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official-weasley · 3 years

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The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley: Pt. 6, Ch. 10

PART 6: THE YEAR WHEN EVERYTHING FALLS INTO PLACE Chapter 10 - This is How I Feel

Charlie

It felt like someone stopped time. I was watching her come down the stairs and to say that I was awestruck was an understatement. Since Andre did such a great job fixing my robes I prepared myself to act as normal as possible as I could imagine he made a nice dress for her. I was not, however, prepared for what I was seeing.

Ever since I started falling for Nova and I knew it wasn't just a crush, I found her so beautiful that words can't even describe. She looked even more gorgeous today and there was something about her; she looked as if she was shining.

“Wow, you look...” I couldn't hide the expression on my face. I was stunned and at this point, I didn't even care if it shows how much I like her. If I questioned my decision to tell her tonight, I knew I have to do it now. I simply have to be with her. “Gorgeous...pretty...ravishing...” Tonks shook me out of my fantasy. “Just some suggestions for you, Dragon Boy!” She winked at me and let Barnaby take her inside. Nova chuckled and my stomach turned. “Penny, you look divine!” Andre kissed her on the lips and Nova couldn't help but grin when she saw her blush. Jae and Tulip were already making out behind us. I was so focused on Nova that I didn't even see them say hi to each other. Apparently, Jae liked to show physically how good Tulip looks to him tonight. I smiled and shook my head. I offered Nova my hand, trying hard to keep it steady as my whole body was shaking and she locked our arms. “I can say, without a doubt, that you are going to be the most beautiful girl in the room.” I smiled at her. I knew it was the first time she saw me smile like that as I was suppressing it before not to be too obvious I liked her. I could see I left her speechless and I was confident that at this point, she knew I liked her more than a friend.

Nova

I smiled at Charlie, hearing those words. I knew he thought every single one of them through. I was trying to act as normal as possible but I wasn't sure how long I would be able to keep this up. He looked so good! I can't believe how much he grew from the boy that I call my best friend into a young, attractive, and very charismatic man and if he doesn't say anything to me tonight, I will. I knew I would regret it otherwise.

We went inside and joined our friends at the table. Tulip and Jae were still making out outside and at this point, I wasn't even sure they were going to attend the Ball. Dumbledore made us all sit and he started to speak.

“Welcome, to this year's Spring Ball. Although supervised, you don't have a curfew tonight as we want you to have fun and unwind. This is the time to enjoy with your friends and perhaps admit any hidden feelings you might have.” Charlie and I exchanged looks. It took every muscle in my body not to stand up and take him out and tell him how I feel. My heart was beating so fast that I thought it would jump out of my chest onto the table in front of me.

“Eat. Drink. Dance. And most importantly, have fun and forget your worries.” Dumbledore smiled softly like every time he ended a speech and sat back down. Food appeared on our plates and I started to eat even though my stomach was full of butterflies.

Soft music was playing in the background making it hard not to stare at Charlie and not forget the food on my plate. After dinner, Dumbledore rose again.

“Might I steal your attention just one more time as I am proud to present your entertainer for tonight...” The intro to Do The Hippogriff by The Weird Sisters started to play and they suddenly appeared in the middle of the stage positioned in the back of the Hall.

Tonks stood up at once and I have never seen her fangirling so much. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up so quickly that I got dizzy. She took Penny's hand and without even looking at Charlie I was dancing with them in the crowd in front of the stage.

We have never had anything like this and it was nice to be so relaxed and not worry about our every move.

“This...is...so...much...fun!” Penny was shouting but I could barely hear her. I just nodded and laughed. I couldn't believe how comfortable these heels were. Andre was a miracle worker.

“I'll be right back!” Tonks yelled a little too much in my ear and made me wince. She made her way through the crowd and right before the song ended she brought Tulip back who was already jumping and singing.

“Boys later, girls now!” Penny winked at Tulip, whose lipstick was barely visible and I was sure it was more on Jae's lips than hers.

“Good evening, young witches and wizards!!!” The singer of The Weird Sisters shouted in his microphone. “Are you ready for more?!” The crowd roared and somebody put a hand on my waist. I turned around and stiffened as I saw Charlie smile down on me.

“What, you thought you girls can have all the fun?” He grinned and started dancing as The Weird Sisters played another song.

At first, I thought that Barnaby would be freaked out by how into dancing Tonks was but apparently he was just as big a fan of the Sisters as she was. They were rocking the dance floor! Tulip and Jae were locked together again and jumping in the air. I decided to just let go and enjoy my time with Charlie.

I had no idea he had such a good sense of rhythm. I tried to stay focused on him because every time I looked at Penny she kept winking at me.

—

“Now, everybody...” After the fourth song, the singer spoke again. I was glad as I was so out of breath that I felt like I need to sit down. “We are going to take a five-minute break and then we'll be back with something...slower.” He said the last word sluggishly and I was sure that a girl in the front row fainted.

“You want to grab something to drink?” I turned to Charlie. His eyes were full of emotions and that smile of his was something entirely different from what I was used to. I just nodded and was hoping he would mistake my red cheeks for me being hot from dancing.

He gently took my hand and we made our way to the table with drinks.

“What would you like?” He asked. His voice was so soft.

“Butterbeer is fine.” I smiled and realized we were still holding hands. He took two Butterbeers and we stepped a bit aside to give space to other students.

“Charlie...” This was the first time I was looking for words while speaking to him. We always had so much to talk about but I didn't want to talk about anything else than us. “You look very handsome tonight.” I smiled, shyly. I remembered I was so overwhelmed by his words before that I completely forgot to pay him a compliment. Even though saying he was handsome was an understatement. I couldn't believe I was so blind before.

“Thank you. You'll have to thank Andre for that.” He grinned.

“Made the robes for you like for us?” I couldn't stop smiling at him.

“Oh, you don't want to know! I trusted my mum to buy me the robes and you don't want to know what I got.” He chuckled. “This was green.” He pointed at his coat. “This had more lace on it than your dress.” I laughed. “The trousers were bright red.” He laughed with me.

“Then Andre is a lifesaver.” I couldn't even imagine those colors together. I love Molly but what was she thinking!

“Thank you, Nova!” Andre and Penny appeared beside us. He tapped Charlie on the back. “You would not look at him as you do if he was wearing what his mum sent him.” Charlie turned pink in the face and I looked at Penny who was looking down at something, beaming. I followed her gaze and realized that Charlie and I were still holding hands.

I let go of his hand. Not because I wanted to but because I was afraid Penny was going to say something. I wanted to talk to Charlie in private, not with Penny planning our wedding in front of us.

“Now...” The Weird Sisters interrupted my staring contest with her. “I would like to invite all the lovely couples out there to test their dancing skills with a slow song.” The lights dimmed down and pink fog appeared on the dance floor. Magic Works started playing.

“I'm sorry to interrupt your staring contest Penny, but may I steal her away from you?” Charlie put out a hand to me and I could see Penny shaking when she nodded to him, excitedly.

He led me to the dance floor and as the Sisters sang:

'This is your final chance, to hold, the one you love, you know you've waited long enough.'

I placed my head on Charlie's chest, my hands around his waist, and closed my eyes. We were barely moving but I knew he didn't mind. He was resting his head on top of mine, his hands around my waist.

Penny

“Care for a dance, sweetheart?” I could barely hear Andre. I gently turned my head to him and saw his inviting hand.

“I love you, but would you mind if we sit down?” I said. Andre looked in the direction of my gaze and smiled. I knew he understood how much this moment meant to me and the girls. I followed him to our table. I couldn't take my eyes off Nova and Charlie. It was finally happening!

After all this time, after all they've been through. After Charlie being heartbroken and Nova having two crushes at once and all the fights and drama, they were finally ready to be together. Tonks sat down next to me and blew her nose.

“Is this how it feels like...to be a proud parent?” She sobbed, looking at them.

“I can't believe they needed a Ball to bring them together.” Tulip sat on my other side.

“And how handsome is Charlie! Incredible job, mate!” Tonks said to Andre.

“I like what he's done with his hair.” Said Tulip who looked like she will burst into tears any second now.

I was so focused on them as a whole that I didn't even notice that Charlie let his hair loose. He rarely had it outside a ponytail this year even though it was the smallest ponytail imaginable and his hair was everywhere anyway because it was so curly. Now it just stood perfectly and made him more attractive.

“Took them long enough.” Tonks finally stopped sobbing.

“You reckon Charlie will tell her or she will tell him?” Tulip was ready to bet.

“Do they even need to talk to each other?” Jae asked confused. He was right, they were embraced, slowly moving back and forth to a love song, their eyes closed.

“I can't wait for her to tell us everything tomorrow!” I beamed.

“I just hope Charlie can stay.” Tulip said suddenly and as Tonks and I exchanged a worried look, we snapped out of their fairytale.

“He has to.” I whispered. “They are meant for each other.” I looked at Andre. We got up and joined Charlie and Nova on the dance floor.

Charlie

It was hard not to focus on the lyrics, which now more than ever seemed as if the song was written for us.

‘And make, your final move, mmm, don't be scared, she wants you to. It's hard, you must be brave, don't let this moment slip the way.’

At this point, I didn't even care if she could feel how fast my heart was beating. I gently pulled away from her and she looked at me. The way she smiled made me want to kiss her there and then and I knew this was my chance.

“Nova...” I whispered.

“Hmm.” She hummed to indicate she was listening, focusing her eyes on mine.

“I have to tell you something.” I tried keeping my voice steady. “Would you mind going outside with me?”

“Of course.” She said softly.

I took her hand, locked our fingers, and took her out of the Hall.

Tulip and Jae made it back on the same spot as they began in front of the Great Hall. We went through the front door and wanted to go through the Main Courtyard when Nova stopped me.

I turned around to see what was happening and her mouth was wide open. I followed her gaze and saw Barnaby and Tonks sitting on a bench about to kiss.

“No way!” I chuckled.

“I'm a matchmaker!” Nova beamed. I knew that she told Barnaby to ask Tonks to the Ball after she turned him down.

“You were taking me somewhere?” She turned to me, giving me her full attention.

“Can you walk to the Lake in those heels?” I let out a small chuckle.

“I'll manage just fine.” She rose our hands and twirled around waking the butterflies in my stomach for the 100th time this night.

We stopped by the tree, which was our favorite place to spend time with each other. She leaned on it and bit her lip. Was she trying to kill me? I reached in my inner pocket and handed her the letter I got in the morning.

“This came today.” She looked at me hopefully and opened it at once.

“Does this mean, you're staying?” I knew she was trying to hide her excitement but couldn't and I didn't blame her. I was just as happy as she was about it.

“Yes.” I whispered. “It also means I have to tell you something else.” She finally took her eyes off the letter and locked them with mine. They were sparkling.

“Nova, I...” I suddenly forgot how to speak. I forgot the speech I prepared in my head, her eyes were just so beautiful and what I was feeling was better than someone slipping me the Amortentia potion.

“I know we're best friends and you know our friendship means the world to me but...” Her smile grew larger. She knew exactly where I was going with this and it made the words easier to come out. “I have feelings for you that want me to be more than friends with you and I simply have to tell you because I can't hold them in anymore.”

“Finally one of us gathered the courage to say something.” She whispered, her voice shaking and her eyes were beaming. I put one of my hands on her waist, making her lean more to the tree, and placed my other hand on her neck.

I pressed my lips on hers. They were so soft. I could taste the Butterbeer on her. Our lips parted and as our tongues met I got a tingling feeling in my stomach. I have been longing for this moment. Dreaming about it. Thinking about it and I couldn't believe it was finally happening. I pulled away gently. “Well, that felt...” Nova smiled, opened her eyes, and looked at me. If it could, my heart would start beating even faster, the way she was looking at me. She really liked me back! “Natural.” I smiled back and brushed her lips with my finger. “I guess we had it coming for years.” She chuckled and this time she kissed me. “Since Third Year, actually.” I said when we stopped kissing. “Third Y...Charlie, you had a crush on me for so long?” I could see her eyes turning sad as she was probably wondering why this moment didn't come sooner.

“Back then it was a crush...” I chuckled and pressed my lips on hers again. I will never get enough of them. “Now I'm really falling for you, Nova.” I brushed the lock of hair off her face and she closed her eyes. I could feel her trembling. “When did you start to fancy me?” I lifted her chin so she would look at me. It was cute how shy she was now around me. “I think I first felt it that day we made up in the Forbidden Forest.” She grinned. “But I think I liked you before that and now I regret not facing my feelings sooner.” She put her hand around my neck and started kissing me again. “Don't regret it. I know you felt something that day.” I brushed my finger over her cheek. “Then why didn't you say anything?” Her face puzzled. “I wasn't sure if you were completely over Murphy and I wanted you to sort your feelings out first before we start anything.” I explained. “I am not going to lie I needed quite some time to figure everything out.” She giggled and my heart skipped a beat. “And the girls and Bill had to help me.”

“Bill?” I didn't know how he could help from Egypt. “I didn't know who I wanted to go to the Ball with and then Bill and Penny finally made me realize that it was you all along.” She gave me a gentle kiss. “I didn't want to admit it to myself because you are my best friend and I didn't want to do anything to ruin our friendship again after what I've put you through last year.” She bowed her head. “Hey,” I brought her eyes back to mine, “I was struggling with the same thing. We didn't have that fight just because I missed you as a friend. My feelings were hurt because I had a crush on you and you fancied someone else.” I gave out a faint smile. I didn't like to remind myself of last year. We both said some things we didn't mean. “None of that is important now.” She pulled me back on her lips. “We might've needed time but we are together now.” She lowered her arms, found my hands, and locked our fingers. Her touch made my body go numb but in a good way. “And I promise you, Charles Weasley, I am sure in my feelings now and I only have them for you.” I put my hands on her waist and pressed her tightly against me and kissed her again. The kiss was tender but with so much hidden passion. We stood by that tree, embraced, for what seemed like hours but we didn't care. We were both processing the fact that we are finally together. No more confusing feelings, no more fights, no secrets. It was just us and it was perfect. “It's getting late.” I whispered even though I didn't mind if we just stay like that the whole night. “Mhm.” I could feel her face move into a smile on my chest. She now had my coat because she didn't bring her jacket and I have to say that Andre probably wouldn't approve of the style combination. “Listen, I know this isn't important at all but how are you going to tell the girls about us?” She lifted her head off my chest and looked at me. I swear if my heart will skip a beat every time she does, it won't have that much time to beat at all.

“I was thinking not to tell them yet.” She said softly. “Don't get me wrong, I don't want to hide us, it's just you should've seen them in the Room of Requirement, they were worse than my mum!” We both laughed. Her mum was teasing her with me since the end of First Year and now, 5 years later we're finally here. “What I felt when you kissed me and how it feels to be with you is so natural. Like it was always meant to be and I know they will make a big deal out of it and probably throw a party in the Great Hall.” I laughed, she was probably right. “And they will ask so many questions and I just want to enjoy my time with you.” She sneaked in a quick kiss before continuing. “We have both waited for this for so long and I don't want every moment to be teasing and clapping and someone making a kissy face at us.” She started to make the face we liked to tease Penny and Tulip with these days. “That sounds like our friends, yes.” I chuckled. “However, to be fair, we are doing the same to them and I bet Penny and Tulip went through an interrogation at the sleepover.” I chortled. “True but Penny has been dating Andre for 3 months before telling us and Tulip and Jae have been together for more than half a year before saying anything.” She did have a point there. “I wouldn't mind sneaking around some.” I smiled at her. “And since we were always somewhat affectionate in public it's not going to be so difficult to hide.” I made her giggle. “You really wouldn't mind?” She lifted her hands to my face and gently brushed her fingers over my cheeks. I trembled. “I asked you because I wanted to say the same thing. I just want you. Without any commotion or questions or anything and besides even though our families would approve of our relationship I don't want to get a letter from mum because Percy or the twins might see us and send a message home.” The thought of them finding out that way seemed unfair and I wanted us to get used to each other being a couple instead of just best friends before telling them.

“Right. I completely forgot that you have little Weasley spies all over Hogwarts.” We laughed together. “Ok, then we hide until we're ready to tell.” She pressed her lips so strongly to mine that I had to grip my stand not to stumble back. “So where are we going to meet?” She asked. “What, to snog?” The biggest smile painted my face. She nodded and couldn't help but get a bit shy. She was so cute. “Well, we can go to the Forest.” I suggested. “Even though I would love to take you on a real first date.” Her grip on my hands tightened and I knew she would love that. “We can give the Room of Requirement a try.” She said after a few seconds of thinking. “Then let's say tomorrow at 7?” I kissed her forehead. “It's a date, Weasley!” She put her hands around my neck and I pulled her waist closer to mine and our lips were one again. Perhaps the Ball can wait a little bit longer.

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kookiesjoonies · 4 years

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all in | chapter sixteen.

all in | chapter sixteen: spring break.

A/N: sorry for taking an extra day to upload, i just really wanted to get this chapter right! enjoy. xo also i skimmed this while editing so i may have missed a few grammatical things, oops. pls let me know if you spot anything major!

main pairing: rapper!namjoon x university student/bartender!reader

side ships: jikook, actor!seokjin x university student/bartender!oc, yoonseok,

word count: 7.7k

warnings: fluff, language, smut, groping, dry humping, hand job, nipple play, multiple orgasms, squirting, praise kink, dirty talk, there’s like one spank, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected sex (don’t do this pls), creampie

— SERIES SUMMARY

you aren’t usually one to give out your number to strangers (let alone customers), but after you start talking to Namjoon and getting to know him, you decide that there’s no way you’re going to let him leave without it. however, he fails to mention that he’s one of the most popular rappers in South Korea. and it just so happens that one of your best friends ends up with an extra ticket to one of his shows.

The drive to the beach was peaceful, relaxing. You sat in the back with Jungkook and Jimin, Jin driving, and Dani beside of him in the passenger’s seat. Jungkook had fallen asleep on Jimin’s shoulder, and Jimin followed suit, leaning his cheek onto the top of his boyfriend’s head and allowing sleep to capture him as well. Dani and Jin had their fingers intertwined on the console in between them, talking and laughing among themselves.

You were happy for your friends, of course. But you couldn’t help the sadness that started to creep its way in at the fact that Namjoon wasn’t going to be there with you. You knew that your friends would never leave you out, and they’d go out of their way to make sure that you felt included, but still, it pained you that he wasn’t there.

You pulled out your phone to check and see if you’d ever received any texts back from him, and you let out of huff as you saw that the only new notifications you had were from Twitter, and not from Joon. He was busy, you assumed. Probably rehearsing, eating lunch, maybe sleeping.

You decided to text him for the third time in a row since you and your friends had embarked on the five hour drive to the beach, simply telling him that you missed him. You always worried that you’d come off at clingy or needy when you texted him multiple times, and after you’d expressed such worries to Namjoon, he was quick to shut them down. He told you that he adored when you did things like that. So now, it was just habit. It was comfortable.

You made sure that your sound was on before stuffing your phone into your pocket, just in case Namjoon was able to find time to respond to your texts. You only had a few hours left in the car before you’d be at the beach house you and your friends had rented, so you decided it wouldn’t hurt to try and sleep. You crossed your arms over your chest and slid down in your seat the tiniest bit to make yourself feel more comfortable before you leaned your body over, resting your head on Jungkook’s shoulder and allowing your eyelids to droop down.

The beach house wasn’t extravagant by any means. It was definitely older. Specks of paint were missing from the siding, the stairs up to the front door were creaky, and the once white tile flooring on the inside was stained a light shade of yellow from all of the heavy traffic. The wallpaper inside was out of date by at least forty years, you figured. And the sliding doors that led out to the balcony squeaked every time they were opened. But despite all of that, you were absolutely ecstatic that you were able to find a decent property right on the beach. The place only had to make do for a week anyway.

You all took turns deciding on bedrooms. Luckily there wasn’t much difference between the three of them. One of the rooms was a bit more cramped than the other two, and it had a normal full sized bed instead of a queen.

“I’ll take this one,” You stated, walking into the empty room and placing your suitcase down beside of the dresser, “I’ll be sleeping alone, anyway.”

You tried to sound nonchalant about it, you really did. But your friends saw right through you.

Jimin made his way over to you, letting his slender arm rest across your shoulders, “You can sleep with Kook and I, we won’t mind.”

“Uhm,” you turned your head to face him, cocking a brow, “I would mind. I don’t need a front row seat to what I know is bound to happen in that room. It’s bad enough I’ll probably end up hearing it anyway.”

Jimin just grinned, and you heard Jungkook chuckle somewhere off to the side.

“Well,” Jungkook started, the corner of his lips tugging and forming into a sly smirk, “Jimin, should we go and test her theory?”

“Absofuckinglutely.” He was quick to remove his arm from behind your head, walking over to his boyfriend and pulling him into the room that the two of them had claimed and slamming the door shut behind them. The one right beside of yours, because of course it was.

You shuddered and tried to shake the explicit images of what was about to happen in that room out of your head.

“We’re going down to the beach, do you want to come with us?” Dani asked as she walked out of the room she and Jin had taken over with him by her side, both of them already changed into their swimwear.

You took a second to think about it before shaking your head in response, “No, I think I’m actually going to just sit out on the balcony and read. I’ll join you guys in a bit.”

Dani frowned at you, and she knew exactly why you didn’t want to go down with them.

She sighed, “Yn, I know you’re sad that he isn’t here. But don’t let that stop you from enjoying your vacation, you know he’d be mad at you if you did.��

She was right. You knew she was right. Still, you couldn’t shake the disappointed feeling in the pit of your stomach. You’d feel better once you talked to Joon, or at least, you hoped that you would.

“I know, I know. You’re right, as always.”

“Obviously.” Dani boasted, and you just rolled your eyes at your best friend.

“Come on, babe. I want to work on my tan before the sun sets.” Jin whined, pulling his girlfriend toward the front door by her hand.

Dani called out to you in the midst of being whisked away, “I ordered a pizza for dinner, Yn. It should be here any minute, listen for the knock on the door, okay?”

“Gotcha!” You responded, unsure whether or not she’d heard you before Jin was pushing the front door shut behind them.

After they were gone, you pulled out your phone to check it again. Still nothing. No new messages, no missed calls. You let out a long, frustrated sigh. You knew this was part of it. You knew he wasn’t going to be able to be at your beck and call twenty four seven, but right now, you wished that he could be. No matter how selfish that was.

You decided it would be best to do what you’d told Dani you planned to do, so you hurriedly retrieved the book that you’d packed from your suitcase. You slid the creaky side doors open after making your way back into the living room, stepping out and onto the balcony. You breathed in the salty sea air, taking a moment to lean against the railing to admire the sea. The views from where you were stood were absolutely breathtaking.

There was a light breeze blowing and you could feel it traveling through your hair, see it flow through the leaves on the palm trees below you. You were immediately taken over by a sense of calm, a sense of absolute relaxation. You were determined to make the most of this spring break vacation. So, you bent your legs to take a seat on the patio chair behind you and opened up your book to chapter one.

You’d barely gotten through the first five pages before there was a knock on the front door. You let out a groan, not wanting to move from your current state of unwinding on the balcony. You waited a moment, hoping and praying that Jimin or Jungkook would do you a solid and open the door. But when you heard a set of knuckles tap against the wood again, you determined you were going to have no such luck.

You folded down the corner of the page you were reading to mark your place before shutting the book closed and setting it down on the glass end table beside of where you were sitting.

“Coming!” You called out, hoping that the delivery person would hear you.

You made your way back inside, spotting Jimin’s wallet on the counter. Your eyes perked up, and you giggled mischievously to yourself. This is what he gets for being too fucking horny to open the door. You pulled out a bill and placed your hand on the doorknob, twisting it to open the door. Pizza did sound delicious, actually. Your stomach began growling at the thought of it. You guessed you were hungrier than you’d originally thought.

When you pulled the door open, though, there was no delivery person. There was no pizza. Instead, there was Namjoon. With a suitcase in one hand, and a bouquet of flowers in the other.

You didn’t speak. You couldn’t. Not yet, at least. Your jaw dropped open and you just stared at him, and he let out a low chuckle at your actions. He grinned down at you, his adorable dimples on full display. And you were sure there was no way he was real. You were dreaming, and that was the only explanation.

“Babe, you in there?” He teased, waving his hand from side to side in front of his face.

You suddenly snapped out of your state of shock and your eyes were immediately glossed as tears began to form. Before you could even think, you were jumping up from the ground and wrapping your legs around his waist. Namjoon was quick to catch you, dropping his suitcase and the flowers. His hands cupped your bottom to keep you pressed against him and to keep you from falling back down to the ground.

You carefully pressed your palms to either side of his face, slowly dragging both of your thumbs along the tops of his cheekbones.

“You’re here.” You whispered, and he offered you a slight nod of his head in response.

“I’m here, baby.”

You pressed your lips against his so hard that your teeth momentarily collided with his, but neither of you seemed to mind. Your hands fell to his neck, fingers toying with the ends of his perfect blonde hair at the nape of his neck. He pushed his tongue past your lips with ease, and you eagerly opened up your mouth for him. His tongue moved hungrily around yours, twisting and curling around yours in a way that was maddening, that made you feel like you were floating.

You pulled his lower lip in between your teeth, and he let out a ragged growl. And you were sure you’d never heard anything sexier in your entire life. The sound alone had you vibrating a moan against his lips, and he gave your ass a tight squeeze in return. You moaned again, this time into his mouth. And he swallowed the sound, pulling back to drag his lips messily up your jawline.

“Hey, didn’t Dani say she ordered pizza—“ you barely even heard Jimin speak, hadn’t even fully registered his voice until he screamed, “Holy shit! My eyes! Get a room!”

He retreated back to his shared sanctuary with Jungkook, palms pressed tightly against his eyes as he hurried his way out of the living room and away from you and Namjoon.

He chuckled against your jaw, pressing one final kiss against your skin before he was pulling back. His forehead leaned to rest against yours, both of your eyes still closed. Both of your chests were rising and falling rapidly as you tried desperately to catch your breath.

“He’s such a cock block.” You panted out, and Namjoon couldn’t hold back his loud laughter.

He gave your lips another kiss. A sweet, loving peck that only left you wanting more.

“If I put you down now, are you going to be able to stand?” He was smirking, and you had half a mind to kiss that smirk right off his face.

Instead, you just offered him a dramatic, sarcastic sigh, “Put me down, if you must.”

He gave your ass cheek one last squeeze, this one much tougher than the last and it caused you to let out a surprised yelp. He only chuckled at you again, slowly setting your feet back down onto the floor.

“Here,” he started, bending over to pick up the flowers that he’d previously been forced to discard, “these are for you.”

You tilted your head so that your eyes could lock onto his, offering him an appreciative smile as he handed the flowers off to you.

“Thank you, you didn’t have to.” You said, bringing the flowers up to your nostrils and inhaling their sweet scent.

“I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to.” He returned your smile with a grin of his own, pressing a quick kiss to your hairline.

Once Namjoon had settled his suitcase beside of yours in the bedroom, the two of you made your way out and onto the balcony. The sun was starting to set now. The sky was dim with shades of pink and orange, the colors reflecting beautifully on the calm ocean below.

You were sitting on Namjoon’s lap, leaned back against his chest as the two of you looked out and over the water. His arms were wrapped loosely around your stomach, your own arms resting over his as your palms laid flat over his large hands.

“So, were you surprised?” He asked, his lips finding their way to the side of your neck to press a feather light kiss against your skin.

You nodded, leaning back and resting your head on top of his shoulder, “I really was, I had no clue you were coming. How did you pull this off, by the way?”

His fingertips had began to lightly trace over your stomach in circular motions, sending goosebumps traveling down your arms.

“Dani helped me. I messaged her on Instagram and told her I had the first three days of your spring break off, so I wanted to show up here and surprise you.”

“I’m going to hit her, like, actually hit her.” You joked, and Namjoon snorted out a laugh.

He sighed, “I know three days isn’t much—“

You cut him off before he could even finish his thought, “Three days is better than none. I’m so happy you’re here.”

He nodded his head once in agreement, pulling one of your hands up and to his mouth, pecking his lips against the back of your hand.

“When you leave, where are you going?” You wondered, beginning to rub your thumb along the back of his hand.

He hummed at the comforting feeling as he replied to your question, “Tokyo.”

“You’re so lucky,” you sighed, “I’ve never left Korea.”

“Where would you go, if you could?”

“Paris,” you didn’t hesitate, “I’ve always wanted to go. See the Eiffel Tower in person. I can only imagine how beautiful it is.”

“It is,” he assured you, “I’ve been a few times. Twice, I think? It’s hard to keep track, really.”

“Where’s your favorite place that you’ve traveled to?”

He poked his cheek with his tongue, pondering your question for a moment before finally giving you a reply, “Italy, if I had to choose just one place.”

“I’d love to see pictures of all the places you’ve been, I’m sure you’ve taken a thousand.” You teased, shifting a bit on his lap so that you could face him and lift your arms to link around his neck.

“I’ll do you one better,” he said, “We go on a trip after you graduate from school in a few months. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, to as many places as you want.”

You were quick to protest, shaking your head, “Namjoon, I can’t let you do that. That’s too much, and too much money. I don’t want you to think I’m using you for your fame or money or—“

He stopped your rambling with a quick kiss to your lips, “Yn, I know you aren’t using me. If I thought you were, I wouldn’t have offered. Please, let me do this for you. I want to.”

You chewed on your lower lip, weighing the pros and cons before finally emitting a sigh and flashing him a smile, “Okay. If you insist.”

He grinned, rapidly pressing messy kisses all over your face and causing you to erupt with laughter.

“So,” he finally said, “Paris, and then where?”

“Surprise me.”

Once the air began to feel chilly, you and Namjoon made your way inside. Your friends were all gathered in the living room, spread out in front of the television and eating dinner that they’d ordered.

Dani spoke up when she saw the two of you enter the room, “Dinner’s on the counter. We didn’t want to disturb you two out there.”

She winked at you, and you couldn’t help but to roll your eyes at her teasing, “Thanks for that, Dan. And thank you for not telling me he was coming, rude.”

You glared at her as you made your way over to the kitchen counter, pilfering through the boxes of take out and grabbing a few things for you and Namjoon to share.

“Hey! Blame Namjoon, he told me not to.”

Namjoon rose his hands up, “I wanted to surprise her!”

You cracked a low laugh at them, shaking your head and walking toward the hallway where the bedrooms were. You stopped at the archway, turning toward Namjoon, “You coming?”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. He mumbled goodbyes to your friend group as he took a few strides in your direction, the two of you walking toward the bedroom that you’d laid claim over.

“They’re gonna do it, huh?” Jungkook whispered.

Jimin grimaced, “Shut up, Kook. Our room is right next to theirs.”

“Guess we’ll just have to drown them out.” Jungkook smirked, causing Jin to choke on the food he was shoveling into his mouth.

He groaned, looking over at Dani with his lips pushed out and into a pout, “Is it too late for us to get our own beach house?”

You and Namjoon were eating dinner on your bed. You sat beside of him with your legs crossed and he was sitting up, leaning his back against the headboard. You shared the containers of food evenly, feeding each other bites here and there. You shared a drink as well, and you were happily surprised at how comfortable this was. It felt domestic, and like the two of you had been together for years already. Even though, you still weren’t even official.

Namjoon was rambling about his favorite art exhibits that he’d been able to see on tour, and you listened intently. You admired the way he spoke faster the more excited he got about something, the way he spoke with his hands and the sparkle in his eyes whenever a specific topic seemed to get him exceptionally riled up. You decided that you could listen to him talk for hours and never get bored.

“I’m sorry,” he nervously laughed, “I keep rambling.”

You shook your head, quick to dismiss his apology, “Joon, I could listen to you talk for days on end. I love the sound of your voice.”

His cheeks flushed a bright shade of pink, and you smiled at the sight.

“Guess it’s a good thing that the feeling is mutual, then.” He said, and this time it was your turn to blush.

The containers you’d been eating out of were empty now, and you began to pile them up on the nightstand beside of you, deciding they could wait awhile before you actually left the room to throw them away properly. You didn’t want to leave him, even if it was just to walk down the hallway to the kitchen. You’d been away from him for too long already, and in just a few days he’d be packing up to leave again. You frowned, head tilting down with your eyes fixated on your lap. You twiddled your thumbs, and Namjoon’s facial expression twisted into one of worry.

“Hey,” he said, using his fingertips to lift your chin up, “look at me. What’s on your mind?”

He turned your head to face him, and you risked a glance upward at him, “Nothing, I just—“ you sighed, “I keep thinking about how you’ll be leaving again soon. I just miss you.”

He leaned down to lightly peck his lips against yours, allowing your lips to stay still against one another for a moment before he pulled back.

“I miss you, so much. Just a few more months, and then I’m home for six months. I’ll be all yours.”

That perked you up instantly, causing your frown to morph into a smile.

“There she is.” He said, running his thumb along your chin.

You kissed him then, allowing your hands to make their way up and rest on the sides of his face. His hands found their way to your hips, gripping onto them ever so lightly.

He grazed his tongue across your lower lip, and you opened up for him without giving it a second thought. His tongue pushed its way into your mouth, twisting and gliding against yours with fervor. He was savoring the taste of you, and you happily let him. He pulled your lower lip in between his teeth and lightly bit down. You moaned against his lips and his grip on your hips tightened, fingertips digging into the fabric of your T-shirt as he lifted you up to set you on his lap.

You shrieked as he lifted you up, causing the two of you to lightly laugh against each other’s mouths. You straddled him, legs on either side of him. And when you felt the hardening bulge in his pants against your thigh, you moaned again, a long and drawn out sound. You wanted him, and you figured it was safe to assume that he wanted you just the same. So, to test your theory, you ground your hips downward. Slowly, teasingly.

Namjoon sucked in a breath at the feeling, hissing through his teeth and removing his mouth from yours, dragging his tongue along your jaw.

He pushed his hips up in an attempt to create more friction, his erection hitting your clothed clit beautifully. You whined, jaw dropping at the sensation that was now shooting electric bolts throughout your body and had you shamelessly grinding your hips at a quickening pace.

You let out a sigh as he moved his lips to your neck. He sucked on the skin just below your earlobe, eliciting a soft groan from your mouth.

“Fuck,” he sighed, swirling his tongue around the purple bruise that was beginning to take form, “the sounds you’re making are fucking incredible, baby.”

His encouraging words had you moving your hips at an even quicker pace. You seemed to hit your throbbing clit perfectly every time, causing a string of whimpers to make their way up your throat.

“Joon, I—“ his hands found their way down from your hips and onto your ass as he kept you steady, guiding your movements, “I want you, please.”

He stopped the assault on your neck and pulled back to look at you.

“You sure?” he was breathless as he spoke and his eyes had gone completely dark, “Yn, we don’t have to—“

The sudden feeling of your palm being pressed against his cock over his jeans cut him off. He groaned as he pulled his lower lip between his teeth as you gave him a gentle squeeze, using your thumb to stroke along his length.

He bucked his hips up and into your hand as you began to trail hot, sloppy kisses down his neck. You pushed your tongue out and licked along his Adam’s Apple before sucking on the skin there, causing Namjoon to let out the loudest, most beautiful moan.

“Still need convincing that I’m sure?” You mumbled against his neck, nibbling your way up to his jawline.

He was quick to shake his head, “No, but if you keep this up I’m going to blow it in my pants.”

Your lips were pressed against his jaw as you giggled at his words, “As fun as that sounds, I’d much rather you blow it inside of me.”

You felt his cock twitch against your hand at the sound of your words, Namjoon letting out a shaky breath. He was quick to change your position, flipping you over and hovering above you. Your hands flew to rest above your head and he pinned your wrists down to the pillow, nibbling on your earlobe as his free hand found its way underneath your shirt.

You hissed at the feeling of his cold fingertips suddenly coming in contact with the skin of your stomach. He traced a circle around your belly button before slowly ascending his hand up and over your naked breast. You were silently thanking God that you’d decided to go bra-less.

Your hips were pushing off of the bed and into his, trying to create some sort of friction to ease the ache in your core. He reacted, allowing his hips to grind down against yours. You mewled at the feeling, causing him to growl right in your ear. The sound went straight to your already soaked pussy, and you were sure there was a wet spot taking form on your shorts.

He cupped one of your tits with his hand, giving it a firm squeeze before rubbing his thumb along your nipple in circular motions. You bit down on your bottom lip, arching your back up and into his hand.

He took your nipple in between his thumb and forefinger to give it a pinch and you shrieked at the feeling, squirming underneath his touch.

“Fuck, you’re so sensitive.” He was peppering kisses against your neck now, tongue poking it’s way out to lick and suck on your skin. He was determined to create bruises all up and down your throat, making sure that anyone who saw you would know that you belonged to him and him alone.

“If you’re this sensitive from me touching you up here, I wonder how sensitive you’ll be when I touch you...” he paused, slipping his hand from your breast and down to the waistband of your shorts, pulling it to give it a snap against your skin, “down here.”

You whined at the thought alone, nodding your head quickly, enthusiastically, “Please, oh god, please, Joon.”

“Whatever you want, baby.” He pushed the hem of your shirt up, and you quickly caught on. He released your hands and you lifted your arms, allowing him to free you of your top before he discarded it across the room.

He was practically salivating at the sight of you topless in front of him. Your breasts were perfectly perky and round, nipples poked out and begging to be sucked on. His mouth found its way onto your left nipple, tongue flicking quickly against the stiff bud. A high pitched moan made its way through your lips and your hands found their way into his thick blonde hair.

“Joon,” you sighed, your head falling back as be sucked your nipple into his mouth, effectively bruising it, you were sure.

He pressed a large hand against your stomach, pushing you back down to lie underneath him. He was fast in removing his own shirt, throwing it to join yours on the floor. You were staring at him, eyes raking in his bare chest and stomach. You bit your lip, allowing your hands to roam from his pecks down to his toned stomach. You ran your fingers along the thin line of hair at the lower part of his abdomen, all too eager to find out just exactly what he was packing underneath those jeans.

He didn’t give you too much time to think about it though, because his lips had found their way onto the top of your stomach and were quickly trailing down. His mouth moved downwards sloppily, licking and sucking his way to where you craved him most.

“Holy fuck, babe—“ his jaw dropped at the patch of wetness on your cloth shorts, “I’ve made you this wet already? I’ve barely done anything...”

He was amazed, absolutely fucking fascinated. He pressed his middle and index fingers against the wet spot with no warning, causing you to let out a choked moan.

“Shit, I’ve got to taste you.” He felt like he was high, listening to your moans and seeing you all worked up, just for him.

You were begging him to do so, a string of desperate pleas leaving your mouth. He pulled your shorts down your legs and you kicked them off, your panties quickly following behind them. You were completely naked in front of him now, but you didn’t feel the least bit shy. How could you? When he was staring at your pussy and licking his lips, offering you praises of how fucking beautiful you were. And how fucking gorgeous you looked like this, soaked and begging to be cleaned up.

And he was more than ready to do so. You allowed him to spread your legs, and he groaned at how your arousal glistened against your skin. You expected him to take his time, to tease you and drive you absolutely mad, but much to your surprise he just dove right in. Nose pressed tightly against your core as he dragged his tongue along your sticky folds. You let out a silent scream at the feeling, your hand falling down to tangle in his hair. He pushed his tongue through and landed on your swollen clit, your hips pushing up and off of the bed against your will, trying to get closer to him and away from him all at the same time.

He pressed a hand against your hip to flatten you back down on the bed and you whined as he began lapping at the bundle of nerves, slowly at first and speeding up all at once.

“God, Joon! Fuck—“ you released a string of loud whimpers at the feeling, “don’t stop, please don’t stop.”

He pulled your clit into his mouth and began to suck, all the while pushing his index finger into your tight heat. You cried out at the feeling, eyes screwing shut as you roughly bit down on your lip.

He began pumping his finger in and out of you quickly, his tongue moving in circles on your sensitive nub in tune with the pace of his finger. He added his middle one, pumping and curling against that holy spot deep inside of you.

“Oh! Joon, right there, please please!” Your hand gripped the cotton sheets around you in a poor attempt to keep yourself grounded, as he continued to curl his fingers and pound them against the same spot over and over again.

You were moaning so loudly you were sure the neighbors could hear you, and your friends could definitely hear you, but you couldn’t have given less of a fuck.

One strong press of his fingers and the lethal pace of his tongue against your clit had your walls clenching around his digits. Your orgasm washing over you and pulling your body up and off of the mattress as you squirmed underneath Namjoon’s hold on you. All you could see were the black spots swirling around above you, electricity shooting from your head and down to your toes, causing them to curl. You were pulling on his hair with such a force that it made his scalp sting.

He’d pulled his face away from you to admire the way that you lost yourself in your orgasm, his fingers continuing to fuck you through it as you completely covered his hand in your release. He was drooling at the sight.

When you finally came down, you did so with shaky breaths. You had to blink rapidly to get your vision to come back clearly, tilting your head down to look at Namjoon once it had. He looked so fucking good like this, face covered in your juices. He was staring at your pussy in awe, tongue sticking out to wet his lips.

“You’re staring.” You breathed out, your voice cracking from the dryness in your throat.

“Yeah, I am. That was beautiful, holy fucking shit.” He praised, finally removing his fingers from inside of you and you winced at the emptiness.

His words made your cheeks flush, “You’ve never seen a girl have an orgasm before?” You teased him, and he chuckled and shook his head.

“Of course I have. But I’ve never made a girl squirt before.”

And with that, your jaw dropped, “I— what?!”

“Mhm.” He smirked, eyes flicking down to the dampened sheets.

You propped yourself up on your elbows so that you could look, your jaw dropping further as you saw that he was right. The sheets were a mess, and so was his hand and your thighs.

“I didn’t—, I mean, I’ve never—,” you stumbled over your words, taking a small breath in to gather your thoughts, “nobody’s ever made me do that before. Nobody’s ever made me cum like that, especially not from going down on me.”

The smirk on his face only doubled in size as he listened to you speak, “I’m glad I’m the only one that has. And I plan to be the last one that does.”

His words sent a shiver down your spine, excitement coursing through your veins and going straight between your legs. He stood up momentarily to push his jeans down, kicking them out of the way. You admired the way his cock looked underneath his underwear, moaning at the sight. He peeled his briefs off and they joined his jeans on the floor.

You gasped at the sight before you, gaze locked onto the sinfully beautiful cock that was standing up and leaking precum. You figured he would be big, but this way exceeded your expectations. He was so thick, and so long. You were sure you wouldn’t be able to wrap your hand around it fully if you tried, and you were sure you’d choke on it the second it entered into your mouth. Those thoughts alone made your clit throb, you could only imagine the stretch your pussy was going to have to endure. You squeezed your thighs at the image, the thought of it making you dizzy.

You reached forward and gave a few teasing pumps, watching as Namjoon’s jaw hung open at the sudden contact. You spread the wetness that was leaking from the tip of his dick around the head and you’d never wanted to suck someone off so badly in your entire life.

Namjoon seemed to have different plans, however, because he was quickly batting your hand away from his member and crawling over top of you again.

“I was going to—“ you started, and he shook his head as he stared down at you.

His hair was sticking to his forehead from sweat and his eyes were hooded, “I can’t wait for the day I get to see that beautiful mouth of yours wrapped around my dick, but if I don’t get inside of you right now, I’m going to fucking lose it, Yn.”

You quickly wrapped your arms around his back and spread your legs for him, “Get inside of me, then.”

He lined the tip of his length up with your entrance, barely beginning to push the head inside of you. You whimpered at the feeling and he tilted your chin up with his index finger, “Look at me.”

You did as you were told and locked your eyes onto his, staring each other down as he slowly pushed his thickness in. Your mouth hung open at the stretch, and Namjoon hissed through his teeth.

“God, you are so fucking tight, babe.” He had a thing for praising you, it seemed. But you weren’t complaining.

He bottomed out and stayed still, allowing you to get adjusted to the feeling. You blinked your eyes a few times, your hips beginning to rotate at their own free will. You offered Namjoon a nod, and he took the hint.

He lifted one of your legs up to wrap around his hip, angling himself a bit deeper before pulling out and then pushing right back in. You moaned at the sensation, eyelids quickly falling shut.

“More, more— move, go— something, anything.” Your voice was completely fucked out already and you were breathless, pleading.

Namjoon happily obliged, pulling out and pushing in again as he began to set a pace that he was comfortable with. He paid attention to the sounds you were making, and the ways that your face would twist up. He was trying to learn what you liked, what made you feel the best.

“Harder—, please, oh my God, Namjoon.” The sound of you moaning out his name was music to his very ears, and he began to fuck into you at a harder pace, just like you’d asked.

You whimpered as his pace quickened, your cervix taking a brutal beating as his balls slapped against your skin. Your eyes rolled in the back of your head and Namjoon had taken to gripping onto your hips, keeping them still as he ruthlessly pounded into you.

The sounds of both of your moans echoed off of the walls, and you were so fucking glad that he was vocal during sex. Hearing the gruffly noises that were coming from his mouth as his jaw clenched were some of the most beautiful sounds you’d ever heard.

He glanced down to see where the two of you were joined, a loud groan falling from his lips as he listened to the wet sounds the clash of your bodies made as he fucked into you.

“You feel so fucking amazing, baby. So fucking wet for me, shit—“ He watched the way that your tits bounced, dipping his head down to tug a nipple in between his teeth and brutally biting down on it.

You yelped at the feeling, nails digging into the skin of his back as he changed the angle of his hips.

“Shit!” you hissed, “there, there! Fuck, just like that.”

You dragged your nails down his back, the skin underneath your fingertips puffing up and turning red.

His thrusts were ruthless now, hitting that perfect spot each and every fucking time. Causing you to release a string of wanton moans and whimpers. You could feel your stomach begin to tighten, toes already curling. You clenched your walls around his dick, eliciting a growl from the man above you.

You were close and he could tell. He loved the way you looked like this, cheeks flushed and body thrashing. You were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The sight of you beneath him alone had him close to losing his own mind, and he continued his brutal assault on your g-spot, chasing his own release as you were nearing your own. He was trying to keep his composure, making you cum was his top priority. He could wait.

He pressed his thumb against your clit, rubbing erratic circles over it that had your hips bucking. You grasped onto the flesh of his shoulder blades for dear life as your orgasm fell over you, the heels of your feet digging into his lower back. You were releasing a string of curses and strings of praises in Namjoon’s name, thousands of tiny stars circling above your head as you came, clenching around his dick in a way that drove him fucking insane.

He came at the same time you did, thrusts becoming messy and sloppy, spewing words about how good you were, how fucking lucky he was. He coated your walls with hot spurts of his cum and you clenched around him once again, attempting to milk him dry and capture all of his release inside of you.

You never knew sex could feel this fucking good, and even though you’d just had your second orgasm of the night and still weren’t completely recovered from it, you were ready for your third and fourth.

The two of you were heaving, breathless as your foreheads rested against each other. You finally opened your eyes to look at one another, Namjoon’s lips turning up and into a small smile as he stared down at you.

He whispered, bringing a hand up to trail the pad of his thumb along your cheek, “You okay?”

You nodded quickly in response, reaching for his hand and intertwining your fingers with his, “I’m absolutely perfect.”

“Good,” his smile grew wider and he pressed his to yours, “Me too.”

Your breathing was starting to even out now, and he finally pulled out of you as he felt his dick begin to soften. You groaned in protest at the loss of fullness, causing him to emit a chuckle.

The realization of what just happened finally hit you, and you had to blink a few times to fully process it, “Did that finally happen? Did we just have sex? Am I dreaming?”

He snorted out a laugh and shook his head as he rolled off of you to lay beside of you, tracing his fingertips along your lower stomach, “You’re not dreaming. It actually happened, babe.”

You grinned, sitting up quickly on the bed, “Let’s do it again.”

Namjoon laughed, sitting up with you, “You can’t be serious.”

But you one hundred percent were. You swung your legs over the side of the bed and stood up, making your way to the en-suite bathroom and pausing in the door frame. You leaned against it and crossed your arms over your chest, Namjoon’s brows lifting with curiosity.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to pee,” you answered honestly, offering him a bit of a smirk as you continued your thought, “and then I’m going to get in the shower. Care to join me?”

He was scrambling off of the bed in an instant, following behind you as you made your way into the bathroom. He gave your ass a loud smack as the two of you walked and you shrieked, giggling as you flipped the shower on.

You lost track of how many times the two of you had sex while he was there. You stopped counting after five. Or, was it six? You honestly couldn’t remember, and you honestly didn’t care. But it was all coming to an end way too quickly, because he was leaving in the morning.

The two of you were walking on the beach together, hand in hand. It was dark and the moon was reflecting beautifully on the ocean beside of you as you walked with your bare feet in the sand, water coming up to greet your toes every now and then.

“I don’t want you to go.” You said quietly, but honest.

He rubbed his thumb along the back of your hand, nodding in agreement, “And I don’t want to leave, but I have to.”

You were pouting now, thankful that it was dark and that he couldn’t see. You knew this was part of it, you’d been through this before. But that didn’t make it any easier. It seemed like the closer you got to him, the harder it was for you to say goodbye.

“Come see me while I’m on tour for a weekend. Request some days off of work, if you can. I’d love to show you that part of my life, and have you be apart of it.” He suggested, and your heart began to melt at his words.

You wanted to, of course you did. But there was no way you’d be able to afford that.

You sighed, “I’d love that, but—“

“No buts, Yn. I know what you’re about to say, so don’t even let the words come out of your mouth. I’ll take care of everything, I’ll book every flight and everything in between. All you have to do is show up at the airport, okay?” He stopped walking and brought his hands up to cup your face, kissing you sweetly underneath the moonlight.

You melted into the kiss, into him. Your arms wrapped around his waist as you pulled him closer to you. You wanted to argue with him, but you knew that it was no use. So, you offered him a nod as you pulled away.

“Okay.” You smiled, and he grinned. You wanted to kiss those adorable fucking dimples of his.

His thumbs were running along the tops of your cheeks and he was staring down at you so intently, his smile never once threatening to falter, “Be my girlfriend.” He spit the words out so fast it took you a second to realize what he’d said.

You’d always wondered what those words would sound like coming out of his mouth, and now you knew. You couldn’t believe this was happening, that he was real and he wanted you.

After a few beats of silence, and you just staring blankly up at him, Namjoon coughed awkwardly, “Or, uhm— I mean, we don’t have to— if you don’t want this, I—“

You shook yourself out of your mind, resting your palms on either side of his neck and kissing his lips repeatedly, mumbling the word “yes” in between each kiss.

You finally broke away from him and nodded your head, your teeth on display as you grinned up at him, “I will absolutely be your girlfriend.”

He lifted you up from the ground, spinning your bodies around and earning a string of giggles from you as he did so. You were dizzy, and so was he. When he sat your feet down, the two of you stumbled and landed right in the water. You both yelled at the sudden contact of the cold salt water now all over your clothes, immediately erupting with laughter. You flicked your fingers and splashed him with water.

“Hey!” He yelled, returning the gesture and splashing water onto you.

“That’s what you get for being clumsy!” You teased, and he offered you a playful scoff in return, splashing you again.

Even though you were fully clothed and soaked, the water around you was cold, and it was the middle of the night, there was no where else you’d rather be.

And no one else you’d rather be with.

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A/N: if you’d like to be added to the tag list, just send me an ask, message, or reply to this post to let me know! thank you to those who have taken the time to check this series out, send me an ask/message and let me know what you think!

tag list: @bbyxknj @kimnjss @justpeachyjoon @w1tchcraftt @rjsmochii @tiddieshakeshownu @doilooklikeinoe @maryseesthings @nerdycookiemonster-1222 @adelina1299 @mini-coop25 @eternalmoonji @silentlyimpractical @angelbabymed

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builtonashes · 4 years

Text

White Noise

So @qtmeryr asked the following:

Hello! I saw your post about fanfic requests so I’ve got one! Could you please write Higgs x Reader (Death stranding ofc) fic in which Higgs and reader are friends but suddenly she/he starts to feel something more so tries to ignore Higgs, and because of that he gets mad at her/him?

And who am I to deny such a nice request? ;)

WARNING: Takes place after the game, so spoilers are obvious.

Rating: T+

Pairing: Higgs Monaghan x Reader

Reader’s gender not specified.

You sat down on the grass, trying to collect your thoughts and relax before coming back to work. The weather was surprisingly pleasant; warm wind ghosting your face, some kind of sweet, flowery smell heavy in the air. Spring was in full bloom and you were so glad to have this moment outside. It wasn’t often that you could just unwind and sit down like that. You even made sure to bring a vacuum mug filled with tea to support you during the recess.

As it was, you really did have a lot to think about. You always knew that you were too nice for your own good. Too naive. You couldn’t help it at this point though; it was in your nature just like your parents’ before you, in the way they taught you to live and interact with society. You found yourself used and exploited by others many times, never truly able to read their intentions, always assuming that they were fueled by something good, by the will to do something right. The funny thing is, he was the first one you read right away. You knew it was wrong to even talk to him. You knew you should avoid him at all costs. You knew that his nature was an almost polar opposite to yours, incredibly selfish and arrogant, always focusing on his own gain. But even knowing all this you were somehow drawn to him, actually enjoying the time you spent together. You couldn’t really pinpoint the reason for that at first, but as time passed and as your meetings grew more frequent you realized it was because of the way he talked. He was a smart guy, very quick to learn new things, very attentive to whatever you would talk about. Truth was, he seemed to be the first person in a pretty long while to challenge you intellectually. And you liked that. You liked that because he made you see things in a new, fascinating light. Especially when it came to the events of the Death Stranding and the true potential of chiralium.

Now, you might have been naive, but you weren’t stupid. You knew of all that his ego has brought upon him. When he fell, he fell hard - putting everything on the scale and losing it all in the end. You saw the surprise, the desperation, the fear present on his face for the first time ever. And it did something to you - seeing him vulnerable, lost and defeated made you realize something you were trying to hide from all along.

It made you realize that you cared. Probably a little too much.

The realization dawned upon you as something so obvious you should’ve been able to tell a long time ago. But you made a pretty good job of pretending the feeling wasn’t there. Even though you knew he was just using you like all his other assets. Even though you knew you were as disposable to him as a paper towel. Even though you knew he was spending time with you just because he was bored. Yes, you were naive. But you were not desperate. It was time to let him go. You had to focus on other things, focus on your work; nothing good could’ve ever come of tending to him instead of the people who actually needed you. And you knew that getting attached to someone like him would just end in a disaster anyway.

So you stopped replying to his emails. You stopped taking his calls. You would send him an occasional message telling him how busy you were and that he should take the time to nurse himself back to health. That he should tend to his injuries. It was strange, not seeing him for nearly a month after spending so much time together. But you promised yourself to stay strong in your resolve. To not give in to something as trivial as missing him. You could do more good if you let him go.

Except now that he no longer occupied the space on your couch,he constantly occupied space in your head.

You sighed and took a long sip of your tea. You had to get through this somehow. Might have been easier if you had other friends to spend time with, but in this world connections were not something to be built easily. Most of your friends were gone. Some of them indefinitely.

But you still had your job to do. You still had your research and enough chiralium supply to run your tests. People needed you and distractions were not welcome.

You laid down on the grass with a heavy sigh, happy to feel the warmth of the earth beneath you. It calmed your nerves, soothed the white noise in your head. You took a few deep breaths to commit the smell of blooming flowers to memory. You almost forgot what it was like. Cooped up in your lab, rarely coming outside because of all the storms and BTs. It was much better now. Easier. But your heart was somehow heavier.

You had no idea how long you spent laying there with your eyes closed. You probably even took a short nap on the warm ground. You expected the warmth to pass soon, to give way to evening and ultimately to the cold winds of the night. What you didn’t expect was to see someone standing over you when you woke up.

You did not expect to see Higgs.

“Took you long enough,” you heard him say, an unnerving tone to his voice. “I’ve been standing here for the last what… ten minutes?”

You sat up quickly, blinking once, then twice. It wasn’t a mirage. He was really there.

“What are you doing here?”

“What, am I not allowed to visit an old friend now? Is this the way you greet all your visitors?”

“No,” you answered quickly, taking another sip of your tea. “Only the ones who are not welcome.”

“Now that is just rude.”

“It’s showing up here with no invitation what’s rude. I’m busy, you know.”

“I know. Or so you’ve been telling me. But I don’t see you working too hard.”

“I’m human. I need to take breaks.”

“Yeah right. Cut the crap. What’s up? Why have you been ignoring me?”

You rolled your eyes and focused on the tea again. What were you supposed to tell him?

Before you even managed to collect your thoughts, he sat down next to you and nudged you with his elbow. You sighed and turned to face him.

“I’m not ignoring you. I’m busy. I already told you.”

“Busy saving humanity? Busy laying on the grass? Busy ignoring me?”

“Not everything has to be about you.”

“Maybe not, but I’m pretty sure it is. At least now. So wanna tell me what’s going on or do I have to guess? I have time, you know. I can do this all week.”

“I can’t. I have to work.”

Was it… impatience that you were hearing in his voice? Or was he getting angry? You couldn’t really tell, but there was certainly a different undertone to his speech now. Something edgy. Something else.

“I called you seventy two times. You only picked up once. I sent you twenty long emails. You replied to two. You call this not ignoring me?”

“Higgs,” you sighed again, shaking your head. “I’m trying to focus on my work. I have a lot to do. I can’t be distracted now.”

“So you’re saying that I’m distracting you? I should probably take this as a compliment.”

“It’s not a compliment. It’s the best explanation you’re going to get.”

He went quiet for a while. That was something you didn’t expect.

“Why are you so distant, Y/N? Tell me. I’m worried.”

Worried. He’s worried. You almost laughed.

“I just… you don’t need me, Higgs. And I don’t need you. It’s probably for the best if we stay away from each other.”

You were suprised to feel his hand squeeze your shoulder. It was not a pleasant surprise, but it made you look at him nonetheless.

“Why are you saying this, Y/N? Why now? We didn’t really need each other before either. Yet I’m pretty certain you enjoyed my company during those long, boring nights filled with snowstorms.”

“I did. But that was before I knew who… what you were. Admit it. I’m just another asset to you. You never really cared about me. Just about what I could do for you. And I was stupid enough to actually help you.”

Wow. He looked really offended.

“That’s the stupidest thing I ever heard, Y/N. It would probably even hurt me if I knew you were telling the truth.”

“I am telling the truth. I don’t want to be used by you any longer. I have to focus on things that actually matter. You can go bother the porters if you’re bored. I don’t have time for this.”

His movement was sudden and actually a little bit startling. He moved up, reached out for your face and framed it with his hands. For a while you thought that he was going to headbutt you. Instead, he just looked into your eyes with intent so strong it almost broke your resolve.

“So this is it? You think I’m bored? You think we don’t matter? Are you for real?”

You hesitated. Probably for a while too long. But you were not going to break because of the anger in his voice.

“I think you use people, Higgs. And I think you were using me too. And I don’t need this anymore. I want to do things that help people, not bring chaos to their lives. You are evil. You always were. I just couldn’t see it that clearly before.”

He let go of your face, letting his hands fall down his sides. His facial expression was suddenly something between hurt and anger. You almost regretted saying what you did. Almost.

“Did you ever even care about me? About my feelings?”

You didn’t reply. What were you supposed to say? You did care. But you didn’t want him to know.

Suddenly, he stood up and started pacing back and forth. You could see that he was distressed. Angry. You were actually surprised to see that your words affected him this much.

“Higgs, I don’t…”

“And here I thought you were different. That you were not like other people,” he spat, not letting you finish. “I thought you liked me. I thought we were friends. I thought… I thought I had something to keep me here. Someone. But no, of course not. Higgs is the monster, it’s all his fault. I’ve learned my lesson. I should have never trusted you. You think I used you?” he suddenly stopped right in front of you and brought his legs down to a squat. His face was inches from yours now. “Well, I think you used me. How does that sound?”

You wanted to turn away from him, to hide from the piercing look in his eyes. You felt like he could see right through you, right through the walls you put up to not let him get any closer. You felt so wrong when he was looking at you like that.

“You’re delusional, Higgs,” you whispered through gritted teeth. “And you’re mad. You are known to make people your puppets and then discard them when you no longer need them. Do you need me to remind you what you did to Fragile?”

He moved closer. You scooted back. You were actually starting to worry. Would he hurt you? What if he did? There was nobody here to help you. When he grabbed your hands, you actually felt panic rising deep in your gut. Even stripped from his powers, Higgs could still easily overpower you with his bare strength. A shiver ran down your spine.

“Fragile,” he hissed, his nose almost touching yours, “Was not you. She was a tool. I was wrong about her. But you… you… I thought you were… all this time, I thought…”

The desperation in his voice was new. The shift in his speech was strange. Unfamiliar. It went straight to your heart, piercing it with searing pain. Was he… scared? Angry? Lonely? Or maybe all of that?

You tried to move your hands, but his grip was heavy, almost punishing. There was no way for you to escape. He moved even closer, kneeling between your legs. You were frightened.

“I don’t know what you thought,” you whispered, suddenly ashamed of the fear so obvious in your voice. “You never showed me. You never let me understand. You just took whatever you wanted.”

He pressed his forehead against yours. Cold. Another shiver went through your entire body.

“I never showed you,” he repeated, a weird laugh finishing the sentence. “That’s true. I never did. I didn’t know how. But I will. I’ll make you understand. I’ll make you see. That’s easy.”

When he pressed his lips against yours, he took you by surprise. You gasped. The sheer desperation of this gesture took your breath away. His lips were chapped but warm, not an unwelcome presence against your mouth. You closed your eyes. The worry didn’t dissipate at all.

He let go of your hands and brought them to his face, pulling you closer, teeth nudging at your lower lip. You moaned against your will, hoping he wouldn’t notice, but he did. He pressed into you even harder, licking into your mouth with wild abandon, not even stopping to take a breath. Hs hands were suddenly behind your back, pulling you closer, flush against his chest. You couldn’t move away, you couldn’t let go. But you didn’t want to.

You tried to pull away from the kiss to breathe, but he chased your mouth with his immediately, not letting you go. It was messy and ehxilarating at the same time. But you had to breathe. At least for a while.

“No, don’t, don’t go”, he whispered against your lips whenever you tried to put some distance between you. “Don’t turn me away. Please. Please. I’m begging you.”

You never heard this type of desperation in his voice. Broken. Scared. The kisses were grounding him, you could tell; and when you didn’t move away he pushed into you even more.

“I’m not,” you said between kisses, against your own will. “I’m here. I’m here.”

One final push sent you back on the grass with Higgs on top of you. His hands were in your hair, on your face, tracing lines against your hips. You fisted his shirt to bring him closer. You needed to make this right.

“Y/N, I’m…”

“Shut up,” you said, your lips ghosting against his. “I think I get it now.”

He leaned into your touch, chasing your hand where it reached for his cheek. You felt another sting in your chest at the look on his face. He was scared. So all this time... and he only showed you that now.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper. “I’m so sorry.”

He kissed you again, hard, grinding against you with his entire body. He was heavy, but you didn’t really mind. It was a welcome weight to counter the constant painful pull in your chest. When you felt his fingers in your hair again, you moaned. He was actually gentle. Desperate and so lonely, but surprisingly gentle.

Your moan made him moan too. The shiver that ran down your spine this time was something entirely different from the fear you felt not so long ago.

Biting your lower lip, he closed his eyes and nuzzled your nose with his. You bit him right back, sliding your tongue against his. Who would have thought this might be a better way to settle your argument. Pushing and pulling back and forth you made a hot, writhing mess of each other. It felt oddly satisfying in more ways than one. But you needed to settle this. And you decided to take him by surprise.

You managed to roll him onto his back, straddling his hips and locking him down with your thighs. He looked at you then; looked at you in a way you’ve never seen before. Admiring. Passionate. Desperate. Wanting. So many emotions visible on his face you didn’t even know he was capable of.

Who would have guessed. Maybe you were wrong about him after all.

“You can stay,” you whispered, trying to collect yourself somehow. “But we need to set a few things straight.”

“Anything,” he answered, reaching up to place his hands on your hips. “Anything you say. I’ll do anything.”

You were starting to like that side of him. Submissive, desperate. In a good way.

“You help me with my work. I let you stay at my place. You do the dishes.”

He nodded eagerly, a smile spreading across his lips. You lowered yourself to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

“I’ll even walk the dog.”

“I don’t have a dog.”

“Well, that’s something we could look into.”

You shook your head with a laugh. He was impossible.

But maybe, just maybe, you will be able to make this work.

You were definitely willing to try.

#higgs monaghan #higgs x reader #higgs monaghan x reader #death stranding x reader #death stranding #death stranding imagine #i have no idea if i got higgs right #but god knows i tried #qtmeryr

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lizzieraindrops · 5 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Far Meridian (Podcast) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Peri/Ruth Characters: Hesperia | Peri, Ruth Additional Tags: Wingfic, Wings, Alternate Universe - Wings, Wing Grooming, Pining, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Stargazing, Pre-Canon, they're still in high school, it's really gay, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Best Friends, Friends to Lovers, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Femslash, Pre-Femslash

I decided that angsty wingfic for The Far Meridian was a necessity.

Just a memory of a soft evening atop a lighthouse, filled with unspoken words and un-nameable longing. Girls preening the wings of close friends is totally normal - unless you're pining sapphics suffering internalized homophobia. A continuation of the sunset scene in Ep. 1.10 Whitecaps. I promise it does end soft.

Peri has the wings of a hermit thrush – an elusive migratory songbird that travels at night, rarely visits feeders, and is widely regarded as having one of the most beautiful, ethereal songs. Ruth has the wings of a northern spotted owl – a nocturnal bird with little white spots like stars on dark brown wings, and big brown eyes.

Title from the song of the same name by The Spring Standards, also featured on this Peri/Ruth playlist.

Say it Say the words I see behind your eyes If it’s not hard to say, then it’s a lie

___________

With the brilliant colors of the sunset, the brine seasoning the seaside air, and the sound of the sweetest voice in the world singing where only she can hear, this might be Peri’s idea of bliss. The soft vibrations of unexpected music twines about the two of them in the air atop the lighthouse, much like the winding breeze that breathes through Peri’s feathers. The wind tugs lightly at them like an invitation to sky. That pull revives the muscle memory of flight going back for generations, running all the way down the vanes to stir their roots. But the song reaches even deeper into her, somewhere in the region where her wings themselves are rooted.

It’s a perfect moment, even if something about it aches indescribably. But it’s alright; it’s a familiar nameless ache, one that swells or softens but never completely fades. Maybe it’s more noticeable right now because Peri doesn’t know when she’ll get another moment like this. So, she tries to make the most of it. She keeps her eyes on the sky and drinks in the air and the light and the sound, trying to sink into the sweetness and save the bitterness for later. It works until it doesn’t.

“You could always… go,” Ruth says, but the way her voice trails tells Peri she already knows her answer. “Next semester. It’d be way easier if we could cheer each other on.”

Peri folds her wings in a little tighter, so the wind’s fingers slide off of them. She doesn’t look at Ruth. “I’ve got my online courses…”

“You know that’s not the same.”

Peri leans forward into the railing of the balcony around the light room as she sighs. She’d hoped Ruth wouldn’t make her say it. “Trust me, if I were a turtle with my home on my back… I’d be there in half a heartbeat.”

“C’mon,” Ruth says, stirring the air with a playful stroke of her forewings. The tips of her soft primaries barely brush Peri’s arm. “In the grand cosmic scheme of things, the whole Earth is your home, zooming through space at sixty-seven thousand miles per hour!”

“Sounds more like a racecar than a home!” Peri protests, but she feels a smile seeking its way to her lips.

“You are – impossible!” Ruth exclaims.

Laughter escapes both of them then. It makes the brief tension recede like one wave folding under the next, returning them to bittersweet contemplation of the kaleidoscope sky.

Peri gives a little shrug of her wings and settles them to lay more comfortably against her back. A few of the tertial feathers at the base catch on the cotton of her shirt. She lifts her left wing a little and reaches her right arm around to smooth them back into place. Once it’s fixed and re-folded, she shifts to carefully lean her elbow against Ruth’s on the railing. She does it oh so slowly, so casually that Ruth can move away if she wishes, and Peri will have done nothing but adjusted the way her weight rests against the rail. Her arms practically ache with affected ease, ready to pull back, oh sorry, didn’t mean to bump you, if Ruth pulls away.

Ruth doesn’t pull away. The wind softens into something that barely dances over Peri’s skin. In the resulting quiet, she can hear Ruth breathing. Peri listens.

“I’m really gonna miss you,” Ruth says in a soft voice.

Peri watches the golds and oranges of the sunset deepen toward pink. The clouds holding that brilliant light slide along the horizon like sails before swifter, higher winds than the ones that reach the lighthouse. Words fill her throat, but she doesn’t know what any of them are, much less how to say them. “Yeah,” she finally says. “Me, too.”

The two of them stand together in silence. Ruth heaves a slow sigh. That ineffable ache still lingers, as it always does for Peri: quietly, and constantly. But usually, it’s not this much. Right now, Peri can physically feel it like a sore muscle, somewhere deep in her chest in the same place where the music goes. On the surface far above it, the skin of her wing twitches in irritation. Some of the smaller covert feathers above the corrected tertials still feel askew. She cants the wing upward again, reaching. Her fingers stretch toward the mosquito-bite itch, but it’s right on the back of her wing where it’s hardest to reach.

Peri lets out a frustrated sound. She briskly fluffs her feathers up and then down again, hoping it will sort out the stuck ones without her having to practically stretch her shoulder out of socket. It doesn’t. This probably wouldn’t be as difficult if she didn’t carry so much tension in her arm- and wing-shoulders. The stiffness of it constricts her natural range of movement just a little, just enough to keep those furthest preening spots out of reach and to leave her neck and upper back perpetually tight and sore. Then again, a whole lot of things in her life probably wouldn’t be as difficult without the anxiety causing that tension in the first place.

Peri braces her hands on the rail. She stretches her rounded wings directly backward to brush their tips against the glass walls of the light room, then folds them down again, to no avail. She huffs in annoyance.

“Hey, you okay?” Ruth asks, giving her a sideways look with one eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, just – nghh.” Peri shrugs her wings again, then tucks them down and holds resolutely still. She’s not going to break the spell of this perfect sunset, not going to walk away from this one of the precious few moments she has left just to go downstairs for a back scratcher. “I’ve just got a feather out of sorts right in the back. It’s fine though.”

“Oh.”

Peri tries to keep her attention on the pink-and-gold clouds, and not on the itch at her back or the light press of the arm leaning against hers. It doesn’t work very well, because she finds some of those words in her throat taking shape and slipping half a question past her teeth before she knows what they are.

“Could you – ?”

At the same time, Ruth blurts, “Do you want me to – ?”

They both break off to stare right at each other. Ruth raises her wings just slightly in a hesitant gesture. Peri quickly looks away again.

“Um,” Peri says, hoping the warm glow of the sunset hides her blush. She pulls her wings in scrunched close to her shoulders in embarrassment. She feels the offending feathers stick up along with several dozen neighbors, crinkled up along the folds of skin.

“Sorry, I – uh,” Ruth says. “I meant – I can fix it, if you want. Or not! It’s totally cool, if that’s weird –”

“No! No, it’s not weird!” Peri says hurriedly. It wouldn’t be. It’s Ruth.

But if it were, that’s why it would be: because it’s Ruth.

Peri had Ace or her mom or dad help her with preening often enough, especially in those hard-to-reach spots. It was a thing lots of people did with close friends and family. Ruth practically was family – she ate dinner at the lighthouse half the time, anyway. It wouldn’t be unusual for Ruth to preen her. Peri had seen plenty of girls at school casually combing through each other’s feathers at the end of lunch hour. That was always a little golden window of free time that the two of them spent together, where nothing consequential ever really happened. Now, though, it occurs to Peri that those casual interstices were home to a disproportionate number of oddly precious memories. They rise up clamoring inside her, as if desperate to not become part of a closed chapter.

There was the time they found a crying thrush trapped in an unused locker down by Mr. Santos’ office, and Peri opened it and got a face full of feathers so much like her own. The two of them chased it down the hallway toward the door Ruth held open for it, and the bird flew out into the sky with a call of joy that they both echoed. Then, there was Heidi’s birthday sophomore year when her grandmother sent her to school with a ton of donuts, except half of them got repurposed for a miniature food fight. Somehow, it was exhilarating instead of terrifying. Peri landed a surprisingly accurate powdered donut on Ruth’s head in a puff of white sugar that clung to her hair all day. She quickly experienced retribution in the form of Ruth seizing her and dusting her all over with a cinnamon twist while laughing and leaving sugary handprints all down her sleeves. And then, there was that time the two of them wandered the perimeter of the soccer field at the edge of school and sat together in the grass awhile, chatting and staring at the trees beyond, and nothing interesting happened at all. They were simply together. Something in the stillness of that moment echoed the bliss of this quiet, sunset-glazed evening that she was living today.

Except for the current awkwardness, today had been blissful - besides the unnamed ache, of course, but that was always there. But perhaps Peri and her escaped words shouldn’t have brought up the idea of preening. For some reason, it was something that had never been a part of any of those remembered moments. It just wasn’t something the two of them did. Peri had never questioned it, never wanted to cross an unacknowledged line. Sure, she had wondered in idle moments what it might feel like to run a hand through the softness of Ruth’s dark velvet-edged owl-feathers, to trace the little white spots that speckled them like stars across a night sky. But someone’s wings were so personal, so strong and yet so vulnerable, that she would never presume to ask, not even her best friend. Especially her best friend.

But now, the wings concerned aren’t Ruth’s, but her own. Although she never even considered the possibility before, she knows she would trust Ruth with anything and everything, including this. Including her. And Ruth herself had offered. Minutes ago, the concept of Ruth’s hands on her wings hadn’t existed. But suddenly, intensely, Peri wants. She wants this before Ruth takes the option far away with her when she leaves. The deep ache inside her twists sharply in a strange way she doesn’t know how to understand.

Ruth is still staring at her, twisting her hands together. Peri flushes again, but just says, in a voice that catches on that ache and breaks into a whisper: “Would you?”

Ruth’s face blooms with hope. Being the reason for that expression makes Peri feel like the sun itself. Ruth begins to reach toward Peri’s wing, but checks herself one more time, retracting her hands as if from a fire too warm, too close.

“You’re sure it’s not weird?” Ruth says, brows crinkling in uncertainty.

“It’s not weird,” Peri says again. Thankfully, her voice doesn’t break this time. “Well, I mean, you’re weird, so by default everything involving you is weird, but other than that –”

“Hey!” Ruth puts one hand on her hip. “Rude! You’re one to talk.”

For the second time that evening, they both dissolve into giggles. The beam from the lighthouse’s light swings over them, illuminating their faces with a glimpse of brilliance.

“Okay but no, really,” Peri says after she’s caught her breath. “That spot’s really really bugging me, can you get it?”

“Yeah yeah! Come here,” Ruth says. As naturally as if they’ve done this a thousand times, she reaches out toward her once again and twirls a finger in the air to ask Peri to turn around.

Peri turns and stretches out her left wing, resting her opposite hand on the glass walls of the light room. “It’s right down at the base there, do you see it?”

“Oh yeah, hon, you’re all kinds of ruffled up here.”

For a moment, Peri doesn’t feel anything but the breeze. But just as she’s worrying that Ruth has decided this is too weird after all, careful fingers sink into the mat of soft brown coverts at her shoulder. Very gently at first, and then with deliberate firmness, she starts combing them back into place.

“Yeah, the one that’s really the problem is just belo– ahh!” Peri shivers as Ruth untangles the feather’s barbs from its neighbors and flattens it between her fingers to zip them back into alignment. Then she rubs the pad of her thumb against the feather’s base where it meets the skin, erasing the twinge of irritation with comforting pressure. Peri’s wing involuntarily sags to the ground in relief, yet again crinkling up all the feathers where her wing meets her back into disarray.

Ruth just laughs. “Starshine, you’re gonna undo all my work if you do that. Here, why don’t you sit down.”

“Oh - okay.”

Peri settles herself cross-legged at the end of the balcony. She rests her arms on the lower rail and fully stretches out both wings, resting them on the ground at a more relaxed angle. Ruth sits down behind her, and with a deep breath sets to fixing her feathers again.

If this evening was blissful before, now it’s approaching something more like wonder. It’s hard to believe it’s real. Sitting here watching the bright clouds fade while Ruth cards deft fingers through her feathers, making the skin underneath tingle with pleasure... it’s a whole new kind of exquisite. Maybe the only thing that could make it better would be if Ruth started singing again – and sure enough, Ruth starts humming to herself as she works. Peri’s left wing goes slack, followed by her right as Ruth works her way through the tiny scapulars on her back toward the opposite limb. The corded tightness of those great flight muscles slowly begins to untie itself, chased away by strokes of careful pressure and gentle scratches.

After she finishes the covert feathers at the elbow bend of her wing, Ruth goes quiet and pauses. Peri hums a softest protest in her throat. At the sound, Ruth lays a silent question on the expanse of her ungroomed secondary coverts with a gently placed palm. Peri can’t help but press an answer into her touch.

Ruth chuckles and resumes, soothing sensitive skin and smoothing down all those little rounded feathers. She even massages the underlying wing, wrapping her hands right around the marginal coverts and squeezing her fingers deep into the muscle. How did she get so good at this? If Peri had known earlier....

Ruth continues to hum as she goes, softly enough that she might be just singing to herself. But when she sings Clementine again, the notes trace their way right into Peri’s core, lancing that eternal ache with unbearable sweetness.

This might be both the happiest and saddest Peri has ever felt.

Once Ruth finishes grooming the coverts, front and back, she starts running her fingers along each great flight feather. She hums another song Peri doesn't know, making sure all the feathers' little barbs knit together without gaps.

“Beautiful,” she murmurs in between the notes.

“Huh?” Peri glances at the plain brown wing in Ruth’s hands. “They’re just brown.”

“So are mine!”

Peri rolls her eyes. “Yeah, yours are dark and gorgeous and you’ve got all those little white spots that look like constellations. Mine are all the same and just kind of dusty-looking.”

“What! No they’re not. They’re such a warm color. They’ve got this gradient...” Ruth supports the back of one of Peri’s long primaries with one hand while reaching over the top of the wing to trace the raised rachis on the feather’s underside with her fingers. “They’re kind of pale golden at the base, and then they turn more sort of, I dunno. Like hot cocoa. And look! You’ve got this adorable little stripe of dark tips on your primary coverts. And your alula.” Ruth tweaks the three little ‘thumb’ feathers at the top of her wing.

“Oh.” Peri blinks. “I mean, I guess.”

“They’re right here! There’s no need to guess. You’re adorable, and that’s that.”

Peri rolls her eyes with an exasperated sigh and a smile.

Ruth goes back to fixing up her long remiges. Peri’s wings sink ever closer to the floor, limp with relaxed pleasure. Finally, after what could be either hours or mere minutes, Ruth runs her hands down the length of them and stops.

“There,” Ruth whispers into the evening air, so soft she can hardly hear it. “How’s that?”

In answer, Peri stretches both her arms and wings out to their fullest extent with languorous ease. On impulse, she falls back into Ruth’s chest with an enormous sigh, wings still splayed. The soft whoof of air Ruth lets out makes her hair flutter by her ear.

“Good,” Peri says.

“Good.” Ruth’s voice is oddly high.

Ruth’s chest rises and falls against her back and wing-shoulders, and Peri finds that they’re breathing in rhythm. It’s lovely.

Ruth shifts her arms like she’s not sure what to do with them, with Peri practically in her lap. Apparently, she settles on stretching them out to lay along the margins of Peri’s prone wings. It increases the points of contact between them, and Peri certainly isn’t going to complain. They both hold still, simply breathing, Ruth’s breath brushing against her cheek.

She’s going to miss Ruth so much. The reality of her leaving has been circling closer for days, weeks, maybe even years, but now the fact has finally come home to roost in Peri’s ribcage.

Peri’s body is far more relaxed than usual. But the softness draws an unbearably sharp contrast with this hurting in her chest – – her heart fucking aches.

A shudder of pain that has nothing to do with Peri’s muscles runs through her, making her breath stutter.

“Whoa – Peri, what’s wrong?”

Peri squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head sharply. Don’t, please don’t, don’t ruin this, she tells herself.

“Peri,” Ruth says more urgently. Her voice is soft, but it goes low and resonant, like she’s trying to throw it across a canyon. Her hands cup Peri’s wings, holding her as they curl inward with pain.

Peri opens her mouth, desperately trying to cough up all the unspoken things trapped in her throat, but she has no idea how to make them turn into words that she can say.

Water wells in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she says in a broken whisper, and turns her face into Ruth’s neck to hide them.

Ruth stiffens as she leans in, but just as quickly goes soft and curls around her. Her cheek rests against Peri’s head while her arms slide past the curtain of her feathers and wrap around her waist to hug her closer.

“Oh honey,” she breathes, “For what? You don’t need to be. It’s okay.”

Peri’s shuddering breaths shake them both a few times before subsiding under the comforting pressure of Ruth’s arms.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Ruth whispers into her hair. The evening breeze twists around them, throwing one of Ruth’s stray locks into Peri’s eyes.

Peri shakes her head again, softer this time. She can’t. She wants to. But when she tries to say any or all of the unknown things she desperately needs to, the only sound her throat wants to make is a cry just like that thrush when it was trapped in the locker.

“Did I do something?” Ruth’s voice goes thin with uncertainty. “Was this too much?” Her arms begin to loosen unforgivably.

“No!” She lays her own arms over Ruth’s to keep them from pulling away. Right now, they’re the only thing keeping the ache inside her from growing so large it consumes her. “You’re fine.” You’re perfect. You’re wonderful. You’re everything. Please don’t go, she doesn’t say. She has no right to be saying such excessive things. “Please, just... stay here awhile?”

Ruth tightens her hold around Peri again. “Of course. I’m here, starshine.”

For now, she thinks with a pang, but she turns away from the thought. No matter what happens next, nothing can change the fact that Ruth has soothed her wings and called them beautiful and held Peri close in her arms. That’s real now, and nothing can ever take that away from her. That’s something she wouldn’t give up even to avoid all this hurt. She lays a hand over one of the darker ones splayed across her ribs, and Ruth tangles their fingers together. The gesture makes Peri melt back into her embrace. It acquires even more layers when Ruth brings her wings around parallel to Peri’s own to shelter her from the stiffening breeze.

Although being so close is what made her aching flare up so terribly into this storm of unutterable words and nameless longing, drawing even closer like this gently ushers Peri into something of a storm’s eye. Here, body to body and wing to wing, the aching releases its grip on her, and she finally goes completely soft. She knows it’s still there, rooted deep within her. But for perhaps the first time since it sprouted unnoticed in her heart an unknown number of years ago and began trellising itself all through her chest and shoulders, it doesn’t hurt. It just holds her, steadies her, the same way Ruth is holding her.

The breeze grows cooler and the surf grows fainter as the tide goes out. The pink clouds have long since taken a turn toward purple, and are now fading into dusky violet in an inky-blue evening sky.

Eventually, Ruth stirs without letting go of her. “Hey, Peri, look.” She points out west toward where the sun’s setting leaves a pale halo on the horizon. In between the smoky clouds, there’s a bright pinprick of light.

“It’s you,” Ruth says. “The evening star. Hesperos, the Greeks called it. And Phosphoros, the morning star – back then they didn’t know it was the same thing. It’s Venus, really. But I guess we’ve never really forgotten what it meant to us, in the beginning, when we started looking at the sky. And we’ve carried the story of it with us ever since.”

“Mmhmm.” Peri’s heard this story many times before. But she could spend all night listening to the way Ruth’s voice goes soft and full of awe when she talks about the stars.

They both gasp as a broad streak of blue-white brilliance arcs right past the gleaming planet and vanishes behind a trailing cloud.

“Oh, that’s a fireball!” Ruth exclaims, holding on to her tight. “I’ve never seen one that bright. Blue usually means high magnesium content – quick, make a wish, girl!” She gives Peri an extra squeeze.

“What, because it has high magnesium content?” Peri asks, baffled.

“No, dummy, because it’s a shooting star! Quick now.”

Peri looks out to the horizon where the ‘star’ fell, blinking at the afterimages of its descent. The only wish she can possibly make right now is the one that she doesn’t have words for. Her chest and throat go tight and sharp as she tries once more to force the yearning inside her to name itself, even if only in her mind. But it’s like trying to pick unripe fruit that clings tenaciously to the vine. It’s just not ready. Maybe she herself just isn’t ready.

Then again, maybe wishes don’t need to be trapped in words. That planet glinting on the horizon has meant enough to people to be given many words – names – of its own, but it’s still the same thing it always was. Perceptions must have shifted over time, and yet Hesperia’s own name is a lingering echo of what a light in the sky meant to humans who lived centuries ago. The nature of things matters, but so does the way people feel about them.

Peri stops fighting the thing inside her, and it immediately releases her into the softness of Ruth’s arms again. Okay. Squeezing her eyes shut, she holds the memory of that shooting star close to her heart. She pulls that spark of light into the soft eye of the storm with her, thinking deliberately: this. And then, because her human mind clings to the language it knows, gives it the only vague words that she has.

I hope this works out.

She heaves a great sigh as she sets the wish free and leans into Ruth even more.

“Starshine?” Ruth.

“Yeah?”

“You make a wish?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Don’t tell me.” Ruth pulls her in closer, until Peri’s nestled into her chest close enough to feel another heartbeat.

They’re quiet. The sky has finally darkened enough that the lighthouse’s swinging beam has become a solid thing in the dimness.

“Did you?” Peri asks.

“Did I what?”

“Make a wish.”

“Yeah.”

“Can we do that? Both make wishes on the same star?”

“I dunno. Maybe if we wish for the same thing? Guess we won’t find out unless it comes true.”

“Well, you’re the star expert. I believe you.”

“Not yet, I’m not.”

“You will be. I know you.”

Ruth only hums in response. Peri feels the vibration of the sound against her back and wings. A chill runs across her skin, making her feathers stand up briefly.

“You alright?” Ruth asks, running a gentle hand along her feathers once more.

“Mmmm.”

The stars are starting to fill all the gaps between the clouds now.

“Do you wanna go back in?” Ruth asks.

“Mm,” Peri says again. “Not yet. Can we stay just a little longer?”

“Yeah. I’d like that. Although my leg is kinda asleep.”

“Oh, gosh, I'm right on it, I’m sorry.”

“Ah, don’t worry. Maybe let’s move back so I can lean on the light, though?” Peri nods.

Ruth lets go of her and scoots the few feet back to the light at the center of the circular balcony. Peri’s heartache whines a little at the temporary loss, but she soothes it with a wordless whisper. She clambers after Ruth and leans against the light next to her, the intermittent brilliance shining through their feathers. She leans into the wing that Ruth spreads for her and the arm that Ruth wraps around her shoulders. She curls an arm around Ruth’s waist, weaving it under her beautiful barred and spotted feathers. The slow, regular creak of the light turning hums behind and below them. Its familiar gleam and grumble insulates them from the rest of the world. They’re cupped in their own little universe of light and sound, nothing but the sky and the sea and the shining.

The weight of Ruth’s head against her shoulder takes Peri by surprise. She hardly dares to glance at it, afraid she might move, but she dares just enough to allow herself a glimpse of Ruth’s dark hair only inches away. It’s really there. She’s really there.

Peri leans her head against Ruth’s, and her chest is a garden thinking of flowers. The two of them share a sigh and watch the stars and the swinging light in the darkness.

#the far meridian #hesperia #whisperforge #peri/ruth #lizzie taking up space #peruth #fanfic #femslash #crop circles #til the sun sets in verona #long post #podcasts

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darkspine10 · 4 years

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GF Fanfic - A New Course

A New Course (1829 words) by darkspine10

Chapters: 1/6 Fandom: Gravity Falls Rating: Teen and Up Additional Tags: Beach City, Sea Monsters, Maps, Monster hunting, Twins, Aged-Up Character(s), Reunions, Missing Persons, Dipper and Mabel solving mysteries, Bows & Arrows

Summary:

People are going missing from the beach town of Sapphire Bay. College students vanishing by the dozen with no obvious cause. Dark spectres haunt the forests and beaches, but no-one in town wants to talk about it.

May Pines, renowned activist and trouble-maker, has made it her mission to save the town. Calling on the help of her brother, the twins must reunite to work together to solve the mysteries of Sapphire Bay.

The small beachfront house stood alone at the barrier between forest and sand. Waves lazily sprayed against the beach out below the house which hung over a small slope. From behind, the leaves of the trees rustled, a soft wind blowing in from the sea. Stepping out into the sunset light, Dipper Pines shielded his eyes and spotted a reclining figure on the wooden balcony.

Shutting the car door, he gave a deep sigh. This was still something he wasn’t yet fully used to. Meeting up with his sister as a regular thing, rather than it being an aberration. Time and new perspectives had healed the cracks that had led to their separation, but it still took some adjustments to his mindset.

Forgetting his initial wariness, he strode over and yelled out. “Mabel! I’m round the front!”

Out on the balcony her saw her stir – or fumble to get up rather – and disappear inside. He took a last look at the surroundings, building up a picture of where he’d be based for the foreseeable future. It would help to know every little detail, so any differences would stand out all the more clearly.

The wall of dark trees inland was much like what he knew from Gravity Falls, but the unmistakeable tang of salt ever-present in the air made him aware of the Pacific just a stone’s throw away. Dipper sensed this was a different kind of forest entirely. The chances of running into a cryptid were almost certainly lower for one thing.

A muttered cursing from behind the front door was followed by the sound of locks being unhinged. A single heft and the door was pulled away, leaving a grinning Mabel, sunglasses perched on her forehead, leaning against the frame affecting a cool air. “Yo yo yo, welcome.” She wrapped herself around Dipper in a side-hug, then gestured him inside. “Come on, park your keister, bro. I bet you’re tired from the drive. It’s great to see you.”

All his concerns from before melted away. There divide he feared between them was nothing but a bout of undue anxiety. Mabel was happy to see him, as she’d always be from now on. “Great to see you too,” he said with a grin. “So, this is where you’ve been chilling out for the last few weeks.”

Mabel had a habit of moving around a lot, never in one place for long. Often his attempts to contact her would fail, his letters arriving after she’s already left or spotty connections keeping them apart. The only constant was that she’d always call from someplace else than before, some new exotic locale where she’d parked her special brand of troublemaking.

In the past he’d resented her for this. In his eyes she was just running away from any kind of responsibility. Now he sympathised more with that wanderlust. To simply take what you could carry and head off into the unknown.

Mabel’s newest abode was hard to make out with the sunlight glinting through the wide bay windows. Squinting, he saw the interior of the rustic cabin. It was airy, with an open sitting area dotted with pillows and comfy sofas abutting a kitchen with cabinets of painted wood.

Donning her sunglasses, Mabel grabbed a bottle of beer from the counter took a deep swill, before guiding Dipper out onto the balcony. “This is the life, eh.”

He sat down on a chair overlooking the sea and slowly nodded. “Yeah, I could get used to this. Not quite got the same…” He drifted off, an expression of warm remembrance on his face.

“Same what?” Mabel asked.

“Not got that same thrill as home though, does it.”

Mabel leant over the balcony as memories of the hundreds of adventures they’d gone on as a pair or trio with Pacifica. Her smile grew into a smirk, something Dipper didn’t fail to notice. “Well… you might be surprised.” As he raised an eyebrow, Mabel’s tone grew serious. “Let’s talk.”

With the sun now long set over the distant horizon and reheated pizza scattered around the living room, Mabel spread a bunch of papers across her kitchen table. She tapped a basic map of the coastline. “Nearest town, that’s Sapphire Bay. About 20 minutes on foot. They got beaches, boardwalk, carnival stuff. Perfect place for a getaway.”

“Is that the reason you brought me out here?” Dipper crossed his arms sceptically. “To unwind?”

“Hold your horses, I’m getting to the important stuff.” Mabel sifted through the documents and grabbed a pamphlet of local hotspots. “Most tourists that pass through are college kids, visiting for their spring breaks or whatever.”

“Lemme guess, lots of young adults getting wasted and partying all day and night.”

“Not all of us go on boring walking vacations like you.” Then she shrugged. “But yeah, you’re not far off.” With her black crop-top and colourful tattoos Mabel looked every bit the part of a small-town rebel, sticking it to the man and living life to the full on the beach. She fit in perfectly.

“That why you’re here then? A rest.”

“You could put it like that.” Mabel lent back in her beanbag, oddly pensive. “Needed a break from all the travelling. Last year was totally intense, as you well know. And with Zera off in space with that budding phase of her lifecycle, I thought I’d take some Mabel time to myself.”

Dipper detected a hint of reticence. Mabel’s relationships had never been easy to define – let alone when her partner wasn’t even from Earth. “You two still all good?” he asked gingerly.

“Oh yeah yeah, fine. This is something she’s gotta do, I understand. She’ll be back in a month or two.” Mabel sipped from another bottle of beer. “Anyway, how about you? Pacifica really chose to stay home watching the kids? Don’t tell me she’s gone all maternal at last?”

Dipper snorted with laughter. “You really think? No, she just doesn’t care to drive all this way on a whim.”

“Ha, that sounds like her. When you get home tell her she missed out on all the fun.”

“You bet. I gotta say, moving back to the Falls permanently was a great idea.” It had been a hectic few months deciding to finally return to the West Coast. The work of moving had left little time for their traditional Mystery Hunts or journal time. But Dipper wouldn’t have given up one second with his new family for the world.

“Pacifica’s certainly got her hands full. Merrise is struggling a little; still a new environment for her and all. Plus someone’s gotta look after the baby.” He set down his own drink and bent over the table. “Anyway, enough about me. I know you; we could be stuck on gossip all evening. Tell me why you need my help.”

Mabel leant back, melting into the beanbag, puffing out her cheeks. She was deep in thought about where to start. Stretching up out of her cocoon, she grabbed a single sheet off the pile strewn on the table.

“I got here a few weeks ago. My last protest kinda went south, you know, the one in Paris, with the unions, and I wanted somewhere to crash.” Dipper nodded. He remembered seeing his sister’s face on a news channel, though thankfully only in passing as part of a crowd. Mabel was getting better at keeping a low profile these days. To minimise the consequences should her actions suffer repercussions that might affect him and his family. Still utterly devoted to the cause, but mindful of getting others caught in the crossfire.

Mabel turned the sheet around to show Dipper. There was a grainy shot of a young man with name and identifying features beside it. Traditional chiselled features of your average jock visiting the beach. At the top of the poster was a single word, underlined in red:

Missing.

Dipper felt a pit of dread in his stomach. He knew where this was going.

“Spotted this on the boardwalk,” Mabel continued. At first I thought it was nothing. One lost kid, what can you do? Then more people started disappearing. Almost all the cases have been tourists. Like I said, lots of college kids passing through, having fun… and never going home.”

“And you think there’s something linking them?” Dipper cautiously asked.

“Lotsa kids vanishing, all recently, within the last few months as far as I can reckon. Normally I wouldn’t call you for something like this, but there’s something else on top.”

Her next document was a blurry polaroid. Dipper could make out crashing waves and a bulky shape in the water, but it was vague enough that it could have been anything, a boat, driftwood. Seemed to him that most cryptids were naturally camera shy.

Mabel was deadly serious however, and he was there right along with her. “You took this?” he asked, but she shook her head.

“Local paper. Last Tuesday. And there’s more.” She rifled around for a list of witness testimonies, but Dipper held up a hand.

“I get it. This is more than a simple missing persons case.”

Dipper pondered the facts. There was something oddly haunting about unsolved mysteries quite like this. Mundane in some ways, but the thought of people just disappearing off the map without a trace still gnawed at the back of his mind. Maybe, he considered, it was parenthood. Being responsible for his own kids, imagining a myriad of potential fates for these lost youths got to him.

Mabel tossed the paper down, her face contorting into an angry scowl. “I’ve tried figuring out what’s going on, but nobody likes talking about it. The cops certainly don’t care; to them it’s just a bunch of out-of-towners getting overwhelmed partying. ‘Can’t handle the lifestyle’, that’s what they say, before dropping all investigations.”

From her tone, Dipper could guess this was a common point of contention for her. She’d probably attended a number of riots protesting against the very corruption she was outlining right now. As a whole, she preferred relying on herself to sort things out.

“I know it’s not some grand conspiracy to solve or anything big like that. But it’s real, Dipper, and it’s happening to innocent people.”

Immediately he assuaged her doubts. “You don’t have to worry. I know how important this is. Besides, after everything we’ve been through in our lives we deserve to take it small-scale. Do some practical good.”

Mabel’s resulting grin was infectious. The spark of adventure was already spreading. “Right then!” She stood up decisively and tucked away her messy pile of collected evidence. “Tomorrow morning we can head into town. I’m already friends with a bunch of the locals, we can work on getting some pointers.”

“I’m sure once the Mystery Twins set up in town we’ll have this cracked in no time.”

“Cheers to that.” They clinked their bottles together, ready to solve this thing as soon as the sun rose.

#gravity falls #gravity falls fanfic #dipper pines #mabel pines #AO3 fanfic

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neckdeepinchicagosadness · 6 years

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Life: An Update

I think it’s about time that I put the last 8 months or so into words. It’s been one hell of a roller coaster. Warning: it’s really long and parts can be triggering.

I guess I’ll start back at the beginning of May. I had jUst finished my spring semester with decent grades, and I had to move out of my dorm for the summer. At this point i had decided that I was done with dorm life and wanted to move into a house or apartment with a friend (we’ll call her Lindsay for anonymity). She and I began house hunting but her lease didn’t end until June. So technically at this point i was homeless. She let me stay in her apartment while we went house hunting, but we decided not to sign onto anything due to funds, and timing. I was about to head to Albuquerque to spend a month visiting my family that i hadn't seen in a year (I had to miss Christmas that year because marching band had a bowl game that we were required to attend). It made sense at the time just to wait the two months. So we shared a room for a month until I left.

Once in New Mexico, i finally got the chance to unwind from the semester. I got caught up with my family, and met one of the coolest people i know. She’s literally my only friend in NM right now (working on getting more though). The month flew by between hiking, camping, smoking a lot of really good weed, exercise, and getting my two tattoos, and buying my first car. It should also be said that my girlfriend (lets call her Dani) and I took a month away from our relationship at this point because of distance. She was studying abroad in canada, and I was well, still in NM. I didn’t end up hooking up with anyone in this time, but took it more as a chance to look at what i wanted in my life. Things seemed pretty clear then. little did I know that when I got back to Louisiana i would be stepping into the worst 6 months of my life. I left Albuquerque at the beginning of July, and drove my Honda Element 1200 miles home.

The day i arrived back, i found myself homeless once again, but at least I had a car. I had been communicating with Lindsay about where we would be living. Apparently I didn't make my return date clear enough to her, even though i told her i was driving back two days prior. When i arrived, I was met with anger about my lack of communication, and berated with excuses about how she didn't have the money to find a new place with me, and that her family wanted her home. I could have just been told these thing earlier, but instead they were screamed at me the second i got back, and I was kicked out of her apartment. i had been keeping my things there over the month, and had to move them to my girlfriend’s parents house (they had a guest house they let me use as storage). Her excuses were valid however, and i understood that our plans weren’t going to work out and that was okay. The same result could have come without the anger though and I was hurt on the first day back. Not much of a homecoming.

From there I began to panic. I was more homeless than before. I had to couch surf for about 2 weeks between friends and felt like a complete loser and burden on everyone around me. I had to find a place. I began searching for 1 bedroom apartments within my budget. I guess i should mention now that my parents had been in a financially tight spot since I left for college and i was essentially on my own. They really couldn't help with rent as they could barely make their own. Anyway, I really couldn't find much until a friend of my Dani’s gave me a tip on a place that was on the same property he lived on. A 1 bed 1 bath for 500. I could have made that work, but i saw the 2 Bed 2 Bath that was also on the property for 800 a month and was drawn to it. This house would become my living hell for the next 3 months or so. Here is where some backstory is needed.

Back in late March or early April, i met a friend who shared my weed smoking pastime, let’s call her Shelly. Shelly is a short, strong, proud black woman with a rough family history. She was also my dorm neighbor. Shelly, Dani, and I became fast friends. At some point in the semester, Shelly had to turn to selling her weed to make her school payments. One day at her dorm, her suppliers came through. Lets call them Jack and Amy. Jack and Amy were a couple, and had recently found out that amy was about 2.5 to 3 months pregnant (yea, three months). They too were climbing out of homelessness but for reasons they didn't exactly make clear at any time. Dani and I were hesitant to become friends with them, as they were drug dealers. Jack was a twitchy, skinny white boy who liked to talk out his ass. He would talk like he knew how everything worked, even when many times he did not. And he would never admit he was wrong. If you corrected him his response was always “well that's what i meant.” Amy was a sweet, short white girl, who obviously loved Jack. She was funny and nice. Two peas in a really fucked up pod. I would only see them here and there. I never really reached out to them. That is until I saw that 2 bed 2 bath for 800 a month.

Now without roommates to make the rent cheaper i reached out to Shelly. Dani’s parents wouldn’t let us move in together unless it meant we were moving towards marriage. We had only been together for a year and a half at this point and I just wasn’t ready for that level of commitment. Shelly was excited about the house but making 400 dollars a month before utilities was tough for both of us. She thought of Jack and Amy and we both thought, well shit with 4 of us in the house we could make rent super cheap. Amy was 7.5 months pregnant at this point. Me being someone who sees the good in people, then decided it would good to give these two a chance to get on their feet. So we all agreed to get this house and work together to lift each other up. Sounds like a dream right? Well it was.

We moved in at the end of July. Things seemed to be going well. Jack and I began working on the garden, as it was COMPLETELY overgrown. The house looked so nice. The bug problem was being handled. Jack and Amy didn’t have jobs, but they had decided to give their future child up for adoption. They knew they were not in a position to raise it themselves. This may have been the only good decision they ever made. They made their rent money from selling drugs (which i kept telling them to stop doing) and assistance from the adoption agency. Shelly was also between jobs and selling drugs. It became a weed trap house. The house was in the sketchy part of town and strange things would happen here and there. For example, one night we had a meth addict who was super high try and wander onto the property. When we stopped her (armed with gardening tools) she told us that we shouldn't talk to her because she spoke with ghosts. She was also trying to break into an abandoned house behind ours. The sound of gunshots and police sirens was commonplace. But out little island seemed to be separated from this most of the time (besides the time we found squatters in the still unoccupied 1 bedroom next to us).

Then things began to take a turn for the worst. Shelly one day went to make a drug deal with one of her clients who suspiciously didn't come all the way into the property, but back in at the end of the driveway. When she went to make the trade, they gave her counterfeit (poorly counterfeit mind you) money and drove off with the product. This left a sour taste in Shelly, Jack, and Amy’s mouths. I mostly had the feeling of “we are now in danger” but kept my mouth shut. I told them never to make deals with anyone they didn’t know super well. They brushed me off like i was dumb.

Literally later that evening, Shelly had another client pull into the driveway but they didn't get our of their car, which again seemed odd. Jack, Amy, and I watched out the window nervously while Dani was doing her own thing in my room. Amy asked me to go check on her slyly while getting something out of my car. I agreed and went outside. Jack and Amy for some reason followed after me. As i was searching my car i felt a shift in the vibe right before Shelly screamed out “He’s got a gun!”. I froze only thinking of if Dani was somewhere safe. Shelly ran behind Dani’s car, her rent’s worth in weed already gone, while jack charged the car, screaming “What the fuck?! What the FUCK?!” what the fuck is right. Like what the fuck was he thinking?? Was he trying to get shot. As jack ran back to Amy screaming “She’s pregnant!” (an excuse that would become commonplace) the car peeled off out of the property. Shelly was sobbing behind Dani’s car. I had to scream at her “Get in the house....IF YOU DO ONE THING RIGHT NOW IT IS THAT YOU GET THE FUCK UP AND IN THE FUCKING HOUSE!!”. We four bolted into the house. My heart was racing but i was oddly calm. I went to Dani, i gabbed her and hugged her tight, and explained what had just happened. Jack and Amy were in their room shaking and crying. Shelly was in her room crying as well. All i could think was that those people come back for our lives. I got Jack, Amy, and Shelly in one spot and told them “you are done. Done with the selling, done being unemployed, DONE.” They just nodded in agreement. I then demanded they get into Dani’s car and we dropped them off at Shelly’s dorm that she still had due to her contract not ending until the end of that month.

Dani and I sat in the car in silence until I told her “say what you need to say.” “I told you so” was what she told me. And i couldn’t stop laughing. Because of all the things she could have said or done, she said “I told you so”. Not “we’re through” not “Fuck you.” I told you so. And she was right. She did warn me not to get involved with these people. And i didn’t listen. We drove to Baton Rouge to spend the night with a friend. Somehow we ended up having an NSFW adventure of our own that night. I guess we were living the day like it could’ve been our last.

And life went on. It went on getting worse. In the weeks that followed our brush with death, Shelly fell into a deep depression. She stopped taking care of herself. Stopped showering, cleaning her bathroom, stopped eating or doing her part around the house. And she couldn't pay her rent. On top of that everyone involved, myself included, felt a strong resentment towards her for bringing what happened to the house. After a certain point we all agreed that she had to go. We told her she had pack her things and leave. She wasn’t happy about this but she went along with it anyways. She would go on to spend the semester at her parents home, and would get a job quickly. It seemed as though she learned her lesson and got her life together. We actually hang out here and there now. But i keep my guard up.

This is where the abuse really begins. For maybe 2 weeks things were great in the house. We would cook together, have fun together, bring Amy to her doctor's appointments (they didn’t have a car), and support each other. Then Jack began to have these mood swings. We would wake up and he would just scowl at us, not saying a word. He’d go outside and work in the yard, but angrily. If I offered to help he would either say nothing and ignore my presence completely, or would snap at me. He would be this way all day. The next day he’d be fine. One day after Dani had spent the night, she decided to help out around the house by doing the dishes before we left for class. Our dishwasher was a piece of crap that wouldn't actually wash the dishes. Dani didn’t really know the extent of this though so she loaded the dishes, ran it, and put them away. Later that day she and I got paragraph after paragraph from Jack and Amy about how we never helped around the house, how the dishes were disgusting, and that Jack would do all the dishes from then on. We said we were sorry and that it was fine if Jack wanted to do the dishes. We began to keep the rest of the house in better shape, sweeping the floors and picking up after them. We would leave the dished for Jack. And they wouldn't get done. Until one night he decided to do them, at 3:30 in the morning, as loudly as possible, slamming pots and pans into the sink, waking Dani and I up so that we knew he was doing them, but that he wasn’t happy about it. When we tried to talk to him about it, he would give us the cold shoulder. This sort of behavior would continue.

At one point Jack demanded that Dani and I take better care of the house and that by the end of every night he wanted the dishes done, trash taken out, garbage picked up around the house, bathrooms cleaned, and floors swept. But he didn’t tell us this as though he and Amy would be helping, just that Dani and I had to do it. So back to dishes it was for us. At another point they asked us to use the other bathroom rather than the one we shared between our rooms because their room was small and they could hear us every time we used it and it would wake Amy up cause she was sensitive being at this point 9 months pregnant. She was about to pop any day. So we agreed and moved our things into the other bathroom. We continued to have these communication problems, but my phone had broken so anytime there was a problem, Jack and Amy felt it was appropriate to berate Dani with texts while she was in class. She would come to me sobbing as these texts were unreasonably rude, saying things about how we don’t understand what it’s like to be having a kid (as if that had anything to do with how we kept the house), that we aren’t home enough, how we are ungrateful for the things they do for the house. I remind you the reader that these dicks still didn’t have jobs. Another note I believe is important to add. The month before, Jack and Amy didn’t have their rent money because it had basically all been stolen, and Dani out of the kindness of her heart, lent them 500 dollars to pay their rent and utilities. I now know that she didn’t do this for them, but so that I wouldn’t be out of a home again. Finally one day Dani had enough of Jack’s shit and told him, if he has a problem to wait till we got home, or to message me. Jack didn’t take this well and began to ignore Dani at every change. Amy would defend Jack’s actions saying that “oh he’s just a virgo, and he’s just like that” but those were shitty excuses. She would apologize for him, but that never satisfied me, because he didn’t take responsibility for his own actions.

Finally the day came where Amy had her kid. We drove them to the hospital and made sure they were all good. After the entire adoption process, they were given 4,000 dollars for giving their child away. Money that should have gone to a car, rent, and utilities. its mid October or so by this point. It continues to get worse. By this point, Dani is nervous to ever come over, or spend the night at my place. Jack and Amy, after their return home have began to do nothing productive. They would sit on the couch, play video games, smoke weed all day, and clean nothing. The dishes piled up out of the sink and onto the counters. At this point we had already done that amount of dishes 3 times a week if not more. When we asked Jack about when they would help we were told “We just had a kid, you don’t understand” as if that got them off of chore duty.

In the background of all this Dani had been getting her paperwork done to spend a semester in Paris. As a going away gift she wanted to get me a comfort animal as my anxiety began to skyrocket because of the living situation. My grades were suffering, and i even had to drop a class because of the lack of sleep i would get from their passive aggressive midnight cleaning sessions. Eventually, Dani and i began spending our weekends at the animal shelter looking to adopt this beautiful calico, Lovey. After weeks of visiting, we decided it was time to take her home. We talked to Jack and Amy about the cat, and how it would not only be good for me but also for Amy’s post-partum depression. They thought it would be a good idea too and agreed. Then one day they told us to “stop talking about the cat until we know when it’s coming home” so we did, and when we knew we told them. I brought the cat home on a friday. She was a nervous cat, and hid the entire time i had her. That tuesday while i was at class, i received a wave of texts on FB about “how [we] don’t understand what its like to give up a child and that the cat only reminds us of our kid. How could you bring this animal home when you're never home (i was always home after class and work mind you) and it just makes Amy sad and suicidal.” and while he was right that we’d never know the pain of giving a child away, their mental health was not mine or Dani’s responsibility. But they went on berating me about the cat, until they told me that “we just can’t deal with the cat around. We just cant”. They were telling me to take her back, without saying the words “take the cat back”. I arrived home, and pulled the cat out from its hiding place, sobbing the whole time as she meowed at me. All i could say was “i know lovey, i know, i know, i know. I love you, i know”. i couldn't stop crying as i put the cat in her carriage, and drove her to the shelter. My heart wouldn't stop hurting for days.

When I got back to the house, jack was (finally) doing the dishes. I got in and told him “i’m moving out soon.” i had had enough. But they’re master manipulators and got me to stay after we had a shouting match about how I was going to put them out on the street again. I wasn’t. I was going to make sure they had someone who would make sure they could keep the house, but all they could scream was “fuck you you're making us homeless again, how could you do this. You made a commitment and you're just scared to see it through” I made a commitment to not be homeless and be happy. Not to be psychologically abused with cold shoulders, passive aggression, and guilt trips. When they said “well what about the cat you just got (with a fucking rude tone)” I told them i had already brought her back that day and that was why i had had enough. They began to swear up and down that that’s not what they wanted me to do, but they were liars and i knew it because when i was on the ground sobbing about it amy told me “well, maybe now you sort of know the pain we feel about giving our kid away”. Fuck that. What a fucking shitty thing to say. It makes me furious just to write about it. But still i told them i wouldn't leave them stranded. I continued to stay at the house until i got our utility bill for 350 dollars in electricity alone. The house was no longer affordable with just us 3 in there now and them having no jobs. On top of the fact that going there would send me into panic attacks. When rent came that month, they barely had it, even though they told me they had 2000 saved just for rent and utilities. But they didn’t. They spent it all on video games and weed. All of it. And I know they actually got 4k for the adoption because i held the check in my hands.

These bastards became emotional and financial parasites on me and Dani. We would have to pay for food for the house while being miserable in what was supposed to be where we get away from the daily stress of school. I had already begun looking for a place at this point, and Dani would stay in her dorm. We tried one last time to attempt to make things better for us. It was a wednesday in october, maybe a week before Halloween. We walked in after class to find Jack and Amy tripping on LSD. We thought to ourselves “ok fine we’ll just let them be” and we went in our room to discuss dinner. Amy came to our room to say hi, and let us know that we were welcome there, and that they were okay. Jack from across the house then called us into the game rooms they had made while we weren't there (they moved all the furniture including the couch into the office room right next to theirs just to spite us a few days before), saying “hey come smoke this weed, y’all need it more than we do”. it was funny and sounded inviting. When we entered the room however, it was anything but. Jack was shaking on the step up to his room, holding his hand in a gun shape to his head (think Kim Pine in Scott Pilgrim) saying “you need to get out Leo, you need to just get the fuck out of my face”. he then got up to charge me, and i threw my hands up and back out of the room. Dani was behind me and we ran to my room. We could hear Jack screaming “GET OUT, GET THE FUCK OUT, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO GIVE UP YOUR KID GET OUT!” Amy tried to reassure us that it was okay and that he was just tripping really hard, but it wasn't okay. Their weed dealer passed through, and then Dani’s friend (who was our neighbor who tipped me about the place) came by to drop something off to her. While he was talking to us Jack kept screaming through the wall at us saying “YOU WOULD RATHER BE ANYWHERE BUT HERE. FUCK YOU”. He was right, i did want to be anywhere but there. I was barely standing my knees were shaking so much from fear. I honestly believed Jack wanted to hurt me and Dani. So we gathered our clothes, and left for Dani’s dorm. The second i was in the car i told her “that’s it, the next time we come here its to move out”

I waited a few days till Jack and Amy wanted to talk to me about what happened. They said they didn’t remember anything of that night so i told them what happened and that because of their actions i cannot stay there. They understood at first, but as it sat with them after our conversation, their understanding turned to anger. They tried to tell me that the District Attorney said that i wouldn't be able to break the lease. They were dead wrong as there was an entire section of the lease dedicated to how to break the lease, and it said that I would either have to pay the rest of the year’s rent, OR find someone to take my spot. When i literally copy and pasted this part and sent it to them, they told me i couldn't just make them live with someone i chose. I told them tough shit i actually can. I then e-mailed the landlord about what had been happening and that i was giving my 30 days move out notice. He told me to find someone to take my place and i agreed. 10 minutes later he emails me saying “i just spoke to the other residents, you can just consider yourself off the lease.”

I felt free.

I forgot to discuss how through all of this Dani was severely sick. She came down with a cough that turned into viral bronchitis in September, and her tonsils became so swollen they had to be removed. Her surgery was just after the child was born, and she was out of commission for 2 whole week. I was essentially her caregiver as her parents didn't want to do it. This put a decent level of strain on our relationship as it was all happening at the same time.

i felt the weight lift off my shoulders finally. I moved my clothes into Dani’s room and a few days later, my friends helped me move my things into a storage unit. I would spend the rest of October (like 5 days) and all of November in Dani’s dorm while i house hunted.

But then Dani and I began fighting. Alot. She began to act manic, and would freak out every time something didn't go to plan. Her calendar is her life, and that fine, but it got to a point where she would essentially have to write me into her schedule. Everyday we would fight about small things, until i asked her “have you stopped taking your anxiety meds?” She looked so disappointed in herself because i was right. She had stopped, and it was apparent. She got back on her meds and things got better, but with the end of the semester approaching we had to start having another heartbreaking conversation. We were breaking up when she left for Paris. We decided that this was what was best for us in coming months, as i need to be present where i am and getting back on my feet as an adult, with no help. I had become dependent on Dani for emotional and financial support over these months and i felt like a bad boyfriend. On top of that, she would be across the world, and i don't want her to miss out on any part of her experience while she’s there, because she's thinking and worrying about me stateside. We both agreed that this is what’s best and that we will look at our future together or apart when she return. We are both taking these next 6 or so months to self explore. I love her very much and I want her happiness. I will miss her so much as I do already, while i visit my family in NM for the holidays.

It should also be said that Dani and my mom helped my find the coolest 1 bedroom 1 bath studio right next to my campus, and I have already signed on and started moving in. I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me, and how i grow when i have my own space where i can follow my passion of music, without the fear of judgement of my roommates.

Here’s to 2018. Truly a new year new me scenario!

#Life #months #abuse #update #fear #love #home #homeless #money #finance #breakup #growth #grow #2018 #2017 #fuck #goddamn #users #addicts #8 months #Song material #writing #long #rough #bad time

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iv-kplpt · 7 years

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charlie’s series of one night stands: gotham city

ao3 rated m. my oc gets to bang telltale version of penguin. woo-hoo.

She was in a bar in Canada, somewhere around Winnipeg. The day was cold and cloudy and all she wanted was a beer and a break – so she headed to the nearest bar, a tiny, crowded place, filled with smoke, voices and cheap booze.

The bartender's name was Evelyn – „Evie for friends, but these days we all gotta stick together, so call me Evie, love” - as she told her, as soon as she sat down.

„So we're exchanging names?”, she asked, smiling lightly. „Fine. My name's Charlie.”

„That's a lovely name, darling. So, Charlie, what can I serve you?”

„Whiskey on rocks.”

„Your accent says you're not from around here.”, Evie said, pouring her drink. „Where do you come from?”

„How do I sound?”

„Well, you sound like you're from that godforsaken hellhole of a city called Gotham.”

„Fuck, seriously?”, Charlie sighed, tapping on the countertop with her long nails – today they were painted black. „You wound me. Do I really sound like I'm from there?”

„You do. I would know, I grew up there.”

„Huh.”

Charlie took a sip and smiled, shaking her head. She put the glass down and once again looked at Evelyn, brushing some loose auburn curls away from her face.

„Funny thing, I was there recently.”, she admitted, tapping her foot to the tune of the song playing in the background. „A month ago, I think.”

„Did you like it?”, Evie asked, with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. Charlie laughed quietly, already knowing the right answer – it was in Evie's eyes, in the way she moved, in the way she rolled her eyes a bit when she mentioned the city.

„It sure is one of a kind.”, she said. „I never saw so many criminals in one place, and I'm travelling all over the globe.”

„I heard it had gotten much worse lately. Ever heard of the Waynes?”

„Oh, please.”, Charlie snorted. „Half of the city belongs to them, not to mention that giant tower AND that golden plaque. Is it really pure gold?”

„So I heard.”, Evie nodded, looking at something – someone – behind Charlie. „Calm down, gents, or I'll kick you out!”, she said suddenly, in a tone much louder and harsher. Suddenly it became crystal clear why she's the bartender – something in her voice made the arguing men calm down instantly

Maybe she has a superpower, Charlie thought. Maybe that's why she left Gotham.

„Why did you come to Canada?”

„Well, for starters, it's not United States and I didn't have money for any other plane ticket.”, Evie said, shrugging nonchalantly, her silver hair glimmering in the dim lamplight. „Fresh start and all that crap.”

„Fresh start from what?”, she asked, sliding her finger around the rim of her glass.

„From an asshole named Tony. Those Gotham boys...”

Evelyn paused for a moment, shook her head and sighed.

„Those Gotham boys shouldn't be kept around for long. They are all the same – all flash and no substance, will make you scream at night, and then cry in the morning, when you realize your wallet is gone, along with your fucking heart.”

Evie sighed again and started to wipe the counter with a piece of cloth. Charlie nodded, finished her drink and set the glass down.

„Well, my Gotham one night stand didn't steal anything from me. He was incredible in bed and I wish he gave me his number, but I guess I was lucky.”

„Who knows, maybe in turn you stole his heart.”, Evie said, smiling lightly. „Maybe he'll come barging through the door, looking for you.”

„I wouldn't mind another night, yes.”, Charlie said, winking at her. „But that's unlikely. He was... Deeply rooted in that city. I don't think he's going to ever leave it.”

„He sounds half decent. Maybe he should leave that city.”

„Yeah? Why?”

„Ah, that's one hell of a story. I'll get back to you in a moment.”

She stepped away, to take care of some other thirsty patrons. Charlie looked at her absentmindedly, not having anything better to do.

Despite her age – Charlie decided Evie is probably around sixty – she was moving gracefully, there was spring in her step. She kept her head high and her back straight - „head up, boobs out”, like Charlie's old roomie used to call this posture. Her silver hair were long and thick and her sharp, narrow face was just straight up gorgeous. Evelyn was a beautiful woman – and Charlie knew she's going to hear one hell of a story, judging by the spark in her amber eyes.

„So.”, she said when Evie came back to her. „What's going on in the city of heartbreakers and assholes?”

Evie laughed, poured her another drink – and another one for herself – and pulled her phone out of her pocket, opening some news app. She handed the phone to Charlie and winked at her.

„Just because I left doesn't mean I don't read Gotham Gazette from time to time. Go on, read... Read the ten latest articles.”

Hiding her slight disappointment – she was hoping for a juicy tale – Charlie picked up the phone and started scrolling through the app, filtering out the stuff she already knew about Gotham. Batman... Filtered out. Massive spike in crime... Filtered out. Upcoming elections... Triple filtered out, she didn't care about the local politics. A man called Penguin... Not filtered out.

„Holy fuck!”, she said, smiling widely and enthusiastically tapping the photo of a masked man in a suit. „I know this guy!”

„Well, you should call the Gotham police then. He's a wanted criminal.” „No, you don't understand. I know him... In the biblical sense. We fucked. He's my one night stand! The one who didn't steal my wallet!”

„Wait, darling, are you sure?”, Evie asked, leaning towards her, visibly intrigued. „ That's him? You definitely should call the cops. Who knows, maybe they'll pay you.”

„Yeah, and tell them what exactly?”, Charlie snorted, still staring at a photo, remembering how the man looked without his dead-bird-shaped mask. „Hello, yes, I have a valuable info on the Penguin. I know what his dick looks like. It's PIERCED. I repeat: the Penguin pierced his DICK!”

Evie snorted, covering her mouth and waving the free hand. There were tears in her eyes, Charlie noticed with satisfaction; good. They were on the right track to becoming really good friends.

„Oh, I want to know all the details.”, she said finally, after calming down a bit. „Hang around for a while, would ya? I'm closing in a few hours and then I'm all ears.”

„No problem, I love to talk about my conquests.”, she said with a smirk. „In the meantime though can I get some fries? I'm starving.”

„Honey, you're the girl who fucked the Penguin of Gotham City. This is going to be the best story I've heard in a long time. I can get you anything you want.”

Charlie grinned in response and stretched out, yawning loudly. She needed attention – and Evie was giving her just the right kind of attention.

She spent the next few hours catching up with events in Gotham, looking around and dismissing various drunk Don Juan wannabes. None of them was her type, except for one – the dark skinned, lean woman in a business suit; but she was drunk and Charlie wasn't that kind of person.

When the closing hour finally came, she helped Evie with kicking out last of the patrons, cleaning up the tables and locking the place up. Finally, they sat in her small living room – which was just above the bar – with cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows in hands. It wasn't the first time a total stranger was completely charmed by her, and she was sure it wasn't the last – but it sure as hell was the most pleasant one.

Plus it felt nice to be able to gossip about sex with someone like Evie – someone with their own fair share of adventures.

So she started talking, pausing from time to time to take a sip from her huge mug – and judging by Evelyn's face, she was indeed telling one hell of a story.

***

She arrived in Gotham shortly after leaving that small, weird town by the river, the one famous for its maple syrup production. Her leads that made her show up there turned out to be cold and useless – and the only good think to happen to her during her stay there was a long night with a certain biker. A handsome man, bit of an asshole, but with his heart in the right place – exactly her kind of man, in all his leather loving ruggedness.

So when she showed up in Gotham – the biggest city she visited in a long time – she was kind of pissed off. Tired. In need of both distraction and motivation. She was desperate for a lead – any lead, really – and she vaguely remembered that piece of shit Harry talking about having a cousin in Gotham.

She knew her name and what she did for a living, so she decided it's just a matter of miraculously coming across a good and cheap private eye, willing to help her out – nothing too complicated. Charlie decided it's time to give herself a short break – unwind, have some fun, maybe buy some new shoes, because her old boots were starting to fall apart.

She heard Gotham has much to offer in terms of night life – a lot of clubs and bars, drugs, liquor and sex costing about the same; though she wasn't sure whether „the same” meant „dirt cheap” or maybe „who even can afford that?!”.

So she wandered from club to club, looking around, sometimes admiring the – mostly crumbling, but still breathtakingly beautiful – architecture, wondering why Gotham feels so wrong during the day and so right during the night. Night was her time anyway; she loved its sense of mystery, anonymity and danger. Well, okay, Gotham was equally dangerous both during the day and during the night, but Charlie always had a flair for the dramatic.

One night though she somehow wandered into a place she wasn't supposed to be – again. That was her superpower – always finding that one place that's not going to welcome her with darts, cheap booze and comfortable stools. She heard about this place from a drunk man in another part of the town – it was well hidden, so most people didn't know about it. What he didn't tell her though – and what she didn't figure out until the last minute – was that it was hidden for a reason.

„Reason” being, obviously, being mafia occupied.

Well, fuck, Charlie thought, as the bouncer put his hand on her shoulder and started dragging her in a direction that most definitely was not the exit. Well, shit.

And then – he showed up.

„Hey, mate!”, she heard a man calling out after the bouncer; he had a thick, british accent. „Leave my friend 'ere alone, she's with me.”

The bouncer stopped, but he didn't take his hand off her shoulder. He turned around to face the man, forcing her to turn with him.

The British guy was tall, rugged and handsome, very handsome. Exactly her type of handsome. He reminded her of her previous adventure – but this one was a bit younger, and was wearing a trenchcoat instead of a leather jacket.

„I was looking for you!”, she said to him, hoping he'll play along. She gave him her most charming, genuine smile, noticing his eyeing her up and down, pausing for a moment – of course – at hear cleveage.

„Paul, be a darling, let her go.”, the stranger said finally, returning his attention to the bouncer, who – hesitantly – let her go.

The stranger continued.

„It's been a while since my last tête-à-tête with Charlie” - she blinked quickly, hearing her name spoken by this man she never met - „so please, kindly do fuck off.”

The stranger put his arm around her waist and started leading her between the tables, ignoring all the stares and whispers.

„Do we know each other?”, she muttered to him under her breat; in response he tightened his grip a bit.

„Not now, darlin'.”, he muttered. „I have a private room reserved on the back.”

He smelled of cologne – of course he did, they always smelled of cologne – whiskey and smoke.

When the door to his private room closed behind them he let go of her; she fixed her hair and straightened her dress, as he – mockingly gallantly – bowed, taking her hand.

„Oswald Cobblepot.”, he said, lightly brushing her hand with his lips and looking into her eyes.

„Well, my name's Charlie.”, she said cautiously, watching as he takes off his coat and throws it on the floor. „So, I have a few questions for you, Oswald.”

„And I'll gladly answer 'em, considering you now have to spend some time with me.”, he said with a devious grin, falling onto the nearest chair. „There's no escape.”

„Ha-ha, very funny.”, she sighed, rolling her eyes, and sat down on the opposite side of the room.

Just as she was opening her mouth, there was a knock at a door. Oswald sighed with annoyance.

„What?!”, he snarled, as the door opened and a waiter entered the room.

„Is everything alright?”, he asked calmly, glancing briefly at Charlie and focusing on Oswald. „Do you need anything?”

„I could go for a martini.”, Charlie said, crossing her legs and grinning at Oswald. „Your treat... Friend?”

„Everything for you, darling.”, he said carelessly, looking at the waiter. „You heard the lady! A martini for her and a bourbon for me. Take your time.”

When the door closed, he returned his attention to her.

„Do we know each other?”, she repeated her earlier question, playing with the hem of her dress. „I don't remember you.”

„Oh, I have friends all around the world, Charlie.”, he said calmly, winking at her. „I know a lot about you.”

Seeing her surprised expression he laughed and shook his head.

„Nah, I'm just fucking with you. That was a lucky guess. Never seen you before, but hey – I'm a gentleman. I just wanted to help.”

„I'm not a damsel in distress.”, she retorted, way sharper than she intended to. „I had this under control.”

„Sure you did, darlin'.”

He shot her a quick grin and she instantly knew where exactly this situation is going.

They received their drinks and were left alone again. She moved to another chair, one standing a bit closer to where he was located.

„So, Charlie.”, he said after trying his drink. „You're not from 'round 'ere, are you?”

„If I was from around here I wouldn't be in this bar, genius.”

„That was a rhetorical question. I know you're not from around 'ere, so the question is... Where are you from?”

„Why do you care?”, she asked in return, taking the olive from her glass between her fingers and squeezing it gently.

„Well, I want to get to know you, Charlie. I thought that's obvious, me taking you to my private room and all.”

She laughed and batter her long lashes at him, finally looking at him properly, one final moment of hesitation before making a decision.

„Okay, Oswald... Fuck, is there a shorter version? That's a mouthful.”

„Oh I'm a mouthful alright.”, he said nonchalantly and she groaned. „But sure. You can call me Oz.”

„Alright, Oz. Ozzie.”, she said, still playing with her olive. „Let's get to know each other.”

Before long, they were in a cab, on their way to get to know each other. She couldn't decide what was the deciding factor – his grin? His face in general? His hands? Or maybe his scars? She didn't know and she didn't care. Another one to her list of enjoyable evenings. Another lost piece of underwear. Oswald Cobblepot wasn't a patient man – and she liked that impatience. She was sure their driver appreciates it a lot less, with all the feeling up going on in the backseat of his cab, but they tipped well. Back in the room, between a kiss on the neck and a hand sliding up her thigh, they decided on his place – he was taking care of his friend's luxorious flat, plus there was something he wanted her to see. She agreed. With his hand under her dress she'd agree to everything.

He wasn't lying about the flat – it was luxurious; but she only cared about the amount of flat surfaces – she was getting really impatient and really, really into it – and the mysterious thing he wanted her to see so badly.

It was... Disappointing. Not at all what she expected; she was hoping for something useful in their situation, maybe for some custom made luxurious toys, not a gas mask. It was shaped like a bird skull, sure – he informed her it's shaped like a penguin skull – but it was not at all relevant to why she came here with him.

„Oz, I don't care.”, she said, interrupting him. „Don't ruin the mood.

She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him closer. The mask fell to the floor and rolled under the bed; he put his hands on the mattress and leaned in, pushing against her chest; she started to ruffle his hair lazily, feeling some old scars on the back of his neck under her fingers.

Rest of the evening – and the night, and the morning after – was both a blur and one of her sharpest, most distinct memories. Everything was both fuzzy like the hazy view outside and sharp like her nails on his back. It was impossible to focus on just one sensation; he'd make her feel like she's dissolving with his teasingly gentle touch, only to bring her back with a sudden pinch or with a light bite.

He had long, slender fingers, marked with scars here and there. In the back of her head – when she was still able to form coherent thoughts – she concluded he probably used to be a pianist; and his firm grip on her wrists kept her from further scarring his back. He was covered in scars, old and new – and she very much enjoyed the vision of him covered in smudged blood.

He eventually did draw her blood – he bit her collarbone just a bit too hard and she winced, torn between the stinging pain and the feeling of his fingers inside her. He smiled and winked at her, his lips covered in her blood.

„You alright?”, he asked, and lazily brushed her neck with his bloodied lips. She felt the warm stickiness and sighed deeply, closing her eyes.

„I'm trying to come, you know. You're not helping.”, she eventually said, her eyes still closed and her wrists still in his iron grip. She bucked her hips and groaned.

„Oh, I can help with that.”

„Well, what are you waiting for?”

He was lightly tapping his fingers on her abdomen, distracting her from her own train of thought. She opened one eye; he was looking at her with a grin on his face, visibly waiting for something.

„Oh.”, she finally realized. „You fuck.”

„You're not helping.”, he muttered, planting a lazy kiss on her neck and brushing her sensitive skin with his infuriating stubble. „Come on, Charlie, say it.”

The light tapping turned into gentle massage and she let out a moan.

„Okay, okay...”, she breathed out, trying to concentrate. The touch ceased. „Please.”

„See? That wasn't so hard.”, he whispered and let go of her wrists. With a grin and a series of quick, light bites and kisses he lowered himself and put his hands on her thighs, gently pushing them apart.

The world quickly turned into a blur when his lips – and his wicked tongue – found her center.

She could feel his hair under her fingers – and when he made her scream for the first time, she in return made him wince in pain by pulling his hair. He grabbed her wrists again, pressing her onto the mattress.

„Oh, did that hurt?”, she gasped out, staring into his eyes. „Poor thing.”

„Shut up.”, he responded; he let go of her wrists – she was started to think he has a thing for holding his partners like this – and pulled away.

He was looking for something in the drawer of a nearby nightstand; rumaging furiously through its contents. She giggled.

„What, you lost something?”

„Take a wild guess.”, he said, with one hand on a zipper of his pants.

She stretched out lazily, enjoying the way he looks at her breasts, now covered in bitemarks and love bites.

„Get back here.”, she said eventually, looking at him with her eyes half closed. „I have an implant for that. Way ahead of you, Scruffy.”

He smirked, got out of his pants and came back to her, to her embrace, to her skin, and rest of their time together was a blur only filled with not so tender touches, bloody kisses and moans and sighs muffled by the other one's skin. Oz was a man of many talents, and he put almost all of them to use during that long night.

When she woke up he was still asleep. He looked almost peaceful – his scars and her blood smeared on his face ruined the illusion. He was still very handsome though, and she almost regretted she can't stay longer. She left him a note – a really genuine one. One last time she ran her hand through his hair and just like that she was out of that flat, and out of his life.

*** Mentally back in Canada Charlie finished her cocoa and put her mug down. Evie let out a satisfied sigh.

„So you really fucked the Penguin.”, she said, shaking her head. „Holy shit.”

„I know, right? I'd stay longer if I knew what's going to become of him. Maybe I'd blow him.”

„Is that what you're into? Criminals?”, Evie asked, raising her eyebrow. Charlie laughed in response.

„Not really, but it would be one hell of a story. And a cool new nickname. The Birdblower.”

„That sounds absolutely terrible.” „Yeah, it does. Still better than „that heinous bitch” though.”

Evelyn stretched out and put her legs on the couch, still staring at Charlie.

„I wonder if he remembers you.”, she admitted suddenly. „Don't get me wrong, darling, he's definitely not a romantic hero, but here we are, chatting about his pierced junk. Do you think he tells his friends about you?”

„I don't really care.”, Charlie admitted; she wasn't telling the truth, but she wasn't lying either. „Maybe I'll find out some day. We'll see.”

She got up, picked up her backpack and put on her jacket. It was time for her to leave; not this particular town, no – she had some unfinished business here – but it was time for her to go to the motel and get some sleep.

„Thanks for the nice evening, Evie. I might drop by later this week to say bye.”

„Well, I hope so. Take care, kid.”

She left Evie on the couch in her living room, absorbed by memories of all the men she treated same way Tony treated her once, all those years ago.

When she was outside, in the cold, she pulled out her phone and went to Gotham Gazette webpage. In the meantime they published a new story on the Penguin; for a moment she considered reading it, but eventually she closed the page without opening the article. The past should stay in the past – there's no point of living in it; though she really wondered if he kept her note for some reason.

She hoped not.

#ff #eng #telltale batman #oswald cobblepot #pinnguin

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thingsonmymindiwanttosay · 7 years

Note

SERGIO/MARCO 86

Writing prompt 86. “You’re important too.”

I don’t know what the following mess is anymore, but I hope you didn’t think I forgot your request! 💙—————————It was a bad game, a really bad game. Sergio scores an own goal. Opponents run past him easily. The same shoulder he perpetually injures, strikes the pitch heavily and awkwardly. He didn’t even get a chance at a resurrection, almost getting carded before the pain forces him off. Minutes after wrapping Marcelo’s bicep in the captain armband, he falls to the ground grasping his ankle. Zidane’s beloved BBC is utterly worthless. And the final result? The team loses, 4-2.

After being examined and cleared to leave, he just wants to rush home and forget the entire night ever happened. Because frankly, he can’t let it affect him, but the drive home can’t be fast enough. Every rotation of the wheels against asphalt, brings another doubtful thought in his mind. Every red light festers the guilt he’s trying not to let occupy him. Every stop, stressing him more. By the time he arrives home and gets inside his house, he’s irritable and exhausted and his body feels tight like a wound up coil.

He decides a shower might help him unwind, ease he tension, but underneath the spray of the water, the stress only pools at his feet. His muscles don’t feel anymore relaxed, and the guilt is biting at his skin.

After finishing his shower and getting dressed for a night in, he checks his phone. It’s been going off since the game ended. Tweets, posts, teammates, texts, media, articles, Marco. He shuts his phone off and leaves it on his bedside table.

Back downstairs he fixes himself something to eat. He sits at his kitchen island trying to let his quiet home calm him, but instead, stares at his plate pushing the food around with his fork. The silence, too similar to the locker room he sat in waiting for the game to finish without him.

There’s a knock on his door. He wasn’t going to get anything down anyways, but he feels interrupted. He sighs loudly, dropping his fork irritated.

“What do you want Marco?” Sergio runs his hand over his face as he answers the door.

“I know you like your space after an unfortunate game, but I just wanted to make sure your were alright, you hit the ground pretty hard.”

“I’m fine, Marco,” Sergio sighs. He slides his hand up the side of the door, blocking the entrance with his body. “My shoulder is fine, it was just a bad knock, nothing’s broken or anything.”

Marco isn’t smiling, but his expression doesn’t waver at the attitude he’s given. “The team is going over to Isco’s for drinks, you know, get the edge off,” he motions with his hand. “If you’re up to it, they wanted you to come.”

“I really don’t feel like doing that,” Sergio breaths, leaning on the doorframe.

Marco shifts his weight and uncrosses his arms, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I thought you said your shoulder was fine?” He challenges.

Sergio keeps a flat tone as he speaks, looking off to the side, past Marco, “It is fine, I just don’t feel like going out. I need bed rest, doctors orders.”

“Want some company?” Marco buries his hands deeper in his pockets.

“No, go have some fun.”

“I don’t mind staying in with you, Serg.”

“I don’t want company.”

“Well you need it,” Marco says looking at Sergio. “Can I please come in?”

Sergio huffs, moving out of his doorframe and into his house. Marco locks the door and follows him into his kitchen, noticing his untouched food.

“You should eat something.”

“I’m not really hungry,” Sergio says dropping onto the couch, closing his eyes.

Marco follows and sits on the edge on the cushions, his hands crossing, elbows on his knees. “Why didn’t you pick up my calls, you could’ve at least texted me back?”

Sergio sits up, lost in his own thoughts, ignoring his question, “Can we take this upstairs?”

Marco nods, apprehensive. He watches Sergio stand and walk around the couch.

“Aren’t you coming?” Sergio says at the bottom of the stairs.

He catches Sergio smirk when he nods and stands from the couch, “Mhmm.”

When Marco reaches him, Sergio takes his hand and leads the way to his bedroom.

Marco glances at Sergio’s phone turned off on the night table as he’s pushed up hard against a wall, his question downstairs now answered. He can feel his skin burn as Sergio drags his teeth down the length of his neck and across his shoulder. Sergio wraps Marco’s legs around his waist, carrying him to the bed, and dropping him harshly. His hands wrap around Marco’s biceps shoving him across the bed forcefully, “Is this what the doctor meant when he said you needed bed rest?”

***The buttons of Marco’s shirt are lost in the tangled blankets, his jeans have more rips in them than when he arrived, he’s not sure where his jacket was thrown, or his underwear for that matter. His scalp tingles from his hair being pulled, the long scratches on his back match the red prints in his ass, and the bite marks on the inside of his thighs match the bruises around his hips. His skin is hot and he’s covered in a sheen of sweat.

He can hear Sergio breath and out of the corner of his eye, he can see his chest rise and fall.

“Are you really okay, Sergio?”

“Yes, of course I am.”

“The sex was rough.” Marco swallows.

“Bad rough or good rough?”

Marco peels his eyes from the ceiling and rolls on his side to face Sergio, ignoring a pain around his ribs, “More-than-just-your-shoulder-is-bothering-you, rough.”

“I thought you liked it rough?” Sergio says still staring at the ceiling.

“Not when you’re trying to hide something with it, that’s not healthy Sergio, just talk to me.”

“I don’t know what you want me say, I’m not hiding anything, I’m fine, Marco.” Sergio says to the ceiling.

“Would you look at me dammit,” Marco says angrily. “You didn’t even let me touch you. Just talk to me.”

Sergio turns nose to nose with Marco, glancing between his eyes and his lips. “I’m fine, really,” he smiles, kissing Marco slowly, softly, gently for the first time of the night.

Marco watches as he rolls onto his back again. His features no longer intimidating or dominant, instead clouded over with oblivious concern and bunched up distress.

“You know, that bullshit you pull on field when you pretend nothing bothers you and you just walk away grinning or shout it out a bit? I see right through it and there’s no need for it! You can talk about it with me! I can help! I want to help! That’s why I’m your boyfriend! Stop shutting me out! I want to be there for you!”

Sergio eyes flutter closed, his voice dragging out, “Marco…”

Marco springs up, “Dammit Sergio, why don’t you ever talk to me!? Every time there’s a bad game you do this! Let me in for fuck sakes! You can always talk to me, you always listen to me! I want to listen to you too! You’re important too!”

“You want me to talk? Why?! It’s nothing you can fix, it’s nothing I can fix!” Sergio shouts, sitting up as well.

Marco raises his brows, urging Sergio to continue.

“Modric and Kroos ran in circles all game! Cristiano’s shots were so off target I think they landed in Camp Nou! Marcelo got injured as soon as I gave him the captain armband! You never get any playing time! The bbc is so useless, it’s embarrassing! Our defence is a piece of shit no matter how hard I try! I scored a fucking own goal! And I didn’t even get a chance to make up for it because I had to come off! I wasn’t even on the pitch to support the team as we lost! I’m stressed and I feel guilty that I can’t do more! I’m just really tired of this!”

Marco eyes Sergio as he finishes his screaming match. He looks down at his hands, “We lost a game? So what. There’s teams that rarely win and we’ve broken a bunch of other records already. Marcelo will be fine, when is there not someone injured on this team anyways. We still pull through.”

Marco takes a breath, recalling what Sergio said, “And the BBC, they’ll score when they score, you score lots and you’re a defender for crying out loud. As for me, I’m young, I’ll get playing time eventually. And every player goes through a rough patch every so often, Cristiano will come around.”

Marco turns to face Sergio, “Our defence isn’t shit, you’re all talented, it’s just our style of play, our tactics.”

Sergio shakes his head as he listens to Marco speak, “You scored an own goal? Big deal. So have others on the team and in more important matches! You’ve also got sent off for dumber reasons, you’ve even tactically gotten red cards and you feel bad now that you had to come off because you were hurt! I know you’re good at hiding your emotions but I saw the pain rush over your face and I saw the fall and anyone could see it was bad. You could have got seriously injured if you continued, you’d rather miss weeks or even mouths versus one game?”

“No but,” Sergio says in a small voice.

Marco shuffles, moving on his knees between Sergio’s legs and grabbing his face, “Listen, I’m not saying you can’t complain or you can’t feel stressed, okay. I don’t get to decide that and I’m never going to tell you how to feel. It’s not my place, but I will remind you that it really isn’t that bad and that you don’t need to be so hard on yourself.”

Marco runs his thumbs under Sergio’s eyes, “You’re right, you can’t fix any of this and neither can I, but you can let this it out to me. It helps. You’re so amazing Sergio, and you work so much for the team. It’s okay! Today was hard, but being hard on yourself about it isn’t going to change it. It could change tomorrow or the next game though if you let it mess with you and keep it to yourself to fester.”

Marco watches over Sergio’s face, looking for a change in expression. He sees Sergio close his eyes and feels him letting his hands support the weight of his head.

Sergio wraps his arms tenderly around Marco, pulling him carefully into his chest. He rests his head on Marco’s shoulder, breathing him in and leaving light kisses over the bruises he never soothed. Marco can feel his hands spread over his back, rubbing delicately over the simmering scratches.

“I’m sorry,” Marco hears between kisses into his hair and around his ear.

“It’s okay,” Marco whispers. “Just let me in more often. I want to be there for you, I want to help and listen to you when you’re upset, that’s what I’m here for.”

Sergio tucks his head in the crook of Marco’s neck and pulls the blankets up around them, laying the both of them back onto the bed, “Marco I…thank you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Marco says kissing his temple. He can feel the both of them relax, “I’m always going to be here for you, Sergio.”

#sergio ramos #marco asensio #i write sometimes

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ohmygarlands · 7 years

Text

Never Too Far Away | Chapter 32

"What about this one?" Judy excitedly said, lightly twirling in a white gown in front of a full length mirror in the change room of Saks Fifth Avenue.

"Hmm, no. It's too frilly. Isn't there a rule about wearing white to your second wedding?" Her pal and maid of honour, Betty Asher replied.

"Oh, shush. It's my wedding and I'll wear what I like. Besides, it should have been Gene standing at the alter the first time around anyway."

"Whatever you say, darling."

Judy stopped twirling and slouched forward in disappointment. "How many have we looked at so far?" She asked, holding her hands on her hips.

“I lost count after the 8th gown.” Betty answered, glancing at her wrist watch.

"I suppose I have kept you quite awhile, haven't I?"

"I don't have anywhere else to be." She smiled. "But if you don't settle on one soon, I will withdraw my acceptance to be your maid of honour." Betty laughed.

"Let me get my things." Judy laughed along with her. "We'll get some lunch, I'm famished."

Judy changed back into her sweater and slacks and the two ladies made their way outside and down the road towards a bistro Judy had suggested. They linked arms and approached the small restaurant when a child's voice echoed behind them.

"Judy!!!!!" Little Kerry yelled running at full speed towards her.

Judy turned around startled and kneeled down with her arms open.

"Kerry!"

She jumped into her arms and Judy picked her up, holding her tight.

"Where on Earth did you come from?" She beamed, booping her nose with the end of her finger.

"Kerry, what have I told you about running off like that! I'm so sor–" Betsy chased after her, stopping mid sentence when she realized who it was holding her daughter.

Judy looked up and her brilliant smile immediately vanished.

"Betsy."

"Hi Judy, pleasure as always." She said with a hint of sarcasm. "Come on, Kerry, we have to get home."

"Nooo," She whined, "I wanna go with Judy."

"Judy's got things to do, honey... As do I, now come on!"

Betsy reached out for her daughter but she recoiled, cuddling into Judy's chest.

“My friend Betty and I are just heading down the street to get some lunch. You and Kerry are more than welcome to join us,” Judy said hesitantly.

“That’s very kind of you but I have some more errands to run before the stores close and—

“Well, how about dinner?” She suggested.

“…Excuse me?” Betsy replied, stunned.

“I’m um, I’m inviting you to our house for dinner this evening. Kerry is invited to come too of course,” Judy stammered.

Betsy was taken aback by the invitation but she eventually accepted.

“What time should I be there?” She asked.

“How does seven o’clock sound?”

“Fine, we’ll see you then. Goodbye,” Betsy smiled weakly, taking Kerry by the hand and continuing down the sidewalk. Kerry turned and waved to Judy as they were walking away.

“What in the world did you just do?!” Betty whispered to Judy, who was nervously biting her finger.

“I don’t know,” she whimpered. “I’ll figure it out later. C’mon, let’s go get something to eat before I keel over.”

After having lunch with Betty and getting some more shopping in, Judy headed home and was overwrought with the ever-approaching dinner date she had made earlier in the day. She wasted no time cooking and cleaning in preparation for Betsy’s arrival with Kerry. In the minutes leading up to seven o’clock, Judy sat in the living room and attempted to unwind with a record and a vodka soda. It did little to quell her nerves. Suddenly the doorbell rang and nearly caused Judy’s heart to leap out of her chest. She jumped to her feet and raced to the front door, taking a deep breath before letting them in.

“Hi,” Judy put on her most charming smile and her eyes widened when she saw a handsome sandy blonde man standing beside Betsy.

“Hello, I hope you don’t mind, I brought a guest.” Betsy said.

“No, no… Not at all. Please come in, Gene won’t be home for a little while but make yourselves comfortable.”

“This is Sam.” Betsy introduced.

“Nice to meet you Sam, I’m Judy.” She held out her hand.

“Oh, I’m well aware of who you are, Judy. I’m a big fan.” He beamed, starstruck.

Betsy shot him a look before feigning a smile for Judy. They all walked into the living room where a Glenn Miller record was still playing and sat down on the couch. Kerry pulled out a basket of toys underneath the coffee table and dove right in. Her little giggles and playful dialogue was the only thing breaking the uncomfortable tension in the room.

“How about a drink?” Judy blurted.

“That would be lovely.” Betsy answered.

When Judy went into the kitchen, Betsy spotted several framed pictures of Judy and Gene sitting on the mantle and got up to take a better look at them. Returning with a couple glasses of water, Judy saw Betsy virtually inspecting all of the photos which only enhanced the guilt she was already feeling for bringing her over.

“Here’s your drink,” Judy said as she approached Betsy from behind.

“Oh! Goodness, you startled me,” she laughed.

“I’m sorry,” Judy giggled. “Can I get you anything else?”

“No, thank you,” Betsy took a seat on the couch again and sipped her drink slowly. Judy sat in the love seat across from her and Sam and resumed drinking her vodka soda.

“So, what were you doing shopping today? I would’ve thought you’d be at the studio,” Betsy inquired.

“Just some clothes shopping,” she fibbed. “It’s hard to believe but I actually got some time off from work this week. I’m in between movies at the moment so there’s been a lull in production.”

“I see,” Betsy nodded. “How’s uh, how’s Gene?”

“He’s fine, always busy at work,” Judy smiled. “He should be home any minute though. I’m going to start setting the table. Is there anything else I can get for you?” She repeated.

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Ok, excuse me,” Judy got up and dabbed the sweat from her brow before taking the roast out of the oven and preparing the dishes.

Jingling keys could be heard at the front door before the deadbolt turned and Gene let himself him.

“Hi babe!” He called from the foyer.

Betsy shot out of her chair and stared wide-eyed at Gene, who suddenly mirrored her expression.

“Hi darling!” Judy met his lips with a kiss which he barely returned. “I invited Betsy over for dinner. Why don’t you wash up and change before you sit down?”

“Uh, can I talk to you for a second?” Gene pulled Judy by the arm into the bathroom and locked the door behind them.

“What the hell is the matter with you?!” He snarled.

Judy placed her hands on his chest and ashamedly lowered her head.

“I know, I know! I’m so sorry… I ran into her this afternoon while Betty and I were shopping for my wedding dress— of all things!— and I panicked.”

“So you invited her over for dinner?!”

“… Yes…” She muttered.

“You don’t cook!” He snapped back.

“Well… I’m not terrible.”

“Who’s the guy?”

“His name is Sam, I don’t know anything else.”

“Jesus, Judy…”

He turned around and leaned his forearms against the tiled wall, sighing in frustration. After a long and exhausting day at the studio, a dinner with his ex wife and current wife to be was the last thing he wanted to come home to.

“You want us all to get along, don’t you?” Judy wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.

“Yes, I do but this isn’t exactly what I had in mind…”

“It’s only one dinner… Please?”

Gene turned around and wrapped his arms around her. It was impossible to stay angry at her, especially when she looked up at him with those huge brown eyes.

“Fine…” He leaned in and kissed her beautifully full lips. “…But payback is gonna be a bitch.” He whispered against her mouth.

Judy slapped his arm and they emerged from the bathroom.

“Daddy!” Kerry exclaimed, jumping up from the floor.

“Hey, monkey!” He picked her up and gave her a few stubbly kisses on her cheeks, making her giggle and squirm.

“Betsy.” He nodded and acknowledged politely.

“Hi, Gene… Gene, this is Sam. Sam, Gene.”

Gene held out his hand and gave his a manly shake.

“Sam and I have been seeing each other for awhile.”

“I’m glad for you.” He said dismissively.

Gene was just about to take a seat on the couch with Kerry when Judy called out from the kitchen.

“Dinner is served!” She chimed.

Everyone got up and gathered in the dining room. Gene placed Kerry in her booster seat and took the chair beside Judy’s while Betsy and Sam took the ones on the opposite side of the table.

“Looks delicious.” Betsy said, reaching for her fork to start digging in to the made up plate before her.

“I hope so.”

They took the first bites of the meat and the looks on everyone’s faces turned sour. Gene slowly turned his plate, inspecting his cut.

“Hey, Judy…”

“Mmm?” She looked up, wide eyed.

“If I spot a vein, do I win a prize?”

Judy quickly inhaled through her teeth, “I may have taken it out a little before it was time, but I tried my best to serve the cooked parts.”

Gene chuckled and squeezed her hand under the table.

“I admire your perseverance.”

“So, when’s the wedding?” Betsy interjected, taking both Judy and Gene by surprise.

“Hmm?”

“You two are getting married, aren’t you?”

Judy looked at Gene nervously.

“Indeed we are. The exact date isn’t set yet but it should be sometime this spring,” Gene replied self-assuredly.

“Who all is invited?”

“Well, we haven't figured that out yet either. The guest list isn’t going to be terribly big, probably just family and a few close friends,” he said.

“I see,” Betsy said, staring at the two of them over the rim of her glass as she took a sip of wine.

The tension between Gene and Betsy began to visibly mount before Judy spoke up.

“I’m sorry that the roast didn’t turn out quite as expected. I have some ground beef in the refrigerator that I could heat up to make some hamburgers if you’d like.”

Betsy held up her hand, “Thank you, but I think we should be heading home. It’s gotten quite late and I’m sure Kerry’s probably tired.”

“I’ll help gather your things,” Gene offered as he quickly arose from his chair. It was as if he couldn’t get them out of the house fast enough. Betsy turned around to take Kerry out of the high chair and before she knew it Gene was standing at the front door with all of her belongings.

“‘Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?’” Betsy joked. Gene smiled back but he was hasty with opening the door and helping them out to the car. Judy followed them out onto the driveway to bid them a goodnight.

“Thank you for coming, Betsy. We really enjoyed having you over this evening, and it was very nice to meet you Sam.” she said.

“Likewise.” He awkwardly uttered.

“It was great to see you again, Judy. Hopefully we can do this again sometime!” Betsy replied with a false enthusiasm.

Gene wrapped his arm around Judy’s waist and waved to them as they pulled away.

“Oh my goodness, remind me to never do that again,” Judy exhaled as the two walked back into the house.

“So what do you say? Next Saturday, I’ll invite David over and then we’ll be even.” He mischievously grinned.

*Written by @fansofjoots & @ohmygarlands

#judy garland #gene kelly #jugenea #fanfic #fansofjoots #jgfans

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