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[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

The Press- Darcy Reid x OC

Darcy Reid x Ava Fig

Description: When Ava sneaks into The World's basement to fix up an old printing press, she isn't expecting to meet her match in the form of the Trib's heir.

Word Count: 1.7k

Ava tapped her foot anxiously as she waited behind The World’s main building along with several other newsies. Why was she standing behind the building anxiously? Because Jack Kelly, after abandoning the newsies twice, approached her for her help with a supposed old printing press. He and Katherine Pultizer had come up with a plan to print a paper of the strike and they needed that very printing press to do the job. 

A sigh of relief left her lips when the lights to the basement finally came on. Moments later the window was unlocked and opened. Ava leaned in a bit to look inside and was met with Jack, who offered her a cheeky grin.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he joked, making her roll her eyes. 

“Ladies first,” Davey added from beside her. The girl allowed him and Jack to help her inside, then the other newsies followed. 

“You bring enough fellas to keep us covered?” Jack asked, earning a nod from Davey.

“We could hold a hoedown in here and no one would be the wiser.” 

His answer made the girl giggle, though she didn’t stay long enough to listen to the rest of the conversation as she walked over to the printing press, where two nicer dressed boys were already looking at it. They were admittedly very handsome, but the one in the yellow suit and glasses had caught her attention. There was something about him that intrigued Ava, and she found herself focusing on him rather than the matter at hand. That is, until Katherine spoke up from behind her. 

“Here she is, boys,” she said, resting a hand on the press. “Just think, while my father snores blissfully in his bed, we’ll be using his very own press to bring him down.”

“Remind me to stay on your good side,” Jack half joked. 

“Is this what they print the papes on?” Race asked as he stepped up beside Ava. The girl opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped when the boy in yellow spoke. 

“I can see why they tossed this old girl into the cellar, but I think she’ll do the job,” he said optimistically. 

“Jack, this is Darcy. He knows just about everything there is to know about printing,” Katherine introduced as the boy walked up to him with his hand held out. Jack spit in his hand out of habit, though he quickly wiped his hand on his pants when he saw Darcy’s disgusted face. 

“Er, sorry,” he muttered as they shook hands, then he continued a bit louder. “You work for one of the papes?”

“My father owns the Trib,” Darcy answered rather simply, which made Ava’s eyes widen in shock. She was really in the presence of Whitelaw Reid’s son? Jack seemed to sense her sentiment because all he could do was hum, a surprised look on his face. If Katherine noticed their surprise she didn’t say anything as she gestured to the still unnamed boy. 

“And this is Bill. He’ll be typesetting the article for us.” 

“Bill, huh? So I suppose you’re the son of William Randolph Hearst?” Jack asked in an attempt to be funny. 

“And proud to be part of your revolution,” Bill confirmed as he shook Jack’s hand. 

“Ain’t that somethin’,” Jack muttered in awe. Ava, meanwhile, just couldn’t believe her ears. Why would the sons of the biggest newspapers in New York be helping them? She had no time to ponder it before Katherine spoke again. 

“Now, in the words of the little one, ‘Can we table the palaver and get down to business?’” That seemed to bring everyone back to the matter at hand because Bill and Darcy moved back to the printing press. 

“A little grease and she’ll be as good as gold,” the latter informed them.  

“We’ll see about that,” Ava joked lightly as she walked over to the press, beginning to look it over. She could practically feel the two boys’ confused gazes on her as she began looking through the mechanisms of the machine, making sure it was in good enough condition to work.

“Oh,” Jack suddenly said, as if he’d just remembered something. “Boys, this is Tinker, our own little mechanic. She could take this entire press apart and put it back together without needin’ a manual.” 

“Wow, you must be pretty special, huh?” Darcy asked.

“You could say that,” Ava answered amusedly, pausing when she noticed the ink valve of the mechanism. 

“See somethin’, Tinker?” Jack asked, having noticed the look on her face. 

“The valve cinched off the tube that connects the ink to the machine,” she informed the others. “Ink leakin’ all over the papes won’t help us any. I think I got an extra hose here somewhere.” She looked through her utility belt, which she always had around her waist. It only took her a moment of rummaging through the various pockets before she pulled out a hose, replacing it quickly. 

“Alright boys, hope you’re ready to get your hands dirty because this old girl is gonna need a lot of grease,” she concluded once she finished her work. Upon glancing back at Darcy and Bill, she was surprised to see that the latter was no longer there. Well, that wasn’t exactly what surprised her so much. It was the look of just absolute awe that was on Darcy’s face. She hadn’t been expecting it, so she raised her eyebrows confusedly. 

“You okay mister?” Rather than immediately answer, the boy shook his head as a small smile slowly formed on his face. 

“You are an extraordinary girl, you know that?” The compliment caught her off guard even more than the look on his face. She couldn’t even attempt to hide or ignore the blush that quickly formed on her face.

“Oh- um, well, thank you sir,” she laughed, unable to do much else, as she stood up normally. 

“Call me Darcy,” he instructed with an almost fond sort of look as he held out his hand for her. 

“Darcy,” she repeated as she took his hand, a shy smile on her face. “Pleasure to meet ya.” 

“Likewise Tinker,” he paused, then tilted his head a bit. “Is that your real name?” 

“Hmm? Oh, no,” she laughs a little. “My real name’s Ava Fig, but the boys started calling me Tinker when I began fixin’ up things around the lodging home.” 

“Ava,” Darcy repeated much like she’d previously done, sighing afterwards. “Pretty name for an even more beautiful girl.” 

“Well, you’re quite the charmer, aren’t ya?” Ava teased lightheartedly, earning a laugh from the boy. His laugh was just as nice as his smile. 

“Only if it works on pretty girls,” he flirted back, which only made the girl’s smile widen.

“And confident,” she added approvingly, reaching over to grab his hat from off his head, setting it on her own head. “I think we are gonna get along swimmingly.” 

“I agree,” the boy nodded with a chuckle shortly before Bill appeared in front of the press again with a bucket of grease (Ava would be correct in guessing that’s where he’d gone while she and Darcy got acquainted. The girl nodded in approval at him, then shared a smile with both boys.

“Alright, let’s get to work.” 

Ava now stood in Newsies Square just outside The World. It had been a rather exciting morning indeed. Once she, Darcy and Bill got the press running and printing, the next few hours were spent with Finch, Albert and Smalls going around selling the newsies paper (she never thought she’d see the day where she sold a pape for free!). When their last papers were sold they made their way back to the square along with the other newsies. Once everyone was gathered they watched as Jack, Davey and Spot marched into The World. 

She couldn’t even begin to guess how long everyone stood there, all waiting in eager anticipation for the result of their defiant stunt. The tension was so high she bet she could cut it with a butter knife. She bit her nails and taper her foot anxiously, watching as her friends murmured amongst themselves until the front doors of The World finally opened. Out walked Jack, Spot, Davey, Katherine, Medda, Pulitzer, and none other than President Roosevelt himself, much to Ava’s awe. Everyone watched in silence as Jack, Pulitzer and Roosevelt remained atop the steps leading up to The World’s doors while the others joined the crowd, then Jack took a step forward. 

“Newsies of New York City,” he started, looking around for a moment before a bright smile appeared on his face. “We won!” Words couldn’t even describe the joy that coursed through Ava. She almost couldn’t react at first, but then she began cheering along with her fellow newsies, laughing in between her cheers. She couldn’t believe that all their hard work and pains had finally paid off. 

She was surprised when she felt something being placed on her head. It took all she had not to flinch before she reached up to feel what it was. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see that it was a hat, but she found herself shocked when she realized she recognized the yellow hat in her hands. 

“Congratulations, Miss Ava,” Darcy spoke up from beside her, unable to hide his smile as he listened to the celebrating newsies around them. 

“Oh, we couldn’t have done it without you Darcy,” the girl responded as she turned to face him. It seemed his smile was infectious because she found herself mimicking it. 

“I believe it was you that did all the work,” he chuckled.

“Well, either way, thank you,” she muttered earnestly, pulling the boy into a hug without even thinking. It took Darcy a moment to react, but Ava found that his hugs were actually very warm and welcoming. She began to wonder if there was anything about him that didn’t appeal to her. 

“How would you feel about a celebration?” Darcy asked, making the girl look up at him once they pulled away. 

“What sort of celebration?” She asked curiously rather than answering. 

“Well, what would you say to dinner?” The boy inquired with a charming smile that Ava just couldn’t resist. 

“I would say yes,” she answered. Darcy didn’t answer, but rather took both of her hands in his. She watched with a coy expression as he lifted her hands to press a kiss to both of her knuckles, and a smile quickly formed on her face. She had a good feeling about this boy.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Masterlist

Darcy Reid x Ava Fig | Specs x Marley | Davey Jacobs x Poppy

✨Completed✨

Starting Note

Chapter 1- Printing Press (Darcy x Ava)

Chapter 2- Carrying the Banner (Specs x Marley)

Chapter 3- Business (Davey x Poppy)

Chapter 4- Fervency (Darcy x Ava)

Chapter 5- Surprise (Specs x Marley)

Chapter 6- Delanceys (Davey x Poppy)

Chapter 7- Tinker (Darcy x Ava)

Chapter 8- Breakout (Specs x Marley)

Chapter 9- Bloody Knuckles (Davey x Poppy)

Chapter 10- Dancing in the Dark (Darcy x Ava)

Chapter 11- Happiness (Specs x Marley)

Chapter 12- Control (Davey x Poppy)

Chapter 13- To Love a Newsie (Darcy x Ava)

Chapter 14- Good Things (Specs x Marley)

Chapter 15- Once and For All (Davey x Poppy)

Chapter 16- Overwhelmed (Darcy x Ava)

Chapter 17- Mrs. Samuels (Specs x Marley)

Chapter 18- Family (Davey x Poppy)

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 18: Family- Davey Jacobs x Poppy Jacobs

Word Count: 3k

Five Years Later

Davey stepped up to the front door of the house that he shared with Poppy, staring at the door for a moment. He was freshly home, hadn’t even had a chance to bathe or change before they shipped him back. He was so relieved to be home, relieved that he was going to see his wife. He opened the door, stepping through and looking around for a moment with a small smile.

“Poppy?” He called out, setting his bag down. He had a bit of dirt on his face, his hair was short and neat and he had a few lines on his forehead that he didn’t have when he had left, but he was still Davey. He was still the Davey that loved Poppy with all his heart.

Poppy stood in the kitchen cleaning up after eating lunch when she heard Davey’s voice. She froze for a moment, not quite sure if she’d actually heard it or if she just missed him that much. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before gingerly making her way to the hallway that led to the foyer.

“Davey?” She called carefully. Poppy hadn’t truly changed from who she was during the strike. I will say that she’s since matured, and now there was a certain glow about her of which only she, Marley and Specs knew the cause of.

The man stared at her for a moment. She was beautiful. She wasn’t just beautiful, she was the most beautiful person he had ever set his eyes on. A smile broke across his face, his heart was so full, so full that his eyes were brimming with tears. Davey had sent almost a hundred letters to her while he was away, but their conversing through letters held nothing to simply looking at his wife. Unable to respond, he simply held out his arms for her from where he stood.

Tears welled up in Poppy’s eyes as she stared at him, finally processing that he was actually home. Without a word she ran towards him, a small sob leaving her lips as she all but jumped into his arms. She held him close to her as if he’d disappear if she let go. Davey  held her up as tears began to fall from his eyes. He rubbed her back soothingly as he laughed, pressing kisses to the side of her head.

“Hey, I’m here- don’t cry,” he whispered, despite the fact that he himself was crying. “It’s okay now, I’m here.” 

“God- I missed you so much Dave,” she whimpered, looking up at him with the biggest smile on her face. She gingerly reached a hand up to cup his cheek, wiping away his tears, laughing tearfully afterwards. 

“Four months is too long,” she concluded. The man rested his forehead against hers, gazing into her eyes, unable to wipe the smile from his face as he brought a hand to her face.

“I’m here now,” he reminded her, voice thick with emotion. “Wou won’t be lonely again, it’s okay, I’m here,” It was almost as if he were trying to convince himself that he was actually home. Poppy didn’t mind, however. 

“Gosh you’re beautiful,” he continued in a whisper, beginning to cry all over again. “My god you’re so beautiful, you look so beautiful.” The woman giggled softly and pecked his lips briefly before placing a few kisses around his face, unable to help herself. She still couldn’t believe that he was actually here. Davey set her down, still holding her close as he wiped his cheeks with the back of his hands.

“I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about coming home- I didn’t know until three days ago, a letter wouldn’t have made it on time,” he muttered. Poppy smiled up at him as she shook her head. 

“I don’t know if I would’ve believed it unless you were right in front of me,” she admitted. “I think this is much better than any letter.” The man grinned and leaned down, kissing her passionately as he cradled her face, something he had been wanting to do for months, something he had taken for granted for far too long. She returned the kiss with every ounce of passion she could manage, her arms sliding up to wrap around his neck. God she missed this- she missed him. Of course she’d known what she was getting herself into when he talked about volunteering, but it was still difficult to be alone sometimes while he was out saving lives. She knew it sounded selfish, but she didn’t care. She missed her husband. After a minute Davey pulled back, pressing his forehead to hers once again.

“I forgot how much I needed that,” he whispered. “Gosh, I missed this little house.”

“This little house missed you,” she giggled. “It’s been so lonely without you, we’ve missed you.”

“We?” He repeated with a laugh, pushing a hand through his hair before setting his hands on her waist. “You’re not hiding Marley around, are you?” The woman’s eyes widened, having not even realized she’d said ‘we.’ But, it was too late to back out now, so instead she laughed nervously and shook her head.

“Well, no… but there is someone hiding around here,” she hinted. Davey furrowed his brow, still smiling.

“Someone hiding?” He repeated, completely oblivious to what she was saying.

“Mhm,” she nodded with a somewhat nervous smile. “But don’t worry. They’ll uh…they’ll be showing themselves in roughly five more months.” As she spoke, she gently grabbed the hand that wasn’t around her waist and placed it on her stomach. It wasn’t visible considering the dress she was wearing, but upon pressing his hand to it there was a small but still noticeable bump. His gaze followed his hand to her stomach. It took him a moment to process her words, but when he did, his jaw immediately dropped. 

“No,” he said in disbelief, his shock turning into a huge grin as he looked back up to her a moment later. His eyes were sparkling and tears were brimming all over again.

“No! No, you’re joking! How long have you known? You should’ve told me sooner I could’ve come home sooner!” He rambled out excitedly, then swooped her up in his arms, spinning her and setting her down. “I’m gonna be a dad!” Poppy laughed excitedly and shook her head amusedly at him.

“I’ve only known for a month, I’m four months along. I didn’t know how to tell you over a letter,” she explained between giggles. 

Rather than answer, he cupped her face and kissed all over her face. This was one of the best moments in Daveys life. The day Les was born, his first kiss with Poppy and his wedding day were his top three, and now he had another to add to the list. He pulled back, getting onto a knee and pressing kisses to her stomach, barely able to purse his lips to do so because of how hard he was smiling. Poppy meanwhile looked down at him with a look of love and pure adoration as one of her hands ran through his hair, the other hand cupping his cheek. She couldn’t have been more relieved that he was happy about the baby. Though it hadn’t really been a discussion between them, she knew that they would be ready when their baby arrived. 

Her thoughts were cut off when she felt something against her stomach. It felt like something was fluttering, and Poppy immediately knew what it was. The baby had kicked. Another kick came to her stomach right where Davey was kissing it, making her gasp quietly. The man gasped as well, and tears immediately began to pour from his eyes as he looked up at her.

“I’m gonna be a dad,” he repeated. “You’re gonna be a mother, Poppy, we’re gonna be parents.” He sobbed softly, absolutely overwhelmed with emotion and love.

“We’re gonna be parents,” she repeated with a tearful laugh, running her fingers through his hair again. Davey stood, laughing and wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

“So much for celebration champagne, huh?” He joked with a sniffle, earning a teasing groan from the woman.

“Oh god. No alcohol for five more months? I’m gonna lose my mind,” she said with a playful grin. “I expect you to not drink in solidarity for me because Marley and Specs have both refused.” He shook his head.

“I’ll be just fine without, I’ve dealt with so much worse these past couple of months,” he said breathlessly before pulling her in for another hug. “Gosh I love you so, so much Poppy. I can’t wait to be parents.”

“Me neither,” she muttered, voice slightly muffled as she rested her face in the crook of his neck, something that she always did when they hugged now. “Our beautiful little family in our beautiful little house.” Davey rubbed her back softly with a smile.

“I love you, Poppy,” he repeated.

“I love you too Davey,” she whispered, looking up at him. “More than anything.” 

Davey walked up to their doorstep, holding all of the bags from their hospital stay. He turned back to admire his wife and child for a moment. He still could not believe that he was a father as he made his way to open the door for her. Poppy was right behind him, though her eyes weren’t trained on him. Instead they were focused on the bundled up baby that sat in her arms. Thus far baby Christa had been a good baby, barely crying but still coming along healthily, which she supposed was a good thing because not all new parents got that luxury. 

“Welcome home!” The young family paused in the doorway upon hearing none other than Darcy’s voice come from the dining room. Davey and Poppy looked up in surprise, though they both grinned when they saw all their friends were there. They had a rough morning, dealing with paperwork. Davey hadn’t slept a minute the past two nights, and seeing the group instantly made him relax. Specs seemed to be finishing up tidying the living room, Darcy and Ava were setting the table, and Marley and Les ran out of the kitchen upon hearing Darcy’s greeting. 

“There they are!” Specs greeted, walking over to take some of the bags in Davey’s hands. “How was the ride home?”

“It was good, we’re both a little tired. Poppy did so good though, healed up like a champ, I’m so proud of her,” the man answered with a nod. Specs smiled fondly. He was so happy for his friends and he was proud of how far they’d come 

“That’s good. No complications or anything?” Davey shook his head as Specs led him to the living room. 

“Healthy baby, healthy wife, happy life, I have nothing to complain about.”

“Good,” he nodded with a grin. While they got to talking, Marley looked down at the sleeping baby in her best friend’s arms. 

“Oh my god- she’s beautiful!” She whispered, gazing at the baby.

“Gee, she looks just like you,” Les added with a huge smile. The boy wasn’t so much a kid anymore, he was a tall, lanky teenager who looked much like his mother. Poppy laughed softly and nodded. 

“Everyone say hello to Christa Marley Jacobs,” she formally introduced, holding the baby up with just the biggest smile on her face. As if on cue Christa began to wake up. Rather than cry like any other baby would, however, she just looks around curiously. Marley gasped. Until that point Davey and Poppy had been rather secretive of the name they’d chosen for their daughter, so to say she was shocked by the reveal was a bit of an understatement. 

“No- no! Tell me you’re joking!” She exclaimed quietly, tears brimming in her eyes. “Are you joking?!”

“‘Bout time, lord knows I’m never gonna have kids. Someone has to carry on the Jacobs legacy,” Les joked. Poppy lightly nudged her brother with her elbow, shaking her head amusedly before nodding at Marley. 

“Of course I’m not joking, Mari,” she giggled, smiling down at Christa when the baby cooed softly. “Do you wanna hold her?”

Marley made a face to try to hold back tears as she nodded and held her arms out. The redhead carefully set Christa in her arms, positioning her friend’s hands to hold her properly. Christa stared up at Marley with curious eyes, almost as if trying to figure out if she was good or not. After a moment she smiled a toothless smile and reached a hand up to Marley. The woman sniffled and set a finger in her hand, bouncing her lightly and making her giggle.

“You feeling okay?” Les asked, rubbing Poppy’s back a little, and directing her attention towards him. Les was taller than Poppy now, he wore glasses that he got from Specs, but he still had a goofy smile. He had a light trail of freckles across the bridge of his nose, just like Davey that scrunched up when he smiled.

“I’m all good. I’m more tired than anything, but I’m pretty sure your brother is worse off” she laughed softly, pulling her little brother into a side hug, which he gladly returned

“Tell him to get over it! You just had a baby!” He joked. 

“I tried, didn’t work,” she joked back, making the boy chuckle.

“She’s a cute kid. I’ll have to teach her how to have fun though, lord knows that you two are boring.”

“No we’re not!” She responded indignantly, lightly smacking the back of his head. “At least I’m not,” Her addition was a little quieter so Davey probably couldn’t hear, which earned another laugh from Les.

“You got that one right, you want any water? Ice cream? Snacks?” He asked.

“God, any food sounds amazing,” she groaned out. “Hospital food sucks.” She was already beginning to walk into the kitchen by the time she finished speaking, but she stopped to say a quick hi to Darcy and Ava, who’d opted to stay back so they didn’t crowd her when she first walked in. While they got to talking Marley walked over to Specs and Davey, who were still talking in the living room. 

“Look!” She demanded of her fiance, as if presenting the baby to him, with a big smile. The man leaned over a bit to get a closer look at Christa.

“She’s precious,” he said softly as Christa looked at him, giggling afterwards at his glasses because she’d never seen them before. 

“Marley, you had quite the influence over Poppy. She wouldn’t even entertain the idea of a different name” Davey joked as he took Christa when the woman offered her to him. 

“I’m a good role model,” she joked back.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Specs retorted with a smirk. His smirk faded into a fond smile when Christa let go of Davey to reach out to him.

“May I?” He asks, looking at the man trying not to show his excitement. Davey merely laughed and set Christa in Specs’ arms.

“My own baby doesn’t even like me!” He joked, but he was always happy to let someone else hold the baby. Specs laughed softly and shook his head as he began to play with Christa.

“She’s just around new people, she’ll be crying for you to hold her by the end of the night.” Marley sighed happily after he spoke. 

“She looks so much like Poppy, she’s so beautiful,” she muttered. Davey grinned and crossed his arms, admiring his baby and considering what Marley had said.

“She does, doesn’t she? She’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen,” he agreed. Specs nodded and laughed softly. 

“She has your eyes though, I see some of you in her,” he mentioned, earning a nod from the man. 

“One of the only things I can say I’ve created, and it’s a good one,” he joked. The trio had no time to say anything before Christa suddenly began crying. Her cries immediately caught Poppy’s attention, and she turned to face them.

“Oh dear, she’s probably hungry. Dave, can you make her bottle?” Davey nodded and walked off to the kitchen. 

“Don’t worry, Christa, I’m hungry too,” Marley joked as Poppy walked over. 

“The difference is you know how to make yourself food,” the redhead retorted, taking Christa from Specs and lightly bouncing her. 

“Why would I ever make food if this one can do it for me?” She joked, pointing at Specs with her thumb.

“Is that all I’m good for to you?” Specs asked indignantly. 

“Probably” Poppy joked

“Yes,” she confirmed without hesitation. 

“Rude as hell,” the man muttered with a huff as Davey walked back out with a bottle. He looked fairly tired as he handed it over, but sported a small smile on his face. Poppy took the bottle and began feeding Christa.

“Why don’t you go lay down, Davey?” She offered with a tired smile of her own. “We’ll still be here when you wake up.” The man merely shook his head.

“I’m just fine, don’t worry about me,” he answered. 

“Both of you should sleep,” Marley pointed out. 

“We don’t mind taking care of things here,” Specs added. For a moment Poppy entertained the idea, but ultimately shook her head.

“I’m okay.” 

“Well, when you eventually both pass out, we’ll take over,” Marley joked lightly, making Davey laugh. 

“Thank you, I don’t know how we could ever repay you.”

“No need to repay us,” Specs laughed softly. “It’s what friends do.” 

“Oh please, you know you’re more than just friends by now,” Poppy giggled. “We’re all family.” The others nodded in agreement. 

“Well, in that case, I believe dinner’s ready,” Darcy said, glancing into the kitchen. 

“Let’s eat!” Marley said eagerly. Everyone laughed as they moved to the table. Everyone took a seat and food was passed around. Many laughs were had at the table that night between the group of friends- no. Many laughs were shared between the family. Just like it was supposed to be.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 17: Mrs. Samuels- Specs Samuels x Marley Samuels

Word Count: 1.6k

Five Years Later

Specs waved at his patient as they finally left the office, sighing in relief afterwards. Things had felt so busy lately for him with new technology with glasses, it felt like patients were coming in nonstop. But today was different. Today he made sure that his lunch hour was completely uninterrupted so he could go visit his dear fiancé. He hadn’t changed much over the years since the strike, but he did mature quite a bit. He said a quick goodbye to his receptionist before walking out and grabbing some food from his fiance’s favorite restaurant before heading to the school that she worked at, knowing it was nearing her lunchtime as well.

Marley had just finished ushering children out of her classroom to the playground for recess and walked back into her classroom, sitting at her desk with a small sigh. Her desk was piled high with spelling tests and homework to grade, but it was also decorated with gifts from students, framed newspaper clippings and a picture of her and Specs. She had changed over the years and matured into a woman. She had allowed her hair to grow out and often pulled it out of her face into a more mature look rather than the braids she had worn as a young girl. She wore a brown linen dress with a white undershirt that complemented her figure well, and her smile was void of braces.

Specs was known at the school by this point, having come to surprise his fiancé many times before. That meant he was let in with ease, which allowed him to arrive at her classroom rather quickly. He knocked on her open doorway with her free hand and a smile on his face. Even now after so many years of knowing each other she still managed to bring a smile to his face by simply existing. 

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Samuels,” he greets. Sure, it wasn’t officially her last name yet, but he was much too excited at the prospect of marrying her to care. The woman looked up and smiled at the mere sight of him. She hadn’t expected him that afternoon and she was always so excited to share lunch with him.

“Good morning,” she responded with a small blush at the name. “What a pleasant surprise, I didn’t expect company.” She stood, rounding her desk with open arms to hug him. He returned the hug with a smile, kissing the top of her head. 

“I cleared my lunch hour, figured it’s been a while since we had lunch together,” he explained, holding up the bag containing the food. “Hope you’re not too busy.” Marley shook her head and took a step back. 

“No not at all, I needed some company,” answered, making her way back to her chair and setting some papers aside. “The kids were just asking me when you were going to come back, they love you so much.” Specs laughed softly as he set the bag down in the space that the papers used to occupy. 

“I almost feel bad because I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay,” he admitted as she opened up the bag of food to set it out for them. 

“It’s okay, I’ll tell them you came by,” she assured him as she glanced out her window, looking at the group of children playing outside. “How’s work going along? Busy?” 

“Very,” he breathed out with a quiet laugh as he sat down. “But I’m not complaining. People are allowed to get their vision improved, I’m happy with that.” The woman smiled softly at him. She always admired that he was helping people, she loved his selflessness and dedication, even if she had to remind him to take a break for himself every once in a while. 

“You look so great in the white coat, if I weren’t your fiancé I would come in once a week just to look at you,” she joked as she began to eat. The man laughed and shook his head amusedly. 

“You still could, school gets out before the office closes,” he pointed out jokingly. A small smirk settled on her lips. 

“Maybe I will, doctor,” she giggled out. “Did that shipment go smoothly? I know you were stressed out about it.” Specs nodded and grinned.  

“Everything went according to plan. Better than expected actually,” he laughed. “And how have the kids been for you? Did you ever talk to Millie’s parents?” 

“No, Millie’s parents talked at me,” she half joked. “Those people are no joke, I’ve never seen someone get so red with anger before. I didn’t mind though, I mean- she’s a good kid, I just need her to stop copying off of other kids.” The man huffed softly. 

“Some people, I swear…” he muttered. “Parents who insist their child is a saint are the worst.”

“I will believe my child is a demon because I know anything spawned from us can’t be a good outcome,” she giggled out in between bites of food.

“From you, you mean. I, meanwhile, am a godsend,” he joked, turning up his nose in a posh manner. The woman covered her mouth as she laughed. 

“Oh sure, a godsend who can’t do the dishes or make the bed, pardon me.” 

“Oh, excuse me, I thought that being the one to cook dinner and take out the trash was enough, my mistake,” he retorted with a playful grin as he took another bite of food. Marley shook her head amusedly. 

“Thank you for that, I was so tired last night I think you would’ve found me asleep in a kitchen fire if I made dinner,” she giggled out. Specs shrugged with a small smile.

“You deserved the break. You’ve been working super hard these last few weeks, I knew you were bound to get tired at some point.”

“Well, I’ll make dinner tonight, as long as you don’t claim to be a godsend.” The man rolled his eyes playfully and huffed. 

“Always has to have a catch with you,” he pouted playfully, crossing his arms like a child.

“Don’t make me give you detention,” she teased as she finished her food and tossed her trash.

“If it’s you, I don’t mind,” he joked as he finished eating as well, tossing away his own trash afterwards. The woman leaned against her desk a little, gazing at him with pursed lips. 

“You’re cheeky, you know that?”

“Of course. That’s why you fell in love with me,” he chuckled. “That, and my dashing good looks, of course.”

“Of course,” she repeated, reaching across the desk to take his hand. Specs laced their fingers together like it was second nature to him - which it probably was at this point - and lifted her hand to press a kiss to the back of it.

“You’re beautiful, you know that?” He asked, his eyes conveying his sincerity as he looked into hers. 

“It’s always so flattering coming from such a handsome man,” she whispered. “You’re the love of my life, sometimes I have to remind myself this isn’t a dream.” 

“I know the feeling,” he chuckled softly. “Sometimes I’m worried that I’ll wake up any second, but I couldn’t be happier that this is real. That you’re real. And I’ll thank any higher power above for it for the rest of my life and beyond if I could.” Marley sighed in content, her sparkling eyes locked onto his.

“I’m so lucky. We’re so lucky,” she muttered. “I’m lucky to have someone to share my life with, that we spend every night together. I feel so bad for poor Poppy having to wait for Davey.” Specs nodded and smiled sympathetically. 

Davey had volunteered for the army as a medic just over four months ago, leaving Poppy at home alone. Not long after he left Poppy had discovered something shocking that made her only miss her husband even more. She’d taken to asking Marley or Specs (or sometimes both) to spend the night so the house didn’t feel so empty.  Over the years Specs and Poppy had formed a bond with each other through their love for Marley. Now they were almost (if not the same) as close as her and Poppy. 

“Yeah, she invited you to spend the night with her at some point this week right?” The man asked, earning a nod from Marley. 

“She’s got real bad morning sickness right now so I stopped by this morning too. I’m worried about her.” 

“Do you want to stop by her house on the way home too?” He asked, now concerned.

“I’m sure she would appreciate that. We can share dinner, I’m sure she would appreciate not having to cook tonight,” she answered. Specs nodded in agreement and smiled.

“I believe she said something about craving your baked chicken the last time I was there, too,” he offered. 

“I just work magic, what can I say?” She joked.

“Glad to know you’re still as humble as ever,” he retorted dryly with a sarcastic smile. She giggled and perked up as the group of children began to run from the playground to the back door, the chatter growing louder as they neared and they lined up against the wall beside her classroom. She stood with a small smile.

“Back to work we go,” she sighed in content. Specs chuckled and stood as well, pulling her into his arms to give her a quick peck.

“I’ll see you after work?” He asked with a big smile. Marley nodded as she returned the hug. 

“I’ll see you after work. Now go change some lives,” she said with a smile to match his.

“I will,” he chuckled softly, pecking her lips one last time before making his leave, saying hi to all the kids on his way out. The rowdy kiss all waved, hugged, or tried to talk to him as he passed. Marley could do little more than laugh as she opened the door to let them in, watching as her future husband walked off.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 16: Overwhelmed- Darcy Reid x Ava Reid

Word Count: 1.5k

Five Years Later

Darcy was sitting at his desk, his glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as he drafted letters and approved stories for the Trib. His office was now what used to be his father’s office, a bigger desk and more amenities that he rarely used, but his father insisted he take the space anyways. He wasn’t much different than he was in years past, but he had allowed himself to let loose a bit.

Ava, who’d tried not to, found herself growing overwhelmed. One of the presses had been acting up and, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t figure out what was going on. It was a simple solution, but it just wasn’t coming to her head. She was frustrated with herself, but rather than do what she used to do and just immediately break down she headed for her designated storage closet, knocking on Darcy’s office as she passed. It had become a sign that she was essentially taking a break because she was overwhelmed.

The man’s gaze lifted as she walked past, and he sighed softly as he set his pen down and pushed his chair back to stand up. He often let his work consume him, enough to the point that he often neglected to take a look around and gauge how people were doing around him. Darcy left to get her some food, rightly assuming that she hadn’t eaten that day, and when he returned he knocked gently on the door to the closet.

“Come in,” Ava’s quiet voice came from the other side of the door. During the time it took him to grab the food she’d settled under the various blankets (some of them probably being weighted blankets) and was laying in the darkness, trying to calm herself down and not cry. The man opened the door slowly, stepping inside and closing it behind him softly. 

“Hey,” he said in a soothing tone, setting down the food and crouching beside her. “You okay?” He reached out to touch her face with the most delicate touch as he spoke. The woman opened her mouth to say yes, but paused. 

Though they’d been working on helping her regulate her feelings when it came to stuff like this (feeling like she always has to prove herself), she still found herself feeling like a burden when something was wrong with her. It likely didn’t help that she still looked roughly the same as she did when she was younger (give or take some new scars from a few accidents while she was working on something). But, she was still learning and she was getting better with all of it. After a few minutes of silence she eventually shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes.

“No,” she whimpered. The man frowned and moved to sit down, patting his lap for her to lay her head on. He hated to see her like this, it always broke his heart to see her get worked up or upset. Ava moved her head to lay in his lap and took a deep, shaky breath as she looked up at him. 

“The type form and platen haven’t been pressing properly on the press stone. I tried replacing the letters and the bar but it still hasn’t been pressing clearly. I can’t remember what to do,” she explained quietly, sniffling afterwards. Darcy ran his fingers through her hair soothingly, looking down at her with fond eyes. 

“Have you looked through your journals?” He asked softly. The woman shook her head then glanced around. 

“I think I left them in here… They should’ve been with me,” she grumbled as her eyes landed on said journals, now mad at herself for forgetting them. The man shook his head and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. 

“Hey, it’s okay. The world isn’t ending. One of the presses isn’t working, it’s okay. We have a hundred other presses. Have you had any water?” He asked, grabbing the glass he had brought in, already knowing the answer. 

“Take a guess,” she tried to joke, sitting up a bit so she could drink properly. He set the cup in her hand then rubbed her back lightly.

“I brought food, too. Let’s eat and finish that glass of water, and then I’ll take a look at the press with you, alright?” He offered, moving his head to be in her field of vision. Ava nodded with a small smile.

“Thank you, my love,” she said softly before taking a sip of her water. She was incredibly grateful for him because she knew she wouldn’t have made it far without him. She loved him more than anything in the world, and she was so excited to be sharing the rest of her life with him. The smile on her face widened absentmindedly as she glanced down at her wedding ring. They’d gotten married a few months ago, but it still felt like a dream to her. He was an absolute dream for her, one that she never wanted to wake up from. 

Darcy opened up the bag of food and set a box from her favorite restaurant in town in front of her with a smile. He so much enjoyed their makeshift picnics, and the lighting of the room made his wife look so beautiful, he couldn’t help but admire her. The reflection of the humming electric string lights around them that dimly lit them twinkled in his eyes and glasses. His smile was loving and warm.

“Anything for my beautiful wife,” he responded simply. He called her his wife at any chance he had, he loved saying that word more than anything because he was so proud to be married to such a wonderful woman. Ava giggled quietly as she began to eat.

“Never gonna give that up, huh?” She asked, referring to him calling her ‘my wife.’ She was just joking, though, she loved when he said it because it reminded her that it was real, and that she’d actually married the love of her life.

“Nope, never. Not till the day I die,” he half joked, leaning back against the wall lightly “They made it good today, huh?” He nodded to the food. He loved to run down the street and get her food. It pulled him away from his work and it made her happy which always made him happy. The woman nodded in agreement. 

“Maybe they knew I was having a bad day,” she joked before shaking her head. “You looked pretty stressed when I walked by earlier. Is everything okay?” Her tone was softer as she asked the question. She was always worrying about him because, while he took care of her and everything else, he never took care of himself. That was her job, which she took on without hesitation or complaint. 

“Don’t you worry about me, I’m just fine. You worry yourself too much, you’re gonna worry yourself sick- you do worry yourself sick,” he pointed out. 

“Well if I’m not worrying about you no one else will,” she defended gently. “I happen to love and care about you deeply and I’d like to know that you’re happy and healthy.” Darcy couldn’t help but smile. He thought it was endearing when she worried over him, sometimes it was just nice to be reminded that someone cared.

“I thank you for your worry. We’ve got a decrease in sales, I’ve been a little stressed, but it’s nothing that won’t fix itself in a week,” he admitted as he finished up his food. Ava nodded and smiled a little.

“It’ll work out,” she reassured him as she finished up her own food. “It always does with us.” And it was true. Things always somehow seemed to work out for the two of them. From Whitelaw initially not liking her to even the stresses that came with taking over the Trib, things always managed to go right for them, which she was incredibly grateful for. She hates to see her dear husband so stressed. The man nodded with a smile, then urged the water into her hands once again.

“Finish drinking this up and we can go check out that press, alright?”

“So bossy,” she teased, though she took a sip afterwards. 

“You like it, don’t lie to yourself,” he teased back with a small smirk. He loved their banter. Every night was like an adventure for them. He set their trash aside and stretched out a little bit.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she responded simply, though her nonchalance was quickly erased by the blush on her face, which she chose to ignore. The man rolled his eyes playfully.

“Sure,” he laughed off, standing and holding out a hand for his beautiful wife. She took it and stood, taking a moment to straighten out her overalls and take a deep breath, readying herself to face people again. Darcy kissed her hand softly, then pressed a kiss to her lips before opening the door for her. She smiled at him before walking out. Ava had no idea how she’d gotten so lucky with Darcy, but she’d spend the rest of her life cherishing him the way she knew he cherished her.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 15: Once And For All- Davey Jacobs x Poppy

Word Count: 1.7k

Poppy laid asleep peacefully in her bed. Any worry that had plagued her expression the previous night had faded away as she slept. Her arm laid under her head, supporting it as she laid on her side while free hand laid beside her palm down. She truly looked at peace in this state. Davey was sitting up beside her, running his hands through her hair silently. He had been worried about her all night, even though he knew things had gotten better for her, he couldn’t help but worry after the nervousness she had been displaying just a few hours earlier. 

A sigh of content left his lips as he admired the girl. He could look at her all day and all night if he had the chance. He thought she looked so peaceful and beautiful in her sleep, like a finely sculpted statue made of the finest marble. His fingernails lightly ran over her scalp quietly, he was happy that she was catching up on her sleep debt. 

A small hum left the girl’s lips after a short while as she began to wake up. She inhaled softly as her eyes slowly fluttered open, and a sleepy smile appeared on her face when her eyes landed on Davey. 

“Good morning,” she whispered, earning a smile from the boy.

“Goodmorning, sunshine,” he whispered back.

“Have you been awake for long?” She asked softly, rubbing her eyes to further wake herself up. 

“No,” he lied, shaking his head as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. “Not too long.” Poppy stared up at him with a look of adoration.

“Liar,” she muttered lovingly. The boy laughed softly.  

“Maybe- but I was worried about you.”

“Davey, I’m fine,” she giggled. “I would’ve woken you up if something was wrong.” 

“No you wouldn’t!” He teased, poking her side.

“I may have,” she laughed out, flinching back from the poke. “You don’t know!” 

“I do know! You wouldn’t ever try to bother me,” he insisted.

“So you’re saying it would bother you if I woke you up,” she pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him. She was just messing with him at this point. Davey rolled his eyes. 

“I give up,” he joked. “It’s a lost cause.”

“Glad to see you’ve finally come to your senses about me,” she joked back.

“It took me too long, how didn’t I see this before?” He played along in a hopeless tone.

“Because I’m a witch that’s charmed you with my incredible beauty and fantastic charm,” she giggled as if it were obvious.

“That you have,” he agreed, leaning down to press a kiss on her forehead. Poppy laughed softly as she sat up.  

“You’re sweet.” 

“I try my best.” The girl leaned her head on his shoulder. 

“Did you get any sleep last night?” She asked.

“An hour or two. I’ve been…” he trailed off. “Jack- everything with that- it’s been on my mind.” That made the girl smile sympathetically. 

“How are you feeling after all that?” She asked softly.

“A little hurt,” he admitted with a shrug. “It’ll be okay.” Poppy nodded and gently grabbed his hand. 

“It’ll be okay,” she repeated gently, lifting his hand to press a kiss to his knuckles. Davey nodded as he stood.

“There’s so much to do.”

“What can I do to help?” The girl asked as she stood too, beginning to braid her hair

“Not much, I just need to review a paper Kathrine wrote. We’re printing and distributing them tonight,” he explained. Poppy nodded and smiled somewhat excitedly at the mention of the article Katherine had written.  

“I’m just hoping that Jack is back in the game,” the boy added with a sigh.

“If he isn’t, then at least we still are,” she offered optimistically. “We’re gonna see this strike through. Right?” 

He nods with a soft smile “right.” He responded with a nod and soft smile. The girl grabbed his hand and squeezed it gently, and Davey lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly in response. She smiled up at him with stars in her eyes.

“I love you,” she whispered as if it were their little secret. 

“I love you too,” he whispered back.

“Well thank god or else last night would’ve been real awkward today,” she joked, but it was the truth. She’d never let anyone see that side of her. Davey rolled his eyes playfully.  

“It’s not embarrassing to have feelings, it’s embarrassing to hide feelings,” he pointed out.

“Ah, I didn’t realize my boyfriend was a therapist,” she teased.

“Sure I am, I wouldn’t have to be if you just talked out what you were feeling.” 

“Or, consider this: I keep it all in until I can’t anymore then break down when I’m alone so I’m not a burden,” she suggested with jazz hands and a cheesy grin. Davey didn’t answer, but instead shot her an incredulous and slightly concerned look. 

“Oh come on, it worked well until last night but I hadn’t planned on last night,” she defended. The boy continued to stare at her for a few more seconds. 

“Right…” he trailed off. “Very healthy.”

“I didn’t say it was healthy, I just said it worked,” she shrugged before laughing.

“You make my poor heart weak, I hope you’re proud of yourself,” he said, poking her in the side.

“Awww, don’t I make your head spin too?” She pouted jokingly.

“That’s Jack’s job,” he retorted as he pulled his suspenders over his shoulder.

“He seems to be doing a pretty good job at it,” she joked as she got ready for the day, making the boy laugh.  

“He sure is, I’ve been abandoned by him like four times,” he pointed out.

“Sounds kinda toxic,” she giggled.

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed softly. “C’mon, we’ve got work to do.” Poppy nodded and quickly followed him out of the lodging home, both of them eager to finally make the changes they wanted to see. Things were finally gonna change once and for all.

Davey was crouched in front of Les by the punch table in the theater, distractedly fixing the boy's shirt, which had been buttoned wrong. Poppy walked inside, barely having to look around before she spotted the two boys. A smile quickly formed on her face as she walked over to them.

“Well, don’t you two look dapper,” she greeted. Davey hummed as he finished up with Les’ shirt, his gaze distracted as he spoke. 

“Someone is learning how to button shirts,” he joked before turning to her, instantly going quiet and turning red. A smile broke over his face, his eyes getting a little squinty as he smiled. 

“Well look at you,” he said breathlessly. Poppy giggled softly and flattened out the skirt of her dress. 

“Me? You look amazing,” she responded, looking him up and down with a big smile. The boy grinned, completely entranced by her beauty. He slowly reached out for her hand and took it, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles lovingly as Les walked away silently, likely to go find his date.

“I’ve never-” he paused, sighing in disbelief at how gorgeous she was, before laughing softly. “You took my breath away.” Poppy blushed deeply and shook her head with a small laugh. 

“You’re too sweet to me, Dave.” He scrunched up his slightly freckled nose in admiration for her, smiling brightly.

“No, I mean it, you’re stunning.”

“Oh hush you,” she laughs softly. The boy laughed as well and sighed in relief. 

“I’m so glad this is all over,” he muttered. 

“Me too,” she nodded and cupped his cheek with her free hand. “You were amazing out there, Davey. We’re lucky we had you as a leader.” 

“I’m never doing this again, that’s all you’re getting from me,” he joked

“Damn, I was thinking about trying again next week,” she joked back in a voice of feigned disappointment, which made Davey laugh. 

“Let’s dance,” he said, pulling at her arm encouragingly.

“Alright alright,” she laughed and pulled him to where the others were dancing. Davey followed with a chuckle. He had never been too great at dancing due to his height, but he was here for a good time. An upbeat song began to play so Poppy wrapped her arms around his neck and began dancing to the beat. He followed along as best as he could, unable to wipe the smile off his face. 

“I don’t do this often,” he admitted.

“None of us do,” she responded simply, a wild and delighted smile on her face. “That’s what makes it so fun.” Davey grinned down at her, spinning her quickly. 

“I see, I didn’t gather that I was supposed to be having fun,” he joked.

“That’s why I’m here to help you,” she joked back. “You’d be lost without me.” Davey laughed and picked her up to spin her before setting her back down. 

“We have a symbiotic relationship,” he teased.

“I don’t know what that means but thank you- I think,” she giggled.

“It means we’re good together,” he clarified with a grin.

“Oh- why didn’t you just say that?” She giggled. “I don’t have all the fancy school knowledge that you do.” That made the boy laugh again.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The girl nodded approvingly before doing a little twirl shortly before Davey set his hands on her waist. 

“You’ve got such a beautiful spirit,” he said over the music. The girl blushed at that, then leaned up to peck his lips. 

“You’re too nice to me sometimes,” she muttered, but the boy just shook his head. 

“You deserve every ounce of love that you get.”

“Sometimes,” she shrugged. 

“All the time,” he muttered, pressing a kiss to her forehead, making her roll her eyes playfully.

“I don’t know, I can be a real bitch sometimes,” she half joked.

“I like it,” he teased in response.

“Believe me, I know,” she teased right back, pulling herself closer to him. Davey grinned and, rather than respond, leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to her lips that left her breathless. 

They spent the rest of the evening in each other’s arms, where they belonged. They couldn’t have been more happy with each other, and they thanked whatever higher power there was that they’d met that fateful day at the distribution center.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 14: Good Things- Specs x Marley

Word Count: 1.6k

Marley was laying face down in bed, her limbs sprawled out haphazardly and her face shoved into a fluffy pillow. Her shoulders rose and fell softly as she slept in. Specs, meanwhile,  had actually just gotten back from grabbing breakfast for himself and her. After last night he wanted her to have something warm and fresh, so he took some of the money he had saved and had made a quick run to the cafe not far from the lodging home. He walked over and set the food down on the table beside their beds and crouched down. He shook her gently, trying not to scare her. 

“Marley, wake up,” he said softly. The girl let out a small groan, stretching out a little as she mumbled something inaudible into her pillow along the lines of ‘go away.’ Specs chuckled and shook his head amusedly. 

“I bought you a breakfast sandwich, it’s gonna get cold,” he tempted her. That got Marley to sit up with tired eyes and fluffy hair. 

“Breakfast,” she repeated with a satisfied smile.

“Glad to know that food is the most effective way to wake you up” he joked, grabbing a brown paper bag and setting it in front of her. 

“The important things in life,” she muttered as she grabbed the bag and pulled out one of the sandwiches. 

“Here I was thinking that was me,” he teased, earning a quiet laugh from the girl.

“You’re up early,” she mentioned rather than answer him. Specs shrugged as he sat beside her with his own sandwich. 

“Dunno why, just woke up early.” 

“I hate that you’re a morning person,” she joked, bumping his shoulder. 

“Someone’s gotta be able to withstand your wrath in the mornings,” he joked back. “And unfortunately it’s gotta be me because everyone else is afraid after the Romeo incident.” Marley giggled as she but into her sandwich. 

“Yeah, that wasn’t very pretty.”

“He still has the bite mark,” he mentioned amusedly as he ate. “I don’t think it’s ever going away.” 

“He deserved it, I don’t take kindly to being awoken,” she joked back, leaning her head back onto his lap. 

“Unless it’s me waking you up.”  

“At least you’re nice about it, now I know it’s cause you secretly loved me, which is unfair,” she giggled. “But I can’t complain.”

“Neither can I,” he chuckled, kissing her temple. Marley hummed thoughtfully. 

“How did you sleep?”

“Aside from your kicking, I slept pretty well,” he teased lightly, earning a giggle from the girl. 

“Good. I gotta keep you on your toes.” Specs snickered and shook his head amusedly before changing the subject.

“I heard something this morning- about Jack I mean. He’s got a plan with that Katherine girl he’s gonna tell us about later,” he mentioned, which made Marley groan.

“I just want this all to be over,” she whined.

“I know,” he laughed softly. “I think we’re close, though.” 

“Hopefully Crutchie makes it out okay,” Marley muttered.

“He seemed okay given the circumstances when I went to check on him yesterday,” he offered softly. The girl nodded with a frown, lost in thought for a moment before shaking her head to clear her mind. 

“I’m sure things will be fine.”

“They will be,” he promised, wrapping an arm around her and looking down at her with a smile. “I’m so lucky to have you, Marley. You mean so much to me.” Though surprised by the admission, Marley grinned up at him.

“I love you Specs, so so much,” she muttered.

“I’m glad I found you and Poppy- even if she hated my guts for like three months,” he half joked.

“I think three months might be an understatement,” she joked back.

“She didn’t start talking to me until the fourth month of being here, I assumed that meant she stopped hating me,” he laughed. The girl merely hummed, as if she didn’t know any better, which confused him.

“Wait, when did she stop hating me?” He asked, earning a shrug from Marley. 

“I don’t know, why don’t you ask her.”

“Because if she still hates me I don’t put it past her to not kill me,” he joked.

“She told me last night she likes you, but I believe everything she says so maybe she really does hate you,” she reasoned with a laugh.

“She’s gonna be pissed if she finds out I know she likes me,” he snickered, looking over at Poppy and Davey, who were talking on the girl’s bunk. Marley followed his gaze.  

“They’re doing therapy work, it’ll be good for her,” she joked

“I don’t think a therapist is supposed to look at their patient like that,” he joked back, making the girl giggle as she laid back. 

“You’re right.”

“At least I don’t look at you like that during our therapy sessions,” he teased as he looked at her again. Marley blushed, then rolled her eyes. 

“Our therapy sessions are much different.” Now it was Specs’ turn to blush as he laughed. 

“Not those, I’m talking about the actual talking. Get your mind out of the gutter.” 

“I like the other ones better,” she giggled out.

“Naughty girl,” he teased. Marley grinned up at him knowing;y before rolling over. 

“I just wanna sleep all day.”

“You probably could,” he laughed, rubbing her back soothingly. The girl hummed into her pillow. 

“But it would be so unproductive.”

“What are the alternatives?” He asked amusedly. “There’s nothing else for us to do until tonight.”

“I suppose you’re right…” she trailed off thoughtfully. “Lay with me?” 

“Always,” he nodded with a grin as he settled in beside her. They settled in, cuddling close to each other, and tried to get as much sleep as they could for tonight’s events. 

Marley walked into Medda’s theater with a smile. She was healed from all of her injuries and a lot less tired looking than she had looked in the past week. Specs had been one of the boys dancing on stage with Ava, but upon noticing Marley he stopped mid step to admire her. He was absolutely blown away by her beauty, he didn’t care how many times he’d say it because truly, to him she was an absolute masterpiece, a work of art. Without a word he hopped down from the stage and made his way over to her.

“Wow, Marley…” he trailed off in utter awe. Any compliment he wanted to give died on his tongue the more he looked at her. The girl looked up at him innocently, her hands occupied with hiking up her dress slightly as she struggled to walk without doing so. She smiled wide, displaying her braces as she did a little twirl.

“You like it?” She asked shyly.

“I love it,” he assured her without hesitation, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up to spin her. Marley giggled, her cheeks dusting a shade of pink.

“You look very handsome.”

“Nothing compared to you,” he said, almost breathlessly as he set her down. “You look like you belong in a museum, everyone would pay the admission just to see you.” She smacked his arm lightly. 

“Oh stop, it’s still just me,” she reminded him, setting her hands on his shoulders. 

“It’s never ‘just you’ to me, it’s always you,” he laughed. “I love you.” Marley smiled.

“I love you too.” Specs grinned and held out his hand for her as a new song began to play throughout the theater. 

“Care to dance?” 

“I would love to,” she said, taking his hand. The boy twirled her before pulling her into the crowd of people dancing. Marley laughed uncontrollably as she danced freely, and Specs could do little more than watch as he danced along. He loved seeing her so carefree and happy. After a few minutes of dancing the girl looked up at him with a bright smile. 

“I saw Crutchie is back!”

“Really?” He asked, laughing at her enthusiasm. It was adorable. Marley nodded, her eyes wildly excited. 

“He looked like he was healing. I heard he might even show up tonight, I have to dance with him,” she insisted. 

“Oh of course,” he agreed as if it were obvious as he twirled her before lowering her into a dip. “It’s a given.” Rather than answer, Marley opted to take full advantage of their romantic position and leaned up a bit to kiss him, which the boy returned without hesitation. She held the back of her head as she tilted her own a bit. Specs held her close to him, practically pressing her against him, as his eyes fell closed and he smiled against her lips. After a moment he slowly pulled away, smiling down with all the love, adoration and admiration he had for her.

“Gosh, you’re amazing,” he muttered, somehow loud enough for her to hear over the music, as he stood her up once again. 

“Why, thank you,” she joked back, making the boy laugh as he spun her. 

“I’m serious, Mari.” 

“I know, I just like to mess around.” Specs laughed softly and gave her a quick kiss. 

“Are you having fun?”

“So much fun!” She nodded eagerly. “I wish we could dance all night.”

“We probably could, but I don’t think Miss Medda would appreciate it,” he joked, making her giggle.  

“You’re right.”

“Of course I am,” he retorted as if it were obvious. 

And so they continued to dance the night away, more than happy that the strike was finally over. They just knew that good things were just going to keep coming for them, so they were content with tonight.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 13: To Love A Newsie- Darcy Reid x Ava Fig

Word Count: 2.5k

As morning rose on Manhattan a dim warm light shone through the window to Darcy’s room. Darcy was sleeping face down, covered loosely by his velvet blankets, his bare torso exposed as he slept. He had one arm under his forehead to support it, and the other sat loosely at his side. Ava, meanwhile, had been awake for a little less than an hour and was basking in the morning after feeling in comfortable silence. She laid on her side, her head propped up on her hand as she watched Darcy sleep. She liked how peaceful he looked, like there wasn’t a worry in the world weighing his shoulders down. A small, absentminded smile formed on her face as she gently rested her free hand over the one that sat by his side, though she hoped it wouldn’t wake it up. The boy’s warm hand slowly closed over hers and he let out a small hum.

“Good morning,” he mumbled into his pillow, barely audibly in a raspy voice. The girl smiled apologetically, though she knew he couldn’t see her yet. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she whispered, not wishing to break the peaceful silence that enveloped them. Darcy hummed in response and turned to the side, rubbing his eyes softly.

“You didn’t wake me up,” he muttered softly. Ava hummed thoughtfully and nodded. 

“How’d you sleep?” She asked, allowing her hand to slip away from his in favor of sweeping some hair away from his face. His face turned red as he smiled softly. 

“Better than I have in a long time,” he admitted, reaching mindlessly for his nightstand to grab his glasses and huffing when his hand can’t find them. Ava giggled quietly. 

“Glad to know I could be of-“ she was cut off when a knock was heard at the door.

“Darcy, dear, are you awake?” Elizabeth’s voice came from the other side of his bedroom door. Darcy’s half open eyes shot open and he sat up with a small gasp.

“Yeah- just waking up,” he called out as he jumped out of bed. He threw some pants on and shoved Ava’s gown under his bed. 

“The closet- hide in the closet,” he whispered frantically, climbing back into bed. Ava shot up out of bed in a panic (albeit a quiet panic, but a panic nonetheless) and quickly ran and hid in the closet. 

“May I come in?” Elizabeth called softly. The boy propped himself up on his elbows as if he had just sat up.

“Come in,” he called back, rubbing his eyes. The door slowly opened and in walked Elizabeth, holding a tray of food in her hands. It was obvious she hadn’t gotten ready for the day yet as she was still in her nightgown and her hair was down. She wasn’t Mrs. Reid just yet, she was just Elizabeth, Darcy’s mother. She offered him a small smile as she closed the door and walked over to the bed.

“Good morning dear. How did you sleep?” Darcy sat up fully and smiled. He loved his mother with his full heart and appreciated her little gestures more than words could describe- but this morning he looked anxious to see her.

“I slept alright, it was a long night,” he answered.

“I can tell. You look exhausted,” the older woman commented, setting the tray of food down beside him on the bed. “Perhaps you can sleep in a bit more before you head into work. But, before that, I wanted to talk to you about something if you have a moment.”

“Sure,” he said with a small nod, stretching out his arms with a small sigh.

“That Ava girl that you introduced to your father and I last night, what is your relation to her?” She asked, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. The boy hummed softly. 

“Do you want to know the truth or do you want me to spare you?” He asked. He was always fairly honest with his mother, trusting her to not rat him out to his father. Elizabeth raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him and pulled her robe closer to her.

“What do you think?” Darcy sighed. 

“I hired her to work maintenance for the Trib, she had been selling newspapers before this and came in on commission to fix a press. She’s talented, she did it in no time, so I hired her. Things happened…” he paused, then took a deep breath. “I think I love her.” His mother raised her eyebrows at him. She didn’t quite know what she expected when she asked him the question, but she couldn’t say for sure whether it was that. A thoughtful hum left her lips.

“I suppose that makes sense now that I think about it. The way you two looked at each other last night…it was a look I haven’t seen in quite a while. But I know what love looks like when I see it.” Darcy smiled a little. 

“Really- truly mom, she’s like an angel,” he whispered, then let his expression harden a bit. “I’m just worried about father, I know this isn’t what he wanted but I…I don’t want to have to hide her.”

“And what do you plan to do about it?” She asked. “You are the one that agreed to your father’s terms, you will have to be the one to change it.” 

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted softly. Elizabeth rested a motherly hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently before letting it fall.

“I know that you’ll figure it out. You’re a smart boy, you’re my son after all,” she half joked, making the boy laugh softly. 

“Thank you, mother,” he muttered with a smile. The woman nodded and stood, pressing a kiss to his forehead. 

“Get a little more sleep, dear,” she instructed gently, gazing at him for a few seconds before making her leave. Darcy merely offered her a smile before laying back down, pretending to settle into bed. Once she heard the door close behind Elizabeth, Ava quietly emerged from the closet. Over the duration of Darcy’s conversation with his mother she’d taken the time to put on one of his button up shirts to have some semblance of modesty in the unlikely event that his mother found her. Darcy huffed in relief. 

“God, that was close,” he whispered as he slid out of bed.

“Tell me about it, I was literally holding my breath in there,” she laughed quietly, walking over to him. He met her halfway, taking her into his arms. 

“Well lucky us, you know how to be quiet,” he muttered before leaning down to kiss her softly. She returned the kiss without hesitation, wrapping her arms around his neck as he hummed against her lips, tilting his head slightly. Ava smiled into the kiss and began running her fingers through his hair. The boy slipped his hands under the messy button up she had on, letting his cold hands softly trail up the side of her bare figure. Her body was so warm compared to his hands, as if he lit a fire within her by just being in his presence. She giggles against his lips before pulling away to trail idle kisses against his jawline.

“Your hands are cold,” she giggled quietly.

“Sorry” he mutters distractedly, running his nails along her back as she kisses at his jawline. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and slow. The girl merely hummed in response as her kisses trailed down to his neck. 

“My my, I made a mess of you last night,” she teased lightly, looking at the various hickies that littered his neck. Darcy let his eyes open slightly, he was blushing like crazy.

“You shut up,” he retorted. “You were begging all night.” 

“And I always get what I want,” she teased back, also blushing a bit. “With you, at least.” The boy hummed in response. 

“How lucky,” he muttered, pressing an affectionate kiss to her temple. Ava smiled and cupped his face, looking at him with a soft look. 

“Do you really love me?” She asked softly. She hadn’t actually heard much of Darcy’s conversation with his mother but she heard that, and her heart quite literally beat right out of her chest. The boy cupped her face as well,, trailing his thumb over the apple of her cheek with a small nod.

“I do. I love you, Ava,” he said unapologetically, voice full of confidence. Her smile widened if it were even possible as she stared at him with a look of pure love.

“I love you too,” she all but whispered.

For a moment her gaze rested on the tray of food on his bed before looking at him. His mother put a lot of food on the fancy plate for just one person… Darcy followed her gaze and raised his eyebrows.

“Oh,” he muttered, turning a bright shade of red and setting a hand on his forehead with an embarrassed sigh.

“So much for a good first impression,” Ava mumbled, completely red in embarrassment. Her eyes went to the ground as she sat down on the bed. The shirt she wore reached just above her knees when she was sitting. 

“Well, I suppose we might as well eat,” Darcy mentioned as he sat beside her. “We have a long day ahead of us.” Ava nodded, allowing him to set the tray between them. They spent the rest of the morning feeding each other and getting just a bit more sleep before they had to get to work. They couldn’t have been more happy, though. 

It was all over. The strike had reached a conclusion, with Pulitzer agreeing to buy back the papers newsies don't sell. That was more than enough cause for a celebration in the newsies eyes. So, that very evening, a party was held at Medda's theater.

Darcy walked up to the entrance of the theater with a small smile. He had gone into town to buy some more humble clothes, as to not stick out too much. He had never been to an event like this, if you could even call it an event. As he stepped inside he was taken aback by the music and sound surrounding him, it was amazing. Ava was already in the theater dancing to the boisterous music on stage with a few boys. She truly looked carefree, like the weight of the world was no longer crushing her shoulders now that she knew her family would be okay. She swung her dress around as she hopped to the beat, a laugh leaving her lips. 

Upon walking in and finding Ava the boy couldn’t help but just stand there and watch her for a moment with loving eyes. He loved her. He loved her more than anything and seeing her in her element made his heart feel full. Darcy made his way past the crowd and up to the stage, unable to stop himself from smiling. The girl’s already wide smile immediately brightened when she spotted Darcy. He looked absolutely amazing in whatever he wore (or didn’t).

“Darcy!” She greeted excitedly, holding out her hands for him. He took them and leaned in to press a quick kiss to her lips. 

“Gosh you look absolutely incredible,” he commented as he looked her over once more, a light blush dusting his cheeks. The relaxed environment made him feel welcome and at ease. Ava also blushed as she smiled up at him. 

“You look amazing, humble suits you,” she joked lightheartedly. The boy looked down at himself with a small smile. He was wearing boots, straight legged slacks, a more relaxed button down that was rolled onto his forearms, and suspenders. His hair was not perfectly gelled as it so often was, and he looked free and happy. He offered her a little shrug.

“I thought this might be more appropriate, my mother told me to hurry out before my father had a heart attack,” he joked back.

“Smart thinking,” she giggled. “Seriously though, I like this version of you.” Her words made Darcy smile down at her.

“And I love you for every version of you,” he whispered, pressing a few kisses all over her face. “That dress… you’re so striking.” The girl laughed softly and pecked his lips. 

“Thank you. I’m kinda surprised you showed up,” she admitted. “I didn’t think you’d want to come to something like this.”

“This is far more fun than anything my father could host,” he commented as he glanced around, then looked back down at her. “And besides, you're here, and you make my life complete.” A blush covered the tip of Ava’s nose as she shook her head. 

“Ever the charmer, I see.” 

“You’re correct in that, love,” he chuckled. The girl giggled and looked around for a moment before looking at him again.

“Do you want to dance?” 

“I would love that,” he nodded, taking her hands and leading her into the group of dancing newsies on the ground. Ava followed excitedly, already beginning to dance the closer they got to the others. The boy couldn’t help but smile amusedly at her, he was so interested in everything about her. He loved watching her hair and dress bounce as she danced, her passionate eyes, her lips. He was utterly entranced by her.

“Aren’t you gonna dance?” She teased as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Or just stand there staring at me?” He shook his head distractedly, beginning to dance a bit.

“Sorry- you’re just so beautiful,” he laughed out. She smiled up at him, slowing her dancing a bit so they were at the same pace.

“I love you, Darcy,” she said softly.

“I love you too,” he responded with a carefree grin. “This is fun, I like this.”

“We should do this more,” she agreed. “I love dancing.” Darcy pressed a quick kiss to her lips before responding. 

“It’s nice to let loose. Your friends are so fun to be around,” he commented, looking around at the faces that surrounded them. Ava’s smile softened into one of fondness as she followed his gaze, and she nodded. 

“They’re the best,” she agreed. “I love them.”

“I’m so sorry I was ever inconsiderate of you- of them,” he muttered, squeezing her hands gently. The girl shook her head and turned her smile towards him.

“It’s really okay, Darcy. There’s nothing to be sorry for,” she reassured him, but the boy just sighed. 

“I know, I just learn more about you every day and I learn more about them and I can’t help but feel guilt for ever thinking that you weren’t all the most wonderful people,” he explained.

“If it makes you feel better, you’re not the only one who thinks that,” she offered with a small laugh. “People in higher classes love to look down on newsies.” 

“I know that, but I’m frustrated that I joined the herd,” he shrugged.

“But you know different now,” she soothed. “You know what kind of people newsies are, and you know that not all of us are bad- except Brooklyn sometimes.” 

“Brooklyn does make me a little nervous,” he admitted with a chuckle.

“They’re real nice guys once you get to know them. Spot’s been real lax since he met this girl named Quinn,” she shrugged, earning a smile from the boy.

“Good,” he nodded. 

“Seems like love is just in the air for newsies,” she joked. Darcy’s smile softened into one of fondness as he stared down at her with love and adoration. 

“It would seem so,” he nodded fondly.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 12: Control- Davey Jacobs x Poppy

Word Count: 1.5k

Davey watched in horror as Jack stormed off after the speech he had made. Boys began to shout profanities and boo for him and Jack. He stood wordlessly, unable to process what had just happened. Poppy could do little more than watch Jack stalk off with the money filled envelope in his hands. Many emotions ran through her, but the biggest ones were anger towards Jack and pity towards Davey. As soon as she heard the boos and profanities pick up she was out of her seat and on the stage, grabbing Davey’s hand.

“We have to go,” she said lowly. “Come on.” The boy stood there numbly for a moment before following her, his mouth slightly ajar and his gaze unfocused and hurt. Poppy led him outside, unable to truly think until they were in the alley where the stage door led to, the shouting immediately silenced when the door closed. Once there she stopped short and turned to face him.

“Are you okay?” She asked softly. Davey looked down at her, snapping out of his distracted stare.

“Me? I’m fine- are you okay?” He asked, looking her over.

“No, you’re not okay,” she laughed quietly. “The only other leader of this strike sold us out for a few bucks, I know you’re panicking.” There was a knowing tone in her voice, one that grew the more she spoke. She’d just watched everything she’d worked hard for fall apart before her very eyes, and she was having a hard time processing it. Poppy was projecting the fact that she was panicking about it because that meant she was losing control. And Davey sensed that. He stared at her for a moment with worried eyes. He shook his head slowly.

“I’m not panicking,” he reminded her in a suspicious tone. “Are you okay?

“What? Of course I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be fine?” She asked with a nervous, almost forced laugh. “I’m totally okay, no problem at all.” As she rambled, the cracks began to show. Poppy’s hands had started shaking as she used both hands to push her hair back and tears were slowly but surely welling up in her eyes. Davey’s eyes widened a bit at the mere sight. 

“Okay- alright, slow down…it’s okay” he soothed, leading her by the shoulders to a bench and sitting her down before cupping her face to look her over. “Do you need water?”

“Davey I’m fine,” she laughed weakly again. But the barrier was breaking.

“I’m…” she trailed off, voice catching right at the end as she realized that things were truly out of her control and there was no way she could get it back at this point. The boy pushed some hair out of her face and behind her shoulders so she didn’t get too warm. He shook his head and took a handkerchief out of his pocket. He knew that these types of panic attacks always end in tears.

“Hey- listen to me. You’re not okay, and that’s okay, but what’s happening right now is you’re spiraling instead of talking to me,” he said in an effort to ground her as he set his hands lovingly on her knees. The girl sniffled, shaking her head as she refused to look at him.

“I’m supposed to be the one in control, I’m not supposed to spiral,” she muttered quietly.

“Poppy, honey,” he whispered helplessly, setting both of his hands on each side of her face. “You can feel things, it’s okay, you’re allowed to let go.”

“No, I need to be in control,” she whimpered. “If I’m not in control then everything will just be a disaster I can’t not have control.” A quiet sob left her lips after she spoke as her hand pressed against his, gripping them tightly. Davey stared at her a moment, unsure of what to say. He had seen panic attacks before but not to this degree of panic. He frowned involuntarily.

“It’s going to be okay, nobody is hurt, the world is still spinning, I’m here, everything else can work itself out,” he soothed, moving his head to try and catch her gaze. Poppy’s eyes flitted all around his face until they finally met his. She licked her lips, which had become dry when her breathing had been heavy, and held his gaze as she attempted to calm herself down and take deep breaths. The boy opted to take some deep breaths along with her to encourage her. 

“There you go, there you go,” he muttered, smiling a little. “Good job, you’re doing so good Poppy.” It took several long (and agonizing) minutes, but Poppy eventually managed to calm herself down with his help. Tears still steadily streamed down her cheeks, but they weren’t as quick and her hands still shook slightly, but that was the best she could do at the moment. Davey began to wipe her tears away with his thumbs.

“Hey, you’re doing so good, I’m so proud of you,” he whispered, still cupping her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered, voice still a bit thick with emotion. He shook his head, continuing to wipe her tears away.  

“No, hon, don’t be sorry. You didn’t do anything wrong, it was scary in there.” She shook her head and sighed softly.

“I’m supposed to be the controlled one. The last time I didn’t have control, I lost my best friend,” she muttered. Her fight with Marley a few months ago still weighed heavily on her heart, but she just couldn’t bring herself to talk to the girl.

“If I can’t control every aspect of my life, I just feel helpless, and hopeless,” she concluded quietly. Davey’s brows furrowed and he sighed softly.

“Maybe you and Marley need to have a chat,” he offered gently, setting a hand on her knee. “You’re drowning in guilt and responsibility. You can’t control everything, sometimes things just happen and you need to let things go.”

“It’s hard to do that,” she said quietly, eyes falling to the hand on her knee. 

“I know, but I think things will get better, I think it’ll make you feel better,” he encouraged. Poppy merely nodded, leaning forward a bit to rest her forehead on his shoulder. The boy ran a hand soothingly through her hair.

“I’m here for you, I love you so much,” he muttered.

“I love you too,” she responded. Even when she was upset, those three simple words coming from him still managed to put a smile on her face. Davey grinned brightly at the sight of her smiling, smiling so hard that his face hurt.

“I love you- I love you, I love you, I love you,” he whispered, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. The girl giggled, her mood much better by now, and cupped his face with both hands. 

“I love you too,” she mumbled between her little giggle fit.

“Now let’s get you back to the lodging home,” he said softly, earning a nod and smile from the girl in front of him.

“Thank you Davey, I know that was a lot to deal with,” she laughed weakly.

“It’s really okay, Poppy. Besides, I have to deal with Les 24/7,” he responded as he stood, helping her up afterwards.

“Oh please, Les is a sweetheart,” she giggled. Davey hummed as they began to walk towards the lodging home.

“I actually believe that he rose straight from hell to test me,” he joked.

“Or maybe god wanted me to find my best friend,” she joked back.

“If Les is your best friend then I feel sorry for you,” he said, poking her side. The girl flinched away then laughed.

“You should feel sorry for yourself because now you have to deal with both of us.” He looked down at her. 

“You gonna talk to Marley? Have you even seen her since she got back from the refuge?” He asked softly.

“I saw her,” she nodded. “I just… haven’t talked to her. I don’t know if she’s still mad at me.” Davey hummed thoughtfully. 

“Knowing Marley I don’t think she’s mad. I don’t think I’ve seen her mad for more than five minutes at a time,” he joked softly as he stopped at the steps to the lodging home, wanting her to go in on her own terms.

“It’s a bit different this time,” she laughed quietly. “We both said thing we didn’t mean- at least, I hope she didn’t mean.” She grew nervous once again at the thought of things being out of her control though she yet again didn’t wanna show it. Davey took her hands in his and squeezed them with a smile.

“Things will go just fine, I promise,” he whispered. Poppy nodded and smiled awkwardly before taking a deep breath.

“Are you staying? Or do you have to get home?” 

“I’m going to stay here for you, I wouldn’t leave you at a time like this” he reassured her.

Poppy nodded and sighed in relief, that being the push to get her to walk inside. She paused in the doorway momentarily before hesitantly making her way over to Marley and Specs while Davey watched. As he watched them talk from Poppy’s bunk, he had a feeling things would work out for them.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 11: Happiness- Specs x Marley

Word Count: 2.1k

Specs watched Jack leave after his betrayal, absolutely livid with what he’d just witnessed. This wasn’t the same Jack he’d known since he was a kid. He, along with many other newsies, began to shout protests and profanities at him. What kind of move was that for Jack to pull? Take a bribe and run away like a coward after they all stuck their necks out to keep this strike going? 

Marley blinked slowly, looking down at her lap as she sat beside Specs. She couldn’t even convey shock or hurt or anything. She hated all of this, she hated the serious nature of the strike in the first place and just wished everything would go back to normal, even if that meant spending more for papers. She hadn’t realized that her breathing had picked up significantly in pace, her face and ears flushing red, her head reeling, she felt as if she could faint. 

“It’s too loud,” was all she could mutter out, her ears ringing as she stared ahead. As if he had super hearing to make up for his lack of eyesight, Specs just managed to hear her above the yelling. He looked down at her, a frown settling on his lips.

“Let’s get out of here,” he grumbled, taking her hand and helping her up as quickly as he could. He wasn’t mad at her, just the entire situation. Marley stumbled along after him, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion. The boy held her hand tightly (but not enough to hurt) as he walked down the street.

“The bastard,” he huffed quietly, the events of what had just occurred running through his mind over and over again. The girl continued to follow in silence, her cheeks still flushed red. She didn’t feel well and she was having a hard time gathering her thoughts. It wasn’t until Specs looked back at her once they were a good ways away from the theater that he realized something’s wrong. His brows furrowed in concern and he slowed to a stop before turning to face her.

“Hey, are you okay?” He asked worriedly. Marley shook her head. 

“I don’t feel good,” she admitted. That only worried Specs more, and he gently gripped her arms. 

“What’s wrong? Are you sick?” 

“I don’t know,” she muttered, but that was a lie. She felt like she was going to vomit but she didn’t want to worry him, but obviously ‘I don’t know’ was more worrisome so she didn’t do a good job of that.

“Mari, talk to me,” he urged gently. “You’re scaring me. What’s going on in your head right now?” The girl shook her head once again. 

“I’m okay- really I am…I’m just- I just don’t feel good I need to sit.” The boy was quick to lead her over to a nearby bench to sit her down.  

“Do you want me to go get some water?” He asked, crouching down in front of her so they were eye level. Rather than answer Marley wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug, which he returned without hesitation, holding her tightly in an attempt to ground her. She was shaking slightly, she didn’t know how to feel. She wanted nothing more than to forget about all of this, to run in the park barefoot with Poppy, to be selling, to have her mind occupied. 

“Talk to me,” he repeated quietly, almost begging because he was so worried about her. She took a deep breath in.  

“I don’t think I handled that very well,” she said with a shaky voice. “The rally, I mean.” His brows furrowed.

“You didn’t do anything,” he muttered softly, but Marley just shrugged helplessly. 

“It was so loud, and I didn’t know he would do that, and I don’t want to do this anymore I just want to be happy.” Specs shushed her gently, cradling the side of her face with his hand. 

“I know, I know you do,” he soothed softly. “I want you to be happy too, but sometimes we have to go through some bad things to get to that point. And that’s okay, you know? It never hurts to go through something bad when you know something good will come out of it. It always gets darker before it gets brighter.” The girl hummed numbly. 

“I know I just don’t like feeling things, yesterday was so awful, today was awful, I just don’t want to think about it, but then all I can do is think about it,” she rambled.

“This entire strike has been trial and error,” he said softly. “We’re doing something no other newsie has tried before, so there are gonna be bad days. That doesn’t mean we should just forget about them, we need to learn from them. Adapt from them. Don’t think of it as something terrible, think of it as a reason to push yourself forward.” She looked at him with sad eyes. 

“I want to believe that this is worth it,” she whispered.

“It will be,” he promised. “I think everything is gonna work out the way it should.” Marley nodded quietly. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, letting his lips linger for a moment before smiling at her.

“We’ll get through this. We still got Davey, he’s a good leader. It’ll be okay, Mari. It’ll be worth it,” he said, looking directly into her eyes so she knew he was sincere and serious. The girl smiled softly, looking at him through tired eyes. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, but Specs merely shook his head, a silent way of telling her that she didn’t need to thank him.

“I love you, Marley. I’d do anything to see you happy,” he muttered, taking both of her hands in his and rubbing his thumbs over her knuckles.

“I love you,” she responded softly. The boy grinned and pecked her lips before standing, helping her up via their still clasped hands. 

“C’mon, let’s get you home.” Marley began to walk towards the lodging home, letting her usual jaunty step, which was almost a skip, come back to her. Usually her braids would swing behind her as she walked along but her hair bounced freely as she did so with a small smile on her face. Specs followed behind her, a bright smile breaking onto his face. There was the Marley he knew- his Marley. Words couldn’t begin to describe how happy he was to see her back. The girl glanced back at him. 

“Hurry up, slowpoke!” She laughed out as she ran up the steps to the building. 

“No fair, you’re a lot faster than me!” He laughed back as he ran to catch up to her, swooping her up as he reached the top of the steps. Marley squealed then burst into laughter. 

“Let me down!” He pretended to think as he kicked the door open and stepped inside.

“Nah, I think I’m good.” The girl rolled her and pretended to go limp in his arms. 

“One day I’ll just die in your arms and you’ll keep carrying me forever.” 

“And I’d happily do it before I’d let your body be ruined by dirt and dust for eternity,” he responded simply, walking over to his bed. She snorted and turned her head to the side, biting him gently on the bicep. 

“Take that!” He gasped dramatically and dropped her on his bed.

“Traitor!”

“NO!” She laughed out.

“YES!” He laughed as well as he began poking at her sides. “Apologize!” 

“I’m sorry!” She exclaimed between laughter. 

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he smirked shortly before someone appeared beside his bed. It was Poppy, as it turned out. Marley giggled, then looked up and met the redhead’s gaze. Her eyes dimmed a bit, not in anger but maybe in embarrassment or sadness.

“Hi!” She said, trying to keep her facade. 

“Hi,” Poppy greeted with an awkward smile. Specs barely had to look between the two of them before deciding to give them some privacy. He kissed Marley’s cheek then stood, nodding to Poppy before walking away. The redhead truly looked out of her element at that moment, dried tear stains on her cheeks and her hands clenching and unclenching to keep herself under control and calm. Marley's face turned to one of worry as she looked her over. She patted the bed and scooted back to make room for her.

“What do you need? Are you okay?” She asked quickly. Poppy nodded quickly as she sat down beside her. 

“Don’t worry about me- I’m fine,” she reassured her. “I just… I was hoping we could talk? About a few months ago, I mean…”

Marley stared at her for a few moments. Though she looked different, she was the same girl as she was months before when they’d had their fight. Her brain had been playing that fight on repeat and she was trying hard to not fall into the trap her mind had been setting for her, trying not to shut down at the topic. She managed to compose herself, however, and nodded.

“About a few months ago,” she repeated, the words almost hurting her as she said them. “What about it?” She had been meaning to apologize for months but had never worked up the maturity to do so. Poppy cleared her throat, looking down for a moment before facing her again. 

“I know that you don’t like to have serious sit downs, but um, I wanted to tell you…” she shook her head, opting to just rip the bandaid off. “I wanted to say that I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have called you childish and told you to grow up. I hate to admit it, but I was jealous that you could bounce back from things and find the good things in life so easily, and I took that frustration out on you and I’m sorry.” Marley took a second to process her words then shook her head.

“No, you were right. I have a lot of growing up to do. It was childish of me to call you names and it was childish of me to not apologize sooner. I’ve been wanting to but every day I put it off one more day and it just never happens, but I miss you,” she said, looking at her with guilty eyes.

“I miss you too,” she admitted. “And, for what it’s worth, I’m happy that you’re still childish. It’s refreshing.” Marley sighed in relief, glad that things hadn’t gotten worse. 

“Are you okay? What happened back there,” she trailed off. “It was pretty awful.” 

“I’m fine,” she shook her head with a small smile. “A little breakdown, some tears and a hard time breathing but I’m all good now. Are you okay?”

“Yesterday was tough for me,” she muttered with a small laugh. “But Specs saved the day.” Though she attempted to understate it, it was obvious how grateful she was to be back and how grateful she was to have the boy. Poppy smiled at that. 

“I hear that you two finally got together. What’s it been, eight years?” She teased. Marley nodded with a small blush.  

“You and the new kid, huh?” She asked rather than respond. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, looking so blissfully happy at the mere thought of Davey. “Key word being ‘new.’ I snatched him up as soon as I could.” They shared a laugh at that. 

“He’s a very nice boy.”

“He is,” she agreed wholeheartedly. “He’s extremely kind and sweet, and he’s super funny too.” Marley smiled and sighed fondly.

“I’m happy for you.”

“I’m happy for you too,” she mentioned. “Specs is a good guy.” 

“I don’t think I could’ve made it through yesterday without him,” she admitted. Poppy’s smile faltered a bit as she remembered the refuge.  

“How are you feeling after all that? Are you okay?” Marley broke eye contact and looked down a little. 

“I’m worried about Crutchie…I mean I’m fine. I made it out with just bruises and cuts, nothing too bad. I’m still getting used to short hair,” she commented, bringing a hand up to the nape of her neck. “But I feel guilty that he’s still there, so really I have nothing to be upset about.” Poppy smiled sympathetically and took her hand.

“I think it’ll all work out,” she said softly. “We don’t need Jack to win. Crutchie will be out of there in no time.” Marley nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah, I know. It’ll all get better, I just have to keep telling myself that.”

“I’ll keep reminding you,” she offered with a smile. As they continued to sit there talking, a sense of contentment settled over them, and they knew everything would be okay.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 10: Dancing in the Dark- Darcy Reid x Ava Fig

Word Count: 4.1k

Warning(s): Once again, not smut, but very steamy at the end. Much more than chapter 4 at least.

Darcy descended the steps to the ballroom quickly in hopes to find Ava before his parents did. He had commissioned his carriage driver under the table with his own finances to pick her up, and was praying that he hadn’t gotten caught doing so. He reached the middle of the steps and stopped, his gaze in search of the girl that had been on his mind nonstop.

Ava had only just arrived inside the ballroom. She’d taken a bit longer than she would’ve liked to get ready, but she wanted to look perfect for New York’s high society. For a moment all she could do was stand there, part of her in awe over the utter elegance of the room and the people filling it, and the other half frozen in fear. She didn’t know what to do now, and she hadn’t seen any sign of Darcy yet. Her gloved hands continually clutched her dress then let go as a way for her to ground herself. She knew a lot about everything, but the one thing she didn’t know was how to deal with New York’s first class.

The boy glanced at the front of the room, and it was like time slowed down to give him a chance to admire her. His eyes sparkled as he gazed at her, her hair, her dress, her figure, the way she held herself, everything about her made his knees weak. He stared for a few moments before he rushed down the stairs, his eyes still locked on her as he dodged through the crowd to get to her. It wasn’t until Darcy was rushing down the stairs that the girl finally noticed him. A small, relieved smile settled on her lips and she began weaving through the crowd to meet him halfway. Darcy stopped a good six feet away from her to just admire her once more with loving eyes as people passed intermittently between them. Every moment he looked at her he found a new thing about her that he loved, and wanted to worship and embrace. 

“Hello,” he called to her politely over the sound of music in a distracted voice, just absolutely enraptured by the sight of her.

“Hi,” she returned, laughing afterwards as she subtly looked him up and down. “You look wonderful.” Darcy wandered closer to her, gaze still glued to her. 

“I…” he trailed off, almost unable to speak. “Wow, you look like an angel.” Ava blushed and glanced down at her dress, straightening it out absentmindedly. 

“I’m not underdressed, am I?” She asked worriedly. It’d been a concern of hers when she was shopping with Katherine but she genuinely couldn’t tell. The boy shook his head quickly. 

“No- no no, not at all,” he said reassuringly, taking her hand and squeezing it. The mere gesture was somewhat socially taboo for someone of his status to be doing, but he couldn’t care less. Ava sighed in relief and smiled at him before glancing around.

“This is some party,” she muttered, still kinda in awe that she was here. It almost felt like she was trespassing, wearing a disguise. She didn’t know this world, she didn’t know how to act in this world. Darcy smiled at her. They were already beginning to attract stares and were most definitely the subject of a few hushed conversations already.

“Welcome to my home,” he said with a small laugh.

“Thank you,” she giggled before noticing the eyes on them. Out of habit she sorta attempts to make herself smaller.

“There are people watching us,” she mentioned quietly, earning a hum from the boy.  

“Trust me I know. Keep your chin up, you have every right to be here and you are beautiful and I am yours tonight,” he responded encouragingly, not even trying to hush his voice. He was proud to be seen with her, he was proud to break the rules for her, he was proud to be hers. Ava blushed deeply, his words admittedly making her feel much better, and nodded with a small smile. 

“Okay” she says softly, straightening her shoulders. The boy offered his arm as the music changed and young, courting couples began to fill the center of the ballroom to dance.

“May I have this dance?” He asked with sparkling eyes. The girl hesitated. 

“I don’t know how to dance,” she admitted softly. Darcy smiled softly, he found it endearing that she didn’t know how to dance.

“You can follow my lead, I promise it’s not too hard,” he encouraged. At his reassurance the girl finally nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. 

“Alright then. Just don’t make me look like a fool,” she half joked.He led her to the center of the ballroom for greetings. 

“Alright, go ahead and curtsy as I bow,” he instructed softly, facing her and taking a bow. The girl did as he said and lifted her skirt a bit to curtsy with a nervous smile. It was a little clumsy, but it was okay enough. Darcy grinned and held out his arms, leading her off to the side and beginning to lead her in a waltz as murmurs from wallflowers and adults on the sideline surrounded them. 

He knew there was judgment and rumors already, he knew his parents would be furious for making a scene, but he didn’t care. He kept his eyes on her as he smiled softly. Meanwhile, as much as Ava tried not to listen to the murmurs, she couldn’t help but do so, listening every single time either one of them was mentioned.

“You know, I know a lot about a lot of different things, but I don’t know if I can fix this,” she half joked, nodding her head to the crowd around them and keeping her voice low so only he can hear. The boy laughed softly. 

“It’s not your job to fix it, this is my fix,” he explained as they danced. “Besides, the only opinion that matters is yours.”

“I suppose that’s true,” she hummed thoughtfully, glancing down at her feet for a moment. She’d accidentally stepped on his foot a few times, but she was doing better than she expected. Darcy, meanwhile, was unfazed by any mistakes she was making. He took her hand and twirled her, then continued to dance.

“You are the most stunning person I have ever seen,” he whispered. Ava blushed deeply and looked up at him. She wanted to kiss him more than anything right now, to not care what anyone said or thought of it and just hold him till her heart's content. But instead, she merely offered him a shy ‘thank you.’ He smirked down at her, almost as if he could read her mind.

“Not now,” he muttered jokingly. “You’re doing really well at this, I’m surprised.”

“I don’t know whether to be offended or complimented,” she joked.

“That’s for you to decide, I’m just the one speaking, not the one thinking,” he joked back as he spun her once more.

“That much is obvious,” she teased dryly with a sarcastic smile once she finished her little spin, then laughed softly. “How do girls not get dizzy with all these spins?”

“Cause you’re not looking at me while you spin, you’re not spotting your turn,” he laughed out. 

“That was rhetorical, jackass,” she said very quietly because halfway through that she remembered where she is so the last part is almost not heard by him. Darcy turned red and tried not to just burst into laughter. 

“You’re the worst,” He whispered back.

“What?” She giggled with an innocent look before leaning closer to whisper into his ear. “You know I can’t control my mouth around you.” The boy bit his lip and looked to the side, his cheeks blushing an even brighter shade of red.

“You are so in for a rough night you have no idea,” he warned her in a whisper.

“Not now,” she repeated his earlier words, trying not to smirk but she still ended up with a smug smile on her face. Darcy was still a bright shade of red as the song ended, he bowed to her, keeping his eyes locked onto hers with a fiery gaze. That didn’t end up lasting long as his gaze turned somewhat fearful when they darted behind Ava. 

“Father,” he greeted, trailing off with a nervous smile. Darcy’s father, Whitelaw Reid was looming over them, a tall man with white hair and a manicured beard.

“Hello, Darcy,” he said in a cold tone. “And who might this be? I do not recall an extra name on the invitation list, or on the transportation list.” He was calling out his son’s sneaky behavior, and Darcy knew it. The younger boy cleared his throat and stepped aside to showcase the girl.

“Father, this is Ava.” Ava had frozen upon first hearing Whitelaw, though she knew that it would do her no good to cower away from him. Instead she put a polite smile on her face, pushing her nerves deep within her, and faced him, curtsying to him respectfully.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sir. I thank you for the carriage you were kind enough to send my way,” she greeted, pretending that Darcy hadn’t been the one to do it. 

“Of course,” Whitelaw responded, taking her hand and pressing a polite kiss to it. “Now, Miss Ava, how did you come to acquaintance with our Darcy? He’s quite secretive, you know.” The girl forced out a small laugh before answering.

“He does seem to keep surprising the both of us,” she joked lightly. “I am his new secretary. He invited me here as a way to welcome me to the company. I apologize, I assume you knew.” It was a lie, she knew, but the last thing she wanted was for Darcy to get into more trouble than he’d likely be in by her being here in the first place. 

While they talked, Darcy glanced between the two of them, then began searching the room in hopes that he would spot his mother who would surely come save him because. And, as if on cue, Elizabeth Reid, a kind looking older woman appears at their side. 

“Darcy, you look wonderful,” she greets, adjusting the lapel of her son’s suit jacket. “I told you dark blue would compliment you.”Whitelaw turned to his wife, giving her a look. 

“Darcy, why don’t you introduce your little friend to your mother?” He asked firmly. The boy looked at his mother with puppy dog eyes for a moment, hoping to win over her heart. 

“You look beautiful, mother,” he said in relief that she was there, then looked between her and Ava. “This is Ava.” The girl in question was quite literally ready to either a.) pass out or b.) melt into the abyss and never return. Nevertheless she faced Elizabeth with a smile and curtsied to her.

“It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Reid. Your son has not exaggerated your beauty.” Elizabeth took a moment to assess the situation, including both her son and husband’s expressions, before smiling down at Ava and nodding her head once approvingly.

“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Ava. Lovely to make your acquaintance,” she responded kindly, earning a small huff from her husband. 

“Darcy, I would like to speak to you tonight, that is all,” he said, then he glanced at Ava. “A pleasure.” And with that, he walked off, leaving Darcy and Ava with Elizabeth. The boy shot his mother a weak smile. 

“He’s pretty upset with me,” he said in a low voice.

“Oh, don’t worry about him,” Elizabeth waved a hand dismissively. “I will talk to him. Tonight, you two enjoy yourselves, okay?” Darcy’s smile went from nervous to relieved. 

“Thank you,” he muttered gratefully, taking his mothers hand and giving it a quick squeeze before stepping back to stand beside Ava. The girl offered Elizabeth a curtsy, which she nodded at before walking away. Once Elizabeth was far enough Ava let out the breath she’d been holding since she’d first heard Whitelaw speak. Darcy sighed in relief and turned to her. 

“My god I almost had a heart attack,” he whispered, allowing himself to show how anxious he’d truly been in the presence of his father. 

“God how do you think I felt?” Ava retorted nervously, wringing her hands absentmindedly. “If he kept looking at me like that I think I was gonna pass out.” The boy took her hands in his to stop her from wringing them, instead offering them a reassuring squeeze.

“Let’s sit you down and get you some water,” he insisted softly, leading her over to a stool and sitting her down. 

“God, why is your dad so scary?” She half joked with a weak laugh, but it was obvious that she was intimidated by Whitelaw (which she guessed was the point). The boy grabbed a glass of water for her and set it in her hands. 

“You’ve got to be scary to be successful in New York. It’s unfortunately not a great parenting style,” he joked, crouching in front of her. Ava’s brows furrow in concern, her lips setting into a small frown. 

“He doesn’t…hurt you, or anything, does he?” She asked only quietly enough for him to hear, leaning closer a bit just to be sure. Darcy paused for a moment, as if lost in thought, but ultimately shook his head. 

“No, he’s not a bad father. He’s just bad at regulating his emotions. I’ve learned a lot from him. My mother is just an angel, she used to sneak my chocolates at night when I was a child,” he admitted with a small laugh. Ava couldn’t help but smile, happy to hear him share a part of himself with her. 

“That sounds nice,” she commented softly.

“I can tell she loves you,” he whispered with a huge smile, trying not to get too excited at the mere thought. “I can just tell.”

“She’s probably the only one,” she half joked with a smile before taking a sip of her water. 

“A wife’s word is the last word,” he joked back. “I’m sure she’ll have some sway.”

“I hope so. Your old man don’t seem too fond of me,” she laughed quietly. Darcy shook his head. 

“He’s just old school, he wants me courting a girl like Kathrine,” he explained with a small laugh. Ava hummed thoughtfully. 

“You would do good with a girl like that, all classy and stuff,” she commented idly, taking another sip of her water. 

“Kathrine and I are better friends than lovers, trust me,” he shook his head again.

“Well I know that,” she giggled. “I’m talking about girls like her. Ones your father would approve of.” 

“So boring and uptight, I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone except for you,” he whispered, his eyes conveying the sincerity in his words. The girl smiled shyly and nodded. 

“Good, because I can’t imagine myself with anyone else but you,” she whispered back. Darcy smiled back before looking around.

“Want to sneak up to my room?” He asked quietly.

“Aren’t you worried about being caught?” She asked curiously, though there was a smile quickly forming on her face. Darcy shook his head once again. 

“They never even come to my side of the house,” he laughed out as he helped her up, beginning to lead her through the crowd. 

They walked up the grand staircase and the boy pulled her to the left, leading her down a huge hallway. Ava followed in silence, her gaze grazing over the luxurious hallway and decor in awe. It was truly a beautiful house, she never thought she’d ever be allowed in one like this. Darcy stopped at the end of the hallway and turned towards a large white door, pushing it open to reveal a lavish room. The girl’s eyes widened as she looked into the room, ultimately stepping inside. She knew it was close to the size of the bunk area of the lodging house. This was luxury to her.

“Wow, this is beautiful,” she muttered. Darcy gingerly moved past her and grabbed a match off of the table in the room, striking it against the box and lighting some candles that gave his face a dim, warm light. 

“Thank you,” he answered, growing distracted as the girl moved to stand beside him, the candlelight illuminating her soft features. He couldn’t help but smile as he gazed at her, the refraction of the flames illuminating in his eyes.

“Well, is there any particular reason you invited me all the way up to your room, sir?” She joked softly “Because there is still a party going on downstairs.” Darcy hummed in consideration as he put out the match, tossing it aside. 

“There might be,” he mutters, looking down at her. His eyes showed a glimpse of dominance and craving, his face was dimly lit in the candlelight which cast a small glare onto his glasses. Ava blushed, though it’s barely visible in the candlelight, as she bit her lip.

“And yet, here we are, at a standstill,” she teased lightly, idly messing with the lapel of his suit jacket. The boy bent down slightly, their lips almost touching.

“Here we are,” he repeated as if it was a shame. He was teasing her and he knew that it drove her crazy. His face showed a knowingness, almost cockiness as he did so. Ava huffed lightly as her hands gingerly trailed up to rest on his shoulders. 

“Must you tease me like this?” She asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him, earning a thoughtful hum from him.

“Would you rather I not?” He asked, moving his face to the side of hers so that he was talking gently by her ear, his warm breath on her skin. “Because I’m dying to see this dress on the floor, Ava.” The girl hummed as if in thought, a shiver trailing up her spine. 

“I believe I can help with that,” she whispered, one hand reaching back to untie the knot at the bottom of her corset.

“No need,” he muttered, his voice was raspy as he took her by the shoulders and turned her around. He began to unlace the corset for her, pressing kisses at the nape of her neck as he did so. Ava all but melted under his touch, it was a wonder she was able to stay standing, but she managed. As the corset became looser on her and the dress began to pool on the floor she slid her arms out of it meticulously. Darcy stepped back to admire her as he unbuttoned his coat.

“Better?” He asked with a smirk, his gaze falling over her with adoration. 

“Much,” she giggled quietly as she looked up at him with innocent eyes, though everything else about her said otherwise. Darcy slipped his coat off, letting it fall to the floor as he stepped forwards. He let his hands reach out and make contact with her ribcage, gently trailing down her waist and falling at her hips as he pressed himself up against her. 

“Good,” he whispered, then leaned down to kiss her. Ava shivered under his touch, though she couldn’t get enough of it. As she returns the kiss with all the passion she’d been holding back tonight her arms trail up until they’re wrapped around his neck, one hand already beginning to toy with the hair on the nape of his neck as it usually did. The boy pulled a hand from her hips to loosen his tie as he kissed her passionately, his other hand gripping at her eagerly at her waist. He felt like he was floating when he touched her, her warmth was medicinal to him and her faux innocence drove him crazy. 

The girl smiled against his lips before pulling away to press kisses down his jawline and neck, likely leaving a lipstick stain on his collar in the process (and trying not to smirk at it. It was like she was marking him as hers). His touch was addicting to her, she couldn’t get enough of it if she tried. She craved him- not just his body, but his mind and his heart. She wanted all of it because she’d already given all of hers to him. Darcy took a sharp breath in as she kissed at his neck and jawline, letting his hands travel onto her back where his nails pressed into her skin. She had hit his weak spot and his body language showed it, and a smirk settled on the girl's lips. 

“Awfully quiet now,” she teased, her voice low enough to be considered sultry as she begins kissing back up his neck, stopping just before she reaches his lips. “Cat got your tongue?” Darcy exhaled deeply through his nose, unable to respond as her lips trailed up his skin. He stared down at her as a dangerous smile crept across his lips.

“You think you’re so cute, don’t you?” He hissed quietly.

“Of course I do,” she giggled, a mischievous glint in her eyes as her arms hooked around the back of his neck once more. “And apparently so do you.” He looked at her through his glasses with a smug expression as he sat back onto his bed, pulling her into his lap by her hips 

“Do I?” He asked softly.

“Mhm,” she nodded as she moved to straddle him, one leg on either side of his. “I can feel it.” She began running her fingers through his hair, her nails lightly scratching his scalp as she teased him. The boy turned red and pulled his hands up to her face.

“I’m sure,” he responded smugly before he pulled her down into another kiss, a kiss even more passionate than the kiss before. His chest rose and fell in deep breaths as he riled himself up more at the thought of having her. He pulled back for a moment to yank off his glasses, then pulled her back in to continue the kiss as he tossed them aside carelessly. The girl smirked against his lips, happy that she was finally getting her way, and one of her hands left his hair to start hurriedly unbuttoning his shirt, her own breathing becoming heavy. Darcy yanked off his tie as he continued to kiss her intermittently. 

“You’re- the most-“ he started but trailed off wordlessly, unable to get the rest of whatever it was out as he pulled his hands up to the nape of her neck, tangling his fingers into her hair and tugging at it impatiently. Ava giggled quietly, a sound that would normally sound so innocent sounding so sensuous now, as she finally managed to undo all the buttons of his shirt, beginning to slide it down his shoulders.

“If you can’t tell me, at least show me,” she teased breathlessly, a wild and passionate look in her eyes as she stared down at him. Darcy glared up at her with a grin, then grabbed her by the waist. He swung her around before pinning her to the bed, letting his hands come up to her wrists, which he held over her head as he straddled her. His shoulders fell and rose quickly as he stared down at her longingly. The girl gasped in surprise as if she hadn’t expected him to do that, but quickly got over it and instead put on her innocent eyes once again as she gazed up at him, breath still coming out in short pants. Darcy laughed gruffly. 

“Oh don’t you give me those eyes, you are not innocent,” he hissed down at her, lowering down and hovering along her collarbone. Ava was too bothered to respond, however. 

“What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?” He teased, emphasizing how much the tables had turned. The girl rolled her eyes playfully, laughing breathlessly as she subtly attempted to wiggle her wrists free from his hand.

“You think you’re so cute,” she hissed softly just as he had earlier, not even attempting to deny the role reversal. The boy chuckled softly and kissed at her neck, leaving gentle bites every so often. He trailed down to her collarbone, then down to her sternum, pressing kisses to her as if he worshiped her, as if her word was the final say, as if he was hers and she was his. 

“Please, Darcy,” Ava whispered, as if she were on the verge of begging, growing desperate for him- all of him. “No more teasing.” Darcy looked up at her through raised eyebrows, then pressed one last kiss between her sternum before hovering over her again. 

“Such a pretty plea, how could I say no?”

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 9: Bloody Knuckles- Davey Jacobs x Poppy

Word Count: 2.3k

Poppy had been frantically searching for both Davey and Les, too worried about their safety to just sit around while the strike went on. She knew it likely wouldn’t end well, so she jumped in as quickly as she could. She’d sustained several injuries thus far, causing a few previous wounds to reopen, but she couldn’t be bothered to care when her eyes finally landed on Les. Without a word she weaved through the crowd of fighting boys and men alike until she reached the young boy, grabbing his hand and starting to run.

Davey, who had lost Les in the crowd and was frantically searching the crowd, stopped when he saw Poppy. He didn’t know what to feel, he was scared for Les, he was angry that Poppy was there, he was concerned for both of them, and he was in pain from the hits he had taken in all of this mess. A small groan left his lips as he watched them dart out from the crowd, and he quickly changed course to run after them. The girl continued to run through several alleyways until she heard footsteps behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she sighed in relief upon realizing it was just Davey and slowed to a stop, clutching Les closer to her.

“Davey,” she greeted, visibly relieved. The boy stared at them exasperatedly.  

“What happened to staying home and safe?!” He asked, looking rattled and beat up as he ran over and crouched in front of Les who was crying. “Are you okay?” He grabbed the younger boy’s face and looked him over, then glanced up at Poppy with a frustrated sigh. 

“You obviously are not- what hurts?” He asked, standing up to examine her.

“Don’t worry about me,” she brushed off, moving her head away. “You look awful, we need to get you and Les cleaned up.” Davey shook his head. 

“Your cheek looks busted to all hell,” he muttered, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressing it to her bleeding cheek. The girl flinched a bit at the touch, though she attempted to brush off his concerns.

“My cheek’s been through a lot worse than a lousy punch from some goon,” she responded simply. 

“You already had a cut there, it’s gonna get infected,” he explained as he began to lead her to their house with Les in tow.

Poppy wrapped her arm around Les to make sure he stayed close, something she’d gotten into the habit of doing by this point, as she followed Davey in silence. Part of her felt bad that she’d disobeyed him, but another bigger part of her couldn’t stand the thought of just sitting aside while everyone - including him and Les - got hurt like that. 

Upon arriving at the Jacobs residence Davey hurried them up the steps and pulled them inside, sighing in relief that they were out of harm's way. Poppy glanced out the window, where she could see the distribution center to some degree, now empty though she could faintly see the remains of the fight they’d just fled from. The boy opened his bedroom door and glanced back at her. 

“Poppy,” he called softly to break her from her distracted state. “I gotta get you cleaned up.” The girl stared  out the window for another few seconds before realizing Davey was talking to her. Without a word she looked at him and nodded, heading for his room. Once they were both inside Davey closed the door and walked to the bathroom to get a rag. A sense of deja vu washed over him as he did so. 

“Alright, sit down,” he instructed. 

“I’m not a kid, Dave,” she muttered, though she did as he said. 

“I know. I spoke to my father the same way when he got home after his accident, you’re not special,” he joked, turning to her as he wrung out a washcloth to clean her up with. “Now let’s get a look.” He leaned forward a bit to get a good look at her face. 

Aside from the reopened wounds, there wasn’t too much different about her. Her temple was bleeding as she’d hit her head on the ground after being punched, and the bruise around her eye had darkened a bit- whether from forming overnight or being hit again, she didn’t know. Her knuckles were also bloody and bruised as she’d thrown several punches to get to Les. After finishing his examination Davey looked into her eyes with a soft smile. 

“You know the drill,” he said instead of lecturing on how it may hurt before he pressed the washcloth to her cheek. “Next time you split your cheek you’ll have to get stitches so I mean it this time, stay out of trouble.” Poppy winced softly then exhaled shakily. 

“No promises,” she half joked. The boy hummed as he held the rag to her cheek for a moment.

“I’m sorry, I know it hurts. I just don’t want it to get infected,” he muttered.

“I know, I trust you,” she giggled quietly. Davey grinned softly and kissed her forehead gently.

“You are one brave girl, I’ve never seen someone run into a fight already messed up before,” he mentioned. 

“That’s the life of a newsie,” she shrugged with a small laugh. “You may have to get used to that with me.”

“Oh goodie,” he half joked as he pulled the towel away. “Alright, let me see your knuckles.”

“You can’t deny that I keep you on your toes,” she giggled, lifting her right hand to display the bloody and bruised knuckles. Davey had to try not to cringe at the mere sight of her knuckles as he gently dabbed at them. 

“Gee, you hit hard, huh? Remind me to stay on your good side,” he joked. He didn’t like seeing people hurt, even cleaning up Les after he scrapes his knee at the park gets him worried beyond belief, and sad that his brother is in pain but this was a different feeling. He wished he could absorb all of the pain, because he could tell that it hurt, even if she acted like it didn’t.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she joked back, keeping a neutral facade up but damn did it hurt. “But you’ve done a pretty good job so far.” The boy sighed and grabbed some bandages, wrapping them around her knuckles, then letting her hand go.

“Other hand,” he instructed softly, which prompted her to lift her left hand. It wasn’t as bad as her right, but she did know how to throw a few punches with her non-dominant hand just in case something happened. Davey made quick work of her knuckles then finally stepped back to admire his work. 

“Alright, you’re all cleaned up.”

“How bad is it, Doc?” She joked.

“Well, if you don’t go out and start another fight, I’d say that you’ll be just fine,” he joked back, ruffling up her hair. Poppy moved away and lightly smacked his arm with a laugh. 

“Never do that again.” In response the boy merely stuck out his tongue at her, scrunching up his nose a little. She returned the gesture before falling back to lay on his bed, legs dangling off the sides. Davey sat beside her and fell back as well with a sigh. 

“I don’t know where Jack went,” he admitted. It was Poppy’s turn to sigh this time. 

“Yeah, he bailed the second he heard Snyder. I don’t think anyone knows where he is,” she muttered, turning her head to face him. He wasn’t looking at her, but rather up at the ceiling, a numb sort’ve look on his face. 

“I can’t help but feel alone, I can’t believe that he just- ran off while we all stuck through. This was all his idea in the first place,” he muttered. “I feel like I’m doing the dirty work for someone who doesn’t have the guts to do it themselves.”

“You’re not just doing the dirty work, Davey. You’re being the leader,” she responded gently, carefully taking his hand in hers. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without you, you’re doing the best that you can and we appreciate you for it. None of us would be able to do anything in this strike without your guidance. And yeah, if Jack actually ran away from New York, then it shows what kinda bad leader he really is compared to you.” 

“I know, I just don’t know what to do,” He mumbled, then took a moment to think. Poppy remained silent, allowing him to gather his thoughts.

“I think I’m in love with you,” he whispered kind of spontaneously as he turned his head to look into her eyes. Though initially surprised by his confession, she can’t say that it isn’t unwelcome. Quite the opposite in fact.

“I think I love you too,” she whispered back, a smile already forming on her face as she brought his hand up to kiss his knuckles. “And we will get through this together.” Davey squeezed her hand gently. 

“Of course,” he said, then faced the ceiling again. “I’m sorry- that was sudden- I just, I’ve never met anyone as special as you.”

“I don’t mind,” she giggled quietly, keeping their hands close to her. “I can’t say I’ve met anyone like you before. I’ve never felt this way with anyone.” The boy turned onto his side to face her and smiled brightly.

“Your hair is like a sunset and your eyes make my stomach feel like a butterfly sanctuary,” he whispered. “And when you touch me I feel safe and welcome. I’ve never felt that before.” Poppy blushed deeply, yet again not expecting such a confession.

“You make me feel safe, too,” she admitted quietly. “Like I’m more than some newsie barely making ends meet. Before I met you, I was just going through the same motions over and over again, but with you it feels like I have no barriers, like I can do anything as long as you’re with me.” 

“That makes me happy- that you feel that way,” he said with a warm smile. “My parents love you, you know, and Les too.”

“Of course they do, I’m so lovable,” she joked before shaking her head and continuing in a more sincere tone. “I love them all too. Your parents are the nicest people I’ve ever met, and Les is probably my favorite person ever- not counting you, of course.”

“Lucky him, he’s everyone’s favorite person. I can’t believe how many friends he has at school,” he muttered with a small laugh.

“That’s good though,” she giggled. “Kids need friends. Don’t tell me the newsies are your only friends, Davey.” The boy made a face at her. 

“I made two friends in school and one of them was a teacher,” he retorted flatly. “So I’ll leave that up to interpretation.” The girl covered her mouth with one hand, obviously trying not to laugh. 

“That’s- yeah that’s uh…” she trailed off, just barely keeping it together. Davey laughed softly. 

“So you just fell in love with a loser,” he teased.

“Well, I suppose that’s partly a good thing. That way I won’t have to worry about girls throwing themselves at you when you go back to school,” she joked. “Though, you’ll probably get some popularity when they see you were in the newspaper.” 

“Trust me, everyone I go to school with is dense, I don’t want to touch any of them.”

“That’s comforting,” she giggled out. 

“Lots of things are comforting when you meet a plain person like me,” he joked.

“I don’t think you’re plain,” she responded softly, earning an unimpressed look from Davey. 

“The most interesting thing about me is that I’m too tall to fit in my bed.” Poppy giggled at that. 

“I believe it. You’re like eight feet tall. But no, I think you have a lot of interesting quirks. For example, you give off the tone of a grumpy old man while simultaneously acting like a mother while looking seventeen. That’s very impressive,” she joked. The boy turned red and laughed.

“Thank you Poppy, that’s very kind of you to point out,” he joked.

“I’m just so kind aside from being lovable,” she joked back. “But seriously, I think you have a lot of admirable qualities to you.”

“Like getting kids into trouble…” he trailed off, then shook his head.  “Things will go fine with the strike. We had discussed a rally and with or without Jack I intend on holding that rally.” Poppy grinned and nodded.

“Good. Be the leader we need, Davey. You’re doing great,” she responded, earning a tired hum from the boy. 

“You’re staying here tonight,” he insists. Half of him loved her presence and the other half of him just didn’t want to walk back to the lodging house to drop her off so it was a win-win.

“Oh, am I now?” She asked amusedly, though she was likely too tired by this point to try to make it back to the lodging house. Davey pulled her close and hummed in response, his eyes already falling closed. 

“Yeah, you are,” he mumbled. Poppy merely hummed in response before snuggling up to him. 

“Alright then.” 

“Goodnight Poppy,” he muttered, but the girl was hit with a wave of exhaustion that left her too tired to answer. But that was okay.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 8: Breakout- Specs x Marley

Word Count: 2k

Specs snuck up to the refuge with complete and utter silence. After watching Marley get taken away because he hadn’t been fast enough to help her, all he could think about was her in a dirty cell and his guilt. Breaking her out tonight may not have been the best idea, but he didn’t care. Upon looking through all the windows he perked up upon finally finding Marley’s room, and he tapped on the window just loud enough for her to hear. 

Marley had been curled up on a dirty cot in a cell of the refuge. She had cried from the moment she got there until she couldn’t cry any longer. She just laid quietly, letting out sniffles every so often, though she flinched and practically shot up when she heard a tap. She looked out the window, and Specs could see even in the moonlight that she was a wreck. Her dress was torn and dirtied with blood, her knuckles were scraped up and she had bruises forming on her face, but most noticeable was the absence of her left braid which was now cropped close to the nape of her neck. She ran over to the window, gripping at the bars, tears beginning to run down her face once more. 

“Ryan, what are you doing here?” She weeped out quietly. It was such a rare occasion that Specs heard his real name out of Marley’s mouth, so he knew that she was really in a state. 

“I’m getting you out of here,” he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. He tried not to tear up at her state, but it didn’t work very well. So he continued on. 

“We don’t have much time, guard rotation ends soon,” he added quickly, opening the window a bit wider and latching it away so he didn’t have to hold it up anymore. The girl stepped back with a sniffle. 

“I’m so sorry- I’m so sorry about all of this,” she whimpered, her eyes darting around in search of guards or the Delanceys. She was shaking in fear as she glanced back at him with helpless eyes. Specs shook his head, shushing her gently. 

“There’s no need to apologize,” he soothed softly. “You didn’t do anything, but we need to get you out of here. I can’t let you stay here, understand?” He held out an inviting hand to her, which she took, using it as support to climb out the window as she continued to sniffle. Once she was safely out he helped her over to the gate, climbing over it first so he could catch her. 

“Come on, almost there,” he urged softly. The girl was completely silent as she climbed over, jumping down on the other side and taking a moment to use him for balance before she started to run towards the lodging home. Specs ran alongside her, keeping a grip on her hand the entire way. He didn’t care about what happened to him from this point forward, all he cared about was her and her safety. 

Once they reached the lodging home Marley stopped to catch her breath. Specs, meanwhile, rested both hands on her shoulders to look her over. 

“Let me look at you,” he instructed in an unusually soft tone, examining her carefully. Her lips were cut up because of her braces and she was just generally bruised up. Over her right shoulder hung a long dark braid with a bright blue ribbon at the end of it and the other side was cropped short and untamed in comparison. She had tear streaks running down her dirt covered face, she looked tired and worn bruised. 

Specs’ heart broke the longer he looked at her. Many emotions ran through him. Rage for what they’d done to her when he couldn’t protect her, sympathy for the fact that they’d done this to her, and guilt for the fact that he wasn’t there. He wasn’t there for her, and it would haunt him for who knows how long.

“Let’s go get you cleaned up, okay?” He whispered, cupping her face with what he hoped would be a comforting touch before leading her inside, shielding her from the others because he knew she didn’t like the attention, before ultimately leading her to the bathroom. Marley followed quietly, she wanted nothing more than to just disappear. She was embarrassed, upset, and incredibly worried about Crutchie. 

Once in the bathroom Specs closed the door and started running a bath for her. The girl averted her gaze as she walked in, trying not to look in the mirror. She stared down at her shoes for a moment. 

“Is everyone okay?” She asked softly.  

“They’re fine,” he nodded, though to be honest didn’t actually know because all he could think about was her and himself. “Worry about you for right now, okay?” He tested the water as he spoke before turning off the faucet. Marley merely nodded and pulled off her tattered clothes while he turned away to give her privacy. She climbed in and sat, trying to keep herself strong and composed.

“Oscar told me that Jack ran away,” she mentioned slowly, making Specs’ eyebrows shoot up. 

“Really?” He asked in shock. The girl shrugged, beginning to wash the dirt from herself.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I trust him- but Jack isn’t here, so where could he have gone?” It was a rhetorical question, but the boy still had an answer. 

“That place he’s always talkin’ about,” he answered somewhat begrudgingly, if he found out that Jack actually left after starting this whole mess he was not gonna be happy. “Santa Fe or whatever it’s called.”

“That,” she nodded. There was silence as she took a moment to clean off her face, then she continued. 

“And poor Crutchie…” she trailed off. “I heard him crying from down the hall, they just wouldn’t stop beating him, it was horrific.” Specs closed his eyes, almost pained by her words. 

“I’m gonna go check on him tomorrow,” he promised. “If I have time I may be able to get him out, but it’s risky during the day.” The girl nodded as she finished bathing, pulling the drain and climbing out to dry herself. She didn’t want to admit that she was hurting or how frustrated she was with herself that she had even gotten locked up in the first place. She got dressed into clean clothes quietly, still shaking slightly from the whole ordeal. Upon sensing that she was done he turned around and stepped in front of the mirror beside them,  knowing that if she saw herself it wouldn’t be good. 

“Your hair….” He trailed off, wordlessly asking her what she wanted to do about it. “I could help you if you’d like.” Marley’s gaze lingered down, and she raised a hand to the left side of her head as she bit her lip in thought, then she nodded. 

“Yeah,” she whispered, choking up a bit as her tired eyes raised to meet his. “Yeah. I don’t think I can do it.” 

Specs nodded and moved her to sit on the edge of the tub, leaving briefly to grab some scissors and her brush. Upon returning he brushed through her hair with the utmost precision and gentleness before grabbing the scissors and looking into her eyes.

“Okay?” He asked quietly. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and set her hands over them. 

“Just do it,” she muttered quickly. The boy nodded and took a deep breath before starting to cut. He started with the longer side, cutting it to match the short side’s length before beginning to even all of it out. He was no hairdresser by any means, but he was doing pretty good. Marley let her hands slide down a little and she opened her eyes to look up at him somewhat nervously. She offered him a small smile that she could barely muster. In response Specs offered her a reassuring smile as he finished up. 

For a moment all he could do was stare at her in complete and utter awe. It was amazing to him how she was still up and going after what she’d been through in the refuge (even if only for a day). He didn’t think he’d be able to do that. Not only that, but she looked absolutely stunning to him with short hair- he’d dare to say she was even more beautiful now. 

“Wow…” he trailed off quietly, almost as if he hadn’t meant to say it out loud. A worried look crossed the girl’s face as she brought her hands up to her hair. 

“Is it bad?” She asked softly.

“It’s… It’s gorgeous- you’re gorgeous,” he responded without hesitation before helping her stand by her hands. “Take a look.” 

Marley did as he said and looked at herself in the mirror for a moment. Her face remained expressionless for a good thirty seconds. She looked like she could cry or just stay silent, but after a moment she let a smile tug at her lips as she brought her hands up to her hair once more to run her fingers through it. She looked at him in the reflection of the mirror with a big braces filled smile. The boy couldn’t help but smile back as his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. 

“Like it?” He asked softly. She nodded, she honestly felt like her stomach had butterflies in it. 

“It feels so different,” she laughed out, ruffling it up freely, then turned to him and rested her forehead against his. 

“We gotta work on your evening skills next time, though,” she joked as she looked into his eyes, her hands resting on the base of his neck.

“Hey, I worked with what I had,” he huffed jokingly. “How about a nice thank you instead of rude criticism?” Marley giggled and rested a hand on his chest. 

“You did better than Snyder, if that means anything,” she joked, then looked up at him with her large doe eyes. “Thank you, I mean it…for getting me out, for all of this.” 

“I’d do anything for you,” he admitted softly. “I love you, Marley.” The girl giggled again and, rather than respond, she took off his glasses and put them on, something she did every so often. 

“Do I look more like you this time?” She laughed out, trying to make a face to look like him, knowing full well he probably could not see her. Specs squinted his eyes as if that would help (which it never did). 

“Nah, I’m much cuter,”  he joked with a toothy grin. That earned a laugh from her as she took off the glasses, placing them back on his face again. She made sure they were on straight before kissing the tip of his nose and opening the door to the bathroom, stepping out. Specs was right behind her as she made her way to their beds, a small smile on his face. He never wanted her to feel alone again. 

Marley rolled into his bed and sighed in relief, she had wanted the feeling of being home for so long and it felt so good to be in bed, even if it wasn’t technically hers. The boy plopped down beside her, making her jump the way that beds do when someone plops down beside you, and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. She couldn’t help but squeal at the jolt before curling up to him, squeezing him tightly.

“I love you so much,” she said with mirth. 

“I love you too,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead before she laid it on his shoulder. “Get some sleep. You deserve some after today.” Marley nodded. 

“I love you, Ryan,” she muttered into his shoulder. “Goodnight.” The boy stared down at her with an adoring smile before sighing happily and closing his eyes. 

“G’night Marley,” he whispered before finally drifting off into a happy, secure sleep.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 7: Tinker- Darcy Reid x Ava Fig

Word Count: 3.1k

Darcy glanced out his window with worried eyes at the Manhattan distribution center. Shouting and a small brawl had broken out before the cops came with loud whistles, starting the flight of the children in the square. He cringed as he watched Marley and Crutchie get stuck down by the police and dragged off to a cart.

Ava stood hidden in an alley watching the chaos unfold right in front of her eyes. She was frozen in fear and horror as she watched her friends get carted off to the refuge, tears welling up in her eyes as she listened to Marley scream her name. Eventually she couldn’t take it anymore and ran straight for the Trib, where she hoped to seek solace in Darcy. She ran in, heading straight for his office and with tears streaming down her face. The boy’s gaze snapped to his office door when the girl burst in.

“Ava,” he said quickly, his eyes wide as he looked her over. Ava stared at him for a moment, attempting to scramble any sort of cohesive thought to speak.

“I- Darcy t-they-” Obviously, it wasn’t working very well. Her breath began to pick up as everything she’d just seen ran through her head, and a loud sob left her lips after Marley’s screams began to echo in her mind. 

“They got Marley- and Crutchie!” She cried. “Everyone- they jus-just-” The boy’s eyes widened and he shot up to walk over, shutting the door. 

“Sh- it’s okay, calm down,” he said in an attempt to get her to lower her voice. He rushed back over to the window and shut the blinds, then looked at her once more.

“I know, I saw,” he informed her in a hushed voice. “Are you hurt? Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” she sniffled, then shook her head. She found it odd that he closed the doors and windows, though she was admittedly too distraught to care.

“I’m the only one okay- it was brutal and it was bloody, Darcy,” she whimpered. “The bulls came- all my friends, my family all got beaten all to hell!” Darcy watched as people attempted to peek through his office window at them. He then physically covered her mouth, his eyebrows were knitted together, stopping her from saying anything else. 

“Ava- please!” He whispered then slowly lifted his hand from her mouth. “You can’t come in here screaming about the strike, nobody here can know that you’re affiliated with the strike at all.” He held her by the shoulders as he spoke. Ava continued to stare at him for a moment. After he lifted his hand was only when she finally processed his words, and she looked up at him in disbelief.

“Are you serious?” Darcy shot her a helpless look. 

“Look- I’m horrified at what I just saw down there but I can’t risk any of these people running to Pulitzer and telling him that I have a newsie working for me. He’ll rip us apart,” he said urgently. That was most definitely not the right thing for him to say at the moment. The girl scoffed and stepped away from him abruptly.

“Pulitzer- I don’t care if the bastard comes in here and trashes this place to hell and back! I just watched my family get their asses handed to them in one of the worst ways possible and all you care about is whether he finds out that I…” she trailed off slowly as the last part of his words echoed in her head. ‘Telling him that I have a newsie working for me…’ 

“You’re ashamed of me,” she realized aloud. Darcy’s eyes widened as he shook his head quickly, his hands held out in front of him with a ‘come to me’ gesture.

“Ava- don’t say that. I’m not ashamed of you, we just can’t handle any bad press! This strike is bad enough for the company, if my father sees any bad press, especially about me hiring you I will be demoted immediately,” he refuted with desperation in his voice.

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I don’t care what your father thinks, I was a newsie named Tinker long before you hired me as Ava and I’ll be damned if I’m gonna have to be forced to hide it just to work here! If that’s really what you’re worried about, consider this my last day.” And with that she turned and stormed out of his office. 

“Av- Tin- Wait!” He called out after her as he made it to the doorway. They were both met with stares from the lingering reporters and writers in the room outside of his. He turned red with embarrassment and turned back into his office, shutting the door behind him with a slam. Tinker, meanwhile, couldn’t care less about the looks she received. Instead she kept her gaze set ahead of her as she walked out, heading straight for the lodging house. 

Not only was she angry, but she was admittedly hurt by his words. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that she was a newsie just yesterday, but that seemed to just fly out the window within the span of a few hours. If that was how he really felt, then who was she to try to stay?

As night fell, Darcy made sure that all of the people had left the building before he ran downstairs and out the door towards the Manhattan lodging home. He approached the steps looking nervous and ashamed, walking up and taking a deep breath before he entered

Tinker, meanwhile, was finishing up cleaning the last newsie up. After returning from the Trib she assessed the damage and decided she would be the one to help them since she hadn't been at the distribution center and had spent the last few hours doing so. As she finished up her work she became distinctly aware that whispers seemed to surround her. Her brows furrowed and she looked around, pausing when her eyes landed on Darcy, who stood in the doorway staring at her, red with guilt. As he walked past the battered newsies they continued to whisper about him. 

He stopped before Tinker and looked down at her with sympathetic eyes. Then, without a word, he reached into his pocket and pulled her goggles out of it, holding them out to her. Tinker looked up at him for a moment, then down at the goggles. She’d been so upset earlier that she hadn’t even thought about the fact that she’d left them there. Gingerly, she reached out and took them, her hand brushing against his and sending a shiver up her spine. There was another moment of silence as they just stared at each other, then Darcy shook his head. 

“You’re right.” He admitted simply. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have silenced you like that, it was an awful thing to do. I feel guilty and ashamed, and I should. I never meant to do that to you, Tinker.” The girl continued to stare at him for another minute after he finished speaking. Then, much to his surprise, she stepped forward and hugged him. 

“I forgive you,” she muttered. Darcy held his arms up a bit, as if he hadn’t expected her to hug him. He looked down at her and let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed his arms and embraced her, rubbing her back soothingly.

“Are you okay?” He asked, trying to get a look at her face. 

“I’m fine,” she shook her head. “I wasn’t caught in the crossfire.” He cupped her face and looked her over to be sure, for his own peace of mind. 

“I was so worried when you left, I’m still worried. I hope you come back…” he trailed off distractedly. “I really appreciate your work and presence, the rest of the day was agony without you.”

“I don’t know…” she trailed off, looking down. “Are you sure you want a newsie working for you? What would your dad think if word got out?” 

“I don’t care about what my father thinks- you are so much more important to me” he said, taking her hands and squeezing them. “I would love to have you back.” Tinker beamed up at him because he actually said the right thing for the first time today.

“Then I would love to come back,” she returned in the same tone. That made Darcy smile as he pulled her in for a tight hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

“I’m sorry for storming out earlier” she mumbled as she hugged him back, glancing up for a moment before focusing her gaze on the lapel of his jacket because she was shy about how she’d acted. “It was childish.” The boy shook his head and cupped her face with both hands, ducking his head so that he’s in her field of vision. 

“You were completely within your right to do that to me. I would’ve done that to me, please don’t apologize,” he begged softly. “You can apologize to me when you hit me, or if you do something mean to me, but you stuck up for what you believe in and I admire that.” The girl blushed a light pink, laughing softly as she nodded. 

“Thank you, Darcy,” she muttered. “Not every guy is willing to admit when they’re wrong.”

“I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but meeting you was not one of them. I don’t want to make a mistake in losing you,” he said. Ava couldn’t help but smile at him, leaning into his touch. She couldn’t deny that his words made her feel better.

“Is everyone okay?” He asked, looking around. “Things looked pretty bad when I was watching out the window.”

“They’re…okay as they can be,” she answered thoughtfully as she glanced around. “I’ll say that it looked much worse than it probably was, though.” Darcy sighed in relief. 

“Sure. It was mostly the screaming and shouting that was scary, I thought someone got killed,” he admitted with a nod. “I’m glad nobody is seriously hurt. I hope those two kids that they dragged off are okay.”

“It looks like Specs managed to rescue Marley, so at least one of them is out now,” she answered, having noticed the couple in question making their way to the bathroom, likely to get the girl cleaned up. Darcy stared at her incredulously for a moment, admittedly thrown by what she said. How was she so casual about what was essentially a jailbreak?

“Right, well, that’s good,” he tried, pretending like he understood how things went down around here. Ava nodded, then sighed softly. 

“I’m just worried about Crutchie, kids never leave the refuge unscathed. He’s already a crip, he won’t last long,” she muttered, mostly thinking aloud to herself, earning a nod from the boy.

“Yeah, they got him pretty bad- I’ve never seen someone beat a cripple before,” he responded quietly. “I’m glad you didn’t get hurt, I was so worried about you getting hit or arrested.”

“I was hidden during the fight,” she repeated, shaking her head. “I hid in an alleyway before I just ran away. I’m not proud of myself for it.” Darcy gently grabbed her hand. 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, you were there to support and things went South, being there meant more than nothing, and you fighting doesn’t make matters any better for them,” he explained.  looking down at her. She still didn’t look convinced, her eyes scanning over the busted and bruised faces of her friends. He wanted nothing more than to embrace her once more, he wanted to take her away from this place and protect her forever. 

“Wanna take a little walk?” He asked quietly as to not disturb any of the other kids. She glances around before nodding, also not wishing to disturb the boys. 

“That sounds nice,” she said softly, beginning to walk out side by side with him. 

“It’s nice out tonight anyways,” he commented as they made it outside. The New York sky wasn’t usually adorned with stars, but that night there were an unusual amount shining through the night sky

“I hadn’t even realized it was already dark,” she admitted with a quiet laugh. 

“It’s been a long day,” he reasoned, letting his hand slide into hers, their fingers intertwining. He looked up at the sky and smiled, it was like the stars were out just for them. After a moment he finally looked down at her.

“I have a question for you, I meant to ask you earlier, but we got- caught up,” he laughed out. Ava, who’d also been staring up at the stars in awe, turned her head to look at him.

“Yes?” She asked amusedly. Darcy couldn’t help but smile, amused at her distracted nature.

“My father is holding a ball tomorrow. It's a pretty big event, a huge one, actually. I would love it if you joined me,” he offered, blushing a light shade of red. Ava raised her eyebrows at him. 

“Really? You want me to go?” She asked, more in surprise than anything else. When she was younger she used to look through the windows of those sorts of parties and imagine herself in there, dancing with the available beaus. Darcy nodded with a small smile.

“Of course I want you to go, I want to show my father I’m done looking for courtship and I’m going to enjoy myself,” he said, then continued with a joking grin. “And I guess I like your company.” She laughed softly and lightly pushed his shoulder.

“Jerk,” she muttered affectionately. “But, I would be honored to go with you. You may need to recruit Katherine for shopping again, though.” 

“I can make that happen,” he said with a quiet laugh, rubbing her arm softly and stopping in the middle of the street to look down and admire her in the moonlight. She looked like a goddess to him. Ava smiled up at him with stars in her eyes. 

“I don’t know how, but you keep managing to surprise me,” she mentions with a giggle. “Making a statement to your father like this.”

“I’m sure he won’t even notice,” he half joked. “Balls are boring anyways, what’s a little scandal that won’t spice things up?” The girl gasped dramatically then laughed. 

“Excuse you! I will not be the subject of scandal that tarnishes my good name,” she jokingly exclaimed. Darcy hummed and nodded knowingly.

“I see, I see, well then I’ll just have to go in disguise as a poor man to keep your reputation afloat,” he joked back, his hands on his hips like he was in consideration.

“Much better,” she said through giggles, her arms wrapping around his middle so they looped through his arms. Darcy looked down at her, chuckling at their configuration. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“You’re weird, did you know that?” He teased.

“Yes, the doctors say it’s terminal. I’ll have to live with it for the rest of my life,” she joked back. “And yet, here you are, still in my arms even though you have the choice not to.” 

“I’m scared for you,” he joked in response, then moved his arms so they’re under hers and swooped her up. He spun her in a circle then slung her over his shoulder like she weighed absolutely nothing, walking along casually as if she wasn’t hanging off of him. Ava squealed in surprise then gasped. 

“Darcy! Put me down!” She exclaimed between laughter. It was mostly in disbelief, though it was super funny in general as well. The boy looked around.

“Gosh, I keep hearing this sound, it’s almost like a voice is calling out to me, I gotta get my head checked out,” he teased as he continued to walk.

“You’re gonna need it when I’m done with you,” she retorted, smacking the back of his head with a light hand. Darcy laughed as he walked back back up to the lodging home, swinging her off of his shoulder and setting her safely on the ground. 

“You’re lucky I like you, or else you would’ve been there all night.”

“You’re lucky I like you because no one else would’ve gotten away with that,” she huffed lightly, unable to stop the smile from forming on her lips. The boy hummed and set his hands on her hips. 

“Thank god, I was scared for a moment,” he teased, earning an eye roll from the girl. 

“Maybe it’s still on the table,” she muttered jokingly, resting her hands on his shoulders. It was Darcy’s turn to roll his eyes. 

“Sure,” he joked back, then leaned down to kiss her. Ava’s hands slid up to cup his face as she returned the kiss. There was something almost addictive about his kisses, she couldn’t explain it but she just couldn’t welter enough of them. 

Darcy gripped at her hips lightly, he was warm in contrast with the cool air of the night. He wanted nothing more than to hold her forever. The feelings of excitement that she roused in him made him want to throw his life away for her, to be seen with her no matter what anyone thought, to grow old with her, to make her happy. He struggled to comprehend his feelings as he kissed her there in the moonlight like no one was watching, like they were the only people in the universe. 

Ava was quite literally breathless by the time she pulled away from him, her big dark eyes boring up at him innocently (even if all her thoughts about him weren’t innocent). There was a wild sorta smile on her face, sure it wasn’t unusual for her but it felt different when it was directed at him. The boy admired her for a moment, a loving smile on his face. 

“Don’t you give me those eyes, I know better,” he tutted jokingly, placing a finger under her chin.

“Do you, though?” She asked with an innocent smile.

“I decline to comment further,” he joked softly. Ava giggled and shook her head. 

“You should probably be heading home. I don’t want your folks to be worrying about you,” she muttered. He nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. 

“I know, I just want to hold you all night” he responded softly. The girl allowed herself to bask in his touch for a moment before responding. 

“I know, but maybe we’ll get some time before- or after - the ball,” she half joked, looking into his eyes with a playful grin. Darcy turned red as he nodded. 

“We’ll see,” he responded, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. 

“Such a gentleman,” she joked, “Goodnight, Darcy.” 

“Goodnight,” he whispered, then began his trek down the sidewalk while Ava watched with a small smile on her face.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 6: Delanceys- Davey Jacobs x Poppy

Word Count: 1.8k

Most of Manhattan was alive the very next afternoon as word about the newsies strike spread around town. Every newsie was excited to be part of something that could hopefully bring down the price of the papes. Well, except one of them.

It took all Poppy had not to wince or cry as she made her way up to the Jacobs residence. While on her way out of Jacobi’s she’d been cornered and jumped by Oscar and Morris Delancey, who wished to remind the newsies of who they’re dealing with by starting this strike. It left her with bruises all over her body, a busted lip, a bruised cheek and a black eye along with a cut right under her eye (Morris had been wearing a ring). She knocked on their door and waited patiently for someone- anyone- to answer. It only took a minute before the door opened, revealing Davey. 

“He-“ he stopped and stood there wordlessly for a moment, bringing his hand to his mouth as he looked her over. 

“Poppy- what the hell happened to you?” He asked incredulously, helping her inside with gentle hands. Poppy licked her lips, which had by now become dry, cringing at the metallic taste it left in her mouth, then sighed shakily.

“Oscar and Morris Delancey,” she answered quietly. “They cornered me outside Jacobi’s. They…I can’t go back to the lodging house looking like this, the boys will kill the Delanceys, and I don’t want anyone in jail for murder over me. I’m sorry I just showed up without warning, I just…I didn’t have anywhere else to go.” 

Davey didn’t answer and instead gently swooped her up after closing the door, carrying her to his room and setting her gently on the bed. He crouched in front of her, holding her chin gently so he could examine her face, his own face absolutely covered in worry. 

“They got you good,” he commented, his voice shaky.

“Really know how to make a girl feel special, don’t you?” She joked dryly in an attempt to lighten the mood. It went unnoticed as he stood and walked to the bathroom with haste. 

“What were you doing out there all alone?” He scolded from the bathroom as he ran a washcloth under the sink.

“Hey, it’s not like I knew they were out there,” she defended herself. “Besides, everyone had already left. Mr. Jacobi asked for help moving some tables and I’m the only one that volunteered.” The boy huffed in frustration, as a mother might do, but decided not to pry further. He walked over and knelt in front of her, holding her chin in one hand and the rag in another. He wasted no time in pressing the rag to her wounds, starting with her lip. His eyes focused on his work. Poppy flinched back with a quiet hiss as a first response, clenching her eyes shut in pain.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. His grip tightened slightly on her chin to keep her from moving as he dabbed the rag over the dried blood, trying to keep a serious attitude about him as he concentrated.

“You’re lucky they didn’t hurt you worse,” he muttered as he began to focus on the cut across her cheek. “Are you hurting anywhere else?” The girl shook her head. 

“Just some bruises here and there,” she responded quietly. Davey hummed in response as he finished cleaning her up. He stood, tossing the bloody washcloth onto his nightstand.

“Well, I’m going to go grab some ice. You can change into some of my clothes from that drawer if you’d like.” The girl nodded and stood with a small, awkward yet grateful look.

“Thanks Davey, and I’m sorry again.” Davey paused, his gaze softening as he looked down at her.  

“You don’t have any reason to be sorry- I’m sorry. I was being worried and not checking in with you,” he cupped her face with a surprisingly gentle touch. “How are you feeling?”

“Not good if I’m being honest,” she admitted with a weak laugh. “My side and head both hurt.” 

“Get dressed and lay down, I’ll bring you ice and some water. Is there anything else I can do for you?” He asked softly. Poppy shook her head and smiled softly. 

“You’ve done more than enough, thank you,” she says, leaning into the hands that were cupping her face for a moment before pulling away to find herself some clothes. Davey pulled away and made his way to the kitchen. In the time he was gone the girl managed to find some clothes and change, folding her old clothes as best as she could before laying on his bed with a sigh. He walked back in with an ice pack moments later and smiled softly at the sight of her in his clothes. Upon noticing his smile the girl couldn’t help but smile shyly in response then scooted over a bit so he could sit  beside her, which he did.

“This will sting at first, but I promise it feels better after a while,” he warned her as he held up the ice pack. Poppy nodded, taking a deep breath. 

“Okay.” After getting the okay Davey brought the ice pack up to her cheek, gently pressing it to the bruise and cut. The girl hissed in pain, gripping her shirt so she didn’t move her head away like she’d done last time as her eyes clenched shut again. Davey’s brows knit together in worry and he gently took her hand in his free one. She gripped it lightly, starting to relax with his touch, and calmed down after getting used to the cold. A small, reassuring smile settled onto his lips as he brought her hand up to his lips, pressing a delicate kiss to the back of it. 

“It’s okay,” he muttered against her skin. The girl blushed deeply and smiled softly at him (well, as much as she could with an ice pack on her face). 

“Thank you for taking care of me,” she mumbles, squeezing his hand gently.

“You’re welcome,” he responded. “I would hate for you to get an infection or hurt yourself further trying to get home.” Poppy nodded, then laughed.

“I probably would be passed out in an alley if I hadn’t thought to come here,” she commented. Rather than answer at first Davey scooted a little closer and lifted the ice pack to check over her wounds before he placed it back over the bruise. Something about the intimacy of helping her had made his heart throb for her. He gazed into her eyes with a soft and inviting smile.

“I’m glad you chose me to take care of you,” he said quietly. Poppy stared into his eyes with a certain fondness, one that made her heart flutter in her chest similar to the butterflies that flapped around in her stomach, slowly lifting her hand to cup his cheek gently, as if she’d hurt him if she pressed against him any more. 

“I am too,” she whispered. Davey set his hand over the one that she had pressed to his face, letting their fingers lace together, which earned a coy smile from her. She brought their hands down so she could press a kiss to the back of his like he’d done earlier, as she thought about how his simple gesture was making her feel all sorts of things. A smile settled onto the boy’s face, and he began leaning closer to her. 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, almost not realizing that he had said it. He used his free hand to interlace his fingers into her hair as he awaited her answer with eager eyes.

“Yes,” she whispered, relieved that he’d been the one to ask, and that she wasn’t misreading the situation. 

Davey leaned in, almost like she was magnetic to him and kissed her gently. His eyes fell closed as he ran his hand through her fiery hair. With his other hand he pulled her close to his chest by the small of her back. He had never experienced this feeling, he had cared about people, sure, but something about this felt so pure to him, so effortless. 

You know how people say they feel a spark when they kiss someone? Well it was nothing compared to what Poppy felt the moment Davey’s lips touched hers. She found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself even closer to him (if it were even possible) as her eyes fell closed. 

He let his hands run up her sides gently and he gripped onto her shirt as they embraced. He wondered if he was dreaming, even just the day before he had been unsure of her, but now he was sure. He was sure he wanted to have adventures with her, to hold her hand, to make her breakfast in bed, he wanted to hear the different types of laughs that she had, he wanted to be the best man he could be for her. Poppy smiled into the kiss and moved one hand to cup his cheek while the other played with the hair at the nape of his neck. The feelings she had for Davey were so new to her. She’d never felt this way before, but she knew she would do anything to make him the happiest that he could be.

Eventually Davey pulled back for a moment, breathing heavily. A bright smile graced his face, his warm eyes looking her over. He wanted to hold her forever. His face conveyed a fondness as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Wow,” was all he could say. Poppy giggled quietly, staring into his eyes with a sense of adoration for the boy in front of her. 

“Yeah, wow,” she whispered back, a comically wide smile on her face. The boy blushed, looking aside with an embarrassed smile. 

“You make my heart pound. I’ve never felt that way before,” he admitted in a whisper, tucking some stray hair behind her ear.

“I know the feeling,” she said softly, grinning at his coyness. “You’re a really special guy, Dave. One in a million.” Davey couldn’t help but smile at her words and, rather than reply, which he lacked the words to do so, he began to press kisses all over her lips and face. The girl giggled and cupped his face, attempting to get a few kisses in between his, before he ultimately pulled back again with a smile. 

“Are you feeling any better?” He asked. “After that? Definitely,” she joked, earning a quiet laugh from Davey.

“Good, I’m glad. God you scared me, I almost had a heart attack when I opened the door and saw you like that,” he admitted softly. 

“I’m sorry,” she responded, giggling afterwards because that had to be the sixth time she’d apologized at this point. “I didn’t mean to scare ya.” 

“Don’t be sorry, but don’t go walking out by yourself anymore, it isn’t safe,” he urged, shaking his head. 

“I promise,” she nodded with a small smile up at him. And Davey believed her. He trusted her, just like she’d trusted him to take care of her. That was more than enough for him.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

I Never Planned On You Chapter 5: Surprise- Specs x Marley

Word Count: 1.6k

Specs had just returned from Queens after asking if they’d be willing to join the strike. Despite the fact that their answer wasn’t an immediate yes, he still wore a smile on his face as he glanced down at the creme colored box in his hands with a small brown paper bag sitting on top of it. Upon arriving at the lodging house he quickly maneuvered the box and bag behind his back and walked in. 

Marley was sitting in Specs' bunk, something she did often while he was gone. She had a sour look on her face. She had returned not an hour earlier with the bad news from the Bronx that they would not be joining without word from Brooklyn. Her dejectedness, thankfully, wiped away quickly when she heard a very familiar voice behind her. 

“Your favorite person in the world is here,” Specs greeted jokingly. A smile lit up the girl’s face as she turned to look at him. His presence always brought her joy. 

“About time you got back, I was worried,” she commented, turning to face him and hanging her legs off the side of the bed with her hands at her side. 

“Careful now, I might start to think you care about me,” he joked lightly, earning a laugh from Marley.

“Any words from Queens?” At her question, the boy’s smile fades a bit.

“They’re waiting for word from Brooklyn,” he sighed. “What’d Bronx say?” Marley’s smile faded as well as she looked down at her hands, which sat in her lap. She almost looked like a guilty child being scolded by their parents. 

“Same thing,” she said softly. Specs sighed again then offered her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, Jack and Davey will think of something. For now, though, I have a surprise for you.” Marly looked up at him with curious eyes.  

“A surprise?” She repeated confusedly. “You know I don’t need any gifts-”

“I know you don’t need gifts, but they’re still nice to get,” he interrupted her with a small smile. “Now close your eyes.” A smile tugged at her lips as she squeezed her eyes shut, her feet swinging in anticipation. Specs sat down, setting the box beside him and grabbing the brown bag. He unwrapped it to reveal a strawberry cupcake with vanilla frosting, her favorite, which he held up for her.

“Alright, open.” The girl opened her eyes and immediately let out a loud gasp, her jaw dropping as she jumped up and grabbed him by the wrists. 

“No you did not!” She squealed, already beginning to jump up and down, her long braids bouncing along with her.  

“Yes I did,” he laughed out. “Be careful, I don’t wanna drop it.” Marley gingerly took it as if it were precious cargo and set it onto their nightstand before jumping into his arms.

“Thank you!” She said, squeezing him as tight as she could. Specs laughed softly and returned the hug, rubbing one hand up and down her back.

“Happy birthday, Marley.” The girl pulled back in excitement. 

“C’mon we gotta eat it!” She said, jumping back onto the bed and picking up the cupcake once more with careful hands. 

“It’s for you,” the boy shook his head with a small smile. “I got it just for you.” The girl disregarded his words and climbed into his lap absentmindedly, grabbing the cupcake and straddling him as she inspected the halves she had made. She set the smaller side on the desk and held the larger half up to his mouth. 

“Open!” Specs rolled his eyes playfully but did as she said, knowing that he likely wouldn’t win against her. A light blush dusted the apples of his cheeks and the tips of his ears. The girl pushed the cupcake into his mouth so he could get a bite, getting some onto his nose in the process. Specs laughed and turned his head away as most people do when someone shoves food into their mouth. 

“Jesus, Mari,” he exclaimed with a full mouth. Marley giggled and tilted his head to look at him. 

“What? I’m trying to share!” She laughed out. “Does it taste like magic?” The boy took a moment to chew and swallow the cupcake before facing her again. 

“Magic, rainbows, all that good stuff,” he nodded up at her with a smile. 

“Good,” she muttered before holding the cupcake up to him again. The boy took another bite.

“Thank you.” A small laugh left the girl’s lips when she noticed his state.

“You’ve got a little on your nose,” she pointed out. 

“You made the mess, you clean it up,” he joked after finishing eating. “I didn’t shove a cupcake in my own mouth.” Marley grinned and shoved the last bite into his mouth, then licked her thumb to wipe the frosting off of his face. That simple gesture was enough to make him blush all over again. Specs couldn’t even begin to calculate when his feelings for Marley went from platonic to romantic, but when he realized he loved her, he fell. And he fell hard. A small, almost involuntary smile formed on his face as he stared up at her. 

“Thank you,” he muttered. The girl stared at him with big, eager eyes and the brightest smile accompanied by silver braces.

“You’ve made today so special, I thought everyone forgot,” she admitted with a small laugh. 

“I would never forget about your birthday. No matter what,” he promised, looking into her eyes with complete and genuine sincerity. That only made the girl’s smile widen as she threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

“You’re the best,” she whispered into his shoulder. He smiled softly and returned the hug happily. 

“I just wanna make you happy,” he admitted quietly. Marley pulled back to smile at him.

“You do, you make me so happy.”He smiled up at her for the third time, though his eyes eventually wandered to her lips.

“Good,” he muttered, almost absentmindedly as he became distracted- entranced by her. The girl was quick to notice his gaze, then the position they had ended up in, and finally the blush on his cheeks. It all hit her at once, she was not alone in her feelings, in the love she had been feeling for years. She stared at him timidly for a moment, then carefully brought a hand to his cheek, almost as if she was testing the waters, hoping that he wouldn’t turn away, hoping that he would embrace her in the way that she had longed to be embraced. Specs leaned into her touch, relishing it as if it were a lifeline. His breath hitched as he gingerly moved one hand to press against the back of her neck, pulling her down until their lips were almost touching. He was giving her a way out if she wanted one. 

She didn’t want one, though. Marley stared into his eyes momentarily, then leaned in to close the gap, kissing him gently. Her brain felt like fireworks, she moved a hand through his hair as she closed her eyes. She felt her hair standing on end at the feeling of his skin against hers and she gripped at his shirt tightly, almost scared that he would disappear. The boy’s eyes closed and his head tilted just a bit. 

Relief coursed through him the more he kissed her. All he could ever think about was her, and now that he had her, he never wanted to let her go. His fingers tangled in her hair as he pulled her impossibly closer to him with his free hand. He smiles against her lips, he couldn’t have been happier with her. After so many years of pining and yearning for her, it felt like he’d defied all odds and entered heaven by just being wrapped up in her.

Marley pulled back every few moments to catch her breath, sniffling softly inbetween. She continued to kiss him, her hands resting firmly against his chest. Spec’s brows furrow upon realizing that she was crying. He (very hesitantly) pulled away to look at her with concern. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly, voice unable to raise above a breathless whisper. The girl gazed at him with teary eyes, overwhelmed with love and joy at the thought of having him all to herself.

“I love you. I just love you so much I’ve never been able to say it,” she admitted. Specs felt himself tearing up at her words and he cups her face with the most tender touch he could manage. 

“I love you too,” he whispered, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “I love you.” With the repetition of his words came another kiss, and he continued to repeat the process several more times. He just couldn’t help it. It almost felt like this was some sort of dream he never wanted to wake up from. Marley grinned, gently holding his wrists. 

“I never thought I’d be able to tell you,” she giggled out.

“Neither did I,” he admitted, “But for I’m so glad you did. I’m so glad I did. I love you, Marley.” It was as if he couldn’t get enough of saying it- and truly, he couldn’t. Marley buried her face into his chest, hugging him yet again.

“I love you,” she repeated softly. The boy laughed quietly as he returned the hug, cradling the back of her head with one hand.

“I love you too.” 

And there they sat for a long time, wrapped in each other’s embrace, basking in the air of love between them. Finally, they could be together.

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

Do you write for Newt Scamander too?

Hello Anon!

Call me a fake fan, but I actually haven’t had the chance to watch the Fantastic Beasts movies, but I’ve been meaning to. I’m pretty sure when I do I’ll get motivation to write for the HP universe lol. Work’s been hell though so I probably won’t get the chance until this weekend.

Thank you for the ask! <3

~🐝