#almost definitely chapter 15 will come out faster than 14 did

[orcelito]

I've been thinking about ITNL 15. I mean this is always how I do it, post a chapter and then immediately start solidifying what the structure of the next one is

I think it'll be shorter than the past two chapters. Just bc I want it to stop at one specific moment (heheh) & then the chapter after is dealing with the fallout.

Which means we should see Wolfwood in chapter 17.

Soon!

[i-found-you-justine-time]

Varian’s Tangled Trials

A “Varian and the Seven Kingdoms” fan fiction.

Chapter 23. The Third Journal. 12709 Words.

Varian gets a glimpse into his mother’s past. 

Previous Chapters: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22.

Varian pulled the wires apart as he stepped back through the portal, closing it behind him. As the rippling bronze before him resolidified he saw the reflection change from the trial chamber to something unfamiliar. He turned, ready to set eyes on the Eternal Library.

As soon as he did, his eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. Varian hadn’t known what really to expect. Perhaps at most, he visualized something like Corona’s or Nesdernia’s royal libraries but on a massive scale. It never truly sunk into him what another plane of existence could be. In the simplest ways, it was a library like any other, with long shelves crammed with a variety of books. But that was where the similarities ended. The shelves themselves weren’t built with straight lines or right angles. In fact, they didn’t seem to be built at all. They were like trees whose dark branches had woven tightly into the semblance of shelving, dripping with moss and vine-like foliage that glowed with neon luminescence. 

The half-circle bronze mirror itself stood in the middle of a clearing on a dark mossy hill, giving Varian a breathtaking view. Much like trees, the shelves grew to different heights, towering and twisting around each other and creating a labyrinth of paths that stretched into the shadows. The tallest shelves rose in the distance and stretched high above like impossible mountain ranges that surely hid further depths of an endless world. Instead of reaching any perceivable ceiling, these shelves seemed to fade into a bizarre mist of color and shadow. Directly above him, just beyond the mist, Varian could see a warm amber ball of light that washed the clearing where he stood in a flickering candle-like glow. He could hear a low noise like the growling of a table holding too much weight. But the sound was so distant and sourceless it might not have been there at all. The whole world seemed to warp at the edges of his perception- like something out of a dream.

Varian glanced back behind him and saw his own reflection in the massive bronze mirror. He’d successfully closed the portal. He lifted his hand, gently pressing it to the cool, glass-like barrier.

Then the thought of a shamed, bespeckled face saying ‘trust me’ flashed through his memory. His fingers curled into a fist, and his eyes turned back onto his surroundings. 

“Mom?” he called out. “Mom!”

His shouts rung through the silence. He waited, but there was no reply. 

He started to run, his feet carrying him down the hill and forward impulsively as he continued to yell. “Mom! Mom, it’s Varian!” After just a few moments, he stopped and looked around. It was hard to know where he was or where he’d come from. The amber glow above gave him some idea of a direction but the shelves obscured his view. Aisles that seemed to go straight would suddenly be curved. Shelves or tables he hadn’t noticed before seemed to come out of nowhere. Glowing foliage would grow so thick as to block his path. He swore he thought he saw some of the books rearrange themselves out of the corner of his eye. 

He picked a new direction and ran forward, this time, trying to keep an eye on his surroundings, but even so, it was hard to figure out what kind of progress he was making. And this time he definitely caught a whole shelf manifest out of the ground, spouting up, not unlike a tree, though a thousand times faster than one.

“Fascinating,” he muttered, reaching out to touch the new shelf. At first, it felt normal, all smooth and solid wood. But then he sensed a pulse, almost like it had a heartbeat. He pulled his hand back in surprise, but then slowly placed it back to feel the pulse again. “It’s like this whole place is alive.” He passed his hand over the spines of the books. He pulled one out and watched as the other books gently pushed together to close the gap left. Curious, Varian pushed the book back towards where it’d been and was shocked to see the other books pull back to make way for it. “Okay wow, um, so that’s going to take some getting used to.”He was about to grab another book when he heard the sound of something moving behind him. He turned to see an open aisle that hadn’t been there before. “Mom?” Varian tore down it. “Mom!” As he ran forward he began to hear a noise growing louder and louder until he broke from the labyrinth into another clearing and skidded to a halt before a dark river cutting through the shelves. Free from the forest of books, Varian could now once again see the amber orb high above and the bronze mirror on the hill below. He was a ways away but clearly despite how long he’d been running, the maze of shelves hadn’t allowed him to go far. Part of Varian was relieved he wasn’t as lost as he feared. It had been a bit stupid in hindsight to move so blindly through a place so unpredictable. Another part of Varian, bitter and burning, felt he was not nearly far enough from Demanitus’s door. Still, following the river deeper seemed a better method of exploring than risking the labyrinth again. So he followed along the unnaturally deep blue waters and watched wondrously as little neon lights glimmered beneath the surface. After what felt like ages following the water, the sound of running water started to become deafening. Varian expected it when the ground gave way ahead of him and the river dropped into a massive waterfall. What he didn’t expect was what he’d find as he peeked over the cliff's edge. The dark water seemed to glow bright turquoise as it fell down into the pool below. The area around the pool was like none other Varian had come across. It was more open, with couches and chairs gathered together. The furniture, like the shelves, was oddly organic and seemed to grow right out of the ground. Curious, Varian climbed down strangely step-like stones along the cliff's edge into the grotto. As he descended alongside the falls he once again noticed the glimmering lights that swam around in the glow. Suddenly one light flew from the water. When it broke the surface Varian realized it was no longer a single light, but a stream of glowing words. Before we could make out what they said the words flew down to the edge of the pool. As he neared, Varian saw several stump-like lecturnes that lined the water’s edge. On it, growing from the wood with thread-like roots, was an empty book. The words flew inside and the pages fluttered along. Varian tripped down the final steps and hurried to the book, but as he arrived the final word disappeared into the pages and the book shut with a snap. A flash of light later and it was gone, leaving Varian staring in awe. “This must be it,” Varian muttered to himself as he gazed with wide eyes at the falls and the grotto and the new books growing on the lectures. “This must be where it all comes from.” Before Varian could give in to his urge to lose himself in discovery and research, movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Varian turned to the curtain of glowing neon vines that covered an overhang beside the falls. From behind it he could see something flickering. Varian walked cautiously forward and brushed aside the vines. Just beyond the curtain several large tables and desks had been cut from their roots and pushed up against the walls of the cave. In the middle was a lit fire pit set into the floor. A branch-like hook jut from the ground and held a large pot over the fire. The pot was steaming and Varian’s nose twitched at the appetizing scent wafting from it. He peeked inside to see some kind of stew bubbling within.Varian continued past the fire to one of the tables. Each of them was completely cluttered, some with papers and others with instruments and tools. A few were holding strange objects Varian had never seen before. Others were clearly set up for alchemical experiments. Varian’s face lit up as he recognized this. “Mom?” He rushed forward, eyes torn between looking around the area and down at the bubbling vials on the tables. His eyes finally landed on one writing desk on the far side of the cave that was lit by the glowing falls, littered with paper and ink and a softly glowing crystal ball. Right in the middle, catching his eye, was an old journal.Varian approached it and ran his hand over the cover. He took one last look around before opening it. He thumbed through the pages, seeing familiar handwriting and diagrams. Finally, he turned back to the front where the first entry began. “If anyone finds this, “Varian read aloud, “please heed this warning and leave this place behind. The Eternal Library holds the keys to destruction and it would be best for you to leave and forget you were ever here. Not only could it lead you to destroy our world as we know it, but it could tear apart your own life as it did mine. I don’t regret my decision to shut the Library, and yet I can’t help playing everything over in my head, again and again, wondering what went so wrong…” Read the rest of the chapter here.

[dindjarindiaries]

10 Underrated Quotes from Season 2 of The Mandalorian

As previously seen with season one, I’m here with another list of underrated quotes from The Mandalorian—this time, from season two. I’m going to highlight some of my favorite quotes from the season or quotes that stick out to me and why I think they’re noteworthy.

I don’t own any rights to content from The Mandalorian and, if you haven’t watched season two yet, potential spoilers are ahead!

1. “Pay attention when a superior addresses you.” (Chapter 15: The Believer)

While this scene certainly isn’t underrated, I believe this line spoken by Valin Hess when he finally catches Din Djarin’s attention by the Imperial terminal deserves some reflection. It’s interesting to think about how responding to Hess’ first call of “Trooper” is something Djarin just... wouldn’t think to do, or is something he thought he could get away with. It seems that Mandalorians, while they value their leadership, don’t focus on hierarchical structures in their society, so Djarin isn’t used to having to obey orders like that. It’s even worse that he has to deal with this unfamiliar situation without his helmet for the first time since he was a child. It really draws our attention to how little Djarin knows about the Empire and other organizations outside of his covert.

2. “This is the Way.” (Chapter 11: The Heiress)

I think many of us can agree that the first time this statement is uttered in this episode, we’re less than pleased about it, thanks to Bo-Katan’s ridiculing tone. When it happens later on, however, there’s so much meaning packed behind the words. First, from Bo-Katan, who has witnessed Mando’s bravery firsthand and has likely realized how wrong she was making assumptions about him based off his covert and his traditions. In return, Mando’s response of the phrase is strained. Why? Well, it’s up to interpretation—but to me, I think it’s because Mando’s in awe of the idea of these Mandalorians who have already proven their abilities to him actually coming to respect him and the Way he’s known ever since he was a child. It was a great moment of reconciliation.

3. “Is he speaking? Do you... understand him?” (Chapter 13: The Jedi)

Something I love about this line in particular is the way it’s delivered. There’s such desperation concealed behind Mando’s modulator that tells us so much about what he’s been thinking while pacing the forest floor nervously. This desperation also tells us how eager he’s been to communicate with his child. Mando and Grogu have been together for a long time, now, and we know they’ve had plenty of one-sided conversations. I’m sure Mando has longed to know what Grogu’s been thinking in return, and now that he might have an opportunity to, we can really hear that sheer curiosity and desperation in his voice with this line he offers to Ahsoka.

4. “Jet back, you’re faster that way.” (Chapter 12: The Siege)

I’m sure we all have our mixed opinions about the season one Nevarro crew, but this moment in particular really strikes the depth of their friendship and companionship. Once they’ve all heard about Moff Gideon’s return and his request to get the child once again, there’s no doubt in anyone’s minds that Mando wouldn’t be going back for him immediately. Even though the job isn’t completely done and Greef, Cara, and Mythrol all still need a way out, they don’t even try to ask for Mando’s help. Instead, Cara insists that he gets back as fast as he can, even if that means the three of them don’t make it out themselves. I really love how that shared understanding and dedication to the child in all situations shows their deep friendship amongst the trio (and Mythrol).

5. “I’ve spent much time on Tatooine. I never saw a Mandalorian there.” (Chapter 9: The Marshal)

Mando’s response to Gor Karesh insisting that he knows of a Mandalorian on Tatooine could potentially be telling us more than we’re aware of. As far as we know, Mando’s only been to Tatooine once—and it was only for two days, tops. But here, he’s saying he’s “spent much time” there, which means it’s possible that Mando lived on Tatooine for a time while the Bounty Hunter’s Guild still operated out of there. If you think about it more, Mando knew exactly where to go for some work in Chapter 5, another hint that there’s more to Mando’s time on Tatooine than we’re aware of. The same thing could be said about his knowledge of Tusken and his friendship with the Sand People. Any time we get a potential hint of Mando’s backstory, I’m excited about it!

6. “Am I under arrest?” (Chapter 10: The Passenger)

This line comes quickly in the midst of Mando’s conversation with the New Republic pilots in Chapter 10, but I really love it. These few words say a lot about Mando’s character and how he responds to praise. He’s just been told all about his heroics in Chapter 6, when he risked his own life for Lieutenant Davan and reprimanded Mayfeld, Xi’an, and Burg—and when asked whether it was true, Mando offers no confirmation. He doesn’t even own up to his good acts. Instead, he simply acts this question, remaining the practical man we know him to be. This truly shows us the humble nature of Mando and how he tries his best to focus on the present rather than dwelling on things he’s done in the past, good or bad.

7. “... talent without training is nothing.” (Chapter 16: The Rescue)

On the surface, this seems like a very practical statement that many Jedi make throughout the series (see Ahsoka talking to Mando in Chapter 13 and Obi-Wan talking to Luke in Episode IV: A New Hope). When you think about it more, especially in context, you might be able to see Luke hinting at something much deeper. Luke heard Grogu’s cry for help from the Seeing Stone where it’s very possible Grogu was talking about his desire to protect his father by strengthening his abilities. Luke knows all too well what happens when you abandon training in an attempt to protect those you love—as for him, it didn’t go well. Yoda tried to warn him but he didn’t listen. Now that he’s learned his lesson, Luke can offer this wisdom to a Grogu who wants to keep his father safe. He knows that training first will then allow Grogu to protect himself and his father to his heart’s content, just as Luke was better able to protect his friends in Episode VI after he finished his training.

8. “Okay, I’m gonna protect you.” (Chapter 14: The Tragedy)

The scene in which this line is delivered is what truly establishes this episode as a tragedy. Mando’s tried three times to break through Grogu’s Force-field—not because he wasn’t thinking, but because he was so desperate—and now he has to come to terms with the fact that he’ll only hurt himself more if he keeps trying it again and again. Mando’s voice is pretty shaky if you listen to it closely enough in these lines, reluctant to leave his child atop the mountain alone but eager to protect him somehow. We know Mando doesn’t like to feel helpless, but we can sense he feels that way in this moment. He doesn’t even know if Grogu can hear him, yet he keeps speaking to him with such fierce protectiveness and reassurance. This is a promise he doesn’t fall through with, even if Grogu does fall into the Imperials’ hands for a time.

9. “Give it to me.” (Chapter 15: The Believer)

This is the moment where we all really knew what was about to go down. What I love about this quote is that Mando says it with no remorse. He says it firmly, insisting upon doing whatever it takes to get those coordinates and get to Grogu. He’s already made up his mind. Despite the fact he gave his word earlier about not showing his face, Mando’s going to do what he has to for his son. The firm way this line is delivered proves that, especially when he shifts from taking a backseat to Mayfeld to taking charge again as he pulls the data stick right from Mayfeld’s grip. I just really love Mando’s determination in this scene, despite the circumstances.

10. “I’ll see you again. I promise.” (Chapter 16: The Rescue)

Do I particularly think this line is underrated? No, not the direct meaning of it. But when you watch Star Wars Rebels and think more about the genius of Dave Filoni, there’s a whole new layer of meaning attached to these words. For those who may not have watched the show yet (you definitely should!), Kanan and Hera are two people who care very much for each other (wink wink) who once had to exchange a goodbye very similar to Mando and Grogu. Kanan was about to go on a very dangerous mission without Hera, unsure of what would happen to him, when he delivered these words: “We’ll see each other again. I promise.” This is almost exactly what Mando says to Grogu in the face of their temporary separation. The good news is Kanan and Hera did get to see each other again—but Kanan was changed forever. Will this happen with Mando or Grogu? It’s possible. But it’s just another one of those moments that makes me yell “FILONI!” in Darth Maul style.

[horansqueen]

Stuck With You - Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Tell Me

🡪chapter 1  🡪chapter 2  🡪chapter 3  🡪chapter 4  🡪chapter 5  🡪chapter 6   🡪chapter 7  🡪chapter 8  🡪chapter 9  🡪chapter 10  🡪chapter 11 🡪chapter 12 🡪chapter 13 🡪chapter 14 🡪chapter 15 🡪chapter 16 🡪chapter 17 🡪chapter 18 🡪chapter 19 🡪chapter 20

College Enemies To Lovers AU

characters // masterlist // instagrams // mood board

Tell me what it's like to be with you Remind me of the things we use to do And tell me that this time will never end Tell me what it's like, tell me again

Everytime you stay It never feels quite the same And everytime you go It hurts a way you'll never know

Everything I fear Shows itself everytime you're here And everything I know (I know) Leaves with you everytime that you go

click here to be on the update list

NIALL

                                               It was not easy to ignore her. I had spent days doing exactly that but now that she had pushed me away, I couldn't do it anymore. I felt like a creep whenever I'd find myself staring at her for a bit too long. How could I just forget about her and pretend that nothing had happened between us? How could I just pretend I didn't care about her anymore? That I didn't think about her all the time? That I didn't have feelings for her? It felt completely stupid to go on with my life as if she hadn't been the most important part of it in the last few weeks... as if she was not still a big part of it.

I looked at her as she walked out of our class, laughing with Daxia and Asher about something I didn't hear. She raised her nose up in a grimace and giggled a bit more but I just pushed my hands in my pockets, remaining motionless as she left. She was better than me at pretending, and if I couldn't remember the way she had kissed me in the elevator, or the way she had looked at me when she found out I paid half her rent, I would believe her. Luckily (nor not?) I could clearly remember all of it. The way she had ground on my thighs as we kissed deeply and how she had whimpered when my cock had swollen between her legs... The way she let me touch her, the way she sucked on my tongue when we kissed in our room... but most of all, the way her eyes fluttered when I placed soft and slow kisses on her lips after my claustrophobic crisis... the way she had looked so hurt and sad whenever I left for whatever reason... the way I could hear pain in her voice every time I rejected her. It was all those things that kept hope alive inside me. You can't just forget about someone like that, right? Not someone who had that effect on you, no, I didn't want to believe it.

I waited, hopeful that maybe she'd glance back, giving me just enough fuel to keep hoping for something, but she didn't, and I ended up walking back to my room only to grab my guitar and my notebook. I scribbled a few words quickly, the first things that came to my mind when I thought about Devon, and found a melody just as fast.

I stared at some of the words written and felt my eyes flutter as I breathed in. I tried to stop the tears and swallowed them hard before clearing my throat and rubbing my eyes. It couldn't be the end, I didn't want it to be, and now that Devon was ignoring me the way I had ignored her, I couldn't help but hate myself, knowing it was what I actually put her through, and probably even worse.

I took my phone and snapped a picture of my notebook and my guitar, wondering how Devon would have taken the picture and knowing it would definitely have looked better than the one I was now posting on instagram, but it didn't matter. Somehow, I wished she would see it and realize it was for her, but I knew there was only a tiny chance for that. I hesitated but added a few words from the song I had just written in the description part and blinked a few times staring at it, wondering if it was a mistake.

"Every time we get this close, It's always pulling us apart."

--

Turns out Devon didn't like the picture or commented on it. I was not really expecting it but I was hoping for it, but if I knew one thing about Devon now, it was that she was really stubborn. It was not what emanated from her the most, in my opinion, and it wasn't as important as her intensity, her feelings, her fiery, her empathy and her sensitivity, but it was still a part of her that I couldn't deny. I couldn't blame her, most artists were stubborn, I was slightly entitled myself, but her stubbornness was strong and I liked it, even if it caused a problem at that exact moment.

When Lewis invited me home to watch the game, I almost refused. I wanted to see Devon, but she had asked not to see me, and it would have been wrong of me to go to her place, knowing she didn't want me around her. I wanted to respect her and what she wanted, even if I was desperate for a conversation with her. I knew I couldn't force her to have feelings for me, or to act on them. It was on her, and begging her or harassing her wouldn't change anything. In fact, it would make things worse and anyway, it was not the kind of things I did. If Devon ended up giving me a chance, it would be her decision, the same way it was my decision to push her away and not take all the chances she already gave me. A bad decision, but it was all mine.

I finally accepted when Lewis told me Devon was leaving for the evening and even if I was disappointed, I didn't show it or mention it. I couldn't stop wondering where she was going and with who as I drove to my friend's and when I parked. I stayed for a few minutes, sitting behind the wheel, trying to stop the erratic beatings of my heart. I hadn't felt like that for so long. It felt like a heartbreak all over again, except this time, the whole break up was my fault and the problem was me. I leaned my forehead on the wheel and sigh until I heard someone chuckle.

"Are you napping before the game?"

I sat up and leaned my head on the bench before sighing loud enough for Louis to hear.

"You’re here for Devon, I'm guessing." I just let out without enthusiasm, not even looking at him.

"Nop, I'm here because Lewis invited me to watch the game."

It made me frown and I turned my head his way as it was still leaning on the bench. "What?"

"Ya head." Louis shrugged, glanced at the door of the building before looking back at me. "I thought Dev was going to watch it with us."

I raised my eyebrows and started my car again, shaking my head slightly as Louis got closer. "Hey, mate, where are you going?"

"Devon doesn't want me near, I'm certainly not going to spend the evening in her vital space and make her uncomfortable." I explained, putting both my hands on the wheel.

"Dev doesn't want you to avoid her."

I sighed again and turned my head only to meet Louis' eyes. "She was pretty clear."

"You know she likes you, right?" Louis raised his eyebrows. "She wants you in her life."

"But she made it clear she didn't want me around. I can't just go with your words, okay? I have to go with hers."

I couldn't pretend it didn't feel good to hear from her best friend that Devon actually liked me, but I was also aware that Louis wanted me happy. He had been taking care of me ever since that story with my ex girlfriend. I didn't know if it was out of guilt or pure friendship but either way, I couldn't deny that he was there for me, no matter what. I had been blabbing and complaining to him every single day since that stupid blind date at the restaurant and even if he was annoyed by all the shit I threw at him, he remained calm and collected, which was a first for him.

"You're right." Louis admitted, taking one last pull at his cigarette and throwing it on the ground. He pushed the smoke out of his lungs on the side to make sure it wouldn't come in my face and licked his lips. "You do give up quite easily though don't you think? She came back every time you pushed her away." he pointed out in a gentle tone.

"No, she didn't." I shrugged a shoulder. "We just ended up being locked together in random places."

"Maybe Lewis' apartment can be that random place."

I moved my head closer to the window and looked up at the building before sighing. "If I have an inkling of a feeling that she's uncomfortable, I'm leaving."

"Good."

I ended up in the elevator with Louis, rubbing my hands on the back of my jeans. I was more and more nervous as we got closer to his apartment and when Lewis opened the door, I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest by my throat.

I didn't ask about Devon but she didn't seem to be there and we all sat in the living room with a beer. There were a few guys from some of my art classes too, sitting on the floor, but I decided to sit next to Louis on one of the couches. I finished my beer quite fast and got up to grab an other in the fridge. My heart skipped a beat when I closed the door after grabbing a beer and my eyes got slightly bigger.

"Hey, Devie." I let out in a low tone, swallowing hard as my eyes roamed on her. "Uhm you-you look great."

"No need to lie, Niall." she shook her head with a sigh. "I don't know why I let Daxia convince me to wear things like that, this is so uncomfortable."  She pulled on the bottom of her dress roughly but all it did was show part of her bra. She was leaning a bit and I let my eyes roam on her cleavage for less than a second before looking away.

"You shouldn't do that." I pointed out, clearing my throat. "It's- it's pulling it at the top."

She looked down at her breasts and groaned, letting her head fall back on her shoulders. I had to admit I didn't remember her with that much cleavage and I licked my lips.

"Are you.. are you wearing a push-up bra or something?"

She looked up in my eyes with surprise and her lips parted slightly before she moved her head slowly from left to right. "How did you..." she didn't finish her question and shook her head faster. "That's it. That's enough. I'm getting changed!"

"No wait!"

I grabbed her wrist, two of my fingers and my thumb wrapping around it loosely. She stopped and breathed in, and I wondered if it was because she was annoyed that I stopped her, or annoyed because of that electric feeling that probably crossed her body the same way it had crossed mine at the contact of our skin.

"Devie, you look amazing." I admitted in a low and soft tone as she turned around to face me. I hated thinking she was going on a date, and all the scenarios in my head made my heart sink in my chest, but I couldn't lie to her. I would never lie to her again. "You really do. You look beautiful."

She bit her bottom lip and nodded as I let go of her wrist and she pulled on the top of her dress again to cover more of her breasts.

"I'm sorry, Devie. I know you're leaving but, if me being here bothers you, I can leave."

She looked up again and her eyes met mine. She just shrugged and cleared her throat, looking back at everyone in the living room before turning back to me again.

"No it's okay, I know Lewis is your friend." she shrugged, grabbing her purse on the table. "I'm leaving for the evening anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

I remained silent and pushed my hands in my pockets, holding my breath. Was I allowed to look at her the way I was looking at her?

"A pair of shorts."

"What?" she asked with a frown.

"If you wear a pair of shorts under your dress, it'll bother you less that it's short."

"The problem is mostly that I hate my thighs but I guess you're not wrong." she chuckled, raising her eyebrows. "It's a good idea."

I waited patiently until she came back, walking by the kitchen and waving shyly at me. "Bye Niall, thanks for the tip."

It took me a few minutes to go back to the living room. No one had noticed I had left for a while except for Louis, who turned his head my way as soon as I sat next to him. "Did you tell her?"

"Mm? Tell her what?" I asked, staring at the tv as I leaned my elbows on my knees.

"That you love her."

I turned my whole body his way, now only focusing on him, and shook my head. "No, and I don't plan to." I explained slowly. "Louis, she hates me."

"She doesn't hate you and you know it."

I didn't answer and turned back to the tv for a few minutes and finally leaned my back on the couch. "You think she's gonna shag a guy tonight?" I asked low and a bit sad, looking down at my beer as I turned it in my hands.

"No."

"Why not."

"I know Dev, she's not like that." Louis explained, letting out a sigh. "Would you shag a girl tonight? A girl that's not her?"

"What does it have to do with anything?"

"Dev is a lot like you." he finally confessed. "I'm sure you've noticed before. You two react the same way, you've been through the same things... both of you gave up on love and both of you are completely in love with each other. You stopped having sex with Mandy because Devon is all you think about. Trust me, you're all Devon thinks about, too."

"She told you that?" I asked, closing my eyes and swallowing hard.

"She'd kill me if she found out I told you."

---

An other week without Devon, an other week getting drunk and complaining to Louis. I had missed a few classes and always ended up in the music room to write songs on the piano after everyone had left until very late at night. I would probably get denied the access to that room if they found out I was drowning my pain in vodka, beer and rum while I was composing but I didn't care.

On friday night, Louis had begged me to join him in class. He had asked for the keys to classroom to finish his work and apparently, he wanted me to write a song for him that he'd use. I had never written a song for kids before but I was always ready to try new things. Besides, Louis had been there for me a lot in the past few days and I felt like I owed him at least that.

The days were getting shorter and it was already dark outside. Weirdly, the hall was barely lighted but I noticed the open door of a neon-lit room. I walked in and noticed Louis, sitting on one of the desks. His lips curled when he saw me and I realized I hadn't seen a small classroom like that before.

"Neil, hey, I'm glad you're here." he raised his eyebrows, jumping off the desk and walking to me. "I really need you."

"Yea, of course." I frowned, looking around the room. "I mean we could have worked in my room, or yours?"

"Mm no, we couldn't." he replied, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and bringing me closer into a weird hug. "It really had to be here."

"Okay, you're being weird. It sounds like a bad horror movie. Are you gonna kill me or something?"

Louis chuckled as I looked at him and he took a few steps back, throwing his arms in the air.

"I'd never do that, Niall. You're my best friend!"

I took a step closer when he reached the hall and he moved his hand in front of himself, making me stop immediately. "Wait here a minute or two, okay?"

"Alright."

I sighed and sat on a desk, my guitar on my lap, and let my fingers slide on the strings gently. It's only when I heard a voice in the hall that I looked up and frowned. My heart skipped a beat when Devon walked by the door, her eyes covered with Louis' hands but I frowned and raised my hands up when I noticed Lewis, slightly behind them, who was telling me to keep quiet with a finger on his lips.

"Lou, I hate surprises, you know it." she let out, nibbling on her bottom lip.

Despite all the stress my friends were putting me through, I still found myself thinking about kissing her as my eyes fell on her mouth and I held my breath.

"Keep your eyes closed until I tell you to open them, alright?"

"Mmhm."

Slowly, he removed his hands from her eyes and I stood there, not really knowing what the hell they were trying to do. Devon didn't want to talk to me, she didn't want to be around me or hear about me, and bringing her here was not going to change anything, I knew it. It's only when Louis closed the door and I heard the lock that I understood.

"No!" I Iet out, jumping off the desk as I gripped my guitar tighter. "NO!"

I hit the door a few times without looking back at Devon but I knew that by now, she had understood what was happening. Our friends had decided to lock us in a room without our consent and I could feel myself get dizzy at that thought.

"It's not funny guys! I'm claustrophobic!" I yelled, hitting the door again with the side of my fist. "Let me out!"

"The room is big enough and there's like, five windows, Niall!"

"Yea!" Lewis agreed. "Feel lucky, at first we had thought about the janitor's closet!"

"Guys, it's not cool!" I begged, leaning my forehead on the door. "And it's useless."

"No it's not!" Louis let out as I closed my eyes and groaned low. "Solve your shit! I'm tired to hear both of you talk about each other!"

"Plus, we stole your phones." Lewis let out with a laughter. "I took Devon's when she was not looking and she just thought she lost it. Louis stole yours a few minutes ago."

I frowned and my hand reached for my pocket, realizing he was right and I just rolled my eyes. My heart was beating so hard I was wondering if it would just stop completely at some point. It was not a claustrophobia crisis though, it was just the fact that once again, I was locked with Devon somewhere but this time, the roles were reversed. She was the one who was avoiding me.

"Neil, tell her, okay?"

I didn't answer him. I just licked my lips and turned around, scared of what was going to happen. Devon raised her eyebrows at me and pressed her lips together, her arms wrapped around herself. She tilted her head and I had to swallow the lump in my throat.

"Tell me what?"

-

Request

[petri808]

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 22 | 23 | 24

thank you so much for your patience with this late chapter! I had some frustrating family drama pop up so I wasn't able to finish it until today. Enjoy!

“Lucy, Lucy, Lucy!” Levy plops onto the couch next to her friend. She grabs the blondes arm and shakes it. “Omg you won’t believe what happened today at school!”

“What? What? The teacher you hate croaked?”

“Pfft, I wish. No! I met Natsu’s roommate! Well, technically I’ve known the guy for like a year from school, we were lab partners, remember Gray, I think I mentioned him, anyways, yeah, he totally gave me all the details I wanted to know!”

But at the name Natsu, Lucy frowns and sits back. “Lev, you know I just wanna move on from this...”

“Just hear me out, I promise it’ll be worth it.” She leans in, “trust me.”

Lucy rolls her eyes. “Okay, fine. Spill. What did Gray have to say?”

“So... starting with that Touka chick. Everything Natsu said was true. You’re not the first girl she’s harassed over him, in fact he offered to contact the other girl if you’d like to ask the person yourself.”

“That’s not necessary, I believe it.”

“He also confirmed that the profiles you saw on Ig are fake and how she’s been stalking him for a couple years now.”

“So Gray’s just his roommate?”

“No, he said they’ve been friends since middle school, so he knows Natsu well.”

“Anything else?”

“The stuff he told you about his family are true. Um, he works at a place called Yousei Mart, and that he’s an idiot but a good guy that is just really naive sometimes. The more he talked, the more I remembered him mentioning his roommate before. Like venting about stuff. Anyway, he said Natsu’s been completely distressed over all this and he thinks you should give his friend a second chance. I think so too, Lu, cause I believed him that Natsu’s a great guy and this whole Touka business is just unfortunate.”

The blonde pulls her legs up onto the couch, wraps her arms around them and rests her chin on her knees, thinking about everything she’d learned. Did she really want to deal with the baggage? What if Touka continues to harass her or them? It would be unfortunate to lose a guy like Natsu, because he really did seem like one of the good guys. She pulls up the memories of him on the train when he’d cornered her... ‘he was really devastated...’ and to do what he’d done, the amount of time he spent chasing and waiting for her, he must really like her to go that far.

“Well, Lu? What do you think?”

She’d definitely be using a higher standard to judge him, so he’ll need to be very convincing to gain her trust a second time, but, “I guess it couldn’t hurt to give him another chance.”

“Then there’s just one last thing for you to do.”

“Ugh,” she groans, “call him.” Lucy picks up her phone and dials Natsu’s number, but he doesn’t pick up. So, she hangs up without leaving a message. She made the first call, now it was his turn to respond if he wanted a second chance.

Approximately thirty minutes later an out-of-breath Natsu is on the phone. “Sorry Lucy! I was in class and the teacher is a real dick about cellphones.” He’d literally run out the room the second the lecture was over to call her back.

“It’s fine, I thought that might be the case.”

“Did you wanna talk to me about something?”

“Yeah, first have you spoken to your roommate at all today?”

“Um... no, why is something wrong with him?”

“Well, in that case...” she pauses and takes a deep breath. “So, turns out your roommate and my roommate have a class together, actually have had several, so they know each other and today they talked about us.”

“Really...” guess he’ll be calling Gray after this phone call!

“Look, bottom line is I believe my friend and since she believes your roommate about you and that girl... I’ll give you another chance. But remember! It’s not because I trust you yet it’s because I trust them.”

“I’ll take it! I understand totally and I promise I’ll do anything to prove to you that you can trust me.”

“I mean, I’m not sure how, but...”

“Um...” Natsu thinks fast, “are you busy right now?”

“Now? Um, not really...”

“I gotta run or I’ll be late for work, but can you meet me at Yousei Mart near Haramachi park as soon as you can?”

“Why?”

“Please?? I’ll buy you dinner too for coming.”

‘Ugh...’ “Okay, I’ll get ready and head over.”

“Thank you!! I’m just really happy you’re giving me a chance Lucy. Okay, I’ll see you soon!”

Lucy hangs up the phone and lets her roommate know she was heading out to see Natsu. The location he’d asked her to go to was several blocks away and takes her 20 minutes to get there. So, as she walked, she did her best to keep her cool. Half of her was thrilled to try again while the other half still apprehensive. Natsu had sounded so excited too, she could almost picture the man doing a victory dance the moment they’d ended the phone call. But where was this place that he wanted her to go to? She knew it was like a convenience store, maybe that’s where he works? Must be if he’d said he needed to get to work and still wanted to see her.

“Irasshaimase!” Lucy hears as she enters the store. A bit odd for a convenience store, but welcoming, nonetheless. She’s greeted by an employee, a red headed woman.

“May I help you find anything?”

“Actually, I’m here to see Natsu. He asked me to come.”

“Oh! You must be Lucy! Please, follow me,” the woman gestures, “he’s in the back working on inventory. My name is Erza by the way and we’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Really?” Hopefully nothing bad...

“Oh, yes. The pretty blonde he met on a train. The guy can’t shut up about you,” Erza laughs. “It was just weird, well new because we’ve never seen him so excited over a girl before.”

Lucy blushes from the compliment. “How long have you worked with Natsu?”

“Hmm, four years, I think. He started when he was still in high school, but I’ve been here a little longer.” They reach the back area and find Natsu hunched over some boxes tagging items. “Here he is, Natsu, your friend Lucy is here.”

“It’s okay for me to be back here?”

“I don’t see why not,” the woman shrugs. “We’re a pretty tight-knit crew here, like a family, so it’s also pretty lax how things are run.”

“Oh. Okay, thank you Erza.”

“You’re welcome. Stay as long as you like.”

Once the woman goes back to the front, Lucy turns to Natsu who was waiting patiently. “Well, I’m here. What did you want me to see?”

“That was part of it,” he smiles. “You said you didn’t know if you could trust me, so what could be better than introducing you to people who know me best. And people like Erza, she’s got no problem telling it like she sees it. If I was an asshole, she would have been the first to tell you to run away.”

“Yeah, she mentioned you’ve been co-workers for a few years. She seems nice, but I can see what you mean cause she looks tough too.”

Natsu laughs, “that’s an understatement. Oh! Come with me,” he grabs her hand and pulls her along, “gramps is still in the office, so you should meet him!”

“Gramps?”

“He’s the owner. Real name’s Makarov but he tells us to call him Gramps. He really is like a grandfather figure to us. Gave me a job at 17 and I’ve loved every minutes being here!”

She follows along, allowing him to hold her hand. Lucy couldn’t lie that his larger hand was nice and warm, and it felt snug and secure together. ‘Stick to your guns woman!’ She chides herself in an effort to fight the emotions bubbling to the surface. What was it about this man’s damn smile that made her heart thump!

Natsu knocks on the doorframe before going in. “Gramps! There someone I want you to meet.”

The older make looks up from his paperwork. “What is it brat, I’m busy here.”

“Be nice old man, this is that girl Lucy I told you about.”

“Oh... the elusive Lucy you’ve sold your soul for.” He snickers. “Welcome, my dear, it’s nice to finally meet the woman who wrangle our Natsu.”

“W-Wrangle?” She sputters. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. We barely had one date.”

“I’ve known this kid for a few years and he’s never so much as looked at a woman. I thought he was gay for the longest time till you came along.” He grins. “And by the looks of you, he lucked into a good one.”

The blush on Lucy’s face increases. “I don’t know about that. I mean I’m nothing special.”

“Lucy,” Makarov leans into his desk, “may I call you Lucy?” Once she nods, he continues. “Never sell yourself short if someone gives you a compliment. Take it from this old geezer, when a man is willing to give you his heart, that means you’re pretty special in their eyes.”

She had nothing else to say against such logic. “Thank you, gramps.”

“You’re very welcome,” he smiles. “Now get out, I have work to do.”

For a few more hours, Lucy hangs out with Natsu in the back while he works, and as promised, he buys her a bento dinner from the restaurant next door. Throughout the evening, his co-worker Erza and one more named Mira drops by to check on them or add to the conversation. She learned a lot about him from them because they were not shy about embarrassing the man. It was hilarious!

But best of all, Mira is the sister of the girl who was harassed by Touka. According to the woman, Touka had started off with the same tactics when she’d thought Natsu was seeing her sister Lisanna. Showing up, trying to talk to her, coming off all sweet and innocent. But Lisanna had a boyfriend who eventually scared the girl off. With Mira’s help, Lucy could finally be confident that Natsu had been telling the truth all along.

When the store closes, Natsu insists on walking Lucy home due to the late hour. He pays for them to take the train to make it a faster and safer trip. So, once settled in their seats, she sighs and turns to him. “I believe you now,” her voice is kept soft and low from the other travelers. “You were telling me the truth.”

It was like a wave of relief washes over him, but in that moment, it wasn’t time for an I told you so, so he just grins. “Movie date next?”

[vampire-in-a-trench-coat]

A Drop in the Ocean Q&A #4

Will Dean be possessed by Michael?

Probably not. This follows the same logic that I’ll use for Lucifer not possessing Cas in season 11—since Dean and Cas are bound, in order for an angel to possess one of them, they will need consent from both Dean and Cas—which I really don’t see happening in either of those instances. I haven’t written that far yet, but right now I don’t plan on that happening.

Michael will be in the story, though. 😉

Will the baby be powerful like Jack?

No. When I first started writing this story, the show hadn’t gone into too much details about nephilims yet, so I established pretty early on that nephilims are weaker than their angel parent.

I could still change that, though, I realize that, because their baby is a natural nephilim, so the rules are a bit different in Dean and Cas’ case, but I haven’t decided yet. What I do know is that Jack won’t be as powerful as he was in the show. He will be weaker than an archangel, but stronger than a seraph.

Will Amara steal Cas’ Grace like in season 12?

I don’t remember that happening. 😳 You mean when she kidnapped Cas/Lucifer? And in season 11? Because she will kidnap someone, but she didn’t steal anyone’s Grace, as far as I remember.

Am I remembering it wrong?

Is Cas going to have sex with the reaper again?

Definitely not.

Is Jack going to have to eat hearts?

Nope. That whole storyline won’t happen. 😉

Are witches going to be in this?

Yes, they will!

Will John come back in season 15?

Okay, uh... the answer to this question is pretty complicated, because I don’t want to spoil anything, but... we will be seeing John again, and not like we did on the 300th episode. And that’s all I can say right now. 🤐

Will Michael and Lucifer try to kill the baby?

Nothing’s really set in stone yet, but my answer right now would be that Michael won’t (but he’ll definitely be awful about it, especially since Cas basically claimed his ‘true vessel’), and Lucifer most likely will.

Will the baby be in the crossover episode?

I’m not sure yet. Haven’t planned that far ahead.

Will Dean be cursed by witches with a love spell like in season 13?

Probably not. I haven’t planned that far ahead yet, but I don’t think a love spell would take effect on Dean, because of Cas—both because, ya know, he’s already in love, but also because Cas’ Grace makes him immune to some types of magic. The spell probably won’t take—but again, I haven’t planned that far ahead yet. I’ve only really planned season 11 and 12 in more detail at this point.

Will Dean kill the Stynes?

Nope, someone else will kill the Stynes. 😉

Are you almost done with A Drop in the Ocean?

Not at all! To be perfectly honest, I’m not even close. I have A Drop in the Ocean divided in three “parts” and... well, we’ll be reaching the end of the first part in chapter 32. 🤣 They’re basically these three:

1. Before the baby is born and the Darkness gets freed.

2. The Darkness is out, seasons 11 and 12 mixed up together. Ends with the baby being born.

3. After the baby is born—season 13 and whatever I’ll be adding from 14 and 15.

And there’ll also be some storylines of my own added in there, of course. 😉

-

In reply to psychicwildlifeartworkwobbler

(Sorry it took me so long to post this one, but real life has been super busy lately)

-

A Drop in the Ocean (AO3)

Rating: Explicit

Pairing: Castiel/Dean Winchester

Chapters: 29/?

Word Count: ~871k words (WIP)

Relevant Tags: Destiel, Canon!verse, Mpreg, Pregnant Dean, Wingfic

Summary:

After a witch hunt gone terribly wrong, Dean calls Castiel in a desperate attempt to save Sam's life, but the angel's help comes with a very high price. With Cas' borrowed Grace burning out faster every day, the Mark of Cain being more active than ever and a bottle of whiskey to top it all, a confession from Castiel sends Dean's entire life spiraling out of control.

Set after 10x10, "The Hunter Games".

~Vamps ♥️

[youarejesting]

Quarantine.15

[Masterlist] Pairing: BTS x reader Friends2Lovers But as slow as you can go until the anticipation kills us all… Genres: friendship, drama, romance SLOWEST OF BURNS BUT IT WILL BE BURNING AN ETERNAL FLAME!!! Rating: PG-13 and above Summary: Your brother works with a few BigHit dance teams and whilst having permission to accompany him at work the city shuts down banning anyone from stepping outside for a whole WEEK while they disinfect the streets. If you step outside you might get arrested, shot or poisoned by the chemicals they are emitting through the city. Words: 1.5k Announcement: I reached 1,000 friends. Thank you so much all of you from the bottom of my heart. This chapter is dedicated to all of you. For showing support with a simple heart all the way up to some really meaningful comments. I appreciate you all so much. I promise to try hard to get better a little everyday. I want to bring you quality work.

[Part 1]  [Part 14] [Part 16] [Tag Yourself Here]

It seemed sleep wasn’t going to come easily. Every time you closed your eyes, the memories played out like a distorted Spanish guitar. You were sweating, not every scenario was real, some you were captured or killed. It wasn’t until you saw the meeting in your head, you saw them vote and watched your brother walk out the building, dying a hundred different deaths. It was unbearable especially as he fell onto the ground face morphing into Seokjin’s. His handsome face, smiling up at you. 

“Don’t cry” Seokjin wasn’t here it was all in your Mind. You tried to push the thoughts away, he was the tide pushing and pulling you in but the water was growing weaker. Retreating, pulling further from the land and leaving you behind. You looked for something to help him. He was dying. There was nothing you could do, focusing back unable to speak from the sharp pain in your throat like you had swallowed knives. 

This was stupid you blinked at the dark ceiling you weren’t asleep. What was this? hallucinations? You were having some mild form of a panic attack and couldn’t move. Frozen in shock. 

Yoongi took his place, pulling off his helmet and smiling just as content as he always was. He beckoned you closer, taking hold of your cheek with his palm, placing a slow desperate kiss to your lips. The kiss was beautifully orchestrated leaving your body humming against his. Turning his head it became a more lively kiss, lips burning a trail against your jawline. “Jagiya, don’t miss me too much okay” Hoseok’s voice shocked you as you pulled away. 

Namjoon laid there out of breath “remember our promise, even if I’m not there you promised” he held up a pinky, you went to link it with yours but his hand fell limp into your lap.  

You couldn’t take it anymore. Stepping out the secret base to see Jimin lying on the ground of the hallway looking up at you. You almost screamed at the thought your imagination had finally taken over. From above, his eyes appear glassy and his lips turning blue as he wore the broken suit. He gasped your name. 

“Y/n hey why are you up?” You blinked. He really was there. Not dying but definitely sleepy, wearing long black pants and a jumper.  “I am just going to the bathroom, go inside and I will be in soon,” he nodded, gathering his things and stumbled into the room. You stepped into the bathroom, relieving your taut bladder. Jimin hadn’t noticed your puffy eyes in the dark, you shivered looking up to the ledge for the weapon. If your brother was going at least he could go armed. A figure standing in the corner of the bathroom, hazard suit-clad arms extended out eyes milky white. 

“I can’t see” his voice was a deeper note and the form fell to the ground clutching their throat crying. “I don’t like this” the figure seemed to come into view. It was Taehyung. He looked up at the ceiling foam escaping his mouth. Cloudy eyes searching for something or someone before he let out a final tiny whimper. 

Shaking your head, you went to grab the gun from the ledge, he went still leaving you with the body of Jungkook. So still and looking so small, and innocent. The gun landing in your hands felt a rush of emotions, power, control, safety. You opened the stall door sick of these stress induce hallucinations. Washing your hands and your face, in the icy cold water that seemed to pinch at your skin. Looking up to see the boys standing behind you dead from the poison, your brother had been shot through the head. 

You knew you had made your decision, these images would haunt you if you let any of them take your place. Tying your hair back and forming a plan. You could navigate the fog better than the others stuck in the building. You grabbed the backpack you stole from the lost and found and placed the weapon inside. Watching Jimin’s blankets slip off his body, you smiled softly. Yes, this was the right decision, you couldn’t live with yourself if any of them got hurt. Tucking him back in you whispered. 

“Goodnight sexy,” you gently brushed his hair out of his eyes, glancing at his soft round lips. Thoughts beginning to wonder if he would get mad if you stole a kiss. You briefly pressed your lips to his, he came alive against you. Hands touching your face, running down your body, his soft lips molding to yours. He moaned your name squeezing your thighs in his hands, moving them only to palm your ass firmly. Pulling away before he did anything he would regret you headed out, taking the elevator to the sixth floor. Translating your speech onto your phone notes, as it ascended. Arriving at the designated floor, you approached the small group gathered around reception. 

“I am here to escort the gentleman to the hospital faulty suit or not” the HR officer and the doctor who worked in the infirmary turned shocked by your Korean.  “It’s not the suit it’s the breather, the filter is cracked, the tiny system still runs just we can’t guarantee you won’t get traces of poison seeping through.” “How much?” “Anywhere from three to twenty-five percent.”

“Please get him ready, and I will need to borrow a car. Do you think you can do that?” “You can’t drive in the fog?” “I think I can, if you want him there alive that is,” you hissed back “Here are his car keys, we can control the underground parking to let you out” “Well, excuse me while I pack some supplies for the trip” you went to your brother's room with water and food leaving it there for him. 

Taking his phone you sent a text to the Bangtan Boys group chat saying he had left and that you were on the sixth floor being restrained until his return. Taking the door handle apart quickly, thanking your brother was the opposite of you, a heavy sleeper. Reversing the handle, the key lock was inside and the turn lock as on the outside. You pocketed the key. 

Moving on it was now almost three in the morning. It would be starting to lighten soon, you got suited up and the HR officer handed you the breather, I tried to fix it, it might last another half an hour or not but it’s the best I can do. You took the older gentleman mister lee to his vehicle in the basement. Using the remote key locking to find his car, placing him in the back seat, laying him down. 

“Please don’t scratch my car?” He was breathless and seemed rather nervous.  “I won’t” you rolled your eyes scoffing audibly, and then looked back with a cheeky grin “Which side of the road do I drive on?” you didn’t turn on the lights moving quietly. As the gate slid open to let you out. 

“It’s a quiet engine I will give you that,” moving through the fog quickly you got onto the long empty highway travelling a little faster. You passed something big scraping the side of the car knocking off a side mirror. The car was being shot at and you clipped whoever denting the hood. You weren’t going too fast so you knew they wouldn’t be dead, at worst a broken arm from the fall. What took you 2 hours to walk the GPS said 13 minutes. Three more minutes than you had time for. 

You pushed the car a little faster watching the GPS for directions and you arrived at the hospital, swiping his card before getting him inside. They looked at you as you pulled off the faulty headpiece and they took mister lee who thanked you. 

“Don’t thank me I took off the side of your car” “You drove” the nurse paled “Yup” you acted nonchalant checking out your nails and waiting for them to leave. You went to their side room and found multiple breathers but you knew it was for the paramedics to save some people. You hated how you couldn’t bring yourself to steal it. 

You begrudgingly looked away towards at the filter on your hip; it still seemed to be holding itself well enough. You scanned mister lee’s card on the vending machine grabbing a cold coke.  Half your job was done, now you just had to get back. A radio chimed through a broken message and hospital security brought out guns running off around the hospital.

“What’s going on?” catching one of the guards as he ran past, he looked you up and down seemingly on alert. “It seems a group of gunman are heading this way, someone hit one of the men with their car and now they are coming after them, we are locking down the hospital,” Your blood ran cold and you chased after him. “Let me out.” 

“We can’t do that ma’am” He didn’t even look at you, “we are hoping they will just pass through” “it was me I hit the guy,” They acknowledge what you said and you pulled out your gun.  “Let me out, I led them here I can lead them away” They backed up and let you walk out, slipping your headpiece back on before racing to the car. The engine purred softly to life. Half your job was done, now you just had to get back.

[Part 1]  [Part 14] [Part 16]  [Tag Yourself Here]

Tags: @bubbletae7​ @lovemusicandotps​ @taetaebq​ @seveniefive​ @w0lfqu33n​ @anaiss97​ @moccahobi​ @maddymal​ @lilacdreams-00​ @lethargicalyssa​ @knjkitten​ @pieislife​ @bunnyboyenthusiast​

[ohblackdiamond]

little t&a (paul/gene, nc-17) (part 12 of 29)

part 1   part 2   part 3   part 4   part 5   part 6   part 7   part 8   part 9   part 10   part 11   part 12   part 13   part 14   part 15   part 16   part 17   part 18   part 19   part 20   part 21  part 22   part 23   part 24    part 25   part 26   part 27   part 28   part 29 Four weeks before KISS gets back on tour, Gene discovers that Paul’s been cursed by a groupie. For the sake of KISS’ finances, Paul’s comfort levels, and Gene’s libido, this crisis must be resolved. Sexswap fic. In this chapter: Ace and Peter discuss Paul’s crisis, with and without him, and Paul gives Gene some lessons.

            Peter and Ace stuck around for a couple hours. Long enough that Paul heated up the leftover pizza for them, and Gene ended up getting two more delivered, while the forgotten remains of both their Dairy Queen milkshakes just melted in Paul’s car. Paul confessed to nearly everything, from when Gene had first come over to the call to Steve Rubell’s secretary.

           Peter had been pretty loath to talk about witchcraft and ways to alleviate the curse at any real length. It seemed to make him as queasy as it did Gene. Ace, on the other hand, perused Paul’s occult books for awhile, and offered to scour some old hippie contacts and see if they still knew any witches.

           “Or Suzie. But she would’ve told you herself if she knew anyone good.” Ace had shrugged, devouring another slice of pizza. “Thing is… thing is, you’re better off going to the source.  You just don’t wanna mess with it yourself if you don’t have to. You got really fucked up. You don’t wanna risk making it any worse, getting someone else to try to fix it.”

           “You think someone might turn me into a frog on accident?”

           Ace had laughed.

          “We could get you a cute costume that way. What d’you think, Geno?”

          “We could get him a cute costume now.”

          “Bet you already have.”

          Paul’s face went red. Ace winked.

          “But… really, thing is, this kind of shit isn’t your basic curse.”

          “I didn’t know there was such a thing.”

          “Y’know, bad luck for a couple months, bad acne, psoriasis, that kinda curse.” Ace ran a thumb across his own pockmarked cheek, then added, unnecessarily, “I’ve had this since I landed on Earth, it ain’t a curse—but that’s about all most witches could’ve done to you.”

          “Anybody ever do anything to you, Ace?” Paul asked. It was a pretty fair question, Gene felt like. Ace used to run with a weird crowd. Still did. But Ace shook his head.

          “Nah. Well, Suzie told me KISS’d never get a number-one single here. But that was more of a prediction—”

          “She’s wrong.” Gene dismissed her out of hand. Across from him, sitting on the coffee table, Peter nodded in agreement. Ace shrugged.

          “What I mean is, it could take awhile to fix, and that’s if she wants to fix it.”

          “Ace, we’re not canceling the tour.”

          “’M not saying cancel.” Ace gnawed heavily on his lip. Gene could tell he was just about to ask Paul for a beer. “But how far back do you think we could push it? Couple months?”

          “We couldn’t push it back any without Bill wanting a reason why,” Gene said flatly.

          “So let’s give him a reason why.” Ace exhaled. “I’ll… y’know, I never did have a big honeymoon with Jeanette. I could tell him I wanted three weeks for that.”

          “That’s only three weeks—”

           “Yeah, but…” Ace reached for the Tab Peter had been drinking out of, finishing it off with a gulp. “It’s about buying time. We could keep on finding excuses if we had to.”

           “I don’t want you to have to,” Paul said. “I don’t want to fuck things up for everybody.”

           The silence lingered for several moments. No one said a word to argue his point. Paul’s gaze lowered to one of the cardboard pizza boxes, and, next to it, the box of Gene’s Studio 54 clothes. Finally, Peter spoke.

           “You can’t help it, Paulie. We’re gonna do what we can.” He rubbed his arm. “Could probably get my doctor to say I’ve gotta take off another month if I have to.”

           “Don’t say anything yet.”

           “I won’t. We won’t.” Peter hesitated. “Hey, you want us coming to 54 with you tonight?”

           Ace perked up.

           “That’d help. Four guys looking for the same girl. One of us could be in the basement, one in the VIP lounge upstairs—”

           “You’d just be fucking in the basement,” Paul accused dryly.

           “It’s good for running into people. Groupies all over there. Besides, Steve’s bunch is just as loaded as he is. They may not remember what girl you wanted.”

           Ace had a point. Gene mulled it over, glancing at Paul, who nodded, before he answered.

           “Yeah, okay. But not all in the same limo.”

           “Aw, c’mon! Why not?”

           “It’d attract too much attention. Everyone would be wondering where Paul was.”

           “Me and Pete’ll go together. We’ll get there later so it’s not as obvious.” Ace took another slice of pizza. “Remind me again, yeah? Brown hair, freckles, short?”

           “Yeah, that’s it.”

           “Carol… Carol Johnson?”

           “Jensen.”

           “Gotcha.” Ace shook his head. “God, Paulie, you gotta start making photo albums like Gene. You get better descriptions outta those police sketch artists.”

--

            The rest of the afternoon was placid enough. Paul and Gene lazed around after Ace and Peter left. Gene turned on the T.V. and they watched The Edge of Night (how the hell that soap was still on, Gene didn’t know), Paul flopping next to him with his legs hanging over the couch. There was something comfortable about it. Paul only got up once the show’s credits streamed down the screen, turning it off.

           “You don’t want to watch the news?”

           “No. We’d still have half an hour. Besides, I wanted to show you something. C’mon.”

           Gene followed him out of the living room, down the stairs to the den. He’d been there before, sure, but Paul had never really given him a house tour. KISS’ gold records hung from the wood-paneled walls, along with an assortment of posters and memorabilia from their earlier tours. All stuff Gene had at home himself—if anything, Gene had a lot more of it—but Paul didn’t acknowledge it, heading for three bookshelves packed with records.

           “Back when I was in high school,” he said, “I used to try to buy one album every couple of weeks. I’d have to get the cut-outs.”

           “Yeah, I know.”

           “So once we got big, I decided I’d get every record I ever wanted.” Paul grinned a little ruefully. “But I didn’t really think it through, so this is what I ended up with.”

           “Uh-huh.” Gene tugged out a copy of Alvin and the Chipmunks’ “Witch Doctor.” “I think that goes without saying.”

           “C’mon, I was a kid when that came out.”

           “Do you have ‘Flying Purple People Eater,’ too?”

           “Don’t laugh, I might.” Paul started thumbing through the shelves. Gene almost told him not to go looking for it, but instead of the Sheb Wooley single, Paul took out a copy of Rod Stewart’s latest offering, last year’s A Night on the Town. Gene looked at it quizzically.

            “What’s this for?”

           “Good luck.” Paul slid the record out of its sleeve and handed it to Gene. “Put it on.”

           Gene put it on. The vinyl crackled appreciably. Last year’s hit on that first track. Rod Stewart could pair filthy lyrics with a number-one hit, while KISS was stuck going the clean ballad route just to hit the top ten.

           “‘Tonight’s the Night’?” Oh. That made sense. Well, it made some sense. Gene was getting the impression Paul might not have thought his selection through, as Rod started to gravel-voice his way into getting a virgin into bed. “Hoping for a pretty exciting evening, aren’t you?”

           “Not—Gene, I meant we’d find the girl.” Paul tapped Gene’s shoulder with the album jacket. “It’s positive thinking. Norman Vincent Peale and all that.”

           Gene grinned.

           “Pretty raunchy. I thought you’d pick a cleaner pick-me-up.”

           “Whatever, I like it.” Paul propped the jacket against the record player. His face was faintly flushed. “The whole album’s pretty good.”

           “I know. I have it.” Gene listened to the saxophone’s croon before cutting in again. “You really just wanted me to see your record collection?”

           “No. Not exactly.” Paul shifted. “Look, I know you don’t really go to the discos much.”

           “So? Paul, I don’t mind doing it for you.”

           “Yeah, but… shit, I don’t know. You got bored last night.”

           “I didn’t get bored. I had a pretty good view.”

           Paul rolled his eyes.

           “There’s not a lot to do at 54 besides get wasted and dance. And neither of us is going to get wasted.”

           That was true of any club, and most of why he didn’t go. He could get laid just as easily in his own neighborhood, without the hassle of dressing up and schmoozing.

           “It’s fine. Maybe I’ll bring a book.”

           “Gene.” Paul had his tongue peeking slightly past his teeth. Nervous. “I wanna teach you to dance.”

           “What for?”

           “So you’ll have something to do. That way, we don’t look like creeps waiting around.” The first track was edging towards the halfway point. Paul took his hand. “What do you say?”

           “Don’t you want something a little faster?”

           “No. This is good.” Paul took Gene’s other arm, positioning his hand on his shoulder. “You can dance to anything, if you’ve got rhythm.”

           “You’re leading.”

           “Damn right.” Paul had his other hand on his waist already, was urging him forward with that hand. Gene took an obedient, offbeat step, and Paul sighed but stepped back in time with Gene instead of with the beat. A couple more steps and Paul had them back on track again, although Gene felt about as awkward as he had during senior prom ten years prior. “It’s mirroring, mostly. Mirroring and—getting a feel for your partner, what they can do.”

           “A feel, huh?”

           “Getting a feel, not copping one.” Paul pursed his lips in consideration. “Don’t watch your feet so much. Keep it up here.”

           “When did you start dancing?”

           “I dunno. I always wanted to.” He was starting to get more complicated than the sort of forward-back motion that was all Gene could readily accomplish. Shifting more than his feet around. Had he been doing that from the beginning? Paul’s grip on him was more relaxed than the reverse, that much was definite. “Just one of those stupid things. I used to watch all those variety shows when I was a kid, and think, ‘hey, I could do that.’ Dance, sing… puppeteer…” Paul snorted, and dropped his arm from Gene’s waist. Gene almost let go entirely, but then Paul squeezed his hand, raising it up. Gene gave him a blank look in return, before realizing, several beats too late, that Paul had been trying to get him into a spin.

           “Puppeteer?”

           “Howdy Doody’s a—formative influence—”

           “Uh-huh.” The mildly disappointed expression on Paul’s face made him a little concerned, and he added, “Try that again, I wasn’t ready.”

           Paul lifted his arm again. Gene made the spin, his movements stilted, feeling a bit stupid for all of it until he saw Paul start to grin.

           “Maybe we should try it like this.”

           “Like what?”

          Rod had just about made it with the girl, the moaned-out French at the end of the track something Gene could only guess at. Paul just took him by both hands.

          “A little less formal, right? Hang on.” Paul let go, hurrying back to the record player. Gene watched him take the vinyl off and stuff it back into the sleeve and jacket, before rummaging around the shelves again. He pulled out another record, though this time he didn’t show Gene the jacket before putting it on. Not that it mattered. Gene recognized the harmonies anyway, well before Paul made his way back to where he was standing. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s Deja Vu.

          “Figured we could go way back.” Paul took his hands again as the record played, his steps faster, more energetic. Gene didn’t really think the band had meant for anyone to dance to their stuff. He kept up awkwardly at first, but something about how enthusiastic Paul was, how much he put into every move, how he tried to fit the steps to the songs, buoyed him. His curls would bounce a bit depending on the tempo. It was almost cute to watch. Almost infectious. Gene hesitated before trying to get Paul into a turn himself, getting a gratified look and an eager spin in return. He was starting to get it, a bit, the way just a shift or a squeeze of the hand was enough of a signal of where to turn or where he was headed. Like that sense he’d get, that sense they’d all get, if one of the guys was having an off night and they needed to cover during a concert. It was warm, intuitive.

          Paul was breathing a little heavily by the time they’d gone through the first few tracks, hands sweaty. Gene tried to get him into one more spin as the record buzzed. He caught Paul’s shoulder with his free hand while he was halfway through, his back towards Gene’s. He wasn’t sure why he’d done it. Paul stopped there, turning to look at Gene, questioning.

          “Something wrong?”

          “No. I’m fine.” Gene shifted forward—a bad idea; they’d been closer than he realized, and now he was up against him. The melancholic harmonies of “Country Girl” were starting to swell. Gene pursed his suddenly dry lips, feeling stupid, no, feeling absolutely moronic, as he let go of Paul’s hand. “I—I think we better get ready.”

          Paul’s expression drooped only for a moment, like the hesitant flicker of lights just before a power outage. His hand went to his side.

          “Oh. Oh, yeah. Lemme get the record.” He took a step, Gene’s hold on his shoulder slackening to nothing, Gene’s hand faltering down to his own side, and walked over to retrieve the record, the moment fading away before he even lifted the needle.

--

           A few hours later, Peter and Ace were in a limo, grousing. They’d gotten ready for Studio 54 earlier than they’d meant to from sheer antsiness, and now they were reduced to making the driver get them fast food they didn’t even want to kill time.

          Well, Peter didn’t want it, but he was pretty sure Ace would eat his share for him. He was also sure it wasn’t quite enough of a delaying tactic to keep him and Ace from arriving right around when Paul and Gene did, but Ace reassured him he could keep that from happening. Peter sighed, glancing out the window to make sure the driver wasn’t on his way out of the restaurant yet, before speaking again.

          “What do you think about it?”

           Ace raised his head slightly at the question. He had brought a deck of cards and was shuffling them as they waited. Sometimes he’d lift the cards up into a sloppy arc as he riffled through them. He’d been fairly quiet, no real goofing off, not even any drinking, since they’d doubled back to Peter’s, gotten ready for the evening, and scrounged up the limo. Two nights in a row at 54 might’ve been murder on a normal human being, but in his less-sober moments, Peter could convince himself he’d spent the last four years with Jendell’s most questionable export.

           “What do I think about what, Pete?”

           “What we’re gonna do about Paul.”

           “Nothing to do about Paul. Either he gets back to normal or he doesn’t.”

           “I meant the band.” None of them had really wanted to bring it up. Ace had only barely alluded to it when he’d offered to delay the tour with a honeymoon. “If we don’t find that girl, or Paul doesn’t get back to normal, what’s going to happen to the band?”

           “You know what’s going to happen.” Ace sounded more quietly cynical than he had in a long time. “We all know what’s going to happen.”

           “I’m not kicking Paul out of his own fucking band.”

           “I’m not, either. And Gene’d rather get a tongue reduction than hurt Paul like that.” Ace shifted, kicking his heels up to the glass partition between them and the driver, while he kept toying with the deck in his hands. “We’ll all just have to pack it up. If he doesn’t get fixed, KISS is gone.”

           Pack it up. The thought felt like the gum beneath a desk at school. Peter didn’t like thinking about the options. They could all try solo acts—he felt like he had a better shot than the others, given “Beth”… or join up in some other band, but it felt… dirty. It wasn’t like Paul had gotten on drugs or turned into a completely insufferable asshole or blown out his voice. He’d just had something shitty happen to him that they couldn’t—

           “Do you think Bill could spin it? Let’s say… let’s say we don’t tell him everything.” Peter was trying to think. “Let’s say Paul’s fucked off, but hey, we found a replacement that kinda looks like him. A real pretty girl. We got a whole new market. Chicks don’t ever front rock bands—”

           “Petey, we couldn’t keep it up.” Ace gnawed his lip. “Bill’d still wanna know who this girl was. Even if Paul could fool him, we’d still get blown out of the water the minute people started asking questions. We’d need IDs, a passport…”

           “We could get fakes made.”

           “Then what?” Ace shook his head. “Paul’d be living like that guy in The Fugitive. Worse. Having to pretend he really was some random chick in front of the whole damn world… I don’t wanna shoot you down, man, but we’re sunk.”

          Peter groaned.

          “KISS is sunk and Gene gets a girlfriend. Fucking terrible trade-off.”

           “Poor Geno.” Ace laughed. “He might figure it’s worth it, you think?”

           “Nah. Gene likes money more than he likes getting laid.” Peter swallowed. “You think they’ve fucked yet?”

           “C’mon, Paulie’s a lady,” Ace managed, before bursting into those weird, high giggles again. “He won’t give it up that quick. How long did it take you to warm him up to it?”

           “Not too long.”

           Ace held the deck up. Peter shook his head. Shrugging, Ace started trying to cut the deck with one hand, and flip the halves over with his thumb. He only succeeded in spilling most of the deck onto the floorboard and seats. Peter reached over, obediently helping him gather up the cards and handing them back over. Ace winked, taking the stack.

           “What’s on your mind, anyway, Cat?”

           “Nothing.”

           “Bullshit.” Ace said it lightly. “You’re not really worried about whether Gene’s made it with him or not.”

           “God, no.” The thought was more disturbing than it needed to be. “It’s just that I should’ve figured it out from the start.” Peter let out an irritated breath. “Gene only saw him once and figured it out. It took me three times. Paul had to tell me before I—"

           “Hey, you got him, that’s the important thing.”

           “Yeah, but… he wasn’t good at pretending the first time. He called me Pete. And the second time, he kept trying to tell me—”

           “Pete, c’mon, you weren’t expecting him to look like that—”

           “Makes me think I don’t really know him.”

           Ace looked at him almost sadly. He’d stopped fiddling with the deck of cards, setting them on his thigh.

           “You know him better than you think.”

           “You think so?”

           “Positive.” Ace’s head jerked up suddenly. Peter’s gaze followed his, and he saw the beleaguered limo driver heading out of the restaurant, with two sackfuls of barbeque sandwiches, fries, and a couple of sodas. Ace put an unnecessary finger to his lips as the driver opened their door and handed over the sacks. “Hey, man, thanks. Didja get yourself anything?”

           “I shouldn’t eat on the job.”

           “C’mon, I used to drive cabs, I’d eat in there all the time.” Ace cackled, digging awkwardly in his back pocket. “Get some food if you want. Then come back in here. We’ll play some poker before you take us over.”

           “You’re not worried about the time?”

           “Nah. I got the time if you got the money.” He grinned. “Hey, hey, Petey’ll spot you, right?”

           “I ain’t spotting anyone.”

           “Then the best hand gets… aw, hell, I dunno. You beat us three times in a row and we’ll bring you into the disco, you dig?”

           As the driver sidled into the back of the limo, Peter scooted over to give him room. Five minutes later, barbeque sandwich in one hand, a straight in the other, Peter decided they were going to be late after all.

[bookdragon9113]

First Chapter to My Original Story

My feet pounded against the forest floor as I ran. I could feel the erratic rhythm of my heart beating in my chest. All I could hear was the huffing and puffing of my breath as I pushed myself to go faster. Yet, there was a smile upon my face. The beautiful greens, yellows, and browns of the forest blended the right way to create one of the most amazing sights I have ever seen. The damp dirt from last night's rain mixed with the trees and plants, resulting in the most pleasant aroma that can calm anyone down in an instant.

Today, however, I was not just going for a morning run as usual. Today is the Dragon Choosing Ceremony. The Dragon Choosing Ceremony, or DCC, as I like to call it, only comes around once every five years. It's an all-day event where everyone, no matter their class or work, gets the day off and celebrates the five boys who get chosen to become Dragon Riders. Becoming a Dragon Rider is a great honor, not only to the Rider but also to their families.

My village is broken up into four classes. There is the Dragon Rider class reserved only for the Dragon Rider's family and previous Dragon Riders from Willowdale. There is the upper class for families who are wealthy and have jobs like healers and council members. There's the middle class, which includes the cooks and teachers. Then there's the lower class, which has the families who do the physical labor work like builders and farmers.

It's rare for a boy from a lower-class family to get chosen. The dragons want who they think is worthy. The upper-class boys or other boys from a Dragon Rider family receive the training from previous Dragon Riders because everyone knows that a boy from a lower-class family hardly ever gets chosen. That doesn't mean that a lower-class boy never gets picked. If one does get selected, then their families automatically get moved to the highest class.

Unfortunately, Father doesn't have that chance. Mother passed away from a deadly illness before she was able to have a son. Now, Father raises my two younger sisters and me in our small two-bedroom cottage just outside of Willowdale. He is a builder, the best in my opinion, and works from dawn till dusk. My sisters and I attend school in the morning and keep up on the chores after, just like a woman should. Even though we don't have riches or great fortune, we are all proud to hold the Crestwood name.

I have been fascinated with dragons ever since I was a little girl. Whenever I could get my hands on a book having anything to do with dragons, I would get it. I know that girls never get chosen to be a Dragon Rider, but I still try. I train whenever I get the chance in the forest in the back. I have perfect aim with the bow that Father helped me make. I know that I could be as good as the boys, if not, better.

"Tara, slow down, you know we don't run as fast as you," my little sister, Jade, shouted from behind me.

"Yeah, slow down," Eleanor, my littlest sister, echoed.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just so excited to see the dragons that come this time. You know how I can get,"  I apologized.

Father had sent my sisters and me to go ahead of him and save a spot for us. Being the oldest, 15 years, Father put me in charge. Jade is 13 years, and Eleanor is 11 years.  Jade, Eleanor, and I all look similar yet different. Jade definitely received her looks from Father. Their ocean blue eyes that change color depending on the light and their personalities sometimes make me think that they're twins. Jade does have some of Mother in her. For example, she got Mother's kind nature and loving spirit. Eleanor, on the other hand, looks a lot like Mother. Sometimes, she can seem like a clone of her. Her dark brown eyes and dark brown hair are exactly the same. Eleanor's face shape is even the same. Eleanor got her personality from both Mother and Father. She's kind and loving, but also stubborn and hard working. Now I don't look like one specific parent. I received traits from both of them. I have brown eyes and Mother's nose, but I have blonde hair like Father, and I got his lips. I have a hard-working and stubborn personality, but I'm caring and loving as well.

"Look, there's the Village Center. We have to hurry, there's almost no room left," Jade pointed out.

We all ran to where everyone was gathered, careful not to ruin our dresses set aside for special events. Luckily we found a spot close to the front with a great view. I kept an eye out for Father so that I could show him where we are. Jade and Eleanor were talking to each other when I spotted Father looking around for us. I raised my hand up and waved it around to get his attention. He spotted me and ran over to us.

"Hello, Father. Isn't this a great view?" I greeted him.

"Yes, it is. Good job, Tara." He smiled at me.

Just after that, the Village Chief, Romek Dunman, walked to the Center. Romek is very handsome and has many of the women in Willowdale swooning over him. He has dark brown, almost black, hair that lays back. He has a very chiseled face and bright blue eyes. He is tall and muscular and looks like a leader, but in my opinion, and Father's, he is very egotistical and self-centered.

"Welcome, everyone, to the Dragon Choosing Ceremony. Will the boys, ages 13 to 17, please come and line up at the front here." All of the boys in that age group made their way to the front. Most tried to put on a brave face, but I could tell by their eyes that they were scared out of their wits, and the others just looked flat-out terrified. "As you all know, the dragons will fly here and land close by, so don't be alarmed. They will then pick a boy whom they think are worthy enough. I don't know what it feels like personally, but I have heard that the boy will feel a pull towards a particular dragon. Now, we don't know what kinds of dragons are coming today because the dragon comes to where they feel their Rider is located."

Just then, a loud roar sounded through the village. I leaned over to Father with a massive smile on my face and whispered in his ear, "They're here."

One by one, the fantastic creatures landed. I could tell what each dragon was except for one. The first dragon that landed was a medium-sized, sky blue, male Eastern Cloud Dragon. They're known for their ability to hide in the clouds. The Eastern and Western Cloud Dragons look similar, but the Eastern Dragons are slightly smaller than the Western ones. I could tell this one was male due to the bulkier build. The second dragon that landed was a large female Tundra Dragon. Her scales were white with blue accents. They're known for their ice breath that can freeze anything, even magma. The third dragon was a deep maroon female, Blaze Dragon. These dragons can breathe fire and fly through intense heat. Their riders get special armor made from their dragon's shed scales that protect them from the heat too. The fourth dragon was a male Terra Dragon. He was light green with yellow around his horns and tail. Terra Dragons are known for flying underground and in forests because their small, slim bodies allow for quick maneuvers between the trees. The final dragon I couldn't tell what it was. I hadn't ever seen a dragon like this in any of my books. Somehow, instinctually I could tell that this dragon was female. She was much bigger than the rest and held an aura of power. She was a beautiful mix of light and dark purples. They blended together in dangerous harmony like a flash of lightning in a thunder storm. For some reason, I felt a slight tugging in the back of my head. It was a comforting presence, so I let it stay there instead of blocking it out. I looked back towards the mystery dragon only to find her staring straight at me.

"Okay, boys, raise your hand if you feel any sort of connection or pull towards a dragon," Romek's voice pulled me out of the staring contest with the dragon.

Slowly, four of the boys raised their hands. I could see out of the corner of my eyes the families of the four boys because they were all silently cheering. I was curious as to why only four did because there were five dragons. I looked over at the purple dragon again to find her still staring at me. It wasn't an awkward stare, though. Somehow, it was comforting. I couldn't put my finger on it. It was a familiar stare.

"Okay, please carefully walk up to the dragon who calls out to you," Romek instructed.

The first boy to gather up enough courage to approach his dragon was a younger boy, 13 or 14 years, I would guess, who had blond hair with bright green eyes. I don't really know anyone's names because I spend all of my time either at home or in the woods, so I couldn't tell what family he was from. By looking at his clothes, though, I could tell that he was middle class. You can quickly determine what class someone is from by the clothes they wear. Higher class families can purchase the better quality fabric. Before he even started walking, I could tell that the Terra Dragon had chosen him. He was slim and built for fast speeds rather than head-on approaches. This set off a domino effect, and the other three boys took a tentative step forward. The Tundra Dragon chose the boy with brown hair and brown eyes. He was about 15 or 16 years and was upper class. The Blaze dragon wanted the boy who had dark red hair and brown eyes. He came from the Dragon Rider class. Both Rider and dragon seemed like the act first, think later type. The Eastern Cloud Dragon chose the final boy who had bronze hair with bright, sky blue eyes. I thought it was suiting for the Eastern Cloud Dragon to pick him.

"There is still one dragon left. Any of the rest of you boys feel a connection?" Romek questioned.

All of the boys shook their heads. They all tried looking at the dragon in the eyes, but she was still looking at me. I shifted slightly to the right, and her head followed. I did the same going to the left and, yet again, her head moved.

"Tara, what are you doing?" Father asked.

"She's looking at me, Father," I replied while holding the dragon's comforting gaze.

Father looked up at the dragon and realized that she was indeed looking at me.

The others around the Village Center must have realized too because a round of gasps and whispers started up. I looked around to see that everyone was looking at me.

"You, young miss, please come up here," Romek instructed me.

I looked to Father to see what he wanted me to do. He gave me a slight push and a gentle, reassuring smile. I looked to Jade and Eleanor and saw them giving me a thumbs up and big smiles as well. I took a deep breath and walked forward toward the Village Chief, nerves pulsing under my skin.

"What's your name?" Romek asked.

"Tara Crestwood," I replied as steadily as I could.

"Ah, a Crestwood. Fine work your father does. Now, do you feel any sort of connection to that purple dragon?" He asked, pointing to the magnificent dragon still staring at me. I could detect a slightly mocking tone to his voice. It was almost as if he was just humoring me.

"Yes, Sir," I answered.

Romek looked very surprised, and a little maddened. "Well, then. Try walking up to it." I nodded and did as told. My entire walk, I kept the dragon's gaze, still trying to figure out where I had seen the type of gaze before. I was aware of everyone staring at me, but I was too focused on the dragon in front of me to care.

When I reached the dragon, which I realized towered over me, she lowered her head and gently put her snout under my hand, and just like that, all of my worries washed away. This was my dragon, and I was her Rider. I let out a soft laugh and started petting her head. Then I realized that her gaze towards me was the same one Mother would give me. I gave her a big hug around her neck, and she wrapped her big head around my back.

"Well, clearly, Tara is the fifth Rider. " Romek's booming voice broke my dragon and me out of our moment.

There was an uproar of protests. Everyone from the village, except for a couple people, was shouting and raising their fists. Families of the other boys were claiming that it should be their son as the Rider. There were many insults thrown my way left and right.

"Go on, son. Connect with the dragon. It's obviously your dragon, not this lying deceitful wench." The deep voice caught me off guard. I hadn't realized that anyone was approaching me.

I turned around to find one of the Dragon Class boys and his father arrogantly strutting my way. The boy smirked at me and went up to my dragon only to have her start growling. Either the boy didn't notice, or he didn't care because his walking didn't stop. He reached his arm up to pet my dragon's snout but was forced to jerk it away when my dragon snapped her massive jaws.

"You stay away from my daughter, Asar!" Father hardly ever got angry, but when he did, it was a truly terrifying sight.

While Father and Mr. Wymer fought, Jade and Eleanor came over to me to make sure I was alright. I didn't really know what to think. She was mine, I knew that, but everyone else was saying that I wasn't a Rider. Were they going to keep me from going? I don't think they could if they tried, but there was still the possibility.

"Tara, are you okay?" Jade looked up at me with wide eyes.

"Yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine." That wasn't really a lie. Physically I was okay. Emotionally, however, I was a wreck.

"Tara," Father's voice was stern but gentle. "I know that look. You are going to the Academy. You are more than capable of making it. Don't listen to them, you are going, and that is final."

Father smiled at me and ushered my sisters back toward our house.

They love you, you know, a woman's voice said in my head, scaring me half to death. Calm, little one, it is just I, Ashara, the voice said. I realized that it was my dragon that spoke to me.

"Will all of the riders, please go pack your belongings, you will be leaving at noon. You are all dismissed, and please, no touching the dragons unless you are their Rider," Romek commanded and, with a heated glare toward me, everyone dispersed.

I will see you in a little while, Ashara, I said and ran to my awaiting family.

See you in a little while, Tara, she replied and laid down.

As soon as I reached my family, I was pulled into a bone-crushing hug from Father.

"I'm so proud of you, Tara. A Dragon Rider, wow. How's it feel?" He asked.

"It feels amazing. Ashara looks at me the way Mother did, Father. I love her already. I can't wait to get to the Academy. Come, I have to pack my bags before noon." I started running towards our house with Father, Jade, and Eleanor behind me.

The next hour was spent gathering my supplies. All of my clothes, personal belongings, and my handmade bow and arrows were packed in a bag. I was given something from each of my family members. Jade gave me her favorite wolf sculpture to keep with me. Eleanor gave me another book of dragons that she got for me. Father gave me a gorgeous dagger with intricate designs on the handle and a perfectly sharpened blade, and a thigh holster that could stay hidden under my tops and dresses for extra protection.

"Tara," Father called me to his room. "There's something else I want you to have."

I walked into his room to find him holding a jewelry box. It was made out of oak wood and had a heart carved out on the top. There was a lock on the front, and I noticed a key with a red ribbon on it in Father's other hand.

"This was your mother's. Right before she died, she told me to give this to you when I felt the time was right, and that this was for your eyes only. No one was allowed to see what was in this box. She told me that I would know when the time was right, and I feel that time is now. Do not open this until you are alone. I assume that they will give you your own room, so I would wait until then." Father handed me the box and key. I carefully placed it in my bag and gave Father a giant hug.

"I'm going to miss you," I whispered with tears in my eyes.

"I'll miss you too. You must promise to write to me every day. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you how it won't be that tough. You're going to be the only girl there, and the other boys will feel threatened by you; don't let them get you down. Hold your head up high. You have trained for this. You're stronger than all of the other boys. You can do this, Tara. You'll do great things. Just wait and see." Father told me. "Okay, you have to go. Say goodbye to your sisters."

I walked out in the main room to find my sisters hugging each other on the chairs. "Oh, Jade, Eleanor, come here."

They wasted no time in running to me.

"We'll miss you, Tara. Please be safe." Jade cried.

"Write to us and come home soon," Eleanor hugged me tighter.

"I will," I whispered, pulling away from them. "I love you guys. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," they all called back.

I walked out of the door and ran back to Ashara. Even with the heavy pack on my back, it was the fastest I've ever run. I was the first to get back to the Center, and I walked up to Ashara. There was someone also approaching her, however.

I'm guessing that he heard my footsteps because he looked over at me. He had a slight stubble on his chin and had an overall rough look to him, though I could see the sweetness in his eyes.

"Hello, you must be Tara," he greeted in his gruff yet gentle voice.

"Yes, Sir," I replied.

"Now, now, none of that 'Sir' stuff. It makes me feel old. Please, call me Anbard. I'm going to be your mentor. She's a beautiful dragon." He smiled.

"Thank you, Anbard. How are we going to be getting to the Academy?" I saw him smile at my question.

"We'll be on Sovi over there." He gestured with his head towards a large, male, storm gray Spark Dragon across the field.

"Now, riding a dragon can be scary at first, but you get the hang of it real quick. All you have to remember is to keep your balance and hold on to the reins." Anbard instructed as he led me over to his dragon

"How come I'm not riding Ashara?" I wondered

"There was an incident some years ago. We used to have the new Riders arrive on their dragons until one kid was thrown off his dragon. You see, a bond needs to be established between Rider and dragon before there is complete trust. The kid was a Dragon Rider Class and thought he knew best. The dragon had yet to trust him. The kid tried to take control of where the dragon was going, and the dragon threw him off. Since then, we don't allow the riding portion of the training to happen until at least the third or fourth lesson has gone by. And even then, it's only a quick hover above the ground then back down." Anbard explained gravely.

I just nodded and smiled as my mentor grabbed my bag from me and handed it to his dragon, who gently set it down on the saddle. Anbard helped me get up on the seat and followed after me quickly, sitting behind me. The entire time, I could feel the glares of the others getting on their mentor's dragons on me.

"Anbard," I spoke up hesitantly, "am I going to do well at the academy?" I couldn't help but let my fears get the better of me. With all of these boys starting at me like I was something disgusting was not fun and made me feel as though I wasn't ready to do this. Father taught me to be strong, but right now, I was weak.

"Don't let the others get you down. You can be the top of your class if you work hard at it. I have no doubt in my mind that you are going to do great things. Now, chin up, shoulders back, and look straight ahead with confidence on your face. Show the boys that you mean business." Anbard grabbed the reins and told me to hold on as well.

I took a deep breath, put my shoulders back, and put a confident look on my face. I was almost faking it, but one look at Ashara beside us, and I knew that I didn't have to. She would be there with me, and I would be there with her. After a smile and telling Anbard I was ready, Sovi leaped gracefully off the ground, and I was airborne.

[horansqueen]

You & Me : chapter 36

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

Sequel to AM CONVERSATIONS

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 12 || CHAPTER 13 || CHAPTER 14 || CHAPTER 15 || CHAPTER 16 || CHAPTER 17 || CHAPTER 18 || CHAPTER 19 || CHAPTER 20 || CHAPTER 21 || CHAPTER 22 || CHAPTER 23 || CHAPTER 24 || CHAPTER 25 || CHAPTER 26 || CHAPTER 27 || CHAPTER 28 || CHAPTER 29 || CHAPTER 30 || CHAPTER 31 || CHAPTER 32 || CHAPTER 33 || CHAPTER 34|| CHAPTER 35

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his -4.2k -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- notes: idk what to write here anyway no one reads it lol! but yea im posting this for Isa because she’s probably the only one who still cares about this story lmao ILYSM!

if you want to be on the list of blogs i notify when this is updated, just message me :)

requests! : some requests i didnt add because i didnt want to spoil this. theyll be added in the next chapter and probably at the END of the chapter lol

TAKE A LOOK AT THE CHARACTERS HERE

Chapter 36 : Her chapter

OLIVIA

April 7th, 2018

I fell asleep on the bed as soon as we got done with diner. I finally had a day off and an other one the next day but I had been working non-stop for 6 days until late at night (or early in the morning) and I was exhausted.  I shivered and woke up slowly, feelings my lips curl at Niall's touch. His fingertips were brushing up and down my arm, making goosebumps appeared on my skin, and I let out a low whimper.

"I missed you. How long have I been sleeping?" I asked in a mumble, forcing myself to open my eyes.

"You've been asleep for two hours." he pointed out before chuckling.

"I don't care." I let out with a childish voice. "I missed you anyway."

I squirmed a bit and ended up with my head on his lap. My lips curled into a smile when I felt his fingers slip in my hair and I breathed in, inhaling his scent and his expensive perfume.

I knew I was already fucked. I knew it was over for me and that if Niall and I broke up again at some point, it would kill me. At this point, being official or not didn't change anything anymore. I remembered back then, before I dated him, I always tried to suppress my feelings for him, I always managed to put a wall in front of them to hide them from everyone and especially myself. Right after One Direction's last tour, the walls collapsed and crashed, exposing my feelings to practically everyone, and at that time, it shocked me how much I loved him, how deep, real and intense my feelings were. They grew even more when we dated and remained stronger than ever for so long after he broke up with me. I was there with him now, my walls completely wrecked, and it made me realize that I had put my walls back in front of my feelings when I started dating Dylan but that wall was not that strong and Niall easily tore it apart without even knowing it. I was tired. I was exhausted to keep that wall there. Perhaps I had even helped him taking each brick off, one by one. Yeah, the more I thought about it, the more I was sure it was a team work.

"I was thinking we could go out tonight."

I groaned and wiggled a bit to press my face on his stomach, making him chuckle. "I'm tired."

"I know, but Louis says he misses you." he pointed out, making me groan again. "Come on, I'll buy you a few drinks."

I remained silent for a few seconds, wondering if I should go or not. I was pretty sure it would be fun but at the same time, spending time in bed, cuddling with the man I loved seemed even better. I moved a bit to lay on my back and look up at him. He was the only person in the world who looked good from this angle.

"Are you gonna stay with me the whole time?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Yes."

"You'll hold my hand under the table?" I added, staring at him and making him smile.

"I will."

"You're gonna dance with me whenever I ask you to?"

"Baby, we're not going in a club." he pointed out. It made my eyebrows raise up more and my lips part. "Fine, yes, I'll dance with you whenever you ask me."

My facial expression turned into a happy and satisfied one and I quickly got up, reaching for his closet.

"We have a deal, then!" I just said, trying to find something decent to wear before deciding on a pair of jeans and a band shirt (not a One Direction one, this time). It took me about 20 minutes to put make up on and when I joined Niall in the living room, I tilted my head as he got up.

"You look so good." I pointed out, moving closing and putting both my hands on his chest, my palms pressed on his blue dress shirt. "You're so classy and here i am, wearing jeans and a shirt."

He laughed a bit, moving his chin up slightly. "You want me to get changed?"

"No, I want you to get naked."

He laughed. "That's not happening. Louis is waiting and you know damn well he can show up just to annoy us." he explained with a smirk as I chuckled. "Tube?"

"Cab?" I argued, raising my nose up.

I didn't want our pictures taken, I didn't want to meet people, or get caught by paps. All I wanted was a nice evening with my friends and mostly, with Niall. He moved his arms around my waist, intertwining his fingers on my back and nodded slowly before sighing.

"Anything you want."

I smiled at him and moved closer to kiss his lips. He tasted good and I felt his hands move up on my back before smiling against his lips. If he changed his mind and asked me to stay home, I definitely wouldn't be against it. Unfortunately, we ended up at the bar quite quickly and after a while, I just stared at my glass, lost in my thoughts, before Louis leaned closer to me.

"'Dans la lune'?" I smiled and looked up, meeting his blue eyes. His lips curled too and he raised his eyebrows. "I've been practicing. How's my accent?"

"Almost as bad as Niall's." I just said, laughing when I saw him frown as his lips parted in shock.

"Hey, wait!" I heard, turning to Niall who was frowning too, clearly insulted. "I'm very good at that!"

"Honestly, no you're not." I admitted, raising my nose up and shrugging. "I'm sorry but you both suck at it."

"Well, you know what I'm good at?" Louis asked, getting up. "Paying beer for everyone."

He left and I turned to Niall, frowning a bit when he was looking away. I followed his eyes and my heart skipped a beat when I realized he was looking at a girl, sitting afar at a table. I took the time to look at her and bit my bottom lip before sighing. I couldn't be jealous, not now, and I couldn't pretend the girl was not beautiful. Still, it did hurt me and at the same time, it was ridiculous to expect him to never find an other girl pretty in his whole life.

"What are you looking at?" I asked low, getting his attention back.

His eyes roamed on my face and he blinked a few times. "Oh, no one."

"I didn't ask 'who', I asked 'what'..." I pointed out, licking my lips. "You were looking at that girl? She's pretty."

It was a lie. She was more than that, but it was too hard to admit.

"Yea, not bad." he replied, making me roll my eyes.

"Look, I know you think she's sexy, don't lie to me."

He sighed and reached for my hand under the table, making the left corner of my lips raise up. It was hard to be mad, or feel sad, when Niall was looking at me like that and I just tilted my head, staring right back at him. It didn't matter if he found other girls pretty, all that mattered was that he loved me, and that he wouldn't go back to his old habits.

"Okay, she's hot. But you're sexier." he bent closer to kiss me and I held my breath before he moved back slowly, remembering we weren't supposed to tell anyone that we were sort of seeing each other. He looked away, but not in the direction of the girl, and I just licked my lips as I watched him grab his beer and take a sip of it.

"Have you ever thought about having a threesome?"

He choked slightly and swallowed hard before wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. The sight was endearing and I chuckled.

"What?"

"I don't know, I was just saying." I proposed, shrugging a shoulder and making his eyes open slightly more.

"Would you be willing?"

I let my eyes move on his face and started questioning myself. I had no idea if I was and somehow, I felt like our relationship, whatever it was, was still very fragile at that point. Not our love, of course, that was strong, but the trust I had for him was still shaky and it scared me.

"I had a threesome before and it ruined the relationship I had with one of the girls. I think it's the main reason why me and her broke up."

He nodded and pressed his lips together. "Yea me too. Although I was pretty hammered I can definitely say it didn't help our couple, or whatever it was that we had." he paused and looked down before looking up in my eyes. "But we could make rules."

"Rules? Like what?"

He shrugged. "You tell me."

I stared at him again and I suddenly wished I never proposed that. I glanced at the girl on the other side of the room and felt something stir inside me. Yes, I was more confident about my body, but at the same time, I knew the bodies Niall was normally attracted to had nothing in common with mine.

"You.. can't kiss her. Or get your dick inside her." I pointed out, licking my lips nervously. "I don't want her to touch you, or-"

"Okay!" he laughed, shaking his head. "It'll be faster if you tell me what I'm allowed to do instead."

I groaned low and grimaced but I felt a bit better when he squeezed my hand again. I felt ridiculous for that feeling and I was wondering if it was my self-confidence that was getting low again, or simply the fact that it would hurt me to see the man I love making out naked with an other girl. I had seen Niall with other girls often in my life, and it has hurt me enough in the past, didn't it?

"We don't have to do it if you don't want to." he shrugged with a fond smile. "It's just a discussion for now. I mean, you know it's you I love, right?"

"Put yourself in my shoes, Niall." I tried to explain. "I mean we could have a threesome with a man."

"I'm not.. so sure." he replied with a frown.

"See?" I pointed out a bit louder, leaning against my chair and making him roll his eyes, amused.

"It's different, I'm not into men, but you're into women."

"But that's not what it's about." I explained a bit lower, tilting my head. "It's about us, and the feelings we have for each other. I've shared you so often before. I even lost you a few times. What if it happens again this time?" I sighed and shook my head. "I'll think about it."

"Hey, hey." he whispered, moving closer to me and leaning his elbows on his knees. "Don't stress over something so futile okay? I'd be totally fine watching you have sex with an other girl while I just sit close on a chair and jerk off f like a fuckin’ loser."

This time, I laughed and I just had time to see his lips curl into a smile before I tapped on the front of his cap, making it move down over his eyes. He placed it back and I noticed his eyes were shining. I tilted my head and my lips parted but just as I was about to say something, he kept talking.

"And yes, it would piss me off to see you get fucked by an other man." His gaze dropped to my shirt and moved up to my eyes again. "I'd probably throw him out."

I laughed again, feeling the sudden urge to kiss him. He smelled so good, he look beautiful and he was so close... All I could think about was grab his shirt with both hands and pull him close to feel his lips crash against mine. With all the strength in me, I got up and nibbled on my bottom lip for a few seconds.

"I'll be right back."

Quickly, I walked to the lady's room and leaned both hands against the counter, letting my head fall down slightly and closing my eyes. It was so tough to stay away from him all the time and it was starting to drive me insane. Of course, I didn't want our relationship out in the open but if our friends knew, it would make things a lot easier. I was so sure it was the right thing to do a few weeks ago but now, my certainty was faltering. It was harder and harder as the days went by and even if it was just to protect me at first, I knew it was useless now. I loved Niall. I always would. And being official or not wouldn't stop me from hurting if he decided to leave again.

Without thinking, I grabbed my phone in my pocket, moved my shirt up and bougfht my phone up too, to snap a picture. I quickly sent it to him before unclasping my bra and moving it up, taking an other picture. I sent it too just as I was getting a message from him.

'Fuck petal show me more'

My lips curled at his words and It only took a few seconds to get a second one.

'I want to suck on your tits so bad pet'

I swallowed hard and felt my whole body throb as I typed an answer. 'Do it now, then.'

I leaned against the counter and waited but when the door opened, I felt my heart jump in my chest, hoping it was not someone else. I sighed when I saw it was him and his eyes roamed on me for a few seconds. He turned around and locked the door, making me chuckle and I held myself back on the counter with my two hands.

"I hope we don't get caught."

"I don't care." he replied, making me smile more.

He took a few steps closer and even If I should have expected it, I held my breath when he bent down quickly. His lips wrapped around one of my nipples and I felt my legs tense as a short whimper got out of my throat. I felt his tongue flick on it before he sucked on it gently and when he moved to my other one, I glanced down only to see how hard the first one was. I remained motionless, my eyes half-closed, as his mouth, lips and tongue focused on my tits and after a while, my lips parted, my eyes closed completely and I let my head fall back on my shoulders slightly.

He stopped and I felt his hands on my hips, helping me up on the counter and when he moved between my legs, I felt my heart jump in my chest. His lips found mine and his hands reached my breasts as he kissed me deeply. He had moved his cap around and I just reached it to take it off, leaving it on the wet counter and slipping my fingers in his hair.

"Why didn't you wear a skirt, lover, it would have been easier to fuck you."

The sweet nickname made me smile against his mouth. I loved how impatient he was and I could feel his hard cock press on one of my thighs. He rubbed himself gently against me and I moaned again in his mouth before pulling away and licking my lips. I pushed on his chest gently and got off the counter before taking a step back as I unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans quickly. He stared at me, his gaze moving from my hands to my face and back to my hands as I pushed my pants and panties down to my knees and raised my eyebrows.

"I can bend down for you."

He walked up to me, turned me around and pushed me against the wall. I held my breath as his hand moved between my thighs to reach my pussy and he groaned, grabbing my waist and pulling it closer to him before spanking me one time but hard. I pressed my palms on the wall and closed my eyes when I felt the tip of his cock press on my walls and let out a curse word when it slipped inside me. My fingers curled and my short nails scratched against the wall as he started fucking me hard and fast. His hands found my breasts again and he grabbed them hard as a balance to fuck me deeper.

I was happy both of us hadn't drank too much and when he leaned against my back, I felt his lips brushing near my shoulder as he grunted.

"No one turns me on like you." he let out, making me hold my breath again. "No one makes me cum like you."

He pulled me away from the wall and pushed down on my back, holding me there with a hand on one of my shoulders as he spanked me again a few times. I could feel myself throb around his cock as he remained still and when his other hand reached for my other shoulder. I bent down more, making sure I was far enough from the wall, knowing he was about to go harder.

"Fuck, you're gonna make me cum."

He started fucking me so hard I had to put my own hand over my mouth to make sure I wouldn't moan too loud and I felt myself reach an orgasm as he fucked me deep. I shook against him for a few seconds and he groaned, waiting until I relaxed a bit to pull out and jerk off quickly. It took only a few seconds before I heard him groan louder, the tip of his cock rubbing against my ass, and my eyes fluttered close when I felt him push himself back inside me, fucking me for half a minute before his thrusts faltered.

"Fuck. I'm so sorry." he apologized as I moved up. He wrapped his arms around me and I could feel his cock brush against my ass. "I came all over you. And then inside you."

The thought made me shiver and he ran his hands on my breasts before pulling on my shirt to cover them. He took a step back and I saw him tuck his dick back in his pants as I turned around. I moved my panties and pants up and then worked on my bra when we heard someone push on the door. I held my breath and my eyes got bigger but Niall just chuckled.

"Liv? It's El!"

Without hesitation, Niall unlocked the door and opened it, leaving Eleanor speechless. I had to admit it was worth it and I laughed a bit.

"Uhm when you two are... well, done, I guess? There's shots waiting for you..." she grimaced and shook her head. "Okay. Bye. Gross."

I laughed and walked up to Niall, getting on my tiptoe to kiss him. "Now she knows." I whispered.

"It's okay, I'm sure she won't tell." Niall tried to reassure me as I chuckled.

"Yea, like she'll keep that from Louis!"

We both laughed and shook our heads and I finally went back to grab his cap on the counter before we walked back to the table. It was useless to pretend we weren't together or anything. At that point, I knew we were fucked and that everyone probably knew about us.

"Finally!" Louis said when he saw us before pushing shots closer to us. He waited until everyone had one and he moved it up over his head to make a toast. "To Neil and Olivia, who literally can't keep their pants on when they're around each other!"

Everyone laughed and I kicked him under the table. It only resulted in him laughing and smirking at me but we all drank and I turned to Niall who was smiling fondly at me. Fuck it, why should I care if my friends knew?

                                                     ---

"I want to write a song about that." Niall said as we walked in his house.

I let my purse fall on the floor and walked slowly to the bathroom to take off my make up. "Write a song about what?"

He walked up to me and leaned against the door frame, just looking at me as I washed my face and it reminded me of that time I was too sick to do it myself and he had done it for me. It made something stir in my stomach and I sent him a fond smile in the mirror.

"A song about sex with you." he explained, pushing his hands in his pockets as I chuckled.

"Make it more general, maybe? And don't use my name!"

He chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Do you know me at all?"

I grabbed my phone to check the time and it's only when I saw the date that I frowned. Today was april 7th (now 8th), and I was sure I had something planned on the 6th. When I remembered, I felt my heart jump in my throat and held myself against the counter.

"Liv, hey, are you okay?"

Niall was close to me, I could feel the heath of his body against mine and his hand on my back and I swallowed hard before moving my body back up and turning to him, blinking a few times as he frowned. Could I really tell him that? Would I have the guts to say it out loud?

"Niall, I'm late."

He frowned for a second and then he understood. His lips parted and an expression appeared on his face. It looked like fear.

"It's... it's stress, right? You're on birth control?" he seemed panicked and I swallowed hard, feeling suddenly extremely guilty.

"Yea but those pills aren't a hundred percent safe." I pointed out, shaking my head before my traits softened. "No it's probably just stress, I've been working a lot and not sleeping much..."

He nodded and searched for his phone in his pocket before dialing a number quickly. I frowned and walked closer to him, wanting to ask him who he was calling but I didn't dare. He turned to me and showed me his forefinger, telling me to give him a minute and he left. I leaned against the counter again, head down between my shoulders, and felt myself tear up. I had been through so many things recently and I was exhausted. Adding a pregnancy to my life was not a good thing at the moment and I was also scared it would break something between Niall and I, and I was not ready to lose him.

He came back and wrapped his arms around me, leaning his chin on my shoulder. I looked at his reflection in the mirror and he sent me a loving smile that I sent back.

"I called the drug store. They're sending us a few tests. We'll be fixed tonight."

I felt relieved but also nervous and when the doorbell rang, we argued on who was going to answer. He won and I waited for him to come back, sitting on the couch and shaking my leg. He sat next to me and took a box out, handling it to me. I just stared at it for a few seconds until he pushed the side of his upper body gently against mine.

"Petal, it's okay. If you're pregnant, we'll adjust."

"It's gonna ruin what we have." I let out in a whisper.

In half a second, he was kneeling in front of me, searching for my eyes and when our gazes met, he raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing will ruin what we have anymore. Nothing. I won't let anything bring us apart. I want to be with you, Olivia. Okay, kids weren't planned before a few years but if you're pregnant, like I said, we'll make the best of it." he paused and sighed, noticing I was still nervous and he licked his lips. "Do you love me?"

"More than anything in the world. More than anyone I ever loved, or will ever love. You know it." I admitted, feeling my voice break slightly.

"I love you too. I'm in love with you." he stopped talking and handed me the box. "You can do this."

I was shaking when I got out of the bathroom and quickly put the stick in his hands. I was near tears, and I had been for about an hour, but I was not really sure why. His words should have made me feel better and they did, but somehow, I still felt extremely vulnerable and fragile and I was not sure why.

"Please, look at it for me, I can't do this."

I turned around, my back now facing him, and let a few tears fall before wiping them quickly. It felt like an other hour had passed and I finally turned around and sighed.

"So? Niall? Is it positive?"

[mamapeach7]

Daeul

Preview / Chapter 1 / Chapter 2 / Chapter 3 / Chapter 4 / Chapter 5 / Chapter 6 / Chapter 7 / Chapter 8 / Chapter 9 / Chapter 10 / Chapter 11 / Chapter 12 / Chapter 13 / Chapter 14 / Chapter 15 / Chapter 16 / Chapter 17 / bonus

bonus + hanji’s letter

-

eighteen months later

Hanji’s job as curator in Manchester not only allowed her chances in separate campaigns but even let her write and publish a book of her own, one which narrated the life of England’s most well-known king.

She spent seven months writing it along with conducting research and compiling evidence analyzed by other historians, enough to finally publish it in the summer with the title of The Body of Henry VIII -- specifically focusing on the last few years of his life and what may have led up to his death.

Sitting by a small foldable table in a nearby library, she gracefully signed copies of the book for readers lined up in front of her.

“Thank you for coming!”, she cheered as she gave the reader back his book before she dropped her pen to the ground.

As she bent to pick it up, her eyes caught a glimpse of an all-too-familiar stuffed animal.

Eppe?

“H-Hanji?”

Her eyes slowly trailed to the owner of the voice who spoke her name, and lo and behold stood Kwon Daeul whom she had instantly recognized.

Only this time he was bigger and taller, beginning to look a little less like his father and more like his birth mom which made her feel a sort of sorrow inside her but she knew she would still love him the same.

“D-Daeul? W-What are…”, she spoke softly, as she placed her hands on his small shoulders which he was quick to accept as he pulled himself in for a soft hug.

She sighed heavily, closing her eyes and embracing the warmth radiating off of him.

Then she realized that if Daeul was here then someone else was too.

“W-Where’s your…”

Her eyes now open, her attention was brought to the pair of black dress shoes making their way to her and the not-so-small boy anymore.

When she brought her eyes to the owner of the shoes, she held her mouth agape as her hold on Daeul loosened.

There stood Kwon Hyuk dressed in one of her favourite outfits on him -- the gray blazer on top of a solid shirt and black pants with the once-intimidating pointy shoes.

“Care to sign one more book?”, he said as he held the novel in his hand.

She scoffed lightly before picking Daeul up and pulling both the child and his dad into a shared hug. They laughed warmly, Hyuk’s arms wrapped around the most important people in his life as Hanji placed a soft peck on his cheek.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Well, I couldn’t miss out on your first signing.”, he chuckled as he pulled her closer by the waist before planting a kiss on her forehead.

“Are you free tonight?”

~

They had spent the past year and a half together through video calls and text messages, trying to balance the time differences and their schedules. She watched Daeul slowly grow up and Hyuk made sure that he remembered her even through a screen.

Hanji had brought them to her favourite spot for dinner whenever she felt like treating herself and there they sat as a complete family among other diners.

At one point, Hyuk had scooted closer to Daeul, passing him something under the table which Hanji became playfully suspicious of.

“Give this to Hanji.”

Daeul carefully held the small brown box with both hands and passed it to Hanji, saying, “It’s from me and dad...but mainly him.”, making Hyuk chuckle in embarrassment.

Hanji laughed softly before taking the box from him and patting his head. When she opened it, an even smaller box resided inside and something inside her instantly knew what it was.

“...Dad was wondering…”, Daeul shyly began as he played with his fingers, Hanji beginning to slowly open the gift.

And there rested a small diamond ring which glistened even more when she tilted it to the white lights above them.

She held her mouth slightly agape, looking over at Hyuk who smiled warmly but kept his nervousness to a composure.

“W-What is dad wondering, Daeul?”, Hanji teased with now a tight smile on her face.

“He was wondering if you would...w-what’s the word?”, the boy turned to his father who only smiled and patted his head before turning his attention back to the woman on the other side of him.

“W-Will you?”

They shared the first long gaze after months and Hanji smiled warmly before slowly nodding her head, causing Hyuk to exhale in relief before standing up to place the ring on her finger.

They both chuckled loudly as they stood together before sharing a quick kiss. Pulling Daeul into a hug, Hyuk held them both tightly with a warm feeling inside him knowing that his family is now complete.

--

hyuk,

they say time goes by faster when you're with the people whom you love. when we first met, i wish i would have known that that was our first meeting. eppe brought you to me. a stuffed animal which to this day i still don't know which type of creature she is. daeul did as well. he looks just like you, you know? i'm sure you do. i once joked and said it was as if you had single-handedly given birth to him, yourself. i wasn't sure what it was exactly he had inherited from you -- the eyes? his nose perhaps? definitely not the lips, as his are thin and slim but it's not like i've been paying attention to yours to even notice. i had yelled at you for not being a good parent. for not watching over your child who could have been run over that day. we fought several months after i began working. you had told me to remember who i was. that i was only daeul's caretaker and not his mother. by then however. i had already seen myself as more than just his nanny. i raised my voice and told you that you had failed as his parent. you frowned. you frowned a lot my first few months here. eventually it stopped. and it was in tahiti did i hear and see you laugh for the first time. i thought you were choking. i was so ready to get on my feet and perform cpr which i told you i had learned in my first year of teaching. tahiti. it was everything and more that i had ever wanted. daeul fussed the whole ride. i sat by the window, holding him and pointing to the clouds to put him at ease. i never told you that i felt your eyes on me the whole time. you held him in your arms when i couldn't anymore. both of you fell asleep. it was the first time i had seen you be so affectionate with him. that same day you sang for the first time in years. sometimes i like to think it was because of me. then again it could have been because of daeul. or perhaps the vacation just put you in the mood. you sang my favourite which i never confessed to you. half moon. your dark slicked back hair had never looked so great. i didn't tell you how much i liked it when you chopped off the manbun. i listened. it was the first time i had heard you sing in person. i always denied ever listening to your music. but it was always something i waited to hear in real life. the next days made me forget that i had a job to fulfill. i taught daeul how to swim though he almost hated me for letting go. we learned how pearls were harvested and saw the prettiest to ever exist. our third night in tahiti you had asked me to dinner. daeul was sent to a daycare which he apparently hated at first but then refused to leave by the end of the night. i remember having trouble styling my hair that evening. would he like it down? or would a bun catch your attention, exposing my neck and all? i decided to leave it down as to play off the innocent look which i still had to identify myself with, being your son's caretaker. i wore white that night. and i was glad that you did too. it made me feel like we purposely but not really matched. you sat me down in the small restaurant in front of the shore. the small candlelight danced between us. your feet brushed mine three times that evening. you opened up to me about your past with daeul's mother whom you tried to forget but she always seemed to creep her way back into your mind. then you said. then you said you had recently started thinking about her less. because there was someone else on your mind. it was so difficult not to kiss you right in that moment. my sister always teased me about you, knowing that like every other woman out there. i wanted you. you asked me to look at you as a man and not as my boss. what i didn't tell you was that i thought you were lost. that you're trying to find yourself and you are finding yourself. that although you act cold you were once kind and gentle and that side often comes out when you're with daeul. your lips were as soft as the butter missus chae uses to make her pie crust. i hope the sound i had slipped that moment didn't rub you off the wrong way. then you told me about your plan to propose to her. and it never happened because she ran away. i meant to tell you that it was her loss. that if it were me whom you asked i would have given you a definite answer.

yes, hyuk.

i would say yes.

hanji

[leah-halliwell92]

Too Much Love Can Kill You

Summary: Soul marks are found through touch and song, one must sing to find their half and touch completes their connection. To reject your mark is to sentence them to death. you have been on tour with Brian, Roger and Rufus for a year and have known them for nearly four. What happens when you find out along the way that you are the mark of one Brian May?

Previously:

Roger saw this and sat back holding back a smirk of his own.

‘Aim, shoot, kill,’ he thought as he saw Brian go from listener and friend to your soul mark.

“So…” Brian began almost jovially, “You’d have willingly taken part in your daughter’s murder?”

–//–Meanwhile with the moms and kids –//–

“Mom…not Brian,” you say as you get up and make a dash for the door.

Rufus gave the women a smirk and followed after his sister.

Your mother exchanged looks with Sarina who not a moment later was staring slack yawed at the doorway.

“She didn’t mean Brian (Mother’s name)…she meant Roger,” Sarina said before she settled on a smirk and said, “Let’s take our time going back down.”

Your mother nodded and arm in arm the women took their time going back to the lounge.

Prologue – Chapter 1– Chapter 2 – Chapter 3 — Chapter 4 – Chapter 5 –Chapter 6 – Chapter 7 – Chapter 8 – Chapter 9 – Chapter 10 – Chapter 11– Chapter 12 – Chapter 13 – Chapter 14 – Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Sarina and your mother bumped into you and Rufus waiting for the elevator. 

“I thought you’d be downstairs by now,” Sarina said with a grin.

Rufus laughed and said, “We want to remember our childhood days and waited for mum like good kids.”

You slapped him playfully on the shoulder and laughed before saying, “She’s been busy for the past few minutes.”

The older ladies nod and the group then start talking about you and how you were as a child.

Sarina was not at all surprised to hear you were more than a handful as a little one. Nor was she surprised to hear that you were all for the underdog as you are now. What she was surprised to hear was about the time the school dean caught you and your friends smoking weed behind the bleachers. 

“It was one time,” you said with a huff, “The high was soooo much better than coming down. People just don’t tell you that when you go for the first hit.”

Rufus nodded at that equally as enlightened by his sister’s history as Sarina is. 

The elevator doors opened and the group still sharing anecdotes here and there about you and your childhood. It was fun to hear some of the stories reminding you that not all was as dark as it seemed. There are definitely some of those you’d tell Brian later; but you need to make sure everyone is alive for that. 

The sound of your phone ringing silenced the chatter. 

Rufus looked at your phone and laughed. 

“What!?” You said hitting him and sliding the phone open to answer it.

“You wouldn’t happen to be on your on your way down would you?” Mr. Carrey asked. 

“I am why?” You say brow furrowed.

“Your father has proceeded to dig is grave deeper,” he said anxiously, “Your mark is attempting to restrain Mr. Taylor as your father explains something to them.”

“The doors are opening I’m on my way,” you say and hang up breaking into a sprint to the hotel’s coffee lounge. You ran in to find Brian nearly siting Roger as the shorter man struggled to lunge over the table at your father. 

“What’s going on here!?” You asked anxiously. 

Roger nodded angrily in your father’s direction. 

Brian resumed his seat and proceeded to pull on on his lap. You could feel his tense frame relax as soon as you sat on his lap. His right hand found its way under your shirt onto the skin of your back and his left your free hand. 

The warmth that seeped through your bond did wonders for the both of you. You relaxed into his embrace nearly melting onto his side and he in return relaxed even more, despite the evident anger and discomfort that still clung to him. 

“I’ll ask again,” you say as you see your mother, Sarina and Rufus come in and retake their seats, “What is going on here?”

“We asked your father quite seriously if he’d have willingly taken part in your murder,” Brian said calmly. 

You weren't fooled. He might look outwardly calm but he is anything but, if how tight his grip on your hand give you a hint. 

“He said that ‘you’d have agreed and that it wasn’t murder if you agreed’,” Roger said through gritted teeth. 

You mother visibly paled at this and shuddered before gathering herself as much as she could and said, “You know as well as I do that she would have never agreed to the union (Father’s Name).”

Your father scoffed and said, “(Y/N) would have done it because it was a fare trade her hand for her education.”

Brian scoffed loudly at this and said, “That is not an answer.”

“So quit hiding behind what you wanted her to do and answer the question,” Roger said cooly. 

Your mother broke into painful sobs before hitting you father again over and over crying out, “You’d have let her die you bastard!”

“What was it?” Roger asked in disbelief, “The free education too much to pass up?”

“No!” Your father yelled as Sarina went to your mother, “She needed to be brought down to earth again. School and marriage would have done that.”

Out of nowhere you began to laugh...and laugh and laugh. Tears began to fall as the realization that yes your father would have practically sold you not only to save face but to prove that that was all you needed to be the type of successful he wanted you to be. 

Brian pulled you closer, as close as your current sitting position allowed, and let you sob as the truth washed over you in icy waves. 

Your mother stood from her seat and ran to you wrapping you in her arms. 

Brian allowed your mother to hold you and give you some time to gather yourself. 

You gently pulled away from your mother and stood up. You took a napkin from the table and wiped your eyes and nose. 

“I think we’re done here,” You say as strongly as you can, “And if you really think I’d have let you sell me then you are wrong. And if there had been the chance of such a union happening the only down to Earth bringing you’d have been privy too would have been my burial.”

“Don’t you talk to your father that way,” Your father said angrily. 

“Oh stop it (Father’s Name),” your mother said, “You wanted to keep her so close to the vest that you’ve yet to realize...”

“You lost me the moment you plotted an arranged marriage between two unmatched individuals so you didn’t have to pay a dime for university schooling,” You finished for her, “Jacob was a good boy, everyone in this town knew he was. But he changed and not for the better. A child needs to see he is loved and have a stable environment for there to be a good upbringing. Jacob’s life was turned upside down when his mother died and Jacob Senior took over both work and raising Jake.”

“And you know as well as I do that Old Jacob is as clinical as they come,” Your mother said voice icy, “That boy...that sweet gentle boy was broken when his mother died and instead of seeking help Old Jacob let that fester and the fact that he is a cold and clinical man did not help that.”

“Dad the fact that he has a record for aggression should have told you everything,” you say quietly. 

This raised everyone’s heads in question and shock. 

“You didn’t think I didn’t keep an eye out for my once best friend?” You said challenging your father, “Jake not only has anger management issues but can be more than a little possessive when it comes to things he considers his.”

“This is what your mother meant when she said that he’d rather see you dead than with someone else,” Rufus said in awe. 

You nodded with a sad look on your face then said, “And it pains me to see that my own father would rather see me dead than happy all because he had a plan and it didn’t go the way he wanted.”

Brian stood and took your hand in his.

You looked up to him and nodded at the silent question asked through the bond. 

“Bye dad it was nice seeing you,” you say shooting him a sad smile before making your way out of the lounge. 

Everyone left sitting stood and followed after you including, to your father’s surprise, your mother. 

It was afternoon already and you needed to get ready to head to the concert hall.

You came to a sudden stop when you felt your phone vibrate you look down at the still locked phone to read that Etta had seen Jake leave the florist and is heading to the hotel. 

“Well isn’t this a surprise,” Brian says with a knowing grin.

“What?” You ask about to put your phone away. 

Brian was faster and took it from you pressing on the home button to show the picture on the front. 

“What! I like that picture,” you say reaching for your phone only to have Brian move to avoid you getting it. 

“What picture?” Roger asked now curious. 

((Picture is above))

“This,” Brian says showing his bro the picture. 

“Well if it isn’t Brianna May in all her glory!” Roger says with a laugh.

“Dad...ring her phone,” Rufus said with a cheeky smirk. 

“Nope!” you say and nearly jump to get the phone back.

This spurred Roger on and you groaned as ‘I’m in Love With My Car’ blared from your phone and a picture of Rogerina popped up.

Rufus was nearly on the floor from how hard he was laughing. 

Sarina and your mother looked on fondly at the moment before breaking into their own peels of laughter. 

“Im so changing the pictures when we get home,” you grumbled as Brian gave you back your phone.

“No need for that my love,” Brian said kissing the crown of your head, “I’m flattered that you’d love me in any way, shape and form.”

You grumbled under your breath and nearly groaned when your mother said, “I’ll have to tell you about her musical crushes, well more like crush, sometime.”

“Oh really?” Roger said with a waggle of his brows and a chuckle from Brian. 

“They don’t need to hear that story mom,” you say trying to dissuade that particular story. 

The light atmosphere seemed to die as soon as an all too familiar voice said, “(Y/N)? Little (First Name) (Last Name) is that you? My God when I heard that you were in town I had to come see for myself.”

You all turn to see Jake Parker standing there with a bouquet of flowers and charming smile. 

–//–

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–//–

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[thewritewolf]

Eating Habits Chapter 11: A Dupain-Cheng Christmas

Marinette and Adrien move into their new apartment, but they aren’t there for long before heading over to spend a few days at the bakery for the holidays.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 (Final)

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3.

Marinette wandered around the apartment that she had spent the last few months living in. Somehow, she had expected it to look bigger now that it was empty again, but instead it just made her wonder how she hadn’t noticed how tiny it was. With the excitement of living on her own faded away, the apartment’s flaws were huge and glaring. The faster she would be out of it, the better.

Just outside the door, Adrien was leaning against the wall on his phone. He looked up at her and smiled when he heard the door close and lock behind her. He fell into step beside her as she marched down the stairs.

“How’s it feel to see it for the last time?” He reached for her hand and wove his fingers between hers. “Nostalgic? Relieved?”

“A little nostalgic, but mostly relieved,” Marinette admitted with a shrug. “I didn’t make a lot of positive memories there, so leaving it behind isn’t that rough. Then again, it is my first place away from home, you know?”

Marinette turned to look at Adrien and saw the understanding in his eyes. Suddenly she wanted to smack herself in the forehead. Of course he knew! He’s been away from home for years now. If anyone could understand, it was him.

But to her surprise, he nodded and said, “Yeah, leaving the bakery was an… interesting time for me too. There is always something sweet about spending the night there.” He pressed a kiss against the crown of her head. “It isn’t the same without you, of course.”

“Something ‘sweet’, huh? Was that a pun, kitty?” She tried to ignore the way her heart fluttered - she couldn’t tell if it was from joy that he called her home his home, or from pain that he never saw his childhood estate as home.

“Maybe it was just a happy coincidence. Some Christmas magic in the air!”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Speaking of Christmas, are you ready to spend a few days at the bakery?”

“Definitely! It’ll be nice and cozy and full of life.”

“And someone will finally be making food for you rather than you cooking, for once.”

“I do like taking a break every now and then. But I’m more looking forward to you getting a proper, home cooked meal.”

“And here I thought getting a special lunch everyday from my wonderful boyfriend counted as a ‘proper’ home cooked meal.” She looked up at him and smiled, watching with satisfaction as his face flushed. He was such a flirt, but he never was good at taking what he dealt out.

The conversation drifted through Christmas plans and promises to find time for their friends. It touched briefly on the upcoming semester, but they wisely avoided dwelling on it for too long. Marinette had only just finished the fall semester after all. She wanted to revel in her break without a care in the world for just a little longer.

They arrived at their new apartment just as the movers began unloading. An hour later, and the empty space was taken up with boxes of things. Marinette looked around at the boxes, her smile slowly turning into a frown as she noticed a unifying theme with the storage containers.

“Hey, Adrien? Where is all of your stuff?”

“Um…” His eyes roved the room quickly before settling on a few tucked away in the back. He stood beside them and let his hand rest on them. “This is it.”

She glanced between him, the five or so containers all stacked on top of each other, and then at the two dozen or so boxes of hers scattered around the room.

“I… I don’t really have a lot.” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I have some games and a collection of movies, but I gave most of that away back when I moved into the bakery. I don’t have a huge wardrobe anymore either. I guess I just… never really got much for me? Besides some pots and pans, I guess.” He shrugged, an uncertain smile on his face.

Again, Marinette looked at the boxes holding all her things. It wasn’t just the bare essentials, things necessary for her to survive from day to do. They were memories. Hobbies. Studies. The things that turned survival into living. She was suddenly gripped by a piercing sadness in her heart. A little teary eyed she turned back to Adrien, who was looking down at his stack of things with a thoughtful expression, fingers drumming on the plastic lid.

“It’s fine, really. I’ve never actually needed much and it does help cut down on stress while moving, so there is definitely a bright side to-” He was cut off when Marinette ran into him, arms clinging tightly to his waist as she buried her face into his chest. After a few surprised moments, he returned her hug.

“Don’t be afraid to take up space, kitty,” Marinette said into his shirt. “Let yourself live, okay?”

“Thanks, lovebug.”

After a little longer than strictly necessary, Marinette let him go and looked around at the boxes, frowning. “So… where do you want to start?”

Before he could respond, her stomach growled.

Adrien laughed. “Sounds like a plan. Let me just-” Adrien groaned when he opened the refrigerator, only to find it empty. “...How about some grocery shopping?”

-------------

“Are you sure you’ve got all that?” Marinette watched him dubiously as he walked out of the supermarket, each hand holding three or four bags of groceries. “Both of my hands are empty, you know.”

“Oh, right. That’s a good point. Give me a minute.”

Absently, Marinette held out her hand while she opened her phone, expecting him to pass her some of the bags. She blinked in surprise when he started holding her hand instead. Her eyebrows rose when she saw that he’d simply moved all the bags into his other hand.

“Adrien that’s not what I-”

“Come on, let’s go make our first dinner at the new place!” Adrien rushed forward, dragging her along with him as he broke into a light jog towards the bus station.

Marinette couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculousness. It wasn’t even a full day that they’d been living together and she was already loving every moment of it.

---------------

After a week of unpacking, Marinette and Adrien finally had their apartment set up and functional… only for them to immediately leave to spend a few days at the bakery. Each of them carried a suitcase in one hand and held onto each other with the remaining free hand. They chatted as they walked through the snowy streets of Paris on the way to the family bakery, Marinette cuddling closer as the icy wind picked up.

“Look on the bright side, bugaboo,” Adrien said with a kiss to her temple. “It’ll be nice and warm and perfect when we get back to the apartment. We can just relax for the rest of your vacation.”

“Our vacation,” Marinette corrected. “The bakery isn’t open much around Christmas either, and I’m sure papa and maman won’t be giving you many shifts there while we’re getting settled in. Besides, it's not like being at my parents’ place is stressful or anything.”

“I suppose, but after a semester of running around and working frantically, I’d bet you just want to crash on the couch for a while.”

“You’re not wrong, but…” Marinette said as she squeezed his hand, “...spending time with the people I love is even better.”

She could see his teary smile as they approached the bakery, its lights reflected in his eyes. After walking out in the chilly late December air for the last ten minutes, the gentle warmth of the bakery was simply divine. And that was before taking a deep breath of the sugary air, a scent that immediately took her back to her childhood. It was as if she took the weight of the world off her shoulders and hung them along with her coat by the door.

“Marinette? Adrien? Is that you?” Tom’s voice called out from the living room. Soon enough, his giant self was emerging through the door frame, his face lighting up when he saw them. “Sabine, it’s the kids!”

Marinette had a brief glimpse of a garish red and green sweater before becoming lost in it as she was picked up off the ground and wrapped into a great big bear hug. Laughing, she squirmed in his arms.

“Papa! Let me down!”

Begrudgingly, he did so and looked at Adrien, giving him a strong pat on the back that jolted him forward. “Did you remember to dress for the occasion, son?”

“Did you think I would forget?” Adrien said with a smirk, taking off his coat to reveal a thick red and black wool sweater that Marinette had made for him a couple years back.

Tom glanced toward Marinette, who was wearing a matching green and black sweater. To everyone else, it would simply be a pair of Christmas clothes, but Marinette had known even back then how much Adrien loved wearing her colors. And if he was going to be wearing hers, then naturally she’d be wearing his.

“That’s wonderful!” Tom said, grinning. “I didn’t expect any less. Now come on, we were just about ready to make this year’s Christmas ornaments.”

They followed him into the living room, where Sabine was sitting with some tea in front of her. After giving both of them a tamer but no less loving hug, she passed them a cup of her seasonal brew. Marinette looked at the table, taking in the box of crayons, the blank glass bulbs, tweezers, and the two hair dryers. Not to mention a few more conventional art supplies, like brushes and paint. Her chin settled on her hand as she stared fondly at the supplies, a tradition that they’d been keeping alive for almost as long as she could remember.

A tradition that had evolved into something of a lighthearted competition once Adrien had entered the picture and they could split into even teams.

Her parents let them get comfortable in their seats and familiar with where everything was placed before Tom pulled out his phone.

“Same as usual, kids. One hour to make the most and the best ornaments, with the same grading standards from last year.” He waggled a finger at Adrien chastisingly. “Which means nothing that can start a fire hazard, alright?”

Adrien ducked his head bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”

“Alright.” Tom held up the phone’s stopwatch, his finger hovering over the enlarged start button. “Ready… set… Go!”

The four of them exploded into a flurry of motions, scrambling for crayons and bits of ribbon. Marinette became focused on what she and Adrien were doing, blocking out her parents entirely. The first ornament was very basic - the only crayons were some green and red and a bit of white. Enough to hand over to Adrien so he could start heating it up with the hair dryer, the longest part.

After she had several ornaments prepped with crayon color pallets, she began working on cutting tasteful amounts of ribbons to top the orbs with. Her hands moved almost by instinct, the long semester having seen more than its fair share of fabric cutting and measurements by eye. By the time she was done with that, Adrien had finished melting the wax of two of the ornaments and was methodically working on the third. The ribbons were quickly tied into a neat bow and she began delicately painting wintery scenes on the outside - white snowflakes featuring heavily alongside flowing script.

Once they got into a groove, they worked like the well oiled machine that they always were. By the time the hour was up, there were eleven finished ornaments in front of them. A quiet sense of pride filled her as she looked them over. Now that she wasn’t timed, she could enjoy how good they turned out. Maybe one of these years she could add them to her online store as a seasonal special?

She looked over at her parents’ side and noticed that they had managed to squeeze in an extra one somehow. After some playfully heated debate, they decide that everyone had won, though it had been especially close this year.

The Christmas tree was adorned with the newest ornaments, but Marinette didn’t manage to hang more than one before she got caught up looking at ones from previous years. Most of them would be given away to friends and family, but the best they kept. Whether it was because they were the highest quality or the ones that were the heaviest with memories, it didn’t matter.

Her fingers traced over a particularly old one, and a small smile warmed her face at the memories it stirred.

“Adrien’s first Christmas here, right?”

Marinette jolted a little at her mother’s voice appearing right beside her. The expression on her face must have been similar to Marinette’s own, eyes distant as if seeing back into that night, years and years ago, when the two of them had just started dating.

“Yeah… he made this one himself,” Marinette replied, turning back to the hung decoration.

It was pretty clear it had been his first attempt at anything like that before. The white and pink of the wax didn’t cover the inside completely and patches of bare glass were frequent. A stick figure with pigtails holding hands with a plain stick figure Adrien had promised was the two of them standing under a green splodge that she was assured was mistletoe. It wasn’t the prettiest thing he’d made - as the years wore on and he spent more Christmases at her home, he’d certainly gotten better - but it was always stayed her favorite.

Adrien groaned when he saw what they were looking at, his cheeks flushing as red as his sweater. “Do we really need to stare at that one every year? It looks awful!”

“It’s cute!” Marinette patted his back. “Little baby Adrien made that one just for me.”

Adrien grumbled and looked away, his blush spreading down to his neck. Mercifully, she let go of the ornament and walked away.

The rest of the night was just as eventful. They baked cookies and sang while they did it, ranging from peaceful lullabies to loud and off-key pop songs. Marinette didn’t realize just how much she had missed the home cooked pastries until she bit into one for the first time in months.

She has halfway through a plate when there was a loud noise from the kitchen. Her papa came out, his apron soaked, but still in good spirits.

“Something happen in there?” Marinette said, raising an eyebrow as she lifted another cookie to her mouth. She had to remember to leave some for Tikki or else she wouldn’t speak to her for a month.

“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Tom replied. “The kitchen sink just needs some attention is all. Adrien, can you get the toolbelt? I think it’s time for us to earn our keep, hm?” He smiled and winked.

While Adrien left her side, she settled into the empty space he left and closed her eyes. She was glad she had a home to come back to - and she was happy that she could share hers with Adrien. A satisfied smile came to her face as she thought about their living space now, and how much better it would be now that they were living together again.

The snow started coming down hard outside, but wrapped up in a warmth that went beyond the physical, Marinette didn’t mind a bit.

[candygirl101x]

Romance MD: Always on Call Munechika Takado Review (if you can really call it that)

Honestly I wasn’t expecting to write a review on this, because; 1. I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in the newest release. 2. And secondly…well I don’t write reviews.

But I haven’t seen that much noise about this title yet; whether that’s due to the lack of interest, the lengthy time it takes to read this whole story, the frustrating amount of hearts (A.K.A your hard earned dollar) you have to spend to achieve a SHE, or perhaps all of the above.

When I saw advertisements for Love 365’s latest release, I honestly didn’t give a damn. Oh joy, another Love Choice title (which by the way everyone asked for…not), the same old character types (I felt like Voltage should’ve changed their name to ‘Oresama’s R Us’) and I didn’t take a liking to any of the character’s physical looks either (except Kasumi, what a babe.)

So when Romance MD was finally released I wasn’t rushing to read it. Lately I’ve been more preoccupied reading another otome (Mr Love Queen’s Choice, if anyone is interested) rather than any releases on Love 365 as it just isn’t giving me that enticing story that I’d throw away life’s commitments in an instant to read. After reading Takado’s story, I only wish that I’d stop judging a book by it’s cover (although I know I definitely won’t).

I found myself reading through the story mostly because it was free (we already know the debate on that one, in the end I think I spent £14) and because I was bored. However, it wasn’t long before I found myself being sucked into the story and just thoroughly enjoying the interactions between the characters.

The MC

I could describe the MC as a breath of fresh air, I could describe her as a complete car crash but I feel as though a more accurate description is Marmite. For those of you who don’t know (probably anyone outside of the UK), Marmite is a food spread that people have on toast/sandwiches etc. The debate is that there are thousands of people who love Marmite more than their firstborn child but on the other hand there’s equally as many people who think Marmite is the work of Satan himself, and would find their dog’s faeces more appetising. So I can’t help but feel like you’ll love her for being new, exciting and different…or you’ll hate her because she’s extremely arrogant, a know-it-all and just plain annoying.

Reasons to love the MC:

She’s clever, like really clever. I have no idea what half those words mean that come out of her mouth but this girl knows her shit.                              

She’s determined and persistent. I mean, I guess all MC’s are when I think about it but it’s generally a good trait to have. The MC doesn’t let Takado out of her sight for a second, even using her skills of being on the track team in highschool to sprint after him when he tries to run away which is highly hilarious. Although can you imagine an MC who isn’t persistent? We’d have no story. Kind of funny thinking about that actually, an MC who just says “Right! I’ve had enough of you abusing me, I’m off home to eat ice cream and watch Netflix. You continue cutting people’s legs off willy nilly like they can grow back.”

She’s relatable. I can’t stress this one enough. Yeah maybe not the medical textbook mumbo jumbo but the social awkwardness and the constant daydreams of Sekai (her otome boyfriend) is something many of us can understand.

She’s not a sheep. This girl has a mind of her own. I take my hat off to her for going up against her superior’s when she thinks something is wrong, I don’t have that kind of backbone.

Reasons to hate the MC:

She can be plain rude. Like I can praise the girl for sticking up for herself but sometimes she’s a little too tart-tongued for my liking. I did cringe a bit, wishing she’d dial things back from time to time.

Missing some classic MC traits, comes across as arrogant. I mean, I guess this one is personal preference. I do like the more outgoing MC who isn’t afraid to speak her mind, but surely it’s natural to not be so arrogant in front of doctors who have years of experience on you? Like the MC is 26, I’m pretty sure all of the guys are 30+ (pretty sure Takado is 35) and have been doctors for a longer time than the MC has even been training to be a doctor. I did find myself missing the humble, kind hearted MC a bit. You really don’t have to be arrogant to be a strong willed woman, my favourite MC is the MC from Our Private Homeroom, I felt like she had a good mix of all the traits.

Can be annoying. Like there’s a time and place to be talking about the topic you’re currently spouting on about MC, and now definitely isn’t the correct time/place.

I was honestly saying the same thing to myself Tak

Takado

Takado himself is not necessarily anything we haven’t seen before. He’s not hiding anything you probably haven’t already guessed. Him and the MC have frequent domestics (which 9 times out of 10 end in her being hit over the head with a file) in places they should definitely not be having domestics, which in itself provides a series of highly entertaining scenes, for not only us but also the rest of the ICU doctors. He doesn’t baby the MC, he tells her when she’s done messed up but does also show signs of kindness behind his stoney façade, especially more towards the end of the story. I also appreciated that his backstory was more than meets the eye, there’s nothing I find more boring than a predictable plot line. Generally, I found him likeable. In fact, more often than not I felt sorry for him for having to put up with the absolute garbage that drops out of the MC’s mouth. I dunno how the hell he ended up falling in love with her too, I’d run a mile if that was me. But then again I did pay £14 for him, so if he didn’t I’d be god damn pissed.

He is equally (actually even more so) as intelligent as the MC, without bragging about how much he knows which was rather refreshing. I mean he does call the MC a thousand different variants of the word stupid, but every single time was justified in my eyes.

Although one thing I must say...

God damn son.

Stuff to Note

One thing I need to comment is holy smokes, how long is this story? When I saw the looming 30 chapters I figured that they were probably going to be over faster than my money leaves my account on payday, but boy how wrong I was. Now this almost certainly is a money grab in order to get you to spend more hearts to get the “good choices” but despite that, I was really impressed with just how long the story took me to read. Maybe I’m just getting old, but usually on any main story I can bash it out in under 2 hours. With this, I actually had to stop myself from reading and go the hell to sleep because it was 4 in the morning. When I checked the next day to what chapter I was on, I thought I was tripping when I realised I’d only just made it halfway through the story. Voltage kudos to you. The story was the perfect length to have good plot pacing, decent character development and satisfying romance at the end.

Now granted if you’re looking for a lovey-dovey romance throughout the whole story this isn’t the route for you. The romance doesn’t really kick start until at least 3/4 of the way through this route, and even then it’s nothing that exciting. The MC struggles to understand what love even is herself, having her only boyfriends being fictional otome men (the relatability is real), she finds herself unable to register what those feelings are. It’s not until a playful bullying from the other ICU doctors and a dictionary search that she realises she’s in love.

But in general, I found Takado’s route an enjoyable read with well placed comedic timing and good focus on the the more serious side of things when it was important. So if you find yourself bored like me, maybe just give it a read. Just don’t come at me with torches and pitchforks when you’re $15 poorer.

Moments I Particularly Enjoyed

The reminder that you are in fact reading the correct story

The scientific breakdown of kabedon

The obvious sarcastic remarks, that the socially inept MC doesn’t understand

The casual discussion of banging in the workplace

Pros and Cons

Pros

Character Development. I feel like both the MC and Takado showed character development. The MC when she finally figured out she has to stop being so damn arrogant and realise the consequences of when she opens her mouth. And Takado, that he can’t just tell people they’re having their leg cut off and just walk off.

Length. Need I say more.

Good pacing. Story progresses, MC progresses, Romance progresses. Good job guys.

Well written. Actually laughed out loud a fair few times whilst reading this story, which I definitely wasn’t expecting. Also whoever came up with the idea of the character sprites holding up a board for comic effect is a god damn genius.

Good group dynamics. I mean it’s not KBTBB, but I enjoyed reading the interactions between all the ICU doctors. Hopefully with more releases we’ll be able to see more of their relationship with each other.

Cons

Love Choice. I mean you can read this story completely free…just you won’t know any of the back story, you won’t get any of the romantic moments and you’ll get the shit ending. But if you’re happy spending $15 for a main story then this is a pro I suppose.

Lacking in romance. Now I’m not saying there isn’t any, I personally don’t have an issue with how things progressed (I much prefer the romance to come in following stories like epilogues and sequels) but I have a feeling if you’re after something with a lot of romance running throughout it, this story won’t be for you.

Too many legs were harmed in the making of this route. People be getting their legs cut off more times than I’ve had hot dinners. Everyone thinks Takado goes around cutting people’s legs off for fun…and honestly you can’t blame them for thinking that.

Not many CGs. Remember the days when we had 6 CGs for a main story? I know I’m being picky but having 1 CG in episode 1 and the last CG in the SHE, that only leaves 2 other CGs for 28 episodes. If you’re gonna have a main story that long, surely you can spare another CG or two Voltage?

I’ve put the character sprites and the CGs below a read more button so people can avoid spoilers. So if you’re interested in what I’ve officially renamed the characters keep reading :) VVVVVVVV

Starring

Dr.Amputation (I’m telling you now, you wouldn’t want this one for your general health checkup) (Takado)

Angry Coach (Takao)

Angry Coach’s Wife (Who I’ve actually forgotten the name of)

Darling Boy (Haruto)

Darling Boy’s mother (Yoko)

Flirty McGee (Hosho)

Kasumi’s Die-hard Fan (but can you blame him?) (Kyogoku)

Dean the Absolute Meme (Matsunaga)

Ghost Hospital Director (Seriously, I think we see him like once in the whole route(why is he even on this list? Because I already had a screenshot and I’d figured I might as well use it) (Usagida)

ICU’s On-Call Doctor Dealer (Ekuni)

Total Babe (Kasumi) (Just you wait till your ass is out bitch)

Also can you blame me?

Ultimate Waifu (Missy)

Partner in Otaku Crime (Asuka)

Cute Penguin (Watch out Sydney, she’s coming for your top spot on the favourite Voltage mascot list and probably your large swimming pool) (Kalmia)

A reformed KBTBB Villain (Mario)

The Main Character (Sekai)

The Actual Main Character (Why we see her sprite for one split second I’m not overly sure, but yeah hard pass Voltage)

CGs

Episode 1

Episode 18

Episode 27

SHE

Now if I were you, I’d go and actually find a good review to read. Like @aqvarius

[hotforharrison]

Meet & Greet ch 14

Chapter 13 <-- Series Masterlist --> Chapter 15

Pairing: Tom Holland/Reader

Summary: You missed out on a Tom Holland meet and greet, but a stranger, who you are pretty sure is a Tom Holland lookalike, rescues you from your pity party for one.

Word Count: 1,842

Warnings: Unusual smut and language

A/N: This chapter is a bit sad, but it gets happier soon!

After you had learned that Tom intended to see you again after your European vacation ended, time felt less important, less finite. You hadn’t realized you’d stopped counting the days.

You started each morning in his arms. You felt warmer and safer and more comfortable than you’d known was possible.

Each day pretty much amounted to domestic, orgasmic bliss. Some days, you left his apartment and toured London a bit, actually even getting your own photos to share with family and friends and some souvenirs for gifts. If anyone asked why you hadn’t left London, you’d decided to tell them that you'd fallen in love with the city, and there was just too much to see and do there.

You’d eventually stopped checking online to see if you were a part of any tabloids. No one had bothered or photographed you while you were with Tom. It drifted to the back of your mind and stayed there.

You ended each day cuddled up against him as close as you could get, his heartbeat steady against your ear, lulling you to sleep.

You barely noticed as the days bled together. Time didn’t seem to matter anymore in your little bubble.

“Aren’t you going to pack?” Tom asked one evening while you were watching a movie with your head in his lap, both still nude from the mid-afternoon shower you’d taken together.

“Huh?” you responded, confused.

“Your flight is tomorrow,” he replied.

“It is?” You checked the date on your phone. It actually was. “I lost track of the days.”

You were silent when you stood and started getting your things together. You placed them robotically into your suitcase, barely having enough room for everything, since you were leaving with more than you’d arrived with. It didn’t take long before everything was in your suitcase, shut tight. You placed your plane ticket in your purse, nestled safely inside your wallet where it wouldn’t get lost. The end your trip started to creep into reality.

“I’ll need to get you to the airport by about 9,” Tom said from the doorway, “so you have time to get through customs.”

You just nodded numbly.

He finished walking into the room, embracing you before meeting your lips in a kiss.

You were passive when he tugged you over to the bed, lowering you onto the mattress.

He climbed on top of you and kissed his way from your lips, down to your neck. He nipped, kissed, and sucked at your skin. His mouth moved down to kiss your breasts, teasing your nipples with his teeth and tongue. After pressing sweet kisses down your belly, he buried his face between your thighs, using everything he’d learned from the past two weeks to play your body expertly.

Your mind wasn’t really there, and your orgasm surprised you when it happened. It felt strange, almost like an out of body experience. You choked out a moan and his name while he eagerly lapped up your wetness.

You watched him wipe his face off on the back of his hand before he crawled up to you again. He looked into your eyes, expression concerned, and swiped his thumb across your cheek. His thumb came back wet.

“Oh, love.” He wiped away more tears. “Shh, it’ll be alright.”

You fell asleep at some point while tears silently dripped down your face, not waking up again until an alarm blared.

You were still naked, cuddled warmly against Tom. Your brain helpfully added, ‘for the last time,’ even though it wasn’t really the last time. Probably. Part of you was still uncertain. He could meet his soulmate today after he dropped you off at the airport. You’d be happy for him, of course, but you’d miss him fiercely. These days had easily been some of the best of your life.

He groaned from beside you and grabbed his phone off the nightstand to turn off the alarm.

“Good morning,” he mumbled against you, pressing a sleepy kiss against your lips.

“Morning,” you responded, since very little was good about it. You pulled yourself tighter to him, trying to perfectly memorize the way he felt and his comforting scent, in case you didn’t get the chance again.

“We have to get up,” he eventually said. “Don’t want to miss your flight.”

Part of you did, but you didn’t voice that fact.

While you were getting ready, he picked up the black bag from the nightstand. “We never did get around to trying everything,” he commented.

“I don’t have room in my suitcase for anything else.”

“At least take a souvenir from me.” He opened the nightstand drawer and handed you the purple bullet with a mischievous glint in his eye. “I’m sure you can find a bit of space for that.”

You could, and did. Hopefully, immigration wouldn’t confiscate it. You definitely liked it more than everything else you were bringing back from London.

The morning flew by, and you temporarily cheered up after an early breakfast, sipping the heavily sweetened tea you’d actually come to enjoy, while chatting with Tom, flight forgotten for a short while.

“Oh, give me your phone, before I forget again!” You handed it over, curious. His phone soon pinged with a text.

You saw he’d added his number and sent a message to himself from you.

Your melancholy returned as you walked out of his apartment, your brain supplying another ‘probably for the last time,’ and drove to the airport. You couldn’t keep your eyes off him, still trying to memorize every detail, not caring if it was rude to stare. You reached departures faster than you would’ve liked.

“Thank you,” you said, swallowing heavily. “For everything.”

You were surprised when he got out of the car with you, opening the trunk and grabbing your suitcase for you. He sat it down next to you.

You stared at each other awkwardly, before he eventually pulled you tight against his chest. Long moments passed, until he loosened his grasp, pressing his lips to yours in a kiss.

“I’ll miss you,” you said, sniffling.

“Me too, darling,” he agreed, obviously not intending to arouse. He pressed another quick kiss to your mouth. “Text me when you land.”

“I will. Bye,” you whispered, walking away, pulling your suitcase behind you, into the airport. You turned around to see him still standing there watching you. Before you could run back into his arms like you longed to do, you waved and entered the airport.

You cried on and off until you were on the plane. The flight was insanely long, and you were too distracted to do anything other than be alone with your thoughts. You only picked at the food that was served, stomach in too many knots to be hungry, even though you’d only had a light breakfast. Your chest ached too much to let you sleep.

When the flight attendant announced that you could turn off airplane mode, and you did, your phone blew up with texts and instant messages.

You nervously opened the one from your best friend first. It told you emphatically not to look online. Your heart sunk into the pit of your stomach as you did exactly that. You quickly discovered that the goodbye you shared with Tom at the airport was now news, complete with lots of photo evidence.

“Fuck,” you groaned. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“There are children here!” a lady angrily snapped at you.

“Sorry,” you mumbled.

You put away your phone and decided to completely ignore it for now, on autopilot through the airport and drive home. You plopped down on your couch and sighed heavily.

When your phone started ringing, you pulled it out of your pocket. It was Tom. You weren’t sure you wanted to pick up, but did anyway.

“I’m so sorry,” you answered when you picked up the phone.

“I should be apologizing to you, love,” he said.

“Why?” you asked, confused.

“Well, you were the one who was worried about getting photographed, and there I went and kissed you in public like an idiot, and got you photographed,” he explained.

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” you immediately responded. “Just got caught up in the moment, that’s all. I’m the one who ruined your life.”

He was silent for a moment. “How did you ruin my life?”

“The press is going to harass you now. You’ll have to make statements and-”

“The press is going to harass you now,” he interrupted, “and you didn’t sign up for that like I did. Someone found your Instagram, and believe me when I say that you don’t want to read the comments.”

“I’ll be okay.” You weren’t honestly sure that you would be. “What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“What happens now?” you tried to clarify.

“Well, I honestly planned on ignoring it. I’m not on a press junket now or any time in the near future, and people will forget about it soon enough.”

You decided to ask the question that was really on your mind. “Do you still plan on seeing me again?”

“What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I do.” He paused. “It’s been less than a day, and I already miss having you around.”

“I miss you, too,” you admitted.

“I have a question,” he started. “One that might be hard to answer. You can think about it, if you need to. I don’t need an answer now, or even today.”

“Okay,” you said, wondering what kind of question would require that kind of consideration.

“Now that there’s speculation, I’m curious about, well, do you want to date me? And before you answer, remember that you’ll lose what privacy you do have left. It won’t just be the paparazzi going after me. They’ll be going after you, too. People will treat you differently because you’re dating me. You’ll have to keep your social media locked down if you want to avoid the comments people make. It’s really a lot to ask of anyone.”

You were rendered silent.

“Still there?” he eventually asked.

“Do you want to date me?” you asked, dumbfounded.

“I’ve tried more casual arrangements, but I’m a relationship person. I very much enjoyed the time we spent together, and I’d like to see where it goes. If you want to, of course. It’s entirely up to you.”

“I don’t know if I can give you an answer right now. When I was with you, it was like we were in a bubble,” you said. “I’d probably never been happier than I was then, but now it’s complicated, and messy. The only thing I really know right now is how much I miss you.”

“That’s fair,” he responded, audibly yawning.

“Oh, it must be late there,” you realized.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I think I’m going to bed. I’m glad you made it home safe, love.”

“Me too. Sweet dreams.”

“Good night.”

You waited until he hung up to curl up on the couch and ignore your phone.

Tag list: @drown-me-before-dema-does @tom-hollands-blog @tylers-ankles-beebos-forehead @moorehollandplz @delicatepeterparker @thollandss @musicalburrage @captainbuckyy @adayasgeorgia

[perditaalottachocolate-blog]

Spring Fever (3)

@adrinetteapril 2019 story

Chapter: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | art | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | art | 18 | 19 | 20 |

AO3 / fanfiction.net

Chapter 3. Embarrassing

In which Adrien is a keeper

Adrien shot out of his seat as it was on fire. Then he remembered his manners and with a flourish he let Marinette go out first. She smiled sweetly and joined Alya on their way to the locker room. Adrien followed nearby, the rest of the class at his heels so he needed to move fast.

He grabbed his spare t-shirt and a bottle of deodorant from his locker and made a beeline for the bathroom. When he emerged few minutes later, leaving the godforsaken cheese odour in the past, Marinette was still beside her locker chatting with Rose and Juleka.

Adrien’s heart did a little somersault. It looked like he had less and less power over his own organs. His cheeks already stung from the fierceness of their color but he soldiered on. He sent the girl an apologetic smile, but she didn’t seem bothered by his antics during the trip. Considering her own tendency to slip, squeak and stutter, he supposed she’d seen or experienced worse. He returned to his locker to take out some textbooks. Judging by the sounds of retreating steps and fading voices the girls were already leaving.

Good. He really could use a breather.

Tap.

His left  foot took a step towards the locker room door. Without his intention.

Tap.

His right foot followed.

He was so shocked he didn’t even try to stop.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Another step and another. Adrien was staring at his feet in wonder.

Bam!

He walked right into the opened door of Chloe’s locker.

'Adrikins!’ she exclaimed. 'Are you all right?’

'Fine!’ he chirped, rubbing the bruise on his forehead.

His feet froze in place. He looked up only to see Marinette at the entrance, staring at him worryingly.

‘Is everything okay?’ The love of his life spoke and he no longer heard babbling Chloe.

‘Peachy!’ he squeaked in reply. He had been sure he’d never again hear those frequencies after his voice changed.

Marinette didn't seem convinced. ‘Maybe you should go to the nurse?’

‘I'm fine!’ Adrien insisted.

He noticed that he must have finally managed to freak her out because she never moved from the door. He couldn’t decide if this was a bad thing (because obviously she should already be here next to him, comforting him and tending to his bruise, which would be nice, because she smelled so lovely and Adrien get a grip on yourself, you hopeless dweeb), or a good thing (because he was a big boy who would not make a fuss of one lousy bruise, he was great all by himself, even if all he wanted was to never part with the love of his life, and Adrien focus, because you’re staring and rambling out an inner monologue, that’s not healthy). He took a deep breath. ‘I’m fine,’ he repeated in a calmer voice.

‘You know best,’ she shrugged and turned to resume her walk towards the classroom.

This time Adrien felt the pull that demanded he follow. He tried to resist, focusing on keeping his feet under control when the upper half of his body disobeyed him. He swayed forward and almost fell to the floor.

Something was pulling him after Marinette, an invisible force that literally dragged his body over the school grounds in the direction she went. All he could do was to try and stay more or less upright and appear to be walking intentionally. The result was… well very much zombie like until he finally stopped resisting.

And the grander the distance the stronger and more persistent the pull was, spurring him to move faster in his chase. He regained control over his limbs about a meter and a half around the girl, at the threshold of their class.

Marinette spun around at the sudden movement behind her back. His lips automatically stretched in a smile that he wished was more worthy of a model, less awkward and less toothy, too. His teeth apparently wanted to greet her very much. Adrien very much wanted to grit them but he didn’t dare at a moment like this.

The love of his life reciprocated with a reluctant smile and a raised brow. Her eyes searched his face blinking a few times. Adrien’s chest puffed at the attention. He felt emboldened enough to risk a small wave. To his utmost delight Marinette giggled and it was as if Venus herself spilled the finest pearls over the Dupont college’s floor.

'Marinette, you coming or what?’ Alya’s voice cut into what he liked to believe was adorkable silence. He wasn’t sure where the little pink bubbles came from, but the love of his life looked absolutely stunning with them as the background.

'You’re blocking the door!’ Another person shouted.

Embarrassment flashed in Marinette’s eyes as she stuttered. 'Right, right. I’m sorry. I’m coming, I’m coming!’

The sweetest of apologetic smiles tugged at her lips. She didn’t turn, just made a step back to enter the class.

Adrien’s right foot obediently took a step after her.

Damn, he forgot about that. The look of painful surprise on his face made Marinette freeze, but when he didn’t move she made another step back.

Adrien’s left foot stepped forward immediately.

The girl tilted her head. Her kind eyes got larger as she stared at him. Marinette wasn’t the kind of person to expect mocking from him, especially since he literally did nothing more than follow her.

Keeping her gaze fixed on him she stepped left.

Adrien’s right foot followed.

Her brow quirked and a shadow of smirk danced on her lips. Still watching him she took a step back, then chasséd sideways.

Adrien’s feet didn’t even ask, just carried out the instructions of the love of his life.

Marinette chuckled and spun in a pirouette, moving a little bit away from him. This time his feet spared him further humiliation and just stepped forward. He noticed that with each step the distance between them got smaller.

The girl made another step and her back hit the teacher’s desk.

Adrien had no other choice, the pull was too strong to disobey. He was right in front of her, only centimeters apart. His hands reached for her waist and it took almost superhuman strength to make them land on the desk, bracketing her sides instead. He gripped the wood so hard it creaked ominously.

It might have been his imagination, but the air between them seemed to be charged with static electricity. He took a deep breath and a delightful scent of spring filled his lungs, taking him straight into the garden of Eden.

‘Can I help you?’ Marinette’s voice brought him back from cloud nine. She looked to him. A little bit uncertain, but definitely not afraid. Rather patiently waiting for the moment when things start to make sense.

‘I just…’ gosh, he must have looked like a complete idiot! And he couldn’t do anything about it. Resigned, he decided he was hopeless enough to try it. ‘I just like to be close to you,’ he muttered for her ears only.

Marinette flushed bright pink at that. It was definitely a good color on her. Adrien instantly started to think of all the things he could do to make her blush more often.

'Ekhm, ekhm,’ Miss Bustier cleared her throat.

This time it was the love of his life who squeaked. She grabbed his hand, sending goosebumps all over his skin, and then she proceeded to drag him to his desk, taking a seat behind. It was close enough for him to stay in one place, even if the hair at the back of his neck rose and the faint tickling of the pull continued throughout the last of their lessons.