#we walked around campus today so Lily could see the sights

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: June 10

“Cowboy in the Jungle” by Jimmy Buffett

[lumosinlove]

Between Fifth and You

(cw in tags)

~

chapter one

“Olives or twist?”

Sirius had to watch the barkeep’s mouth to make out the words beneath the pounding music, which meant Sirius caught the way his eyes skittered across his face almost fearfully. The sheer amount of obsidian in this place probably did nothing to lighten his features. Not to mention, few people knew how to look him in the eye.

“Twist,” he said.

The man nodded and flipped the bottle of gin until it dipped into a shot glass, the glass into the ice. Sirius watched until he was stirring the bitters in and a hand appeared on his shoulder, lips to his neck.

“Burn this,” Saint said, and plucked at Sirius’ shirt sleeve, rubbing the black material between his fingers. Sirius raised an eyebrow as he turned. Saint’s own shirt was unbuttoned half way down his hard chest, light brown skin warm in the flashing club lights. “You’ve worn it too many times.”

“Hello to you, too,” Sirius said. “I like this shirt.”

“I liked it two months ago,” Saint replied. “It’s September now, your highness.”

Sirius scoffed as the bartender slid him his drink.

“You gonna tell everyone the sun did that?” Sirius took a clean sip of gin with one hand and stroked his other through Saint’s gold curls, only suddenly some of the slightly course strands were almost white.

Saint’s grin turned coy. “Isn’t it nice to have a mystery to think about?”

“Oh, yeah, do blonds have more fun?”

“You wouldn’t know.”

The music kicked up a beat that Sirius felt through his spine.

“Why do we always come here?” he leaned a hip against the bar. “We have an entire city.”

“Yeah, fuck the rest of the world, we have one whole city.”

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Saint shook his head. “Because that’s what we do. You see that guy over there? I’ve taken him out four times. Couldn’t tell you his name. They couldn’t tell you mine.”

“Everyone knows your name, Saint.”

Saint grinned. “Maybe. But why do we go back to each other? Because we’re creatures of fucking habit.” Saint cocked his head, stole Sirius’ drink. “And what is this city but a bad, bad habit?”

Sirius’ blood cooled and he looked away.

What am I, Sirius? said the familiar voice from his memory. Am I easy? Am I safe? Do you want me, or am I just familiar now?

He closed his eyes against the memory of his reply.

Bad habit indeed.

XOXO

Spotted—a familiar face from the past. What has this train brought in? Thanks to a tip from @magicinthemaking, I bring you this picture of none other than Remus Lupin (and a certain Southern bell we know and love) under Grand Central’s stars. We missed you, Re—how was England? Or was it Europe?

The rumors can never seem to decide, but why the sudden change in plans to take his Junior year abroad? Here we were thinking he wanted nothing more than to stay.

I wonder how another certain star will feel about this sudden homecoming. And just in time for senior year’s Fall semester, too.

XOXO.

Remus adjusted his suitcase, glad he’d mailed so many of his things home. He’d been on U.S. soil for all of three hours, and he already missed Rome. He wanted to walk down the tiny staircase from his billet family’s apartment and get a cappuccino. He wanted to stand on the drain of the Pantheon and soak up the sheer history in the air.

He already wanted a break.

But he also wanted to see Julian. Sometimes it felt like the only thing pulling him back home was seeing his baby brother’s grin in real life rather than across a Facetime call.

“All good?”

Remus looked up at Leo. His blond hair was still bleached a bright blond from the Roman sun. Their program had ended in May, but Remus was glad they had stayed together. He hadn’t been looking for Leo—for someone to kiss for the first time in the rose garden at the top of the Aventine Hill while Leo told him about its past as a cemetery.

It’s footpaths are laid out like a Minorah, see? Leo had pointed out. To remember. 300 different types of roses isn’t enough. But I like to come here.

Remus thought it had been Leo’s love for history, and his respect, too, that had drawn him in. They both came from a world where the biggest thing most people cared about was what they’d wear to the next party, and who was bringing their next drink.

Remus hadn’t been able to believe his luck, as fragile as his heart was still.

“Yeah,” Remus nodded. “All good.”

But he wasn’t sure. They hadn’t been friends here, in the city, or at Hogwarts. It had been Rome. Remus didn’t know what their old lives would do to them. But he took Leo’s hand and watched the way Leo fingered the star he wore around his neck, the way he shot Remus his dimpled smile.

“Come on,” Remus said. “I want you to meet Julian.”

XOXO

Good morning Upper East Siders—Gossip Girl here. All trends point to Fall’s Hogwartsers coming back in Black—in more ways than one. Sirius Black’s got a baby brother on campus now, and after another wild summer for the Hogwarts College elite, count me in with the rest of them on wondering what to expect. Rumor is he’s not much like our favorite star.

“You don’t have to talk to me, you know.”

Sirius kept his eyes on his eggs and toast. “Your missing your tie. Mom said—”

“What do you care?” Regulus replied. “I hear when she used to make you wear one it usually ended up around some other guy’s neck by ten in the morning.”

“If you’re going to believe everything you read on Gossip Girl about me, then maybe I won’t talk to you.”

Regulus smirked. “So, you read it, too.” 

“Boys.”

Both brothers went back to their breakfasts.

“Good morning, mom,” Sirius said.

Walburga Black smiled with her painted lips, resting a hand on Sirius’ shoulder and bending to kiss his cheek.

“Don’t you both look handsome for your first day. Although that leather jacket has seen better days, Sirius. Do what you want for dinner, ask Chef, I don’t care. I’ll be at the House.”

The House. The House of Black, his mother’s million dollar fashion industry.

“Fine,” Regulus nodded, and rose. “I’ll take the first car.”

Sirius rolled his eyes again. “Really?”

Regulus just snatched up his backpack.

Saint, James, and Thomas were waiting for him on one of the courtyard tables when Sirius got out of the Escalade. It certainly felt like a first day of a semester. Saint’s neck dripped in gold necklaces—a story behind each one. Thomas, who had replaced his short braids with a closely shaved head, wore a white t-shirt and ripped up jean shorts, gold nose-ring glinting in the sun. James had evidently been helped out by Lily, as usual, a green, tight-fitting Henley shirt bunched up at his elbows. The two flanked Saint, who basked on top of the stone table, head tilted back to bare his throat in a way that made Sirius think of last night, in the back of the bar. He could see a purplish mark he had left there.

“You’re looking surprisingly chipper,” James said when Sirius reached Hogwarts’ courtyard.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, knowing he didn’t. “I’m not failing any classes yet, James.”

His friends went oddly silent. Sirius looked around at them, spreading his hands in confusion. Saint wouldn’t look at him, expression going oddly stoney. Thomas, finally, offered him his phone, biting his lip. Sirius took it.

His heart leapt to his throat. He didn’t even bother reading the Instagram caption. Remus loomed out at him from the phone screen.

“Leo Knut,” Saint said. “Who would have thought.”

Sirius cleared his throat and turned away from the picture—from Remus and Leo’s clasped hands.

“Why wouldn’t I be chipper?” he said again, and ignored their unconvinced expressions. “I’ve got class.”

Under his desk while he waited for the rest of the class to show, Sirius pulled out his phone and opened Instagram.

XOXO

Remus approached campus slowly. He felt like he didn’t know anyone anymore, even if he knew that wasn’t true. He thought he saw James from afar, but Lily and Kasey didn’t have class today.

Really, Remus didn’t know if he had many friends that weren’t…shared. That didn’t feel too close to home. Manhattan wasn’t that big of an island.

He looked down at his schedule he’d written out on his phone.

The 19th Century Novel - Hogsmeade R#302.

He made his way to the Hogsmeade building and climbed the spiral staircase quickly. It all felt too industrial, too metallic. At least he’d woken up with Leo, who still had the ancient air about him. He didn’t want that bubble to pop.

“Mr. Lupin,” Professor McGonagall beamed when he walked in, and Remus smiled, too at her familiar Scottish drawl. “It’s so very nice to have you back.”

“Hi, Professor. It’s good to be—”

But the words died on Remus’ tongue. He looked out at the small class—just twenty at this high level—and his heart, out of habit it seemed, had leapt at the sight of familiar dark hair.

Uh-oh. Looks like Pyramus and Thisbe are actually wishing for a wall between them this time.

Sirius’ hair was shorter than it had been at the end of sophomore year, the last time Remus had seen him. He wore a touch of a beard, too, just scruff, really, but it framed his silver eyes like darkness to the stars—two stars, which were zeroed in on Remus.

“Back,” Remus tried to recover, mouth dry. He sent McGonagall a shaky smile, and turned to find a seat, trying not to find those stars again.

He resisted the urge to close his eyes in defeat when he realized that there was only one left. He walked towards Sirius looking ahead and with his heart pounding. Leo. Leo making pancakes for him and Julian this morning. Leo making his little brother laugh. But he could smell the worn leather of Sirius’ jacket. He remembered the feel of it around his own shoulders. Are you cold, baby?

“All righty, then,” McGonagall stood from her chair and leaned against the front of her desk, looking down her spectacles at the attendance sheet. “Looks like we’re all here.”

XOXO

“Well?” Saint asked as Sirius took the joint from between his fingers.

“Sat down next to me,” Sirius said. “Didn’t say a fucking word.”

“Did you say a fucking word?” Saint raised his eyebrows.

Sirius blew out smoke. “No.”

“Well, all right, you fucking hypocrite.”

Sirius looked over at him from where they lay side by side, stretched out in the fading sunshine of Central Park. “I’m keeping this now.”

“No, you’re not. Did you pay for that? I don’t think so.”

Sirius scoffed. “Yeah, like this made a dent in the Montague treasuries.”

Saint laughed, tucking a palm behind his head. Sirius let his eyes linger on the strip of skin where his shirt rode up. He’d kissed that last night, too. It was nice with Saint. He’d been friends with him for longer than he could remember. Saint never looked for more. If Sirius snapped at him, he snapped back and then they laughed about it. Saint wandered through the world loving people freely. He kissed them, or he made them dinner, or he took them for long walks along the river. He showed them his favorite jazz club, or gave them the orgasm of their life, or read to them from his favorite books. He was New York in human form, accepting and inviting, living and breathing.

Sirius wished he was so trusting, even if trust seemed a funny word to apply to Saint.

No one ever got too close to either of them, except the other.

“What are you wearing to your mom’s fashion show?” Saint asked with his eyes closed. “It’s the event of the season.”

“Are you joking? The fittings started in July.”

“Mm, I love that,” Saint grinned, stretching. “Want to come help me decide what I’m wearing? We’re at the Plaza right now, you know that. You know my mother. If it’s not broken, break it. We’re renovating again. We can order champagne to the room.”

“Is that code for make out?”

“Partly. But I will be showing you my outfit choices.”

“Deal.”

XOXO

Remus made it back home seeing no one, but one of the butlers had an envelope with his name on it waiting for him.

“Thanks, Moody,” Remus murmured, but thought briefly about handing it right back to him.

He knew this invitation. He knew its black boarders and heavy stock. It came ever year.

It used to be something they had looked forward to.

The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

invites you

TOUJOURS PUR

“Jesus,” Remus breathed, but took it up to his room, checking the time on the way. Julian would still be at school, his parents at work. This apartment was too big for the four of them, not to mention just Remus alone.

His suitcases still lay open and unpacked on his floor, and he kicked at one without looking up.

“So, did you just forget to mention that you were home?”

Remus spun towards his bed, only to find Lily sprawled across it and fiddling with an emerald on a chain.

“I had to find out from Gossip Girl?” Lily shook her head.

Remus slapped the invitation against his thigh. “Wow, wasn’t like that was a surprise present for you or anything.”

Lily smiled, red hair in a thick french braid. “I see green and I know it’s for me. What can I say?”

Remus huffed out a laugh, and she gave a small squeal and pushed off of the bed to wrap him in a hug.

“I’m so happy you’re home, Re.”

He let himself rest his chin in the crook of her neck for a moment. ‘Thanks, Lils.”

She pulled back, hands on his shoulders. “What, no, me too?”

“I am,” he said tentatively. “But I had fun in Rome.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Southern fun?”

“His name is Leo,” Remus said pointedly, then eyed the pile of garment bags piled high on the other side of his bed. “Are those…”

“Pour moi, et pour toi,” Lily patted his cheek. “We have a fashion show to go to, sweetheart.”

XOXO

What do we think, Courtiers? House of Black’s fashion show is the biggest event of the fall. But what on Earth does doe-eyed Remus Lupin have to do within that dark forest now?

Is he a Bambi, or still the wolf we knew?

You know you love me.

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

[negandarylsatisfaction]

[SUMMARY: Professor Negan has a thing for one of his college students but tries to keep it to himself until jealousy gets the best of him.]

Smut

Negan and Rosey.

Today at class you were anxiously awaiting the result for your exam from last week. After having studied so hard you hoped you passed the test. Your Professor was behind you handing out papers when he reached over and placed your graded exam in front of you.

“Good work, miss Lily Rose.” Your Professor leaned in and whispered close to your ear. Excitedly you smiled down at your paper, you were so proud of yourself, plus you loved impressing your Professor since you had a small crush on him. As class ended you packed your bag with everyone rushing out of the room in front of you.

“Lily, can I see you for second?” Your Professor suddenly called out to you as you threw your bag over your shoulder. Silently you walked up to him as he sat back in his chair with a grin on his face.

“You’re doing real damn good, you know that?”

“I guess that means you’re doing real good too.” You responded with an shy tone making him chuckle.

“Well thank you, listen I have an offer for you. I hope you can take on it.”

Your expression showing him curiosity, that he liked.

“How would you like to be my student assistant?”

“Student assistant?” You asked a bit puzzled.

“Yeah, see I think you’re a very smart woman. Very smart.” His eyes looking at you in a way that almost made you blush.

“I think I could use your extra help. Say twice a week you stay after class with me and you help me go over some things.” Usually you dreaded the idea of staying longer in class but this was Professor Negan.

“I....Um sure.” You couldn’t help but sound hesitant as you were intimidated by him.

“You sure? Cause I don’t wanna keep you from a boyfriend or anything.”

“Oh no-“ you laughed a bit nervous.

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Negan smiled, if you weren’t so innocent you would have realized that this was just a subtle way of him finding out if you were indeed single. For some time now Negan had his eyes on you, he found himself attracted to you from the first moment he saw you. He did his best to ignore his attraction towards you knowing it wasn’t right but he couldn’t help himself but wanna get closer.

“Mm. Tomorrow sound good to you?” He asked as he leaned back.

“Yes, tomorrow is good.”

The next day you found yourself eager for class to end just to be with your Professor alone. Of course you knew it meant nothing, you had no idea the man was even attracted to you. Still it was something you looked forward to.

Class was over and Negan went straight to the board and began writing as everyone left the room. Curiously looking over at what he was writing you waited for him to explain. The two of you were now alone when he finally turned to you.

“How would you solve this?” You looked at the board and moved forward. Negan observed the way you read over the problem, the way you bit your bottom lip and scrunched your nose. He couldn’t help but quietly chuckle making you look over at him.

“What?”

“Nothing. I just, I never noticed you scrunched your nose like that.” He sat on the corner of his desk crossing his arms.

“I didn’t realize I did that.” You looked away shyly before looking back at the problem. After looking at the question for a couple minutes longer, you grabbed the marker and circled the answer. Negan a bit distracted by your body, thinking of what he wanted to do to you, he didn’t notice you were finished.

“Professor, I’m done.” You made him quickly look up at the board.

“Hm.” Negan stood up and moved directly behind you as he looked at the board. Feeling him so close behind made you nervous.

“Not bad, Rosey.” His voice was deep, you found it attractive.

“Rosey?” You looked up behind you with a puzzled expression.

“What don’t like it? I think it fits you.” He grinned making you blush, you actually did like it. Negan sat down impressed with your knowledge. He knew you would be able to solve the problem he gave you, he just liked seeing your brain at work.

The two of you went over a few strategies in problem solving to show the class and before you knew it, it was time for you to go. He did his best to keep his cool during your time with him, but God knows his mind was all over the place being alone in a room with you.

When you left the class there was a few guys hanging in the hall, Negan had his door open and over heard them call you over.

“Hey, Lily...where you going? There’s a party tonight, you should come.”

Negan frowned staring in the direction of his door listening clearly to what was said.

“No it’s alright, I gotta study.”

“Man it’s Friday, who cares about that. Plus there’s gonna be drinks, we wanna see Lily with some of that liquor courage.” They teased, typical athlete assholes.

“Yeah how about you put on a short little dress and come join us, ditch the books for once.” They began to laugh when Negan suddenly came out of the room.

“Don’t you guys have somewhere to be? As far as I’m concerned you guys are still suppose to be in class. Do yourselves a favor and get lost.” The guys didn’t know how to respond and quickly walked away leaving you with Negan. He didn’t take his eyes off of them until they disappeared into the distance.

“Do me a favor, stay away from those assholes.” You raised your eyebrows not expecting his choice of words and he made a face as if he caught himself.

“Sorry.” He muttered low making you begin to laugh. Your innocent mind thought your Professor was just looking out for you when in reality jealous struck him.

“It’s okay, thank you for that and you don’t have to apologize for cursing.”

“It’s a bad habit I have that I try not to bring to work.” He admitted with a chuckle.

“But anyways, stay away from them. They’re bad news.”

“Okay Professor. I’ll see you.” You began to walk off as he crossed his arms watching you leave.

The next day you remembered you had some books to pick up from the library. Although you were off, you had no other plans and decided to get them today.

Of course, you ended up leaving with way more books than you had originally planned. Struggling to carry them before you, walking out you happened to run into Negan and all the books fell on the floor.

“Rosey,” his voice making your heart jump as he looked down at you.

“Crap.” You whispered quickly bending down to pick up all the books that fell.

“Coming to the damn library on your day off?” Negan squatted down before you and helped you pick up your books.

“Yeah...I had been wanting to come by to pick up some.” You laughed with embarrassment.

“Come, I’ll help bring this to your dorm.” Negan took more books in his hands and walked with you on campus. Arriving at your door you were relieved that your roomate Samantha wasn’t around. He walked in beside you and put your books down on the desk beside your bed when a piece of clothing fell off the chair beside him. He bent down to pick it up and noticed it was a purple lace thong. You turned around to catch him looking at it in his hands and gasped.

“Oh my God-“ you quickly grabbed it out of his hands making him grin. You were mortified.

“Well, well Rosey.” Negan couldn’t help but take a moment but to picture you in the thong. You looked so innocent, it turned him on.

“I’m so sorry-“

“Woah...what are you apologizing for, sweetheart?” You were speechless, you noticed him looking down at your thighs. There was silence until you were both distracted by students beginning to walk down the hall knowing he wasn’t supposed to be in there.

“I better get going. I’ll see you in class Monday.” Negan winked at you before leaving your dorm room making you melt onto your bed from embarrassment. You didn’t think much of the way he looked at you, mostly you thought it was just you.

Monday morning came around and you dreaded your class with Negan. As soon as you walked in you felt his eyes on you. Not being able to bring yourself to look up at him from your desk, you distracted yourself with continuous scribbles on your paper. Barely paying attention at what the topic was about today you kept looking at the time waiting for class to be over. As soon as it was done you got up as fast as you could scrambling your books in hand with your purse and rushed towards the door.

“Have somewhere to go?” Negans voice made you freeze in your tracks as all the students rushed passed you, leaving you both alone. You had completely forgotten you were suppose to stay after class today.

“Professor...I was just-“ you stumbled over your words as you turned to find him with a smile.

“You were just?” He stood right in front of you, an intimidatingly charming look as he stared down at you.

“Nothing.” You whispered, his eyes observing your face before stopping right back up to your eyes. He knew exactly what you were thinking about because he was thinking about the same thing, except his thoughts were too dirty to share and you didn’t have clue. He couldn’t stop imagining you in the lace thong he found in your room. He wondered if you had it on in that moment.

“Listen,” he whispered moving closer to you.

“If you’re thinking about what I think you’re thinking about, don’t worry about it. It’ll be our secret.” Your cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“Deal?” He raised a brow, a soft smile appearing at the sight of your red cheeks.

“Deal.” You whispered.

“Lily! I’ve been looking for you!” You turned to find your friend Alexa at the door.

“What are you doing here? Isn’t your class over?” She asked confused. You looked up at your Professor as he gave you a quiet nod allowing you to quickly talk to your friend.

“What is it Alexa?” You whispered.

“Where were you friday night? Grayson was looking for you!”

“Grayson?” You asked a bit confused, Negan could hear you both speaking, your friend not really thinking anything of your Professor hearing about this.

“Oh come on, Lil, you gotta forgive him eventually. He wants another chance.”

Negan looked over not exactly liking what he was hearing.

“I’m not interested, Alexa. Just leave it.”

You noticed a guilty look in your friends eyes, you already knew what that meant.

“What did you do?” You squinted your eyes at her.

“Ok um, Grayson is outside right now-“

“Alexa!” You bulged your eyes as you tried not to speak so loudly.

“I don’t wanna see him.” You continued when you saw Grayson appear at the door. You sighed as he stepped closer to you.

“Lily just hear me out okay?” Negan frowned staring at Grayson at his door.

“Woah woah woah-“Negan made his way to you, standing right behind you.

“Listen I don’t know who the hell you guys are but Rosey and I got some work to do. So I’d appreciate if you all let us get to it.” Grayson looked at Negan confused.

“Rosey?”

“Yes, Rosey. Now get going.” Negan grabbed the door and closed it in their face. You were speechless as he walked back to his desk at sat down.

“Professor..” you spoke in shock.

“Come on, we don’t have time to waste.” You could see a difference in his attitude, he seemed angry but about what? You sat down in front of him and helped organized some papers as you texted back and fourth with Alexa. Apart of you couldn’t help but admit that you wanted to see Grayson. He had a new haircut and he looked handsome to you, you admitted how you felt to Alexa as Negan noticed you on your phone.

“Rosey.” Negans voice made you jump, his expression serious.

“Sorry.” You whispered.

“I need to use the restroom, I’ll be right back.” You quickly got up and left the room, leaving your phone on your desk. Negan could hear it continuing to buzz. Looking at the door to make sure you weren’t around, he stood up and quickly went through it. He read your texts telling your friend that Grayson looked handsome, Negan scoffed.

“Handsome huh?” He spoke low to himself as he continued to scroll. He stopped at a text of you telling Alexa to have Grayson meet you at your dorm once you were finished.

“I think the fuck not.” Anger arose in him as he put your phone down just in time to you coming back in. You sat back down and continued going through papers not noticing Negan had his eyes on you. The thought of you meeting up with this guy was driving him crazy. He saw you look back down at your phone and smile at Grayson agreeing to meet.

“What the hell you smiling about?” You looked up to find Negan with a very serious expression.

“Nothing..I-“

“Who’s that guy that came to the door?” His unexpected question leaving you confused.

“Who Grayson?”

“Who is Grayson?” His nostrils flared at the mention of his name.

“Professor, I don’t understand..”

“Who’s Grayson?!” He raised his voice slamming his fist on the desk making you jump.

“My ex boyfriend, why are you asking-“

“You wanna see that prick?”

“What do you care?” You asked confused making him slam his book shut.

“What are you doing?” You stood up not understanding why he was acting this way.

“Alright, enough of this shit.” He walked towards you and grabbed your arms.

“You don’t realize what the fuck I’ve been doing?” He shook you as you looked up at him innocently. He shook his head not being able to help himself but chuckle.

“Oh Rosey, you really don’t have any idea do you?”

“Of what?!” You asked when he unexpectedly grabbed your face and kissed you. You screamed against his lips as he kissed you hard. The two of you stumbling towards the desk. You pulled away out of breath not having expected this, not being able to believe that he actually kissed you. Looking up at him you didn’t say a word before he began to kiss you again. You wrapped your arms around him as he picked you up on the desk making you moan.

“Wait-“ you spoke breathlessly against him. Still in shock you covered your lips with your hand.

“This isn’t right.”

“I don’t give a shit.” Negan responded roughly when your phone buzzed again. He looked at your phone before looking back at you.

“Tell me you’re not gonna see that prick.” His hands were on your waist, you couldn’t find the words. The excitement you felt of him touching you was one you never thought you would actually feel. You didn’t want him to let go, you couldn’t believe this was real.

“I...I’m not...I don’t want to.” You shook your head as if you had just came into realization. Your Professor filled you with sudden excitement.

“Do you have any fucking idea how long I’ve wanted to do that?” He stared down at you.

“Do you know how hard its been day in and day out being alone with you and not being able to touch you.” He spoke hoarsely and squeezed your waist. You were speechless, you didn’t want this to end but you began to hear students start to walk around the halls.

“Meet me at the library tomorrow afternoon.” He whispered before he bought you down from his desk just in time for one of the Deans to walk into the class. Quietly you left and right away began to text Alexa to call off seeing Grayson.

The next morning you woke up nervously choosing an outfit to see your Professor. You wanted something different, something he wasn’t exactly used to seeing you in. Not finding anything unique in your wardrobe you snuck into your roommates closet and found a beautiful spring dress. It would fall right above your knees, it looked casual yet the design would attract eyes. You smiled taking the dress and quickly put it on.

“Perfect.” You whispered to yourself looking at the mirror.

Quietly walking into the library you noticed a couple students sitting at the tables doing homework. You bit your bottom lip anxiously as you looked around wondering where he would be. Passing by the aisles looking around you were suddenly pulled in by your arm, you gasped slamming into Negan.

“Rosey...” he looked down at you with a grin, his hands on your waist.

“Professor.” You whispered, his eyes drifting down to your body.

“Oh my God...” he spoke low, the sound of his voice turning you on. You knew he would love the dress you were wearing.

“What are you trying to do to me, Rosey?” He looked behind you to make sure no one was around before he pulled you in and began to kiss you. You wrapped your arms around his neck, his hands going up your thighs before he pulled away. The two of you made eye contact knowing exactly what you both wanted in that moment. You couldn’t believe what was taking over your body, never had you felt this way.

“What if a student comes-“ you looked behind you before Negan grabbed your face making you look back at him.

“Don’t worry about that.” He whispered, a look of hunger taking over his eyes as he began to unbuckle his belt.

“We’re in the library.” You whispered in disbelief at what he was doing.

“Then try to be quiet.” He responded sarcastically, he was out of breath, clearly aroused. You raised your brows at his upfront response before he began to lift up your dress. Your heart was racing worried someone would see you. Negan lifted up on of your legs, holding it up around him. You felt his fingers slowly trace the lining of your underwear, he frowned with a smile before looking down and noticing you were wearing the same purple thong he saw.

“Look at that.” He whispered as he moved the soft fabric to the side.

“Professor I don’t think..” he moved closer, your leg laying over his arm.

“What?” He pressed himself against you, making you feel the tip of his cock against your clit. You opened your mouth but you couldn’t speak. He teased you making you lean back on the shelf. Unexpectedly he thrusted into you hard making your eyes widen, he caught your lips with his before any sound could come out. He kissed you as he moved hard and fast. He kissed you down to your neck before checking to make sure no one would be near the aisle, conveniently he chose the last one in the back.

“What is it?” You whispered nervously looking in the same direction.

“Turn around.” Before you could even do so yourself Negan dropped your leg and forced you to turn.

“Professor!” You squealed in a whisper, he put his hand over your mouth lifting your dress up from behind and continued to fuck you hard. Negan couldn’t control himself, he couldn’t waste any time he knew he was close to cumming. Yet, you didn’t mind his roughness, it was unexpected but it still felt good. You moaned softly into his hand making him squeeze your mouth harder.

“Shh.” He breathed hard in your ear until he stopped with one last thrust, you could feel his hips jerk uncontrollably against you. His hand slowly slid down your lips, falling to your chest.

“You came in me.”

“Shit-“ Negan stepped back fixing his pants when he heard someone coming close, he quickly pulled your dress down and grabbed a book. He cleared his throat turning a page, you hid your face as the person passed, Negan looked up to double check they were gone. The two of you couldn’t help but to laugh as quiet as you could.

“You’re lucky I’m on the pill.” Negan chuckled scratching the back of his head.

“Sorry about that.” Something about that turned you on, something more about this whole situation turned you on..besides the obvious. It was like he didn’t care what risks he was taking, he couldn’t help but have you in that moment. The way he looked at you, you could tell he wanted more and so did you.

“We should meet, away from campus.” He whispered before handing you a piece of paper. It was his phone number.

“I’ll talk to you later.” He winked at you before leaving you alone in the aisle, you brushed your hair behind your ear excitedly looking down at his number when a familiar voice surprised you.

“Have fun?”

“It was Grayson.”

[will do a part 2 just thinking of ideas]

[vibraniumwing]

imagine.

a sirius black x reader wherein the sirius discovers the reader’s hidden fear, desire and talent.

WARNING: a bit angsty at first but fluffy at the end. 

A/N: AAAA okay so mia gave me this sudden spark of an idea so i just went with what my brain could come up with. surprise surprise, i chose sirius black for this one which mean that this is the first one i’ve written for the marauders !! pls be kind because i’m a bit new to writing for them. aaa i hope you guys would like it :< this was also meant to be a very angsty blurb but this is where we are now :D

prompt/inspired by: ariana grande’s imagine, “We go like up ‘til I’m ‘sleep on your chest/love how my face fits so good in your neck.”

---

When love was the topic, you would tend to shy away, rather be talking about exams and whatnot instead of the said emotion. It wasn’t because you hated it; you were certain that you longed to be held the same way James does with Lily, but the little monster of fear withheld you from doing so.

Your eyes wandered to the Gryffindor table where you can see the infamous group — as they would call themselves — the Marauders.

Despite all of them being devilishly handsome, your eyes were only focused on one person, Sirius Black. You’ve only spoken to him once, having him partnered up with you during charms as they were forced apart by Mcgonagall due to their rowdiness. Despite him being quite arrogant, he was definitely clever—much to your surprise— and was quite fun to be around.

“Say Y/N, are you going down to Hogsmeade today?” A friend of yours asked, gulping down her pumpkin juice as she looked at you expectantly. You turned your head around and gave her a small headshake, wanting to sit by the Black Lake and read a few books despite the rather cold weather. 

Your friend shrugged and stood up, asking what you’d want back from the small village before heading off with your small friend group. As they walked away, your eyes glanced back at the table only to see the man you’ve been staring at looking your way, sending a not-so-cheeky wink towards you causing you to blush and turn away.

The rest of the day flew by as normal, with you hastily making your way to the tree you’ve made as your little nook during your quiet times like this. It had the perfect view of the castle and wasn’t too far off from the trek yet enough to keep you hidden from the prying eyes of students that wandered around the campus.

Your eyes stared at the sunlight that glistened against the Black Lake, finding it completely calming you down as you decided to sing a little song to entertain yourself. It was a muggle song you’ve heard from a shop you’ve frequented back in the summer before returning to Hogwarts for the year.

It totally captured how you felt with love; the love you’ve always long for. The unattainable kind.

---

You were a half-blood, having your dad as a wizard and your mom a muggle-born. Your home was always filled with laughter, love and just absolute happiness until one day it wasn’t. Your mother had left for a muggle man, longing for a life without having magic in it.

Within that day, you just didn’t lose a mother, you lost your father and the sense of what love really is. He became closed off and distant, leaving you to tend for yourself as days pass by.

---

The one day you wanted to love again was also the last.

It was your fourth year when you had met him, Christopher Medlar, a Ravenclaw just like you. He taught you how to love and be open, understanding you and your hesitant sentiments completely, making you feel the love and affection you’ve longed for since the day you lost your family.

You had found yourself a new found home within him, a safe space that you’ve never really been exposed to growing up. It all felt foreign and new, yet it was extremely comforting.

Everything was going well between you two until you caught him snogging with a Slytherin and made little to no effort to even talk to you. Making your heart shatter, leaving you to your own pain and despair.

And that day was the day you promised to never love anyone again.

---

Unbeknownst to you however, was the fact that the guy you were looking at earlier at the Great Hall was closely listening to your angelic voice ring out through the quietness of the woods.

Sirius was out and about with the Marauders when he had heard a rather soft voice sing, entrancing him almost immediately. James and Remus were about to speak up when he hushed them right away, fearing the fact that they might scare the person away.

“You guys go on without me, I’ll be able to find you anyways.” He whispered, waving a rather brownish parchment along his friend's way. They both shot him a skeptical look before leaving him alone, now placing bets as to what’ll be the outcome of their friends’ change of plans.

“We go like up ‘til I’m ‘sleep on your chest, love how my face fits so good in your neck. 

Why can’t you imagine a world like that?”

Your singing was interrupted by someone clapping, whipping your head to the direction of the sound, you felt your cheeks immediately flush and heat up at the sight of the male you were looking at.

How mortified were you at the moment? Nobody could ever measure that.

“Nice voice you’ve got there, L/N. Say,what song is that?” Sirius asked so casually, leaning against the tree.  You were at a loss for words, not really sure on how you would react to his compliment since no one really knew you could sing. 

“Just a muggle song I heard a few months back, Black. How long have you been there?” You asked, raising an eyebrow at him as he just shrugged, shoving his hands in his pocket as his signature lazy grin rested on his lips. ‘Merlin, he’s extremely good looking.’ You thought to yourself.

“That’s amazing. Mind telling me what’s it about then, darling?” He probed, now offering you a rather interested look as he settled down beside you.

Your heart jumped out of your chest at his sudden question, unsure on how to answer. You glanced at him, his eyes were locked on you, the same expression painted on his face as he nodded, somewhat signalling that he was waiting for your answer.

Taking a deep breath in, you faced him and said, “It’s about unattainable love. Somewhat like imagining that in this world, you are loved and is being loved in a picture perfect way; a place where no one can really hurt you, Sirius.” A sad smile rested on your lips as your mind wandered back to the horrid memories, the little monster inside taunting you more than ever.

His expression turned into a mixture of sadness, confusion and pity. He quickly caught on, knowing about how you got played by a boy in your house. Sirius had always watched you from afar, not really sure on how to approach you since you were somehow the opposite of him. 

He also feared that he might hurt you, the one thing he kept as a secret and treasured the most.

“Well, you don’t have to imagine that now, darling,” He spoke up, features now showing one of seriousness despite the erratic pace of his heartbeat. You looked at him with wide eyes, unsure of how to react to his words. “I don’t get what you’re saying, Black.”

A sighed, running a hand through his hair, “What I’m saying is why imagine that when I’m here.” He finished. It was rather flattering that he said that but you are unsure; the fear within you warning about how this would just lead you to repeat the same mistakes in the past. Besides, with his reputation, he had enough girls at Hogwarts swooning at the snap of his fingers.

“I appreciate the thought but I’m passing, Black.” You answered, showing him another sad smile as you stared off into the Black Lake. “I think I’m just not ready to love again nor I think I will ever love again. The one I wish for is unattainable, you know. Something far out of reach.” You finished, glancing at the male who had an unreadable expression on his face.

Silence fell upon the two of you until Sirius decided to break it, “But that’s why I’m here. I’ve seen you from afar, Y/N. Don’t think I can’t remember a time where you haven’t looked at me from the Ravenclaw table.” He humored, causing you to look at him with a horrified expression, surprised that he had caught on to your antics.

“Don’t apologize though, no one ever noticed except for me, of course. “I understand that you aren’t ready, but I’m willing to wait for you.” He continued, looking into your eyes as he spoke, “I’m willing to prove to you that you shouldn’t fear love, even if it means for me to wait on forever.” He finished, sighing softly as he grinned.

The monster inside of you thrashed around, wanting for you to not give a chance to Sirius, knowing that there’s a possibility for you to end up like the past but the side that has been longing for something like this is growing stronger as well, making you wish that you shouldn’t fear love in the first place.

A shaky breath escaped you, eyes shutting briefly to collect yourself as you looked at the male, who was waiting patiently. “Just promise me one thing, Sirius.” You told him, looking at him straight into the eyes as you spoke, “The fear inside of me is begging not to give in, but something about you is making me say yes. Promise me that you’ll never break my heart.”

His grin soon turned into a wide smile, nodding at the promise you wanted. “Until my very last breath, love.” as he opened his arms for you, which you looked at with a confused face, unsure on how to react.

“I’m giving you a hug, silly. Now c’mere!” He told you, pulling you into him. He smelled like sweets, a subtle hint of smoke reaching your nose as you easily melted against his touch. It was all foreign to you again yet this time, something was assuring you this would last.

With a few readjustments, you were now in between his legs, back against his chest as his arms were wrapped around you tightly, making you feel extra safe. Your head turned around and you snuggled up against the crook of his neck, eyes fluttering shut as the ambience of your surroundings eased you. He spoke up once more, the vibration from his voice causing you to cozy up against him.

“Soon, you won’t even have to imagine anything. I promise to give you everything you’ve ever wished for.”

---

TAGS: @andromedaa-tonks​ @whoreforfredweasley​

[burnedbyshoto]

Of Love and Flowers

word count: 4,006

warnings: sfw

a/n: this was supposed to come out a few days ago, but i’m trash lmao and didn’t have it ready at all until this morning!!!! if you follow me, I told you the theme about this post through an ask meme yesterday ;) enjoy

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

“We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.” - Johann Wolfgang von

There are 20,182,852 words in the world.

There are over 2,000 used kanji in the Japanese language.

There are over 100 different words of expressing that you love someone.

There is only one way to say ‘I love you.’

There is only one Todoroki Shouto.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

Flower shops are some of the most peaceful places in the world. The air smells heavily of the perfume from the plants. The toasty environment of the room, the way that rain or shine it was always bright in the shop.

The flowers sitting in each of their own little packages call and entrance strangers. Making people fish out a few yen to buy someone they loved a flower. Most always grabbed a simple red rose, the most iconic sign of love.

Love.

Your fingers ghosted over the flowers before you. The waxy softness of the petal running smoothly under your fingertip. The frosty coldness of February winter clung to your face as you stared at the carnations on display.

“Are you getting any flowers today, brat?” The small flower shop owner barks at you. Her wrinkled hands go to sit on her waist in a sassy pose, her eyes squinted as she looked up at you. “All you do is come to stare at my flowers, touch them with your oily fingers, and scare off my customers!”

The stance she is taking should be one of reprimanding, but your face warms in love for her. “Sorry, Ami-sama, these carnations were just calling my name today.” You laugh pulling at the white carnation that you had been admiring.

“What’s so good about getting yourself flowers?! Why don’t you get that handsome boyfriend of yours to get you some flowers? Tch, you bring him around once and now I never see him again! Who do you take me for?” She scolds you, her arms folded as she thinks about who you brought.

“Ami-sama, you know—” Your eyes widen at her judgment, but she continues on.

“He was such a handsome boy, tall and strong looking, too! He could do something about that scar… tell him I know someone with a quirk who can remove all scars! Just because of you I’ll give him her number, and she’ll do it for free!”

The groan that leaves your lips is joined with a wispy trail of air that leaves your mouth.

Deciding not to fight her, you smile politely. “As much as Shouto would appreciate the number, I don’t think he wants to get rid of his scar.”

“Bah,” Ami humphs as she takes the white carnation and places it within your fingers. “Using his first name though? I didn’t realize you young lovers were that deep in your relationship!”

Your face flushes as you take the flower. You and Shouto that deep in your relationship? No, he just asked you to call him that and who were you to say no? After all—

“Aren’t you going back to school, brat? You’re going to be late! Don’t you dare make me take that flower back!” Ami harasses you shooing you away as you laugh loudly.

“I’ll be back after classes to pick up flowers for my friend’s birthday!” You call out as you take off running.

“Bring back your handsome boyfriend, he makes me want to be young again!” She yells out after to you.

You don’t really hear her as you continue running. You had gone home on Saturday night to spend Sunday with your family because you had to go to visit the doctor. It was now Monday morning. As it was the end of your second year in U.A., you were running down the old familiar streets to get to the school’s campus. The white carnation in your hand a hopeful prayer for the rest of the week.

This was going to be a good week.

This was going to be the best week.

“Y/n?” A voice called for you as you crashed through the front gates.

Out of breath, you snapped your head to your left to see Shouto standing there. Backpack slung on his shoulder, eyes light in amusement as you waved.

“You just got back, too?” Shouto asks as he waits for you to come and walk with him. You nod your head, unable to speak still, it was just so hard to breathe. “How was your visit?”

“Oh… ya know…” You pant as you drag your heels over to where Shouto is waiting for you. “Went to the doctor’s appointment and my mom made me so much food.”

“How was the doctor’s appointment?” Shouto asks out of concern. His eyebrows raised as the two of you begin walking towards the school building. Other students were also making their way into the glass building.

“Well,” You sigh looking away from him. “I was told that they don’t know why I’m having issues with my breathing? Just to keep monitoring it and I’ll be going back in to get more testing done.”

Shouto nods his head as he opens the door for you, letting you step through before himself. “You’ll let me know right away what’s wrong, right?”

“You’ll be the first to know.” You giggle softly as the two of you make your way to the lockers. “Shouto, do you want this flower?” You ask handing him carnation with a soft smile.

Looking at it, Shouto’s face contorts slightly. “Depends, what does it mean?”

“Sweet and lovely, women’s good luck gift, and innocence.” You hum looking back at him with a grin. “I think it’s a perfect flower. Don’t you think?”

Shouto smiles softly, one that knocks your breath from your lungs as he takes it from your fingers. Chills run down your arms as his warm hands brush against yours. Your eyes flutter closed as his warm and soft lips come to press against your cheeks. Electricity flowing through your being as he pulls away.

“Thank you, y/n,” Shouto whispers to you.

Unable to speak, your body and mind so convoluted with only the mere thought of Shouto, you nod.

“Are you ready to walk to class?” He asks looking down at the pristine flower. How incredibly fit for a man like Shouto.

The tightness in your chest increases at the sound of his voice as you shake your head. “I need to use t-the restroom really quick? You can go on without me, I’ll catch up?”

Shouto sighs, but agrees as he waves and leaves you as you quickly rush towards the restroom.

Oh, how he made you feel so warm and safe.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

Daisy chains were so beautiful.

A true statement of floral beauty, yet so irritating to make.

The stems of the daisies crinkled under your hold. Your eyebrows scrunching as you concentrated on the logistics of this small task. You were nearly done with the crown, but your fingers shook as if this was loop one.

“What are you making?” A voice asks from behind you.

Having long ago sensed them, you don’t flinch as you secure the daisy onto the chain.

“Ami-sama had asked for me to make her… three daisy chains…” You mumble concentrating on the task at hand. “I don’t know why either. But, she did request I bring you with me when I drop it off.”

Shouto shifts from behind you to come and sit down on the couch beside you. “I think Ami really likes me?” He remarks as if unsure if that was correct.

“Ami-sama is obsessed with you,” You mumble as you look at the half-and-half boy.

Placing down the daisy chain you grinned at Shouto. Shouo was now admiring the already finished chains. The warm air of May weather filled the common room, as you pulled your hair from its ponytail. Shouto’s fingers gently trace around the crown until he finally places it down.

Your chin was tucked between your knees, your feet resting on the couch. You continued to gaze at Shouto as he looks at you.

“Would you mind teaching me?” Shouto asked with a small smile.

A small smile with the power to steal your breath away. Your own small smile overcomes your features as you shift closer to Shouto, “Here!” You say grabbing the other group of daisies.

With your shoulder pressed against Shouto’s arm, you explained to him how to make the daisy chain. Your instructions clear, concise, and soft. Shouto listened to every single word willingly, intensely, and carefully. Your smaller hands sat on top of his as you showed him how to make the chain. The tremor in your fingers is now gone as you guided him. His warm hands following your every action. The two of you moving without instruction, without words. Your breathing stills as he suddenly looks at you. His eyes softly opened, his lips inviting you in, and his aroma stilling your pounding chest.

Why did he have this effect on you?

“Do you think this is something my girlfriend would appreciate if I made her one?” He asks you, a small and goofy smile on his face.

“She would.” You grin back, your cheeks hurting as you giggled softly.

“What do daisies mean?” Shouto asks as he begins making the daisy chain without your assistance.

“Innocence, I’ll never tell, and purity.” You inform him as you grab your own chain.

“You really know your flowers.” Shouto murmurs as he reaches for another daisy.

He was much better at this than you were, but you didn’t mind at all. Seeing him making these chains here with you was enough to keep your competitive spirit down.

“It’s my secret talent,” You tease with a grin. “My grandma has a flower-based quirk, super weird. Whenever she has emotions flowers will sprout on her body, so I learned them all just in case she was ever sad.”

Shouto hums as he nods, his eyes flickering over to you again.

“I don’t know anything except red roses and white lilies.”

“Love, I love you.” You say as you focus back onto the daisies, your face burning as you felt Shouto whip his head towards you. “Purity and majesty.”

“Yes,” Shouto laughs a little as he shakes his head. After all, you had never once told him those words. It would be a pretty lame confession to say it right now. “Maybe I didn’t know lilies after all?”

Your returned your sights on the boy who held your heart. “What did you think it meant?”

“You’ve made my life complete.” Shouto sighs, his eyes locking with yours.

A blush overcomes your cheeks as you shake your head. What an idiot throwing meanings like that around. “That is the meaning behind lily of the valley.” You correct with a shake of your head. “Those flowers you have to be careful with, they’re—”

“Invasive and toxic,” Shouto says with you.

A gleaming smile overcomes your face as you nod, “You do know something about flowers.”

“You made me slightly interested in them, y/n,” Shouto confesses with a small shove to your shoulder. Confusion fills you as you stare at Shouto, his eyes locking with yours as his head slightly tilts. Clearing his throat, a soft pink hue spreads on his cheeks. “You’re so passionate about flowers that I had to learn something about it.”

Without asking, as you were overcome with your love for the boy sitting next to you, your arms wrapped around his neck pulling him into a hug.

“The daisies!” Shouto reminds you, but you don’t let go as you feel Shouto move the flowers around for him to finally hug you back.

His arms are safe, warm, and you want nothing more than to melt in his embrace and never again come out.

It takes a few moments more, but you pull away, your cheeks burning as Shouto tells you that it’s okay. There is no reason to be embarrassed.

“Well,” Shouto stands finally, the daisy chains now completed. “I have a date to prepare for.” His smile is warm as it is loving.

You roll your eyes playfully as you nudge him, “Go get ready. I’ll see you later?”

“Of course.”

As you watch him leave, you cough. Your chest feels tight as you stand up, going to use the restroom. There wasn’t anything you wouldn’t do for that boy.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

The tarnished flowers in front of you made you tremble.

Broken flowers on the floor dead, ruined, forever unloved.

You weren’t able to stand up, your stance had you on your knees staring at the colored mess before you.

This couldn’t be happening.

Your fingers trembled as you tried to gather the flowers. The sticky substance from their broken stems is thick against your fingers as you tried to hold them.

Soft and quiet sobs wretched through your body. The desperation in your actions unbecoming as you pulled the flowers to your chest.

“Y/n?” Shouto asks from before you. Your head snaps up to see Shouto kneeling down, gathering the ruined flowers in his hands. “What happened? Who did this to you?” He asks you intently, curiously, and almost angrily.

“I-I wasn’t watching where I was going!” You stammer embarrassed. “I crashed into someone and I ruined your flowers.”

Shouto’s eyebrows relaxed, his eyes widening as he stares at you. “My flowers?”

You hesitate not daring to look up at him just yet, “Y-Yeah.” You whisper. “It’s been a hard few past months, you know that.”

Shouto nods his head, he did know that. Your breathing was still causing you issues and no one knew why.

“You’ve been amazing and sweet, and always there for me!” You explain further, the flowers now in your arms and in his. “I just… I just wanted to show you in a way that made sense to me that I appreciated everything you’ve been doing. I’m not good with words, but I’m great with flowers, so I just wanted to express that in a way that made me happy.”

Shouto’s eyes soften as he chuckles.

“I would have been okay with a simple thank you text.”

“But you’ve been doing too much for a text.” You laugh as he helps you stand up. “I don’t know how to cook cold soba, I also can’t really afford to buy anything expensive, so I figured you’d like some flowers! I mean, I know most don’t but I figured maybe because you like flowers a bit more it could be like… like an inside joke?”

Shouto nods his head as he softly rearranges your hair. His strong fingers pushing your hair into place, careful not to tangle your locks. Your heart rate is high as his fingers stroke your face.

“Well, even though it’s ruined, can I try to see if I understand the message?” He asks you staring at the different arrangements of flowers in the two of your arms.

“Have at it.” You mumble drunk off of his touch.

Shouto stares intently at the different flowers. His cheeks puffing out as the two of you stare at each flower.

“If I’m being honest,” Shouto chuckles. “I don’t actually know how these flowers look like.”

The grin that overcomes your features at that confession makes you forget that you had once been sad.

“Yellow tulip?” You say presenting the flower.

“There’s sunshine in your smile.” Shouto chuckles.

“Sweet pea’s?”

“Thank you for your time.”

“Bells of Ireland?”

“Good luck.”

“You got them!” You praise with a grin. Shouto’s cheeks burn red as he rubs the back of his neck.

“I told you I was…” He mumbles. “I’m glad that I was able to remember all those. There are so many flowers?”

“Oh, I know!” You laugh clutching the flowers closer to you.

“But what about those two flowers you didn’t mention?”

Your eyes fall on the flowers you had been trying to hide.

“Oh, those were put by accident into the bouquet!” You laugh.

“I want to try to give you their meanings though.”

You shake your head insistently. The center of your world paused, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Another day then?”

You nod your head, looking away.

“Can… can I give you a hug right now?” Shouto askes you. “You look like you need one.”

A weak nod is all you can offer Shouto as his arms wrap around you. The different scents of the flowers between you have suddenly stopped smelling. All you can breathe in was the cologne that Shouto uses. Overwhelming and invading, you feel yourself collapsing into his hold as the two of you stand in the middle of the school’s hallway.

“You ready to go?” Shouto asks.

With tears brimming at your eyes you nod your head. “P-Please?”

But he doesn’t notice when you pick a flower petal out of your mouth.

✩✶✩❇✩✶✩

You were feeling dizzy today. Your body curled into the couch as you watched your classmates struggle to make you feel better.

“You’re a fucking idiot for letting things get this far!” Bakugou yells at you as he slams a tray of food over your lap.

“Don’t yell at her!” Kirishima intervenes, pushing the hot head away from you as he hands you a cup of juice. “You’re fine, y/l/n-chan, but… I think you need to tell him.”

“I can’t tell Shouto…” You mumble as you stare at the food. It looked so delicious, but you knew better than to eat like this. Everything you had been consuming had been immediately thrown up.

Mina shakes her head from beside you, she had a bag for any throw-up, and a box of tissues ready. “Telling Todoroki isn’t going to do anything for her…”

“You don’t know that!” Uraraka interjects. Her face screaming her concern, her permanent blush seemed to be a bit weaker today.

Your hands tremble as you push the tray away from you. “He’s right…” You mutter as you stand up. “I need to tell him…”

“That is not happening.” Came four different voices.

Your chest is tight and heavy and you’re on your feet.

There is so much happening around you, hands grabbing onto your body, trying to get you to stay. There is nothing happening within you, just a power telling you that you needed to talk to Shouto. The reality was that you shouldn’t have won your seven classmates trying to keep you down in the common space. But somehow you persevered pushing through and getting to the top floor.

Your heart hammered in your head, your body feeling weak and shaky as you knocked on his door.

It took only ten seconds until the door was opened, and there stood Shouto.

A white button-down, navy blue slacks, and a black-tie around his neck.

“Y/n?” He asks taken aback, his eyes wide at your physical appearance.

“W-What are you doing?” You ask, your cheeks hot with your sickness.

“I’m finishing getting ready to go out.” He says as he pushes his hair back. “Are you feeling okay?”

Your breathing stopped as you stared at him, what you needed to tell him no longer there as your mouth opened.

“I lied to you.”

Shouto’s eyes narrowed in confusion, “About what?”

“The flowers.”

“What—?”

“White carnations… from the day you caught me coming back from home. T-They also mean pure love. Daisies they also mean loyal love! And the two flowers you saw just l-last week… those are… they’re—”

“Todoroki-kun, are you — oh! Y/l/n-chan I didn’t see you!”

Your body stiffens as you turn to see Momo dressed up in one of her prettiest outfits. A navy blue formal dress that somehow accentuated her curves and made her even more beautiful.

“Yaomomo.” You greeted with a smile. You felt ugly, out of place, a weak girl crying to a man who wasn’t hers. Seeking attention and comfort from a man who would never be hers. “Are you guys going out on a date tonight?”

“Yes! My family is hosting a lavish dinner, and I figured it was time Todoroki-kun met my family!”

Your heart shattered as you pretended to be happy. “C-Congratulations! This is a really big step!” You try to express your elation, but it feels flat.

“I’m ready though, Momo,” Shouto says softly to his girlfriend. “Y/n was just telling me the actual meanings to the flowers.”

“Oh yes, Shouto told me all about how you’ve been helping him with the flowers! You have amazing taste!” Momo gushes as you shake your head looking down.

“I-It’s nothing…” You glance back at Shouto who looked at you, waiting for the rest of the information. “Um, I’ll tell you when you get back? I don’t want to make you late…”

“You sure?”

“Positive…”

“Okay…”

You watched as they walked away, Shouto’s arm wrapping around Momo’s waist as he brings her in close. His lips pressing against hers.

It’s no use.

Your heart hurts too much.

Your lungs giving out as you take off running. You rushed past them, their concerned voices unheard as you slam into your room.

Your head is over the toilet as you pant heavily, a thick wad of something traveling up your throat. Heave after heave, until something splatters into the toilet.

The first flower: a red carnation.

My heart aches for you.

Admiration.

Whimpering cries escape your lips as red petals fly from your mouth. The clear toilet water turning red as blood splattered from your mouth.

It hurts.

It hurts.

It burns.

You admire Shouto, your heart aches for him, but he isn’t yours to have.

Another flower is stuck in your throat before it too tumbles out into the toilet before you.

The second flower: a striped carnation.

No.

Refusal.

Sorry, I can’t be with you.

I wish I could be with you.

Shouto didn’t love you. He denied you long before, a wordless rejection when he told you he had asked Momo out that one night. His eyes told you he was sorry he couldn’t be with you as he had been fighting his own feelings for you, but Momo was safe. Momo made him happy. You wished you had gathered the courage to tell him of your own feelings. You wished you could be with you, you wanted to be with him.

Your body would not stop shaking as striped petals fell mockingly slow into the toilet. Breezing and sweet.

A mockery to the love you held for him.

The one-sided feelings that were to never be reciprocated.

Then the third flower was beginning to make it’s way up, and you stilled.

The doctors said months ago that by the time the third unique flower had come it would be too late.

You didn’t want surgery.

You didn’t want to lose your emotions or memories of Shouto. Not when he made your heart soar. Not when he was everything.

You didn’t want to die.

But nothing was working.

The banging on your door started as soon as you began heaving it up.

The flower strangling you as you tried to breathe.

The flower you had wondered about for the past seven months almost refusing to come out. It stayed until your door was exploded from the hinges.

It expelled from your mouth as you stopped breathing. Your body collapsing as blood streamed from your mouth. Yells falling deaf in your ears as some screamed to call the ambulance. But your eyes focused on the flower that laid mockingly on your chest.

Beautiful, pristine, and unaffected.

A primrose.

The world was quickly turning dark as you mumbled Shouto’s name. Strong arms lifting your dying body as your eyes drifted to the heterochromia eyed boy who now held you. His neck strained as he yelled orders, his eyes snapping back down to yours as he began moving.

His eyes were wide, shocked, scared.

“I love you…” You whisper as your body felt light. “I can’t live without you… and I’m so so sorry Shouto...”

“Y/N!”

[authenticcadence18]

Can’t Help Falling in Love with You Ch. 2

eyyyyyyyyyyy it’s another chapter!!!

Previous Chapter

AO3

...

Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?

If I can't help falling in love with you...

...

The only available table that remained by the time Phineas and Isabella finally took their seats was at the very front and center of the classroom.

This was unfortunate, because no one really likes to sit in the very front of the classroom, and ESPECIALLY not in the center. It makes one feel exposed, vulnerable.

But it was also fortunate in the particular cases of Phineas and Isabella...because this vantage point prevented them from witnessing the rest of their classmates absolutely lose their minds as they sat down.

...

“Oh my gosh….oh my GOSH.”

“LOOK AT THEM. LOOK AT THEM SITTING TOGETHER. DISCUSSING THEIR LOVE SONG TOGETHER.”

“THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.”

“They’re so gonna get together by the time this is over.”

“LOOK THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS--oh wait, no, never mind.”

...

“...so. We have to write an essay AND come up with a creative way to present our song. Do you have any ideas?”

Isabella pursed her lips and considered this. “Well, I suppose it might be good to write the essay first. You know, get that out of the way and then focus on the creative stuff.”

Phineas nodded. “Good point…and, if we write the essay first, we’ll already have a better grasp on the themes of the song, which will help us with all the creative stuff! It’ll be interesting!”

(He tried to ignore the way his heart was racing because it had been so long, SO LONG, since he and Isabella had collaborated on anything and it felt so GOOD to brainstorm with her, even if it was about something as seemingly mundane as an essay.)

“True!” Isabella replied. She chuckled before continuing, “Only you could make writing an essay sound fun, Phineas.”

Honestly. How could Phineas make ANYTHING sound like an exciting opportunity?

...Isabella had always loved that about him.

Phineas blushed in spite of himself (thankfully, Isabella didn’t seem to notice...at the moment, she seemed to be lost in her own little world) and asked, “...would you want to meet up after school and start researching today?”

When Isabella hesitated to answer, Phineas panicked and continued, “I mean, only if you want to! We don’t have to. We can do it another time, it’s fine.”

He had to slow down. Stay cool.

“It’s not that I don’t want to, Phineas!” Isabella insisted quickly. “I just have soccer practice after school today.”

….and maybe the thought of hanging out with Phineas after school was still a little daunting to her and the instinct to make excuses instead of spending time with him to protect her heart was still strong.

But she wasn’t about to tell him that.

“Oh, gotcha!” Phineas said, relieved. “I wouldn’t mind meeting after your practice, if you want.”

Isabella bit her lip. “I’m actually working a shift at my mom’s restaurant tonight, so I can’t, sorry…”

“Oh, that’s alright, we can just--wait.” Phineas cocked his head at her, eyebrows furrowed. “You’re working a shift at Nosh Olé tonight? After spending all day at school? And soccer practice? How long is that shift going to be??”

“Oh, you know…” Isabella shrugged sheepishly. “I’ll start at 6:00, which will give me just enough time to change after soccer and eat a quick bite, and then I’ll wait tables and stuff until we close at 10:00, and then I’ll help my mom clean and close up….so I’ll probably get home around 11:30 or so.”

Phineas gaped at her, the project (and any lingering shyness on his part) momentarily forgotten. “But when will you do your homework??”

“I can do that when I get home!” Isabella insisted. “It’s no big deal. That’s what I usually do.”

“But...but what about relaxing? Or taking a break? Or getting to sleep at a decent hour?? ...do you think your mom would give you some time off if you asked?”

“Oh, I usually ask my mom for extra shifts,” Isabella elaborated. “Sometimes she gets on me for wanting to work so much, but I like working!! It keeps me busy.”

“And keeps me from thinking about you,” she couldn’t help but think...but again, she obviously wasn’t going to say that aloud.

Phineas’s heart sank at the thought of Isabella spending any and all of her free time working non-stop.

….was this why he never saw her outside of school anymore despite the fact that they still lived across the street from one another?

At this point, the project was the last thing on his mind. There were more important things at stake here.

“Isabella, I think it’s great that you’re accomplishing so much, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a break every once in a while.” Phineas lightly placed a hand on top of her own and squeezed it, as if to punctuate his point, and continued, “You shine so brightly no matter what you do….but I don’t want you to burn yourself out.”

"...he thinks I shine brightly no matter what I do?"

...

“OH MY GOSH THEY’RE ACTUALLY HOLDING HANDS NOW--”

...

The harsh shrill of the school bell cut through the moment like sharp scissors slicing through wrapping paper. Isabella and Phineas’s hands and gazes shot apart as they scrambled to gather pencils and such into their bookbags.

Isabella’s face was burning and her head was spinning because oh GOODNESS Phineas was so WONDERFUL and he CARED about her and she was supposed to be getting OVER HIM, not FALLING HARDER.

Phineas, on the other hand, couldn’t find it within himself to be flustered. At this moment, he didn’t care what Isabella thought about him: he just wanted her to take his advice and rest a little, for her own sake.

“Thanks, Phineas!” Isabella managed to say as she stood and put on her backpack. “I promise, I’ll try not to work too hard. See you tomorrow!” She waved at him as she exited the classroom, only allowing herself to lean against a locker, cradle her head in her hands, and scream internally for a few seconds when she was out of his sight.

Phineas knew Isabella wouldn’t be able to keep her promise. When she committed to something, she gave it her all...years and years of helping her earn Fireside Girl patches had taught him that. The thought weighed on his shoulders like a bag full of textbooks (which, coincidentally, was also weighing down his shoulders at the moment)....he wished he could help her now, just like he’d helped her back then.

And then an idea occurred to him as he made his way to his next class, stopping him dead in his tracks even though Chemistry II started in a few minutes and was all the way across campus.

Maybe he COULD help her after all.

...

Isabella’s feet ached.

She’d been taking orders, carrying trays, answering phone calls, and wiping down tables for the past couple hours, and the physical toll of it all (added on top of fatigue from seven hours of school and soreness from two hours of playing soccer) was beginning to get to her. And the thought of getting home late and having to do homework only made her feel worse….thankfully, she only had one assignment to work on tonight, but thinking about it still made her head ache.

Had working shifts after soccer practice always been this exhausting?

She supposed Phineas had been right after all.

“Isa!! Can you come here please?”

Isabella gave the table she’d been cleaning one final wipe down (and internalized a grimace) before walking towards the front of the restaurant, where her mother was positioned at the hostess podium.

“Sorry to bother you, sweetheart, but there’s a booth over there I’d like you to wait.” Ms. Garcia-Shapiro gestured to the far end of the restaurant.

“But, that’s not my section,” Isabella replied, confused. “Won’t Lily get mad at me for stealing one of her tables?”

Ms. Garcia-Shapiro’s eyes twinkled. “Just trust me, Isa…”

Isabella narrowed her eyes, but she finally shrugged and said, “Alright, I’m on it.” She grabbed a menu and headed toward the table in question.

“Hi, welcome to the Nosh Olé Mexican-Jewish Café,” she said in her best customer service voice, “What can I get started--”

Her scripted response faltered when she realized just who she’d been asked to wait on.

“PHINEAS??”

Phineas waved cheerily at her. “Hey, Isabella!! Fancy seeing you here!!!”

Isabella gaped at him. “Phineas! Uh...whatcha doin’ here? Especially all by yourself?”

“I’m not here by myself, actually,” he replied matter of factly. “I saved you a seat, see?” He gestured to the empty booth across from him with a cheeky grin.

Isabella just blinked at him. “But...Phineas, I’m working! I’m on the clock!!!”

Phineas leaned forward and rubbed his chin in thought. “Yeah, about that...I called your mom earlier and asked if she’d be willing to let you off a couple of hours early so we could discuss our project. She seemed super excited to hear we were working on something together and said we were more than welcome to talk about it here. Of course, if you’d rather just sit and hang out and save the project for another time, that’s fine too!”

His confident expression morphed into one of uncertainty. “But, I don’t want to step on your toes, Isabella...if you REALLY want to work for the next couple of hours, I get it!! And I’ll go home. I just thought, well…” He rubbed his ear, face flushing ever so slightly. “...if there was any part of you that didn’t want to work for so long, you might need someone to help you act on that.”

Something warm and fuzzy and familiar bubbled in Isabella’s chest.

...it was getting easier and easier to remember why she’d fallen in love with this boy in the first place. (And harder and harder to remember why she’d decided to give up on him and avoid spending time with him in the first place.)

“Well, I suppose a break couldn’t hurt…” Isabella slowly took a seat across from Phineas and gave him a small smile. “Especially if I get to spend it with you.”

This comment lingered in the air for a second or so.

And then they were both blushing and looking anywhere but at each other.

“ohmyGOSH did I REALLY just SAY THAT?? OUT LOUD??? What is WRONG WITH ME????”

“Did I hear that correctly?? Isabella wants to spend time with me? ESPECIALLY me?? whAT??”

“Heyyy, guys!! You ordering food or what?”

Phineas and Isabella were spared from dwelling on the events of the past fifteen seconds by the arrival of Lily, the usual waitress for their booth.

“Uhhhhhh��..I guess I’ll take a water and an order of encha-latkes?” Isabella said slowly.

It was a little weird to be the one ordering rather than the one taking orders for once.

“Make that two, please!” Phineas added on.

“You got it!!” Lily replied with a grin.

“Thanks, Lily!!” Isabella called as she walked away. She dared a glance at Phineas, who was already staring at her with a bit of a goofy grin on his face. “Uh…” she voiced. “Everything okay, Phineas?”

Phineas flinched and laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Oh, yeah, sorry!!” He smiled sheepishly before continuing, “I’m just excited to spend time with you, that’s all...I feel like we haven’t hung out outside of school in forever.”

A soft smile graced Isabella’s face. “Yeah...us hanging out, it kind of feels like old times, huh?”

Phineas smiled back. “Yes, yes it does.”

“...you know, to tell you the truth, my feet were KILLING ME earlier!!” Isabella admitted with a chuckle. “It feels really nice to sit down. I’m glad you got here when you did!”

“So am I!!” Phineas replied, grinning. “My mom gave me the weirdest look when I told her I was coming over here by myself, but when I told her it was to spend time with you she was like ‘ohhhhhh’.”

(He didn’t mention that his mom’s weird look became an all-knowing one once he mentioned Isabella, of course. That felt better left unsaid.)

Half an hour of casual chit chat and frequent bouts of laughter had done wonders in easing any hesitancy existing between Phineas and Isabella due to their lack of consistent interaction over the past few years. Any complicated feelings aside, simply hanging out and talking reminded both of them how much they adored being friends.

“Man, these encha-latkes are good…” Phineas mused after swallowing a bite of food. “They remind me of the ones you made when we were kids!!”

“You mean when we had that picnic?” Isabella asked.

She smiled fondly (and then winced upon recalling a particularly awkward part of that day involving Ferb ). “Wow….I can’t believe you remember that!”

“Are you kidding?? That was an awesome day!!!” Phineas beamed as the recollections flooded back. “First we got to have our own little picnic, and then Ferb and I got to build a super-ultra-mega picnic, and THEN when it disappeared, we got to have our own SECOND picnic!!! Talk about best day ever!!!!”  

Isabella chuckled, remembering how excited she’d been to spend time alone with Phineas that day. “I think that was one of my favorite things we did that summer...” she mused quietly.  

It had been ages since Isabella thought back on the time she spent in pursuit of Phineas’s affections in a positive way. Usually, she just moped over what never was or agonized over how oblivious Phineas had been towards her.

But thinking about their picnic, well...it helped Isabella remember those times hadn’t been only tears and heartbreak at all. Especially now that she knew Phineas cherished the memory of said picnic as much as she did.

Maybe the feelings she’d been stuck with for all these years weren’t so bad after all…

Lily chose this moment to saunter over to the booth with a pitcher of water and cheerfully ask, “So? How’s y’all’s date going??”

And just like that. The insecurities were back.

“whAT??”

“Uhhhh, this isn’t a date, Lily!!!”

“No way!!!!”

“We’re just hanging out!!!”

“Yeah! And we have a project to talk about!!!”

“Right!!!”

This wasn’t a date. It definitely was NOT a date.

Phineas and Isabella’s eyes met amidst the chaos raging in their own heads, and a question seemed to ignite in the air between them.

…..WAS this a date?

...

Phineas ended up staying with Isabella at Nosh Olé until after the restaurant closed. They spent the next hour or so talking, completing homework, and trying to avoid wondering whether or not this was actually a date.

Once all the customers went home for the night, Phineas offered to help clean up and even came up with a few ideas on how to make the closing process faster so Isabella and the rest of her co-workers would have more time to rest after late-night shifts.

Once they finished cleaning up and locked the doors behind them, Ms. Garcia-Shapiro insisted on giving Phineas a ride home (since it was very late and there was NO WAY he was walking home by himself).

...

“Thanks for all your help, Phineas!!! My mom and I really appreciate it.”

Isabella and Phineas were saying their goodbyes in front of Isabella’s house.

“And, thanks for spending time with me and helping me realize just how exhausted I was from working so hard…” Fortunately, the dim light of the porch wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the rosy blush spreading across Isabella’s face. “....from now on, I’m going to make an effort to take more breaks!!”

Phineas grinned broadly at her. “That’s awesome, Isabella!! I’m really proud of you.” Without thinking about it, he stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug...only to panic after a second because was this okay? They’d hugged all the time when they were kids but was it weird now?? Especially after the comment Lily made about them being on a date???

This panic quickly dissipated and gave way to cozy warmth as Isabella tightly hugged him back.

“He’s proud of me….” Isabella's heart sang.

And then her head reminded her, “ This is normal. Friends hug all the time. We’re friends. We’re hugging. That’s it .”

Still though...the hug went on for a bit longer than one might have considered typical of two friends.

“Well, uh….I should probably go home…it’s pretty late.” Phineas (somewhat reluctantly) withdrew himself from the hug. “I’ll see you tomorrow, though! We can start making plans for our project then!”

“Sounds great!!” Isabella exclaimed as he walked away. “Bye, Phineas!!!”

“Bye, Isabella!!”

Isabella stood outside and watched as Phineas crossed the street, only opening her own door as he opened his. They waved goodbye before stepping inside and practically melting against their respective doorways.

Phineas’s heart was beating so fast, ridiculously fast, because not only had he spent the evening with Isabella, but she’d HUGGED HIM BACK. Even if his feelings were unrequited, she still liked spending time with him. She still liked hugging him.

For now, that was more than enough.

Isabella, meanwhile, was undergoing a bit of a crisis. The butterflies, the warmth, the happiness radiating from her heart....it was all so familiar, and yet felt different, stronger, than it ever had. If this was her reaction to spending a couple of hours with Phineas, she wasn’t sure how she’d be able to spend a few weeks with him...especially to complete an in-depth project on a love song.

Well. She’d cross that bridge when she got to it.

...

THANK YOU SM FOR READING!!!! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it!!!! 

(I've been working in customer service all summer, which provided ample inspiration for this chapter, LOL. To all current and former customer service workers out there who might be reading this, YOU ROCK!!!)

(Also thank you @youruinedmylifebynotbeingreal for being an amazing beta, and thank you @macaronsforchat for being so supportive and lovely!! I love y’all!!! <3 <3 <3)

[theshatteredrose]

Relic Keepers: Awakening of the Red Lily (Chapter 11) - Original Fiction

AN: I have a sinus infection (again), so as you can guess I’m not feeling very good. Understatement really. But I managed to get this chapter done before the infection really set in. So, slightly early this week, but I hope you enjoy reading~!

Ao3 | Wattpad | Inkitt | FictionPress

~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 11:

“Now, remember that there are vast differences between Passives and Elites, and the mana that both classes possess. Elites have what we call Active Mana. Their internal mana deposits are the highest found amongst Indigo Children, and it feeds their physical strength and agility.

The mana that Passives possess is called Supportive Mana. Passives have the ability to draw upon the supply of mana around them, as well as within their selves. However, due to this, Passives are significantly more fragile than that of Elites. It is also important that Passives maintain the internal mana deposits. If levels should become low, they will suffer from Mana Depletion. If they should become high, they are suffering from Mana Excess. Both are debilitating and it is critical to know the difference.”

Eishirou tried to concentrate on his medical class, but he couldn’t stop his mind from drifting to other matters.

After visiting the museum, he had spent the rest of the day showing Zayne around the academy campus. He couldn’t show him around the Elite training halls and fields, though. Passives like him weren’t allowed to enter those places. The main reason they cite was that they could accidently stumble into the middle of a training match.

The other reason was that, well, they were Passives. Nothing more needed to be said.

But it wasn’t what had occurred yesterday that had him lost in his thoughts. He had a strange dream last night. About the underground chamber with the mosaic.

There was nothing disturbing about the dream. In fact, he knew it was a dream. So, he walked around. Inspecting his surroundings. Wondering why he was now dreaming about it. He didn’t note anything of worth.

Thinking back on it, the dream was actually quite boring. But it was the only dream he had last night. He had the usual vivid dreams that made no sense and he usually forgot about it in the morning. But this one stuck with him. He could remember everything.

Everything other than why he was so hung up on it.

Yeah, kinda annoying.

The chiming of a bell indicating the end of a lesson harshly pulled Eishirou from his thoughts. He sat straight in his seat and dumbly looked around at his classmates, noting that they were gathering their belongs to move on to their next class.

He winced and quickly began to pack up his belongings, too.

Crap, he had been daydreaming throughout the entire class! Hope Professor Neriah didn’t notice he was spacing.

“Eishirou, a word before you leave.”

Ah, man. Sounded like he did notice him spacing.

“Ah, sure,” Eishirou murmured as he made his way down the stairs of the auditorium and approached the desk at centre stage.

He wasn’t too worried, though. Just feeling sheepish. He usually enjoyed Neriah’s classes as he was a rather laid-back teacher with interesting antidotes to tell. He was also one of the popular teachers at the academy. Long blue hair that reached past his shoulder blades, deep orange eyes, and deep brown skin; it was easy to admit that he was quite the handsome Professor. Young, too.

With his long blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, Neriah gave him an inspecting look as Eishirou reached his desk. “I heard about what happened the other day. You went through quite the ordeal. I was honestly surprised that you came to class today.”

Eishirou rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. He couldn’t help but wonder how far word about what had happened had spread. “Ah, that. It’s fine. Nothing happened. Just got separated for a bit.”

Ah, yeah…that wasn’t very convincing, was it?

He smiled as he folded his arms behind his back and leaned forward in a playful way. “Although, I did get to use my Medic skills while out on the field. Soooo…Do I get extra credit?”

Neriah breathed heavily through his nose that was akin to a laugh and he smiled. “I'll think about it.”

“Aww, come on!”

“Hm.” Neriah hummed in thought as he picked up his tablet and flicked through his files. He, however, glanced over the top of the tablet. “You did look a little vague today. Something else on your mind?”

“Well, I was just thinking about the expedition,” Eishirou admitted. “About that runestone in particular. I’m heading over to the museum to finally piece it together later today, so I guess I’m just anxious to get to work.”

Neriah listened as he prattled before he uttered a sigh. “You honestly work harder than most professors at this academy. It’s a little concerning.”

Eishirou rubbed the back of his head in an apologetic manner. “I’ll try to be more present next time, I promise.”

“Your grades are the same so it’s not that I’m worried about,” Neriah returned. “I’m concerned with you going out in the field. It can be dangerous.”

Well, yeah. There was no denying that.

“But I need experience, right?” Eishirou reasoned. “And the only way to get experience is to get out there. Right?”

Neriah uttered a sigh of defeat and leaned back into his chair. “Well, I can’t argue with that. I guess I’m just feeling protective of my favourite student. You’re a hard worker. Don’t push yourself.”

It made Eishirou happy to hear Neriah say that about him. “I’ll be fine. Promise.”

An expression of realisation flickered across his face. “Although, speaking of experience; you’ll be coming up for some work experience at the infirmary soon.”

Eishirou tilted his head to the side. “Work experience?”

“At this point, it's just a formality. But I do think working in a sterile environment of the infirmary would be good for you. But we'll talk about that later.” Neriah placed his hands on his table and pushed himself to his feet. He hooked his tablet under his arm as he reached out with his hand to poke Eishirou in the middle of the forehead. “Go on, get going. And try to look interested in class next time.”

“I will, I promise!”

Eishirou hitched his bag upon his shoulder as he hurried out of the classroom. He moved faster than usual, eager to get back to the museum and actually start working on that broken stone tablet.

The weather outside the academy was warm, as per usual, with only a slight breeze holding a hint of sea salt. As he moved down the paths that would eventually lead him to his destination, he glanced out at the horizon.

The Sanctuary city of Araluen was surrounded completely by the sea, with large sea walls encompassing the city three miles out to sea. The port gates were open, allowing for ships and tankers to reach the docks. Those gates would close during the cyclone season, which would last for approximately three months.

Storms during those months were quite vicious. Apparently far worse than the storms that occurred before the Bombardment.

“Ah, Eishirou!”

A cheery voice pulled Eishirou from his musings and he turned his head to look down the path he instinctively followed. He was greeted by the sight of another professor of the academy waving cheerfully at him as the two walked toward each other.

Professor Tyrone, an expert in debunking lies and hearsay in ancient documents.

He was a handsome guy, to be completely honest. A lot of students had slight crushes on him. Not hard to see why; golden blond hair, brown skin that was likely due to being outside a little too often, and was tall with rippling muscles. Not to mention a cheery, somewhat flirty personality, and a go-get-em attitude.

“Professor Tyrone,” Eishirou greeted formally as the two finally reached each other.

“Now, how many times do I have to tell you not to be so formal,” Professor Tyrone chided with a smile. “Just Irwin will do.”

Eishirou nodded and smiled back. “Well, Irwin, what brings you out here?”

Irwin smiled broadly. “Oh, I was just visiting the museum. I heard rumours about a certain expedition. Demanded ol’ Jacob to spill the goods. We sure are fortunate that our favourite little medic here had an Elite protecting him.”

Eishirou felt himself flush and wince at the same time. “You know about that, too?”

Irwin released a loud laugh of amusement, seemingly oblivious to his embarrassment. Or was all too aware and found amusement in it. “You made quite the discovery, yeah? An underground maze, a mosaic, ravenous ShadowDwellers. Quiet the day.”

“You’re telling me…”

“That runestone sure sounds interesting,” Irwin continued before a comically disgruntled expression appeared on his face and he began to whine. “But ol’ Jacob is such a stick in the mud. He wouldn’t go into detail about the runestone. It’s not fuel for gossip, he said. We’re still working on it, he said. Rude. I was just curious.”

“He’s right, though.”

Irwin waved his hand dismissively. “Semantics! I really am interested, though. Sounds like quiet the intriguing mystery. Hm?”

Eishirou folded his arms across his chest and purposely turned away from him. “Nope, not giving in.”

Irwin loudly clapped his hands in front of him in a pleading gesture. “Please! You have to tell me. This is so interesting. Don’t leave a guy hanging!”

Eishirou had to laugh. Honestly, the guy looked like he would burst into tears at any second now. “Alright, alright,” he relented as he stepped around the animated professor. “If I learn anything else, I’ll be sure to share it with you.”

“Ooh, you’re just precious!” Irwin crooned as he pumped his fist in satisfaction. He then merrily continued his way toward the academy, waving his hand over his shoulder at him in an all-too cheery manner. “I look forward to gossiping with you!”

Eishirou watched until Irwin was out of sight before he shook his head. That guy. He certainly was a character.

Never mind that now. He had work he needed to do before lunch time!

Grasping onto the strap of his bag, Eishirou broke into a light jog as he continued toward the museum. He slowed to a fast walk when he entered the building and headed straight to the back, where the labs and investigation rooms were located.

“There you are,” Jacob said in a form of greeting as Eishirou entered the observation deck.

“Sorry,” Eishirou returned as he shrugged his bag from his shoulder and dropped it into an empty seat. “Ran into Irwin on the way here.”

“Still whining?”

“Yup.”

Jacob snorted. “He’s just jealous that you made an intriguing discovery. He’s always trying to outdo us.”

As Eishirou walked past him, he tilted his head to the side. “Rivals?” he teased.

“Please!” Prof scoffed loudly as he folded his arms across his chest in a purely disgruntled manner. “We’re not even in the same league!”

Eishirou sniggered to himself. Yup, they were rivals. He couldn’t outrightly say they were friendly rivals as it wasn’t uncommon for the two to come to near brawls and hurl insults at each other when things got heated. But they always went out for drinks later.

It was actually quite comical watching the two try to out-do each other in a strained civil manner.

“Anyway, let’s get to work on this runestone,” Jacob announced.

Eishirou nodded his head. He followed Jacob down the short staircase to the labs below. And in the middle of the room was a large, sturdy table that held the broken remains of the stone tablet. It had mostly been puzzled back together, so all he needed to do was to use his Passive Skill to restore it back to its original form.

Rolling back his sleeves, Eishirou walked over to the red stones and placed his hands upon it. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Warmth emanated from his hands and though he could not see it, he knew that the green mana from his hands seeped out into the cracks and began to aid in the stones etching together, restoring it to the stone’s original form.

Pictures suddenly slammed into his mind. Flashing one after the other. Flickering slowly.

A white face with a golden crown. The mosaic of the underground chamber.

A flower of vivid red petals growing from a crimson gem. The crown he had seen in previous recording.

And a figure in white before a full moon. A tall white building in the background. Light from the building. Pointing at something.

The last vision lasted longer than the previous two. It felt important.

As the pictures dissipated from his mind, he reeled his head back and shook his head. A hand soon grasped onto his shoulder and he turned his head to find Jacob looking at him with an expression of concern and curiosity.

“Another recording?”

Eishirou nodded his head once. “An image of the mosaic.”

A frown twitched onto Jacob’s lips. “I see. Then it’s safe to say that this runestone and the painting you found in that underground chamber are connected somehow. Anything else?”

Again, Eishirou gave a short nod. “Yeah. Another painting. I don’t recognise it. It…” he had to close his eyes in an attempt to pull the picture into his mind again. “…A white figure in front of something that looked like a lighthouse.”

“Hmm…another location, then?” Jacob continued to ponder.

Yeah, that would be a safe bet. The last imagine in particular felt important, though the pictures were the only thing that came through the recording. No words. No voices. Just imagine.

Jacob soon shook his head and turned his focus back to the reconstructed runestone. That prompted Eishirou to do the same.

Leaning over the tablet, it took them a minute or two to read the etchings within the stone. Thanks to Eishirou’s restorative abilities, the words were far easier to read. Though, that didn’t mean what they were able to read made much sense.

“When the time comes, awaken the illumination of the Red Lily.

Radiant light of spiritual blessings to the cosmic intelligence.

Raise vibrations to higher plains.

Fearless is that of the great spirit.”

Eishirou turned his attention to Jacob. “What do you think that means?”

Jacob had a contemplative look on his face. “It’s leading to something, obviously. Something called Red Lily. From these words, I’m going to assume that this Red Lily is some kind of relic. Or a treasure that was important for its time.”

Well, one thing was clear; if they were to learn more about this Red Lily and that mosaic located underground, they had to go back to that island. To that forest. To those tunnels.

And to those ShadowDwellers.

Convincing Jacob to let him back there might be the hardest part!

[nctwd127]

Arranged Marriage.

Chapter Seven.

New Character is introduced! 

Word Count: 2848

The following morning, I finished getting ready and was in the kitchen having breakfast before leaving for the day. It was quiet and peaceful, until he came in. “When are you leaving?” I heard behind me.

“Right now actually.” I got up and left my plate in the sink. I turned to face him, “What Yuta? Stop staring at me.” I was starting to get annoyed at how often he just stared at me without saying anything. It pissed me off and he knew that, considering he gets the same reaction every time he does it.

“You know why I’m staring. It’s Monday.” He reminded me. A heavy sigh left my lips and the tears welled up on my waterline again, my hands coming to cover my face. “Please Yuta, don’t do this to me. I can’t, it’s too much.” I begged, my voice breaking a little.

He walked over to me and removed my hands from my face, holding them by the wrist, a little too tight. Yuta looked into my watery eyes, maintaining the cold expression that never seemed to be anything else but.

“You don’t have a choice. You’re doing what I say and that’s it.” He declared. “You’re going to be leaving with me from now on, coming and going. No if’s and’s or but’s.”

The tears I tried hard to keep inside spilled when I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, this is really too much for me to handle. Things just keep getting worse and worse. If it wasn’t for Yuta being in my face right now, I would have broken down again.

“We’re going to be late.” I mumbled pulling my wrist from him to wipe the tears that stained my cheeks, thankfully he let go without a fight.

We walked out to his car, not wanting to be closer to him than I needed or wanted to be, I got into the backseat. He didn’t say anything and just let me be. He drove with the occasional look through the rearview mirror. I looked out the window, letting the thoughts of Doyoung consume me.

To say that I was devastated after knowing what he did would be an understatement. I understood that he is going through a lot too and that is just as hard on him as it is on me. 

But still, I couldn’t understand why it just had to be that, which he chose to relieve himself with. Like he couldn’t have chosen something else, literally anything else. Instead he chose the most intimate thing possible. Something that had only been ours for four years.

I let out a deep sigh and rested my head against the window, it was cloudy and drizzling. How fitting the weather is today. The drive was just a tad longer since we have moved. Unlike the last four years, Yuta turned to his side of the parking lot, leaving my side and my friends, behind. As we turned, I saw Hendery and Ten standing in the usual place looking out for my car. Just in time, my phone buzzed. It was from Ten.

[Chitapurr]: Are you not coming today?

[Me]: I am but …

[Chitapurr]: But what?

[Me]: Unfortunately, we go public today so I had to ride with him, I just got onto campus grounds. I’ll see you and Hendery for lunch, okay?

[Me]: Is Doyoung here?

[Chitapurr]: Oh god, I know this is so hard for you, I am so sorry. We both are.

[Chitapurr]: Ummmmm…. He’s here but like not here with us… This isn’t how we wanted you to find out…

[Me]: Ten, what’s going on?

[Chitapurr]: I’m so sorry

Yuta parked and got out of the car, coming to my side to open the door for me. “Come on princess.” He stuck out his hand for me to take a hold off. “You’re a class act Nakamoto.” I rolled my eyes getting out of the car ignoring his hand.

Once I was out, he threw his hand over my shoulder and pulled me to him. I tensed and fought the urge to push him off me.

We had a few more minutes before classes started so he walked over to his friends, his arm wrapped around me like I was some kind of trophy. “Yuta, you bring the misses with you.” Taeyong joked as he high fived Jaehyun.

“Yeah, thought it was about time.” He nuzzled into the side of my face. I rolled my eyes and looked away and that’s when I saw it.

My already barely holding on broken heart, detached from my ribs and fell to the bottomless pit that was my stomach. My whole body tensed and my eyes watered. Yuta and his friends took notice and followed my gaze.

Doyoung and some girl, were leaning against his car, heavily invested in a hot make out session. His arms wrapped around her waist, grabbing a hold of her ass as he pulled her impossibly close to him. They pulled away and his eyes found mine. She planted kisses on his lips and he returned them, his eyes never leaving mine.

“Guess you never meant anything to him princess.”

Yuta’s words rang loud and clear in my head as the anger and rage coursed through me and clouded my better judgment. Not thinking straight of the consequences that would come from my actions, I pushed him off me and looked him dead in the eyes before my hand came up to his face, causing a loud smack! to echo in air.

Gasps filled the already tense air as everyone looked at us. Doyoung pushed the girl off and looked alert as we made eye contact again. I forced my eyes away from him and looked at Yuta, who was fuming as the red mark was evident on his face. Nothing would come out of my mouth so I just turned and ran away.

Hearing my name be shouted by him only fueled me to run faster. Where I was going, I have no idea, I just needed to be far away from here as possible.

As I ran, I crashed shoulder first into someone and was knocked down. “I’m so sorry, are you okay?” They asked as they helped me up. I looked at them through blurry eyes and saw it was Lucas, a year or two under me. I haven’t really spoken more than a hello to him since last year when we shared a class together.

“(Y/N), right? Are you okay?”

Crying harder at his question, he pulled me into a tight hug, that I’m sure if I wasn’t so broken, could have pieced me together again. “Hey, it’s okay. Let it out. I got you. Let’s get out of here, yeah?” He patted my back softly. I nodded and let him take me to his car where he helped in before he got into the driver’s seat.

Stranger or not, I needed to get out of here.  

Lucas drove around aimlessly for a while until I calmed down enough to speak. “Where do you want to go?” He questioned as he pulled over and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. I gave him a sad smile, “Anywhere but where I live or campus.”

“I know the perfect place then.” He sang and started driving. The drive was quiet but not uncomfortable, he had music playing in the background quietly. I could tell he wanted to ask why he found me in the state I was in but held back from doing so until I was comfortable enough to bring it up myself first.

At first I didn’t know where we were but then I saw the trees I had seen a million times, we were at the park, I guess this was the perfect place. He parked and we both got out. The air felt much fresher and more welcoming here.

“The park, this is a good place.” I noted, looking around not seeing many people here. “Oh no, this isn’t it, come follow me.” Lucas guided me into a path, a little weary I followed him.

“Alright but if I end up getting murdered or kidnapped, it’s on you Lu.” I joked, taking in the path before us. He chuckled and kept walking. After a few turns and one hidden path way, we had arrived.

The sight before me was truly breath taking. A medium sized pond with a few lily pads thrown in it, laid in the middle of a big empty field. Flower bushes were all around the area and picnic tables were scattered around. The sight was beautiful, leaving me speechless for a moment.

“Wow, this place is amazing.”

I didn’t notice how Lucas smiled at me, taking the time to admire how big my smile was and the way my eyes softened at the sight, as if I wasn’t the same person he saw a few minutes ago.

“I’m glad you like it, I don’t bring just anyone here so enjoy it while you can.” He chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. His statement made me blush and shy away for a second, not wanting to look at him.

We took a seat on one of the benches that was around, just looking at the pond in front of us. “Want to talk about it?” Lucas cautioned, not knowing how I was feeling yet. 

I thought about it for a moment, debating on whether or not I wanted to burden him with this kind of thing. I looked over at him surprised he was already looking at me, giving me a warm smile. I sighed and decided that I should tell him and let it out, all of it.

Two hours had passed of me talking and explaining, he paused me whenever he needed more details or wanted to ask about something he didn’t understand. Lucas was engrossed into every word that fell past my lips, that it made me unintentionally smile at his attentiveness.

Once I finished he didn’t say anything for a while and I was scared that he was just going to get up and leave.  

“Wow…Girl you need a whole two week vacation, like what the fuck?” He was left perplexed. Not expecting that kind of reaction, I laughed. “Don’t I know it?”

“But all jokes aside, wow. I am sorry you’re going through all this and on your own. No one deserves this.” He reached over to take hold of my hands and enclosed them in his, his thumbs rubbing small circles on the back of them.

The action made me blush but gave me that sense of safety and warmth. “I know you don’t really know me but you just told me you dark and deepest secret, so I am here for you if you need me, really for anything at all.”

“Thank you but I don’t want you to feel obligated to be here only because I told you that, I don’t want to burden you more than I already have.” I mumbled, suddenly feeling guilty. Lucas squeezed my hands a little.

“(Y/N), really, this is no burden for me. Let me be here for you, okay? I can’t change things but let me try to make them better for you. Let me be another pillar of support for you.”

I felt really grateful for Lucas right now. I was so glad to finally have this off my chest, I wasn’t the only one carrying this now and that felt like the biggest relive. I know I had my boys but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them. They were too close to all of this for me to be able to open up and I guess that’s why it came out easier with Lucas.

We spent another two hours at this hidden location walking, talking and laughing a lot. Lucas was such a mood maker kind of person so it was no surprise he practically had me in tears at some point during the time we spent together. Being with Lucas made it easier to forget my troubles.

The drive back to the place I’m forced to call home, was filled with loud laughter and horrible singing on my part since Lucas had an amazing and stunning voice. The first song he sang on his own, had me in awe. He pulled up in front of my house and I was thankful Yuta’s car wasn’t in sight.

“Call or text me if you need anything, okay?” He insisted as he brought me into a tight hug, hugging back I nodded, “Will do, I promise.”

Walking into my ‘home’, I ran straight to my room, scared that Yuta could be either on his way here or in here already and hiding. I locked my door and sighed in relive.

I’ve known Yuta for a long time and I have never seen him this angry, not the way he has been this past week. I wasn’t thinking the moment I smacked him but he pushed too far, he was asking for it.

While the nerves started to settle in about when Yuta would be home, I went to shower, double checking that my room door was locked.

In the bathroom, I played my music over the speaker and stripped. Looking at myself, I felt so sad. I had dark bags under my eyes, my hair was flat and oily and I just looked exhausted. I looked as horrible as I felt. I took my time in the shower, letting the hot water run down my body and just ease all the tense muscles I was carrying.

Once I was done, I dried my hair with the towel the best I could and then let it air dry as I wrapped a towel over my body, thankful that the bathroom was in my room because I had forgotten my clothes.

My music now turned off, I opened the door and didn’t make it far once I saw him sitting on my bed, staring straight at the door, now at me.

His cheek lightly red still from earlier, at least he didn’t bruise. But I don’t think he could even care for that. His eyes dark as could be. His shoulders tensed and his fist balled up to the point his knuckles turned white the moment he saw me. His jaw clenched tight with annoyance.

“Yuta.” I whispered, feeling the air leave my lungs and the anxiety kick in.

Too scared to move or to even look at him, I kept my gaze to his feet, holding the towel to my body. I noticed my door was still closed and locked, it washed over me that he must have the key. He must have the key to every room in this fucking house.  

He locked it so I wouldn’t try to leave, as if. I’m not trying to piss him off any more than he already is.

The air was thick and unbearable as he just sat there burning a hole into my soul, he didn’t move or say anything, just stared. I felt really unsettled, mostly for the fact that I was still naked.  

My window was open so the early fall breeze was coming in making me shiver a little as my body and hair were still wet. Deciding that I didn’t want to freeze my ass off, I moved to close the bathroom door.

Wrong move.

Before I knew it, I was slammed against the wall, with a small thud. “Fuck.” I groaned at the pain shooting down my back.

“Did you think I was joking when I told you to respect me? When I told you not to test me?” Yuta shouted in my face as he slammed his hand on the wall, near my face, making me flinch.

“No.” I whispered so low it was barely audible, still not looking at him. If I did, I felt I was going to cry at how scared I felt.

“So why did you think it was a good idea to not only hit me but to do it in front of other people?” He demanded for an answer, pressing himself more into me. Still, I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t, my brain wasn’t thinking and my throat was dry as a dessert.

“Okay, so you don’t want to say anything. That’s fine then, don’t. I’ll force the words out of you.”

Before I could question what he meant, his hand went to my throat, forcing my eyes to meet his. It was like looking into the void, pure black. Out of reflex, one hand wrapped around the wrist that was holding my throat and the other to his chest.  

Once he saw my hands on him, his once thin line lips, twitched into a smirk and that mischievous sparkle that I had seen many times, many years ago, made its way into his voided eyes.

“This is how I like to see you princess. Defenseless and weak, under my control.”

Masterlist

[shadowofadalekmightdeactivate]

Still Human (Chapter 1)

Virgil fiddled nervously with his sleeves. Collage was going to be much more stressful than high school, he could tell just by looking at the massive building he was met with.Biting his lip, he walked in to utter chaos.He was pretty much instantly lost, moving around aimlessly in an attempt to find any kind of admissions office. Surely to god they had one in Collage as well, right?“Oi, newbie!” A voice called. Virgil turned to see a blond girl point back out the door. “Admissions building is at the back of campus.” Virgil’s shoulders slumped. It was an entire building?The girl smiled slightly, coming over. “It’s not hard to find once you know what it looks like. Come on, I’ll show you where it is.” Virgil’s voice stuck to his throat-blasted anxiety-as the girl took his arm and led him back out the doors.

The admissions office looked more like an admissions castle. Virgil had to say, he was impressed. The blond girl-who told him her name was Lily-stopped at the massive doors. “It’s cool, eh?” “I-It’s huge…” Virgil found himself smiling. Lily patted his shoulder. “I’ll see you around, bud. Track me down if you need help again. I’m in dorm E, right over there.” Virgil barely paid attention to where she pointed, too busy studying the tapestry on the walls. This collage went a little overboard in their attempts to impress students. His phone buzzed, bringing him back to reality. He denied the call and walked in. The main office was really nice. He made a mental note to come in here if he needed a breather from people and walked to the person at the desk. “U-Um…Hello…?” The person looked up, and Virgil’s eyes lit up with recognition. “Emile!” “Virgil!” Emile smiled. “I didn’t know you were coming here!” “Anything to get away from home. Shit, man, I thought you were dead! Everyone said you crashed your car!” “I’m alive, last I checked.” Virgil moved around the desk. Emile opened his arms, pulling his younger friend into a hug. “I missed you…” Virgil’s voice cracked, heavy with emotion. “I know, kiddo…I’m here now. So, let’s get you registered, hm?”

Virgil stared at the paper in his hand, smiling softly at the familiar writing with Emile’s phone number under it. So far, today was off to a good start. Maybe Collage wouldn’t be so bad! He pulled on his headphones and listened to music as he tried to find the dorm he was in. People pushed past him on all sides. Jeez, this campus was full- He was suddenly shoved down, landing hard on his wrist. He hissed in pain and held it. “Watch where you’re going, emo,” a deep voice growled. Virgil looked up to see a burly blond-haired guy sneering down at him. Typical. Virgil muttered an apology and started to stand, falling when another guy kicked his arm out from under him. A large hand grabbed his small bag, pulling it from his back. Virgil’s blood froze. “Hey! What’re you doing?!” “Just doing a routine check,” a skinny black-haired guy squeaked. The burly blond ripped the bag open and pulled out Virgil’s computer, handing it to his friend. “Give it back!” Virgil jumped up, pained wrist temporarily forgotten. The blond smirked, holding the bag high above him. “What’s the rush, emo? Can’t you see we’re busy?” “That’s my stuff!” “Hold your horses, MCR,” another guy chipped in. “We’re almost done.” “GIVE IT!” Virgil felt embarrassed tears burn at his eyes, jumping up and down to get his bag as the asshole blond held it above his head. The group of boys all laughed, as well as some onlookers. Great, people were watching. And were they doing something? Of course not! Virgil’s heart plunged into his stomach when the bully plunged his hand into the bag and pulled out a sketchbook. “Well, well!” He boomed. “I think we found his poems, boys!” “No, please, they’re just drawings, give them back!” Virgil jumped for the book, his fingertips barely brushing the cover as it was jerked away. The boy with black hair shoved him to the ground harshly. “Shall we read it?” The burly blond sneered. “JOHNATHON TAYLER!!!” A female voice yelled. The crown parted to let a certain blond through. Lily! The burly blond-Johnathon, apparently-actually paled upon sight of her. He forced a smile. “Y-Yo, Lily!” “Don’t ‘yo Lily’ me! What do you think you’re doing?!” Johnathon stuttered. Lily stepped up and poked her finger into his chest. “I asked you a question, Tayler. What. Are. You. Doing?” Johnathon stepped away from her poke. He snapped at his gang to return Virgil’s belongings to the bag. “I-I was just checking if he had drugs!” he lied, smiling nervously. “Y-You can never be too sure!” Lily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. And I look stupid, too.” Johnathon snorted, shoving Virgil’s bag into Lily’s chest. “Fine. Let the emo get in trouble with Sanders for bringing in illegal drugs. See if I care.” Lily flipped her hair at John’s retreating figure, worry crossing her features when she turned to Virgil. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine,” Virgil growled, wiping his eyes vigorously. “I should have known better than to expect a good first day.” “Hey, no, don’t be like that…” Lily offered her hand to him after giving him his bag. “It’s great here, really. You’ll see.” Virgil looked at her hand. After a short pause, he sighed and took it, letting her pull him to his feet. “If I had a dime for every time I heard that…” Lily shook her head with a fond smile at his pessimism. “So, you got your dorm letter? Where are you living?” Virgil almost had a heart attack. He’d dropped the paper! “Um-one moment.” He dropped to his knees, frantically searching for the light pink bit of paper. There it was, just resting on the floor… Lily looked confused when he straightened up again, holding the paper. He read the neat type. “Dorm…E.” Lily smiled. “You’re with me, that’s great! Come on, I’ll bring you there.” Lily grabbed his hand, almost pulling him off his feet as she ran to the dorm.

Tag list: @tinkslittlebelle

[percywinchester27]

Stroke of Luck- Epilogue

Word count: 3500-ish

Warnings: Fluff <3

Series Summary: Dark highway, middle of the night, a bad boy driving an Impala, and a Damsel in distress. Too cliche? Think again.

A/N: The epilogue is here!! I REALLY hope you guys like it as much as I do <3

This wouldn’t have been possible without the lovely @sdavid09. Thank you for betaing the series. I love you, Shanna! <3

Stunning aesthetic by @thing-you-do-with-that-thing. Thank you so much, Kari! This is more than what I deserve <3

Feedback is really REALLY appreciated!

Stroke of luck Masterlist

You knew it was a bad idea. You knew you shouldn't have trusted Castiel with this the moment you saw him standing there.

You sighed.

"Oh my God, Cas," you sighed, "That is not what I told you to do!"

"But they look so beautiful," he smiled, and all your annoyance melted away. How could you remain annoyed with him? How could anyone?

The remaining flowers from yesterday's wedding were now adorning the backyard of your flower shop, when you’d specifically asked Cas to throw them all out a long time ago. Like every day, he just didn't have the heart to throw away the stunning lilies. This was starting to be a daily affair, and you couldn't help but shake your head in loving exasperation.

"Alright, Cas," you smiled. "What do you want to do with these today? Orphanage again?"

Cas nodded.

"Okay then. But only if you load them in the truck yourself."

He looked about him to make sure that no one was watching and then began loading huge buckets of flowers into the back of your delivery truck like they weighed nothing at all. Not to him, of course.

Watching him happily put away the last of the buckets, you smiled indulgently. And to think that you once distrusted the guy so much that you wouldn't even let him heal Violet.

That had been six months ago. Things were so different now. So much happier that you still wondered if it was all just a dream.

But it wasn't and here was Cas, allegedly trying to help you with the shop because, quoting him- 'You worked too hard.'

Except, Cas was the most inefficient help, too fascinated with flowers to actually be of any help. Lately, he had taken to delivering all the remaining flowers from the day before to the children of a nearby orphanage first thing in the morning. It made him very happy and you, too.

Be that as it might, you were nearing closing time. You couldn't close the shop with Cas still out back, and he didn't seem very eager to get into the truck either.

"C'mon, Cas," you told him. "We need to hurry. How about you pack this up soon so I can close the shop, yeah?" You were excited to get back home tonight. It was just going to be you and Dean and you couldn't wait to see him.

Cas was still standing there with what could be only called an imitation of a poker face. "Uhhh Y/N?"

"Yeah?"

"You never told me what carnations stand for?" It was an innocent enough question, and Cas always seemed to have questions about which flower represented what, but his tone was dubious. He was stalling you.

"Cas, what is up with you?" You asked, narrowing your eyes, and he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Before he could answer, the distinct sound of the bell ringing from the entrance informed you that someone had come in. Oh! great. Just when you thought that you could close up.

"You wait here," you pointed a finger at Cas. "I'll be back, and then you're going to tell me exactly what is up with you and why you're stalling us."

But he was smiling. "I don't see the need anymore."

You gave him a puzzled look before turning around and walking back into the shop. Cryptic angel!

You walked in with every intention of asking the person, whoever they were to turn around because most of the remaining flowers were already back in the freezer, but instead found yourself pleasantly dumbstruck by the sight that met your eyes.

Dean Winchester was leaning over the counter, talking animatedly to Jessie, who was nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. She still hadn't gotten used to Dean and his extreme good looks, or even Sam and Cas for that matter. Anytime one of them decided to come in, you could distinctly hear her throwing around words like "hot" and "unfair" in low tones, but you knew she loved the occasional company. She especially loved having Cas around, though she pretended to be annoyed by his million questions.

Though, most of all, she was happy that you were happy. Jessie had joined as a help, but you wanted her to be more than that. Unknown to her, you'd arranged for papers to give her a share in the business. She ran a good portion of it, since you were always so busy, and now that it was only going to get busier, it would be for the best that she was an official partner.

The thought made you smile.

Unknown to both Jessie's blush and your appearance on the scene, Dean was still chuckling at something she'd said. He had his arms resting on the counter while his legs were crossed. The usual black jacket was folded over one arm, and right now, he was only dressed in a grey Henley that fitted him really well.

Your eyes travelled the length of his body, taking in the bulging biceps, the broad shoulders and the firm chest. His slim waist and the thick thighs that lead to those bowlegs were otherworldly. He was perfection. You sighed out of disbelief.

It was still hard to believe that he'd found you and Violet after all these years. It was harder yet to not be surprised by how easily things had fallen into place. How easily everything had worked out. This was just outrageous luck.

Even more outrageous was how you were the recipient of this. Sometimes it made you want to cry. After all, adjusting to the idea of a forever full of happiness does take a while when you've had to fight hard for even simple pleasures all your life.

Dean looked at you then. You didn't know what had alerted him to your presence, but a warm, wide smile lit up his face the moment he saw you. "There's my girl!"

"Thank god it's you!" Reaching up to him, you captured his lips in a kiss. You kissed him a lot, and unabashedly so.

"That's my cue!" Jessie threw up her hand. "I'm gonna go see if Cas needs help with the buckets." She frowned as she went, knowing full well that Cas never needed help lifting stuff. She didn't know the "why?" but as long as it reduced her work, she'd learned to not ask questions.

The moment she was gone, you threw your arms around Dean, pulling him obscenely close.

He chuckled. "Aren't we a little eager today?"

"What can I say?" You smiled, pecking him on his nose. "I missed you."

"What do you say? We get out of here then?"

"We need to close up first," you reminded him.

"Jessie can do that," Dean said, dipping his head to nibble at the skin in the hollow of your neck. You moaned.

"We really need to get out of here," Dean grinned, pulling your hand. "C'mon."

The Impala was parked right outside along the curb and you didn't hesitate when Dean opened the door for you. He seemed to be smiling a lot.

Dean usually smiled a lot lately, but this seemed even more than that.

"Did you call Violet?" You asked.

"No," he said, bringing the engine to life. "She called me first. Seems like she’s having a grand old time there." His face pulled down a little at the corners.

"Hey," you said gently, "She's supposed to having a good time, remember? Both of them should, in fact."

"But she's going away," Dean pouted.

"There's still time for that," you reminded him. It didn't make Dean feel any better.

To no one's surprise but Vi's, she'd gotten into top Ivy league colleges, including Stanford. It had been a bittersweet day, because everyone realized the implication of that. And for once, Vi had been less than excited to go chase the dream of her life, because she wanted to live her other dream, too, one that had been miraculously fulfilled. She wanted to live with her family.

You knew what you wanted for her, but you also didn't want to influence her decision. The last person who you thought could talk away her doubts, did it for her. Dean did. He was the one most torn over the acceptance, because it would pull his daughter, the one whom he'd just met, away from him. But somehow he managed to convince her, and over time, you'd all come to rejoice the fact that at least one Winchester was going to get it normal.

So now that her high school had Easter holidays, Vi and uncle Sammy were road tripping to California to see the campus. You didn't know who was more excited about it, your daughter or her uncle. They'd planned meticulously for days, staying up at night and plotting every minute of the trip. It made you tear up to see Sam looking so young again.

Finally they'd said their goodbyes this morning and excitedly rushed into the dawn. Which left you with Dean. Alone.

The thought made you gulp.

The plan was to spend the weekend away from the bunker, in the house that Violet had grown up in. You had been ready to sell it off, since both you and Vi had moved into the bunker, but Dean had insisted that you kept it, because it was still home to you. You had really appreciated his gesture.

But Dean wasn't driving towards the house, no. He was driving in the opposite direction, away from the town.

"Where are we going?" You asked.

"Away," Dean shrugged.

"Where?"

He just gave you a cocky smile, turning to look back at the road. The twilight was smoothly bleeding into the night now.

"Something fishy is going on here," you narrowed your eyes. "First Cas, now you. Come to think of it, even Sam and Vi were a little weird this morning."

"That is my fault," he said. "I made him stall you." You could see he was trying to look guilty, but the smile threatening to split his face marred the effect.

"What are you up to Winchester?"

"You'll see."

He drove in silence, and you didn't question him. Whatever this was, it was making him happy. You weren't going to say or do anything to change that. Besides, you were content to keep looking at him, content to keep living this dream which was apparently reality now.

The next thing you remembered was Dean's hot breath against your ear. "Wake up, sweetheart. We're here."

You groaned, not understanding what was going on. Your back was stiff and your neck was killing you, which reminded you where you were- the front seat of the Impala.

You opened your eyes, squinting at your surroundings. It was still dark. Dark enough to not make out much except the heavy outgrowth in the vicinity, and Dean was still really close to you. Close enough for you to tangle your fingers in his hair and pull him down on you. You could feel his stubble scratch your skin as he laughed and pulled himself away.

You pouted. This was not fair.

"Wake up sleepy head," he said, "Or you'll miss the dawn."

"The dawn?" You asked, confused.

Dean got out of the car, and walked to your side, opening the door and giving you his hand. You took it and he pulled you up, but before you could fathom your surrounding he turned you so that your back was pressed against his front and his hand was covering your eyes.

"What th-?"

"Shhh…" He whispered. "Do you trust me?"

"What sort of silly question is that?" you asked.

"Just answer it, will you?"

"Yeah, I do." you breathed. "More than anything."

"Then come," he said, his voice tender.

He guided you along what felt like a grassy stretch of land, not trodden. It wasn't in fact a trail at all, just tall grass that seemed to tickle the little exposed skin of your ankle.

You knew he'd asked you to close your eyes, but you were after all only a curious woman, so you still peeked through the gap between his fingers. There wasn't much to see, just the wooden exterior of what seemed to be a shed, a house? But beyond that, a little stretch of sky was visible, still deep ultramarine, but there was a definite touch of coral to the edge.

Dean was right, if you'd been a little late, you'd have missed this. The dawn was approaching, and fast.

Perhaps Dean felt the brush of your lashes against the skin of his fingers, because he said, "hey, no cheating," and you rushed to close your eyes, a giggle escaping you.

You walked for about 5 minutes, and it seemed that Dean was making an effort to remove the outgrowth in front of you, but at last, you came to a standstill. He turned you a little, so that you were facing the direction he wanted you to face in.

He removed his hand, lightly, and the cool morning air hit your face.

"Ready?" He asked, and you nodded.

"Open your eyes now." Dean sounded nervous.

You did. In front of you, the sky was the most beautiful melody of colors, as if each of those shades had been handpicked and put in there to make it absolutely perfect. Orange, cerulean, lavender, opal and violet woven seamlessly so that it was hard to tell where one shade ended and the other started. The view was framed by two tall firs on one side and great birch on the other. A frame you were too familiar with.

Almost unwillingly, you tore your eyes from the beautiful scene before you and whirled around to face an ancient ramshackle house… the first that you had ever called your home. Behind it, the church was silent and there.

In fact, it was all still there, the house, the church, the shed and that porch… the one where it all began. Tens and hundreds of memories chased their way into your mind.

Tears pressed your eyes, as you felt Dean's hand envelope your stomach from behind you, and it jerked you into reality.

"This is exactly where we stood the next morning, after your dad died," he whispered in your ear. "This is where I told you to not be afraid of the rain."

You nodded, remembering that day.

"I don't want you to run away from this place, Y/N/N. I don't want you to be afraid of it. This was your first home. This is where you met Jim, met Sam and… me."

It was true. What he said. You looked at the porch where Dean had held out his hand to Y/N. Where Sam had sulked over the fact that you were getting closer to Dean. Father Jim had taught you how to plant Azaleas there. This is where you'd found everything.

But this was where you'd lost everything too. The man you'd loved like your dad had died in that church. In the living room of this very house you'd lost every hope of returning to Dean. This was the place you'd fled with your little girl, not knowing if you'd ever see it again. It was too much to forget.

You turned around, hiding into Dean's chest, allowing yourself to start loving those little things about this place again.

"Look," Dean said, and you looked up to see that the sky was even lighter now, the lavender and Violet chasing the obsidian away completely.

"It's beautiful," you murmured.

But Dean shook his head.

"Look there," he said pointing away, and you turned to the direction.

Now that the sky was lighter, the backyard was clearly visible, and wonderfully, it was layered with hundreds and thousands of violets. Almost every inch of the backyard was covered in them, not just the little patch around the corner.

They had flourished and outgrown in the years that had passed since.

You whirled to look at Dean, but instead found him on his knee, his hand slowly slipping into his pocket.

He pulled out a simple ring, plain and unadorned and held it up. "I don't how I spent all these years without you, but I can't do that anymore. I love you, and I always will. Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?"

You slipped to ground next to him, on your knees and took his hand in yours, kissing it, letting the tears fall freely now. "Yes, I'll marry you, Dean."

He reached out and folded his arm around you, silently slipping the ring on your finger with the other. "Thank you. I love you and our girl. I've been wanting to do this since the moment I got you back."

This was not how you wanted to do it, but the moment was too overwhelming. "It's just not me and Violet anymore."

Dean pulled back, eyes watery. "What do you mean?"

"I-" You started, but couldn't finish the sentence. Instead you brought Dean's hand down, entwined within yours and placed it on your stomach.

His breath caught in his throat, as he looked from your face to his hand resting on your belly and back again.

"Really?" He asked, his voice cracking, and you nodded.

Before you could say another word, he had crushed you to himself again, like he couldn't get enough of you. The two of you stayed like that for a while, but you felt your T-shirt soak where Dean's chin was resting. You ran your fingers over his back.

"I know we never talked about it and it just happened, but I know you enough to know that you wanted this," you told him. You knew how much it killed him that he hadn't been there to see his kid grow up… but now he had his chance.

"You're happy, aren't you?" You asked.

"God, yes!" He laughed in your hair, and it was an exuberant sound. Suddenly your lips were on his, and he was putting every ounce of his emotion in it. He was ecstatic just as you had been.

"Violet will be so happy when she knows," He breathed, still dazed.

"She already does," you smiled guiltily. "When I took the test, I had to tell someone, so I found her. She was the one who suggested that I take you out to the house tonight and tell you."

"But she knew I was going to propose," Dean said, confused.

That smug little minx! You thought. No doubt she was smiling like the Cheshire cat for the past couple of days. You were going to have to find her and hug her hard when she got back.

As happy as he was, Dean looked a little dazed. "You're a great dad," you reassured him.

Dean didn't contest what you said, like you expected him to. Instead he pulled you back into his arms.

"Sometimes it feels like I've suddenly gotten too lucky, like this is all a dream," he murmured, he hadn't removed his hand from your stomach. "You ever feel that way?"

"Always with you," you replied.

As you burrowed deeper into his chest, watching the sun rise, you realized it would always be like this with Dean. He'd always be your dream, even when you were living it. Because it would never be enough. You closed your eyes, inhaling him in.

You could never thank your lucky stars for the day when that green eyed boy had handed you a violet and promised he'd always protect you because you loved Dean, he was your one stroke of luck.

A/N 2: I HAVE A LOT OF DRABBLE IDEAS... And they’re coming your way whether you like it or not :P

Once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so supportive! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

- Ana <3

PLEASE TELL HOW YOU LIKED THE SERIES!! PLEASEEEEE???

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[looselucy]

February

“It’s a little grotty.” Harry complained. “Everywhere we’re going to look will be a little grotty, but we’re students and that’s the way it’s meant to be.” Zayn replied. “No, I know! I kind of want it to be a little grotty.”

We all agreed on that. To me, the house was perfect. There were two bedrooms upstairs, which me and Zayn had taxed, and one downstairs, that obviously used to be a living room, and that would be Harry’s. It was all very spacious, close to empty when we looked around. All the rooms were large, and yeah, it wasn’t the best house, but we weren’t expecting the best house. It definitely could have been worse. I liked it. We walked out of the kitchen, which was by far the grottiest room of the lot but not to the point you wouldn’t want to cook in there or anything. Not that I would be doing much cooking. We wandered around upstairs for a second time, making sure we loved it. “So, should we say we want it?” Zayn asked. “Yeah. She said they have three more viewings today!” Harry cried. “They’ll say that just to get our money.” I shrugged. “They probably don’t have any more viewings.” “Well don’t we want to give them our money? Since we want it?” Harry seemed lost. “I guess so.” “Then what’s the problem?” “Principles.” Zayn finished. Harry tried to shake it off, but I think he was genuinely a little bit confused, glancing between myself and Zayn as we chuckled quietly together, stood at the top of the stairs, still kind of glancing around ourselves and trying to get used to the idea that we were actually going to live in that house come September, just the three of us. “This all feels very grown up.” Harry groaned. “I don’t know how to go about it to be honest. Are we supposed to haggle?” “This does feel like there should be an adult involved.” I mulled. “I kind of wish my mum was here.” Zayn added. Zayn had turned 19 in our first week of university, so was the oldest of the lot of us, but it still definitely felt like we were too young to be making that kind of decision without our parents coming and looking at the house, telling us it was a good idea. It was one of the first times in my life that I actually felt like a proper adult, and to be honest I wasn’t enjoying it at all. “Okay. Let’s just do it. Let’s say we want it and get that deposit down. We all definitely want it, right?” I tried. “I do.” Zayn nodded. “Same.” Harry said. “Okay then, let’s do it.” We went downstairs and out the front door, where the woman was waiting for us to see what we had to say. The house must have been a fifteen-minute walk from uni, which was absolutely nothing in all fairness, but comparing it to my current five-minute walk, it may as well have been a good ten miles. I knew Harry and Zayn felt the same way about that, too, but I couldn’t help but feel excited about our new home; about the next year and how things would be. A good part about the house is we were now only a five-minute walk from Thimble, which was all good, maybe even more important than being close to university. Unfortunately, putting down a deposit to make sure that house was ours, put each one of us £250 down, which was kind of rubbish, but it felt pretty difficult to be in a bad mood once it was done. It was like I had been worried about the situation of living next year without even realising, and I guess having it done was a weight off my shoulders. We wandered back to uni together, buzzing with excitement as we moved. I had actually made it to my lecture that morning, despite going out the night before, and even though it was February, the sun was shining. It certainly wasn’t warm, but it had to be the warmest day of the year so far. “I find it weird.” Harry said as we walked back. “The thought that we won’t just be in that flat until we’re done with uni.” “I know!” Zayn called. “I was thinking the other day, how weird it is that you haven’t always lived with us.” “Literally, I feel like I got so lucky with you lot. The flat I was in before was literally full to the brim with wankers. Apart from Lily. The rest of them were… fucking awful.” There were so many reasons I was happy that me and Harry were friends, but that was the first moment I realised that one of those reasons was because it made Harry happy, too. I liked him being happy. “I would say you’ve been blessed with us.” I smirked. “I wouldn’t go that far.” He laughed back. “I would.” “I would too!” Zayn lifted and dropped his brows. The conversation flowed as we wandered slowly back to campus, but I have to say my mood dropped, because there was no way I couldn’t tell Tally about the housing situation when we got back. Her boyfriend was still around, much to my dismay, but I wouldn’t let him get in the way, because I really needed to speak to her, to get it off my chest and deal with the possible blow-up that could come from it. As soon as our building was in sight, my stomach dropped. “What’s up with you?” Zayn nudged me. “I’m gunna speak to Tally.” “Oh shit.” “Yeah.” “How do you think she’ll take it?” He asked at the door. “Who knows. I’m gunna find out very soon.” Usually, it felt like the lift took about a million years to clunk its way to the top floor, and I had my fingers crossed behind my back that it would break down again. Alas, it didn’t, and it felt like we were upstairs in no time whatsoever. I rolled my eyes at the whole idea of it. “I’ll make brews.” Harry sucked in air tight into his chest. “I think you’ll need one after this chat.” “Thanks.” I tried. “We’ll be in my room.” Zayn said. I moved quickly to Tally’s door, eager to get the whole thing out of the way. I knocked on, and keeping up with the speed of the whole thing, her boyfriend opened the door within seconds. “Hello.” I choked, hearing Harry flick the kettle on in the kitchen. “Can I speak with Tally.” “She’s busy.” He grunted. My second interaction was not going any better than my first, and it was probably going worse to be honest. I had never been one to put up with someone’s bullshit. “Y’know what, mate, I don’t care. I need to speak to her.” “We’re busy.” He barked lowly. I pushed past him with a knock to his shoulder, and Tally was sat on her bed. She looked sad already, before I was to break this bloody news to her. She seemed so down, and how could she not be when she had been locked in a room with that guy since Sunday? “Can I talk to you?” I asked. “In private.” “About what?” “I just need to tell you something!” “You can tell me in front of Jay.” She spoke nervously. “I’m gunna be honest, Tally, I don’t want to do fucking anything in front of Jay. I think he’s an arse.” I couldn’t have cared less at that point. “You fucking what?” He seethed, coming and standing tall next to me. “Oh my god, seriously?” I turned to him, because I wasn’t scared. “What kind of impression did you really think I would have gotten from you? What kind of idiot are you?” He couldn’t believe the words that were falling from my mouth, but I could. I had seen things like that before. The way he spoke, the way he acted like he was in control of her actions, how Tally was just sat on her bed all shy and pushed in, which was not the Tally I knew. “Pippa!” She cried. “I don’t fucking like the guy, so shoot me! Can I talk to you?” She just huffed and got to her feet, storming out into the kitchen. For a split second, Jay started to follow her before I tugged him back as harshly as I could and followed her, slamming the door to the best of my ability, trying to keep him at bay. Thankfully, he didn’t follow. “What was that about?” Tally cried. “Why the hell are you asking me?” I said as I got into the kitchen. “That guy seems like an abusive dick. What is going on?” “Look, I’m… I’m waiting til he’s gone, and then I’m ending things. Trust me!” She whispered harshly. “Why not now?” “Because he scares the living shit out of me.” She was a mess. I didn’t think he had hurt her, but nor did I ask. I just think she knew there was a possibility he could do that; there was something within him. The fact that he took out every single shred of confidence I had seen shine from her whenever he was in the room with her. It’s terrifying, what another human being can do to someone. “I will not hesitate to get him out, right now!” I slammed. Only then, did we hear the kettle click, and we turned around to see Harry still stood by the kettle, his eyes wide, forcing out the fakest smile you’ve ever seen. I’d completely forgotten he would be there. “I’ll leave you to it.” He brushed quickly. He practically flew past us and ran into Zayn’s bedroom. Tally stared at him bitterly as he left, and I had to ask, because it was just one other thing making me uncomfortable about being around Tally. “Is you being with this guy, something to do with how you feel about Harry?” “Me being with this guy is about him being nice to me at first and them completely fucking… changing! It’s nothing to do with fucking Harry Styles.” She was yelling. She was angry. She was scared. I couldn’t imagine being in her situation. It’s very easy to stand on the outside and just say, leave him, why are you even with him? But I couldn’t even begin to put myself in her shoes and feel what she was feeling. “Tally, you look so shook up.” I tried to lower the tone. “Do you want me to get him out?” Her bottom lip quivered, and as soon as she nodded she burst into tears, hiding her face as she did. In a way, I felt like some of that was down to shame. It was so out of character for her, and I could see how much she was hating it, how much she despised the fact she couldn’t stand up to him. It was easier for me to do it, from the outside. I marched furiously back towards her room and opened her bedroom door, and he was just sat on the bed looking at me, like he was waiting. There was a possibility he had heard. “You need to leave.” I said plainly. “S’cuse me?” There was a venom in his voice, a poison that had clearly seeped into Tally and weakened her, something that ran within his entire being. I think that was what creeped me out the most, how I knew he was unaware; he didn’t really know what he was doing, what was wrong with the way he acted, how he treated her. He really didn’t know. “You need to leave. Now.” I remained strong. “And why’s that?” “Because you’re not welcome here anymore.” “Says who?” He spat. “Says all of us!” “Nah. I don’t think so. Let me talk to Tally.” “Get out. Get the fuck out now!” I heard the door to Zayn’s room open and within seconds, the two of them were walking out with their postures straight and tense, filing down the corridor, completely ready to say their pieces and get the boy the hell out of our home. I hated that I needed the boys at that point, I didn’t want to need boys at any point, but when it came to intimidating someone like Jay, it probably would be a little easier with two lads at my side. They came and stood behind me in Tally’s room. “C’mon, pal. It’s time to go.” Harry muttered. I glanced behind myself momentarily, to see them both with their fists clenched down at their sides, and it didn’t take any more than that. Jay tutted, like he was still in control, but he grabbed a bag from the floor, not caring to chuck anything else in it as he walked out of her room and, thankfully, out of our lives. As soon as he was gone, I ran back into the kitchen, and Tally was sat shaking on the sofa, her legs tucked into her chest, tears gently rolling down her cheeks. “Has he gone?” She whispered. “Yeah. He’s gone.” She cried a little heavier after that, so me and Zayn went to either side of her and held her tight, whereas Harry went back to making brews, adding one more mug, because Tally would definitely need a cup of tea after that. + + + I heard him before I saw him. I knew it would happen. I had just been waiting for it to happen. He was one of Zayn’s best mates, for fuck sake, and Harry had admitted right away he would stay friends with him. I knew Louis would be around me again at some point. I was not looking forward to it. I also wished I had gotten a warning, to be honest. I had been round at Ed’s doing a little studying for the exam we had coming up, and it was 8pm on the Thursday evening, and I thought Zayn could have maybe dropped me a small text just saying he was there. I also would have tried to make myself look a little better if I had known. But it was too late. The day before, I hadn’t even dared speak to Tally about the house. Her day had gone terribly enough without me then adding on that strain, so my plan that evening was to sit her down and tell her the truth. But I was automatically distracted by the sound of Louis talking. “I did a painting of her. I think I felt a little better about the whole thing after that.” I heard him say as I quietly let myself into the flat. “You did a painting of Pip?” I heard Harry squeal. “Yeah.” “Can I see it?” “Believe it or not, Styles, I don’t carry it with me everywhere I go.” I shut the door as quietly as I could, and stood at the end of the corridor, hoping that none of them would spot me because I was very excited to hear more of what they had to say about me when they didn’t know I was there. “How you feeling about the whole thing?” Zayn asked. “Alright, yeah. She’s a nice girl though. I feel bad for the way I made her feel. She doesn’t deserve that.” “No, she doesn’t.” Harry tutted. “The fuck is going on? I thought you hated her?” I could hear the confusion in Louis’ voice. “Pippa and Harry have recently become mates, and I swear, he’s being weirdly nice about her.” Zayn scoffed and chuckled. “I reckon you want to fuck her.” “What? No I don’t. I’m not even attracted to her.” Harry huffed. “Okay, well, you’re blind then. She’s gorgeous.” Louis replied. “She’s alright. Wouldn’t go near her though.” I would have been offended, but Harry had been more than near to me. Harry had been all over me. We were still trying to cover our tracks and make sure nobody thought anything had happened, so of course he’d said that. I couldn’t be offended when I had felt his lips on my neck and his large hand between my legs, both of us sober and desperate. “You wouldn’t go near any girls the other night, and I think that’s because of Pip.” I heard Zayn say, clearly smirking. “You want her.” “I fucking don’t! I didn’t get the chance to go near any other girls. Trust me, I will.” “Okay, well then let’s do a lads night out tonight, and we can go on the pull.” Zayn challenged. “Fine. Lets.” I was finally done with them not being aware I was there. The night before, I had once again wound up in Harry’s bed, and because of that, I wasn’t exactly enjoying hearing him say he was going to go on the pull. It had been less than a week since we’d fooled around, and I just figured I needed a little longer than that. It was nothing to do with any possible feelings I could have for Harry. No way. Definitely not. I opened the door from the inside, giving them a little warning that they were no longer alone, pretending that his was my entrance, and I just loved hearing them shut up as I walked down the corridor towards them. It was weird seeing Louis. It felt like I hadn’t seen him for so long. He looked good, unfortunately. His hair was a mess and so was his facial hair, but that was always how I liked it. “Hey.” I smiled, being friendly. “Hey.” He smiled back, through a deep sigh. “Hey, Pip-Squeak.” Harry grinned. “How was your study session?” Zayn asked. “It was good, thanks.” As I walked over to the kettle, I offered drinks, but they all had beers in their hands and weren’t ready to calm down with a brew. They had gone a little quiet since I walked in, and I could feel all their eyes on my back as I faced the kettle, even refusing to catch their image in the reflection of the window in front of me. “Uh… Pip, can I talk to you?” Louis choked eventually. I was kind of hoping we would have left it at hello and not said anything more on the matter. I didn’t want to argue and I didn’t want to hear any more excuses from him. But I also didn’t want to be rude and say no. Maybe he had something he really wanted to get off his chest, and I was willing to give him the opportunity. As long as he didn’t start weeping to me about how he had painted a portrait of me, because that would have been too awkward. “Okay.” I mumbled. He clearly wanted a little privacy for the matter. He brushed himself down and stood up, giving me the tiniest smile he could possibly conjure up, before his head dropped to the floor, and he headed down the corridor to my bedroom. I followed quietly behind, until we were both stood in my room, directly across from each other. It was quiet for quite some time. I folded my arms across my chest and gave out a deep sigh, smiling to him, encouraging him. He struggled to say anything, so I cut in. “How’ve you been?” ”Okay.” He hunched his shoulders. “I’m a little put off by the fact you aren’t yelling at me.” “Mm.” I chuckled slightly. “I’m trying my best to become one of those people who doesn’t hold a grudge. I’ve had some growing up to do... I’m working on it.” I could see the way he looked at me, like the sun shone out of my arse. I guess that was one of the first times I saw that he had genuinely liked me, during our short time together. I wasn’t just some piece of meat on the side. We got on, very well, of course he had liked me. I had liked him too. I just didn’t feel that way towards him anymore. “I wanted to say sorry.” Louis sighed. “Even like... how I went about things afterwards. I dunno. The whole thing was pretty out of character for me. Then Harry mentioned… how it kinda knocked your confidence and... I feel like shit about it. And to be honest, you not attacking me is making me feel even worse.” This was the shyest I had seen him. Ever. His hands were jutting everywhere, and he kept trying to look me in the eye, but he would drop his head within a split second. Me and Louis were probably never going to be close, but I definitely didn’t want to avoid him, to not be his friend, to put a room on edge whenever he was around. “It’s okay.” I gulped. “Yeah?” “Yeah. We’re good.” “Oh. Okay. Good. Thanks, Pip.” He smiled. “Don’t mention it.” He walked past me towards the door, his head still down, but he was smiling. I was smiling too, because it truly felt so good to be on better terms. “You coming?” He asked me, stood in the open door. “No. I’ll leave to your lads night.” I sighed. He smiled one last time before he let himself out and went back to the kitchen to drink with the boys. It felt good, and I wasn’t expecting it to. I had always been the type of person who, once I had my mind made up on someone, once someone had screwed me over, that would be it. I never really believed in second chances. But having to mature and grow up hits you square in the face when you go to university. Suddenly you don’t live among people you unconditionally love, and who love you back. You don’t live among people who would do anything for you. I didn’t have my mother cooking my food all the time, cleaning up after me. Little things that once felt like they were magically done around me were suddenly in my hands, and my hands alone. I was growing up in a million ways, and I knew that how I thought, and how I acted with people, was one of the things that needed to change. It felt really good. Maybe second chances weren’t the worst things after all. Besides, I had probably given Harry about ten, and that was working out really well. Around five minutes after Louis left, I lay on the top of my bed with Fleetwood Mac quietly playing as I read a book simply for pleasure, for what felt like the first time in ages, when Harry stormed in, eyes alight. “What did he say to you?” He barked. “What?” I sat up and turned to him. “Has he upset you?” He was seriously wound up. I wondered if that was simply down to the thought of Louis upsetting me or if it was something else. I wondered what had been said between the boys since Louis joined them again. “No.” I shook my head. “He said he was sorry. I forgave him. It’s all good.” There was a look of relief that flushed his face for a second, but it didn’t last too long. Suddenly his expression had a bitter tint to it, like there was an unkind taste in his mouth. “Well, why didn’t you come back out?” He asked. “’Cause you’re doing your lads night.” I lay back down. “You can join us. Be one of the lads for once.” “I’m alright.” “Okay. Well.. Okay.” He turned, just about to walk back out of my room before something brought him storming back to me. “Are you going to start shagging Louis again?” He bit quickly. It felt like there was more to that question than he was letting on, or maybe I was just reading into it too much. It felt like he was actually saying, please don’t start shagging Louis again. Please don’t tell me you still have feelings for him. Please don’t go back to him. I sat up again, and he was really staring at me, just waiting for my answer. “No. Definitely not. I’m not a complete idiot.” I snickered. “Could’ve fooled me.” He grinned. “Why’d you ask?” I was too intrigued not to. “Well... I’m not gunna stand by and watch him fuck you over again, am I?” “Is that it?” I scalded. This was uncharted territory for the two of us. It barely even made sense in my head, but I figured all I was waiting for, really, was for him to turn around and tell me that he didn’t want Louis to touch me again because he wanted to touch me again. That’s what I wanted to hear. Harry breathed in straight to his tense chest, and replied. “What else could it be, Pip-Squeak?” + + + I woke up alone. For the first time in a week, I woke up alone. Harry, Louis and Zayn had done their lads night the evening before, and I figured maybe Harry would have clambered into bed with me when he was drunk. It was clear to see he hadn’t. I groaned and turned off my alarm, seeing I had one text. Ed: Tell Ringo I’ll be round at 12 to listen to her piece. Peace out. X It was only 10am, and I wondered why the hell I had set my alarm three hours earlier than my actual lecture was. But I didn’t struggle. I was relatively awake, straight away, which wasn’t regular for me. I put it down to changing my bed so I had fresh sheets the evening before. That must have been why I had such a good sleep. Even so, getting out of bed was always an effort. I groaned as I removed myself from the warmth, throwing on the first items of clothing I found on the floor, my belly rumbling as I did. My belly was always rumbling, I’d noticed. As soon as I was suitably clothed (I’m playing a little fast and loose with the word suitably) I opened my bedroom door and stepped into the hall. Have I mentioned before that my life is a joke? I’m sure I have. Once again, impeccable timing on my behalf as I took the step out, not being the only person to be exiting a room. A girl stepped from Harry’s bedroom, clearly in her clothes from the evening before, quietly shutting the door behind her, before her eyes met mine. My stomach was on the floor. I just stared at her, my eyes shimmering, my lips open. There wasn’t a chance in hell I could keep my eyes off the girl. She was stunning. “Hey.” She whispered. “Would you mind letting me out?” It must have been a little creepy, the way I was staring at her, and I guess I caught onto that fact pretty quickly as I shook myself out of the state of madness I was in, literally shaking my head, my hands shaking too. “Yeah… Yeah, of course.” I whispered back. I went into my room and retrieved the keys as quickly as I could, and when I returned to her in the corridor, I refused to look at her. Simply refused. “Thank you so much.” She said sweetly as I opened the door. “No worries.” Once she was out of there I just bit my lip and pulled myself together. Why should I care? One tiny, unimportant evening had happened where Harry had touched me the way he had touched her the night before, and we had both agreed, happily, that nothing like that would happen again. I couldn’t be upset. I shouldn’t have been upset. I am not upset. I do not fucking care. I stared at Harry’s door as I walked by, going straight into the kitchen, still shaking a little bit but ignoring it, because it really wasn’t worth thinking about. Zayn was in the kitchen, cooking, like always, and chirpy, like always, even though he was bound to be rough as hell. “Mornin’” He grinned. “Happy Valentine’s Day.” “Eww. Is it really?” I grunted. “Sure is. The day of looooooove.” “Yeah. Love and self-loathing.” Zayn just laughed, but all I could think about was why the hell seeing her had bothered me as much as it had. I wanted to be Harry’s friend, and I didn’t want to ruin it, no way. But the main thing I kept thinking about was why we both felt that us being together like that, could ruin it. Why were we both so aware that it wouldn’t just be a casual thing? Why was our short friendship such a cherished thing anyway? I slumped onto the sofa, knowing over-thinking was the worst thing I could do, but seemingly the only thing I was doing. “I’ve got some good news.” Zayn said, cracking another egg, predictably for me. “I need some.” “Keep the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth of July free.” He smirked. “Why?” I sighed, sinking even further. “There’s this local festival near mine. It’s only a small thing but it’s amazing, and my mum has booked us tickets. Kinda like an early birthday present.” “Are you serious?” I sat up again. “Yeah! She got six tickets, so I was thinking me, you, Harry, Mike, Ed and Tally.” That did perk me up, quite a bit. I knew Zayn’s mum treat him like a little prince, it wasn’t all surprising that she had gone all out for his birthday like that. I was just glad I got to be a part of it. “That sounds amazing!” I squealed. “Right? And it’ll have been over a month since we finished un,i so it’ll be a bit like a reunion as well!” I was excited for it. It couldn’t come sooner. But at the same time, I didn’t want this first year of uni to end. I didn’t want to go and spend a summer with my mum, or my dad, or whoever I’d end up with. I just wanted to stay there. Things were simple there. I would have done anything to keep things simple.

[beks21]

Red

Continuation of “Couch” - a tiny Jily AU with lots of adorable awkwardness

I cannot thank @elanev91​ enough for her wise advice on this fic, which was mainly “write something else and don’t cut this!” because she was right.

Read on FF.net

Prompt: Red

The sun always seems to shine the brightest on the days Lily has to work. Usually she doesn’t mind, but this week is move-in week for the freshman, which means that she is surrounded by dozens of wide-eyed new students, intense, overbearing parents, and a group of upperclassmen wearing bright yellow shirts with “I’m here to help!” written across the chest.

By noon, everyone is sweaty and overheated, and Lily has had it up to HERE with freshman whining about the heat and the stairs and the size of their closet, and mothers frantically giving directions and advice and lamenting the stains on the mattress, and the moving team rushing around corners without looking; there have been three head-on collisions already, and Lily’s elbows, toes, and heels are bruised from yet another student not paying attention. Thankfully, twelve o’clock means that freshmen and parents depart for lunch, the moving team’s shift has ended, and Lily can retreat to the quiet of her room for a merciful 30 minutes.

Finally alone, Lily peels off her sweaty t-shirt and collapses onto her bed. She flings an arm over her eyes and takes a deep breath, enjoying the air conditioning and silence. This is her second year supervising the move-in week of her dorm, and maybe it’s the heat or maybe it’s the fact that Marlene got an apartment off-campus and won’t be arriving until the weekend, but today feels like it has lasted a week, and it’s only half over. Lily sighs again and forces herself to get up and get some lunch. The cafeteria is sure to be overrun by freshmen and family; however, Lily has planned ahead. She keeps a stash of protein bars in a drawer for occasions like today.

She unwraps her protein bar and moves to open her window, hoping for a breeze. There are perks to being a Hall Coordinator, and having her own room on the second floor, with a view of the Quad below, is definitely one of them. The sights from her window are usually beautiful, especially during the fall when the leaves change colors…. or especially today when there are gorgeous upperclassmen moving a massive red couch.

Lily’s eyes follow the progress of the couch, or rather, of the tall, dark-haired bloke in glasses who is holding one end of the couch. He is laughing at his mate at the other end, and even from behind her window Lily can tell that his laugh, his whole being, is loud and confident. The couch is set down abruptly, and Lily briefly wonders why, and then she sees and her jaw drops a little. Both boys have paused to strip off their t-shirts, and Lily does not think the protein bar is to blame for how dry her mouth suddenly feels.

These couch boys must be a part of the uni’s crew team, because Lily only ever sees shoulders like that on the water. Not that she looks, or looks often, rather, but after two years at a uni known for its highly ranked crew team, one learns what to look for when it comes to….star athletes.

Lily takes another moment to appreciate the moving capabilities of the boys and then turns back to her room. She checks the clock and notes that she has just enough time to refill her water bottle before heading downstairs to meet the next group of freshmen. Whipping a clean t-shirt on, Lily grabs her keys and takes a deep breath, pasting a smile onto her face as she heads out to meet the next group of freshmen.

Outside, Lily curses herself for not grabbing her sunglasses. She squints at her watch, wondering if she has enough time to run back to her roo- SMACK. Lily is knocked onto her bum, her legs shooting out in front of her.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, are you alright? I was walking backwards and didn’t see you, my god, I’m so sorry, please say something, are you okay?” As Lily opens her eyes, blinking in the bright sunlight, a mass of dark, messy hair comes into focus. It’s the couch mover, the cute one with glasses, and he’s still rambling at her, his hands flitting awkwardly, anxiously around her shoulder and head. “Did you hit your head? What’s your name? Do you know what today is? How many fingers am I holding up?”

Lily sighs, rolls her neck, “If you ever hold your hands still, I could tell you.”

The hands stop moving and one lands on her shoulder. “Oh, yeah, you’re right, sorry. How about now?” Behind the two fingers held up like a peace sign, Lily sees a sheepish grin. A very attractive sheepish grin, she finds she is well enough to notice.

“Two fingers. My name is Lily Evans, I’m 21 years old, today is Monday, August 23rd, and there are about 75 freshman students who are anxiously waiting for me in the parking lot, so,” she trails off, and instantly there are hands extended in front of her. She takes them, linking her fingers easily with his, and is pulled to her feet.

For the first time, she gets a good look at her remorseful assailant. He is tall and his hair is even messier up close. Bright hazel eyes twinkle at her behind his glasses, and his torso indicates that he did not give up crew practice over the summer...Lily quickly moves her eyes back to his face, hoping he didn’t notice her appreciative gaze.

The boy grins at her and sticks out a hand again. “James Potter. I’m sure we would have run into each other eventually-” Lily laughs, taking his hand again, “-but you wanted to literally knock me off my feet when we met, huh.”

James flushes a bit and ducks his head, but his smile doesn’t falter and he doesn’t let go of her hand. “I mean, it wasn’t my exact plan, but I can work with that, yeah.” His other hand goes to his hair, almost shyly, “I want to say again that I’m so sorry, that someone, ahem, Sirius-” here he glares towards the other end of the couch where his friend is sitting on the couch, a smug expression on his face, watching James and Lily like they are his favorite show “-should have been watching so I didn’t trample any cute girls…”

Sirius snorts. “I was watching, and you’ll thank me later and you know it.” He looks at Lily and winks. “You both will thank me later, I’m sure, if you’re already to the holding hands stage.”

With a start, Lily drops James’ hand; while she is embarrassed that Sirius called it out, she is surprised at how empty her hand feels already. James flushes and uses the hand Lily just dropped to flip the birdy over his shoulder at Sirius, who laughs loudly. James heaves a sigh, managing to look both embarrassed and cocky at the same time. “Please ignore him.”

Lily is also blushing, but she manages to hold his gaze. “Well, maybe you’ll just have to invite me over to sit on this couch sometime, instead of running me over with it.”

James’ smile is so wide it almost splits his face. “Yeah, I think I should. It’s the least I can do, right?”

Lily grins back. “Right. Well, it was nice running into you-” James smirks, and Lily’s stomach drops a bit “-but I have to go help some more freshmen move in, so...”

She begins to walk away, forcing herself to watch where she’s going, and James messes his hair again as she walks past him. She looks back over her shoulder at him, getting one last glance at his ridiculously fit body and that outrageously bright red furniture, “Hopefully they don’t have any couches.”

[yourewelcomeforbeingmyfriend]

Shelter from the Storm (Part 2)

Characters: Sam, Reader (platonic), Jess

Summary: The story of how Sam and the Reader met and became friends. That was an awful summary omygosh I’m so sorry

Warnings: Um… spoilers for the pilot episode if you somehow haven’t seen it? None really.

A/N: This is part 2 of my Shelter from the Storm series (*throws confetti*). This part is mainly a flashback to when Sam and the Reader first met and how they became friends. I also always thought about the fact that Sam left and never attended Jess’s funeral and how that might have looked and felt to other people, so this vaguely explores that idea. It’s a slow burn but I hope you guys enjoy it. Would love to hear some feedback!

Here’s Part 1 if you haven’t read it

(gif from google)

Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved Everything up to that point had been left unresolved Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm Come in, she said I'll give ya shelter from the storm

The classroom was cold and loud. Students talked amongst themselves making new friends as they filled in the space and waited for the professor to arrive. You hated the first day of classes. They were always like this, full of new people and new opportunities. You hated new situations. There were so many of them over the past years it seemed. Almost too many new people and new opportunities, you thought. New opportunities had the potential to go wrong. New people were just people you would potentially get close to – and they eventually have to leave. Potential is not as promising when it is short lived. Instead you kept to yourself and doodled in your notebook.

“Is this seat taken?” a voice behind you woke you from the mindless tracing of your pencil. You turned around to see a tall man with floppy dark hair smiling politely at you. He pointed at the seat to your side, “mind if I sit here?”

You blinked yourself into focus, “oh no, I don’t mind. Have a seat.” You moved over a little bit to give him some extra room. Suddenly you weren’t sure how to handle yourself. Do you introduce yourself? Does he care? Do you truly care? You thought back to the futility of the whole situation and how you always swore you would never get close to people.

The decision was made for you, though, as a hand sticks out to your side. “I’m Sam. Sam Winchester,” the man said with a smile.

You took his hand in yours and gave it a couple shakes. “I’m Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N.” You gave a sheepish grin, “nice to meet you.”

“You too,” he looked down towards your notebook and caught sight of what you were drawing. “Those are cool. Are they angel wings?”

You felt your cheeks redden as you looked down at your own drawing, “Um… yeah I guess so? Or maybe just bird wings? I’m not really sure. I’ve just had wings and things on my mind lately.” You weren’t really sure why you felt so embarrassed by the situation. “I move around a lot and I guess I was just thinking about that.” You looked back over to him and caught his stunning hazel eyes.

He seemed a little surprised at what you had said, “Really? I move around a lot, too. Or I used to before coming here – my dad’s work and stuff.” There was some sadness in his eyes for some reason, like he was remembering something bittersweet.

“Yeah my dad’s work has me moving around a lot, too,” you looked back down to your paper. “But I have a feeling I’ll be here for a while.”

Sam looked like he was about to speak but was interrupted by the professor entering the room. “Welcome to Biology I for non-majors, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you’ve chosen your seat partner wisely, because they will be your lab partner for the remainder of the semester. Mazel tov.”

You and Sam looked at each other. “Well it looks like you’re stuck with me,” he said with a smirk.

And that was the start of your friendship with Sam Winchester. The two of you bonded over the course of the semester in your Biology class. Between studying for exams and dissecting cats the two of you of you got close. You discovered you were both pre-law and in many of the same classes as each other, so you bonded over funny professor stories and shared notes and tips. After that semester, you both decided to take as many classes together as you could. Sam said it would be easier to pass the classes if he had a study partner and you agreed.

The next four years flew by with Sam as your best friend. Even after he was introduced to Jess and they got serious, you were still there. Your relationship with him was never complicated. Maybe it was still the part of you that never got close to people, but you never let yourself become attracted to him. He was just your best friend, plain and simple. The love you admittedly felt for him was platonic. You were happy to see him happy with Jess. She became your best friend, too. For the first time in your life you felt comfortable. You had been in the same place for four years and made close friends. You had inside jokes and plans for the future. You and Sam were both about to interview for law school. Everything seemed idyllic.

Until one day it wasn’t. Sam’s brother, who you had heard stories of, had shown up, Jess told you one weekend. Their dad had apparently gone missing, which was unlike him.

“I’m just worried he won’t make it back in time and he’ll miss his interview,” Jess said over the phone with you that afternoon.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” you comforted her as you sorted through your laundry. “Besides, that interview is all he’s been talking about for the past four months. He wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

“You’re right,” she sighs. “I’m baking cookies for him tomorrow as a little good luck and welcome back treat. Want to come over and help?”

“I wish I could, but I’ve got to prep for my own interview. I’m super nervous about it.” You stomach knotted at the thought of it and you thought about how silly it was in the grand scheme of things. “Save some for me, though.”

“I will. And don’t stress over your interview – you’ll be great. That school would be lucky to have you there.” You could hear her kind smile through the phone. “See you Tuesday for drinks?”

“Yeah, definitely. Talk to you later.” But you would never get to Tuesday night drinks with her. You would never get to thank her for the kind and encouraging words she gave you not only that afternoon but throughout your whole friendship.

You were walking to class that morning when you heard murmurs and whispers throughout the campus. Idle gossip was never really something you paid attention to, but this was piquing your interest. As you sat down in your first class of the day your friend Jill looked at you with wide eyes.

“Y/N, I – I thought you wouldn’t be here today,” she said quietly with concern heavy in her voice.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” you were confused by her tone and demeanor.

“It’s just with what happened to Jess… I know you two were close. I’m sure Sam is devastated, too.”

“What are you talking about?”

Your vision blurred and your breakfast threatened to reemerge from your stomach as you listened to Jill tell you about your best friend’s death. Tears filled your eyes faster than you could control and soon you were weeping in the middle of your Spanish class. You could feel everyone looking at you but you didn’t care. You quickly gathered your things and ran out the door. You went back to your apartment and looked up everything you could on what happened. One of your best friends had died in a fire. Her whole apartment had caught up in flames and according to the article you found, they were still investigating what happened.

You couldn’t think straight. You lost track of time. Before you knew it, it was twilight outside. You suddenly realized you hadn’t heard from Sam. With shaky hands you reached for your phone and dialed his number. You got his voicemail.

“Sam?” his name croaked out of your mouth. “Sam I’m not sure if you heard, but – uh – something’s happened with Jess. It’s bad. I need to know if you’re okay. Okay? Call me please.” You hung up and stared at your phone, willing a return call.

Instead you got a call you weren’t expecting. You dried your eyes with the heels of your hands before you answered it. “Now’s not a good time.” You said flatly to the person on the other end. The voice spoke for a moment and you listened. “Well I’m not sure if you heard but something’s happened to Jess.” You were becoming more annoyed as you listened to them. “I’m trying to get ahold of Sam, but I’m not sure where he is. He didn’t answer my call.” You weren’t sure why you were still talking to them at this point. “Yes, I understand. I’ll be in touch,” you ended the call and dropped your head into your hands. The pain that sat in your stomach at the thought of Jess dying and Sam being in the wind made you upset. You cursed at yourself for making friends and letting your guard down.

The next few days went past in a whirlwind. You had your law school interview, but it did not seem to matter anymore. You helped Jess’s parents with the funeral. You offered a comforting hand on their shoulders as they cried and served little sandwiches to guests after the service. It was beautiful, everyone had said. So many people from school and her hometown showed up offering their condolences. All but the one person you thought should be there – Sam.

Later that night you sat staring at your computer monitor for a bit. Your mind’s eye was still filled with images of the beautiful flowers, Jess’s smiling face in pictures, and her grieving parents. You bit at a fingernail as you opened up a new email.

Sam,

You missed Jess’s funeral today. It was beautiful. There were lilies everywhere like she likes and they even sang that stupid song that we always made fun of her for liking. Everyone who spoke had nice things to say about her. Her parents asked if you were okay and I told them you were. I’m not sure where you are but I hope it’s true. I know this is probably hard on you but please don’t shut me out. I’m here for you if you need me. At least let me know you’re okay.

Love,

Y/N

As you hit send you imagined a little envelope flittering away to wherever he was at that moment. You wondered how he was feeling and why he was being so distant with you. It seemed like now more than ever was when he needed someone like you. But you knew that grief hit everyone differently, so you let it slide.

About an hour passed when you heard the ping from your computer. You had a new email.

Y/N,

I’m sorry I’ve been so distant and I missed the funeral. I’m glad it was beautiful. She deserved it and so much more. I’m safe. I’m with my brother. I’m not sure if or when I’ll be back. I’m sorry.

Love,

Sam

You thought for a moment about all of the things you wanted to say to him. How upset you were that he was throwing away his future and how that was not what Jess would have wanted. Instead you took some calming breaths and hit reply:

I’m glad you’re safe. Please keep in touch. You know I’m always around if you need my help. X

A smile flashed across your lips as you read his quick reply:

Don’t worry, I will. You’re stuck with me.

School was never the same after Sam left and Jess died. You felt like you didn’t have a reason to be there. You went through the motions the last semester and graduated, but there was no one to celebrate the moment with. Your own family was too distant to care and your two best friends were gone. It all seemed so hollow. You cursed to yourself for getting close to people because this is what happens every time. Either you leave or they leave.

Law school was a bit harder, which was to be expected. Of course your vow to never get close to people broke a little here and there as you met new friends along the way. You were always there when they needed you but you always kept them at arm’s length to avoid future problems.

Helping people was in your nature. It was what you were born to do. After law school you found yourself working for Social Services, helping needy families. A routine started to develop for you: work, drinks or dinner with a couple friends, home, repeat. It was the cozy life you never dreamed you’d have. Everything was simple and predictable.

At least until there was a knock at your door at three in the morning.

Part 3

Tags:

@emilywritesaboutdean @pinknerdpanda @hannahindie @trexrambling @wheresthekillswitch @narisjournal-blog @jensen-jarpad @notnaturalanahi @casbabydontgoineedyou @simplydaisys @winchesters-favorite-girl @emwinchester1

[wotcherpotter]

@hpwritersnet | PROMPT TWO: JAMES & LILY

SUMMARY: Lily is out for a night of celebrating the end of the semester with her friends at their favourite bar OR “That asshole stole my song at karaoke night” AU

READ MORE: AO3 | FFN

Lily was admittedly already slightly tipsy. To be fair, she had been drinking since two in the afternoon and it was now seven. Really it was amazing she was only tipsy and not at the other end of the sobriety scale. She would have been proud of that fact had she not been trying to wing her eyeliner in the bathroom mirror for the last 15 minutes. As such, she was growing increasingly frustrated and her short temper was rearing it’s ugly head. She heard footsteps growing closer down the hallway, and was relieved to see Emmeline poke her head through the bathroom door.

“Everything okay in here?” Emmeline asked her.

Lily glared at her reflection in the mirror. Emmeline’s mouth was turned up in a smirk, a straw connecting her mouth to her vodka lime and soda. She was the last to arrive back at their shared apartment - her final exam had finished at four - and the only one who had the sense to get ready before consuming any alcohol. Lily’s face scrunched up when she saw the perfection that was her best friend’s own eyeliner.

“Clearly not,” Lily grumbled.

Emmeline’s laughter echoed off the walls of the bathroom. Lily turned to face her so she would receive the full power of her glare. Emmeline put her drink down on the sink and picked up the eyeliner Lily had thrown on the floor in anger. Emmeline maneuvered her body so she was standing under the right lighting and Lily closed her eyes in order to let her fix it.

“Stop fluttering your eyes,” Emmeline muttered.

“You’re poking a stick at my face, what am I s’posed to do?” Lily retorted.

“Alright I’m done, quit whining already,” Emmeline laughed, and she spun Lily to face the mirror again.

Lily inspected the job her friend had done, though she already knew it would be perfect.

“Thanks Em, you’re a lifesaver,” Lily said with an apologetic smile and a kiss on the cheek.

The exchange between them was a regular one even when they were both sober, and Lily smiled back at Emmeline guiltily. Emmeline rolled her eyes and smiled as she turned to leave and Lily followed, eager to get out of the cramped bathroom so she could breathe again. They walked back down the hallway to the kitchen where their third best friend (and housemate) Marlene was munching on the last of the cheese cubes from earlier in the afternoon. Lily snatched the last one out of her hand and threw it into her own mouth with a grin.

“Oh good, you’re finally ready,” Marlene teased.

“Not all of us can pull off effortless chic like you do, Marls,” Lily said with her mouth full.

“Ah, Lily my dear, you have no idea of the power you possess,” Marlene responded.

All three girls burst into a fit of laughter. They stopped only when Marlene’s phone began to ring from where it was plugged into the wall charging. She shushed the other two and answered the unknown number. The conversation only lasted a couple of seconds and Lily was completely baffled about what could have been said in such a short time.

“Uber’s here,” Marlene declared.

The three of them scrambled to grab their bags and down the last of the drinks. They made sure one of them had a key and then ran out the door of their flat and into the elevator. They only lived on the third floor of the building but they hadn’t been able to work out where the stairs were since they moved in. It didn’t bother them too much.

Their drive to the bar was short, a distance they probably could have walked but as Marlene had pointed out that would mean less time for celebration. The bar was busier than usual, even for a Friday night. Nevertheless, they were still able to get their favourite booth that was the perfect distance between the bar and the karaoke stage. Hestia, their favourite barmaid had put a makeshift reservation sign on the table for them. As her best friends slid around the booth, Lily went up to the bar to seek out the barmaid in question. She had to weave through a few groups of people, but one of the only positives about her short stature was that it was much easier to squeeze through to the front.

“Hestia!” Lily called over the music.

Hestia looked up from the other end of the bar where she had just finished pouring someone a pint. She spotted Lily in an instant, the flaming red of her hair hard to miss even in the dim lighting of the pub.

“Hi lady, how are you?” Hestia asked her with a smile.

“Forever grateful for your service and blatant favouritism of your patrons,” Lily responded with a giggle.

“You’re everyone’s favourites,” Hestia explained.

“Mmmhmm, sure. I see the way you look at Emmeline every time you come clear our table,” Lily said with a wink.

It was hard to tell in the light, but Lily swore she saw a blush form on Hestia’s cheeks. Hestia finished pouring their usual order and placed the last drink on the bar top. Lily gave her a tenner and told her to keep the change, carrying the three drinks carefully back to their table. She managed to arrive without spilling a drop and a breath of relief escaped her as she squished next to Marlene in the booth.

“Hestia was checking you out again, Em,” Lily said innocently.

Her facade broke as soon as she finished her sentence, and giggles erupted from both her and Marlene. Emmeline sipped on her drink quietly, and Lily was certain a blush was rising on her cheeks.

“When will you two bone already?” Marlene joked.

“Marls!” Emmeline said, whacking Marlene on the arm.

“Is it even boning when it’s two girls? There’s no bone,” Lily pondered.

“An incredibly good point there Lils, although maybe if one of them had a strap on?”

All three of them burst into laughter at the question Marlene posed. Lily had managed to spit out half her drink onto the table which caused them all to laugh even more, and droplets of rum and coke were falling onto their laps.

“Eeew, Lily, I wasn’t supposed to be sticky and wet until later tonight,” Marlene joked.

Lily cackled beside her and almost choked on what was left of her drink. Marlene patted her on the back and Lily wiped a tear from her eye. She could already tell it was going to be a good night. Hestia brought over a basket of wedges and said they were on the house, and Lily almost inhaled half of them. It felt like hours since she’d last eaten, and her stomach was begging for something. Marlene whacked her hand away when she was on her tenth wedge in two minutes, reprimanding her for hogging them all.

Lily huffed but was soon distracted by the first karaoke singer of the night. The hook for Ice Ice Baby started to play and Lily rolled her eyes, turning back to her friends. When she turned back to the table, both sets of eyes of her friends were looking at her with identical knowing smiles.

“What?” she said slowly.

Marlene’s eyes gave them away when she looked down at what was the basket of wedges.

“Hey!” Lily complained when she realised. “How did you even manage to finish them all so quick?”

Her best friends burst into fits of laughter and Lily couldn’t help but join them. Emmeline offered to get the next round of drinks and Lily and Marlene both teased her about Hestia again. Emmeline walked off with a blush forming on her cheeks again, and Lily downed the dregs of her rum and coke. Marlene had pulled her phone out of her pocket and was messaging someone on Tinder, and Lily was left to people watch.

Most of the people in the bar were familiar faces from her university. Though she had no idea who any of them were, she’d seen them on campus multiple times, and some she even shared classes with. There were groups of people crowded around standing tables all throughout the small space in the bar. She couldn’t lie to herself, she was scanning the crowd for someone in particular. She couldn’t see him anywhere, and though she tried not to feel dejected Marlene could sense it without even looking at her.

“Who are you looking for?” she asked, without even looking up from her phone.

“How do you even know I’m looking for someone? I’m just looking,” Lily tried to cover up.

Marlene locked her phone with a click and put it down on the table in front of her. She looked at Lily with an eyebrow raised. Lily was not an easily intimidated woman, but the look Marlene was giving her right now would have made anyone spill their guts on sight.

“Alright, alright! It’s just this guy I sat next to in my exam today. I’d never met him before even though we both had the same class all semester and he - well we connected I guess,” she confessed.

“Lily Evans! Are you saying there may be a suitor on the horizon?” Marlene questioned, dramatic as always, with a hand on her heart.

“This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” Lily pretended to grumble, but the smile on her face betrayed her.

Emmeline arrived back at the table with their second round (or seventh, if you counted all the ones back at their apartment).

“Lily has found herself a male suitor,” Marlene shared.

“Our darling girl, all grown up!”

“I’m older than both of you!”

“Technicalities,” Emmeline dismissed with a wave of her hand.

Lily looked at her shrewdly and noticed a napkin with something scribbled on it in her other hand.

“What’s that you’ve got?” Lily asked, pointing at the napkin.

“Don’t throw me under the bus just because you’re getting grilled!”

Marlene leant over and yanked the napkin out of her hand. Emmeline shrieked in surprise and both Marlene and Lily cackled in response. They studied it together and both their jaws dropped when they read it.

“I can’t believe you finally got her number,” Marlene said in shock.

“Give it back,” Emmeline whined.

Emmeline snatched the napkin back and pulled out her phone to store the number before it was lost again. Lily sipped her drink with a smile stretched across her face.

Marlene sighed. “I can’t believe Em is out here getting numbers from real people, and I’ve resorted to the scum of the Earth on Tinder.”

Lily snorted at her complaint. “You were just messaging someone on there.”

“It wasn’t really a stimulating conversation Lils.”

“Oh you like to be stimulated do you Marls,” Emmeline giggled.

“I wouldn’t mind it, yeah, but I don’t think any stimulation whatsoever can come from a Tinder hook up,” she complained again.

Lily spun to face her friend, her mouth forming a small ‘o’. “When did you hook up with someone from Tinder?”

“Oh Lils, it was dreadful! I went over to his house after my statistics exam on Wednesday, I thought it would be a good stress release.”

Emmeline snorted at that and Marlene glared at her.

“Anyway, we were kissing and he was so good at that but when we actually started to have sex it was like - like a rabbit trying to procreate.”

Lily and Emmeline screeched with laughter at her description. Marlene couldn’t help but join in, and they laughed for a good five minutes at least. Lily felt abs forming in her stomach it hurt so much from laughing and she saw tears rolling down Emmeline’s cheek. Lily tried to pull herself together to ask how Marlene had managed to get away, but every time she tried she saw the rabbit man again and a wave of laughter bubbled through her body.

“How can someone be so good at kissing and so - not at the dirty deed?” Marlene finished.

“The dirty deed, what are we, 40?” Lily teased.

Marlene whacked her on the arm in retaliation. She was about to get her revenge when the song playing over the speakers caught her attention. The start of a very familiar song, her go to karaoke song, had begun to play and she spun around in the booth again to see who was up on stage. Stealing her song. Her eyes bulged out of her head.

“Lily? What’s going on?” Emmeline’s voice was was tinged with concern at seeing the look on her face.

“Is someone singing your song?” Marlene said in confusion.

Marlene climbed over her to get a look at who was on stage, then looked back at Lily’s face. Lily blushed slightly, giving herself away.

“Shut up!” Marlene cried.

“What? What did I miss?” Emmeline asked, looking between them both.

“Lily he’s singing your song! You’re meant to be, I just know it!” Marlene cried.

“Is that the guy you were talking about?” Emmeline was still lost.

Lily’s face was burning by now. She swatted Marlene from off her lap so she could try and breathe again.

“Lily you have to go talk to him once he’s done murdering this song,” Marlene pleaded. “Even if it’s only to tell him never to sing again. For the good of the people.”

“Fine! Fine. I’ll go.”

Lily got up from the booth and her head spun a little, that way it always did when you drank sitting down and were more drunk than you thought. She heard her friends snicker behind her and turned to glare at them for what had to be the 18th time that night. Marlene nudged her forward encouragingly, and Lily tripped over her feet slightly. A blush formed on her cheeks against her will, but she managed to get to the side of the staged without further incident. She stood by the side and waited for him to finish.

“Once upon a time I was falling in love, now I’m only falling apart…” he was whispering into the microphone at this point. “There’s nothing I can say, total eclipse of the heart.”

He was on his knees, and Lily had to admit if he didn’t sound like a dying cat he might have been better than her. Might being the operative word. She watched him bow to raucous applause from a table near the back of the room, presumably his friends. He put the microphone back on it’s stand and turned to walk off stage, and the look on his face when he saw her was comical. Probably the same look she had on her face when she saw him earlier.

“Lily?” he questioned.

She waved, and he smiled so big and so beautifully she felt a weakness in her knees that wasn’t caused by the alcohol.

“What did you think?”

“You want my honest opinion?”

“Erm…” His right arm stretched up to mess up the already untameable mop on his head. “Do I want to hear it?”

Lily laughed at that, a proper cackle. She noticed he was still waiting for her answer, and she pondered how to put it nicely, a finger tapping her chin.

“I appreciated the dramatic flair you performed it with.”

“Thank you! No one ever appreciates the theatrics,” he said exasperated.

“My friend Marlene said we’re meant to be because that’s my go to karaoke song as well,” Lily said conversationally.

Only she realised too late what she said, and felt her cheeks warming up, certain they were now the same deep red as her hair. The man in front of her tried to hide his grin, but he was failing miserably.

“I just meant - I - oh, shut up, James,” she said, whacking him on his arm.

“Ow,” he said, absentmindedly rubbing the spot on his arm where she’d made contact. “That’s going to bruise. I think I’ll have to call security to escort you out for starting a brawl.”

“A brawl? I think I’m beginning to understand why your friends don’t appreciate your flair for the dramatics,” Lily teased.

“You wound me, Lily,” he said, a hand on his heart.

She rolled her eyes, but her smile was still there.

“What say I buy you a drink to make up for it?” she suggested.

“My love can’t be bought,” he declared.

Lily ignored him and instead started walking towards the bar. She turned to make sure he was following her, and was relieved to see him right behind her.

“I thought you couldn’t be bought?” She asked, as he fell into step beside her.

“It can’t hurt your chances,” he winked.

Lily turned away to try and hide the blush that was involuntarily creeping across her cheeks again. She weaved between the crowds again, though this time with more alcohol affecting her stability. She tripped on something and fell into someone at a nearby table. James reached out to steady her, his hands strong and warm around her shoulders. She thanked him for saving her life.

“And I’m dramatic,” he muttered.

He meant her to hear it though, and she knew that. What he didn’t mean for, was the person she bumped into to turn around at the sound of his voice and sneer.

“Watch where you’re fucking going, curry muncher,” the person jeered.

James chuckled uncomfortably next to her. She stood in front of James as tall as she could (which was still almost a foot shorter than him).

“Oi, wanker, it was me that walked into you,” she shouted.

Not giving him a chance to respond, she pulled her right fist back and punched him squarely in the jaw. Her dad had taught her how to punch properly when she was younger in an attempt at self defence. Thumb on the outside, between your first and second knuckle; fist tight and follow through. She had never actually thrown a proper punch before though, and her hand ached where it made contact with the stranger’s jaw.

“Holy fuck,” James whispered from behind her.

The stranger was in shock, and it gave Lily enough of a head start to drag James with her the other side of the bar and into the bathrooms. She tugged him inside a cubicle with her and locked it. The adrenaline bubbled up inside her and released itself as laughter, infectious, and James joined her. This laugh was so much better than the awkward chuckle from earlier; it was warm, and full and felt like sunshine dancing on her skin and she didn’t care in the slightest that she waxed poetic about it because it felt so damn good.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” James said so softly, she wasn’t even sure he had actually said it. “It was fucking wicked though.”

“I’d do it again,” Lily admitted.

Somehow she only just realised how much of a tight squeeze it was to have both their bodies in the one cubicle. She could feel heat radiating from James’s body. Something in the air changed, charged it with electricity. She looked up at his face to see he was already looking down at hers. She leant back against the wall of the stall as he leant forward. One of his arms was to her right, the other fiddling with the ends of her hair. The wait for him to lean in was agonising but when his lips finally met hers it was well worth it. Her lips burned where he had touched her. Maybe it was the alcohol, but maybe it was something a bit more than that as well.

It was definitely the alcohol that gave her the courage to deepen the kiss. Her hands had made their way up to cup his jaw. She felt his right hand move down around her waist and she smiled at the attempt to be gentlemanly while they snogged in a toilet. She bit down on his bottom lip and he gasped, but he got the message. His hands travelled further down her body, over the curve of her bum and hoisted her up. Her back leant against the wall of the stall and she wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips chased her pulse down her throat, and he found a sweet spot just behind her ear. A small moan slipped past her slips, and though she willed them not to her cheeks burned red. She felt him smile against her throat; it seemed the heat from her cheeks and made its way down her body as well. She opened her eyes reluctantly.

“Shut up,” she mumbled.

“I didn't say anything,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes, and it was then she noticed the toilet paper stuck to the bottom of her shoe. The poorly lit bathroom was filthy, and she didn't want to think what could be seen with properly functioning lighting. She felt slightly queasy over it. James’s mouth was still at her throat, but she couldn't continue this, not here.

“James. James, stop,” she urged.

He looked back at her in confusion.

“We can't do this here, it’s not-”

“-Romantic, of course,” he finished

“I was going to say hygienic but… I suppose you're right as well,” she said with a smile on her lips.

“Erm. Right, that too,” and this time it was his turn to blush.

Lily kissed him quickly before hopping down from where he had held her up. For the third time that night, she grabbed his hand and lead him out to the booth where Marlene and Emmeline were still sitting. Upon her return they both wiggled their eyebrows at her.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Lily said to them.

“Bit presumptive of you, Lils,” Marlene chided her.

Emmeline snorted beside her, and Lily was glad she had worn her hair down so that her blush blended into it. She dared to glance at James to her left and thought she could see a faint pink on his cheeks as well. Lily pulled the key to their apartment out of her back pocket and threw it at Marlene as a retort. She was following James out the door when Marlene called out to her again.

“Remember Lily: before you tap it, cap it!”