#anyway Conrad needs a hug

[websterss]

CHICKEN AND PASTA — CONRAD HAWKINS

REQUEST: Im a new follower and I must say the Imagines are just so....👌🏼🥹Anyway saw you were writing for Conrad Hawkins. Could you do one where Yn takes care of a patient who has a crush on Conrad. She gets defensive and tells Yn to back off Conrad and Yn shrugs it off. Later the patient was watching Yn and Conrad hug and kiss and she snaps. She waits til yn is alone and she stabs or attacks yn and leaves her to die. As Conrad gets ready to go home he starts to look for Yn but finds her wounded. I'll let you pick the ending. Im such a sucker for angst. 😭 Hope this makes sense 💙☺️ @megafandomsxassemble

WARNING(S): angst, mentions of blood, stab wounds, and knife, mentions of baby loss, crazy grace

WORD COUNT: 5,485

PAIRING: Conrad Hawkins x fem!Reader

A/N: I hope you enjoy it love! Feedback is always welcomed! <33

MASTERLIST

You had looked up when a foam cup was plopped right in front of you. You set your clipboard down as you follow the arm of the culprit. Conrad has his head tilted, a sweet smile gracing your very long morning. “Beautiful.” He compliments your very clearly disheveled state.

You roll your eyes but take the coffee he brought for you. You mouth a thank you before giving him your full attention. “What’s the catch?” You smirk.

Conrad chuckles at your remark. His brown orbs scan your tired features. “There you go again, assuming I have some ulterior motive.” He says, feigning offense. He leans a hip against your desk as he watches you take a drink of the coffee he so graciously retrieved for you. “Can’t I bring my fiance a cup of coffee out of the pure goodness of my heart?”

“You can…but something lies behind those devious eyes.” You squint up at him, swirling the end of your pen in front of his face.

Conrad laughs, his grin wide. He tilts his head, his light curls bouncing lightly. He brings his index finger up, gently pressing your forehead so you’re no longer squinting. “There. Much better.” He teases. He shakes his head, the playful smirk never leaving his features. He crosses his arms, leaning in to get a closer look at your tired state. “Rough night?”

“More like rough morning. Your number one fan is here…again.” A teasing smile begins to form on your face.

Conrad raises an eyebrow at that. He knew exactly who you were talking about. “What is she being admitted for this time?” He says, unable to contain the amused smirk.

You sigh and gesture to the paperwork sitting in front of him. He meets your eye and then turns the clipboard around and begins to read.

Conrad can’t fight the scoff that escapes his lips as he reads through it. The same symptoms as last time: elevated heart rate, high blood pressure, and dizziness, among many other minor symptoms. Every time it was the same. Other than the fractured radius and ulnar, today. Nothing was ever, truly, wrong.

“Broke her arm chasing after her dog…” Conrad shakes his head as he gently sets the clipboard back on your desk. “Nic around?”

“Just missed her. She just finished her double shift.” You shook your head.

Conrad’s eyes widened in surprise, though he didn’t know why. Nic’s determination to overwork herself was no secret. He huffed a heavy sigh, taking a seat on the edge of the desk. “Of course she did…” He mutters under his breath. “You’re with me today.”

“Can already feel my day turning around, but I figured so I checked her vitals and heart already. So you just need to repeat everything I just did, doc.” You chipped with a smile on your face. You gather your things and make your way to Grace’s room. Conrad's number one fan, or rather his stalker as you like to secretly call her.

Conrad rolls his eyes at your comment and follows behind you, his long strides easily keeping pace with yours. “Careful,” He warns, unable to contain his smile, “flattery will get you everywhere.”

The pair of you enter Grace’s room where she is, unsurprisingly, perched on the edge of her bed. Her broken arm is clutched to her chest, a pout on her face. Upon seeing the two of you, her face lights up.

“Dr. Hawkins!” She squeals, waving and making grabby hands in his direction. Conrad sighs, a forced, painfully fake smile on his face as he approaches her to examine her. He casts a sideways look in your direction as if to say ‘Save me’.

“Hi nurse, Y/n.” She makes sure to greet you with a warm welcome.

“Hi Grace, how’s the morphine doing, kicking in a bit I see.” You contain your laughter as you see her more giggly than how she was when she first arrived.

Conrad looks over at you. He has to hide his chuckle as you tease her for her morphine-induced goofy behavior. “So,” He starts. “The dog was too much for you I see?”

“Yes. I don’t think I’m much of a dog person. Any other pets you could recommend for me, Dr. Hawkins?”

Conrad looks over at you.

“You could always try a Guinea Pig. My niece has one. Easy little things to take care of.” You shrug. Grace locks eyes with you, considering your suggestion. She nods then looks back to him.

“Is a Guinea Pig easy to take care of, Dr. Hawkins?”

Conrad hums, pretending to think. He scratches at his chin, pretending as if there is some deep thought going through his head. “A Guinea Pig is very easy to take care of Grace.” He says, a playful smirk growing on his face. “Very easy.”

He turns an expectant look in your direction, his lips twitching to suppress a grin.

“Yes, very easy. A Guinea pig is less likely to cause fractures. No running, no need to train them. Easy as pie.” You breathe out a laugh.

Conrad has to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing. He can’t fight the way his eyes gleam at how thoroughly you are enjoying yourself teasing his…fan. “No risk of broken bones chasing them around. Sounds like a good fit for you.”

"I'll have to stop by a pet store later then." She nods. Unlike Conrad, you had a feeling she would stay true to her promise to get the damn rodent. The idea unsettled you just as it did the last time when she bought a dog after he recommended getting one, to keep her company as he lightly put it.

Conrad’s stomach drops at the thought of Grace following through on her promise. He knew she was gullible, but if what you were saying was true and she took his recommendation to heart and bought a dog…he would have to be more careful with what came out of his mouth.

“Maybe…stay away from animals for now?” He suggests, casting a concerned glance your way. "Alright, Grace I'm gonna go ahead and order you an x-ray and an MRI just to be on the safe side. You said you've been experiencing a bit of a headache, you said you hit your head when you fell?"

"Yeah...on concrete, is that bad?" She moves her eyes back and forth from you two. Conrad cast you a glance.

Conrad winces at her casual response. “Well, you’d probably be experiencing something a bit stronger than a minor headache if there was anything truly wrong.” He says as a means to comfort her as she sits at the edge of her bed.

He reaches out, gently prodding at the back of her head. He pulled out a light and had her follow his finger. “How hard did you hit your head?”

"My vision was blurred for a few minutes. I think someone asked if I was okay before I got up, took Ceecee home, and then came straight here." She blinks up at him. "You'll fix me right up though, right, Dr, Hawkins?"

He gives her a nod and a reassuring smile. “You’re in the best of hands.” He reassures her, ignoring the skeptical scoff you let out beside him. “I’ll make sure we get to the bottom of that headache.”

"In the meantime, just wait here, I will be back to reset your bones." You pat her shoulder.

She looks at your hand and then nods. Conrad casts her a wink before exiting with you, not thinking anything more by it.

Conrad takes your elbow, a light tug letting you know that he wants to leave the room. He gives Grace one last comforting smile, "We'll be right back." He said, opening the door and ushering you out.

Once out of the room, Conrad's smile falls from his face and is replaced with a concerned frown. He lowers his voice slightly, so only you can hear him. "She actually bought a dog?"

"Well Dr. Hawkins…when you flash her that dazzling smile and hold her gently, how can she resist doing everything that comes out your damn mouth!" Your smile vanishes as you smack him. "She's getting worse. Okay, this is turning into outright obsessive behavior, and if you don't put a stop to her Conrad, she'll display stalker-like traits."

Conrad flinches at the smack to his chest, a glare tossed right back in your direction. "Not funny." He points at you and the way you emphasized his name like she had.

“What do you suggest I do, hm?” Conrad asks, a hint of irritation in his tone. “Walk up to a patient and tell them to stop getting hurt, to call for another doctor?"

"Well that idea sounds a whole lot better than the Guinea Pig-" You jump away with a laugh when he scoffs and tries to tickle you.

Conrad lunges at you, grabbing a flailing arm and tugging you back in his direction. He takes advantage of your distraction, going straight for your sides, his fingers digging into your ribs. His own smirk grows wider as he hears your laughter fill the hallway.

"Stop, stop, stop!" Your head falls. "I can't breathe."

Conrad stops and grins, but he doesn’t release you. He keeps his arms loosely wrapped around your waist and watches as you struggle to catch your breath. He laughs softly as he watches you lean forward, your head resting against his chest.

“You’re impossible.” He says, his fingers idly rubbing against your side.

"That's improbable to you." You lift your head with a teasing smile.

Conrad groans, rolling his eyes at your quip. He can’t keep the smile off his face, though. His fingers still rubbing against your sides. "Pain in my ass…" He said, but the words lacked any real bite behind them. He leans in as you hum in amusement.

"That so, Dr Hawkins."

Conrad huffs, his chest rising and falling with his laughter. His eyes darken as he looks down at you, his smirk turning more wicked. He leans in further, his face only inches from your own. "Say it again." He says, his voice now a few octaves deeper than normal.

"Dr Hawkins." Your laugh is stifled when he presses his lips to yours in a sweet long kiss.

Conrad hums against your lips, an arm snaking around your waist to drag you closer. He leans back against the wall that the two of you were standing in front of, a hand coming up to cup the back of your neck. He deepens the kiss, a sharp pang of desire striking at his core as he pushes you gently back against the wall.

But before it could escalate any further, your pager goes off. You groan and push him away slightly. "Duty calls." You whine.

Conrad groans at the noise and he steps back, reluctantly tearing his gaze and his arms away from you. He pushes his messy hair back off his forehead, still slightly breathless. He lets his eyes wander over your disheveled form, knowing full well that the two of you would've gotten caught up in that hallway had the pager not interrupted.

He brings a hand up to his own pager in his pocket that went off, shutting it off. "Duty indeed calls." He sighed, his heart still racing. "What would you like for dinner?"

You gasp. "Are you offering to cook?" You hum at the idea.

Conrad laughs and shakes his head at your excitement and enthusiasm for the idea of his cooking. "Don't look so surprised." He remarks, his expression changing to a playful smirk. "Yes, I'll cook tonight. What do you want?"

"Surprise me." You shrug, walking backwards.

Conrad rolls his eyes, though he's smiling as he watches you walk away. He can't help but admire the view, his gaze lingering on your form for just a little too long. "You got mad last time when I did." He calls after you.

"Chicken, with Pasta!" You call out as you reach the corner you need to turn.

Conrad huffs a laugh at the request. "Done!" He calls out to you as he heads in the opposite direction. "Chicken and pasta it is..." He sighs, then laughs to himself.

What you both hadn't realized was the shadow lurking and watching from afar. A scowl replaced her sweet smile moments before when she heard his voice outside her room. Her breathing picks up as she heads back into her room. Grace sits at the edge of her bed and looks down at the fractured bones, broken at a dipped angle. Before she could even think twice about it, she settled them back into place.

The pain was nothing like how betrayed her heart had felt. Conrad had his interest in someone else. You.

-

A few minutes had passed before you had gone to check up on Grace again. To ensure that she was situated with the cast that she would need to wear for a few weeks. "Grace?" You announced yourself, as you peered down at your clipboard again. When you looked up, your heart dropped upon seeing her bed empty. It was only when the door slammed behind you that you grew scared. "Grace?" You looked at her and then at the knife she held in her left hand, how she came into possession of it you hadn't known.

"You kissed him…" She muttered softly. "I didn't realize he had his eyes set on someone else. I thought what we had was just between us. I'm so stupid!" You flinch at her exclaim.

Your eyes widened when you saw the tears in her eyes. The grip she held on the hospital knife was tight, her knuckles almost turning white. "Grace, no, listen to me!" You quickly moved to try and reach out to her but stopped short when she snapped.

"Stay back!" You held your hands up in surrender, holding in the sharp inhale you desperately wanted to take. "You took him from me!"

"I didn't know..." She looks up at you. "If I had known how much you liked him. I wouldn't have kissed him." You play along with her in hopes she won't hurt herself, or you. It was only then that you realized her bones were settled back into place. "Grace what happened to your arm did you- did you put them back into place?" You were shocked.

Grace's eyes flit down to her arm, a frown on her face. "I needed to feel something…" She said softly. "I needed to feel something other than the pain in my heart."

She looks up at you again, her grip on the knife never faltering. "Why was it you, huh? Why not me? What do you have that I don't? I go out of my way to have him examine me, and spend time with me. I was this close to getting him alone today, but then I saw him kiss you..."

"I ask myself that every day, Grace. I don't know why he chose me. Things just happen, people come into your life and you go from there with them."

She scowls at that response, her eyes narrowing into a glare. "You're around him too much…" The knife trembles in her grip. "That's why he's been distracted lately."

She took a step closer, and you instinctively found yourself stepping back in response. Her glare darkened, now laced with jealousy and possessiveness. "I wonder…" She says slowly, almost as if she's contemplating her next words. "Maybe if you weren't around so much anymore, I could finally have my chance…"

"Grace, please don't!" Your plea is ignored. She continues to step closer to you, her eyes glued on you and the way you flinch away from her.

"Why not?" She presses. "You get to be around him, you get to kiss him. It's not fair. He's supposed to be mine! I should be the one that gets to kiss him!"

"If you hurt me, Grace. Conrad will never forgive you. He won't want to kiss you."

Grace's bottom lip trembled at your words. It's clear that your words are getting to her, her eyes filling with tears and her gaze averting down to the floor. She knows that you're right. But her jealousy and obsession over Conrad was too strong. Her head lifts and she looks at you again, her grip on the knife tightening. "I don't care…" She whispers, her voice now trembling, and before you know it the end of the knife had met your abdomen, and then your chest. "If I can't have him, neither will you." She lowers you to the ground gently, caressing your hair as you wheeze for air.

"Grac-" You muster before, she gets up and leaves the room.

Grace was gone as quickly as she came, leaving you in a quickly darkening room as the edges of your vision slowly started to blacken. You hear a faint 'excuse me' in the distance, then another voice saying to go up the elevator, but they all turn muffled as you feel your consciousness slowly slip away.

-

"I'd probably run a CT Scan. Make sure we're not dealing with any internal bleeding-"

"Dr. Hawkins..." Conrad and Devon looked up in time to see Grace stop a few feet away from them. Both Conrad and Devon's eyes widened when they saw the blood on her shirt. Conrad's breath caught in his throat in his own wave of panic, but he forced himself to remain focused, to remain calm.

Conrad put down the clipboard Devon had given him and put his hands out cautiously. The two main things that caught his attention were the blood on her shirt and left hand and the fact her bones didn't appear to look broken on her right arm especially since there was no cast on it either. "Hi, Grace...You okay? Wanna tell me what happened?"

"I'm better now seeing you." She smiled earnestly, though hesitation still arose behind her eyes as she realized she had an audience.

Conrad forced a smile onto his face, glancing briefly in Devon's direction, signaling to the crash cart discreetly. He took a few steps forward, keeping a safe distance from her, but still close enough that he could reach her if he needed to. "That…That's good to hear, Grace." He said slowly. "But I was referring more to the blood on your clothes. Grace, who's blood is that? I won't be mad if you tell me."

Grace shook her head. "You will. She said you wouldn't kiss me if I hurt her. I don't want you to be mad at me."

Conrad's heart dropped at her response, though his expression didn't give it away. "…You didn't." He muttered, and it was more of a statement than a question. He took another few steps forward, his eyes boring into hers. “Who told you that, Grace?” Conrad asked, his voice now taking on a slightly lower tone. "Did you accidentally hurt someone? Someone you didn't mean to hurt. You can tell me I won't get mad." His tone was soft again, his eyes still focused on her. The gears were already turning in his head on who her victim was but he didn't want it to be true. "But I need you to tell me who's blood that is, Grace."

"I'll tell you, b-but you have to kiss me first. She said you wouldn't and I want to prove her wrong."

Conrad was tempted to grab her and shake her, to demand answers. But he knew that wasn't the answer. He kept his cool and took another step forward, so he was now directly in front of her and within reaching distance. "Okay," He said slowly, his eyes searching her face. "You want a kiss first, I'll kiss you."

"You will." Her eyes lightened with hope.

Conrad swallows the lump in his throat and slowly steps closer, bringing a hand up to cup the side of her face. He leans in, pausing for a moment. His hand brushed back a strand of her hair as she gazed at him like he hung the stars in her sky. He stalls and presses his head against her as he watches Devon come in from behind her. A sedative in his hands. Conrad tries once more hoping she'll open up about your whereabouts. "Where is she, Grace?" He whispered.

"I don't like pasta very much, but maybe we can get takeout sometime." Is as much as she lets out before the syringe is plunged into the vein on her neck.

Conrad watches as Grace's eyes widen and slowly glaze over. A moment later her body goes slack, and he catches her before she can fall. He sighs, running a hand through his hair as he watches her body drop into a deep slumber. The realization settles, how Grace had been listening to the conversation you both had been having. You both hadn't been far from her room either. Devon appears at his side, a nervous look on his face. "Conrad, what the hell just happened?" Devon questions, checking Grace's pulse. "Conrad!" He yells after him as he sees him begin to take off into a run.

"Start prepping an O.R. now! Page Mina and possibly AJ! Page anyone to floor 3 now!" Conrad doesn't wait for a response. Devon ordered a few nurses to watch over her, giving orders on where to take her. Before taking off after Conrad.

"Conrad!"

"It's Y/n's blood!" Devon's face pales as he tries to keep up with him.

-

Conrad pushes through the doors, cursing under his breath as he sprints down the halls of floor 3. Fear and adrenaline pump through his veins, his heart thundering in his chest.

Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…please. His thoughts chanted as he reached Grace's room.

Conrad doesn't think twice before bursting into the room. He chokes back a sob as he sees you in a puddle of your own blood. He acts fast checking for your pulse. "Baby hey, can you hear me?"

"We need a gurney and crash cart, now! Some gauze!" Devon orders to anyone listening in the halls. "Conrad, what the hell is happening, who was the girl?"

"Her name's Grace she comes in twice a month to see me."

"To see you?"

"Y/n thinks she's obsessed with me. Turns out she was right. Last month Grace had mentioned how lonely she felt living in her apartment. Now I'm starting to realize she probably meant other forms of company. I suggested she get a dog…"

"She bought a dog didn't she...oh god!"

"Y/n, baby, can you hear me!" Conrad continued patting your face. "Grace came in this morning, she broke her hand chasing after the suggested dog. I didn't think- I should've realized! Where's that damn crash cart!" Conrad yells out angrily.

A scowl takes over his face as he checks for any other wounds, but all he can see is the deep stab wound in the side of your stomach and on your chest. The nurses arrive wheeling along a gurney and a crash cart. Conrad snaps out of his thoughts and focuses on the situation at hand, grabbing the gauze from one of the nurses and pressing it firmly to your bleeding wounds.

"Damnit, baby, just hold on okay? Keep fighting." He muttered, eyes trained on your face.

He doesn't wait for the nurses to transfer you to the gurney, instead, he picks you up himself, holding you to his chest as he carefully lays you down on the gurney. Devon and the rest of the staff stand off to the side, watching as Conrad moves around you, keeping a firm grip on the gauze on the wounds as the nurses wheel you out into the hallway and towards the E.R.

-

"She was stabbed. Wound to her chest, and to her abdomen."

"Her pulse is barely there."

"She's in v-tech," Irving announced as he looked up at the monitor.

"Lost a pulse!"

"Someone get the defibrillator."

"They're gone we don't have one." Ellen reminded them.

"It's her heart..." Conrad was sure Grace had stabbed you right where she knew it would hurt you.

"We need to set up an OR now, we're losing her!" Conrad insisted urgently.

"Do we even have a functioning OR?"

"We'll put one together!" Bell and Kit said.

"Call staff back in, now!"

They began wheeling you to the OR when a wheeze and a cough broke out from your unconscious state. Blood spilled past your lips onto your oxygen mask.

"She's haematemesis!" Conrad exclaims. "Hold on for me baby, stay with us! She's choking on her own blood, she's bleeding internally!"

"Conrad we got her from here." Mina reassured as they crossed passed the red line he couldn't walk past.

Conrad reluctantly backs away from you, letting them take over and wheel you away. He stands just before the red line, a hand coming up to rub his face as a mixture of emotions fills him - guilt, worry, anger, and fear. He feels a hand on his shoulder, and he looks over to see Kitt's face etched with concern.

"What can I do?" She questions, her grip on his shoulder tightening.

"Call my dad and her sister. They need to get here now!"

Kitt silently nods at his request, and Conrad hears her calling someone as he turns to stare at the double doors you were just wheeled behind, disappearing from his sight. The only thing he could do now was wait. He looks at his hands behind sliding down to the floor. Various flashes and reminders of your voice and the conversations you had, ran through his mind, along with the ones that ran a chill through his spine.

Beautiful What’s the catch? Can’t I bring my fiance a cup of coffee out of the pure goodness of my heart? You can…but something lies behind those devious eyes. In the meantime, just wait here, I'll be back to reset your bones.Well Dr. Hawkins…when you flash her that dazzling smile and hold her gently, how can she resist doing everything that comes out of your damn mouth! Well, that idea sounds a whole lot better than the Guinea Pig- Stop, stop, stop! I can't breathe. You’re impossible. That's improbable to you. Pain in my ass… That so, Dr Hawkins. What would you like for dinner? Are you offering to cook? Yes, I'll cook tonight. What do you want? Surprise me. You got mad last time when I did. Chicken, with pasta!

You will. She said you wouldn't kiss me if I hurt her. I don't want you to be mad at me. I don't like pasta very much, but maybe we can get takeout sometime.

A sob rattled through him as he brought his palms up to his head. Hoping and praying you'd make it through. It wasn't long before he moved up to watch in on your surgery. The entire operation felt like never-ending hours.

-

He hadn't known how long he had sat in his chair. He was just waiting for the aftermath to finally hit him. And it had, as soon as Kitt walked in after some time, letting the door shut behind her. She stood there for a moment contemplating how to gather her words.

"Just give it to me straight..." Conrad looked up at her.

"She lost a lot of blood and she was down for a long time. We won't know her neurological status until we wake her up. They're moving her to the ICU."

Conrad nodded at this newfound information. He broke down again when her gentle hand touched his shoulder.

"There's one more thing..."

Conrad's entire body went stiff. He knew whatever else Kitt had to tell him was either really good or extremely bad. He silently nodded for her to continue, mentally bracing himself for the next words that came out of her mouth. Conrad lifted his head slowly. His brows furrowed as Kitt sat down beside him. She grabbed his hands.

"Come on, give it to me straight here." He urged her, the suspense killing him.

"Y/n was pregnant."

Conrad's heart dropped to his stomach and he was positive someone just dumped a bucket of ice water on him. He stares at Kitt in disbelief, unsure of whether he heard her right. His chest ached and all of the air was knocked out of his lungs as he sat there stunned, staring at her.

"Was?" He whispered, his voice cracking.

Kitt shook her head, disheartened. "She lost it."

Conrad felt as if he was going to be sick. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the chair as he took in a shaky breath.

"How far along was she?" He managed to get out.

"She hadn't told you yet did she?" Kitt inhales. "S-She was about 18 weeks along from what we could tell…I'm so sorry Conrad."

Conrad's breath hitched at the response, and he struggled to hold his emotions together. He gripped the arms of the chairs, his knuckles beginning to turn white. The room was beginning to spin and the news hit him like a ton of bricks. He took a moment to collect himself before looking at Kitt again.

"18 weeks," He repeated, unable to believe it. "And I didn't even know?"

"You still have her Conrad. If I know Y/n, she's a fighter, she'll pull through her recovery."

Conrad nodded at Kitt's words, trying to find comfort in them, but the pain he felt was almost unbearable. He felt responsible for not paying closer attention to you and to your behavior. He had overlooked the fact that you hadn't been feeling well due to the added stress. He should have caught the hints.

"I should have…" He began to say, but the words caught in his throat. "I should've listened to her…I should have realized sooner I-" A sob broke out of him. He clung to Kitt as she consoled him into her arms. Shushing him and saying everything was going to be okay.

After Kitt calmed him down, she left to give him a few moments alone. As he sat there, staring at the wall. Images of you and his unborn child filled his thoughts. He tried to imagine a life with you and your little one. He imagined teaching them how to walk and talk, tucking them into bed, holding your swollen belly, and feeling their kick. He imagined the life of fatherhood.

As he sat there, a wave of anger and determination washed over him. He needed to see you. He needed to see you, to feel you. To hold you in his arms and never let you go.

Taking a deep breath, Conrad stood up and slowly made his way to the ICU. The halls were eerily quiet as he walked through them, the sound of his footsteps echoed off the walls. When he reached the ICU room, he stopped and peered in through the door. He saw you lying in bed, surrounded by machines and tubes. Your face was pale and your chest slowly rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

He let out a shaky breath and leaned his head forward, letting it gently rest on the wall. He closed his eyes and silently willed himself to remain calm. He couldn't break down in front of anyone else, not here. He took in a few more deep breaths and slowly began to regain control of his emotions. As he stood there, his mind racing with thoughts, the silence around him felt deafening. He wanted nothing more than to have you crack a joke just to put him at ease.

"Hey baby, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon okay." Conrad sat down on the chair by your bed, his hand grasping yours gently and his eyes studying your features. Everything felt so familiar - his hand wrapped around yours, your skin, your hair, all of it. He felt a small wave of relief wash over him, knowing you were at least here, right in front of him. Slowly, he brought your hand up to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against it. "When you wake up, I'm taking you home once you're allowed to be discharged. I'll cook you anything you want okay? I'll cook you chicken and pasta for the rest of our lives if that’s what you want, cause I know it's your favorite. Anything you want...you name it, baby." He chuckles lightly to himself but breaks down once more. Tears fall down his face onto your sheets as he tightens his hold on your hand.

"I'm here," He whispered, his voice barely audible. "I'm right here."

[stargazing-imagines]

Invisible — Conrad Fisher x Fem!reader

Description: every summer you always join your grandparents at there beach house at cousins beach because of your problems with your mom, but this time… let’s just say you aren’t the only grandchild to come along

Warnings: reader being ignored, mild abuse (just a slap on the face that’s all) hurtful words are said, and bad writing

Fandom: the summer I turned pretty

Requested: no

( Read part two here )

Every summer, your mother would drop you off at your grandparents house so she could have her freedom, but this summer was the one that changed your relationship with your family forever

Your grandparents have decided it would be a great idea for your oldest cousin and her two boys to stay with you guys during the summer because of her nasty divorce.

Of course you were excited about this, but you weren’t as excited with all the attention your cousin have gotten because of this

So this caused you to stay away from your grandparents beach house to hang out at the fishers beach house instead.

“Hey y/n!” Said Steven as he saw you enter the house “trouble at home?”

You looked at Steven before nodding your head, this time things were different.

The oldest son of your cousin was bragging about how he was the better one and talking about having his own insurance for his car when he turned 15, while you were trying to engage in a Conversation, let’s just say that you got talked over.

“Yeah, I needed to get away from the huggy and the wuggy that aiden watches.” You lied as you sat on the couch

“Hey, maybe you can bring Aiden over to play some video games with me and Jere.” Suggested Steven “that is if he wants to.”

“He probably will… is Conrad around?” You asked looking around the house

“H-“

“Y/n! What brings you by?” Asked Susannah as she gave you a hug “oh I heard what happened with your cousin, that’s horrible for her to go through a nasty divorce.”

“Yeah, it’s been pretty rough on her.” You said as you tried to fake a smile

Surely a divorce is awful, but it isn’t the end of the world.

“I remember playing with her when we were kids, she was a life of a party when it comes to parties.”

“Yeah… anyway is Conrad home?” You asked “I really need to speak to him.”

“Yeah, he’s around.”

“Thanks, I’ll just find him.”

With that you left,

After thirty minutes of finding him, you finally find him, so you walked over to him sitting next to him on the sand

“Hey y/n.” Said Conrad

“Hey.” You said with no expression, as you looked down at the sand

“What’s wrong?” Asked Conrad with concern laced in his voice

“My family been ignoring me again.” You said as you crossed your arms on your knees placing your head on your forearms

“Y/n, I hate to see you like this.” Said Conrad “you just need to stick up for yourself.”

“I know but sometimes its just hard ok.” You said as you were on the verge of tears “it doesn’t help when they have been doing it for years.”

After you said that, Conrad’s eyes lit up

“They’ve been ignoring you for years?” Asked Conrad “but… your relationship with your grandparents are great.”

“That’s because they raised me Conrad.” You said “and I get called shit because of it.”

“What do they call you?” Asked Conrad as he placed an arm around you, pulling you into an embrace

“They think I’m spoiled rotten and a burden to my grandparents.”

At this point, Conrad was fuming, just because your mom was a horrible mother doesn’t mean you are an attention seeker.

“I’m sorry, you had to endure that y/n.” Said conrad “if I could take the pain away I would but-“

“Just… hold me.” You said “that’s really what I need right now.”

You came back home and it was midnight, after staying with the fishers and conklins for a few hours, you finally returned home.

You opened the slide door as you carefully shut it not wanting to make a bunch of commotion, you walked further into the house before being stopped by your grandmother

“Y/n, why are you out there this late at night?”

“I was visiting the fishers and the conklins.” You said, slowly turning around

“Your always over there, I think it’s high time that you start staying on house arrest.”

“What so I can listen to Kelly nag and nag about how shitty her life is?” You asked “I don’t want to.”

Your grandmother eyes widen at the language that we’re using

“And you are to not hang around that Conrad fella either.” Said you grandmother “I don’t need you going around saying things like that when there are children in this house.”

At this point you were furious, so you did what you always did, run away from your problem, but that didn’t work because you were grabbed by the arm pulling you back

“Let go of me!” You shouted “your hurting me!” As you tried to free you arm from your grandmothers grasps

“You think I’m hurting you?” Asked your grandmother “this is hurting you, I never seen a girl that is so selfish that all she thinks about is herself!”

With that, you were slapped on the cheek, sending your hand to the sensation of the burn. In shock

“I hate you!” You shouted as you ran upstairs, and with with tears running down your face that. You cried yourself to sleep that night with a red mark on your face

——

Expect a part two of this coming soon!!

The summer I turned pretty masterlist

[elcpsstuff]

The Summer I Remembered You (C.F) (Part 2)

Summary: the first bonfire of the summer doesn’t go as planned when Belly and Yn decide to crash it.

—

Last Summer

“Why can’t we go to the bonfire?” Me and Belly were sandwiched between Susannah, Laurel, and my mother.

“You guys are only fourteen, maybe next year.” My mom ruffled my hair and I huffed.

Belly rolled her eyes, obviously sharing the same annoyance as me. “It’s not fair. Me and Yn sit around doing literally nothing all day.”

“That’s not true.” Laurel piped in, “You hang out with us, and we’re the best company.”

“And to be clear,” I looked at my mom pointedly, “I turn fifteen in like, two days.”

“And and I turned fifteen a couple of weeks ago!”

“who’s up for 10 things I hate about you?” My mother says, knowing how to sidetrack me, and that movie is my weakness.

I signed, leaning back and I could tell Belly had given up too. “I hate that you know me.” I murmured as my mom turned the movie on.

She kissed my forehead, “You secretly love it.”

—

Present Day:

“Are you seriously gonna let my mom rope you into the deb ball?” A voice says from behind me. I fell out of my trance and turned around to see Conrad sitting down next to me, dipping his ankles in the pool.

I shrug, “I don’t know.” But I did know, I didn’t wanna do it. It was my mom’s dream and I might have been motivated to do it if she was here, but she’s obviously not.

“You don’t have to do it, my mom will understand.” He pulls out a joint and I almost gag. He was so different, Belly was right about that.

“I can do what I want.” I say, the words going like knives to his chest.

“Yn, you forget that I know you. Don’t do this because you feel obliged to make my mom happy and yours. I know—”

“Fuck you, Conrad.” I almost spit on him while saying this. His face dropped a little and he reached out for my wrist before I could leave.

“I wasn’t trying to be mean.”

I scoff, “Well you are.”

“The deb ball is a fucking joke, Yn. Don’t do it. I’m just trying to save you the pain, okay?”

I couldn’t believe him. Acting like he knows me, he knows nothing about me. Not anymore.

“Stop acting like you know me, Conrad. You don’t fucking know me at all.” I say and yank my hand away from him. But he did know me, he knew my heart and soul inside and out.

—

Sometimes I felt like I was more Susannah’s daughter than Laurels. Like Laurel thought I was some sort of curse to her family. John didn’t think so though.

The light poured through my window, and I knew with that I needed to get up. I could hear noises from downstairs, and I checked my phone to see it was already nearing 11. What the fuck? I never slept that late.

I put my hair in a low ponytail, lose strands falling into the front. I put on a cousins shirt because walking down in a tank top wouldn’t end well, and it matched my plaid shorts anyways.

I made my way down the stairs to see Conrad on the couch and Belly sitting at the island beside Laurel.

Belly smirks, “You slept in, dreaming about someone?”

I laugh, “Yeah, yeah.” but I was distressed, I mean after the talk with Conrad last night which won’t leave my mind.

Ugh.

I sat next to Belly and my body felt like it was being lifted to heaven when I saw the box of muffins in front of me. I grabbed the blueberry one, securing it as mine.

“Jeremiah made sure to save that one for you.” I felt my heart swell. He does that for everyone. Stop it.

“I can’t believe it! My girl Is going to be a debutante!” Susannah says, running into the room and grabbing everyone’s attention. Conrad is now fully standing and i’m just as curious as he is.

“What? Belly your doing it?” I looked towards Belly who could only mouth me a “sorry” before going to hug Susannah.

I knew where this was going, and I attempted to get up but Susannah grabbed my arm.

“Y/N, please. It will be better this time.”

I could feel Conrad’s eyes on me. Almost begging me not to do it. Then, I looked at Belly. Her face was full of life, and how could I disappoint her? I wish I could look at the world like Belly does. To her, nothing is impossible. She was the sun that shined on this house, and I just felt like the rain that drowned everything out.

“I- I mean—” I stumbled on my words, before looking at Belly.

“Okay. I’ll do it.” I could see Conrad’s eyes widen at my answer.

“Yay!” Susannah squeals while writing my name down on the card. “Now we just have to find you two dates, but we have plenty of time!”

Maybe I shouldn’t have signed up for this.

—

I sat in my room, looking at my closet with no thoughts. The first bonfire of the season is always the best. I was hoping it was this year. Last year was the first year I went and opted out of me and Belly’s tradition with Susannah and Laurel. I remember the look on Belly’s face when I fled.

June, Last Summer.

Laurel was nervous because the boys always went to the Bonfire, but this was the first year I was going. She felt safe though because Conrad was going, always the protector.

“Are you excited?” Conrad said to me. I smiled at him as we walked ahead of Jeremiah and Steven to his car.

“I’m happy i’m not sitting at home and doing nothing.” Conrad smiles at me and shoves my shoulder a little.

“Yo! I’m driving!” Jeremiah says while rushing to the drivers seat. I couldn’t help but blush at his demand. I think it was obvious because Conrad was staring at me.

Jeremiah turned to me and smirked, “Shotgun?”

“Always.” I say before Conrad can object. He slowly gets in the back seat.

“Poor Belly.” I said, not realizing my thoughts were being spoken aloud.

“Don’t feel bad for her, she’s still a baby in my eyes.” Steven blurts out and a laugh comes from Jeremiah’s face.

“Seriously, Y/N, you’ll have the best time.” Jeremiah puts a hand around my shoulder and redness succumbed to my face.

“Just don’t fuck anyone.” Steven starts rambling on how i’m too young and Conrad was laughing in the back.

That night, I had never felt so young. I mean, I was almost 16 but still 15. That didn’t stop me from attempting to flirt. I thought about running back to the house and begging to be forgiven and watch movies with the girls.

I grabbed a shot and chugged it down. I had dranken before, but Steven said he wouldn’t cover for me until this fall, going into Junior year. I could never drink too much. Now, I could do whatever. I could get fucking drunk.

I saw Jeremiah getting cozy with a group of girls and I felt my heart jump. He was always so mixed. He would almost kiss me one day but then act like nothing happened. Even though I never told Conrad, because that’s awkward, he always knew what was on my mind.

He caught wind of me and walked over to me, making me feel kinda happy.

“Hey! How you doing?”

I looked around to realize he probably came over to make me look normal. Nobody was talking to me. I was a loner.

“Better now.”

He smiled and put an arm around me. “How many of those have you had?”

I smirked, “mmm, I can handle it Fisher.”

“I know you can.”

For a split second I swore he was about to kiss me, like the sun and the moon were finally merging to make an eclipse. Everything would be worth it.

“I’ll see you around, Y/N.” He let’s go of me and then rushes back to the group of girls that had been calling him. What the fuck.

I grabbed the nearest drink and downed it. Suddenly I really missed Conrad.

Present Day:

“Y/N! Come on!” I heard Belly scream from downstairs. This was her first year at the bonfire, and i didn’t wanna ruin it for her. I wore a pretty blue tube top with white jean shorts.

Once I got downstairs, I was brought to se Steven and Belly yelling. Once she saw me, her eyes lit up, like I was her savior.

“Y/N! Tell Steven how I should go to the bonfire?”

“Steven, she’s 15. It’s not a big deal.” Why was Steven overreacting?

“You were more mature than Belly was. Besides, mom won’t even let you.” This wasn’t true, all belly had to do was ask.

Laurel and Susannah come running into the room, with a bunch of snacks. “Who’s ready for movie night?”

Belly sighs, knowing she’s lost this fight. I pat her on the back, “sorry bells, if you need anything text me.” She sticks her tongue out at me and smiles.

—

The bonfire was packed, way more than I remembered last year. Maybe it was just my bad memory. Jeremiah disbursed into the crowd of people who already knew him. Typical Jeremiah. I lost track of Conrad and Steven was talking to some chick.

I walked around, trying to gauge someone I knew. I felt so stupid, out of place. I was shy, but I knew these people. Why did I feel this way?

After tons of walking around, I decided I needed a drink, or two or three. However many my heart wanted.

I chugged the first two drinks down easily, already trying to feel the buzz.

“Don’t choke.” I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around to see a guy. He was hot. Brown, fluffy, blue eyes from what I could see.

“I know what I’m doing.” I say, with a playful tone.

“I just would hate to see a girl like you choke.”

“What’s your name?”

“Josh. You?”

“Y/N.”

He smirks which made me blush a little bit. He was no Jeremiah, or Conrad for that fact but he was something.

“Well, Y/N. Would you like another drink?” I giggled a little and took the cup from his hands, drinking whatever was in his cup. It was strong, stronger.

We talked about a lot of things. He played football, I played volleyball. It kinda just went on from there. I couldn’t help but hear voices that were too familiar to me not to turn around. It was Belly.

“I’ll be right back.” I say, before giving him one last smile and making my way over to Belly.

“Bellsssssss!” I say, slurring my words. I hadn’t moved much, and the drinks were finally starting to get to me.

“Hey, are you.. drunk?” She says.

“No! What are you doing here?” She smiles shyly. I didn’t even have to hear her answer to know she snuck out. Something else had caught my attention.

Conrad. Making out with a girl. I knew her. I knew her all too well. I felt his eyes linger to mine, as well as the girls.

“Y/N? Is that you?” She says and I’m forced to show her a smile. She gets up from Conrad and hugs me. I could feel his eyes, burning into mine as if the sun was right next to me.

“Hey, Nicole.”

“I saw Susannah pick up two sheets for the ball, are you gonna debb this year?”

I felt my body heat up and I knew Conrad noticed it too.

“Susannah wants me to try again, but—”

“You totally should! Paige is still kinda mad about last year, you can make it up to her.” I cringed at her words.

“Yeah i’ll think about it, I— i didn’t know you and Conrad?” I make a gesture between her and Conrad.

“It’s none of your business.” Conrad says, only making my anger burn so much more. Nicole rolls her eyes and sits back down next to Conrad, “Don’t be mean.”

I walked away before any of them could say something else. This night was a shit show. I looked around for the guy Josh but everything was just blurry. I grabbed the nearest drink and downed that as well. I didn’t want to feel. Not anymore.

“COPS!”

Shit. I couldn’t really see much but I heard people screaming and saw blue and red lights. I felt a hand tug on mine and looked at them, seeing their beautiful blue eyes. It was Jeremiah.

“Come on. Let’s go.”

I followed his lead, not letting go of his hand. If only he had grabbed it just because, not because the stupid cops came. Then my night would be fine.

—

I was stuck in a car with Conrad. Belly and Steven were no where to be found and Jeremiah left to go find them. The air was thick. I felt like I was climbing Mount Everest.

“How much did you drink tonight?” I hear him say. His words shoot like lasers through my ears for reasons I’ll never know.

“It’s none of your business.” I mock him.

“You shouldn’t drink that much.” I hated him. How could he say that when he’s drunk?

“Your drunk, Conrad. Don’t tell me what to do.”

He didn’t say anything else.

There was a knock on the door and we both turned to see a police officer, and I knew we were fucked.

“You kids been drinking?”

—

wooohooo!! end of chapter 2!! These Chapters might be a little slow because in order to get to the main plot I gotta give some background lol. Enjoy!!

tag list: @callsignwidow @kkrenae

[brokenjere]

bad in the bones (ch.10) (c.f)

a/n:

“We have to get back,” Conrad says. My dress is still soaking wet, dripping onto the cement underneath me. Conrad’s hair drips water onto my forehead and I wipe it away with the back of my head. 

“Do we?” He gives me a lazy smile and extends his hand to me. “They’re going to kill us.” 

“And who’s fault is that?” He tilts his head to the side and I push my wet hair out of face. His hand finds my cheek and he presses his lips against mine softly. “I’m sure there are spare clothes somewhere around here,” he says. He leads me inside of the country club and instead of going down the hall, we take the stairs up to the second floor. “I think there’s a closet somewhere in here.” He pokes around the rooms, opening and shutting door when he doesn’t find what he wants. 

“We’re leaving a trail,” I laugh, looking behind us at the water drenching the carpet. 

“Hold your dress up higher,” he remarks. I do what I’m told but huff at him which makes him chuckle. “Here.” He opens the door to a dressing room. In the corner there are clothes hanging up on a rack with a row of vanities in the middle. “I think this is where the girls all got ready,” he tells me. I walk toward the row of dresses hanging up. They’re not all white, but most of them are which feels tacky to wear. Like wearing white at a wedding. “What are you going to wear?” I ask as he opens a wardrobe on the other side of the room. 

“The boys dressing room is a few doors down. I’ll go find something.” He pulls out a purple dress from the wardrobe and holds it out as if he’s trying to picture me in it. “Put this on. I’ll be right back.” He drapes the dress over one of the vanity chairs and then disappears out of the room. I strip out of my wet dress, leaving it in a pile on the floor and slip on the purple one. It’s silky and hugs my curves exactly where they need to be hugged. It’s a perfect fit. I brush out my hair with my fingers and fix my makeup with whatever I can find on the vanity but nothing I do is going to make me look like I didn’t just jump in the pool, but it’s better than nothing. 

I wander down the hallway until I find the only door that’s cracked open. I peek inside, trying not to make a noise. Conrad is standing in front of a wardrobe similar to the one he pulled my dress out of trying to untie his tie from around his neck. “Need some help?” I ask quietly. He smiles when he sees me and nods his head. He’s still wearing his wet suit, the fabric damp under my fingertips as I undo the knot. 

“That dress looks beautiful on you,” he whispers. I drop the tie to our feet and work the jacket off of his shoulders. 

“Thank you,” I whisper back without looking up at him. The jacket drops to the ground and I start undoing the buttons of his shirt. “We gotta get you out of these wet clothes, huh?” I can feel his heart beating faster under my hands and he nods slowly. He dips his head so our noses touch and then we’re kissing again. My fingers stop working out the buttons and instead they’re gripping his shirt and pulling him closer to me. His hands grip my hips and we stumble backward until we hit one of the vanities, the edge of it ramming into my lower back but I don’t feel it. 

Conrad lifts me up and sets me down on the vanity, his tongue sliding into my mouth. I open my mouth and let him in, his tongue taking over my own. His hands slid up my thigh and under my dress, his fingertips pressing into my skin. I don’t bother trying to undo the buttons of his shirt anymore, I just rip it open and off his body, desperate to feel his skin on mine. 

Conrad pulls away from me, leaving me cold and empty. A moan escapes my lips at his absence and she smiles, tracing his thumb along my swollen bottom lip. “I don’t have anything,” he says. “I’m sorry.” 

I shake my head. “We should get back anyway, huh?” I ask. I think he can feel the disappointment in my voice because he kisses me once again, this time soft and sweet, and nods. “Then let’s get you changed.” 

Our table is empty when we return. I stop just clear of the door and when it slams shut behind us, I feel the entire room looking at us. But they’re not really. They’re looking at our people - Belly, Jeremiah, Susannah, and Laurel. They’re all huddled in a group. Jeremiah and Belly’s backs are to us. Susannah looks like she’s crying. While my feet stay put, Conrad’s move him as fast as possible to his mom. 

I can’t hear anything over the music but I can tell they’re all angry. Or sad. Conrad’s face is all scrunched up and he’s holding his hands out to his brother as if he needs to steady him but Jeremiah’s shoulders are tense. Belly’s shoulders slouch and Jeremiah yells, “you knew! You knew and you didn’t tell me!” 

“Jeremiah,” Conrad says more like a warning than anything. Jeremiah’s hands are on Conrad before Conrad finishes speaking and they’re tumbling around, a mess of flailing limps. Susannah is crying and begging her boys to stop and I snap back. I was hoping I was imagining it all but the cries are real and the fists hitting faces are real. 

“What is going on?” I ask Belly when I reach her side. I raise my voice above Laurel crying for the boys to stop. Jeremiah is on the ground with Conrad on top of him, trying to pin him down. Belly doesn’t speak. Her lower lip quivers and she looks like she’s going to cry but can’t do anything to stop it. I’m about to put my arm around her but then Jeremiah gets a punch in and now Conrad is on the ground and instead of my arms going to Belly, they’re reaching for Conrad.

Susannah grabs Jeremiah by his shoulders and he softens at her touch but when I grab Conrad, he jerks away from me. Our eyes meet and I can see him soften, just a little bit, but then his face goes stoic. “My mom is sick,” he says. “Her cancer is back and I knew this whole time.” I open my mouth to speak but he doesn’t let me. “Jeremiah just found out. While we were out there, in the pool making out, he found out.” He shoves a finger toward in the direction of the pool. 

“I didn’t know,” I mumble, shaking my head. I reach for him instictively and he takes a step back, shaking his head at me. 

“Of course you didn’t know. No one knew and he shouldn’t have had to find out like this. I should have never left with you. This was a mistake from the beginning, you even said it yourself.” I think my heart bursts inside of my chest. Cracks, actually. My heart explodes. Disintergrates. Completely combusts. 

“You don’t mean that,” I whisper. I’m suddenly very, very aware of all the eyes on us. Belly’s eyes on us. 

“I do.” He gives me a curt nod and then turns around and walks away. 

I feel like the walls are moving further and further away from me and I’m left, all alone, in the middle of the dance floor. I feel like I did when we were in the boat, paddling through the water except I’m paddling alone and going in circles. 

“You and Conrad?” It’s Belly that speaks to me first. At least, she’s the only voice I can hear. “You and fucking Conrad?” She repeats harder this time, spitting at me as she speak. I don’t want to look at her, but I do. I look at the tears in her eyes, the red flush on her cheeks, and her shaking hands.  

“Belly,” I breathe. “Belly let me explain.” I start to beg her. I’m practically going to my knees but she throws her hands up and storms away. 

I sat outside of Belly’s door all night. At first, I was knocking and begging for her to open it and let me talk. I begged her to listen to me. I could hear her shuffling for hours but eventually, it all went quiet and I was sure she fell asleep, but I kept whispering to her. Hoping that she would open the door. Eventually, she did. She opened the door so fast I fell backward, barely catching myself with my hands. “You’re still out here?” 

“I didn’t think you’d open the door,” I told her honestly. She shrugged and opened the door further, silently inviting me in. I scrambled to my feet and went into her room and she shut the door behind me. “Thank you.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked before I could finish my sentence. She crossed her arms over her chest, closing herself off to me almost completely. 

“How could I?”

“You’re my cousin. My best friend,” she pleaded, dropping her arms at her side. 

I stepped toward her but she stepped away so I stopped. “You could have told me.”

“You would have been upset. I didn’t want to upset you. I know how you feel about him.” I tried to quiet my voice to a whisper but Belly didn’t want to be quiet. Her voice was harsh and stern. 

“I’m upset anyway. Were you ever going to tell me? Or just be with him behind my back until we went home? And then what? You’re my family but so is he.” I knew what she was insinuating. That I would leave him after summer was over and never tell her. “You should have told me.”

“You’re right.” I threw up my hands. “You’re right, I should have told you but I fell in love with him, okay? And I panicked. If I had told you and you told me not to be with him, I wouldn’t be with him and that thought alone scared me more than anything.” Belly’s face softened for a moment and I felt the breath I was holding in release itself. “I’m sorry.” 

“You would have stopped if I asked you to?” She asked and I nodded. She sighed and walked over to me, plopping herself down on the bed next to me. I hesitated, but sat down too. 

“Belly, you’re my family. I can’t help that we fell in love but I should have told you.” She nodded and then put her arm around me and it was over. Just like that. No yelling, no screaming. She was just my Belly again. 

“I would never have told you to stop seeing him,” she whispered. 

“Well, I’m pretty sure we’re over anyway,” I told her. I just kept picturing his face in my mind. The way he glared at me before leaving me all alone. “I doubt he wants anything to do with me. Besides, that’s the least of his worries right now. Me and him.” 

I could see the way her face fell. I put my head on her shoulder and she put her head on mine and we sat there in silence for a long time before eventually, we fell asleep in her bed. 

The sunrise woke me up the next morning. Belly was still fast asleep next to me so I slid out of her room quietly and walked down to the beach. The path to the beach is quiet and it’s not yet scorching hot out. When I reach the sand, I take my shoes off and that’s when I see him. He’s sitting in the sand leaning back on his hands and watching the waves crash. I almost turn around. I think I should turn around. But I don’t. 

“Fancy meeting you out here,” I tease quietly, hoping not to startle him. He barely flinches. I stand behind him and wait for him to acknowledge me before inviting myself to join him. He waits so long to say anything I almost leave. 

“You stalking me or something?” I think I feel a weight leave my shoulders when he talks. His voice no longer screams in my head in anger. “You can sit down.” 

“I wasn’t sure.” I hesitate still but sit down next to him. “I don’t know what to say,” I admit. I want to put my hand on his shoulder. I want to look him in the eyes and see the same thing that I saw just yesterday at the pool but all I can do is sit as still as a statue and watch the water. 

“I should apologize.”

Conrad stays quiet. I feel him breathing next to me. I know he’s thinking about what to say because his eyebrows are knitted together and he’s chewing the inside of his mouth. “I’m sorry I distracted you this weekend. I’m sorry that this was your last summer here with your family and I ruined it.” I rush out all my words before I can regret them. “I hope that you don’t regret us but we can forget this ever happened.” I stand up, shake the sand off my clothes and start to turn away. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” His words shoot through me like knives. “Forget this ever happened? I love you. I can’t forget that.” I don’t turn around because I can’t look at him. I think I might break if I do. He loves me. “You didn’t ruin this summer. You made it bearable. It’s not your fault I didn’t tell Jeremiah. Please look at me,” he begs. 

“I can’t look at you because if I look at you then I’m never going to leave and I have to leave,” I tell him. Laying in Belly’s bed, I made the choice to go home. It’s already set in stone in my mind and I know that if I look at him, I’m going to change my mind. “We shouldn’t be together, Con.” 

“Stay as my friend,” he rushes out.  “I need you.” 

“I can’t just be your friend.” His hand wraps around my wrist and he spins me

around so I have to look at him. I swear there are tears in his eyes that he’s blinking away. “I can’t be your friend,” I repeat. His eyes dance from my eyes to my lips and I know he doesn’t want to be just friends. 

“Why can’t we be together?” 

“The same reasons that we should never have gotten together in the first place. Belly and your mom and all this shit you’re dealing with that you’re not focused on because of me.” Conrad rolls his eyes and cups my face with his hands and I can’t help but lean into him, at least just a little bit. 

“I need you,” he tells me again. “Please don’t go.” 

taglist: @marajillana @liltimmyst @angelayse @nani-2305 @drikawinchester @28cnn @nyenye @isthlsfate @spacefruitsblog @laceandsuch @peotego @hallecarey1 @maybankslover @i-think-you-are-gr8 @teensyflowur @jackierose902109 @geekinthefuschiahair @apollo3475

[sirianasims]

Chapter 27

Cover Me in Sunshine

Had it been up to me, and me alone, I would have moved Cecilia in with me immediately. But I wanted to make sure Freya was on board with it. She had barely had time to get used to living with Conrad yet, and I didn’t want to spring yet another bonus parent on her without preparation.

I still wanted them to at least meet as soon as possible, though. Cecilia and I had been spending every available weekend together, but I wanted her to be able to visit when Freya was here as well. Cecilia was excited to meet my daughter, and I hoped that they would get along.

For their first meeting, I decided to take them both out to dinner. Neutral ground. It worked when introducing cats and dogs, so why not now? Cecilia was staying with me for the weekend as usual, but I asked her to go ahead and wait at the restaurant while I picked up Freya. Freya knew that we were going to meet my girlfriend, but I wanted a few minutes alone with her to make sure she was prepared.

I didn’t have to worry. From the moment they met, Cecilia and Freya got along like a house on fire.

I had of course proudly told Cecilia all about my daughter, and she immediately started asking Freya about her greatest interest, sports. Freya was ecstatic, and when Cecilia admitted that she had never played basketball, Freya solemnly promised to teach her how to play.

My plan had been to stay in the background to give them a chance to connect, but by the time our food arrived, they were so engrossed in a conversation about cats that I might as well not have been there at all.

Freya was telling Cecilia about how we had found Zoe when Freya was very little. I couldn’t help but smile. I recognised my own words in the way she told it. There was no way she could remember the day that clearly, but I had often told her the story over the years.

She even told Cecilia how her comment about Zoe having green eyes like us had become an inside joke, and how we’d sometimes declare animals on tv as part of the family if they had green eyes. So far, our fictional television family consisted of many cats, a few panthers, one chameleon and a surprising amount of lemurs.

She asked Cecilia about her tattoos, and Cecilia explained that the white cat on her shoulder was her first cat, Snowball, and the black one on her forearm was Mimi. She even talked about how she had come into my clinic by accident eight years ago to buy treats for them. Mimi was still a kitten back then, but she had lost Snowball to old age since.

“So does that mean that Mimi is eight years old now, just like me?”

“She is! And you know what? She also has green eyes, just like you!”

As we were saying goodbye to Cecilia after dinner, she got down on one knee.

“Freya, I need to ask you a very important question. I love your daddy very much and I would really like to come and live with you guys. Would that be fine with you?”

“Sure, then I can teach you how to play basketball! But why are you asking me? I mostly live with Mommy.”

“Because it’s your daddy and your house so I want to hear your opinion.”

“Oh, OK. Will Mimi come and live there too?”

“Of course! I want her to meet you, and she can play with Cooper and Zoe!”

“Yay!”

She hugged Cecilia, who almost fell over backwards.

I looked at the two most important people in my world, and I wanted to cry with happiness.

As we walked back to Conrad and Katherine, I asked Freya if she liked Cecilia.

“She’s so cool! And she’s nice and funny and she has green eyes, and Mimi has green eyes, so they belong with us, like Zoe and grandpa! And Cooper, even if he doesn’t have green eyes, but we love him anyway because his eyes are brown like Mommy’s, right Daddy?”

“That’s right, little monkey”, I said, staring across the harbour while trying not to tear up. For a moment we were both quiet. Then Freya started squirming.

“Daddy? If you and Cecilia had a baby, would the baby have green eyes?”

“Oh… probably, although the baby could also get grandma Cora’s blue eyes or something from Cecilia’s family. You never know. But why are you asking about babies?”

“Because I asked Mommy if I could have a little brother or sister and she said that she is too old and I should ask you instead.”

“I… see. Well, Cecilia is just going to move in for now, and maybe we will have a baby some day. But I can’t promise anything, maybe Cecilia doesn’t even want babies.”

“I bet she does. Do you want me to ask her for you, Daddy?”

“Thanks, monkey, but I think I should ask her that myself. OK?”

“OK. So when can I get a tattoo? I want one on the arm like Cecilia. Conrad has so many, they’re like everywhere, but he says they hurt to get so I only want a small one.”

As I dropped Freya off, I quickly gave Katherine an update on how it went. She could hardly be against Cecilia moving in, seeing as she lived with Conrad now. She said she was happy for me.

I didn’t mention the thing with the babies.

beginning / previous / next

[hikennosabo]

random knives thoughts (trimax vol 7)

my vol 7 post is getting long and i have so much to say about knives that i think he deserves his own post, lol. and this got way longer than i expected it would.

not sure how to structure this though. i guess i'll just... go in chapter order.

this volume is a LOT to take in, in general, but also with regards to knives specifically. we see past and present versions, and the difference is night and day.

^ i love this scene of rem scolding knives so much, because it's just so... normal. a normal mother and son interaction. he was just a normal kid.

i also love this next scene, and i want to go through it slowly.

knives is so worried about conrad's reaction to them. he can't make eye contact. his face is red. he's trying to talk politely. he's trembling and sweating. compared to vash, who looks a little concerned, but relatively nonplussed.

i love how this is the only question conrad asks, and the two of them immediately answer. that's all that's needed.

i love the panel of knives crying so much. i can't imagine him crying like this as an adult... he's so emotional about all this. and i love vash comforting him by putting his arm around him. vash has to say "thank you" because knives is crying so much he can't even speak. knives was such a sweet kid, y'all.

and then there's this. now conrad is scolding knives like a parent, too. it's just. everything about this interaction is so sweet. it almost paints a picture of what could have been. things could have been different in another timeline. ugh ugh ugh

knives being the sensitive one, and the one with so much hope and confidence that plants and humans can get along, it hurts. it's almost hard to believe that the twins basically swapped in their outlooks and attitudes from being kids to adults.

^ that being said, put a pin in this.

^ not posting this one for any particular reason other than i think that knives being a little hackerman is so cute

^ i NEED to include these panels, though, because it's such a sibling moment. if you couldn't tell (lol), i love the bits of normal familial interactions we see, and the twins' scenes specifically just serve to emphasize how wrong everything is in the present day.

"since when have we been so different?" ...the line in tristamp which kills me the most. (if this line appears in a future volume i might actually just climb right into the microwave.)

and then we get the tesla scene. it's already been discussed at length, but knives being so traumatized that he passed out is just. so much. it broke him. it broke him!! and he slept through everything after that. it seems like a small mercy, compared to vash's self-starvation and suicide attempt, but in the long run... it wasn't. he wasn't able to work through his emotions with rem like vash did. he didn't hear the blank ticket story, or see rem cry.

aaand then he wakes up and immediately pretends to have amnesia. i'm gonna be honest, i wasn't actually sure at first if he was lying or not. but his anger and grief and fear are too extreme for it to be a reaction to simply "rem calmly explaining what happened." although i also thought the twins Forgetting Traumatic Events could be like. a running thing here. maybe.

also his "?" face is so cute. (somehow i forgot to include this one in my knives baby pictures post...)

the chapter 3 title kills me btw.

"i thought it would be better if he still knew the truth." i wonder if vash blames himself for knives's breakdown because of this. (he would've had a breakdown anyway...) and there's something to be said here about vash thinking this when he's the one who ends up blocking out traumatic memories in the future. thanks to knives, no less.

his conversation with rem kills me, also. "are you trying to bear all of this by yourself?" "yeah. i am." he just. admits it. and his expressions are so muted now compared to previous chapters. rem is trying but unfortunately she didn't try hard enough.

the mom-son hug... :( the way he clings to her. he's thinking about revenge, but it's so clear that he still loves his mom.

and that leads right into this. it's still a little while in between this and knives making the ships fall, but, i don't know, with the way he breaks out of the hug, then turns away, then turns back to say thank you, it feels like this is knives's goodbye to rem. like this is when he steels his resolve, almost. maybe i'm reading too much into it, idk. plus he looks so tired. he looks more like his adult self now.

it's more like he's telling himself this, rather than telling vash. he's choosing to be angry instead of afraid. (or acting like it, at least.) and with his face in shadow like in the flashbacks earlier in the story...

^ PAGES THAT KILL ME. the last sense of normalcy right before disaster. knives's expressions don't seem insincere here. maybe he was allowing himself some happiness before the execution of his plan.

and then, of course, we see him having a fucking breakdown.

they hurt to look at, but i love these pages so much. his face divided in two by shadow, tears on one side, blood on the other... he's. conflicted about his actions, to say the least.

but when he succeeds, he has no choice but to lean into it, yknow? no time for regrets.

^ me when i lie. honey, you don't look rational.

and then we smash cut to the present day.

i love this panel. knives looks so small here.

and i ADORE this page so much. it's gorgeous; poignant, even. and we've never seen knives kneel like this before. man, this volume has such good knives images. (also i was rereading this chapter with my music on shuffle and 'take me to church' started playing while i was looking at this page. interesting experience)

there is. so much in this scene. knives expresses regret for killing plants in the big fall. knives saying - STILL saying - that he's angry rather than afraid.

a lot has been said about knives's hypocrisy already, but there's something to be said about knives criticizing humanity, and saying that humans will selfishly consume plants "like parasites"... and then essentially doing that himself. absorbing other plants so he can use their energy instead of his own.

i think the phrasing he uses is interesting, though. it's almost as if he's asking the plant rather than using force. the gentle way he puts his hand on the glass, too. showing more respect to her than to his own brother. i mean, i guess it doesn't really matter because non-independent plants don't have free will anyway(?), and maybe that's exactly why he's acting like this(??), but. idk. it's interesting.

^ including this page for no reason other than it fucks severely.

and then finishing the chapter and seeing the chapter title again is just. ugh. like, so much happens in between the start and the end that you kinda forget what the title is and then it hits you like a truck. king of loneliness.

^ another page i'm including for the sole reason that it fucks severely.

^ yet ANOTHER spread that i absolutely adore, but i have more to say about it this time lol. i'm obsessed with how beautiful this page is, it's a renaissance painting to me. it's just the contrast of it all. knives, the villain, in a delicate pose, juxtaposed against the body horror, sleeping peacefully with fabric draped all around. the majority of the spread being white creates a sense of purity and also contrasts beautifully with the use of black in the other two knives spreads i posted above. instantly one of my favorite pages in the manga. and he's absorbed, what, three or four plants by now? making his aura so powerful even when he's asleep. which makes this image of him snoozing even more uncanny in context.

...now that i think about it, knives sleeps a lot, doesn't he? he's essentially "asleep" at the beginning of the manga until he gets resurrected, he passed out from trauma as a child, there was that time in volume 4 when he was soooo eepy and yawned in legato's face, and now this...

:( it's been said already, but knives has turned tesla into a symbol, much like vash with rem. if tesla had this power, what would she have done? we'll never know.

"i won't let you," he says. knives. honey. some self-reflection, please. whose fault was it that he ever used those powers at all. i'm begging you. LOOK INWARD.

^ more like millions guns lol. but actually i just wanted to point out he manifests 13 guns! thirteen, like the ghg! or it's just a coincidence.

knives insisting that this is a war... things to say when you're definitely not afraid of humans you swear. and then we get the dialogue from tristamp episode 12 from the scene that kills me the most.

at this point i said to myself (which isn't the first time i've had this thought reading trigun, and won't be the last), "why can't they just talk to each other like normal people?" LOL yeah so we're taking that pin out from way earlier in this post: "we can work through a few little differences if we just talk to each other." but if knives was capable of doing that, well the story wouldn't be happening at all, now would it? the concept of talking it out became impossible to him the moment he and vash discovered tesla.

also damn that post about knives seeing vash as an extension of himself wasn't kidding! i don't think i can add anything else to that, just. yep, it's literal!

aaaand anything else i have to say will have to be in my volume 7 post proper because i've hit the image limit LMAO. i just. wow. knives. what a character. what a villain. i'm rotating him in my mind like a rotisserie chicken.

[galaxyzone]

❤Confliss headcanons❤

So I know this isn't a super popular ship, but I personally love them a lot and I think they're cute❤ And a little while ago, @thepanicsquid and I were talking about what we thought Conrad & Fliss would do after the events of the game and it resulted in some really cute headcanons, so I thought I would share some of them!

Ok so @thepanicsquid mentioned how she thought that Conrad would stay with Fliss after they all got back home and I really liked that idea, so this is how I imagined it plays out:

After the events of the game, when everyone gets back to shore safely, they all crash at Fliss's place because it's the closest to where they docked. They recuperate and are finally able to receive the medical attention they need- especially Conrad, who is finally taken to the hospital to have his leg treated (if he was shot).

When they are all finally able to leave and go back to their respective homes, Conrad decides to stay with Fliss, saying that he wants to help with the repairs to her boat because he knows that he's partially responsible for the damages. Fliss first tries to object, stating that she can take care of her own boat, but Conrad claims that he still needs to heal anyway (because he was the most beaten-up), so she allows him to stay and help.

While working on her boat, the 2 of them bond a lot and become much closer. Conrad constantly urges Fliss to take breaks because he doesn't want her to over-work herself, so he'll occasionally pull her away and take her on a nice walk along the beach or on a scenic hiking trail. At first, Fliss tried to object to these breaks because she's always been a perfectionist who wants to finish the job she's working on, but she ultimately comes to appreciate the walks and the opportunities they give her to clear her mind. She also finds herself somewhat flustered by the attention that Conrad pays to her well-being because nobody's ever really taken care of her like that before.

After they finish the repairs to her boat, Conrad returns home to see his family, especially his parents who still haven't seen him since the trip. While he and Fliss are apart, they both find themselves missing each other more than they thought they would, so they end up FaceTiming each other and talking on the phone frequently. Julia will occasionally pop into frame to say hi and the 2 girls will catch up while Conrad impatiently waits to speak to Fliss again.

One day, the whole gang decides to surprise Fliss by visiting her (it was Conrad's idea of course, but the others were also excited to see her again). They share a big reunion hug & Conrad reveals that he's rented a vacation home near her so he can travel back and forth. This flusters Fliss because she's not used to spoiled rich kids using their money for her, but Conrad jokes that he's still spoiled because it also allows him to see her.

@thepanicsquid and I both like to think they start out as a kind of "friends with benefits" situationship because neither of them want to rush into anything. They claim that they're just messing around and having fun; but even though they're not official, they spend a lot of time together and they both feel weird whenever someone else flirts with them.

Julia always inquires Conrad about it, asking if he's ever going to make a real move, to which he claims that he's just not in a place for a real relationship. Secretly, he's hesitant to make it official because he's worried he'll mess it up somehow & he doesn't want to ruin what they currently have.

Eventually, the 2 of them come to their senses and decide to make it official!

They are such an adventurous & outdoorsy couple. They continue to go on their nature hikes, and they even take to other outdoor activities like rock climbing & water skiing. At one point, Fliss even convinces Conrad to try skydiving with her (I also have a headcanon that he's been afraid of heights ever since his encounter with the glamor girl where he could've plummeted to his death)

Fliss's friends like to tease her for ending up with a rich boy since she always talked about how she hated rich people.

Conrad literally showers Fliss in little presents. Flowers, chocolates, her favorite kind of tea, you name it.

At Alex & Julia's wedding, Conrad asks Fliss to dance with him; and when she says she's not much of a dancer, he reassures her that he isn't either. They both surprise each other with how well they do & they quickly find their rhythm.

Conrad loves helping Fliss with her boat responsibilities; from maintaining the ship to entertaining her clients, he essentially becomes her business partner.

They adopt a little black Labrador and name him Duke, after Fliss's ship! He becomes the boat's mascot❤ Conrad jokes that now they have to get another dog and name it Milan so they can have two mascots. Fliss says one is enough... until they adopt a female white Labrador and name her Milan❤

I could probably think of more, but this post is already getting kinda long haha, so I'll leave it there! Thank you for reading!🥰

[bitchybimbos]

one summer ep 1

I wrote this a while back when tsitp was still new. I'm new to writing so please lmk if i missed anything and if i should write more

warnings: partying devoiced parents? drugs not proof read srry

Parties were never really my thing until dad left and mom decided to move next to her best friend's summer house down in cousins. Mom tried to force me to meet her best friend's kids or whatever but I kept avoiding it. “I'm going out, I'll be home later.” I yelled to my mom. “Well what time will you be back? We have dinner with Susanna tonight. I was hoping you would go.” She informs me. “I'll be home around 6:00.” I grab my keys and head out. I let my plug know I'm here. I give him the money he gives me the weed and pills and I head to the beach. I stay a little then head home. “Honey? I bought you this nice baby blue pencil dress for dinner” mom says. “Uh thanks, put it on the chair i'll be down in a sec” i call out running up the stairs. I put the drugs in a slit in my mattress. For later. I slipped into the dress mom bought me. It's nice but a little snug in some areas. “Do really have to go?” i whine. “Yes. now put a smile on that gorgeous face i created.” she jokes. We head in with moms famous extra sauce lasagna. Susanna greats us at the door with a big hug. We go inside and it's so beautiful it's like if you walked into an all white dream house. Two boys come down the stairs. One is a brunet with green-ish eyes tall and not very muscular. The second one a dirty blonde with deep blue eyes almost like you could drown in the. He is tall and skinny but not too skinny. He's wearing nothing but shorts and an open light blue striped button-up. We all sit outside next to the pool. “So y/n your mom told me you like to swim” Susanna announces. “Uh yeah I was on the swim team for a while.” i say. “Well that's really cool. I almost forgot to introduce you to my sons.” she points to the dirty blonde one first. “This is Jeremiah, my second born. And this is my first conrad” she introduces them. After dinner mom hands me my hot pink triangle bikini. I guess we'll be staying longer considering that they both love to talk. I go change and tie my h/c up into a bun. “Wanna hangout in the pool?” Jeremiah asks. “Sure” I sound miserable, oh my god. I walk into the pool just to be splashed by jeremiah. I would usually be upset by this but instead I just laughed and splashed back.”Hey there's a bonfire at the beach tonight are you going?” he questions. “I'm not sure…” who am i kidding i never say no to parties these days. Anything to be out of the house.

                                                    ***

I call my best friend Nia Travers. “What should i wear to the fire? I have my camo pants and calvin klein top with my custom jordans. Or black bell-bottom jeans with my neon green bikini top?” i ask her. “ option 2 because you got them striper tits girl.” she jokes. “Alright i love you bye” “byee” i hang up  and go get ready. “Mom i'm going to a bonfire i'll be back by like 1 or 2 am love you” i yell while walking out. On my way out i grab my papers and weed and sit on a rock and roll 4 joints just in case. I get to the fire and see conrad practically swallowing a girls face. I sit down near the water taking of my green jordans and let the water come onto my feet. “Hey you made it” jeremiah says exidely. “I guess i did” i say. I take a joint out of my bag and light it. I inhale deeply and let a puff of smoke out. Jeremiah pulls it out of my mouth and takes a puff himself. I feel the weed start kicking in after a few more hits. I get up to get a drink “you want a drink?” i ask jeremiah while he's zoning out. “Nu uh you sit i'll get it” he says while getting up. “I need to stretch my legs anyway” i explain. I walk next to him while we go to get some pink Whitney jello shots. After 3-6 shots i was feeling out of it. I could feel the beach spinning. I feel a had placed on my lower back sliding down to my ass. I feel too weak to fight back. “No stop.” I tried to say but it only came out as a murmur. “Y/n? Yo can you stop touching her she's obviously too drunk to allow you to touch her like this don't you think?” jeremiah says gruffly. The guy backs off. Jeremiah leads you to car. “Mmm” i hummed. “What's that y/n?” jeremiah spoke. I gag “OH , um out the window not on the car i just bought it.” he instrucks. I threw up out the window. He drops me off at my house and parks his car. “I'll meet you up stairs.” he whispers. “Mkay.” i hum. I stumble into the house and make it up the stairs. I walked into my room and pretty much fell onto my bed. I hear a knock at my window and I trudge towards it and open it. “Hey lets  get you changed okay?” wipered so he didn't wake up my mom. I’d be kinda awkward to see your best friend's kid in her daughter's bedroom. He pick out a pink tank top and silky pink shorts. He placed them on her bed. “I got you some pajamas to change into” he went on. He turned around to give me some sort of privacy. “Shit. i gotta go” jeremiah cursed under his breath. So he tucked me  into bet and left the same way he came in. 

                                                          ***

The next day i woke up with a roaring head-ach. Surprise surprise. I got up and made myself a bowl of cereal and take 3 ibuprofen. Mom comes down with 5 suitcases looking like were moving to a new state. “Where are you going again?” i ask. “WE are going to stay with susanna because she offered and we need you interact with more people your age” she explains. I roll my eyes. “Don't roll you eyes at me unless you want me to take your phone for the summer.” she threatens. I run upstairs pack up and we head over. Susanna and mom gush over each other and i see the girl conrad was making out with last night sitting next to him with her legs over  his lap. I give her a quick and friendly smile. I look for jeremiah around the house. I find him in the pool with a girl with black-ish brown hair. A swim would feel so nice right now. I go up to the guess room and change into a rectangle baby blue top and a high waisted blue tie up bottom and grab my phone then head out.

(im so sorry if this is acc so bad)

[incalescentia]

@tiny-as-a-firely // prev. post

Home was no longer a frightening concept. He gladly stumbled in that direction, filling the walk with conversation about his last class discussion, how he thought the soccer team may actually make it to state championships this year, and why he decided he didn’t like wearing purple. All aimless topics —  all part of a forgotten routine between the couple, laughing and smiling and holding hands. Their seventh-floor apartment didn’t have an elevator. These stairs were a witness to their love story. Every song hummed and poem recited, every stolen kiss and long embrace, every step Conrad tripped on and Dorothea saved him from. Their names were carved into every inch of these dingy white walls. Connie and Dora. Connie and Dora. Connie and Dora. There wasn’t anywhere to escape it. He flicked on the lights in the entryway, hanging the keys on their hook, and letting Dora press past him. Everything from the couch to the picture frames was handpicked during Sunday morning thrift shopping. Perfectly curated to complement their different personalities. A deep sigh exhaled from Conrad’s lips every time he opened the door like it was bringing him in for the tightest of hugs. This was what Conrad cherished about their life the most, all of the places that were meant for their eyes only. It was a habit for Conrad to make his way to the record player. Tips of his fingers grazing each vinyl as if he was seeing them all for the first time, settling on one with a soft tempo. The strumming of the guitar filled the air as he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over a chair, Dorothea’s singing coming from the kitchen. Nothing felt out of place. Except for the bright yellow envelope on their coffee table. ‘Dorothea Hawkins’ scribbled sloppily on the front. Her assistant must have let herself in, like she had a hundred times before, to drop it off. Still, something felt off about it, that same knot returning to its usual spot in his stomach. It wasn’t like Conrad to snoop but he sat down on the couch anyway, pushed up the metal prongs on the back, and slid out the papers inside. 

Supreme Court of the State of New York: Action for Divorce. No thought in his mind was comprehensible. He knew the foundation of their marriage had cracks but he didn’t think the whole house was crumbling to the ground. Not enough to lead to this. A fucking divorce. After ten years of being together. After everything they had experienced together. She could have at least taken the knife to his jugular instead of sticking it in his back. At least then he would have seen it coming. Had a warning. Something, anything, so he wouldn’t be hyperventilating in what used to be a safe space. His hand was shaking, holding the documents with a death grip, as Dora emerged from the kitchen doorway. There was a smile and then there wasn’t, the paleness of her face saying everything he needed to know. They’re staring at one another. Complete silence. Tears welled up in his eyes but they didn't fall, cheeks growing hot and red. When Conrad spoke, he surprised even himself. Words calm, steady, collected. The opposite of his body language. “Is this what you want?”

[lifeundertheplumbob]

1;2; Item 6

A loneliness grips Nicole, and she decides she wants to visit one of her sisters. She picks Helga, because she’s moved into a nicer house recently and she wants to see it.

‘Personally my dream home would be by the sea,’ says Nicole. ‘Somewhere where I could see a dolphin. But I like this place! It’s pretty roomy! Kind of a weird layout but very livable.’

‘Thank you Nicky,’ says Helga. ‘It was quite a chore to try and get it.’

‘Certainly a terrible mortgage,’ said Connor, Helga’s husband. ‘And years of living in a shack to save up for it. But we finally saved up the deposit.’

‘I hope it won’t be too much paying it back,’ says Nicole, who barely understands this stuff.

‘We’re hard workers with good incomes. Hard work is rewarded,’ says Connor.

Nicole gives Connor a look. She’s never liked him too much. Not much imagination.

Helga asks how Nicole’s job is going, and then asks about the chemistry set.

‘Oh, did I tell you about that? Oh I haven’t done much with it yet than experimentally produce knockoff medicine.’

‘Isn’t that illegal?’ says Connor.

‘I don’t distribute it.’ Nicole waves a dismissive hand. ‘I play around with medicines, and in duplicating medicines. I hope maybe I’ll figure out a new way to... I’m not sure. Better production, better knowledge of side effects. That sort of thing.’

‘That’s very interesting,’ says Helga. ‘I perhaps have an idea that might help you.’

‘Oh?’

‘There’s a new medicine on the market, called Phalanx, which we managed to get a prescription for for Conrad, whose ingredients are a complete secret.’

Connor stirs uncomfortably. ‘The New Government has chosen to permit this, and they know what’s best for the nation. You shouldn’t go prying.’

Helga speaks to her husband, but is clearly aiming this information at Nicole: ‘The owner, Virgil Waller, is clearly bribing the government to get around the law. He’s the most powerful man in the Nation, even more than Mondebello. If you can figure out how he makes his medicine, you’ll be doing the New Government a favour by getting them off his leash so they can go back to serving the people instead of this man’s profits.’

Connor concedes the point.

Connor takes out a whole plate of different things. He kept the bottle of Phalanx, which appears a dark brown syrup sort of stuff, on a plate of ingredients for Conrad’s lunch. Conrad is apparently over at a friend’s.

‘Give her the entire bottle,’ says Helga. ‘We’ll fake having smashed one to get a replacement, or something.’

Nicole takes a look at the bottle. It looks more like a bottle of syrup than a medicine. “Phalanx” is written in large dramatic gold letters, with the company  name Vitasyn Pharmaceuticals in silver above it. The instructions have a simple one tablespoon daily dose.

‘It says it’s a remedy for most ailments,’ she says. ‘This seems unlikely.’

‘We got it for a bad chest infection Conrad had,’ says Helga. ‘And according to him it’s helped with stomach aches and he doesn’t feel as tired anymore. So I’m inclined to believe it. Besides, it is approved by the national medical association.’

And yes, their seal of approval is on the bottle. ‘If Mister Waller and “Vitasyn” is just mixing three different medicines that’ll be a nightmare of side affects and the medical association will have the entire company killed. Is nobody studying this?’

‘It’s a nightmare to get a proper sample of it. They have government and therefore secret police backing if any official lab tries to do anything. So we need our friendly neighbourhood bootlegger to study it for us.’

It has certainly been an interesting visit. Nicole is eager to get home and start working on it.

‘If you find anything untoward about it, tell me right away and I’ll kill Waller myself for poisoning my boy,’ says Helga.

‘I hope you don’t mind me leaving so suddenly,’ says Nicole.

‘Haha no, I had more plans today anyway. No offence, but I didn’t get all dressed up for you.’ Helga laughs and gives her a last goodbye hug.

Nicole won’t immediately get working on the medicine. She has a few things she wants to do. Talk to a few medical colleagues about it work, without the wiretapping of the phones, for starters. There’s also somebody she hasn’t spoken to in a while she’s eager to see again.

The being in the lamp presents an interesting choice. Money and Love were fairly straight forward concepts. This time he’s talking about fire and water. Far more metaphorical. He senses “a desire to improve physical existence.” “It” will be either from the “realm of fire” or the “realm of water.”

So Nicole’s about to get a gift, related to one of these “realms.” Very well. This is actually a very easy choice. Nicole has an unfortunate experience with fire that puts her off of it, and therefore chooses Water.

Spilling from the being and soaking her feet, a torrent of water rapidly sloshes through Nicole’s home. It’s not as bad as it looks; surface level wetness rather than an actual flooding, but it’ll take a while to clean it up. Nicole stamps her feet in fury, but is deep down relieved she didn’t pick Fire.

Apparently this man in the lamp is one of those folkloric beings.

[hs-is-loml]

Isn't The Same Without You (c.f)

masterlist

Pairing: Conrad Fisher x Fem!Reader, Conklin!Reader (Steven's Twin)

Summary: Another summer at Cousins isn't what you expected it to turn out to be. You've spent every summer there with your family and the Fishers. You didn't expect some feelings to unravel and reveal themselves by the start of it. (Part One)

For you, Always (part two), Flashbacks of You (part three), Making you Blush (part four)

Warnings: it's mainly fluff, tell me if I missed anything, anyways grammar errors...

a/n: there will be multiple parts to this! but it can also be a stand-alone even though it's mainly an introduction! hope you enjoy :)

It was a new year, a new summer at Cousins with the Fishers. Your families were always so close while we were growing up. Spending every last minute together during the summer, or at least that’s how you remember it. You know that things did change when Susannah got sick. It broke your heart hearing from Conrad that she was sick again. He had told you a couple of months ago when he found out. He called you one night not even meaning to tell you, but the second you heard his voice you knew something was going on. Conrad and you were always the closest pair while growing up even though you were Steven’s twin. Everyone who knew you and Conrad always said if you saw one the other was close behind. Susannah would always say that you and Belly were destined for her boys. Conrad and you then Jeremiah and Belly. 

You do have to admit that you’ve always loved Conrad and did your best to understand him when he was having a rough time. That’s what he loved about you, even in his darkest moments you were always able to pull him out. You even went to go see them in April over spring break to bring some comfort to Conrad. Susannah was so grateful for you that week for being able to bring the old Connie to her with such ease. Maybe you two were more than best friends, everyone saw it, but neither could bring yourselves to admit that to the other. 

The car came to a stop in front of the infamous Fisher beach house. You saw Jeremiah rushing to your mom to give her a hug before moving on to Steven and Belly. You headed straight to Susannah giving her the tightest hug you could manage without actually hurting her. She gently placed her hands on your cheeks and admired you.

“Darling, you’ve always been so lovely, but every year you grow to become even more beautiful,” she pointed out to you.

“I’ve missed you guys so much,” you admitted to her.

“Trust me we’ve missed you all too. I think one missed you more than the rest of us though,” 

“Where is he by the way?” you asked.

As if he knew he was mentioned when you saw him walking to the front, you quickly let go of Susannah and made your way to him as fast as you could. When you two were close enough, you pulled him into a much-needed hug. He grasped you tightly almost as if he was scared to let you go. 

“Finally,” he muttered into your neck.

“I know, I’m here,” you whispered to him. As you said that you feel him pull you even closer than you thought possible. Your hand traveled from his back into his hair to play with it. 

You two stood there for another minute before pulling apart to just put your foreheads together. You stared into his alluring eyes while he stared back down at you. His hands gripped your waist in a way most friends wouldn’t call platonic. You both chose to be oblivious to the obvious stares from your families.

In everyone else’s head there just waiting for you two idiots to get together. They say, “It’s inevitable.”

“Conrad, you gonna hog her all day or what?” Jere called a few feet away from us wanting a hug.

“Jere, give me a minute,” Conrad replied.

“Con, I’ll come back to you. I always will,” you told Conrad.

What you didn’t know was the effect you had on him when you said that. The reassurance that you gave him was always so comforting. In a messed up twisted way, Conrad loved that you always came back to him. He loves you in more ways than one. In all reality, he loved everything about you, flaws included. He looks at you like you put the stars in the sky.

“Okay,” he leans down to kiss your forehead before smiling at you as he loosens his grip on you. Right before he lets go, your hands move to squeeze his before turning away to look at Jeremiah.

You see him talking to Steven and Belly while occasionally glancing back at you. He looks back and notices that it was his turn for a hug and made his way toward you. He speeds up to pick you up and twirl you around.

“Jeremiah, put me down!” you squeal trying to hold on to him. You feel your feet hit the ground and Jeremiah staring down at you. 

“You know, he never is the same without you by his side,” he whispered into your ear.

You let out a giggle that brings the attention of a certain someone that glares into the back of Jeremiah’s head.

“You’re being dramatic.”

“No, I’m being for real right now. He’s been so grumpy for the past few months. The last time I actually saw him be himself was when you visited during the break,” he says while letting you go. You stood there for a second to process what he had said.

“It’s time for a belly flop…” you hear Steven say and with that, you see Steven and Jeremiah wrangle Belly to carry her to the pool.

Conrad walks back up to you and grabs your bags. He heads inside and you watch the other two boys throw Belly into the pool. Before catching up with Conrad, you notice Belly pulled Jere in with her with the old classic “I hurt my ankle,” trick.

“You shouldn’t be jealous, Connie,” 

“Me, jealous?”

“When are you not?” you retort.

As you guys made your way into your shared room. You’ve shared a room for as long as you remember because you were supposed to share a room with Steven but considering the number of fights you guys had. Conrad’s room was definitely the better option and he never seemed to mind. He even had a picture of you two last summer during the fireworks where he was holding your waist with your arms around his neck and kissing his cheek on his bedside table.

You were always confused about whether or not Conrad shared the same feelings as you. Sometimes it was so obvious but out of the blue, he had a girlfriend or somebody he was talking to. It always hurt your heart to find out from someone else that he was dating someone that wasn’t you. Something you did notice though was he never really had somebody during the summers you spent together. 

What was even worse is that you shared every first together. First kiss, first time, first dance, first prom, but neither of you had the guts to admit anything. You both knew deep down that you shared love for one another but could never voice it out enough to make it serious. 

“I do not get jealous over my brother hugging you.”

“If looks could kill, Jere would be six feet under by now.”

“Yeah, okay.”

[conniesbae]

I trust you

Pairings: Conrad Fisher x Conklin reader

Warnings: Smut, swearing

Request: The reader is Belly's sister and has feelings Conrad. Conrad likes the reader, but is afraid of his feelings. Conrad is at a party and receives a call from the reader that she is stuck with Belly and Taylor in the middle of the street after being left stranded, with their clothes gone. Conrad and Jeremiah go to pick them up and the reader leaves with Conrad. In the car, they end up confessing their feelings for one another and this leads to them having sex.

Note: First time writing smut so I hope it's not too bad. Enjoy!

"We can not walk all the way home like this," Taylor says.

Belly, Taylor and I had been having a great night. Nicole had thrown a boat party and we ended up playing never have I ever, which led to us going skinny dipping. Everything was going great until Nicole mistook my phone as her own and read a very unfortunate text from Conrad.

The text read, "I really need to see you y/n," which even though my heart jumped at this, I knew it was wrong. Him and Nicole have a relationship. I'm not sure exactly what type of relationship, because they weren't official. But, Conrad was definitely leading her on.

There has always been feelings between Conrad and I. I have been in love with him for as long as I can remember, and I know that he feels the same way. But, if I know Conrad, I also know that he is afraid of his feelings for me. He's afraid of being so vulnerable and also of the fact that he might hurt me, unintentionally of course. He would never do something to purposely break my heart.

Conrad's text led Nicole to act on her emotion. She and the other girls ending up taking all of our clothes and leaving us stranded. I, for one, would have went about the situation differently. I understand leaving us there with no ride, but to leave us naked? I would love to know their thought process behind that.

"We don't have a choice Taylor," Belly says sounding annoyed, rightfully so.

She's probably mad at me. Nicole is her friend, and I potentially could have ruined that. Honestly though, it's not a loss for her. What friend does what Nicole did?

We probably look ridiculous; walking barefoot down the dark road, all huddled together, a singular towel wrapped around the three of us. Luckily, it was just big enough to conceal all three of us.

"One of you please call Jeremiah or Conrad," Taylor says.

Belly looks at me, "my phone died."

"I guess that leaves me then," I say, already knowing who I'm going to call.

Unlocking my phone and pulling up my contacts, I hesitantly tap on Conrad's name. The call only rings twice before he answers.

"Where are you guys?" Since he already knows why I'm calling, I'm guessing that Nicole has already confronted him at the party and told him what she had done.

After telling him our exact location, I say, "please come get us."

"I'm already on my way," the call hangs up.

We decide to sit on the curb, waiting to be rescued from this embarrassing situation. I should have just stayed home, I was hesitant to go anyways. Belly and Taylor convinced me to go though, not wanting me to be alone.

"Are you mad at me Bells?" I say to my sister, hoping that she's not.

She takes a few seconds, but looks at me and softly smiles, "I was but I know it's not your fault."

"Good," I say feeling relieved.

"Finally, I could literally feel the tension," Taylor laughs and pulls us into a group hug.

Two cars pull up, breaking us away from our hug. Conrad and Jeremiah get out of their cars and walk towards us. Conrad looks at me with apologetic eyes. I can tell that he feels bad, and knows that this is his fault.

"You guys probably need these," Jeremiah says while handing Belly a bag of our clothes, I assume.

"Can you guys like hold this up so we can get dressed," Taylor says, motioning to the towel.

"Oh yeah, right," Jeremiah laughs.

They both go on opposite sides and grab the towel, holding it up high enough for us. Conrad is on my side, Jere is on Belly's side, and Taylor is in the middle. As we put our clothes on, the boys awkwardly stare forward. I think this night wins the most embarrassing moment of the summer so far.

Finally clothed, we move from behind the towel. Jeremiah grabs it and walks back to the jeep.

"Who's riding with me?" Jeremiah asks.

Taylor and Belly both look at me, they know that I should go with Conrad. They both know my feelings for him. It used to bother Belly, because she had a crush on Conrad too, but eventually it passed. Mine never did though.

"Taylor and I will ride with Jere, you go with Conrad," Belly grabs my hand and gives me a small smile.

"I'll see you guys back at the house, tell Jere I said to drive safe," I say giving both of them a hug, then walk to Conrad's car.

He's already in there, waiting for me. He knew that I would come with him. I open the door and get in. I sit staring ahead, unable to look at him. He drives off, silence fills the car. It has never been so quiet between us, we always have things to say to each other. The circumstances leave both of us speechless though.

"I ended things with Nicole," he suddenly says.

This finally makes me look at him. His eyes don't leave the road, afraid to see my reaction.

"Pull over please," I say almost in a whisper.

He drives onto the side of the road, puts it in park and turns the car off. He stares down at his lap, not saying anything.

"Con, please tell me what you want," I grab his hand. I can feel his tension release.

Finally, he looks over at me. He stares at me for a few seconds, his eyes searching mine for any sign telling him how I feel.

"You, y/n. Fuck, I want you so bad. The thought of you consumes me. I've tried so hard to contain my feelings but I can't anymore. The feeling that you give me is unexplainable. I can't escape the thought of you y/n, but I don't want to," he says, tears forming in his eyes.

He looks away from me, not wanting me to see his vulnerable state. I sit in shock, trying to process his words. Finally. Finally Conrad admits his feelings for me. Every word that left his mouth sent goosebumps all over my body.

"I want you so bad too, Conrad. It hurt so much seeing you with Nicole, because I wanted it to be me. I was so happy that you sent me that text, that it was hard to even be mad about what happened. You're the only person who makes me feel so safe and secure," he's looking at me again, his eyes are glossed over. He's smiling, this is the happiest that I have ever seen him.

"Is it okay if I kiss you?" Conrad asks for permission.

"Please," I say, looking at his lips.

Without wasting anymore time, he pulls me closer to him. He puts his hand on my cheek, gently rubbing his thumb over it. He looks into my eyes, then they slowly travel to my lips. He gently places his own onto mine, I lean into him, deepening the kiss. Without removing my lips, I grab his shoulders so I can move myself onto his lap. As I'm straddling him, he moves his hands to the sides of hips.

He pulls away slightly, only to place his mouth on my neck. He gently sucks, not wanting to be too aggressive. The feeling allows for a small moan to escape my lips. I can feel him smile against my skin, knowing that he's the reason that I made that noise.

I run my hands through his hair, softly pulling at it. I rock my hips back and fourth on his lap, hoping to create some friction. This makes him pull away from my neck and throw his head back, his eyes shut. With his hands still on my hips, he helps me move them back and fourth.

"That feels so good," he groans.

"Let's go to the back," I say, stopping my movements.

Bringing his head back up, he says, "it's your first time y/n. It should be special."

"I want it to be with you. I trust you," I say softly.

Knowing that he can't resist my offer, he looks into my eyes, his eyes a slightly darker blue, he says, "fuck, okay."

After making our way to the backseat, ours lips find their way back to each other. The kiss never getting sloppy, only passionate. I reach my hands up to try and remove his shirt. He helps me, leaving his body uncovered. I've seen him shirtless a thousand times, but every time it amazes me. His muscles are glistening under the sunlight, I can't take my eyes off of him.

He bends down to take my shirt off, looking at me for reassurance. I nod at him. After removing my shirt and leaving my chest bare, he says, "damn, you're so beautiful."

He leaves kisses all over my chest, leading him to enclose his mouth over one of my nipples. He softly sucks on it, his finger grazing the other one. I can't stop myself from letting out moans, the feeling is indescribable. He pulls his mouth away and starts leaving kisses up my neck, until he reaches my lips. He swipes his tongue across, begging to be let in. I accept his offer; our tongues softly dance with each other.

He reaches to pull my shorts down, along with my underwear. He swipes his finger across my area, feeling my wetness. He starts to push two fingers in and out of me, while sucking on my neck. My moans are uncontrollable, I grab onto his hair.

He leans into my ear and whispers, "you're so wet for me baby."

He pulls his own pants down, positioning himself at my entrance. Wanting to make sure it was still okay, he says, "are you sure?"

"Yes, I promise."

He gives me one more kiss before slowly entering. I wince at first and dig my fingers into his back, not used to the feeling. He stops so that I can adjust to his size, not wanting to make me uncomfortable. He slowly starts to go deeper, the painful feeling is replaced with overwhelming pleasure. Finally entering all the way inside of me, he pulls out and puts it back in. He does this a few more times, getting a steady pace going. My moans are so loud, not caring if anyone hears me.

"You're doing so good for me," he says while continuing his motions.

"Please don't stop," I moan.

He lifts my leg, grabbing behind my knee to slightly bend it, making an easier angle for him.

A warm feeling arises in my lower stomach, a sign that I'm close.

"I'm so close," I moan, letting him know.

"Cum for me baby," he says.

This was enough for me to come undone, "fuck," I moan. He continues his motions, riding out my high. A few seconds later, he quickly pulls out and releases himself on my stomach.

We lay there for a moment, both out of breath. He grabs a random item of clothing and cleans me up.

"Really," I say laughing, noticing that it was my shirt.

"I have a hoodie in here that you can wear," he smiles at me.

"Do you regret it?" I question.

"No. Hell no. Do you?" He asked, worried that he made me feel uncomfortable at all.

"No Connie, it was perfect," I smile and kiss him.

"Good," he smiles, a sense of relief pours over him.

We both get dressed and head home. We ride hand in hand the whole drive home, with me smiling so hard that my face hurts as I watch out the window.

[captainrogers-ass]

Leather & Spice - Zemo x Reader One-Shot

Summary: You could never say no to a mission when it was Sam Wilson calling, yet cooperating with a convicted mass murderer hadn’t exactly been what you were expecting. Wounding, maiming, killing; those were all in your job description. Acting as Helmut Zemo’s lover was not.

Word Count: 4900

Pairings: Zemo x Reader, Sam x Reader (platonic), Bucky x Reader (platonic)

A/N: Ok so I know I’ve been super inactive and I know this isn’t strictly Chris Evans related but I’m currently obsessed with TFATWS; more specifically a certain mass murderer. I’ve substituted Serbian for Sokovian, although Zemo talks to Bucky in Russian. As always, any and all feedback is much appreciated. I hope you enjoy!!! Let me know if you want a part 2!!!

The call had been tense, brief, and widely lacking in any important information, and yet you had still gone anyway.

No matter how many times the Avengers had screwed you over you couldn’t help yourself when Sam Wilson called. Your resistance was futile. He was too charming to say no to, and you were pretty sure he was perfectly well aware of that.

The private jet had been a nice surprise in all honesty. Sam had seemingly always had a knack for finding the seediest alleyway or dingiest motel room to meet up in whenever he called for your help, so you couldn’t help but smile at the change in scenery. Your boots clicked loudly on the tarmac below as you approached the plane, your hand pausing as it connected with the railing of the stair car, a small smile escaping onto your lips as you tried to contain your unusual excitement.

A butler with greying hair and aged skin greeted you at the entrance to the plane. He was dressed in a neat, black suit and smiled at you kindly upon your arrival, his arms already extended as he motioned towards your luggage.

“Oh, thank you,” you said with a smile as you handed over your bag.

The cabin was lovely; spacious, lavish and filled with two grown men who were currently too enthralled in their escalating argument to take any notice of your arrival.

Bucky and Sam were sitting next to each other; Bucky slumped over within his seat with his arms folded across his chest, Sam perched at the edge of his own seat, his hands raised passionately before him as he berated Bucky in a tone that was clearly trying to stay relatively calm but was miserably failing. You cleared your throat as a small smile escaped onto your lips; these two hadn’t changed one bit.

Sam’s eyes met yours first.

“Y/N!” he exclaimed, immediately rising from his seat and striding the few steps towards you, engulfing you in a hug. “I wasn’t sure, you’d come. I haven’t seen you in so long!”

You laughed as you managed to extract yourself from Sam’s embrace.

“You know I can never say no to you, Sam,” you chuckled.

“It’s because I’m too handsome, right?”

“Sure.”

You turned your attention to Bucky who was now standing just slightly back from Sam, their argument apparently forgotten as Bucky smiled kindly towards you.

“Hey there stranger,” you said as you gave Bucky a brief hug.

“And here I was thinking I was the most antisocial person I knew,” he retorted.

“I haven’t been avoiding you two, I promise. I’ve just been busy.”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “With whatever it is you do.”

You laughed but didn’t answer his implied question.

“This jet is a nice touch. How in the hell did you afford this?” you questioned.

The atmosphere changed immediately, the smile on your features faltering slightly as you felt the tension rise around you. Bucky turned his eyes to the floor, his figure hunching over slightly so that he looked far smaller than he usually appeared. Sam averted his gaze as well, instead turning to look at something past your shoulder.

“It’s mine actually. I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Having worked in secret services your entire life you found yourself quite shocked at having failed to notice the third man on board. There was no doubt that this man hadn’t been in the main cabin upon your arrival, but having failed to recognise his presence until he spoke was an unusual oversight on your part; especially since he was standing quite close to you.

As you turned around you registered three things before your eyes landed upon him. Firstly, his accent was unusual, captivating and alluring, not one that you could outright recognise on an initial introduction alone. Secondly, his cologne was extraordinarily enticing; a dark, spicy smell that washed over you and filled your senses all at once so that you couldn’t help but inhale deeply to try and get another whiff of it. And thirdly, his presence was remarkable. Even before you looked upon him you could tell that this was a man of wealth; his tone, his posture, his cologne, his everything, oozed sophistication.

And then your eyes met his.

“I’m Helm-”

Before he could finish you grabbed the hand he had been in the process of outstretching for a handshake, twisted it behind his back before shoving him up against the wall of the plane with quite possibly a tad more force than was strictly necessary. A grunt escaped his lips as you did so, but whether it was from pain or surprise you couldn’t tell.

“Y/N!” Bucky and Sam yelled in unison.

“Would someone care to explain to me why there is a convicted criminal on board this plane.” Your voice came out far calmer than you were expecting.

“Well it is my pla-”

“Shut up,” you, Bucky and Sam all said in unison.

You pushed his contorted arm higher and a flicker of pain crossed his features for just a second, yet he remained silent. His face was pressed against the wall, your body weight holding him in place, and yet his eyes were trained on you, a piercing blend of hazel and gold that sent a shiver down your spine. He wasn’t resisting at all—which was surprising considering he could probably overpower you with his military history—and he no longer made any obvious outward indication that he was in pain even though the placement of his arm would suggest otherwise.

“We need him, Y/N,” Sam finally spoke up.

You struggled to pull your gaze from his, lingering for what felt like years.

“And his life-long prison sentence just happened to be up, I suppose?” you replied.

You couldn’t quite tell, but the subtle vibrations coming from Zemo made you think that he was laughing.

“Well, Bucky was the one who actually broke him ou-” Sam began.

“Oh yeah blame it on me,” Bucky exclaimed.

“Were you not the one who broke him out?”

“You know we needed him I was just the-”

“Ok, ok, boys,” you interrupted. “I really don’t care whose fault it is. What’s done is done. But will someone please explain why the hell we need a mass murderer’s help?”

“Well, there’s this new terrorist organisation called the Flagsmashers,” Sam began.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Zemo interrupted. You pushed him up against the wall harder but he continued on unfazed. “But I feel like this story is going to take a while so is there any possibility that I can have the function of my arm back, please?”

There was that accent again, so unusual and yet so smooth that it took you a few seconds to actually register what the man was saying. You glared at him for several seconds but eventually loosened your grip.

Immediately turning around, Zemo brought his hand up to rub at the arm that had been angled uncomfortably behind his back, his gaze never leaving yours. Your eyes travelled down his figure, taking in the luxurious coat draped around his shoulders, the well-tailored purple turtleneck underneath that shaped his frame well, and the expensive-looking black gloves that clung to his fingers. When your eyes returned to his a smile was peeking through onto his lips.

“As I was saying before, I’m Helmut Zemo.” You noticed that he didn’t extend his hand a second time for a handshake. “But I take it you already knew that…Y/N, is it?”

You didn’t answer, simply continuing to stare at him through slitted eyelids.

“I would say it is a pleasure to meet you,” he began again, making his way over to a small bar cart as he poured himself a drink. “But it was actually a surprisingly painful introduction.”

Extending a gloved hand towards you Zemo offered you a glass of the brown liquid. With some hesitation you accepted, your eyes never leaving his as your hand brushed over his gloved one.

Tearing your gaze from his you made your way to the seat in front of where Sam and Bucky had been previously sitting. Taking a sip from your drink you motioned for the two men to reclaim their seats.

“So, tell me about these Flagsmashers.”

*

“If we have to do something about this, I’m the only one that looks like a pimp,” Sam commented, looking down to admire the colourfully decorated suit he was wearing.

The four of you were currently walking across an empty bridge, the lights of the bustling city burning bright in the distance.

“Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing; a sophisticated, charming, African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger,” Zemo replied, passing his phone to Sam, a photo lighting up the screen.

“He even has a bad nickname. Hell, he does look like me though.”

You walked closer to Sam, leaning over his shoulder to get a look at the picture. You laughed slightly to yourself.

“You sure you don’t have some alter ego you’re not telling us about?” you questioned.

“Ha, ha,” Sam responded dryly.

“So then who am I supposed to be?” you asked Zemo. “Some stunningly beautiful millionaire who also happens to look exactly like me, I presume?”

The sarcasm was obvious in your tone and yet you were still surprised at the small laugh that left Zemo’s lips. It was deep, dark, and didn’t last very long, but it was charming. You turned away from him and looped your arm through Sam’s instead, pretending to need assistance with walking from the six-inch heels Zemo had you wear.

The dress he had presented to you on the plane was surprisingly stunning. It was black and fell just above your ankles, a large slit running up the left side of the fabric and a cowling neckline that accentuated your figure perfectly. The back was low, the straps criss-crossing across your shoulders doing little to provide any solace from the evenings cold wind.

“In a sense I suppose that is correct,” Zemo responded. “You will be playing the role of my date.”

Your head whipped around to stare at him.

“Excuse me?”

Bucky and Sam tried in vain to hide their snickers. You punched Sam lightly in the arm.

“The Smiling Tiger, the Winter Soldier and I all have reputations that we can rely on here in Madripoor. Nobody knows who you are Y/N and that makes you the most valuable person here. By limiting you to just my date people will begin to underestimate you which makes you a valuable asset if things begin to go South.”

His words made sense and yet you refused to admit it.

“He’s not wrong, Y/N,” Sam whispered to you.

“I think if Bucky can pretend to be the Winter Soldier,” Zemo continued. “Then you will be perfectly capable of pretending to be my date.”

“No, I think Y/N still got the short straw here,” Bucky said, causing you and Sam to begin to snicker as a scowl appeared on Zemo’s face.

A black car began to approach you on the bridge, pulling up beside you. Just before you could open the door a gloved hand enclosed around the handle.

“Allow me, draga.”

He opened the door and motioned for you to enter. You met his gaze, raising an eyebrow up at him.

“I’m not your date just yet.”

“A lady should always be treated with respect whether she is one’s date or not.”

You hadn’t been expecting a response, yet he had provided one so quickly and with such sincerity in his voice that you couldn’t help but furrow your eyebrows at him. Your gaze lingered upon his for several seconds before he provided you with a curt nod.

You entered the car without another word, Zemo following in behind you so that you were now sandwiched between him and Sam with Bucky sitting quite comfortably in the front seat.

The drive into town was mostly quiet. You enjoyed looking out the window at the bright city, mesmerised by all the neon signs and blinding lights. The streets were riddled with guns; hidden in holsters on people’s hips, tucked into the backs of pants, or simply waved around nonchalantly. You checked the holster attached to your thigh for good measure.

Glancing into the rear-view mirror you could have sworn that you had met Zemo’s gaze for a split second, but with a blink of your eyes his head was now directed out the window, his gaze fixated on the passing buildings. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, but returned your gaze to the window once more without a word.

The streets were crawling with criminals when you reached the bar. Guns were being waved around as if they were a fashion accessory and blatant felonies were being conducted out in the open with no attempt to conceal anything.

Zemo exited the car first, and as you scooted across the seat to make your own exit you found that familiar gloved hand was already extended towards you. Looking up, your eyes met his, taking his hand without a word. You were now in character and you were going to play the role as best you could.

You didn’t let go of Zemo’s hand as he helped you from the car. Instead, after waiting for him to close the door behind you, you looped your arm through his as you had done to Sam only minutes previously, this time leaning into him much more closely than you had done with your friend.

If Zemo was surprised at your gentle touch he did not show it. Instead he flexed his arm to bring you slightly closer before leading you, Bucky and Sam into the bar. As soon as you had exited the car it seemed as if the whole street had their eyes on you. Your heart fluttered nervously in your chest, but your features remained neutral even as your eyes roamed freely around your surroundings.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this,” you whispered to Zemo. “But I think you should’ve given me something a bit more revealing to wear. This dress is beautiful, but I look so out of place.”

Zemo turned to you with a smile on his face.

“Any woman on my arm will always be dressed in the finest of silks. It would be far more suspicious if I made you wear a more revealing dress, trust me.”

His voice was low as he spoke to you, his gaze fixated on you as he smiled cheekily.

Your heart fluttered nervously once more.

The bar was loud, hot and filled with half-drunk people rubbing their private parts against each other. The popular neon lights trickled in to the establishment, casting contrasting shadows of yellow and red across the space.

A bartender greeted you as you approached the bar, his face stoic and void of emotion.

“Hello gentlemen,” he nodded towards Sam. “Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

Zemo answered for him.

“His plans changed. We have business to do with Selby.”

The bartender turned to Sam.

“The usual?”

Sam nodded.

When the bartender returned with a snake and began to gut it right in front of you you couldn’t help the small smile that crept up onto your face when you realised what was happening.

“Ah,” Zemo began, “Smiling Tiger, your favourite.”

His tone was slightly mocking and it nearly caused you to burst out laughing right there, but you managed to retain your composure. Sam turned with a resentful look on his face to see you and Zemo trying to hide the smiles that were creeping on to your faces.

“I love these,” Sam said as he raised the glass to you.

You leaned your head on to Zemo’s shoulder in an attempt to hide your snickers. Sam clinked his glass against Zemo’s, and after some hesitation, downed the shot in one.

The smile was wiped from your face as you felt a presence approach you from behind, struggling against the instinct to reach for your weapon. Zemo felt you still beside him and immediately turned to meet the approaching man, placing you slightly behind him.

“I got word from on high,” the man said. “You ain’t welcome here.”

Zemo’s voice sounded nonchalant as he responded.

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists he can either come and talk to me,” Zemo looked behind him to where Bucky was standing.

“New haircut?” the man said to Bucky with a scoff.

Zemo’s voice was deep and demanding, grasping the man’s attention once more, “Or bring Selby for a chat.”

The man left but now your senses were on high alert as Zemo turned back to talk to Bucky. Your eyes scoured the room, noticing several men beginning to approach you. Slowly your hand began to travel down to your gun.

“Not yet, dušica.” Zemo’s gaze turned to Bucky just as one of the approaching men placed his hand upon Zemo’s shoulder. “Zimniy soldat. Ataka.”

Without hesitating Bucky grabbed the arm of the man who had touched Zemo, bending it painfully backwards. You watched on with bated breath, worried for your friend as he reverted back to what he once was, not because he wasn’t able to handle the fight—he wasn’t even breaking a sweat as he took on three guys at once—but because of what this little act might have on all the progress he had made.

Your gaze flickered to Zemo for a split second to find that he was smiling.

“It didn’t take long for him to fall back into form,” he whispered to you.

Ever since this trip had begun you had slowly started to become desensitised to the fact that you were in the presence of a mass murderer, often forgetting at times that the man before you had caused so much pain and suffering. But now it hit you all at once, causing you to become quite repulsed by the presence beside you.

Wanting to remove yourself from his side but knowing that you couldn’t you instead leaned in to whisper in his ear.

“If you smile again from Bucky’s pain, I’ll punch your teeth in so that when I burn you to death they won’t be able to use your dental records to identify your body.”

To say that Zemo was surprised at your comment was an understatement as he whipped his head around to look at you, his mask of composure forgotten for a split second as his eyes met yours. He didn’t respond, but the look in his eyes told you that he had not been expecting such a response. His gaze fell to the floor and you thought, just for a second, that maybe he was about to apologise, but when his eyes came back to look at you his mouth remained closed.

He noticed the change in your attitude immediately. Whilst you did not disentangle your arm from his, you now distanced yourself as far as you could from his side, your touch no longer the comfortable presence he had begun to enjoy, now cold and impersonal.

The sounds of guns being cocked brought your attention back to the room.

“Stay in character or the whole bar turns on us,” Zemo quickly whispered to Bucky. “Otlichnaya rabota, soldat,” he said louder.

Everyone in the bar paused as Bucky let go of the man he had been in the process of choking.

“Selby will see you now,” the bartender interrupted.

A small sigh of relief escaped from your lips.

The back room was poorly lit and smelt of alcohol and cigarettes, the wall to your left illuminated by small televisions that displayed the security camera footage from all over the bar.

Selby—a middle aged, menacing looking woman with short, platinum blonde hair—was sitting upon one of the luxurious couches, dressed in an ill-fitting suit with a loosely tied tie hanging around her neck.

“You should know, Baron,” she began, tapping her hand against the head of the couch. “People don’t just come into my bar and make demands.”

“Not a demand,” Zemo responded. “An offer.”

Zemo took a seat on the couch opposite to Selby’s, his hand in yours as he motioned for you to sit next to him. You paused for just a second before perching yourself so that you were instead sitting in his lap. As much as you didn’t want to be in this position, when you went undercover you did it well. Zemo’s face showed no hint of surprise, but his hands fumbled for a split second, unsure of where to place them before he rested one on your waist and one on your thigh, quite high up so that he was basically at your knee. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed and you found yourself quite surprised at his willingness to respect your boundaries.

Selby raised an eyebrow at you.

“A lot has changed since you were last here,” she said, her gaze now fixated on you. It made you feel uncomfortable, but you didn’t show it as you leaned back into Zemo’s touch. “By the way, I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?”

Zemo’s gloved hand began rubbing circles on your knee, your skin exposed from the slit in the dress. You were pretty sure he wasn’t aware he was doing it, but you weren’t altogether against the touch.

“People like us always find a way, don’t we?” he responded. “I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.”

“What’s the offer.”

“Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum, and I give you him.” Zemo’s gaze turned to Bucky who remained stoic and impassive in the corner of the room. “Along with the code words to control him, of course.”

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember. I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately.” She paused as she considered the offer. “You were right to seek me out. The super-soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank…or condemn, depending on what side of this you’re on.”

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?” Zemo questioned.

“Oh, the breadcrumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron.” Selby’s gaze shifted to Bucky before it returned to land on you. “Who is this beautiful creature you’ve got with you?”

You felt Zemo stiffen beneath you.

“Ah,” he began, his voice somehow having grown deeper. “This one isn���t part of the deal. She’s mine.”

There was an intensity to the way he said mine. It was subtle, but it was there, and Selby noticed it as she quirked an eyebrow up at him.

“Are you sure about that, Baron?” she responded with a laugh. “These young creatures get so restless. Are you sure she’s not bored with you already?”

Zemo’s hand was now gripping your thigh a lot lower than where it had previously been and a lot harder; not so roughly that it hurt, but hard enough for you to realise that he was unsure of how to proceed. You turned your gaze to Selby who licked her lips as your eyes met hers, before turning your attention back to Zemo. He looked up towards you, a confused look flashing across his eyes as he tried to figure out what you were about to do. Having made your decision—and before you had enough time to really question what you were about to do—you leaned down towards the Baron and collided your lips with his.

Zemo hesitated at first, his lips unresponsive against yours for a split second before he returned the gesture. His hands came up to tangle themselves in your hair, your own hands gripping the base of his scalp. You slipped your tongue into his mouth and turned slightly so that Selby had a clear view.

You made sure the kiss was dirty and ferocious, and it left both of you breathless as you pulled away from him.

You turned to Selby with a smirk on your face, wiping some saliva from the corner of your mouth with the pad of your thumb as you maintained eye-contact with her.

“Not quite yet,” you said.

A viscous smile spread across her face but before Selby could respond Sam’s phone began to ring, and everything went downhill pretty quickly from there.

When the sniper shot came through the window you didn’t have time to be surprised, immediately leaping to your feet, gun already in hand. Before Selby’s henchmen had even had time to react you had already shot a bullet into two of their chests, Bucky taking out the third man in the room.

“We have a real problem now, so leave your weapons and follow my lead,” Zemo said, quickly making his way back down to the bar with you, Sam and Bucky close behind, your gun back in its concealed holster.

Descending the stairs quickly, Bucky leaned back with a smirk on his face. 

"Told you you got the short straw."

Punching him in the arm to try to get him to shut up you quickly realised your mistake as you brought your hand to your chest, pain flaring in your knuckles at having collided with the vibranium. A short laugh escaped from Bucky's lips.

"Focus," Zemo called from the front of the group.

You made your way back on to the street quickly, following Zemo as he hastily walked in a direction that you hoped would get you off the main strip. Looking around you as you walked you kept noticing people getting notifications on their phones and a bad feeling began to grow in your stomach.

A round of bullets were shot towards you, the proximity of the bang causing your ears to ring painfully. All four of you ducked immediately as you scrambled away quickly. Bucky and Sam ran forwards and Zemo, grabbing your hand swiftly, veered off into a small alley way, his hand never leaving yours as he ran. The sound of several footsteps followed close behind you, but before you could reach for your gun Zemo crowded you into a small alcove.

“What are you doing? They’ll see us here,” you angrily whispered. Your hand began to reach for your gun once more but Zemo stopped you.

“There’s too many of them,” he said quickly, peeking out from behind the alcove to spy on the approaching men.

“We’re sitting ducks here. I can probably get a few shots out if-”

All at once Zemo whipped back around and placed his index finger upon your lips to stop you from speaking.

“I’m truly sorry for this.”

For the second time that night Helmut Zemo’s lips were now upon yours, kissing you far more softly than you had kissed him before. His body was crowding yours against the wall of the alley way, his broad form easily shielding you. The footsteps got closer and closer, all the while you kept kissing the Baron. This time there was no tongue, just gentle lips upon yours as he kissed you tenderly and slowly.

That cologne you had first smelt that morning engulfed your senses now so that it was all you could smell. Your hands came up to grip at the fur collar of his coat, pulling him closer by the furred lapel, and you couldn’t help but marvel at the softness of it. 

Somewhere in the back of your mind you registered the approaching footsteps; how close they came to you before they past right by, the group of men not giving you a second glance as one shouted orders to the rest in a language you couldn't be bothered to recognise.

At some point Zemo's tongue ended up in your mouth, or maybe it was your tongue in his. Either way you couldn't recall who had initiated it, and couldn't quite find the effort to care. One of his hands came up to cup your cheek whilst the other became entangled within your hair, pulling at your roots slightly so that you moaned at the feeling.

You moaned.

Pushing the baron away from you you immediately put as much distance as you could between the two of you. His lips were red and swollen and you were quite sure yours looked the same, both panting slightly as the cold air illuminated your breaths.

You could feel your cheeks begin to redden immediately, and swiftly turned away from him to hide your embarrassment.

You could still hear the men who had been following you, their footsteps far quieter now as they continued down the alley.

“I think they’re gone,” you finally said, having allowed the awkward silence to grow palpable between you.

“Yes…yes I think you’re right,” he responded, not meeting your gaze.

The sound of footsteps coming down the alley filled your ears once more, and this time you didn’t hesitate as you pulled your gun from its holster.

“Woah, easy there tiger, it’s just us,” Sam said, his hands held upwards in a sign of surrender.

You let out a sigh as you saw them and immediately felt Zemo’s gaze fall upon you.

[tsitpforever]

Conrad and Belly’s Life (after the wedding)

I get out of bed, with Connie next to my side. “A few more minutes,” he groans. We had been married for a couple days now, and decided to stay at the summer house until we found a stable place.

We had considered moving into the summer house, but wanted to keep it special. “Connie you have to wake up, we have guests coming over and we need to get ready,” I whisper to Conrad. Technically it was only Jere, Connie’s brother and my best friend, but I still had to prepare. “Okkkk,” Conrad says while he gets out of bed. He kisses my forehead, and heads into the bathroom to get ready for the day. I smile, realizing that I married the most handsome and kind man. It took a while for us to realize, and we had gotten ourselves into some messy situations but in the end we figured it out.

Connie gets out of the bathroom. “What are you smiling at?” he asks smirking. “Nothiiinggg,” I say smiling and getting out of bed. I hug him, and we twirl around the room. “You know I love you,” he whispers into my neck. I giggle, and I push him out of the room, we had to start getting ready.

Jeremiah was coming over for a few days, and he said he had a huge announcement. I had a feeling he proposed to someone or got into a new relationship, but you could never know with Jere. Once me and Connie got downstairs, I tell him what we have to get done before Jere gets here.

“Bells it’s only Jere why are you getting so worked up about it?” Connie asks after I tell him what we need to get done. I give Connie a look. “Because he’s your brother and even though your on good terms, you need to get a better relationship with each other. You know Susannah wouldn’t like it if you guys were fighting, so I want you guys to work everything out”. I didn’t want him to feel guilty about me mentioning Susannah, but it was what she would have wanted. “Fine, but only for mom. So I need to go to town and get some things right?” Connie asks. I hand him a list of everything we need, and he heads out. “I love you be safe,” I say as he kisses me and heads out.

While Conrad is out getting everything we need, I grab some cleaning supplies and scrub done everything. The summer house was due for a cleaning anyways. About an hour later, I’m done with all the cleaning, and Conrad opens up the door. “I’m baaaack,” he calls out. His hands are full with bags, and some flowers. “You got me flowers?” I ask. “Yes of course I did, for all the hard work you do,” he says with his infamous yet cute smirk. I roll my eyes. “Their for Jere right?”. Jere was one of the only guys I knew who liked flowers. “Bingo. I saw them and I decided to pick some up for Jere. We all know how much he likes flowers”. Conrad gives me the rest of the bags and I start to work on our breakfast. I decide to make pancakes, eggs, and bacon with some homemade juice. Once I’m done with making the food, the door rattles. I run to the door. I see Steven, Mom, Dad, Mr.Fisher, Jere, and the date he brought to the wedding. I’m pretty sure her name is Violet. I don’t know who to hug first, but I decide to hug Mom. “I can’t believe you all are here. So this was the surprise, huh Jere?”.

Jere laughs and messes with his hair. “Of course not Belly I have more news, but fiiirst I want to eat some food.” Typical Jere. He’s always been the optimistic golden boy, my childhood friend. We had some past history that had gone wrong, but we managed to get through it all. I greet everyone else, and so does Connie. I notice that Conrad hadn’t said anything to Jere yet. “Connie, go say hi to Jere,” I whisper to him. “Ok,” he says hesitantly. I see Connie walk over to Jeremiah. They seems tense but I’m sure they’ll work it out. Everyone heads to the table.

“Just like old times, am I right?” Jeremiah says when he notices everyone seems very tense. Everyone agrees and begin to relax. That’s Jeremiah’s specialty. “So Jere what’s the big news?” I ask after we have mostly finished breakfast.

“He.…PROPOSED TO ME,” Violet exclaims. I don’t know what to say. Something in me doesn’t want Jere to get married, but I’m not sure why. “Wow Jere, moved on so quickly huh?” Conrad says, mentioning what happened with me and Jeremiah.

“Conrad, can I talk to you outside, oh and congrats Jere and Violet,” I say while rushing me and Connie out. “Babe that was rude. She seemed so happy and you ruined it.”

“I know Bells but what he did to you was horrible,” he says. “Connie we all got over, grow up,” I shout and leave back to where everyone is at.

“Sorry Violet and Jere, he’s just a little frustrated at some things finding a new house you know the deal,” I say making up some random crap.

“It’s alright, no need to make a big deal,” Jere says smiling. He’s used to Conrad and his moods, and so am I. Violet looks alright, and we start talking about their wedding.

Connie walks back in half an hour later. I walk up and apologize for shouting at him.

“Im sorry Bells, I love you and it won’t happen,” Conrad says kissing me.

“Go apologize to Jere and Violet. They seem fine but your lucky they are chill people,” I say. “Anything for you,” Connie says twirling me around. I love this man so much, even with his occasional bs.

Now everyday I realize with Connie’s ups and downs, he loves me. He takes things seriously but likes to have fun. And I’m sure Susannah would have loved us to. So I’m glad I made this decision, the decision of marrying Conrad Fisher. The most handsome man alive.

(Let me know if you guys want more of Belly and Conrad’s future!)

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 14 - Unexpected Meeting

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, who will they run into?, 3.2k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

WARNINGS: death mention, emotional trauma

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

“Man, I need a break,” Reggie was saying as he strolled with Alex down an unfamiliar street in the early evening, stretching his arms. “I mean, being in the studio all the time has been good, but on top of everything else it’s just so much!”

Unsure where they were headed, Alex walked a few paces ahead on the sidewalk, casually navigating for both of them. He squinted as he looked at Reggie.

“Reggie, you dropped, like, all of your classes once we signed on.”

“Nope!” his friend exclaimed, tilting his head in a proud manner. “I just needed two electives to graduate. It’s okay, though, man. Not everyone finishes their math requirements as a freshman.” Reggie patted Alex’s shoulder, as if it were any sort of consolation.

“No, good for you Reg,” Alex said. His parents had paid for all this private tutoring and even gotten him to take some college credits early. Of course, his only serious plan after high school had been the band so it was all wasted effort, but then all of their attempts with him amounted to that. He was learning to feel less guilty over it. It wasn’t his fault they never cared about what he wanted.

“How long do you think Luke and Bobby are gonna be workshopping their parts together?” Reggie asked.

“Long enough. Where are we going, exactly?”

“Oh, I was just kind of keeping an eye out for anywhere interesting.”

Alex blinked. “I thought we were headed somewhere specific.”

“I’ve only been to this side of L.A. like, once, so I don’t think I’d make a good tour guide,” Reggie stated.

And just like that, Alex’s mind thrust itself back into remembering Willie. He was getting better at not crumbling completely in the moment, but it still felt like his heart was temporarily dunked into a dark ocean of misery. It would remain waterlogged and heavy inside his chest for a while.

“Alex?” Reggie was saying, looking at him with concern. “You okay?”

Snapping his thoughts back to the present, Alex sighed as he looked back at Reggie.

“I’ll be fine.”

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket and pressed his arms against his sides. Shoulders hunched, he continued through the crowd. Focusing on walking would hopefully help it wear off. He made every step purposeful, trying to get the weight in his heart to fall through his feet. Reggie’s hand on his shoulder made him turn.

“It’s still rough, isn’t it?” he asked gently. “If I said something - ”

“It’s not your fault,” Alex tried to assure him. “Sometimes it just comes out of nowhere. Besides, I can’t make you and everyone else walk on eggshells.”

“Maybe not, but we’re in this with you. It may have been different for us, but we all met Willie. I’d never seen you warm up to anyone that fast. Even after a few months, it’s still fresh; don’t force yourself to be better for us.”

Pausing on the sidewalk, Alex looked up at Reggie. He tried to smile as gratitude edged its way in, relieving most of the heaviness in his chest.

“I appreciate that, Reg.”

“Of course, man.”

“So,” Alex took a deep breath to let everything else wash away as they kept wandering. “You made it sound like you had a lot going on. Is everything at home okay?”

Reggie shrugged. “Eh...no change there. My mom went to stay with her sister after the last fight, so my dad’s been trying his best to take care of everything, but he’s too upset to handle it well. My little sister has just been sleeping over with friends anyway, and I can handle myself, so - ” he shrugged again, “ - you know, I do what I can.”

Alex nodded. He had nothing really to comment, and Reggie knew he was always there to support him. This wasn’t anything unusual for him, but it still wasn’t right. Neither of them spent much time at their own homes, so wandering through the city like this kept them occupied when they weren’t with the rest of the band. Looking up at the store signs around them, he saw a record store about a block ahead.

“Hey, why don’t we check that out?” he suggested.

“Yeah!” Reggie said, dropping any ounce of gloom from the previous subject and skipping along to catch up with Alex.

A small bell rang as they came through the door, and they immediately began filtering through shelves of records and CDs. Peeking toward the back of the store, Alex could see a counter that offered a menu of food and drinks, some tables, as well as the smallest stage in the world. This seemed like a neat little place.

“Oh,” Reggie started after a while. “I got us a gig playing at my cousin’s wedding.”

“A wedding?” Alex said skeptically, turning from the Pansy Division vinyl he was checking out. “When we’re trying to finish a record and go on tour?”

“It’s Conrad, okay, he’s family! And he said we could make the setlist.”

Alex shrugged, considering that was fair.

“...with his approval.”

At that addition, Alex could only sigh and shake his head.

“And then maybe, you could, I don’t know, finally ask Bobby to be your date?”

Reggie put down the Mötley Crüe album he’d been examining and looked up at him in shock. Alex realized he’d possibly been too blunt. But immediately Reggie began to cover it up, laughing and shaking his head.

“What?” he said, his denial completely transparent. “Was that a...was that supposed to be a joke or something?”

Giving him a look of pity, Alex put his hands on his hips.

“You’re really gonna try to pull the wool over the eyes of your gay friend?”

Caught, Reggie looked back at him in defeat and bowed his head.

“I’m gonna guess you noticed a while ago?”

Nodding, Alex tried to soften his demeanor. 

“There’s been something up with you two for months. How come you haven’t tried to talk to him about it?”

Reggie knit his brow and began fiddling with his fingers.

“Well, I’m a little confused by it, to be honest. Cuz, I mean...I like girls, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“But I like Bobby, too.”

“Okay.”

His friend looked up at him, expecting more of a reaction. Alex leaned against the shelf and folded his arms.

“Do you think there’s something wrong with you? Because you’re talking to the king of wrong feelings.”

“Well, sometimes I feel like that, but not really. It’s something else,” Reggie said.

“Like what?”

“Well...we’ve been friends for years. It just sort of crept up on me and I don’t know what to do. What if he rejects it? He’s one of my best friends.”

Thinking for a moment, Alex looked down at his feet. He didn’t blame Reggie for being worried. He’d had a mini crush on Bobby for a couple weeks back in ninth grade and had the same dilemma. It was easier for him to get over, though, simply because it had faded quickly.

“Well, I wish I could say if it’s meant to be it’ll happen, but sometimes…”

Sometimes it dies in a fire before there’s any chance of knowing.

He shook his head to get rid of the awful thought and ignored Reggie’s look of concern.

“But if I know Bobby, I don’t think it’s going to harm anything. I think you should go for it, Reg. I truly, honestly, will back you up on that.”

A smile spread wide across Reggie’s face.

“Thanks, man!”

Without fretting over it for another second, he turned back to the shelf of CDs he’d been perusing, and Alex did the same. There was a crazy good selection, and Alex wished he could get his hands on a record player. Playing CDs on a boombox worked for some things, but there was a level of charm in playing something on a vinyl record that appealed to him even more. He made a note to get a small notebook to carry in his fanny pack, hoping to return to this store and make a wishlist of sorts to work toward.

“Do I see Alex and Reggie of Sunset Curve?” A familiar voice said from behind.

Both of them turned to find Flynn standing in the aisle, braids tied up into a high ponytail and eyebrow arched in her usual smart fashion.

“Hey Flynn!” Reggie exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. Alex went in for one afterward, happily surprised.

“Hey guys!” she said, grinning.

“What are you up to?” Alex asked.

“Gonna be performing in a bit,” she said excitedly. “Just a warm up before the main group comes on. I’ve been working on some of my own stuff; I think you guys would love it! Got time to stick around?”

“Sweet!” Reggie raised a fist for her to bump. “I’m down. Alex, wanna stay?”

“Yeah, sounds great!”

He had yet to see what Flynn was capable of. If he were to judge only on knowing she’d been in a duo with Julie, he expected it to be good.

“Also, you should try the burritos here,” Flynn told them. “They are to die for!”

The endless click-rollll-click-click-click of his board filled his ears as Willie moved through the street, feeling the wind pass over him in the way that made freedom feel like he could clutch it in his hands. He’d actually spent today not worrying about Alex. It felt good not to dwell on what little past he had access to. Of course, he still had repetitive dreams about the few memories that had come back, but the backwards one with Caleb in it hadn’t come back ever since he’d gotten to LA. Moving forward felt...nice.

He had spent the morning sketching at the beach, getting all sorts of practice in. The beautiful waves, seagulls, the different activities all around him. Somehow a group of young college kids had gotten him to join their volleyball tournament. Willie wasn’t sure if he’d ever played it before, but once he caught onto the game, he’d gotten surprisingly good. It felt nice to roll up the hem of his jeans and dig his toes into the warm sand while playing with a group of strangers. They’d nicknamed him Mowgli, whatever that meant. He liked the sound of it though.

Heading off to work after cleaning himself up, he realized he could spend all his free time that way. Peacefully sketching, meeting fun people, and enjoying his surroundings. Was that all it took to be happy? Willie chuckled at the thought of how much Caleb had stressed over rising to the top of his business game, never appearing to be satisfied with any of it. Leaving Vegas remained the best decision he’d ever made. Of course, he wasn’t always proud about his method of burning down the shed, but it had been one of those...heat of the moment things.

Willie skated up to the back entrance and shook his hair out after lifting off his helmet. Just a few short hours of making food, some chill entertainment, and he could peace out for the night. He headed inside the store and right into the small kitchen. Thankfully, the store didn’t fit too many patrons and it was never hard to keep up with orders, and Kyle had a system so he never had to leave the kitchen. This basically meant he could jam to the live music during the lulls between orders with no interruption.

Kyle entered the kitchen just as Willie was tying on his apron.

“Hey, dude, thanks for coming. We actually got two acts coming in, so it should be a full crowd. Katelyn can be the MC for the first bit, but do you mind taking over for the second half?”

A twinge of excitement came over Willie and he lit up. He’d never gotten to try being an MC before.

“Don’t mind at all!” he said.

“Alright, man!” Kyle exclaimed. “First two orders up: swamp style nachos and a bog burrito.”

“Got it.”

“We’re up for a big night with these performances,” the girl hosting hyped up the crowd. “Let’s give it up for our artist of the night: Flynn Taylor!”

Reggie cupped his hands over his mouth as he hollered along with everyone else’s applause. Alex clapped with a mouthful of nachos. Flynn stepped onto the stage behind a set of deejay turntables, smirking as she began flipping switches and turning knobs.

“Thanks for coming out here everyone,” she said into the mic. More applause and whistles echoed through the room. “We’re gonna make a lot of noise tonight, so let me hear you get pumped!”

As she began playing a beat, Alex bobbed along, immediately interested. He didn’t know a thing about mixing, so he was highly impressed with the different sounds she was using. Then Flynn picked up the mic and began rapping and the whole room cheered.

“...I’m a princess, I don’t need a prince, boy I’m priceless...I’m here to shut it down like a night shift…”

“Man,” Reggie leaned over to Alex. “She’s so good! I say we book her to open for us ASAP as possible.”

Alex merely snorted and chuckled at Reggie’s misuse of the acronym. He actually enjoyed the idea of having Flynn rapping to open for their rock shows. Gigs where all the bands sounded the same got a little flavorless sometimes.

“Also,” Reggie said as he took a huge bite into his burrito. “This is the best burrito I’ve ever had.”

“Lemme try some, you can try my nachos,” Alex said.

All Reggie could say was Mm! as he passed the burrito over.

The final beats of the first performer echoed in the kitchen where Willie had been dancing, waving various kitchen tools around. He’d thoroughly enjoyed the whole set, and wondered what sounded so familiar about the girl who was rapping. Before he could spend more time thinking about it, Kyle came in.

“Okay, you ready?” he asked.

“I just keep people busy and then announce the next group, right?” Willie guessed.

“Yeah, man, you’ve got this!”

“What’s the next group called?”

“Downslide. And they brought some merch, so it’s a good idea to mention that to the crowd as well.”

“Okay,” Willie nodded, slipping out of his apron. “Maybe I could put their t-shirt on or something, you know, sell the look?”

Kyle looked impressed. “Yeah! I’ll go see what they’ve got.”

He left the kitchen and hardly a minute later returned with a jacket.

“They said you could wear it for the night. Not gonna lie, I wish I could wear this, it’s a sweet jacket.”

Willie slipped it on, and turned around. He didn’t often wear jackets, but whatever it was made of was pretty soft.

“Guess I’m ready,” he said, giving Kyle a hand slide and fist bump before leaving the kitchen. He stepped up behind the microphone and looked out at the crowd, and further back, the empty store.

At that moment, he heard the bell of the store door ring and two guys walked outside. Through the window, a familiar leather jacket passed. Then, he saw a head of blonde hair follow, turning to look both ways to cross the street, and his heart grew to fill all the empty space in his chest. It was unmistakable. It had to be.

“Alex...” he breathed quietly into the microphone. Adrenaline immediately went out to his extremities. The crowd before him looked bewildered as they waited for him to announce the next group.

Glancing offstage, he saw Kyle give him a strange look. Willie shook his head, unclear what message he was sending but ultimately knowing he couldn’t stay at his current spot. Before he could think anything else, his legs were bounding out the door. It felt like every ounce of blood in his veins knew. The search was over.

Reggie and Alex had just reached the opposite corner. He wasn’t going to miss his chance.

“Alex!” he cried, running to meet them.

He immediately thrust his arms around a surprised Alex, gripping him tightly, burying his face into his shoulder.

“Oh my god, Alex!” he said, panting. “It’s so good to see you.”

He didn’t feel the hug didn’t reciprocate, and instead Alex grabbed his shoulders and pushed him away. The darkness of the street seemed to envelop him.

“What are you - ?” Alex started, staring back at Willie like he’d just been assaulted. Then shock wiped over his whole face. Then confusion. And then a pain came over all of it that made Willie’s concern grow.

“What - what is it?” he asked, all the excitement gone.

Alex wouldn’t look him in the eye, and he raised a hand to hold the side of his head.

“No, this isn’t real,” he whispered to himself, shrinking backward and shutting his eyes. “This can’t be real.”

Willie glanced over at Reggie, who also stared like he was seeing the impossible. He could see Alex shaking and heard a rattled breath, and felt tension grow thick in the air. Quickly, he went to take Alex’s face in his hands.

“Alex, hey, look, it’s me,” he soothed. He fought to get a look directly into his eyes. “It’s me, Willie.”

Finally, the green ocean gazed back at him, turbulent and restless. What once had been a grounding rhythm of waves had turned into a maelstrom of despair. Even worse were the tears welling up right before him. Willie watched the storm rage for a few seconds, seeking for a moment of calm.

“What’s wrong?” he murmured, lowering his hands. Alex looked so wounded it frightened him.

“How are you alive?” Alex begged to know.

Blinking, Willie sat back, astounded at those words. While he agreed it was a miracle he was still alive, he couldn’t fathom why Alex would ask such a question. He chuckled merely out of discomfort.

“I’m here.” Willie glanced at Reggie, looking for an explanation. “Flesh and bone. Why? What happened?”

Alex looked at him incredulously, jaw hanging open. He looked so tightly wound and so scattered all at once. 

“Caleb told me you were dead.”

Willie blanched inwardly at the mention of Caleb, but even more so at the rest of that sentence he’d been utterly unprepared to hear.

“He...he - ” he stammered for a moment. “When would you have even talked to him?”

Sharing a look with Reggie, Alex took a deep breath. Then he looked back at Willie hesitantly.

“We see him all the time. We work for him now.”

It was Willie’s turn to drop his jaw.

“We’ve been signed to his record label for a few months now,” Reggie pitched in.

Directing his gaze to the ground, Willie puzzled for a minute.

“Why would I be dead?” he asked, looking back up at Alex.

For a minute Alex simply gazed at him wordlessly.

“I don’t know,” he said. There was a pause as both of them finally looked at each other, fully aware that this was real. And then Alex threw his arms around Willie to return the hug. Willie had to raise himself up on his toes to avoid falling over, and he tightened his grip to remain steady. He felt joy spread through his whole torso and breathed a sigh of relief as hands tangled into his hair. “But that doesn’t matter. I’m so happy to see you.”

[lupinlongbottom]

Practically a Weasley Epilogue

Charlie Weasley x Reader

Summary: Little Kayda has finally finished her seven years at Hogwarts, much to the cheer and delight of her parents, Charlie and (Y/N). Her future is crawling near, if only her parents knew what it could possibly hold.

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: None

A/N: This is mostly centered around Charlie and his girls, I will make that clear. The reader is there, and she’s important, but I wanted to highlight their daughters, as this is an Epilogue. I hope you all enjoy their three tornadoes angels as much as I do. Enjoy!

Part 1 … Part 1.5  …  Part 2 … Part 3

__

The end of the school year finally came, leaving many Hogwarts students to come home for the summer holiday. For some, this was their first year at the school for young witches and wizards, eager to share their stories with their families. For others, it was their final trip from the platform, until they choose to have kids of their own to see off. Regardless, the reunion of the various families on the platform at Kings Cross was a warm one.

“Dad…” Kayda moaned, trying to wriggle herself from Charlie’s grip. No luck.

“I haven’t seen you in forever!” Charlie exclaimed, hugging his daughter tighter. “Missed your birthday, two weeks ago! Consider it a late birthday present.”

“I’m eighteen now, I don’t need to be coddled at the platform,” Kayda sighed, patting her dad’s back. After finally wriggling herself free, Kayda nodded at her friends passing by, snickering at her father’s bear hug. “You can hug me more at home.”

“I plan on it,” Charlie beamed. Coming from the other end of the platform, (Y/N) walked between two redheaded girls, identical in their freckled face, both pushing their respective carts. “I see your mum found your sisters. Why didn’t you sit with them?”

“I sat with them at the beginning of the year,” Kayda shrugged. “I offered for them to sit in my compartment, but they said they had their own friends now,” she looked up, noting the presence of her sisters and mother. “Hey, mum.”

“Kayda,” (Y/N) said, tears glistening her eyes. “I know you probably don’t want a hug right now,” Kayda gave her dad a pointed look. Charlie smirked, shrugging. “But know that I’m so proud of you.”

“What about us?” the twin wearing a Slytherin scarf retorted, eyes turned downward, almost sad.

“Yeah, aren’t you proud of me and Harper?” the other added.

“Ellie…” Charlie sighed. “You know we’re proud of you two, but Kay just finished her schooling. It’s a big deal.”

“Well we just finished our first year. Big deal all around!” Ellie exclaimed, crossing her arms. “Besides, Kayda didn’t get to do hardly any of the fun stuff we did.”

“Like what? Going into each other’s common rooms? Wearing the other’s uniforms?” Kayda laughed, mirroring her sister’s stance. “I know you two switched. Often, at that.”

“You two did what?” (Y/N) asked, glaring at her twin daughters. “Harper? Ellie?”

“Come on mum,” Ellie laughed. “You really think that we wouldn’t try it? Harper’s in Slytherin, I’m in Gryffindor. It was bound to happen.”

“Ellie!” Harper hissed. “I thought we weren’t going to tell mum and dad!”

“Did you ever get caught?” Charlie asked.

“No,” Harper admitted. “Well, I guess Kayda knew, but she’s our sister, so…”

“Nice,” Charlie said, lifting his hand up, ready to give his daughters high-fives. (Y/N) grabbed his wrist, bringing it down.

“Charlie!” (Y/N) said, glaring at her husband. “I guess it’s not the end of the world. I should’ve known the two of you would’ve pulled something like that the second we heard you two weren’t in the same House.”

“I’m sorry, mum,” Harper said, her hands gripping her cart a bit tighter. “But on the bright side, I grew to like my House a bit better, even after everyone made fun of me being a Weasley!”

“Yeah?” (Y/N) smiled, noting the way her daughter’s blue eyes lit up. She had been worried about this very thing. Not every day a Weasley gets put into Slytherin House, is it? “How so?”

“Conrad has been hanging out with me in the common room and helping me study,” Harper said, smiling lightly. “He’s been keeping the bullies away too!”

“Conrad Lee? Barnaby’s son?” Charlie asked, crossing his arms. Harper nodded. “He’s a nice kid, coming from his parents it was bound to happen,” Charlie laughed, recalling the Magizoologist and his Curse-Breaker wife, close friends of his from his time at Hogwarts. “I figured he’d look out for you.”

“He only did that because Kayda asked him to do it,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “Don’t know how, seeing as they snog more than talk—”

“Ellie!” Kayda exclaimed, slapping her sister’s arm. Ellie winced for just a moment, fully prepared for the slap she received. “Shut it!”

“Don’t be embarrassed, Kay,” (Y/N) laughed, the panic on Kayda’s face not fading. “Conrad’s a nice boy. His mum and dad raised him well,” she smiled, patting her daughter’s back. “You’ve always got off well with him whenever they’d come to visit. Playing around in the dirt and whatnot.”

“Isn’t he a year younger than you?” Charlie asked, eyes pointed at Kayda, crossing his arms.

“Don’t you and mum have like five years between the two of you?” Kayda retorted, mirroring his pose.

“She has a point, Charlie,” (Y/N) laughed. “Enough of this idle chatting! We have a portkey to make if we want to get back to the cottage in time,” She pushed the twin’s backs, pushing their carts forward.

“You just don’t want to be stuck chatting with the entire family,” Ellie yawned, slowing her pace.

“I talked with Harry and Ginny, James just got done with his second year,” (Y/N) scoffed. “Your father caught up with Bill and Percy with their girls, too. We’re seeing Fred and George for dinner, we’ll be chatting with them then.”

“I don’t buy it.”

__

The warm glow of the kitchen radiated throughout the cottage. After Charlie and (Y/N) received the news of their, rather unexpected twins, the two moved to the Romanian countryside. It was farther off from the sanctuary, so Charlie had to either Apparate or take his broom, usually he chose the latter, enjoying the quiet moments of the morning rolling through the valley from up high, wind in his hair.

“Dad, should I take the pie out of the oven?” Harper asked, staring at the light brown crust intently.

“No,” Charlie hummed, pushing his sleeves up. He continued chopping the onions. “Shut the oven door, Harpy.”

“Sorry,” Harper said, gently shutting the door. Her fingers traced over the handle for a brief moment. “Do you need any help?”

“Blimey, I thought you’d never ask,” Charlie laughed, tilting his head at the aprons hung on the wall. “Grab your apron, kiddo.”

“Mum’s soup recipe?” Harper asked, tying the red apron around her waist, enjoying the feeling. She always liked helping her father out in the kitchen, ever since she was young. Molly often noted how her knife skills outshone those of her father, bringing much pride to the girl.“I can cut the carrots—”  

“No carrots,” Charlie said, sternly.

“Right, sorry dad,�� Harper giggled. “I quite like the carrots in this soup though. Mum added them whenever you were out for work…”

“Well I’m here right now,” Charlie huffed, pushing the onions into the simmering pot on the stove. “You can chop the cabbage. Speaking of your mum, is she still helping your sister pack?”

“Yeah,” Harper nodded, eyes focused on her knife. She hadn’t had much practice at school, only using the skills in Potions class. “Why are you letting her move?”

“She’s an adult,” Charlie shrugged, stirring the burbling pot. “She said that she got a job and plans on moving this summer to start it. Still hasn’t told us the job… but she said she’ll tell us tonight.”

“Aren’t you going to miss her?”

“Of course I am,” Charlie said, washing his hands. “You, on the other hand, aren’t allowed to move out. Ever.”

“Dad!” Harper giggled. “I don’t want to move anyway. I missed the dragons terribly enough when I was at school.”

“The dragons missed you too. Well, I can only imagine. Can’t speak dragon. Harriet seemed rather glum, though,” Charlie clicked, drying his hands off with a towel. “Wait until third year,” Charlie mused, crossing his arms. “Care of Magical Creatures is going to blow your mind, kiddo.”

Charlie loved all of his daughters equally, so he said, but the connection he had with Harper was undeniable. While Kayda took much after her uncles—to Charlie’s dismay—and Ellie took after her mum—to an extent, the lip on that girl was unquestionably a Weasley trait—Harper took most after Charlie. She adored creatures, dragons especially. He would take her to the sanctuary whenever she asked, from a distance, per (Y/N)’s request. She was soft-spoken, hardly the one to lead her siblings, but her heart was bigger than her mouth.

“I can’t wait!”

“Can’t wait for what?” Ellie asked, throwing herself onto one of the kitchen chairs.

“To learn something I’m genuinely interested in,” Harper said, finishing her cabbage. She silently looked at Charlie, who nodded. “I mean, I like Charms and Potions, but I have a feeling Care of Magical Creatures is going to be a good one.”

“Well, I like Herbology—”

“You like Professor Longbottom’s face,” Harper snickered, pushing the cabbage into the pot.

“I never would’ve pegged you for the Herbology type, Eleanor,” Kayda smiled, walking into the kitchen. “Smells good, dad.”

“Shove it! Both of you!” Ellie exclaimed, her face growing pink. She tapped her nails against the counter. “I-I just think he’s a good teacher, that’s all.”

“He’s married you ninny,” Kayda said, flicking Ellie’s forehead. “Or did you not pay attention to the way he stares so sappily at the Potions Professor?”

“Wait, that’s his wife?” Ellie asked, rubbing her now red forehead. “They don’t have the same last name, though!”

“It’d be confusing to have two Professor Longbottom’s, wouldn’t it?” Kayda laughed. “She uses her maiden name for teaching at school. Her last name’s still Longbottom, though.”

“How do you know?” Ellie spat, voice dripping with venom.

“I took her N.E.W.Ts level class. Hardly a big class,” Kayda shrugged. “Always willing to chat with us, especially if we’ve done well in lesson. You never would’ve stood a chance, you’re nearly twelve.”

“I know,” Ellie huffed, the realization dawning upon her.

“Charlie,” (Y/N) said, stepping into the kitchen. “Oh, everyone’s here. It’s been a while since the kitchen was this full…”

“Flower, don’t start crying again,” Charlie said, wrapping his arms around his wife. “If you start crying, I’ll start crying.”

“You two are a bunch of saps,” Kayda laughed, noting her parent’s glistening eyes.

“Yet, you came from this bunch of saps,” Charlie laughed, kissing (Y/N)’s temple. “Think about that.”

“I try not to think too deeply about it,” Kayda said, rolling her eyes, fighting back a grin. She missed her parents, no matter how disgusting their lovey-dovey nature may be. “What time are Fred and George coming?”

“Any minute now,” (Y/N) said, glancing at the clock. “Fred said they’d Floo here by six—”

“Did someone say my name?” A voice bellowed from the living room.

Kayda’s eyes lit up, a grin spreading to her face. “Uncle Fred!”

“Hey there, partner,” Fred winked, pulling his niece into a side hug. “Hi (Y/N). Hi Charlie.”

“Glad to see you still don’t pick favorites,” Charlie smiled, nodding at his brother.

“We could never, Charlie. Just because we like our little Kay-Kay better than the two of you doesn’t mean we pick favorites,” George said, entering the conversation. “Honestly, you’d think our brother would know us better.”

“No, not at all,” (Y/N) laughed. “Where’s Angelina? Or the kids?”

“Get this,” Fred moved his voice to a small whisper. “Dragon pox, the both of them.”

“Fred’s lying,” George laughed. “Mine’s at his mum’s this week,” he shrugged.

“You’re right,” Fred sighed, taking off his bright orange jacket. “Angelina wanted to spend more time with our boy now that he’s home from his first year, much like Harper and Ellie. Nearly bit my head off when I told her I was coming here tonight instead.”

“They’ll all be sorely missed,” (Y/N) hummed, glancing at the large pot on the stove. “Though, had you two told me, I wouldn’t have made so much soup—”

“You didn’t make the soup, dad did!” Ellie pointed.

“And I helped!” Harper added, crossing her arms.

“You should’ve never had more kids, mum,” Kayda laughed. “Little snitches, the both of them.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying for years,” Fred agreed, placing his arm around Kayda’s shoulder. “One and done. Angelina and I listened to it. George had no choice, poor girl broke it off with him after their little one was born—”

“Honestly, Fred? Pipe down,” George said, growing annoyed. George never liked talking about his ex-girlfriend much. They had dated for a few years before she became pregnant, but they split a year after their son was born.

“Please,” (Y/N) scoffed, trying to diffuse the situation. “You two were beyond thrilled when you found out that Charlie and I were having twins!”

“We thought you’d name them after us!” George exclaimed, falling wistfully onto a dining chair. “But then you had more girls, what a waste of perfectly good names!”

“Technically they did,” Ellie said, groaning. “I’ve hated my middle name as long as I can remember.”

“I quite like mine…” Harper said, voice growing small.

“Your name isn’t ‘Eleanor Frederica’, Harper. All my friends have normal middle names, but no,” Ellie pointed at Charlie and (Y/N). “You had to make my life hard!”

“Ellie,” (Y/N) sighed. “Middle names aren’t the end of the world. Be happy you’re named after two of the coolest people on this planet.”

“Gross,” Ellie groaned again. “If you want to name me after someone cool, take a look at James! He has a cool name! James Sirius Potter, even the sound of it makes people sigh!”

“Ellie, we love your Aunt Gin,” Charlie said, glancing down, “but we’ve never been in real favor of their children’s names. A bit heavy handed, honestly.”

“When she told us the name of little Al, we nearly passed out,” George nodded. “Next year’s going to be a fun one for him, starting school with a namesake like that.”

“Having Frederica and Georgina is the least of your worries,” Fred laughed. “At least you,” he pointed at Ellie, “you got the better of the two.”

“I prefer Harper’s name,” George quipped, “sounds cooler, more hip.”

“Can we stop talking about my children’s names?” (Y/N) said, finally growing tired of the arguing. “Ellie, sweetheart, your name is fine. Fred, George, both of the twins names are equally sweet, be grateful that Charlie agreed with the idea.”

“It’s true,” Charlie hummed. “I wanted more dragon-related names…”

“I could’ve had a dragon name?!” Harper practically screamed, forcing her voice towards her parents. “Why does Kayda get one?”

“People don’t mispronounce your name,” Kayda retorted. “Never get ‘Kayla’ Weasley? Do you?”

“Oh my God,” (Y/N) groaned. “I wanted to have a normal family dinner, now my daughters are screaming bloody murder about their names—”

“Sounds like a normal Weasley dinner if I’ve ever seen one,” Charlie said, ignoring the bickering, the loudest coming from his three daughters. “Love, you knew full well what you got yourself into almost twenty years ago.”

“Hardly gave me a moment to think about it, didn’t you?” (Y/N) smiled, glancing up at her husband. “Pulled the rug out from beneath me that day.”

“Like you weren’t expecting it,” Charlie smirked. “I told you almost a year in that I wanted to marry you. Besides, you said yes.”

“I did. I don’t regret it,” (Y/N) sighed, glancing at her beautiful daughters, now arguing with their lively uncles. “How could I regret this?”

__

“The soup was great Charlie,” (Y/N) said, dabbing a napkin on her lip. “Harper, you did a great job helping.”

“Thanks, mum,” Harper smiled, feeling the pride well in her chest.

“Fred? George? You two have been awfully quiet,” Charlie said, noting his brother’s unlikely silence, “what’s up?”

“Well…”

“Actually…”

The twins looked to Kayda, who still had a spoon in her mouth. All of the Weasley’s eyes fell to her, watching as she fumbled with the silverware.

“Oh,” Kayda said, fumbling with her hands. “Do you think…?” She looked to her uncles, as if for permission. Fred nodded, George merely winking. “Well, I suppose,” she stood, seated at the foot of the table. “So, I’ve accepted a job—”

“We know,” Ellie sighed, twirling her spoon against the table. “You’ve only been talking about it the last month of school…”

“Eleanor,” Charlie hissed, eyeing his daughter. “Let your sister speak.

“Sorry,” Ellie lied. She hardly was sorry about anything.

“Anyway,” Kayda said, scowling at her younger sister for a moment. “So you know Zonko’s, in Hogsmeade? I’ve accepted a management position there—well, not at Zonko’s, I wouldn’t work there,” Kayda paused, flushing over her words. “I mean, I wouldn’t not work there, but I’ve been working at Fred and George’s place the last few summers and holiday breaks, a-and they’ve offered to buy out Zonko’s and—”

“Spit it out!” Ellie cut Kayda off again, growing more annoyed.

“Alright!” Kayda exclaimed, slamming her hands onto the table. “Fred and George are opening a branch of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade, in the old Zonko’s shop, and they’ve asked me to be the manager, want me to run it.”

“Kayda, that’s wonderful!” (Y/N) said, clasping her hands together. She looked to her brother in-laws. “You’ve always wanted to buy out Zonko’s, why now?”

“Well, we finally have our little prodigy out of school,” Fred looked to (Y/N). “Seeing as you lot wouldn’t let her drop out early, much like her successful uncles—”

“Who turned out to be quite the entrepreneurs despite it all…” George added.

“I wasn’t going to drop out, mum,” Kayda said, assuring her mother. “It seemed like a good time, me fresh out of school, ready to take it on.”

“So you’re running it on your own?” Charlie asked, eyeing his daughter down, a bit of hesitation in his voice. “All by yourself?”

“We’re going to let her do as much as she wants on her own, but we’re always a call away,” George said, fiddling with his spoon. “She’s already come up with at least a hundred and ten new ideas for products and marketing—”

“All based on what a student is really looking for outta jokes and tricks these days,” Fred said, cracking his knuckles. “Gotta keep the products young and hip as we can, what better way than insight and perspective from a more recent former student? Considering the market is loads of Hogwarts students on their weekends off?”

“I suppose…” Charlie mumbled, looking in his hands. “Are you going to be living on your own?”

“Dad, I’m eighteen, I think I can manage on my own, especially in Hogsmeade. I found a little apartment to lease, it’s near the shop.”

“I’m sure Conrad’s going to be moving in after next year anyway…” Harper mumbled from her mother’s side, glancing at her half-full bowl of soup. She didn’t exactly have the appetite for it, all things considered.

“He’s thinking about it,” Kayda added. “We’ve talked about it.”

“Nope,” Charlie stood up from the table, pushing his chair back. “Nope, not happening. Absolutely not.”

“Charlie…” (Y/N) sighed, pressing her hand against her husband’s forearm, her fingers tracing a recent burn.

“Nope, not happening until I sit down with the Lee’s,” Charlie said, pacing lightly. “Maybe take Conrad down to the sanctuary…”

“Dad!” Kayda cried. “My boyfriend doesn’t need an interrogation!”

“Boyfriend?!”

“This is getting good,” Fred said, leaning into his brother’s good ear.

“Way better than what mum used to spout, Charlie’s a spittin’ image of her I reckon,” George added, leaning back in his chair, noting how red Charlie’s face was turning. The father and daughter continued to shout, much to (Y/N)’s dismay. Her head was in her hands, sighing loudly.

“See, mum? This is what happens when you let your daughter run wild with a Slytherin,” Ellie said, reaching over the long table to gain her mother’s attention. “Dad’s gone mental.”

“I’m a Slytherin!” Harper added, her cheeks growing pink. “What does that say about me?”

“You know I love you, Harper,” Ellie sighed, looking at her twin. “But Slytherin stinks. Your common room isn’t even all that neat, green is such a boring color and your Quidditch team sucks. Besides, a Weasley in Slytherin? How absurd! Half the Great Hall nearly lost their lunch at the sight!”

“Hey!”

It wasn’t long before the entire table was up in a roaring thunder, the youngest Weasley twins were bickering—like always— Kayda and Charlie were near a dueling stance over some boy, and the eldest twins just sat back and laughed at the continued horror. (Y/N) sat idly by, truly ignorant to her wishes of a functioning family unit. How long had she waited for a moment like this? Her family back together? Surely she didn’t expect her eldest and her husband going almost as far as a duel, she also didn’t expect her youngest daring to speak the few swears she picked up at school, either.

But, deep down, (Y/N) knew this was her ideal life, the one she had dreamed of years ago. A hearty family, filled with enough personality to go around thrice the time as normal. Her daughters were intelligent, bright and full of spunk, her in-laws were closer to her than blood would allow and her husband… Godric, her husband was more than she could’ve dreamed, attentive, loving and protective of their family—even if it was a sore subject in the moment, considering the environment. (Y/N) knew that the dream life she had planned was far from her reality, but she wouldn’t change it for the world. After all,

She was a Weasley.

__

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