#then surely the press will also interview said animators and get the same answer right
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
seasaltcosmos · 1 year ago
Text
i’m not one to be cynical on main but i don’t really trust people who say shit like “i would NEVER want them to suffer as much as me 😩😩😩” because that sounds like the type of thing you’d say if you were lying out your ass to appear Like the Goodiest Good in Hollywood uwu
just say “no i didnt overwork the animators because they’re human goddamn beings” instead of talking like some kind of “””savior”””
1 note · View note
Text
Off the Record | Stiles Stilinski
Tumblr media
Pairing: Stiles Stilinski x reader
Summary: High school in Beacon Hills, as told through the eyes of one inquisitive journalist who has a knack at getting on Stiles Stilinski's nerves.
Warnings: idk there's like a couple curse words lmao. also, spoilers? if you haven't finished teen wolf I guess??
Word count: 8,227
A/N: hi hi this is my first fic I'm posting on Tumblr (not to say that this is my first fic ever...anyway)! before you start, I just wanna say that there's a couple things that might be off from the show but please just ignore them. like I think it's bs Lydia brings Stiles back and not Scott in 6b so I righted that wrong. but I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think of it! thanks for reading!!
--
All my life I’ve wondered why people didn’t question what happens in Beacon Hills.
It’s no secret that our town is unusual, but when odd things seemed to happen, people would just turn a blind eye and go about their business.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t let it go. I was inquisitive by nature, and my mom never knew how to answer my questions.
Why do we have so many animal attacks?
What happened to the people that disappeared in the Preserve?
Why did his eyes glow like that?
That last question almost caused my mom to get me a therapist – which probably would’ve helped me regardless – but she just continued to answer with her usual responses.
They just feel threatened by us, dear.
They’re in a better place now.
I’m sure it was nothing – you probably just saw some reflection in his eyes.
But no matter what she told me, I wasn’t satisfied. I knew there was something bigger going on, something my mom couldn’t explain, but I wasn’t sure what. As I got older, however, I realized that if I kept voicing my concerns, I’d be seen as the local crazy person – which, at the time, was the title reserved for my neighbor, Donna Romano, who always went to Town Hall meetings to complain about how some supernatural creatures were traumatizing her dogs every time she took them out at night to urinate.
Out of fear of sounding like Donna, I kept my suspicions to myself. I observed the strange actions of those around me and kept note of the bizarre events that happened in town. I found that it was something I was good at – observing. Always watching, but never voicing my opinions. Eventually, it got the best of me because I grew really quiet at school. But I didn’t mind. I liked being a wallflower.
One day in the fifth grade I saw my mom reading the Beacon Chronicle and I had an epiphany – journalists investigate weird, inexplicable events, so I should be a journalist. Reading the news became my favorite pastime, and by sixth grade I decided I would join the high school newspaper, The Daily Beacon, when I became a freshman. I figured maybe it would give me an outlet to investigate the odd occurrences in the town without looking like a lunatic.
But in sixth grade, I noticed that some of the odd things had stopped happening. There were less animal attacks and disappearances from the Preserve. Some people had even left town, including the last of the Hales, whose house had burned down that same year.
I didn’t give up hope though. I kept my head down and waited for things to get weird again. In the meantime, I wrote for enjoyment. In eighth grade I started shadowing a girl named Anna that was a part of the Daily Beacon, and I started writing articles – album reviews, movie reviews, school news.
Everything was going smoothly until my sophomore year of high school. Suddenly the weird things were happening, and I was sure that there was one person that was at the epicenter of it all – Scott McCall.
--
“...Angela, you’re covering the new faculty; Thomas, you’ve got the new Vegan Support Group club some juniors just created; and y/n, you’re covering lacrosse try-outs,” said Andrew, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Beacon.
I groaned slightly. “Andrew, couldn’t I write something a little bit more...my style? Like what about the one freshman class that boycotted their summer reading and is facing suspension?”
He gave me a slight look. “y/n, you know how important this lacrosse piece is. You know what that sport means to the school. You should be glad I’m giving you this opportunity,” he scolded. “Besides, Marlene is covering that class and is already interviewing their teacher.”
I nodded slowly and tried to refrain from rolling my eyes. I knew that Andrew meant well – he had been like an older brother to me ever since my freshman year – and he was right about the importance of lacrosse. I stayed quiet until he dismissed us, then mentally prepared myself to spend my afternoon watching some jocks exude machismo on a field.
When my last class was over, I walked over to the lacrosse field and found myself a spot on the top of the bleachers. It gave me an excellent vantage point – until a couple girls sat down right in front of me. The redhead I recognized to be Lydia Martin, the school’s resident popular girl. We’d been in class together all our lives, but I couldn’t remember a time she ever talked to me. I’m sure she didn’t even know I existed, just like the majority of the other people in our grade. The other girl, however, I didn’t recognize. I found out her name was Allison by overhearing their conversation. She was new and must have just moved to Beacon Hills.
The shrill sound of Coach’s whistle knocked me out of my thoughts. Tryouts started, and I watched as Scott McCall, a boy from my grade, was nearly knocked out by a lacrosse ball to the face. I winced but wrote down the event in the notebook I had out for documentation.
The next ball that went Scott’s way didn’t hit his face though. He managed to catch it in his goalie net. I couldn’t help but be a bit surprised – like Lydia, I’d known of Scott my whole life though he probably didn’t know me at all. But that meant I knew he was an asthmatic that wasn’t particularly skilled at sports.
“He’s actually pretty good,” I mumbled to myself as Scott continued to catch every ball that came his way.
I didn’t realize how loud I must’ve said it though because at my remark Allison turned around. “I was just thinking the same thing,” she said, obviously surprised. “Do you know him?”
I shook my head and quickly turned my attention to my notebook to write down the surprising turn of events. “Are you writing about this for the school newspaper?” I looked back up at Allison’s question. She was paying attention to me?
“Um, yeah, I am. I’d rather not write about sports, but here I am,” I joked lightly.
She let out a beautiful laugh at my statement. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. I’m Allison, and you are…?”
“y/n,” I answered. “Nice to meet you, Allison.” Suddenly the crowd roared, and I remembered why I was there. Allison, too, smiled and turned her attention back to the game. Lydia hadn’t said a word, but she was focused on watching Scott absolutely demolish Jackson Highmore, who, in my opinion, needed to be knocked down a few pegs anyway.
The more I watched Scott though, I got this weird feeling. He was good – too good. I tried to ignore my feelings and just focus on writing notes for the ridiculous lacrosse piece, which would include the headline: “Sophomore Scott McCall shines at lacrosse tryouts and becomes team co-captain.” But deep down I knew there was something up with him.
A few days later, I was sitting behind Stiles Stilinski, Scott’s best friend, in English class. Even though I’d had nearly all of my classes with him, we never talked. It originally was because I had a minor crush on him and was afraid I’d pass out if I spoke to him, but eventually it just morphed into me not speaking to many people and being convinced he didn’t know of my existence anyway.
But this one day, I was committed to speaking with him. I had to know what was going on, and if there was one person that knew anything about Scott’s new-found lacrosse talent, it was Stiles.
“Hey, Stiles,” I spoke up from behind him.
The brunette turned around, slightly confused but with that soft smile on his face. “Oh, hey, y/n. What’s up?”
I swear my heart stopped beating for a second. He knew my name? He knew who I was? I shook myself out of my thoughts before I went down the rabbit hole of the implications of him knowing me.
“Oh, nothing much. I’m just writing a piece about lacrosse tryouts for the school newspaper and I was just wondering if you had anything to say about it,” I explained.
He tilted his head slightly and shifted in his seat to more fully face me. “Um, yeah sure. I think it’s going to be a great season, especially since we’ve gotten some new leadership. My boy Scott’s co-captain now, so those Devenford Prep guys won’t know what hit them!”
“Speaking of Scott, when did he get so good at lacrosse? Would you say it’s natural talent?” I pressed a bit, hoping he’d say something that would give me a hint as to what was going on.
Stiles’ eyes squinted a little, and his head tilted slightly again. He seemed to be at a loss for words, which was unusual for the fast-talking, sarcastic boy, but he quickly recovered. “It’s definitely...natural...talent. He’s been working extra hard recently to hone his talent and skills so he could bring his A-game to this year’s tryouts.” When he finished speaking, he looked pleased with himself, and I could tell he had let out a small sigh of relief.
What are you hiding?
Though I didn’t know it yet, at that moment my rivalry with Stiles Stilinski began. He and Scott were hiding something, and I was going to find out what it was.
--
“You’re telling me that a girl is in a coma after the school winter formal and you don’t want me to write a story about it?”
Andrew leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. “It’s not that I don’t want you to write it. I just think it’s a tense time right now. The administration is receiving a lot of flack right now because of the winter formal fiasco, and Ms. Blanchard told me that we may want to avoid stirring the pot right now,” he explained. “That is not to say that we abandon our journalistic integrity and commitment to informing the student body, but we just may want to be sensitive to our environment right now.”
I trusted Ms. Blanchard, the faculty sponsor of the Daily Beacon, but not reporting on Lydia’s comatose state felt wrong. She was well-known at school, and students deserved to know the facts of her situation and how it had happened.Well, maybe I was lying to myself by saying that the real reason I wanted to pursue the story wasn’t the fact that something inexplicable had happened at the dance and I had to figure out what it was.
Andrew could sense my disappointment. “Look, maybe for now you can start collecting information and sources, and I’ll talk to Ms. Blanchard. Maybe she can advise us on how best to proceed.”
I threw my arms around Andrew in a quick hug. “Yes, thank you! I promise I’ll be sensitive when asking sources. I know how difficult this must be for the people close to her.”
“I know you will,” he said, chuckling lightly.
With a smile plastered on my face – perhaps a little inappropriately considering the topic I was excited to cover – I left the small newspaper office in search of my first source: Stiles Stilinski. He had been Lydia’s date to the dance, so surely he must know what happened to her, right? “No, I don’t know what happened,” Stiles angrily responded when I cornered him at his locker. “We were separated for a bit because she went looking for someone. When I went looking for her I–” he stopped suddenly, as if choosing his words carefully. He wouldn’t meet my eyes as he spoke.
“The next thing I know, she was at the hospital in a coma. They told me Jackson had found her out on the field when I went to check on her at the hospital,” he explained.
Something wasn’t adding up. “Ok, but where were you the rest of that time? You didn’t go looking for her when you didn’t see her for a while? What about when she had already been checked into the hospital?”
“What is this – an investigation?” Stiles shouted as he slammed his locker shut. I took a step back, eyes wide at the sudden display of aggression. Maybe I pushed too hard, I thought. Stiles rubbed a hand over his face and took a deep breath. “Sorry, I….I didn’t mean it like that. There’s just a lot going on, and my dad has been up my ass about those details too. To be honest, I can’t tell you where I was. The time just flew by and all of a sudden I’d realized I hadn’t seen Lydia for a couple hours. I wish I had been there for her, but there’s nothing I can do for her now other than check up on her.”
Running a hand over his buzzed head, he shot me a forced smile and said “good luck with your article” before walking away.
I was at a loss for words, trying to put the pieces together in my head. Surely he couldn’t have had a part in Lydia’s injury? There’s no way. But his defensiveness was off-putting–
“Hey, y/n!” I was snapped out of my thoughts by Allison approaching me from behind. “What were you talking to Stiles about?”
“Huh? Oh, um, I was just asking him about…” I remembered that the funeral for Allison’s aunt was happening and didn’t want to mention the additional stress of her best friend being comatose, so I opted for a white lie. “Biology homework. I wasn’t really paying attention in class today.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize you two were friends,” she said as she leant against the lockers.
I shook my head violently. “We’re not.” I’d grown too close to Allison for her to not pick up on my feelings though.
“You say that now, but–”
“I have to get to class. See you at lunch, Ally!”
--
Other things that year were weird, but none warranted any further investigation via newspaper article. Sure, I was wondering about Erica Reyes’ sudden transformation into the ultimate baddie, the mysterious deaths of a mechanic and Isaac Lahey’s dad, numerous paralyzations at the Jungle, and a death of someone at a secret rave, but Andrew thought it would be best for the Chronicle and Ledger to cover those bigger events. In fact, the only other unnatural event that happened that I had to cover for the newspaper was Stiles’ unbelievable winning streak at the lacrosse championship. I would have quoted him after the game, but I really didn’t want to speak to him and anyway, he had disappeared for a bit right after the team won.
I could tell that things were happening, but it was all hidden from public view. I even noticed Allison’s behavior fluctuating. The arrival of her grandfather shook things up, and while he gave me a bad feeling, I couldn’t exactly figure out why. Lydia was more troubled than usual after coming back from the hospital even though she tried to act normally. Jackson was going through something and was more angry and aggressive than usual, but I wasn’t close enough to him to ask him if he was okay.
Over the summer, I spent a surprising amount of time with Lydia. Allison spent her summer in France, but she asked me to keep an eye on Lydia to make sure she was okay, especially since Jackson had moved to London during the summer break. I was surprised how much I enjoyed spending time with the redhead, and we hung out when I wasn’t working at my internship at The Beacon Chronicle, which my mom had convinced me to apply for after she noticed how irritated I was that I couldn’t pursue some of the stories I wanted.
By the time Allison came back before the start of school, it felt like Lydia and I had been best friends for the longest time.
“So, Allison, have you talked to Scott at all this summer?” I asked when I was sitting in the backseat of Lydia’s car, Allison in the passenger seat.
She shook her head. “No, I think I still need some time. He...hides things from me and I don’t know if I can trust him.”
I nodded my head, understanding the feeling. I still couldn’t place my finger on what had happened between them or what Scott was involved in. Though I comforted her when I found out they broke up, I didn’t really know why they’d done it.
“What about you, y/n? Have you talked to Stiles at all?” Allison asked, looking back at me in the backseat.
“Why the hell would I talk to Stiles?” I questioned, confused.
She and Lydia shared a small look that I couldn’t decipher before she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, but you guys are more similar than you may think. I don’t know why you guys act like you don’t like each other though.”
The car rolled to a stop at the stop light, and all of a sudden I noticed a familiar baby blue jeep approach next to us. “Speak of the devil,” I mumbled. Lydia and Allison didn’t notice Stiles staring and waving at first, but when they did the car was filled with awkward tension.
The next events were a blur: Lydia running the red light, both cars stopping in the middle of the road, and a deer running straight towards us, nearing killing me in the gap between the front seats. We were shaken, and the boys ran towards us when they saw what happened.
“Are you okay?” Stiles asked Lydia, but he kept looking at me. I nodded slightly and he turned his full attention back to Lydia.
“What was wrong with it?” Allison asked as Scott got closer to the deer.
“It was scared,” he explained. “No, terrified.”
Things got progressively weirder after that. On the first day of school, I interviewed our new English teacher, Ms. Blake. She was nice enough, but it was unfortunate that her class was the one that a whole flock of birds decided to burst through the classroom windows. By the time the police arrived, I was already drafting up a story in my brain: Why are the animals acting weird in Beacon Hills?
I had overheard Stiles talking to Scott about the deer’s weird behavior and the number of deer-related incidents in California, so I swallowed my pride so that I could talk to him and maybe get some stats and information on the whole situation.
I walked up to him when he was sitting alone, texting on his phone. “Hey, Stiles.” “y/n? What’s wrong?” He had genuine concern written on his face.
“I overheard you and Scott talking about deer-related incidents earlier,” I noticed how he tensed up at my statement, “and I was wondering if you could help me with a piece I’m writing? It seems like you know all the stats, so maybe...you could write it with me?” It pained me to finish that sentence, but I figured it might be easier to figure out what was going on if he was helping – especially if he already had inside information.
I think for the first time in his life, the talkative boy was speechless. “I understand if you don’t want to or you’re busy–” I said quickly, trying to give him a way out.
“Yeah, sure.”
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t caught off guard by his response. “W-what?”
He smirked slightly. “Yeah, sure. I’ll help you out with your article, y/n. Collaborate with you, if you will. We can work on it at my house tomorrow afternoon if you want.”
Nodding and agreeing with the plan, I left the chaotic English classroom.
The next afternoon, I felt like I was walking into the lion’s den. Going to Stiles’ house felt foreign, but what was even stranger was seeing him in casual clothes in a comfortable environment.
He answered the door wearing some sweats and a t-shirt, looking more comfortable and confident than I’d ever seen him. “Hey, y/n. Come on in,” he greeted.
I thanked him awkwardly, and we walked to his dining room table to get set up. “Sorry, I need to go grab my notes from my room. Be back in a sec,” Stiles said before leaving me alone in his dining room.
After a moment of silence, Sheriff Stilinski walked in wearing his uniform. “Oh, y/n! What are you doing here?” He had seen me a couple weeks ago in the police station when I was requesting documents for a story for the Chronicle. Though journalists and cops don’t often have a jovial relationship, he said that he liked me because of my commitment to the truth and respectful nature.
“Hey, Sheriff. I’m writing a piece about the animals acting weird, you know, with the deer accident and bird incident, and Stiles said he’d help me since he has a bunch of statistics on deer related car accidents.”
“Stiles is helping you? Well, I’ll be damned.” When he saw the confusion on my face, he rushed to explain himself. “No, not like that. It’s just, you’re all organized and focused, and Stiles is….Stiles.”
I was laughing heartily when the boy himself walked back into the room. “What’s going on, Daddy-o?”
“Nothing, son. Just catching up with y/n here. I’ve got to get to work, but you’re welcome anytime, y/n.” He said before patting Stiles on the shoulder and heading off to work.
Stiles looked over at me oddly when he placed his notes on the table and sat next to me. “Since when are you all buddy-buddy with my dad?”
Shrugging, I said, “Ever since we started grabbing beer every Thursday night while you’re at lacrosse practice.” His jaw dropped slightly, and I laughed again. “No, idiot. We’ve just interacted a lot because of my internship. Now, can we get started on the article?”
--
After the article was published, my next assignment was writing about the track meet a couple weeks later. I found out Allison and Lydia were riding together to the meet, so I tagged along.
Both girls were extremely tense the whole ride, seemingly concerned about something going on in the bus. We were only a few cars behind the bus full of track runners (and lacrosse players who were forced to attend the meet), but the stand-still traffic was a force to be reckoned with.
“Do you think we’re too close?” Allison asked.
“Honey, if you were any closer I think you’d mount the bus,” Lydia said sarcastically. She got a call from Stiles and looked over at Allison. “Hey, Stiles,” she dragged out the ‘hey,’ tension obvious in her voice.
She listened to what he was saying, something clearly wrong. “What do you mean he’s not–” she stopped when she remembered I was in the car, “healing?” She finished the question quietly, probably hoping I wouldn’t hear.
Healing? Is he injured?
“Yeah, ok, just find a way to get Coach to stop. We’ll meet you there.” She hung up and told Allison to pull off at the next stop.
When we got to the rest stop, I could see everyone hurrying to get off the bus. Allison parked the car, and we quickly went to the bathroom where I saw Scott nearly passed out on the floor. “Oh my god, is he okay?”
“Yeah, y/n. He’s fine. At least, he will be,” Stiles responded. He positioned his body in front of me a little bit as if he was trying to block my view of Scott.
I gently pushed him aside so I could see and was shocked to see black blood coming from the injured boy. “What the hell is going on? Why is his blood black?” I ran forward to get closer, kneeling next to Allison.
“It’s nothing. We just need to stitch him up and he’ll be fine.”
“Stiles, don’t fucking lie to me. I can see that he’s obviously not fine.”
“He’s right,” Allison said quietly. “We need to stitch him up. I need something to stitch him together with.” She looked around before remembering something in her bag.
I shook my head. “We need to tell Coach. Take him to a hospital or something.”
“No!” All three of them yelled at me.
It was quiet for a moment, all of us deciding where to go from here. “Just…” Stiles started, “please go and make sure the bus doesn’t leave without us. We’ll handle this.” I got up and slowly made my way to the door.
As I reached for the door, a hand grabbed my wrist. “y/n,” Stiles said, “it’ll make sense someday. Just trust us for now. Trust me,” he pleaded quietly out of earshot of the girls and Scott.
“I do,” I replied quietly, not meeting his eyes, before pulling my hand from his grasp and leaving the bathroom.
That night, we all had to stay at the Motel Glen Capri because of the postponed meet. I didn’t like its energy, and neither did Lydia. “A lot can happen in one night,” she said.
Though it was supposed to be two to a room, I convinced Coach to let me room with Allison and Lydia. Admittedly, Coach didn’t need much convincing because I was saving the school money by doing so. Once we got our room key, we went up to our room on the second floor.
“I’m going to go get a snack from the machine,” I told Lydia once Allison was in the shower.
She nodded. “Sounds good. I’m going to the lobby. There must be something we can do about these towels that reek of nicotine.”
Grabbing a couple one’s from my wallet, I made my way down the hall to the vending machine where I ran into Boyd and Stiles. As I approached, I could hear Stiles trying to talk to an unresponsive Boyd, who subsequently punched a hole through the glass of the machine, grab his snack that the machine refused to give him, and walk away.
“What the hell was that?” I asked Stiles as I walked up next to him.
He shrugged. “I don’t really know, to be honest.” He reached into the machine to grab his snack and tossed one to me as well.
When I got back to my room, a shaken Allison and Lydia were hurriedly talking about something. “Oh, y/n! You’re back. You won’t believe what just happened…” Allison started
She recounted the story of Scott’s bizarre behavior in the bathroom, and Lydia filled me in on the counter that they have at the front desk. “Can you imagine having a counter for the number of suicides that take place in your hotel? Crazy,” Lydia said. Taking her phone out, she sent a quick text to Stiles telling him that we all needed to talk.
We met him in the hallway a couple minutes later. “What was the text for?” Stiles asked when he saw our little gathering.
“There’s something going on with all the…” she looked over at me before continuing, “guys. You know, Scott, Boyd, Isaac, probably Ethan too.” I tried to connect the dots between all of them, but I didn’t really know what they all had in common. Scott and Isaac were both on the lacrosse team, but from what I could tell they didn’t have a particular fondness for each other or Ethan.
“I think someone’s going to die tonight,” Lydia said decisively.
“Why do you think that?” I asked, but it seemed like I was the only one questioning her line of reason.
She shook her head slowly. “I just...have a feeling.” After a moment of silence, she told us about hearing something from the room next to ours through the vent, so we decided to investigate it. Room 217 seemed empty and locked, but all of a sudden we heard the sound of a saw from behind the door.
Stiles busted the door open, and we opened it to find Ethan turning the saw on himself. “Ethan, stop!” I yelled as we ran into the room. Stiles started wrestling him for the saw, but luckily Lydia saw where it was plugged into the wall and unplugged it.
The next thing that happened was completely unexpected to me. Ethan grew fangs and claws, his eyes blazing red. What the fu–
Allison and Lydia rushed forward, wrestling his claws away from his torso where he had been planning on slashing himself. In the struggle he fell on the space heater, which apparently brought him out of whatever state he was in. He ran out of the room soon after. When we tried to question him about what he was doing, he couldn’t answer us. He had been out of control, and it made Allison realize we were forgetting someone.
“Where’s Scott?” She asked suddenly. When no one could answer, we all decided to split up – I’d go with Allison to look for Scott while Stiles and Lydia went to find Boyd and Isaac.
Scott wasn’t in his room. Allison and I ran all over the motel, looking in every crevice. At last, we decided to check the school bus, and that’s where we saw him. Standing drenched in gasoline, a flare lit up in his hand.
“Scott…” I approached quietly, careful to not make any sudden movements.
It was then that Stiles and Lydia joined us. I watched as Stiles walked into the gasoline, my breath catching in my throat as he nearly sacrificed himself. Scott was talking, but I didn’t really understand what it meant. He said that his life was better before the bite.
Stiles eventually talked Scott down, but the flare rolled into the gasoline. Luckily, Lydia was able to make sure we had all gotten out of the way. I’d ended up next to Stiles on the ground, and though we made eye contact, no words were spoken.
We spent the night in the bus because none of us could bear the thought of spending another second in that cursed place. Coach woke us up in the morning, definitely thinking the worst about what we may have gotten ourselves into, but whatever he was thinking wouldn’t possibly compare to reality. What was reality? I couldn’t have really told you at that point. I didn’t understand what we’d just lived through.
Before the other students started loading onto the bus, Stiles slid into the empty space next to me. “y/n, you know that all of this,” he made a grand gesture to Scott and the others as well as the motel, “is off the record. You can’t tell anyone about this. About what happened.” I held eye contact with him for a moment before nodding. “I wouldn’t tell anyone. To be honest, I don’t even really know what I would tell people, but I wouldn’t.” He nodded, a sad smile on his face as he looked down and fidgeted with his hands. “But Stiles,” I said as he looked back up at me. “Please help me understand it all. You can trust me, I promise, I just want to understand. I want to help.”
With a deep sigh, Stiles nodded once more. “Okay. I’ll tell you everything.”
--
When Stiles said he’d fill me in on everything, I didn’t realize he meant everything. I couldn’t believe how oblivious I had been to everything that had happened in the past year. Sure, I knew something weird was going on, but how was I supposed to know it was supernatural?
Finding out that my little corner of the world, little old Beacon Hills, California, had werewolves (and a kanima, pack of alphas, and whatever the hell a Darach was) was a lot to process. It was unbelievable, but Stiles helped me believe it.
I could tell that he didn’t fully trust me though. There was something in the way he looked at me that told me he was wondering when I would be done with my source acquisition and I’d write the next big exposé: Supernatural Beacon Hills: How Werewolves Have Been Hiding In Plain Sight. I didn’t know how to assure him that I was on their side and wouldn’t expose their secrets.
As the year progressed, things simultaneously made more sense and less sense. To defeat the Darach, we had to perform a sacrifice for the parents that had abducted, and Deaton – the veterinarian that had taken care of every family pet we’d ever had – told me I had to hold Stiles down during it. He said we had some sort of connection, but I guess that’s what mutual loathing does to people.
In the end, we won. We beat the Darach, the alpha of the alphas Deucalion left, and Scott became an alpha himself. But it was still just the beginning.
--
The sacrifice did something to Scott, Stiles, and Allison that we didn’t fully understand. Deaton said they left a door open, which only made it harder for Stiles to trust me because he could barely trust himself.
Knowing about the supernatural didn’t preclude my other responsibilities though. I still wrote for the Daily Beacon, much to Stiles’ displeasure, but I enjoyed it. So, on the first day of school I interviewed our newest faculty member – Mr. Yukimura. He and his family had just moved from New York, and his daughter Kira was in our grade. She was nice, but shy, so I invited her to have lunch with us.
Surprisingly, Kira jumped right into the conversation at lunch by mentioning bardo, the Buddhist concept of being in an in-between state.
After lunch, I caught up with Allison to walk to our next class. “Hey, Allison, could I ask you a favor?”
“Of course! What’s up?”
“Well, I don’t really know how to ask this but...I need help learning to defend myself, I guess? It’s just that I’m going to be helping you guys now, and I actually want to be helpful, so I want to protect myself so you guys don’t have to worry about me,” I admitted.
Allison smiled softly. “I’d love to help.” I returned her smile, suddenly giddy, yet nervous. “But, I think you should know that my...aim...has been off since the sacrifice.”
I could hear the disappointment in her voice. “Nonsense, I’m sure that you’re still the best shot in this school.” She shook her head. “It’s never been this bad.”
Touching her arm lightly, I gave her a reassuring smile. “We’ll figure it out together.”
A few days later, I was surprised when I was paid a visit by both Scott and Stiles while I was sitting in the library. “To what do I owe this pleasure, boys?”
“We need your help.” I perked up at Scott’s statement. “We’re trying to solve the Tate case, you know, the one where Malia Tate disappeared all those years ago after that car accident, and we could use your help tracking her down.” He looked over at Stiles and nudged him with his elbow.
“And, you can write a piece about it. Not including all the details, if what we think happened is true, but you can still write something factual,” Stiles said, still displeased that I was writing for the newspaper.
To annoy Stiles, I acted like I was really thinking about it for a minute, but then laughed lightly. “Yeah, I’ll help you guys. Where do we start?”
--
Pull yourself together, y/n. You’re a journalist. You’re supposed to report on tragedy all the time. Be objective.
I took a deep breath and wrote the first line for what would be the cover story of the next Daily Beacon issue.
Junior Allison Argent, 17, died in an unfortunate carjacking incident last fall.
Before I could write any more, I got a phone call from Stiles.
Oh, thank god. “Stiles?”
“Do you want to come with us to Mexico?” He blurted out.
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled from my chest. “What? Mexico? Why? When–”
“Tomorrow.”
“Stiles, are you insane? Even if I wanted to, there’s no way my parents would ever let me go.”
“We’re all telling our parents we’re going camping, if that helps at all,” he said with what seemed like a hint of disappointment in his voice.
I was quiet for a minute, but my mind was already made up. “Why? And who exactly is going?”
“Scott, Lydia, Kira, Malia, and I have to visit some hunters and see what they know about Derek being missing.”
As soon as he mentioned Malia, my mouth started curling into a frown. It’s not that I disliked the werecoyote, it’s just that she and Stiles had been pretty full on since they hooked up at Eichen and started dating. I wasn’t jealous – though I’m sure Lydia would argue otherwise since she’s convinced I like him or something – just...weirded out by their relationship.
I sighed. “I want to help, but I really can’t tomorrow. School starts back up in a couple days, and I need to finish this elegy for Allison and come up with a bunch of assignments for the staff writers…” I trailed off, thinking about all that I had to do before the coming week.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Ms. Editor-in-chief over here has a life outside of us,” Stiles joked.
Andrew graduated at the end of last year and left his glittering empire to me, though suddenly I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of running a newspaper while being way too involved in the town’s supernatural endeavors. It didn’t bother me last semester, but after Allison��
“I’ll just see you guys when you get back, okay?” I told Stiles. He made an unintelligible noise of agreement. “And try not to let anyone get killed.” “Yes, mom,” Stiles said sarcastically. I could almost hear the smirk in his voice.
When the pack got back, I was surprised by the events that had taken place. “What do you mean it’s a young version of Derek?”
A few days later, I had to cover the spring lacrosse tryouts. Though I wanted to assign it to someone else, I had to do it myself because everyone was busy with the assignments I had given them.
To my surprise, a new freshman, Liam Dunbar, showed everyone up at tryouts – even Scott. I took note of how he seemed almost athletically superior to everyone, and I wondered if he was supernatural.
“He’s human, I’m sure of it,” Scott said as he came up next to where I was sitting on the bleachers, scaring me out of my mind in the process.
“Jeez, Scott. A little warning next time would be nice. But how do you know?”
He shrugged. “I can just tell. He’s just a really great athlete.”
“He’s going to be a great pain in my ass, I can tell,” Stiles said, sidling up next to Scott.
I took note of their reactions, writing down Scott’s comment – about being a great athlete, not human – to consider while writing my piece.
“Oh no, don’t tell me you’re writing a story about him,” Stiles groaned.
“You know I have to write one about the tryouts, and he just happens to be the star player of today,” I told him. “Sorry, Scott.”
Scott waved me off, but Stiles was still upset about the situation. “No, don’t give him the ego boost! He’s already a little shit, and an article about him would make it worse.”
Taking a break from my note-taking, I looked over at the brown-haired boy. “Stiles, have you even talked to him?”
He looked at a loss for words. “N-not really...but I can see his arrogance from a mile away!”
I rolled my eyes. “Well then, if you’d excuse me, I’m going to write up a fantastic story about a talented up-and-coming lacrosse player.”
The article became the next issue’s front page, but I almost wished I hadn’t given him as much attention when Scott turned him into his beta.
The rest of the year didn’t go as planned either, but isn’t junior year supposed to be everyone’s worst year?
As much as I liked helping out with the supernatural problems Scott and the rest of the pack were having, it was hard knowing about what was going on and not being able to write about it, especially when all of the mysterious killings started up. We eventually found out about the deadpool, but I could write about a kill list of Beacon Hills’ resident supernaturals, could I?
At the end of the year, I finally had to make the trip to Mexico with the rest of the pack. “Stiles, I’m going. You can’t stop me!” I attempted to open the passenger door of the jeep when he reached out and shut it from behind me.
“No, it’s going to be dangerous. We don’t even really know what we’re facing,” he tried reasoning with me. “I can protect myself,” I said, thinking of the training that Allison had given me. “Besides, I can’t just sit by and wait for you guys to come back. I need to try helping Scott.”
Realizing that I wasn’t going to back down, Stiles removed his hand from the side of the door and opened it for me. I nodded a quick thanks as I hopped into the vehicle.
I wasn’t expecting to fight Scott that day, but we all did in order to return him from his Berserker form. At the end of the fight, I had a few cuts and bruises, but nothing I couldn’t deal with.
As Derek drove away with Braedan, I could feel that things were changing. “I can’t write about any of this, can I?” I asked somewhat jokingly.
“Off the record,” Stiles replied from where he stood next to me.
--
“Stiles, what’s wrong?”
“Oh thank god, you remember me!” He said as he grabbed my hands. He’d been running down the hall frantically when I saw him.
I looked at him with concern on my face. “Yeah, of course I remember you? Why wouldn’t I–”
“y/n, it’s the Hunt. The Ghost Riders. I saw them, and now they’re coming for me.” He was breathing heavily, eyes sweeping the surroundings for signs of the Ghost Riders. His eyes locked on something to his left, but when I looked, I couldn’t see anything. “They’re here. We have to go,” he said, pulling me towards the parking lot. We got into his jeep, but he didn’t start the car. “Stiles, what are you doing?”
“It’s too late.” I could see the look of grief on his face. “No, don’t say that. It’s not–”
“It’s the truth,” he cut me off, turning to look at me. “Promise me you won’t forget.”
I shook my head. “I won’t. But Stiles, I can’t do this without you,” I could feel a tear escaping my eye and slipping down my cheek, my emotions getting the better of me.
Stiles reached forward and wiped the tear away before placing his hand on my cheek. “What do you mean? You’re one of the smartest, most inquisitive people I know. If I had to trust anyone to find a way to stop the Ghost Riders, it would be you.”
I couldn’t help but smile at his honesty. “Yeah right. Lydia will probably figure it out before me.”
He shook his head. “You can do it. I trust you.” I could tell there was more he wanted to say, but he turned to look at something through the window over his shoulder. “Can I tell you something? Off the record.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that escaped my mouth. “Yes, of course. What is it?”
He took a deep breath. “I don’t hate you. I know it may seem like I’ve never trusted you or that I don’t care about you, but it’s actually the opposite. I...really really like you,” he admitted.
I was stunned. Stiles likes me? He was searching my face for any indication of feelings as I sat there silently.
“Oh, shit,” Stiles mumbled. “Ok, forget I said that. Well, you won’t need to forget when you forget me in a minute–”
I cut off his rambling by placing my lips on his. They were warm and familiar, as if they were made for mine. “I like you too,” I mumbled when I disconnected, my eyes still closed from the interaction.
But when I opened them, I was alone in the baby blue jeep.
--
All semester, I’d felt that something was missing, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. Or who it was.
But after months of searching for it, we finally figured it out. Lydia had gone into a banshee trance to discover the word “Stiles,” and it brought back vague memories for me when I heard it. The feeling of soft flannel. A sarcastic laugh. Red string around my finger. A hefty wooden baseball bat.
The collection of memories made sense when we all finally got our memories back and remembered the person we were missing from our lives.
We traced the trail of clues to the sewers, where Scott tried to bring back Stiles because of their brotherly love for one another. I thought it would work, but the portal closed and Stiles hadn’t appeared. Come on, Stiles. Where are you?
We had to fight the Ghost Riders off, making sure they didn’t turn our beloved Beacon Hills into another ghost town. I’d run into the high school, looking for something to use as a weapon when I ran into someone in the hall. A tall, brown-haired figure wearing a flannel shirt. “Stiles?”
He turned, and smiles emerged on both of our faces. I broke into a run again, right into his arms. “I can’t believe you’re here. You’re really here.” I mumbled, the sound muffled against his shirt.
“I knew you could do it,” he said.
I pulled back slightly and looked up at his face, suddenly nervous. “That night in the jeep...did you hear what I told you before you disappeared?”
A soft smile rested on his face. “Of course I did. It was the one thing that kept me going, especially when I was stuck with Peter.”
“Peter Hale? Why the hell were you with Peter Hale?”
Stiles shook his head. “We can go over that later. For now, there’s one thing I’ve been wanting to do.” I was a little confused, but I understood once he leaned in and connected our lips.
This is what I’d been missing, and I was never going to let it go again.
--
I watched from afar as Stiles gave his trusty baseball bat to Mason, who didn’t seem to appreciate the hunk of wood.
“Have you told him yet?” Lydia asked as she appeared next to me.
I shook my head. “We haven’t really had time to talk about that stuff. I think he doesn’t really want to think about it just yet and what that might mean for us.”
She nudged me with her elbow, silently telling me to go over there and talk to him. Rolling my eyes, I walked towards the familiar blue jeep and familiar mess of brown hair.
Liam and Mason had already walked away, and Scott and Stiles were standing and talking at the jeep’s trunk. “Hey, y/n. I’m just heading out, but I’ll see you guys later,” Scott said as I came up and Stiles threw his arm around me.
We waved as Scott left, and Stiles pulled me closer. “Hey,” he said, looking down at me with an affectionate expression.
I pulled him over so we could sit in the open trunk. “We need to talk.” I could see the panic flare up in his eyes.
“Oh, um, okay? Is everything okay?”
Chuckling lightly, I nodded. “Yeah, we just haven’t talked about college at all,” I explained.
His head dropped. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t want it to ruin what we have here, and I don’t even know what life will be like outside of Beacon Hills, and I feel like we just got together and now–”
“Stiles,” I cut him off. “I’m going to GW too.”
His eyes widened at my confession. “You...you’re going to GW?”
I nodded, a small smile on my lips. “I committed a while ago. I’m going to study journalism there.”
I watched as a smile spread across his face. Then, it was replaced by a quick smirk. “Oh great, you’re following me there, huh? I just can’t seem to get rid of you.”
I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m going to need someone to give me the inside scoop on the FBI’s antics.”
He looked pensive for a moment. “I think what you’re describing is illegal.”
“Not if it’s in the public’s interest. But maybe it just needs to be off the record,” I admitted. Stiles laughed. “Oh, it’s definitely going to be off the record.”
241 notes · View notes
teebarnes · 4 years ago
Text
✨ | I'm Fallin' For You, Darling.
Tumblr media
Click [100 Followers Fic] for the rest of the 100 follower fics :)
Pairing: Chris Evans x female!reader
Summary: Both you and Chris have quite the relationship, it all started the day you gave him a marker.
Word Count: 3.5k
Warning(s): Fluffffff, Angst for sure, talk of anxiety (not a lot but also a lot).
A/N: Thank you guys so much for 100 followers! It means the world, I hope you like this one as much as I do. (Sorry that's a lotta words).
��� Click here for my taglist so you can be notified when my new fics are posted.
Any Likes, Comments & Reblogs are super duper appreciated :))
When Chris Evans is nervous, there is only one thing that calms him down. And that one thing is you and the fact that you allow him to doodle on your hands all the time.
The premiere of Captain America: The Winter Soldier was the first time you saw Chris so nervous. Him constantly rubbing his hands together or bouncing his leg underneath the press table and the times when he'd fiddle with the hem of his shirts. These were things you noticed Chris did when he got nervous, and it seemed that you were the only one who witnessed them.
The third day into the film's press tour, you decided to take matters into your own hands. You knew what it felt like to be anxious, the feeling settling within the depths of your stomach or the constant avoidance of looking out to an audience. Sometimes you'd excuse yourself a few times throughout interviews just to catch your own breath.
~
The whole TCA: TWS cast sat along the stage of the comic-con panel. The hosts introduced you all, crowds cheering loudly when they saw everyone.
You took your seat next to Chris, who was already fiddling with his plastic water bottle that he'd been gripping so tightly on, you could already see the indents on the bottle. You smiled, looking out to the audience waving back to some of your fans that you could see holding signs up for you in the crowd. It was, in fact, times like these that your anxiety shot right out the window, replacing that anxiety with happiness and admiration of your fan base.
Five minutes into the panel talk and questions were directed to Scarlett and RDJ. You knew you wouldn't be talking anytime soon as, of course, like all other press tours, the interviews were heavily coordinated. So before you'd have the chance to speak, Sebastian, Anthony, and the Russo brother would go first. Sitting back in your chair, you took a sip of your water, your eyes following down to where Chris was bouncing his leg. Then, setting your water back onto the table, you pulled yourself and your chair closer to the table, reaching over across Joe Russo, who observed what you were doing.
"Could you pass me the marker, please, Joe?" you whispered to him; he smiled, nodding handing you the marker. "Thanks", you whispered again.
You returned to the comfort of your seat, Scarlett and RDJ still bantering. You look forward to the audience and give a tiny little smile to the fans who were waving at you. Your eyes looked down to your arm; you wrote a little message on your forearm, so he knew what the pen was for.
You scooted a bit closer to Chris just enough so you could hand him the pen. You lightly looked over to him; your hand went underneath the table and across to rest on Chris' lap. It was right there when his leg stopped bouncing. You held the pen in your hand, waiting for him to take it from you. Chris looked up turning his gaze to you; you gave him a smile nodding.
His eyes directed back down to where your arm was. He read the note you had written for him, 'Use my arm to doodle. It helps with anxiety :)'. He let out a smile, all the while letting out the breath he'd been holding in.
You looked back up and over to Sebastian, who was now talking; you felt the pen slip out from your grip, the marker clicked and the coldish ink embracing the surface of your skin.
One of Chris' hand rested firmly on your forearm to keep it from moving, and the other used to doodle. That was the first time in the history of you knowing Chris to be calm and content. No bouncing his leg or fidgeting. He was completely aware of everything instead of his growing anxiety.
~
It was after that moment Chris slowly began to fall in love. He never expected someone to notice his worries and do something about them. But, the way you sat there while he doodled on your arm didn't phase you at all, you wanted to support him, and you showed him that you did.
Years later, It became a force of habit, the tiny hugs you'd give Chris just to slide a marker into his pocket before going on stage. The small slight movements he'd make before he took your hand into his so he could draw.
You'd become someone who knew him better than he knew himself. The many dates he took you on lead to you moving in with him. The small moments you both had messing around on set and loving him in the silliest of moments meant eternity to the pair of you. You knew that you had fallen in love with Chris Evans, and so was he. You both just didn't realise that the moment would be a forever moment. If you hadn't offered him a marker that day, where would you be?
It was now the premiere of Avengers: End Game and the last press tour you'd have for a while. Today's interview consisted of a comic-con panel, the same panel you happily let Chris doodle on your arm five years ago.
You both sat together, his hand protectively on your thigh. You were speaking into the mic as a fan had just asked you a question about possibly seeing your character in the future of the MCU. Chris sat there attentive to your voice while he drew on the top of your hand. It was a little duck with a Boston Red Sox hat holding a heart.
Once you had finished answering the question and someone else began to speak, you looked back down to see what Chris was drawing. You squinted in wonder; looking back at Chris, you wondered why he was drawing this. Coincidentally, you had drawn a duck on him one day in between an interview—a duck holding a heart wearing a NASA cap. Chris looked at you with his cheesy smile. Oh! he was up to something, you thought. Chuckling, you watched him colour in the small heart with a red marker. He was, in truth, quite a good artist; you managed to take a photo of all his doodles over the years. But this one, this doodle was a bit different; it meant something more to you.
After you had both finished the panel, you were set on getting a new tattoo. Kissing Chris' lips, you told him that you'd see him at home. Chris had asked you where you were going, so you said you were going out to dinner with your mum in town, which was true you just left out the part of you going to get another tattoo. Your parents were in for the weekend for reasons unknown and wanted to see you before they left, so you had already planned to see them. He nodded, kissing you once more before departing ways.
You both were always so sentimental, and you knew as soon as you saw that duck in a red sox cap holding a heart on your hand that you wanted it to be a forever doodle. That day, when you had drawn a duck on him, he went and got it tatted on his hand the same day. The first tattoo visible on Chris' body, the only tattoo that wasn't hidden under his shirts. In contrast, most of your tattoos were on your arms and wrists; this was another tattoo among the few others you had on your hand, others being the original six symbol and some writing of your favourite quotes.
Before you knew it, you were sitting on the chair in your private tattoo artist's studio, getting the duck tattooed on you forever. The tattoo was a reminder of memories both you and him had experienced together.
~
The red sox hat, being where he took you on your first date five years ago. To a Red Sox game, of course. You didn't have anything to wear to represent the team, so Chris kindly offered you his Red Sox cap to wear; five years later, Chris had to purchase a new hat because you kept his one. Of course, he didn't mind; he loved to see you dressed in things that were his; the hat was one of them.
"I don't have anything to wear", you sadly pouted at Chris, looking at him in his Red Sox jersey and cap.
He looked down to you as you stood next to him, holding his hand softly, looking out to the stadium. He smiled, taking his cap off and placing it over your head.
"Now you do", he smiled, leading you down the stairs to your seats. You weren't really a fan of baseball. Still, once you had experienced your first game, oh man... it became a routine for both you and Chris to attend every game the Red Sox were playing at.
~
The duck, the furry little animal you had brought home a few months after you had first moved in with Chris two years ago. In all honesty, you wanted to get a turtle, but as soon as you saw that slight yellow fluff waddling around at the pet store, you wanted nothing more than to take it home with you. Chris couldn't say no to you, so the duck became your baby.
"y/n?" Chris came around the corner where you'd sat yourself talking to the little duck... Chris had been looking for you for almost fifteen minutes when he found you sitting there with the pet shop worker.
The excitement in your eyes told him that you had forgotten all about the turtle. You looked up at him smiling, patting the empty seat next to him. He sat watching you pet the small baby duck with your thumb lightly. "I'm naming him Alfie" you smiled brightly, looking back at Chris.
He took the duck out of your hands and chuckled, "Alfie, it is".
~
The red heart...
A reminder of how much you both loved each other. Something that had never gone away, the love both you and Chris had continued, it grew stronger over time, of course with a few hiccups here and there but never enough to break that love. But this, the tiny little heart being tattooed onto you, was one similar to the heart that homed your middle finger on a ring. The rose gold ring he gifted you when he asked you to be his girlfriend four years ago.
You rested your head on Chris' shoulder as both of you watched the office. A new series you'd been watching together, it was a few months after your first date with Chris, and you both were head over heels with each other.
"Hey y/n", he whispered.
"Mh?"
"I'm fallin' for you darling."
You lifted your head from his shoulder, looking up at him, "You're what", you whispered softly, you heard what he said, but you just needed to hear it again.
He brought the small box out, opening it to reveal a rose gold band hearts making up the band. "I said I'm falling in love with you", he smiled before continuing ", Be my girlfriend?" he sweetly asked.
You chuckled, letting him slide the ring onto your middle finger. "Of course", you whispered back to him before cupping his face. You both looked at each other, you saw it, you saw the life you'd been wanting. It was with him.
"I love you".
~
Sitting at the dinner table with your parents, you briefly looked down at the now wrapped tattoo on your hand. You had thanked your tattoo artist for another fantastic job; the new ink was precisely how Chris drew it on you earlier today. Your parents were eating away and so were you.
"It's great to see you again, Hunny", your dad spoke.
You smiled, nodding. "I've missed you guys so much."
"What's on your agenda for this weekend?" you spoke again, taking a bite of your food. Your mum and dad took one look at each other before your mum stopped to talk.
"Your dad and I are going to old friends party", she smiled at you. "party", you chuckled. "Since when do you guys party".
"it's an engagement party, I mean... do you have some parties we could go to" your dad joked.
"First of all... no." you laughed, cringing at the image in your head of your parents dancing and drinking. "But that's nice. I hope you both have fun, wish whoever a congratulations for me" you smiled.
"Oh, we will", your mum outwardly said. You took a second to squint your eyes in curiosity to your mum's tone. "Mhkay".
~
It was the end of dinner, and you had parted ways with your parents, taking a Cab to the home you shared with Chris. "thank you, driver," you smiled, hopping out of the cab walking up to your driveway. You giggled, seeing Dodger patiently waiting for you at the front door. "Hey buddy", you smiled, opening up the door for him to jump all over you.
Closing the door behind you, kneeling down to cuddle your pup. Dodger wagged his tail giving you kisses. "Shhhhh", you chuckled lightly, "were you waiting for me, huh?" you watched Dodger roll around on the floor. You stood up, taking your shoes off, leaving your keys on the hook. "C'mon, baby", you whispered, gesturing for Dodger to follow. You both walked down the hall, Dodger by your side.
You could hear the snores coming from your room and knew Chris was already sleeping. You opened the door, looking down at Dodger "go keep my spot warm for me, please", you sweetly asked your pup, who did just that. You watched him gently jump up onto the bed and curl up on your side of the bed.
Walking further down the hall, you went to take a shower. Changing into the PJs you left on the warming rack in the bathroom, you followed back out to check on Alfie, who would be sleeping in your office. Once that was done, you head into your and Chris' room. You took off your slippers and ushered Dodger to sleep in his bed. You kissed his head before he left. "night, bubba".
You slide in next to Chris, who had his back to you. Covering yourself with the blanket, you slide one arm around his bare torso pulling yourself closer to him. He was so warm, and you loved it. Chris groaned, turning over. He smiled sleepily. "Hey hon, how was dinner?" "It was good", you kissed his lips, "That's good," he said, pulling you into his arms to cuddle.
"Hey babe"
"mhhh", he mumbled in a sleepy voice.
"I love you."
"I love you too".
~
The next day you were doing a panel with the marvel cast. Like any other day, you answered questions, so why did you feel this one would be different. You were a bit nervous today, like you had woken up wrong, or you were waiting for something to happen. You didn't know if that was a good or bad thing.
You were talking to your audience. It was a large panel today consisting of the MCU cast, if not all of them. Maybe that's why you were so nervous; the bigger the cast panel, the bigger audience to speak to. "Make eye contact and hand gestures y/n," you thought to yourself right before you begun to answer the fan's questions. You start to use your hands gesturing when a fan had asked you about your character's personality.
Chris smiled, watching you intently; fans noticed. But as you were gesturing, he noticed the tattoo. He had to double-take when he saw your hand, leaving a small on his face. After you finished your question, he leaned in. "I love your tattoo, babe", he whispered; his comment calmed your nerves a bit as you chuckled ", just following your lead."
You both lean back into your seats as Joe and Anthony Russo began the next half of the panel. You were already forty minutes through... only another forty to go.
Anthony spoke, "As you may know, this will be the last you'll see of your favourite actors and actresses for a while..." Joe turned to the entire panel. "So we put together a little something of your time over the last decade" Joe turns back to the audience. "So sit back and relax."
The panel turned their chairs to watch the big screen, the lights dimmed, and the video rolled. It was a decade gag-reel of everyone in the MCU; Chris had pulled your chair closer to his; he knew you were nervous, for what reason? He didn't know, and neither did you. He should've been the nervous one; he was about to do something in front of the entire audience he had been planning for months.
Your head rested on Chris' shoulder, laughing with everyone else as the embarrassing footage rolled through. There was more footage of you and Chris than anyone else, but again, you were too clouded in worry. You didn't overthink about it.
Then there it was, a clip you didn't know existed—a video of you dancing with Scarlett and Jeremy on the infinity war set. You were being videoed from afar, but Chris comes into the frame making funny faces before pointing at you. You blushed a bit, laughing lightly.
"You see her", Past Chris spoke to the camera. "One day, I am going to marry her" he wiggles his finger over to your past self, who was still dancing around like an idiot. You swear your heart stopped, so ultimately, you started bouncing your leg. The video stopped, and the lights came back on. There were hushed voices; you knew they were looking your way, but you couldn't tell why.
You turned your chair, trying to avoid whoever was looking at you. Not noticing anything, nobody was talking. You had turned your head to look down to the end of the panel where The Russo brothers were. They were all looking in your direction, including the whole cast panel. You jumped slightly when Chris caught your leg mid-bounce; you turned to look at him, his eyes dazzling before you. Oh, that smile, you knew that smile all too well. Chris was smiling like a little kid.
Chris tapped you on your thigh, which caught your attention, so you looked down. This is it; this is the same feeling you felt when he first asked you to be his girlfriend. You burst into tears after reading the message on his arm; Chris' forearm rested in your lap while holding a black marker in his hand. You sniffed, looking softly at him. He was now in tears too. Taking the black marker from his grip, you clicked it; resting your hand on his forearm to steady yourself, you answered his question.
'Will you marry me, y/n?' the question written in his bold writing stared right back at you.
You always had your answer 'of course.'
You closed the lid on the pen, and Chris opened his hand; your engagement ring sat in the nook of his palm. He slides it onto your ring finger right next to your rose-gold one. You smile blinking through the tears, you turn to him, and Chris had already stood with his arms in the air.
"SHE SAID YES"
The whole audience got up cheering; he leaned in, cupping your cheeks, both of you laughing through your kisses. He had lifted you into his arms, spinning you around. He set you back down; you wiped the tears from your face laughing while wearing your t-shirt. At that point, you knew everyone was in on your proposal; you turned to your cast members, who were all clapping.
"Give a round of applause for the future Mr and Mrs Evans!" Joe spoke.
You went around hugging everyone who had gotten up just to congratulate the pair of you. One by one, your friends embraced you in their arms.
"Congratulations", two-voice spoke from behind you, "oh my god, you idiots", you chuckled, pulling your parents into a big hug. Chris stood next to you as your dad pulled him into a hug. "Your fiancé sends her congratulations", he laughed, referencing the conversation you had with them last night.
Chris looked down at you, "They had texted me last night what you had said. I'm surprised you didn't catch on", he laughed. "I- I didn't know... I was curious after mum said it so suspiciously but didn't think," you mentally face-palmed yourself.
And like that, the panel was concluded. Everyone congratulating you and Chris before leaving. Chris had set up a little engagement party back at your house; everyone was enjoying their time having fun. You sat on Chris' lap still in shock, his arms wrapped around your waist "you didn't see that coming, did you?" he smirked, looking up at you.
"No... no, I didn't" you laughed sweetly. Your hand ran over Chris' forearm where it still had both his and your writing on it. "That was the best proposal ever" you looked at him, smiling, "I'm glad, darling" you both leaned into each other, lips connecting softly.
"I've fallen deeply in love with you, Mr Evans".
"I'm still falling for you".
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Evans Taglist: @buckyswintersoldiermask @lharrietg @buckyfan12 @afraid-to-be-me @fairityretro
394 notes · View notes
calwrites · 4 years ago
Text
Star Star Tours
Summary: You and Sebastian have been dating for a while now, but the public doesn’t know that yet. Keeping your secret causes some tension on James Corden’s Star Star Tours.
Pairing: Sebastian Stan x actress!reader
This is my first time writing for Marvel, so I hope people enjoy! It’s just something that I wrote really quick, but I love the bus tour video, and I thought this could be a cute story. Also, Sebastian was not in nearly enough of the disposable camera pictures.
Tumblr media
It was no secret that press tours could be draining. Being stuck in a room for multiple days while people keep asking you the same questions over and over again even though they know that you can’t really answer them. And considering how big Infinity War is, it was no surprise that there were even more interviews than usual.
That was why you had been so excited when you had heard about James Corden’s bus tour. Getting to spend the day outside, surrounded by some of your costars, sounded like a vacation compared to being stuck in a chair all day. There was no doubt in your mind that it would be chaos. Of course, you would do you best to add to that chaos.
Still, as you glanced over at your boyfriend, you thought that maybe press tours weren’t all that bad. You and Sebastian had met while filming Civil War, but you hadn’t really talked much. Sebastian was pretty quiet, and you had worried that he found your loudness annoying, so you had focused on befriending your costars who seemed more receptive to your large personality.
It wasn’t until the press tour that you actually got to know Sebastian. You weren’t sure if you had been partnered with Sebastian and Anthony because someone thought Anthony might ease your nerves about your first Marvel press tour or if they hoped being stuck with two people as outgoing as you and Anthony might force Sebastian out of his shell. Either way, the three of you had been a hit that press tour. More importantly, Sebastian had asked you out shortly after Civil War premiered.
The two of you had been dating ever since. It had made interviews a bit difficult for both of you though. You had decided to keep your relationship private. In theory, you were going to go public after a few months, but the two of you had enjoyed having a part of your lives that was actually private. It was a surprise that no one had let it slip, considering both Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo knew about the relationship. Still, it was hard ignoring dating rumors every time someone thought you must be with whatever costar you had smiled at that week.
“What are you thinking about?” Sebastian asked, glancing at you before looking back the road. He took one hand off the wheel and grabbed your hand, entwining your fingers.
“Nothing.” You knew that Sebastian wouldn’t buy it. Not when he had seen your goofy grin.
“Nothing? Wanna try again?”
“What if we went to the premiere together?” You kept your eyes on your hand, still entwined with Sebastian’s.
“Like together together?” Sebastian took his hand back so he could turn into the parking lot of the studio. You tried not to notice the slight frown that he wore as he thought about your idea.
“We don’t have to. It’s just that it’s been almost two years. I thought it could be a good time. Maybe everyone will be so focused on the movie that we wouldn’t be big news.” Sebastian didn’t answer as he parked. You could already see a producer rushing over to the car, no doubt to get your ready for the tour. “You don’t have to answer now. Let’s just enjoy the tour and we can talk about it later.”
Sebastian nodded in agreement and the two of you climbed out of the car and made your way over towards the bus.
After you got your mic and everything, you climbed up to the top of the bus, where James gave you a name tag after doing a little bit. Immediately, you rushed to the front row and took the seat next to Lizzie. The two of you had clicked immediately while filming Civil War, and she had been one of your best friends ever since. 
You noticed that Sebastian waited for a few more people to get on before he climbed on and took a seat at the back next to Winston. You tried not to read too much into the fact that he was sitting as far away from you as possible. It was possible, probable even, that he was keeping his distance just so neither of you slipped up on camera. It was a tactic you used quite often. But it was also possible that you had freaked him out when you proposed going public and now he was going to avoid you.
Shaking off the doubts in your head, you picked up the disposable camera that you had been given and started snapping pictures as everyone settled in. To your relief, Sebastian gave you a smile and a small wave when you pointed the camera at Paul and Letitia, catching him in the background. Before it could descend into total chaos, the bus began moving and the tour started.
You and Lizzie almost died laughing when Benedict had to put sunscreen on James’s legs, but he had a point. “Does anyone need face sunscreen?” you asked, waving the bottle of face sunscreen that you had thrown in your purse at the last minute. Very pointedly, you turned to Benedict and Hiddleston. “I’m looking at you two.”
“We get it, Y/N,” Anthony yelled from the back. “You’re a mom friend.” You stuck your tongue out in reply, mainly because flipping him off didn’t seem very TV friendly. Nevertheless, your sunscreen got passed around the bus. Paul tried to give it back to you without putting any on, claiming that he didn’t need any, which resulted in you and Lizzie basically wrestling him and putting it on his face yourselves. The laugh died in your throat as you began turning back to the front and caught sight of Sebastian’s grumpy face. You raised your eyebrows, but he looked away.
“What’s up with him?” Lizzie asked quietly. Apparently she had seen his expression too. You could only hope that no camera had caught it.
“Tell you later.” You tapped slightly on your mic and Lizzie nodded.
Luckily James began the tour before you could dwell on it any more. Between Don’s exaggerated pose when he took a picture of the coffee shop, getting into trouble with James for being “disruptive,” and the singalong, which you got way too into, you had almost forgotten about Sebastian’s stormy expression.
“This is actually Barbara Streisand’s holiday home,” James said, pointing at some strange, red building. “She actually designed it herself.”
“Is that true, Josh?” you called, spinning around so you could face him.
Josh shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Well what do you know? You’re just the bad guy. You’re just trying to cause trouble,” James complained.
“She’s his stepmom, so I think I trust him a bit more than you, James. Sorry.” You shrugged innocently at him before turning back around the air high five Josh. Again, as you were turning back to the front, you caught Sebastian’s eye. He was basically glaring at you.
“What?” you mouthed at him, which of course everyone behind you saw, causing them to turn to look at Sebastian too.
“Y/N, I am trying to give a tour, and you are being disruptive once again. I need eyes up front please.”
“But James,” you whined, huffing in your seat like a little kid, “Sebastian keeps looking at me. Tell him to stop.”
“Sebastian, I need all eyes on me, please. I am the reason you all paid to be here-”
“We have to pay for this?” Hiddleston asked, but James continued as if he hadn’t said anything.
“-so I need you to stop looking at Y/N and pay attention to me.”
“I didn’t even look at her. What am I not allowed to look around now?” Sebastian answered a bit too hotly. There was a brief moment where you could feel everyone look between the two of you, even James and Reggie, who had no idea why it was so strange that Sebastian had snapped like that.
“Geez, Mackie, control your man,” you joked, trying desperately to diffuse the tension.
“No way. Sebastian is not my man. He’s sitting with Winston, so he’s Winston’s problem today,” Mackie yelled back. Luckily, this caused Winston and Anthony to start bickering about who had to take care of Sebastian during the tour. Sebastian, of course, hated the attention and eventually agreed to behave and even gave you a very child-like “Sorry, Y/N.” You stuck your tongue out in response and turned back to give James your full attention.
You all continued the act of disconnected celebrities as James explained what waiting in line was. Hoping to get a better view of the “normal people,” you tried to stand on your chair like you were ogling some animal at the zoo, but almost immediately at least five different people were yelling at you to get down. Apparently it “wasn’t safe” to stand on top of chairs on top of a moving bus.
“Excuse me. I don’t mean to interrupt, but I have to use the bathroom. Can I use the bathroom?” You didn’t turn around this time, worried about seeing Sebastian staring at you again. Instead, you focused on the faux apologetic look on James’s face.
“I’m really sorry. The problem is that the rules on the tour is that you have to have appeared in three or more Marvel movies to use the bathroom. End credits scenes don’t count. Y/N, do you have to use the bathroom?”
“I haven’t been in three movies,” you pointed out.
“That’s right, you haven’t. So I hope you don’t have to use the bathroom. Tom Hiddleston, do you need to use the bathroom?”
“I’m actually okay.”
“Oh, so sorry Y/N. Sorry Josh. Maybe you should ask your stepmom Barbra Streisand if you can use the bathroom at her holiday home.”
“I don’t even have to go,” you protested as Lizzie died laughing next to you.
“Well that’s good because you can’t. Now, does anyone die in the next Avengers?”
The bus was quiet as you all looked at each other. Finally, Paul yelled, “Snitches end up in ditches!”
“I thought they got stitches first,” you whispered to Lizzie.
“Apparently Paul is skipping that part,” she replied. The two of you gave each other a look before dissolving into giggles at the thought of Paul actually throwing someone in a ditch.
The tour continued with more of James’s jokes before he had the bus pull over at a comic shop. A part of you was nervous to go inside. While most of the fans that you had met were nice, you knew that there were still a lot of comic fans who didn’t like your character, or how you played your character, or that you had been cast, or whatever. You gave Lizzie’s hand a nervous squeeze, which she returned, but really you wanted to be holding Sebastian’s hand. You were each other’s biggest supporter. Whenever one of you was feeling nervous, the other was normally right there to offer support.
But instead, you walked in separately.
Luckily, everyone seemed too starstruck to gripe about anything. It ended up being a pretty nice time. You signed some comics and chatted to some fans. One girl even told you about a tattoo dedicated to your character that she was going to get. You almost had a heart attack when she asked you to write down her favorite line of yours, so that she could add that to the tattoo. Afterwards, Mackie had teased you about how much your hand was shaking when you were writing it. It looked like Sebastian was about to say something, but then a camera was suddenly in your face and he disappeared to the other side of the store.
After buying a couple of comics for yourself, you and Lizzie found yourselves in the corner of the store playing with a Scarlet Witch doll that you had bought for her. You didn’t notice when she looked up with a small frown on her face, but you did feel the hand that came to rest on your waist. You looked around quickly, making sure that no cameras were on you, before meeting Sebastian’s eyes.
“What are you doing, Seb?” you whispered. Without you realizing, Lizzie snuck away to give the two of you some privacy. Or as much privacy as you can get when you’re wearing a mic and possibly being filmed.
“I just wanted to say I’m sorry about earlier. I guess I just got kind of jealous and I snapped a little.”
“Jealous?” You put your hand on Sebastian’s arm to keep him in place when you felt him begin to back away. “Jealous about what, Sebastian?”
“I don’t know.” He waved his hand around a bit at the rest of the group. “Just seeing your hands all over Paul and joking around with everyone around you.”
“Lizzie and I were forcibly putting sunscreen on Paul. I did that to you before we left the house this morning. I don’t think you have anything to be jealous about.” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at him.
“Sometimes it just feels like you always have everyone’s attention and you’re joking around with all of them and you never pay attention to me.” You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing at the adorable pout on Sebastian’s face. “And I know that we kind of have to ignore each other sometimes because we don’t want people to know about us, but I just always wish that I could be joking around with you too. I have so much fun talking to you and being around you, and seeing other people having fun around you when I can’t is just annoying sometimes. It’s like I always want to be right next to you.”
You placed a gentle hand on Sebastian’s cheek, making him meet your eyes. “I always want to be next to you too. And most of the time when I’m joking around with other people, I’m wishing that you were there too. But right now, we should get back to the others. It’ll be a miracle if we haven’t been caught on camera.”
“Oh I asked Anthony to make sure that no one would be paying attention to this side of the store.”
“Is that why he’s been yelling for the past few minutes?”
“He’s the best choice for a distraction, unfortunately.” You grinned at Sebastian as you wrapped your arms around him. Smiling back, he planted a quick kiss on your forehead.
“That’s way too bold,” you scolded him. Still, you couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s no way we would be able to explain that away if anyone saw. Way too many questions.”
You began to walk away, but Sebastian pulled you back to him. “Let them ask questions. The premiere is soon and they’ll have their answers then.”
“Oh they will?” You raised your eyebrows in mock confusion.
“Of course. When we go together. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a date.” The two of you smiled at each other and were about to lean in for a kiss when Anthony was suddenly pulling Sebastian away.
“Break it up, lovebirds. I thought I was providing a distraction so you two could make up, not so you could make out. Now come on, Sebastian. We need to take a picture with that Spiderman statue outside.” 
Sebastian gave you a shrug as Anthony dragged him outside. You rolled your eyes at their antics, then followed the rest of the cast as they began to make their way outside and back to the bus. You had stopped to admire Benedict’s drawing skills when Lizzie was suddenly clutching your arm and squealing. She, of course, had seen everything, though she assured you that everyone had tried their best to be as entertaining as possible on the other side of the store, so that no cameras would be on you.
You wore a smile for the rest of the tour. Lizzie kept teasing you every time you and Sebastian would sneak glances at each other. Not that you could really sneak glances when you had to turn around constantly to look at him. Once again, you got way too into the singalong. This time, Sebastian yelled encouragement at you as you sang off key.
By the time you reached the studio again, you had decided that this was really the best way to do a press tour. You waved goodbye to James and Hemsworth and you climbed off the bus. Before you could take more than a few steps, Sebastian had picked you up and was spinning you around.
“How have you two not spilled the beans yet?” Paul asked as everyone watched in amusement.
“You weren’t even being subtle at the comic shop,” Benedict pointed out.
“Y’all are lucky that the cameras love me so much that they weren’t looking at you,” Mackie joked.
Apparently, the cameras didn’t love Mackie as much as he thought. When the video came out, some eagle eyed fans spotted the two of you looking cozy in the background of a shot. Some people argued that it was impossible to say for certain that it was you and Sebastian, but your Twitter and Instagram notifications were full of people asking if you and Sebastian were dating.
The two of you decided to ignore the questions. Lucky for you, Marvel made it very clear to all of the interviewers that there should be no questions about anyone’s personal lives. All focus was to be on the movie. So you kept the fans guessing until the two of you showed up to the premiere arm in arm.
Unfortunately, there were plenty of people more focused on your relationship than on the movie, so there were plenty of articles about the two of you. Apparently, you were Marvel’s new power couple. As long as you had Sebastian, that was a title you could live with.
275 notes · View notes
bumblesimagines · 4 years ago
Text
Green Thumb
Tumblr media
Part 9
Request: Yes or No
Almost at double digits y'all. Can someone be an angel and send me the ages of every one between civil war and endgame? Ik Wanda was 18-19 in Age of Ultron and Civil war and Sam was probs in his mid to late twenties in Civil War.
~
You frowned, touching the collar around your neck. It made you feel like an animal. It was to prevent you from using your powers. Rhodes had mentioned it would shock you if you attempted to use your powers. You weren't sure if it was instantaneous or if someone controlled it but you didn't feel like finding out.
"You like cats?" Sam asked T'Challa, prince of Wakanda.
"Sam." Steve called, glancing over his shoulder like a disapproving parent. You snorted softly, biting your bottom lip.
"What? Dude shows up dressed like a cat and you don't want to know more?" Sam asked, looking at Steve.
"I like cats." You mumbled, looking at Sam with a small smile. Sam turned towards you with a small grin.
"Of course you do, Animal Planet." You rolled your eyes at the new nickname, shifting slightly. You really didn't want to trigger the collar.
"I'm a dog person."
"You look like a dog person."
"And what do dog people look like?"
"Morons." You answered, giving a slight shrug as Steve cracked a smile, trying to bite back a chuckle. Sam huffed lightly, looking away from you. A moment of silence passed before Steve spoke.
"Your suit.. Vibranium?" Steve asked T'Challa. The prince turned his head slightly.
"The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. It's meant to pass from warrior to warrior. Now, because your friend murdered my father, I also wear the mantle of king. So I ask you.. How long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?" T'Challa asked, finally looking at Steve. Steve stayed silent, looking forward. You sighed through your nose, feeling the tension return. You wondered if Clint had been notified of your arrest yet. The van pulled into a parking garage, officers opening the door once it came to a stop. You got out, following Steve to the man and blonde.
"What's gonna happen to him?" Steve asked. You turned your head, looking over at him. You made eye contact with him again, holding it for a minute before looking away.
"What was that?" Sam asked quietly. You frowned, brows furrowing.
"That- That little staring contest."
"Oh, shut up." You huffed, looking away from him.
"Same thing that's gonna happen to you. Psychological evaluation." The man replied.
"This is Everett Ross, CIA operative and Task Force Commander." The woman, Sharon Carter, introduced him. Her gaze flickered to you.
"The shock collar will be taken off after the evaluation." She said, voice stotic but gaze pitiful.
"What about a lawyer?"
"Lawyer, that's funny. See their weapons are placed in lock up." Ross instructed the officers. Sam scoffed, following the officers. Steve spared one last glance to Bucky before following Ross and the officers. You walked besides Sam, being escorted through the building.
"You'll be placed in offices instead of cells. Do me a favor and stay in them." Ross stared straight forward as he spoke. T'Challa moved to walk beside him.
"I don't intend on going anywhere." T'Challa said. You spotted Natasha, feeling some sense of relief.
"Clint was informed and I assured him I'd keep an eye on you." Natasha told you, giving a small reassuring smile. She looked at Steve, addressing him. The relief went away upon hearing Tonys' voice. He finished his phone call, approaching you and the guys.
"Consequences?" Steve questioned, staring at him. You looked around the large room, noticing the screens and everything going on.
"Secretary Ross wants you three prosecuted." Tony said, motioning to them and you. Your brows furrowed slightly. There were two guys with the last name Ross who looked vaguely alike. That definitely wouldn't be hard to remember.
"I'm not getting that shield back, am I?" Steve asked as Tony and Natasha walked away.
"Technically, it belongs to the government. Wings too." Natasha said, shrugging.
"That's cold." Sam muttered.
"Warmer than jail." Tony called back. You looked at the security cameras, noticing the room Bucky had been moved to.
"You got the hots for him or something?" Sam asked. Steve turned to look at you, blinking a few times. You shot Sam a look, raising your brows.
"No, Samuel. I do not and if I did, why would you ask infront of his longtime bestie?" You asked, almost gritting your teeth. Sam raised his hands in surrender as Tony pulled Steve into a meeting room to talk.
"Why have a meeting in a glass box?" You asked quietly. Sam shrugged, looking it over.
"To prevent fighting." Sam answered. You watched at Steve and Tony seemed to argue. You looked at Sam with an amused smile.
"Physical fights." Sam clarified as Tony stepped out and Sharon had you and Sam enter. You took a seat across from Sam, looking at the security camera footage. Sharon entered, placing a paper infront of Sam.
"I'm sorry about the collar." Sharon apologized softly. You leaned back in the seat, shrugging lightly. She pressed a button, allowing Steve to listen to the footage. Sharon slid over some photos over to Steve.
"Why would the Task Force release this?" Steve asked. Sharon gave a shrug.
"To alert the public, I guess."
"Right.. A good way to force a guy into hiding. Got seven billion people looking for The Winter Solider."
"You're saying someone framed the guy to find him." Sharon mused quietly. Sam seemed confused, looking at Steve. You looked back at the footage on screen.
"Steve, you looked for the guy for two years and found nothing." Sam reminded him.
"We didn't bomb the UN."
"That doesn't guarantee that the person who framed him knew that we'd get him." Sharon looked at Steve. She suddenly frowned, brows furrowing as Steve turned towards the footage. You looked up as the power went out, seeing the staff begin to freak out and try to locate the source. You looked at Sam, slowly standing up. Sharon took out a key, sliding it over to you.
"Level 5 east wing." She said as you unlocked the collar, tossing it to the side as running out of the room with Sam and Steve. Whoever had framed Bucky had found him. You followed the two down the hall and down some stairs. You reached the area, finding guards on the ground. The interviewer lied on the ground, calling for help. Steve approached him with you hesitantly following. You noticed movement out of the corner of your eye, dodging Sam when he was thrown towards you.
"Hey, dude." You breathed out, swallowing. Bucky had a deep frown on his face, blue eyes holding nothing but bloodlust. He looked downright terrifying. You thrusted both hands forward, shooting a fireball that sent him flying back against the wall. Steve quickly stepped between you and him as you turned and rushed to Sam.
"Sam? Sam!" You shook his shoulders, shakey fingers pressing against his neck. You felt his pulse, relieved to feel his heartbeat. You slapped his cheek, waking him up.
"I've always wanted to do that." You muttered, watching him wince. He groaned, turning his head. You followed his gaze, seeing the guy from before looking down where Steve had been thrown. You stood, helping Sam up and following him up a set of stairs. With Steve out of commission temporarily and Bucky in a frenzy, the guy was the only hope of stopping everything.
"Can you try to stop him or trip him up?" Sam asked, rushing up the stairs.
"I can't see him and I'd rather not make this whole building collapse on accident." You replied, almost tripping over your own feet. Sam found an exit, following the crowd of people running.
"He looked like any other guy." You said, taking in deep breaths. Sam shot you a weird look.
"We just ran up like five flights of stairs." You breathed out, hands resting on your knees. At least the chilly weather provided some help. Sam noticed a jacket, jogging over and picking it up. You stumbled after him, looking it over.
"I really need some water." You whispered, lightly fanning yourself. Sam rolled his eyes, following the crowd of people. You sluggishly followed, giving him a small smile when he stopped by a shop to get you a bottle. He took out his phone as you drank half of it.
"Come on." Sam pulled you along, following direction and entering warehouse. Steve had Bucky laying against some machinery, unconscious and metal arm trapped in a wedge.
"You two okay?" Steve asked, looking you and Sam over with a concerned frown.
"Yeah.. Someone over here needs some more training." Sam glanced at you with a teasing smile. You rolled your eyes, licking your lips as you heard the sound of a helicopter.
"Could you ice over his arm?" Steve asked.
"He broke a stone wall. Ice won't hold him but sure, I'll do it." You shrugged, approaching the unconscious man. You licked your lips, splashing the rest of the water on the machinery and touching it after. The ice creeped down, covering over the metal arm. You looked at him, finally getting a proper look. He was handsome. Brown hair that barely reached his shoulders, facial hair just growing in, those icy blue eyes that either swirled with sadness or anger.
"You're giving him bedroom eyes again." Sam called, his voice echoing slightly. You clenched your jaw, looking at him.
"What? I can't admire something that looks nice?" You asked, watching his demeanor change. He looked alert yet amused. You frowned, looking back at Bucky and finding him staring right at you. You rolled your lips into your mouth, clearing your throat.
"God, that's so embarrassing." You whispered, speedwalking towards Sam as he cracked up. You ignored your burning face, arms crossing. Sam calmed down, wiping away a tear. Steve walked over, watching Bucky grunt and sit up. He looked at Steve, calling out his name in a hoarse voice.
"Which Bucky am I talking to?" Steve asked, staring at him intently. Bucky stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
"Your moms' name was Sarah... And you used to wear newspapers in your shoes." Bucky said, smiling softly. Steve relaxed, gaze softening.
"You don't read that in a magazine."
"Just like that we're supposed to be cool?" Sam asked, giving Steve a slightly wide eyed look.
"What did I do?" Bucky asked, looking between you, Steve, and Sam.
"Enough." Steve answered. Bucky shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head as he hung his head.
"I knew this would happen.." He whispered. "Everything HYDRA put inside of me is still there. All he had to do was say the god damn words."
"Who was he?"
"I don't know." Bucky answered, though you weren't sure if it was truthful or not. He didn't seem like the type to lie, at least not to Steve.
"People are dead. The guy did all that just to get ten minutes with you." Steve pointed out, watching his old best friend. Bucky looked defeated and confused. "I need you to do better than 'I don't know'."
"He wanted to know about Siberia. Where I was captain." Bucky said quietly, gaze flickering around as he tried to remember.
"He wanted to know exactly where."
"Why would he need to know that?" Bucky stayed silent, licking his lips as he stared at the ground. He looked at Steve.
"Cause I'm not the only Winter Solider." He revealed. You looked at Sam in confusion and surprise. Bucky was strong and deadly on his own but a whole army could overthrow governments all over the world.
"That's terrifying." You whispered, leaning against the wall and sliding down so you were sitting down. Steve chose to lean against the wall after letting Bucky's arm free.
"Who are they?" Steve asked as Bucky brushed some hair out of his face.
"Their most elite death squad. More kills than anyone in HYDRA history and that was before the serum." Bucky responded.
"They all turn out like you?" Sam asked. Bucky looked at him, swallowing.
"Worse."
"The doctor... Did he control them?" Steve tilted his head. Bucky looked down at his lap.
"Enough."
"Said he wanted to see an empire fall." Steve told you and Sam. Bucky looked up at his words.
"These guys could do it. They speak thirty languages, can hide in plain sight, infiltrate, assassinate. They could take a whole country down over night and you'd never see them coming."
"Color me impressed." You whispered, playing with the strings of the jacket you were given after getting to Berlin. Sam slowly walked towards Steve.
"This would've been a lot easier a week ago." Sam said quietly, arms crossing. You stood up, dusting off your pants and approaching them.
"If we told Tony-"
"He'd have him locked up." You cut off Steve, glancing back at him.
"Plus, he'd never believe us." Sam added.
"But if he did-"
"It wouldn't matter and who knows if the Accords would let us help him." Sam stared at him. Steve let out a defeated sigh, looking away from you and Sam.
"We're on our own."
"Not completely. Dad would help." You pointed out. Sam nodded, glancing at you.
"And, I know a guy." Sam said with a light shrug. You looked at him with a raised brow.
"You have friends?"
"I said I know him, not that we're friends but to answer your question, yes. I have friends that aren't you. Jealous?"
"Imaginary friends don't count."
~~~~~~~~~~
The drive was silent, Steve and Bucky occasionally reminiscing about the old days.
"On a scale of one to ten, how impressed is Clint gonna be when he sees you?" Sam asked. You smiled, letting out a chuckle as you watched the snowflake float inches above your hand.
"Probably an eleven, but he'll give me the typical dad speech infront of mom." You answered, lightly blowing on the snowflake and watching it disappear. Bucky turned his head to look at you. His muscular figure was semi cramped in the backseat. Steve picked the worst possible car to hijack.
"Hawkeye's your father?"
"Adoptive. He has a tendency of taking care of strays who once tried to take down the team." You told him, giving a small smile. Bucky hummed, nodding.
"Speaking of strays, how are you and Wanda?" Sam asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.
"Uhm, good? We're still good friends, even after the kiss." You shrugged lightly.
"Woah, kiss?" Steve repeated, brows raising.
"Yeah, we kissed but it felt.. Weird. There was no spark or overwhelming emotions. The love I have for her is the same love I have for Lila and the boys. She'll always be like a sister to me." You told them, glancing at Bucky. Bucky was still a bit on edge but you could tell he was trying to get adjusted.
"What are your powers?" Bucky asked, attempting to get comfortable in the car.
"I'm like the avatar, I guess."
"Who?" Bucky furrowed his brows. You blinked, lips parting as you stared at him. He was from the 1900s and worked for a criminal organization, obviously he wouldn't know a kids show from the 2000s.
"It's- It's from a show. An avatar is someone who controls all four elements and they basically save the world, I guess." You explained, growing a bit embarrassed at how silly it sounded. Bucky didn't seem to judge, giving a small smile.
"We could watch it together, if you want. It's a nice show." You offered, smiling. Sam raised his brows.
"Wonder what Clint will think about that." He muttered as Steve glanced at you and Bucky through the rearview mirror. You shot Sam a small glare, reaching out and touching the back of his neck with cold fingers. He hissed and leaned forward, pouting as he rubbed his neck.
"Yeah, I'd like that." Bucky said softly, nodding. You looked back at him, a smile appearing on your face. Bucky was incredibly attractive and you couldn't deny having a small growing crush on him but you didn't want to cross a boundary. He was from the 1900s afterall.
"How'd you end up fighting the Avengers?" Bucky asked, focusing all his attention onto you.
"The orphanage I grew up in threatened to kick me out since I had turned 18. I freaked and caused an accidental forest in the orphanage so the team was called." You told him, chuckling softly. Buckys' gaze softened, a hum leaving him.
"You've got some pretty cool powers, doll."
"Doll?" Steve and Sam repeated. A flustered smile appeared on your face, giggling softly. Bucky glanced at the two, wondering if he had crossed a line or said something wrong.
"Thanks." You looked forward, biting back an even bigger smile. You weren't completely sure if he was flirting or not but it was nice to get a compliment from an attractive guy, even if he had almost broken your friends' back an hour before. Steve slowly parked the car, getting out to greet Sharon.
"Could you move the seat up?" Bucky asked Sam, arm moving so it resting ontop of the carseats. His metal fingers lightly brushed against your hair but you weren't bothered by it.
"No." Sam replied. Bucky let out a deep sigh. You bit your bottom lip, looking at him.
"We can switch." You shrugged lightly.
"It's fine-"
"No, you shouldn't be squished back here." You faced him, feeling him gently grab your waist. He was incredibly gentle and cautious, moving you onto his lap briefly before he scooted to the side. You sat behind Sam, lightly kicking the seat. Sam moved it forward ever so slightly. You looked over at Steve and Sharon, blinking when they kissed.
"Oh? When did that happen?" You asked, brows furrowed. You knew there was some attraction between them but you didn't expect them to already be at the kissing stage.
"A while back, I think."
"Huh.." You whispered. Steve returned to the car with Sam's wings and his shield, putting them in the trunk. He drove to an airport parking lot, pulling up beside a van. You smiled widely, quickly getting out when Sam pulled the seat forward.
"Thanks for keeping my kid safe, Cap." Clint said, opening his arms as soon as he spotted you. You happily hugged him, feeling a sense of relief and safety wash over you.
"About time you started causing me trouble." Clint grinned as he pulled back. You noticed Wanda, pulling her into a hug as well.
"Saw it on the news. You okay?" She asked softly. You nodded, pulling back and brushing some of her red hair out of her face.
"Vision let you go easy?" You asked. Wanda shook her head, chuckling softly. Sam approached you, glancing back at Bucky.
"Might want to keep an eye on these two." Sam said, motioning to you and Bucky. Clint stared at him before looking turning to look at you. Wanda tilted her head, looking at you as well.
"You're such a dick." You muttered. You knew Sam was just being protective. He had always seen and treated you like a brother.
"Bad boy and older, huh? God, I hoping you had skipped those phases." Clint sighed heavily. You were partially suprised he hadn't mentioned or pointed out that Bucky was a guy. You hadn't really spoken about sexuality and attraction with him but knowing Clint, he'd be supportive about it.
"Not bad." Wanda said quietly, giggling softly as she smiled. You gave her a playful smile.
"I've got good taste."
222 notes · View notes
itspufflehuff · 4 years ago
Text
Spidey - Sebastian Stan x Holland!Reader
Summary: Being Tom Holland’s twin sister isn't all that bad. You each live your own lives and have your own successes. You don’t get to visit Tom on set much but when you finally make it to Comic Con will there be a special someone there for you to meet?
Hi! This is my first post in here so please let me know what you think! If you ever have suggestions or you find a mistake in my writing feel free to message me. Thank you and enjoy!
MATERLIST // TAGLIST
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | 
Word Count: 2,840
~~~~
Tumblr media
Being Tom's twin wasn't as intimidating as people expected.
Sure he was Spider-Man but you still had your own success. Tom went for the big screen but you went for the big stage, Broadway.
You started with local shows, then you went on to be ensemble on West End. Soon you became an understudy for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It wasn't too long until you got the lead as Elphaba in the West End production of Wicked. With the attention you got as Elphaba you were scouted to audition for Broadway.
Seemingly around the same time Tom's fame skyrocketed so did yours. You two were so proud and happy for the other.
You decided to move out to New York seeing as how you were performing eight times a week.
Tom was your best friend so after every show, he called to ask how it went and to update you on his Spider-Man shenanigans.
The years came and went. You were still going strong on Broadway taking up different roles and Tom was still Spider-Man. He always talked about how fun it was being apart of the Marvel cast. You had still yet to meet anyone besides his Spider-Man co-stars like Zendaya and Jacob. Whenever they were doing a press event with the entire Marvel cast you were busy doing a show. Then one day you got a call to play Spider-Gwen.
You were so shocked when you got the call. You happened to be in your dressing room getting ready for a rehearsal. You sat there shocked, "Spider-Gwen?"
"Yes! Sony is making an animated Spider-Man and they think you would be perfect as Spider-Gwen. You wouldn't have to leave New York too long, just for some auditions. If you get the part you can do your recordings there."
"I don't know what to say." You were shocked. This is amazing! Imagine Tom's face when he finds out you're Spider-Man, well kind of.
"Say yes!"
"Yes!!"
~~~~
This was your first time attending Comic-Con. You never had a purpose to go before or even time. Now that you're apart of the Into the Spider-Verse cast you were attending so many different types of events you never did before. It was quite fun.
"Tom!" You shouted as soon as you saw him. You were in the middle of an interview but you didn't care. You hadn't seen your brother in ages. Tom laughed and walked over to you.
You two hugged and the interviewer spoke, "Our two favorite Spideys! Tom, how are you? What do you think of Y/N being Spider-Gwen?"
He laughed, "I'm doing well, I think it's great we have another Spider-Man in the family! But just so everyone knows I am the better Spidey." Everyone laughed.
"Sure you are." You playfully rolled your eyes.
"You're just a cartoon, I actually have to do flips and stuff," Tom argued.
You let out a 'pfft' before you spoke, "I could do the same things you can, you're not that special Tom."
"Alright, let's see it then!" He challenged.
"What? Right now?"
"Yes right now, come on let's go."
"Tom, I'm in heels."
He playfully rolled his eyes, "Heels aren't even that hard to jump around in, Y/N."
You looked to the interviewer who watched you twins bicker, "He did one dance wearing heels and he thinks he's amazing," turning to your brother you continued, "Newsflash Tommy I do that eight times a week."
The interviewer let out an 'ooo' as if you got him good. Everyone laughed as the interview wrapped up, "Well thank you for your time Y/N and thank you for joining Tom."
"Come on I want you to finally meet everyone." Tom grabbed your arm and pulled you along.
He basically ran through the crowd dragging you along behind him. When you finally got to where the rest of the Marvel cast was you and Tom were immediately surrounded by interviewers before you got to meet anyone.
Knowing neither of you were going to get through without at least one interview you both gave up trying to get by and stopped for an interview, "The Holland twins it's so amazing to see you both here today! How are you both?"
You answered first, "Thank you, I'm so excited to be here this is my first time so I'm a little nervous."
"Don't be nervous sis, just watch the pro." He smugly adjusted the jacket he had on.
You laughed and rolled your eyes as the interviewer asked another question, "Has there been any sibling rivalry now that both of have taken on the role of Spider-Man?"
You both looked at each other then Tom spoke, "You know what I was never mad because I know she's trying to be like her big brother which is flattering really."
You didn't notice before but next to Tom a couple of his castmates were doing an interview as well. The only reason you noticed them was because one of them came up to Tom and said, "Seriously Tom keep it down! Man, dude can't even do an interview without being a diva." You recognized him right away Anthony Mackie and next to him Sebastian Stan. Both you and Sebastian laughed at Anthony's obvious joke.
Tom looked down slightly embarrassed as he was trying to act smug before your interview was interrupted. "Y/N were you intimidated to take on Spider-Gwen knowing your brother was Spider-Man?"
"Umm, not really." you laughed, "I was actually really excited and thought it would funny to take on the role. I'm sure the casting directors thought the same thing."
The interviewer nodded, "Has there been a time where you two fought to prove who the better Spider-Man is?"
Before Tom could answer you did, "Well just a few minutes ago Tom tried to have a competition between us to see who was better at doing flips."
The three of you laughed, "And did you?"
"No, of course not! It is way too crowded in here and I'm in heels. I'm used to dancing in them not doing stunts. Maybe we can have that competition another time." You suggested to Tom.
He smiled mischievously, "You're on. May the best Spidey win." He held his hand out which you took. You both shook hands in front of the camera closing the deal to have a competition soon.
You didn't know this at the time but Sebastian couldn't take his eyes off of you for the rest of his interview. He knew who you were but never got the chance to meet you in person. Now seeing you several feet ahead of him he couldn't look away. You were more beautiful in person and your smile was radiating. Even after his interview ended he stood to the side watching you.
His eyes followed you as you smiled and waved to the interviewer. You were headed his way, quickly he turned and engulfed himself into a conversation with Chris Hemsworth.
Tom began introducing you to everyone as his little sister. He was only seven minutes older and always treated you like a kid for it. You were most excited to meet Robert Downey Jr. seeing as how he and Tom were so close. You two hit it off right away, he treated you like you were apart of the family.
You made your way down the line, meeting each member of the Marvel cast. You finally made it to Chris Hemsworth, Anthony, and Sebastian, "Hey guys I want you to finally meet my little sister, Y/N."
They all looked to you at you, well more like down at you. They were all so tall towering over.
Thank God I wore heels today.
"Pleasure to meet you," Chris grabbed your hand.
"Finally the famous Y/N! Now tell me was Tom always such a diva or is it just because he's Spider-Man that he's acting like a big shot?" Anthony asked.
You and Tom laughed. He did tell you about how he and Sebastian always teased him.
"Yeah and what about that juice obsession? Like, come on man you're too old for that." Sebastian joined in.
You looked to him and laughed, "You know what I've been telling him the same thing like come on Tom we're in our 20s and you're still hooked on juice like it's you're only will to live." You joked along and turned to Anthony, "As for the diva attitude he's always been this way like we get it you were Billy Elliot get over it!" Everyone laughed as Tom stood there pretending to look offended.
"Well, at least I never went out on stage looking like the green goblin!" He fought back.
"Hey! Elphaba is a very complex and demanding character. You're just jealous you don't have half the talent I do."
"Oh puh-lease, I totally do. Tell me who was it that taught you to dance?"
"Ok fine you have that but acting and singing was all me! All you can do is act and dance. I'm a triple threat."
That shut him up as everyone laughed at him, "I like this one." Anthony said. He reached out to shake your hand which you gladly accepted. He moved to the side, Sebastian happily took over his spot in front of you.
He reached out to shake your hand and when you grabbed it he pulled you in closer, "Just so you know you're my favorite Spidey." He whispered into your ear. A smile arose onto your lips as you pulled away, "Thank you."
"May I also add I think you have a beautiful voice, I want to one of your shows but wasn't able to catch you after the show."
A blush crept up to your face, "Thank you, again." A nervous laugh escaped, "I would've loved to have met you then. Sometimes I escape through the side exits. I love my job but I don't always love the crowds."
"I know what you mean, sometimes after movie premieres, I sneak out through the employee exit just to get away from the crowds."
Neither of you noticed but you were still holding onto each other's hand. It wasn't until Hemsworth cleared his throat beside you two, "Sorry to interrupt but we're heading to the panel room."
You both looked at him and quickly let go of each other's hands. "I'll meet you guys over there." Sebastian nodded to him. Chris looked over to the both of you, "Ok, well once again it was nice to meet you Y/N. I hope to see you soon." He gave you one last smile and walked away. You turned back to Sebastian. He spoke before you did, "I'd love to see you again late."
"Yeah, I'd love that too. I have a panel in twenty minutes. I was going to meet my brother after and join you all for the rest of the day, maybe we can talk more then." You smiled at him.
"Great, I'll see you then." He grabbed your hand gently, pulled it up to his lips, and placed a kiss there. He walked away to where his castmates went leaving you standing there with your heart beating fast.
You meet up with your cast and took photos with fans. Sebastian took up all of the thoughts in your head. You tried to focus on what was happening but your mind wandered off the feel of his lips on your had and how his eyes looked so deeply into yours.
Surprisingly enough your panel flew by. You were able to get Sebastian out of your head and get lost in hanging out with your cast as you answered fan questions. By the end, you walked out the door to see Tom waiting for you talking to some fans.
"Excuse me, I've got to go. It was nice meeting you all!" Tom excused himself from the group and walked towards you. "Ready to go?" He put his arm around your shoulder.
"Let's go." You said with a bit of excitement and nervousness.
Tom didn't notice, however. "So how many of your questions were about me?"
You were lost in thought once again unable to get Sebastian out of your mind, "Huh?"
"I got so many questions about the new Spider-Man in the Holland household." He chuckled.
Finally understanding him you laughed along, "Oh, yeah, I lost count after five. Someone asked about our rivalry so I started a rumor that we haven't spoken in months and I am actively hiding from you during this event."
Tom laughed, "Lucky for you, Mackie and Sebastian started a rumor that I'm a diva at home, so you're scared to be near me."
You laughed louder than you expected, "What?"
"Yes! They asked me about you and Mackie joined in saying you met everyone earlier and told them I've always been a diva. And of course, Sebastian had to join in," He imitated their American accent, "Poor girl looked terrified to be around him."
You both laughed as you walked into the room where the rest of the Marvel cast was.
The moment you walked in Sebastian's stomach flipped, in a good way. You were laughing when you walked in. It was the most amazing laugh he heard, he wanted to able to keep making you laugh like that. He watched as you walked around the room greeting everyone. You stopped at RDJ and Chris Evans. You all talked, but you were too far for Sebastian to hear what about. He saw you smiling from where he was at and he loved it. He excused himself from his friends and made his way to you.
"So, Y/N, what's it like to perform on stage like that? I mean it's all live and you have so much to remember, lines, songs, choreography, blocking." Evans sighed as if the thought of it made him exhausted, "I mean it's incredible."
"It was hard at first but this is my life. I love going up there each night. Sometimes we make mistakes but as long as you don't let the audience know it was a mistake then it doesn't matter. Plus we get to improve sometimes or make scenes better each night by seeing how the audience reacts."
He watched you talk about your work. The way your eyes lit up he could tell you really did love your job. Of course, he already knew that though. When he saw your performance as Eurydice in Hadestown. You had just happened to be there that night as the understudy, but he was glad to see it was you. He recognized you from the pictures on Tom's phone. He knew you were an actress on broadway so when he saw you he knew it was you. He fell in love with your performance that night. Your voice was so beautiful and the emotions you gave were so raw. Your energy was incredible it was as if you fell into the character.
"You should see her perform," He chimed into the conversation making his presence known.
Everyone turned to him, "I never did ask, which show did you see?" You tilted your head.
"Hadestown."
You broke out into a smile, "I know exactly which performance. You know that was the only time I played Eurydice?"
"Really?" His head hung in disbelief. From that performance, he would've been fooled to think you played that character a million times over, "Well you were incredible if I'd known you would be playing the lead I would've told Tom to set us up to meet."
You both smiled at each other for a moment before Tom spoke,  "Yeah, that's my sister. I don't like to admit it but she's an amazing actress. Maybe even better than me."
"Maybe? More like definitely." You challenged.
"What show were you working on before coming here?" RDJ asked.
"I was doing an off-broadway production of Mamma Mia. I let my understudy take my place so I could tour and do some promoting for Spider-Verse."
Tom excused himself so he could talk with some of his other castmates. Slowly RDJ and Evans left the conversation leaving you and Sebastian.
"You know I live out in New York as well," Sebastian said casually.
"Really? I just assumed all you movie stars lived out in LA."
"Heck no! I'm a New Yorker. I love it there" He smiled looking at you.
"Maybe we can meet up there someday, now that we're acquainted and all." You suggested nervously.
"Yeah, that would be great. Which part of New York are you in?"
"Ironically Midtown," you laughed. It took him a second but he got it, "Ah yes Spider-Man goes to Midtown." He dropped his head with a chuckle.
"38th and sixth." You clarified. He looked up with eyes wide, "You're kidding? I live on 43rd and ninth! That's like ten minutes away from me." You both stood there in disbelief.
"All of these coincidences, you would think we'd met by now."
He laughed, "Well, we have now. I'd like to keep meeting. If that's ok with you?"
You looked up at him smiling, "I'd love that."
206 notes · View notes
bebepac · 4 years ago
Text
Derby Girl
Tumblr media
ORIGINAL POST DATE: 05/12/21 at 7:22PM EST
This is The Life of Riley Book Two.  To catch up with what you’ve missed so far, please click:
  The Life of Riley- Book Two. 
My Book 2 starts with basically TRR book 1 starts.  
If you’re curious to see the elaborate back story I have created for my version of Riley Brooks Please click: 
The Life of Riley Book One.
It will answer a lot of your questions that are left out of the Canon that PB wrote.  
The Book: TRR
The Pairing:  Liam x Riley
Word Count: 2011
Warnings:  Sexual innuendo
Summary: Riley goes to her first derby.  Liam and Drake make a bet (this episode has a few canon-ish parts. The most you’ll see in my series.) 
Deena is my own character, all others belong to Pixelberry. 
A/N:  I’m on vacation as of yesterday until May 25th.  I plan to do as much writing as i can in this time period.  Hopefully release some chapters of people’s favorites and get back on schedule a little bit with some releases on things people haven’t seen in a bit.  
Tumblr media
Riley slowly opened her eyes.   
Tumblr media
She thought she had dreamed the whole thing.  She was sure she would wake up in her tiny little apartment with Daniel.  She sat up in the ornately designed bedroom.
She went to peer out over the balcony seeing the beautifully trimmed gardens.  
I really have the chance to win a Prince’s heart. She thought. Last night dancing in the Maze with Liam was the most amazing feeling. Riley could not wipe the dopey grin she had on her face.
Tumblr media
There was a soft knock on her door.
Maxwell appeared.  
“Good Morning Little Blossom!  How are you today? You look so happy this morning.”
“I’m great.  I’m still so amazed by this place at times Maxwell.  There’s just so much beauty here. And Liam is here."
“And you get to be a part of this Little Blossom, because of the way he feels about you.  I see the way Prince Liam looks at you.”
“Then why can’t he just say it then?”
“Because that’s not how things are done here with people of his status.  You wouldn’t only be only his choice, but the choice of the people and they have to love you too and they don’t know you.  No one knows who Riley Antonia Brooks of New York truly is.”
Both Riley and Maxwell abruptly turned around to the voice of the person talking in the room.
Smile officially gone. Stolen by the rat bastard with the sneer standing at the door to her bedroom.
Tumblr media
“Lady Riley meet my brother Bertrand.”
“The Duke of Ramsford.”
Riley decided since he went with such a formal title even though she was wearing her pajamas she should curtsy.   He seemed stuffy and the antithesis of Maxwell.
He nodded.  “The New Yorker can be trained to fit in here.”  
Riley glared at him.  “I’m not an animal Duke Ramsford.”  
Tumblr media
“That remains to be seen.  If the Cordonian people do not fall in love with you, even though he could be Lady Riley, he will not choose you.  Love is not the only thing that matters here.  It’s honestly not even a factor here.  Prince Liam has a duty to his people to pick the most suitable woman to be at his side.  So you, my  dear idealistic girl, must learn to give the people what they want.  The derby today will give you the opportunity to meet the press for the first time.  This will set the tone of how the people will begin to approve of you or disapprove of you.  The Queen is also important here as well.”  
“I think the Queen might potentially be on my side.”  
Bertrand laughed.  “You don’t know The Queen.”  
“I met with her and she wasn’t rude to me. She was actually helpful when you think about it.  She told me to get a feel for the audience that will be watching me and dress for them.  I think that’s helpful advice.”
“You’re right, that is helpful advice.”  Maxwell chimed in trying to release some of the tension.
“You need to get ready. Head to the boutique and make sure you pick something suitable.”
Riley almost didn’t want to go to the boutique after what happened to her the last time.
However, when she walked in, she was greeted by a kind middle-aged woman with a genuinely welcoming smile.
“And you must be Lady Riley.”
“I am.” Riley still had her guard up her voice and body language tight and protecting herself.  
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”  
“Oh?”
“I know that the last time you were here, you didn’t have the greatest experience with the staff, and I apologize for that, but if there is anything you need I will be more than willing to assist.”  
“Thank you so very much.”  
Riley smiled.
“It’s no wonder….”
“It’s no wonder what?”
“Why he’s so enchanted with you.  Lady Riley you’re absolutely breathtaking, without a stitch of makeup, and you have such a kind-hearted spirit. I can almost feel it radiate off you.  I was sworn to secrecy, because he couldn’t hide how he feels about you.  Let me know if you need any help picking out something for him.  You’re living your very own Cinderella story right now.”  
Tumblr media
It was the nicest anyone had been to her since she landed.  Riley’s eyes filled with tears.  
“Oh no, don’t do that dear.  I know things have been a little rough for you.  The royal life is not easy.  They don’t only fight with words, they fight with glares and  underhanded behaviors.  But I’m here now.  At least here, you will always be treated like the royalty I believe you will become someday.  Now let’s pick out something beautiful for him.”
Riley thumbed through the racks.
"If I may?  I did notice his eyes fall on this dress here.  It looks to be your size, and that color would look like heaven on you."
"Pink is my favorite color."
"Then you should try it on."
This woman Deena, had made the palace boutique an oasis.
Riley tried on the dress staring at herself in the mirror.
"His face is going to be just as pink as that dress when he sees you. That dress was made for you. And since you're going to the derby try this as well."
She gave Riley a white hat.
The hat didn't quite stay on.
Riley laughed. "Big hair goals and hats don't generally mix."
Deena laughed.  "This is true. I think Dolly Parton said it best, if someone tells you hair is too big. Get rid of them, you don't need that kind of negativity in your life!"
Tumblr media
"That's a plan!"
“Thank you Deena.”  
“You show them honey. You show them why he’s picking you.”  
Riley decided to be the "Derby Girl" for the day she would straighten her hair. The hat laid perfectly.  
“Little Blossom! You look amazing!”
“Thank you Lord Maxwell,” she responded as Bertrand walked into the room.
“Yes, she picked a suitable outfit to be seen in and for the media.  We should be on our way.”
The whole duration of the ride Bertrand droned on about  royalty, the queen, and the event and the Cordonian Ruby Apple.  
“When you are done with your interview you’re going to go over to the pink tents to watch the race with the other suitors.”  
“Greaaat. Will Prince Liam be dropping by?”  
“Probably not, you’ll see him at the picnic afterwards.”  
“You got this Little Blossom!”
Riley managed to stay cool and calm while talking to the press.  The press deemed her “The Mystery Woman” based on her answers.  It was fitting she thought, because a lot of her life, even for herself, was a mystery to her. All the missing memory gaps she had of her life before the accident, at times, Riley felt she barely knew herself.  
Tumblr media
She looked for the pink tents not seeing any, but when she turned she saw Drake heading toward  a tent.   She quickly followed him, leaping inside.  
The Prince jumped to attention, his jaw locked, his body rigid, and his face stern.  She realized what she had done.  He had probably been trained for surprise attacks, and he had to always be alert.
“I’m sorry...I didn’t think..” Riley whispered.  
The prince visibly relaxed. 
“No, on the contrary it’s a very welcome surprise.  How did you manage to get in here?”  
“Playing a game of following the leader.”
The beer Drake was about to drink she pulled from his hand.
“Thanks for the beer Drake, you're too kind.”
Drake looked like he wanted to say something, but  he remained silent.  
Liam lightly cleared his throat.  
“I’m going to….”  
“You don’t have to….”  Riley started to say, but she saw the look in Liam’s eyes.
Tumblr media
“Bye Drake.”  She whispered, her eyes not leaving Liam’s.  
Drake walked out letting the tent fall closed.  
He pulled Riley to his lap, softly stroking her hair.  
“You look beautiful.  But you know I love your curls.”
“I know.  I would have had a wardrobe malfunction otherwise if i didn’t straighten it.  My hat wouldn’t fit.”  
“You would have been just as beautiful without it.”  
“I know but it’s the derby and Bertrand was making such a big deal about the derby and looking appropriate.  And even though I know nothing else about derbys I know next to the horse race, number two is woman in hats.  Your hat game must be on point.  Serious hat-age.”
Liam laughed, tightening his grip around her.
“Lady Riley, no one makes me laugh like you do.   I’m always so happy when you’re around.  Not just the things you say, or the way you look at me.  It’s who you are, that radiates off you, and I just feel it wrap around me.”
“And what does that feel like?”
“You feel like sunshine Lady Riley.  Sunshine on a summer day.  The perfect summer day. When you close your eyes and just feel the sun warm your skin, and you are so content to just.....be in that moment.  That’s how I feel when we are in the same space together.”
She softly kissed his lips.  
He began another kiss, but then pulled away too soon.  “As much as I would love to see where this could go, we have to at least watch the race.” Riley slipped off his lap into the seat next to him as he opened the tent.  
Drake came in a few minutes later with new beers.  
Riley was silent, listening to Liam and Drake talk about  the race and their friendly wager, and how she got roped into it she’ll never know.  She was going to be sitting on the back of the loser while they did ten push-ups.  
“Who’s your money on winning the bet, me or Drake?”
Riley winced.  
“As much faith as I have in you Liam, I think Drake might know more about horses and the stables. So my money is on Drake. I’m sorry.”
“Ouch that had to hurt Liam.”  Drake chuckled.
Liam looked hurt. 
Tumblr media
“Did you want the truth, or did you want me to lie to you Liam?”
“The truth Lady Riley, always the truth.”  
Annnnd…. Riley was right.
Liam unbuttoned his shirt, tossing it on the empty chair.
He got into a push-up position.
“Lady Riley if you will.”
Riley hopped onto Liam’s back.  Even though he was surprised he still held a tight planked push up position.  
“Lady Riley!”
“God she’s ruthless, are you sure you want this one?”  Drake laughed.
“I’ve been on him before, I knew he could handle it.”  
Liam choked back a laugh for a moment, his form unwavering.
“She’s right, I can handle her.”  
“TMI Brooks!!!”
Liam easily did all ten push ups unbroken.  
Tumblr media
When Liam was done  he put on his dress shirt again.  
“Drake will take you back to the other suitors for a late lunch.”
“A sweet little goodbye kiss to tide me over until I'm in your presence again?”
Riley seductively puckered her lips, tapping her index finger against them.  
Liam glanced around  and pulled her to him kissing her.   Her fingers gently tugged his hair as his kiss deepened and his grip tightened around her.
Tumblr media
Drake dropped her off with the other suitors.  
“I can’t believe we didn’t even get to see  Prince Liam at all!”   Lady Penelope's voice rang out in annoyance. “I had the best story to tell about my poodles to make him laugh.”  
“Where were you Lady Riley?”  
“I got lost again.  All these places around here look the same.  Drake found me finally and brought me over here to you guys.”
“Lady Riley you need to get it together.  Being late because you got lost won’t look well for you with the media.”    Lady Kiara  shook her head.  
“I’m not sure I believe her.”  
Olivia stepped up to her staring into Riley’s face.  
“Why would I lie?  You saw Drake drop me off here right Liv?”  
“I saw, but something feels off.  I don’t trust you Lady Riley.  Something is afoot.”
“Well, then I guess it’s game on then, Scarlet Duchess?”
“Yes.  Game on.”  
Tumblr media
Tags in the comments!
69 notes · View notes
babymetaldoll · 3 years ago
Text
Danger Days - Chapter seventeen: “Falling into pieces”
Tumblr media
Word count: 7,8K
Summary: Joey talks with Matthew for the first time ever since breaking up. Gerard opens up with Mikey about his true feelings for Joey.
Warnings: Cursing, angst, mention of sexual assault.
A/N: Do you think Matthew is gonna be excited to be a dad?
Masterlist
Chapter one | Chapter two | Chapter three | Chapter four | Chapter five | Chapter six | Chapter seven | Chapter eight | Chapter nine | Chapter ten | Chapter eleven | Chapter twelve | Chapter thirteen | Chapter fourteen | Chapter fifteen | Chapter sixteen | Chapter seventeen | Chapter eighteen | Chapter nineteen | Chapter twenty | Chapter twenty one | Chapter twenty-two | Chapter twenty-three | Chapter twenty-four |
--
Matthew kept asking his mom what time it was. He had been doing the same ever since he woke up around ten in the morning. He was anxious. His whole body hurt; he was suffering from several wounds, but still, what hurt him the most was not being able to talk to his girl.
- "Hey"- Paget whispered as she walked into the room with two cups of coffee- "Hello Marilyn, I brought you this."
- "Thank you, honey"- the two women hugged for a second, then the actress walked to her friend.
- "How do you feel?"
- "Like I was in a car crash, literally"- he answered and smiled- "I'm ok. My knee is still in place, which is amazing. I thought I was going to return to the crutches for another six months."
- "You are very lucky, your car is smashed... I can't believe you don't have a scratch."
- "I have many, many bruises, doesn't that count?"- Matthew whispered, still in pain.
- "I think it does"- his friend joked- "I got you these"- Paget opened a bag and put on the bed all the stuffed animals the young man had made- "I took all the stuff from your car, I had the feeling you might need these."
- "Thank you"- he softly smiled and looked at the handmade toys.
- "Everybody says hi"- Paget tried to take Matthew away from any sad thoughts he had- "Do you know when you will be discharged?"
- "No, the doctor said a couple more days."
- "Again, a car crash."
- "Yeah..."- Matthew smiled at his friend, and she smiled back- "Thank you for being here."
- "That's what friends do... hey, can I get you something to eat?"
- "I'm ok."
- "I'm not coming until tomorrow, so I'm gonna go get you some candy for later"- Paget turned around and left the room for a few minutes.
- "What time is it, mom?"
- "It's noon, baby"- she answered and walked to him, kissing his forehead- "Try to sleep a little more, I'll wake you up when she calls, ok?"- he nodded and closed his eyes. He really couldn't wait anymore.
Gerard looked at Joey warming up at the other side of the room, her eyes closed, her headphones on. He sighed, thinking she wasn't in love with him. She had never been. Not like he was, at least. She wasn't going to be his. Not without a fight. Could he win a battle against Matthew? He was a cheater, but Gerard was married. That made him a cheater too.
- "Hey!"- Mikey's hand smacking his arm took him from his thoughts- "Why are you staring at her?"
- "I was just... thinking about... nothing, I guess."
- "I'm starting to think maybe Frank is right"- and Gerard turned to his younger brother pretending to be insulted.
- "Don't be stupid."
- "Then stop drooling. You are not fooling anyone!"
- "Come on, kids! It's showtime!"- Jeffrey walked in clapping his hands- "Joey! You too!"- he yelled, and the girl took out her headphones.
- "What?"
- "Show, now! Come on!"
- "Sorry"- the girl smiled and sprinted over the band. Frank's arms locked around her as he stood in the hallway next to the stage and kissed her shoulder upon her Megadeth t-shirt.
- "Take care"- and the drummer rolled her eyes.
- "I'm gonna be sitting moving my arms. I don't see the danger."
- "I'm just saying"- she smiled, and she leaned to kiss his cheek.
- "You make it so hard to hate you, Jersey."
- "That's what my wife always says."
- "I love your wife so fucking much."
- "I love her too"- he chuckled- "Have you ever noticed our conversations always end up being weird?"- and she smiled.
- "That's 'cos you are so fucking weird, Frank"
Joey couldn't help but laugh in deep joy for a second. She loved her job and her bandmates. She was finally where she always wanted to get as a drummer. Her personal life was a mess, though. Was that the price to pay to be successful? Getting a shitty love life and a whole mess in your head?
- "I finally get what happened with Andy, in Devil Wears Prada... I hated that fucking movie, but shit, I feel just like her now."
The kids at that show were on fire, which helped the weary band perform better. It was getting harder and harder to keep on playing after all those months of touring. They all needed to get a few days off to sleep and do nothing. Traveling was exhausting. Joey had never thought about that until this leg of the tour.
- "Danke Germany!"- Gerard yelled, and the crowd yelled right away. Mikey turned his back to the kids and looked at Joey smiling. She looked happy when they were on stage. That's why he always kept an eye on her when they were performing.
- "Give me all your fucking money!"- Gerard shouted, announcing the next song- Well, are you ready, Ray?
- "Yeah!"
- "How about you, Frank?"- and Iero made the weirdest noises on the mic
- "How about you, Joey?"- and the girl widened her eyes smiling as Gerard stood in front of the drum, reaching out the mic to her.
- "Yeah!"- and Gerard grinned.
- "How about you, Mikey?"
- "Fucking ready!"
- "I think I'm alright! One, two, three, four!!"
It felt for a minute like she wasn't the supporting drummer but one of the band. And it felt incredible.
The hospital was busy. Nurses and doctors walked outside in the hallways. Matthew was trying to concentrate on anything, but he couldn't take his eyes off his phone. They had brought him lunch already, but he wasn't hungry- and Paget had left him an obscene amount of candy- so he left the tray untouched. He only had the jelly. And only because his mother forced him.
He was weary though, he felt hurt, physically beaten. He was taking it like a champ 'cos he didn't want to scare his mom, but in reality, he was shocked. He had never realized how short life could be. He had never had any kind of experience like this before, and this one showed him one thing: the important things in life are the simplest. The ones you take for granted.
- "What do I love the most in life? My family, watching my nephews grow up, my mom... Yami, my Yami's smile, her voice... everything about her"- Matthew's eyes were stuck in his cellphone's screen as he thought about everything that had happened in the last days- "If there is one thing I need every day for the rest of my life is having her next to me. I'm not gonna let her go, no matter what".
If he could travel in time and slap himself, he would. He would also kick himself in the nuts and never go to that party at all. But he couldn't. And he had to live with it. Somehow.
Joey yelled goodnight to her friends and ran out of the van to her room before anyone could say anything to her. On the ride back to the hotel, they had all been briefed about the next day. They were leaving at seven in the morning. They had to meet in the lobby. They had press and a radio interview in Copenhagen at one. And Joey had the chance to stay at the hotel and rest. Everybody told her to do so. And she didn't argue with that, she wanted to rest, and most of all, she didn't want to be at any interview or close to Gerard.
- "Goodnight, kids!"- she yelled and waved as she ran to the elevator. Gerard looked at her with a sorry glance, and his brother caught it right away.
- "Are you ok?"- Mikey asked and raised an eyebrow.
- "What? Yeah, I'm just tired"- the Way brothers looked at each other, both of them knowing the oldest was lying.
- "Sure... just don't let your exhaustion get in the way"- Mikey stated and walked away.
- "Wait, what the fuck?"- Gerard asked, making the, most likely, wrong decision to follow his younger brother.
- "Come on, Gerard! Stop denying it! You have a crush on her"- and Gerard groaned, exhausted from the same conversation. Mainly because he was running out of excuses to prove people wrong.
- "So do you! So does everybody! 'Cos you are all telling me the same shit over and over again when I don't!"- the brothers got into the elevator on their own and continued arguing.
- "I fucking know you! And I can't believe I didn't see it before! You are fucking drooling all the time! You look like a fucking teenager!"
- "Oh! shut up!"- Gerard frowned and crossed his arms on his chest- "I don't have a crush on her. I am a happily married man! Just because you have been obsessed with her ever since you met her doesn't mean so am I!" They stayed in silence for a couple of minutes until the door opened on their floor, and both stepped out of the elevator.
- "Have you tried to get anything with her?"- Mikey asked and followed his brother to his room.
- "I don't wanna talk about this"- Gerard simply answered.
- "Which means yes."
- "No, I haven't 'cos I don't like her! I have no feelings for her!"- stains of red  hair dye were on Gerard's neck as he scratched it, tired of the conversation, and at the same time tired of denying the truth. One part of him wanted to tell his brother, to have someone to finally open up.
- "I don't want you to hurt her, Gerard."
- "Thank you for being concerned about her the most, instead of your brother"- Gerard snorted and opened his door, followed by his brother. He took out his shoes and laid on his bed like a dead man.
- "I care about her, and if you have feelings for her, you are fucked up!"
And suddenly, it was just too much for Gerard.
- "I know"- the singer whispered, and his brother's chest tightened at those words- "Do you think I want this? It's fucking agony! She stays as far away from me as possible, and she rejected me when I told her how I feel"- Gerard chuckled at his words- "Can you believe that? It's high school all over again! She keeps pushing me away each time I try to get closer to her, ever since the beginning."
Mikey widened his eyes, listening to his brother's confession, as he stood in front of him in shock.
- "You told her you like her?"
- "Yeah"- Gerard whispered and sighed, defeated. It was useless to deny the truth anymore- "I told her I loved her from day one."
- "Did you try to... kiss her?"
- "I succeeded, actually. After months of longing and thinking about it, I kissed her...."
- "What did she do?"- Mikey was whispering, not believing a word. Had Joey kissed his brother?
- "She stopped, told me to get away from her... and when I tried again, and she kissed me back. I thought, "Shit Gerard, you nailed it, she likes you too!" but then she called me Matthew"- Gerard's voice shook, and his brother looked at him, nearly shocked. Was he going to cry? Was he that affected by the drummer?
- "When did you..."
- "After the show in Valencia."
- "You sick bastard! She was drunk!!"- the youngest Way nearly yelled and kept walking across the room, brushing his hands against his face and making a serious effort not to hit his brother- "What the fuck Gerard?! She was intoxicated, and you tried to kiss her?"
- "I didn't try. I told you I succeeded! It was so good, it felt so fucking right"- the singer made a pause and wiped off the few tears that fell from his eyes.
- "I can't believe it! You abused her when she was drunk!" - but Gerard ignored the accusation and continued talking.
- "She wasn't drunk the first time, by the way"- and Mikey frowned.
- "You kissed her more than once!"
- "Yeah, that day you left me alone with her... it was so sweet, so tender..."
- "She was fucking depressed, crying, and affected by her boyfriend!! Gerard! What the fuck is your problem!! It's the sickest shit I've ever heard you do!"
- "Don't you think I feel like the shit too? I know I fucked it up! I just couldn't help it! I love her! I can't stand the fact she is suffering for an asshole who cheated on her! I need to fix her! I needed to..."- but Mikey didn't let him finish.
- "You are married. You don't have the moral to judge Gubler for cheating!"
- "I know"
- "And you love her? You are married! Don't you love Lynz anymore?"
- "I love her so much, Mikey! That's what's killing me too! 'Cos I love both of them! I wanna be with both! I need to have them both!"
- "Dude... that shit is sick!"- Mikey was shaken.
- "I know! That's the worst part. I know what I feel is wrong! I can't love Joey. I can't mess things with her 'cos she works with us and is fantastic as our drummer. But at the same time, it's like she is a magnet I can't keep away from! Like she is my earth, and I'm her moon, orbiting around her!"
Gerard sat down and started crying.
- "I don't know what's wrong with me! From day fucking one! I looked at her, and I knew she was going to be the end of me! And I've been dealing with this all along..."
Mikey had no idea what to do. He was in shock. Sure, he knew Gerard was weird around Joey, but he never thought it would be this bad. He always thought he didn't like her. And it turned out to be the complete opposite.
- "Until this morning, I was sure she was going to leave, not only for her stupid boyfriend but because of what happened..."
- "That's why she had been giving you the cold shoulder"- Mikey whispered, thinking out loud.
- "And I deserve it, I guess. I kissed her and told her I loved her... what the fuck is my problem?"
- "I don't know, but you really fucked it up"- Mikey nodded in silence at his statement and finally sat next to Gerard. His older brother brushed his hands against his face and wiped off the tears.
- "I feel I love her, you know? Like... a fucking piece of my heart I never knew was missing just appeared, and I need to keep her close, no matter what, 'cos if I don't, I'm gonna die."
- "Well, you are gonna have to learn to let that part go, 'cos there is no way, and I mean it, no way she is ever going to be with you."
Mikey was brutally honest, in part 'cos he was mad at Gerard, but mostly because he knew it was the truth. Joey wasn't in love with him. And even if she was, she would never let him leave his wife for her.
- "I know... and yet, I can't stop trying"- Gerard made a pause- "I hated you so bad for being so close to her... you are all so fucking close to her."
- "I always thought it was weird you were so distant."
- "I didn't know how to act around her. She smiles, and I have no fucking clue what to say."
- "You are fucked."
- "Yeah"- the two of them made a long pause.
- "You are gonna have to get rid of your feelings, Gerard."
- "I know... any clue how?"
- "No..."
- "And knowing right now she is talking to him, that shit kills me"- Mikey sighed. That was killing him too. But he didn't say a word.
The computer was on the bed. Joey sat in front of it, FaceTime was open, but she still couldn't find the guts to press "call." She just stared at the screen and sighed. She wanted to know about him, she was worried about his health after the accident. But she didn't know how to deal with it. With the whole "you broke my heart" part of the conversation.
- "Ok, let's do this. And you are not talking about any feeling, just about his health. It's gonna be a short call."
And not thinking about it again, she started the video call.
- "Hello baby!"- Marilyn's face filled the screen, and Joey's body shook with fear, anxiety, and excitement.
- "Hi! How are you?"
- "Great! How was the show?"
- "It was amazing! The kids were nuts today!"- and Joey yawned- "But I am dead, sorry. I just showered and put on my pajamas."
- "That's ok..."- there was a silence, Joey knew what was gonna happen, and she decided to treat it like a band-aid
- "And how's Matthew?"- she just ripped it off, pretending it didn't hurt
- "He is right here. He has been waiting for your call all day."
- "Mom!"- he whined, embarrassed. Joey had to bite her lips not to smile as she heard his voice somewhere near the phone. She felt her body shaking at that sound.
- "I'm gonna let you two kids talk. I'll be outside, bye honey!"
- "Bye Marilyn!"
Joey waved at the screen and noticed all the movements when the phone left the woman's hand. Two seconds later, Matthew's face filled the screen, and her heart stopped. He was bruised. He looked severely hurt. And yet, he had a massive smile on her lips as soon as he saw her.
His heart started beating so fast on his chest as soon as he laid eyes on her, he was sure one of the machines around him was going to start beeping. Neither of them said a word for a moment. They just stared.
- "FaceTiming him was a mistake. A normal call would have been so much better,"- Joey thought and took a deep breath before saying- "Hey, how do you feel?"
- "Good... I'm good. It looks worse than it is, maybe 'cos I get bruised a lot... 'cos I'm so white and... I'm a peach"- Matthew started rambling.
- "What happened?"- Joey stopped his rambling 'cos she knew he could go for hours.
- "A truck missed a red light and hit my car, but I'm ok, really... not even a broken bone."
- "What about your knee?"
- "It's still in place."
- "Now that's a miracle!"- Joey chuckled and regretted it right away, she was melting, and hearing Matthew's laughter like a cascade of joy didn't help either. Her heart kept racing, and her palms were sweating.
- "Yeah! I thought I was gonna have to spend another year in those crutches."
- "It's a good thing they are still in your closet."
- "A part of me knew I was stupid enough to injure myself again"- the actor smiled and shrugged. However, that movement hurt, and he involuntarily winced in pain.
- "Are you ok?"
- "Yeah, I just... forgot that hurts"- Joey nodded and looked at him. She wanted to end that call before she would burst into tears, which was about to happen any second now.
He was the father of her child. They were having a baby together, and he had no idea. All the thoughts spinning around her head were too much. It scared her to think about how everything was going to be when it came to the moment to talk about it, and she was sure that the moment wasn't that one.
- "Well, you should rest. I just wanted to know if you were ok, and..."- the girl started saying, but Matthew stopped her.
- "Wait, no... don't hang up yet"- his voice was a plea, and desperation came from each word he spoke, even his eyes looked at her with sadness and longing- "Please talk to me."
- "We are talking. You are clearly in pain. Maybe you should rest."
- "Please, don't go. I needed to talk to you for so long."
- "No, Matthew."
- "I need you to listen. I need you to forgive me."
- "No, Matthew, I'm tired; I don't wanna do this, not now, not ever. I just called to know if you were ok. I can see you are not half as bad as I imagined, which makes me happy. But I don't wanna talk about us."
- "Fine, that's ok, we don't have to talk about us, let's talk about anything else."
- "Matthew"- Joey knew just talking to him about the weather was a threat. Why? 'Cos he was charming, and she loved him. She didn't want to forgive him, and seeing his face wasn't helping in keeping that resolution.
- "Please, tell me, how was your day?"- she sighed and looked away, locking her eyes in her nails- "How was the show?"
- "It was good"
- "When do you leave for Denmark?"
- "Tomorrow at seven."
- "It should be a long drive from Hamburg"- Matthew was honestly desperate to make conversation, and the subject made it obvious.
- "Jeffrey said four hours, time I plan to spend sleeping."
- "Are you doing any more press with the band?"- at that minute, anything that came through Gubler's head that could help him keep her in line was a good subject.
- "I hope not, at least not tomorrow"- Joey kept staring at her nails, avoiding his eyes. Matthew couldn't stop staring at her, sitting on her bed, in pajama, obviously exhausted but still talking to him. That was a good sign, right?
- "You looked gorgeous at the Valencia show"- he sort of whispered and saw her cheeks turning red of embarrassment- "I told you that was a great outfit."
- "Yeah... I remember"- she sighed and looked at him, raising an eyebrow- "So, did you actually watch it? I thought you would be working at the time."
- "I stopped everything and forced them to watch you play"- Joey chuckled at those words, and Matthew felt he was a tiny baby step closer to win her back- "I wasn't going to miss it. It was my chance to see you live, and you kicked ass." The girl felt the blush in her cheeks as she looked at her fingers again, playing with them on the blanket of the bed.
- "Thanks..."- Matthew stayed quiet for a moment, just looking at her.
- "You look so beautiful tonight"- but she raised her eyes and frowned
- "Don't"
- "Sorry"- he whispered and sighed- "So... Paget came to see me today"- that was the only thing that came to his mind
- "How is she?"
- "Good, she bought me so many candies I'm gonna have a sugar rush until Halloween"- and he chuckled.
- "I'm jealous. Mikey took away all my candy today."
- "Why?"- the boy frowned.
- "He said I can't have that much sugar"- and Joey bit her tongue. She couldn't eat that much sugar being pregnant. She was pregnant with Matthew's baby.
- "What is he? The sugar police?"- and the girl slightly smiled.
- "Yeah, I guess he is."
- "How is he?"
- "He hates you."
- "I guess everybody hates me, I hate me... mom hates me."
- "I surely doubt it."
- "Believe me, she does."
- "Anyway, we are not talking about that..."
- "Are we ever going to talk about that?"- and Joey knew the answer to that - "Yes, I guess we will... we have to talk, "But not about what you are thinking, cheater."
- "Good, great, yeah, awesome, we have to talk, I need to..."- but Joey stopped him again.
- "Not now, not today. When I come back to Los Angeles, we can meet, have a coffee and talk about it." Matthew nodded. He didn't have another choice but to agree with her terms. He wanted to talk to her, and he had to go along with her flow to win her back. Not along with his desires.
- "Do you want me to pick you from the airport?"
- "No thanks, I can take a cab."
- "You are gonna bring a million bags..."
- "I can handle it, don't worry"- her voice was so serious. Matthew knew he shouldn't insist.
- "Ok... how's your mom and dad?"
- "They are ok. They miss me."
- "I miss you too, so fucking much."
- "Ok, gonna hung up now."
- "I'm sorry, I just.... needed to see you."
- "And you saw me, and I wanted to know if you are ok, and now I know you are, so... I guess we are both..."- but no word came from Joey's lips for a second. She just zoned out, looking at Matthew- "I guess I should go, I have to get up real early, and I'm tired."
- "Of course, I don't wanna keep you up."
- "I'll call you when I get to Los Angeles."
- "Yes, please, let me know you are ok."
- "Do you know when you'll be discharged?"
- "In two days."
- "Good"- she nodded and bit her lips- "Ok, so, talk to you in a few days."
- "Yes... well... would it be ok if I called you sometime?"- she didn't know what to say- "Or text you, or something... just to make sure you are alright."
- "I'm alright."
- "I still get worried about you... traveling and all"- she looked at him, there was so much sorrow in his eyes, in his words.
- "You can text me if you want"- and a sigh of relief left his lips.
- "Thanks... now go to sleep."
- "Yeah, I will."
- "I love you"- he said, knowing those words might upset her, but he wasn't able to keep them in his chest any longer- "And I swear I'm gonna do whatever it takes to show you how sorry I am for fucking things up."
- "Bye, Matthew. Take care and say hello to your mom from me"- Joey ignored his last words and watched him for a few more seconds.
- "Talk to you later"- he murmured, fighting the tears that kept coming to his eyes
- "Bye"- Joey hung up and shut down the computer. In less than a second, she started crying, her heartbreaking and beating filled with love at the same time. Seeing him, hearing him. It was all too much.
- "How can I stop fucking loving you?! How on earth can you stop loving someone?!"
And as odd as it might be, Gerard was asking himself the very same question a few rooms away from her.
::: Denmark, March 15th, 2011 :::
Ray's arm felt numb underneath Joey's neck. But he didn't want to move it and wake her up. They were at the back of the bus, probably an hour away from Copenhagen. The girl had slept most of the trip after puking breakfast. The two of them had spent the whole journey there, with Mikey, mostly sleeping. They were all exhausted.
- "Hey guys!"- until Frank walked in and woke Mikey and Joey up- "Sorry, I didn't know you were sleeping"- he stood at the door with a sorry glance- "I wanted to ask you if you wanted to do the setlist now, 'cos we have been playing the same one for the last three shows, and it would be nice to make a few changes"- Ray nodded as Joey sat down, yawning.
- "Are we there yet?"
- "Not yet, Bug"- Ray smiled and moved his arm, feeling numbness and tingling- "Do you feel ok?"
- "Yeah, I'm hungry."
- "Here"- Mikey quickly grabbed a bag and gave her a cereal bar- "I got you healthy snacks when we stopped a while ago"- and he smiled, showing her a paper bag- "We've got everything you need to keep my nephew growing healthy."
- "Thanks"- she whispered, feeling awkward still just talking about her pregnancy like a common thing. She still didn't (or couldn't) believe she was pregnant.
- "So, setlist"- Frank sat next to his friends and started writing. They were halfway there when Iero turned to Joey and smiled- "Bug, pick a song"- and she frowned.
- "Why?"
- "We've been shitty friends. We never ask you what you wanna play."
- "That's 'cos I... you know, that's not my job, you are the band, you choose your songs."
- "And I choose you, like a Pokemon"- Frank grinned- "What would you like to play?"- Joey scratched her eyes and yawned again.
- "Vampires."
- "Done!"- and Frank wrote it down- "What else?"- the girl thought about it for a second
- "House of Wolves"- Ray smiled.
- "Loving your choices."
- "Thank you"- Joey finished her cereal bar and smiled- "Thank you, Mikey."
- "You are welcome, Bug"- a hum on the girl's phone caught her attention. It was a text from Matthew.
- "Hope you are having a nice trip"- and her heart raced, her cheek blushed, and her friends frowned.
- "Are you two in better terms?"- Ray asked, knowing neither Mikey nor Frank was going to ask without insulting Matthew.
- "Let's say I'm wrapping my mind around the fact I have to tell him he will be a father. I talked to him about his health, and that was it... nothing about us."
- "But he is texting you"- Mikey pointed out the obvious.
- "Yeah... but we are not back together. And I don't want to forgive him, so I'm ok"- the all nodded- "I just know I'm gonna have to deal with the whole baby thing with him, and I don't know if I wanna be mad at him the whole time"- they all nodded again- "I don't know what I'm doing"- she whispered.
- "If you want, we can say it's my baby"- Frank said with an honest smile- "I give them my last name. Matthew won't have a reason to be close to you, and everything will be awesome"- Joey chuckled at the idea.
- "You are so funny, Iero."
- "I wasn't joking. I can convince Jamia to go through the whole thing."
- "Shut up!"- Joey punched softly Frank's arm and smiled.
- "She wants to talk to you, by the way. Jamia"- the guitarist said and kept writing down in his notebook, avoiding making eye contact with the girl, just in case she would get upset.
- "That's cool."
- "I mean about your baby, in case you need any help... if you want to ask her things... she is there"- Frank finally looked at Joey and bit his lips- "I'm sorry I told her about that"- he made a pause, and Joey shook her head.
- "It's ok. I love Jamia... and I'm sure I'm gonna text her with a million questions in the next nine months, so... thanks"- the girl smiled and messed with Frank's hair. The four of them stayed quiet. Mikey was stuck at his book, Frank looked at the setlist and Ray at their schedule for the day.
- "Where's Gerard?"- Toro asked and looked around. Joey turned to the window, Mikey's eyes stuck at her. He was dying to talk to her about what had happened with his brother. He wanted to know her side of the story.
- "He is at his bunk"- Frank simply replied- "He has been there since we got into the bus."
- "Good, stay away from her,"- Mikey thought and went back to his book. Maybe his brother was doing the right thing for once.
It was three in the morning, and Matthew woke up for the hundredth time that night. It was hard to sleep at the hospital. There were many noises all night long, and nurses that came to put an eye on him. Just two more days, and he could go home. That idea made him happy. Six more days and Joey was going to be back in Los Angeles. The hum of his phone took him from his thoughts, and a smile lodged on his lips immediately.
- "Already in Denmark"- Joey had answered his earlier message.
- "How was the trip?"- he quickly typed and waited, staring at the screen. Joey looked at her phone and held her breath. She was lying on her bed, knowing she wasn't going to get any sleep. The tv was on, the sound in the background of her room made her feel a little less alone.
- "I slept most of the way"- she simply replied and closed her eyes. She felt like a schoolgirl talking with her crush. Decided to avoid her phone, the girl surfed channels for a while. But an incoming text took her complete attention. She wanted to read it so badly, but she didn't want to want to read it. If that made any sense at all.
- "I'm jealous. I can't sleep in this hospital,"- Matthew wrote and sighed. He looked around his room and his eyes laid on the stuffed animals still on the couch by his bed. The ones he had made for her. He just hoped she would like them.
- "Hospitals sucks,"- Matthew chuckled. He could almost listen to her voice saying that as he read it.
- "Food is the worst. I've been living on Paget's candies,"- but that message, Joey didn't reply. He waited for at least ten minutes, but no answer appeared on the screen. He closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't want to push things too fast, but at the same time, he couldn't help it, he needed to talk to her for hours, like before.
Joey was curled in bed, surfing channels, her phone hidden underneath a pillow. She knew talking to Gubler was a bad idea 'cos she loved him. So instead, she hid her phone from her and glued her eyes to the screen. Bad luck for her, "The Aquatic Life with Steve Zissou" was on. It was like life wasn't helping her at all. Matthew was everywhere. Including the movie she watched.
- "I should go get something to eat,"- she typed, giving up at the temptation. Gubler opened his eyes. It took the girl over half an hour to reply.
- "With the guys?"- he wrote quickly
- "No, I'm alone today, they are doing their band shit"- she sat on the bed and put on her shoes- "Talk to you later"- and finished the conversation.
- "Take care,"- Matthew answered quickly. He smiled and closed his eyes, sighing- "Baby steps, Gubler. Baby steps."
- "What the fuck are you doing, asshole?!"- Joey slapped herself mentally- "Stop giving him hopes. You are not getting back together."
Mikey wasn't himself that day. He wasn't mentally there at any of the interviews. His brother was in love with Joey. The thought of Gerard trying to kiss her was hunting him. It was sick. And when she was drunk, when she was sad. He even felt guilty for leaving her with him. Like he was responsible for his mistake.
- "And why the fuck didn't she tell me?! This is huge?! Doesn't she trust me? Isn't this important? I thought we were brother and sister! This is something you share with your brother!"
- "Mikey?"- Frank moved his hand in front of the bassist's face and frowned- "Are you here?"
- "Sorry, I spaced out... what is it?"
- "The interview is over; we can go"- Mikey looked around. He was the only one still sitting at the radio studio.
- "Right."
- "Are you ok?"
- "Yeah."
- "You are quiet."
- "I don't usually talk a lot in interviews."
- "Touché"- Iero chuckled and tapped on his friend's back- "Tired?"
- "Weary"
- "Just a few more days, hang in there"- Mikey nodded and walked with his friend. Gerard looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He didn't reply, not even with a gesture. Mikey just continued walking. He knew what he had to do. He just found it weird.
- "Hey"- he whispered, making sure his brother wasn't going to overhear his conversation and held his cellphone close- "Are you feeling good?"
- "Yeah"- Joey rolled in bed and sighed- "I already had lunch half hour ago, and it's still in my stomach, so I guess I'm awesome"- Mikey smiled.
- "Were you sleeping?"
- "No, just rolling in bed and coloring mandalas from time to time, watching tv."
- "We are going to the hotel now."
- "Great! Are you gonna nap?"
- "I wanted to hang out with you."
- "Great! Bring candies."
- "I'll bring healthy snacks for my nephew"- Joey sighed at those words. She wasn't ready to start talking about her baby.
- "A tiny little Snicker, for Christ Sakes. For your niece."
- "I'll think about it."
Joey watched The Nightmare Before Christmas, trying to wrap her head around the fact she was going to have a baby. Sure, she always thought about it, but not at twenty-six. Yes, she wanted to have a baby with Matthew, but not under those circumstances.
- "I guess I'll have to make the best of it"- she sighed, rubbing her belly sweetly- "You are gonna have Halloween every day, I swear"- Joey whispered- "I'm gonna make sure you've got everything I never had. Your dad is gonna go nuts when we tell him... I still don't know what kind of nuts, but I guess we'll have to figure it out."
She made a pause, thinking about Matthew telling her he wanted to fill their house with babies. Maybe he was going to be excited after all. Maybe.
- "Your uncle Mikey is gonna spoil you, that I am sure about"- the knock on the door took Joey from her conversation with her belly. Mikey stood at the other side, smiling and holding a fun size Snicker bag.
- "I'm going to give you one every day. That's gonna be your only candy, ok?"
- "Thank you!!"- Joey walked in, jumping in excitement, making her friend chuckle. He was slightly mad at her, but still, he couldn't be mean to her- "How was work?"
- "Boring, I think I fell asleep during most of the interviews"- the girl chuckled and sat indian style on her bed- "I can see you are watching kids movies already"- the bassist raised an eyebrow staring at the screen.
- "I happen to love this movie... I'm a Halloween kind of girl."
- "Yeah, I know"- Mikey stood in front of Joey, chewing a Snicker.
- "Aren't you going to sit down and watch this masterpiece with me?"
- "I need to talk to you about something first."
- "Shoot"- but Way didn't know how to start that conversation. He thought about it the whole morning, but he still had no clue. So instead, he mumbled some unintelligible words- "What is it?"
- "I just..."
- "Is it because I've been wearing a lot of your hoodies? I'm sorry, the ones I brought are Matthew's, and I don't feel like wearing his clothes."
- "No Bug, it's not that."
- "'Cos I'm wearing Frank's too... which is pretty weird 'cos he is my size..."
- "No, Joey. It's not about that."
- "Then why are you so serious?"
- "'Cos you never told me you kissed my brother"- and Joey's face fell.
- "Did he tell you?"
- "Clearly... what the fuck?"
- "I don't know!!"
- "Why didn't you tell me?!"
- "'Cos if I never told anyone, I could pretend it never happened! And I wish that never happened!"
- "What the fuck was that about?!"
- "I don't know, I felt like the shit, he kissed me, I didn't stop him right away..."
- "Do you like him?"
- "No!"
- "Do you love him?"- Mikey was serious about his questions- "'Cos he is sure he loves you."
- "I don't love him, Mikey. We both know there is only one shitty person I love"- Joey laid back on the bed and covered her face with her hands.
- "Do you think I'm proud? I should have never done that! and I definitely shouldn't have let him get to the point he got"- Mikey frowned.
- "What?"
- "So he didn't tell you he wanted to fuck?"- the girl simply replied- "When I was drunk... we kissed, at a certain point we made out, but I wasn't very conscious of what he was doing... I just... in my intoxication... I thought he was Matthew."
- "What the fuck?"- Way wide opened his eyes and turned to his friend in shock.
- "Yeah, it was sick..."- she whispered, embarrassed.
- "Joey, that's abuse!"
- "What? no!"- the girl gasped.
- "Joey, my brother tried to abuse you"- Mikey yelled- "You were drunk!"
- "Yeah, but..."
- "You were nearly unconscious, and he tried to make out with you?"
- "No! No! I mean, a part of me knew what I was doing. I just... didn't know who I was doing it with."
Honestly, that didn't sound like an excellent explanation of the facts. Joey was in denial of how bad things had gotten with Gerard.
- "Bug, that's not right! He knew exactly what he was doing, and he shouldn't have done that to you if you were drunk!"- Mikey's words resonated in Joey's head.
- "He didn't try to rape me. I mean, he stopped when I realized he wasn't Matthew... and honestly, I'm not trying to defend him, but I was pretty disgusted by my actions right away!"
Joey stood up and looked at her friend right in the eyes. At that moment, she decided the best she could do was take the pushy scene from the story, when Gerard didn't want to let her go. It was better to forget that moment and pretended it never really happened.
- "The first time he kissed me, I thought making out with your brother was the perfect revenge against Matthew, mostly 'cos he was always saying Gerard had a thing for me"- the girl sighed and pouted at her friend- "Who was ever going to think he was right?"- Mikey wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of your head- "I just didn't know that one kiss made him think we could do it again when I was drunk."
- "Please don't do stupid shit like this again"- she nodded
- "Your shirt stinks"- she joked, making her best to stop the serious conversation 'cos she couldn't stand arguing with Mikey, and less talking about that subject.
- "Sorry, I ran out of clean clothing 'cos I've got a friend who keeps wearing everything I own"- he chuckled, and Joey smiled, letting him go slowly to go back to the bag of candies- "I said just one a day."
- "Can I get an extra one today? Please?"
- "No, you are grounded, 'cos you did something incredibly stupid"- they stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, until Mikey smiled- "Fine, but only today"- she girl smiled and landed a kiss on Mikey's cheek.
- "Thank you. Besides, Ray is the only one who can ground me around here."
- "Right"- Joey chewed her Snicker and laid back in bed, tapping the spot next to her- "There's still one more thing."
- "Oh shit! I don't want to have more serious conversations. We've had enough of those already."
- "He claims to love you"- Mikey just said, and Joey closed her eyes, wincing.
- "I know! And I find it as stupid as false! We've barely talked this whole time! He has no idea who I am, what I like, or anything! He is just talking with his cock!"
- "And what are you gonna do about it?"
- "Stay as far from him as possible"- Mikey laid next to Joey and held her hand- "Do you think the others suspect anything?"
- "Frank, for sure. He has been arguing about it for days now."
- "Shit!"
- "But hey, hey, don't worry"- Mikey tapped on Joey's hand- "It's gonna be ok."
- "Bróðir"- the girl made a pause and never unglued her eyes from the screen- "I'm gonna have to leave."
- "No!"- his voice sounded serious and certain- "You don't have to!"
- "I'm nothing but trouble! This tour is more a soap opera than a job at this point! Breaking up with Matthew and having all of you taking care of me, now I'm pregnant, your brother claims to love me." Joey turned to Mikey and cut him a shy smile. - "Face it, if you had hired a male drummer, you would have had a quiet tour. Nothing to worry about, not all this fucking drama to deal with."
- "If we had hired anyone else, I would have had a miserable tour"- Mikey simply replied and messed with Joey's hair as the two of them returned to watch the movie- "So stop saying nonsenses."
- "I'm so sorry..."
- "Knock it off"
- "And I don't want you to be mad at your brother."
- "I'm not mad"- Joey raised an eyebrow and looked at Mikey- "Fine, I hate him right now, 'cos he has been acting like a fucking crazy jerk, and honestly, he nearly abused you, Joey!"
- "Don't hate him... let's pretend none of that weird shit ever happened, which is what I'm planning to do."
- "Fine"
- "And don't get all weird."
- "Fine"- Mikey sounded a little annoyed.
- "And don't make a fuzz if I stay away from him."
- "I'll support you, I'll even stay away from him myself."
- "Don't. He is fucked up. Maybe if he opened up with you, it's because he needs company or someone to help him overcome this... madness."
Mikey turned to Joey again and sighed. He disagreed with her, and he was planning to stay away from his brother and keep him away from Joey as well.
- "And how was your talk with Matthew?"- Joey's heart raced just by hearing his name- "The red cheeks are giving you away."
- "It was... ok, I guess."
- "And now you are texting"- she sighed and huffed.
- "I'm gonna have a baby with him, Mikey. It's hard."
- "And you love him."
- "Not the point... and that's all I'm saying about that subject."
- "Ok"- Mikey wrapped an arm around Joey's neck, and she rested her head on him- "Let's watch the movie before we have to leave for the arena."
Mikey wasn't mad at Joey. He was scared she might consider leaving the band. He loved having her there. She was honestly his anxiety shield, and he couldn't deal with that tour without her. Not at the moment. He was alone. He felt alone, and she was the one with him always. Ray had Christa, Frank had Jamia, Gerard had Lynz (and it was now obvious: he also had a stalking problem).
Mikey had Joey. At least when they were on the road. Hiding in their friendship and brotherhood was the only way he could handle loneliness. Or to avoid it.
**
taglist @all-tings-diego @worryd0ll
Do you wanna talk about this story, or be added to the taglist? send me a message here
27 notes · View notes
unmaskedagain · 5 years ago
Text
You had a Friend in Me
           I’M BACK!! Oh god its been two weeks since I posted a story. I missed you guys like crazy. Hopefully you like my newest piece. I went a... Unique direction. Enjoy!
 She didn’t stumble, fall, and break like they expected her to. There was no big meltdown or confrontation. No apologies. Or promises to do better. No, when nearly everyone in class made it clear they weren’t friends with Marinette anymore; nothing happened. They had accused her of being mean to Lila and a bully as the reasons they couldn’t be friends anymore and had expected the girl to defend herself at the very least.
           Marinette just shrugged, and that was it.
           Even when they asked her to resign from being class president, she easily stood up and said she quit.
           Most of the class, Alya, in particular wanted to be angry at her lack of reaction; shout and scream at the bluenette for seeming not to care about the severance of their friendships. But how could they?
           They knew it was their choice. They were mature enough to know that everyone reacted differently to things. And yelling at Marinette for not being emotional enough at the fact that they weren’t friends anymore just showed their own immaturity. And that would be like telling Marinette she won; and that wasn’t worth it.
           Besides, It was only September, they were sure Marinette would come crawling back to them soon.
           Marinette never did.
           On the outside, it didn’t look like much had changed with the class. While the class weren’t friends with Marinette, they still chose to be cordial. They still did assigned group projects with. Everyone doing their part. However, no one went out of their way to speak with the Bluenette. And she did the same and seemed content.
           Despite appearances, things had definitely changed in class. And it didn’t take long for everyone to realize it.
           The first was Alix’s birthday. Everyone had been so excited. Birthdays were always the best for Bustier’s class. The entire classroom would be decorated. There would be cake and balloons; a wonderful and thoughtful perfectly wrapped present.
           However, when the kids arrived that morning, it was too the same ordinary classroom as the day before.
           It was disappointing to say the least. The kids scrambled to try to throw something, anything together before Alix arrived. However, it was too late. Alix arrived not long after them, and seeing the smile fall from her face broke their hearts.
           No one knew what to say. Or how to explain why nothing was decorated. Why there was no cake and or gift. They sat awkwardly at their desks.
           It was only after Marinette arrived, just a few minutes before the bell rang, that they all got their answer.
           Marinette. Marinette had been the class president. The class president was responsible for any class birthday, trip, or fundraiser. She had always gone above and beyond. Unlike, Chloe, the previous class president, who only ever put in their bare minimum (and she made Sabrina do that); a cupcake, a balloon tied to their desk, and a card signed by the entire class.
           Marinette had been their friend so she always made sure to do her very best to celebrate. But she wasn’t class president anymore. And she wasn’t their friend. She wasn’t obligated to do anything.
           So she didn’t.
           And while the class had been meaning to, they never got around to electing a new class president to replace the one their forced out of office.
           It burned a little.
           Particularly, when the class realized they were hard pressed to find volunteer to assume the role. No one had that much time on their hands. No one wanted to be responsible for anything going wrong. Or not living up to expectations.
           Friend or not, they could admit Marinette was a hard act to follow.
           Unfortunately, to prevent Chloe from taking the job again, Alya was forced to step up.
           It didn’t take long to realize that planning for fundraisers and dances and parties was equivalent to the work of seven people. She didn’t know how Marinette handled it so well.
           School trips, once amazing and carefully planned to the last detail, now were boring and hastily put together; the best one was a trip to the museum, mostly because they got to have ice cream after.
           Fresh baked sweets on big tests days were gone too. It had become a tradition that on days of major, study hard and cram for weeks prior, tests that treats were brought in the morning. It lightened the tension of the day, and just made everyone feel better.
           The morning of a huge math test that had caused a few kids to hyperventilate the day before and of; delicious goods were nowhere to be found.
           When the bell rang, Kim had quickly asked Bustier where the food was.
           To which the teacher replied, “Marinette always asked me if she could bring them in for her friends.”
           And that was all they needed to know.
           It sucked but it was something they could live without.
           Favors were the next thing they realized were gone.
           Before whenever they needed something; they would automatically go to Marinette for help. A babysitter, sweets, costumes, dresses, set design.
           Alya and Nino found themselves spending their date nights watching their young siblings together. Most of their friends refused to babysit. And the few that were willing were far too busy.
           Mylene found that the school play’s custom designed costumes were a thing of the past. So were the artfully decorated set designs.
           Alix had to make her own banners. So did Kim.
           Rose couldn’t just run to Marinette when she need a new fabulous dress. Marinette had always made it clear that she was willing to help out a friend whenever they asked her about costs.
           Then the favors they never realized they even got were gone.
           Discounts at the bakery were only for friends and family. Unfortunately that also meant the discount for their families were gone as well.
           Ladybug suddenly stopped giving Alya interviews. And when Alya asked why, the hero said she only did it because the reporter was Marinette’s friend. It hurt the Ladyblog badly.
           Someone coming to defend them whenever Chloe threw a tantrum and managing to calm the blond down. Even Alya found she wasn’t as much of match as thought, when the spoiled rotten girl was on rampage.
           This effect class morale dramatically. And it wasn’t before long that the class shifted to what it was like before Alya or Adrien came to school, with Chloe trying to declare dominance every other second. But this time, the other students were cowed like they used to be. No, they had seen Marinette standing up for herself and them for years. If she could do it, so could they. Sadly, they weren’t enough. With just the right amount of effort, Chloe could intimidate anyone.
           Adrien who was soon confused about why the friend safe haven had suddenly turned hostile
           Marinette just shook her head. Chloe asked (ordered) Marinette to come to her penthouse one October morning. The blonde had realized the dynamic in class had changed dramatically and wanted to seize the opportunity with an iron first; and she knew she couldn’t do that if Dupain-Cheng was still her number one enemy.
Chloe proceeded to lay down an offer of truce. Chloe and Marinette would leave each other alone, would stay out of each other’s way, and didn’t interfere with anything the other did unless it was school related so they absolutely had to. There would be no threats, stealing, lies, or intimidation from Chloe towards Marinette. In return, Marinette would let Chloe do her thing without trying to defend or save anyone.
As long as both did that, there would be peace.
Marinette agreed.
Thus Chloe’s reign for her symbolic iron throne began. The queen bee had no illusions of who was who. Marinette was a Stark. Chloe: a Lannister.  But Chloe was a smart lion. She had no problems letting the North be independent away from the rest of the kingdom. Chloe’s kingdom.
And much like show, there was no win or lose. When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground. And Chloe would win.
Lila was the first to feel to the effects. Chloe refused to have competition for Queen Bee. And the Italian girl became took Marinette’s place as her new number one target.
Lila soon learned that dealing with Marinette was one thing, dealing with Chloe was a whole different animal.  While Marinette fought for peace, Chloe was more than willing to rage war. And unlike Marinette, Chloe didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Lila could scream to the world about how much of a bully Chloe was but what did it matter. Everyone in class knew that already.
She couldn’t threaten Chloe like she did Marinette. In fact, the Chloe regularly threatened her. In front of the other students, and Bustier.
She couldn’t try to get Chloe expelled as Damocles was quick to bend to the blonde’s will.
Chloe regularly “Accidently” tripped Lila, ruined her homework, stole any projects she had, destroyed her phone one time, verbally ripped her to shreds in front of everyone and even worse in private. Chloe would play mean and outright nasty pranks that would leave Lila in tears. More than a few sets of clothes were destroyed. To make everything worse, the blond brat routinely made her look like a fool in front of Adrien. She even got her mother to mock the Agreste brand about their use of a lackluster model to the point where Gabriel fired her.
Nearly everything Lila had accused Marinette of doing, she found herself actually having to face from Chloe. Who would’ve thought the bluenette was doing her a favor by being all moral and self-righteous that it would draw the attention of the evil that was Chloe Bourgeois.
The truce happened one grey October Morning, Chloe officially ruled the class again by November. Lila was seriously considering changing schools.
No one had the time to fawn over her. And she certainly didn’t have time to amaze anyone with her stories. No she was too busy fending off Chloe’s attacks. And wondering why the brat kept referring to her as a Tyrell. Or Alya and Nino as Karstarks. And the rest of the class as Freys’.
One by one, each student realized they had lost something else. Something they actually really missed.
When the class picture was taken, Juleka had been just late and no one realized it. Rose had comforted her again. But no one was able to get the photographer to take another picture. At the end of the day, Juleka still felt really bad about it and had to fight the urge to call Marinette that night. Marinette was always willing to just listen no matter the time.
And it wasn’t long where the other students found themselves in similar situations that all ended with them really wanting to talk to Marinette.
Alya after a fight with her sister.
Rose after Prince Ali wrote to her that he would be ending communication.
Nino after a gig went terribly.
Kim after he lost one of his games.
Alix after she broke her watch…. Again.
Mylene after a fight with Ivan.
Ivan after he failed a math test.
Nathaniel after Marc decided to end their partnership.
Sure, they went to their other friends for comfort. But Marinette was different. When one of them went to any of the other students with a problem; it felt just like that. Them complaining about their problems and the others doing their best to cheer them up and offer solutions. At the end, they still felt like they were on their own; like it was still just their problem. With Marinette…
She always made them feel like they were on the same team. She cared like they were her problems too. And wasn’t going to stop until they were fixed. Marinette was someone they could just talk to without judgement or getting harsh opinions; no criticism. With her, they never felt like they were being judged; even when pointed out that it might, in fact, be their own fault.
They missed Marinette when they afraid or nervous. She’d always manage to calm them down, assure them, be their biggest supporter if need be. And her just being them made them feel better; like they stood more of a chance. She take their mind of things, get them to relax, smile, and by the time whatever it was that made them so terrified came up, they had already completely forgotten why they were anxious.
The strangest part was they even missed her when things were happy as well.
           When anything good happened, one of their first instincts was to call Marinette; scream their excitement. And listen to Marinette scream back just as happy as they were, despite that she was in no way affected.
           No; on the outside the class hadn’t changed much. Everyone still did their own thing. Homework was done. Tests were dealt with. Sure class trips weren’t as wonderful as they used to be. Birthdays only with store bought cupcakes and maybe some balloons. Everyone who started out as friends were still friends by the end of the years. It was just like anyone other class in the world.
           Except they were never like all other classes. They had always felt like they were special. Most kids hadn’t looked forward to school day but the students of Bustier’s class had. There had always been something new and wonderful to talk about; some adventure to go on. Now there was nothing. There was still life in the classroom; still laughter and fun. But it was like something took the spark that made it come alive.
           And it was hard to pretend otherwise.
           And they couldn’t really figure out why.
           One or Two (Rose and Nino) could admit, whenever they found themselves alone with their thoughts in class and looked around, that were was a hollowness to the classroom that had never existed before. It didn’t make sense. Everyone (minus Chloe) was still friendly with one another. They all still cared about each other. They were all still really good friends. Good but not as good as they used to be.
           They’d never be as good as they used to be again.
           The class for their end of year party had gone to the pool. They all had a blast. On their way home, they walked by the park and heard music and laughter. It didn’t take long to realize that there was a party happening.
“Happy Birthday, Marinette!” Caught their attention.
           From where they stood, just outside the party, the students and ex friends of Marinette could make out other students from different classes from their school.
           Aurore the creator of the new blog BugOut. There was Marc, Claude, Mireille, Ondine, Bridgette, the Ice King that was Felix Culpa, and a bunch of other students they never knew Marinette was friends with. Even Luka was there.
“I didn’t know it was Marinette’s birthday,” Adrien frowned.
           So did Alya. Mostly because it was her job to remember as class president. Partly because it was the first time she ever forgot her former (best) friend’s birthday. “It wasn’t on the list,” She gave a weak excuse.
“It looks like fun,” Juleka whispered.
           And it did. There was a live band, a feast of food, people laughing and dancing; it all looked so… Alive.
           Alix stuffed her hands in her pockets. Her throat clenched at the sight of the laughing bluenette who didn’t look like she had a care in the world. “Who knew Marinette had so many friends?”
           Nino glanced down, “She looks happy.”
           And Marinette did.
           She looked like the happiest girl in the world.
           But she always did.
           Even after they ended their friendships with her.
           It didn’t seem to both the bluenette. She kept being her positive and cheerful self, except they couldn’t bask in her sunlight anymore.
           They watched when Luka got on their makeshift stage with his guitar, “Marinette you are the most special person I’ve ever met. You’re kind, sweet, and way too thoughtful for your own good. Which is why we all wanted you to know…” he started playing his guitar. A familiar tune filled the air, all the party goers starts to sings.
“You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles
From your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy, you've got a friend in me
Yeah, you've got a friend in me”
           The song left a bad taste of Irony on their tongues.
           They thought they had left Marinette behind, somehow it had ended up being the opposite.
           They felt like forgotten toys.
4K notes · View notes
marumafan · 4 years ago
Text
A Guide For Yuuram Fans
Tumblr media
Hello fellow yuuram fan! Have you ever caught yourself thinking:
- Does Yuuri like Wolf? - No, but I mean like "Does he REALLY like Wolf?" - Am I getting invested just to find out it's clickbait? - Is Yuuri ever going to accept Wolf's feelings? - Does Yuuri like guys? - Will they get married or not?
You have questions? I have source material-backed answers!
The Basics
First, you need to understand that there's a variety of so-called canons. There's an anime canon, a manga canon, a drama cd canon, a musical canon, and then some other random things that you can't really call canon but exist: such as games, radio shows, tv stuff not written by the author, etc.
All of these canons and non-canon stuff are fine, and you can enjoy them as much as you want, but they're NOT the source material. Source material are only the novels and stories that have been written by Takabayashi-sensei (anything in written form and some dramas also written by her according to interviews).
Takabayashi-sensei is the author of the novels (the source material out of which everything else is derived), and her word is "god's word". By the way, she used this term to refer to herself in regards to the maruma series, I'm not fangirling, but using terminology she herself used.
Please understand that most of the material that isn't 'source material' has been altered in many ways to appeal to a 'larger audience' (manga and drama cds), or to make it palatable to the more homophobic society of the 2000s (in the case of the anime). When the anime began social media didn't exist. And when the anime ended (in 2009), social media was in its infancy. That's how long ago these media were adapted from source material.
The Fandom
The fandom has influenced the source material itself at times (such as Conrad fans throwing a hissy fit when he died in novel 5 to the point that Takabayashi-sensei had to resurrect him and change who the key was and many other plot points since then). Certain shippers still force sensei's hand to write fanservice here and there, and despite that, one thing has been clear from the beginning:
Takabayashi-sensei's 'main couple' is the one she got engaged back in novel 1: Yuuri and Wolf, the royal couple.
The Bias
Before we get into the thick of this, let's take a moment to understand bias. I'm sure that if you're reading this far into this you really like yuuram and don't have a problem with homosexuality, boys love, etc. (I use yuuram to mean the royal couple: Yuuri and Wolf, nothing to do with 'who's on top' or anything like that, just a name for the ship with these two characters).
Despite that, anyone reading this has been born and raised in a highly hetero-normative society where if a girl so much looks at a boy she must be into him, and vice-versa.
Who can forget the "He was a boy, She was a girl, Can I make it any more obvious" lyrics of the 2000s? Same applies to 'ships' all across the board.
If any, and I mean any 'boy-girl' relationship was 10% of what the yuuram relationship is, there wouldn't be a single doubt that those two are in love, dating, married, and living happily ever after.
But when it comes to Yuuri and Wolf it feels like pulling teeth to get people to accept that they’re in a relationship. I blame mostly the anime for including weird non-canon ideas into fans minds, as well as heteronormative societies.
Please don’t be this person:
Tumblr media
Finally, please take a moment to read THIS as an introduction to my next section.
The Royal Couple
Begin by forgetting everything you consumed from other canons (TV, manga, fanfics) if you truly want to appreciate the Royal Couple in its source material form.
1) Romantic interest
The source material has made Yuuri very interested in Wolfram since the very beginning. Of course, at first, he was only interested in Wolfram's physical appearance. But the more he got to know Wolfram the more he cared about him and the less he cared about his physical appearance.
To get a full picture of how madly he falls for Wolf, you need to read the novels, but here are some excerpts to illustrate my point:
How it started:
Source: Novel 1-Chapter 1
"Even if our bodies are evenly matched, when I just glanced up, I've already been defeated. How can he be this beautiful! (どうよ、この美しさ!) At the same time, his head is emitting an aura. Although it's likely that it seemed that way because of his dazzling blond hair. His looks and voice are like an older Vienna chorus boy. His white skin seems transparent, and his irises are an emerald green that make me think of the bottom of a lake, and furthermore he doesn't have a split chin. He's an angel, definitely an angry angel. However, because he's in this place, he's probably a beautiful demon."
-> Yuuri writes a fucking sonnet in his head about Wolf's beauty when they meet.
Source: Novel 1-Chapter 10
 From the far side of the corridor, the blond with wavy hair comes running. The intense navy blue uniform suits him; the mazoku Prince Wolfram. I muttered in a sigh 'Although he's a man, he's this beautiful, Günter'.
-> Yuuri complains to Gunter that Wolf is too beautiful.
How it's going:
Source: Novel 17, Chapter 7
"Those words hurt me deeply inside my heart, a pain as though I was burnt in an instant. Because I had an experience like that, in which I nearly lost the most important person to me, just because he was wearing someone else’s clothes."
-> Yuuri calling Wolfram his most important person, code in the maruma series for person you're in love with.
Source:  Do you want an exorcism? 2 (post novel 17)
"And because of that rich VARIETY in the configuration, mazoku is more an ethnicity than a race.
You have from kotsuhizoku, kotsuchizoku, and bone fish who are living creatures, even though they are just bones, to the seasonal migrating tribe of half-humanoid, half-fish maidmer princesses. As for the humanoid ones, there are regular looking ones like me or Conrad, but there are also some who are super beautiful like Günter or Wolfram............. as for the last one, this is just a little bit of my own personal bias, but it makes no difference if he's beautiful or not."
-> Yuuri saying that the beauty he went head over heals in novel 1 for, doesn't matter to him anymore because of his 'personal bias'
Source: Misepan 2: (post novel 17, arguably the last story written near the release of the novels)
"If I was in trouble, and I was missing something important. And you had one that was exactly the same ...."
"I'd lend it to you, of course"
I thought about this, literally with my hands on his chest. In fact, with my hand, that was pressed against his chest, I could feel that the speed of my partner's and my heartbeat was the same. Anyone would get blood rushing to their brains when they're seriously thinking about something. When I could calm down a little, I let out a small sigh.
"Or rather, when it comes to things that I can give you, I would give you anything, Wolf."
-> Yuuri tells Wolfram he would give him anything in the world.
2) Sexual interest:
-There are several times when the source material implies that Yuuri and Wolf don't just sleep at night.
Again, please remember that in the novels Greta does not sleep with Yuuri and Wolfram. This was a TV addition to appease homophobic minds. In fact, in the novels, Yuuri forbade Greta from sleeping with them because she's 'too old'. Also source material Greta is rarely in Shin Makoku as she's studying abroad half the time.
Source:  Novel 2- Chapter10
"If I leave it up to you, it will never get settled."
"So, what kind of settlement do you want...?" My voice trails off as he sways his hips closer.
The former mazoku prince's face brightens and he pulls me down by the arm.
"Wah!"
"So you finally feel like settling things!?"
"I don't ~"
I'm scared to think about what sort of settlement this is. I'm not going to lose my life or anything, but I do feel like there's something else I'm going to lose. I desperately extract myself, fly into the bathroom and lock the door.
"Yuuri!"
"Wait wait wait! I gotta take a bath first, okay!? You don't wanna do it with a sweaty guy, right!?"
Do it...? I blanch at my own words.
-> Yuuri's subconscious is clearly working against him.XD It looks like Yuuri doesn't want to lose the v-card yet (he barely knows Wolf at this point), but he still says  to Wolf he should take a bath before they do it. Gambare, Yu-chan
Source: Novel 4 - Chapter 1
-> Yuuri and Wolfram have been sleeping together for 3 months at the beginning of novel 4! Please! If this was a guy and girl you wouldn't be wondering what they're doing! He has a lock on the door! He can keep Wolf out , order him out, but he never does. Don’t be the gray haired lady!
Source: Never Ending Poison Lady 1
- "As a measure against Wolfram, who somehow even on our trips sleeps in the same bed as I do, I made a wall with three pillows which also had cute egg shaped buttons. I tucked my shirt into my pants, so that my stomach wouldn't get cold. After all, in the mornings when I woke up, both my clothes and my sleeping posture were always preposterous."
-> Yuuri says he puts some pillows to avoid getting into the weird sleeping postures and getting his clothes messed up and shirt untucked, but he never thinks of 'not sleeping with Wolf'~
Source: Never Ending Poison Lady 1 (same book as last)
- "While watching Wolfram's cheeks get red in excitement, a surprised Josak swallowed the question" You even sleep together when you're out on a trip?".
-> Even Jozak (the spy who's supposed to know everything) seems surprised that they're "sleeping together all the time". They're clearly hiding it from people.
Source: Maru maru maruMA-  (book with series info and interviews)
Takabayashi-sensei replied to a question about Yuuri and Wolfram and what would happen once they get married... and she said it clearly: They'll have sex.
("Please answer my maruma question", maru maru maruMA)
Source: SS: Murakenzu 2018-11-13 (Paper 1 accompanying cd72) "Yeah, my father was talking about it, and she's still being called 'Gokumi', huh? At any rate, even if he was smiling way too much, his footsteps started to sound louder and faster as he got farther away. In that moment we thought: Eh? Is it that bad? Maybe they saw something while we were sleeping, or rather, maybe they took peeping photographs and want to do something bad with them."
"Rather than while you were sleeping, before going to sleep?"
"You mean like, when I do practice baseball swings naked or something?"
"Yeah, naked practice."
"Or maybe like, a picture of Wolf's butt when he's wearing his sexy negligee or something?"
"Ah! If a picture of it peeking out is released it would be bad, huh?"
"Then, I suddenly realized that "secret" might just be a hook. In other words, those trick titles that often appear in sports newspapers."
"Yes, yes."
-> Yuuri talks about Wolfram's butt showing as a common place and about himself being completely naked doing 'baseball practice' in the room with Wolf, whatever that may mean.
3) Illustrations
The 4 wedding pictures. Yuuri and Wolfram have been illustrated as married four times by the series' illustrator:
1  | 2  | 3 |  4 
And I like to add this fifth one (used in There's Valentine's Day in Shin Makoku!? DVD special), since in the black and white version, there's a comment by Takabayashi-sensei that says: "With this we've finally won against the anime team! ", meaning they beat them to the wedding. 
4) Terminology
Yuuri and Wolf are referred to in tweets by Takabayashi-sensei, GEG-san and Temari-sensei as the Royal Couple (ロイカプ). The author, editor and illustrator all know already what they are and that's why they call them that.
More information:
Please, please read the source material. But if you won't, at least read some of the analyses I've made to find out more about yuuram. Yuuram is here, it’s canon, and their ship has sailed a long time ago, in novel 1. They were always meant to end up together and they have. (”The dream ending” was how the author wanted yuuram to end, happily married). This isn't clickbait, or fanwork. The author likes the Royal couple and will see that they end up together no matter what.
Additional information:
Yuuram in novel: 1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 |9 |10 |11 |12 |13 |14 |15 |16 |17  
* Novel Analysis:  Crossheart and Love Letter
* Novel Analysis:  Misepan2
* Novel Analysis: Do you want an exorcism?
* Bias in KKM: English version of KKM
* Novel Analysis: Yuuri confessing to Wolf (w/quotes)
* Novel Analysis: Physical and mental development in mazoku
* Novel Analysis:  Yuuri and Wolfram’s daily routine (with quotes) 
* Novel facts: No mpreg in Shin Makoku (I get asked a lot)
315 notes · View notes
wannabe-fic-writer · 4 years ago
Text
Scarlett Johansson x Reader : Learning
Summary: Your girlfriend is helpless, but it’s cute!
Genre: Fluff
Word Count: 892
* * * * * *
“Dammit!”
Your eyes widen at the sound of the aggravated curse and you immediately look to the little girl in your arms.
“Don’t repeat that.” You’re quick to say.
Rose giggles and nods, burying her face in your neck.
Stroking Rose’s hair, you step into the living room and immediately look over at your girlfriend.
Brown eyebrows furrow as she taps on the screen, quietly muttering to herself.
You can’t help the amused smile that tugs at your lips, watching her struggle to fix whatever the issue is.
“Logged in yet?” You ask.
Her green eyes snap over to you and she physically relaxed at seeing you. She smiles softly at Rose before shaking her head,“ I can’t even find the password.”
Chuckling, you shake your head. You probably should’ve been the one to pull up the interview while Scarlett fixed Rose’s lunch.
Scarlett is so out of touch with technology so doing things over multi-media like this has been a big struggle for her. If it’s not a call or a simple text, she doesn’t understand it.
The woman actively avoids social media for this very reason.
“Wanna go play with Ziggy?” You ask Rose, hoping your teacup Yorkie will keep the little girl occupied.
She excitedly wiggles in your arms and you let her down to run after the equally excited dog.
“Okay.” You sigh, sitting on couch beside Scarlett.
You’re forced to bite your lip to hold back your smile as you show her where the password is in the email they sent.
A small laugh leaving your lips when you hear the confused curses from Scarlett. The woman has a mouth on her that’s for sure.
“Okay,” you giggle,“ give me one second I’ll be right back.”
She nods,“ okay. Sorry for the hold up everybody,” she apologizes to the people on the interview.
You gently pat her knee and stand to leave, heading straight to the kitchen to fix Rose’s lunch. In little to no time you’re setting the triangle shaped PB&J and animal crackers in front of the little girl.
“If you need anything come tap me or mommy but remember not to shout okay?”
Rose nods, focusing on her lunch instead of you.
Just as you’re sitting beside Scarlett you hear her curse again.
“God dammit! Y/n.”
This time you just let yourself laugh. And Rose laughs as you do, not really knowing what’s funny.
“My love,” you whisper, hand on her knee as you laugh again,“ there is an impressionable six year old over there, let’s chill with the cursing yeah?”
Her lips press together and she smiles apologetically, but nods.
“I just, they said we’re answering fan questions on Twitter and I don’t-”
You nod,“ I got it.”
Scarlett frowns again as she watches you watch the screen.“ What’s so funny Y/ln?”
“Just,” you successfully pull up the hashtag on your Twitter,“ your struggle is so cute.”
“Cute? Really?” She smiles at your smile.
“Mhm.”
Her eyes narrow playfully,“ well I’m glad my struggle is amusing to someone.”
That just makes you laugh again this time accompanied by the people on her interview.
“Oh crap, are we live already.” You’re eyes widen.
RDJ’s face pops up, replacing the interviewer,“ we certainly are sweetheart.”
“My bad.” You whisper, covering your mouth.
As the interviewer tells Chris to choose a fan question, you switch the view so you can see everyone and not just one person.
Scarlett’s eyes widen and she leans closer, like she can’t believe what she’s seeing.
“It’s technology baby, not magic.” You joke, leaning into her.
Green eyes roll,“ same thing.”
“Y/n, Scarlett, if you two could answer a fan question.” The interviewer says.
Out of pure amusement you look at your girlfriend to choose and she sighs, leaning forward to scroll through the questions.
Stopping on one, she reads it out loud,“ Did you read any comics in preparation of the characters you were playing as, and if you did which ones? #AskMarvel”
“No. I don’t read comics.” Scarlett answers first.“ But the Russo brothers were kind enough to give me a nice detailed profile of my character. And apparently that was enough for me to portray Natasha properly.”
“Perfectly.” Chris adds.
You nod in agreement and then answer,“ personally I’m a comic book nerd so I’d already read a sh-” you stop and glance over at a distracted Rose,“ a crap load of Marvel comics. But I’d reread the White Tiger series and the Black Widow ones. I wanted to get my character down and also understand Scar’s character since she’s my love interest.”
“Awwwe, attentive in real life and on camera.” RDJ jokes.
Both you and your girlfriend roll your eyes at the man.
Luckily the interview continues with no problems. That is until it’s over.
“God damm-”
You slap your hand over Scarlett’s mouth before she can curse.
Then click the end meeting button.
Raised eyebrows, you look at her,“ I literally just said watch the GD bombs.”
She nods,“ not saying it ag-”
“Dammit!”
Wide eyed you both look over to see Rose giggling as she looks at the both of you.
Shaking your head you just chuckle again. First you’re teaching Scarlett how to use technology and now you have to teach Rose how not to use bad words.
334 notes · View notes
calpops · 4 years ago
Text
falling facade | c.h.
Tumblr media
part six: falling feelings
part one: falling flowers | part two: falling freedom | part three: falling fears | part four: falling failures | part five: falling fame
5k words
Copyright © 2020 calpops. This original work is not allowed to be reposted on any platform in any format (translations included).
<< >>
“What’s this?”
Calum’s attention swiftly turned from cleaning his house and getting it ready for his parents arrival to Arden. She stood in the kitchen, facing the fridge with a timid hand outreached to the door. He knew exactly what caught her attention and prompted the question. He bit back a smirk as he left the throw blanket he was folding in favor of sidling up to her, hip pressing into the cabinets and a nonchalant hand finding the cool marble of the countertops. Her fingers lingered on familiar paper and she turned to face him with a raised eyebrow.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your own work,” Calum teased and let his smirk come back full force.
She let out a small giggle through her interrogation and shook her head. “Okay wise guy. Why is it on display on your fridge door?”
The paper placemat Arden had quickly drawn Calum in in red crayon and sharp lines laid under a magnet on the face of his fridge. He had fished it out of his wallet the night before, not having forgotten it in the folds but keeping it around in an attempt to remind himself of what was real. Their time at the diner was the first of many escapes. It was a comfort to know something honest and authentic stayed with him when he was forced to lie through his teeth; to fabricate stories during interviews, to pose for social media and paparazzi. It was of him and drawn by her in a moment that no one else got to share. It was theirs and theirs alone.
“Because I’m still waiting for a painting to put on the wall. I thought that’d be a good place holder and reminder,” he said and shot a pointed look at the blank living room wall; the empty space above the fireplace begging for life of lively colors and loose waves created by Arden’s hands. It was front and center. A place Calum would be able to see it from almost any position in the living area of his home. He continued in a teasing tone, “you should really get to it.”
Their conversation on the beach about the Clifford house hallway once being lined with Arden’s art only to be replaced by band accolades hadn’t escaped Calum. His request of a painting reminiscent of sunset on the beach wouldn’t go forgotten or be replaced. Arden nodded, the motion was slow and her gaze was indecisive, fingers abandoning the placemat to curl at her sides. A forced shrug lifted her shoulders.
“You know painting is just a hobby for me, right? They’re nothing special,” she said, her voice became meek and her eyes averted his gaze.
Calum was picking up on subtle queues. Her usual ability to hold eye contact faltered when anything about her life was in question. The strength of her words felt weak and weary as if there was a weight crushing her; taking away her usual eloquent articulation and animation. Calum eyed her for a moment, took a peek at the drawing on the fridge and turned back to her.
“Just a hobby,” he replied to the first half of her statement. “That you enjoy and are really good at.”
She smirked, finally looked directly at him once more and raised an eyebrow in challenge. “I also enjoy dancing while I clean and singing in the shower but I assure you I have no rhythm and am not the Clifford sibling blessed with vocal abilities. Sometimes we just do things; whether we’re good at them or not.”  
Calum didn’t know if he had the ability to challenge her further, to push her and make the strength in her voice falter again. So he changed the subject and took her mind away from replaced paintings and feelings of inadequacy and back to lighthearted teasing tones that lifted weight off the reality they were living. Just like moments in the car where their situation became a joke, Calum changed gears in hopes it would make her smile and quip back at him.
“So you won’t be singing at our wedding then,” he said with an over dramatic sigh and side eye; found that his plan rewarded him with a smile and a laugh.
“No, I’ll save that for you,” she replied and twisted the ring that Calum was becoming accustomed to seeing on her finger. The diamond was still much too gaudy and unlike her but it felt familiar and Calum was unable to picture her without it. “If you’re lucky maybe I’ll show you my dancing on our honeymoon.”
Now Calum’s cheeks were warm and tinting with a blush that spoke of the implications her words held; watched as she skipped away from him with a sarcastic laugh following her to the living room where she finished folding the abandoned throw blanket. Calum didn’t have a comeback or rebuttal though his thoughts were filled and alarm bells tried their best to ring through the haze. He shook himself, tried to blow those thoughts away and nearly jumped at the sudden knock on the door. For a moment he feared it was their parents arriving early, interrupting their plan to work out what details they would and would not share with them during their suspected inquisition. But he rationalized and realized it was Michael, he was to arrive early to be in on the details. He wasn’t sure if Michael’s arrival was better or worse.  
***
Calum’s arm found its way around Arden’s shoulder in an all too natural sense. It fit a little too perfectly, was a little too easy and normal. Eyes were on them, parents and siblings; eyes that questioned and eyes that knew but had inklings of wonder clouding them. Michael had agreed to keep up the charade though he made a point that he wouldn’t like it and they both owed him big time. Calum’s arm around Arden was all part of the act but Calum could tell Michael was pondering why it was so easy for them to pull off. He could also see the doubt in his sister’s frown and hoped the panic wasn’t so clearly written on his face. He knew he wasn’t standing with his usual confidence, posture a bit slumped and weight bearing into the cabinet behind him. But Arden eased into his side and loosely held his hand; helped to settle the nerves that simmered and sparked with their families arrival.
“What’s this?” His sister Mali asked, repeating Arden’s earlier words verbatim, touching the same place mat secured to the fridge in the same exact way.
A small grin captured the corners of Calum’s mouth. There were a lot of things he felt he wasn’t prepared to answer or could have thought out more, but Arden’s art wasn’t among them. He knew exactly what to say.
“Arden drew it. On our first date,” he offered and felt the shift of Arden moving to look up at him.
“First date?” She wondered aloud, eyes meeting and holding gazes as she arched her eyebrow in question and amusement.
“At the diner,” Calum began and blew out a breath, hand gliding down her arm as he got lost in the role; caught up in a new game where control really did land in their own hands. He offered truths veiled with something more and something less. He shifted his gaze back to Mali who was eyeing them both; sizing them and their story up. “She told me to sit still and hid it from me until it was done. I’m keeping it up until she gives me a real painting.”
Mali nodded but her eyes squinted and lips pursed for a moment. She took a few seconds to accept the truth and offer a smile before wandering off in search of Duke; past their parents congregated in the dining area. Calum let out a deep breath, all the nerves that felt on the edge of exploding calmed at his sister’s acceptance. Neither Calum or Arden moved from their position, his arm still held her close and her hand didn’t drop from its hold. If asked by Michael later it would be out of necessity. If Calum was honest with himself it’d be a source of comfort.
“Here I thought our first date was the wedding,” Arden whispered, nose twitching as she blushed a timid pink. She stayed quiet so no one else could hear her words but her eyes were wide and told Calum truths no one else would understand. “Your way we got engaged before we even started dating.”
She let out a small giggle and the sound was enough to collide with Calum’s nerves and make the slight alteration of the truth come to life and feel real. Maybe their first date was the wedding, maybe it was an escape in a run down diner, maybe it was a night under the stars during a dying party where inhibitions roamed free. Maybe they hadn’t been on a date at all. What Calum knew was whether the scenarios were real or fake there was something building within him that he couldn’t control or deny.
“We didn’t need to date before we got engaged,” Calum whispered back, eyes averting to the dining room for a split second to ensure their privacy. Their parents still lingered and made small talk; Michael did his best to act as the host. “It was love at first sight, right?”
Arden shook her head, tendrils of hair fell into her face that Calum felt comfortable enough to push back behind her ear this time. She bit her lip and pushed away from the counter their backs were pressed against; Calum worrying for a moment she was also pushing away from him, but she stayed under his arm and her hand firmly held his.
“I’ve known you most my life. I don’t think we fell in love when we were six.”
“Love at second first sight then,” he amended with a laugh; wondering if there might be some validity to that statement.
During their time in the face of the facade Calum often found himself thinking of the first night he had seen Arden again. The house party was ingrained in his memory and the subtleties of her under moonlight stayed with him in vivid flashes and familiar words. He hadn’t known it upon second first sight, not in that split second when their eyes met across the yard and she offered a recognized head nod, but it started to become apparent with backs pressed to the siding, drinks gone empty and pouty lips begging for a favor.
Calum let Arden lead him into the dining area where they were met with an unexpected outcome. Mali’s slight doubt and questioning was drowned out by the belief of their parents. The stories they fed them seemed to win them over; made them excited at the prospect of their children finding each other and falling in love. Though it was quick and unprecedented—with phone calls and circumstances that felt nothing short of suspicious—their parents were blinded by what they assumed was their children’s happiness. Happy. Proud. Excited. All of those words floated around them in a barrage of parental chatter. Calum felt the shift in Arden before he saw it; the way she stiffened against his side, her hold loosening on his hand and the shift of weight from one foot to the other and back again in a rhythmic sway of uncertainty. He wondered if it was anxiety, if the situation wasn’t okay, if there was underlying guilt brimming to the surface.
They made it through dinner, most of the time was spent in a haze that passed over Calum’s thoughts as he drifted from checking the rigid posture that captured Arden and the beaming smiles that their parents graced them with. Every intone of excitement, every near teary eyed admission of pride and pitch of happiness in their voices had Arden lurching. It was minimal and went past the others but Calum caught the subtleties; the slight twitch of her arm or the purse of her lips, the downcast gazes of shiny eyes. His own nerves had calmed but he worried for Arden. It was her want to keep up the charade but he had to wonder if her mind was changing and what that meant for the rest of the visit.
It wasn’t until after dinner when the dishes were done and everyone had split up into smaller groups that Calum sensed something was completely amiss. Arden was in the living room with Mali and her mom—he’d heard her voice just moments ago—but when he rounded the corner she was gone. Before he could ask, before he could even form the thought to ask, Mali was answering for him.
“She took Duke out,” Mali said as she stood and gestured to the sliding glass doors that lead to the backyard. Calum was quick to head over but his sister stopped him short with a low murmur and hand on his wrist. “I know management has a hand in this.”
Calum knew his surprise showed; jaw slackening and an air of disbelief leaving him at the unexpected cornering. Mali could read Calum like a book and they’d never been ones to keep secrets. She was a bit more comfortable reaching and pushing for answers than Calum was but knew when to let up. Her touch fell and she nodded out the door.
“But I know you’re doing what you think is best.”
Calum swallowed down a lump in his throat and exited the house with Mali’s parting words ringing through his mind. The yard was empty, the sun was setting low on the horizon and casting glimmering specks of light against the water in the pool. It reminded him of the sunset dancing along the beach. Of Arden in the water and his towel. Of moments that were too real to be part of the farce. She was nowhere in sight and the usual jingle of the tags on Duke's collar couldn’t be heard. He figured she must have gone to the front yard or up the street to give the old dog a good stretch and walk after dinner. He rounded the side of the house and stopped short. She sat in a familiar position; back pressed to the siding and face turned to the sky. Duke was settled in her lap and nosing his concern into her stomach. Her hands slowly pet him and Calum came to see the glint of a fallen tear tracking down her cheek.
“Arden,” he said her name softly, his own worries etched into his voice. He didn’t want to startle her but she turned to him quickly and wiped at the tear, tried to pretend it wasn’t there or that he hadn’t seen it. She was making to get up but Calum settled down beside her and she stilled. “What’s going on?”
She sighed and he heard the brokenness of her breath. The fracture between the inhale and exhale. “Pretending is just a lot harder than I thought.”
Calum’s chest tightened and his fingers curled into his palms at her response. Her voice was shaky and her hazel eyes were distant. He didn’t understand what she meant. It all seemed to be going well—their parents weren’t as probing as they thought they’d be, they weren’t disappointed in their rash decision or the way they painted the engagement; with glints of the truth and softened edges of drunken escapades.
“Why? They’re all okay with it. Happy even,” Calum offered in an attempt to soothe whatever was bothering her.
Pretending for their parents had been her idea; a request so as not to disappoint her parents with a drunken story and fake relationship. They curated pieces of the truth together and kept to their guns. It was working. But she was cracking and Calum didn’t know why.
“Did you hear them?” She asked and shook her head as Duke nuzzled in even closer, feeling her distress and wanting to offer comfort as well. “They said they’re happy… and proud. The only thing they can be proud of me for is something that’s not even real.”
Calum blanched at that statement. He felt the wind knock out of him and suddenly all the subtleties of Arden at the table began to make sense. It was his turn to shake his head, not able to grasp why she would feel that way. But the shine of her eyes and the bite of her lip spoke volumes of the sorrows she was feeling.
“They didn’t say that’s all they have to be proud of,” Calum reasoned, knowing her parents and the love and pride they had for both of their children and all of their accomplishments.
“I know,” she seemingly agreed and let out another breath. “But they didn’t say they were proud of anything else. Because there’s nothing else.”
“That’s not true,” Calum denied and knew he shouldn’t tell her her feelings were wrong or invalid but they sounded like intrusive thoughts and self doubt; something he’d struggled with himself and would’ve liked to have someone to put them into a new perspective. “You went to university, you travelled, made amazing art—there’s plenty more than us for them to be proud of.”
Arden didn’t say anything for a moment, content to take comfort in the affection Duke was showing her. Calum saw the wavering of her jaw and contemplation cut across her face. She took another few seconds to pull her thoughts together before turning to look him full on, familiar eye contact bringing her fully back to him. He preferred when their gazes didn’t break—liked the strength he could find in hazel even when the subject was delicate and breakable.
“Michael never told you why I really came to visit, did he?” She inquired and Calum realized he hadn’t even asked.
He was too caught up in getting to know her and playing the game that he forgot it all started with a visit. He forgot she had been dodgy in answering that first night at the party. He was sure there was more reasoning than missing Michael for her sudden appearance in a place she so vehemently avoided and seemingly despised.
“No,” Calum answered. “I didn’t ask either. I figured you’d tell me when you were ready.”
Her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the story was bearing down on her at the prospect of telling the truth. Eye contact was steady as she opened up and revealed pieces of her past Calum had only been left to wonder about.
“I was supposed to be figuring things out here. Trying to get my life together and make decisions. Michael was trying to help.”
Calum nodded his understanding. There was a time when he had decisions he needed to make too; two paths unwound at the same time and no right or wrong answer had seemingly been in sight. He’d done the same, sought out his family and then listened to what was inside of him. It took time and then it was sudden, the band was the path he followed and it was a choice he had never regretted. He wanted Arden to follow a path like that too, to wherever she was seeking and find whatever she wanted in life.
“I get it. I know how difficult that can be,” he said and watched as a look of disbelief cut across her features and settled in the way she stared blankly back at him.
“How would you know?” She asked and though the question may have seemed accusatory or like he could never understand, her tone verged on begging to know if he really did and how it was possible. “You had the band. Isn’t that what you always wanted? Didn’t you just… know?”
Calum let out a small and almost sarcastic laugh and quieted when he realized Arden was serious. He realized she didn’t know the choices he faced. They weren’t exactly close during their teenage years; the formation and come up of the band had divided their worlds even more so. It was hard to think of those times, after the weeks Calum had spent with her and all the bits and pieces of their pasts coming back it pained him to think they had been so close yet so very distant from each other for years.
“I had the band and I had football. I had to choose,” he explained and caught her attention as he noted the arch of her eyebrow and the stall of her hand petting Duke.
“But you had options,” she mumbled. “Either would have been something to be proud of.”
“Neither had that certainty, the band might not have succeeded, my football career could have burnt out before it really began. I had to make a choice and then I had to take a chance.”
A breeze passed between them as Arden contemplated his honesty. The situations weren’t carbon copies of each other but they were similar enough Calum felt empathy rattling his ribcage and putting a pang of pain through his heart. The crumple of her face and the stray tear she didn’t bother to brush away left Calum breathless and wanting to reach out. He was hyper aware of everything; their parents in the house, Michael, alarm bells ringing so clearly in his mind, but drowned them out in favor of following his initial instinct. The pad of his thumb was gentle across her cheek, she didn’t say anything, didn’t flinch or question the action. His hand and heart fell as she slightly pulled away and abandoned his gaze to stare up at the night sky. She shifted and settled, sighed once more and geared up to voice her thoughts and struggles by sinking into the comfort Duke provided.
“I wish I had something more solid, something I want. All I have is half a degree and no fucking idea what I want to do with my life. I dropped out of university and travelled to ‘find myself’ but really just ran away. I have nothing that I’m good at.”
Calum was about to interject and remind her of paintings that once hung in the hallway and a place mat posted on the fridge. Her hand finding its way to his knee stopped the words from coming out and he had to wonder if that was her intention. One breath and it was gone.
“At least, nothing that I’m so passionate about that I know it’s what I want,” she said in one fell swoop and surprised Calum. “I don’t have a dream that I'm chasing. If anything I’m only trying to move out of someone’s shadow and doing a bang up job of it. Now I’m caught behind two and stuck in lies that will never end. That’s nothing to be proud of.”
Calum’s throat tightened at the unexpected honesty and turn the night had taken. Only minutes before they were surrounded by family and mindless small talk—or so Calum thought. It was about the engagement and the band and in that moment Calum realized anything to do with Arden outside of their situation hadn’t been brought up. He couldn’t imagine feeling casted into the shadows. His heart ached for her and the struggles she felt she was facing alone.
“I’m sorry for asking you to pretend with our families,” she added, head shaking slightly. “That wasn’t fair. I should just toughen up and tell them the truth. And don’t worry, I’ll tell them it’s my fault and I asked you to go along with it. You shouldn’t have to take the fall for my lies.”
She made to move as if to get up but Calum was quick to stop her; just a light touch and slight shift stalling her intent and bringing them closer. Duke was in her arms but found his way to the ground and stalked off back into the house. A belated moment and skipped heart beat gathered courage for Calum and helped words come out that he had been thinking for weeks. Words that settled in the back of his throat and burned sugary sweet.
“What if it’s not all pretend?”
“What?” Arden was quick to respond and panic—the fear that captured her eyes was unsettling. “Calum, what do you mean?”
She was poised and waiting for his answer as his mind went into chaos. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face everything that came with his own truth but the words came out too soon to stop them. His thoughts were tangled now, fleeting visions of real moments dancing around his mind.
“That we’ve been real… with each other. All those moments away from it all. Those were real. Weren’t they?”
They were real to him—and so were the feelings that followed and defined those moments. The alarm bells rang in full force as she tilted her head and the minimal distance between them felt craterous and minuscule all at once. Peaches invaded his senses and the taste of sugar was just a breath away but it was blown away by approaching footsteps. Arden moved away on instinct and Calum wondered if alarm bells rang in her mind as well. She settled back on the grass just in time for Michael to round the corner and come into view with his arms crossed and a ghost of a smirk disappearing from his face. Calum and Arden both looked up at him in silence and waited for him to speak first.
“Everyone was wondering where you guys wandered off to,” he began and then shot a pointed look at his sister. “Mum and Joy are talking about wedding dresses. Told them I’d find you, they thought you wouldn’t want to miss it.”
“Right, thanks for the heads up,” Arden said around a sigh and began to stand.
She shot Calum a glance as Michael began to lead her back to the house. Calum was quick to get up and follow her into the conversation of possible bridal styles and centerpieces. Duke had found his way to his usual perch on the couch and perked up when Calum and Arden walked in. Calum took up Arden’s side as she broke into the discussion by clearing her throat to announce her presence. The mothers turned to look at her; eyes alight with wedding wonder and idle chit chat being broken.
“I don’t know how to say this,” Arden began and Calum’s stomach sank as he realized the truth was verging on her lips. His hand reached out for hers, in solidarity, to show that he would stand beside her no matter what she decided. They could weather the storm better together than stranded and alone.  “But Calum and I aren’t getting married.”
Instant regret flooded Arden’s eyes as the room fell silent and shock hung thick within the air. She tensed against his side and turned to look at him with a pleading expression that Calum could only interpret as reversing the statement and making the visible disappointment and heartache vanish from the room. He hoped it was what she wanted.
“Not yet, anyway. We rushed the engagement, clearly. We don’t want to rush the wedding too. We want to enjoy some time together without the pressure of planning. We’ll let you guys know when we’re ready for that,” Calum jumped in smoothly as he watched the panic disperse from Arden’s eyes and felt the appreciative squeeze of his hand—a signal and a thank you that reassured him his hope was correct.
Everyone simmered at his explanation; they called Arden’s statement complete theatrics and not a funny joke though they were laughing, Calum guessed it was more so in relief than in good jest. Michael was the only one who didn’t wear a reaction so clearly on his face, just an arch of a questioning eyebrow at the initial honesty of Arden he hadn’t been privy to. Calum knew some explaining to Michael was due—and that Mali wouldn’t be so easily satiated with the on the fly explanation he had come up with.
The rest of the evening went by in a blur of nerves that kept both Calum and Arden on their toes. They tried their bests to remember the odds and ends of what had already been said. Mali pulled Calum aside for a moment as the night was dying down and a bite of fear coursed through him as he knew her suspicions were sharp and came with merit.
“I still don’t know what’s really going on,” she began and offered a sympathetic smile that helped to calm his nerves. “But I can tell there’s something real there. Just be careful, okay? I don’t want to see either of you ending up hurt. Especially not by each other.”
Calum took her words for all they were worth but only slightly nodded to show he had been listening. He still couldn’t manage to give her the answers she was seeking but the nod acted as much more than a method to show he was listening. He understood. He confirmed. He agreed. The last thing he wanted was for this entire situation to end with hurting hearts.
The hole of lies and half truths they were falling into was being dug deeper and deeper; no landing was in sight. He swept the room as everyone prepared to leave or settle in for the night and his stare landed back on Arden who hadn’t peeled her eyes away from him since his saving moment. It took one look to realize that falling was okay, as long as it was with her. As long as it was real. Calum had started to speak his truth to her and now he could only hope that all of the falling feelings that consumed him were somewhere within her as well.
<< >>
If you’d like to be added to my tag list just let me know! 
Tagged: @rosecolouredash​ @irwinkitten​ @golden-hood @who-do-you-love-5sos​ @caswinchester2000​ @wildflowergrae​ @empathycth​ @cuddlemecalx @malumsmermaid​ @babylon-corgis​ @outerspaceisbetterthannothing​ @mariellelovescupcakes​ @xhaileyreneex​ @goth5sos​ @gosh-im-short​ @feliznavidaddycal​ @loveroflrh​ @findingliam-o​ @flowerthug​ @g-l-pierce​ @talkfastromance4​ @cashtonasfuck​ @sc0ttish-wildfl0wer​ @wastedheartcth​ @calumscalm​ @notinthesameguey​ @lukesfuckingbeard​ @myloverboyash​ @treatallwithkindness​ @haikucal​ @wiildflower-xxx​ @calum-uncrowned @egyptiangoldhood​ @drarryetcetera​ @another-lonely-heart​ @megz1985​ @idk-harry​ @dinosaursandsocks​ @wildflower-cth​ @idontneedanyone​ @everyscarisahealingplace​ @myfavfanficsever​ @stormrider505​ @karajaynetoday​ @333-xx​ @calumshpod​ @calumsphile​ @calumrose​ @justhereforcalum​ @grreatgooglymoogly​ @mantlereid​ @hemmingslftv​ @sltwins​ @queenalienscherrypie @emilyma​ @zhangyixingxing1​ 
128 notes · View notes
burnedbyshoto · 5 years ago
Text
Weak
anonymous asked: can we get a bakugou fluff based on the song hug all ur friends by cavetwon
pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader
warning: bakugou has high anxiety, cussing, fluff
word count: 4,000
a/n: so I listened to the 1 hour loop to this song when writing it LMAO, I think its one of my better pieces ive written, but I guess that’s also for you to decide!!!!!! enjoy!!!!
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
Bakugou Katsuki was someone who had no guilt in admitting that he cared about himself first and foremost. Bakugou Katsuki never imagined a day would come where he would find himself interested in someone-- especially in a romantic setting.
Romance and Bakugou, to him it seemed like mixing oil and water. Impractical and impossible.
Bakugou was hard, rough, and explosive.
Romance was soft, tender, and weakening.
So for the life of him, Bakugou could not understand why on god you were consuming his thoughts. Why did you have him wrapped around your fingers despite you only being his best friend? What the hell was wrong with him?!
Bakugou stared at you from the distance, his eyes were warm, his face soft, and the book in his hands long forgotten.
You were a force, this overwhelming energy that he could not figure out.
You weren’t like Kirishima who gained his friendship through mutual respect and trust in each other’s strengths. You weren’t like Sero or Mina who he came to see as friends after he used them for their quirks two years ago. You weren’t like Kaminari who he saw as a friend because Kirishima came as this unknown package deal.
You were soft, tender, and in no way were you weak, but Bakugou couldn’t think of any other word to describe you but weak.
It made no sense as to how you two became friends. The two of you had spoken once! Then you landed a punch on his jaw so strong that he needed to go to Recovery Girl and you cried for hours afterward. Bakugou thought it was dumb that you were apologizing so he yelled at you for being stupid. Seconds later you two were friends.
“Bakasuki, it’s way past your bedtime!” You screamed as you looked up from your phone. Your eyes red with tiredness and irritation still shone as you made eye contact. The impressed grin on your face as strong as if it was midday. “It’s midnight?!”
Bakugou felt his face cement over again. It was an involuntary action as you rambled off about how the big softie Bakugou Katsuki was awake at 'crackhead' hours. As you got up and walked over to Bakugou, he felt his hardened features melt as you took a stance in front of him.
“I bet you’re staying up because of me, come on, admit that you like me.”
Your words are teasing of course, yet Bakugou’s heart clenches at the truth of your words. Bakugou one year ago had begun staying awake past nine because of you. You were always active at night! You told new stories that Bakugou wanted to hear at a late hour, and Bakugou soon found himself staying up.
Ten at night turned to eleven, eleven became twelve, and then Bakugou was up until two in the morning because of you. He never complained about it, and he never dared to tell you or anyone about it. Bakugou took every teasing you gave, and you teased him about him staying up every night even if it was a year later.
“Trust me, if I was staying up because of you I would fucking hate myself,” Bakugou lies as you laugh. “Don’t think you’re fucking special because I tolerate you.”
His words were harsh to the average ear, but to the trained ear, to your ear, it was as if he nudged you playfully.
“Sure you old grump,” you wink as you stick out your hand. “Iida said it’s my turn with the Disney+, wanna go watch with me?” 
“As long as you don’t make me watch something fucking horrible,” Bakugou grunts as he takes your hand.
He would watch the sappiest of movies and the weirdest of shows if it meant that you’d snuggle into his side. His favorite memories have you at his left. These memories also included you between his legs as you laughed hysterically at the horrible and childish jokes. It also didn’t matter how many times you watched the same movie, you always ramble as if it was your first time viewing it.
“I’m thinking Lilo and Stitch,” you let him into your thoughts as you begin walking towards the staircase. His hand is still locked with yours. “I think I can be Lilo, and you can be Stitch! You two have very similar personalities!”
“Like hell I’m anything like that fucking animal!”
“I didn’t even need to goad you into a reaction!”
“Shut up dumbass…”
“If I ever stopped talking to you, you would go insane! So careful what you wish for!”
“I wish you would shut up…”
Bakugou watched as your lips pressed flat together. A faux annoyed expression on your face and you dropped his hand.
It may have embarrassed Bakugou to admit what he did next, but it took him five seconds to crack under your cold shoulder. He threw you over his shoulder as he walked to your room. Your squealing exclamations were loud as he held your lower thigh.
“See I told you--”
“Shut the fuck up, shitty woman!”
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
Your loud groan rang in Bakugou’s ears and his eyebrow twitched as he once again looked at your slumped figure. It was the second to last set of finals you guys would be taking as hero students. Three years later, you were nearing the final countdown to graduation! But that meant finals.
Bakugou had managed to stay within the top three of his class all three years. So he felt decent in where he was in class ranking right now. He has ranked third right now after all, but you ranked fifteenth. A feat that he had zero idea about how it came to be considering how smart you were. You had a sharp mind, a witty sense of humor, and a deadly tongue! Yet you were barely outperforming the rest of his idiot friends. You were one of the few people who could beat him in a verbal challenge! But when it came to pencil and paper tests, you stumbled hard.
“Would you stop fucking groaning?! You’re not getting anything done except getting on my goddamn nerves!”
“WELL!” You immediately yelled back, your nose stuck to the sky as you tossed your pencil away. “I don’t know actually! I screamed well because I live for the dramatics!" Bakugou groaned as you laugh. "Okay, but this all makes sense to me now! It's... I’ve realized I become an idiot whenever I try doing it on the exams.”
“It’s because you are an idiot.”
“Wow, thanks,” you complain as you slam your forehead against your math textbook. You shot back up gasping loudly. “OH SHIT! Bakugou you solved all my problems! This entire time I’ve been an idiot! I’ll tell Deku to give me some smart people juice tomorrow morning, obviously, I’ve been sipping the idiot juice.”
“Hah? Fucking hell -- do you ever shut up and wait for me to finish what I’m saying?!”
“Bakasuki, there was a period at the end of that sentence! Or let me guess what you’d say next!”
“Don’t fucking guess--”
“‘Oi, shitty woman, I’m Baku-hoe Kat-sucky, and you better get your head outta your asshole! Maybe if you weren’t always on your goddamn phone you wouldn’t be failing’!” Your voice had lowered multiple octaves to the point where you sounded like you smoked every day. Bakugou watched as your face contorted into a mock scowl, your nose stuck into the air as your arms folded across your chest. “‘I’m the alpha nerd here, so you have to fucking listen to me, you damn fucking nerd ass shitty woman!’”
Bakugou remained silent as you erupted in giggles, your eyes beaming with joy as you looked at him.
“I don’t fucking cuss, shitty woman,” Bakugou retorted. He knew it was a lie but the way your eyes expanded four times their size and how you pressed your face into his shoulder was worth the lie.
“You don’t cuss?! Wow, suddenly my name isn’t y/n!”
“Hm, well I was going to point out that you probably have some form of testing anxiety, but since you’re Miss. Fucking-Know-It-All…”
“There’s no way I’m eighteen and don’t know that about me!”
“Well, you didn’t fucking know you loved chocolate caramels until this last month either.”
This launched you into another tangent. Your conversation skills always gave Bakugou whiplash! You talked about everything you could and right now it was about what you loved. It should have annoyed Bakugou, he knew that! But while you rambled about how you loved seeing oversized dogs in bags, he realized that he loved knowing more about you.
How he would kill for the chance to pull you close, he knew that if he did you would hug him without a blink of an eye. Bakugou knew if he attempted to feel your warmth you’d overwhelm him forever and he wasn’t sure if that was something he wanted. Did he want you? Did he actually love you or was it just the chemistry in his brain is dumb. He wasn’t sure what he wanted as you showcased your favorite pencil.
“Do you have something you love, ‘suki?”
You.
“No, I don’t fucking love anything. The hell is love good for?”
“Don’t you worry about what people think about you when you can’t answer a question on something you love?”
The only opinion he cares about is yours.
“They don’t need to fucking care about what I love, how the hell does that make me a reliable pro hero?! Gossip and tabloids and interviews are bullshit. How is me smiling and being nice in front of a camera going to prove anything?”
Bakugou’s eyes widened as you wrapped your arms around him drawing him into a tight embrace. His eyes blinked rapidly as he felt frozen. His hands are frozen at his side as you pressed into him. You were making him dizzy. His heart pounded so loudly in his ears that he feared you could hear it as you pressed your lips to his ear.
“Sometimes you just have to hug people, let them know that you’re not letting go. Being kind and offering a hand, even if it kills your feral vibes, gives them a reason to love you and trust them. Trust is important, you know that, dummy. Hugging them is a small promise of not letting go.”
His breathing stilled as you pulled away. Your hair fell in your face and you sucked everything out of him as you smiled softly. But who would Bakugou Katsuki be if he didn’t have something back to say?
“I’m not fucking hugging any of those damn extras out there!”
“It was a FIGURE OF SPEECH, BAKAGOU!”
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
“Rise and shine, grumpy old man!” Your voice rang as bright sunshine shone through Bakugou’s room.
“Fucking hell, y/n! Shut my goddamn shutters!”
“It is past noon, and I am here to make sure you are in fact alive!”
“Shitty woman, please close the damn shutters… I got in three hours ago and I want to fucking sleep in.”
The shutters closed immediately and guilt hung heavy in your voice as you said, “Wait you got in at nine?! You got called out of class early, too!”
Bakugou who had been sitting up now, glowering at your form fell back onto his mattress without a word. Unfortunately, it seemed that you weren’t quite done with him.
“Why the hell are you still in my room?”
“...can I nap with you?”
“Hah?”
“I was out from five in the morning until a few minutes ago! I just… want to cuddle, but if you don’t want to that’s totally cool!”
“You’re so goddamn annoying,” he nearly growls. It wasn’t necessarily directed at you, but instead himself. He was going to let you obviously, but how much longer could he do this uncaring act? How he hadn’t just slammed your oblivious ass against a door to kiss the soul out of you was beyond him. “Get in.”
A loud squeal emitted from your throat as Bakugou felt your figure snuggling into his chest. Your body was cold against his, and he resisted the urge to shiver as you wrapped his arm around you.
“I never fucking said you were allowed to cuddle.”
“Oh please, you were going to latch onto me at some point, might as well do it now instead of waking up to it and freaking out.”
“You’re fucking annoying.”
“Shh, I’m trying to nap.”
Bakugou snorted but nonetheless brought you in closer as he too closed his eyes. He ended up falling asleep with you in his arms. It wasn’t until he woke up did he realize that today was to be your friend's date. Something you had been persistent in having. But as you too woke up at half-past seven p.m., the both of you agreed that the nap was way better than going out.
That is until Kaminari sent a picture of Bakugou and you cuddling to the group chat. But then again, Bakugou may or may not have saved it as his home screen.
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
4:48 a.m.
Bakugou’s eyes focused on the neon red numbers that illuminated across his bed. His alarm was positioned as such so he would be forced to get up to turn it off in the morning.
His heartbeat was pounding in his ears as everything turned blurry.
4:49 a.m.
His eyes closed and he was suddenly back in Kamino two years ago.
His body felt dirty, sticky, unclean.
His mouth tainted with the taste of copper. His teeth gritting together as he saw All Might fighting in front of him.
It was hard to fight with his sweat-soaked and stiff clothes. All he knew was those bastards turned from wanting to convert him to wanting him dead. He remembers stumbling and seeing your frantic eyes in the corner of his vision. He didn't know you well back then, so it confused him, at least before a yell from Kirishima took his attention away.
It was the first actual memory he had of you, and yet it intertwined with his memory of All Might’s downfall. A downfall that could have been prevented if he had just been fucking better. If he had been a better hero maybe he wouldn’t have been caught. If he had been a better person maybe he would never have been targeted in the first place. It didn’t matter how many different ways he ran through his memories, it always ended up being his fault.
The fight with Deku had helped relieve the surface tension. All Might saying it wasn’t his fault barely made an impact on the guilt demon that ate away at his inner thoughts.
Simply told, tonight was a bad night. Nothing he did could drive away the guilt demon.
You were the one who made him strong but you were out on a mission for your hero work. You were being a hero to people who needed you, yet Bakugou wanted you to be his hero right now…
His anxiety crawled down his spine. His mind swimming back to the image of All Might's defeated form, and it kept reeling in his mind. His palms sweated profusely, but at this point, he had no idea if it was from his anxiety or from his quirk.
It burned to breathe and he wanted to go for a run, but he knew he shouldn’t. So he stood up out of bed choosing to walk down to the kitchen.
4:57 a.m., the clock read as the door shut behind him.
He felt dizzy as he walked down the hallway, his heart racing as he went down the staircase.
The lights were on and it made his eyes hurt as he opened the door for the ground floor.
“‘Suki?” A tired voice whispered as Bakugou stared up.
It was you.
Your uniform looked rumpled and dirty. Your tie wasn’t done and your hair was a mess as you yawn, your hand rubbing your eye as you waved at him. Bakugou saw the bandage on your neck and cheek and he pointed at them.
“Some dumbass with a--” you stifle a yawn as you shake your head. “Fucking vampire quirk! If he bit you, and consumed your blood, you would be entranced with him! Can you believe that!”
Bakugou snorted as you showed him the bruised mark on your neck.
“Thing is, he doesn’t have fangs, his teeth were super dull, so now I look like I had sex!”
“Can’t have people thinking that huh?”
“Nah... now, you gonna tell me what’s wrong?”
Bakugou knew better than to lie to you, but he couldn’t help it, you needed to sleep.
“Nothing, I needed water.”
“I’m sure you are,” you nod your head as you adjust your backpack. “But that doesn’t explain why there’s tears in your eyes and on your cheeks.”
His eyes widened as he felt the wet stains on his face, he was indeed crying.
“I don’t really wanna talk about it,” he grumbled as his hands shoved into his sweats.
“That’s okay,” you smile as you take a few steps forward. “Can I give you a hug?”
It takes everything in him not to scream at you to hug him, so instead, he turns his head and nods curtly. Your arms are wrapped around him immediately as he feels himself shrinking into your hold. You were safe, you were warm, and you made him weak.
It was at that moment that Bakugou Katsuki noticed that he completely and utterly was in love with you.
As he went through these thoughts you grabbed his hand and led him upstairs, “I’ll get you your water, but you need to rest.”
“Shitty woman, I can take care of myself,” Bakugou breathed as he didn’t resist you taking him to his room. “Besides we have class tomorrow, you need more sleep than I do.”
He watches as you shrug as you open his room door.
“Maybe so, but I’m a Hero and you’re someone in need of a savior!” you chirped as your lips pressed softly onto his cheek as you sat him in bed. “I’ll be right back, lay down please!”
He nodded dumbly as you left, his cheeks burning as the door closed.
It felt like no time had passed as you soon returned with a cup of water, “Now drink! Crying is good for the soul, but it dehydrates you so much.”
“Tch, idiot, don’t say that like you cry all the time,” Bakugou grumbles as he chugs the water down.
Your fingers take the glass from him and place it onto the desk, your shoulders bouncing as you sigh one last time. “Well, I should go to bed, I may not need beauty sleep, but even three hours of sleep can make me ugly.”
“Sleep here,” Bakugou found himself mumbling as you were by the door. “You can take a shirt, I just… please, just fucking sleep here with me?”
Bakugou expected teasing, he expected you to laugh it off and say he was dumb and crazy. What he didn’t expect was for you to grab his skull t-shirt and strip your clothes off in his bathroom.
He stilled as you crawled into bed with him, your body curling into his as you held him near.
“Goodnight, ‘suki,” you whispered.
His arms wrapped tightly around you, a sharp intake of air went through your nose.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you, y/n.”
“You’re welcome…”
✩✶✩❇✩✶✩
You smile while wiping away tears that formed in your eyes.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down your face as you taped up the last box with writing that read: Y/N PICTURES.
It was moving out day, you had done it, you graduated.
“Y/l/n-chan!! Stop crying and c-come take a p-p-picture with us!” Mina wailed as she too was crying uncontrollably.
The common room was fill of every one of your classmates, tears were in everyone's eyes as boxes scattered near the entrance. It was over. Three years of heaven and hell were gone and even though everyone would still be seeing everyone again (you all were working in the same general areas after all), tears wouldn’t stop.
Multiple times you brushed away tears as twenty-one of you stood for class pictures.
Class pictures became friend group pictures, friend group pictures became trios and duo pictures.
Everyone was crying and everyone was laughing too. It was as if you were never going to see anyone again and the tears wouldn’t stop.
I love you’s were exchanged, promises of not forgetting who each other were as you would all become stars, and plans on monthly meetups because you were family. It was too much, it was too sentimental, and you were ready to leave.
“I hate to do this to you all, but it’s time to go,” Aizawa lulled over the roar of your classes chatter.
For the first time, his words were useless as you all took a photo with him, much to your homeroom teachers' secret enjoyment.
But now it was time to go.
You gave a one-armed hug to Mineta as he bounded out of the door. He had somewhat had drunk respect-women juice and was now tolerable. But the nightmares forever remained.
Then Koda, Aoyama, Shoji, Ojiro, Tokoyami, and Sato were done swiftly yet deeply. They all said kind words and promises to keep in touch as they left.
Then it was Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya. The group of boys embraced you tightly as Iida told you and Midoriya to stop crying. It only strengthening your tears as Todoroki patted your back softly.
Then it was Mina, Momo, Jirou, Tsu, Uraraka, and Hagakure. The girl group and the reason why this class felt like family so quickly made you cry harder as you all lost it. Hugs were tight, hugs lasted minutes long as you all shouted over each other. This was not goodbye, just a see you later.
Sero, Kaminari, Kirishima, Mina, and Jirou once again met you for a tight embrace. The dubbed Bakusquad because Bakugou was the loudest one in the group, but you all knew that if the group never held Kirishima it would never work. Bakusquad was truly Kirisquad and you excitedly talked about how you were all going to karaoke on Sunday.
A gentle cough broke you from Sero’s embrace and you turned to the last person who you hadn’t hugged yet.
Bakugou didn’t look at you as he sighed, his shoulder slumping as he looked at you. Your lips quirked as your heart raced at his red-tinged eyes, he had cried too.
“We’ll see you guys later!” Kaminari yelled as the boxes in the now empty common room belonged to you.
“We’re still on for tonight?” Bakugou asked as his finger brushed the wet trails that stained your cheeks.
“Have I ever ditched you or stood you up?”
“You could have made plans in your crying hysteria, it’s been done before.”
His words are teasing and you laugh as you launch yourself into his arms. Your arms wrap around his neck as his rest around your waist.
“I don’t know why you weren’t interested in having a spa day with the girls!” You teased as you bit your lower lip.
“Too much gossip about dicks,” Bakugou rolled his eyes as he squeezed you tightly.
“It’s a good thing you didn’t go, I wouldn’t have wanted you to see me talking about my dick of a boyfriend,” you whisper as his eyes shine brilliantly.
“Hah? You’re really gonna fucking--”
Bakugou never got to finish that sentence as your lips pressed against his and his mind went weak as he kissed you back.
You were the undoing of Bakugou Katsuki.
You made him weak, yet he’s never felt stronger.
1K notes · View notes
queenofthefallenangels · 4 years ago
Text
Tumblr media
Credit: @allelitewrestlings
Darby VS. Jon Moxley
Darby Allin x unnamed or x Jon Moxley
Warning: Smut and Violence
Summary: i might be dating Darby, but that will never stop Jon Moxley from getting what he wants.
Tag Team: @sithstatlander​ @xladyxfatex @awkward-teenaged-girl @steadysuitcasepurseranch @themansbliss @katelynirwinhemmingsclifordhood @strwbrryshrtckexo​ @bluedragonfly678​ @luleelurah @mohawkmama @foreverthenerdprincess @aujenaeblaze​ @missnena2194 @suicidepanda07 @kelseyann2002 @princessminjikwon @nerdgirlsblog​ @multi-stan-kpop @redz0mbie @thebornalpha @acon1120​ @jonsmoxley @chonisberonica​ @goddessofhardrock​ @1dluver13xx​ marismar @vampirepixi @dietwrestling​ @asktvhead @moxslilangel2020​ @chynagirl13
Darby Vs. Mox
I was touching up my makeup after my last interview. I wanted to make sure I still looked good for when Darby went out into the ring. Darby and I had been together since March. He seemed like a breath of fresh air from my last relationship. I had been with Jon Moxley on and off for two years. We met when I interned in the WWE for a bit back when he was still Dean Ambrose. It was right after he came back from his injury. We broke up once my internship ended and I had a job elsewhere. We reconnected when I got a job with AEW, but it got messy fast. His traveling to Japan became one of the major problems. I found out he was seeing someone behind my back. We broke it off a couple of weeks after AEW premiered on TNT. Darby and I started talking in December. It was perfect or seemed that way until his injury. I couldn’t see him as much due to work. I felt like something was up. Like he was doing the same thing as Mox, but of course, I was overreacting, wasn’t I?
I was reapplying my lipstick when the lights began to flicker. I raised an eyebrow as I looked up. I saw a shadow in the mirror. I jumped spinning around fast. “Jon!” I yelled. “What the fuck?” I asked.
He didn’t respond to me. He just watched me carefully as he moved forward. His eyes were locked on me. He looked like an animal stalking his prey. Once he reached me, he put two hands on either side of the counter trapping me. His scent hit me. The all to familiar scent of mint and cigarettes. I could smell a hint of his old spice body spray. What he always had used before a match. My heart was racing in my chest. My breath was unsteady. “Jon? What are you doing?”
He shrugged, “I could ask you the same thing, kitten. What are you doing in such a revealing dress?”
I rolled my eyes, “It’s for Darby. Not for you. We have been over for close to a year.”
“Mm,” he hummed in my ear. His gaze roaming my body. I had worn a red dress that hugged my curves, the neckline plunged pushing my round breasts on display. “Do you normally wear the dresses that your ex-boyfriend buys you to impress your new man?”
I scuffed at him, “It’s just a dress, Mox. It doesn’t mean anything. He might like it on me just as much as you did.”
“Okay, point taken.” He said as he lifted his hands of the counter and raised them in the air in defense. “But answer me one more question, why did you wear it when you had an interview with the ex that bought it for you?”
I crossed my arms across my chest, “I had one with Brodie too. You weren’t my only one. Maybe I just didn’t have time to change before your match with Darby.”
He looked around in the bathroom we are in. “Look, before I walked in, I am pretty sure you had a lot of time. So, I am pretty sure, I am not in the wrong thinking this dress was a little for me.” His fingers lightly touched the neckline of the dress following it down till it hit the top of my breasts.
I pulled my lip into my mouth as I watch his hand. He was wrong, wasn’t he? Could I have done it without noticing that I am doing it? That couldn’t be possible. I would know what I was doing. I couldn’t deny the fact that showing him what he was missing was something I craved. That but if petty revenge was something I really wanted. I also craved his hands all over. I really wanted him to take me right here and now.
Before I had a moment to speak, to lie and say he was wrong, his lips captured mine. He pressed me against the sink with his body. My arms instinctively go around his neck. His hands move towards the back of my thighs. He digs his nails in as he picks me up and places me on the counter, getting between my legs. His lips moved against mine. It didn’t take long before my body reacted with his and moved with them. He licked my bottom lip, hungrily begging for an entrance. I granted him and let his tongue slip past my lips. He explored it like this was the first time that he had ever been in there. I moaned softly into his mouth. The heat rising between my legs. I knew we didn’t have this long for him to be taking this slowly. Anyone could walk in at any time and catch us. I knew Jon didn’t care about that. He never did. When we were together, he told me that would do me in the ring in front of a live audience just to show everyone what he has and what they could never have. I tried not to wonder if he told any other girls this. I wanted to stay in this moment. Not think about how we could get caught, or how wrong this was, how I was doing Darby really wrong.
His rough hands move up towards my leaking core. Once his thumb started rubbing it through my thin thong, I was taken from my thoughts. Electricity running through my veins as he touched me there. My lips left his as my head rolled back. His lips connected to my neck. He kissed down until he found my sweet spot. His teeth sunk deep into. I gasped, my hips thrusting up. He chuckled softly. “You are so easy.”
My eyes narrowed as I moved my hands from around his neck and grabbed his cargo pants. I quickly unbuckled his belt, working his pants down. I reached my hand inside his boxers. His cock was hard as a rock. I spit in my hand before I wrap my hands around him. I start off slowly pumping it then I pick up speed. I heard a soft growl leave his lips. I moved to get off the counter, but he shook his head. “We don’t have time for that.” He spits in his hand rubbing it across his length to lube it up. I slipped my thong off before wrapping my legs around his waist pulling him close. He lined up and pushed himself in with a groan. “God, you are still so fuckin tight, kitten.” He growled into my ear. He gave me time to adjust to his size before he starts to move. His thrusts are slow at first, but very soon his movements become fast and deep. My nails claw into his skin. His one hand falls on the small of my back while the other wraps in my hair. I let out a soft moan as I thrust my hips towards him.
It didn’t take me long until he had pushed me over the edge. My walls contracted around him tightly pushing him towards his end. As soon as he started pulsing he pulled out as fast as he could. Ropes of his cum spilling all over my leg and the floor.
His breathing is ragged as he presses his forehead against mine. He stayed there for a moment before a voice came over the intern come. “Jon Moxley please report to the groilla. Jon Moxley.” He pulled away and kissed my forehead before he pulled his pants back up. “See you around, Kitten.” He winked at me before he left.
I was in shock as he left the room. What in the world had just happened? I didn’t have much time to reflect. I grabbed a paper towel and rubbed my leg off and got it off the floor. I pulled my thong back on and straighten my dress the best I could. I did my best to figure out a way to hide the after glow of sex, but it was no use. Maybe if I was lucky, no one would notice what had happened in the bathroom. I had done my best to keep my screams of pleasure just in the off chance someone heard. I didn’t like gossip, plus I just did something really bad to Darby. He just got back from his injury. I was supposed to be working on the relationship with him, not destroying it more.
I made my way out and walked towards the Gorilla. Darby smiles when he saw me coming. “There’s my beautiful girl.” He said as he grabbed and kissed me. “I love that dress on you.” He moved close to my ear, “I can’t wait til we get home tonight.” He whispered in my ear as he grabbed my ass.
There is a loud bang from the other side of the Gorilla. It was Jon. He tried his best to look innocent. He shrugged, “I didn’t see that there.” He wasn’t good at hiding his actual emotion from me. I could see the bit of jealousy in his eyes.
Darby rolled his eyes at Jon. His eyes soon moved back to me. His eyebrow suddenly raised. “What’s on your neck?” He asked as he moved a piece of golden hair.
“The curling iron.” I told him. I was trying my best not to sound suspicious. Jon chuckled softly in the background. I glared at him.
Darby looked between us. He was completely lost. “Is there something I need to know about?” He asked raising an eyebrow.
Jon shrugged, “Nothing, your girl is a clutz.” He said with a tiny wink towards me before he walked with the security guard to where he would be coming out of the arena. He grabbed his sleeves jacket putting it on. Both Darby and I had watched him do this and both of us had noticed the same thing. He had scratches in his back...scratches from me.
Darby’s eyes widened like he had just connected the dots. “What were you doing after your last interview with Allie?” He asked me.
I shook my head. “Just touching you my makeup.”
“Is that when you burned your neck? Because I saw your interview with Brodie. It wasn’t there. I didn’t see the ones with Mox or Allie, but I am going to guess the same thing.”
“What are you getting at Darby?” I asked . My voice was giving me away with how it wavered.
“I am getting at that it is odd how you have a mark on your neck that looks a lot like a hickey while he has marks on his back that look a lot like the ones I get right after we fuck. Do you want to explain that to me?”
I really didn’t want to explain it. I wasn’t sure how I would even explain it. I looked down at my black high heels. “He...came in the bathroom a little bit after my last interview...and..”
“And?” He asked egging me on. His arms were crossed on his chest. “What else happened?”
“He came onto me...he kissed me..and than I don’t know what or how.” I said rubbing the side of my face. My eyes were filling with tears. I felt so guilty, but at the same time I didn’t. I couldn’t explain this feeling. It just didn’t feel wrong what we did. I just hated hurting Darby. I was really nervous knowing that it was right before he had a match with Moxley. Darby wasn’t scared of hurting himself for a win. Now this was deeper than the belt.
I watched from the back. Darby’s music had hit first. He came out his normal way on his skateboard, but this time he had a microphone in his hand. I already knew this wasn’t going to end well. Darby nor Jon were much for talking. They both just wanted to get down to the fight. This meant Darby had something to say.
I bit on my nails as Jon’s music began to play. He came down through the audience even though there weren't many there now. It was his thing. He always said there just was a different feeling when he did that.
He seemed confused when he saw Darby in the ring with a mic. He shook it off as he continued on into the ring. He gave his belt to the ref.
Darby moved the mic to his mouth, but didn’t speak at first. He just paced. He acted like he was about to say something, but he never did. Jon stood there looking at him confused for a while. He couldn’t figure it out. It didn’t take him long to get sick of this and grab the mic out of the announcers hands. “Spit it out, Darby! People got places to be.”
“Do you have more of other people’s girlfriends to sleep with?” Darby snapped. There was a hush over the small crowd. The announcers didn’t even know what to say. Everyone, even my mouth had dropped.
“I really didn’t think you would be the one to have the balls to do this on national tv.” Jon shrugged. “But, she didn’t seem to have a problem with it. Just like you didn’t have a problem banging your nurse behind her back.” Darby’s eyes widened. My heart stopped. I couldn’t believe the words that Jon had just said. All the guilt I had felt for being a cheater was gone. It was replaced with anger. I didn’t know who I was more angry at. Darby for lying to me or Jon or anyone else who knew not telling me.
“You weren’t any different with all those girls you did in Japan. Is this your way of making up to her?”
“It wasn’t my intention,” he paused. “But, I can tell she must have not been getting fully satisfied from your little emo ass.”
Darby moved to say something else, but he ended up throwing the mic down and racing towards Jon. He knocked him back on the feet. Jon also threw the mic down and went after him, The bell rang as the match began. I eventually turned away. I was unable to watch it. I couldn’t believe it. Both of them cheated on me and both of them just made me look like a fool on live tv. I was walking back to the locker rooms when someone bumped into me from behind causing me to fall forward.
“Shit,” a voice said. I immediately knew who it was. “I am really sorry about that.” He said helping me up.
“It’s okay, Maxwell.” I said fixing my dress before quickly whipping my eyes hoping that he wouldn’t see. I looked at what he was holding. It was the belt. I could see little drops of blood on it. “What are you doing with that?” I asked.
“Oh, this.” He said as he looked at it. “It’s just a..uhh..I kind of hit Jon with it so he would lose.”
“So, you want to fight Darby? I didn’t think you were scared of a challenge.” I asked raising an eyebrow. “Darby would be too easy for you.”
“Yes, I like a challenge, but I also needed a reason to fight Darby.” He was getting really close to me. It caused me to take a step backwards.
“Why would you need a reason to fight Darby?” I asked.
He didn’t say anything. He just kept walking forward until I was against the wall. He trapped me with his arms before leaning down and kissing me. Once he pulled away, he spoke, “because there is a pretty little blonde I have my eye on. I still need a First Lady.” He said with a wink before walking away.
To Be continued...
140 notes · View notes
mortedeveles · 4 years ago
Text
A Letter To My Love.
P1: Chaotic Interviews.  ALTML MASTERLIST. 
Copyright © 2020-2021 by Veles.
NOTE: PLEASE READ THE NOTES IN THE MASTERLIST ! 
SUMMARY: Tamaki Amajiki, also known as the Pro Hero Suneater, has been your friends for years. You’ve known each other since U.A. During his entire life, Tamaki has fought against his internal demons, insecurities, and voices that rage in his mind. With the help of his friends Nejire and Mirio and you, he was able to overcome his fears and become one of the most successful Pro Heroes in Japan. 
In the last few years, writing has become an outlet for Tamaki when he feels troubled. And being a Pro Hero comes with great luggage- including hyper fans and their strange romantic theories. One of them being 'TamaY/N', a romantic ship created by his fans. As an anonymous writer, Amajiki can finally express the love and affection he's harbored for Y/N for several years through fanfiction when he has spare time. But when Y/N discovers the infamous fanfiction after an awkward interview, drama, heartbreak, and confusion are bound to break loose.
PAIRING: ProHero! Tamaki Amajiki x Fem!ProHero!reader
THEMES: pining, fluff, angst, etc. [SERIES]
TW: cursing, sexual innuendos, mature themes. 
a/n: my requests are open for business lovelies! i proofread this but if i made any mistakes, please let me know! as always, please leave a like, reblog, follow and/or comment if you enjoyed! i appreciate the support and feedback <3 
Tumblr media
''His heart sings in joy in her presence. Around her, he's blessed with a sudden warmth that soothes his bones and washes over all the tension and strain in his muscles.'' 
                                                         _______
Tumblr media
''Good morning!'' you greet hurriedly to all the workers you leave behind as you race towards the third floor.
Shit, shit, shit! You had an interview with an important press with Tamaki today and it was about to start in three minutes! Luckily, you'd managed to make it to Tamaki's agency on time, but you were yet to arrive at the designated floor. Once you reached the elevator, you let out a sigh of relief. It was empty and while you waited for the elevator to open, you began to pat and smooth over your Pro Hero costume.
It consisted of a sleeveless loose black top with a pair of black shorts, with silver armor that started from your shoulders up to your elbows, paired with black combat boots and silver gloves with some metal and gadgets that allowed you to improve the use of your quirk Liquify.
Before you knew it, the elevator dinged open and you quickly stepped out, plastering a bright smile on your face. The third floor had been emptied- and the equipment from the press stood in the middle- two elegant chairs, cameras and lights, and a few dozen reporters mingling. At the back of the floor, you noticed Tamaki, wearing his Pro hero suit. He was facing the wall- he tended to do when he was nervous.
''Good morning!" you greeted the reporters, who smiled in response. ''I apologize for my tardiness.''
''It's okay. It's a pleasure to meet you, Pro Hero Unda,'' a busy looking woman approached you. She glanced towards Tamaki. ''Do you think you could get Suneater ready for the interview?''
You shoved down a stressed sigh and nodded. ''I'll get him right away!" with one last smile, you stepped away and approached the nervous blue-haired man.
''Tama,'' you spoke in a soft voice and pressed a hand on his shoulder. He was slightly trembling and was muttering something along the lines of 'I want to go home.'
''Y/N,'' his voice was trembling. ''You're late.''
''Ma'am?'' you called out to the lady that had approached you earlier. ''We're ready.''
You sighed and pinched your nose. ''I know, Tama,'' your heart felt heavy. ''I'm really sorry. I was busy doing paperwork and time flew by. Can you forgive me?''
He nodded and turned around and you nearly jumped with joy. The two of you approached the press and sat down on the chairs.
All of the workers quickly surrounded you and you clenched your fists on your lap. Now that they were all crowded around you, it felt like all of them were studying you, nitpicking and silently judging you in their eyes.
You glanced towards Tamaki. It wasn't a surprise that he looked like he felt the same as you. Offering him a small smile, you squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. He offered you a weak smile.
''Good morning, Japan! This is your favorite reporter, Hirano Chizue! I'm live with our two favorite Pro-Heroes, Suneater and Unda!" the smile on her face was so dazzling you were sure it was fake.
''Alright! Let's get started!'' the businesswoman clapped her hands and sat down on the seat in front of you. ''Camera crew, get in position! We're live in 1..2...3!''
You heard several workers move behind you-most likely the ones with cameras and the lady in front of you held a microphone as she smiled towards the camera.
''How are you two doing this morning?'' She pointed the microphone towards both of you.
''Fine, thank you,'' you smiled softly. Tamaki swallowed and raised his gaze towards the businesswoman.
''I'm feeling okay, thank you for asking,'' his voice was somewhat low but at least he replied.
''Good, good!'' Hirano said. She pulled out a clipboard with a neat stack of papers.
''We're honored that you accepted to the interview. Do you mind if we start? The questions are fan-submitted and others are from our crew! Since the two of you are new rising heroes, Japan is eager to know the two of you!'' 
You didn't notice how Tamaki froze at the word 'fan'. You were barely a few minutes into the interview and you already felt exhausted. Nevertheless, you smiled and nodded. 
''Not at all. Ask away.''
Hirano grinned- you didn't miss the hungry glint in her eyes- what type of questions had she chosen?
''This question is for Suneater!'' she shot him a brief smile before trailing her eyes on the paper. Hirano's smile grew.
''What's your relationship with Unda? Are the two of you dating?''
You coughed awkwardly, averting your gaze towards the floor.
''N-no,'' your friend sounded nervous. ''We're good friends, that's all.'' 
When Tamaki said the word 'friends', you couldn't stop the painful ache that throbbed in your chest. You knew that he meant well but you had hoped for years that one day, the two of you would be more than just friends. Clearly, today wasn't that day.
Hirano hummed in response, but she didn't seem convinced. 
''The two of you have a beautiful friendship,'' she complimented. The two of you muttered a 'thank you'.  Hirano's beady eyes focused on you. 
''This question is for Unda! Tell me, your fans are dying to know more about your quirk! Could you give us a brief explanation of your quirk, Liquify?''
A good question, you thought with a smile. Even though it was modern times, the oppression of women and misogyny hadn't been fully eradicated- and it showed during Pro Hero interviews, asking women nothing but shallow questions while the men received interesting ones. Her question was quite refreshing. 
''Of course!" this time, your smile was more genuine. ''So, my quirk Liquify focuses on the state of matter of an inanimate object. I can turn any inanimate object- it doesn't work on plants or animals- into liquid and bend it to my will! I can also return the material into its original state, but I can change its figure and volume,'' you waved your hands as you explained.
''That's a marvelous quirk! Would you mind giving us a demonstration?'' 
''That was an excellent demonstration, Unda!'' you shot Tamaki a glance. He was staring at the ground but when you glanced towards him, he met your eyes and smiled. You smiled back.
With a nod of agreement, you rose and grabbed the closest thing- an empty mug and wrapped your hand around it. When you opened your palm, the once red mug was now a red liquid hovering about your palm, sloshing side to side.
The press gasped in amazement and applauded. You smiled gratefully and returned to your seat.
''Thank you, miss.''
''Now,'' she flipped a page. ''Ooh. This is another question for you, Unda. It's quite a juicy question,'' Hirano bit her lip and grinned. 
''Have you ever read books about TamaY/N?''
Next to you, Tamaki flinched in his seat and coughed lowly. No one seemed to notice, the attention was on you.
You furrowed your eyebrows and shook your head. 
''I'm sorry, is it a book? What's TamaY/N? I haven't heard of it before...'' you trailed off and glanced at Tamaki, hoping for some kind of help, but he wouldn't meet your gaze. You noticed that the tip of his pointed ears was turning red. Was he feeling okay?
Hirano cackled and shook her head. ''No, TamaY/N is the ship name for Tamaki and you. The fans seem to like seeing the two of you together. It's called fanfiction.''
''Oh...'' you said, feeling clueless. Once the information sunk in, you felt your cheeks bloom with warmth. ''Oh.''
''Oh indeed,'' Hirano agreed. ''It's quite scandalous, you should read some on your own! You'd understand what I'm talking a-,''
''Oh, um, well...'' you nervously played with your fingers.
''Isn't this a professional interview?'' Tamaki snapped. His voice was loud and firm and Hirano flinched in her seat.
''I appreciate the support of fans but we are Pro Heroes and have a right to main-maintain our privacy. The status of our romantic experiences is private and will remain that way.'' 
You nodded in agreement, remaining silent as you had nothing else to add. Hirano looked surprised- she cleared her throat and quickly recollected herself with a smile.
''My sincerest apologies, Suneater, we didn't know you felt like this about your... relationship status. Here, let me find another question for Unda...''
The interview continued for half an hour- but the tension was much more tense and awkward than before. Tamaki gave short and clipped answers.
After the interview, Hirano quietly thanked you for your time and the press quickly left. After an hour, the only ones left were Tamaki and you. He was sitting in the corner of the room. He didn't look particularly nervous but the scowl on his face made you frown with worry. 
Slowly, you approached him and sat down next to him. You spent a few minutes in silence before speaking up.
''Are you okay, Tama?''
You shook your head. ''It's okay. If you want to keep those inquires private, that's perfectly fine. And to be fair, it's better that way. The press feeds on any source or evidence of romance in the Pro Hero industry.''
Tamaki was silent. You noticed how he clenched his fists and lowered his head.
''I'm sorry,'' he mumbled. His shoulders slumped. ''I was being very rude and distant...''
Tamaki smiled at you- but the look in his eyes was distant.
''Yeah...''
                               ━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━
Tumblr media
After the exhausting interview, Tamaki and you had worked for hours in his agency- racing outside to save civilians, filing paperwork, until it was eight o'clock- his agency would be closing early today. The two of you walked towards Mirio's department- he said a celebration was necessary. 
''Helloo!'' Mirio yelled loudly. You laughed as he grabbed Tamaki and you into a tight bear hug, squeezing the air out of your lungs. Even though he wasn't a Pro Hero, he was immensely strong.
''I saw the interview!"' Nejire popped up behind the blonde. ''It's your first interview, I think we should celebrate!" 
''Congrats, Tama and Y/N!'' Eri said and joined the bear hug, along with Nejire.
''I-I can't breathe!" you complained and Tamaki groaned in agreement. Nejire and Eri giggled in amusement as the hug feel apart and everyone stepped back. Mirio jogged towards the dining table and brought a tray with four bowls with delicious takoyaki.
''I think we should celebrate with takoyaki. I've put on a movie that I think everyone will enjoy. Dig in!'' 
Immediately, Tamaki snatched the bowl and raced towards the sofa. You laughed in amusement and followed, holding your bowl of takoyaki.
You spent the rest of the night huddled next to Tamaki and Eri on the small sofa, eating takoyaki. Maybe it wasn't a fancy or expensive celebration, but you wouldn't trade anything in the world for moments like these- lively nights with your best friends. All previous thoughts of the awkward interview and whatever that lady had mentioned washed away, only to be brought back tomorrow. 
Tumblr media
a/n: well!! this is my first time writing for my baby tamaki!! what do you guys think? should i make a tag list for this series? dm me if you’re interested! xx 
75 notes · View notes
thedeviltohisangel · 4 years ago
Text
Hourglass//1//
Tumblr media
Normally the sound of her voice brought, at the very least, happiness. It meant he could put down the walls and smile and laugh and not worry about someone judging him for every action he made. But right now he wasn’t in the mood. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to drink and wallow and feel bad for himself. She would never let him wallow. He splashed some cold water on his face as he heard her footsteps coming up the stairs.
masterlist is my url/writing
accepting requests for this pairing
“Nix? You in here?” Normally the sound of her voice brought, at the very least, happiness. It meant he could put down the walls and smile and laugh and not worry about someone judging him for every action he made. But right now he wasn’t in the mood. He wanted to be alone. He wanted to drink and wallow and feel bad for himself. She would never let him wallow. He splashed some cold water on his face as he heard her footsteps coming up the stairs.
“In here,” he called back. No point in trying to avoid her now.
“Hey. Just came to check in. Speirs said you looked a little...forlorn.” Ron had actually said Nixon looked like shit. “Jump not great?”
“I made it out. Two others behind me made it out. Others got blown up over Germany somewhere.” She noticed his hand was shaking as he poured another glass of Vat 69. 
“Sorry to hear that.” 
“Oh, well. Wasn’t me!” He threw the empty bottle into the trash then stalked out of the room. 
“Nix-”
“No, El, I don’t have the capacity for your psychological probing tonight.” Ella stopped behind one of the chairs around the table he was sitting at. 
“It’s either I do it or Dick does it.” She knew the man in question was on his way right now. Intending to tell Nixon about his recent demotion. Ella had asked Dick to let her go first. Maybe she could soften him up or help him anticipate the blow. Didn’t seem like she would be able to do either.
“I don’t want to see him. How about you leave and go tell him that?” She let him down two more glasses of whiskey before speaking.
“Please don’t speak to me like that. You’ve had a crap day and too much to drink but I deserve more than that tone right now.”
“Stop behaving like a fuckng princess or whatever it is you are. The world sucks and sometimes people don’t bow to you.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of her leaving. 
“Why do you do this to me?” Ella was getting tired. Tired of Lewis Nixon and all the baggage that went along with him. Tired of long nights filled with whispers and gentle touches. Tired of those mornings being filled with him not remembering. Tired of having to remind him he was married and he shouldn’t tell Ella how much he loved her and wanted to marry her. Tired of Nix getting drunk and twisting the knife into her ribs she had trusted him with.
“Because you can’t take the hint that I don’t want to be around you. I don’t love you. Maybe I never did. Let me live out the rest of this war in peace, Ella.” Nix knew the only reason he held himself together while saying those words was because of the alcohol in his glass. Otherwise he’d be shaking like he did back in Bastogne. Would have shed more than a few tears. He knew, and she knew, that he didn’t mean those words anymore than he meant any words he said when he was drunk. But Nix couldn’t spend one more moment around her without wanting to burn the world down so they could be together. Pushing her away was the only way to put down the torch.
“Well, sadly, Lewis Nixon...I love you.” Her words hit him one at a time, each blow being absorbed individually, as she walked slower out of the house than she had in. Heavier footsteps followed her retreating ones. No doubt Dick had decided to make his entrance after seeing the woman with her head hung so low.
“Hey.”
“I told her I didn’t love her. Never did.” Dick didn’t even need to ask. 
“Was it you or the Vat 69 talking?”
“Both. I’m married, remember?” People in the Nixon family didn’t get divorced. People in her family didn’t marry men who had been married before. It wouldn’t have worked even if they tried.
“I thought we were all forgetting that,” Dick noted sarcastically. He had made that same point to his friend more times than he could count. Each time it was waved and explained away.
“It’s for the best we both stop seeing each other. In any capacity.” He took the last bit from the bottle.
“Maybe it’s for the best you stop that too.” Everyone had noticed that the drinking was beginning to be too much. That Nix was slowly but surely slipping away.
“At least now that she’s gone I don’t have to be ganged up on all the time.” Nix stood angrily from the chair and moved back towards his bedroom. What he needed was a nice long sleep. Maybe to never even wake up again.
“How long do you think that will last?”
“Excuse me?” Nix asked with an edge to his voice that was entirely on purpose.
“As soon as you sober up, you’ll be asking her to take you back.” He did it all the time. And every time he said it was the last time and every time Ella said next time she wouldn't take him back. Dick had watched the toxic cycle repeat over and over the past few months. Try as he might, he knew there was no stopping them. Maybe in a convoluted way, they were meant to be together. But this was no backdrop for it. This was no way to live or love.
“I’m so sick of people acting like they know me. Saying they know me better than I know myself. Ella and I are not meant to be together. We were not made for each other to have in this lifetime. I’ve accepted that, Dick. Watching those boys die today made me realize that I should stop trying to force my way into her life. Stop trying to force her into mine.” He collapsed onto his bed and hung his head. “We aren’t always meant to be with our soulmates. Sometimes loving someone isn’t enough.” Oh but Nixon knew it was quite the opposite. That he loved Ella too much. That is was all encompassing and sometimes suffocated him. That touching her was like touching a pan on a stove top. It burned and lingered. If he allowed himself to love her, truly love her the way he wished to, they’d burn out. And that would hurt even more.
“The press keep hounding me on when you’ll be in a safe enough place for them to interview you again. The magazines back home have you on every cover and they want more.” Ella rolled her eyes as she lit a cigarette and continued to stomp her way through the streets of Germany. 
“Can’t you remind them this is a war?” She was fully aware that the government had signed off on her trip to the frontline because of the glorified nature the coverage would take. The last name Ford meant cameras followed where she went. It meant she had had no problem procuring a lipstick or a clean dress. But the men around her had been unable to secure a hot meal or warm coat. It felt wrong. 
“No. I can’t.” 
“That’s an unacceptable answer, Mr. Perry. Either you manage the hounds on your end or I will light them on fire when they get too close. Is that understood?” She was in no mood to play politics with media magnates hundreds of miles away.  She didn’t want to blame her mood on Lew but she was. Fighting with him took so much out of her. His words also cut to a level where it felt like pieces of her were being removed. Right now she was like a wounded animal who needed somewhere quiet and dark to heal. 
“Miss Ford-” She shut the door behind her before her handlers could follow her into the building she had been using as refuge the past couple of days.
“How’d that go?” It was Ron, the reason she had found herself wandering Nixon’s way in the first place. She wonders if Dick was able to talk to him. How he was taking the news of his demotion. Then she remembered she didn’t care anymore and shook the thought from her mind.
“Nix and his jump or the demons that follow me around all day?” She flicked her current cigarette to the side and lit a new one.
“Both.”
“Well the jump was a disaster and Lewis Nixon wishes to never see me again-”
“El-”
“-and the papers back home want another interview and photo call with me but I just don’t think I can do that anymore. I don’t think I want to be here anymore. In fact, I think I am quite ready to go home.” It was as if saying the words out loud made them make perfect sense. That was that and her mind was made up. She would start packing her bag right now.
“I don’t know him that well but I doubt he meant what he said.” Ron followed her into her room and felt helpless as she started shoving things into bags.
“That’s the thing. I’ve had it completely backwards. I thought he was his most honest when he was sober but today I’ve realized that that is not when he is his true self. He is his truest self when he is drowning in whiskey. Those are the moments when he has lied to me. Today was his first time telling me the truth.” She felt unwanted. Like a scrap no one wanted. All she was good for was parading around in pretty dresses and smiling for the cameras. Everyone wanted a piece of her image but no one wanted the real her.
“If it’s any consolation, the rest of the guys like you a lot.” She had to smile at that. For some reason she had been drawn to Ron and the rest of Easy. She recognized the same outcast in them she had in herself. They were a band of misfits but that is what kept them so close together. Bonded them for life. She considered herself lucky to get to experience that if only for a moment in time.
“It is. Thank you, Ron.” She took one last deep breath, shouldered her bag and marched back the way she had come. The group of bloodthirsty monsters she had left were still there waiting for.
“Ma’am, we-”
“I’ve made a decision, Mr. Perry. I’m ready to go home. The press can feast on me from the states.”
Reading that Kathy wanted a divorce was harder to process than Nix thinks it should’ve been. By all accounts, it had been the news he had been waiting for. The puzzle piece he had only let him think would fall into place in his darkest moments. It was hard to be confronted with something you told yourself would never happen. He had no idea how to react. Who should he tell first? Ella? Well that bridge had been burned. Dick? No. He would tell Nix to tell Ella. But his inability to divorce Kathy had been one of the exact reasons he cited for her to never see him again. He wouldn’t be able to tuck his tail far enough between his legs.
“What’s that?” Dick noticed the look on Nix’s face. It was one that said he wasn’t really there. That is mind was so far away it might be worth trying to get it back. 
“She’s divorcing me. Kathy. Well, she wants one. And she’s taking the kid and the dog. Which doesn’t make any sense because it’s my goddamn dog and she hates that dog-”
“Nix.” Even though Dick loved him like a brother, he didn’t have all the time in the world to listen to his ramblings. “Are you going to give her what she’s asking for?”
“I don’t have a fucking choice, do I? I’m here and she’s there.” He ripped a cigarette from his breast pocket, the lighter needing some coaxing before it finally flared to life and gave him some relief. “Do I tell Ella?” Dick knew what he was really asking. After all the shit I’ve put her through, are we really meant to be together?
“Colonel Sink told me she’s being put on the first flight back to the states.”
“What? That’s not possible.” Nix knew for a fact she always said she wanted to be with the men when it all ended. Be with him. Celebrate with him. 
“Whatever you said to her the other night made her decision all the easier. Apparently, her presence is merely a distraction from the important task at hand. And she could better serve her country lobbying for war bonds back home than stealing rations from the soldiers on the front line.” Dick said the words in such a bland way that Nix almost wasn’t able to process them. All he knew was that she was leaving. She was leaving and it was because of him. 
“What do I do, Dick? Let her go or ask her to stay?” Nix knew it was love but he also knew that love wasn’t always enough. Ella deserved better but he was a selfish man. He needed her more than he ever had ever needed whiskey. There was no victory for him if she wasn’t there for it. The letter in his hands was a sign that there was a piece missing in his puzzle. He had forced his marriage to try and fit into it. But he had been wrong. It had been in his pocket this entire time. He just hadn’t had the courage to put it where it belonged. But now he did. He had no choice.
12 notes · View notes