#//Gotta head to bed soon and not to mention its Black Friday tomorrow...

[strykingback]

EVENT: Rescue Mission Phase Two Part 3. The Cybernetic Demon

Warning this drabble will contain vomitting, Reader Discretion is advised.

________________________________________

OST: Realization

The strike team stood outside of the base watching over every individual as they were being checked out by the medical team with reinforcements arriving as well. Made even worse by the fact that some of the brains that were found needed to be cartwheeled out carefully onto cargo ships. Some of them containing Zek's friends that he made when he was younger.

"I cant believe this. Why would someone go as far as to literally harvest the brains of innocent people who had done nothing wrong?" Eros said holding his helmet looking at the waves of civilians being treated for their injuries, any side-effects of the experimentation, and furthermore.

"Made worse by the fact that we we're planning to set charges and get rid of any evidence related with Project Immortalis... but the good news is that the successful serum was replicated when those scientists came to....all that now matters is if the mark we're chasing has it injected into himself..." Leonidas said, with Eros nodding. "Add salt to the injury mate, because most of those people were either Zek's own allies from before he joined up with us." He continued.

"Still.. it gladdens me to see that command had also sent Merlinda and Twilight here to help. Add that with Krieg and we should create an alternate version of Immortalis that should easily take out our foe.... the only problem is that we have a long way to go." Guangxian said, which the trio noticed Hermes, Krieg, Twilight, and Zek would walk towards them.

"Hows everything with your mum, Zek? All-clear? No side effects?" Eros asked.

"Ms. Atya is doing incredibly well, so far as per the disturbing videos that Guangxian had to send me which resulted in five days loss of beauty sleep. She has no signs of the aforementioned side-effects as I theorized which would happen. Albeit something else was wrong but its quite major.." Merlinda said, with Zek moving back to the trio to listen to what the professionals had else to say.

"What I noticed through my semblance was that her genetic cells were breaking down much slower than originally expected through a lifetime of faunus' or humans. After I took a blood sample and observed the sample... her blood was showing signs of symbiosis with Project Immortalis.. meaning one thing. Her body is aging slowly and any damage she may take might heal up rapidly... but I assume it is with a certain amount of dosages of it..... that Ms. Atya would have became psuedo immortal....." Twilight said.

"An Immortal Army . . . ." Eros said with awe, thinking for a minute. "And Ace how about him? Will he be able to pilot the Liberation still?" He asked while Krieg and Hermes looked at Eros.

"Ace is sadly suffering from some effects from Fusion Poisoning which thankfully the medical teams got to him in time to administer the antidote. As for the Liberation... it is currently being repaired... if Ace does come to he'll be using the Atelius' Railgun cannon in order to fire at any large targets should the time come.....

"As for me and Krieg we may have to remain here in order to help with ensuring that none of the civilians are suffering from the side-effects of Project Immortalis... sorry. at this point you may be the final four or five if Ace gets back up." Hermes said putting his hands behind his back.

"It' aint gonna be easy. But I do like a challenge...." Eros would say. "Alright. We'll leave things to you. Everyone else lets get back to work." He said putting on his helmet and thus him, Zek, Guangxian, and Leonidas would re-enter the base... of the Solitas Liberation LLC.

Back inside the base..

The small strike team led by Eros would move through the enemy base carefully keeping their wits about and their minds focused on the endgame at hand. As they all entered an elevator with just nothing more but calming music playing....

Finally... a voice would come through.

"Well Well! Gentlemen! I do must say so myself.. I congratulate you for catching us offguard like that...! Really, it takes a lot to do that ever since the last time... Mr. Sunna-Simo....." A voice would say with a southern accent added to it.

"Blyat.... I thought they would forget about that... guess they didnt." Zek said softly.

"After all, that time we were just about to complete our plans and even not harm those civvies. But after that.... we had to improvise on some things especially after losing our funding because of that Blizzard Sniper incident. I knew you had a killer instinct Zekkie-boy. However, turns out that killer instinct was focused on us instead of the enemies when we hired you..." The voice continued.

"When I get my hands on you, I'm going to make sure those bones of yours will be broken!!!!" Leonidas growled.

"Broken? Hahaha... After all, I think I can't call myself human anymore.Why not enter the main room and lets all talk face to face! Mano A Mano! Enemy of My Enemy is my friend!" The voice continued with the elevator ringing with the doors opening up as everyone walked through noticing the large cylinder towers.... with little blue rings of light.

"Those things can't be holding brains right?" Eros said with a light glare...

"I thought the room upstairs had all the brains there...."

"WRONG! All those towers are holdin' nice, juicy, flesh-meat brains!!!!" The southern voice spoke once more with everyone pointing their weapons at the railing in front of them as heavy footsteps were leading straight to them...with a large man wearing an equally large trenchcoat as he opened up one of tower lights with him picking up a brain as it trilled and twitched in terror.

"I definitely must say..... the alternative program to Project Immortalis... is effective!!!"

COMMANDER OF CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS ________________________________________ BARBATOS

"Alternative program? I know for a fact you just committed a huge human and faunus rights violation crime. I'm certain the Grand Council of Remnant would love to slam dunk you into the death penalty!" Eros said keeping Pequod and Ishmael on the burly man.

"You just aint gettin' it arent ya? Yeah, the brains are being put underneath active combat situations, but at the same time.... they are also being brainwashed as well into becoming perfect soldiers that will listen to the people in command aka. The successorts who managed to survive and thrive with Immortalis!!!" Barbatos continued with an evil grin on his face.

"You're telling me if my mother did not survive she would have been turned into a soldier!!!" Zek growled.

"After all.... I was the one who killed your first mama! And then beat the other one down! Trust me... her screams were sublime!!!!" He continued placing the brain back in its pod with an evil grin on his face making Zek point Hayha directly at Barbatos head and fired. With the man simply stepping to the side in a flash. "Not here... can't damage the goods now. I'll lead you boys to my office.... we can talk there!!!" He said turning around and walking away which everyone else didnt wait... they followed... into a room of stairs leading to another part of the building where Barbatos stood in a large room without his trenchcoat on turning around revealing his mechanical body

"Welcome gentlemen!! To your deaths! Cause after I'm done with you.... Imma slaughter all those civilians...and make sure they all get turned into perfect soldiers!!!!" He shouted pulling out his heavy machine gun. "Cause guess what." He said with his visor activating on his mouth and face.

OST: Cybernetic Destruction

"I'm going to tear off the flesh from all of your bodies and turn into perfect cyborgs like me..." He said with a menacing voice as he aimed for Zek first as he started firing with everyone scrambling around for cover. While Eros would shoot at him to get his attention.

"Then. I'm sending you back to the scrap heap then!" Eros shouted shooting at him to which Barbatos turned his attention toEros and began to shoot at him which the commander would throw a grenade at him while Leonidas used his 300, Interchangable plasma rifle in its grenade launcher state to further faze the cyborg with both making contact and exploding...

"Damn.... that was somethin.... my turn." He said with a glow being emitted from his back while Leonidas and Eros prepared themselves but in a blink, Barbatos was already in front of them both and swung both his fists at their guts hitting them and making them both cough in pain as they both keeled over.

"Bloody... hell....what...was that..." Eros said taking off his helmet to vomit, while Leonidas kept his on to and looked up at Barbatos who was chuckling at his work. "Why dont you live long enough to find out and-" Barbatos spoke noticing his HUD was showing up with an attempted hacking symbol on it as he turned around to look at Guangxian who was busy hacking into his systems. "Nice try..." He said initiating the counter measures and locking him out.

"What!?!" Guangxian said before his signaler popped making the hacker stumble a bit with the same thing happening to him..getting flash stepped and knocked out by the cyborg.

With the Cyborg ready to revel in his possible victory he looked around for Zek who in fact was just a slight distraction... which the sniper threw his knife... as Barbatos knocked it away. And right before he was going to do a fusion rush. Bang.....

His the light was emitted from his back was destroyed by a well placed grenade launched shot from Leonidas. Who stood up and roared charging at the Cyborg swinging a kinetic punch making him stumble with a groan from the charged semblance, then came Eros who stood up in time throwing his plasma knife at the rocket launcher, the Guangxian quickly came to and started hacking again... this time managing to counterhack Barbatos counter hacking measures...

And finally Zek would slide in to snipe the head of Barbatos off ... as the Cyborg fell down.... dead...

"Thats... for making me vomit... arsehole..."

"Actually... wasnt this fight meant to be a bit longer...? "

"The writer of this has things to do tomorrow, plus it was a holiday today." Guangxian said. while Leonidas facepalmed.

"Lets get back on track people. We aren't out of the woods just yet. " Leonidas would say with the speakers coming to life.

"I didnt think Brumel of all things would send a strike force to interrupt my plans!"

[lenacker]

Lovebirds

Summary: Captain Levi and Petra’s skill in titan-killing was definitely admirable but romance-wise? They’re just idiots. Erd was definitely much smarter than them combined. And he spent about 17 years to realize he’s in love with his childhood bestie.

Word Count: 1336

FFN | AO3

For two of supposedly the best soldiers in Survey Corps, Petra and Captain Levi were unreasonably dumb. Just a couple of idiots. Like, seriously. Assessing the battlefield and taking actions accordingly? Easy-peasy. Piece of cake.

Realizing they consider each other as more than superior officers and subordinates?

Nah.

Petra has been crushing on Captain for as long as Erd remembers. It’s not even a secret. Probably Captain Levi was the only one who didn’t know because, as he said before, he’s very dumb romance-wise. Petra went from a ‘Humanity’s Strongest’ hardcore fan to a disappointed fan (because he’s not as great as she thought-short and irritating), to just fell freely in love. If he got a coin for every time she mentions Captain in her sentences, he would be super-rich. Wait- that could be a fun dare for their next Friday night truth or dare!

She’s a very nice girl (woman, she definitely would scold him if he calls her girl once more. I’m a full-grown woman, Erd! Stop treating me like a teenage girl!) but her nice-ness increased tenfold for their very pleasant captain. She said he’s unapproachable, but she’s always the one who approaches him whenever he’s in one of his ‘you’re all so stupid, a waste of space and I don’t know why I agreed to take you little shits as my squad’ mood.

Every morning, she makes tea for all of the squad members - but with the captain’s preference. Black tea, with all its amazing earthy aroma, with a dash of sugar. She pours it to each cup (With your stupid manly egos, we would run out of the tea stock within a week! Not you, sir.), starting with the Captain’s of course so it’s warm and nice, and fresh.

If Erd doesn’t know them better, he’d say they have a secret-lover-rendezvous almost every night. They talk in his office until late at night, accompanied by another pot of tea and Captain’s stack of paperwork. He’s more of a hit-and-kill person rather than a sit-and-write person, and though he’s not gonna admit it out loud, Petra’s gift in writing and her diligence is about the only reason he can keep up with his paperwork.

There’s no way to know what else happened behind closed doors, but they never show any weird behavior or something like crumpled clothes, hickeys (and honestly it’s really hard to imagine the clean freak captain Levi doing not-so-clean activities).

Anyway, despite her obvious feeling to their superior, she’s surprisingly professional about it. She didn’t suddenly become a flustered-girl-in-love around the Captain, still the same fiery, determined, hard-working Petra.

Due to her smaller stature and different gender than everyone in the squad, when they first train together, Captain Levi tends to give her less or easier job and workout sets. To say Petra was angry was … an understatement. She felt insulted, confronts him and some riot ensues, and honestly, it’s still a mystery to him how the Captain managed to gain Petra’s respect back.

(Gotta investigate it! What a saucy subject, maybe he can ask Hange about it later)

On the contrary, Captain Levi was the one less professional about his feelings. He either sends Petra to the least dangerous condition possible or the closest to him so he could save her anytime. Not that Petra needs it that often anyway.

He talked to her with almost-affectionate (and by almost he means almost non-distinguishable), lower tone. Erd couldn’t even remember the last time he cussed her out, and he hung out with them pretty often. That's a huge thing, considering the intimidating man’s tendency to call people shitty-[noun] and using potty language as daily conversation.

Also, he’s suddenly a bit more chatty to her? Maybe Petra's friendliness started to affect him. Erd was the second-in-command, yet his interaction with his superior mostly consisted of strategies, formations, and a lot of ‘Erd, you’re in command’ with his classic cold, demanding tone. Oluo was often too scared to talk to him and Gunther was naturally silent.

But with Petra, the Captain could say not really necessary, trivial things like “Petra, you should write to your parents more often, they don’t live forever”, or “Do you think Erwin is in a good mood, I’d like to ask him for a new cleaning supplies fund“, or “Petra, brew the tea exactly 4 minutes to get the best taste”

Well, maybe that last two examples were important.

He wondered how much more time they needed to realize their mutual feelings. Erd himself took about 17 years to admit he considered Emily more than a childhood bestie. That’s bad enough. But he definitely was better at romance-field than both Captain Levi and Petra, for he knows their feelings more than they do. God knows how many years it will take before they become more than superior officers and subordinates.

Hmmm. Maybe they just need a little push. Or a lot.

-

Erd walked into the hall, it was the middle of the night and he’s hungry. He still had some food from his latest visit home, but he absolutely hates eating alone. Maybe there’s someone there he could share with. He basically knew everyone in the Survey Corps, so it didn’t really matter who that was.

Oh, actually it does matter.

There they are, the two lovebirds. You know, because they’re small and good at ‘flying’. They’re in that state where Petra gave the Captain his cup of tea and they just stare at each other’s eyes for 4 seconds too long. Erd cleared his throat.

“Good night, fellow insomniac soldier! Captain.”

Captain Levi just nodded his head slightly, Petra smiled.

“Hi, Erd. Why aren’t you sleeping? Missing the missus?”, she took two more cups, setting them side to side to pour the tea in.

“I always miss her, but that’s not why I can’t sleep. I’m starving, but can’t eat these chips alone so I’m looking around for eat-mates!”

Captain put his cup down (Erd still didn’t understand why he held the cup that way. Just training his fingers’ strength?), “Just don’t let the disgusting grease stain my papers”

“Done!” Who wanted to get near the paperwork anyway? Definitely not Erd. “You want some, Petra?”

She just grinned sheepishly, pointing the paper near her with a tilt of her head, “Sorry, don’t wanna stain them”

Ah, that’s a bummer. He really wanted to have at least an eat-mate.

“You sure? It’s divine, you know. Remember the curry you liked last time? These taste similar but better”

She shakes her head once more.

“I could feed you?” He’s really desperate now, he really needed to eat!

Oh. Maybe that’s not a good idea. If looks could kill, he would be dying right here, on the dirty floor by the scary Captain’s look. Alright. No more making that man jealous then.

Petra, oblivious of the shorter man’s reaction because she focused on stirring the two cups without spilling any drop of tea, just pouted, “Erd, I’m not a child! You don’t need to feed me! Just sit here and eat while we chat and do paperwork. Better than eating alone on your bed, right?”

Hmm, maybe. But he didn’t wanna spoil their moments together. So he just acted disappointed, with his best shoulder-slump and kicked puppy look.

“I guess I’ll just go back to bed hungry then, you guys are no fun. Good night Petra, Captain”

His steps towards his bedroom stopped by the Captain’s cold voice,

“Oi”

Erd turned back, “Yes, Captain?”

“Take over the training tomorrow. I need to go take care of something Sina.”

“Oh, okay, sir. You wanna take Petra with you?”

And accidentally get into a scenario where you two realize your feelings or are forced to sleep in one bed?

“Huh? Why would I take Petra? You want some time off, Petra? You should just tell me.”

See? He’s too caring!

“No, sir! I’m completely fine!”

“Okay, I’ll brief you all later. We probably get a new puny member soon”

A/N : This turned out about 3 times longer than I thought it would, writing Erd is a lot of fun!

[bazwillendinflames]

Gravity Falls/LIS2 AU

The last place Sean wants to spend his Summer is in a weird town in the middle of no where, Oregon, reconnecting with a Mother who hadn’t wanted to see them in years in her weird tourist trap. But Daniel is determined to go and his Dad gives Sean little choice but to babysit him.

But soon it becomes clear there is more to Beaver Creek than meets the eye and the strangeness of the town soon unlocks some family secrets and strange abilities. Maybe their Summer won’t be so boring after all.

AO3 

“Lyla, I will die of boredom.” 

“It can’t be that bad,” she replied, her voice a little tinny still. The bad reception was just one of many reasons that Sean was having an awful time. (In the week and a half since they had arrived, he’d already made a list.) 

“Nope, it is exactly as bad as I’m saying.” 

“I mean, come on, you’re Mom’s there. What’s that like that?” 

Sean scowled. “Number one on reasons this place sucks. All she talks to us about is all this weird mystic stuff she likes. Her store is so weird, it’s all crystals and bad poetry.” 

Lyla snorted. “Really?” 

“Yep. Not to mention this is the whitest town ever.” He glanced out the window, where Karen was smoking, notebook in hand and ducked his head before she could spot him. “There are no cool people.” 

“Come on, you have Danny.” 

“I get enough babysitting at home thanks.” He glanced outside again, wondering exactly how long he could bitch on the phone for and call it a break. “Anyway, this place is just making Daniel weirder. He’s convinced this place is magic or something.” 

“That’s sweet. Hey, we used to play witches when we were kids, remember?”

“Hey, you were the witch, I was a manly wizard.” 

That time Lyla actually laughed. “Sure dude. I’ll believe it when I see it.” 

“Anyway, we were into the Harry Potter books, you know before terf-face ruined them. Daniel is into the ancient runes and fake spell cards Mo- Karen sells.” 

“That’s adorable.” 

“Ugh, only you could find him adorable. That’s only because Daniel doesn’t kick you in your sleep-” 

“Did Lyla call me adorable?” 

Sean sighed as Daniel barged in. Not much had changed since home tehre at least, apart from the fact they now shared Karen’s attic room. (Bunk beds, making the being kicked in the shin at night thing even more annoying.) 

“Hey, I’m kinda on the-” 

Daniel yanked the phone and rolled on the bed. “Hiiiiii Lyla. Do you miss us?” 

“Give me that back.” 

He wiggled out of his grap. “Did you know Sean talks in his sleep, it’s so weird-” 

“You would know about weird,” he grumbled, snatching his phone back, only to find the shitty signal had finally cut out on Lyla. “Dude.” 

“Sorry.” Daniel grinned at him. “Hey, I’m helping Mom restock, can you help me reach the top shelves?” 

He checked the time on his phone. He had almost managed a whole brother-free hour. 

“Guess I should I get back to work.” 

“Cool.” Daniel followed him downstairs, bouncing with energy. “Hey, Sean what does terf-face mean?” 

  Sean was stuck behind the register, although the store was still empty. He wasn’t sure why Karen insisted on such early opening hours when no one else showed up. 

He rubbed his eyes, the early start not helped by the fact Daniel had been reading with a torch all night. He had picked up a weird book from the store or something. Of course he would pick up a late night reading habit once they were sharing a room. 

“I brought you guys some toast.” Karen balanced the plate on the top of some unsold art books. (Her organization was as great as her parenting.) 

“Thanks Mom!” 

Sean poked at a black spot under a thick layer of peanut butter. “Yeah, thanks.” 

“I gotta do some inventory but I’ll be back up for lunch.” 

“Can we go to the cool diner? Chris says the milkshakes are great.” 

Karen smiled. “Yeah. Does that sound good Sean?” 

He grunted in response and her grin flickered. 

“Right, work. You boys got this.” 

“We’re not your boys,” Sean muttered, although she didn’t hear. 

“Why are you so mean to Mom?” Daniel asked, his mouth full of toast. “She’s always nice.” 

“Right, she’s been real nice the first nine years of your life.” 

Daniel looked up at him with big eyes. “Sean…” 

“Fine, I’ll try. Put those eyes away Bambi.” 

He smiled. “So, I was thinking the strawberry milkshakes are Chris’ favourite but I like chocolate more so you could get one and we could share?” 

“Huh, yeah, sure.” Sean had only been half listening, distracted by the newest customer. Waking up early suddenly had its appeal. The girl had matted purple hair, an arm full of tattoos and a guitar strapped to her back. She caught him looking and winked. 

“Are you okay Sean? You just went really red and-” 

“What? No. Shut up.” Sean moved into a more casual position, his eyes still fixed on the pretty girl. His elbow knocked the tip jar and it fell off the edge. “Shit-” 

“Here.” Daniel put it back. “Woah…” 

“Good catch Enano.” 

“Yeah. Catch! I totally caught it.” Daniel smiled a little suspiciously. “Hey, you said a swear, you owe me a dollar.” 

“A dollar? It’s only a quarter at home.” 

“Now we’re away from Dad, you’re supposed to be a good influence.” 

“You get a quarter.” Sean dropped the coin in his hand. “Be cool.” 

“What?” 

“Hey boys.” The purple-haired girl leaned against the other end of the counter, an easy smile on her face. Her voice had a faint Southern tang. “So, I come to this town every Summer and I don’t recognise either of you cuties.” 

“I- we- um-” 

His brother beat him to it. “I’m Daniel.” 

Cursing his stammering, he finally managed to introduce himself. “I’m Sean.” 

“Why hello. I’m Cassidy.” 

“Hi. Um, cool guitar. You play?” (Internally, Sean cringed: You play? Why else would she have a guitar?) 

“Yeah, funnily enough. I’m actually here to hand out flyers for my band’s show. Could you hang it up?” 

“Yeah.” Sean took the flyer. “Your show is this Friday?” 

“And every other Friday. You wanna come?” 

“I’m invited?” 

Cassidy laughed. “Yeah sure. It is a concert. You’re lucky you’re cute, City Boy.” 

“City boy?” 

“It’s on your sweatshirt idiot,” Daniel whispered. Seattle Track Meet, 2015. He was frowning in the general direction of Cassidy. “We’re busy Friday so-” 

“No. Nope, I’m not busy. Ignore him.” Sean flattened his hair. “I’ll be there Friday.” 

“I’ll look out for you City Boy. Nice to meet you.” 

Sean waited until Cassidy had left before pumping his fist. “Yes! She called me cute Dan!” 

“You’re the worst.” 

“What?” 

Daniel pouted. “You promised you’d take me camping in the woods Friday. I already brought us marshmallows and walkie-talkies.” 

“Hey, there is plenty of time to camp in those freaky woods. But I only have one chance with a girl like Cassidy.” 

“Wrong, you have zero chances with any girl.” Daniel stomped off to the corner of the store. “You’re the worst.” 

“Dan- come on.” His brother went back to ignoring him. Sean crossed his arms. “Fine. Be like that!” 

There was the only sound of a raspberry in response. 

  “Nope, I’m totally with Danny. That was a jerk move.” 

“What? Lyla, you’re supposed to be my hype man- er woman. You’re always trying to set me up on dates.” 

“Dude, three weeks ago you were so into Jenn.” 

He sighed. “And Jenn was into Derek Anderson. We had ice cream and everything.” 

“Dude, don’t fuck up your relationship with Danny over a dumb Summer romance.” 

Sean buried his head in his pillow. “You sound like my Dad.” 

“Go to this hippy girl’s show next time. You Danny will do the face.” 

“The Bambi face?” Sean groaned. “I have been facing the Bambi face all week.” 

Lyla scoffed. “Is there anything else to add?” 

“Fine. I’ll go camping. But only for the s’mores.” 

“Okay, brother of the year.” 

“Thanks jerk.” 

Lyla blew him an exaggerated kiss. “Aw, love you too.”

Sean grabbed his backpack, moving to shove in his hoodie and torch. Daniel had already shoved one of the walkie-talkies inside. 

“Calling little wolf, we are back on for camping.” 

There was nothing but static on the other end. Sean pocketed the walkie-talkie and headed downstairs, calling his brother’s name. There was no one in the kitchen and only Karen sitting in the living room, chewing on the edge of a pen. 

“Hey, have you seen Daniel?” 

Karen looked up. “Oh, I thought you already left? Daniel passed by twenty minutes ago with the sleeping bags.” 

“That little-” Sean wasn’t panicking, but he was maybe sweating a little more than he had been before. “Um, right. I just forget a…” he scanned the room and grabbed Daniel’s weird book, “scary story. Classic camping right?” 

“Oh. Have a nice time then.” Karen hesitated. “I know you’re not thrilled to be here. But I hope by the end of the Summer we can understand each other better. 

“Me too.” Sean tried to look as un-guilty as possible. “See you tomorrow Karen.” 

  “Daniel!” He yelled, running head first into the spooky mass of woodlands beyond their store. “Dan, I’m sorry okay. Quit hiding!” 

No answer. Sean went digging for the walkie-talkie, now glowing an eerie blue. 

“Dan?” 

The walkie-talkie crackled again- “Sean?” 

“Dan.” He let out a shaky breath. “Hey, I’m sorry I ditched you-” 

“Sean, help!” 

He was clutching the walkie-talkie so hard his knuckles went white. “What’s wrong? I’m coming okay. What’s happening?” 

“Creature- help- monster- ahh!” 

Sean scanned the trees around him, suddenly aware he was lost too. Daniel had been the one eager to explore the woods but he had said it was too creepy and now it seemed he was being proven right. 

“Sean- book- monster-” 

He dug around to find the weird book Daniel had been carrying around all week. He had assumed it was from one of Karen’s displays but now he was looking at it, the journal seemed too real to go with the modern witchcraft bullshit she was trying to sell. The cover was dark blue and the pages thick with drawings and polaroids. 

“Dan, I have the book, what do I need to look for? What is this thing?” 

“Page- tree- monster-” Daniel was breathing heavily. “Hear?” 

“I can hear you,” he said comfortingly, “I’m coming.” 

He held the torch in his teeth, flicking through pages until he came across a few marked with Daniel’s doodles and writing. He seemed to be studying telekinetic powers, complete with a superhero sketch: SUPER /DUDE DAN/ WOLF? ask Sean for name ideas

He finally came across the page that looked like a bush drawn with yellow eyes. 

Dangerous 

camouflage shape shifters 

Hard to photograph shush ma-

Likes dark 

Under the original writing Daniel had added his own note: babies in woods. 

“Hey,” Sean held up the walkie-talkie, “is it these moss creatures? What well?” 

“Sean!” This time Daniel’s voice was clearer, his voice steadier. 

“Dan. What happened? Please tell me you had a good reason to go into the woods alone without telling me or Karen.” 

“Come on, that’s it? Can you yell at me when I’m not being chased?” 

“Okay. I’m coming, where are you?” 

“Where are you?” 

“By some trees. There’s a sign for a lake?” 

“Go to the lake, I’ll meet you there.” Daniel was cut off by some more static. “Hey, stop chewing that Mushroom!” 

Sean followed the signs, hoping Daniel at least would know a way out. How did he know the woods so well already? Was Sean that much of a shitty brother he hadn’t noticed him running off into these haunted-ass woods? 

The lake slowly came into the view but it was empty. 

“Daniel? Dan?” 

The lake was weirdly normal, just muddy water and a few droopy looking frogs. Still, Sean was still on edge, swinging the heavy torch from hand to hand. The faster they got home, the better. 

His relative peace was interrupted by the rustling of tree branches and heavy footsteps. Daniel came barging through the trees, a small bundle of something wrapped in his checked shirt. Something was chasing him and fast- Sean barely had time to move out the way as Daniel crashed into him. Something big and fast ran past. 

“Sean!” Daniel threw himself into his arms. “I’m sorry, don’t yell at me.” 

“I’m not mad. But you did scare the shit out of me.” 

“Sean-” 

“Fine, you get a dollar, let’s just go-” 

“No, look.” 

Sean turned slowly, met with amber eyes and a large face of bark and weeds. The creature sniffed at him curiously. 

“Um-” 

Daniel hid behind him. “Any ideas?” 

“You have the stupid haunted book!” The creature snorted, blowing hot air in his face. “Wait, the book said-” Sean slowly moved for his pocket, finding Dad’s lighter. 

“Dan, on three, we run.” 

“One-” he reached for a branch, “two-” he flicked the lighter on, “three!” Sean held the flaming branch up the creature’s face, dragging Daniel out the way as it squirmed. “What, the light should have scared it off.” 

“Remember when you said you weren’t going to get mad?” 

Sean turned to him, as Daniel revealed the squirming mass of moss in his arms. 

“You stole it’s kid?” 

“I always wanted a puppy! She’s called Mushroom-” 

Seeing it’s child, the larger creature started inching slowly towards Daniel. 

“Put it down! We can’t keep this weird monster-baby!” 

“We bonded!” The larger creature nudged its nose towards the smaller one, poking his chest with a spikey horn. “Okay, I’ll give her back.” 

Daniel held out his arms, placing the small creature on the floor. It wiggled a loose vine that could almost be a tail and followed its parents into the woods. 

Sean punched him in the arm. “That’s for trying to adopt an actual monster.” 

Daniel rubbed his arm. “Ouch.” 

Sean pulled him into a hug. “And that’s for scaring the shit out of me. I’m glad you’re okay though.” 

“Me too.” Daniel smiled. “Hey, now you owe me two dollars!” 

  After all the excitement, the brothers’ settled on camping in Karen’s yard. 

“So, you found that spooky book in a tree and didn’t think to tell me?” 

“You were being the worst!” 

Sean laughed. “Okay, I deserve that. But, next time you find a weird monster thing, tell me. We’re in this together.” 

“Okay promise.” Daniel threw another marshmallow at him. “Sorry I made you miss your concert. I guess Cassidy wasn’t that bad.” 

“Hey, I saved your butt, that’s more important.” Sean took a bite out a s’more. “Hey, there isn’t anything else you’re not telling me right?” 

“Actually,” Daniel held out his hand, a marshmallow hoovering a few inches above his palm. “Surprise?” 

(A boring Summer suddenly looked so much more appealing.)

[athingthatwantsvirginia]

EAT ME

PART NINE OF THE DO YOU SEE HER FACE? SERIES

Pairing: Jess Mariano x Original Character (Ella Stevens)

Warnings: mentions of death, underage drinking, mentions of vomit (just two remarks in passing), plentiful pop culture references

Word Count: 5.1K

Summary: After returning from her summer babysitting job, Ella has a rough night. With friends busy and out of town, she eventually ends up on the doorstep of the diner.

With a toddler asleep on her chest and a five-year-old dozing in a makeshift fort on the floor below her, Ella finally got a moment of peace. The Iron Giant hummed at a low volume on the TV, a naptime movie to celebrate her last day babysitting. She loved her aunt’s house, a hippie-dippie pad adorned with tapestries, iscense, and other random items. Ella herself wasn’t into the holistic lifestyle, but she appreciated how much joy her aunt derived from it. The children, two little girls with red hair and big brown eyes, were gentle and silly. Alongside her new husband, Ella’s aunt Julie filled the family household with joy and games. It made Ella nostalgic for a period of her childhood she almost couldn’t remember. Sprawled across the floral print couch, Ella almost fell asleep herself but decided not to screw up her schedule when she was going to have to go back to early morning shifts at Luke’s very soon. Instead, she stretched her arm over, careful not to wake Annie and grabbed the house phone.

After two rings, Luke’s grumbly voice came through the line: “Luke’s Diner.”

“Hey, boss, is Jess there?” Ella spoke in a hushed tone, eyes on the baby as she tucked the afghan which covered the two of them tighter.

He sighed. “With his petri dish of a girlfriend. Hold on one second.”

Ella smirked and waited, listening to the early afternoon commotion of the diner. She’d only called a few times since she’d been gone, and almost every time Luke had to pull Jess away from the mysterious new girl. But Jess always came to the phone, and she made a careful effort to avoid the topic of his girlfriend. Mostly, they discussed the merits of the Chuck Palanuik novel Jess had been reading. It was one of Ella’s favorites.

“Jess Mariano, may I ask who’s calling?” he began.

Ella rolled her eyes at his theatrics. “You’re hilarious.”

“It’s been said,” he replied, the usual amount of cocky. “Why are you whispering?”

“The kids are sleeping. The baby is literally lying on top of me.”

“And when I’m asleep in the middle of the day, suddenly I’m a world-class slacker,” he said.

“Well, the last time I remembered, you’re not two years old.”

Jess scoffed, disinterested. “Semantics.”

“Whatever gets you through the night,” she retorted.

“How’s it been otherwise? Annie still crawling into the bed and kicking you in her sleep?” Jess asked, having caught her in a middle of a sleep-deprived haze the last time they spoke.

She laughed fondly. “Only a little. There was also one projectile vomiting incident, but, hey, at least I got to watch an Exorcist reenactment in real time.”

“What a glamorous summer gig you scored.”

“It’s true.”

“But you’ll be back tomorrow, right?”

“Bright and early. You’re gonna have to fill me in on everything I missed,” she said, noticing how Erin had begun to snore from her place wrapped up in various throw blankets on the floor.

Jess hummed. “Well, let’s see...I think Taylor might have shifted the stand outside the market about an inch. It was on the front page of the Gazette for a week straight.”

“Riveting.”

“That’s one word for it.”

“Oh! I finally finished The Lovely Bones. You’ve got to borrow it when I get b-”

“Hey, sorry, honey,” he interjected, and she heard him mutter some irritated words to someone she couldn’t see. Jury was out on whether it was Luke or some other unlucky Stars Hollow civilian. After a pause, his rushed voice came over the line again: “Look, my new...I gotta go. But tomorrow I’m gonna need a full review.”

“Only if you finish the Palahnuik by the time I clock in,” she wagered.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and she could practically hear the smirk on his lips.

.   .   .

Ready to close up and anxious for what awaited her at home, Ella sketched in the notebook her aunt Julie had given her after arriving home from the honeymoon. Since returning to work, spending sweltering days in the AC of the diner, Ella tried to ignore the strange feeling which pulsed through her. Every time Jess’s new girlfriend Shane sauntered in, she had to avert her eyes as they made out, Jess’s hands roaming her body. And not only because of the grotesque amount of PDA they engaged in. But as soon as the uneasy feeling rose in her throat, she began to sketch her feelings away, ignoring the thumping of her heart against her ribs. Jess always insisted on finishing his conversations with her, or saying goodbye to her, before going gallivanting with Shane. And where did she get off feeling jealous? Jess was her jackass coworker, who only bordered on a friend. It was easier to pretend nothing was bothering her, lest her cheeks burn with shame each time the bleach blonde girl walked through the diner doors.

The sky was overcast, but the night was supposed to clear up. With Luke out on some date, she and Jess were the ones charged with boarding up the shop for the night. Caesar had gone home early, since the Friday had been unusually slow and he was pretty much useless when closing anyway. When the last customer departed, though it was ten minutes until official closing time, Ella decided to use her authority to call it quits for the day. However, she first had to wrangle Jess off Shane while they made out on the sidewalk, up against the diner window. Shutting her sketchbook, she grimaced at the task at hand, but strode out confidently with her hands on the hips of her blue jeans.

Clearing her throat, she watched them disentangle themselves from each other, their lips parting with a smack! in the warm night air. Ella rolled her eyes. “Jess, we’re closing. You’ll have to take a rain check on the next round of tonsil tennis.”

Jess only smirked, planting one final kiss on Shane’s cheek before making for the door.

Shane rolled her eyes. “Jess.”

“Relax,” Jess grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets as he walked away. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Shane shot a look at Ella. “That stick up your ass must hurt like hell.”

Ella only sighed, a unamused smile on her face. “Charming as always, Shane. Come again any time.”

With the situation diffused, Ella rushed back into the diner before Jess, who was chuckling behind her. Ella didn’t utter a word before she began closing, ducking behind the counter to grab the disinfectant spray and a clean rag. If it was possible, Jess thought she looked even more stressed than usual. She had her hair in a messy updo, cheeks flushed red. Her eyes darted around anxiously, her hands fiddling with the silvery chain of her necklace. Luke had almost sent her back home to change when she showed up for her shift, wearing a black t-shirt with the words EAT ME written across the chest in big white letters. Instead of changing though, she argued her way out of it. It was simply an endorsement of the diner’s products, she’d said. Luke’s eyes had rolled nearly up into the back of his head, but, nonetheless, he’d dropped the subject.

“Nice to see you and Shane bonding,” Jess quipped as he began gathering up the salt and pepper shakers to store for the night.

She scoffed. “Yeah, quite a winner you’ve got there.”

Jess raised his brows at her tone. “Are you upset about something?”

“No,” she shot back flatly. “It’s really just such a pleasure to have to watch you tongue-fuck her while I’m at work.”

He straightened up and stopped working, brows furrowed. “Says the girl who’s read Bad Behavior, at that very counter where you now stand, three times.”

Still, she didn’t look up as she sighed heavily. Her voice was tired. “I read it. I didn’t have to be subjected to a visual. Would you just wait to suck face until you’re not in view of the customers who’ve come to eat here?”

“Fine. Sorry,” he snapped angrily, going back to the shakers. “Didn’t mean to offend your delicate sensibilities.”

“Apology accepted,” she shot back.

“Great.”

“Good.”

.   .   .

Tense silence had stood between them for the remainder of the evening. Later, Jess laid on his twin bed fuming, the night darkening to an inky black. Stars glowed brightly, the moon new and invisible. The apartment over the diner had its familiar pine smell and was lit low by Jess’s desk lamp. He had no idea what time it was, but found it odd Luke still wasn’t back hours after closing. But the solitude meant he could blast his Shags through the speakers he’d brought back from his old room in New York. They were pretty much the most valuable items he owned, and he didn’t get to use them nearly often enough. Jess was nearly done with The Lovely Bones, trying to decipher Ella’s cursive annotations. Of all the books she had traded him, it was perhaps the saddest one yet.

The music was louder than he’d anticipated, as it took nearly four rings of the phone before Jess heard it under the lyrics. He rolled his eyes, but saved his place in the book, turned down the volume, and went to answer.

“Hello?”

“Jess?” came Ella’s voice through the receiver.

He furrowed his brows. “Eleanor?”

“No, it’s Virginia Woolf, back from the dead,” she said, slurring her words.

Jess let a chuckle escape his mouth. “Are you drunk?”

“I guess so. My dad was soooo pissed. He kicked me out, said not to come back until I had my head on straight. I don’t think my head’s been on straight my entire life,” she rambled, her voice husky and sleepy.

“Where are you?” Jess asked, his voice earnest.

“The phone booth on Main Street. Why do they still have this here? It’s such antiquated tech-”

“Just stay right there. I’ll come down,” he said shortly, then hung up before she could respond.

Jess rushed down the stairs and weaved through the dark diner, tables stacked on chairs, leaving the door open as he exited onto the sidewalk. He caught sight of her petite form almost immediately. Out on the deserted street, trudging towards the diner with her hands in her back pockets, watching the sky as she walked. The night was humid. Sighing heavily, Jess came over and touched her arm gently.

Ella flinched, but relaxed when she saw it was him. “Jesus, Mariano. Give a girl some warning.”

Shaking his head slightly, he brought a hand to the small of her back to steady her as they walked. He could smell the alcohol wafting off her, mixed with her normal aroma of lavender and rosemary. “What the hell did you drink?”

“A lot,” she drawled back instantly. They neared the steps of the diner and she blew out a shaky breath. “Can we sit down?”

Before he could even answer, she sat down heavily on the concrete steps. He took the seat beside her, leaving a safe distance between the two of them.

Ella brought her hand to her mouth and started biting at her nails. A warm breeze blew past them. Ella huffed in frustration and took the elastic from her hair clumsily. She ran her hands through her brassy waves and sniffed. Jess glanced over at her and could tell she had been crying. Her hazel eyes were red-rimmed and her mascara was running slightly. Even drunk, she flushed when she saw him looking at her, and wiped her hands over her cheeks self-consciously.

“My dad got engaged,” she said suddenly, frankly.

“Huh.”

“Yep.” There was a pause before she spoke again, crickets singing around them. “We had a fight about it this morning. I got home tonight, and he wouldn’t talk to me. So, I stole a bottle of his tequila to piss him off, get a rise out of him, but then I thought: ‘Fuck it. Just drink it. The day can’t get much worse anyway.’”

Jess nodded, listening.

“But then he kicked me out for the night. So, yeah, it could get worse. Lorelai’s not home, and Rory’s still in Washington. I sure as hell can’t knock on Lane’s door like this. I just wanted to call and say sorry for being such a jackass earlier.”

“I thought I was the jackass here?” he teased offhandedly.

She giggled drunkenly, though her eyes were hazy. “Usually. But, just this once, it was me. Just...a bad day.”

“It’s alright,” he assured her, standing up and holding a hand out to her. “You can crash upstairs. Luke’s out but I’m sure it’s fine.”

Ella shook her head and sighed. “Jess, you don’t have to be nice-”

“Fine, I won’t be nice then. Shut up and take my hand,” he said flatly.

After a long moment, she nodded, grabbing his hand and straightening up. Upon standing, she got dizzy and staggered back.

“Careful, Stevens,” Jess grumbled, hands hovering over her arms for a moment in the event she fell over.

“Shut up,” she snapped, retreating back into the diner.

The way up the stairs was iffy, and by the top Ella was practically holding onto Jess for balance. Jess’s mouth was set in a thin, stern line, though slight worry touched his heart. She sang along quietly with the lyrics of the song which still hummed lowly from the stereo as they entered. It almost made Jess want to smirk, if she hadn’t been so completely smashed. He steered her to his bed, where she immediately flopped onto her back.

“Is this your bed?” she asked, eyes closed and hands behind her head.

“Yes. But tonight it’s yours,” he sighed, shutting both the music and his desk lamp off. In the bluish glow of the room, he saw her sloppily tug off her shoes. Then, she sat forward with her elbows on her knees, head in her hands.

“I can just sleep on the couch or the floor or a park bench. Y’know, a couple years ago Taylor went on this asinine crusade to make the benches more comfortable-”

“Just go to sleep, Eleanor,” he scolded.

“You go to sleep,” she retorted lamely, but nonetheless, she flopped onto her back again and scooted up until her head laid on the pillow. But, her glassy eyes remained open and she stared at the ceiling.

Jess had been fetching her a glass of water, cold from the tap. He was surprised to find her still conscious considering how strong the smell of tequila was when entering her general vicinity. Instead of forcing her to drink the water, a fight which he knew would be fruitless, he just left it on the nightstand.

“Jess?”

“Yes?”

“Do you believe in fate?”

He scoffed, hands in his pockets as he stood by the bed. “Is now really the best time to solve the mysteries of the universe?”

Giggling, Ella let her eyes flutter shut. “No time like the present.” When she spoke again, her voice had a wistful, far-off quality. “I just...my dad told me he proposed to Fiona because it was fate which brought them together and they were immediately in love and all that shit. But he thought he was in love with my mom and looked how that turned out. I just...most of the time I can’t bring myself to believe in fate or love. Not after everything that happened.”

“Hm,” Jess hummed, brows furrowed. He waited for her to continue, as he knew she would.  

“Fiona’s not a horrible person. But she acts like she’s my mom,” she said, defeated. “And she wouldn’t shut up this morning about me being disrespectful and just...and I can’t talk to Rory and Lane’s busy with her drums and...you with your girlfriend or whatever she is…”

Jess raised his eyebrows at her last comment, but at just the moment he hoped she would continue, she began to doze off. Her breathing deepened, and Jess sighed again. Before she could completely slip into unconsciousness, he went over and rolled her onto her side. Ella stirred, but did not fully wake. He threw the orangey afghan from the end of the bed over her form.

Creeping over to retrieve the book from his bedside table, Jess was reassured when she curled up into a ball on her side. Before he made it over to the couch where he planned to spend the night, Ella hummed drowsily.

“Jess?” she croaked, peeking through heavy-lidded eyes.

“Yeah, honey?” he asked, grouchy but not angry.

“Thank you,” she slurred, grabbing a handful of the blanket in her fist sleepily.

Jess sighed, and grimaced when a wave of fondness washed over him. “You’re welcome.”

As he flipped through to his marked page, flicking on the floor lamp near the couch and settling in for the night, she began to snore softly. Jess tried to concentrate on the final twenty pages of the book, but knew he would definitely have to reread them.

.   .   .

Around half past midnight, Luke’s booted footfalls sounded softly up the stairs to the apartment. He was surprised to find the door unlocked, considering how late Jess had been out with Shane the last few Friday nights. Soft, yellowish light illuminated Luke’s side of the apartment. He thought Jess had fallen asleep with a lamp on, and jumped when he found his nephew with his nose in a book on the old brown leather couch.

“Jeez!” he exclaimed as he shut the door behind him.

“Keep it down!” Jess hissed back, saving his place in the book again. Five more pages. “You’ll wake her up.”

“Excuse me?” Luke asked, accusatory, eyebrows raised as he followed Jess’s gaze to the left. He could make out Ella’s face in the dimness, and his confusion only grew. Instantly, he knew Jess had done something. He had to have done something. “What the hell is she doin’ here?”

Jess rolled his eyes as his uncle pointed a finger at him. He hopped up to grab a blanket from the top shelf of the nearby closet. “She called me. She got kicked out for the night and needed a place to crash. I figured it’d be okay.”

“Kicked out?” Luke echoed softly. In all his time knowing Ella, she’d never been one to piss her parents off so severely. The girl worked doubles every weekend and had a four-point-oh GPA. “Why?”

“She was wasted. Stole her dad’s tequila,” Jess explained shortly, shutting off the floor lamp and returning to the couch to get some sleep. It had been a long night to say the least. The twinkly lights of the town square still made for relative visibility in the apartment.

Luke sighed heavily at Jess’s nonchalance and loomed over the couch, not done with the conversation. “Did you get her drunk?”

“No,” Jess answered immediately, angrily. “She managed it all on her own. She’s a big girl, y’know.”

“Shut up,” Luke snapped. “You’re telling me Ella Stevens got drunk on her dad’s tequila and called you for help?”

Jess nodded and looked up at his uncle in aggravation. “Someone give the man a prize.”

“Why would she call you?”

“First, I’m absolutely flattered by your tone,” Jess droned. “Lorelai wasn’t home, she couldn’t go to Lane’s, and Rory’s still in Washington. So, I was choice number four. Quite an honor. She probably figured you’d be the one at home, anyway.”

Luke groaned quietly at his nephew’s attitude, his hands on his hips. After a particularly terrible date, he hadn’t expected to have to solve another problem at home.

Satisfied the game of twenty questions was over, Jess crossed his arms over his chest, turned on his side and closed his eyes.

“I gotta call Jake,” Luke thought aloud, starting towards the phone.

Jess’s eyes flew open and he jumped up to stop Luke. “No!” he blurted out, a hand on his uncle’s arm, and waited a long moment to make sure Ella hadn’t woken.

“Jess, she’s a kid. I have to tell her dad where she is,” Luke explained tiredly, rolling his eyes.

“Really? Her dad who just kicked her out in the middle of the night?” Jess asked doubtfully, eyebrows raised.

Luke sighed again, and seemed to actually ponder Jess’s words.

“Look, just let her sleep it off. I’m sure she’ll still have an earful waiting for her tomorrow morning,” Jess said urgently, his eyes flicking over to his bed.

Taking a long moment to stare thoughtfully at his shoes, Luke finally conceded. “Fine.”

Jess blew out a short breath in relief. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Luke snapped back.

As he retreated back to the couch, Jess caught one last glance at Ella’s sleeping form. Bathed in the starlight, she looked almost ethereal, despite the snoring. “She’ll be fine. I put her on her side so she won’t choke if she throws up or anything. And she’s got water by the bed.”

Furrowing his brows, Luke let a suspicious gaze linger on his nephew. “How’d you know to do that?”

Jess uttered a bitter chuckle. “Liz Danes is my mother. I’m sure you can fill the rest in yourself.”

“Right,” Luke sighed, nodding. He regained his harsh exterior after a moment, pointing a final, warning finger at Jess. “But call me before letting people stay here next time. And, just so we’re clear, there will not be a next time.”

Scoffing, Jess turned on his side away from Luke and gave only a noncommittal grunt as an answer.

.   .   .

Throwing up in the shower had actually been the high point of her morning. Sneaking out of the apartment at nearly five o’clock, Ella had left nothing more than an empty water glass and a folded afghan on Jess’s bed as traces of her being there. Though the morning was cloudy, her splitting headache still got worse trudging down Main Street back towards her house during sunrise. She’d never been on a walk of shame, and was glad there was no one yet awake to witness it. After unlocking her window with a bobby pin, she’d managed a few more hours of sleep before facing the music of her father’s rage.

However, stealing his alcohol had proved to have at least one silver lining. Ella was the one with the hangover, so Jake had opted just for disappointed yelling instead of screaming and breaking whatever furniture he could get his hands on. Instead, Ella had to sit through two hours of Jake and Fiona standing with arms crossed, looming over her while she sat hunched at the kitchen table. It wasn’t easy with her stomach swirling and her heartbeat throbbing painfully behind her eyes, but it certainly wasn’t the most brutal dressing down she’d ever received. A two-week grounding with the exception of work and school was in order, and Ella made the compulsory show of accepting the punishment. She knew they would likely forget to enforce it anyway, caught up in their own dramas.

A shower and a change of clothes had her looking slightly more human by the time she returned to the diner at noon for her eight-hour shift. At least she wasn’t on the books to close. She tried multiple times to apologize to Luke, but he was disinterested at best. Ella could tell he was disappointed, but she would have to wait it out before he would actually talk it out with her. By her break around four in the afternoon, it had already been a long day of the cold shoulder and demanding Saturday afternoon orders. Rather than staying in the diner for some lunch, she opted for a walk around town to keep the churning in her stomach at bay.

The summer haze cast long shadows on the cracked asphalt. As she passed the town square, she breathed in the clean air and decided the headache might finally be passing. The breeze was picking up, and the sound of the vibrant green leaves rustling in the wind washed over her like ocean waves. The smell of exhaust filled the air as she passed the bus stop, the city bus coming to a screeching halt by the bench next to her. She would have ignored it completely, but Jess caught her eye, deboarding the bus with his hands shoved in his pockets. Ella picked up her pace, but Jess had already seen her. He raced up beside her with a wicked smirk on his lips.

“Wait up, Speed Racer,” he quipped, panting slightly.

She chuckled halfheartedly. “I’ll give you a second to catch your breath.”

“Ah, I think I’m alright,” he assured her with a shrug. “You on break?”

“Yep,” she said shortly, avoiding his eyes. “Where are you coming from?”

“Shangri-la,” he answered instantly. They were circling back around to the square, and Jess tilted his head to the gazebo. “You wanna sit down? You look a little pale.”

“Sure,” she nodded. “I think the tequila’s had a bit of an effect on my complexion.”

Jess laughed. “Yeah, maybe if you hadn’t downed that last liter it wouldn’t be quite as pronounced.”

“Shut up,” she smiled, seeming to relax just a touch. She tucked some rogue wisps of hair behind her ears as they sat down on the bench in the gazebo, the town buzzing with tourist groups and regulars.

Before Jess could make some wiseass remark, Ella cleared her throat and cut to the chase. Her cheeks grew rosy but she powered through the nervous fluttering of her heart. “Look, I’m really sorry about last night.”

“It’s okay,” Jess said, shaking his head dismissively. “I’ve had a few nights like that.”

“But I don’t drink. Ever,” she said, speaking with her hands.

Jess snorted. “I’ll say.”

She scoffed self-consciously. “And I don’t steal my dad’s booze, and get black-out drunk, and steal my friend’s bed and piss off my boss-”

“Luke’ll come around. Compared to the shit I’ve done? You’re living out amateur hour,” he interjected with a smirk. Though he wished it hadn’t, his heart skipped a beat at her so casually calling him a friend. Even in New York, he’d only a few of those, and none of them had kept in contact with him since coming to Stars Hollow. It occurred to him in the moment how he may have never had a friend like her before, someone who wasn’t disappointed in him, who was excited to talk about books, who called even when they were many miles apart.

“Just let me finish,” she said earnestly, raising a hand to him.

Jess bit his lip to keep from chuckling at her stubbornness. “Go on.”

“I’m just so embarrassed and I don’t remember most of what I said but I’m just... I’m sorry,” she said, biting at her nails. Her ears were tinged with red, flesh hot with shame. “And thank you for letting me crash. You really didn’t have to do that and...thank you.”

Sighing through his nose, Jess nodded with more sincerity than she expected.

“And the last time Lane and I went to a party, I tried to recite all the lyrics from the whole Rumors album, so I’m also really sorry if I did that,” she added, a return of some levity.

Jess laughed. “Don’t worry. You’re in the clear.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank God.”

“Seriously, Stevens, don’t be embarrassed. If it makes you feel any better, I once ate a pumpkin raw when I was drunk,” he admitted, his voice low and conspiratory.

A confused grin crossed her face. “What?”

“Yep,” he confirmed, nodding. “I’ve sworn off both forties and Halloween parties since then.”

Ella laughed.

“Does that make you feel better?” he asked.

“A little.” After a moment, the serious air came back. “Thank you, Jess.”

He nodded again. “You’re welcome.”

And, just then, they locked eyes. A charged silence passed between them, and Jess thought he saw something flash behind Ella’s eyes. She had to avert her gaze to hide her blush.

Jess’s stomach did an involuntary flip. But Ella seemed to regain her composure quickly. Had he imagined the look on her face or the redness on her cheeks? When she spoke again, the weight of the moment was gone.

“So, really, where’d you come from? A drug deal? A prostitution ring?” she prodded in curiosity. “A date with Shane?”

Jess shook his head, clearing his throat. “No. Shane and I don’t exactly go on dates,” he joked suggestively.

Something between a grimace and a smirk crossed her lips at his implication. “Gross. But I suppose every relationship is different,” she teased.

“I think ‘relationship’ might be a bit of an overstatement,” he said, shrugging. His face was guarded, but Ella could see the corners of his mouth threatening to tick upwards. “She thinks Oscar Wilde is a type of cocktail.”

“No,” she said in disbelief, giggling a little. Eventually, Jess began to chuckle and both of them laughed together. People passing by raised brows at the two of them. Most of them had never seen Jess smile.

“And we don’t know each other's last names,” Jess continued, biting his lip to fend off another smirk.

She shook her head, but kept giggling. “How romantic.”

“That it is,” he quipped.

Ella smirked and glanced down at her watch.

“My break’s almost over. You coming back to the diner?” she asked, ignoring the still air sitting in the small distance from her face to his own.

He shook his head. “Not yet. I have some things to do.”

“Specific.”

“I know. I am famous for my candor,” he said. “But I’ll be by later to help with dinner. You’ll get your book back with some brand new notes in the margins.”

“Lucky me,” she smiled. “Next on your list….” she paused, racking her brain for one of the many suggestions she’d thought of giving him. “Joan Didion.”

“Is that the lady from LA?” he asked.

“That’s the one. She makes it sound even better than New York.”

“Well, I’ll be the judge of that,” Jess said, watching her rise from her seat. Her black skirt came to her mid-thigh, and he saw some yellowed bruises on her knees. “And you’re in for another classic. Bukowski himself.”

She leaned on the white railing, readying herself to descend the steps and return to the diner. Her eyebrows were raised doubtfully. “We’ll just have to see about that ‘classic’ business.”

“Prepare to eat your words!” he called after her as she rushed away. He could tell she was anxious to be back on time, for fear of even more passive aggression from Luke.

“Ditto!” she returned.

Jess watched her go, disappearing back into Luke’s with her nails chewed. And found himself oddly content in the July afternoon heat.

[redslilstories]

A very special present

Author: lilyme Summary: Inspired by Callie's reassuring words to Arizona in season nine: "After the car accident, you never left my side. Not once. There's no way I'm leaving yours". Let's explore a little moment in early season eight that shows Callie's struggle to regain her confidence and Arizona's never-ceasing support and desire for her wife. Characters: Arizona/Callie Rating: R Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Grey's Anatomy". They were created by Shonda Rhimes and belong to her and the ABC network. No copyright infringement intended! All mistakes are mine.

As she stood in the doorway to her daughter's nursery, she pondered the day that lay behind her.

Her work day. As hectic as they only come maybe once a month. Emergencies seemingly never ending plus her already tight plan of scheduled surgeries hardly giving her a moment to breathe.

And while there had been advantages to today's busy chaos – like colleagues not finding the opportunity to make her the center of congratulatory attention on this special day – she had hoped to be able to call it a night earlier, so she could go home and be with her loved ones.

As it was now, she found herself little surprised to see her seven month old baby girl slumbering peacefully in her cot already.

Kissing the soft baby hair and caressing the chubby cheek, she tucked her in more firmly. She had a feeling, Sofia would not be the only brunette in the apartment already out like a light.

And at almost midnight, she couldn't really blame anyone.

But it would still have been nice to at least see one of them awake tonight.

Preparing herself for having to live with the second best thing – seeing them tomorrow – she headed towards the bedroom.

Only with difficulty suppressing a frown when she found the bed empty.

"Callie?" she wondered and soon caught heard rustling coming from the bathroom.

"In here," the other woman truthfully announced her whereabouts. "Be right out".

"Good. I gotta say," Arizona started, as she let her tired body sink down on the bed. "I'm really happy you're still up. This day was a horror," she groaned. "I had a bowel obstruction on a two year-old. And a little girl who ruptured her liver as she fell from her swing. And that routine appendectomy... The boy almost died and I'm still not sure how that happened," she folded her arms on her stomach and stared up at the ceiling.

The ailments of her tiny patients often got to her. Often more than they should. But now... with being a parent herself... it was impossible to not be at least a bit affected.

Luckily all her patients had made it through in the end and she had been able to bring news to the terribly troubled parents. As good as the good news could be in these traumatic situations.

"But enough of that. Tell me about your day. Oh, did Sofia try to babble again?" she wondered, deciding to turn her mind towards more pleasant thoughts of her family and her little bundle of joy – who hopefully never have accidents and incidents like that. The months after her birth already enough to last for more than a lifetime. "I swear, two days ago she said 'Mama' to me. That'd make you 'Mami' eventually," she laughed as she turned her as the bathroom door opened. "I guess we'll..."

'See', her mind added internally. Her mouth fell silent temporarily as 'Mami'... her wifey came out of the room. Still very much awake and also... not wearing much of anything.

Except for a black, nearly see-throughable negligee and a pretty pink bow wrapped around herself.

The bow large enough to cover the most relevant parts of her body but still not leaving much to the imagination.

"Hi," Arizona spoke almost inaudibly as she sat back up to make sure her eyes were not just fooling her with imagined angelic visions.

"H-Hey," the other woman spoke gently, and bit her lips as her hands tried hard not to shield anything of hers from Arizona's eyes. It not being normal for her to present herself like this. Especially lately.

"Wh-What are you wearing?" Arizona squeaked out, as her heart found a new home in her throat.

Callie didn't falter despite her incredulous tone. She knew the reason for it. "I wanted to give you something special for your birthday," she confessed with a light blush as the fascinated blue eyes wandered up and down her body. "I know we've established that you don't like celebrating it. And by now I know better than to throw you a surprise party. But I wanted to surprise you anyway. W-With something I hope you like."

Arizona swallowed heavily. She liked it. She liked it alright. Most of all the fact that Callie was taking such a very big personal step for her.

The brunette had taken a long time to feel comfortable with her body again. Struggling with the changes it had undergone in the last months and thus reacting differently to Arizona's closeness.

Already during the pregnancy she had had problems with intimacy due to the stretch marks forming on her body. But after the crash her insecurities had intensified tenfold. The numerous scars, mainly on her chest and stomach, often plaguing her.

Making her barely able to allow Arizona's hands to touch her.

Barely able to give Arizona a chance to see her body with lights on.

Fearing that Arizona would be appalled by her.

But that was not even remotely the case. And Arizona tried to reassure her as much as she could. Tried to convince her that she was still the most gorgeous and sexiest for her.

Still it was a long and difficult road, and they both were aware that they were far from its end. And this was what made this moment, this step taken so special.

"Calliope...," Arizona breathed as she got up to near the brave woman. "This is the sweetest birthday present I have ever received. You're so beautiful," she said, her eyes portraying all the love she felt for this woman. "And I love you so much," she nodded as she pecked her lips softly and pulled her in close.

"I love you too," Callie's voice audibly shook as she returned the loving embrace. She was so grateful to have such an understanding woman as a partner. Someone who was willing to go her pace to finding her way back to her old assertive self when it came to intimate togetherness.

This was her present for the supportive blonde. And she was so happy that her bravery had won against her inner voice telling her she wasn't ready for this.

"So... um, may I...," the blonde wondered coyly, pointing to the ribbon, "... unwrap my present?" Even though Callie had put herself willingly in this thing, the last thing Arizona wanted was to push things too far and bring her wife out of her comfort zone.

"Yes...," Callie nodded, and her heart quivered as Arizona slowly undressed her with gentle hands and desiring eyes.

Yes, she was still nervous and maybe her inner voice still had a point.

But she knew that she wanted this more than anything right now.

And with Arizona she would always be ready to take the next step.

END

A/N: So, the airdate of episode 6x08 was Thursday, November 5th. And with Lexie mentioning that Arizona's birthday was on Friday that week, that makes November 6th. So, Happy Birthday, Arizona! I wish we knew Callie's birthday as well.

[themurphyzone]

World’s Greatest Dad Ch 2

A/N: The period that happens between Heinz’s divorce and pre-Perry is pretty intriguing to me. He was just starting his evil career (which was most likely at a stalemate before Perry). He only had Vanessa on alternating weekends, yet remained heavily involved in her life. On top of this, he was struggling with mental and emotional issues and doesn’t have his outlet yet. Heinz is an inspiration.

Ch 2: Mirrors and Commercials 

Dinner had been too silent. Vanessa had rolled her peas around her plate instead of eating them. She never had issues clearing her plate before, but a sizable chunk of sausage had found its way into the trash. Heinz glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. It glared back at him.

He clutched the edge of the counter with both hands, wishing the material would shatter under his grip.

Heinz hadn’t meant to snap at Vanessa. Her question was innocent. She didn’t know the things she was implying. It wasn’t her fault.

“You’re terrible at this reassuring business,” the reflection scoffed.

“No need to remind me,” Heinz muttered.

“It was a yes-no question. And you manage to muck that up.”

“That wasn’t a yes-no question! How do you expect me to answer something like that out of the blue? She thought I’d abandon her just like-“

His breath hitched in his throat.

“Just like your own father abandoned you,” the reflection sneered. “You always make everything circle back to your parents. Pathetic. Easy to see why they’d do it too. No useful skills other than being a lawn gnome. Ugly. Needy. Weak.”

“I’m not,” Heinz muttered petulantly.

“Deny it all you want. Doesn’t change that it’s true.”

“Go away.”

“I’m part of you. That’s impossible.”

Heinz stormed out of the bathroom, knowing that he was just giving ammunition to his mirror self. It had taken all his resolve to not continue the argument, and he didn’t want Vanessa to discover that he regularly talked to a reflection.

He slumped onto the carpet next to his bed.

Now that he’d burned himself out, a familiar ache in his chest remained. It was the same one that occurred every other Monday when he realized he was alone again.

Machines could only keep him company for so long.

Heinz closed his eyes, recalling that strange onslaught of emotions he felt when Vanessa was born. Happiness and sorrow. Excitement and terror. Confidence and self-doubt. He’d never experienced all those things together before, nor would he ever experience them together again.

Then she’d grown up, passing milestone after milestone until Heinz thought he would burst with pride at how amazing and perfect Vanessa was. And he received plenty of scares as well. He’d been terrified when he and Charlene rushed to the ER when she ran a fever above 102, and he’d gone through at least a hundred outcomes while they waited for a doctor. The possibilities started out as plausible but grew more outlandish the longer they waited.  

She recovered with no lasting effects, and Heinz had never been more thankful in his life.

The sound of a foghorn in the distance brought him out of his trip down memory lane. It was 7:19 pm. He’d been in his room for half an hour.

Which meant that Vanessa had spent nearly her entire evening believing her dad was angry at her.

“All you gotta do is apologize,” Heinz whispered to himself, one hand on the doorknob. There was something in his brain telling him that it could wait until morning, but Heinz brushed it away. He needed to do it now. Vanessa wouldn’t get a good night’s sleep otherwise. “Didn’t you tell her to say sorry to that other girl a few hours ago? Take your own advice, Heinz.”

He found Vanessa on the couch, wrapped in a blanket as she watched an animal documentary on TV. Her eyes flickered over to him in surprise. “Learn anything good?” Heinz asked, settling on the cushion next to her.

“Echidnas lay eggs,” Vanessa replied, watching the screen intently as a CGI model of echidna anatomy was displayed. “And they’re monotremes.”

“Monotremes are weird. Are they birds or mammals? Guess nature can’t make up its mind,” Heinz shrugged.

“I’m trying to watch,” Vanessa said, turning up the volume.

Heinz found the program a welcome distraction from his thoughts, and they both soaked up as much information as they could about the echidna’s diet.

“-visiting the Sydney Wildlife Preserve after the break!”

Of course, it would cut to commercial when he was hooked. But he needed to take the opportunity.

He grabbed the remote, muting the TV when a car advertisement popped up.

“Hey, sometimes things tumble out that I don’t really mean. At least, I don’t think I mean them but the other person thinks I do and it leads to an entire mess that goes on for how long and-“ his foot thumped against the coach in frustration.

Just say it already!

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” Heinz snapped.

Realizing that Vanessa’s expression was a mixture of confusion and fear, and how she didn’t know he was reacting to a voice in his head, Heinz sighed and counted to three before he spoke again.

“I was never mad at you, sweetie. You caught me by surprise,” he admitted. “Didn’t mean to make you think that way.”

Vanessa drew closer, resting her head on his leg. “It’s okay. I forgive you.”

He hadn’t said it yet and she already forgave him? She was seven though. Did grudge-developing traits appear later or something?

“Sorry,” Heinz said.

She scowled up at him. “Didn’t you hear me? I said I forgive you.”

Unable to resist teasing her, Heinz smirked. “I think I might be going a little deaf.”

“Daaad!” she complained.

Heinz laughed at her childish pout. She tried maintaining it for a few seconds, but it soon gave way to giggling. Then her eyes landed on the TV screen. She clambered over his leg for the remote, Heinz wincing as her hand dug into his skin.

Vanessa unmuted the TV, and a saccharine pop tune played. On-screen, two girls strapped their dolls in a stroller and walked around the house. She paid rapt attention, her mouth open in amazement. She’d never been this interested in dolls before. She usually gravitated to coloring utensils. She liked hogging the darker colors for herself while leaving him with the lighter ones that barely showed up on white paper.

Heinz suspected she did it on purpose.  

“Search for the perfect doll, Mary McGuffin! Now available at a store near you!”

“See, Dad? Can you buy me that doll please?” Vanessa begged. Her eyes were wide and pleading. “You’ll be the world’s greatest dad if you do!”

“World’s greatest dad?” Heinz echoed, knowing he didn’t deserve the title even if he did buy the doll. Yet his ego preened at the idea.

He’d already made so many mistakes raising Vanessa, and she wasn’t ten yet! Sometimes he had trouble recognizing her if she wasn’t wearing black or another dark color, and too often he thought she was hurt when she wasn’t actually hurt.

Some father he was.

But Vanessa thought he deserved it. She believed he could do it. And all it took was a little doll.

“How about we go to the mall tomorrow and look for this…Terry McGuffin?” Heinz suggested.

“Okay! And it’s Mary McGuffin,” Vanessa corrected. Her smile didn’t fade though.

That had to be proof he was doing something right.

When Vanessa’s attention returned to the echidna documentary, Heinz used his phone to look for an image of the Mary McGuffin doll so he had something for reference. There were a ton of dolls out on the market and they all looked the same to him. There wasn’t anything that made Mary McGuffin stand out.

Blonde hair, green dress, cutesy appearance. Fairly standard.

He scrolled down further, and the pictures changed from promotional material to screenshots of news bulletins.

FIGHT IN SEATTLE OVER MARY MCGUFFIN DOLL: TWO INJURED

DANGEROUS HOLIDAY SEASON! HOTTEST DOLL SPARKS CRAZE

TOY STORE WORKER HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING TRAMPLED AT OPENING

Vanessa was too engrossed in the documentary to notice what he was reading. Heinz set his phone down, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

This could go well and he’d be the World’s Greatest Dad, or this could go horribly wrong and he’d be the World’s Greatest Blunder of a Dad.

But for Vanessa’s sake, he had to try.

A/N: Ferb mentions the fighting over Mary McGuffin caused it to get pulled from market, so I thought it would be fun to include a little of that here. In the US (I don’t know what happens in other countries), typically around Black Friday up through Christmas, the media bombards us with headlines about how some people get injured cause of toys, towels, TVs, or any other product you can name. Sometimes they get hospitalized, others get arrested. On rare occasions, people get killed.

Be nice to your retail workers and don’t do this.

Before Perry, Heinz probably talked to his reflection a lot. Or the empty air. Or inanimate objects. Also does the thing where you fill in the other side of the conversation too.

[chicagolove88]

“September saw a month of tears. And thankin' God that you weren't here”

Characters: Dean x reader, OMC, OFC, OFC, Sam, Ketch

Word Count: 3069 sorry its hella long. I gotta going and couldn't stop

Warnings: Fluff, mentions of cheating, pregnancy, miscarriage, angst I guess

Written for @anotherwaywardsister summer challenge! I apologize if it is terrible. I am not a great writer and just wanted to give it a shot!

September.

It was always your favorite month in previous years. It contained everything that you loved- your birthday, fall, bonfires,the start of football and hockey season.  It was the month that you fell in love not for the first time but for the best time, now it all reminds you of the month that you lost everything that mattered. Now all it brings every year is heartbreak and bad memories.

As the leaves began to change and the nights got cooler, you tried to forget what month it was as you and your best friend Haylee continued through campus back to the sorority house that you both lived in. There was a crisp fall wind that was blowing through on this friday afternoon. “Shit dude it is getting chilly out but you know what that means” Haylee says to you as you look at her and smirk. Of course you knew what that meant. It meant tailgating tomorrow for the football game was going to be how the good Lord intended football tailgating to be like and not in the sweltering heat like these past years in Texas. “Oh come on Hayls we all know that our alcohol blankets will be keeping us plenty warm tomorrow no matter what” you say as you bump her shoulder. She chuckles and flips her blonde hair over her shoulder as you two continue on your way as Haylee continues chattering about the game tomorrow and how Cameron her boyfriend, our starting defenseman, was not paying enough attention to her during the week because he has been so focused on the game. You look up from your phone just as you two were about to pass the hockey house on the edge of campus when you saw something that knocked the wind right out of you. That damn black 1967 Chevy Impala which only meant one thing. Dean was in town and you don't know if your heart can take this right now.

All of the feelings that you’ve been pushing down over the past year started rising backup and you could feel the tears starting to form in your eyes. You didn’t realize that you had stopped heard Haylee scream your name and start walking back towards you. “Dude, what’s wrong with….” she starts to say and abruptly ends as she sees what you are staring at. “What the hell is he doing back here? Cam never said Sammy said anything about Dean coming back for the weekend”. Two years. You successfully dodged Dean for a year every time he was in town but now it doesn't matter. You knew deep down this weekend you were eventually going to come face to face with the man that broke your heart. You were a tough girl so you told yourself to put your game face on and tore your gaze away from the house and the car that Dean so fondly called Baby. “Come on Hayls lets go” as you begin walking pulling her arm as you walked past her. When you finally got back to the sorority house, you sprinted upstairs to the room that Haylee and you shared in the house and collapsed on your bed. You weren’t sure if you fully made it onto your bed before you started sobbing.

You had met Dean the beginning of your sophomore year in the middle of August. You both were in General Psych together. By some stroke of luck or laziness, you were running late to Psych and ended up sitting by him on the first day and that same day your professor made you partners on an assignment due mid-September. You couldn’t believe you were partnered with the captain and star center of your schools hockey team. Every time Dean would see you on campus he’d wink at you or say “Hi Princess” to you. It made you blush and a lot of other girls jealous. You never thought anything of it until one night at a party at the hockey house. Some dude was trying to hit on you and wouldn’t take no for an answer. The jerk tried to grab you when you walked away and Dean almost knocked his lights out right then and there. It was the first week of September and you found yourself pinned up against a wall making out with the star center. It was the first week of September when Dean learned how to make you scream the way he liked. That night of the party after you two had finished, you went to go leave. Dean softly touched your arm and said for you to stay. You couldn’t explain why it felt so right so you grabbed one of his old Zeppelin T-shirt to sleep in and curled up besides him. Dean never told you but sleeping next to you was the best sleep he ever got. Like he finally found what was missing all his life. By the second week of September you were a frequent at the hockey house and we’re officially dating Dean Winchester. By the last week of September you knew you loved him and though Dean never told you,he knew he loved you then too. Even though you waited three more weeks to tell him. You two just seemed to click even though you both were strong willed and tough. He was sweet and gentle with you. You knew that no love you had before this had felt like this.

You and Dean had been together a year. A year of long distance. He had been drafted by the Dallas Stars the June of his sophomore year but got the invite to training camp that June. You had never been so proud to be there with him when he got the call, to help him pick out the apartment that would eventually be both of yours in Dallas. Or so you thought. Long distance was beginning to take its toll. Even though Houston was only three hours from Dallas , it still felt like a million miles away between your internships over the summer and Dean in training camp and workouts all the time, but the short times that you two spent together were passionate and enough to make up for the distance. Even if they were short lived, but recently those times have become shorter and shorter. Dean stopped texting back and was always busy it seemed like. August came and another school year started and you noticed something wasn’t right. You felt sick all the time and were continuously throwing up in the morning until two weeks later Haylee convinced you to take a pregnancy test. Two pink lines stared back at you after the two minutes. This wasn’t how this was suppose to happen. When did anything go the way it was suppose to happen with you though. How were you going to tell Dean? He already had too much on his plate. Dean was coming in that weekend for the hockey game so he could see Sammy play and to celebrate your anniversary that was later in September but he would be gone for a game. It was not the ideal time to tell him, but you had to. As the week dragged on, you kept thinking of ways to tell Dean about this. Soon Friday rolled around and Dean was back on campus. You heard the low rumble of Baby outside your window and headed downstairs. Once outside, you ran to Dean who was leaning against the passenger side door and he swooped you off your feet into one big hug. “I missed your princess” you heard him say as he kissed the top of your head. “I missed you too D” you said as you place a kiss on his lips. “Come on let’s go get food” he said as he opened the car door for you to get inside. You decided now or never was the time to tell him. “Actually, D we need to talk it's really important. Can we go to our spot?” you ask him nervously. “Yeah honey that's fine. Is everything ok?” he asked as he goes to shut the door and you just nod because it really isn't but you don't know what to say in place of that.Deans hand is on your leg the entire ride to the lake that you guys always went to.

Once there you got out of Baby and walked around sitting on the hood as Dean stood in front of you. “Baby girl whats wrong? You kinda have me  freaked out a little” Dean said. You took a breathe knowing that this was the time “Dean, I’m pregnant. I took multiple tests and they all came back positive. I know this is like really crappy timing but I don’t know things don't happen the way that they are suppose to” you say as you look back at Dean. There was a moment of silence between the two of you as you look at Dean. “What the hell. This is the last thing that I need right now Y/N! How can this be happening” he says as he turns around putting his hands behind his head. All it did was elicit a shrug from you because you didn’t know what to say. “Are you like really sure about this y/n?” he asked drawing my attention from my hands that all of the sudden became very interesting. “Pretty damn positive Dean.Three pregnancy tests and a missed period pretty much solidifies that this happening.” you said back. What he said next still shocks you to this day. “Are you sure that it’s even mine. I mean come on it had been over a month and half since we have slept together. How do I know that you didn’t get drunk and hook up on accident with one of those frat boys you worked with at the internship. You seemed pretty friendly with them in your snapchats and instagrams” he said. “ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW DEAN?” you screamed. “ You are seriously going to sit here and accuse me of cheating on you? Seriously?! You are the ones that has been hanging out with models and cheerleaders. Maybe I should be the one questioning you about that. You've stopped returning texts and have been hanging up on me when people walk in the room.” you shouted at him. “Oh get over yourself. I’m not cheating on you. I just cant talk all the time like I use too. I have important things I have to do.” he shouted back. “Important things? LIKE WHAT? I mean seriously I think after a year I warrant a reply on a text!” you said back to him as you start crying. You were pissed and were almost to the point of seeing red. “Jesus Christ Y/N I have things with coaches and practice. THOSE TYPE OF IMPORTANT THINGS” he said as he starts pacing in front of the Impala. Tears were streaming down your face as he was yelling things at you  “Shut up Dean. Just shut up!” you kept saying as he was yelling still. “Y/N” he says as he took a deep breathe and looked at you. “This isn’t working anymore. I can’t do this. I’ll do whatever you need for the baby and I’ll be as active as I can but I can’t do this with you anymore. All we do is fight anymore. We’re both two strong of personalities”. Your world in that moment came crashing down around you as you began to sob harder as you sat on the hood of the car. In one swift motion, you jumped off the hood of the impala and began walking the opposite direction as Dean grabs your arm. You just shrug him off and turn around “Fuck you Dean Winchester. Leave me alone and leave this kid alone. I dont want your help. I will find my own ride back, wouldn't want to burden you.” you said and turn around and continue walking. Pulling out your phone you call Haylee and when she picks up you just begin to sob eventually getting out the question of asking her to come pick you up and where you were. Her and your other best friend Kenzie hugged you all night as your cried into your pillow as in the first week of September your world came crashing down around you. You thought that it couldn't get any worse until the third week of September on a Tuesday might and it did. Something again wasn’t right and you kept feeling sharp pains in your sides and all throughout your stomach. You just thought that it was stress on the baby and kept going upon your day, until it wasn’t. Until you passed out and woke up in a hospital room. Until you learned that you had a miscarriage and they were going to release you. Haylee and Kenzie hugged you again all night as you cried on your bathroom floor. The next day you picked up your phone and called a name that you had been trying not to think about in weeks and left a voicemail. D, its me. I just wanted to let you know that I miscarried last night. I know I shouldn’t  be telling you on a voicemail but i think if i heard your voice right now because it’ll just hurt me even more. I’m sorry for the way that we ended, but I guess this is a burden off of you now. Good luck with hockey and life. I’ll be cheering for you. Love you. Always have and always will. Bye.  You cried even harder after you got off the phone. The best and worst mistake you ever made was Dean Winchester and you knew that your best love didn’t get to be your last one.

Over the course of the school year, you successfully had dodged Dean every time he had come in to see his brother thanks to a few heads up from some friends. He tried to call you a couple times but you always declined it. He never left a voicemail and eventually he stopped trying. Dean’s team made it to the Stanley Cup Finals and lost. It broke your heart to see him cry on tv. You even dated another guy named Ketch but it didn’t work out. Nothing he did ever seemed to live up to Dean Winchester and it hurt you every time. Junior year came and went and no matter what people say, time does not heal all wounds.

Haylee and Kenzie came in sometime while you were crying and eventually one of them cleared their throat. “Girl, you know I’ll punch him for you but please please don’t let him ruin this weekend for you. It’s your senior year.” Kenzie said. You just shook your head and said “I know. I agree”. “I’m going for a drive I’ll be back later” as you grab your keys to your Jeep Wrangler and hop in. You ended up by the lake. You didn’t intend to come here but somehow you auto piloted here. You got out and climb up onto the hood of your Jeep and laid in the sun. Popping headphones in you began listening to some Eric Church. Dean hated country and always made fun of you for loving it but you didn’t care. Slowly you began humming Springsteen as it came on. You thought you heard tires crunching on the dirt road behind you but you ignored it. Still humming you after a couple minutes you swear you heard a door slam so you open your eyes. Shading your eyes from the sun you see the last car you want to see right now, a black Chevy Impala. You knew you were going to have to face this some time this weekend, so you quickly pop your headphones out as you see Dean approaching your Jeep. “Knew I could find you here. You always did love it out here” he said looking at the lake. “Yeah it’s calm here. I like it.” you answered back to him. “Why are you here Dean? You didn’t need to come back. Not this year. Please don’t ruin my senior year. I spent all of junior year trying to get over you” You said as you slid off the hood of your Jeep and jump down. “Did it work? Did you get over me? Because if you did can you tell me how you did because I’m not over you” Dean said quietly behind you. Hearing those words made you start crying so you just shook your head no. “Princess, I don’t know what that head shake means. No you’re not over me or no you won’t tell me?” He said as he takes a step towards you. “No I’m not over you Dean. Never will be” you whispered as you felt him hug you from behind making you cry harder. He spun you around so you were facing him as he leaned up against the hood of the Impala “I’m sorry y/n. I’m sorry I freaked out last year on you. I panicked. I didn’t want it to be real. There was too much going on. I’m sorry that you felt you couldn’t call and talk to me. I’m sorry I didn’t come when you were in the hospital that night or any night after that. I drove here ya know? Sammy called me when Cam told him after Hayls was in hysterics that you were in the hospital. I sat outside and stared at the building until I watched you walk out when you were released. I'm sorry I didn’t fight harder when you walked away. I didn’t think you’d actually walk away.  ” Dean says as you continue crying. Your damn near hysterical at this point. A year. A year is all it took for him to finally say what needed to be said. “I’m sorry too. For the way everything played out and for not fighting back. I just couldn’t at that moment.” You said in between sobs into his shoulder as he pulls you into a hug. “I missed you princess. Every single night. Dallas isn’t the same without you. When we lost in the finals last year all I wanted to do was call you but I couldn’t” Dean said to you as you wiped your eyes dry. “Yeah I watched. I cried when they showed you tearing up on tv. But you know if you would have just went top shelf on that last shot you probably would have tied the game” you said back to him as you stand shoulder to shoulder with him leaning against the Impala. You feel him shove your shoulder and you smile a little. It reminds you of old times. After a couple minutes of silence you hop up on Baby’s hood and turn to look at Dean. “D, can I ask you a question?” You ask as he stand in The Sun with his eyes closed. Hmm is all you hear him murmur in response. “Do you think we’d ever work out? Like actually make it all the way without a dumb fight?” You ask while staring at the lake. It seemed like forever until you heard him answer. “I think” dean says as he moves to where he’s facing you in between your legs, “that we would be unstoppable. I think we’d be able to tackle whatever came towards us” he said as he leaned in to you. Forehead to forehead staring in each other’s eyes when a next question came in to your head but before you could ask it, you felt Deans lips crash onto yours. As your tongues worked together, you let out a small moan. Over a year since you had been kissed this way and you missed every second of it with every fiber of your being. Dean broke away from the kiss and you gave him a little bit of a pouty face. “Oh don’t pout come on serious question time” he says as he grabs your hands. “Fine but I liked our previous activity better than this. What’s the question?” “Wanna give us. This whole crazy thing another shot. I promise no more crazy yelling this time”. You nod and say “Hell yeah” before you lean in for another kiss.

Five years later:

September.

It was the month you fell in love, lost that love, and gained that love back. Dean and you had been together over four years now since your senior year. You’ve had your ups and downs but you got through them. The past summer had been a whirlwind. Haylee and Cameron had their first kid and you were trying to help out as much as you can. Sammy ended up getting traded last off-season to the Stars so him and Dean got to play on the same team. You had never seen Dean so happy as he was when he stepped onto the ice the first time with Sam. Sam's girlfriend Jess made fun of you as you cried a little. On a late September weekend , Dean insisted that you guys back to Houston to your old alma mater. The last night you were there, he insisted that you two go for a drive. So you jumped in Baby to please him and watched as The Sun began to go lower in the sky. Dean seemed jumpy. “Babe what’s wrong you’re all nervous.” You say to him as you pat his face. “No I’m not. I’m fine” he says. “MHMM sure but if you’re taking me somewhere to kill me I’m sure they’ll eventually find me. Hopefully” you say back to him as you stare out the window. Soon you see the lake and Dean pulls up and parks the car. He gets out leaving the headlights on. You follow him out of the car and watch The Sun start setting over the lake. Dean pulls you in front of the car holding your hands standing face to face. “Y/N I love you. I love you so much. I know that we’ve had our ups and downs way more than anyone else in this crazy thing called life. But I don’t want to do this without you. Ever. I want to come home to you every night and call you when I’ve had a bad game. I want to put our children in the Stanley Cup hopefully one day. I want to grow old and by a bunch of dogs with you. Will you marry me?” Dean asks as he get down on one knee. “YOU BET YOUR ASS I WILL” You say in response as he slips the ring on your finger. This September you cried tears of happiness.

[softfics9]

Post-Its - Chapter 5/5

Fandom; SF9

Main Pairing; Kim Youngbin/Kim Inseong

Side Pairings; Kim Seokwoo|Rowoon/Baek Juho|Zuho

Genre; Fluff, Slow Burn, College AU

Trigger Warnings; Mentions of alcohol, hinted past emotional abuse

Word Count; 2,624

Rating; PG-13

Beta’d; No

Cross-Posted on; AO3

Other Chapters; Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

Authors Notes/Closing Comments; So this was my first full length chaptered fic! I hope you enjoyed it! I am working on four more fics in this universe (I wanted to make them one-shots but it hasn’t turned out that way). I’ll be going back to university myself in a week so I may not get as much written in that time, but I would like to keep writing as much as possible! Thank you for reading <3

The days seemed to pass by dreadfully slowly until the following Friday came around. Youngbin often caught himself drifting off in the middle of lectures, thinking about what his housemate would be like in person. He had looked up quite a few recipes for meals he would be able to make, and with Seokwoos help had finally narrowed it down to two options that were relatively simple. The three youngest accompanied him to the supermarket that weekend after the dance club finished up their practice, he was going to get all the necessary ingredients for both dishes and just let Inseong decide on the night. “He doesn’t have any allergies right hyung? Or any aversion to certain foods?” Taeyang was always looking out for things like that, but Youngbin assured him that Inseong loved all foods and had no allergies. They had confirmed things like that when they started doing grocery lists together, to make sure neither of them would have a bad reaction to anything they brought into their apartment. It really was so domestic, and Youngbin couldn’t wait until he finally would be able to put a face to the name, and a voice to the notes on their fridge.

Inseong was having second thoughts about agreeing to the whole dinner thing, just the two of them alone in their apartment. Not because he didn’t want to meet Youngbin, not at all, but rather because of how useless he felt. Youngbin had already said he was going to cook, and had two options in mind, so all that was left for Inseong to do was show up. It was Wednesday and he was lying in the middle of his bedroom floor with his entire wardrobe scattered around him. He had spent the last two hours trying to decide what he was going to wear since it was very important to him that he looked good. Kim Youngbin was gorgeous, Inseong had seen him in the start of term dance open in his sleeveless tank top and shorts, and his arms and legs were no joke. That was before he knew they were actually living together and thinking back on it made it even worse.

“Sanghyukkie~ I need help choosing what to wear on Friday. What time are you finished classes today?”

In his desperation, he rang his friend, Jaeyoon would have been more of a help in the realm of fashion but he was away on a university field trip today and so could not come and help him out.

“Hyung you know I stay late to work in the radio club on Wednesday, you’ve got loads of really nice clothes and it’s just a casual dinner. Why are you stressing so much? I gotta go ok? Don’t forget to eat before work!”

He sighed as his youngest friend ended the call and threw his phone onto the pile of shirts beside his bed. There was no reason for him to be worrying so much, that was true, but first impressions were important and Inseong really wanted his housemate to look at him and think “Woah”. There was nothing he could do with what he currently had, he would just have to go shopping before work tomorrow instead. With that decided he spent the next half hour diligently cleaning up his self-made mess and got ready for work. On his way out the door, as an afterthought, he grabbed a small shopping bag to bring with him. If Youngbin was going to be making the food, then the least he could do was supply them with some alcohol. At least that way if things got awkward they had a backup plan.

Friday arrived none too soon and Youngbin was a nervous wreck. He hadn’t been able to concentrate at all and for the first time in his four years, he skipped out on his afternoon lectures for reasons other than illness or dance practice. He didn’t have the capacity to feel guilty though, as he was poring over the two recipes again to make sure he had absolutely everything. It was weird being in the apartment during the day he decided, he hadn’t gotten to think about it much when he was here scrambling to write a Post-It the week before, but it felt very strange. Youngbin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, there was nothing else he could do other than wait for Inseong to get back. The situation he was in suddenly struck him and the nervous butterflies increased ten-fold. He was never here during the day, he only ever arrived back after Inseong had left for work, his housemate was going to be home from his classes any minute and would not be expecting him there, it was another two hours before they were supposed to meet. Youngbin decided he would wait it out in the library and was just out of the kitchen when the front door opened.

A guy he could only assume was Inseong walked in through the front door of the apartment, and Youngbin felt his breath hitch at the sight before him. His housemate had soft brown hair that fell across his forehead in a fringe. He was wearing the cutest round glasses and was dressed simply in a white t-shirt, oversized black cardigan and jeans. He had headphones on so hopefully didn’t hear Youngbins gasp of surprise. When he looked up, a pair of intelligent brown eyes met his and for a split second the world stopped spinning.

Inseong screamed, not in fright but more from the shock and embarrassment of the situation. He had thought he would have at least an hour when he got back from his classes to get ready to meet Youngbin. Yesterday he had dragged his two friends out to buy new clothes and had come home satisfied with an outfit that he felt said “classy but cool”. But now here he was standing in their entry hall, wearing his glasses and a casual outfit in front of the guy he’s had on his mind 24/7 this last week. And he looked stunning, a three-tone knitted sweater, with a pair of jeans, and his hair falling casually across his forehead. It was unfair and his loud mouth decided screaming was the best response to the situation. It really wasn’t and Youngbins face creased with worry and what seemed like guilt at his reaction. Before he could even get his head back to normal, suddenly Youngbin had crossed the space between them, and all Inseong could see were his pink lips moving and hear violins in his head. He then realised he still had his headphones on, and his cheeks flushed pink in more embarrassment.

Youngbin had panicked when the guy across from his screamed and the only logical response his body could think of was to move closer, he ended up closer to Inseong than was necessary and while he had stopped screaming Youngbin couldn’t help but stare at his pretty lips. Then his housemates hands had come up in front of his face and his attention was drawn upwards, to where nervous eyes were staring at him as he took his headphones down from his ears.

“Um, hi? I’m Inseong.”

His voice was lower than Youngbin expected, and it was soft and velvety, there was a slightly husky quality to it too. There was a strange aching in his chest and the sudden desire to ask Inseong to sing to him, but he hurriedly shook that thought away. Then he realised he had been staring and not replied and felt himself turn bright red.

“Oh yeah um, hi. I’m Youngbin your housemate, you probably figured as much, but you screamed and I just wanted to assure you I didn’t break in or something.”

Inseong was slightly taken aback by how soft and raspy his housemates voice was, it was certainly not what he had expected from someone who held a leadership role. Although he was surprised, there was a desire to hear more and more of his voice.

“Yeah, I guessed so. I just honestly wasn’t expecting you to be here that’s all. I’m sorry if I frightened you.”

“No no I wasn’t frightened, just worried about you.”

Youngbin smiled sheepishly and Inseong laughed a little as he scratched the back of his neck. They were finally meeting face-to-face after almost two months of living together and while it was a relief, there was an obvious awkwardness in the air.

“Ahem – well why don’t I just go put away my bag and that and we can discuss the plan for dinner?”

It was so tense, and both of them could feel it although neither knew what the other was thinking. Youngbin nodded and went to go move himself back towards the kitchen, shuffling his feet as he went. Inseong gladly escaped into his room and threw his stuff down onto his bed, he felt like crying. There was no way he would be able to get changed without it seeming suspicious, and he didn’t want Youngbin thinking he saw this as a date or anything. He quickly freshened up by washing his face and putting on a bit of makeup that showed off his cat-like eyes, and shot a distress text to his friends. This was going to be a longer night than expected and he needed them to be prepared for an intervention.

Youngbin heard the door to Inseongs room shut and immediately dropped to the floor, his heart was racing so fast he was surprised it hadn’t been heard by the other. After taking a few shaky breaths he sent a possibly incoherent string of messages to the group chat before attempting to fix his hair a bit. He stood awkwardly by the ingredients he had bought and waited. While he was waiting he couldn’t help but let his mind wander to his housemate. He was definitely one of the most beautiful guys Youngbin had ever met, and that’s saying something after being to one of Seokwoos fashion club meetings before, where he had met an actual angel by the name of Cha Eunwoo. But Inseong just looked so casually handsome, and yet incredibly intelligent at the same time, and Youngbin knew he was a goner.

When his housemate came back out and into the kitchen Youngbin swore he felt the breath knocked out of him again. There weren’t any noticeable differences to his outfit, but his glasses were gone and eyes looked so sharp and piercing, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. Inseong may have smirked a little at the open-mouthed look Youngbin was giving him, and thought that perhaps he had a chance after all.

Dinner actually turned out to be a very enjoyable affair, after deciding on which of the two dishes they wanted to eat Youngbin quickly set to work. Inseong offered his assistance by chopping vegetables and handing over the required cooking utensils, but for fear of somehow poisoning the food he refrained from doing any of the actual cooking. They got the chance to make small talk during the process, learning a little more about what they studied and family life. Youngbin talked animatedly about his dancing and Inseong retold stories from his year living in London.

As they were getting ready to sit down, meal fully prepared and two hungry stomachs grumbling, Inseong pulled out a bottle of white wine from the fridge, cocking his eyebrow cheekily. Youngbin laughed and nodded enthusiastically, they didn’t need alcohol to help the conversation but it would be a nice accompaniment to their food. One glass turned to two and then three, and while neither of them were drunk there was a freer way of speaking between them. They decided that the dishes could wait until the next day to be done, and Youngbin made his way over to flop face first onto the couch. It had been a perfect evening, the two getting to know each other and chatting like old friends about past experiences. He was content to just lay there and let the alcohol buzz through his system when something cold touched his cheek.

“I knew you went to bed early, but it’s only nine in the evening, you’re not falling asleep on me just yet are you?”

There was a playful tone to Inseongs voice, and when he turned his head he saw the taller man crouching beside the couch with several bottles of soju in hand. He had a wicked grin on his face and Youngbin felt hot all of a sudden. But he could hold his alcohol pretty well, at least by his friend’s standards, and there was no way he would turn down such an obvious challenge. Not to mention, it would be more time spent getting to know his housemate so he was not going to refuse. He swung himself into a seated position on the couch and patted the newly available space next to him. Inseong was not expecting the daring grin on his housemates face, but it could only mean good things. So he plopped himself down, possibly closer than Youngbin was expecting and definitely closer than necessary, but he was on a high from the food and the wine and the positive feeling he got from their time together so far, and didn’t want it to end just yet.

“A toast then, to finally meeting each other after so long.”

Youngbin raised his bottle to that, and they both took a big swig, for courage. The bitter alcohol burned its way down his throat but it was enough to keep him grounded in the moment. The further into their bottles they went, the more personal the conversation became, telling stories that few others knew of. Youngbin opened up about Youjin, who his friends knew about, but also Seungjun, someone they didn’t, recalling his first time actually sleeping with another guy and the hurt he felt when he realised he had been used. Inseong in turn told him of Johnny but also about Jaehyun, and a trip to Oido that he had never shared with anyone before. It was private and personal, and the pair felt themselves growing closer as the night progressed. Eventually they reached the end of the stash, and both a little more than tipsy they called it a night. As they were about to part ways at their respective rooms, Youngbin grabbed Inseong by the wrist.

“I really had a great evening with you, it was nice getting to know you better and just talk.”

“Yeah it was, I’m glad we’ve gotten close enough to share personal things like we did.”

Inseongs voice dropped lower under the influence of alcohol, and Youngbins soft raspy tones were close to inaudible. But in the little space between them, they heard everything and felt the bond that was something more than just friendship become solidified. As they both nodded and moved away, Inseong couldn’t stop himself from saying something stupid.

“You know, I’ve kept them all. The Post-Its I mean.”

There was an unreadable emotion in Youngbins eyes as he turned to look at him, but he smiled softly and tilted his head to the side.

“Me too. Goodnight Inseong.”

When the two bedroom doors and their occupants lay down in bed, all was quiet and peaceful in the apartment. Only now, the awkwardness and nervous energy that had been bouncing around since the start had dispersed, and was replaced by a more intimate bond and understanding. They would both make more time to see each other, they knew that much. But what they didn’t know yet, was how much they would make their little time count.

[oldassfuck]

Jealousy ~ Pt. 2 of ‘Nightmares’

Part 1: https://undercovermarauder.tumblr.com/post/159411456294/nightmares

Pairing: Young! Sirius Black x reader

Requested: sort of, in the comments

Warnings: none

Word count: 1265

A/N

Here it is! One day early! I have been working on it and I feel like it’s way better than the first part, although be sure that the story isn’t over yet and that there are a lot more parts coming up!

  It was here: the Graduation dance was merely a month away, so close, yet so far away. Every 7th year was looking forward to it, and so was (Y/N) Lawson. Although she was definitely one of the most wanted girls in her year, her four best friends scared away nearly every boy that wanted to ask her to the dance, until, Thomas Smith, probably the hottest boy in her year, right after Sirius Black of course, set is eyes on her.

 He asked her to be his date one Friday afternoon, when she was running towards the Guidditch field because she was late for practice.

“Hey, Lawson!” she heard a voice behind her

“Smith? What is it?” she asked “Have- have you been following me out here?”

“Yes, and damn you run fast..” he said, panting, causing her to chuckle “I was wondering if you wanted to be my date to the dance next month?”

‘It’s not like Sirius will ever ask me, so why not, I mean, Merlin knows he’s gorgeous and it’s just one dance’ she thought “Sure thing!”

“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow..” he added, and left in a rush

(Y/N) was confused by the act, why leave so suddenly? Her answer came seconds later, when she heard James’ voice from behind her.

“So this is where you have been and are late for practice, huh?” he asked

“I-uh, I’m sorry James, its just that Thomas, he called after me and..”

“Huh, so my eyes weren’t deceiving me?” said Sirius who had just arrived at the scene “And might I ask, what did he want with you?”

“He uh, he asked me to be his date to the dance” she said, waiting for the outburst

“Your date? YOUR DATE?” shouted Sirius “And what did you say?”

“I said yes”

“WHAT! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF A PLAYER THAT GUY IS!” said Sirius

“and you’re one to talk, the infamous Sirius Black, I bet girls are lining up to be your date to the dance huh?!” the truth is, you were getting pretty mad, you could date whoever you wanted to

“stop trying to change the subject!” said Sirius

   You were ready to say something back, but luckily, James separated you two before things could get any worse.

“stop it, we’ll talk about this later, now come on, we’ve only got half an hour left for practice”

You both grunted, but stopped talking never-the-less. It was going to be a long  practice.

–~–~–

Practice was finally over, and you, James and Sirius headed back towards the castle.

“Look, (Y/N) we’re just looking out for you, that’s all. I mean, Smith has a history of relationships and every single one of them ended with the girl being heart-broken!” said James

“Well, so does Sirius, but it’s not like you tell him to stop do you?” you said, entering the Common room

“But it’s not like I’d date you!”

   You turned to Sirius, giving him the nastiest look you could master, before running upstairs towards the girls dormitories.

SIRIUS POV

   “That came out wrong…” I said “Wait, (Y/N), I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Idiot!” I heard three voices behind me,

“Guys, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Look, mate, we all know you like her!”

“I don’t!” I tried to defend myself

“Yeah right!” scoffed Peter

“Wa-“

“Look, Sirius, James merely tried to help her, protect her from a heartbreak, but your reaction.. That was something a lot different!” said Remus

“Exactly… I think you’re jealous of Smith mate…” said James

“I do not like her, okay! I mean yes, she is pretty, and strong, and smart, and funny, and her smile is beautiful, and isn’t afraid to put someone in their place when they deserve it, and she’s a great witch..” I hadn’t realized I was stating every single reason so as to ehy I did like her, but there was no way I would tell them that

“Mmmmhmmm..” said James

“Mate, you don’t just like her, you love her, and you know it!” said Remus

  I huffed, understanding that they wouldn’t be giving up anytime soon “Fine, I may be jealous of Smith…” “I KNEW IT!” exclaimed James “Moony, you owe me 5 galleons!”

“Wait, you betted on this?!”

“Yeah, how long it would take you to tell us. I really thought you would last longer y’know…” said Remus

”You’re unbelievable! I’m going to bed!” I said

(Y/N)’S POV

  I have been crying for what seems like hours now, but it can’t be more than half an hour. Lily, Marleen and Alice wouldn’t be back for another hour at least, since they were working on a divination essay, a subject, that luckily you didn’t take.

“How could I have been so stupid?” I thought “Why would he ever look at me, when he has every girl he wants just waiting for him? Still though, I thought that maybe, I mean, we are closer than he is with other girls… But Sirius Black doesn’t care about these things, not when he has girls like Marleen practically drooling over him..”  

With these thoughts on my mind, I fell asleep, only to be woken up by the rest of my friends returning to the dorm we shared. They entered, Marleen, then Alice, then Lily. Lily, once she saw my face, understood that it had something to do with Sirius, since she was the only person that knew  about my crush on him.

“(Y/N)! What the hell happened!” asked Marleen when she saw my face

“N-Nothing!” I stammered trying to find an excuse “It’s just that I’m worried, my parents were supposed to write to me today, but they didn’t, and with the attacks getting more frequent…”

“Oh, don’t worry! I’m sure they just have a lot on their mind that’s all!” said alice

“Now, on to a more cheerful subject “ said Lily, understanding both the reason so as to why I was sad and my need to change the subject “I heard Thomas smith asked you to the dance…”

“Man, knew do travel fast around here, but yeah, he did, just this afternoon.”

“Thomas smith! As in the Thomas smith!” asked Alice, and I nodded

“Man you’re lucky!” Said Marleen

“Yeah, not to mention that he is the sex god of Hogwarts!” added Lily, with an cheeky eyebrow wiggle

“Yeah, him and your friend Sirius Black..” added Marleen

“Sirius Black, what’s so great about him anyways?” I ask, all of my anger getting out “He is nothing but a stupid, irresponsible, unkind, unsympathetic TOAD!”

“So-uh, we’re going shopping for dresses tomorrow at Hogsmead, right?” said Lily, quickly changing the subject

“I just need shoes and jewelry, I already have a dress” I said

“OOOOH! Let’s see it then, put it on!” said Alice

“Guys! I really don’t feel like it!”

“NO, you made one mistake by telling us you have it, now you gotta wear it!” said Marleen

“Fine…” I said

  I made my way towards my closet, and pulled out the dress. I got into the bathroom and put it on. I had to admit, that it was really pretty. It was white, with a long neckline that showed just enough cleavage, a black band across the waist, and a split at the bottom that showed a little bit of my leg.

“It’s BEAUTIFUL!” said Lily

“It looks perfect on you!” exclaimed Alice

“YOU LOOK HOT AS HELL!” shouted Marleen

   I chuckled, knowing that whatever happened at the dance next month, I could always count on my friends.