#bc the job descript was like no legal background needed and then there was still an assessment w a bunch of legal terms

[rainbowrider1290]

My take on a Genshin Impact Circus AU Part 4 with Noelle as a strongwoman and Amber as a death-defying archery stuntwoman. Their backstories are under the cut!

Noelle:

First off I have a very self-indulgent headcanon that she is ridiculously strong. Like. Can benchpress people. Canonverse or AU.

She used to help out around the circus and she was kind of indifferent to the fact that she was likely going to be a maid. It's a respectable profession. And helping out at her childhood friends' (Kaeya and Diluc) manor as she'd been born into doing seemed like a good job.

How she got into the circus life requires a bit of backstory. Back when they were kids, Kaeya, Diluc, and Noelle would mess around (as kids do) and have little challenges for themselves. Who can run the fastest, who can do the best cartwheel, who can jump the highest, and the like.

Noelle got a little hesitant as she got into her early teens bc she was always told to be ladylike, so she spent one or two of their hangout sessions watching Kaeya and Diluc and talking. One day, however, Kaeya and Diluc are being Teenage Boys and lifting heavy things trying to outlift each other. Noelle has lifted furniture when cleaning up after these two so she figures this one unladylike thing would be okay.

She comes up behind them and just. Picks them both up. On top of the things they were lifting already. Kaeya and Diluc have to take a second and just look at her like "yeah no you are never sitting out of our competitions again"

And so they try other things like cartwheels and tests of courage like who can climb the highest on a tree and things are back to normal.

Skip forward a few years and Crepus dies. There's a huge mystery around it that not even his son's attendants are privy to. The only thing people know is that the sons have been sent away to boarding school. The whole manor is abandoned, all the workers fired.

Noelle for the next few years spends her time working at laundromats, and other odd jobs, but eventually she runs out of luck and suddenly there's too many people and not enough opportunities.

One of her friends from one of her old jobs invites her to go out and see this new circus that happens to be in town. She goes because why not. And wouldn't you know it one of the acts is her childhood friends doing these death-defying stunts that hit her with a wave of nostalgia bc their entire act consists of essentially the song "anything you can do" but with more and more dangerous stunts.

Noelle of course has to say hi, so they catch up and Noelle's lack of work comes up and would you look at that Aether and Lumine happen to have an opening for a maid.

So Noelle settles in, continuing to lift heavy shit to clean under it (Bennett swears up and down he saw her lift a fridge once but he might've been sleep-deprived). She also got into helping Chongyun with the techy stuff so sometimes she'll be at tech rehearsals moving things around and one time a rope holding up a person breaks near Noelle and she. catches it.

Now, one night. One of the acts drops out at the last moment bc injury or last-minute commitment or the like. And it leaves a gap in the show. Everyone else is busy. And panicking bc the circus is still relatively new and they really need to build their rep rn.

They start wondering what kind of last-minute acts they can put together like "what about the gymnasts??" "They all have group routines" "do they have old routines??" "Not polished enough for what we need" and someone somewhere pipes up "man I wish we had a strongman or something" and Diluc and Kaeya immediately whip their heads around to look at each other for like half a second before Kaeya bolts. He finds Noelle doing her usual rounds she's been doing for like a month now and Bennett was right, she is currently under a mini-fridge that she is lifting over her head whilst leaning it against a wall.

Kaeya takes Noelle by the shoulders and just zooms her over to where the commotion is happening and pitches the idea to Aether and Lumine. They're hesitant as hECK bc this is a huge risk they're taking since Noelle isn't even a performer but Diluc pitches that they could literally just scatter really heavy items and have Noelle clean under them and as long as she looks at the audience every once in a while it can be played off as a bit.

Noelle with qUITE the stammer says that she'll try her best but at this time is in need of a moment. She has never performed before. Kaeya and Diluc have to go perform so they leave her with a shoulder squeeze and a thumbs up.

She gets on-stage. She flinches under the lights for a second. She takes a deep breath and focuses on the first thing before her with her best "oh heavens, it's filthy in here", and she gets through the entire act by doing that for every object. So the audience is seeing this seemingly petite young girl lift the equivalent of a hecking car in order to clean under it.

Needless to say, there's roaring applause the second Noelle leaves (which she hears from far away because holy shit I just cleaned for people and they liked it)

This was a bit of a one-time thing and she goes back to her regular maid duties until the circus gets a new strongman by the name "Zhongli".

His style is more about lifting exTREMELY LARGE ROCKS, and breaking them in half whilst giving a history/geology lesson on them.

He quietly observes the maid who he hears fantastical stories of That One Time She Charmed An Audience By Cleaning. He was bewildered at first but saw the merit of it while watching her clean. He immediately decides that this girl has sO MUCH. POTENTIAL that is being wasted by having her work as a maid. He has nothing against maids or their profession, but he invites her to train with him.

Noelle gets hELLA stronger and they come to a conclusion. Noelle performs part-time and is a maid part-time. She doesn't have a particular performance style. She'll sometimes play catch with Zhongli and his big rocks, other times she'll be in the background of performers like Amber in the art lifting some hEAVY SHIT.

She gets along with Chongyun super well bc Chongyun has to make less trips to move his equipment since he's worked with her. She's a blessing for when they have to pack up and move.

Amber:

Amber's story is a little more straightforward. She started out engaged to a suitor. Amber was the kid in kindergarten who was learning about dragons and "idk what everyone else was doing". She's known what she wants for a long time, and what she wants at the moment, is not a relationship.

Throughout her childhood she was a very lonely child. Her family exposed her to lots of academic or ladylike things (do not ask me when this au is set, it's the 1800s and the 1990s at the same time or a suspendes steampunk time) to get her away from the thing she liked most: archery. She'd been exposed to it as a kid and latched on.

This drove a bunch of suitors away, so her family got more desperate and exposed her to more classes and activities to get her away from it. She went "that's easy, I'll just practice at night"

So she does that. She practices at night and underperforms in the coming weeks. It is during this time that her parents (high class ppl) find her a man to marry for some business deal idk.

The man's nice enough. It's just obvious he can only take Amber in small doses, and Amber takes full advantage of this to practice and stay in shape.

How Amber gets into the circus life was essentially running away. She bonds with Eula over this.

So because of all the attempts to make her fit into the ideal lady description, her rebellious streak said "yeah we're going to go as far away from that as possible" and she goes "I'm going to run away with the circus" bc that's what the books she's read say is the most rebellious thing you can do.

She finds THE FIRST circus she sees and begs to be let in. This is the shadiest most sketchy place but Amber sees it as the key to her freedom. She signs a contract.

They treat her like the US treats their students. She barely gets time to practice for performances and she's mostly doing dirty work. When they ask her what she can do she's like "I'm really good at archery" and they go "cool, you're going to be doing that while everything is on fire now. Can you do a handstand"

Essentially they push her and push her and push her to do more and more hazardous things she has to pick up on under the threat of being kicked to the curb.

After a while of this Amber is extremely burned out (pun intended) and as she's packing up after one of her shows, covered in burns but proud bc she hit all her targets without killing anyone, she's approached by a blond foreigner.

Tbh for all she's read, Amber really doesn't consider leaving and this time she can't run away since she's now bound by a contract (not Zhongli's btw in case anyone was wondering).

This foreigner tells her that there's so many ways to improve her situation and that he runs a circus looking for members.

Amber refuses since she's not getting tangled up in another legal mess, but she takes his advice on how to take care of her burns, and improve safety while she's performing.

Skip a few months. She hears word of this mysterious new circus around. Her encounter with who she'll later know as Aether stuck with her, and so she goes. To see whether she could really shoot her arrows without being burned alive.

After a show one night, she tries to get past security and fails repeatedly. She turns to leave and wouldn't you know it there's Aether. And Lumine. Waiting for her once she turns the corner. Amber's biggest concern is her existing contract and when Aether and Lumine say they have a nICE lawyer, Amber sees her next step to freedom.

Aether and Lumine essentially gain custody of Amber (but like for adults) and Amber is. Shocked. She's walked through her new contract of employment clearly and essentially treated like a human being.

And now that she knows things and has more freedom (though still under the watchful eyes of Aether and Lumine to see how she does) her creativity and competitive streak flourish. She decides she actually doesn't hate fire, she just doesn't like when she doesn't know when or where it's coming. And she makes fast friends with the gymnasts, so she ends up incorporating that into her routines. Now she uses her canon goggles to protect her from the burning eyes of prolonged smoke exposure when she uses fire.

When she meets a little pyromanic girl named Klee, she's thrilled that someone this chaotic and sure of herself exists.

[imaginethathaikyuu]

How did I find your blog? I was looking for soft Kuroo content on google. And your soft birthday hc’s for him came up. And that’s also how I found tumblr

What was the first story of yours that I read? That Kuroo piece ^

Roughly, how long have I been following this blog? Well I found that piece shortly after it was posted so…. Around the beginning of December 2019 I think. Got a tumblr a few months later and you were the first person I followed (had you in my bookmarks bar before that! (still have you in my bookmarks bar and when I share my screen in classes there are occasionally questions. I ignore them))

What’s something I’ve noticed about you personality wise? You’re really clever and funny. But you’re also sweet. But because you’re clever you have no hesitation in setting up and enforcing your boundaries, and I really admire that strength and confidence.

Have we ever interacted, either by PM, ask, or in the comments? What was my perception of you? YES!!! PM, SOOOOO many asks, comments, and you sent me an ask. And reblogged it. And I cried. A lot. My perception: you’re lovely and I want to h*ld your h*nd ….please.

What’s my favorite story of yours? Oh how to choose. Firstly, I’m a nb, biracial, bisexual. Honey, I’ve never made a choice in my life. But let’s try here. Anything you’ve written for Tsukki. Literally all of it is gold. Fight me. I was going to write “especially [piece title]” but I LITERALLY CANNOT CHOOSE ONE. Your Bokuto nightmare piece. Your Kuroo angsty fight. Your Tendou dealing with S/O with parents who yell piece. Your Kinktobers. Your Futakuchi and Mattsun pieces. And your Terushima pieces. Ugh. I CANNOT CHOOSE. OH AND YOUR STREAMER KENMA!!!!!! OKay just… all of it. I can’t choose. I tried, and I failed, and I’m willing to admit failure.

What’s a story I’d love to see you write? I don’t want to say this… because it hurts me… but I just KNOW you’d write brilliant angst. Some of my fav pieces of yours are pained beginnings with happy endings. That fight with Tsukki after a bad day at work. The pieces I mentioned above (nightmare pieces and fighting pieces and angsty home life ha.. ha.ha.ha.). That Oikawa one where the reader wakes up in bed without him and thinks he left. You write these gorgeous atmospheres and descriptive, visceral feelings, and if you chose to use it for evil…. You could get evil shit done. You’re SO powerful. So I want to read it… but also…. I don’t. I’d love to see you write ABO like you mentioned a while back or just see you explore a cutesy soulmate AU or something. I think you’d be really good at writing an AU where you hear what the other person’s listening too. I feel like you’d be so good at making me feel something for someone who was in another city. (think this would be cute with Tsukki cos he’s headphones boy, OR terushima because I like the dynamic of someone flirty, who clearly cares about looks, falling for someone he can’t see) ANYWAY….

Favorite pairing you write for?/fav reader insert? Tsukishima x reader. It’s my fav self-ship. (but also Mattsun, Bokuto, Oikawa, Tanaka, and Akaashi because you write them SO WELL!!!!)

Have any of your stories helped me through a hard time? Of course. Your self-harm piece came at a time I needed it. Iwaizumi’s in particular saved my life. But also your Tendou dealing with S/O parents who fight… came right when I needed it. Also starting college… was hard.. And reading and rereading your fluff really pulled me through it.

Have any of your stories hit closer to home? YES (see above).

Do I genuinely like your blog, it’s aesthetic or posts? It’s overall feel? It’s content? Yes. The aesthetic is, ngl, a wee bit basic. But I kinda love that. And the feel? It feels like home. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Your blog is my safe space. So, yes, I love. It’s content? YES. OF COURSE. Your personality probably could have kept me here even if your content was kinda shit, but I follow you RELIGIOUSLY because of your content. So yes. I adore.

Is English my first language? Kinda??? I grew up in a trilingual household so I kinda learned three languages at the same time while growing up. But no, I don’t need to translate it in my head. Because English was one of the three.

Anything I want to share? Yes. Please keep being kind to yourself, caring for your mental health, enforcing your boundaries, loving Akaashi, and just generally being you. You’re so lovely as you are, and I hope you continue grow, but never change. Also I’m sorry about all your work stuff…. It literally makes me feel sick. And I hope you find a job where that’s not tolerated, or that your work finds a better way of protecting it’s employees. I know you know this, but none of it is your fault. I just hope things improve. AND I love you… a lot. And I’m so proud of you hitting 9K and you deserve so many more followers because your pieces are just... GORGEOUS. I can’t wait until I’m at Barnes and Noble in a few years and I can pick up a hardback copy of your debut novel. I’m so excited to say “I knew Em Akaashi (which is your legal name as far as I’m concerned) before she was so popular among the masses.”

so ive been trying to figure out the correct and worthy way to reply to this ask since the moment i got it......because its so fucking sweet and kind and amazing and pure and perfect and i just dont know how to use WORDS to explain the way it makes me feel so.......i will just reply in bullet points in regards to every question u answered to make it a lil easier :D

- the fact that u found my blog on google ....... like this may be odd and a very specific thing but before i made this blog i always hoped that 1 day my fanfic would pop up in google searches bc thats ALWAYS how i found fics when i was reading them religiously and i felt so much ENVY!!!!! LIKE I WANTED TO BE THERE I WANTED MY FICS TO B POPULAR ENOUGH TO POP UP ON GOOGLE.....that may sound very selfish but its true......so thats just very cool to me... :]

- u’ve been here for so long omg 🥺🥺🥺🥺 if anyone in ur classes ever asks jus promo my blog like its nbd 

- thats so sweet what 🥺🥺🥺 i try my best to advocate for myself and be confident for myself.....ive spent far too much of my time being silently uncomfortable because i was afraid of pushing someone’s buttons seeming rude.....but NO MORE!!!! i know what upsets me, i know my triggers, i know what i dislike experiencing, and im never gonna let myself be anxious or uncomfortable for someone else’s sake, esp if theyre being rude 2 me. i would say its less strength and confidence and moreso me attempting to take control of my anxiety in the places i can (aka on the Internet) bc i am SICK OF ANXIETY ATTACKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

- BBY no dont CRY!!!! im racking my brain trying to think of who u are i wanna know so bad so i can thank u personally for being the kindest person in the world n so i can send u more asks >:(........MY HAND IS URS TO HOLD!!!!! dont tell akaashi tho 

- OMG my TSUKKI pieces.....hes so hard to write why ;-; thank u so much im so glad u enjoy my works<3333

- NOT ANGST NOT LIKE THIS!!!!!!!!! pained beginnings to happy endings are my specialty.....IMAGINE me writing a sad ending like i CANT!!!!!!!!! ive only done it a few times and it is so Difficult.....YALL ARE SO LUCKY IM NOT EVIL!!!!!! ive had this idea for an angsty akaashi fic that i think about and write in my head every night before falling asleep and it Hurts and i wanna write it but i also can’t make myself :D ABO would be very fun but i genuinely do not know how to explore the concept while making it feel like it’s Written By Me.....u know what i mean? same with soulmate aus, i really dislike writing them because theyre just boring to me like they all feel the same everything’s been done for them.....which is FINE!!! but i write enough cliche stuff as it is HAHA, a long distance type soulmate au could be fun and interesting but ldr’s trigger me bc of a past relationship so </3 but hey maybe someone else could use the idea!!!!!

- gotta love tsukishima <3

- im rlly glad my writing could be there for you friend, one of the biggest reasons i write fanfic (and write the kind of fics i write) is bc i know firsthand how much reading sweet stories abt ur comfort characters can help u through the shittiest times - i just wanna offer ppl some support and happy feelings and love cuz sometimes fanfic is the only time we can find those things (and theres nothing shameful abt that either if anyone bullies u for reading fanfic i will fight them)

- I KNOW MY LAYOUT IS LAZY AND BASIC AS FUCK AND THAT IS BECAUSE I DO NOT GIVE A SHIT LMAOOOO so im glad u think its ok...... like i dont have the patience to create a fancy ass layout that actually works are u KIDDING ME??????? I COULD LITERALLY NEVER plus i kinda like that its just the basic kinda ugly boring default layout like it makes it simple and easy and i feel like it brings focus to the only thing on this blog that i care about which is my writing, i rlly only care about the content here and not aesthetics jdbljdabsdk that blue background will be there til i Die......i adore u more btw 

- WHOA trilingual what the hell ur so cool tell me more 

- you have my word, friend, that i will continue to do all of that so long as you do the same. take care of yourself, be kind to yourself - i know u can do it, ur so kind to others and u deserve to be kind to urself, too so this is the part that genuinely brought me to tears because *sappy dumb shit ahead* ok look ever since i can remember the one and only thing ive wanted to do with my life is become an author ...... dreams of book covers with my name written on them and words in pages written by me and fanart of my characters and going into my local bookstore n seeing my book there....these thoughts all haunt my fucking brain because i want it SO BAD!!!!!!!! so bad that it makes me CRY!!!!!!!! ive never wanted something more and just!!!!!!!!!!!! idk how much u meant that part but holy fuck!!!!!! i hope so bad that one day i can send u a free copy of my book as a thank u for being the person u are. u have all my love friend, every last bit of it <333333333

[conelly]

( luke hemmings, twenty-two, cismale, he/him ) did you see BYRON CONELLY walking down main street earlier?  you know who i’m talking about, they’re a DECKHAND.  everybody in town says that they’re SANGUINE & NONJUDGEMENTAL, but have a tendency to be IMPRESSIONABLE & VOLATILE too.  BYRON has been in town for ONE AND A BIT years. c'mon, they’re always requesting SWEET CAROLINE by NEIL DIAMOND at karaoke nights.  well, i’m sure you’ll see them soon! ( ooc: sunny, 22, she/her, est )

hi thanks for tuning in, SUNNY here to tell you all a lil bit about westmere’s very own new nd improved favorite loser below. sorry for this summary being all over the place, it’s kinda how my brain works heh which is kinda perfect bc byron will for SURE be all over the place too ( u can rly tell at a certain point i was like ok i give up + i’m posting mf ). let me know if u have any questions about ‘em and most importantly, lmk if you would like to plot a lil connect or sumn 😙

@westmerestarters​ 

FAMBAM + BACKGROUND

born 14 years after the elder conelly ( wanted brother connect !!! ) entered this word to two parents who didn’t seem to read the job description, it was clear that byron wasn’t planned. and down the line, he’d soon realize through the tumultuous household he was brought up in - perhaps never even wanted.

byron’s parents had one constant - and that was fighting. over anything, all the time. there just wasn’t any love between the two and they stayed together for whatever meaningless reasons until byron hit middle school. ( there might’ve been a super short lull in toxicity once byron was born, but it had to be short as his first memories are nothing shy of toxic. )  it was a messy separation ( they never paid the full legal fees for a full divorce ) - his father moving to the coast of nj & his mother moving to a smaller apartment nearby her own mother ( which, due to the negative relationship among his mother + grandmother, also called for more tension ). he’d often be dropped off @ his grandmother’s house for baby-sitting or when he was ‘ becoming too much to handle. ’ eventually his grandmother moved into his cousin’s house ( MONROE ) and although grateful he made a practically new brother, similar tendencies of feeling unwanted occurred when byron noticed their grandmother praising and coddling and favoriting monroe just a bit more.

( his mother was a struggling addict ( and had been her whole life ), but the loneliness, newfound pressures and whatever excuse she was able to name caused her drinking to spiral worse than byron remembered ( even at his young age ) before. )

( his father was rarely in his life, but when he was, he was THE coolest. always played good cop in any situation regarding his mother, despite choosing not to have an active role in byron’s life. byron looked up to him like no other. when he WAS around, he taught byron how to surf, skateboard, play sports, they’d play video games, they’d eat junk food - honestly anything that byron wanted to do. his dad was an adrenaline junkie and created the stepping stones for byron to be one too. he was a marine biologist & pretty successful at that. passionate,  intelligent, but seemingly finding his newfound life a lot better than his previous - which is why he never wanted byron to stay too long, the boy reminded him of her, of the past. )

( his older brother moved out of the house when byron was just a lil kid, they’re not very close and don’t have much in common ... or so it seems. he lives in nyc and they only talk here and there on holidays. he was never a huge part of his life, but it does bum him out to think what could’ve been / could be. )

TO GET THE GIST 

due to never receiving the attention he craved from his family members, he made up for it tenfold in school. he was always talking to everyone, loud, boisterous, gregarious, life of the party; he wanted people to like him and they did. he become a total people pleaser, molding himself to make sure everyone was content and stayed around. impressionable, adaptable. he felt less this way towards adults and had a bit of a rebellious phase, hanging with the wrong crowd & getting into things he probably wouldn’t do otherwise. old habits die hard and he still tries his best to make everyone crack a smile, to remember him - since he believes he won’t be remembered for much else.

after he just barely skated by in high school ( his grades were never as good as his cousin’s and never lived up to his father’s expectations ), byron felt a bit lost. a lot of people had plans, were heading off to college - but already under the assumption he couldn’t reach any expectation in that realm ( a lil self fulfilling prophecy am i right pals ), he stayed in town - caring for his mother who hardly had anything together, his uncle who got sick very quickly & passed, spending time with his grandmother, while he himself fell into a rut. most of his days meant he drove out towards his dad’s place ( dad hardly there now, out and about with his new family ), surfing, smoking, and grabbing some cash doing odd jobs any way he could. he lost any purpose he once had ( but yall would never know it bc who wants to be in someone’s life who’s a buzzkill ? all smiles, baby, all smiles. )

IN WESTMERE

when his cousin offered the opportunity to travel cross-country in his van, byron had nothing to lose. always adventurous in spirit, he immediately said yes - deciding to ignore that ‘obligation,’ that feeling to make sure they were a-ok that he felt towards his parents. he needed an out and this was it. 

after landing in the small connecticut town for the night, the two fell for it - especially since when they got there along the water, it was a summer night + everything landed into place. they decided to stay there a bit longer ... and that eventually turned into more than a year. still antsy to keep traveling and to move around, byron has been ready to head out ... but stays for a few reasons - and them all being people ( bc lbh the surf is not even on point here ok )

his current job is a deckhand ( on a bunch of boats, ppl prob hired him as word of mouth got around that he knew what he was doing ). prob got that knowledge from being by his dad’s on the water when younger ( he’s ... obsessed with the water ) ! and also he’s just a quick learner ok ( ps: if your charrie has a boat pls let’s make somethin happen )

TO KNOW [ headcanons + more ]

his fav karaoke song is sweet caroline bc he knows everyone will be able to sing nd party along. he does it for the ppl, ppl.

he never saw too many baby / kid pics of himself which was kind of a bummer bc he really only remembers negative times - somehow they overpowered ( i bet lil byron was cute as fuck too fml )

he’s super into drugs, hallucinogenics, honestly you name it. it started off w/ him being impressionable, then bored, and now he just enjoys it. despite his mother’s addiction running through his blood, he still continues to do his thang.  

longboards around town so watch your toes

uses 🤙🤙 all the time and not ironically 

has an existential crisis on the daily about purpose but keeps that to himself most times 

WANTED CONNECTIONS

someone pls give me a sugar mama idc how we plot it out they don’t have to hook up they can idk idc i just want someone giving him money or expensive things it can be so much fun ok ,, pool boy ? idk sign me up

pls if your muse has a boat, let him be the deckhand ok it will also be so fun and potentially angsty if he fucks something up

a fling 100% - even multiple ? idc listen he is currently sharing a tiny VAN with his COUSIN he needs a place - like an actual bed - to crash on at night

can he save someone who was potentially drowning pls??? he used to be a lifeguard, it can be a cool/fun thread to write out

omg off of that can he teach someone how to swim 

look if anyone is into marine bio, can they somehow know byron’s father ?? i feel like that could make room for a cool plot

also i have an older brother connect on the w/c’s page lmk lmk

give me a good influence that will somehow have him open up + tell him that it’s weird to be so sunshiny all the time. maybe someone who witnesses him at his worst + stays, ya know ??

a bad influence plot where y/c takes this impressionable young lad and puts him through the ringer tbh ( srrsly he’d do a lot for ppl, so ask him to do something illegal for them it’ll be fun )

party pals, smoking pals, on the water 24/7 pals, 

co-worker, other ppl that work on the water ( fishermen?? more deckhands?? captains??)

gimmie someone he accidentally bumped into while longboarding ( he’s a large human it might’ve done damage ok )

i want and need enemies ok i know he’s chill as fuck and wants everyone to like him but there’s always a way to find enemies >:o. anything angsty for REAL.

unrequited thing? where he led someone on?? i’m sure he does this constantly

don’t ruin the friendship thing omg plsssss always so fun

look i’m open for it ALL. every plot u have in mind so lay it on me

[lacewrites]

LOST DOG - tom holland imagine

Your dog disappeared after a rushed morning and you’ve been wandering the streets of the outside boroughs of london for a few days with your friend by your side when your house phone gets a call from a male voice you immediately become infatuated with. [this very much includes harrison bc best friends being friends and hanging out is my favourite thing in life]

Info (pls read):

 i’ll refer to the pupper as ‘they' bc it’s easier for me lol

y/m/n - your mother’s name (unless it’s your dad or carer or older siblings idk guys sorry i went with one)

y/l/n - your last name

y/f/n - your friend’s name

british spelling of mum bc hi hello i’m from this tiny island off Europe and yes finally i can write about brits whoo

^ is this not the cutest thing you’ve ever seen

warnings: none, this is pretty much just fluff. i’m more used to writing longer fics, this may not be personal enough? please send feedback!

For the past week, the weather had pretty much been scorching. You swore every time you left the house you rented a room in that the concrete was smoking, the cars in the not-too-far off distance appearing like in funhouse mirrors, wavy and distorted. Although you would have been enjoying the weather, there was a very important problem that had rained on the beautiful past few days.

You were alone in the house, having come back after hours of searching for your dog who had disappeared one night. The garden gate was left open after your parents went out the back to catch their flight. During their rush, the door wasn’t bolted and a breeze had opened it, shutting your dog out. You hadn’t heard anything from anyone in the past three days that you’d been putting up posters. You were back from school and all you had to do was look after the four legged family member, but before your responsibilities could start, they had ended with the bad news.

“Still no sign?” your friend, Y/F/N, asked as you opened the front door for her, letting her in. You went into the kitchen as you told her about how many posters you had printed and how many houses’ doors you’d knocked on, only to come back without your pet.

“I have no idea where they could be,” you sighed, offering her the box of prepackaged ice lollies, Y/F/N reaching in to take one. She’d been helping you look, driving you around to different parks and your frequently visited places before and after her work.

“Is there anywhere else we could check? Maybe there’s a few houses you go by often?” she asked.

“It’s been three days, I doubt they’re around here somewhere by now. They could be in any London borough at this point,” you shook your head. “We’ve literally checked every walking place, the only others are too many miles away.”

“Maybe we could go for another walk? Go a bit further this time?” she offered, taking out the footpath map your mum had kept in the kitchen newspaper stand.

“I’m so exhausted,” you whispered, dropping your head onto the cool counter. “I can’t sleep, I cried and managed to have about an hour, but I kept thinking of places we went to, what if we just passed them?”

“Well, what if-“ she cut off at the shrill ring of the telephone mounted on the wall beside the fridge, your legs carrying you over numbly. Reaching up, your fingers curled around the receiver of the vintage looking device, lifting it off and putting it to your ear.

“Hello, (y/l/n),” you spoke as the loud ring cut off, the sound of cars speeding by coming through a little garbled through the phone.

“Hi, is this (Y/m/n)?” the masculine voice gave your postcode and recited the phone number back to you as your ears and expression perked up.

“Yeah, that’s my mum, how can I help?” you asked, much more interested now that you knew it wasn’t an insurance call.

“Uh, I think my friend and I have found your dog?” he asked, a dog’s bark audible in the background.

“Oh my god,” you suddenly spoke, Y/F/N starting to listen in. After he gave an accurate description of the four-legged canine, you confirmed that he had indeed found your lost dog who you’d been very worried about finding.

“We’ve taken them to the local vet’s, do you want us to drop them off somewhere, or do you want to meet us here?” he asked. “We’re just waiting on results from a check-up on them."

“We’ll come and meet you, where are we going?” you asked, picking the pen off from the wall and writing the address he gave you onto the whiteboard on the wall beside the phone. Y/F/N copied it into her maps application on her phone and you thanked him a thousand times before you hung up after telling him a time when they could expect you.

You were the one driving this time, following your friend’s directions as you pushed the speed limit, finally pulling into the parking lot where you quickly pulled up the handbrake, put the car in neutral and sped into the office, leaving your friend behind by tossing her the keys to lock the car. Bursting through the doors, you immediately spotted the rich coat of the dog you’d had for years as they bounded over to you, jumping up onto your legs. You lowered yourself onto your knees, letting them sniff all around you and lick your hands as you grinned from ear to ear, your friend lowering herself to allow the dog to do the same to her as well as you both cooed in celebration.

“Hi,” you looked up at the voice you’d recognised from the phone, your smile still wide on your face as you stood up and threw your arms round the first boy, thanking him over and over again for finding your dog.

“I’m sorry, but thank you so so much, I can’t believe how far they went! We live like half an hour away by car, I don’t know how they managed to make their way here,” you babbled, thanking the other boy with a hug as well, who just chuckled, both smiling at your over the top gratitude from the excitement of finding the four-legged family member.

“It’s okay, just saw them wondering around and thought we’d bring them here,” the second boy shrugged, making you smile.

“I genuinely can’t believe that actual nice people found them, thank you so much guys,” you said with a smile.

“Honestly, no worries,” they were still smiling wide, though their eyes occasionally flitted down to the dog at your feet. “What’s their name?” they asked, crouching down to scratch at the dog’s fur. Once you’d told them, they affectionately started to refer to them by name as they continued to pet them, your dog reacting very favourably. Even when your friend’s phone rang and she had to rush off to pick up her siblings, you felt comfortable to stay with the two boys - Tom and Harrison as they’d introduced themselves - while you waited for the results from the vet.

“How long have you had them?” Tom asked, the three of your sitting on the floor with your dog.

“About two years, she was part of a box of puppies who were given to a shelter,” you explained, stroking your hand through the mid length fur as they lay by your guys’ feet.

“They’re a really good, well behaved dog,” Harrison also contributed, his hand scratching at the top of the almost sleeping canine’s head.

“Hey, guys, I’m happy to see you’ve got the owner,” the vet came out, smiling at the three of you.

“Hi, nice to meet you, is everything okay?” you asked, standing up and shaking the vet’s hand.

“They definitely need some food and water, nothing harmful ingested, they’ll be fine, right as rain. Just let them sleep a little bit more, and make sure you keep them fed and watered for the next week. They may be a little sluggish, but after meeting them I doubt it,” she chuckled, the dog nudging her leg with their nose as the boy and they also got up.

“That’s cool, thank you so much, do you need insurance details?” you asked, pulling out your phone to bring up the details your mother had emailed over when you caught her up through a phone call.

“I’ve sent everything over to your local vet’s. We’ll deal with it, but our time was for free, so don’t worry. Thank these boys instead, they took very good care of them, they did the right thing,” she smiled, the boys thanking her for her time and offering to shake her hand before the three of you left, detaching the belt the boys had used as a lead to instead attach your dog’s lead you brought from home.

“You guys need a lift home or something?” Tom asked, the three of you - well, four - standing in front of the clinic.

“Uh, no, we might just walk home or something,” you shrugged, Harrison looking at you a bit weirdly.

“In the thirty degree heat, walking a distance that’d take you half an hour to drive?” he asked, “Don’t be silly,” he chuckled. “You’re over eighteen, right?” he asked, and you felt yourself nod before you could even think about it. It was weird having passed that age, really.

“Where do you live?” Tom asked.

“North west London,” you replied.

“Cool, we’ll drive to the Queen’s head, beer garden, really nice food,” he shrugged, making you chuckle.

“I should be thanking you guys, I was thinking more like fast food, I can’t afford much else right now,” you said, smiling a little at their offer. Pretty much the most British thing ever.

“Okay, so buy us a coke,” Harrison shrugged, turning to walk, looking over his shoulder to check you were following. Once Tom had also turned, of course you were.

The three of you walked over to where Harrison lived. He disappeared inside to get his keys for his car, driving the three of you as he followed the sat nav to the pub you knew all too well. It was where you’d celebrated finishing school, exams, birthdays, whether you were of the legal age to drink or not. The food was delicious, had a great atmosphere, but it was also a hidden gem, somewhere pretty much only the immediate locals visited, which made you wonder how the two boys from West London knew of it. Most of the local kids, once they turned sixteen, got jobs there are servers, as did you, which you quit just last year to pursue further education.

“Y/n! How are you, babe?” one of the girls from the bar, her name was Millie, rushed around to the front of the bar, throwing her arms around your neck to hug you as you chuckled and hugged her back. She also reached down to pet your dog. It was one of the now more trendy dog friendly pubs, much to the workers’ delight.

“Hey guys!” Y/f/n exclaimed, wearing her working uniform and apron, rushing to you guys and throwing her arms around you with a light squeak, making you laugh again. “I’m so glad you’re here, things going good?” she asked.

“We're good, thank you, can we take a seat on the patio? I’ve got one designated driver,” you told her, your friend leaning behind the bar to pick up a roll of stickers, peeling one off. “This lovely guy, right here,” you gave Harrison’s shoulder a pat, your friend grinning wide as she stuck the sticker to his chest, making the boys laugh at her forward attitude.

“Thanks? I guess?”

“Tells all of us to look out and keep you guys safe,” Millie explained, finding the situation a little comical. You knew Y/f/n's ways, her eyes already wandering his face as if she wanted to memories every inch of his features. She was pretty much his height, something she always complained about, being tall, but you knew it worked in her favour instead of against her. “All right,” she whirled on her converse clad heels, going behind the bar with Millie as she pulled at her ponytail to tighten it. “What’s you two’s poison, and what can I get you other than a tall drink of water?” she flirted, making you chuckle.

“What’s the recommendation?” Tom asked you, leaning against the bar, lowering his voice a little as he stared at the beers and lagers on the blackboard as you left Y/f/n to flirt with his friend.

“Other than the obvious,” you pointed to the blackboard you knew he was eyeing mostly, “If you’re after some sweet cider, I recommend Lilley’s Mango, it’s an absolutely delicious 4% fruity still cider. They stock a lot of West country products, because the owner is from Gloucester,” you explained. “As for beers, Frontier Uk Craft lager is lush,” you said with a small smile.

“What are you going for?” he asked.

“I’m not telling you, but I advise you tell me so I can pay for it and thank you for finding my long lost family member?” you smiled, not realising how much he was admiring the crinkles by your eyes as you did so. He was hooked by your love for the four legged pet by your feet, but the way you smiled and managed to joke around, now that you were much more calm and comfortable, kept him captivated.

“All right, then, surprise me,” he shrugged, your face distorting in a grimace.

“What if it’s something you don’t like?” you asked.

“I promise it’ll be fine,” he chuckled, his elbow lightly nudging yours.

“Y/n, you want to order for both?” Millie asked.

“All three, actually,” you corrected, grinning your head off, the girl nodding with a chuckle. “Okay, so, because you both found my dog, you get a Gypsy Hill Beatnik Pale Ale,” Millie nodded, turning to take out a 330ml bottle from the fridge, “A Stella and a Peroni, to keep it safe,” you added, your friend picking up a glass to pour the chosen beer, “And I’ll take a Desperados and a Lilleys Mango, please guys,” you finished, the girls behind the counter chuckling. “Can I get an extra glass, and a bottle of water as well?” you asked, Millie nodding to get it for you. “What non alcoholic drink do you want, Harrison?” you asked, opening your phone case to take out your bank card.

“Y/f/n’s told me about the homemade lemonade,” he said, glancing to the girl to check he was correct.

“We’ve got peach and raspberry and an appletiser and elderflower one today,” she offered.

“A glass of elderflower,” he nodded.

“Awesome, all together, I’ll cap that at twenty quid, Y/n,” Millie said, lining up the glasses and bottles in front of you. “You want a tray?”

“Nah, I’ve still got the carrying skills,” you grinned, handing over your card. “Twenty five for a tip?” you bargained.

“All right, fine,” she rolled her eyes. “You realise that it would come to about 26 anyway, right?” she asked, putting the order through the till before she pressed card payment, handing you the machine, letting you sort out your payment.

“I can’t have my best student live without tips from her teacher,” you teased, making her chuckle. You were the one that had trained Millie, who was only about six months younger than you, but you’d worked there almost a year more, and now it was your friend’s turn to keep her doing the best job behind the bar. The three of you were quite good work friends.

“Fair enough. Would you guys like any food at all?” she asked, you leaving the decision up to the boys.

“What’s good to eat?” Tom asked, shrugging as you put the Stella and craft ale in front of him, letting Harrison take the peroni and lemonade. You slipped the lead up your arm into the crook of your elbow, picking up the unopened bottle of Desperados, cider and the bottle of water and glass in one hand. Y/f/n listed off the popular offers, the boys asking for a plate of some snacks before you also spoke up, getting a bit more hungry as they talked about it.

“A plate of nachos? Everything separate please?” you asked Millie.

“You got it, babe,” she disappeared into the kitchen after she gave Harrison a number on a stick, letting you guys walk outside to find a seat.

You sat right outside, in the shade, but it was so warm that the only purpose the shadow of the bushes had was that the sun wasn’t directly shining onto you. It was a nice change, and the three of you sat down at the table, you winding the lead around your leg to not let your dog escape, those a few of the dogs outside came to greet you guys, sniffing at your feet and clothes.

“I used to work here, by the way, I wasn’t being weird by knowing everything,” you said as you guys got comfy, leaning back in the padded chairs.

“Hey, it’s all good, the guys at my local pub pretty much know my order by heart,” Harrison shrugged, making you chuckle.

“Y/F/N is one hundred percent single by the way, not that it’s any of my business,” you said, smiling a little as you dug into your bag that you’d quickly picked up as you rushed out of the door, for some sunglasses.

The first round of drinks went down well, not too fast or too slow. Your time was spent drinking the cool, slightly bitter, alcohol - later very sweet lemonade for Harrison - in a comfortable atmosphere. You let your pet off their lead after a little while, letting them run around and make friends. While they did that, you got to know the boys a little better, expressing your gratitude a few more times, explaining how your few days passed without having the ecstatic pet running and lounging around at all times of the day.

“No, I just know that if Tessa would disappear I’d be distraught as well,” Tom shrugged, thoroughly understanding your situation. Harrison had gone back inside to put the now empty glasses and bottles back - and also to most likely catch a bit of time with your friend, but you didn’t want to ruin that by commenting on it.

“Yeah, it was a bit tough. Definitely weird not having them around,” you said, looking out at the playing dogs in the sun. “Thank you so much, you’ve genuinely just, like, saved my life,” you said with a relieved laugh.

“It’s honestly fine, happy to help,” he grinned, making you look back at him with a soft smile.

“It was really lucky that you guys found them, I’m not sure anyone else would have been so lovely,” you said, feeling your cheeks get a bit hot.

“We do our best, just what I would have wanted someone else to do if it was Tessa,” he shrugged, picking up the glass that you’d poured some Desperados in once he expressed interest in it. “That craft lager wasn’t bad, you know,” he added, changing the subject a little.

“Yeah? Good, I’m glad,” you grinned. “I definitely recommend this place, it’s really homely, and they switch the craft stuff around a little every month. Always something new to try,” you smiled, reaching forward to take a nacho chip and took some dip. “Plus when you’re actually here to have lunch, they make some really good food,” you added, Tom smiling at it. You’d gotten on really well during the afternoon, talking about everything and anything, getting onto jobs and childhoods even. It was like the three of you had known each other all your lives, and he knew that even Harrison would like to repeat something like this again. If even just to see your best friend again.

“How about you get some lunch with us this weekend, then? Actually eat food?” he offered, turning to you a little more to show that you had all of his attention.

“Only if I can invite Y/F/N,” you bargained, smiling a little at what you thought he was asking. You weren’t entirely sure about his intentions, but if it was going the way you were hoping, you would cancel anything on the earth for it.

“Yeah, that’s okay with me. You sure you’d want to double date?” Tom asked, surprising the both of you with how forward he managed to be.

“I guess I should maybe leave my dog at home for this date?” you asked, smiling a little wider, now that his intentions were revealed.

“I’ll just bring Tessa,” he shrugged, grinning from ear to ear. Shaking your head, you let out a laugh.

“Saturday, half past one, I’ll book a table,” you offered, Tom immediately nodding, pulling out his phone to offer it to you to put your number in.

“Hey,” Y/F/N walked out, holding a tray of partially filled glasses. “I brought you guys some cider tasters, they’re what’s going to be on the menu from next week, thought you’d want to try them,” she offered, putting one each in front of you.

“Thanks,” you grinned. “You free Saturday?” you asked, grinning cheekily at her as Tom chuckled.

“As always,” she nodded.

“How would you feel about coming back to work, but with a date?" you asked, seeing Harrison right behind her, holding another glass of lemonade.

“You guys work fast,” he joked, Tom reaching over to hit his shoulder playfully. “I beat you, though,” he added, Tom laughing and shaking his head as he threw back the taster cider.

“That one’s great,” he said, pointing to it, after having actually tasted the sweet alcohol.

“Uh, in answer to your question, I guess next Saturday can be a thing.”

“Next Saturday it is."