up on your doorstep and demand you write a new chapter.

Your first Teen Wolf fit?! Impressive!! Is Teen Wolf now your ultimate favorite fandom to write? (*Wink Wink*) Or, do you have another favorite fandom/ship to write for?

The Arrowverse is generally my favourite fandom. I love all the shows and the way it consists of multiple worlds give you so many things to take away from! You can write any AU, you can write for abandoned timelines or worlds, crossover between the shows and ship practically anything. You can go all out, have doppelgängers appear (like one evil and one good version of the same person, stuff like that). There are no limits. Writing for it is fun because you can draw from so many shows and even include the original comics, if you want. Right now I’m (and have been for the past one and a half years) working on a Groupchat AU set in the Arrowverse where everyone is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and even that doesn’t seem too out of character.

As to a ship, I probably enjoy Simon Lewis/Raphael Santiago from Shadowhunters the most. Writing for them is almost easy because I can relate to both so much. Depending on which mood you’re in, you can write Simon’s optimistic and reference-heavy rambling or maybe you write the angst that constantly underlines Raphael’s thoughts. I can always find a way to write for them because they’re so different and yet fit together so well.

Yoooo, we could honestly strike up a whole subconvo dedicated to Simon x Raphael lmao. Since we’re supposed to be all about Thiam around here, I’ll restrain myself and simply agree about your opinions on Saphael. (I’ll miss them, sad face)

Being a writer of many fandoms then, what’s your ultimate Teen Wolf crossover with any other show or movie universe? What character would you see interact?

God! I’m a sucker for crossovers with DC! There’s a few I read where Stiles is always the person in question (whether he’s a member of the Batfamily or the brother of The Flash, I’ve read both of those cases, haha). I love the connection of the Teen Wolf world with DC Comics. I wrote a retelling of a Flash episode with Thiam in the focus and someone else wrote a Under the Red Hood AU which still keeps me in awe. (And also, it’s too funny how much the casts overlap, the double identities practically overlap – suddenly Liam is Superboy, Derek is Superman, Allison is a mafia daughter, Jackson as Red Arrow… It’s great.)

Otherwise, what I haven’t seen yet: Twilight. I’ve (re-)discovered my love for it last year and honestly? Let those mix up! Washington and California are both on the West Coast!! I have no idea about how far exactly but let them meet! Let Emmett Cullen beat up Peter Hale! Have Edward and Derek suffer together through their depression and Scott and Jasper try to comfort everyone. Lydia and Alice? Nobody’s dying on their watch. Let Rosalie and Malia kick ass together and Melissa and Carlisle swap hospital stories! Stiles and Bella hanging out together, being sarcastic little shits and also way too much into all this stuff. Hell, I’m gonna write this myself if I have to! (Otherwise I accept fic recs. Thank you.)

Before we wind down, what’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten? Any advice you feel compelled to share? 

I used to be really bad at discussing plot ideas with people – I dunno if it was an irrational fear of them running off with what I thought of, but it’s been there. I’ve been in a creative writing class about two years ago and there I was basically forced to do it. It helped somewhat with the progress of my story and being around people who like to do the same thing as you is always a great motivator.

I don’t listen to those conventional writing tips, like what atmosphere you’re supposed to have around you and how to depicts things. Writing is a personal experience and you can do it in a way you seem fit. Not everyone feels at ease in the same environment, so just write when you feel like it. Forcing yourself to do it doesn’t help anyone – except you can only work under stress, of course! See? There’s that individuality again, ruining my own writing tips.

Ahahaha, advice giving is a definite catch-22. Thank you for hanging out with us!! What’s next for you in the world? Both creatively and lively?

I’ve started an apprenticeship to become a bookseller this month! It’s a huge change compared with the life of a student that I had before, but after finishing my Bachelor‘s degree last December, it’s what I needed. Sadly it means that I don’t have as much time to write as I’d like, but I’m doing my best to squeeze in some of that. For Teen Wolf I‘m meaning to wrap up free fallin‘ in the jungle lights finally - otherwise, there’s a few WIPs in the Arrowverse and (uncharacteristic for me) MCU lurking on the back of my brain.

Anything else you’d like to share, in general. The floor is all yours!

I’m not really in the Thiam fandom, I think (really, the number of people I actually chatted with outside of ao3 comments can be counted on one hand), but here’s a massive shoutout to everyone! To the people who write, the people who read, the people who leave long comments, the artists, the meta-people, the ones with the headcanons. The people here from the officialthiamlibrary! You make writing a better experience and your opinions and reflections upon the show and characters help me become better at understanding them. Thank you all for being so lovely and just… into it. You’re all amazing!

And Behind the Screens presents Yasmin to you! Naturally, the conversation doesn’t have to stop here. Meet them at these places:

Main Tumblr: @joanthangroff

Inbox/Ask: joanthangroff ask

AO3: Pettigrace

Twitter: LI4MDUNBAR

Thank you for letting us get to know more about you! And thank you all for reading and requesting her. As always, if you have a Thiam Creator that you fan over, send us their names. Likewise, if you as the creator, would like to be a part of the Behind the Screens series, give us a shout too! We’d love to get to know you, as well.

@joanthangroff

[mackypanda97]

Pregnancy Prank

This is off my wattpad account, and  got another imagine.  If you guys like this, let me know, and I MIGHT post my other imagine.

This is a x reader.  

Key:

y/f/f = Your favorite food

y/n = Your name

y/n/n = your nickname

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

"Hey guys, what is up!!  Today I am going to play a prank on my boyfriend Colby.  So, Colby thinks that I am too nice to join the little prank war that is going on around my house, so I am going to prove him wrong."  I finished with a evil smirk on my face.

"So, you might be wondering, 'what prank are you doing on Colby y/n?' Well, I am going to go buy the stuff I need to play this little prank."  

**************************Skip ride to store**********************************************

"So, I just bought the pregnancy test, and I am going to buy a blue mark that matches the blue.  Guys, just to let you know, I made sure to play it smart, I have been "sick" for the mornings.  So, hopefully my acting has been playing off, and Colby will believe me."  I paused the video and looked down at the pregnancy test, 'One day I will hopefully use one for real.' I thought to myself as I went up and bought everything I need for this prank.

****************************Skip car ride*************************************************

I got back to the house, and started the video again as soon as I got into Colby and I's shared room.

"Okay everything is ready, and something I forgot to tell you guys is, Kat is actually helping me pull this prank by telling Colby, you know, 'Could y/n be pregnant?' and saying all these things that is going to make him start thinking about that.  Anyways, Kat, Sam, Elton, Corey, Devyn, Aaron, and Colby went out to pick up dinner while I was gone, and Kat is going to text me when they are close, so see you guys then.

***********************15 minutes later**************************************************

"Okay guys, Kat just texted me, and told me they are close, so let's get this test ready."  I pulled the test out of the bag that I placed in our room, and went into our bathroom.  I took the pregnancy test apart, (yes you can do that, there is actually a prank video where they did that, but I don't remember whose it was) and took my marker.  "Okay, so as you can see, I took the pregnancy test apart, but only where you can see the results, and I am going to draw another line like this," I said, as I showed the camera what I was doing. "and there is the line, so now I am putting this together, hiding everything, and going downstairs to set up the second camera, which is Colby's, in the kitchen.  I am setting it up there because I decided to actually prank everyone instead of just Colby."  I went and got Colby's camera, and placed it on the counter where it was facing the table and around it.  

"Okay peeps, I am placing the camera on the counter right here," I angled it some  more. "and I am going to place some paper towels around it."  I got everything in position and the camera hidden enough to where no one could find it.  I got the other camera that was upstairs.  "Okay, I should tell you how this is going to work, sorry I am behind and rushing this, but I literally decided on this last night.  But, when they get back, I will be in the bathroom, Kat will text me when they are waiting for the gate to open,  and I will wait up there till I hear Colby shout for me, and I don't want to ruin anything, so yeah!"  I smiled at the camera and just went on talking about my day until I got the text from Kat.

The Mighty Katty Purry : We just pulled up to the gate, we are going to be in soon.  What do you want me to tell them when we get inside?

Y/n: Tell them that I might be upstairs.

The Mighty Katty Purry: Got it!  I can't wait to see their reaction!!

Y/n: I can't either!!!

"Okay, so Kat just texted and told me that they just pulled up to the gate, so I am now in our bedroom and just relaxing until I hear the door open, and someone, most and likely Colby."  I said and waited a little while longer.

I heard the door open, then,

"Y/n we are home." from Colby.

"Go time guys." I put down the camera, not using that one anymore, and walked downstairs.  When I got down there, everyone was in the kitchen, either eating, or putting things away.  

"Perfect." I said to myself, and walked into the kitchen where I knew I was in the view of the camera.

"Hey guys." I said with a smile on my face, and walked up to Colby.

"Hey Babe, we got you y/f/f ." Colby said looking at me, and kissing me on the head.

Out of no where I broke into a happy smile and started jumping.

"Guys I got something to tell you!" I exclaimed happily, and I swear everyone jumped about 5 into the air from my out burst.

"What is it y/n/n?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, what was so important you literally made me spill my drink?" Corey asked, pretending to be childish.

"Colby, you know how I have been sick for the past few mornings?"

"Yeah..." Colby said a little confused.

"Well what is that usually a symptom of?"

"Food poison?"

"The common cold?"

"The flu?"

"Herpes?  Wait, y/n/n do you have herpes?" Corey asked and I glared at him.

"Oh my God y/n/n, do you have herpes?  Colby?" Elton said, and they sent a playful mean glare to Colby.

"No it isn't herpes."  I said, and glared at the boys. "But it is something MUCH better!!!"

"Did you get a new puppy, because Buddy is all grown up, and I love him, but we need 3-"

"No it is not a puppy Aaron.....How would you guess dog?" I asked giving him a confused look.

"Wait, are you?" Colby asked catching on, and pointed at my stomach.

A bigger bright smile was brought onto my face, and pulled out the pregnancy test.

"Does this answer your question?" I asked, and EVERYONE gathered around.

"OMG Y/N/N YOUR PREGNANT!!!" Devyn said with a smile.

"Wait, their is going to be a mini Colby and y/n going to be running around?"

"Congrats you guess!" Kat said, and may I say playing the part real well.

"To answer your question Elton, yep, there is going to be a mini version of me and Colby running around!" All the guys, excluding Colby who just stared at the test in disbelief, just stood their with mixed emotions on there face, until Aaron spoke up.

"So now I could be pranked by a little version of Colby?  Guys I am literally going to die from a heat attack if they team up to scare me.  I don't want to stab the kid though, and I don't want to even bring a knife near the kid." (If you know what this is referencing, video it is referencing, then you are awesome.  If you don't, you are still awesome!)  

The people went on to talking, while Colby still continued to stare at the test.  I was starting to get scared.

"Colby?  Are you okay?"

"Guys, can I just talk to y/n alone?" Colby finally spoke up, and everyone left the room jabbering, except for Kat, she just watched, and gave me a look that said, 'everything will be okay'.

"So.....what do you think?"

"I don't know what to think, I mean, I got you pregnant.  The real question is," Colby said, pulling me to him and looking into my eyes. "what do you think, I mean we are going to be parents."

"I am really happy, but I want to know how YOU feel Colby, do you want this child?"

"I mean, y/n I want a child, but are we ready to face our future with the kid?  Are we going to be the BEST rule model, I mean, we swear a lot, I am....am constantly going on trips.....We cuss a lot.....we."  Colby was lost in his own thought then, as if it hit him, a smile came to his face.

"Wait, this means we are going to be parents?"

"Yeah!"

"oh...ohk...okay," Colby leaned down and placed his hand on his knees. "Is it hot in here."

"Colby, I have more to tell you." I said, and moved Colby's head so he could look at me.

"What?"

"I'm not really pregnant."

"What?" Colby said with a confused face.

"WHAT???" We heard coming from the living-room, and everyone came into the kitchen.

Everyone was talking over each other, except for Kat, she came over to me, and we moved to the camera.

"And this everyone is what I call a PRANK!!!" I exclaimed over everyone, and they just looked in shock.  It was so quiet, until Colby spoke up.

"What?  Why did you prank us?  Thank You Jesus you aren't pregnant, I mean I would have stayed and loved the child if so, but still.  Babe, I almost had a heart attack!"

"That is what all of you get for thinking I can't prank you guys, and be as good as everyone.  So, Kat and I decided to prank all of you."

"Wait, you were apart of this Kat?"

"Yep." Kat said with a smile.

**************15 minutes later and I am upstairs filming my outro.*******************

 "And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, my very first prank.  If you enjoyed it, what should they do Colby?" I asked, and he looked at the camera as we laid in bed.

"I'm not sure I want you to get any thumbs up for that, so everyone leave a dislike on the video."

"Don't listen to him, and leave a thumbs up," I made a thumbs up, while Colby did a thumbs down, "and comment #team y/n in the comments, and to start out, let's try getting to 10 thousand likes.  I believe in you guys.  Anyway, that is all I am doing tonight, peace out, and enjoy this view." I said with a evil smirk.

"What.  Oh okay!" Colby exclaimed as I aimed the camera down to his shirtless body, and ended the video.  

"I wuv you Colby." I said, and looked up at him with a pout on my face.

"Don't pout." He said, and kissed me on the lips. "Also, just telling you, expect a revenge prank back." He said with a evil smirk.

"Try me pretty boy." I said with a evil smirk as well.

[fardell24b]

Mysteries of Lawndale - The First Party - Part 1

Mysteries of Lawndale 02: The First Party Part 1

Lawndale – Wednesday, 1 October 1997

Lunch time at Lawndale High. “Ugh! I hate it when the trays are wet,” Brittany Taylor complained.

 “ ‘That which does not kill us makes us stronger,’ ” Daria Morgendorffer quoted.

 “Is that from a song?Hey, thanks for helping me out in art.” Daria had helped her to comprehend one point perspective.

 “No problem,” Daria answered.

 “Maybe I could help you out in something.”

 “Well, you could show me how to twirl hair around my little finger and look vacant.”

 “I don't know if that's something you can teach,” Brittany said while doing exactly that.

 “I know what you mean... and that scares me.”

 “Hey, even though I'm much more popular, we have some things in common.”

 “Breathing?”

 “I mean, you're not popular, but you're not so unpopular that you couldn't come to my party Saturday night.”

 ‘Interesting,’ Daria thought. “Is that an invitation?”

 “Yes! Just this once, though.”

 “Gee, Brittany. I'm overcome with emotion.”

 “You need a napkin? Anyway, I promised the other cheerleaders that I wouldn't invite any more really attractive girls.”

 ‘No mystery there,’ Daria thought. “Now I'm especially flattered.”

 “Don’t mention it!” Brittany said as she walked away.

That afternoon, Daria was looking through Jane Lanes’s book of life drawings she had brought over. “These are really good. When did you study for this?”

 “Last summer,” Jane answered.

 Daria turned a page. ‘Wow!’ “You're really bursting out of the picture plane here.”

 “Oh, yeah. That particular model was quite bursty. I think she had her bursts done.”

 “Speaking of which... Brittany invited me to her party.”

 “No kidding? Are you going?”

 “Of course, how could I pass up an opportunity to learn more about our peers and so come closer to solving the mysteries that seem to define this suburb?”

 “True,” Jane said.

  Half an hour later, Daria wheeled a bike out of the garage. “You’re seriously going to ride that while, Jane, Quinn and I walk?” Stacy Rowe asked.

 “Actually, I’m running,” Jane said.

 “OK, but I don’t run very fast,” Stacy admitted.

 “That’s OK, Stacy,” Daria’s sister, Quinn, said. “They’re going to go on one side of the street, and we, the other.”

 “Oh,” Stacy said.

 “Besides, this bike has special equipment,” Daria said.

 “Like, the triscooter? Could we use that instead?” Stacy asked.

 “I guess my name for it spread,” Jane said with a wry tone.

 “I like it,” Quinn said. “Better than Daria’s bland ‘Three person scooter’ description.”

 “Exactly,” Daria said. “What we are doing is going along a few blocks towards downtown and then spending three quarters of an hour, going along the street, looking for anything unusual.”

 “Along this street, Glen Oaks Lane?” Stacy asked.

 “Yes,” Daria answered.

 “It’s a fairly normal street, I mean, I don’t think there is anything unusual here,” Stacy said.

 “Since I have arrived here, I have noticed many unusual things. Mainly at the school...”

 Stacy interrupted. “That’s obvious, compared to the Middle School, anyway.”

 “....But also elsewhere,” Daria added without missing a beat.

 “You mean, everywhere in the town?”

 “Yes, but whatever it is, seems to center on the school,” Daria said.

 Jane scoffed.

 “What?” Daria asked.

 “All I’m saying is that your observations are biased.”

 “Because I spend most of my time there?”

 “Exactly.”

 “That’s true, but I have to start somewhere, and I so I have, at the school. However this is additional,” Daria said.

 “Let’s get started,” Quinn said.

  Corey Bateman saw Quinn walking (with Stacy) along the street and rushed out of the yard. “Quinn!”

 “Corey?” Quinn replied. Corey had given her his address, but she hadn’t thought about it when Daria had asked her and Stacy to help her in her investigation of Lawndale that afternoon.

 “What are you doing this afternoon?” she asked.

 “Helping my sister investigate this strange town,” Quinn answered.

 “She thinks it’s strange?” Corey asked.

 “Yeah, she does. It was the school that is the strangest, according to her, anyway.”

 Corey thought for a moment. “That’s right,” he said. Ms. Li’s strange need for security was creepy...

 “What are you doing?”

 “Nothing important.” He had an idea. “Could I join you?”

 “I don’t see why not,” Quinn said.

 “Cool, I’ll just be a few minutes.”

  While Quinn and Stacy were meeting Corey, Daria and Jane were a block ahead. They ran into another fellow student of Lawndale High. “Hi, you’re the president of that new Mystery Club, aren’t you?” he asked.

 “Yes, And you are?” Daria asked.

 “Jason,” he answered. “Jason Tanner,” he elaborated. He remembered seeing Daria get out of her father’s Lexus on her and Quinn’s first day at Lawndale High.

 Jane knew Jason a little from elementary and middle schools, an inquisitive sort of fellow... “So you want to join?” she asked.

 “Of course,” Jason answered.

 “Sure, just go to the office and get the paperwork in the morning,” Daria said.

 “Sure,” Jason said. “Could I join you in your mystery search?”

 “I don’t see why not,” Daria answered. She wondered if Jason had similar motive to Jane, but decided to answer that question later. “Let’s go.”

 So Jason joined Daria and Jane in their exploration...

[thwispsings]

Flowers in my lungs - Thiam Hanahaki!AU

Synopsis: 

“You made flowers grow in my lungs

and although they are beautiful

i can’t breath anymore”

Theo suffers from Hahaki, and red roses sprout in his heart. Would it be a coincidence that these are Liam's favorite flowers?

Thiam | AU | Hanahaki disease | Angst |

Pairing: Theo Raeken / Liam Dunbar

Author: nightt-mary

Fandom: Teen wolf

First of all: Let me tell you that this is pure Angst.

Second of all: It’s an alternative universe, things are different!

Third of all: I’m brazilian and this was originally write in portuguese, and then i translated to english with a little help from google translate, so sorry for any errors, english is not my native language

Plagiarism is a crime!

I dedicate this to: @thiamdrabbles who is my sweetest thing.

Now enjoy 

Theo knew he was screwed, he was sure, but he could not care less.

***

The first to find out were Tracy and Josh, the three of them were in the living room of the house they shared, and then Theo felt the boughs rise through his esophagus, he tried to get up and run to the bathroom to prevent them from seeing everything and continue to hide the But he ended up stumbling on the carpet, and the fall only boosted the cough even more.

It was a wet cough, with a sickening noise, the petals coming out of his mouth and escaping by the hand above his lips. He heard a sigh coming from behind them and then Tracy made a desperate noise, kneeling beside him, stroking his back with his hands shaking, he saw Josh's feet moving toward the kitchen, running.

After he finished coughing, the blonde sat down, tilting his head back and taking a deep breath, wiping the blood around his mouth with his fingers, Tracy kept stroking his back and then a bottle of water was placed in front of him, he grabbed it and removed the lid, drinking the liquid in desperation. Theo handed the bottle back to Josh as he finished the liquid and then turned to his friends, who were kneeling in front of him.

"How long?" Tracy asked in a shaky voice, Josh nodded as if nodding to the brunette.

"Since the end of the wild hunt," Theo said, his voice still husky.

"Liam, is not it?" Josh stated, worry coming out of his pores just like Tracy, Theo just confirmed.

"I did not think this was happening to supernatural beings," Tracy said, but both Josh and Theo denied.

"It can happen to everyone," Theo let go, feeling the branches dwindle within him, but they were still moving.

The two chimeras kept asking questions and Theo answered them all without problems, but with a sad look on his face.

"You know you can take it from yourself, do not you?" Tracy asked, but then Theo gave her a dirty look. "But you will not."

Theo nodded and the two stared at him incredulously.

"Any doctor could end up noticing the supernatural situation during surgery," the blonde said, but neither of them really believed the words.

"We'll help you, we'll go through this with you, we're a pack after all," Tracy stated with determination and Josh nodded.

"No one can know," Theo said, running his hand over where his lungs met.

"No one will ever know," Josh said forcefully.

Tracy reached out and grabbed their hands, she leaned forward and laid her forehead on Theo, pulling Josh to do the same, Theo smiled wryly, but still accepted the affection of the betas.

- *** -

The next he discovered was Corey, who was now part of the McCall pack.

No one in the pack really knew Tracy and Josh were alive, that Theo had not killed them both, even after the wild hunt. Everyone still believed that the two were dead because of Theo's thirst for power, and it was better that the two of them would be safer.

But then Scott decided to find out where Theo was living "for the protection of the pack" and followed the blonde. Scott, Liam, Mason, Corey, Malia and even Brett were crouched in the middle of a small forest near the house where Theo and his betas lived. The blond parked the car and then stepped in, signaling the six of them to get up and cross the street, Scott taking the first step to knock on the door.

It was Tracy who opened the door, not noticing who was outside before doing it, the girl let out a breathless sigh, just like everyone outside, and then slammed the door shut, causing Scott to knock on the door again with more force. This time it was Theo who opened the door, with an unhappy face and a worried Tracy behind him.

"What do you want?" He asked abruptly, causing Malia to frown.

"She should be dead," Malia said and then Theo rolled her eyes, Tracy snorted at Theo and then gave a wry "thank you, hm."

"Can we come in, Theo?" Scott asked politely and then Theo nodded, still angry, leading the six into the living room.

Tracy had already returned to the living room and was sitting on the same couch as Josh, the pack McCall was still stunned, staring at both of them.

"Theo had killed you," Malia said, pointing to the two of them sitting on the couch.

"Actually Theo never killed us, did not hurt us, it was just a frame so we could escape the dread doctors," Josh said simply, not even drawing attention from the video game he was playing.

At this point Scott felt a little guilty, he knew that Theo had come to Beacon Hills to try to take his place as Alpha, that was good enough to send Theo to hell. One of he biggest reasons Theo was sent to hell was that everything indicated that he had killed his betas and then try to kill him.

"And how did you get money for this house, all that?" Mason asked

"Dread Doctors, they have a lot of money, we just had to steal a little. " Tracy said simple, taking the other control and entering the game, choosing a character and pressing the play.

All eyes turned to Theo, who was staring at the floor calmly, little by little, everyone in Scott's pack felt guilty about Theo's hatred of thinking that he had killed his betas, sending him to hell by something he had not done. Corey feeling the greatest weight of all, because that used to be his pack, Theo used to be his alpha, the three used to be his friends.

"Corey, I need to tell you something," Theo had stated, shortly after Corey learned of the death of the two chimeras, but the chameleon had not cared, ignored it, and then joined Scott's pack. Corey had ignored Theo, had believed in the deaths of Josh and Tracy.

After discovering the truth, the members of Scott's pack then began to leave the house, one by one, Corey getting last.

"I believed in your deaths." Corey stated, causing Theo to raise his head and Tracy and Josh pause the game.

"Everyone should believe, Corey," Tracy said, but Corey noticed the annoying tone in her words.

"Theo tried to tell me, but I did not listen, I hated him for all this time, I helped send him to hell." Corey said with tears streaming into his eyes, he noticed that Theo's jaw had caught "You were my friends, you were my alpha and even then I still ignored it.-

Corey finished the speech when she felt Tracy hugging him, the girl's arms circled her body and then Josh joined in the hug. Theo remained leaning on the couch, still, until he was pulled by the two betas to the embrace, a human cocoon around the chameleon, Corey only uttered an "apology", returning the hug.

As soon as they parted Theo bent forward, he covered his mouth with his hand and tried to flee, but the cough began before he could even run, the blood wet his hand and then the petals stained by the red liquid began to come out of his mouth instead, he bent and continued to cough, the thorny branches ripping at his throat to come out of his mouth. When it was all over, Josh held her body in his hands and Tracy was by his side with a glass of ice water and the pills of painkiller, he looked up to find Wet Corey's eyes focused on him.

"You have that disease," Corey said, his voice worried and a little sore.

Theo nodded, still weak from the coughing crisis.

Tracy pulled Corey and then repeated the speech about no one knowing about them and about Theo's illness, the boy left the house with his heart in his hand and a fake smile. Wrapping himself around Mason and thinking of the pain Raeken should be going through.

***

Then Malia came.

The coyote was angry and Theo made the mistake of trying to calm her, only to be punched in the chest, just above the lungs. He felt the branches advancing even faster and then the blood filled his mouth and he could not stop the cough in time, blood and flowers stained the ground and then Theo could not hear any more as he choked with the petals and sprouts in his throat, the air was fading and he kept coughing until he collapsed, falling face down on the floor, high above the pool of blood.

When he awoke, he was lying in a soft spot, and Malia was staring at him, incredibly, with an empathic expression.

"Hanahaki, huh?" Malia stated, staring at the boy in the face, Theo just nodded, Malia spread her hands with a bottle of water and the painkillers.

"Like you?" Theo asked, lifting the pills before swallowing them with water.

"I've had it," Malia said, and Theo looked at her with a look of doubt.

Theo nodded with an expression of understanding, Malia then stared at him as if to say she wanted to know why Theo was coughing the flowers.

"Liam," he whispered, and then Malia just patted his shoulder, an unreadable expression on her face.

"I'm sorry," Malia said, and Theo nodded sadly.

-Me too.-

And then the others returned to the room, no indication that they had heard what Theo and Malia had just talked about, faces turned to Theo with neutral expressions and Theo just shook his head, as if to say he did not want to talk about it, everyone ignored the subject.

"How did you heal yourself?" Theo asked Malia with concern and doubt a few minutes later.

The petals gradually became whole buds, and Theo knew that by the time these shoots became full blooms, he would die.

"I told her, she loved me back," Malia stated, Theo's expression died and he gave a nervous laugh.

"It looks like I'm really going to die." And then she laughed, Malia did not lose the tears that escaped her blue eyes, and even though she was still torn between hating and forgiving the chimera, her heart gave a painful squeeze.

***

"What do you think of Theo?" Malia blurted out one day, beside a distracted Liam.

"I think he's a complete idiot," Liam said, containing the beating of his heart so Malia would not find out the truth.

The coyote could not really notice the lie, just nodded resignedly and moved away from the boy.

"I tried"

- *** -

Theo managed to hide how much the disease had progressed until the day Mason and Scott appeared in the house, searching for their "advice" in a strange new occurrence in Beacon Hills. He'd been coughing all day, and his lungs were aching and burning like damn hell, the thorns tearing the organ again and again after the healing. Theo tried to stop Tracy from letting the two of them in, but she opened the door anyway.

Josh was sitting on the couch reading some ridiculous book of teenage romance and Theo just threw himself on the other end of the furniture, putting his feet on the lap of the beta, which did not seem to mind either, just used Theo's ankles as a backing for the book and leaned back.

"We need your opinion on a subject." Scott only stated as he entered.

"Hi Scott, good afternoon, how are you?" Theo snapped, only to be struck in the abdomen by a Tracy cushion.

That just seemed to increase the pain, but he ignored it, focusing on the conversation that Mason and Scott were trying to keep. At some point Liam's name was quoted and this seemed to serve as a trigger for the plants growing in his lung, he began to cough with despair, falling forward and vomiting blood and flower buds. Scott let out a surprised and a little desperate noise, and Mason gave a little shriek; the chimera just knelt, while sprouts and more shoots of red roses with thorny stems were released from its lung.

His shirt was full of thorny branches and already large shoots, the red of the blood mingling with the red of the petals, his esophagus being torn and his lungs compressed. When the coughing attack ended Theo raised his head in despair, trying to get as much air as possible into his lungs, as well as someone who had just been rescued from a drowning.

Scott and Mason had the same expression on their face, sorry.

"I do not need the pity of the two of you." The chimera came out with a brusque tone and the voice ripped through the thorns.

"We were just surprised." Scott stated and Theo just gave him a look as if to say "I know surprise and it was not," the alpha sighed. "We're leaving, you're in no condition to worry. Let's go Mason.-

The alpha spoke and Theo ignored the concern in his tone, Scott walked out the door, but Mason kept staring at him, actually staring at the flowers on his T-shirt and floor of his living room. Josh came back with the painkiller pills and the icy water. "Theo did not even notice he had left the room, and Mason just stood there with a confused look on his face until his expression became pure understanding.

"Liam's favorite flowers are red roses," Mason stated, his tone neutral and his brow furrowed.

Theo gave a bitter laugh and let out a "go away Mason" the human start walking, but not before looking back and noticing the desperate look Theo was giving the floor where the sprouts were, Mason followed the look and then noticed that some of the flower were already opening.

- *** -

Stiles and Derek discovered and Theo simply hated it.

The chimera was running shirtless through the reserve, felt the branches ripping his body inside and getting tangled in his ribs, but he don’t give a damn, he was just in the mood to work out a little, it was not like he was to stop living the last days of his life.

He leaned against a tree, gasping for breath, tears burning in his eyes and thorns burning inside him. He felt one of them pierce his heart lightly and then let out a howl full of despair, dropping to his knees on the floor and beginning to vomit open sprouts full of blood and thorny branches accompanied by tears. He did not know how long he was coughing and vomiting the flowers as a light, icy hand settled on his shoulder, but he did not care, he just hoped he could die soon and save himself all that.

The flowers seemed to subside, and soon he leaned back breathlessly in the tree beside him, his vision was blurred and wet, he felt the blood wetting his chin and his neck, and his hand was still on his shoulder. He spat but a little blood and turned in a gasping breath, facing a Stiles with wet, sad eyes and Derek with his arms folded and brows furrowed.

"Uh, hey guys." He tried to act relaxed as he wiped blood on his arm, but neither of them fell into the act.

"How long, Theo?" It was the only thing Stiles asked, and Theo smirked, a scary sight because of the amount of blood covering his teeth.

"Three months." The chimera said, and Stiles raised an eyebrow.

"This is more than anyone else has ever survived," Derek says, as if that were some consolation.

"It does not matter, I'm going to die anyway." Theo just nodded, then tilted his head back in a laugh. "At least I already know that my V.I.P place in hell is stored"

Stiles rolled his eyes and Derek scowled, neither of them commenting on how desperate that laughter had come from his mouth.

- *** -

Lydia's discovery was certainly the least dramatic of all.

He only felt an itch in his throat and coughed, a red rose almost fully bloomed out of his mouth, Lydia gasped and then put her hand to her mouth.

"Oh my God, Theo, I'm sorry," she said, her tone sounding like an old friend, Theo just smirked.

"I don’t care anymore." He shrugged, then cleared his throat.

Lydia needed no lupine senses to notice just how lying that information had been.

- *** -

"Josh" Theo called the brunette, who only replied with an "hm" "When I die you can have my truck"

The two other chimeras stared at Theo with a look of sadness and despair, they knew that the rose was already in an advanced stage of growth, Theo's heart almost crushed by the thorns.

"Uh, okay then" Josh said, smiling as he thought of uses for the backseat of the truck.

"I only have one condition." Theo let go, and Josh turned to him. "You're going to respect my memory instead fucking with Brett Talbot in the backseat of that truck."

Josh turned incredibly red and Tracy began to laugh like crazy, falling off the couch.

"I think I should leave sometimes, spare you from this" Theo said, and then Tracy was at his side, hugging him tightly.

"You're our friend Theo, we'll always be with you," Tracy said determinedly, her face buried in his neck.

"From dusk till dawn." Josh let go, and Tracy agreed with him.

"Together, from dusk to dawn." The girl repeated and Theo managed not to shed tears that threatened to leave.

- *** -

And it was then that the calm ended in the city of Beacon Hills, thanks to Gerard Argent, again.

The McCall pack and the pack of chimeras were battling the hunters. Theo knocked down the hunter in front of him and then noticed another pointing a gun at Scott's back while Scott was distracted struggling, the chimera tried to pretend he did not care, but he knew he was worried. Scott had been his friend even long ago and seeing the alpha die would simply destroy Liam completely. The only thing Theo thought of as he fired at Scott to carry the hail of bullets was that he was going to die anyway.

Liam let out a desperate howl, Scott let out a souring howl and everyone in the pack stared in surprise as the Dunbar knocked down the last hunter who had not fled, the one that shoot at Theo. Scott knelt beside Theo and then everyone in the pack was in a circle around him, Tracy was shaking and Josh was trying to calm her, Brett had a hand on Josh's arm.

Scott and Derek lifted Theo's fallen body off the ground in a hurry.

In the distraction, no one in the pack noticed that a whole rose slid from his lips.

***

Theo remained unconscious when they arrived at Deaton's clinic, only waking up when the druid and Derek began to take the bullets-poisoned-from within.

"Unfortunately, I have no idea what poison this is, I fear I can not cure it." Deaton stated to the pack members and Theo gave a funny laugh.

Tracy was crying and even Josh could not hold on, Liam kept his head down as he pretended not to care what was happening in front of him. Theo laughed, coughing, for a moment the chimera was grateful that no flower could escape his lungs, Derek withdrew the last bullet from his body and the blonde felt that everything around him was spinning hard, the voices of each one in the room seemed to be underwater, he shook his head and then he could hear the still muffled voices. Liam had an incredulous face as he stared at Scott during the dialogue, and Theo had to try to swallow back the rose that threatened to creep up his throat, the chimera rubbed his lips a little and lowered his head.

Theo did not even notice what was happening around him, just lay back on the metal table and closed his eyes, relaxing. The chimera felt the flowers curl up more and more around his heart, but somehow odd, he felt no pain, the venom was blocking the pain.

He woke up with a pair of hands swaying him.

"Theo you can not sleep!" Tracy shouted at her friend, who just grinned, the girl bit her lip with concern and then Theo raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Josh?" Tracy pointed to the outside of the room and then Theo nodded.

Tracy left the room and then came back pulling Josh by the hand, the brunette had a confused face and swollen red lips. Theo would have made a joke if he had not just felt a few thorns rip a piece of his heart and a rose force the way out of its interior. Raeken waited for the two of them to stand beside the stretcher to pull them into a group hug, pressing both against his body, Tracy leaned her head on his right shoulder and Josh on his left shoulder.

"I love you, thank you for being my friends, my pack, my family," Theo says and then the two leave the embrace and look at him with despair.

"Theo, do not say that, we'll find the antidote." Josh says, and Tracy just nods, Theo smiles sadly.

"I'm not going to die for the poison," Theo says and they both widen their eyes.

"No," Tracy said, putting her hand on her sides, her eyes already filled with tears. "No, no, no."

But Theo just pulled the two who were crying back into the embrace, hoping they would be fine when their chest became a garden.

- *** -

The next time Theo woke up, it was Liam who rocked him, Raeken opened his eyes confused, no longer feeling his body from the waist down.

"We're going after the hunters, Mason will stay here with you," Liam said, and Theo smiled sardonically.

"No kiss for goodbye?" Theo asked, and Liam just rolled his eyes.

"Do not be ridiculous, and stay awake until we get back." The beta said, restraining himself to show his dismay at Theo's condition.

It might not seem like it, but Liam loved Theo, he was just afraid of what the chimera would do after finding out about this information. Of course the beta was slow enough not to notice the way Theo was around him, no, Liam just thought Theo would laugh at his face and then turn his back to leave, and that was all Liam did not want.

Theo only opened his lips in a bloody smile as he watched Liam walk out the door.

"Now it's just me and you, man." Mason said from where he was sitting, and Theo sighed.

- *** -

Theo closed his eyes, felt his awareness swimming and swimming. He had already stopped feeling beneath his body thanks to the venom, his arms and torso numb, but he still did not feel any pain other than the one that plagued his chest. The branches and flowers of the rose tightened around his heart and lungs, but he was not feeling any pain, at least he would die in peace.

"Dude, you're not going to die," Mason said, and Theo only let out a few tears with how hopeful the boy seemed to be.

"That's not the truth," Theo said, and then turned to the side, coughing red and bloody roses, Mason's eyes widened and Theo came back to lie down panting, somehow he knew that those were the last roses that would be expelled from within.

"Complete remedies," Mason whispered, his eyes filled with water.

"Tell Liam I would have loved being his stupid," Theo said, feeling Mason hold his hand.

The chimera smiled one last smile before the thorns of the roses took the last beat of his heart, and a bloody petal flowed from his lips at his last breath.

- *** -

Tracy knew there was something very wrong when she returned to the clinic. Her whole body ached for the fight with the hunters, but no pain matched the one she felt when she visualized the scene in Deaton's office.

Mason was crying, holding Theo's pale, black-veined hand. The chimera had its eyes closed and an expression of extreme calm, its inert body and some roses next to its head. The bottle of antidote trembled in her hands as she handed it to an apologetic Deaton.

"Theo, for God's sake, no." The girl stated as she reached the side of the stretcher, grabbing the other's shoulders and calling by her name "Theo, wake up, come on."

She was only stopped when Josh grabbed her body, but the tears still ran down the hills through her face and fury tore her heart like never before.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT! She screamed at Liam, sobbing as her sobs swayed in Josh's arms. " IF IT WAS NOT FOR YOU IT WILL BE STILL HERE

"Excuse me, I did not poison him!" Liam shouted, still staring at the chimera's body in disbelief, his heart didn’t seemed to be beating anymore and a sense of emptiness had taken hold of him.

"HE DIDN’T DIE FOR THE POISON, YOU IDIOT!" She cried, tossing a red rose at him.

Josh left the room holding Tracy by the waist, the girl seemed to have stopped fighting and now only cried audibly.

-Hanahaki.- It was the only thing Malia said, before leaving the room, almost every member of the pack followed her while Liam just alternated between facing the rose and Theo's body.

"No, no, no, it can not be true," Liam said desperately, tears coming down from his eyes like a waterfall. "Theo, please do not."

The beta just whispered desperately as it approached the body.

"I love you, I'm sorry, I love you, I love you," Liam whispered with his head glued to the other's chest. "I love you very much, do not die, please, I love you, I should have said it before, I I love you.-

The beta began to sob hard, feeling that there was no more life inside.

"You must live, Theo, you must," Liam whispered through his tears. "You must live, Theo, for me, please I love you."

"You're not the only reason I have to live, you know?" Theo's voice sounded and Liam raised his head faster than he thought possible, his neck prickling.

The beta looked at the other in disbelief, before smiling and sticking his lips to Theo's. Liam's hands were lost in each other's hair as Theo's hands skimmed around his waist, the kiss tasted like blood, but the feeling of love was even greater.

"No, I'm just the biggest one." The beta said, sinking his head into Theo's shoulder. "I love you, I should have said that before."

"I love you too, Liam," Theo said, doing the same and dragging his nose around the neck of the beta.

- *** -

Malia closed the door quietly with a giant smile on her face, ready to reassure Tracy, but stopped halfway, a thought just in her head.

"I should try to talk to Kira"

- *** -

The story of Liam and Theo was complicated, they all knew, but it was a beautiful story from that point on.

As beautiful as the flowers that grew in his heart.