#Ray Thomas was being so sweet for only being there a few seconds (in what was otherwise a pretty scary scene)

[northwestofinsanity]

To what do I owe the pleasure for having not one, but *FOUR* different rock stars, from four completely different bands show up in my dreams throughout my sporadic sleep last night? (Not counting that light sleep and waking up every hour was probably what made me so aware of my dreams.)

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #303

Sun Feb 6 2022 [10:38 PM] Wack'd: Ben is in a mood over Johnny/Alicia stuff still, but for once decides to be a social, reasonable person and see if Reed and Sue wanna hang out [10:38 PM] Bocaj: My god [10:39 PM] Umbramatic: -gasp- [10:39 PM] Wack'd: But then he overhears Sue saying she wants to spend the night alone with Reed and Reed saying they should hang out with Ben so they don't think he's been ditched, and decides if it's gonna be a pity thing he'll just go mope outside [10:39 PM] Umbramatic: aw [10:40 PM] Wack'd: Once outside, he finds Thundra has returned to his time and needs his help! In her time! [10:41 PM] Umbramatic: :O [10:41 PM] maxwellelvis: "Are you sure this ain't just some kinda trick to get to wrassle me again?" [10:41 PM] Wack'd: You might remember Thundra came from a future where women ruled over men and then through a bunch of weird bullshit that future got merged with one where men rule over women to create a perfect heterosexual paradise [10:41 PM] Bocaj: Yeah [10:42 PM] Bocaj: I remembered part of that [10:42 PM] Umbramatic: i kinda recall [10:42 PM] Wack'd: Considering this is something Gerry Conway came up with for her after Thomas left I am...interested...to see Thomas' take on this [10:42 PM] Bocaj: There's two ways to handle a different writer messing up your concepts [10:43 PM] Bocaj: Doing a "yes and" or "nuh uh shut up" [10:43 PM] Wack'd: So the thing Thundra needs help with is that the men have gotten uppity and overthrown the ladies so I guess that perfect heterosexual future collapsed off-panel and/or in someone else's book [10:44 PM] Bocaj: Damn heteros [10:44 PM] Umbramatic: damn them [10:44 PM] Wack'd: Have an infodump and also some fun visuals

[10:45 PM] Umbramatic: ooooh [10:45 PM] Bocaj: Wow. That sure is. Some handwave [10:45 PM] Umbramatic: YEAH [10:45 PM] maxwellelvis: That's now how alpha rays work [10:45 PM] Umbramatic: THE FEMALE WUSSIFICATION BEAM [10:46 PM] Umbramatic: MAKES YOUR ESTROGEN DO THE WIDDLY DIDDLY [10:46 PM] Wack'd: Considering "male" and "female" are fuzzy, social constructs I am. Interested. In how you build a robot that has physical effects on only one party without getting into some real gross territory, but it's the late 80s and Thomas was just ahead of his time in the early 70s, so [10:46 PM] Umbramatic: oof [10:46 PM] Bocaj: It’s a robot champion [10:46 PM] Bocaj: Obviously it only understands binary [10:46 PM] Wack'd: 🥁 [10:46 PM] Bocaj: Thank ya thank ya [10:47 PM] Wack'd: ben these men are already misogynists, i don't think you needed the extra excuse

[10:48 PM] Umbramatic: i mean, it's like a bonus [10:48 PM] Umbramatic: the sweet cherry on top to ben's beat-em up sundae [10:48 PM] Bocaj: The way he says that does sort of imply that he's only begrudgingly here beating up misogynists [10:48 PM] Wack'd: BEHOLD, MALEKIND'S GREATEST CHAMPION

[10:48 PM] Umbramatic: sexy [10:48 PM] Bocaj: Oh geez Goro you let yourself go ro [10:48 PM] maxwellelvis: You beat me to it [10:49 PM] Wack'd: i love this dude. he looks like if popeye moved to the mountains and then fell in a vat of radiation [10:50 PM] Wack'd: man can't we get nonbinary representation that's not robots

[10:51 PM] Wack'd: ...hey wait a second how'd a third pronoun set get into THIS story [10:51 PM] maxwellelvis: What happened to Ben's singlet? [10:52 PM] Bocaj: Thundra hasn't met Vision and learned that artificial beings can have gender. [10:52 PM] Wack'd: I think Buscema either just plum forgot, or Thomas was like "aw I like him in the briefs though" [10:52 PM] maxwellelvis: Buscema drew the last few issues! [10:52 PM] Wack'd: I know [10:52 PM] Wack'd: Maybe he forgot [10:53 PM] Bocaj: Maybe that talk with Franklin talked Ben out of it? [10:53 PM] Wack'd: We'll see next issue I guess [10:54 PM] Wack'd: So in the aftermath of victory over this robot Thundra pops the question [10:55 PM] Wack'd: She likes his sense of humor, she respects him as a warrior, and her empire's expanding and she needs a second in command [10:55 PM] Bocaj: That third thing kicked me in the face [10:55 PM] maxwellelvis: "Ya had me in the first half, I won't lie." [10:56 PM] Wack'd: "Last I looked, you gals had a republic, not an empire." "We have expanded, and as this nation's military commander, I was named its empress." "Couldn't happen to a nicer girl." [10:56 PM] Umbramatic: oh my god [10:57 PM] Bocaj: Career oriented [10:57 PM] Bocaj: Better put a ring on her, Ben [10:57 PM] Bocaj: She'll be beating up suitors with a stick [10:57 PM] Wack'd: Ben appreciates the offer, and considers it considering how miserable his own life is, but ultimately decides it wouldn't be fair to her to marry her as a rebound because he's depressed [10:58 PM] Wack'd: He muses that what he really wants is not to have ditched Alicia for Battleworld and have his old life back [10:59 PM] Wack'd: To which Thundra's like "hey, we've got time travel and my society knows stuff about Secret Wars, I can make that happen" [10:59 PM] Bocaj: They do?? [10:59 PM] Wack'd: I mean she did come back in time to get him to begin with [11:00 PM] Wack'd: Her world is an alternate future, remember? [11:00 PM] Bocaj: I mean the Secret Wars thing [11:00 PM] Wack'd: Oh yeah she's like "we were monitoring it but we weren't there" in what's flagrantly a handwave retcon whatever [11:00 PM] Aleph Null: ‘snot very secret, then? [11:01 PM] Wack'd: I mean the entire city of Columbus Ohio was also there, so I dunno how secret it was to begin with [11:01 PM] Bocaj: Mostly in a marketing sense [11:01 PM] Bocaj: But when the Avengers got back from it, Captain America was like 'eh lets not tell the government' [11:02 PM] Wack'd: Oh right because there was a timeskip and status quo changes and it was like "what precipitated those changes will be a secret unless you read this event comic" [11:03 PM] Aleph Null: so like, the marvel-verse version of my maternal aunt and uncle knew about secret wars [11:03 PM] Aleph Null: the hypothetical version of myself in the marvel universe would have family involved in the events of secret wars [11:03 PM] Wack'd: Yes [11:03 PM] maxwellelvis: They were there [11:04 PM] maxwellelvis: They probably might have known one of the two ladies who became new supervillains during the event. [11:04 PM] Bocaj: God, that'd be wild [11:04 PM] Aleph Null: wild [11:04 PM] Wack'd: So back to this story [11:05 PM] Wack'd: Ben gets astral projected back to the moment he was about to leave for Secret Wars and steps out of the way of the teleportation beam just in time, turns around, goes home, and proposes to Alicia [11:05 PM] Bocaj: I wonder how this will inevitably go wrong [11:05 PM] Bocaj: This has What If written on it [11:06 PM] Wack'd: I think it's just good old fashioned guilt honestly [11:06 PM] maxwellelvis: Johnny will literally never know you did this to him, I say go for it. [11:06 PM] Wack'd: When Reed and Johnny get back from Secret Wars, Ben thinks Johnny looks sad about the wedding news, and speculates that he was already nursing a crush beforehand [11:07 PM] Bocaj: Maybe he's sad about Zsaji, his dead alien girlfriend [11:07 PM] Aleph Null: if i was kidnapped by the beyonder i would simply say no thank you [11:07 PM] Wack'd: And during the ceremony he spots Jen and Wyatt and is like "oh, right, I guess I broke them up retroactively" [11:09 PM] Wack'd: In any case Ben can't live with the guilt, objects himself during that part, you know the one, and then leaves through the wall of the church because he's kind of a drama queen [11:10 PM] Bocaj: Geez Ben [11:11 PM] Wack'd: Thundra has been monitoring Ben in case this happened and pops him back to the real timeline, just in time to avoid a mob of very confused wedding guests [11:13 PM] Bocaj: I bet this split timeline still exists [11:13 PM] Bocaj: Just being a really confusing AU [11:13 PM] Wack'd: And so Ben's learned that he needs to accept the way reality is instead of longing for what could or should have been [11:14 PM] Wack'd: Which, y'know, will be really funny in five years [11:15 PM] Bocaj: Ben learned the lesson, the writers didn't [11:15 PM] Umbramatic: yep [11:16 PM] Wack'd: Next issue begins the year and a half long Englehart administration and I'm sure when this issue was being put together someone asked him, "hey, Bryne kinda left you with the bag, and then Stern did this wedding and pissed off, you want us to fix this for you?" [11:16 PM] Wack'd: And there's a world where Englehart said "that'd be great, thanks" and this issue ended differently [11:18 PM] Wack'd: But Roy Thomas is also, you know, the guy that had Sue blow up at Reed over his sexism and get a trial separation where she tried to figure out who she is without Reed. He's a little cannier than his peers. There's a part of me that likes to think, unlikely as it may be, that he deliberately put together a cautionary tale about retcons and no one listened [11:20 PM] Bocaj: Makes me imagine his disembodied head floating around the marvel officers going "I warrrrrrned youuuu" whenever continuity gets tied into a knot [11:21 PM] Wack'd: Pfft [11:23 PM] Wack'd: Letters! [11:25 PM] Wack'd: Val Hutchinson of U of Kansas is liking how there's tension in the team again and Ben has some angst. I don't disagree but it's gotten a little one-note, which I guess it hasn't had time to yet for some folks as of five issues ago [11:26 PM] Wack'd: Kenneth A Lewis, address withheld by request, likes that Sue's "beautiful long hair" is back and asks Alicia's grow back as well. Ugh [11:26 PM] Umbramatic: yipe [11:27 PM] maxwellelvis: I can see why he'd ask them not to publish his address. [11:27 PM] Umbramatic: otherwise he'd catch these hands [11:27 PM] Wack'd: He also suggests a Fantastic Four lookalike contest, to which whoever responds to these letters remarks "if such a contest was extended to the entire Marvel Universe, it might never end" [11:27 PM] maxwellelvis: I was hoping it was only that first part and that the response would read as very scared and confused. [11:28 PM] Wack'd: Someone is really chomping at the bit for the return of Umbra and Jaagar. For some reason [11:29 PM] Umbramatic: i'm flattered [11:29 PM] Wack'd: Someone wants Sharon Ventura back from Ben's solo, which is neat for them eventually [11:30 PM] Wack'd: And finally the manager of this letter's column politely reminds any prospective letter writers that if you want to subscribe to the magazine please use that address, and not the letters column, please and thank you

[band--psycho]

Newt x Reader-I Trust You

Requested by @ausblack : Where she’s like the new (only) girl in the glade and everyone thinks she’s mute because she never said a word since she came up. The only person who she warms up to is Newt and she eventually speaks to him after the first weeks. They start to spend a lot of time together and they eventually fall in love when someone hurts her accidentally and he gets extremely worried/protective.

Third Person POV

It had been almost a week since the new greenie had arrived. This greenie was different from the rest though, for two reasons; the first, was that she was a girl and the second was that she hadn’t uttered a single word to any of the other gladers since she’d arrived. Everyone had tried talking to her but still the girl remained silent. There was a mixture of frustration and confusion aimed towards her amongst most of the gladers, none of them could understand why she wouldn’t talk to them. Some of them even joked that she should be thrown into the maze to see if she said anything; some people meant it more seriously than others. But none of them would dare act on anything they thought, in fear of being thrown in the maze themselves. Not all of the gladers held resentment towards her though, Newt in particular had quite a shine to her and it didn’t take a genius to work out that she’d grown quite fond of him as well, the two of them were often seen together sitting in the treehouse. Not even he knew her name though.

~~~~~~~

It had been two weeks since the new greenie arrived and still no one knew her name; most people just called her greenie, simply because it was the only thing that they could really call her seeing as her name was still unknown.

A select few though, had taken it upon themselves to start calling her Shank, however much to their frustration the name didn’t seem to bother her. No one knew what to do with her, but one thing was for certain; Gally wanted her gone. He didn’t trust her. Nor did he understand her.

“She doesn’t talk!” Gally roared, exasperated with the direction the conversation had taken. His hands flying up into the air in an obvious display of disbelief and frustration. Jaw clenched and nostrils flared he glares at Newt, who only shook his head in response.

“So what? She hasn’t hurt anybody, she does her job,” yes, she seemed different to everyone else, but that didn’t mean she was a threat. Not like Gally was trying to portray her.

“Well you would say that, wouldn’t you,” Gally scoffed, shaking his head with a humourless laugh.

“And what’s that meant to mean?” His tone was biting, and his temper was rising. He knew he shouldn’t give Gally the satisfaction, that he wasn’t worth it but he couldn’t help himself. The need to protect her - to defend her - was staggering, and he found himself incapable of holding his tongue.

“Oh come on Newt, everyone knows you’ve got the hots for her,” the goading bluntness to Gally’s tone was clear as day, and only serve to poke the metaphorical bear. Seeing this Gally continues with a cruel smirk twisting his lips.

“But she clearly doesn’t feel the same, seeing as she hasn’t said a damn word to you either-“,

“Watch it, Gally,” Newt interrupted with a warning look in his eyes, feeling the anger in his veins veil to a new degree.

“Or what? What’re you gonna do Newt?” Gally taunted, squaring up to Newt, readying himself for a fight, making it clear he wasn’t going to back down.

“Maybe if you were thinking with your brain, you’d see how dangerous she is, and that we can’t trust her,” the sneer on his face made the notion of hitting Gally all the more alluring for Newt. The only thing holding him back at this point being his respect for Alby, however Gally was making the idea more and more tempting by the minute.

“Gally, I swear-” before Newt could finish the impulsive threat, a new voice momentarily sliced through the tension, effectively putting a pause on the situation.

“That’s enough!” Alby’s voice boomed, causing everyone in the hut to go silent as he stepped between Alby and Newt, in an attempt to diffuse the situation. When he was happy neither was going to make a move against him, Alba turned to Gally.

“She’s not hurting anyone, Gally, she’s just…different. Perhaps if you were nicer to her, she might feel like she can trust us enough to talk to us,” Alby postulated with an air of finality in his tone.

“Trust? She’s been here long enough that she should be able to trust us,” Gally argued, backing down from any physical altercation, but wanting his opinion on the matter heard and taken seriously.

“Well maybe if you and the others weren’t constantly taunting her and trying to scare her into talking she’d make the effort,” Alba reasoned in response before looking between both newt and Gally and declaring, “We’re done, this meeting is done. She’s staying, that’s the end of it.” And just like that the meeting was over.

~~~~~~~

Y/n was up in the treehouse as normal, watching the sun slowly rise above the trees, it’s golden rays momentarily reaching all across the glade. It was something she’d found herself doing quite frequently since entering the glade, watching the sunrise and the sunset. Not only was it beautiful to see the sun rise and fall behind the trees as day turned to night and night turned to day, but she found that there was something extremely calming about watching it. Newt often joined her when he could, sometimes the two would sit in silence, watching as the scenes changed before their eyes or Newt would talk to her, telling her about his day, what he’d been doing and sometimes he’d tell her stories about his past, what the glade used to look like and how it used to be when he first arrived. She knew he trusted her, trusted her enough to tell her about the time he tried to end it all; tried to end the pain and frustration this place caused.

As the colours in the sky began to slowly change, her mind wandered to what Gally said last night. How she was dangerous and couldn’t be trusted…

“Hey,” Newt greeted as he sat down next to her, his voice drawing her away from her thoughts. She sent him a small smile, studying his features more, His sandy brown hair and his light blue eyes that she constantly found herself getting lost in. He was different to anyone else here. He was gentle and caring, he made her feel like she belonged here. Newt was talking about his daily plans and once again she found herself getting lost in him. In his voice, his eyes. Him.

And before she could even stop the words she muttered “Y/n.” At the sound of her voice Newt instantly stopped speaking only for her to say ‘My name’s Y/n’ her voice was pure and sweet as if it was from heaven itself; so gentle and angelic, Newt thought he’d wandered into a dream but when she felt his hand on his, he knew this was real. A beaming smile came upon his face, one that soon she was mirroring. The two sat together in silence for a while, both of them processing what had just happened.

“What made you decide to talk to me?” Newt asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“I..um..I heard what Gally said in the meeting,” Y/n answered honestly.

“You know those meetings are private for a reason, right,” he said with a chuckle in his voice as he humorously raised his eyebrows.

“I know, I know...but I wanted to know what he was saying and then I heard you defending me,” realisation dawned over Newt as he thought back to the meeting.

“And then I heard Gally say you have the hots for me,” There it was. Embarrassment washed over him in waves as he tried to work out what to say; yes it was true, he liked her but the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away or make her uncomfortable.

“Y/n-” He stuttered out, searching for something to say.

“Is it true…?” she interrupted, momentarily locking eyes with him until he looked away.

“Newt,” the way she said his name made him feel like he was floating in the air and the soft touch of her hand on his face caused his heart to swell and his cheeks to grow hot as a pink tint came upon. Her hand lightly guided his face back, so they were looking at each other again.

“Yeah, I like you, Y/n,” he admitted, fully prepared for the rejection that was about to hit him, but it never came. Instead the words that left Y/ns lips were, “I like you too, Newt, that’s why I decided to talk to you, I wanted you to see that I trust you..” Newt felt his heart swell with joy at her words, as moved closer towards her and kissed her lightly on the forehead. He put his arm around her, pulling her close as they continued to watch the rest of the sunrise, with smiles on their faces.

~~~~~~~

Thomas’ shouts for help echoed through the glade and seconds later, a terrified Thomas emerged from the forest with Ben chasing him. Y/n attempted to stop Ben in his tracks but before she could even say anything, Ben harshly pushed her out of the way; causing Y/n to hit the ground with a thud. The other gladers,soon gathered and managed to get Thomas away from Ben.Instantly Newt ran to her side, attempting to lift her up slightly, but as soon as he tried to move he noticed the panicked look in her eyes.For a few seconds a pain shot through her head as she tried to focus on the figure infront of her, tried to focus on what he was saying; her blurry eyes could see his mouth moving and she could hear sounds passing from his lips, but she couldn’t work out what the words were, no matter how hard she tried to focus on them. Anxiety washed over Newt as he basically cradled her disorientated form, repeating “Love? Love, can you hear me?” in the calmest voice he could muster, not wanting to scare her. But Alby could see the fear that was burning his closest friend's eyes. Alby silently shooed the crowd around them away, leaving only him, Newt and Clint. After a few moments, Y/ns vision started to focus again, seeing a pair of familiar light blue eyes looking down at her. Slowly, her surroundings began to come back to her and she could feel Newts soft hand on her face, tracing small circles onto her cheek.

“Love? Love can you hear me?” Newt repeated and this time she heard his voice clearly.

“That hurt,” she muttered, quietly groaning as she tried to sit up, slowly Newt, Y/n and Clint all moved to the Medjack hut and after being checked over she was given the all clear, being told that all she needed was rest. Newt never thought he’d find love in the very place he hated. The place he’d tried so desperately to leave before, but as he looked down at Y/ns sleeping form, he felt the butterflies swarming in his stomach and that night, he held her closer than he’d ever done before, whispering into her hair a promise. A promise that he’d always be there to protect her, that he’d never let something like what happened today, happen again.

Tagging:

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[its-me-im-coraline]

Since we were younger // Thomas Raggi

words // 1441

warnings // fluff and angst

pairing // Thomas Raggi x F!Reader

author's note // if you want to be on the tag list let me know. i was planning on putting this photo on some headcannons so if you see it twice in my fics excuse me lol. I actually really fucking loved this trope omg, it came out pretty good! I'm also excited cause i keep writing more and more words as i go with writing fanfiction and yay im excited.

request // yes, here and here

summary // Reader is Victoria’s sister and the same age as Thomas. The two were in the same class in school, always around each other and even more as they grew older. Lots of angsty emotions and mutual pinning later Victoria invites her sister to the Maneskin house were all the secrets come out.

It all started at a young age. They met as kids, maybe around the age of six, never once thinking of each other as anything more than friends. They would play around, yell at each other, get hurt and take care of one another; and all over again went the cycle. The though of love was not in the picture yet, not that they would understand it.

As teenage years rolled around is when they first started seeing the symptoms of feelings in their behaviors. Y/N was the first to notice her feelings, understanding very quickly that she were simply fucked. It was a simple moment, one that under most circumstances would go unnoticed - but that’s how love is, it hits you like a lightning, no warning, no nothing.

It was a Sunday, she remembers that distinctively, it was after the band was all together and grouping us at the home studio to work on their music, inviting some friends over to help them relax after working all day. Victoria had obviously invited her little sister to tag along, knowing very well that even is she didn’t a very tall blonde skinny boy would. It was literally nothing out of th ordinary, Y/N was just sitting next to Thomas, feet dipped in the pool, the moon was up lighting up the space just enough for the two to see each other as they spoke about nothing and everything. The conversation started about foods continuing to games and movies and then fighting over movie characters and in that moment Y/N knew. She caught herself looking at the boy for a little too long, touching her leg to his as they sat too close on the pool side. She found herself longing to be held by him, but she kept it in. She knew that with their career taking off she had no chance to be with Thomas.

Victoria was the second person to figure out that either of the two teenagers had feelings for each other. Not few were the times she would catch her sister stealing glances at the band’s guitarist, or hugging him for longer than anyone else. She also was not blind and she could see how they held each other during those summer nights they spend by the pool, before and during the aforementioned visit. They clung onto each other for dear life, becoming pouty when either had to go for a few minutes. Originally she ignored it writing off as them just being… well, them - considering that that’s how they were together since they were children, until one day the younger girl confided in her when they were back at their own house.

“I think I really like him, Vic.”

“That’s amazing, Y/N! Oh my, that’s good news! Thomas is a good guy-”

“Yeah, but one that does not want me and would struggle to be with me now.”

“Why would he stru-”

“Vic, are you blind?! Do you not see your life right now? You are working like crazy, show here, show there… Dami already had a relationship and he’s struggling to keep up, let alone me with Thomas, on a new relationship,” she rambled, telling herself that this would be the only reason Thomas would not want to be with her; or at least she was trying to convince herself that she really cared about that reasoning.

Victoria said nothing after that, dropping the subject but never forgetting her sister’s thoughts. Instead she opted to observing the two younger teenagers. It was extremely obvious how they harbored feelings for each other, at least until Thomas got into a short-lived relationship.

Y/N was heartbroken, going back to her sister in hopes of calming her mind and tears. Being Thoma’s best friend came with all the complaining about ‘why doesn’t she show that she likes me’ until he asked her out and the ‘she is so amazing, last night this…’ type of conversations. She could not refuse him an outlet to rant, that’s what they did since they were kids, rant about the good and the bad, never judging each other. But this time Y/N could not take it. It all felt too much, feeling the pain of rejection and feeding her own head with insecurities day after day… she broke, in the arms of Victoria.

The third people to figure it out were both Ethan and Damiano. They happened to be sitting next to each other as Thomas stormed in the living room, fuming from his anger, his face being red, ready to burst.

“What’s gotten your knickers in a twist, buddy?” Asked Damiano, always in good spirit but truly surprised at his friends expression.

Thomas looked like he could not possibly get any angrier but that was proven wrong as Damiano finished his question. He slowly turned his head to face him, giving him a glare before huffing and looking at the floor. “She’s dating him.” He spit out the last word as if venom, pointing at a photo on his phone.

It was a photo of Victoria’s sister, sitting on the lap of a boy they both knew in school. Y/N sent it to Thomas while letting him know of her current flirt. She never believed it would become very serious, so she did not think to much of this conversation. Truth be told, she knew Thom was in a relationship which is the reason she looked into dating other people. She kept thinking how she should not stay like that, wallowing in the pain he was so oblivious towards, but her mind would not drift far away.

“Didn’t you go to school with him?” Asked Ethan, more to Damiano than Thomas, knowing the latter was to livid to respond.

“Yes. He’s a year older than them, His name’s Ignazio,” he responded, turning back to the youngest of the three. “So what exactly is your problem. You have a girlfriend.”

Thomas huffed, again, at Damiano’s words, looking down, being truly unaware as to why he even bothered. “He -agh… He just is not good enough for her. I just care for my best friends, you wouldn’t understand.” He pulled his phone out of Ethan’s hands, storming of the room.

At that the two remaining boys shared a knowing look, understanding very well that if Thomas did not figure out his feelings soon, the two would have problems.

The last person to understand was Thomas. It was the latest time the band had gotten to the studio home with their friends. It was right after eurovision, Thomas’ relationship was long broken at that point, Y/N’s as well. This time around the two were sitting at the steps of the patio, cigarette held between trembling hands, as the chilly night took over them. She looked so cold, so vulnerable, so fucked out after spending all day by the pool, swimming and sunbathing. Oh, to be the sun looking down at her, touching her beautiful face with the hot rays. Thomas was infatuated, taken aback by just how wonderful she looked that night, her skin glowing under the moonlight. As she sat there shivering is when Thomas realized he liked her- no, no, was in love with her, and he knew he had to act now.

“Are you cold, dolcessa? I have a jacket you can borrow.”

“I do actually,” she whispered, not sure if it was truly ok for her to even say it.

“Give me a moment, I’ll bring it,” Thomas responded, smashing his cigarette on the tray and practically running inside to bring his jacket.

As he came back he laid the piece of fabric on the girl’s back, making a point of holding her close afterwards, giving her extra warmth. “Is this any better?”

“Perfect,” she sighed, settling into the boy’s arms.

“You know, Y/N… You look absolutely beautiful right now.” He decided to be bold this moment, he couldn’t wait any longer, in fears of any more Ignazios taking her away.

“Oh, do I?”

“You do. I-I just want to say I like you,” he let out, not even thinking of what to say, quickly thinking that his way of expressing it was idiotic.

“You do?”

“I do, Y/N, truly. And it took me too long to realize.”

“Maybe you are a bit clueless, if you think about it,” she laughed, placing her palms on his sweet face. “You sweet, sweet puppy,” she said in a soft tone, all the while eying the man’s lips.

“Well, why don’t you make this sweet puppy very happy and just… kiss me?”

“Maybe I will.”

tag list: @bieberhoodforever @tabi-toast @ginny-lily @moriro-da-regina @the-killer-queenie

[melanielocke]

Lost in the Shadows - Chapter 25

AO3

Taglist: @nott-the-best @foxglove-airmid @alastair-esfandiyar-carstairs1 @justanormaldemon @styxdrawings @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised@alastair-appreciation-month

Previous Chapter: Chapter 24

Next Chapter: Chapter 26

Uncle Jem had brought several of the Carstairs family’s old notebooks, and the past week they’d spend studying them to see if there was anything interesting. They’d rescued Grace, but no one had been able to find Tatiana since, nor did they know what they were up against exactly and if they could defeat it. Cordelia believed cortana could kill it, but walking in with no plan would just get them all killed.

Thomas felt like they were running out of time. He hadn’t told anyone yet, but he felt tired lately, much more than usual. For Alastair that was normal, he guessed, Alastair was always tired and therefore Thomas had no reason to complain. Still, it was odd and sudden. Then he’d gotten a bit of a headache, and right now he struggled to finish his lunch, which was already much smaller than what he usually ate. He’d eaten much less than he usually did the past days, truth to be told. He just didn’t have the same appetite. He was feeling a little chilly too, but guessed he should just put on a cardigan.

‘Are you alright, Tommy?’ his mother asked. ‘You’ve been eating so little lately.’

‘Just nervous, that’s all,’ Thomas said.

The thing was, Thomas didn’t usually eat less when he was nervous. If anything he ate more, he’d always been a stress eater. Instead he figured he was coming down with something. Someone else might just have said, ‘I think I’m getting sick, I’m going to rest a bit’, but after a childhood of frequent illness and worrying parents Thomas couldn’t get the words over his lips. He’d make sure to rest a bit more, he told himself. But he didn’t want to worry anymore, and he especially didn’t want his parents to start taking care of him like they used to when he was young.

Instead, he returned his attention to Alastair, who had long finished eating and gone outside to read. A ray of sunlight fell on his cheek, illuminating his warm golden brown skin. His eyes were fixated in a journal so old it looked like it might fall apart any moment. Not in Alastair’s careful hands though. He was holding the journal with meticulous care, so no damage would come to it. With his free hand, he pushed a lock of hair behind his ear, but it was not yet long enough to stay there so it fell back in front of his face. Back in school, Alastair would slick his hair back with hair gel, always perfectly in order, not a hair out of place. Thomas, who usually took a comb through his hair and left it at that, had wondered where he found the time. Now it was falling in soft wavy locks over his face. At school Thomas would never have guessed Alastair’s hair was wavy, but it was loose now and Thomas had grown to love gently running his fingers through it. He’d always loved Alastair’s dark hair, he thought. Alastair had shown him a picture from when he’d dyed it blonde, and although that looked alright, Thomas thought his dark hair was much more beautiful.

‘Anything interesting?’ Thomas asked, sitting down on the bench next to Alastair.

A gnome came up to his feet. Thomas and his mother had been feeding them to gain their trust, and not long since the gnomes had learnt that Thomas meant a chance for food. He guessed there were still plenty of cookies he didn’t feel like eating at the moment anyway, but he also wasn’t motivated to go into the kitchen and get anything. Thomas guessed resisting that adorable smile was good practice for when he got pets.

‘Nothing yet,’ Alastair said. ‘But I think I’m getting to the part that described that witch. It might give us some clues about what else Lucie can do.’

‘Have you discussed with Cordelia where you’ll live after the summer?’ Thomas asked.

Alastair had confided in him that even if his mother managed to get back the house and could go and live there, he was considering moving in with uncle Jem for the time being. His father’s house held too many bad memories, and Thomas could understand it would not be good for his recovery to live there again. Alastair had not yet made a decision, but Thomas thought it might be good for him.

‘She has not yet decided what she’ll do,’ Alastair said. ‘She is a bit young to live without her mother after all. Besides, with our mother pregnant it would be better to have someone with her. If she doesn’t get the house back, I presume she would stay with Risa and with me gone there might be enough space for Cordelia as well. But I’m almost nineteen, I figured it might be time to move out. Even if I’m moving in with another relative instead of getting my own place.’

‘That’s just practical, living on your own would be expensive. Besides, Jem won’t be another parent, will he? So you’ll still get to practice your adulting skills in a relatively safe environment. Does Jem live far away from your mother?’

‘Completely different part of London, but still in the city,’ Alastair said. ‘Easy to travel to university from there. It’s a big house, so I’ll really have my own space and get to take care of myself, with Jem still there in case I can’t. I’ve lived there until I was about six. When I was still happy, there are no bad memories tied up to that place. I thought maybe I could be happy again there.’

‘Where does Jem live exactly?’ Thomas asked.

Alastair gently put the notebook away, closing it carefully and putting it down in his lap. He took his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, showing him a screen of google maps with a marker where Jem lived.

‘Oh, that’s not far from where my parents live,’ Thomas said. ‘Only a few stops with the metro. We live close to the station.’

‘I didn’t realize. Well, that’s convenient. Makes it easy to have sleep overs or go out together if we don’t live too far away.’

‘Precisely,’ Thomas said. ‘Would you like to go for a walk when you’re finished here? A short one, I am a little tired. But I’d like some fresh air.’

Alastair carefully bound up his notebook and put it on the table inside with the others, before coming with him.

‘It’s safer to bring Lucie,’ Alastair said. ‘In case we get trapped in between again.’

Alastair had a point, although Thomas would like some time alone with him. He was so busy at work all the time, ever since Jem had arrived he was preoccupied with the journals. Thomas missed their walks.

‘Alright, we’ll walk to uncle Will and aunt Tessa and ask her and Cordelia to come. I’m curious if uncle Gabriel and aunt Cecily are coming this way too. Jem said they were struggling to find a babysitter.’

‘Right, for little Alexander,’ Alastair said.

‘And Christopher,’ Thomas added. ‘My other cousin. He’s almost seven now.’

‘What’s he like?’ Alastair asked.

‘Different from Alexander, that’s for sure,’ Thomas said. ‘Alexander is a menace. Sweet, but fierce and hyperactive and if you don’t watch him for two seconds he’s swinging from the curtains somewhere. Christopher… he’s not as wild. He’s curious and is obsessed with science. He likes to do simple experiments, and we sometimes have to keep him from setting things on fire. I’m not sure he realizes “Don’t try this at home” applies to him as well. Fortunately, putting on a science show on tv usually keeps him from blowing anything up. Usually, my sisters and I babysit them when necessary, but he also adores uncle Henry, who is an inventor.’

It occurred to Thomas that Henry was Charles’ father. Sometimes children did not resemble their parents, he guessed. It had been a bit of a shock for everyone to learn that Charles had been Alastair’s former lover. Even if not everyone knew how awful he’d been to Alastair, they all had pieced together how much older Charles was. His father most of all had been horrified, since he’d known Charles since he was a baby. Thomas suspected he’d go confront Charles himself if Alastair hadn’t asked him not to. He knew Alastair was still ashamed of his past relationship and was still trying to make sense of it all. Thomas was glad he’d found trust in him and his parents, even if Thomas suspected Alastair still kept the worst of it to himself. Who could blame him? He wasn’t sure if Alastair finally believed his parents cared about him now, but at least he seemed to trust them which was a big step for Alastair. His mother had told him about her past and how she’d gotten her scar in an attempt to let him know he could talk about it and she understood.

‘As a child I had a phase where I liked science too,’ Alastair said. ‘I think I often had phases like that with different interests. When Cordelia and I were very young, we both loved architecture and played with all sorts of building toys and legos together. I also really liked math for a while. Then the animals from the forests in Devon. I lived there for a while in a small village. I think that’s when I grew a bit obsessed with hedgehogs.’

‘Christopher has been obsessed with science for some time now,’ Thomas said. ‘But we’ll see how it goes and what he’ll like in the future. He’s being assessed for autism and ADHD. He’s a sweet kid, but he struggles socially. Not a lot of friends unfortunately. I honestly think he prefers my company over his peers.’

‘I know what that’s like,’ Alastair said. ‘To be the child with the weird interests and never fit in with other children.’

‘You lived in Devon for a while. What was it like there?’

‘The scenery was amazing. The forests there are beautiful. The people… not so much, I prefer London.’

‘I lived in the countryside for a couple of years too when I was little, for my health. I think where I lived the people were nicer, more involved than in the city.’

Alastair made a face. ‘Not when you’re foreign and your mother wears a roosari. The people in Devon are mostly white. I don’t think Father really considered that when he moved us there, it was mostly about him. They might be kind if you’re part of their group, but they’re hostile to outsiders. Fortunately, we moved back after a couple of years.’

‘Ah, of course,’ Thomas said. ‘I’m sorry.’ He felt stupid for not considering that earlier.

‘Well, people are racist everywhere. But at least in London there are more people of color and people are at least used to the idea that not everyone’s white.’ My mother still gets dirty stares and comments for her roosari, but she’s not the only one who covers her hair. So while in Devon, I much preferred to spend my time in the woods looking for hedgehogs than with other people. I guess I still do.’

Thomas felt a bit numb in his head, shivering even if it wasn’t cold at all. Perhaps going for a walk wasn’t the best idea, but he wanted to spend some time outside just the same. He should have brought something warm to wear, was all. He wasn’t really sick, it was just not as warm as he’d expected. But Alastair wasn’t shivering at all, he seemed to enjoy the sun on his skin. Thomas did too but it didn’t bring him any warmth.

‘You need to go back for a cardigan?’ Alastair asked. ‘There are goosebumps all over your arms.’

‘Oh. No, I’ll be fine.’

Thomas felt faint in the head and by the time they made it to the Herondale’s house, his vision became a little blurry and he collapsed against the door. He was awfully nauseous yet didn’t feel like he was going to throw up. Alastair noticed his sudden movement and his reflexes were quick. He tried to catch him.

‘Why are you so goddamn heavy, Tom,’ he groaned, trying and failing to stop both of them from crashing into the door.

Leaning against Alastair and the door, Thomas pushed himself upright again, blinking a couple of times until he felt he could stand on his own feet again. Alastair’s soft fingers went from his cheek to his forehead, and Thomas immediately recognized what he was doing. It was the same thing his parents and sisters had done his entire childhood. If they didn’t have a thermometer at hand, they’d feel his forehead, his neck, and determine if he was allowed to go anywhere. Alastair was going to determine he was sick and then all that was left was for everyone to tuck him into bed and start taking care of him. Thomas had hoped to avoid that.

‘You’re burning up,’ Alastair said. ‘You should not be going outside, much less for a walk. Come, we’re here anyway, I’m sure you could use the couch.’

Alastair led him inside, one arm around his waist and the other in his hand, and packed him in blankets on the couch, fetching a thermometer and some paracetamol.

‘Alastair,’ Thomas said, trying to piece together words through the headache and light headedness.

‘Just let me get this,’ Alastair said, pushing the thermometer into Thomas’ ear.

‘Alastair,’ Thomas repeated.

’38,6,’ Alastair said. ‘Tom, you have a serious fever. Why didn’t you say anything? I’ll make you some tea, just relax.’

‘Alastair!’ Thomas yelled, startling the boy.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Please don’t. I can make my own tea, I can take my own temperature,’ Thomas said, trying to calm his breath. ‘I hate it when people take care of me. I told you about my sickness as a child. I don’t want things to be like that again, I don’t want to be taken care of. So please, don’t. Just let me do it.’

Alastair sat down next to him. ‘You were about to walk into the woods with a fever. I’ve seen how stubborn you are.’

‘Yes. I am stubborn. I didn’t realize it would be so bad. But please, let me make these mistakes by myself. I don’t want to be treated like a sick child again.’ Thomas paused, blinking away the tears in his eyes. He didn’t realize this would make him so emotional. ‘I always loved that about you, how you believed I could take anything. How you didn’t treat me as if I was fragile because I was small and used to get sick.’

Alastair sighed. ‘I was an ass to you, Tom. It had nothing to do with respect, or thinking you’re strong.’

‘I know, and it did hurt sometimes. But I loved that you believed I could take it. I knew you didn’t mean any of the things you said, and with me, it was always a bit more light hearted, teasing perhaps.

But you never forced me to go to bed and rest when I did not want it. Matthew grew up around me being sick all the time, and I think he learnt from a young age that I was fragile and to be taken care of. James too. But I never wanted that. I’ll rest, I promise. But I’ll make my own tea, alright?’

‘I’m sorry, Tom. You can make your own tea. Make some for me as well?’

Alastair settled onto the couch while Thomas went into the kitchen to put on the kettle, still wrapped in a blanket. He was too cold to go without it. While waiting for the kettle to boil, Thomas realized Alastair did have a point, he could barely stand upright. Still, he was determined to at least do this. If he wanted anything later, he could always ask Alastair. He picked out a selection of tea bags for Alastair and put in a herbal teabag for his own. Thomas didn’t believe herbal tea cured sickness, but it was worth a shot.

He settled back on the couch, wrapped the blankets back around himself and took two paracetamol, hoping that would at least lower the fever.

‘I really can’t believe you think of my being rude to you as something positive,’ Alastair said. ‘I made fun of your height all the time.’

Thomas shrugged from underneath the blanket. ‘I never minded when you called me pipsqueak or wee little Thomas, or, I don’t know, you had plenty to say.’

Alastair raised an eyebrow. ‘You certainly took your revenge.’

Thomas tried to find a comfortable position on the couch, blankets around him. Alastair did have a point with the paracetamol, and Thomas took two. Hopefully they’d lower his fever.

‘Perhaps I’ll start calling you pipsqueak,’ Thomas said. ‘The name suits you much better now.’

Alastair made an undignified sound. ‘I’m not that short.’

‘You’re plenty shorter than me,’ Thomas said. ‘I always kind of liked it, pipsqueak. It sounded sweet even if you meant it to be hurtful. Sometimes I feel like you never really did a good job at being mean anyway.’

‘I never wanted to hurt anyone,’ Alastair said, ‘and I did have a bit of a weak spot for you then. I can be even worse than what you’ve seen, but I save that for bigots.’

Thomas put his hand on Alastair’s cheek. ‘I always thought you were holding back on being mean, even if you could still be quite vicious. But pipsqueak is mine now.’

Alastair looked mortified. ‘I guess I can’t stop you, can I?’

Thomas lay down on the couch, head on a pillow. Why were all these blankets so small? His feet were still cold and he’d have to find a solution for that. Really, blankets should be made for tall people. Nobody short would complain about having a bit of leftover blanket.

‘It’s concerning, that you’re getting sick after all these years,’ Alastair said softly.

‘It’s nothing,’ Thomas said. ‘Everyone gets a fever every once in a while.’

‘I haven’t had a fever in years. Colds, at times, but rarely a fever,’ Alastair said.

‘You don’t get the flu?’ Thomas asked.

‘Not that I remember,’ Alastair said. ‘But I figured that’s just the age, as a child I would get the occasional fever like all children do, and I imagine I’ll get them again when I’m older.’

Thomas had gotten the flu a couple of time over the past years. Never anything serious or with abnormal frequency, but it had sent the entire family into a panic whenever it happened.

‘Please don’t tell my parents,’ Thomas said. ‘That I’m sick, I mean.’

‘How did you plan to keep it from them?’ Alastair asked.

‘Well, I was hoping I’d be better by the next morning,’ Thomas said. ‘I could sleep over here and then when I’m better pretend nothing happened.’

Alastair was skeptical. ‘I really don’t think you’ll feel better that soon, even if it is a normal flu.’

Lucie and Cordelia entered the room through the garden door, Cordelia turning her sword back into the familiar necklace. ‘Those are a lot of blankets,’ Lucie pointed out. She was right, and Thomas moved them around a bit so at least the biggest blanket would cover his feet, reaching up to his waist.

‘We wanted to revisit the ruins,’ Cordelia said. ‘See if there’s anything else that can give us information on Tatiana or the thief of souls. I was wondering if you would be coming.’

‘Thomas is sick,’ Alastair said.

‘Don’t stay behind on my behalf,’ Thomas said.

Alastair frowned. ‘You sure? I would gladly stay here with you.’

‘I think I’m going to get some sleep anyway,’ Thomas said. ‘Please don’t trouble yourself on my behalf. Go, I’ll still be here when you get back.’

‘Get well soon,’ Lucie said, putting her arms around him briefly. ‘You know how the tv works in case you want to watch a movie.’

‘I’ll be alright, Lu. Good luck with your mission.’

Thomas wanted to believe he had just caught the flu. Bad luck, nothing more. But perhaps that wasn’t the case. Perhaps he wouldn’t get better. Perhaps this meant they were running out of time.

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Little Robin and Momma Bird

 In honor of First Day of Spring 2021 which for comic fans is the birth date of Richard John-Grayson Wayne, Member of the Flying Graysons, Bruce Wayne’s Adopted Son, Barbara Gordon’s classmate, Wally West and Roy Harper’s best friend, Princess Koriand’r’s true love, the first Robin, The Boy Wonder, Leader and founding member of the Teen Titans, Nightwing, Protector of the City of Bludhaven, Renegade, Ex Apprentice of Slade Wilson, Agent 37, Big Brother to Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, and Damian Wayne, in varying times and places Father of Mar’i ‘Nightstar’ and Jacob ‘Jake’ Grayson and above all else and beyond all those titles, son of John Grayson and Mary Elizabeth Lloyd Grayson; here’s what I hope is something short and sweet. 

 Now with long intro out of the way, the following is dedicated to @mothnem @lightdusk96 @hood-ex @thattimdrakeguy @tarisilmarwen @fireflyxrebel-writes @nightglider124 @nyxqueen97 @wisegirlandseaweedbrainforever @arabian-batboy @meara-eldestofthemall @robxstar @bluerene and so many others for being my friends in light of this occasion. Please like, comment and especially reblog for any corrections and constructive criticisms. It’ll be very appreciated. 

  Please Enjoy....  

 The sun gleaming and bright rays shone through the small trailer window, lighting the small bedroom with many bright colors of its own decorated throughout. The beige carpet, still an ever bit of simple yet practical use of being the floor, was littered with small shapes of varying sizes, almost all being made of plastic. In particular, these spread out toys were action figures, representing the recent phenomena of spandex clad and awe inspiring individuals that are the ‘Superman’ from Metropolis and the rest being merely the few robotic and unnatural opponents he faces in protecting the oppressed and those in need. The resident of this small bedroom was for all accounts a fan of Superman, something not too unprecedented given the caped champion’s crusades in correcting the wrongs and dangers Metropolis and the larger world face the best he can ever since his first day to the public. 

   And given these are action figures of Superman, it shall be of no surprise said resident was indeed very young; a small acrobat of the famous Haly’s Circus currently asleep and softly snoring away in this room’s bed, blankets draped and covering almost every part of him, even his face. It’s his 7th birthday as of today, this wonderful first day of Spring. Now if only something or someone can get him awake to enjoy such a day. That’s where a certain Mrs. Mary Grayson enters our picture. 

  As she gently pries open her son’s bedroom door as to not awaken him, clad only in a grey t-shirt and black pants as used for pajamas last night, Mary carefully trudges across the beige carpet towards the bed being occupied by said son. Sure, both her and him have slept in until nearly 9:30 am as of now since their family group, the Flying Graysons, have a day off from practice for today, but frankly had Dick remembered that today’s his birthday from earlier, he would been by now sneaking into his parents’ neighboring room, awaking them both his father John and her up about said day, probably  the best he can think of for a gentle reminder. But due to recent influx of performances across the West Coast, Dick lost count so now it was Mary’s turn to gently remind him and in the best way she knows how. 

  As Mary’s bare feet carefully skirt around the action figures spread across the floor, even picking some up along the way (maybe reminding Dick to next time pick up his toys before bed will come in later tonight), she eventually reaches her son’s twin sized bed and the red, green and yellow pattern blanket that draped over the little guy overnight. In her right hand was a blue fine point marker pen with washable ink while her left gently leans to one end of the blanket where a small tuff of black hair sticks out. Gently caressing her left hand the black mass, Mary can hear a content giggle coming from under the blanket, no doubt her son feeling the familiar, loving motion John and her regularly do as parents can. On normal moments this happens, Dick would playfully push the hand ruffling his black hair away. This time, he just simply lightly giggles in his sleep. Mary was sort of banking the hair ruffling being enough to awaken her son to this bright and beautiful first day of Spring. As soon as her hand though stops with the affectionate ruffling and once more snores are heard coming from Dick, her lips turn into a soft yet mischievous smile; it was time for Plan B. Sure Enough, when looking over to the other end of the blanket and seeing her son’s own two feet, so far socked but with her there not for too long. That marker in her hand has its cap screw off. 

  On some occasions when she was basically passed out from a long night on the trapeze, Mary wold wake to find the soles of her feet with scribbles and doodles all across, most of them featuring the Flying Graysons logo prominently. She almost immediately knew the culprit behind such drawing but often times just leaves it be and even walks on her two feet with drawing and all since the marker ink easily comes off so it was overall no big deal. Besides, her son was just having some harmless fun so why would she dare try ruining that; sure she was strict on some parts of his behavior but this ain’t one of the them. Now though, as she lightly tugs the two socks off her sleeping son as to not awake him, revealing two velvet soles and the ten toes and with her marker in hand, it was time for payback if you may. 

  Starting with lightly drawing smiley faces on his big toes, Dick’s reaction was almost immediate as a slightly louder giggle comes from the blankets and his toes clench. Mary briefly backs off the marker until the toes relaxing and using her free hand, she lightly grabs unto the big ones, leaving his feet still. With that, she can proceed with the rest as sure enough, various other faces across his other toes are drawn along with flowers and even an elephant on the arch of his right foot. As for that last one, the giggling had reached its loudest and looking upward, Mary couldn’t help but smile at the results. Plan B was a success, Dick was awake and laughing his head off due to the scribbling.

   “Momma!” he yells between hearty giggles, “That tickles!” 

   Mary grins a bit, “Oh really?” 

  She continues with that elephant on Dick’s right foot, now holding him still with arm entrapping his ankles tightly, making sure he can’t pull his feet back from that blue marker as it continued its path. Though Mary notes that even then, Dick wouldn’t want to. He had not once told her to stop, indicating that he was enjoying this instead. Frankly, after a long time doing this to her, she couldn’t blame him. All Dick does on his part is lay his head on the pillows, the blankets off of him, allowing Mary to see him clad in a similar style of PJs to hers only with the coloring being a blue t shirt and grey sweat pants instead. To the left of him was his precious stuffed elephant Peanut; ever since being first given that on his 4th birthday, he keeps it close to him whenever going to bed. All this time afterwards, Mary still hasn’t been able in getting her son a second stuffed toy like Peanut much to her disappointment but hey that’s a thought for another time, she has one more spot to draw before she can move on for the rest of the day, the arch on Dick’s left foot.

  At first, Mary thought of drawing the Flying Graysons logo for the finishing touch but instead opts for a more casually yet fitting wording. With that in mind, her blue marker makes contact with the velvet of her son’s arch and starts its ink dripped path. By now, the 7 year old was still in full hysterics over his Momma’s drawings but he will admit, at least it was better waking up from his trapeze swinging dreams like this rather than the sun’s rays shining on him as it usually happens. Finally though, he feels the marker stop and opening his ocean blue eyes, sees his mother put the cap back on. Putting the marker away in her pocket, Mary places a soft kiss on her son’s forehead while giving him another hair ruffle. This time, now fully awake, Dick gently pushes her hand away. 

  His blue eyes meet his mother’s own blue eyes and a wide smile stretches on his face. 

  “Thanks Momma” he chirps happily in Romani Chib. 

  Another motherly kiss, this time his cheek, “You’re welcome, Just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget about your special day today, My Little Robin” 

  As Mary stands and makes her way back to the door, Dick stretches his arms, letting out a yawn from his mouth doing so. 

  “Breakfast will be ready in 5 minutes” Mary states with a warm smile on her face.

  “Cereal, Momma?”

  “Any type you like that we have of course” 

  “I’ll be there soon” Dick says, a wide grin on his face. 

 Mary has a humming giggle of her own before making her own to the kitchen to no doubt prepare her son and her’s bowls for the day. Though of course, they were just getting started. 

  Dick swings his feet to step off his bed and begin trudging to his breakfast, he briefly wonders on what his mother drew on him before putting the marker away. As such, flexing his leg to where he can see the soles and toes of his two feet, Dick smiles of all nice stuff Momma left. Indeed, there were flowers on the balls of his arches, goofy faces on each of his ten toes, what looks like a circus ball on his right heel, a trapeze bar on his left heel, a short yet cute elephant on right foot’s arch and at least the words on his left arch. 

‘Happy 7th B-Day Little Robin, Love Momma’ 

  Now that was love from a mother alright. Dick certainly will never forget this. Now to get the table without stepping on his toys on the floor. 

[qjhughes]

Arrangement

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Word Count: 6.1k+ (I AM SO SORRY THAT IT’S SO LONG)

Summary: Tom gives you an offer you can’t refuse

Warning(s): It’s not edited, sorry.

A/N: This is my submission for the throwback writing challenge that @naturallytom is doing! I hope you enjoy!!

Add yourself to my taglist here 

Masterlist

How did I end up in this situation? You ask yourself as you stand arm in arm with the one and only Tom Holland. There were flashing lights all around you, temporarily blinding you. There was nothing that you could possibly focus on. Nothing at all, except for the way that he held you to keep you steady.

Oh, yeah, I’m crazy. You think as you begin to walk slightly farther down the red carpet in a dress that costs more than you make in an entire year at your job. But are you really crazy? Who in their right mind would turn down an offer like the one that he gave you? You couldn’t think of a single person, which made you feel slightly better about the situation.

*

It had started as a normal Saturday. 

Your alarm went off at seven a.m. sharp. Your eyes snapped open, slightly disturbed by the blaring noise. There were broken rays of sunlight flowing into your room, making everything way brighter than it needed to be. You groaned to yourself, dreading the day you had ahead. 

You groggily pulled yourself out of bed, almost tripping over your own feet a million times. You stumbled around your room, finding everything you needed to take a quick shower. Once you found all the necessities, you quickly went to the bathroom to clean yourself and try to get you looking presentable. You stepped out of the shower less than 15 minutes later, having washed your hair and your body in record time, while also remembering to shave since your uniform consisted of a short sleeve shirt and a skirt - since the weather had turned almost unbearably hot. 

Your brain wasn’t even fully functioning yet, you were just going through the motions, doing what you do every morning when you have to go into work for an early shift.

With a cup of freshly brewed coffee and your keys in hand, you rushed out the door. You didn’t want to be caught in traffic, knowing that it would set you back by at least 30 minutes, which would in turn make you late for work. Traffic always ruined perfectly good mornings, and you wanted today to be a good day. 

*

You got to the small, corner side cafe where you work almost twenty minutes before your shift was scheduled to start, so you sat down at a table and pulled out your laptop to get some writing done. You barely have any time to write, so when you did, you seized the opportunity. You had been working on the same piece for weeks, and you were beginning to lose hope in ever finishing it, so having this time to work on your piece made your day just that much better.

You had gotten almost four pages of the story done when your manager walked up in front of you, carrying herself like she was the best person in the world. Her face held her signature smirk, letting you know that the day was about to take a turn for the worse, at least until she left in a few hours.

“Time to clock in, y/n. Wouldn’t want to be late. You heard what the boss said if you’re late again.” You shut your laptop and put it away carefully in your bag. 

You are completely aware of what he said to you. If you’re late one more time, whether it be because of traffic or not, you’re fired. He doesn’t care if you live forever away and the traffic sucks, he even went so far as to suggest that you find a job closer to home.

After you clocked in and laid your computer in the back room, you went to the schedule to see where they had you working for the day. You were assigned to man the cashier, which you normally wouldn’t complain about, but there were barely any customers. Within the first four hours that you were on the clock, maybe ten customers walked in and ordered something. And the last five were together. There were barely any orders, which meant that you spent the majority of your time at work wiping things down, making sure that everything was spotless, until a customer came in.

It’s going to be a really uneventful day, You thought to yourself. Days like these always were. They were the kinds of days that wore you down and made you feel even more tired after a shift than if you had been running around all day

Little did you know, this was not going to be one of those days.

Less than an hour before close, a man walked in. At first, you paid absolutely no attention to him. You were still wiping off a counter, waiting for him to come up to the register so that you could take his order. You had barely even looked up, just paying attention to how far away he was from the front counter. 

But when you actually did look at him, the air was knocked out of your lungs. 

Harrison Osterfield was standing right in front of you.

It took everything in your entire being to make your voice not shake when you asked, “What can I get for you today?”

He flashed you his award winning smile and rattled off his order. Surprisingly enough, it was quite simple. You quickly typed it into the register, assuming that the coffee would be the only thing he ordered seeing as he was alone. Before you could tell him his total however, he stopped you. 

“One second, love. My mate, Tom is coming too. Just got the text, let me get a tea for him, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Will that be all for today?” There was a slight shake in your voice that time, you having no luck concealing it. Tom Holland? Thomas Stanley Holland was about to walk into the small cafe that you work in? What are the odds?

“Yeah, that’s all, love. Thank you.” He hands you a fifty dollar bill and says, “Keep the change. Buy yourself something that’s almost as lovely as you are.”

You couldn’t help but blush as he walked away. Usually, you would take this as an insult, but the way he worded it made it seem like less of one. Usually the guys that left you tips were old men that either took pity on you or waited around after one of your shifts to see if you’d sleep with him because he gave you an extra five bucks.

But this was Harrison Osterfield, he wasn’t that kind of guy. Or at least, he seemed to not be that kind of guy.

A few moments later, their drinks were ready and you carried them out to Harrison so he wouldn’t have to get up again. You didn’t usually do this, but come on, these drinks are for two of the best actors you had ever come across.

“Thanks, sweetheart.” He says with a smile as you sit down the drinks.

“No problem.” You all but mumble as you turn around, slightly intimidated by his presence. You keep your eyes trained on the floor so that nobody can see how much you're blushing. Maybe it’s how he’s literally one of the most attractive guys on the planet, or maybe it’s because of the accent, but everything that he says seems to be getting to you today.

That wasn’t your brightest idea, however, looking at the floor in a cafe when you should be watching where you were going. Before you knew it, you bumped into something hard.

You look up, expecting it to be a wall, since it didn’t move one bit. You’re pretty clumsy. 

As soon as your eyes lock with the chocolate colored ones attached to the brunette in front of you, you wish it was a wall that you had run into. That would have been a lot less embarrassing. 

“Are you alright, darling?” Tom asks you, putting his, rather large,  hands on your shoulders, ensuring that you’re steady and won’t trip in any way. 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry, I should’ve been watching where I was going.” You look down at the floor, embarrassed that you were clumsy enough to foolishly run into someone as important as him.

He chuckles, making your eyes shoot back up to meet his. Great, now he’s laughing at you.

It seems almost idiotic of you to think that today was going to be a great day. Yeah, it had started out that way, but all great days can change in an instant.

“No, no, it’s all on me. I was blinded by how gorgeous you are. Should’ve been focusing on not running into you and ruining my first impression.” His cheeks immediately turn a slight shade of pink, making him look even cuter than he already is. For a moment, you find it hard to believe that someone as perfect as him could be blushing and calling someone like you gorgeous.

“Oh, please, you could never ruin your first impression. I mean, just look at you.” You compliment, hoping you’re not being too forward, not wanting to scare him off when you just met him.

“Why, thank you, darling. I’m Tom.” God, that accent will be the death of you.

“I’m y/n. It’s nice to see that you still introduce yourself to people.” Most famous people that walked into this cafe expected everyone to know exactly who they were, even if they had only been in two episodes of a TV show or one film.

“Of course I introduce myself, I can’t automatically expect you to know who I am. For all I know, you hate movies.” He has a shy smile on his face, kind of like he was hoping you did like movies.

“Well, Tom, I do, in fact, like movies. But it’s sweet that you’re so humble about your major role in the film industry.” 

“It’s not that major, love. I’m just Spider-Man.” He talks about the role like it’s not that big of a deal, but you can see the way his eyes light up and the large smile that comes to his face.

“You are not just Spider-Man. Sorry if I’m being too direct here, but, in my opinion, Spider-Man will forever be the best superhero.” It’s your turn for your cheeks to tint pink. You can’t begin to process why you’re being this forward, this flirtatious. It’s the accent. Has to be.

“Is that so?” He smirks.

Oh what you would give to know what he was thinking at that exact moment. You may never know, however, because your boss interrupts the conversation you’re having.

“Y/N come back here, we have other customers than the Holland kid.” You roll your eyes at her and flash Tom an apologetic smile before reluctantly walking back to the counter.

There was not another customer in sight. There were barely any cars in the parking lot or on the street surrounding the cafe. Sounds about right, your manager had a long list of crazy rules for when she was the highest authority in the store. One of the biggest was that you’re not supposed to mingle with the customers for too long. She could have at least come up with a better excuse, though. Maybe Tom had liked your little cafe, and because of the rude comment, never wanted to come back.

*

The store is about five minutes from closing when Tom walks up to the register. 

“When’s your shift over, darling?” He has a cheeky smile on his face. For a split second, you let yourself internally groan. You had hoped he was different, that he wasn’t like every other guy that tried to pick you up after shifts. 

But then you realized, this was Tom Holland. There was no way in the world that he was like that. 

“Try to be more subtle, Holland. The directness doesn’t look too good on you.” You joke, knowing full well that it looks great on him. And honestly, if that’s what he had been asking, you would have pushed aside the part of you that was internally groaning and went right with him. Because, come on, it would be crazy to say no.

“I don’t want to sleep with you, love. I want to talk to you about something.” He smirks, obviously amused that you assumed he wanted to take you home with him.

You blush at that, embarrassment setting in. “I get off in less than five minutes.”

“Alright, sweetheart, my mate and I will be waiting in the car.” He points to an Audi sitting out front. “Meet us there. I’ll make Harrison sit in the back.”

“Alrighty, Tom, I’ll see you in five.” You give him a sweet smile, although you were extremely confused as to why you would be meeting him in his car.

Was he going to kidnap you? Who cares? He’s hot.

He turns and walks out the door as you rush to get everything done.

*

When your area is cleaned, you all but sprint to the back to get your laptop bag.

“Bye, everyone. Have a good night!” You yell, making sure everyone hears you. You always tell everyone goodbye before you leave, it’s just something that you’ve grown accustomed to. You started it the day that you began working at the cafe, and everyone liked the idea of it. So, it just kinda stuck.

You walk out of the cafe and head to the sleek, obviously expensive, silver car awaiting your presence. You open the passenger door and slip into the seat.

“Hello, love.” Tom greets you at the same time as Harrison says, “Dang, I owe you.”

“Hello, Tom. Harrison, why do you owe Tom?” The confusion is written all over your face as you look between the boys for an answer.

Harrison visibly gulps before replying, “I bet Tom that he scared you away and that you weren’t going to show.”

“Well, he was quite forward, but what person in their right mind would be told to come meet you two and not show up to, at least, see what it was you needed to talk about?” You sure couldn’t imagine someone turning down the offer.

“Exactly, Harrison. But, love, we do need to talk to you.” Tom says, turning your attention back to the actual reason that you are sitting in a car that costs more than probably three years worth of paychecks, with two very handsome men.

“Alright, fire away. What is it?” You’re more curious than ever, wondering what could be so important.

“So, my management is pushing me to find someone that will attend events with me.” His face contorts in embarrassment, already seeming to regret his decision of asking you anything. “They say that ‘a young bachelor like me will draw more attention if I am seen with a pretty lady by my side.’” He doesn’t exactly look embarrassed anymore, it’s more of a look filled with disgust at how his management team worded their statement. “Something about being more desirable if I’m taken. I don’t know. However, I do want to please my management, no matter how stupid they sound. And when I was talking to you in the cafe, you seemed to be sweet. And you’re gorgeous. And I felt like our conversation just kind of flowed.” He hesitates for a second, as if to see if you were following along or if you were lost.

He continued after you nodded for him to do so. “So basically, y/n, what I’m asking is, for the proper compensation, would you be that girl for me?”

“Wait, wait, wait. You, Tom Holland, are asking me, y/f/n y/l/n, to be the girl you take to major events?” You’re trying your best to wrap your head around the situation. 

“Well, not just that.” Harrison pipes up hesitantly.

“What else could there be?” Your voice is laced with confusion, and you know by the way that he places his arm on your leg to calm you, that Tom hears it.

“You would have to stay with me for a little while. Don’t worry though, if you say yes, we have guest rooms, so it wouldn’t be too invasive.” You can tell that he’s trying his best to make you as comfortable as possible with this. “You would need to go places with me, outside of these events. Nobody could know that the relationship is fake. Which means that our families and friends will have to be involved. Everyone, besides my management, and the three of us, would have to believe that it was real.” He avoids eye contact with you for a second, as if he was embarrassed to be asking something like this. 

You understand, though. He’s 23, he shouldn’t have to be tied down by a woman just because of his management. He should have the ability to choose what he wants to do with his life, especially the romantic aspect of it. 

“You can say no, of course.” Harrison says from behind you. “We wouldn’t want you to do anything that you don’t want to do.”

“Yeah, there’s no need for you to do this if you don’t wan-” Tom begins, reaching a hand behind him to scratch his neck.

“I’ll do it.” you interrupt, surprising both of the boys in the car.

“Wait, really. That easy?” Tom asks.

“You seem surprised, Holland.” It wasn’t like you had anything better to do. You worked at a corner side cafe for a manager that absolutely hated you, and you had no relationships, so you were completely free.

“Well, I kind of am, love. I didn’t expect for you to say yes that fast. If at all. I expected for you to have to think about it for a few days. And then ultimately say no. But, alright. I’ll set up a meeting with my management so we can go over a contract and what your payment should be.” He pulls out his phone to put everything in his calendar.

“There’s no need for payment. I don’t need your money. I’m just here to help.” In reality, you probably could use the money, but that wasn’t the kind of person that you are. You like to help people, and you never, ever ask for anything in return.

“You really know how to pick the perfect girl, don’t you mate?” Harrison says. You look back at him and he has a smile on his face. He doesn’t seem to be joking. That thought makes your stomach storm with butterflies and your cheeks instantly heat up.

“Seems like it. Everyone else would’ve wanted my money. You just seem like you’re doing this to benefit me. Nobody seems to be that genuine these days.” Tom says, his eyes never leaving yours. Of course you’re genuine. Just because he’s famous doesn’t mean that he’s any less of a human being. You would help anyone in a situation like this. If they needed you, you wouldn’t hesitate to be their fake girlfriend for a week or two.

At least, that’s what you tell yourself. But would you really say yes to just anyone? Probably not. At this point, though, you’re just telling yourself whatever helps you sleep at night.

“Well, I just figured that you could find someone worse than me. And if you really need this, who am I to make this hard for you? Plus, I don’t need your money. I have a job that I really like and it pays the bills.” You’re surprised that they seem to think so highly of you already. They don’t even know you. It’s nice to have someone think of you as more than an employee to boss around. Although, with this whole thing, you’ll basically be working for Tom. Just with less money and more touching.

“You’re about to have more than enough money. You won’t be needing to pay rent if you’re staying with me. If you want, you can move the stuff that you really need or want with you to my house. And the rest, we can put in storage if you want, it’s up to you.”

“That sounds alright to me. I can start packing tomorrow if you’d like.”

“Yeah, yeah, if you send me your address, I can come help you. Harrison would probably come as well, if he isn’t busy.” Tom says, looking back at Harrison for confirmation.

“I have a meeting in the morning, but I can come after lunch.” The blonde says from the back seat.

“Tom?” You say, getting his attention again.

“Yes, love?” He looks at you instantly, his eyes trace your face over and over, looking for any sign that you changed your mind.

“I don’t have your number. I can’t send you my address without it.” You smile, and place your hand atop of his, which was still on your thigh. 

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Hand me your phone darling.” You do as he says and he enters his number. “Text me the address and then anytime that you need anything.”

“Sure thing, now if you two gentlemen don’t mind, I think I’m going to head home. I’ll see you both tomorrow.”

“See you then, darling.” Tom says, watching you get out of the car.

“Goodbye, y/n.” you hear Harrison call before you shut the door.

You spend your drive home thinking about what in the world you just got yourself into.

*

Over the next few days, you had gotten closer to Tom. Your entire apartment had been packed up. You sent the things from your bedroom and other things that you wanted to make sure were with you to Tom’s house. The rest of your belongings went into a storage building that he wouldn’t stop pestering you until he got to pay for. That man was the most persistent person that you had ever met. 

You refused to let him pay for anything else, however. You didn’t need his money. And you didn’t want him to think that you only took his offer for the financial aspect. You genuinely just wanted to help him. 

You hadn’t started with your outings yet. You first had to have a meeting with his managers and some lawyers so that you could sign a nondisclosure agreement. Basically you just had to say that you wouldn’t tell anyone about this agreement with anyone. The whole thing would just end up blowing up in both of your faces. 

You could see the headlines now if this were to ever leak.

‘Tom Holland, 23 Year Old Heartthrob has to PAY for his Girlfriends!’

‘Y/N, Just Another Golddigger’

There was no way in the entire world that you would ever tell someone about the fakeness of the whole thing. The consequences would be catastrophic. And you could not be the reason that Tom’s career fell apart.

*

A week later, the NDA had been signed and you were hanging out in Tom’s living room. You were talking about absolutely nothing,but the conversation still flowed as if you were talking about something important. He was giggling at something that was on his phone when you had an idea.

“Let’s go out. To lunch. You know, like a date.” You look down at your hands, embarrassed for some reason. It’s not like you were actually dating him. This shouldn’t be scary. But it is. This is Tom Holland. 

What if you mess up? What if his fans hate the two of you together? What if his management regrets this decision? What if he regrets this decision?

That’s what’s running through your head as you wait for his answer. The silence that is radiating from him seems to be an uncomfortable one. The entire mood has shifted, and you hate the feeling of it.

“You-You’re asking me on a date?” You look up and he’s shocked. He’s looking at you like he can’t believe that you would ask him such a thing.

“Yeah, Tom. The public has to be introduced to me at some point. And it’s probably better to do some outings before the first event that you’re going to drag me to.” You try to explain, hoping that you thought right.

“Yeah, yeah, of course. I’ll go on a date with you, love. Where do you want to go?” He questions.

“I’m not sure. Where will we get the most exposure?” You’re trying your best to get this out there without having to do something like him posting it on Instagram.

You’re just trying to help him get this moving so that his managers have absolutely no reason to gripe at him. 

“Doesn’t matter. What’s your favorite place to get food?” He brushes the exposure idea aside, making it seem as if he really just wants this date to be just that, a date. 

Now you’re thinking crazy y/n, you think to yourself.

“Well it’s not really a restaurant, but I’m kind of a sucker for the Gains Bowls from the Body Energy Club.” 

“I have to say that I have never been there, or even really heard of it.” 

“You wouldn’t have. It’s over in the states. California.”

“Is that where you’re from?” He seems genuinely interested in the answer, so you answer honestly. 

“Yeah. Born and Raised. I moved out here to London so that I could stay with my best friend. He moved over here to go to college and I thought that was what I wanted too.” 

“What do you mean, you thought?” 

“I really just wanted to be a writer.”

“Do I get to meet this best friend of yours?”

“Oh, no, that won’t happen.” You want to leave it at that, as it is a sore subject for you, but you know that Tom’s going to ask why so you continue with, “We stopped being friends when he decided that my dreams were stupid. Told me that I would never make it as a writer.”

“Well, forget about him. You can be whatever you want to be. Don’t ever let anyone come in the way of what you want the most. I know the perfect place. But first, we need to get you into a dress.” 

“Are we matching?” You ask, wanting to know if you should coordinate with what he was wearing or not.

“No, not on dates, that would seem too staged.”

“Alright.” With that, you leave to go find a dress. 

When you signed the contract, you were also given a new wardrobe. Two, actually. One for dates that required dresses and one for non formal events that a dress should still be worn to.

The major events would have more extravagant dresses, of course.

So, you walk over to the rack in your room that holds all the ‘date dresses’ and you immediately pick the one that had been holding your eye since you got it.

It’s a blue high neck, lace cocktail dress. There’s a bow around the waist. It stops around mid thigh. You hope that Tom will like it. You remember him rambling about absolutely nothing in particular and accidentally telling you that his favorite color was blue.

You walk out of your room after fixing your hair and getting the rest of the things that you need.

Tom is standing in the living room in a white shirt, black blazer, and dress pants. Simple, yet perfect at the same time. How the hell can someone look that good? How the hell did you get so lucky? You know he isn’t really yours, but it’s a privilege just to be around him.

“You look ravishing, darling.” His voice breaks you out of your thoughts.

“You look really, really handsome. Like, wow.” He chuckles at this, and your cheeks immediately heat up.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed, love. I’m not the best at taking compliments, that’s all. Now, would you like to get going?” Tom says, trying to calm the nerves he can not only sense, but see due to the tint that has made its way to your burning cheeks.

You walk outside with him and get in the car. The ride to the restaurant is pretty quiet, the nerves having silenced you. 

“Darling, are you all right?” Tom asks, looking over to me when we came to a stop at a red light.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine Tom. Just nervous about it all.” You say, looking down at your hands.

“What are you nervous about, sweetheart?” He looks over at you, concern evident in his voice.

“What if someone sees us and then they take pictures? I mean, I know that’s the point and all,” you swallow the lump in your throat, “but what if your fans hate me? What if they hate us together?” You’re completely out of breath now, the nerves not allowing you to get the proper amount of oxygen into your lungs.

“My fans will be fine with you, love. You’re gorgeous. We look great together. Plus,” he reaches over for your hand and gives it a light squeeze, “we don’t have to look at what they’re saying. They’ll warm up to the idea if they don’t instantly love you.”

His words do little to soothe your insecurities that have made their way to the surface, but you give him a smile anyway. 

He gives your hand another squeeze. He can tell that you’re still on edge.

“We can just go home if you want.” He suggests, just wanting you to be comfortable.

“No, no, it’s fine. I promise.” You assure him.

After that, the car ride goes back to being silent, but it’s no longer tense or awkward. 

It’s comfortable.

*

When you arrive at the little restaurant he brought you to, you look over at him.

“I’m gonna get out and get your door, alright love? Just breathe, you’ve got this.” He says, trying to reassure you.

He does as he said he would. He opens his door and grabs your hand, bringing it to his lips and giving it a warm kiss.

“Such a gentleman.” You coo at him, causing him to give you a sweet smile.

“I try.” He smirks at you, letting you know that he knows exactly what he’s doing, making your heart flutter lie nobody has been able to do in a long time.

You make your way into the restaurant, being seated almost immediately and then having someone bring your drinks of choice. 

“I miss moments like these.” Tom admits, although you don’t know what he means at first.

“Moments like what, Holland?” You question, wanting him to elaborate.

“Moments when I can be myself and not worry about saying the wrong thing because I know that someone is writing everything down.” This makes your heart swell, knowing that he feels this calm and open with you. 

“Well, I’m not writing anything down, darling. You can tell me anything you want and nobody will ever hear a word about it.” This makes him genuinely smile, and you can tell how happy he is to know that.

“Well, what do you wanna know, love?” 

“Hmm, what’s your story?” 

“That is such a cliche question!” He giggles.

“I know, I know, but I’m genuinely curious. The whole world knows Tom Holland: Spider-Man, but I just want to know Tom Holland: the person.” 

“Well, there’s not much to tell darling.” 

“That’s nonsense-” You were in the middle of your thought when the waiter came back up to you to take your food orders.

After he leaves, Tom looks at you and begins, “That’s not nonsense, there’s nothing exciting about me that you probably don’t already know.”

“Hmm, well, because of the media, I know that you have three brothers, all younger. You have a dog named Tessa. Two loving parents. You used to dance and you play golf sometimes.” He gives you a look that radiates surprise that you even know anything about him in the slightest. “However, I do not know your birthday, your favorite color, what made you want to be an actor.

“I don’t know what your favorite pastime is - unless it’s golf of course. I don’t know the little things.” He’s giving you a look of pure adoration, and you let yourself wonder for a second what this would be like if it was real.

“Not a lot of people take the time to get to know me like that anymore.” He says, barely above a whisper. You know instantly that it wasn’t meant to be heard, so you say nothing and let him continue. “If you must know, my birthday is June 1, my favorite color is blue, I was born an actor, darling, there wasn’t a question of whether I wanted to or not.” 

You giggled at that before motioning for him to continue. 

“And, honestly, unless it’s just hanging with Haz, golf probably is my favorite pastime.” 

“See? It wasn’t that hard to tell your story.”

“That’s not a story, y/n. That’s just details.” 

“Details make the story, Holland.” 

*

After you finish eating, he insists on paying, which you end up letting him do. But only because he brought up the fact that you were on a ‘date’ and no man in their right mind was going to make their girl pay, especially on the first date.

You’re on your way back out to his car, both laughing about nothing, when you get the sudden feeling that this may have been the best decision that you ever made.

*

A week later, you’re in a whirlwind of stylists, makeup artists, and managers. All getting you ready for some red carpet event that Tom was invited to. 

They’ve picked out an extravagant dress for you, one to match Tom’s suit. It’s a maroon, flowy dress. Very modest, neckline not showing too much, legs completely covered. But you still look like a princess, at least that’s what you think.

“You look ravishing, darling.” Tom says from behind you, shamelessly looking you up and down. 

You turn to look at him and all of the air is knocked from your lungs. “You look really handsome, Tommy.” 

He smiles at that. The first time you called him by that nickname, he seemed hesitant, thought it was too childish, but the name on your lips made it perfect.

“Thank you, darling. Are you ready to head out?” 

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go show the world how absolutely amazing that Mr. Holland looks tonight.”

“Don’t forget that we have to show them how I’m the luckiest man in the world.”

You cock your head to the side, wondering what he means by that. 

“I get to have someone as stunning as you accompany me, I don’t know how I got so lucky.” You can’t stop the blush that appears on your cheeks.

*

You stand arm in arm with him. There were flashing lights all around you, temporarily blinding you. There was nothing that you could possibly focus on. Nothing at all, except for the way that he held you to keep you steady.

There’s something about the way that he’s holding on to you, his arm slightly tighter around your waist than it needs to be, that makes your heart flutter, even though you know that there’s nothing going on between the two of you.

Right?

You push the thought fro your mind, almost completely. Although you can’t stop yourself from wanting to do something. Something that you’ve been trying your best not to do since the night you met him.

When he puts his arm back around you, you put your hand on his shoulder and lean up, giving him a kiss on the cheek, letting it linger there for a second before pulling away.

He looks shocked, and you begin to wonder if you made a mistake, moved too fast.

“I-I’m sorry. Was that too much?” He’s blushing profusely, and you begin to see that he’s trying to suppress a smile.

He leans down to your ear and whispers, “No, no, not at all darling. Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s alright to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”

And with that, all those little butterflies in your stomach multiply. And there’s no stopping them now.

Permanent Taglist: @spideygirl2003, @jackiehollanderr, @scarletsoldierrr, @thewayilookatbacon, @parker-barnes-af, @lost-in-the-stars03, @kisses-holland, @josiemara, @god-knows-what-am-i-doing, @fanficscuziranout, @babebenhardy, @akila-stilinski

Tom Holland Taglist: @cyrusandhiscollaredahirts, @averyfosterthoughts, @thorsangel, 

[ricky-rawrasaurus-rex]

This seems like fun so thank you very much to @thesadboisguidetolife for tagging me!

Favorite color: Traditionally it’s always been green, probably because I’m an earth sign (that’s what Taurus is right?) and while I’m like not a nature person at all, I do find it rather calming and soothing and all that jazz. That being said, as of like 2-3ish years, pink has been quickly becoming one of my favorite colors as well so it’s a really good thing that it pairs well with green. Just look at Cosmo and Wanda haha

3 favorite foods: oof just 3? I like food way too much to just pick 3 but I’ll try my best. How about 3 cuisines? Let’s go with that! So Japanese (I love sushi so much and could eat it every day and never get tired of it), Chinese (I make way too much stir fry for dinner but I can’t help it, it’s pretty good), and Mexican (it’s all so, SO good and kinda been craving posole lately although it’s definitely not posole eating weather here in the desert)

Song stuck in my head: hmmm this is kinda tough because I have like a handful of songs that cycle their way through my head but the one that comes to mind right now is “Gimme All Your Love” by Alabama Shakes, which is just like one of the best songs I think I’ve ever heard in my life and yeah it’s really great so give it a listen if y’all haven’t already. Also Tegan and Sara’s “The Con” is another one that constantly gets stuck in my head too

Last song I listened to: “Coda” by Chub Rub, which I discovered through the list of all girl punk/pop/indie/rock bands that @thesadboisguidetolife put together, which is pretty dope! I have to admit I haven’t gone through it all as thoroughly as I would like just yet (sorry!) but the band name and the cover art just immediately spoke to me so I’m really glad I was able to find out about them so thank you for putting that list together and yeah, give Make Some Fucking Space! a listen if you haven’t already!

Last thing I googled: A recipe for slow cooking ribs I made yesterday because I can never remember it correctly off the top of my head and I’m too lazy to write it down! :D

Dream trip: I live in America and the only place that comes to mind that I’d like to go to outside of the country is Japan because I’ve always been really fascinated by their culture and it looks like a really interesting and beautiful country and also they have an island of cats that I would love to go to so yeah, Japan! Otherwise I kinda have this huge desire to go on long road trip somewhere and kinda get lost for a bit, not by myself though because trips are always better with others in my experience so just gotta find friends that can and want to join me some day haha

Anything I really want: not to like get really deep or anything or let people know I have ✨ f e e l i n g s ✨, but I’m going to be turning 25 in a few days and the closer my birthday gets here, the more nostalgic and sentimental I’ve been getting because I’ve (hopefully, keeping my fingers crossed about this) lived a quarter of my life and am just kinda realizing how fast it all goes by. So to that end, I really, really want life and that thing we think we could call “time” to slow down a bit so I can make sure I get all the love I’ve got to give out to my family and friends 💕

Time: it’s currently 2:36pm at this point, which is kinda early for me on a Monday (it was 2:36pm on Monday when I wrote this but forgot to post it then so my bad!) because my sleep schedule is all sorts of messed up due to the pandemic and quarantining at home and it’s kind of hot day so I hope it cools down once night comes

Last movie: Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix which is really cute and funny and sweet and I think it’s from the makers of Into the Spiderverse and yeah it’s just great so watch it!

Tea or coffee: hmmmmm depends. I feel like I only drink tea when I’m sick or with friends or when I want a more chill form of coffee, which I constantly drink. I don’t know if this is maybe like a Mexican cultural thing but in my family, coffee is a drink for any time of the day. Like if the family was ever hanging out and it was like 9pm or whatever, someone would make a pot and we’d all have ourselves a cup so yeah, definitely a coffee type of dude here 😊

Last Show: I watch a lot of things, especially at the same time, so I’m not sure how accurate this answer is but I’d say it was Yasuke on Netflix since that was the last show I completed. I enjoyed it for various reasons and thought it was pretty cool. Just wish it was longer though but here’s hoping for a second season. Also I thought it was going to be historically accurate when I first started out so if anyone else is thinking the same thing before they watch it, don’t because it quickly proves that idea otherwise with mechs haha

Currently reading: I too read a lot of things simultaneously, which has its pros and cons but anyways, I’m currently trying to cycle through Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas, Ghost Summer by Tananarive Due, and the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. I’ve been reading Ghost Summer because I read The In-Between and enjoyed it and definitely am always here for horror by BIPOC and the other two texts were selected as part of book club stuff, which I’m behind on so yeah, maybe don’t read 3 books at once 😅

Currently watching: The Handmaid’s Tale since the newest season just released as well as catching up on the latest season of American Gods and as soon as I find a way to watch the newest season of POSE, I will promptly start watching that as well!

Sweet, spicy, or savory: I’m not much of a sweets dude just because I kinda feel gross after eating a lot of sweet stuff (although I really do enjoy ice cream), otherwise I’m definitely a savory and spicy kind of person, within reason although my family has a recipe for salsa goes really well on pretty much anything and I would probably would put it on everything too if I made it more often (making chile hurts sometimes haha)

Think I’m supposed to tag 10 people now so think I’m gonna tag some folk I’ve tagged before and some other folk I wanna know more about although no pressure to participate if you don’t wanna!

@vidibit @kaminaepicwin @songswordsfeathersbirds @mainbstaysgold @mrbearloover @psyrinn @directlyindirect @legendaryherooftime @midians-world @traviskduran

[stormtrprinstilettos]

“I know another secret about you.” - (Single Dad)Roger x Reader (smut)

Two in a week? Wow.

SERIES MASTERLIST HERE

Language. Smut. Age gap. Everything but angst. 18+ dammit.

Summary: Mr. Taylor hires you to babysit his two kids, and, well, you know... (Reader is of age!! – I know if I don’t clarify this someone will have something to say.)

[A/N: Okay so I guess we’re going to have an actual story here. Multiple people have requested some of this, so… here we go. You’re not getting another one until next week as long as this one goes over 300 notes too. 😉]

Dinner with your parents was never anything you looked forward to, but tonight was especially hard. The nagging was almost intolerable and it took everything in you to not cause a scene in the middle of the restaurant. Why your mother insisted on coming to The Ivy is beyond you, but you’re not paying, so you can’t complain too much. Of course, it gave her ammunition to use against you if you did complain about anything, like when you pleaded with them to stop asking a million questions about why you and your boyfriend broke up. “Y/N, we brought you to this fancy restaurant. The least you can do is talk to us,” she groaned. “He’s such a nice boy, and he comes from such a nice family…” You tune her out and your eyes start wandering around to see if there’s anything else to start a conversation about. And just when you take a bite of your salad, you start to feel nauseous, and it’s not because your father is talking about the polo-playing son of his business partner who just so happens to be single.

You see him and you want to vomit. On his arm is a stunning brunette who is radiating perfection and making you feel about an inch tall. And he is looking beyond gorgeous, dressed in a suit and tie and beaming with pride because he is there with the most beautiful woman in the room. You watch as he pulls out her chair before taking his seat across the table from her, which conveniently just so happens to be in your direct eyesight. You try to look away, but you can’t.

“Who is that?” your mother whispers in your ear, noticing your eyes transfixed on him. “He looks familiar.”

“Roger. Roger Taylor,” you groan. “I babysit his kids.”

“Oh, that drummer,” she says. “You mentioned that. I wish you would get a real job. One that’s more fulfilling.”

If only she knew…

The table conversation continues, but you’re only half listening, more focused on watching Roger and his date, trying to figure out what they’re talking about. Judging by the smile on his face, it’s probably an interesting conversation. You’ve seen that smile before. That’s the smile he gives you after he cuddles up to you after he’s done fucking you.

“… and she actually wore that hideous thing to the show. Can you believe that?” Your mother is laughing, so you fake a laugh too, but you have absolutely no idea what she’s on about. “You should come with us next time, Y/N. You and Margaret used to be such good friends.”

“Yeah, well Margaret has a huge stick up her…”

“Y/N?” you hear and you feel a hand on your shoulder. When you look up you see Roger standing next to you, smiling. “This is a pleasant surprise.”

“Hello, Mr. Taylor,” you reply, forcing the fakest smile you think you’ve ever made. “A surprise, indeed. These are my parents.”

He introduces himself and shakes your father’s hand before kissing your mother on her cheek. “I just wanted to come say hello.”

“Well, you did. Hello,” you snip, but keep a smile on your face while doing so. “You can go back to your date now.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Taylor,” your mother says. “We didn’t raise her to be so rude.”

He laughs. “She’s not being rude. She’s just being Y/N.” He bends down and gets close to your ear. “Excuse yourself and follow me.” He pats you on the shoulder. “It was nice meeting you.” He walks away and your eyes follow to see where he’s headed.

“Well he seems nice,” your mother says. “When you told me your new client was a rock and roll drummer I was a bit concerned, but…”

“Excuse me,” you interrupt, smiling as you stand up. “I’ll be back.” He disappeared down a hallway, so you really have no idea where he went, but you slowly make your way past through the restaurant, past the table where his date is patiently awaiting his return, and go down the hall you saw him walk into.

When you get halfway down, he grabs your arm and pulls you into a dark corner, wrapping his arms around you, but you push him away. “Why so feisty tonight?” he chuckles.

“‘I don’t like to share, Y/N,’” you say in a mocking tone. “You know what? If you can go out on fancy dates, then so can I.”

“You’re here with your parents,” he laughs. “Hardly constitutes a fancy date.”

“Yeah? Well maybe I’ll call Thomas.”

He can’t stop laughing. He’s finding your attitude quite amusing. “Who the fuck is Thomas?”

You roll your eyes, getting more and more frustrated with every second that passes. “Thomas. The guy I met Saturday.”

“You’re not calling him,” he chuckles, trying to pull you back in close, but you push him away again. “You’re not calling him.” You’re about to start fussing again but he holds a finger to your lips. “That woman out there? That’s a show. Some public relations nonsense. She’s an actress in a stage play and she needs to be noticed.” His finger is still over your mouth when your brow raises to demand more information. “This happens all the time. She needs attention. We’re thinking about getting back in the studio soon, so we need attention…” He leans down to get eye level with you and smiles. “We’re going to have our dinner, walk out so the photographers can get a few pictures, get in the car, and then she’s going home.”

“Then where are you going?”

“I don’t know,” he grins. “What’s your address?”

You rush inside after your parents drop you off and panic as soon as you step inside your flat. It’s a cluttered mess. Books and papers all over the place, clothes draped over your chairs because you can’t be bothered to hang them up, and that empty pizza box you’ve been telling yourself you were going to throw away for 4 days now. It’s too late to clean now. He’s knocking on your door.

“Hey, beautiful,” he grins when you open the door. “Can I come in?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” you smirk. You turn and walk away, leaning the door open for him to come in. “Excuse the mess. Haven’t had time to clean.” You clear the clothes laying over the sofa so he can sit down. “Been kind of busy lately,” you smile. “Drink?”

“No,” he says quietly with a smile as he pulls you close, lifting your chin and giving you a soft kiss. “This is fine.” It wasn’t one of those kisses that leads to sex, which is what you assume he’s here for. It was one of those sweet kisses you give someone simply because you want to kiss them, so it’s caught you off guard. “I actually could use a drink,” he chuckles. “Kitchen?” You point. “Go change. I know you’re not comfortable.” You have no idea what’s going on in his head, but clearly he’s not here for sex, because if he was he wouldn’t have just told you to change your clothes. He would have told you to get out of them. You’re suspicious, but you’re not going to question anything.

When you walk back out wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt that’s easily two sizes too big, you see him in the corner of the living room looking at your bookshelf, his suit jacket off and his tie loosened. “Find anything interesting?” you ask, and he turns around and smiles. “Yes, I’ve read all of them,” you giggle.

“Some interesting choices,” he says before he turns back around. “You don’t seem like the type who would enjoy Ray Bradbury.”

“What can I say” you sigh as you throw yourself down on the sofa. “I’m full of secrets.”

“Like what? Tell me another one.” He sits next to you and puts his arm around the back of the sofa, either genuinely interested in hearing more about you or he’s running a good game. Which is silly, because he’s already had you, so there’s no reason for that.

“When I was 8 I stole a candy from the shop,” you grin. “I felt so terrible about it, I didn’t even eat it. I still have it in my jewelry box on my dresser.”

“I don’t think I should let you take care of my kids,” he laughs. “You’re a bad influence.”

“But we were planning a candy shop heist for next week,” you giggle. “Can’t take me away from them now.”

He hasn’t stopped smiling at you since he walked in the door. “I know another secret about you.” He shifts his body and sneaks closer to you. “You’re still pretty when you’re dressed like a bum.”

You’ve always known he was good-looking. Okay, gorgeous. But right now – right this very second – you swear you’ve never seen him more gorgeous. And he’s looking at you with that soft and subtle grin and you don’t know why he’s here. It’s not sex, because if it was the two of you would be naked right now and you’d be well on your way to your second orgasm. “What are you doing here, Roger?”

“Wanted someone to talk to.” Okay. Here’s the man – not boy, man – who has seen every single inch of your body, who has done things to your body no one ever has, who has done things to your body you never knew was possible, who has made you feel things you didn’t know were possible… and now your insides are flittering around like they did when you were 7 and cutest boy in 3rd grade smiled at you. Like your insides fluttered those first few times you went to the house to babysit the girls. And now he’s grazing your shoulder with his fingertips, and he wants to talk. Talk? “How was dinner with your parents?”

“Dreadful,” you laugh. “But I survived, obviously.”

“How about having dinner with me?” he asks. “Wednesday night. I promise it won’t be dreadful.”

“A date?” you laugh, until you realize he’s completely serious right now. “Umm… is that a good idea? I mean, people might…”

“Whisper? Gossip?” He rolls his eyes and smirks. “I know a place where we won’t be bothered by anybody.” He’s trying to read your face, but your expression isn’t giving anything away. “Say yes,” he says, a tinge of anxiousness in his voice.

This could only end in trouble, but, then again, the two of you have been nothing but trouble for each other since the first day you walked into his house. So why stop the trouble now? It’s been spectacular so far. “As long as I don’t end up in some tabloid,” you grin. “I’m not some gorgeous actress.”

“No, you’re a princess.”

The conversation goes on like this for hours. Nothing important being discussed, but it sure felt like it. No innuendos being thrown about. Just you and Roger – not you and Mr. Taylor – on your sofa in your cluttered flat at 8:00 on a Wednesday night. You watched TV. You snacked on popcorn. And occasionally he would kiss you with the sweetest, softest intent – simply because he wanted to. It was funny, all of this getting to know each other business after the sex, but it felt… comforting. Normal. You don’t even know anymore because you’re head is spinning. And when you want to lay down and get comfortable, you put your head on his lap, and he starts to play with your hair. And you fall asleep right there.

Dinner. With Roger. Why did you agree to this? You’re a nervous wreck. This was a stupid idea. What if people saw you? What if you wake up tomorrow and see your face plastered all over the tabloids? What if someone recognizes you? What if… You have to stop worrying about all of these what ifs. But he’s coming pick you up. What if someone notices? What if one of your neighbors sells you out and takes pictures and… You look at the clock. He’ll be here in 20 minutes and you haven’t even put your dress on. You know what to do. Hurry and get dressed and go wait outside so he doesn’t get out the car. And that’s what you do. You put on your little blue dress and your heels, check yourself one more time in the mirror and rush out the door. Your nerves are making it impossible for you to control your movements and you start to pace back and forth on the sidewalk. You don’t even realize the car pull up next to you.

“Hey, pretty lady,” he says after he puts the window down. “It looks like you’re waiting for someone.”

“No one special,” you joke.

“Get in this car before someone else comes along and picks you up.” You take a deep breath and climb into the car. You don’t know why your nerves are so bad, but you can’t control them, not even when he starts talking. “You look stunning.”

“You’re not so bad yourself,” you smirk. Fuck. He’s gorgeous. And suddenly you can’t understand why he wants to spend time with you. Not just now, but any time. He can easily have his pick of anyone, but he’s choosing you. You clear your throat in an effort to snap you out of your overthinking. “So where are you taking me, Mr. Taylor?”

“Small, quiet place in the countryside where we won’t be bothered.” He grabs your hand and holds it on his lap. “And none of this ‘Mr. Taylor’ tonight,” he laughs. “You’re my date, not my employee and it makes me feel old.” That’s not why he doesn’t want you to call him that, and you know it. You know it turns him on, but apparently he wants to be on his best behavior tonight. You, however, suddenly decide that you don’t, and you won’t be, as long as your nerves calm down.

He wasn’t lying when he said he was taking you somewhere private. The drive was almost 45 minutes to a tiny restaurant out in the middle of nowhere. When you walked in, the workers all seemed to know who he was, and you were seated in a private area, a booth in a quiet, dark corner away from the other patrons. “Relax,” he chuckles, putting his arm around you. “Your fidgeting is annoying.”

“I’m sorry,” you giggle. “I’m nervous.”

He laughs. “I’ve seen everything you own, Y/N.”

“I’m not nervous about you, fool.”.

“Now I’m a fool?” he jokingly sighs. “Maybe I am.” He leans his head down and gives you a soft, quick kiss. “But I’m a happy fool.”

You smile. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Haven’t been this happy in a long time.” He puts his fingers under your chin and gives you a slow, lingering kiss, and you instantly forget about your nerves. He must have forgotten that he was supposed to be on his best behavior, because he starts to kiss your neck, making you giggle, before he moves back up and flicks your ear lobe with his tongue. “Can’t wait to do that to your clit later.”

“If you’re lucky I’ll let you.” You wink, subtly letting him know that two can play at this game, and you were going to be the one to win.

When you’re not eating, you’re playing with the necklace you’re wearing, drawing his attention to your cleavage. And if you’re not playing with your necklace, you have a hand gently placed on his thigh strategically placed to where your fingers are just out of reach of his crotch. Every now and then he’ll shift himself, trying to make your hand move, but you don’t let it. In fact, when he does that, you pull your hand away, pretending not to know what he’s trying to do. He reaches a fever pitch when he’s watching you eat your dinner. The way you’re slowly putting it in your mouth and totally eye fucking him the whole time, especially when you wipe the corner of your mouth and lick your lips. “Excuse me,” you say, sliding out of the booth before the dessert comes. “I’ll be right back.” You smirk to yourself the entire way to the bathroom. You have him right where you want him.

When you get back to the table, he’s smiling at you. That same smile he flashes when he’s thinking naughty thoughts. But you have a surprise for him. “Go back over there,” he chuckles when you sit back down. “I want to watch you walk away and back again.”

You playfully nudge his arm and giggle. “We’re in public, Mr. Taylor. You shouldn’t be so naughty.”

“I can’t help myself,” he whispers, leaning close to you and running a finger down your chest before he kisses you again.

You put your mouth to his ear. “I want you to know that I am extremely wet right now,” you whisper, sliding your panties that you went to the bathroom to take off into his jacket pocket.

He reaches in his pocket and feels his gift, and starts to loudly clear his throat with a slight cough. “Are you ready to leave?”

“No,” you laugh and slide away from him. “I’ve wanted this cheesecake since I saw it on the menu.”

“Are you serious right now?” he laughs with a groan. “Fucking cheesecake?”

“Yes,” you say matter-of-factly as the waiter puts it down in front of you. “I happen to love cheesecake.” You quickly take a bite. “Mmm, this is delicious.” You put some on your fork and feed it to Roger. “What do you think?”

“Very good,” he says before swallowing. “Not as delicious as you, though.”

“Control yourself, Mr. Taylor,” you say with a seductive tone. “We’re in public.”

When you get in the car, he pulls the panties from his pocket and holds them out. “You…”

“What?” you say quickly interrupting him with a giggle. “They were bothering me.” He shakes his head, starts the car and pulls out of the parking lot. “How fast can you drive without killing us?” You slide your heels off and put your feet on the dash. “Because I don’t know how long I can wait.” You look over at him and smirk. He’s completely speechless. You lift the bottom of your dress slightly and slowly slide a hand underneath. “Stop looking at me. Pay attention to the road, Mr. Taylor,” you giggle. He moves his hand off the gear stick and puts it on your thigh. “I don’t think that’s safe,” you say, moving his hand away. You close your eyes and bite your bottom lip and start to giggle, softly gliding your finger over your wetness. “This feels good.” You open your eyes and look at him with a smirk. “Wanna taste?” You move your hand and hold your finger to his mouth that’s already opened in amazement. Of course he does. And when you finish letting him clean your fingers off, you quickly pull them away.

“What’s gotten into you?” he laughs, finally able to speak. “Are you trying to make me wreck?”

“No,” you grin, shifting yourself in the seat so you can lean close to his ear. “I’m trying to make you pull this car over.” You nibble on his ear lobe and whisper. “Because there’s no way I’m going to make it 30 minutes to the house.” You’ve managed to shock him, finally. It’s his own fault you’re acting this way. He shouldn’t have started teasing you at dinner, and now he has to correct his mistake. He knows.

That’s why he doesn’t hesitate to pull the car over as soon as the street lights disappear. The road is dark, uninhabited and quiet. In other words, perfect. He doesn’t even turn the car off. The radio, the headlights – everything is still on. He jumps out of the car and rushes over to your door that he flings open before reaching in and grabbing your arm, pulling you outside.

It’s like a jolt of electricity running through you when Roger put his lips to yours. You feel him slide his hand under the bottom of your dress and graze over you, and you gasp. You push into his kiss, opening your mouth to him. You reach down to cup the bulge in his pants, making him groan in anticipation. You pull the zipper down and slip your hand in to release his throbbing cock. None of this teasing, none of this prolonging it – there’s no time for that.

He kneels down in the grass right there on side of the road in front of the car, lifts your dress up to your waist and nudges your legs apart. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he whispers as he looks up at you. He knows what he has to do. His mouth goes directly to your heat, and his tongue starts prodding right away. You hold one hand on the car hood to steady yourself and your other hand holds the back of his hair as his tongue swirls against you. You’re already so aroused it doesn’t take long. You gasp and buck against his mouth, his tongue flicking in every direction. It doesn’t take long at all.

“Good boy,” you giggle as he stands up. You grab the hem of his jacket and pull him close. “I know you want more.” He leans in and kisses you, still shocked by how brazen you’re being right now, but in complete awe of your whole mood. For someone who was too nervous to be seen in public with him tonight, you sure didn’t mind what he just did to you on the side of this road.

Roger quickly spins you around so your back is facing him. He tugs your hips towards him, using one hand to bend you over. You put your hands on the hood to steady yourself, parting your legs slightly to give him better access. He pauses a second to run his hand over your ass while rubbing his cock against your moist lips. With one hand on your hip for balance, he uses his other to guide his slick cock inside you. You let out a loud groan as he enters you from behind, pushing your hips back, coaxing him to go deeper. He didn't need asking twice.

He holds your hips with his hands and buries himself as deep as he can go. He starts thrusting himself into you, slowly at first, building up momentum. Roger completely loses himself in your wetness, sliding in and out so easily, as if he was meant to fit inside you. "Fuck me, Roger!" you yell out, startling him. "Fuck me hard!" He quickens his pace and force and he starts to groan. "Harder!"

He reaches around to touch your clit, only to find your hand already there, working it furiously. He leans over you and gasps in your ear, his fingers joining yours, circling your clit rapidly while still fucking you from behind. “Such a dirty girl,” he groans. “Take it.” He slides his fingers from your clit up to your mouth, and you start sucking your own juices from his fingers greedily before he leans back up and grabs your hips again.

"Cum for me, Roger," you groan. “Cum for your dirty girl.” He can't hold it in any longer, the excitement of fucking you out here and hearing you talk like that making it hard for him to resist releasing his load inside you. Feeling his hot cum you, you let yourself go, your own orgasm causing you to tighten around him. He groans as the last drops of cum left his cock. Panting, he pulled out. He’s exhausted, as are you, and he turns you back to face him.

“You never cease to amaze me, Y/N,” he murmurs with a smile against your lips.

When the car pulls into the driveway, there’s an unfamiliar car parked. “Oh, fuck,” he groans. “What is she doing here?” You aren’t amused, and he quickly explains. “The ex.” As soon as he says that, two doors of the car open – the driver’s door and of the back doors – and you see her, the ex, step out and two sets of little legs jump out of the back. “Shit,” he groans. “Shit.”

“What do I do?” you ask in a minor panic. “What do I do?”

“Daddy!” Liv yells out. “And Y/N! Birdie she’s here like she said she would be!”

“Fuck, Roger! What do I do?”

“Get out of the car,” he laughs. “I don’t know.” He gets out, but you freeze. Liv and Birdie run up to him and latch on to his legs. He pats them both on the head and they immediately run to your side of the car and knock on the window.

You quickly slip your shoes back on and open the door. “You promised you’d be here when we came back and you’re really here!” Birdie squeals. Now they’re latched on to your legs and you can’t move, partially because they have you constricted, but mostly because you still have no idea what to do.

“Look, mummy! It’s the princess!” Liv yells.

“Let her go, girls,” she laughs. “That’s not how you treat a princess.” Her niceness relaxes you, and you swear the breath you exhale has been pent up inside since you stepped out of the car. “I’ve heard a lot about you,” she tells you. “Thanks for taking good care of them.”

“Always my pleasure,” you smile, making your way to her and Roger. “They’re the best. And I’m not just saying that because they think I’m a princess.”

The girls run back to the car to get their things and Roger’s questioning looks let’s her know he wants answers and he wants them now. “I was going to bring them back in the morning, but I didn’t want to wake them up that early. I have to be at a meeting for 8am, but I’ll pick them back up when I’m done.” She looks over at you with a fake smile this time and then looks back at Roger. “Did I ruin your plans?”

“No, we already had our dinner,” he says, completely unamused. “You could have called earlier. I would have made sure I was home.”

“Dinner,” she laughs. “Next time, tuck your shirt back in and fix your hair, Roger, and don’t make it so obvious. You have children.” She rolls her eyes and goes to help the girls get their things out of the car. You’re not sure if you can describe what you’re feeling right now as being mortified, but you know it’s more than just plain embarrassment. “You know,” she continues, “it’s not any of my concern, whatever this is, but…” She stops and walks back over to you. “Look, my kids are around and…”

Roger starts to talk, but you hold your hand up so they both listen to what you have to say. “The girls are my priority when I’m here. They don’t see anything inappropriate.”

“That’s why Olivia said you sleep in his room when you’re here,” she snarks. “At least you two did whatever it is you do when they weren’t around this time.” You open your mouth to talk but now she’s the one doing the silencing. “There’s a spot on your dress, sweetie,” she chuckles.

“You can leave now,” Roger grumbles. “For being so worried about the girls, you sure do dump them off as often as you can.”

Realizing this is not a conversation you don’t need to be hearing, let alone the kids, you grab the keys from his hand and usher the girls inside. It was too late to shield them. They knew the tone very well and they knew that it meant another argument. You can see it on their faces. But you think quickly and smile. “Ice cream?” Their distress fades and their faces immediately light up as they drop their bags and run into the kitchen. “Chocolate or chocolate?” you ask as you grab the bowls from the cabinet.

“She’s a bitch,” Roger offers up, completely out of the blue as he sits down next to you on the sofa, the girls playing in the other room.

“We all can be,” you tell him. “But I really don’t want to talk about her.” You lay your head on his shoulder and a hand on his chest.

He puts his hand on top of yours and kisses the top of your head. “I had more planned for this evening, but…” He starts to laugh. “We’ll just have to pick it up once the girls leave tomorrow.”

“So is this more than sex now?” you ask, immediately wishing you could find a way to travel back in time just a few seconds to keep yourself from saying that, but since you can’t, you try to play it off as a joke. “I mean, we did spend the night together last night without it. And we had an actual date tonight. And now you’re cuddling me again…” You force yourself to laugh and look up at him. He’s grinning, which isn’t what you expected. “I’m joking.”

“No you’re not,” he laughs. “You love me,” he mocks.

“I do not,” you laugh and slap his arm. “Shut up.” He jumps up from the sofa and rushes over to the other side of the room without warning. “Didn’t mean to offend you,” you giggle.

He walks back over holding a book in his hand. “For you,” he says as he hands it to you. “You didn’t have this one in your collection. It’s a new one. Finished it this afternoon. You’ll like it.”

“And now you’re giving me presents?” you say dramatically. “How can I not fall in love?” You pretend to swoon and fall back on the sofa. “Seriously, Roger, thank you. I can’t wait to start it.”

When you start to sit up he pushes you back down, straddling over you, pinning you down and refusing to let you get up. “I want to see how long I can stay like this before you can’t handle it anymore and want ravish me.” You start to scream with laughter and fight to get up, but he’s overpowering you. “Or want me to ravish you. Either way,” he laughs.

Liv and Birdie quickly run into the room to see what the commotion is and they walk in right when he has his face close to yours and they both start giggling. You and Roger know they’re right there, but you’re both locked in a smiling gaze. “Daddy’s gonna kiss her,” Birdie giggles.

“Kiss her, Daddy,” Liv encourages. “You said she’s pretty.”

“She is very pretty,” he murmurs, still looking at you with the smile on his face.

“Do you like her daddy?”

“I like her more than I should, I think.”

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Let me know if you want to be tagged or if I’ve forgotten to tag you!

[boxed-n-bottled-arson]

Fanfic Game

This is a game the dorks played because they were bored. 

Here is how it works: We choose a prompt and write something in five minutes, but only say what the last sentence of what we wrote was. Then, this happens. 

Dork 2: This is extremely crack. We are both terrible. 

Janus goes to therapy

Warnings: Alcohol, depression, swearing 

D1 (Dork 1):

He watched helpless as the door closed behind her. Janus was pushed to put it simply. He decided to try therapy, yet it definitely was not what he expected. Now he sat in his therapists room after he had caused her to leave. This was fantastic. Sighing, he stood up from the somewhat comfortable couch, and walked out of the therapy office. He was glad he hadn't booked those extra appointments he thought about. He opened his car door and sat in the front seat. Taking a long sigh, he slammed his head into  the steering wheel, causing a large honk. He was the only person that would end up in this situation. He had ended arguing with his therapist. "Fuck my life" he murmured to himself. It was a solid four minutes before he ended up, actually starting his car. 

D2 (Dork 2):

The car started and he moved out of the mental asylum parking lot. The streets were empty and he could only hear his car on the road. He ended up seeing a liquor store and decided to get himself some nice fresh alcohol for the ride. His car, shitty as hell takes a few minutes for the car door to finally get open. Other people from the sidelines watch him like he is crazy trying to open his car door. He goes into the store and remembers he forgot his id and decides to just steal alcohol from the store. Glass bottles break and the cashier tries to stop him. Janus runs out of the store, getting back into the car. The car door flies away and Janus drives and drives. He doesn’t care anymore, and he can’t help but love being such a daredevil. He just wishes one day miss Crofter’s would love his sexy smile.

D1:

He just wishes one day Ms.Crofters would love his sexy smile. Maybe that would keep her from leaving his therapy appointment. Besides being extremely pissed, he was also sad. Sad that he, out of all people, caused his therapist, the person that was supposed to help him, leave. Maybe this proved that all his insecurities were correct, maybe putting on a facade was the right thing to do. Maybe acting stronger would be better than acting like he actually is under that shell. He wishes he could show the world that person. The person who just wants to make the world better and brighter for him and his friends. He laughed to himself, a small, hollow, sad laugh. It was ironic that he seemed to have two faces, just like his name. Wow he was pathetic, just like he thought. No one wants to be around him, not his friends, not his therapist, not himself.

D2:

He sits on the edge of the road, questioning his humanity. Was it really the right thing to do? Getting to please everyone around him isn’t helping him. He may be tough and strong, but it isn’t enough. He just wants someone to care for him but nothing ever works. He sips the last drop of his whisky and throws it to the road watching as glass shatters everywhere in the black night. He starts to wander around more, thinking about kites and kittens until he walks back up to miss crofters office. He doesn’t know why he is here, but he is. Janus sees her face again, and miss crofters can obviously tell he isn’t doing too good. Miss crofters can’t help but give him a hug to make the pain go away.

The server Virgil needs

Warnings: swearing, mentioned death, anxiety, food

D2:

It was just for one night. Virgil was not ready to go to this party, but Logan insisted since he needed his daily dose of socialization every once in a while, or all the time. He looks at the front door, preparing himself for what to come and opens the door. Music blasts in his ears, the floor literally vibrating. Virgil does his classic “put hood over head to avoid talking to people”. Then, he decided to go into the next room he saw, where there might not be too many people. The door creaks open to even more noise than before and to shock he actually sees people he knows. Roman, the big boy is hanging from the chandelier, acting like he is flying like a crazy person. He turns over to see Remus the crackhead, trying to shoot him like he is bird. What the fuck is going on???

D1:

Virgil just wanted to go to his friend's house, not have this. Staring at his friends house, Virgil felt his breathing hitch. Why was their loud music and speakers? Why the fuck were there decorations? And why the fuck did he honestly have to be here. Virgil thought about a few way to get out of this situation. He could leave, like honestly just walk back to his house, his mom would be confused but it would be a way out. He die, just curl right there in the grass and suffocate. He could stand in the road in wait for impeanding doom. Maybe find Patton and get hugged to death. Anything but go inside. Wasn't there a neighborhood lake, he could drown in. 

D2:

Wasn’t there a neighborhood lake he could drown in? He leans back in one of the folding chairs and looks up at the stars. Why did he have to be here right now? The smell of fire from the grill fills the outside, and Virgil really wants a taste but he doesn’t feel like talking to anyone else to get it. Logan appears before him and gives him a plate of an assortment of different barbecue type foods, burgers, hot dogs, etc. Virgil, forced to take the plate from Logan decides to start taking bites off his food. 

“I can’t let you sit here and starve Virgil,” Logan says, staring to eat off his own plate as well. Virgil thanks the heavens that Logan is able to be his server tonight. 

D1:

Virgil thanks the heavens Logan was able to be his server tonight. Logan sat next Virgil on the grass. The sun was just starting to set. The Ray's washing over both of them. Virgil really wasn't interested in the food. He was just enjoying the sunset, and his friends presence. It was a weird day, not normal really at all, but hey it ended alright. That's all that mattered, right? 

S’mores prank

Warnings: food, fire, briefly mentioned bugs, swearing

D1:

The fire was getting closer. Virgil hissed at the large orange flames in the fire pit, not enjoying how warm they made him while he was already wearing a hoodie. "Virge, that's not gonna make them go away," Patton said before shoving another marshmallow in his mouth. "Patton, we conquered those marshmallows for s'mores. If you eat all of them we won't be able to make s’mores." Logan said from his seat on a log next to Roman. "Come on Lo stop being a sorry sport, we can always conquer more!" Roman said, throwing a marshmallow into the flames. The sides had decided to go camping in the mind palace, well Roman decided he wanted to go camping and dragged them along. And Virgil was hating every second of it. He had to sleep on the ground, in a clostraphoic tent, and was surrounded by bugs. This was a shit situation for the emo side, and he was gonna make it hell for Roman.

D2:

Virgil started to work on his new deviant plan, ready to get at Roman. Roman has been pranking him for all these years and this time he is going to pay for it with good old sweet karma. He goes over and starts messing with the s’mores, putting his own ‘special’ ingredients to the mix. Some nice laxatives, and oh boy was this gonna be fun watching Roman suffer. Roman is laughing as the fire grew bigger, asking for a nice treat to have with the fire. Virgil couldn’t help but smile at what was about to happen next.

D1:

Virgil couldn't help but smile at what was about to happen next. Everything was about to fall in place, a perfect picture plan, Roman would never cross Virgil like this again. "Ahh, I'm gonna turn in for the night guys." Patton exclaimed with a yawn. "Padre, you're gonna go to sleep this early? Come on you should stay," Roman said. Logan stood up, "actually Patton is right, we can continue this 'bonding exercise' tomorrow, we should all go to sleep so Thomas can be in top conditions tomorrow." Logan and Patton then started walking to their tents. "Well Emo nightmare, we should go to sleep then, God knows you won't get it though," Roman said standing. "Wait!" Virgil yelled, the other sides turning to see why he just screamed. 

D2:

He didn’t want Patton or anyone else to get hurt, only Roman because Roman is a piece of shit. 

“Don’t eat those.” Virgil tells Logan and Patton. 

Patton looks gloomy, wanting a satisfying taste of s’mores. 

Patton looks back at Virgil, upset. “Why can’t we? Roman is shoving those into his face right now.” 

Virgil knows they won’t listen if he tells them what is really going on. 

“I may have... uh...” Virgil can’t help but feel guilty, but his plan has already worked. Roman is shoving the s’mores into his face right now. 

“I put laxatives into the s’mores...” 

Guns and sushi

Warnings: Guns, food, Remus, knives, dead bodies, people tied up, blood, fist fighting, theft

D2:

Under normal circumstances, he would speak his mind, but with a gun against his head. “Buttt whyyyy???? I just want to play with some of the dead bodies out in the back!!!” Remus says with a bratty tone. He seems really upset, and Patton can’t help but feel disgusted. How the heck did he get here, with Janus and Remus?! He tries to get his way through the ropes but nothing works. This is Janus’ and Remus’ specialty. He may know Janus a little bit more now, but this is really the only way to get Remus to stop acting like a lunatic. Remus breaks open from his own handcuffs after being at gunpoint from yours truly, Janus. Janus puts the gun down and turns over to look at Patton, and Remus can’t help but giggle from the sidelines.

D1:

"What are we gonna do now?" Patton sighed. "I honestly don't have a clue." Janus looked at Remus for a second before looking back at Patton, "we could leave him here and just leave, get some food, oh maybe Chinese?" Patton thought about it for a second, "fine, but make it Sushi. It could care less for Chinese right now." Janus nodded and the two walked out the door of the grimy warehouse. Just before they both got in the car though, Patton tugged open a window. "Come one we can't leave him locked in there!" Janus sighed, "fine, but get in, I'm hungry."

D2:

Remus slips a certain something from under his shoe and in such a way Janus would never notice. It was a pocket knife. Janus and Remus walk away from the large cage, leaving Patton alone, in complete darkness and he could barely see anything. Guess they weren’t going to stay after all. Patton gets the knife in his hands tied around his back and starts cutting. They are very thick ropes, but at this point he just wants to get home and see everyone again. He manages to cut and he is released. Patton is happy that Remus left the cage door open, but what are really his intentions? Remus doesn’t do these types of favors without any motive behind it. 

D1:

 Remus invaded the kitchen like a warrior on a battlefield. He was here to make sure Patton got the noodles he wanted, and Remus might treat himself as well. The chefs and servers were all confused, telling him to leave and get out of the kitchen. Remus smiled, Patton was gonna get his noodles. It's safe to say no one left that kitchen without a bloody nose. Remus had really taken a beating to everyone there. Once everyone was out cold though, Remus snooped around the kitchen before seeing it. On top of the stove, was a large pot of noodles, exactly what Patton wanted. Grabbing the pot, and something else Remus ran back to the main restaurant, and to the side of a disappointed Remus and Patton. "So you robbed the place of there noodles and ice cream?" Janus asked. "Yup!" Remus exclaimed, licking a popsicle. 

“Do you love me?”

Warnings: sexual intentions, kissing

D1:

The footsteps were moving away. Roman let out a heavy sigh. They couldn't be caught, not now. They had been doing this for weeks but still every sound made them pause, every foot step made them step away from each other, and every word that wasn't one of there’s ruined the mood. It was upsetting but the safest thing to do, if they were caught...it would never happen again. It was a strange idea, logic and creativity being together. Wanting each other. Not feeling complete without one another. But they did. So when the lights turned off, and the others went to sleep, Roman sneaked in,to Logan's room to feel complete. To have his other half. "We can't keep doing this," Logan said. Roman sighed, it was true. It was painful every time a kiss was broken by footsteps. "Than what do we do?" He asked. "Tell them," Logan said. "Lo, we can't, they won't" Logan brought up a hand to cup Roman's cheek. 

 D2:

“Ooh? Wow Logan I didn’t know you liked this type of thing.” Roman places his hands around Logan’s waist. 

“Well, passionate kissing can burn between 2 and 26 calories a minute, and also can reduce stress. This can be extremely beneficial to both of our health.” 

Roman looks at Logan almost like his face is trying to make a sigh but he can’t. 

“Ugh please don’t start Logan.” 

To get Logan to not talk anymore, he pushes him up against the wall, Roman presses his lips against Logan’s. Logan, wanting to talk more about health benefits finally decides to give in, letting the kisses get more passionate than before. Eventually, Roman decides to slip his hand between Logan’s thighs.

D1:

"Roman we can't-" "Logan you love me." Logan looked at Roman wide eyed. Logan wasn't good with emotions, but he knew love was strong. It wasn't a word you threw around, you had to be certain. And Logan didn't know how to Express what he had with Roman. It was strong, yet fragile. It made him feel confident. And he wanted more moments with Roman. Hell, he wanted every moment to be with Roman. Log a finally broke the silence, "do you love me?" Roman paused for the smallest of seconds, "yes." Logan pushed Roman away from him "Then tell them, about us. I can't handle keeping this a secret Roman, we need to tell them." 

D2:

Roman looks down at the ground, trying to find an excuse but can’t manage to make one. 

“Why do relationships need to be so hard???” Roman more upset than ever, holds Logan close. 

“All we need to do is tell them. I mean think about it, we all know Patton and Virgil are a thing.” Logan says. 

“Wait, what?! How couldn’t you tell me this info sooner?!” 

Logan, realizing his clothes are a lot more of a mess than before. 

“Roman, do you have some missing brain cells or are you just clueless?” Roman totally offended snaps back.

“I’m not oblivious! At least I’m not the one reciting lines from the last article you read about kissing! Don’t tell me that isn’t odd!” 

Logan can’t help but feel embarrassed. 

A soulmate AU?

Warnings: Food, condoms

D1:

He couldn't believe it. Was it really him? Roman stared across the small library at the man behind the counter. He was tall, with brown hair and glasses, along with wearing a tie and dress shirt. On his neck was a simple tattoo, taking the form of a dragon sitting atop a pile of books. The same tattoo that Roman had on his left hip. He couldn't believe, Roman was staring at his soulmate. All his life he had dreamed of meeting his soulmate. Someone who was perfect for him in every way, someone to love him every second. And now he was a few isles away from them. What was he supposed to do? Run up and randomly kiss them? No that would be weird. 

D2:

Logan walked over to one of the bookshelves and grabbed a book. Roman couldn’t get the courage to do it. On his way to one of the tables to get a close look at Logan, he sees something under the table. 

“What the...” Roman mumbles. 

A lady behind him notices as well, and screeches.

“IS THAT A USED CONDOM?!” The lady runs away and Roman looks at it in horror. Logan turns over and walks over to Roman, startled when he looks under the table like everyone else in the room. People start discussing what to do with it while Roman and Logan stare intensely at the used condom. 

“Disgusting... in a public library...” Logan says. 

D1:

 "That's… gross," Roman said, before his eyes trailed back to Logan. "Um, I actually came over here to ask you something." Logan looked at Roman curious, "and what would that be?" Roman took a second to try to form a response, just screaming out 'I'm your soulmate' would probably confuse him, and he honestly wanted this first meeting to go well. "Here, showing you would be better," with that Roman took his shirt off, turning so that Logan could see his left side. Logan, who at first was very confused, stared at the large dragon tattoo on Roman's side. Roman turned back around to look at Logan. "Seems we might be soulmates."

D2:

“Roman. Let’s go somewhere together.” Logan takes Romans’ hand and leaves the library. Roman can’t help but blush when Logan holds his hand like this. Then, Logan stops suddenly. They both look up to see the most beautiful thing in the world, the greatest ice cream shop that sells beans with ice cream and other things. Logan and Roman run towards the ice cream shop, skipping along the way there. 

“Let’s get some ice cream with beans,” Logan says, “they help oxygen flow through your body.” Logan keeps pulling Roman towards the ice cream shop and they enter. 

“You look like two happy donkays if I do say so myself,” the cashier says. “What would you donkays like to get today?” 

“Oooh oooh can I get some BEANS?!” Roman yells. 

“Sure thing donkay! All the donkays get bean ice cream today!” 

The donkays scream yay at getting the taste of some nice bean ice cream.

Patton’s secret

Warnings: Alcohol, implied sexual content, swearing, Remus, first fighting, injuries

D2:

He sat him down and held him close before telling him the horrible news.

“Patton, I—“ Virgil is shushed. 

“Shh, I’m enjoying this moment between us together.” Patton holds Virgil tighter.

“I feel like there is something I don’t know about...” Virgil stops looking at Patton, extremely angstily. “Patton, please tell me what is going on, I need to know.” 

“I don’t know if I should tell you, it is really bad...” Patton whispers. 

“It’s okay, I’ll help you in any way I can.” Virgil shows a smile, and the only smile he has given all night. 

“I—“ Patton stops himself from speaking, he can’t bring himself to say it. 

“Please, I love you so much Patton and I care about you.” 

Patton sighs. “I’m pregnant.”

“W-what?! How the heck are you pregnant?” Virgil yells. 

D1:

"Wha- what how the heck are you pregnant?" Virgil yells. Patton winced at the sound, no this isn't what he wanted he really didn't want Virgil angry. "I-I'm sorry Virge, I was drunk and not thinking, please I love you I promise!" Virgil was shocked how the fuck was he suppose to deal with this?! He was very aware Patton was trans, but they weren't at a comfortable point in their relationship to do anything. They had only been together for a month or two. "Pat, I-I…" Virgil didn't know what to say. Was he ready to be a father? We Patton ready to be a father? He could feel his breathing quicken, the world seemed to blur. "Virge? Virge, breathe for me please." "Y-you cheated on me and got pregnant?!" 

D2:

“How could you just have a one night stand with some random person?! Do you even care?!” Virgil stands his ground, flaming with rage. 

“I’m done and we are OVER. There is no excuse!” Virgil leaves the room to find a way to release the steam. Why did Patton do this to him? He runs outside and sits against the wall, and he can’t help but cry.

He hears footsteps expecting Patton, but it turns out to be a familiar face. 

“Remus...” 

Virgil gets up and backs slightly away. 

“Hey there Vergy! It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Must say that was quite a show in there.” Remus giggles at the drama and entertainment. 

“You have something to do with this, don’t you Remus?” Virgil says.

D1:

"You have something to do with, don't you Remus." Virgil said. Remus looked offended "Virgil, drawing random conclusions-" "BULLSHIT!" Virgil yelled. "You can fucking stop the act, you fucked Patton, without protection and this kid is yours!" Remus smirked, sickly sweet, "you say it like he didn't consent." Virgil stared at him, pissed. "You fucking knew me and Patton were in a relationship you sick fuck!" With that the first punch was thrown. Remus looked startled, holding his now very bruised jaw. "It's not all my fucking fault!" Remus said hitting back. 

The fight didn't last long, though it ended with both of them majorly bruised. Remus had left, bruised and hurt, leaving a very confused Virgil standing alone on the sidewalk.

[alj4890]

Christmas Prompt

(Thomas x Amanda) with the given prompt from @jlpplays1-41daysofcheerchallenge​​ for black and white

(Thomas Hunt x oc*Amanda) in a Christmas one shot

A/N I had something planned for this movie for our RCD Appreciation Week, but ended up going with another. Using it for @jlpplays1 41 Days of Cheer Challenge seemed meant to be. This isn't a part of my AU's though I had considered Thomas and Amanda meeting under simliar circumstances in Another Night, Another Dream storyline. Still, I am a sucker for fluff and first impressions. So here we go again.

Above image taken from the 1940 holiday classic Remember the Night and I do spoil most of it in this. Sorry!

@lxaah11​ @alleksa16​ @penguininapinktuxedo​ @blackcoffee85​ @stopforamoment​  @hopefulmoonobject​  @krsnlove​   @annekebbphotography​ ​ @cora-nova​ @bella-ca​ @hopelessromantic1352​. @sunflowergirl05​ @desiree-0816​ @greywitchyshots​ @lilyofchoices​ @emceesynonymroll​ @dr-nancy-house​ @aworldoffandoms @ab1901 @pixieferry @lolablackwrites  @flyawayboo @i-bloody-love-drake-walker. @trappedinfandoms @kate-mckenzie

Masterlist

The Theater

Amanda settled into the red cushioned seat and set her soda down in the cupholder. She pulled up on the tab to open her box of Junior Mints and glanced around. She couldn't believe that hardly anyone was here for the holiday movie marathon.

When she told those back home in Cordonia that she was traveling to Los Angeles specifically to attend this week of nothing but classics from silent era to ending with 1954's White Christmas, none had volunteered to come with her. 

"If I'm going to California, I want to sightsee and party with the stars...not attend some tiny theater for old movies." Maxwell had reluctantly admitted when she voiced her surprise that he didn't want to go.

Everyone else pleaded with her to do something else. After all, she had only seen it advertised on the theater’s website.

“What if it isn’t in a safe area of the city?” Liam asked. “You will be alone, late at night in what could be a dangerous area.”

“Why are you spending money to see movies you have seen a hundred times before?” Drake rolled his eyes at her explanation of experiencing it in a movie theater.

"It's the week before Christmas." Olivia had argued. "You should be here with us where you belong, not alone in some strange city watching movies you already own on blu ray.”

When it came to things that she truly loved, Amanda's stubborn streak made itself known. They all shook their heads. If she had to have one crazy weird attribute, willing to travel for movies might not be the worst thing she could have.

And here she was on her third evening, ready to watch the first half of the 1940's classics. The evening was beginning with Remember the Night.

Amanda adored this particular one. She could remember when her mother first shared this movie with her when she was nine years old. It had been late one night when neither could sleep. They had cuddled under a blanket and only had the Christmas tree lights on.

She had fallen hard for Fred MacMurray's portrayal of John Sargent from the very beginning. His sarcastic, dry humor mixed with his gruff, morally right persona had hidden what was later revealed to be a very tender heart toward those he loved.

Barbara Stanwyck's con artist/thief was just the right person to shake him up. Of course, he managed to open her eyes and smooth out her understandable rough due to circumstances edges.

Their love story had all the elements from humor to bittersweetness. The perfect movie made even more so because it was set during a snowy Christmas and New Year's.

Amanda had secretly searched a long time for her tall, dark, and handsome Fred MacMurray/John Sargent. Most of the men she thought might be the one seemed to be lacking that one key element that made him so desirable: the tender heart. She had recently given up that long held dream. The man simply did not exist in the real world.

"I was born in the wrong time period." Amanda would say to herself each time she watched this. "That's why I can't find anyone like him."

She shook herself out of these unhappy thoughts and watched as John argued against dismissing the case of Barabara Stanwyck's character, Lee.

________________

She's back, Thomas thought when he saw the same woman come in by herself and take the exact same seat she had the past two nights. She had another box of candy and soft drink, just like she had each other time. She laid her jacket on the seat next to hers and he knew from observing her the other times that she would end up using it as a cover around the second hour of the movie marathon.

He settled more comfortably in his own chair further back. Seeing her dedication in supporting this small, independent theater made him not lose hope in people knowing and enjoying these classics. He had tried to encourage his film students to come and had even played around with the idea of offering extra credit. He decided against it in the hopes they would come simply because of what these old black and white movies contained: emotional storytelling at its finest.

There was no CGI nor any enhanced techniques. No method acting. Nothing except a story acted out with the sheer talent to draw one within the imagined world and make the individual wish they could remain.

Something about these black and white movies made the winters and snowfall seem even more shiver worthy. Knowing it was all done on a soundstage, made it even more impressive.

He was surprised that his attention continued to stray to the woman sitting a few rows ahead of his and a couple of seats over to the left. He had looked forward to seeing the movies he actually owned on various discs on the large screen.

"I was born in the wrong time period." He would mutter when reading about the golden age of film. To be a part of the beginning of not only sound in films, but also during a time of discovering a wealth of talent in actors and screenwriters, would have been a dream come true. A dream to be able to feel that excitment of making movies was something he was in desperate need of.

He had gotten burned out. After filming The Last Duchess, he felt empty. Nothing had sparked his creativity. Nothing made him want to jump back into the director's chair and bring a story to life. He felt like he was teetering on the edge of something about to happen in his life...something life changing. He hoped whatever it was would happen soon.

Being unable to sit back and wait patiently for the mystery life changing event to happen, he had decided to return to his second love of teaching. It had been going well the last few semesters. There was only one drawback to this. He didn't know quite what to do with himself now that he was on winter break.

He shook himself from the quagmire of his depressing thoughts and focused on the scene of John offering to take Lee to her mother's home in Indiana on his way to see his own.

______________

Amanda laughed at the scene of John's irritation and resulting sarcasm while dealing with the small town judge. She could hear a deep laugh somewhere behind her. She supposed it was the same lone man that had been here the last few nights.

He shares my sense of humor, she thought. Hearing that laugh didn't make her feel quite so alone in the theater. She had never minded being on her own. There were many times that she loved to escape the nobles and her friends for a needed breather. Yet something about the holiday season made being alone seem...well...lonely.

She needn't be. Amanda had a wonderful life. One day she would meet someone to share it with. It might not be her dream man that was currently on the screen, but he would be perfect for her.

_____________

Thomas watched the lone woman dig in her purse for a tissue. She had been moved to tears over how cruel Lee's mother was and how sweet John had been to tell her he was taking her to his childhood home for Christmas.

He wracked his memories and realized he couldn't recall the last time he witnessed a woman of today crying over a black and white movie of yesterday. Perhaps I've been around the wrong women, he thought.

He wished he could see the expression on her face caught up in the bittersweet emotion. What had made her cry? Was it simple pity for the heroine of the movie? Did it remind her of something from her own past? Was it John's actions that set off her tears?

He grimaced and tried to keep his attention strictly on the movie.

________________

Amanda sighed at that ending. To make such a choice...could I do that if I had been Lee?

"I must be a horrible person." Amanda mumbled as she gathered her things. She planned on getting a refill before The Shop Around the Corner started.

"Why do you think you're horrible?"

She turned around in surprise. "Oh!" Amanda stared at the famous man who had been the only other one in the theater tonight. "I..." Her smile held hints of self-depreciation. "I don't know if I could leave John and willingly plead guilty to my crimes. I would be tempted to marry him like he wanted and allow him to pull all the tricks to make the jury side with me."

Thomas nodded. "Yes, it would be difficult. I believe though that nowadays the heroine would probably do that very thing."

Amanda's grin reappeared. "Now that we no longer have the Hays Office making certain the wicked paid for every action, I imagine that someone would rewrite this to Lee not only being claimed innocent but that John was evil to continue to serve as prosecutor.”

His eyes widened. "You know about the Hays Office?"

"Of course." She stepped out into the aisle. "I love film history."

He followed her out into the lobby. "You're not leaving yet, are you?"

She turned around once more in surprise. "No. I was going to get a refill."

He hesistated a moment. Thomas couldn't help but notice that not only could she keep up intelligently conversation wise, but he also found her attractive. "Would you care to sit with me during the next film?"

"I don't know if we will be able to find two seats together with such a crowd." She teased.

He chuckled softly. "If I am able to find two side by side..." Thomas trailed off and waited.

Amanda lowered her eyes and grinned. "Then I would appreciate you saving me a seat."

______________

A few movies later and at a small nearby diner...

"Do you have any particular recommendations?" Amanda asked as she picked up the menu.

"All of the pies here are some of the best around." Thomas lifted his own menu, yet continued to glance at her over it.

She smiled when the waitress approached.

"What can I get you and your lady friend to drink, Professor?" The middle aged, slightly tired woman asked.

He nodded toward Amanda to go first.

"Iced tea, please." She replied.

"Coffee." He added.

"Are you ready to order or do you need another moment?" She asked.

"I am, are you?" Thomas asked.

Amanda grinned. "Go ahead. I make decisions for food better under pressure."

He chuckled. "Apple pie a la mode."

The waitress turned to Amanda.

"I'll have the same." She decided at the last moment.

Once they were alone, Thomas folded his arms on the table. "I have a question that has been driving me mad most of the night."

Amanda lifted an eyebrow. "Oh? And what might that be?"

"During Remember the Night, you were crying. Why?"

Her cheeks turned a little red under his steady regard. The Thomas Hunt wanted to know why she had teared up. She still couldn't believe his interest in her thoughts. Granted it wasn't like anyone else had been there to steal his attention away from her. She might as well enjoy it for what it was: a once in a lifetime opportunity. They had spent most of their time sitting next to each other in the theater, talking and pointing out various aspects of the scenes they loved in the movies they had seen so far.

"Everything about that scene when John and Lee go to her childhood home hurts. When you compare it to the first glimpse of John's it really strikes you at the differences." She explained.

"How?" He asked, wanting to hear more of her thoughts.

Amanda leaned forward as she went further into detail. "Take the lighting for example. Lee's home is cast in shadows. No lights are on inside that we can see, welcoming anyone approaching with warmth. John's had lamps shining like a lighthouse, beckoning one to safety from the cold. Lee's mother and stepfather didn't bother to step out on the porch or even invite them inside from the cold. The single light near the mother cast harsh shadows, adding even more to the foreboding sense that no love would be awaiting the prodigal daughter. John's had family coming out into the cold, wanting to hug and hurry them inside to warm up. Current joy at seeing him again and memories of happiness waited inside that bright house."

He listened to her silently in complete agreement. He marveled at her ability to cut right to the aesthetic of the two instead of focusing in on the dialogue. The words spoken were of course moving in terms of emotion, yet for her to point out something he tried to do for his students made him want to talk to her even more.

"Here you go." The waitress set their plates and drinks in front of them. "Has my nephew been behaving himself?"

Thomas nodded. "He has been doing very well this past semester. You should be proud of him."

The tiredness left the woman's face hearing that. "You really think he has a future in cinematography, Mr. Hunt?"

"I do." He said a bit gruffly. "I recommended him for a scholarship." He picked at his pie. "You should receive the letter soon about the approval."

"You mean--" the waitress teared up and tried to get the words out. "Thank you. This...this means the world to us."

He waived off her thanks. "His talent and your tenacity is what did this. I had no part in it."

She turned to Amanda who was observing their interaction quietly. "Don't let him fool you. He had everything to do with giving my Brandon his dream future."

The young lady realized that her suspicions were correct. There was a good deal more to the famous director than what he decided to reveal to the outside world. 

Thomas cleared his throat and avoided eye contact. The waitress poured his coffee and left them alone.

Amanda picked up her fork and took a bite. "You were right. The pie here is very good." She noticed relief flood his features over the attention no longer being on his kindness.

"I'm glad you agree." He took a bite of his own. "Are you planning on attending any of the other nights at the theater?"

"All of them, actually." She grinned at him. "It was why I decided to come to Los Angeles for a visit."

"I see." His brow furrowed with thought. "I plan on attending the whole week also."

She reached for the sugar packets to add to her glass of tea while waiting to hear what he would say next.

"If you are planning on being there and I am, then perhaps we could go together." Thomas looked at her over his coffee cup to gage her reaction.

"I would like that." Amanda said with a hint of color to her cheeks. "Then perhaps we could talk about the movies over pie."

His lips curved into a soft smile. "I would like that."

_____________

Last night of the holiday classics...

"Thank you, Thomas, for making this week so enjoyable. I have loved our discussions each night." Amanda kissed his cheek on impulse outside the theater.

He took her hand and cleared his throat. "I have enjoyed it also." He looked down at their fingers laced together. "When do you leave for Cordonia?"

"Day after tomorrow." She said, wishing time had not gone by so quickly.

His frown formed. "Must you go so soon?"

Her eyebrows lifted. "I suppose I don't necessarily have to." She pushed the strands of hair back that were determined to remain in her face as a breeze blew. "Christmas is a few days away though."

"You could spend the holidays here, if you would like...with me." Thomas tugged her close and slowly captured her lips in a tender kiss.

She was rooted to the sidewalk in shock over him kissing her. She had hoped he would. But as each night ended without one, she assumed he wasn't attracted to her. Now, though...

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into another more active kiss. She smiled against his lips when his hands slipped in her hair, encouraging the kiss to go on.

When it ended, she took a brief moment to gather her thoughts. "Perhaps I could stay until after New Year's, if you would like me to."

Thomas held her pressed against him and brushed his lips against hers. "I can't think of anything more I would like."

_______________

3 years later in that same theater...

"Would you like any Junior Mints?" Thomas asked, helping her off with her coat.

Amanda set her hand on her very distended belly and shook her head. "I don't believe our baby shares my love for peppermint and chocolate." She slowly lowered herself in the seat and sighed. "I can't believe you thought of coming here again."

He sat down next to her and placed his arm along the back of her seat. "I thought it might be nice to relive the night we met that led to this." He placed his hand on her stomach, smiling softly at the movement he felt.

She laughed while looking around the empty theater. "Seems to be the same crowd as was before."

"That is my doing." He explained. "I rented the entire theater just for us."

"You did?" Her smile turned tender.

He nodded, presssing a kiss to her lips. "And I have the same movies as before."

She rested her head on his shoulder and thought back to that night. "I didn't expect to end up staying here when I first came."

"I'm grateful my powers of persuasion worked so well." He gently rubbed her tense back while thinking of when he first approached her.

After spending the holidays together, he had received a script that had reinvigorated his passion for directing. He returned to Cordonia to film it and to spend more time getting to know Amanda. On the night of his new movie's premiere, he asked her to marry him. A few months after that they were on their honeymoon.

Now here they were, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their own classic film lover, who was already a week overdue in making his or her appearance.

As Remember the Night began, Thomas pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I am very thankful I met you that night."

Amanda sat up and held her stomach. "Meeting you was quite a surprise, though I believe tonight's might give it a run for its money."

His brow furrowed. "Why is that?"

She looked up at him with an excited smile. "My water just broke."

[blackkudos]

Sugar Ray Leonard

Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed from 1977 to 1997, winning world titles in five weight divisions; the lineal championship in three weight divisions; as well as the undisputed welterweight title. Leonard was part of "The Fabulous Four", a group of boxers who all fought each other throughout the 1980s, consisting of Leonard, Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Marvin Hagler.

"The Fabulous Four" created a wave of popularity in the lower weight classes that kept boxing relevant in the post-Muhammad Ali era, during which Leonard defeated future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Hearns, Durán, Hagler, and Wilfred Benítez. Leonard was also the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, and was named "Boxer of the Decade" in the 1980s. The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1979 and 1981, while the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1976, 1979, and 1981. In 2002, Leonard was voted by The Ring as the ninth greatest fighter of the last 80 years; BoxRec ranks him as the 14th greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound.

Early life

Leonard, the fifth of seven children of Cicero and Getha Leonard, was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was named after Ray Charles, his mother's favorite singer. The family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was three, and they settled permanently in Palmer Park, Maryland when he was ten. His father worked as a supermarket night manager and his mother was a nurse. He attended Parkdale High School, Leonard was a shy child, and aside from the time he nearly drowned in a creek during a flood in Seat Pleasant, Maryland, his childhood was uneventful. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog. His mother said: "He never did talk too much. We never could tell what he was thinking. But I never had any problems with him. I never had to go to school once because of him."

Amateur career

Leonard started boxing at the Palmer Park Recreation Center in 1969. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. Roger helped start the boxing program, urging the center's director, Ollie Dunlap, to form a team. Dave Jacobs, a former boxer, and Janks Morton volunteered as boxing coaches. Roger won some trophies and showed them off in front of Ray, goading him to start boxing.

In 1972, Leonard boxed in the featherweight quarterfinals of the National AAU Tournament, losing by decision to Jerome Artis. It was his first defeat. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. He made it to the lightweight semifinals, losing a disputed decision to Greg Whaley, who took such a beating that he wasn't allowed to continue in the trials and never boxed again.

Sarge Johnson, assistant coach of the US Olympic Boxing Team, said to Dave Jacobs, "That kid you got is sweet as sugar". The nickname stuck. However, given his style and first name, it was probably only a matter of time before people started calling him Sugar Ray, after the man many consider to be the best boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson.

In 1973, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves Lightweight Championship, but lost to Randy Shields in the lightweight final of the National AAU Tournament. The following year, Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Lightweight Championships. Leonard suffered his last two losses as an amateur in 1974. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. In Poland, Kazimierz Szczerba was given a decision victory over Leonard, even though he was dominated in the first two rounds and dropped three times in the third.

Leonard won the National Golden Gloves and National AAU Light Welterweight Championships in 1974. The following year, he again won the National AAU Light Welterweight Championship, as well as the Light Welterweight Championship at the Pan American Games.

In 1976, Leonard made the U.S. Olympic Team as the light welterweight representative. The team also included Leon and Michael Spinks, Howard Davis Jr., Leo Randolph, Charles Mooney, and John Tate. Many consider the 1976 U.S. team to be the greatest boxing team in the history of the Olympics. Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 5–0 decisions. He faced Kazimierz Szczerba in the semifinals and won by a 5–0 decision, avenging his last amateur loss.

In the final, Leonard boxed the great Cuban knockout artist Andrés Aldama, who scored five straight knockouts to reach the final. Leonard landed several good left hooks in the first round. In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. Late in the final round, he again hurt Aldama, which brought a standing eight count from the referee.

With only a few seconds left in the fight, a Leonard combination forced another standing eight count. Leonard was awarded a 5–0 decision and the Olympic Gold Medal. Afterward, Leonard announced, "I'm finished...I've fought my last fight. My journey has ended, my dream is fulfilled. Now I want to go to school." He was given a scholarship to the University of Maryland, a gift from the citizens of Glenarden, Maryland. He planned to study business administration and communications. He finished his amateur career with a record of 165–5 and 75 KOs.

Achievements

1973 National Golden Gloves Lightweight Champion, defeating Hilmer Kenty

1973 National AAU Light Welterweight Championship runner-up, losing to Randy Shields

1974 National Golden Gloves Light Welterweight Champion, defeating Jeff Lemeir

1974 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion, defeating Paul Sherry

1974 North American Championships Gold Medalist, defeating Robert Proulx

1975 National AAU Light Welterweight Champion, defeating Milton Seward

1975 North American Championships Gold Medalist, defeating Michel Briere

1975 Pan American Games Light Welterweight Gold Medalist, defeating Victor Corona

1976 Olympic Light Welterweight Gold Medalist, defeating Andrés Aldama

Olympic Results

1/32: Defeated Ulf Carlsson (Sweden) by unanimous decision, 5–0

1/16: Defeated Valery Limasov (Soviet Union) by unanimous decision, 5–0

1/8: Defeated Clinton McKenzie (Great Britain) by unanimous decision, 5–0

1/4: Defeated Ulrich Beyer (East Germany) by unanimous decision, 5–0

1/2: Defeated Kazimierz Szczerba (Poland) by unanimous decision, 5–0

Finals: Defeated Andrés Aldama (Cuba) by unanimous decision, 5–0

Change in plans

Juanita Wilkinson, Leonard's high school girlfriend, told him she was pregnant in the summer of 1973. They decided to have the baby but marriage would be put off until after the Olympics in 1976. Leonard would continue to pursue his Olympic dream while she and the baby, Ray Charles Leonard Jr., lived with her parents. When Leonard boxed in the Olympics, he had a picture of Wilkinson taped to his sock.

Shortly before the Olympics, Wilkinson had filed an application to receive $156 a month in child support payments from Prince George's County, Maryland. She named Leonard as the father and the county's state attorney's office filed a civil suit against Leonard to establish paternity and get support payments for the child. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. The headline in the Washington Star read, "Sugar Ray Leonard Named in Welfare Dept. Paternity Suit".

Wilkinson went to the Olympics to watch Leonard box, but she did not tell him about the suit and never asked him for any money. "I didn't feel like being bothered by all those complications by asking him for any money for support", she said. Leonard pledged he would support his son, even if he had to scrap plans to attend college.

Leonard had hoped to get lucrative endorsements following his gold medal win, but the negative publicity from the paternity suit chased off any big commercial possibilities. To make matters worse, his father was hospitalized with meningitis and his mother suffered a heart attack. With neither parent able to work, with his child and the mother of his child to support, and without any endorsement opportunities, Leonard decided to become a professional boxer.

Professional career

Early professional career

When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. Trainer talked 24 of his friends and clients into underwriting Leonard's career with an investment of $21,000 to be repaid within four years at 8% interest. Trainer then made Leonard the sole stockholder in Sugar Ray Leonard, Inc. Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, was brought in to be Leonard's trainer and manager. Many of the people being considered wanted absolute control and a cut somewhere near the manager's traditional 33%. Dundee had a different proposition. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. He would also choose Leonard's opponents. For his services, Dundee would get 15% of Leonard's purse.

Leonard made his professional debut on February 5, 1977 before a crowd of 10,270 at the Civic Center in Baltimore. He was paid $40,044 for the fight. His opponent was Luis "The Bull" Vega, whom he defeated by a six-round unanimous decision. After the fight, Leonard paid back his $21,000 loan to the investors.

In his fourteenth professional fight, Leonard fought his first world-ranked opponent, Floyd Mayweather, who was ranked seventeenth. The fight took place on September 9, 1978. Leonard won by a tenth-round knockout. A month later, Leonard defeated his old amateur nemesis Randy Shields by a ten-round unanimous decision.

On August 12, 1979, Leonard knocked out Pete Ranzany in four rounds to win the NABF Welterweight Championship. The following month, he made his first title defense against Andy Price. Price, an up-and-coming contender who was sponsored by Marvin Gaye, had a reputation for prolonged bouts in earlier fights and was believed by sports reporters to defeat or give a long fight to Leonard. Although Price landed multiple good blows, Leonard knocked him out in the first round, advancing his record to 25–0 with 16 knockouts.

First world titleLeonard vs. Benitez

Leonard fought Wilfred Benítez for the WBC Welterweight Championship on November 30, 1979, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. There was a capacity crowd of about 4,600. Leonard received $1 million and Benitez, a two-division champion with a record of 38–0–1, received $1.2 million.

It was a highly competitive and tactical battle. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. More embarrassed than hurt, Benitez got up quickly. Benitez started improving in the fourth, slipping numerous punches and finding the range with his right hand. "I wasn't aware I was in a championship early because I hit him so easy", Leonard said. "But then he adjusted to my style. It was like looking in a mirror".

In the sixth, there was an accidental clash of heads, which opened a cut on the forehead of Benitez. Blood flowed down his forehead and the bridge of his nose but stayed out of his eyes.

Leonard landed the harder punches and had Benitez hurt several times late in the fight, but Leonard couldn't put him away. Benitez was very slick. "No one, I mean no one, can make me miss punches like that", Leonard said.

Going into the final round, Leonard led by scores of 137–130, 137–133, and 136–134. The two went toe-to-toe in the fifteenth. Late in the round, Leonard dropped Benitez with a left. He got up, but after a few more punches, the referee stopped the fight. The time was 2:54 of round fifteen.

The Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring named Leonard "Fighter of the Year" for 1979.

Leonard vs. Green

Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland, on March 31, 1980. His opponent was Dave "Boy" Green. The British challenger had a record of 33–2. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. Leonard called it "the hardest single punch I ever threw."

The Brawl in Montreal

On June 20, 1980, Leonard returned to the Olympic Stadium in Montreal to defend his title against Roberto Durán before a crowd of 46,317. Durán, the former Undisputed World Lightweight Champion for 6 1/2 years, had a record of 71–1 and was the #1 welterweight contender and considered the best "Pound for Pound" fighter in the world. Durán received $1.5 million and Leonard, working for a percentage of the closed-circuit gate as well as a guarantee, received over $9 million.

Angelo Dundee counseled Leonard to box, to move side to side and not to get caught on the ropes. However, Leonard decided to fight Durán's way. "Flat-footed", he said. "I will not run."

Durán forced the issue and took the fight to Leonard, cutting off the ring and denying Leonard space to fight his fight. Durán attacked at almost every turn. Leonard battled back again and again, but he had to work just to find room to breathe and swing, at times simply to survive. In the second, Durán rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. Leonard started to do better by the fifth round, finding some punching room and throwing numerous multi-punch combinations. The two fought with great intensity throughout the fight. According to Bill Nack:

It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Durán. The Panamanian seized the evening and gave it what shape and momentum it had. He took control, attacking and driving Leonard against the ropes, bulling him back, hitting him with lefts and rights to the body as he maneuvered the champion against the ropes from corner to corner. Always moving forward, he mauled and wrestled Leonard, scoring inside with hooks and rights. For three rounds Durán drove at Sugar Ray with a fury, and there were moments when it seemed the fight could not last five. Unable to get away, unable to counter and unable to slide away to open up the ring, Leonard seemed almost helpless under the assault. Now and then he got loose and countered—left-right-left to Durán's bobbing head—but he missed punches and could not work inside, could not jab, could not mount an offense to keep Durán at bay.

Durán was awarded a unanimous decision, although it was mistakenly read as a majority decision in the ring. The scorecard of judge Angelo Poletti was incorrectly added and announced as 147–147. He actually scored it 148–147. In rounds, he had it three for Durán, two for Leonard, and ten even. Sports Illustrated called his scorecard "a monument to indecision." Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146–144 and 145–144, respectively. Associated Press had it 144–141 for Durán, while The New York Times had Leonard ahead 144–142.

"I did the best I could", Leonard said. "I think I pretty much fought from the heart." Asked if Leonard was the best he ever fought, Durán thought for a moment and then answered, "Si, si." Durán said. "He does have a heart. That's why he's living."

"No Más"

in New Orleans

The rematch, billed as "Stone vs. Sugar.. Once Again", took place November 25, 1980 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans in front of 25,038 fans. Leonard received $7 million and Durán received $8 million.

Dave Jacobs disagreed with the decision to have an immediate rematch with Durán and terminated his relationship with Leonard when the rematch was made. "My idea is that he should have a tuneup fight before he fights with Roberto again", Jacobs said. "I think he won the fight with Durán, but I don't think it is healthy for him to be fighting Durán right away".

After the Montreal fight Durán went on a partying binge and ballooned in weight. Leonard was aware of this, and in an interview for Beyond the Glory he said: "My intention was to fight Durán ASAP because I knew Durán's habits. I knew he would indulge himself, he'd gain 40–50 lbs and then sweat it off to make 147." Unlike the fight in Montreal, Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Durán. "The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving", Leonard said. "And Voom! I snapped his head back with a jab. Voom! I snapped it back again. He tried to get me against the ropes, I'd pivot, spin off and Pow! Come under with a punch."

In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Durán. Leonard's most memorable punch came late in the round. Winding up his right hand, as if to throw a bolo punch, Leonard snapped out a left jab and caught Durán flush in the face. "It made his eyes water", Leonard said. He continued to taunt Durán mercilessly. He stuck out his chin, inviting Durán to hit it. Durán hesitated. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug.

In the closing seconds of the eighth round, Durán turned his back to Leonard and quit, saying to referee Octavio Meyran, "No Más" (English: "No more"). Leonard was the winner by a technical knockout at 2:44 of round eight, regaining the WBC Welterweight Championship. Leonard led by scores of 68–66, 68–66 and 67–66.

Durán said he quit because of stomach cramps, caused by overeating after the weigh-in. "At the end of the fifth round, I got cramps in my stomach and it kept getting worse and worse", Duran later said. "I felt weaker and weaker in my body and arms." He then announced, "I am retiring from boxing right now." During the night Durán was admitted to a hospital with stomach pains, and discharged the following day.

Everyone was surprised by Durán's actions, none more so than his veteran trainers, Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel. "I was shocked", Brown said. "There was no indication that he was in pain or getting weak." Arcel was angry. "That's it", he said. "I've had it. This is terrible. I've handled thousands of fighters and never had anyone quit on me. I think he needs a psychiatrist more than he needs anything else." Durán's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durán didn't quit because of stomach cramps. He quit because he was embarrassed. I know this." According to Randy Gordon, who witnessed Durán's antics beforehand and was in his dressing room immediately afterwards, Durán quit because of his huge eating binge prior to the fight.

"I made him quit", Leonard said. "To make a man quit, to make Roberto Durán quit, was better than knocking him out."

Second world titleLeonard vs. Bonds

On March 28, 1981, Leonard defended his title against Larry Bonds, the WBC sixth-ranked contender, at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, New York. Bonds was a southpaw, which made him a good opponent for Leonard, given that his next opponent was scheduled to be the WBA Light Middleweight Champion Ayub Kalule, a southpaw.

Leonard was the aggressor throughout, with Bonds circling the ring. He staggered Bonds with a right in the fourth round and dropped him with a follow-up combination. Bonds got up and continued to move, with Leonard in pursuit. Leonard dropped him again in the tenth. Bonds rose but Leonard didn't let him off the hook. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.

Leonard vs. Kalule

Leonard moved up to the junior middleweight division and faced Kalule on June 25, 1981 at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. Kalule, who was 36–0, had been the WBA Light Middleweight Champion for two years.

Kalule and his handlers had expected Leonard to use lateral movement against him, but Leonard chose to fight inside instead. After eight tough rounds, Leonard was ahead although Kalule appeared to be coming on strong in the eight and ninth. Leonard finally hurt him with a right to the head. Shortly afterward, Leonard dropped him with a flurry of punches. Kalule got up but the referee waved it off. Leonard celebrated his victory with a full 360-degree, no-hands flip. Despite an official stoppage time of 2.59, the fight was actually stopped at 3.06 into the round, meaning Kalule should have been saved by the bell.

The Showdown

Promoted as "The Showdown", Leonard fought Thomas Hearns on September 16, 1981 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas to unify the World Welterweight Championship in a scheduled fifteen-rounder. They fought before a live crowd of 23,618. Hearns was paid $5.1 million, and Leonard made over $11 million. The fight grossed over $35 million. The live gate was $5.9 million, and the revenue from pay-per-view was $7.5 million.

Hearns, 32–0 with 30 knockouts, won the WBA Welterweight Championship in 1980, scoring a second-round knockout of José "Pipino" Cuevas in Detroit, Michigan. He made three successful title defenses, stopping Luis Primera, Randy Shields, and Pablo Baez.

The fight began as expected, Leonard boxing from a distance and Hearns stalking. Leonard had difficulty with Hearns' long reach and sharp jab. By the end of round five, Leonard had a growing swelling under his left eye, and Hearns had built a considerable lead on the scorecards. Leonard, becoming more aggressive, hurt Hearns in the sixth with a left hook to the chin. Leonard battered Hearns in rounds six and seven, but Hearns regrouped. Hearns started to stick and move, and he started to pile up points again. The roles reversed: Leonard became the stalker and Hearns became the boxer. The fight billed as a classic showdown between a powerful knockout artist and the best boxer/puncher the welterweight division had seen in decades devolved into a tactical and boring fight.

Hearns won rounds nine through twelve on all three scorecards. Between rounds twelve and thirteen, Angelo Dundee told Leonard, "You're blowing it, son! You're blowing it!".

Leonard, with a badly swollen left eye, came out roaring for the thirteenth round. After hurting Hearns with a right, Leonard exploded with a combination of punches. Hearns' legs were clearly gone and after more pressure from Leonard he was bundled through the ropes, no knockdown was given as it wasn't a punch that sent him there. Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round.

In round fourteen, after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes, where he unleashed another furious combination, prompting referee Davey Pearl to stop the contest and award Sugar Ray Leonard the Unified World Welterweight Championship. Hearns was leading by scores of 124–122, 125–122, and 125–121.

After the fight, there was controversy due to the scoring of rounds six and seven. Even though Leonard dominated, hurting Hearns and battering him, all three judges gave both rounds to Leonard by a 10–9 margin. Many felt that the ten-point must scoring system was not properly used and those rounds should have been scored 10–8. Some also considered the stoppage premature. Veteran ringside commentator Don Dunphy said "They're stopping the fight. I don't believe it. Hearns was ahead on points." However, Emanuel Steward, Hearns' manager and trainer, said, "I felt that the referee was justified in stopping the fight ... Tommy did not have enough energy to make it through the fight."

The fight was named "Fight of the Year" by The Ring. Leonard was named "Fighter of the Year" by The Ring and The Boxing Writers Association of America. He was also named "Athlete of the Year" by ABC's Wide World of Sports and "Sportsman of the Year" by Sports Illustrated.

Retirement and return

On February 15, 1982, Leonard defended the unified title against Bruce Finch, the WBC fourth-ranked contender, in a bout at Reno, NV. Leonard knocked him out in the third round. Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982, in Buffalo, New York. While training, Leonard started to see floaters. He went to a doctor and discovered that he had a detached retina. The fight was cancelled, and Leonard had surgery to repair the retina on May 9, 1982.

On November 9, 1982, Leonard invited Marvin Hagler and other boxing dignitaries to a charity event in Baltimore, Maryland to hear him announce whether he would continue his career. Standing in a boxing ring with Howard Cosell, the master of ceremonies, Leonard announced his retirement, saying a bout with Hagler would unfortunately never happen. Leonard maintained his eye was fully healed, but that he just didn't want to box anymore.

Missing the limelight and the competition, Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. Leonard boasted that he would have a couple of ten-round bouts and then take on Milton McCrory, Donald Curry, Durán, Hearns and finally Hagler. This decision was met with a torrent of criticism from fans and the media, who felt Leonard was taking unnecessary risks with his surgically repaired eye.

A bout with Philadelphia's Kevin Howard, who was 20–4–1, was scheduled for February 25, 1984. The fight was postponed when Leonard had minor surgery on his right eye to fix a loose retina. This latest eye problem further fueled the flames of those who opposed Leonard's comeback.

Before the fight with Howard, Dave Jacobs rejoined Leonard's team in a limited role. Jacobs had quit in 1980, disagreeing with Leonard's decision to have an immediate rematch with Durán.

Leonard and Howard fought on May 11, 1984, in Worcester, Massachusetts. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. It was the first knockdown of Leonard's professional career. Leonard came back to stop Howard in the ninth round, but the stoppage was disputed, with some feeling that the referee stopped the fight prematurely. Leonard was ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. At the post-fight press conference, Leonard surprised everyone by announcing his retirement again, saying he just didn't have it anymore.

Leonard vs. Hagler

On March 10, 1986, Marvin Hagler knocked out John Mugabi in eleven rounds to retain the Undisputed World Middleweight Championship for the twelfth time and advance his record to 62–2–2. "I was ringside", Leonard said. "I'm watching John 'The Beast' Mugabi outbox Hagler. Of all people, John 'The Beast' Mugabi." It was then that Leonard decided to come back and fight Hagler. He called Mike Trainer and said, "I can beat Hagler".

On May 1, 1986, Leonard announced on a Washington, D.C. talk show that he would return to the ring to fight Hagler. The announcement generated a lot of controversy because of Leonard's inactivity and eye injuries, yet it also excited many sports fans who had hoped to see them fight years earlier. Hagler took a few months to decide, then agreed to the match.

The fight, promoted as "The Super Fight" and "The King of the Ring", was scheduled for April 6, 1987, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Leonard was guaranteed $11 million, and Hagler was guaranteed $12 million. Hagler was a heavy favorite. The odds started at 4–1, then settled at 3–1. A paying crowd 12,379 generated a live gate of $6.2 million. According to Bob Arum, the fight grossed $78 million (which equates to $170 million in 2016).

The original fight plan for Leonard was to go toe-to-toe with Hagler and try to cut him, but the plan changed about five days before the fight. Leonard got hit by sparring partner Quincy Taylor and was badly buckled. "He almost knocked me out", Leonard said. After that, Leonard decided to box Hagler.

Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill still allowed him to control the fight. Hagler looked stiff and mechanical and missed the speedy Leonard time and again prompting CBS ringside commentator Gil Clancy to remark "...and is he ever missing...Leonard isn't doing anything to make him miss, he's just missing!"

By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score somewhat effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and move less. However, he was able to outpunch Hagler along the ropes and got the better of several bristling exchanges. Hagler never seized total control of the fight as he had against Thomas Hearns two years earlier, when he brutalized Hearns and scored a third-round knockout. Hagler's punches lacked snap and, although he was scoring solidly to the body, he looked nothing like the powerful fighter who had dominated the middleweight division for the previous five years. Leonard's observation that the Hagler who beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on. In rounds seven and eight, Hagler's southpaw jab was landing solidly and Leonard's counter flurries were less frequent.

Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard looked to be in trouble, but he furiously fought his way out of the corner. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. However, Hagler's moments were more spectacular and one of Hagler's cornermen: Roger Perron (in an interview that took place on an episode of HBO's Legendary Nights episode segments in 2003) later stated that: "the ninth round was probably Marvin (Hagler)'s, best round".

Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round but with Hagler having more spectacular moments. Despite Leonard's obvious fatigue, he boxed well in the eleventh. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier and more eye-catching, if not as effective. But at that point in the fight, Hagler appeared to be slightly more ring-general and clearly more aggressive. Between rounds eleven and twelve, Leonard's trainer: Angelo Dundee, implored Sugar Ray to get up off his stool yelling "We got three minutes...new champ...new champ!" Leonard yelled "Yeah!" and played to the screaming crowd. Hagler's corner was much more reserved prompting Clancy to comment: "They're talking to him like it's an IBM meeting or something...no emotion." In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. Leonard responded with a furious flurry, landing few punches but whipping the upset-hoping crowd into a frenzy. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. At the final bell, even uniformed ringside security rushed into the ring applauding and lauding Leonard's effort.

Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291.

Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. Judge Dave Moretti scored it 115–113 for Leonard, while judge Lou Filippo had it 115–113 for Hagler. Judge José Guerra scored the fight 118–110 for Leonard. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. Scottish boxing journalist Hugh McIlvanney wrote that Leonard's plan was to "steal rounds with a few flashy and carefully timed flurries...he was happy to exaggerate hand speed at the expense of power, and neither he nor two of the scorers seemed bothered by the fact that many of the punches landed on the champion's gloves and arms."

Many others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. Jim Murray, long-time sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote, "It wasn't even close...He didn't just outpoint Hagler, he exposed him. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. In snowshoes...Leonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. When he did, he hit harder. He hit more often...He made Hagler into what he perceived him to be throughout his career—a brawler, a swarmer, a man who could club you to death only if you stood there and let him. If you moved, he was lost."

The scorecards from the ringside press and broadcast media attest to the polarizing views and opinions of the fight:

The fight was named "Fight of the Year" and "Upset of the Year" by The Ring.

Despite requests from the Hagler camp, Leonard was uninterested in a rematch and retired on May 27, 1987. "I'll try, I'll give it a shot", Leonard said of his latest retirement. "But you guys know me." A month after Hagler's formal retirement in June 1988, Leonard would announce another comeback.

Another comebackLeonard vs. Lalonde

On November 7, 1988, Leonard made another comeback, facing Donny Lalonde at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. They fought for Lalonde's WBC Light Heavyweight Championship and the newly created WBC Super Middleweight Championship, which meant that Lalonde had to make 168 lbs. Many were critical of the fact that Lalonde's light heavyweight title was on the line when the weight limit of the fight with Leonard was at 168 pounds, and critical of Leonard for stipulating that his opponent—a natural 175 pounder—should weigh less than his usual fighting weight, which could possibly weaken him. However, Lalonde later told HBO's Larry Merchant that he didn't have any trouble making weight.

Lalonde, 31–2 with 26 knockouts, was guaranteed at least $6 million and Leonard was guaranteed over $10 million.

This would be Leonard's first professional fight without Angelo Dundee. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. Dundee was unhappy with that amount. He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. "I don't have contracts. My word is my bond", Leonard said. Janks Morton and Dave Jacobs trained Leonard for the Lalonde fight.

Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. In the fourth round, a right hand to the top of Leonard's head dropped him for just the second time in his career. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard fired back and hurt Lalonde with a right. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard, but got dropped with a powerful left hook. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Judges Chuck Giampa and Franz Marti had Leonard ahead by scores of 77–74 and 77–75, respectively. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 76–75.

After the fight, Leonard vacated the light heavyweight title, but kept the super middleweight title. Also, Leonard and Janks Morton split because of personal differences. Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.

Leonard vs. Hearns

On June 12, 1989, Leonard defended the WBC Super Middleweight Championship in a rematch with Thomas Hearns at Caesar's Palace. It was promoted as "The War." Hearns was guaranteed $11 million and Leonard was guaranteed $14 million.

Hearns dropped Leonard with a right cross in the third round, but Leonard came back and battered Hearns around the ring in the fifth. Early in the seventh round, Hearns hurt Leonard but punched himself out going for the knockout. With Hearns fatigued, Leonard came back and had a strong finish to the round. Rounds nine and ten were good rounds for Leonard, but he ran into trouble in the eleventh round. Three booming rights from Hearns sent Leonard down for the second time in the fight. Knowing he needed a big finish, Leonard fought furiously and had a big final round.

The judges scored the fight a draw and Leonard retained the title. Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 113–112 for Hearns, Judge Tom Kazmarek scored it 113–112 for Leonard, and Judge Dalby Shirley scored it 112–112. Shirley was the only judge to give Leonard a 10–8 margin in the twelfth. If he had scored it 10–9, as his two colleagues did, Hearns would have won by a split decision. Eventually, Leonard admitted that Hearns deserved the decision.

Leonard vs. Durán III – Uno Más

On December 7, 1989, Leonard defended the title against Roberto Durán, who was the reigning WBC Middleweight Champion. Durán was guaranteed $7.6 million and Leonard's arrangement guaranteed him over $13 million.

For the Durán fight, Leonard cut his entourage from twenty-one to six. Dave Jacobs was one of the people let go, leaving Correa as the sole trainer. Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. "For the first time in a long time, I allowed someone to push me", Leonard said.

The fight took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Leonard used constant lateral movement and won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision over a listless Durán. The scores were 120–110, 119–109, and 116–111. In a fight that many considered to be very boring, both fighters were booed often by the fans and many left the arena before the decision was announced. Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated wrote, "Leonard gave them artistic perfection when they wanted heated battle, and they booed lustily. Most fight fans would not spend a dime to watch Van Gogh paint Sunflowers, but they would fill Yankee Stadium to see him cut off his ear." Although Leonard dominated the fight, he suffered several cuts. His lower lip was cut from a headbutt in the fourth round, his left eye was cut in the eleventh round, and his right eye was cut in the twelfth round. The cuts required a total of 60 stitches.

In January 1990, Leonard relinquished the WBC Super Middleweight Championship, saying that he was unsure whether he would fight again. When Leonard decided to continue his career, he offered Hagler a rematch, but Hagler decided to stay retired. He then offered Hearns a third fight, but Hearns said he could no longer make the weight and moved up to the light heavyweight division.

Leonard vs. Norris

On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154 lbs and fought WBC Light Middleweight Champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. Leonard entered the bout as a 3-1 favorite but Norris dominated the fight, giving Leonard a heavy beating. He knocked Leonard down with a left hook in the second round, and in the seventh, he dropped Leonard again with a short right. Leonard had no answer for the skillful, younger, faster man. Leonard went the distance but lost by a lopsided decision. The scores were 120–104, 119–103, and 116–110. After the verdict was announced, Leonard announced his retirement. "It took this fight to show me it is no longer my time", Leonard said. "Tonight was my last fight. I know how Hagler felt now."

Final comeback

In October 1996, the 40-year-old Leonard announced that he was coming out of retirement to fight 34-year-old Héctor Camacho for the lightly regarded International Boxing Council (IBC) Middleweight Championship. Camacho, a light-hitting southpaw, was a three-time world champion with a record of 62–3–1. However, Camacho was also considered to be past his prime. Leonard decided to fight Camacho after commentating on Camacho's fight with the 45-year-old Roberto Durán the previous year, describing the disputed unanimous decision as "an early Christmas gift".

Leonard blamed his poor performance against Norris on lack of motivation, a rib injury, moving down in weight, and divorce, which was being litigated while he was in training. "It was stupid for me to fight Norris at 154 lbs", Leonard said. "This is different. I'm in the best shape possible."

For the Camacho fight, Leonard had a new trainer, Adrian Davis. "He's a great trainer, a throwback", Leonard said. "He has really helped me get ready."

In January 1997, it was announced that Leonard had been voted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. The rules state that a boxer must be retired for five years before being eligible for induction. When the vote took place, Leonard had been retired for more than five years, therefore, he was eligible, even though he had a fight scheduled. The induction ceremony was on June 15, 1997.

The fight with Camacho took place on March 1, 1997, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Camacho applied pressure from the opening bell and started to score well in the third. He continued to score well in the fourth and opened a cut above Leonard's right eye. In the fifth, Camacho dropped Leonard with a right followed by two left uppercuts. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. The referee stopped the fight with Camacho teeing off on a defenseless Leonard on the ropes. It was the only time in Leonard's career that he was knocked out.

Afterward, Leonard retired again, saying, "For sure, my career is definitely over for me in the ring." However, less than a week after the fight, Leonard said he planned to fight again. He blamed his loss on a torn right calf muscle. His doctor suggested that he cancel the fight, but Leonard wanted to go through with it. Before the fight, he was given a shot of novocaine.

Leonard said he planned to have a series of tuneup fights before fighting a champion. He was scheduled to fight Tony Menefee on February 15, 1998, in Australia, but he pulled out of the fight, saying that he didn't have the motivation. The Camacho fight was Leonard's last. He finished his career with a record of 36–3–1 with 25 knockouts.

Media appearances

Leonard has worked as a boxing analyst for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, HBO and EPIX. His relationship with HBO lasted for more than a decade. It ended in 1990, after HBO was not offered an opportunity to bid on the telecast rights to Leonard's fight with Terry Norris. HBO believed it would be inappropriate for Leonard to continue with them if they couldn't bid on his fights. Leonard's attorney, Mike Trainer, said, "There never has been a linkage between his broadcasting and his fighting."

Leonard has provided commercial endorsements for companies including Coca-Cola, EA Sports, Ford, Nabisco, Revlon and 7 Up. His most famous commercial was a 7 Up ad he did with his son, Ray Jr., Roberto Durán and Durán's son Roberto Jr. in the early 1980s. Leonard is among the most sought-after motivational/inspirational speakers in the world today. His speech, entitled "Power" (Prepare, Overcome and Win Every Round), is consistently booked with major Fortune 500 companies throughout the United States and abroad.

Leonard has also worked as an actor. He has appeared in numerous television shows, including Half & Half, L.A. Heat, Married... with Children, Renegade and Tales From The Crypt. He has also appeared in several movies, including I Spy and most recently The Fighter (2010), starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg. This movie brought back memories of his fight with Dicky Eklund. He also worked as an adviser in the 2011 robot boxing film Real Steel. Leonard served as host and mentor to the aspiring fighters on The Contender. Sylvester Stallone, who co-hosted during the first season, was one of the executive producers, along with Mark Burnett. When Leonard left the show, he was replaced as host by Tony Danza for the final season.

In 2001, Leonard launched Sugar Ray Leonard Boxing Inc., a boxing promotional company, and announced the company's strategic partnership with ESPN. Together, Leonard and ESPN would produce and promote "Sugar Ray Leonard and ESPN II Presents Friday Night Fights", which would air the first Friday of every month for twelve months. Leonard's boxing promotional company was dissolved in 2004. He had a falling out with partner Bjorn Rebney, whom he called "a cancer in my company." Speaking of his promotional company, Leonard said, "We did some great shows with evenly matched fights. I took great pride in it. But the TV show came about and made my decision a lot easier. I already had it in the back of my mind to dissolve the company. The working environment was not healthy."

Leonard competed on season 12 of Dancing with the Stars, which premiered on Monday, March 21, 2011, on ABC. His partner was Anna Trebunskaya. He was voted off in Week 4 of the show. During his appearance on The Colbert Report in 2011, Leonard was defeated by host Stephen Colbert in a thumb wrestling contest. He appeared as a guest at the chef's table, along with Tito Ortiz, during the tenth season of Hell's Kitchen. He is the celebrity spokesperson for the Atlanta law firm John Foy and Associates, PC.

Leonard was also the subject of a Seinfeld episode (season 6, episode 21) where George tries to flatter his boss by saying he looks like Sugar Ray Leonard. The real Leonard (a Seinfeld fan) mentioned that he was told about the episode by friends and family, but had never seen it for himself until a friend gave him the DVD set for a gift.

Personal life

Family

Leonard married his high school sweetheart, Juanita Wilkinson, in January 1980. Their six-year-old son, Ray Jr., served as the ring bearer. In 1984, they had another son, Jarrell. They were divorced in 1990. During divorce proceedings, Juanita Leonard testified that her husband physically abused her while under the influence of alcohol. She also said he was an occasional cocaine user. In his testimony, Leonard confirmed his wife's claims and went on to reveal that the problems of their marriage were not due to drug and alcohol use.

After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and publicly acknowledged that the accusations were true. He said he started using after he retired in 1982, following surgery to repair a detached retina. "I wanted more", Leonard said. "I wanted that arena. I didn't want anyone to tell me my career had to end." "I decided to search for a substitute...I resorted to cocaine. I used when I felt bad, I used when I missed competing at that level", he said. "It was a crutch, something that enabled me to forget." He said he quit using drugs in early 1986, when he woke up one morning and "what I saw in the mirror was scary." "I can never erase the pain or the scars I have made through my stupidity, my selfishness", Leonard said. "All I can do is say I'm sorry, but that is not enough." In 2011, Leonard revealed in an NPR interview that he had been free of alcohol since July 2006.

In 1989, Leonard was introduced to Bernadette Robi by Kenny G at a Luther Vandross concert. Robi is the daughter of Paul Robi, one of the original Platters, and she is the ex-wife of Lynn Swann. Leonard and Robi were married at Leonard's $8.7 million estate in Pacific Palisades, California in August 1993. At the wedding ceremony, the grounds were converted into a garden with 10,000 roses and blossoms of other flowers flown in from the Netherlands.

Leonard is also the godfather of Khloé Kardashian and has appeared on many episodes of Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

Charity work

For many years, Leonard has been the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk for a Cure and is actively involved in raising both awareness and funds.

Leonard testified before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs in 2009. The Senate hearing was titled "Type 1 Diabetes Research: Real Progress and Real Hope for a Cure". He testified about the burden of diabetes and the need for continued research funding to find a cure.

Leonard and his wife, Bernadette, founded the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and its annual Walk for a Cure. In 2009, the foundation expanded to support programs that help people rebuild their communities in ten cities across the United States. It supports accessible housing, healthcare services, and educational services and job training.

In 2007 he was awarded The Ambassador Award of Excellence by the LA Sports & Entertainment Commission at the Riviera Country Club for his continued community involvement.

Advocacy against child molestation

In his autobiography The Big Fight: My Life in and out of the Ring, published in June 2011, Leonard reveals that as a young boxer he was the victim of sexual abuse from an Olympic trainer as well as another man, a benefactor. He has since made public appearances to bring attention to the issue of child sex abuse, declaring himself a "poster child" for the cause and encouraging victims to report their abuse.

[themysteryofwriting]

This really is the worst ending

TW: Unsympathetic Patton, multiple major character deaths, blood, Sayori like scene, string imagery, gore, depression, brainwashing, emotional manipulation, sympathetic Remus, sympathetic Deceit, murder, strangulation, eating disorder(kinda), stabbing, gaslighting

I know there’s a lot of triggers, please tell me if I missed anything

There were only a few people that knew the truth about Patton.  

Dee and Rachel both knew because of what he had done to the two of them.  They knew because of how he had tortured them.  If Dee hadn’t realized that Rachel was there after she had rescued him, she might still be there.  Still getting tortured into the ‘perfect little daughter’.

Roman, Remus, and Andy all knew because of the strings.  The strings that Dee had as well.  The strings keeping them from doing anything that Patton didn’t want them too when he was around.  

None of them knew why he hadn’t used the strings on Rachel but they still were all willing to protect her from anything that Patton might try to do to her.  

But the thing was, besides the five of them no one else knew.  Rachel was too scared of what Patton might do, when they asked her about it, she said that he told her if she said anything she’d hurt the others.  With one of Rachel’s traits being Protectiveness, there was no way she could let that happen.

It didn’t mean that the others didn’t know for lack of them trying.  But whenever they tried to say anything about what Patton had done, the strings tightened around their neck, making it impossible for them to say a word.

But they’d only tried to say something while Patton was with them.  So Dee approached Rachel with an idea.  What if they tried to say something when Patton wasn’t there.  He knew Thomas and the others wouldn’t believe them if it was only him but maybe if Rachel said something as well they would believe him.

Rachel was obviously hesitant. She remembered what Patton had told her.  Rachel had gotten really close to all of them after they saved her.  Dee hadn’t failed to notice that she had gotten especially close to Roman.  Not in a romantic way, as they were both aro, Ray actually being aroace, but as close as they could get with not dating.  He knew she was worried about what Patton might do to them.

But eventually, Rachel came around.  She knew it was the only way that they would believe the truth.  Rachel only agreed to it on the case that the others wouldn’t get involved.  That way if anyone got blamed it would be her and Dee.  No one else would get blamed.  At least that’s what Ray thought would happen.

And so the beginning of the end started.

“Thomas please you have to believe us,” Dee hissed after trying, again and again, to convince him of what Patton was doing.

“I just don’t understand why Patton would do any of that.  And besides, it’s not like there’s any reason Patton would do any of that,” Thomas sighed.

Virgil and Logan, as the only other sides who hadn’t been hurt by Patton, looked just as suspicious. “Listen, Ray, it’s not that I don’t trust you,” Virgil started calmly, not wanting to hurt his sister, “But Patton’s always been so kind, why would he hurt you?  Why would he hurt Ro?  Why would he hurt any of you?”

Rachel sunk into herself a little as Virgil said this.  “That’s a good question,” she muttered under her breath, having stopped looking at the others once they started questioning why Patton would do it.

Dee had finally gotten annoyed at the others.  They clearly weren’t believing either of them.  Heck, Virgil wasn’t even believing his own sister.  “Fine don’t believe us, summon Roman,” he hissed at them.

Thomas glanced at both Virgil and Logan, clearly wondering if he should.  Both of them nodded, figuring if this was some trick or something, the two of them would be able to figure it out the truth.  “Go ahead Thomas,” Logan said.

Thomas nodded and summoned Roman.  None of them were ready for what they saw.

The first thing Rachel noticed was the strings.  The extremely familiar-looking bright blue strings that were currently tied around what seemed like every appendage and Roman’s neck.  Rachel didn’t even realize what had happened until she was finally able to drag her eyes from the string. 

 She hadn’t noticed everyone had gone oddly quiet, especially considering how they had been talking earlier, but she didn’t realize exactly why.  Until she finally glanced up, past the strings.  Until she finally realized how exactly tight the string around Roman’s neck was.  Until she glanced up into Roman’s cold dead eyes and let out a blood-curdling scream so bad that Virgil had to come over to calm her down.

“T-this has got to be a joke right,” Thomas managed to stutter out.  “Roman’s not really-, the twins must be playing a trick on us or something.”

Thomas didn’t notice how horrified Dee looked, not able to turn away from the sight.  How Virgil was protecting his sister from the sight.  How Logan himself, the one who insists time and time again that he doesn’t have emotions, was crying.  Maybe if he had he would have realized before he summoned Remus.

But Thomas didn’t realize, so he summoned Remus.  And none of them could tell if Remus had been better off or worse off than his brother.  Remus popped up just like his brother and for a second everything looked fine.  Just for a second though.  Because less then a second later, Remus’s body fell over, showing all 23 knives sticking out of his back.  Not only had Remus literally been stabbed in the back, whoever had done it wanted to make sure he couldn’t come back.  Not like the others had been able to during the episode where he had messed with all of them.  Virgil quickly moved to cover his sister’s eyes but it was too late.

Rachel, who had stopped screaming but was finally started to calm down, started freaking out all over again.  She wasn’t screaming, but she was clearly working herself into a panic attack.  And nothing Virgil did could calm her down in the slightest.  At this rate, she might pass out from the panic.  If only that were the last thing to happen.

Virgil felt a side rush in quickly and glanced up to see Andy.  They were glancing around desperately, almost like they weird trying to get away from someone.  Before Virgil could even ask a question, He noticed them freeze and saw as a knife was stabbed through their heart.  Revealing a grinning Patton behind them.

The second Dee noticed Patton, he tried to sink out, to get away from him.  That wasn’t lost on anyone, including Thomas.  Who was completely lost on what was going on.  Especially now that he saw Patton kill someone.  “Pat,” he asked, confused. “What’s going on?”

“Just give me a second kiddo,” Patton said, in that sickeningly sweet voice that caused Rachel to start shaking in Virgil’s arms.  “I’m just dealing with some pests right now.”  As he said that the blue strings, one’s the looked eerily similar to the ones around Roman stopped Dee from sinking out.

This caused Rachel to start crying out.  “I’m sorry Patton,” she cried out, sobbing, “I’m sorry.  Please don’t hurt them.” Patton turned back to Rachel, and Virgil considering he was still holding her, and tutted.  “Oh Rayray, don’t you remember what I told you I would do if you ever said anything.  I’m just keeping my promise.  I wouldn’t have needed to do this if you hadn’t tattled on me.  After all, they were just delusions created in your pretty little head.”

Rachel sobbed as Patton turned back around to face Dee.  “Now as for you DeeDee, you’ve been telling some awful lies haven’t you?”

Dee struggled, trying to get out of the strings Patton had wrapped around him.  “Fuck you,” he managed to croak out.

Patton tutted again.  “You know if you had been nice, I might have given you a chance,” he said walking over and making Dee look at him.  The last thing Dee saw was Patton’s cruel smile. Before Patton yanked on his strings, easily killing Dee.  

It was then that Virgil made a decision while Patton was still distracted.  He picked up Ray and handed her to Logan.  “Get her out of here,” he said, glancing back to make sure that Patton wasn’t paying attention.

“But what about you,” Logan asked him, getting a good hold on Ray.  She was so light.

“Someone has to make sure he can’t get to you.  And my magic is a lot stronger than yours Lolo,” Virgil said.  “Now go.”

Logan nodded and bolted.  Rachel would probably yell at him once she was coherent of her surroundings again but one thing was clear.  From the way Patton had reacted, he wasn’t planning on killing Rachel.  Whatever Patton was planning for her was something much worse.  And Logan wouldn’t let that happen to her.  But where could they hide from him?  It took Logan a second before he realized.  Micheal’s dimension.  Patton shouldn’t be able to get to them there.  Logan quickly headed for Roman’s room, hoping he would get there before Virgil gave out.

Logan quickly made it to Roman’s room and closed the door, hopefully giving them some more time before Patton could get to them.  Still holding Rachel, who clearly wasn’t aware of her surroundings, Logan approached the mirror, hoping he could get to Micheal.  Fortunately for him, he didn’t even need to do that.  Micheal rose up, maybe to check on Roman, when he noticed Logan.

“Hey Logan, I came out to check on Roman, do you happen to know where he is,” Micheal asked.

At the mention of Roman, Rachel sobbed loudly.  Logan glanced back at her worried.  “He’s dead.  Patton killed him.  Heck the only other person who is still possibly alive is Virgil.  We need somewhere to hide.  Something tells me after Virgil…” Logan trailed off, not wanting to think of what Patton might do.  “After that, I think he’s going to come after Rachel.  We need somewhere to hide.”

Micheal thought about it a second before nodding.  “There’s no telling what he’ll do.  But once we’re safe, you better tell me what happened.”

“Of course,” Logan said nodding. “Grab my hand,” Micheal said, at Logan’s questioning look, he sighed and quickly explained.  “To get there, either Roman or I has to touch the mirror.  It’s the only way to get in.”

After the explanation, Logan nodded, grabbing Micheal’s hand, while making sure he still had a good grip on Rachel.  She could not be left behind.  Micheal touched the mirror and the three were transported back to Micheal’s dimension.

Logan looked around and it looked almost the same as their world and yet something seemed different.  Almost like they were seeing it from a different angle. 

“Patton shouldn’t be able to get in.  Like I said, only Roman and I can,” Micheal said.  “Now I believed you promised me an explanation.”

Logan gently put Rachel down.  Rachel had seemed to have gone numb, not reacting to anything.  Logan understood.  She had just lost everyone close to her.  And by the looks of it, she had lost them to her tormentor.

   “What exactly happened out there,” Micheal asked.  “You said that Roman died and Patton had killed him but something tells me there’s more to the story.”

“I don’t know everything, Rachel might but,” Logan trailed off, glancing over at Rachel, who hadn’t reacted at anything after he talked about Roman’s death. “I doubt she is in the right mindset to explain anything.”

Logan explained what had happened.  How Dee and Rachel had tried to tell them what Patton had done.  And how none of them had listened, believing it was just one of his lies that he had managed to get Rachel wrapped into it.  How Dee had told them to summon Roman and when they did, all they saw was Roman, hanging from strings that he clearly didn’t put there himself.  How they summoned Remus, thinking it might be a joke only to see him dead too.  How Patton killed everyone besides Virgil, Thomas, Rachel and himself, blaming everything on Rachel.

After Logan finished his story, Logan glanced up at Micheal. “I knew something was up with Patton, I didn’t realize it was this bad,” he sighed.  “But she should be fine as long as we’re able to keep Patton from Rachel.”

Just as Micheal said that they felt someone enter the dimension.  Logan stared up at the sky for a second in a ‘are you freaking kidding me’ look, before rushing over to Rachel.

Micheal and Logan moved to stand protectively in front of Rachel.  They could do nothing from stopping him from entering, the only thing they could do was protect her.  Which would have been so much easier if it hadn’t been for who Patton brought with him.

As Patton stepped in, he giggled a little.  “Well it seems they’re having a bit of a party aren’t they Virgey?”

Upon hearing the nickname, Rachel glanced up.  Was Virgil really okay?  Why hadn’t Patton hurt him?  She looked up and saw Virgil but something was wrong.  Virgil’s eyes weren’t blue.

“It definitely seems that way pop star,” Virgil said, and Rachel felt her heart sink in her chest.  Virgil hadn’t called Patton that in a while.  Adding that to Virgil’s blue eyes and Rachel was certain.  Patton had control of Virgil.

“V-virgil,” Rachel said quietly.  That was a mistake.  She immediately shrunk under the look that Virgil gave her.

“If you only you had kept your mouth shut Ray,” Virgil said cruelly, causing a sob to escape Rachel, “Then they wouldn’t all be dead.  This is all your fault.”

“The only person whose fault it is, is standing next to you,” Logan said.

“Pop star was only trying to teach Ray a lesson,” Virgil said without hesitating, causing Rachel to sob more.  He had turned her own brother against her.

“Now Lolo,” Patton said, pouting at him, “I don’t want to hurt you, I don’t want either of you.  Just give us Ray and we’ll be on our way.”

“And what exactly are you going to do to her,” Logan asked, glaring at Patton.

“Why I’m just making sure RayRay can be the best person she can be,” Patton said with an all too cheerful smile.  “Isn’t that right Princess.”

Rachel flinched but moved to get up.  At least if Patton had her, he wouldn’t hurt Lo or Micheal.  But before she could get up, Logan stopped her.

“We’re not letting you do anything to Rachel, Patton,” Logn said glaring at him before turning to Micheal.  “You take Virgil, I’ll take Patton.”  As he said this, Logan summoned his bow and pulled it apart.  Revealing two butterfly swords, which he used to lunge at Patton.

Micheal meanwhile summoned his scythe and moved to attack.

Patton and VIrgil summoned their weapons, a whip and a pair of twin daggers respectively, and moved to attack.

Rachel was frozen in fear, glancing between the two helping her, and the two fighting to take her.  She wanted to help them but that would put her closer to Patton, who if he got a grip on her would most certainly grab her.  Rachel found herself frozen in fear for what could happen.

Logan noticed and quickly called back to Rachel.  “Just stay there Rachel, we can take care of them.”  After getting a quick nod from Rachel, Logan turned back to the fight and immediately had to dodge a hit from Patton.

“You should know better than to have a conversation during a fight LoLo,” Patton said with a smile on his face.  A smile full of malice.  

Logan only smirked as he fought.  “I was still able to avoid your attack wasn’t I?”

“You won’t be able to avoid me forever LoLo,” Patton said.

“I don’t have to avoid you forever, I just have to avoid you until you get tired.  You can’t keep going forever, and something tells me you want Rachel alive.  So all I have to do is protect her until you get tired,” Logan said.

Patton continued fighting but was clearly thinking.  Patton knew he was probably about equal in strength with Logan, but Logan was better with strategy.  So how exactly would he beat Logan?  His eyes flickered to Rachel.  Didn’t Logan just say he was going to protect RayRay?  Maybe that’s how he get to him.  Patton waited until Logan had just dodged an attack than moved to attack Rachel instead.  Poor RayRay was so scared she wouldn’t be able to move in time.  And LoLo probably wouldn’t be able to hit him in time to stop the attack, which left one choice.

Logan noticed the attack about to hit Rachel and without hesitating, ran over and pushed Rachel at the way, only to get hit himself.  He dropped his weapons as Patton walked over and picked them up, putting them back in the bow configuration.

“You know, being protective isn’t really your style LoLo, if you hadn’t moved to protect RayRay, we would still be fighting,” Patton said, “By being protective, you gave me the advantage.”

Logan looked up at Patton with a look of defiance on his face.  “You can’t control Virgil forever.  One day he will break free and before you know it, he'll be long gone with Ray.” 

Patton only smiled as he pulled back on Logan’s bow and shot him through the head, more specifically where his brain would be.  Unfortunately for Rachel, she was in the splash zone.  She felt her body give out on her as she noticed the blood on her, dropping to the ground and just shaking.  Oh god.  Logan was dead.  His blood was all over her.

She was so distracted, so in her own head,that she didn’t even notice Patton approaching her.  At least not until he grabbed her wrist and started dragging her.  Even then she barely reacted, besides a look of fear in her eyes.  “Virgey, “ Patton called cheerfully, “I got RayRay.”

Micheal’s eyes widened as he tried lunged towards the two to attack Patton to get Ray free.  But Virgil stopped him, pushing him back.  “Coming pop star,” he called.

Micheal tried again but Patton pulled out his whip and used it to throw Micheal as far back as he could before leaving with Virgil and Rachel.  Patton paused for a second before pulling out what looked like a severed hand, something that Rachel later realized was Roman’s severed hand and pressed it to the mirror.  “Let’s hope this works,” he muttered before  trying something.

Rachel flinched as she heard Micheal scream.  She glanced in the mirror and noticed something weird.  It looked like the mirror was almost collapsing in on herself.  Even with the screams and the strange look of the mirror, Rachel didn’t realize what it meant until the mirror spit out two bodies.  Rachel couldn’t recognize either of them.  They were so torn up that she couldn’t tell who had been who.  Rachel felt herself crumple.  Everyone was dead.  Everyone she had ever cared about was gone.  

“Good looks like it worked,” Patton said cheerfully before dragging Rachel to the room he had kept her before, knowing Virgil would follow.  Rachel didn’t even react.  She just stared at the dead bodies of Logan and Micheal as he dragged her away.  

Patton hummed to himself as he finally got back to the room, chaining Rachel up so she wouldn’t try not to escape.  Not that she would escape anyways.  Everyone she cared about was either dead or under Patton’s control.  Wait but there was always Remy.  Maybe if she…

Before she could even finish the thought Patton hummed to himself.  “I bet you’re wondering what happened to Remy aren’t you Princess?”  

Rachel immediately flinched upon the nickname but glanced up in confusion.  

“Well I ran into them on the way to RoRo’s room,” Patton said calmly, “They somehow found out what I was planning to do.  I have no idea how unless you told them too.”

‘Dee must have told them’, Rachel realized, ‘That’s the only way that Remy would have found out.’

“They were trying to stop me from carrying out your punishment,” Patton pouted.

Rachel noticed Virgil glaring at her, causing her to avert her eyes from him.  

“Of course I had to do something,” Patton sighed, before his eyes lit up, clearly getting an idea.  “Why don’t I show you what happened to them.”

Patton made a motion and Remy popped up, face down in front of Rachel.  Rachel glanced up at Patton only to see him smiling.  Every alarm bell in her head was going off.  “Rem,” she asked quietly, her voice shaking.  

No response.

She shakily reached out for Remy,shaking him a little.  Upon doing that Remy flipped over and Rachel immediately puked.  His eyes.  Patton had gouged them out.  There was nothing left now but the empty sockets in Remy’s head.

“You know RayRay, this wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t said anything,” Patton said, approaching Rachel after she finished puking and putting his hand under her chin to make her look at him.  “I only hurt them to teach you a lesson.”

“You shouldn’t have said anything Ray,” Virgil growled, “They all deserved to live more than you.” 

Rachel flinched at her brother’s words.  He was right.  It was all her fault.  All her fault.  She felt her breath begin to pick up as her thoughts began racing through her head.

Patton noticed and smiled and stepped away.  “I think poor RayRay’s been through enough punishment for today,” he said, knowing she wouldn’t be able to focus enough to feel anything anyways.

Virgil looked like he was about to protest but with a look of protest, he grumbled and left with Patton as Rachel’s panic increased.  She shouldn’t have listened to Dee.  If she had just kept quiet.  

Her panic kept building to the point where she couldn’t breathe until she heard.  “Geez Ray, I’m gone for a few hours and you’re already blaming yourself?”  SHe glanced up but all saw was a blur, she was still panicking too much.  “Okay Ray can you breathe with me,” the voice said and she nodded, calming down as she did so.  When she glanced up at the person again she saw…

“Dee?  But you died,” Rachel said in shock.

“I couldn’t let you be alone so I came back out of spite.  And apparently I wasn’t the only one with the idea,” he said softly.

“Deee, couldn’t you have let me reveal myself,” Roman said, appearing before his voice softened, “I couldn’t let Patton hurt you without any source of comfort.  That would have truly broken you.”

“And I wanted to be here to correct any fallacies Patton tried to convince you of.  As I’ve seen how easy it is to convince of things when you’re hurt,” Logan said, popping up next to Dee.  “And you don’t deserve to believe those things.”

“I’m just here cause it’s going to be boring without these jerks,” Micheal said.

“That’s not what you told me a few minutes ago,” Logan said with a smirk.

“You shut it Logic,” Micheal hissed.

Rachel felt someone else and turned to see Remy staring at his body.  “Well that sure is depressing.  I came here cause I figured it would be better and there’s my dead body,” Remy groaned.

“No wonder you were in the middle of a panic attack when I showed up,” Dee muttered.

“You know us dying isn’t your fault, right Ray,” Roman said, sitting next to her.  “Patton just used it as an excuse.  We were already crossing the line of what he wanted us to do.  You finally getting the courage to tell what had been done just gave Patton a reason.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that you’re all dead,” Rachel said, feeling herself cry.

And so the cycle began.  Rachel’s days spent with her getting hurt, both mentally and physically, by Patton and Virgil while the five ghosts glared at Patton and tried to break Virgil out from under his control.

They figured out pretty quickly that the only person who could see the five ghosts was Ray.  That didn’t keep Micheal and Remy from tormenting Patton as much as they could, always making sure it was something that Ray couldn’t have done from where she was so Patton couldn’t blame her for it.

Rachel’s nights were spent either passed out from exhaustion or with the ghosts trying to convince her that it wasn’t her fault.  

But as time went on, she believed them less and less.  If it wasn’t for Patton making her eat, even telling her that “she wasn’t allowed to die,”  she would have wasted away already.

Rachel had lost everything that day.  Her support, her brother, her friends, her free will, her happiness.  She didn’t want to be there anymore, even believing the ghosts was her mind trying to hallucinate some support for her.  

Rachel was truly broken.

[loserholland]

𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝟏

𝟎𝟎𝟒 ➺ 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬

𝟎𝟎𝟏 ➺ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝟎𝟎𝟐 ➺ 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞

𝟎𝟎𝟑 ➺ 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐧

Pairing ➺ Fuckboy!Tom Holland x Reader

Warning ➺ kinda angsty, none really

Word Count ➺  3,591

Summary ➺  A bet that was too hard to refuse.

A/N ➺  Sorry I’ve been so MIA! I was studying to get my permit and had a bad writers block ): also I’ll be working on one sided love and little cupid tomorrow!

✿ 𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓮𝓷𝓽 𝓣𝓪𝓰𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 ✿ - @loveyathreethousand @taronxfiction @killerqueen-gunpowdergelatine @spideyyypeter @lou-la-lou @babebenhardy @rivervixenbaby @acklesholland @zabdisamor @keepingupwiththehollands @sweet666pea @sspider-parker @jackiehollanderr  @caro0512 @thewinchesterchronicles @cporter003 @kisses-holland @spideysnugget @cryszus @sunflowerharrystyles @peterunderoos 

@iloveyou3000morgan  @random-things-i-love 

*The strike through your name just means I couldn’t tag you, please message me if anything*

→ 𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐲 𝟏𝟎𝟏 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ←  @writingstoriesaboutcharacters​ @rockinmarcel @luvborhap @kisses-holland @jessybellsworld @v-valz-n @laprvphette 

☞  Masterlist  ☜

-

“My love for you, wasn’t real”

All Tom could think about was the pain in her eyes, the moment he had said it wasn’t real. Those beautiful (Y/E/C) eyes that was once filled with so much love was now filled with hate and sadness. It’s funny how someone can go from loving you to hating you.

"You’re a div, you know that?” Harrison commented moving around Tom’s room to open the curtain’s he drew shut. Tom pulled his comforter over his face to hide from the sun’s rays, Harrison rolled his eyes in annoyance pulling the soft material off of Tom.

“You broke it off? Why? All because you’re worried about your position as President? How shallow have you gotten Tom? Vivian is now questioning if our relationship is a bet. You really fucked up Tom.” 

Tom stared blankly at the ceiling, he knew he fucked up. Harry and Sam had been texting him all night, asking him why he did it without a second thought. Why he continued to go on with the bet when he knew he loved her, all because he wanted to be the one to run ZZB?

“Haz, leave please.” Tom mumbled weakly tugging the comforter over his head, he already knew how much he fucked up. He didn’t need to be reminded of it,

“Fine, but you really chose your pride and ego over a (Y/N). She really did love you div, and now you’ve lost it.”

“I fucking hate you and never wanna see you again!”

He didn’t need to be reminded. (Y/N) said it loud and clear.

Vivian had bought chocolates and ice cream, placing her laptop on (Y/N) bed so they could binge on sad rom-com’s. (Y/N) was gonna miss seeing Tom everday, usually Tom would wait outside her class then walk her to her next class. Or he’d bring her coffee in the morning, send her a good morning text and hope’s she has a wonderful day.

There was no more of that. 

No more coffee, no more morning text. No more Tom.

It makes you think, did he really truly love her? I mean, he’d get her coffee and wait and walk her to her classes. He’d also send cute morning and night text. There was a part of her that missed that, I mean that’s what you do when you’re going through a break up. 

Reminiscing all the memories.

“Do you think Harrison and I’s relationship is based of a bet?”

(Y/N) could hear the worry in her best friend’s voice. A few days after she had told Vivian her and Tom broke up because their relationship was just a bet, Vivian began to worry that Haz and her’s relationship was a bet as well.

Through (Y/N) eye’s, she could see how much Harrison loved and cared for her. He’s too sweet and kind to do bet’s, let alone try to break Vivian’s heart. If anything, it was more of Tom and Jake’s thing to do these stupid bets.

“Viv, god no. Honestly, Harrison loves you. He wouldn’t do that to you, I think he liked you too much to make you a bet. Also, he worked his ass off to get your attention, he wouldn’t hurt you like-”

Vivian placed her hand atop of (Y/N) giving it a small squeeze of reassurance, she didn’t need to say the name of the person who broke her heart. 

“Let’s forget about this conversation and continue watching 13 going on 30.”

She hated to see her best friend this way, crying over a stupid boy who broke her heart. Just wait till she gave him a piece of her mind.

“Hold on!”

Haz shouted descending down the staircase to open the door, whoever was standing out there had been banging on the door for the past three minutes and no one decided to answer it?

“Alright settle do-Vivian?”

Vivian brushed pass her boyfriend and headed up the stairs, “Hey babe, let’s go get lunch. Let me talk to your bff really quick.” Haz shut the door watching as his girlfriend turned the corner, his eyes widened realizing what she was about to do.

“Oh-Viv! Wait!”

Vivian swung Tom’s door open, everything was a mess. Beer bottles along with a variety of chips were spread out on the floor, the blinds were drawn shut and Tom was hiding beneath his comforter.

Haz stopped in Tom’s doorway, watching Tom sit upright against his headboard. His girlfriend stood beside his bed with her arms crossed across her chest, was it a bad time to admit she looked hot when she was anger? Yeah, bad timing very bad.

“Viv-lovely-”

She turned around pointing her index finger at her boyfriend of one year, “Harrison, go get ready. In the mean time leave Thomas and I alone, I just want to chat.” Tom waved off Harrison who slowly backed away from the door and heading towards his room.

“You’ve got some nerve Holland-”

Vivian started off, she felt absolutely livid. 

“-was there any part of you that actually loved (Y/N)? If you really did have any feelings for (Y/N) if you really did love her. You would have chosen her, even if that meant losing your position..”

Tom stared blankly at his lap, allowing what Vivian had to say to slowly sink in. 

“but that’s the thing with men, no boys like you. Boys like you don’t grow up, all they care about is themselves and how many girls they can get in bed with them. First you find your victim, second you give her this ‘reassurance’ that she’s the only one. And then, when she develops feelings and is in too deep, that’s when you take their hearts and crush it. That’s what’s wrong with boys like you, they only care for themselves. If you did love (Y/N), you would’ve stepped down from your position and choose her. You wouldn’t have continued the bet, because you knew what would’ve happened. From my guess, it’s everything you thought would happen.”

Vivian began to walk away when she caught a glimpse of Harrison from the corner of her eye.

“I hope you find it in yourself to change for the better Thomas. Grow up and out of this little act of your’s, it’s not good for you.”

(Y/N) was offered an amazing life time opportunity to spend a semester in Paris, she had a three weeks to decide if she wanted to go or not. The letter had came in before she had gone to London with Tom, and this week was the last week to summit an answer.

Her professeur had encouraged her to do it, she said “It’s a great once and a life-time opportunity, you’ll learn so much.” I mean, she wasn’t wrong. It’ll just be one semester and she’ll be back for the second half after winter break. 

So she took it, and now she was packed and ready to explore the beautiful city of Paris. Vivian had dropped her off and promised to visit during thanksgiving break. She had also requested to send lot’s of pictures and wished (Y/N) the best of luck to find a french guy.

That’s what best friends are for.

Something she wished happened was, Tom came running into the airport and confessed his love for her. But her life wasn’t a rom-com and that would totally not happen. It was good to wish though.

2 months later

School was back in session, now day’s Tom hung his head low trying not to draw any attention to himself. He would take the route to class where he’d usually pass (Y/N), he began to notice how she wasn’t walking the same route. Of course she walked a different route, she didn’t want to see him.

There were nights when he’d lay awake and wonder how (Y/N) was doing. Nights where he’d stare at his phone and ponder if he should text her or call her. Nights when he’d scroll through his camera-roll of pictures he and (Y/N) took, or picture’s he’d take when (Y/N) was studying. 

Tom knocked lightly on (Y/N) dorm, god she wouldn’t want to see him. If anything she’d slam the door on his face, the sound of the door creaking open caused Tom to quickly turn the other direction and walk away.

He missed her, more than words could explain. 

Vivian stuck her head out the hallway and noticed Tom walking away at a fast pace, “Holland! You don’t get to knock and dash!” he stood in his place cursing to himself for not being fast enough, turning on his heels he walked back over to the dorm.

“Hey Vivian, is um (Y/N) here?”

She rose her brows in confusion, “She hasn’t been here for the past two months.” did he not know? I mean she did tell Harrison and expected him to tell Tom because they’re best friends, why wouldn’t Harrison tell him?

“W-what do you mean?” Tom asked in confusion, did she go back home to take some time off? 

“Harrison didn’t tell you? Jesus, I want to slap him sometimes. (Y/N) is in Paris right now, she was offered to take a semester there.” 

Paris, France

That was one number one on her bucket list, visit the city of love. Not only did she visit the city of love, she’ll be there for a semester. There were nights when the two would just talk, and go on about places they’d love to visit. Paris was one of the places (Y/N) would go on and on about.

“It’s amazing, the architecture is beyond magnificent. Also their history, I could go on and on about that.” (Y/N) spoke her head resting against Tom’s chest as her fingers traced random shapes on his abdomen.

Times like this, he’d space out and watch her in awe as she spoke passionately he loved the way she scrunched her nose when she spoke ever now and then or the twinkle in her eyes and she dreamt of what she’d do. 

“She um, left this envelope with your name on it. I think she knew one day you’d come by.”

Dear Thomas, 

 I guess if you’re reading this, you came by my dorm. Maybe you were asking for me, or maybe you were asking for your hoodies back. If you’re here because of the second option, I folded all your hoodies neatly and placed them in a bag. You can ask Vivian for them. If you came here because of option one, well I’m in Paris. The city that I wished and hoped to visit, with you. Before I left, I decided to write this because no matter how much pain and sadness you’ve caused. I still love you. I hate that, I hate that I still love you even though your love for me wasn’t real. I’m a real idiot for that, I’m an idiot for even writing this letter. But they said if you write out of you feel, it’ll make you feel a lot better. God I hope that’s true. I just miss you Thomas, I miss walking to class with you, you bringing me coffee and helping me study. I miss laying next to you. I hope, that you’ll change and be the Thomas I saw everyday, the Thomas who loves and cares for his family, please don’t be the Thomas who put’s up this act to cause other’s to fear him. Please don’t be the Thomas who thought a bet wouldn’t hurt his relationship. You have so much potential, you know you can do much better that President of ZZB. We both know that. Thomas, I hope one day you’ll let yourself feel for once, to allow yourself to get hurt. To tear down that stupid wall that hides what I saw everyday. Maybe someone time in the future, I’ll be ready to talk to you. But for now, I just hope that, maybe if you do find someone else, love the person genuinely. 

(Y/N)

P.S, 

If you plan to come any time sooner, you’ll know where to find me.

(Y/N) sat there, looking over the letter. She had spent hours contemplating if she should just crumple it up and throw it into the trash or just place it in the envelope written with Tom’s name.

She had chosen option two, hoping and praying she made the right choice. She stared at the bag with Tom’s neatly folded hoodies, she wanted to keep one. To wear and have him close to her. So she did, she kept the hoodie he wore the first night they met.

The night that changed everything.

If she didn’t go to the party with Vivian, maybe she wouldn’t have met him.

If he didn’t take her out to coffee, maybe they wouldn’t have gotten closer to one another. 

 If he didn’t accept the bet, then maybe he would’ve lost his position 

If, if Tom came clean about the bet, way before it even ended. Maybe they’d still be together.

Maybe.

“You have so much potential, you know you can do much better that president of ZZB. We both know that.”

The words echoed in his head, maybe it was time. Time to step down from what he thought he enjoyed and loved, partying and being the king of NYU. He had spent the night thinking about if this was a good choice, the right choice. 

The right choice could’ve been done months ago, when he knew he actually loved her. Right then and there would’ve called off the bet and wouldn’t give two shit’s about being President. Instead of trying to fix the past, fix your present so it won’t repeat in the future.

-

"Bonjour, puis-je avoir du café glacé et un croissant s'il vous plaît?” (Y/N) closed the cafe menu handing it to the waiter who wrote down her order. Oh Paris, it was truly beautiful except for the smell of cigarettes that filled the air. She enjoyed going to different café’s everyday and spending most of her afternoon there.

It was already one o’clock in Paris and seven in the morning New York time. This was usually the time Vivian was waking up for her eight o’clock class, and the usual time they’d just talk about how their day was yesterday.

“Morning, what do you have planned for today?” (Y/N) questioned taking a sip of her ice coffee humming lightly at how sweet her drink was, she could hear Vivian rummaging around for something in the background.

“Class, then a date with Harrison later. Also Tom stepped down as president of ZZB.” 

(Y/N) felt her heart drop to the bottom of her stomach, “Why?” all she could think about is what she wrote in the letter, about how he can do much better than president. 

“I've been waiting to tell you, he came by last week. I guess, whatever was in the letter, helped him.” Vivian spoke as she searched her drawers.

"Did he come back? For his hoodies?” she fiddled with the small spoon she had placed in her coffee twirling it around watching as it created a little whirlpool.

Maybe he didn’t care for those hoodies.

“Uh no, the last I saw him was when I gave him the envelope. Harrison said, he needed to take some time off. I think he went to visit his family. But I’ll text you later, I’m gonna grab something to eat then head to class. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

(Y/N) ended the call sighing to herself as she stared at her home screen, she still hadn’t changed it nor did she really plan too. At least she didn’t plan to change it soon, it was a picture of Tom sleeping. The morning after celebrating their sixth month anniversary, his curls fell atop his forehead with his mouth slightly agape.

As much as she wanted to delete their pictures, she found herself canceling the photos she selected to delete.

There were nights where she’d lay in bed and stare at his contact, unsure if she should call him. Nights where she’d type out a message and her thumb would hover over the little arrow, only to delete the message. 

She gathered her belongs and left a some cash to cover her bill before off to start the rest of her day.

-

"She’s always at this cafe La Fontaine de Mars, oh forgive my french. No? No laugh? Anyways, I’m not too sure where her airbnb is, I just know it’s near the Cham-Cham-” Vivian began to snap her fingers trying to pronounce it as best as she could.

“Champ Elysees.”

Vivian glared at Harrison scoffing at how he just cut her off, “Do you want to explain it?” Harrison shook his head no pressing his lips into a thin line allowing his girlfriend to continue.

“Well, what Harrison said. So once we land, we’ll check into the hotel and then you’ll go look for (Y/N).”

At the time (Y/N) had called they were getting ready to go to the airport, their flight was at 9:15 and they’d land the next day at 9:30. Hence the reason why she was causing such a ruckus, she was looking for her passport.

“You guys didn’t have to come.” Tom mumbled handing the worker his ticket and passport as Vivian scoffed lightly behind him.

“Over my dead body Holland, just because I’m helping you doesn’t mean I forgive you.” 

Tom had originally planned to go by himself but, Vivian had forced herself and Harrison onto the trip saying she missed her best friend and the only way he’d go alone to Paris if pigs started flying.

“This is gonna be a long 18 hours.” Harrison mumbled following his best friend and girlfriend through the tunnel.

-

(Y/N) sat on the balcony to her airbnb it was eleven o’clock and she planned on heading to the café in two hours. The reason why she’s always at the café at one, is because her body and mind is still on New York time. Hence the reason why she always get’s iced coffee, not that it’s not normal to have coffee anytime of the day.

She was glad that she took this opportunity, being able to study abroad for a semester. A paid trip to study abroad, all expenses paid for and taken care of. Yet, she missed New York. Paris was always a dream city to visit but, she missed her friends. She missed Tom. 

The only reason why (Y/N) accepted to go was because she thought, she could move on from Tom and spending time away maybe that’ll change how she felt about him.

Yup, that’s not working.

She got up from her seat and headed back in to get ready for the rest of her day.

Little did she know, just about an hour ago her best friend had landed in Paris along with the person she couldn’t get off her mind.

-

“Here’s the game plan boys, the hotel is within walking distance of the café. While Harrison and I are out attempting to sight see, Tom will go and find (Y/N). Got it?” 

The boys looked between one another shrugging at whatever Vivian had said, “Got it.” Vivian nodded at the two before excusing herself to get changed out of her airport outfit suggesting the boys do the same, especially Tom if he wanted (Y/N) to talk to him.

He felt beyond nervous, he hadn’t seen or spoken to her in almost two months. Just because she said if you plan to come anytime sooner, you’ll know where to find me, doesn’t mean she’d want to talk. 

Before he knew it, Tom found himself walking to the café. 

(Y/N) sat at her usual table scrolling through her phone to call Vivian, she waited for her to answer listening to the line ring for a few seconds before going to voicemail.

“Odd, maybe she’s sleeping in.” (Y/N) thought as she ended the call opening messages to leave her a good morning text and asking her to call her later.

It was a beautiful sunny day in Paris, light chatter moved up and down the street along with cars and mopeds. Tom stood a few feet away from the cafe, he could seen the girl he flew 3,625 miles to see. She looked as beautiful as ever, even beautiful since the last time he had seen her.

“This is now or never, you can only fix the present. Not the past.” Tom thought as he began to walk closer to the café, (Y/N) attention was on her phone her head hanged low and she mindlessly scrolled through instagram.

She pressed on Vivian’s story to see she took a picture of her and Harrison standing in front of the eiffel tower in confusion, “Her photoshopping skills are getting better or she was actually here.” (Y/N) thought to herself noticing the photo was taken about ten minutes ago.

“Hi.” 

A voice said, an all to familiar voice. 

(Y/N) lifted her head to see Tom was standing in front of her, maybe this was a dream. A really vivid crazy dream, he couldn’t have been here, neither could Vivian and Harrison.

She pinched her exposed skin in hopes that she’d wake up, yet all she got was a little sharp pain to her wrist. This was real, he actually read the letter. Tom was in the flesh, standing right in front of her.

“Hi.” (Y/N) responded with a small smile.

Maybe, everything was meant to be this way.

[laniidae-passerine]

~Bees and Flowers~

- A Ghosts fanfic

(Author’s note - I only have Tumblr on mobile so I can’t put a -read more- on and I’m really sorry for that!)

The light was shining through the windows, throwing a glow over furniture and paintings. The air was soft and slightly sweet, tinged with the scent of blossom. The world was new on a Monday morning and Kitty, lying on her favourite chaise, well, she couldn’t be happier.

Except.

She had been in the garden with Fanny a few days ago, a simple question on her lips. In return she had received a complex rambling answer - which didn’t really count as an answer now she thought twice - but one part had stuck out to her. She was walking away from Fanny, attempting to escape her convoluted bee-flower-not about babies metaphor, when she caught the words-

“And sometimes, Kitty, bees only like other bees.”

Kitty had been confused about that for the past few days. Of course bees only liked other bees. Bees could move and buzz and do those funny little jigs on petals. Flowers couldn’t. Why would a bee like a flower more than another bee? Of course, she had always liked both bees and flowers equally, but still - it didn’t make any sense. What was Fanny saying?

She let the sun cloth her in its rays for a minute more, allowing one of the few things she could still interact with hold her, mulling what to do with her bee conundrum. One option would be to have Fanny explain what she meant, but that could be more trouble that it was worth. Kitty was never one for trouble, and if she was, it wasn’t often. So not Fanny. Who else?

She could ask Pat but she didn’t know if he would understand. And she was never going to ask Julian anything about anything ever again, she had already decided. Kitty was quite sure all the things he’d listed didn’t even make babies and she was not ready to hear about them ever again.

The Captain might be some help, but for some odd reason, Kitty felt as if he might be upset by the bees liking other bees story. Better not then.

Who else? The plague people in the basement scared her, Robin would be no help at all, Mary would say it was all the work of the devil and Thomas would just recite poetry at her.

There was nobody else, she frowned petulantly, and that wouldn’t do. Someone in the house must be able to answer her about the bees and flowers, yes, someone must, but who?

Suddenly Kitty heard a curse from the kitchen.

“Oh Jesus Christ - Mike! Mike! It’s the faucet again!”

Alison!

Of course! She could ask Alison, dependable, almost all knowing Alison, provided she wasn’t being distracted. Kitty waited a minute for the cursing to die down before lifting (levitating? she was never good with her words) herself off the chaise. She turned into the kitchen, greeted with an Alison who had one sleeve dripping wet, and the other grappling with the faucet.

“Hello,” Kitty said.

Alison, who had clearly become accustomed to the Ghosts entering rooms (provided they said something instead of lurking) looked up.

“Oh, hello Kitty.” Alison pushed hard on the tap and it ceased spraying water everywhere. “What is it?”

“Alison,” Kitty began, before pausing, unsure of her next sentence.

“Yes, Kitty?”

“Well. Fanny said something to me in the garden, when I asked her about babies? And I’m confused about it.”

Now Alison looked slightly worried.

“Uh - what did she say exactly?”

Kitty took a deep breath.

“She said - well she said that flowers and bees usually belong together. But sometimes, you’re a flower and the other bees, they don’t want you. The bees only want other bees. What does that mean?”

Alison blinked confusedly. “Wait, am I a flower or bee or myself in this metaphor?”

“You’re a flower. I think. Maybe.”

Alison pulled her arms away from the sink and turned to face Kitty. Her face was unreadable for once, and she appraised Kitty for a moment, before deciding to speak.

“Kitty, do you know what being ‘gay’ means?”

Ah, now this was a question Kitty could answer!

“No.” She hadn’t the slightest clue.

“No, I didn’t think you would,” Alison replied, “so I’ll explain. Kitty, have you ever liked anyone?”

Kitty stared. “Of course I have. I like you, and Mike, and the Captain, and Pat, and Fanny, and Thomas, and Mary and-“

“Not like that,” Alison cut off. “I meant, have you ever liked liked someone Kitty? Have you ever loved someone?”

Kitty thought for a moment. “Yes,” she replied, thinking of many the people she had loved when she was young and alive, so Alison went on.

“You see, when Fanny was talking about bees she really meant to say boys, and when she was discussing flowers, she was talking about girls. Of course, those aren’t the only genders, but those two are the two that most people identify as. I identify as girl, and you do too, don’t you?”

Kitty nodded, and Alison took that a sign that she still understood. Now came the harder part.

“Well sometimes Kitty, boys like boys. And girls like girls. And that’s what Fanny meant by bees liking bees, and flowers liking flowers. It was just a metaphor.”

A short empty moment past, but then Kitty’s eyes implored her to explain further - and so she did.

“Being a boy who only likes boys means you’re gay, and being a girl who only likes girls means you’re a lesbian. And both of those things are perfectly normal, and it’s okay to be both,” Alison finished.

With that, a silence fell on the kitchen. An awkward, slightly uncomfortable silence fell on the kitchen. And then suddenly, Kitty smiled.

“Is that it?” she asked.

“Uh- pretty much, yes,” Alison replied bemusedly.

“Oh! So... what’s the name for people who like both?” Kitty queried, still smiling in her signature grin.

“Um, uh - Bisexual,” Alison recalled, reciting the name of her own sexuality out loud, the first time she had done so in the new house.

“Bisexual.” Kitty tried it out on her tongue, letting her tongue roll over the vowels and catch on the “ul” sound. Did she like it?

Yes, she liked it. She liked it a lot.

“I’m Bisexual,” Kitty said, decidedly, “I like bees and flowers equally. They’re such fun!”

Alison paused. “No, Kitty it’s not about bees and flowers, it’s about boys and girls,” she tried, not wanting Kitty to confuse herself by midday.

“Oh. Well. I like boys and girls equally too. Am I still bisexual then?” Kitty asked, desiring clarification.

“Yes Kitty, that does mean you’re bisexual.” Alison grinned.

“I’m going to go tell people now! Oh, I shall sing a ditty about it! ” Kitty exclaimed, throwing her hands to her chest in exaltation. “What rhymes with bisexual?”

Just then, Pat walked in.

“Hello ladies! How are you doing on this fine day?” He greeted them, polite as ever.

“I’m doing well, Pat,” Alison smiled, “but Kitty has something she’d like to tell you.”

“Pat!” Kitty cried, taking him by both hands and beaming. “I’m bisexual!”

“Oh! Well, that’s wonderful Kitty!” Pat returned, equally as happy to see his friend in such high spirits.

“I know, it’s great!”

Quickly, Kitty rushed out the room, yelling at the top of her voice. “Everyone! Everyone! I’m Bi!”

The sounds of Julian telling her to “join the club” and Thomas telling her “I’ll write a sonnet about it! It will be a masterpiece!” soon joined her yells and the house began to fill with call of excited chatter. It even sounded like Fanny was not entirely perturbed by such a revelation.

Alison, who was still standing with Pat, began fiddling with the sink in the kitchen once again.

“Well isn’t that lovely!” Pat said to Alison, as she reached for the faucet.

“Yeah, it’s great,” she returned, turning her head back to face him. “But I tell you one thing. If I never hear another bee-flower metaphor again, it’ll be too soon.”

————————————————————

epilogue:

It was empty in the left wing, all except for one man. He stood, curiously peering over the side of the banister, attention captivated by the sound of shouting. From what he could hear, his compatriots were in good spirits. Ah, but nowadays that was hardly a surprise, with Alison and Mike living amongst them. Yet whatever it was that was causing the noise was something most spectacular indeed. They hardly ever yelled like this, not even when he - uh, the film crew - came around.

He leaned over further, paying no mind to how dangerous it would have been (he was dead, what was safety to him now?) and suddenly spotted someone on the floor beneath him. He tried to make out who it was but then, they looked up.

“Well, hello there!”

“Greetings Julian,” He replied, rather wishing it had been Pat or even Robin instead. “What on earth is causing all that hubbub downstairs, may I ask?”

“Oh, that.” His trouser-less companion looked rather bored, not like how the rest of the house were clearly feeling.

“Kitty just announced she’s bisexual.”

The Captain froze.

“I’m...I’m sorry?”

“Yeah, she’s been running all down the hallways, causing an awful racket. I mean, I couldn’t hear the race on the radio over all of it. Ridiculous. And I had an imaginary fiver on Seabiscuit with Robin too! Honestly, there’s no need for such a fuss!” Julian was ready to continue ranting but then he turned up to look at his friend. The Captain still hadn’t moved, and Julian didn’t know any better about the physical states of death, he’d say the Captain had paled a little more than usual.

“God, what’s the problem? Captain? Captain!”

At the sound of his name, like if he was a video that was just unpaused, the Captain jumped back to life.

“I just... How did everyone react?”

Julian pondered for a second. “Quite well actually. I mean, Fanny threw a little bit of a fit, but that’s to be expected and she calmed down a tad after - now, what did Alison say? Ah, yes, ‘being gay is accepted nowadays, Fanny, and just because your husband was a bad person, doesn’t mean Kitty is one too. Being gay is perfectly alright.’ Damn right too. I mean, I moved in a lot of directions when I was alive, a bit like a pendulum but only really if it swung up people’s-”

“Okay, yes, thank you Julian,” the Captain intervened hastily, not wanting to hear about where Julian, most likely incorrectly, thought pendulums could go. He paused.

“Did, did Alison really say that being gay was accepted nowadays?” He asked Julian, trying to hide the underlying interest in his tone.

“Oh yes,” Julian replied, “Why?” He smirked slightly at the Captain, who flushed.

“No, no reason! I’ll talk to you all later,” he told Julian hurriedly before straightening up, moving away from the bannister until Julian was out of sight. He looked down at himself, and saw his hands were slightly trembling - in both fear and intrepidation. He replayed the paraphrased words of Alison over again in his head. It sounded a bit like a mantra, like a prayer, like a blessing to him and he clung onto it.

And eventually, as he walked back down the hallway to mull Kitty’s revelation and his own feelings, the Captain felt a small, tentative smile creep over his face.

[interstellarrambles]

protective. mg

fandom: peaky blinders

pairing: michael gray x female!reader

pronouns: she/her

warnings: none, swearing and maybe some violence?

requested? yes by @lucyadennis

"

a/n: michael looks so so good in this! loved this request, please feel free to request again.

like soft moonlight, chandeliers emitted their sparkling rays, and deep blue velvet carpets adorned the floor, almost comparable to the midnight skies you longed for. in the city, the night sky was polluted, corrupted by the violence, the filth and the gaseous streetlights that watched on, silent bystanders. it was at times like this, when you thought of home with a heart so heavy, that you wished things had happened differently. ever since Henry had left, you had lost half of your world, and you weren't sure you would ever retrieve it, but here you were. whispered words became rumours, but after years of searching both in the city and country, you were able to sort the truth from the tales woven over picket fences and through backdoors.

but now here you were, reminiscing of the evenings henry and you would lie together in the fields, watching the stars and making wishes for your futures. if only you had known.

your journey certainly wasn't easy, and with every day, it felt as though you lost a piece of that girl under the stars, but what could you do?

as you sat on the edge of your seat, and tapped your foot a little too vigorously to be ladylike, you found yourself actually becoming nervous. harsh and cruel, the pool of burning nerves in your stomach had you second guessing every single part of you. now, the material of your dress seemed too restrictive, perhaps too revealing, too short, and was your hairstyle too forward, or were you just overreacting?

however, you would never find out the answer to that question, as at that moment, the very man you were waiting for opened the door and greeted you.

"y/n, it's been a while," Thomas began, raising his eyes to meet yours and smiling slightly, perhaps noticing how you were feeling.

"yes Mr Shelby, it has. about three months I believe. I must thank you, for the employment and the understanding."

your voice had been reduced to almost a whisper, and it was clear that he was watching your every move, observing from a distance as he welcomed you into the office where you would work. after a few moments, and a second or two getting used to the room, your nerves began calming, and you cherished the softness of the seat beneath you, and the warmth of the office.

he gave you a brief description of the room, and where you could find things before announcing he would have to leave soon. you couldn't quite find it in you to be too bothered - your work was relatively easy, and your sharp mind and good education gave you the confidence to know you wouldn't need Thomas's assitance too much. not that you were all too focused on your work right now.

"in this building, it's just you and Michael for now, and Polly might be joining you soon. on other occasions, you'll be joined by Ada or Lizzie, but not today. if you need anything, let Michael know. I'll give you your own space for reunions."

delivering a final tight smile, he wrapped his outercoat around his frame and crushed his cigarette in the ashtray on your desk before leaving.

a few more hours passed before you found yourself becoming restless, and the near silence in your office became nearly too much for you to bear. you realised quickly that soon you would meet Michael, (or Henry, as you knew him) and all your hard labour would come to fruition. your brain began attempting to think of things to say to the man you had given your heart to when you were just teenagers, but nothing significant stuck. humming a slightly joyful song to yourself, you observed the smoke from your cigarette swirling around the air, trying to lighten your mind. michael would be happy to see you. surely?

with a new found surge of confidence from seemingly nowhere, you pushed your chair backwards and decided to just go and find him. years had passed since you had last seen him, and of course he would have changed, but you had too. too much of your soul had been spent trying to find him, and shorten the miles between you, but now, when you were only metres away, you had gotten shy? no way.

a pane of frosted glass and a wooden door were the only things in between you now, but it was as insignificant as millimetres of air between two magnets - the pull of nature was just too strong to let your souls remain apart for any longer, and you found yourself knocking on the door, trying to formulate words that just wouldn't come to you.

"yes? you can come in," his voice had roughened a little, but even just the sound of it was enough to bring you to the brink of tears. it had been so long since his voice had been familiar to you, but now it was as normal and familiar as the sound of your own breathing, and the regularity of the thumping of your own heart.

with your heart in your mouth, you pushed open the door, took a few steps, and just looked at him. at first, he simply glanced up at you, before the curtains of remembering fell, and the performance of memories began replaying. you knew this nostalgic rerun off by heart, for you were feeling it right now. the way he gazed at you in awe reminding you of the simplicity with which you had loved him all those years ago. the simplicity with which you still loved him.

"y/n? is it really you?" he found himself whispering, his words simply tumbling out of his mouth.

you couldn't even answer, the years of pain surmounting to such joy had you in tears, and when he fumbled his way towards you, and offered you a place between his arms, you accepted immediately.

an eternity passed, the two of you spending the moments encased in a certain happiness usually so rare, until he began talking again, the relief evident in his voice.

"how did you find me? I tried so hard, even asked Thomas to help me, but he said it all came to a dead end a few months ago," you could tell Michael felt lied to, the emotion in his eyes giving away everything his mind was thinking.

"I met Thomas three months ago. I spent years trying to find you, and eventually, I heard the name 'Shelby' on more than a few street corners so I tried my chance, and found myself at the Grace Shelby institute, talking to a certain Mr Shelby. I had to sort out some family matters and Thomas had to organise some employment for me, but now here I am," you explained, taking his face in your hands, and wondering if it would be proper to kiss him, and kiss him like you were back in those fields, pretending to watch the stars, waiting for him to notice your adoration.

it appeared as though he was thinking the same though, and it became apparent when he kissed you. he had changed, and so had his appearance - he cut a sharp, but somewhat unrecognisable figure in his new suits, and he had fully grown into his features - but despite all these changes and more, he still treated you like you were the only person that had ever meant anything to him. you might not be stupid enough to believe you were the only lover he had had, the way he held you against him and kissed you was enough to make you forget, or at least ignore, that.

"I've missed you so much," he murmured, his memory of you proving so distant that he discovered a new craving for the feeling of your touch, deep within himself, so deep it felt as though it was soon to devour his whole being. he wasn't quite sure he'd mind though.

"tell me about it."

michael couldn't quite believe his luck. or his eyes. the young girl he had fallen for from his village, his childhood crush; the girl so sweet and shy last time he had seen her, when he was eighteen, and she was only sixteen; the girl with a heart of gold, and handmade dresses of white; she was here again.

and oh god was she real. so tantalizingly real, he had to stop and pinch himself sometimes to make sure he wasn't dreaming of her as he used to.

now though, she had changed. not only were the small things different, like her dresses and hair, but the bigger things, like her new confidence, the way she walked like she knew you were watching, and the smiles she dealt, so perfectly rehearsed. an actor, she had mastered her performance, and the enigmatic aura that now surrounded her had men tripping at her feet and Thomas eager to introduce her to the business, in a less legitimate manner. men thought she was a prize for them, and tried so hard to coax her into going along with them, but she would always play innocent, batting her eyelids and letting one of the blinders step in for her. the boys could barely go one night out without dealing with a man who had gotten too eager, and this only fuelled both Thomas and Michael. Thomas knew she was the bait they needed - if the grubby men of the pubs they frequented in Birmingham thought they had a chance, the men Thomas met with for business would certainly think that too. she would become an integral part of the business, a chess piece he could use to orchestrate the game that gave him infinite riches, and undying power. Michael loathed this way of thinking, and made it clear his thoughts, every time a family meeting was held.

deep beneath the veneer of this charismatic movie star, was that heart of gold he originally fell for, and even now, years later, he still felt the need to protect it. perhaps the protective nature he showed to her was heightened now due to the danger of the world around the two of them. though he knew she could handle herself, he made a constant effort to monitor her, and make sure she was safe. he would accompany her on any meetings Thomas sent her on, stating business as his only motive, even though they both knew better. he escorted her around the dark streets of Birmingham, insisting it was only gentlemanly, although the way he kissed her when they got home suggested otherwise. if any man or woman said a word against her, or dared look negatively in her direction, he would challenge them, and would always win, even when he didn't enlist the help of his cousins.

so when Thomas tried desperately to enlist her in the illegitimate business, Michael was less than impressed. surprised, less so, but definitely not impressed. he began by trying to manipulate his cousin's emotions, reminding him of all the times he had said it was only legitimate business now. Michael had never believed him when he had said that, because criminal activity was like oxygen to the Shelbys - they could barely function without it, so every time Thomas tried to implement her into a job, an argument would always ensue between the pair.

"Michael, I'm not going to argue with you. it's one job, with no dangers, stop complaining," Thomas watched as his cousin clenched his jaw, and took another drag from his cigarette. he could see his exact thought process, and knew that one of them was going to get hurt: Michael always knew the exact words to say to get to Thomas, and Thomas always knew how to exert his power over Michael without even trying.

usually, Michael would give it a rest, and Thomas would leave the girl alone, using someone else as a bargaining piece, but now, Michael was furious.

"okay, but everything in this fucking business is dangerous alright? no dangers? no fucking dangers?" he attempted to interject but Michael simply held up one finger, and continued, "you can tell me it's one job all you like, but soon, you'll have another job, and lizzie won't want to do it, and since y/n did 'so good on the last one', you'll have her put in an even more dangerous situation," he berated, only stopping to accentuate his words with a perfectly directed glare.

"what does it matter? she will be protected, there's nothing to worry about," Tommy replied, trying to calm him, but both of them knew it was beyond reparations.

"protected? by who? you? because that's worked so perfectly in the past hasn't it, Thomas? if you dare bring her into this, I will drag this business down until you are in jail, up to your neck in criminal charges. you aren't the only one who can play dirty. she's done more than enough for this family, so don't even try to convince her otherwise."

Michael finished his speech with a well timed slam of the door to Thomas's office, and headed home, thinking of the only girl he could trust to calm him down.

he couldn't let her get hurt, and he would do everything in his power to keep her out of danger. loving his family was a given, and his loyalty would always lie with them, no matter how many dirty threats he gave Thomas, but loving her was second nature to Michael, and he wasn't about to lose her to the perils of the blinders.

sweeter than honey, and lighter than a calm morning, loving her was all Michael really needed - he could go without oxygen, water and food, as long as he could feel the soft of her lips against him, and the weight of her hand in his. her touch was the only thing keeping him weighted on some days, and if this was how Thomas felt with Grace, he suddenly understood the heartache his cousin suffered from.

she held him down to earth, grounding his feet, and yet, she was so far from the mortals of this earth, the purity of her kisses and touch and laughter convincing Michael she was a goddess, and goddamn it, he was so in love with her. the sum of all his waking moments were either spent watching her with adoration, or thinking of her with adoration, making him feel like a crushing school boy again.

and when she pulled him into her, and shared her dreams with him, the dreams that held hopes for their shared futures, with children, and a wonderful house, with a beautiful view, it was clear she felt the same way.