#tho i did get a comment on the forgotten sons today

[canthelpit0]

Silent

Pairing: Matt x reader

Wordcount: 1.8k +

Summary: you’ve always quietly watched the triplets, silently wishing you could be a part of a group like them. Until you and Matt talk for the first time…

Warnings: selective mutism, anxiety, crying, angst, praise, no use of y/n, no oc

(Disclaimer: I’m not mute in any way. This was a request from an anon that I accidentally deleted. Hope you like it ! Requests are open)

I developed selective mutism pretty early on. My mom says that I didn’t talk even back in kindergarten.

But it’s been years now.

I can talk, and I can’t shut the fuck up for the life of me. I talk a lot, even have full conversations with myself.

Just not at school, or around new people. God, especially not in school.

It’s not like I want to be the ‘ weird’ mute kid. I would love to talk and make friends, I just physically can’t open my mouth and talk.

It even took months for me to utter simple words to my therapist, tho by this point I’ve known her for years and I’m pretty comfortable.

There are these triplets in my grade. We’ve always gone to the same school, but I don’t think they ever noticed me.

Well the first time I noticed them was in first grade, because there were three of them. Of corse my six year old self didn’t understand the concept of multiples back then, and I really wanted to ask, and talk to them. I really thought they were cool.

The first time I interacted with any of them tho was when I was in fourth grade and Nick had asked to use my dark green pencil since he only had light green and needed both dark and light.

Back in fourth grade I wasn’t just selectively mute, but also really shy. So I’d just looked down and stared at the desk giving him a small nod.

In freshmen year I shared a class with Nick again, he asked me for a pen, wich I gave to him.

Despite not having talked to him once in my entire life, he remembered my name. Wich isn’t too shocking since we’ve always been around each other, I was just kinda in the shadows.

He actually gave me that pen back. Most other people would’ve forgotten and just taken it, but Nick didn’t and I appreciated that.

I only ever interacted with Nick those two times. despite sharing a few classes with both Chris and Matt over the years, I’ve probably never even held eye contact with either of them.

I’ve been watching everyone.

Bullying isn’t really a thing. Sure there were some hurtful comments by jocks here and there but it really wasn’t as bad as in the movies.

Besides I think most people forget i even exist so they don’t even bother bullying me.

I’ve had my eye on Matt for a while. Not in a weird way. But Matt seems to pretty obviously have anxiety too. I don’t know if he’s open about it, I’m not in his friend circle.

But every time I’m feeling overwhelmed and we’re in the same room, I unconsciously glance at him to see if he feels the same or if I’m just going crazy.

Chris seems to be the loudest and most extroverted one. And while yes, Nick seems pretty extroverted too, Chris seems more… random? Bold?

I sulk in the back of the class my lips pulled into a tight line as I try to get myself together.

There is literally no reason for me to be feeling like this. Honestly no one has tried to talk to me today, nothing happened, I just feel so overwhelmed.

I raise my hand just slightly. I make eye contact with the teacher. Mrs. Evans. I literally love her, she’s so kind.

Her son is apparently mute too.

When I was diagnosed with selective mutism they thought it’d be a great idea to make me learn sign language just in case, and that’s just what I did.

Since Mrs. Evans son is mute, her son, as well as her and her husband also learned sign language.

So whenever I needed something I could sign to her. Not that I wouldn’t be too embarrassed too.

Our eyes lock. Everyone was working on some paper I should also be doing, but I’m too busy hyperventilating.

I let my hand drop on my desk and glance at the door quietly asking if I can go to the nurses office since I was too tired and ashamed to sign it to her.

She gives me a pitying smile but nods. I hate pity, but then again that’s better than getting told im faking.

I look around the class of students. I get up, as quiet as I can. I pack up my little stuff and quietly walk to the front of the class. I nod in appreciation and walk outside.

I stare at the ground while I walk down the hallway. I sigh.

I feel my eyes start to water and I bite the inside of my cheek.

Honestly I should probably go to the nurses office to get checked out, just so I can leave. But I don’t think I can handle communicating with another human.

I feel like I’m about to break down. I continue to walk down the hallway clutching the straps of my bag harshly.

I consider if driving home even is a good idea seeing as I’m about to have a mental breakdown. Or-

Suddenly I bump into someone.

I close my eyes trying not to cry right then. I don’t know who I bumped into but I want to apologize, but I know that I can’t, and since I don’t know who I bumped into I don’t know if it’s someone who’ll be mean about it or-

I’m taken off guard by a gentle brush to my upper arm.

“You’re good, it’s okay” I hear a soft voice say. I can feel my lip quivering, I feel like if I open my eyes the tears brimming at my waterline will actually fall.

“can you open your eyes?” It sounds more like a question, and that voice sounds painfully familiar but I can’t quite place it.

I want to tell him that I can’t, that I’ll cry if I do and I’ll feel even more embarrassed. But my curiosity takes over me.

So I slightly blink open my eyes. I don’t open my eyes fully, just enough to see the person through my tears.

It’s Matt, looking down at me all concerned.

I blink my eyes open. at the sight I watch his expression relax just slightly.

He himself looks overwhelmed, and honestly I don’t know if it’s because of how I’m acting, or if he had a shitty day himself.

“You okay?” He sighs slightly. I watch as he licks his lips and swallows thickly.

I take in another deep breath trying to calm down. I nod just slightly, but while I do the tears in my eyes finally spill.

I feel my hot tears run down my face. Matt’s eyes immediately widen and his mouth opens slightly like he thinks it’s his fault.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, no please don’t cry.” He holds up his hands in front of my face as if he wanted to wipe my tears away but was holding himself back because he didn’t know my boundaries.

He looked miserable, like he was about to cry himself. And I just know that something this wouldn’t have him emotional like this on a normal day. At least I don’t think it would. But he seemed to be overwhelmed as well.

I scrunch my nose slightly sniffling in response. I glance back up at him and the sorrow in his eyes makes me want to sink into myself. I breathe out shakily.

Before I know it I’m bringing my hands up to my face and covering it. I tilt my head forward trying to stop crying, because crying in the school halls is just pathetic.

“I’m sorry. Fuck- can I touch you?” I hear his frantic voice. I appreciate that he asked first. I want a hug, but then again I don’t know Matt. But he just seems so genuine.

I overthink not responding to his question. My thoughts spiral at the sound of the sweet nothings and apologies leaving his mouth, only being back round noise.

Matt seems to notice that I’m starting to spiral. I feel his hand tenderly touch my wrist. I flinch slightly, and as soon as I do I feel him retract his hand.

Everybody deals with anxiety differently, some people like to be physically grounded others liked to be comforted some other way and I just knew that Matt was trying to figure out what to do without overstepping.

I’d tell him that it’s okay, or that he can hug me, but I literally can’t speak and I feel too embarrassed to let him see my teary face.

“I’m sorry, I’m-“ I hear Matt let out a breath. I know an anxiety breath when I hear one, he is panicking.

I decide to bite the bullet, what’s the worst that can happen. I look up slightly and peak through my fingers.

His hands are up and frozen. He looks almost frantic, Matt looks like the only way he knows how to ground me is by hugging me or something, but he seems unsure if that’s okay.

Despite myself I let out a little nod. Matt lets out another breath but this time he actually touches me, and I don’t flinch.

He holds my wrist and gently pulls my hands off of my face.

I let out a shaky sigh. I can’t help it when I let my head fall forward.

“It’s okay.” He says sweetly under his breath. He puts his hand under my chin as he picks my face up. Our eyes lock. I see the way Matt is also crying, tears running down his face too and I relax just a little.

He never seemed like the type to make fun of someone for crying, but especially not now.

“You wanna go to my car?” He says softly, not in a way where he is forcing me to do anything, but rather offering.

And honestly as upset as i am I have to weigh my options. Would I rather cry in the school hallways or in Matt’s car?

The best option would be to go to the bathroom, but Matt wouldn’t be able to come with, and honestly I would feel too bad leaving him alone at this point.

So I nod.

I feel Matt’s arm go around my shoulders as he hugs me for a moment. He turns me, and starts walking in a way where his arm is still around my shoulder keeping me close to him.

We walk out to the parking lot. I watch as Matt unlocks the car and opens the door for me to enter.

And by this point, if I go out this way so be it…

Before i can even register Matt is also getting into the backseat next to me.

We just look at each other for a moment. He breathes out another anxiety sigh.

“You want a hug?” And with that I don’t really know if he’s asking for me, or to comfort himself. But regardless I nod.

I feel his arms come around me and I sink into the feeling of his hug.

I’m uncertain if by tomorrow he’ll act like this all never happened, or if he’ll try to get to know me, because I’ve been wanting to know him for a while and I would more then gladly let him.

Masterlist

A/n: I know this is really short and I’ve been uploading a lot of angst recently. But I’ve been feeling sad, and every time I do write smut it’s for Kinktober. Soon you’ll get smut tho. Also this ended up a lot like crybaby. <3

‼️please don’t copy my work/idea‼️

Taglist: @muwapsturniolo , @sturnad , @iluvm4ttsturni0l0 , @evie-sturns , @me09love , @fratbrochrisgf , @spideylovin , @chrissgirlsstuff , @stunza , @whicked-hazlatwhore , @sturniooolos , @ecliphttlunar , @orangeypepsi , @klaus223492 , @char112244 , @sst7niolo , @slut4chriss , @mattsturniololoverr , @th3-3d3n-g4rd3n , @st7rnioioss , @t1llysblogs , @nonat-111 , @blahbel668 , @rockstarchr1s , @sturnsintrouble , @nayveetbhh , @tillies33ssss , @sturncakez , @strnilo , @somegirlfromasgard , @mattslovelygf , @sturnsmaeve , @sturnstvr , @lucianastrun , @jnkvivi , @jamiesturniolo , @chr1sgirl4life

[pendragon-writes]

𝒮𝒽𝑜𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝓈𝓀𝒾𝑒𝓈

Batman x Teen!Son!Reader

Requested: Yes

Note: I decided to go with just the two of them doing 'normal' family stuff (Let's be honest tho anyone related or is a part of his family doesn't have normal lol) This turned into more of the whole family than just Batman but I hope you like it anon.

"Hey Bruce do you have the list?" you asked him as you pushed the cart. Today was Alfred's day off and as a result, someone had to go shopping with him since the others would've caused chaos Bruce entrusted you to help him out. "Yep," he responded, pulling his cap more down.

As much as you enjoyed non-vigilante tasks you hated the fact that you had to hide your faces just so that paparazzi wouldn't charge at you in any public spaces or the fact even though you were a teen people felt the right to try and harass you even more than they did with your older siblings.

“Great, what do we have first on the list?” Once he told you the list the both of you continued shopping for stuff, and while everything was going smoothly something just had to ruin it.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

“Oh my god is that who I think it is?” A civilian said pointing with her daughter at the both of you, this caused you to freeze up for a second before continuing what you were doing. Bruce noticed this but didn’t comment anything since he didn’t want to bring any more attention to the both of you. Before the lady could try to walk up to the both of you Bruce quickly moved you both in another direction resulting in her losing you both.

Once you finished both the shopping and putting the groceries in the car you sat in the shotgun, just as you were about to put some music on your headphones he stopped you. "How about you play some of those songs you like on here?" He asked. "Um, sure. Do you have anything in mind?" "Not at all, just whatever you want" he replied. You hummed in response and started playing I'll never smile again, this seemed to be of his liking because he nodded in approval and continued driving.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

"Hey, Bruce?" "Yeah?" "Can we go to batburger?" "Sure, make sure to call the others and see what they want and let Alfred know as well". You grinned at this and texted the group chat.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

[This Chaotic Family]

Me: Hey what do you guys want? Me and B-man are at BatBurger

Get me the Cheesy Bat Combo with a coke! :D :Blue-Bird

In that case, I'll just get my regular :Bucket Head

1 Sweet tea and a Bat Pounder thanks (N/n)! :Computer Legend

I don't mind whatever you get for me will do just fine Master (Y/N)

:Alfred The Wise

Whatever is good as long as it's vegan. :Lil Robin

A coffee and Big bat with fries :Wanna-be Detective

Me: Tim unless you've forgotten you've been banned from coffee for this week...

Fine no coffee just get me a sprite then :Wanna-be Detective

Me: Got it

Dr. Pepper and Bat Burger plz :Cass

Get me a Bat-LT with curly fries :D Oh and Duke wants the same!

:Purple Lady

°。°。°。°。°。°。

As you both finished ordering and dropping off the food you both got ready to go on patrol together, as you put on your mask you turned to Bruce who finished putting on his cowl. He nodded towards the Bat-mobile and you entered the passenger seat.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

You jumped from building to building using your grappling hook to get to the farther ones, Bruce was nearby but was doing his own patrol just like you. You finally landed next to him and waited for Oracle or someone to let one of you know of anything going down. While you'd normally get a bunch of people and places you needed to help it seemed tonight was less busy, and that was true for most of the patrol before you heard Batman himself talking to someone. You turned to him, leaned on the wall, and waited. After a little while, he responded. "On my way. Let's go"

°。°。°。°。°。°。

"You needed me, Gordon?" Batman asked. Gordon hadn't seen you yet and you wanted to see just how long it'd take. "Ah yes, thank you, Batman. We have a case that neither my detectives nor me myself can solve." He showed him a file that read as classified. "Arnold Wesker? what does he want?" You asked from behind. "AH! Oh, it's you, hey kid" Gordon responded. "And yeah it's him, says he wanted to speak to Batman himself, no idea why but he won't tell us". You sighed at this, as nice of a guy as he was his puppet was extremely annoying to deal with, even if they've been separated again they somehow always manage to get back together.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

While Batman was talking with Wesker you waited outside of the room and started tossing a coin left to right, the loud clinking noise caught some of the guards' attention. At first, they didn't say anything but after a while, one of them asked to try it and you tossed them it. Most of the guards failed but it seemed to brighten up their day slightly getting to try something new out. When the Bat himself returned he saw one of the guards attempt to pass the coin to the other side and fail miserably. When the guard noticed they slowly went to pick it up and apologized quietly.

Once that whole ordeal was done and the patrol was over you both got back to the manor and started getting ready for movie night. A common tradition in the manor and a welcomed one after Alfred suggested it as a way for all of you to spend quality time.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

"So what are we watching?" Damian asked as he petted Alfred, the cat. "I don't know isn't it Dicks turn to pick?" You responded, sitting next to Cass and passing her the popcorn, to which she smiled in gratitude. "Today, my children we are watching Master Chief!" Dick answered in a mock British accent. "Dude your accent sucks!" Jason laughed. Laughter and giggles filled the room with even Bruce himself laughing a bit at the accent.

°。°。°。°。°。°。

After a few episodes all of them were fast asleep, some on top of the others and others laying on their back, you laying your head on Bruce's shoulder. Alfred walked into the sight and smiled. He saw all of you as one of his own and seeing all of you relaxed and getting some rest brought him some joy. He covered each of you in blankets and took a picture of you all together.

[alwaysmychoices]

Ski Resort

Synopsis: After declaring her intention to leave medicine forever, Charlie must join the Diagnostics Team for one more case before Ethan will let her retire. But once they’re trapped in the ski resort, Charlie gets tangled in the mystery, and she begins to wonder if she should really leave medicine or if it’s time to come back.

Chapter 26 of the “with and without” series

Previous Series: “a weekend with dr. ramsey”

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x MC (Charlotte “Charlie” Greene)

Words: 5.5k (sorry, I tried so hard to cut it down)

Rating: Teen

Also available on AO3 & Wattpad (link in Masterlist)

The drive to the ski resort was uncomfortably quiet. Ethan and Charlie didn't speak a word, not even when Baz tried to play car games or entertain the captive group with stories.

No, Ethan and Charlie weren't going to speak – or rather, Ethan wasn't going to speak until Charlie did, and Charlie wasn't going to say a thing.

The fight in Ethan's office had cooled to begrudging acceptance. Despite her objections, Charlie put on her coat, read the patient information, and piled in the car with the rest of the diagnostics team just as Ethan insisted. But her cooperation extended only that far.

Ethan was sure that she was furious in the back seat – so sure that he kept looking back to her in the rearview to see if her expression had soured any further.

But Ethan wasn't right about everything.

Charlie wasn't angry – or if she was, it was secondarily not primarily.

She was anxious.

Anxious to be back at work and interacting with critical patients when her confidence in herself and her skills had never been lower. Anxious to stand on the precipice of her entire future – for if she failed today, she wouldn't be a doctor, and if she didn't, she'd have to face fears buried deep in her soul.

It wasn't that she held her tongue because she would have hurled insults otherwise. She held her tongue because she simply couldn't bear to say anything at all.

June and Baz sensed the discomfort, though they were kind enough to not comment on it. Baz tried his best to lessen the uneasiness with music and diverting conversion, none of which stuck. June was more intrigued, maybe even suspicious.

They'd both been surprised when Charlie joined the expedition after her long absence, but Baz was much more willing to accept the sudden return and be thankful for it. June couldn't shake her curiosity.

After all, why had Charlie suddenly returned from leave for this one case? Why was the relationship between Charlie and Ethan, which had once been friendly, now so tense?

Being scrutinized only made Charlie feel worse.

It was a relief for all parties when they arrived at the ski resort.

Any other day, Charlie would have stopped and marveled at the sight.

Perfect, white snow coated the landscape and the resort. Smoke billowed from the central fireplace, promising warmth and comfort inside. Snow-capped trees climbed Mount Dagger and dotted the landscape. Even with layers and layers of footprints marring the snow and a large resort looming in the background, this place felt serene and untouched somehow.

It was so different from the heat and sunshine Charlie had grown up with.

Part of her wished she could have leaned into Ethan and marveled at the place, letting him tease her for her unfamiliarity and inexperience with snow. She realized that winter had only been pain and survival for them. She had the urge to change that somehow – to throw a snowball or challenge him to make snow angels.

But instead, Charlie just trudged along, keeping the urges to herself and remaining silent.

The owner, Rodney, was a friend of Ethan's. He greeted them all warmly and thanked them for their time. On the way to the patient's room, he offered charming anecdotes about Ethan's childhood and their friendship. Charlie wished she could have engaged more, but it was all becoming too real. In mere moments, she would be a working doctor again – a dream that had become a nightmare.

Paula and her son, Timothy, waited in their hotel room.

In the end, they weren't nearly as frightening as Charlie had imagined them. The entire drive, she morphed her patient experience into that of death and destruction, and she'd forgotten how mundane interactions could really be. Even Paula's defiance and complaints felt tame in the face of all Charlie had been through.

During the initial interview, Charlie didn't resume the active role she'd once had on the team. Instead, it was Ethan who drove the questioning, with June acting as his secondary. The team had found their new rhythm in her absence, and they seemed to know that Charlie was purposefully not stepping into her old shoes.

Ethan was disappointed.

To an outsider, she would have looked like a student rather than a member of the team. She stood in the back of the group, her mouth closed and ideas kept to herself. It could have read as disinterest, though Ethan highly doubted Charlie could confront a mystery and not be enthralled. No, it must have been something else. Anger maybe. Perhaps she wasn't ready, just as she'd warned him in the hospital.

During the interview, Ethan managed to look back at Charlie and examine her without anyone noticing.

And what he found prompted a sigh of relief.

She wasn't disinterested.

Charlie's eyes were bright and alive with curiosity. She was listening attentively, her expression changing slightly with each new piece of information. She must be cataloging it, saving it, and allowing it to simmer until it attached to a theory. Even if she wasn't speaking, she was here. She was part of the team, part of the future solution. He could see it in her now– the passion and empathy he'd recognized in her so early in her intern year.

He found himself hoping it would be enough to make her stay.

Enough to make her realize she wanted to stay.

It distracted him from the interview.

Not that he was missing much anyway. Paula, the patient, was particularly uncooperative. It took considerable prodding – and her son’s insistence – to get Paula to say anything at all.

But Ethan’s attention quickly returned when Paula's behavior suddenly shifted.

June and Baz talking to each other, quietly exposing the confusion amongst the team about Paula's bizarre symptoms. Nothing about the conversation was particularly unusual, but to a distrustful woman like Paula, it was enough to prove incompetence on the team's part.

With an eerie light in her eyes, Paula interrupted to say, "It sounds like you have no idea what you're talking about."

She said it with such airy mirth that the comment was unsettling.

Then, to the horror of everyone in the room, the formerly austere Paula's face split into a wild, frenzied laugh. Her posture had changed – so had her facial expressions. Ethan took a step closer and realized that the disturbing glimmer in her eyes was the dark of her pupil as it dilated.

The team looked at each other in horror and shock.

"Paula, are you feeling alright?" Charlie asked. These were the first unprompted words she'd spoken since the introductions.

"I feel great! Why the hell wouldn't I? I'm stuck on a mountain with a load of incompetent doctors!" Paula's voice dissolved into laughter. It was too loud. Too open. Too long.

The diagnostics team looked to each other, and in a silent consensus, they followed Ethan's lead to the hallway. Once the door closed behind them, they abandoned their polite, neutral expressions to show their true concern.

"It looks like a manic episode. If her brain trauma is extensive enough to cause that…." Ethan trailed off, only for Charlie to finish.

"We need to get her to a hospital as soon as possible. Can we call for a helicopter?"

“Doubtful,” Baz frowned, “During the interview, the storm was upgraded to a blizzard. We wouldn’t have time for a helicopter, and the roads are already being shut down.”

“But we just got here!” Charlie fought it, not that she was sure why she did. The entire drive up, the snow had gotten progressively worse. Even from inside Paula’s room, she could tell the weather was turning.

“Then we’re stuck here,” June announced, ignoring Charlie’s outburst, “We’ll have to monitor Paula all night in case her condition worsens.”

Charlie frowned.

This was not how she wanted her first case back to go.

The patient showed unusual symptoms and potential mania, all while they were trapped in a ski resort by a blizzard? This had death and destruction written all over it.

Had Ethan taken the time to consider it, he would have reached the same dim conclusion.

But fortunately for him, he was more distracted by managing the crisis. With little time before the snow made movement impossible to leave the lodge, Ethan decided to find the source of Paula’s rash on the mountain. Charlie objected on safety grounds, but Ethan went out anyway. In his absence, the team conducted a few tests and settled the room arrangements with Rodney. Ethan returned safely, just a bit cold and damp from the snow, and with the cause of the rash. It was poison sumac, he announced. Unrelated to the other symptoms, unfortunately, but at least they could rule other things out.

Only moments later, the blizzard captured the resort captured the resort and trapped the occupants inside.

To his surprise, Charlie wasn’t impressed by his discovery or his quick return. She was annoyed he’d gone out in the first place. And he suspected she was irritated to be here at all.

He wondered if he was pushing her too far, if his plan to show her the best parts of their job had been flawed. If he had been flawed.

If he was doing more harm than good.

Then June pulled out the hotel keys to present them to everyone.

There were four.

The extra room key stung.

It shouldn’t have.

Of course, they couldn’t stay in the same room on a work trip. He shouldn’t have expected anything different.

But something about it made him feel… distant from her.

Like he’d created a wall between them in this whole endeavor, a wall made physical by the separate rooms. Though he’d done it thousands of nights before, Ethan suddenly couldn’t imagine sleeping without her, her body warm beside him and her fragrant curls straying to his side of the bed. He wanted her to forgive him, though he wasn’t sure what for.

In an ideal world, they would have talked about it.

He would have checked on her.

But instead, in a whirlwind of arrangements and discussions, Ethan began his shift, and Charlie followed Baz and June to find their rooms.

Charlie hadn’t planned on staying, so she had nothing to unpack except for a phone charger from her purse and a laptop borrowed from Edenbrook. She didn’t relish the idea of sleeping in her bulky jeans or shivering in the cold night, but there was nothing she could do about that in a blizzard.

It was a relief to warm herself in a hot shower, but after, the room felt too lonely. Unsure what to do with herself, she searched for Baz and June. She found them both at the bar, which fortunately hadn’t been affected by the outside storm.

They sat by the fire with medical journals and drinks – and smores, in Baz’s case. When Charlie entered, they gave her their full attention.

They were genuinely happy to see her return.

They still believed in her, it seemed.

Not that she should be surprised, she reminded herself.

But she was a little.

She’d forgotten how it felt to be the prodigy, not the shattered impersonation of one.

Baz couldn’t contain his excitement and even went as far as to buy her bourbon in celebration, “I’m so happy you’re back! We’ve missed you, Charlie. It hasn’t been the same without you.”

“He tells the truth,” June confirmed, looking a little amused with her colleague’s enthusiasm.

Charlie didn’t know what to say, so she blushed and let Baz fill in the silence – not that he noticed. He had lots to say.

“To our star resident! You’ve been through hell and back, and we’re so proud of how far you’ve come. For you to have survived that and stand here ready to be a doctor again is brave, Charlie,” Baz emphasized in his toast, oblivious to the fact he was only making Charlie more nervous.

Charlie weakly raised her glass, tapping it against June’s and Baz’s.

June’s eyes settled on Charlie’s unsteady smile.

Which only made Charlie more unsteady.

“I can’t believe you’re really back and that Ethan didn’t even give us a warning! For weeks, he said you needed more time, and then, he surprised us. You two were probably in on it together,” Baz laughed good-naturedly, “So, are you back permanently now?”

I have no idea, she thought.

She didn’t know if she’d make it through this case, let alone if she’d take on another.

Her future was too uncertain, her confidence too shaken to answer.

“Um,” Charlie stammered, looking for an answer that didn’t expose her as a nervous wreck, “We’ll see how it works out with my remaining leave, I guess,” she answered noncommittally.

It was the wrong answer.

Too uncommitted. Not enough enthusiasm. Recognizable nerves.

It exposed something that Charlie wanted to hide. It showed how little she controlled this situation, how little she controlled everything. She didn’t know what would happen or what she wanted to happen. It was such a stark contrast from the determined, headstrong intern she’d once been.

If Baz noticed, he took it in stride and said he hoped she would be back full time soon. Then, he started telling her about all she’d missed – leaving out Levi, of course.

June noticed, though.

She sensed Charlie’s unease, and as a result, she stared. And studied.

Charlie became increasingly uncomfortable as the subject of June’s fascination. She felt like she might crack, like June would see through her if she was given enough time.

She began to feel like an imposter trying to fill her old role, and the deception of it all made her sick.

Charlie couldn’t stay for the rest of the evening, not if she was going to survive the night.

So, Charlie finished her bourbon a little too quickly, and to Baz’s disappointment, she excused herself to review online journals on her laptop. June wasn’t surprised she was leaving, though she politely said goodnight anyway.

Maybe June suspected Charlie’s weakness all along.

Maybe she was the smart one. Maybe she saw the truth that Ethan and Baz couldn’t – that Charlie was irreparably broken.

Even with the distance of a few floors separating them, Charlie felt haunted by the exchange – and maybe even still watched by June.

Charlie wanted to prove herself. She wanted to be the old star resident again, though she wondered if she had it in her.

The research proved fascinating, though research had never been a problem for Charlie. She loved learning, and she was always captivated by cases like this. Still, Paula’s case was an enigma, and Charlie went between journals, online textbooks, and her own observations over and over until her eyes burned. When she couldn’t focus anymore, she decided to take a walk and check on Paula. With any luck, she’d gain valuable information through questioning or observation. Even if learned nothing, it would be nice to see Ethan, someone who knew about her trauma and still believed in her enough to bring her here.

Charlie was halfway to Paula’s room when she spotted a familiar face.

“Timothy?” Charlie called out.

Timothy, the patient’s son, stopped mid-stride in shock. He probably didn’t think that anyone else in this hotel knew him.

“I’m one of your mom’s doctors,” Charlie explained quickly, hoping to put him at ease.

It worked. Timothy relaxed a bit, though he remained rigid enough to protect the cup of herbal tea he was carrying. Another mug for his mom, Charlie suspected. She worried that this meant her symptoms were getting worse.

“I’m on your way to your mother’s room. Do you mind if I walk with you?” Charlie asked. During the interview, Timothy had been more forthcoming than his mother, and if Paula became more uncooperative, he would be their only hope. And she worried for the boy. It had to be scary to watch something like this happen to your mother.

Timothy agreed, and they walked together quietly. After a few quiet moments, Charlie commented, “That’s very sweet of you to bring your mother some tea. You’ve been a very good caretaker, Timothy. That’s brave of you, and I want you to know you’re doing a good job, though you should also take care of yourself tonight.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’m used to it,” Timothy said sheepishly, looking into the cup of tea with a shy smile.

Charlie’s interest was piqued.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just mom and me at home, so I take care of her.”

“What do you take care of, Timothy?”

Timothy frowned like he’d said something wrong.

“We’re here to help,” Charlie assured him, “So if she has a condition you’ve been helping her with, it’s okay. Just let us know. It may be interacting with or causing her current ailment.”

Timothy looked at Charlie thoughtfully. Almost too thoughtfully.

Charlie was sure there was something he wanted to tell her, or at least something he should tell her.

But all he said was, “It’s nothing really. We’re doing better now.”

Better from what? she thought.

Timothy suddenly looked down and frowned further.

“Is something wrong?”

“I forgot my bag in the lobby when I went to make the tea….”

“I can go get it for you.”

“No,” Timothy insisted too quickly.

Charlie was startled.

“Well, I can bring the tea if you want….” Charlie offered, her voice soft.

“She wouldn’t take it from you,” Timothy shook his head, his eyes softer now. Almost like he was apologetic for his mom’s violent dislike of doctors.

Charlie didn’t want to let Timothy go, especially when he was clearly hiding something, but he insisted she go ahead to the room without him. Not wanting to alienate him, Charlie reluctantly complied.

Once Charlie was in Paula’s room, she almost forgot about her strange encounter with Timothy. The change in Paula was drastic. Her boisterous laughter had faded into dreary silence. She laid in the bed silent and unmoving, her face blank and cold. Even the room felt darker, like all of the energy had been drained as depression gripped the primary occupant.

Ethan was stationed in the corner of the room, and he greeted Charlie with a silent nod.

“How long has this been going on?” Charlie whispered as she approached.

“About an hour,” Ethan frowned.

“I ran into the son in the hallway. I think there’s a preexisting condition they’re hiding from us,” Charlie lowered her voice even further to keep from being heard.

“Hmm,” Ethan raised his eyebrows with intrigue.

“I’m working on it,” she assured him.

Before they could talk any further, Timothy entered with a cup of tea and a bookbag in tow. He dropped the bag by the door, letting it slouch near Ethan and Charlie as he rushed to his mother’s side to deliver the tea. His bag’s zipper was half-undone, revealing some of the contents.

Charlie couldn’t help but look.

A notebook. Headphones. Pencils and pens. What looked like a few pages of math homework. Teabags, presumably from the herbal tea.

All normal stuff for a high schooler.

Still, she tilted her head just a bit more.

Some socks. A bag of –

A bag of pills.

Charlie’s head jerked to attention.

Why would he have a bag of pills? Was he abusing them?

Charlie was about to elbow Ethan and draw his attention to it when Timothy returned for the bag, zipping it back up and slinging it over his shoulder. If he noticed her stare, he didn’t let on.

Everything that was said after that was a blur. Charlie was wracking her brain trying to mentally identify the pill, but she didn’t recognize it. If only she knew what it was, maybe she could help.

When June arrived to take her shift, Charlie took it as her opportunity to return to her room to research medications commonly used or abused by teenagers.

Ethan, oblivious to her new mission, was disappointed by how quickly she ran away. He’d been excited when she came to check on Paula. He thought she was getting back into medicine, but now she was running away from it – and him.

He’d hoped to talk to her once he was off duty.

But Charlie didn’t even realize she’d slighted him.

She spent the next forty-five minutes trying to find a match for the pill.

Nothing jumped out at her. The pill she saw didn’t seem to be commonly abused, nor was it coming up in her research. Could it be a regular vitamin? If so, why would he have it in a bag? Or was it a street drug not listed in these databases?

Without interruption, she might have spent the whole night in this fruitless search.

She was lucky Ethan knocked on the door.

Knock. Knock.

Her train of thought was rudely interrupted, she thought, and she was reluctant to abandon her computer and greet the intruder. Had there not been a patient, she might have been annoyed enough to wait for a second knock.

When she saw Ethan, her mind went back to that room – to Paula.

She forgot that there was any other reason he might be coming to see her.

Like the fact that this was her first time back to work or that he was her boyfriend.

“Are Paula and Timothy alright?” Charlie blurted out, skipping introductions as she assumed the worst.

“Oh…” Ethan was a little knocked back, “Yes. They’re fine.”

“Oh,” Charlie was relieved but now a bit confused.

He stared at her.

Didn’t she understand why he was here? Why wasn’t she inviting him inside?

For a second, she’d gotten so into her job that she’d forgotten everything else – even how much her job terrified her.

“I came to check on you,” Ethan announced finally.

This jolted Charlie’s memory, and she quickly moved back from the door, letting him enter.

Her room was smaller than his, he noted. He found himself hoping she wouldn’t sleep in it tonight. He wanted her by his side. He wanted the assurance that he hadn’t lost her by pushing her too hard.

“How are you doing?” Ethan asked as he crossed the room, silently appraising her living arrangements. By the state of the crumbled comforter, it looked like she’d been researching on her laptop for most of the night.

“Alright, I guess” Charlie murmured, a little unsure of herself.

Their case was an enigma, and their patient was rapidly detreating in a blizzard. A teen had mystery pills in his backpack. June was now studying her. All day, Charlie had been teetering between genuine passion for her job and the feeling of insufficiently filling her old role.

How well could she really be doing?

But she also couldn’t say that she was miserable. She wasn’t as sure of her decision to leave as she had been this morning, nor was she convinced that medicine was all death and destruction.

The best way to describe Charlie was unsteady. Unsure, even.

She just had to survive this case.

Ethan, unsatisfied with her answer, awkwardly paced her small hotel room. She watched.

Finally, he turned to her, and finding the courage to say the words he’d prepared for the last hour, he said, “I’ve been thinking, and I wanted to apologize. I pushed you a lot today. At the time, I thought it was right. In fact, I still think it was right, but… it wasn’t fair.”

Charlie couldn’t believe Ethan was apologizing. Any other day, she might have even gloated. But today, she squirmed, equally unnerved by the situation. Maybe even more so.

Ethan waited for her response, trying so hard to be patient but failing miserably. He couldn’t fathom that he might have misjudged her limits and ruined everything.

It felt like an eternity before she spoke.

“It’s okay… I needed to come back before I decided. Maybe not so abruptly but…” Charlie trailed off, the edge of a smile on her lips. There was a glint in her eyes, and he realized she was poking fun at him.

He was relieved.

“You’ve done really well today,” Ethan ventured, “I’m proud of you.”

Charlie shook her head sheepishly, “I barely spoke.”

“But you were listening.”

“You can’t pretend I’m the same as I was.”

“You don’t have to be the same to be a good doctor, Charlie.”

Charlie bit her lower lip as she averted her gaze.

He took that as an invitation to be bolder, “I think you should come back permanently.”

“What?” Charlie’s eyes shot back to him, the shock in her eyes verging on indignation.

“The team agrees. It’s time, Charlie,” Ethan knew he was stuck now. He couldn’t take it back or soothe the storm that was brewing.

“You spoke to the team?” her gaze grew harder.

“I wanted you to know that you had full faith in you!” Ethan explained.

“June’s already watching me like there’s something wrong with me! Now you’ve just given her more reason to study me,” Charlie shook her head, frustration rising through her veins, “Why would you do that before talking to me?”

“You need to know that we believe in you, Charlotte,” Ethan said quite defensively, “We want you on the team.”

“I haven’t even made it through this case. What makes you think I’m ready to take on another?”

“Because you’re you. You’re not even out of residency yet, and you’re pulling your weight among experts. You’re discovering preexisting conditions none of us ever knew about-“

“Of which we have no proof!” Charlie interrupted.

“You’re still closer to an answer than any of us are,” Ethan said firmly, “And even when you’re scared, like you are now, you still care. You’re a good doctor. Great, even. You’ll be better than me one day. But you’re giving up-“

“Giving up?” Charlie repeated incredulously, “That’s what you think I’m doing?”

“You have a gift!”

“I almost died,” Charlie emphasized, “Every time a patient comes in with a mystery illness and no hope, I know what that feels like. I relive the worst day of my life through their eyes, and I know I can’t save them all. And you think I’m just giving up?”

“I didn’t mean it like that, Charlie,” Ethan said, suddenly ashamed, “I’m trying to help you. I love you, and I know you love medicine. I don’t want you to lose that because of a premature decision.”

“So, you think you’re helping me by making me do what I don’t want?”

Ethan frowned, “When it feels like it’s for the best, yes… But it’ll get better.”

Charlie paused.

And then something clicked.

And the fight – and Ethan’s dumb words – were forgotten.

“Wait,” she mumbled, “Making me do what I don’t want…”

“Yes, I know, and I’m sorry. But I really am trying to help,” Ethan tried, oblivious to the shift in Charlie’s mind.

She ignored him, rushing to her computer.

“What are you doing?” Ethan asked incredulously, watching as she frantically typed something into her computer. Again, she ignored him.

Her eyes the screen until they landed on the pill she’d seen in Timothy’s bag.

“I know what’s wrong with Paula.”

Ethan dropped his defensive stance and rushed to her side, hoping he’d understand by looking at her screen. But all he saw was a medication.

“There’s a bag of lithium in Timothy’s backpack. He said he’s been taking care of her for a long time but that she got better recently. I think he’s drugging her with this.”

“Her mood swings…” Ethan’s jaw almost dropped.

“He’s probably been trying to treat her for bipolar disorder on his own. You saw how she was with doctors. I doubt she would have gone in for treatment,” Charlie felt a knot form in her stomach. Even though she was sure of her hypothesis, she hoped it wasn’t true.

“And they gave her ibuprofen to treat her head injury,” Ethan swallowed heavily.

“We have to get her to a hospital.”

“And talk to Timothy.”

As if reading each other’s minds, they abandoned the laptop in Charlie’s room and raced to Paula’s room where they found Timothy waiting by his sleeping mother, looking exhausted but sleepless with worry.

Unfortunately, Charlie’s theory was correct.

Timothy confessed, and Charlie’s heart broke as they explained the repercussions of his actions as well as the severity of what he had done wrong. She felt for him, for what he must have gone through to think such action was necessary. But she couldn’t excuse his decision to medicate her without her consent, especially given the consequences. The lithium and ibuprofen combined to form a disastrous chain reaction, one that lasted even after they discovered the cause.

It took hours for the storm to clear enough for the helicopters to take Paula to the hospital.

While they waited, Charlie and Ethan sat in his room – a romantic suite with a view of the snowy mountains. It felt like a waste now. A romantic night they could have had, if Charlie hadn’t solved such a sad mystery. She was tired, though she wouldn’t admit it. At some point, she drifted to sleep, and Ethan held her, his fingers running through her hair as he kissed her temple and quietly congratulated her on her solve.

“I always knew you’d be the one to solve it,” he whispered.

“Why?” she murmured, “Were you holding back?”

“No, because you’re smarter than me,” he chuckled.

Charlie was smiling when she fell asleep.

When she woke up, the mood had shifted back to panic.

The helicopter on its way, and the team needed to follow. June and Baz took the helicopter with Paula and Timothy, and Ethan and Charlie drove the car back once the roads opened. The team called a few times to share updates and ask for advice.

But for most of the drive, Ethan held Charlie’s hand in silence.

The case was over.

She could back to her life in the apartment where she hid from the world and pushed herself just a little day by day, building her tolerance safely. She could tell Ethan he was wrong. Or she could stay.

And the truth was… she couldn’t imagine going back now.

Not now that she remembered what it was like on the good days – ones where she made the solve and saved the day. Ones where she realized she made a difference, that she solved things other people couldn’t.

It was okay to be scared.

Even as the words were on the tip of her tongue, she was terrified.

“My answer is yes.”

Ethan’s eyes momentarily drifted from the road to her, “What?”

“To your question last night. I want to come back permanently.”

Ethan felt like he could crash the car out of pure shock.

“Are you sure?”

“I mean… not really. I’m scared, but I think it’s time,” Charlie nodded her head, trying to project the confidence she wanted to once more possess.

“We can wait for you if you need more time,” Ethan assured her, struggling to keep his eyes on the highway and not right at her.

“I know,” Charlie confirmed, “But now is the time. I can’t retire, and I can’t wait forever to go back. I’ll never be 100% ready, so I just have to jump in.”

Ethan’s heart was beating so fast that Charlie felt it as she held his hand.

“Are you really, really sure?” Ethan clarified just one more time.

“Yes,” Charlie laughed, a smile lingering on her lips.

He looked at her. Briefly, of course. He was driving, after all.

And then his face broke out in a face-splitting grin.

“I’m so proud of you, Rookie,” he brought her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles, “You’re amazing! I love you! I love you so much.”

His happiness was infectious. So infectious that she forgot about the fear.

And she laughed.

“You haven’t called me Rookie in a long time,” she squeezed his hand softly, and he cast a sideways glance at her.

“Do you still like being called Rookie?”

“Yes,” she smiled so warmly it practically radiated off of her.

And he loved her. He really did.

“Well then, I love you, Rookie,” he smirked, “And I owe you a romantic ski vacation.”

“Bold of you to assume I know how to ski.”

“And I owe you ski lessons, I suppose,” he murmured affectionately.

“You also owe me a kiss when we stop this car,” Charlie added.

He looked over at her – and quite recklessly because they were doctors and knew what could happen when young lovers were stupid on highways – he kissed her. Quickly, of course. Softly. But lovingly.

And even if she regretted it tomorrow and the world caved again, she was glad she was back today.

[riofann]

Rio Random 2.0

Part 1 

Once again you and Aunt Brenda are at a tennis tournament. It had been weeks since your last interaction with Rio 

“So what’s going on with you and that fine young thing what’s his name?”

“Don’t know who you’re talking about” you fib 

“You know that one with the tattoos” 

You sigh “Rio Aunt Brenda?”

“Yes, yes him. Mr.Rio”

You shrug “I don’t know.... nothing”

“Have you even tried talking to the man” by now she knew the details of how you two met and how you three found yourself in this situation 

“I don’t want to be lied to” 

“You never know he might tell you the truth honey” she retorts playfully hitting your arm 

“No he lied for so long what’s the difference now?”

“Maybe the difference is that he no longer has to lie and you two can move forward”

“Can we just watch the match”

She puts her hands up “Sure sure but it would be a shame to let that go”

Your head whips around and now you’re beyond irritated. It was hard enough trying to get over him, her talking about him wasn’t helping “It was a shame for him to lie to me whose side are you on?” 

“Yours! Yours! I'm sorry honey. I just want to see you happy” she soothes sensing your irritation 

You’re shoulders slump and you lean into her “I know”

“Just reach out” 

You take in a deep breath as you think about it. 

~~~~~You took the leap of faith and did as Brenda instructed you two were to meet at the local restaurant a little upscale, quiet and private. However you find yourself wanting to curse him out the second you see him.

He rushes over “heeyyy mama” he says smiling at you

You cut your eyes at him “30 minutes!” you scold

He chuckles “I’m sorry”

“30 minutes Rio and you couldn't send a text, been blowing me up to meet and then you show up 30 minutes late?!.... wow”

He leans over and kisses your cheek “tranquilo mami”

He knows what that does to you and immediately you take in a deep breath and blow out slowly 

“I'm sorry okay i was handling something” he says as he seats across from you 

“Okay”

“You look good” he compliments

“Order your food!” you bark now hangry

“Si mami”

“Don’t” you roll your eyes 

He chuckles “my bad my bad”

You sit and watch as the waiter walks up and he orders his food putting his phone face down he leans back on his chair “so what’chu wanna talk to me about?”

You shrug “Nothing now”

“Come on I said i'm sorry” He gets up and pulls the chair closer to you, so instead of sitting across from you, now he was to the right of you. 

“Why didn't you send a text?”

“I couldn't”

“Why not?”

He leans forward, staring you down “Y/N”  he gives you a look “cuz i couldn’t” 

And for a moment you had forgotten who he was and what he did

“Oh” you utter coming to the realization of just why he couldn’t 

“Yea I’m sorry I’ll make it up to you” 

“Okay”

“So......” he drawls leaning back in his chair, taking a sip of his drink 

“Sooo you dance and play tennis?”

He smiles “yea calms my nerves”

“What could possibly make you nervous you're Rio”

“You have no idea” He smirks 

“What else?”

“What else what?” 

“What else do you do that I don't know” 

“I prefer you don’t find out and I’m not bout to tell you” 

You roll your eyes “Anyway....Why did you lie to me?”

“So you don’t have any other hobbies”

“I prefer you find out the natural way, I don’t want to have to tell you” 

“It's complicated”

“We have time......” you say as you cut the appetizer with your knife and fork “....or do you have something else to prioritize” you speak with an attitude laced in your words.  He hates to admit it but he missed your sass. It was always funny to him the pencil pushing good girls had the worst mouth on them. 

He smirks and sits up straight. “I’m here”

“So I was some sort of front?” you had slowly pieced things together however you didn't know why 

“Yea at the beginning but not anymore”

You can’t help but roll your eyes “Please”

He sits up and leans closer to you “Stop rollin yo eyes at me” he speaks so calmly but there's a threat lying underneath that tone 

You huff “Fine” 

“I aint lying to you tho”

You look at him for a moment before you decide to speak again and resist the urge to roll your eyes. It's more difficult than you imagined. Your facial expressions were a main form of communication for you. 

“So what are you gonna do about Krystal?”  What was he really going to do about apparently being in another relationship with another woman simultaneously?

“Ima take care of it” 

“I don’t know! maybe” you argue 

“How?” you snap, he raises his brow at you before taking another sip of his drink,  you pause before you speak again “.... Maybe you shouldn't..... maybe if you talk to her.... I don't know.... reconcile” 

“You sayin  i should go back to her?”

“Nah she ain’t for me” 

“And I am? I don't know your world!” you comment

“I don't want you to”

“So how can we be together if you only show me a part of you?”

He leans forward again, speaking slowly to add emphasis “Y/N, I don’t want you to. I just want you there I don't want you to ever feel like you gotta pick up a gun to prove a point or protect yourself”

You take a deep breath “and you think i won’t have to do that eventually?” 

He looks at you with his typical nonchalant  face “nah i got you” 

“I don't get it why did you even fall for me if I was just a facade?”

“I didn’t plan this shit. It just happened plus i got tired of feeling like all i did was take care of business 24/7. Who wants to be talking about cappin someone 24/7? I couldn’t even have my son around me when she was there! Plus I trust you. I trust you more than her and even tho she knows that side of my life i know you wont sell me to the wolves” 

You leave it at that because you feel like he would never tell you the truth, and you also felt like he was talking in circles, so you choose to proceed with caution. 

As soon as you arrived home later in the day you’re tired and ready to go to bed. Too many mixed emotions. Did you like Rio? Yes, Did you think your relationship would ever evolve into something more? No? Maybe? What is your relationship with him ? Side chick? Booty Call? FWB? BF/GF?  

“Hey!” You hear from behind you as your place the key in the door lock

“It’s okay, what's up? Why are you here?” you remember what Rio had said about her

Your body jumps, a natural reaction seeing that you were deep in thought and unaware of your surroundings “Oh my god!” The familiar voice however reduces the panic you’re feeling “You scared me!” you turned to face Krystal

“I’m sorry” 

“Oh I just decided to pay you a visit, mind if i come in?” she flashed you that smile, you were beginning to hate it

“Sure!”  you opened the door and let her in first “want something to drink?”

“Here you go!” 

“Yea what you got?”

“Liquor, wine”

“Oooh do you have Bourbon?”

“Yes”

“Bourbon on the rocks” Your mind flashes back and you remember all the times Rio had ordered Bourbon on the rocks and it made you sick, to think the entire time he was there with you his mind was with her

“Thanks!,” she pats at her leg “come here sweety” she speaks to your dog ‘Coconut’, instead of walking over Coconut looks between you two and opts to lay at your feet. “Ugh my dog does the same thing” 

“So why are you here again?” You were over this ‘visit’ already

“Have you talked to Rio lately?”

You find it odd that she would ask about Rio the same day you had lunch with him “Yea, had lunch today” no need to lie she probably knew 

“Hmm” she hums as she takes a sip of her drink “did he talk to you?”

“About?”

“Me and him?” she looks at you wearily, playing with the glass in her hand

You shrug “Umm just said you two were exes” 

You close the door and look at Coconut who barks at you from the stairs, “I know, i feel the same” 

She perks up, smiling at you “oh yea!” she takes a deep breath  “I’m sorry I should have told you but I didn’t, we are really good friends and I got caught up in the moment, I was drunk” you take note of her quick change in behavior, if they were truly exes she would have told you before she even introduced you two 

“It’s okay”

Quickly she finishes her drink without saying much else other than“Well i should probably get going it's late”

“Yea thanks for stopping by” you couldn’t wait for her to leave

“Yea! See you around” 

You opt to not even text Rio about Krystal's pop up at your house for all you know they were still seeing each other. However the ‘pop ups’ between Krystal and Rio were becoming a bit much. Weeks of them simultaneously showing up out of nowhere just to ‘chat’ were becoming unbearable.  By now it was obvious they were both stalking you. 

 The doorbell rang as you and Rio sat by the kitchen island ‘chatting’ it up. You hopped down and rushed towards down the steps in your split level home

“Hey!” you force a smile as Krystal walks in “We are waiting for you upstairs”

“We?” she turned to look at you from the foyer 

“Do you want what he has? Bourbon on the rocks” 

“Yea just keep going” you motion for her to climb the steps

It was as much as a surprise to her as it was to Rio seeing each other there

Rio runs his hand over his face settling it on his chin massaging it to ease his irritation. 

“Uh sure!” she says carefully placing her purse on the counter

“I'M SICK OF THIS SHIT! THIS TALKING IN CIRCLES! CONTINUOUSLY LYING TO ME! USING ME TO GET INTEL ON EACH OTHER!” 

“You can sit next to him you don’t have to act like he’s a stranger”

“Y/N” Rio begins but you cut him off

“SO! I don’t know what’s going on with you two! But I’m tired of the fucking pop ups! I don’t need to be scared half to death every fucking time one of you decides to pay me a visit! I don’t know how I’m connected to whatever fucking plot you two are concocting but i don’t want any parts of it”

“There’s no..” Krystal interjects, which only makes you even more angry and you just let it all out. So much for being calm cool and collected 

Both Rio and Beth look at each other 

“Sweety it's not like that” 

“DON’T FUCKING CALL ME SWEETY BITCH” 

Krystal in turn looks to Rio to fix the problem

You take a deep breath to calm down, you were getting too worked up you could feel yourself getting ready to cry. “I don’t care! i just want both of you to know I’m done with both of you go find another pansy to fuck around with!” you turn to Rio and face him dead on “Go find another woman to fuck with while you lie about how much you “care” about her!  Now GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE AND NEVER CALL OR PAY ME A VISIT AGAIN” 

Krystal alarmed by your yelling, is quick to grab her things, she never expected this to happen. Rio slowly eases down from his seat and grabs his keys before leaving. He was beyond furious at the moment. 

“Y/N can we just” Krystal tries to bargain again

“GET OUT!” It comes out as a high pitched shriek  

When they both leave you slam the door and lock it. You know it wasn’t the end of whatever was going on but at least you stood up for yourself. And now you can finally let go and let the tears out 

Your dog Coconut groans and you nod in response, pulling her in for a hug. 

“Rio!” Krystal calls as she rushes to his side

“WHAT DO YOU WANT?” his jaw is tight hands in his pockets

“We need to talk” 

“NO! YOU NEED TO GO HOME! I TOLD YOU I WAS HANDLING IT”

“I know but,” 

~~~~~The rest of the week you didn’t hear anything from both of them however the following week after you arrive to work, parking your car in its usual spot you get out of hear the infamous Rio speak causing you to spin around 

“BUT NOTHING GO HOME AND LEAVE HER THE FUCK ALONE!”

He got in his car and slammed the door before driving away.  

“What are you doing here?”

“Get in the car we need to talk” he’s calm like always.

“NO! I have to work!” you stand your ground

“Y/N, I wasn’t asking”

“I don’t care! Leave me alone!” 

“I have to work Rio!” Without saying anything he starts to walk over to you. “Okay, okay, I’ll get in” you walk past him quickly and hear huff leave his mouth before he opens the door for you, you slide into the seat, you watch as he gets in his seat. He doesn’t even look at you but you can tell he’s still vexed. Jaw is still tight with a firm grip on the steering wheel. You don’t say anything but look out the window as you drive to an unknown location in town. It was a warehouse. You take a deep breath expecting this to be your last memory. 

He removed his hands from his pockets, this time placing them in front of him, he squints a little looking at you before he decides to speak  “get in the car or I’m gonna come over there and put you in the car”

“I’m gonna scream!” you threaten

He takes a few steps forward, which only caused you to retreat back “I don’t give a fuck! GET IN THE CAR!” he says more sternly and you would be lying if that didn’t frighten you

He scoffs “I’m not gonna kill you, if that’s what you’re thinking” 

How did he always know what you were thinking? 

“How long is this gonna take?” you ask looking around

“You might as well say you can’t make it in today”

You quickly text your boss and your car problems evolve into a bigger issue thankfully she understands and you feel at ease for now. You walk closely behind him as you approach the warehouse you can hear the chatter as you approach the building, when you do step in you're surprised to see a restaurant. 

The smell of coffee and pancakes fill the place. The young girl seats you two by the kitchen. You look around in awe, you had no idea this place even existed.  The place had an open kitchen concept so you could see the chefs and cooks working their magic and if you chose you could sit by the counter and watch. 

“Hi Welcome to The Barnyard! How many?”

“Two” Rio answers

“Sure” you answer apprehensively 

“You’re waitress will be Alyssa she’ll be with you shortly”

“Thanks”

“Hungry?” he knew you didn’t eat breakfast 

You two order and eat not without saying anything to each other. Once you’re done he gets up and motions with his head for you to follow him. You walk towards the back past the kitchen, past the employee locker room/bathroom, take a turn into the backroom where the bus boys cleaned the dishes,  past the huge walk in freezer and stop in front of a door where Rio knocks. The guy opens immediately, the door was heavy, like one of those safe doors you see in banks. You take a glance at the man on the other side of the door,  he looks meaner and scarier than Mick you thought to yourself. You continue to walk down a few steps that seem to be taking you underground to another door where Rio knocks once again and the same door as upstairs, when you step in, you walk into what seems like a huge operation. Your eyes take it all in on one side there are people counting money on the other they’re bagging it. Not to mention what seemed like illicit drugs being packaged.  Rio takes a seat by the table and watches.You sit down next to him and try to absorb it all. He doesn’t say anything for what seems like forever. 

“You said you wanted to know what i did so here you go”

You turned to face him “why are you showing me all of this, now?” 4 months you dated this man and you thought he was a local drug dealer who made it big, this was cartel level operations 

“Things have changed, I might be wrong in my approach to keep you in the dark, and we need to talk,”  he removes his jacket and takes out his gun, placing it on the table “Krystal isn’t who you think she is,

“I know you told me that” 

“Remember when she kept handing you zip-lock bags at the school luncheon, yea they all got your fingerprints. Bags filled to the brim with coke and heroin. There's a few storage keys hidden in your house, the feds would find those too, it would lead them to a local storage where they would find more money and drugs, your fingerprints are on those too. I asked you to hold on to them for me.”

“Her name is Beth Boland, you are a front. But it’s much deeper than that,” with his fingers he makes quotation marks “ ‘Krystal’ and I have an operation we are business partners, ended up fucking, emotions got thrown in the mix. She put 3 bullets in me.”  He stops himself from, feeling like he’s getting carried away. “Anyway the feds started to question her connection to me, she got nervous, and came up with the plan of you, you would be my “girlfriend” while we continued to work and fuck.  If the Feds started to look deeper they would see that the only reason she would be around me is because of you. But you being my girl wasn’t enough so we decided to plant some evidence in your house”

“What?!” 

Your heart sinks

“You were going to be the fall guy and that would in turn get the feds off of her ass, my ass too for now at least” 

You knew you were a front but this, you didn’t think it would be this, how could you be so stupid. 

“But Beth ‘Krystal’  is becoming more of a problem, plus i can’t just over look my feelings for you” 

“What feelings? Why did you even? Feelings?”  

“I told you i didn't plan it!” irritation spewed out in his tone, but it was more so at himself than you “I care about you mama, you my girl” 

You think about all the times you spent together, the few sexcapades you had, you feel sick to think it was all just part of the process, he was just going through the motions, whose to say he isn’t now? Maybe things are taking too long and he’s waiting for you to hang yourself with this new information. 

“You can ask me whatever you want, I ain’t got shit to hide anymore, plus I figured its the least I can do” 

“When did you start feeling differently, towards me?”

“About 2 months in” 

2 months?! That's all it took was two lousy months, for him to ‘care’ about you? You knew you were naivety but how stupid did he think you were? 

You contemplate calling the cops, FBI, hell the FBI would believe you wouldn't they? They already knew about them you were an innocent party

“I can see you thinking, just know if you go to the cops, they’ll do an investigation and since majority of them are on my payroll they won’t find nothing on her, they’ll instead turn their attention to you, with all that coke and heroin in your home, you wont see the light of day ever again. So whatever you’re thinking just know if Beth goes down, I go down and I’m not gonna let that happen whether you like it or not.”  There’s that Grade A ‘CARE’ you say to yourself 

You nod and wipe your tears away

“But I’m working on it.” 

You scoff, what could he possibly be working on other than nailing the last nail in your coffin

“If i wasn’t trust me you would be in jail right now” 

You swallow hard. This was a lot to process. You want to ask what he’s working on to get the target off your back but you don’t all you can think of is how you were one call away from being thrown in federal prison on drug trafficking charges. 

He doesn't say anything else and for the rest of the time you are in that warehouse you sit quietly just absorbing everything that was happening. A few men stop by to talk to him but he doesn’t introduce you, you sit there listening to the conversation. Even if the feds were to interview you right now, you wouldn’t know what the conversation was about. It was in code and so vague that you couldn’t piece anything together.  By the time you leave it's getting dark and you wouldn’t even remember how to get there. He pulls up to your car parked in the parking deck at work and gets out the car to open the door for you. You wanted to hop out and run to your car but you're frozen. 

“Y/N” he calls to you bringing your attention back to him “i’m working on it, i just need you to trust me”

You nod in response feeling the tears threatening to fall you begin to walk away but he grabs your arm lightly pulling you back 

“Her and Mick are there weekly and Mick leaves things a certain way if you go looking he will know, she will know, I’m trying to fix it mama i just need time, i just need you to operate as usual”

“You can’t go searching for them or she’ll know”

You give him a confused look 

You pushed him away, pulling your arm from his grip “Okay” you were done with him for the day, being around him made you sick, he literally plotted your demise and for the most part didn’t care about you, until recently. 

When you arrive home you look around and before you can stop yourself you rush over to the bathroom and throw up. When you've calmed down from your panic attack you walk around your home afraid to touch anything feeling like you were in a ticking time bomb, afraid that would be the reason the feds rushed over to your place. 

A/N: As always please tell me what you think! 

[adcres]

         howdy hey , pardnerrrs :> i’m rox ( she / her ) ‘n i’ll be playing yr residential sullen broodin’ boy , nico . i didn’t have the time to write out a whole new intro , given that i have back to back classes again today :-’( , so please forgive me for recycling his old intro akawodkgrsd ; . that being said , i did tweak around some tingz and i updated his wcs for him , so if yr down to clown around just hmu on my discord :   𝔰𝔴𝔢𝔢𝔱 𝔦𝔫𝔰𝔬𝔪𝔫𝔦𝔞#2854 !  okie okie , i’ll shut da eff up now ♡ 

BASICS.

༉‧₊˚✧ kim taehyung , cis man , he / him / his — did you see that nicholas “nico” yoon was trending last night ? the twenty three year old street artist has been getting a lot of press lately . i think it’s due to them being so + quixotic & + free-spirited , but i always thought they seemed - withdrawn & - sybaritic . their fans always say they remind them of soft smoke rings spun in a dreamy haze , silver-ringed fingers rapping against polished oak , and waning light refracting against broken glass though . i wonder if they’ve found out about REDACTED yet … i guess we’ll have to wait and see . [ rox , 22 , pst , she / her , none ]

PINTEREST & PLAYLIST .

01 and 02 .

PERSONALITY .

at first glance , nico reads as this aloof , arrogant type that doesn’t like to associate w the common public . always keeping the majority of people at a comfortable distance , nico moves almost exclusively within his own social network , and doesn’t like to deviate from what he knows best .  

not so much pretentious as he is lazy , making an effort to socialize with complete strangers is simply something that nico would never do . hehe ... he’s kind of shy like that .... ♡ though he’d literally never admit it ♡

despite giving the impression that he’s some intimidating and chronically indifferent kind of guy , nico is genuinely a sweet boy — ‏‏‎ one who’s in a constant state of confusion as to why people seem to be so scared of him . it always comes as a shock when close friends of his admit that they thought he absolutely hated their guts when they first met him .

b/c tho he’s p smart , nico is very oblivious at times , and he’s 100% the kind of guy who’ll walk away from a conversation thinking he did a rly rly good job trying to make a friend ... when in reality he prob said four words in the span of thirty minutes smh .

overall , nico’s a private person , especially with what he’s thinking ... and it’s really hard to get a clear read on what’s on his mind . sharing his feelings has never been one of nico’s interests b/c he just genuinely doesn’t think whatever he has to say is rly worth mentioning . so he usually just shuts da fuck up n lets other ppl talk so he can mentally gain the strength to continue socializing .

push nico’s buttons enough tho ‘n you’ll catch this mf speaking in full sentences .

lastly , it should b noted that nico is a romantic through n through ... this mf probably d*ed in the victorian era ‘n got reincarnated b/c he’s got that ‘ lets share furtive glances across the room but never say a thing to each other  ‘ thing on lock . mr. darcy headass

and while nico might play the role of long-suffering , ever pining lover to a T , he’s more in love w / the idea of love than he is w / any single person . and he literally cannot hold down a relationship w/o fucking it up for himself in some shape or form .

kind of sarcastic ... v much the teasing type .... 

can b very impulsive at times , loves to go on solo adventures at night , prefers his own company tbh ...

overview : melancholic , reticent , noncommittal , humble , mild-mannered , romantic .

a mix of : josh from clueless and j.d. from heathers

more here .

MORE AESTHETICS.

the chill of silver jewelry against flushed skin , forgotten graffiti on porcelain sinks , flickering motel lights , kisses sticky with vodka , eyes ringed with lavender , sleepless nights surrendered to the dull buzz of television , obscure art house films , sun-kissed cheeks , the surprise of summer rain , chest aching with lost loves , scattered baby’s breath and rosemary , and a shared smile between perfect strangers .

CHARACTER DISSERTATION.

nico was born on a brisk wintry morning in the fashion district of los angeles ( january 21st , 1997 ) to a family of six .

as the second youngest child , and the only male son to boot , nico grew up with his only inheritance being a generational kind of hunger , one that demanded for more than what his struggling parents could offer

the arts stole nico at an early age ... ushering him into a world of creation and freedom beyond the four bleak walls he daily occupied . from spending lonely summers tucked away in some forgotten corner in the library to practicing on a borrowed violin from dawn to dusk , nico knew that even with nothing at his disposal , there was always something to be made w/ the tools he’d been given  

despite not having the money for private tutors to hone their son’s growing artistic talents , his parents did whatever they could to support his dreams , whether that meant working double shifts back to back or scrounging for loose change underneath the sofa cushions to pay for whatever materials nico needed .

it was in this strange way that nico grew up p spoiled . somehow having nothing while also having absolutely everything at the same time .

very much a family man , the first big purchase nico made once he broke out in hollywood was a house in beverly hills for his parents . now that he’s finally at a place where he can take care of his family , nico makes sure that his parents and sisters want for nothing

while he showers everyone else with generous gifts and obscene amounts of money , nico doesn’t particularly feel comfortable doing the same for himself . he’s a simple man through n through . one who’s content to spend his time walking his dog late at night , listening to a podcast on his airpods , instead of going out to a club w/ other well-known socialites .

a true artist at heart , nico refuses to conform to the current trends of hollywood , instead insisting on wearing thrifted clothes to important galas — ‏‏‎much to the frustration of his PR team and the chagrin of his stylists . but none of the choices nico makes seems to surprise anyone anymore . driving flashy cars and wearing designer clothes has never really been his style , after all . and it’s important to him that he remain authentically himself despite everything .

WANTED CONNECTS.

pr relationship ( open ) : someone that nico is contractually obligated to date ... i could totally see there being drama ‘n tension from having to pretend to actually like each other ... would b better if they rly did not like each other at all ... 

fwb ( open ) : buddies who bump uglies sometimes ... they both agreed they’d never catch feelings for each other but we’ll see ... 

frenemies ( open ) : someone that grinds nico’s gears but they’re a friend of his friend ... so they’re forced to keep it civil . i can see them exchanging hateful comments in the back of their friend’s car while simultaneously posting pics of each other on ig to keep up the rouse . 

unrequited crush ( open ) : likely nico would not realize if yr muse had a crush on them ... but it’d be fun to play it out like a kdrama anyway heh heh

a close friend group ( open / any ) : i thought it’d b so cute if there was like a small group of friends , maybe 3-4 ppl , that do stupid shit like ditch going to celebrity after-parties to break into abandoned buildings , get real high , ask stupid ‘ would u rather ‘ questions , and do sum main character type shit ... yk what im puttin down ... ‘n nico is def the type to open up in the presence of extroverts so i think having a group of wild outsiders of diff bgs would b v inch resting ..

enemies / rivals ( open / any ) : tbh nico prob rubs ppl the wrong way since he has resting bitch face ‘n never wants to talk to anyone .. so im sure there r ppl who just do not like this mf ... and rest assured that the feeling is mutual ...

bad / good influence ( open / any ) : nico’s known to mount his high horse often ... mr morality over here ... so i just know he prob would butt heads w/ the residential troublemaker . tho nico’s artwork can be controversial and out of the box at times , his art style and his personality are at constant odds , and it’d b interesting to have that bad influence / good influence dynamic w/ someone .

family friend ( open ) : someone who grew up w/ nico in dtla ... couldve gone to the same public school as him ... or their families couldve gone to the same church ...

ok my intro post has become a fucking behemoth so im going to stop here ‘n just say i have so many more wcs in mind so if u wanna plot lets just talk hehe :>

[firegrilled]

Mommas’ Boys - Part 7

@erejeanweek2k19​ Prompt: Roommates

Summary: Celine Kirschtein knew of Eren’s tendencies to be bold in his decisions once he made up his mind, but she never expected to be ont eh receiving end of it when he decides he wants to marry Jean. Thankfully Carla is there to help guide her son in the right direction :D

Part 1 | Part 8 End

“So tell me, what are your plans once you graduate?” Celine dared to ask, causing Jean and Eren to pale. She poked her fork around the remnants of her salad in a vain attempt to scrape up another mouthful. “You graduate from Sina University in a semester, surely either of you have something lined up. You can’t stay in that terrible apartment together forever.”

“Uh… I’m still applying to potential jobs but I kind of want to take a break to spread my wings before I get chained down,” Jean answered, earning a frown from his mom.

“That’s all well and good but it’s important to get a few practice interviews in there,” Carla advised. “I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t say I did something similar before I married Eren’s father.”

Eren paused briefly before shoving a large piece of steak into his mouth.

Jean gave him a deadpan stare.

“Seriously? What part of don’t bite off more than you can chew don’t you get? I know it’s all you’ve ever done but get a grip,” Jean chastised Eren in front of their mothers.

Eren growled back while he chewed his food.

“Thank you, Jean. I’m glad you’ve been trying to be such a good influence on him,” Carla smiled fondly. “Also thank you treating us to such a nice dinner.”

Blushing at the compliment, Jean scratched the back of his head. “It’s the least we could do for our two biggest supporters.”

“Oh hush,” Celine giggled, waving her hand in front of her. “We’re your mothers, it’s what we do.”

“Even if we never expected you two to make it four years as a couple,” Carla shrugged.

“Mom!” Eren whined, his cheeks reddening.

“What? When you two always fought as kids I just never would’ve guessed-”

“Please stop,” Eren practically begged his mom, earning another chuckle from Celine.

Before he could be embarrassed, Jean stood up.

“If you would excuse me, I’m going to the bathroom. Be right back,” Jean stated as he pushed his chair in. He leaned over Eren and tousled his hair quickly before running off, just as Eren tried to grab his arm.

“What did I say about touching my head?” Eren called after him in a huff, crossing his arms when he got a playful smirk from his boyfriend.

“You two are adorable,” Celine commented, laughing at the display with Carla.

“Yeah, I’m gonna marry him,” Eren declared, grinning.

Carla and Celine both stopped, dropping their cutlery. They blinked a few times until Eren noticed their change in demeanor.

“Excuse me?” Celine asked, a bit flabbergasted by the sudden statement.

Carla pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head.

“Eren, honey, did you just now decide this?” Carla wondered, a bit more versed in her son’s habits.

“Yeah, why?” Eren faced his mom wearing a puzzled expression.

“Then please don’t ask him when he returns.”

Furrowing his brow, an offended look made its way onto Eren’s face. “Why?”

“For starters you need a ring, but also because you should make the proposal special. Oh and you need to ask Celine for permission first, you are trying to wed her son after all,” Carla advised, counting with her fingers as she stated each fact.

Eren turned to face Celine, his face suddenly serious.

“Ms. Kirschtein, can I please marry your son?” Eren asked.

“No, not like that!” Carla sighed. “Don’t ask like you wanna go on a date with him. Tell her why!”

Celine bit back a smile at Carla’s commentary. She knew of Eren’s rather straightforward yet blunt way of speaking but Celine never anticipated being on the receiving end of it.

“Jean has made me so happy over the last few years and I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him. I’d like to have your approval,” Eren tried again, leaning forward over the table to get loser to Celine.

Fighting back some tears, Celine nodded. In a quiet voice she replied, “Yes, you definitely have my permission.”

Celine fanned herself with her hands while Eren fell back into his chair and cheered.

“Hell yeah!” Eren all but shouted in the restaurant, drawing the attention of everyone around them.

When they noticed all eyes on them, Celine and Eren tried to regain their composure in time for Jean to return. He quirked an eyebrow as he sat down, wary of all the eyes on them.

“Why is everyone staring at us?”

---

“Thank you and have a wonderful day,” Celine replied in her best saccharine sweet tone as the camera on her laptop turned off. She quickly hung up the phone before sinking into her leather chair and letting out a deep breath. “God I hate Monday meetings. Carla, how many do I have left?!”

A familiar head poked into her office, wearing a tiny smile. “Another three hours, Ms. Kirschtein.”

“I’m getting too old for this,” Celine said, tilting her head back in exasperation. She winced when her ringtone suddenly went off. Almost chucking her phone into the nearby trashcan, she paused when she recognized the caller id. “Erwin?”

“Hey Celine, it’s time. Can you and Carla hurry to my office?” Erwin asked.

Celine’s eyes widened as a mixture of nervousness and joy shot through her body. She looked at her calendar and confirmed the date. “Yes! Of course, we’re on our way. Carla, cancel the rest of my meetings. It’s time!”

Carla’s eyes widened before an emotional smile spread over her face. “Sure, I’ll do it on the way.”

The two woman practically sprinted out of the bank towards Celine’s newer BMW. Carla started calling a flurry of customers while Celine sped along an old but not forgotten route. Her car arrived at Trost Prep but she parked it under a tree in the back away from prying eyes. The two mothers smiled upon seeing Celine’s old Honda parked near the entrance.

“Yo, this way,” Levi called out to the women, already waiting for them by the entrance.

“Thank you, Levi,” Carla greeted him.

Levi led them down the nostalgic corridors, though this time for a much different purpose. They passed familiar faces and teachers that waved to them. The two women returned the gestures but kept quiet on the journey to the principal’s office. They barely made it two steps in before Hanji looked and them with the biggest grin.

“Congratulations you two!”

“Not yet, Hanji. And save it for the real stars of the show today,” Celine dismissed but shared the receptionist’s enthusiasm.

Levi ushered them into Erwin’s office. Inside the principal was missing but there were already a small crowd gathered. Against one wall stood several younger adults that Celine recognized from stories that Jean told of college but she didn’t recall their names. She did recognize Marco and Armin standing next to each other holding hands, as well as Mikasa and Annie across the room from them. Both couples already wore rings.

“Alright that covers everyone. Children on the wall and moms to their station. Oh and give your best angry mom expression,” Levi advised, a tiny smile crossing his face.

Celine and Carla walked towards the desk and turned to face the door. They leaned against the desk, Celine crossing her arms while Carla rested her hands on her hips. Their eyes fell to the lone tiny blue chair in the room. A hard plastic chair meant for a first grader sat facing the desk with a tiny velvet box on it. Carla felt goosebumps crawl down her neck at the memory of this chair, or at least one like it. How many years had it been since these two mothers were first called into this office to reprimand their sons for fighting?

The fond memories faded as the sound of a ruckus and the faint roar of Erwin’s deep voice echoed outside the door.

“…coming back to this old school for what? Do you even know what the crime for trespassing is?” Erwin’s deep voice came could be heard.

“We’re sorry, we were just having a trip down memory lane! No need to call the cops, Erwin!” Jean’s pleading could be heard, earning a snort from some of his friends.

“That’s Principal Ackerman to you. Oh don’t worry, I already contacted something much worse,” Erwin warned as the knob turned.

Celine and Carla put on their best angry but also disappointed expressions as the door opened to reveal a rather flustered Jean, a disapproving Erwin, and a stoic yet defiant Eren.

Jean’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped upon seeing the two parents. “Maman? Ms. Jaeger?”

“Jean Alexandre Kirschtein, really? Breaking into your old school? I thought I raised you better!” Celine narrowed her eyes, clicking her tongue.

Jean paled at her chastisement, shrinking visibly at her words.

“Eren Jaeger, I know I raised you better,” Carla feigned anger, almost cracking a smile at her son who merely smirked at her words.

It took Jean a moment to notice the others hugging the side of the room before his head snapped from side to side to take everyone in.

“Wait, what the hell?” Jean spoke, confusion in his tone.

Eren took a few steps forward before bending down and picking up the tiny box and sitting down in the comically small chair.

“This all seemed rather fitting considering its where spent the most time together in school,” Eren briefly stated. “Jean, we’ve fought more than anyone I know yet became the best of friends and more. Every day with you has been such a fun experience and it’s not something I want to give up when we graduate. In fact, I want to experience this for the rest of my days with you if you’ll have me.”

Eren cracked open the velvet box to reveal a shiny silver band with a band of tiny blue gems inlaid around half the ring.

Taking a step back, Jean covered his mouth with both of his hands. His eyes widened as his blood ran cold, the gravity of the situation falling on his shoulders. The room stayed silent while he trembled. His hands slowly fell to show a fragile smile on his face. If any water tried to form at the edges of his eyes Jean restrained them.

“Yes, you magnificent asshole, a thousand times yes,” Jean managed to squeak a reply before dropping to his knees to embrace his new fiancé.

Their friends let out a small cheer while their mothers exchanged hugs.

Celine sniffed as she witnessed one of the happiest moments of both her’s and Jean’s life unfold.

Levi walked behind Erwin’s desk while everyone celebrated, bending down to rummage through his drawers. When he found what he was looking for he cleared his throat.

“Oi, for the new love birds,” Levi caught everyone’s attention as he slammed a bottle of Chardonnay on the desk.

Even though most of the kids exchanged confused glances, Celine and Carla were doubling over from laughter. A story to tell their sons at a later date.

To Be Continued in the Final Part

[hwoodunlocked]

THE SIDONAI MARIE INTERVIEW [ PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ⏤ 5,000 VIEWS ]  [UNCENSORED]

JL: Hey everybody I’m Jason Lee and welcome to Hollywood Unlocked. Today we have Sidonai with us to talk her music, her love life and more. Say hello Sidonai so tell the audience a little something about yourself.

SM: Wassup everybody! I’m Sidonai Marie, a new rap artsit off of Deleon’s king label. What else? Um, I’m 24-years-old and originally from the Bay but I’ve also spent some years in Sacramento. You all might be familiar with my song Icy girl or even know me from instagram.

JL: That’s interesting I actually Know Aros and when he told me. His Father signed you to his label I was thinking he must have forgotten you dated his son SIlas. Why would he willingly sign you, but We know Silas is know to bring every girl he is with around his family just break their hearts later. But before we get into the music. Why did you and Silas break up? 

SM: Simple. He messed around with a old friend. We dated for about 8 months officially but I knew him prior to dating, we had mutual friends so that’s what really brought us to even speaking. You know normally I like mines a little taller, but he was cool. I introduced him to a bird and Ion’ know who made the first move but they ended up messing around on my birthday. So being grown about the shit, I just cut both of them off, Ol’ girl has been dodging me, which is cool. I’m about my money and my career, all the extra shit come second I’m not giving nobody no free promo.

JL: I saw your little twitter beef with her, I heard she used to run around with a few girl’s know for thoting and she used to only date NBA players, but maybe she got sick of being ran through by the whole NBA and changed her type. You should have known to never let bird meet your man, because now he got her all around Deleon. But enough about the hoe tell us about what inspires you and what made you start rapping? 

SM: My inspiration stems from wanting betta’ and seeing my fans put themselves to a higher level, I make music to motivate and to vibe to. When I wrote ‘Icy girl’ I wrote it to talk my shit and build confidence. But if you’re asking who inspires me? My mom and grandma’ My grandma is so damn high maintenance  that it made me want to live just like her. But my mom was really big on Foxy and Lil Kim, that I was always listening to dope female artist. Seriously at 14, my dad would bring me around all his hood ass friends making me rap for them, anytime I would mess up or my lyrics were weak they used to rip me up and tell me next time they saw me I betta’ had sharpened up. That alone pushed me to write and recite my lyrics. eventually, they gave me my props and worked with me to get better.

JL: Being that your new to the music industry how does it feel to be now in it as a new female rapper. And speaking of music Deleon’s party did you see that fight between Avah and Kardi B and how did that make you feel?

SM: It feels amazing, sometimes I doubt myself seeing all the big names but  I let my work do the talking. I’ve met alot of older rappers in the game and It’s always love. But I know I gotta’ work twice as hard to even stand a chance. People get me confused thinking’ oh “ she from Instagram and raps” But nah’ I rap and I have a Instagram, don’t let my followers get it twisted if you’ve followed me you know I’ve been on this rap shit’ for years. But I’m taking this opportunity to build me myself come up with dope lyrics and connect. Fight? I’m not gone lie to you, I didn’t even see that shit fully, I saw a shoe get thrown and that was it, I know baby momma’ Kam would’ve probably won tho. That’s really all I can comment on.

JL: I mean Kardi can win a fight but Avah got lawyers for days so she would have lost that finically. You know Deleon got Kardi in that 360 deal. How do you feel about Nicki Minaj?

SM: She’s dope, her style is different. I grew up listen to Nicki and even meeting her recently she’ def has the sweetest soul. I  remember first hearing ‘ itty bitty piggy” me and my friends did a whole video it was fresh hearing someone rap the way she does and now looking at all she’s accomplished just really makes me want to push harder in this industry.

JL: And before you go tell us about who you are crushing on. I heard you’ve been around town hanging with a few guys.

SM: Wooow, I ain’t gon’ lie my dating life is trash, but that’s because I’m focused on my career and not tryna’ to be exclusive and work just solely on my music. But I am single so if somebody got they eye on me, I might entertain it for a little minute, but yeeeeah I havent’ found anybody just yet, Sorry Jason, I wish I could bring you a list cause then maybe you can put me down with someone poppin’. 

JL: I got you right after this interview. But I got somewhere I have to be, were out ya’ll!

[delicrieux]

dungeons & witches [ richie tozier x reader ] pt.2

summary: (name) and richie have a sleepover

words: 2 200 (oops worth the read tho promise)

a/n: this is written for @superwolfiestar ‘s “Beauty and the Beast Halloween prompt challenge”! this is day 9 and prompt pile of leaves. Also, I used @horrificmemes 31 Horrific Days v2 [October Writing Challenge] ! same day, prompt eyes. dis is cute read it plz

PART 1.

if you like my stuff and want to support me, don’t forget to treat me to a KO-FI! take part in the 7K followers gift HERE!

MASTERLIST.

Richie Tozier stayed late for the D&D campaign. Your grandfather had joined the two of you by your request; he was the storyteller, whilst you and Richie had characters that moved across the board with different powers and striking names. Yours is a mage, which Richie was not surprised to hear at all, whilst he took up your grandmother’s figure, a knight. Your grandfather’s accent was a bit difficult to understand, and once he found himself lost he simply glanced at you. Then you’d lean in and explain in clear hushed words what he was to do. True to his word, Richie had yet to roll a bad dice. But he could hardly focus. For some reason, you were just too distracting.

Your eyes shine with specs of real joy, perhaps not in a kaleidoscope of colors, but the simple (color) still looks enchanting in the warm lamp light of the basement. There’s something about your eyes that remind him of Fall: their alertness, like scattering leaves in the wind, or the warmth that glows from them, like hot chocolate. People like hot chocolate. It makes them feel nice, fuzzy in a way, comforted even. That’s how Richie felt each time he caught your wandering gaze: his chest would grow twice its size with an excited spur and confine his breathing, to the point where he’d have to quickly look away and not choke on his saliva. It was a complex emotion, one Richie didn’t understand, perhaps didn’t even want to. He tried to focus on the game, but one glance at you smiling at the miniature version of you would wipe all clever strategies saved in his mind.

A ray of cheers erupt from you as you jump up, clap your hands and with a brilliant grin shake Richie’s shoulder, “We did it!” You say, your voice riddled with disbelieve, “We did it, Richie! We defeated the Demogorgon!” Your grandfather comments something in Estonian, sending a wary glance at the boy with glasses that gives you only a cocky smile in return.

“Geez, how did you survive this long without me?”

With a sharp inhale, a bit out of breath, you plop down onto your seat and look at your grandfather. Your smile dims just lightly, “It’s late now.” He says, turning to Richie, “Would you like me to drive you home, son?”

“What?” Richie blinks, fixing his glasses, “Oh—Oh, no need, sir, I’ll just walk back.”

Your grandfather shakes his head, “I can’t just allow you to leave when it’s so dark. You know of the curfew, don’t you?”

“He could…” You interrupt, “He could stay here…For the night,” You glance at Richie, “if that’s alright with you, vanaisa.” There is a long pause. Richie wants to speak his mind – which is currently a jumbled mess of mostly screaming because he can’t believe what you just said. Your grandfather can’t believe it, either. Richie would be lying if staying at a witch’s home – he now is fully convinced that you had bewitched him somehow, there is no way in hell any of what he’s feeling is natural, - is exciting, and even a bit frightening. But you are hardly even friends, you had only properly met hours prior and even he knows when he has overstayed his welcome. But your voice is so soft, so soft it glides through the air like a pleading whisper, like a witch’s spell and your grandfather looks at you and Richie and then back at you in consideration. Your cheeks grow red; dust particles dance around your (color) hair and fall onto the board. Richie gulps. There is no way in hell your grandfather would allow a BOY to stay over—

“Well, alright.” He finally agrees and Richie nearly falls out his chair. You smile, “But are you sure that will be alright with your parents, Richard?”

“I-It’s Richie.” His face must be sweaty since his glasses keep sliding off his nose, “And yes, sir.”

There is another moment of silence. Your grandfather stands up and gives a knowing smile, wishes the two of you a goodnight and exits the basement is slow creaky steps. The dust continues to settle now that the two of you are alone. You stare at the place your grandfather’s back disappeared, and Richie stares at you, unsure of what else to do. He wasn’t lying when he said his mother won’t care, but it still is a bit odd that your grandfather agreed to let him stay. No wonder he’s European (Richie thinks Estonia is in Europe, he isn’t entirely sure though). He has heard rumors that people in Europe are more lenient.

“I’ll make you a bed.” You say standing up, “Just wait here!” And you run up the steps, yank the door open and he hears your footsteps echo from above. He sighs heavily. Now that you are away there is more room to breathe. He stands up and circles the basement, evaluating its interior as he waits for you to return: shelves stand packed with old knickknacks, books filled with rotten pages and spilled ink, a few cracked snow globes and canned food. The washing machine and washing bin stand neat – not a speck of dust touches the dull surface and once he approaches it a harsh smell of chemicals shoos him away. Lastly his eyes land on the sofa – the brown leather is cracked in places and worn off, but the pillows and blankets look almost brand new. A bright pink bike hides just next to it.

You come down a couple of minutes later with clean sheets up to your head, carefully standing on each wooden step afraid to fall. You don’t greet him, merely beeline for the sofa and dump it down, ”You’ll sleep here, if that’s alright.” You say, turning to him, “The upstairs couch is not nearly as comfortable as this one.” You explain with an apologetic smile. Suddenly you click your fingers, as if remembering something important, and rush to a nearby drawer. Richie sits down. You take out a walkie-talkie and hand it over to him. He raises a confused brow, “Here. Take it. Just ring me if you get scared.”

He gives you a sarcastic smile, “Do I look like Stacy or Gwenda to you?” But takes it anyway, and you giggle.

“You might turn into one at night.” You say cheekily, your obvious intent is to scare him and it works, you just don’t realize it, “Anyway, I have one too, so…If you can’t sleep or something, you know what to do. There’s ice cream in the fridge, and a bathroom below the stairs on the first floor…” You think of what else should you add before leaving, “Oh! And breakfast is always at eight thirty, so if you feel like an early bird you can join.” He nods stiffly. You hook your hands behind your back and shyly look away, “Well, then…Goodnight, Richie.”

He gives you a small smile, “Goodnight, (Lastname).”

As you make your way up the stairs, and he tries to find a comfortable position on the sofa, you suddenly stop. “Richie?”

He perks up, “Yeah?”

“…Thanks.” The words slip past your lips before you can stop them and with a racing heart you run up the stairs, turn off the lights and shut the door.

The basement grows still; it’s so dark Richie can’t see his fingers. He’s unsure what time it is, but it’s probably about eleven pm. and he should probably go to sleep. He takes off his glasses and places them on the cold ground, tangles himself in the sheets and closes his eyes. Except he never goes to sleep so early and he is much too excited to even think of resting now, too. His eyes start to adjust, little by little he can make-out far away figures and shapes but they are too blurry for him to realize what they are. His mind whirls in almost a feverish way – this day has been one event after another, and he can barely keep up. If someone had told him that he would be staying over at the Derry Witch’s humble abode, he would’ve pointed a finger and laughed. Oh he would’ve laughed so hard he would probably have peed himself. (Name) (Lastname) was someone he couldn’t even imagine being friends with: first of all, she is a girl, second of all, she’s not Beverly’s friend, and why would he be friends with a GIRL that has no relations with his only other GIRL friend?

But he had learned a lot about you today. He had learned that you use the same shampoo as Beverly when you leaned in to explain what your grandfather was saying. He had learned that you liked to read comic books. He had learned that your parents died when you were barely five.

That thought strikes him again, so crystal clear he can almost hear himself ask you the question “Does your dad play, too?” and see you shaking your head, curls of (color) hair bouncing around your face as in a quiet voice you reply, “I wouldn’t know. He’s dead.”. But that’s not what’s unusual. He can’t explain it, can’t put a finger on it. It’s like something is missing, in him, something he has forgotten, but something that most definitely happened. His left palm itches and he wipes it on the sheets. There, in your voice, he could hear a strange sound. What was it, what was it?... You had looked away from him then, staring straight into the row of cluttered shelves… He had passed them, did he not? Was it a book? No…A snow globe?...

A clown.

Fear strikes his chest and he inhales sharply, sitting up and grabbing around for his glasses. He clumsily puts them on, but the scenery doesn’t become any more or less clear. Now he remembers, on the top shelf there are two globes, one is with candy canes and Santa while the other is with sparkles and a dancing clown inside. You had stared directly into the latter as you said those words. But what brought out such a knee-jerk reaction? Yeah, clowns are creepy, but that’s about it…

With furrowed brows he tries to calm his heartbeat, catch his breath and with a heavy sigh he lays back down. The room spins a little. The only thing piercing the darkness is the bright red dot of the device he’s holding. Finding the correct button, he presses it down and a shrill echoes through the basement. Static. “You there?” He questions, “Over.” He adds quickly.

“I’m here, Richie.” Comes your raspy voice from the other line. He instantly feels better, “You okay down there? Over.”

“Pff-Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? Over.”

“I don’t know.... I don’t like open spaces. It’s a bit too creepy for me. Over.”

“The basement gives you the heebie-jeebies?” Richie snorts, “You’re such a girl, (Lastname).”

“I am one, if you haven’t noticed.” Oh, he has, “But…” You trail off, and for a heart stopping moment he thinks the line went dead, “If you get too scared take the flashlight. Over.”

“Aww, wyou wowwied awout mwe? Over.”

“N-No, I’m just trying to help. It’s in the drawer, by the bike. Over.”

“How is a flashlight going to help me sleep? Over.”

“So you are scared!...Over.”

“Nu-uh!...Over.”

“Ugh, fine, Sir-Swears-A-Lot is the bravest kid on the block. Happy? Over.”

“That’s more like it.” Richie grins, “But hey, for real now. Are you really a witch? Over.”

“…Do you want to know the truth? Over.”

Richie gulps. He thinks hard. Does he want to know, truly? Or is this just whimsical curiosity? Perhaps staying oblivious would be best, but…”I’m sure. Over.”

“I’m not. Over.”

He rolls his eyes, “Will take a lot more convincing than that. Over.”

“Then I can try again tomorrow.” He can practically hear you smile, “Sorry, I’m just a bit…Sleepy. Over.”

“Oh!” Richie blurs, a tad disappointed, “Sorry for keeping you awake…Over.”

“Its fine, I was going to ring you anyway. But I’ll see you in the morning, okay? Over.”

“Wait! Over.”

“What? Over.”

“Thanks…Over.”

“For what? Over.”

“I don’t know.” He grins, “I thought we were just randomly thanking each other. Over.”

“…Goodnight, Richie. Over and out.”

~*~

The fear melts away with the colors of the morning. His sleep was good and he feels rested, still a bit dazed since this situation is so surreal, but happy all the same. He wonders that, instead of turning a corner and knocking on your door he would have gone to the arcade and spent half the night there, would he have ever met you? Perhaps a freak incident at school would’ve happened where you spilled your books all over the floor and for some reason he would’ve decided to help you? Would your eyes have met? Would you have smiled at him so tenderly? Would he feel the exact same thing he does now, the freeing sensation of love that is also terribly confining at the same time?

Richie knows you love to smile. He had realized so over the course of two days. With a rake that’s almost longer than your body you work leisurely on the lawn, pilling dark brown and red leaves into one spot. The spot grows rapidly in size as the two of you work together. Richie finally lets loose when your grandfather isn’t around to overhear him swearing. But still, even if you laugh at his jokes, he feels a bit strange to swear around you. He is Richie Trashmouth Tozier and he doesn’t want to say ‘Fuck’ ‘Shit’ and ‘Pussy’ in front of you because a part of him believes you wouldn’t like that. Oh man, if only Eddie could see him now! He would be so proud! Richie Tozier helplessly crushing on a girl and helping her rake leaves, just so he could spend more time with her…Richie has reached a new low. If anyone found out, his reputation would be tarnished.

“(Lastname)?” He calls you and you hum. The harsh wind blows past you, curling the strands of your (colour) hair and pinching your cheeks red, “I know this…Is a bit…Well, fuck, okay. Me and my friends go to the quarry often. I know it’s cold now, but when summer starts and—you—if…we’re still friends, would you like to join, too?”

You look up from the ground only to see him staring somewhere above your head with a light rosy hue on his cheeks. You purse your lips trying to refrain from smiling, “Yeah, sure. That could be fun.”

“…Bitching.” He nods, abruptly going back to work.

Hours pass quickly. So quickly in fact, that the two of you begin looking for excuses of what to do: threw away rocks from the driveway, got wrapped up in a mystery of a missing tricycle wheel, and tracked down a cat into its hiding spot. Noon rolls around and you realize that there are no more mysteries to show, so you say your goodbyes, unsure of whether to hug or wave or do whatever, so the both of you nod awkwardly and part ways. Richie takes barely a couple of steps away from your home when you call after him.

The wind howls in your ears, light and uncoordinated jumps your heart makes go along with the steps you take to reach him. It takes all of your courage, or perhaps no courage at all – just instinct, - to lean forward and peck him on the cheek. Richie grows uncomfortably hot and still, his eyes go wide and he stares at you as if his fears are reincarnated into your being. You give a shy smile, “Thank you, Richie.”

“F-F-For what?” He stutters, blinking wildly. Damn, now he sounds just like Bill.

You shrug, “I don’t know. I thought we were just randomly thanking each other.” You take an easy step back, “Catch you later!” And hurry inside.

It takes another minute or so for Richie to compose himself.

“Fucking Europeans I swear to fuck, what the fuck did she cast on me? Do I need to see a shaman? I need to see a shaman…” He utters under his breath, feeling a heart attack approaching.

end.

[5hfanfiction]

our broken white rose ⇾ camren

a/n: hi guys…!!! i suck, I fuckin know. i haven’t updated since august and truly honestly, i have no excuse other than life happened and shit hit the fan. i kinda wanna explain so y'all know even tho most of you probably don’t give a fuck honestly. ok sooo for starters as some of you may know or knew but forgot, i have a fiancée and we were trying to get pregnant and have a kid awhile ago and she did successfully get pregnant and well… things have been hectic. looks like we’re expecting double the trouble. twin girls lol. um, idk it took me awhile to wrap my head around it. i kinda envisioned parenthood at one at a time even tho the possibility of multiple is there, i never thought it’d go down in my life. but i guess this is god’s plan for me and i’m gonna love those two girls with all my heart.

college has truly been kicking my ass, on top of my moody, grumpy and randomly sad as fuck fiancée, but i’m getting by. currently on winter break so i decided i’d finally sit down and update. my fiancée went out to south jersey to visit her parents and i’m here in north jersey with the house finally to myself. maybe i can make a mess without getting yelled at by her now fhdjdjdkd lol. anyways, that’s basically the gist of what’s been going on. college wants me dead, my fiancée is carry two fetuses inside her and her due date is approaching dangerously fast. lmao. don’t you live life? smh.

anyways, the last thing i wanna share with y'all before i start the story is, I HAVE A NEW BOOK THAT IM ACTUALLY GONNA BE COMMITTED TO COMING OUT RIGHT ATTER I PUBLISH THIS CHAPTER! its called ‘one night stand’ and yesss, it has smut. so please go check it out after this. i have some really cool ideas for it but i need feedback on whether i should waste my time continuing or not. for my tumblr readers, its most likely up on my wattpad as you read this so go follow it @ wthbello and add the book to your library. please comment and vote. with that being said, i hope you enjoy the story. make sure to read end of the chapter questions and answer them. thanks so much, enjoy my usual angst filed, depressing ass stories!

***

“She what?” Both Camila and Lauren shouted in unison as they slowly but frantically followed after Lucy.

Lucy walked at a jagged pace desperately attempting to reach her rental as she explained. “She was granted parol and was released today. Janelle asked me to come see her today, you know, figure out a way to get her out. She was going on and on about how Lola had a plan to go and get your kids. Dustin, Lana and Luna. So I tracked you down to warn you,” she explained in a rushed tone as they finally reached her rented Mazda.

Camila eyes Lucy in suspicious, still anxious being around her after everything. “How did you even get out?” She asked before her eyes enlarged as realization struck. She looked at Lauren in panic. “T-The kids. They’re with Normani, she just took Dustin not too long ago,” Camila had completely forgotten all about Ariana. I’ll text her later, she thought distractedly as her two daughters and infant son came to mind.

Lucy stopped at the vehicle taking a deep breath. She looked them dead in the eye as she pulled the drivers side handle open. “I’ve been out for two months Camila,” the last thing on her mind was explaining her reasoning. She didn’t want to talk about. She didn’t feel she needed to talk about it. She just wanted to forget. Lucy climbed in the all black car, leaving her door open as she peered up at the two mother’s before her. “As for Normani, Tori’s got it,” Lucy smirked. “Now get the fuck in the car.”

Lauren spoke up for the first time in awhile, “What the hell is going on Lucia?” Her hands shook as she gazed down at the woman. So much built up anger and hatred yet confusion and hurt bubbled within her as she stared the woman down.

Lucy’s smirk soon fell as regret and sorrow filled her eyes. “I was terrible… to both of you. I fucked up so much in the last and this is my chance to fix it. Please. Trust me.”

Maybe a couple years ago, Lauren would jump at the thought of trusting Lucy. How couldn’t she? She’d never lie to her, correct? Wrong. For years, she was lied to and fooled to believe the love of her life, the mother of her children, was gone. And Lucy was an accomplice. She didn’t think she could ever trust the woman again. But something about the look in Lucy’s eyes seemed to draw her in. She wasn’t sure how she was feeling, but right now she knew her safety, Camila’s safety and hers were in severe danger with that crazy bat out.

Camila and Lauren both looked at each other before sharing a small, risky mutual agreement. Lauren rounded the vehicle and got in the passenger seat as Camila went into the back, sitting in the middle so she could peer at the two women in front of her.

“Where to?” Camila asked.

Lucy turned to look at the woman in the backseat, a small smirk playing on her lips. “Yakutat Alaska.”

***

“It feels so gross being back her,” Camila mumbled, hugging her arms loosely around herself as Lauren draped her own arm over her shoulder. She still didn’t know how she felt about her relationship with Lauren. The sudden proposal still replayed in her head but she didn’t have time to think about that right now. Her mind wondered as she thought about the safety of her kids and the weariness of Lola being out of prison… again. Her life just seemed to be a never ending pile of destruction and she just wanted to run away… like Lauren said. Her eyebrows furrowed as she turned to look at the woman next to her. She went to open her mouth and question her before shaking her head and deciding to keep it shut until later on.

“Tell me about it,” Lucy mumbled as she locked the doors of the rental car.

Lauren huffed softly, her grip on Camila tightening. “So are you gonna explain why we’re here?”

Lucy nodded distractedly as she smacked her lips and nodded off towards her right as they began walking towards a group of buildings. “Janelle told me that Lola was granted parole in Yakutat because this initially is where the crime took place which I think is complete bullshit because the original crime was when she falsified your murder in Florida. Yakutat is a small town, but so easy to escape. Lola can redo everything she’s ever planned. She can hire or even threaten her way around here and start up her ridiculous revenge plot. We need to end it before it starts.”

The brown eyed woman furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she released herself from Lauren’s hold and quickened her pace to walk beside Lucy as she began questioning. “End it how?” She asked in bewilderment. “Its Lola. She’ll just kill me for good now. You brought me all the way here just so she could do that, right? You’ve been working with her all along. You know I’m a moth-”

Lucy stopped abruptly, reaching out to grab Camila’s wrist in a forceful hold. The woman went to scream before her eyes landed on Lucy’s soft ones. Lucy slowly released Camila, running a distressed hand through her hair before turning to look at Lauren. “I’ve fucked up in the past. So much. I lost the love of my life, I watched as she hurt over someone who was still here, I watched as she raised two amazing independent girls on her own all while trying to manage her own internal heartbreak,” Lucy paused, staring deeply into Lauren’s pale green eyes. “I’ll do anything to amend my wrongs. I’m never going back to the way I use to be. I don’t want to, and I won’t allow myself to. I’m stronger, I’m better and my head is finally going down the right path,” she sighed shakily before turning back to Camila. “The last thing I want is to see get hurt again. I watched on the sidelines for too many goddamn years. I’m gonna make it right this time. Even if it means putting myself away for life.”

Lauren’s eyes widened in horror at the woman’s last sentence. “Lucy, what are you talking about?”

Hot tears stung the corner of Lucy’s eyes as she chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m gonna kill her. I have to,” with that she continued straight forward towards the group of buildings collectively lined up beside each other.

Camila and Lauren shared a regretful stare before quickly following chasing after Lucy.

“You can’t do that,”

“Come on be rational Lucy,”

“We can just go to the cops again,”

“Yeah, we can do that. You can’t ruin your life like tha-”

Suddenly whirling around, fire burned within Lucy’s brown eyes. “Go to the cops? And tell that what? That my crazy step sister is trying to kill the Camila Cabello? Huh? Do you know what’d happen to me?”

Camila stopped, breathing heavily. “Why do you care so much? Huh? Its my life Lucy. Please. Let me handle it.”

Chuckling bitterly to herself, Lucy shook her head. “It may be your life, but you know nothing about mine,” she stared off into the distance before shaking her head once again. “When Lola sends a group of correction officers to gang rape you every fucking day in jail, not being able to fight back because you’ll just be thrown into solitary, then speak to me. Everything isn’t about you.”

“Lu-”

“I’m gonna kill her, with or without you guys here,” Lucy stared them down before turning on her heel and walking away, both Camila and Lauren’s feet basically being glued to the ground as they watched in silent horror.

Camila turned to look at the mother of her children before whispering softly, “What do we do?”

***

a/n: short ass chapter, just a filler for the shit about to go dddoooowwwnnnnn. omg, i know y'all hate me and that i’ve been gone for over five months and i’m sorry. life just happened and idk what else to say really. i’m back now and hopefully i stick around because i truly have missed writing so fuckin much. like a huge ass relief has washed over me because i absolutely love what i do and writing for people.

now welcome back to my world full of angst and drama (; i promise the camren fluff is coming soon. y'all have waited two books for it and it’s gonna be here in a few short chapters.

now, i have a brrraaannnndddd new book out called “one night stand” and its camren ofc. this book was really a spur of the moment type of thing but i already love what i have in store for it so far and i truly think i’m gonna be committed as fuck with this book. yes, it has smut. a lot of it actually. so please go check it out on my page, add it to your library.

of course, amazing cover creds to SLOTHTATO literally their work is fucking phenomenal. best cover maker on all of wattpad, idc, fight me. like look at this (obviously my tumblr readers can’t see it so go add the book in your library on my wattpad @ wthbello because it’s a sexy ass cover).

anyways, yeah, please go check that out. i’ve worked really hard on it and i really like where it’s going. it has angst, but definitely a lot less angst than this story right here. the angst in this is actually way more relatable to real life problems and stuff like that so once again, please go check it out after this.

don’t forget to vote, comment and answer end of the chapter questions below. if you’re a tumblr reading, come follow me on wattpad @ wthbello and add my new camren story 'one night stand’ to your library and read it and vote and comment and all that amazing stuff. thank you so much for reading and i hope you enjoyed.

i’m a sucker for feedback and it’ll help me navigate where to go in the aspects of what my readers will enjoy (if y'all are still here since i’ve been so goddamn MIA lmao) so please answer at least a couple end of the chapter questions to the best of your abilities. again, if you’re from tumblr, head over to my wattpad so you can do that.

what do you think about this chapter?

what do you think will happen next?

how do you feel about lola being out?

how do you feel about lucy being out?

do you think lucy’s bluffing and she’s really working with lola?

where do you think tori and her mom are?

what do you think is/will happen with lauren and camila’s children?

what do you wanna see moving forth?

what are you least worried about?

what are you most worried about?

last but not least, how do you feel about camila’s new music and 5h’s album, lauren’s single, dinah’s feature, and 5h’s collab with pitbull? y'all knew i had to ask this since i haven’t been here since the day before the girls released their album lol.

anyways, thanks so much for reading. i appreciate so much if you’re still for some reason stick around, you have no possible idea how much it means to me and i’m forever grateful for you