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star-vibing-prompts · 1 year ago

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Random quotes from different Fandoms as prompts.

Yes you can use these. Yes you can change the pronouns. Also NOTE: None of these are in particular order.

Warnings: Mentions of drugs, swearing, a very long post, and maybe yandere stuff??

"I hope he didn't care about that pizza..."

"[Name], have you seen [Name] this morning?" "Yeap. He's hanging out with some weirdo. I think he's trying to vaporize [Name]."

"[Name], I blame YOU for this." "Eh, that's fair."

"Also, I cleaned up your awful, awful mess. You’re welcome." "You did WHAT?! I have a system!"

"I never asked for it to be this way. I never asked to be made!"

"Admit it. I'm just an embarrassment to you!"

"I'm not gonna let you stand there and remind me of everything I hate about myself!"

"How will StarClan come back if we keep breaking the code?"

"I really-really-like you. I've always felt that we might be mates one someday. And now that I'm a warrior, maybe this is the time for us to start thinking of each other in a new way?" "I'm sorry. I had no idea you felt like this, [Name]. I like you a lot, but I always thought of you as a friend-a really good friend, almost like another littermate. I've never felt...that way about you." "But now that you know how I feel...do you think that in time, [Name] you might feel the same way?" "I don't think so. Actually I...I like another cat. I'm so sorry, [Name]."

"Wow, [Name]. I know your thing is honesty, but come on!"

"No disrespect ma'am, but there's a big difference between pushing yourself as hard as you can, and just being reckless. And if being reckless is what gets rewarded around here, if that's what it means to be a Wonderbolt, then I don't want any part of it."

"Hey, now wait a minute! Just because I don't have a pet now doesn't mean I never want a pet!"

"Oh, that's my new toy. Pretty, isn't she? I bet I'm the only queen with my very own RainWing."

"Now really, this is getting insulting. You're in my territory. Apparently you're living under my mountain. I am only the most important dragon for hundreds of miles. How dare you not recognize me?"

"It doesn't matter what Earth is like, it's not going to be like anything soon!"

"Don't you Gems have anything better to do than annoy me?"

"Ohh, I adore these fantasies! They have the best fashions."

"Wait! I-I wouldn't have called just to waste your time with a report."

"Just being on a ship with [Name] made me tired."

"So am I gonna have to wear a star? Where am I gonna put the star?!"

"It'll be better this time. I've changed. You've changed me. I'm the only one who can handle your kind of power."

"You can't lie to me. I've seen what you're capable of. I thought I was a brute, but you... you're a monster."

"There's always someone to fight! There's just no one left worth fighting..."

"Uh, that was way more explosive than I expected."

"Someone ordered some noodles?"

"Yeah. I was about to take my break. So..."

"To be fair, do you trust any man? Any men? Men?"

"Does that mean I don't have a free room anymore? Aw, well shucks."

"OH MY GOD! My drugs! Damn it!"

"W-well I-I just wanted to look a little nicer for you. This is our first real date after all."

"I'm sorry, [Name]. I'm sorry for…everything…happening right now. I know it's…a lot. I, uh-- I should have listened."

"We're rich and we are hot. People want our money AND our bodies! Speak for yourself, princess."

"I swear… If you go near her I will destroy you!"

"I don't care what your arrogant brother thinks!"

"That. Was the sound…OF A FUCKING DIVORCE!"

"My hair is ruined!"

"My face. My face! MY FACE! GIVE ME BACK MY EYES!"

"I bet you don't even HAVE friends..."

"Your fans are watching you right now. I know."

"What's that supposed to mean, you got a problem or somethin', sour cream? Don't fuck with me!"

"Alright shit talker, but there hasn't been a soul yet who can beat me at my own game. So you better bring the fire baby!"

"Could've just used the door, dude. Doesn't need to be this whole thing."

"Do you think they saw me? Fuck! I did my make-up shitty today!"

"Oh, what does it matter?! You’re not my real dad, I was almost eighteen!"

"Totally. But since then, you've had me teaching you. You're stronger now. Don't you feel stronger?"

"I found out where it lives."

"I've won. You can all see that. We can end this now, without killing anyone. I ask you all to let him live!"

"He's just a human! He isn't a threat at all! He's not one of them!"

"I just want to go home."

"You don't understand! Just leave me alone."

"Slow down, kiddo. This is the thanks I get for checking in on my favorite student?"

"Unloaded all your secret insecurities on me! I know! But hey, no shame in that, man. Sometimes you just gotta talk it out, y'know? I don't really do it. Maybe I should. But we'd be here all day so..."

"Totally. But since then, you've had me teaching you. You're stronger now. Don't you feel stronger?"

"What we had wasn't healthy. I never want to feel like I felt with you. Never again! So just go!"

"I was terrible to you. I liked taking everything out on you. I needed to. I-I hated you. It was bad!"

"[Name], you can still wear the hat, if you want." "Thanks, but I'm not putting that on my body."

"It was an endless, crushing darkness. Wet and bleak and suffocating. Water was the tomb I lived in for those months."

"You do realize that I spent the last few months trapped under the ocean, right?"

"For a moment, I really felt like things were different, but they're not. No matter where I go, I'm trapped."

"I'm done being everyone's prisoner! Now you're MY prisoner! And I'm never letting you go!"

"Let's stay on this miserable planet, together!"

"Spoiler alert, the butter is spoiled."

"Sorry I fucked your husband."

"The FUCK is "insurance"?"

"It's only just come into existence, and it already doesn't like us."

"He can be a real sweetheart once you get to know him."

"We knew for sure you would prevail."

"I'm the monster."

"You're... going to LOVE ME!"

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way, how about a game?"

"A baby dragon! Oh, I've never seen a baby dragon before. He's so cute."

"[Name], I think our work here is done." "Put your clothes on, [Name]."

"I just want everyone to know: my plan would have also worked."

"All that matters is that [Name] is happy."

"What's in these things?"

"That's not my baby!"

“If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for twenty years and I never got a bath? I’d probably be a bit irritable at night, too.”

“I’m still here. I will put you back together."

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darkwing-katy · 8 years ago

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Second Chance - Part Four

I will never be able to get over the responses I’ve been getting to this story. If I could, I would hug all of you for your comments, your messages, all of it. I’ve decided I’m gonna try to make Sundays update days, so I have enough time to work on each next chunk the way I really want to, and then so @sannvers has enough time to proofread them. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you like chunk four! Let me know if you’d like to be added to the tag list!

Title: Second Chance

Pairing: Eventual Gaston x Fem!Reader

Rating: T

Words: 6,405

Summary: You try to stop Gaston from shooting the Beast and falling to his death, but you arrive too late to save him. As you sit there, sobbing, the Enchantress overs you a second chance to save him.

Tagging: @i-wished-upon-a-star-one-night @with-a-hint-of-pesto-aioli @hobbithorse19 @leah5684 @princessbelgoof @captainskyline @theoncergames @geeky-girl-394 @were-allstoriesinthe-end084 @brooke-supernatural16 @certainasthesvn @jordyhaley @superlokidwholock @smilesnjh @prongspower @bitchingqueenoferebor @scarletdarkholme @hemmingbaes @bae-kage @areuslow @lovelylpevensie @uknwwhttheysayboutthecrzy1s @moonbeams-and-pie @17gnomes-in-a-trenchcoat @superwholockedrosx @panda-reads-stuff @ultimatetrashlord @elenawrit @the7thsilence @blackxthexbeast @rainwing-galaxy

Previous Chapter

“Rise and shine!” you sang, balancing a new silver tray in one hand as you opened the cell door. You were unusually perky this morning despite not sleeping well—no doubt due to the delicious fresh coffee you’d gotten from the kitchen. You’d thought about finding Belle, but decided to go ahead and make sure Gaston was alright after his first official night in the cell.

Okay, so maybe you were feeling a bit guilty about the fact that you were sleeping in a lush bed while he had only a cold stone floor. He may deserve it, but knowing that only made you feel a little better.

Which was why you had gotten up at sunrise to visit him. Yes, you definitely aren’t visiting him so early because you’re still crushing on him, the little voice in your head nagged. You ignored it.

Gaston was on the opposite side of the cell in almost the same position you’d left him in, with his head and back against the stone wall and his legs sticking straight out. The only differences were that his arms were crossed against his chest and his jacket had remained off, although you saw that he’d put his vest back on. The peaceful expression you’d seen yesterday was back, and you smiled to yourself at the sight.

At the sound of your voice, he stirred, opening his eyes. He tilted his head to look up at you, the smirk already on his lips. You entered the cell as he stretched his arms upwards, working out the stiffness with a slight wince. “Someone had a good night’s sleep,” he winked, “dreaming about me, no doubt.”

“You wish,” you replied, setting the tray down. I wish. “Brought you some food.”

“How thoughtful of you.” You rolled your eyes at the sarcastic remark and began to gather the dishes of yesterday on the other tray. “It’s nice to see that someone still cares.”

“I don’t know if I would go that far,” you muttered, knowing that it was a lie. Once you’d gotten everything together, you turned to leave.

“What, you’re not going to stay?”

You spun around, only a step away from the door, taking care not to drop anything. Do you want me to? “And why should I?” you asked, keeping your voice casual.

The smirk grew into a wolfish grin. “Because a man like me always enjoys the company of a beautiful woman like you.”

You closed your eyes and sighed. No wonder Belle got annoyed by him. If this is how every single conversation between him and her started, I have no clue how she didn’t just smack him upside that stupid head of his. When you opened your eyes, you forced a flirty smile onto your lips. “Unfortunately, I have better things to occupy my time with right now.” Like what? It hasn’t even been an hour since sunrise! What could you possibly have to do besides spend time with the man you’ve daydreamed about? your inner voice screamed at you.

“Such as?”

You stepped backwards onto the staircase. “Anything and everything that doesn’t include talking to you,” you said sweetly, kicking the door shut with your feet.

Gaston rolled his eyes. “You can’t fool me. You’ll be back.” You ignored him, instead continuing to take your leave. “Try not to miss me too much!”

“Don’t worry; I won’t!” you called back. You heard his laughter echo down the stairs after you.

Despite the fact that Belle had given you and Maurice a proper tour yesterday afternoon, you really only remembered the locations of four rooms (other than Gaston’s cell, of course): your bedroom, the grand ballroom, the dining area, and the library. The idea of returning to sleep held no appeal for you, nor did you feel hungry yet. You wanted to go back to the ballroom, but felt like that would be odd, to go there by yourself just to be there. That left the library.

You entered the room and were struck once more with awe at the sheer size of it. Beautifully carved shelves towered far above your head, holding rows upon rows of equally beautiful books. Candelabras of gold were scattered about, unlit but ready to assist anyone who wished to read in the darkness of night. Tables and desks were littered with books, opened and unopened. You let your hand trail against the top of a table. As your hand traced along the polished wood, it brushed up against a book. You inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of paper to fill your nostrils. You exhaled and grinned.

So many books to choose from!

“I see you’re also a book lover,” a deep voice came from above you.

You jumped, looking up to find the source of the voice. Prince Adam stood on one of the balconies, bathed completely in the gold sunlight. The sight reminded you of the golden Agathe.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He leaned against the balcony rail to better see you.

“It’s alright,” you replied, embarrassed that he’d made you jump. You wondered whether you needed to curtsy, but chose not to when you saw that Adam wore casual attire—a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and navy pants. He didn’t even have any shoes on. “I was just admiring your collection. There’s a lot to choose from here.”

He laughed, a deep, genuine laugh. “Yes, there is,” he agreed. “You’re up earlier than I expected anyone to be.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “I could say the same about you.”

He laughed again. “Fair enough.” He stood back into his upright position, holding his arms out. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt the sunlight on my skin,” he admitted, “so I woke early to come here and watch the sunrise.”

You leaned against the nearest table. “How was it?”

He shrugged. “A little cold at first. I’ll have to get used to not having a thick layer of fur keeping me warm anymore.” He cocked his head to the side, his gaze now focused on the bannister. “But it was wonderful,” he said quietly.

You smiled at his sincerity. It must be so strange to be a beast for so long and then become human again. I can’t even imagine how he must feel right now. I wonder what I’d miss the most…

Adam clapped his hands together, pulling you out of your musing. “So! What are you looking to read on this fine morning?” He released his hands, indicating the library in an overly grand gesture. “I know where everything is, so if there’s something in particular you’d like, I can tell you where to find it.”

You thought for a moment, unsure of what you wanted to read. Adam must’ve picked up on your hesitation, because he spoke again:

“I know Belle is fond of Shakespeare. Would you like that?”

You snorted. “As long as it’s not that stupid Romeo and Juliet that she’s been obsessed with.”

Adam doubled over in laughter. “Oh, finally, someone with good taste,” he replied, his voice full of mirth. “Have you read it?”

You rolled your eyes and sat on the table. “No. She’s been trying to convince me to give it a chance, but it just doesn’t sound appealing. It’s a three-day squabble that ends with six people—including the main characters!—dead, all because of a supposed ‘love at first sight’.” You scoffed. “She cried the first time she finished it, you know?”

Adam grinned. “Why am I not surprised?”

You swung your legs back and forth. “We were both sitting on a hill, reading, and all of a sudden I hear her sniffling. The next thing I knew, she was crying and blubbering about the fact that both Romeo and Juliet were dead, and they’d been so close to having their happy ending.” Okay, maybe you were exaggerating a tiny bit; Belle hadn’t blubbered per se, but she had shed a few tears. “Talk about ridiculous. Who would just kill themselves because they thought their loved one was dead?”

The prince sat down, allowing his legs to dangle through the railing. “I agree wholeheartedly, but that’s funny, coming from you.”

You frowned at him. “Why?”

He cocked his head. “You convinced an enchantress to send you back in time to risk your life and save the man you loved after you watched him die.” You felt your face heart up. Well, when you put it that way… “Wouldn’t you say that’s a tad hypocritical of you?”

You pursed your lips. “Fine. Yes. You have a good point,” you muttered, turning your head so you wouldn’t have to look at him. You could still feel his eyes on the back of your head. “Where’s Belle, anyway?” you asked, hoping that he’d take the bait and allow the subject to change.

He did, although you sensed that he knew exactly what you were doing. “Still asleep, I believe.”

You nodded. There was a short pause between the two of you, neither of you knowing how to continue the conversation or if you even should. Before the silence could stretch out too long, you found yourself blurting, “Did she ever tell you how we met?”

“No,” Adam replied, a little too eagerly, you thought. He obviously didn’t know how to proceed in this situation, either. But you supposed that would happen to someone who’d been locked in his own castle for years with only servants to talk to.

You thought back to that day. It was easy to remember. “I’d just moved to Villenueve a few days before. I was on my own, and had mostly kept to myself while I settled in. But one day I’d had enough of staying indoors, so I went to town.” You found yourself mentally reliving that day, and an unconscious grin formed on your face. “I noticed this man in a tan jacket was not-so-secretly following after a woman in a blue dress. I wasn’t sure if she’d noticed him, so I just meandered up to her.” You moved your arms in an imitation of walking. “‘Bonjour!’” You chirped, giving a small wave to an imaginary Belle. “She looked at me with a smile, although I could tell that it was more out of politeness than anything else. I leaned in close enough to whisper, ‘I know that we’re complete strangers, but I felt inclined to tell you that there’s a man following you.’”

You sighed, an imitation of Belle’s reaction to your words. “She looked at me and whispered back, ‘For someone who considers himself a master hunter, he’s very obvious, isn’t he?’ And then the two of us started laughing, and we introduced ourselves and the rest is history.” You patted a closed book next to you. “I was so excited to find another girl who loves to read. My impression of Villenueve was that it was that the people were small-minded in regards to women’s roles, so Belle gave me an escape from that. It worked both ways, actually.” Your legs had stopped swinging at some point during your tale, and now you sat on the table, unmoving. “From that day on, I tried my best to be a buffer between her and Gaston. I really have no clue how successful I was, even now. He’s a persistent man who’s as stubborn as he is vain.” Your words reminded you of the fact that at this moment, the very man you were talking about lay trapped in a cell, and you felt the grin slip off your face.

Adam absorbed your words without interrupting, but now that you were done, he spoke. “I’m glad she had a friend like you to help—not that she needs help.” You glanced at the prince, who was leaning his head against the bannister. He was right about that. She was a fiercely independent woman, and she didn’t need you to help out with Gaston’s advances, but you also knew that she appreciated it nonetheless.

The silence between you two resumed, and you hopped off the table to begin your search for a good book.

Adam didn’t offer assistance, and you spared him another glance before turning to the nearest shelf. He seemed lost in thought, and you hoped he wasn’t thinking about Gaston being in the castle. It suddenly occurred to you that Gaston attempting to kill him could be construed as treason, and he could very easily demand death as punishment. You doubted that he would (or that Belle would even allow such a thing), but you found that a nasty little minnow of fear had begun to swim around in your stomach at the realization.

What if I saved him only for him to be put to death?

A familiar title caught your eye and you pulled the book out—Hamlet. You’d read it once before, but it had been a while. You pulled the book from its place, noticing that Romeo and Juliet was few books down. You shook your head. You’d found the Shakespeare section, it seemed.

“What does Belle like?” Adam suddenly asked. You took a few steps back in order to see him properly. “As in gifts. What would she like as a gift?” If you hadn’t known he was a prince, you wouldn’t have guessed it from the hesitant way he asked. It was cute, actually.

You pondered his question for a minute before the perfect answer came to you. “Paper and things to sketch with.”

Adam raised a questioning eyebrow.

“She likes to design inventions,” you explained. “I can’t tell you how many times I’d sit in her house, watching Maurice tinker with his music boxes, and Belle would be sitting across from me, a pen and paper in hand, drawing up her latest idea.”

Adam nodded in agreement. “Excellent.” He jumped to his feet. “I’m afraid I must take my leave, but stay as long as you like.” He smiled at you before climbing down the stairs that led up to the balcony.

“Bye!” you called after him. He gave you a wave, then was gone. You shook your head, amused. “I guarantee you that he’s going to get as much paper as he possibly can,” you said out loud. The books gave no response, but you smiled as if they had and found a chair to sit in.

Scene I. Elsinore. A Platform Before The Castle. FRANCISCO at his post. Enter to him BERNARDO.

Bernardo: Who’s there?

Francisco: Nay, answer me: stand, and unfold yourself!

You made yourself comfortable. It was going to be a good day.

“I knew you’d be back,” Gaston said smugly, shifting to see you better as you opened the door.

“Oh, shut up.” On the tray was more tea and water, as well as bread and a bowl of hot soup that you were trying very hard not to spill as you carried it into the cell. You carefully set the tray on the ground, then grabbed the small stool and pulled it so that you were across from Gaston but still able to lean against the wall. You attempted to find a comfortable position before finally deciding on crossing your legs and your arms. Once you were settled, you faced him.

He ignored you, immediately grabbing the bowl of soup and gulping it down. You wondered if he was actually that hungry or if he was doing it to make you uncomfortable on purpose. I’m honestly not sure which I’d prefer, you thought, frowning.

While he ate (still ignoring you), you studied him. His movements were as confident as always, but there was a slight stiffness that you saw whenever he moved his upper torso. Probably because of all the bruises. And sleeping on the floor. He shifted against the wall, brushing his left shoulder, and he grimaced into the bowl.

The guilt you’d felt that morning returned with a vengeance. Maybe I should bring him a blanket. Or a pillow. Or both. I’m the one responsible for him, right? Surely Adam wouldn’t object to that. You made a mental promise to find a simple pillow and bring it when you brought dinner.

Well, he obviously wasn’t going to say anything anytime soon. He’d finished the soup and was now tearing into the fresh loaf of bread. You reached into your apron and pulled out Hamlet, figuring that you could get a few pages read while he ate.

Hamlet: To be or not to be; that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks—

“What are you doing?” You’d only gotten a few lines read when Gaston decided to speak. You were pretty certain that he’d waited to say anything on purpose just to annoy you.

You held up the book in response, not bothering with a verbal reply.

“Seriously? You’d rather read than enjoy my wonderful company?” He actually sounded offended, like you were being rude to him instead of it being the other way around.

You continued to ignore him, keeping your eyes on the page.

The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub—

You heard Gaston moving, but forced yourself to move on to the next sentence, assuming that he was just stretching.

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come—

The sound of boots on the stone floor distracted you. You glanced up to see Gaston standing, somehow managing to radiate pomposity despite his injuries and having been in a cell for two days. A twinge of concern sounded in your mind, and you considered the idea that you were sitting away from the exit. It would be so easy for him to just run, you thought. He could slip through the door and be gone and there would be nothing I could do about it. Oh, you could try to stop him, and you would try, but you knew that in the end, he would win.

He rotated his shoulders, the grimace returning as he did so. There was a soft crack as his shoulders went up then down. You winced at the sound, which he noticed with an eyebrow raise and smirk. He took a step towards you, and your eyes inadvertently flicked to the door, betraying your concern. He paused, allowing himself to consider the door. The tension surged as you waited for him to try for escape.

He looked back at you, almost as if daring you to try and stop him. You tensed, ready to jump up, but to your confusion, he started chuckling. “Don’t worry. Even I know that escaping would not be in my best interests.” He turned and sauntered over to you, stopping to rest against the curved wall next to you. “Not that you’d be able to stop me, but you know that, don’t you?” He leaned down, and you could feel the heat from his body as it drew closer to yours. He still smelled of faint gunpowder and beer, but now you could smell sweat mixed in as well. He needs a bath. With a groan of frustration, you dropped your book into your lap and shoved his shoulders, pushing his face away from yours.

“Can you give me some space? I’m afraid your arrogance might rub off on me. And you stink.”

He allowed you to push him back, but only a little. He resumed his upright position, leaning on the wall, but now he turned to his right so that his full body was facing you. With you seated and him being so tall, you were suddenly very aware of the fact that his crotch was almost eye-level to you.

Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it, (Y/N), don’t you dare, don’t you DARE NO DON’T LOOK KEEP STARING AT THE PAGE JUST LOOK AT THE PAGE AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T THINK ABOUT IT

With great effort, you kept your eyes on the book, although your brain was too busy shouting at you to comprehend the words. In order to maintain the appearance that you were unbothered by Gaston’s posturing, you turned the page, despite not finishing Hamlet’s soliloquy.

Hamlet: No, not I; I never gave you aught.

Ophelia: My honour’d lord, you know right well you did; And, with them, words of so sweet breath composed As made the things more rich: their perfume lost

Gaston shifted, no doubt trying to get you to look at him. You clenched the edges of the book, hoping that it would help you focus. It didn’t. Don’t fall for it. Just keep reading, (Y/N). Oh, merde, this is harder than I thought it’d be. Maybe just a peek—NO DON’T GO THERE! NOT AN OPTION!

“Are you just going to read the whole time you’re here?”

You exhaled deeply, still fighting the urge to glance at him. “I was planning on it,” you replied.

Silence. Then, “What of LeFou?”

You blinked and looked at him, confused by his question. “What of LeFou?” you repeated.

“How is he?” Was that actual concern in Gaston’s eyes? You examined his face. He had schooled it into an unreadable expression, but you’d definitely seen something there.

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since that night.”

“Oh.”

Was that guilt? Could the great Gaston actually be feeling remorse for his actions? You felt a little bubble of hope. Maybe spending time in here was good for him. Maybe he was actually thinking about what he’d done and how wrong it’d been. Maybe he was even realizing that his arrogance and selfishness was the reason he’d wound up locked in a cell.

Maybe he’s changing!

An idea formed in your head. You had no plans for that afternoon—it would be a perfect opportunity to ride into town and check on LeFou. Then you could let Gaston know that his oldest companion was okay!

You slammed the book shut and hopped up, nearly headbutting the man (well, that’s what he’d get for standing too close to you) in the process. “I have to go,” you said, trying to not seem too eager to leave.

Gaston didn’t move from his spot on the wall, although you saw that he looked disappointed at your sudden departure. Another flash of guilt hit you; the poor man was probably bored out of his mind here. You were the only form of social interaction that he received these days.

“Already? But we didn’t even have a full conversation!” he complained. “It’s been less than an hour! What am I supposed to do without your pleasant company to keep me entertained?”

Alright, the guilt was gone. Once again he’d made it all about him without seeming to realize how selfish he was being. And he was doing so well, you lamented.

He followed you to the door, though he didn’t make any movement to leave with you. With a sigh, you spun around and shoved the book at him. He left out a short “oof” at the unexpected action, his hands reaching up to grab it before it could fall to the floor. “Try reading,” you replied with a grin and a wink. You slipped through the door but didn’t close it yet.

“Well, that’s not my idea of entertainment,” he muttered, holding the book away from his body as if he expected it to bite him. He looked back at you. “Are you sure? Because I can think of a hundred things that would be more fun than reading a book.”

You shut the door in his face. “Sorry, Gaston. I don’t think your idea of fun and my idea of fun match up.” Well, that’s a blatant lie, the dirty voice in your head pointed out. You know you’d enjoy doing ‘things’ with him. You were really starting to hate that voice. You felt your ears turn pink and turned away before he could see the blush creeping up your face.

That’s right, (Y/N). Just walk away. Don’t think about things, and especially don’t think about the fact that his crotch was right next to you a few minutes ago. That’s a thing that you definitely don’t want to be thinking about.

“Oh, shut up,” you mumbled, staring at the ground while you walked, too encouraged by Gaston’s change in behavior to allow the voice to say anything further.

You had a mission to accomplish.

It was almost evening when you rode into town. You tied your horse up at Belle’s house. For a brief moment, you considered going inside and saying hi to Maurice, but ultimately chose not to. You needed to find LeFou. He was most likely to be at the tavern, where he and Gaston had spent most of their evenings.

You entered the tavern and scanned the crowd for the shorter man. You saw him sitting in the same corner you’d sat in less than a fortnight ago, back when the townspeople had been singing Gaston’s name over and over again. It feels like it’s been longer, you thought, making your way to the man. The closer you got, the more you realized that he was upset. He stared blankly at his full mug of ale, tuning out everything around him.

“LeFou?” you asked, stopping at the edge of the table.

He looked up at the sound of his name. When he saw you, he leaned back in confusion. “Yeah?”

“May I sit?”

He shrugged and leaned his head against the wall behind him. You grabbed the chair nearest him and sat in it. Neither of you said anything, and you realized you had no idea how to start a conversation with him. Should you mention Gaston? Should you ask how he’d been? Should you offer to buy him another drink?

Your eyes flicked to the full mug. Okay, maybe not a drink. Food? As you mulled, you took the time to study him. He looks so…tired. Faded yellow bruises were scattered on his face, and dark bags rested under his brown eyes. When was the last time he slept?

“What do you want, (Y/N)?” the portly man asked, scooting forwards and resting his head in his hands.

You blinked, caught off guard by his usage of your name. “You know my name?”

LeFou chuckled bitterly. “Of course I know your name. You’re Belle’s friend.” He finally lifted the mug and took a long drink. After he set the mug back down, he faced you, arms crossed over his chest. “What do you want?”

“I…uh…” You struggled to find a good excuse for talking to him. You couldn’t exactly blurt out that Gaston had been asking about him, now, could you? “I was just…”

You thought back to that fateful night. Suddenly, you knew what you needed to say. “I just wanted to thank you for telling Belle and me where Gaston was when we got to the castle. If you hadn’t told us, we’d have had to scour the place, and we probably would’ve been too late. So…thanks.”

“You’re welcome, I guess.” LeFou took another long drink.

You frowned. “You don’t seem too happy about that.”

He laughed sarcastically. “No, I’m overjoyed that I assisted you two in your epic quest to save the Beast,” he said, shaking his head. “But you didn’t save him.”

You froze. “Who?” you whispered, although you already knew his answer.

“Gaston.” His eyes narrowed. “Tell me, did you see him fall?”

Your heart skipped a beat. You tried to act nonchalant, but inside, you were frantic. How does he know about that? He couldn’t have seen it! So how—?

“I found his gun.” LeFou inhaled deeply and let out his breath in a shuddering sigh. You watched him, confused. “After the curse was lifted, I went looking for him. All I could find was his gun, broken into pieces. There was a stone bridge almost directly above me, and I knew. I knew he’d fallen, and no one, not even Gaston, could survive a fall like that.” He shuddered again, and you saw that his eyes were full of tears. “I couldn’t find his body, though. I don’t know what happened to it.” He looked up at the ceiling, no doubt trying to hide his tears from you. He sniffled and raised the mug to his lips once more.

You were struck with pity for this poor man who thought his best friend was dead. You had never once thought Belle dead during her absence, but you’d been fraught with fear for her. How much worse must it be for him? you wondered.

“LeFou, I’m…I’m so sorry,” you said in a soft voice. You placed your hand on his shoulder, certain he would shrug it off. He didn’t, instead accepting your attempt at comfort. When he faced you again, the tears were gone, although his eyes remained red.

“He hated you, you know.” LeFou’s voice wavered as he spoke.

Wait, what? “He did? Why?” You frowned.

He smiled weakly. “You were the girl who kept getting in the way of him and Belle.” You removed your hand from his shoulder as he shook his head. “Do you know how many times he’d be drunk and complaining that if it weren’t for you constantly getting in the way, he’d be married to Belle by now? ‘(Y/N) this, (Y/N) that. LeFou, I hate that woman!’”

You felt your cheeks warm at his words. “Oh. I didn’t know that,” you whispered. Does he still hate me? He certainly doesn’t act like it now…

“For a while there, I actually thought he secretly liked you—and you him.”

You opened your mouth to respond, but no words came out. You closed your mouth, swallowed, then tried again. Fortunately, before you could say anything stupid and incriminating, LeFou continued.

“I guess it doesn’t matter now, does it?”

You shook your head, relieved by his easy dismissal of your apparently not-so-secret crush. “I guess not.”

The silence that followed was broken by a man, tall and thin and wearing a pink shirt under his tan vest. He set a fresh mug of ale in front of LeFou and gave him a sympathetic shoulder squeeze before walking away.

“Thanks, Stanley,” LeFou muttered, taking a final gulp of his first beer. You doubted that Stanley heard him, but when you spared a quick glance, you saw that Stanley was smiling sadly at LeFou. His eyes widened when he saw you watching him, and he turned around to join the other two men that he was always hanging around.

“(Y/N), can I ask you something?”

You turned back to LeFou. “Yes.”

“If Belle did something that bothered you in a moral way…would you still care for her?”

You frowned. “Can you elaborate?”

LeFou’s mournful dark eyes met yours, and he began his tale.

The sounds of your feet as they stomped down on the stairs were definitely loud enough to alert Gaston of your impending presence. You were so furious you barely noticed the ascent to the cell. Your hand yanked on the lever and you kicked open the door.

Gaston looked up from the book in his hands and grinned when he saw you. “Ahh, (Y/N), you’re back!” he began, but you cut him off.

“You absolute bastard!” you yelled.

His grin faded. “Somebody’s upset…”

“Oh, I’m a hell of a lot more than just upset, you egomaniac!” You stomped over to him. “You abandoned your best friend!”

Gaston rolled away from you and stood, holding up the book in protest. “What are you talking about?” he demanded, stepping away as you marched towards him.

“What are you talking about?” you mocked. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, Gaston. That night when you riled up the whole town into a murderous rampage and blackmailed your ‘dearest companion’ into helping you? The same ‘dearest companion’ who constantly followed you around, giving you a boost whenever someone bruised your ego? The ‘dearest companion’ that you left lying under a damn piano?” You jabbed at him with your hand, but he used the book as a shield. Without thinking, you kicked at his shin. He glanced down, which gave you the opportunity you needed to knock the book out of his grasp.

“(Y/N), what are you—ow!” You’d managed to back him closer to the wall. You slammed your arm across his chest, pinning him in place. He winced as his sore shoulder hit the cold stone.

“What kind of a person just leaves their friend like that? What kind of selfish, stupid person can look their best friend in the eyes and see that they need help, then just leave them lying there and not give a damn?” You felt your fury radiating from every fiber of your being as you growled at him.

LeFou had told you everything—how he’d gone along with Gaston’s plan to murder Maurice but felt guilt over it, how he’d slowly realized that Gaston was getting worse and worse, how he’d been uncomfortable with Gaston’s actions but had supported him because “That’s what friends do, right?”. He’d admitted to being bothered by the treatment of Belle and Maurice but how Gaston had threatened him. After finishing his second mug of ale, he’d explained about the subsequent storming of the castle and the attack of the inanimate objects (whom you now knew to be the cursed servants). You’d felt yourself growing more and more upset at Gaston’s actions towards LeFou, despite this being the most you’d ever interacted with the shorter man. Then he’d told you about Gaston’s abandonment of the battle (and him) in favor of killing the Beast (LeFou’s voice had cracked when he told you how Gaston had simply told him, “It’s hero time,” before running off), and your anger had boiled over.

You’d jumped up from your seat and rushed out of the tavern, feeling nothing but a deep desire to confront Gaston as soon as possible. On the journey back to the castle, your anger had only grown as you thought over LeFou’s words.

“I—wait, are you talking about LeFou?”

“YES I AM TALKING ABOUT LEFOU—WHO ELSE WOULD I BE TALKING ABOUT?” Your voice had risen from a growl to a roar.

Gaston flinched at the sudden increase in volume. “I didn’t abandon him,” he tried to say.

“LIAR!”

“Okay, so what if I did?” he shouted back, lifting his hands up. “Why does it matter?”

“Oh, it matters a lot! I would never think of doing such a thing to Belle! I care about her too much! But you wouldn’t know what that’s like, would you? You only care about yourself!”

“That’s not true at all!”

“No, I guess it isn’t, because if you had an ounce of self-preservation, you’d have run away when the Beast let you go! But no, what did you do?” You dropped your arm and held your hands up, mimicking his defensive pose. “Instead of doing the smart thing, you decided that your pride just couldn’t take it, and you just had to shoot him!” You could picture that night easily, only this time, instead of being propelled by desperation to save Gaston, you saw it through raw anger. “So you shot him, not only once—no, the great Gaston had to make sure he didn’t lose. So you shot again, and not once did you realize that the ground beneath your feet was literally falling!”

Hot tears began to stream down your face at the memory. Gaston realized that you were done, if only to take a few gulps of air, and tried once more to calm you. “Aha, but I didn’t fall,” he said triumphantly. “I didn’t die.” He winked. “We all know I’m too pretty to die, anyway.”

You didn’t need any more air. No, you needed to knock that smirk off of his face. Air could come later.

“Oh, ho ho, is that what you think? Is that what you think?” You laughed scornfully. “Well, think again, Gaston. Because the only reason you’re alive now is because of me. If it hadn’t been for me, you would’ve fallen to your death!”

He rolled his eyes, which only added to your frustration. “Oh, please, I could’ve jumped to safety if you hadn’t barreled into me.”

His inability to comprehend just how close he’d been to dying snapped something deep inside of you. All of the hot rage you’d felt before froze into icy wrath. You took a step towards him, your eyes boring into his. A flicker of worry crossed his face, but then—

THOCK!

The feeling of your fist against his face felt good, wonderful, even. The expression on his face when he realized he’d just been punched was even better. He reached up to feel his cheek and winced as his fingers brushed against the already-swelling red splotch.

“If I hadn’t been there, or if I’d hesitated for even a fraction of a second, you would’ve died,” you hissed. “Believe me. I know.” The finality of your words struck something in him—you saw it in his green eyes. You allowed him to meet your glare just long enough to make him uncomfortable, and then you spun around and walked away, kicking the door shut without saying anything else.

You stalked past Belle and Adam (who was carrying several giant books) in a hallway on your way to your bedroom. They must have noticed that something was off, because Belle asked, “Is everything alright, (Y/N)?”

You ignored her, which probably confirmed that no, everything was not alright. She called your name again, and you heard Adam start to speak, but they both stopped (likely because they could sense that you were in no mood to talk right now). Then you were out of sight of them, and you reached the door of your bedroom. You shoved it open, kicked it shut, and jumped onto the bed, burying yourself in sobs and pillows.

Next Chapter

#second chance #gaston #gaston x reader #kate writes #beauty and the beast #batb #gaston imagine

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