#with her only sort of friend being a girl she hung out with despite her being bullied n excluded who then left her for the bullies

[arovalentines]

but i'm not supposed to scratch

[senipsenipsenip]

Dipper sighed as he felt another pen crack between his molars. Great, Mabel was definitely going to make fun of him for the ink stains on his mouth when she got home. He could hear it now, Wow Dipper, I knew you were a nerd, but I didn't know if I left you alone you'd start kissing your homework.

Dipper sighed and threw the pen into the trash with the other three he'd already snapped. It wasn't fair - he spent the whole summer fighting monsters and saving the world, why did he have to learn the stupid Great Depression's effect on American Literature or whatever. He glanced at the calendar. Only a little over a month until winter break. Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford had promised to try and make it back to Gravity Falls so they could host the twins for the holidays. Sure, they had only been on the open ocean for a couple of months, but the two of them decided it would probably be best to start with a shorter trip then build up from there. After all, despite their age, they were still rookies. Besides, there was nothing on the sea that would help jog Stan's memory other than Great Uncle Ford's questioning. Being on home soil would hopefully bring back some more of Stan's forgotten past.

Dipper's phone pinged. He frowned. That shouldn't happen. He had his phone on Do Not Disturb so he could finish studying. The only alerts that would still pass through were texts from Mabel, Grunkle Stan, or Great Uncle Ford. Mabel never texted when she was out with her friends, and it's not like there was a lot of cell reception out at sea. Curiosity peaked, Dipper unlocked his phone.

It was Stan. More specifically, Stan's boots on the deck of the boat. It was a video, and before Dipper could press play, three little dots appeared indicating Stan was typing. Dipper sat back and waited. It usually took Grunkle Stan awhile to type out his messages. He always blamed the too small phone screen, saying it wasn't designed for fat fingers and cataracts.

What does this mean?

Dipper frowned at the message. Was he asking Dipper to decode a message? Why wouldn't he just ask Great Uncle Ford? Unless...oh gosh was Great Uncle Ford in danger? Did they need help? Why wouldn't he call? Dipper turned his volume up as high as he could, pressing play with a sweaty thumb.

The video started on Stan's boots, but quickly shifted as Stan started pointing his phone at something on the...oh. The wooden planks Dipper had seen Stan standing on weren't the planks of the boat deck, they were floorboards for an outdoor patio. A patio that was full of people speaking...some sort of language. Something Nordic maybe. Geez, weren't they freezing? Maybe not because...Nordic.

The camera was pointed at the door separating the bar from the patio, specifically, the top right corner where a set of speakers had been hung. Oh, Dipper realized. He's trying to record the music. Dipper held the phone to his ear. Maybe Stan was trying to figure out a secret code in the lyrics? He was pretty sure he had told Stan all about that day when they saved Wendy from Robbie's horrible music. This sounded a lot different than Robbie's music though. It was way more upbeat and -

...comin' through, that girl is youuuu...

"Oh my God," Dipper groaned, letting his head fall to his desk. Of course. Of course that's what would be playing. Of course a Nordic bar would be blasting Icelandic Pop Sensation BABBA.

Now Stan's message made sense. He had heard the song and felt "The Itching". That's what Stan had taken to calling it when he could feel himself starting to remember something, but needed a little extra help making it make sense. Stan said it was because it felt like an itching in the back of his brain. Dipper was pretty sure he called it that because if he announced he had "an itch that needs scratching" it was always a fifty-fifty toss up as to whether he needed help with a memory or literally wanted someone to help him scratch himself. Sometimes it was both. Either away, Stan got a kick out of how many times he could trick Ford.

Dipper grimaced. Maybe he could get out of this one. After all, Stan doesn't need all of his memories...right? He could forget some of the more embarrassing ones.

It's a song by BABBA. He typed. It's called "Disco Girl." There. The fact Stan's going to know that Dipper can identify the song is embarrassing enough, he doesn't need to remember The Incident.

The three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared again.

Oh. OK.

Dipper sat his phone down. There. That was that. He didn't need to feel guilty about how Stan somehow managed to sound disappointed with two words. Besides, he had homework to do. He was a busy guy. Yep, not gonna think about it.

His phone pinged.

Made me think of you.

Okay. Starting to feel guilty now. Dipper sighed. Even over text message, he could hear the tone of voice Stan would say it in. That tone where he would say something like it was just a careless aside so that you wouldn't think he was taking something seriously, so then you wouldn't take it seriously, so that he could tell himself you didn't take it seriously because you thought he wasn't taking it seriously and not because you don't take him seriously or care about him seriously or -

Dipper frowned. Maybe these English classes were doing something after all. Apparently all of that fictional character analysis made him better at analyzing his uncle.

He could picture Stan now, having already sat his phone face-down on the table, wondering why there was some memory of Dipper that Dipper didn't want to share with him. Oh man, he probably thinks Dipper's tired of helping out with his memories or something.

That's because you heard me sing it once. Dipper wrote. That should be enough to jog Stan's memory a bit.

The three dots. Heard or saw?

Dipper groaned. Maybe Stan was just messing with him. He probably remembered the whole thing and was just trying to get Dipper to regale him with the story again so he could laugh at him.

Whatever. Dipper would be the bigger man.

Both. You walked in on me after I got out of the shower. You really need to learn how to knock, man.

There. That should be enough. Hopefully Stan and Ford will get back on the boat and see a giant Kraken or something equally as awesome so Stan forgets all about this conversation.

He exited out of their message thread and opened up his thread with Great Uncle Ford. Whatever "clever" joke Stan wanted to make at his expense would probably take forever to write. Might as well take advantage of the good cell service while he knows they have it.

Hey! Are you with Grunkle Stan?

Three bubbled appeared. Dipper didn't have to wait long. Ford was a surprisingly quick texter.

Yes, we're exploring the town together. I take it you're the one he's been texting?

Yeah. He had an itch. Nothing crazy, just a song he heard this summer he couldn't remember the name of. Okay, he probably could have told Ford. Especially after learning about the whole Kiss-Bot incident, Dipper's BABBA incident definitely didn't come close. But c'mon, wasn't Dipper allowed to have at least one family member who thought he had a shred of dignity left?

He smiled. Probably not. After all, he was a Pines.

Ah, that explains his behavior then.

Dipper frowned. Behavior? Is he okay?

Oh yes, of course. My apologies if my language was alarming, Stanley says I tend to word things "dramatically". He's simply trying to ask the table next to us if there are any music stores nearby. I didn't realize children still used physical CDs.

Wait. Stan is looking for a music store? Why specifically mention children? Dipper typed slowly, wording his questions as discretely as he could.

Oh? Is Stan looking for a CD?

The bubbles appeared. Then disappeared. Dipper frowned. They reappeared.

Disregard my earlier message.

Oh they were definitely up to something. Two could play at that game. You don't live with a professional con man all summer and not learn how to get what you want out of someone.

Okay. Hey, Grunkle Stan showed me a bit of the patio. Can you send a video too? Would be interested in seeing where you are.

Of course. One moment, please.

Dipper sat his phone on his desk while he waited. Realistically, he should be working on his homework while he waits. It's not like he'll be able to focus on anything when Mabel gets home. But, it's not like he can focus on anything now, mind buzzing as much as it is.

After three minutes and fifty-three seconds, Dipper's phone pinged. He grinned and pressed play.

The video started pointing toward the other side of the patio. Made sense, Ford was probably sitting across from Stan at their table. Stan was nowhere to be seen though. He must have stood up to speak to the table next to him. Dipper could see townsfolk sat at their tables in heavy winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. Everyone was wrapped up in their own conversations, and while Ford panned slowly across the porch, Dipper recognized another BABBA song playing faintly in the background. The owner must have had a playlist going. There were fairy lights strung up across the porch, street lamps helping illuminate the night. Wherever they were must have been in the middle of some small town, probably no bigger than Gravity Falls.

"Ford!" Grunkle Stan's voice rang out. Dipper quickly held the phone up to his ear again. There was a loud metallic grating sound - probably Grunkle Stan pulling out his chair to sit down again.

"You're never gonna believe it!" Stan sounded excited about something.

"A moment, please, Stan," Ford murmured.

"We don't have to go to the music store! Those people didn't speak English but the guy who runs this place does a little. That internet translator did the rest."

"Google, Stanley."

"Whatever. Anyway, he said he'd sell me the CD he's playing right now when he closes up for the night."

"That's great Stan. Hold on a moment I'm just trying to film this for -"

"Dipper's gonna love this! I think. It's sort of coming back to me. I think that memory he helped me with, I think..."

Stan trailed off. Dipper pulled the phone away from his ear to see if the video had ended, but Ford was still dutifully scanning their surroundings with the camera. It looked like Ford had stood up, holding the phone high above his head to show Dipper the coastline beyond the porch railings.

"I think I told him I was proud of him that day." Stan's confession was quiet. But Stan quiet. Which meant loud enough to be picked up on Ford's camera.

Ford's movement stopped. "You did? Why?"

"Well. I sorta did. I think. He was tryna prove he was 'a man' or whatever, so I told him he was. He stood up for what was right even though no one else agreed with him. And then I think I uh...ripped my shirt off and showed him my chest hair. Maybe I should get him to fill in some of those blanks there."

Ford laughed. "I don't remember it taking much to get you to take your shirt off."

"I'm a gross, old man now, Ford. We'd all prefer if it stayed on."

Ford hummed. "So how much is the CD?"

"Eh, he wants like 500 Kroner."

"Seems overpriced."

"Well it's gonna be free."

Ford sighed. "Stanley..."

"What?" Stan cried indignantly. "He's obviously tryna scam me anyway! Besides, it's worth it. Dipper will love it! It's a CD of a band he likes from Iceland stolen from Iceland. Trust me it'll be worth the -"

All sound stopped. The video had ended. Dipper sat at his desk, a small smile on his face. He had been so worried about Stan remembering one of his more embarrassing moments but...Stan remembered it as a day that Dipper made him proud. Huh.

He exited the video and saw that Ford had sent him another message only a minute after sending the video.

Please disregard that video. Terrible audio quality, I have to retake it.

As Dipper began to type a reply, he saw three bubbles appear. He waited.

I'm going to infer that the delay in your response is because you didn't see my message in time and already viewed the video. My apologies, I forget how strong the audio quality of phone cameras are.

Three more bubbles.

Please act surprised.

Ah well. Dipper had omitted the truth a couple of times tonight. What was one more? He started to type.

Sorry, I was working on my homework while I waited for an answer. Guess I got distracted. Should I not watch the video?

Three bubbles. Ah, I see. Yes, that would be for the best. I'll take another video for you now. In the meantime, keep up the good work!

Dipper sat his phone back down on the table and picked up another pen. Might as well do a little more homework so he wasn't totally lying. But first...

He opened his message thread with Stan.

Need help with anything else?

Nope. Go to bed.

Dipper laughed. There it was. The curmudgeon was back, trying to hide the fact he was a big softie underneath.

It's earlier here you know. If anyone should be in bed, it should be you.

I'm old. I do what I want.

Okay old man. Love you!

Sap.

Dipper snorted and sat down his phone. A moment later, it pinged again. He glanced at the screen and saw it was another message from Stan. It was only two words, but they knocked together like flint and steel, lighting something warm in Dipper's chest.

You too.

AN: A continuation of this! I kind of just want to write a bunch of one shots going with this. Some ideas are brewing!

[coupsiedaisee]

jump then fall | issue 02 | c.sc

when trying to unearth hogwarts' resident Golden Boy™ choi seungcheol's secret girlfriend, leads to the proposition of a lifetime

pairing: choi seungcheol x f. reader genre: hogwarts au, fake dating au, fluff, angst wordcount: 7.9k masterlist

BREAKING NEWS! LOCAL CLAW EMBROILED IN SCANDAL WITH BELOVED LION?

To say this was going poorly would be an understatement.

One week. You had been following Seungcheol for one week, and nothing. You had nothing to show for it.

Oh, you had photos, two whole rolls worth. 

A snap from the back of Transfiguration. Seungcheol sported a bright smile as he turned a raven into a textbook. His partner, a quirky Hufflepuff by the name of Claire Dobson, sat next to him, clapping enthusiastically. 

A click from behind one of the suits of armour lining the hallway. Seungcheol leaned up against the wall, listening to fellow Head Girl, Mythili Mahendran, as she spoke fervently, her arms waving about with each word. He had a reassuring grin as he nodded along, eyes never once leaving her face.

“The only thing this kid is doing is buying a one-way ticket to Burnt-out-Ville,” you say, slipping the last bit of film out of the developer potion and hanging it to dry. 

On it, a clear snapshot from behind a shelf in the herbology section of the library. Seungcheol’s draped over Joshua’s shoulders, eyes crinkled into half moons as he bursts out laughing, his pearly whites on full display. Jeonghan sat across from them, a disgruntled sneer on his face.

“Maybe he’s sneaking off somewhere at night?” Soonyoung leans against the wall of the dark room, the deep red light reflecting off his face. 

“Where,” You shake your head, “Or even better, when? I’ve been following him day and night like his bloody shadow! Golden Boy couldn't even take a piss without me knowing.” There had been hardly enough time for you to finish most of your assignments this week. Not to mention, the 2 feet on Unbreakable Vows you hadn’t even started.

“I’m telling you Hosh,” you start unclipping the dried photos, sorting them into piles. Seungcheol in class. Seungcheol at the library. Seungcheol in the Great Hall. “Perhaps Raveena’s got it wrong.”

“Impossible,” Soonyoung scoffs. “Pudding’s the best there is.” 

You shoot him a look, “No one is perfect. She was bound to pick up a weird rumour eventually.”

“She’s never gotten a tip wrong.” An unspoken yet hung in the air. 

Raveena was a capable girl, there was no doubt about that. But, you knew a lost cause when you saw one. Soonyoung, despite being as stubborn as a bull, would eventually come around. 

Right?

Soonyoung chews his lip before pushing himself off the wall. “There’s always tomorrow I suppose.” He was halfway out the door before it registered.

“Tomorrow?” You ask.

“Did you forget?” Soonyoung feigns surprise, and you dread his next words.  “First Hogsmeade weekend, no better time or place for lovely couples to have a cute little date.”

You resist the urge to drown him in one of your tubs of developer potion. 

“I haven’t even begun to research that Defense essay that’s due Monday. Not to mention, the ten million other things we need to study.” You slam the canister you were holding down onto the counter, exasperated. “Or did you forget we’ve got N.E.W.T.s this year?”

Soonyoung pouts, shaking his head. He fiddles at the chipping wood on the doorway. “Come on Wallflower, I’ve even got disguises for us!“ 

You loved your best friend. Truly. With all your heart. Yet, at his core, Soonyoung Kwon was a Grade A schemer. A Slytherin through and through. 

“I promise, I’ll help you with your essay when we get back,” says Soonyoung. He turns on his puppy dog eyes for extra effect. “I’ll even throw in sweets from Honeydukes! Whatever you want, it’s on me.”

You were running low on sugar mice and you did eat your last pumpkin pasty during Seungcheol’s prefect rounds the other night. 

“Fine,” you grumble, drying off your hands. Whipping around, you stab a finger in his direction, “But this is the last! If we come out empty-handed, you’re going to drop it. Promise?” 

Soonyoung put his hands up, “Swear on my Nan’s grave.” He makes a crossing motion across his chest and points up at the ceiling, sending a wink your way. 

He dodges the towel you chuck at him, before bidding you a good night, leaving you alone to ruminate on a certain Gryffindor Captain and Head Boy. 

Soonyoung waits for you in the entrance hall the next morning.

You curl your lip, looking him up and down. He wore thick brown robes with a gold monogrammed “SK” on the chest, a stark contrast to your plain, faded, and navy ones. On his head, sat a matching brown deerstalker, his blond bangs poking out from underneath.

“What's with the hat?” 

Soonyoung grinned, sticking out a small bag. “Disguises!” 

Inside, you found some sunglasses, a couple of stick-on fake moustaches, and a cheap-looking wig. 

“I wanted you to have the first pick,” Soonyoung says as you decide on a pair of matte black sunglasses and a bushy chevron moustache. 

He grabs a handlebar moustache and brown tortoiseshell sunglasses for himself, “How do I look?”

“Like you’re about to solve a murder,” you say dryly. “All you’re missing is a magnifying gl–” 

“Do not underestimate your friend so.” He fishes in his robe pockets before pulling out a gold-rimmed magnifying glass. 

Holding the glass flat in your direction, he presses down on a hidden button in the handle. A bright light flashes along with a loud clicking noise. You throw your arms up to cover your eyes.

“Merlin,” Soonyoung scratches his head, peering at the glass befuddled. “I thought I’d turned that off.”

Snatching the device from his hands, you weave an arm around his. “I’ll fix it on our way. We’ve got to get a move on if we want to get to Hogsmeade while he’s still there.” 

“You’ve got your camera?”

You scoff as you pat at your chest, where there is a barely visible small bump under your robes. “Of course, I’m no amateur.”

The path up to the small wizarding village is free of any students. Most tend to head up earlier, wanting to make the most of their rare reprieve from school. 

This was fine with the two of you though. It allowed Soonyoung to ramble about a few other stories the team was working on that week, while you fixed his magnifying glass.

It’s easy, nothing a few modified silencing charms and an expungement charm couldn't fix. As for your own camera, all it needs is a well-placed disillusionment charm, and it’ll disappear against your chest.

“So, where shall we begin?” you say, as the two of you enter the village. “You think he'd have taken her to Three Broomsticks or the Hog's Head? I'm leaning towards Three Broomsticks, less creepy, more casual.”

“I think I know exactly where they would’ve gone,” Soonyoung says with a terrifying twinkle in his eye.

There was absolutely nothing that could’ve prepared you for Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop.

Bright fuschia painted the walls of the small teahouse, burning into your irises along with the hot pink paper lanterns and tinsel hanging from the ceiling. 

The two of you find an empty table in the corner, huddling around a purple lace-covered table. 

While you sat with your back to the shop, Soonyoung had a perfect view of the front door, as well as the massive window next to it, allowing a full view of the main street through Hogsmeade.

Despite the overwhelming crowd in the tea shop, Seungcheol was nowhere to be found.

You watch as a couple walks past the window, bundled in warm robes and holding hands, before turning back to Soonyoung. “Shouldn’t we try to go and find our Golden Boy?" It was sweltering inside, as though there were one too many heating charms in place. "Rather than just, waiting around for him to show up?” Your mustache itches and you refrain from ripping it off.

“You wouldn't be aware Wallflower–," A server comes by, setting down two hot pinks mugs filled with a questionable brown liquid. Soonyoung smiles a soft thank you before nudging you under the table with his foot. He tips his head towards the server with an expectant look, but you can’t stop staring at them.

It was Seokmin Lee, a 5th-year Gryffindor, wearing the most atrocious outfit you'd ever seen. He's got on a mauve velour muggle tracksuit and, over it, a hot pink mug costume, much like the mugs he’d just set down. 

Soonyoung kicks you under the table again, this time harder. You yelp at the pain shooting through your shin, quickly recovering though, and wince out a meek thanks. An eye-crinkling smile graces Seokmin’s face, coupled with a bright chirpy you’re welcome as he sashays away.

Soonyoung takes a sip of his drink, and you mirror him, only to gag immediately. It tasted like someone had poured developer potion down your throat.

"You wouldn't know, Wallflower," Soonyoung starts again, "but this is the cool and hip place to take your dates.”

A golden cherub flies past, throwing pink confetti in your direction. Some of it falls into your drink. “Hoshi, if anyone took me here for a date, I’d probably drown them in the great lake.” You grimace as the couple next to you starts snogging.

He wasn’t wrong though. You couldn’t even remember the last time you’d gone on a date.

Soonyoung starts to say something else when his eyes widen at something, or someone, behind you. “Over there! Over there!” He shakes a finger at the front window and you turn to see Seungcheol walking past, flanked as usual by Joshua and Jeonghan. This time though, they’re joined by a fourth boy, dark-haired and lanky, with thick-rimmed glasses.

Soonyoung scrambles to get up, digging through his robe pockets for some sickles before throwing them on the table, and dragging you out of your chair. 

The two of you hurry out, following them down the mildly crowded village path. Hiding behind other students and in nearby alleyways when necessary. 

"It looks like they're heading into the Weasley’s joke shop." You're crouched behind the postal building with Soonyoung nearly sitting on top of you.  The two of you peer around the corner, watching as Seungcheol and his friends file into Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. “Come on then, let’s go get our Golden Boy.”

It’s loud inside the joke shop, and you lose the boys amidst the sea of brightly coloured merchandise and robes.

“Let’s split up?” You suggest. Divide and conquer. Soonyoung nods in agreement, slinking away and disappearing behind the love potions. You take your camera out, giving it a silent tap. It turns invisible against your chest.

Ambling up the stairs to the second floor, you pass the small section of muggle magic tricks and turn the corner into the sweets section. There, you find your Golden Boy past the Canary Creams, perusing the Skiving Snackboxes. He’s got his back turned to you, giving you a full view of his deep russet robes, and not much else.

Quickly, you hide behind a cardboard display filled with edible dark marks. Peeking out from above, you watch as Seungcheol bends down and picks up a snackbox, pushing his wire-rim glasses further up his nose.

He reads the side of one of the boxes before reaching into his pocket and taking out a piece of paper. Slightly leaning over the display, you crane your neck trying to get a glimpse. Before you know it, you lose your balance, tipping the display over and sending yourself flying to the ground.

“Shit, shit, shit-”

At the sound of the loud crash, Seungcheol spins around, immediately running over when he sees you on the ground.

"Are you okay?" Seungcheol peers over you, concern written all over his face. 

You lay surrounded by the edible dark marks, not making a move to get up. All you wish for at this moment is for the ground to split in half and suck you right in. 

"Here, let me help you." Seungcheol holds his hand out to you, expectant. For a moment, you’re compelled to take it. But then you think of his skin touching yours and you start to feel your heart speeding up, your breath quickening, and the feeling of panic crawling up your throat. 

Merlin, not here. Not now.  

You lean up on your elbows, staring at his hand, hesitating. He looks so worried though, with his eyebrows furrowed and his forehead wrinkled. So, you push down any feeling of trepidation, and you take his hand, letting yourself be pulled up. You don't think about how warm and calloused his hands feel and you definitely don’t think about how equally warm your cheeks were getting. 

This could not be happening to you right now. Did he see your camera? Feeling the weight of it around your neck, it takes everything in you to not peek down and see if the disillusionment charm is still in effect. 

Soonyoung's sunglasses sit askew on your nose and the moustache was beginning to slowly peel off as the adhesive charm weakened. You must’ve looked like Hogwart’s resident basket case about now. The next coming of Moaning Myrtle. 

"You alright there?" Seungcheol asks. All you can do is nod dumbly in response. You could feel your heart thumping loudly in your chest, the erratic beating pulsing in your ears. 

He bends back down to pick up the fallen display and candies while you hastily fix your glasses and moustache, willing the other half to stick back on. 

This is just your luck. Three years of following people around and this was the first time you'd ever been caught. You were going to kill Soonyoung. This was, after all, his grand idea. 

Actually, no. You were going to do something worse than avada kedvra him. You were going to stick his precious gobstones set into a cauldron of boiling–"Are you sure you're okay?"

You snap out of your premeditated murder planning, "What?"

Seungcheol’s looking at you, his eyebrows still furrowed. "Did you hit your head when you fell?"

"What?" You repeat like an idiot. "Oh, no, yeah, I'm good." You smooth down the top of your hair, "Haha, see! No head injury!" 

If you were hoping this would ease Seungcheol's worry, you don't think you were succeeding. New creases appear on his forehead the longer you speak. 

“Look, I am as fine . . .” You search for the right words, the ones that would make his worry go away, “ . . . as a flobberworm," you finish lamely.

The fake moustache slowly starts peeling off once more and you fight the urge to rip it off and incendio it into a pile of ashes. Instead, you plaster a smile on your face, putting two thumbs up as a consolation.

However, it did not have the intended effect. Somehow, Seungcheol Choi managed to furrow his eyebrows even more. He stood there staring at you with his arms wrapped around each other as if you were a child and he was wondering what to do with you.

At this point, you were wishing you’d had hit your head. Much better explanation for all this than, you were just like this. 

Finally, Seungcheol nods, seemingly satisfied. "Be careful then, and watch where you're going." He reaches out to you, taking your sunglasses, and pushing them up into your hair. If you weren't frozen out of embarrassment, you might've flinched. "Let's keep the sunglasses for the sun, yeah? You could've seriously hurt yourself." 

Your mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, no sound coming out.

Seungcheol puts his hands on your shoulders and you swallow hard, tensing up as he pats your shoulders down. "I'll see you 'round then?" You nod back, feeling much like a bobblehead today, and Seungcheol turns around, heading back down to the main floor.

You just stand there, unsure of what to make of what had just happened, and give yourself a moment to get your heart rate back to an acceptable one.

Downstairs, you find Soonyoung by the pygmy puffs, chatting with a short red-headed boy. You grab him by the collar of his robes, dragging him outside and tossing him into the cold air.

“Woah, Wallflower,” Soonyoung stumbles a little, trying to find his footing. “Is everything okay?”

Ripping off your moustache, you push it forcefully into Soonyoung’s chest. It sticks for a brief moment before falling to the ground. “I’m keeping the glasses as commission,” You snarl, yanking them off your head and stuffing them into your robe pockets.

“What happened?” Soonyoung still looks bewildered. “What's going on? 

“My luck. My wonderful luck is what happened.” You curl your fingers into fists before releasing them along with a deep breath.  

Soonyoung still looks perplexed. “Did you find-”

“Oh, I found him all right.” You mutter, fluffing up your robes. “Whatever, it doesn't matter.” You clear your throat. “You promised me anything from Honeydukes and it’s time for you to cough it up, buttercup.” 

You start walking towards the sweet shop as Soonyoung stomps behind you, grumbling something about you eating him out of house and home. 

Honeydukes was your second favourite place in the world (your precious dark room being the first). The air smells sickly sweet as you walk in, a mix of baked goods, chocolates, and sugary goodness. You grab a basket by the door and begin perusing the aisles. Soonyoung needed to pop over into another shop, leaving his coin bag with you.

Soon enough, you've filled up your basket. You were currently contemplating whether to stick the Fizzing Whizbees you’d grabbed for Soonyoung on top of the basket, and risk crushing the pumpkin pasties, or just hold the box under your other arm. You decide on the latter, but the basket still ends up being heavier than you’d expected. 

Maybe you’d gone a little overboard with the extra box of sugar mice and maybe the third box of licorice wands was unnecessary, but when Soonyoung was indebted to you like this, you couldn’t help but take advantage

You hold the Fizzing Whizzbees under one arm, groaning as your other arm trembles under the weight of the basket.

“Need some help with that?” says an all too familiar voice from behind you. You nearly drop the basket on your foot.  

This couldn’t be happening to you. Not again. Not so soon.

Familiar russet robes flash in the corner of your eye and Seungcheol’s before you, grabbing the heavy basket out of your arms like it was a cloud. You trail behind him like a lost puppy as he leads the two of you into line.

Seungcheol lifts the basket up and down like a dumbell. “What’s in this anyways? The whole store?”

You hold the Fizzing Whizbees box closer to your chest like an emotional support item before shaking your head. “Just restocking. Hosh–Soonyoung owes me. Some pumpkin pasties, licorice wands–" you start listing off, counting on your fingers, "–chocolate frogs,  jelly slugs, exploding bonbons, sugar mice–oh bludgers, I meant to grab sugar quills!” You look behind you, forlorn. 

There were quite a few late nights coming up for you this week and you weren’t sure how you were going to get through them without your favourite sugar quills. 

“Did you want to go grab some?” Seungcheol asks, eyes following yours to the back of the store. “I’ll hold your spot in line.” 

"No, it's alright," You say dejectedly, tightening your hold around the whizbees. “This is probably more sugar than I should be allowed anyways.” Seungcheol nods, nudging his glasses up with his knuckle. 

The two of you finally make it up to the front counter where he sets the basket down. As the cashier starts to take items out to bag, you dig your hands in your pockets to fish out Soonyoung's coin pouch.

Seungcheol chats with the cashier while they finish bagging your items into two bags. You don’t follow their conversation as you search through Soonyoung’s coin bag for some galleons, catching only mentions of Quidditch and Gryffindor. As soon as you pay, Seungcheol grabs both bags.

“Oh you don’t have to–” You try taking the bags back from him, but he holds them away from your hands.

Seungcheol clicks his tongue at you, “Now, what kind of Head Boy would I be if I made you carry this all the way back to school?”

You frown, “It wouldn’t be all the way to school. I’m meeting Soonyoung at the Three Broomsticks.”

“Even better, that’s where I’m headed anyways.” Seungcheol starts down the road without waiting for your response, leaving you to jog behind to catch up. 

Inside, the inn’s warm and toasty, a fire burning in the corner. Seats were already filling up with students finishing up their day. Seungcheol finds you an empty booth in the corner for you to wait in for Soonyoung. He puts the bags on one side, motioning you to slide into the other.

“Thanks again Seungcheol. You really didn’t have to–”

Seungcheol chuckles softly, adjusting his glasses, “It was my pleasure.”  He sticks his hands in his robe pockets, lightly rocking back and forth on his feet. For a moment, it seemed as though he looked shy. “I hope you enjoy your sweets, I’ll see you ‘round.” And with that, he left to go join his friends, seated on the other side of the inn.

By the time Soonyoung comes strolling in, you’ve already downed two hot chocolates. Now sipping on a third, you’re fiddling with your camera to pass the time. Trailing behind Soonyoung was Raveena, sporting a bright blue beanie and her usual coke bottle glasses. 

“Kneazles, what’ve you got in here Wallflower? The entire shop?” Sooyoung takes your sweets haul and sets them under the table so he and Raveena can slide into the booth.

You sip the last of your hot chocolate, before reaching into your pockets and tossing him his coin bag, “You said anything, and I took you for your word.” 

Soonyoung catches his coin bag with a gasp, “It’s so light, I’ve been swindled!”

“Hoshi here tells me you two almost caught–” Raveena looks shifty-eyed across the inn before lowering her voice, “–Seungcheol, with his girlfriend this morning.”

You give Soonyoung a pointed look, “He told you wrong. We’re about as close to getting a photo as catching a pixie in a knapsack.”

The three of you glance over across the room to where Seungcheol sits with his friends. He has an arm slung over Jeonghan's shoulders as the two of them were open-mouth laughing at something. 

You’re filled to the brim with a fourth warm hot chocolate when you excuse yourself to grab another drink. “You two want anything?” They both shake their heads.

As Madam Rosemerta finishes up with another customer, you feel someone come up next to you at the bar.

"Fancy seeing you here,” drawls a familiar deep voice.

You turn to see Seungcheol sliding up to you at the bar. He’d shed the robes and was wearing a green Holyhead Harpies hoodie, sleeves rolled up to his elbows. 

You squint up at him, “Do I know you?” 

He drops his mouth open in fake aghast, glasses sliding down his nose. “Have the last seven years meant nothing?” he says, holding a hand up to his heart as if you’d shot an arrow at it. 

You stifle a giggle behind your hand and a cheery smile spreads on Seungcheol's face. 

Madam Rosemerta swishes past, juggling multiple empty goblets, “I’ll be with you two in just a mo’!”

“Not a problem Rosie!” Seungcheol calls out. He leans back against the bar, elbows resting on top and showing off his sturdy forearms. 

You cast your eyes elsewhere, wondering if Seungcheol was aware of just how attractive he was. No longer was he the bumbling little first year you'd met seven years ago. After all, there's a reason a photo of him with a rumoured beau would be the scoop of the paper. 

You glance as he adjusts his glasses and runs a hand through his hair. 

“How're the first weeks of classes going for you by the way?” he asks, crossing his arms. Ever the Head Boy. 

“It’s N.E.W.T.s year, obviously you know how it is.” You sigh dejectedly, “I haven’t even outlined that massive defense essay.”

“Oh yeah. I mean, three feet? On Unforgivable curses?" he says, sounding exasperated. “As if we don’t have eleven other classes to do work for.”

“That’s what I said!” Very few students take all 12 N.E.W.T.s. There are four in your graduating class. At least, used to be four. You’d almost forgotten about Jake Sim dropping out of Arithmancy this week, making it three: Yourself, Seungcheol, and Mythili, the Head Girl.

The conversation settles back into a comfortable silence.

Madam Rosemerta comes up to the bar, “Alright dears, what can I get you two?” 

“Can I get a round of warm butterbeers for the table? And whatever the lady wants," He tips his head at you. 

You already had so much hot chocolate, now you wanted something different. And cold. “I want something colder but I’m not really feeling butterbeer?" 

“I know just what you need," There’s a glint in Seungcheol’s eyes. "Get 'er one of my usuals, please.” 

“Of course! Let me know where you’re sitting dear and Lysander will bring it over to you” She gestures at the silver-haired barback behind her.

Seungcheol throws a couple of sickles down on the bar, “Thanks Rosie, these are for hers too.”

“What? No, Seungcheol–” you stutter, but he just shoots you a cheeky wink.

“Just make sure you enjoy it.”

You got back to your booth and not soon after, Lysander comes by with the reddest drink you’d ever seen. “Cherry soda?” You raise a shy hand and he sets it in front of you “Anything else I can get for you?”

“I think we’re good here. Thank you!” 

The drink came in a glass goblet with a small paper umbrella sticking out on top. You take a sip, humming with a shiver. The ice felt good, and it was just the right amount of sweet versus tart.

“No hot chocolate, Wallflower?” Hoshi says, chewing on a fizzing whizbee. 

“I just wanted to try something new.” You say, taking another sip. “Seungcheol recommended it.” 

Raveena perks up, “Did he now.” She leans forward in her seat. “He’s not onto you, right? He wasn’t asking about why you lot were stalking him?”

“Following, Raveena!” Soonyoung exclaims. “We were following him, not stalking.” 

Raveena scrunches her face, “Mm, yeah, that’s not really any better Hoshi.”

“Fine, we happened to be in Hogsmeade, in the same shop, at the same time as him.” Soonyoung rolls his eyes. “As was like, half the school. So really, we were doing nothing weird.”

It seemed Soonyoung wasn’t done there though, turning to face Raveena. “And you know what, I don’t like what you’re insinuating Pudding. Not very team player of you.”

“Ooh, someone’s a little touchy about this. You’re awfully defensive Hosh. One would even say you’re project–”

“Enough you two. You–,” you point at Hoshi, “it was stalking. We were stalking him. What we do is honestly kind of creepy. We should really be called The Creepy Whistler. And you–,” you point to Raveena, “Don’t egg him on. We both know I’m the one who won’t hear the end of it.” 

You pick up the paper umbrella, twirling it in your fingers. “He was just asking me about classes. We’re both taking the same N.E.W.T.s after all.”

“Good, that’s good,” Raveena says. “He’s not onto us. Means he’ll put his guard down, eventually. We’ll get our moment.” Soonyoung pops another whizbee in his mouth, nodding along.

“I know today was a bust. But, I have something that might cheer you up.”

You were back at Hogwarts, sharing a table at the library with Soonyoung, who had promised you he’d help with your essay for DADA.

He digs into his bag, coming out with a can of something.

Upon closer look, you nearly shriek, "You did not!"

"I did!"

 You grab the canister, "You did not!"

"I did!" He says gleefully. Someone two tables over shushes you guys.

You turn the canister over in your hand, eyeing the back excitedly. It’s lime green with black text made to look like it was sprayed on. The text reads Glow Ho! Camera Flow and attached to the side, a small cylinder of film.

"This has been sold out everywhere." Not to mention expensive. But if anyone could afford it, it would be Soonyoung. One of the many perks of being the heir to  Madame Kwon’s Publishing Company. They publish most of the textbooks used at Hogwarts, not to mention the international best-selling series, Madame Kwon’s Magical Adventures. 

"How did you manage to get your hands on one?" You narrow your eyes at him. “Hoshi, why did you get me this?”

"You've been putting a lot of work into the Whistler, on top of having way more N.E.W.T.s to study for than me." He continues when you don't seem convinced. "And I know you've been barely sleeping, following Seungcheol around–"

"But that’s what the Honeydukes was for." You set the canister down on the table, pushing it away from you. "What is it that you really want?"

"Look,” Ah, there it was, “I know we're both super busy, but I wouldn't ask if I wasn’t desperate.”

"Just spit it out. What. Do. You. Want?"

He sighs, "You know how I take photos for the Quidditch teams?" Of course you do. You were the one who taught him how to work a camera specifically for sports shots. Something you did so you wouldn’t be tasked to do so.

"Yeah? What about it?" you say, not liking where this was heading.

"Could you take over for me for the next few weeks?" You groan as he goes on. "Both the gobstones club and the chess club increased their meetings and between that, N.E.W.T.s, the Whistler, not to mention the ten million apprentice applications I have to do, I just don’t have the time. Oh please, Wallflower? Please, please, pleaseeee," he pleads. 

You wince and try to stop him as he starts vibrating in his seat. "Merlin, okay, fine. So what, just take some photos at their games?" Hoshi grimaces. "No, no, no! No more!” you hiss. “What else could I possibly do for you?" He was already asking for so much.

Yet somehow,  you end up on the grassy quidditch pitch at dawn the next day. 

It is cold, it's wet, and it is foggy as hell. You could not fathom why on earth the Ravenclaws were practicing at this ungodly hour. The morning fog mists on your cheeks like small pinpricks.

"How did they turn out?" asks Olivia Prewett, a tall, broad gal who is Ravenclaw’s team captain and sole keeper.

You pop the film out of your camera, sticking it in its temp-controlled tube. "I think they should be good. I'll let you know when I figure out my schedule to do the team photos." You stick the tube into your bag before popping another roll of film into the camera.

"Sounds good, just keep me posted." She gives you a faint smile before turning to look at the hubbub across the field. "Looks like Gryffindor's taking over next, you gonna be good?"

You nod, body shivering as a gust of wind blows through. On the other side of the field, the Gryffindor team was starting to set up for their practice as the Ravenclaws cleared out. 

Seokmin Lee runs by, yelling, "Prewett, Prewett, let's do itttt!" He shoots finger guns at Olivia as a boy behind him struggles to carry both their brooms, nearly slipping a few times on the muddy pitch, "Aw Boo, don't get my broom muddy man."

Seungcheol jogs up to the two of you. “Prewett,” he nods.

Olivia nods back, “Choi.” She turns back to face you, "Make them look bad for me, will you?" You smile back, nodding.

"Alright?" Seungcheol's wearing the same green Holyhead Harpies hoodie from yesterday.

"H-hi Seungcheol," You say, teeth chattering. The thin jumper you had on does nothing for the windchill and you rub your arms trying to warm up.

"You seem a little cold there." Seungcheol looks you up and down as you tremble a little.

"I-I'm f-fi–," You clear your throat before trying again, "I'm f-fine."

Seungcheol pulls his hoodie off over his head, mussing up his hair, before holding it out to you, shaking it when you don’t move to grab it.

You tentatively take it from him. The sleeves fall further past your own arms and you have to scrunch them up by your elbows so you can hold your camera.

Practice goes by pretty quickly, and by the time Seungcheol lands in front of you again, hopping off his broom, you almost forget you can no longer feel your fingers. 

“Got what you needed?” 

“Yup, this should do it,” you say, popping the film into another temp-controlled canister. “I'll let you know when me or Soonyoung are free to do the team photos.” 

You grab the bottom of Seungcheol's hoodie, intending to pull it off, when he stops you, putting his hands on yours. 

You flinch, taking a step back and Seungcheol yanks his hand back, like he touched fire. He rubs the back of his neck abashedly, “You, uh, you can keep it.” His cheeks were rosy, from the cold, or something else, you weren't sure. “It's not warming up anytime soon, you'll need it if you're photographing the ‘Puffs” 

“Oh.” You grip the edges of the hoodie, fingers clenching at the soft fabric. “Um, thank you?” 

Seungcheol throws you a sheepish grin, before turning around and running to join the rest of his team. 

When you wake up the next morning, you feel tired and groggy, shoulders aching a little. 

Seungcheol's hoodie sits washed and folded neatly on your bedside table. You eye it apprehensively as you get ready for class, deciding to shove it down into the bottom of your book bag on your way out the door. 

You meet Soonyoung down in the dungeons. He’s leaning against the wall, at the end of the queue of students waiting to be let into your double potions class. 

“Morning Hosh,” you stifle a yawn behind your hand.

“Morning Wallflower. Didn't think you were going to make it.” He says, pushing off of the wall and handing you a small thermos. A strong scent of Nocturna Brewery’s coffee wafts through the air. “Missed you at breakfast this morning.”

“Was up all night finishing that defense essay.” You take a sip from the thermos, humming as the bitter taste zings through you, waking you up a little. “You didn’t think I’d leave you stranded in potions without me, did you?” It was your strongest subject, the only N.E.W.T.s Soonyoung was taking where he’d barely scraped by. 

As the classroom opens up and students file in, you and Soonyoung try to find an empty table, heading into the back of the room. You ignore Seungcheol and his friends as you pass by them in the front row, the green hoodie weighing heavily in the bottom of your bag. 

The two of you squeeze into a table along with Tabitha Heathcote, a Gryffindor girl with a strong aversion to you, and her friend. Mary? Minnie? 

There’s a small tussle as Soonyoung tries to set his bag on the table where Tabtiha’s got her elbows spread wide out, one that Soonyoung eventually wins. Tabitha scoots over with a grunt, disgust never once leaving her face.

Tabitha has never liked you, especially since the incident in your fourth year. While being in different houses helped you avoid her a good amount of the time, being the same year meant you were forced to see her in class on the daily. There wasn’t a moment she was around that she wouldn’t make clear how much she absolutely abhorred you. 

You get settled, pulling out your books and setting up your cauldron and scales. Already on the board is today’s potion assignment and it doesn’t take long before you two get started making it. 

“I know you said not to bring it up anymore–,” Soonyoung starts.

“Soonyoung, if you don't want me to stick your head in this cauldron, I suggest you don't finish that sentence.” The cauldron in front of you bubbles in agreement as you pour crushed red beetles in.

Soonyoung throws his hands up in defence, “No need to get violent, Wallflower.” He leans sideways against the table, "I just think we should review what we have, to make sure we've followed every thread and haven't missed anything."

You sigh, cracking your neck. “Hoshi, unless Seungcheol’s secret partner is Jeonghan, Joshua, or that sixth year that's always with them, then I haven't missed anything. I was on his ass for days. If he was meeting someone in secret, there's no way I wouldn't have caught it.”

He paused to think before asking, “What about Mythili?”

“Mahendran?” 

“You had a lot of photos of him talking to her.”

“Of course I did,” you say, irritated. “She's Head Girl, you dolt. I'd be worried if he wasn't talking to her.”

“See!” Hoshi points accusingly, “It’s the perfect cover for secret dating."

“Yeah, it would be,” You crush a sopophorous bean dangerously close to Soonyoung's fingers and he yelps, pulling his hand away, “If only she didn't have that on again, off again thing with that sixth year, Seokmin.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

Soonyoung leaves for a moment to go grab more crushed beetles as you stir your potion absent-mindedly. Your eyes wander to Seungcheol, sitting two rows ahead, in his own bubble of a world with his friends. 

Joshua’s lounging in the chair next to him, as Jeonghan dangles dead flobberworms out of his nose, pretending they were bogies. Seungcheol is the only one diligently stirring his potion. 

Soonyoung comes back with a small vial of crushed beetles, shaking it in front of your face. 

You pour it in, stirring counterclockwise as the potion turns a pretty lavender hue.

“Did you get any photos of him when we were in Hogsmeade?”

Your mind flashes back to the accident inside Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. You shake your head, huffing, “No, nothing.” 

Soonyoung purses his lips, “Was there no one who he seemed to spend more time with?”

You sigh, exasperated now, “Hoshi, unless Seungcheol is dating me, there was no one else.” 

There’s a loud scoff from the other side of Hoshi. Tabitha’s stirring her potion, a look of disgust still on her face. “As if anyone would think you were dating Seungcheol,” she sneers.

Soonyoung and you share a look, silently electing to ignore her. But Tabitha seemed to have other plans today.

“After all, why would Seungcheol want to date someone like you?” Your fingers tighten around the ladle as you continue stirring. Two stirs clockwise, five stirs counter-clockwise.  

“You're not much to look at–,” You don’t want anyone to look at you. And certainly not Seungcheol for that matter.

Tabitha continues, “–you have no friends except for that half-wit,” waving a hand at Soonyoung. He puffs up, ready to send a fiery retort back. You shake your head with a small don’t, and he deflates. 

“–not to mention, I don't think he'd want damaged goods." You freeze, ladle paused on your fourth and a half counterclockwise stir. 

Soonyoung sucks in a breath, and Tabitha’s friend gasps. There’s a buzzing in your ears as your mind goes blank.

They say hindsight's 20-20. You’ll look back on this not being your brightest moment, nor your proudest. 

"And what if I was?"

"What?" asks Tabitha, confused. 

"And what if I was?" you grit out again. Your ladle’s been abandoned in its cauldron. Hands on your hips, you fully face Tabitha. 

Tabitha lets out a laugh as if she can’t believe you, “Was what?”

"Dating Seungcheol" You sound petulant, like a child not getting what they wanted, but you don’t care. A myriad of hexes danced on the tip of your tongue. You don’t even remember picking up your wand. Soonyoung watches, mouth agape and head turning quickly between you two like he’s spectating a quidditch match. 

"Fat chance." Tabitha spits out, voice laced with venom.

"Well, I am," you snap. At this point, you have some forethought to whisper,  hissing quietly, "I’m Seungcheol's girlfriend."

Soonyoung, however, did not receive the memo, losing all sense of decorum. He shrieks, louder than Moaning Myrtle, his voice echoing through the classroom, ricocheting off the walls, "You're dating Seungcheol?"

Time stops for a moment as a blanket of silence falls over the classroom. All the students stopped talking, and all you can hear is the quiet bubbling of the cauldrons. 

Then there’s an uproar as chattering breaks out amongst the students.

Your eyes widen at the realisation of what you'd just said, whipping past Soonyoungs to connect with two equally wide dark brown ones at the front of the classroom.

Soonyoungs hands fly to cover his mouth, having surprised even himself. 

He goes to shove your shoulder lightly, as if to ask mate, what the fuck?, and you lose your balance, knocking into the table. 

It happens faster than either of you two could react. 

The cauldron wobbles before tipping over and spilling itself all over the table and onto your arm.

You yelp as the lavender potion bubbles over your robe sleeves, seeping through the fabric and onto your skin. Squeezing your eyes, you cry out. The pain’s searing as the unfinished potion burns through the top layer of your skin. 

Soonyoung starts panicking. "Augmenti! Augmenti!" he wails, but the water spurts out of his wand in all directions but onto you. Tears gather in your eyes as you start to see white, and you can feel your head beginning to pound as the pain takes over. 

Suddenly, someone is guiding you. Two firm hands lead you around the table and out of the classroom, one on your back, and the other helping to hold your arm up. You let yourself be blindly led down the corridor as tears stream down your face, letting out sobs as the pain in your arm increases.

Your unknown saviour gently pushes you along, all the way to the infirmary. 

They sit you down on what you assume is one of the hospital beds as Madam Pomfrey rushes over, immediately fussing over your injury. She conjures up a salve for the burn and forces a tonic down your throat for the pain, or your nerves, you weren’t sure. 

Soon after, the pain starts to dull and the tears begin to slow. You hiccup from the crying, slowly rocking in your seat.

Feeling better, you turn to thank your classmate, who you were clearly traumatising and would probably never be able to face ever again, only to be met with the worried doe eyes of Seungcheol Choi. You don’t know why, but it makes you crumble and your eyes start to well with tears again, lower lip trembling intensely and threatening to let out a low pitched wail.

Seungcheol falters. "Hey, hey, it's okay, you're okay," he reassures you with the softest voice you'd ever heard him use. "Does it still hurt? I can go get more salve from Madam Promferey." He made to get up, but you shook your head vigorously, not wanting an audience for what was seemingly going to be your downfall. 

He seems to hesitate for a moment before asking, carefully, "Is it maybe what Soonyoung was yelling about? Before the accident?" This only sets off your waterworks once more, and you start blubbering.

"I don't know why, o-or how. It just came out. I swear, I didn't mean–oh merlin, if I could take it back–don't know what I was thinking–" You start to hyperventilate, your chest heaving up and down, breathing becoming ragged.

"Hey! Hey, it's alright," He was rubbing your back now, in a soothingly slow up-and-down motion. You'd almost forgotten his hand was even there. "I'm not mad. I promise I'm not mad."

Seungcheol was too nice. Much too kind. It only made you cry harder though. What were you thinking?! Telling Tabitha you were dating Seungcheol. Where did that even come from? If you weren't absolutely positive Seungcheol was not currently dating anyone, you'd feel doubly dreadful about what you'd done.

Rumours spread like wildfire in this godforsaken school. 

You hear the class bell go off and your stomach drops. There was no stopping it now. Your classmates would move on to their next class, and a few minutes of passing time would be all it takes for everyone else to find out what had happened. You know Seungcheol knows this, yet here he was, still being so sweet to you. 

Maybe it’s because he knew. Knew that when you'd eventually have to reveal the truth, you wouldn’t be able to even lift your head at this school for the rest of the year. 

Your lower lip still trembles, but you’d reduced your blubbering to just quiet sniffles now. You take this moment to glance at Seungcheol, who’s still rubbing softly at your back. It was surprisingly soothing. Any other time, it would've made you flinch, moving as far away from him as possible. Worry fills Seungcheol's big brown eyes, his eyebrows intensely furrowed.

"I'm sorry," you whisper. Seungcheol begins to pat softly at your back, like he’s calming a baby, and he pauses for a moment. 

"Hmm, what’s that?" 

You cast your eyes away before saying with a hiccup, "I-I'm sorry." You use your good arm to wipe away at your runny nose and your tear-streaked face.

He hums, thumb softly stroking you. 

"What if–," Seungcheol takes a deep breath, as if what he was about to say was the most important thing you'd ever hear. 

“What if,” He starts again, ”I had a mutually beneficial proposition?"

You whip your head to face him, furrowing your brows in confusion. 

Seungcheol takes another deep breath, as if bracing himself. "Look, you're a reasonable girl, I'm a reasonable guy. You look like maybe you need some downtime from the Whistler, and I would love it if my, ah . . . admirers, would get off my back for two seconds so I could focus on what really matters."

"What really matters?" You shake your head in disbelief, eyes widening, "And how do you know about–"

"Quidditch," Seungcheol cuts you off, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. "Also, you and Soonyoung are not nearly as subtle or discreet as you guys think you are," he says with a small knowing smile. A faint dimple creases his cheek. 

He runs his free hand through his hair, "Look, I need to focus on school this year, you understand that better than anyone." You did, 12 N.E.W.T.s were no joke.

The only problem is, Seungcheol is starting to sound a lot like Soonyoung before one of his schemey schemes. 

You narrow your eyes at Seunghceol, the same way you would if you were with Soonyoung, "What exactly is this proposition of yours?"

Seungcheol clears his throat before revealing his earth-shattering proposition.

"Let's date."

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO CTRLALTDAISEE I DO NOT ALLOW TRANSLATIONS, CONTINUATIONS, REIMAGINATIONS, OR REPOSTING OF MY WORKS ON THIS OR OTHER OTHER WEBSITES

[moljh]

Can't Fix Him

Eddie Munson x Reader (fem)

Inspired by the prompt: 'I can't fix him but I can fuck him'

Fluff, smut, etc

The music was loud. You could feel the vibrations of the base coursing through your body before you had even entered the house. Tina's annual Halloween party was known for being the biggest and best thing in town on this night. She was lucky that her uncle worked in the mayor's office and had connections within the police department, otherwise you were sure the party would've been shut down from noise complaints. It was also a good thing that her lavish house was situated at the end of a sprawling drive, so as to keep the drunk teenagers away from the rest of the roaming children in the streets.

Coming to the front door, your friends didn't bother knocking on the door as it would have been pointless. Walking inside you were immediately hit with the abrasive smell of weed and alcohol in the air. You weren't shocked by the presence of either, but you were surprised at how despite the open back doors how strong the smell remained.

The four of you had your way over to the punch, where you each filled your cup and took a swig of the mystery liquid. A familiar burning flowed down your throat and warmth filled your stomach. It was just what you wanted on a cool night as this and especially after a brutal week at school.

"I'm going to see if I can find Simon" one of your friends declared, venturing off into the crowd to find the boy she had been seeing but refused to say it was officially considered dating

That left the three of you and soon the other two headed off to the bathroom together leaving you on your lonesome. You didn't mind it though, gave you a moment to survey the crowd and gather who was there. In the centre of it all were couples pressed against each other dancing along to the music, while their bodies became sweatier and sweatier.

Having the urge for a cigarette, you decided to do the right thing by Tina and headed out back for a smoke. Winding your way through the people filling the house, you managed to find a chair near the back of the house that wasn't too crowded. You could hear the chanting in the distance and someone was obviously winning some sort of drinking game and you made a mental note to head over that way afterwards to see what all the fuss was about.

Sitting down you began rummaging in your pocket for you pack of smokes and lighter.

"Fuck," you muttered under your breath as you realised you had left your lighter in your bag at home

You sat there for a moment, disgruntled in the situation as the unlit cigarette hung from your lips sadly.

"Need some help there?" a voice behind you asked and you spun around to face who had spoken

From the shrouded darkness a few feet in front of you they stepped out like some sort of supervillain and into the light. They had something else between their lips but you could tell from the smell that it wasn't tobacco.

"What's Eddie Munson doing at Tina's party?" you asked smugly He chuckled at your question "How else are those basketball idiots meant to get high?" he retorted "Touché" you said, "can I get that light then?" you asked, gesturing to the still unlit cigarette "What do I get if I do?" Eddie sarcastically questioned back "You get to say for the first time that you made a girls night" you shot back

Leaning forward, he slowly extended his arm and used his lighter to light your cigarette. It was in that moment, as Eddie 'The Freak' Munson was so close to you, with only the dim light from the distance and his lighter that you noticed how handsome he actually was. Hidden underneath the bravado and mane of hair, was an attractive face.

"Definitely not the first time a girl has told me that" he cockily remarked, pulling away

The two of you remained there, content in the silence as he worked his way through the joint and you the cigarette.

"So I know why you came in the first place, but why have you stayed then?" you asked him, though he seemed confused by your question "I mean, I doubt anyone here is exactly welcoming to you" you tried to put in the best possible way, without outright saying that people hated him and thought he was a total freak "Well they're smoking my weed, I may as well drink their booze" "I mean, technically I think it's Rick's weed," you said, shooting him a knowing look "You got me there y/n" he replied and you were surprised he knew your name

You weren't sure how much time had passed, but as you came to the butt of your smoke, you dropped it to the ground and used the tip if your boot to stamp it out. Standing up you looked back to where a crowd was formed on the back lawn and noticed your friends at the edge keeping a watchful eye on you.

"Thanks for the light Munson," you said "Any time y/l/n" Eddie said as you walked away

It took you all of five seconds to walk across the lawn and back into the music and heat of everyone.

"Were you just talking to Eddie Munson?" your friends collectively asked as you rejoined the group "Yeah," you replied nonchalantly "and?" "He's such a freak though" Melanie remarked "He wasn't that bad, you know up close he's actually pretty good looking" "Actually if you look at old photos y/n's not wrong" Andrea chimed in "Yeah, just give it all a bit of a trim and fix him up a bit…" Taylor added "he mightn't be all that bad" "I mightn't be able to fix him in a night…" you began, thinking about what you were about to say next "but I might be able to fuck him"

The three of them let out a shocked gasp at your declaration. Each of you had your own conquests, but your interest in Eddie went against your usual type.

"Oh my god y/n, you can't be serious?" Andrea said Taylor laughed before she spoke "I think it's iconic really, you have to" "And then immediately tell us" Melanie added "I think I'm just tipsy enough that this seems like a good idea" you declared to your friends

You appreciated that they didn't judge you or run off to gossip about your idea. You gave them all a quick goodbye and brief hug before making you way back over to the edge of the house where you'd last seem Eddie.

He wasn't where you had left him all of five minutes ago, so you walked down the side of the house to see if he had made his way to the front. You stood there for a moment, clearly out of place standing by yourself looking around for him. You knew if it took you long enough to find him, you'd lose your confidence and back out of the impulsive decision you were making.

That's when a van pulled up in front of you and the window rolled down to reveal just the guy you'd been looking for.

"You alright?" he asked, seemingly with genuine concern "Feel like giving me a ride?" you softly asked "Sure," he said "jump in"

Getting inside the van you were grateful to see that it was far cleaner inside than expected. Hopping into the passenger seat you began giving Eddie vague directions towards your house, with little intention of actually taking him there. Driving along the bare backroads you began fiddling with your necklace, when you felt the clasp open and it slip from your neck.

"Oh shit," you muttered leaning forward, trying to locate it in the darkness "You right?" Eddie asked, still driving and keeping his eyes on the road "I just dropped my necklace…" you said "do you have a flashlight or something back there that I could use to find it?" "Umm…" he seemed to trail off in thought, trying to go through the van's inventory "there should be one, let me just pull over and check"

Stopping in a spot just off the road, he turned and looked haphazardly behind him for the flashlight, but with no success. Huffing, you undid your seatbelt and climbed over into the back to look for it. Although you were genuinely trying to locate it, you became more aware that Eddie was getting a nice view of your ass as your remained bent over in the back looking for the light.

"I have no clue where this thing is," you declared "can you help me?" "Oh um, yeah, sure…" he replied, "just give me a second"

You heard the ignition turn off and the van move as he climbed over the back to where you were. The two of you continued to look for a few more seconds until you sighed and turned around in supposed defeat.

"It might be a lost cause" you said, adjusting your seat and coincidentally moving closer to where Eddie was "I think so…" he replied, seemingly doing the same movement as you "so…" he awkwardly said, as if to avoid the silence "So what?" you innocently said, looking up at him with flirtatious eyes

You both sat there for a moment, leaning ever so slightly closer to the other, unsure who was going to make the first move. You slowly moved your hand from the floor of the van and along his denim covered thigh. He let out a slight moan at the action which signaled to you that he was happy with your decision.

Continuing the movement of your curious fingers, you grazed them up his firm chest and towards the back of his neck. You carefully ran your fingers through his curls and finally settled on his cheek.

"You're going to need to stop doing that" he gruffly said, shooting you a knowing look "Stop what?" you said with a wide-eyed innocence as if you truly didn't know what you were doing to him "you mean this?" you remarked, moving your other hand up and pausing at the cold clasp of his belt buckle "you want me to stop then?" "Well not know" he said

From there few words were spoken. Eddie wrapped his rough hand around the back of your neck and pulled you into him. His lips were soft and welcoming as he kissed you. You moved with him as he kissed you deeper and held you closer. Moving his hand into your hair he grasped the base of your hair tightly, causing you to let out a soft moan, seeing his chance he gently bit down on your bottom lip and slowly moved his mouth down your neck.

You needed to better position yourself, so you placed your hand flat against his chest and pulled back for a moment. He seemed surprised as you lifted your leg over him and proceeded to straddle him. This time you took charge, peppering kisses along his jaw and down his neck towards his exposed nape. Moving back up you lightly nipped his earlobe making him needily groan.

You could feel his fingers playing with the hem of your shirt, and you helped him by pulling it off swiftly. His eyes expanded as he came face to face with your boobs within a bright red lace bra.

"Oh my god you're so gorgeous" he said, cupping your breasts and squeezing them slightly making you grin "This needs to come off now" you informed him referring to his shirt, which is quickly obliged

He didn't waste long removing your bra and throwing it across the van. He brought his lips to your nipples and ran his tongue around them, making you throw your head back in pleasure. Eddie continued this for a bit longer and you anticipated a hickey in the morning.

"My turn" you told him, pushing him down onto his back

He lay there still, as you inched slowly further down. Teasing him, you took your time with his belt, making his squirm as you could already see how hard he was underneath the constraints of the denim. Finally allowing him free, you pulled down his trousers and boxers with them to reveal his impressive length.

He was longer and girthier than you had anticipated, not insanely big but big enough to make you audibly gasp. Running your hand over it, you smirked as he let out a soft moan at your movements. Seductively looking up at him, you made eye contact as you ran your tongue from the base to the tip of his cock. You could feel him throbbing and he couldn't stop letting out moans of pleasure as you continued to wrap your mouth around him.

"Holy shit y/n, just like that" he gasped as you felt him hit the back of your throat and he grabbed ahold of your head and pushed you down further causing you to gag.

Coming back up for air, he looked at you with pure sex in his eyes and leant down, placing a soft kiss to your lips.

"Think it's your turn now," he whispered into your ear and suddenly flipped you over, so now he was on top of you

He pulled your own jeans down quickly and practically ripped your panties off when he came to them. You could feel that you were already wet at that thought of him and shuddered as he ran his fingers over your clit.

"You're so wet" he chuckled, slowly moving his fingers around, slipping one between your folds "Just for you" you muttered, eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of him touching you You felt his hot breath against your ear as he said "what do you want me to do to you?"

His words made you squirm.

"I want you to fuck me until I can't walk" you said without even thinking "Oh that was a given sweetheart" was all he said before going down on you

His tongue moved with expertise. You'd never had someone move the way he did. Flicking his tongue over your clit he inserted two fingers inside of you and moved them in just the right way. Arching your back he pinned you down, preventing you from moving away from his mouth. It came over you before you could even realise and your body shook with pleasure against his tongue and around his fingers.

"I need you inside of me" you said, desperate to feel him

You could hear him rustling around for a moment and then come back to you, quickly putting a condom on. You were glad that he had come prepared because in the heat of it all you had completely forgot.

You gasped in pleasure as you felt him press the tip of his cock against your opening. You gripped his bare back and ran your nails down it. He held there for a second and then thrusted the rest of his length within you. You couldn't help but let out a cry as he filled you up completely.

"Are you ok?" he immediately asked upon hearing you "Yes!" you exclaimed, overcome with pleasure "keep going"

He began to thrust in and out of you, making you shuddering beneath him. As he moved you rotated your hips with him, causing him to moan as well. You stayed like that for a while, consumed within each other until his pace began to slow.

"Are you going to cum for me?" you asked, wanting him to say yes "I'm so close" he breathily said against your lips as he pulled you back in "Good" you said

He get pumping into you and suddenly quickened again, slamming into you making your walls tighten. Your breath began to shorten and you dug your fingers into his back again, as his breaths faltered too and you felt yourself approaching the edge once again. Eddie let out a few final moans and you felt yourself contract around him as you came simultaneously.

"Fuck" he gasped as he finally came and collapsed in exhaustion next to you "Wow" was all you said, staring up in disbelief at the ceiling of the van

You half expected him to get straight up and drive you home, but he rolled onto his side and pulled you towards him once again. Kissing you this time it felt less desperate and hungry, more sincere and soft.

"Is that how you expected tonight to go?" you asked, chuckling lightly "Let's just say I didn't think offering a light to y/n y/l/n would end up with me having the best sex of my life in the back of my van" he declared "Damn," you remarked "best sex of your life eh? Think I deserve a medal or something for that" "Trust me," Eddie said, wrapping his hand around the back of your neck once more "you can ask for more than just that"

[loverangels]

somethin' stupid

pairings: laurie laurence x fem!reader

synopsis: you had watched the boy you loved run after another girl your whole life, yet when he falls back to you as his second option you have to make a heartbreaking decision.

a/n: literally all angst 😭, use of (name), mention of drinking

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

Through foggy windows and layers of love, you had watched Laurie Laurence devote his adoration to jo march. Despite being there as a friend to step back on, despite the comforting moments where you were a shoulder to cry on, and despite the fact that you were utterly and profoundly in love with the boy, it didn't seem to change anything.

Moments were hard, watching Laurie and your best friend Jo during the times where the three of you hung out, watching Jo being her carefree self not needing to try to get Laurie's attention, the alternative to you, whilst Laurie chased her around and danced with his feelings around her.

And then there was you.

Jo had confided to you of her fears of the laurence boys feelings, and Laurie confided to you his feelings for Jo.

'i just don't know what to do!' Jo exclaimed 'i love Laurie I do but...not the way he loves me. My love is as strong, it just comes from a different place'

'i love her and I think...I think if I showed her how much I love her she'll tell me loves me just as much' Laurie sighed leaning his head on your shoulder. 'shes the only one for me'

and you? well you were just there.

a witness to the horrible testimony despite your shattered heart.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

You knew what had taken place the moment you had watched Laurie out of your window, almost somberly walk back, home his head hung down, hands stuffed in his pockets and tears stained down his cheeks.

You knew Jo had refused him.

You should have felt a relief, the cold rush over your body as though you had just taken a refreshing gulp of air.

You felt almost cleansed and you were ashamed of yourself for that.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

Four years.

You had never thought how lonely you would be, every night it seemed as though you cursed yourself for ever wishing such a horrible thing upon Laurie because now...now it had been four years since you had seen him.

Your mother had passed away not too long after Laurie had left for Europe.

Not only were you dealing with the grief for the boy who you loved, but also for the turning point of losing a mother.

With the some of the last money you had, you arranged a nice small ceremony for her, inviting the marchs' and Laurie.

However it seemed as though Laurie hadn't cared enough to arrive back.

The marchs' gave their condolences comforting you, yet it seemed as though the one person who you needed the most didn't need you.

At the end of the first year you decided to go abroad. To Italy. You packed all the last possesions you owned and rented your small home out to a family whilst you were abroad.

Landing in Italy you had opened a tailor shop selling plain dresses and mending old belongings. As you made a name for yourself and gathered more money you had made a wider range of clothing and now luxurious elegant gowns.

So that's what you did.

Rich women with rich needs would come to you to stitch together a gown of their dreams, and you would make quite a good living out of it.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

It had been years and you were thriving, you had a fiancé who had quite some money and was a thoughtful man, you yourself had made yourself a name and money and you had some friends.

And now you were here dragged by Amy to some sort of party in paris.

How you ended up there was beyond you.

The room was buzzing with excited chatter and flirty glances, the floor lit with somber lighting, shirts loosened and curls detangled.

Engaging happily with Amy about Aaron, your fiancé, a glass in your hand as you swirled the remains of your drink.

"...and we're to get married in summer," you continue, your voice carrying a practiced cheerfulness. "Aaron and I were debating on May, but having it in the summer seemed perfect—" You pause mid-sentence, noticing Amy's gaze shift behind you. Her eyes widen, darting nervously between you and whatever—or whoever—she sees.

Your heart begins to race, dread and curiosity mingling as you slowly turn to follow her line of sight. And there he is. Laurie. Theodore Laurence, strewn across a couch in the midst of a lively crowd, his drunken smile and magnetic presence exactly as you remember—and yet entirely unfamiliar. For a moment, the world tilts, the din of laughter and clinking glasses fading into silence. It’s been four years. Four years since you last saw him, four years since you tucked your feelings for him into the quiet corner of your heart, convinced he’d never look at you the way you wished he would.

And yet, here he is, thrown casually on the arm of a velvet couch, a charming grin aimed at the young women beside him.

Your chest tightens as the sight of him threatens to undo you. He looks so at ease, so... content. You force yourself to breathe, but the air feels heavy, laden with emotions you thought you'd buried long ago. Your fingers tighten around the stem of your glass as he glances up—and for the briefest moment, your eyes meet.

Air caught in your throat as you swallow the lump weighing down on your heart, as you tear your eyes away, whipping back around to Amy almost at a loss for breath.

Shaken you excuse yourself from Amy and her pitiful eyes when she gives your hand a squeeze, as you walk past and outside onto the porch, letting your eyes close as the cool breeze softens your muscles.

After a few minutes of regulating your breathing, you turned around, your fingers brushing the ornate railing of the Parisian railing of the poarch. as you hear the soft click of the door opening behind you. The distant hum of party chatter and laughter carried on the breeze, but it was his voice, low and familiar, that pierced through it all.

'(name)'

Your breath caught, and for a moment, you froze. You hadn’t heard him say your name in years, not like this—gentle, hesitant, almost uncertain. It sounded older, heavier somehow, as if he bore the weight of those four years just as you did.

You turn slowly, the soft glow of the garden lamps casting faint shadows across his face. He was still Laurie—blacken hair and sharp-featured—but his boyishness had given way to something sharper, something a little more tired. He stepped towards you, and you instinctively took a step back, gripping the railing tighter.

"You followed me out here?" Your voice cold, more so than you intended, but the storm of emotions building in your chest left little room for restraint.

He stopped short, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face. "I had to."

"Had to?" you echoed, a bitter laugh escaping your lips. "That’s funny, because you didn’t have to—" you bit the words off, closing her eyes briefly, as if reining in your anger. When you opened them again, your gaze was sharp and unyielding. "You didn’t have to come to my mother’s funeral. Or write. Or even—" you shook your head, your voice cracking slightly. "You didn’t have to do anything, did you, Laurie?"

He flinched, and for the first time, you saw the guilt etched into his features. "I—"

"Where were you?" The question came out like a whisper, but it hit him like a blow. "Where were you when I needed you most?"

Laurie looked down at his hands, as if searching for an answer there, before finally meeting your gaze. "I was a coward," he admitted, his voice barely audible. "When Jo said no, I ran. I didn’t know how to stay. Not with you, not with anyone. I thought—" He took a shaky breath. "I thought I was doing you a favor by staying away."

"A favor?" You repeat, incredulous. "You thought abandoning me—when I lost the only family I had left—was a favor?"

"I didn’t know what to say!" he burst out, his voice rising. "I didn’t know how to look you in the eye and face what I’d done. And I ruined it. I ruined everything."

"You didn’t ruin it," you said finally, your voice trembling. "You just… left. And you broke me, Laurie. You broke me."

The silence that followed was thick and heavy, broken only by the faint strains of music drifting out from the party inside. He looked at you, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. "I’m sorry," he said.

But sorry wasn’t enough.

You turn your back to him, gripping the railing as you stare out into the garden. "You can’t just show up here and expect everything to go back to the way it was," you say quietly. "I’ve spent years putting myself back together. And I don’t even know if I want—" you stopped, shaking your head.

"If you want me in your life," Laurie finished for her, his voice soft. He stepped closer, but this time, he didn’t try to reach for you. "I understand. I don’t deserve it. But I’d like to try, if you’ll let me."

You turn to face him again, eyes searching his for something—anything—that would make this easier. What you saw there wasn’t the boy you fallen in love with. It was someone else entirely. Someone older. Someone who had suffered in his own way.

"Small steps," you said at last, voice steady but firm. "If we’re going to fix this… it’s going to take time."

His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say more, but instead, he nodded. "Small steps," he repeated.

The faint trace of a smile tugged at your lips, though it didn’t quite reach your eyes. "Good."

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

Over the span of a few weeks, you and Laurie had spent many occasions together, slowly constructing back the fondness you both held for each other. Tension was still palpable and strained at times, yet often you found yourself grinning and laughing at him.

Right now Laurie had arrived outside of the hotel you were residing in and you agreed to let him tag along.

As you shopped for a wedding dress.

When you told Laurie you were engaged you were too busy avoiding his gaze, and acting as though you were indifferent to his opinion, than to notice his crestfallen look and clenched jaw as you told him about Aaron.

Now, with the same bitter taste on his tongue, laurie was trailing along you as you busied yourself with the racks of dresses.

'you havent told me when the wedding is' Laurie spoke as you picked a certain dress that had caught your eye.

'oh' you simply remark 'its taking place in Rome in June'

And that's the last thing you say before you walk into the dressing room, dress in your hand, leaving laurie drowning in the words that threaten to leave his tongue.

𐙚˙⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩

The silk glided over your skin as you stepped out of the dressing room, your breath catching at the sight in the mirror. The gown clung and flowed in all the right places, the corset cinching your waist perfectly while the long, flowy sleeves cascaded like a whisper of elegance. Tiny pink roses and green leaves embroidered on the fabric seemed to bloom in the soft light of the shop, each detail a testament to the craftsmanship. The bow at the small of your back tied it all together, making you feel—for the first time in a long while—utterly beautiful.

You turned slightly, running your fingers over the delicate embroidery, your reflection almost unrecognizable. "It’s perfect," you murmured to yourself, a small smile tugging at your lips.

The sound of footsteps made you glance toward the door, and there he was. Laurie.

He froze the moment he saw you. His hand still on the door, his lips parted slightly, as though he’d forgotten how to breathe. His gaze swept over you, slow and deliberate, drinking in every detail as if he was committing it to memory—the softness of the silk, the curve of the corset, the gentle blush of the embroidery, the way the gown moved with you like it was made for no one else.

"You—" he began, his voice catching. He stepped closer, his expression shifting into something almost reverent. "You look… breathtaking."

Heat rose to your cheeks, and you ducked your head slightly, a laugh escaping despite yourself. "You’re being dramatic."

"I’m not," he said quickly, almost too quickly. His voice was softer now, his eyes locked on you. "I mean it. You look… like a dream."

You felt the compliment settle in your chest, warm and fluttering, as though it had been a long time since someone looked at you quite like that. You smoothed the fabric of the dress nervously, glancing back at your reflection. "Do you think Aaron will like it?"

The words hung in the air like a crack of thunder.

Laurie’s expression changed instantly, the warmth in his eyes replaced by something harder, sharper. His jaw tightened, and he took a step back as if the name physically pushed him away.

"Don’t marry him," he said suddenly, his voice low and urgent.

You blinked, stunned. "What?"

"Don’t marry him," he repeated, louder this time, his eyes searching yours. There was a desperation in his voice, an almost frantic edge. "I can’t— I won’t let you."

Anger flared in your chest, your heart pounding as you turned to face him fully. "What are you talking about? You won’t let me? Laurie, what—"

"I love you," he interrupted, the words tumbling out as if he couldn’t hold them back any longer. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his voice breaking. "I love you, (name). I have for so long, and I was too stupid to see it, to admit it. But I see it now, and it’s not too late—"

"Not too late?" you cut him off, your voice rising. "Not too late?" Emotion surged through you, hot and overwhelming, and before you could stop yourself, the words poured out. "Laurie, I loved you from the moment I met you. It was always you, me, and Jo. And I waited for you. I waited even after you left, even after my mother died, even after you didn’t come back. And now—" Your voice cracked, your eyes stinging with tears. "Now, when I’ve finally moved on, when I’ve built a life for myself, this is when you tell me you love me?"

"(name)—" he began, stepping toward you, but you held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"No," you said, shaking your head, your voice trembling with frustration. "I won’t be your second choice, Laurie."

"You’re not—"

"Really?" you snapped, your eyes blazing as the tears spilled over. "Jo didn’t marry you, so now you fall back to the person you know would? That’s cruel. It’s mean, and I won’t give you the satisfaction."

The silence that followed was deafening, the air between you heavy with words unsaid. Laurie’s face crumpled, his shoulders slumping as if your words had struck him like a physical blow. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

You turned sharply, retreating to the dressing room, your hands trembling as you pulled at the laces of the corset. The dress that had made you feel so beautiful minutes ago now felt suffocating, the silk clinging too tightly to your skin. You slipped back into your regular clothes, blinking back tears as you tried to steady your breathing.

When you stepped out, the shop was quiet. Too quiet. Laurie was gone.

The woman behind the counter gave you a sympathetic look, her hands clasped in front of her. "He paid for the dress," she said softly, as if afraid her words might shatter you completely.

You nodded, swallowing the lump in your throat, and forced yourself to smile. "Thank you," you murmured, your voice barely above a whisper.

As you left the shop, the weight of everything pressed down on you, but you held your head high, determined not to let the tears fall. Not here. Not now.

[kazzeyy]

I have just got to rant rn.

My entire friend group imploded because one of the girls (we’ll call her Kasey) decided that associating with “zionists” like me and my one other Jewish friend wasn’t sustainable (I assume).

The one “conversation” we had with her (that now has been framed as a “fight” somehow) was me and my friend so so gently and carefully and kindly pointing out via instagram that one of the dozens of propaganda things she was sharing in her stories was problematic, and explaining to her why. It’s actually pathetic how much we were trying not to hurt HER feelings and assure her we also don’t like bibi, etc (btw she is not Arab, Palestinian, Muslim, nada. She just decided to care deeply about this one thing post-10/7 and utilize her instagram to only share things about big bad Israel—she has never posted a single political thing before mind you).

She responded to our message in a wishy washy fashion and ofc didn’t offer to take down the offending post. Then WE thanked HER for listening to us and hearing us out. LMAO. My Jewish friend then messaged Kasey separately asking her in a heartbreaking way to please show some support for Jews—for her. Not Israel, not the war, just Jews. Kasey responded by saying “well a week ago i shared this post that mentioned Jews” and that her main priority was caring about the people in Gaza. Yeah.

From that point on my friend and I decided to be cordial with Kasey but not go out of our way to see her outside of when the larger group got together. Which I think is very forgiving of us. My Jewish friend even still extended Kasey the invite to come to her own home!! She ofc continued posting ridiculous shit to her instagram relentlessly, but at one point must have blocked us from her stories bc one of the other girls told us she had been posting things we weren’t seeing. Guess she couldn’t handle being challenged on her views.

Well anyway, soon enough Kasey decided to stop interacting in the group chat at all. I guess our presence in her life even digitally was too much for her! Despite the fact our only “conversation” was the single one on instagram that was extremely cordial and respectful on our end. So I can only guess why she didn’t want to associate with us Jews anymore…

A little while later I hung out with one of the other girls in the group—Cat. Cat is someone who has studied history in some ways and had been open about listening in the past. So I opened up to her about my frustration and anger about the rising antisemitism in the US, and the impossible situation I felt Israel was in with Hamas locating themselves in civilian areas, etc. I can’t tell you the amount of times I stressed how upsetting it was for me to see so many people dying and how heartbreaking it was. I theorized about day 2 and what it would take to de-radicalize Gaza, which would entail re-education, etc. (This is foreshadowing.)

And then one day I was doom scrolling as one does and saw a claim that some American professor was posting blatant terrorist support on his instagram page which I thought was outrageous as any sane person would. I went to his profile to see for myself, and sure enough it was true. Nothing that was iffy about it—this was straight praise for Hamas and the Houthis. And guess who was shown as a mutual follower of ours. Yep, Kasey.

So despite the fact that in hindsight Kasey stepped over the line way before that, this was truly the last straw for me. and I never understood what “seeing red” meant before then. But I blocked her that very moment without even thinking about it.

The group chat has continued to be completely dead and anyone close to Kasey have also made zero attempts to speak to me or my Jewish friend.

Fast forward to today…

and I learn that Cat has been telling at least one person that I told her that I think children in Gaza deserve to die.

Do I laugh or cry or scream??

I haven’t spoken to Cat in a hot minute, but considered her still a friend of sorts. Overall I of accepted I was no longer a part of the group (me and the other Jewish friend have been making a lovely Jewish girl gang for ourselves this past year so I don’t feel the loss), so tbh I’m not heartbroken about losing Cat as well since I’ve already divorced myself from that group as a whole—I’m more so flabbergasted.

Kasey was bad enough (I’m still very angry about it and will never forgive nor forget and will hold this grudge until the day I die btw), but this behavior from Cat is just something I cannot wrap my head around.

I never in a million years would have thought that an Israel Palestine issue would be what people used to demonize and character assassinate me, but here we are!!!!

[basu-shokikita]

Kloktober 2024 Day 16

Costume Party or Sleepover Party

Because of Dethzazz, I'm convinced Toki has confided in Skwisgaar stuff that he hasn't told the rest of Dethklok. They just have that Scandinavian bond, you know?

And, like I said the other day, I'm a big fan of Toki's early days in Dethklok so here's another entry focusing on that!

Toki hugged a pillow, reluctantly glancing at Skwisgaar’s profile. “Ams this reallies okays?” He eventually asked. 

“Ja.” Skwisgaar said, looking at the old digital alarm clock by his night table. 2 AM.

He was sleeping, or at least attempting to, wearing nothing but a couple of white briefs when Toki stormed into his room. The youngest claimed he had seen something horrible in his sleep and that he couldn’t stay in his room for the night. 

It was not a first for Toki to want to stay in Skwisgaar’s room instead of his own. In fact, the kid appeared to be pretty fond of Skwisgaar, often choosing to spend time with him over the rest of his bandmates. It was only the slightest bit endearing, that Toki seemed to hold him in such high regard. 

As for Skwisgaar, he couldn’t deny he too enjoyed having a fellow Scandinavian that shared his passion for the guitar. And, he’d never admit this to him out loud, but Toki had a bit of a charm that made him very easy to like. So, it wasn’t hard for Skwisgaar to exercise some patience with him.

“And yous not mads about this?” 

“No.” Skwisgaar turned around, glancing at the ceiling.

“You sures?”

“Ja.”

“Reallies?”

“Ja.”

“Reallies?!”

“Toki!” Skwisgaar chuckled and Toki pretty much instantly deflated.

“Sorries…” Toki said, looking down.

“It ams okays.” Skwisgaar laid on his side, his face resting on one hand. “Yous always saying dats. Whys?”

“Sorries? Wells, yeah, I cants helps it-”

“No, nots dat. Well, dats too buts, eugh…” Skwisgaar gestured at the air. “I was referrings to how you always asks if people ams mad.”

“Oh.” Toki straightened up all of sudden. “Uh…”

Skwisgaar raised an eyebrow, intrigued but unsure if he should inquire any further. 

The pillow sitting on Toki’s lap tightened under his arms. “It ams…weirds to explains…” He said, still averting his gaze.

“Eugh, you dont has to talks if you donts wants it…” Skwisgaar’s eyes strayed into the darkness he was slowly growing accustomed to. “I ams not goods with de emotionals bits anyway.”

“My moms and dads…they was always mads at me…” Toki continued regardless. “Always lookings angry and disappointed. And the adults in the town, too. They lookeds at me like I was trash. I never understands what I did dat makes them all so mad…” He let out a shiver and Skwisgaar could tell he was shaking. 

“Tokes,” Skwisgaar reached out to him. “You really donts-”

“When I tries to makes friends with the kids, they was nice to mes and I has funs…but thens come another days they avoids me too. They hates me and I asks them why but they wouldnt even looks at me…” 

Skwisgaar just stared at his silhouette in silence. He had sort of gathered that Toki’s childhood wasn’t great though at this point that pretty much seemed like a requirement to be a great musician. This definitely seemed a bit out of the ordinary, however. 

“There was a girl…from the church…” Even with the dim light, Skwisgaar could make out the faint smile on Toki’s face. “She mades me feels like…something I never felts before. She was different, I thoughts…She was specials…”

Already dreading the rest of the story, Skwisgaar asked. “Ands?”

“I brings her a flower to tell her my feelings and she…drops it. She seems scareds of me, I thinks. When I asks why, she says beings wif me is bad omens. But I still dont understands the reasons…”

At this point, Skwisgaar was completely sat up, almost scared to break the silence with a noise.

“She says dere ams something wrongs wif mes…dats no one can fix.” Toki said in a choked up voice. “And I will always be alones…no one wills…” His head hung down and he placed his pillow in front of his face to hide it. The bed trembled despite Skwisgaar not moving at all. 

Skwisgaar placed a hand on Toki’s shoulder. He knew there was nothing he could say to take back all those years of loneliness and abandonment. He knew that very well. There was something he could give him, though.

“We ams not like dems.” He said softly. “We ams not going to starts hatins you one days. Dat ams imposskibles.”

Sniffing, Toki turned to him. “Yous promise?”

Skwisgaar smiled. “Ja, littol dildo. You gotsa play guitars for us now, remembers?”

Toki giggled. “Thats true.” After a pause, he added. “Yous so easy to talks to, Skwisgaar.”

“Pfft, I doubts that.” Skwisgaar said, remembering his mother chastising him for being the complete opposite.

“Ams serious!” Toki dropped the pillow. “Moidaface ams always saying yous an asshole…”

“Whats?! He says dats?!” Skwisgaar squinted. “Dat littol-”

“He ams wrong.” Toki shrugged with a smile. “I feels I can tell anythings to yous.”

“Eugh, dats a bits…”

Toki got under the covers without losing the smile. “Now you tells me something abouts you.”

“Euh, euh…” Skwisgaar quickly tried to look for a fact about himself that wasn’t too revealing nor too humiliating. “My first loves was de fats, olds libraries ladys from my school.”

Laughing hysterically, Toki rolled on the bed. “No ways!”

Skwisgaar snorted. “Ja, I loves when she leans towards me with her old ladies perfumes ands…”

Like that, Skwisgaar started telling Toki a bunch of random trivia about himself. Some of them factual, some of them a bit embellished but Toki seemed entertained all the same, nodding along and encouraging him to continue at every turn. Skwisgaar didn’t know anyone would be so interested in him, not for his musical skills or his sexual prowess, but just for being himself. 

Toki’s town was right about him, in a way. 

He was one of a kind. 

[leafington]

𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧 .ᐟ - kei t. 📼 ; 008

For a month long tour, it seemed like nothing compared to the week long wait to get home. Her headaches converted into migraines, breakdowns now being fits of anger where evidence of it happening would be the trashed hotel room the housekeepers have to clean up. To keep herself occupied, Y/n tried to watch the posted performances of the group but seeing them express themselves on stage without her, happiness written all over their faces despite the harsh realities they push through bothers her. Why can't she have it that easy? All those years of pushing herself and it's falling short right in front of her.

The flight back was possibly the worst of it all. Rinko seemed to have some sort of stick lodged deep within her ass and whenever she was in a bad mood, it reflected onto Y/n. She refused to speak to anyone—claiming the negative energy was too much, Rinko then went around with such an attitude that put other staff in a frightened frenzy. At some point, she confronted Y/n about her ignorance and scolded her regarding the matter, going so far as to belittle her for "acting out" which sparked some exchanged glances among the staff (and a few nosy bypassers) at the gate. New seating arrangements were made in order to reduce any further arguments and conflict.

Having returned to Japan, things were bitter between the head workers and Y/n, everyone had their own take on her outburst and Rinko's response to it—some better than others. The staff at the company held a little surprise for Y/n where her, Yuki, Hoshi, and Cyuti could have a break for the rest of the week, giving them time to reconnect, and essentially get Y/n out of this headspace of hers.

The group hung out in the main room of their shared home, babbling about how the release went and all the performances they did. Y/n listened, but not actively, she appeared out of it. The only one to catch onto this was Cyuti, who then nudged Yuki to speak up. "Everything alright, babes?" She moved from her spot next to Hoshi, plopping next to the dazed woman. "Yeah... tired. I think." Y/n rubs the corner of her eyes, easily dimming the mood. "I'm fine, really. I'm proud of you all, you guys did amazing out there." She tries to lighten it up, but the fire she's sparking just keeps dying.

"... What happened? They updated us on the tour, how are you feeling?" Cyuti crosses her legs, inching her way into the circle. "Did Rinko give you a hard time?" Hoshi laid her own head on Cyuti's shoulder. "I don't know. Everything was just so... chaotic. I wasn't feeling well, I started missing you guys, the critical feedback. And between Rinko and Itsuki... not to mention Tsukishima." She listed off, muttering the man's name quietly. Cyuti groans at the name and almost walked off of it weren't for Hoshi holding her down. "I blew up at Rinko last night because she kept giving me shit about me wanting to keep my space and... I just got irritated." The three girls just sit in silence, taking in their friend's words. Hoshi—given knowing her the longest—empathized with her and scooted over to hug Y/n. "Do I even wanna know how Tsukishima contributed to this?" Cyuti leans back in her spot, an eyebrow quirked up.

"I don't know what the hell he's got going on, he wants me to meet up with him today, but I'm scared to. All we've done is argue over the phone, there's just so much happening. I don't know what to do." Y/n rants, glancing over at her phone for a quick time check. It's five in the afternoon, he should be done with practice right about now. "What do you know?" Yuki jokes, only for it to backfire.

"I know I'm exhausted, Yuki." She emphasizes, covering her face anxiously. Her head's been filled with so much in only a month, she knew what all this consisted of when she signed her contract and yet firmly believed she could still hold a normal life when she did.

A pregnant pause coats them all, their thoughts all unified but no one exactly sure if what they should say is appropriate. They want the best for Y/n seeing as she's the youngest, and it's their job to be there for one another, but can they do that if their suggestion directly affects not only their career, but them as well.

⋆｡˚🪼🫧˚｡⋆

The summer breeze is brutal against her body, pushing her in all sorts of directions while waiting for Tsukishima. He'd checked in on her earlier to confirm she was actually going to be there, later sending her their meetup spot. She'd left her phone with Hoshi (before praying that she didn't break it) and set off. In the distance of the early evening, she spots the male grabbing some vendor food and positions herself beside him.

"Took you long enough." He squints to read the items on the small-printed menu. "Had to settle in. I flew in this morning." She glances at her watch before peeking over at the menu herself. "How're you feeling?" Tsukishima questions, pointing to some shaved ice after finally being able to see that tiny ass font. "Better than the last few weeks." She shrugs off, ordering some water for herself. "That's good. Can't have you passin' out on me." They both stand off to the side, Tsukishima waiting for his own order.

It's quiet, nothing awkward, at least on his end. Y/n just wanted to get this over with, lay down, enjoy her time off, relax for a change and—"Has opening up to people always been hard for you? Or is it just me?" He breaks her thoughts, glancing down at his feet. "Not really. Just guys who ignore me." Clearly whatever bitterness she had earlier carried over. Tsukishima bites his tongue, not wanting to make the situation any worse than it already was. "Only because you stood me up, but this isn't about that."

"I'm not working against you here, take my word for it or not, but whatever you're juggling, I want to help. I know you have a good support system, Yachi told me, and... I guess I wanna be apart of that." He mumbles the last bit, scratching his neck. "I'm willing to take whatever punishment comes with being with you. Dont forget you're not the only one with fans and followers." That bit makes Y/n scoff, she's not oblivious. "People have died, you know? From this kind of thing. 'm not comparing but it gets extremely bad in my field." This makes him scoff in return, he's not oblivious either.

"Good thing one of us is mentally stronger for that then. I can protect you, in fact I want to, if you'll let me. Is that so hard to believe? That someone genuinely cares and isn't just saying that to get into your pants?" Her head whips in his direction and the smuggest look is on his face. "Unless that's what you want, I can do that too." Tsukishima jokes, and it does get a short laugh out of her, before she shakes her head in disbelief.

The vendor calls out his order, he steps from her side to retrieve the both of their items, handing her her water. "I've grown out of that actually, I actually took my job seriously after all that." They walk ahead to find an empty bench. "Just a suggestion. I'm serious about being there for you though. You don't have a choice." He nudges her lightly, and she dramatically pretends to be hurt. "Damn, aggressive much?" Y/n rubs her arm.

They talk a little more, formally exchanging apologies for their angrily sent messages and having her inform him on every little bit of her travels, even the not-so fun bits. Like he said, Tsukishima listened to every part of her rant down to the letter, leaving them out there for god knows how long just talking, observing, listening. After they finish up with their mini-date, she's in a much better mood than she was before, and she's greatly convinced that this could work out for them.

And so was he.

ᐟᐟ☆ fun facts 🥂

₊ ⊹ none!! (other than the fact that this took WAY longer than it shouldve)

······························································································

play the next tape? ──── yes. / previous.

current taglist! - @eujoana89 @cr4yolaas @nbcvs @muskratlove @phoenix-eclipses @yuminako @tsukistopglazer @happiness2014 @babyyitsval @diorzs @keioover @dilfhwa @cloza @solvisun

©2024 leafington dont steal please!! :)

[stylesparker]

dead man walking

PAIRING: Ellie Williams x Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT: 5k

WARNINGS: language, kidnapping, torture, graphic violence, hurt/comfort, sort of asshole!joel, protective!ellie, please let me know if I missed anything!

The lights that hung above you in your cell flickered again for the seventh time in the past twenty minutes. A new guard walks by and shakes hands with the woman who’s been watching you as of yesterday; they exchange a couple of words, take a glance at you, and snicker as one leaves and one takes the others place on the wooden chair.

You huff in your cold corner of the cell and burrow deeper into yourself, looking away so maybe you can forget that you’re here at all and not at home.

The memory of being torn out of sleep and out of your bed by cruel and harsh hands plagues your mind. The laughter that spilled from their lips when you screamed and kicked and scratched, but to no avail. You can only imagine the image created for Ellie when she came home from her night patrol early in the morning; bed sheets and pillows thrown on the floor torn and shredded, scratch marks all the way down the hallway from your fingernails, picture frames knocked off the walls and broken on the floor, particularly of Ellie. You don’t want to imagine how she might feel, the dread that she might have lost another person in her life with no goodbye.

You do everything you can not to cry.

“What’s the matter with you, stay quiet!” The new guard, a scruffy looking male with blonde hair tied into a bun, bangs the metal bars that hold you inside.

Despite your better judgement, you respond with, “What are you gonna do if I don’t, shoot me?”

He chuckles and turns away from you, “If it were up to me, I’d do much worse.”

That scares you more than you wish it did, so you stay quiet the rest of the night. Your mind wouldn’t let you rest, so you didn’t get a wink of sleep; but the asshole watching you did. As you watched him sleep, you imagined getting out of here somehow, taking him out before he could even know what hit him, and getting back to Ellie before she could even worry. Unfortunately, that wasn’t in your cards, so you huffed and tried to fall asleep.

...

“Damn, I cannot believe how much weed we found!” Dina laughs loudly.

“Yeah, I swear I haven’t found that much since that snowstorm with Y/N,” Ellie smiles at the thought.

Ellie and Dina trudge across the gravel towards the house you share with the two girls and Jesse. As much as Ellie wanted a house to you and herself alone, she had to admit it was fun living with her two closest friends as well; only when they weren’t getting it on in the middle of the night that is.

“God, I remember that day. When you finally grew some balls an-”

“Oh shut up, we were a thing before that!”

“You sure about that? If I recall correctly, you had only thought that-”

Ellie shoved her arm, “Do I really have to beat you to shut your damn mouth?”

“Ya’ know, I’d love that-”

The two friends got their argument shut down as soon as they approached the porch steps of the house; a terrified looking Jesse barges out the door.

“Dude, what the hell-!” The girls say in unison, but immediately stiffen at Jesses next words.

“She’s gone.”

“What the fuck do you mean she’s gone.” Ellie shoves him aside, ignoring his pleas not to go inside. Her eyes scan the house frantically, her body moving before she could even think, checking every room and only finding more terror.

“Oh my god.” Dina’s face looks like she can’t even fathom what happened, and Jesse is only staring at Ellie. She’s gone rigid, a stone cold look appearing in her eye as she catches sight of the smashed up picture frames, the scratches on the walls, and he knows she’s flipped the switch. They don’t argue and only follow Ellie as she storms out of the house, an aura of rage surrounding her as she went.

“We know who did this right?” Dina asks.

“Yeah, we know alright,” Ellie responds harshly, “and we’re gonna kill those sons of bitches like we should’ve.”

…

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Ah shit,” you mutter, abruptly pulled out of your sleep (once again). Your hand flies to your face to cover the bright sun burning directly into your eyes.

“Wakey, wakey!” You hear laughter and rude mutterings coming from outside your cell. You can only imagine the state you must be in right now, but you open your eyes and examine your kidnappers in front of you.

Three guys and two girls, all standing there staring at you.

“What the hell do you want.” You try asserting a dominating tone, but you don’t think it comes across as bossy as you would have hoped.

“What do we want?” The blonde dude who was watching you last night laughs at that, and is quickly followed by the rest of them. “Sweetheart-”

“Don’t fucking call me that.” You snap.

He chuckles, crouching to the floor on the other side of the bars.

“Okay, honey. What we want... is a nice chat.”

You glare at them, “The fuck for?”

“Ellie Williams.” One of the girls behind him says. You think it was the redhead one, but you’re not quite sure. The other girl, the brunette, stands there leaning against the wall.

Ellie? You think. What does she have to do with this?

You huff out a laugh as best you can, “Right, and you think I’m gonna tell you anything?”

Blondie smiles, “I know you will. And you wanna know how I know that?”

You glare and don’t say a word.

“Because I know you know who I am.” Suddenly, he pulls his sweatshirt over his head and throws it to the floor. You watch him in confusion as he pulls his sleeve up and up… and…

Oh shit.

“Yeah. You know who I am.” He smiles, but this one, this one is not like the last one. It scares you so deep to your core, you almost try to flatten yourself to the wall behind you to somehow get even farther from him. “I know she would have told you. I’m glad I was right.”

“You attacked them, I don’t blame her for what she did.”

“You’re gonna talk about blame?” He hits the bars and it makes you flinch. “They came through our territory!”

“How the fuck were they supposed to know! They didn’t do shit to you until you fired on them!”

He rolls his eyes, “They knew. They saw the sign.”

“Right, like a damn sign was gonna stop them. For all they knew, the place was abandoned and that sign was years old!”

“Doesn’t matter.” A cold, dark look comes over his eyes. “Williams cut off my arm,” he gestures to the ugly scarring in the middle of his arm, with clusters of risen scar tissue on the edge of it. It looks atrocious, you wonder how he was even able to reattach it, much less use his arm for that matter.

“Well it looks like you got over that.” You mutter, but the look doesn’t leave his eye.

“And she killed my girl.”

His hands reach above him to grab onto the bars to pull him up. He stalks over to the door of the cell and unlocks it, swinging it open. His friends stiffen in anticipation.

“And now I’m gonna kill you.”

...

Joel, Tommy, and Maria were made known of your… disappearance, shortly after the others. Joel had immediately sent out a search party, but he knew what Ellie really wanted.

“No, that’s not gonna happen.”

“Joel, she’s fucking out there, I’m not sitting here-!”

“And I’m not letting you go out there! You know why they took her, right? You do realize why this happened?”

Ellie quickly straightens, mind shutting down at even the thought of it, and Dina and Jesse behind her stand to attention.

“Hey!” Dina marches up to Joel, “don’t bring that shit up. You know how hard that was.”

“Her killing that girl led to this, she has to know that-”

Dina yells, “I think she’s fucking well aware of that, Joel! And I think you should be too since she saved your damn life!”

He quiets, “Yeah, and now she’s gone.” He walks away, leaving the building as Tommy and Maria come in. They look behind them to watch Joel leave, but they walk over to the others, stopping in front of Ellie, who’s looking down at the floor.

“I know you want to go, kid, I would too, but I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. You’re gonna be their main target.” Tommy rests his hand on her shoulder, but she’s quick to shove it off.

“That’s kind of the point.”

“Ellie-”

“I don’t care,” Her voice rises, “I’m getting her back, and nobody’s stopping me.” She marches out the way they came, and Dina and Jesse sigh, following close behind her.

“Dina!” Maria calls. She whips her head back to look at her. “Watch out for her alright? Make sure she comes back with her head.”

Dina nods, “I think she plans to come back with much more than that.”

…

You scream a sharp cry of pain, whimpering at the harsh sting of the knife gliding across your skin. Your bra is soaked in blood since your shirt had been torn open so he could slice your collarbones, and you can feel the cool drip of it hitting your thighs. You lean your head back and whine, forcing yourself not to cry out again as the knife drags down the side of your arm.

“Dave, are you sure we can’t be done with her yet?” Molly, the redhead, asks. When you lean your head up just a bit through blurry tears and blood from your hairline, you see the horrified looks of the others surrounding him. As horrified as they are, they’re still sickly enjoying it, which makes you even more terrified.

“No,” he coldly replies, “we’re not done until I say we’re done.” You earn another punch across the face, you spit out the blood in your mouth onto your lap, coughing as you catch your breath.

“You’ve- you’ve made your point,” you said roughly, your voice cracking as you say it. “Just end me for gods sake, man.”

“Heh,” he chuckles, “you’d like that, huh? A swift end to your suffering? Well that’s not gonna happen, bitch.” The knife glides across the flesh of your stomach, causing you to scream out in pain again.

The brunette speaks up this time, “I know you want her to suffer, but… Daisy didn’t suffer dude. You’ve gotten your revenge, let’s just end it and get out of here before she gets here.”

“I plan on her being here.”

The group stiffens in horror.

“WHAT?!” They all shout, immediately starting to panic.

“You’re shitting me man-”

“We’re gonna fucking die.”

“She’s probably already on her way here with their shit ton of guns!”

“You think she’s just gonna let this go? You fucking tore up her girlfriend, man!”

“Y/N here was just the start of it, I’m ending her tonight.” You start fighting against the ropes confining your legs and hands after he said that.

“Ohhhh!” He laughs loudly, “Did I say something that bothered you, sweetheart?”

“You’re not gonna fucking touch her!” You snarl, spitting blood in his face.

He wipes it off, leaning his hands on his knees as he gets real close to your face. “I don’t think you’re gonna do much from this position, girl. You’re gonna sit here and watch as Williams comes in here and attempts to save you..” he says condescendingly, “and you’re gonna see the life leave her eyes as I slit her throat.”

You glare menacingly at the man, yelling at him and fighting to rip out of your chair, but he ignores you, and so do the others as they leave your room. You yell for hours, but it weakens you, and eventually, you become too tired and succumb to black nothingness.

...

"This is it," Ellie says, looking back at Dina and Jesse.

"How do you know?" Jesse asks, walking up beside her.

"Because, I recognize the building. Let's go!" She snaps quietly, waving her hand for them to follow her. They trek sneakily through the grass right up against the side of the building, and Jesse watches behind them to make sure no one is following. Sneaking out of Jackson wasn't hard, but they're very aware their absence has probably already been noticed, especially since Ellie didn't exactly hide the fact this was her plan in the first place.

The three crouch even lower when they hear voices coming through the open window right above them. Dina, being in the middle, throws her hands over the other two so they don't pop up too early and get themselves caught.

"Cool it. Let's not make ourselves known until we've at least gotten her out of there, yeah?" Ellie grumbles and Jessie just nods. "Good. Now, the five that were with the girl are most likely in there, one of them the boyfriend, so they're gonna be on our asses ready to kill. Shoot if you have to, but remember, the goal is getting Y/N out, not killing everyone-"

"This isn't going to end until they're dead, Dina," Ellie says, "I'm gonna do whatever it takes, and if that means everyone in that building dies, so be it." Without warning, she throws her gun behind her on her back and pushes herself over the wall into the awaiting room of the building.

"Well, guess we're goin' then." Jessie mutters. Dina huffs in response but is quick to follow her inside, Jessie right behind her.

Once they enter the building, they're able to hear some of the voices more clearly. The room contains two doors, both completely open, so the chance of getting caught is slightly greater now. Ellie signals two coming from the right, and two coming from the left, so Dina and Jessie split to take each side. Ellie lets Jessie take the lead into the next room, and waits until Dina is out of sight to make her next move. Once she's in the room once over, she realizes how big this room is, and Jessie is already on the other side near the two men, watching them in case they hear Ellie. Neither of them are him.

To the left, there's a long, straight hallway with what seems to be cells, with all the bars and all. Right as she's about to uncover herself, a shot rings out through the building and women start screaming.

Dina.

The men look at each other quickly and take off for the door she just entered. Jessie springs up from his spot and starts shooting at them, hitting his mark as they both crumple to the ground with bullets in their legs.

"Go!" Jessie yells at Ellie, and she takes off for the hallway. She pushes so hard her legs feel like they're gonna give out, but she ignores it and grits her teeth, determined to find you. Hopefully unharmed.

But she knows better though. She killed his girlfriend. If it were the other way around, and he killed you, she wouldn't have let that bitch live for another minute. She forces it out of her mind when she catches a sliver of your hair as she nearly passes up your cell. Ellie suddenly halts, backing up to run to your door. She struggles with the lock for a moment, but she quickly takes her gun to repeatedly jam it into the lock so it breaks apart. Once she throws the door open, she's next to you in a second, softly placing her hands on your face so you lift your head.

She hears you grumble and she sighs with relief. You're not dead.

"Hey, baby, I'm here. Let's get you outta' here yeah?" She talks quietly, nearly a whisper so you barely hear her, but you feel her hands on your skin so you start squirming.

"No no no, stop, please-"

"It's Ellie. It's Ellie, baby, you're okay." Your eyes open slightly, and tears start to fall against your face. You whimper and slump forward once the ropes are off your wrists, not able to keep yourself up. You whisper her name and she nods, taking your arms to wrap them around her neck before she picks you up to cradle you against her chest. "Yeah, me. Ellie. I'm here now. You're gonna be okay."

Your face nudges her shoulder as you dig yourself deeper into her embrace, and once you're settled she turns and runs out of the cell with you now in her arms.

She makes it half way back down the hallway when she hears a click.

A gun click.

"Stop."

She closes her eyes shut and huffs out a breath, letting her head fall back towards the ceiling. Shit.

"Turn around."

As slowly as she can, she spins around to face him, making eye contact as soon as she lifts her gaze from the ground. Surprisingly, he's smirking.

"You're here. Finally." He forces a laugh, "What took you so long? Figured you'd be here hours ago."

Ellie ignores the comment and stays quiet, glaring at him menacingly.

"What, no excuse? Alright." He shakes his head, and starts shaking the gun in his hand, pointing it in her direction. "You know who I am, right?"

"I know who you are."

He smiles, throwing his hands up, "Good! Good, that's great. I'm glad." He huffs out another laugh, but it's cut short when he drops the facade and his face turns daunting. "You know my name?"

"Your name doesn't mean shit." Ellie says.

"Dave. You should know since... you should always be able to put a name to the face who's about to ruin your whole damn life." Ellie's face doesn't change, but she starts to worry. She doesn't know what she's gonna do with you if she has to fight. "I know your name, Ellie. I know... your name, where you live," he starts to count off his fingers, "who you love, who was here that night, I know everything about you."

"Aw, how sweet."

"Yeah, joke about it now. You're not gonna be laughing when I blow your brains out."

"Does it look like I'm laughing?" Ellie lifts her chin, keeping her head high. "I know what I did, Dave. You should have taken me, this had nothing to do with her-"

"Oh, Ellie, but it did!" He interrupts. "It did because you wanna' know why? She's your girl. You took mine, I took yours. End of story."

Ellie grunts. "She was gonna kill someone who was important to me. It was either her or him."

"Blah, blah, blah, I don't care. Daisy was important to me, and you killed her."

"Daisy didn't suffer! You tortured her!" Ellie screamed.

"I suffered, Ellie. You would've done the same." He keeps his voice leveled. "We're the same you and I."

"Maybe. The only difference is that I'm gonna walk out of here alive and you're gonna be dead."

You don't see much of it. One minute you were in her arms and the next you were slumped against the wall watching her bang his head against the ground five times. At first she had the upper hand, but when she stopped, he threw his head back and slammed it hard on her nose. You heard her groan, you heard him scream, but your eyes were sort of blurry and it was so hard to lift your head.

You don't know how long you're there, it could have been a minute or an hour, but they don't stop, they never stop.

When you're able to see a little better, you see him pressing her body against the bars with an arm over her throat, choking her. She gasps for air and her hands are pushing his shoulders, but he doesn't give. You whimper on the ground as you try to move, but you just fall to your side on the floor.

"She's mine, now."

"Like hell." She sputters out. She shoves her thumbs up and into his eyes, digging her nails in causing him to scream in pain and let her go. She knees him in the crotch and watches him collapse to the floor. He groans, holding himself on the floor as Ellie towers over him.

He lifts his head to glare at her, but then he screams, "Just kill me!"

"Gladly." She whips out the gun from her belt behind her and shoots him point blank between the eyes. His head smacks the ground and his body twitches before it stops and lies motionless. Ellie stares at him for a second before her head snaps to you, lying on the ground in a crumpled sort of position and she runs to you, lifting your head to look at you properly.

"Baby, you there? You okay?"

Loud boots are heard stomping down the hallway and Ellie lifts her gun, prepared to shoot again before she realizes it's just Dina and Jessie. They come to a stop, breathing hard from their fight, but they still when they see you on the ground. Their eyes change from shock to horror, but Ellie doesn't pay attention.

"They all dead?" Ellie asks as she grabs you and cradles you in her arms again.

"Yeah..." Dina breathes, and Jessie nods. Even though you're leaning on Ellie's shoulder, you can still see them holding hands, and it makes you smile.

"Good. Let's go."

...

"It was reckless!"

"But she's here isn't she? We got her back!"

"You put her at risk-"

"She was already at risk, Joel! She was being tortured, it really couldn't have gotten much worse than that!"

"-and you three put your lives at risk, Ellie!-"

Their voices get louder and louder as you start to wake up and gain consciousness. You almost couldn't tell who it was at first when you began to slowly blink your eyes open, but as you listened to more and more of what they were arguing about, it was pretty clear who it was.

You feel the softness of a couch beneath you, and a pair of jeans rubbing against your ear. You already know it's Dina who has your head in her lap, the gentle rub on your arm giving it away. Without hinting to Dina that you're awake yet, you look around the room to see who's with you. You're in Tommy and Maria's living room; Tommy and Maria reside in the corner on a chair together, Jessie sits on the arm at the other end of the couch, and other than Dina, it's just Joel and Ellie that's left. They all look defeated and grave as they sit and listen to their argument, one that you're starting to comprehend.

You guess you were doing a bit too much shifting around because suddenly Dina's hand stops moving and her head comes into view.

"Guys, shut up, I think she's waking up!"

All of a sudden, all the attention in the room is on you, and you rub your eyes as you sit up, making it seem like you didn't just hear part of their conversation. Ellie's face lights up and she moves from across the room to kneel in front of you, helping you and Dina sit you up from your laid down position.

"Hi, baby, how you feelin'?" Ellie's soft voice is comforting to your ears, so different from how she sounded two seconds ago.

"Hi," you rasp, clearing your throat so you don't sound so hoarse, "I'm okay, I think. What time is it?"

"It's a little after 8 o'clock," she says, "do you want something to eat? Or do you want water?"

You nod your head, "I'll take some water."

"I'll get it for you." Jessie says, leaving the room to get you a glass. You look around and examine their faces, and the way they're looking at you starts to make you feel overwhelmed.

"What? You're looking at me like I'm a ghost or something." You chuckle halfheartedly to yourself, but none of them laugh with you. Ellie grips your hand, bringing your attention to her for a moment, and it's then that you notice how much emotion is being held in features as she stares at you. You can tell she wants to cry, but she holds it in her chest, shoving it down deep, so it doesn't bubble up in front of everyone. You grip back as hard as you can.

Nobody talks until Jessie gets back. He hands the glass of water to you with a gentle smile, rubbing your shoulder gently as he passes by and sits next to you on the couch. You awkwardly take small sips as they sit and stare, watching you, as if you're gonna fall or die on the spot or something. After about five minutes, you couldn't take it anymore.

"Okay, is someone going to say something, or are we all just going to sit here and stare at me?"

Ellie hides her laugh a little bit, breaking the silence, and Joel gives her a look.

"You've been through a lot, why don't you go get some rest?" Joel suggests. You want to make a comment about his and Ellie's argument, but you hold back for now. That can be hashed out in the morning, for now, you'd rather go lay in bed with Ellie.

Just as you think about going home, you remember what happened there and what the house must still look like. There's no way Ellie even went back into the house after seeing it, much less to clean it, from what you can assume she probably left right away. You look at Ellie, and she's already speaking, and lending you a hand to stand up.

"We're gonna stay here tonight, Tommy and Maria offered us a room. Just so everyone can stay together." She gives you a tight-lipped smile, and you know as soon as you get to the bedroom and you're alone, she'll probably tell you more.

"No problem, I'd like that. Thank you guys."

"Of course, honey. Get some rest, we'll see you in the morning." Maria offers a kind smile. Then her, Tommy, and Joel leave the room and head to the kitchen where they start a small, quiet conversation with themselves.

"Thanks for... everything," You turn to Dina and Jessie, giving their hands a squeeze, "I don't really know what else to say."

"You don't have to say anything, babe. You know we got you." Dina pulls you into a tight embrace, and Jessie follows suit, wrapping his lanky arms around the both of you.

"Yeah, you know we got your back. Even against crazy psycho cults." Jessie adds. Ellie and Dina give him the most point blank stare you've ever seen, and it makes you laugh, maybe a little too hard because you wince and hold your ribs.

"Stop, Jessie, you're making me laugh." He smiles, giving your head a rub and messing your hair up even more.

"Okay, let's go." Ellie grabs your hand and wraps her other arm around your waist as she leads you up the stairs, while you give Dina and Jessie one last smile. Once they're out of sight and you guys are up the stairs, you finally let yourself lean into Ellie and let her take your weight. You didn't realize how much pain you were in until now, but you think the shock of seeing everyone again all of a sudden must have just worn off. "I got you baby, we're almost there." Ellie says into your ear, giving you a kiss on the side of your head as you make it to the top of the stairs.

She sets you on the bed before going back to close the door, giving you a once over as soon as she's standing in front of you again. You offer your arms out, and she steps closer, letting your face fall into her stomach and your hands come up to wrap around her body. She feels your sigh of relief almost instantly, and it makes her cup your head and lean into you as close as she possibly can.

"I'm so sorry, sweetheart." She whispers.

"For what?" You look up at her.

"I should have been there. I shouldn't have left you that morning-"

"Ellie, you were on patrol, you couldn't have known-"

"It was still too soon after everything that happened. I didn't want to leave you in the first place and I shouldn't have." She's shaking her head, eyes closed, and her hands in a fist with your shirt enclosed in them. You know no matter what you say, she won't listen to it, so you just rub her sides.

"You saved me, Els. I'm home because of you." She nods her head and glances down at you, cupping your cheeks.

"I would have never stopped until you were."

You nod back, "I know." You pull her down so your faces are level and kiss her, taking her by surprise. Of course, she returns the kiss, and it's so soft, so comforting, familiar and safe.

Ellie changes into sweats and a t-shirt quickly so she can help you get into your clothes, which is the exact same thing as she's wearing, and get you under the covers faster. Once you both are changed, she holds up the blankets so you can slide under, and once you're settled you let your head hit the pillow and close your eyes. You breathe deeply, calming your heart, and trying to force your mind to settle down. Ellie's arms snake around you, pulling you close to her chest.

"I'm never leaving you again."

You smile, and kiss right above her collarbone where your head is resting against her chest.

"I don't doubt it."

[royalsweetteaa]

Good intent

Pairing: Dark!Ransom Drysdale x Homeless!Reader

Chapter 1

ONLY 18+ | MINORS DNI

WARNING - This story contains the following: dark & suggesting themes such as kidnapping, non-con, explicit smut, obsessive behavior/possessive behavior/delusional behavior on Ransom’s part, Ransom being a creep in general, unbalanced power dynamic, Stockholm syndrome on reader’s part, classism, size kink, manipulation, angst, a bit of sad!Ransom, eventual fluff.

Ch. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

Summary: Ransom is going through a mid-life crisis where he’s miserable and he wants to change things up to make his daily life more interesting. The change involves taking the freedom of someone who he deems is beneath societal suitability.

Narrator POV

For the past few weeks, Ransom Drysdale had taken notice of a new piece to his repetitive - and quite frankly, boring pattern of a routine.

Every Saturday evening, he and a couple of his so-called friends, who conveniently only hung out with him on occasions where he felt like wasting a lot of money, would go to the nightclub to get drunk, sometimes snort cocaine given the chance, then go their separate ways to hook up with whores when the evening came to an end.

This used to be Ransom’s highlight of the week, and it still was compared to what he did any other day.

He didn’t do much else at home other than occasionally picking up girls to go on a ride on the Beamer - one of his most precious possessions, to then end up at his house to hot sex. His sex drive had been indefinitely high ever since he started his trust fund of a life style. Being alone in a big house with too much money and no job to keep him occupied had led him to feel lonely, frustrated and lastly concluding - lust.

He used to love the attention he was given by the women who so easily spread their legs for him, but eventually he felt empty from them. Because despite how much they would beg him to use them like they were his personal sextoys in the heat of the moment, he knew deep down they didn’t rely on him as much as he relied on them. They were just as much after a good fuck as him, but as soon as he kicked them out of his house the morning after, they were off doing whatever ‘normal people’ do.

They probably had family, friends,…- he on the other hand was left to ponder on what to do next to entertain himself. He had yet to find that one thing that could bring some sort of stability and could satisfy his thirst for a lifelong entertainment. Getting a job was not one of them, no matter how much he sometimes considered it. He only had to remind himself of how miserable he was the few weeks he worked for Harlan at the publishing company.

No, he wanted something else.

And tonight, he thinks he might have found it.

A young woman had caught his eye each time he drove past the street that led to the nightclub. It was obvious enough that she was homeless, given that he had seen her laying against the wall of an apartment building, snuggling in her sleeping bag - reasonably so because it was the end of October. The nights were only getting colder as winter was right around the corner. She wasn’t wearing anything appropriate for the weather either - a thin jacket with no gloves and a hat barely covering her ears to keep her warm.

Her appearance alone wasn’t something he found eye catching. It was simply how there were rarely, if any homeless people around. This small town was known for people of high class, with the exception of lower classes visiting the area to spend the little extra money they had earned from their minimum wage paying job to have a once in a life time experience in the 5 star restaurants or in the luxurious nightclub. The few homeless people who did end up here would be kicked out days later, due to complaints from the rich of how they were ruining the reputation the town tries to uphold.

Ransom couldn’t stay more neutral on the case as he cared little to nothing about what the town decided to do with the less fortunate - as long as his money and property wasn’t personally affected, it didn’t matter to him.

But for once, he couldn’t help but be a little confused as to how this woman had lasted as long as she had. It had been more than a week, and she still hadn’t moved from her spot. Maybe the people who lived in the apartment didn’t mind her presence, or were too occupied to even notice her. She kept her spot pretty tidy too, making sure to not let any trash she may have to spread out on the pavement. She wasn’t the average homeless man who would beg for a penny either, which led Ransom to assume she had some money to cover a few basic needs but not enough to sleep somewhere.

These thoughts kept him preoccupied while he slowly downed the whiskey he had kept in his hand for the longest time. His friends seemed to take notice of how quiet he was the whole time, and tried to ignite his usual enthusiasm.

“See that chick over there? She’s come all this way from Missouri and I heard she gives the best head. Think it’d be good for you to let off some steam and give it a shot, pal.” One of the guys said smugly and pointed to the blonde who seemed to have already been checking out Ransom as she bit her bottom lip seductively.

Ransom sighed and sunk his shoulders. “Sure, why the fuck not.”

He walked up to the woman with a smirk on his face to keep up the same facade he’s had for a while. They flirted with each other - Ransom commented how her filthy words coming from her mouth was turning him on, though it was hardly the truth, and the woman replied with; “wanna see what other filthy things my mouth can do?”

One thing led to another, and he found himself in the handicap restroom with the woman between his legs sucking him off. It was good, - great even, but he felt nothing. This has been going on and on - he practically knows how the night is going to end and it makes him feel miserable. How would this spiral ever end if he kept on letting it happen?

“Fuck-! Stop, just stop.” Ransom said hastily while pushing the woman off of him. “I can’t fucking do this right now.” The blonde had an offended look on her face, but he paid no mind as he tucked his dick back in his boxers and zipped up his trousers. As he left the restroom he could hear her shout after him “you piece of shit!”

It caught the attention of one of his buddies, and they asked if something went wrong, to which he muttered: “I’m leaving. M’tired of this fuckin’ place.”

None of them bothered to go after him after that. Of course they wouldn’t.

He walked towards his car that was parked only feet away from the nightclub entrance. The little alcohol in his system wasn’t enough to make him not sober, so he was confident to drive home safely. Though, his plan wasn’t to drive straight home even if he tried to convince himself it was all the reason he left early.

Driving closer to the all too familiar street, he scanned alongside the pavement, grinning mischievously when his eyes landed on the mysterious homeless woman.

There she is.

Slowing the car down, he came to a full stop when his car reached alongside her. She seemed to have awoken abruptly from the car’s rumbling engine, and glanced up to be met by the driver’s eyes. His gaze was on her through the whole process of him turning off the engine to him stepping out of his car.

He has never been this close to her, and so he took his time to study her face. Upon a closer look, he found her to be quite pretty. Cute even. Dare he say attractive if it wasn’t for the dust on her cheeks, her greasy hair and fashionably outdated clothes. In a sense, he felt dominant as his tall frame seemed to threaten her. Maybe it was the cold temperature, but he liked to think her sudden stiff composure was because of him.

“What’s your name?” Ransom asked, deciding to finally break the silence.

She gave him a cautious look before mumbling her name. One could easily miss it, but Ransom had sharp ears when he really wanted to listen.

“Y/N, huh..pretty name. Name’s Hugh Drysdale. I live not far from here and have seen you a couple times while driving by. Care to tell me how you ended up here?”

“Why? Do I bother you?” She asked condescendingly.

He frowned, slightly irritated. “No, just wanna know because I might be of help. No need for the attitude.” He said. Ransom surprised himself by saying the word ‘I’ and ‘help’ in the same sentence. Guess there’s a first time for everything.

Y/N’s face softened immediately at the mention of help, lowering her guard. “Oh, I see.. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I just assumed the worst coming from a guy who has just been at a nightclub.”

So she’s noticed me too. Neat. He thought to himself. “Yeah, I go there from time to time but decided to leave early. Didn’t feel up for it today and I’m still sober, which led me to you.” Ransom explained himself. “You were gonna tell me what happened?”

Y/N sighed and lowered her head as though the mere reminder of her life story made her tired. “If you insist….- I got kicked out from my parents’ house two years ago when I turned 18 because they thought it was the perfect opportunity to let me go without legal consequences. I never had a good relationship with them to begin with as I was always seen as a burden than anything else. I then moved in with an ex-friend but it didn’t work out in the long run. Never found a job either which refrained me from finding a place and paying pay rent. I moved around a lot, from state to state. I used to live in my car but eventually had to sell it to have money for food and other things - and that leads me to where I am right now.”

Ransom shook his head, “Damn, you’ve been through a lot. All this time…having to deal with so much on your own. Must have been hard.” He said, leaning against the same wall beside her with his arms crossed. Deep down he scoffed at how little he could relate to her.

The only thing Ransom felt like he could personally relate to was on the topic of having a troubling relationship with parents. Sure, he wasn’t kicked out of his parents’ house without a bank account containing a large sum of money, but he felt the part where he was also unwanted by his parents, - not to mention by his whole family.

They all hated him and saw him as the black sheep of the family. Harlan was more patient with Ransom compared to the rest, since He was still getting his monthly allowance to continue with his foolery. In the end however, he was left by himself, which led him to realize another thing -

She has no one. Just like me.

He looked down at her from where he was standing, taking in how fragile she looked. How small and weak she was compared to him. He has - and could have anything he wanted, while she has nothing. The contrast between them made him feel something he has never felt before.

“Yeah, it sucks...I don’t want you to feel bad for me though. I have been very lucky to not have been robbed or experience…worse things. People seem to be too busy here and haven’t bothered me. It has made my time out here so much easier. I know I’ll find my place once I get out of here.” Y/N said with a smile.

Ransom hummed contently. He liked her voice. He could get used to hearing her talking about anything her heart desired. “…you know, I can tell you’re freezing just by looking at you. It would be inhumane of me to leave you here for another night. I have a spare guest room and a bathroom you could use for as much as you’d like, till you…figure out where to go from there I guess.”

She looked up at him with doe eyes that made his mind go wild with scenarios - most of them being in a sexual manner. Her in his arms as he kissed her and made her go down on her knees, looking at him with those same eyes while she sucked his-

“Oh, I really appreciate the offer Hugh, but I really don’t need your help. As of tomorrow early, I’ll be on my way to Pennsylvania where I have been offered a place.-“

The fuck?

“Its a shelter for the homeless youth, and the bus I’m taking goes in about…” she checks her watch for a brief moment. It was currently midnight. “..six hours, so I think I’ll do just fine until then. It’s exclusively on its way to where I need to be and it’d be a disaster if I missed it.” She said and chuckled to herself at the mere thought. “But like I said, it was nice of you to-!”

Before she finished her sentence, Ransom straightened his posture, moved away from the wall without sparing her a glance and walked towards his car. The car door was swung open and he slammed it closed once he was behind the wheel. Within seconds, he was back on the main road and drove his way home. His grip on the steering wheel was tight. He was trying to remain calm but he was bad at it. Thoughts and questions were irking him up even more as he got closer to his house.

SHE doesn’t NEED my help? Who the fuck did she think she was talking to? The CEO of charity case? Get the fuck out of here.

Can’t believe she’s picking a fucking homeless shelter over my offer. Ungrateful cunt. Guess she thrives on living in a shithole.

She’s a nobody. She’s nothing. She’s below what is considered a decent member of society, and yet -

she doesn’t need me.

Ransom was fueled with anger at this point. His ego was painfully bruised. He has never offered someone like her any type of service, and when he does for the first time, he’s rejected.

Furthermore, he found himself disappointed that he thought this would go somewhere. He fantasized that if she accepted, he could give her everything and she would see him as her savior from a pitiful life. And in return, he would have her as his thing. The thing that would provide him a satisfactory life. He wanted to be the only reason for her entire livelihood and her to be nothing without him. The mere thought aroused him and made him realize how sick he was, but he didn’t care. He had seen her face and it was enough for him to be sure that he wants that with her. A nobody that had nothing other than him - Hugh Ransom Drysdale.

So what’s stopping him? Who said he had to leave it at her meek rejection? His inner thoughts asked.

It was then when he decided. He was going to get her for his own pleasure, and add good intent to it.

Ransom had taken a few shots at home to calm his nerves while plotting the unthinkable inside his head.

He has had many sinister thoughts in the past during desperate times, but he never acted upon them as he always found a way around it. This time wasn’t like those other times though. It felt like a higher calling was telling him that he had to take action or else he would miss what’s right in front of him. His ticket out of a miserable spiral.

It was 02:30 in the morning, and after taking in careful consideration, he backs out of his driveway and drives downtown once again. A handkerchief and a bottle of chloroform is neatly placed on the passenger seat.

The party at the nightclub had died down by now, and most people had departed. All the lights except for the head lights were off across the whole street where Y/N was resting. She was slotted in the dark between two head lights and could barely be seen from a distance. This was a huge advantage on Ransom’s part. He parked the Beamer a little further away not to wake her. Only for a few minutes did he wait to be sure it was the right time to approach.

He picked up the bottle of chloroform, holding it away from his face as much as possible while opening it and making the handkerchief ready for use. A few drops of sweat had appeared on his forehead, probably from nervousness. This has to go as swiftly as possible or I’m out of luck.

With quiet steps he approached her, with the handkerchief sprayed with a dose of the drug in his hand.

When he was close enough, he shoved the handkerchief onto Y/N’s nose and mouth, holding her body down with his other hand causing her whole body to jolt awake, her eyes wide open and whimpering out of distress. She tried to resist and push him off but her strength was quickly drained from the drug and her eyes twitched, trying to have them remain open.

“Shhhh, it’s alright sweetheart, go back to sleep..” he cooed. Her body started to slump downwards to the ground again, but he held her back steadily and lifted her up with both of his arms. She was completely knocked out, and while he cautiously looked around for any witnesses - only to see none, he hooked her backpack on his arm with her and rushed back to the Beamer, putting her in the passenger seat. He left her sleeping bag behind, secretly hoping that It’ll add fuel to the fire and piss some people off that a homeless person had left their stuff behind like many times before.

While driving back, Ransom took quick glances at the woman he had taken while still maintaining concentration to the road. His thumb reached out to her cheek and he attempted to smear off the dust, unsuccessfully doing so.

“Don’t worry, kitten. We’ll get you all cleaned up.” He mumbled, more to himself than to her.

He laid her body in the guest room and gathered supplies for her to use in the morning. Towels, bottles of shampoo with different fragrances, a deodorant, toothpaste and a toothbrush - everything a person would need. He knew he would have to buy clothes for her too, but he wouldn’t be able to do that until tomorrow. She can wear his clothes in the meantime.

He had these extra supplies stored after his mother complained relentlessly on how little personalized the guest room was. He would argue that the extra stash was useless because he wouldn’t have any guests over in the near future.

Guess he could finally admit he was wrong. Those silly soaps with different scents would come to great use in the hands of Y/N. Or maybe in the use of his own hands roaming around her body.

While he expected her to clean herself by her own when the morning arose, he figured he could do the easy task of cleaning her face.

Fetching a clean cloak and soaking it up in semi hot water, he brought it to Y/N’s face, gently rubbing at the spots where the dust had stained her skin. He touched her hair out of curiosity and leaned in to smell if she had any odor.

He smelled something that he couldn’t quite pinpoint, and upon closer look he noticed her roots were stained with a tint of white. He put one and one together - she had been using baby powder to keep her hair from turning greasy and smelly after assumingely going weeks off washing her hair. Poor little thing, he thought. And she thought she would be better off at a shelter than be with me. As if that would make her life any better. How pathetic.

In a less discreet way, he removed her jacket and unbuttoned her shirt to remove her bra. The countless of women that have been over at his place would always complain leaving their bras on for the whole night, leaving their breasts sore from the restraint. With this knowledge, he had an excuse to take a peek at her breasts.

Once Ransom figured out how to remove the straps, he was met by two perky nipples staring right back at him. His mouth watered at the sight. He felt the restraint of his trousers tightening.

Less than 24 hours ago, he could be found having a threesome with two prostitutes in his king sized bed - yet, this somehow made him more easily riled up compared to the last several intercourses he has had.

His hand reached out to squeeze one of her tits. They were so soft. So beautiful. His other hand reached to his bulge, palming it with slow strokes. His breath hitched and he abruptly stopped both acts.

Fuck, get it together, Ransom. There will be a time to have her, but that will have to be after she has showered.

Buttoning her shirt back together and taking her bra with him to the dirty laundry basket, he left the guest room and went straight to his bedroom.

Through his wardrobe of clothes was an access control panel controlling the level of security he wanted the house to be on. Most doors and openable windows relied on the level of security the control panel was set to. In this case scenario, Ransom had now maximized the level of security - meaning all windows were now completely sealed and all doors leading outside would remain locked at all times - unless he typed in the code. That way, Y/N would be free to roam around the house without him being worried she might run away. The system was secured enough for her to never figure out the code. His house had large glass exterior, but thankfully there were blenders to block the outside world.

He didn’t have to worry about passerby’s seeing Y/N when he wasn’t around to keep her in check. There were hardly any people around where he lived, but he didn’t want to risk it.

He did have a basement he could put her in as well, but that would be too cruel. After all, he’s not a monster. He only has good intentions, even though some of them may be morally questionable.

Finally tucking himself into bed, he kept a smirk on his face as he let his eyes finally rest. The morning excited him. He was prepared that Y/N would be defensive and show resistance, but he was determined to put her in her place and make her see his way. -

Make her realize she needs him, make her crave him for his riches and understand that only through him she can be a somebody.

Hearts & Reblogs are very appreciated! <3

[atlasdoe]

THE HOGWARTS CLASS OF 1978 - pt 28

JULIETTE WILKES

Name - Juliette Wilkes

Blood status - Pureblood

Date of Birth - 24th July 1960

House - Slytherin

Academic achievements - Part of the Slug Club

She was killed by aurors after resisting arrest for being a death eater during the first wizarding war

Cannon

Went to Hogwarts with The Marauders

Hung out with Severus Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Evan Rosier at one point

Became a Death Eater

Was killed by Aurors while trying to avoid being sent to Azkaban along with Evan Rosier a year before the end of the war in 1980

Headcanon

Her patronus was a niffler

She had two older sisters, Jasmine and Isabella and two younger sisters, Rebecca and Victoria

The Wilkes sisters all hated each other and were constantly put in competition with each other

Juliette always wished she had brothers instead of sisters

When she was younger her parents had an arrangement that she would marry Sirius Black when she was older

Despite the fact that Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor she still had hoped that he would join "the right side" and marry her (she mostly was just interested in the money and the power that came with the Black name. Sirius' looks were a bonus)

She was the girl "eyeing him hopefully" during their OWL exam

She was the classic mean girl during school

She never took part in any attacks on Muggleborns during school but was there for a lot of them and encouraged Edmund and Bruce to do them

She was best friends with Loretta Felidwake during the early years at Hogwarts but they fell out during their third year and had been enemies ever since

She realised she was in love with Edmund during her sixth year and got with him during their seventh

Her best friends were Edmund Avery, Bruce Mulciber and Severus Snape

Aurora Sinistra and Charity Burbage eventually joined the group

In their seventh year after Aurora graduated, Evan Rosier started to hang out with them

Juliette hated Evan and Evan hated Juliette

Juliette joined the Death Eaters after she left school and was the only person in her family to do so

She was put on a mission in 1980 last minuet and during said mission was ambushed and killed by Dedalus Diggle

[lonesome-witching]

The Middle

Another anon has sent me a prompt and I tried my hand at writing it. This one has hurt Nancy and sort of protective Robin. I tried my best. So, please enjoy.

Do you have any prompts yourself? Or do you want to dive into what I wrote before? You can read my previous prompts or send me some new ones.

Sometimes Robin didn’t know how to start. She had a problem with stopping too. She usually just jumped in in the middle and stayed there. That was kind of how it happened with Nancy too. There wasn’t a beginning and Robin hoped there wouldn’t be an end. There was just them, together, the middle. Robin liked it there.

She liked it less when the middle was filled with monsters trying to kill them and the possible end of the world still being near despite everything they had fought for. But she had jumped in in the middle for that too. She shouldn’t complain though. Nancy had been there from the start. Nancy had lost and fought and lost again for years.

So, Robin didn’t complain. And Robin stood by her girlfriend’s side. Holding her hand whenever she needed to. The last thing she wanted was for Nancy to get hurt again. She’d do everything she could to protect her. Everything.

“I can come over after my shift?” Robin said into the phone. Somehow Family Video had survived the end of the world and if their patrols went well, Robin wouldn’t be out of a job anytime soon. They were able to keep the monsters out of the town center. For now, at least.

“You don’t have to,” Nancy replied.

“I know, but I want to see you. When do you get home from your patrol?”

“Ten, probably.”

“I’ll be there.” Robin hung up the telephone with a smile. She had been smiling a lot since that first kiss. Robin had never expected to find love in Hawkins, Indiana, especially not Nancy Wheeler.

“Do you need to leave early again?” Steve asked from in between the racks of tapes.

“No, Nance got her patrol tonight.”

“Oh, alright.”

Time always seemed to slow down when you were looking forward to something. Robin had noticed it before. How the clock slowed down just to torture her as she waited to go see Nancy. Someday it was going to make her go insane. Someday. Just a few more minutes and she could rush out.

“Just go, Robs. I’ve got this.”

“Really?” Robin turned toward her best friend with a hopeful expression on her face.

“Yeah, just go. Get your girl.”

Robin leaned over to kiss Steve’s cheek. “You’re the best.”

She could barely hear his response over the bell ringing through the store as she opened the door. It was only a few minutes on her bike. But she didn’t have her bike right now. Steve had picked her up that morning. It would be a longer walk. But she could manage.

They had a routine. Robin wouldn’t ring the bell. She wouldn’t even approach the front door. Instead, she would walk around to the back door. Nancy would leave it unlocked when she was expecting Robin. Only when she was expecting Robin.

This time when Robin tried to let herself into the Wheeler house, she banged herself into the locked door. It was already a few minutes past ten. Nancy should be home. Maybe she had forgotten to unlock the door.

Robin reached into her backpack, grabbing her walkie. “Nance? You there?”

“You’re supposed to end with over, over,” Dustin interrupted.

“Does anyone know who Nancy was on patrol with?” Robin asked. “Over,” she added a few moments later when no reply came.

“I think she was scheduled to be patrolling with… Jonathan tonight, over,” Dustin answered.

“Mike? Are you on this line? I need you to open the backdoor.”

“On my way,” Mike replied.

“You’re supposed to say—”

“Over,” Mike and Robin said in unison.

The door opened. “Do you want a key for in the future?” He sounded annoyed.

“Thanks, Mikey.”

He groaned loudly.

“I’m worried about Nancy, she’s never late. Do you think something happened?” Robin fell down on the couch.

“No, she’s with Jonathan. She’ll be alright.”

“I don’t know. Something is wrong.”

“She’ll probably be here any minute now.” Mike made a move to walk away. “Also, when she does, please be quiet. Holly is already sleeping.”

Robin saluted, watching Mike walk away. She’d give it five more minutes. Five more minutes and then she’d go out and search for her.

Five. Time felt like it had stopped moving. Like it had all stopped. Maybe that was why Nancy wasn’t here yet.

Four. Maybe she shouldn’t wait. She could go upstairs and grab one of Nancy’s guns. And she could go out there right now.

Three. She should wait. Nancy would walk through that door any second now. She had to believe that.

Two. Okay, she was going to—

The door flew open. Jonathan walked in, holding Nancy in his arms. Robin jumped up. “What happened? Is she alright?”

“Robin? Is that Robin?” Nancy sounded half delirious.

“Yes, it is,” Jonathan said to Nancy. “We encountered some demogorgons. Nancy got hurt.”

He placed her on the couch. There were some scratches on her arm and a gaping wound on her shoulder. Robin could feel her blood boiling. If they hadn’t already killed the monster who did this, she would.

“Nance, are you alright?” Robin fell to her knees next to the couch, holding Nancy’s hand.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“I was so worried about you, Nance. I still am actually. From now on we’re patrolling together, got it? From now on, I’ll be there to protect you, okay? I’m not leaving your side anymore.”

“Yes, Robbie.”

“I’ll take care of you, Nance.”

“You always do, Robbie.”

[ac1dmeow]

WIBYH Headcanons (y/n's family) ☁ | #3

—🍯

- y/n's mother's name is talulla, often lulla for short

- talulla and beck met when they were in their late teens

- by their early 20s they had a very small wedding with just a couple of friends and family members

- soon after they had a baby. they only ever had one.

- y/n had a great grandmother on her mom’s side who was a very successful singer. when she was alive and young, she managed to make it out of the undercity to do performances in other countries. at 60, she retired in the undercity.

- talulla had pryokinisis as well. nobody lived long enough to tell the tale because she had only ever used it on the day at the bridge.

- when she thought nobody was looking she would do small things like light a candle or a lantern

- her sister dorothy caught her in the act a couple times when they were teens. she never brought it up to her because she believed she’d tell her when she felt ready. she never did though

- where these powers came from nobody knows. as for now talulla and y/n are the only known people in their family tree to have them.

- she never worked, she was a stay at home mom!

- dorothy used to be a sex worker at the brothel. she retired from that and now she’s one of the managers.

- she has taught y/n everything she knows and has learned throughout her life; girlhood and of course, manipulating thirsty men to get what she wants

- vera is dorothy’s daughter. she had her when she was young with a boyfriend who she found cheating and ended up ditching her after he found out she was pregnant.

- y/n’s place isnt too far away from them so occasionally she goes and spends a night or two there. if not, she’s just chilling there. she’s there so often that they made the spare bedroom into a room for her (totally not spoiled)

- vera is a year younger than y/n. however she was always a little more mature than her despite that.

- shes lowkey the mom of the group and always has been.

- she’s liked ekko since they were children. she never knew how to express those feelings without being too obvious so she’d just write about it all the time in a little diary

- when she was younger she had a small group of girls her age that she spent a lot of time with. she still does, but now she spends more time with ekko, jinx and y/n.

- she was always a tiny bit shorter than y/n while growing up despite y/n having been particularly small herself (it’s genetic). however by the time she reached 14 she got a growth spurt and ended up a couple inches taller.

- she gets smug about that.

- beck has been fascinated by robotics/mechanics and tinkering with things since the day he could walk.

- he taught himself almost everything about it. and eventually he earned himself his own little store beneath an apartment in a quaint area in the undercity.

- he would soon become one of the most popular and well known mechanics in the city

- he’s invented his own trinkets as well.

- the main thing he does is fix peoples things. whether it’s some sort of vehicle, weapon, etc…

- he also teaches month long lessons to people, aging from young teens to young adults (20s). he basically teaches them the basics, has them fix things that come in, etc…

- those lessons come into play in the story…👀

- beck has a younger sister named beatrix who went missing at 18 and hasn’t been seen since

- she was incredibly outgoing and charming, but intimidating and scary. she was a little unhinged and did what she wanted to do even if it was against the rules. not to mention she had a bit of a foul mouth when angry.

- despite only being 3 years apart he still protected beatrix and looked after her which made them very close. especially since they lived with their cousins and their uncle who would have a hard time handling his alcohol…

- beatrix hung around with the wrong crew and were bad influences. beck tried to talk her out of spending her time with them and to look for better friends. however she seemed convinced that these people.. or shall i say gang.. had good intentions.

- the last time beck ever saw her was after a particularly harsh fight one evening, where he found her packing up and she claimed that she was moving out. it was very out of the blue.

- she was no where to be seen around the house the next morning. he thought she must’ve stormed off, he didn’t think she would actually leave after that. and so he waited for her to come back.. but she never did.

-

made this forever ago and forgot to post it woops.

[erinhime83]

Yes, there are more designs for this story, lol.  I have a lot of characters (although not as many as some of my stories *cough*Purebred*cough*), but mostly I happen to have a lot of dresses I designed for Persey.  Normally, I might have one or two outfits that are important to the character that I’ll design, but for Persey…idk, I sorta went nuts.

The first design sheet is just that – the different outfits Persey has in the first story.  This first one there is what she’d normally wear on Earth, and what I imagine she’d be wearing when she first falls back into Ithyia.  It’s a callback to the design I did ten years ago, actually.  I liked the shirt she was wearing, how it felt kinda medieval?  She’s definitely cute and comfy, even if she is wearing a skirt.

The blond next to her is...not Persey, but what Cassie would normally wear on Earth.  Cassie is way more stylish than Persey is, but at the same time, she sort of does what she wants?  So again, she’s wearing something cute yet comfortable, and she is stupidly adorable.

After that are the actual dresses she wears in the story.  Normally she wears the green dress I did in the first design picture, but there are times when she needs something else.  The blue dress is her ‘fancy’ wear, something she might wear to a party or a nice occasion.  It’s nicer than her causal dress.  The red dress is for when she’s going somewhere nice, but not fancy, like when she’s going into town or something. 

The blue and white dress is the dress that Josh hands her when she gets trapped in Asteria, and again, it’s colonial but not because I couldn’t get it to look right.  I liked the idea that the dress has a simile vest vibe that he had.  And the last one is her Gatekeeper dress, the one she’d wear while preforming official ceremonial Gatekeeper duties, or any sort of super formal occasion.  I really like this one!  It looks so pretty!

The next set of designs is merely the secondary character designs.

First we have Juliette Illandere, Persey’s maternal cousin.  She’s the third princess, but the one closest to Persey since they’re around the same age, so they hung out a lot whenever Persey was brought to the palace.  She turned out especially pretty!  She used to have a bigger role in the story, but got usurped by Cassie, lol.

The next is Elsa Ostergard, Tobias’ paternal cousin somehow.  (Like, their father’s are cousins sort of thing.)  She ends up at the Jonston farm and spending a lot of time with Tobias because Mr. Jonston offered them a position to help out on the farm because his original farmhand left or retired or something.  This happened after Persey left, and she’s insanely jealous of Elsa because she’s a bit clingy.  However, this has everything to do with her culture and she has no feelings whatsoever for Tobias.

The guy in purple is Douglas Bradley, and now that I understand how nobles should work, he’s the son of a Grand Duke and set to inherit the title himself.  (I worked it out that the dukes are in charge of the different sections of the kingdom, and the minor nobles just have positions within the government.  The Bradley’s govern the middle section of Ithiya.)  He’s also Juliette’s fiancé, since, ya know, they’re older now.  His position also allows him to a commander in the Ithyian army, which is where he got his scar, dealing with some skirmish or another. 

Lastly we have Adam Sternberg, the other person that Cassie has kept in contact with since leaving high school.  He was her first friend upon coming to Earth, and while they never got to the status of besties or even boyfriend/girlfriend, they still remain close.  He’s also the only one of her friends who accepted Persey despite how ‘weird’ everyone says she is, so that helps his case.  Despite being a guy with girl friends, he never pushed them into any sort of relationship with him, helping Persey on occasion by taking her to dances that Cassie forces her to attend.  He goes to the same college as Cassie, and still hangs out with them on occasion.

I’m really pleased with how everyone turned out!  I definitely redid a lot of Persey’s dresses as I came up with new dress styles, lol.  The extra’s I didn’t really do anything with, other than the tweek here and there, and redoing the top of Juliette’s dress, because I liked what I had, and I didn’t want to get too involved with their designs.

Nothing too exciting.  Just wanted to show off pretty designs.  :D

[oveliagirlhaditright]

All-In

Summary: What if the option to get "Star Player" on your blitzball team in Final Fantasy X-2 was actually one of the endings you could get in the game? This fanfic explores that idea.

"What's all this commotion about someone who joined my blitzball team without my knowledge?" Yuna huffed, with her hands on her hips. She was looking at both Rikku and Paine as she said this, but deep down she thought that if either girl had made this decision without her (if they hadn't made it together), it would be Rikku since she was more mischievous.

But surprisingly, it was Paine who spoke up. " We both decided this, Yuna. And I really think you should give 'Star Player' a chance. We really have a chance to make it to the championship next season with him by our side."

"St-Star Player?" Yuna stammered, before falling onto the bench in the stadium locker room she'd been leaning against. It couldn't be, could it?

The fayth, just over a few weeks ago, had told Yuna they'd do everything they could to bring Tidus back after she'd stopped Shuyin and Vegnagun, but that they couldn't promise anything.

However, even after hearing that they were uncertain in their abilities to resurrect the dream of the fayth, Yuna had flown back to Besaid in the Celsius feeling hopeful that Tidus would somehow be waiting at home for her when she returned. Their journey had started their, after all, and they had had some nice memories there… so had it been wrong to dream? And maybe even beg the fates that Tidus could see it as some sort of home himself?

But alas, when Yuna had arrived back on the island, there had only been Lulu, Wakka, and baby Vidina to greet her—who she’d been more than happy to see—and as more and more days passed, she’d tried to put her talk with the fayth of Bahamut behind her… but this very well could have been something! Because as confident as Spira was becoming without the chains of Yevon holding them down, she still could really only imagine one person calling themselves “Star Player.”

“Is he in the sphere pool now?!” Yuna demanded of her best friends, grinning so widely she was sure she looked like Leblanc whenever she got attention from her Noojie-Woojie. A comparison Yuna hated thinking about, but one she would still gladly deal with if what she was thinking was true.

“Maybe, Yunie?” Riku ventured, sharing a look with Paine. “I’m not actually sure. Buddy was the first person to see him. And we signed him after we heard all of his impressive stats from him, but-”

Without wasting a second more, Yuna rushed towards the entrance to the sphere pool to see if this mysterious “Star Player” or any of her teammates were training in there. But she was fresh out of luck. And Yuna hung her head for the opportunity lost.

But this time, she didn’t lose hope.

Because if a “Star Player” had really joined their team, she’d have ample time to see him, right?

…

That theory of Yuna’s was proven false when days had gone by, and Yuna had yet to meet this “Star Player—or learn his name—despite trying to catch him at the sphere pool or talk to someone who knew him.

Seeming to sense her discomfort, while Yuna sat by the pool dejected at the end of the day, Rikku explained, "he has a pretty erratic training schedule, Yunie."

“One where he doesn’t train with us, but by himself?” Yuna questioned, knowing that she was close to whining, but not being able to help herself. She wouldn’t have been like this if the fayth hadn’t said that they might be able to bring Tidus back… but they had. And now she was living in the world of questions, it seemed.

“I think he might be shy?” Riku tried. “I mean, you know what it’s like meeting a large group of people for the first time. Give it some time, Yuna. I’m sure you’ll run into him eventually.”

Yuna’s response to that was to blow her bangs out of her face, exasperated. “Your advice is… disaster-iffic, Rikku. But I suppose we have nothing but time, now that Sin and Vegnagun are gone. So alright, I’ll bite.”

Even if she wasn’t happy about it, she would.

…

Yuna told herself to stop thinking about who may or may not have been Tidus somewhere around Luca (who might have been trying to surprise her? With Rikku and Paine’s help?), and to instead practice playing blitzball herself. Everything that had gone down with Vegnagun had kept her out of the water for too long, she thought. And if she wasn’t careful, she might be back to only her two minutes and forty-one seconds again.

Yuna started with practicing the butterfly and backstroke—as it was no use working on blitz moves if she wasn’t warmed up with the basics down, right?—and she was just starting to attempt her luck with a Venom Shot when she saw someone in the pool with her out of the corner of her eye.

And was it her… or did they almost seemed to be dressed to blend in with it, as they sported a black hoot that seemed rather familiar and a blue suit? But what was even more amazing than all of that, was that they seemed to be in the middle of doing the Jecht Shot!

Swimming towards the other side of the pool as fast as she was able to now, Yuna tried to reach this “stranger” before they disappeared entirely again, even as both of them moved to get out of the pool. And she saw a few strands of blond hair poking from their hood, as they disappeared beyond the corner and then slipped into the boy's locker room.

…Was it enough to hope? Yuna was definitely thinking so, even if it definitely seemed like fate was playing a peculiar game with her.

…

"Yunie… I'm so sorry to tell you this, but I think that blitzer might be done for the season," Rikku told the Gullwing a few days later, as she took both of her hands in her own.

"Wh-What do you mean?" Yuna protested, stepping away from Rikku as she did so. And yes, even ripping her hands out of her cousin’s grasp as probably would happen in some drama, Yuna supposed, but she didn't do remove her hands from Rikku’s own violently. And she only did so because she'd stumbled back in shock (And could one blame her? A voice said in the back of her mind. The fayth's words to her now almost felt like a slap in the face. And the whole situation was really and truly bizarre). "What kind of blitzball player, with that kind of talent, practices a few times—and just practices, not even plays—and then just disappears?!"

"You have to remember that the season is over, Yuna," Paine told her gently, patting the seat on the bench beside her for Yuna to come sit down. And as Yuna sat down beside her, she had a flashback to when Paine had before warned others not to get her hopes up about Tidus. Could this really be that situation again? "Maybe the blitzer was just having some fun, and…"

"I… guess," Yuna said, finally doubting herself. Maybe the person she had caught a glimpse of had looked more like Shuyin than Tidus. But then again, hadn’t Tidus been based off of Shuyin? That was how Yuna thought she understood things, anyway…

Oh, screw it! She didn't care what anyone said! Deep down, she knew that the blitzball player that she’d seen had been Tidus! She did! She knew it, just like she knew that she had loved shoopufs more than anything when she was a child!

“And speaking of it being an off-time for blitzball… Paine and I were talking—the whole team, really—and we think we could take a break from it until the season starts. Oh, don’t look at me like that, Yunie!

“Don’t you want to see Wakka, Lulu more and the baby more? They were so thrilled to see you! And you seemed so happy to see them! Paine’s thinking of getting the Crimson Squad back together, and Pops says there’s something he just has to show me back Home. The point is we have a lot to do for a ‘summer vacation’ of sorts before we really get blitzing again, y’know?”

“And you feel the same way, Paine?” Yuna dared ask her more strait-laced friend, fighting back tears. She didn’t know why she was: as Rikku had said, it seemed the whole team had decided this, but there was a part of her that was hoping that if some of this was Rikku just flying off the rails here, Paine would tell her so.

But instead, Paine looked at her with pained eyes—and maybe something else there—and said, “I do.”

And so, Yuna did what she’d once done for so many years and practiced smiling even though she was feeling sad. “I understand you two. And thank you. For everything. But you’re right… it really is supposed to be summer vacation now. Go live your lives and know that we’ll get the championship next season!”

After the girls hugged and did one last fist pump for the Gullwings, they left Yuna alone.

And Yuna?

Yuna found herself walking into Luca stadium one last time, with her hands laced together behind her back.

It was then that she saw something—or rather someone—who took her breath away: they were sitting in a stand a hare's breadth away from her, looking as pensive as she felt: with dyed blond hair hiding their black roots, a yellow jumpsuit with pants that were cut to different lengths, and evergreen gloves that she had once thought the Calm Lands' grass might have been colored similarly to before she saw said grass herself, and realized it was slightly lighter than his gloves.

‘But it can't be him’, Yuna told herself. The fayth weren't even sure they could bring him back, right? And if it was… wouldn't Rikku and Paine have told me? Or Tidus have come to me right away?

The moment he looked at her with the kindest cerulean eyes she had been dreaming about for two years, Yuna knew straight away who she was looking at. And she fainted dead away, as she heard a curse and arms circled around her.

…

When Yuna came to, she didn’t remember what would happen. But she knew right away where she was: a mostly abandoned locker room in Luca, that had been created when they thought that the water in the sphere tank was going to be real and not a simulation. Thus, there was all kinds of medical equipment in here. Why, oh, why would she be in this room? She hadn’t been when she’d fallen unconscious. And Yuna presumed she must have fallen unconscious to be in here now, so how-

Suddenly, he was in her sights, and it all came back to her. And the first words that came out of her mouth upon seeing him were not the words she thought she’d say if she ever saw him again at all.

"Tidus, you jerk!" Yuna exclaimed, tears of joy and anger streaming down her face as she spoke. "How could you not tell me you were back?! Do you have any idea what this was like for me? What I-

And here, Tidus scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, a trait that Yuna had so missed seeing, before he tried to explain himself. “I’m so sorry, Yuna. And I really owe you an explanation for everything, huh?”

Yuna’s answer to that was a simple raise of her eyebrow as Tidus came to sit down beside her on the cot, and took off a cuff that had been on her arm. Huh. She hadn’t even realized it was there. (1)

"I wanted my being back to be a nice surprise for you, y’know! And my first thought was through blitzball! Since we talked about my past in Zanarkand a lot, and water has meaning for us.”

Hearing those words, Yuna blushed, definitely catching the meaning of that. “I also kept an eye on you in the Farplane and knew you’d become such a great blitzball player yourself! So, I planned with Rikku and Paine to surprise you on the field.

“But I guess from the beginning I ended up thinking it was a pretty dumb idea, because two of the times I meant to do it, I ended up chickening out… Then, the time you did end up seeing me, was pure dumb luck—where I’d been out there swimming for myself—and then you came out. And I didn’t have a moment planned, so I ran. Then today, I was sitting in the stadium in Luca wondering what to do, when you came out again and saw me—uhh, fainted—and here we are.”

Well, that certainly explained everything, Yuna thought, almost amused now. And it was good to know that Rikku and Paine (and Buddy, presumably) had been following his lead, wherever it led. So they weren’t done with YRP, like she had begun to fear, Yuna told herself. But surely they had been waiting for wherever his “surprise” would lead next when he figured it out.

And speaking of his surprise… really, Tidus was so sweet. The thought he'd put into wanting their reunion into meaningful really had been thoughtful… and Yuna could almost feel herself falling in love with him again for it as she gazed at him now. Like when she'd looked at Tidus when they'd talked about the weather years ago, and then laughed at that cliché, and she knew despite everything… something was starting there.

But at the same time… "Tidus… while I appreciate what you were trying to do, please don't ever make me wait to see you ever again! Especially when I- I lost you like I did. Being without you, it- it hurt so much. And given the choice of miraculously being reunited with you as soon as possible, or holding off on seeing you again for you to put on some show… well, wouldn't you choose the former if you were in my shoes?"

At that, he winced. And though Yuna hated to see it, she knew that it was necessary and hopefully imparting on him just what she’d been through these last few days through his unintentional game. Because, after all, while he’d been in the Farplane these last two years, she’d been here in Spira living her life, and often times it had been painful.

“Yuna, again, I’m so sorr-”

But the sphere hunter cut him off with a kiss on the cheek before he could berate himself too badly.

"I forgive you, Tidus. I understand how it all got out of hand. But you would think that when we finally earned our happy ending, things would go right!" the high Summoner exclaimed as she threw her hands up into the air.

Tidus poked Yuna in the stomach once then, and she couldn't help but laugh. "I don't really know if you want things to be perfect, Yuna. Things might be too boring that way." And the blitzball player feigned a yawn at the end of that sentence that would have had the nineteen-year-old seeing red, if she hadn't known it was fake.

"You take that back!" Yuna poked Tidus now, but with much more vigor. "There's a difference between 'boring,' and me thinking the fayth failed in bringing you back… As well as your 'perfect reunion' for us going so left field, that we're in an abandoned locker room of Luca stadium's, y'know!"

And at that, Tidus chortled: one that was akin to the one she had heard after they had tried to fake laugh two years ago. Yuna tried to be angry at this, and to turn her face away from the love of her life in a huff, but in the end, she could not. It was something she had ended up longing for more than she ever had for an eternal calm.

"How about this, Yuna?" Tidus sobered up, wearing the most beautiful smile she had ever seen a human being wear. "How about we just promise to have a good life together?"

And while Yuna would have loved to banter with him more, a part of her definitely thought he deserved that, those words—the idea of that kind of future—was all she’d ever dreamed of. So, what could she possibly say, but? “Oh, Tidus, that’s all I’ve ever wanted. Of course!” And this time she drew him in for a kiss.

And while Yuna hadn’t been the one trying to plan a surprise here, after she was done kissing Tidus silly and she saw his stunned reaction, she definitely thought it had been a surprise worth waiting for.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I think I’ve seen enough of Luca’s locker rooms for a while,” Yuna said, offering Tidus her hand and helping him up. “Want to go home and see Wakka and Lulu?”

“I’d say my home is wherever you are, Yuna. And if that’s where you are, I’m all in.”

“All in…” Yuna echoed, so happy she could barely even say the words for how much she was smiling.

Tidus kissed her on the cheek now, and hand-in-hand, the two of them left Luca stadium. Together.

Author’s Note: (1) I had the idea that after Yuna passed out, Tidus was trying to check Yuna’s vitals with machina he didn’t even really know how to use. LOL. But the idea sort of disappeared in the story. Oh well.

Speaking of, for this fic, I decided to do something that I’ve seen at least one other FFX author do (maybe a few others), where Zanarkand actually used real water to play blitzball in, but the water is a simulation in Spira (and that’s one of the few ways where Spira was actually more advanced than Zanarkand)—if anyone was confused by Yuna’s one line about the water in the Luca field being a simulation.

I’ve had this story idea ever since I beat Final Fantasy X-2… which was, like, seventeen-eighteen years ago. O_o And even though I always did, I never really set out to try and write it until now. But I’m so glad that I finally have, because it was a fun idea that turned out rather well, I’d say.

This is for my bestie friend’s birthday. And I hope she’s having a great one!:D

Thanks for reading!

@bluerosesburnblue

[pokemon-teacology]

I'm back!!! I have been since Sunday, whoops, but I've been busy getting back into class, so no updates for yall.

However! I'm back now, home was great, I travelled out to stow-on side to see the kids. Apparently the little pink dude that had the attitude problem fully bowled down their mural and revealed an old statue??? Sonia would not stop texting me it was wild.

The statue actually looks really cool! I don't really understand why the mural was covering it but I'm glad it's out in the open now.

Anyway updates on trainers, Glo and Hop beat Bea and Vic beat Alistair (still weird to me that they let a kid run a government building but he did a good job). It wasnt too difficult thanks to their larger and more diverse teams. Gareth and his granddaughter did great, too! They truly fucked up Alistair's team with their linoone, zippy.

Carl is... Definitely also there. He now has a togepi, which was firing all sorts of attacks all over the place. He faced Bea, and in her interview afterwards she praised him???

"His strategy was so complicated and well thought-out that I could not understand. He was a formidable opponent."

Whereas Carl's interview:

"I have no idea what happened. I didnt recognise a single move that Tepi [the togepi] fired. I didn't know Tegepi could learn that?????"

The rotom drone capturing the match identified the attack as a prismatic laser???? Which is. Whilde. I assume the togepi knows metronome.

Everyone else did fine! That Marnie girl with the morpeko has been Killing it lately, which I love for her. Im excited to see her battle one of the kids from postwick when they face off in the finals. Brandy and I had a great time catching up with the battles after I got back.

As for the visit itself, I saw my relatives and their Pokémon, helped my nans around their gardens, and met up with my childhood bestie. I saw my dad and his girlfriend's new house, too! It's a nice house. My brother and I hung out a ton, too. I've missed him :)

I went to Stow-On-Side the day before the kids set off to Balonlea, we got foodstuffs from the shops and had a picnic next to the entrance of the glimwood tangle. I was wearing a nice hat that day, and it got stolen by some impidimps >:( so we had to go into the glimwood tangle to get it back from those little shits. They're lucky that they're cute, otherwise I'd be furious. I've found (and by that I mean I've been told by my buddy who had one) that playing along with their games is the easiest way to get your stuff back, and they especially like then you mess with them back. Despite not enjoying having my hat stolen, I actually had a really fun time :D I got to spend time with the kiddos, too, which was great.

My Mons had a great time, too. Bonfire night happened, which they all really enjoy. Pokémon are kinda touch and go with fireworks, but mine have always been fine. Chomp was scared the first time he saw them and didn't like the noise as a gibble, so he had this set of

It sucks to have to leave them again, but I've only got a month more before the holiday season is upon us, meaning I'll have a whole month and a half off to spend with my family.

Sorry for my update being a bit disjointed and worded not super great, I just got back from dyeing my hair (I got red instead of pink whoops) at my friend's place and I'm absolutely shattered (tired) so I'm heading to bed. I just thought I'd update since I've been gone for almost two weeks (whoops)