#todd anderson x oc
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kara salguero in 'memento vivire'
despite being of cuban descendant, kara was born and bred in new york, and soon started working as a librarian for its finest university, that being the closest she can afford to study there. her life seems simple enough: work, take care of her sickly mother and help her father fill the table.
until she meets the sweet and shy todd anderson, and sees for herself just how complicated things can get when someone like todd falls for someone like kara.
tagging @slytherindisaster @musicallisto @retvenkos my fellow dps girlies
#dead poets society#post dead poets society#dps oc#dead poets society oc#oc: kara salguero#todd anderson#todd anderson x oc#fic: memento vivire#myedit*#mine*
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ii. todd anderson
❥ - fluff ꔛ - smut ღ - imagine ♠ - sad
dps masterlist / masterlist
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Dibujo atrasado navideño de AnderPerry + Hermia 💖
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CHAOS DREAMING!
SYNOPSIS: aurora henson cannot stand economics. . . the summer before her junior year only highlights this when she crosses paths with a seemingly rebellious group of boys from welton academy, mixed about at a fine arts camp they’ve been shipped off to. little does she know, they’re fighting to rewrite their lives, too—which inspires her to live a little on the edge before she goes back to her all-girls boarding school next fall 𝟅𝟈
author’s note! you can find part three here! also—so happy this fic is coming into its own :') dabbling with the mix of literate & social media au has been so fun
PART FOUR — CLANDESTINE
ENTER AURORA HENSON. . .
The girl had been sprawled out in the grass, unable to sleep and unable to stop thinking. She’d been here in Vermont for a week now—and through new friends, rebellion, and creative bursts, she couldn’t stop herself from wondering more about Charlie Dalton.
Neil meant all the best for Aurora by introducing her to his friends, but the meeting only drove the girl towards insanity.
It was crazy of her—she didn’t know Charlie, and she certainly didn’t have a connection with him.
She couldn’t.
Hell, she could barely have that with herself. What made her think she’d be capable of having that with someone else?
She sighed.
The wind picked up, the leaves rattling above her smaller frame. A few fell down, landing in her hair and sticking to the fabric of her sweater. It didn’t matter if it was summertime—if the wind was blowing, she’d wear long sleeves. That’s how it worked.
Too lost in her own loneliness, she lacked proper focus as someone creeped up behind her, their feet rummaging through the grass as they ascended the hill. Spooked by the sudden noises, Aurora found herself jolting from her spot, relieved to see Neil approaching her.
His hair was a mess, and she assumed he couldn’t settle down, either.
“You scared me,” she mumbled.
Neil smiled, taking a seat across from her. He pressed his back against the tree trunk. “Sorry, Rora.”
“All good,” she answered. “Can’t sleep?”
“Nope,” Neil said. “Charlie’s been keeping us up.”
Aurora’s eyebrow furrowed. “Oh,” she muttered.
“Oh?” Neil repeated her response back to her, eyeing her expression through the darkness of the summer evening. There was something there—he could sense it.
Aurora blinked. “What else am I supposed to say?”
“I dunno,” he mumbled. “Sympathy would be nice.”
She exhaled. “I’m sorry that Charlie is keeping you and your friends up. There, is that better?”
Neil laughed. “Much better.”
There was a slight hint of humor in their conversation, though Neil was catching onto something he wasn’t sure Aurora knew about yet. Or, maybe she knew, but found comfort in hiding it—hoping he wouldn’t find it.
She and Charlie were more alike than he thought.
They both carried this hefty self-guilt, though Charlie covered his with pride and sarcasm. The two had only shared one conversation—the clandestine introduction under this exact oak tree, where Aurora realized there were more people out there like her.
Perhaps that scared her. Perhaps she was intrigued by Charlie, but wouldn’t admit it due to her parents and the weight of expectations—both academically and emotionally.
Neil kept all of this in mind as he spoke to the girl, curious and prepared to crack the case. “You look busy,” he said.
“Hm?” Aurora hummed.
“There’s something going on inside your head,” he reiterated. “What’s up?”
Aurora had forgotten how well Neil could read her.
After years of friendship, it was expected by now, but it shocked her nonetheless. The blonde exhaled tiredly. “I came here to discover my passions and finally break free. Meeting your friends—it showed me I wasn’t alone in that, you know? That scared me. The idea that there’s so many of us with the same passions, but we can’t act on them.”
Neil hummed. “How is that scary? Wouldn’t it be the opposite? To know you’re not alone, wouldn’t that give you some sort of hope?”
“I mean—I guess so?” Aurora hadn’t thought of it that way, not until now. She’d been so pessimistic.
“Look,” Neil eyed the girl. “I get it. I know you. We’re all here for the same reasons. I think you should take that and run with it, yeah?”
“How do you mean?” She asked.
“You know what I mean,” he replied cryptically. “Make connections, get to know people, break free. Don’t stay holed up in your shared bunk with a journal in your lap. Who knows, a conversation or two with the right person might just reveal new information.”
Aurora’s heartbeat quickened. Neil knew too much.
“You’re a pain,” she joked quietly.
He chuckled. “Yeah, yeah.”
THE NEXT MORNING. . .
It was a dreary start to the day. Aurora was drowsy, her legs covered in bug bites from the constant grass-sitting. She itched at them as she tossed and turned in her bed, the other girls in her bunk seemingly dispersed amongst the Vermont campgrounds.
In the short, solemn silence, she reached for her phone. Birds chirped outside—a sense of hope and confidence surging through her veins.
Her fingers grazed over the rings of her journal as she picked her phone off the dresser, the metal cool to the touch. Biting at her lip, she unlocked the screen and typed aimlessly, her thumbs trembling over the keyboard.
#chaos dreaming#charlie dalton x oc#charlie dalton#original character#todd anderson#knox overstreet#knarlie#richard cameron#anderperry#gerard pitts#steven meeks#dead poets society#dps socmed au#social media au#dps boys#charlie dalton x reader#dead poets
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Maritza's PERMANENT WRITING TAGLIST ✎ᝰ.ᐟ⋆⑅˚₊
If my babies wanna stay top-notch updated about all of my recent writings THE SECOND IT RELEASES, please like this post so I'll note your name down and add you to the taglist of every single fic I put out from here on out (✿ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)⁾⁾
(Character-specific taglists are coming soon in the future once I've got more put out ^_^)
#dead poets society#dps#dead poets society fanfic#dead poets headcanons#dps x reader#writers and poets#poets on tumblr#neil perry x you#neil perry x reader#todd anderson x you#todd anderson x reader#steven meeks x reader#steven meeks#gerard pitts x reader#gerard pitts#charlie dalton x you#charlie dalton x oc#charlie dalton x reader#knox overstreet x you#knox overstreet fanfic#knox overstreet x reader#richard cameron x you#richard cameron dps#richard cameron x reader#richard cameron#neil perry#neil perry fanfic#charlie dalton
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I would like to post anything but I just drew this in past few months, oops🤭
#total drama island#oc x canon#total drama cody#milody#total drama oc#cody anderson#cody total drama#orginal character#todd chavez#i'm so silly
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Goes On Chapter Eight
Pairing: Charlie Dalton x OC!FemReader
Warnings: 18+, depression, mentions of suicide, heavy topics, eventual smut, slow burn romance, fluff, gender themes/stereotypes.
Summary: Against his best efforts Charlie has to start at a new preparatory school after the tragic events that took place at Welton. The very events that led to the loss of his best friend and getting expelled in the first place. He has no plans to make friends let alone get close to anyone ever again. That is until he meets Evelyn and her interesting group of friends. No matter how hard he tries to push them away he finds it to be impossible. So he caves and in the end learns that life can still be enjoyable even if it feels like everyone is against you.
word count: 2.3k
Seven ←→ Nine
Masterlist
Ridge Academy, NY
2/13/60
Charlie nearly jumps out of his skin when hands shake him awake. Eyes darting open only to not be able to spot anything in the dark room. His heart is practically in his throat as he registers he’s still in his room where he is meant to be and the dark figure looming above him is none other than Nate’s. Finally allowing himself to calm and sink back into his covers, he lets out a deep sigh.
“There is so many other ways you can wake a guy up” Charlie groans, hands coming to rub at his eyes. That’s when he sees it’s nearly midnight on the alarm clock beside him. Not so long until Valentine’s day.
“Sorry, but get dressed” Nate whispers, shuffling back to his side of the room where he sees him start putting on his shoes.
“Any reason in particular?” Charlie asks as he sits up and Nate just laughs.
“Yes dingus. It’s the night before the school dance. We have no homework and Mr. Lancaster took sleeping pills. That means it’s time to party” Nate tells him, referring to the teacher that monitors the dorm floor. He was much different from Dr. Hager but he did pretty much the same.
“Party, and how does that work around here” Charlie says knowing it was nearly impossible to party back at Welton. Nate just grins in the night and throws Charlie his jacket.
“Dress warm”
It’s not long until the boys are sneaking out the dorm floor. Finding their way downstairs and out the entrance. Snow falls slowly and Charlie is glad he had worn a sweatshirt under his coat. By the time they make it to the tree line and see the flicker of flashlights he finds himself experiencing some intense deja vu. Yet that all goes away when amongst the small crowd is Evelyn. She’s bundled up tightly with a blanket low hung off her shoulders. The green hat atop her head brings out her hazel eyes even in the dark of the night. Charlie feels the breath get knocked out of him as he spots her. He realizes he had never seen her in pants until now and it makes his mouth go slack.
“There you guys are, what took so long?” Violet seethes, teeth practically chattering as she stays tucked up under Martin’s arm.
“New guy here had a bunch of questions” Nate jokes as he moves to join his friends. There isn’t many people within the small crowd that Charlie doesn’t know. Only two he hadn’t really gotten to know. A blonde girl named Amy from his Math class and one of the basketball players Eli, who had his arms wrapped around Laurie. Jay Adam’s apparently never asked or Eli just beat him to it. Either way she still didn’t end up with small Nick Harrison.
“Hey you” Evelyn smiles up at Charlie as she approaches him. He does his best to smile back as he freezes in the night. Her small hand reaching out and smoothing down the front of his jacket.
“It’s freezing” he tells her and she giggles lightly, arm hooking with his own.
“Don’t worry, we have ways of warming you up” and Charlie’s cheeks flush red in the dark of the night. He knows that wasn’t the way she meant but then again she still probably knew exactly what she said. The small group moving deeper into the woods where you could no longer see the faint lights coming from the school windows.
Pretty soon they reach a clearing and Evelyn leads him to a log sat on the ground. As Charlie moves to sit beside her, Nate and Marty begin work on a fire in front of them, and he realizes fairly quickly that it had become a makeshift campfire set up.
“Shouldn’t be long until the fire is going but this should warm you up for now” she tells him softly, revealing the silver flask from her coat pocket. Charlie raises his eyebrows at her as she hands it to him.
“This is yours?” he can’t help but question and Evelyn laughs.
“Yeah, I’m not much for wine coolers like those girls over there” she points across the fire to the other log where Violet and Laurie had already cracked open a few. “Marty has a fake and he sneaks them into the woods every time we want to celebrate”
“Of course he does” Charlie says with a chuckle before twisting the top off and letting the liquid burn down his throat. When he goes to pass it back Evelyn is quick to take a sip as well, and Charlie’s throat dries because his lips had just been there, and it was extremely sexy to see a girl not choke on her liquor.
“Hey, better share” Nate calls out as the fire catches and Evelyn giggles before tossing it to him. They both watch as Nate unscrews the cap and tips the liquid back in his mouth. It’s when his face screws up tightly and a deep cough leaves his throat, Evelyn and Charlie die of laughter.
“Yeah get your jollies” he sneers, arm moving to wipe his mouth and pass the flask right back.
“Don’t worry big guy, the girls got some wine coolers for you over there” Charlie teases and Nate rolls his eyes yet he can’t help but be happy. Charlie and him had gotten really close after their talk and even if he still did love Evelyn it was so much easier to bear now.
“I’m surprised you aren’t sleeping and stressing about tomorrow” Charlie says even though he supposed by now it already is tomorrow.
“I can stress in the morning, since I have to work the dance it’s better to enjoy myself now” Evelyn tells him and Charlie smiles, shivering lightly in the night air.
“Still cold?” Evelyn asks innocently, eyes batting up at him, and Charlie smiles.
“I’ve faced worse” he says, remembering all those freezing nights spent in the cave. They were all worth it though.
“Yeah well I can’t have my co planner sick” Evelyn says and next thing Charlie knows, she’s wrapping the edge of her blanket around him. Scooting up flush to his body and huddling into his own warmth. His heart nearly doubles in speed as he pulls the blanket close to them both and wrapping them inside. “Better?”
“Way better” he whispers, face so close to her own all he can think about is kissing her. The way the fire reflects off her eyes is enough to make his insides melt, but before he can get to lost in his head he’s pulled right back out.
“So Charlie, does Welton have anything like this? Some secret party getaway?” Violet asks from across the fire and Charlie turns to face her.
“Not really, I mean me and my friends used to sneak out to this old cave but it was too strict for us to ever really have a secret hangout spot. Our dean had guard dogs even, barked if we ever tried to leave our rooms after curfew” Charlie tells them and majority of them are shocked to even hear of this. An actual fact about the boy in front of them who had spent so long trying to hideaway.
“How’d you sneak out then?” Marty asks, freeing a cigarette from his letterman jacket and lighting it.
“Dog treats” Charlie smirks and the group around the fire is laughing at the image.
“Probably wasn’t popular enough to know about the best party spot on campus” Nate teases, settling on a log beside Amy since it was the last spot open.
“Oh you’ve got it all wrong Nathan Price. I was a living legend at that school. If there was a party spot, I would’ve been the one to make it” Charlie says, the old confidence slurring in his tone. The flash of amusement in his eyes is enough to convince everyone around him.
“Is that why you got your ass beat?” Evelyn asks and the rest of the group wears confused looks at the mention of this.
“Not exactly. I wrote an article in the school paper without permission and during the assembly to address it I snuck an old phone in and when it rang I answered it in front of the entire student body and staff. Told the dean it was a phone call from God, and they should allow girls at Welton” and as he recalls the story, the rest of them laugh harder and harder. Evelyn even is shocked by the outgoing stunt the boy had pulled.
“That definitely deserved an ass beating” Evelyn agrees and Charlie chuckles, feeling that old confidence surge through him and settle in his bones. Which may explain why he takes the arm pressed against her and wraps it slowly around her waist and out of sight from everyone else.
“Yeah, I’m man enough to admit that even I had gone a little too far with that one. My friends were pissed” he says, a flash of Neil’s face as he limped back to his dorm room. The sadness in his eyes as he feared for the worst. As if Evelyn senses his sadness she snuggles in closer to his side which in turn causes Charlie to squeeze at her waist.
“Why would they be mad?” Laurie questions and Charlie takes a moment before deciding to answer.
“I had signed the article with the name of our secret club, while none of them had no idea I was writing it let alone publishing it. Hence the phone call from God so I could take the blame and protect all of them” he says and Evelyn’s heart soars for the kind boy beside her. One she really would’ve liked to know five months ago.
“I take it back, apparently he is a legend” Nate says as a cigarette gets passed to him and Charlie just laughs with the shake of his head.
“Not anymore, I just so happened to get myself kicked out and dethroned” Charlie says with a soft shrug.
“Why not try for legend status here?” Amy giggles around the puff of smoke from the cigarette Nate had just given her.
“It’s too late for that, I’ve already been stuck in the lame planning committee. My reputation can never come back from that” and Evelyn gasps before knocking her shoulder into his ribs to which he laughs.
“Such a jerk” she shakes her head as the group starts to talk amongst themselves and Evelyn grabs the cigarette Amy has passed her way.
“You smoke?” Charlie questions, more surprised by her tonight than he had in the entirety of knowing her.
“Only on special occasions, especially when I need to relax” and then she was sucking a deep drag, the lit end glowing in the dark night.
“Do you smoke?” she questioned right back around the puff of smoke she blew into the air.
“I did. When I got kicked out I had to abandon my cigarette stash at the school. Worst part is knowing my old roommate was such a goodie two shoes he’ll never get any use out of it. Feels like I wasted them twice” Charlie says and Evelyn chuckles as she taps some ash off the end.
“Well it’s a nasty habit to have anyway. I hate kissing boys who taste like smoke” she said with the soft shake of her head and Charlie was quickly smirking at her.
“Got some plans to kiss me doll?” he asks and she blushes only briefly before laughing into the night air. Without responding she guides her hand to him, cigarette pressed between her fingers. The palm of her hand meets his chin only slightly as her fingers press to his lips and allow him to inhale a puff.
“Not anymore” she said with a mischievous grin, pulling the cigarette back and passing it back to Amy.
“You’re killing me” he told her with a sincerity she was still getting used to. Out of nowhere the last few days Charlie had really come out of his shell. He was approaching her more often than not, spending time with Nate outside of their dorm, and eating lunch with them. It had been a big turnaround.
“That just might be my goal” she tells him and Charlie is squeezing her waist where he still holds her to him tightly. He hadn’t been cold once since she had been there.
“I’m not worried, girls can’t resist me” he says with a coolness that had been so foreign until now. Evelyn just shakes her head and goes to take another sip from the flask.
“I’d like to say that isn’t true but I wouldn’t be here if it was” she says and Charlie laughs into the night air. Tonight had been the first time in a long time he hadn’t felt overwhelmed by the sadness of Neil. He could just be him and maybe begin to accept his life for what it was.
“Still no kiss then?” he asked, smirk heavy on the lips Evelyn so desperately did want to kiss.
“Ask me again later” she tells him and Charlie quickly pumps his free hand in the air.
“I can live with that answer” he tells her and Evelyn smiles before turning her attention back to some of her friends. Easy conversation flows through the cold forest and laughs echo in the late night air. It was the same and yet entirely different and Charlie found that he could be comforted by it while also saddened. You don’t get over things in one night but each new day was becoming easier and easier. Plus being in the woods somehow made it easier, made him feel closer to the boys, and that’s when he remembered.
I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately.
Taglist: @eden-punk @linmichea1 @pursuedbyamemoryy @mynameisjxlia
Comment if you want to be added to the taglist :))
#charlie dalton fic#charlie dalton x oc#charlie dalton x reader#charlie dalton fanfic#charlie dalton dps#charlie dalton imagine#charlie dalton x femreader#charlie dps#charlie dalton#charlie dalton x original character#charlie dalton smut#dead poets society series#dead poets society imagines#dead poets society fandom#dead poets society fanfiction#dead poets society#dps series#dps fanfiction#dps fic#dps fandom#dps#dps boys#dead poets#dead poets fandom#dead poets fanfic#dead poets au#gale hansen series#gale hansen#neil perry#todd anderson
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Landmark, The Indian Cave
N1. Where It All Started
It all started when the brunette boy decides to talk to Marjorie who's sitting beside him during the anti bullying colloquium between private schools.
And she never knew that it would end up with meeting his friends in a cave by the river just to read poems and storytelling.
.
Cover is from sunset rollercoaster's music video 'Little Balcony'
English is not my first language, im sorry for any mistakes.
"Come on, Steph, they're leaving us," she giggles freely as she ran towards the bus that's parked just outside the Henley Hall campus building, her curly blonde hair gracefully blown by the air. Marjorie Melton, part of the Henley Women's Leadership Council, known for her family's matrilineal side that has been attending Henley Hall since decades ago.
Then there's Stephanie Lutz, also a part of the council, known for her family's background, yet she looks like she doesn't belong to the Lutz family. "Wait for me, Marge!" She breathe out, taking a huge inhale and exhale once she stepped inside the bus, she spotted her best friend and sit down next to her. "The bus isn't even moving at all," she said, the movement of her mouth looks uncomfortable because of her bright blue braces, "obviously, Mrs Jennings wasn't even her yet, you silly."
"God, how long are they gonna keep this up?" groaned Steph, keeping her voice low in order to not offend any girls who's currently singing Henley Hall theme song by Mrs Jennings command. This is the first time Marge have a trip out of school during school day, thankfully Henley Hall was not like any other private school that keeps their students within the campus building like a prisoner. She looks at Steph only to find out she's already staring at her, their forehead touch against each other, "why did you even become part of the student council?" asked Steph, her hazel eyes staring into Marge's blue eyes.
For a moment she thinks about why did she became a part of the students council, her eyes flicking everywhere but Steph's. "Cause my sister," she mumbled, glancing at her older sister that's a few seats behind her on the left row, Mallory Melton. "I don't like her," Steph turns her head to look at Mallory, "i know, Steph, nobody does... Except for Mrs Jennings, and at least she's my parents favorite."
After a few hours of butt cramps they finally arrived at the largest and most expensive private school located in Vermont, different from Henley Hall and Welton Academy, Vermont Crest Prestige Institute allowed both genders to study even though the campus building for male and female was seperated. While Mrs Jennings chit chat with Vermont Crest's principal, a girl who introduce herself as the vice president of Vermont Crest student council lead us inside the main campus building.
Marge's eyes light up when they entered the lecture classroom, one third of the seats already filled with Welton Academy boys. "Look at that blonde haired," she heard someone murmured, "the glasses one, though," chatter kept going when Welton boys looks at their way, smiling shyly as they try to keep everything professional. "Where's your seat?" Marge asked her best friend, "front, obviously, why did they vote me to be the secretary," she murmur to herself, Marge smiled and walk to her assigned seat.
She noticed the boy beside her, short brunette hair, sharp cheekbones yet his face looks very young and boyish, Neil Perry, she noted mentally once she saw his name tag. "You must be Marjorie Melton," he startled her, Marge looks at him with horror in her eyes before nodding her head yes, "im Neil Perry," he said with a sweet smile on his face, offering his hand for her to shake.
The whole speech and campaign took more than two hours, thankfully the Vermont Crest council is kind enough to treat their guest with food and souvenirs. Nearing the end of the colloquium she heard Neil whispers for her attention, "what?" she turned to look at him, "wanna trade? i want that chocolate chip cookie, you can get anything from my plate," he murmur very softly, his eyes maintaining eye contact with her's.
Her eyes flicking between his eyes and his plate, noticing that he ate all of the good stuff, leaving a very thin and oily slice of cake and the small raisin bread, "you can eat it, my chocolate chip cookie," she said before turning away to focus on the lecture, "thanks," he chuckled, wasting no time snatchings her chocolate chip cookies.
"No, because i was saving the best for the last, i didn't even touch that raisin bread," she complained, Steph on her side and a few juniors following along, "at least he's cute," one said, "good face but insensitive to surrounding was the worst combination ever, trust me on this one, Evelyn," said Steph as she juggle around papers in her arms, they almost reach the bus until she heard him shouting her name, "Marjorie!"
The boy run towards her with full speed, his tie going over his shoulder, his hair blown back by the wind. "Look, he's in love with you," one said, "oh, shush, get inside the bus," warned Marge, "ooh, come on, get in, get in," Steph urging them to step inside the bus as she did too. Neil lean down as he tried to catch his breath once he reached her, looking up at her with a smile on his face, "is there any way i could write to you?" He asked, she looks at him with a disgust look on her face.
She thinks for a moment, it's not bad at all, "23 Maplewood Avenue, ward 8. And by the way, it's Marge." she said before turning away to step inside the bus, he smiled and stand there watching her get to her seat, before running away and shouting, "CARPE DIEM!!" On top of his lungs as he ran back towards the group of Welton boys.
#neil perry#dead poets society#dead poets fandom#dead poets fanfic#x oc#original character#my ocs#todd anderson#knox overstreet#charlie dalton#steven meeks#Gerrard pitts#richard cameron#john keats#welton academy#angst#fluff#smut#i don't fucking know
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FOUR LORDS: CONSEQUENCES
[Trigger Warnings: Domestic Violence, Assault, Abuse, Violence, Blood]
-
The air felt as still as if time had stopped. Rose’s breath came in shuddered gasps, pain throbbing in her head. She was only a little aware of the blood dripping from her nose, but her eyes fixated only on the face before her.
Todd had frozen at the voice behind him, at the hand that held his wrist. Slowly, he turned to face the invader instead of Rose.
Rose trailed her eyes upwards, past Todd. Relief was an understatement as her eyes met the pale, paper-white face and deep ruby eyes. Annabelle’s face held something of a contained rage and cold authority, hand locked tightly around Todd’s wrist. He tried to pry his wrist from her iron grip, but it quickly proved futile.
As Todd fully turned to face Annabelle, he released his hold on Rose’s shirt. Rose found herself sinking to the floor, back against the wall.
“Who do you think you are?” Todd snapped at Annabelle, now using his other hand to try and pull her hand off his wrist. “Let go of me!”
“You must be Todd,” Annabelle said, not even trying to hide the disgust in her voice. “Such a wonderful displeasure to meet you.”
Todd quickly whirled around to face Rose— as best as he could, anyway.
“You— rancid whore! You’ve— you’ve been hiding here?! You—“
Before he could continue to berate her, however, he was suddenly yanked harshly. He let out something of a yell as Annabelle practically threw him onto the ground, having violently twisted his wrist in the process. His back hit the cold floor with a harsh thud, knocking the wind from his chest. Rose’s relief shifted to horror, and she sat frozen, covering her mouth with her hand.
Annabelle coldly placed her foot on his chest, pinning him against the ground. He wheezed for breath as she pushed down, threatening to break his very ribcage in. She leaned down so she could look at his face better. Rose couldn’t see her face from this angle— only her back. She could, however, just barely make out Todd’s face. He looked enraged and hurt at the same time— likely in pain from how Lady Constance held him down. The maidens who had come to help Rose quickly took a few paces back, terror written clearly on their faces.
“You listen closely, boy.” Annabelle hissed, “You dare to set foot in my home, snap at me, and lay your hands on my maidens? Do you find ecstasy in the thrill of hunting down women who dare defy you? Do you enjoy hurting them?”
Todd thrashed, making a wild jab for Annabelle’s face. However, she coldly caught his wrist without so much as turning her head.
“Let go of me-! I’m— I was trying to bring my wife home—“
Annabelle leaned her head back and let out a frigid, mirthless laugh that left the room feeling as cold as ice. Rose shrunk against the ground, eyes wide as a chill went through her body.
“Is that why you beat her within an inch of her life?” Annabelle snapped, leaning down once more so her face was mere inches from his, her free hand forcefully grabbing him by the cheeks, “Is that why you bashed her head into a wall, cut her with a knife, and chased her across town not once— but twice? How pathetic!”
“She is my wife!” Todd snarled, pushing right back against Annabelle and attempting to lift himself. However, he was quickly shoved back down by Annabelle’s hands, his shoulders hitting the ground with a thud.
“Not anymore, she’s not,” Annabelle growled, grabbing him by the front of his shirt with a hand. “Your kind disgusts me.”
“Let go of me!”
Annabelle sharply pulled him to his feet, her fist clenching the front of his shirt tightly. He was an inch or two taller than Annabelle, yet looked sharply dwarfed by her prowess and anger. In fact, terror began to make its way across his face as she bared her fangs to him - sharp, pointed, with the capability to tear flesh from bone. Her red eyes gleamed like fresh blood, almost seeming to glow with her rage.
“Do you have any idea who you’re speaking to?” She hissed, her eyes narrowing. “Do you have any respect for your Lords?”
The reality was beginning to sink into Todd’s face, and the color began to drain from his cheeks.
“You disgust me,” Annabelle snapped again, suddenly shoving him hard against the wall. There was a sharp CRACK that erupted in the room, and Todd screamed out. “Men like you should suffer for the pain you put others through!”
Rose felt sick to her stomach. Todd’s head turned to look over at her, eyes wide and terrified.
“Rose! Dear, tell her to put me down!”
Rose choked on her words, tears dripping down her face. They stung her bruised cheeks, and she wiped her face with her sleeve. Blood smeared across the white silk.
“DON’T YOU SPEAK TO HER!” Annabelle roared, pushing him harder against the stone. His feet actually left the ground, the air breaking with more cracks and his wheezing breath. “How DARE her name leave your foul lips?! How DARE you beg her for help when you beat her within an inch of her life?! DISGUSTING waste of life you are!”
Todd gasped for breath, pushing at her arm in an attempt to free his breaking ribs.
Rose winced, gasping for her own air as blood clogged her throat from swallowing. She tried to blink away the tears, tried to think of something to say - but all she came up with was dead air.
Years of abuse had cultivated into this. He was finally facing an opponent who was bigger than him - who could wound him like he had wounded Rose, and then some. Rose felt sick - what was going to happen to him?
“I— can’t— breathe—!”
Todd’s voice choked out, thrashing against Annabelle’s grip. She narrowed her eyes at him, before abruptly releasing him. He collapsed to the floor, gasping for and gripping at his chest. He tried to crawl towards Rose, reaching a hand out to grab her ankle. However, he was abruptly yanked back by his ponytail, forcing a yell from him as Annabelle forced his head back. Rose scrambled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself.
She was suddenly aware of just how cold she was.
Annabelle pulled him again, forcing him away from Rose.
“You’ll never touch her again,” she hissed, stepping back and dragging him with her.
“Rose!”
Hearing her name again made her want to be sick. So many times he had spat her name, treated her like the scum of the earth, and now he begged for her help. He wanted her to pity him— to help him after the Hell he put her through, because he was forced to face the consequences of his actions.
“Rose!”
And yet his pleas still churned her stomach. The terror was written across his face - was it really regret, or was it fear of what the Lady might do?
“ROSE!”
Rose couldn’t answer him. All she could do was stare in horror as the Lady dragged him harshly across the floor. The heels of his boots scraped against the smooth floor, letting out a harsh squeal. The Maidens who had gathered quickly stepped back, giving Annabelle plenty of room to enter the depths of the Castle.
Todd’s screams of fear echoed through the halls long after he was gone from sight. Distantly, Rose could hear a door slamming - and a heavy thud, like a piece of wood slamming down.
The cellar door.
There was an eerie silence that followed. It was broken by the beating of Rose’s heart, and her quick breath that felt too loud. Soft sobs escaped from her, but she attempted to quiet them. Everything felt too loud.
She practically jumped out of her skin at the sudden knocking at the door, letting out a frightened yelp. The Maidens who had been watching the doorway in shock seemed to jump, too. One of them quickly dashed forward to check the door.
“Where’s Rose?”
Rose felt a flood of relief, grateful for a familiar voice. As if that were a trigger, the sobs began to hit harder, the tears spilling faster.
The Maidens quickly let Bayley in, who glanced around before landing her gaze on Rose. However, she didn’t have time to question it as Rose practically collapsed. Sniffling hurt with a bloody nose, and she choked on her own hiccups and blood. Bayley quickly went over to Rose, crouching down next to her and wrapping her up in a tight embrace.
“Oh, dear… it’s— i-it’s okay, let it out…”
Rose buried her face into Bayley’s chest, what little composure she had left shattering as she practically wailed into the soft silk.
The other Maidens glanced at each other, discomfort and uncertainty evident on their faces. They seemed, too, to be in shock. After a while, they finally began to trickle out of the room - maybe to find a mop for the mud, maybe to calm themselves.
Regardless of their reasons, Bayley held Rose tight, letting her sob her grievances into whimpers - no matter how long it took.
Rose was grateful that Bayley didn’t ask much once she finally was able to pull herself together. She helped her to her feet, holding her steady as her legs threatened to give way beneath her. After that, Bayley led her to one of the bathrooms to help her wash up.
The bathroom itself was a rectangular room. The floor was a cold, white stone tile, and there was only one window at the end, too high to quite see through directly. To the left were stalls, and to the right were a few sinks. It was small, as there were a few bathrooms scattered about the Castle for Maiden’s usage. Past the sinks and around the corner, hidden by a curtain, were the baths. Though, Rose didn’t go that far. Instead, she and Bayley stopped next to one of the sinks.
Bayley sat Rose down on a small stool, which was usually used to climb up to the shelf for towels above the sinks. She then took one of said towels and wetted it under a faucet.
“Here…”
She gently lifted Rose’s head, having rung the towel out so it was merely damp. Rose winced when it made contact with her now swollen cheek, and she shut her eyes tight.
“Shh-shh-shh, it’s alright— I know it hurts…” Bayley murmured quietly, though kept the pressure gentle. “It’s going to be okay…”
With a gentle hand, Bayley began to wipe the blood and mud off of Rose’s face. Her bloody nose had halted, at least, so there was no longer a fresh stream running down her face. She did her best to brush out the mud in her hair, too.
“Stay here— I’ll grab you some new clothes, and then you can bathe, alright? Don’t move.”
Rose only gave a small nod, to which Bayley gently brushed her shoulder with a hand before exiting the bathroom.
She was left alone in the room. Her arms wrapped tightly around herself, and her heels rested on the rung of the stool’s support to the legs. Only after a few moments did she look over to the mirror beside her, although the movement was slow.
Rose grimaced at her own appearance. Her cheek was swollen— likely going to bruise, as was her eye and a cut on her head. How he had managed to cut her, she didn’t know… it could have been any manner of things at this rate. Her shirt and cloak were caked in mud, now starting to dry and crack. It was stuck in her hair, since Bayley couldn’t pull all of it out with just a towel.
Everything ached - from her throbbing head to exhausted legs. Luckily, though, she wasn’t bleeding anymore. Now that she was finally able to sit, the aches were starting to make themselves more known. There was a stinging on her back from being slammed into the wall of the bakery, and a red mark around her neck where her cloak had choked her.
The silence pressed in the bathroom for a long time, Rose doing her best to avoid looking too hard in the mirror. However, after what felt like hours, the door finally opened again.
Bayley stepped into the room, but she wasn’t alone. Rose was a bit surprised to see Dr. Raven Quinn-Casey, her white hair tied back into a messy bun. With her, she carried a satchel.
“Oh, dear…” she said quietly to herself, and Rose flinched at the hint of worry in her voice.
“Rose, you remember the good doctor,” Bayley said, approaching Rose and tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder. “She was called to take a look at you.”
Bayley offered a small, reassuring smile to Rose, though Rose couldn’t help but notice a hint of worry in her vibrant green eyes. Raven approached Rose.
“May I look?”
Bayley stepped back to give her room, and Rose gave a small nod. She braced herself against Raven’s touch, but was pleasantly surprised as she gently took Rose’s chin with her hand. She tilted her head ever so slightly to each side, taking special care to avoid directly touching the wounds.
Raven hummed, releasing Rose’s head after a few moments.
“Have you been feeling dizzy at all? Exhausted— like you might pass out?”
Rose slowly shook her head, biting her cheek. She felt… cold.
“Hm… hold still.”
Raven reached into her satchel and pulled out a small light. With it, she examined Rose’s eyes and pupils - testing her reaction to the light. She had her follow the light, and then her fingers.
“Do you feel nauseous?”
Rose shook her head.
“You said you weren’t dizzy— any difficulty walking?”
“N-Not— not really,” Rose murmured quietly.
“No slurred speech— that’s good.”
Raven clicked the light off before tucking it back inside her satchel.
“I don’t think you’ve incurred a concussion, but I’d still put some ice on those bruises and on your head and take some time to rest.”
Rose felt Bayley’s hand on her shoulder noticeably lessen its grip, as if she were relieved.
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“My pleasure. If anything gets worse, I want to be the first person to know.”
“Of course.”
Raven was quiet, glancing at Rose for a few moments longer until she turned to Bayley.
“Where is the Lady?” She asked.
Bayley stiffened, and Rose felt her grip tighten on her shoulder once more. Rose grit her teeth and shut her eyes, turning her head downward.
“…Busy,” Bayley choked out after a few moments.
There was a pause of silence, before Rose glanced up at Raven once more. She was nodding.
“Alright,” was all she said, until she turned back to Rose. “Take care.”
With that, Raven finally turned, walking out of the bathroom. She closed the door behind her when she left. Her footsteps echoed in the hall, walking away from the door, until they finally disappeared.
Silence pressed on for a long time. Rose let out a long exhale, rubbing her arm nervously. Bayley finally let go of her, and it was only then that Rose noticed how hard Bayley had been squeezing her.
“Come on,” was all Bayley murmured. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”
It took a long time to finally rinse all of the mud and blood off of her weary body. Bayley had brought her a fresh set of clothes and had taken her boots while Rose rinsed herself off, and Rose could hear her in one of the other bathtubs, trying to rinse the mud off the outside of her boots.
When Bayley helped her dry off, Rose caught another glance of herself in the mirror, she was relieved to see she looked a little less swollen in the cheek. It wasn’t much, and it was starting to turn a dark purple, but she figured that to be a part of the healing. At least she wasn’t covered in a thick layer of mud and blood anymore.
Bayley led her way to Rose’s room. Along the way, several Maidens sent a few worried glances in her direction, whispering amongst themselves. Rose kept her gaze downcast, choosing to ignore them.
“I’m going to grab you some ice, alright?” Bayley whispered once they had reached her room. “Wait here.”
Rose didn’t answer, taking a few steps into her bedroom. The latch on the window was ever-present in the rattling, and the room felt colder than ever. She heard Bayley’s footsteps disappear down the hall, swiftly— like she was worried to leave Rose alone for too long.
Rose sat on her bed, anxiously fiddling with her hands in her lap. Her body ached, and part of her only wanted to sleep. She was still reeling from the day’s events, however, and she doubted she could sleep if she tried.
She glanced over to her nightstand, swallowing hard. Tentatively, she reached a hand out, pulling open the drawer. Inside, as present as ever, lie her engagement ring.
Rose stared for a long time, a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She let out a huff, brushing her hair back before taking the ring and placing it in her palm. It was dull, and covered in dust. She softly blew on it, trying to scatter the dust. However, it only resulted in her accidentally inhaling a bit of it, to which she coughed and waved at the air.
She stared at the ring in her palm, contemplating. Guilt crawled its way over her shoulders, washing over her like an even colder wave than the faint whisp of the wind outside. It wasn’t even dark— the sun was only midway down in the sky, which was washed with oranges, pinks, and a faint bit of purple.
She suddenly found herself feeling desperate to be rid of the ring. While it may have just been her imagination, all she could think about was how vile it felt to sit in her palm— how desperately she needed it to disappear.
Abruptly, she stood up. She shoved it into her pocket, before brushing her hands on her pants. There wasn’t anything on them, but… she felt dirtied. Before she could quite leave, cloak in hand, her bedroom door opened again. Bayley stood, bucket of ice in her hands.
There was a moment of surprise between the two, as if Bayley had expected her to be sitting. She probably had, Rose supposed, given her sorry state.
Rose swallowed.
“T-Thank you,” she said hoarsely, surprised at the tremor in her own voice.
Bayley hesitated, glancing over Rose.
“Where are you going?”
Rose didn’t want to answer. Her throat felt too tight, even as she swallowed again - like her very windpipe was closed.
“Out,” she finally managed after a few moments.
Bayley narrowed her eyes.
“I’m going with you.”
“Bayley—“
“The doctor said you should be resting, and I won’t patronize you, but I’ll be damned before I let you leave and collapse somewhere for the wolves to find you. The woods are dangerous alone—“
“You—You t-travel them e-every day!”
“That’s different!”
Bayley huffed, setting the ice down next to Rose’s wardrobe.
“I won’t push, but I can’t let you go alone. Not… not again.”
Rose swallowed again. Bayley had been in the bakery when the chase had begun… and she could see the hollow guilt and gnawing shame clawing behind those vibrant green eyes, past that scarred bridge of her nose…
She sighed, wrapping her cloak tightly around herself.
“G-Grab your— Grab your c-cloak, and m-meet me by the—“
She hesitated.
“…Servants’ exit,” she decided. Bayley nodded, eyes lingering on Rose’s trembling hands struggling with her brooch. Before she left down the hall, she gently took Rose’s hands and fastened the brooch on her cloak, pinning it in place. With that, she was gone, her steps echoing on the immaculate tile and down the hollow staircase.
Rose followed a few moments after, her steps slow. Her body ached, but she ignored it as best she could. Despite the waning sun, the trek before her, she couldn’t rid herself of the feeling of disgust— of filth that still crept over her very soul, regardless of how they’d rinsed her hair three times to rid of all of the mud and blood.
She descended the stairs, gripping the railing tightly until she reached the ground floor. She heard a soft murmur from the break room nearby, and took a few steps to peer through the door.
Bayley had the ornate white phone up to her ear, connected to the receiver by a short cord. It sat on the table by the radio, to be used for emergencies. And, Rose supposed, to contact outsiders who even had phones.
From the sound of it, Douglas did.
Bayley’s back was turned to Rose, and she was saying:
“I’m going to be a little late— some things happened at work, but I shouldn’t be too long, maybe an hour or two at most.”
A short pause as she listened, twirling the phone cord around her index finger.
“I’ll tell you more when I can— I—“
It was at that moment she turned, noticing Rose. Pink flushed her face, and she untwisted the cord.
“I have to go— I love you,” she said quickly, putting the phone back on its stand a little too swiftly to be comfortable.
“Douglas?” Rose asked quietly when Bayley approached, pulling her cloak tighter around herself.
Bayley nodded.
“I figured it polite to tell him I might be a little late for dinner… so he wasn’t sitting there waiting and wondering where I am,” she said quietly.
Rose nodded, and Bayley followed as she walked out of the room and towards the servants’ exit. There, they were lucky to find no resistance as Bayley pushed it open. Cold wind blasted their faces, as if the night itself brought icy winds and colder temperature— like it, too, was aware of the horrors that had occurred today.
However, there was a stark smell against the frigid cold fogging their breath and disrupting their senses. A smell Rose only encountered when passing by the tavern.
Cigarette smoke.
Leaning against the wall outside was a cloaked figure, shivering against the cold and holding a silver lighter in her hands. Her hands shook violently, as she struggled to light a cigarette perched between her teeth. It was hard to make out in the faint light of the small, flickering flame, but Rose could have sworn that her hands were dark— as if she had something on them.
She perked when Rose and Bayley exited, looking over to them. Bayley breathed something of a sigh of relief.
“Reese,” she said quietly, “Thank goodness, a friendly face.”
The woman stood upright, glancing between the two as she took a puff from her cigarette. She blew the smoke out to the wind.
“Where are you two headed?” The woman asked. She had deep, ocean blue eyes and brown hair, tied back into a short ponytail. She was taller than the both of them by at least half a foot. Rose could make out faint freckles on her cheeks. However, her eyes kept glancing to her hands.
“Oh— O—Out,” Rose managed to say quietly, swallowing hard. Bayley gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Town,” Bayley said, before turning to Rose with a worried glance, as if to ask That’s where, right?
Rose gave a short nod, her eyes flicking back to the tall woman. Reese… the name flickered back to her. She’d seen her at one of the Lady’s parties, sitting at a table with Jada and Lilith, dressed in a rich blue gown with a low back. Reese Anderson, the eldest Head Maiden of the Lady’s most trusted.
Reese coughed, tapping the end of her cigarette and letting the ashes flutter into the wind. Rose nearly wrinkled her nose in distaste, but thought it impolite and tried to maintain a neutral demeanor.
“Yeah… I figured. Given today’s… events… I won’t hold you guys— probably wanted to get something and was rudely interrupted.”
Reese glanced at Rose, and seemed to swallow hard. Under the cover of the dark clouds and frigid wind, it was hard to see her expression. She lifted her lighter again, that soft orange flame sputtering against the hard wind. Reese raised her hand to shield the tiny flame, struggling to relight her cigarette.
However, that small orange flame provided just enough light to illuminate her hands, and Rose’s heart sunk into the deepest pits of her roiling stomach.
Her hands were covered in deep red crimson, dried and cracked against the icy winds.
Blood. It stained her white sleeves, her vest, a splotch on her cheek, the very lighter in her hands.
Rose felt sick, resisting the urge to vomit right then and there. She swallowed hard, a chill sinking through her deeper than any wind could blow.
Bayley tightened her grip, as if she could sense the sudden chill down Rose’s spine.
“We’d— better get going. We won’t be long, I promise.”
Reese nodded, taking another dreg from her cigarette. She leaned her head back as she let it go, her hood falling from her head.
“I trust that you guys won’t take long. It’s freezing— wouldn’t put it past the shops to close early tonight with the cold. Just don’t be long— Lady Constance will have my head if something else goes wrong today.”
Bayley nodded.
“Thank you,” she said, quickly steering Rose towards the path that descended around the Castle.
Rose didn’t hear Reese’s reply over the howling wind and the roaring in her own ears. She was shaking so badly she thought her legs might give out, though Bayley’s hand against her back was an anchor she clung to with every bit of strength she could muster.
Blood. It had been blood.
And Reese didn’t have an injury on her.
Somehow, Rose managed to make it to town. Bayley had pulled her hood over her head to try and block out the cold, their breaths fogging the air before them. Luckily, the lamps were still lit. They walked down the Main Street, but did not encounter many people. Those that were were bundled up against the cold, scarves pulled over noses and hats pulled hard over their ears.
Rose stepped into leading the way, trying to avoid the occasional glance her way. She felt sick when she saw the Bakery, as if the pain in her stomach wasn’t bad enough. She quickly averted her eyes and took a left down the short street that led around the corner. She wanted to be quick— wanted this day to be done and over with, to crawl into bed and forget its events and all they entailed. She might have, had Bayley not kept her grounded.
Finally, she stepped up a few steps and opened the door. A bell sounded, the sound bright and all-too-loud as the wind was muffled upon stepping inside. The hard wood floor was met by the soft clunk, clunk of their boots as Bayley shut the door behind them.
It was a quaint store, with shelves stocked full of items for sale on all walls and throughout the room, except for those behind the cash counter. Behind the counter stood two men - one a tall, blonde man with hair she could only describe as fluffy, and a dark blue jacket pulled over an off-white sweater; the other was slightly taller than the other, with light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, wearing a flannel shirt, and with freckles dotting his cheeks. In stark contrast behind the two men was a rack of guns against the wall - mostly rifles and pistols, used by some of the men in town for hunting during springtime. A few sharpened axes hung as well, among other various tools, and next to that rack was a door that could only lead into the back storage and offices. Boxes of ammo lined the shelf beneath the gun rack.
Rose noticed Bayley give the brown-haired man a short, courteous nod— a greeting, as if she recognized him. Rose, despite living here her entire life, had never set foot in this store.
Bayley approached the counter, Rose taking a few seconds to trail behind and swallowing hard. Bayley dug into her pockets, pulling out a few marks and setting them on the counter before the blonde man.
“Two packs of cigarettes— regular ones are fine.”
The blonde man nodded, ducking under the counter to look. From the other side, Rose was snapped from her watching by the other man clearing his throat.
“How may I help you?”
Rose shot Bayley another glance. The other woman was pointedly taking her time in recounting her marks, the blonde man procuring two boxes of cigarettes from below the counter at last. Her eyes shot back to the man in front of her.
“I—“
Her throat felt tight, and she choked on her words. She fidgeted with the edge of her hood, not realizing it had fallen from her head until then. Bayley’s, too, her hair tied back with that stark, pure white ribbon in a bow.
Rose finally swallowed hard, reaching into her pocket and taking the engagement ring in her trembling fingers. As it sat in her shaking palm, a flurry of memories flashed before her eyes— a hand raised high to strike, the curl of lip revealing disdain and all-too-white teeth, eyes wide in terror and the screech of heels on tile—
She slammed the ring on the counter a little too harshly, so that even she was stunned by the fierceness with which she left it. Her heart thundered against her ribs, and every breath came with a shudder down her spine.
The blonde man had quickly turned his gaze as Rose finally removed her hand from the counter, the ring left in its wake. His gaze darted between his companion and Rose’s face, but he said nothing, even as his shoulders had visibly tensed. Bayley was stiff, Rose noticed out of the corner of her eye, her hand paused in the process of picking up the cigarettes from the counter.
The brown-haired man was unphased, however, his piercing green eyes following her hand to the ring sitting on his store counter. He was about a foot taller than her, yet she felt further dwarfed by his gaze and the careful scrutiny upon which he examined the ring.
He took it, examining it between his forefinger and thumb.
“How—However m-much you’ll give— you’ll give me f-for that,” Rose stammered, though tried as hard as she could to halt the waver in her voice and closing of her throat, “I-I’ll— I’ll take whatever— whatever you g-give me.”
The blonde man, too, looked over at the ring curiously, pinned between his partner’s fingers and shining in the lantern light. Rose’s gaze shot away, unable to keep looking at it.
She heard the blonde man murmur something— only evident in that she hadn’t heard his voice yet, and it was not the brown-haired man’s nor Bayley’s— and it sounded like he was scrutinizing the ring as well. Though, he did not raise his voice, and did not inquire further.
Although, his eyes shifted from the ring down to her face. Something like concern flashed across his eyes, and his lips pressed together tightly.
It was only then that Rose remembered that her face was bruised, and that a cut lay bandaged on her head. She swallowed hard, again beginning to fidget with her hood. Something like a wave of cold washed over her, only warmed by a sudden small presence against her back.
Bayley had again rested a hand there, a comforting presence.
“This looks like the work of Constance,” the brown-haired man said idly, turning the ring over again in the light to examine the gemstone embedded in it, “someone must’ve paid a pretty penny for it.”
Rose swallowed. Despite Bayley’s hand, she shivered.
“I—I’ve no— no further need of-of it, sir.”
Silence reigned again, until the man put the ring back down on the counter, seemingly satisfied with its quality.
“I’ll give you six and a half—“
“Done.”
Rose didn’t even let him get the full word out. She needed the ring gone - somewhere it couldn’t haunt her every day, where she might finally be rid of the damned thing. Gone, forgotten, maybe given to some other pretty woman.
“…thousand.”
She did perk at the final number, though. That much? For a ring? Dear Lords, what if she ever grew out of it?
“I-I’ll— take it, th-thank you.”
The blonde man took one last look at Rose before nodding to his partner and ducking into the back room.
There was a dreadful, uncomfortable silence in which Rose found herself clinging to the lifeline of Bayley’s hand while she waited for the blonde man to return. It couldn’t have been more than a few moments, but afterwards he returned with many marks - bundled into the appropriate amounts of cash. Six and a half stacks.
She was half expecting the men to ask why she would be rid of a House Constance ring, but neither of them did. Instead, she caught the blonde man glancing again at the brown-haired one - like some unspoken agreement between the two of them he was just itching to speak as he handed Rose the money.
“Th-thank you.”
She couldn’t stand it anymore. She had to get out of there - the air was so stifling with that ring, the discomfort between the four of them.
Rose took the cash as soon as it was set on the counter, offered a quick courtesy, and left the store swiftly. Bayley lagged behind a bit, apologizing to the men for Rose’s behavior, before taking her turn to follow after her companion.
“Rose!”
Rose didn’t slow down, her pace quickening up the frigid muddy path. The distant sight of torches on the castle wall made her want to run faster - to hide from what she had just done, hide from all of it - crawl into bed and forget today had ever happened.
“Rose, slow down!”
Bayley ran after her, huffing for breath as Rose finally paused on the incline up the path. The icy mud sucked at their boots, threatening to trip them or cause them to slip. The hilly terrain did nothing to help either of them.
Rose turned to Bayley, shaking from head to toe.
“You walk so fast—“
Bayley was immediately cut short by Rose holding out the money to her - well, more like shoving it at her.
Rose thought her heart might leap out of her throat.
“Take it.”
Her voice was steadier than it had been all night - but also hoarse, tired.
Bayley blinked at her a few times, raising her hand to move it away.
“Rose, I—“
“B-Buy your dog. Buy a-a new pair of— of boots, get something f-for Douglas, buy a-a new— new cart— but f-for— for the love of the Gods, Bayley— please don’t l-let me hold onto it any longer. I don’t n-need it. I don’t want it. Please.”
The air was heavy, the wind blowing between them an icy chill on their cheeks and ears. It did little, though, to relieve the stinging pain on Rose’s eye and head. She wanted to lie down. She wanted to lay in bed forever - make use of that ice Bayley had offered her.
Sleep and act as if today had never happened. That she couldn’t still hear Todd’s terrified screams as Lady Constance dragged him down the hall by the hair.
“Please.”
Her voice was soft, hardly heard over the roaring wind in their ears.
Bayley seemingly held her breath for a long moment, but tentatively took the cash and tucked it into her cloak. Her hands shook with the motion, and she suddenly wrapped Rose in a tight hug.
Rose was taken aback, frozen for a moment, until she slowly returned it, burying her face into Bayley’s shoulder and gripping the back of her cloak in her frigid hands.
“It’s going to be okay.”
Tears filled her eyes at Bayley’s words, a hoarse whimper escaping Rose’s throat as tears began to run down her face.
“It’s going to be okay.”
The silence was unbearable. The only sound Rose could hear was the drastic thumping of her heart in the agonizing quiet. The wind howled outside, again rattling her window as it always did. It was a terrible, wretched night. She was so cold, in so much pain… yet sleep wouldn’t come.
She laid on her good side, allowing the ice water-drenched rag to lie on her bruised face. She hadn’t even changed into her night clothes - she had just laid down as soon as she arrived. Her cloak provided an extra warmth, she supposed, although she made a note that she’d have to wash her bedsheets tomorrow.
Oh god, tomorrow.
She was dreading the day to come. She’d have to pull herself out of bed to work, have to act as if nothing had happened - something she wanted so desperately to do, but the thought of doing so made her heart ache and her stomach churn.
The terror in his eyes flashed in every waking memory, and when she closed her eyes all she could hear was his screaming - see the rage on her mistress’s face. The blood on Reese’s hands, fumbling with the silver lighter.
What had happened to him? What had she done?
Her racing thoughts embedded themselves in like a knife, forcefully keeping her from sleep like she were a prisoner to her own mind. Despite her angle, with her eyes closed and the cool compress against her bruise, rest would not find her. It was like he was haunting her - even after her escape.
She just wanted to sleep forever…
However, the blur of her mind was suddenly halted by a familiar sound. A wave of terror coursed through her body like an icy wave of dread, her eyes widening further and her body stiffening, straight as a board.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.
There would be only one reason the Mistress was up at such a late hour, on this floor of the servants’ wing.
She’s coming for me.
Rose felt her breath begin to quicken as she abruptly sat up. Her heart pounded faster, and she all but threw the rag into the bucket of ice Bayley had initially fetched - now turned cold water from the passage of time - with a soft splash.
The sound of her heels grew closer to her door, and Rose stood from her bed - but was suddenly hit with a wave of lightheadedness and nausea. She had sat up too fast, and the blinding pain of her injury led her to stagger backwards onto the bed.
What was she going to do, anyway? It’s not like she could stop her - she’d seen that this afternoon. All she had to do was grab her and she’d be helpless.
The heels paused at her door. Rose felt her throat tighten as she gripped her head, her heart thrumming and the knot so tight she felt she couldn’t swallow.
“Rose?”
The voice that came was quiet. So unlike Lady Constance - gentle, even. She sounded so uncertain…
Rose was lost for words. She didn’t know what to say, what to do.
“Rose, are you awake?”
More silence. Rose almost whimpered, blinking to try and clear away her pain and nerves. Why? Why must she feel this terror? Why must she suffer this pain over and over again?
A soft knock.
Rose took a breath, slowly rising to her feet. She stepped towards the door, the dried mud cracking against the floor and leaving a dried trail to accompany the muddy footprints to her bed. That must’ve explained it - she must’ve tracked mud all the way to her room.
Such a sloppy Maiden.
Slowly, she laid a hand on the knob to the door, and twisted it, pulling…
Lady Constance stood before her, her hand raised as if she had been about to knock again. She slowly lowered her hand, expression softening at the sight of Rose’s tired, battered face.
“Oh, Rose…”
She reached a hand out to gently cup her cheek, but hesitated when Rose lowered her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Rose didn’t move, didn’t speak - she couldn’t. Everything hurt - and what would she say? Thank you? Go to Hell? You scared me to death? You saved my life?
“Does it hurt?”
She winced as Lady Constance said this - lowering her head a little more. It hurt so much… she wanted nothing more than for it to stop hurting, to just get some sleep…
“I know, dear…”
Lady Constance’s hand tentatively met Rose’s unharmed cheek, brushing her thumb over the freckled skin, studying her every expression and movement.
“Say something— please?”
Rose winced again at her tone, tears brimming at her eyes. She had never heard her Lady so despaired.
“Wh-what— happened t-to him?”
Her voice was hoarse and broken - Rose was surprised she could even say the words. Lady Constance sighed.
“He’s been taken care of. He will never hurt you, or anyone else ever again.”
Rose had been afraid of that. He was just… gone.
Like Samantha.
“Yesterday,” Rose said hoarsely, “Mrs.— Mrs. B-Birch wanted us— us to tell her where— wh-where Samantha was.”
The Lady’s eyes darkened, and her expression grew cold.
“I didn’t— k-know what to t-tell her.”
Her eyes raised to meet Lady Constance’s - those bright red irises almost glowing in the cold darkness. Her expression was blank and dull - lifeless, almost.
“Why? W-Why can we not tell her..?”
If she weren’t so pained, so tired, she may not have asked the question at all. But she needed something - anything to hold on to.
Lady Constance was silent, her hand drawing away from Rose’s cheek. The gentleness was gone, her face growing more serious and dull. Rose felt her heart catch in her throat - the fear crawling up her spine again.
“I will deal with Mrs. Birch,” she said calmly, “it is not your issue to handle. And you, nor any other Maiden, will speak on the matter - because you don’t know what happened, and I will not have you blamed for something you know nothing about.”
“Then tell me!”
Rose said it a little more aggressively than she meant to, the tears spilling freely down her cheeks.
Lady Constance flinched - slightly, but enough for Rose to notice.
There was a long pause, before Lady Constance spoke again.
“No. The less you - or any of the other Maidens know - the safer you are.”
Fear was turning to anger. Again, being told nothing - Todd couldn’t tell her anything, her mother couldn’t tell her anything, now one of two people she felt she could confide in wouldn’t tell her anything, and the other was forbidden from speaking on it either!
“Safe from— safe f-from what?!”
“I cannot tell you. My love…”
Lady Constance’s expression softened, and she let out a long breath.
“Let us leave it as punishment, will we? Todd paid for his crimes. Samantha paid for disobedience - for breaking the one rule asked of by myself and my fellow Lords. The how and why - the specifics - do not need to be known, only that they were punished. Must you know every detail of how someone is punished?”
Rose wasn’t satisfied, but she was too tired to continue arguing. It was clear that her Mistress’s lips were sealed, and were not opening any time soon.
“But let me make clear—“
She held Rose’s face with a hand, forcing their eyes to meet. Rose jolted, eyes widening and a chill climbing up her spine.
“—you are not to tell anyone what happened here today. Let me tell it. You do not need to be involved. It will be bloody and brutal and my story to tell - lest you be dragged into the fight. I cannot stand to watch you be ripped apart any longer.”
Rose whimpered - a subconscious reflex, really, and she feared her knees might give out. Sensing this, Lady Constance released her face.
“Please, Rose. You do not need to be involved in a fight you have no part in. I care for you dearly - and I don’t want to see you hurt again. If you, or anyone else becomes involved, my fellows might see you as a threat - and I would do anything to keep you from their wrath, even if it means… this.”
Rose maintained her silence, shivering in the cold air and from the prowess of the woman in front of her.
Gods, her head hurt.
“Get some rest. I will tell Jada to let you and Miss Evans have the next few days off. You both must recover from the day’s events.”
A dull feeling of deja vu hit Rose like a brick, but she said nothing as Lady Constance backed away, and walked back down the hallway.
Her heels clicked against the cold tile, and Rose narrowed her eyes to watch her leave.
A small red splotch was stained on her tailcoat - the same color as the dried blood on Reese’s hands.
#FOUR LORDS#original story#oc#Todd Brent#Rose Atropa#Rose#Annabelle#lady Annabelle Constance#Annabelle x rose#Bayley Evans#Douglas Blackwood#Varric Nightingale#Hunter Jones#vampire#tw: blood#tw: death#tw: domestic violence#tw: abuse#friend oc#small artist#small writer#writing#my writing#horror#Raven Quinn-Casey#Reese Anderson#Roseabelle
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Our divine idylle
The Gilmore Family Tree
Marauders Era! Remus Lupin x OC
masterlist ‘Our divine idylle’
Charles George Gilmore
Elizabeth Mary Gilmore (former Crawley)
Robert Andrew Gilmore
Cécilia Victoria Gilmore (former Black)
Andrew Arcturus Charles Gilmore
Elizabeth Adelaide Victoria Gilmore
Eric George Antoine Gilmore
NB: I've added the family tree of Lucy's family: the Gilmores; and as you can see in my story her family is closely related to that of the Blacks. If you have any questions, don't hesitate ;)
enjoy !
#the marauders#remus x oc#remus lupin#remus x reader#fanfiction#the black family#harry potter#marauders era#todd anderson#lily van der woodsen#dowton abbey#amanda seyfried#gossip girl#nate archibald#oc
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OK i have come to the realization if i want to characterize bianca and quincy more, yall should send me asks abt them. example:
who’s their favorite dad (quincy doesnt really care, bianca’s is neil by a lot)
what do they look like? etc
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famous au but um dumb
@cowboylexapro
if the poets were on social media and famous this is what they'd be known for
(age somewhere between 19-21)
todd
tumblr blog name: toad.anderson
ao3 name: toad.writes
he's technically anon but not rlly
sexiest tumblr account known to man - he's a fanfic writer and an au poster with some occasional og stuff that floods his inbox with asks begging him to publish his og work too - what fandom does he write for? all of them.
his bf proof reads them all even if he's never been in the fandom
he writes fics for his friends when they get famous
in between his novel worthy fanfics are shitty fics of his friends
his followers get rlly confused
he wrote a neil x reader fic until straight girls started claiming it and he took it down becuz the reader was him
todd on his blog: guyss… im so sorry but im taking the neil x reader fic down… im sorry if i offend anyone but the reader was me ❤️ not you - i don't like you all claiming it
after taking down the x reader, he does a neil x oc but the oc is him but with green eyes
neil, after the oc gets described: todd the only person im seeing is u tho 😦 and u have blue eyes
eventually his relationship with famous tiktoker neil perry gets revealed and ppl realize he's not just an obsessed fan
after neil says the thing blog: toad.anderson: guys my real name is todd anderson everyone: omg we wouldve never guessed
after neil and him go public and ppl dont believe that neil is gay he alternates between seething and writing neil fics and taking joy from neil's confusion
todd points out comments that are obviously thirsting over neil and neil still doesn't realize he's being thirsted over
"neil be the father of my children!" "oh i think they meant that in a godfather type way"
todd, at a breaking point, suggests that neil and him post a kissing video but neil doesnt wanna be one of those shawn camilla couples - respect
what if he posted them kissing but he made a historians will call them bestfriends joke but then ppl did🧍♂️
"my bestie and I 🤩 " "NEIL PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK UR SERIOUS"
//
neil
tiktok name: neilliard.at.julliard
accidentally tiktok famous for pretty face, charming personality, acting abilities - the theater kids had a claim over him orignially but he's pretty mainstream now
comment section full of old grandmas trying to set him up with their granddaughters
everyones dream bf until he posted about his own bf
neil: my boyfie has a big tumblr and he writes a lot and he really likes frogs and he is also blond and heres his address
hes kinda oblivious about everything
"you want a close up of my collar bones? why ?"
reading comment "'show your abs?' its nice you think i have abs! only my boyfriend can see those tho 😉 "
the comments go wild
people are stitching it screaming for different reasons
all his fans r screaming into pillows bc HES TAKEN NOOO
people are trying to figure out who this mans boyfie is
"he has a boyfriend??" "he's been straightbaiting us!" "NOO HE'S TAKEN" "IS UR BF AS HOT AS U" "look at the way his eyes lit up when he said bf i love love" "this video shows an aspect of society that-"
"tell us about ur bf" and he makes a week worth of videos but its all random stuff
"my bf looks pretty in blue" "my bf likes to put salt and pepper on his fries" "my bf has hair"
the straightbaiting comments come after him posting about pride and having a pride flag in the background of his videos <- they say things like "he's such a good ally"
people attack others in the comments who ask him if hes queer "NO NEIL ISNT GAY NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO BE GAY HE COULD JUST BE A REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY FRUITY STRAIGHT GUY WHO LIKES GIRLS"
"are you gay neil???" -> "not everything has to be gay ppl can just be allys and btw by assuming every ally is gay, ur actually hurting the movement!!!" -> "i asked becuz he said he wanted to kiss his boy best friend on the lips in highschool" -> "he meant it heterosexual-ly"
someone asks him what his type is and he describes todd to the t and they think he likes a short haired blonde
"he likes girls in sweat pants not skirts" "his type isnt ppl in skirts" -- neil would love todd in a skirt but thats not the point
his type: "he's really shy, gorgeous, short dirty blonde hair, uhhhh, really smart, and So much more :))"
he could say my boyfriend is a man who i am dating because i am gay and they would still try to straight-ify him
a grainy video gets leaked of a short haired blond guy jumping into his arms and ppl say things like "its just a girl with short hair"
todd hate writes a neil x male reader fic
he asks his friends for help and they post todd's face everywhere on his recording set
he makes a video like "meet my toddy"
in the video todd says he's a boy and he's todd and he's neil boyfriend 3485757 times and neil is like "omg babe i love u too <33" becuz he doesnt Understand
some ppl r still in denial or think he's bi w/ a preference for girls
straight girls like him becuz he has a pretty face and a general respect for women
during prom season, he gets dmed a lot of websites for buying prom tickets
"don't worry guys! i know i said my high school time was rough, but i actually did go to prom with my bf!!"
//
charlie
twitter name: therealalpha
most popular podcast name: daltons intercourse
joke/bait account ppl took seriously
The Alpha that other alpha posters bow to
says stuff like "SIGMA MALES KISS ALPHAS ON THE MOUTH TO ASSURT DOMINANCE"
the twitter alphas buy into him so bad he's making podcasts and doign interviews and he has no clue how tf he got here but he's riding the high
he advocates for being alpha via kissing ur homies
when he gets famous he begs todd to write a fic about him
todd agrees pretty easily tbh
"ARE YOU EVEN AN ALPHA MALE IF PPL AREN'T WRITING GAY FICS ABOUT YOU"
charlie posts things like "no homo" "only the real make out with their homies" over those black and white pics of muscle-y dudes w/ no context after the neil video he posts "he homo" over one of them w/ no context
at first ppl try to attack him but then theyre like wtf is going on here and realize he's trolling the alpha community
when no one realizes neil is actually gay he makes a podcast episode talking about how he thinks neil is gay gay homosexual gay - he's holding a cigar and wearing a tight hawaiian unbuttoned shirt like "lets talk about this gay gay theater gay boykisser man"
made by @cowboylexapro
//
pitts
youtube name: gerdoesstuff
joint youtube name: idkman
homework help and crafts videos youtuber - relaxed vibes only here to be calm
he gives study and concentration tips and encourages ppl to seek help and companionship and not suffer alone
he paints mugs and looks for bugs
he was on charlie's podcast and they discussed the alpha-ness of making pottery
todd wrote a pitts x reader fic becuz ppl begged him to
pitts printed it out and framed it and put it in his filming set up
he's a regular on meeks podcast too btw and meeks is a regular on his
but when meeks is around things explode so
he has a second channel with meeks where they do silly experiments
theyre posting schedule is non-existent and they also do streams but they never tell you so their viewers just have to hope and find out
knox and him are planning on making a movie review channel but its still not fully thought out so
he makes couple mugs for todd and neil when neil asks for help
he wakes up at 2 am and sends todd prompts
anytime he learns a fun fact he sends it to todd on the off chance todd may need it for a story at some point in his life
anytime he reads anything he's like damn neil will love to act like this character and lets him know about it
he sends charlie alpha podcasters to make fun of
at some point he exposes cam's shitty handwriting for the giggles
knox
instagram name: knoxious.ur.mom.ious
he posted a short on his instagram talking about how he just learned hair grows from the head and not the bottom and blew up for being a dummy - he doesn't know whats going on but he's having a blast
he stirs up drama but on accident
he was on pitts youtube before
out of everyone here he's the only one not making content he's just vibing
eventually he ends up posting background footage of everyone doing dumb shit
when it comes out theyre friends ppl stalk his instagram to find more proof
after that he starts to stir drama but more consciously
hmm what else - idk he's just chilling, getting called out for being dumb and watching his friends do dumb stuff
oh wait when he makes that short about the hair a bunch of commentary channels post about it and he takes it like a badge of honor
cameron
instagram name: cam.studies
pinterest name: cam.studies
one of those aesthetic studying accounts on insta and pinterest - takes nice shots of his homework and his pen collections and his study desk
except its only for the pics his handwriting is atrocious - he has like one page or paragraph of pretty handwriting to post and the rest is scribbled chaos - his pens are never organized by color, theyre just thrown in a box, and his desk is filled with papers and books and never looks clean but its fine he's just here for clout
he ends up sponsoring and reviewing businesses that make those cute study supplies so now he has a hoard - or at least he did until his friends started taking them
he groaned about the cam.studies x {random ass ppl} fics todd wrote but he thinks theyre funny and has them bookmarked
he went on charlie's podcast and the two argued for half of it and then explained how as two alphas they would settle their differences by kissing
his friends help him angle his aesthetic shots at cafes and shit
he got exposed eventually as a fake becuz ppl (cough) posted his real notes which were messy and disorganized
but he played it off as a commentary about how the internet is fake and got more sponsorships
he judges todd and neil but is eating popcorn at the front seat of the drama
meeks
podcast name: chameleon hotel
youtube channel name: idkman
meeks makes a podcast for very stupid intricate crimes. he has a cult following of bisexuals
its stuff like drama over a tree being taken down
"the locals even called their beloved tree 'ole alvin'"
charlie: todd write a meeks x ole alvin fic
he has standards, so he does
he went on charlie's podcast and convinced ppl that being with other men allowed u to suck in their alpha-ness and become the ultimate alpha
but generally he just makes his little silly videos and makes cryptic posts about the neil todd drama
has a joint channel w/ pitts
is up to date with the neil thing and is the one to send neil updates
he tries to convince neil to act out his podcasts (with a lot of success lmao)
he tries to convince todd to write fics based on his podcasts (also with a lot of success)
as payback for the ole alvin x meeks fic he convinces todd (very easily) to write a bunch of dumb charlie fics and todd agrees becuz he has standards
no one actually knows that the poets know each other
they eventually post a group photo
"we need to cancel neil perry for being friends with an alpha podcast guy" "nah thats just charlie"
"yall know hes bi, right?"
"he literally has a podcast about how sucking dick as a man makes u the ultimate alpha male"
it does explain why charlie's alpha podcast go from tiktok actor, tumblr fanfic writer, instagram study blog, fellow podcaster, hw help tiktoker in between his satire of normal alpha tiktokers
half of these things are like copy and pasted from our conversation btw so dont blame me for them
#todd anderson#neil perry#anderperry#dead poets society#deadpoets#dead poets headcanons#neil and todd#todd and neil#dps fandom#dps#charlie dalton#dps fanfiction#dps fic#dps headcanons#dps memes#dps incorrect quotes#meeks#steven meeks#stephen meeks#dead poets#gerard pitts#meeks and pitts#pitts dps#cameron richard#richard cameron#knox overstreet#anderperry social media
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FATHERS and DAUGHTER ☀️ FANFIC ANDERPERRY
La Academia Welton de alfas abre las puertas a 5 omegas seleccionados, eso lo cambia todo. Años después, Hermia quiere saber un poco más de la historia de sus padres, mientras uno de ellos se ausenta antes de Navidad.
#anderperry#dead poets society#neil perry#dsp#neil x todd#todd anderson#fanfic#omegaverse#ao3#ao3 fanfic#oc#fanchild
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CHAOS DREAMING!
SYNOPSIS: aurora henson cannot stand economics. . . the summer before her junior year only highlights this when she crosses paths with a seemingly rebellious group of boys from welton academy, mixed about at a fine arts camp they’ve been shipped off to. little does she know, they’re fighting to rewrite their lives, too—which inspires her to live a little on the edge before she goes back to her all-girls boarding school next fall 𝟅𝟈
author’s note! you can find part six here! sorry in advance as this chapter is incredibly angsty…
PART SEVEN — JOHN HUGHES MOVIE
ENTER THE DEAD POETS. . .
Charlie adjusted his shirt as he and the other boys filed out of their bunk and hastily rushed to meet Aurora by the oak tree. He was nervous. He wasn’t sure he had a reason to be, but nonetheless his heartbeat rattled against his rib cage. Todd and Neil walked closely next to each other, Neil’s flannel jacket loosely slumped over Todd’s shoulders. Knox shoved Cameron as the two playfully bickered, while Meeks and Pitts mediated the two.
Charlie should’ve been interacting with his friends.
As the group descended down the grassy hill, he swallowed hard. Was this happening? Sure, he was fine with sneaking off the campgrounds and having fun, but with Aurora? The girl who scrambled all his thoughts and left him utterly confused?
Knox paused his playful argument with Cameron, spinning on his heels and walking backwards. He eyed Charlie as his brow furrowed. “Everything okay?”
Charlie simply nodded. “Yeah, just tired. We won’t be out long, right?”
“Why, are you scared of getting caught?” Meeks asked.
“No, Meeks,” hissed Charlie. “Why would I?”
“It’ll be fun,” added Neil, his hand deathly close to Todd’s.
Charlie rolled his eyes. He wanted to believe him. He wanted to believe all of them.
The group approached the old oak tree, Neil grinning wide once he spotted Aurora. “You made it,” he said, bustling with joy.
Aurora spun around quickly at the sound of the approaching boys, grinning at Neil’s enthusiasm. Her blonde hair bounced with each sudden movement, her skirt flowing with the soft, summer wind.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she replied.
Charlie was in awe. Silent, all he could do was stare.
Aurora noticed. She smiled, trying to subtly ease his mind, but it only made him feel worse.
Eventually, Knox cleared his throat, grabbing Charlie’s attention. “This’ll be fun,” he repeated Neil’s words from earlier. “It’s summer. We’re young. What could go wrong?”
Charlie hated how over-optimistic Knox and Neil were.
He couldn’t protest, however. As he parted his lips, he was cut off as Neil motioned for Aurora to join their group, and with that, they started their walk towards the nearby neighborhood. They weren’t the only ones sneaking off the Vermont campgrounds. Perhaps that eased their minds a little. After all, as Knox said, they were young and here to explore—they were here to learn about themselves.
No one learned anything from constantly following the rules. Sometimes, a risk had to be taken.
Aurora wanted to test the waters.
As everyone walked, she found herself next to Charlie, making sure to keep a safe enough distance. Though, she couldn’t help but think about how his arm brushed against her knee last week. How she painted his nails, how the two talked and how he trusted her.
She shook the overwhelming thought from her mind.
“You seem quiet,” she muttered to the dark-haired boy.
“I wish people would stop pointing that out,” he replied.
Aurora cocked her head to the side. “Who else?”
“Does it matter?” He was antsy, and he disliked it.
He tried so hard not to come off as stern to her, but her questions pushed something inside of him. “I’m fine, everything’s fine, can we just leave it at that?”
“Sorry,” was all she could say in response. After that, she distanced herself, picking up the pace and walking next to Knox and Neil.
The waters were dangerous, it seemed.
Once the group made it to the nearby neighborhood, it became excruciatingly clear which house the party was being held at. There were many houses in a row, all carbon copies of each other. Aurora grimaced at the lack of diversity, her nose scrunched up as she stared.
One of the white houses in the middle had strobe lights that pooled from the open blinds, music spilling onto the dirt as angsty teenagers opened the front door.
Neil smiled, turning towards his friends. “I think this is it.”
“No shit, sherlock,” replied Charlie.
“Don’t be an ass,” added Cameron.
Aurora rolled her eyes. So did Knox, who took a sudden leap of confidence and stepped up onto the front porch.
He swung the door open. “Are we going in or what?”
Everyone nodded.
They huddled inside, immediately separating from each other to explore. Aurora searched for drinks, while Cameron, Meeks, and Pitts got lost in the living room.
Knox admired the makeshift dance floor, ‘Mississippi Queen’ by Mountain blaring through the speakers. He giggled as Todd dragged Neil towards the middle, the two absorbed in each other’s company.
“Hey, you made a deal,” said Todd. “We’re dancing.”
“Oh, come on,” stressed Neil. “I’ve got two left feet.”
Charlie bolted towards the kitchen. It was seemingly empty, providing him a sense of security. He leaned against one of the counters in the corner, sipping something sour from a solo cup he got handed as he walked in.
Aurora, a cup in her right hand, was not sure where to go next. She’d already talked to some girls she recognized, but it didn’t satisfy her. She wanted to speak to Charlie. She wanted to dance with him, to get to know him. From her spot in one of the many hallways, she could see his figure in the kitchen, the soft light highlighting his features. He didn’t see her—perhaps he didn’t care enough to look up, or maybe he was scared.
Scared that if he did, he’d make eye contact with her.
Aurora sighed. She downed the liquor in her cup, deciding she wouldn’t sulk over him. She had already tested the waters tonight, and that was enough.
The music changed seamlessly, Aurora heading towards the dance floor as ‘The Power of Love’ by Huey Lewis & The News started blaring through the room. With liquid courage in her system, she was feeling less uptight, dancing next to Neil and giggling at the lyrics of the song.
Todd silently hyped her up, pushing her towards the center of the dance floor. She closed her eyes, swaying with someone she didn’t recognize. He couldn’t have been much older than her, though with his height, he towered over her smaller frame.
He was cute. He wasn’t Charlie, but he’d do. She laughed, twirling around as the music coursed through her veins.
Charlie watched jealously from the kitchen, his eyes squinting as he finished the drink in his hand.
He then slipped out, hastily making an exit and quietly disappearing into the backyard through an unlocked screen door.
The boy she had been dancing with had his hands on her waist, the grip loose and freeing. She allowed the song to finish before separating from his touch, smiling up at him with drunken admiration.
When she turned around and eyed the kitchen, she noticed that Charlie was gone. Her expression dropped slightly and she placed a hand on Neil’s shoulder, silently letting him know that she’d be back.
She rushed into the kitchen, noticing the open screen door and the cooler air that let itself into the house. Stepping into the backyard, she saw Charlie standing there in the middle, the moonlight beaming down from the evening sky as his sneakers left imprints in the grass.
“Charlie?” She let out.
Charlie didn’t turn around. Not right away, at least. He stood there in silence, hoping that if he ignored the blonde-headed girl, she’d step back inside and leave him alone. He was wrong. He could feel her eyes on him from her spot on the back porch.
He slowly turned to face her, noticing how she leaned against the wood for stability. They both had alcohol in their system.
This wasn’t going to end well, and they both knew it.
“Would you just go back inside?” He finally replied.
Aurora noticed the bitter tone, the same one he used when the two spoke earlier. She shook her head. “No, I won’t. Not yet. What’s wrong? You’ve been cold, you’ve been silent—I mean, you’re treating me like I did something unforgivable.”
Charlie scoffed. “It’s not important, Aurora, and I don’t need you to read into it, alright?”
“Well, I am! It’s not fair,” she protested. “How can we go from enjoying each other’s company to this? Did I hurt you, or was it something I said? You wouldn’t even look at me from across the fucking room, Charlie.”
“Stop! Just stop, alright?” He wanted to yell, and he almost did. His voice was much louder now.
Aurora exhaled. “I don’t want you to hate me,” she muttered. Her voice, in comparison to his, was almost minuscule. She was afraid to increase her volume. “I don’t want you to be like this.”
“Like what?” He questioned her, his arms tight against his sides. “I’m perfectly fine.”
“No, you’re not! Stop saying that you are! Tell me what I did, and I’ll quit it,” she replied. “Please.”
Charlie’s heart hurt.
She didn’t do anything. Neil had included her, had allowed her into their group, and given her the opportunity to meet new people. No one knew it’d lead to this—a crush, one that Charlie assumed would break him if he allowed himself to feel it.
So, he did what he had to do in order to protect himself.
“Aurora, I am pleading,” he eyed her. All of his emotions were hidden away by the darkness, the moonlight doing jack shit to reveal them. Aurora knew if she went back inside and pretended this never happened, that’d that would be the end of it. She knew that he’d never admit how he felt, not unless she kept pushing him like this.
She didn’t want to push him. She knew that forcing those feelings only made things feel false or forced. So, reluctantly, she took a few steps back, her body inching closer to the screen door that opened to the kitchen.
Charlie watched her with heavy eyes. And, once she disappeared back into the white, noisy house, he blinked.
His heartbeat quickened. A tear broke, slowly falling down his face and tracing his jawline. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, swallowing all the words he could’ve said and all the feelings he wouldn’t allow himself to feel.
Aurora was gone—she was inside now, lost within the mix of people, and Charlie was alone.
Like he’d always been.
#chaos dreaming#charlie dalton x oc#charlie dalton x reader#charlie dalton#dead poets society fandom#dead poets society#dps socmed au#dps fandom#dps fanfiction#dps boys#steven meeks#knarlie#knox overstreet#richard cameron#gerard pitts#todd anderson#neil perry#anderperry#original character#angst#social media au
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September
Sour Times @1980shorrorfilmCSummary: in which…you confront your not-so-great relationship with abby after she had stolen your best friend from you. Warnings: None Special Tag: Soft Ellabs x Reader
The Invasion. @obsessivevoidkitten Summary: Cat Man Alien Yandere x Gender Neutral Reader Warnings: Painful noncon, reader gets smacked, biting, collaring, owner/pet, pet reader, reader tied up Special Tag: OC, Alien, Yandere Oc x Reader
silver heart; clouded judgement—. @zevrra Summary: after the heist mission, upon hearing the bad news about how their life is going to go; V is comforted by Vik who wishes he could do more. Warnings: None Special Tag: None viktor x Reader
Misbehavior —. @moonlit-imagines Summary: No matter what you did, none of your deeds went unnoticed. Good or bad. Warnings: None Special Tag: Muilt Part Jason Todd x batkid!reader
Tolerate It —. @space-cowgirllll Summary: You sit alone at the table wondering how you ended up here. Warnings: Angst Special Tag: Muilt Part Abby Anderson x reader
werewolf!ellie x vamp!abby x fem!reader @abbysbug (X)Summary: The most difficult times of the month were full moons and blood lusts. Naturally, they had to fall on the same date this month. Warnings: blood drinking Special Tag: none Ellabs x Reader
Orc x reader. @ozzgin (X) Summary: "What are you doing, step bro?" Warnings: None Special Tag: Monster fucking. Oc x Reader
Stupid Adoration @ripleysream (X) Summary: "You look nice," Y/N whispered, wrapping her arms around Rhea's waist. Warnings: None Special Tag: None Rhea Ripely x Reader
leave it to her. @jinxificada Summary: for once, you were taken care of. Warnings: None Special Tag: None. Jinx x Reader
Oath —. @girlrotterr Summary: In a kingdom on the brink of new leadership, tensions run high as a coronation draws near. Warnings: None Special Tag: Knight AU Ellabs X reader
Pretty Please. @r3starttt (X) Summary: None Warnings: None Special Tag: Shower Sex Caitlyn x Reader
Decent...? @redr0sewrites (X) Summary: Praise n Mommy kink w/ Service top Caitlyn x fem reader? Warnings: None Special Tag: None. Caitlyn x Reader
Caitlyn kiramman x female reader @reaper2187 Summary: None Warnings: None Special Tag: None. Caitlyn x Reader
leave it to her. @jinxs-gf Summary: it’s your first night working at The Last Drop. the stories of jinx being an…interesting customer are true Warnings: None Special Tag: None. Jinx x Reader
Light Underwater. @spoonguy (X) Summary: Shipwrecked on an alien planet, miles underwater, you are rescued by a lonely alien. Warnings: Claustrophobia, emetophobia, thalassophobia Special Tag: Alien Oc x Reader
Domming the alien. @monstersflashlight (X) Summary: Alien has a mate for life/soulmate situation and can be pretty pathetic Warnings: None Special Tag: Alien, Dom Reader. Oc x Reader
Yandere Socialite. @iwriteyanderes2023 (X) Summary: You regretted agreeing to this. Warnings: Violence, drama between friends, profanity usage, yandere themes, name-calling, sexual harassment, power abuse Special Tag: Sapphic Oc x Reader
Twisted Affections @st4rg8te (X) Summary: The lessons that had been instilled in you since birth resurfaced in your mind: ‘The Mother of the Nation should be dignified, elegant, and composed. She should never show any sign of weakness in front of her subjects.’ But you couldn’t help but break in her embrace. Warnings: Cheating Special Tag: Sapphic Oc x Reader
ellie's breeding strap @mystellenia (X) Summary: ellie tries out the cum filled strap with you for the first time. Warnings: None Special Tag: None Ellie Williams x Reader
Feminine Reader x Mermaid @agirlandhersweetdelusions (X) Summary: Mermaid who is infatuated with your legs and wants to be in between them. The encounter is by chance, but it ends in something deeper than friendship. Warnings: None Special Tag: Sapphic Oc x Reader
HE APPLE'S ROTTEN STRAIGHT TO THE CORE! @andersonfilms (X) Summary: ellie williams, sporting 88’ on the back of her jersey, the world renowned football player from the united states. the overly competitive blood runs through her veins, passed down from her father, just as well as an overpowering ego the size of texas. she has the girl of her dreams, the most important game of her life in sight, but what happens when one drummer threatens to wreck it all? Warnings: Cheating Special Tag: College AU Ellabs X reader
YOU’LL ALWAYS BE MINE @abbyromanoff (X) Summary: None Special Tag: None Wanda Maximoff x reader
Please, I'm really sorry @yolli-es Summary: None Warnings: None Special Tag: None. Jinx x Reader
𝖜𝖊 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 @mamisripley (X) Summary: when a blizzard hits and traps you and your wife into your new house, you both find the perfect opportunity to christen the whole house. Warnings: None Special Tag: None Rhea Ripely x Reader
rhea x jey x reader smut @damiansgoodgirll (X) Summary: None Warnings: None Special Tag: None Rhea Ripely x Reader x jey uso
Ghost @themidnightcrimson (X) Summary: in which you move into an old house and find that you might not be its only occupant. Warnings: dubcon, mentions of death Special Tag: Haunted House AU Wanda Maximoff x reader
I Could Be Enough @dumblilb Summary: They weren’t super close as children, but running around in the same crowd kept them in the know of each other. But years later she might be all Vi’s got left Warnings: alcohol, mentions of physical violence Special Tag: None. Vi x Reader
A Dragon’s Treasure @yandere-writer-momo (X) Summary: Yandere Lesbian Dragon x Shy Princess Reader Warnings: None Special Tag: Sapphic
bloodlust—. @illovehaileesteinfeld Summary: None Warnings: None Special Tag: Vampire AU Ellabs X reader
ᴡᴀɴɴᴀ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀ ᴍᴏᴍᴍʏ @mamisripley(X) Summary: Spending time around Becky's kids gives her the biggest baby fever. Warnings: None Special Tag: None Rhea Ripely x Reader
Bring The Pain @daddynattt (X) Summary: An unexpected surprise awaits for you at home after a long day at work. Warnings: manipulation, breeding, blood, knife play Special Tag: Ghost Face AU Natasha Romanoff x Reader
#x reader#reading fanfiction#reading list#reading recommendations#fanfic recommendation#monthly recap#monthly reads#monthly fic rec
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Hihi, I am currently interested in a role-play partner, preferably long term! The ships I’m itching to do is: Neil Perry/Todd Anderson, Jayce/Viktor (preferably a cowboy Au), Keith/ Lance, Caitlyn/violet, or Arthur pendragon/merlin. I have some other fandoms/ ships on my page if you’d like to check that out !! If you’re interested, dm me or comment on this post!
General conditions/boundaries:
MUST be 18 or older. I am 19, I don’t really feel comfy talking to minors online— stories don’t have to be mature, I just don’t feel comfy talking to minors I don’t know irl!!
Please COMMUNICATE when a story is not fun for you or if you wanna replot— I’ll check in twice, no response? I won’t text again.
I don’t really mind what your writing amount is, as long as I can work with it. Doesn’t have to be a paragraph!
I prefer not to do oc X cannon, oc x oc is fine though!
Angsty stories are chill, just be mindful and not excessive— If you feel it’s extreme, communicate that and we can figure something out!
#dead poets society#todd anderson#neil perry#arthur pendragon#1 x 1 roleplay#bbc merlin#arcane#jayvik#caitvi#klance#keith kogane#lance mcclain#caitlyn arcane#caitlyn kiramman#violet arcane#cowboy au#voltron
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