#why do i feel like the photographer was hiding behind a bush or something

[creator-of-calm-queer-chaos]

The plot demon got away from me. Big time. (Hiding for space)

They were sure Heaven didn’t know about them. After all, if they did, surely they would have done something by now. Crowley and Aziraphale have been careful, always watching out for spies, but it wasn’t enough.

Aziraphale gets called up to Heaven. He tells Crowley before he goes, of course. They decide to meet up for drinks at the bookshop in the evening. He has a bad feeling about this visit. Heaven is not flippant with their ‘random checkups.’ 

The moment Aziraphale steps into Heaven, he finds himself frozen in place. He can’t move his arms or his legs, but finds he has full control over his head, meaning he can look around. So look around he does. In the perimeters of his vision he can see three figures. They slowly move closer and in front of him. Aziraphale inhales sharply. Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel are walking towards him. 

“Well, hello there, Aziraphale. Fancy seeing you here,” Gabriel snarks. 

“Hello, Gabriel,” Aziraphale responds nervously. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” 

“You see, we have received word from… downstairs that you have been in frequent contact with a certain demon,” Uriel says. “Is this true?” 

“Why on Earth, Heaven, or Hell would I be in contact with a demon ?” Aziraphale exclaimed. He tries to ignore the bead of sweat dripping down his neck. 

“Is that so?” she says. “Then these images are surely faked?”

With a wave of her hand, images project onto nothing - all of them photographs of Aziraphale and Crowley together. Aziraphale gasps in horror. They go back centuries , all taken from around a corner or behind a bush. In some, they are dining at a cafe, or feeding ducks, or eating ice cream. In one, they are walking together through Soho. 

“They… they must be faked with extraordinary skill. I have never seen this de-” 

His head whips to the side as Gabriel slaps him. 

“Don’t lie to your leaders’ face!” he screams. “We know you have been consorting with a demon! We know his name is Crowley, and we know you have been friends - lovers - for centuries!” 

Aziraphale gapes at him, still shocked that he slapped him. Then, slowly, his words were processed. Heaven knew about them. Heaven had known about them for decades if not longer. Crowley is in grave danger. He decided to ignore the word ‘lovers.’ 

“I… leave him alone. Please .” He started to panic. “ I- I’ll do whatever you what. I’ll never see him again, I’ll stay on the exact opposite side of the world - I’ll leave Earth! Just… please don’t hurt him .” Something had shifted within Aziraphale as he begs. He doesn’t care about what happens to him. He just wants Crowley to be safe. 

“Oh, I don’t think that will be possible,” Gabriel says, fake pouting. “You made your choice to be around a fallen angel. And now, both you and him must be punished.” 

Tears well up in Aziraphale’s eyes. He is not a stranger to what measures Heaven will go to in order to take their revenge. 

“ Please …” he begs, squeezing his eyes shut as tears slip down his cheeks. 

“Open your eyes, Aziraphale,” Michael commands, almost impatiently. He does. “Gabriel, do it now. I’m tired of waiting.” 

“Very well,” he sighs. 

Aziraphale worries his lip as Gabriel slowly starts glowing gold. Nothing good comes after that. His form shifts, and there is a thud. Gabriel’s vessel collapses to the ground. Gabriel is still standing there, but he is slightly see-through. 

“No,” Aziraphale whispers. “No, please, no. I told you - I’ll do anything, just not-” 

A searing pain rips through him as Gabriel’s soul steps into his vessel. He has been attached to his body for so long, and this process is never easy as it is. Aziraphale’s soul wiggles and tries to dispel the foreignness that is Gabriel vying for control. But, at the end of the day, Gabriel is much more powerful than he is. And within the minute, Gabriel has gained complete control over his vessel, and Aziraphale is stuck rattling around in his body like a ping pong ball. 

“Very well,” Gabriel says through Aziraphale’s mouth. “On to stage two.” 

Shit, shit, shit! Aziraphale curses, though no one but Gabriel can hear it. 

Profanity, child, really? Gabriel says inside their mind. Hush, you can’t do anything now.  

“Good luck,” Michael says. 

Gabriel nods and steps toward the globe. He zooms in on London, then to Soho, until they are looking at a very familiar bookshop from above. 

Just leave it alone, Aziraphale begs. Gabriel ignores him. He taps on the bookshop, and they are flying through a tunnel, squeezing through an impossibly small space, between the very atoms of existence, then- 

Gabriel is standing in the bookshop. He stretches his new body, getting accustomed to being shorter and fidgets with the vest. 

Really, Aziraphale, this style hasn’t been popular for at least two centuries. 

Leave my vest alone! I work hard to keep it in good condition. 

Gabriel sighs at the empty shop. He struts over to the wall calender that Aziraphale keeps meticulously updated. He wishes he didn’t just then, because there, on today’s date, is written drinks with C, 8 o’clock in blue pen. 

“Perfect timing. A few hours to perfect the use of this body before we meet the demon,” Gabriel mutters. 

Indeed, Gabriel would spend the time until Crowley arrives walking around the bookshop and talking aloud to a mirror. Aziraphale annoyed him the entire time, begging him to change his mind and trying to get him to walk differently. But Aziraphale was dismayed to realise that Gabriel was able to mimic his movements almost perfectly. He could only hope that Crowley would realise something as off anyway.

8 o’clock rolled around, and Crowley didn’t show. Aziraphale isn’t surprised, but Gabriel gets nervous. 

Where is your devil-damned demon? Gabriel demandes. 

Aziraphale doesn’t reply, as he hadn’t for the past half hour. 

“He’ll show up eventually,” Gabriel murmurs.

A few minutes later, the bookshop doors openes dramatically to reveal Crowley. He is dressed in his usual black attire, but was holding multiple take out boxes. 

“I brought food from that Chinese restaurant you’re fond of, come give me a hand, would you?” he says as a greeting. 

“Oh, of course,” Gabriel says. He rushes forward, perfectly mimicking Aziraphale’s nervous but eager steps. He takes the top three boxes from Crowley and walks to the back, setting them down on the coffee table. Crowley follows and does the same. 

“What did Heaven want?” Crowley says, sitting down on the couch with an omfh . He immediately opens the takeout containers and starts piling a plate that appeared from nowhere. “Too many frivolous materials or…” 

“Yeah, apparently making people lose the bread they were going to give to ducks counts as frivolous,” Gabriel says, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch. He clasps his hands together, sitting up straight. 

“Why so tense, angel?” Crowley says through a mouthful of food. “Aren’t you gonna eat?” 

“Oh, yes, of course,” Gabriel exclaims, leaning forward and getting some food. Aziraphale relaxes slightly as he gets exactly the wrong foods, but then winces as Gabriel drops some garlic sauce on his pants. He keeps quiet to not clue him in. “Ah, bugger,” Gabriel whispers, trying to wipe it away. Of course, this does nothing but smears it in. 

Crowley watches the angel(s) suspiciously. He frowns. 

“Okay, spit it out. Why are you acting so weird? Did Heaven really just want to give you a stern talking to? Or is there something you’re not telling me?” 

Gabriel stiffens. The demon wasn’t supposed to be able to tell so quickly. How much time had they actually spent together? Gabriel heaves a fake sigh, and leans back. 

“There’s something I need to tell you,” he says, fidgeting with his fingers. 

What are you doing, Gabriel? Aziraphale asks. 

He speaks!  

I mean it. What are you doing ? 

Watch and see.  

“Well?” Crowley asks. “What is it? Are you okay?” 

“The…” Gabriel pretends to gather his thoughts. “Well, there is something. Something I haven’t told you…” 

“Okay… go ahead. I’m listening.” As if to prove this, Crowley puts down his plate and turns to face him completely. “What is it?” 

Gabriel stands up, pacing in front of the couch. Crowley does the same, but instead leans against the wall. 

“Zira, you’re making me nervous.” 

Zira? Really?  

Gabriel pauses in front of Crowley, turned towards him. He takes a deep breath and speaks again. 

“I… I think… I think I love you,” Gabriel says. 

Aziraphale inhales (rather, his soul does). It was true, but this wasn’t how the confession was supposed to go. At all. They were supposed to have a romantic dinner and Aziraphale was supposed to take Crowley to feed the ducks (with peas) and then they would get ice cream and he would wipe a drip of ice cream off Crowley’s face and hold his hands and say those words that Gabriel just stole. 

“Oh, angel,” Crowley says, a soft smile spreading across his face. 

A blossom of hope spreads within Aziraphale. Could it be true? That Crowley loves him back? 

“I know. And I, you.” 

Gabriel smiles back, then slowly steps closer to Crowley. Crowley does the same. Aziraphale panics. Gabriel is about to steal Aziraphale and Crowley’s first kiss. And then he realises something much, much worse. In a pocket of reality, Gabriel is reaching to grab a sword. A certain flaming sword. 

No. No, no no nonononon! Aziraphale starts screaming inside his head. Gabriel ignores him as he and Crowley move closer and closer, until - 

Their lips meet. 

Crowley sighs happily, leaning into the kiss. So much - almost 6,000 years worth! - pining and wishing and hoping for them to get together, all wrapped up in one perfect kiss. Crowley reaches up and tangles his fingers through Aziraphale’s perfect curls. He is perfect. Every last cell, and his soul. Oh, his beautiful soul. It seems brighter today, almost glowing. All his awkward behaviour earlier makes perfect sense now. 

A warm, fuzzy feeling spreads through Crowley’s body, from his chest outward. It’s quite hot, but comfortable, like sinking into a bath. Crowley feels Aziraphale wrap an arm around him, and Crowley pulls him even closer. 

I wish this moment could last forever , Crowley thinks. 

Then, in the middle of the perfect kiss, Crowley notices that the hot feeling in his chest isn’t going away. Instead, it’s just getting hotter and hotter. It’s almost burning - no, it’s definitely burning now. Why is it burning? 

All of a sudden, a sharp, scathing pain rips through Crowley’s chest. He yanks back his head and gasps for air, but finds that he is struggling to breathe. Aziraphale is grinning - no, he’s snarling . Trembling, Crowley looks down. There is a sword sticking out of his chest. It’s crackling and glowing like its made of embers. Tears well in his eyes. It was all a lie. 

Aziraphale twists the handle of the sword and fire rips through Crowley. The scream that escapes him is pure and loud and terrifying.  It’s agony like nothing he’s ever felt, much much worse than falling from Heaven. And it was caused by the angel he loves. 

Crowley’s legs give out, but Aziraphale is holding him up by his arms. He looks up at the angel. Aziraphale is still smiling. He lets out a cold cackle, something Crowley would expect from a demon, but not an angel. Not from his angel. Crowley opens his mouth to ask him why, but no words come out. He can only open and close his mouth like a fish. Still grinning like a demon, Aziraphale slams his knee into Crowley's gut violently. He screams again as the flaming sword is yanked again. He lets out a sob as the pain recedes, but only slightly. He looks up at Aziraphale again, tears streaming down his cheeks. What has happened?

Then, something shifts. Aziraphale starts to glow, and his grip on Crowley’s arms goes slack. With a groan, Crowley slides to the floor and collapses in a heap. He looks up and watches as Aziraphale’s edges get less and less defined, as if he’s discorporating. Then, the hazy form becomes more clearly defined, and everything makes sense. Gabriel’s soul is hovering beside Aziraphale’s vessel. With a small shake, Aziraphale’s vessel seems to become inhabited again. 

With a pained gasp, everything came into stark clarity. Gabriel had possessed Aziraphale’s body and tricked him to get close to him. Gabriel had stabbed him. 

It had been Gabriel who said "I love you." Aziraphale doesn’t love him. It was all a lie. 

Gabriel’s soul disappears, and Aziraphale stands above Crowley. 

“‘Zira-fell?” Crowley gasps out, weakly trying to staunch the bleeding. It was a miracle he hadn’t died the moment he came into contact with the sword. Probably a demonic one. 

Aziraphale seems to snap back to reality as he drops to his knees beside Crowley. He tosses the sword to the ground and gently pulls Crowley onto his lap. 

“Oh, my dear, what have I done ?” Aziraphale sobs out, clutching Crowley. 

“Wasn’t… wasn’t you,” he murmurs. At least it wasn’t Aziraphale who will have killed him. Even if Aziraphale doesn’t love him. 

“I… I felt the blade. I held it- oh, Crowley , my darling…” a holy tear drips onto the wound, causing Crowley to let out a yelp. “Oh, sorry, I’m so sorry-” 

“Tell me something,” Crowley interrupts. His vision is darkening around the edges, and he can feel his grip on the universe fading. But he needs to know. “You heard me. You know what I feel. Tell me the truth. Don’t -” he gasps as a wave of pain rips through him. “Don’t sugar coat it. Tell me.” 

“Oh, Crowley,” Aziraphale exhales. “I love you more than the universe itself. I love you more than tea and books and cinnamon. I love you more than all my records and all the ducks and all the goodness of humanity. I… I love you more than God.” 

“Careful, angel,” Crowley wheezes. “You could fall for that.” 

“I don’t care,” Aziraphale sobs, holding Crowley a little tighter. “I don’t care anymore. Just… please be okay .” 

“‘M afr’d tha’s not up to me,” he sighs. “But I’m glad… to be here… with you-” he exhales and inhales heavily “- at the end.” 

Aziraphale leans down another inch. Their faces were so close, noses almost touching. With one of his final ounces of strength, Crowley reaches up an arm and places his hand in Aziraphale’s hair. This time, when he tangles his fingers in Aziraphale’s curls, he leaves blood in his white curls. He pulls Aziraphale’s head just an inch or two closer, and their lips meet. 

This time, when they kiss, it’s like fireworks. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears and can’t feel his legs, but Aziraphale is here , and everything is okay. The warm feeling comes back, but this time, it’s not painful. It’s warm like hot Irish cream and fireplaces and mint tea and the wool blanket Aziraphale made in 1632. He sees the beautiful stars they would watch from the countryside, sitting on the Bently’s hood, comfortable in their silence. He hears the mockingbird song Aziraphale loves to listen for in their walks through the woods. He feels the soft curls and delicate fabric that Aziraphale has maintained for hundreds of years. He is at home in his lover’s arms. 

When Aziraphale pulls away, Crowley blinks at him slowly. Crowley is smiling softly, happy and content. Aziraphale smiles back, but he is crying again. 

“Hinc itur ad astra,” Crowley whispers. 

“No,” Aziraphale chokes out. “Please, stay here. Don’t - don’t leave me. Please .” 

“I never will,” he says. “Never.”  

But still, Crowley’s eyes slide shut for the last time. A soft sigh escapes his body and a grey light rises from his chest. Aziraphale sobs aloud, still holding Crowley’s body. He watches the sphere of light rise up slowly. He can see it pass through the floor and through the ceiling and past the birds and into the clouds. Aziraphale watches as Crowley’s soul takes its place among the stars he so loved. 

“Sic itur ad astra, meus amor.”

It's perfectly simple. Aim for my mouth, but shoot past my ear.

[legends-of-time]

Thorn Bush (Doctor Who Story)

Chapter 47: Hide

Masterlist

1974 AD/CE

They walk slowly, sticking close together in the dark and gloomy corridors of Caliburn House as the world rages outside. 

"Say we actually find her. What do we say?" Clara asks softly as if the thought had only just occurred to her. 

Kathy was worried about interacting with Clara after a recent version of her has kissed Kathy but so far she's surviving. 

"We ask her how she came to be or if she is." The Doctor replies quietly. 

"Which makes little sense," Kathy adds, looking around. She still feels like something is watching her. A certain lonely creature. 

"Why?" Clara asks. 

"Because I don't know." The Doctor replies, trying a door but it is locked. "And ignorance is... is... what's the opposite of bliss?" 

"Complete unbridled terror?" Kathy supplies helpfully. "Because that's the feeling I'm getting right now." 

He looks at her. "Not that. Something else." 

"Carlisle?" Clara suggests. 

"Yes." The Doctor replies, his quiet voice now tinged with triumph. "Yes, Carlisle. Ignorance is Carlisle." 

"Sounds about right." Kathy nods slightly. They lapse into silence and keep walking, still peering cautiously around every corner and into most shadows. "Does anyone else get the unpleasant feeling that we're being watched?" She asks softly after a moment. 

"A little." The Doctor admits. "Try to ignore it." 

"I am trying..." she murmurs. "But it's really creeping me out." 

"You'll be fine." He pats her lightly on the shoulder. 

"Really?" She asks softly, glancing behind them. 

"Probably." He pats her once more before going back to peering into the shadows, looking for the ghost. 

Kathy raises an unimpressed eyebrow. "Really? How do you know? I thought I was the one that knows what's going on." 

Kathy has had a busy time in the 70s. Brief dip in Hong Kong a couple of years earlier where she bumped into Thirteen, Yaz, Ryan and Graham when they teamed-up with Bruce Lee. Finally, Kathy has come back from Billy Shipton's wedding to the other Sally. She then, as usual, had been going around investigating, going where she knows the episodes will happen. Plus, when Amy had heard that Kathy would be interacting with the Doctor, more specifically the version Amy knew, she had insisted that Kathy go to keep an eye on him. She had met up with Clara and the Eleventh Doctor who had arrived at the haunted Caliburn House. 

The Doctor had claimed that going on a fun ghost-hunting trip with being from 'the ministry' as a cover but this is pre-Impossible Girl revelation (Kathy squirms as she recalls that the revelation also came with Kathy herself being erased from existence) and he's really brought Clara to Caliburn House in order to see Emma, not the ghost. 

Within its walls, they met a ghost-hunting professor (Alec Palmer) and a gifted empathic psychic (Emma Grayling) who are searching for the Witch of the Well. Her apparition appears throughout the history of the building, but Kathy knows she isn't really a ghost and what is chasing her. 

They've already seen the photographs that were taken by the professor showing the same figure in the same pose throughout the history of Caliburn House and are now searching the house. Kathy's hearts break at the thought of the duo stuck in the pocket universe but knows that they will get them out. 

"That's still weird, you kind of knowing our future," Clara remarks, gripping the candles tightly, holding them out in front of her as a shield. 

"It's still weird for me too," Kathy replies, following her. "It doesn't really get easier. Knowing the future kind of sucks but sometimes it's worse when I don't know." 

"I can imagine..." 

"At least I know what's going on in this episode." She glances at the Doctor. "It's called Hide, by the way." 

The Doctor hums in response as they enter the kitchen. The Doctor messes around with things; opening jars and cabinets with his sonic buzzing away as he searches around with a keen interest. 

"But you're okay though, yeah?" Clara asks. 

"Yeah, except for the fact there's a variable which keeps turning things on its head," Kathy remarks scathingly. 

"What's that?" 

"Me." 

Clara goes to say something but she's cut off by a scuttling and banging being heard far off. The Doctor turns to it, his eyes sparking with interest while the other two tense up. He darts off causing Kathy to let out a huff and gestures for Clara to join her in following after him. 

——

Finally, they came into the largest room in the house. The room is dark except for the candles in Clara's grip and the light is coming in through the windows from somewhere outside. 

"Ah, the music room. The heart of the house." The Doctor declares. He starts to sonic around, scanning the room. 

Kathy almost wants to snark that it's rather obvious considering the big harp in the room giving it away along with other musical instruments and music stands. 

He turns to the others. "Do you feel anything?" 

"Like I'm being watched," Kathy replies. "That awkward tingling on the back of your neck like there's someone or something lurking out of the corner of your eye but you can't see them if you turn to look." 

Despite the feeling, Kathy can admire the pretty and antique objects within the house. So many old collectables that were lavish and pretty. Especially considering that everything turns out all right in the end. No one gets hurt. No deaths. A happy ending for the conclusion. 

"Yes, I'm starting to get that." The Doctor murmurs. 

"So am I," Clara adds shakily, eyes darting around the room. 

The Doctor smiled slightly at them before the sonic stutters. He fiddles with it before activating it again. There is a creaking, groaning sound like footsteps on floorboards but nothing is there. 

"Doctor, I don't like this," Kathy whispers. 

"You'll be fine." He says gently. "I thought you liked old houses?" 

"I do like these old houses. But only in the day yet considering I was around when they were built, I'm the old one." Kathy explains to them, shrugging slightly and throwing a wink in Clara's direction before she has a chance to think about what she just did. Clara blushes, temporarily distracted from the fear she's feeling. 

Kathy clears her throat awkwardly. "Though, honestly, nothing in here means us harm. They just want our help." 

"'They'? But I thought there was only one ghost." Clara responds, gazing around as if to see these extra ghosts. 

"Nope. Three. Two of them aren't technically here in the house, either." 

Kathy wanders forward, going towards a certain spot in the room. She pulls out her sonic, a twin to the Doctor's except for the colour. The red light bounces off the walls as she scans the particular spot she knows is here. The sonic splutters at a certain point by the door they'd just come through. Kathy grins and waves her hand around until the cold spot hits her. Smiling, she turns back to the Doctor. 

"Hey, Doctor, come feel this." She calls to him. 

He walks over, feeling the air with her. He steps forward, breathing out deeply to see his breath. The room creaks around them, sounding almost as if it is groaning. Clara looks around nervously, shifting on her feet as the room continues to make strange noises. 

"I think she's here," Clara says softly, clearly scared. 

"Cold spot. Spooky." He observes. He turns to face Clara and starts to move back and forth, jumping in and out of the cold spot Kathy had found. He breathes out to check his breath every time he enters the freezing pocket of air. He continues to move in and out of the spot Right to left, backwards and forwards. "Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold." 

Kathy tenses as she hears the room creek again as the Doctor crouches and draws a chalk circle around the cold area before straightening up, brushing his hands off after replacing the chalk in his pocket. 

"Doctor, Kathy..." Clara calls nervously. 

"What?" The Doctor asks. He pulls out his sonic, scanning the circle. 

"I'm not happy." She breathes out. 

The Doctor looks at the readings of the sonic before glancing over to Clara curiously. "No" is all he says before grabbing Kathy's hand and pulling her out of the room. 

——

They quickly start to head back towards where they had left Palmer and Emma but stop at a sudden loud thudding noise ringing out throughout the house, startling them. They all jump. 

"What was that?" Kathy asks softly. 

"You're the one with future knowledge." The Doctor replies, equally quietly. He startled like the rest of them as the thudding sound is heard once more. 

"Yeah... but this one scares me... like it's scaring me now." She replies. 

Clara's candles suddenly snuff out, the light extinguishing, sending them into darkness. They stare at the candles in disbelief. The only light they have now is the few flashes of lightning from outside. The house suddenly becomes colder, the temperature dropping incredibly fast. Even the Doctor and Kathy begin to shiver from the freezing air sweeping through the house. Their breath fogs every time they exhale. 

"It's getting colder. Much colder. Much too quickly." Kathy looks over at the nearest window and steps towards it. The Doctor and Clara follow her, watching as before their eyes the windows start to rapidly grow frost, becoming covered in a thin layer. The Doctor blows into his hand, rubbing to get them warmed up as he examines the window. 

Kathy, without thinking, scoots back closer to Clara, grabbing her hand and entwining their fingers. Clara does not even notice, too focused on what is happening around them. Kathy flinches as the thudding continues. Louder. Closer. The house itself seems to quake in fear. 

Clara's breathing increases in fright. "Okay, what is that?" She asks in a fearful wavering voice. 

"It's, uh, it's a very loud noise." The Doctor fumbles for some kind of explanation but has none. "It's a very loud, very angry noise." He rubs the back of his head and looks away. 

"Not really angry. Just trying to get our attention." Kathy counters in response. 

"Well, they certainly have my attention." The Doctor mutters. 

"Angry or not, what's making it?" Clara questions. 

"I don't know. Are you making it?" He asks before letting out an involuntary yelp of fear, leaping towards them and turning around quickly as the thudding starts again. 

Clara gives him a look of slight annoyance, making the Doctor glance at the part Time Lord, part Human and part Apalapucian next to him. "Kathy?" She shakes her head. 

The slamming echoes down right from where they stand. Kathy, startled by the noise, pulls Clara and herself closer to the Doctor. 

"There's something else here." Kathy says softly, "I don't know where. But there is definitely something else in this house." 

"Doctor? Kathy?" Clara whispers a moment later. 

"Yes?" Both Kathy and the Doctor breathe back. 

"I may be a teeny, tiny bit terrified," Clara utters. 

"Yes." The Doctor whispers as if that would be obvious. 

"But I'm still a grown-up." 

"Mainly. Yes, and...." 

"There's no need for either of you to actually hold my hand." 

The Doctor's eyes widen and he looks down at both of his hands while Kathy turns slowly, to give Clara a serious stare. "Clara." She says evenly. 

Clara blinks, seeing the nervous eyes of Kathy. "Yeah?" 

The Doctor raises and shows her both his hands. Empty. Kathy tries not to blush as she shows her and Clara's entwined hands. 

"I'm not holding your hand." The Doctor states in a panic. 

"We need to go." Kathy declares. 

Everyone then turned around to look down the hall behind them as the area creaked loudly. The house lit up with a crash of thunder. It illuminates a strange, misshapen, inhuman figure between them and the nearest window. All three of them scream and bolt, running along the corridor to the stairs and leaping down them two at a time. 

——

Professor Alec Palmer (the Caliburn House owner) and Emma Grayling (the psychic assistant) look at them in surprise as they all run down the stairs into the main front room. They skid into the hallway just as a circular portal appears in the middle of the room. Like a large, black disc. It wobbles around, holding their reflections as if it were a mirror. The Doctor points his sonic at it immediately, both for scanning and as if to defend against it. 

"Has this happened before?" The Doctor asks. 

Palmer stares at the floating object in perplexity. "Never." He says with a shake of the head. 

"Camera. Camera." The Doctor demands in a rush. Palmer hands him the camera. He takes some quick pictures. The disc spins faster and faster, cracking up into white, light. 

The glass inside the thing cracks. Kathy looks back at Emma to see Emma staring at just about visible shapes of trees that have appeared there within the arch. A white ghostly shape standing within the old trees with its hand reaches out. It cries out in a terrified woman's voice. Kathy watches with wide eyes as the white ghostly figure grows ever more visible. 

"Doctor!" She calls. 

He spins around, taking rapid photographs of the figure. Emma's breathing speeds up as the image grows clearer and in more detail. The figure slowly turns with their hand out towards Emma, the screaming increasing in volume. 

"Help me!" A female voice shouts before the figure suddenly. Emma collapsed backwards into Palmer's arms. She pants as if straining for breath. 

"Doctor..." Clara says softly, drawing all of their attention. 

Written on the wall halfway up the stairs in ghostly lettering were the words "Help me". The Doctor jumps up the stairs two at a time and is just hesitantly reaching out to touch the letters when they vanish from sight. The black spinning disc in the centre room disappears in a white light. 

"Spooky..." Kathy murmurs softly. 

"Just a bit." The Doctor replies. 

"Doctor, what was all that?" Clara asks him. 

The Doctor does not reply and looks at Kathy. "Who is she, Kathy?" He asks. "Any hints?" 

"She's a lost soul, calling out and looking for a way home." She replies, looking at him. 

The Doctor nods, turning to the professor. "Do you have anywhere to develop these pictures?" 

Palmer nods. "Yes, I've set up a makeshift dark room. Follow me." He turns and starts to lead him through the house. 

——

Kathy sits around with Emma and Clara, listening to the two of them discuss what had ensued within the house. The two girls are taking quick sips of whiskey before becoming disgusted with the drink. Kathy laughs at their faces and Clara's comment of the 'most disgusted thing ever invented.' 

"Here, I'll make the tea." Kathy offers. She grabs the whiskey drinks from them. Setting the glasses down, she pulls the kettle up and lets it start to boil under the small, portable, electric stove. The stove does not wish to start at first, so Kathy pulls out her sonic and gets it working. She smiles as she flips the sonic in the air and places it back inside her pocket. 

With the tea made, Kathy adds in some drops of honey and hands the girls their cups. She sits down on the floor, letting the other two have the chairs. She sips on her tea lightly, smiling at the pleasant taste. 

"Oh, wow. This is good, Kathy." Clara says cheerfully. 

Kathy blushes slightly. "I'm glad." She replies happily. She takes another sip. 

Clara has another sip herself before turning to Emma. "So, you and Professor Palmer, have you ever... you know?" She asks curiously with a grin. 

Emma blushes and lets out an embarrassed breath. "No." She replies. 

"Why not?" Clara questions her. "You do know how he feels about you, don't you? You, of all people?" 

Emma sighs heavily. "I don't know." She breathes. "People like me, sometimes we get our signals mixed up. We think people are feeling the way we want them to feel... you know, when they're special to us... when really there's nothing there." She sighs again, looking away from them sadly. Clara and Kathy smile kindly to her. 

"Oh, this is there," Clara tells her. 

"Definitely, there." Kathy agrees. 

Emma looks at the two of them curiously. "How do you know?" She asks. 

"Because it's obvious. It sticks out like a big chin." Clara answers. 

"And you should really tell him how you feel," Kathy says gently to the psychic. Emma stares at Kathy, her eyes looking unsure as they gaze upon her. A kind smile is given in return by Kathy. "Don't let something like that slip by." 

Emma blinks for a moment before speaking again. "What about you two? Are either of you with... you know, the Doctor?" She asks them curiously. 

Clara pauses mid-sip, shooting a quick glance to Kathy who quickly looks away. She sips her tea, trying to appear that she's not really paying attention to Emma's question. Kathy doesn't want to be involved in this conversation, particularly with a girl whose echoes have kissed her twice before. 

"Oh, I don't think so." Clara hastily replies. She looks at Kathy with soft eyes, then back to the psychic. 

Emma notices this, glancing over to the girl as well. "Good." 

Clara blinks at her, baffled. "Sorry?" 

"Don't trust him. There's a sliver of ice in his heart." Emma ominously declares. 

Even that causes Kathy to pause, a shiver going down her spine. She often likes to forget the darker side of the Doctor. The side that had so furiously yelled at her during the Shelley and Ashad situation. 

"Kathy, Clara!" The Doctor is heard calling out. 

Kathy stands up and places her cup down on a nearby table, going out of the room and over to the Doctor. He nods slightly before calling out for Clara. The young woman joins them a moment later. 

"Grab your umbrella." He says. "We've got some work to do." 

Clara smiles and the three of them head for the door. The companion takes the umbrella from the stand where she had left it and they hurry from the house. 

——

They run out in the pouring rain, huddled underneath it as best as they through the pouring rain, to where the Tardis has parked herself in what looks like old cloisters. They splash through puddles as they make their way and when they walk around the corner, facing the TARDIS, Clara stops them both short. 

She stares at the ship with uncertainty. "I've got this weird feeling it's looking at me," Clara whispers to them. "It doesn't like me." 

Kathy smiles at the girl, patting her shoulder gently. 

"The TARDIS is like a cat." The Doctor says lightly. "A bit slow to trust, but you'll get there in the end." He rushes to the TARDIS, opening her up and running inside. 

Kathy links arms with Clara. "Don't worry. The TARDIS will love you in the end, just as she loves all the Doctor's companions. She can just be a little stubborn at times." She assures her. 

"But how can I get her to like me?" Clara asks, her brown eyes staring up slightly at Kathy. 

Kathy clears her throat, looking away as she smiles brightly. "Just be your impossible self." 

Clara raises a brow in question but is unable to ask Kathy what she meant when she is dragged off by the part Time Lord, part Human and part Apalapucian. Kathy snaps her fingers and pulls them inside the TARDIS. 

Smiling at the ship, Kathy walks up and pats the console gently. "Hey, old girl. How've you been?" She whispers. The TARDIS beeps and hums in response in a happy note. Her smile brightens, knowing the TARDIS is happy to see her. Just as Kathy is happy to see her. 

Clara stands by the doors, staring at the umbrella in her hand and around the TARDIS. "Hey. You need a place to keep this." 

"I've got one." The Doctor says, pointing. Then he stops and frowns. He glances around his shoulder, blinking, then searches around the room himself. "Or I had one. I think I had one. Kathy, did I have one?" 

"Yep," Kathy replies. "Though not for a very long time. Your fourth body had one. I think the fifth did as well. Don't know about the sixth because I didn't get a chance to watch much. But you definitely used to have one." 

"Good!" The Doctor says. 

Clara looks around but doesn't see so goes to shake the umbrella off but before she can do that, Kathy's hand flies out and catches the brolly. Clara looks at her in surprise, noting that because Kathy had moved towards the lower part of the console room, Clara, as she's be the door, stands on the higher level and is higher than Kathy. 

"No, no," Kathy remarks gently. "Don't do that." She takes the umbrella and looks upwards. "Any chance for an umbrella stand?" 

The TARDIS lets out a hum and an umbrella appears next to Clara causing the girl to yelp in surprise. The TARDIS lets out a beep that sounds almost like a laugh. Kathy shakes her head disappointedly at the console as she slots the umbrella into the stand. 

"So," Clara says, clearing her throat as she steps over to the console. "Where are we going?" 

"Nowhere. We're staying right here." The Doctor answers her. He moves about the console, flipping switches and levers. "Right here, on this exact spot, if I can work out how to do it." The TARDIS engine starts to rev up. 

"So, when are we going?" Clara asks with a grin. 

"Oh, that is good." The Doctor laughs, giving her a high five. "That is top-notch." He starts to walk away, going down the metal stairs from the console. 

"And the answer is?" Clara calls after him as he starts to walk away. 

He does a quick spin around to answer her, "We're going always." He then continues to walk away and around a corner. 

Clara crosses her arms, leaning against the console. Kathy leans against the railing, watching where the Doctor had gone. 

"We're going always." Clara echoes as he disappears around a corner into the corridors. She frowns, thinking about what exactly the Doctor had meant. 

"We are." Kathy looks over at her. "We're staying in this spot but we're going to keep travelling through time to try to find out who the ghost is and where she came from." 

"Oh..." Clara replies. "Okay." 

"What do you think?" The Doctor asks, returning with the bright orange spacesuit, holding it out in front of him for Kathy and Clara to see. 

Kathy grins at the sight of it while Clara grimaces. 

"Uh, the colour's a bit boisterous," Clara replies. 

"I think it brings out my eyes." He tells her excitedly. 

"Makes my eyes hurt," Clara tells him, smirking. 

He lets his arms drop, letting the suit hang at his feet and pouts at Clara. Kathy giggles at the dejected look on his face. 

"I like it," Kathy says. "Does it still fit you? I mean, you got it while you were still in your last body." 

"Yes, it fits." The Doctor replies. "I have tried it." 

"Just checking." Kathy grins at him. "It's been a long time since you wore it." 

"Yes, thank you." He says. 

——

The TARDIS takes off, taking them from past to future. They go from Earth's earlier days in history, a good six billion years when it is still cooling. Then to a Jurassic-like period of jungles and giant insects. Continuing onto the Victorian era when the Caliburn house is still new. At each point in time, the Doctor would step outside, taking photographs around the area of where the house would or will be. Then he would come back inside, sending them off to another time for more pictures. 

Eventually, the TARDIS brings them to a devastated wasteland with just a bit of roof and chimney lying on the ground. The air shimmers in the heat. No vegetation or human life in sight. The Doctor places his suit back on and goes outside once again with the camera. All the while, Clara stands close to the console and Kathy by the railing near the door. Both watch him walk around on the scanner. The gentle hum of the TARDIS echoes around them as they watch. 

"I can't believe this," Clara whispers, staring at the scanner sadly and upset. "We've watched the entire life cycle of Earth, birth to death. I haven't been born yet, and I've been dead one hundred billion years all at the same time." She turns staring in disbelief at Kathy. "How can you both stand it? How can you be okay with this?" 

Kathy stares at her for a moment, thinking. "We just... don't think about it." She finally answers. She looks back to the Doctor on the scanner. "It hurts too much to think about it." She really doesn't want to think that one day, Kathy herself will have lived long enough to see her own world die. 

"But I'm a ghost to you both. We're all ghosts." Clara speaks quietly. "We must be nothing." 

Kathy stares at the girl again. She feels unsure about how to talk to Clara but she can't help but comfort her. 

"No, you're not a ghost. And you are most certainly not nothing." Kathy speaks firmly. 

Clara stared at the part Time Lord, part Human and part Apalapucian, her eyes wavering. "My body is out there though. Somewhere in the ground." 

You are and you're not. Kathy thinks as she recalls Clara's end. 

Kathy walks up, holding Clara's hands within her own for comfort. "Clara, you have to understand that everything lives and everything dies. There's no getting around that. I would know. Out there, somewhere in that vast universe, the Doctor and I are buried in the ground as well. We are alive and dead, all at the same time. That's how time works. Whether you're travelling in the TARDIS, or living a comfortable life at home." She pauses briefly, thinking. Thinking how the Doctor himself probably knows where Kathy is buried. "But you can't let yourself dwell on these things. It will only tear you apart if you do. You have to live in the moment because when the Doctor takes on someone in the TARDIS, it doesn't matter to him when they were born or when they die. All that matters is that they're there and they're wonderful. That's the moment that counts." 

Clara looks down, breathing deeply through the sadness that overwhelms her. She then looks up to Kathy, a small smile and her eyes gazing with contentment. "All right, live for here and now." She hugs Kathy. "Thanks." 

Kathy gladly returns the hug. "You're welcome. And just know that it's all right to be upset about these things. I know. I used to be, too. Still am sometimes." 

Clara nods, glad that it is not only her who becomes dismayed over the difficulties of time travel. The Doctor walks in seeing them hugging each other in comfort. He blinks in surprise at the sight. 

"Oh. What's wrong?" He asks in a worried tone, taking off his helmet. He turns to frown and sternly at the console and time rotor. "Did the TARDIS say something to you? Are you being mean?" He adds the second question to the TARDIS herself, slapping his gloves lightly against the console. The old girl flashes lights and beeps in response as if to say she had done nothing of the sort. 

Both girls pull away from the hug, smiling in amusement to the Doctor. 

"Nah, we were just having a nice chat," Clara says. She walks up and gives the Doctor a big hug. He stiffens, looking uncomfortable and awkwardly pats her back. Clara smiles as she buries her head into his shoulder slightly. "Thank you for not seeing me as nothing." 

The Doctor frowns at her. "Of course, you're not nothing. What gave you that idea?" He replies sternly. He pulls her away to hold her at arm's length. He stares steadily into her eyes. "You are the only mystery worth solving." He pats her arm and walks away. 

Clara smiles, though looks uneasy at his words. Kathy grimaces uneasily at his words but the companion shrugs the unease off. 

——

The rain had stopped by the time they rematerialise in the grounds of Caliburn House in November 1974 and the three of them stride across the gardens and into the house. They walked in silence. As they reenter the room the Doctor and Kathy go over to Palmer with their roll of film for development while Clara goes over to look at the board of pictures again. 

"What's wrong?" Emma's quiet voice breaks the silence, making the companion jump and look over at her. 

"I just saw something I wish I hadn't," Clara replies. 

"What did you see?" Emma asks. 

"That... everything ends," Clara says softly. 

"No, not everything," Emma tells her with a small smile. "Not love. Not always." 

Almost unconsciously she looks over at Palmer's turned back, the professor examining the photographs the Doctor and Kathy had given him. Clara's gaze follows but they move over from the professor to the brunette woman standing next to him. 

"Right, done. That's it. Gather round, gather round. Roll up, roll up." The Doctor calls. 

The two women move over to where Kathy, Palmer and the Doctor have set up a projector. Using the pictures he had taken, the Time Lord shows them on a white screen. The Doctor points the sonic screwdriver at the projector and the first slide clicks into place. It shows the ghostly figure in the house, in front of the fireplace. He begins running the many different pictures, showing them a series of images of the ghost Palmer and Emma have been searching for. The projector shows different images of the ghostly woman throughout history. 

"The Ghast of Caliburn House. Never changing, trapped in a moment of fear and torment." The Doctor speaks quietly as they all stare at the images. "But what if she's not? What if she's just trapped somewhere time runs more slowly than it does here. What if a second to her was 100,000 years to us?" He waves around to the images. "And what if somebody had a magic box, a blue box probably, what if said somebody could take a snapshot of her, say, every few million years?" 

As he speaks, he activates the sonic, making the images speed up. The images change, getting clearer until they can clearly see the figure of a woman in a futuristic white suit running towards them. She holds a terrified face, seeming to be running to the camera for her life. They all stare at the last image, looking at the picture in astonishment. 

The Doctor leans to Palmer. "She's not a ghost." He declares, going over to the screen. "But she's definitely a lost soul. Her name is Hila Tacorian." He activates the sonic once more and now on the screen are what look like professional promotional photographs, showing the same woman smiling with a helmet under one arm. "She's a pioneer. A time traveller. Or at least, she will be in a few hundred years." 

"Time travel's not possible." Palmer insists in disbelief. "The paradoxes—" 

"Resolve themselves, by and large." The Doctor counters quickly, waving away to dismiss Palmer's claim. 

"This is where we come in," Kathy says, waving at him. "Time travellers. Hi." 

"How long has she been alone?" Emma asks quietly, staring sadly at the image on the screen. 

"Well, time travel's a funny old thing." The Doctor explains to her. "I mean, from her perspective, she crash landed," he flips up his sleeve, looking to his watch, "three minutes ago." 

"Crash landed? Where?" Emma asks in bewilderment. 

Kathy wanders off as the Doctor blows up a pair of balloons to simulate how the pocket universes kind of work. She knows this bit. The sciency bit. The Doctor telling Emma that she is guiding Hila home. She goes over to the doorway and peers out into the dark corridor. 

"It's okay." She murmurs softly into the darkness. "We'll bring him back soon, I promise. You'll be together again." She doesn't expect any response and she doesn't get any. 

"But what's she running from?" Clara pipes up, nodding to the screen. 

The Doctor clicks his fingers and turns to look at the screen again. "Well, that's the best bit. We don't know yet. Shall we see?" 

He points the sonic at the projector. Kathy turns around in time to look at the slide and sees the creepy-looking figure on all fours behind a tree in the image. It is exactly the same silhouette as they had seen earlier when the lightning had lit up the corridor on their way back from the music room. Though much of it appears unclear by the fog it's shrouded in, its unnerving appearance in the way it crawls on its hands and bends in many different shapes can be seen. It gives Kathy shivers though she knows the creature means no real harm. 

"What is that?" Clara whispers in a fearful tone. 

"I don't know." The Doctor responds in a low tone. He turns around, giving a quick grin to change the mood. "Still, not to worry." 

"So what do we do?" Emma asks in a slightly louder voice which cuts through the quiet. 

"Not we, you." The Doctor claps his hands together and looks at her. She turns and looks at him, startled. When she exchanges a glance with Palmer he steps forwards, who's developing an anxious expression. "You save Hila Tacorian because you are Emma Grayling. You are the lantern. The rest of us are just along from the ride, I'm afraid." He pats her hand reassuringly. 

"You'll be fine," Kathy assures her. 

The Doctor smiles and turns away, beginning to walk out of the room while giving instructions. "We need some sturdy rope and a blue crystal from Metebelis III." He said, pronouncing Metebelis as Me-te-bel-is. Kathy winces at it. "Plus some Kendal Mint Cake." 

Kathy followed him quickly. "Isn't it Metebelis?" She asks, pronouncing the name of the planet as Met-e-be-lis. 

He looks at her. "Eh? What did I say?" 

She sighs and repeats to him, pained at the mispronunciation. 

"Oh." He keeps walking, barely casting her a glance. "Does it matter?" 

"To you, perhaps not. To millions of people who have watched Planet of the Spiders, yeah it does matter." She keeps pace with him easily but does little skips between each step. 

"Planet of the Spiders? Is that what it was called?" He glances at her now, not slowing his pace as he goes down the stairs and outside. 

"Yep." She replies with a smile, "Anyway, in that story, you said it as Met-e-be-lis." She accentuates the pronunciation. 

"Fine." He concedes. "Perhaps I did. But has it not occurred to you that sometimes language changes? That occasionally how you say the names of planets does too? And that the inhabitants of the planet aren't all that bothered?" 

"Are you telling me that just to make me be quiet?" She asks amusedly. 

"Maybe." He replies. "Probably." He unlocks the TARDIS door and steps inside. He goes over to the console and down the steps, starting to look through a storage compartment underneath. 

"Still doesn't stop the agony of many fans who can't cope that you said it differently to how your previous self did." Kathy quips, leaning against the underside console to watch him. "I had to tell you." 

"Yes, of course you did. If anyone was ever going to point it out, it was going to be you." The Doctor retorts. 

"I aim to please." 

——

When they return to the house, they are trailing thick silver cables and other wires that had been hooked up to the TARDIS and into the house for power. The Doctor sets up a bizarre circle of wires and clocks placed around the room with a chair and a glowing white-blue crystal sitting on a metal trip-pod in the middle of the music room. Not to be confused with the one from Metebelis III that is in a headset he had created. 

"What is that?" Clara asks, reaching out to touch the glowing crystal. 

"Subset of the Eye of Harmony." The Doctor replies, slapping her hand away. 

"Are you okay?" Kathy asks Emma softly. 

"I think so," Emma replies with a slight smile. "But Hila Tacorian needs my help." 

"That's the spirit." The Doctor says with a grin as he steps over to them. "Right, sit down." He gestures to a chair before picking up the headset he had made. "All the way from..." he hesitates and glances at Kathy, "... Metebelis III." He pronounces it the way he had originally. Kathy lets out a quiet snort at that. 

The Doctor sits Emma down next to the crystal, placing the headset with a blue gem on her to increase her abilities. Clocks are placed all around, circling the area of Emma and the crystal. The Doctor goes around the room, zapping all the clocks with the sonic screwdriver. 

Clara and Kathy help strap a parachute harness to the Doctor, making sure that he is tied to this universe for safe travel back. 

"Doctor," Kathy speaks quietly as she tugged on the harness, "If you find yourself afraid, try counting." 

"Counting?" He questions curiously. 

She nods, staring evenly at him. "Yep. Counting to three." She answers lightly. She pats his arm, smiling encouragingly at him before walking away. 

Emma stares up at the Doctor, a scared expression written all over her face. "Doctor, will it hurt?" She asks him nervously. 

The Doctor scoots over to the psychic sitting in the chair. He crouches down in front of her, smiling in reassurance. "No." He breathes. 

Kathy frowns sternly at him. "Doctor, don't lie to her." She points firmly to him. 

He glances at her bashfully before looking back to Emma. "Well, yes. Probably. A bit. Well, quite a lot. I don't know. It might be agony." He responds uncertainly. He clasps his hands together as he stands back up. "To be perfectly honest, I'll be interested to find out." 

"And it's up to you whether you go through with it," Kathy argues. 

Emma gulps, staring over at Palmer. The Professor nods solemnly to her, giving her the okay to continue the rescue. 

Emma turns back and takes a restorative breath and prepares herself. She closes her eyes as she begins to speak out to the lost woman, Hila Tacorian. The headset on her forehead begins to glow. The clocks around them start to spin backwards. The Doctor quickly hooks the rope to the harness. Emma lets out a grunt of pain as the black disc from before appears in front of them underneath the archway in the chalk circle the Doctor had drawn to indicate the well. The 'portal' cracked and then shattered, leaving a gateway of white light in the doorway. It cracks apart, opening a brilliant, white portal with harsh winds gushing into the room. A strong wind blows through, whipping around them, causing them to shield their faces from it. 

The Doctor hesitates, looking into it. "See!" He shouts. "The Witch of the Well! It's a wormhole!" He collects up his rope, making sure he is attached. "A reality well. A door to the echo universe. Ready?" He looks over at Emma. 

"Ready!" Emma shouts back, her voice cracking slightly. 

The Doctor turns back to the gateway and cracks his neck. "Geronimo." The Doctor rushes forward and jumps right into it, disappearing from sight. 

Emma starts to pant as she strains to keep the link open for the Doctor and Hila. The winds churn through the room even worse and the light brightens even more. Kathy glances at Emma, worried for the girl as she sees the strain building up on her face. Kathy begins to actually worry about this adventure. What if things do turn out differently from what she had seen back in her universe? Or even from a possibility? What if things go wrong today, and Eleven never returns with Hila from the pocket universe? What happens to her then? She remembers the unknown Doctor with short dark hair and a small moustache in an orange shirt and matching plaid coat and trousers. 

Emma begins screaming in agony for the Doctor, reaching her hand towards the gateway to call him home. Kathy cries out encouragements, hoping to help the psychic push through the pain. The rope through the portal begins to tug on the other side. Palmer works hurriedly to wind in the rope, pulling whoever is attached to the harness back into this universe. The woman, Hila, comes stumbling into the room from the portal, falling down to the ground in a heap. Just then, Emma gasps loudly in pain, falling to her knees, collapsing and the wormhole fades away. Kathy and Clara both cry out in panic as it disappears completely, leaving the archway blank and empty. Outside, the TARDIS Cloister bell begins to toll. 

Kathy whips around in a rush. "Clara, quick! To the TARDIS." She yells out as she jumps over machinery and sprints out of the house. Clara falls in step right behind her. 

——

Both run swiftly to the TARDIS, the cloister bell continuing to reverberate throughout the night. Kathy yanks the key from her neck, shoving it into the lock to open the doors. The doors refuse to budge. 

Kathy jiggles the doors harshly. "Oh, don't you start this now! Come on! We have to save the Doctor!" 

"Let us in, you grumpy old cow!" Clara shouts to the ship. 

Kathy turns to Clara, glaring in disproval. "Oi! Don't you call her that." She scolds. "We are going to get nowhere if both of you keep bricking at each other." She points firmly to Clara. "You, stop insulting the TARDIS." She turns and points to the old girl. "And you, stop being so damn stubborn. Now let us in!" 

The doors swing open, making both girls smile. The console beeps and flicks lights guiltily. Kathy runs up to the console, patting her gratefully. 

"Apology accepted. Now, let's go save the Doctor." And with that, Kathy gets moving. She flicks switches and presses buttons, calling to Clara which ones she should press/switch for a hopefully smoother ride. 

They take flight and the whole ship rocks violently as they travel into the pocket universe. Everything within the TARDIS flashes wildly. Clara screams as she is tossed about while trying to keep her hold on the console. Kathy grips the console firmly, determined to save the Doctor. 

"I thought Carlyle said you knew how to fly this thing!" Clara cries. 

Kathy huffs in offence. "Okay. One, she isn't a thing and two, we're going into a pocket universe! Did you really think this would be smooth?!" She blinks as she registers what Clara said. "Wait– when did you meet Carlyle?!" 

"We met—" Clara's eyes widen, "actually, never mind!" 

Kathy is then further knocked off her feet as the TARDIS comes whirling through the air. Something bangs into the TARDIS and Kathy quickly reaches over to the console to direct them back out of the pocket universe again. 

The ship comes to a landing. Kathy rushes out of the ship to see they have landed in the Caliburn house. Emma lies in Palmer and Hila's arms as she pants in pain, having used the rest of her energy to help bring the TARDIS back into the universe. Rushing to the side, Kathy sees the Doctor leaning against the blue box. He breathes in and out heavily, eyes staring wide with the fright he had gone through. Kathy quickly wraps him into a hug, holding him tight. 

——

Morning arrives, bringing much needed peace to the Caliburn house. Kathy talks cheerfully with Clara and Hila in the grounds outside. All of the girls laugh delightfully at some joke Clara has told. She turns to see the Doctor watching them from where he leans against an open door, smiling. She waves happily at him and he returns a small wave. Kathy murmurs her apologies to Hila and Clara before moving over to the Doctor just as Emma arrives. 

"You wanted a word?" She asks him curiously. The Doctor turns his head slightly to her. 

"Well, if that's—" He starts to say. 

"That's fine." Emma cuts him off quickly. She smiles lightly at him. "You didn't come here for the ghost, did you?" 

"No." He answers truthfully, though with some hesitation. 

"You came here for me." She states. 

He turns more to her, staring with cautious eyes. "Yes." He answers quickly this time. 

Emma stares at him, slightly baffled by this. "Why?" 

"I needed to ask you something." 

"Then ask." 

He hesitates for a moment before speaking again. "Clara." 

Emma blinks, unsure of what he is asking. "Yes?" 

He walks closer to her, hesitating once again. "What is she?" 

Emma glances away briefing to stare at the distant Clara. As if giving the companion an observing gaze. When Emma looks back at the Doctor, she looks uncertain of his question. "She's a girl." 

"Yes, but what kind of girl, specifically?" 

The psychic stares at him for a moment, gazing at him with clear eyes. "She's a perfectly ordinary girl. Very pretty, very clever, more scared than she lets on." 

The Doctor hums, turning away from her to stand at the doorway. He crosses his arms, tapping his fingers on one arm. "And that's it, is it?" 

She stares at him in question. "Why? Is that not enough?" 

The Doctor says nothing only raising his eyebrows, looking intrigued, before starting to walk away. 

"Sorry. He was expecting different answers." Kathy apologises. 

"I could tell," Emma says softly, looking at her seriously. "Are you not lonely?" 

"Me? No, why should I be lonely?" Kathy smiles though she knows Emma will be able to see past the bravado act. 

"You just seem... lost," Emma replies sincerely. 

Kathy sighed. "I am lost. More lost than I've ever been. But I'm making the best of it because I can't do anything else. I know the answers to the Doctors' questions but I can't give them to them. Yes... it is lonely sometimes." She looks away for a moment and when she looks back, the mask has returned, erasing the traces of sadness from her expression. She turns and briskly starts to walk down the corridor again, out into the blazing sunshine. 

They catch up with the others in the archway leading towards where the TARDIS is parked. As they near it, they stop and Emma wraps her arms around Hila warmly. The Doctor hesitates a moment before joining in, hugging them both. 

After a quick, slightly awkward, conversation about what the hell Emma and Palmer are meant to do now, the Doctor starts walking towards the TARDIS once again. 

Kathy looks at him quickly. "Doctor, wait, we're forgetting something." She tells to him. 

He pauses, turning to her curiously. "What are we forgetting?" He asks her. 

Kathy smiles softly. "How do sharks make babies?" He just stares blankly at her. Kathy's smile widens to a brighter one. "Happily, of course! Because every lonely monster needs a companion." She continues to beam at him, hoping he understands what she had meant. 

He blinks some more before his eyes widen in realisation. He slaps himself on the forehead. "Oh, I'm so slow! I am slow. I'm notorious for it. That's always been my problem. But, but I get there in the end. Oh yes." 

Everyone, aside from Kathy, stares in his direction confusedly. 

Clara scoots over to Kathy. "What's going on?" Clara asks her. 

Kathy smiles at the girl. "We have to go reunited old Romeo and Juliet." She speaks happily. 

"Exactly. Every lonely monster needs a companion." The Doctor says, walking towards the house. Kathy and Clara follow just in time to see movement at an upper window of the house. 

"There's two of them?" Clara realises. 

"It's the oldest story in the universe, this one or any other. Boy and girl fall in love, get separated by events. War, politics, accidents in time. She's thrown out of the hex, or he's thrown into it." As the Doctor talks, he throws his arm over Clara's shoulders, holding her close. Kathy clenches her jaw. She's not jealous! "Since then they've been yearning for each other across time and space, across dimensions. This isn't a ghost story, it's a love story!" Then he realises he has put his arm around Clara's shoulders. "Sorry." He runs back to Hila, Emma and Palmer. "Excuse me. Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt the rest of your life. So. Tiny favour to ask." 

——

"Ah, I love a happy ending." Kathy quips as she saunters into the TARDIS, looking up with a smile as the ship hums in greeting. They've just reconciled the two creatures together with a casual pop to the pocket universe and bringing one of them back in the exact same manner as before.

"They are the best kind." The Doctor agrees as he walks over to the console. "Oi! Come on you two!" He calls to the open doors. 

Hila and Clara trail in, giving one last wave over their shoulders to Emma and Palmer. 

"Where are we dropping you off, Hila?" Kathy asks the human time-traveller. 

"I'm not sure. Somewhere fun." Hila replies as she looks around the interior of the TARDIS in amazement. 

The Doctor turns to Kathy with raised – barely there – eyebrows. "What about Metebelis III?" 

Kathy scoffs and tries to shove him but the Time Lord laugh and darts away. Kathy, as one not to back down, lets out a huff and begins to chase him around the console while Clara and Hila watch laughing.

——

A/N: Please leave comments on how you're enjoying this story and what you think.

[grandmaster-anne]

October 1962 Princess Anne at Polo practice

[rhaenyratargayen]

be my muse // r.l.

summary — y/n is gifted a camera as a wedding gift, and decides to use it to photograph her beautiful husband. post 1st wizarding war, jily lives.

word count — 2.1k

warnings — alludes to sex if you squint, remus’ insecurities.

a/n — this is my first remus fic and it is pure cottagecore bliss :’)

“Good morning, lover.” Y/N had said to Remus that morning, rolling over comfortably in the soft, fluffy abundance of white sheets and a large comforter in their new bed. She paused before she woke him with a kiss to his cheek and the corner of his mouth, to gaze upon the rays of pure, orange sunlight that poured in through their new bedroom window and laid confidently on the sleepy face of her adorable husband.

Remus had groaned tiredly as she woke him, tucking his face under the duvet to hide from the sunlight and preserve what sleep still lingered behind his eyes. But as he felt the sensation of his lover’s kiss lingering on his lips a smile fell upon his face. So as Y/N shook her head softly at her grumpy, night owl and stood to head towards their kitchen to brew herself a cup of coffee, Remus arose quickly and wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her back into their bed and against his chest where he dove to plant sweet, wet kisses along her neck.

“Good morning, angel.” Remus murmured into her neck, sleep lingering in his voice, a raspy yet soft tone that had Y/N tossing her head back in pure and utter bliss. She didn’t get around to coffee that morning until it was technically no longer morning. She spent the hours basking in the arms of her husband, drinking in the sunlight that poured in from the east that their bedroom window faced.

It was a large window that looked upon a field of scattered trees, a dirt road trailed up through the middle, leading to an old cottage where a friendly older couple lived; Joseph and Betty, two young souls who greeted the newly wed Lupins with an apple pie on their first night in their new home a few weeks back.

Y/N and Remus had finally moved out of their London flat and into a small house on the outskirts of the city. It was a birthday gift Remus had given to Y/N her birthday before their wedding. The war had ended, but the scars still remained. Remus shied away from society after the tragedies he faced, and a small cottage was a perfect start for the next chapter of their lives.

Remus had fallen in love with the place, he paraded around the yard on their first visit, his fingers slotted with Y/N’s as he explained all the plans he had for planting a garden, maybe a small field of sunflowers. And although Y/N teased him for his sudden landscaping passion, she hadn’t seen him so enthusiastic about something in months, and it warmed her heart that he wanted to do it all for her.

“I was thinking we could grow some berries as well, your mum’s always complaining about how her bushes are dying,” Remus spoke softly, gesturing to an empty patch of the yard just outside the kitchen window, “Plus if we don’t give her a reason to come over whenever she pleases she’ll go mad.” He chuckled.

When he turned to look at his girl beside him he paused as he saw her, staring softly at him, tracing the scar along his cheek with her eyes.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he rolled his eyes, “I know what you’re thinking; you’re marrying an old man.”

Y/N laughed softly, she adored Remus’s old soul, how well he got on with older people and how adorable he looked in your typical “grandpa attire”. It was a joke she and Sirius hadn’t ever let past Remus ever since he showed up on the Hogwarts train the first day of sixth year with a sweater vest. And the memories were fond, but that wasn’t why she looked at him the way she was.

Suddenly, she gently grabbed his face in her hands, delicate fingertips running softly along battered skin. She kissed him with a gentle passion, she slowed her lips against his, her chest releasing all tension as she found home in the shape of his lips. It was a feeling she knew all too well and yet still, it caught her off guard every time.

Remus pulled back, smiling softly at his lover as her eyes remained closed. He kissed her forehead softly and raised his hand to thumb over her cheek.

“I love you.” She murmured.

Remus knew then, the fondness she had been feeling that entire time. The anticipation and the floating feeling of peace, at the thought of marrying each other.

“D’you suppose we should finish unpacking?” Remus snorted as he entered the kitchen.

Their new living room was filled with cardboard boxes, some opened and partially unpacked, others still sealed shut with tape. They had taken their time in settling into their new home. They didn’t have much, all the furniture was in place, they mostly had clothing and wedding gifts left to unpack.

“Eventually,” Y/N shrugged, holding her hands out to summon Remus to her, letting them rest on his shoulders as he reached her and tugged her in towards him by her waist, “We’ve been busy though.” She mumbled against his lips before she kissed him softly.

Remus smiled against her lips, recalling the memories they had already made in their new bedroom. He released her to pour himself a cup of coffee as Y/N turned to rummage through a few of the already opened boxes.

“Lily called last night,” Y/N spoke up, “Apparently James and Sirius are itching to come see the place.”

Remus snorted softly as he emptied a spoonful of sugar into his black coffee. He turned to face his wife, his back against the counter as he watched her sorting through the box on the table.

“We should probably at least get all the fragile things up, I don’t want Prongs and Padfoot breaking our wedding china.” Y/N rolled her eyes, playfully.

Remus set his coffee down and wandered across the room, wrapping his arms around Y/N from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. She sighed contently as they made contact, sinking into his embrace and feeling her shoulders relax.

“Would it be so bad?” Remus chuckled, “You hate that china… I thought you said it was hideous.” He laughed as he recalled the face she made towards him when she first saw it.

Remus released her and turned around, growing curious he began sifting through his own random box of unpacked things, one which happened to contain old photographs of their time at Hogwarts and a few newer photos with the rest of the marauders.

“That’s a good point,” Y/N sighed, “Reckon I just blame it on Sirius?”

Remus chuckled at her suggestion, but before he could reply he heard the snap of a camera, and turned to face Y/N as the sudden white flash disappeared.

He raised his brows as he saw her then, holding a camera in her hand, one he remembered as a gift from Lily to Y/N. She smiled fondly as the photo processed, waving it in the air momentarily before she waved Remus over to see the developed photo.

“Perfect,” She sighed, pressing a kiss to Remus’ cheek as he stood beside her, “My favorite person in my favorite place.”

Remus saw the picture then, it was of him from behind. In the background you could see the doorway that led to their bedroom, a glimpse of the illuminated white sheets they had spent the morning in. Surrounding Remus were loads of cardboard boxes all labeled miscellaneous things. Atop Remus’ head sat his mop of brown, messy hair that he hadn’t brushed, and his back was bare as he was shirtless, the camera didn’t quite pick up the scars that littered his back, but he saw them, he saw them clearly.

He swallowed thickly as he watched the beautiful smile on his new wife’s face. She was happy, undeniably and truly happy, he knew that, he knew that no matter the thoughts that swarmed his head, he made her happy. She pulled out a pen and scribbled the date down onto the bottom of the photo before she pinned it to the fridge with a cheesy wolf magnet Sirius had gifted them.

Being together for so long meant their bond of trust was stronger than imaginable, and although it was only a few years back Remus confessed his insecurities to Y/N in his dorm at Hogwarts, being with her felt like time stood still. He had learned to stop counting the time as it went by and instead starting counting memories.

But he wasn’t her boyfriend anymore, he wasn’t a shy, young boy with an overwhelming crush on a pretty girl in his year. He was a grown man, who had just taken a vow to love and cherish this woman for the rest of his life. And as her husband, those insecurities of his other form plagued his mind, because how could she, the most perfect woman he had ever met, vow to love that part of him forever?

“Rem?” Y/N spoke softly as she turned to face her husband, instantly noticing the all too familiar frown upon his soft lips.

Remus walked towards her, sighing as he tucked her into his side and stared at the photo pinned to their fridge. She knew then, the troubles he faced and turned to cup his face in her hands, lightly tugging his gaze away from the photo and to her, where she leaned up and placed a kiss to his lips.

“You don’t have to be afraid, Remus,” She mumbled softly against his lips, “It’s okay if you are though, I’m not going anywhere.”

“What if that’s what scares me?” His voice was weak and shy, a sharp contrast to the raspy, confident voice in which he confessed his love to her that very morning.

“Shoulda told me that before I changed my last name.” She quipped, smiling softly when a light chuckle fell from her lover’s lips.

And Remus relaxed at the reminder of how well she knew him, how comfortable she made him feel, and it was as if his fears evaporated from his heart and he saw clearly again, he saw the golden sunlight that shined on the flowers outside their kitchen window and the curve of her nose before he leant down to kiss it.

“I love this photo, Rem.” She sighed into his side, “I think you’re beautiful.”

Remus exhaled, a shy smile appearing on his lips as his cheeks grew pink. He attempted to hide his face in the crook of her neck, but she giggled aloud, and quickly grabbed her camera.

“Now that’s what I want a photo of.”

Remus laughed and darted out of the kitchen, smiling widely as he heard Y/N squeal behind him at his fast break, followed by the sound of her feet tapping against the tile floor as she chased him, snapping blurry photographs along the way.

She chased him out to the yard, feeling her skin warm up as she met the sun face to face for the first time that day. And as Remus stopped to soak in the warmth as well, she took her opportunity to tackle him from behind and straddle him as he fell onto his back.

“Finally!” She laughed, catching her breath as Remus laughed below her.

“If you want a photo, you’ve got to work for it,” Remus shrugged, “I can’t be modeling for free, now can I?”

“Not even for me?” She feigned a pout.

Remus reached up to hold her chin between his thumb and forefinger, admiring the sunlight soaking into her cheeks and gleaming off her nose. He bit his lip softly, feeling his chest grow warm with adoration as he stared at his girl, his wife.

“Alright, maybe for you.”

Y/N shook her head and raised her camera to peer through it, Remus didn’t fight her this time and instead focused on the vision he had just had of her in his head, beautiful, in her own element, and his. And she snapped the photo. She smiled proudly as the photo developed, inhaling a steady breath as she admired the scenery, and her lover in it.

She didn’t fight Remus as he tore the camera from her hand and set it in the grass beside them, gently setting the photo down on top before he pulled her down to meet him, and crashed his lips to hers. She sighed softly against his lips, breathing in his scent and relaxing into his arms. Remus rolled over to lay Y/N down softly in the green grass below them, and as he hovered over her to kiss her one more time, he again, the words fell from his lips without a second thought.

“I love you.”

———————————————

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[sarija]

@expectingtofly @starrynightdeancas

Here's my first ever written fanfic as a gift for @expectingtofly who never received her original gift from starrynightdeancas gift exchange. Enjoy 🙂

Words: 3657

Notes at the end of this post!

Home

“So I guess the question is,” Bobby asks, “What're ya gonna do now, Dean?”

Dean looks at baby, considering. He smiles back at Bobby and answers, “Well, I gotta go for a drive.”

 

 

After about ten miles, Dean pulls over. There's a lookout just a few steps from the road, and he follows the trail to the end, feeling overwhelmed by the info Bobby has given him. Cas is here. He helped Jack rebuilding Heaven. He remembers the last time he'd seen Cas. He would have given everything to see him again, to get him back, but all the efforts he and Sam had tried on Earth were useless. Now, there's a good chance he might see Cas again and he has no idea what to say to him.

At this moment, he feels the presence of someone beside him. Anxiously he turns around. For a moment, he hopes to see Cas, but instead, it's Jack and a warm feeling of relief washes over him. He doesn't know if he's ready just yet.

“Jack!” He exclaims, pulling Jack into a tight hug. “It's so good to see you, kid!”

Jack hugs him back, clapping him on the back before freeing himself. “Hey, Dean. It's good to see you too. I'm sorry I couldn't intervene...but I'm glad you are here.” Dean just shakes his head.

“You know, kid, Sam and I had an agreement of going down smashing, and this I did. I … I have no resentments over this.”

Jack offers him a short nod before saying, “Dean, I think there's someone who wants to see you. Are you ready?”

Dean then notices a figure standing way back, beside one of the bushes. He is ready. He has to be. He's been waiting so long to see him again, he can't even believe that he doubted he was ready in the first place. Dean swallows back a big lump in his throat. He walks a few steps. There he is. Just beside a big flowerbed, bees humming around busily, Dean sees him standing in the glow of the setting sun. He lets his eyes wander from the well-known boots upwards, over the hem of this trenchcoat he missed so damn much. The coat is glistening in the sunlight, it looks like it's giving off a light of itself. Over the blue tie, upwards, over the 5-o'clock beard, then those soft lips, further to these warm and blue eyes, deep like the ocean, light as a cloudless sky. And Cas is looking back at him, wondering, tilting his head just a little, the way he always did, back then when they were on Earth. Dean doesn't feel the single tear running down his cheek, he doesn't see Jack looking happily at him, he can only see Cas, standing there in the sun, looking like the most beautiful being he's ever seen in his whole life. Cas, his friend, his family, his angel and most importantly – the love of his life.

He steps forward slowly, afraid that this is just a dream, one of those damned dreams he's had over the weeks after Cas had been gone, had thrown himself into the Empty. In his dreams, Cas was there, waiting for him, but all of a sudden, he'd be gone, swallowed up by a big nothingness, or bursting out in flames and screaming in pain, or saying 'I love you, Dean' but retreating while Dean wanted to get to him, to hug him, to hold him, until his angel was gone and away.

But Cas is still there, smiling now, looking at Dean with his amazingly blue eyes. He lifts his hands and whispers “Dean” and Dean can't keep it any longer. He takes the last steps in a few fast strides and falls into Cas' arms, pulling him into a tight hug and crying silent tears onto his shoulder. Cas starts stroking his hair, softly, hushing and repeating all over “It's okay, Dean” until they both break apart. Dean doesn't want to let go of Cas, he holds his arms, looks at him over and over, but he can't find the words to describe how much this means to him. So he just stands there, breathing heavily, watching him, until he feels Cas' hand upon his cheeks, wiping away the tears on Dean's face. And all of a sudden, Dean knows there's no need to hold anything back anymore, there's no need to hide anything, because there's nothing here to threaten them. Nothing is going to take Cas away ever again.

Dean swallows, clears his throat.

“Cas... I …You ... How?” is all he manages.

Cas shakes his head. “I'll tell you later. We've got all the time in the world now.” He looks at Jack, who is still standing a little way behind them, smiling. “Now, who wants to have some dinner?”

--

They take the Impala to drive to Cas' place. While Dean is driving, he's absurdly aware of Cas sitting beside him in the passenger's  seat. He even feels the intensity of Cas' eyes upon him, until he finally blurts out, “Hey buddy, it's good to see you too but – could you please stop staring at me? I'm not a freak show, y'know?” At that, Jack snorts loudly in the back, clapping Dean on his shoulder. He doesn't say anything else, but Dean knows that he's enjoying this moment as much as he is. He sends a small smile to Jack and Cas, but Cas has turned his face away from him, looking out of the window instead, chin in his hand. For a moment, Dean worries if his words had hurt the angel. This would be the last thing he'd want to do, especially on the first day of meeting him again. He wonders if he should say something, anything, to make sure everything's fine. But what should he say? Tell him he didn't mean it? He never was a man of apologies, and Cas knows that. He just wanted him to look away, cause his staring was so freaking distracting. He wants to return his gaze, he wants to never stop looking into those amazing eyes, eyes that had seen so much, eyes that had looked so worried at times, Dean almost couldn't even bare it. He wants Cas to be happy, to smile, to forget the bad stuff he'd lived through. And now he'd said something that hurt him. Why was it so hard to just take it back? He never knew, cause right at this moment Jack spoke up.

“It's the light blue house over there, Dean. Just drive up to the front, there's a parking spot for you beside Cas' car.”

Dean drives as being told, parking beside a yellow-brown-ish '78 Lincoln Continental. He recognizes it instantly, it's the same car Cas had been using whenever he wanted to get something done on his own, and Cas had always seemed pretty fond of it. It brings back a lot of memories and Dean starts smiling involuntary.

They get out of Dean's car and step up the front porch. Cas takes the lead, opening the white door for them, welcoming both into his home. Dean risks a quick glance at him before entering. Cas doesn't seem to be hurt anymore, he looks pleased and happy. And Dean thinks he understands why.

Dean enters the hallway, looking around and taking in as many details as he can. There is a kitchen to his right, with wooden fronts and very clean. Right ahead there's an arc, decorated with roses in different colours – red, white, yellow, lilac and pale blue. They are rooted in two pink flower pots, one on either side of the arc. To his left are two wooden doors. He guesses that one would probably lead to the bathroom, the other one he's got no idea. They walk through the arc, entering a really big living room, bright and clear. The windows here let the sun warm up the room just enough to feel right, and the light-colored furniture reflects rays of sunshine without blinding them. 'It's perfect', Dean thinks to himself, wondering where Cas got those pictures of them and Sam in the bunker. One of the photos shows them with their hands on one another's shoulders, smiling into the camera. Dean can see his own forced smile, dark circles under wary looking eyes. He takes the photograph of it's shelf, looking at him, Cas and Sam. Sammy. He's looking back at him out of the picture, smiling and waving and looking contend and happy.

“Dean.”

He forces himself to put the photo back on the shelf and turns around to see Cas standing in the doorway.

“You know, he's not a freak show,” Cas mimics, but Dean can see he's worried.

“Thanks, Cas. I know. It's just … I hope he's alright, I hope he's living a good life down there, but -”

“You miss him.” Cas finishes. It's not a question, it's a statement.

“Yeah, man,” is all he can answer. He turns around to wipe at something in his eyes, then turns again and asks, “When will we be eating?”

“In a few minutes. We're waiting for … someone to arrive here, it won't be much longer now.”

Just as Cas finishes his sentence, they hear a soft knock on the door and someone entering the house.

“Who is this?” Dean asks, but Cas is already on his way to the kitchen and Dean just follows.

 

–

 

Dean still can't believe it. He just finished his second helping of T-Bone-Steak, mashed potatoes and fried rice, everything as delicious as he'd hoped for (he'd left out the vegetables). His stomach is full and he leans back really satisfied. This is amazing. He hadn't given a thought to the fact that now that he was in Heaven, he might meet his mom and dad again. Seeing all of them on this table in Cas' dining room – Mary and John, Cas, Jack and Bobby – laughing, eating, smiling, talking about things they did 'down there' and things to do 'up here', it was unbelievable. Dean watches all of them closely. They look so full of joy he can't help grinning like an idiot. His mom is laughing hard from a joke of John and Dean enjoys to see her relaxed and free of worries. His dad claps her on the back, then starts to stroke her gently. He too looks unstressed, there's no trace of the old, haunted John in his face anymore. Even Bobby, though still being his grumpy self, seems pleased.

“Alright, Dean, I think it's time for a little storytime.” Cas watches him intently as he explains, “I think you wanted to know how I could escape The Empty and start my new life here.”

 

--

 

All eyes are upon Cas now. Mary puts the plates away, coming back with two six-packs of beer. She hands everyone a beer and Cas starts talking.

“As most of you know, I went with The Empty willingly, keeping my side of the deal we had made way back. Several months ago, there was a problem at hand. The Empty wanted to keep Jack. I told her to take me instead of him and she agreed to that but wanted to be sure to crush me. So she told me that she wouldn't just swap - she'd come and get me as soon as I would be truly happy. And that she did. When we talked, Dean, I had made a choice”. At this, Cas sends him the slightest smile, which makes Dean want to forgive him in an instant. “Well, as you know, this choice led to me being taken by that bitch. For a while, I lay there in nothingness, black nothing all around me, and I hoped to fall asleep, which I knew was sure to happen to everyone The Empty had swallowed. But not me. She wouldn't let me sleep because I had been an inconvenience to her. She wouldn't visit me either. I lay there until I couldn't lie anymore, I sat there for hours and hours, and finally, I stood up. There was no way to give up this easy, The Empty couldn't be invincible, right?” They all nod, fascinated by his story. Jack even has his eyes closed. Another big gulp of beer, then Cas goes on. “So I wandered around, screaming and trying to punch the Nothingness. I called her a lot of stuff just to get her attention, but it was useless. In the end, I stumbled and fell on my knees and was none-the-wiser. But that was the moment I realized it. There was nothing to be done for me alone. But there was someone who had already conquered The Empty, who had woken me up last time, who would maybe be able to do something about my situation. And even though I didn't want to involve him, I saw no other choice. So I prayed. And I was answered.”

“But I prayed too, why did I never get an answer?” Dean sputters out. Instantly, he feels the heat of shame crawling up his neck, but he still locks eyes with Jack, who has finally opened them.

“I heard you, Dean. And I am very sorry. I knew this would disappoint you, but there was no way for me to interfere down there anymore. I couldn't answer, because I couldn't bear to tell you. I am sorry.” Dean swallows hard, then Jack continues, “Then I heard Castiel. And I realized that I wasn't about to interfere down there – but The Empty was not down there, and there were several changes to be made, changes that were overdue.

I gathered up all the strength I could master. I summoned those around me who were willing to help. Gabriel was the first to respond. It might not surprise you that he had taken advantage of everyone assuming him dead, submerging into the benefits of a random gambler's life outside the radar. Yet when I called out to ask the help of every angel available, he immediately came to my side to be of assistance.

Michael was second to answer my call. He asked a lot of questions, wondering if he could trust me. He was hardest to convince – but wanted The Empty gone as much as I did. So he stayed and helped.

Most of the other living angels came to stand with us, but we still weren't enough. So I started to wake up the deceased. This was rather dangerous, as I didn't want The Empty to know something was up too soon. But Cas here did a great job – when I had awoken an angel, he'd find him and explain the matter, trying to be as quiet as possible.  Once we had gathered quite a number of angels, they took their positions, waiting for my command. First step was to lure The Empty out of her hiding place. Hannah, Anna, Gadreel and Joshua did a great job with that! They annoyed her one after the other, to the point she wanted to throw them all out. Next step was to surround and distract her. So everyone did their best to get her attention, circling her in further. Then the tricky part started. While the inside angels surrounded her, kept her encircled and disturbed, enraging her further to keep her at that spot, we on the outside started to open up a crack, getting others out of there. Gabriel took an essential part here, building up an illusion to cover our crack. As soon as we had Jane and Raphael, I knew it was time to finish it, because the inside angels were taking hit after hit.

With the help of Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Jane, I managed to take hold of The Empty. Like Chuck did with Amara, we cast her out, chaining her up in the same lonely dimension Amara had once been held in. Michael sacrificed his powers to bear the new Mark that still was needed to have her caged.”

Jack pauses for a moment, takes a sip from his beer and watches the others. Mary and John are holding hands on the table, switching short glances now and then. Bobby looks like he's fallen asleep already, beer still clutched in his hand. Castiel seems to be entranced by Jack's story, elbows on the table, chin resting on his folded hands. A small smile playes on his lips and Dean notices how beautiful Cas' face looks when being relaxed. He doesn't know if he's even allowed to think this way, but he can't help it. He tries to focus on the story again.

“So, you cast her out. I guess the angels on the inside got out – seeing as Cas is here. But what about the other creatures this thing had held for an eternity?”

“Yes, that.” Jack answered, nodding. “I assumed it would be no good to send them all with The Empty. Instead, Jane and me enlarged the Purgatory, sent every monstrous creature down there and asked Rowena to magnify the intensity of their 'door'. In return she'd get the demon souls sent to Hell, and she willingly agreed to that.”

“Great.” Dean states, “more demons for her, no big deal.”

“Dean,” Cas whispers, obviously annoyed by this interruption.

“I don't like the idea of giving her more power, alright? It's no good. Rowena will use this somehow to do something bad, you know her, Cas!”

“Yes, Dean, I do know her. That's why Jack is keeping an eye on things. I thought you'd be happy to know that we all are safe now. I thought you'd be happy to see … me.”

All eyes are on Dean now, which makes him shift in his seat, feeling pretty uncomfortable.

“Man, you know I'm happy about … this all. I'm just wondering what this means for those left on Earth.”

“You mean Sam.”

Dean nods, not sure if he's able to answer right now.

Jack jumps in. “Don't worry, Dean. He's safe. I am sure of it – I can see it. Please believe me that no harm will come upon him as long as I'm here.”

This really does reassure him and he takes a big swig of his beer. He nods, satisfied for now. Then another thought comes to him.

“What about the angels you saved from The Empty? What exactly happened to them?”

“Oh, that's easy. Every deceased angel got a second chance. I made sure their loyalties were with me, then I sent them to work. There's a lot to do up here, and most angels are glad to be able to help. Michael is an exception though. As I said, he's had to sacrifice his powers to bear the new Mark, so he's powerless now. He's in hiding ...” Jake grins, “but I think … he'll bee alright.

With The Empty being gone, there were new rules to administer. Every monstrous creature – minus the demons - that dies from now on will find himself in purgatory. Demons that die will find themselves in Hell, but powerless. Rowena told me she's got some 'lovely tasks' for them. And every angel that meets his end will come back up here, being powerless but having a place to call home.”

Home. Dean looks around, taking in this wonderful place that Cas can now call his home. He loves this idea, and he feels quiet content with knowing all this.

After this, they switch the topic to easier stuff. Their conversation is light now, mostly about stuff to do in Mary's and John's house, like fixing a little hole in their roof, or repainting their furniture. John even asks if Dean would help him restore a '64 Ford Falcon and Dean eagerly agrees to be there tomorrow. But after a while of talking about the ups and downs of this special car, Mary stifles a wide yawn and John laughs. “It's time I guess! Thank you for this wonderful dinner and a great evening guys. Guess we'll see each other next week?”

“Same time, same place,” Cas answers grinning. “See you tomorrow, Dean,” John says and pulls him into a tight hug. Mary ruffles through his hair before hugging him, then she too says good-bye. Jack wakes up Bobby, half-pulling him out of his chair and tells him that it's time to get home. Bobby grunts, gives Dean a nod, and walks out the front door without another word, probably too tired to speak. Last to say goodnight is Jack, and he pulls both Dean and Cas into a big hug. They clap his back, and Dean thinks he can hear Cas whisper 'I'm proud of you' into Jack's ear. They all say good-night, then Jack is gone too. Closing the door behind Jack, Cas turns around to Dean, watches him closely, a slight pink shade on his cheeks.

“There's a guest room down the hall if you want to...” he leaves his sentence unfinished, but Dean understands.

He looks Cas in the eyes, feeling his heart suddenly hammering against his chest. There were words he wanted to say, but he doesn't remember. He's surprised – all those years down there, he had to hold everything back, and he has no fucking idea how he did that. Cas' eyes are still watching him, asking silent questions. Throwing cautions in the wind, Dean finally closes the distance and pulls Cas into a gentle kiss, hands on his cheeks. After a moment of surprise, Cas kisses him back, his lips soft and warm, and lays his hands around Deans waist. Their kiss seems to take an eternity, Dean has no feeling of time anymore, he just feels Cas' lips on his, and he knows that this is his happy place. His peace. His... he allows himself to think the word – his home.

Notes:

This fic is a gift for @expectingtofly on tumblr as part of the starrynightdeancas gift exchange. It's my first-ever written fanfic and I'd love to know what you think about it! I had a lot of fun writing this, creating my own kind of fix-it fiction. Also, I tried to stay canonical – with one exception, because I will never accept that the trickster was truly finished off!

Please note that I’m not a native speaker and there might be some spelling and grammar mistakes. I’m sorry! But I hope you’ll enjoy it nonetheless.

Have fun reading and leave a comment if you like <3

Not yet posted on AO3, still waiting for my invitation. I’ll have you updated as soon as I can post it there!

[oikawaplssteponme]

Incomparable Beauty

pairing: Izuku Midoriya x fem! reader

ratings/warnings: sfw, mention of insecurities

genre/AU: fluff, light academia (?) [i highly recommend imagining Izuku in light academia fashion, including some glasses ;) ], aged up characters [third-years]

word count: ~3.4K

synopsis: The young and talented photographer, Izuku Midoriya, is searching for a muse for his next entry in an art gallery. Of course, there seems to be one person who inspires him most of all.

a/n: hi hi <3 shoutout to my lovely 🍥 and ☕️ anons for requesting/helping me figure out this izuku fluff! i am really proud of this so i hope you all like it <3 reblogs are super helpful and id love to hear your thoughts on it. enjoy xx

•························•························•

Izuku Midoriya looked up at the golden-pink sky. He stared into the abyss, hoping to think of something worth capturing. He adjusted the thin glasses that rested upon his face. He sighed and sat up, grabbing his notebook. Inside were hundreds of scribbles, sketches, and ideas that never seemed good enough. He looked to his right, where his camera laid. He wished that it could just take the pictures itself and create something jaw dropping. Still, a camera is nothing without a photographer. Furthermore, a photographer is nothing without a muse.

Izuku gathered his things as he headed back inside, making his way to his dorm. He was frustrated. He only had one week left to submit something into the Tokyo Gallery for Promising Artists, and even then it wasn't a guarantee that he would be selected. Maybe he should send an old piece he thought. He did have a few that he was proud of, but unfortunately, none of them fit the required theme of the gallery.

Izuke had his hands full as he attempted to open his dorm room door. You were making your way up the stairs when you spotted him. Izuku dropped his notebook, loose pages now scattered across the floor. You rushed over.

“Great…” he sighed. You quietly began to pick up the sheets of papers. Izuku froze.

“Midoriya, here,” you smiled, handing him his notebook. His cheeks flushed a rosy pink. He took his notebook back with shaky hands.

“Thank you Y/N.”

“Is all that for the gallery? I heard that you were entering,” you smiled. Izuku chuckled.

“It is but by the looks of it, I won’t be submitting anything. I still haven't come up with anything good enough,” he explained.

“Well don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m sure inspiration will strike you soon enough,” you reassured him, “you’re a brilliant photographer after all.”

Izuku's face was now a bright red. He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

“T-Thank you again. Well-uh- goodnight Y/N.”

“Goodnight Izuku.”

You walked away to your dorm as Izuku entered his own. He set all his things down and began to fan his burning face. He has known you for about three years now, yet he still can’t find the courage to get closer to you. You flustered him to no end, without even trying. Your voice, your smile, your laugh, your heart; Midoriya simply couldn’t get enough. You were so beautiful in all ways possible.

Midoriya looked at the printed flair pinned to his wall.

Those interested in applying to the Tokyo Art Gallery must follow the theme below in order to be considered.

The prompt read as follows:

‘Capture beauty in its purest form.’

Beauty, thought Izuku. Almost everything is beautiful. The way the sun rises and falls each day is beautiful. How Inko called Izuku every night at exactly 7:30 was beautiful. The friendships that Izuku cherished were beautiful. Then, there was you. Izuku’s mind couldn’t help but wonder to the thought of you in relation to beauty. Now you were truly beautiful.

Izuku soon had an idea.

~

The following day you found yourself sitting on one of the garden benches. Your classes were finished and you decided that some fresh air might do you some good. You basked in the warm sunlight, as if you were a precious flower that needed it to survive.

Izuku figured that you would be in the academy garden, so he made his way over there. His camera hung around his neck as he held tightly onto his notebook. With a shaky hand, Izuku tapped your shoulder.

“H-Hi Y/N,” he smiled nervously. You greeted him happily, gesturing for him to join you on the bench.

“Hi! Something wrong?” you questioned. Izuku looked like he was sick.

“Oh no, nothing’s wrong. I just-uh- wanted to ask you something…”

“Alright, what is it?”

Izuku set down his notebook next to his side. He held his hands together staring at them.

“Could I take your picture for the Tokyo Gallery?”

Your eyes widened at his request. The best and most handsome photographer in all of UA Academy of the Arts wanted to take your picture.

“You want to take a picture of me? I-I’m no model Izuku…”

“You’ll do great! I have this idea in my mind and it has to be with you.”

Now you were the nervous one. You weren’t one who particularly liked getting their picture taken.

“What if I mess it up? I’d hate to be the reason you don’t get accepted…”

“If those critics reject me, they’re just dumb. I promise it would have nothing to do with you. Please Y/N?” Izuku carefully took your hand with his and stared deep into your eyes. Gosh, how could you say no to him when he looked at you like that.

“Okay, I’ll do it,” you smiled. Izuku squeezed your hand and jumped up from where he sat.

“Thank you Y/N! I promise it will be perfect. Mind if we shoot tomorrow?”

“That sounds good to me.” Izuku smiled so brightly he outshined the sun. He grabbed his things once more.

“Meet me here at noon tomorrow. Try to wear a neutral colored shirt, okay?” he said. You nodded.

“Okay.”

Izuku ran off, leaving you alone in the garden. You soon felt a large pit in the bottom of your stomach.

You stood before the full length mirror of your dorm. You stepped closer to it, examining every detail of you being. A photoshoot? Not only that, but a photoshoot of just you. No way to hide behind anyone or fade into the background. It would be a picture of you. The pit in your stomach only grew. You stared into the mirror, almost hoping the reflection would change into someone else. Someone who would appear beautiful in an enlarged image. Certainly Izuku could’ve asked any other girl to be his model, but insisted that it had to be you. You didn’t understand why. You didn’t view yourself as beautiful in any form. So how could he?

~

It was close to noon and you should be heading to the garden to meet Izuku. You put on a neutral colored tank top as Izuku requested and finished applying some natural makeup. Your hands shook as you held the brushes. Hopefully your nerves would cease by the time you got to the garden.

Izuku had been setting up since early in the morning. He created a handmade crown of white baby’s breath for you to wear and arranged his backdrop. He set up his lighting and sun reflectors exactly where he wanted. You had been standing by one of the bushes for a few minutes, afraid to interrupt him. He was so in his element. The sleeves to his button down rolled up to his elbows. His dark sunglasses covering his eyes. His beige colored paints stained green at the hem from working in the grass, same with his off-white sneakers. You honestly thought he looked beautiful.

“Hi Izuku,” you said. Izuku jumped then turned to look at you.

“Oh Y/N you’re here, perfect! Y-You look great,” he smiled. Your face grew warm.

“Oh thank you. So, what’s the plan?” Izuku moved his sunglasses to his forehead, pushing back his fluffy green hair.

“So, your job is fairly simple. I’m gonna have you sit on this stool and hold onto this bouquet of flowers. Since it's just me out here I’ll be messing around with the equipment until I find the right lighting and all that. All you need to do is keep the pose I tell you to, okay?” he explained. You nodded.

“What is the theme for this year’s gallery?” you asked. Midoriya flinched.

“Oh it’s um...nature…” he muttered. Nature? Why doesn’t he just take a picture of a tree and call it good? What does he need you for, you wondered.

Izuku set down the stool in front of the garden wall and you sat down. He grabbed the bouquet and handed it to you. He then placed the crown uptop of your head. He carefully arranged it to rest effortlessly on you. His nimble fingers were delicate as they touched your head, then moved to your cheek without him thinking. Izuku’s index finger now rested under your chin as you looked up at him. With a burning face and widened eyes, you wished to never look away. Out of flustering embarrassment, Izuku took his hand back.

“Yeah um so for the pose I’d like you to be looking slightly to the side with your chin tilted up just as I had it. Then with the flowers have them close to your cheek. I’ll probably tell you to switch out poses here and there but that's a good place to start. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Izuku walked back and grabbed his camera. Your heart was pounding out of your chest. You tried to keep yourself calm with a few deep breaths.

“Ready?” asked Izuku. You nodded.

“Ready.”

The first click of the camera and flashing lights was the most startling. You soon got used to it, following whatever instructions Izuku gave you. You moved your head and hand placement, soon feeling more comfortable with everything.

“Yes that's perfect...keep doing that…” Izuku blurted out whatever thoughts came to his mind as he captured you on film. His encouragement was honestly what made your heart race.

“Now lower the bouquet so I can see your pretty face…yeah just like that Y/N…”

Midoriya didn’t even realize what he had said until the words left his mouth, but he didn’t care. He meant it.

“Okay now open your eyes and look slightly towards me, parting your lips a bit…”

Izuku snapped the picture then froze. He looked down at the small digital image.

“So beautiful…”

“Hmm?” You questioned. Izuku snapped out of the trance that he was in. He chuckled nervously.

“OH-the pictures look really good that's all. I think we are good,” he said. You let out a sigh.

“Oh good. That was honestly pretty exhausting.”

“I really appreciate you letting me use you for the gallery. I already know the final product is gonna turn out amazing,” he cheered. You smiled.

“It’ll be amazing because you are amazing,” you said. Izuku blushed.

“So are you.”

You took off the crown and returned the flowers to Midoriya. You helped him put away his equipment before the two of you headed back inside.

“Um Y/N, did you maybe want to grab something to eat?” he asked. You smiled.

“I’d love to, just let me change first,” you chuckled.

“Oh yeah of course.”

You dropped off the equipment at Izuku’s dorm before heading to your own. You slipped on a green sweater and some sweatpants before finding him again.

You and Izuku went to the dinning hall, each of you picking up a bowl of ramen. You decided to eat outside on the balcony.

“How do you think the pictures turned out?” you asked.

“Honestly, really good. You did amazing,” he smiled. You looked down at your food.

“I was honestly super nervous for them. Couldn’t you tell?”

“Not at all! You were a natural out there! I really think this will be some of my best work yet,” said Izuku.

“I’d love to go to the gallery with you,” you whispered. Izuku’s eyes widened.

“I was planning on taking you regardless,” he replied, “thank you by the way.”

You tilted your head.

“For what?”

“For always believing in me. I probably wouldn’t be a photographer if it weren’t for you.”

In Izuku’s first year, he was at the bottom of his class. He knew he wanted to do photography, but couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. He was so frustrated one day that he even said that he would be dropping out and quitting forever. You convinced him not to, to keep trying. You saw his talent when no one else could. Even when he couldn’t. From that day forward, Izuku worked to become the best young photographer in all of the Shizuoka Prefecture.

“Well I knew that you could do it, and I was right,” you teased.

“You’re great Y/N, seriously,” he said. You looked at Izuku, your face growing hot.

“I don’t know about that…”

“What? Come on, you’re smart, you’re kind, you’re talented, and you always seem to know what to say. You’re incomparable.”

“To what?”

“To anything. You’re incomparable to anything because you’re you.”

Midoriya had to stop himself from saying anymore, for fear of spilling his whole heart before you. He meant it however. Nobody compares to you.

You swirled your noodles around in their bowl. The pounding in your chest came back. You locked eyes with Izuku.

“You’re incomparable too.”

~

Izuku spent every waking moment arranging his piece for submission to the gallery. He was always found in the art room, either photoshopping or preparing the flowers to be pressed. Once the image of you was edited to his liking, he developed a large scale version of the picture. He enjoyed putting the pieces together. From hand pressing the flowers to finding the perfect frame to keep it all in, he has created a masterpiece. All thanks to his muse.

You roamed the empty halls of the school in search of Izuku. You hadn’t seen him all day, assuming he would be in the art room. It was late, he honestly should be asleep. You stood in front of the art room door and carefully opened it up.

Izuku was fast asleep on one of the desks. The large photograph was wrapped and ready to be sent to Tokyo. You quietly walked over to him, tapping his shoulder.

“Izuku? It's late, you should go to your dorm,” you whispered. Izuku groaned. He opened his eyes and stretched his arms out.

“What time is it?” he yawned. You chuckled.

“Close to eleven. You should get some actual rest. You have to go to Tokyo pretty early tomorrow.”

“R-Right...the gallery…”

You could hear the exhaustion behind his voice. You grabbed his hand, helping him up.

“Come on, let's go.” You held Izuku’s hand as he lazily walked to the dorms. You led him to his room.

“Goodnight Y/N…”

“Goodnight Izuku,” you smiled. Izuku scratched his messy hair, giving you a weak smile. Without thinking, you leaned in placing a quick kiss on his cheek, before rushing to your own dorm.

~

Izuku stared at the letter on his desk. He had received it hours ago yet was too nervous to check. It was addressed to him by the Tokyo Art Gallery.

He took a deep breath and grabbed the letter opener from his desk, carefully gliding it across the envelope. He took out the folder paper and opened it up. Izuku ran to your room.

You jumped from your bed when you heard the pounding on your door.

“Izuku? Everything okay?”

He didn’t say anything, simply handing you the letter.

“Is this…?”

“Read it.”

You caught your breath, peaking at the paper.

‘Dear Mr. Midoriya,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Tokyo Art Gallery for Promising Artists! Your piece titled…’

You didn’t finish reading the letter. Instead, you jumped into Izuku’s arms.

“I knew you’d make it! I’m so proud of you!” you cheered. Izuku hugged you tightly, laughing with joy.

“It’s all thanks to you, I couldn’t do it without you,” he whispered. You looked at Izuku, your hands on his shoulder as he held onto your waist. His face blushed red.

“Oh sorry-” he mumbled, removing his grip from you. Your face burned.

“I-It’s okay...congratulations Izuku. You did it,” you smiled. Izuku took your hand, giving it a squeeze.

“We did it.”

It was the day of the gallery showing. You were beyond excited to see all the beautiful artwork, specifically Izuku’s. You still hadn’t seen the final product.

You were dressed and ready, waiting for Izuku.

“Sorry I’m late-”

Izuku came rushing down the stairs to meet you. He looked devilishly handsome in his light grey suit and black turtleneck underneath. He prompted for some beat up black sneakers today.

“That's alright… you look nice,” you smiled. Izuku blushed.

“Says you..you look...wow…” He could barely form a sentence you were so breathtaking.

“Oh stop…”

“Shall we?” Izuku held out his arm for you to take. You did happily.

“We shall.”

The two of you rode the train to Tokyo, arriving at the gallery just before it was open to the public.

“Mr. Midoriya,” said one of the gallery workers, “your art is on the third floor.”

“Thank you.” You and Izuku made your way up the stairs, searching the room for the photo.

“Oh here it is,” smiled Izuku. The large photo was covered up and had velvet rope to stop anyone from getting too close.

“Wow, they must’ve liked yours!” you exclaimed. Izuku blushed.

“Well I didn’t tell you but it actually got nominated for best portrait of the gallery…”

“WHAT? Izuku, that's amazing!” you gushed.

“Yeah so some judges will take a look at it later on and hopefully we win…”

“Doesn’t matter if we win or not. I know it's the best one here,” you smiled.

You soon heard footsteps make their way up to the third floor.

“Showtime,” whispered Izuku. You took a step back from the portrait and watched as Izuku removed the curtain that covered it. The room filled with awes.

Izuku decided to go with the last picture that he took, the one where you seemed to have taken his breath away. You were entirely in black and white, only color coming from the flowers atop of your head and in your hand. Also, the pressed flowers that surrounded you. Izuku covered up the garden wall with pressed roses, daisies, lilies, and sunflowers. You looked like an angel.

You took a few steps towards the picture, reading its title.

‘Incomparable Beauty’ - Izuku Midoriya

You couldn’t seem to find the words, none of them seemed to be right. You backed away from the portrait before bumping into someone.

“Oh I’m sorry-” you said. They smiled.

“Don’t worry about it. Wait...you’re the model in that photo,” they replied. You gulped.

“Um yeah I am…”

“Well tell your photographer that they did an excellent job, really captured the gallery theme.”

“The nature theme?” you questioned. They tilted their head.

“No, the theme was ‘Beauty in its Purest Form’. Really great work.”

Your eyes widened.

“Uh-excuse me-”

You began to shuffle through the crowd of people. Izuku noticed you make your way towards the exit.

“Y/N? Y/N!”

Izuku followed you down the stairs. You rushed outside, breathing in the fresh air. Izuku grabbed onto your arm.

“Y/N what's wrong?” pleaded Izuku, “did you not like it?”

You shook your head. Tears began to gather in the corners of your eyes.

“No Izuku, I loved it. I really loved it,” you sniffled. Midoriya felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“Why did you run?”

“Because...I didn’t recognize myself...I looked-”

“Beautiful. You look beautiful,” he interrupted.

“Y-You think I’m beautiful?” you cried. Izuku wiped away your stray tears.

“Y/N, I think you are the most beautiful girl in the world, inside and out. Y-You’re my muse.”

Izuku cupped your face as you tried to hold back anymore tears.

“You made me look beautiful…”

“No Y/N, you are beautiful. I simply clicked the camera.”

Izuku pulled you into a tight hug, holding the back of your head gently. There was something about the way Izuku made you feel. As if you were the only girl in the world.

“I love you,” you whispered. Izuku’s eyes grew. He moved to face you, a smile creeping onto his face.

“I love you.”

Izuku placed his hand onto your cheek, feeling your soft skin. He began to inch closer to you. You couldn’t wait anymore, the anticipation killing you. You collided your lips with his, wrapping your arms around him. He had one hand on the small of your back as the other held the back of your head. Izuku took mental pictures of this moment, wishing to relive it over and over again. The warmth between the two of you in contrast to the cold air that surrounded you. It was a tornado of emotions.

You looked at Izuku, both of your faces burning and you attempted to catch your breath. You pressed your foreheads together, chuckling softly. Izuku kissed your forehead.

“You really are incomparable.”

•

[MHA taglist: @bibly @big-phat-cat @sapphoscolonoscopy @luluwiie @happyheartsss @lealofsblog @iwaisa @bakugousmymassa @evivn1 @tetsoleil @bokutory @vangoghmusings @moonlightaangel @misszenin @marajillana @sopesmin @alaina-rose13 @shotoful @runrabbitrun3 @katlingclaw @nerdypuppytimemachine ]

[chilly-me-softly]

One with DCL where you're a football player for Man U womens team and you've never met Dom but there's a few fan pages of you two and there's a new event called idk the Prem Get Together or something which is basically like the met gala where all the premier league footballers (men/women) dress up and go and they do something like prom king and queen type of thing and call it Prem King and Queen where they have a vote for best dressed and you're chosen Prem Queen while he's chosen Prem King and the footballers that know of the fan accounts that ship you two, all call it fate and what not and he asks you out at the end of the event.

This is a really odd one that I just came up with and I love it, I might just write something like this myself but I'd actually like to see how you go about it as well. But if you don't want to because I'm planning to write something along the lines too, then trust me I totally get it, no hard feelings :)))) Xx

I absolutely loved the idea, I am not that good with descriptions and this request perhaps needed it more than anything else. But absolutely can't wait to read yours too, tag me in it if you haven't already written it x

-

Prem Get Together is the most anticipated event of the year, perhaps even more so than the weekly games. The excitement is in the air from the start of the week, everyone starts talking about it, wondering if the level of the year before will ever be topped or how the various players will perform. There are a lot of people within the football world who want to express themselves without being judged, and that event is the best opportunity. You personally can't wait, to see the reaction to your outfit or to hear the ideas behind other people's outfits or to laugh at some people's choices.

The red carpet is there for you, you walk proudly with your gaze high until you turn to the photographers and let them take as many pictures as they want. It's also their time not to hide behind bushes to get pictures of the footballer of the moment. You smile at everyone, stopping for a short interview, before entering the hall and starting to wander around to look at the competition. There were people who were certainly more excited than others, others who simply enjoyed having a different evening. And then there would be the proclamation of the king and queen of the event, whoever had thought of that event had made sure that everyone put a little effort into the competition.

"Oh my god you look fabulous!" you turn around smiling finding yourself in front of Tom Davies and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the former has an excited look on his face and can't keep his eyes still studying every little detail of your outfit. It's a well-known fact that the two are passionate about fashion and this is reflected in their choice of clothes, which you can see they've put a lot of work into. Dom in particular strikes you, it may be simple but the simplicity strikes in an unexpected and unique way. You seem to have found who to vote for in the male audience.

"You guys are great too. It's almost a shame I can only vote for one of you two."

"Oh no vote Dom please, I just came for the art part"

"I can see that" you giggle bringing the glass in your hands to your lips. Tom sees one of their friends and drags Dom away unceremoniously, the boy turning quickly to give you a nod before disappearing into the crowd.

You approach a few of your teammates and together you gossip a bit about the boys, some of them not really applying themselves and some just wearing heavy makeup or dressing up like it was a simple Halloween party. But at least they tried.

Together you go to the voting booths and wait for the line to proceed so you can cast your vote. You never vote for yourself and you found a female costume that you liked, even if it belongs to a city player you make the cross next to her name. For the men's outfit you didn't have so many problems. Satisfied you go back to the common room where you enjoy the rest of the evening chatting and waiting for the proclamation.

The hosts of the evening are the king and queen of the previous year, who can change clothes for the award ceremony and in fact as they come on stage you notice that they have changed into their classic ceremonial clothes.

"Are you ready to find out the king and queen of Prem night?" the boy shouts and a round of applause and booing is heard loudly soon after.

"The wait is almost over, in this envelope we have the names of the winners"

"C'mooon!" shouts someone in the crowd raising a few laughs, you're nervous and you don't even know why. It's not like you're aiming for victory, you're already quite satisfied with the criticism you received for your outfit.

"Okay ladies first" the girl opens the envelope and nods finding herself clearly in agreement, "The Queen of the Prem is..." it feels like the last day of competitions where the games are all played at the same time and no one knows until the end. It's a strong, exciting feeling but you don't want to feel it on a daily basis.

Then you hear your name and a spotlight shines on you and the applause and whistles start up as you make your way incredulously towards the stage, with all those eyes on you and the crown and everything you feel a bit uncomfortable and you don't know what to say honestly but you try to act normal, thanking and waiting for the king to be proclaimed.

Shortly after you are joined on stage by Dominic and you find yourself agreeing with the popular choice, a wide smile greets him on stage from you. Even on his face there is some slight embarrassment as he tries to hold the crown balanced on the curly hair he has decided to keep natural for the evening and thanks his friend for representing the idea they had one night in the best possible way.

"Well our work here is done. We leave you with tonight's winners and next year's hosts, ladies and gentlemen the king and queen of the Prem!" you are immediately blinded by the flashes of reporters wanting as many pictures as possible of the two of you together and then alone and then together again.

"I voted for you" you murmur as they continue to take pictures, turning slightly towards Dom to see he's smiling at you.

"Me too" he murmurs, "I was so happy to see that you had won"

"Me too in sharing this with you" your friends don't miss a chance to congratulate you on your win and take a closer look at that crown, curious to see if it's cheap jewelry or what. Inevitably you walk away with your groups, but all it takes is for your gaze to briefly fall towards him to apologize to the girls to bring you closer to him again.

"Hey king, it's been a pleasure. I guess we'll see you again next year"

"Or we could start preparing as early as tonight" he says boldly, "maybe over coffee?" and you find yourself nodding accepting his offer, starting your journey that will take your complicity through the roof at the next edition of Prem Get Together.

[paulbunyanstatue]

The warm sun poured across his bare arms as Tim stood before the manor’s duck pond. The birds had taken a recess, and in their leave of absence, Tim wished to capture the gorgeous image before him. Soft lily pads floated in the crystal water, a green that stood in contrast of the light pink reflected in the pond. A tall cherry blossom tree was rooted next to the water, branches hanging over the pads and creating a shadowy home for the fish that lived underneath the surface. The tree was in bloom this month, and Tim waited all week for a partially sunny day to come out and capture the vision. A petal tore from the branch and floated down to the water below, and Tim quickly brought the camera to his eye to snap the shot. His camera shuttered in effort and he stopped after the petal sunk below the surface.

He sat down on the grass and crossed his legs underneath him, hiding the screen from the sun with his hand while he peered at his work. He was so enthralled by the images and his ideas for further ones that he did not hear the footsteps that approached.

“Timbers, I need your help with something. I am working this case with Kor and Roy, and there seems to be contradictory evidence. But I think that-" Jason realized Tim’s gaze hadn’t left the camera screen, and he knew Tim wasn’t listening yet. “What are you doing out here?”

“Taking pictures,” Tim muttered without looking up at him.

“No shit.” Tim could practically hear the eye roll in his brother’s response, but he didn’t care. He had a vision now and he needed to plan out how he could capture the reflection of the cherry blossoms in the pond without having to climb the large tree and spoiling the photograph. “You aren’t snapping many pictures. Forget how to use the camera?” Jason continued after a small pause, followed by a snicker. Tim huffed but finally looked up toward his visitor.

“I’m trying to take a picture from high above.”

“You can't really do that while sitting down." Tim scoffed, and Jason continued. "You know there’s a tree directly beside you, right?”

Tim nodded with a scrunched nose. “Obviously, Jay.”

“And they call you brilliant. So climb the tree.”

“I can’t climb the tree. If I climb onto that branch there, the only one that would be beneficial to the shot, then my shadow would be cast over the grass here at the edge and my reflection will be seen in the water.”

“That sounds like a good thing. You are the photographer after all. So just flash those pearly whites and-"

“It doesn’t work like that. I can’t be in it.”

“What does it matter if you are in the picture?”

“It just does,” Tim answered as he stood up, clearly offended. He knew Jason didn’t fool around with pictures, even with his phone’s camera save a few of him and his outlaw buddies. “Being in this shot isn’t like signing your name to the bottom of a painting. And it needs to be perfect because the blossoms are perfect and the water is clear and the stones at the bottom of the lake are reflecting the sun. The lily pads are almost golden right now too, and the ducks are finally gone. It has to be perfect.”

Jason listened patiently, eyebrows drawing together slowly with something akin to concern. If he were being honest with himself, he would admit he was concerned for his brother.

“Too bad you aren’t taller,” Jason taunted smoothly after a quiet beat. He wore a wide grin that stretched across his cheeks, but Tim just grunted and looked back out at the water. He wondered if he should risk running back to the manor to grab a step-stool, or maybe even a ladder. But during that time, the ducks could return. He bit at the inside of his cheek.

Jason sighed.

“Alright, come on,” he ordered, beckoning Tim toward him with a wave of his hand. Tim’s feet didn't move and he met Jason’s eyes with a gaze deeply confused and mildly suspicious.

“Why?” He asked, eyes narrowed and protectively clutching his camera tighter to his chest.

“I’m going to lift you on my shoulders so you can get your stupid picture. Come on before I decide to push you in the water instead.”

“Oh,” Tim glanced back at the pond. He really did want that picture and it had been a long time since Jason wanted to murder Tim. The worst that could happen was that Jason would drop him back to the ground. Or throw him in the pond. At that last thought, Tim pulled his phone from his pocket and placed it on the ground where a tree root tangled furiously into the ground. Then he approached Jason.

Jason ducked and threaded his head between Tim legs, lifting Tim on his shoulders with surprising ease.

“Is this-uhm-is this okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine. Where do you need me?”

Tim awkwardly pat the top of the curly darkened hair in front of him. “Thank you, Jay.”

Jason grunted in response, and Tim directed him on where to stand. Tim leaned forward, his elbows digging into his own knees, and his stomach pressing against the back of Jason’s head. He looked through the camera’s screen and couldn’t help but to grin. The angle was perfect, and the picture was exactly what he was hoping for. After several shuttering clicks that sounded soothing accompanying the chirping birds and chattering bugs, Tim found himself quietly laughing through his nose. He lowered the camera down in front of Jason’s face and offered him a view of the scene.

“Remember this is before light adjustments and editing, but there’s the picture you helped me get.”

Jason was quiet for several seconds and Tim began to feel silly. His cheeks flushed and he dreaded to realize he just assumed Jason actually gave a shit about his childish hobby. He lifted the camera back up to his own eye and took more pictures in an attempt to erase the silence that steadily fed his anxiety. He captured the pond, the grass, and a yellow bird that landed on a shimmering stone.

Finally, Jason stated plainly, “Your picture looks very nice, Timbers.”

Tim paused, his finger frozen on the button. “Thank you. I can make you a copy of you want.” He wanted to pinch himself as the words left his mouth, because why would he have asked-

“Yes.”

Tim’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Really?”

“Really. Just because I come from a Dickensian part of town doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate good art. Alright, shutter bug.” Jason tightened his hands around Tim’s calves resulting in an anxious grunt from the carried. “Time for a dip.”

“Jason!” Tim yelped and forcefully gripped a fist through Jason’s hair. “Please tell me you are just jok-"

“I am. You know, the rose bushes by that gazebo on the south side of the property are in bloom right now. I think those would make a good picture.” Jason reached back behind his head and gripped Tim by his sides, lifting him over his head and returning the kid to his own feet.

Tim grinned widely now. “Let’s go.”

They spent the next hour outside. Jason pointed out things that he thought looked interesting, and Tim snapped pictures of them before showing Jason the outcome. They found a tranquil stream a mile from the pond, where Tim captured the way the water rippled along the mossy-covered rocks. They found a squirrel perched on a branch a few feet away, and Jason whistled softly so the squirrel looked at Tim for the picture he took. A large fluttering butterfly hovered above a dandelion, and Tim laid on the ground for the shot.

When Jason's phone chimed, Tim sat up and turned to him with wide eyes. "You came out here asking for something. What did you need?"

Jason leveled him with a calculative gaze, as though he were reading Tim before answering. "Right now, I need food. Let's head back to the manor." He ticked his head and they walked together in comfortable silence. Tim flipped through the pictures on his camera and Jason scrolled through his phone. When they reached the manor's front door, Jason threw it open and fished a folder from his backpack discarded by the entrance before nodding his head to Tim in the direction of the kitchen. Tim followed wordlessly, taking a seat at the kitchen island and watching with interest as Jason stood across from him and tossed the folder onto the table in front of Tim. Jason finally declared, "I will make us lunch. Would you take a look at that for me?"

Tim chewed on his thumbnail as he studied the information before him, and Jason pulled ingredients from the refrigerator and heated a pan on the stove. Tim did not know how much time had passed but he discovered the reason for the snag in the case, as well as came up with three strategical maneuvers that Jason and his team could pull during their next raid as Jason plated the crêpes. Tim's attention snapped back when Jason slid a plate in front of him. Tim stared at the food with surprised longing, since he was too enthralled in the case to actually smell the cinnamon and orange that swirled around him. Though now that he did, his stomach ached with hunger and his mouth watered. He figured he probably forgot to eat that morning... and the evening before. Chocolate, whipped cream, and orange zest topped the folded treat and Jason handed him a fork.

"Orange filling," Jason informed him, already tearing into his own food. "Eat it while it is warm."

Tim pulled his plate closer and took a bite. As the warm, fluffy pancake touched his tongue, followed by the burst of orange cream, he couldn't help but to gasp alongside his widening eyes. Jason smirked and lowered his head at the sincere reaction with color akin to a blush shading his cheeks.

"These are amazing!" Tim shoveled more into his mouth, and even considered how he would look if he licked the plate in front of Jason when he finished. As he cleared the last bite from his fork, he gaze rose to his brother's plate pathetically. Jason noticed and relented with a sigh. He pushed his own plate nearer to Tim and invited him to finish it off while he made more for them. Tim politely asked if Jason was sure, and when he received a confirmation, he quickly finished the food.

"Strawberry or apple this time?"

"You can make these with apple?" Tim jumped out of his seat and approached Jason at the stove. His brother laughed and considered that answer enough to snatch a ripened red apple from the bin by the refrigerator. "How did you learn to cook like this?"

"Alfred taught me," Jason responded, lighting the stove once more and adding butter to the pan. He washed the apple he held and began to cut away the peel, handing the pieces to Tim to snack on. "As you probably already assumed, I did not grow up receiving cooking lessons from my parents. The only tip I got in the kitchen was how fast I needed to get a beer for my dad before he got pissed and came after me with his belt." Tim became uncomfortable and shuffled at that, wringing his fingers anxiously. "It's okay, Timburrito," Jason said softly when he noticed the sudden wave of uneasiness. "That man is dead, and I know how to cook now. Besides, from what Brucie has told me, you had a shitty sperm-donor yourself."

Tim rolled his eyes and turned away, crossing his arms. "Brucie needs to mind his own business. I grew up in privileged circumstances, and it was fine." Jason leveled him with a raised eyebrow, and Tim rolled his eyes again. "I was lucky. You do not need to compare us to lessen the tragedy of your own traumas."

"Bruce is your guardian now. Even more so, he is your dad. If he minded his own business, Alfred would call child services on his ass." Jason dug his elbow into Tim's side, eliciting a reluctant giggle. "Look, you are obviously a good kid. I mean, you forgave me for what I did."

"You couldn't help that," Tim interjected with a frown.

"My point stands," Jason continued. "You are a good kid, and I know you work hard to see the best in people. But your parents left you alone far too often, and that isn't right. You and I, we did not grow up in the healthiest households."

"Your father was an abusive man, and he hurt you. We did not grow up the same."

"Yours did not have the touch of an angel, kid. According to the Dickhead himself, you used to show up here for patrol with a few extra lickings that didn't happen courtesy of some goon on the street."

Tim wrinkled his nose and opened his mouth to snap back, but he closed it again when he realized he had nothing to say. How could he deny something that Dick had no reason to lie about. Jason was right, his father was not a good parent. Tim often wondered if he was even a good person. He watched the butter in the pan come to life, sizzling and bubbling up. The smell wafted around him, but this time it felt suffocating, and it caused turmoil deep in his stomach. "Our fathers sucked."

"They were monsters. And yet, here we are," Jason nodded slowly, waving his knife around the kitchen as though this room alone supported his point. His eyes landed on Tim and he grinned. "Dick told me you accidentally called Bruce 'dad' the other day." Tim's cheeks turned dark red and his eyes widened. "I bet the old man loved that."

Tim shrugged with one shoulder, and turned away. "Dick is far too loud for his own good. It was an accident, and I think I was a few quarts of blood low when it happened." He paused for a moment, chewing on another slice of apple peel. "But besides, he sort of is my dad now."

Jason smiled at the kid's response. It was already obvious to him that Bruce was Tim's father, the man adored the genius kid. And Bruce was a wildly significant improvement from the last one Tim had. "You should tell him that, I think he would appreciate hearing it."

Tim snaked his hand in between Jason and the cutting board and snatched a slice of apple, dodging Jason's swat and burying the fruit in his mouth with a sneaky grin. "Jason?" His brother hummed. "Can you teach me how to make these?"

For the first time since knowing Jason Todd, Tim watched as he lit up with excitement. Jason had always loved learning new skills. When Alfred agreed to teach him how to cook fancy foods that differed so drastically from the Top Ramen he grew up microwaving for himself and his mother, his excitement was palpable. He even kept a notebook during his years as Robin. He brought the spiral paper to the kitchen counter and recorded the information that was fed to him in that loving environment. Being able to pass this experience to another, especially a member of his growing family, sparked new joy in his chest that traveled up to his cheeks and drew a smile on his face. He nodded, keeping his eyes fixed studiously on the apple. "Yes, I can teach you how to make these. And I can teach you how to cook other foods too. You and Bruce grew up too wealthy, you know? Everyone ought to learn how to cook and do their laundry and shit." Tim rolled his eyes again and couldn't help his scoff as he insisted he knew how to do laundry. "This pan is heated enough, we can add the batter now."

"How do you know it is heated enough?"

"Do you see how the butter has browned slightly?" Tim nodded. "And do you smell the cooked butter?" Tim sniffed slowly, and he nodded again. The smell didn't feel so suffocating anymore, in light of their new conversation. "That is how you know. With crêpes, the pancake part has to be very thin. I already made this batter, because you want it to sit for at least an hour, though if it sits overnight, those are the best-tasting crêpes you will ever have in your life." Tim raised his eyebrows because he could not possibly imagine that anything could taste better than the food Jason had just served him. "But I can show you how to do that later. Pour a little bit of batter in this pan, and tilt the pan so that it is evenly spread out." Jason backed away from the counter and watched Tim slowly approach the bowl. He accidentally poured too much batter into the pan, just like Jason had when he first learned how to make crêpes. But, in mimicry of Alfred's own response to him so many years ago, Jason said, "Just a tad thinner for next time, but otherwise, it looks wonderful."

Tim couldn't help but smile with pride.

:) Softer scene from my fic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32502511/chapters/80612944#workskin

[bluefirewrites]

Juke AU ‘We Play Pretend’

Julie starts writing to her imaginary friend from childhood to cope with the loss of her mom. She thinks it’s a good way to let her feelings out, by confiding in someone she used to be able to tell everything to. 

She drops the letter at their secret spot in the park and figures that’s that.  

Yet she can’t stop thinking about the letter the whole weekend and she goes back to the park the following Monday, hoping to grab it before some stranger stumbles upon it or something embarrassing like that. 

But imagine her surprise the next time she stops by, she not only finds her letter missing, but a reply in an envelope addressed to her...

Julie looks around, trying to see if someone’s left this behind and is hiding in the bushes for this sick joke. But finding no one, and being extremely curious, she swipes the letter and runs home to read it. 

And adding more to the mystery, it seems to be written by her imaginary friend. Like oddly sounds just like him, and he’s able to match every reference of their pretend adventures together, from what she can decipher from the messy handwriting. 

Naturally Julie wants to confront her family, the only people who knew about her imaginary friend, but of course they would only send her right back to Dr. Turner the moment she sounds the least bit crazy. 

Julie has every reason to be suspicious of this letter because there’s no way her imaginary friend is actually writing to her and is concerned that someone in her inner circle had a hand in it. 

That doesn’t stop her from quickly penning another letter and hiding it in their spot. 

And soon enough, she and her imaginary friend start this regular correspondence which has Julie looking forward to the next letter each week. She suspends her disbelief for a second, fully embracing the idea that she is magically conversing with her imaginary friend. 

They mostly talk about stuff they’re going through, a lot of reminiscing about the past, and sometimes some fun songs they would both come up with to cheer the other one up. 

As she reads more of his letters, the more real he seems to her and the more she’s worried that she’s falling for someone who doesn’t really exist- as Flynn keeps warning her every time Julie would bring up the letters.  

Then, approaching December, Julie writes about the loneliness the holidays brings. 

The reply that comes through made her heart stop. 

Well if you weren’t imaginary, I would love to take you to a fancy Winter Ball. Just like old times. 

Julie, confused, writes back. 

What do you mean if I wasn’t imaginary? You’re the imaginary one...

She waits anxiously for the response which doesn’t come until days later, the handwriting messier than usual, probably written in a shakier, more frantic hand.

You’re Julie aren’t you? My imaginary friend from the park?

Wait a minute. 

Julie needs to figure this out and this prompts her to finally ask her dad about her imaginary friend from when she was little. 

From there she pieces it together. 

She would disappear somewhere whenever they went to the park together every week as a family, but comes back not too long after to tell them about what fun game she and ‘Luke’ had played. 

Since Julie had such a wild imagination when she was younger, and that her parents never seem to catch a glimpse of Luke, they figured that he was an imaginary friend, telling her so often that she remembers him as someone from make-believe.

“That is,” Ray goes to the attic and finds an old photograph, “until your mom actually saw him one day when she took you to the park,” 

Julie looks at it. There she was, as a little girl, next to a boy the same age. Both of them smiling goofily at the camera. 

“He’s.. he’s real?” She gapes, “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Ray frowns, “You came back the week after this was taken, but he didn’t show up. We haven’t been able to see him for the rest of the summer. You seemed really upset and you didn’t want to talk about him anymore...” 

Julie takes the photo and slips it in her next letter, and asks to meet. 

She’s an absolute nervous wreck, waiting for him at their spot, at the time they agreed on. Because all of the sudden, this is real. He’s real. As real as her growing feelings for him. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? Or what if he does but he takes one look at her and is disappointed? 

But he shows up to the spot and she’s forced to confront him. 

It’s awkward at first. Neither of them knowing what to say to the person they’ve been writing to for months now. Speaking is different, not as easy. 

Luke eventually talks. About how he used to run off to the park whenever he was lonely and how he had thought he imagined up a friend to play with while he was there. 

About how his mom eventually found out about him sneaking out and grounded him for the whole summer. 

About how, to this day, he and his mom have a strained relationship, leading him to take a trip down memory lane to their spot in the park one night, where he found the letter. 

“Why did you write back?”

Luke sighs, “You were hurting. I was too when I found the letter. But reading it, reading it brought all of those happy memories back. And it was, like, familiar, I don’t know, like-”

“Like coming home? In a way?” 

“Exactly,” He pats the tree that makes up their special spot, “This was a home for a bit. For you and me, wasn’t it?”

Julie nudges him playfully, “Or a castle?” 

“And a pirate ship,”

“And the space ship! Don’t forget about the aliens” 

Luke barks out a laugh, “How could I ever forget about Ambassador Slimy of Planet Spaghetti?”

Then the talking becomes easier. The two make laps around the park, just catching up and learning more about each other’s lives now that they found out they’re both very real. 

It’s getting dark as they reach Julie’s car, when she decides to bring up that particular letter. 

“You said something about taking me to a Winter Ball,” 

Luke flushes instantly, “Oh that. It’s just my school is having one of those winter dances. I called it a ball, you know, because you were my princess and everything.” 

She raises an eyebrow

“I mean like when we played pretend! Remember? Man, sorry, I’m spacing right now. This is getting real awkward-” 

“Luke, are you asking me to go to the dance with you?” 

He stuffs his hands in pockets, gazing at the ground, “Uh... yeah?” 

She smiles, “I would love to go with you.” 

The smile he gives in return has Julie kicking herself for going so long without figuring out the mystery sooner. How can she go back to writing letters when he’s looking at her like that? 

“I should get going,” 

“Of course,” Luke turns to walk away, but whirls around, “Hey, maybe we can exchange numbers? I figured you need a break from reading my chicken scratch,” 

“Good idea,” 

They trade their numbers, even their social media handles, and Julie soon finds herself driving home. 

She barely makes it to her room when her phone dings. Glancing at the notification, she smiles to herself at reading the message:

Park? Same time next week?

[soramel]

Chained to you (Part 1)

How far can people go for power? How far can you go for love? kthxreader

drabble: You tried to snuck away from your marriage by making a scandal on your own. Have you photographed with someone outside a bar that will cause enough humiliation for your parents. Not knowing the man you chose for your ploy was your fiancé himself. You thought you’ve seen enough of the real world, but being with Taehyung only unraveled so much more. genre: angst, romance, unconventional love warning: eventual smut

A/N: cross-posted from wattpad; updates are uploaded in wattpad first

Part 1 word count: 6.4k

You were having another dinner night with your parents. Silence reigns on your table and only the occasional clink of silverware against the porcelain can be heard. You were used to it. The rectangular table is too enormous for a family of three, the cold marbled floor, the empty hallways. Sometimes you wished for a smaller house because you find the generous space exhausting to stride from and to, but at suffocating times, it provides room to breathe. Like at times like this.

"Mr. Kim's son will arrive in three days. We'll have brunch with the Kims on Sunday," your father informed nonchalantly. You held in a breath as your grip tightened around your spoon. It has been a month since your parents informed you about the marriage they arranged for you.

As a conglomerate heiress, you thought you'll be exposed to a lot of choices for your partner, but as you grew older, your status only narrowed it down. And now, you're left with no choice at all.

At that, your mom started planning for the occasion while you just went on with your meal.

The idea of them meddling with such personal matters like your relationship does not sit well with you. Not that you've been into anything serious for the past two years, but heck, despite your serious disposition, you did not want to tie down yourself in a loveless marriage.

It worked for your parents, but you're not sure if it could work for you. Besides, you barely know the man. You can't even remember his face.

"Mom, dad, I think it's too early to get married. Don't you think?" you uttered. This is your nth time having your dislike laid on the table. Although compared to your past fierce protests, this one's a tamed one, hoping that they'll reconsider your feelings about it now.

Your mom dramatically said, "22 is not young, darling! I was 18 when I was engaged to your father and 19 when we got married."

Your jaw tensed, "I have a lot of things I want to do. Besides, am I not your daughter? Why do I feel like a collateral security?"

"Y/n!" your mom shouted, offended. It's true. You don't know the whole thing but you're sure there's a business partnership behind this arrangement.

Then your father spoke, "You'll end up married anyway, why not do it now? Why waste your time dating around when there's already a man matched for you?"

You've been in this conversation before and it ended up running in circles. A diplomatic approach looked hopeless.

"Love can be learned. What you need to look for in your partner are the benefits he would bring to you," your father smugly said. Turning to your mom at his statement, your mom just gave you a smile.

"Taehyung is a good man, Y/n. You'll love him," she said. You did not respond. Taehyung was a childhood friend, but now he's a stranger. Your family is close with the Kims but you barely see each other, then when college came, you heard that he went abroad for his studies.

Your mom stood up from her seat to go beside you. Placing her hand on your back, she sweetly said, "And do this for us, okay? We've been working hard for your father's presidential campaign for years. This is your chance to help. We're not asking for you to be with us on campaigns."

You wished it was just that.

#

The news of your engagement soon circulated. No articles were written about it yet, maybe it was your mom's doing. She has a strong connection with the press given that she's a famous socialite.

Regardless, the buzzing news was enough for you to receive more stares than usual in your building. You also noticed some paparazzis lingering around when you dine out or shop in your favorite designer store. The increasing attention you've gathered was enough to send you over the edge for the whole week.

To make things worse, tomorrow's the dreaded day. You'll get to meet your fiancé. An estranged childhood friend.

One shot,

then another,

and another.

"Yeah!" your friend, Sunmi, cheered. You got to escape for the night. Your parents thought you'll be sleeping over at your friend, but little did they know, you'll have your share of fun for the longest time you've jailed yourself within the four corners of your office.

"Cheers!" you smirked at Sunmi who's smiling from ear to ear as she bottomed out her shot glass. Then she hugged you, "I missed you! The last time we hung out like this was in college!" she shouted over the loud music. You're in a booth good for ten people. You were hesitant at first to join her and her friends on a night out, but you need to get out of your head for now.

"What's up with you these days?!" she asked.

You took another shot and leaned to her, realizing that she hadn't caught the news yet. "I'm getting married," you said, but it was drowned out by the new music that started to play, making the crowd in the club cheer.

"What?!" she asked, leaning to you.

"I'm getting married!"

"What the fuck?!" her eyes were wide like a bunny caught in a red light. You laughed at her reaction. Then she squealed, making you lean away from her and cover your ears. Her friends didn't mind though and went on with their own thing. "To who?! Oh my god?! Why? How?! You don't have a boyfriend!" she spluttered.

It was actually your first time to find the situation funny. All the time when you think about it, it only stresses you out, but now the whole thing sounded so silly. "I don't know! All I know is that he does not look that good," you complained, making a silly face. You're not sure about his looks but whatever. Your distaste grew towards him the moment your father forced you to marry him.

Sunmi laughed, "An arranged marriage?! Oh god. That's still a thing?!"

You let out a disappointed expression as you held in your smile.

She downed another shot and shook her head, "I won't get rich people like you. So old school."

With a deep frown, you drank another glass that she filled. Sunmi's parents work in one of your mom's companies, you met her in the university as you were in the same classes during your freshman year. Months into your friendship, that's when she knew about your family.

"I really don't like to get married yet but my parents... you know them." you complained, loud enough for her to hear. You did not notice that the two of you already created a world of your own, shutting other people out who are in the same table. They were already playing drinking games, others were dancing, but you two just went on with your conversation.

Sunmi smiled naughtily and poured you another drink, you accepted it, laughing.

"If there's a will, there's a way!"

Raising a brow at her, you crossed your leg over the other and looked up. Feeling the alcohol seep into your system. The buzzing feeling felt good.

Flailing your hand dramatically, you asked, "Great Sunmi, let's hear your advice. Help thy stupid friend."

The cheshire smile that creeped on her lips sent you giggling. "You're not drunk enough. I'll tell you later."

After accepting another shot from her, she took your hand and led you to the dance floor. You were both laughing over nothing while you just swayed your hips to the music.

"Eyyy!!!" you howled at the drop of the familiar song playing. Not minding the bodies brushing against you, you enjoyed your time with your friend. At the end of the song, she dragged you back to the booth and grabbed a tequila bottle from one of her friends. They all cheered when she hoisted it up to you.

"Open your mouth!" she commanded.

You don't drink well straight from the bottle, so you shook your head no. But they egged on. Sunmi laughed, "Come on," then she pushed your shoulder down, "Kneel, bitch!"

The lot roared. You hated it but since your group is starting to get attention, you followed Sunmi to get it over with. With knees on the dirty floor, you opened your mouth as she poured the tequila down your throat.

"One!" they started counting.

"Two!"

"Three!'' That's when you tapped out. Closing your eyes, you gulped it down. You know you're out of it because the alcohol tastes good without the chaser.

This is going to be a good night, you thought.

You're now dancing with Sunmi and her friends. They all said their names as they made small talks, but you were too high to remember them. You twirled as you danced with the music, then at the corner of your eyes, you saw a familiar man. One of the paparazzis who's been following you nonstop. You recognized him because he's not one of those who hides behind the bush. He would casually be in the place where you're in and take pictures.

You felt disgusted. Your whole mood dampened. Your mom can do something about it if ever articles would be released, but you did not want to be scolded over simple stuff like this.

Sunmi noticed the shift in your mood, so she asked, "Hey! What's wrong?"

You stood up straight, getting ready to leave when she stopped you. "Y/n! What's up?"

You sighed, then with a frown, you said, "Saw a paparazzi, he's watching me. I gotta go."

Her mouth formed an "o" before a bright stupid idea popped in her mind. She dragged you back to your booth, urging you to sit down.

"I'm not in the mood anymore, Sunmi!" you whined, you became a bit emotional as you felt tears springing up in your eyes.

"Hey, hey, don't be upset. This is a good thing," she cooed.

"How is that a good thing?! Do you know how the news of my engagement has been buzzing around for days now? People are following me, watching my every move as if... the point is, I didn't sign up for this! I didn't ask for this!"

She patted your back as you rant, then she said, "You can break up your engagement, you know?"

You glared at her for making it sound so simple, "It's not that easy, Sunmi!" you felt hurt. Didn't she realize how pliant you are to your parents' command when they started insisting things on you? Especially when they're mad?

"It is! You're an adult now, you're a lady boss! You can do anything you want."

You huffed. This is going nowhere, your thoughts are fuzzy, the glaring lights and the loud music are not helping.

She tsk-ed when you lied down the couch. You're truly wasted. "I know a way to stop everything. And your chance is that paparazzi," she said as she pulled you up. Scrunching your eyebrows, you asked, "What do you mean?"

She smiled, a naughty one, before letting you in on her plan.

You both surveyed the bar and the dancefloor from where you're sitting at, but no one seems to be the right man for your ploy. In your sober state, you wouldn't agree with your devil of a friend, but you're lost as fuck and besides you like the idea.

"There." Sunmi pointed out a guy who's drinking alone at the bar. You took a swig of a drink you didn't know before strutting heads on to the man she pointed out. He does not look so bad.

Halfway through your stride, you ran your fingers through your hair. You smirked when you realized that you're really doing this.

His doe eyes are adorable, he has a small face and he's tall. He looks serious as he stares at his drink. Then as if he saw you on the corner of his eyes, he looked up and met your gaze.

You look sultry at that moment. You did not let go of his gaze as you approached him. However, the admiration that flashed in his eyes almost sent you back. You averted your gaze, he saw you coming. So instead of going with your initial plan, you just sat two seats away from him and ordered a drink as an excuse.

That flicker of emotion was familiar to you. You see it in parties you rarely attend with your parents. Men who knew who you are and their intention of having a too personal business relationship with you.

Wrong man. You send Sunmi a look as you wait for your drink. She just rolled her eyes back at you.

It's not the time to be picky, but you want to be safe. You're looking for someone who you can invite to take you out then drop them once a picture of you were taken. This one looks difficult to brush off. Scanning the crowd, you eye for your next target. You looked up at the second floor but it's too dark to see faces.

"Hey," the man you were eyeing earlier moved to the seat beside yours. You sent him a disinterested smile, not uttering a reply. You sigh in your thoughts as you find no one good enough for your ploy.

Trying one more time, he licked his lips before saying, "Not having fun here?"

The bartender slid you your drink, you took a sip while thinking whether you should reply or not. Then your attention caught a man who emerged from a staircase. His hair was covering his eyes, but you could tell that he's hot. His aura is something. You watched him intently as he headed towards the bar. To you. You smiled at the coincidence.

Thoughts fogged with your friend, the flowing booze, the music, the blaring lights, different scents of sin, the hazy atmosphere that made you high, your stress, the fucking paparazzi, your traditional parents...

Fuck it.

His stance screams dominance.

He stopped for no one until he reached you. No words were spoken as he claimed your waist, pulling your body against him. You saw him smirk and with dazed eyes you glanced up at him.

Finally, a fuccboi who won't bat an eyelash as you asked him out. A perfect pawn for your plan but everything took a different turn when his lips met yours. "Sure, I'm yours for the night," he answered, his voice deep, before diving in for another kiss. His hands gripping your ass.

He held you tight by his side as you walked out of that damned place. He rained kisses on your collarbone and shoulder while you wait for his car, not giving a damn to those who were staring. You were in just for a picture but his touch and kisses sparks fire that you never felt before.

#

Throat-parched, you woke up in tangled sheets. Your head is pounding and your body's sore. Realizing that you're naked under the sheets, you jolted awake, making you clutch your head as you suffer from a hangover.

Well, fuck. What happened last night? you asked yourself. Crumpling the sheets to your naked chest while you lean on the headboard.

The man beside you stirred at the sudden movement. He's laying on his stomach as he turned his head to face you. Your eyes widened when his eyes met yours. He's beautiful, alright. Blush crept up your cheeks at his wicked smile and he did this weird thing moving his jaw as if chewing something before brushing up his tongue on his upper lip, taking in your presence. He let out a low chuckle at your expression while you're busy putting a name on the man's face. But fuck, you can't remember.

He dragged you down by your waist and nuzzled on your neck, watching his muscles flex in the process. "Thought you'll be gone by the morning," he muttered with his bedroom voice. Is that his way of asking you to leave? You wondered, irritated by his remark.

You were thinking of a smart comeback when your phone rang inside your purse. It was placed on the bedside table together with your last night's dress which was neatly folded along with your lace undies. Much to your surprise.

Dad calling...

Your breathing hitched as you glanced at the time. It says 8 am. You sent a knowing glance to the man beside you, but he just reciprocated your telepathy with a chuckle. You answered the call nonetheless.

"Dad," you started, your voice calculating as you steady your breathing.

"Are you on your way back? The Kims will be here at ten," he said straightforwardly. Your eyes widened in shock. You cleared your throat before replying in a rush, "Yes, yes. I'm on my way from Sunmi. Will be there in time."

You dropped the call right away, not waiting for your father to respond. Wincing, you swung your legs out of the bed and gathered your clothing and slipped in your underwear.

"Now, you're leaving?" the man asked as you clasp your bra back. His tone teasing. You looked back and saw him enjoying your frantic escape. Your forehead scrunched in annoyance before raising a brow at him, "I didn't know if I had fun last night. But regardless, this won't happen again," you retaliated.

His face turned sour at your statement. You hurriedly slipped in your dress and gathered your purse, not minding where the heck your jewelry was. Leaving his apartment in a haste, you failed to see his knowing smile.

#

Memories of last night started flooding back. It was just bit and pieces, but those memories made it clear that you had sex with him. You just wished your memories weren't trustworthy enough but the pain between your legs only confirmed it.

You feel hot all over. You bit your lip at the images that spilled in your mind.

The way he pinned you on the wall right after he opened his door. The way he nipped on your neck, your chest, stomach, and even the inside of your thighs. His feverish touch. Everything felt so sensual.

Your heart beat rapidly as the memories became more vivid. The way he looked at you, his eyes darkened with desire. His low moans and grunts. His silence as he rammed into you, intently watching the little changes in your expression as he thrust deeper.

Time flew fast that now you realized you're in front of the mirror, all dressed and freshened up for the first meeting with your in-laws and fiancé. You still feel like floating due to your hangover and your head aches like hell but that was not enough to bar you from feeling all these emotions. Of helplessness, loneliness, hatred. You browsed your phone to see any news from last night, but you found nothing.

Sunmi told you that she'll make sure you'll get photographed by the paparazzi. Maybe you were too drunk to follow through and were deeply engaged with your last night's companion. You sent a text to your friend,

Was I caught last night?

"Honey, are you ready?" your mom asked from the other side of the door. You didn't notice her knocking.

You sighed as you placed your phone on the charging pad. "Yeah, I'll be out in a bit," you said loud enough for her to hear.

"We'll be at the patio. Don't take too long, okay?"

Should I tell them I have a boyfriend? As you walk downstairs with heavy steps, you were formulating your escape plans but all of them required courage to put shame on your parents in front of the Kims. You're too much of a darling to do that in your sober state.

The least thing you could do is bail your time. However, you doubt if that will work.

The weather outside is nice. It's sunny but not too hot. You saw three house staffs lined outside as they served the elders of their brunch. There was another man sitting on the round table, his back facing yours, you assumed that's Taehyung, your fiancé. A cantilever umbrella was placed against the sun. You encountered some staff walking to and from your kitchen to bring more dishes outside.

When you approached the table, only one seat was left vacant, which was beside your fiancé, his back facing yours. You bowed and greeted everyone good morning, followed by an apology for being late. Mrs. Kim brushed it off, smiling at you, "We just arrived, Y/n. Don't fret."

You reciprocated her warm greeting with a smile. Your father cleared his throat as he told you to take your seat. You did not even bother to look at the man beside you as you felt your hate grow.

The awkward silence was broken when Mr. Kim's son spoke, "How are you feeling, Y/n?" The familiarity of his voice made you snap your gaze at him.

Shock is an understatement. If your eyes could bulge out of its sockets, it already did. The man that you had a one-night stand with is now sitting at an arm's length away from you with a smug smile on his face. You blinked twice. Thrice.

"F-fine. I'm fine. Thanks for asking," you stuttered. Taking a deep breath to regain your composure. You didn't know Taehyung looks this good. You barely remember him from your childhood. You didn't meet him during your teenage years since you weren't really fond of the parties that your parents attend. The time you went with them was only a handful and every time you'll go, Taehyung wasn't there, only his parents. Until you heard of the news that he moved overseas for his studies. You can only care less for you were never interested in him. Until now.

You wonder if you should pretend that you don't know him. Well you really don't. You know him by his name, yes. You weren't even able to recognize him last night. Were you that drunk to fail in putting two and two together? Did he even say his name?

Mr. Kim then said, "I see you haven't forgotten each other. That's a relief."

Your gaze turned to the old man, giving him an awkward smile, while your mother eyes you suspiciously.

The brunch started with a casual talk. Most of the time, it was your parents asking Taehyung about the time he spent abroad. It has been seven years. He would go back here for short vacations but most of his free time was spent for internships. You learned that he's a very career-oriented man. Or that's the picture he's painting. You'll never know.

You were just silent for the whole thing, barely touching your food because you don't have the appetite. You enjoyed the coffee though, as strange as it is. When the fruits arrived, that was the only time you were able to eat properly. The sweetness of the honeydew was refreshing to your system.

Unbeknownst to you, Taehyung smiled at your actions. You were indeed wasted last night, he realized.

"Y/n, I heard you started working for your airline company. How is it?" Mr. Kim asked, pulling you out of your headspace.

They looked at you expectantly, waiting for your answer, including Taehyung. "I'm having fun so far. It's only been six months, but I feel like I've learned a lot," you replied, "Yet, not quite everything," your tone even and casual.

"I actually worked with Y/n before when she was still in Waldorf. We handled their security systems," Mrs. Kim recalled fondly before adding, "Which one do you like more, Y/n?" she asked, making you choose between the airline company and the hotel line you've handled so far.

With a tight-lipped smile, you said, "I grew to be fond of both, Mrs. Kim."

She nodded knowingly, satisfied at your answer. Your hotels are situated near airports all over the world, it's not one of those who caters for tourists in the middle of the city. Though independent from the airline, the two businesses work together symbiotically. Then Mr. Kim asked, "Have you thought of studying abroad, Y/n? It might help with your work. You and Taehyung could have studied in the same university together."

"I had my MBA degree here, Mr. Kim. The curriculum is at par with others, so it was alright. I preferred to study here so I could also come to work."

Your mom then interjected, chuckling softly, "You know how workaholic she is. I'm thankful she's more interested in the corporate world than life in politics."

Her remark sent your dad laughing, "She'd be a darling to my constituents for sure. But I doubt she'll fit right in. You know how my world is." His statement earned a chuckle from the Kims except for Taehyung who just smiled.

Aside from the occasional charity work that you do with your mom for your dad's sake, he never actively made you involved with his activities. He was a city mayor during your childhood years then moved to the national assembly. You were more popular in his world as a cute girl who's tagging along and now, you're well known for being a socialite after your mother, given your family's status.

The chatter died down when phones buzzed. You left yours in your room so you couldn't check for yourself what's happening. The elders took their phones out and seemed to be browsing their phone down.

You and Taehyung just looked at each other out of curiosity.

"Y/n,"

"Son,"

Your fathers uttered at the same time. A stern look was plastered on your dad's face but he's not angry. However, that expression is familiar to you. That's when he tries to see what's beyond the person he's talking to.

Contrary to the reaction of your parents and Mr. Kim, Mrs. Kim gushed at the two of you. "You brats! You're seeing each other behind our back?" she squealed.

Your mom let out an uncomfortable laugh, "I'm sorry, I haven't seen this one coming. Should I have the article pulled out?" she said, turning to your father, her face etched with worry.

Taehyung's face is blank. You figured he also had no idea, but you caught on. Maybe it's your picture last night. Your hands gripped tightly onto your seat.

What have you gotten yourself into, Y/n? you scolded yourself. If you only knew who he was. Wait, does he know who you are when he approached you last night?

You sent him a glare at your realization. This jerk.

Your father turned to your mother and said, "It's alright, have their engagement announced as early as possible," then he turned to the Kims, "I hope that's alright with you."

The move infuriated you. The fact that your father did not even ask if it's alright with you, you were the one who's getting married, not them!

Finally, Taehyung spoke, "May I ask what this is all about, sir?" he asked. His tone is careful.

Your father sighed then answered, "It's a picture of the two of you last night, outside a club. Not a good publicity but the article was decent enough to declare that you're dating. Which reminds me..." he then turned to you and asked, "I thought you were at your friend's last night?"

Shit.

"Ah," Taehyung muttered. He looked at you as he answered for your sake and his, but the playful smile on his lips should have told you he meant nothing good. "I met Y/n the day I arrived in the country. I'm sorry if we hid it from you, we wanted to get to know each other on our own before the engagement. I fetched her last night from her friend's party. That's all."

Great. Almost good Taehyung. Fuck, you should've kept your mouth shut. You were murdering him with your glare when your father's eyebrows furrowed further that you couldn't count the wrinkles on his forehead.

The situation didn't help you from escaping your doomed marriage, if only, it tied you down more. Unfortunately, your father was too smart to not take advantage of the situation, uncaring what it might look like to the people on the table. With a raised brow, he declared, "Y/n just got home this morning, so you were with her the whole time?"

Your mother and Mrs. Kim's shocked faces made your face blush, while Mr. Kim just cleared his throat as he glanced at his son. You couldn't read his expression. So, before Taehyung denies it and turn the situation against you, you answered, "Yes, I was with him."

Days ago, you couldn't even imagine that you will be driving the nail deeper on the veil. Now, you totally screwed yourself over.

Taehyung didn't protest. Instead, he held your hand in his. A satisfied smirk plastered on his face as you force your hand out of his grip, "We can announce the engagement as soon as possible. That, I agree with, sir."

#

Articles were soon released about your rumored engagement. It was your mom's doing, she was the one who's been holding the news off for the week and she just had it released right after your dating scandal that she failed to monitor. Interestingly, people bought it.

"So, when are we having the wedding?" Mrs. Kim enthusiastically asked that day after everyone calmed down. She was looking at you expectantly, but you just returned her look not really knowing what to say. It's not that you have agreed to the arrangement.

Your mom answered for you, "With the situation at hand, I advise it's better if we skip the engagement party. Have their wedding by the end of the month."

"Mom," you called out, protest is evident in your voice at the sudden speed of things. Your heart's beating fast. You don't want this.

In all honesty, you have an idea that this is all for business purposes, but it also looks like a publicity stunt and show of power of your father given that he'll be running for presidency. Your father is famous alright, but the limited campaign period before elections is short that publicizing your wedding months before would help boost your father's image without it counting as a "campaign". Basically, your marriage would hit two stones for him, power and popularity.

You cried that night. Being married off to a man you barely spent time with, horrible images flashed in your head, picturing how miserable your life would be. You missed a lot of calls from Sunmi, but you were nursing your own pain that you didn't want to talk to anyone.

After sending her a text saying that you're fine, you turned your phone off. You've been receiving calls and messages the whole afternoon. Some were asking about the truth behind the scandal while some are sending their congratulations.

You woke up the next morning hearing that Taehyung is in your father's study. Angered at how you're being cornered and not even giving you time to think over it, you hated them for treating you like a thing. You stormed into your father's office downstairs, still in your silk pajamas.

They seemed to be in a deep conversation at that moment. Both heads turned towards your sudden arrival.

"I'm not getting married," you declared without further ado.

Taehyung witnessed your banter with your father so early in the morning. You tried so hard not to shed a single tear, but the gravity of the situation stressed you out more than anything. All the while he just looked out the window and averted his gaze when your emotions started getting the better of you.

"Stop controlling my life for once! I did everything you asked and expected me to do! I can handle your empire without a man!" you argued after a heated exchange with your father.

But that just went through his ears. Then he ended up saying things he didn't truly mean. Hurting you.

"You can't secure your power alone, Y/n. Still, you're a woman."

Your mouth fell agape. You never heard of that word before as an insult but the way your father said it started a wildfire within you.

"Your excuses are bullshit. You need me, a woman, to secure your own power. You know that," you spat. Heaving with rage, you drew your last straw as you said with fire in your eyes, "You're not using this woman. She's leaving."

"Y/n!" your father's voice boomed 'til the empty hallways, startling everyone except you.

You walked back to your room and quickly got dressed. You gathered some clothes and some important things, stuffing everything in your leather duffle bag. This was your last resort, but you have no choice but to drive down this path.

Slamming your bedroom door open to get out of your own hell, your brows furrowed at the sight of three bodyguards blocking your way. They didn't utter a single word.

When you ignored them and tried to push your way out, they stood like steel, holding out their arms to stop you from leaving.

"Get your hands off me!" you shouted.

But they didn't listen.

"Hands off," Taehyung ordered.

The men backed down then you went on your way only for Taehyung to block you.

"Don't touch me," you spat under your breath. Taehyung sighed, "Your father won't allow you to leave."

Snapping, you told him, "I can leave anytime I want."

He wet his lips before looking at you sincerely, "I'll help you."

You didn't believe him. For all you know, he's into this thing witnessing how he just stayed silent while you were arguing your way out earlier.

However, four more men filed in your hallway.

"Y/n's leaving with me, there's no need to stop her." Taehyung said out loud, still holding your gaze.

They obediently cleared a path for you. Taehyung walked off first with you and your leather duffle bag in tow.

He did not throw you a glance to see whether you are complying or not. He walked straight out of the mansion then you saw a Benz parked right in the driveway. He opened the door for you to get in.

You watched him walk to the driver side, still contemplating whether you should go with him. Not that you have much of a choice as the guards were watching your every move. They're all held by the main door. You couldn't remember the last time when you saw this much of security. It's a sudden change in the mansion. It's affirmative they're from the Kims.

After both of you were settled in, Taehyung silently drove off, smoothly passing through the gate.

Down the winding hill, he asked, "Where do you want to go?"

"You can drop me off anywhere. I can handle myself," you coldly said, eyes planted on the road ahead. Taehyung didn't respond and continued to drive.

Several minutes after, you saw a bus stop. "That bus stop will do," you told him.

There's a good chance that he won't truly be of help to your escape. You know that, but still you tried.

And you were right. He drove past the stop you pointed and sped up the highway.

You turned to him, scowling, your faint hope was put in vain though you did not expect any better from him.

"There's a cabin out of the city. You can stay there," he muttered, not minding the dislike shown on your face.

He made some calls after a while. Something about getting a place ready for use. From the conversation, you made out that the place he offered belongs to his family.

A lot of things were running in your mind but then you realized that there's no use to be torn between wanting to compromise with your parents versus running away from it all. You turned to Taehyung when he pulled off. He set the car into a park by the side of the road with fields after your sight. You failed to realize that you were out of the city or maybe he's just a fast driver.

"Y/n," Taehyung started.

"We can have divorce after your father's term," he said.

You let out a bitter chuckle, "Five years is a long time, Taehyung. Forgive me but I'm really curious as to what you will get out of this. What did he promise you?"

"Merger of few companies, an exclusive contract in my tech company, your hand," he told you with full honesty. It's flattering that you are part of a negotiation which involves millions of dollars and maybe displacement of hundreds if not thousands of employees. Not.

"Five years is not a long time, Y/n. Think of it as getting another degree in college," he followed through.

"I accomplished three degrees in five years. Another degree won't take that long," you retorted.

Then you asked, out of curiosity, "And what will happen to the merger after we divorce?"

"I'll give you your shares, enough to have controlling interest. If you want more, we can negotiate that."

You laughed at the insanity, "You think that's easy? You believe our parents will allow that? And having a divorce is a disgrace, Taehyung. Once we get into this, there's no turning back. You know that." Because that's how it works in your world. And you hated it.

He smirked at you, then smugly said, "You underestimate me too much, Y/n. I'm not pliant to my parents' commands."

Good for him.

God, his arrogance is starting to get into my nerves, you thought.

"And if you want, let's not get divorced at all. I'll be that generous to allow you to keep your honor."

"Hah!" you let out in disbelief. Is the air different in the States for it to send his head in such disarray? Your jaw twitched in irritation.

"You see, Taehyung-" your speech was cut off when he started driving back to the road. "Hey!" you shouted, offended at his rudeness. He glanced at you and said, "It's not safe. I just had to talk down your wild thoughts a bit before you jump off the car out of desperation. You may continue. As you were saying?"

If looks could kill, this car already spun off the road.

"Go on," he egged on. You rolled your eyes at him even though he couldn't see.

"I'm not getting anything out of this. Do you think I care about the money?" you calmly said, getting into your corporate demeanor as you see that this is more of a professional relationship for him.

"Aren't you a businesswoman, Y/n?" he retaliated.

With your head held high, you replied smugly, "I don't chase money, Taehyung. I make money chase me."

"And I don't give a damn about power. I highly value respect," you added.

Your head snapped at him when you heard him scoff. He was shaking his head in amusement, but you took it as a sign of ridicule.

"I understand, but being with me will not only solidify your power, Y/n. You can have everything you want. Money will chase you and respect will be given accordingly if we do this right," he simply said.

[j-amespotter]

★ epiphany – r. l.

"with you, i serve. with you, i fall down."

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Nymphadora Tonks (if you squint)

x. x.

Summary: Throughout his life, Remus fought many battles. Only once was he ever on the brink of victory.

Genre/Warnings: angst, war, death, torture, mentions of lycanthropy

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: i'm officially on summer break, so expect more writing from me!! this one actually took a lot of time and effort so please share your feedback. not a reader insert, just some canon character insight. i think about remus's last moments a lot :( let me know if you'd like to be added to my taglist!

masterlist

1978 - With you, I serve.

The moon was bright but not quite full. It shone on two boys, both fresh out of school and on the precipice of becoming men. As much as they tried to deny it, there was an aura of naiveté surrounding them, one that would soon deteriorate beyond their imaginations.

“Come here,” said Remus Lupin, a tall, tired boy, tugging his companion’s sleeve. “Behind the bushes.”

“It’s child’s play, this job. What’s Dumbledore playing at?”

Remus was paired up with James Potter, who was growing more and more impatient by the second. “Prongs, we are trainees. We’re lucky to have an assignment at all.”

The two friends were seated on a small hill overlooking a large, dreary house. It belonged to the Travers family, a family notoriously pureblood, notoriously Slytherin. A family most likely in league with the greatest threat to the Wizarding World in several decades—Lord Voldemort.

The severity of the situation remained unspoken between them. If caught, James and Remus would be killed within seconds. Remus silently wished he shared James’s conviction regarding the ultimate invincibility of the right cause. But there was something inside of him that would remain unconvinced for a long time.

“There’s no way Travers isn’t a Death Eater,” said James. “I say we attack. They know we’re careful. They’ll never see it coming.”

“Perhaps,” said Remus. “Although, I doubt they are unprepared. Stealth is the only path to success.”

James snorted. “Okay, Professor Moony.” Years later, the same voice on a nearly-identical face would be addressing him in the same manner, with an amount of long-faced sincerity that would destroy him. But Remus did not know that yet.

After a while, Remus broke the comfortable silence between them simply because of a lingering curiosity manifesting within him. “Do you really think we can win this?”

James turned toward him. When he spoke, Remus thought he sounded a little scandalized. “Of course I do. And even if we don’t, there isn’t a single part of me that won’t die trying.”

Remus hummed, though he could feel the hesitation brewing inside of him, the same hesitation he found himself constantly suppressing around his friends. It was not as though he didn’t share the same sentiment; that wasn’t the case at all. It felt blasphemous to let his thoughts wander at times, but he couldn’t help himself. The truth was loud and clear. Remus was fighting this war for those who wouldn't do the same for him.

Something about the setting and the shape of the moon kept him lost in his muddled thoughts. “Why did you become an Animagus?”

James looked slightly taken aback, running a hand through his hair. “You know why.”

“Indulge me.”

“Because, Remus, we care about you. We wanted to help you,” said James. “We still want to help you.”

“You have done more than enough, James.” And it was true. James Potters didn’t exist in the real world, and that was a fact that was becoming blazingly clear the longer Remus spent in it.

There was nothing more to be said after that. James only sighed, staring out with a strangely thoughtful expression. “You know something?”

“What?”

“Think I’m going to ask Lily to marry me.”

Remus swallowed. “Wow.”

“Yeah,” said James. “I haven’t told anyone.”

Remus found that hard to believe. “Not even Sirius?”

“No, not even Sirius. Just thought of it, actually. Besides, something tells me Sirius would laugh in my face.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” said Remus, though it was always hard to tell with Sirius. The idea of James getting married sounded so far-fetched, and yet, made more sense to him than anything ever had in his entire life.

“So, what do you think?”

What did he think? Honestly, he felt a twinge of envy that James had someone to propose to, that he didn’t have to think twice about it, that in all likelihood, when this war ended, James would live a long, happy, healthy life with his wife and enough children to form his own Quidditch team. “I think that you definitely should.”

James’s face broke out into a wide grin, one that made Remus feel warm inside. One that told Remus that it wasn’t actually a whim, that James had been thinking about it for weeks, and that when it came to Lily, he always seemed to turn to Remus. It was a bittersweet sentiment, but one that he had come to appreciate.

“Guess I’ll need to figure out who my best man will be,” mused James.

Remus rolled his eyes. “She hasn’t even said yes yet, Prongs.”

James harrumphed. “Of course she’ll say yes to becoming Mrs. Arrogant Toerag.” He puffed out his chest dramatically, only to lose his balance and fall forward into the bushes. “Wow, we really suck at this whole ‘stealth’ thing, don’t we?”

“Shut it, will you?” whispered Remus, though if he had known how few moments he had left to share with James, he wouldn’t have reprimanded him at all.

Suddenly, a scream coming from the direction of the house interrupted them.

“What was that?” asked James. Both boys had their wands at the ready.

“They’re torturing someone,” said Remus, suppressing a shudder. He winced at the sound of another piercing scream, one that shredded his insides with every resounding decibel.

James began to rise. “We have to go in and help them.”

Instantly, Remus grabbed his arm and pulled him down. “James, we can’t. We will blow our cover, we’re likely completely outnumbered, and we were told to call reinforcements if anything got serious. We are trainees, remember?” When James begrudgingly slunk down next to him, Remus nudged him again. “Send a Patronus to the Prewetts.”

As James retreated several yards into the woods to conjure his great silvery stag, Remus turned his attention back to the house in front of them. After hearing another scream, he was beginning to lose his nerve. We can win this, Remus chanted to himself like a sacred mantra. We can win this. We can win this. We can win this.

Three years later, wizards all over Britain would celebrate their victory over the Dark Lord. But with three dead friends and one a murderous traitor, Remus Lupin would have nothing to celebrate. And he wouldn’t for a very long time, not until he stared into a pair of startlingly green eyes in a train compartment several years later.

1998 - With you, I fall down.

His heart raced as he watched the silver dome shatter around the castle. A swarm of dark, hooded figures made their way towards them. With one hand over the photograph in his pocket, Remus thought of Teddy—his vibrant, turquoise hair, his soft coos, and the sparkly eyes that looked just like his own.

We can win this. We can win this. We can win this.

It is different now, he thought to himself, I have Harry. A son. A wife. For the first time in his life, Remus Lupin had a proper family.

We can win this. We can win this. We can win this.

He was able to see his reflection on a window. Under all the worry pooling his features, Remus saw the ghost of a smile that looked so achingly familiar— the weary but indestructible smile of a new father, the one he last saw during his final moments with James many, many years ago.

He thought of Dora, who, despite his desperate pleas, followed him to Hogwarts to fight what was beginning to feel like the end. After he righteously begged her to return to safety, she scoffed teasingly. “Honestly, Remus. You should know better.”

She was right, and there was nothing more to say. She kissed him hard before they went their separate ways for the last time. Remus weaved through crowds of warriors, gaze wandering from time to time for a glimpse of either his wife or his young protege. Any sign that Dora and Harry were alright would ease his ever-growing nerves.

We can win this. We can win this. We can win this.

He thought of a late-night in his dormitory. It was the end of his seventh year. The four Marauders were sitting on each of their four-poster beds, picturing this moment, having no idea what was to come, just the confidence that it would and that they would win.

“I think it’ll be at the Ministry,” said Sirius.

“Or Diagon Alley,” said Remus thoughtfully.

“With Dumbledore leading the charge,” added James, a note of excitement in his voice. “I’d give anything to see the end of him.”

“Me too,” grumbled Sirius, struggling to hide the bitterness lacing every word. It had only struck Remus then that Sirius would be fighting his own flesh and blood on the other side. He knew better than to mention it.

“We could die,” said Peter quietly.

“We could,” affirmed James. “But I have a good feeling about it. It’ll be our moment, lads.”

Remus had only heard of Wormtail's death from Bill, who heard it from Harry. Peter, so afraid of death, so willing to do anything to avoid it, killed by his own hand. The last of his friends to go. In his wildest dreams, Remus would have never thought that he would be the last Marauder standing. Alone.

But he wasn’t alone. Not anymore. He had Dora, Teddy, and Harry. Harry, brilliant Harry, the Boy Who Lived, the boy who, unbeknownst to him, changed Remus’s life. The boy who would carry out his father's dream. The boy who would win this for them all.

We can win this. We can win this. We can win this.

Remus heaved a tired sigh. His legs felt as though they were about to give out. Despite his unique set of skills, Remus spent more time sickly than able. Especially now, nearing the age of forty. No longer did he have the agility or stamina of his youth.

He was in the center of the fighting in the courtyard. Suddenly, Remus felt a sinking, silencing feeling inside of him. Swallowing it away, he turned around, grip on his wand accidentally loosening for the quickest second.

The man in front of him was smirking, a forthcoming light blinding any identifying features. Remus's wand slipped from his fingers.

The last thing he saw was green, consuming his vision like a swarm of Dementors closing in on him. The spell hit him squarely in the chest.

He always wondered what death would feel like, often equating it with the debilitating pain of his monthly transformations. But it wasn't like that at all. Death was like falling. An eternal, endless fall into nothingness.

Moments away from victory, Remus Lupin fell down.

Mischief Managed.

Taglist: @iwritesiriusly @sheismadness @she-seeks-magic @amourtentiaa @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @queenofblacks @duckie-dunham

[liaswritesrobots]

Fluffy sceanario request for human S/O finding Naga!TFA Optimus in the woods?

It was well into Spring, the flowers were blooming, bees were coming out and buzzing around, the sun shined down through the vibrant green trees, the perfect day for a little hike in the woods. You can't remember the last time you got to wander around the forest, despite living so close to it, and you were quite excited to take a stroll through it and take pictures of the wild life there. You made sure your mini-backpack had everything you needed, cell phone and ID in case you got lost or had an emergency, a camera to take pictures with, your water bottle, and some crackers and fruity granola bars in case you needed a snack. You also made sure to slip some pepper spray into your pocket, just in case.

You headed out, making sure to first let those closest to you know you probably wouldn't be back until it was close to dinner time.

Once you reach the forest you pull out your camera, immediately taking a picture of the scenery. The light shown through little spaces from the tops of the trees, giving the forest a magical look to it. You soon spot some daisies that a bumblebee is resting on and slowly point your camera closer to get the perfect shot of the bee on the flower. After you take the picture you decide to get a shot of the flowers together, that's when you hear a rustling from behind you.

You turn your head to the right, hand ready to slip into your pocket for the pepper spray, and slowly stand up, "Hello? Is someone else here?" you ask, rather quietly.

The rustling sound happens again, this time happening to the left of you. You turn and ask once again, "Is someone here?" 

You notice something quickly go into one of the bushes. It was just a glimpse of something, something that looked like a tail, so you calm down a bit, knowing that it's an animal. Still, you're on alert, you know well enough that just because it's a little animal doesn't mean it isn't dangerous. You're hoping it's just a little opossum hunting some food, or maybe a stray cat roaming around. You figure since it's an animal you'll probably be fine if you don't mess with it, so you start to walk away. You'll find another area to photograph, one where you won't be bothering a little creature just looking for something to eat.

You stop at a place not too far away from the rustling bush that has a fallen tree, taking a picture of it. It looks like it's fallen pretty recently, probably from one of the storms you had a couple of weeks ago. You hear a rustling behind you again and turn around. You spot the same tail quickly hiding itself behind a very big tree, but this time you get a good enough glance to notice it's blue and red.

Weird… you can't think of any animal around here that had that kind of tail. Well… other than maybe a snake or some other reptile, since they can be very colorful at times. You start to get a bit creeped out, almost like whatever that is… is following you. You put your camera away and press forward, not stopping until you come across a huge rock that you immediately duck behind.

You peek out from behind the rock but all you can see is the tail disappearing behind the other side of the rock. You do a small gulp and take out your pepper spray as you turn back to face forward. So it is following you. And whatever it is it's far too close for your own comfort right now. 

You peek around again, this time on the other side, and yet you still don't see what this thing could be. You turn back, only to be met with an azure, somewhat metallic face with sparkling turquoise eyes peering at you upside-down from the top of the rock. 

You let out a scream and the creature screams as well and retracts as you fall forward and shuffle to your feet, shakily gripping the pepper spray as you aim it at the creature.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" You shout.

"What are you?" The creature asks back, peering over the rock at you.

"YOU CAN TALK?!"

"So can you!" The creature hesitates for a moment, before slithering back to the top of the rock, "At least that'll make this easier I guess." He says coming down from the rock in front of you.

You can see it clearly now, this thing looks like it's half snake, half robot, and it towers over you. It's metallic in some areas and looks like a snake in others, it's lower half is that of a snake, a San Francisco Garter Snake from the looks of it, and the top part is more man- er, machine, and it's voice is somewhat robotic.

"Stay back!" You say pointing the pepper spray.

"Hey, it's ok! I'm not gonna hurt you!" He says putting his hands in front of his torso, palms forward, "Look, I kind of crashed my ship and got stuck here but… I'm not exactly sure where here is."

"Ship?" You ask, tilting your head a little and lowing the spray a little.

"Yeah. I tried asking some other native creatures for help but… they couldn't really speak any language I could download."

You stare at this creature, so many thoughts racing through your mind. 'This is an alien? Certainly looks like it could be one. Am I going to die? Is it going to eat me or dissect me? What does it mean by downloading language?'

"Hey are you-" The creature slithers closer but stops when you raise the pepper spray again. He stares at you for a moment then backs up, "I swear I'm not here to cause trouble, I just want to repair my ship so I can go back to Serpentron."

"Serpentron?"

"It's my home planet."

"So you are an alien." You look down at the ground for a moment, 'Holy shit, a real live alien! It's in front of me! Crap I put my camera away…'

"Can you help?"

"Huh?" You turn your attention back to the creature.

"Can you help me repair my ship?" It asks again, a pleaful look in his eyes.

"Sorry, I don't think I'd know how..." You say.

"Oh," the creature gets a sorrowful look that almost makes you feel sorry for him, "Ok. Maybe someone else in the forest can. Sorry for scaring you by the way." He says before he starts to turn around.

"Wait!"

He looks back at you.

"I don't know if I'd go around just showing myself to anyone around here if I were you." You tell him. You're not even sure why you're giving advice, but there's something about this creature, now that you really look at him, that you feel is trustworthy and good, something worth protecting, "Since you're not from this planet some people might try to hurt you… they might try to experiment on you or something to learn how you work."

A look of shock crosses the creature's face, "Oh! Well, thanks for letting me know that. So some of the people here are hostile? I guess I'll have to be more careful from now on. I guess I'm lucky you're one of the good ones then." He smiles, and it's such a pure, sweet smile that you feel at ease.

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Sorry again for scaring you," He says.

"It's alright," you say, slipping the pepper spray back into your pocket, "Is your ship in this forest?"

"Yeah, it's closer to the end of it on the west side though."

"I uh… I doubt I could actually do repairs, but I might be able to bring you some tools some time." You offer.

"That'd help a lot!" He smiles that cute smile again.

"I'm y/n, by the way." You say inching a bit closer to the creature now that you realize he's not a threat.

"My name's Optimus Prime," he responds, "It's nice meeting you."

[oshbluepacific]

Discreet

Type: Angst

Character: DO Kyungsoo x Reader

Words Counted: 3k2+

questions and request are available / masterlist

To you, being an idol isn’t the easiest job in the world. Or the most ‘joyful’ one either. It’s almost like a one-way ticket with no way to return to where you came from. You’re in it, to make a living out of it. There are ups and downs on being an idol. Yes, being an idol means you get the opportunity to see the world, meet new people, being invited to the A listers party, and to inspire people all around the globe. But, being an idol has it’s down too. People would literally comment on everything you say, do—even wherever you go. One false movement then you could end up in the gossip column or even be thrown at a scandalous news to the world. Small conversation with the opposite sex might attract new romance rumors, when really—they’re just having a friendly conversation. If you’re going on a hiatus, people might think that you’re hiding something, of you’re waiting until some scandalous news about you die down before you go back. It’s hard.

But it’s harder when you’re dating another idol.

You met him right after an award show. At that time, it was raining and you were wearing a revealing dress. It was cold, so you were hugging yourself basically.

           “You cold?” A voice asked you. You turn to see none other than the man standing with a matching blue suit.

           “Ah, yeah… My manager is… somewhere, I guess… She left my coat in the car, so here I am, freezing to death.” You joked, and he let out a chuckle before he could take his suit off.

           “Here, wear mine first.” He said giving it to you.

           “Oh, no it’s okay! I’ll be okay—”            “Just wear it, it’s fine…” He said putting it on to you. He then leans in closer to your ear.

           “There are photographers above us, I just don’t want them getting pictures that they shouldn’t take.” He whispered. You turn to him, who was pressing his lips together firmly as he took a step away.

           “Keep it, maybe we’ll meet again someday.” He said before walking away from you as you pull his suit tighter to cover you.

           “Congrast on the win by the way!” He shouted happily and you just smiled.

And you’re glad that the both of you crosses paths for the second time. He was out with his friends, while you were dining by yourself. Wearing a black hoodie and sweats, while he was wearing a black cap, a white t-shirt and a sweatpants with a pair of sandals.

           “The girl with the dress is now the girl with sweats.” He said as he approached your table, and you just giggled.

           “Since, my dress was too revealing for the paparazzies, I need an outfit that covers most parts of my body too.” You winked and he chuckled.

           He looked at his friends for a brief second before turning back to you.

           “So listen, I’m with my friends right now, but I would really love to have a meal with you and get to know you a little bit more in the future, so… can I call you or text you later?” He asked. And you just smiled before both of you could exchange phone numbers.

You talked to him almost everyday until he finally asked you out on dinner. He didn’t want any public media knows about it, so he invited you down to his place where he cooks all of the meal.

           “You cook this much?” You asked as you approached the dinning table in his house.

           “Yeah, I didn’t know how much we’d both be eating, so… I made this much.” He said.

           You turn your head to him and he was smiling from ear to ear. “The more the better.” He said.

He asked you to be his girlfriend on the third date, which was at his place, and the both of you were just watching Netflix until you both got into an intimate conversation.

           “Umm… I don’t know, I think it’s too risky.” You whispered before his forehead could touch yours.

           “I know… but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.” He said.

           You could feel his hand on your back, pulling you closer into his arms.

           “If you don’t want to do it, it’s fine—but I really want to take this chance, even it’s risky.” He said.

           “Nobody can know about us—especially the media!” You pointed out to him, staring deep into his eyes.

           “Especially that.” He said.

           “We have to tell both of our manager so they can help us with our meeting plan, so no media can ever see us.” You told him, and he nodded his head.

           “Of course, we’re just going to keep this out from the media, and our friends.” He said.

           “Okay…”

           “Okay… So you want to do this?” He asked as his eyes traveled down to your lips before he could look back into your eyes.

           “Yes, yes, I want to do this with you.” You nodded your head with a smile, your arms reflexively moved, wrapping it around his neck.    

           “Okay…” He said in a low voice before he could press his plump lips on yours.

You’ve been dating THE Do Kyungsoo—the singer and actor—for 6 months now since that night he asked you to be his girlfriend. You kept this information really close. Your head agency and also Kyungsoo’s head agency already knew about this, and they agree to keep it as a secret as long as it can. Both yours and Kyungsoo’s manager knows about it too, and both of them have been working together to keep all sorts of public attention, medias, tabloids, fans away from you and Kyungsoo. They also helped to arrange on how you get to Kyungsoo’s place without being spotted, or the other way around it and it has been working so well—

So far.

You were currently eating lunch with you co-star near where you were shooting your drama. You could see some fans whispering as they pass by and some of them let out a squeal of excitement. Not long after that, public media starts to trickled in one by one.

           “Ah, the media’s here.” Minjae said, prepping himself to get off from his seat.

           You looked over yoru shoulders and you could see people hurling the front door with their camera ready in hand.

           You nodded your head before getting up from your seat.

           “Shall we go?” You asked, and Minjae nodded his head.

           Before you could leave the place, you thanked the owner by bowing your head slightly as Minjae followed you. He pulled your hand so that he exit the building first, pushing the both of you through the paparazzi and exciting fans.

           Questions were started being thrown at the both of you. Starting from the questions about yoru drama, then to yours and Minjae’s dating life.

           “Can you tell us what the drama is about?”

           “Can we confirm that you guys are having an off-screen romance?”

           “KIM MINJAE WE LOVE YOU!”

           “Is it true that you’re dating (Y/N)?”

           “(Y/N), are you dating DO Kyungsoo at the moment?”

           You heard the question, but you didn’t react to it, otherwise people would already get a confirmation. You and Minjae didn’t answer to any of the questions and proceed to Minjae’s car.

           “Aish… can people move aside, we’re trying to get out from this place.” He said turning his car engine on.

           You let out a light laugh, but really your head was too distracted by the question that was asked by the media.

“(Y/N), are you dating DO Kyungsoo at the moment?”

As Minjae drove his car slowly out from the parking space, you fished yoru phone out from your purse to send a quick text to Kyungsoo.

Hey, are you busy today?

You send the text and as you reached the set, you got a reply from Kyungsoo.

From: K

Just finished rehearsing, why?

But, as you were about to reply, your director was already calling out for you and Minjea to get on the next scene. So you placed your phone back into your purse before you get back into your job. But as the day goes by, you didn’t feel safe, everything was distracting, you lose focus, to the point Minjae asked you if you’re okay. Right after the shoot, you thanked everyone before proceeding to go straight home.  You plopped yourself on the couch of your living room as you opened yoru phone.

4 Missed Calls from K

3 Unread Messegaes from K

From: K

Are you home?

For: K

Yes

As you placed your phone on your stomach, you let out a sigh before you could feel your phone vibrating on you.

“Hello?” You answered.

           “Hey, I’m on my way to you right now, there’s something I need to talk to you about.” Kyungsoo said, and you could feel your body went rigid as you sat up. He must’ve known something.

           “Soo, I don’t think that’s a good idea, I’m scared if the media has secretly followed me home.” You said, getting up from the couch, stepping out to your balcony.

           You saw a couple of people hiding behind the bushes, seemingly ready for Kyungsoo to be caught red-handed to come by to your place.

           “Where are you right now?” He asked you, his voice was stern.

           “I’m at my apartment.” You answered him, your eyes still looking down on the people below.

           “Let’s just meet at my house—but make sure no one is following you.” He added.

           “Okay.” You said, walking back inside before locking your balcony glass.

           “And (Y/N)…” Kyungsoo called.

           “Yeah?” You stopped your tracks as you were putting your coat on.

           “Becareful okay? I love you.” He said.

           “I love you too.” You replied before you could hung up the phone and went straight down to your car.

By the time you hit the road, you knew you were being followed. But you made turns that just didn’t make any sense, you stopped by McDonalds to kill time as well.

           When you got back into the road, Kyungsoo called you.

           “Where are you? I’m already here, waiting for you.” He said in a worried tone.

           “I’m on my way, I was driving around and stopped at McDonalds first, so that nobody is really suspecting a thing.” You told him.

           “Okay, I’ll be waiting for you okay? Becareful.” He said again.

           You hung up the call and continue to drive towards Kyungsoo’s house… while trying to enjoy the fries you just bought.

You parked your car and you can already see Kyungsoo waiting for you outside. He was wearing a khaki pants and black sweater.

           “Hey, come in.” He said, taking your hand before closing the door and locking it.

           He then greeted you before pulling you into a hug.

           “How was your day?” He asked you.

           “It was fine… Until I finished up lunch with Minjae, and then suddenly someone asked if we’re dating—I got distracted.” You told him, pulling away from his hug.

           “You mean, you and Minjae dating?” Kyungsoo asked.

           “No Soo, I mean us…” You said, your voice getting small.

           You can see his expression changed, and his jaw clenched after you said it.

           “I know, because I was asked the same question as well when I walked out of the studio and…” He then walked to the living room where his laptop was sitting on top of his coffee table. He took it with his hand and he showed you the screen.

THE MULTITALENTED DO KYUNGSOO IS DATING THE BEAUTIFUL NATIONAL ACTRESS, (Y/N)

You turn to Kyungsoo, who has his arms crossed on his chest. You took the laptop from him before taking a seat on his couch and proceed to read the article.

It is no mystery that DO Kyungsoo is one of the most favourite idol in the world. And (Y/N) is one of the rising star in the acting world, and is currently working on a drama with Kim Min-Jae. Fans are speculating that there will be an on-goingm on and off screen romance between the two actors. But to what we know is, the actress is having an off screen romance with the Idol, DO Kyungsoo. Both DO Kyungsoo and (Y/N) has been spotted together last month but, none of them shares any statement about their relationship.

You read the article further and it just makes you nervous and furious even more. You placed it back on the coffee table before bringing your legs up against yoru chest.

           “My manager sent me the article, and I told him that I want to talk to you about it first.” He said and you reply by nodding you head.

           “Did he say anything else?” You asked him, but your eyes avoiding Kyungsoo’s.

           “He gave me options.” He said, his tone sounded heavy.

           You turn your head to finally look at him with a raised eyebrow.

           “It’s either, we verified the news, and announce that we are indeed dating, or, we have to part ways for a brief moment.” He said.

           “How long?” You asked him, but he just shrugged.

           “You know it’s a bad idea to come out as a couple for the both of us right?” You asked him. He pressed his lips before letting out a long heavy breath, agreeing to the hard truth.

           Kyungsoo is planning on coming back with a new album with his friends, while you’re still working on your drama. You thought about the damage if you both come out to the public as a couple. Kyungsoo’s music wouldn’t be supported, so will your drama. Fans would start to attack you—especially you, because you know how fans are in this industry. You thought about other scandals that might turn up. Having a relationship with Kyungsoo then, media might stir it up that you’re also having a relationship with Minjae, because most of the time you’re going to be seen with him.

           There was silence between you and Kyungsoo, both of you deep in your own thoughts. You then suddenly felt Kyungsoo’s touch on you knee and you turn to him. He gave you a small, assuring smile before you could smile back. You knew that he has made his decision.  

           “You want to take a pause?” You asked him.

           “I think it’s best we take a pause first, right?” He asked again, and you bit your bottom lip before nodding your head.

           You stared at his closed laptop, feeling your eyes started to sting.

            “I don’t want it to pause, but we have to right?” You asked him, tears started to stream down your face. Kyungsoo quickly moved closer to you as you scrambled yourself to get into his embrace. You could feel his arms pulling you tighter.

           “It’s not fair.” You whimpered burying your face on his chest.

           “I know… but I think this is what’s best for you too baby.” He said, and you just nodded your head. You hate that what he was saying was right.

           “Hey… look at me.” He said, pulling your face and he let out a chuckle as he saw your crying face. He always find it very cute.

           “I thought taking Chanyeol and Sehun to a club would be hard, but this is much harder than I thought. He said, sucsessfully made you laugh a little. “We’re taking a pause, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be there for you, that doesn’t mean that I won’t take your calls or answer your text okay? I’ll try to be there for you as much I can.” He said, only to make you tear up again.

           “Maybe right now is not the right time for us to be together, but I’m certain that we’ll be together again soon enough when the time is right.” He smiled, despite how heartbroken it is to see you cry.

           You both stayed like that for hours until it was time for you to get back home. As you both walked towards the door, your steps and heart felt really heavy. You turn around before you quickly could put your arms around Kyungsoo’s neck. He was surprised at first, but only to hug you tighter seconds later.

           “I love you (Y/N)… so much, this is the hardest decision we both have to agree on.” He whispered, and you could tell he’s trying his best not to cry too by the sound of his voice cracking.

           “I don’t want to let go…” You whimpered, but you heard him chuckle.

           “Don’t be silly, you have a shoot to do tomorrow right?” He asked, pulling his face so that he could see you.

           He tucked strands of hair behind your ear as he gave you a warm smile.

           “I love you.” He said again.

           “I love you too Soo.” Your voice sounded so small, it was almost a whisper.

           He leaned in, pressing his lips against yours. You felt his grip on your side getting stronger, his lips getting warmer as his tongue explored your mouth. You got your hands all tangled up in his hair as the other one gripped his shoulder.

           You’re going to miss his kisses.

           You’re going to miss his touch.

           You’re going to miss his attention and love.

           You’re truly going to miss him.

           You didn’t want his kiss to end, you didn’t want him to let go of you, you didn’t want this relationship to take a pause. You don’t want to leave. You don’t want this to happen. You wished all of this was a dream.

           Once his lips parted from yours, both of you were gasping for air before you could meet his eyes.

           His hands moved to the sides of your face before he could look down on the ground, and you could heard him sniffed.

He cried.

“Be careful okay?” He said, a tear stream down his face.

           You nodded your head and he kissed your cheek and you lips for the last time before he could fully let go of you.

           You opened the door and walked towards your car. You got into your car and tried to control your mind and you breathing because you’re going to be behind the wheel. You start your car and you saw Kyungsoo standing in front of the door. You saw him with a smile before raising his hand, waving to you. You smiled before you pulled away from the driveway and drove back to you apartment.

As you reached your apartment, you closed the door behind you before you could lean your back to it and slid down to the floor as you started crying. For the past 4 months everything was in the clear. 4 months went by beautifully. But anything beautiful could come to an end as well. You thought about where did it went wrong? Where did you both slipped? Has somebody been spying on the both of you all month long? You continue to run through you memory before turning up empty handed and drag your steps to you bedroom. You changed into you sleepwear and as you were washing your face, you just noticed how puffy your eyes are and how messy your hair was.

           Slipping under the covers, you kepts sniffling, and tears just kept on streaming down your face.

“I love you Kyungsoo…” You whispered to yourself, hoping that maybe you both could be together again.

Because you felt your happiest when you’re with him.

[xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx]

Official Not-Fake Date - Gerard Way x Reader

Request: basement Gerard asks you to be his date to aunt’s fancy birthday party, gee in suit, mikey loves you two together

Word count: 2 000 (wow, look at these beautiful three zeros in a row. Perfect.)

A/N: Yes, this is a gender neutral reader, even though they are wearing a suit. Because I, a female, would prefer wearing a suit over wearing a dress at most family parties. And I take no criticism for happy Mikey. AND: Happy Birthday to Mr. Gerard Way. Thank you for all the inspiration and strength to keep on fighting which you have given me and so many other people. I hope you never find this story bc that would be very embarrassing.

One more look in the mirror? Not like there was enough time to change anything anymore, so…? You turned around none the less, and looked yourself over in the huge mirror in your hallway. The suit you wore was of an elegant and very flattering cut, and sky blue. You had been hesitant about it at first when you had bought it, but now the blue was a lot more easy going on the eyes than black would have been. Not that you minded the black, in fact Gerard would turn up in a black suit, but for you, you felt the blue matched better, especially considering the wonderful spring weather outside. You ran your fingers through you hair and secretly wondered whether it would stay like this throughout the entire day, when the doorbell rang. Quickly you walked over to the coat rag, grabbed your jacket, and opened the door.

Outside Gerard was bouncing up and down on his heels, and when he saw you, his chin dropped slightly.

“Wow, (y/n), you look great,” he complimented, unable to take his eyes off you.

“Thanks, so do you!”

And you were not lying. You were used to seeing Gerard wearing ripped jeans and washed out band shirts that were several numbers too huge for him. But now he was dressed in the black suit he had told you about, a blue shirt, which magically matched the colour of your suit, and a tie. His unruly black hair was brushed and seemed to have been brought into some kind of order, but was already defying all the effort again. He looked more than just great.

Offering you his arm, he walked you to the car and held the door open for you, before quickly jumping in on the other side behind the wheel.

“Thank you for doing this,” he said, when he turned into the next street, “I really didn’t want to be the only one without a date, again.”

“It’s fine, anytime,” you shrugged.

Gerard had called you a week ago, asking if you were okay with being his date for his aunt’s birthday. The way he had phrased it had not made it clear if this was a real date, or just a fake. Since you were not dating, you assumed the latter. Not that you would have minded if it had been a real date. On the contrary.

The rest of the drive went by fast. You talked a little, about the usual stuff, music, friends, family, and listened to the radio.

The party was at a fancy restaurant with a huge garden. If you had worried about being overdressed earlier, these worries now were gone. Wearing your suit, you were pretty much the golden middle between all the other outfits the guests were wearing. Gerard had offered you his arm again, and guided you inside, where Mikey was the first one to spot you.

“Gee, (y/n), hey,” he laughed and came over, “you look great together.”

“I should hope so,” Gerard laughed, and quickly sent a glance to you, checking if you were okay with his statement.

“You don’t look to bad yourself, Mr. Way,” you laughed, and let go of Gerard’s arm to adjust Mikey’s bow tie.

“(Y/n), Gerard, you’re here,” Mrs. Way greeted, and politely you shook her and her husband’s hands.

You had met Gerard’s parents only twice before, and were not entirely sure if they knew you and Gerard were not together, but you did not bother to correct them, when they encouraged you to go over to the photographer who was currently taking pictures of all the couples.

Gerard did not seem to be bother either, because he just took your hand, and led you over to where his mother had pointed you.

On the way there you met Mikey’s girlfriend Kristin, who you knew from all the D&D evenings which the brothers loved hosting, and halfway to the photographer, you even found his aunt whose birthday it was.

After congratulating her, and Gerard handing her a box of chocolates he had been hiding in his jacket, she started asking about you.

“This is (y/n), we met in one of our college classes,” Gerard explained. He seemed to be ready to elaborate on it, but his aunt spotted someone else across the room.

“Ah, college, a wonderful place to fall in love. Good to meet you (y/n),” she mumbled, and left you standing.

“Okay-“ you laughed, and Gerard shook his head.

“She’s always like that. Her thoughts are never in one place for too long,” he grinned, “Shall we take that picture?”

The photographer had arranged a couple of flower as the background in front of a huge curtain, and patiently gave advice to the people he was taking pictures of.

“Stand a little closer,” he suggested, waving Gerard to step closer to you, “come on, you two, don’t be so shy!”

You tried to ignore the hammering heart in your chest, and moved your weight from one foot to the other, so you were leaning closer to Gerard. From this close up you could smell his deodorant. You flinched in surprise as you felt him place his hand on your waist, and pulled you a little into him. With big eyes you looked up to him, but he just focused on the camera, and smiled gently.

“Wonderful, perfect, that’s it,” the photographer cheered, “you’re done. You can pick up your pictures later. Next!”

Quickly Gerard and you stepped aside, making space for the next couple.

“Should we- should we go into the garden?” Gerard’s cheeks were dusted over pink, making you wonder if he had been as nervous about getting these pictures taken as you had been.

“Sure, let’s catch some fresh air,” you agreed, and side by side you stepped onto a huge terrace. The garden was truly gigantic. A huge field of flowers spread out before you, and in the distance huge trees reached up into the sky. Small tables with chairs were spread out across the lawn. Standing close to some rose bushes were Mikey and Kristin. They had stuck their heads together and were giggling, but when Kristin saw you, she pointed over to you, and the two met you halfway to them.

“Got the picture taken,” Mikey asked, and you could not help but wonder what he was up to. Judging by his wide grin? Something evil.

“Yeah, we- we did,” Gerard nodded.

“I really have to say, you two look so happy together,” Kristin smiled, “I mean, I knew you liked each other, but…”

“It’s good to see you finally had the courage to ask (y/n) out,” Mikey completed Kristin’s sentence, and playfully hit Gerard’s shoulder.

“We-“

“I know, I know,” Kristin interrupted you, “you’re not supposed to say that to people, but you two just have such wonderful energy together. And Mikey told me how much Gee loves you.”

“I-“

“I’m glad you’re happy now, dude, you really deserve this,” Mikey grinned even wider at interrupting Gerard, “come on babe, I think it’s almost time for the first course.”

And with that he took his girlfriend’s hand, and they quickly walked away, leaving Gerard and you in stunned silence.

“What just happened,” you asked weakly.

“I never- I never told Mikey how much I love you,” Gerard protested, “I-“ Helplessly he turned to you. “I don’t- he made that up- I-“

You did not know what it was but somehow Gerard had managed to completely ruin your day with these couple of stammered words. What had you been thinking anyway? That this was some stupid rom-com where you pretended to be his date and in the end he would admit to actually having been in love with you the whole time? Just because you wanted it to be that way did not mean it was that way. Trying to will the stinging in your eyes away, you swallowed hard.

“I think Mikey said food’s gonna be served soon,” you managed to choke out, and turned to walk away.

“Hey, (y/n), no, wait, that wasn’t- that’s not- shit!”

Quickly he grabbed your wrist, and turned you back around to him.

“Shit, I messed up, okay, whatever, fuck this,” Gerard mumbled more to himself than to you. Looking up into your eyes, he bit his lip, “I never did tell Mikey how much I love you, he made that part up, but-“

“It’s fine,” you shrugged, “You needed someone so accompany you, so your family doesn’t bug you about why you don’t got a date. It’s fine.” Damn it, how was your voice so steady and calm when all you wanted to do was cry and run away. Maybe you should try to get into voice acting instead of animation at art school?

“Let me finish please,” Gerard asked, trying to catch your eyes, but you avoided looking at him, scared you could not hold back the tears. “The point is that I do love you, or at least am totally in love with you, have been since basically the first time you set down next to me in class. That’s why I asked you to come today, I thought maybe I could ask you to be my real date and not just some pretend date, but it turns out I’m far too much of a coward to do that. But I do love you, and I want you to be my real date for this, but I didn’t tell Mikey. And now I probably messed up our friendship.”

He let go of your wrist, and stepped back. He looked sad and lost and scared, but there was a confidence in his eyes you had not expected. You knew that he meant every word he had told you, and if you would ask him now if he meant it, he would probably laugh in despair, throw his head back and exclaim that indeed he did. So you did not ask, and instead took the step towards him which he had taken away from you.

“Yeah,” you whispered, gently taking his hands in yours, “you totally messed up our friendship.”

You waited for Gerard to look into your eyes in confusion before you closed the small gap between you, and pressed your lips against his. You could feel him tense up for a second, before he under stood. His skin was cool from the spring air, and his lips still quivered slightly as he let go of your hands, and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into him, while kissing you sweetly.

“Hey, stop making out, the first course is on,” Mikey shouted from the terrace, surprising both you and Gerard.

“Shut up,” Gerard shouted back to his brother, who ran bent over laughing, and walked back inside.

Questioningly you looked up at Gerard.

“Where does that leave us,” you wondered, intertwining your fingers with his.

“Everyone in there already thinks we’re dating…”

“And I return your feelings,” you added, “just so that that’s clear.”

Gerard giggled quietly.

“Well, in that case I think I’d really like you to be my official not-fake date for the rest of the day,” he announced, “and even longer, if you want that.”

“I’d love that,” you agreed.

“Now that that’s cleared up, I think we definitely should see what kind of fancy food we can get in there,” Gerard laughed.

“We’re college students! We eat whatever free food we can get!”

Together you walked back to the terrace, but just before walking in, Gerard stopped you.

“Were Mikey and Kristin planning this?”

You thought back to how they had giggled when Gerard and you had stepped into the garden, and glanced over at them, sitting at the table, watching you two closely.

“Definitely,” you decided.

“Damn it, I owe them!”

“So do I, don’t worry,” you patted Gerard’s back, and together you walked over to your seats next to Mikey and Kristin, who were already grinning far too brightly.

Taglist (if you want to be added or taken off, please let me know):

General: @justawriterinprogress @robinruns  @jayloverthe3rd @lookalivefrosty @butterfly-writes @angelevansfalls @rene-royale @500240 @starduststyx

MCR: @deadlovers

[anemonenemerosa]

Omg if you’re taking requests for coops, maybe sirius showing up with a huge bouquet of roses and remus and the team not being able to handle it, or the team trying to stealthily follow them on their first date by like hiding behind pillars and having code names lol. oR sirius asking for the teams help to do something for remus. hope one of these peaks your interest!

Dear Anon,

you have not been forgotten! I just needed a moment to come up with something.

Abort Mission!

He would rather eat a skate than admitting that he's a total sap and yet, here we are.

Remus was lying on a blanket in the middle of a wildflower meadow at the edge of lolligo-lake in the park, surrounded by candles, his head on his boyfrieds lap while being fed strawberries by said boyfried.

He absolutely loved it! And even more, he loved that Sirius obviously loved it. His dopey smile hadn’t left his face since he removed Remus' blindfold on the blanket.  

Little did Remus know that in the nearby shrubbery, a certain Russian tried to not freak-out as a little spider slowly roped down in front of his face.

"Kuny be quiet! They will hear us!" Nado was on edge.

"NADO is spider, might bite us, might be ve- veno... Might be bad!" Kuny whisper-yelled while leaning as far away as possible without leaving the greenery.

"You are 6'4'' Russian terror on legs! Stop getting spooked by a tiny spider."

"But spider..."

"There are no venomous spiders in Gryffindor. Keep calm, love." Nado patted the head of his, secretly very soft and sensitive, flatmate in a calming way.

Nados phone lit up with a message.

 WHAT THEY HELL ARE THE DISASTER TWINS DOING?! THEY WILL BE SEEN! – The coolest Team

Who? – Voice of reason?

Kuny and Nado. – The coolest Team

This night will be over before I have learned that. – Voice of Reason

 On the other side of the completely undisturbed and definitely not spied on couple, Kasey and James were laying flat on the ground between the high grass, binoculars rised.

"See anyone snooping on our precious lovebirds, Kase?"

"You mean except us?"

"Oi! We're not snooping, we protect them. With love. No one dare interrupting my lovesick puppies. I will take them all down before they even come close!!"

"Endearing, Pots. I think I already have like nine ticks at my- Hell no!" Kasey dropped his binoculars and started frantically tapping on his phone.

 I think they have spotted the Voice of Reason! Abort approach! – The coolest Team

Who? – Voice of Reason

YOU! Stir the boat away from the shore before they can make out your faces! – Disaster Twins

Whose idea was it with the stupid code names anyway? – Voice of Reason

Oh, Shut up Dumo, they're brilliant! – The coolest Team

No. No, they're not. – Lovebirds

It's Talker here and they are brilliant! – Voice of Reason

NO! Do not betray me! – Voice of Reason

Nicknames is fun. Not have much fun here! Spider try kill us! – Disaster Twins

Oh, hell xD – Lovebirds

 "Oh my god, this is gold!" Leo sniggered and leaned out of the giant hammock they've installed the day prior in the crown of a large weeping willow, directly above Remus and Sirius.

He and his two boys were scheduled to keep an overview of proceedings and who would say no to a night out in a hammock with the hottest guys of the NHL, which just so happened to be his boyfriends? Even if the occasion was absolutely ludicrous, he was in.

"But the codenames are bad." Logan put his binoculars down to rub at his eyes.

"Well, Pots came up with them, what did you expect?"

"True." Logan yawned and carefully rolled over to bury his face in Finns chest.

"It's funny in Potty's flat and stupid sense of humour. I Mean Lovebirds. Us. In the tree. In a Hammock that resembles a nest. Not subtle but entertaining."

"Shut up Fish." The other two groaned in unison.

"What is that?" Leo sat up, making grabby hands for Logan's spy glasses.

"What?" Finn peaked up, too.

"Over there, near Kuny and Nado"

"You mean the disaster twins?"

"Finn you're sleeping in your own bed tonight." Leo was getting a little irritated with these stupid, overcomplicating names. Potter!

"Ok."

"Alone."

"NOOOOOOO!" Finn was a man! He would never whine! But he did.

"Then shut up, there are people coming! Logan, send an alert."

 Hey, Nado there is a group of teenage girls approaching! – Lovebirds

Oh no. And it’s Disaster Twins. – The coolest team

 And sure, when Nado turned around there was a gaggle of gushing girls ducking a few feet away in the same bushes, peaking out to get a glimpse at the unsuspecting couple in the meadow. Nado tried to stand very still while also looking intimidating wnough to scare the girly away. If I don't move, they won't see me. Just like in Jurassic Park.

"Nado."

"Nado."

"Nado."

"WHat?" This time, it was the addressee's turn to whisper-yell.

"I'm think is too much same." Kuny quietly fidgeted with his hands.

"What?"

"They and we. Should feel bad for snooping on cap. We just like girls."

"Kuny, we do not snoop. We protect!"

"Sure?"

"...no." Nado, veeery slowly, turned to his phone.

 Hey guys, you think we've taken this too far? -Disaster Twins

Why, what would ever make you think that? - Lovebirds

WE. NEED. TO. PROTECT. – The coolest Team

And who is gonna protect them from you? Or... us? – The voice of Reason

OH SHIT! One of the girls in the shrubbery is Adele!!!! – Disaster Twins

Has she seen you? – Voice of Reason

ABORT MISSION! ABORT MISSON! – The coolest Team

My end is near. Farewell, friends. It was tolerable knowing you. – Voice of Reason

RIP Dumo. - Lovebirds

 After watching the others flee the scene, more or less stealthily, Leo turned to Finn and Logan.

"Think we're we done now?"

"Seems like it." Finn just shrugged.

"Then let's go home."

"We can't." Logan stopped mid getting up and looked at Leo.

"Why?"

"Caps and Loops cannot not notice us climbing down the tree directly besides them. And so far, I think we might be the safest of them all."

"Right." Logan plopped down again.

"Well... We have blankets, it's a mild night with a clear sky..." Finn just noticed airily. And continued with a little smile while his boys were following along with interest.

"We're together..."

"Rather romantic up here isn't it, with the branches like curtains..." Leo continued with bright eyes.

"Might make the best out of it?" Logan patted suggestively at his side.

"YES!!!" Leo exclaimed in a very quiet whoop and flung himself between the others.

  Little did Remus know... Or, did he?

  Three days earlier...

  Remus created HELP!

 Re added Lils to the group-chat.

Re added Nat to the group-chat.

 Sweetie, what's the matter? - Nat

Sirius and I will have our first official date in three days. - Re

Yes, baby! - Nat

Whoooo! - Lils

What do you need? - Lils

They are up to something. - Re

Who? - Nat

Potts and Kase. - Re

What do you mean? - Nat

Yes, they are. - Lils

What do you know lils? - Re

James is too excited. Somethings Fishy. - Lils

You think Finn is in there, too? - Re

xD - Nat

Not what I meant, but most likely. Yeah. - Lils

But why? - Nat

I don't know. - Lils

Hey, let's add Celeste. She can read Dumo like a book and if Finn is involved, Logan is, too. - Nat

...And then Dumo knows... and then Celeste knows. - Lils

Correct! - Nat

 Remus added Celeste to the group-chat

 Bonsoir messieurs dames! What is the occasion? - Celeste

Remus and Sirius are going to have a date and some of the other idiots are up to something, you know something? - Lils

HEY! - Re

You are not an idiot, love but you boyfried.... -Lils

... Fair. - Re

Ohhhh, that is happening. Pascal is very excited! Je suis content pour toi, Remus. - Celeste

Thank you, Celeste <3 But do you know whether they are planning some nerve-racking stuff to destroy my moment? - Re

I will not let that happen! - Celeste

Leave it to us, sweetie, we're gonna stop them. - Nat

Oh, I don't want them to stop. - Re

Really? - Lils

I want them to regret. - Re

LOVE IT! - Nat

YES! I'm in. - Lils

Absulemont. - Celeste

I love you all. - Re

  Two hours before the date...

  Everything is ready. – Nat

Thank you!!! – Re

You get an update after your date. - Lils

Adele is ready and wants you to know that she got it. Now go and don't worry ma chérie. - Celeste

Alright :D Love you! - Re

  The morning after the date...

 When Kuny and Noda arrived at the locker room, about five minutes late, they were in for a shock. Every stall of the 'Mission protect- squad' was plastered with photographs of them spying. The guys that politely declined any involvement were chirping them badly for being that bad in secrecy.

They would probably never hear the end of it.

 Although, no pictures of O'Knutzy were taken during the mission, there were indeed pictures of them setting up the hammock.

Sirius and Remus were nowhere to be seen... the quiet was freaking them more out than any yelling ever could.

And then, it came down on them. Cap and Loops were already waiting on the ice with snacks for the team and death-drills for the assholes.

 "We'll never do that again!"

"Snooping on our Cap and PT? No, they are too much of a powerful combination."

"But how did they get all the photos?"

"Adele." Dumos face was crestfallen.

"But that means-" Nado piqued up while rubbing his sore ass.

"Celeste." Dumo nodded. 

"Oh, hell." Leo muttered while he and Finn dragged an almost passed-out Logan along. If his exclamation concerned that or the evil genius of Dumo's wife, no one knew.

"Probably Lily and Natalie, too." James and Kasey were leaning against each other.

"No chance. Too smart." Kuny shook his head while he softly kneaded Nados shoulders.

"Caps and Loops are gonna pay for that mean trickery." The desperation on Dumo's face was replaced with utter determination.

"I've pranked people before they were even out of their diapers! With my own wife, nontheless! Je n'accepterai pas la défaite!"

 "What have we done...."

 I really hope you like it!

Writing it was a lot of fun. I would never laugh at my own jokes.

As always stay safe and channel your inner Hufflepuff <3

[harcourtholmesii]

Lost in the Fog

Tumblr Request by: Der-Mottenmann

Request: Ok so can I kinda request a Jason Todd and Cheryl mason pair up. Like Jason goes in the entitiy realm and there they meet?

Notes: Admittedly, I was not expecting a crossover as my first request, but I was excited to give this one a shot. Not once has it ever come to my head to write a DC x Dead by Daylight crossover before. It was tricky, but I do hope you like the story!

Words: 2102

 Warnings:

-          Swearing

-          Disturbing Imagery

-          Blood and Gore

-          Implied/Referenced Death of a Main Character

-          Death

-          Violence

-          Vomiting/Sickness

Enjoy!

His head was pounding. Blinding white light filled his vision, and the heat produced burned through Jason’s senses. His nerves were on fire, and standing was an unimaginably painful ordeal, akin to only one previous experience. The acidic burn of the Lazarus effects ran rivers through his veins, as if reminding him of that horrid experience. It seemed almost fuelled by something.

 Standing, Jason was surrounded by dark woods in every direction, his vision framed by twisted oaks and pines with outstretched, groping branches. Lifting his eyes to the sky, he could see a shine of moonlight, but the pearl was hidden by thick blankets of cloud. This whole place… it didn’t make any sense.

He had last been in Gotham, leaping from rooftop to gargoyle, grapple hook and gun in hand. He had been hot on the trail of some drug traffickers; some new group that thought they were hot shit. He knew the Bat would be on it, but he wasn’t about to leave these guys unpunished. He still had the photographs of those teenagers; young and callous, all just wanting to experiment. The gang made quick work of them when they didn’t pay up.

 There was a crack of a twig underfoot, and Jason was on edge. He turned, realising his helmet’s in-built monitoring systems were fried. They sparked around his head, and the feeling burned. He smacked his metal hood, but it did little to fix the picture.

 He moved forward, on edge and prepared for anything. Take it slow, be methodical. He couldn’t afford to be injured now or caught off guard, especially since he must have been before when someone had abducted him and dumped him out here. His breath heaved deep within his throat, far too loud for Jason’s liking. Perhaps he had suffered from an injury he was unfamiliar with. Apart from the Lazarus’ acidic heat and the pain behind his eyes, he didn’t feel much different.

 He had reached the path where he had heard movement. He found the stick, broken in half, and half a footprint in the dirt. The sole of some sneaker or boots. It was a light form, that much he could tell, and rather small. He followed it closely, and from here, he scanned the surrounding area. The mainframe sparked.

 He could just barely make out a hand, resting lightly against the wood of a tree, bloodied and bruised knuckles on display. Pale skin and a frail arm from what he could determine. He approached, and that hand hurriedly removed itself from the tree trunk. He could just make out the shape of a body behind the tree standing from a crouched position.

 A head of straw, blonde hair had turned the tree, but Jason only got a good look at their grey-green eyes, pink around the edges as if they had been crying. Those eyes had widened at his notice, and suddenly, the girl was running in the opposite direction.

 ‘Wait!’ He called out. He could barely understand himself through the damaged helm. His voice was warped; a mess of a human cry and a deep reverb from the whirring of the helmet’s struggling functions. She didn’t wait. If anything, she picked up the pace.

 He didn’t wish to cause her further alarm, but she could probably tell him where he was. He didn’t much care for children, but he didn’t want to scare her. He was on her tail in a moment, coming up on her quickly. They were coming upon some damaged, brick ruins when she passed through a gap. His hand was out, reaching for her. If he could just stop her, he could talk to her and explain himself.

 There was the sudden pain of something striking him across the head. Splinters of wood and nail flew in an arc above his shoulders, as a haphazardly crafted pallet of sorts came down upon him. Okay. He was getting a bit pissed now. He raised his right leg high in a strong arc, bringing it down and destroying the pallet in a single kick.

 He looked about the ruins, wondering for a moment as to where she could disappear to. A red locker stood to his right, but he couldn’t hear any breathing or creaking wood. She wasn’t there. He stepped forward, until he came to an open window space. He reached down suddenly, gripping a head of blonde hair in his gloved hand and pulling the child up into view.

 Confusion struck him immediately upon realising that this was a teenager or young adult. She was holding her head, trying to relieve the pain his grip had on her scalp. She was panicked, chest rising fervently. He let her go, climbing through the window carefully after her. She stepped back, nursing her temples, eyes wide and watching his every move.

 ‘Who are you?’ Again, his voice was a confused mess of sound, the volume apparently louder than she would have like. Her hands were to her ears, and she was stepping back away from him.

 ‘D-Don’t come any closer!’

 ‘I don’t want to hurt you.’

 It seemed that she thought differently. She was turned away and running at full tilt in the opposite direction. He just didn’t understand it. How had he grown, and how on Earth was his helmet this damaged? He felt sweat building under his gloves, and gave himself a moment of reprieve. However, Jason was astounded by the sight of what lay underneath.

 His hands were their pale white, but his veins were alight, bright green and seemingly shifting underneath his skin. What the fuck was this?!

 A scream cut his thoughts off. Then the sound of a chainsaw.

  ~X~

  It was a new one. Another one! She had to inform the others. She didn’t understand why it didn’t give chase, but that thing watched her leave. The sparking of that red, metallic mask and the pulse of green veins on the neck made her sick. Cheryl had no idea what that thing was, but like Hell was she going to wait for an explanation.

 She was running blindly through the woods, she had almost completely forgotten what she had been hiding from in the first place. That was, until she stumbled upon that freak’s handiwork. She tripped over an obstruction in the dirt, peering down to the sight of Jane’s top half. She was missing part of her midsection, where a chainsaw’s blade had rattled through and split her down the middle.

 The red seeped over Cheryl’s legs, dying them that awful colour. She was on her feet, struggling to hold in her stomach’s contents. She held her hands tight to her lips, trying to prevent sick or a scream from passing them. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She screamed.

 ‘Shshshsh-Shush!’ It was Dwight, in her face and holding a finger to his lips. His glasses were broken, but it was the pool of scarlet in his shoulder that concerned her. ‘W-We need to go!’ His voice was hushed; frantic. Cheryl nodded.

 ‘T-There’s another-’

 ‘Don’t worry about that one! Worry abou-’ There was the telltale rattle of a chainsaw’s engine. They ducked down behind a few bushes, looking up in time to see that face with taut skin pulled across svelte muscle. The sunken, dark eyes stared at them, and there was that growl deep within its throat. The chainsaw swung high above their heads, just grazing Cheryl’s shoulder. She cried out.

 ‘Run!’ Dwight didn’t have to tell her twice. She was back on her feet and racing to the nearest bricked gym. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. She vaulted through a gap in the wall, cringing at the sound of metal shredding through brick. Red dust swirled into the air and sparks flew high at the collision.

 He climbed through the wall after her, and though she was ahead, the revving chainsaw grew louder in her ear, until he was upon her. She felt it imbed itself into her back, and was removed just as quickly. It always astounded her how the hillbilly managed to remove it before permanent damage was done. It was almost a sick and twisted form of art.

 She raised her head, looking around for Dwight. Where was he?! Her voice was weak. She cried out when those unwanted arms reached down and around her. Through the pain, she only just realised that piece of shrapnel Laurie had given her earlier fell from her pocket. There was no getting out of this.

 ‘H-Hel-!’ Her voice cracked. She could barely think through the pain. That arm pulled tight over her back, and no matter how weakly her fists pounded against flesh, he wasn’t letting go.

 ‘Help!’ She tried again. A little louder.

 Suddenly, there was a roar from her captor, and she was on the ground. She whipped her head around, in time to see that freakish monster from before standing between her and the hillbilly. Knife raised, she could see those acidic green veins pulsing on his hands. She didn’t understand.

 There was a bellowing reverb from behind that mask, and suddenly they were clashing. The hillbilly’s arms swung a wide arc with the chainsaw, and the red hooded creature leapt back. He leapt forward, striking with the blade until the hilt dug deep into the right shoulder. Cheryl noted a gun on its right hip; it was removed from its holster and hastily, three shots were fired.

 There was another roar from the hillbilly, as a bullet shredded through its cheek, a bullet digging deep into its eye and the hand that gripped the chainsaw. He dropped it. Cheryl scrambled back and away from the two giants as they did battle. She had never seen this before. It was… unprecedented.

 The hillbilly pulled up his hammer, dropping the chainsaw and starting on wide swings of his weapon. One collided into the ribs of the second monster, and there was a warped cry through the scratch of metal. The hillbilly’s taut skin pulled back around his mouth, as if laughing. Suddenly, that laugh was cut short by a crack of a gunshot.

 The hillbilly dropped, a single, explosive bullet hole leaving behind an opening the size of Cheryl’s fist in the monster’s forehead. Skull fragments and brain matter had spread about in all directions. This time, Cheryl did throw up.

 She felt her body wretch and force up the few things she had eaten in the last day, and through it all, one of those large hands rested gently upon her back. Once she was finished spewing, she raised her gaze up at the red hooded creature, and felt those strong arms gather her up, cradling her.

 There was a bellow of sound, and she rose her hands to her ears, desperate to shut out the reverb and shrieking metal. It stopped as suddenly as it started. Through the damaged helm, she could see one, burning green eye. Unlike all the other killers, masked or otherwise, she could see those eyes held something she had never seen before. At least, nothing she had seen in a killer’s gaze.

 ‘Cheryl!’ Dwight’s voice echoed out from his position, and he exited from a locker. He was panicked, watching her with wide eyes. He kept his distance, but she could see how he was trying to get the creature’s attention.

 ‘Stop! Dwight, please!’ She looked up at the creature. Those eyes that had shifted to the injured Dwight had returned to her. They were patient.

 ‘A-Are you going to hurt me?’ It shook its head.

 ‘Cheryl, you know we can’t t-trust it!’

 ‘Shut up!’ She barked back. She soothed her temper with a deep breath, looking past his broad shoulders and down at the collapsed body of the hillbilly. She knew he would be back. They always were. But for now… The monster was gone.

 ‘Are you g-going to help-p us?’

 He nodded again, and started walking forward towards Dwight. When Dwight skirted away, Cheryl threw the cowering man a threatening look. The man held his position, though it seemed like he was about to piss himself. She turned her eyes back up to the creature.

 ‘O-Our hideout is t-t-that way.’ She said, gesturing past Dwight and deep into the trees. The creature didn’t pay Dwight much mind as he passed him, and headed deep into the woods. He did slow down so the man could catch up, but he kept Cheryl tight in his arms. He didn’t let her down for a moment.

 And yet, Cheryl never felt safer.