#anyway i designed these last year and only yesterday finally got the chance to press a couple of em

[jennyfromthebes]

(trying to subtly ask if a girl is trans) is she, y'know...

[image description: A photo of a pair of circular badge-style pins with a trans flag border and text reading "friend of john darnielle". end ID]

[crescentsteel]

Burns

pairing: Suna  x f!reader genre: fluff with slight angst (childhood friends to lovers) wc: 3.8k summary: you planned to confess to Suna on Valentines day. Unfortunately for you, he finds the holiday stupid.

[a/n]

Did this in one sitting, brain went zoom zoom

Not really comfortable writing for Inarizaki for some reason. Suna and Miya twins stans, don’t come for me. 

Thank you @tokyosdawn​, @luvnami​, @fayeiparis​ (my ride or die ily) for the betaread. 

ngl. I almost wrote smut after the fluff 

Happy Valentines Day! 🖤

This is it. This is the day. 

You’re finally going to confess to Suna. 

You have been close friends for so long, and for the whole duration of it, you have tried your utter best to feel only as such. 

You became friends with the rest of the Inarikazi team because you were always present in every game, with you being the loudest person to cheer for Suna leading everyone to pester him until he introduced you to them. Knowing Suna, he wasn’t fazed by his team’s persistent request and never mentioned to you that the team wanted to meet you. 

It had been Atsumu that day who approached you during lunch break saying that Suna asked him to ask you to attend their practice after class. 

You’ve been asking him non-stop if he can come watch them practice but he strictly prohibited you from going to the gym at all, so you were thrilled that he finally let you watch.. only to find him unpleasantly surprised that you were there. 

Apparently, the whole team thought you were dating. As much as you wish you were, you could only agree with Suna when he said you were just a long-time friend. 

But that changes today. Hopefully. 

You already know what confessing to him means, and you’re not ready to lose Suna as a friend in case this doesn’t work out. However, with the  both of you being third years already, it was now or never. You keep asking him what his plans after graduation are and he’s infuriatingly very consistent with his answer - a shrug and an apathetic ‘dunno.’

While you’re not ready to lose your friendship, you’re probably going to after high school — which is why you spent almost all of your allowance to buy ingredients to make homemade chocolate. It’s not actually that it’s expensive — you wasted so much ingredients making them that you ended up having enough for only three pieces. 

But you’re satisfied because they were of three different designs. Three cute fox-shaped chocolates of different colors. They weren’t perfect but you tailored them according to Suna’s taste - just mildly sweet so he can actually enjoy it.

You smile into the February air. 

You really aren’t sure about his feelings for you, but you know that you’re special to him. 

You’re his only female friend and despite his aloofness, he actually spends time with you outside of school. It was you who he spent New Year’s with. He celebrates your birthday even if you know he’s not really into that kind of stuff. He walks you home when you stay late from club activities. 

Being his friend since elementary school, you know he’s not the kind of guy to be nice to someone just for the sake of being nice. 

So instead of dreading for your confession, you’re actually excited. 

On your way to your first class, the chaotic twins block your path with a mischievous grin from both of them, except Atsumu’s way too obvious and upfront about it. 

“So, y/n. Anything for me?” Atsumu asks as he cocks an eyebrow at you. 

“Why would she give you any, idiot?” Osamu glares at Atsumu before turning to you with a smirk that makes you wary for some reason. “When she’s obviously giving them to Suna,” he adds.

You try to not look affected at his spot-on statement, but shit, you can already feel your heartbeat just a bit faster. Are you that obvious?

“Don’t you have hoards of shit from other girls? Why the hell are you ganging up on me?” you ask instead of answering Osamu’s speculation. 

“I want to show them to Suna during practice. His pretty little childhood friend givin’ me homemade chocolates,” Atsumu teases animatedly. 

Your eyes widen from what he said. “Wait, how did you know they were homemade?” 

The two give each other meaningful looks before Osamu leans down a bit on you. “So there really are chocolates, huh?”

You go rigid when you realize you’ve exposed yourself to these two. Shit, they’re going to tease you non-stop about this. Worse, they might tell Suna before you even get the chance to do it yourself. 

“Those are some burns on your hands, y/n. Have you treated those properly?” Atsumu eyes your hand that accidentally touched the hot pan yesterday. You tug the sleeves of your uniform lower to cover the purple-pinkish marks. 

“I’m going to be late for class, bye,” you abruptly bid goodbye and hurriedly escape from the two. God knows what else they’ll get from you if you stay longer. 

--

You erase your encounter with the twins from this morning. You can’t buckle down now. You worked hard for this day, both in body and in spirit. You’ve already had more than a fair share of doubts and second thoughts up until last night when you successfully pushed any cynicism away. 

You won’t back down, especially when Suna is just a seat away from you now. 

“Got any chocolates yet?” You prod at the topic as you put away your used cutleries. 

“Yea,” he answers lazily. “It’s so dumb.”

“What is?” you ask with a frown.

“Valentines,” he deadpans.  “Atsumu’s gonna get a fucking diabetes from the amount of chocolates he took from me because I was about to throw them away.”

You try to not let it get to you and breathe steadily to strengthen your resolve. You’re special to Suna. Surely, he won’t treat yours like that.

“What’s more idiotic is confessing this day,” he rambles on. “If a person really likes someone, why wait for Valentines to say it?” He asks rhetorically while putting away his own finished lunch. 

You feel your stomach lurch, like riding down a rollercoaster at full speed unexpectedly. You try your best to mold your face into an impassive expression to not give anything away.

On the inside though, you’re a mess. Your head feels too loud and the air feels too heavy. You want to close your eyes and disappear.

Then he looks at you. “What about you? Did you give chocolates to anyone?”

You vaguely hear his question. You feel like you’re in a bubble and every sound is muffled -- your classmates chattering, the chairs scraping against the floor, the laughter all around you feels distant.

You planned to give him the chocolates you worked so hard on, but definitely not anymore. He hit two things right (Or wrong? Who knows anymore.) on the marks and right now, you do feel idiotic for trying so hard. 

You should’ve known better. Of course, he’d find it stupid! He’s never the person to be all excited with events like this. What were you even thinking, spending all that money and effort when he obviously thinks the whole thing is a farce?

Did you really think this was going to go well? That he’d accept your chocolates and everything would be fine and you would go on as friends? In hindsight, there is never going to be a way out of this where you win. It is a stupid idea, and you’re stupid for even thinking about it.

‘Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb,’ you chant in your head. 

“Y/n?”

You flinch and find him staring at you, waiting for your answer. His golden eyes are studying your face carefully. You think you see a little bit of concern there but you brush it off.

“Oh no,” you laugh hesitantly. “No way I’d waste my time on some boy on the very rare chance that he actually likes me back, pfft.” Your laugh turns ironic and bitter. “Like you said, it’s just a dumb holiday,” you respond with a forced smile.

“Anyways, I have to go back now. Later, Rin.” You quickly stand up and head to a comfort room because you feel like shit and you need to cry it out before your classes start again, else you’d be tearing up during lecture.

“Wait.” He grips your hand firmly, adding salt to the injury as you wince when he presses the burn you got from yesterday.

“Ow!”

He’s startled by your sudden reaction, but doesn’t say anything. 

He loosens his hold and moves his grip to your wrist as he pushes up the sleeve of your uniform, revealing the burn on your hand along with small others on your arm. 

“What happened to you?” he asks with muted concern while his eyes are trained on your arm, fingers gently skimming over the burns.

You aggressively retrieve your arm and pull your sleeve back down while you come up with a lie, “Oka-san needed help in the kitchen yesterday.”

He furrows his eyebrows with suspicion. “Why? Everyone knows you’re useless in the kitchen.”

Yeah, but you wanted to do something for him, and the burns would have been worth it if he at least accepted the chocolates you worked so hard on. 

“Honestly, I don’t even know.” You try to laugh it off, but you’re losing it already, so you just give him a quick wave with whatever smile you can muster and saunter away from him. 

After a pathetic sobbing session in one of the cubicles, you make your way back to your classroom looking as normal as you possibly can. 

Thank goodness it’s Valentines. You’re not the only girl with eyes puffy from rejection. 

“Hey.” You feel a hand on your shoulder and solely from his voice, you can tell it’s Osamu. “You okay?” 

Maybe it would’ve been better if you had fallen for Osamu instead. Despite being always teased by him and Atsumu, he’s actually a nice likeable guy. Unlike Suna. 

God, why did it have to be Suna Rintarou?

“Come with me,” you say without looking at Osamu and drag him with you back to your classroom. 

“Uhh, okay.” He sounds unsure but he goes with you anyway. 

You ask him to wait for you just by the doorway of your classroom and grab the stupid box of chocolates you made from your bag. 

You practically shove it to him when you get back to where he is. “Happy Valentines, ‘Samu,” you greet with a dead expression. 

Osamu gapes at you then at the box in hand, an expression of disbelief spreading across his face. 

“Weren’t you asking for chocolates this morning?” 

“That was ‘Tsumu. Also,” he looks closely at the box. “It says ‘Rin.’

You immediately rip out the wrapper where you wrote Suna’s nickname and tuck the crumpled paper in your pocket.

“There. It doesn’t anymore,” you announce passively.

Osamu scratches his head with discomfort. “I can’t accept this, y/n. I can give it to Suna if you want,” he offers kindly.

“Miya Osamu. Either you accept it or I’m throwing it away right now.” Your voice is dead serious and so are you. If Osamu won’t accept it, it’s going to the trash where Suna would’ve tossed it in as well. 

“Okay, okay!” He surrenders with panic and opens the box slowly. 

“Holy sh-,” he clears his throat. “I mean, wow. These are so cute, the cutest I’ve received today,” he comments appreciatively before returning his gaze at you. “You sure about this, y/n?”

You nod, more convinced now that you saw his reactions towards it. “Yeah. I figured I’d want to give them to someone who’s going to actually like them.”

The soft ring of the bell alerts you that your next class is about to start. 

“Thanks Osamu,” you utter with a grateful smile before sauntering back to your classroom. 

--

“Oy ‘Samu, why are these chocolates so cute? How the hell can I eat these?” Tsumu whines.

“You shithead, those are mine!” Osamu rushes to where his twin and grabs the box protectively.

Suna just watches the two and silently waits for another fight to erupt.

“You’d just taste them and give them to me anyways. What’s the deal?” Atsumu asks with a frown.

“If you must know, ‘Tsumu. Y/n gave this to me,” Osamu announces with a condescending grin as Astumu gawks at him in disbelief. “No fucking way, you stinking liar,” Atsumu retorts.

Suna looks at the tiny box Osamu is holding and agrees with Atsumu. There is no way you’d give those to Osamu. You said so yourself this morning.

‘No way I’d waste my time on some boy on the very rare chance that he actually likes me back.’

Did you lie to him and made some for Osamu? Do you like Osamu?

Suna’s mind wanders back to the burns on your hand and arms and how your mom ‘supposedly’ asked you to help out in the kitchen. He knows something is off. You’re never asked to help out with anything that involves cooking, so why did you lie about it?

So what is going on? There’s just no way in hell you like Osamu. Not once have you mentioned liking his teammate enough for you to  venture into the ‘horrors of the kitchen’ (as you put it). And more importantly, why Osamu?

It is true that Suna doesn’t give a shit whether or not  he gets a mountain load of chocolates on this superficial holiday. He’s not eating them. 

However, he’d make an exception only if they come from you. He wouldn’t mind if they’re just store-bought ones as long as they’re from you. 

So why the fuck would you go to the troubles of making them for Osamu and not him? You can’t possibly like Osamu. He won’t allow it.

He marches to where the twins are and turns to Osamu. “Did y/n really give you that?”

Both the twins face him and while Osamu looks pensive, Atsumu wears a shit-eating grin. “Aww, Suna. Are you jealous that your beloved y/n gave us chocolates?”

“‘Tsumu, shut up for the love of God. And she didn’t give it to us. She gave it to me.” Osamu pulls the box closer to him possessively which ticks Suna off even more. 

“Did she say why?” Suna tries to sound calm despite the stupid jealousy bubbling up the pit of his stomach. 

“Obviously because-” Atsumu starts, but Osamu grabs his twin’s face with one hand to halt his babbling as he sighs to face Suna. 

“Actually, the box had your name in it,” Osamu admits. “She just ripped it out and said she’d rather give it to someone who’ll appreciate it.”

“-mmmmff Samu!” Atsumu successfully removes Osamu’s hand. “You shouldn’t have told him that! Do you realize that y/n didn’t want him to know?”

“Duh! Of course, I know. But I really can’t accept chocolates that’re supposed to be for another guy,” Osamu sighs before handing Suna the box. 

He opens it and sees the fuss Tsumu was making about it. They really are cute and are obviously made with care and precision. If someone else had told him that you made these, he wouldn’t have believed them.

But there’s something about the chocolates that he can’t ignore. 

“Why are there bites on the two pieces?” He asks as he lifts his gaze up from the chocolates. 

Atsumu puts his hands behind his head and starts whistling as he avoids Suna’s gaze while Osamu smiles apologetically. 

“Sorry, I wanted to see if they taste as good as they look,” Osamu confesses. As for Atsumu, Suna can already tell that the piss-haired setter just couldn’t help himself despite receiving so many already.

“They’re a bit bland, Suna. Tell y/n she needs to improve her baking skills,” Atsumu comments shamelessly which makes Suna scowl at Atsumu’s ungrateful ass. The fact that you made something look edible is already something commendable.

“They’re okay. Just needs a bit more sweetness,” Osamu backs his twin up.

He brings the remaining chocolate that’s still untouched to his mouth.

“What are you two talking about? It tastes perfectly fine,” he states truthfully. It’s just the right amount of sweetness that he’s able to finish it despite not really being a fan of chocolates. 

Osamu laughs softly before speaking. “She really did make them for you, Suna.”

--

That night, you toss and turn in your bed while trying to keep your focus on the movie you played. As entertaining as it is, you can’t fully enjoy it with constantly wanting to smash your head against the wall of your room.

For a good while, you really thought everything would go smoothly and that by the end of today, you and Suna would be more than just friends. 

Maybe today is a sign that you shouldn’t push it anymore. Suna said so himself: if someone likes a person, they don’t need the holiday to confess.

So why hasn’t he?

The answer is clear as day and you wish you were blind to see it, but you aren’t. 

There had been too many chances for you two to move your relationship forward, but not once had he shown a sign that he wanted to. 

He doesn’t like you like that. It’s just you and your delusional head. He doesn’t love you the way you love him. Even with the cute, romantic scene playing before you, you start tearing up. 

You grab one of your pillows and bury your face in it, effectively silencing the sob and stopping the tears that are coming as you remember your folly attempt to confess today. 

You should’ve been satisfied with the comfort of your friendship. If you hadn’t been so greedy, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt like this. 

You hear a text alert from your phone. You open it and see a text from the source of your misery.

‘Come out’

You don’t want to. Tomorrow you can be back to normal around him, but not tonight.

You hurriedly respond with a lie.

‘Went out zzz’

You throw your phone somewhere on your bed and lie down with your pillow still squeezed between your arms while you space out at nothing.

Your thirst brings you back to your senses so you stand up and get to the kitchen. When you come back to your room, you almost scream when you see Suna sitting slouching on your bed. 

“What the heck, Rin?! How did you get here?” 

“Your mother let me in. Why are you even asking obvious questions?”

You massage your temples as you plan to tell your mom later not to just let anyone in your room even though it’s someone she knows. You might be childhood friends but you’re no longer kids. He can’t just pop in and out of your room anymore like he used to.

“Why are you even here? I said I was out.”

“Your lights are open, dumbass,” he answers, to which you respond with a sigh.

“Didn’t it occur to you that I don’t want to see you?” 

He stands up from your bed and although his expression doesn’t change, you feel alarmed from how he’s towering over you without saying anything.

“W-what?” Your stutter betrays your attempt to sound fine.

“Why the fuck would you give Osamu chocolates that are supposed to be mine?” 

You gawk at him. He isn’t supposed to know that. That bastard, Osamu! You don’t have a prepared excuse for this kind of confrontation. 

“What’s it to you even? You would’ve thrown them away anyways,” you snap back with an accusatory tone.

“Not if they’re from you,” he discloses as his usually austere eyes soften up, holding your gaze. You feel like you’re about to melt.

You feel your heart beat wildly against your chest. Not long ago you had said that you didn’t want to see him, but now that he’s here, you don’t feel like moving. You don’t feel like going anywhere. Everything could be on fire around you but you’d still stay by his side.

But… this is not right. Did you already know? He doesn’t love you back.

You try to turn away to hide the gnawing pain in your chest, but he’s faster. He grabs your arm to pull you closer. When he dips down to claim your lips while his arms snake around your waist, you melt within his hold. 

His lips are so warm and uncharacteristically tender as he moves them intricately against yours, causing you to place both hands against his chest to feel him even more, to feel that he is real and not just a dream induced by how badly you yearn for him.

He pulls away a bit and finds a bewildered look on your face that just makes you look adorable. There had been many times when he thought about doing this, especially whenever you’re staring into nothingness with parted lips as if coaxing him to fuck everything else and just cross the boundary of your platonic relationship.

But to be honest, he didn’t like the complications of being in a romantic relationship with you when you already have this comfortable friendship. At the end of the day, he knows you have him and he has you. 

Yet, he absolutely despises the idea that you might have liked someone else. He’s never felt any resentment towards his teammates, not even to Astsumu who’s a fucking handful most of the time.

Only today.

Only when he saw that box of chocolates in Osamu’s hands that he realized that he didn’t want to share you with anyone.

It was selfish of him, wanting to keep you to himself but not really doing anything to actually make it happen.

That changes tonight. 

He removes one hand from your waist to hold your hand that’s resting on his chest.

“I love you, y/n.”

You blink twice at him, evidently surprised with his confession, but immediately recover when you look down and giggle softly. 

When you look back at him again, your eyes are a mixture of content and mirth. “I thought you said it’s idiotic to confess on Valentines Day,” you remind him with a wide smile.

His loving stare becomes a cold glare when you point out what he had said this morning. He didn’t plan to do it today. He just couldn’t wait until tomorrow, thereby forgetting that he had actually told you that. Although, he still believes people shouldn’t wait for the holiday to confess, it just so happened that today is when he decided to do it.

“Fine. I take it back,” he says out of petty spite.

“I’m kidding!” you respond defensively before intertwining his fingers with yours. “Actually, I was about to confess earlier, but you said the stuff about Valentines being dumb.”

“It still is,” he says, undeterred. In his defense, he really hadn’t been expecting you would. 

“Right. Yet, here we are,” you state as a matter of fact as you grip his hand tighter.

“Can you answer the damn confession already?” he asks exasperatedly which makes you laugh out loud. 

You settle down with an affectionate smile. “Yes, Rin. I love you too.”

He loses his stern expression as he takes your hand to his mouth and kisses it, rubbing the minor burn with his thumb, a reminder that he does appreciate what you did for him. 

“Happy Valentines, I guess,” he says before he goes for your lips again.

mlist of other stuff I wrote

taglist (those crossed out can’t be tagged)

@ameliaxo @suikrem @akaashisslave @tsumurai  @babythotshq @loving-unicorns106 @flairlust @geektastic84​ @anaiss97 @hqbeesun @megatron-1199 @lovershaikyuu

[spookysmujer]

Amor Prohibido, O. Diaz

Summary: Oscar Diaz use to get a kick out of making fun about you back in high school, but what is he like all these years later and after serving time in prison?

warnings: teasing, teenager!Spooky, cute s h e t 😚

word count: 1.5K

anonymously requested!

A/N: Me and @youare-mysonshine​ always bounce ideas off each other about teenage Oscar so getting this request made me do a little happy dance. Thank you for requesting, anon! I am loving all the requests I am getting! Please consider: following my blog, heart/comment/reblog my content as well as turning on the notifs for when I post new content!

(Gif belongs to @leelakoiwolff​ 💫)

There are many things in your life that you want to forget and one of them is high school. You weren’t a lone wolf or some kind of loser, not at all. But to a certain to someone you were a easy target to mess around with, the one and only, Oscar “Spooky” Diaz.

Whenever he got the chance to make fun of you, he did. And by some sick twist of fate, you had majority of your class with him during senior year. It’s like it fueled him, the teasing. As you jog pass Freeridge high as a part of your daily exercise, the memories flood you.

It’s finals week and all you can think of is finishing these exams so you can stop the constant stressing and excessive studying. As you swap out textbooks for your AP Chemistry class in your locker, you hear someone clear their throat from behind you, though it’s no question to who it is.

Without even turning to look, “To what do I own the pleasure this time?”

“Just wondering how the weather is down there? I know it’s sunny up here, but what about down there, hm?” Oscar leans against the lockers besides you and give you his famous smirk. 

You roll your eyes and give your best fake smile, turning your head you look at him, “Do you ever think of anything new to say or are the four brain cells up there all juiced out from the coke you snort in the bathroom during study hall?”

Oscar stares at you and pushes himself off the locker, walking away without another word. You look over shoulder and see him exit the school. A scoff comes out of your mouth as you roll your eyes. It’s a cat and mouse game with him, most of the time he is the one chasing but there are a few occasions where you get to be the mighty feline.

When your fit bit vibrates to alert you that you’ve reached you goal, you come to an abrupt stop. Hunching over with your hands on your knees trying to catch your breath. A few students walk past you, laughing away and in a heavy conversation about the homecoming dance.

You start to walk back to your place, remembering the night of your homecoming dance, senior year.

“Wow, it wears dresses. I wasn’t sure that you knew how to be a full functioning girl. I mean, considering no one’s tapped that yet, sad really.” Oscar’s voice sounds from beside you as sat at your designated table to take a break from dancing.

He pulls a chair out and flips it around so his chest is leaning against the back rest. You look over and nearly spit out your drink, “What the hell happened to you? Oh are you... oh no, are you sick? Are you dying? Jesus really is coming back.”

Oscar laughs and runs his hand over his now shaved head. He looks completely different than he did yesterday in AP Bio. You continue to sip on your punch, he reaches over and pours what smells like vodka into your cup from a metal flask. “What the fuck, seriously?” 

“What? Maybe it’ll loosen you up. Always got a fuckin’ stick up your ass. Ay, maybe then someone will wanna blow your back out tonight, I mean trust me we ain’t got much standards. Not a single fuck given about your new straight hair you went and spent all that money you don’t got.” He ruffles with you hair, you swat his hand away and he laughs, getting up to leave. “Could never be me though.”

Once you get on your street you mentally damn yourself for thinking of those days. It use to take a lot out of you to stand up to Oscar. Those days far behind you for a reason. You make your way up the driveway and stop in your trek, it couldn’t be. 

The shiny exterior of cherry red shines back at you. You’re staring at it making sure it’s not your mind playing tricks on you. Oscar’s car is parked in your driveway. Right?

“As I live and breath. Sup, Y/N.” Your thoughts are disturbed as you hear his voice sound, he stands on your porch, leaning aside the post. He looks the same but a little different as well. Sporting some ink on his face and neck. 

You look around and hope when you turn back it’ll be just a hallucination or something. But as God permits, there he is. His physique definitely changed, his biceps bulging a lot more than the last time you saw him.

“Uh, hey, Oscar.” He smiles and licks his lips, stepping down and walking to stand in front of you. Well one things for sure, he still towers over you. He looks down at you and chuckles, taking his hand ontop your head and measuring it to his chest.

A snicker erupts from him as you push him back, trying to hide your smile, “Still the fucking same I see. Shame, all these years and you still haven’t grown up. Where’ve you been anyways?”

“Corcoran. Got out this morning.” He tells you as he walks over to his car to lean against. You wait it out a few secods before he nods his head for you to join him.

“Shoulda known you’d end up in Prison. Kill someone?”

He shoves his hands in his pockets and shrugs, “Drug possession, but ain’t no surprise I was slinging then. I got this while I was inside, ran the whole operation.”

“Yeah, well a part of me isn’t surprised you ended up there and the other part is surprised.” He looks over at you with a quirked eyebrow, “You’re smart, Diaz. You think people didn’t know but we all knew. Just no one questioned you since you hung around the gang, then you joined it. Or how is it? Jumped in?”

He nods his head in agreement with a smirk on his face, you study him for a moment before moving your gaze to in front of you when he looks at you, “Sad you didn’t take the college route. Could’ve been a head chef at some fancy restaurant I bet. My little brother would hang with Cesar. He’d tell me that you’d make such a bomb grilled cheese that he’d refuse anything I’d make. Said you really had knack for being in the kitchen.”

It felt strange to be sitting and talking to Oscar like normal people would. He would tease you any chance he got til the end of summer when you up and left for college in Arizona. Suppose prison truly does change people.

“Yeah, well at the time college wasn’t going to take care of my brother so sacrifices had to be made. Just how life goes.” He sniffs and pulls a cigarette from behind hid ear. You snatch it from him and break it with you heel. “You may have survived prison, but I promise you this will kill you, dummy.”

Oscar wouldn’t normally stand for people acting that way with him.

“What? Not gonna call me names and remind me I’m the most unattractive girl ever?” You turn to him and he turns his body towards yours. He peers down to your lips and brings his hand up to your chin.

You’re confused with what’s happening right now. Oscar not retorting with a comeback and nearly pressed against you, “Never said you unattractive once in my life. Actually thought the opposite since 7th grade.”

“What? You thought I was attractive since we were 13 years old?” Oscar nods and drops his hand from your face.You scoff and step back, walking a few feet away from him. 

He clears his throat, feeling like everything is caving in. He digs for his keys from his pockets. The sounds catches your attention and you turn back, “Wait. I’m just trying to process it all. If you thought I was cute or something, why didn’t you ever tell me? All you would do is tease me and always annoy me.”

Oscar stops fiddling with his keys and steps closer to you, cocking his head to the side, a smile cracking from his serious face, “You never heard that when a guy likes you he is mean to you?”

You roll your eyes and smack his head, “For someone who is smart, that was really stupid to think. I mean.. I would say mean things to you too and you kept comin-... oh. Ooooh, I see it now. Fuck, uh.” 

He sees your calming up with the realization, “Let me take you out.”

“Oh, okay. Um, what are you doing tonight?” You ask him, feeling your heart racing.

“Got some shit to handle tonight, but I’m free right now.” 

Before you can say anything, he dips down and pulls you over his shoulder, you squeal and protest for him to put you down. He only laughs carrying you into your place. 

So by some weird twist of fate, high school wasn’t the worst after all.

[dontcare77ghj]

Stop

Tony x reader x Steve x Natasha

Notes; The reader has powers akin to Psylocke from X-Men. Also, I would have uploaded sooner, but it was my birthday yesterday, and I forgot. Sorry.

"I'm gonna miss the beard." You said, watching Steve as he shaved off the beard he had grown.

"Tony never liked it," Steve commented. "He said it was too scratchy." 

"Like he can talk." Natasha snorted, coming up behind you and wrapping her arms around your waist. "We're going to find him, Steve." She promised the blonde.

"And what if he was dusted?" Steve asked, turning to you. "What then?"

"We bring him back," Natasha said. "He can't get away from us that easy." She joked, causing Steve to laugh weakly.

"Y/N, you're awful quiet," Steve noted as he and Natasha looked at you. 

"He needs to come home." You said, looking up.

"We know. Carol's looking for him now. If he's out there, we'll find him." Natasha assured you.

"No, he needs to come back to us." You said, placing a hand on your stomach. 

"Y/N?" Steve asked, taking a step forward.

"We're pregnant." You announced, flashing a watery smile at both your partners. "I felt really sick after the battle and had FRIDAY scan me. We're five weeks pregnant."

"This is amazing, Y/N!" Natasha cheered, turning you in her arms to kiss you deeply. "We're going to be parents!"

"This is such fantastic news," Steve said, pulling both you and Natasha into his arms. "Our family is growing." He smiled, putting his hand on your stomach.

"That's why Tony has to come home. So he can be here. I don't want to just tell this baby about Tony. I want them to have all their parents raise them."

"We'll get him back," Steve promised you. "Whatever it takes."

Before any of you could say another word, there was a loud humming sound that shook the walls of the building.

"FRIDAY, what was that?" Natasha demanded.

"It appears Carol Danvers has returned. She is carrying a large spacecraft with her."

"Tony." The three of you said before rushing outside. 

Bruce, Rhodey, and Pepper quickly joined the three of you, and soon the six of you were all gathered on the front lawn, watching as Carol flew down.

You'd never believed in God before, but at this moment, you found yourself praying Tony was on that ship and alive.

As the ship was placed on the ground, the door opened. A raccoon walked out, followed by a blue woman and then,

"Tony!" You shouted, rushing forward with Natasha and Steve on your heels.

Tony looked half dead. He was incredibly pale and thin. His form was shaking as you pulled him into your arms.

"You're alive. You're here." You whispered, clinging onto his shirt tightly. When Tony didn't respond, you took a step back and allowed Natasha and Steve to embrace him.

"I lost the kid." Tony gasped after Steve pulled away.

"Tony, we all lost," Steve told him with a grimace. 

"You need to get looked over," Natasha demanded, putting one of Tony's arms around her shoulders. 

"No, we need to talk about him," Tony said, panting by the end of his short sentence.

"You need to go to the infirmary." You said, narrowing your eyes at the man. "You're about to collapse."

As Steve wrapped his thick arm around Tony's midsection, Tony seemingly lost his fight and slumped in their hold. 

After having rested for a while, Tony explained what had happened on Titan to you all. When Nebula announced that she may know where Thanos could be, everyone prepared to leave.

Everyone except you.

You had volunteered, been forced to stay behind by Natasha and Steve, to stay with Tony.

"Tony, you need to stay in bed." You sighed, gently pushing on his shoulders. 

"I can't stand this. Who invented bedrest? I just want to talk to them." Tony grumbled, leaning back against his pillows.

"Yeah, I don't think you can talk to him. He died in 1914." You informed him. 

"Absolutely ridiculous," Tony said under his breath. 

You were about to reply to him when a sudden bout of nausea overwhelmed you. You rushed over to the trashcan by the door and lost this morning's breakfast.

"Y/N?" 

"I'm fine. Just give me a second." You said before throwing up again. "Ugh, that's gross." You complained once you were done.

"What the hell was that? Are you okay? Are you sick? Is it the flu?" Tony asked in rapid-fire succession. 

"I'm fine, hon." You cut him off. "I'm gonna put this in the hall. This is disgusting." You said before moving the can into the hallway.

"Are you gonna tell me what that was?" Tony asked as you moved back to his bedside.

"I was going to wait until Natasha and Steve got back, but now's going to have to do." You sighed, taking his hand. "I'm pregnant, Tony."

Tony went quiet. He didn't say anything as he stared at you.

"Tony?"

"We're going to need to start planning for a nursery. I'll get FRIDAY to call a designer and have them send over some color swatches. Do you know if it's a girl or a boy? How far along are you?" Tony asked as he grabbed his tablet from the side table. "FRIDAY, can you download baby books for first-time parents? Do you think there are youtube videos we could watch?"

"Tony, I'm barely following a thing you're saying." You informed the man. "Wait, so you're not mad?"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Tony titled his head. "We've been talking about this for how long? Have you told Tasha and Steve?"

"I told them just before you got back." You nodded.

"We're going to have a family." Tony smiled largely. "Oh God, we're going to have a family."

"So, Thanos is dead." 

"Yes."

"And the stones are destroyed." 

"Yes."

That had been playing on a loop in your head since everyone had returned.

Thor had left that night. 

Carol had returned to space.

Rhodey had been called back to work.

Rocket, Nebula, and Bruce were sticking around the compound. Bruce would be staying permanently to help the rest of the world, but Nebula and Rocket were only staying temporarily. Once they had reloaded their ship, they would be gone too.

And the four of you, the four of you were leaving now.

"We got so lucky here, Steve," Tony said, putting his arm around Natasha's shoulders and putting the other around your waist. "We all lived. We made it out alive, and now we have a chance. We have a kid on the way, Steve."

"I know that," Steve said, rubbing his hand over his face. "But we can't just leave. The world is in chaos, everyone is panicking, and you want us to go? Go where?"

"I bought a lakehouse a few years back. It was an impulse buy, and I haven't been there since I bought it. Might be a good project for us all." Tony informed everyone.

"So you want us to go and move into a place that isn't even finished yet?" Steve scoffed.

"It's finished. It just needs some repairs."

"Steve, why are you so against this?" You cut in. 

"Because we lost! Because Thanos defeated us, and then we lost again because of the stones. Some people lost everyone and everything, and we can't fix it." Steve sighed, looking away from the three of you.

"Steve, we're allowed to live our lives," Natasha said, standing from the bed and pulling him over. "Yes, it is terrible what happened to all those people, but we are allowed to be happy. We are allowed to be happy that we survived, that we have a child on the way."

"Why can't we have this, Steve?" Tony asked him. "We've been fighting for years. And the point was so we didn't have to fight, and this is not the way we thought it would happen, but it's happened. We've fought for years for this." Tony said, taking Steve's hand and putting it on your stomach.

"This could be a blessing in disguise, Stevie." You mentioned intertwining your fingers with his. "This is our reason to take a step back. To focus on ourselves for once, to focus on our little one. We've never been safe here, and we'll never be safe here. Neither will they."

Steve had eventually agreed to the plan. It had taken hours for the four of you to come to an agreement, but you finally did.

You, Tony, and Natasha would fully step back. You were done. There would be no more Avengers activities for the three of you. Steve himself couldn't leave completely.

His conscious wouldn't allow him to in a time he felt was less than desirable.

So Steve would come back to the city once a week and see if Bruce needed help with anything.

But that was it for him.

"Is that everything?" Natasha asked, putting her last bag in the car.

"Should be." You nodded, moving to stand behind her. "Anything else the movers will bring." You added, wrapping your arms around her waist.

"Someone's cuddly this morning," Steve commented as he and Tony entered the garage.

"What do you expect, Steve? You woke her up at five a.m." Tony clucked, pulling on his sunglasses.

"We had to get up at five if we wanted to load up the car and get there at twelve." Steve shook his head. "Speaking of leaving, is everyone ready?" 

"I'm always ready, Cap," Tony smirked. 

"Let's get going." Natasha nodded.

"Y/N?"

"Let's do this." 

Non-reader POV

"Your alpaca ate Steve's laundry today." Y/N casually informed Tony as she prepared lunch.

"He's our alpaca, thank you." Tony corrected her, stealing a piece of cooked chicken. "And why was he using the clothesline anyway? We have a dryer."

"Because sometimes it's nice to do things the old-fashioned way." Y/N smiled. "Can you bring those three in for lunch?"

"Of course," Tony said, pressing a kiss to her cheek before leaving out the back door.

Tony was smiling as he made the short walk from the house to the hideout. When he was within hearing distance, Tony began to clap several times.

"Chow time!" He called. "Hello?" He greeted in a random accent as he took a seat outside the hideout. "Parker J, Sarah M, Stark, you two and your mom want some lunch?"

"Define wunch or be disintegwated," Sarah demanded, exiting in an Iron Man helmet as Parker barrel rolled out and jumped into a superhero pose.

"Woah, Woah, Woah," Tony said, raising his hands up. "You should not be wearing that." He informed his daughter as he gently removed it. "Where did you get it?"

"I let them play with it," Natasha said, crawling out of the hideout. "That was a very well done threat, Sarah." She complimented her daughter, pressing a kiss to her head. "And your roll and jump are coming along well too, Parker." She added, kissing her son's head too.

"Thank you, mama." The twins responded in unison.

"You were watching them, Nat?" He asked. "Then I suppose it's okay. You three thinking 'bout lunch? A handful of crickets and some lettuce, for you three, I think." He teased, causing Parker and Sarah to make a noise of disgust.

"No, daddy!" Parker shrieked, scrunching his nose.

"Yucky!" 

"Don't worry, I won't let him poison you," Natasha said, taking Parker into her arms. "You got her?" She asked Tony.

"Always do." Tony nodded, taking Sarah into his arms. "C'mon on you three. Let's not keep your mom waiting."

Tony and Natasha began walking back to the house when they saw Steve's truck pull up. The two were smiling at the blonde's arrival until they saw Scott Lang and Bruce Banner getting out of the car too.

Reader POV

"I can't believe you brought them here, and for that." Tony scoffed.

Scott and Bruce had left an hour ago. The conversation had not gone the way Steve had wanted, with Tony blatantly dismissing the notion of using time travel.

Tony had disappeared into his garage an hour ago, but the second he came back into the house, he and Steve began to argue. You and Natasha had sent the kids upstairs while you sat on the couch and watched the two.

"Tony, Scott came back that's something. That means we have a chance." Steve pressed his husband. "We have a chance to go back and fix this."

"There is no chance. We can't go back. His theory was based on a movie. Why can't you accept that we change the past? Why can't you accept that we lost?" Tony scoffed, narrowing his eyes at the blonde.

"Why can't you believe we have a chance to fix this?"

"Because even if this plan worked, there is a chance that we lose everything." He said, waving his arms around the room. "We lose the last five years, and we lose them. We lose our kids. Do you want that, Steven?"

"Of course not!" Steve exclaimed. "You know I would never do anything to endanger our children!"

"Boys." You snapped, standing from the sofa. "Neither of you are getting anywhere like this. You are solving nothing. Cool off." You demanded, crossing your arms. 

"Don't need to ask me twice." Tony shrugged, going back towards the garage.

"Fine." Steve ground out, leaving out the back door.

"You go after Steve, and I'll go after Tony?" Natasha suggested as she stood.

"Deal." 

Natasha moved to follow after Tony, and you pursued Steve. You found Steve exactly where you thought he'd be.

"You know we don't need any more firewood, right?" You asked, watching as he began to stack a pile of logs.

"He never listens. To anyone." Steve grumbled, picking up an ax.

"I hope you're not going to take that to him." You joked, moving to stand across from him. "Steve, talk to me."

"This could work, Y/N. We could fix this." Steve sighed. "I don't know why he won't listen." 

"Because of them." You gestured to the kids' hideout by the lake. "And because of Peter." You added, causing Steve to go quiet. "We were all close with Peter, but Tony was closest. We both know it hurt him really badly when Peter died, and now he's scared something is going to the twins."

"You know I would never do anything that could hurt them," Steve promised you. 

"I know that. Tony knows that, but he's just scared. What happened on Titan hurt him more than he wants to admit in a lot of ways.  He just needs time." You promised, taking the ax out of his hands and pulling him into an embrace.

After your talk with Steve, you had brought him inside. The two of you went upstairs and sat with the kids for a while. Parker and Sarah were coloring, but they insisted you and Steve stay.

You could never refuse the kids, and you even allowed them to stay up an hour later before you had to send them to bed.

You and Steve had then moved to your bedroom, where you and he just crawled into bed.

"Can I come in?" Tony asked, standing in the doorway while Natasha strolled right in.

"Of course you can," Steve said, making room for him in the middle as Natasha crawled in behind you.

"We had to put the kids back to bed," Tony said. "Tash gave them both juice pops."

"Liar." Natasha scoffed before you all went quiet.

"I figured it out," Tony murmured after a minute. "Time travel. Tasha saw it."

"That's amazing," Steve said.

"And terrifying." You mentioned.

"We got really lucky. Not a lot of people did, and I can't always help everyone." Tony said, looking at the ceiling. 

"Seems like you can here," Steve told him.

"Not if I stop. I can put a pin in it right now and stop." Tony said to him.

"Tony, you've never been able to stop." Natasha shook her head. "If we could've ever gotten you to stop, our lives would be very different now." She added, causing the three of you to chuckle.

"I don't know. Something tells me I should put it in a locked box and drop it to the bottom of the lake."

"Tony, you'd never be able to stop." You said, taking his hand. "None of us would be able to rest if we knew we could've helped."

"We'd never be able to stop," Steve told him.

"We've never been able to stop." Natasha snorted. "It's been five years, and we're still going. We've never been able to stop."

You'd gone back to the compound the next day. Pepper and Happy had volunteered to watch the kids, and after a long goodbye, the four of you had driven back.

There Tony had shown Bruce what he had worked out, and the rest of you worked on a plan. Natasha had gone and brought Clint back, and he had test-driven the machine.

Once Clint had given you the affirmative, all you had to do was find the stones. 

Everyone had been assigned a stone and a team. From there, you would travel back in time, collect the stone, and return so Bruce and Tony could add them to a glove Tony had made.

You would be going to Asgaard with Thor and Rocket.

You were all standing on the platform, ready to travel back through space and time. 

"Hey," Natasha said, drawing everyone's attention to her. "See you in a minute." She smiled giddily. 

And with that, you were gone. 

An hour on Asgaard passed quickly. Thor had runoff, and you had had to follow him through the large halls. Thor had found his mother and finally had the reunion and talk he'd needed. 

It was when Rocket rushed into the room with the stone, and Thor summoned Mjolnir that the three of you had to go back.

"Did we get 'em all?" Tony asked immediately, clicking off his suit.

"Are you telling me this actually worked?" Rhodey laughed, looking around at everyone.

"Clint," You started. "Where's Nat?" You asked, not seeing your wife.

Everyone went silent as they all turned to face the archer, who was soaking wet. Clint didn't look up as he continued to stare at the ground silently.

"Clint?" 

"What are we going to tell the kids?" You asked your husbands. Everyone had moved outside to the lake. No-one had made the decision aloud, but it was just too hard to sit inside.

"What can we tell them?" Tony asked, staring blankly at the water.

"You're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead?" Thor asked, storming over. "We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, we can bring her back. So stop this shit!" He demanded of the three of you. "That's your wife! Stop it!"

"We can't get her back," Clint said quietly. "It can't be undone." He added, shaking his head sadly.

"You're an earthly being." Thor scoffed. "We're talking about space magick."

"Yeah, look, I know I'm way outside my pay grade here, but she's not here. Is she? It can't be undone. At least that's what the floating spaceman said, but why don't you grab your hammer and go talk to him!" Clint began to yell.

"All of you stop it," Steve ordered, standing from his seat. "Arguing isn't going to solve anything."

"Why aren't you more upset about this, Cap?" Clint asked. "Why aren't any of you reacting? She was your wife, for fucks sake!"

"You don't think we know that!" Tony yelled, rounding on him. "You don't think we know that our wife just died for that fucking stone! Because we do! And now we have to go to a home where she won't be! Where we have to tell our kids why their mama won't be coming home! So don't fucking tell me we aren't feeling this because we are fucking feeling it!" 

"All of you stop arguing." You said, standing up. "Natasha died for that stone, and I'll be dammed if we don't finish this for her. We're going in there to end this." You added, moving back towards the compound.

As you walked past Scott, who had been standing at the end quietly, you snapped.

Grabbing him by the collar, you pinned him to the pillar. 

"If this does not fucking work and all this was for nothing, I will kill you. If Natasha died for nothing, I will fucking slaughter you." You promised before being pulled away by strong arms.

"We'll meet you inside," Steve said to the others who were beginning to walk past you.

When everyone had walked away, and it was only you, Steve and Tony, the dam broke. 

Your legs could no longer support you, and you would have collapsed to the ground in a disheveled heap had Steve not been holding you up.

Tears were pouring down your face as your body wracked with an onslaught of sobs.

Tony's arms wrapped around you and Steve as the three of you stood on the dock, all crying.

"What do we do?" You asked as you began to calm yourself. "What do we do?"

"We finish this," Tony told you. "We need to finish this, so we can stop."

The stones had worked. It hadn't been for nothing.

Bruce had snapped everyone and everything back to life. 

But of course, things never could work out for the Avengers.

Just as everyone was beginning to feel hopeful and happy at this achievement, the building had blown.

Thanos had returned. 

You and Tony shielded as many as you could when the building blew. But when the time came to fight the Titan, it was only you, Steve, Thor, and Tony. 

"Where are the stones?" Steve asked, standing beside you.

"Somewhere under all this," Tony said, staring at the Titan. "All I know is he doesn't have them."

"So we keep it that way." You told them, narrowing your eyes at Thanos.

"You know it's a trap, right?" Thor asked you all.

"Yeah, I don't much care." Tony shrugged.

"Good, just as long as we're all in agreement," Thor said before there was a rumble of thunder. "Let's kill him properly this time."

You were failing. Your asses had been getting kicked when the portals began to open. 

And then chaos ensued. 

There were so many moments of the battle you were sure you'd never be able to fully remember it all.

The only part that you completely remembered and would haunt you in your dreams for decades to come was when the glove flew from Carol's hands.

Everyone raced for it and rushed to protect it. 

Thor and Steve fought Thanos together. Carol fought him alone. You and Steve fought him.

But eventually, you were all thrown to the side and forced to watch as Thanos pulled on the glove.

Carol tried once more to get the glove away from Thanos, only to be blasted to the side by the power stone.

Just as Thanos looked like he was going to snap, Tony rushed forward in a last effort attempt. He grabbed at the glove, but Thanos threw him back.

Tony landed beside you and Steve as Thanos readied to snap.

"I am inevitable," Thanos said, raising his hand. As he was raising his hand, you noticed something.

The stones traveling up Tony's suit. 

His skin was already beginning to burn as the power traveled through his body.

He wouldn't survive this on his own.

You shared a look with Steve, who nodded at you. 

"I am Iron Man," Tony said as you and Steve rushed forward. You and Steve stood behind him and placed your hands on his exposed skin.

You and Steve let out mirrored gasps of pain as the burning traveled through your bodies as well. You could feel a hand placed on your shoulder and heard more gasps and grunts of pain.

When you opened your eyes, Thor, Clint, and Bruce had all joined your makeshift chain.

"And we're the Avengers," Steve grunted, squeezing Tony's shoulder, who quickly snapped his fingers.

The six of you let out mirroring cries of pain after his snap. Your skin felt as if it were boiling and about to be peeled from your own body. But it was worth it.

It was worth it because Thanos’ army began to disintegrate. 

And when Thanos sat down and he turned to dust, there was no greater feeling.,

"Tony?" Steve asked, causing your head to snap to the side. Tony was kneeling against a large piece of debris in obvious pain.

"Tony." You gasped, rushing towards him. "Oh God, Tony."

"It's not that bad, is it?" Tony asked you. "Do I still have my rugged good looks?"

"You could never lose them." Steve laughed, gently brushing his hand across Tony's burnt cheek.

"Tony, do you need to stop?" You asked, dreading the answer. "Because if you need to, you can stop now."

"Never," Tony grunted, sitting upright. "Where's Strange? I think I'm going to need a doctor."

The three of you were in a Wakandian hospital. Strange with some help from Shuri had been able to save Tony’s life. He had lost his arm to the gauntlet and that side of his body would forever be scarred. All six of you would forever bare the scars from this fight.

The six of you had been scarred by the power of the stones but Tony’s had been the worst.

The three of you had been in this hospital room for three days now and today was the day Pepper would be bringing the kids to visit.

“How do we tell them about Nat?” Steve asked.

“I have no idea.” You shook your head. “I don’t think there’s any version that’s going to be easy for them to hear.”

“What time did Pep say they were coming?” Tony asked.

“Any time now.” You said after glancing at the clock.

“There’s no time to plan anything is there?” Tony shook his head. We’ll just have to wing it.”

“There’s a part of me that just wants to run away.” You admitted. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“You just faced down Thanos with not a hint of fear, and two five-year-olds are scaring you?” Steve asked with a slight chuckle.

“Don’t act as if they’ve never scared you.” You said, lightly hitting him on the arm. “We all remember the juice pops incident.”

Before Steve could retort, there was a light knocking on the door. You all turned your heads to see Pepper standing at the door.

“Where are the kids?” Tony asked immediately.

“They’re right here.” Pepper was quick to reassure the three of you. “They’re both safe and ready to see you, but they have a surprise for you.”

“They better not have brought Gerald. I still haven’t forgiven him for the laundry.” Steve grumbled as Pepper stepped to the side. And in walked the kids. Both Parker and Sarah were smiling brightly as they pulled Natasha in.

“Nat?”

“Tasha?”

“Natty?”

The kids would tease you for years about the three of you crying when you saw Nat in that hospital room. They would tease you for years until they were old enough to be told the truth of what had happened.

Natasha had no idea what happened to her. She remembered falling and she remembered waking up at the remains of the compound where Strange had found her.

But it was her. It was 100% your Natasha and the three of you couldn't be more thankful that she was alive and with you once more.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Tony asked, wrapping his arms around your waist, startling you out of your thoughts. 

“Just can’t get over how lucky we were.” You murmured, watching Steve and Natasha play with Parker and Sarah in the yard. “We got really lucky with this, Tony.”

“I know.”

“We can’t push our luck when it comes to this family. We thought we lost Nat, and we would’ve lost you if you had snapped alone. I don’t know if we’ll ever be this lucky again.” You said, looking up at your husband.

“We probably won’t, but it doesn’t matter, because we’re done. We’re finally stopping. All of us.” He promised, leaning down to connect your lips.

“Gross!” A small voice shrieked, causing you and Tony to pull apart. You saw your husband and wife staring at you both adoringly as the twins watched you with disgusted faces.

“Don’t you like kisses anymore sweethearts?” You teased, pulling out of Tony’s hold and stepping onto the porch. “You two better run, because I think I want to kiss my babies.”

“I think they both are in need of cuddles and kisses.” Tony agreed and the two of you raced towards your family.

The twins shrieked as they ran from the four of you, wanting to avoid capture. But of course they could never escape the four of you.

The day ended with you all layig on the lawn, staring at the sun, and enjoying the embrace of one another. 

This is what you fought for. This is why you all fought to stop.

And it was so worth it.

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[swaps55]

This Hole You Left (Anderson)

Pairing: mShenko | Tags: Canonical Character Death, Grief

Post-Alchera. 

This is a stand-alone scene from a larger work, but I’m very fond of it, so I’m posting it on its own. 

~

Captain David Anderson stares out at the repair crews moving around the Presidium. Here, from the safe retreat of his office, it doesn’t look so bad. Scaffolding covers the damaged bridge. Debris still floats in the lake, turning the serene blue water a murky brown. The air circulators have almost cycled out the smell of soot and burnt alloy, but a trace of it still lingers. If he leans out far enough, the tip of the relay Shepard had barreled through using nothing but an M-35 Mako just four weeks ago is barely visible on his right periphery.

He doesn’t lean. Just as he doesn’t look at the datapad in his hand. Hearing the words come out of Joker’s mouth was enough. Seeing the helmsman’s face was enough. Anderson had remarked once to Shepard that he’d like to be there the day someone wiped the smartass off Joker’s face.

Shepard had snorted. Not me, sir, he’d said. If he gives up the smartass that probably means I’m fucked. I’d prefer my pilot remain an asshole at all times.

Shepard had been right, of course.

Anderson wipes a thumb across the corner of his eye. It’s all right. No one here to see.

They came back around for another pass, Joker had said, in a voice that was dull, dead, about as far a cry as you could get from the insubordinate ass who’d gone off on the stand in Vancouver just two weeks ago. Shepard had to be to blame for that display. Politics had never been his game.

We lost gravity right as he shoved me in the pod. Momentum from the blast…kicked him the wrong way. I didn’t see what happened after the door closed, but I didn’t need to. Drive core implosion doesn’t leave much to the imagination.

Anderson’s fingers grip the datapad harder. No. It doesn’t. That doesn’t stop his mind from filling in the blanks anyway.

All Shepard’s training. All the hell he’d put himself through to earn that N7 designation. There couldn’t have been a person more prepared to live through the Normandy’s destruction. And in the end, the realities of space had still won.

At least it had probably been quick. Probably.

The door to his office hisses open. For a moment, Anderson expects it to be Shepard. It should be Shepard. That son of a bitch has been putting Anderson’s heart in his throat since he was fourteen years old, but he’s never had the audacity to actually die. Hell, the kid had taken a reaper to the face and shrugged it off.

Kid. Shepard hasn’t been a kid in a long time, maybe never really was to begin with. But to Anderson, some part of Shepard would always be that fourteen-year-old with the thousand-watt grin and a glimmer in his eye that usually meant Anderson’s heart was about to leap into his throat. The smile had faded over time, but not that damned glimmer. He’d last seen it right here on the Citadel, when he’d stood up from the table at Flux Casino with plans to steal the Normandy right out from under the Council’s nose. And Anderson had helped him do it.

This can’t be how it ends. It can’t.

A voice speaks up behind him, crisp, formal. “You wanted to see me, sir.”

His expression tightens, but he smooths it out before he turns around. Lieutenant Alenko stands just inside the door to his office, shoulders straight, hands clasped behind his back, chin in the air. Anderson can’t shake the feeling there’s an empty space next to him.

Probably because he’s never seen Alenko without Shepard.

Kaidan Alenko. Damndest thing.

Who do you want on your marine detail? Anderson had asked, after informing Shepard he was being transferred off the Myeongnyang and onto the Normandy.

You’re asking me?

I’m naming you XO. If there’s someone you want, just say the word.

Alenko.

Anderson hadn’t had a chance to blink before the name was out of Shepard’s mouth. Not another N. Not someone from the special ops teams Shepard had run when Anderson could pry him out of Captain Oseguera’s hands. He wanted the biotic from the ‘Yang.

Hackett was the one who’d argued for assigning Alenko to Shepard’s detail five years ago, when the dust from Torfan had finally settled. Anderson had thought it would be a mistake. Alenko’s file showed he could keep up with Shepard, sure. But Alenko embodied the kind of idealism Shepard would chew up and spit out.

If we’re going to put his mind right to get back on the front lines, he needs an anchor, Hackett had replied, with that calm, ice cold demeanor that has won him nearly every argument he’s ever been involved in. Alenko will do the job.

The old man had been right. Shepard didn’t get close to people, and that was before Torfan. But he’d gotten close to Alenko. Hell, Alenko probably deserves most of the credit for bringing Shepard back from the brink. Because after Torfan, Shepard had indeed been on the brink.

Alenko might be the one on the brink, now. There’s a look in his eye that Anderson recognizes, and it isn’t a good one.

“Sit down.”

Alenko shifts his weight. Not the sitting kind, then. Not today. Anderson’s going to take a wild guess that Alenko hasn’t stopped moving since the Marrakesh picked him up.

He sighs and remains standing, giving the lieutenant silent permission to do the same. “I thought you’d like to know we’re working with the elcor to get a salvage team to Alchera. We’re hoping they find the Normandy’s black box data. Be nice to get some clues on what the hell happened out there.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hm. Brick wall is not Alenko’s usual MO, but that’s sure as hell what he’s talking to right now.

“Joker finished his debrief an hour ago,” Anderson goes on. “I assume you’ve heard his version of what happened.”

More shifting. The uncomfortable kind. Shepard’s done it more than a few times in Anderson’s various offices over the years.

“I haven’t, sir.”

Anderson takes a good, long look at him. He’s spent fifteen years worrying about Shepard. It’s never occurred to him to worry about Alenko.

“I see.” He exhales through his nostrils. “The Normandy was attacked by an unknown vessel. Whoever they were, Joker says they came out of nowhere. Shepard got him into the escape pod, but the ship lost gravity. He…well.”

Alenko stares straight ahead, silent. Anderson looks for a tell, but he only knows Shepard’s.

Alenko isn’t Shepard.

If this conversation is going to be one sided, Anderson needs backup. He moves to his desk, fishes a bottle out of a drawer that’s already half empty after being new just yesterday, and pours two glasses. He pushes one of them across the desk. Doesn’t occur to him until after the fact he has no idea if Alenko drinks scotch. It’s just one of the things Anderson and Shepard always agreed on.

“Have it if you want it,” he says, not up for bullying the lieutenant into a drink. “This is off the record.” He swallows half of his in one go, then heads back for the balcony. A few moments later, Alenko joins him, hands empty, still avoiding his gaze. There’s a chip in the brickwork, though. Not much, but something in his eyes wavers.

Yeah. It might be time to worry about Alenko. Losing two ships in the span of four weeks would do a number on anyone.

Except he doesn’t think it’s about either the Myeongnyang or the Normandy.

Anderson leans on the railing, gazing out at the wreckage of the Presidium. He takes another sip from his glass. “I’m sorry. I know he meant a lot to you.”

It takes Alenko so long to answer Anderson thinks he isn’t going to. But then some of the starch fades from his shoulders.

“He did.”

Anderson side eyes him. Had it been Shepard standing next to him, he might press. He could get Shepard to open up if he was careful enough. Sometimes.

But this isn’t Anderson’s business. And his own grief certainly isn’t Alenko’s business. But while most of the galaxy is preparing to mourn Commander Shepard, the soldier standing next to him might be the only person he knows who’s grieving for Sam. He swirls the remaining liquid in his glass.

“He was the most reckless SOB I’ve ever met,” Anderson says, watching a hanar drift along one of the intact pathways below them. “I’m pretty sure half the shit he pulled over the years was just to piss me off.”

Alenko raises an eyebrow ever so slightly in surprise, but doesn’t turn his head. “He’s always at his best when the plan goes to hell.”

“Since he was a kid,” Anderson agrees, not missing the fact that Alenko had referred to him in the present tense. “First time I ever laid eyes on him he was four. He’d wandered away from Daniel on Arcturus and he called in the cavalry to look for him. You know where I found him?”

Alenko shakes his head.

“In a fountain, playing with a model ship. I asked him what the hell his spaceship was doing in the water. He said, ‘I’m about to find out.’”

Alenko’s mouth curves in a brittle smile. “I didn’t know you knew him that young.”

“I doubt he remembered,” Anderson says. “His father and I were good friends. I dropped in on occasion while he was growing up.” 

Before Shepard was a soldier. Before he was the Butcher of Torfan or the Savior of the Citadel. Back when he was still Sam, all knees and elbows, so desperate to please he couldn’t sit still.

Anderson still misses that kid.

“He said you kept an eye on him when they shipped him to Ares Station.”

Anderson huffs. “Told you about that, did he.”

Alenko nods, resting his hands on the balcony railing.

Then Shepard had indeed trusted Alenko. Only a handful of people knew about Ares Station and Guthra Tulak. Shepard had been one of five kids sent to biotically train with the krogan, and the only one to realize any potential.

Leave it to the Alliance to come up with a program even riskier than BAaT. Leave it to Hannah Shepard to volunteer her own kid to be part of it. Anderson always wondered if Sam knew about Hannah’s role in Ares, and how hard Daniel fought to keep it from happening.

To Hannah, Sam was a legacy. To the Alliance, he’d been a tool with astronomical potential. Someone had needed to look out for the actual kid. Daniel had tried, but.

Losing Daniel still stings. What would he have thought about his Spectre son?

Hell, Anderson knows exactly what he’d have thought. He would have feared this day, this ending, with every breath he took. He’d wanted anything else for Sam. Anything but this.

And Anderson had helped him become everything Daniel was afraid of. Hell, what choice did he have? You couldn’t dissuade Sam from anything. Once he was target locked on something there was nothing you could do but get as many obstacles out of his way as possible and hope for the best. So that’s what Anderson had done. Mentored him, advocated for him, taken a few hits behind the scenes on his behalf and cleared the path as best he could. Maybe you couldn’t take the target out of Sam’s sights, but you could guide his aim to make sure he hit it dead to rights.

“He’s come a long way since then,” Anderson says, wincing when he realizes now it’s him who can’t let go of the present tense. “I wish I’d been at the inquest. From the secure feed it looked like he put an entire roomful of admirals on their asses. Would love to have seen it in person.”

Alenko stills, expression frozen in place like a mask. Whatever nerve Anderson just touched is a big one, so he steers the conversation in a new direction.

“Though what I really wish I could have seen is what he found to gripe about being stuck in atmosphere. The entire time he was in Rio for ICT, he never once complained about the work. Wouldn’t shut up about how much he hated humidity.”

The fragile smile returns. “He hated going down a well without a hardsuit.”

“Know what almost kept him from qualifying for N1?”

Alenko shakes his head.

“Bugs,” Anderson tells him. “Not twenty-hour days, not hostile terrain, not crawling around in the mud without food or sleep. It was the bugs that damn near washed him out.”

A laugh escapes the lieutenant. It’s a rusty sound. “That…doesn’t surprise me.”

Anderson smiles at the memory. “He got over it. Made it through, like he always did. Wish I’d told him more how…proud I was.”

“You meant a lot to him,” Alenko says, so quietly Anderson almost doesn’t hear him.

The lump that forms in Anderson’s throat takes him off guard. “He had a way of affecting everyone he ever met. I forget sometimes it could go the other way. He made it so easy to think he was fine on his own.”

“He wasn’t.”

Alenko’s stare remains fixed on the view from the balcony. Not many people saw the side of Shepard that needed anyone. Even Anderson only saw it on occasion. Alenko was so far from the kind of person Shepard would let his guard down in front of, but clearly he had.

If we’re going to put his mind right to get back on the front lines, he needs an anchor, Hackett had said. Alenko had done the job, all right.

Problem was, it looks like that had gone both ways.

Anderson draws in a breath. Might as well get this over with. “I called you here to ask if you would speak at the memorial.”

It’s going to be a spectacle, the likes of which Sam would have hated, but the Alliance sure as hell isn’t going to be denied their PR opportunity.

Alenko shifts his weight. He’s so damn still. Shepard would be pacing the room until Anderson wanted to strangle him.

“Is that an order, sir?”

“A request.”

“Then I respectfully decline.”

Anderson finishes his drink. “Can I ask why?”

Alenko’s grip on the railing tightens. “The Alliance cares about the symbol. I cared about the person. I can’t give them what they want.”

Anderson can’t help but wonder what the lieutenant would have to say. Shepard was so many different things to so many different people. What, exactly, was he to Kaidan Alenko?

Why Alenko? Anderson had asked Shepard back on Arcturus, the Normandy’s hull gleaming and new out the shutters.

Shepard had thought a long time before answering, like there was too much to say and not enough words to say it.

Because he grounds me.

The older Shepard had gotten, the rarer it was to get glimpses of Sam. Sometimes Anderson wondered if Sam still existed, or if he’d been swallowed up by the mantle everyone demanded he carry. But that answer had come from Sam.

“Ok,” Anderson tells Alenko. “I’ll hand it off to Hackett.”

“Why not you?” Alenko asks, looking in his direction for the first time.

Anderson gazes down at his empty glass. Twenty years ago he might have thrown it against the wall just to watch it shatter. Nowadays he thinks too hard about the mess it would make, and being the one who has to clean it up. “Because I cared about the person.”

Heavy silence settles between them.

“You should take some leave,” Anderson says. “You’ve more than earned it.”

“I’m fine,” Alenko replies, but that haunted look is back.

Soon enough you’re going to have to stop moving, son, Anderson thinks. After Torfan, Shepard had hit the same wall Alenko is cruising right towards. But Alenko isn’t Shepard, and he isn’t under his command anymore. All he can do is give him a hand if he asks for it, and from the looks of it he isn’t going to ask.

Not that it would matter. Anderson’s got no anchor to give him that could replace the one he lost.

“Just think about it. And get some sleep.” He gestures towards the door, freeing the lieutenant from further torture. While Alenko makes for the exit, Anderson heads for his desk and the untouched glass. No sense in letting it go to waste.

Alenko pauses at the doorway and looks back over his shoulder. “Rain.”

“I’m sorry?” Anderson asks with a frown.

“You wanted to know what he found to gripe about on Earth. It was the rain.” He looks away without waiting for a response and walks away.

That empty space Anderson thought he’d been imagining when Alenko walked in feels even larger, now. Yeah. Shepard sure knows how to leave a hole in people.

[bonnyskies]

slowly fading [one] ⇢ kth

it’s been two years since your relationship with taehyung ended. the broken pieces of yourself that he left behind finally mended. at least, that’s what you thought until you accidentally ran into the man himself who left broken in the first place.

pairings — ex!soulmate!taehyung x ex!soulmate!malereader, taehyung x fem!oc

genre — angst, fluff, non idol au, soulmates au, exes to lovers au

series warnings — lots of angst, swearing, bisexual!taehyung, some fluff, tae’s confused feelings, frequent flashbacks, reader’s heart gets broken a lot, sexual themes, cheating, and mentions of drugs and alcohol

word count — 1.5k

author’s note — i’m starting a taglist for this series, so let me know if you’d like to be part of it.

masterlist

The peaceful sound of classical music and a sweet scent of vanilla filled your fairly large office. They were calming distractions.

As you typed away on your computer, you didn’t notice your office’s glass door opening and your boss, Park Jimin stepping inside, too engrossed in your work. You didn’t even notice him walking towards you until he was already in front of your desk, clearing his throat quite loudly and breaking you out of your trance.

“M-Mr. Park,” you stammered, quickly standing up from your desk so that you could properly meet his gaze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you enter.”

“{Name},” he chuckled, “I’ve told you countless times already, you don’t need to address me like that. We’re friends.”

You nodded, then sat back down behind your desk, Jimin copying with the seat in front of you. “So, Jimin. What brought you here to my office?” You asked with a slight teasing tone as his name fell from your mouth.

Jimin rolls his eyes playfully and shakes his head before dropping a beige-colored file onto your desk. “These are just documents from some businesses that want to partner up with us. You know, flower shops, caterers, dress and suit designers, the usual,” he explained. “I need you to transfer the information they gave us into the company’s computer.”

“Okay, got it.” You nodded, taking the heavy file and placing it beside your computer. You expected him to leave after that, but instead, he leaned back against the chair with his arms resting behind his head.

“Jimin,” you stared at your boss with confusion, “Is there something else you need, or...?”

“No,” he shook his head, reaching inside his suit’s pocket and taking out his phone. “I’m just bored,” he only said, briefly glancing at you before returning back to his screen. “And don’t feel like staying in my office alone.”

You chuckled.

Park Jimin. There are many things you admired about him. But what you admired the most was that even with his wealth and authority, he never let any of those things get to his head.

“Well, I’m glad you thought of me for entertainment,” you teased sarcastically, “But I’m afraid I’m busy with the work you gave me.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be completely silent.” Jimin reassures, pursing his lips as he focuses more intently on his game rather than you. “It’ll be like I’m not here,” and just as those words came out of his mouth, a loud explosion was heard coming from his phone, making you roll your eyes exasperatedly.

He kept his promise though, and kept quiet as you worked on the assignment he gave you. But that silence only lasted an hour until his phone suddenly started ringing. The blaring sound distracting you from your work.

Jimin flashed you an apologetic look before answering it, pressing the device close against his ear. You turned your attention back to your laptop, deciding that it wasn’t your business. But that changed when you heard a quiet “shit” come from him, causing you to glance towards him and raise a brow.

“Everything alright?” You asked, noticing the panicked expression on his face.

“Y-Yeah,” he quickly stuttered out, clearing his throat and scrambling up from his seat. “How about you take the rest of the day off? You can finish this tomorrow.” He said, gesturing his hands towards the scattered papers on your desk.

“I’m almost done,” you replied back, motioning your hand at the now nearly empty file and computer screen. “And I rather finish it now, anyway. I’m not a procrastinator unlike somebody,” you grinned, trying to joke but when Jimin doesn’t laugh you knew this was serious.

“Jimin, what’s wrong?” You asked, crossing your arms over your chest and resting them on your desk.

“N-Nothing,” he stammered, shaking his head. “It’s nothing.” Jimin then continued to encourage, “But seriously, you should take the rest of the day off. You’ve been working hard enough already. You deserve a break.”

Before you had the chance to question him anymore, your office’s door suddenly opened and the company’s receptionist stepped in. “Mr. Park,” the young female spoke, “Your three o’clock appointment is here.” She then informed before quickly leaving.

“You’re meeting with someone?” You gaped at Jimin, who stared back at you with small hints of guilt in his eyes. When he didn’t answer, you stood up from your desk and made your way to the door. But before you could open it, Jimin placed his hand onto the handle and closed it. “{Name},” his voice was cautious, “I’m telling you, just go home. You don’t need to be a part of this meeting.”

“Jimin,” you chuckled, placing your hand over his and pulling it away from the door’s handle. “I’ve been to every single one of your meetings. What’s so different about this one?” And once those words came out of your mouth, you instantly regretted not listening to him the moment you opened your office’s door. Because next thing you knew, your eyes landed on none other than the man that left you more than two years ago, heartbroken and alone.

Kim Taehyung.

Standing beside him, hands laced together, was the woman that he left you for. The woman that changed everything.

She was beautiful, no doubt. You couldn’t help but admire her slim, yet curvy body, and how the dress she was wearing hugged every curve perfectly. Her hair was beautiful too, straight and long, going past her shoulders and down her back. Even without the ability to see color, you knew she was at least a brunette, or even blonde, judging by how light the gray appeared to be in your eyes.

She was perfect. No wonder Taehyung chose her over you. Hell, you would’ve chosen her over you.

As you glanced down her body, you felt your heart clenched and tears sprinkle your eyelids when seeing a bright, diamond ring on her finger.

“{Name}-,” Taehyung’s voice soft, making your heart ache even more. Before he had the chance to say anything else, you were already gripping onto Jimin’s hand and pulling him back into your office, slamming the door in the process.

“What the fuck, Jimin?!” You shouted at him, not caring if anyone heard, eyes glistening with tears. This couldn’t be happening. Every memory, thought, and feelings you’ve been trying to get rid for the past two years were now coming back. “How long have you been planning their wedding?”

“Only a week,” he answered, frowning. “But I’ve only been talking to his fiancée,” Jimin attempted to reassure you, but that didn’t help as the tears began to escape and slide down your face. “I didn’t know it was Taehyung until yesterday.”

“H-He’s getting married?” Your voice cracked, quickly wiping away some of the tears that stained your face.

Jimin nodded, staring at you sympathetically. He reached over and wrapped his arms around you, allowing you to rest your head against his chest as more tears began to fall. “I’m sorry,” he muttered underneath his breath, placing a small kiss on the top of your head.

“Go home, {Name},” he whispered into your hair. “I’ll take them into my office. That’ll give you the opportunity to leave without them noticing.”

You nodded, pulling away from his embrace, watching as he then gave you one last sympathetic look before leaving your office.

“He’s getting married, Jihyun.”

You were standing alone in your one bedroom apartment’s kitchen, with your phone pressed against your cheek and a half-eaten bowl of cereal in front of you. “I saw him today with her,” you spat, frowning.

“What the fuck?” You could hear your friend curse on the other side of the line, “Are you serious? How did you find out?”

“Apparently Jimin is planning their wedding,” you answered, taking a spoonful of your cereal into your mouth and swallowing it. “But he told me that he didn’t find out it was Taehyung’s wedding until yesterday.”

“Jesus,” Jihyun sighed, “So what are you going to do? Aren’t you like Jimin’s personal assistant? You help with everything.”

“He said that it’s okay if I’m not part of it,” you answered, finishing your cereal and placing the empty bowl in the sink.

“That’s good,” Jihyun says, making you nod in agreement. “How long will all of the planning take?”

“I’m not sure,” you mumbled, running your hand frustratingly through your hair. “It’s entirely based on the clients’ decision. It could be a week, or month. I just hope that it’s soon because after they’re done, I don’t plan on seeing him ever again.”

The sound of someone suddenly knocking on your apartment’s door made you jump. “I’ve got to the go, girl, someone’s here. Love you, bye!”

“Alright, bye. Love you!”

After hanging up, you left the kitchen and quickly made your way to the apartment’s door. And when opening it, you could feel your heart stop as your eyes landed on the one person you were so intent on avoiding.

“Hey.” His voice made your heart start back up again, this time beating more roughly against your chest.

Taehyung.

[samwritesforyou]

We’re gonna be okay

Diego x reader

Summary: You and Diego worked out a system for a situation if he ever comes to your place while being in the highest form of distress and needs your help. He assured you it won’t happen often. Until one night, it finally did.

A/N: i feel like i’ve read the whole tumblr dot com worth of diego x reader fanfics and yet i still wanted more, so the desperate need to finally write something myself has been fulfilled. i would actually love to take requests, so if you want, dont hesitate to message/ask me! im ready to write fics and headcanons :) (my blog might seem new but ive been on tumblr for years and years and i finally dedicated a new blog to mostly reader inserts, either my own or reblogging others)

Warnings: Mentions of a panic attack, gender neutral reader

Wordcount: 3,350

There was a knock on the door.

It was pretty late, but not too late for it to be Diego yet.

Or so you thought.

You got up kinda lazily from a comfortable chair you had situated in the corner of a room, at first designed mainly for reading or napping, but ending up doing absolutely whatever you could on the spot. Eating pizza, watching netflix, browsing through the internet after long working hours that you put in into your tiny art selling business.

You slightly opened the door and already plastered a semi-fake smile for a possible neighbor, but in front of you stood Diego.

Your dear friend, who was at the moment soaked from the rain outside, with big eyes, fast breathing and bloody hands.

Bloody hands?!

“Hello to you too, friend!” you said quite worried, quickly patting him down for signs of any physical pain. For the first time in a while he seemed fine, unscarred.

Your eyes finally went up, literally scanning his face but it was completely unreadable.

His eyes were wide and he looked as if he couldn’t comprehend what was going on around him.

You looked down again and took his fists into your hands. His own palms unclenched and you could see that they were heavily bloodied.

“Diego.. whose blood is it?”

No answer.

You rushed him inside and closed the door behind the two of you, facing the damn vigilante again.

“Diego, I need to know who’s blood is on your hands,” your voice grew steadier as you knitted your brows together in worry and confusion.

Only then the guy decided to move his arms and you noticed how shaky he is. He connected his two index fingers in the form of a cross, pressing it to his chest.

Your own eyes went wide now as you stumbled back a few steps and your mind went blank.

.

.

.

You instantly remembered a night that happened a few years back. He has come in crumbling through your window and was obviously in some new form of distress, that you couldn’t quite understand yet.

“Diego?” it seemed like your voice didn’t reach his ears, so you tried calling out his name again, getting up from the couch and patting him lightly on the body, to determine any sign of an injury.

It looked like there was none, so you tried to reach his gaze that was somewhat absentminded, all over the place, scanning everything but not meeting your eyes.

He was a tough guy, and you knew it. You knew that if you want to get answers, you need to either get them yourself or make yourself heard, until he cannot ignore you any longer.

“Diego Hargreeves, what is going on?” your voice was soft yet determined.

His dark orbs finally stopped on your face and he just shook his head, his breathing oddly fast for a man who was just simply standing.

You continued to push. You didn’t have the best day either, and to be interrupted at 1am by his visit was nothing new, but you couldn’t let him have this behaviour. Even though you’re friends, that didn’t automatically mean that he could do whatever he wanted.

Throughout the whole night he didn’t say a thing, but when you started adding volume to your voice, he.. he just broke down.

That night, you’ve witnessed Diego experience a panic attack. Caused by yourself.

You couldn’t fall asleep that night, even after you eventually calmed him down and the only thing that was left to do for you was to watch him sleep and slowly rubbing circles on his exposed arm out of the blanket.

It felt like neons before you noticed a first ray of sunshine drawing from the half-closed curtains, making you spring to your feet and drag your ass to the kitchen, trying to think of what to do for breakfast.

When you figured the recipe out and finished cooking, Diego was already up and joined you near the kitchen counter, next to which you had two stools.

He settled on one of them, looking at you.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” you couldn’t muster anything better, so you just put a plate in front of him and then sat next to his side, simply digging into your portion of scrambled eggs.

“About last night, y/n..” he drifted off, probably at first deciding that it’s better to fill his stomach a little bit.

In the meantime you didn’t dare to speak up and just waited for him to say something, anything.

When he finished his meal, he finally turned to you with a sigh.

“You know that one guy I told you ‘bout? That we.. we do some vigilante shit together from time to time?”

You just nodded, not meeting his eyes.

“Well. I guess I could count him as a close friend. You know.. and,” this was followed by a slight pause and clearing of the throat.

“He died yesterday. I couldn’t save him.”

Your eyes immediately shot up to Diego and all that vulnerability and hurt that you’ve clearly seen yesterday just overtaking him were completely gone. Now present only a strong facade that he mastered whenever he needed to hide from showing emotions. You hated it.

“Shit, Diego..” you spoke quietly and softly, all the words seemed to have left you in all the things unsaid in your throat. But you tried to continue.

“I’m sorry. And I’m also sorry for pushing you over the edge. I.. I didn’t know what happened so I just acted how we would normally do,” he smirked at that, merely for a second, but you still caught it.

“Look, I.. I know, “ he simply said and then it felt as if he was weighting pros and cons of telling you something else that was clearly on his chest.

“You always help me out. Every single night I come to you.. Why do you do it, y/n?” Diego’s eyes were steadily turned your way.

At the sudden question you raised an eyebrow, “well, I.. I care about you.”

He lightly bit his lower lip and turned his gaze away, clearly thinking about something really hard.

“Okay,” he finally said, “y/n, do you think I could ask you for a favour then?”

At that your eyes met and you felt nervous, for some reason.

You really liked him. Not just like a friend. But you understood that there probably won’t be a chance for you two to ever become a couple (mostly considering that you didn’t believe that he could feel about you this way), so you settled for friendship anyways, since you two really got along well.

And having this handsome tough guy as a friend? Damn, just that is already some kind of luck swinging your way.

But your feelings of course meant that.. you’d do more for him than what you’d do just for a friend. You would get out of your comfort zone just to help him with injuries or hear him talk about his girlfriend (at the time, now they were broken up) and how they argued so much that he ended up on the streets and didn’t really want to go to his lonely place at the gym.

And you took him in. You always did. And since the day you became friends you always care for him.

And you’d care now once again.

“What is it?” in your tone danced a question, troubled with what he might ask for.

“Well, yesterday-“ he cut himself from finishing and cleared his throat, starting over.

“I imagine we’re gonna be friends for a long time, right?”

You just pushed your brows up with a small nod in affirmation.

“I never had.. anyone, really, to help me with the states I often got into,” you immediately thought of Eudora, wasn’t his ex-girlfriend supposed to be his support pillar? Or is he just making you feel sorry for him-

“Or I didn’t ever trust anyone that much, you know,” oh, okay, that kind of explains that then.

“And I guess.. I trust you enough? To share this?” he talked quietly and mumbled a lot so you realised soon you won’t be able to hear him at all.

You grabbed his hands with yours and caught his attention this way.

You were never really touchy together, but occasional hugs and even holding hands was kind of a standard for you from time to time.

His eyes met yours again and you cursed yourself for your heartbeat getting faster. This is not an appropriate moment to get butterflies in your stomach, dammit.

“I’m listening, Diego,” you confirmed, nodding again.

“Okay. It’s- it’s just really h-hard to talk about this,” he stuttered a bit, but with the next breath continued again, “When there’s some situation that’s just completely fucked up, like losing someone close to me, or- or somethin’ else, I don’t know.. I finish what I need at the scene where it happened but when I come home I just,” he breathed some air in and you felt his hands squeeze yours a bit tighter, “I just break down, you know? Sometimes it’s just all too much for me and I don’t know how to deal with it and I would just wanna.. someone to hold me, I guess? Otherwise when someone’s trying to talk at me or somethin’ I just get even more worked up and it’s even worse.”

It all started to come together in your mind. Even though it sounded really strange to hear Diego talk about things like.. wanting to be held and shit. But you always guessed there’s a far bigger sweetheart and a soft boy underneath all those harness and knives.

You tried to pick your words carefully.

“So when I started to ask you shit.. You just flipped. Basically because I was talking at you a lot and you couldn’t take it anymore, right?”

He sighed and looked somewhere up, nodding bit by bit.

“Yeah, yep. That was it.”

You clapped at his hands lightly, to bring his focus back again and he looked at you and mustered a sad, faint smile.

You did the same. In the world you lived in, unforeseen and unfortunate events were happening left and right and thinking about his childhood and everything.. no wonders he developed such a huge reaction and coping mechanism to something catastrophic happening.

“That’s okay, Diego. I’m here for you, I mean it. Let’s just talk about some things what I should and shouldn’t do when you come here in that state, alright? I just want you to feel comfortable.”

“Alright. Thank you, y/n,” he was looking down now, the whole morning kinda failing to meet your gaze and just rubbed his thumb across your hand, which send you heart into a race again.

You slowly let go of him, making an excuse to go wash the dishes.

After a while you looked behind you where he sat and said, “We also need some sort of a sign that you can easily show me, since you’re not really talkative when you get like this.”

Apparently he already used said “sign” somewhere, because he had it on the ready.

It was his hands clutching in fists, index fingers crossing each other in a form of a cross, pressed to his chest.

“Something like this. But don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll happen often. That would be really sad,” he laughed a little and then looked at you somewhat longingly and you averted your eyes back to the sink, nodding.

.

.

You almost forgot about that and now it all come flooding back.

Something terrible must’ve happened. You were panicking, but you had to stay strong, for him.

He was still standing in your hallway, with a crossed index fingers pressed to his chest.

“Okay, okay..” you mumbled more to yourself than to him, taking his hands into yours and looking him up and down.

He really seemed.. disconnected. It was kind of scary and you tried so hard not to think about what happened. Or about who died.

“Here, come with me, Diego,” you led him by the hand towards your couch as he was holding onto you, but his usual grip was gone.

You both ended up on a sofa and you really didn’t know how to act around him now, because.. he didn’t talk, didn’t look at you but when he did, his eyes were wide and big and he just seemed suddenly like a small boy to you.

Hopefully he won’t remember this tomorrow, you thought and tried to smile a little bit at him.

“Okay. Can you get your hands up for me, baby boy?” You’ve decided to approach this situation as if you were just babysitting an overgrown child.

Because nothing bad happens to children normally, right? And if you kept thinking about him as usual grown man Diego, you’d lose your mind in the process, wanting to scream and shake him by the shoulders until he spills you what happened.

Being Diego’s friend pushed you to new limits each day, truly.

He didn’t bat an eyelid at your tone change and word choosing, just obliging and putting his hands up.

You helped him to get his knives down and put his black turtleneck over his head, so now he sat shirtless right next to you, hands still smeared with blood.

Goddamit the blood!

You took him by the elbows and lead Diego to the bathroom, where you helped to get the red out of his hands. At the sight of blood dripping down into the sink you deciphered a whimper from him, even through the sound of running water and looked up.

Diego couldn’t stop looking down at his hands and tears were running down his cheeks.

You quickly took his face into your wet hands from the water and forced him to look away and lock his gaze with yours.

“Hey, don’t look at it, okay? It’ll only make you stressed. Until I’m done you can just close you eyes, okay?”

“Oh-okay,” he said and just closed his eyes here and there.

You sighed and tried to finish washing his hands as fast as possible, cursing under your breath pretty often.

“I’m sorry..” you heard him mumble and when you looked up, his eyes were still shut.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about.. We’ll talk about this tomorrow, right? Don’t worry. You’re safe now,” you smiled as you were already wrapping his hands in a towel and his eyelashes fluttered, eyes opening.

You stayed looking at each other for a second longer than necessary, but then you already lead him away to the bedroom area, where you actually tucked him in, wrapping in a soft blanket and then rushed to the kitchen, grabbing a few cookies and then leaving it on a plate next to him on the night table. 

 You almost made yourself comfortable on the couch, when he suddenly called out your name from the bed.

You sprung to your feet, thinking he’s actually hurt but you didn’t notice or that- “Can you... stay with me? P-please?” he asked, disrupting your train of thought. You did expect this, but still felt really shy about that.

Diego is vulnerable right now and does need your help and presence though.

And there wouldn’t be anything you wouldn’t do for him.

“Sure,” and after this simple answer you carefully climbed in next to him covering you both with a blanket and he curled up closer to you, almost immediately falling asleep.

From one point of view it felt like you wouldn’t sleep at all tonight, but from the other one.. you actually fell asleep just as fast as he did.

.

.

To nobody’s surprise you woke up first and actually flinched at the sight of sleeping Diego inches from your own face.

Your mind went running with ideas what happened and what’s going on until you realised the real deal and your brain caught up to yesterday’s shenanigans.

It was a wild ride and you were thankful that now it’s - most probably - over.

Your eyes were subconsciously scanning his face, until you realised what you’re doing, but you didn’t stop even then.

You’ve never been this close to his face yet and now you could admire and explore every part of it.

Having feelings for a friend that’s laying in the same bed with you at the moment is really not the healthiest thing that could’ve happened to you, huh..

You actually froze and your heart started racing billion times faster when you realised that you have a weight of his arm around your waist, pulling you closer from his sleep.

He grunted and his nose was now in your hair, shuffling a little to get more comfortable.

You had no idea how to change positions, especially when being held by such a strong arm as his and you got a feeling like Diego might actually wake up just about now, so the best solution that came into your mind was to forcefully close your eyes shut and pretend that you’re still sleeping.

He did, indeed, wake up. You were suddenly pushed to the other side of the bed, arm disappearing from your waist and a waterfall of curses fell from his lips quietly.

You used up all your acting stamina to make a believable scene of you gaining your conscious from the deep slumber that you were obviously in, stretched your arms for a good effect and finally opened your eyes.

You immediately signed up for a staring contest as soon as you looked at him and smiled a little. His face remained unreadable but perhaps a little bit flustered?.. But you may be reading too much into it.

“Hi,” you said with a higher tone than intended and Diego just nodded at that.

You tried your luck by addressing the elephant in the room right away, you never liked ignoring the problems that were always looming over you, “care to tell me what happened yesterday?”

He drew a big sigh and rested his head back on the pillow, looking up at the ceiling.

You couldn’t stop looking at him. At first because you really wanted to know the mystery, but the longer you looked at him, the more you realised that you’re just admiring the beauty that he holds, until his words fell like a dead weight right onto your shoulders.

“I found Eudora’s body yesterday. I couldn’t get to the place in time and someone killed her.”

What?

It felt like what he said was simply a trick of your imagination. You liked Eudora yourself, she was a very intelligent and an interesting person, you two often hung out and that feeling didn’t cease even after you found out that she and Diego started dating.

And even when they broke up some months after, you still found your way to spend time with her. So did Diego.

You wanted to cry, but thought that it might be insensitive towards him, because he was much closer to her than you were, so you tried to swallow your forming tears down.

“I’m.. I’m so sorry, Diego..”

“It’s your loss too, I know it, y/n,” he looked at you with much softer look this time.

“Come here,” he said a little bit hesitantly and opened up one arm towards you.

This was unusual, but maybe last night’s events tore down some walls?.. Who knows.

You almost threw yourself into his embrace and once your forehead rested on his chest, you started crying.

From everything, honestly. There’s been problems at work, your seemingly unrequited feelings for Diego didn’t help much either and now you learned that you lost one of your friends.

He started rubbing circles on your back, just letting you get those emotions out, while you two were hugging each other on the bed in your apartment.

And as you slowly started to calm down, he said a gentle, “it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna be okay”

[creeperchild]

Funtime Freddy x reader chapter 2 - Danger

Hello my peeps. FINALLY I finished my 2nd part of that fanfiction. Jesus. After nearly two years! But here it is. And this time my gf helped me once more. So please check her out @thefredricus ! Again, I hope I can finish off that fanfiction!First part-.> https://creeperchild.tumblr.com/post/177130218435/funtime-freddy-x-reader-chapter-1-the-encounter

________________________________________________________________        

            (y/n) = your name 

 _______________________________________________________________ You hold yourself tight and close to Freddy as he leads you through the dark establishment. Rustling of metal and the sound of steps echoe from all around you. Freddy turns to you, his sapphire eyes bright in the pure darkness.

"Are you okay?" He asks, worried as his hand holds your hand a tad tighter. You could only answer with a short "yes" and you both continue to walk. Soon he stops and some sort of beeping noise can be heard. A door opens and a bright shine greets you. Funtime Freddy can only smile as he pulls you into the room with him. Apparently the bright light is a lamp that dangles from the ceiling, but it doesn’t illuminate much of the room. The bear lets go of your hand and starts to wave a bit while chuckling:

"H~Hello friends! I have brought you somebody!" With that he steps aside, offering the darkness to glare at you. You stare back for a moment. A feminine voice echoes out of the darkness.

"You must be new... am I right?" You nod slowly. A huge shadow piles up in front of you. You step back in fear and stumble over a wire and you fall on your butt. The mysterious shadow walks closer and finally steps into the light. 

It is a girl-like animatronic with orange hair, put in two pigtails. Her white face is beautiful with her rosy cheeks and the bright smile on her lips. But in this situation it is rather creepy. She is wearing a red dress and clown shoes, fitting to the rest of her looks. She kneels down and puts her hands on her knees, getting a bit closer to you. You crawl back and press against the wall as you watch her, breathing heavily. From the corner of your eye you notice two shadows coming out of the darkness as well. One is a fox, a rather female looking one because of its fingernails and lipstick. A big tail waves slowly from side to side behind it. The other shadow is a person you already met. It is the ballerina from yesterday. You cringe at the awkward memory of kicking her in the face. The animatronic in front of you leans closer and speaks in a calm and slightly threatening voice:

"You will not scoop us...will you?" Her green eyes wander over you. She stares for a while at your hurt wrist. You stay quiet and try to calm down as much as you can. You don’t want to admit it, but you are really creeped out now. The girl moves a bit closer and asks the same question again and accentuate the "will you?" You realise you have to answer and shake your head. The girl closes her eyes and sighs.

"Anyways...", she stands up "my name is Circus Baby, but just call me Baby."

"My name is Funtime Foxy. Nice to meet you!", the fox bows down and smiles at you. You can tell by the old-timey and deep voice that the fox is indeed a male. The ballerina walks slowly to you, every step perfectly placed as if she is on stage.

"And I'm Ballora and I think that belongs to you." She hands you the shoe that you lost. Guilt fills your eyes when you stand up. As you take the shoe you start to stutter an apology for yesterday. But before you complete the first words she interrupts you.

"It is fine. Everybody makes mistakes." She gives you a warm smile.

"So...what is your name?", Baby asks curiously. You hesitate before answering:

"(y-y/n)." You put your lost shoe back on where it belongs. 

Baby grabs you all of a sudden by the neck and presses you against the wall. You struggle for air, but the strong metallic hand keeps you in one place. Baby slowly leans down and speaks, still in her soft and calm voice.

"And if you dare to betray us...(y/n).. then this will be your end...", she tightens her grip as she speaks. Her eyes pierce through your soul as she stares down on you. She slightly opens her hand to give you the chance to breathe. Choking for air you nod slightly. Then, we you least expect it, Freddy jumps into the situation by throwing confetti in the air and Bonbon blowing a party whistle.

" We have a new friend!!" Freddy happily exclaims. Baby rolls her eyes and finally lets go of you. You drop down onto your knees and gasp for air. This time the fox speaks to Freddy:

"Pardòn Freddy, but don't you need to take care of the power system?"

"Oh god! I forgot! I’m gonna be right back!" With those words the bear runs out of the room. Baby grabs you once more, but this time your wrist. You wince in pain as the clown girl examines the bruise. "You must be lucky...", whispers Baby as she runs her thick metal thumb over the wrist. Looking at her confused, not knowing what to say, you decide to stay silent. The girl lets out a sigh.

“You don't know what I mean, right? Let's just say.. .Funtime Freddy can be a bit... extreme. Every person that came into his room where dead or in the hospital for nearly 8 months, but only if you are lucky enough." Your eyes widen in shock as you gulp your saliva down.

"It's 6 am. We need to go now.", Ballora said. All of the animatronics walks out of the room, but not Baby. She turns around one last time.

"Be careful with Freddy... one wrong move and it could be your demise...". 

Now you sit all alone in the empty room. Slowly but surely you go back to the main room after the lights got turned on again. Ballora's gallery is HUGE. It takes a while, but you find your oh so familiar vent and make your way through. You stand up, brush the dust off of you and press the red button for the elevator. It takes a while before the rusty thing even bothers to move for you. Something tugs gently on your shirt. You slowly turn around and jump by the sight of Freddy.

"Oh! sorry if I scared you..!". He sounds rather nervous and shy as he continues:

" I~I just wanted to tell you... you..."

"We like you alot, (y/n)!", Bonbon bursts out. Funtime Freddy immediately turns his head away, to hide his blushing face. You stare at Freddy for a while as he slowly drops his head down, ashamed. Baby's words came back into your mind. 'Be careful with Freddy' was now stuck in your thoughts. You didn't want to anger him for sure. So you did what was best for you: forced a smile and hugged him!

"I like you too," you lie to the bear and hide your fear for him as best as you can. He hugs you tight and relief washes over you. Suddenly you feel some small hits on the right side of your back. Apparently Freddy hugs you so tight that he presses Bonbon's face into your back who also now struggles to get air and flails his tiny arms against your back for the hope to live.

"MPHHHH!"

Freddy quickly pulls away from you as he notices his friend is dying. Bonbon inhales deeply as he got the chance. Finally the elevator arrives and opens the doors for you to enter. "Y-you come bac~back tonight, right?"Hope glimmers in his eyes when he asks the question. You nod and the doors close quickly after you step into it, sending you back to the surface. Freddy watches until you disappear into the huge tubes of the lift. He bursts into a loud cackle and bounces up and down like an excited school kid, celebrating what he just achieved.

"Bonbon, SHE LIKES US!", the white bear squeals in excitement. Bonbon can’t help himself and squeals with him.

"I KNOW RIGHT!?"

"I h~have an idea. We should give her a surp~prise when she comes back!"

You open the door to your house just to find your curious mom waiting for your arrival.

"Good morning, (y/n)! How was your first night shift?" Your mom smiles happily. A sigh escapes you before you plop down into a chair opposite of hers.

"It was okay, I guess." You don’t say much and just watch your mom stir her coffee with a spoon. Finally daylight breaks through the windows and lights up the big, white and sparkly clean kitchen. It is quiet for awhile.

"So..anything interesting happened?" Your mother doesn’t want to give up apparently. She triggers all the memories of the events that happened last night. Everything flashes through your mind. The blackout. The Animatronics. Especially Freddy comes to your mind. The head of yours lowers down as you see your bruised arm again. Holding back the burning need to cry you stutter out:" No, nothing happened. I'm just tired and want to go to bed." Before your mom can say anything you are already running upstairs to your room.

You quickly slip into your room and lock the door behind you. Warm tears burn against your cold face. You feel weak and alone. You crawl under the blanket in your bed and close your eyes in the hope that everything was just a bad dream. 'Why do I have such bad luck? Why are there living animatronics?? Why is Freddy like that?? Will I die..?'

Before you know it, you doze off.

A loud knocking throws you out of your sleep.

"(y/n)? Are you awake?" It was your small brother as much as you can tell in your state. "What do you want?" You groan. Your brother snaps at you: "Dinner is ready, you buttface!" Loud and uneven footsteps can be heard as he makes his way downstairs. You sit up and stretch a bit to get rid of the tiredness. A sigh escapes you as the surrounding clears up to you. Your pink and cutesy room was always a thorn in your eye. The walls are in a pastel pink with some old horse designs on them. You asked, even begged your mom for a wallpaper change. But she always refused. You will always be her little princess. Luckily you covered the embarrassment with posters of bands, movies and games you love. At least, most of it. You jump out of your bed and head downstairs. The family is already there, waiting for you. You sit down on the only free chair and grab some food. As your family has a funny conversation about their favorite Tv show you don’t say much and stare down at your plate.

"All okay?" The dad of yours asks, worried. You said nothing, afraid to tell him the truth.

"Nothing, it's all okay.", you finally reply. 

The rest of the day you mindlessly watch Tv to get rid of those horrible thoughts.

But before you know it, it is time again. You reluctantly get up and slowly but surely prepare yourself for the night shift. You grab some clothes and head to the shower. Fighting with your own thoughts, you decide to go back to your job, because you desperately need the money. The refreshing shower helps you clear your thoughts a litte. After you dress yourself you get your backpack and stuff it with various items you might need. A flashlight, some drinks and snacks, your telephone and a handy toolbox. In front of the mirror you put your hair in a ponytail. [If you have short hair then just ignore it.]

"Sweetheart, it's already passed half twelve! You gotta go now or you will be late!!" Your mom yells from downstairs. You don't even know why she is still up so late, but you don't bother too much to ask. The door squeak as you exit your safe house. 

After the long bike ride of 20 minutes you finally see the sketchy building. It is barely visible because of the lack of street lights close by. You close your eyes for a moment to take a deep breath before you enter it. With fast steps, you go to the lift and close the doors. This time, you have a plan to survive. Just block off the vents and you'll be fine, right? HandUnit is quiet today, too quiet for your taste. The lights flicker as the elevator reaches the bottom floor. You get out and lower yourself to crawl through the vent. The space is a bit tighter, since you have your backpack on. Finally, you slip out of that stupid vent. You throw your bag onto the table and search for the toolbox inside of it. Strangely enough you feel like being watched. So you turn around and you figure you aren't wrong. Your body freezes as you see blue eyes piercing through the window in the darkness of Ballora's gallery, staring directly at you. You feel how your heart beats faster and faster. Sweat runs down your face as you feel how your body gets weaker. The illuminating eyes goes down for some reason and the sound of something, or someone in the vents can be heard.

"No no NO!" You cry out as your panic goes through the ceiling. Quickly, you examine the room for something to save you. The only hope would be if you pull the table in front of the vent to block it off. So you grab the side of the table tight and pull with all your might. It won't budge even if you try your best. A moment of silence passes before a voice speaks.

"What are you doing?"

You sharply gasp as you turn around to look who the voice belongs to. 

The blue eyes peer out of the vent to Ballora's room.

"O-Oh n-nothing", you mumble out as you press against the table. The creature's white arm shoots out of the vent to pull itself out of it. A pink snout can be seen and then a head. It's Funtime Freddy who forced himself into the metallic vent and ended up in the room with you. The bear stands up and brushes the dust off his also pink belly. Bonbon waves at you a bit before Freddy steps closer to you without saying anything. He stretches his arm out to grab you, but you avoid his grasp by dodging it. You crawl on top of the table and accidently kick your backpack down. Funtime's eyes are locked onto you as he gets dangerously close. You curl up on the desk and wait for your death. But when Freddy puts his foots down, he hears a crunching noise and stops dead in his tracks. He lifts it up to see what he stepped on. A bag of chips lays on the ground. He blinks.

"What is..?" Freddy mutters to himself as he picks it up and studies it with his eyes.

"Chips.", you say.

"C~Chips... what are chips?" His faceplates shift as he ask. Totally overwhelmed that this robot never heard of chips you raise an eyebrow in question.

" Well it’s something to eat!" The bear’s eyes light up like christmas lights. The bunny squeals in excitement.

" We only have pizza down here!"

"And cupcakes, ice cream and cake!", the bear adds. "Can we try them, plleeeeeeaaase?", Freddy pleads while making big eyes to convince you. "O-of course..!" Forcing a smile on your lips as you say it. 

The animatronic hands you the bag of chips and sits down on the table, making it squeak. Surprisingly it doesn’t break down by his weight. The smell of the potato chips hits you as you open the bag. Freddy curiously tilts his head to the side like a puppy and you shake the bag to encourage him to grab some. The bear slightly peeks inside before he decides to grab a chip. He studies it closely, viewing it from every angle before taking a bite. The fresh chip crunches while he chews on it. Freddy's eyes grow big.

"Oh my gosh...THAT I~IS AMAZING!!" He immediately takes a handful more and shoves the chips in his mouth.

" I want some too!" Bonbon shouts in excitement, clapping his hands. You smile slightly as you lean the bag towards him. The small bunny slips inside the bag to get some of the new found salty goodness. He struggles a bit before he gets some of the chips and tries them too. It is kinda cute how that small bunny tries to shove a whole chip in his tiny mouth while Freddy stuffs his face with handful of chips. As well as Freddy, Bonbon enjoyed the taste of the junk food.

"They are really good! I want more!" You decide to give them the whole bag and watch them eat. It doesn’t take them too long to finish it off.

"You guys want to try more stuff?" You ask. Both of them nod quickly as Freddy licks his fingers. You jump off the table and grab your bag to pull out the goodies you got for them. A chocolate bar, some cheese balls, Oreos and other fat-making snacks. The animatronics get really excited as they see the new and colorful packages. It is weird how Freddy can be creepy in one moment and in the other a super sweet teddy bear. The bear grabs the chocolate bar.

"What is that?"

"Chocolate!" You answer. " Humans love to eat chocolate!" He hands you the bar which you open quickly. You want to see how they react to that so you give both of them a whole row of the chocolate bar. All three of you take a bite. You close your eyes and enjoy the taste of the chocolate that melts in your mouth. 

All of a sudden you hear a strange sound. You open your eyes to see where its coming from. A slight blush creeps over your cheeks as you realize it is Freddy who started to purr.

His eyes are closed while being completely relaxed. He is also swinging his legs back and forth in the air. You watch him quietly for a while. He looks so peaceful right now. Even a bit adorable. Bonbon chews quickly on his piece of chocolate like a real bunny and notices your stare. He immediately pokes Freddy's cheek to make him aware too. His cheeks turn bright red when he notices you.

"Well, (y/n), we have something for you too!" The bunny chuckles.

"Y-Yeah we have…” Freddy adds while mumbling under his breath. He extends his shaky hand to you and accepts the fact that he is still blushing like crazy. His embarrassed face makes you smile slightly as you take the offer and put your hand in his. His fingers gently close around your hand as he stands up. He leads you to the vent where he came from.

You crawl in first and Freddy directly after you. You wonder how Freddy can even fit through the vent if you already have problems with it. Finally, you enter Ballora's gallery and stretch out your body. The bear struggles out of the vent and quickly stands up. You feel how his hand grabs yours gently and pulls you behind him as he enters the abyssal room. 

The only thing you can see are some dim lights far away. The familiar tune from yesterday. Funtime Freddy stopped.

"Oh h~hello Ballora!" The music stops as the female animatronic speaks up.

"Oh, hello Freddy. I didn't hear you coming..." Two eyes light up in front of Freddy.

 "[y/n], it's nice to see you too today. I am glad you came back...!" You can’t say much but wave slightly at her. You are still creeped out by this place. Alot. 

"I have to go now Ballora! I need to show [y/n] a surprise!", mentions the bear before he walks past Ballora, with you behind him. You both finally reach the breaker room. With the creaking of the door, he drags you into the room. The, oh, so familiar place with the wires where you first met the crazy bear. But there is something different this time. You immediately notice a big, white box on the floor in front of you, adorned with a red ribbon. It’s a present! 

"TADAAA~!", Bonbon squeals out. Freddy finally leaves your hand alone and smiles wider than before. With excitement, nearly singing, he exclaims: "C~Come on, ooooopen it~!!"

 You slowly step forward. Something is really off. A present in the middle of an empty room screams like a trap. Oh gosh, you wish you could run now, but as you look back for a second you realise that he stands directly in front of the door. He would catch you like a goalkeeper would with a ball. Only one option left. You kneel down and slowly remove the carefully wrapped paper around the mysterious box. You hold your breath when the bear steps closer. 

He is right behind you now! 

You begin to shake when the last pieces of paper are removed by your hands. 'Oh god ,what could be in there,' you think. Probably a severed head as far as you could tell! You grab both of the tabs of the box and finally bend them to the side and you find-

"SURPRISE!!", screams the bear right in your ear, which makes you flinch hard and you fall to the side. How could he be so close to your head already? You lay on the floor as you realise you hold something soft against your chest. So you decide to look at your gift. It’s a small white and pink bear with a blue bunny as his right paw. It looks really goofy. 

"Is that you?" You ask in a bit of disbelief. The bear nods proudly.

"They made plushies of the w~whole gang! But they stopped producing them, since the shutdown!" 

"We had to search for a while for the stuffed friend here!" Bonbon adds. You can’t help but smile. At least a bit. You slowly stand up and hug the huge metallic bear.

"Thank you, Freddy and Bonbon! This is so nice from you two!" Freddy has no answer but to hug you as gentle as he can, as well with Bonbon. It is quiet. It feels even peaceful, but something got stuck in your brain that would haunt your mind. 

'What shutdown?' 

Combined with what Baby said yesterday, it made a poisonous mixture of distrust in the back of your head. You break quickly and abruptly from the hug, which confuses the robots. 

"What's wrong?" questions the bunny. You decide that the tiles on the ground are more interesting to look at than Bonbon.

"Nothing." You rub your arm, still focused at the floor. Freddy slowly takes a step towards you, but you reply by turning your whole body away. Freddy sighs and speaks up, more softer, quieter and with a bit of a quiver in his voice.

"You are afraid o~of me. A~Aren't you, [y/n]...?" You can't answer, like your mouth is sewn shut or dried out. But that is a clear answer for Freddy anyway. You turn around to see the bear stumble away from you. His face is hidden in his paw and his back is turned against you. Even Bonbon looks away, but sometimes glances at you with a face of sadness and betrayal. Motivated by guilt, you cautiously make your way to Freddy.

"I-I am s-"

 "G~Go away...", mumbles Freddy with a kinda sobbing voice. Ignoring what he said you get even closer, wanting to comfort him and Bonbon. All of a sudden Freddy swings his arm at you and screams.

"I SAID GO AWAY!!" Barely dodging the fist of doom, you fall to the ground once again. The bear steps over you and looks down at you in your fragile position. The lack of light in the room coats his face in darkness. He looks even more scary from this angle. He speaks up, more energetic and angry.

“WE THOUGHT WE COULD TRUST YOU! I~I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST YOU! BUT YOU DON'T EVEN TRUST ME!" You can’t make out any details in his face, but you know he is really upset. The atmosphere is tense. It pinches your throat as if it doesn’t want you to inhale the cold and dry air. Suddenly you feel something wet and warm on your knee, like a warm raindrop. Yet another one and another. Is Freddy... crying? The tall shadow starts to break down onto the ground with a big thud. He arches his back, crying out loud and tries to hide his tear filled face, curling up in a ball while he sits on his legs. You can't help but to tear up too. But if you don’t go now, he might do something horrible to you, even though you feel bad for him. Therefore, you get up quickly, run to the door and slip through the crack that is still open.

 As you run through the darkness, you hear the bear cry out a scream of pain. The whole facility could hear the agony. It just made you run faster, getting away from a possible killer bear and the guilt you carry around with you now. With one go you slip through the vent and start to close off every connection that might involve a room with an animatronic. His screams and cries don't stop in the meantime, they become more died down and spaced out, but still consistent. You pack your bag as quick as you can and swing it onto your back, when a slam on the glas scared the hell out of you. On the left side you see Foxy slamming against the window.

"What did you do to our friend?!", speaks the pissed off fox and hits even harder against the glass with his manicured hand. Ballora joins him on the other side and speaks with a soft, yet threatening voice.

"Why did you hurt him? We aren't what you think!" You finally get out of the shock and bolt to the elevator. You spam the button, hoping that it will get there faster, even if that means you break your finger by doing so. Finally the elevator comes down and opens its two rusty doors for you. You take your chance and get in just in the right time. Some glass shatters before the doors close completely and send you upwards. You try to calm down now. The cold sweat drips down your nose and it even covers your back.

The HandUnit snaps up on your way up to freedom. 

"You’ve finally done it...", a calm female voice exclaims.

"You are not better than the others. We thought we could trust you. You were the one. The one that saves us. And yet, you betrayed us and broke our hearts. Please, never come back to this place or we will make sure that you will not get out again..." With that the doors open to the outside world. Quickly, you run outside and inhale the fresh and cold air. The urge to cry is getting stronger, so you give in to it and let it all out. You sprint to your bike and unlock it with shaking hands. You don't know if they can get out and chase you down. You don't want to risk it. The face of yours is covered in snot and tears as you finally sit on your bike and pedal your way home. It is 2:54 o'clock in the morning as you finally get into your room. You jump onto your bed and cry your eyes out until you can't stay awake anymore.

 The next day you wake up harshly by the ringtone of your phone. You wonder who is calling? You look at the time first: 7 am sharp.

"Hello...?" you ask with a raspy and dying voice.

 "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE LOCATION?!" Oh snap! It is your boss! The screaming wakes you even further up.

 "What happened..?" You ask, kinda scared. 

"YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT! EVERYTHING IS BROKEN! THE WINDOWS IN THE CONTROL MODULE! AND I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE BREAKER ROOM! HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO BREAK EVERYTHING IN THERE AND EVEN DAMAGE THE ANIMATRONIC?!"

You have no words. Did Freddy get into a rampage? 

"THEREFORE I WILL FIRE YOU AND YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR PAYCHECK EITHER! BE HAPPY I WILL NOT SUE YOU!" With that the manager called off. You are too exhausted to be upset about it. Closing your eyes, you think about those two nights. The encounter and what happened afterwards. You think about the animatronics. Foxy. Ballora. Circus Baby... Freddy... 

"Oh gosh, I am such an idiot..." You speak to yourself as you slap your forehead with your bare palm. 

After two hours of self loathing, you decide to go downstairs and eat breakfast. Your slow and heavy steps alert the other family members.

"Good morning, sweetheart!", chirps your mum as she notices your being. Her face turns worried as she realise your red and puffy face. It kinda looks like it got attacked by a swarm of bees, so much did you cry yesterday. Your hair made it even look worse! You notice her concern and reply immediately.

"I am okay...!"

"What's the truth, sweety?" She doesn’t believe a word you stammer out. You guess it’s a mom intuition. But you don't want to tell her the whole story that happened. You would probably sound crazy. 

"I got fired yesterday," you mutter. Your mom gasps a bit.

"Oh I am sorry to hear..." It gets quiet around the table as the both of you said nothing. 

From this day on you are looking for jobs. Everyday from now you always get declined, it was like a curse! Days and weeks pass...but ...you can't stop thinking about him. 

Funtime Freddy. 

At evening you lay in your bed, frowning after you got a message saying that you got declined once again. Putting your phone aside, you stare at the ceiling and your mind goes everywhere. It stops by a certain point, once more, on Freddy. Your cheeks warm up by the thought of the robot. Oh, how you wish he would be there for you. 

'What am I thinking??' You snap at yourself.

‘Have I gone insane and have Stockholm syndrome on top of that?' But you can't deny that you caught some feelings for him. 

You wonder if he is okay.

[syms-things-5]

Clear The Area - Chapter Fifteen (Part Two)

**A Chris Evans Story**

Previous Chapter Here

Tags: @jennmurawski13 @kelbabyblue

Warnings: 18+ NSFW, strong language, generally a bit awkward

Notes: This is a long chapter, sorry. Any comments welcome, good and bad.

Chapter Fifteen (Part Two)

“Let me just bring up your booking here, one moment please.”

The lobby of The Langham was an ocean of grey and blue. The sun was shining brightly outside, the hottest day of the year so far, and it reflected in every surface of the space and accompanying bar. It was sparse on the usual detailing, instead preferring a minimalist approach; the check-in desk consisted of a mere iPad and one lily artfully growing from a tall, geometrical glass vase. Random art hung from all sides. One looked vaguely like a donkey, Sarah was sure. There was also what she thought was an ash tray balanced on a pillar to the left of where she was standing but she didn’t dare to investigate it any closer in case it cost the price of a small car.

It had the same over-perfumed odour as the fragrance section of a Macy’s. The tiled floor look so clean and fresh you could be forgiven for thinking it had only just been laid that very morning. Sarah felt a pang of guilt walking in wearing her scuffed Converse. She always felt so out of place in places like this. It was the kind of place she would run a mile from if she had the choice but Greg had an “in” with the manager and now here she was. 

“So that will be four nights in our Executive Suite with Central Park view. You also have the bar allowance of $150 per night. You just need to take the elevator up to the 32nd floor and it’s the second door on your left. Would you like a hand with your bags, madam?” She motioned for the concierge to come over but held her hand up when she spied the puzzled look on Sarah’s face.

“I’m really sorry but I think there’s been some kind of mistake. I didn’t book a suite, just a standard double and I don’t think I pre-paid for any bar allowance. I didn’t even know I could do that to be honest.” Sarah chuckled awkwardly in an attempt to diffuse the tension but it fell on deaf ears. She handed the key card back to the lady, unsure of what else to suggest.

The lady showed practically no emotion at the possible mistake and simply took another look at her records before confirming that she was in fact correct with the initial room choice. “It’s definitely your suite, and...everything is paid for in advance. Could it have been made on your behalf? It looks like it was upgraded yesterday afternoon.”

Sarah wasn’t sure if she was asking her a question or telling her. She couldn’t believe she wasn’t biting her hand off but she hoped she hadn’t made some kind of horrific error her bank wouldn’t forgive her for. She could barely afford the double room she’d booked as it was and she’s sure the college wouldn’t have upgraded her without letting her know in advance. It made zero sense. They couldn’t have that kind of money going spare, putting students up in posh suites. She had no clue what could have happened.

Unless...Chris?

No, it wouldn’t be. He was less than pleased to hear she’d be away as it was. Except...well, who else? Sarah rolled her eyes a little too obviously before accepting the key card back. “That’s OK. I think I know what’s happened. It’s only the one bag. I can manage it.”

The lady nodded her thanks and, smiling politely, pointed her back towards the elevators. Sarah couldn’t move away from her fast enough.

Arriving at her floor, Sarah emerged from the lift expecting someone to come running up to her to confirm that they had in fact made a horrendous mistake. She slipped the key card into her door before pushing her way in to find her new home for the week.

The bedroom was large, uncomfortable so, with the bed positioned just off the middle in the room. Sarah figured the designer for a psychopath. It was big but not as empty as the lobby would have had her believe. In fact, it seemed reassuringly cosy despite the windows, so many windows stretching around the suite. There was a soft blue curved sofa opposite a screen that she’d seen smaller versions of in a cinema. Cushions fucking everywhere and fluffy white slippers she’d probably never take off again.

Everything seemed to be controlled from an iPad set in a stand by the bedroom door; the lights, the curtains, the air freshener, some background music for ambiance if she wanted. The windows tinted darker to block out the sunlight. Even the $1300 coffee machine was remote controlled; she had recognised it from the last edition of Home & Country Jocelyn had mailed to her, the exact one Shanna had been dropping hints about to Chris as a potential Christmas present.

The lounge offered her the clearest view of Central Park and with the light at this time in the afternoon, it was beyond stunning. She snapped a picture and considered texting it to Shanna but thought better of drawing attention to where she was staying. There was no way she could pass this off as a standard room even with her best efforts.

It was almost a shame to waste all of this on just herself. This room deserved romance, she thought.

Around the same time, Chris was on his third beer of the afternoon and lounging on his sofa. He had a new script in one hand, one he wasn’t particularly keen on but offered to read as a favour for a friend. He was so relaxed now that he had to re-read the last ten or so pages simply because it wasn’t landing. The whole room was lit softly by the sun outside. It had gone 4 o’clock when his phone rang disturbing the peace.

“Bernette! How was the journey?” he smiled into the phone as soon as he saw who it was.

“The bathtub is the size of my entire bathroom.” She announced, not giving him room to breathe. She heard him laugh heartily at the end of the line and could picture him looking smug and proud of himself, the dick. “I could have an orgy with the Patriots and still have room left.”

“Hey, don’t go getting any ideas.” he jostled with her. He placed the script down on the tablet to give her his full attention. “So, you like it, huh?”

“It’s...it’s absolutely gorgeous and utterly ridiculous. Seriously, dude, you did not need to do this.” She could sense his growing pride from here. “I’ve never stayed in anything like it. I have, like, a hundred towels.”

“That’s why I did it in the first place. Not for the towels, obviously, but just because you deserved something different. Something nice.” He enthused. “Don’t fight me on this, Bernette.”

“You should see the view. It’s so beautiful. I think I can see the museum.” She was stood on her tiptoes, pressed against the glass, looking at the tiny people milling around on the street so far below her. 

“i know,” he responded. “You’ll be there for a week and best to be comfortable, right?”

She didn’t want to argue with him. She was tired and extremely grateful for the kind gesture. She’d be able to enjoy the place and her time in the City more if she could firmly separate her work from any space in which she could chill out. It wasn’t like she was going to be raving all night nor have much chance to see places at this rate, so more space was probably a good thing. She hadn’t had an unbroken night’s sleep in...she couldn’t even remember when.

“Thank you, Chris.” she spoke softly after a brief pause.

“You’re welcome.”

She put her phone down on the bedside table and set about removing her clothes from her suitcase. Well, “clothes” in the loose sense. What she’d packed was basically gym gear, sweat pants, t-shirts, nothing remotely attractive, and a simple paid of black trousers for the exam day itself. Who was going to see her anyway? Shanna had thrown a jumper in the mix without her realising, dismayed at her insistence that she was not going out to bars to hook up with someone.

“But you’ll be gone the next day! It’s. The. Perfect. Crime!” Shanna had said, exasperated and throwing her hands in the air in dismay.

The majority of space in her suitcase has been taken up with journals and textbooks, ones she hadn’t see since she left medical school and had long since expected she would never see again. Funny what opportunities life threw at you when you least expected it.

She was soon feeling the push and pull of the day and had planned on spending at least a couple of hours studying that evening, so she had a clean-up and threw on the first set of sweatpants that fell out of the closet. She tied her hair up and out of her face, pulled out her notepad and switched her Macbook on. The TV was showing some repeat of a gameshow with the sound on low, more for background company than anything else, and she finally figured out how to get the coffee machine working thanks to a small tome buried inside a drawer underneath the coffee table.

Chris 9.44pm: All OK? Need company yet??

Sarah 9.45pm: I love you guys bt I can’t tell u how amazing it is having space to myself. Been a looooong day

Chris 9.51pm: ah

Chris 9.52pm: OK maybe don’t look outside your door

Momentarily confused, she rubbed at her eyes trying to come up with a pithy response.

Chris 9.56pm: well this is awkward...........

Sarah looked at the door and then back at her phone. Looking up at the door again, she unfolded her feet from underneath her and slowly walked towards it. Pulling it open, she found Chris looking up at her through his lashes, sheepishness drenching his entire body.

“OK, funny story,” he said. “But I thought this might be romantic and then I got carried away and now I’m here and I can absolutely go if you need me to...?” He half-turned his body in the direction of the elevators. “I’m so sorry, honey. I just thought it might be nice and not at all annoying but it’s annoying, isn’t it? It’s OK, you don’t need to say anything. Dammit, I really thought I pitched this right.”

“Chris, it’s fine.” Sarah finally found her voice to speak. “Honestly. I’m...I’m just really surprised is all. I was not expecting you to...drive? All this way?”

He nodded. “Yeh, I just bombed it down the ‘95.”

Awkward silence fell between them as they stared at each other unsure of what to do next. Finally picking up on the fact he remained in the hallway, a backpack thrown over his shoulder, she moved out of the way and he entered the suite. Relieved, he placed his bag down and turned to see her close the door behind him. He looked mildly embarrassed and she was all too aware she wasn’t welcoming but it was getting late and her eyes had started to hurt a little as she rubbed at them with the back of her hand.

“Fuck, that’s a long couch.” he announced, taking his black suede jacket off and placing it over the armrest nearest to him. He glanced over and saw papers strewn over the coffee table, her laptop light blaring brightly and looked back to her. She was working hard and he had ruined it.

“I am so sorry. First thing tomorrow, I’ll go home, I promise.” He held his hands up by way of an apology but she shook her head in response.

“Stop apologising.” she chuckled. “Do you want a beer?”

He nodded gratefully and looked so adorable that any annoyance she might have felt finally dissipated. “How about I give you a hug and then leave you to it? I need a shower and I can amuse myself in there for a little while. I don’t know why I just said that.”

Sarah laughed again and a little more relief moved through him. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so nervous when he had been so confident of his decisions in the car all the way here. He’d rehearsed his lines and imagined her big smile when seeing behind the door. He had wanted to stop off and buy flowers but he was so eager to see her, he’d just kept driving. No daydream could live up to the reality of seeing her face up close.

*

He watched her from the bathroom doorway. She was cross-legged on the bed, studying the thickest textbook he’d ever seen with colour-coded notecards laid out across the duvet. He had earlier glimpsed a page over her shoulder but decided against pursuing medicine as a new career when he was faced with photographs of god knows what. He tried to remove the images from his mind by drinking another beer and thinking of Sarah in her scrubs. That tended to work well for him these days.

She looked so cute sat on the bed, her reading glasses perched on the end of her nose. He wanted to come up with a joke, calm the tension a little that had grown between them in the meantime, but she looked pretty hot. More hot than usual and it was distracting. Like a sexy Librarian and for the second time this month he discovered something else he was into.

One pen was stuck behind her ear but she’d forgotten she’d put it there and was now using a different one. Her hair was tied up at the top of her head in a messy bun that she hadn’t touched since she’d arrived, more and more strands falling loosely around her as the evening wore on, framing her perfect, round face. She seemed to engrossed in what she was doing.

He was still a little wet from his shower and pondered whether she would notice if he just whipped his towel off and offered himself to her. There really wasn’t anything he wanted more at this moment in time than to have her touch him, to have her run hands gently over his chest, to tease him a little bit. There’d be some time, he reasoned, and right not it was just was exhilarating to think of her being here alongside him knowing it would be just the two of them for a little while.

He perched on the end of the bed in front of her. She barely moved, barely seemed to notice him. He took one of her blank notecards and carefully placed it on the open page so as not to lose her place. She leaned back slightly, allowing him to gather up the papers and place them in a pile on the floor besides the bed before turning back to lean in towards her, one arm stretching out across her legs. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes again. She wanted peace and quiet and he decided to rock up just because he could. He sighed to himself. He was such a dick sometimes.

“Do you mind me being here?” he asked her, fully resigning himself to leaving if she now asked him to as hard as that might be. He’d got so caught up in his idea of surprising her that he hadn’t fully registered just how important these exams were or how well she wanted to do. Passing them wasn’t an option for Sarah; she wanted to knock it out of the park. She wanted to do better for herself and the more he got to know her like this, the more it became his favourite thing about her. And he related. He related perfectly. He knew exactly what that was like. “Cos I can go if you need me to.”

“Chris, I’ve said it’s fine. It’s nice that you’re here. I would just hate you feeling bored if all I’m doing is studying all the time.” She nervously twirled the pen between her fingers while taking in how amazing he looked following a shower, a little steam rising off his skin.

“I won’t get bored.” he assured her. “It’ll be nice hanging out with you. Just the two of us.”

He plucked the pen from behind her ears and she rolled her eyes realising the mistake she’d made. He tucked strands of hair back and leaned in placing a quick, soft kiss to her lips. He smelled like her coconut shampoo and she just now understood how truly spontaneous his trip had been.

“Listen, there’s another reason why I’m here. There’s something I need to talk to you about and I couldn’t wait until you got home.” he stroked her arm gently, looking down into her lap. “It’s been going around in my head and I’m not entirely sure what to say about it to be honest, but...it looks like Jenny’s done an interview with a magazine. A full thing with a photoshoot and stuff and it looks like I might be involved.” He closed his eyes for a second before correcting himself. “Not might actually, it’s pretty much definite that I’m in there for a large portion of it.”

“OK.” Sarah nodded. He for sure seemed weary of the whole thing and she felt for him.

“I just, I know she can be pretty unfiltered at the best of times, so-”

“-but she won’t have said anything negative, right?”

“No, no, not negative. I’m not worried about that exactly. It’s just that...” He was struggling to find the words. “I just didn’t want you to get the wrong idea about us, about me and her. I expect she’ll have this hyper-romanticised view of things and I guess I didn’t want you thinking it was some great love affair which is what I think she’ll spin it as.” He couldn’t quite meet her eye while he was talking. “I’m not proud of myself or of what I said or did at the time but I was low and she was there and it was...easy, I guess.”

He immediately regretted his choice of words. As much as he wanted Sarah to understand, he didn’t want Sarah to think he was dismissive of his relationships in this way. “Matt’s figuring out some damage control with them. Hopefully, it’ll go away as quickly as it comes.”

“You think he’ll be able to clear it up?”

Chris nodded. Matt was a formidable guy and he was assured things would look and read much better by the time it went to print. He placed his hand on her thigh and it was only now she registered just how close he was to surrounding her.  “I don’t wear my heart on my sleeve all too often but when I do, they know about it. I want to make them aware of exactly how I feel about them and I didn’t do that with her.” He dipped his head to catch her eye line. “So, when I do something for someone, it means something, y’know?”

“Yeh, of course. You’re a good guy, Chris. Everyone knows that.” She took his hand and lightly interlocked their fingers together.

“I guess I just didn’t want you worrying about her ‘cos there’s absolutely nothing there for me. Never had been.”

“You don’t need to explain this to me, I’m not going to hold anything against you.” she stroked his chin with her thumb and felt him relax into her hand. He glanced down at the mess he’d made on the floor and started picking a few things back up.

“How much left do you have to do tonight?” he whispered as his lips closed upon hers for a fleeting moment.

“I could do with finishing some notes but...half an hour, maybe?”

“I’ll hold you to that.” he kissed her again and got up from the bed, lifting her books back on top. “Just come get me when you’re done, yeh?”

*

Finishing up in the bathroom, Sarah switched off the light and moved towards the bed. She kneeled alongside Chris who was lying flat out, naked except for the duvet bunched across legs, reading what she assumed was the hotel magazine only to find upon closer inspection that it was in fact one of her medical journals. She giggled as she grabbed the moisturiser from the bedside table and began rubbing a small amount up and down her arms, regarding him as his nose creased up in apparent disgust at something he’d just read. 

“Did you know the body has ten times more microorganisms living in it than actual human cells?! That’s bacteria, Sarah. Living, gross bacteria. All over us.” he looked at her, shock and horror crossing his fine, perfect features. She wasn’t sure whether to pat him on the head or laugh.

“It’s mostly good bacteria, though. Only, like, 1% of it is bad for us.”

“And when exactly were you going to tell me about this?!”

She creased up laughing and flopped on to her side next to him. “It’s all information that’s out there for the world to see. Remind me not to tell you about eyelashes.”

“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever removed from somebody’s ass?” he asked.

“What? Why is that always a question people want an answer to?”

“I don’t know. It’s just weird. Humans are weird.” he muttered, turning back to the pages in front of him. She was glad he had chosen one without pictures. That was the last thing she wanted to see before falling asleep.

“So, have you learned something new?” she asked, curling her legs under the duvet.

“I have. I think you should test me and if I get a question wrong, you can do whatever you like to me. Deal?” he asked, smirking. She shyly smiled and he tossed the book onto the floor. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She repeated. She watched as his eyes slowly travelled down her body. It was unreasonable how much he managed to disarm her with only a look.

His hand reached out to gently caress the side of her thigh, nudging the duvet slightly down before moving back up to her hip, a ticklish area he’d picked up on the last time they were together. He leaned in and kiss her on the side of her jaw, so feather-like and soft she barely felt it if not for his warm breath she could feel on her neck.

“You smell nice.” he whispered, looking at her from underneath his eyelashes. “We could have showered together, y’know? Save the planet?”

As much as she was getting used to the little things he would do when they were alone, rubbing her arm, tucking hair behind her ears, saying nice things about how pretty she looked, having him here in such close proximity with no else around to distract them or force them into the light...it was getting risky. Not that Chris ever pushed her, mind. He’d been nothing but understanding and respectful and she was grateful for that but also growing concerned he was perhaps a little...bored. Why else would he drive over state lines to see her. None of this was normal and the more time went by, the more she became fretful of what they were doing.

“What are you thinking about?” he kissed her shoulder. “Is it dirty? If it’s dirty, I wanna know about it.”

Sarah smiled and placed her hand on the side of his face, running her fingers gently over his beard. He’d thoroughly given up shaving but she liked how soft it still felt under her finger tips and judging by the breath he released as he closed his eyes, so did he, relaxing into her hand. He kissed her again. She was hoping he’d take charge so she could put off talking to him a little longer but instead, he refrained from pushing them any further and leaned back a little, looking into her eyes. “Talk to me.”

She could feel his hand move slowly and deliberately up her arm until he reached the back of her neck, his fingers playing with the loose strands of hair that had fallen from her messy bun. There was no getting away from this.

“You know you can tell me anything, right? It’s OK for you to tell me what you want.” She could feel his breath on her skin, his voice low and rough. His fingers moved again and she felt them touch her lips, one of them running back and forth over her lower lip until she parted them ever so slightly and his finger softly dipped inside her mouth. He seemed to like that and kissed her again, a little harder this time.

“Just keep kissing me.” she whispered, relieved that se finally got some words out.

He smiled at her, satisfied with her response, and kissed her again. Slow, wet, a kind of kiss that was full of promise of what he wanted to do and it made her whole body thrum with anticipation.

One hand now resting on the bed beside her and the other moved from her cheek back down to her thigh. She was frozen to the spot, this man focussed on her so intently, prepared to give her whatever she asked for, whatever she needed, expressing so much in a kiss that she didn’t register when her hand began moving slowly, grazing a finger ever so slightly over the waistline of her shorts.

“...and what else?”

A little more, he moved his hand until his fingers dipped inside her underwear until he felt her skin, hot to the touch. She broke the kiss momentarily to let out a breath, one hand resting on the back of his neck for leverage as he continued tenderly moving his fingers until he got to where he wanted to be. Feeling her wet for him seemed to spark something inside and she felt him push her carefully until she was lying back on the bed, head just off the pillow, and he leaned over her. He adjusted his hand ever so slightly until she could feel his fingers pressing at her entrance before moving in small circular motions, riling her up.

“Look at me, honey.” he whispered, his voice rough and turned on as he wanted her grabbing at the covers as he stroked her. She tried to but she couldn’t stop her eyes from closing again, zoned out with only his smooth and confident movements to focus on. It was almost getting too much with him hitting her at just the right spot for her to lose herself completely when, just like that, he pulled his hand away and grabbed both sides of her underwear to pull them down and off her legs. The next thing she remembered was the feel of him skilfully grabbing her from underneath her thighs, his tongue swiftly taking over.

It didn’t take long for her to feel like was she coming undone and him feeling proud of himself. She couldn’t fight it and with one arm draped across her lower tummy, he certainly had not intention of letting her get away. Any feelings of awkwardness were soon a thing of the past as she let the gentle, unbridled bliss he was giving her wash over her completely. She honestly couldn’t remember ever feeling anything like this before, she was so out of it. He was covering her completely, her wetness mixing with his own, his beard rubbing against her smooth skin adding another level of pleasure. 

She ran her fingers through his hair, messing it up. His tongue hit her clit again and again causing her to give him a short, sharp pull. His groan was so filthy and deep from within him, she felt it reverberate through her, raising goose bumps up and down her skin.

He wanted her on the edge as much as he felt he was. He wanted her to want him, to tell him exactly what she wanted him to do. He wanted her on fire. He wanted to hear her beg.

Just as she was on the edge for a second time, he stopped and blew softly across her wisps of hair. He chuckled when he heard what sounded like a quiet yet frustrated groan leave her lips, followed by a chuckle, something innocent and familiar. Her hands loosened from his hair as they stared into each other’s eyes, their mutual breathlessness the only sound they could hear.

“Does that feel good?” he whispered, the breath from his words scorching her skin. He moved his tongue just a little lower, not breaking eye contact, and she felt him dip ever so slightly inside of her, his arm wrapped around her thigh and the pad of his thumb taking care of the rest. He did this a second time, then a third, and when he returned to pressing his tongue over her clit, drawing her into his mouth, she was soon grabbing at him in any way she could in a futile attempt to take the edge off the orgasm that was coming at her like a freight train.

She was close. He knew she was so close now and he held his arms tightly around her to keep her close to him. One more swipe of his tongue right....there...and she was gone.

When her breathing even out, she slowly opened her eyes to see him move up and over her, placing soft, wet kisses on her hip, her tummy, her neck, and finally on her lips. He seemed cautious to kiss her, unsure of whether she wanted him to but she grabbed his face with both hands to pull him back down to her, kissing him as passionately as she could manage with what felt like no energy. She could taste herself and it was so much more erotic than she could ever have imagined. 

She felt him smile into the kiss as he carefully settled his body on top of hers, allowing her to wrap her legs around him. He moved the hair that was sticking to her forehead and stroked her face with one finger, gently mapping her eye and her nose and her cheek. She couldn’t reconcile this being the same man who had minutes earlier been so dominant. He had so clearly wanted to say something at that point if only his hardness hadn’t been so distracting. He mover one arm under her neck, using the other hand to move hair from where it had clung to the side of her face. Holding her as close to him as possible and feeling blissful when he felt her legs wrap around his own, he entered her and held still, enjoying the moment.

“We should’ve done this years ago.” he spoke and for a brief moment, without realising, she was pulled from their intimacy, a pang of guilt taking its place.

He was too busy pushing into her, needing whatever she had left to give him. He grabbed at the back of her neck to keep her in place, his face buried into her hair. She felt her skin heat up all over from his breath as he panted at her side. It was more frantic than he’d wanted it to be as he groaned and moaned and pushed his whole weight into her with force. It was really all she could do to just hang on to him as he fucked her deeper, as he surged towards his own orgasm, then letting go when she felt him shudder insider her minutes later. He sounded helpless and as much as he tried to hold himself up from collapsing on her, he soon gave up trying and laid his head on her shoulder.

His warm breath continued covering her skin as she ran her hand gently over the back of his head. She felt him chuckle a vibration into the top of her arm before a wet kiss landed just underneath her ear, a place he had deigned his own after he realised how sensitive she was on that particular spot.

Finally rolling off her to lie on his back, he kept his arm stretched across her lower tummy and rubbed his fingers across the apex of her thigh. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed in this position but at some point he leaned over her to turn the bedside light off plunging the room into complete darkness and they continued to lie there in silence not really sure if the other was asleep or not.

He eventually turned onto his side to face her, keeping a firm grip on her waist. He was across her pillow and she could practically feel the flutter of his eyelashes as he watched her in the dark, a soft outline gradually appearing as his eyes adjusted to the blackness of the room, making out her features. she felt his hand move up and down her ribcage and over the inside of her elbow, another sensitive spot that made her shudder and him chuckle again when he realised she was in fact still awake.

She turned onto her side to face him and his hand moved to her lower back where it finally rested over her hip. She pushed her leg in between his and he seemed content and comfortable in how they were existing in this space, both aware they didn’t have to worry about getting up any time soon. He was running his fingers up and down her spine in slow, circular motions and it felt wonderful. Too wonderful. And there was that guilt again.

“What will you do tomorrow?” she asked.

He took a deep breath in contemplation at her unexpected question. “Gym looks pretty good. I have a book and a couple of scripts, too. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

“I know.” she murmured but he knew she was dwelling on something.

“I wanna be here for you if you need anything and if you don’t, you won’t even know I’m around. I promise.”

“I know that, too.”

She could sense him smile at her even in their dark. “Good.” he said. “It feels nice knowing I’ve made a good decision for a change.”

*

[sunsetinmyvein]

I Know That I’ll Lose - Chapter Thirteen - Love Me (If That’s What You Wanna Do)

Just like the mornings prior, the light streaming in through the large windows in Matty’s bright house woke her up. However, unlike the mornings prior, the tangle of arms and legs, the arm around her stomach, the soft snoring in her ear and the curly hair tickling her cheek were a welcome new addition. Her eyes took a brief moment to adjust to the room around her. It was nice not being jetlagged, or hungover, it meant that she had enough braincells functioning to accurately recall the events of last night. She shuffled slightly, moving to grab her phone from the bedside table to check the time, only to feel Matty’s arm tighten around her and pull her back into the middle of the bed.

“Stay in bed.” He mumbled; the tone of his voice thick with sleep.

“I thought you had stuff that you’re meant to do today?” She questioned, letting him keep her there anyway.

“Don’t care. Want to stay here with you.” He answered. She already felt that heart-warming feeling spreading through her chest after remembering how last night had gone, and he was very easily amplifying it tenfold with such a simple comment. 

“When did you get so sappy?” She muttered as she pressed her forehead into his shoulder in an attempt to hide the blush covering her cheeks.

“I will be as sappy as I damn well want.” He laughed as he squeezed his arms around her, trailing kisses from her cheek to her lips. Fucking hell. How did she ever think that she stood a chance to not fall prey to his charm?

Which pulled her mind back to how they’d left things last night. “So…” She cleared her throat anxiously. “Uh, when did you wanna talk?” It seemed best in her mind to just get it over with.

“Whenever you’re ready to.” He shrugged.

She paused for a few seconds. “Now?” She suggested.

He let out a deep sigh, ending it in a yawn as he rolled over, stretching his arms above his head. “Let’s head downstairs, then.” He nodded. “We can chat over breakfast.”

They made their way downstairs, Y/N/N taking a seat at the small outdoor table as she watched him potter about the kitchen. He hummed quietly to himself as he searched the cupboards for something basic for the two of them to eat. The contented atmosphere around him was plain to see. It was nice seeing him at ease when he was frequently so tightly wound or on edge about something.

  He sat down at the table, setting a mug down in front of her as he cradled his own tea in his hands. As he stared down into his cup, he tried to carefully picked his words. Where to begin? “I guess I should start with: I’m sorry about the bet. It er, got a bit out of hand, I suppose.”

“No kidding?” She replied sarcastically as she took a sip of her drink. He couldn’t help but let out a laugh at that before pulling himself back on track.

“It started as just messin’ about. I liked your company and you gave me a run for my money. I didn’t know what I wanted out of what we had because I wasn’t sure how I felt. I thought…” He swallowed hard, hating that he had to admit the next part. “I thought that I just liked having you around because you helped me deal with my thoughts when they were… getting difficult. I told you that things run smoother for me with company, but I truly struggle without my friends. I wouldn’t have been able to get clean - stay clean, if it weren’t for them. I rely on them massively. When you came along, it was easy for me to shift some of that emotional reliance onto you.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” She frowned. Had she known that was the case, she would’ve been able to offer some assistance through his rough patches rather than watching him suffer in silence.

“Because I thought if I told you that I felt dependent on you to stay in a good headspace, you wouldn’t wanna be around me anymore. It’s hardly charming to hear that I don’t function properly alone.” He answered truthfully. “In my best efforts to avoid confronting that, I did everything I could to keep you around without being open about why. And the bet seemed like a good way to do that. If I kept dragging it out, it gave me an excuse to stay in your life.” He elaborated.

“Matty, you didn’t need an excuse-”

“Yeah, I know that now, Y/N/N.” He grinned. “But hindsight is twenty-twenty. As it so turned out, anyway, that wasn’t why I was so hell bent on keeping you around.” He pointed out as he took a swig of his tea.

  “So…” He stared down at the hole in his jeans, picking at it absent-mindedly. “I ignored my motivations behind what we had for a long time, and gradually they changed without me noticing. It wasn’t until George talked some sense into me after tour ended that I realised why I’d been doin’ it.” She stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. “Because I was into you, too.” He clarified with a roll of his eyes.

“You see? See how it fucking feels to have someone make you say it?” She laughed as she shoved his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. I said I was sorry, all right?” He chuckled. “I only realised it while you were away working at that show.”

“Is that what that voicemail was about?” She asked in surprise as the pieces suddenly clicked into place.

“Uh, kinda. More so what the call the next day was about. And why I asked you to come out here. Once I was aware of it, I finally had to do what you’d been bugging me about since we’ve met and actually work out what I wanted.” He said with a short laugh. “I wanted to tell you, I knew that much. But the rest I needed a bit of help with.”

  “And that brings us to the difficult bit that you didn’t want to confront: what happens after all this is said and done.” He added as he stood up and walked over to his coffee table. He opened the drawer on the side of it, pulling out a stack of papers. Glancing at the cover quickly to double check that he’d definitely grabbed the right thing, he made his way back to the outdoor table. “Because I know that us being into each other doesn’t mean much if I end up on tour for the majority of the year.” He flipped through the pages anxiously, choosing his words wisely before he spoke. “I want you to come and be the director of our merch.” Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. What? “It’s, erm, it’s a real job. Not something daft I made up like the Rome merch gig. You’d be in charge of our whole merchandising operation: organising stock levels, contracting out the merch jobs to the venues as we tour, making sure that they set it up correctly and that sales are lining up. Sam and I would still be designing our stuff, but you’d do pretty much all the rest. I know you don’t like sitting around doin’ nothing, so it’s proper work. You’d pretty much have to live on the road with us, have downtime when we record or have downtime ourselves. But, um, you don’t have to decide now.” He handed her the thick wad of paper. “This is the contract. Read it over, make sure you know what the job is. And don’t say yes because of me. The offer isn’t anything to do with me, it’s The 1975 exclusive. It was George’s idea actually, it didn’t even come from me.” He laughed lightly, scratching nervously at the back of his neck. Ah, that explained their secret conversation yesterday. “But I don’t want you to say yes because you think I want you to. Which is not to say that I don’t want you to, it’s just…” He let out a deep sigh as he tried to get his thoughts back on track. “Whether you say yes to the job or not, it doesn’t matter. It wouldn’t change any of my opinions. And if you say yes, anything that happens between us, good or bad or nothing, it doesn’t affect the job, yeah?” He had too many things on the list in his head to try and convey that he was starting to worry that his point wasn’t coming across coherently.

  She stared down at the papers in her hands as she mulled over the offer. “This is incredibly generous, but I don’t want to be taking someone else’s job away from them.” She said as she went to pass them back. He just pushed it back into her grip.

“You’re not.” He assured. “Previously this is something that Jamie or I did. It’s about time we delegated, so if you don’t take the job it will be offered to someone else.” As he spoke, the sound of his ringtone started filling the air around them. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the caller ID. Realistically, he shouldn’t have been surprised. “Ah, shit… That’s Hann.” He huffed, running a hand through his hair. There was still so much more that he wanted to say.

“Are you running late?” She asked.

He nodded. “I gotta go meet the guys at the studio. I’ll be back in a bit. Read the contract, see what you think. Jamie said you can have a week to think about it before he looks for another person to fill the position.” He explained as he made his way inside, throwing a jacket over his shoulders. “There’s a spare key on top of the fridge if you need to duck out.” He shouted as he headed towards the front door. A quick goodbye was thrown over his shoulder, before the heavy door was pulled shut, and she was left by herself to digest all of this information.

  She migrated back inside to sit on the couch as she flipped through the contract. He was right about it being a proper job offer. Everything was listed in these sheets of paper, from the amount of hours she should be expecting to work down to how she would have to filter any posts online about the band. The pay was… more than adequate. There were even clauses in there about the contract not locking her into any long-term agreements, she was free to leave when she wanted. It was a tempting proposition. She loved doing merch work, and she’d been doing it on and off for over a decade now. It made sense to take a leap into something more permanent than just taking jobs as they were offered to her during peak touring season. Controlling a whole merch operation for an entire band would be an interesting challenge to tackle, a rewarding one she suspected. But this was much bigger than just a job. It would mean uprooting her life at home, committing to a life on the road. And as much as he said that it didn’t, it did mean committing to Matty to a degree. Whether that was in the sense of a relationship or not, it meant that he was going to become a permanent fixture in her life. Was she certain she wanted that? She’d had less than twenty-four hours to come to terms with the fact that her feelings were actually reciprocated. And did he actually want that? It was a while of her looking at the pages before Allen came to find her; the big dog padding into the living room and watching her with curiosity. She read and re-read certain clauses as he jumped up on the couch and rested his head in her lap, trying to find something that would either seal the deal or break it. But in the end, it was her decision to make. She had to weigh up the pros and cons and decide what was going to give the best outcome.

  * * *

 Matty made it to the studio a bit breathless, having half jogged there in an effort to not be too late. They were meeting with someone to sort out the pressing of the album on vinyl, and the meeting had started fifteen minutes ago. He exchanged a few quick greetings with the people mingling around the front of the building before making his way down to the back room where he knew the rest of his band would be waiting for him.

“So sorry!” He blurted out as he stepped into the room. “Time got away from me this morning.”

“Not like you to be late.” George stated, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Matty could hear the teasing tone underlying his voice.

“Yes, well…” He tried to think of a witty comeback as he shrugged his jacket off. But he found himself coming up empty.

“Are they the same clothes that you were wearing yesterday?” Ross questioned, eager to jump onto this bandwagon.

“Did you sleep in those?” Adam chimed in.

Matty sat there in silence, running a few responses through his head. None of them were going to get him out of this. “So, we need to get Notes out as soon as possible,” He started, opting to change the topic instead. George sniggered a laugh under his breath.

  The meeting went well. They organised that the vinyl could be out in a few months once they were ready to go ahead with the final master of the album. A few last administration bits and pieces were confirmed. They lined up their next few social media posts and when they would be posted. Things were really starting to come together. Once it was just the band left in the room, Matty finally felt the stress release from his shoulders. He knew he was about to receive a hard time from his mates, but at least now he wasn’t gonna have to let strangers in on his personal life. 

“Why were you actually running late?” George asked eventually. “Did you finally talk to her?”

The smile he was trying to conceal gave him away before he could even start talking, earning a chorus of approving noises from his friends. He waited until they’d calmed down for a second before he spoke. “Yeah, we’re on the same page now.” Matty nodded. “And I was going over the contract when you rang.” He added, gesturing towards Adam.

“Ah, shit. Sorry, man.” He apologised.

“It’s cool.” He shrugged. “I left it with her so she had a chance to read it.”

  “And?” George urged.

“And what?” The lead singer frowned in confusion.

“Are you guys together now or what?” He clarified.

“Oh, erm, well…” Matty started hesitantly. He hadn’t had the chance to get to that bit this morning.

George let out a loud groan in annoyance. “You still didn’t ask?”

“I didn’t want her to feel weird about it! Throwing the job offer and that at her in one morning seemed like too much. I just told her that it didn’t matter if we were or weren’t, the position was separate to all that.” He explained. Adam nodded in agreement. “I was gonna get to that part once she knew if she wanted to join the team or not.”

“Well, we won’t keep you any longer then.” Ross said with a nod towards the door. “Go see what she has to say.”

 * * *

  The sun was beginning to set by the time she heard the front door lock click open. Allen instantly jumped off the couch next to her to bound towards the sound of the noise, and she heard Matty greeting his dog eagerly before seeing him step into the living area.

“Sorry, I tried to get out as quickly as I could.” He said, kicking his shoes off.

“How was the meeting?” She asked as he flopped down onto the couch next to her.

“Good, yeah.” He said with a nod. “We sorted out a few last things with Notes so it should be right to go soon.” He eyed the papers sitting on the table. “So, uh… how did you get on with the contract?” He asked, clearly anxious about her answer.

“It’s very… thorough.” She chuckled.

“George wrote it up with Jamie to make sure that all the legalities were covered and you had an out if ever you wanted one. We of all people know how rough this sort of lifestyle can be.” He should probably stop talking about the downsides of the job if he ever hoped for her to want to accept it.

“I went over it a couple of times, the job itself seems great.  The only things that worried me were having to relocate my existing life at home to commit to living on the road with you lot. I don’t know if I could cram my life into a suitcase. And I’ve never handled something as major as this. There’s a lot to learn, with pretty high stakes involved and I’m sure I’ll be being thrown straight into the deep end.” She sighed, feeling the sense of dread at fucking it all up sitting at the back of her mind.

  “However, despite of all of that, I’d like to take the job.” She grinned. He couldn’t help but match her smile as a wave of relief washed over him. When she’d started talking about the negatives, he was sure that it was going to lead to her turning the offer down.

“Welcome to the team.” He said, holding his hand out to her for a handshake. She laughed lightly before shaking it. “We’ll have to head down tomorrow to get all this finalised and tell the guys.” The excitement shone in his eyes.

“I look forward to it.” She replied.

“That just leaves one last question, then.” He continued, wanting to keep the ball rolling.

“Hm?”

“What did you want to do about us?” He asked as he tried to maintain his usual confident bravado, at least until this conversation was over.

  “Ah, yeah… about that…” She sighed. His hours out of the house had also given her a lot of time to consider what she wanted out of all this - out of him. “Matty, you are quite possibly the most egotistical and arrogant person that I’ve ever met. You are relentless when you’re right, and just as difficult when you’re wrong.” These were things that he was already well aware of, but he couldn’t help the pang of hurt in his chest at having to hear them again. “And yet, for whatever reason, I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since we met.” She huffed. What? “Which might be because despite the incredibly annoying traits that you possess, you also possess many redeeming ones. You’re passionate and kind and endlessly talented.” He could feel his cheeks warming slightly at her words. “You go to the ends of the earth for the people that you care for. You’re smart and funny and fuck. I don’t think I could continue ignoring my feelings for you, even if I did want to.” She admitted as she ran a hand down her face in frustration. “Even at my most blindly stubborn, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself if I committed to being around you more than I already am. Especially after everything that’s happened since I got here.”

He considered what she was saying carefully. “What did you want our next step to be, love?” He asked, wanting to leave the ball in her court and not push her into anything. 

“I’d be keen to give a serious relationship a try if you were.” She answered bluntly. He let out a triumphant laugh. “Don’t get too cocky now that you managed to win me over.” She cautioned him, but her smile betrayed the warning in her words.

“Too late. That ship has long since sailed.” He said as he pulled her into a tight hug.

  She hugged him back just as tight, glad to finally have it all out in the open. It was probably going to be a bumpy road ahead, with a million setbacks and challenges. But she was pretty excited to be facing those things with Matty by her side.

“To think, you got yourself into all this mess with a troubled musician just because you didn’t know how to reprint a t-shirt.” He scoffed as he pulled back. She could hear the joking tone in his voice, but the incessant need to correct him still bubbled to the surface.

“That is not at all what happened.” She argued.

“I’m fairly sure it is.” He nodded. “Pretty sure that I walked in there, you needed me for help with the shirts and then you begged me to hang out with you more.” He lied.

“I’m certain that you are the one who bothered me to hang out with you more.” She shot back. The smirk on his face made it pretty clear that she’d just taken the bait. Again. “Stop being such a twat.” She laughed.

“You make it way too easy.” He replied with a chuckle before leaning down to kiss her.

 Last Chapter

Next Chapter

[emotionally-imbruised]

A Tail of Their Own II: You’re Welcome

“It’s nice to see that humans never change.”

Word Count: 7.7k

One of the first things Harry learned about Y/N, was that she was basically an open book. Any question he asked, she answered. Usually, her reply was with a sarcastic quip or sassy comment, but nonetheless, she would still tell him an answer to anything he was curious about. Sometimes he even felt he asked too much, but how could he not? She was a mermaid after all.

Their first week together had been interesting, to say the least. Y/N had taken up residence in one of the extra bedrooms down the hall from his own and had slowly been adapting to life on land, all with Harry’s help, of course.

She was extremely thankful for everything Harry had done for her within that week. He always gave her the space she needed, would check-in to see if there was anything she needed, and was just always there to make sure she was taken care of. He didn’t make her feel like a burden, and Y/N was convinced he’d never understand just how much she appreciated that.

The two of them had bonded much more than either was anticipating, which was shocking and exciting to both. Y/N always had a hard time trusting humans, but somehow this particular trip onto land changed that entirely. She was glad it was Mitch and Sarah who had found her on that beach because if it weren’t, who knows where she would have ended up? And who knows if she would have ever met Harry because of it. Now, that was a thought she didn’t like thinking about.

Harry found himself warming up to Y/N way faster than he expected too. He was still well aware that the entire situation of her just being there was not normal, but half the time it was so easy for him to forget.

She was magnetic. There was just something about her that not only drew Harry in but captivated everyone else too. Maybe it was the way she presented herself. Always calm, cool, collected, and very curious about the world around her. However, she was also completely unafraid to speak her mind if she felt so inclined, something which Harry learned the hard way on numerous occasions.

The first time was about two days after the two of them had met. Upon finding Y/N resting in his bed, Harry had been insanely busy with work. If he wasn’t at the studio, he was at a meeting, and if he wasn’t in a meeting, he was planning. Having a career in the music industry was stressful and overwhelming, so when the opportunity came for him to finally be able to go home, he took it and ran.

Y/N had only seen him in passing during those first two days. They’d spent her entire first night talking about, well, everything, but after that, she barely saw him. He had given her the rundown of how certain things in the house worked, told her to welcome herself to anything, and to call him if she needed to as well (leaving a cell phone at the house with only his personal number in it). It was simple enough, and Y/N made do, but that particular night was different.

Harry had arrived back at the house earlier than he had the other two nights, and with three large shopping bags. Having spent the last couple of days piecing together odd clothing items to make something that Y/N could wear, he got somewhat of an idea of what size she wore and what she liked. This was mainly so that she could actually wear something other than the clothes Sarah had given her as well as a couple different t-shirts of his own.

On his way home, he stopped at a nearby shop to gather a few different items. Unsure of what she’d like, Harry settled on what he assumed to be the basics. Some jeans, a couple pairs of shorts, two dresses, a handful of shirts, and a sweater. He was pretty proud of himself for picking everything out and only hoped that the items would fit, and that she would like them.

The way Y/N’s face lit up when he told her the bags were all for her, was something Harry knew he’d never forget. She was unable to form a proper sentence due to her excitement, which soon lead to her pleading with him in attempts to find a way she could possibly pay him back.

“S’alright, really,” Harry explained as he watched her excitement slowly fade into stress. It was apparent Y/N was not used to someone doing something like this for her and simply did not know how to address it. “I figured you could use a few other things to wear.”

“You really didn’t have to do that, Harry,” Y/N sighed. “I would have figured something out. That money you left me yesterday, I used it to go buy some underwear and a bra. You’ve done so much already, and all I’ve done is taken advantage of it.”

He couldn’t help but feel his cheeks burn in embarrassment about just how blunt she was, but nonetheless, he knew he had to stand his ground. “You haven’t, Y/N. Please, just take them. I’m not even sure if they’ll fit you or if you’ll like them, but they’re here for you anyways.”

“I’m sure I’ll love them,” she responded defeatedly, before hesitantly reaching for the first bag.

Y/N grinned widely while taking each item out so she could get a good look at them. Not once did that smile falter as she inspected every piece of clothing, explained how much she liked it and proceeded to thank Harry all over again.

A similar smile stayed planted on Harry’s mouth as he watched her do this, and before he knew it, she was about to pull out the last item. This one he knew would be her favourite, for the minute he saw it, he instantly thought of her.

Y/N felt her breath hitch when she pulled out the final item, a dress, and she couldn’t help but stare at it in awe. It was a sundress, one that wasn’t too long or too short, and could easily be worn casually or dressed up. The material felt soft and smooth between her fingertips, which she really liked, but what she loved, even more, was the design.

It was white and had an effortless yet stunning floral print covering most of it; and to make matters better, each flower outline was a different colour. Various shades of pink, purple, blue, and green were all delicately stitched into the white fabric, creating an effect that reminded Y/N of something completely different, yet very special. Her tail.

“It’s beautiful, Harry.”

“I thought you’d like that one best,” he replied. “If none of them fit, I’ll make sure to exchange them an-.”

His words were cut off when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him in for a tight hug. After a tense, unexpected moment, Harry eventually melted into her embrace and returned the gesture. “Thank you so much.”

“S’no problem at all,” he tells her as she moves away to look up at him again.

“You’re too nice to me,” Y/N then stated. Harry was about to ask what she meant by that but never got the chance once she started speaking up again. “I uh, I figured out how to make coffee. Can I at least pay you back with a cup of that?”

He thought about asking her still, curious as to why someone could have it in them to not be nice to her but decided to drop it. “That would be lovely.”

The two of them made way to the kitchen, and Y/N got right to work or tried to at least. She took a bit longer than the average person as she studied the machine for a moment while trying to remember which buttons she had to press. Harry couldn’t help but laugh when she jumped after pressing the wrong thing and caused hot water to start spewing all over the place. She recovered quickly though, Harry gave her that much, but he still burst into laughter when she managed to turn it off and scowl at him.

A few moments later, Y/N walked over to sit on the barstool beside him with two steaming hot mugs, focusing intently on trying not to spill anything. Once she was settled, they engaged in conversation. Harry explained how busy work was, to which she nodded in understanding before telling him how she really hadn’t gotten up to much without him there; having been a bit nervous about leaving the house on her own unless it was quick.

He wanted to know why she was nervous but hadn’t found it within himself to ask her about that yet. Although, he was still insanely curious as to why she ended up on land in the first place. However, his thoughts were interrupted when a loud gasp sounded from beside him, and a pair of hands gripped onto his left forearm.

“What! What’s the problem?”

“You!” Y/N replied with a shocked expression as she rotated his arm in her grasp. He watched what she was doing, and then he saw it. “You’re a hypocrite.”

His mermaid tattoo. He hadn’t even thought about that and had to internally smack himself when she looked up to him and waited for a response. “I uh, well.”

“You give me a hard time because,” she paused to hold up air quotations and mimic his voice, “‘mermaids aren’t real,’ but yet, here you are with one permanently on your arm!”

He couldn’t tell if she was actually upset or not, but as he observed the slightest of smiles tug at her lips after a moment passed, he knew she wasn’t. So naturally, he had to play along.

“You know, I was really hoping you wouldn’t notice,” he started dramatically. “Because the truth is, I’ve known about mermaids for years now. I was sworn to secrecy, though. The whole ‘me not knowing what to do when I found one in my bed’ thing? That was fake.”

“I hate you.”

“Ouch, hate is a strong word, Y/N.”

A small chuckle left her mouth although she tried really hard to cover it up. “So, you lied then? I don’t think I’ll be able to trust you after this, Harry. I may never forgive you.”

“No?”

“Nope,” Y/N shook her head before looking down at the tattoo again. “Also, I don’t know what other mermaids you’ve seen, but we’re usually not that… exposed.”

“Fair enough,” he laughed and looked down at the ink as well. “Guess I kinda left it open for interpretation.”

“Whatever you say,” she responded as she stood up with their now empty mugs and walked around the island to place them in the sink. “It’s still going to take me a while to forget this.”

Harry grinned at just how hard she was trying to act serious and thought of ways to break her facade; an idea springing to his mind when his gaze fell on the long retractable hose that was attached to the sink.

Suddenly, he leaned across the counter to grab ahold of the hose with one hand and pointed it in her direction.

“Oh, really?”

Y/N watched with a narrowed gaze as he placed his other hand on the tap in preparation to turn it on and spray water at her. “You wouldn’t.”

“Wanna bet?” Harry challenged, knowing full well what would happen if she got wet and was unable to dry herself fast enough. Just to mess around with her a little bit, he turned the water on and had to stifle another laugh when it hit her square on the arm.

“Harry!” The annoyance was clear in Y/N’s voice as she grabbed a nearby dish towel and wiped away the water from her skin.

“What?” He asked innocently before turning the water on again and watching as it soared past her and hit the stainless steel fridge on the other side of the room.

She turned to look at the mess he just created before slowly facing him again with wide eyes. “What are you, twelve?”

“On a scale of one to ten, yes,” Harry replied nonchalantly before spraying the water at her again, and laughing as she desperately tried to dodge it.

“Can you not? I’m not particularly feeling like growing a tail today.”

“Oh, but being a human is just so boring.”

Y/N went to sass him back but had to cut herself off when more water came flying her way, and she ducked behind the counter for cover. There was no way she was moving from her spot until she decided on an escape plan, so she desperately tried to come up with one. After a quick moment of viewing her surroundings, she decided that her best option was to just make a break for the doorway. Slowly, she got into position and was just about to go when she noticed how things were quiet, too quiet, and soon halted her actions.

“Harry?”

Nothing. Just dead silence. Y/N waited for another minute and debated on peeking over the counter to see where he’d gone to, but there was no need for a second later he appeared around the corner with a full glass of water.

A small shriek left her mouth as she scrambled away from him. She eventually got to her feet in time without getting wet before booking it out of the room. Harry was right after her though and continued chasing after her for another fifteen minutes. He didn’t intend to actually soak her to the extent of her turning back into a mermaid, but the two of them were having fun. And it was a nice break from reality for both with everything else that was going on around them.

As the days went by, the two grew even closer. After that night of messing around in the kitchen, they started making it a routine to just simply be around one another whenever they could. They played cards, listened to music, watched movies, and talked about the day’s events whenever Harry returned home.

It was a good system, but Harry still had those lurking thoughts about not really knowing why Y/N ended up on land, or if she was planning on just up and leaving one day soon.

Soon enough, that day came. It was over a week since he’d first met her that Harry decided to address the topic just so he could have an idea of everything; specifically how she ended up on that beach. It wasn’t that she had become a bother to him or anything, that wasn’t the case at all. But after he helped her from the shower and talked to her for most of the night — getting the lowdown on mermaid history, until she eventually decided to go off to bed. As soon as she was gone, he called Sarah.  

Sarah explained to Harry how she and Mitch found Y/N, what had happened, and their process of bringing her back to his house. Other than the entire situation being completely abnormal, he didn’t really question anything. However, just before she was about to hang up, Sarah mentioned the way Y/N kept looking out at the water nervously, almost as though something, or someone, was watching her. She didn’t know what it was and told Harry he should try and figure it out.

He agreed but decided to give Y/N some time to maybe mention it to him herself. She never did, and that bugged Harry all week.

It wasn’t that he felt she was trying to hide it from him, it had just never really come up in conversation. So, Harry decided that he was going to make it a topic of discussion.

His plan was not to overwhelm her, because realistically, he just wanted to know if there really was something out in the water, or if it was something else entirely. He really didn’t know what he was getting into, but if there was a possibility of being able to help her in any way, he was all for it. She’d become somewhat of a friend at that point, and friends helped friends.

When he got home that afternoon, he was surprised to not find her roaming around the main floor. Usually, she was in the kitchen attempting to cook something, or curled up on the couch in the living room with one of the many books he’d already read. But that day, she wasn’t. In fact, there was no sign of her being downstairs at all.

Maybe she’d gone for a walk? Harry wasn’t too sure, and just when he thought about calling the cell phone he gave her, a small sneeze sounded from upstairs, and he knew there was no need.

After taking his shoes off, he gradually made his way up the staircase. Once he reached the top, he went to go left towards the bedroom Y/N was staying in only to find it the door wide open with no one inside. Confusion washed over him again, but then he heard the faint intro song of a tv show from down the hall. More specifically, his room.

Slowly, he turned on his heel and started walking towards his bedroom. Sure enough, when he got there, the door was partially opened while an episode of Queer Eye played on the huge television screen. He quietly pushed the door open to reveal Y/N wrapped up in a blanket and leaning against the headboard, not taking her eyes off the screen once to acknowledge his presence.

Her hair was in a lopsided bun, tied up loosely with a hair elastic she must’ve found laying around somewhere, which he could just barely notice beneath the sizeable black hood she had pulled over her head. She was wearing his hoodie and a pair of his track pants, and although he wasn’t exactly expecting to come home to that, he couldn’t help but notice how content she seemed to be.

Harry then leaned against the doorway, grinning as he observed just how focused she was on what was happening during that episode, all while mindlessly remaining curled up against his mountain of pillows. It was quite the scene, that was for sure.

“You cold?”

He knew that by speaking up he’d get some sort of reaction, and sure enough, as soon as he did, a loud gasp left Y/N’s mouth.

“Oh!” She started and began scrambling to stand up from her spot on the bed. “I uh, I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.”

“So you decided to watch Queer Eye?” He chuckled at how flustered she was becoming. “In my room.”

“Well, yeah,” Y/N responded, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. “I wanted to watch something and couldn’t figure out how to work the TV downstairs, so I came back up here, and your screen was on. So I just…”

“Made yourself at home?”

“Well if we’re being technical, you did tell me to do that,” she grumbled and looked away, not noticing just how hard Harry was trying to keep himself from laughing. “I’m sorry ok! Your bed is really comfy, and it was just easier that way. I also got pretty cold so I kind of, just, stole your clothes I guess.”

“M’not mad, Y/N,” Harry told her as he pushed away from the doorway and walked into the room. “I’m just teasing you.”

“Why do humans do that so much?”

He cocked his head to the side to look at her oddly. “What do you mean?”

“These jokes and teasing all the time,” she began to explain. “Mermaids don’t do that.”

“Oh, so mermaids don’t know how to have fun?”

“No, we do, I’m just saying we’re less childish. But at least it’s nice to see humans are still that way.”

“Still that way, huh?” Harry questioned while raising his eyebrows, knowing she was hinting at something. “Please do elaborate on that.”

Y/N hadn’t even realized what she let slip out until Harry called her out on it, but she was extremely casual in playing it off. “Well, I already told you how I was born on land. I’ve seen my fair share of humans and know enough to see how similar many of you act.”

“Ah yes, I know you did but you never actually explained that story to me,” he fired back, knowing that this was his chance to get some more information and only hoped that she’d share it. “That’s all I know is that you were born on land. You told me all about mermaids and how they work, but you never told me about yourself, Y/N. And, well, you’re the only mermaid I actually know.”

“I-,” Y/N started and stopped as she let her gaze fall down to where she was mindlessly twiddling her thumbs. Should she tell him? Would he even believe her backstory and how it tied into why she ended up on land, or how she was trying to avoid returning to the sea? She wasn’t sure, but as she slowly met his gaze again, she decided that he at least deserved the benefit of the doubt. “I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel like I’m keeping things from you, that wasn’t my intention. But it’s a really long story, Harry.”

“Good thing I’ve got time then, yeah?” He asked while smiling warmly at her. “Only if you’re comfortable in sharing, I’d love to hear all of it. Was thinking we could go get some food and maybe chat there?”

Returning the smile and instantly feeling more relaxed at Harry’s reassuring words, Y/N nodded. “Lead the way.”

Y/N quickly ran to her room to change into something different, making sure to neatly fold up Harry’s clothes and leave them on the edge of her bed seeing as she was in no hurry to give them back. She then threw on the other dress Harry had purchased for her a few days prior. It was a soft blue colour, with sleeves that went to her elbows and a little black belt around the waist. It didn’t catch her eye as much as the other dress did, but it was still stunning in her opinion.

Once she was ready, she quickly took her hair out of its bun and let it fall down freely. She almost just left it the way it was, but after taking a look in the mirror, she decided on brushing it before finally rushing down the stairs to meet Harry.

It was hard for her to ignore the blush burning her cheeks when he said how nice she looked, but nonetheless, she returned the compliment (even though he was still wearing the same outfit as before) and the two of them soon headed out to Harry’s car.

“Can I drive?” Y/N asked as they approached his vintage model Jaguar.

“No.”

“Why not?” She continued to press, slightly offended by the fact that he didn’t even consider letting her.

“Do you know how to drive?”

“Well… no.”

“Exactly.”

He had a logical point, and she knew it, but driving was one thing Y/N had always wanted to try and thought that maybe Harry would let her eventually. But for the time being, she reluctantly climbed into the passenger side of the car and pouting for the whole ride to the restaurant.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to get seated by the host, and they both wasted no time in reaching for a menu to search for what they wanted to eat. By the time the waiter came to take their order, Harry had decided on ordering some pasta, but Y/N seemed to be struggling.

“I uh, I’ll just have the Margherita pizza, thank you.”

She was nervous, that much Harry could tell just by observing the way she kept looking at everything around them. So instinctively, he tried to diffuse the situation.

“It’s nice out today,” he started casually and leaned back into his chair, thinking a casual conversation might help. “Not too hot.”

“Yeah,” Y/N muttered as she glanced around yet again. “It’s great.”

There was no emotion in her voice whatsoever, and that was when Harry knew something was up. “Is everything alright, Y/N?”

“Yeah no, everything is fine,” she told him before finally making eye contact again. “It’s just, there’s a lot of people here, and they all seem to be staring at us.”

Harry then moved his gaze to take in their surroundings as well. Sure enough, there were at least three tables of people gawking at them while subtly trying to take pictures. This was something Harry was used to happening, but he felt bad for how it made Y/N uncomfortable. So again, he changed the topic.

“Right. Uhm, try to ignore them if you can. They-.”

“That’s easier said than done, Harry,” she cut him off. “I can hear what they’re saying. I just don’t know why us getting food is any of their business.”

The last part of her statement got unintentionally louder with each word, and Harry had to watch with wide eyes as she sent a glare at one of the people sitting close by. He hadn’t really explained the whole part of him being a celebrity to her quite yet. To be honest, he never felt the need to, but now he couldn’t help but think about how that may be a conversation they have sooner rather than later.

“You’re right,” he started calmly and waited for her to look at him again. “But all we can do is ignore it. They’re harmless, I promise.”

“If you say so.”

“I know so,” he responded before leaning onto his elbows. “Now that we’re here though, why don’t we talk about what you were saying back at the house.”

Y/N was surprised by his sudden change of topic, but she played along and eventually stopped thinking about the other people around her. It was just her and Harry. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“How about at the beginning?”

“Okay,” she nodded and got right into it.

The next ten minutes or so was spent by Y/N telling Harry a very detailed story. She started off by talking about a merman who spent quite a bit of time on land, more than the average mermaid. He loved exploring and was fascinated by the land itself and what it had to offer. Eventually, he met a woman, a human, and they fell madly in love. After that, the merman never returned to the ocean and made an entirely new life on land with his soulmate.

“That’s a lovely story, but what does it have to do with anything?” Harry asked, just as the waiter placed their food on the table in front of them.

“See, that couple I mentioned? Those were my parents,” Y/N explained, and Harry nodded in understanding. “A few years after they got married, they had me. And I was raised on land for the first seven years of my life, with so much love. I always knew I was different. My parents never kept the part of me that was indeed a mermaid hidden, and with that, we all learned how I differed from a regular mermaid as well.”

“And how is that?”

“Well, like I told you last week, mermaids can manipulate water. What I did was nothing compared to what a proper mermaid can do. I’m weaker when it comes to mermaid abilities; however, being on land is where I thrive. Water takes longer to affect me, and I tend to blend in with humans better.”

”Okay, interesting.” Harry hung onto every word that she said, but still going himself to be insanely curious about it all. “Where are your parents now?”

“I don’t know,” she told him with a shrug. “I got separated from them one night when I was seven. It was pretty disastrous, and I promise to tell you that story another day… but, yeah. I’ve been on my own since then. I ventured off by myself and never really felt a need to stay in one place for too long. I’ve explored every ocean on this earth, alone, and even got into a bit of trouble along the way. Especially recently.”

“Surely it couldn’t have been that bad,” he scoffed and looked at her amusedly. All she did was purse her lips in response, and Harry knew right away that something was up. “Unless it was…”

“You’ve seen or read Twilight, right?”

Harry looked at her skeptically, genuinely curious as to where this conversation was going now. “I have, yes. But please do explain how the hell you know what Twilight is.”

Y/N was insulted by what he said and made no effort to hide those feelings when she scoffed disapprovingly. “Just because I’ve lived underwater for most of my life doesn’t mean it was under a rock, Harry. Of course, I know what Twilight is.”

“How did you expect me to know that?” He argued defensively, not being able to hold back a few chuckles as Y/N let out a huff and crossed her arms over her chest dramatically. “Ok, sorry, you were saying.”

“Oh, so now you're interested.”

“Y/N, just tell me the damn story.”

“Fine,” she grumbled and shifted in her seat. “Like on land, mermaids have laws and rules that are put in place to make everything run smoothly. They’re relatively easy rules to follow and don’t get broken often because mermaids are rather peaceful creatures. However, because of how dangerous it can be for us to get exposed, there are systems in effect that can enforce the rules if need be.”

“Ok,” Harry stated with pursed lips. “And how does Twilight play into all of this?”

“I’m getting there,” Y/N hissed and glared at him, letting him know just how badly he was getting on her nerves. “In Twilight, there’s the Volturi, the ones that enforce the vampire laws. Mermaids have the same type of thing, but we just call them the royals. They once had a leader who went missing quite a few years ago, but they’ve done a good job at keeping the peace since then and are greatly respected.”

“Are they as aggressive as the Volturi?”

“No. Well, as far as I know, no.”

Harry thought about Y/N’s explanation and really tried to wrap his head around it all, and what it all had to do with her. “Did something happen between you and these royals?”

Y/N fell silent as she used her fork to start picking at the pizza that remained on her plate, making sure to avoid Harry’s gaze as she did so. “I guess you could say that.”

“Well, what happened?”

She stayed quiet, causing Harry to start feeling a bit uneasy about it all. This time, he shifted in his chair before dropping his voice into a whisper and speaking up again.

“Y/N, what did you do?”

Another sigh left her mouth before she let go of the fork and finally made eye contact with him again. “I royally pissed them off, that’s what I did.”

So many questions ran through Harry’s mind as he processed what she said, however, he was only able to actually form one of them into a sentence. “Is that why you ended up on land?”

Y/N nodded.

“And I dug the hole I was already in even deeper when I let Mitch and Sarah help me. Humans aren’t supposed to know about mermaids. That’s the oldest law we have, and I broke it.”

“But your father,” Harry tried to reason. “Obviously, he did the same.”

“Yeah,” she laughed unemotionally and looked away from him so that he wouldn’t see the tears forming in her eyes. “But there’s a reason I haven’t seen my parents since I was seven, Harry. I haven’t been able to trust anyone since then.”

And it was true, the day she lost her parents, Y/N also lost her ability to rely on others without assuming they had poor intentions.

The sadness in her voice as she explained this, crushed Harry. It blew his mind that someone as carefree and sweet as Y/N had gone through so much, yet still somehow managed to have a smile on her face. And as he thought about it a bit more, he started understanding why she would be so reluctant to trust others.

The thing was, Y/N wasn’t afraid of the world, she was scared of the things it consisted of. Far too many times had she been burned simply by believing someone actually was looking out for her. Realistically, it had always been her against the world. What a lonely life to live.

Her story was a topic she tried extremely hard to avoid. It made her feel vulnerable and weak, two things she was not but, somehow, Harry managed to make her feel comfortable enough to open up about it. He was one of the few people, out of many mermaids and humans she’d come across in life who simply wants nothing but the best for everyone around them. It was an extremely rare feature for someone to have, Y/N realized but was something she greatly admired.

Harry's want to know about her, not as a mythical creature, but as a friend… as an equal was a concept Y/N had trouble wrapping her head around. But yet, here was with someone she’s only known for a week, feeling like she’d known him for so much longer. She could only hope that one day, Harry would know how much that meant to her, because thanks to him, she felt a little less alone.

“I’m so sorry, Y/N,” Harry finally spoke up after a few moments of silence. He wasn’t sure what to say but figured that could be a good start.

“It’s alright. Sorry to dump that all on you.”

“You didn’t dump anything on me,” he explained. “I was the one who asked, and I should be the one who is sorry for making you talk about it.”

“You know, it’s not something I do very often,” she explained. “But it is nice to open up every once in a while.”

“I could only imagine.”

“Yeah... But thank you for making me feel safe enough to do so.”

Harry just smiled warmly and couldn’t ignore the warm feeling that was bubbling inside of him. “You’re welcome, Y/N.”

The two then fell silent again when the waiter approached with their bills. Still, Y/N felt terrible for letting Harry pay for her meal, but decided not to express her feelings when Harry sent her a narrowed glance.

Once everything was paid for, they left the restaurant and made way to the parking lot again. Y/N expected them to start heading back to the house then, however, it seemed Harry had other plans.

As he was driving the highway, Harry made a last-minute decision to go to the beach instead of going home, and that left Y/N very confused.

“What are we doing here?” She asked as they pulled into an empty dirt parking lot.

“I thought some fresh air would do you some good seeing as you’ve been stuck in the house all week,” Harry answered as he put the car in park and started climbing out of the driver's side. “Unless you want to be lame and just sit here alone.”

“I am not lame,” she argued as he started walking away and she had to scramble out of her seat to go after him.

“Then let’s go.”

“The least you can do is wait!”

“Nah, you can catch up.”

He didn’t have to look back to know that Y/N was scowling at him, but just continued down one of the paths and smiled to himself when she eventually fell in step with him.

“You’re a lot to deal with.”

“Mhm,” he murmured while shaking his head. “Says the mermaid.”

Knowing it’d be a losing battle if she continued arguing with him, Y/N didn’t respond and decided to let him win this round and remained quiet for the rest of their walk.

When they reached the stretch of beach, Y/N couldn’t help but smile. Although she still had no desire to return to the ocean so soon, merely being near it made her feel relaxed. It was the only home she’d ever really known, and she hated the fact that she had basically been forced away from that.

The sun was just beginning to set, and it added a warm, peaceful glow to everything around them. There weren't very many people, which Y/N and Harry both appreciated. It was pretty much just them, a family attempting to build a sandcastle,  and a few surfers catching some waves in the distance. Even the food vendors to their left and a place to rent surfing gear on their right were utterly empty aside from the people working in them.

“I always wondered what it’d be like to surf,” Y/N spoke up first, cringing as she watched someone wipe out. “Looks pretty complicated though.”

“Do you want to try?” Harry asked and nodded towards the surf stand as they took a few steps onto the warm sand.

Y/N glanced at the massive waves that were further out and started shaking her head. “I know for a fact, that will not end well. Also, mermaid… remember?”

“Yeah, I guess you wouldn’t want anyone else to find out, huh?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

“Alright, I guess I won’t give you a hard time about it then,” Harry sighed and looked over his shoulder at the stand. “But I’m going to do it.”

Without another word, he started walking away from her and towards the shack. Y/N watched with a raised eyebrow as he started talking to the person working, before walking over to the multiple surfboards laying in a row nearby and picking one up.

A chuckle left her mouth as she watched him struggle with carrying it, but Harry didn’t care as he walked right past her and continued towards the water. “I have an hour with this thing, so let’s see how it goes.”

Once he reached the water's edge, Harry shamelessly took off his shirt and tossed it on the sand, before picking up the board again and going into the water. He didn’t go as far out as the other surfers by any means, just far enough that when a wave came in he could attempt to stand up and let it take him back towards shore.

Y/N found a comfortable place on the sand, watching him and his many mishaps. Each time a wave came in, he’d try to stand on the board but would end up losing his balance and would fall into the water, causing her to laugh. In some weird way, every time he fell seemed funnier than the last, and Y/N thought she might lose her breath because of it.

After at least five tries, Harry finally found his footing and even made it all the way back to shore. He dramatically bowed as Y/N clapped and cheered, before deciding to back out, regardless of there not being much sunlight left at that point.

“Bet I can do it again.”

Y/N was sure he could too, but this time she thought maybe she’d mess with him a little. She watched as he swam back to the same spot and waited for another large enough wave. As soon as there was one, he stood up on the board again and sure enough, was able to keep his balance.

He had an arrogant grin on his mouth when he looked at her, and that when she decided to shake things up. By just looking at the water that was in front of him and nodding, Y/N was able to create a wave of her own that went entirely against the tide.

Harry hadn’t noticed what she was doing until it was too late. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when a wave started to form in front of him and seemed to be coming his way at full speed. Eventually, his board came in contact with that wave, and he was lurched forward off the surfboard, and into the water.

By the time he resurfaced, Y/N was laughing harder than she’d ever before. And it only grew more intense when she noticed him glaring at her disapprovingly.

“You think you’re so funny, yeah?” Harry called out as he began his trek back to shore. “Must be nice to make water do whatever you want it to.”

“Oh, don’t be such a grump,” she responded. “I had to bring that ego size down a notch somehow.”

“Whatever,” he grumbled while trudging onto shore with the surfboard in tow. “I have the right to have a big ego, doing that was hard work.”

“I think you made it seem a lot more complicated than it actually is, Harry.”

“I’d like to see you try,” he scoffed while plopping onto the sand next to her, thinking about how he really should’ve brought a towel.

“I’m not going all the way out there,” Y/N told him firmly. “But I’ll show you that I have better balance.”

Without another word, she stood up and started dragging the surfboard back to the water. The tide hadn’t come back yet, so Y/N used that to her advantage as a way to keep herself from getting wet. Once another wave came in, she set the board on the damp sand and pushed it as the tide started retreating again. With a quick breath, she kicked off her shoes before running over the wet sand after the surfboard and leaping onto it before it got too far.

Part of her was ready to face plant as she tried to gain her balance, but much to her (and Harry’s) surprise, she didn’t. Although she wobbled slightly after first getting on the board, Y/N quickly recovered and was able to glide along in ankle-deep water with ease.

Harry watched with a wide grin as she did this and noticed just how excited she got over sticking the landing. He then observed as she manipulated the waves again to change her direction so that she was moving sideways. Once they locked eye contact, she started mimicking a surfer's stance before beginning to dance as she continued gliding.

“Ok show off; we have to return that thing before it gets dark.”

Knowing he was right, Y/N listened to what Harry said and nodded before changing her course of direction again, and going back to shore. Once she came to a complete stop, she hopped off the board and started dragging it back towards Harry again. “Don’t be jealous because you know you wouldn’t be able to do that.”

“Whatever you say,” he replied while taking the surfboard from her hold and lifting it up, all while avoiding her gaze. “I’ll go return this. We uh, we don’t have to leave just yet if you don’t want. S’pretty cool here once the sun is down and the stars come out.”

His suggestion made Y/N smile. It was apparent he didn’t want their little outing just yet, and to be honest, neither did she. “I’d like that. I’ll um, I’ll wait right here.”

Harry returned the smile and nodded before going back to the surf shack. She watched him go before turning back around and making her way back towards the water.

Way off in the distance, the sun was just about to disappear over the horizon; leaving warm streams of pink and purple in its wake. The waves had calmed down, no surfers were out still trying to catch the biggest one, and the only sounds were that of the calm tide coming in momentarily before going right back out.

Y/N really liked viewing the ocean this way. It was one of the prettiest things she had ever seen. She hadn’t witnessed a sunset while on land since she was a child and to be there seeing it, with Harry, was more perfect than she could have ever imagined.

She heard someone approaching behind her and waited patiently for Harry to join where she was standing… but for some reason, the sound just stopped abruptly.

“It’s pretty here, isn’t it?” Y/N asked out loud without turning back around. However, he didn’t answer. She gave him a second, furrowing her eyebrows as to why he wouldn’t respond, but still nothing. “Harry?”

“Try again.”

A surprised gasp left Y/N’s mouth when instead of Harry, a female answered her, and she wasted no time in whipping around to see its source; her breath hitching once she did.

Standing behind her were a man and a woman. They were wearing regular human clothes, but Y/N knew they were far from being actual humans with their identical black hair, pale skin, and the familiar seashell clip that pinned the woman’s long hair away from her face. The same clip that matched the starfish one that rested in Y/N’s hair.

“Oh, no.”

“Oh no is right,” the merman who had spent an entire night chasing her replied as he stepped took a step forward, causing Y/N to take a step back.

She then looked at the mermaid, who just grinned maliciously as she too began stepping towards Y/N’s timid figure.

“You’re a long way from home, Y/N. I guess it’s time that we all go back there now, don’t you think?”

[ladyreapermc]

Fic: Parent Trap 4/10 (Keanu x Reader)

Summary: Annie and Hallie are twin sisters who never met until they end up in the same summer camp together. They decide to switch places to see how the other lives. Hallie heads to Los Angeles to meet Keanu, owner of Arch Motorcycle Company, while Annie goes to New York to meet you, rising fashion designer and their aunt. Their plan is simple: get their parents together to make the perfect family. If only it could be that easy… Previous chapters: prologue | 1 2 3: 

Author’s notes: So here we are, back with parent trap. I shall remember for future references that I can’t manage two series at once. Anyway, let’s get to it and as usual feedback is always greatly appreciated.

Wordcount: 3404

Warnings: none. Just lots of fluff

You looked away from the blank page of your sketchbook and across the cashier’s counter to Hallie. It had been a couple of days since the girl had returned home and to your surprise, she asked to come to the store with you.

It wasn’t completely unusual for her to come. There was a nice bookstore a couple of stores over and she sometimes liked to spend time reading there. The elderly couple that owned the place pampered Hallie with cookies like she was their grandkid and in turn, she helped them with computer stuff and small tasks around the shop.

What was surprising was to see Hallie browsing the racks of clothes in the store, picking up a few pieces and bringing with her to mirror to check it out, adding this and that accessory to see how she could look on the outfit. Once in a while, she would ask if there were any of them in her size and if she could have it.

That along with all the other odd things you had been noticing about your niece were starting to, well not exactly worry you, more like get you to notice and pay attention even more than usual. It was all small little things, like going off meat and making sure to stylish her hair every morning or how she would try to sneak some ham pieces to Salem to get the cat to come over or how she was always on the phone��

Of course, you didn’t expect her to stay the same forever. Hallie was a teenager, she was growing up, discovering herself and what she liked, who she wanted to be. It was just weird to witness the process and how fast it seemed to be happening. You didn’t remember going through so many changes at once. Then again, your teen years had been spent under Mary’s shadow since she demanded so much attention from your parents.

You were the quiet kid, the one that didn’t give any trouble. Maybe that was why you didn’t feel like much had changed for you. You were always the one that spent hours in your room, either reading or drawing, Mary was the one with all the friends and parties and behavior issues. Now here you were, raising her child, while Mary…

Letting out a sigh at your gloomy thoughts, your attention shifted to the board you built as inspiration for your new collection. Color pallet and textures, geometric figures and flowers and movies and songs, they all called to you whenever you were trying to create, but it almost felt like this time you couldn’t get anything down on paper and it was getting so frustrating.

“You have that look on,” Maggie said, coming from storage with a few new outfits to change the mannequins. “The I can’t draw and I want to punch something look. It’ll come to you. Just be patient.”

“I didn’t know you had a name for it,” you chuckled, setting the pencil aside. “And I can’t afford to be patient, we have bills to pay.”

Once again you sighed, reminded of the three envelops of overdue charges that you stuck in your drawer on Friday. You needed a new collection ASAP and it needed to do well otherwise the store would have to close doors and everything you and Maggie had fought for would be over.

She had been with you since the beginning, the marketing and sales guru to your artistic tendencies. Maggie was the one to suggest the store in the first place. The one who built the website for online shopping… Basically, she was the one that made all of this possible and you couldn’t even deliver your end.

“We still have some savings to hold us until next month,” Maggie assured, squeezing your shoulders. “Just go easy on yourself, enjoy your time with Hallie and it will happen.”

At the mention of your niece’s name, you turned your attention at the girl again. She was spotting one of the dresses on sale, along with the personalized denim jacket you made for her, her battered old converse and a pair of aviators from the store. She looked amazing and stylish and you stood up, picking up the camera you kept in the store.

You were hoping to sneak a picture since you knew Hallie hated them, but as soon as she saw the camera, she actually struck a pose for you. Deciding to think about it later, you snapped several pictures of the girl noticing she had a natural talent for modeling.

“Put this one on, please,” you asked, giving Hallie one of the daisy overshirts from the latest collection and she dutifully obeyed before you led her outside where the light was better.

You got lost in the process of taking pictures. It had been quite a while since you had done it. Usually, Maggie was the one to take pictures for the store social media so you forgot how this could be fun, especially with such a willing model. Hallie worked effortlessly through the suggested poses, only pausing to change outfits, always with a wide smile in her face.

“What do we have here?” the familiar smooth baritone of Jason brought you back to the present and you realized it was almost noon. “Hallie willingly letting her picture to be taken?”

You put the camera down, tilting your head to receive the kiss Jason pressed on your cheek, his hand resting on the small of your back as he looked over at Hallie, which made your attention turn to her as well.

Hallie loved Jason. He was like an uncle to her, but right now she was looking from him to you to the point of contact between you two with a deep frown. You didn’t know why her stare made you self-conscious, but you stepped away so Jason was no longer touching you and offered him a quick smile.

“I guess she was feeling generous,” you joked weakly and Jason at least flashed a smile back, but Hallie didn’t react at all.

“Well, I hope I’m not interrupting. Just thought I could take my two favorite girls to lunch.”

His smile widened all white teeth and sweet dimples. His blue eyes warm and hopeful and you felt the familiar warmth in your chest as you nodded, glancing at Hallie once again.

“That sounds great, doesn’t it, Hal?”

“Sure,” the girl replied dryly. “I’m gonna change.”

She was gone before you could even think about saying anything else, leaving you to stand alone with Jason in awkward silence.

“Is everything ok?” he asked, with a confused frown and you just shrugged because you had no idea.

The walk to the deli was made in a strange silence because every time Jason tried to strike up a conversation, Hallie would just give him monosyllabic responses and whenever he tried to talk to you, she would just give you two this look and any conversation would simply die down.

You wished you knew what was happening, why she was being so cold with Jason, but you couldn’t just ask when he was right there. It would be rude.

“Did I do something?” Jason asked when Hallie excused herself to go to the restroom. “I mean, she’s usually hard to please, but today…”

“I don’t know,” you sighed and shrugged. “She’s just…” you trailed off, unsure what to say because how could you definite it without being weird?

“Anyway…” Jason started, thankfully moving on from the subject. “I ran into Becky yesterday.” You just arched your eyebrow at him in expectation, because whenever he ran into his ex trouble seemed to follow. “She’s helping to organize this fashion show in Los Angeles and one of their designers dropped off last minute so I kinda showed some of your stuff and she was interested.”

You froze, bagel halfway to your mouth. Did you just hear Jason right? He had asked his ex-girlfriend, a woman you couldn’t stand, for a spot on her fashion show on your behalf.

“I know what you’re thinking…” Jason started and you snorted.

“I don’t think so.”

“Seriously, I know you have your issues with Becky, but this a real chance for you and the store.” You hated that he was right.

“When is it gonna be?”

“In two weeks,” he said with a grimace. “And it has to be all-new pieces.”

“Fuck!”

You had been struggling for a month to get anything on paper and now you had to have an entire collection ready in two weeks. You wiped the cream cheese filling that has spilled from your bagel on the napkin and looked out the window. There was no way you could do it. But if you didn’t do it, you’d be missing a huge opportunity.

“Alright,” you sighed, squeezing the bridge of your nose. “Tell her yes.”

“You can do this,” Jason said with a smile, taking your hand across the table. “I believe in you.”

You wished you could be as confident in yourself as Jason seemed to be, but right now a knot of anxiety had just formed in your belly, the loose ends snaking around your chest, squeezing your lungs and making it harder to breathe.

“I should get going,” you sighed, grabbing your things just as Hallie finally emerged from the restroom, her expression lighting up as she noticed you were getting ready to leave. “Talk to you later.”

“Bye Justin!” Hallie called out over her shoulder with a barely disguised smirk as she followed you outside, her own uneaten veggie sub in hand.

“What was that?” you asked with a suspicious frown as the two of you made your way back to the store. “Justin?”

“I messed up his name. Sorry.” She shrugged looking to anyone else like the picture of innocent, but you knew better. So you just stared Hallie down, eyebrow crocked up in expectation, arms crossed over your chest. “Fine!” she sighed. “What’s up with you and Jason?”

You weren’t expecting this question and it took you by surprise, making you start walking again as a way to avoid Hallie’s piercing green eyes. She always had a way to look at you that made you just talk about anything even if she was just a kid and you shouldn’t just tell her everything you were feeling.

“He’s a friend, you know that,” you said trying to take the safe path out of this mess.

“Who’s clearly in love with you and you know it, Dave,” Hallie pointed out, quickening her step so she could step in front of you, making you halt. “Do you love him back?”

Of course, it would be Hallie to voice out the question that had been running through your head for years. Did you love Jason back? A part of you wanted to say yes. He was your best friend and had been with you through thick and thin.

He had been there through your parents’ death and Mary’s crisis and her death… He was there through all. He was that person you called when everything turned to shit and part of you knew you loved him. Of course, you did. You just…

“You love him but you’re not in love with him,” Hallie said with a soft smile and you huffed a breath, relief mixed with surprise. When did your kid turn that perceptive?

“I guess,” you shrugged, wrapping an arm around her shoulder so you could restart their walk. “I don’t really know why. He’s great, he’s just not…”

“What you want,” Hallie cut in, as usual, reading your mind and you nodded. “But do you know what you want?”

You thought about it for a moment, considering all the men you had been in love through your life. It had been many, especially not since Hallie, but there were two or three that left you wishing it could have turned into something more.

“He has to be good with kids,” you said at last. “And have a good sense of humor. He needs to understand that you and the store are my priority right now and he needs to have his own thing. I don’t like clingy guys.” You mused a little more, bottom lip caught between your teeth. “He needs to be kind, you know? And loving and supportive.”

As you spoke, you could see Hallie’s smile growing, her eyes looked brighter and excited like she was in on a secret that you weren’t, but you decided to let it go for the time being.

“And he needs to know how to cook, because you know I’m hopeless,” you joked, making Hallie laugh. “So if you know anyone like that, please send him my way?”

“Absolutely, Dave!” Hallie said with a quick wink just as you reached the store.

---

Keanu hummed happily as he busied himself with kneading the dough, a big smile on his face at his family was together joking and laughing as they got everything ready for pizza night as per tradition. It was the first since Annie returned from camp so he was determined to make sure she enjoyed it as much as always.

He would never admit it aloud, but ever since she asked for the camp, Keanu had been silently panicking. Annie was the most important person in his life right now and the thought of her growing up and slowly distancing herself, learning to be more and more independent, terrified him.

Keanu knew that he was being irrational. Annie wasn’t a baby anymore. She was a teenager and of course, she needed her independence and he needed to give her that. Help her build her life. And it wasn’t as if he was one of those parents that live for their kids. Yes, Annie was his priority, but he had Arch and his friends and family. He had a life. Which mostly consisted of his work life lately, but it was still a life, right?

Even if he couldn’t remember the last time he went on a real date with someone he really cared about. Maybe it was time to put himself out there again. Keanu wasn’t getting any younger and even if he had more or less gave up on his idea of the perfect little family, he still wanted to have someone in his life. Someone to share things, to love and support and who would do the same for him. Someone who understood Annie’s place in his life as well as Arch’s and how that didn’t mean Keanu would love them any less. Someone to share the wins and losses, someone to be his partner. Someone…

“Ke, I think the dough is good,” Karen called out making him snap out of his musings and look at her.

She was giving him a half-amused, half worried look from where she was cutting up the veggies for the topping. In her eyes, Keanu could see the silent question: was he ok? Did he need to talk about it?

He sighed and surveyed the kitchen. Annie was working on grating the cheese, while her cousin Daisy worked on the sauce. They were talking quietly and laughing like the great friends they were and Keanu smiled.

Even if he didn’t get that partner that he envisioned, he still knew he would be a pretty happy man. He was luckier than most.

“I’m good,” he whispered to Karen, wiping his hand on his apron, so he could pick up the pizza trays and olive oil spray so they could start spreading the dough. She just nodded in reply, her attention turning the two tweens to check their work.

It took longer than usual to get the two pizzas ready for the oven. One completely meat-free for Annie and Daisy and a pepperoni one for himself and Karen. Keanu really admired his daughter's stances on animal cruelty and he knew she wanted to go completely off animal products, but he still couldn’t bring himself to let her. Not yet at least. And it became something they could bond over, cooking together and the least fun bit of cleaning up together too.

“How long until they’re ready?” Annie asked, gathering the topping ingredients to store in the fridge. “I’m starving.”

Keanu checked the timer before turning to Annie to reply just to freeze as she casually popped a piece of pepperoni in her mouth. He glanced at Karen and his sister had the same bewildered expression that he sure was in his own face.

“Annie, what are you doing?” Daisy exclaimed, her tone getting high pitched and Annie stilled, looking at her. “We don’t eat meat!”

Keanu thought Daisy was overreacting a little bit, but the younger girl idolized Annie, following her around like a shadow whenever she came over to spend the summer and mimicking Annie in all possible ways, from her clothes to favorite music genre and lifestyle choices. Daisy had even gone off meat as well and he knew it was more to impress Annie than out of any real belief of her own.

“Right!” Annie said, looking alarmed as she glanced at her cousin. “Well, the camp had such terrible vegetarian options that I have to go back to eating it, but I’m going off again.”

She put the bowl of pepperoni away almost as if it had burned her before flashing a small sheepish smile to everyone in the kitchen. Keanu just shrugged. Sure it was weird because he was pretty sure he remembered something about the vegetarian menu in the camp as a criterion for her choice, but maybe it was just bad?

To him, it wasn’t a big deal. Annie was learning about herself every passing day and she was bound to go through changes. And sure, ever since she came back from camp, those changes seemed more prominent and it almost felt like Keanu was faced with a brand new Annie, but she was his daughter. She would always be his daughter, no matter how many little or big changes she went through.

So he pushed out of his mind, heading off to the back porch with Karen and some wine so they could watch the stars and talk while Daisy and Annie went to her room to do their hairs or something else.

Keanu laid back on one of the porch chairs, keeping a bit of a distance from his sister as he puffed in his cigarette, deep in thought. He could hear Karen shifting in her own seat, her intense gaze, much like his own, set on him.

“So mom is coming over next week,” she said conversationally and Keanu just nodded. He knew it already. “She has news to share.”

“Which usually means she has a new boyfriend,” Keanu sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Hope he’s not a dick like that Richard guy.”

“Me too,” Karen snorted. “How come our mom has a better love life than us?”

“I have no idea,” Keanu replied with a chuckle of his own. “Maybe we should ask for tips or something.”

“Maybe.”

“Or maybe we should accept the fate that we’re gonna die single and alone,” he joked dryly and Karen snorted.

“Aren’t you cheerful person, tonight?” she said, giving him the sideways glance. “Is that what got you so moody? Singlehood?”

“Not moody, just…” he paused, considering his words, but he couldn’t find a way to really describe it. “I’m 55. Maybe it’s time to just let go. Dating, I mean. I have my family and Arch and my friends… that’s enough, right?”

“Ke…” Karen let out a long exhale and once again he could feel her gaze on him, heavy and worried. “You’ve always wanted to get married. Maybe it’s taking a bit longer, but you’re gonna find that right person. I’m sure of it.” She reached over to squeeze his hand. “I bet they’re somewhere out there and when time is right, they’ll come into your life. I do believe in fate, you know?”

“Well, could you tell fate to hurry the fuck up?” Keanu joked with a grin, squeezing Karen’s hand back to let her know he was alright and that she didn’t need to worry about him.

And even if she was wrong. Even if that person never came, Keanu knew he would be alright. He had everything he needed right here.

xxx (tbc) xxx

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[umi-tama]

November 18th 2011

Yes! My V5 finally arrived 😁 I'm pleasently surprised about its condition. It's a used one, but looks like new🌟 I'm very very satisfied with this purchase, since I've always sworn to myself, that if I ever get a V5, it will be the black and gold design with the Gozarutchi charm. I set the time, decided to call my family "Muto" (after Yugi Muto from Yugioh - if I ever have a Celebrity V5, please remind me to call my family there Kaiba *g*) and was soon presented with three bouncing little eggs.

Shortly after my little babies hatched and eagerly demanded food and playtime. I gave them some fried rice with prawns (and got all jealous of them, because it looked so good!), a lollipop and played some TV zapping with my eldest daughter, before starting to take care of their bonding level. Right now, when I press C they just look at each other puzzled, apparantly confused at what to make of each other. That's not how siblings should behave ;/ So I used some little tricks I found in the forums here, to get them a campfire and a Gotchi King DVD.

Then I eagerly waited for it to get 4pm, so they'll call for training, but instead of doing that... they went to sleep *lol* Shortly after waking up they evolved and I continued trying to get their bonding up: 

(Who doesn't feel a lot closer to their family, after watching some poop piles dancing and singing together? 💩💩💩)

After a (short ^^') while I already lost interest in making them use their items or call for training, and just left the kids jumping and tumbling and running across the screen. It didn't take long for my eldest to get exhausted by playing so much and raid the fridge behind my back. 

She spent quite some time in front of it, trying to comprehend the fact, that it was empty *lol* Yeah, well, I didn't have the chance to buy anything so far. Sue me ;P And then - finally - around 8:45pm the kids decided to call it a day and get ready for bed: 

Here are their stats after going to sleep: - Hungry: ❤❤❤❤❤ - Happy: ❤❤❤❤❤ - Bonding: 20%

*

Kohaku did two good deeds today. I missed praising it for the first, but was fast enough to react to the second one :) So far, my little angel hasn't taken any strolls (at least as far as I can tell). I can only assume the reason for this is me having paused it for a couple of hours, while I was at work ;/ Here Kohaku's stats after going to bed: - age: 2 days - TP: 49 ❤ - Discipline: ||||||| - Hungry: ❤❤❤O - Effort: ❤❤❤❤ 

*

Since I can't pause Kimiko, I just left her alone when going to work. Usually she takes some neglect quite well, but this time, when I came home, she only had one happy bar left and the "bad mood" and "hunger" attention icons were lit. I fed her and filled up her happy bars, but no matter what I try, the "bad mood" attention icon won't disappear :/ And I tried a lot, believe me. I read her a book a dozen times. I cleaned her and brushed her hair equally often. I fed her, I gave her water, candy - plenty! - and even medicine once. I also tried to discipline her. Absolutely nothing works. I really don't know what to do. I'm afraid she'll run away while I'm in bed, sleeping *sigh* Anyways, here are her current stats: - age: 5 years 8 months - IQ: 202 - weight: 13,7 kg - 🙂 ▌▌▌▌ - ❤️ ▌▌▌▌

~

And here a pic of all 3 of my tamas: 

*

*

November 20th 2011

Family Muto evolved today ^^

I got their bonding up to 90% by now, so when I press C, all three of them come up close: 

They're sooooo adorable! I also got them some pretty convenient items, like the mushroom and the yacht, which both fill up several hungry / happy hearts, so I really don't need to take a lot of care for them *hehe* Here are their stats after going to sleep: - Hungry: ❤❤❤O - Happy: ❤❤❤❤ - Bonding: 90% 

*

Yesterday morning I woke up to the sound of Kohaku evolving into Kodoten :) Such an adorable chubby little cherub! 💖 Unfortunately I expected Kohaku to stay like this a bit longer than 24 hours, so I missed my chance to take any pictures, because today it evolved again. Kuriten says "Hi!":

First time ever Kohaku beeped at me while doing a good deed (didn't even do so as a Kodoten :/) and I also caught it having gone for a stroll the first time today. When I called it back, its wings fell off! That immediatly made me regret having called the little one back, even though Kohaku smiled at me ;__;' I'll try to keep the somewhat good care up, to maybe get the twin angels later on. We'll have to wait and see, I guess ^^ Here Kohaku's stats after going to bed: - age: 4 days - TP: 64 ❤ - Discipline: ||||||| - Hungry: ❤❤❤❤ - Effort: ❤❤❤❤ 

*

So... I did get Kimiko's bad mood attention icon to vanish yesterday and her happy bar up to 3 bars again. It seemed as if everything was good again... Until somewhat late at night, when I fed her and this happened: 

... wat? No matter what I tried, she stayed like this throughout the whole day. Even her weight kept the same, although I fed her quite a lot :/ I can only assume, that she was supposed to grow up, when she turned 6, but something glitched and instead her looking taller or what ever else was planned, she just vanished. I don't want to reset her, since she takes freaking ages to get older and grow, and I hoped to be done with her before Christmas, so I guess I'll just keep her going like that and wait, if it gets better when she grows up the next time or something... or wait, no, I'll just keep an eye on whether or not she gets older anymore at all. Or else I'll be having her as long as the batteries last x_x' Here are her current stats: - age: 6 years - IQ: 249 - weight: 12,5 kg - 🙂 ▌▌ - ❤️ ▌▌▌▌

*

*

November 21st 2011

Family Muto finally reached a bonding of 100%. Since I had to work, I got them a ticket from the Travel Channel and sent them on a nice trip around the world :) They're still teenagers. Here are their stats after going to sleep: - Hungry: ❤❤❤❤O - Happy: ❤❤❤❤O - Bonding: 100% 

*

Not much to say about Kohaku, whom I also had to pause several hours today ;/ Here its stats after going to bed: - age: 6 days - TP: 80 ❤ - Discipline: ||||||||||| - Hungry: ❤❤❤❤ - Effort: ❤❤❤❤

*

I reset Kimiko today. When pressing the reset button, the whole screen was lit for a split second. So it's definitly not the screen that was responsible for the problem. Hm :/ Anyways, I took out her batteries for now. I might give her another run next year.

[readbeneaththelines]

Captured Moments Pt. 4

A/N: You are an artist given the chance to work with BigHit Ent. as their Creative Art Director. Getting to spend time with BTS, you form a friendship with them. But With Namjoon, could it grow into something more?

Characters: Namjoon x Artist!Reader

Warnings: soft Namjoon, soft and fluffy OT7

Word Count: 3166

i love his untouched illuminecent skin! cr. to gif owner

Namjoon walked the short distance back to the dorm deep in contemplation. Could he really have that sort of thing? He never thought to ask, or even thought to think if it was possible. He hung his head as he made the last few steps to the dorm. When he entered, the rest of the members were gathered around the living room, talking in hushed tones.

 “Hey. You finally made it. Sorry we left like that, but you know.” Jin trailed off as he watched Namjoon pad his way to his room. Namjoon closed his door, lying down on his bed and falling asleep lost in his own private thoughts. About an hour later, his phone buzzing roused him from his sleep. Picking it up, he cursed himself for forgetting to text you.

Y/N Artist Extraordinaire: Never heard from you. Hope you made it home safely. Text me when you get this. Good night Joon, see you tomorrow :/

He tapped out a quick response. 

Joon: Sorry. Came in and fell asleep. I made it safely. Thank you for checking on me. Will see you tomorrow. Sleep well.

He turned his phone over, laying his head back on his pillow before falling back to sleep. 

The moring came without warning, your nose missing the sweet aroma of coffee brewing. You struggled to get out of bed, you half-closed eyes leading you to the kitchen. Searching for the necessary items, you eventually joined the living as you sipped on the life nectar you so desperately craved. You dressed in your usual attire of comfy pants and a t shirt that once was clean and crisp, but now carried the remenants of paintings and hard work. You walked slowly to your studio, coffee in one hand and bag slug over one shoulder. The morning rush of people nudged and bumped into you without a word. You entered the front door, barely acknowledging Jisoo as you trudged your way to the waiting elevators. Reaching your destination at last, you set everything down. You put your favorite playlist on repeat, turning the speaker up to full volume and began working. You had so many ideas filling your head, that you found it hard to sleep last night. After your talk with Namjoon, your wheels began turning and just would not stop until you came up with a plan. 

Set design was the first thing in order. You called for the art department staff to meet you in your studio in fifteen minutes. You grabbed your laptop, opened the SketchUp program, and set to work. Right on time, the staff entered and you started sharing your thoughts and ideas.

“I want to create these scenes.” You shared as you showed them your sketches from yesterday. “We can either use a set or do them outside, whichever one will be more realistic for each theme. If each of you want to select a member to work on, that would help me a lot. I have one week to get the basic sets set up on my computer, so lets get to work. If you have any questions, please feel free to come to me.” You sent them on their way, two staff interns selecting a member to work on. You personally selected Namjoon, already knowing what you had in mind for him. You created a set design on your laptop, on taking a break long enough to get a bagel and more coffee. By the end of the day, you had a majority of his scenery set. 

Namjoon’s theme was going to be outside. You did a search of nearby rivers. Only a handful had what you were looking for, a singular shade tree. Writing your options down, you set about finding antique stores. You made some calls, finding one that carried old books, some of them over a hundred years old. 

You made a mental note to ask him about the books he has read.

You stood from your stool, raising your arms above your head and lifting up on your tiptoes. You had been hunched over your computer and sketchpad all day, and your body was telling you to have mercy. You walked into the hallway, looking out of the window that lined one wall. It was already dark and the city lights were shining against the greying clouds. You took your phone from your pocket and looked at the time. It was already eight p.m. and you had several missed messages from the chat group. You scrolled through them, typing out a quick ‘sorry’ before gathering your things. You locked up the studio, leaving your supplies for tomorrow, and headed through the empty building. Light were turned off, only the few remaining security guards letting you out. Just outside the doors, you could hear faint music drifting down. You gazed up, seeing a long row of lights still on. Gauging by the location, the group was still rehearsing. Behind you, several female voices caught your attention. You looked at them with amusement. Their dedication to trying to catch a glimpse of one of the members was astounding. They were here from sun-up to sundown, never wavering in their devotion. One of them saw you and ran up to you.

“Do you get to see them? How are they? Are they healthy? Do you get to talk to them?” The bombardment of questions had you holding your hands up.

 “Please. Leave them to their privacy. I understand you are fans, and love them, but if you truly loved them, then you would respect them enough to give them space.”  Your reply did not set well with this young lady and she began yelling in your face.

“We love them enough to respect them! Who are you to tell us what we should do. You’re probably swooning all over them, watching them as they practice. You could only be as fortunate to have their attention. Are you trying to keep them for yourself? You’re the selfish one, telling us to leave them alone!”

“Seriously! Back off. I just work with them. You know nothing about me.” By this time, her friends had gather around the two of you, watching your back and forth arguments. They egged her on, telling her to shut you up. You were unaware of what she was going to do next. The sound of skin hitting something hard echoed in your right ear as her fist connected with your cheek. You stood in dazed confusion as she reared back for another swing. Just as her hand came down, yours went up. Your hand wrapped around her fist, stopping it mid swing. You easily lowered her to the ground, her hand twisted at an odd angle. 

“I would recommend you not doing that again. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you give me no other choice, I will.” The young lady was on her knees by this point, her fist still in your grasp. With barely a movement you pushed her hand backwards, then downwards. The pressure was enough that if you really wanted to, you could snap her wrist. With a push, you have her falling backwards as you let her hand go. Her friends scrambled to help her back up. You simply turned and walked away with one warning. “If you every approach me again,I will not hesitate to break that hand. Now good night and leave these premises.” 

Your cheek burned and your jaw ached on the walk home. Feeling the area where she hit you, had you wincing in discomfort. When you got home, you looked in the mirror as saw the large bruise already forming. This one was going to be tricky to cover, even with make-up. You iced your face as you sat on the couch. You finally had a moment to respond to the group chat.

Y/N Artist Extraordinaire: Sorry I missed you all today. Been working hard on your themes. Saw you were still practicing as I left tonight. Get home safely. Try to catch you tomorrow.

Yoongi: are you okay?

Hoseok: yeah.. We saw what happened outside, we were just leaving

Y/N Artist Extraordinaire: did all of you see?

Jin: see what?

Y/N Artist Extraordinaire: nothing Jin. You all have a good night.

Yoongi: are you okay? You didn’t answer me

Y/N Artist Extraordinaire: yes Yoongi, I am fine, no need to worry

Jimin: night

Jungkook: What did I miss? 

Hoseok: Nothing Kook, go back to your game :)

You signed off, putting your phone away. The ice had melted, and your cheek was sufficiently numb. You dreaded tomorrow already, not knowing what to expect from the crazed fans. Taking something for the soreness, you set your coffeemaker to start in the morning,then went to bed. 

You were in your sudio the next morning, already hard at work when the door opened. “Y/N” you heard Namjoon’s voice behind you. You lowered you head as you answered. “Hey Joon. Did you need something?”

“Yeah, I need you to look at me?” 

Shit! You mumbled under your breath.

 “Give me a minute, let me finish this, one thing.” That did not resonate with him and he stepped up beside you, taking your chin in his hand. He turned you to face him, his eyes going wide at the large bruise that took up your entire cheekbone. 

“What in the hell, Y/N!” He exclaimed, turning you on the stool to face him full on. “Who hit you? Why didn’t you tell someone?” 

“Because, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Some crazy fangirls snapped last night and I put them in their place.” you shrugged, wincing when he lightly touched your cheek. “Who told you, anyway?” you peered at him in question.

 “Yoongi said I needed to check on you today. That, of course, made me worry.” He continued examining your cheek as he talked. “You’re going to press charges, right?” 

“Press charges? Hell no, Joon. They are silly girls, and I defended myself easily enough. I don’t want to make a big deal out of it. Especially with this being my first week here. Now, please don’t worry. You have six other people to take care of. I will be fine.” He wasn’t happy with your decision, but accepted it anyway. 

“Fine. So, how are the themes going? Any progress?”

You showed him the basic designs that your staff had worked on, each team working impressively fast. 

“Where’s mine?” He watched the screen over your shoulder. He was mesmerized by how neat everything looked. 

“Yours is coming. I’m personally working on yours. So be patient, okay.” You smiled at him, secretly hoping he would be happy with what you had planned. “So, are we getting lunch today? I want to show the others what we have so far.”

“Sure. We have recording until about two, is that too late for you?” You shook your head, raising a protein bar off the side of your desk. “See you at two.” you said as he left. As soon as the door shut, you sunk in you seat. You did not want him to know what happened. He was the kind of person that wanted to take care of everything and everyone. You scolded yourself for not telling them last night to drop it. But you knew they wouldn’t. That was who they were, kind and caring, watching out for each other and their fans. You worked until two o’clock, making sure you had enough time to get downstairs for lunch. Just as were were about to close up, the seven of them were coming down the hall towards you, arms full of food.

Hey, Y/N! Damn girl!” Taehyung sees you face and stops walking. The others look up and see what he is talking about. “Y/N! Are you okay? “Who did this?” “I’m going to kill someone!” 

“Guys! Really, I’m okay. Just a little bruise, it’s not that bad, really.” They gathered around you, each taking turns on inspection your battle wound. 

“Yoongi and I saw it from the practice room window last night as we were getting ready to leave. By the time we got down she was already gone.” Hoseok interjected, nearly sounding ashamed he couldn’t be there to help you out.

 “Hoseok, there was nothing you could have done anyway. You don’t need to make any scenes. Besides, I am pretty proficient at defending myself.” After they finished looking you over, they all crowded into the studio. Setting a clear space on the floor, food was set out and your laptop was in front of you. You pulled up each scene and let them give you their opinion. Everyone was in awe what they saw. 

“Where’s Namjoon hyung’s scene?” Jungkook asked. 

“I’m working on that one myself, its still in the idea phase, but it will be great.” You all ate and talked, laughing and making plans to meet one-on-one to go over their scenes. 

“Well, back to work guys. We have a radio stint to get to later. Y/N, wanna join?” You looked around the studio. There were lots of things that needed to get finished, but who were you to pass up a chance to see them in action. “Sure. Why not. I can always come back here tonight and work on things.”

They cleaned up their mess, and walked out with you in tow. You looked down at your clothes, embarrassed suddenly with what you were wearing. “I can’t bee seen with you all looking like this. I look like a slob compared to you all.” They chuckled, Hoseok pulling you to him. 

“Maybe, but you are our slob today.” His cheeky grin made you smile, lightening your heart.

Seriously, Hoseok. I can’t go out like this.” He frowned which made you frown too. 

“Tell you what, we have a few hours before we have to be there.” 

Taehyung’s face lit up as he yelled out “Shopping Spree!” You rolled your eyes at them, and they just laughed. “We are taking you shopping. Consider it an advancement of your salary.” They took your wrist, leading you out of of the elevator and down to the garage. You all squeezed into a van and headed out. They each pulled their masks over the lower half of their faces and some put on a hat. Their manager met you all at the first shop. You were nearly dragged by Hoseok and Taehyung into the store. You head was spinning as they brought you several outfits to try on. You patiently tried each one on, modeling for them. They gave nodding approval to almost every outfit. When you had settled on four new outfits, they paid for them and led you back to the waiting van.

“I really appreciate this you guys, but I plan on paying you back when I get paid.” 

Jimin glared at you. “No you won’t. You accept them thankfully and be happy.”

 You shyed back, surprised by his authoritative tone. “Yes, thank you all. I really appreciate this.”

“We have one more stop. Our favorite salon. We are going to drop you off and come back for you when we are on our way.” Namjoon chimed up, a broad smile gracing his full lips. 

“What? A salon?” you asked. 

“Yep. You are going to get your hair and makeup done. I’m quite curious how you look all fixed up.But nothing can beat how pretty you are anyway.” Jungkook’s face turned bright red when everyone looked at him. “What? You guys have to admit she is already pretty as she is.” They all nodded, and it was your turn to blush. 

An hour and a half later, you hair was cut, colored and your makeup was done. They were even able to cover the bruise. When you looked in the mirror, you were shocked to see your transformation. You never really made yourself up, considering what you did, because you never felt the desire. But seeing yourself now, you really did look beautiful. The color they chose for your hair complemented your eyes and made them pop. Your face glowed, and you were smiling. You shimmied into the outfit they left for you to wear to the radio station. It was a slim pair of red pants that hugged your curves in all the right places, the top was crisp white with red detailing on the front pocket. You put on the small strappy heels. One last look in the mirror and you wondered where the woman you saw looking back at you had been hiding. 

A collective gasp had you turning your attention to your reflection. Behind you, all seven men stood in awe of the young woman in the mirror. They just stood and stared at you, eyes not even blinking. 

“Hello there. Are you all ready?” you kept eye contact through the mirror as you looked each of them over. Jin was in all black, his jeans full of strategically placed rips. Jimin wore tight jeans that accentuated his muscular thighs paired with a flowy top. Jungkook and Taehyung closely matched with fashionable hoodies and dark jeans. Yoongi was also in all black, his hair pushed back with a headband. Namjoon was wearing khaki dress pants, a light blue button up shirt  and dress shoes. He looked stunningly handsome. They all looked so handsome, and you thought about how lucky you were to get to know them. They were more than their looks, though, and you were only getting to break the surface of who they really were. One by one each came over to you complimenting your new transformation. But all you could see was Namjoon, he was still frozen in his place, eyes locked with yours in silence.

Namjoon was mesmerized, unable to tear himself away from you. Everything faded to the background as he took in every detail. From the way your hair frames your face, how the clothes fit you perfectly, and how your smile lit up your eyes. The sound of your soft voice reined him back to the present.

"Joon? Hello? Earth to Namjoon." Your nervous gaze settled on his, a smile curling up the corners of his mouth.

"Wow. You look, you look amazing" was all he could utter as he blinked several times.

 "Thank you Namjoon, you look pretty handsome yourself." Jin's shocked look was echoed by Hoseok. Straightening yourself on last time, you turned away from the mirror and faced them. 

"We had better get going, don't wanna be late." Yoongi added as you all thanked the stylists and exited.

@min-shookga-yoongi @thekimlinenet @beautifulseoulliar @agustd-suga-yoongii @astronomyturtle @aspaceformyself @dreamyoongi @holy-yoong i@trashkazuya @maxinaptak @micky1518 @rosiemilas @karri570 @xjamlessparkx 

[buckybabybaby]

Mr Hollywood (Chapter 5)

Summary: Bucky Barnes, an underpaid teaching assistant in a small English village, dreams of a movie career back in his home country of America. He finally gets the break he's always wanted, and if it wasn't for you, his best friend, he wouldn't have been able to take it.

But is that fact enough to save your friendship when it's tested by the pressures of Hollywood?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes/Reader (Gender Neutral)

Word count: 1865

Chapter summary: Bucky comes home! But only briefly... :(

Warnings: None I think!

Chapter 4

Mr Hollywood Masterlist

Masterlist

*****

Pouring rain on Halloween night means the bowl of sweets by your front door is almost full as you answer the bell for the final few trick-or-treaters. Normally, Bucky helps you decorate the porch and front garden on the Saturday closest to the thirty first, so doing it alone this year was a bit of a challenge, but you're happy with the end result. 

The witches cat, out for it's third year, sits well by the mini pumpkins and broom, and the motion activated sound effects along the lantern lit path create the perfect atmosphere, just the right side of creepy.

The children certainly seem to approve.

Switching off the fairy lights and putting the leftover treats out of sight and temptation, you curl up on the sofa, scrolling through the pictures you took earlier of your decorations, choosing the best to send to Bucky. By your calculations it should be around midday in Los Angeles, lunch time hopefully, however it's always difficult to judge when he'll have a bit of a break. His replies to your texts have been slow and sporadic, but you understand, and he always apologises for taking so long. Today is a different story though, as the message is marked as read seconds after you send it, and you watch the little bubbles on the bottom of the screen as he types back his response. It's only a short text, saying that he shouldn't really be on his phone right now, but 'Happy Halloween!', and its accompanied by a photo of his own seasonal decorations, a plump pumpkin carved to look like a haunted house. He was always better than you at that kind of thing, you think, as you compare your own efforts with his, marvelling over the intricacy of the design. The picture appears to be taken in his trailer, and you zoom in to the corners, pleased to see it's cosy, homely. You had worried about how he would cope, being thrown in to such a foreign situation, as from the little information Bucky had been able to share, it seemed as though the other actors were old hands at living on set. It looks like Bucky's learned a thing or two from them.

Your reply to his picture goes unread, and you don't expect it to be answered any time soon. It feels like you never have proper back and forth conversations any more, that phone call cancelling his trip home feels like an age ago, and you miss his voice. The first half of the Autumn term wasn't as tough as you thought it would be, Bucky's replacement Peter is as easy to work with, so you have no complaints on that front, its just not quite the same without him.

Later, as you climb into bed, you allow yourself to briefly think about the future. Now that Halloween is done with, Christmas feels just around the corner, and Bucky's return can't come quickly enough.

*****

Luckily, Autumn quickly rolls to an end, and before you can blink, the annual school disco is upon you. The children look forward to it, and while it is a wonderful way to end the school term, with the combination of sugary drinks and snacks from the tuck shop, the only time they're permitted, the excitement for Christmas, and the speakers blasting classic festive songs, keeping it all under control can be exhausting for the adults.

Taking a breather, you wander through the empty corridors until you can no longer hear the commotion from the assembly room. The cloakrooms between the classroom areas are always a little cooler as they aren't heated, and after the stuffy hall its a welcome break.

Discreetly checking your phone you sigh at the lack of texts. You try not to keep it on you when you're working, not wanting it to be a distraction, but you are waiting on a message from Bucky, not so patiently. You want to know when he's going to be back around here so you can see him, but that's difficult to plan for when he doesn't reply. Leaning against the wall, you scold yourself for being annoyed at how uncommunicative he is, its unfair to expect to be made a priority, and it's not as if you're going to be super busy over the winter break. Whenever he's free you'll make sure you are too.

A door shuts nearby and you pocket your phone, pretending to be interested in the staff board in front of you, showing every teacher, assistant, cleaner and cook on it, your picture sitting at the top of the second column. Footsteps approach as you zone out, staring down the photo of yourself, only half aware that they've stopped beside you.

“Is that who took my place? Looks like one of those cartoon me-mes.”

Frowning, it takes your brain a few moments to work out what is happening.

“A what? Me-”

Turning to face the person who interrupted your bubble of quiet, you gasp, sure you're dreaming.

Bucky stands in front of you, and before he has a chance to say hi properly you're throwing yourself into his arms, only just holding in your squeal of joy as he wraps his arms around you. He smells just as he always did, that combination of three colognes you used to tease him about even though it is an amazing scent on him, and the memories it evokes has you snivelling against his chest.

He soothes you, rocking you with him as you wipe your eyes with your sleeve. “Sorry. I'm just tired I think.”

Nodding understandably against your hair, he hold you tight in his arms until your calmer.

Suddenly remembering his earlier words, you giggle as you pull away. “Me-mes? Really Bucky, you're still such a disaster.”

“And a very merry Christmas to you too.”

Smiling so wide your face hurts, you take him in. He's wearing a yellow visitor badge as opposed to your blue staff lanyard, and it makes him look so out of place even with the familiar surroundings. You note that despite spending nearly half a year in California, he's only slightly more tanned than when he left, but his hair looks different, glossier if possible, and softer. His casual style hasn't changed though, and you're happy to see that faithful puffer jacket he bought a couple of winters ago is still around. You can imagine he's grateful for it, coming back to the shock of single figure temperatures. All in all, he looks so much better than you remembered.

“And anyway,” You say, gesturing to Peter's picture that Bucky commented on, “He's actually really nice. So you should be too.”

“If you say so.”

Snorting, you check your watch. “If you have time, you could meet him?”

“I'd love to, but I've got to get to Dayton's. I didn't say I was coming here first, he'll worry I got stuck in the airport.”

“What do you mean? Haven't you been to his yet?”

“I wanted to see you first.”

“It's not really on the way is it?”

“No, but, worth it.”

Your tummy flips, flattered by his honesty. At a loss of what to say in response, you stare at the notice board behind his head, wondering if he's always had this effect on you and you've just forgotten over the months he's been gone, or if this is a new feeling. Even after an absence of six months he still has such a hold over you.

“What about tomorrow?” You ask after a short silence. “You remember the Christmas lunch? I'm sure we could squeeze you in if you wanted.”

You cross your fingers behind your back, desperate to have him here a little longer.

“Only if they have those potatoes I like.”

Thinking about how you'll make them for him yourself if you have to, you laugh at his condition for attendance, before escorting him back to the entrance foyer and his waiting taxi.

*****

“Are they not feeding you over there?” You chuckle, watching fondly as Bucky scoffs down a very full plate of dinner. Students and teachers a like have been absolutely delighted to see him again, and he's been given pride of place at the main table, with you squashed in beside him at his insistence. Peggy sits opposite, giving you a significant look every time your eyes meet.  She's not pleased that you aren't paying attention to her.

“Well, yeah, but only the really healthy stuff.” He takes a last forkful, scraping at the plate forlornly, before eyeing the food you are yet to eat. Sighing good naturedly, you push it towards him. “Go ahead.”

Thanking you with a grin, he tucks in, quiet until you question him on how long he'll be back.

“Only a couple of days.” He cringes at your confused expression.

“But I thought-”

“I know, I know. But as we've had so many delays because of the weather, everything is so behind, we're basically filming all hours of the day. Most people on set have never seen anything like it, and it's only going to get even more intense. They want to hit the summer season so we're doing all nighters to get it finished.”

“That's ridiculous.”

“And then press and promo, I don't know when I'll get to come home next.”

You don't know what to say. Bucky only arrived yesterday, and now that it looks like he'll be gone by the end of the week you're lost, disappointed and angry at someone or someone's you haven't met.

“Are you at least getting enough sleep?”

He shrugs. “Does anyone in this industry?”

Peter interrupts your conversation before you can continue your interrogation, flopping down between you and Bucky to introduce himself, seemingly in awe of everything about him and his life after Wild Fields Primary School. He knows what you've told him, so not much really, and whilst he tries to dig for more answers from Bucky you force yourself to smile and enjoy the little time you have with him.

*****

The end of lunch comes too soon and whilst you would love to stay with Bucky, teaching duties call. He's driven himself here so you walk with him back to the door out to the car park, refraining yourself from giving him a hug as it feels inappropriate in front of so many people, but he has no such qualms, and ignoring everyone around, you treasure being so close to him, conscious that it may be a long while until you see him again.

Stepping back eventually, you peer through the drizzle at the car Bucky's hired for the day, only half surprised to clock the luxury badge on the front. Not exactly the little run around he used to own.

“That looks very fancy, really going up in the world aren't you?”

“I'm still me.” He says, smiling bashfully as he presses a kiss to your forehead, before slipping out of the door.

“Just don't you forget about me Bucky Barnes.”

“Never, doll.”

You wave him off, not knowing then that Hollywood has a way of changing people, and that sometimes they can't keep their promises.

*****

Chapter 6

[purrincess-chat]

Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s Spite Playlist: Original CH9

I did say I wanted to update it by/on Valentine’s and I actually came through!

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Chapter 9

“I’m impressed, Adrikins,” Chloe said, sitting across from Adrien and crossing one leg over the other. “It’s not like you to go on the offensive.”

“I don’t like seeing my friends get hurt,” he said while Jean Luke poured their tea. “Lila has gone too far.”

“I’m so glad you’re seeing things my way. With you on my side, I think we can have her running back to Italy in tears by next Tuesday,” Chloe said with a crooked grin, taking a sip of her tea.

“Well,” Adrien drawled, and Chloe rolled her eyes. “I want to stop her, but I don’t want to humiliate her or hurt her or in any way cause her grief.”

“Adrikins,” Chloe groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “We have got to do something about that moral compass of yours.”

“Just because she’s mean and selfish doesn’t mean she deserves to be completely mortified. There has to be another way,” Adrien chided, and Chloe set her tea down with a sigh.

“What if we send her a fake letter saying she won an all-expense paid trip to Jamaica for two years?” Chloe said, tapping her chin. “Then, in reality, we have our pilot strand her in the middle of the jungle.”

Adrien gave her a disapproving frown.

“What? I’m just brainstorming,” she said, crossing her arms. “I’m just saying that I will spare no expense to make her disappear.”

“No harm, Chloe,” he reiterated sternly, and she pursed her lips.

“I liked you better when you were spineless,” she grumbled. “Where has all this new-found courage come from anyway?”

“I just thought about what you said,” he shrugged, reaching for a madeleine, “and Lila confronted me.”

“Well, I suppose I give you an A for effort,” she gave him a slow applause. “If you could convince that bakery brat to join us then we might get some good ideas.” When Adrien averted his gaze, Chloe’s eyes narrowed. “I can smell your guilt from here, Adrien.”

“I don’t want Marinette to know about this,” he said with a wince. “I want her to continue to move on and be happy.”

“You’re being awfully protective,” Chloe said pointedly.

“Lila has caused her enough grief.”

“So, that’s why you want to do something about Lila now? To help Dupain-Cheng?” She asked with a grunt. “And here I’d thought you couldn’t stand to see me being ignored.”

“Chloe, you’ve known Marinette longer than I have, but do you think she deserved to be treated that way by her friends?” Adrien asked, and Chloe shifted her gaze to her cup, taking a long, thoughtful sip.

“No,” she said finally. “As much as I hate her, she didn’t deserve that.”

Adrien’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but a smile curled on his lips.

“You’ve changed,” he remarked, and she scoffed in denial, setting her cup on the table.

“Don’t think for a second that I care about her,” she said, cheeks red, and they darkened when Adrien leaned against his fist with a smug grin.

“I like it. It suits you,” he said, and she puffed her cheeks out stubbornly, prompting a laugh from Adrien.

“Well, if you’re not going to let me do things my way, and you don’t want Marinette to know about this then I’m going to need some time to think and pull resources together,” she said, changing the subject.

“Thanks, Chlo,” he said, leaning back with a deep breath. “Although…”

“Don’t ‘although,’” Chloe groaned.

“I just feel kind of bad for yelling at her like that,” Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, and Chloe threw her head back with a whine.

“Why? She deserved it,” she said, snatching a bonbon from the tray and popping it in her mouth.

“I know, but…” he clasped his hands together between his knees. “It still feels mean.”

“Wow, that passion was short-lived,” Chloe said with an eye roll, and Adrien pursed his lips.

“I’ll talk to her again tomorrow and give her one last chance.” At that Chloe shook her head, releasing a sigh through her nose. “If she says no then we can figure something out, and I won’t fight you.”

“You’re such a goody-two-shoes, Adrikins. Always thinking everyone can change and be nice,” she stuck her tongue out with a gag.

“Well, I never gave up on you, and now you’re a superhero,” he said pointedly, quirking a brow, and Chloe flipped her ponytail over one shoulder to hide her face.

“Fine. Do whatever you want, but I’m still going to think up plans for revenge,” she waved him away, but he noticed the small smile on her lips before she masked it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, crossing the room to kiss her cheeks in farewell before taking his leave.

Chloe clapped for her butler the moment the door shut behind him.

“Jean Rousseau, how quickly can we have a case of live lobsters delivered?”

***

“Wait, what happened?” Adrien asked later over video chat, his Chinese notecards abandoned on his desk.

“Clara Nightingale wants me to design for her! She came by in person and everything,” Marinette reiterated. She laid prone on her chaise, legs kicking as she chewed her nails. “I’m so nervous, but she thinks I’ve got what it takes.”

“Of course, you do, Marinette. You’re awesome,” Adrien assured her with a smile, and she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear shyly.

“So, how was school for you today? Anything exciting happen?” She asked, and Adrien averted his gaze.

“Uh, just same old, same old. Lila being Lila,” he shrugged before flicking his gaze back to her. “Nothing too noteworthy to report.”

“That’s good, I guess,” she said, picking at loose threads on her pillow. “I take it Chloe hasn’t made a move?”

“Nope,” Adrien shook his head.

“Give her time,” Marinette rolled her eyes then leaned against her fist. “By the way, my new friends still want to meet you.”

“I’d be happy to meet them,” he said, relaxing a little at the change in subject.

“Eliott invited me to hang out on his yacht soon, so maybe you could come along if you aren’t busy,” she suggested, and the warm smile returned to his lips.

“I’ll beg my father,” he said, and she seemed pleased by that response, though Adrien tapped his fingers hesitantly. “You know I’d do anything to help you, right?”

“What? I, uh, yeah I mean, we’re friends, so I’d do anything to help you too,” she stammered, cheeks pink. “Why?”

“No reason, just if you need help designing for Clara, that’s all,” he rubbed the back of his neck guiltily before clearing his throat. “Anyway, I should get back to studying.”

“Right, I’m sorry for calling and distracting you,” she gasped, offering him an apologetic wince.

“It’s fine. I’m glad you did,” he chuckled good-naturedly. “Talk to you soon.”

“Good night, Adrien.”

“Yeah, good night.”

***

“Did you finish filing those papers Mme. Mendeleiev asked you to do?” Alya asked after school the next day, and Lila suppressed an eye roll, plastering on a shocked mask.

“Oh no, I didn’t, and I totally forgot that my mom set up a meeting for me with some ambassadors about a new idea I have to help special needs kids in third world countries,” she gasped, clasping her hands together pleadingly. “I know you’re busy, but would you mind finishing that up for me? I will totally make it up to you!”

“No worries, girl,” Alya smiled, veering off toward the lab. “Go save the world.”

Lila smiled triumphantly to herself as she sauntered toward the locker room, looking forward to her afternoon off. The students here were so gullible, and she’d never had such an easy time pushing her work off on others. Now that Marinette was gone, she could do whatever she wanted.

“Hey, Lila.” She blinked in surprise when she rounded the corner and found Adrien standing by her locker with a solemn expression. “Can we talk?”

“Are you going to apologize for how you spoke to me yesterday?” She crossed her arms over her chest with a humph.

“I am.” She side-eyed him, eyebrows furrowing skeptically.

“Well, go on then,” she urged, pressing her lips into a firm line to hide her smug grin.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you,” he said, and her smirk broke through.

“Apology accepted. I’m so happy that you see things my w-”

“I’m not finished,” he cut her off. “I’m sorry for yelling at you, but I’m not sorry for what I said.”

Her jaw hung slack, so he continued, “If you continue lying to everyone and using them, you’re only going to hurt yourself in the end. People are going to figure it out eventually, and they’re going to be angry with you.”

“These people are blind. I’ll get away with it for as long as I want,” she shot back, brushing past him to open her locker.

“I know you think that, but you’re wrong.” Her jaw clenched as she shifted her books. “I’m going to give you one last chance, Lila. Tell everyone the truth.”

“Or what, Adrien?” She turned to him and cocked a brow. “What are you gonna do? Tell everyone that I’m lying? Good luck. You see how well that went for your friend.”

“I’m not going to expose you,” Adrien shook his head. “You’re going to expose yourself, and I won’t help you when you face the consequences.”

“We’ll see about that,” she said, reapplying her lip gloss before shutting her locker. “Sooner or later, you’ll see things my way, and when you do, I’ll be waiting.”

With a wink, she strutted passed him, swinging her hips purposefully.

“Is that your choice?” He cocked a brow, and she turned to him with a hand on her hip.

“Oh, Adrien. One day you’re going to learn that not everyone in the world wants to be nice,” she cooed, and he nodded thoughtfully.

“Suit yourself.”

At that she rolled her eyes and paced from the locker room. Adrien didn’t scare her because she knew for a fact that he was all talk and no bite. It’s one thing that she loved about him because boys like that were easy to manipulate. It was only a matter of time before she had him eating out of her hand just like everyone else. She just needed to wait.

***

“I’m so excited that you’re finally coming to my house!” Macy squealed as she and Marinette walked arm in arm with Eliott trailing behind. “You have got to sit in my massage chair.”

“We should invite Martin too. I did not do well on our last chemistry exam,” Eliott sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Besides, he seems happier when he’s with us, even if he is quiet.”

“He usually waits for his chauffeur out front. Let’s see if we can catch him,” Macy said, picking up the pace, but she froze the moment they reached the front entrance. “Oh no.”

“What’s the problem, Martin? You said you would do my homework for the entire year,” Gabrielle snarled as Thomas held the small boy by his shirt collar. “Were you lying?”

“I-I don’t want to be your puppet anymore,” Martin said shakily, face blanched and eyes wide.

“He’s standing up for himself,” Marinette gasped.

“Kind of. He’s about to get his butt kicked,” Eliott winced, but Marinette was already marching down the steps, “and so are we.”

“Gabrielle,” Marinette called, and the posse turned to her with disinterested scowls.

“Oh, look, little miss thinks-she’s-all-that is back to save her pet hamster,” Gabrielle sneered, stepping between Marinette and Thomas. “This doesn’t concern you, street rat, so why don’t you run along back to the sewers?”

“Not until you let my friend go,” Marinette said, undeterred despite how Gabrielle towered over her.

“And just what are you going to do to stop us? You’re as tiny as a mouse, and there’s no one around to save you now,” Gabrielle leaned into her face with a dark smile.

“She’s got us,” Eliott piped up, crossing his arms over his chest, and Macy squared her shoulders beside him.

“Two more cowards? I’m shaking,” Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “You think you’re all high and mighty because you won a design contest and got some free tickets? Please, I could ruin your whole life with one phone call.”

“So, do it,” Marinette challenged, and Gabrielle quirked a brow. “You talk big, so let’s see you follow through. Make the call.”

“Uh, Marinette, is this such a good-” Eliott held out a hand, but Gabrielle’s glare silenced him.

“Don’t tempt me!” She growled, but Marinette cocked a hip.

“Are you going to ruin my life or not? Because if you’re not then there’s nothing stopping me from helping Martin,” Marinette nodded to him, still dangling in Thomas’ grasp, and Gabrielle’s jaw clenched, though before she could reply, a familiar voice interrupted.

“Marinette?”

Everyone turned to see Adrien standing timidly at the base of the stairs, his Gorilla holding open the car door. “Is everything alright?”

Upon seeing him, Gabrielle faltered, jolting away from Marinette as if she’d been shocked, and Macy clamped her hands over her mouth to muffle a squeal.

“Adrien? What are you doing here?” Marinette asked as he climbed the stairs to meet her.

“I had some free time this afternoon, so I thought we could give you a ride home and hang out,” he said, glancing around at the scene before him. “What’s going on?”

Marinette flicked her gaze to Gabrielle whose eyes burned with anger, but the red head looked away, snapping at her boyfriend.

“Nothing. We were just leaving,” she grumbled as her group disbanded.

Thomas set Martin down on his feet gently before following Gabrielle to their limo.

“Friends of yours?” Adrien cocked a brow.

“Not exactly,” she rolled her eyes then turned to Martin. “You okay?”

“Yeah…” Martin straightened his glasses. “You must think I’m weak.”

“Not at all. I thought it was very brave of you to stand up for yourself,” Marinette assured him.

“Sorry you had to save me again. I wish I had the strength to defend you too,” Martin curled his shoulders. “Thank you, Marinette. I promise I’ll try to be stronger next time.”

“You’re already strong where it counts,” she touched his chest, “in here.”

At that his cheeks flushed, and he glanced up at Adrien, eyes widening again.

“You’re-”

“Adrien Agreste!” Macy screeched, latching onto his neck with a hysteric giggle.

“Macy, be cool, remember we talked about this?” Marinette coached.

“Let him breathe,” Eliott removed her arms from around him, and extended a hand. “I’m Eliott, and this crazy lunatic is-”

“Macy Chanteur!” She broke free of Eliott’s grasp and stuck out a hand for Adrien to kiss. “I have a poster of you on my wall.”

“Oh.” His eyebrows raised.

“She’ll calm down,” Eliott assured him. “I think.”

“It’s cool. I’m used to it,” Adrien chuckled. “But please don’t treat me like a celebrity. Any friends of Marinette’s are friends of mine.”

“Adrien just called me a friend,” Macy squeaked, and Eliott placed his hands on her shoulders to restrain her.

“My name’s Martin.” Adrien turned to the small boy and smiled, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet all of you.”

“We were actually just about to go to Macy’s to discuss what happened with you-know-who yesterday if you want to come,” Marinette offered.

“Is that alright, Macy?” He asked, and she nodded enthusiastically.

“You can come over whenever you want, Adrien,” she sighed dreamily, clasping her hands over her cheeks.

“Great. We can take my car,” he gestured to Gorilla standing dutifully on the sidewalk.

“I’m going to ride in his limo!” Macy wheezed as Eliott guided her down the steps.

“Your new school is huge,” Adrien remarked, falling in line beside Marinette.

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for Macy and Eliott I would totally get lost,” she admitted.

“They seem like good people.” Marinette’s gaze softened on them as Eliott seated himself and Martin between Macy and Adrien.

“They are.”

“So, what was all that on the stairs?” Adrien asked as Macy gave Gorilla her address.

“Gabrielle,” everyone collectively moaned.

“The knock-off Chloe Bourgeois of the school,” Marinette explained, and Adrien nodded in understanding. “She’s got more bite and brute strength, but ultimately, I sense that she has less power.”

“That was incredible how you called her bluff,” Macy remarked, seeming to regain some of her composure, though she still stole frequent glances at Adrien when she thought no one was looking.

“When you deal with the daughter of the mayor of Paris, you get used to empty threats and power pulls,” Marinette shrugged.

“I’ve never stood up to anyone like that; I usually just stay out of trouble, but it felt good, like it was the right thing to do,” Eliott said thoughtfully. “You’ve helped all of us become a little more confident, Marinette.”

“Stop it,” Marinette giggled, covering her face with her hands.

“Isn’t her modesty adorable?” Eliott winked at Adrien who chuckled.

“Marinette deserves every ounce of praise, I know it,” he agreed. “She’s amazing.”

“Speaking of amazing, we need all of the details about Clara,” Macy said, leaning across Eliott.

“Clara?” Martin cocked a brow.

“Nightingale. She’s asked Marinette to design for her!” Macy explained, tapping her feet excitedly. “Oh, it was so tempting to throw that in Gabrielle’s face; I don’t know how you resisted the urge, but I’d never reveal your secret.”

“Well, I want to make sure she likes what I come up with first,” Marinette tugged one of her pigtails.

“Have you already started?” Adrien asked, and she bit her lip.

“A little-”

“Show us!” Macy and Eliott demanded simultaneously.

“Nothing is final yet. I was just playing around last night,” Marinette said, waving her hands frantically as they pulled into the gates of a large house.

“You should sit in our garden. It’s totally tranquil, and it might help you get ideas,” Macy suggested as they climbed out. “Can you imagine? Future-world-famous fashion designer sketching her breakthrough piece in my house!”

“Oh, let her breathe, Macy,” Eliott chided, pulling her ahead up the front steps.

“Your friends are lively,” Adrien said to Marinette. “I like them.”

“Macy and Eliott are super comfortable with each other. They’ve been friends for a long time,” Marinette explained.

“Since they were kids,” Martin piped up. “Their parents are old friends, and they’ve been in the same class every year.”

“That’s awesome. I hope you and I can be friends like that someday,” he rubbed the back of his neck shyly, and Marinette’s cheeks warmed.

“Well,” Macy said, holding her arms out and giving a twirl as her butlers opened the front doors. “Welcome to my home.”