#why is izzy wearing a navy coat?

[beanabouttown]

VERY interested to find out what's going on here

[mysteriouslybluepirate]

Izzy thoughts at first (then LONG ramblings about the S2 Teaser)

TLDR: I think Izzy is going to run away from Ed, get Stede, and help him become a better pirate. Also: WHY IS EVERYONE SO HOT

1.) Look at him. So *happy* to be the Goth he truly is!

I love that Izzy doesn't trust Ed not to hit him here. If you look, Ed's not that close to his face, but Izzy just *can't* trust him right now.

Izzy in the same face makeup as the rest of the crew (AHHHHH HE'S SO HOT. I want him. I want to be him. ETC). What made Izzy put on the makeup? How long do you think Izzy lasted before caving in? I'm 50/50 between him immediately giving in, or stomping his feet. I love that he clearly put some time into it. That's full coverage right there.

[IS THAT A WIP ON HIS HIP? My CalicoHands heart.... Someone correct me if I'm wrong...please correct me if I'm wrong. I will be thinking about this for a month, thank you.]

We also see him dying his beard with Kohl? Might just be the lighting. Also: take note of that lovely ring around his necktie. My theory is that this is episode 1, right near the beginning of the episode.

2.) THE LAD <3 MY MAN! GOD, he looks refreshed. Rested. Slightly stressed. This is why I think he was staining his beard in the last GIF, just comparing colors.

RED ALERT: THE RING AROUND HIS THROAT IS MISSING(or he's not wearing it in this shot, or we can't see it thanks to the lighting).

Izzy just deciding to leave is so fucking powerful to me, as a show of Izzy's growth in what looks to be 1/2 episodes. I don't think Ed hurt him, I think he genuinely got sick of this shit and left... He might have just run off once he got a *hint* that Stede might be alive, and decided to risk it. (Or fell off the ship during that storm...could you imagine the angst). FIRST MATE IZZY HANDS TO CAPTAIN STEDE BONNET/EDWARDS? Yes, please!

[My Stizzy/Steddyhands author heart is ready to read those fics. Because there is no way in hell these idiots will work out a throuple. As I'm 90% sure Ed just doesn't see Izzy.]

My theory for the scene specifically: Stede's crew takes over a ship, and Izzy is there to help. We see Izzy walk into the room, probably to update his Captain about the raid, and a guy goes in for the stab. The "I did a punch" Is because Izzy is training him. AHHH :3 CHEWING THE BARS OF MY CAGE

3.) I saw a theory that the reason Izzy covers his hand with a glove is because he's been branded as a deserter from the Navy(usually a 'D' tattoo on the hand). Most of Ed's crews wouldn't respect him if they knew that Izzy had turned coat. This also explains why in Ep 9 he hated the idea of Ed turning himself in. In all the scenes in the teaser, we still see him in a glove, even after he ditches the symbolic ring.

ALSO HI SHIRTLESS IZZY, SORRY TO IGNORE YOU! Why is he shirtless? It's the Caribbean, I get that it's hot, but nothing? Does the man not own any other not-black tops? Not that I'm complaining, of course! I am very happy with this artistic decision.

I still think he's going to lose his foot/infection is going to spread thanks to his toe(losing a metaphorical and physical balance thanks to Ed). They're suspiciously covering his foot with a barrel or it's out of frame in most shots. So this training might be 1/2 Izzy helping Stede, and 1/2 Izzy regaining his balance. I also think this is on Stede's new ship, as that doesn't really look like any room we've seen on the Revenge.

STEDE IZZY FRIENDSHIP ARC. :D

(Now, the thing is. Does Izzy find out about Lucius hiding before he leaves? My guess is no, Izzy doesn't know, and is going to take that info right to Stede to reveal in a sensitive moment.)

(YES. I am in love with the Izzy-candle-imagery! My man is a dwindling candle, long may he burn. He doesn't need to use his fingers and cause himself harm when lying/having feelings about something, he can just use his sword)

=============================================

NOT IZZY STUFF THAT I LOVED

GET EM ROACH!!!! I just love this shot so much...no clue why. The flowers, the shock on Roach's face, the tiny ass canon.

I love him in this trailer, THIS IS HIS GLOW UP, and am happy Jenkins looked at straight people no-homoing S1 and went 'STEDE LOVES ED! HE LOVES HIM SO MUCH' all teaser.

"I don't care what anyone says, he's actually a good guy!" OH STEDE. This is exactly what I expected from you, and I am so excited to see this play out. I hope Izzy is there to help him manage his money, if not, pray for him.

Stede getting a Pirate Outfit that TWIRLS is so him... I'm so happy for him! This is what I always thought Stede would enjoy about 'dressing up' in a pirate world. He can have elegance, color, and function! THIS is his glow-up, the longer hair, the ATTITUTE<3(Prince better be in this season's soundtrack, please).

WE'RE GETTING A STORM BABY!!!!! My favorite trope in OFMD fic I haven't yet written ;). They're so fucking scary, the reason most pirates didn't last a year is due to storms vs. most other threats. I'm excited this season will explore a bit more of the realities of living on a ship! I write OFMD horror because 1700'S SHIPS ARE HORRIFIC.

ALSO HI JIM!!!!! My two favorite characters, all get a decent screen chunk of teaser time. THEY ARE SO FUCKING HOT IN THIS TRAILER. GENDER. FUCKING. ENVY. (RIP Lucius fans...He'll be at the end of S2 Episode 1...probably).

MY HANDSOME WIFE! I fucking love Ed in this trailer so fucking much. If you follow my page, as much as I am an Izzy lover, Stede and Ed are close behind. I love that Ed is clearly heartbroken, and dissatisfied even with the violence he's supposed to love. He's got that Blackbeard mask on tight, and it's not coming off. Also: He looks hot while doing it.

His work wife leaving is probably going to fuck him up more.

I don't think Ed has a TON of screen time, mainly just due to Taika's schedule at the time. But I'm excited to see him sad.

ALSO: Did Ed color the doll so he's wearing a lace bralette? Cause that tummy (at least in this GIF) looks skin-toned. AHHHHH! He would rock that. I just know he'd rock that.

SIDE NOTES:

-HI SPANISH JACKIE/SWEDE- The ship I didn't know I needed till now.

-OLU! I hope you have such a good season, babe. You deserve it. Jim is obviously loving this.

-Frenchie having cat claws makes me so happy.

-WEE JOHN IN DRAG!!!! YEESSSSSSSSS!

I'M HYPED!!!!!!!!!!

[adickaboutspoons]

Slight adendums! I know the season premier is only 3 days away, but why wait when you can speculate?

So I'm re-ordering my timeline JUUUUUST a little based on that hideously Anti-Union bts clip. This will also be drawing on the speculating I did on Stede's outfits and accessories here.

So first things first, I think the party on the ship might be a celebration of Stede's successful raid on the (Spanish?) ship where he "does a punch in the weird reliquary and gets the red suit. Because here he and Ed are - with Stede still dressed in red.

No earring, and notice how Ed no longer has any cuts on his cheek or lip, which means he's healed up WAY earlier than I was first speculating.

It looks to me like they're shopping for the lanterns and streamers we see on the boat during the party, and I also spy the Torturer:

Wanna bet Stede contracts him as a party planner, not knowing that he's signing on for That Kind of Party?

So at the party we see Stede's slutty blue shirt debut but NO earring, which makes me think ear peircing is going to be part of his torture. All of which I've said before, but what's new is, I think the scenes at Jackie'z come next, NOT as a season coda reconciliation. We see Stede getting his drank on in blue shirt WITH earring:

And the camera cutting from Stede getting bottle service directly to his mouth to Ed looking on, wearing Button's jacket with Jackie giggling at his side, and looking... concerned? confused? turned on? (all of the above?)

(the face of a man who is heartbeats away from licking the liquor from the neck of the man he loves in front of God and everyone) And what makes me think this comes BEFORE the beach battle?

Literal turncoat Izzy.

Here he is walking hobbling up to Ed when Ed is dressed in his Buttons coat just chilling and watching the boats go by:

And here he is with No-Nose (Prince Ricky) WEARING A BRITISH NAVAL OFFICER COAT OVER HIS NORMAL BLACK REGALIA:

We know this can't be a flashback to a time when Izzy might have been in the Navy because No-Nose had a nose at the beginning of the season. Which suggests that, at some point, Izzy is going to be collaborating with the Brits. Again. And take you back after you collaborated with the enemy once? Shame on you. Take you back after you collaborated with the enemy TWICE? Shame on me.

So, WILD speculation here. Ed is "trying something new" after the boat party maybe gets a little out of hand. Maybe he feels like he can't reconcile the persona of Blackbeard with being Just Ed anymore and wants to give "what if I was a normal guy" a try (maybe he meets Stede Bunnet around this point, and it really inspires him to get in touch with his gentler side). So he gives up the leather, and is finding his bliss chilling dock-side. Leave the sailing to those who have the stomach for it, and watch the tide roll away. Izzy tries to get him riled up again - to stop all this fooking nonsense and get back to being Blackbeard. But Ed has found his zen. Ed won't rise to the bait. Izzy stalks off to find a way to MAKE HIM. Meanwhile, Stede is winning friends and influencing people. Maybe they get word of the attack Izzy and the Brits are massing. Stede prevails upon his new drinking buddies to join on his side:

So then there's the beach battle. Stede and his friends are holding out as best they can. But Ed isn't in it. Ed is retired. But Ed can't just sit idle and let Stede be in danger. He finds it within himself to reconcile the disperate parts of him - he is Ed, but he is ALSO Blackbeard, and the Kraken, and they serve HIM, not the other way around. So he emerges from the waves like the Kraken:

And fights his way to his man, determined to save him:

And BIG dramatic POtC-style kiss, upon which I explode into a cloud of rainbow-colored glitter.

As threatened promised, a rough rundown of Ed’s timeline in s2 based on his make-up/facial wound/neckwear/hairstyle situation in the teaser/trailer/promo pics:

Almost certainly we’ll start the season seeing Ed in his Kraken drag. It looks like we’re going to get a montage of raids, because I’m seeing at least two distinct ships in the background when he’s all Krakened up.

It’s hard to tell, but it looks like he’s not wearing either the cravat OR the pearls at first, but we see the pearls peeking out from his jacket lapel when he’s saying “Fuck you Stede Bonnet” to the little groom dolly, so my money is on his snatching a strand from someone’s throat at the wedding raid. If it’s from the throat of the bride herself, I wil EAT. MY. OWN. HANDS.

Incidentally, we seem to have gone back to fingerless gloves for all the Kraken/pre-reunion shots, rather than the full gloves from the end of season 1, so RIP to the “full gloves mean he’s cut himself off from human contact/emotion” metaphor (but more on that in a minute).

So if I had to guess, I’d say next we get playing with the dollies and having a good cry about it

Followed by a manic moodswing to babygirl princess cleaning mode with the hair up and the pearls and the gloves, but a little bit of kohl still smudged around the eyes. I think he enlists Frenchie’s help, since they both seem to be carrying around containers full of bottles while he’s sporting this look, and I think it’s the back of Frenchie’s coat we see when Ed starts his “No more” list.

After that, since the lighting is soft and sunset-esque, I’d say we have the helm scene where it looks like babygirl is daydreaming

I’m wondering if the daydream goes wrong, though (maybe he’s cross because he let himself think about Stede again at all. Maybe the daydream goes sour and dashing, swashbuckling, Bearded Stede fights his way through Izzy to Ed only to say “Just in case it wasn’t clear when I left you, I wanted to make sure you knew that I don’t love you and never did.” or something equally gutting) because guess where else we see the babygirl princess updo

(and we know this has to be after the raid montage, because the big ass treasure chest in the background on the right was carried off the ship where Ed shot his gun in the scene where Fang smashes two guys heads together).

So I’m kind of wondering - since Ed was at the helm, did he steer the ship into an oncoming storm on purpose?

So then we FINALLY see the cravat, but he’s also wearing the pearls, so we know this has to be after all the raiding stuffs.

And the only other place we see it in any of the promotional stuff is when he wakes up and head-bonks Stede.

And looking at how banged up he is - blood on his temple, puffy cut on his cheek and lip, that these wounds are pretty fresh. My guess is he sustained them in the storm, and something goes Very Badly, resulting in him either getting swept overboard, or the crew having to abandon ship, and being rescued by the Chinese junk, where the crews will reunite (based on Stede’s costuming during the headbonk scene, and the fact that Frenchie, Archie, and Jim are with the Revenge crew during the crossbow scene, when everyone is dressed in the Chinese ru).

I have toyed with the thought that all the blue-filtered shots are a fever-dream/hallucination while Ed is laying injured, but I’m not 100% sure on that. For one, Ed doesn’t have his coat, his boots, or even his gloves

But he for sure has the pearl necklace, and it looks like maybe his lip is split (though it’s hard to tell if that’s a shadow or not), which are peculiar details to include in a fantasy sequence.

If it is, I’m guessing it ends when Ed ties a rock around his waist and leaps from the cliff - it’s hard to see, but there’s a rock with a rope around it on the ground near the rag man (Hornigold?), and you can see the rope going down into the water when he first hits. You can also see his feet are bare, just like they were in the gunshot scene.

If not? IDK. The pearls and the lack of gloves place it after the reunion. Remember how I said we were going to come back to the gloves-as-a-metaphor-for-emotional-openness-and-connection? Ed DOESN’T WEAR GLOVES AT ALL ANYMORE after the Kraken scenes are done. I can’t tell if he has them on in the headbonk scene, but after he meets back up with Stede, our babygirl’s hands are NAKED and VULNERABLE (and ready to touch his boyfriend. In a world where I get everything I want, after the reunion, they go to the Significant Cave, and Ed leaves Stede and his gloves behind, and Stede shows up at Anne and Mary’s because “You left these (and me) behind,” but Ed doesn’t WANT them (Stede) anymore, can’t he take a HINT? Thank you for indulging in parenthetical fanfic that almost certainly won’t actually happen this way) But the fact that the wounds are so hard to see that they might not even actually be there? Would put it later in the season.

Because boy howdy do they still look fresh when he shows up at Anne and Mary’s.

But everything else must come later, because the wounds looks progressively more healed. When he’s wearing the sackcloth shirt, his lip still has a little mark on it (but significantly smaller than it was at Anne and Mary’s)

But that mark goes away before the one on his cheek does. It’s not there at Spanish Jackie’s or when he’s talking to the bunny, or in the scene when the VO says it feels like there’s a storm coming.

So I’m not really sure where to put those in relation to one another. Vibes alone, I’d say “Storm’s coming” (followed by beach battle, where there also aren’t noticeable facial wounds or gloves, but Ed is clutching his side as though still recovering from cracked ribs or something).

Then bunny talk, since he’s still wearing the same clothes, then Spanish Jackie/the docks where, since he looks so chill and relaxed, the “something new” he’s trying is he and Stede actually retiring from piracy together.

[doc-pickles]

right where you left me

It’s finally heeeere! One of the reasons I waited so long to post this fic was because my brain wasn’t working but also this accidentally went from a one shot to 8k words... Oops. Since this got so big I’m going to post it in two parts. Here is part one, so I hope y’all enjoy! (and don’t say i never did anything for y’all)

TW// Blood and Miscarriage Mention 

Jo had just left Val’s room, her situation not improving and looking like it might get worse. The news had brought her to tears, her body desperately racking with sobs as she stood outside the hospital. She knew she probably looked crazy, she felt crazy, but the day had been too much for her. 

The thing that terrified Jo about Val’s situation was that she could place herself there in an instant. Val was pregnant and scared and alone and because of that Luna might not have her mother around. Her mind drifted to the little life growing inside of her, hand flitting down the swell of her stomach as she sat on a bench and gasped for air. What if she died and her child didn’t have anyone? What if she was fighting for her life and her baby was in an incubator alone and scared? 

Logically she knew that wouldn’t happen, her friends and coworkers would make sure her baby was taken care of. And Alex… well she still needed to tell him, but she knew he’d step up and take care of their child despite what had happened between them. 

That particular thought brought another round of tears to Jo’s eyes, her heart aching at the fact that she had to call Alex and tell him that they were having a baby instead of coming up with some stupid cheesy way to tell him when he came home from work. They’d been trying, maybe not with any conscious effort but she’d gone off her birth control after coming back from treatment and he hadn’t restocked on condoms and well… If there was anything Alex and Jo were good at it was finding time to have sex. They’d even managed to find time for a quick round in the shower the morning he left.She missed him, after all the shit he’d put her through she missed him so much. She chalked it up to her hormones, but Jo would give a lot to see Alex again. 

“I’m so sorry to intrude, but are you okay? I know we’re supposed to keep our distance but you look like you could use a hug.”

Jo looked to the woman who now stood in front of her. She was bundled up in a dark pea coat and a grey woolen cap that covered her whole head except a few blonde curls that managed to sneak out. She couldn’t make out any discernible features through the woman’s pink striped face mask, but her dark brown eyes looked friendly enough. 

“I’m just having… a really shitty year,” Jo threw her hands out in exasperation, another sob coming up as the woman sat next to her on the wooden bench. “I have this patient and she’s basically dying and she has this… this beautiful little daughter in the NICU and her baby has no one else and it’s just… What if my baby ends up like that? I mean my husband already up and left me to move halfway across the country, wouldn’t me dying from COVID or something just as horrible really be the cherry on top of this disastrous year?”

The woman places a hand on Jo’s shoulder, the small amount of human interaction soothing her soul as the stranger begins to speak, “You have a good heart, I can tell. Who else would be this concerned about someone else’s baby?”

A chuckle escapes Jo as she thinks in her head that her newfound empathy is a direct result of her pregnancy hormones, “Not me usually, but impending motherhood and the prospect of being alone for the rest of my life has turned me into a softie.”

“I get it, when I saw my kids for the first time my whole life changed. My heart just…,” the woman paused, then let out a laugh. “You know in the Grinch? When his heart grows three sizes? That’s what holding my babies for the first time felt like.”

Jo settles a hand onto her slightly rounded stomach, wondering if that’s the reason Alex hadn’t come home. If he’d been so overwhelmed with love for his kids that he just couldn’t leave. She’d never considered the possibility, but now that she did her own heart cracked a bit at the thought. 

 “I just… I never thought I’d be going through this alone. My husband, he’s so good with kids and he’d wanted them for so long and I was finally ready,” Jo wiped at her eyes as she stared up at the sky, willing her tears to stop just for a moment. “And then he left because he found out he already has kids with his ex. So of course that’s when I would get pregnant, right? Right when things were about to change and we were going to get everything we wanted, he left.”

There was a pause that let Jo collect herself, blinking back her tears before she really had a meltdown in front of this complete stranger. She brushed her coat off, standing and facing the woman on the bench who was staring curiously at Jo. 

“Thank you, for letting me vent. I really needed it,” Jo sighed, running a hand through her unruly hair as she straightened her face mask. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a NICU baby to go and check on.”

Jo walked back into the hospital feeling lighter than she had in weeks, the kindness of the stranger she’d met lifting her spirits as she journeyed upstairs. She would be okay, her baby would be fine, and Luna’s situation would resolve itself no matter Val’s outcome.

_

“Alex!” Standing outside Meredith’s hospital room, Alex turned at the sound of Izzie’s voice. He was grateful she’d offered to come with him to Seattle for emotional support, but he was so lost in his thoughts that he’d barely registered her presence. 

“Hey Iz, I just checked on her. They won’t let me in, but she’s doing good,” Alex let a chuckle out as he looked to Meredith’s sleeping form. “She was shocked to see me but the grin she got on her face… It was priceless.” “I think you should stay in Seattle.”

There’s a momentary silence as Alex tries to absorb what Izzie’s said to him. Why the hell would he come back here when his kids were in Kansas? Sure he loved Meredith and her kids… and Jo too, he loved her more than anything. But none of that mattered anymore, his kids were his first priority and he wouldn’t let them down. 

“I just think… maybe you should consider it,” Izzie kept speaking before he could even get a word in, her tone making him listen intently. “I love that you’re there for Eli and Alexis, but they’ll be fine only seeing you on holidays and during the summer. I just think you’re needed here, by more people than just Meredith.”

“Iz I-”

“Go up to the NICU, just trust me,” Izzie looks at him, eyes shining with unshed tears as they meet his. He notices that she doesn’t look sad, she looks relieved, happy almost as she speaks to him. “Go to the NICU and if your answer is still the same when you come back then fine. But just… I think it’s important for you to go and see what you’re missing.” 

Izzie doesn’t say anything else, settling into a visitor’s chair in the hallway and bringing out the scarf she’d been working on since they’d left Kansas. Alex knows better than to ask questions when she’s this adamant about things, instead letting his feet carry him on the all too familiar path towards the NICU. He missed it if he were honest, being chief of a huge hospital didn’t give him much time to go up and stare at the babies in their plastic incubators anymore. But the room had always been soothing to him, it’s where he’d realized that he wanted to be a Peds surgeon and for that he’d always be grateful. 

When he approaches the room he sees exactly what Izzie had been steering him towards. She’s walking out of the NICU, stripping out of the cumbersome PPE she’d had to wear inside and back down to her scrubs. Her hair tumbles out of the messy bun it’d been in but she seems unaffected as she smoothes down the creases in her navy colored scrubs. 

That’s when he notices it, the slight swell of her stomach straining against the dark fabric as she reaches up to adjust her face mask. His breathing hitches as his eyes stay glued to her abdomen. After looking at her for almost every day of the past eight years, Alex considered himself an expert on Jo’s body and he knew that the small bump was not there the last time he saw her. 

When she turns towards him finally she freezes, eyes wide as they stand across from one another. Their eyes meet for the first time in months and all Alex wants to do is surge forward and bring Jo into a tight hug. He knows he can’t, she would probably punch him in the face if he got within 3 feet of her, but he can dream, right? She’s blinking at him in confusion as if his presence genuinely doesn’t compute in her brain. 

“Alex.”

-

She’s not sure if she’s hallucinating the sight of her ex husband in front of her, but he’s standing there in that stupid black jacket looking at her as if it were for the first time. Her heart is racing, telling her to run to him and hug him tight and not let go. Her brain talks her out of it, instead carrying her forward to stand a few feet in front of him. Jo doesn’t know where her courage comes from, but she hears herself speak first. 

“What’re you doing here?”

Her tone isn’t angry or upset like she’d thought it would be, instead carrying a neutral tone to it as she takes in Alex. His eyes are scanning over her too and she knows that he’s going to catch on to the fact that something is different about her. He knew her well enough, it wouldn’t take him long. 

“I’m Mer’s healthcare proxy still, I’m gonna hang around until she’s out of the woods,” Alex’s eyes finally come up to meet her again, his fingers reaching out to grab at her hand. “Can we… Can we talk?”

Her heart wins out that time, fingers lacing with Alex’s as she nods and lets him lead her down the hallway. Jo doesn’t know what she’s going to say, doesn’t know what Alex is going to say, but the feeling of his hand pressed against hers is a relief she can’t quite explain. 

When they enter the empty on call room, Jo sits herself on one of the beds, her eyes watching her feet as she rips her face mask away. The cool air of the room gives her lungs a needed reprieve as she focuses on anything except Alex. 

“How far along are you?”

Her heart stops then, eyes darting up to Alex in panic. He’d already figured it out, already realized that she was pregnant before she even had a chance to say anything to him. Fear builds up inside her as she desperately hopes that he doesn’t think she’s been hiding from him on purpose. 

“12 weeks… I haven’t known for that long, I was avoiding it for awhile,” her fingers nervously tangle together as she wills back another round of tears. She’s not going to cry in front of him, she’s stronger than that. “I swear I was going to tell you, I just-”

“I’m not mad, take a breath Jo,” Alex was kneeling in front of her, placing his hands over her own shaking ones as he looked her over. She couldn’t meet his eyes, her own letting hot tears stream down her face no matter how hard she tried to stop them. “Hey don’t cry, I’m not mad. It’s okay, there’s no reason to cry.”

“There is though! There is because you left! You left without a second thought. You didn’t even call, couldn’t even look me in the eye and tell me,” Jo looks up then, meeting his eyes that are now displaying a sad expression. “You left Alex. Nothing changes that, not a baby or a pandemic or anything else. You left me.”

He sighs then, his head hanging low as he takes a deep breath. The all too familiar instinct in Jo wants to hold him close and run her fingers through his hair, but she keeps reminding herself that he’s the one that got them there, not her, “I know I left and I’ve regretted it every day since. I wish I could take it back and talk with you and-”

“You can’t though! You can’t take back what you did, you can’t take back leaving me for Izzie,” Jo pulls her hands out of his grasp then, running them delicately through her hair as she tries to get a grip on her emotions. “You can’t just waltz back in here and pretend a simple apology is going to fix everything because it’s not.”

There’s a thick silence then, the only sounds between the two are their heavy breathing. Jo’s mind is racing and Alex… well Jo is sure that if he didn’t feel guilty before that he definitely does now. She lets her eyes close for a moment, ignoring the tense air and the presence of her ex husband so that she can collect her thoughts. 

“I wanna be there, for you and the baby, you know,” Alex’s voice is soft and laced with trepidation as if he might say the wrong thing. “I’m… Izzie is gonna send the kids for summers so I can come back here. And I’m never gonna stop apologizing for-”

“Fine, you can help with the baby but that’s it. I can’t… I can’t do this again. I can’t trust you anymore,” she knows the words are cruel, but they’re true. The moment she opened the letter he’d written Jo had lost all trust in Alex. “You can be there for the baby, I won’t keep you away, but I don’t need you anymore. I can’t need you anymore.”

She stands and leaves then, knowing if she stays any longer she’ll say something she regrets. She’s full of anger and hurt, but more than anything she wishes she could turn around and fold herself into Alex’s arms for hours on end.

+

There’s something wrong.

As soon as she wakes up in the middle of the night, Jo knows something is wrong. She sits up and turns on the side lamp, not feeling any different but knowing deep down that something had changed. She almost rolled over and went back to sleep, but her fingers brushed against something cool on her sheets. When she looks down at her hand, her heart stops. 

Blood. 

Her fingers were bright red as she looked down at them, heart hammering loudly in her ears as she tried to make sense of what was happening. She’d been fine when she went to bed just a few hours earlier and now her sheets were covered in blood. 

“No no no, please no,” Jo’s voice was barely audible as she reached one hand out towards her phone, blindly dialing the number she knew by heart. “Please god no.”

“Jo? It’s two in the morning.”

“I know but I-”

Her voice cracks then, not able to make out any other words as she stares at the pool of blood on her white sheets. She could hear him clattering around on the other end, the sound of keys jangling and his front door opening and closing. 

“I’m coming, I’ll be there in 15 minutes.”

Really he's there in 10, sliding the door to the loft open and finding Jo sitting up in the same spot she had been when she’d called. As soon as she sees him across the darkened loft she really cracks, a loud sob breaking through her as Alex rushes to her side, his eyes immediately taking in the blood stained sheets. His arms are around her in seconds, pulling her into his chest as heavy sobs wracked her body. 

“Hey, deep breaths it’s okay,” Alex’s fingers are under her chin, tilting her head up and meeting her eyes. She’s terrified, her heart beating out of time, but Alex’s calm demeanor slows her breathing down and gets her to focus on him. “Go rinse off and then I’ll take you in. Okay?” 

Jo nods, trusting Alex’s words as she walks silently to the bathroom and strips out of her clothes. She climbs into the shower, letting the hot water calm her only slightly as her fingers float down to her swollen belly. At 15 weeks she’d thought she’d left her worries behind in the first trimester, but the cold reality of the real world had decided to slap her across the face tonight. As she stands under the warm spray she prays to any god that might be out there to keep the baby resting in her womb safe where they are. 

“You okay? Jo?”

Alex’s voice sounding outside the bathroom door snaps Jo out of her thoughts, her burning skin telling her she’d been in there for longer than she’d thought. She responds quickly, letting Alex know she was still alive before shutting the water off and grabbing a towel to wrap around herself. Jo realizes that she hadn’t even noticed him putting a pair of sweatpants and one of his old t-shirts in the bathroom for her. She quickly pulled the clothing on, exiting the bathroom to find Alex gathering up her bedsheets and throwing them into the laundry hamper. 

“Hey,” Alex’s tone is laced with concern and care as he steps towards her. She’s barely talked to him in the few weeks he’d been back in Seattle, but Jo can’t resist folding herself into the comfort of his arms as hot tears begin to stream down her face. “Hey it’s okay, everything is gonna be okay.”

Jo hadn’t changed her mind on what she’d told Alex when he’d found out about the baby, but as she faced the possibility that they might lose their child all she wanted was his comfort. His arms settled around her waist, one hand curling towards her stomach to let his fingers brush across the bump there. 

“Let me take you in, we’ll get you checked out and everything will be okay,” Alex’s voice is muffled as he presses his lips into her hair. Jo blindly nods, not moving from her place against Alex’s chest. “You’re gonna be okay, you’re not bleeding anymore right?”

Jo shakes her head in answer, her body curling closer to Alex’s as she thought about going in and being told her baby hadn’t made it. 

“That’s a good thing. Come on,” when Jo still makes no move to leave his embrace, Alex leans back and looks down at her, eyes scanning her face somberly. “I’ll stay with you the whole time, okay?”

Jo lets Alex lead her out of the loft and down to his car that’s parked haphazardly in the lot. The drive seems to take twice as long as usual, Jo’s hand never leaving Alex’s grip as she watches the scenery of Seattle pass by in a blur. Her free hand subconsciously wraps around her belly, hoping for the flutters she’d felt the past few days to return. 

Before she can comprehend what’s happening around her, Jo is sitting in an exam room waiting for the OB on call to see her. She doesn’t remember walking out of the car or coming into the hospital, she doesn’t remember changing into the sterile smelling hospital gown or answering whatever intake questions were asked of her. She figures Alex had taken care of that, his hand still clasped in hers as he sits in the chair next to the exam bed. 

“I’m still here, I’m not leaving,” Alex’s voice soothes her nerves, as if he can hear the exact thoughts running through her head at the moment. “I’m not leaving Jo.”

And he doesn’t. The OB comes in and performs a quick physical exam before she powers on the ultrasound machine. Jo lays back, eyes closed in a combination of fear and anxiety as she feels the probe slide around her abdomen. She doesn’t want to see the woman’s face when she tells her that her baby isn’t alive anymore. 

And then, there’s a booming sound that echoes through the room. Jo’s eyes flash open and look towards the screen, the black and white image of her uterus showing a baby that won’t stop moving around. The heartbeat booms again and it takes everything in her not to break down and cry tears of joy. 

“I told you it would be okay,” Alex’s voice is soft and filled with emotion as he squeezes her hand, his lips involuntarily pressing against her forehead. “See, they're fine. You’re both fine.”

The OB spouts off something or another but all Jo hears is that she and the baby are okay. She needs to stay off her feet for a few days but she’ll be fine. Her heart returns to normal as the woman leaves the room, hands coming up to cover her face as a fresh round of tears begin to float down her cheeks. 

“Come here, you’re okay,” Alex envelops her in his arms once more, Jo pressing herself tightly against him as she let her tears flow. They weren’t sad or scared anymore, the tears she was crying now were ones of relief and joy. “Get dressed and I'll take you home okay? I’m gonna go get you discharged.”

Quickly changing back into her clothes, Jo sat on the edge of the exam table reflecting on her night so far. The terrified feeling she’d had when she saw her blood stained sheets hadn’t gone away unless Alex was holding her in his arms, his soothing words and physical presence doing more to put her mind at ease than any of her years of experience as a doctor. Her fingers moved to her stomach as she felt a light flutter, her baby making sure she knew she wasn’t alone. 

“You ready? You’re all set to get out of here and crawl back in bed,” as soon as he had stepped back into the room, Alex laced his fingers with Jo’s and squeezed her hand reassuringly. 

“I don’t want to go home,” Jo shook her head, eyes moving to Alex’s as she took a deep breath. “I don’t want to go back to sleep in my bed. Please.”

“Okay, I won’t take you home,” Alex pulled Jo up and into his chest, one arm wrapping around her shoulders as they walked out of the ER. 

The constant comfort of Alex’s skin against hers is the only thing that keeps Jo stable as he drives away from the hospital. One hand is on the steering wheel but the other is still grasping tightly to Jo’s hand. She thinks he knows how calming his presence is, how at ease he makes her feel when everything around her is uncertain. He’d never say anything but she knew that he could read her thoughts so clearly. 

They pull up outside of an apartment complex just a few blocks from the loft. Jo realizes then that she’s never been to Alex’s apartment, she’s never had a reason to before now. She lets him lead her inside and upstairs, opening the front door of the small one bedroom apartment. There’s still boxes around the living room, some she’d even packed herself in her haste to get rid of anything that reminded her of Alex. 

His hand is on her back as she walks into his bedroom, an empty shell of a room besides the bed frame, bedside table and dresser. Jo takes in the two pictures on the nightstand, the first is of Alex sandwiched between two young children that she knows to be his kids, all three wearing matching crooked smiles. The second is an all too familiar picture frame wrapped up with a red bow. She knows if she looks on the back of it that she’ll see her own handwriting penned in gold ink, but she doesn’t dare to do this now. Instead she settles herself on the edge of the bed, watching silently as Alex kicks his shoes off into the corner of the room before gently removing her own slippers and placing them next to his. 

“You can take my bed, I’ll sleep on the couch,” Alex’s voice snapped Jo out of her daze, her fingers reaching back out to him as he moved away from her. She doesn’t say anything as she wraps herself in his covers, staring up at him silently and waiting for him to join her.

When he finally does climb into bed Jo waits a moment before curling her body around his, her fingers clutching his shirt tightly. It’s not until Alex’s fingers brush across her stomach that she breaks down, letting her sobs fill the air as he holds her close. She’s relieved, of course she is, but she doesn’t think she’s let her emotions properly air out. So she cries and she lets herself be vulnerable in Alex’s arms and for just a few hours, everything seems like it’s going to be okay.

[vostara]

Hypnophobia — 02

zwei — dear lucifer, don’t pull your hand back now

pairing: ares x original female character (beatrix)

blurb: “I happen to be in desperate need of money.”

word count: 2.7k+

 title inspiration: dear lucifer - spiritual front

Only one pair of eyes (mine) proofread this due to some personal issues delaying my writing schedule. Please forgive any grammatical errors that I have sadly missed.

This work is cross-posted on AO3.

01 | 02 | 03 | ... series masterlist

The standard room at the Chicago location of the Continental is simple, but elegant. When a guest walks into their temporary home, they can expect a large plush bed covered in dark gray and white sheets. Walls are painted a soft ivory. Gray curtains are draped in front of wide windows, allowing guests the ability to block out the light pollution bleeding in from the streets and the other buildings. When they enter the bathroom, they are greeted with spotless white marble, dressed with glistening gold trimmings. And on the counter they will find at least three white towels, folded to a crisp perfection. A white clawfoot tub, with an attached shower head, rests against the wall farthest from the door.

In room 1431, this sleek elegance is tainted by various cosmetics scattered on the floor. Many of the items are used to hide the permanent darkness that has settled in the space beneath the eyes, as well as the reoccurring bruises that disrupt the skin. Some items are used to reintroduce life on dull cheeks. And a handful of products are designed to provide a perfect seductive pout.

Beatrix sits on the bathroom floor, in the center of her organized chaos. Her focused gaze is settled on the large gold ring adorning her right hand, the same one she had taken from Luca’s corpse. The ring is almost immaculate. Its perfection ruined by a small scuff right at the edge. Luca had taken great care in maintaining the item’s integrity.

After one last lingering glance, Beatrix gets up from the floor. She looks at her reflection in the mirror and frowns. In an attempt to bring some volume back to her hair, she runs her fingers against her scalp and gently ruffles her hair at the roots. She then smoothes down the fabric of her fitted black dress, buffing away the wrinkles that had formed. Finally, she reaches for a pair of rectangular emerald earrings and secures them in place.

Beatrix leaves the bathroom and approaches the bed, where more items had carelessly been thrown. She pulls on a long navy coat and closes it shut with a tie around the waist. She slips the Camorra ring off of her finger and reaches for a slim black clutch. The woman pops it open, double checking that her purse contains a spare berry lipstick and a pocket knife, and then drops the ring inside.

~ ~ ~

Fifteen minutes later, Beatrix enters the Red Line train to Howard. She heads to the back of the car and takes a seat. The crowd is on the sparse end, for a typical Friday night. Many of the usual party-goers have opted to skip the bars and rely on the booze they’ve hoarded in their apartments.

“This is Harrison.”

The doors ding as they slide open. Several passengers enter the train, including a man with tanned skin and neatly trimmed facial hair. He is sporting an all-black ensemble of tapered slacks, a large coat, and a collared shirt that doesn’t quite cover up the rose tattoo on the left side of his neck. A large oval cut sapphire, set in the center of a gold ring, is on display on the middle finger of his right hand. Without sparing a glance at the other passengers, the man turns and heads toward the back of the train.

The doors ding once again and slide shut.

“Jackson is next. Doors open on the left at Jackson.”

The man slides into the seat next to Beatrix.

“Transfer to Blue, Purple, Orange, Brown, and Pink Line trains at Jackson.”

A few moments of silence pass, while the man quickly examines the other passengers. There are small clusters of people preoccupied with loud conversations. Those riding the train alone have earbuds glued in to block out the constant buzz of the CTA.

The man breaks the silence. “Any trouble with that boyfriend of yours?”

“Things didn’t quite work out.” Beatrix responds. “I figured it was time to move on.”

“You keep any memorabilia?”

Beatrix opens her clutch and pulls out the gold ring. “Just a small trinket.” She holds the item out to him.

He turns his head towards the object and takes it out of her hands. The man brings the ring close to his face and examines it. He hums softly and then places the ring in the pocket of his coat. “I’m sure he didn’t need it,” he remarks.

Silence follows.

“The client is growing impatient.”

Beatrix turns her body to fully face the man. “Eli, this isn’t some entry-level contract. It takes time to get through all of the red tape.”

Eli smirks and raises an eyebrow. “You wasted much of that time sleeping with the wrong person.”

The woman swallows. “I misjudged his commitment.”

The man hums and slightly nods his head. “I told you to forget about the little guys, didn’t I?” He frowns. “I told you to head straight for the man in charge.”

“I was trying to establish a safety net.”

Eli chuckles, “When has a safety net ever been useful? When have you ever gotten through anything completely unscathed?”

Beatrix doesn’t reply.

“Can you handle this assignment?” He turns toward Beatrix and stretches his right arm to rest it behind her on the seat.

Silence.

Eli continues, “This isn’t your usual… task.”

“Why bother handing it to me, if you think I won’t cut it?”

The man smiles. He lifts his left hand and tucks a strand of hair behind the woman’s ear. “I didn’t think you would take it.”

“This is Jackson.”

The train doors slide open.

“Transfer to Blue, Purple, Orange, Brown, and Pink Line trains at Jackson.”

A group of drunk teenagers stumble onto the train. A tall blond male cackles a laugh, before beginning a tale for the entire train to hear. The doors slide shut behind him.

“This is a Red Line train to Howard. Monroe is next. Doors open on the left at Monroe.”

“You’ve just been so,” Eli pauses, “boring, since Paris.”

Beatrix breaks eye contact and shifts her attention to the salt stains on the floor.

Her companion leans in and whispers in her ear. “Where did my vicious Killer Bee go?” He teases.

Her response is instant, a warning. “Don’t call me that.”

Eli laughs and pulls away. “Touchy, touchy. Why does dear Izzy get all the fun? Even when I’ve known you far, far longer than any of your other so-called friends.”

Beatrix shifts her gaze back to Eli.

“I think it’s a perfect name for a girl like you. A cute little play on words, yeah?” He places a finger underneath her chin and tilts her head up slightly. His thumb rubs across her bottom lip, smudging the lipstick. “Wear sapphires next time.” He comments. “I like it when you’ve got some blue on.”

“This is Monroe. Thank you for riding the CTA Red Line.”

Eli releases the woman and stands up. “I’ll be in touch.”

He walks off the train.

Beatrix releases a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.

“Lake is next. Doors open on the left at Lake.”

~ ~ ~

Assuming that one has befriended the right people, finding Santino D’Antonio is far from a challenge. It isn’t often that the son of the man leading the Camorra goes unnoticed. Even those outside of his niche in society tend to stop and spare a glance towards him. It’s almost more difficult to ignore him: a finely-tailored gentleman, whom is flanked with a herd of well-dressed bodyguards.

The problem has never been whether Beatrix could find Santino. She knew exactly where he was, just moments after she first accepted the contract.

No, the problem was gaining a private audience with the man. The problem was initiating a conversation that doesn’t rouse a permanent suspicion throughout the duration of their relationship.

From her seat at the bar, Beatrix had a clear view of the Italian man, dressed in his perfectly tailored three-piece navy suit. His black curls are tamed on top of his head. And a gold Camorra ring was being illuminated by the flashing lights. With one arm propped on top of the dark leather booth, he takes a sip of red wine. Though Santino has a deathly bored expression on his face, he still exudes an air of arrogance to him.

On the other side of the booth is Angelo Ricci, an up-and-coming member of the Romano crime family. He frowns and slams his fist on the table. The man shouts something, but the blaring music drowns out the noise.

Beatrix sighs and takes a sip of her Shiraz.

By this point, the men had been in a heated discussion for over an hour. It appeared that no one was making progress in this negotiation, nor would they arrive at an agreeable compromise within the next hour.

Once again, Beatrix takes a sweeping glance at the small army of bodyguards that are loitering the areas surrounding the booth. Her eyes settle on the only woman in the bunch. The woman’s dark brown hair is cropped short and parted on the side. She is dressed in a tailored black suit, identical to her colleagues. Her shirt is buttoned all the way to the top and finished off with a black tie. Her hands are crossed in front of her, allowing Beatrix a glimpse at the tattoos marking her skin.

A few moments pass, before the female guard’s gaze shifts away from Santino and focuses on the spying assassin.

Beatrix straightens her posture and allows a small shy smile to appear on her face. She lifts her glass, as if to make a toast, and then downs her remaining wine.

The woman reveals a small, but flirty, smile. Barely a moment later, she shifts her attention back to her boss.

As Beatrix sets her empty glass on the bar, she watches Angelo finish off his Bourbon before getting up. He once again shouts something at Santino, before storming away. His guards briskly take off after him.

Grabbing her clutch, Beatrix stands up and makes her way towards the booth.

Just as she approaches, a large body blocks her path. One of Santino’s bodyguards. “Where you heading, miss?” He questions.

Beatrix paints her face with a warm smile. “I’d like to speak to your boss, Signor D’Antonio.” Her voice is laced with a false sweetness, highlighting the underlying threat.

The guard glances behind him.

Santino’s gaze shifts from his wine glass and onto Beatrix. After his eyes do a quick scan of her body, he directs his attention to the woman Beatrix had just interacted with. “Ares,” he calls.

The woman’s eyes dart to the man.

He motions for her to approach.

Within the blink of an eye, she’s by his side, ready for his instructions.

Santino makes eye contact with Ares and says something to her. Ignoring Beatrix, he turns back to his glass of wine and takes another sip.

Ares nods and approaches Beatrix. Without a moment’s hesitation, she reaches for the woman’s clutch and opens it. Seeing the knife tucked away, she pulls it out and sticks it in the back pocket of her pants. She hands back the clutch, and then begins to pat down the woman. She runs her hands along Beatrix’s ribs, waist, and hips, before reaching a hand up the woman’s dress to check the inside of her thighs. Her hands glide across the woman’s soft skin, before coming in contact with a discrete thigh holster. Quickly, she pulls out the dagger that had been secured to the assassin’s left thigh. Ares shoves the dagger in her jacket pocket, as she moves to stand up again. Finally, she hooks a finger on the front of Beatrix’s dress and pulls it away from her body. After making sure no weapons are tucked into the cleavage, she gives Beatrix a wink and then lets go of the dress.

Beatrix approaches the booth and slips into the spot that had been previously occupied by Angelo. After setting her clutch to the side, she places her elbows on the table and leans her chin on top of her clasped hands. “I finally get to meet the Santino D’Antonio.”

“And who am I meeting?” The man responds, his speech thick with an Italian accent.

Beatrix smiles. “At the moment, no one of significant importance.”

Santino makes an annoyed tutting sound. “Are you here to play games? Miss Nobody.”

The woman tilts her head and frowns. “You can call me Beatrix.”

“What does Beatrix want with me?”

“An opportunity.”

Santino blinks.

“Mr. D’Antonio, what are you doing here?”

The man shrugs his shoulders. “Drinking a glass of wine.”

“Typically, you enjoy your wine in places much nicer than this shitty bar full of dancing drunks.” Beatrix shakes her head. Her lips are pulled upwards, forming the smallest of amused smiles. “You’re not here for the wine.”

The Italian man swirls the wine in his glass. “Have we met before?”

“Santino—”

“No,” he interrupts. “Signor D’Antonio.”

Beatrix pauses. “Signor D’Antonio, I know the Camorra don’t visit Chicago, as much as they used to. You undoubtedly have power here, but not enough to warrant the frequency of your visits. I know that you’ve been having meetings with Angelo for several months now. And I know that those meetings don’t appear to being going well for either of you.” The woman leans back in her seat. “I think that you and I could share a mutual interest. I have a pretty good feeling that an alliance with the Romanos is not your goal, is it?”

Santino takes a sip of wine.

“No,” Beatrix says, “I imagine you feel that the Romanos are mere peasants, compared to you. All they have is a fallen empire. A pile of bricks they’re hoping to rebuild into something,” she turns her head to glance at the crowded dance floor, “not quite as pathetic. And now they’re trying to kiss your feet and beg you for help, but they’re too proud to do so without forcing you to compromise.”

The man doesn’t respond.

“As much as you’d love to, you can’t get rid of Angelo yourself. Nor can you be openly involved in sending somebody, outside of your circle, to do it for you. Because even though you believe the Romanos to be worthless, their name still holds value, respect, and loyalty from enough of the right families. Families that could retaliate, should you make the wrong move.”

Beatrix chuckles.

“Now,” she continues, “I’m certain you would be able to sway these families back onto your side. It would be easy, right? You just need to be your charming, charismatic self. Throw a few parties. Get them drunk off fine wines and distract them with pretty women who are willing to do anything for a buck. You might even promise these families a big lump of money, a favor, or even your loyalty, though that would be nothing more than false and fleeting. But really, would you want to do all of that work, over a situation that’s just a mere headache?”

Santino places his glass on the table and leans towards the woman. “Are you here to propose a solution?”

Beatrix smiles and leans back onto the table, closer to him. “I know that you’ve got plenty of money to burn. And I happen to be,” a pause, “in desperate need of money.”

“What do you gain from this deal?” The man narrows his eyes.

“I don’t care about your petty mafia games, Santino. And I also don’t care much for Angelo.” The assassin blinks and straightens her posture. “I care about financial opportunity, and I want to snatch it up before the next guy comes along.”

As Beatrix reaches into her clutch, she notices all four of the guards tense and reach for their guns. Without flinching, she pulls out a tube of lipstick and sets it gently on the table. “Consider my proposal. And should you be interested, return my lipstick to the Continental.”

She snaps her clutch shut, stands up, and turns her attention to Ares. “Hang on to my knives, won’t you? I’m sure they’ll find their way back to me somehow.” She winks.

Beatrix spares one last glance at Santino, before making her way out of the bar.

A/N: hello~ thank you so much for reading chapter two! if you liked what you read, please consider a quick reblog to share my work. i’m just a small blog with a small following, so every reblog truly helps me reach out to those who might enjoy my work.

if you would like to make sure you don’t miss any future updates, consider following this blog and/or my twitter @ VostaraFics. if you truly need to make sure you don’t miss any updates on this fic, please message me and i’ll tag you every time a new chapter is uploaded!

extra info! i am releasing writer’s notes, which are posts where i reveal (minor) canon details that didn’t make it in the final cut, alternative scenes that got scrapped in the writing process, and my general thought process while creating this series. you can check out the notes for chapter one here. notes for chapter two will be posted tomorrow.

anticipated release date for chapter three is may 23rd.

[lolabean1998]

This Better Work Part 5

Sweet Pea X OC

Summery; Hey guys, not sure how well this is going to go but I originally put it on Wattpad so its way long, but hopefully its not horrendous. Let me know what you think! So, it follows the story line kind of, it’s not exact but I have tried and it follows my OC Ali as she navigates through the hell that is Riverdale. Whilst struggling with financial, social and romantic difficulties, she has the added pressure of keeping up with school work and bonus of being thrown into the frightening world of the criminal underground.

Side Note; None of the gifs or pictures I use are mine, I’m not talented or smart enough to even begin an attempt at making my own. Thank you to those who have such abilities and if you don’t want me using them then please let me know so I can remove them for you. 

Word Count; 4,392 (Give or Take)

Ali woke earlier than usual the next morning, when her phone began frantically buzzing on the night stand. A message from an unknown number lighting up the screen that read; 'Rise and shine princess, gotta look your best when we win the race... and you!' Ali scowled at her phone in disgust.

"The fuck is going on here. Since when did I become someone's prize?!" She demanded to the empty room. 

"So much for my lie in! I'm awake now, may as well get up and ready." Ali complained climbing out of bed and making her way over to her closet to choose an outfit for the drag race. 

"Unbelievable, they have the audacity to label me as an object but don't have the courtesy to tell me who they are! Great now I'm thinking about it!" Ali muttered to herself.

"And talking to yourself like a crazy person." Izzy added casually from the doorway. Sending Ali cat leaping into her wardrobe.

"Dear god! IZZY WHAT THE FUCK?! You scared the crap out of me!" Ali cried climbing back out of her wardrobe placing the coat hanger she had grabbed as a weapon back on its rail making Izzy laugh.

"Were you going to attack me with a coat hanger?" Izzy howled, tears rolling down her cheeks as she buckled over laughing to the point where she was struggling to breath.

"I will Hang You like a Coat!" Ali claimed confidently, doing her best knight of the round table pose, holding her coat hanger high with pride making Izzy laugh even more. 

Ali chuckled at her sister turning back to pull out a pair of navy blue high waisted shorts with 6 brass buttons leading up the front in 2 parallel lines of three. Grabbing a sleeveless white shirt tying it just below the wire of her bra so her stomach was on show. Pairing it off with a red bandana and black suede heels that finished just above her ankles. Letting Izzy put her hair in two fishtail braids whilst she did her makeup. Adding a touch of mascara and putting on her favourite red lipstick to match the bandana wrapped neatly around her head. 

"Aliii." Izzy dragged out. She wanted something. Ali was sure of it. "Is there a REASON you're getting all dressed up for a turf war drag race? Say perhaps to impress a particular person." Izzy hinted finishing off the last braid.

"Eew gross why would I try to impress Reggie he's a creep." Ali cringed looking at her sister in disgusted confusion. Izzy was a little taken a back at Ali's reaction. She couldn't possibly be that oblivious.

"Eew what makes you think I'm talking about HIM?" Izzy questioned, now staring heavily at her sister in utter disbelief.

"Well he's the only possible candidate. It's obviously going to be a guy because as hot as Cheryl is. I don't do girls. Believe me I've tried. Jug and Arch are taken. Kev and Fangs are gay, obviously. The other Bulldogs are all too scared of me to bother. I don't know any other Serpents well enough to judge. Malachi and the Ghoulies are self-explanatory and Sweet Pea has the emotional range of a self-absorbed teaspoon with a temper. The only guy left is Reggie who hits on me relentlessly but is basically a walking STD so that’s a no." Ali listed off as they made their way down stairs and into the kitchen for family breakfast. 

"Mum Ali's being stupid again!" Izzy whined as they entered.

"You mean there was a point she stopped? Why didn't you call me Isabelle I would've grabbed my camera!" Rosie exclaimed. Her tone was serious, but her face was playful.

"I hate you both!" Ali scowled poking her tongue out playfully at the pair.

"When you made the deal, you didn't offer up any Serpent territory did you?" Ali questioned keeping her voice low so others wouldn't hear.

"The Wyrm and Sunnyside, I had no choice why?" He answered looking at Ali worriedly.

"Doesn't matter, just don't you dare lose. I'm not sharing the bar with a bunch of cannibalistic junkies with an attitude problem." Ali blew it off like it was nothing. She didn't want to put Jughead under any more stress. Jughead nodded moving back to continue his conversation with Archie. 

"Something tells me these were the wrong shoes to wear today!" Ali muttered making her way over to Toni and Fangs.

"Why's that princess?" The blonde-haired serpent that had grabbed Ali the night of the open house drawled. His gaze wandering all over Ali's body like she was a piece of meat.

"Because if I get blood on them when I turn you into a snake skin purse, It's going to take forever to get out." Ali spat, glaring coldly at the boy before her. 

"HEY! What did I tell you?! WHAT DID I FUCKING SAY!" Sweet Pea bellowed scowling menacingly at the Serpent. 

"Looks like I'm not the only one you pissed off." Ali sneered, chuckling when the boy shuffled uneasily on the spot avoiding looking at Ali all together. Ali's phone pinged with a new message that read; 'You did as you're told that’s a good girl. Time to finish what I started!' Ali's stomach churned when she realized who the messages were from. Malachi's second in command. 

"That weasel!" Ali hissed to herself spinning on her heels and strolling casually over to Malachi who was laughing and joking with one of his Muppets. 

"You lying rat! You sold me out! What the fuck Malachi?!" Ali hissed trying to hide the fear creeping up her throat.

"You really think I'd actually protect you? You're dumber than you look, good job you're cute otherwise we'd have messed up that pretty face of yours a long time ago." Malachi sneered turning to face Ali. A terrifying, bone shaking grin plastered on his pale face. "And this time, I'm coming to play too." 

"Over my dead body!" Ali spat stepping backwards and moving back to the safety of her friends. Unaware of the pair of eyes that had been glued to her since she arrived.

"Dude if you stare any harder your eyes will explode!" Toni muttered to Sweet Pea.

"What was she talking to HIM about and why does she look like she's about to throw up or pass out!" Sweet Pea quizzed just as Tall Boy strolled over calling for the race to start.

"If it bothers you That much, ask her." Toni instructed making her way over to start the race. Sweet Pea shook his head at his friends instructions. There's no way she'd talk to me. He thought turning to Fangs.

"Whatever it is I'm not doing it. You and Ali use me for your dirty work all the time. I'm putting my foot Down." Fangs insisted putting his hand up to silence Sweet Pea before he said anything.

"You get replaced Cha Cha?" Ali teased catching up with Toni as Cheryl took her place to start the race.

"She's a preppy snob but DAMN she's hot!" Toni replied cheering as the race began. The blood thirsty roars of engines that filled the air disappearing rapidly as the cars charged down the road.

"I know. If Only she liked girls too." Ali sighed sarcastically, winking at Toni as they walked over to where the other Serpents were gathering again. The girls stopped by Sweet Pea leaning either side of him for a moment before Ali decided she wanted to sit on the bonnet of the truck. 

"Watch yourself Fangs I'm swinging up." Ali warned giving Fangs enough time to move out the way before jumping up effortlessly and settling comfortably on the hood of the truck. Unaware that Sweet Pea had used this as an opportunity to swipe her phone from her pocket and start going through it. Guessing her password in one try. Izzy's birthday, how predictable. Sweet Pea thought as he began reading the messages from the unknown number.

"For Fuck Sakes Jones." Sweet Pea growled under his breath, but he wasn't quiet enough. He had attracted the attention of Ali who was now leaning forwards. Intrigued by what Jughead had done this time to rattle the tall Serpent.

"What's up Buttercup?" Ali chirped resting her head on Sweet Pea's shoulder, biting her lip when a waft of his cologne filled her nostrils. This is stupid since when did we notice things like peoples smell? Come on Ali pull yourself together! She thought frowning at herself. Turning her attention back to the familiar phone in front of her. Pausing a moment before realizing that it was her own phone she was looking at. 

"Um, Sweet Pea. Why do you have my phone? And why are you reading through my messages?" She questioned tilting her head to the side and frowning a little.

"Why didn't you tell him?" Sweet Pea growled turning to face Ali his face laced with concern and fury.

"I don't know what you're talking about Petal." Ali replied doing her best to sound as sincere as possible.

"Don't play games Ali. Why didn't you tell Jones about the messages?" Sweet Pea growled again his hands holding Ali's knees possessively as his gaze poured into Ali's eyes. Worry and rage turning his eyes a deadly shade of black that Ali was all too familiar with.

"It wouldn't have made a difference. I'm not a Serpent so it's not his concern." Ali shrugged looking warmly into his eye's. Her gaze alone was enough to both calm him down and scare the hell out of him at the same time. He couldn't let something so pure get destroyed by something as cruel and evil as the Ghoulies. 

"You know that's not true. Jones wouldn't have gone through with the race if he knew what was at stake. And what do they mean by that last message? Finish what they started?" Sweet Pea interrogated but they were interrupted before Ali got the chance to answer when a voice shouted from the crowd. Immediately sending the crowd scattering in a mad panic. Ali bolted to her bike throwing on her helmet and leaping onto her trusted Harley.

"Ali, My Trailer!" Fangs commanded flying past her at speed in the passenger seat of Toni's truck. Shortly followed by several Serpents on Bikes. Ali didn't waste any time kicking off and catching up with the group. Turning off to take a different route to Fangs' trailer. 

"Balls! This can't be good." Ali muttered spotting two ghoulies in her mirrors. She knew she couldn't bring them back to the trailer. That would just be utter mayhem. Fuck it! Quarry we go! Ali decided making a sharp U-turn doubling back on herself and tanking it towards the quarry, not noticing the Serpent trailing the ghoulies. 

Ali swiftly hid her bike behind a large tree trunk before two nasty looking Ghoulie cars pulled up blocking her escape. 

"Oh, Bugger and Balls there is a lot more than two of you! Come on lads this is hardly fair. There's like ten of you and these are my favourite heels. I'm hardly dressed for the occasion!" Ali whined, trying to bargain her way out of the inevitable fight that was about unfold. 

"Nice try Princess, we've got orders." A tall blonde snarled stepping menacingly towards Ali.

"Look. The boss is most definitely in a jail cell by now and won't be out for months. So why not just leave it for a bit. At least wait until I'm wearing my scruffs. I really don't want to get blood on my clothes." Ali bargained, a pleading smile resting on her gentle features.

"Why delay the inevitable?" The Ghoulie sneered, smiling wickedly as the boys behind him fell into step.

"Think about it logically. You have your orders yes? But Malachi is going to be far more pissed when he finally gets out, realizing that his opportunity to finish what his goon started, has been taken away because you bunch of myrmidons didn't think ahead. Think how pleased he'll be to be welcomed back with a perfect revenge plan. He's obviously already working on and a bonus prize." Ali continued, slowly trying to persuade the blood thirsty group to change their plans. 

"If you let me go today, I'll continue with my daily routine. Falling straight back into my happy bubble. The bubble dearest darling Malachi so desperately wants to pop, himself." Ali's manipulation technique slowly taking effect.

"She's got a point. As much as it pains me to say it. I agree with the Northsider. Why get her now when you can preserve her in her perfect preppy little Northsider form ready for when the boss gets out. I mean that's what I would do if it were me!" A voice agreed from behind the Ghoulies making everyone jump and turn. Revealing an overly laid-back Sweet Pea leaning against a beaten-up old truck. Clearly stolen by the ghoulies when they ditched their own cars.

"See, I can't believe I'm about to say this but even the snake has a brain and moderate sense of self preservation. All though that could use some improvement." Ali nodded pointing to the smug Serpent in agreement. 

"Please don't tell anyone I said the snake has a brain. It would be so humiliating." She added giving Sweet Pea a cheeky wink, edging towards him slyly. 

"I mean, we all know Serpents are probably one of the top ten dumbest creatures on Earth so to name your gang after them is just shameful really." Ali waffled as she slowly began backing up to Sweet Pea. Watching from the corner of her eye as he prepared himself to make a run to his bike.

"It could be worse I suppose." She paused hoping the blonde-haired boy would take the bait. He did.

"Oh? And how's that Princess?" The boy questioned mockingly.

"They could have called themselves Ghoulies!" She quipped quickly before turning tail and leaping onto the back of Sweet Peas bike. Heaving a sigh of relief as they made a break for it charging straight to Fangs place for back up.

"GOD DAMN IT ALI WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Sweet Pea roared the moment they arrived at Fangs' trailer. Scaring the hell out of everyone within a 10-mile radius. Sending Ali flying off the end of the bike. 

"YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT FOR 1 MINUTE CAN YOU? IF I HADN'T SHOWN UP WHEN I DID, THEY WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!" Sweet Pea now fuming. His face red with rage and frustration.

"You can shut up! You helped! You AGREED!" Ali retorted scowling at the enraged giant.

"I HELPED YOU TALK YOUR WAY OUT OF IT. I DID NOT HOWEVER, AGREE TO YOU MAKING IT FUCKING WORSE! THAT COMMENT AT THE END ABOUT CALLING THEMSELVES GHOULIES!" Sweet Pea thundered making Ali chuckle. She was proud of that last comment. Which of course only made Sweet Pea even more furious.

"Oh, nip it bean pole. I didn't ask for your help. There's no law saying you have to help me or even be nice to me. So, save yourself the struggle and give it up. Pretending to care is clearly too difficult and painful for you. So stop. No ones buying the act anyway." Ali snapped. 

"I've told you before. I don't need a knight in shining armour and if I did it most definitely would Not. Be. You." Ali spat. How dare he assume she needed saving. 

Fangs and the rest of the troops stood speechless at these words, staring at his best friend. Sweet Pea held his furious glare on Ali, remaining to the outside world the same angry, hot headed, giant he had always appeared to be. But Fangs could see what was happening inside. The shatter of his friends heart. It was like Ali was the Bull and Sweet Pea was the china shop. Whilst the appearance was as stable and solid as always, the inside was a mess of broken shards and splinters. 

"FINE, DON'T COME RUNNING TO ME WHEN YOU GET YOUR ASS HANDED TO YOU!" Sweet Pea barked, glaring down at Ali.

"NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL." Ali thundered, her voice deep with rage. Her face crumpled into a stone cold, stubborn rage. Suddenly flicking back to her usual happy smile. All signs of rage and aggression gone like the flick of a switch. Blowing away her anger like blowing dust off an old book. 

"After all, where I come from. They don't send boys to do a Woman's job." She smiled brushing past him gently, walking back towards the road. 

"Ali, where are you going?" Fangs called worriedly, it was too soon for her to be wandering around on her own. Especially after her encounter with the Ghoulies.

"Home, I have bread to make!" Ali called before setting off at a jog, disappearing behind a trailer. Fangs leapt forwards to catch up with her, but Sweet Pea stuck his hand out stopping him.

"Leave her. She made her bed, let her sleep in it." He growled coldly, all signs of hope and light that had been slowly growing in his eyes after meeting Ali had gone. Leaving his eyes colder and darker than before. This terrified Fangs. This was not good.

Ali set off at a jog that rapidly turned into a rage fuelled sprint. Her eyes welling up as her legs carried her down the winding roads leading home. The muscles in her legs burnt with a monstrous fire and her lungs felt as though they were about to burst. By the time she arrived home she was dripping head to toe in sweat. Her favourite heels now in desperate need of TLC and her entire body felt as though it was being flooded with Molten Lava. Rosie and Izzy had gone out for the day, running errands and finishing off paperwork so Ali had the house to herself. She quickly threw off her shoes and clothes, jumping in the shower to cool off before throwing on a sports bra and yoga shorts. She made her way into the kitchen throwing her hair up in a lazy plait so she could start making bread without it getting in the way. 

Fangs froze, he knew he needed to be there to comfort his friend. But Ali needed a friend too. He also knew that she was too stubborn to admit it. Jones will know what to do. He thought pulling out his phone and texting a quick message that read; 'Ali nearly got jumped by ghoulies - send BFF'. Turning to look at Sweet Pea once the message had sent. He looked angry and broken. 

"Beer?" Fangs offered in an attempt to raise his spirits. But he was in the mood for something much stronger. Sweet Pea grunted in response swinging back onto his bike and speeding towards the Wyrm. 

"This can't be good." Fangs muttered following in quick pursuit after him on his own bike.

"He's been here an hour and almost drunk us dry. Played practically everyone here and hit on like 3 girls. What the hell happened?" Toni demanded watching as Sweet Pea began making a move on a tall brunette who looked as though she had forgotten to get dressed this morning. 

"Ali snapped and basically told him to fuck off. Said he'd never be her knight in shining armour and that he didn't care about her." Fangs reported watching as his broken friend disappeared out the door followed by the overly flirty brunette. 

"It isn't good Toni, his eyes turned to stone. Its like staring into the abyss." 

"You stare into his eyes a lot then do you Fangs?" Toni asked tilting her head to the side and smirking.

"Shut up Topaz." Fangs scoffed grabbing his beer and making his way to the pool table leaving Toni working behind the bar.

Ali was half way through pummelling her second ball of bread dough, tears threatening to spring from her eyes and turn into a small-scale version on Niagara Falls, when she heard the familiar singing call of her best friend. 

"Honey I'm Home!" Cheryl sang bursting through the door carrying 2 large bottles of wine and a stack of chipped white plates. 

"Thought you could use one these and all of these!" Cheryl smiled pouring Ali a large glass of red wine and dumping the pile of plates on the stand by the back door. 

"I also brought my bow and arrow." She added pouring herself a glass and rolling her sleeves up.

"How in the hell did you know?" Ali asked, a mixture of humour and seriousness in her voice. 

"Hobo and Nancy Drew told me. Come on, lets smash some plates and you can tell me what happened." She smiled dragging Ali away from her station and shoving a very large glass of wine into her hands. 

"He was so condescending and sexist. Do I look like someone who needs to be protected? Like some freaking glass flower that needs to be guarded at all times? How DARE he treat me like a damsel in distress. He acted like I'd break a leg if I was to walk on my own! Misogynistic. Sexist. Condescending. Pig Headed. Serpent Boy Scout!" Ali ranted her voice getting louder with each word until she was practically screaming. Cheryl had never seen one person rattle her so much, except Nick St. Clair of course. Plates smashing left right and centre as Ali vented all her aggression and pent up rage.

"Should've brought more plates!" Cheryl observed as the large pile of china shattered in the space of ten minutes. 

Ali spent the next couple of weeks filling her time with work, cheerleading practice and tutoring. Leaving no time for outside socializing. Her weekends were spent in the garage picking up as many jobs as she could. Izzy would've felt left out if Ali hadn't spent every Sunday teaching her everything she knew.

"Hey Ali, I need to talk to you. It's about Penny Peabody." Uncle Gary called, his voice shaken with worry and shame. His gaze fixed on the ground in front of him as he fiddled with the beanie in his hands.

"The lawyer? What about her?" Ali inquired rolling out from under a black SUV, peering up at her Uncle in concern.

"She pulled us out of a jam a few months back. They said not to go to her, but she was the only one I could trust since not everything is by the book. And now she's calling in on her favour." He admitted sheepishly, shame wearing heavy on his face.

"Oh god! She's already got Juggie under her thumb. It was only yesterday that I had to go and rescue the boys from a flat tire at some unsightly time in the morning." Ali grumbled, but she could see how much it pained her uncle to come to her for help. 

"What am I getting up to tonight then?" She asked brightly.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you Ali but I don't know where else to turn." Uncle Gary began with a heavy sigh. "I need you to break into Penny's office and wipe the computer clean. She has a video of me doing something outside the law-" 

"Dropping off drugs." Ali interrupted casually. 

"Sorry, carry on." Ali added apologetically when her uncle heaved an annoyed sigh at her.

"As I was saying, I need you to get rid of the footage." Gary finished. 

"Sounds like fun. There's a computer virus I've been wanting to try out that is perfect for the job. Simple in and out job, in the lair of a Snake Charming drug pusher. What could go wrong?" Ali replied positively. 

"I'll head over tonight after dark. So much for staying away from sin huh" Ali joked sliding back under the SUV to continue her work.

That night Ali threw on her old all black outfit of, skinny jeans, skin tight hooded jacket, hat, leather gloves, combat boots and a bandana to cover her face. It was scary how prepared she was for breaking and entering. Fastening her thigh knife holsters and grabbing the infected USB stick before creeping down stairs. Only to find Izzy and Rosie stood at the foot of the stairs each holding a pair of throwing knives out for her. 

"Don't. Even. Bother." Rosie said firmly. She was clearly very annoyed with how her brother in law was using his niece like this. But it wasn't the first time Ali had stepped outside the realms of the law.

"Better to be prepared Ali-Cat." Izzy reminded her as Ali slide the knives into their slots in the holster. Smiling when her mum handed her a small pale blue lock picking set. 

"We also think it would be best if you don't break the doors." Izzy added when Ali accepted the set placing it in the breast pocket of her leather jacket.

"I'll be fine mum. I promise. Peabody's out on a drug run so there’s no way she'll catch me." Ali reassured before disappearing out the door into the deadly silence of the night.

"It's not her I'm worried about, it's the Black Hood. Your Uncle would ask this of her tonight of all nights, wouldn't he?" Rosie muttered worriedly, watching as the tail lights of Ali's trusty Harley disappeared into the thick black ocean of uncertainty.

[malecsecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, @akai-coat!

Read on AO3

******

Be Still my Foolish Heart (Don't Ruin this for me)

Chapter 1

Alec stared at the green and gold invitation with the words ‘You are invited to the wedding of Lorenzo Rey and Andrew Underhill’ written in cursive in front of him with contempt. It seemed to be the source of all his suffering since he got it exactly 14 hours and 23 minutes ago. Oh God, he would have to go, wouldn’t he?

Most of the people in the coffee shop stayed away from him. He did look quite intimidating with his piercing blue eyes that looked like they were going to burn a hole into your heart and all black clothes (but don’t blame him—he was having a bad day, okay?).

Ah, yes. His coffee. He needed his coffee. He sighed, even though he’d ordered it over fifteen minutes ago, it still wasn’t here. He could barely keep his eyes open without it, and for a good reason. He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night, stressing over the invitation and a mostly useless conversation with his sister and her girlfriends. (“What should I do, Izzy? Lorenzo invited me to his wedding. To Underhill.”

“Andrew Underhill and Lorenzo Rey?” She had asked incredulously over the phone. “Your ex and your former best friend? They’re together?” He confirmed it, hoping she wouldn’t freak out. Instead, she laughed. “Maia, Clary!” she had yelled “Get over here!”)

He loved his sister (he was still getting used to Clary though and Maia was pretty cool) but he hadn’t needed her telling him that he needed to get a date or he was just going to look pathetic. He already knew that, thank you very much.

But he didn’t know anyone who could be his date. The only other gay or bi/pan man he knew was Simon Lewis. And both Lorenzo and Underhill knew that Simon was still going strong with his brother, Jace.

Or he could, you know, just not go. “And look like you’re still hung up on Lorenzo?’ A voice in his head said. “Suck it up, Lightwood. You’re going.” By the Angel, his life sucked.

“One caramel Frappuccino for Alexander Lightwood! Extra sugar!” The woman called.

Magnus Bane was not having a terrible morning. His ex, Lorenzo Rey, had just invited him to his wedding (and he didn’t have anyone to go with), his cat ran away (third time this week but it was frustrating) and he was suffering from a monster hangover. And he couldn’t even magic it away because it was wolfsbane he took in at Cat’s last night. And wolfsbane makes magic weak.

He doesn’t even remember why he chose it.

So yes, he was in a bad mood. And, yes, he was currently in line to get coffee at an actual coffee shop because, again, he couldn’t magic some into his hands. “Your order sir?” the lady at the counter asked. He gave her a blank stare. Why was he here again? “You’re holding up the line, sir,” she said, annoyed.

“Ah yes!” he said, snapping back. Coffee. Hangover. He remembered now. “One black coffee for Magnus Bane, please.”

She gave him a tight smile. “Coming right up, sir. That’ll be five dollars.”

He fished for his credit card, just as the woman shouted, “One caramel Frappuccino for Alexander Lightwood! Extra sugar!”

Magnus’ blood froze. Alexander Lightwood? The Alexander Lightwood? In this coffee shop? Probably with his life together, married to Lydia something with three kids, judging Magnus for the dark circles and shitty apartment? That one? No, no. It could be some other Alexander lightwood. He tried not to turn, staying frozen. And, yeah, he’s not weak, he can handle another ex. He’s Magnus bane for god- He turns. What can he say—he’s weak. Yeah it’s definitely that Alexander Lightwood.

Well, shit.

Alec stood up to get his coffee, taking the paper with him so he could throw it away. Finally. No more tired…? Was that a sentence? She handed it to him, and he took it gladly. He took a sip and-

“Uh, hey Alec.”

He recognised that voice. But it couldn’t be-

“Magnus,” he said, “how are you? Why are you here?” He internally winced. That came out wrong. “I-I meant, uh, can’t you just… magic coffee into your hands?’ Magnus gave him an awkward smile. “Yeah, usually, but, um, wolfsbane.” “Oh, yeah, that sucks.” It was silent and just as Alec was about to go back to his table, Magnus spoke up. “So I noticed the invitation in your hands…”

Magnus felt his face heat up. ‘I noticed the invitation in your hands’? How had he ever been with someone like Alec if he couldn’t even manage to not embarrass himself every five minutes. This was a mistake. A big mistake. But, at least, even if Alec said no, nothing would change. They would go back to pretending the other didn’t exist.

“I got one too.”

Alec looked confused. “That’s nice?”

“I don’t have a date and I assume that you don’t either.” This was going worse than he hoped. It just sounded like he was mocking him. Someone kill him. Now. And then he said it.

“What I’m saying is, can you go with me?”

Alec blinked. What. Was. Happening.

“Uh... could you repeat that?” He asked.

“Can you be my fake date?” Magnus repeated. His heart sank. Of course Magnus had meant it that way. He didn’t have feelings for Alec (even if Alec did). This would just be pretend. But this was the closest he was going to get on ever acting out on those. He should think this through, instead he just said, “Yeah, sure. Do you have my phone number?”

His headache forgotten, Magnus smiled. His heart was doing strange things. It jumped around in his chest, did a little jig, probably died for a few minutes and then came back only to squeal.

Somehow, his immense stupidity hadn’t scared off the (former) love of his life. He’d blurted out a completely random suggestion in the heat of the moment, and ALEXANDER FREAKIN LIGHTWOOD took him up on it. He had managed to secure a date to his ex’s wedding with another one of his exes. It was a fake date, of course, and would only last for the duration of that wedding, but still. This was the closest he would get to being with the only person he's ever been truly serious about.

He beamed at the man in front of him. “Uh-huh, text you the details later? I gotta leave right now…”

Alec smiled back. Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes YES. He could barely contain his excitement. “That’s cool. Bye!” he said, trying to not sound like he was going to die of happiness any moment now as Magnus gave him one last wave before walking out.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Magnus: Hi

Magnus: it's me

Magnus: bane, I mean

Magnus: wanted to ask; are we still up for the fake dating thing?

Alec: Hi

And yeah, lol

Magnus

Cool! Want to go suit shopping tomm? I get free at five.

Alec: Yeah, that's fine with me! Luke's shop?

Magnus: sure!

Magnus sighed. It was time for suit shopping.

“Well, how do I look?” Alec questioned, straightening his tie in front of the mirror. He was wearing a white dress shirt and fitted dark blue pants along with a navy blazer. He didn’t look quite bad, if he said so himself.

(Honestly, he wished he didn’t have to spend money on these suits but he didn’t really have any at home and no way in hell was he asking his father for one.)

He turned, showing it off. “Magnus?” he asked. The warlock hadn’t replied yet, staring at him intently.

“Huh?” said warlock asked. “What?”

Alec wondered if maybe Magnus had been admiring him, and then told his mind to shut up because of course he wasn’t.  

“I asked if this was fine?” he repeated.

“You look good,” Magnus said. “Really good. I think this is the one.”

He grinned and Magnus gave him his sunshine smile in return the one that could light up the whole room.

“You’re not buying one?” Alec wondered as they walked out.

Magnus shook his head. “Nah,” he said. “I have one at home. If I add a bit of glitter to it, it’ll be perfect.”

Alec laughed and Magnus almost banged into a sour looking businessman.  He missed that laugh. That wonderful laugh.

“I assume that ‘a bit’ means a lot?”

“Always,” Magnus said.  “Glitter forever.”

Alec snorted. “That sounds like one of those slogans you’d find on a top from H & M.”

“Hey! I like H & M. Most of their dresses are my size and don’t get me started on those soft sweatshirts.”

“Okay,” Alec said. “Okay.”

Oh my god, he was in a rom-com, wasn’t he?

Magnus:

We need a story

Alec;

What

Magnus:

In case anyone asks how we got back together

Alec:

Can’t we just tell them that we never broke up???

Alec:

Pretty sure rey and underhill didn’t even realise

Magnus:

I dont think thats how it works.

I've read a lot of fanfiction, you know, you should trust me

Alec:

Fine. but you come up with it

Magnus:

We met at a coffee shop and rekindled our love for each other???

Alec:

That works

Magnus:

K

Alec:

K

Magnus:

hey i’ve gotta go right now cat’s calling

Magnus:

Bye ;)

Alec held the phone to his heart. His heart was beating way too loudly over something not even remotely romantic or important. He was such a fool.

Magnus:

Hey

Magnus: So I just realised

Magnus:

That the date is actually the 27th

Alec:

Ummm, yeah???

Magnus:

Which is tomorrow

Alec:

and?

Magnus:

I thought it was on the 2nd

Of jan

Alec:

But you don’t have any plans tomm right???

Magnus:

No??? But it’s surprising?

Alec stared at the phone with a small smile. Gods, Magnus was cute. And he missed him, really missed him. But that didn’t matter, because it was never going to happen.

Magnus had made that very clear when they’d broken up. But, if he was being honest, he would go through all of that pain again just got to say “I love you” to Magnus once more.

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

Alec:

I’m outside your apartment

Magnus:

So come inside?

Alec:

I can't

Magnus:

It's only polite

“Welcome,” Magnus said, gesturing around, “to my humble abode.” It was messy, to say the least. Clothes were thrown around everywhere, Alec could hear meowing from… somewhere. The vents, maybe?

But Magnus- Magnus was gorgeous. He was, as promised, covered in glitter. He had some blue paint around his hair, but not the face paint kind but stripes. He had had his beard trimmed and his eyes weren't concealed like they usually were. No, they were the gold cat eyes that Alec had fallen for.

And would fall for again, a million times over.

“Drinks?” Magnus asked, pouring a glass for himself.

“Don’t you want to save it for later?” Alec smirked. “I don’t think either of us will get through the wedding without a few shots.”

“If we can survive through that in an hour,” Magnus said, “we can survive this right now.”

That was dumb, but fair.

Okay so maybe it was more dumb than fair.

Alec was drunk. Very drunk. And they were late. Very late.

“Alec, Magnus,” Lorenzo greeted them, a huge grin on his face.

Magnus tried to smile back vut Alec tripped, falling on Lorenzo and then giving him a hug.

“Hey,” he said, his voice was weirdly high-pitched. “I’m happy for you, man. Happy. Very happy. That you both are getting married.” He paused. “I mean, I would have been happier if the reason you two had gotten together wasn’t you cheating on me with him, my best friend since I was three years old, on christmas, two years ago, but still. It’s in the past.”

Lorenzo visibly paled and Magnus wasn’t sure whether he should laugh or be mortified.

A mix of both, maybe.

“I’ll, uh,” Magnus said. “Just take him outside, he needs some air.” Lorenzo nodded mutely and Magnus couldn’t be happier to do just what he said.

“What was that?” he hissed. “That was a long time ago and  you know it!”

Alec stared at him from under his eyelashes, and, for some reason, Magnus couldn't bring himself to be angry at him.

“Not long enough,” Alec said, finally.

“Oh,” Magnus said bitterly, hsi heart sinking. “So you’re still hung up on Lorenzo. That’s what this is?” Maybe he wasn’t going to get the guy this time either.

Alec shook his head. “Lorenzo?” he asked, maybe to himself. “No! No, no, no!”

“Then what?” Magnus asked. “What could have possibly possessed you to do that.”

Alec sat down on the stairs. “You?” he said, feebly.

Magnus didn’t reply. “You’re not in the right mind,” he said, sitting down on the stairs next to him.

“But I am!” Alec protested. “Can’t yousee?”

“See what?”

“I’m still in love with you!”

“What?”

Alec sighed. “It broke me, Magnus, when you said we shouldn't be together anymore. I know it would’ve been heard to maintain a long distance relationship, especially since my college was in London, but we could’ve managed. Somehow. I almost quit after my first semester, because I could barely get out of bed. I didn't have any friends, and I didn't talk to anyone anymore. Izzy had to drag me out, and she made me okay again. But I still loved you. And I do right now too. And it hurts me so much that you don’t.”  

“Who says I don’t.”

Alec laughed coldly and stood up, walking away, hsi hands in his pockets. "Yeah right," Magnus heard him say.

Magnus reached out towards him. “Alec, wait.”

“It’s fine,” Alec said, and Magnus almost swore that he wa crying. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. I’ll get Izzy to pick me up.” And Magnus could only watch as the love of his life left him.

[captaingummy-bear]

Tagged by: @gay-royal​ thanks! 

Rules: Answer the questions and tag 20 blogs you want to get to know better

Nicknames: zy, izzy, elmo (yep im not joking) 

Star sign: scorpio

Height: 5′2 - im smol, hence i like hugs from tol people. 

Time right now: 8:39am 

Last thing you googled: freudian theory

Fave music artists: norah jones, andrew belle, joshua radin, secondhand serenade. 

Song stuck in my head: Ta-ku - Down For You ft. Alina Baraz - are you down for me, down for meeee

Last movie I watched: la la land. 

Last tv show I watched:  2 broke girls. - i watched it over dinner last night.

What I’m wearing right now: oxford shirt (white with red polka dots), cashmere sweater (burgundy), black skinny jeans, white converse, and my black trench coat (the postgrad common room is so chilly this morning!). and oh, i wear my black rimmed glasses today cause im too lazy to wear my contacts. 

When I created this blog: 2009. - im ancient. 

The kind of stuff I post: all kind of random things. tho there’s more lena luthor posts and supercorp stuffs recently. I LOVE THEM. 

Do I get asks regularly?: nahh, not really. only once in a blue moon. and i still get shocked every time. 

Why did I choose my url: because i would die for lena luthor.  ❤

Gender: hoohaa

Hogwarts House: hufflepuff

Pokémon team: i dont have one? i dont even know what this is. i only played pokemon on my game boy years ago. 

Favorite color: i dont have one. but i noticed i own a lot of navy and burgundy clothes.

Average hours of sleep: three or four, five if im lucky. (im in law school so sleep is a luxury)

Lucky number: twenty-one

Favorite characters: lena luthor ❤, mulan, stitch, rapunzel, max black. 

Dream job: writer. - tho i cant write, but hey a girl can dream. 

Number of blankets I sleep with: one? i dont care how hot it is, i still need a blanket. im not about to get snatched by the demons.  tagging : twenty is way too much so imma just going to tag several people. @rantingsofahopelessromantic​ @calanna01​ @the-riddle-of-swan @detectivesxwyer @holdouttrout

[bbeetlebumm]

Today I hung out with the cool girl who sits next to me in Film. When I say cool, I don’t mean the stereotypical tall long-legged blonde who everyone oogles and stares at in the hallways. I mean the cool artsy girl who looks like she’s into things you’ve never heard of. Every class and photo I’ve seen of her, she’s wearing classic 90’s clothing and when she posts online they are beautiful artsy photos with bright vibrant colors and artsy poses. I mean, one person’s cool is definitely not anothers but me? I thought she was the coolest. This girl definitely made me feel like I had no idea how to dress myself, that was for sure. Everytime I walked into class and saw a new outfit, I looked down at my baggy sweater and bright red chucks and thought about how lazy my style looked. Mel? She looked effortlessly cool.

Today she wore a black turtleneck with a blazer overtop, baggy navy colored trousers that cuffed perfectly at the ankle and a belt that hugged her curves with ease along with black platforms shoes to match. Her hair was short and cut into a straight bob, her bangs neat and straight above the brow while her glasses remained at the tip of her nose. “Oh hey there,” she said casually, I kept it cool and greeted in return. Shortly after, a friend of hers walked through the door anxiously and took a seat. His name was Jake, and for some reason, Jake never made me as nervous as Mel did. He wasn’t intimidating in the slightest and he felt well, normal? He actually made me sit up a little bit in my seat with some kind of new confidence. Jake had shaggy brown hair that swept across his eyes, a grey peacoat, blue jeans and checkered vans. Fantastically gay and full of expressive wit, Jake was the perfect kind of tension relief and part of the reason why I had even agreed to go to with the both of them to Mission Mart.
When Mel asked if I wanted to join the both of them and go thrifting, I hesitantly agreed. I knew for a fact that a large part of me just wanted to go home, shamefully eat ramen and watch Black Mirror until I fell asleep… but I agreed, nonetheless. I figured I should probably try and be social and honestly how lame would it be to bail? Just walking around with Mel and Jake made me feel like a sore thumb, especially when she busted out a small vape. Part of me cringed, I don’t even know why. I guess I sort of saw it as her fitting into this stereotype now, and then I cringed even more at the thought that I was hanging out with someone so…typical. Every so often I’d look up from my ratty red chucks and study her intently, each time she’d take a long drag and exhale the smoke she kept her chin high and never once looked down at the ground like I would.

I got eventually to my beat up little PT Cruiser and peered out the window to her red car. I wanted her to leave first. I didn’t want her to hear my car screeching and crying due to the cold weather, I didn’t want to embarrass myself. Eventually Jake and Mel’s cars drove ahead and my ear-splitting car pulled out and followed right behind them. The drive felt like ages and eventually I made it to the shop. After a deep breath, I entered the store and took in the new atmosphere. I had never been here before and it wasn’t like any other thrift store I had been to. I briefly looked over the clothes but more so focused on finding Mel between any of the aisles.

Eventually I heard her voice and caught glance of her speaking to someone in the opposite aisle. The tiny brunette already had clothes draped over her arm and quickly sifted through the shirts on the rack. I eased up the aisle and gave a small wave, “Hey! Find anything cool yet?” I said, my own eyes darting towards the vibrant colors on the rack. Immediately reaching for a yellow and black striped turtleneck, Mel let out a sigh and said “A couple things, yeah!” I pulled out the shirt and looked at it intently, I could immediately see her brown depths dart towards the bright shirt. “This is cute right..?” I said out loud, I don’t know why I was seeking approval. “I love that!” she exclaimed, and for some strange reason, I blurted out “It looks your size..?!” If I’m being honest, I wanted it for myself. Mel reached forward and grabbed it from my hands to examine “Not me, but I could definitely use it for a photoshoot!” she examined it for two seconds and tucked it in her arm. I pursed my lips and gave a small nod, I had no idea that Mel bought clothes JUST for other people to wear in photoshoots. “–Like this! Wouldn’t this be so cute for a shoot?!” She brought up what I thought to be, one of the ugliest shirts I had ever seen. It was a silky white shirt with black and gold decor, I feel like I stared at it for five whole minutes before exclaiming “Soooo cute!” why did I lie? I had no idea why I lied at all, but I did?

Eventually Melissa started talking to the girl in the opposite aisle again, and I wandered off on my own. Every so often I kept gazing over at the girl she was talking to, it was clear now that Mel knew who she was and they were friends. I started to look at the old coats, but it felt like I wasn’t necessarily looking at them? My mind was somewhere else, and I stood there just listening to this conversation Mel was having. “There’s so many cute outfits here…I mean look at this! I can see you wearing this…!” Mel exclaimed, pulling up an article of clothing that once again made me raise a brow. The thin blonde sighed as she dropped her shoulders and shook her head “Ugh, I would totally love to wear that… Especially if I modeled for UNIF.”

For a moment, I felt entirely uneasy. UNIF was a clothing brand that targeted people just like Mel and her friends. What it was was expensive 90’s esque clothing that came in various vibrant clothing and only the edgiest looking models modeled for this brand. They posed in urban areas or neon wallpaper and draped their arm over their head and twisted their body to seem…unique? Mel sighed in response and let out a “UGH! I know! The dream!” It all felt so typical, it felt like they were saying everything you would EXPECT them to say. I kind of scoffed under my breath and let out a heavy breath, easing my way back to Mel and forcing on a smile as I followed like a lost dog. “Oh! Nikki, This is Izzy, Izzy this is Nikki!” I gave a quiet hello and weak wave, she gave me somewhat of a forced smile and said hello in return.

Izzy made me feel the same way Mel did, which was nervous and intimidated. She wore the typical light wash mom jeans and tight belt with a old lady’s sweater to match and dirty old grey chucks. I thought about if I ever wore that outfit and how unflattering it would look on me, but she just wore it so well. In her arms she had various old 90’s shirts and on top a silky red lingerie dress. It almost felt like she made it a point to place that one specific article of clothing on top. I would judge, but instead I shrugged it off. Who am I to judge? I couldn’t doubt that she’d rock it.

Eventually Jake pulled through the door and I felt a wave of relief, he scrunched up his nose and apologized for his late arrival. “I took like, the worst way to get here.”he sighed, and immediately looked around in the same anxious manner I had. Eventually he eased off towards the men’s section and I followed behind, watching as he every so often raised a shirt out of the rack and studied it carefully. Something about watching him shop was fun, there wasn’t any pretentiousness about it. He liked what he liked, whether it was an old dirty flannel or a shirt with a horse on it - Jake didn’t care what would make him look cooler. I admired this and for that reason, stuck behind him to watch intently. Eventually he eased his way towards the heels, and every so often picked up one to toss onto the ground and size out next to his foot. “Please fit, please fit..”he whispered under his breath, attempting to squeeze his size ten foot into the Women’s size 8. Groaning in defeat, he tossed the large vibrant red heel onto the ground and shook his head “Too small..” I smiled and laughed and for a moment forgot about trying to look cool or different.

After several rounds around the shop, I ended up with a striped shirt, black boots and an old teddy bear. I made it a point to make my purchases without Mel and Jake around, I guess a part of me just wanted to get it over with without having to do the whole “What did you fiiiiind!?” conversation. It also turned out that a girl I knew from class, who one questioned my religion and my faith worked at this thrift store and gave me really enthusiastic greeting along with an aggressive and eager wave. I waved back and exclaimed how small of a world it was and that it was nice to see her, the usual small chatter. I paid for my items and turned back to see Jake waiting in like patiently, he raised his hand to show me a nice little find he had made which was a painting of two kittens on what looked like a mirrored frame. It made me smile.

I stood off to the side after Jake paid and looked at each of his items intently, he and I had similar taste in the odd and unusual side of thrift stores. The things that people wouldn’t really want to actually spend money on. His purchases included the kitten mirror, a porcelain clown, a flannel shirt and a mug that read “world’s best dad.” Shortly after paying, Jake said goodbye and went on his way. I was back to being stuck with Mel again, who now only had the black and yellow striped shirt I had found earlier draped on her arm. “Going with the turtleneck I see..”I smiled, she nodded and looked down at it “Not for me, for a shoot. It’s got such a Mac DeMarco vibe to it..” she nodded while holding out the shirt in front of her. “Oh it totally does..!” I nodded. I have no idea who Mac DeMarco is. I told her I had better head out, seeing as it was getting dark out. She gave me a quick “Sure..! see ya.” and continued talking to Izzy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere again. “Izzy! I found these sweet light wash jeans in the MENS aisle! I told you! That’s the aisle to go!” I cringed again and held my plastic bag tightly as I made my way towards the door. I gave a quick goodbye to the girl behind the counter who I had known from my Music class and scurried to my car.

The whole drive home I kept thinking about that girl, and how at one point in my life I thought she had been so strange. I thought it was odd for her to question my religion and I thought it was odd that she had been SO committed to her faith that she felt the need to inform others about it and put them on the spot…but now that I had dealt with Melissa and saw her in the same room.. I realized that she was the most normal person I had ever met. It’s strange how being so normal, could be so outlandishly cool.