#and then stay together when the teacher reassigns seats

[kissagii]

the universe really did say “let’s keep the pining idiot close to the guy he’s pining for,” didn’t it

[fivenightslaughter]

Wicked Serpentine (Part 8)

pairing: draco malfoy x femravenclaw!oc (some like george weasley x femravenclaw!oc too)

summary: slowburn enemies to lovers fic, a TON of parts. (continued after ... 3 years..) i'm back lol)

warnings: blood purism, bullying, swearing, descriptive physical danger, violence. Awful Draco

taglist: @gloryekaterina

taglist: let me know if you’re interested in being added!

Roughly a month had gone by, my last real interaction with Malfoy being my first school day in the Great Hall.

Snape had reassigned partners and tables after only the first day, likely due to Harry and Ron’s noise from the first class. I was paired with Hermione, thankfully. She was pleasantly quiet but helpful when she needed to be. My friendship with her had furthered quite a bit, but less so with the boys. I wasn’t actively attempting to befriend Harry after Snape’s hostility.

Flitwick and I hit it off and he quickly became my runner-up favorite teacher, just behind Snape. I frequently stayed behind in his classroom to discuss muggle music and the world as a whole. It was the only part of my day I could get truly lost in.

I’d eventually learned the schedules of Luna and Cho, sitting with them on days they’d be in the dining hall. Rarely was my attention drawn to the blond across the hall on the days he was there, either. He’d been looking rather sick, lately.

Not that I actively tried to look at him.

It just struck me whenever I’d happen to catch his silvery strands in my peripheral. His face looked sunken, his cheeks hollow. Instead of marble, he looked almost grey. It made my heart hurt a little. How could someone look so ghostly, as if he was always floating? It reminded me of a dried volcano, stiff and cold.

His head bobbed up, his eyes meeting mine for the first time since I’d walked off from him a month ago.

“Eris?” A voice snapped me back to the present. It was Hermione. She had said something that I didn’t catch at all.

I looked at her, my mouth slightly parted. Dumbly, I replied, “Huh?”

She gave me a small laugh and stabbed at her food, cocking her head to the side exasperatedly.

“I said, Snape is assigning new partners, something about people falling behind already. I’ll miss the quiet of sitting next to you. Seriously, I will.” She let her shoulders droop sadly, a glimmer of sadness in her eyes.

I heard her teeth slide on the fork as she ate, mildly sullen. I felt bad. I hadn’t even known we were switching partners, I must have been too caught up during potions to hear Snape mention the change.

“Hey, we’ll still eat together. Maybe I’ll kick Ron out of his seat every once in a while.” I joked. Her mood seemed to perk back up a bit at that, nodding.

“That’d be perfect, wouldn’t it, Ron?” She nudged him jokingly.

He whipped his neck to face her, food falling out of his mouth. He was too busy talking to Harry to notice our conversation, so he looked absolutely lost.

“Wha…?” Food tumbled from his mouth. I groaned and Hermione bit her lip in a laugh. The way she looked at him was cute, a twinkle in her eyes lighting as if everything he did was enchanting.

“Nothing, Ronald. Just… Chew your bloody food!” She choked out, noticing the knowing smile I was giving her halfway through her sentence.

He scrunched his nose up, confused and annoyed. He finished, crumbs still dusting his lips.

“Whatever, ‘Mione.” He dismissed, turning back to Harry. They were discussing something Quidditch related.

She exhaled through her nose, rolling her eyes. I watched as she packed her sprawled books and papers into her bag, deep in her thoughts.

Her eyes lit up for a moment and she immediately looked back at me.

“Oh! I almost forgot. We all have lessons but you’re free after this, right? Snape said he’d post a parchment outside his room with the partners. You should check it out.” She beamed.

I paused in thought for a second. Should I go check? I shrugged.

“Yeah, sure. I will.” I saw no harm in making my way to the classroom. I’d gotten a much better hang of the hallways to my classes and the library. The dungeons and the Room of Requirement remained untraveled for now, the map buried in the bottom of my bag. I’d taken it out to mark it up whenever I discovered a new direction or an alternate way to a class.

It was incredibly helpful and I was glad I befriended Hermione. Maybe I could go check out partners and find her later to let her know who she got. I’m sure she’d appreciate knowing beforehand what she was in for.

Satisfied, she dropped her last book in her bag and stood.

“Right, well I’ll see you!” She waved farewell, already taking off from the table. Ron and Harry were still engrossed in their conversation about Quidditch. I tuned in, a name immediately catching my ear.

“Of course we’ll win, Harry. Malfoy’s played like shit lately. Serves him right, bloody bastard.” Ron bragged. Harry nodded in response, noticing my sudden interest in the conversation.

“Eris, you haven’t been to a Quidditch game yet, have you?” He asked, already knowing the answer.

“Ah, no I haven’t.” I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. I didn’t have an intense interest in sports in the muggle world and wasn’t sure how much more exciting they could be in the wizarding world, so it hadn’t piqued my interest.

Harry’s head leaned against his hand and he seemed to nod slowly for a second before smacking his hands on the table.

“Come to the game today. I’ll ask Hermione to save you a seat.” He mused decidedly. Ron shrugged, agreeing.

“Okay, sure. I’ll come then.” I confirmed.

Glad at my response, he turned his attention back to Ron.

“Ready to go?” He asked him.

They got up and left for their next lesson, which I’m pretty sure was a history class I’d often heard them complain about. I still sat, popping a final piece of food into my mouth. I planned out my route in my head. First to Snape’s, then to the library to study intensively.

It felt like a solid enough plan.

I stood and left the hall, making sure I didn’t leave anything at the table. I made my way to Snape’s classroom. It was a different way than when I’d originally followed Malfoy and I was grateful I didn’t have to relive my cowardice every time I went to Potions in the mornings.

The clock tower chimed while I was walking and people pushed by me as I made my way down the hallways. Some people stood idly and hung out with one another, sitting in window sills or quickly scurrying somewhere.

I watched a class fill into Snape’s classroom and I walked up to the doorway. A small plaque with a scroll of parchment hung on the wall.

“FIRST PERIOD PARTNERS

HERMIONE GRANGER - NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM

HARRY POTTER - SEAMUS FINNIGAN

RONALD WEASLEY - PADMA PATIL

ERIS WOODWORK - DRACO MALFOY “

There was more, but my heart stuck in my throat. This couldn’t be real. I reread it several times, finally making my way to the bottom.

There was a tiny footnote stating partner changes were not permitted and must remain as written on the parchment. I felt myself shrink. Maybe Snape didn’t know how bad Malfoy would treat me?

I shook my head at the thought. It was quite obvious how poorly he treated everyone. Just because my interactions with him have been few and far between doesn’t mean he didn’t endlessly snip at other people.

In fact, the only times I ever heard his voice was when he was chastising Harry or Hermione, or making a comment about how Ron lives in squalor. It was unpleasant but at the very least I could be glad it wasn’t directed towards me.

I dreaded this partnership, but at least now I’d read the list like I said I would. Later, I’d be able to tell Hermione and the boys who they’d been partnered with.

I took off to the library, my mind spinning. I accidentally bumped into someone in the hallway and his hands shot out to steady my shoulders before I could fall to the ground. I recognized him as Malfoy’s original partner in Potions.

He eyed me up and down, removing his hands once I was steady. I vaguely recalled Ron calling him Zabini.

“Be careful. Never know who you’ll run into in these halls. You’re lucky it was me.” He spoke smugly, clearly a bit vain.

I raised an eyebrow at him, nodding.

“Yeah, I’ll be more careful.” I replied. I started to walk off when he spoke, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“Fuckin’ better be.” Was all he said as he continued to walk as well.

It unsettled me in the weird way that Slytherins were good at. A switch seemed glued to their emotions, fully able to flip at any time. It was startling. A chill eased down my spine and I hurried toward the library, no longer taking my time as I had before.

Finally arriving a bit breathless, I entered the space that had become most familiar to me over the last month. Giving a nod in Madam Pince’s direction, she gave me a puckered and stiff smile.

She was an intolerable vulture that only cared for her books, but I’d come to be in her relatively good graces. With my quiet presence and care for the texts, I was often the only one in the library with her. In her own way, I think she kind of liked me there.

Tucking into my usual space behind a few large bookshelves, I pulled a lesson book out of my school bag, along with a parchment and quill. We had just gone over a new spell in Flitwick’s class and I was determined to study it down to every flick of the wand.

A seat pulled out beside me and a book dropped down onto the table just loud enough for me to wince. I glanced over. It was “Libatius Borage’s ADVANCED POTION MAKING” book. I recognized it from my class with Snape.

I watched black robes swish down into the seat beside me, defeated looking. My surprise was immeasurable when I met empty, silvery eyes and messy moonbeam-colored hair. I couldn’t stifle a tiny gasp that slipped from my lips.

“Malfoy…?”

He leaned his head back against the top of the chair, remaining in quiet for what felt like a couple minutes as I dumbfoundedly stared at him. Seeming to find his resolve, he sat up. He leaned forward towards the table and didn’t meet my eyes again.

“Snape reassigned everyone because of me.” He stated. He was looking straight ahead, his eyes travelling up the spines of books in front of the table we were at. It felt wrong hearing a real sentence from him, especially one that wasn’t littered with insults.

“He thinks I’m fucking falling behind.” He was the second Slytherin I’d heard swear today, but his anger didn't quite reach his eyes. I watched a stray strand of hair fall from his slicked back ones, lightly resting on his forehead. He looked hopelessly disheveled the longer I looked at him.

My eyebrows knit together with concern.

“Are you okay, Draco?” I tried to be genuine, my voice soft and low. I barely breathed it and regretted it the second I said it as he flipped to face me. His lips were pressed in a tight line, chapped and pale.

“Don’t you dare call me by my first name, mudblood.” He snapped.

I felt my body tense up and my blood run cold at the tone he used. I desperately fought the water that immediately welled up in my eyes, coaching myself to just breathe carefully. I hoped he couldn’t tell how pathetic he made me feel. I just wanted to move on, now.

I decided that if he didn’t want my help, that he didn’t need it. There was nothing I could do to help him, and talking clearly wouldn’t solve anything. I wasn’t going to give him power over me, so I did the only thing I could think of.

I went on as normal. I focused back on the book for Flitwick’s, pulling my wand from my bag and placing it on the desk. Flitwick had even written a couple notes for me himself, explaining things in a better way the book could.

I had spoken to him about Scourgify, mentioning how Cho had done it and it was something I wanted to learn. He included notes about how to perform it, but I kept failing without a physical example of how to cast it.

All I had in my head was the memory of Cho, which I’d been too in shock from Malfoy’s prank to fully grasp the technique of. I had been trying to practice on dirty spoons I’d snagged from the Great Hall. I kept one wrapped in a fabric napkin and tucked into my bag, switching the spoon out for a different one each time I went to eat.

Ignoring the blond sitting next to me, I pulled the spoon out and placed it on the table in front of me. I unraveled it and there it was, just a gross spoon.

Taking a deep breath, I picked up my wand and reread Flitwick’s notes, as well as the pages in the textbook. Holding a book in one hand and my wand in the other steadily, I focused on the spoon.

“Scourgify.” I half whispered, trying to work with the tiny bit of light that sparked on my wand. I could never get farther than just a tiny emittance from my wand. It had been weeks and I still struggled to get it. It was clear from my frustration that this wasn’t the first time.

I heard a scoff from my side. I realized a set of steely eyes had focused on what I was doing as if I were some kind of entertainment. I ignored him, trying it again. And again.

I had attempted Scourgify on the spoon a good four times before he shot up out of his chair, blatantly annoyed.

“You’re literally doing everything wrong.” He muttered crossly.

I heaved a sigh, dropping my book to the table. I turned to put my wand away in my bag but he stopped me. He stood behind my chair, leaning over my shoulder. Mint and cologne overpowered my senses as he corrected me sourly.

“No, just… Merlin, you have to-” he grabbed my wrist and pointed towards the spoon, swishing my hand in a sort of ‘S’ shape. “Swish it, like this. Say it. Now.” He instructed rudely, guiding my hand to motion correctly. His cold, silver ring made me clench my wand as tightly as the night I’d got it.

“Scourgify.” I spoke boldly, jumping a slight bit as the grime left the spoon in an immediate little spark. I swallowed loudly, a disbelieving laugh bubbling softly through my lips. I turned my face to thank him before my mind could reject the idea.

However, when I turned, he had simply gone. I guess I was a bit glad he had disappeared, otherwise I would have proved his point by thanking him. Stroked his ego, probably.

I turned back to my book, writing down what I had just learned. I felt so excited and accomplished that I’d pushed away how weird that situation really was.

Did he really just grab my wrist like that? Why did he never seem to have a grasp on personal space? I tried to move on, finding the dustiest book I could find to try the spell again.

Much to my disappointment when, just as before, trying the spell only made my wand fizzle slightly.

Disappointed, I slumped down into my seat. I spent the next half hour trying to focus on Potions instead, opting to note things I noticed during class. Such as the physical traits of ingredients I was confused by.

Out of my peripheral, I noticed a light-blond head duck quietly from between some shelves, past me, and out of the library doors.

There was a book on the opposite end of the table that wasn’t there before.

I stood and walked over, picking it up. I flicked through it and much to my surprise, it was a Charms book. It was filled with neatly scribbled notes in the margins, shapes and arrows showing how to cast some simple charms I knew would get covered this year.

Some of the ink was slightly smeared a tiny bit, clearly brand new. Whereas other notes in it were old and the ink slightly faded.

Flipping to the very back cover, I read

‘If lost, return to Draco L. Malfoy’

in the same handwriting as the notes throughout, slightly faded.

What the hell?

A piece of parchment slipped from between some of the pages into my lap.

“You’re dense. Read my notes and maybe you won’t look so ridiculous.” It read.

That made much more sense. I guess I'll just... Study this all, then.

[kat-hawke]

Vynette’s Request

The Unit's return to Stormwind was unceremonious, as Kat preferred, and every operative had their hands full within the first hour. The guards were overworked and understaffed following the scourge onslaught, and the paperwork piled higher by the day: missing persons, domestic threats, Cultist sightings and speculations. Kat and the others worked tirelessly throughout the day and night over the week to sort the reports to the correct groups and chase leads on the ones which pertained to their Unit.

At nearly two in the morning, Kat and Vynette were the only two remaining, shuffling through folders with inkwells, and the Director's supply of whiskey, running dry. The elven operative repeatedly tapped her heel, earning a stern glance from the Director in a silent demand to cease the annoying habit. All the while, Kat could feel Vynette's occasional glance, but the Director was content with the silence and private conversations with the dagger on her thigh.

"I was talking to an agent from another Unit today," the elven operation finally spoke without looking up from her work. "I guess they've had eight agents now put in to answer the call for aid. From, you know, the Covenants."

Immediately Kat's patience ebbed at the mention, letting out an exasperated sigh through the nose as she muttered her response without eye contact. "Uh-huh."

There were few reports about the tear in the veil between realms, and few yet about these supposed Covenants on the other side. Each document was skimmed and submitted to the appropriate Units, but Kat remained adamant that none of it was her concern.

She could hear Vynette's sigh, knowing the operative would push the topic, her patience continued to decline.

"It seems like the need for more trained hands is still pretty great. And what with the duties of wartime off everyone's plates, more or less," the elf's voice trailed softer and quicker as she mumbled, "I was considering requesting a temporary assignment to offer my abilities. Ma'am."

While Kat speculated, this is where the conversation was leading, hearing the words still shook her. The depleted patience turned to annoyance and anger as she stared at the paper in hand, a slow exhale spilling over the faintly parted lips which curled inward over the teeth. Collecting her thoughts with eyes closed and shutting out the voice from the dagger for a moment, she refrained from an explosive response.

"There are plenty of eager hero types and bucket-heads t'full the ranks," she spoke in a monotone, slowly opening her eyes. "We have plenty t'do here."

"I know. There is work to be done, and I'm not ignoring or underplaying the work we do." Vynette kept the topic afloat, furthering the slow boil in Kat's blood and testing the limits of her restrained temper.

"It is just... the request came for me specifically." An uncharacteristic uncertainty softened Vynette's voice. "My teacher is part of the House of Eyes. He has called for me to aid the Necro Lords."

Without missing a beat, Kat's eyes narrowed sharply following Vyn's confession, her tone turning ice-cold. "I see..." 

Looking away from the elf, she went back to the papers on her desk, the grip on her temper slipping away as her operative mentioned a figure from her past. The sudden sense of abandonment weaved into the abusive thoughts that came to mind.

"So after everythin', I've done, everythin' I've risked, yer going t' abandon me just like that." Pain and anger laced Kat's words, her jaw tightening towards the end as a stamp violently slammed upon a folder. "One letter from a ghost and I'm nothin' t' ya'."

"No, that's not it at all! You're... you mean a lot to me. You took a chance on me." Vynette's voice lowered as the door to their office remained open. "I owe you everything."

Her words did little to cool the building heat within the Director's blood as she continued to shift through documents furiously and refuse to look at the elf.

"I am not looking to leave beyond a temporary reassignment; my home is here. With you and with the Unit." Vynette spoke again after a deep breath. "But he was the one who got me here. He saw value in me and gave me purpose. And I failed him. And he died," she finally admitted.

The rubber stamp was slammed into the ink pad and abandoned.

"And I saw value in ya', and gave ya' a new purpose!" Kat quickly countered, pointing a finger in the elven woman's direction. "A purpose that could have, and still could, get us both killed." 

With a scoff, Kat's head shook, and her arms crossed as she stood from the desk and paced. "Ya' failed him, but he sends a letter? Have ya' gone dense Vynette?" The woman's first name's deliberate use was rare, and she hoped it would erode the elf's will to continue the conversation. "It has trap written all over it. Or did ya' forget how ya' were ejected from the Horde?"

"I was overconfident when I got set up. I'm not that any more thanks to you," Vynette pointed out, pained by the truth in the Director's words. "Being by your side is important to me." 

Kat scoffed, shaking her head and putting her back to the elf as she examined the wall. Documents, photos, pins, and red tread all created the tapestry of their current open case to locate The Renovator. Her eyes glanced to the pin, which represented the Ren'dorei she awaited to hear a response.

"If bein' by my side is so important, then why so eager to leave it?" Pain and anger continued to lace the Director's words as she refused to face her operative.

"Kat..." Vynette pleaded. "There's still closure I need from my time as an apprentice. Shit I'm still carrying with me. My loyalty is with you; no one can change that. So I'm asking-- begging for the chance to serve the cause in the Shadowlands and put my ghosts to rest."

"Livin' in th' past never moved anyone forward," Kat responded in her chilled tone. "I need ya' here. Or is suddenly wot I and this job I graced ya' with no longer of importance? I didn' say a bloody thing when I came back to find yer visage eerily similar to mine, plucked a hair from the office, no doubt. Even when my patience is tested by yer sometimes questionable motivations and comments in the borderline territory of breakin' my rules, I allowed yer leash to remain lax. I never asked fer anythin' other than service in return, even after footin' the bills to fake and create yer life in the Alliance. But this is the thanks I get? T'be abandoned fer some Horde dog."

The elven operative stood from her seat as she pressed her defiance and rare occurrence from a woman who took pleasure from remaining obedient. "You've let my leash remain lax because I've done everything you've ever asked of me, without question. I've followed every order, completed every mission," her voice dropped lower but picked up its intensity, "I've done every off-book task you've needed with a smile because I'm your knife. I've committed sins for you, and I'd commit them thrice over, and you know that." 

As the operative's tone raced away, Kat looked back over her shoulder. One brow lifted as she stared the elven woman down from across the room as if cursing her for the act of defiance. Her teeth ground together as she contemplated the whispers of the soul-bound dagger.

Vynette's nose scrunched as she realized her tone was getting away, composing herself before resuming. "He's not some Horde dog, Director; he's found a place of high standing in the House of Eyes. If I went over your head, they'd give me the go-ahead. Hell, I could go to Fiske. I didn't do that because I don't give a shit about their authority. You're the one I follow."

"Go over m'head or t'Fiske, and it won't be a temporary reassignment." The Director barked the threat, the hold on her temper loosening further as the primal beast within began to stir. Though she knew the woman would never go over her head.

Resigning to defeat, Vynette sank into her seat, her gaze fixated on her desk. "If you command me to stay, I'll stay. I don't ask for much. But I'm just asking for you to trust me. I have debts to repay, but he's not my master anymore."

Content with the operative's surrender, Kat raked her fingers through the raven tresses with a silent breath of relief. "When this case is over," she motioned to the wall at her side as she turned to face the elf finally. "Then I will consider signin' off on a temporary reassignmen'. I will no' make any promises, however."

"Of course, ma'am," Vynette replied with an earnest salute and a genuine, radiant smile as the visible tension in her shoulders relaxed. "Til then, the only thing on my mind is our case. I'm all yours; you have my word."

"Good," Kat murmured as she returned to her desk and the papers scattered atop it. The pleasure she found in the elf's tension over the defiance was kept hidden.

"Now get out of m'sight for an hour or two before I change m'mind, and there better be a bottle in one hand when ya' return."

"Yes, ma'am," Vynette complied without hesitation, hastily exiting the office as commanded.

The fountain pen spun between Kat's nimble fingers as she stared at the door long after the elf was out of sight, leaning back into the seat with a deep sigh. This act of defiance was unexpected and worrisome, as she relied on Vynette's desire for subservience to keep her firm grip over the displaced Sin'dorei. The thought that putting those supposed ghosts to rest would change her behavior had the Director concerned. A shift in their dynamic of power was a threat to stability and security, the very idea of which caused the pit in her stomach to churn. There was also the fear of this former master swaying her operative into a new life and role, one of possible betrayal from within.

"I said I would consider it, not guarantee it." She responded to her mental conversation and returned to work, trying to set her paranoia to rest.

[ @lovelydeadlysocialite​ ] [ Vague Mentions: @alyssa-ward, @longveil ]

(Vynette’s perspective)

[stories-mostly]

Stark's Bug

Tony Stark x Son!reader

=Masterlist=

Finally! This took me so long to write like what the hell. Anyway enjoy :)

Words: 2044

Warnings: None

Chapter 18

"Can I help?" You looked over your dads shoulder as he opened the first case and dug through it.

"Don't you have homework? Do that first and then we'll see."

Begrudgingly you sauntered off and got your school stuff. It's not like it's that important anyway, at least how you saw it.

You sat down in your room and solved some easy math, wrote a few sentences about an animal that you liked (Mr. Krabs) and you were done.

You took the papers and wandered towards the lab to show your dad your work.

"What're you doing?"

You almost jumped out of your skin when Phil's voice suddenly sounded beside you.

You totally forgot that he was even there.

"I'm going to show dad my homework so I can help him!"

You held out the papers for him to see. Phil took them gently and looked over them with interest.

"This is all correct. Did you write about the Spongebob character?"

You chuckled and took your homework back.

"No! Mr. Krabs is my crayfish! Do you wanna see him? He's an old boy!" You lead the man to one of the lounge rooms off to the side where Krabs' big tank was housed. The tank had a lot of plants so it was sometimes hard to see him. You looked through the little plants and saw him in one of his big hides, only his head sticking out.

"Look there, that's Mr Krabs. He's already two years old! Crayfish don't live very long in tanks, but when they get treated nicely they can live for up to 8 years! That's older than I am!"

"Really? What do they eat?"

"Everything! That's why he doesn't have any fish friends, he'd just eat them."

"I don't think they eat everything."

"He does."

Phil chuckled but didn't argue further. You talked a little longer until you remembered what you wanted to do before and scarpered off towards the lab.

"Dad I'm done!" You shouted as you pushed the door open. Your dad was sitting in his comfortable chair reading through the books of his dad.

"Great! Show it!"

You handed over your homework and your dad let his eyes wander over it.

"Looks like it's all okay. Grab yourself a notebook and get to reading." He praised and pointed to the open case.

You did as told and sat down on your dads lap to read the smelly old book.

There were some really cool drawings in there, and some math you hadn't seen before. When you showed your dad he said it wasn't anything important. So you read and you read and you got bored. As seven year olds do when a task isn't fun anymore.

You put a piece of paper in the notebook and walked back over to the case.

You dug through it til you found something that looked interesting.

A little model airplane. Your dad said you could play with it so you did. Making loud noises and basically setting up a racetrack in the air.

Meanwhile your dad was back to digging through the case. Another handbook for the trash.

He only peaked your interest again when he put up what looked to you like a camera and put in one of those really long tape rolls you had only seen in TV.

"What're you doing?"

"Setting this up so we can watch what's on these films." He said as he put up some speakers.

"But it says it right here on the case," You said and grabbed the round casing, "these are outtakes! From a commercial? For Stark Expo!"

"Yes yes but we don't know what's said on them until we watch."

You shrugged in agreement and made yourself comfortable in your dads chair.

"Hey! Shoo. That's my seat." He chuckled and made a shooing motion with his hand.

You shook your head and crossed your arms in a teasing manner.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to sit on you now." He shrugged and turned around.

"Nooooooo." You said and pushed him away with your hands and feet laughing. You got off the chair and let your dad sit down just to plop yourself on his lap. Leaning into his chest as the clips started playing.

The man on the screen talked on about stark expo until he messed up, swore, and another clip started. He looked very weird in your opinion, not at all like your dad. So that was your grandpa. A person who swears a lot and has a really weird beard.

You settled further into your dads chest as you continued to be fixated on the screen. You had never taken a good look at the old pictures your dad kept. It hadn't interested you at all.

You knew he was dead so there was something entirely weird about seeing him so alive on screen talking about things that still exist today. While he doesn't. And while you knew what death was you couldn't yet grasp the concept of it entirely.

With these sort of existential questions you fell asleep snuggled against your dads chest facing the screen. It took Tony quite a while to notice you being asleep. Too concentrated on the books and screen to see you half snoring with your mouth squashed open and drooling out of the corner of your mouth.

Carefully he picked you up and brought you to bed without waking you at all.

After having delivered you to the bed he went straight back into the lab. Still continuing to search for.... well something.

Phil was on school bus duty as he put it. He was driving this really big black car with tinted windows. Your dad told him the name of your school and said goodbye to you.

A few minutes into the mostly silent car ride Phil started talking.

"So. How do you like school so far? You're in second grade, right?"

"It's okay. I like playing with my friends a lot. But the classes are boring. I already know all of the stuff they talk about."

"Really? Maybe you're a little too smart for second grade then? What are your grades like?"

"Good I think. But my dad says that grades don't actually show how smart someone is."

"That's true. But they're still important."

"For what? I'm only 7."

Phil fell silent. That was true. And so he quickly changed the topic until you were dropped off onto school grounds.

School, as always, was pretty boring. At least the classes were. Your friends and you had played hide and seek on break and in the second break you sat around and talked while eating your food. Mostly about videogames. Jason, who had sort of taken up the leader position really liked that topic. And so you stayed on it.

Your homeroom teacher gave you a note to give to your dad and with that the schoolday ended and you got into Phil's car again.

"How was school today?" He asked as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"Like normal. Mrs. Foster gave me a note for dad."

"Really? What about?"

"I don't know." You shrugged not having read it at

You and Phil guessed what the teacher could've written on the letter all the way until you were home.

Walking into the house you immediately knew something was up as there was a big hole in the floor reaching through to the lab.

You walked down not knowing what to expect, leaving your bag near the hole and Phil to follow in a normal pace.

There definitely was something going on. As there were giant tubes taking up most of the space in the lab.

"What's this?" You asked excited at the thought of a new project.

"Welcome back. This will help us finish what your grandfather started." Tony said ominously but completed his statement soon after. "We're going to create a new element"

You were dumbfounded, you could do that? Just go out there and create a new element? The hell? You knew that people could discover new elements but create them? That's so cool.

Today was a day you decided that your dad was most definitely the coolest person on earth.

"That's so cool! You're the coolest, daddy!" you said and gave him a hug.

Just then Phil entered the lab.

"Can you hand me the spirit level?"

"Yeah!" you said, happily trotting over to the pile of tools laying next to and even under a box. The spirit level was right on top so you didn't have to pull or wedge it out of that mess. Handing your dad the spirit level he placed it on top of the tubes and sighed. Its uneven.

Just then Phil pulled out what looked like a Captain America shield prototype and asked what it was doing here.

"That is exactly what I need." Your dad took the shield and Phil lifted the coil so he could wedge the shield under it.

"Perfectly level. What do you want?"

Just then Phil told the news of his reassignment and your face fell. You liked Phil. Despite not knowing him all that well he was fun to be around. So when he turned to say goodbye to you you hugged him.

"Can you tell me what you were doing when we see each other again?" You asked jutting out your lower lip and drawing your eyebrows together.

"Sure thing sport. I'll send you a postcard." He smiled and with that you let go and let him leave with a wave.

The new element was created not long after Phil had left. It was a great spectacle to watch. The laser had left its mark on the wall and the element shone brightly as it was created.

Your dad took it for testing to the computer and plugged it in.

"This'll take a while do you have any idea what we could do while we wait?" he asked turning to you.

You had just the thing.

After several hours of intense playing with your dolls and action figures your father had to go to New York. Stark Expo and all of that. You would have really loved to go but he said no.

So you had your own little concert in the living room. Singing along loudly to all the songs Jarvis played for you. Pretending you were on a big stage being the best singer to ever live on your world tour.

"LET'S GET DOWN TO BUSINESS! TO DEFEAT thE hunnns"

"This ain't a sCeENe it's a GOD. DAMN. ARMS-RACE"

and so on.

After your throat started to feel a bit sore you stopped and started doing whatever came to mind.

You had recently gotten a bow and technically you're not allowed to shoot it inside the house but who is going to catch you? Jarvis never told on you before and everyone who could be is in New York.

You placed some plastic bottles on a table which stood at the opposite side of the room and shot at them.

First without the force but you got frustrated when you didn't hit anything so you got help in aiming by your little powers and then just shot the arrows without the bow.

All was fun until the doorbell rung. Your stomach dropped. Everyone was in New York. So who was at the door..?

"Who's there Jarvis?" you basically whispered.

"It's a pizza delivery, Mr. Stark had told me to order you some food as he won't be back until late. There is money on the kitchen counter."

"Oh, okay!" you said and ran into the kitchen relieved that it wasn't a bad guy coming for you. You were pretty much out of breath when you reached the door, money in hand.

"Hello! Is this my pizza?" you asked right after having opened the door.

"Uh, yeah a Pepperoni one right?" The man looked a bit taken aback, obviously not having expected a child to Open the door in the kind of house you're in.

"Yes! Thank you!" you took the carton out of his hands after giving him the money.

"You can keep all of it. Have a nice day!" you said and basically slammed the door shut in his face.

You had just given him a hundred dollars for a maybe 15$ pizza. You probably made that guys day and didn't know it.

You ate the pizza and watched a Disney movie before Jarvis told you to go brush your teeth and go to bed. You ignored him and took a bath too. Spending most of your time playing in the water rather than actually cleaning yourself.

You fell asleep around 11 pm on your father's bed. And woke up the next day right next to him. And Pepper on your other side. Huh.

Tags: @shannonr2003 @art-estrange @tater-thotties @tonystanktheirondad @gaylemonshark @emilaa2001 @kindahadeschild @actualcringetm

Have a fantastic day ;)

[77uchiha77]

Sassy S/o - Damian Wayne Headcanons

Request:  Could you write Damian and his S/O being sassy w/ each other?

Note/Warnings: Gender neutral reader. Enjoy!

Permanent Taglist:  @madhatterxd

Everyone always told Damian he’d meet his match one day

As in someone who was just as slick as him

Yeah.... that one day was today. You were new at school. Your family was pretty well known. You? not so much

Your parents were hell-bent on the paparazzi not getting pictures of you

Which is why only the people in your parents social class knew you existed

Anywho back to the storyline

 You speed walk looking for your class in the hallway. Suddenly you trip over something, your phone falling on the floor shattering

“Watch where you’re going nobody.” Your eyes scanned the figure that now stood over you. It was a petite girl that just reeked of *cliche mean girl* her squad surrounded her. You looked around thinking maybe she wasn’t talking to you, but she was. She stepped over you, walking with her friends.

“She probably came here with a scholarship” She snickered.

You furrowed your eyebrows, you didn’t but even if you did that just meant you earned your position to be here at this school. Though you did promise your mom you were going to be nicer, some promises are just destined to fail

“I believe in freedom of speech but some people need to know when to shut up.” You spoke loud enough for her to hear, she stopped. Turning on her heel

“What did you say?” she questioned, her short heels clacked against the laminated floor 

“You heard me, though I would stay here and encounter useless dispute with you but- “  you waved your schedule continuing “ gotta run.”

This was Damian’s first sighting of you as he carried the books his teacher requested, blocking his face. You walked passed him, eventually, you both stopped at a large wooden door

“Do you need help?” 

“I’m sufficiently stable on carrying these on my own.” Damian scoffed

You rolled your eyes, was everyone at this school stuck up?

During class, you both argued so much the teacher had to reassign seats so you two weren’t near each other.

“Please don’t interrupt me while I’m ignoring you.“ Damian groaned you were a tough cookie, you had a comeback to everything he said

“Since you know everything, then you know you’re an asshole.” You yelled, your sight not leaving the book you were reading in your hand

“Detention! both of you!” Everyone in the class but the teacher was amused

Fast forward, after that evening in detention, Damian started growing fond of you

You both started hanging out more, soon you both were like two peas in a pod

God bless the soul of whoever tried roasting you while you two were together

Everywhere you went, you two were seen together

Galas, Parks, Fairs, laughing at the dildos in the back of Spencers, and malls

Fast forward once more, Damian had finally asked you out.

When he brought you to meet his family, saying they were shocked was an understatement

Every time Damian insulted his brothers, you helped protect them

You should honestly get paid at this by how good you were

“What doesn’t kill you. Disappoints me, Todd.” 

“The level of your obnoxiousness is obnoxious Wayne.“ You caught Damian off guard because for Pete’s sake you were half asleep, your head rested in his lap as Damian readjusted himself on the couch

“The people who tolerate you on a daily basis are the real heroes,” Tim muttered while speed typing a report on his laptop.

I hope you liked it! I kinda didn’t know where to end it but yeah.

[moodymurda]

think i lost my best friend

as a small child my first first best friend was a boy named omar. we met in daycare when we were two. we were the smallest in the class but had the biggest mouths. we ended up going to the same schools until 4th grade. at our elementary school anytime someone claimed me as a best friend, he would explain that we went way back to diapers and they weren’t my best friend lmao. 

in pre-k i met a boy named hakeem. (our mom’s ended up being friends, they still talk occasionally and sometimes my mom will tell me how hakeem and his siblings are doing. because she know my weird ass cares about that sort of thing). hakeem brought these lemon cookies everyday for snack. i liked them too but in strawberry, so he would have his mom get me some and he brought me those cookies everyday until we changed schools in first grade. we always sat together, did our work together, played together. we had other friends but we mostly did everything together. 

in first grade i had 2 best friends. a boy named franklyn and a girl named melody. melody moved away like 4 months into the school year but to this day i’ve never forgotten her. franklyn, i thought he was so cool. he was a really great artist.. for a 6 year old lol. he was real funny too. he had the funniest facial expressions. and he was real serious which i was entertained by because i’ve always been “silly”. 

in 4th grade i met a girl named shanelle. we were the shortest girls in the class and the smartest. we were really similar in general and we instantly clicked. it was a whole lil group of girls that i’d known since first grade. but shanelle and i ended up in the same class in 4th grade and we clicked idk. that was my mf girl. when i first moved to florida we talked on the phone every saturday for hours. i also met a boy named anias that year. he was one of my best friends too. he was also my first crush lol. unrelated but it’s interesting to look back at how i handled the fact that i liked him, because i still handle liking people that same way.

fifth grade was my first year in florida. it was real hard for me to make friends. the other day, my mom said to me she realized that in new york i never had to make friends. i have bout 5011 cousins, so that's built in friends right there. and they were my friends back then, they're my friends now. then most of the kids i went to daycare with, they went to my elementary school. so again i never had to make a friend really. i knew everyone in my life since i was a literal infant. 

but yea i did end up making friends eventually. got my first white friends ever lol. (one of their dad’s called me a nigger which is still hands down one of the weirdest things i’ve ever experienced.) i started to befriend more girls which was cool because before then i always had way more guy friends than girls. 

in middle school i went to one school for 6th grade, then another for 7th & 8th. in 6th i met my friend nijah. and she was my best friend then. she treated me like i was her little sister and i’m still grateful. she really looked out for my little ass and defended me no matter what. she was present after i got into my first fight lol. and even though i held my own, the girl had scratched my face. that shit set nijah off and she proceeded to beat homegirl’s ass even though i just did.

i struggled to make friends in 7th again. in 6th grade i went to the same school that most of my elementary friends went to, so again i didn’t have to make friends for real. i did make new friends but it was different because it was a group thing. not me alone trying to fit in somewhere. in 7th grade i finally got into a school i applied to in 5th grade but was wait-listed. i was and am very reluctant to speak to those i don’t know for a list of reasons. so i didn’t. i would just observe the people in my class. eventually these two girls named janae and keely who were best friends, kinda let me stick my ass in there with them. then i met bart and this girl dani. i remember marcus and i had ended up befriending one another bc our history teacher sat us next to each other when he was reassigning seats. (i remember every mf thing but marcus was also my second crush so naturally i remember every detail of that shit). so yea those were my friends. at the time janae was my best friend tho. she was the only other black girl in the class that would talk to me and didn’t think i was weird. it was because her ass was weird too lol. i didn’t act like the rest of the black girls and they really only spoke to me to make fun of me. which i knew, but i’ve never been one to entertain shit unless “you got beat my ass about it”. 

in 8th grade janae and i met this group of girls. morgan, dejahnna, atlantis, and jarvayssia. some shit shifted that year and morgan and dejahanna became my best friends. they were the first friends i ever hang out with outside of school. it made me feel so good to be invited to shit and to feel included. to feel like a normal ass 13 yr old felt amazing. 

so in high school there were two schools all the magnet school kids would usually apply to. stanton and paxon. with the exception of keely, bart, and a few other people i didn't mention here. every single person i was close with in middle school, went to paxon. what's crazy is most of my friends were going for stanton because in jax it’s the “better” school as far as ranking goes. i don't even remember why but when i toured paxon, i liked it more than stanton and i wanted to go there. it’s still funny to me that my ass didn’t want to go to stanton but was one of the only ones in my close friend group to get in. 

so yea at stanton is struggled. a lot. personally but also in the friend department. to put it plainly i had none. people didn't really talk to me or acknowledge me really. at first i didn’t mind it. but then having a fucked up home situation and having no friends just made me feel real shitty. there was that thing again, with people talking to me only to make fun of me. some of those same people would turn around senior year and try to be my friend senior year which was hilarious to me at the time. it was like they forgot how they treated my extra depressed ass back then. i met this girl chelsey in 10th grade and she was hella sweet. she basically forced me on her friends and they became my friends.

okay so anyway, in 11th grade i met a girl named ahmani. she was in my chorus class. i remember our first encounter, it was towards the beginning of the school year. stanton was playing paxon and it was the game everyone went to ya know. i wanted to go but my mom couldn't take me. so everyone is talking about it and someone asked if i was coming. i said no and why, ahmani ended up asking me what side of town i lived on. we realized we dead lived like 7 minutes away from each other. she offered to pick me up and bring me to the game w her. i was amazed that she was willing to, i know that dont sound like a big deal but to me it was. people weren’t nice to me bro. like ever. so for her to do that it meant a lot. she ended up being my ride every mf where. she is dead the reason i hung out w people outside of school w my friends. she took me everywhere with her. sometimes we would just sit in the car and talk or listen to music. we had a group of friends, it was 5 of us. but i was the closest with her. 

i admired her. i thought she was so strong and resilient. she's hella awkward but she owns it. she's low-key/highkey anxious sometimes but she works through it. no one i’ve ever met works harder to achieve shit than she is. she sings so beautifully. she is beautiful. she's a caretaker of basically anyone she knows. she is a light, she was my light for so long when i needed it. we’re pretty different but also a lot alike. we just worked. i always told her where i fall short she picks up my slack and vice versa. we might be a bit of a mess separately but our heads working together is unstoppable. we’re kinda a mess together too honestly but it’s us.

in college we didn't spend as much time together. we both stayed home for two years and went to a community college. we would hang out like weekly i think. i’m pretty sure we saw each other once a week at the very least. but then she went to orlando for university and i went to UNF which in jax. we didn’t talk all that much and i understood. i wasn't necessarily too busy, but thats because i just never am that fucking busy lmfao. idk the way i go through life is weird. i only make time for the shit and people i want to make time for. i refuse to do anything i dont want to. and that isn’t necessarily my best trait but I'm working on it. but yea i guess she was busier than i? idk when i don’t speak to people for a while i dont make a big deal. i tell myself it isn’t on purpose and i move on. i often tell myself not to apply more importance to my life than what is necessary. especially when others are involved. again, not my best trait but i’m working on it. 

so yea though our communication got limited i still considered her my best friend. when she would come to the city, if she had time we hung out. i always have time lmfao, always. again i know other people’s lives are more full than mine. well i assume so. anyway. we spoke on the phone. we were there when the other needed i think. i try hard not to need people. like not to call them or burden them with my issues. i try real hard. but when she needed me i was there. not to say i’ve ever needed her and she wasn’t there. because that isn’t the case at all. 

recently we planned to move to chicago together. a whole chain of events happened and now we aren’t. i’m still moving and i’m pretty sure she is too. just not together. the way it happened is really fucking with me. i don’t wanna get into it bc of privacy and shit. but i will say that i am hurt. im really hurt and im confused and im beating myself up over some shit that everyone keeps telling me isn't my fault. feels like my fault though. that feels like the only explanation. i dont know.

i’ve been thiniking a lot. about friends and how i never really had any. i just spoke to people so i wasn't alone or sometimes i just spoke to no one and made myself be okay with it. and now i have this group of friends and we’re like family. everyone that is my friend currently is my family. all of my friends i have currently i made over the internet. and i was bothered by that im not even gonna lie. it felt good to still have ahmani bc i would see her more than i see my other friends. i still have some i didn't meet yet. idk i just.. im the only person in my like personal life with internet friends. like in my family. and i felt like i just fed the fact that my family thinks im not even the least bit “normal”. then i started to feel bad. because it felt like that meant i was ashamed of my friends.and i’m not. i love them. i dont wanna lose any of them any time soon. and i’m realizing i dont need anyone’s approval to make those friendships “real” or valid. because they are real and valid to me. 

but yea i dont think ahmani and i will be friends anymore. or if we do end up being friends again, we probably won't speak for a while. i don’t know what that means. but losing a friend sucks a whole lot and i wouldn’t wish it on anyone. 

[davidcarner]

Buy More High Ch 6, Emmett’s Revenge

A/N: Boy isn't everything going absolutely perfectly in this fic….Yep…Into every life some rain must fall…I must say, the one constant in this from the readers has been the question, where's Ellie. She's here, but….well…I'm sorry…Warning, some language, it's nothing you wouldn't hear at a high school, also it gets heavy…really heavy…Welcome to Ch 6, Emmett's Revenge

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, or Emmett, or Bryce Larkin, but I'm okay publicly flogging two of the three…

Chuck was on top of the world. It had been a wonderful weekend he had spent with Sarah Walker…his girlfriend. Sarah Walker, Chuck Bartowski's girlfriend. Chuck Bartwoski, Sarah Walker's boyfriend. That just sounded amazing.

"I can practically hear you squealing over there, Chuck," Sarah said, grinning.

"Sarah, I'm shocked the whole world can't," Chuck admitted, making Sarah's grin grow. "We're beating Emmett at his game, we're saving the arts programs, and we're dating, exclusively."

"Seem pretty proud of yourself, Bartowski," Sarah replied.

"Nah, it's just the love of a good woman pouring out of me," Chuck responded. His eyebrows shot up when he realized what he said, but Sarah was laughing, so he didn't worry about it. He wasn't worried about anything. He had Sarah, and that was all he needed. They pulled into the parking lot, entered the building, where they saw Beckman. She didn't look very happy.

"Mr. Bartowski, Miss Walker, my office please," she said, with a pained look on her face. They followed her, not sure what was going on. They entered the office and Emmett was already there, looking quite proud of himself.

"Steal another child's soul, Emmett?" Chuck asked. Sarah slapped his arm for him to behave.

"Mr. Bartwoski, are you and Miss Walker in a personal relationship?" Emmett asked.

"Most people have a personal relationship with other people, Emmett, it's called being friends, having a soul, you might try it," Chuck replied.

"Were you at Miss Walker's house Saturday morning?" Emmett continued.

"That's really none of your damn business," Chuck replied. "Besides, when I took this job, Principal Beckman told me she didn't care what I did on my own time, and to keep it appropriate at dances. We did."

"That was under a different administration," Emmett rebutted.

"Uh, no, you don't run the school," Chuck said, shaking his head. He stood up. "I have classes to teach."

"Sit down, Mr. Bartowski," Beckman said softly. Chuck looked at her.

"You have got to be kidding me," Chuck said. Sarah stared at Beckman.

"Sit down, Mr. Bartowski," Beckman said again. Chuck remained standing.

"You know what, no," Chuck said, making Beckman very uncomfortable. "This cannot be part of the deal. This is ridiculous, I have done everything and then some to try and make these kids lives better and you're going to let this asshole tell us what to do." Beckman's and Sarah's eyes nearly popped out of their head. Emmett grinned like a snake he was so proud of himself.

"You two are reassigned," Emmett said. Chuck laughed, straightened, and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Fat chance," Chuck said. "You have no one to teach our classes."

"Oh, you're right about the classes you teach solo," Emmet said. "But I did what you said, I took the money donated by the family, and hired a teacher to teach those classes that you two taught together." Chuck looked at him.

"Okay," he said shrugging. "I get that, so do we have half the day off now?"

"Oh, no," Emmett said, quite proud of himself. "Miss Walker will be assisting Mr. Barker in English since she's a linguist." Chuck looked sick. Sarah stood, turned to Chuck, and took his hands. She looked him in the eyes to try to convey they would be okay. "Mr. Bartowski, you will assist Mr. Montgomery." Chuck nodded. "Also the new teacher I hired will run the school play and forensics. Miss Walker, you are out of the both. Mr. Bartowski, you will not be doing forensics. Miss Walker, you and Mr. Barker will chaperon dances together. Mr. Bartwoski, you and Mr. Montgomery will also chaperon dances together."

"I won't do the play," Chuck said.

"Then I guess we'll just put Bryce in charge of the flyers," Emmett said, grinning. Chuck looked over at Beckman.

"You're going to let this son of a bitch get away with this?" Chuck asked. Beckman didn't answer, she just looked away. "We built all of this Beckman, you asked us to, and now you're going to dump us?"

"Mr. Bartwoski," Emmett said, putting his hand on Chuck's shoulder. Before he could react, Sarah took his arm and twisted it behind his back.

"Keep your hands off of my boyfriend," Sarah growled.

"I see you wear the pants in this relationship, Miss Walker," Emmett said, in pain, but still taunting.

"Emmett, she can wear whatever she wants to," Chuck said, shaking his head at the terrified man. Sarah let him go, and came over to Chuck. He held her right in front of Emmett daring him to say something. "I'm disappointed Diane, I thought better of you than this." Beckman didn't answer, she just looked away.

"Now, I'd like to introduce you to your replacement," Emmett said, and walked over to the door. Beckman looked pale, and Chuck's mouth dropped when he saw the woman enter the room. "I'd like to introduce to you, Mrs. Bartowski." Chuck stared at his mother as the wheels turned in Sarah's head. "Just so you know, she is the one who helped me come up with the whole plan."

"I shouldn't be surprised," Chuck said, shaking his head. "She's all about the greater good and how the whole is more important than the parts. Great to see you, Mary," he said, sarcasm dripping from his voice

"It's Mom or Mrs. Bartowski," Mary replied.

"Nope, because you are neither one of those things," Chuck said. "It's no wonder dad left." Sarah put her hand to her mouth, stunned at Chuck. He always found the good in people, but this, this was something he had never seen.

"Watch your tone with me, young man," Mary snapped.

"What exactly are you going to do? Not be there for me? Tell me to broaden my horizons and learn how to do something myself? Put everyone else in front of your children?" Chuck asked. "I knew it was a mistake to ask for your help, you haven't changed a lick." He turned to Emmett. "I was wrong, Emmett. I don't know your mom, so I don't know if you're a son of a bitch or not, but I am." Sarah's mouth dropped, and Mary stiffened in shock. Chuck turned to Beckman. "It appears I've come down with something and instead of throwing up on you, I'm taking the day off," and he walked out of the office.

"Since I've been with him in every conceivable way for the past 48 hours, I've probably got it too," Sarah said, and followed after him.

"That went well," Emmett said.

"Get out of my office you slimy son of a bitch," Beckman yelled. Emmett fled. Beckman stared at Mary. "Did you learn nothing?" Mary gave Beckman a frosty look, turned, and left. Beckman sat there a minute and picked up the phone. "We have a problem," she said. "Will you help?"

Outside, Sarah was hurrying to catch up with Chuck. He was tall, pissed, and was covering ground in a hurry.

"Chuck, will you wait!" she yelled. Chuck turned, surprised to see her.

"Sarah, you have to go back. This isn't your problem." She caught up with him, with an eyebrow raised. An amused smile came to her face as she saw Chuck process the look on her face and rethink what he had said. She took his hands in hers.

"Chuck Bartowski, you are my boyfriend, and whatever problems are yours, are mine, that's the way things work," she said. Chuck nodded, and looked in the direction of the office he had just came from, anger covering his face.

"Yeah, I know that," he said. "I had to learn that on my own, since I had no one to teach me." Sarah wondered just what happened to him and Ellie. He looked down at her. "Sorry, when she's around it drags up old reflexes. Mine has always been to run. You know, it's funny, I want everyone to like me, except one person. The one who gave birth to me. I just want her to stay out of my life."

"Come'ere," she said, pulling him into a hug. "I don't know what you grew up with, you know a little of what I grew up with, but as long as we're together, my promise to you is this, your problems are my problems."

"Literally," he muttered, causing her to chuckle. He pulled away, cupped her cheek in his hand, and leaned his forehead against hers. "I make you the same promise. Now, I owe you a story, but not here, you mind taking me to that coffee shop you like?" He pulled away, she nodded, took his hand, and led him out of the school. They passed a senior who was just coming in, and she grinned at Sarah.

"Get it, Miss Walker," she said, holding up her hand. Sarah high-fived her and looked over at Chuck who looked a bit proud of himself. They got in the car, drove to the coffee shop, ordered, took their seats, when Chuck hopped up and said he wanted to wash off his face for a second. He left his phone on the table. Sarah knew his code, he had given it to her. She never wanted to be that person, but she knew he needed someone more than her right now. She made a decision, right or wrong, picked up the phone, smiled at the picture of them as his lock screen, unlocked it, and made a phone call.

"Chuck, everything okay?" Ellie asked.

"Ellie, it's Sarah."

"Sarah…THE Sarah Walker?" Ellie asked. It sounded like she was vibrating, but that wasn't possible, was it? "Is something wrong?"

"Kinda, Mary was hired at the high school," Sarah began.

"Where are you?" Ellie asked. "Does he know that you called?"

"No," Sarah began.

"You did the right thing," Ellie told her. She really hoped Chuck saw it the same way. Sarah told her where they were. They disconnected, Sarah put down the phone, and waited. Chuck came out of the bathroom, sat down, and looked…well…flustered.

"I need to tell you a lot," he began. "I just have trouble doing it, Ellie should be here. I should call her."

"I already did," Sarah said, looking down and deciding to just plow through this. "I understand if you're mad at me, but I did it because I don't know what you're going through, and she does, and the way you talk about her, like she's your actual mom, but your sister, and-" Chuck laid his hand over hers, and she looked up at him. He had an understanding smile on his face.

"Thank you," Chuck said softly. It was a few minutes later when a hurricane blew in the door. Sarah was taken aback. Here was this doctor, woman who had been like a mother to Chuck, and from what Chuck had told Sarah had one of the kindest souls she had ever heard of. To top it off, Ellie was simply elegant. Beauty, grace, and Bartowski charm. Sarah stood to shake her hand, and was gathered in a full on hug.

"Thank you," Ellie muttered, pulled away, studied her, and smiled. "Chuck, you didn't do this woman justice."

"How do you really describe her?" Chuck asked. Ellie shrugged, having to agree with him. They all sat, Ellie beside Sarah. Chuck told Ellie what happened, with Sarah filling in when he got a little embarrassed with what he had said. Ellie sighed.

"So, I guess you need the full story to understand this," Ellie said.

"I mean, yes, but it's your story, the two of you," Sarah said. "It's not my place."

"Sarah, you're family," Ellie said simply. The grin on Chuck's face read, "don't even bother fighting her, you will lose."

"Okay," Sarah said, an amused smile on her face. Ellie nodded.

"Let's be fair, Mom has no business being a mother," Ellie began.

"None," Chuck agreed. Sarah watched and listened to the two. There was no bile or hatred, they were just stating facts.

"Mom was very good at teaching, I believe you call it pedagogy," Ellie said. Sarah looked at Chuck, her eyes narrowing.

"Okay, that makes sense," she muttered. Chuck looked away, his ears red.

"Oh, I know what he did that first day," Ellie said, smacking his arm.

"Ow," he said, rubbing it, but grinning at the both of them. Ellie wasn't mad, she was shaking her head.

"He reverts because of her sometimes," Ellie explained.

"Is it gonna be one of those conversations like I'm not in the room, because if so I can leave," Chuck said. Ellie and Sarah both glared at him. He gulped. "Right, shutting up."

"Mom's very…clinical," Ellie said. Chuck nodded. "She doesn't think Chuck can ever be an effective teacher because he cares too much, empathizes with his students."

"That's why they love him," Sarah said. "I'm sorry, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard, how does she connect with them?"

"Mom, has these great projects that excite kids into learning, Chuck goes about it a different way," Ellie explained. "What Chuck, USUALLY," she said, turning to him and faux glaring. "Does, is try to reason with her there is no one way."

"He's right," Sarah said. "Some students do have trouble connecting with Chuck's way of teaching, but his enthusiasm and infectiousness usually makes all the students interested and want to try." Ellie beamed. Ellie looked over at Chuck, who nodded.

"Mom wasn't always this bad," Ellie began. "She met dad, who was a lot like Chuck in his affection for others." Chuck smiled and looked away. "Mom…tried. Even then she had trouble sometimes connecting with us, but she tried, really hard. She put everything into teaching and trying to be a good mom." Ellie sighed. "Of course she tried to do things very precise, exact, and with a schedule, and I flourished in that environment…Chuck…."

"Oh dear God," Sarah blurted out, causing both of the Bartowskis to laugh. "That must have been awful." Ellie smiled.

"He was more hardheaded back then," Ellie said, making Sarah wince. "But, it worked…until…" Chuck reached over and squeezed Ellie's hand.

"It wasn't your fault," he said softly. Ellie nodded, tears in her eyes.

"You have to understand, Sarah, back then, there wasn't a lot of stuff about mental health. There wasn't the training, and I know there's so little now, but teachers didn't have all the tools they needed," Ellie said. Worry began to gather in Sarah's stomach. "Mom was working with a student, and the student said she needed more time with her. I had soccer practice…." She trailed off, her eyes full of tears.

"When they found her the next morning," Chuck began. "Well…" Chuck turned away, tears in his eyes.

"Suicide?" Sarah whispered. Chuck nodded.

"It was an absolute tragedy, but Mom took it too far," Ellie said. "She pulled away from her family. She had been close with the student. The student wrote a note that basically said Mom was the last person who cared about her, but it was obvious her kids would always come before her students."

"She pulled away from us, from Dad, from her friends," Chuck said, looking down. "Suzy Mathis was my mother's favorite student, and she killed herself, and mom swore it would never happen again no matter what it took."

"We had been taught by her for years, we had a father, we were fine," Ellie said, mimicking their mother. "She needed help, Sarah, and she managed to hide it all by working so hard at school. All they saw was the best teacher they had turning it up another notch, losing herself in the work, but the school was winning awards." Sarah shook her head and blew out a breath.

"It was about a year later, dad gave up and left," Chuck said. "He tried to take us, but, she fought him and won. She was never there. Ellie had to raise me, because I was clueless. I mean let's be honest, I'm barely on solid foods myself, now." Both women laughed. Tears were still in everyone's eyes. "Thanks, Sis."

"Anytime, Chuck," she said, smiling. "You're Aces, Charles." Chuck smiled back at her. She turned to Sarah. "So, that's why I was so excited to find out about you two, and why he was hesitant to have you meet me, because we have a huge bond, but sometimes I have to explain it, and it scares people."

"What person in their right mind would run away from you two?" Sarah asked.

"She needs to heal," Chuck said softly. "I love her still, I'm just so angry."

"Chuck, you have to go back," Sarah said. "To the play."

"Sarah," Chuck began.

"Don't do what dad did," Ellie said gently. Chuck stopped moving, shut his eyes, and nodded.

"I need to stay for them," Chuck said.

"And for me," Sarah added, her voice full of life. Chuck looked at her. "Hey, I'm gonna toot my own horn, I basically did all the hard work, she's coming in and getting the glory, but whatever, we know who did the work. Make me look good, Chuck."

"Sarah, you don't need any help there," Chuck said. Sarah turned to Ellie.

"See, that's why I keep him around," Sarah said, grinning. She turned back to Chuck. "Now, don't worry about Cole, I promise he's got nothing compared to my boyfriend." Ellie beamed. "She does know we're dating…exclusively?" Ellie cleared her throat and Chuck grinned.

"What's the plan?" Ellie asked. Sarah shrugged.

"No plan," Sarah replied. "Our hands are tied. Emmett took the Carter's money and hired your mom with it, split us up, and fired us from the extracurriculars."

"Dr. Carter?" Ellie asked.

"I guess," Chuck replied.

"Okay, Dr's orders," Ellie said, grinning. "You two go enjoy the day, worry about tomorrow, tomorrow." Chuck and Sarah said their good-byes, and headed to their car. Ellie got in her car, pulled out her phone, and made a call. "Dr. Carter, Dr. Woodcomb here. I'm good, I just wanted to let you know what happened after you donated the money to what is now Buy More High. How? I'm Chuck Bartowski's sister. I'll be glad to meet you at the hospital," she said, and hung up grinning. "Nobody messes with my brother, Emmett," she said, as she drove off.

A/N: Ooof….David giveth…David taketh away…sorry to be so heavy, and yes, I do know of a very similar story that happened…next time, we have a big fight coming to see who rules the school…(psst it's me, it will be alright)…til next time…hope you enjoyed it!

[onewfantaesy]

I really like your stories! I was kind of getting out of fanfic but when I found your blog, I found that I really enjoy your stories. Secret Boyfriend AU and the Vampire story are two of my favorite ones. Just wondering, in Secret Boyfriend does TaeKai get to spend time with each other during school field trips (or overnight trips)?

ahh thank you!!! lmao vamp au is always a good go-to, but i’m glad you like secret boyfriends au uwu it’s just so Good

So as for field trips, Taemin and Kai always got to sit on the same bus because their last names were so close to each other alphabetically. Kai would get on the bus first, find them a good seat, and when Taemin’s name was called a little bit down the roster, he would hurry onto the bus to find Kai and climb over him to take the window seat. 

“I don’t like being on the end,” Taemin whined the first time. “Lemme take the window seat.”

“Ugh, fine,” Kai scoffed, scooting over while Taemin literally climbed on top of him. 

Ravi always took the seat in front of them so he could turn around and talk to them, because if he sat in the seat behind them, they would ignore him as a joke. If he was in front of them, he made them pay attention to him. It was a delicate balance.

Their senior year, they went on a class trip to the mountains one weekend. They had taken a similar trip their junior year, but no one had really known they were together, so it wasn’t such a big deal. Senior year, however, people started complaining that Taemin and Kai were sleeping in the same room even though they were dating.

“All the boys sleep in one room, though,” Taemin pointed out when one of their teacher-chaperones brought it up to them. 

“Yeah, and we already claimed beds,” Kai said. “What are you gonna do, make one of us go sleep with the girls?”

“I’m not sleeping in the girls’ dorm,” Taemin snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Neither of you are sleeping in the girls’ dorm,” their teacher said. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before saying, “Just - just don’t do anything inappropriate, alright?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna fuck each other in the same room as thirty other guys where there’s no walls or curtains or any privacy at all,” Taemin said.

“Dude,” Kai hissed, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Don’t make me send you two home early,” their teacher said in a monotone voice. “Now go down to the dining hall for dinner.”

“Congratulations,” Kai hissed as he dragged Taemin down the stairs, “we’re gonna be in separate groups the whole weekend now, just you watch.”

“No we’re not,” Taemin drawled out, “we already got assigned groups, and I’m in yours, remember?”

“Watch them reassign us,” Kai muttered. “Because you couldn’t keep your stupid mouth shut.”

“If we fight over this, I’m gonna be real annoyed,” Taemin told him. “It’s not a big deal.”

“You can’t talk back to our teacher like that,” Kai hissed at him. “You’re gonna get us both in trouble.”

“Kai, babe,” Taemin started, cupping Kai’s cheeks in his hands and smiling at him, “please just trust me. It’s fine.”

Kai huffed, but he muttered out, “Fine,” and then pulled on Taemin’s arm again to pull him the rest of the way into the dining hall.

“They divided us up based on who we’re friends with,” Taemin assured him. “They’re not gonna fuck with that system.”

“True,” Kai mumbled. “But still. Please just don’t be an ass to the teachers, will ya?”

“Fine,” Taemin whined. “But only if you kiss me.”

Kai didn’t even pause before he cupped Taemin’s cheeks, pecked him on the lips, and then continued dragging him to the table Ravi was already sitting at. 

“That was easy,” Taemin laughed, but Kai just side-eyed him.

“I kissed you, so stop being a dick,” Kai said.

When they sat down, Ravi looked at them with a smirk on his face.

“So which of you is moving the girls’ dorm?” he asked.

“Neither of you two fucks are allowed to sleep in our room,” Krystal said from where she was sitting at the table next to their’s. 

“Ew, as if,” Taemin hissed at her. “You wish one of us was sleeping in your room.”

“I really don’t want to be sleeping near either one of you,” she said.

“Why?” Taemin asked. “Would it make you get a big ol’ lady boner?”

“You’re so gross,” Krystal said as all the boys around them started snickering. “Do you even know how a vagina works?”

“Ooooooh,” the kids around them all laughed.

“No, and I don’t really want to,” Taemin said, crossing his arms.

“I bet you don’t even know what a real vagina looks like,” she insisted.

“I’m gay, why would I even care?”

A bunch of the kids around them let out snorts and laughs, and Taemin just smirked at her and wiggled his eyebrows. He won that round, no doubt about it.

“Loser,” she mumbled, turning back to her plate.

Taemin’s shoulder shook as he laughed, and Kai just rolled his eyes and punched his shoulder. After a moment, though, Taemin turned back to Krystal’s table with a dumbstruck expression on his face.

“Wait, what the fuck is a ‘real vagina’?” he asked. “What the fuck is a fake vagina?”

“Oh my God, you’re so stupid,” Krystal mumbled to herself, shaking her head.

“I’m serious!” Taemin insisted. “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Just forget it, you’re dumb,” she told him.

“Fuckin’ girls, man,” Taemin mumbled while the people around them all laughed.

“I thought you only fucked boys,” Ravi said.

“Shut up,” Taemin and Kai both hissed at the same time, and everyone around them laughed much louder than before.

That night, after they were all told to go to bed, the boys in their dorm all stayed up and talked and joked around. Taemin had moved to sit on Kai’s bed, and Ravi was digging around his bag from his spot at the foot of Kai’s bed.

“Did you bring them or not?” Taemin hissed.

“I did,” Ravi hissed back. “They’re in here somewhere, I swear.”

“We’re gonna get in trouble,” Kai insisted. “Can’t we just do something normal?”

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want,” Taemin said softly, patting Kai’s hand.

“I don’t want either of you two to do it, either,” Kai said. “We’re gonna all get in major fuckin’ trouble if you do it.”

Taemin and Ravi both looked at each other before looking back to Kai.

“Okay,” Taemin agreed. “We’ll just do it when we get back home. Maybe at Ravi’s next weekend.”

“Thank you,” Kai said, letting out a breath.

“But only if you kiss me,” Taemin said, pouting dramatically at him.

“Ew, can you two not?” Ravi groaned, throwing his deodorant at them.

“If you two make out, I’m telling one of the chaperones!” one of their classmates shouted.

“Yeah, save it for the bus ride back!”

Taemin rolled his eyes, but he let up on making Kai kiss him. Kai just smirked, leaned over, and pecked his cheek.

“Was that really so gross?” Kai asked all of them.

There were mutters floating around the room, but Kai just smirked at the blush on Taemin’s cheeks. After ten minutes, everyone was back to what they were doing before, and Kai just sighed and leaned back against his pillow.

“If you guys wanna get high, go for it,” Kai mumbled.

“Nah, it was a dumb idea to do it here,” Taemin said. “We don’t even have any snacks.”

“And I am not risking getting caught by sneaking out to the kitchen,” Ravi said.

Taemin sighed and leaned his head against Kai’s shoulder.

“I’m so tired,” Taemin whined, “but I am not gonna be the first one to go to sleep.”

“What do you think the girls are doing?” Ravi asked.

“I don’t know, talking shit?” Kai guessed. “What else do girls do?”

“Someone’s probably braiding someone’s hair,” Taemin laughed, closing his eyes and pulling Kai’s arm around his shoulders. “I bet you anything Krystal is doing the braiding.”

“She’s probably talking about how much of an ass you are,” Ravi insisted.

“More like how great of an ass I have,” Taemin scoffed.

“What ass?” Kai asked, and Ravi snorted.

“Shut up,” Taemin whined, hitting Kai’s chest. “Don’t be mean to me.”

“I’m not being mean,” Kai insisted. “I’m just teasing.”

“Dude, you’re like, sleeping,” Ravi laughed as Taemin’s head drooped down.

“No m’not,” Taemin mumbled.

“You’re tired,” Kai whispered. “Just go to sleep.”

“And have you fuckers do something to me? Not a chance,” Taemin snapped. “I’m just resting my eyes.”

“If you say so,” Kai laughed, rubbing his hand up and down Taemin’s arm.

When Taemin fell asleep leaned up against Kai ten minutes later, Ravi whispered that they should do something to him just because of how paranoid he was being about it. Kai rolled his eyes, told him to shut up, and wrapped his arm tighter around Taemin’s shoulders. Kai kept Taemin leaned up against him for an hour before everyone else started going to sleep as well. Once Ravi decided to turn in, Kai picked Taemin up very carefully and placed him in the bed next to his. 

“How is he such a heavy sleeper?” Ravi whispered from his bed on the other side of Taemin’s.

“He stayed up late last night working on his Latin project,” Kai whispered back. “He’s probably just exhausted.”

“Has he slept at all this week?”

“Barely, from what I know.”

“Dumbass,” Ravi snorted, and he turned over on his bed to pull his blanket over his head. “Night.”

“G’night,” Kai whispered back, pulling the blanket over Taemin’s shoulders.

When they were all woken up the next morning, Taemin swore under his breath when he realized he had fallen asleep, and he rushed into the bathroom to look at his face. When he saw nothing stupid drawn on it, he sighed and went about getting ready.

He walked into the dining hall for breakfast tucked away in one of Kai’s hoodies, a dumb smile on his face. Ravi insisted that Kai made sure no one did anything to Taemin while he was asleep, and Taemin appreciated it. When he sat down next to Kai at breakfast, though, his boyfriend turned to him and furrowed his eyebrows.

“I didn’t pack that sweatshirt,” Kai said.

“No, I did,” Taemin said, tucking his hands into the over-long sleeves and leaning against the table. “Go get me food?”

“When did you even take that?” Kai asked, but he got up and went to go get Taemin a plate.

Taemin just snickered to himself and shoved his hands into the front pocket. Kai’s sweatshirts were always so much comfier than his own.

That afternoon, while their group was allowed to wander around the lake they were next to, Taemin squished his cheek against Kai’s shoulder and smiled at him.

“This is romantic,” Taemin told him, nudging his elbow towards the lake.

“It kind of is,” Kai agreed.

“Am I just gonna be your third wheel all weekend?” Ravi piped up from his spot on the other side of Kai.

“You can hold onto my arm, too, if you want,” Kai teased, holding his other arm out for him.

“Aww,” Ravi sang obnoxiously as he gripped Kai’s arm, “we’re such a cute little threesome!”

“Oh my God, I’m gonna gag,” Amber’s voice teased them from behind, and they all turned to see her and Krystal standing behind them.

“Oh shut up, it was a joke,” Ravi whined.

The five of them ended up walking around the lake, trying to skip stones and talking about some of the other students on the trip. Ravi ended up letting Amber and Krystal hold onto his arms, and he looked rather pleased with himself when he turned to wiggle his eyebrows at Taemin and Kai when the girls weren’t looking.