#whenever i do this imagine me with my face pressed against the glass waving sadly

[willowser]

i have so many asks to catch up on so i think i must close my inbox until i can do so 😔

[ashes-and-ashes]

Across Generations

Sirius cracks the door open, wincing at the loud squealing of the hinges. He pauses, hand on the doorknob, a strange sense of nerves overtaking him. He hadn’t been in Dumbledore’s office in over 2 years and yet he felt that gut-wrenching spark of panic that used to accompany him every time he was called up. He swallows, hard, reminds himself that he wasn’t a student anymore, that he could officially tell Dumbledore to kiss his ass if he wanted to.

With a sigh, Sirius pushes the door open, pokes his head through the opening. The office looks exactly the same as it had 2 years ago; floor to ceiling windows, cabinets crammed with all sorts of things lining the walls. Sirus looks at the huge oak desk and fights to keep a smirk off his face, the wood bringing back memories of him and Remus and the day before Winter Break in 7th year. He scowls, flinging the door further open - it hits the opposite wall with a sharp crack. “Professor? You wanted to see me?”

Dumbldore inclines his head. He’s seated in that massive chair - again Sirius has to physically bite his lip to stop himself from losing it - and he gestures for Sirius to join him at the desk. “No need to call me Professor, Sirius. We are well beyond that now.”

Sirius shrugs. He slides into the chair, propping his knees up on the edge of the desk. “Force of habit. You calling me back to school and all. Makes me feel like I’m a student again.”

Dumbledore concedes the point with a polite smile. He knots his fingers together, resting his elbows on the table, regarding Sirius over the top of his half-moon glasses. “How are you, Sirus?”

“Fine,” Sirius says. “If you wanted a report you could have just asked Peter to pass one on. No need to call me all the way here.”

“I understand your feelings - “

“No,” Sirius interrupts. “No you don’t.”

Waking up in the bed, the sheets cold where Remus’ body used to be. The note, the ink smudged where Remus had scrawled over the ragged paper: D sent me to the Werewolf Camps. Don’t know when I’ll be back. Love you.

He couldn’t remember much after that; shredding the note into hundreds of soft white shards, feeding them into the flames one by one. Putting himself back together slowly, the raw edges that Remus left behind, each memory like salt in the already destroyed wound.

It had been 3 months and Remus hadn’t replied, hadn’t answered any of Sirius’ letters.

Dumbledore’ gaze is steady, calm, and Sirius wants to claw that serene smile off his face. He clenches his fists under the table, grits his teeth and scowls. “Seriously Albus. What do you want?”

“Has Remus sent you any post?” Dumbledore asks.

The words are like a blow to the stomach. Sirus glares at him, the world staring to turn red. “Are you trying to make sure he doesn’t fucking write to me now?”

Dumbledore’s stare doesn’t change.

“No,” Sirius says shortly. “He hasn’t answered a single one of my fucking letters. He hasn’t had any contact with me after you ripped him from our bed and stuck him in those hellholes. Does that make you feel better?”

Dumbledore seems to tense. He slowly stands, walking over to one of the windows, staring out at the grounds. “No. Because he hasn’t answered any of my correspondence with him either.”

“I wouldn’t. Especially not with a man who sent me off to a Werewolf Camp.”

Dumbledore slowly shakes his head. “No it’s much worse then that. You see, we have a leak.”

Sirius stares at him. “Oh you’re fucking kidding me.”

“Sirius - “

“No.” Sirius slams his chair back; it skids across the floor with a horrible shrieking noise and crashes into one of the cabinets. “So first you imprison him in a camp with the monster who Turned him in the first place. Then you suspect he’s a spy after he doesn’t answer your fucking postcards? This is a joke right? Tell me this is a fucking joke Professor!”

“I was just asking,” Dumbledore says, low and slow, “If you had any idea that could help us - “

“Unfortunately I don’t have anything, due to the fact that Remus is on our fucking side.”

Dumbledore studies him. Sirius swallows; he feels like he’s under a sheet of glass, pressing against his nose, feels like he’s being pinned down by the weight of Dumbeldore’s glare. He stares back, trying not to let his discomfort show, the utter ease at which Dumbledore stripped him bare.

Finally, Dumbledore tilts his head. “You know,” he says, “I was around your age when I fell in love for the first time.”

“Oh congratulations,” Sirius replies, rolling his eyes. “Who’s the lucky girl?”

“His name,” Dumbledore says, and Sirius jolts, “Was Gellert.”

“Oh.” Sirius says. Then: “Oh.”

“I - “

“I don’t suppose,” Sirius interrupts, cutting Dumbledore off mid-sentence, “That you mean Gellert Jinglehopper, the cute boy who worked at your local quill shop?”

Dumbledore gives him a small smile. “Unfortunately not.”

“Of course.” Sirius waves his hand. “So yeah. My ex-headmaster was in love with one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time. Alright then, carry on.”

Dumbledore sighs, and Sirius allows himself to feel the small spark of victory that coursed theogh his veins. “You see, we were alike in so many different ways. We were - “

“Stifled geniuses?”

Dumbledore shakes his head. “Arrogant. Too caught up with our own problems to understand anyone else’s. And yes - he was brilliant. I suppose you’d know the feeling better then anyone else, Sirius, the utter brightness that some people can shine with.”

Sirius thinks of Remus, the way the room lit up whenever he smiled. The golden streaks in his hair, the soft edges of scar tissue, the hazel eyes that hid his razor-sharp mind. Yes, he knew damn well how bright some people shone. “Your point?”

“He was extraordinary,” Dumbledore says. “And I was blind. Because I was so caught up with him that I didn’t see what was going on. I didn’t see the cracks in the facade and it destroyed me afterwards.”

“If this is meant to be some sort of wanting to me about Remus then you can shove it.” Sirius crosses his hands over his chest. “He isn’t a spy. He’d never become one.”

Dumbledore shurgs. “We spent one summer together. I was convinced that I’d spend the rest of my life with him. But then - “

Dumbledore breaks off. His gaze was distant - Sirus got the sense that he was relieving an old memory, something painful and deep. “Things happened. Things that were out of my control. And so he left. The next time I saw him was when we dueled.”

Sirius swallows, trying to imagine what it would be like to fight Remus, slinging spells meant to hurt and wound and kill. He can almost picture it - the rain, the lightning. Remus’ face, heartbroken and determined and furious, the way his hands would be shaking on the handle of his wand even as he lifted up, prepared to fight -

“So the message is that my love for Remus is blinding me.” Sirius’ voice is flat - he knows he should be more respectful but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to give a shit. “Basically Remus is a spy and I’m a fool for staying with him and if I wanted to save myself I’d leave now and not come back.”

Dumbledore adjusts his glasses, polishing them on the hem of his sleeve. “I put Gellert in Numengard. It was an interesting punishment, specially tailored to ruin him. I put my lover inside of hell and I live with it every day.”

“I get it.” Sirius can’t keep the anger from his voice. “You want me to make shit up. Lock Remus in Azkaban.”

“Incorrect.” Dumbledore gestures towards Sirius with his hand. “I want you to prepare for the worst. I want you to know that love blinds us - love for our family and love for our friends. Don’t let yourself be fooled.”

Sirius rolls his eyes. He turns towards the door, anger burning in his chest. “So you want me to stop loving Remus like you stopped loving Gellert?”

Dumbledore just smiles sadly. “No Sirius,” he says and waves his wand; the door flies open with a crash. “It’s not possible to stop loving a person like that.”

[acdeaky]

a soldier’s return

warning: fluff

note: this is kind of a long one (for my writing anyway), so strap in, grab a beverage (or water, whatever tickles your fancy) and enjoy

word count: 1.9k

35B - ‘do you want to get dinner tonight?’

42B - ‘shut up and kiss me”

that was it; the war was over. yourself and sidney has arranged for him to pick eugene up from the station, letting them have an hour or so together before allowing eugene return to home live in mobile. sidney would drop eugene off at his home, leave him and his family alone and then eugene would find you.

you had desperately missed him during the war. when sidney left, it was just you and eugene to keep each other company. that was until, a year later, eugene signed up for the marine corps and was set off to training camp, leaving you all alone without the safety of your two best friends. luckily, it was only three years before sidney returned home. you finally had his company again after four years and you both had to patiently wait for eugene’s arrival.

the only information you knew was that eugene’s train got in at 10:48. it would take an hour and a half for sidney to drive to the sledge household meaning you would probably see eugene in the late afternoon, but nothing was set in stone.

throughout the war, your mind had wandered off to eugene fighting bravely in the war zones of the pacific. your heart ached whenever you begun to imagine what he was dealing with, and your heart further ached whenever you received a letter from him. his writing was always messy, but his words were true and filled with love. your best friend was thinking about you even miles away from home. the letters began piling up on your bedside table, that being only nine letters, but nine nonetheless.

when it got to the afternoon, your parents had left hours previously, leaving you to clean and tidy the house before eugene’s arrival. you were glad that they had left, wanting as much time with him without any interruptions. it had been four years since you had seen him face to face.

you were almost done fluffing the last pillows on the sofa when the doorbell rang. it was around 16:30 which made you know that it was eugene. excitedly, you skipped to the front door, stopping before you opened it. a shaky breath escaped your lips as you prepared yourself for seeing your best friend.

feeling prepared, you grabbed the door handle and pushed it downwards, ready to met eugene’s hazel eyes with your own.

“post for miss (y/l/n).” the cheery postman smiled at you, handing you a small bouquet of flowers. you hoped the disappointment on your face wasn’t evident as you thanked the man for the flowers, smiling back at him slightly. he turned to leave, letting you sigh sadly, rolling your eyes at your unnecessary excitement for the mail.

before you could fully shut the door, a hand stopped it, stronger than the force you put into shutting out the world. you turned around, ready to shout at the person who had paused your depressing moment, but a soft pair of hazel eyes stopped you.

“gene?” you whispered, shock completely filling you. not even caring about the beautiful flowers you had been gifted, you pushed yourself forward and into eugene’s arms. one hand holding the bouquet, the other wrapped itself tightly around eugene’s neck. his hands instantly found the bottom of your back, holding you in place against his chest.

he seemed almost taller than when he left. his muscles had definitely improved and his once tiny frame was broad and strong, one of the only advantages of being a marine. the pair of you held each other close; four years had been too long since you shared an embrace.

reluntantly, eugene was the first to pull away. “i’d love to stay and hug you, darlin’, but i can’t have you ruining my flowers.”

“they’re from you?” you smiled as eugene nodded his head in reply. “i love them, thank you.”

“you’re welcome, i couldn’t turn up empty handed after not seeing you for four years.”

“well, technically you did turn up empty handed ‘cause the mailman brought ‘em for me.”

“you know what i mean, smartmouth.” he chuckled, pressing his fingers into your sides.

“do you wanna come in? we’ve got years to catch up on.” a smile made its way onto both of your faces. the thought of sitting and talking to you made eugene’s heart flutter; it’s been the only thing he’s thought of throughout the war. that, and of course his ma.

“i’ve got to get ready for tonight, actually.” eugene’s smile feel, his hand reaching around the back of his neck to scratch it slightly; it was something he did when he was nervous.

“why are you nervous, gene?” your voice was filled with concern as to why he was worried. “what’s happening tonight?”

“well, i’ve hopefully got a date tonight.” ‘hopefully’. that’s what upset you. well, that and the fact that the man you were in love with was potentially going on a date tonight. any girl would be lucky to go out with eugene.

“who with? anyone i know?” you wanted to sound happy for him. you hoped you sounded happy for him.

“i haven’t asked her yet, but i’d say you know her pretty well.”

“you know mary’s taken, gene?” you giggled, making eugene chuckle nervously.

“i know. she wasn’t who i was thinking of.”

“who then?”

“do you wanna get dinner tonight?”

“me?” eugene giggled less nervously at your confusion, the way your face contorted as realisation hit you. “i’m the girl i know pretty well?”

“i guess you do know her, then.”

“i’d love to have dinner with you tonight, gene. give us a chance to catch up.”

“i’ll pick you up at seven, is that okay?” he asked, always the gentleman.

“of course it is,” you smiled widely at eugene, happy that it wasn’t some other girl who occupied his time tonight. “i’ll see you at seven. bye, genie.”

you stepped backwards, over the threshold of your home, all while still looking at eugene. his smile hadn’t faded and neither had yours. the silence that fell over you two as you just basked in the other’s features wasn’t awkward. it was nice. very nice, indeed.

just before you closed the door, eugene’s hand stopped it from closing like he did earlier. “this isn’t a friend date, (y/n).”

a smile couldn’t be stopped as you heard those words. “that’s alright with me, sledge.” he took his hand off of your door, biding you goodbye with a smile and a small wave. after closing your door, you spun around, leaning back against the door and sliding down it. once you hit the floor, you brought the flowers up to your nose to smell them.

daisies. your favourite.

seven soon came around. after you got up off of the floor, you placed the daisies in a vase, cutting the stems down to make them fit perfectly in the glass. then, you waltz into the bathroom, showering and then styling your hair as nicely as possible, applying a bit of makeup, too. next was your outfit. you chose a beautiful, pastel yellow swing dress which was flowered with white daisies; eugene’s favourite.

what felt like a short while, time soon ticked over and seven o’clock arrived. as if on a timer, the door knocked soon after the grandfather clock in your house chimed seven times. the smile on your face couldn’t be contained as you opened the door to reveal a flushed eugene, a single rose in his hand. once he saw you, his face mirrors yours.

he looked dashingly handsome. the suit his mother had bought him before the war (once baggy and draped off of his shoulders) now fit him perfectly, his broad shoulders filling out the jacket. his hair was slicked back, but still natural, a minimal amount of product used to style it. the toothy grin was by far the best thing he wore right then and there.

“i got you this.” he spoke through his smile, handing you the red rose.

“thank you, genie,” pressing the rose to your nose, you inhaled it’s scent. “it’s beautiful.” you carefully placed the rose on the table beside the door before stepping outside to meet eugene.

“not as beautiful as you, darlin’” eugene’s compliment brought a blush to your cheeks as he held out his arm for you to take.

the walk to the restaurant was filled with chatter and quiet laughter. your hand rested through and on eugene’s arm, as his hands were in both of his pockets, keeping away from the cool air. both of you walked in unison, stepping closer and closer to the restaurant without even realising.

“we’re here, love.” eugene spoke, stopping you both in your tracks before you could both pass the chosen place of dining.

“it’s look amazing, gene. thank you,” you turned to look at him and give him a smile of appreciation. “hang on, let me fix your tie.” he moved his neck up slightly, allowing you to get to his tie easier. his tie wasn’t wonky, you just wanted an excuse to be closer to his warmth.

“better?” he smirked.

“much better.” grabbing his hand after replying, you both stepped forward to the entrance, stopping behind a stand where a concierge stood.

“i have a reservation under sledge, sir.” eugene spoke, giving your hand a short squeeze while you waited for your table.

“i’m sorry, sir. there’s no reservation for a mr sledge.” the concierge replied, panic setting into eugene’s face.

“none at all?”

“no, my apologies, sir.” eugene only nodded, gripping your hand slightly tighter and moving away from the stand. once he had pulled you away and out of sight of the restaurant, eugene began apologising profusely for his mistake.

“i’m sorry, i wanted this to be perfect and i couldn’t even make a reservation to treat you to the perfect date you deserve. god, even after four years of war i’m still as nervous as anything. i’m so sorry, darlin’. i shouldn’t have promised you something that i couldn’t deliv-”

“shut up and kiss me.” you interrupted; the only way to stop his prolonged ranting.

“w-what?” he whispered.

“shut up and kiss me, genie.” you smiled, looking at the nervous expression on his face. your hands found their way onto eugene’s cheeks as his nerves started to settle. his hands landed gently on your hips, slowly pulling you two closer together.

you were both hesitant at first, worrying about bumping noses or missing the other’s lips all together. but once your lips found each other, all your worries melted away and your eyes closed in bliss. all the nerves that eugene has built up inside of himself were gone. all that mattered was that you were here with him, alive and well, having your first kiss.

it was soft, gentle. there was no rush or need, just delicate kisses. once you were fully certain that eugene was calm, you gave him one final kiss, releasing your lips from the other. both of your breathing was slightly heavy, nothing majorly above normal; it hadn’t been a heavy kiss after all. you stayed close to him, your foreheads pressed together as your hands went around his neck to play with the small hairs there and his hands stayed on your waist.

“it’s a perfect date because i’m with you. we don’t need to do anything else, let’s just go home, okay?” both of you still had your eyes closed, relishing in the feeling for as long as possible.

“okay,” eugene whispered in reply. “okay, let’s go home.”

-

TAGLIST: @never-kept-the-same-address @j0hn-deaky @sohoneyspreadyourwings @brian-maybe-not @deakysbabybooty @1001-yellow-daffodils @retromusicsalad @mrsmazzellotaylor @hardcoredisneynerd

[royalbloodedbastards]

chatzy // tipsy painting

DATE: Thursday, April 30, 2020 CHARACTERS: Kieran and Alec ABOUT: Kieran and Alec crash a tipsy painting event.

Alec half slid down the ladder from the loft in their scramble to open the door, flinging it open wide and spreading their arms in welcome. "Hey! Come on in!" they exclaimed, stepping to the side to give Kieran room to enter, then turning around completely to saunter over and hop up to sit on one of the card tables. "So I know hanging out on Thursdays was going to replace Tuesday movie nights, but we didn't say specifically it was also going to be a movie night, so I figured we could go out and do something fun instead of staying in?"

Kieran stepped into the cabin and shut the door behind him. He knew to come with zero expectations and was glad that Alec's suggestion proved that he was right to do so. "What sort of fun do you have in mind?"

"There's a tipsy painting night at a university and my friend said it'd be chill if we crashed it and they're already heading that way anyway so they can give us a ride?" All the words came out in a rush– Alec's excitement at the prospect was evident from their smile, fast words, and how they could barely sit still on the table. "I can lend you a shirt too so you don't mess up your clothes?" They gave him an expectant look.

"Ah," Kieran uttered in reply, thoroughly amused at Alec's enthusiasm. "Funny that you've phrased both statements as questions when your heart already seems dedicated to an answer." He nodded. "That sounds like an excellent plan and I would appreciate some loaned apparel. Thank you."

Alec laughed and hopped off the table to retrieve the shirt they had in mind, one that was on the verge between 'well worn' and 'threadbare'. "If you didn't want to then I'd be okay with staying here. Heartbroken, totally devastated, but okay with it." They presented the shirt to him. "But you agreed, so my heart is intact! Is this shirt okay? I have some others in better shape if you want, but I was gonna cut this one up tomorrow anyway."

"This is just fine, thank you." Kieran accepted the shirt with a smile. He laid the shirt on the table and start unbuttoning the one he was wearing. "So is this going to be any particular style of painting? Watercolor? Abstract expressionism? Bob Ross?"

"Bob Ross I think? I'm pretty sure there's a video to follow along if you want, but they let you do your own thing." Alec hopped up to sit on their kitchen counter now, grabbing an apple to snack on while they waited. "No way I can follow along fast enough so I'm just gonna go nuts with some colours."

Kieran laid his own shirt on the table and pulled Alec's over his head. He couldn't help but notice the way it smelled as the fabric caught on his face before falling flatly onto his torso. "All the best artists are rule-breakers," Kieran pointed out. "I'm interested to see what you'll create." He wandered over to the kitchen counter so he could lean up against it.

Alec smiled down at him, pressing a hand to their cheek for a moment. "It fits!" well, their brain supplied as an end to the sentence, but they brushed that to the side. "Not that that's surprising. Do you paint? Is it one of your artistic talents?"

"I do not paint," Kieran confessed sadly. "But I imagine the principles of composition, color, movement, et cetera all still apply, even though the medium and canvas have changed." He shot a cocky smirk up at Alec. "I'm confident that I'll be able to adapt my skills with ease."

"I bet you will!" Alec clapped a hand on his shoulder with a grin, then slid off the counter to stand beside him. "We should get going to meet my friend at their car. Wouldn't want to miss the chance to make your masterpiece!"

"Surely," Kieran agreed. "Does your friend live here in New Athens?" he asked as he started for the door.

"Mhm!" Alec tossed their apple core away and grabbed their coat as they followed Kieran out. "I don't know any Americans outside of camp. It's nice of them to give a ride, eh? They're not even going to the paint night, just to do work, so try not to get too attached." They laughed.

Kieran snorted. "Not once have I tried to attach myself onto anybody. All of my friendships are fortunate accidents," he admitted as he stepped onto the grass. Kieran gestured for Alec to lead the way once they were out of the cabin. "Happy accidents, I should specify."

Alec kept up a near-constant stream of chatter from the moment they stepped into the car until they came to a stop outside of the university, broken up by moments of silence where they were distracted by something whizzing by outside the window. They waved at the car until their friend was out of sight, then turned to Kieran and exhaled. "Oh, man, I felt like a golden retriever. It's been so long since I was in a car my brain short-circuited on the thrill."

"I wouldn't have pegged you for somebody stimulated by car rides." Kieran laughed and took in their surroundings. "Do you know which building we're meant to go to?"

Alec closed their eyes for a second, then started walking. "I think this way! They said there should be a sign outside, and this feels like the right direction."

Kieran followed Alec along the path. "Lucky guess?"

Alec wiggled their fingers at him. "Intuition." They came to a stop beside a handwritten sign with an arrow. "Here we go!"

"Powerful inituition," Kieran remarked as he pulled open the door for Alec. "After you."

Alec pressed a hand to their heart and entered the building. “Thanks! What a gentleman.” They spotted another sign and followed the path until it opened up into a room where a number of strangers milled about, chatting with glasses of wine in hand. Alec motioned towards two free easels. “After you? Just look like a student.” They flashed a grin at him.

"Fettered and unrested?" Kieran joked. He moved toward the free easels, looking about the room. "This isn't a BYOB function, is it?"

Alec scanned the room then pointed between a few easels. “Looks like they got some sorta bar set up o’er there! Wanna head? I could go for some wine to get the creativity going.”

"Absolutely," Kieran agreed, heading to the bar. He tried not to be too judgmental about the selection of wines as he grabbed a glass for both himself and Alec. "What type of wine do you typically prefer?" Kieran asked as he poured himself a dry red.

Alec was pleased to recognize two of the brands as ones they could drink. “I like red!” they chirped. “And the one you’re pouring is vegan, so I like that even more.”

"Ah," Kieran smiled, holding the bottle up by his face. "I can assure you that I very intentionally selected this wine for that exact reason." He filled up the cup beside his, stopping just shy of the rim. "Just say when," Kieran joked as he put the much-emptier bottle back on the table.

Alec laughed and took the cup carefully. “Are we gonna bankrupt this paint night?” They held out their glass towards him. “We gotta cheers here so I can take a sip and not spill this on my way back.”

Kieran waved a hand as he picked up his glass. "I'll leave a tip with the porter." He clinked his wine glass against Alec's with a santé and took a big sip.

Alec repeated Kieran’s cheers back to him and cupped the glass like a goblet as they took a long enough sip that they weren’t in danger of spilling it. Around them people were beginning to return to their easels, still chatting, and the woman Alec assumed was the coordinator began pulling a video up on the projector screen. “Looks like our clue to put our painter’s hats on!” Alec took another sip as they headed back towards the available easels. “I’m gonna start from the top and paint down so I can see how it changes as I get more tipsy.”

Kieran laughed at the idea. "I'm sure that will be... Compositionally interesting." He stood by his easel and took another big sip of wine before setting the glass down. "I'll follow the video to some extent. I'll do an interpretation. Depart whenever I feel that the instructions have become inhibiting."

“It’s gonna be great,” Alec agreed, choosing to take it fully as a compliment. “Are you still chill with chatting or do you wanna get in the flow of painting?” They took another sip of their wine and examined one of their paintbrushes.

Kieran snorted. "Believe it or not, the appeal of this event was not the opportunity to replicate one of Mr. Ross's master works. I would be happy to keep chatting. Unless of course, you don't want me to interrupt your own flow, which I would completely understand."

Alec laughed and lowered their wine to start mixing some paint colours. “My flow can stand some chatter. What was the appeal?”

Kieran gestured vaguely in the air. "You know..." He furrowed his brow. "The social nature, the... Invitation." He felt a strange heat rising in his neck. Weird. "And the alcohol, of course." He picked up his glass of wine and took another big sip. "Why, what was yours?"

Alec picked up their paintbrush and drew a line across the top of their canvas. They turned to give him a wide smile. “I wanted to spend time with you.”

Kieran scrunched his lips to the side to hide his smile. He turned away from Alec as he picked up his brush then set his glass down. Kieran took a step back to consider his whole easel before looking up at the video projected on the screen. "So I was right," Kieran remarked as a Bob Ross video started playing. He smirked at Alec, wiggling his fingers as they did before. "Intuition."

Alec threw back their head and laughed. “You got me beat!” They wiggled their fingers back, a couple drops of paint dropping onto their already battered sneakers as the paintbrush shook. “I’m some excited to see all the trees people paint,” they sighed, genuinely thrilled. “Something about looking at nature on a canvas is so relaxing. And nature off a canvas! But the colours are brighter in paint.”

Kieran started on his easel, following along with the video. He looked down at the colors beside him then over at Alec's. They were the same. Kieran furrowed his brows, wondering why he expected them to be different. "What color are the trees where you're from?"

Alec paused their sequence of horizontal lines and cocked their head to the side. “Same as here, why?”

Kieran exhaled a laugh. "Sorry, I should have been more specific with my phrasing." He shook his head, but still didn't rephrase his question. As he painted a long brown stroke on his canvas, Kieran muttered. "They used to be white." He lifted his brush and considered the brown line before relaxing his arm and looking at Alec. "In Maine, there was a birding trail I liked to hike through. Where I would spend the majority of my time, if I'm being candid. The trees were long and bare. Their barks were white. And then in the fall, when all the leaves would turn, the sky would light up like a pimpernel. Just a fiery orange."

Kieran shrugged and resumed painting. "Not that the colors don't turn around here. But it just looked different," he muttered. "Against the white."

Alec hung onto each word, nodding along slowly and trying to picture the trees in their head as Kieran described them. “That sounds right beautiful,” they breathed as he returned to his painting. “I wish I could see that. The trees back home are kinda sad, to be honest? Short and stubby like. The ocean’s where the beauty is, and the shores and houses. Everything’s designed to be colourful to brighten up the gloom.” They added a vibrant streak of yellow across the blues they had layered along the top of the canvas.

Kieran watched as Alec painted a streak of yellow across their canvas. "Hm," he muttered as he looked back at his own. "Maybe I should do the same then." Kieran dipped his brush into the red and painted a big scarlet line beside the brown.

Alec glanced over at Kieran’s canvas and beamed. “Good plan! Join me off book.” They looked back at their own canvas. “But I’m not following the video at all, by the way,” they laughed, realizing how mismatched their canvas was to the one on the screen. “Just painting some lines, filling some background space.”

"I've noticed," Kieran laughed as he glanced over at Alec's canvas. "Perhaps I'll land somewhere between you and Mr. Ross. Where structure meets whim." Kieran looked back at the video and started recreating the strokes on his own canvas, making some bright red trees in the foreground. "Or at least where structure meets red wine," he laughed.

“Who knows! What if I was just that terrible at taking direction?” Alec painted a third of the way down their canvas, mainly blues with the odd splash of yellow or green, then picked up a tiny brush and began meticulously drawing a pattern in white paint overtop. They had their glass in their other hand the entire time, pausing to take sips here and there. “I love how you keeping calling him Mr. Ross. He sounds like an art teacher- I guess he is, eh? But I mean like a high school art teacher, like from Degrassi or something.”

"Degrassi," Kieran laughed. "Were there teachers in that show? All I remember is when Drake got shot and when the pregnant girl hit her head on a rock." Kieran took another sip of wine. "For a high school drama, the learning seemed secondary."

“I’ve never actually seen Degrassi,” Alec blurted out in confession. “It’s just what I think of when I imagine high schools. Drake got shot?”

"Famously," he chuckled. "His character became wheelchair bound. It was quite the shocker for a teen show, and I promise that I am not as much of a fan as I am probably coming across as right now." He dropped his head and laughed. "I wouldn't have retained that memory if he hadn't later gone on to become Drake."

Alec shook their head and smiled fondly at him. “I can’t believe I’m in the company of the number one Degrassi fan. It’s an honour.”

Chuckling, Kieran shook his head in surrender. "Alright, alright." He resumed painting, rushing a bit now to catch up to the video. "I'll accept that because it truly is an honor to be graced by my presence."

Alec had to catch their breath from laughing again so they could take another sip of wine. “I couldn’t agree more.” They returned to their tiny patterns across the dark blue part of their painting. “I’ll get the next glasses of wine when you’re done yours! Then you can keep up with the video.”

Deciding to skip the next part of the painting, unsatisfied with the way the mountain looked in the video, Kieran resumed drinking. "That would be lovely." He looked down at his cup and tilted his head back and forth a few times before deciding to go for it, downing the rest of the wine in one big gulp. He covered his mouth and burped quietly before setting the glass down beside Alec with a smile. "Thank you."

Alec, upon seeing Kieran down the rest of his drink, quickly followed suit. They made a face and shook their head like a dog shaking off water at the taste of it all at once. “Jeez, I’m bad at drinking.” They scooped Kieran’s glass up and smiled back, lifting both glasses in cheers and tapping them to each other before turning to scurry back to the bar. Fortunately, someone had opened a new bottle of the red they were drinking, and Alec refilled both glasses to the top. They slowly made their way back. “Delivery?”

"Ah, the porter," Kieran joked as he took back his glass. "I suppose I'll just leave my tip with you then," he suggested as he held up his glass to cheers Alec.

Alec tapped their glass against Kieran’s, spilling only a couple drops. “Paying me for my company now?” They grinned.

Kieran took a sip of wine before setting down his glass. "It's funny. I've paid people to rid myself of their presence, but never paid somebody to stay. Perhaps you could be the first."

“You have?” Alec tilted their head to the side and laughed. “I’d be honoured. Except not actually, obviously.”

Kieran laughed as he resumed painting. "Unfortunately, I have not. I was just being facetious. I think my general rudeness and impatience for social niceties is enough to drive people away. Not that I'm complaining."

Alec blinked at him. “I’ve never thought you were rude or impatient?” They lowered their paintbrush and took an absentminded sip of wine. “Not even when we first met.”

Kieran smiled a bit as he dipped his brush in the paint. "That's very kind. A minority opinion." He turned to Alec and smiled fully. "But thank you."

Alec beamed back and pressed one hand to their cheek, leaving a smudge of yellow paint behind when they dropped it a few moments later. “It’s true! I think you’re...” they searched for the right words. “Super charming.”

Kieran's smile twisted into a crooked little grin. He turned back toward his easel, but his mind had fallen off the painting. Super charming, he echoed in his head. I am a son of Aphrodite. Kieran laid down his brush just a second after picking it up and tapped his own cheek with his finger. "You have some paint."

Alec added a couple spirals in the middle of the canvas, deciding they were tipsy enough to fill in the middle third. They blinked when Kieran spoke and started rubbing the wrong cheek. “Am I getting it?” Now there was a smudge of blue on their other side.

"Yeah," Kieran smirked. He shook his head and chuckled, looking back at his easel. He picked up his brush, looked up at the projector, then sighed. "Okay, sorry, no." He laid down his brush and gestured for Alec to come closer. "You've actually made it worse."

Alec laughed and put their brush down to step closer. “You coulda got me there.” They pointed to their cheek with the yellow, an inch above it. “Here? Sorry to make you miss the teachings of Mr. Ross.”

"Mr. Ross's teachings are like publicly funded fireworks. You've seen one, you've seen them all." Kieran held Alec's chin with one hand and used his thumb to swipe away the yellow. He wiped the paint off on his shirt before switching to the other cheek.

Alec closed their eyes when Kieran took their chin and laughed. “You’ve really got a way with words, that’s exactly what they’re like. But still fun every time!” Unconsciously, they leaned into his brief touch to their cheek. “If it’s gonna keep going this way I’m sure glad I wore painting clothes. First my shoes, now my face. I’ll be blue top to bottom in an hour.”

Kieran laughed, swapping his hands to wipe away the paint on their other cheek. "Better blue on the outside than on the inside." He gave them a pat on their chest once he was finished and wiped his fingers dry on his shirt. "Though this shirt can only sop up so much paint. So if you're blue from head to toe," Kieran shrugged. "You're on your own."

Alec made sure to wipe their hands on their own shirt to avoid smearing more paint on their face, at least for the time being. They smiled at him. “I’ll try and avoid it then.” Picking up their glass of wine again, they returned to their spirals, drifting towards a warmer colour palette now.

Kieran glanced back up at the video. The landscape was much more populated now than Kieran's was. He decided to just pick up where Bob was and painted a red river running through the scene. "Hm. Maybe I should have opted for a different color," Kieran chuckled as he painted another red stroke onto his canvas. "It looks like I've turned my still-life into a war crime."

Alec put their paintbrush down for a break and picked up their wine glass, taking a couple steps over to stand beside Kieran. They grinned at him and swished the wine around in what they hoped was a pretentious manner, resting their chin on one hand as they examined his painting. “A modern-day Guernica,” they announced the way they imagined art critics to speak. “A vivid portrayal of war and the violence of deforestation.”

Stepping aside to let Alec asses his easel, Kieran took another sip of wine. He almost spat back into the cup after snorting at their appraisal. "Cubism? Oh, no, no, no. I was going more for a Motherwell or Cy Twombly vibe." He looked around the room to make sure nobody was watching before picking up the small cup of red paint and splashing it onto his canvas. He slammed the empty cup down and gestured to the painting with aplomb. "There. Now do you see my vision?"

Alec laughed. “I meant in subject not style, but sure.” As Kieran tossed the paint onto the canvas Alec gave an ‘ooh’ of appreciation and tapped their fingers against their glass in an odd sort of clap. “Clear as water! It’s a masterpiece. Your chef-d’oeuvre.”

"Thank you, thank you," Kieran rolled his hand and gave a regal bow. "The bidding will start at one million. Euro." He lifted his wine glass to take another sip.

“I can give you...” Alec went through their pockets with one hand. “Five dollars, a twenty-sided die and half a fortune teller?”

Kieran just smirked over at Alec. "I'll just subtract the total from what I'm paying you for your company."

“An artist and a businessman? Incredible!” Alec considered their glass of wine, then downed another part of it. “Is this the final product? You’re making me want to throw paint on my canvas.”

"Finality is a construct," Kieran quipped. "But please, don't let my decisions influence your masterpiece. Do what feels right in your soul."

Alec squinted at their canvas. "The final third is for the final third glass of wine," they decided. "If the paint pouring spirit takes me I'll do it." They bumped his shoulder with theirs lightly then moved back to in front of their own easel.

"Alright," Kieran nodded, mentally preparing himself for a third glass of wine. He took a moment to reassess his canvas. The splatter of paint was interesting, but now the whole canvas was overwhelmingly red. Kieran wondered if he should try to salvage it or just stop there. Rather than decide, he just swirled his brush in the little cup of water and looked over to see what Alec would do.

Alec continued adding colours to the swirls in the middle section until their wine glass was empty, which only took a minute or two. They took a step back and nodded to themself, pleased with how the assortment of colours was coming along, then looked over at Kieran. "Gathering inspiration?" they asked brightly.

"Letting the ideas marinate," Kieran confirmed. He picked up his glass and took a long sip to catch up with Alec. "Are we meant to bring these back home once they're complete?"

"Letting them pickle?" Alec suggested instead, holding up their empty glass. "If we want! If you like it. We could swap paintings!" They laughed. "Or put them both up in the Tyche cabin, your apartment seems much more, uh, curated? Than mine."

Kieran snorted. "Yes, I don't think my angsty, red portrait would feature very nicely in our living room." Kieran took the last sip of his wine then held out his hand toward Alec. "May I?"

Alec laughed. "Maybe not." They looked at his hand, then at his face. "Are you asking for my glass or my hand?"

Kieran smirked. "Your glass? For your final third?"

Alec handed their glass over to him and gave him their best look of disappointment. It was ruined by how they couldn't stop smiling for more than a few seconds. "I'm crestfallen."

Kieran rolled his eyes as he passed Alec. "I'm sure you'll recover." He looked through the bottles at the bar, but most had seemed to be poured out, save for a different brand of red and a half empty bottle of white. Kieran looked around to make sure nobody was looking at him before ditching their cups at the table and bringing the bottle of red back over to their easels. "I wanted to confirm with you that this is in fact a vegan wine," Kieran explained, holding the bottle out toward Alec. "If you would do the honor of assessing it."

Alec took the bottle and examined it, then pulled out their phone to Google it. They frowned and shook their head. "Aw man, no, it's not. Was there anything else left at the table?"

Kieran nodded his head. "Indeed there was. If you'll excuse me." He pranced back over to the table to swap the bottles, returning with the half full white. "How about this?"

Alec only had to look at it long enough to figure out what the brand name was. "Oh! Yeah! That's vegan." They blinked at him. "But it's white, are you okay with that?"

"Pfft," Kieran scoffed before taking a big swig straight from the bottle. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then pressed the bottle to Alec's chest. "I'm white. Are you okay with that?"

Alec laughed hard enough that they had to grasp the bottle with both hands to make sure they wouldn't drop it. "You're some secret party animal, eh?" They followed his lead and drank straight from the bottle, only noticing their glasses were missing when they went to refill them. They didn't ask. "I think I can manage."

Kieran snorted. "Good. And I'm not sure why you would think it's a secret, I'm very obviously a beast of the party. Do you not very fondly recall our Pixar movie night from a few weeks ago? Rollicking." He clapped his hands and loudly repeated, "Rolicking!"

Alec almost wheezed they were laughing so hard. "Lord liftin', I'm stunned either of us remember that night!" They held the bottle out to him. "But yeah, a right fond memory. Just like this one! Like this one's gonna be."

"I remember everything, Master Masters." Kieran tapped his temple before taking the bottle from Alec. "Like a proverbial pachyderm." He took another sip of wine then wearily muttered, "Some men would tremble before the memories stored in this hippocampus."

Alec understood maybe half of the words coming out of Kieran's mouth. "Should we be headin' her once this bottle's done?" They picked up one of the cups of paint and drizzled it along the bottom third of their canvas. "Make a break for it 'fore they notice we drank half the free wine?"

Kieran leaned in toward Alec and loudly whispered, "As far as I'm concerned, my painting has achieved its maximum potential for pathos. If you feel like your painting is similarly complete, we can always grab the easels and the wine and make a run for it."

Alec broke into a lopsided grin. "We've reached the crime part of the night, eh? Are you planning to take your easel with you?"

Kieran held up a hand. "Sorry, I misspoke. Just the canvas. I would never steal an easel when art departments are already so criminally underfunded. But yes," he nodded. "We have indeed reached that part of the night. That is, if you agree that it's a good idea. If you don't, then I'm absolutely just kidding, I would never do that sort of thing."

Alec just held a finger up to their lips and put their coat back on. They held out a hand. "I'll tuck it in my jacket here, got an inside pocket. They'll be none the wiser on our way out the door."

Kieran passed the bottle to Alec before lifting his easel up off the canvas. "Oh, that is still wet. That is very wet." He stepped back as a drip of red fell off the edge and onto the floor. "Okay, new plan, I'm just gonna run," he hissed. Without waiting for a response, Kieran pranced toward the door that they entered through and pushed on straight outside.

Alec dissolved into laughter and shoved the wine into their inside pocket, grabbing their own unfinished painting and bolting after him. As they caught up they slowed down, but kept to a brisk pace. They grinned over at him and slung an arm around his shoulders once they were outside and heading away from the building. "I'd say that was a success! We unlocked some hidden talents."

Kieran grabbed Alec's wrist, letting his arm hang off of theirs. "Yes! I never knew you were such an artist, I'm very impressed with your lack of inhibition on the canvas. I applaud you." Kieran let go of Alec's wrist for just a moment to give tiny butterfly finger claps before grabbing on again. "I for one have learned that I have very little patience for still life paintings and that April is still a very cold month."

"Just call me A-lack of inhibition Masters." Alec grinned at him. "Want t'find somewhere to perch and send 'er?" They tapped the outline of the bottle in their jacket with their spare hand. "Or are you rarin' to call a cab back toward camp?"

Kieran thrust a hand in no specific direction. "Let's send her! Onward, A-lack!" He pulled them toward a light post in the distance, assuming there would be seating there. There was not, but there was a concrete planter that Kieran walked right up to and sat down on. "Let us."

Alec followed along easily and sat beside him, dropping their arm from his shoulders on the way so they could could their canvas with both hands. They propped it up against the canvas and crossed their legs. "5 star accomondans," they remarked. "Accomadatons. Accommodations." They gave a satisfied nod once they got the word right. "Right comfy." Pulling the bottle of wine out of the inside of their jacket, they scooted their position around so they were sitting facing him and held it out. "Your wine, monsieur?"

Kieran wrapped his arms around himself as Alec got settled, rubbing his forearms to create friction. "Ah, merci," he responded as he took the wine from Alec. He held it up to the light to see how much was left. "Alas, drunk all and left no friendly drop to help me after," he moaned. He took a tiny sip and held the bottle back out toward Alec. "The rest is yours, friend."

Alec pressed a hand to their cheek as they watched him, smiling. Their face felt warm to touch. "Can't say we didn't get our money's worth, eh?" they joked as they took the bottle back. They lifted it up and down a couple times to judge the amount left, then tilted their head back to drain the rest. Placing the bottle down carefully on the ground beside their canvas, they whistled a couple notes of a random song and settled into a position leaning their elbows on their knees. They returned to smiling at him. "Fun first Thursday! Next time we can hang out without gettin' drunk, unless that hurts your party animal spirit."

Kieran pulled his legs up into a cross and turned to face Alec. "My party spirit animal never wavers in its strength. Rather, it simply descends to a frequency undetectable to most when I'm sober." Kieran shook his head with a laugh. "But no worries, I'm sure you'll learn how to hear it in due time. It's always there. Singing."

Alec laughed and ran a hand through their hair to mess it up. "You betcha I'll figure out how to tune into that frequency. A constant singing party animal, like a radio show. How's it feel to be so cool?"

"Oh, poppycock," Kieran scoffed with a shooing hand. "I'm nothing of the sort. You're cool, what with your inverted suspension and high elevations. I am, however, cold," Kieran confessed with a grin as he started to shiver. "So maybe we could find a warmer place?"

"I think you're cool!" Alec exclaimed earnestly, reaching forward to take both of Kieran's hands. "I think you're really cool. But also cold, yes." They smiled and squeezed his hands before letting go. Glancing around, they tried to figure out where somewhere warmer could be, already shrugging out of their jacket. "Y'wanna head back or look around for somewhere? Wear this for now." They held out their coat for him. "I'm way warm enough. And hey, matches with the shirt! 'Cause it's mine, I mean."

Kieran bowed his head as he accepted the jacket. "Thank you. For both your generosity and your curatorial eye." He slipped the jacket on and did a little turn. "Eh?" He mimicked Alec's accent poorly. "Head her out and slap 'em in the galleys, eh?"

Alec clapped for him as he turned. "A new wave in fashion!" It took them a few seconds to clue in to the fact he was making fun of them. "Hey!" they laughed, not even bothering to try and sound offended. "That's a right good impression. You'd fit right in on the Cape."

"Ah, you flatter me," Kieran dismissed. "And I thank you for it." He stepped forward to sling his arm around Alec as they did earlier and gestured forward on the path. "Let's onward to warmer sands. Wherever they may be, I have no preference."

Alec picked up their canvas and bottle. "How's about we wander 'til a cab strolls by? Drives by. Walking'll warm us up anyways." They leaned into Kieran and tucked the empty bottle back inside their jacket. "Let us onward."

Kieran walked along the path, taking in their surroundings. After a moment of silent contemplation, Kieran spoke again, his voice much softer and calmer now. "You know, I never knew there was a university so close to New Athens."

Alec took his wrist the way he had theirs earlier. They hummed as he spoke. "It's cool, eh?" They glanced at him to see his expression and try and judge what he was thinking. "Easy commute."

"Easy commute," Kieran repeated. He looked over at the campus buildings beside them for a moment, before looking at Alec. "Thank you," Kieran said with a smile. "This was a lovely idea."

Alec smiled back at him fondly. "I thought it'd be a fun time to get outta camp, get some new scenery."

"Yes, well, you thought correctly." Kieran looked ahead and dropped the arm he was holding around Alec so he could sprint forward. Leaping up, he grabbed onto a light pole and swing around it, his other arm flung out dramatically. "Ma n'atu sole, cchiu' bello, oi ne'!" Kieran belted in his best feigned operatic baritone. "'O sole mio, sta 'nfronte a te!"

Alec watched him swinging around the lamp post singing opera and felt a pleasant warmth spread through their chest, coupled with the desire to press their hands to their cheeks which they made no effort to resist. "Holy mackerel," they whispered to themself in tipsy delight before jogging forward to catch up with him. He's so cute. "A rising star! A new talent sweeping the nation!" They spread their arms wide, canvas still clutched in one hand. Even with just a t-shirt, they didn't feel the post-sunset chill in the air. "Encore! Encore!"

"Oh, stop! Stop!" Kieran feigned joyous weeping, his hand clutched over his heart. "Oh, alright! 'O sole, 'o sole mio!" Kieran continued, rounding out the end of the chorus. "Sta 'nfronte a te! Sta 'nfronte a te!" Kieran sustained his last note as he jumped off the light pole and held his hands out to Alec, gripping the sides of their face with dramatic urgency.

Alec smiled so widely at him between his hands that their eyes closed. They rested their free hand on his forearm. "A voice like none I've heard before!" they continued with their over-exaggerated tone of awe. "And such a rare roadside performance!"

"You are much too kind, truly!" Kieran relaxed his grip on Alec's face, letting his hands rest on their cheeks. For a moment, he just stood there quietly, not knowing what to say but not wanting to move. Then, he let his hands fall to Alec's shoulders and shrugged. "I suppose the hidden talents just continue to be unlocked."

Alec dropped their hand when Kieran moved his, grasping onto the front of the jacket he was wearing. “They do, eh? I find out more about you every time.” Their smile softened as they watched him. “Can’t wait to see what I learn next.”

Kieran smiled. "You and I both." His eyes flickered to the road, which was still empty as before. "I have not noticed any taxis, I must say."

Alec blinked and let go of the jacket. They looked to the road as though expecting a cab to appear if they checked. “Huh, yeah. Should I call one?”

Kieran held up a hand. "Allow me. You've already done quite the job arranging this evening thus far. I would be glad to extend some sort of effort to even out the playing field." Kieran pulled out his phone to order an Uber.

Now that going home was an immediate prospect, Alec could feel some of the haze clear from their head. A pleasant warmth was still settled through their chest and they watched Kieran order the Uber, holding onto their own arms. “Look at me, a right organizer.”

Kieran went through the motions and ordered an Uber. "Alright, looks like Gregory is just... Eighteen minutes away?" Kieran shook his head. "Preposterous. We'll have succumbed to hypothermia by then." He gave Alec a mournful glance. "I can already hear the Celine Dion."

Alec laughed and put their arm around Kieran again, rubbing the side of his shoulder in an attempt to warm him up. “I’ll give you space on my floating door.”

"Your generosity truly is limitless." Kieran gestured down at the curb. "Shall we take a seat?" He didn't wait for an answer before sitting down on the curb, pulling his knees into his chest.

Alec sat as well and stretched their legs into the street, tilting their head back to see if they could make out any stars past the glow of the streetlights. Soon growing bored of that, they leaned back on their hands and looked over at Kieran. “Did I end up smudging any more paint on my face?”

Kieran looked over at Alec and smiled. "You did, yes. You've made yourself into art."

Alec touched their painting, then purposefully put a dot in the middle of each of their cheeks. “Finishing touch.” They tapped Kieran’s chin to smear a small circle of orange on it and grinned. “Perfect.”

Kieran gasped when Alec marked his chin. "What?" He laughed and went to wipe the dot away with his hand, but paused. "Alright... Fine. But if you're going to harlequinize me, at least make it complete." He turned toward Alec and gestured toward his cheeks. "Master artist, here's your canvas."

Alec turned to face him as well and considered their painting, deciding to stick with orange after a moment of thought. They wiped one of their hands on their shirt and used that to hold Kieran’s chin steady as they drew a spiralling pattern on each of his cheeks. It didn’t seem complete, so they added a tiny heart on the tip of his nose. “Perfect!”

Kieran sat still with his eyes closed. He laughed as he felt Alec drawing on his cheeks. "Why does this seem more elaborate than the one you gave yourself?" Once they were finished Kieran opened his eyes and smiled. "Am I museum-worthy?"

“‘Cause I can see you!” Alec chirped, wiping their other hand on the shirt Kieran was wearing. “Yep, for sure. You’re gonna have to stand next to my other painting the whole time, it’s a matching set.”

Kieran snorted. He pulled out his phone and checked his reflection in the dark screen. "I appreciate your color consistency." He smiled over at Alec, his eyes flickering over the patterns on their face. "May I return the favor?"

Alec slid their canvas towards him and closed their eyes, leaning forward. “Yeah! Make me art!”

Kieran dipped his fingers in the wet paint and started recreating the patterns on Alec's face. A swirl on the left cheek, a swirl on the right. Kieran took Alec's chin in his hand and made a dot just below their lip with his thumb. "And..." Kieran eyes trailed up looking for the tip of their nose, but got caught somewhere on their lips. 

 A moment later, Kieran's lips were against Alec's. Then a moment later, they weren't. 

"There." Kieran made a small dot on Alec's nose and dropped his hands. He smiled. "Now we match."

Alec barely had time to realize Kieran had kissed them before it was over, and they found themself leaning forward to follow it. They caught themself and leaned back again, blinking their eyes open and touching their lips absently. Huh. The warmth in their chest was spreading to their fingertips.

Within a couple seconds they snapped out of it and smiled back at him, cheeks hot. “We do, eh?” They cleared their throat. “I’ll have to stand on the other side of the painting to balance out the set.”

"Ah, like that Gotye song," Kieran joked. His heart was firing rapidly in his chest but his mind felt like it was suspended in air, floating freely somewhere above him. "Hopefully sans all the angst."

Alec wondered if it would be okay for them to take Kieran’s hands again, like they did early. They traced a few lines on their leg instead. “I’m A-OK with the most angst being drinking white instead of red.”

"Good," Kieran smiled. His gaze fell to watch Alec trace lines on their leg. Subconsciously, Kieran started painting small spirals into the concrete behind him.

Alec lifted their head as lights came around the bend, and they squinted to make out the shape of the car. It seemed a fair assumption that it was their Uber, so Alec climbed to their feet and picked up their canvas. They held out a hand to help Kieran up with a smile. “Ready to go?”

Kieran took Alec's hand and pulled himself up to a stand. "Ready as I've always been," he smiled.

[yeaaabudddy]

Moments of Realization

Ship: Peter Parker x You (Y/N)

Type: Fluff

Requested: Yes, by anon

Words: 2 525

Notes: Pre-endgame. Thank you for all the requests that have been coming in and thank you for waiting for your request to be written! I have a few lined up so don’t worry I will get to yours in time, Enjoy! 

-

Peter was really sloppy at keeping secrets so there were many times where he almost revealed his secret to you and one time he actually did.

-

You walk down the busy hallways of Midtown, finding your way towards Peter’s locker after you grabbed stuff from your own. His locker was the unofficial meeting place for you, Ned, and Peter.

You saw him alone, grabbing for his textbooks and approached him.

“Hey, Pete!” Your day becoming brighter by seeing him. He looked at you at when you said your greeting, smiling back shyly in response.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked, closing his locker and walking with you towards your first period class that sadly wasn’t with him.

“Uh, not much to be honest, what’s up with you?” You asked, your life was pretty boring, just average teenage girl things. The extent of your problems went to how much work and amount of projects you had.

You swear the teachers don't even care that you have many more classes in the day and even more work to do for them. Only their class matters.

“Pretty boring. You know the whole student life, writing essays, writing lab reports -speaking of lab reports, I wanted to go over the lab we did in bio because I don’t really remember doing it to be honest, I have what’s in my notes but besides that I didn’t really see the reactions properly enough to remember because it’s been a week-”

Peter stopped for a second, trying to remember what your original question was before continuing on, “and oh yeah just the Stark internship stuff as well got me really stressed and it’s taking up a lot of my time.” Peter looked away from you for a second to mutter under his breath but you still managed to catch what he said as you moved your head closer to him to hear better.

You were confused at what he muttered but there was no doubt that he had said that he “had to remember to try new web fluid formula in class.” Whatever that meant.

“Web… fluid?” You asked in curiosity and slight disgust at what he could be talking about.

Peter stopped walking and his head whipped around in a speed you didn't know could exist in a person, his face only a bit away from yours made you both startled and move your head back a bit in surprise.

“Uh, I-i didn’t say Web fluid, I said- feb wluid.” Peter shut his eyes in disappointment as his face cringed itself up.

“Peter.” You completely faced him, knowing that this is a part of another secret that he’s been hiding from you. Lately, all he’s been doing is running away or sleeping and you don’t know what’s going on.

You used to hang out with him so often but now it's so hard to see him outside of school and sometimes even seeing him inside a whole mission. Him and Ned manage to meet up pretty often which makes you sad to think you’re being left out.

You naturally hang out with Michelle as she’s usually hanging around with the guys and she’s a nice girl you like to talk to. Meeting with her is also a mission though as she doesn’t really bother much with conventional girl hangouts and likes to do things with more purpose.

You always manage to get her to do some fun friend stuff though and you know she likes it too.

Peter’s mind was running 100 miles a second trying to find out what to say to you in order to make ‘Web Fluid’ not sound weird.

“Is this related to Spider-Man? You know because of his spider webs adhesive thingies?” You knew Peter was a fan of Spiderman even though he didn't really say it. His face showed proudness whenever he heard a story about Spiderman being talked about in front of him or on the news.

“Oh! Um, well you see... I- uh because I work for Mr. Stark, and Spider-Man is basically an avenger, I help him out sometimes!” Peter almost sighed in relief hoping that the lie was believable enough for you to not ask any more questions because he doesn’t know how much more his heart can take before he just starts telling you the truth.

You were feeling suspicious of Peter because of how jumpy and inconsistent he was being with what he was saying but the excuse of the ‘Stark Internship’ felt like a black hole that he threw everything at. If you ever asked Peter a question it was all about the Stark internship and he can’t tell you anything because it’s top secret information that can’t be leaked.

“Oh wow, so that fluid doesn’t come out of him?” You were surprised at the fact that the webs you saw Spiderman hanging off of on news coverage wasn’t actually produced by him. You don’t know if you’re disappointed or not yet. You both started slowly moving again towards your class, the room being only a little bit away now.

“Of course not! No!” Peter defended quickly, a look of disgust and fear in his eyes at the perfectly reasonable question you asked him. You shrug your shoulders.

“Hey, if he can stick to walls then why can’t he shoot web liquid out of his hands?”

“Because he can’t!” You just laughed at his reaction as you both finally reached your classroom now.

“Alright, I’ll see you in second period and hopefully later if Mr. Stark isn’t taking your time again. Bye Peter!” You wave and turn into the classroom as he waves as well, making his way a few doors over to his own first class.

Peter was saved this time.

-

“Hi, May!” May opened the door for you and you stepped inside the apartment to study with Peter for the biology test tomorrow.

“Hi! Peter’s just in the bathroom, go straight up to his room and Keep the door open!” You scurry up to his room because you wanted to get in as much studying as you could.

Entering his room was a whole problem in itself, it was a standard messy teenage boy’s room with clothes on the floor, his closet unorganized and his desk filled with papers from school.

You sat down on the edge of his bed taking off your backpack and putting it on the floor where there was empty space, you’ll let Peter clean up what he needs to before you guys start studying.

After sitting there for a few minutes, waiting for Peter got boring and from where you sat gave you a good view of Peter’s closet where a bright red suit caught your attention.

You didn’t really imagine Peter would wear a red suit on any occasion so to kill your curiosity you got up and walked over to the closet to look at it. Pushing the fabrics against your hand to reach the one that caught your attention, revealing the print of the suit,  

You hold in a gasp as your hand makes contact with a Spider print suit that reminded you so much of the web-slinging hero’s. At that moment Peter also came into his room about to greet you saw what you were looking at and froze.

Looking between Peter and the suit in your grasp, you waited for him to explain why he has this casually in his closet.

“Uh-.. i-” Peter realized he needed to start being more careful and to come up with more excuses fast because he can’t have anyone just finding out his secret like this. He didn’t know how to get this situation under wraps so he just thinks of what Tony would do in this situation.

Tony would come up with an elaborate lie that won’t let you ask any questions after that but if you try then to just flip the conversation and talk about something else.

“Well, you see- Mr. Stark, he said uh” He looked at your expecting face, waiting for an answer. “Yeah, he asked me to keep it and upgrade a software inside the suit and I didn’t want to keep you waiting so I asked to do it at home instead of… there -so here it is.” There was a silence for a few seconds and as he saw you open your mouth to comment on what he said he quickly averted his gaze and tried to change the topic.

“So, studying for bio right, what part did you need to study?” Peter started moving away the clothes on his ground, making space for both of you to sit down comfortably. The topic completely changed your thoughts as you immediately let go of the suit to sit down and bring out your notes.

“Thank gosh, I need so much help trying to memorize the order and structures-” Peter smiled in relief, knowing that you would be too preoccupied in studying to remember the Spiderman suit and for the first time he was thankful for having a Biology test tomorrow.

-

“Bye Peter! Bye Ned!” You yelled as you separated from them to go to your workplace instead of home. You had picked up a part-time job to earn some money and help out more at home.

“Bye!” They yelled back. You were nervous for your first shift but Peter and Ned told you that you had nothing to worry about. You took that to heart and told yourself that you can do it.

By the time the dreaded shift had come to an end, it was pretty dark outside as the season was changing and becoming colder, the days also became shorter. It became darker so much earlier, making you a bit intimidated by the darkness outside and having to walk alone through it. The job description of 4-9 seeming worse at that fact.

Making your way outside you started hearing strange noises and you started looking at the dark jewelry store located beside your place of work as you saw some movement in the corner of your eyes. You saw darkness moving inside and you realized that the shop was being robbed.

You pulled out your phone to call 911 and stood a bit behind the edge of the building, about to press the call button but then you hear smashing glass and went to protect your head with your hands instead. Making sure that if you were in the line of sight for the glass that you wouldn't get caught in it.

Your eyes turn to the scene and see a red and blue suit taking up your vision instead of the dark night that greeted you before.

You heard Spider-Man start talking to the robbers and his voice sounded eerily familiar to you.

The sounds of kicking and punching sounded throughout the store and when it stopped you went to go investigate what happened. If Spider-Man was here then you should be safe, right?

You stepped back into the vicinity of the store again, the front door opened -even though all the glass around it was broken- and a bell rang in the process. The door revealed Spider-Man coming out with a notepad and pen in his hand, him writing a note and sticking it to the door.

You didn’t realize that you were frozen in your place so you took a step, making enough noise to catch the attention of Spider-Man who was about to swing away. His head turned to look at you in surprise.

“Y/N- I-i mean... Hello young woman, what are you doing out he-” you cut him off when you realized why his voice sounded familiar when he got closer to you and him accidentally saying your real name sealed the deal for you.

“Peter?” you whispered, making sure not to say it too loud, looking around to make sure no one’s around.

“No- I-i Who’s that?” Peter’s unmistakable voice sounded through your ears and you made an annoyed face.

“Peter... “ Peter realized he wasn't going to get away from this. He knew that meeting you as Spider-Man would be a bad idea because you knew him too well and would immediately figure it out. He saw you there though in the dark night, your face illuminated by the street lamp and he forgot who he was for a second.

“Okay, look- I-it’s complicated.” Peter explained grabbing your arm and you looked at him a bit overwhelmed by learning Peter is Spider-man even though all the signs this week prepared you for it.

“Yeah, I bet. You’re Spider-Man!” You look at his whole suit a bit embarrassed about the comments you made about Spider-Man and his body to your friends now, knowing that your friend was in the suit.

“Okay, um can we talk in private.” Peter was nervous about you both talking out in the open, not knowing if someone was listening or not.

“Um… I guess, where do you wanna talk?”

“We can talk tomorrow after school at my house. Let me take you home though” Peter steps closer to you, extending his hand out to grab your waist. “Uh, can I?” You nodded and grabbed onto him tight, not really knowing what to expect at this awkward hugging thing that was going on.

“Hold on really tight okay.” Peter warned you before you nodded in response. He immediately zipped off, you both being held on by a string which scared the shit out of you. The wind blew on your face really hard, the cold night air flew right through your whole body. You squeezed your eyes shut in response to the wind irritating your eyes.

You grabbed on to him tighter as you felt yourself going down, feeling like it was a freefall and Peter was the only thing keeping you from completely falling down.

You didn't even realize how long you’d been in the air until you felt both of you stop moving. You noted that you were placed outside a window.

“Carefully just go through the window.” Your window was pretty tiny so you doubt both of you can go in at once and Peter also probably had to go as well.

You move to grip onto the window edge and haul yourself in easily. You turned to look at Peter -or- Spider-Man who was peeking through your window to make sure you're in there safe.

You were still not really digesting the fact that your best friend was Spider-Man. Seeing this was just so surreal but it made sense in a way.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Peter.” Smiling at him and he waved at you.

“See you Y/N.” and he was gone. The events replaying in your mind and not just because he was Spider-Man but because he was Peter.

It surprised you how much more confident he was when he wore the suit, you don't think Peter would put his hand on your waist in any circumstance if he wasn't Spider-Man.

This didn't stop you from remembering how it felt to hold onto him so tight and feel his warmth in the middle of the cold night.

[storyteller15]

Chapter Six: The Selection

I groaned and stirred my body around in a different position.

Last night had to be the one of the best moments of my life. Despite the fact that I never got my picture back, I did something that at least made me feel a little better: Comforting Asriel. I considered myself lucky to be pardoned by him for leaving the second floor. Of course, I will be following the rules for now on. Maybe . . ?

I was doing fine sleeping so far until I hear my door creak open. Oh no . . . I shifted my body around, laying on my stomach in hopes that they ignore me and allow me to sleep in more. In the background, I can hear my maids talking in hushed voices. With a soft sigh, I knew my sleep is going to end shortly when I felt someone standing over me.

"Good morning, my lady," Barbara whispers, tapping my shoulder. "It's time to get up."

I whined and pulled my sheets over my head. "When will I ever get to have the time to sleep more?"

I hear Barbara and Lesley giggle at my protest. In the background, I can hear someone's flat heels clacking against the rug and the sounds of curtains swinging open. Through the back of my eyelids, I watched the warm sunshine make my vision look orangey-red, even if my bed sheets are covering my face.

Ugh . . . Sunlight.

"Please wake up, my lady. You wouldn't want to be late on meeting the royal family." Lesley insists; her voice filled with worry.

My eyes shot open, pulling my sheets away from my head as I moved my body upward.

Dammit! Why is it that I always forget about important stuff whenever I wake up? I really need to make a mental note to myself about these things so I don't forget. Maybe sleep has its benefits of making us forget the good and bad things. Thus, the important things like meeting the king and queen.

"Alright, you got me. I'm completely awake." I said, my voice sounding groggy.

"Would you like to wear the light cyan sweetheart neckline gown, or the strapless pink ombré gown decorated with some glitter?" Lesley asks, holding the lovely gowns in front of me.

I squinted at them, trying to think. The pink to me is asking for too much attention. Maybe I will wear it in another occasion; perhaps if Asriel plans a ball that involves looking gorgeous. The light cyan on the other hand, looks almost simple because it didn't have that much glitter like the pink one. The color itself reminds me of the ocean back at home.

To be honest, I'm not trying to impress Asriel and his family. I only present myself as what I am. I won't let the competition change me no matter what. I'm so grateful to have Bryn pick out my dress designs for me to wear during The Selection. She knows my tastes far too well.

"I'll go with the light cyan today, Lesley. Thank you." I get up, stretching my arms out as Barbara helps me get undressed out of my tank top and soft shorts.

"Fine choice, my lady," Lesley beams, hanging it over the screen.

"I still can't believe you got to meet Prince Asriel; it was quite lucky of you. Perhaps it's fate!" Barbara squeals happily, laying out my white matching undergarments for my gown.

I chuckled nervously, feeling my cheeks flushed rosy pink. "I wasn't meant to Barbara, I'm still feeling guilty for disobeying the rules."

"Don't fret about that my lady," Lesley  moves my hair out of my face. "You had a good reason, and we respect it. Prince Asriel is very kind to his subjects. Perhaps you mean something to him my lady."

"I suppose so," I answered solemnly, walking into the bathroom to brush my teeth while Barbara and Lesley prepares my makeup items for me to wear today.

In the mirror, my hair was completely a mess as if I had been fighting off clingy vines as I slept. Eye crusts rested in the inner corners of my eyes, waiting for me to rub them off my face. Ah, my lazy look. I wish I could wear this look for just one day . . . No makeup, no fancy clothes, and no waking up early. Sadly, it rarely happens now because people will barge into my room, needing me to get ready for various important things. I dismissed those thoughts as I rinsed my mouth and washed my face.

In the background, I hear Barbara shuffle past me just to start my shower. I was told that I shouldn't wet my hair when I shower, because the oils in my hair will make it easier to work with if you need to style it. So, I decided to wrap my hair into a bun, removing my thin bra and light pink underwear off as Barbara dismisses herself out the bathroom. Making my way inside the shower, I close the thin glass door behind me and welcome the hot water running down my body. Ah, there's nothing like a good hot body shower can make my morning worth to wake up to. I quickly grabbed my melon cucumber scented soap and scrubbed until every last trace of smelly sweat was gone.

After my quick body shower, I sit down in front of my vanity, cuddled in my white fluffy robe to watch as Barbara do my hair. First, she brushes the tangles out of my long hair. Then she twists half of my hair into two curled rose-like messy buns and secures them with swirled pins decorated with aqua blue crystals. The rest of my hair is draped over my back, since I wasn't in the mood to have all my hair up. So, my hair is in a half up-do. And to make my hair look prettier, she curls the ends of my hair in a soft form. Barbara then parts my hair strands to each side of my face to frame it. I raised my eyebrow at them; I probably need to style my hair some other time. However, I do love the way Barbara did my hair. I should have her teach me how so I can do it on Bryn someday.

With my hair done, it was time to do my makeup.

I had Lesley skip my lips, so she starts by applying some rosy-pink blush over the apples of my cheeks and lightly dabbing some white eye glitter over the inner corners of my eyes to make them look noticeable. Next, Lesley uses a black liquid eyeliner, winging it downwards to give my makeup an innocent look. And because my dress is light cyan, the outer corners of my eyelids are lightly dabbed with an icy blue eyeshadow, finishing it off with some of the eye glitter she used for my inner corners to give my eyeshadow that frosty theme. Finally, she adds a little mascara on my lashes, curling them a little. I love the way Lesley does my makeup! She doesn't put too much, only what is necessary to make my look dazzle.

Of course, I didn't think any jewelry was necessary. So, Barbara and Lesley helps me dress into my beautiful light cyan sweetheart neckline gown over my beige strapless bra and underwear that Barbara picked out for me to wear since it is strapless after all. My gown sparkled like the ocean, making me feel homesick. The skirt at least felt light enough for me to carry it when I walk. After Lesley zips up my dress, I slowly walk over to the raised platform that stood in front of the three mirrors that lets me see myself in different angles. From behind, I can hear my maids sigh in awe.

"Wow! You look so beautiful! I'm so glad that you chose this dress. It looks gorgeous on you!" Barbara bleated for joy.

"Thank you, Barbara. You and Lesley are the reason why I look this way." I said earnestly, smiling at both of them.

"You're too kind, my lady," Lesley flushed red, feeling flattered. "Oh for goodness' sake! It's almost time to meet up with the other girls. Please remember to square your shoulders and keep looking straight when you meet with the royal family." Lesley takes my hand, setting down my white low-high heels down for me to slip them on.

I smiled happily to myself. I don't have to wear those ridiculous high heels that makes your entire feet ache from walking. "Yes Lesley, I will." I promised as I hugged both of my maids gratefully.

"Good. Now off you go! Good luck, Zefie dear!"

I wave them goodbye, picking up the hem of my skirt a little, as I walk out the door. I walked down from the west wing over to the middle of the second floor where it separates both the east and west. There I stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button that had a glowing yellow arrow pointing down. According to Lesley, I have to take the elevator to to get to where I should be going. It seems there are certain places that have no stairs leading to them, and can only be accessed via the elevators.

With a loud swoosh sound, the elevator doors opened wide to welcome me inside. As I walk in, I noticed that the other side of the elevator also has a set of double doors and a panel of buttons that are labeled with numbers one to ten, with a few letters next to them. Interesting, I underestimated the palace. It really is bigger than I imagined judging by the sectors each button can lead me to in this enormous palace. Maybe even big enough to get lost into it like a maze. If I can memorize the entire place, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all. That is if I remember where I'm going.

Once the doors closed shut, I pressed the elevator button that's labeled 'P-1', feeling the elevator rumble under my low-high heels. I felt the walls shake a bit, hearing the elevator hum loudly as it takes me down to the first floor. No elevator music, thank goodness. I really dislike elevator music because it's a bit awkward. Silence is what I need even though people don't like it one bit.

Deep into my thoughts, I reminisce through last night's encounter, thinking about how Asriel scooped me up into his arms like a gentleman. The way his fur tingled against my bare legs and arms, giving me goosebumps. And the way my heart skipped a whole lot of beats just seeing his face near mine. His green eyes even looked beautiful under the moonlight. Perhaps we could start from where we left off. But then again, I don't even know if Asriel will recognize me under this glamorous attire . . .

Just then, the elevator shakes to a sudden stop, snapping me out of my dark thoughts and back to reality. I shook my head slowly, realizing the big mistake I was making. What am I saying? I shouldn't be putting myself down and thinking the worst. I promised Bryn that I'd stop doing that. My face suddenly went pale. Bryn! Crap, I cursed to myself. I forgot to text her to let her know that I won't have my phone for awhile. It's too late now, so no need to add that to my list of worries. Looks like she'll have to wait.

I shrugged my shoulders as the doors opened wide, leading me into the familiar corridor. This was where we had our interview and where the palace entrance is located. I walked to the opposite direction to another corridor, leading me to a new area where I can see all the Selection girls present and prepared to meet the royal family. I guess I was the last one, or perhaps the girls couldn't wait to meet them, so they decided to come early. To my surprise, I find Fiona having a rather interesting conversation with Malachite. I wonder . . . How long will her facade last for her to finally ends her game and acts true to herself?

"Hey, there you are!" Colleen surprises me with a big hug from behind.

"Colleen, hi!" I giggled against her chest, returning the hug.

"Where were you last night? I was hoping that you would join me and Delilah to watch the broadcast together last night." She pouts at me, looking a little sad.

My entire body was chilled to the bone. I hope she didn't come look for me in my room.

"I was asleep, I'm sorry. The long travels from Aura Cove to Berdea really got me super tired."

"Oh, yeah. That makes sense," She nods knowingly. "You should have seen yours! It was fantastic and amazing! They made you look majestic and exquisite!"

"Wha?! No way." I gaped at her, feeling my cheeks flushed red.

She smirks at me, giving me a playful wink. "Way! I'll show it to you on my phone later. Anyway, are you excited to meet Prince Asriel as much as I am?!"

I chuckled nervously. Oh I met him already, I thought to myself. He's a very wonderful person, and is good with his hilarious puns. Sadly, I promised Asriel to not tell anyone about me encountering him last night, which was fair enough.

"Y-yeah, I am."

"You're not getting cold feet, are ya?" Delilah appears beside us, dressed in a beautiful violet gown, with her skirt decorated in amethyst jewels.

Do I look that obvious? "Maybe."

"Aw cheer up, Zefie! Perhaps seeing his face should melt those cold feet of yours." Colleen encourages me.

"Yeah, you'll do fine." Delilah pats my shoulder.

"I love your dress, Delilah! It looks good with your lavender hair!" Colleen gushes.

"Thanks, I like your orange dress. What made you decide to wear that color today?"

"It's my good luck color!" She twirls around as her skirt flowed with her body. "I just thought maybe There's a seventy percent chance that I'll go on a date with Prince Asriel today!"

I chuckled and smiled at her optimism. "I'm sure you will, Colleen. Asriel can't resist colors that match the sun."

"Really?! Thanks, Zefie!" She gushes, wrapping her arms around me as I uttered an "oof."

In the corner of my eye, I spot scarlet wearing a beautiful emerald green gown, with her long hair made into lovely curls. I should go talk to her.

"Can you guys give me a minute? I'm gonna go try and have a chat with Scarlet."

"Sure, come find us soon. We have less than five minutes before Mettaton shows up." Delilah reminds me, before Colleen releases me and  began to walk towards Scarlet.

The last time I saw her was when we went inside the palace together. Well, before I got lost. Other than that, even if she acts like she doesn't need anyone, I'm still not giving up on trying to be her friend. Scarlet can't compete alone. She at least needs someone to talk to.

"Hey, Scarlet," I greeted her, giving her the needed space.

She looks at me with her dark brown eyes. "Hello, Zafrina."

"I uh . . . Well uh . . . You look pretty. I love the color of your gown." I felt flustered and angry for not finding the right words to compliment her.

"Thanks."

There was a long terrifying silence, before I realized that she's not in the mood for a brief chat. Why must she seclude herself away from the others?  I know she's not bad like Fiona, but . . .

"I'm sorry to disturb you, I'll go ahead and let you have your space." I turned away, walking back to where I can see Delilah and Colleen talking with another Selection girl.

"Hey, I heard about Fiona toying with your feelings," Scarlet begins to say, even though my back was facing her. "I'm sorry she did that, she doesn't deserve any kindness after what she did. So, watch your back."

I gasped softly and smiled, turning my head to face her. "Thank you, I will."

"Good morning darlings~!" Mettaton beams at us, wearing the same outfit as yesterday. Except he's now wearing a black tuxedo, decorated with glitter over his magenta long sleeve collar shirt. "I assumed you all slept well and prepared yourselves to meet the prince and his family?"

The girls all screamed happily in response, as I make my way towards Colleen. I latched onto her arm, just to prevent myself from getting lost in the crowd. From the corner of my eye, I find Fiona 'smiling' at me, waving. I pretended that I didn't see her, turning my head to focus on Mettaton.

"Alright then, let's go ahead and go over the plan. So, listen carefully, darlings." Everyone then stops to listen to what we'll be doing.

I felt my stomach twisting into knots again, making me feel lightheaded.

"As you know, Prince Asriel and his family are waiting patiently in the grand ballroom. When your name is called, all you have to do is walk to them, curtsy, and introduce yourselves. You will say your name, town, and the names of your parents. Sound easy enough for you, darlings?"

The girls replied by nodding, while I tried to hide my anxieties behind Colleen. Delilah rubs my back, noticing my pink sparks of magic dancing across my fingertips. Why must I always get nervous at a time like this?

"Just breathe, Zefie," Delilah whispers to me, continuing to rub my back. "Breathe in and out slowly, we're right here."

Colleen rubs my arm, giving me a reassuring squeeze. "Try closing your eyes, it'll prevent your magic from getting out of hand. Trust me, it helps."

I do what they say, breathing in and out with my eyes closed. In the background, I don't exactly hear what Mettaton was saying, only hearing nothing but my heart pumping loudly enough for everyone to hear it. I leaned against Colleen's arm, continuing my breathing exercise.

"Alright, darlings, it's time! Please listen for royal guards Papyrus and Sans when they call your names! Now I must go, I've got other things to do that involves the media, good luck darlings, ta-ta~!" Mettaton waves before he disappears down the hallway.

"Huh? Who's Papyrus?" Delilah asks, sounding puzzled to whoever that person was.

"WHY, THAT WOULD BE ME, HUMAN!" Papyrus appears next to her, posing in heroic way as his scarf fluttered dramatically like a cape.

I gasped, smiling in an instant to see his goofy face. "Papyrus!"

"NYEH?! AH! IT'S YOU, HUMAN MAGE ZEFIE! YOU LOOK LOVELY TODAY!" He gushes at me, taking my hands into his

"Wait, you know this tall skeleton dude?!" Delilah asks, flabbergasted at our happy reunion.

I chuckled softly. "Of course! He's one of the royal guards who helped me when I got lost yesterday."

"INDEED I WAS!" He shouts, his voice filled with energy. "IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, POOR HUMAN MAGE ZEFIE WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST AND ALONE!"

"Ooh! Pleased to meet you, Papyrus!" Colleen shakes his hand.

"Y-yeah, same." Delilah smiles at him.

"WHAT A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU ALL! NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I HAVE AN IMPORTANT DUTY TO DO AS A ROYAL GUARD!" He waves us goodbye, speed-walking towards the entrance to the ballroom.

"I don't know about you guys," Delilah says, watching as some of the girls disappear when Papyrus calls for each of them. "But I kinda find it hard to believe he's in one of the royal guards. He's just too . . ."

"Innocent? Yes I know, but we may never know until we see him in action." I replied, feeling my anxieties shrink again.

"Gosh, she has a point. I would love to see how he fights." Colleen giggles as she sways her bushy tail around.

Just then, I spot Sans walking down our way, keeping a goofy grin on his face.

"Sup, kiddo."

"Morning, Sans." I waved as he walked by, joining his brother.

Delilah and Colleen gaped at me, opening their mouths, but I cut them off quickly.

"He's Papyrus' older brother. He works as a royal guard, too."

"What? No way, don't you think he's a little too short?" Delilah raises her eyebrow at Sans as if she doesn't believe me.

"Hey, appearances can deceive us." I shrugged my shoulders.

"SANS! YOU LAZY BONES!" Papyrus begins to yell at his brother. "YOU ARE ONE MINUTE AND TWENTY-ONE . . . NO TWENTY-TWO . . . TWENTY-THREE . . . NYEH! YOU ARE LATE! WHAT WERE YOU DOING?!"

"Heh. Sorry, Paps, I had a skele-ton of work that had to be done." He shrugs his shoulders with a wink, watching Papyrus stomping around.

"ENOUGH OF YOUR DUMB PUNS, SANS! AND QUIT USING THEM IN FRONT OF THE SELECTION GIRLS! NOW THAT YOU'RE HERE, IT'S TIME THAT WE FOCUS ON OUR DUTY!"

"Sure. Whatever you say, Paps."

The three of us snickered a laugh. I can see why Claire finds the skeleton brothers entertaining. The way they argue is nearly identical to a married couple, but in a brotherly way. Sans is mysterious no doubt, but his bad puns and smart pranks can make some people laugh. Papyrus is a hard worker, filled with positive energy that puts a smile on everyone's faces. Together, they make a great team.

"COLLEEN DARWIN?" Papyrus calls out.

"Oh! That's me! Wish me luck, guys!" Colleen beams happily, walking forward.

"Luck!” Delilah and I said in usion.

We watched as Colleen beamed with joy as she walked through the huge double doors Papyrus and Sans stood to either side. There are actually two ways to get into the ballroom. One is where the skeleton brothers are, the other is down the hallway. That entrance is for the very important guests that aren’t from Berdea or Auradon. Curiosity suddenly made me wonder what the ballroom looks like. I heard that it overlooks the gardens and the forest where we can see Mount Ebott.

Suddenly, Delilah clears her throat. My thoughts were paused at the moment as I turned to who she was looking at. My entire body went still as if they weren’t functioning anymore. Standing a few feet away is Malachite, giving us a cold stare. Beside her is the two-faced Fiona.

"I don't think we’ve met," A wicked smile spreads across her face. "I'm Malachite Levoue, you can call me Mal for short."

"I know who you are, you're that famous monster model from Coloratura that poses in fricken bikinis." Delilah hisses, her voice sounding distraught.

"Oh, don't lose your temper, dearie. I'm only here to get to know my competitors. I see we have a mage in the Selection? Alban isn't it?" Malachite turns her attention to me, her stares sending me chills deep into my spine. Something felt very . . . Wrong.

"Yes."

"How nice. I'd love to see you perform your magic some other time, little witch. Anyway, besides the introductions, I’m actually here to give you two a friendly warning. Don't get in my way, I won't get in yours." She warns us with a vicious glare, leaving us speechless before Sans calls out her name.

"See you at the ballroom, buddies," Fiona sneers at us, joining Malachite.

I immediately grabbed on to Delilah's wrist before she tries anything rash. "Delilah, don't. It's not worth it." I begged her.

Her breathing was laboring, but my grip on her didn't falter as I watched her face turn red out of anger before she finally spoke again.

"But she was pestering us for no reason!" She tried to pull her arm away, but I refused to let go as she kept a hard expression on her face.

"This is the type of reaction she wants from us," I held her close, hoping she would calm down. "If you let your temper get out of hand, you will be eliminated. And we are not going to play their game. Malachite and Fiona will have to do better than that if they're going to try to get us out of the competition."

Delilah takes a few more deep breaths before facing me. I sighed in relief as her expression begins to soften up. Thank goodness. I pull her over to the side for a little while as we watched more girls disappear through the doors. It didn't take long before Delilah was being herself again.

"Thanks, Zefie. You really saved my ass there." She says, her voice sounding grateful.

I responded by smiling at her. “It’s what friends do. And by that, I mean actual real friends.”

Delilah wraps her arms around me as I did the same. The number of girls remaining began to dwindle fast as Sans or Papyrus called out names. So far, only twelve human mages, with me included, entered the Selection. It was a fair number enough to ease my worries of being the only one.

It didn't take long before Delilah was called out to go. It was then, as I took a good look around, I began to realize that I was going to be called last. Oh. Oh, no, no, no, no.

Suddenly, my stomach twisted in an excruciating angle again. Why must I have be the last one? I asked myself. They must be doing a random draw, instead of going alphabetically. Or else I would have been first, because my last name starts with an 'A'.

"OOH! ZEFIE ALBAN!" Papyrus shouts, making me jump. "IT IS YOUR TURN TO GO!"

I took a few deep breaths, walking down the hallway where I can see Papyrus and Sans waiting for me.

"You're the final one to come up, kid." Sans spoke too, giving me a wide confident grin.

This is it, I thought to myself. Pretend that you never met Prince Asriel last night, pretend that you're surprised to finally get to see him.

My hands began to tremble, clutching my skirt tightly until my knuckles became white. Stay calm, stay clam! I begged myself. I really need to get over my anxiety quick. If I don't, I'll probably end up--

I felt my heels step over the hem of my skirt, making me lose my balance. The next thing I know, I watched as the floor was prepared to meet my face. Just then, I felt two arms stopping me from reaching the floor. I gasped and looked up to find Papyrus and Sans holding me up.

"Don't worry, kid," he gave me a wink. "Everybody falls for the prince."

"SANS! THIS IS NO TIME FOR YOUR RIDICULOUS PUNS!" Papyrus scolds him.

"Heh, sorry. I can't help myself, Paps. It was an opportunity I just had to catch."

"SAAANS!!"

I couldn't help but laugh so hard at their argument before Sans began to speak again.

"Anyway, don't worry, kid. We won't let you fall. Not in our watch."

"WE BELIEVE IN YOU, HUMAN MAGE ZEFIE!"

I gasped softly, smiling at both of them as they helped me stand up again. "Thank you, Sans. Thank you, Papyrus."

"NO NEED TO THANK US! NOW, GET IN THERE AND SHAKE THOSE BONES UP WITH CONFIDENCE!" Papyrus says, his voice voice filled with encouragement.

"What he said." Sans grins at me.

With a few deep breaths, I squared my shoulders and held my head a bit high as I slowly walked inside.

Suddenly, my eyes widened, the ballroom is absolutely breathtaking. The only similarity I can compare it with, is the ballroom I saw from Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast'. However, it is even more exquisite than the movie itself. Instead of the floors and columns being brownish, it was more in a creamy-beige color that blended well with marble. The floor pattern had quite a few tiles shaped as the golden flowers imprinted in different yellow shades over the square tiles. The arched windows stood tall, overlooking the forest and the beautiful skies of Berdea.

Over to my left, I see all of the girls standing on the side patiently. In the corner of my eye, I notice that Colleen and Delilah were grinning at me, making me smile even more. It only took me a moment before I found King Asgore and Queen Toriel standing at the far end of the ballroom with Prince Asriel and Princess Frisk standing between them. All of them, except Asgore, were wearing their royal robes with the Delta Rune symbol over their chests. Asgore was wearing a dark purple cape that draped over his shoulders and gold metal armor. His gold crown, with a big red ruby encrusted in the middle sat neatly atop his blond hair.

I swallowed hard, keeping a gentle expression on my face as I finally reached them and came to a slow stop. Just as Mettaton ordered us, I curtsied with my head lowered deeply to show my highest respect to Nanny's best friends. The silence was killing me, hearing my heart beating loudly in a fast pace.

This is it, I thought to myself. The truth will finally come out. All of the girls will know now.

"Hello, Your Majesties," I spoke softly, but loud enough for everyone in the room to hear me. "My name is Zafrina Alban of Aura Cove, I am the daughter of Runa Cordelia."

In the background, I hear Toriel let out a loud gasp, making my body flinch a little as I raised my head up slowly.

"Zefie?" Toriel gaped at me, her red eyes twinkling brighter than any jewel, exposed her excitement. "You're Runa's child?!"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty--"

Just then, I stopped talking when she runs towards me, wrapping her soft arms around me in a big hug as I uttered an "oof" for the second time today.

"Oh my, look at you! You're so beautiful and so mature!" Toriel gushes.

My cheeks flushed rosy pink in embarrassment. In the background, I can hear the girls whispering to each other. Colleen looked like she was going to explode from the overwhelming joy that danced across her face. Well, so much for trying to stay out of the spotlight . . .

Asgore chuckled softly, approaching us and hugged me as well. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle before I returned the hug.

"It is an honor to meet our dearest best friend's daughter in the flesh," he spoke in a low rumbling voice that sent me chills down to my spine.

Malachite gaped at me. She's probably surprised by the fact that I'm the daughter of the king and queen's best friend. The daughter of the last seal monster, a Selkie. Great, another thing added to my list of worries.

"You may not look like her, but I can see her personality in yours." Asgore beamed, cupping my face with his big warm hands.

I blinked, still feeling embarrassed as he released me. The only response I can give them is a shy smile. As my gaze drifted, my eyes met with Asriel's for a moment. He smirked at me, keeping his 'innocent' expression plastered. Frisk fidgeted in place, looking so eager to meet me.

"Thank you, Your Majesties." The two of them smiled at me before Toriel spoke again.

"We'll have to catch up with details sometime, my child. Anyway, it is a pleasure to meet you, Zefie. I am Toriel, and that tall handsome fellow is my husband," she looks over towards Asgore as he smiled sheepishly before she bends down to whisper something in my ear. "But you can call him 'Mr. Fluffybuns.'"

I quickly bit my tongue down to hold back my laugh, putting a hand over my trembling mouth. So that's the one Nanny was talking about with Toriel. It's no wonder they laugh about it so much. I looked up at Toriel as she gave me a wink putting her finger over her lip.

"It's a great honor to meet you both," Toriel gave me a warm smile before she takes her place next to Asgore, allowing me to meet Asriel again face-to-face.

Asriel chuckled nervously, clearing his throat before he finally spoke. "H-hello, Miss Zafrina. I'm Prince Asriel, it is a great pleasure of having you compete in my Selection." He bows as my heart pounded loudly.

"Hello, Your Majesty. it's nice to meet you, too."

For a second, I thought I just saw the corner of his lip twitched when I used his formal name. Gotcha.

"Haha. Well then, Miss Zafrina, I do hope I get to have the chance to talk with you again," His voice rose a little after he spoke the last word, hinting last night's event when he threatened to have me date him. That is, if I don't call him by his real name.

I raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a small playful smirk. Game on, Prince.

I turned my attention away from him, before anyone catches our knowing glances towards each other. My eyes focuses on to Frisk, seeing her smile warmly at me. I adore her so much, she is the symbol of peace and mercy. Not only she freed the monsters from their prison, she also became the ambassador to speak for them.

"Hello, Your Highness," I curtsied before her. "It's nice to meet--"

Frisk suddenly surprises me by hugging me tightly, cutting me off as she lets out a soft giggle. "Hello, Zefie! it's nice to meet you, too! I've heard so much about you from my mother and father's letters! I hope we get the better chance to know each other some other time." She gushes, speaking in a gentle voice.

I didn't know how to respond to her, so I decided to return the hug before she released me. I gave her a soft smile and curtsied before I walked over to where Colleen and Delilah are waiting for me. Suddenly, my breath was caught in my throat when I felt some of the girls, including Malachite, staring at me. I let out a shaky breath as Delilah wrapped her arms around me.

"Don't mind them, Zefie," she reassures me in her hushed voice. "Who cares if they think you're a threat, I still see you as my friend."

"Delilah's right. Just because the king and queen acknowledged you as their best friend's daughter, doesn't mean that you're going to be treated better than the rest of us. They're not like that." Colleen holds my hand, giving them a tight squeeze.

I leaned against Colleen's arm before we hear Prince Asriel began to speak again. "Thank you, ladies. I would like to say how much it was a pleasure to meet every one of you. Each of you showed such potential, giving me hope that I will have a chance of finding my future wife during my Selection."

All of the girls responded by squealing and applauding at his response. I felt my heart feel constricted, clutching at my chest. This event has just been too overwhelming, I guess. However, it's still early, so perhaps a stroll around the palace should ease my nerves.

"Now that you've met my family," Asriel continued to speak, getting my attention again. "It's time that everyone joins us at the dining room, where our breakfast is prepared and served."

My stomach growled loudly once he mentioned food, making me gasp as I quickly hid behind Colleen. Some of the girls were looking around to see who made that strange sound. I turned and found Asriel glancing around before his gaze settled on me. Well, I'm fucked, I thought to myself as my cheeks flushed rosy pink in embarrassment. Oh god, I just wanna run back upstairs and hide in my room for the rest of the day.

To my surprise, Asriel puts his hand over his stomach. "Ah! My deepest apologies, I guess I'm feeling a bit famished. Shall we follow my parents to the dining room now?"

"Yes, that's a wonderful idea, my son. I, too am feeling hungry myself." Asgore chuckled, walking out of the ballroom with Toriel holding onto his arm.

Frisk and Asriel follow after them, exchanging a brief conversation in hushed voices. And finally, the rest of us followed as we exit the lovely ballroom. Delilah and Colleen wiggled their eyebrows at me as if they knew that Asriel said that just to save me from dying of embarrassment. I shook my head, putting my hands over my stomach. I can't help it, I just love food.

"That was so nice of him saving you like that," Delilah smirks at me, nudging my shoulders with hers.

"Right?! I'm so jealous, Zefie! Do you really love food that much?" Colleen asks, patting my head just to cheer me up.

"First of all, he's just trying to be nice. There wasn't exact proof that it was me," I said, unsure whether I was trying to comfort myself or dodge away from the subject.

"And second," I continued. "Yes I absolutely love food! Call me a fatty, but I can never go on throughout the day without having something in my stomach." I waved my arms dramatically as they laughed.

"You're not a fatty, you're just a person that loves food." Delilah yawns loudly, stretching her arms out.

"Ah, that reminds me," Colleen faces me as the three of us began to slow down, but kept a good distance enough to stay close to the group. "About your mom, Runa Cordelia. is that why you never said anything when I mentioned about her yesterday? Were you afraid that maybe we wouldn't like you if we found out?"

I blinked twice, almost forgetting about that before I answered. "Y-yeah, but it's mostly because I didn't want it to be a big deal for me when I compete. I just don't want the attention on me, that's all." I shrugged my shoulders, rubbing my arm meekly.

"Well don't feel that way, we're not going to be like Fiona and use it against you. We're friends Zefie, and nothing is going to change that."

"Yup. What she said," Delilah says earnestly.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot to me."

Colleen began to squeal. "I still can't believe your mom is Runa! Her reputation is very high, did you know that her father was King Asgore's General?"

"What? Really?" Delilah's eyes went wide.

"Yup! My grandfather met him, too. He told me that General Cordelia's human form is suppose to be handsome to a human's standard."

"Pfft stop! I don't wanna hear anymore details!" I complained, making both of them chuckle.

We continued to follow after the girls, carefully keeping my hands over my stomach as if it will help keep the noises in, and trying not to be obvious at the same time. Coming from the same direction as to where the elevator is, we walk past it and find ourselves in another corridor, the columns lining them. My eyes lit up. I can smell something so inviting, feeling my mouth starting to salivate.

Just as I was about to mention the wonderful smell to Colleen and Delilah, I suddenly felt a strong hand grip my wrist. In one quick move, their other hand covered my mouth just before I could think or utter a cry. The surroundings blurred as I was reeled out of the hall, and behind a large pillar. Frantically, I tried to pull away, but they refused to let go. Oh my god! Who?! What?! Why?! I muffled out a cry as I quit struggling, trying to look over my shoulder to see who or what was holding me captive, their grip on me softened.

  Asriel?!

My body melted from the sudden relief. He quickly put his finger over his lips just to cut me off from what I was about to say or ask. With panic seeping throughout my body, I quickly took a peek at Colleen and Delilah in case they realized that I was gone. And to my surprise, Frisk was talking to them; they seem to be having an interesting conversation. I guess that would keep them busy for a little while.

Once they disappeared out of eyesight, Asriel pulls his hand away from my mouth just to allow me to speak again. "Your Majesty? What in the world--"

"Ah, ah, ah, Zefie." He uses his finger to cut me off. "Did you really forget about what I told you to call me if we're not around people?"

I gaped at him, feeling shocked as my cheeks flushed red. So, he was not joking after all. My heart began to beat in a fast pace, hearing it thump loudly enough for the both of us to hear.

"Sorry, sorry! A-Asriel, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in there, where everyone is waiting at the moment?"

"Well I had to see you first before we eat. I'm here to thank you for keeping our secret untold."

Suddenly, I remembered that I ended telling my maids about it.

"Uh, yeah about that, I uh . . . Well .  . . I ended up telling my maids."

"You told your maids?" He raised his eyebrows at me, not looking angry at all. "That's actually fine, I kind of knew you would end up telling them."

"What? How?" It was my turn to raise my eyebrows at him.

Asriel chuckled softly at my expression. "After you left with Sans, I went back up to my room to check your name on the list and the maids you are assigned with. And to my surprise, you got lucky. Barbara and Lesley are good, loyal people. And good at keeping secrets."

"Yes, yes they are," I nodded in agreement. "So, what else did you want to say to me? I don't want to sound rude or anything, but I'm feeling super hungry."

My stomach growled louder than before, making me groan in pain.

His eyes widened and chuckled. "Ah, so it really was your stomach that growled with anticipation! I apologize, I'll make this quick, it's actually something very important . . ."

"Oh, what is it?"

"I'm uh . . . W-well I uh . . ." He stuttered nervously, beads of sweat suddenly forming over his fur if possible as he was trying so hard to say it. "I-I am asking you if you could go on a date after we eat breakfast."

After he mentioned the word 'date' my entire face glowed in a rather reddish-pink color. "W-wait, If it's because I used your formal name, I didn't mean to, I was just--"

"No, no, no. That's not why at all." He chuckled softly, giving me a warm smile. "I just want us to talk more, and I honestly couldn't stop thinking about last night. There's something about you that just makes me eager to find out what makes you laugh, or the things that makes you nerd out."

I gasped, putting my hand over my mouth. I didn't think he would keep that in his mind all night. Laugh? Nerd out? He must be serious.

Just as I was about to accept it, I suddenly remembered that Colleen dressed at her best, hoping that Asriel will take her out on a date. I felt so guilty . . . She helped me in so many ways. I can't go on a date with him, knowing that Colleen will feel a little bad that she dressed up for nothing.

"So, w-what do you say Zefie? Do you accept?" Asriel spoke again, waiting for my answer patiently.

"Ah, Asriel. I would love to go on a date with you, but . . . I'm afraid I'll have to decline." I looked down, rubbing my arm softly.

"W-What? Why? Was it because I did something wrong?" His voice was filled with panic when he asked.

"No, no! Not at all, it's not it at all." I put my hands over his reassuringly. "It's just . . . Well . . . You see, I have this friend, and she is absolutely funny and very optimistic. She made me feel happy in so many ways, that words can't describe how grateful I am to meet someone like her. And because she told me how confident she felt, she thought that maybe you will notice her and maybe ask her out on a date. Other than that, I'm not saying no on purpose, I just don't want to be the friend that makes them lose their hopes."

Asriel gasps, surprised by my reason for declining his offer. I watched as his green eyes twinkled with admiration, watching as a smile formed on his face.

"Once again, you managed to give me a reason to admire you Zefie. Alright then, I can do that. I'll ask your friend on a date for your sake. What is her name?"

"It's Colleen Darwin, she's a squirrel monster wearing an orange colored gown. Her hair color is light cyan." I answered, remembering her by memory.

"Ah, Colleen." Asriel nods, remembering her right away. "Yeah, you're absolutely right about her. She is very optimistic and positive. She reminds me of Papyrus."

I responded by beaming with joy, giving his hands a tight squeeze. "Thank you so much Asriel, you have no idea how happy I am to hear that."

"Your welcom. And thank you for finally calling me by my real name."

"You wish, Your Majesty." I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly, starting to walk away until I felt his hand gripped my wrist again and pulled me back to face him.

"How very clever of you, Zefie. Even if I'll go on a date with Colleen, that still doesn't mean that you're off the hook." He says, staring at me intently.

"W-what do you mean?" My heart was pounding fast.

Asriel leans his face towards my mine until his snout nearly touched my nose. "What I mean to say is, that I'm still going to ask you on a date once I finish mine with Colleen first."

He chuckled darkly, his hot breath sending me intense chills throughout my body. Did I not mention how dangerously close his lips are to mine? I didn't think he had it in him. I can only gape at him, feeling my cheeks flush red again.

"I-It's a date!" I gasped, surprised at my own outburst.

"Good, I'll hold you to it. Other than that, shall we head for breakfast?" He beckons the door that led to the dining room.

"We shall," I walked up ahead first, but stopped. "By the way, why did you have Frisk go and talk to my friends?"

Asriel can only smirk at me before he spoke. "You are not the only person who told someone about our secret. And because Frisk is my best friend, I ended up telling her about our nightly event. So, she decided to do me a favor by distracting your friends while I pulled you away just to ask you on a date. And because that plan somewhat failed, well . . . Y-you get the idea."

"R-right, but like I said, I didn't mean to. And besides, you should still be happy, you still succeeded by asking me out on a date either way." I can only smile at him, watching his cheeks flushed red over his thick white fur as he scratched the back of his head.

"That's true. Well played, Zefie. Now let's go and eat, I'm feeling very famished after smelling that delicious scent."

I giggled softly at him before we walked together towards the dining room.

As we entered, I suddenly felt a lot of the girls looked up and stared at us. Some looked with curiosity on what could be the reason why I walked in with Asriel. Others, like Malachite and Fiona, sent cold stares. I think Asriel caught on to it, before he began to speak.

"Ah. Please forgive me for being late, ladies. You all can go ahead and start eating. However, I do not appreciate the stares some of you are giving to Miss Alban. And that should stop now." He says, his voice sounding stern.

Some of the girls quickly looked down, feeling embarrassed for their rash behavior towards me. In the corner of my eye, I saw Malachite clearing her throat nervously and Fiona blushing, looking flustered. I lowered my head down to avoid any awkward glances as I hurried over to where Delilah and Colleen sat. I sat between them, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear.

He didn't have to do that for me, I thought to myself. Why does he always have protect me? I can handle myself.

"Gosh, you okay?" Colleen asks, her voice filled with concern.

"Just a little shaken up, that's all. Maybe I'm just hungry." I said, and that was the truth.

"If it's because of you being gone for five minutes, then don't feel bad. Maybe he stopped you for something important."

Actually, he did, I wanted to say.

Instead, I decided to keep quiet about it and let Asriel be the one to surprise for her. Today is going to turn out okay, I just have to make the best of it. I wonder where Asriel will plan on taking Colleen on their first date. I glanced over at Asriel as he took his seat between Asgore and Frisk.

As I relaxed, I decided to use this time to look around. The dining room is huge. I can't believe a table this long even existed! It had to be at least fifty feet long. Banners hung among the walls in the colors of gold and purple, with the delta rune crest imprinted in the middle. Very classy, I thought to myself.

I turn my attention over at today's breakfast. Oh! There are different kinds of dishes to choose from. I go ahead and take a few sausages and some scrambled eggs over to my plate and began to dig in.

Holy cow! They absolutely taste delicious! Since I'm around people, I ate in a well-mannered way just to look polite. It was a good thing that I had Lesley not do my lips, I would have tasted lipstick over my food.

"So, hey, not to sound too nosy, but where did you disappear to?" Delilah whispered softly enough for only the two of us to hear. "For a second you were behind us, and the next thing we knew, the princess somehow magically appears and decided to have a small chat about how our day was going."

I chuckled softly. I'm surprised that she didn't even see or hear any of what just happened.

"I was pulled to the side because Prince Asriel wanted to talk with me about something. Other than that, Princess Frisk only came by just to distract you guys from questioning my sudden disappearance."

"Huh . . . That makes sense, so what'd he say?"

"He wanted to take me out on a date, but I declined."

Delilah gaped at me as if I just grew another head. "Are you crazy? Why would you do that?"

I can only smile at her, shrugging my shoulders. "You'll understand why."

And just like that, Delilah decided to not press on, continuing to eat her pancakes.

Over the past fifteen minutes, we continued to eat and chat. A few monster girls that sat across from me began to ask questions about Nanny. Things like her personality, her human form, and what she's doing as of now. Of course I gladly answered by how amazing she is, though I sadly told them that I've never seen Nanny use her magic before. They told me that Selkies have the power to cure certain illnesses and heal monsters and humans. I was intrigued by how much they know about Nanny's kind, I'll have to look into the royal library to read about them. Or perhaps I should talk to Asgore or Toriel about Nanny's past.

Surprisingly, I ended up meeting a new friend Delilah introduced me to.

Her name is Selene Marcos of Elridge. That's the town Nanny and I used to live, and where we first found Bryn. She's actually a nice girl, but there are times when she would show signs of being a little too shy to even look at people in the eye when she speaks. Now I'm starting to understand why I shouldn't be timid all the time. Looks like I'll have to get lessons from Papyrus on how to be confident about myself.

Just then, Asgore announces that after we finish our meals, we can go ahead and explore around the palace. However, he kindly reminds us that if we plan on leaving outside the palace, we must have a guard to chaperone us. Well, it is a big palace after all. The only place I plan on going is the greenhouse. Something about that place just makes me want to explore it.

One by one, the girls leave the dining room to go ahead and explore the palace. However, there will be guards on duty to keep us away from going to certain places that only the royal family can go to. I sighed in relief once Malachite and Fiona left to go wherever they pleased. King Asgore and Queen Toriel left as well, with Frisk following behind them.

I glanced over at Asriel, seeing him look a bit nervous. Once his gaze met mine, I beckoned to Colleen with a smile on my face that he should ask her now. He responds by nodding, walking towards our direction.

"Hello, ladies," Asriel greets us with a soft smile.

"Hello, Your Majesty," Delilah, Colleen, and I responded in unison.

"I hope none of you don't mind if I borrow Miss Colleen's time, do you?"

I smiled to myself as I 'pretended' to look surprised. "Oh, no; not at all. You two look like you need some time alone, come on Delilah."

I quickly grabbed her by the arm before she protests, leaving Colleen behind with Asriel. I didn't miss the way Colleen's face turned red, overwhelmed with what's happening to her. I quickly placed my hand over Delilah's lips before she really loses it.

"See you later, Colleen!" I called over my shoulder.

Just as we exit the dining hall, Delilah quickly pulls her arm away and began to speak.

"What was that all about? Why'd you pull me away?"

"You remember when you asked me why I rejected Prince Asriel's offer to date him?" I smirked at her.

"Yes? But what does that have to do with us leaving right away--"

Her words suddenly trails off, starting to thinking through as if she's trying to put the puzzle pieces together. "You . . . told him to take Colleen instead, didn't you?"

"Mhm," I nodded once.

"And you remembered when she was hoping that the way she dressed today will get him to notice her."

"Mhm~."

She became speechless for a moment before she finally spoke again. "Wow, Zefie . . . Thank you, you really made her day. I don't think I've met anyone that would decline the prince's offer just to have your friend take it."

"Colleen deserves a chance like this Delilah, it'll make my day just to see her smile."

"Me too,"

We continued to walk down the corridor, admiring the details of the palace until Delilah decided to go back up the second floor for a spa day. She did offer for me to come with her, but I told her that I was going to go check out the greenhouse. I walked with her to the elevator and waved her goodbye as the doors closed between us.  

If I remember correctly, the greenhouse should be over at the east side of the palace. From the elevator, I go ahead and went straight towards an empty hallway, the large columns lining the room. Up ahead, I can see huge double doors shaped in an arch. It looks beautiful because it's made out of different colored glass, framed in pure gold that still glimmered as if it never aged. The more I get closer, the more I can see the exquisite details of the doors. From the sides, gold leaves and silver vines entwined around the frames of the doors to outline them, looking as if they were growing out from the polished marble ground.

The sunlight beamed through the door, making my dress glow in different colors from the stained glass. How beautiful, I thought to myself. It's no wonder I adore the gardens so much. Over to my left, there was a metal sign that reads out: 'Please take off your foot wear before you enter the garden, thank you.'

I raised my eyebrow at it. What a strange rule, maybe Asgore has his reasons. So, I did as the sign asked, taking off my heels and left it on the side before I turned the silver doorknob, swinging the door open with the bright lights enveloping me.

[asphalt-cocktail]

Write Me a Song Part 4

Word Count: 1,792

Pairing: Sherlock Holmes x Original Female Character 

Warnings: There is a brief attempted non-con/ assault please skip if you are uncomfortable with it. It is in the beginning after the break below. 

Masterlist

<<<Part 3

15 years later...

Veronica frowned yet another girl taken, raped, and. She plopped the newspaper down on the counter in her bakery and sighed. When were these going to stop? She wondered and began to lock up her store. It was dark out and Veronica needed to stay late to finish up cakes for a few events. Close to 10 o'clock she left and began to walk the three blocks to her tiny flat.

Two sets of footsteps followed behind her, Veronica began to quicken her pace and so would the steps behind her. She turned around and saw two brutish men. She turned to run but they were too quick; one grabbed her and took her squirming body behind a building away from prying eyes and the other followed. She was now paralyzed with fear "It's okay miss, we just want a little fun with you." His breath wafted in her face and smelled awful. But there was no mistaking that these were the two men in the newspaper.

This is it, Veronica thought I'm going to die with my body disgraced and humiliated. She thought and started to cry and beg to be let go.

"Please, if- if you let me go I won't tell anyone." She said trembling with fear.

The man roared in anger "You shut up!" And slapped her across the face. "You're just like every other bitch we see, begging and crying to be let go."

The metallic taste of blood was present in her mouth. The man grinned "I know something that will shut you up." By now Veronica was sobbing as she was forced to her knees. One of the men had a large hand on her head while the other fiddled with his belt.

BANG

Veronica froze, had she been shot? The two other men froze too, had they been shot?

The figure of a short man stepped closer as she continued trembled, with her mind jumbled from her panic she had no idea if this mystery man was here to help her or not, either way he had a gun and was calling the shots now. He waved the gun at the two men "All right step away from her. I don't want to have to shoot you both." He said. For being short, he was quite brave. "Now against the wall." He said and the two men walked towards the wall where he cuffed them both and walked over to Veronica. "Are you alright miss?" He asked.

Veronica nodded her head yes "It's okay I'm a doctor, come here." He said and put the gun on the ground. Veronica walked over timidly and he looked at her face "Just a split lip." He said and smiled.

Veronica smiled back "Are you an officer too?" She asked.

The man shook his head "I'm not but they should be on their way." He laughed a bit to himself "Gun shots are the fastest way to call them."

Veronica laughed a bit and sure enough the sirens were wailing in the distance. "So, what is my hero's name?" She asked.

"John Watson. Yours?" he said and offered her a hand to shake.

"Veronica Matthews." She said smiling.

The police soon arrived and a frenzy of reporters. The two horrible men were taken away, and the DI offered her a ride home which she gladly accepted.

Veronica looked out the window and saw Mr. Watson standing next a tall man in a belstaff coat with a mop of hair. Veronica nearly choked "Sherlock?" She mumbled pressing her face to the glass.

Veronica continued staring out the window. "Sherlock?" DI Lestrade asked "You know him?"

"Well I suppose we were really close friends at one time." She smiled softly remembering, but her smile quickly turned into a frown.

"I can't imagine Sherlock having very many friends he can be kind of a dick, when he's in that mind palace thing of his." Greg let out a soft laugh.

"Mind palace..." Veronica said quietly. "I was the one who gave him that idea."

Greg pulled up to Veronica's flat "If you wouldn't mind tomorrow coming down to the station for some questions tomorrow about tonight."

Veronica sighed and nodded, at least they weren't doing it tonight. "Sure! First thing tomorrow morning." She said and got out of the car.

DI Lestrade frowned, the last time he heard about Veronica was when he first met Sherlock, and he was always in that heroine induced coma. Greg frowned he could remember it plain as day, he'd pick Sherlock up off the streets and take him to a holding cell. He'd grab on to Greg's coat and sob into it "Why does Veronica hate me? Why did she leave me?" sometimes he would be angry "That bitch thinks she is better than me huh? Wait till I see that lying face, I'll love you forever, all of it bloody lies!" Greg would just sit in the cell with him until he passed out. It was a daily occurrence, thank the lord it hasn't happened for years. Greg frowned at his memories and drove back to his house where his cheating wife awaited to tell him how useless he was.

The next day Veronica was flustered "Oh no what if Sherlock's at the station..." she thought and looked over at her Norwich terrier Sigmund and frowned "Sig what if he's there." Sigmund responded with licking her face. "Sig people aren't like dogs. I just can't go around licking whoever's face I want!" she sighed and quickly got ready and put her pea coat on and flagged a taxi down.

Around 20 minutes past and she was at the station. She sighed and walked in and up to the reception desk "Hello I am here to see DI Lestrade."

The woman looked up "Name please"

"Name? Oh, I'm Veronica Matthews." she smiled at the woman.

"If you could sit and wait a few minutes the detective inspector will be out in a few." the woman went back to her typing.

Veronica blew her bangs out of her face and sat down in an uncomfortable plastic chair. She was surrounded by silence and cheap magazines. Suddenly the glass door was violently ripped open and a tall mop haired man in a billowing black coat and a short neatly trimmed man walked through the door.

Veronica held her breath and sat as still as she could hoping the familiar face wouldn't see her. She figured John was needed for questioning like she was and Sherlock just tagged along.

Sherlock tugged on the door the lead out of the waiting area "You had the door locked?" he asked sounding confused.

The woman looked up "Greg doesn't like it when you barge in while he's busy so we had a buzzer installed." John chuckled and Sherlock stood there visually upset. "Now if you can sit down and wait your turn like everyone else that'd be great."

Sherlock huffed and sat down as did John. Dr. Watson looked at Veronica "Veronica! Fancy seeing you here!" he said with a small smile,

Sherlock tensed and looked at Veronica his whole body tensed and he swallowed thickly. She had changed quite a bit since Sherlock had last see her. She was had matured into a fine woman, Sherlock could notice the curves of her figure under her pea coat.

Veronica coughed trying to break the tension in the air "Hello Dr. Watson."

"Oh, how rude of me this is Sherlock my roommate." John said. "Sherlock this is Veronica the girl I saved from being attacked by those two delinquents."

Sherlock looked at Veronica and tried reading her but his mind was blank he couldn't focus in on anything. His palms got hot and his mouth got dry. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Air. He needed air. "I need to leave" He said and quickly left the station

Veronica went pale and then she felt sick, he recognized her. John was confused wondering what he had done wrong and followed Sherlock out the door. "Bloody hell... Sherlock!" John called.

Lestrade opened the door and watched the chaos upfront of him. He sighed and shook his head. He went over to Veronica "Let's get you out of this mess." he smiled lightly and Veronica, nodded, and followed him.

Meanwhile John had caught up to Sherlock who was lighting up a cigarette. "Bloody hell Sherlock. Why on earth is that poor girl terrified of you?" John said and smacked the cigarette out of his hand.

"She's not terrified of me John." Sherlock snapped. "She's just someone I never expected to see again." he said and frowned at his now soiled cancer stick. He turned sharply back towards the station and walked back in. Once again, he pulled at the door only to sadly find it locked.

Roughly 15 minutes later Veronica looked at him and quickly walked past him. Sherlock got up to follow her catching up to her in a few long strides. "Veronica!" He called and gripped her shoulder

Veronica stopped and kept her back away from him. "Sherlock?" she asked in a small voice.

He towered over her small form the shadow looked over her. But it was strangely comforting. She turned around and buried her face into his chest and breathed in his sent, he still smelled the same, like formaldehyde and spice biscuits, the smell was unique to only Sherlock. He held her like this for a while. Several minutes passed until she stopped. "Oh God Sherlock I never expected to see you again." She said and laughed a bit.

Veronica reached up and touched his face probably to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Suddenly reality hit her and she touched his forearms "It's okay I haven't used for years now. Lestrade picked me up and helped me stop." He said grasping on of her hands in his own. They still fit perfectly together.

Veronica grinned and began to cry "I'm sorry I'm so emotional I'm not usually like this." she smiled "But I'm proud of you Sherlock. I knew you could do it. " his name slid out smooth like butter it made his knees weak. He pressed his forehead against hers and they stood there like that.

John and Lestrade stood just outside of the station watching their private and intimate moment. "You know. Whenever we would pick him up. I'd hear him talk of a Veronica in his high ramblings. I could tell she was important, but I had no idea she was this important. "Lestrade chuckled. "Should I bring him in for questioning?"

John smiled at his friend "Nah, I think we need to give them a few minutes.

<<<Part 3

[gimmetheheadcanons]

Public/Relations 3/?

A/N: It’s long. It soooo drags. But at least it’s here. TW: Mention of death/suicide.

3. Three

They walked in silence. The young actress in front of him, huddled up in his arms as he directed her through an obstacle course made up of swaying guests. As they entered the final leg of the night, a desperate DJ stepped up his efforts, blasting music appealing to waning legs one last time.

After finally having delivered them both to the privacy of the concierge’s front desk (and with minimal interference from any loiters in the venue’s large lobby), Klaus impatiently ushered the valet to return to him his black Aston Martin Vanquish. Fast. There was the grave matter of a shaking woman in want of whisking away; and naturally, ever the leading man at a moment’s notice, Niklaus Mikaelson was dying to be of assistance.

It felt odd. That unearned intimacy between them.

Bonnie Bennett, so small and exposed; and Klaus, determined to keep peeling at the layers until she appeared without a thread of cover.

Yet the sudden way their sniping subsided made him wonder if maybe – perhaps – there could be a second chance at a more favourable first impression. 

Almost instantly embarrassed by the ridiculous notion of him being required to make any sort of adjustment or impression, Klaus cast the sappy thought aside.

This was Elijah’s doing.

Or any of the others.

Those damned detractors and the low regard with which they held him.

Klaus had always found spite to be an excellent motivator, except thanks to the champagne lending a hand in fuzzing up his thoughts, he couldn’t quite work out what on earth it was he was trying to prove on this exact night.  On any ordinary day, no matter how inebriated, he’d always have enough nous left to barricade against any dangerous ideas a weak heart may have. Meet the forces gathering at the base of skull, head on, and cut them down without mercy. Stop himself from doing silly trite things such as slipping away from his own celebration for the sake of impressing a girl.

A girl.  

Yet Klaus could do little to deny it; something had changed upon observing the overwhelming pain on Bonnie Bennett’s face. The quick, cruel death of that airy little laugh he quite liked. Those blazing eyes worryingly wet and weepy. That firestorm which had so quickly excited him, suddenly snuffed out. All put together, such a pathetic picture had the power to pull at his chest, instantly inspiring an untried impulse

He actually wanted to help this girl.

Get her far enough away from here so he could once again poke and prod until this frightful cocoon burst and the Bonnie Bennett emerged, hopefully ready to take a second stab at that magical, made for syndication, sitcom banter he unashamedly sought after.

Make their own laugh track to muffle the sobering realities of unscripted life.  

Klaus frowned a little as their carriage finally approach.

But then what? Where would they go? And more importantly, would she stay with him? Or without any polite notice, just up and go. Cut her losses, just as his dear brother had.

The clock ran out. The moment for deliberation gone as Klaus was confronted by the bane of his daily existence – flashes of white light in the distance brewing up a terrible storm of tabloid scandal.  

Of course the parasites would’ve congregated to catch a glimpse of his court. Klaus groaned inwardly, feeling disappointed twice over – once for momentarily forgetting this detail and then for remembering.

The paparazzi, or more accurately those unable to deceive their way to legitimate press status or forcibly gain access to his guest list, had set up their own party across the street. Careful to adhere to the minimum distance required to avoid any altercations and additional days in court (and Heaven knows how Klaus enjoyed those); three men and a woman took a flurry of hurried photos of their favourite meal ticket.

Klaus rolled his eyes, imagining the gleeful eyes cowardly hidden behind monstrously oversized contraptions, hideously glued to where a human face ought to have been. On his own, each snap of him was worth a decent sum but whenever a beautiful woman was involved the rate tripled.

He was certain the bidding for any pictures taken tonight would be especially high.

Klaus turned to his right. Bonnie, still in a state of quiet distress, thankfully hadn’t noticed the vampires. Best to keep it as such by disappearing quickly.

Unfortunate for them both however, was that this latest unfortunate development meant Klaus’s plans were in drastic need of amending. He couldn’t very well risk a high-speed pursuit with a valued asset of the Disney corporation in the passenger seat.

Oh won’t you think of the children Niklaus!

Klaus let escape a small but grim laugh at his favourite past-time, pulling out from the depth of his memory a rather unkind impression of stuffy, proper, pain in the arse Elijah.

But with none of the awkwardness of having to admit defeat to a flesh and bone version of his brother, Klaus was free to heed the words of caution offered by his figment.

“No bother.” He called out, finally having made up his mind to return inside and thus throwing back the keys to the man who’d just delivered them to him. Klaus casually waved his hand over the car, attempting to deflect any questions with a masterful performance of his usual indifference. “I have no need for this now. Take it back.”

“And once again, need I remind you – be gentle.”

He received a swift nod from a quaking man familiar with the implied consequences. To Klaus that terrified trembling was just a perk he got to enjoy after all the diligent work he put in to consistently educating his fellow man, wherever he went. He watched as the valet and car disappeared at once, then turned to deal with the wrath of a woman he knew to be unlearned and unafraid.

“Why?” Bonnie shouted angrily at the apparent act of betrayal. Klaus withdrew slightly so as to avoid any possibility of being struck in the face.  

Still composed but only barely – Bonnie spared him.    

Cautious not to indulge the oglers and sadly unsure how long Bonnie’s self-restrained would last, Klaus carefully positioned himself with his back to the cameras before answering in a low whisper.

“Why should we be the ones to abscond into the night like bandits? I swear to you love, nothing but merriment awaits – should you choose return with me.” Klaus said ensuring his voice was soft and sweet enough to assuage her fears, offering up the sincere and practical solution of support against Parker.

One word from her and the buffoon should find himself flung out on his arse, free to model on this very curb for the long-lensed vermin he so adored.  

“I won’t leave your side Bonnie.”

But Bonnie perceptive eyes signalled to him she saw through to his core. The man they all sensed him to be. She saw through this obvious glitch in his programming, all the way through to the selfish curiosity under the surface inspiring such chivalry.  

“No.”  She answered predictably, inviting a sad smile from him.

Yes, there was a story here, Klaus could admit that whilst focussing in on the beautifully pained face before him. A story he desperately hoped to know. Meanwhile, was it so hard to believe that his instinct to protect her ran just as deep as his desire to distract himself from the foul mood his bothersome brother had left him in?

“Then perhaps I can offer you an alternative solution. One more agreeable to you.”

And for the second time that night, Klaus Mikaelson took hold of Bonnie Bennett’s hand in a bid to lead her to a safer haven.

-----

When they finally arrived at their new much more discreet location, a private penthouse located within the same building, Klaus couldn’t help but show off a little. After all, leading a life of luxury meant he had the luxury to do so.

The noticeably awe-struck young woman in his company drank in the immaculate interior of the space. He followed the music of Bonnie’s heels connecting with the limestone tiles. As she took lead, soft yellow lights fixed high above were coming to life to greet her and celebrate her bravery. She didn’t have to travel too far from him to explore, her eyes doing most of the work, scanning the entire open space all the way to high glass walls revealing a fully furnished outdoor seating area and a sky pool in the distance.

“Make yourself at home.” Klaus called out, pointing towards the richly black Edelman leather sofas as he made a beeline to the built-in butler bar. He was about to pour two glasses of something comforting for them, when it dawned on him mixing drink and despair may appear slightly predacious to his watchful guest. Instead, Klaus returned to Bonnie’s side holding a less sinful (and therefore much less fun) bottle of mineral water which she politely accepted.

“Thanks.”

A genuine warm smile spread across his face at the tiny one he spotted her lips were failing to fight back.

“I usually keep this space for the after party. A handful of noteworthy individuals, for light debate followed by much needed debauchery. However…seeing how deeply loathed I am by everyone and their mum at this point in time– a fact my dear brother reminded me of a couple hours ago – I’d rather put it to better use tonight.”

Again, Bonnie thanked him, causing his chest to swell up like a balloon.

Klaus knew the automatic, monosyllabic, society taught reply shouldn’t have warranted such a reaction from him; yet there was a potent power in being able to receive Bonnie Bennet’s praise. Perhaps he could set himself a new challenge and keep a tally of exactly how much gratitude he could gross over the course of the night.

“To harbouring fugitives.” Klaus said raising his own bottle of water for a toast.  

Bonnie resisted to clink plastic, choosing instead to roll her eyes at the bon mot.

“I’m not a fugitive.”

Klaus shrugged his shoulders, the glint in his eyes still very much intent on teasing her at the cost of the night’s takings.  

He glugged down his drink partly in bid to appear unconcerned about the way she left him hanging and partly to try and rehydrate enough so he could have his wits about him before attempt to engage with Bonnie once more. She stood with her own bottle unopened, stealing subtle glances just as he was.

Once his thirst had been managed, Klaus lazily swiped at his wet mouth, his left hand unable to mop up each rebellious drop he let carelessly slid down his chin and onto the naked flesh peeking out from the top of his loosened-up shirt.

“Well…” He said sensing Bonnie’s discomfort at the intentional combination of silence, staring and so-close-together-standing.  

“Now that I have obliged you so, will you –  at the very least –  grace me with an explanation as to why we have been banished from my own party.”

Bonnie hesitated for a moment before turning her face away and answering in a low voice.

“I don’t need to see him.”

Klaus’s jaw tensed at the distance she insisted on putting between them. Screwing back on the lid, he disposed of his bottle by frustratingly flinging it onto a nearby armchair, where it landed with a soft thud.

“That much I gathered.”

She appeared unable to get comfortable with him, her body still on high alert as she slowly began pacing the room whilst aiming to maintain the guise of leisurely browsing the full stocked bookshelves.

It was frustrating. The hold that idiot Parker seemed to have over this woman. A woman, Klaus, in the short span of time they’d become acquainted, assumed was fearless.    

“Rest assured, there is no tail in need of shaking here.” Klaus promised again urging her to take a seat on any of the numerous chairs in the room.

Bonnie however denied him once more, continuing to evade him by staying constantly on the move.

A little heavier handed and a little more in character, Klaus proceeded to press harder.

“As an objective third party observer, I find the only thing pursuing you at this moment is your personal demons regarding Mr. Parker.”

She appeared to tense at his direct reference to her co-star, halting in a stride long enough for Klaus to close the gap between them. Good, he thought, pleased with the result of the harsher tactic he chose to employ. Perhaps now she would be more open to his assistance, whilst he was still gracious enough to be offering it.

“Demons,” Klaus continued in a slow purposeful drawl, inching nearer and nearer until able to see the specific shades of brown – from dark to light – of each individual hair strand on the back of Bonnie’s head. Klaus observed the beginnings of a couple of soft curls marching out of time, at odds with the rest of her perfectly placed and professionally straightened locks; and he wondered, how many more would join their marvellous little mutiny by morning.

With her back to her, Klaus had to guess what was going on inside Bonnie’s head. Instead his mind was preoccupied with the way her thin shoulders rose and fell as she breathed in and out more deeply. Charmed by the rhythm, Klaus’s own breath followed hers – his nose taking in the scent of sweet feminine fragrance on her skin. It was warm and comforting, like rich berries in a summer fruit crumble drowned in smooth vanilla custard. Meant for consumption during the blackest of winters, to heat the soul and stain the corners of your mouth a bloody red.

She turned to face him, without any warning and almost startled him.

Almost.

“These demons. I’d be glad to exorcise them for you if you could just make them more corporeal, love.”

The sequence continued on whilst she was facing him – that up then down, in then out – until Klaus interrupted it by gently resting his hands atop Bonnie’s shoulders, commanding them to steady.

She didn’t gasp for him.

His disappointed eyes watched her doubtful ones, unable to win them over; her silence just about to start reminding Klaus that his patience was a finite resource in need of constant replenishing.

“Details Bonnie.” He said, following up with a more insistent growl he knew he would come to regret. “I demand them.”

Klaus found his planned interrogation aborted quite suddenly. However, not by any hostility of Bonnie’s but by the gentle interruption of beeping coming from somewhere on her person. It was the sound of an incoming text message, she chose to immediately answer.

Phone in hand and pushing past him, her shoulders savagely cut across his chest like a rugby player’s.

After a silent second, Bonnie let out a furious scream.  

Shaking with rage, her livid eyes were glued to the screen.

Intrigued, Klaus approached her to peer over her shoulder pryingly. Unfortunately, he was unable to catch the communication in its entirety when Bonnie once again shrieked.

“Argh! Damn it Alaric! Thanks for the heads up asshole.” She cursed upon having fully read the script herself, angrily smashing down her water on the marble counter in front of her. Not having noticed him walk up behind her, Bonnie bumped flat into his chest as she turned around.

“How about a little personal space?” She said her tone acerbic as she lashed out at him for the sins of another.

Hardly offended Klaus obliged, cordially stepping out of the way but not before mockingly putting both hands up and throwing her a wink.

Bonnie ignored him, angrily pressing away at the keyboard on her phone screen.  

Alaric Saltzman, Klaus knew the man as well as he did every agent who tried their luck at claiming him as a prize. For a time, Klaus toyed with the idea of striking up an alliance with the man, before quickly recognising that Saltzman’s body of work, in all its underwhelming mediocrity wouldn’t have been well-suited to Klaus’s needs.

Not in the long run anyway.

Klaus wickedly grinned, thinking back to wholesome redheaded he freed from a potential life sentence as the second Mrs. Saltzman; realising that for a short while, there was a need the agent – or to put more accurately the agent’s fiancée – did satisfy.  

His indulgence and mischief however had cost him in a way. Word got round and no agent in this town since managed to last beyond a couple of weeks managing Klaus. Each finding him too – what was it that Josh said – “mega intense and scary like a medieval torture expert guy”.

It was a gratifying sacrifice, if undertaken solely to punish Saltzman for his insolence. For the crime of daring to believe he and Klaus could be equals, the actor extracted his revenge most viciously. Taking from the man the love of his life, compelling her to lose herself in a moment of weakness, debasing her and discarding her. Still, it took just that on time of mixing pleasure and business for Klaus to see how quickly most fled from him.

Afraid of joining the pile of bodies he left in his wake.

Young Joshua must’ve been a glutton for punishment when he signed on with Klaus. Since the Saltzman affair, the pitiful boy had the pleasure of pulling double duty on all of the actor’s booking needs. Naturally, he did this collaborating with the patient people at William Morris Endeavour.

Done sending her text, Klaus wondered if Bonnie’s displeasure meant she could someday be persuaded to leave that dullard agent of hers and join him at the rival agency. Except, he quickly realised, that would require her to start viewing him in a much different light.

She must’ve been distracted enough by the unpleasant news she received, it slipped her mind to hold him to account for his earlier pushy behaviour. This would’ve been an ideal time to cease testing the patience of his guest, yet wholly undeterred and his impulsive nature getting the best of him, Klaus continued.

“Still waiting love.”

“Look Klaus,” Bonnie said finally snapping at him; the woman before him, far away from the timid, torn up creature he needed to coax into that lift. “Thank you for the rescue but you can return to your party. Okay? I’ll be out when I’m ready.”

This Bonnie, the one prone to turn on her heel and storm away from him, required a far more delicate touch. “Perhaps I can make arrangements to have you returned to your place of residence?” Klaus offered in a plea to appear reasonable.

But Bonnie didn’t need a moment to muse over his suggestion. Shaking her head immediately but looking somewhat despondent about having to do so, she replied weakly.

“No. I can’t. Not after tonight.”

With another piece of the puzzle in his possession yet somehow saddened by what it held, Klaus wavered a little.  

“Then I have a suggestion you may find either entirely pleasing or wholly preposterous.”

“Stay here.”

It was out there now. That dangerously weak heart of his finally successful in its intended coup; and Klaus’s deepest desire for company – a secret no more.  

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Klaus replied fully committed to this idiocy now.  

Bonnie took another look at the grand apartment he’d just made available to her. “I guess this is okay.”

Catching herself venturing into a territory occupied by the far more ill-mannered, Bonnie tried again –  a little more enthusiastic this time. “Good even. I mean – it’s good. Thank you, Klaus.”

Another Bonnie Bennett thank you for Klaus’s book. The idle angel on his shoulder sure had an unusually amount to brag about tonight.

“Well, not so fast.” Klaus added, reminding Bonnie there were terms attached to his offer. “I cannot vouch for what kind of pay there is in television but there are a few items here that’ll fetch a pretty penny online. Morbidity of fame I suppose.”

Deciphering his meaning with narrowed eyes, Bonnie finally conceded.

“Fine stay if you must.”

“Just don’t bother me okay?”

Klaus clapped his hands together jubilantly. “Now we’re finally seeing eye to eye, I’d like to revisit my earlier queries.”

He walked over to the largest sofa and sat, his hand outstretched hovering over the space next him where he’d visualised she should be. “Come sit with me.”

Bonnie let out an ironic laugh at the proposal. “You gotta be kidding me!”

“You’re not gonna trick me into some ridiculous Dr. Phil situation Klaus.” She promised with a resolute look on her face.

Klaus lazily stretched his arms out above him and yawned, before satisfyingly settling his back against the soft cushions further. He then cast a relaxed smile in Bonnie’s direction, hoping to entice her to come do the same. Her day must’ve started as early as his, if not earlier.

“Come now, you’ve been standing in those heels for long enough love.”

“No way. No matter how comfortable the couch, I refuse to share it with you.” Bonnie repeated.

Frustrated, Klaus grabbed the soft white throw pillows, snatching them out from under him and busily began rearranging them. Without looking at her he muttered under his breath what he knew could only be received as a menacing attempt at intimidation.  

“I’ll be sure to send Kai Parker your most affectionate greetings when I go then.”

Once again, Klaus made sure to use his full name for effect.

Dissatisfied with the thought of missing her reaction, Klaus put away his angry pout and turned to face Bonnie, adding with a sneer. “I so did enjoy him in this summer’s must-see superhero flick. Really remarkable how far he’s come from his humble beginnings as a teenage witch.”

Bonnie did not blink. It looked as though she’d been inoculated to his mean mouth after the first incident. Klaus was about to try something different to get that reaction he craved when she cut him off.

“Why are you doing this?” She demanded, completely throwing him.  

“Why are you fucking with me?”

Not sure how to reply to such a straightforward question, Klaus hid behind a mocking gasp of shock and opted to childishly mutter about her use of foul language instead. Unfortunately, the aggravated actress firmly stayed on topic.

“All night in fact! Do you even see what you’re like?”

All of a sudden, Klaus had been stunned into silence by her more measured tone and the crashing waves of righteous rage radiating from her threatening to batter his unprotected body.

This was nothing like he’d ever dealt with before. Similar words from his siblings often fell short because of their own failings being so laughably apparent to him. No, blasted Jiminy Crickets would seldom manage to escape without being mercilessly crushed by his fist.  

Yet here was Bonnie and having a bloody good go!

And it was different, he noted. Her inquires into his very character held no pretence of a search for higher moral reasoning. She didn’t care to teach him anything or even win for that matter. She just plain and simple wanted to know.

Demanded to know.

Why was he, Klaus Mikaelson, fucking with her?  

It was a brilliantly phrased little question, simple in every way and yet something told Klaus he was in no way capable of delivering the complexity of its answer.

With no response coming her way any time soon, Bonnie groaned, wearily throwing her arms up in the air.

Her annoyance flared up once more when Klaus made the mistake of smiling. Her eyes flashed widely in disbelief at the action.

“Why are you grinning like a villain? Have you really nothing better to do?”

Ready to incur another deadly glare, Klaus was surprised to see her face soften.  

“Come on man, why all this,” She whined in response to this uncharacteristic quietness she had to endure from him. “I don’t even know you.”

The plainly said statement, a desperate final attempt at trying appeal to his better nature. There are protocols in civilised societies, she beseeched him The pools of hazel staring back at him called for the decency to mind one’s own bloody business.  

Except, that’s where Bonnie Bennett had gone wrong.

Klaus Mikaelson, more beast than man, was hardly civilised.

“Oh don’t be daft.” He laughed for a second time, crossing his arms under his head casually, further propping up the pillows. “Of course, you know me. Everyone does.”

“Great.” Bonnie said, her face clearly regretting her efforts to try and reach him. Klaus frowned a little at how easily she gave up. “So where’d your babysitter go? The big brother?”

Her casual mentioning of Elijah replicated the same discomfort Kai Parker’s did. Klaus shifted awkwardly in his seat and Bonnie noticed.

“Oh wow. You’re all of a sudden bored of twenty questions when it’s your turn?” Bonnie said with a sneer ugly on her pretty face.  

Determined not to lose to her, Klaus answered frankly. “He should be where he prefers to be. Back in his hotel room in a deep untroubled slumber. Miles away from here. From me.” He said bitterly.

His earnest confession as to the reason for his aloneness had an unexpected outcome.

A sudden crash and the empty space next to him became occupied.

Bonnie let out a tired sigh, appearing exhausted by everything leading up to the moment to collapsed down next to him. It was odd having her choose to not only sit, but then to do so closely.

As her thigh pressed against Klaus’s, he turned his head slightly to get a better look at the profile of her face. Her heavily lashed eyelids were shut as she inhaled deeply, sinking further into the comforting cool leather. Using just the tip of her toes, she flicked off her right shoe followed by the left. Her perfectly pedicured and painted toes then giving a little victory wiggle.

“It’s a nice couch.” She hummed, her still lids shut.

“It is.” Klaus chuckled.

“So jerk brother huh?” Bonnie asked, her eyes opening to look around the room as if she had misplaced something.

Up close, Klaus noticed slightly dry flakes of darkly stained skin peeling off insides of her lips, revealing a fleshy pink in contrast to the impeccable matte coat of chestnut brown from earlier this evening.

Without being asked, Klaus found himself on his feet and heading to the counter, returning with her discarded bottle in his hand. Again, she thanked him when he opened it for her and Klaus counted that as being five now in his favour.

“Jerk brother.” He concurred taking his seat once more.

“And what of your handler? Your agent, Saltzman was it?”

Bonnie’s mood soured at the mention of the man. “Urgh, just found out he ditched me to deliver his twins.”

Klaus was surprised at her answer.

Why the old bugger sure bounced back rather marvellously! So, it was two sets of tiny feet, and not his own cold ones that kept Alaric Saltzman away this evening. But why instead of being elated for her mentor, was Bonnie Bennett clearly furious? Surely there had to be some greater transgression than this? Or was she a far pettier person than Klaus had realised.

“What a monster.” He said mockingly.

Bonnie snorted. “Yeah well, he could’ve drop a warning he was going to be leaving me with one.”

“Poppycock! I’ve been a perfect gentleman.”

When Bonnie allowed herself to giggle at his exaggerated exasperation for even a second, Klaus noted how his ears, coming through the other side of a severe joyless drought, were beginning to grow fond of the sunny sound.

“Like hell you have.” She said slipping on a brief smile, comfortable enough to lazily slap the side of his thigh with the back of her hand without really looking at him. The impression left by her touch tingled for a moment thrilling him. Then the smile, just as easily slipped from her face leaving nothing but a pool of quiet bitterness in her eyes.

“I didn’t mean you.” Bonnie added in a low whisper, unblinking eyes gazing into the distance.

Klaus inhaled deeply, the solemn air between them thick and heavy.

Alaric Saltzman’s failings finally revealed.

A heads up.  

“Kai Parker.” He said without even the faintest hint of a sneer. She hadn’t anticipated on him being at the party. Alaric must’ve withheld that information from her.  

“Yep.”

Klaus shook his head sadly, trying on for size the part of a supportive friend. “He seems like such a prince too. Making the rounds at children’s wards in his silly tights and cape.”

“Well what do you want me to say? That Disney money got him playing you all 24/7 okay?” Bonnie retorted, straightening up.

Klaus knew he’d gone wrong, his attempts at sincerity rang false.

“Okay.” He said yielding to her and hoping she’d return to that almost tranquil state of earlier, teasing him with a touch or two.

But it wasn’t to be. As if only just slowly waking from a hazy dream and suddenly aware of her surroundings, Bonnie Bennett’s guard came up in full force.

“Are you friends with him?”

It was Klaus’s turn to jolt awake.

“Excuse me?”

“I said are you friends with him?” She demanded more sternly.

Klaus’s chuckles were dismissive. “Why? Did he pass along a lovely little handwritten note asking us to be mates love?”

Bonnie shot up.

On her feet and at a distance, she repeated herself.  

“I mean it Klaus. I need to know.”

“Are you friends?”

“No.” He said but by the time he answered they’d returned to their earlier roles. “Bloody hell. I said no didn’t!”  

To his horror, Bonnie would not abide.

In one swift motion, Klaus rose also. Back to facing off with Bonnie, but now with a much greater height advantage than the barefoot actress.

“We hardly travel similar circles. Just the overcrowded ones in need of a good cull if you ask me.”

Sensing she needed more than that Klaus decided to spell out for her exactly how he felt about the Kai Parkers of the world.

“I never thought of him as anything but a self-centred, man-child with mediocre flair for the arts yet an unmatched need for constant attention.”

He was met with raised eyebrows from the young woman.

“Don’t look at me like that!” He insisted growing increasingly irritated she would continue to question him. “I mean it love.  Believe me, we have nothing in common. He’s a hack. A Buzzfeed quiz favourite, constantly clamouring for followers across his social media like a harlot.”

Finally, Bonnie grinned a little. “Hashtag blessed.” She quipped in a voice much too heavy to be actually humorous.

Finally, Klaus watched as she settled back into her seat and convinced he did enough to ease her her doubts about him, followed.

“Well, I guess you know better than anyone not to believe what you read in the papers.” Bonnie observed, her head turning to face him. Her nose may as well have be touching his cheek but Klaus was too troubled by the mystery she still hid from him to take any joy in his triumph.  

“On the contrary love, when it comes to me, I must urge you – believe every word.” He said completely unironically.

“Even Carol Lockwood?”

“I – sorry – I didn’t meant to – ” Bonnie stammered her face utterly changed by the dark weight behind those words. Her mouth slammed shut; Klaus’s grim look, a judge’s gavel coming down on hard on such the feeble defence her lips were aspiring to form.  

“I don’t know why I said that.”

The choppy waves threatening to form above Klaus’s brows instantly settled, the flood of emotion never quite reaching the shores of his eyes. Gripped by the eerie stillness of a drowning victim, he sat unresponsive.  

There was hardly any point to it. The pens dripped in poison had done their job, effectively killing this conversation as it had the one with Elijah.

“The topic exhausts me.” A whisper of life left in him confessed.

Klaus shifted in his seat slightly ready to resist any and all of Bonnie’s resuscitation attempts. He expected a taste of his own medicine; bracing himself for a barrage of prying questions meant to unsettle.

Bonnie, far kinder and empathetic he thought the descendants of Adam could ever be, simply decided to nod.

“I understand.”

Understanding. His heart ached a little at the prospect of such a thing – he was the keeper of far less publicised ghost stories. Ones good souls would greatly struggle with.

“How could you possibly love.”

Gallons of redness spilling over the sides and onto the tiles, setting Klaus up to lose his footing and fall when he found her. A bathtub transformed into an overfilled wine glass. His mother, always such a careless drinker, had decidedly drained herself. The shirt he wore that day suddenly a bib, soaking up the mess she left for him as Klaus lost consciousness on the floor.

Last thought on his mind?

She finally did it.

Escaped them all to other side.  

[rfsak2]

Cactus, A Claim

Here ya go! Hope you like it! This is set in 2017/2018 mostly in LA. First part is pre-album promotion, second is just after and third is early 2018.

Cactus, a Claim Summary: She is His. He is Hers. We are Ours. The Styles Warnings: Some sexiness and paparazzi nastiness.

It’s an industry party, some networking shindig Columbia put on so their signed artists could meet the label’s studio musicians.

She’s been to at least a dozen, if not more, of these functions and normally she’s mind-numbingly bored, contenting herself with nursing her drink of choice and hanging with the other musicians, chatting about current projects and life and whatever else, until she can sneaky away and go home without offending anyone.

This was different.

She shivered as Harry passed behind her, finger ghosting over the back of her hand. “Yeh look so fuckin’ sexy.” He pinched the delicate black lace of her skirt between his fingers and groaned lowly. “Wanna fuck yeh in this dress when we get back to mine.”

“It’s Alexander McQueen, dahling. You don’t fuck in a Alexander McQueen.” She smiled but didn’t turn to look at him. Jeffrey had already been very specific about the parameters of their conduct if they wanted to keep this to themselves.

No touching, no flirting, no long lingering looks. She had to treat him like she would treat any other client. Politely disinterested in talking about anything but business.

He grinned and stood next to her. To the outside viewer, they looked cordial, but nothing more. “I think the man himself would’ve disagreed with yeh, love.” He drew his eyes from the top of her messy coiffure to the bottoms of her nude, strappy Louboutin pumps. “After I fuck yeh in this dress, I’m gonna fuck yeh in just those pumps.” He sipped at his cocktail. “Wanna feel yeh dig them into my back.”

She sucked in a breath and breathed out shakily, “Shoe fe-”

“Harry!” Jeff smiled tightly at them and clapped Harry on the back. “I’ve got someone you’ve gotta meet, man!”

Harry chuckled. “We’ve been found out, monster. I bid yeh adieu.”

“Have fun.” She turned to get a glass of water and got caught up talking to a pianist by the bar.

“Jamie Schwartz…”

She frowned and turned over her shoulder. She smiled awkwardly at the blond man, 100% Nashville hipster. Made her wonder what possessed her to date him. They couldn’t be more different. “Josh McNeil… How ya doin’?”

He grinned and reached in for a hug. “I’m good! How’re you? You have more tattoos! You look… great.” She nodded, looking down at her shoes, and he sighed. “Anyways, I’ve heard you’ve been doing some pretty high profile stuff. Little birdie told me something about Harry Styles’ new album.”

She smiled and cast her eyes around aimlessly, catching Harry’s eyes from across the room. She nodded. “Uh yeah. Finished up little while ago.”

“How was that? Bit pop-y, I’d imagine.”

She made a vague motion. “I wouldn’t say so.”

“Really?” Josh grinned. “He’s a boy-bander!”

She frowned. “He’s a very talented musician who has made a lot of great music and will continue to make great music if this new album is anythin’ to go by.”

“You like One Direction?”

“You don’t?”

“Really?” He shook his head before he could catch himself. “Did you like ‘lem back in Nashvegas?”

“Ew… Don’t call it Nashvegas.” She made a face. “Yeah, I liked ‘em. They’re classic road trip music. It’s fun an-”

“It’s fluff music. Doesn’t mean anything.” Josh looked aghast and fought a smile onto his face. “Look, I didn’t come up to you to argue over music.”

“What did you want then?” She was still frowning and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry, eyes still on her, stalk a few steps closer, chatting casually with whoever was in his immediate vicinity.

“I was wondering if you’re single?” He shrugged with a small smile. “I’m moving to LA soon and I thought… well we were always good with each other.”

She wasn’t quite able to keep the confused look off her face. “Oh?”

He smiled and reached for her hand, frowning sadly when she took a step back. “Yeah, I thought so.”

She made a face. “Yeah… well. I’m not really available…” She shrugged. “Yeah. Sorry.”

“So you’re dating someone?” He looked disappointed.

“No… I’m just not available.” She waved vaguely.

“In other words, you don’t want to date me, but you want to let me down easy.” He looked down at his feet. “Guess that’s fair.”

She sighed heavily, a little miffed that he was trying to lay a guilt trip on her. “Look, I don’t know why you’d even think I’d want to give this another shot. We dated for a year and then you ended it without thinking twice. Honestly… if we’re being real, you lied to me for however long you told me-”

“That’s not what happened.” “That is what happened.” She looked up and caught a glimpse of Harry lingering against the bar, eyes still on her, dark eyebrows drawn down over a very serious glower. She smiled despite herself. “It is. And it’s fine now. It’s been three years and I’m more than fine. I don’t really-”

“Excuse me, Jamie.” Harry grinned amicably at Josh and stepped in. “Sorry, mate. Mind if I take everyone’s favorite guitarist? There’s someone she needs to meet.”

Josh scoffed. “Yeah, sure, man whatever you want.”

“Cheers.” Harry ignored the attitude and jerked his head toward the far side of the space. He didn’t touch her until he’d led them into a quiet corner away from the main activity of the event, pulling her against him gently and using his body to block hers from view. “Yeh okay, love?”

Jamie smiled and nodded, leaning against his chest to press a kiss to his chin. When she saw the red her lips left behind, she rubbed at it. “Sorry ‘bout that, baby.”

“I don’t mind yeh leavin’ yer mark on me.” He waggled his eyebrows at her, grinning.

“Jeff might though.” She triumphantly swiped the last of her lipstick away. “Not good for PR or somethin’.”

He shrugged. “Yer okay, though? Yeh looked uncomfortable.”

“Yeah…” She made a face. “That was the guy from Nashville.”

Harry sat up straight and looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of him again. “Wait, really?”

She nodded. “Yeah, Josh.”

“Josh.” Harry made a face, arching a brow and looking down at her with a smug smirk. “How did a twat like that get a year with a girl like yeh? Honestly?”

Chuckling, she swatted at his arm. “Don’t be mean.”

He grinned. “I’m serious. Yer outta my league which means that yer definitely outta his.”

She rolled her eyes but accepted the soft kiss he pressed to her mouth. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“And what did Josh want?” Harry wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him.

“Asked me out.” She made a face. “He’s moving to LA.”

“He what?” Harry frowned. “And what- yer just his on-call ass to tap? Someone to pick up and let down whenever he feels the need? The wanker wasted yer time for a year and wants a second chance? What a fookin’ laugh.”

She grinned, touched that he’d be so aggravated on her account. “Yeah… my thoughts exactly.”

“What did you tell him?”

She shrugged. “That I wasn’t interested and that I was kinda shocked that he’d even ask.”

“Bloody moron, innit?” He sighed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Still doesn’t seem to know what he let go.”

“Someone may be blowing this out of proportion.” She snorted.

“The fuck I am.” He grinned down at her.

She pressed her chin to the exposed skin of his chest, cautious of the makeup on her face and the expensive green silk of his shirt. One eyebrow arched as she shifted through more of the conversation. “Said we were good together…” She snorted absently.

“What, love?” Harry sipped his drink, free hand in the small of her back.

Forcing down the urge to rub her hand over her face, she sighed. “He said that we were always good together and the first thought in my mind was… ‘you sure?’”

Harry chuckled. “Couldn’t bloody get yeh off for more than a couple times in a year, but yeh were ‘good together’? Bollocks ‘yeh were good together’, sheer bloody moron, he is. I’d be willing to bet that I make yeh cum more times tonight than he did the whole bloody time he knew yeh.”

“Haz!” She laughed, pressing her face against her hands. “How can someone normally so gentlemanly have such a dirty mouth?”

He pressed his mouth to her hair. “But yeh really like it, don’t yeh monster?”

“Yeah well… I’ve moved on, didn’t I? Onto bigger and better things.” She kissed his neck with a wicked grin.

Harry leaned down for a kiss, one hand fiddling with the lace ruffles that framed the neckline of her dress. “Too right. I’ll show yeh tonight… soon as we can leave.”

Harry acted unaffected for the rest of the night and she bought it. He was as cool as he normally was, cocky and slightly arrogant, secure in the indisputable conclusion that Josh- the guy from Nashville -was no competition.

So Jamie was justifiably shocked when, in the process of making good on his promises from earlier in the evening, Harry groped at her skin and gripped her hips with a possessive fierceness and muttered filth in her ear with a jealousy she’d not thought him committed enough to feel.

Couldn’t fill yeh up like I do, love. Not even close. Yeh were bloody made for me.

She’d been pretty, bloody surprised when he’d insisted that she look him in the eye every time she came, whether the first or the second or the fifth time, muttering gruffly against her skin that she was going to remember every single bloody second of that night.

Only me, gorgeous. Only I get to know what it sounds like when yeh fall apart.

She was downright floored when the next morning he woke her up with soft, gentle kisses to her already sore inner thighs and moaned his claim into her mouth as he finally, finally pressed her back into the bed and made love to her.

He’d pressed his forehead to hers, eyes soft despite the intensity, as he rocked into her as gently as he could manage as amped up as he was. She had buried her hands in his hair and gasped into his mouth.

“All for me, love, all for me. No one else gets to see this part of yeh.”

**

Jamie, honestly, wasn’t a particularly jealous person. She was much more likely to be sad, to cut her losses and run then she was to get angry and act irrationally.

Maybe that’s what made her a good fit for Harry, that she was rational enough to realize that he had never asked for all the female attention. She was sure he had revelled in it a time or two, especially when he was younger, but who could blame him? It felt nice to be wanted, didn’t it?

No, she could handle the flirting, even the blatant, tuck-my-underwear-into-your-pocket flirting, knowing that he’d never asked for it, that it was completely one-sided, and that it had no effect on their relationship, however newly defined it was.

It honestly didn’t normally bother her.

However there was one thing that did bother her.

She hated when people assumed that she was merely a friend. He could have her naked on a park bench, balls deep in her as she screamed his name, and some dummy would comment about how refreshing it was to see a young man and a young woman being such good friends.

It chipped at her self-confidence.

Especially since the press routinely linked Harry romantically with women he’d never even met.

Let’s let that sink in.

There were people Harry hadn’t even ever been in the same room with that the press considered a good match for Harry, and Jamie, who’d been seen multiple times with him in different couple-ly type situations by like the same five paps, was just a friend.

Because that was the only logical conclusion.

Because Harry fuckin’ Styles fucked models and not whatever the press thought she was.

Caught strollin’ hand-in-hand in Venice Beach?

Well, Harry’s always been known to be touchy with friends. This is just more of the same.

Harry could breathe in the general direction of Kate Moss and suddenly he’s not only dating her but Tyra Banks and Cindy Crawford.

He could be caught with his tongue literally down her throat and they’d just get an ‘oh… well, you know Harry!’

She just wanted to have some sort of public claim on him. She didn’t need to send out an all-points bulletin notifying everyone in the world that she was dating Harry Styles.

Just this particular waitress.

Blonde, beautiful, an aspiring actress from one of those fly-over states. She needed Michelle to know- to realize -that this wasn’t a business meeting or friend date.

This was date-date. They were a couple with every intention of going back to one of theirs- maybe hers because it was closer -watching a movie, screwing each other silly and then sleeping in the same bed.

“Yeh alright, monster?”

She looked up- she could admit she had been pouting -and noticed Michelle had fucked off. “She’s gone?”

He nodded and hid a grin behind his glass of water. “Yeah, she’s gone. Had another table sat, I think.” He winked. “Not a moment too soon, eh? My pasta’s gone almost frigid.”

“Yeah, she was a talker for sure.” Jamie pushed her risotto around her plate and speared a shrimp.

He reached the table and grabbed for her free hand. “Are yeh alright, love? Ye’ve been awful quiet.”

She squeezed his hand and shrugged. “Couldn’t get a word in edgewise.” She smiled. “But, yeah I’m fine.”

“What’s on yer mind, Jamie?” He lifted her hand to kiss at her knuckles and she wanted to sigh and melt and celebrate. “Seriously, love, I can tell somethin’ is botherin’-”

“Can I get you two anything?” Michelle gleamed and Jamie tried to withdraw her hand.

Harry didn’t let her. “No, we’re fine. Thank yeh.”

Michelle nodded, lingering, and Jamie was seconds from losing her near legendary patience with food service workers.

Harry smiled tightly. “We’re almost done. If yeh’d just give us a bit, we’ll get outta yer hair.”

Michelle nodded again. “Two checks, right?”

Harry frowned and snuck a look at Jamie who was suddenly very tense again. He shook his head. “No. Just one. In fact,” He pulled out his card and handed it over. “Just go ahead and close out our tab, yeah? We’ll be done by the time yeh get back.”

Another nod. “Oh! It’s so sweet that you’re paying for your friend.”

Jamie tried to take her hand back again and Harry held her fast, comprehension suddenly dawning on him. “Not a friend. She’s my girlfriend.”

Jamie glanced up from under her eyelashes and caught his eyes on her face.

He smiled and Michelle looked absolutely crestfallen and, despite the kindness her mother worked hard to instill in her, Jamie felt vindicated.

Later that night, Footloose playing softly in the background, Harry tugged at his lip and chuckled, the same hand coming to rest on her thigh. “There is something very satisfying about watching you get jealous, love.”

She groaned against his shoulder and swatted at his arm lightly. “Don’t be a jerk.”

He grinned and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I’m not. You’re adorable and I… just like knowing that we’re on the same page.”

She snorted. “And what page is that? Last I checked, no one was blatantly flirting with me in front of you.” She blushed scarlet and pressed her face back to his shoulder. “Nevermind. Forget I said anything.”

“Love…” He frowned. “Hey, Jamie, look at me.” She peeked at him from under her eyelashes. “If it was botherin’ yeh, love, yeh could’ve told me.”

With a small embarrassed smile, Jamie ran her fingers over the back of his hand and shook her head. “No… I’m fine. I’m just being petty.”

Harry shook his head. “I would’ve made a big scene if everythin’ had been opposite and some bloke was openly flirtin’ with yeh and ignorin’ me. Would’ve been in a right snit.”

She chuckled and glanced up at him. “You are more dramatic than I am though.”

He nodded. “Does it bother yeh alot, monster? That people are always makin’ a pass at me?”

Shrugging, her eyes dropped to his hand again. “Not normally. It’s really only that kind of situation.” He made a motion like he was asking for elaboration and she smiled. “It’s the kind of people who assume that because I don’t fit their idea of what your type should be, that I can’t possibly be your girlfriend.”

“The one’s that think you’re just my friend.”

She nodded. “And I know it’s petty because I know the truth but…” She motioned vaguely. “I don’t know.”

He turned his hand in her lap, entwining his fingers with hers, and smiled. “I’m just waitin’ for the day someone declares me not good enough for yeh.”

She snorted. “Not likely to happen, baby.”

He grinned at her. “Renowned guitarist Jamie Schwartz seen gallivanting with boy-band boy-toy Harry Styles.”

She giggled. “I’m not a renowned anything.” He made a face. “Do yeh know how many times I heard yer name mentioned before I met yeh?” She shook her head and he squeezed her hand. “Me neither but it was enough that if 1D didn’t already have a band, I have no doubt that someone would’ve suggested bringing yeh in. Jeff Bhasker used to mention yeh at least once or twice on every record he worked on. ‘Jesus, if Jamie were here, she’d get what I was saying’ ‘Maybe I can send the melody to Jamie. Something’s not quite right.’ Seriously, yer clearly his favorite guitarist.”

He smiled. “We used to sit around and make up stories about yeh. ‘Jamie Schwartz is fluent in Bhasker and has a masters in figuring shit out.’ ‘If Jamie were here, she could play the melody with one hand and pilot a plane with the other.’ It was like yeh were some sort of guitar god, some unachievable paragon. Used to drive Niall mad that he hadn’t met yeh. We all thought that Jeff should set yeh two up and yeh could have crazy talented guitar prodigies.” He winked. “Come t’think of it… Kinda glad he didn’t now though… hindsight is twenty/twenty.”

She collapsed back against the couch, giggling. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard.”

He shrugged and brought her hand to his mouth. “It’s true though, love.”

Jamie leaned forward to press a kiss to his knuckle. “I don’t want to be renowned, really. I just… I don’t like feeling like I’m not measuring up to a standard. I don’t like feeling like I’m underwhelming people.”

He shook his head. “Yeh don’t. Anyone who is underwhelmed by yeh has their head up their ass.”

She smiled and leaned over to kiss him, sucking his bottom lip in between hers. “Thank you, baby.”

He nodded absently, gasping almost silently into her mouth. She kissed him again, pressing him back against the couch and following him down.

Groaning as she settled against his hips, Harry smiled softly, eyes tracing over her face. “Yer so beautiful, love. Don’t get why yeh would think anyone would be underwhelmed by yeh.”

She blushed and leaned down to kiss him, hands smoothing down his chest as his own lift to frame her face. She pulled away minutely, biting her lip. “Let me take care of you tonight.”

Rolling her hips against his, she pushed her fingers through his hair and tugged gently.

He moaned and nodded as his hands left her face and grasped at her hips. “Betta get naked then.”

**

“Hey Harry!” The paps shouted and scrambled after them.

Harry sucked at his teeth and frowned, hand low on Jamie’s back as he propelled Jamie through the growing crowd.

“Jamie, when are you gonna release a sex tape? The whole world wants to know how Harry fuc-”

Harry turned and pegged the leering man with a hard glare. “Don’t ever speak t’her that way again.”

Another pap scoffed and snapped a picture in his face, the flash temporarily blinding him. “Harry, give us a little preview, eh? Show us how yeh kiss yer girl.”

Jamie sneered and wrapped her arm around his waist, trying to get him to start moving forward again. “C’mon, baby.”

“Bet she sounds real good moanin’ that in your ear, huh, chief?”

Harry’s jaw tightened and Jamie’s hugged him to her.

“She’s a sexy little thing, Harry. All tits and ass. That what you like?”

Every question, every jibe ratcheted up the tension until she was sure he was about to snap. The added pressure of a crowd populated with both paparazzi and bystanders who were doing nothing to help, made it almost certain that he was going to lose his normally unflappable temper.

“You an ass man or a tits man, Haz?”

“She call you Da-”

Suddenly a hand wrapped around her bicep, jerking her backward and almost off her feet. She had the brief fleeting thought, hilariously, that it was good she was wearing flat boots, before she stumbled back a few steps and yelped.

Steadying herself, she had only just looked up, searching for Harry, when a long, lean arm locked around her waist and pulled her into a firm chest. She caught a lungful of Tom Ford and sighed into his skin.

“Are yeh okay? Jamie?” His free hand cupped the back her head and she nodded.

The crowd erupted. Bystanders yelling at the paps, the paps screaming back, Harry growling into his cell as he kept her tucked close to him and tried to make for the closest wall.

Seconds that felt like hours passed and she could hear Brandon hollering over the crowd. It took a further ten minutes to get clear of the crowd and into the Rover, but Jamie felt like the closing thud of the door sounded like an iron weight being dropped from her shoulders. She cursed under her breath and pressed herself as close to Harry as possible, his hand clutched hers desperately and he sucked in a deep, stuttering breath.

“If yeh want t’leave me, I understand.”

She froze, forgetting even to breathe. “What?”

He cursed and she looked up in time to catch him, brushing a tear away almost brutally. “Yeh don’t deserve gettin’ treated like this, Jamie.” He shook his head and tried to pull his hand away. “Don’t deserve it. Yeh deserve a man who can take care a’yeh, can protect yeh. Doesn’t get yeh mixed up in this shit in the first place. I’m sorry, love. So fookin’ sorry.”

She shook her head, pushed herself up, knees on the seat, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He tried to gently push her away but she didn’t let him, desperately clinging to him. “That’s the stupidest load of horse shit I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“Yeh were assaulted, Jamie!” He tried again to push her away. “Someone put their hands on yeh.”

“And I’m supposed to want to leave you because of that?” She shook her head. “Fuck that. I’m not leavin’.”

“Love-” He choked on another stuttering breath and she squeezed him to her. “Love, yeh were assaulted and I couldn’t do anythin’. He yanked yeh right out of my arms and I didn’t do anythin’.”

“That’s not true, Harry. You stood up for me when they first started being nasty and then, when it all went fuckin’ nuts, you protected me. I was there, baby. I remember.”

“Lot of good it bloody well did. Yeh could’ve been hurt, love.”

“But I wasn’t. Because you were there and you protected me.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and came away salty. “I’m not leavin’ you, Harry Edward Styles. Not now and not ever. ‘Specially not because some asshole paps were being- shockingly enough -assholes. You’re stuck with me.”

He sighed heavily. “Love-”

She shook her head. “You are mine, I’m yours and we are so far past the cut-and-run stage in our relationship, Harry. You want me gone, you better go get a crowbar.”

He chuckled wetly and wrapped himself around her. “Of course, I don’t want yeh gone, Monster. I love yeh.”

She smiled into his neck and nodded. “Good. I love you too.”

“We need to get yeh moved in to my house as soon as possible and from now on, yeh gotta take one of the guys with you whenever yeh can. I know that’s not what yeh want, love, but-”

“It’s fine. I can deal.” She leaned back and smiled down at him. “You’re worth it, baby.”

A Negotiation Up Next: A Display

[sian22redux]

My heart is a memory, ch 2

Title:  My heart is a memory (and there you’ll always be)

Characters:  Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Wanda Maximoff, T’challa

Warnings: past torture referenced

Chapter Two summary:    Bucky learns how the triggers will be removed while Steve frets over something he can't hit.

“Are you suure you’re sure about it?”

Bucky sighs expressively,  pressing his thumb and forefinger against his forehead  and blowing off steam like a wonky radiator.   Are you fucking kidding me pal?  It’s Ground Hog day.  Again.   The same words- the same argument all over for what-the fifth, sixth time?  It didn’t work in the hours after they had first landed when it was going under cryo, and it sure as hell won’t now.  Nothing’s changed except his arm and his mental state.  The former is no longer a fried mess of painful shorting ends.  The latter is oddly considerably soothed by three months of just being off.  

Who knew?  For once cryo had been almost a vacation.

It’s enough to cut his best friend some slack.  He counts to three and intercepts the offer before it can come.    “I’m sure.” 

Five of them sit around an expanse of dark inlaid wood on day two after his awakening.  The detritus of a typical Wakandan breakfast is scattered across the table top: tea and mandazi, sweet bread and three types of fragrant fruit.  He’s had a bit of each, they’re all good but not quite so good as the cup of thick black coffee with a small mountain of sugar that lies warm beneath his remaining hand.   Thawed out fingers crave the warmth just as his body needed the blissfully heated blankets, the endless hot shower to remove the contact gel.  

It’s a luxury to be warm.  And amply fed.  He grabs a fifth pastry before he has time to change his mind.

Outside, the early morning’s mist has burned off quickly.  Fish eagles caw and hunt for breakfast of their own, circling lazily on a green humidity that is the signature of the Mvuli-the short rains of November that lash against the glass.  T’Challa, ever the gracious host, has given his newest guest the honoured seat to his right.  Wanda sits, bright-eyed, relaxed, impossibly at ease after a brief tour of the facility.  She has exclaimed softly over the sumptuous and gem-coloured, comfortable accommodation provided for her (nothing grey; nothing to remind her of the Raft) and declined a nap before they meet.   The flight from Montenegro is long, its bustling city on the sea lacks a major airport hub but also conveniently lacks an extradition treaty.

If living in her fourth home in one short year bothers her the poised young woman does not let it show.

“You will rest some days Miss Maximoff, before the attempt?”  T’Challa asks, smoothly diverting the flow of conversation away from the large blond bundle of nerves across to his left.  Wanda has just explained the ‘how’.  The tracing of conditioned memories into his cortex, sifting through a million electric interfaces to find the one, replacing rigid, triggered neural interfaces with new.  

When Steve had rubbed his shivering back and confirmed they’d found a way Bucky had just assumed it was some psychiatric reconditioning. Not the enigmatic skills of a barely-no-longer teen in a long flowing crimson dress.  He smiles.  Wanda’s auburn hair is pinned up for once in deference to the climate.  It makes her look older but fools exactly no one as to enormity of the task.

In a funny way Bucky likes the idea of being cured by someone who has had to choose another way.

“There is no need,” Wanda replies, painted nails curling tighter around a delicately painted tea cup emblazoned with scarlet ibis birds.  “I am ready whenever Bucky is.”    

All eyes turn to him.   It is a relief.  If Wanda is good to get straight to work then Bucky is is absolutely fine with that.  She has explained how keeping up her energy will be important if the effort proves refractory or long.   T’Challa and Dr. Sesanne confirm there is provision for this, everything from feeding them both through intravenous drip to stopping and starting to allow them both some rest. 

Nothing stands in the way of his release, except his best friend’s sudden case of nerves.  

God knows Bucky doesn’t want to cause Steve any pain but jesus he just wants this done.

Wanda calmly pours herself another steaming cup as Steve frowns and waves off her offer of more tea.  An obdurate flush burns down his cheeks and throat. “I don’t like it.” 

“I know.”  A sweet, untroubled smile flashes across her heart-shaped elfin face. Steve fidgets with his napkin.  Bucky can’t tell if he’s more concerned by the risk to him or her. Likely it’s both of them.  Steve’s overexpressed dad gene has clearly expanded to include another orphan in the flock. He frowns.  That stiff, small downturn of lips would on anyone else be a sign he’s pissed.  Not Steve. 

When he’s pissed he smiles.

“Wanda, it’s my fault.  Maybe I shouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Of course you should have.  I cannot do it from so far away.”  

T’Challa just barely smothers his chuckle with a cough.

How had Steve morphed in two scant days from his ebullient, enthusiastic self to this?   Buck is hard pressed to sort it out.  It’s not that he doesn’t trust and respect Wanda’s power- he does, they all do- and her confidence in her skills is reassuring, if a little startling in one so young.  Perhaps waking up in another century makes someone wary, conditioned for unpleasant, sideways surprises and now he’s had time to overthink?  Perhaps it is that this is something intangible, difficult for her to explain and the young punk from Brooklyn’s back alleys has always had an innate lack of trust in foes he can’t smash with his own two hands.  If the triggers were chain for a Tyrannesaurus Rex Steve “Fight Me”  Rogers would have already found a way..

Bucky roughly clears his throat.  “The book is not gone.”   Nope, and neither is the more proximate if equally predictable threat.  Ross.  He does not say the name but catches a flicker of storm cloud in ocean blue.  Of the two he’d rather deal with a judgemental, obsessive man.   And though the others- Steve, Sam, even T’challa for all he had no history or reason- seem certain Buck is not so likely to lose himself in IT again, they would not be the ones to feel the body slam of guilt/fear/regret if so much as another hair on someone’s head was hurt. 

Pretty simple when you get down to it.  He cannot trust himself.  And needs to be safe within his mind.

“No it is not, although I dispute the risk of you ever hearing those words again.”  T’Challa, a grounded and measured presence, does not argue too very much. Or only at least as much Buck expected.  Wakanda’s king frowns thoughtfully across steepled fingers as if trying to unpack what makes him tick.  “Sergeant you are doing well. Adjusting admirably.  All the therapists have said as much and there is the evidence of our own eyes.  We can keep you safe here.”  

Sesanne, the chief neurologist and steadiest doctor he’s ever met, removes his glasses and lays them tiredly on the table top.  The man considers it a personal failure that no more conventional solution has been found.  “Perhaps if there was more time…”

“No,” Bucky replies flatly, impatient with any hesitation.  “I’m not going back under.   We have a solution and I’m not waiting any longer. ”  

There’s a pained noise from off to his left.  “But..”

What the fuck Rogers?!   It was Steve’s own idea to bring Wanda in.  He opens his mouth ready to argue this very point but then catches two frozen, faint lines between blond brows, lip bitten white.  It’s an expression he’s seen only once before—at Sarah’s too-quiet bedside.  Shit.  He's being dense.  Steve finds this hard.  He’d only just found Bucky before his friend had to be put away-again- and now he would be far happier to just watch his back and keep him hid forever.  

Avoid any pain or risk.

But they both know that’s not the way life truly works.

T’Challa smiles sadly.  “Steven your concern for your friend is admirable, but you must have faith.  He needs to be at peace.  Comfortable in his own skin.”  He turns back to look straight at Buck.  “To do this must be his choice…”

Understatement of the year pal.  

He nods.  

“When do you choose?”

Bucky brushes a last few crumbs from off his fingers and pushes the empty plate away.  “Now.”

Across the table Steve makes not a sound, simply plucks at a loose frayed thread on the cuff of his blue jacket.

It doesn’t stand a chance.

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[x-reader-theater]

Mechanical Heart

Relationship: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

Summary: You never really noticed shy boy Peter Parker before now. 

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence, swearing, mentions of abuse, kidnapping. Yes I know. It’s a lot of fucked up shit. 

Word Count: 5,917

A/N: And here it is! My first ever imagine! I loved writing this, so give it a like and a reblog telling me what you liked about it and what I can improve! I’m thinking of writing a multi chapter reader insert fic, but I don’t know yet! Please request things, I would love to hear from you! <3

The constant noise surrounding the robotics lab was always comforting, and the heat of the bodies and machines constantly whirring in the background was what you wanted to be around constantly, but sadly it could not be. You had robotics for one period and could be in the lab for an hour and a half after school and that was it. The rest of the time you spent with your precious robotics had to spent at home.

“[Y/L/N]!” Your robotics teacher yells at you. The rest of the class, save for the Parker kid had left already. You look over at Mr. McKinley and shrug.

“Just getting my project together. Don’t want to let everyone down at the national robotics competition!” You say and Mr. McKinley looked like he wanted to strangle you.

Mr. McKinley always hated you. A, you were a girl who was better at robotics than him, and B, you always beat his son in those completions, even with his help, and it pissed him off. He tried to get you in trouble but it never worked. Your mother was a lawyer after all.

Grabbing your stuff and carefully placing your project in your backpack, you run out of there, not even stopping when you hear someone calling your name.

“[Y/N]! Wait!” They yell and after a few minutes of the yelling, you quickly turn around and they run smack into you.

“What do you want…” you look at the face as you say, “Parker?”

“Yea um, hey [Y/N]. Um, I was, um, hoping that-that you could help me with-with my robotics project?” The Parker kid asks and you told your head.

“But you already know loads about robotics. Why would you need my help?” You ask and he shrugs.

“I-I just want to spend more time with you…” he says, trailing off.

“You probably know my schedule more than I do, seeing how sleep deprived I am at this moment, so whenever you find me free, just come talk to me,” you say, just wanting to get home. You were only a block away anyways.

“Oh! Ok! Cool! So, um, I’ll-I’ll see you around?” Peter asks hopefully and you sigh.

“Yea. Just go home kid.” You wave him off and you can swear he mumbles, “But I’m only a year younger than you…”

“God dammit!” You yell, slamming your fist into the table. Picking up your power source to your robotics project you fling it out the window as far as it can go, and close it, hoping to never see the damn thing again. Sighing you put your head in your hands and think about giving up. This was the biggest thing you’ve ever done, and it could change the world and transportation, but you needed to find that clean, reliable, safe energy source that you just could not perfect.

As you lift your head up you hear a slight knock at your window and your head snaps up so fast you were worried you got whiplash. Carefully walking over to the window you slide it open slowly, and quickly pop your head out looking from side to side but seeing nothing. You’re about to go back in when you hear a young voice.

“Lost something?” He asks and you look up, coming face to face with Spider-Man. You scream and jump, hitting your head on your window and falling on your ass back inside your room. Spider-Man slowly lowers himself and wave at you upside down, and enclosed in his hand is your power source. You get up and grab it back from his as he says, “You know, you could have hurt someone. Luckily I was there to catch it!” If you could see his face you knew he would have a proud smile under there.

“Yea lucky me. Didn’t want to accidentally hurt someone, who would then accidentally go to the hospital, where I would accidentally be sent their bill, and I would accidentally pay for it losing about fourteen thousand dollars from what their insurance couldn’t cover,” you deadpan and Spidey sighs. “What do you want Spidey? I’m in the middle of giving up and you’re ruining that for me.”

“I just wanted to see if everything is okay?” He says, more like a question than an actual answer.

“Why?” You ask. “There’s probably a bank that someone’s robbing right now and you’re checking up on some girl who threw a robot part out a window.”

Spidey stops for a moment, looking aff into nowhere, before his gaze focused on you again.  “No. No banks being robbed so it’s just you and me.” He tries to act casual by resting his arm on the wall, but he seemed to forget he was still upside down and falls for a few second before you hear his web shootout and pull him up onto the window sill.

You sigh and reluctantly say, “Just, if you’re going to be here for a while, come in and sit down.” You gesture inside and he takes no time to clamber his way in and onto your mattress on the floor.

“So… if you don’t mind me asking… why did you want to quit?” Spidey asks you and you sigh.

“This sounds so weird coming from a superhero who sounds like a fourteen year old,” you say.

“Hey I’m fifteen!” He says and you smile.

“Good to know…” you say, smirking.

“Aw shit.”

“So to answer your question, it’s because of my robotics project. My entire base is going to change the world! Or, so I hope. But I just can’t seem to figure out the damn power!” You exclaim and Spidey rubs the back of his neck.

“Have you tried rerouting the power?” He asks and you scoff.

“Of course I’ve tried reroute-” you stop mid sentence and your eyes widen.

Turning around you begin to talk as you work. “If I just reroute this to here then it will eliminate the need for this!” You rip a part out and throw it behind you, making Spidey dodge out of the way so it makes a dent in the wall instead of his skull. “And then I can hook this up to here for more direct power so it doesn’t have to go through so many things!” You plug it into the project and see it turn on. Placing it on the floor, you step onto it and feel yourself no longer touching the ground. “I did it! I created the world's first hover board!” You say.

Jumping off you land in Spidey’s arms, and placing yours around his neck, you plant a kiss right where the mask covers his mouth. Jumping off a stunned Spidey, you turn off and grab the hover board and grab his hand. “Come on! I need to test this out!” You say, pulling him up. Grabbing your backpack you put the hover board into it and go to the widow, slinging your pack over your shoulder. You scale the wall up effortlessly, seeing as you didn’t have a fire escape, you needed some way to get to the roof. When you make it, Spidey is right behind you.

“How did you do that?” He asks and you shrug. Taking the hover board out of the backpack, you turn it on and place it on the ground.

“You wanna try it?” You ask and he politely shakes his head.

“No I think I’m good. On the ground. Where I can’t fall and ruin my suit,” he says and you shrug.

“Okay. SUIT yourself!” You say, finger gunning as you hop onto the board. Spidey just facepalms.

You leans forward and start moving, and once you get the hang of just moving, you try a few flips. An Ollie, a kickflip, and a few others, but overall it was a good board. Speeding towards Spidey, with the intention to move away, the board freezes and you go flying into Spidey’s arms.

“Shit I’m sorry, it still has a few bugs,” you say, getting out of his very muscular arms.

“Oh no it’s-it’s okay,” he stutters and you had to admit, the stuttering was very familiar, you just could place your finger on it. All you know was he was male and was fifteen. That could be anybody.

“Dude, really, it was all my fault, no need to say sorry,” you say, wiping yourself off, turning to pick up your board and place it back in your backpack.

He clears his throat and says, “Oh, um yea.”

You sigh as you approach the edge. “Hey could you take be back down? I usually remember my keys but I was too excited,” you say and he nods sporadically.

Grabbing your waist and pressing you snuggly against him, he throws out and web and lowers you down to your window. “Your stop, miss?” He says and you laugh as he slowly places you on your window sill.

“Sorry for taking up your time Spidey. I know you’re a busy man on a mission,” you say and he shakes his head.

“It wasn’t a big deal, really. It was a quiet night and seeing you so excited made me happy to stay. Besides, like I said, it wasn’t a busy night!” He says just as an explosion went off in the distance.

“And there it is. You jinxed it,” you say and you could hear the smile in his voice.

“Yea, guess so. Well, see you around!” He says, giving you a sloppy salute that was just so him. He goes to jump away but you quickly grab his arm, eyes wide.

“Stay safe!” You say and he nods. You let go and see him fly into the night.

God, all you hoped was that he was safe.

“Dude, you’re doing it all wrong. You have to put that there so your robot dog thing will have power to the tail. Without it there’s nowhere for the current to run through,” you explain and Peter nods, quickly switching it. “I thought you were some kind of genius?”

“I-I am. I just, I don’t know, I like it when we talk, even if it’s you yelling at me,” he says, blushing a bit. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not fucking stupid. I can be nicer. I should be nicer. You obviously like me somehow because who In their right fucking minds would hang out with me?” You joke. “You must be insane.”

“Well then you must be fucking insane for agreeing to hang out with me. Have you ever even noticed me before yesterday?” He asks and you shrug. You really hadn’t noticed him much.

“Then to being psycho together.” You hold out your fist and he bumps it. “I didn’t have glasses.”

“I think you're fine,” he says and you smile.

Staring out at the stars was one of the only things to do when you didn’t have a project to work on. Leaning out of your window, you think back to the times you would spend with your dad when he was alive. He would tell you all about the stars, when they were out and where they were in the sky at the exact moment. You remembered a few constellations like Ursa Major and Minor, Orion's Belt, Scorpio, and a few others. It was a peaceful night, though you haven’t turned on your TV yet. When you looked out at the city, it just looked so peaceful. Like nothing in the world could touch it. That dream was quickly shattered.

“Incoming!” You hear. Looking out at the sky from where the voice came from, you feel someone crash into you. Looking up you see Spidey's mask inches from yours.

“We really need to stop meeting like this,” you wheeze out, your breath knocked from your lungs upon impact with the solid mass of Spider-Man and the floor.

“Ah shit sorry!” He says, scrambling off you. You take in a lungfull of air and cough, regaining your breath.

“Dude, will you stop saying sorry?” You ask and get up into a sitting position.

“Sorry…” he says, trailing off, falling to the floor.

“Shit! Spidey? Stay with me! Stay awake! Tell me what happened! Aw shit!” You yell to no one. You slap him as hard as you can and he stirs. “Spidey, man I need you to stay awake! Can you hear me?”

'Y-yea-yea, I can hear you,” he mumbles.

“Stay the fuck awake or so help me!” You yell and he nods shallowly. You crawl over to your bathroom and grab the first aid kit that was right next to the door. Fast crawling back you say, “Just fucking stay awake. What happened?”

“My back,” he mumbles and you grab a pillow, and rolling him into his front so his back was exposed, making sure his face hit the pillow.

On his back were three long, deep gashes that resembled claw marks if freshman Biology was anything to go by. “Holy shit,” you whisper. Stealing your expressions, you sit up straighter. “I need you to sit up. Do. Not. Move.” You command and he weakly nods. You help him into a sitting position and grab a stool for him to rest against. “So how did this happen?” You ask while using disinfectant wipes to clean the gashes.

“Some woman in a cat costume? I couldn’t really tell. I was too busy running away after she clawed me,” he says and you nod, moving on to another wipe.

“I knew it was claws,” you say. After the wipes you get out the needle, thread, and lighter. Quickly lighting the lighter you disinfect the needle and thread it. “This is gonna hurt. I don’t have painkillers.” Spidey nods and you start stitching him back up. It was weird with the suit still on so when you finished the first one, tying and cutting the string you just had to ask, “Is there anyway you can get the suit off?” He nods and lifts his arm. Suddenly the suit goes slack and you look on impressed before you notice something.

“Spider-man’s fuckin white!” You say and he looks like he’s about to protest, but it fell upon deaf ears. “Well that narrows it down a lot. Now I know you’re not Flash. Good that guy’s an asshole.” You finish the second stitch.

“So, are you Chris 'the diss’ Powell?” you ask and he chuckles shaking his head. “Yea his voice it too low for yours to match. You have prepubescent pre-teen voice,” you tease he lets out a “Hey!” but you ignore it. “You're not Marc Spector, he’s too muscled and big… and hot.”

“And I’m not?” He exclaims and you chuckle.

“Well I wouldn’t normally go for twinks, but I’m pretty sure you're not gay which rules out half the guys…” you trail off, thinking.

“Damn, you should be a detective…” he says and you smile.

“My mom was a lawyer,” you say.

“Was?” He asks and you shrug as you continue on the third stitch.

“Yea. She’s dead now. Overdose on Meth. Dad died a few years later. He jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge,” you shrug.

“Shit [Y/N]. I’m so sorry,” he says and you shrug again.

“It’s no big deal. Mom was abusive and Dad wasn’t there for me when Mom OD’d, so I’ve always been alone. It’s no big deal. Mom didn’t leave much but Dad’s family had a fortune that he kept from Mom,” you say casually, as if you never knew them, just of them. “I just, don’t wanna talk about it much right now…” you trail off and Spidey nods. Pulling on the knot and cutting the string, you say, “There. Done.”

“Thanks [Y/N],” Spidey says and you shrug.

“You know, I don’t ever recall mentioning my name to you…” you mumble. “Good to know.”

“Oh! Um! Well, don’t-don’t you remember you told me last night!” Spidey says and you shake your head but place your head In your hands, all the medical supplies now back in the case.

“No, but it could be the sleep deprivation talking,” you say.

“Alright well…” Spidey says at the same time you say, “Okay so…”

“Oh you first,” he says and you nod in thanks.

“So… I guess I’ll see you around?” You ask and he nods.

“Yea, well, if I ever need a nurse I know where to go…” he says and you could feel the tension in the room. It was so thick you just knew you could grab it.

“Oh? Am I just a nurse to you now?” You ask and he shakes his head quickly.

“No! No! That's not what I meant at all! What I mean to say is that, well, I like hearing your stories,” he says. He mumbles as well, “And you’re, really pretty.” You laugh and get up, helping him to his feet. He lifts the suit back up and presses the spider in the center which tightens it back around his body.

“Well I should go patch this up. To- the person who made this is going to be pissed if I bring it back ripped,” Spidey says and you nod.

Lifting up the make to his nose, you kiss Spidey on the cheek, smiling at his blush. “I like hanging out with you too Spidey,” you say. “Now go!” You push him playfully towards the window. “I think you’ve stayed here long enough,” you laugh.

“See ya 'round, [Y/N]!” He says, giving you a two finger salute before diving out the window. You run to it and stick your head out, watching him zip away into the night.

You were head over heels for that boy, and you didn’t know what to do.

You always hated the weekends. So much time and nothing to do. So you went to the roof and tested your hover board. It was truly a feat of technology, and you didn't want to brag but you did make it all by yourself. After a few hours of practice with the board, you hear something land behind you.

Turning around you see Spidey, looking sad. Zooming over to him you jump off and place a hand on his shoulder. “Hey Spidey! Everything good?” You ask and he shakes his head and collapses on the ground unceremoniously.

“I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t save them all…” he mumbles.

“Who? Who couldn’t you save?” You ask and he shakes his head again.

“There was a robbery on 90th. It was the cat person again. Well woman. She had a gun, and said that if I came she would shoot, and I didn’t listen and-” you cut him off.

“Stop. You can’t always save everyone. It’s just a fact. She is a horrible human being. She kills people, and I think that’s as good a reason to take her down,” you say and he sits up, looking you in the eyes.

“You want me to kill her?” He asks.

“What? No! Don’t kill anyone! I meant take her down to like, the police station so she can be locked up!” You say and he sighs. “Just- I have an idea, but you need to trust me,” you say getting onto your feet and walking over to the edge of the building. “Do you trust me?” You ask over your shoulder. He nods from the ground and you smirk. “Good,” you whisper before falling over the edge.

The rush of air was exhilarating, and the adrenaline pumping through your system was feeling your desire to go faster, but you kept it under control, making sure you went as slowly as possible, which wasn’t really that slow. The ground was creeping up on you, faster and faster, till suddenly you felt strong arms wrap themselves around your waist, and the ground was now much farther away than it had been a few moments before.

“What the fuck was that?!” Spidey yells to you while flying you through the air.

“We need to work on your reflexes. You were a bit slow that time,” you say and he does a double take.

“What the- what!” He yells. You just shout and laugh as he flings you across the city.

“Dude, you said you trusted me, so go with me on this!” You say, an expectant expression on your face.

Spidey sighs. “Fine. But only because I trust you.”

“Yay!” You exclaim, throwing your arms around his neck.

“But! You can’t throw yourself off buildings every time you think I’ll catch you!” He says and you roll your eyes but nod anyways.

“Okay! Okay. Now let’s find a rooftop. From what I’ve heard of this woman, she’s an incredible fighter. You need to get on her level,” you say and he scoffs.

“What do you know about fighting?” He asks and you smirk.

“Honey, I’m a woman in Queens. I learned to fight before you knew how to walk.”

“Peter?” You ask, turning to the boy now sitting on your bed.

“Yes?” He asks, looking up from his Chemistry homework.

“Do you like anyone?” You ask and he looks shocked you would ask such a thing.

“Why-why would you ask that? Do YOU have a crush?” He asks.

You chuckle before saying, “I did ask you first.”

He sputters for a moment before collecting his things. “Um, well, I, um, just remembered I gotta go home. Aunt May cooked Thai!” He was red as a tomato and you looked at him quizzically.

“I thought Aunt May didn’t know how to cook?” You ask and he gets redder.

“Un yea, we might just get takeout if she didn’t burn down the kitchen,” he chuckles nervously.

You shrug as he leaves your room. “Alright. See ya Spidey.”

Peter freezes. You freeze. Everything freezes. Even the clock next to your bed, if it could be called that, seemed to stop ticking. It was silent, besides the pounding of your heart in your chest. You had your suspicions but you didn’t want to reveal them quite yet. Peter just had a way of making you talk when you didn’t want to. You could spill your entire life story to him in a night, and also make an accusation a week later. Your life with him was over.

“I’m sorry? What did you say?” He asks you slowly and your face heats up. “Did you just- just call me ‘Spidey’?”

You nod slowly, not looking him in the eyes and he sighs. “I’m sorry! I just sort of figured it out! I wasn’t going to say anything until YOU told me! But it just… came out…” You trail off and he scoffs.

“No.” You look up at him, his face steeley. “I’m sorry. I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” He says and walks out. You fall to the floor, small tears slipping out between closed lids, and you feel hopeless. It was over.

And you never got to tell him your crush.

Getting up off the floor, you wipe the tears away, and grab your keys. Climbing out the window, you grapple your way through tears to the roof and look up at the starless Queens skyline. It was a beautiful night, cloudless and light-filled, but it couldn’t patch the hole that was now in your heart. The night couldn’t hold you like Peter did when you swung across the city. They couldn’t give you the same adrenaline rush that Peter did whenever he touched you.

The night couldn’t look at you the way Peter did.

It didn’t matter now. He wasn’t ever going to talk to you again, and you had to make peace with it. You just couldn’t.

“Ah. So you’re the Spider Boy’s girlfriend. Thought you’d be older,” You hear a woman say in a sultry voice. Looking up through tear filled eyes you see an outline of a woman, White around her neckline and arms, white hair with black around the eyes and your own widen. Trying to scramble away, Black Cat scoffs. “So trivial.” She walks over and you see her fist coming in contact with your head, and nothing else. It was darker than the New York skyline.

Slowly opening your eyes, you close them again when the light hits you. It felt brighter than the sun and the pounding in your head wasn’t helping. It took you a few more times, and what felt like a thousand more groans, but you finally were able to open them, squinting at the light when it finally turned off, the pounding in your head easing up a bit.

“Finally. Took you long enough. I was almost wondering if I killed you. It wouldn’t have been as fun but it sure would have gotten the job done!” She says, laughing. “Ooh that rhymed!”

“What the fuck do you want with me?” You spit out.

She laughs again and walks closer to you, getting in your face as she says, “What I want? I want to see Spider-Man burn!” She yells and you struggle to get out of your ropes. No. Not ropes. Only zip-ties.

“You leave him out of this!” You yell and she chuckles.

“Why? DO you like him or something?” She asks and you just growl. “It doesn’t matter anyways. I’m going to get what I want, and you’re going to die. It’s a win win situation. For me!” Laughing, she walks away and sits in an opposite chair. “I didn’t really need to take you, but it was the best way to get Spider Boy down here.” She pauses for a moment before grabbing a knife and playing with it. “Or maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he hates you, and puts up with you because you have something over him.” She looks at you and bursts out laughing. “Wait, forget that. You’re not smart enough for that. She spends the few minutes working on something, and you use that time to break through the zip-ties, holding them in your hands so she wouldn’t notice, making sure your hands were still together.

“Hello Spider-man! Wherever you are… I have something of yours!” She moves out of the way of a camera so you’re in the forefront.

“Spidey! Don’t come! It’s a trap!” You yell.

“Silence!” Black Cat says. “If you don’t come within ten minutes, every five you go over, she gets a cut on her perfect skin. If you don’t make it within the hour, well, let’s just say you won’t ever be able to see those pretty eyes of hers again!” She cackles. “See ya soon Spidey!”

“No! Don’t come! Leave me!” You yell, but it was too late. She had turned it off.

Walking over to you, she looked furious. “You ruined it! It was perfect and you ruined it!” She raises the knife in her hands, but hesitates before lowering it. “No. I made a promise I intend to keep.”

She walks away and you let out the breath you didn’t realise you were holding. You would never admit it out loud, but you were scared.

After what felt like hours, Black Cat finally came back, but it wasn’t what you hoped. The knife she was carrying was sharp, and you knew it was time. The first cut sliced across your arm and you let out a yell, the feeling of the knife and blood were overwhelming.

You couldn’t tell anymore if it was you screaming or someone else, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the unbearable pain that reminded you of your mother.

After a few minutes it was over, and you were panting, multiple cuts over your arms and shoulders.

“I know I said I’d keep my promises, but I couldn’t help it. Your screams were…. Delectable!” She cackles and you wince.

After a few more minutes of pain and waiting, she sighs and walks over. “It’s sad. I don’t want to have to ruin your pretty face. But Spidey hasn’t come has he?” she does a mock pout and you spit in her face. “You bitch!” She screams, slapping you across the face, reminding you of your mother once again.

“Hey! Don’t touch her!” You hear someone yell and you sigh in relief. He had found you, but it did come at a cost. It still was a trap.

“Oh! Me? Touch her? I don’t know what you’re talking about!” She says sweetly before moving the knife in her hands and swinging down, missing. “What?!” She screams, turning around to face the empty chair.

“Oh fuck off! I lived in Queens my entire life. You think I can’t get out of zip-ties?” You ask, before giving her a roundhouse kick to the face. “Bitch.”

Peter uses his webs to pin her to the ground and you give her a punch to the face to knock her out. “Karma’s a bitch, but so am I,” you say smirking and you turn to Peter who’s standing there waiting for anything.

“Peter?” You ask, slowly going over to him, being careful of him. You walk over to face him and he relaxes. You stand there for a moment, before throwing your arms around him. “I’m sorry,” you say and he hugs you closer. Pulling back with your arms still around his neck you whisper, “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” he says without hesitation.

You pull his mask over his head and expose the young face if Peter Parker. Wasting no time you smash your lips against his. It was like they were mentioning to fit together, like puzzle pieces fitting into place. It was like fireworks going off in your stomach and your lungs clenching as they needed air.

Pulling away you both laugh. “You know when you asked me who my crush was?” Peter asks and you nod, still trying to catch your breath. “It was you all along.” You smash your lips to his again and pull away.

“And remember how you asked me?” He nods and you smile. “It was always you.”

“Hello everyone! My project today is going to change the world!” You boast and everyone look up at you from your platform. “You take your two inserts and attach them to your shoes like so…” You do as you instruct. “And you activate and jump!” Jumping off the ledge, everyone gasps, but your hover board comes flying out of your backpack and attaches itself to your feet, and you fly around the audience, gaining numerous applause. You fly around, bowing, making sure to do a few tricks to gain the judges attention. Looking over you see Mr. McKinley standing next to his son, looking furious as two more judges run over from his robot window wiper, that was supposed to clean your windshield better.

Later than day you got first place, and you and Peter celebrated it by riding around New York, taking in the sights and hanging out with Spider-Man.

[chillykitty]

OCtober #3 Feast

(I realized that I didn’t really explain in my last posts about this so I will now; Two of my favorite OCs are Barter Moon and Discovery Dusk, I’ve had them for quite a while and always had a basic idea of a story but I never fleshed them out or did anything with them. So I’m using @oc-growth-and-development ‘s OCtober prompts to force me to make a story, cause these babies would just never get used otherwise. That being said I am telling a continuous story and you can read it in order here.)

The aroma was amazing, Barter glanced over as the tables had started being set.

“That was..” Barter started looking back to the stallion who accompanied her that night, “A lovely few dances.” She barely got the words to leave her mouth, “But I think we should go sit with our families for the feast. Tell your mother thank you again for me, the embroidery is very beautiful, and I really did have a lovely time dancing tonight." 

It wasn’t a lie, not really. Knitwish wouldn’t be her first pick to dance with, especially not more than once, but it was fun nonetheless.

"Then I’ll see you later.” He grinned, his fangs were uneven, which made it a challenge to not stare at them when he smiled.

“See you!” She smiled back, waiting for a moment as he trotted away before turning and grabbing a snack from the buffet. They’d be putting the snacks away soon, once the feast officially started so she had to be quick to grab it.

As she was about to take a bite she realized that this was likely to be the last stuffed cockroach she’d have for a very long time, she’d heard that diurnals weren’t too fond of eating bugs. She smiled sadly and savored each bite.

Before anyone noticed there was soon going to be an empty seat, she trotted casually to a nook in the stone wall near the grand exit. The grand exit was larger than the others and had guards nearby it at all times, she wouldn’t be going this way. Though it was tempting to wonder how it would feel to trot through such a massive tunnel.

No, instead she crawled into the nook and traveled through it, for what most ponies thought was a nook hidden behind some decorations was actually a tunnel. It wouldn’t lead to the outside, but it led a discrete part way path to another exit and provided a safe place for her to store her saddlebags. The tunnel was mostly rock but had a few patches of hard dirt, some managed to crumble off and tickle Barter’s nose, making her wince as she tried desperately hard not to sneeze. Soon enough she came upon three massive lumps.

They were just about the largest and strongest saddlebags she could manage making and carrying. They had three bags attached instead of the regular two and were filled to the brim with everything Barter owned with any importance or value. She planned on living off barters so of course she needed things to barter with. She removed her sash, carrying it in her mouth and slipped on the bags, continuing her final few hoof steps before making it out of the tunnel.

She poked her head out and glance down. She was a bit above and away from the tables, everypony was beginning to sit down, it wouldn’t be long before they noticed. She spotted her sister running up to her father who seemed to be entertaining Lightmoon and some of his friends. She saw Brightmoon a moment later, helping his mother, Barter’s mother, carry napkins to their table. She stifled a sigh. It was now or never. With a shaking breath, Barter took flight. She hoped that they wouldn’t hear her wings flap over the sound of so many hooves in one place as they gather around the tables. She flew up, hugging the wall and trying to stay silent despite the weight on her back.

After a long minute of silent bated breath, she saw the distant glow of moonlight from a small hole, there were actually many holes in the roof to allow for airflow but she focused on one. She dashed towards it, almost losing her bags and causing a mini heart attack in the process. She grabbed the bags with a hoof over her shoulder and readjusted it, breathing slower once again.

She made the final stretch and reached out, feeling her forehooves touch dirt. She smiled, this was it. She pulled herself up and stepped carefully up the steep and narrow dirt path. After a second it widened, allowing her to see something she hadn’t seen for a very long time.

She saw the night, the stars and all the trees that surrounded the exit. Her mouth hung agape as she stepped further, feeling the soft rays of moonlight dance of her face as she came more into the open. Then she saw the moon, with the massive craters making up the face of the mare her father once served. It was beautiful.

She almost dropped the sash in her awe but she quickly shut her mouth and continued walking, she glanced back and realized that she had crawled out from between two large roots belonging to a large tree, she’d almost forgotten that her was trees above the caves.

She was quite young when she went down, her sister must not remember the world outside the caves at all, and her brothers have never seen it. She wondered for a moment if she would’ve been happier having not seen that sunrise. She likely wouldn’t have even wanted to leave the caves again and she wouldn’t feel her heart ache as she stared back at the roots that hid the entrance back into her home.

But was it her home? Her family was her, yes, and she would definitely come back to see them again. Well, she’d probably go back, maybe. Would she? She didn’t know. If the outside world was everything she hoped it would be then she may not even want to?

It’s not like I’ll know if I stay here. She took a breath, turning away from the cave. She started her trot into the woods, she didn’t travel far before finding a large rock with a tree on top of it. She grinned, finding an area hidden by smaller rocks and bushes to place her saddlebags.

Once her back was free of the weight, she spread her wings and flew, landing on a large branch of the tree. She looked up to see the same night she had seen a few minutes ago, but then it happened. 

It was just the smallest shine of warm orange light peeking over the horizon. As it grew, it’s glow reflection on the frost of the leaves from each and every tree in front of Barter. She shut her eyes as the warm grew to cover her face, she felt it’s warmth against her thick fur and for the first time since she ran out of new trades, she felt alive, she could only imagine how wonderful her first trade with a diurnal would be. 

She opened her eyes quickly, not wanting to miss anymore. It was bright, very bright and perfect. She doesn’t regret her decision at all, she knew that from that point on she wanted to watch every single sunrise that Celestia crafted.

And then it was too bright. Barter had to squint against the shine before she even saw the flash of white finally make it’s way over the trees, she flinched and slammed her eyes shut, instinctively raising her wings to hide her face.

She forced herself to breath, she knew that would happen to bat ponies who didn’t see the sun much. Her father and other night guards claimed that it mostly went away once their eyes adjusted. They just had to make sure they didn’t go blind in the process of gradually allowing themselves to see more and more light.

She was prepared for this. She took the sash from her mouth into her hoof. She fumbled with it with closed eyes as she wrapped it around her head and tied it into a bow. She sighed, looking down to the forest below, she could see somewhat. She saw significantly more than she would’ve if she was underground with fabric covering her eyes at least.

She spread her wings and flew to the forest ground, grabbing her saddlebags and continuing on her journey. 

…

Discovery Dusk needed a drink, not anything fancy, just water. He and Sun Flower had just danced their fourth song of the night and he was exhausted, he hadn’t done much exercise since his last adventure and it was getting to him. I’m gonna have to get in shape before the end of the week. He sighed as he headed over to the table that was filled with dishes and drinks, not the kind that would help with one’s thirst though. 

After a moment, Sun Flower followed, “The water’s over here.” she smiled, trotting around to the backside of the table. Discovery shot her a grateful glance.

“Ay foals! Ya havin’ fun?” Both of their heads turned not sure if they were the ones being spoken too, not many ponies in town would call ponies at their age kids. Sure enough it was one who refused to ever stop calling his daughter a foal.

“Yes Daddy.” Sun Flower spoke, rolling her eyes at her clearly drunk father.

“Hey you should have some o’ this stuff.” He waved his cup around, “It’s pweety good!”

“C’mon Rum, give the foals a break with that.” And there was the only pony who refused to stop calling his son a foal.

Sunning Rum laughed, “What? I’ve told everwypony here that they should try it- Hey Trav! You should try some!”

“I have and that’s exactly why you should stop, if you try to get another stallion’s lady drunk he might just beat you up. I bet my son could take you, right Discovery?” Traveling Rise asked.

“Sure Pop.” Discovery shook his head in annoyance, though his father could articulate his words better than Sun’s could, he was definitely drunk. He had a tendency to brag about himself or Discovery whenever he had one too many pints.

Sun looked to Discovery, “Maybe we should drink it just to keep it out of their hooves.” She giggled. Discovery laughed at that as he grabbed a glass of water and took a sip, finally getting the hydration he so desperately needed.

“Ay, when’re you gon’ pop the question boy?”

Both of the friends whipped their heads around to look at Sunning Rum, Discovery nearly spat out his water. It took a moment for the shock to settle but once it did, and Discovery really thought about it for a second, he shrugged.

“Now, I guess.” He turned to Sun, “Do you wanna?”

“What?” Her ears had folded back, pressing against her head, “Get married?”

“I mean, I don’t exactly have plans to do it with anypony,” Discovery laughed, “You’re only my first choice cause you’re my best friend.”

“I hardly think that’s any reason to get married.” She glanced at the dance floor before looking back, “Just cause we’re friends?”

“We don’t got to if you don’t wanna.” He glanced to the dance floor, realizing that she must’ve been looking at Scarlet Love and Smoky Arrow again. “Or I could punch Smoky till he proposed to you.”

“What? No!” She said defensively, blushing hard.

Discovery laughed, “That was a joke.”

“I know that.” She said, looking to the couple yet again, “..But I..”

“Oh c’mon filly! I want some grandfoals!” Rum practically shouted with glee.

“Well,” Sun Flower smiled an almost sad smile, “I do really want to have a foal.”

“Ignore your father, there’s no pressure.” Discovery said.

“I..” She started, glancing again to the couple before turning back to Discovery, though her eyes still lingered on them a few moments longer, “I don’t have a chance…” She said quietly in defeat, “Alright.” She said with a sudden smile, “As long as you let me be a merchant!”

Discovery grinned, “Sure, as long as you let me be a /traveling/ merchant.”

“Then it’s a deal.” She stuck out her hoof and Discovery shook it. 

“That’s just about the least romantic thing I’d ever seen.” Traveling Rise pointed out, causing the new fiances to laugh. It certainly wasn’t romantic in the slightest.

“I can fix that.” Sun spoke. She reached out with a hoof and pulled Discovery closer, taking Discovery’s first kiss at once.

When she pulled back she saw that Discovery was blushing furiously. She couldn’t help but  giggle at his embarrassment.

“Ay!” Rum’s drunken call echoed through the party, “My filly’s gettin’ married!”

A loud “Huzzah!” was called from the crowd of mostly drunk dancer.

Discovery and Sun both found the situation absolutely hilarious, after Discovery recovered from his laughter he turned to Sun, “Are you sure?” he asked, “It isn’t too late to beat somepony up.”

“I’m sure.” She nodded, “Also I get to name our foal.” She smiled.

“Of course.” He confirmed. Sun glanced over to the dancers again and Discovery followed her eyes to spot exactly who he thought he’d spot, he sighed, “May I have this dance?” he asked, raising his hoof.

Sun looked back to him, she smiled and rested her hoof in his. They trotted towards the music, dancing with the other townsfolk until Celestia declared it morning.

[the--walking--daryl]

Concrete (pre-apocalypse!DarylxReader)

Thank you @dxsturbxa for the prompt!

Prompt- Hi!  can i request an imagine with Daryl based on the song Concrete from Tom Odell?<3

Summary:

Y/N and Daryl are hanging out in an old, abandoned hotel on the outskirts of Georgia and talk about their hopes for the future. One thing leads to another and Daryl ends up accidentally confessing his feelings for Y/N and… well you get it.

In this, I’ve made Daryl around late teens-early twenties?

Warning: fluff, not really smut but a lot of making out and clothes flying all over the damn place so its kind of implied??? idk im really uncomfortable with writing full on smut. strong language and mentions of abuse.

*NOT MY GIFS*

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Daryl, come on!” I giggled, running up a ridiculous amount of stairs.

“Calm down, you’re gonna get us caught.” Daryl grumbled, despite slightly speeding up.

Daryl and I had been wandering around for hours, only to discover that we’d stumbled across a run down hotel that had been completely and utterly abandoned. The insides were derelict and messed up, but were still relatively intact. The wallpaper was peeling, the furniture in the lobby was damp and the rugs were worn to oblivion.

“Daryl, who’s gonna catch us? There’s nobody around for miles. Live a little, damn.” I chuckled, finally reaching a floor that didn’t look like the plague had hit it.

“Wow… this place must’ve been classy back in it’s day.” I panted, catching my breath.

“How’d you figure?”

“Because I don’t know about you, but I’ve never felt more out of place in my entire life.” I joked, still astounded by the decent condition of the halls.

Daryl and I became best friends when we were younger because we grew up on the same street. We’d go and hide in some park or woods whenever we got scared of our parents. Daryl’s father always beat up his brother Merle, but as soon as Merle left, it was Daryl’s turn. My Dad died when I was little and my Mama started drinking and beating me when she did. Occasionally, I’d get away before she could and find Daryl.

This was one of those times.

“So, what now? We just stay here for the rest of our lives instead of going back?” Daryl sighed.

“Obviously not, we have to go back at some point, but I figured we could just have some space for a little while.” I replied, then headed off to look inside some of the rooms

I found a large room that was surprisingly full. A bed with numerous amounts of pointless pillows, nightstands with decorative lamps, paintings of fields and ominous looking strangers, and near-mint condition rugs.

“Daryl! Come look at this- oh.” I yelled, only to find he’d been standing behind me this whole time.

“Not too bad,” Daryl sighed and jumped onto the bed.

“I’ve definitely seen worse.” I scoffed, shutting the door behind me and wandering around the room.

“We’ve fuckin’ lived in worse.” Daryl uttered, slinging the throw pillows across the room.

I came across a painting of a woman in a long robe-like dress, a glass of red wine adorning her hand and her hair trailing down her back. She had these amazing brown eyes, but they had absolutely no depth or warmth behind them. She looked soulless and quite frankly, a bit lonely.

“Pretty hot for a painting.” Daryl piped up.

“Shut up, Dixon. Keep in in your pants.” I laughed and hopped onto the bed, the oddly soft sheets sinking beneath me. 

We laid there for a little while before I propped myself up on my elbows and let out an elongated sigh. 

“Daryl, where do you think you’ll be in five years?” I asked.

“God knows. Either in jail or dead, probably.” I wanted to believe that he was joking but he genuinely thought that.

“Where do you want to be in five years?” I rephrased.

Daryl thought for a moment, as if he’d never actually considered it before.

“I don’t know. Maybe in a mechanics. Maybe just kind of riding around. Not back with my old man, that’s for damn sure,” He sighed. “What about you?”

“I don’t know either. I want to do something to help kids though. Don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through. Maybe a teacher?”

“You dropped out of high school.” Daryl chuckled.

“True. Maybe I could open a home for abused kids. Start a business.” I shrugged.

“It’s not a bad idea.” He nodded.

I fell back onto the bed again and tapped my stomach in an uneven beat. Daryl placed a hand over mine to stop me, but I continued over his hand. This went on for another five minutes before he grabbed me and pulled my body onto his and wrapped his arms around me, trapping my arms by my side.

“Daryl, come on! Let me go!” I squealed. He loosened his grip around me and I turned over to face him.

“You’re an ass, Dixon.” I laughed, sitting up and leaning back against his bent legs.

“Yeah, what’s new?” He smirked, not realizing he had his fingers intertwined with mine.

I smiled and let out a small giggle at his self-depreciating comment.

“I really do hope you open that home y’know. I hope you get out.” Daryl said.

“No, I hope we get out. We’ve had each other’s backs since day one and we’re not stopping anytime soon. When I go, I’m takin’ you with me Daryl.” I told him.

He smiled a little and then propped himself up on his elbows.

“You don’t want to drag me around.” 

“Yes I do. You’re my best friend. Even if you are the biggest pain in my ass.” I joked.

We both laughed hysterically, but it all came to a halt.

“God, I love you.” Daryl laughed.

I stopped almost immediately, taken aback by his words.

“I mean, uh… I meant… Forget that I said that,” He chuckled awkwardly.

“Let’s not forget it… You mean that?” I asked softly.

His eyes searched around the room, desperately trying to think of something to say, but he didn’t have to. 

I placed my hands on each side of his face and pressed my lips to his, and in response, his hands found their way to my waist. Daryl sat up properly and leaned back against the headboard, allowing him hold onto more of me. His hands traveled down to my hips and rested there, gently digging his fingers into my jeans every now and again. My hands switched from his face to the hem of his shirt, which he then fluently pulled off like it was nothing, only breaking the kiss momentarily before continuing. He tossed it across the room, exposing his sculpted, slightly bruised torso and well-placed tattoo. I ran my hands up his stomach and chest, his skin burning up with anticipation. He flipped us both over so his body was hovering above mine, his hips rolling against mine on occasion. I sat up and tore my shirt off, sending it flying in the opposite direction to Daryl’s. 

“You sure you want to?” He asked between kisses on my neck.

“Positive.” I confirmed, running my hands through his hair and across his shoulders as he made his marks over my neck and throat.

The next morning, the first thing I felt was Daryl’s warmth radiating onto me. My head was buried in the crook of his neck and his arm was protectively draped over me while he still slept peacefully. I gently placed his arm back by his side and got up slowly as to not disturb him. The first item of clothing I found is Daryl’s shirt, which was at least two sizes too big for me, but I threw it on anyway. I stepped outside onto the balcony and laid my eyes upon miles and miles of emptiness, bar two old women walking their dogs. One of them realized that I was in the abandoned hotel and laughed. She waved sweetly and continued walking, so I figure that she must’ve done the same sort of thing when she was my age. My legs trembled slightly due to the sore, yet oddly pleasing sensation in my core. Suddenly, Daryl joined me on the balcony, wrapping his arms around my waist and hugging me tightly. Glancing back, I noticed that all he was wearing was a sheet hung loosely around his hips.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He whispered in my ear.

“Hey.” I replied, grinning like an idiot.

“What you doin’?” He asked, resting his chin on the top of my head.

“Nothing, just… thinkin’.” I sighed.

I turned to face him and placed a long, lingering kiss against his lips.

“Thank you for last night, Daryl.” I smiled contently.

“It was beyond my pleasure, baby.” He laughed.

“Y’know, I get that this hotels nice, but… I would’ve spent last night with you on a bed made of concrete with no sheets.” He told me.

“Me too. Even though, the bed was kind of a bonus,” I chuckled. “I don’t want to go back…” I said sadly, resting my head against his chest.

“We don’t have to. Let’s just stay here. Or run away.”

I laugh at his outlandish proposal.

“I’m bein’ serious. Y/N… run away with me.”

I look up into his eyes and for the first time, I see genuine sincerity.

“Okay… Okay, lets do it. I love you.”

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Warm Me Up pt. 21

songs I listened to: Wasting all These Tears- Cassadee Pope, Echoes of Love (yes still), Here Without You- 3 Doors Down, Through Glass- Stone Sour, So Sick- Ne-Yo, Water Under the Bridge and Turning Tables- Adele

Click Here for Ch. 1

Click here for Ch. 20

Classes were relatively easier now. It wasn’t so hard to keep up. And now, with Spring break, Will finally had some breathing room. Sadly, breathing room also meant thinking time. And he didn’t want that.

Paolo, Alex, and Cecil were sitting in the café with him. Alex and Cecil were going back home. Paolo would be staying, because a trip back to Brazil was too expensive for just a week. While they chattered on mindlessly, Will’s eyes drifted to the door on the side of the café. Then to the pillar outside. To the smoke clouds from the people sitting outside, happily talking to their friends.

“Okay, my ride’s here, I have to get my things,” Cecil said as he stood. “I’ll see you all next week.”

They waved at him and Alex squirmed anxiously in his seat. “I guess I have to go back some time, right?”

“Remember, you have us here. We’ll welcome you with open arms the second you get back,” Will offered.

“And a lot of cookie dough and blankets,” Paolo added. “We’re here for you, Alex.”

“Thanks guys.” He took a breath and gave them a thumbs up. “Wish me luck.” He left the café and Will watched as he zipped through the crowd.

Suddenly, a hand was on his forearm. He looked over at Paolo who was looking at him curiously with black eyes. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing,” he muttered. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I know you. And I can read your expressions. So spill.” Will rolled his eyes and began folding a napkin mindlessly. “It’s him, right?”

“It’s stupid,” he muttered. He shook his head and tossed the napkin aside. “I thought that by giving him his stupid sweater back I would be able to let go of everything else. The last little bit of hope and, by default, whatever emotions I have left.” He felt a burn in the back of his eyes and sighed as he shut them, putting his forehead in his hand. “But then, I see those stupid marks on his neck and… it hurt. It still hurt. Now I have this image in my head of some random guy kissing him, and… him kissing that guy back. And it hurts.” His voice broke and he groaned in frustration.

After a second, Paolo nudged him and pulled him up from his seat. “Come on,” he said. Will frowned, but followed. “We’re going for a drive.” He hauled him to Will’s car and asked for the keys. Will gave him the keys uncertainly and got in.

As he buckled himself in, Paolo grabbed the aux cord and connected it to his phone. He began driving and a song began. It had a bit of a country twang and Will frowned. His mother used to listen to these songs. “What is this?” he asked. He winced as the chorus came up and hid his face. “Could you change the song?”

“No.” Will looked over at Paolo incredulously. “You need to come to terms with your hurt. Ever since he broke up with you, you’ve been pushing aside the emotions and keeping yourself so busy you don’t even let yourself cry.”

“I don’t want to cry! Change the song!”

“Fine.” He skipped the song and much to Will’s disdain, another heartbreak song came on. “Okay, this one is you.”

“This isn’t funny,” he growled.

“I’m not trying to be.” Will glared at him and Paolo glanced over, sighing at his expression. “Will, you need to cry. I made a playlist of the best heartbreak songs of the last two decades and so help me, I’m going to help you cry out every bit of emotion you’ve been bottling away. You’re always saying not to hide what you feel, but that’s all you’ve been doing these last two weeks.” Will crossed his arms and looked out the window. A knot built in his throat and his jaw was clenched so tightly, it hurt.

As the song ended, another came on, causing Will’s heart to clench. Emotions he’d stowed away were surfacing and he was close to breaking. Memories began to fill his brain. Memories of waking up next to Nico, his arm draped lazily over him, the tired smile he’d give Will when he woke up, the smirks he gave Will whenever he wanted to make him blush, the scent of nicotine that linger on his scarred hands and worn jacket.

The way it felt when Nico hugged him or kissed him, or when he looked at him like he was the most amazing person in the world, someone worthwhile, someone who mattered. He remembered how, being with him, he wasn’t worried about what everyone else saw him as. Because it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he was enough for Nico. That Nico needed him and trusted him.

That he wanted him.

Before he knew it, he was crying almost uncontrollably into his hands as words of pain and heartbreak and longing played in the background. “I hate him,” he spat. “I hate him so much, I hate what he did to me, I hate the way he makes me feel, I hate that he moved on while I’m here crying over him, I hate him!” He clenched his fist and pulled at his hair in frustration.

“You don’t hate him,” Paolo reasoned. “You love him. That’s why it hurts so much. And it’s okay to have loved him. To love him still.”

“No it’s not!” he protested. “Because he didn’t care about me! He moved on, he decided he didn’t want me, and immediately went back to parties and making out with strangers. It’s my own fault. My own fucking fault, because that’s exactly how our relationship started, I mean what did I expect?” Paolo frowned, and Will realized he’d stopped the car. “He was drunk and he kissed me at a party. I got him back to campus to keep him safe and… we became friends. I thought… I thought I mattered to him.” He cursed and hit the dashboard angrily. “He’s just so good at pretending. And I’m so tired of hurting over someone who never even cared about me.”

“Don’t say that,” Paolo insisted. “He cared about you. It wasn’t always the way it ended.”

“Then when?” he moaned. “When did he decide he didn’t like me anymore? While I was falling deeper and deeper in love with him, he was getting sick of me, looking for a way out.” The truth of his words made him feel broken and breathless. “Why? When?”

“Have you ever asked him?” Paolo asked. Will frowned. “It sounds like what you want is closure, Will. You want answers to make sense of everything. And you’re entitled to them, because you truly care for him.” Will shook his head and pulled his legs up, resting his head against them.

“I just want to let go of him the way he let go of me. This isn’t fair,” he croaked. The songs continued to play and Will continued to cry, letting out every tear he’d forced back since their break up. Letting out every bit of hurt and confusion.

“He was mine, Paolo. And as soon as we break up, he’s getting hickeys from strangers and holding other people.”

“At least when he kissed you he was sober. It meant something. You think it means anything with the people he meets at parties? I’m sure he doesn’t even remember them or give them a second glance afterwards.”

Will shook his head and Paolo put an arm around him. “I can’t even think of kissing anyone else…. And Nico’s making out with people until his neck is covered with proof.” He wiped his eyes and sniffed, feeling more and more pathetic. “I just don’t understand how he could just suddenly decide he doesn’t like me….”

He wasn’t sure how long they’d stayed there, parked with music on a loop and Will alternating between angry rants and heart wrenching sobs. Meanwhile, his friend comforted him and assured him it was okay to let his emotions out.

It was dark by the time they returned to the campus.

“That was a very shitty thing to do,” Will said as they left the car. “But I needed that. So thank you. And… thank you for dealing with my crying.”

“It’s what friends are for, Will. I’ll be in my dorm whenever you need me okay?”

He nodded and they went their separate ways. Will’s eyes felt sore and raw after so much crying, but the pressure in his chest did seem to dissipate.

He clicked for the elevator and sighed, feeling exhausted in every possible way. He wanted nothing more than to lay in bed and watch crime shows and thrillers on Netflix until he fell asleep.

When the elevator doors opened Will gasped and stepped back in surprise. Nico was in his building. Shoving his tongue down some guy’s throat. In the elevator.

They’d pulled apart at the sound of the elevator stopping and Nico staggered when he saw Will. Meanwhile, Will was fighting back the bile in his throat. He stepped aside, averting his eyes as Nico and the stranger hurried out of the elevator.

Will imagined he might have burst into tears if he hadn’t cried himself out completely. He made a mental note to thank Paolo again. Ignoring the ball of lead in his stomach, he went to his room and plopped onto the bed, groaning into his pillow in anger and frustration.

Before he could fall asleep, his phone began to chime with the ringtone for a video call. He grimaced and pressed his hands against his face, hoping he didn’t look like he’d been crying for the last few hours. He answered and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of a close up on Kayla’s face.

“Will?”

“Hey shortstack,” he greeted.

“What’cha doing?” she asked, stuffing a gummy bear into her mouth. “When are you coming back home? I miss you.”

“I miss you too. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to go back yet. I have to check with my job.”

“Tell them your little sister wants you to come home.” Will chuckled and heard his mother in the background as she took the phone from Kayla. “Mom! I was talking to him!”

“You were showing off your food. Go clean your room then come and talk.” He heard Kayla whine and stomp away. “Hey honey, how was your day?”

“Fine,” he lied. “Yours? What’d you do?”

She seemed to be holding the phone up with one hand and furiously scrubbing something with the other. “Busy and tiring. We just ate dinner so I’m cleaning. Your father’s out back setting up the pool. It’s been hot enough down here since mid-February, but he wanted to wait for a school break and for nighttime so the sun isn’t beating down on him.” She glanced at him and frowned. “Are you okay, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.”

“You look like you were crying.”

Will grimaced and sighed, rubbing his eyes. “No, I just got sick suddenly. Runny nose, sore throat. Probably the weird temperature swings. I’m okay.” She hummed and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Mom, I promise I’m okay. Just feeling a little sick. I was about to go to bed.”

“Where’s Nico?”

Making out with some stranger, he thought bitterly. “He went out to get me some soup before the restaurants closed. He’ll be back later.”

“Tell him to get Robitussin too.” Will nodded, fighting the pain from the giant knot in his throat. “He’s a wonderful boyfriend, honey. I’ll let you go so you can rest. I’ll tell Kayla you’ll call tomorrow. Sleep well, sweet pea, I love you.”

“Love you too, Mom,” he whispered. He hung up and clenched his jaw. He remembered getting sick and Nico arriving at his door with soup and making him his first s’more, laying with him so he’d fall asleep…. Those were such sweet things to do, things a person did when they cared.

So where had that gone? When did it stop? Why?

The questions had no answer and it was starting to drive him crazy. He laid down and tried to forget, tried not to think of memories because they didn’t matter now. They didn’t matter to Nico, so why should they matter to Will?

***

The sound of heavy breathing filled the room. The sound of sloppy kisses and awkward chuckles. And that’s all Nico could process. He couldn’t focus on whether he was a good kisser, on whether the guy was making him feel good or not.

He could only process the awkward sounds and the memory of Will’s expression when the fucking elevator opened.

He’d been crying. Nico knew Will’s expressions better than anyone’s. He’d been crying and Nico wanted to know why, wanted to know if he was okay, if he needed anything. But Will wouldn’t even look at him. He looked away as Nico was pulled from the elevator and out of the building.

Still the expression of shock, hurt, and then fury that registered in those perfect blue eyes had struck him hard enough that he forgot how to breathe.

“What are you thinking?”

Nico was brought back to the present when Peter spoke. He had no idea how he’d gotten himself into this situation, but there he was. “Nothing,” he answered. He pulled him into another kiss, trying not to grimace at how horrible this guy was at it. He opened his mouth too much. He didn’t know what to do with his tongue. And my God, he produced so much saliva.

Will had been good at this. At so many types of kisses. He never failed to make Nico’s stomach flutter with butterflies.

“Maybe you need a drink?” Peter suggested, biting down a little too hard on Nico’s lower lip. Nico raised an eyebrow and nudged the boy who had been a stranger until about two hours ago off of him. He knelt down by his fridge and pulled out a bottle of Crown and a jug of vodka he’d gotten for cheap at the gas station. “Sweet,” Peter smiled.

He gave Peter a shot cup to fill as much as he’d like. But Nico filled a regular sized cup and forced the liquor down like juice. He wanted to stop thinking. He wanted to get the memories out of his head. And he would drink until they were nothing.

Peter’s lips were on his again, the lingering taste of whiskey mixing with the vodka that remained on Nico’s lips. His hands slipped under Nico’s shirt and despite the fact that Nico wanted to stop him, he didn’t. Because he had to replace Will’s touch if he was ever going to forget him. He had to let him go, because Will deserved a better chance. He deserved a chance to meet someone who would truly make him happy.

Shit. He was still thinking about him.

“Wait,” he said pulling away. He took a few gulps of one liquor before taking a few of the other. He needed to forget. He had to forget.

Will couldn’t keep holding him. He couldn’t keep tugging him back. Nico had made his choice. So what if he might never find someone he trusted as much? So what if he might never feel as happy as he did with him? Will couldn’t erase the mess in his head, and he didn’t deserve to have to deal with it. Nico had made his choice, and he had to stick to it, no matter what it took.

A few moments later, his thoughts became snippets of words, a blur of kisses, of foreign hands on his body, of a voice that was unfamiliar and oblivious, of burning liquor and tilting posters and creaking beds springs.

He had to forget. He had to forget something. Something.

***

The next day, Will trekked over to meet with Paolo at his dorm and spent the time it took Paolo to get ready by watching The Office on his SmartTV. He must have looked more solemn than usual because Paolo got in the way of the screen and looked at him with suspicious eyes.

“You okay?” he asked. “You seem more upset than when I left you at your dorm yesterday.”

Will averted his eyes and in an empty voice, he explained, “I was getting up to my dorm and Nico was in the elevator making out with some guy. Then my sister video called me and Mom asked about Nico again.”

Paolo sighed and kneeled beside him. “Will, why don’t you tell them. They’re bound to find out eventually. They’re going to keep wondering when they’re going to meet him and… it’s just going to hurt you the longer they ask.”

He shut his eyes and groaned. “I know.” He took a breath and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m still… hoping. That he’d regret it. That he’d try to see me again. Then I wouldn’t have to tell them this ever happened. It’s so stupid.” Paolo frowned and put an arm around him. “Okay, come on. It’s break. We get to go have fun. We need to get your mind off of everything. Today’s playlist is more a Fuck You playlist.”

“That sounds fun,” Will said with a tired smile. He stood and followed Paolo to his car. They wanted to go bowling. Then the next day they would go to an arcade and watch movies. Then Paolo was going to introduce him to Latin dancing at a club that played Latin and Hispanic music. Paolo had planned the whole week to keep Will busy between sleep and intern shifts. For that, Will was incredibly grateful.

The drive’s soundtrack that time had in fact consisted of songs that screamed “fuck you” and independence. Will couldn’t help but laugh as he sang along to some. In the back of his mind, he knew it wasn’t that easy. He knew his pain wouldn’t disappear just because he sang along to songs like Fuck You by CeeLo Green. He knew it didn’t wipe away the feelings he still felt for Nico.

But for the time being, they made him feel better. They reminded him it wasn’t the worst thing to happen. That maybe one day he’d fall in love again, and maybe he’d get his heart broken again, but that’s how life went. The songs reminded him he would be okay, if only to spite the person who had hurt him.

At the bowling alley, neither Paolo nor Will were very good at playing, so it mainly consisted of teasing and taunting the other’s failures. Though that made it a million times more fun than if they had actually been good at the game.

They ate nachos and mozzarella sticks, they sang along to the music that played and they laughed a lot. Will couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so much within the span of a few hours.

When they returned to the dorm, with just enough time for Will to get ready for his shift, he was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude for his friend. Paolo had been patient and supportive, never once telling him to just get over it or forget Nico. And there was no underlying reason behind his help either. He was just sincere and kind and a true friend. Will felt lucky to have him.

So before he left for his dorm, he wrapped his arms around Paolo and thanked him. “It really means a lot. You have no idea how much you’ve helped.”

Paolo chuckled and hugged him back. “What kind of friend would I be if I wasn’t there to help with heartbreak? Have a good shift, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.” Will nodded and pulled away, returning to his dorm to get ready.

When he got to the hospital, he became completely focused on his work. He helped the patients in the pediatric wing, playing with a few of the kids to distract them from the pain of medications and shots that had to be given to them. Then he moved to the maternity ward where he was helping with basic check-ups on new mothers.

Malcolm wasn’t going to come in for another hour, so he spent his break mostly to himself, watching the drama that was playing in the break room and munching on an apple.

He left the break room and started for the bathroom, but as he neared it, the door opened and someone ran right into him.

It was Leo. “Whoa, hey,” Will said in surprise. “What are you doing here? Are you okay?”

“Will,” he said, processing him. His face was unusually serious. “You… you don’t know?” Will’s smile faded and his stomach turned.

“What?” he managed to ask.

Leo gulped and looked at him with solemn eyes. “Will, Nico’s here. He was hospitalized at like two in the morning.”

“He- w-what? What? Why? What happened?” He couldn’t help the panic, the fear that crept into his voice.

“Alcohol poisoning, the doctor said.”

“What doctor?”

“I-I don’t know, he has these weird looking glasses, really complicated name with an A-”

Will hurried off, knowing exactly who Leo was talking about. He went up to the ICU and looked for Dr. Asclepius. He found him near a vending machine and without his usual politeness, pulled him aside. “Di Angelo, Nico, did you treat him?”

“Ah, Will. Yes, I did, why?”

“What happened?” he asked.

The doctor sighed and removed his spectacles which only made Will more anxious. “He ah…. Well he came in completely unconscious. Nearly fell into a coma. His BAC was higher than I’ve ever seen in a nineteen year old. We’ve pumped his stomach, we’ve given him fluids, and stabilized him. He’s resting now. You know him?”

“Yes,” Will breathed, finally able to calm down. Nico was stable. He was fine. No need to worry. No need to care anymore…. “I… I’m sorry. Thank you.”

He began to walk away, but Dr. Asclepius called after him. “If you want to see him he’s in room 1307.” Will nodded, but didn’t try to memorize the room.

He walked in a daze, trying to calm himself down completely. He had patients that needed him…. Patients that weren’t stable. That….

1307- di Angelo, Dr. A

The blue whiteboard marker on the door teased him, tantalizing him. On the other side of the door, Nico was in a bed, probably asleep. Would his friends be inside? There was no reason for Will to go in. Not if he was stable. Not if he had a doctor and a nurse already waiting on him.

He turned away and went in search for something to keep him occupied, for work to do, for something to focus on besides the fact that Nico was laying in a hospital bed at that moment. But each time he busied himself, he found himself trailing back to the same door. He found himself facing the same stupid blue letters.

He had to know. He had to make sure. He had to see him for himself.

With a shaking hand, he reached out and opened the door. A few pairs of eyes flitted to him, each unique color widening momentarily. “Will, hey,” Percy greeted.

“His doctor told me to come in,” he explained, despite the fact that they didn’t ask.

“Yeah. Uh, guys, let’s go get something to eat.” He gestured for Annabeth, Piper, and Jason to follow him. Will wasn’t sure where Leo had gone. “See you later, Will,” he said softly as they walked out.

They left and the only thing Will heart was the heart monitor and the soft breaths from Nico’s sleeping form. He stepped closer to see him properly and clenched his jaw as he took him in.

His skin was pale. His face looked hollowed out. He looked like he’d lost weight overnight, but he supposed that should’ve been expected after getting his stomach pumped. He looked fragile and cold. Dark circles were prominent under his eyes, and his lips were dry and cracked.

It was a pitiful, heart wrenching sight.

Slowly, Will stepped closer, checking his clipboard. He was fine now. It was nothing the doctor hadn’t told him. And still, Will felt his heart breaking at the sight of Nico in the bed. What had he been thinking? The worst Will had seen him had been the day he saw him at the party last semester. Now he was in a hospital.

Biting his lip, he grabbed a spare blanket from the utilities closet and placed it over him. As he fixed it, he heard Nico grumble and froze. “Will?” He kept his face passive and met his eyes. They were still bright. Dark and inviting. “Hey,” he croaked, his lips beginning to form a smile.

“Alcohol poisoning, huh?”

Nico groaned and shut his eyes. “I’m glad you’re here,” he whispered.

“I’m just doing my job. I intern here remember,” he snapped, not wanting Nico to know that he still had Will wrapped around his little finger.

But Nico only smiled again and opened his eyes to look at him. “I’m still glad you’re here.” Will furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw. That didn’t make sense. Nico shouldn’t have been hoping for him. He didn’t want Will. He’d said it himself. What the hell was he even saying?

He stood up straight and put the clipboard back in its place. “You should sleep. I have other patients to see.” He turned away Nico called his name in such a hoarse broken voice, it pained Will to hear.

“Wait,” he breathed. “Will, I… I have to tell you the truth.”

“The truth,” he repeated emptily, staring longingly at the door. “The truth?” He turned to face him, unsettled by the focus in his eyes.

“If I don’t do it now…. Look, I…. The things I said to you, I didn’t mean them.” Will scoffed and stepped back, feeling anger bubble in his chest. “Please, Will just listen to me. I know what I said, but I didn’t mean any of it. I said on purpose. I was trying to hurt you. I wanted to make you let go of me so you could have a chance at having someone better for you. I didn’t want to break up with you, but I had to-”

“No!” he shouted suddenly, making even Nico’s eyes go wide. “No! You don’t get to fucking do this! Fuck you! You’re the one that broke up with me, you don’t get to make dramatic confessions, not while you’re on a fucking hospital bed, you asshole, do you understand me?” he yelled, getting closer. Nico tried to speak, but he was too weak to be heard over Will. “I’m getting over you, you can’t just prance back in and say you were being selfless because that’s bullshit!” His vision was blurry, and he was vaguely aware of the tears that were falling down his face.

“Doctor?” Will was conscious of the open door, of the scurrying behind him, but it was too late. Whatever self-control he had left was gone.

“You are full of shit, di Angelo, and I am sick of your games! I’m not a fucking pawn for you to move however you want!”

“No, I’m not-”

“Shut up! Shut up, just shut up!” he screamed. A hand was on his arm, and someone was pulling him back, but he had too much to say. “You hurt me! You left! You! You don’t have the right to make this harder for me! You don’t get to knock me down then apologize and expect it to be okay!” He was pulled more aggressively, and he continued to spew insults at Nico, angry with him for making him love him, angry with him because despite all the pain he’d caused, Will still felt little beams of hope at his words.

“Will, Will! Enough! Come on, stop, let’s go,” someone said sternly, gripping him hard and pushing him away. Nurses were looking at him, a few visitors walking by. “Walk, just keep walking.” It was Malcolm. He was there for his shift.

Malcolm led Will to the break room while he tried to stop the furious shaking. “What the hell, Will?”

“I’m sorry,” he breathed. “I’m sorry, I… I lost it. I can’t-”

The door opened and Nico’s doctor walked in. “What the hell was that, Solace?” he demanded. He never got angry, but he was now. “Do you want to explain to me why the hell you were screaming at a patient in the ICU? Why you had to be dragged out of the room to stop?” he asked, his face red with fury.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I know it was completely unprofessional, Dr. Asclepius. I promise it won’t happen again. It’s just… he’s my ex-boyfriend and we didn’t exactly end things very well.”

“I don’t care who he is, you cannot do that in a hospital!” Will looked down and covered his face with his hands. “You’re lucky I don’t fire you,” he muttered. “Go home, Will.”

Will looked up and frowned. “No, please, I can-”

“Go home.” He gave Will a steady glare then glanced at Malcolm. Then he turned away and left the room.

When the door shut, Will broke down again, crying into his hands and shaking his head. How could he have been such an idiot?  How could he have let Nico under his skin like that?

“Will-”

“I’m fine,” he snapped, standing. “I’ll be fine. I should go.” He wouldn’t look at Malcolm. He didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes, the proof that all of his efforts to let go of Nico had gone to shit. He didn’t want the proof of his backtracking.

He hurried out of the break room, unable to stop the tears that were streaming down his face, the new questions in his head, the sight of Nico reaching for him, pleading for him to listen. As he walked, a strong hand stopped him and pulled him back. Will blinked and saw Leo’s distorted figure.

“Will? What is it?” He tried to ignore it and keep walking, but Leo stopped him again. “Will?”

He pulled away angrily and turned to him. “Don’t any of you pay attention to him?” he hissed. He glared at the others who called themselves Nico’s friends but couldn’t even begin to fathom the thoughts that went through that boy’s head.

Then he turned and kept walking until he was out of the hospital and back in his car.

It felt new. It felt like they’d broken up again. How dare he? How dare he try to take it all back and tell him it was for the best? Making himself out to be some selfless hero, when in reality he was nothing but selfish.

Damn him for making Will feel so helplessly in love with him.

Click Here for Ch. 22

[littlewritingcorner]

Sick Days: Day 9

Title: When Parties Suck Fandom: Voltron Main Character: Katie Holt, Matt Holt, Shiro Warnings: Vomiting

@sickdaysofficial @sickandvomiting

Katie regrets going to a Garrison holiday party so much more than she thought. Luckily, her brother and Shiro are around to lend a hand,

Katie closed her eyes tightly against the bright lights in the bathroom, hoping to ignore the stabbing pain at her temples. The way her heart was pounding in her chest was making her dizzy and, if  possible, even more nauseas than when she’d arrived to the Garrison Holiday party that evening with her family.

She didn’t want to admit how sick she felt to her family, knowing her father would usher the four of them home before she could blink. She didn’t want to ruin the festivities for her family, and she rather enjoyed being able to pick the minds of the brilliant scientists that always attended. She’d thought she could ignore the dull headache she’d woken up with that morning and the chills running down her spine. It was winter after all, of course she was cold! Just an hour into the party though and her head had been spinning. The smell of sweet meats and heady spiced wines clung to her nostrils and turned her stomach quickly.

She’d pulled away from her brother maybe fifteen minutes ago when her stomach had groaned and gone suddenly hallow and too full at the same time. She was not going to make a mess of herself in the middle of the party.

The quiet solace of the bathroom had been welcoming at first. The moment she’d locked the door and leaned against it the hollowness in her stomach disappeared and the headache dulled considerably.

She’d thought she would be fine. She sat down on the toilet lid, catching her breath and pressing her face into her hands. Just a few minutes and she’d be good to go back out there and finish the night off. No problem. She just needed a minute of quiet.

That minute had turned into two, then three, than five very quickly. Whenever she dared start to straighten up she could feel her stomach groan and gurgle angrily at her. She panted, resting her palm over the mess and tried as long as she could to calm it down. She could feel the cold sweat prickling along her skin and the pressure building in her chest and finally had to give in. She’d forced herself to the sink, mostly hoping the change in position would help and eventually her body would get used to it again.

The churning only grew worse.

A fuzzy darkness danced at the edges of her vision and she swallowed a nervous hiccough. Her knuckles turned white as she clutched the sink, using it as crutch to help her kneel down and press her forehead against the cabinet. She refused to pass out in the bathroom. Refused.

This was awful. She couldn’t be sick. She just couldn’t. She was chanting it in her head as she let the cool wood press against her burning forehead, hoping to quell the dizziness until a sharp heave surprised her.

She stood up as quickly as she could and fumbled for the tap to run the water as loudly as she could. Luckily the party was still going strong downstairs and she’d snuck off to one of the more secluded bathrooms. Another sharp heave constricted her chest as she white-knuckled the large porcelain sink and bent as far over as she dared. The less mess to clean up the better.

She wanted to yank the hair tie from her wrist but knew she didn’t have the time for it as a sick burp rumbled up her throat, bringing a sharp acidic sting with it. She gagged again and hastily grabbed her hair back in one hand, bracing herself on the sink with the other before the next gag nearly sent her to her knees, spilling her stomach into the sink.

She was shaking harshly, trying not to look at the mess splattered in front of her being washed away by the running water. She whimpered as her stomach heaved again and vomited up a second wave, then a third. She’d let her hair go to brace herself over the sink better, knowing her legs would give out if she didn’t.

She spat the sour spit clinging to her tongue into the mess, then cupped her hands under the water to rinse her mouth out. Her head was still spinning but her stomach felt empty at least. Her hands were shaking as she rinsed the bowl and then her face, glad that she never wore make-up, and yet wishing she had something to hide the bright flush staining her ghostly skin.

“You’re ok. You’re ok, Katie. It’s over,” she breathed and pushed away from the sink. She took a deep, slow breath and then turned the water off. She had this. And if she didn’t get back to Matt soon he would come looking for her without a doubt. She glanced at her watch a realized she’d been in the bathroom for an hour. Suddenly she was even more glad that she’d snuck away from the first floor or she’d have been found out for sure.

She made her way shakily down the stairs again, smiling naturally and hoping she didn’t look as bad as she felt. No one batted an eye at her, too distracted by the party and other guests. It looked like they’d just brought out a large tiered cake for the party as well that people were already snacking on.

She swallowed thickly and tried to find herself a quiet corner to get her bearings in. She couldn’t spot Matt or her parents, though admittedly she hadn’t looked hard. The thought of entering the hot throng of people made her head spin in ways she didn’t want to imagine. Her main goal was just quiet seclusion until she could stand entering the mass of socialization again. She found her way to the back of the room and leaned against the full-length glass doors leading out to the patio. She was shivering, but the cold stopped her head from spinning so much.

“Are you alright, miss?” a deep voice asked calmly and Katie opened her eyes – when had she closed them? – too look up at the young man standing in front of her. Tall, dark hair, even darker eyes. Eyes watching her with a great deal of concern just then and she wondered how bad she looked. Quickly she stood up straighter and smiled up at him.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, frowning at how weak her voice sounded. The young man frowned and nodded at her, wandering back off. Katie sighed, assuming she was out of the woods until he came back, a glass of water in his hand.

“Why don’t you take a seat? I don’t do well with these parties either,” he smiled and lead Katie over to the nearest chair without waiting for an answer. Katie was too surprised and tired to fight it if she’d wanted too. Still, she pulled herself up right and forced a warm smile on her face. Personality aside, she was raised in a family where these niceties had been ingrained into her; at least for publicities sake.

“Thank you,” she said as she accepted the glass and took a few hesitant sips. It calmed her throat but she could distinctly feel the cold water settle in her stomach and decided it was much smarter not to tempt fate.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Where’s you’re family? I’ll get them for you.”

“No! No, I’m fine. Really. Just a little tired. I think I was standing too long or something,” she laughed and the man smiled kindly in a way that said he obviously didn’t believe her.

“I’m Shiro. Nice to meet you.”

“Katie,” she said politely, chancing a second sip at the water to keep up the facade that she was fine.

“Katie! There you are. Where did you sneak off too?” Matt smiled, waving her down as he quickly skirted across the floor, a plate of cake in his hands. “Oh, Shiro! You’ve met my sister.”

Shiro’s brow raised and he looked at the girl. “Oh, we’d just introduced ourselves. I didn’t realize you were Matt’s sister.”

“What?” Katie asked, her head reeling painfully as she tried to process the new information.

“Shiro’s our pilot. I’ve told you about him before,” Matt grinned happily before handing her the plate in his hand.

“I saved you a piece with the flower. I know it’s your favorite,” he laughed and then sat down next to Shiro, striking up a conversation Katie sadly couldn’t be bothered to follow. Her head was already starting to pound a steady rhythm behind her eyes with every heartbeat. The world felt like she were swimming through jello. Sticky and slow and just plain gross.

She stared at the sweet cake in her lap and bit her lip, feeling her stomach give a threatening gurgle. She did love the cake, and sweets in general, but right now… and Matt had brought it over just for her.

“Katie, everything ok?” he asked and she perked up, blushing at the two pairs of eyes staring at her. “You’re not touching your cake,” he pointed out and she laughed.

“Sorry, just spacing out,” she said and took a decent forkful of the strawberry flavored whipped cream flower and swallowed it. She regretted it instantly but smiled happily anyway, taking another bite of cake and strawberries that time. It was sickly sweet and her throat didn’t want to swallow the gob of food in her mouth but she forced it anyway. Matt looked appeased and went back to discussing the Kerabose mission with Shiro that they’d be taking in a few more months.

Katie stared at the remaining piece of cake on her lap and took a breath, a sip of water, and then did her best to force herself to finish the piece. Each bite was torture. Every swallow was a struggle and what should have been a delicious treat settled like rocks. With a few bites left to go her stomach was cramping and groaning dangerously. She could image the food refusing to dissolve and curdling her insides.

She felt bloated and sick and couldn’t get the sweet slime off her tongue no matter how much water she drank. Before she’d realized it she’d finished the glass in her desperate attempt to  remove the thick film from her mouth and all it was doing was sloshing around as her body attempted to digest the sweet. She put the plate to the side, regretting every choice she’d made that day. She should have just said she was too full for cake!

“Oh, this is your favorite song. C’mon, let me prove to Shiro I don’t have two left feet,” Matt laughed and reached out for Katie’s hand, oblivious to his sister’s discomfort. He’d clearly had a couple glasses of Champaign already.

“Matt… I don’t think so…” she swallowed and gripped the arm rest with one hand, her other settled protectively over her stomach in a desperate attempt to keep it steady. She loved dancing with Matt at these things, they were fun! And she was competitive and they always impressed the crowd, but the thought of even standing just then was too much.

“What? Are you too shy to dance with your big brother now? C’mon,” he laughed and tugged Katie up easily. The sudden shift had her vision blacking out and the throbbing in her head intensifying. She stumbled and clutched to Matt who was suddenly completely sober and reaching to steady his sister’s shoulders.

“Katie? Hey, are you ok?” he asked softly, gently pushing his sister away to look at her face. She’d gone white as a sheet and was trembling in his hands. “Katie?” he pressed again before cupping her cheek and frowning. “You’re burning up,” he breathed, looking to Shiro helplessly.

“I can get one of the doctors,” he offered but Katie shook her head, fisting Matt’s jacket tightly and ducking her head.

“N-no…” she stuttered, feeling acid in her throat again and tears stinging at her eyes. She didn’t have time for that. “Get me o-out of here,” she choked out.

“Katie–“

“Please!” she urged, covering her mouth and hiccoughing. Matt paled considerably and Shiro stepped in.

“I’ll take care of her. You go get your parents,” Shiro spoke as he easily swept Katie up into his arms. She squeaked and curled into his chest desperately, not noticing the gasps and eyes following them as Shiro hurriedly carried her to the bathroom. She was beyond embarrassed as he excused them through the crowd and slipped into the bathroom with her. She slumped in front of the toilet, not caring about her dress anymore and barely registering the strong hand holding her hair back or stroking between her shoulders.

“Oh god,” she choked, gagging sharply over the bowl and tasting strawberries. She was embarrassed to have been carried, but knew she’d have thrown up in the middle of the party if Shiro hadn’t done it. She was already frozen in place.

“Easy. Easy. You’ll be alright,” Shiro spoke softly, not flinching when she let out a sickly belch that brought up a thin stream of liquid. It was quickly followed by a heave that brought a flood of undigested cake and strawberries into the bowl.

“There. it’s ok. You’ll be ok,” he soothed as Katie’s stomach purged itself of the sweet food. It cramped more painfully and Katie pressed her arms against it. Her muscles convulsed with every heave as it sought to bring up every last bit of food she’d possibly eaten the entire day. She panted over the bowl, tears flowing from her eyes and shuddering sobs racking her body and upsetting her stomach even more.

There was a hand pressed against her chest. She knew it was Shiro probably trying to prevent her from falling face first into the toilet and drowning. She was too sick to care about the fact that this man she’d never met before had his hand in her breastbone.

“Katie? Oh, sweetheart,” her father gasped and thanked Shiro as he took his place behind his daughter, brushing her hair back. “I’m here, baby. Dad’s here. We’re going to get you home, alright?” he soothed, holding her as another heave brought up more bile. A small commotion had started outside of the door as word spread that someone was sick but Katie was too far gone to notice.

“M’sorry… I’m… sorry,” she sobbed as the heaving stopped. Her dad hushed her and flushed the mess, wiping her mouth off before she curled into his chest.

“You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. Just relax. You’ll be alright,” he cooed as she cried into his chest like she hadn’t since she was a little girl. Katie had never felt so exposed and embarrassed before in her entire life! She wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out.

“Dad? Mom’s got our coats, and General Livda got us a trash bag if we need it…” Matt said gently. “Thanks for the help, Shiro. I wish you two hadn’t met like this. Katie’s going to be mortified tomorrow.”

Shiro looked over and moved out of the way as Mrs. Holt shuffled in with Katie’s jacket and helped get their daughter settled and up into Mr. Holt’s arms.

“Something tells me she won’t really remember me out of all of this,” he shrugged and watched Katie being carried out of the bathroom, half conscious. One of the doctor’s offered to look her over but the Holt’s decided it was better to just get their daughter home and take her to the doctors in the morning. A flu was something they could handle on their own in the privacy of their home.

“I’ll see you later, Shiro.”

“Yeah. Tell Katie I hope she feels better soon,” he waved after them. Katie cracked an eye open as she was carried out the door, blushing at the people watching them and curling tighter into her dad’s chest. This was hands down the worst, absolute worst, party she had ever been to. She had no idea how she could ever face any of these people again the next year.