#because i'm really oblivious and i can't tell for sure from any signs he might give

[adore-gregor]

So I could really use some advice

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook:

Monochrome 🔞 [Teaser]

In which Jungkook has never fallen in love before- not until you came along, at least.

Tags/Warnings: Hybrid AU, Munchkin Cat!Reader, Siberian Tiger!Jungkook, DDLG aspects, Daddy!Jungkook, height difference/Size kink, petplay (in a way?), strangers to lovers, mild Angst, Fluff!, quiet!Reader, Model!Kook, mentions of death & grieving, romance, smut, protected sex, Dom! Kook, manhandling, strength kink, biting, hybrid behavior (scenting, marking, grooming and other)

Length: approx. 4-5k

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

He's still irritated. You don't deserve any of this.

He hopes he might be able to get the paperwork signed- and you out of this place as soon as he can. There's technically nothing speaking against it after all; he's a level 2 at the end of the day, his hybrid side a lot less dominant than in someone like you. And while it's made him feel like an outcast for a long time, feeling like he doesn't belong neither here nor there- looking at you now, his feelings have changed.

He feels glad, for the first time, that he's the way he is.

"If she's getting too much you can just tell her to go play or something." One of the workers tells him as she'd spotted him with you still somewhat laying on his thigh, his hand comfortably resting on your shoulder while you play with his rings on his other hand. "She tends to get clingy with anybody who pays attention to her." She snickers, but he shakes his head.

"No, it's really fine." He denies her, well aware that she's been eyeing him ever since he'd gotten here the first day, and he can't hold back on his next words. "I actually think she's cute." He smiles down at you, and your cat-ears twitch at that before you look up at him, making him laugh.

"I mean.. I guess? Maybe it's a hybrid thing that you like her." She shrugs, crossing her arms. "But she's gotta move soon, your manager told me they wanna take some more shots." She says with more bite to her tone now- and in a way, it satisfies Jungkook.

He lets you rest on him for a little longer- until he pulls out something from his bag, brown paperbag containing a baked treat you know all too well.

He brings it every time, ever since you've told him you like it, after all.

"Nuh-ah." He chuckles when you instantly sit up and reach for it, turning his body a little towards you on the bench before he holds out the donut, testing the waters. And for his own amusement.

And much to his said amusement, you do exactly what he hoped you would.

Without thinking much it seems like, you lean forward to take a bite out of the sweet treat while he's still holding it- and he can't help but smile at the scene. You're so unaware of your own appeal, completely oblivious to how charming you are, and in a way, it makes him upset. You really are just a soft soul being used and nothing else- and he just feels like he's got to offer his protection.

Because you seserve it- and vecause he wants to be that protector.

Mostly because the connection you both have to one another is undeniable. Mates are an odd thing; but they're a real thing at the end of the day, and it's clear now that he's found his own in you.

You seem to have a moment of realization after the second bite, ears turning before your head follows as a worker says something Jungkook himself doesn't quite catch- but he knows he doesn't like it. "Hey- I'm over here." He tells you, and you look at him with a more shy expression now, almost embarrassed- letting go of his wrist as you sit back down on the bench, visibly uncomfortable. "Dont listen to them. I'm more interesting, am I not?" He teases to get your attention back, reaching out to wipe a crumb from the corner of your lips, making you smile a bit shyly to yourself.

You're so easy to catch.

"Why.." you start, seemingly thinking about your words. You do that a lot, he noticed- you either don't talk at all, or very quietly, and in a way, he's not sure if that's been something they pushed onto you in the carecenter here, or if you've always been this way. He wants to find out, that's for sure. "Why do you.. like me?" You ask, visibly unsatisfied with how you formulated that sentence. It's another proof of your difference in hybrid level compared to Jungkook.

But no matter, he will learn to understand you, until he no longer needs you to speak at all.

Jungkook simply shrugs at your question. "Maybe a mate thing. Maybe just because I like you." He answers. "I don't need to have a reason for it, though. You're a very sweet person, very likable." He tells you before he breaks off another piece of the donut, holding it out. "Now come on. Be a good girl and finish up, alright?" He teasingly tells you as he eats the other leftover piece himself, just to pull yours away from you when you reach out for it with your hand. "Nop." He chuckles, making you glare at him, tail swiping behind you from side to side, and he can't help but laugh at the scene, head thrown back.

Adorable.

Until he feels your lips brush against the tips of his fingers as you snatch the last piece of your treat from him, his gaze immediately back on you as you watch his reaction with a more challenging expression, and he can't help but be intrigued.

"I feel like it'll be a good idea. Jungkook!" His manager smiles, walking up to you both. "You've got her there already, perfect. We'd like to unclude her in the next few shots tomorrow, see how she does." He tells him, and Jungkook looks at you who seems visibly uncertain.

"You okay with that?" Jungkook asks, and you look at the camera set up close by with an almost fearful expression. "Dont worry. They'll tell you what to do, and I'll help as well. Or is it something else?" He asks, making you move to sit on the bench more properly, feet almost touching the floor, but not quite. He realizes what might be the problem when a staff member accidentally let's a brush fall to the floor, your ears instantly flattening for a short second from the harsh sound. "Ah- does the camera sound scare you?" And you nod at that, making his manager laugh a bit.

"Oh no, don't be scared! It's totally normal. Maybe Jungkook can show you how it works?" He says, before looking over at the careworker close to him. "My son has a hybrid too- he used to hate the sound of the microwave too until my son explained to him how it functioned." He chuckles. Jungkook remembers that. Namjoon and Jimin are an odd couple, but weirdly, they also fit perfectly.

"I don't think she'll understand that, but you can try." The careworker shrugs disinterested, clearly upset at Jungkooks lack of interest in her.

"Come on, let's have a look then." Jungkook simply tells you with no thought wasted on the woman, as he walks to the big cameras with you, Taehyung already looking your way. "Hey, can you maybe explain to her why the camera makes that noise?" Jungkook asks his friend, who nods at you.

"Its pretty loud, isn't it?" He tells you, and you nod- standing on the tips of your toes to try and see through the lens, but to no use. "You're so short!" Taehyung chuckles, and Jungkook can't help but be amused too.

"Hm, here, you can step on that." He offers, sliding an upside-down thick plastic bucket close to you to stand on; his hands instinctively on your body yo steady you as you step onto the container.

"Alright, so.." Taehyung starts to explain the camera to you, and Jungkook can't help but be thankful that his friend is clearly aware of the fact that you're not a stupid child- the photographer never oversimplifying anything, simply telling you the general mechanics to make sure you understand what's happening, that nothing is breaking or could cause any harm. And then the camera makes its distinctive sound.

Your ears still flatten for a split second, but your body makes no sign of being scared or surprised any longer. It worked.

"I can't turn it off, sadly. It's a mechanical sound, so there's no way around it." Taehyung shrugs towards his friend, and Jungkook simply nods.

"It'll be fine." Jungkook says, helping you down from the bucket as the manager says his goodbyes to the first staff. It reminds Jungkook of something in that moment he almost forgot. "Alright, go get your stuff now. I'll go change and then we can go, alright?" He asks, and you seem confused- until you seem to realize.

You're going home with him today. And tomorrow. And the day after, too.

Jungkook can't help but laugh when you dash off into the hallway to get your things, as he himself goes to change himself. He really hopes you'll like it at his place, hopefully enough to decide to stay- and if you do, all he needs are your papers signed and approved. He hates the way the system works, but he also understands it somewhat.

Even though it's clear that not everything goes exactly as it's meant to be.

But once you're with him, once he's got you safe, there will be no more of this. He'll make sure the world gets to know what's going on behind closed doors, having already discussed the plans with his management after all- and he can't deny his anticipation.

He can't wait to see that man lose all he's never even deserved to have in the first place.

But before he can even think any further about those things happening, you're pulling on the hem of his sweater to gain his attention, already dressed in scarf and coat and those fluffy boots he'd bought you yesterday- a lot better quality than those worn down things they'd given you. You deserve to be spoiled in his opinion, not tossed aside like you've been for God knows how many years- and he'll make sure that'll happen.

"Come on." He smiles at you, taking your bag for you as he walks outside the building to his car, opening the door. "We can sleep early or have some food delivered- what would you like?" He asks, getting into the car after you, the driver closing the door after him as he's finally seated next to you, seat belts clicking into place for the both of you.

You shrug as an answer, and he laughs, watching as you yawn, the tiger teasingly pointing his finger into your mouth- but he doesn't expect you to close it so quickly. While you don't bite down on it (at least not hard enough to ever really hurt), he still can't help but be affected by it. Especially when he pushes down on your lower lip, your tongue jokingly licking the tip of his finger, making him smirk at you.

Behind your innocent facade does slumber a tiny little tiger too, in a way, it seems like.

And he honestly doesn't know if he can handle having you around him like this for much longer, while not doing anything about it at all. He's already almost kissed you yesterday, and by now he knows you feel just as attracted to him as he does to you.

You're mates after all. Similar age. Technically in the same hybrid group. Nothing speaks against it.

And yet he's got to be careful. He doesn't want to end up breaking your heart if things don't go as expected- he'd hate leaving you devastated. And yet still he feels as if he'd die soon if he doesn't at least get to feel your lips on his- there's nothing wrong with at least a kiss, right? Maybe just a little further than that- his couch his comfortable after all, and he for sure won't be able to withstand the temptation of at least holding you close with you staying with him tonight. "Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight? I can take the couch, no problems." He asks you to distract himself, ground himself again and get his mind off of things-

But then you visibly pout, ears drooping down a little as you look at him almost disappointed.

"Not.. with you?" You mumble, and his gaze focuses on you again, pupils dilated as he swallows thickly.

"I mean, I won't say no." He tells you, eyes never leaving yours. "But I probably should." He says, making you tilt your head in question. Though in your eyes, in the way they sparkle mischievously, he knows you're very much aware of the implications.

"You won't." You simply smile next to him, legs stretching and tail swaying from side to side, and all he can think of is brat. There's no trace of the shy little cat left it seems like right now, as you look at him all confident and almost challenging.

And yet, he can't disagree.

He won't say no.

♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

[bisexualdinahlance]

I feel like fandom at large (like fandom spaces in general, no specific fandom) really needs to reevaluate the whole "everyone knows this person is queer/into this friend of the same gender but the person themselves" trend. Like, I get that some part of it is that fandom seems to love oblivious characters, but especially when it comes to gender and sexuality. The way it's handled in fandom is just... really uncomfortable.

I'm not sure if it's just my age (because the attitude and discussions surrounding queerness have obviously changed so incredibly much in the last decade alone) that makes this trope uncomfortable to me or what, but it reminds me so much of the stupid "gaydar" shit. And I don't mean like, the original gaydar as in queer people clocking other queer people, but like, when gaydar got taken up by straight people and they started "clocking" any vaguely effeminate man or masculine woman and claiming they knew they were gay.

I have such a clear memory of being the only (out, at least) queer person in a group of straight people, who during our semester abroad constantly speculated about the sexuality of another of our friends. Now, very likely, this friend is queer in some way (we fell out of contact so can't confirm), and he was definitely experiencing some internalized homophobia and some issues with toxic masculinity, but gods the way they talked about the fact that he must be gay and he just was too repressed to know it. Or that his culture's values was keeping him from exploring himself (the friend was a Chinese international student, so there was also a sprinkling of racism in there as well). They always seemed so smug and pitying that they knew him better than himself, and would be the same when I suggested that instead of gay maybe he was bisexual, because of course he must be just fooling himself.

And these are people who would claim they are excepting of gay people! That support gay marriage and have gay friends! But shit like this feels bad. Especially about something where so many of us struggle with it, struggle to come to terms with it, have to fight against what society taught us was and wasn't acceptable.

It often feels like this in fics, when a character comes out and every single friend is just like "yeah you didn't know you were gay why did you think you were so obsessed with this person?" or a person comes out and "it was supposed to be a secret?" like for some people being queer isn't still incredibly dangerous. And yeah there's something to be said for escapism, but there's ways to write accepting characters without basically implying a character is stupid for being worried and struggling with their sexuality. I don't want the family and friends of a ship to be homophobic even when it might be "period accurate", but yaknow, you can have escapism without invalidating real life fears.

I think also people don't understand that there is a difference between like, a parent having a feeling/knowing that their kid isn't straight, picking up the signs and remembering things that were said when they were children, and working to make sure the kid knows it's okay to come out to them. It's different to have a best friend (especially a queer best friend) quietly sit you down and be like "is there anything you need to tell me" or "I know you've been struggling and I think I might know why". It's different when maybe you and your friends have known this person all your life, and while you think they might be gay, you don't know for sure and you don't know if they're sure, but you will wait until they are ready to tell you because it is their shit to figure out, and it's their right to choose when to do so, but by the gods you will support them however you can.

It's also incredibly uncomfortable to constantly have characters be "super obvious" and "everyone knows something is going on" between two queer characters when neither of them are out, and it be treated as some sort of "haha they're so silly/dumb (affectionate) thinking it's a secret" like that couldn't be life or death for some folks. Especially in fandoms where it's like, canonically there is homophobia or it takes place in like, the 80s during the fucking AIDs crisis. (On a more lighthearted note, fandoms also I think put too much faith in people's ability to overcome heteronormativity, especially by the straight characters lol.)

I'm incredibly happy that people feel more comfortable being out and proud. Escapism and canons without homophobia are great and I'm glad we're getting more canons that are following the trends of like, WTNV where they're just like "lol yeah homophobia doesn't exist", but like, I just could really do without this leading to having characters make assumptions about other characters and then pitying them/making fun of them/looking down upon them for struggling. Like obviously, everyone has their own experiences, but so many fics now start to feel like we queers are being laughed at for being worried or struggling with our identities, instead of laughing with us.

Because sometimes yes, your journey to self discovery can be funny! Not denying that! I could write a whole book full of stupid things I or my friends or my friends partners did or excuses we told ourselves while we were still in denial about who we were. But I want to be laughed with not at and that's what a lot of fandom has been feeling like lately.

[favoniuscodex]

the art of modernity [ chapter one ]

chapter one - awakening pairing: xiao x gn!reader warnings: canon-typical violence mention, medication mention words: ~1.6k words fic masterlist [ prev ] - [ next ] chapter summary: sure, xiao might be pointing his polearm at your neck and have an utterly terrifying aura, but you'll get out of this alive, right? right? a/n: THERE IS A PROLOGUE to this! lots of questions raised in this chapter, but very few are actually answered! don't worry, they'll all be answered in due time!

the blade of the polearm is cold as it rests upon the skin of your neck. the disrupted adeptus has a scowl on his face yet holds the weapon with a precision only seen in thousands of years of experience. sure, xiao hasn't sliced open your neck, but one wrong move and he likely would. xiao's amber eyes flicker from you to the group of your friends who stand on the other side of the pillar and, despite your fascination with the being in front of you, you can't help but follow his gaze.

kaeya and keqing look terrified, yanfei looks uneasy, and, surprisingly, childe is the only one who does not look unsettled by the situation. while you were not necessarily fearful of the yaksha before, you are certainly fearful of the defiant look that crosses childe's expression. it's the same one that he gets when he decides he can make a yellow light before it turns red and immediately guns the engine to hurtle across the intersection. nothing good ever comes out of his defiance, so you clear your throat, ignoring how the blade scrapes lightly against your skin as you do so, and redirect the yaksha's attention.

"with all due respect," you begin, causing xiao to narrow his eyes. "i can tell you are a yaksha based on your mask. why do you wish to bring harm to mortals?"

xiao tilts his head in confusion, eyes widening slightly at the challenge implied by your words.

"are you foolish enough to believe that i do not know of my duties?" xiao snaps at you.

"i would use the word misguid-" you begin, but in an instant, you find yourself laying flat on your back, the wind knocked out of you. ah, right. you think to yourself. he has a vision.

the world swirls above you as you attempt to regain your bearings, but the familiar sight of the polearm reappears in your line of vision, once again pointed at your neck as xiao stands to the side of you, glaring down furiously.

"you are not entirely human," xiao states and you bite back a nervous laugh. maybe you were in over your head here. "do not pretend to be what you are not in feeble attempts to correct me."

"w- what?" you sputter in confusion, but before you can actually get an answer, childe finally acts. he lets out a war cry and charges forward, arms outstretched in hopes of tackling xiao. however, xiao steps out of the way and watches as childe stumbles and falls into the water surrounding you all.

"dumbass," you hear keqing mutter angrily.

"fight me!" childe demands as he splashes towards you and xiao once more. xiao only looks at him, unamused.

"i have no desire to hurt humans, as annoying as you can be," xiao states, thoroughly irritated by childe's disruption. "i will not fight you."

"so then why do you want to hurt my friend?" childe pouts. his stature screams defiance, yet even he's smart enough to know that he cannot win a battle against an immortal, especially not like this.

yet, before xiao can answer, yanfei steps forward, eyes glowing threateningly.

"xiao. that is enough," she snaps, glaring at him while standing tall. "i know you can sense their energies too, but, for all intents and purposes, they are human."

xiao retracts his polearm from your neck before tapping the base of it against the ground. it disappears from his hand and he folds his arms across his chest, looking at yanfei judgingly.

archons, you think as you sit up, gaze flickering between the two of them. what is happening?

"you frolic with the mortals too often, yanfei," xiao says disapprovingly. "and yet you let them enter jueyun karst under your supervision."

"it is not illegal. besides, i thought most adepti were living within their abodes after humanity rejected them, xiao," yanfei states. the authoritative challenge that you recognize from her practice of law taints her voice, yet somehow it now feels... otherworldly.

is yanfei..? you think, but xiao's next words confirm your suspicions.

"i still have my contract with rex lapis to uphold," xiao states. "you are fortunate enough to not have had to sign one."

keqing and kaeya stand behind yanfei and xiao, as a sopping wet childe slowly sneaks over to them. all three of them look baffled as the realization slowly dawns over them as well. yanfei is an adeptus.

in your search for the old immortals, you had never stopped to consider the presence of one in front of you. you feel like a fool as shame at your obliviousness begins to set in. yanfei? one of your closest friends? an adeptus?

"does your contract involve pointing polearms at the descendants of gods?" yanfei asks xiao accusatorily. gods, maybe you did hit your head on that chunk of cor lapis. there was no way yanfei was talking about you? descendant of what? was this your moment when the god of your ancestry would lay their claim to you? give you superpowers? give you-

"(y/n) is just a mortal besides that energy they emit. so calm down, i've been keeping an eye on them too," yanfei tells xiao and the hope in your chest dies. sure, you emitted some weird 'energy' or whatever the hell they were saying, but you weren't about to inherit some super cool powers or actually have something to flex to people. instead, you just had some worn-out old 'energy' that seemed to only make adepti wary of you. great.

"what energy?" you finally asked, confused, and both of the adepti's attention snaps back to you. xiao's gaze trails over to yanfei as he shrugs his shoulders at her, expecting her to answer. she lets out a huff and clears her throat.

"strictly speaking, you emit an energy that likely only adepti can detect, considering keqing, kaeya, and childe have never pointed it out to you. i highly doubt it is anything you can manipulate, but it appears to be a calming energy of sorts," yanfei explains, yet it only serves to raise even more questions. but now isn't the time to get your answers for those types of questions. instead, you send a bewildered expression at xiao.

"you were going to kill me because my presence is calming?!" you snap. respect for the adepti be damned, you no longer cared about any of that mythology crap at the moment. you were just irate that xiao had pointed his weapon at you over something so trivial. xiao looks startled at your accusation, yet yanfei cuts him off with a laugh.

"you haven't changed at all, huh, xiao?" yanfei asks, yet her voice is much softer this time. "it is good to see you."

xiao's eyes narrow at her before his posture relaxes. "likewise," he mutters, but you're not entirely sure if he's telling the truth or if it's just a formality. silence settles between the six of you and it does nothing but answer your question. the immortal green dude was really going to kill you over being a walking anti-anxiety medication. archons, the illuminated beasts aren't as cool as you thought they were.

"i do not trust you," xiao snaps at you, breaking the silence, and you bite back a sigh of frustration.

"okay?" you ask, absolutely baffled by the situation. what the hell were you supposed to do about that? his weapon was no longer pointed at you.

"(y/n) is trustworthy," yanfei says, glaring at xiao. "if you want to know more, then why don't you come stay with us in liyue harbor?"

us? you think, wondering what the hell yanfei is getting you into. i'm not trustworthy? you're the one who was lying about being an adeptus this whole time!

"'us'?" kaeya finally speaks up, ignoring the warning glare he receives from keqing because of it. "we don't all live together, yanfei, you're going to have to be more specific than that."

"he can stay with (y/n)!" yanfei chirps and you feel your soul die inside a little. "(y/n) has a spare bedroom they were looking to rent out in their apartment, right? i'll pay xiao's rent and he can stay with them!"

"yanfei," keqing begins, voice cautious. "he just threatened to kill them."

"yeah, yeah, that's just him being a grumpy old adeptus!" yanfei says and you can only watch in shock as yanfei offers up your own place on your behalf to an adeptus. an adeptus. slowly, your childlike wonder begins to creep back into your brain, clouding your judgement. sure, he seemed grumpy, but this was one of the mythological beings you had been wondering about for years. besides, you still trusted yanfei enough to know that she wouldn't just throw some adeptus into your apartment if he would kill you in your sleep. sure, you had questions for her, but..? would xiao smite you if you refused?

you part your lips to speak, but xiao's response to yanfei's proposal shocks you back into silence.

"sure. i will accompany you to liyue harbor," xiao says.

great. you think. i can't just pester yanfei for answers instead?

taglist:

@somemothgoingferal @miicachii @hq149 @albedostar @the-astrumnauta @falconcoast @dilucsz @transactionalrelationship @koko-cherry @dumpling-gif @shulkerdotjar @popdrop @seokflwr @solarpearl @tsubaki3192 @marifujioka @astronomeh @daichiri @cryspyjk @svnflowery @anseoo @rintaoreo @fuhuashandholder @squashbee @qiqiscocogoatmilk @rry0ko @kaaaeya @koi-chairowo @fandoms-on-main @mikatsukki

please send in an ask (not submission or dm!) to be placed on the taglist! if your name is in italics that means i am unable to tag you!

[newtonsheffield]

Hello again!!!! I'm the Spanish girl back in here!

Firstly, I'd like to send you my best wishes for this tough week of work, and I bet we're going to miss you around here this week. But duty calls! And, look, how many people can say they've got a whole week for relaxing after a week of work? 😌 (Perhaps I've misunderstood the whole thing; I've read your posts quite quick and I've understood sth different to what you wanted to say lol)

Well, what can I say with one of the last prompts you have gifted to us...? Kate, Anthony (and his Spanish!!!!!!) and Spain; you got me there. 😂 I even cried the famous "Ole!" when I read all of it (curious note: not all Spaniards use the expression "ole" in daily contexts; it is more like a regional expression that became worldwide famous bc of several reasons that are too long to post here, lol) and I think it's needless to say I loved it... isn't it?

And, I LOVED a lot Edwina's POV and story (well, I've loved everything you have posted and gifted to us, but Eddie has a special place in my heart)! I don't know, but sometimes I get the impression that, in romantic literature, relationships between sisters are not addressed at all and kinda force them to be friends (if they're not rivals... which I find stupid, tbh), not really deepening in the bond between them. Like, they're sisters and they behave more like "my next door neighbour and friend to whom sometimes I'm distant bc life happens" instead of "this person and I share much more than many people can imagine that's beyond friendship and she's more important than anybody else" -idk if this makes sense anymore... I rewrote it a couple of times bc I got the impression I can't express my idea very well 😂-. And that's something I think both of you, JQ and yourself, have achieved and gifted to all of us! We see Edwina and Kate as sisters: they fight, they tease the other, they can't stand each other sometimes, but always, ALWAYS, they care for and love the other just as sisters do. Because of this, I think TVWLM is one of my favourite books in this genre: they give us a two fantastic love stories, not only between a -heterosexual- couple but also between sisters; which is as important as any other kind of relationship.

After my TED Talk (sorry if it's been too much... 😅), I cannot help but imagine an escapade between Anthony and Kate (sans children) and Matthew and Edwina (oh, Matthew... I love you) to Spain just for Anthony, in his stupid one-side battle against Matthew (I love this, tbh; it's sooooo fun 😂), demonstrate Matthew he can speak fluently another language... Just for Matthew be oblivious to this and enjoy a little escapade to Spain with his girlfriend and her family. 😂

Anyways; I hope you're alright and, again, I wish you all the best for this week.

Besos!!! 🥰 (Spanish equivalent for the "Love!" farewell expression; it means "kisses")

Hola! You’re back again! And I’m so glad! 

I do have a week off once I finish work tomorrow (Saturday)!! Very Exciting! I have a scarf to knit, and lots of writing to do so that’s very exciting. 

Oh Anthony on a Spanish beach in tiny little flamingo shorts? Ole! indeed! That is a curious note, I literally love learning things about other cultures and languages so if anyone wants to share a curious note about their culture, hit me up! I will in turn tell you about the curious culture of The Land Down under, and our propensity to butcher the English language!

I agree, Sister relationships are a very curious thing in media. I’m not a huge fan of very contentious relationships between sisters, I’m not saying they don’t exist in real life, they definitely do, I just think having them as constant rivals is exhausting. And Yes! I Love the relationship between Edwina and Kate very much because I see it as a mirror of my relationship with my own sister. My sister drives me more insane than any other person on this planet. We fight, we bicker, I get absolutely enraged when she steals the last property I need for a set in Monopoly, and yet, She is my favourite person. She can say whatever she wants about me, but were anyone else to? It’s fight on sight. I’ll be honest, that all I’m doing is basing their relationship in these fics  on my own with my sister. Nothing special! 

Okay! Here we go! Anthony and Kate + Goose and Edwina +Spain

Kate Bridgerton was many, many things, but she liked to think an idiot, was not one of them. And so, when Anthony had said, in a tone she was sure he thought was casual. “I think we deserve a holiday, you’ve been working very hard to grow the little broad bean after all and your sister and her little gander should celebrate their engagement.” She had known exactly what he was up to. And she wasn’t really sure why she played along along with it. Perhaps something in her thrived on the chaos she knew Anthony would would create, perhaps part of her just really wanted a decent paella. Surely it didn’t matter, the result was the same: Kate fixed an innocent expression on her face and said  “Where did you have in mind?” 

 And so, surprise, surprise, here she was: back on a beach in Spain. She had to admit, eyeing Anthony appreciatively as he paddled demonstratively in the shallow water, his plan had its merits. though thus far his attempts had been... unsuccessful at best. Matthew Bagwell seemed absolutely thrilled to be in Spain, on holiday with his fiancée, giving them helpful facts he knew about the architecture as they walked through the city, a wide smile on his face, Anthony practically purple when he corrected a fact Anthony himself had said.   “Do you speak Spanish, Goose?” Anthony had said dryly in the hotel lobby shortly after they’d arrived. And Kate had rolled her eyes at Anthony, though Matthew was not paying attention. He had his arms wrapped tightly around Edwina’s waist, whispering something in her ear that made her nose crinkle in delight, the sapphire of her engagement ring glinting in the sunlight. And the beautiful picture they made gave Kate’s heart a little stutter. Anthony tutted. “Matt!” He said sharply, getting the man’s attention, Matthew’s glasses slipping down his nose as his head shot upwards in surprise.  “Do you speak Spanish?” Edwina was rolling her eyes now. And Matthew, for his part was completely unbothered  “oh, no. Sorry Mate, might have to lean on your pretty heavily this week.” He said, and Kate caught the smug smile on Anthony’s face and bit back a groan Damnit Matthew.  “I’m pretty fluent in French, German and Mandarin though!” Matthew said smiling happily, turning back towards Edwina, completely oblivious to the scowl Anthony tossing his way. “Of course you fucking are.” He muttered, fixing Kate with an irritated glare as a laugh escaped her!   

The water surely must be a little cool in early October but Anthony showed no signs of it, Beckoning Kate into the water. She groaned and made her way towards him, laughing happily as he tugged her in, his hand resting on her stomach, still no sign of her pregnancy. “Is he watching?” Anthony whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her through the water So she had a brief image of her sister smiling brightly at her fiancée who appeared to be... bless him building a sandcastle. 

“No. He’s not.” Kate said batting her husband’s hands away irritatedly as he scowled.  “Are you really trying to look more in love than they are?” Kate scoffed, disbelief at her husband’s idiocy rising with in her. Anthony looked indignant. “No! A man can’t take an interest in his wife now? Very poor show Mrs. Bridgerton.” He said, but his eyes, darted towards the shore at the last second.  “Oh I cannot believe you! You’re absolutely manic!” She replied as Anthony attempted to pull her back towards him, Kate putting up very little fight as she tumbled against. him, his voice hot in her ear. “Insufferable I hear.” Kate scoffed. “Ugh! If Anyone’s insufferable it’s him!” 

Kate turned to follow Anthony’s gaze to find Matthew waving at them, grinning broadly, completely unbothered. And Kate couldn’t keep from laughing as Anthony went on another muttered tirade.

Besos! 

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Stay With Me (Pt. 07 of 09)

Pairing: Daryl Dixon X Reader

Word count: 3 K

Summary: Daryl found you surrounded by the dead, stuck in the backseat of a car. You were wishing for death to take you away for quite a while now, but, as you slid back and forth into consciousness, there was only one thing keeping you alive. Him, the man with blue, worried eyes and kind voice. Your beaten up body was ready to give up, too wounded and broken to keep going. But this man, who went out of his way to save your life is the only thing in the world holding you up. And, because of him, you feel something you haven't felt in a very long time: hope. Wherever he's taking you, you want to get there, and not only to be buried. For what it feels like the very first time, you want to live. He takes you back to Alexandria, but even there, the nightmares and the terror from all the torture and pain you've been through keeps creeping closer, and Daryl, your hero, is the only one who can keep that all away.

Warnings: Mentions and description (not graphic) of past abuse; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); some violence at the end of the story (a little bit graphic, but not so much); blood.

<- Previous part (06)

Next part (08) ->

{The Walking Dead Masterlist}

I want to thank my awesome friend @jodiereedus22, who helped me (and still does) a lot to get this story done. She's also a writer and she's amazing so please go check her work!!

×

If You Love Me...

You've seen death. Often, cruel, cold. From afar and from up close. You felt it, in many different ways. At first when your family passed away, then your friends... And you felt it in your body too, in the months you spent held captive, wishing for it. And in the car, as you waited for it.

But it's different now. You were holding onto Melanie when she stopped moving, stopped breathing, the second after the baby cried for the very first time. Her whole body went numb, turned off. She knew her pregnancy was dangerous. Melanie is old, and she had a heart condition. That was the reason why she never tried for a baby before. But now, with the world on its end, she decided to try. Death is certain, she told you once, and if she died in the process of delivering her child, she'd die happy. With a purpose.

But of course, you never thought it would actually happen.

The commotion that followed happened in a blur. Carol passed you the child in a hurry, pushing you out of the room.

You know what happens now. Daryl told you a while ago. Everyone who dies comes back. Everyone is infected. You try not to think about it, to focus on life instead of death.

And that's what you're holding in your arms now. Life. Tiny and fresh, his little cries making your body move out of instinct, slowly swinging from side to side until he's quiet again.

When it's done, and Melanie's dead body won't raise up again, Carol comes and you help her clean the baby. Luke, after her late husband. Denise is quick to gather all the baby supplies needed, and she starts telling you and Carol what to do. Carol already knows, of course, because of her daughter Sofia.

It's quite obvious Carol will take care of the child. It's implied by how Denise is so focused on her, talking fast, gesturing a lot. She's a little funny actually, and easy to talk to. Once little Luke is clean and dressed in his first clothes, in a pale shade of blue, Carol picks him up and he starts crying, with powerful lungs. She starts mumbling, talking to the baby, but he doesn't stop.

“Alright, alright.” She whispers. “Shh.”

“Does he need anything?” You ask, watching as Carol bounces him slowly.

“We did everything. Maybe he's in pain.” Denise removes some of the hair that has fallen on her face. “Let's take him to the infirmary so I can take a look.”

“Ok.” Carol agrees, raising her voice above the baby's cries. “(Y/N), can you carry him? These bags are too heavy for you and–” You quickly step forward, once again welcoming the baby into your arms “–you still need to be careful with your...” Her voice fades as Luke stops crying, his tears shining on his cheeks.

He's so light you feel like you're barely holding anything. “He stopped,” Denise mutters. “I don't think he was in pain.”

Looking down at the baby, you stand there, motionless. “What do you think it was?” You ask in a low voice.

“Uhm, I don't know. Maybe he likes you.” She mumbles, hands on her hips. “Carol, do you think you can take care of him? If not we'll have to find a family willing to adopt.”

“We can.” You burst out, because suddenly the idea of giving Like into another family sounds absurd. “Can we? I'm sure you can teach me and I'll help.”

“We sure can.” She affirms, and you smile. “Let's get going now. They will soon come to bury Melanie.” Her voice gets darker in the end, heavier.

The whole city attempted to Melanie's funeral. You stood there, beside Carol, little Luke in your arms. You felt anxious when some people came to meet the baby, offering you their condolences and any help you might need now. But eventually, she's buried, and you can't help but let a few tears roll down. Melanie was always kind and wise, and it breaks your heart that Luke won't get to know his mother.

In the next days, Carol has been teaching you everything about babies. Teaching you how to look after him. The baths, how to prepare the baby bottle, how to deal with fevers, and stuff like that. You make a hell lot of questions, eager to know every single thing you can.

Your days revolve around Luke, what is good because you don't have time to think about Daryl and the possibility of him not wanting anything with you. The possibility that those warm nights in his arms are over.

Carol helps you get into a good schedule with the baby. You take turns waking up when he starts crying at night, but despite him growing used to Carol, she takes longer to rock him to sleep again. Luke feels better around you, she says. And honestly, you don't mind one bit. Carol assures you the cryings will get worse. Newborn babies sleep a lot, and with time, he'll need less sleep and that's when things will get hectic. But you're ok with it. You're mesmerized by him, so tiny, so innocent. A beacon of light in such a dark world. It's like a miracle to have a baby here, in an Earth where now the dead can walk again.

As the days pass by, you notice that you easily learn your way with Luke. Carol calls it mother instinct, but you never thought you had it in you... You never really thought about kids, but now... Maybe you could have one...

This thought reminds you of Daryl. Having a baby means you'll have to be very intimate with someone. And you can't imagine being intimate with anyone who isn't Daryl. Sighing, you look through the window of Luke's bedroom. It used to be Daryl's, but since he's sleeping in yours, Carol thought it would be ok to change things. So all of his stuff were reallocated to give Luke his space. Even though he doesn't need much now, being so little.

You haven't told Daryl about it yet. Your talks are always brief, just enough for you to know he's alright and for him to know you're alright as well.

Today, another sweet and slow morning, you're at the couch, a sleepy Luke in your arms. Carol is doing the dishes and getting some stuff ready for lunch. The kids will be coming, so she has something special planned. You'll help her in a few moments when Luke is asleep enough so you can leave him in his crib upstairs.

“I'm going to make cookies for the afternoon. What do you think?” She asks from the kitchen in a low voice.

“The kids will love it.” You say, turning your head to look at her. “When are you going to tell me your secret ingredient?”

“Never, obviously.” She answers and you giggle. “You would have to–” Her voice fades suddenly, and you listen as she puts something down. “Honey, I think they're back.”

“What?” Your heart skips a beat. “Are you sure?”

“Let me check.” She says and walks out, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

Well, not alone. Looking down at Luke, you smile when he moves his hand, grabbing something in his sleep. He's so oblivious to the war happening in your heart now. In your brain. This is it. He's back one day earlier than planned, but even though you knew the time was coming, you couldn't prepare yourself for it. Breathing deeply, you caress Luke's forehead, very lightly as if he's a fragile little thing. His mouth moves a little as if he's trying to speak and you giggle.

“What are you dreaming about, little one?” You ask him, wondering if babies can even dream. Maybe Denise knows, you'll ask her later.

“(Y/N).” His voice startles you, and you immediately look up from Luke, meeting Daryl's blue eyes as he stands by the door.

“D.” Smiling you quickly scan through his body, relieved not to find any sign of injury. “You're back.”

“Aye.” He mumbles. “Ya always have a kid with ya when I come back” He adds, stepping closer to the cough and giving the baby a look. “Who's this?”

“This is Luke. Melanie's baby, she... She couldn't make it.” The happiness fades a little, and Daryl seems a little sad as well.

“Was it her heart?”

“Yeah. It just stopped.” Sighing, you keep your eyes on Daryl. His face softens a little. “She told me once you know... That she'd rather die bringing her child to the world than in any other way but I never thought it would actually happen.”

“Who's gonna take care of him now?”

“I'm the designated mother.” You mumble, smiling.

Daryl looks up from the kid, eyes meeting yours. “By who?” You see a hint of anger in his eyes and you know why. He thinks someone pushed into it, and Daryl hates when people push you into things. Since the very beginning. He did have a fight with Rick when he first showed up here, wanting you to speak about your past. Now it's just a little bit worse. Daryl is very protective, and you can't help but smile to know this hasn't changed. Not yet.

“By him.” Tilting your head to the kid, you giggle when Daryl's face changes, softening again. “Kid likes me, what can I do?”

“Huh.”

“Wanna hold him?”

“Lemme shower. ‘M covered in mud and I don't wanna to give ya or the baby an infection or anythin’.” He says, already moving upstairs.

“Alright.” Settling down again, you bounce Luke a little, but by the looks of it, he's in deep sleep already. “What happens now, little one? Can you please tell me?” In a low voice, you ask him. If only anyone could answer that...

“Where's Daryl?” Carol asks as she comes inside, closing the door.

“Showering.”

“Let me put him in his crib.” She comes to the couch, and you carefully lies Luke in her arms. “You two need to talk.”

“Yeah.” You mutter, watching as she moves upstairs.

You don't want to talk to Daryl. Maybe you shouldn't have spoken to him about your feelings. What if it's too early? Things were perfect before and you don't think you can take it if he wants to... End things? Change things? “Shit.” Quickly, you get up, leaving the house. Running away is not your thing. Not when it comes to Daryl. The only running there is, is when you run into his arms. But now, you just can't. And you don't know where to go. So you just start walking downstreet, trying not to think too much. There isn't anywhere to hide here. If Daryl wants to find you, he will.

“(Y/N)!” Someone calls, and after the usual terror, you recognize Maggie's voice, turning on your heels to look at her. “Daryl's back. Go see him.”

“I-I know.” Stuttering, you look at the street, making sure Daryl isn't anywhere he can see you before you make your way over her. “I just...”

“I thought you two were ok. Before he left I swear to God I thought you'd kiss him.” She climbs down the few steps of the porch, but you gesture for her to go back inside.

“We are.” Maggie has become a close friend. And if you don't talk about this things with someone, nobody will be able to help. “Uhm... I...”

“C'mon in.” She opens the door and steps aside. “Glenn isn't here so don't worry.”

“Ok.” Sighing, you step in, moving to the couch and taking a seat.

“Now...” Maggie comes and sits beside you, a leg folded under herself. “...why aren't you in Daryl's arms right now?”

It's not a secret anymore, Daryl and you. It eventually got out of the house, you don't really know how. “Because I... Goddamn it! I told him I wanted us to be a couple. Right before he left so he could think about it and now I'm terrified of what he'll say and I'm running from him.” You speak fast, hands covering your face. “I freaking love him.”

That's it. The words just came out. You freeze, breathing fast, the weight of the acknowledgment making a few tears roll down. You lie back on the couch, eyes on the ceiling.

“So... Do you want me to act surprised?”

“I want him to love me too.” It comes out as a whisper because this can't be heard by anyone. Not even by Maggie. But that already happened.

“Daryl allowed you to touch him. In public. And he touched you. Again, in public.” Maggie touches your leg, shaking it a little to get your attention, only stopping when you sit up again. “If he didn't love you back, that wouldn't happen.”

“Daryl... May like me. He's very protective and I love that since... Well, since all that shit happened but... Maybe this is it.”

“I don't think so. Daryl always makes sure everyone is safe, but with you it's different.”

Sighing, you wonder if you should believe that. Maybe, if you keep your hopes low, you won't get hurt.

No. You'll get hurt anyways. “I think I should go...”

“Yeah, he'll come here looking for you.”

“Maybe...” Pushing yourself back at your feet, you take a deep breath. “I'll... Take a walk.”

“You know he'll find you, right?” She says, following you to the front door.

“I know... Thanks, Maggie.” Smiling at her, you walk away, always careful in the steps before heading to the garden on the West side of the city.

There are some people here, not much though, but you still keep a distance. By the wall, there's a small square, if you can call it that, with some benches and threes. The kids come to play here some days, but it's not their favorite place. Taking a sit, strategically by a three so it'll hide you, you cross your legs. The wind makes you shiver since the thought of bringing a coat didn't even cross your mind. But it's beautiful here, and lonely. Few people come here, and you rather be alone. At least now, to think.

“Never thought ya would run from me.” His voice makes your heart skip a bit, and you do feel a little guilty. You're not sure why though. Silently, you watch as he comes to stand before you.

“I'm not...” You're were running away. No reason to try to dissimulate. “I just needed some time. Thought you would need some too, so...”

“Had plenty of time out there.” Raising your head to look at him, you can't shake the feeling he always brings you. Safety, warmth, home...

“Yeah... But you don't have to... I mean, what I said before, you don't have to...”

“We need ta’ talk. But not here, c'mon.” He reaches out his hand and you take it, pulling yourself up. “Ya need me ta’ carry ya?”

“No, I can walk.” If he's about to end things, the best you can do it put some distance already.

You walk at the fastest pace you can, eager to just end this. To know what happens now and work from there.

The moment you get to the house, Carol leaves, telling you Luke is asleep and he won't be up for a few hours.

So you go back to the couch, sitting down and bracing yourself, preparing for the worst. Daryl sits beside you but doesn't say anything. Bouncing your leg, you curse yourself for what you did. You know Daryl isn't the one to talk about his feelings, and you don't want to push him to.

“I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have–”

“Ya wanna be with me. Why?” He bursts out, and you look at him. Daryl has his elbows on his knees, eyes on the floor.

“Because I–” Are you really gonna say it? Can you tell him that? Isn't it too soon? Or too late? “I really, really like you... More than a friend or a protector.”

“Ya shouldn't. ‘M way older than ya and yer–”

“Daryl, it's not up to you to decide what I should or shouldn't do. Or feel.” Cutting him short, you turn your body towards him, touching his arm, relieved when he finally looks up into your eyes. “I know you think very low of yourself. I'm well aware of the age thing, but I don't care. What I need to know is how you feel about me.” Making a pause, you take a deep breath. This isn't easy, but you have to talk. To somehow make it easier for him, if that's even possible. “It's alright if you don't. I-I know you don't like talking about this, but I just need to know if... If there's anything else... If you feel this way about me too...”

“I like ya, (Y/N).” He says in a very low voice, you can barely hear it. “And ya shouldn't have feelings for me.”

“Daryl...”

“Nah, lemme talk.” He cuts you off, faking an angry tone. Raising an eyebrow, you nod. “Ya shouldn't. Yer... Young an’ pretty an’ I can't ruin ya. Ya deserve someone better than me.”

“I don't want anyone else, Dixon.” It breaks your heart when he talks like that. You wish he could see himself through your eyes. Who he really is, not this messed up an image he has of himself. “And you won't ruin me. I don't even know what you meant by that, but that's not true, Daryl, I... If you want this... If you want me, you won't ruin me. You'll make me very, very happy.”

You're happy you managed to say all that, despite the many pauses and all the stuttering. There is much more to say, but the time will come. For now, everything you need is to know how he feels.

“I think yer making a mistake, but... I've been thinkin’ and... I don't like bein’ away from ya.”

A smile starts making its way to your lips. “Does it mean that...”

“Yeah, I guess it means that.” He affirms, still not wanting to say the words.

“...Are we going to be a couple?” You have to be sure before celebrating it.

“Yeah.”

“Like... boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Ya need me ta’ drawn it to ya?” He bursts out, an annoyed expression on his face.

Giggling, you raise an eyebrow. You love this side of Daryl and you hope to see more of it. “Sassy Daryl is one of my favorite Daryls.” You say, moving to his lap, straddling his hip. A second later you realize what you did, your cheeks burning. Daryl is red too, and he's not sure what to do with his hands, but you soon feel them on your waist. “So... Oh, I don't know if you noticed but your room was claimed by a newborn child.”

“Yeah, I noticed the crib.”

“So you're now permanently stuck in my bedroom. Hope it's not a problem.” Smiling, you wrap your arms around his neck. You then realize you haven't kissed him yet. And, hell, you want to.

“Not at all.”

“Can I kiss you?” It comes out suddenly, too fast, and you look down, wondering if he can listen to your heart since it's beating insanely fast.

“Ya want to?” He almost stutters, his voice barely a whisper.

“Yeah...” Nodding, you move closer, eyes closing, and your skin burning in anticipation.

You jump to hear the front door opening, head immediately turning to find Carol. Her eyes go wide at the sight of you and Daryl like this...

“I–”

“Carol, I need you to go away. Like right now.” You tell her, urgency in your voice. You don't want the moment to pass, and you just need to kiss him. Right now. It's like a matter of life and death. “Please.” You decide to add.

“Alright, alright.” Raising her hands, she quickly goes upstairs, and you settle down again, hoping Daryl hasn't changed his mind.

“Ok... Can I–”

You feel his lips on yours before you can finish, and you don't mind at all. Pushing yourself closer to him, you deepen the kiss, completely inebriated by him. The pace is slow at first, as if you're getting to know each other, feeling each other, but then it changes, faster, full of need. You get the sensation he doesn't believe this is happening, by the way his arms hold you as if you would disappear. You won't. This is where you want to be, right here, with him.

×

@funeral-7 @heyyy-hey-babyyy @twdeadfanfic @soraitmnt @winchester-angel @bvbwestfall @shawtygonemad @cameronsails @pulplorrd @browneyes528 @btsiguess-kpop @a-dlv @bibibeauelle

[khaleesiofalicante]

I really said fuck classes who needs notes anyway (i do I have 5 tests in the next two weeks)

before I post my live blog here, I feel like people really underestimate how bad rumors are and how much they fuck with your mental health. they don't lose sleep over them, they don't think twice. but these things are harmful as fuck. they leave wounds that take so long to recover from because you keep on thinking about these lies who to others are "just words"

I've been there. it's not fun. I wish I had the courage back then to stand up to those rumors which I have now. these things never leave you. others might move on but the healing process is a journey that is long and hard. I wish more people understood just what effect their words can have.

Yeah, he knew a thing or two about family members going overboard with glitter.

IT'S RAFAEL CENTRIC GHSYGUJDUYDFUIKFDUIDFIUDF

TAVVY

TAVVY

TAVVY

DCSUIHDCSUIDUYUDICUIVSDUIHFVSUILFBUHKIFSV

I feel like I keyboard smash A LOT

“You will never drink even if you are not riding the bike,” Dad had pointed out – all Consul Voice and threatening glares. “The legal age for drinking in New York is 21.”

“But it’s 15 in Idris!”

“Well unfortunately for you, we are in Exile,” dad had grinned.

DAD ALEC UHIKSFDUIHKSGUIKSDVUIHKDVUHIKSVD

Max had a habit of ‘borrowing’ things and selling them on eBay. In his brother’s defense, Bapak had so many clothes that he never noticed when things disappeared. But Rafael did since he had a habit of wearing his father’s clothes.

The warlock – not the shadowhunter.

He wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those sweaters.

Now that Rafael was 18, he was almost as tall as his father.

The shadowhunter – not the warlock.

I AM SCREAMING

I love how he's clarifying which one he's talking about

“Do you know I used to have a crush on Lily Chen?” Tavvy blushed. “But then I found out she made out with Helen once and it kinda got weird.”

Ah yes. I remember. Does Rafael know that Alec also walked in on them?

ARCHITECT TAVVY

SDHDVUHDFSV,YDSFVUYVSFFUSVFUVFS

SHADOWUNTERS ATTENDING MUNDANE COLLEGES

“Dude, college kids don’t give a shit,” Tavvy laughed. “You could walk into a lecture covered in runes, holding a seraph blade and they wouldn’t give you a second look.”

“Cause they are chill?”

“Yes. But mostly cause they are dead inside,” Tavvy chuckled.

Surprisingly that's exactly what my grade 6 prefect told me (DAMN WHY AM I ALWAYS REMEMBERING GRADE 6 IT'S BEEN YEARS. that was a horrible year *shudders*)

ANJALI IS A CENTURION

LMAO THIS IS WHAT RAFAEL MEANT WHEN HE SAID HE WOULDNT WANT TO GO TO THE SCHOLOMANCE FOR PERSONAL REASONS

I still ship them.

“The meeting is going to go perfe-What is SHE doing here?”

Well, that was a quick change-

Unlike Aunt Maia, Lily did not like to be called Aunt Lily. So, Rafael respected her wishes. Max of course continued to call her Aunt Lily and sometimes Abeula Lily since his brother had a pathological condition of pissing people off.

THAT'S SO MAX OMG JHSXUHSCUHISDHUHUKIDVS

great now I miss Raphael

I HAVE A CLASS IN 7 MINUTES STOP MAKING ME CRY

that is so thoughtful of him though...

tears.

“There are no photos of Raphael,” Lily sighed.

“Because he is a vampire?” Tavvy asked sympathetically.

“Because he is Raphael,” she grinned. “Vampires can most certainly take photos. You should follow me on Instagram. My handle is simp_for_carstairs.”

Of course, it is. No one is surprised.

Tavvy picked one up, took a large bite and it threw it back immediately. “Holy shit, that’s spicy!”

“White,” Lily and Anjali snorted at the same time.

white people and their bland foods smh

“She is not wrong,” Lily nodded seriously. “I’m a Jem Carstairs fan first and a vampire second.”

As she should be

UHDSUHDFSUHFDH ANJALI AND RAFAEL COMPETING ABOUT WHO'S LILY'S FAVORITE

He observed Anjali’s long dark hair spilled over her shoulders as her eyes stayed on Lily – sharp, protective and beautiful.

"Beautiful"

I AM NOT LETTING THIS GO

I'm THE DAMN CAPTAIN OF THIS SHIP

FUCKING RUMORS

I'm GONNA KILL SOMEONE

“Shadowhunters are awful gossips,” Anjali said. “Let’s not waste our time with this nonsense.”

There was something in her voice. Something he couldn’t put his finger on.

No, wait I want to know what was in her voice.

But no. It couldn’t be. They weren’t dating.

YET

Rafael was sure there was something more than friendship between them. But David was polite to a fault and Max was an oblivious little shit. So, obviously nothing had happened yet.

OH MY GOD THESE TWO

But this was different. He would tolerate rumours about himself. But he would not tolerate rumours about his family.

I and Rafael will beat up the people who spread these rumors together :D

“She once told me she likes sipping tea more than drinking blood.

I-

same.

NOT THAT I DRINK BLOOD-

RAFAEL LMAO NO

"I hate her she's so annoying"

continues to daydream about her and how tall she'd be without those boots, lies to tavvy about her dating someone

Why did he do that? What was the purpose? Did he not want other people to date just because he wasn’t dating anyone?

And he calls Max oblivious.

oh class started

shit

IDC IDC I'LL STILL BE READING

LEXI AND SELENA ARE AT THE ACADEMY

JACE HYPER FIXATING ON THINGS BECAUSE HE'S BORED IS SUCH A MOOD

“David and I added rosemary to this one,” Uncle Jace wiped his hands on his apron. “It has definitely improved the taste, hasn’t it?”

“Save me,” David mouthed from behind the man.

LMAO POOR DAVID

“Empty nest syndrome,” Rafael chuckled. “I’m glad neither Max nor I had to leave home. My fathers are much worse.”

He remembered his first sleepover at the institute. His parents had waited for “an excruciating hour” before crashing the institute and joining the sleepover themselves.

yup, that's them.

“David,” Rafael grinned. “Are you afraid of my father?”

“What? No! He is the just a regular person…who can throw me in the silent city any time he wants,” David rambled and then shook his head. “Where is Max?”

He tried to sound nonchalant. But Rafael noted the way the other boy’s eyes fluttered every time he said Max’s name.

Just the way a crooked smile appeared on his brother’s lips every time someone said David’s name.

Idiots

ok, there is so much to unpack here.

DAVID HAS A VALID REASON OK??

These two are such IDIOTS HUSDUHISCUIDSVCUIHVSDUHI

“Max said Bapak is biased, and that he needs an unbiased tutor. Uncle Ragnor volunteered,” Rafael chuckled. “God bless the poor man.”

“Max isn’t that bad,” David replied.

“Looks like you’re biased too, David,” Rafael winked and picked up a spare bow from the training room.

of course, he is.

G-FORCE KJHSDCUISDYUKDFSUYKDSVYUSFD

oh shit

oh shit

WHO DID WHAT THIS TIME

what's the rumor and who do I need to kill

He didn’t know her well. But she knew a lot about him. Just as she knew a lot about the twins. She was one of those people who was oddly invested in his life just because Rafael happened to the Consul’s son.

what is her problem?

what the fuck

I need a minute

I need a minute to digest that

I'm so glad I closed my camera in class

what the actual fuck did she just say

tell me I'm hallucinating

times like these I wish I was Jared 19

no, because I'm actually speechless right now

Paige and Irene need therapy

OH SHE WENT THERE

“Paige, that’s enough!” the Dean snapped at her. “How dare you talk to him that way? You talk about warlock corruption but where all of you when Valentine exploited Jace and Clary? Where was this moral obligation when Valentine lied to his children and played with their feelings as if they were nothing but toys to be controlled and manipulated? I’m sick of shadowhunters victim blaming children instead of holding people like Valentine accountable.”

THANK YOU

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK SIMON

I feel like we all focus so much on the "incest" and hate on clace we forget that this part of the story was literally an abuser seeing that the victim was recovering and took the only thing which made him happy from him

I can't believe this

“Children have been suffering for a long time now, Paige,” Uncle Jace said now, his fists balled at his sides. “Where were you when Alec proposed the child protection bill? We didn’t see any of you supporting it.”

“We had other priorities,” the older woman replied. “People were dying! It was not the right time for a new law. We could have always signed that bill later. There was no rush!”

OTHER PRIORITIES MY ASS BITCH FUCK YOU

hey just realizing Rafael is the token straight

I'M SORRY IM TRYING TO DISTRACT ME

“The Cohort who made children kill themselves to prove a point?” Uncle Simon asked dryly. “That Cohort?”

I am so close to either crying or killing someone or both.

This was Max’s spot since it had the best Wi-Fi coverage.

yeah trust me I spend all the time in the guest room because it has the best wifi coverage or the study.

MAX IS SMOKING TOO

YOU FUCKING IDIOTS

oh wait

oh they might be alec's

yeah

For the next thirty minutes, Max paced around the room, threatening to portal all the shadowhunters to hell.

Then he went on about a plan to attack the cohort and portal them all to hell too.

He kept talking about portalling people to hell.

MAX YES LET'S DO IT!!!!

But here is the thing about people, they don’t get to you. You get to them.

They simply say something and leave. They probably don’t even mean the things they say or lose sleep over it. But it wasn’t the same for you. You obsess over it. You stay awake at night and let it consume your dreams.

YES! To others, it's just words. meaningless. to you, the effect can be so so deep. it's not easy to always brush them off.

NO MAGNUS

THAT'S IT

MAX AND I ARE PORTALLING PEOPLE TO HELL

WE'RE DOING IT

why do we hurt others?

my teacher: ill take a test on this chapter. all 20 units

me: softly crying because people are little shits and they hurt others.

“Fuck everyone else,” dad hissed. “They’ve hurt our family enough.”

EXACTLY. LEAVE THEM ALONE.

“I am simply being honest with you,” Dad interrupted. “I could never be okay when you are away from me. But I will manage. Max is going to raise hell though. So, that’s going to be fun.”

AS HE SHOULD

Neither Rafael nor Max would never admit it out loud, but on the day of that sleepover, on the day their parents had crashed the institute bcause they had missed the kids too much…Rafael and Max had been only a moment away from calling their parents to come pick them up.

He's right though.

it'll take time. lots of it maybe.

BUT THE ACTUAL AUDACITY.

It fucked with his mind so much.

Rafael...ALRIGHT WHERE ARE MY FLAMETHROWERS

“DAD! BAPA! WAKE UP! RAFE IS TRYING TO RUN AWAY!”

MAX REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF MY LITTLE BROTHER

He had forgotten about the bloody paperwork. Shadowhunters on their travel year had to notify the Clave and get their paperwork in order.

Well, it shouldn’t be a problem since the Clave was standing across the hall.

EXACTLY

Because it was killing him. It was killing him not to be lying on the couch, his head resting on his Bapak’s lap just like every other Saturday morning.

It was killing him not to touch, not to love, not to care.

GET MY FLAMETHROWERS AND CANNIBAL GOLDFISHES WE HAVE SOME WORK TO DO

(goddamn every class I have taken so far the teacher has told us there is a test coming up it's 9 am in the morning.)

His brother growled at that like the little feral animal that he was.

that's adorable actually.

“Fine,” Max rolled his eyes. “Does this mean I can also travel? There is a Twenty One Pilots concert in Sydney and-”

“Nice try,” Dad said. “But no. You are staying here.”

“Excuse me, but what about my healing?” Max demanded. “I’ve been traumatised by this thing.”

“You can go to therapy,” Rafael winked at this brother.

Therapy is boring but useful so-

He needed to survive this. So, he decided to go back to the place he had learned how to survive in the first place.

He needed to go back home.

UGLY CRYING WHILE TAYLOR SWIFT PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND AND MY HISTORY CLASS IN 2 MINUTES

I'm so proud of him for this...

I still say we kill these people.

JOAQUIN AND JULIETTE

UHISDCUIHFSDUGUIDFVDSDVFJHGDFVHUKDVHUKVF

Camilla Alvarez.

well well.

OH THEY KISSED

“Right,” Rafael had said. “Gap year. Besides, I do talk them. My brother threatened to paint my room in hot pink if I don’t text him every day.”

hands max a pint of paint HAVE AT IT

Max: Also – New Rumour. Dalliance between Lily and Tavvy.

Rafe: OMFG WHAT

Max: They are running with it and freaking old n*philim out.

AS THEY SHOULD UFUHIFUIHFUIHKFU

THE CENSORED N*PHILIM I'M SCREAMING

“He is hot.”

He laughed out loud. “Yeah. I hear that a lot.”

“Your dad looks kinda scary,” she pointed out.

Rafael laughed again. “Yeah. I kinda hear that a lot too.”

I'm liking this ship...

I'M STILL LOYAL TO THE RAFAEL AND ANJALI SHIP

but I'm happy for him. I'm glad he's getting the space he needs

Dad: Jst found legal age fr drnkng in Buenos Aires is 18.

Rafe: ????

Dad: I hv friends thr.

Rafe: ???

Dad: Thy r watchn u.

Rafe: Creepy but okay.

HJSDCGUIHJGSDCYUICVXUHVUHKDV

THE BOY'S DRINKING Y'ALL

Do it

MILA IS GOING TO NY!!

I like her. she's nice.

He was leaving soon. He didn’t see the point in lying to her. “I ran away from home. Kind of.”

“Why?”

“I hurt someone I love,” Rafael confessed. “The person I love most in the world.”

honey, it wasn't your fault... hugs

Shit. Why wasn’t Bapak going to the accords signing? He had been there for every single one since the very first time.

no no no no is something wrong?? I'm worried.

“You look taller,” Rafael told his brother who hadn’t grown an inch.

LMAO

Max and I are vertically challenged.

“Rafe, go to talk to him. Or I will tell everyone you’ve been smoking in the balcony!”

So, he was going to pin this on him, huh? This little shit.

well-

“You’ve progressed from freaking to fucking,” he pointed out.

“That’s not the fucking point, Rafael!” Max said in exasperation.

“You did it again,” Rafe pinched Max’s cheek. “My little brother is all grown up now. Linguistically I mean.”

“Dick."

I CAN'T WITH THESE TWO

When he had gone back to Buenos Aires, the place was completely different - even the shadow market.

There were no abandoned children in the streets. There were no racist and ignorant leaders exploiting innocent downworlders.

There was only growth.

His father had done that. Alec Lightwood had helped Joaquin and his people create a new world in Buenos Aires.

This shows how much people can flourish under good leadership if they really try.

YOU KNOW I'M SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING THESE NOTES DOWN, NOT CRYING OVER THIS.

“I will protect our family. I will protect our friends. I will protect those who ask for my protection. But I will not tolerate their hate. I will not turn my head and pretend it doesn’t hurt. Because it does hurt and that’s not okay.”

Rafael smiled at that. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s not okay.”

“The accords is important. But so am I. There is no point in signing a treaty that is meant to value equality if I have to sign it while being surrounded by those who refuse to respect me or my identity. I simply cannot do it, Rafael. I hope you understand.”

I'm sobbing like YES YOU DONT OWE THEM SHIT. THESE UNGRATEFUL BITCHES.

“It’s taken me a while to realize this. But I don’t owe the nephilim anything,” Bapak said firmly. “It’s about time they realize that too.”

YES EXACTLY

“I’ve known shadowhunters for a long time, Rafael. Good ones. Bad ones. All kinds of them – and shadowhunters have always defined themselves by their love. Not by your weapons. Not by your runes. Not by your last names. Not by your laws. Shadowhunters have always defined themselves by love. So, don’t ever let them take that away from you.”

I want this on a T-shirt. These damn shadowhunters and their love.

“Like the Accords Hall kiss?” Rafael grinned.

“It’s the stupidest thing your father had ever done – which is really saying something,” his father laughed. “But it’s also the bravest thing I’ve ever seen him do. And that’s how I knew.”

affectionate sigh that's alec.

“Good. Max is sitting in the porch and singing All by Myself,” Tessa chuckled and closed the door. “Just thought you should know!!”

Rafael giggled at that. “He must have given you hell.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” Bapak shrugged, and Rafael raised an eyebrow. “Fine. I might have promised to buy him a car when he turns 18.”

“You’re hoping he would stop aging by then, aren’t you?” Rafael chuckled.

Max is so dramatic I aspire to be like him.

Blue banners when the lost return, the shadowhunter rhythm said.

Rafael had returned home – and he was no longer lost.

I'm ok I say as I cry during my history class

I'm so proud of him.

“Well, that needs to be rectified immediately,” Dad said in the Consul Voice and literally yelled. “I am about to kiss my son – on both cheeks! You better gossip about this too!”

“Oh my god, stop!” Rafael giggled and tried to escape.

“YAS!” he heard Uncle Jace yelled from somewhere. “GIVE US A FOREHEAD KISS TOO!”

THEY ARE SO DRAMATIC I LOVE THESE IDIOTS SO MUCH.

THEM ADDING TO THE ACCORDS AS THEY SHOULD OMG

“The hell is hate speech?” someone asked.

Do you not have a dictionary you uncultured swine

“There is a very clear difference between free speech and hate speech,” Cristina Rosales pointed out. “The fact that you don’t seem to know that is all the more reason for us to include this provision.”

YES CRISTINA

“By the angel,” an old man gasped. “There is no need to be so emotional. The younger generation can be such snowflakes.”

What if I just strangles him

“Discriminatory language?” a woman demanded. “What does that even mean?”

“Calling vampires bloodsuckers,” Lily Chen answered.

“Calling warlocks demon spawns,” Ragnor Fell pointed out.

“Calling werewolves fleabags,” Maia Roberts declared.

“Calling faeries half-breeds,” Kieran Kingson all but yelled.

The fact that they have had to deal with this shit for YEARS. (also why Kingson? isn't Kieran the king?)

THE QUEEN HERSELF IS HERE Y'ALL

“Which one of you shitheads said hate speech is harmless?” Anjali demanded, her voice booming over everyone and everything else.

YES ANJALI

Anjali had a grin of her own. “While that might true, Paige, there is most certainly a law on child protection. You didn’t just hurt Magnus Bane. You also hurt his son. Section 7 of the Child Protection Bill states that any person who physically or emotionally injures a child through ill-treatment, neglect, abandonment or abuse is guilty of breaking the covenant.”

“Damn straight!” someone yelled from the crowd – it sounded suspiciously like Kit.

CALL THESE BITCHES OUT YES

“Rafael is not a child!” someone yelled again. A lot of them this time. “It’s still not illegal. The law doesn’t say so!”

“By the angel, for someone who is obsessed with the law you people seem to know nothing about it,” Anjali said in exasperation. “The child protection law defines a child as a person under 18 years OR younger. The incident happened when he was still 18. It’s illegal.”

YES ANJALI FUCK THESE PEOPLE

“I’m the Inquisitor’s daughter,” she said. “Next time, think twice before you quote the law at me.”

SHOW THEM, QUEEN

How did she know his birthday????

ahem

“So, if you do hurt him emotionally, you can still be implicated. You will face charges and you can possibly be stripped of your runes,” Anjali pointed out seriously. “Now I ask you again. Does anyone else have to say anything about him?”

There was absolute silence then.

“Didn’t fucking think so,” Anjali spat. “I literally had to mention the stripping of your marks for you to respect another person’s basic rights. If you give half the value you place on your precious runes to other people, we wouldn’t be in exile right now.”

The Cohort looked terrified – of Anjali or their future in the Clave, Rafael didn’t know.

“People are dying,” Anjali said, her voice heavy now. “Our people are fucking dying, and you seem to be more bothered with who is sleeping with whom. Shame on you. Shame on all of you!”

She turned to the Council. The Inquisitor looked like he was going to cry from pride. Rafael’s dad looked half terrified but mostly impressed. Lily was blowing kisses at Anjali. The other downworld leaders looked quite pleased.

Shadowhunters are so fucking bigoted and narrow-minded. I'm seething right now.

also, alec looking scared-

“THAT’S THE BEST SHIT I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!” Emma Carstairs yelled.

“Goddamn, I wish Magnus was here to see this,” Uncle Jace grinned. “That was satisfying as hell.”

“No worries, I recorded the whole thing!” Kit put up his hand.

YES YES AND YES

“Fuck the Cohort,” Rafael giggled.

“Actually, I would prefer you use the word screw,” his father pointed out. “Screw the Cohort!”

“Oh my god, Dad!” Rafael rolled his eyes. “I am allowed to swear once in a while.”

“No, you are not,” Dad said firmly – this man was so not ready to meet Max’s new persona. “As your friend pointed out, you are still a child.”

Alec seeing Max curse left and right: 👁️👄👁️

"She hates me!"

“Rafael, she stood up for you in front of the entire Clave. She fought the Cohort. It was incredibly brave. I wish she had spoken to me before without causing all the chaos. So, it was a little stupid of course. But still brave.”

Stupid but brave.

YESYESYESYES IT'S HAPPENING!!!

ANJALI WHO HURT YOU

WHO DARED TO

Names. Give me names NOW

Jaime no...please no not Jaime.

please please, please

ok, I searched it up. And he can get treatment. He can live. It doesn't have to be serious. please, Jaime...

“If you ever tell anyone you saw me crying, I will drag you to Idris and drown you in Lake Lyn.”

This is such an Anjali thing to say.

OOO MILLA (Mila?) MESSAGED!!! Is there gonna be some sort of love triangle here??

me who despises love triangles (aside from TID of course): ...

BUT SINCE IT'S YOU I'M SURE IT'LL BE AMAZING. I'm still nervous about this though...

UHCUHDVUKDVHUKVHUVHM I LOVED THIS CHAPTER SO SO SO SO MUCH IT WAS A LITERAL ROLLERCOASTER AND ANJALI QUEEN I LOVE

see ya on Friday!!

OKAY I AM LOVING THIS ENERGY BUT PLEASE FOCUS ON YOUR CLASSES FJKSDFHJKSJFHKD I PROMISE THE STORY IS GOING TO BE HERE WHEN YOU GET BACK LOL.

But I am so glad you like it. Amidst all your screaming and chaos, I always find very perceptive and profound observations. It's fantastic! I love it so much!

Thank you for enjoying LBAF - and good luck with your tests!!!

[xxkellsvixen19xx]

Spotlight: A Life Of A Troubled Celebrity Heartthrob Ch 7

Word Count: 3,437

Colson continued to be sick as the night dragged on. Dr Lander had warned of the side effects and advised Colson to keep hydrated. Tired of rushing him to the bathroom, Y/N called room service and requested a bucket filled it with sand and put it at Colson's side of the bed; in case he had another bout of nausea-which he did, for most of the night.

"I'm so sorry baby..sorry for putting you through this," Colson mumbled repeatedly.

"I got you babe. Don't worry... I'm here okay?" she cooed soothingly.

Y/N patiently wiped his face or mouth whenever he dribbled and held up the bucket for him when needed. She constantly made trips to the bathroom to wash the towel; to wipe the sweat off to keep his body cool. Colson was delirious until his fever broke, which was the point they finally got to rest.

Colson's phone kept buzzing on the night-stand until Y/N reached over and answered it; because she couldn't take it anymore. "Hello," she said groggily.

"Good afternoon Y/N," Byron said, "Any chance I can talk to your husband?"

"Hmmm.." Y/N groaned, "No can do By."

"Why? He still asleep or..? It's way after lunch-"

"Rather you come over and see for yourself," she croaked in her sleep deprived voice.

"Is everything okay?" Byron started to panic.

"See you soon By. I need to go back to sleep now so-bye," she hung up and went to the bathroom. Then called room service and ordered breakfast for herself since Colson was still knocked out.

Colson was still sound asleep so she tiptoed around as she cleaned up the bedroom. She flung the windows open and the fresh air that invaded the room was a welcome intrusion. The curtains she kept closed so as not to wake him. Colson's phone rang again and she rolled her eyes before answering.

"Hi Mrs Baker! How are you this fine afternoon?" Jax said with enthusiasm.

"Jax," Y/N groaned.

"Everything okay there? Anything I should know?" he inquired.

"Just get here and you will find the answer to all your questions," she sighed as she cut the call.

"Hey-is Colson around?" Slim asked.

"Hey Slim. Yes but he's still asleep," Y/N said for the umpteenth time.

"We have a sound check at four so was wondering-"

"It's not going to happen," she said flatly.

"I'm coming over," Slim saved her the trouble of hanging up.

The phone wouldn't stop ringing. She was almost tempted to switch it off.

"Hi Mrs Baker this is Dr Lander..from last night at the hospital?"

"Oh hi Doc," Y/N said, "I'm going to get the driver to bring you tickets right away. Take care."

A few minutes later she heard a loud knock on the door; when the door swung open Slim, Jax and Byron were waiting outside. Y/N glanced at them and grunted a greeting before walking back into the bedroom. She had thrown on decent PJs and tied her hair in a messy bun. They trailed behind her quietly and stood at the door waiting for her to allow them to get in.

"Colson is sick," she stated in a flat tone, "I took him to the hospital last night but he seemed better and then he got worse. Fever, nausea-all of it," she leaned against the headboard and rubbed her forehead.

"Why didn't you call us?" Slim asked.

"He insisted that you all needed a day off and he was against the idea of calling any of you," she dug her hands into her luscious long hair as she pushed it back. Slim stared openly and shook himself before anyone else noticed.

"Let's not have this discussion here, we might wake him up. He needs his rest and so does Y/N," Byron led them back into the living room.

"So today is the last day of the tour and Colson seems out of it," Byron rubbed his chin worriedly.

"What do we do?" Jax asked as he sat down.

"We can improvise.." Slim suggested.

"How?" Byron asked in a low voice.

"We can give him a little pick me up.." Slim smiled slyly "it works like a charm.."

"No!" Jax said adamantly as he rose to his feet.

"Look-it's the last concert guys c'mon. We can't be refunding fans that got tickets already. Need I remind you it was a sell out show?" Slim whispered defensively, "Besides everyone in showbiz does it."

"What you're proposing will do more harm than good," Jax whispered fiercely.

"Guys let's take five shall we? Deep breaths everyone.." Byron raised his hands, "That's it.."

"Don't tell me you're in agreement with him??" Jax turned to Byron, shock registering on his face.

"Well..I.." Byron looked around in discomfit.

"You can't-" Jax looked distraught.

"I don't really need anyone's permission besides Col's. So I'm going to ask him what he thinks when he wakes up," Slim challenged.

"Why would you want to put him through that again? He's been clean and it should stay that way...Don't do it Slim," Jax glared at Slim, "Just because you're beyond redemption doesn't mean you should take Colson down with you."

"Well, we will have to see about that the, won't we?" Slim sneered and walked out of the hotel room. It was time to put his plans in motion..with a little help from unsuspecting friends of course.

"Hey Slim," Ashleigh opened the door and let him in.

"Hey Ash, listen..I think you need to take Y/N out of the house or something. She seems like she could use a friend right now you know?" Slim said with concern.

"Oh..is she okay?" Ashleigh asked as she sat on the couch opposite Slim.

"I think you should just go over and suggest lunch or shopping or whatever it is you girls do to de-stress," Slim shrugged as he leaned forward.

"Okay, I will do that..maybe Sommer can join us?" she said brightly.

"Yeah, that would be great. It will give the boys a chance to bond," Slim stood up and made to leave, "I'll go and tell Sommer to get ready, so long."

"She can just come over to Y/N's once she's done," Ashleigh said as she walked him to the door.

"Thanks Ash, you're a great friend," Slim said as a parting shot. He smiled to himself as he walked back to his hotel room. All the pieces were falling in place. He would get his revenge before he left and he wasn't going out without a fight. Colson would pay.

*********************************************

"Hey Byron..have you sorted out the venue for the after party? The Banquet Manager just sent me a text that there was a mix up with the booking," Jax looked at his phone and frowned.

"What? I thought she had sorted out the issue with the double booking??" Byron stood up and raked his hand through his hair in frustration, "this is just what I need! I need to get this thing sorted before Colson finds out," Byron grabbed his coat, "please make sure he's on time for the sound check," he said before he rushed out,

"Checkmate," Jax grinned as he made his way to Colson's bedroom. He knocked softly and Y/N's melodic voice told him to come in.

"Hey Y/N-we need to get Colson out of here. I'll explain later," he hurried over and effortlessly lifted Colson over his shoulder, "please get dressed quickly."

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Y/N furrowed her brows as she threw the covers aside and grabbed her shoes.

"That's what I'm trying to do-make sure everything is okay..including Colson," Jax made for the door, "Let's go-hurry please!" he implored.

Jax hoped that they didn't bump into anyone as they escaped from the hotel room. There was no way he would allow them to manipulate Colson-they would have to kill him first. Jax had vowed to Colson's father to protect him at all costs and he would; no matter what the cost. He would deal with Byron and Slim later. He was actually disappointed in Byron, he didn't expect him to go along with Slim's pea-brained scheme. Clearly Byron was all about the dollar signs and didn't care about Colson's well-being.

"Please open the door for me?" Jax asked when they got to the car.

"Sure-sorry let me get it," Y/N ran forward; opened the back seat of the SUV and then jumped in from the other side. She cradled his head an her lap and he began to stir. Colson's eyes fluttered open and then he fell asleep again, oblivious to what was going on around him.

"So we're going to hideout at a guest house close to Genval Lake until this whole thing blows over okay?" Jax drove away quickly but cautiously.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" Y/N pursed her lips in a grim line as she stroked Colson's soft platinum hair.

"I will but you're not going to like it..just promise me you won't confront anybody?" Jax stared at her through the rear-view mirror, "promise."

"Fine," she sighed.

Jax filled her in on the whole debacle and Y/N went from shocked to super-pissed. Jax had to tell her again that confronting the perpetrators was not an option. She argued with him until she was red in the face but Jax was adamant.

"Let me handle this," he insisted; then "please?" in a gentle voice.

It was inevitable that Colson would wake up because of the heated discussion that was taking place, while he was half-asleep.

"Stop the car!" Colson shouted as he scrambled to sit up.

Jax didn't hesitate he slammed on the breaks by reflex. Colson threw open the door and barely made it out. He spewed his guts as soon as his knees hit the ground. Y/N grabbed a box of Kleenex and a bottle of water then went after him. Jax was crouched close by rubbing his back with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry sweets. I know you didn't sign up for this," Colson croaked as Y/N dabbed his mouth and wiped the sweat of his face.

"I said I do didn't I?" Y/N jabbed at a joke.

"Guess you did," he gave a lopsided grin and drained the water from the water bottle.

"I feel like a third wheeler," Jax grumbled as he stood and dusted his jeans.

"Nothing new," Colson muttered and Jax punched his shoulder playfully.

"You're ready to go?" Jax asked.

"Yeah..just give me a minute," Colson leaned on the car as another wave of nausea seized him.

"I've got your meds in the car. Should I get them? They kind of helped last night.." Y/N suggested.

"Baby, I can't tell you how sorry I am.." Colson said dejectedly; his face filled with shame and remorse. He pulled her into his arms and leaned his forehead against hers.

"There's no need to apologize..I know you would do the same thing for me," she kissed his forehead then pulled his hand, "Let's get out of here."

"Are you good to go?" Jax started the car.

"Yeah," Colson replied, "what were you two arguing about earlier on? The truth please?" Colson put emphasis as he held Y/N's hand.

"Well..if you really want to know.." Jax sighed deeply; his hands tightened on the steering wheel.

"I do," Colson stated firmly.

Jax told him about the discussion that went on while he was in oblivion and didn't leave anything out. Colson clenched his jaw and didn't say anything until Jax was done talking. They even arrived at the house but Colson remained in the car and told them to go ahead without him, he would follow.

The house was a beautiful cosy villa consisting of an entrance hall, a bright living room with a wood stove and beautiful bay window overlooking the lake, a fully equipped kitchen with a breakfast corner, the floors had a sumptuous studio and its adjoining terrace. It had four large bedrooms, including a master room with a dressing room, two large bathrooms with bath and shower. A haven of peace, in a quiet close with outdoor parking included.

Y/N went straight to the shower and afterwards proceeded to make brunch but Colson had beat her to it. He was busy cooking up a storm with the help of Jax. She stood at the door and just observed for a while before they noticed her.

"We're almost done here. Maybe you can help set the table on the terrace or the garden? You can choose," Colson turned back to the stove and busied himself again.

"He'll be fine. Don't worry okay?" Jax startled her and intruded her thoughts. He set the steaming, delicious food on the garden table, then put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah..of course," she gave him a stiff smile and proceeded with him back to the kitchen.

"I think we're all set. I'll take the coffee outside and you kids can bring the toast once it's done," Jax said.

"Have you taken your meds?" Y/N asked Colson as she leaned on the counter.

"Yes mum," he teased, "stop worrying okay?" he kissed her on the cheek and smiled, "can we go and eat now? I'm staving!" he tugged Y/N's hand and pulled her back outside.

They made small talk as they ate and Y/N noticed that Colson seemed to be in a better mood. Either that or he was a very good actor..come to think of it-he was. He even had an Oscar to prove it..

*********************************************

"Sweets-please stop worrying! I'll be fine okay," Colson reassured his wife for the umpteenth time, "beside you will be right with me on the stage-isn't that enough?" he chuckled and cupped her face. She tried to focus on his hypnotic blue eyes instead of his enticing well-toned body. He had just stepped out of the shower with a towel loosely tied around his waist; smelling so fresh and looking too sexy. His golden locks were still dripping with water that slid slowly down his neck and coursed down his chest. She had never been so turned on by him as she was at this moment. He could literally make her do anything right now and she would be more than willing to oblige.

"Alright, alright," she said weakly when she remembered that they were supposed to be having an argument, "but if I feel that you are straining yourself then I will be forced to do something about it," she was bit her bottom lip.

"Gees sweets! You're beginning to sound like a typical nagging wife!" Colson laughed and she broke out of his embrace. Y/N couldn't get over his laugh. He looked so young and carefree. His beautiful features really stood out whenever he was happy; which was very rare.

"Cut it out Baker," she swatted his arm and folded her arms.

"I'm just teasing Bambi," he pulled her closer and kissed her softly. Unable to resist him as usual, her lips melted into his and they became one. The kiss ignited something in them and it went from being a mere spark to an uncontrollable inferno. Without breaking contact, Colson lifted her and gently placed her on the bed. Her hands were deeply buried in his hair; his hands were tracing every contour of her body. Their bodies fit perfectly together and they were lost in each other. Caught up in a world of their own where only two of them existed and their need for each other was the main purpose of their existence.

"I need you Y/N," Colson whispered as he pleaded with his intense arctic eyes that bored into her very soul. She could see the need in them and she needed him almost as much as he needed her. He turned up the music on the iPod when she silently gave her consent with a silent nod. He was sure that things were about to get a bit loud and more heated.

He was bound to lose control once he got a taste of her because he had wanted her from the moment he laid his eyes on her. She pulled him back to possess not only her lips but her mind, her body and her heart.

𝑰 𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒆 

𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 

𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝑰'𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒄𝒂𝒏'𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 

𝑳𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 

𝑰'𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒆𝒆

𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 

𝑾𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 

𝑰'𝒎 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 

𝑰'𝒎 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒌𝒊𝒏 

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏

𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖  

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 

𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖

(Credit: Devil Within by Digital Daggers)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jax checked his watch and noticed that Colson would be late if they didn't leave soon. There was no sign of either him or Y/N and by the sound of the extremely loud baby-making music streaming downstairs from their bedroom; he knew they were definitely not playing Karaoke.

Jax sighed as he made his way upstairs. He didn't want to disturb them but he had to. Nonetheless he still felt bad. He raised his hand and pounded on the door and got no response until the third knock. The music was turned down considerably and Jax could hear movement.

"Go away Jax! We're almost ready," Colson called out.

"Don't let me come back again," Jax called, "you have exactly one hour to get ready," he said before turning to leave.

"I wish we didn't have to go," Colson groaned as he brushed his lips on Y/N's neck.

"The show must go on Baker," she pulled the covers over her exposed body and sat up.

"Do you regret it?" Colson asked as he furrowed his brows.

"Never," she said with pure conviction.

"Neither do I," his face broke into a smile, "I just wish I could do you all day.."his skilled hands started to rove again.

"Colson.." Y/N gasped as his lips found her weak spot.

"I love it when you say my name like that..it makes me want to take you over and over again.." he trailed her body with feather-light kisses and once again she was at his mercy.

Jax checked his watch again and shook his head. It's a good thing he told them they had exactly an hour to get ready instead on two hours. He knew they would disregard his warning. He stood outside the door and pounded on it once again. The door flew open and Colson stood there fully dressed but cussing him with his arctic orbs.

"That scowl on your face tells me that you're happy to see me," Jax grinned, "it's a good thing you're ready though..where is that dangerously gorgeous wife of yours?" he peered over Colson's shoulder.

"She's almost done," his face softened, "can we go and talk downstairs?"

"So what's on your mind?" Jax sank onto a nearby couch and stretched out his long legs.

"Did you make doubly sure that security will keep Slim out? I don't want him anywhere near the stadium," Colson stressed.

"Yeah I did. We got everything covered. It's under control okay?" Jax reassured him, "if you can step outside, you will see that we have beefed up the security around you as well."

"Good," Colson nodded and ran back up the stairs.

"I didn't know what to wear so.." Y/N shrugged as Colson gave her a once over. She was dressed in full white- ripped jeans, t-shirt and matching converse sneakers.

"You look good baby..you always do," Colson stepped forward, "except there's one little problem," he undid her messy bun and her beautiful, lush hair came tumbling down her back, "I prefer your hair like this," he kissed her nose and smiled.

"If it pleases the master," Y/N bowed her head and they laughed.

"Let's get out of here before the master throws you back on that bed," Colson jerked his head towards the bed.

"Not if I do it first.." she purred as she traced her finger suggestively down his chest. With that she exited the room without another word.

Colson stood there gulping down his own drool; every fiber of his being on fire...

Tagged: @kellysimagines

[jeogiyall]

Jolly As Holly; K.TH

[Ari’s Christmas Prompts: movie marathon on christmas eve with boyfriend! kim taehyung from bts!]

❆︎genre- the sweetest fluff with the sweetest christmas cutie pie, and a pinch of even more fluff

❆︎word count- 1.6k

❆︎notes- breaking my own heart over here with all this fluffy goodness,, i’m a sucker for kpop boys and christmastime

—

"Hey there, Cupid." Your boyfriend greets you as he walks into the kitchen, chuckling at the reindeer headband on your head. 

You smile without looking up from the counter, busy making your famous hot chocolate, and you feel his arms slide around your waist to hug you from behind.

"Hello to you too, Blitzen." You say teasingly, putting down the mugs and turning into your boyfriend's embrace.

Taehyung's megawatt grin is mile-wide as he hugs you tightly. "You ready for our marathon, baby? I brought all of our favorites to watch tonight, so you get to pick first."

You can feel your heart melting into a puddle in your chest, much like the marshmallows in your hot cocoa; he's always had this effect on you, and it never, ever gets old.

"You already know what's gonna be first, don't you?" You ask as he lovingly kisses the tip of your nose.

You're really on the verge of melting now; he reaches up to adjust the felt reindeer ears on your head, and your entire body goes pleasantly warm when his fingers graze your cheek. You can't help yourself from leaning in, going after the kiss you've been waiting patiently for all day.

Kim Taehyung is a magical human being. His heart is nothing short of pure gold, and simply being near him is like sitting next to a bonfire, making every room he's in cozy and every touch feel like heaven. So when he kissed you for the first time after asking you out three Christmases ago, you discovered that even his kisses were otherworldly.

You never can wrap your head around just how you got so, so lucky with this man; he's like an angel on earth, and every minute you're with him is a minute you love him even more. His smile is always so bright, his laughter is always contagious, and his love is so steady and unfading that every day together feels like Christmas.

You've always had a special place in your heart for Christmas; but the past three years have made it hard to decide what you love more- Christmas, or Taehyung.

You have a sneaking little suspicion that the answer to that question might be kissing you breathless at this very moment.

You can feel his smile against your lips as he gives you the sweetest kiss of your life, and your hands find their way to his scarf and hold on tightly, bringing him even closer to you. He delicately cradles your face in his palms, fingers tracing lightly over your cheekbones as he kisses you.

Your boyfriend is absolutely, devastatingly perfect. You're more sure of this than you've ever felt about anything.

"I think somebody missed me while I was gone," Taehyung softly teases you when he pulls away, his eyes somehow seeing past your own to peer into your heart. You hope he can see all the love you have for him in there; you hope he knows how completely you adore him.

Based on the lovestruck expression on his pink face, you think that he probably does know.

"I did miss you, Tae." You tell him honestly. "It was only a week, but I still missed you."

Every year, Taehyung goes on a winter trip with six of his best friends to the mountains. They stay for a week at a ski lodge and take time to unwind from their stressful jobs; and it makes you happy that your boyfriend has such wonderful people in his life.

But you still miss him when he's gone.

"I missed you too, baby." Taehyung presses another kiss to your forehead. "So I'll go ahead and start Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer then?" He asks knowingly, winking at you. You laugh at his flirty attempts and nod, reluctantly letting go so you can finish making the hot cocoa.

"You're the best, Tae." You answer, putting an extra handful of marshmallows in your boyfriend's mug. He exits the kitchen and heads for your living room, grabbing the Rudolph CD from his bag and plopping down in front of the tv. You laugh to yourself as he mumbles quietly, never quite sure how to get the CD player to work; your old-fashioned BluRay technology is classic but confusing to him.

You give the mugs one last stir, and almost as if on cue, you hear the theme music from your favorite holiday movie start up after Taehyung lets out a triumphant cheer. You carefully grab the cups and walk into the room towards the couch as you try not to spill anything.

"It didn't take you nearly as long this year, baby," You remark jokingly, "I'd say this is progress for you."

Your sweetheart of a boyfriend shoots you a grin as he not so subtly uses his middle finger to rub his head.

"Thanks princess, I try my best." He says, the smile on his face contradicting his sarcastic words. You roll your eyes and place the hot chocolate down on the table before sinking onto the couch, beckoning for Taehyung to come join you.

He grabs your big fuzzy blanket and all but bounces over to you; and in the five seconds it takes for him to sit down, he's already got you trapped in his arms beneath the blanket, cuddling you to his chest tightly.

You don't want to be anywhere else in the whole wide world.

You snuggle into him gladly, letting your legs tangle and kissing his cheek when he hands you the remote. "You really are the best, you know?" You say softly, turning up the volume and finally pressing play.

You miss the glimmer of absolute adoration in Taehyung's eyes while the opening credits begin to roll; you're completely oblivious to how his heart flops wildly at the sight of you smiling in his arms with a Christmas movie in the background, and he doesn't waste the chance to plant a sneaky kiss at the corner of your mouth.

You shake your head at his antics and further curl into his arms, and Taehyung swears that if he died right now, he'd die the happiest man on earth.

Because what could be better than watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with the love of your life?

(No, the answer isn't Christmas.)

*

"Are you crying?" You whisper quietly, hearing a series of sniffles coming from the man beside you.

Your mugs sit empty and forgotten on the coffee table, the clock above the fireplace alerting you that it's almost midnight. You're already on the fourth movie of the night, Frosty the Snowman, and you have a feeling that you aren't the only one tearing up at the sorrowful scene when Frosty loses his liveliness.

Taehyung nods once, not even bothering to feel embarrassed at the teardrop rolling down his cheek. "You are, too, so don't laugh at me." He says shortly. Your heart skips a beat at how unbelievably endearing this man is; the fact that he's crying over a children's movie has just made him all the more loveable in your eyes.

"Baby, I cry every time Mufasa dies in The Lion King," You console him, "I'm not about to tease you."

You only get another nod in response; you sigh when he sniffles loudly, wrapping your arms around his middle and nestling your head into the spot between his head and his shoulder.

"C'mere, you cutie." You murmur. He squeezes you back instantly, bringing a fond smile to your face.

You always knew Taehyung was a big softie.

"Better?" You ask as the scene changes and Frosty shows signs of coming back to life. Taehyung hums in agreement, one hand coming out of your blanket cocoon to stroke your hair.

The action is as simple as could be; but with Taehyung, even the simplest things turn magical.

"Better." He mumbles once Frosty is once again alive. You resist the urge to laugh at how cute he is, wanting to pinch his cheeks like an overbearing grandma. You settle instead for another kiss, keeping it short and quick; but you should have known that short kisses aren't enough in any situation with a boyfriend like Taehyung.

"Oh no you don't, Y/N," He scolds you with a mischievous lilt, "you better come back here and finish what you started."

You try to hold your ground, letting out a giggle when Taehyung playfully presses his face against your cheek while making kissing noises. "Stop it Tae, I am trying to finish what I started!" You whine in protest as he continues relentlessly. "I'm trying to finish the movie!"

Your attempt to resist his charms fails miserably, and you end up getting the kiss of a lifetime when you finally give in and bring his head to yours, burying your fingers in his hair.

He tastes like Christmas, you think to yourself; this man is made of hot chocolate and holly, and his personality is like peppermint. You forget about Frosty entirely when Tae's hand pushes your hair behind your ear, his kisses deep and full of meaning.

His lips are soft against yours, the hot cocoa that lingers on both of you making everything that much sweeter. Everything is sweet with him- kisses, movie marathons, everything; life is so, so sweet with Kim Taehyung by your side.

You tell him this when he breaks away, and you're rewarded with a goofy smirk that makes your chest bloom. Taehyung wiggles his nose against yours in a different kind of kiss that causes Christmas lights to twinkle behind your eyes.

"You're too good to me, Y/N. You're like my Christmas miracle from heaven." He praises lovingly.

You think nothing could ever be more perfect than these moments spent with your incredible, intoxicating boyfriend; and when the clock strikes midnight, making it officially Christmas, you decide that this year is your favorite so far.

"Merry Christmas, princess." -

[imaginationintowords]

Folklore [song series]

the last great american dynasty

Modern Day AU! Bucky Barnes x OC!Reader; Steve Rogers x OC!Reader

Plot: Inspired by Taylor Swift’s new album Folklore. The story follows the timeline of Bucky and Elizabeth’s life throughout the years.

Word Count: 4658

Warnings: maybe some swearing (don’t really remember), mentions of deaths, sadness, loneliness.

Previous Part

Series Masterlist

Age: 17

Year: 2012

Location: Brooklyn, NY

The last few months haven't been the greatest for Elizabeth.

She never did get to run for Student Body President during the months of October and November. Steve ended up running and winning. Elizabeth had even decided to leave student body council once campaigning started. She found no point in staying, everyone in the club didn't like her.

She had kept to herself. She no longer felt the need to make new friendships or continue the ones she had. The rumors made sure of that.

This was not how Elizabeth had thought her senior year would be. She thought she'd be crossing out he dates in her calendar feeling sad with each passing day, but now she's counting down to when she will never see these faces again.

She had also been approached by the principle right before school was dismissed for Holiday break. Principle Alvarez had told Elizabeth that she was the front runner for valedictorian. Elizabeth politely declined the offer, but Principle Alvarez told her to take the next three week holiday to think over it.

Elizabeth promised she would, but that was a lie. There was no way she would go in front of her classmates and give them a fake speech on comradery. 

These people wouldn't know the first thing about that.

Instead she focused on anything besides school.

Her parents weren't oblivious to Elizabeth's sudden change in personality. At first they thought it was because of her breakup with Bucky. But Elizabeth had told them it was a mutual decision. They wanted to believe her, but they knew their daughter. They knew it was not what she had said.

They knew something must've happened, especially with the way Bucky has been actively avoiding running into them. Even going as far as running inside whenever he saw Mr. Sanchez get home from work.

Even Steve stopped coming around. That was another red flag.

Then they had found out from Sarah Rogers, Steve's mom, that Steve would be running for student body president, after Elizabeth stepped down and left the club.

They were shocked to hear the news.

How could she not tell them. Her parents had debated back and forth whether or not they should have a conversation with her.

She had been keeping this a secret for months. Whenever they would bring it up, she told them it was in the works. But she had lied. There was clearly something bigger going on.

They then received a phone call from Principle Alvarez the day before winter break started. She told them about Elizabeth becoming valedictorian but turning it down. Another secret her parents had heard nothing about.

"Mrs. Alvarez, we had no idea," Caterina, her mother, said.

"I figured which is why I called. I told Elizabeth to take the break think it over."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Alvarez," Brandon, her father, thanked, "Actually we were just discussing Elizabeth and her sudden personality change. Do you have any idea what might have happened?"

"Well," she cleared her throat, "I'm assuming you both know about her breakup with James."

"Yes, but she told us it was a mutual decision, somehow we don't think she's telling he truth," Caterina explained.

"I suppose she isn't. Unfortunately, I don't think it's my place to say. Her grades are not falling behind, she hasn't done anything that would create a cause for concern," she half lied.

"But she quit student council. She isn't even talking to Steve," Caterina explained, slightly frustrated with the situation.

"Yes, well," Principal Alvarez pauses, "There was some rumors going around at the beginning of the year, surrounding James and Elizabeth. Sadly those rumors favored James."

"Why are we just hearing about this now?" her father asked.

"I have spoken to Elizabeth, she had asked me not to say anything to you. In order to keep this a safe place for her and other students, there's some things that need to stay confidential.

"I didn't sense any danger and the rumors died down. Yes, she did quit student council, but you wouldn't be surprised by the amount of students who leave a club senior year." she explained to them.

"We have had no idea any of this was happening," Caterina, sighs softly, her eyes getting teary. Her husband softly rubs her back.

"What do you suggest we do? Should we confront Elizabeth about all these lies?" Brandon asks.

"I think Elizabeth is trying to protect you guys and herself. I can't tell you what to do. This is your child. But I can offer some advice," she says, "Give her some time. When it comes, I'm sure she'll open up, it might not be now, but it will be when she is ready. I've seen this a lot with seniors who get thrown a massive curve ball and it just throws them all off.

"It's what I like to call their first taste of the real world. How they get through it shows how they will handle these kind of stressors in the future. Some just go right off the handle and turn to some bad things to cope. Some repress their feelings, and let it all boil until they have some sort of snap. Some, learn and grow from it. Those that learn and grow, take it quietly, figure out what's to come afterwards. They stop worrying about what's happening now, and are ready to move on. The reason I haven't reached out is because I can see how Elizabeth is handling it. Yes, maybe she has changed, grown up a bit, but I still haven't gotten any major danger signs from her that say she isn't handling this in an unhealthy manner.

"Elizabeth has been meeting with our guidance counselor, about once a week. And that was something she had chosen to do on her own. We aren't necessarily obligated to tell parents that because of  confidentiality reasons. If there was any cause for concerns you would've heard by now."

"So we should just wait?"

"Yes," she sighs, "I know it's probably not what you wanted to hear, but just know you have a wonderful daughter, who seems to know how to take care of herself in a healthy mature manner."

The conversation they had with Principal Alvarez brought some peace to their minds. Not completely, but enough to know that if Elizabeth really was in trouble she would go to them.

They had decided that it was probably best to get away for the winter break. Brandon and Caterina were able to work remotely during the holiday season, so they decided to take a trip to the family's cabin.

Elizabeth was excited to head to the cabin for the holidays. It meant that she wouldn't have to worry about running into anyone from school. And any reason to spend more time with her grandmother was exciting. Especially since she would be heading off to college soon.

Elizabeth had decided that Christmas to break the news to her parents that she had decided on the University of Stanford. She would be going as a Pre-Law student. The school was on the other side of the country. When she and her parents visited this past  summer, Elizabeth fell in love with the campus. 

Her last two choices were Stanford and Columbia.

With some talking to her guidance counselor and some major thought, she decided she desperately needed a change in scenery. A change in people.

For the first time since returning home, she had never felt more free. She was excited about the possibility of the future. She could no longer worry about what the hell was happening in Brooklyn.

Her parents were excited to hear about her choice. They were glad that she wasn't keeping this from them. They had decided that Principal Alvarez was right, Elizabeth was becoming such a strong woman in front of their eyes, and they had to trust that she knows what's best for herself.

Elizabeth and her grandma stayed that third week of break, while her parents were sent away by her grandma so she could have some quality time with her only granddaughter.

Elizabeth and her grandmother were currently sat in the living room going through some old photos. Elizabeth was helping her grandmother put them in some new photo albums she had gotten for Christmas.

"So, any new boy in your life?" her grandma, Sophia, asked.

"No, I'm done with high school boys," Elizabeth said, carefully going through the old photos.

"Good, high school boys are nothing but trouble."

"You're preaching to the choir," Elizabeth joked.

While grabbing another small box of photos, Elizabeth opened it up to reveal some very old letters and photos.

"What are these grandma?" she asked softly turning the box over for her grandma to see.

"Oh, I've been wondering where those went," she softly smiled, going over to sit next to Elizabeth on the couch.

Elizabeth handed her the box, and she pulled out a light yellowish envelope, the color from old age.

"Who are those from?"

"My old friend Rebekah," she said looking over at the letter.

"Rebekah? You've never told me about a Rebekah before.

"Well she was an old friend," her grandma said, handing Elizabeth a black and white photo of two young girls. One was her grandma and the blonde next to her must've been Rebekah. The photo was dated 1965.

"How did you guys meet?" Elizabeth asked.

"In junior high, we were both 12," her grandma handed her a photo dated 1960, it was of two even younger versions of the young teens.

"Oh, wow."

"From 12 to 21 we were inseparable."

"Woah, what's this?" Elizabeth asked, showing her grandma a photo of a quickie style wedding.

"Ah, that was Bex's first wedding."

"First?"

"Yup. Right out of high school, freshly 18. Adam Grant. Bex's high school sweetheart. Prom King and Queen."

"What happened?"

"Young love doesn't always last forever. Why do you think I was always so insistent with you not to worry about marriage until after you've graduated college and started your career."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, "Just thought you thought I was too young, and you were right."

"Aren't I always," she winked playfully.

"What happened between them?"

"Adam wanted Rebekah to be a stay at home wife, to start popping out babies. That wasn't Bex at all. Bex was always the life of the party. She was a social butterfly, but she had dreams of making it to Broadway. Adam was set to take over his dad's mechanic shop.

"The marriage had only lasted a year, before they pulled the plug. After the divorce, Bex started to go on more auditions, while she waitressed part time, and once a month she would sing at a lounge in Manhattan. Now when I say she could sing, I mean she could sing. I believe she really could have made it," her grandma reminisces.

"What happened?"

"Bill happened," her grandma said, handing Elizabeth a photo of a man who appeared to be in his late 40s early 50s.

"Who's he?"

"Bill Carter. The richest man I have ever met. His family had oil money. He and his colleagues were in attendance at the lounge on one of the night's Bex was singing.

"From what Bex told me it was love at first sight. After that night Bex couldn't talk about anything but Bill. They were both so smitten over each other. I don't think I've ever seen Rebekah act like that. She started to clean herself up a little bit, to try and appease his family. But Bill loved her just the way she was when he met her."

"They were engaged two months later. This was both of their second marriages. Bill's parents desperately wanted him to have a prenup, but he was completely against it. He said that unlike his first marriage he knew this was the one. Plus Rebekah didn't care about all of that. She had had many opportunities to make some heavy cash by being a few married men's mistress, but that's not what mattered to her."

Elizabeth glanced down at the photo. It was a photo of the bride and groom surrounded by their friends, all of them have drinks and cigars in their hands, with big smiles on their faces.

Rebekah's hair was a everywhere, doesn't look like she bothered to comb it for the big day. Bill's tie was undone, along with his shirt being halfway unbutton, no suit jacket in sight.  Her lips were dark in the black and white photo, which meant she probably was wearing a darker lip, judging by the lipstick marks on Bill's lips, cheek, and neck.

"Was this at the end of the night?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, this was just after the ceremony," her grandmother smiled, "Bex and Bill started the party after they said I do."

"The limo we all rode in together were filled with laughs, drinks, and cigars," she laughed.

"You guys knew how to party," Elizabeth smiled at her grandmother.

"Hey it was the late 60's," she shrugged her shoulders, handing Elizabeth another photo from the wedding.

"This looks small," Elizabeth remarked.

"Yeah, Bill's parents decided they weren't going to pay for the wedding when Bill refused to have Rebekah sign a prenup," she said, "So Bill and Bex decided to have a small wedding. Free of judgment. Just those that loved and supported them."

"That's nice," Elizabeth smiled at the thought of a small intimate wedding.

Elizabeth had never really given much though of how her wedding would be. I mean she and Bucky used to talk about getting married, but that was it. No plans were every truly made. Elizabeth also never truly saw herself as a big ballgown type of gal.

All that had mattered was her and Bucky. Now that's no more.

She felt her eyes get a little teary, she cleared her throat.

"So where did they go to after?"

"Rhode Island."

"Rhode Island?" Elizabeth looked at her grandmother, "Why Rhode Island?"

"They took a trip out there when they were dating, and fell in love with it. Plus Bex has always wanted to live on the sea. She said it made her feel free."

"Did his parents ever accept their marriage?"

"Sadly no," her grandma said, "Especially not after Bill's doctor told him to settle down with the party."

"Did he get sick?"

"Yes, around year 7 of their marriage, his doctor told him if he continued down this path he wouldn't live a long life."

"What did he do?"

"Bill told him he'd rather live the rest of his short life filled with happiness then become a boring old man who lived forever."

"Did he die?"

"Yes he did. He lived another three years, he and Bex were able to spend their ten year anniversary before he passed a week later. The summer of 1979."

"A week later?" Elizabeth asked shocked.

"Yeah," her grandmother sadly remembers.

"Rebekah was never the same after that," her grandmother says, "She never fully recovered from Bill's death."

"Did they have any kids?"

"Not together. Bill had two kids from his first marriage, but the kids only cared about their inheritance, that they never got."

"What?"

"Turns out Bill had changed his will when the doctor had first told him to slow down. He left everything to Rebekah," her grandma says, "That did not help Rebekah after his death either,

"Rebekah wasn't a heartless person, she made sure his children were taken care of, she created a fund for both kids. She never wanted Bill to do that, she didn't even know until the will reading two days after his funeral. All Bex wanted was her Bill. She would've given up all that money just for him."

"That's so sad," Elizabeth commented.

"Very. Even though Bex acted like none of the rumors bothered her, it did. Because that town was painting her to be this horrible woman. Calling her the most shameless woman they had ever seen, saying she enjoyed ruining everything. So she gave them what they wanted. She gave them the most shameless woman they would ever see. From what I had heard the partying got worse. She had parties every day, the house was filled with people from the city. She even got in a feud with one of their neighbors and stole his dog and dyed it green."

"What do you mean 'from what you heard'?" Elizabeth asked confused.

"Well, Rebekah and I weren't close anymore. The last time I had seen Rebekah was the week of Bill's funeral. Before then we hadn’t seen each other in almost 8 years.”

"What happened?"

"Well after I graduated in 1970, your grandpa and I decided to get married and settle down in Brooklyn," her grandma said, handing her a photo of their wedding day, "We were done with the whole party scene. We were ready to begin our own lives. Grandpa and I had already had good jobs lined up. We were ready to be adults. We were ready to start our family.

“Rebekah never understood that. She claimed ‘kids ruined everything’. She and Bill were living this extraordinary life. Kids didn’t fit the picture.”

“What about his kids?”

“They’d visit once per season. Their mother didn’t think that lifestyle was for them, and Bill never fought it,” she told Elizabeth, “And after I had your Uncle Eric in 1972, Rebekah couldn’t put her own feelings for children aside. It put a strain on our friendship, causing me to realize that I couldn’t be her friend if she couldn’t support what made me happy.

“I had supported Rebekah in every aspect of her life. When she wanted to marry Adam right out of high school, I supported her, hell I drove them. When she wanted to divorce Adam, I was there to hold her while she grieved her first failed marriage. She wanted to become a Broadway star, I was right there cheering and supporting her. When she met Bill, and everyone was against their relationship, I was their only support. When they decided to get engaged and married only 5 months after meeting each other, I was there, every step of the way. Did I have time? No, I was busy with school, but I made time.

“I was there for everything. I supported her through everything. But when I was ready to begin my own life, Rebekah couldn’t be there,” her Grandma sighs, “It made me question everything about our friendship.”

“It wasn’t until Bill’s funeral that I fully realized, she was just scared of being alone,” she says, “His funeral was filled with people. But not one of them was there for her.”

“How sad.”

“Rebekah and I finally talked that night,” her grandma says, “She told me all about the nonstop adventures she and Bill had.”

“Did you guys makeup?”

“Yes and no,” she says, “Rebekah was still against kids. She apologized for what she had said, but at that point I had already had three kids. We knew that our friendship would never be the same. We knew that the only way we could be in each other’s lives was if we kept our distance. If any one of us needed each other we knew we could call. But sometimes people come into your life only to be a small part of it. They don’t stay forever, but they make an everlasting impact.”

“Do you know what ended up happening to her?”

“She died, 9 years after Bill’s death. She was only 40 years-old,” she tells Elizabeth with a glimmer in her eye, “She died alone. While on vacation in Italy.”

“I’m sorry Grandma,” Elizabeth sympathetically says, she places her hand softly on top of her grandmother’s.

“It’s okay sweetie, time has come and gone. We all have to go through it someday.”

“What happened to that big house of her’s?”

“It’s still there. It never sold.”

“Why?”

“People claim it’s cursed,” she says, “so now it sits empty on that hill in Rhode Island.”

“They claim a crazy woman lived there, that anyone that were to live there would end up in the same fate as she,” her grandma says, “She wasn’t crazy. She was heartbroken. That whole town exiled her. Blamed her for everything. Made her out to be someone she wasn’t.”

“I get the feeling,” Elizabeth mumbled, looking down at her hands.

“She wasn’t crazy. She was a woman who lost the love of her life. She traveled the world to find anything to fill that void in her heart, and she never did. So she made sure to give that town everything she had.

“She was a very scorn woman. Filled with hatred, and anger to those that did her wrong,” her grandma says, clutching Elizabeth’s hands, forcing her to look into her eyes, “I don’t want you becoming like that Elizabeth.”

“I know whatever is going on in school, is not the easiest. But please, don’t let your heart be filled with so much hatred. I don’t want you becoming like Rebekah. She never learned to forgive.”

“It’s hard to forgive,” Elizabeth sniffled.

“I know, but it’s even harder to carry around so much darkness in your life,” she explains, “You should be able to go to college with nothing weighing you down. Not having anything negative reminding you of back home. You shouldn’t dread going back home, you should be filled with joy. Don’t exile those around you, just because they haven’t figured out that part of their lives.”

“Don’t let these last few moments of your high school life be filled with what those kids are saying,” she squeezes Elizabeth’s hands, “You know who you are. Those closest to you truly know who you are. We love you and support you. And are so incredibly proud of the woman you have become.”

“So please find it in yourself to forgive,” her grandma pleads.

“It’s hard being the bigger person,” Elizabeth sniffles again, silent tears streaming down her face, “they hurt me so much.”

“I know sweetie,” she pulls Elizabeth into her arms, “But let them regret what they have done. Don’t let them win by seeing you become this mad woman. Let them look back in their life, regretting the way they treated you.”

————————

Once Elizabeth went back home, the weekend before she was due to return to school from winter break. She had a lot to think about.

Does she listen to her grandma and forgive everyone for everything they’ve done. Or does she continue down the path she started on months ago.

She had to admit to herself, the path she was on was lonely. She didn’t like it one bit. She didn’t like what they made her become.

She decided to take her grandma’s words, and promised that once she returned to school on Monday, she would go back to being who she was. Not entirely, but at least not filled with so much hatred. She had to move on. For her own soul.

The first step, forgiving Bucky.

She knew that that was the only way to start. She wasn’t ready to talk to him in person, she’s not sure if she ever will be. So she sat at her desk and wrote him a letter:

Dear James,

(Yes, I called you James). I don’t know how to begin this. My grandmother told me I should forgive those that hurt me. You know my grandma, filled with nothing but wisdom. She told me a story about a friend she had, one that let the rumors consume her with hatred. She died alone.

I don’t want to be that person.

I know you don’t believe me to be that person, even after the things I’ve said to you.

But, I do feel myself becoming that person. Hating everyone around me, aside from my own family. (They still have no idea what’s going on with me)

So my first step in letting go, is forgiving you.

Letting all the pain and hate you’ve caused on me go...

I forgive you James.

I forgive you for everything you’ve done.

I don’t think I’ll fully understand why you cheated on me.

I know that’s not who you truly are. So I hope, that whatever you’re going through you come out on the other side.

This is harder than I thought it would be...

I loved you so much. I really thought we would end up together. Maybe that was just a childish thought.

Does anyone even make it out alive with their high school sweetheart?

But I want to thank you. For being my first love.

We were best friends to begin with, so falling in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve ever done.

Being in love with you was the easiest thing I’ve done.

It was just so effortless. And now I’m starting to wonder if that’s not how love is supposed to be...

But thank-you, for loving me the best that you could. You might not think it was the best, but it was.

You’re a part of my life forever. Even if you’re not physically a part of it.

You, James Buchanan Barnes, have left a forever imprint in my life.

So for that I want to thank you and forgive you.

I will always remember you as the 7 year-old boy who taught me how to ride my bike.

-Elizabeth “Betty” Sanchez.

Elizabeth walked across the street and placed the sealed letter in the Barnes’ mailbox.

As she walked back to her house, she felt this heavy weight lifted off her shoulder.

Come that Monday morning she was going to accept, Principal Alvarez’s valedictorian offer. She was also going to talk to the student council and see if there was anyway for her to rejoin student body. She was also going to apologize to Steve. He was just an innocent bystander that got caught in the crossfire. She couldn’t blame him for standing by his best friend’s side.

Monday, her life will officially be going down a different path. One filled with less hatred, and more understanding and forgiveness.

————————-

Age: 35

Year: 2029

Location: Rhode Island

“We haven’t had any interested buyers in decades,” the relator tells the happy couple, “Because of that, the house is basically a steal. The family that owns it just wants it out of their possession.”

“Now, it is a bit of a fixer upper, since no one has lived here since the late 80s. But that shouldn’t be any issue for you since you’re married to the youngest recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.”

The couple shares a brief smile with each other.

“But if I might ask, no one has every showed interest in this house, especially not a young family like yours. Why do you want to buy this house?”

“I think this house has been empty long enough. It’s time someone filled this house with lots of love and happiness. Like before,” Elizabeth smiled, small crows feet forming around her eyes.

“Well what better way then a family like yours,” the relator smiled, “There’s plenty of space for lots of kids.”

“This one is out last,” Steve smiled, putting his arm around Elizabeth, placing his hand on her growing belly.

“Three is enough for us,” She playfully poked Steve’s side.

They followed the relator to the back where two young children are running around playing.

“So what do you think?” Elizabeth whispered to Steve, looking up into his eyes.

“It’s definitely a fixer upper, but I love it,” he smiles, “Like I said before, wherever you go. I’m there.”

Elizabeth presses a soft kiss to Steve’s lips.

“Diane,” she calls out to the older relator who is running around with mini-me’s of Elizabeth and Steve.

“We’ll take it,” she smiles broadly.

[mamichigo]

Title: picture frame

Pairing: Dazai/Atsushi

Rating: G

Word count: 1,7k

Tags: Fluff, Domestic, Established Relationship, Writer Dazai, Photographer Atsushi

Summary: "Your tired smiles, your warm eyes. I collect all the important parts of you, protected by picture frames."

Notes: This is my gift for @katsuriya! (Katsu ily). Written for @dazatsu-exchange.

*

"Can't you guys just do whatever you want? It's not like I would know anything about organizing events like this. Yeah, I know I signed up for it but— Kunikida-kun, this is torture! You're bullying your author! I'm gonna die of a heart attack… Yes, yes, I'll do it, geez."

Dazai had been on the phone with his editor for the better part of the last two hours. Atsushi watched him pace around the low table of the living room. If it were possible, he would've digged holes with the force of his footsteps alone. After that last sentence, Dazai cycled through a series of empty "uh huh", "yes", "alright", until he finally put the phone down with a sigh.

"Atsushi-kun…" Dazai whined. He slumped, then crouched, then finally lied down with his face to the floor. "This is unbearable."

"Is Kunikida-san being strict as usual?"

"As usual? It's much worse than that!" Dazai slapped the floor weakly. "Just because it's almost New Year, it shouldn't affect my schedule. But I have the deal with the manga department now, and I'm technically the co-author, plus they can't get anything through without my approval. I've been pulled into their holiday season events, it's awful."

Atsushi, feeling sympathy for the clearly overworked author, padded his way and joined Dazai on the floor. He sat down on his knees and patted Dazai's head gently.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Dazai gurgled some sound that Atsushi couldn't decipher the meaning of, and made no further attempt to communicate. Atsushi continued to play with Dazai's hair until he had wallowed long enough to feel ready to roll over and look up at Atsushi. There were clear dark circles under his eyes.

"This is what happens when you actually do your work," Dazai whispered mutinously.

Atsushi laughed and threatened to let his editor know he said that. Dazai, betrayed, pinched Atsushi's thigh. Because Atsushi was a good person and he loved his partner very much, he ignored the sting and leaned down to kiss Dazai's cheek.

"Would you let me do a photoshoot with you?" Atsushi asked.

Dazai lolled his head to nuzzle against Atsushi's knee. He looked up at Atsushi questioningly. "Right now?"

"Only if you want to," Atsushi reassured. "Nothing fancy, you don't even need to change clothes. I think it'd be a nice distraction."

Dazai hummed; Atsushi felt the vibrations up his leg. He squirmed a little.

"If it is your desire, then it is also mine, there's no request I would refuse except for those that cause you harm," Dazai said in a low voice. It sounded like a quote, maybe from something he was working with. Though, it could just as easily be something he came up with on the spot. It was hard to tell, with Dazai.

"You're really too much," Atsushi admonished.

Dazai laughed, tired but carefree. "If you insist, then, in normal terms that's a yes."

"Let me get my camera."

Atsushi got up to do that and changed the lens to one of his best ones. Besides that, Atsushi didn't bother with any other equipment, though the lights and reflectors that seemed to be in Dazai's place more than his own were readily available. These pictures were just for himself, so he would work with whatever lighting there was.

(There was a special allure to Dazai that couldn't be captured quite right in artificial light.)

Dazai was still in the same spot when Atsushi came back, drawing invisible patterns with his index finger and whispering to himself.

Atsushi waited until he stopped to ask, "New idea?"

"A flash of inspiration that might save me from my writer's block in the future."

"That's some powerful inspiration."

Dazai raised his hand to Atsushi, who helped him up by the arm. Dazai rose in a smooth arc, directly into Atsushi's embrace. Atsushi poked him the ribs and pushed him away.

"I can't take your picture with you clinging to me like that."

"Ah, love is such a fickle and cruel thing," Dazai said. Despite his words, he stole a kiss as soon as Atsushi's attention flickered to his camera. "What do you have in mind this time?"

"Something for the New Years sounds fitting."

Atsushi explained what he had imagined, and Dazai, knowing the layout of his own house much better than Atsushi, suggested the locations that would be most fitting for the setting. It was a good thing that Dazai already wore a kimono as his default outfit, with the addition of his most comfortable haori and a fortune charm that he held in his calloused right hand, it made for enough of a nice image to go with the theme. Atsushi held back from saying anything when Dazai held the charm to his lips in an almost kiss, his eyelashes lowered delicately.

Not for the first time, Atsushi was impressed by the sheer size of Dazai's house. Every time they did one of these photoshoots, Atsushi felt the house became warmer; all the corners that were too empty, too sparse were filled with movement. The ghosts lingered less like this.

For the final picture, Atsushi directed Dazai back to the low table. Thankfully, the sliding door facing the garden let in enough light to capture Dazai in the gray hues of winter with his face half illuminated by it. It made for a pretty picture, even if Dazai ruined the atmosphere by biting into a mandarin like he would an apple. Atsushi's eyebrow twitched.

"Atsushi-kun, this isn't even an actual kotatsu," Dazai complained as he flopped down while Atsushi checked the last series of pictures. "This entire photoshoot is a sham."

Atsushi paused to raise his eyebrows at Dazai. He looked pointedly at the low table. "So now you admit it's not a kotatsu?"

"Well, it has the table and the warm blanket over it. It's close enough, right?" Dazai patted the tabletop. "This does the job nicely. Why would I buy a new one just for the heater?"

"You could just buy a heater by itself."

"Irrelevant."

"You're just a cheapskate."

Dazai snorted inelegantly. In this position, lying as he was, his hair fell over his eyes, half obscuring them. Both his arms were held above his head, and the sleeves of his kimono slid down to reveal rolls of bandages; the dip went low enough that Atsushi wondered if he would see a grimplss of naked skin, if he tilted his head just right. As if catching on to his thoughts, Dazai watched him like a hawk, his eyes half-lidded. There was a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Atsushi made a gesture for Dazai not to move, and raised his camera to capture that expression. As he stared at the resulting picture, Atsushi thought that, out of all the other pictures, this was the one he specially wouldn't show to anyone.

"Atsushi-kun, you're getting some sort of impure thought, aren't you?" Dazai teased.

Atsushi coughed lightly. "I'm not."

"You always get this guilty look when you do it, just so you know," he helpfully informed.

Atsushi quickly turned his head. "It's just your impression."

Dazai wormed his way to Atsushi, shuffling about on his elbows. Atsushi finally relaxed from the awkward pose he had forced his legs into to get the frame he'd wished for. As soon as Atsushi let go of the camera, Dazai reached for his hand.

"Hm." Dazai poked each of Atsushi's fingers with his own. "Did that make you feel better?"

Arsushi blinked in confusion. "I'm the one who should be asking you that."

"You really shouldn't!"

"I thought you were doing this to help you forget all the publishing stress?"

Dazai gave him an indulgent smile. He let go of Atsushi's hand to reach for his camera, hanging from Atsushi's neck. Atsushi, even though still confused, lowered his head so Dazai could remove the camera. He set it aside a safe distance away from them, and pulled Atsushi down so they were in pile on the floor. Dazai wrapped an arm around Atsushi's waist.

"You get so focused on others you don't even notice your own stress, do you? It's not the worst coping mechanism, but it does make you quite oblivious your own feelings." Dazai let his words sink in before adding, "It's okay if you're not doing your best."

Atsushi inhaled carefully. Dazai's orange-like scent clung to his lungs. He relaxed onto Dazai's body.

"I dislike winter," Atsushi confessed. "It makes me think of being cold and hungry. I… I feel a lot better when I don't have to think about it."

Dazai tightened his grip. "Alright. Then I'm glad to be a distraction." He paused. "Ohhh, maybe I should start writing poems. My specialty is prose first and foremost, but I'm sure I could pull it off. I'd give you a bunch of lovesick poems, and then you'd be too preoccupied being completely, utterly in love with me."

"I'm already completely, utterly in love with you, Dazai-san."

"Then completely, utterly, ultra in love with me."

"I'm pretty sure you just want an excuse to procrastinate your new manuscript."

Arsushi couldn't see it, but he just knew Dazai was grinning. "Just a little bit. Ah, but I'm serious. You always look at peace when you take pictures of me—does wonder for my ego, by the way—, so I'm glad to be your model when you need it."

"That's because…" Atsushi took a moment to compose his words in a way that would make sense. "Usually you take pictures to feel nostalgic about the past, knowing that moment will never come back. When I take your picture, it's more like proof."

"Proof of what?"

"That I still love you, just like I loved you then. Just like I'll love you tomorrow. I think the stability of it gives me comfort when everything else is hectic."

Silence.

"Dazai-san?"

Atsushi pushed himself to his elbows. Dazai was quietly glaring at him, his face pink. Atsushi was stunned. He tried to reach for his camera, but Dazai gripped both his wrists.

"I can't handle you sometimes," Dazai managed to croak out. "I'm going to make a character who is pretty much you, and pair him with a self-insert, then have a tragic, dramatic love story for them. Don't test me."

Atsushi giggled. "Don't threaten me just because you're shy!"

"Atsushi-kun, I don't have a single shy bone in my body, take that back!"

Atsushi just watched with fondness as Dazai went on a tirade on all the ridiculous antics he would put his characters through. Atsushi chose not to let him know his heartbeat was frantic in his chest.

I love you, it wanted to say. I love you and you're wonderful.

[ma-gic-gay]

The kiss had complicated things.

Asking for an anullment had complicated it even more.

This was just supposed to be a marriage of convenience, a marriage built upon keeping Wiley safe from everything that could hurt him. Especially Nelle. They got married to protect him, so Michael could have a better chance in court against her.

After they won sole custody, the psycho bitch had kidnapped him after slashing Brook Lynn's throat. Thankfully, Michael had found them and saved Wiley.

That damn kidnapping is the reason Willow's thinking like this. Well, maybe one good thing came out of that besides extra quality family moments: her kiss with Michael after he'd brought their son back home.

Their son. Willow was officially adopting Wiley. Diane had the paperwork ready to go, all they had to do was sign it tomorrow and then her and Michael would always be in each other's lives, whether they wanted to or not.

She really wanted to be in his life in a bigger way than just a co parent for Wiley. As much as she loved that little boy, and there was no way to put the love she has for him into words, she didn't want to be the parent who's house he goes to on the weekends or a visitor to him. Granted, Michael would never let that happen. He was too kind, too perfect when it came to that, amongst other things. Michael wanted to make sure that their family stays just that, a family. Dysfunctional to an extent, yes, but a family.

It's almost like everyone is yelling for them to get together. Even his grandmother and brother who had met Willow ten seconds before saying how obviously happy she made his little brother.

Maybe she's just overthinking this. After all, Michael might still be in love with Sasha. It's completely possible; they were together for a long time.

But...

What if she's not? What if this isn't all in her head, and she's not freaking out and internally losing it over nothing? What if this is real, a genuine connection, and they're just throwing it away?

Dante said something about this when they'd met, in between quick witted remarks about the dysfunction she had married into. He'd actually said a lot of important things, she thinks.

"I'd ask my little brother if you make him happy, but you obviously do. I can see it written all over his face," Dante had said as soon as they were introduced.

Michael had brought up getting an annulment as opposed to a divorce, which she explained had been in part because they didn't have any irreconcilable differences. "Well, I just got here, so what do I know, but you two seem pretty happy together. And compatible- genuinely, that's a rare thing! But you guys know what's best for you guys."

She couldn't believe it. Each day, their family moments, it felt more and more like normal. Her broken heart had mended, she knew it. When she had to speak to Chase the other day, she didn't feel like she was in love with him anymore. She could look him dead in the eyes and still not feel that spark.

It was a confusing situation in general, with Michael having asked for an annulment after saying how great she was and kept looking at her with that look, the half smile and loving eyes.

How she loved that look. It was becoming a favorite thing of hers, seeing him look at her like that. She didn't know what it was, but if anyone was going to, she figured it would be Dante.

Or she could ask Michael himself. After all, they always promised to tell the truth to each other no matter what happened. Honesty and trust were the foundation of their marriage. Despite the fact it would be ending a lot sooner than she would've liked, they were still married. Rules still applied.

And that's how she ended up waiting anxiously in the foyer for her husband to come home. "Hello, Willow. What are you doing?" Dante asks when he walks in the door. "I mean no offense by that, of course, it's just you look like you've got something on your mind. Or, rather, someone. You also look like Lulu back when we were just married and she was so excited to see me at home, so I'm going to guess you're looking for Michael and have something important to tell my little brother."

"I can't get anything past you," she chuckles softly. Dante genuinely cared about the people around him and who made his family happy, that she could see easily.

"So why are you waiting for my brother?"

Willow takes a deep breath, sitting on one of the stairs so she stops pacing. "Well, you look like there's something on your mind. Wanna talk about it?"

Dante let's out a quiet laugh. "You don't want to go first, fine, I will. I just saw Lulu at the Floating Rib. She was there for Maxie's engagement party, I guess. Something I was not invited to, since she didn't know I was back in town. Anyways, we were chatting and then Dustin walked in. He was talking about a PTA meeting. I knew they were serious, but I had no clue that they were serious enough he's on the PTA."

"Dustin's not on the PTA, he's a teacher. He had to make a presentation. I know because I'm a teacher too. I get kids who have been transfers from his school." Willow informs him, watching as relief goes over her brother-in-law's face.

"That's good, but still. He then offered to start getting to know me, practically insinuating that I'm just some dude he has to deal with in Lulu's life. It feels like a bad love triangle, the first of many you'll experience as Wiley's mother. I don't know, I don't like the guy," Dante sighs.

"I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but to be honest, his reviews are meh at best. The kids like him, for sure, but I don't know. Haven't made up my decision about him yet," she smiles.

Smiling back, Dante says, "Well, you've got to tell me now. What are you so desperate to tell Michael you're pacing like a newlywed who needs sex?"

She bursts out laughing. "You're blunt, Dante. Lulu isn't going to pick Dustin, you know that."

"It's Lulu Spencer. I'd like to think I know her, but I don't know. She's... Changed since I last saw her. In a good way, but still, change is change. Peter offered me a job where we might be working together, so there's that. Anyways, enough of me. You're not getting out of talking about Michael anymore."

Willow playfully glares at Dante. "Fine. I'm going to tell him that I don't want an annulment."

A huge smile breaks out onto Dante's face. "Thank God, I was half convinced you weren't going to tell him or he wasn't going to tell you."

"Wait, Michael doesn't want one either?" Willow asks, confused. He had been sending mixed signals for a while now, but so had she. Her feelings were... Complex, that'd be the ideal phrase to describe them. She didn't know if she loved him yet, nor did she want to rush into that or anything, but there was an attraction she couldn't shake to him.

"Wow, Willow. You're both the most oblivious people on the planet. You're perfect for each other," Dante laughs. "Of course he doesn't want an annulment! Have you seen the way he looks at you lately? That's not how you look at your friend, or convenient wife. That's how you look at someone you love! I've only seen the two of you together a couple of times, but my big bro instincts are telling me that he's doing his thing where he doesn't go for what he wants."

Willow laughs along with him. "That's so frustrating, right? He won't allow himself to have anything good without overthinking it."

As they're laughing, Michael walks in. "What's so funny?" He asks Willow and Dante, confused.

"It's not even really funny, it's just that- Michael, I'm going to let you two speak for a minute. I've got to get to... Somewhere that's not here," Dante excuses himself.

That was weird, Michael thinks as Willow stands. "Is it just me or is he asking weird?"

Willow smiles, "He's not, but we do have to talk."

Taking a deep breath, Michael nods his agreement. "Okay, you wanna go to the living room so we can sit for this conversation, because I've got something to tell you too."

"Me first," Willow says as she sits on the couch next to him. "Michael, I don't want an annulment."

Michael breathes a sigh of relief, "Can I ask why?"

"If you still want to get one, of course we'll get one. But I don't want to. I want to stay married to you and not just because of the house and not cooking or cleaning, which are huge pros. I want to stay married to you because you're kind and loving. You always treat me with respect I didn't know I deserved until we got married. Chase was- he was great, but you don't put work before me, or your family. Family is the most important thing to you, not work or money or any of that stuff. You love Wiley as much as I do, and you're the only person who understands what it's like to be dealing with this stuff as a parent, and as a person. He's not just something that comes with me for you, he's someone important and who you love. I don't feel like I'm a second choice, or that I'm too needy, or that I've got to reschedule my plans so you can do something. And with Chase, it didn't always feel like that. You found out about something I loved and instantly found a broker to get the best wine selections because you wanted me to be able to have that back. Look, what I'm trying to say is I like you, Michael."

There's a quiet in the room as Michael takes in everything Willow just said to him. "As in romantically?" He asks, still processing what he just heard from her.

"Yes, romantically. And I get it if you don't feel the same, it's just that I feel like you might because you're acting like you're into me sometimes and you did say that I was everything you could've hoped for so I guess I just wanted to say this. I Also, Dante was surprisingly helpful in getting me to be able to say this to you," Willow smiles anxiously at the man sat next to her on the couch.

His brain is going a million miles an hour, trying to properly process everything. Willow can't deal with the silence, however, and starts rambling: "If you're trying to think of an easy way to let me down, Michael, just do it flat out. No harm, no foul. It doesn't change what I feel, but it will make me feel less embarrassed about putting you in such an uncomfortable situation."

"You done?" Michael half smirks, and she nods before he kisses her, soft yet perfect. Willow can feel herself falling in love with this kiss, which is arguably better than the other two they've had, as fantastic as they've been.

When they pull away, Michael gives her the look again. It's more intense, but she's realized he's always got it when he's talking to her. "Willow, I like you a lot. I've liked you since we first met, and honestly, I don't know if I ever entirely stopped. The only reason I suggested the annulment is because I knew it would take some time, and because I wanted to know if you wanted to stay married. In my mind, I've always hoped it'd turn out with us together, no matter how real what we both had with Chase and Sasha was. It took me until you accepted my proposal- which, by the way, was absolutely terrible and I'm sorry for that- to realize that I really like you. So I'll call Diane and tell her to call off the annulment."

She smiles. "What does this mean for us, Michael? I can't live in this state of limbo forever."

"I don't know right now. Let's give it a time limit for the state of limbo: Wiley's 2nd birthday. It's a few months away, which is plenty of time to figure it out and still not feel like we're rushing through anything."

"Sounds... Perfect."

You should post this!!!

[wickedbarnes]

𝕬𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖑 𝖎𝖓 𝕯𝖎𝖘𝖌𝖚𝖎𝖘𝖊 (Pt. 4) | John Wick x Reader

Part 3

WARNING: Angst. Blood.

NOTE: If there are any med student readers here, I apologize deeply if there's any inaccuracy when it comes to the age of finishing med school and I'm sorry if you're triggered that the reader didn't take up her residency training right away. Basically, I apologize for any medical inaccuracy in this chapter. I'm no med student so please be gentle :(

--

You knew the Continental very well and what it does and what it caters for. You had been here once when Viggo had visited Winston and as much as he hated you being here with him, he had no choice at the time. You were around ten and you could remember some assassins looking at you with piercing cold eyes. That's what you felt right now walking alongside John. You knew the stares were meant for him but you couldn't help but feel that most of them were meant for you.

In the back of your mind, it wouldn't be long for Viggo to find out that John has you. You wouldn't say that he's holding you hostage since you willingly went with him. You could only imagine the bounty that will be placed upon his head. And somehow, you felt kinda guilty.

"Good seeing you again, John." A woman with jet black hair greeted John and looked at you for a moment before walking passed you.

"Perkins." John would say, greeting the woman.

"I'll have you for two night?" The concierge, which you remembered the name was Charon, asked John as his gaze averted to you.

"Depending on business it may be more." He replied and you took the time to look around the hotel, noticing that it changed quite a bit the last time you've been here. You met the eyes of some assassins who probably knew who you were or wondering why you were here with John Wick. If you were in their place you would've wondered the same.

"Let's go." John would tell you as he grabbed the key to your room before turning back to walk away from the reception desk with you when you two suddenly stopped when Charon spoke.

"And as always. It is a pleasure, having you with us again... Mr. Wick." Charon gave a knowing smile to John before he shifted his gaze to you.

"Same goes for you, Miss Tarasov. Welcome back to the Continental." You gave him a nod and forced a smile on your face at his words.

"Thank you, Charon."

The ride in the elevator was quiet. Even when John opened the door to your room, you hadn't spoke a word. You took the opportunity to look around the room and noticed there were two beds, which you were thankful for. John placed his stuff on the bed to the left while you made your way over to the window to watch the city outside.

"I couldn't risk you getting away. That's why I asked for a room with two beds." John spoke after some time as he watch you solemnly take in the scenery of the city.

You nodded at his words as your mind drifted back to your father and Iosef. You already knew Viggo had found out you weren't in the mansion anymore. You could only imagine how enraged he'd be and the circumstances he'd go to in order to get you back.

"I know you hate me right now, Y/N, but-"

"Who said I hated you?" You asked, cutting him off but kept your gaze in the window, "I don't hate you. In case you want to know."

John was taken aback by your words. And it frustrated him that you didn't somehow despise him for what he's about to do. It frustrated him on how calm you are in a situation like this. Somehow, he wanted to see you angry at him. He wanted to see at least fear in your eyes whenever you looked at him but there was none.

And that somehow made him more guilty than he already is.

"John, I can't promise you if you'll be safe here." John looked at you and you took his silence as a means to continue what you were going to say, "Papa would know by now that I'm gone and that you broke inside the mansion. He won't hesitate to place a huge bounty in your head. And if I'm not mistaken, maybe the bounty is worthy enough for someone to break the rules here in the Continental."

"I know that." He replied and you hummed softly in response.

"Y/N, why are you like this?" His question caught you off guard that you couldn't help but turn around to face him.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean." John snapped at you making you jump slightly as he stood up and slowly made his way towards you and you couldn't help but carefully back away from him each time he took a step closer.

John took note of your body language. You were intimidated. And to him, that's a good thing.

"Why are you so calm? Do you secretly want this to happen? Do you secretly want your brother dead, is that it?" His words emitted a gasp from your lips as you stopped and looked up at him, immediately forgetting your fear of him as anger slowly bubbled inside you.

"This is the last thing that I wanted, Wick." You spat, "If I wanted this to happen, I wouldn't have warned Iosef that very night he stole your fucking car. You have no idea what goes inside my fucking head everytime I lay my eyes on you. And you had absolutely no idea how hard it was for me to accept everything that's happening right now."

Your breathing became heavy and you willed yourself not to cry in front of him. You refused, absolutely refused to let him see that side of you. That weak side of you.

"I'm like this because as I've said, I already know what's going to happen. Anger is fueling inside of you, John, and you crave vengeance for what my brother did. If I asked you, begged you even to stop all of this right now and return me to my home, would you do it?" Your question took John off guard once again but his expression surprisingly didn't falter but his silence caused you to laugh bitterly at him.

"I thought so." You whispered and walked passed him as you made your way to your bed, sitting down at the edge of it as you let out a breath you didn't know you were holding.

John stood there and let your words sink inside his head. But a tiny voice told him that this was no time to linger around and feel bad for the Tarasov girl. Without saying a word, John made his way out your room and made sure the door was locked from outside.

Once he was out of earshot, you finally let out a sob as the tears that started to well up in your eyes cascaded down your cheeks. Your body shook as you cried hard and much to your knowledge, John heard your little whimpers just in time he made his way inside the elevator.

And somehow, he felt a slight pain in his chest when he heard your cries. Because he knew deep down it was because of him. The guilt was seeping more into his veins.

--

John did his best to put pressure on his wound. This wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before but it still hurt like a bitch. Unfortunately, the doctor wasn't in. So John had to make do on stitching his wound on his own and he wasn't really a pro with that and he doubted you'd even help him.

Upon opening the door, he stumbled his way inside and locked it behind him as he took a deep breath, trying to readjust his vision since he was losing blood after all. He could feel his legs shaking and soon, he found himself collapsing on the sofa. The sound had made you jump in your sleep.

Fluttering your eyes open, you had tried to remember what time you had fallen asleep. You sighed at the thought of crying yourself to sleep. Sitting up in your bed, your gaze fell on a beat up John who was clutching his wound. You stared at him for a moment before you carefully stood up from your bed and slowly made your way towards him.

"May I?" You asked softly as John looked up at you. In his vision, everything was a blur but your face, as cliché as it sounded.

He gave you a nod and carefully removed his hand where you took the chance to inspect his wound. The stab was deep and if he lost anymore blood he'd be unconscious and that wasn't a good sign. Almost immediately, you tied up your hair and made your way towards the window where you draped the curtain over it. Making your way towards the small liquor cabinet in the room, you quickly poured some whiskey in a glass and placed that on top of the small table next to the sofa where John flopped down. Then, you made your way to the bathroom where you hoped there was at least a first aid kit inside.

"Bingo." You whispered to yourself as you saw the familiar looking kit. You then proceeded to thoroughly wash your hands to avoid infecting John's wound before you made your way outside and placed the kit on the space next to John.

"Are you still able to take your suit off?" You asked and John gave you a nod before he carefully took his blazer off, followed by his pants and his dress shirt. Eventually leaving him in his dress pants.

"Do you have any other wounds on your legs?" You asked and John only responded to you by shaking his head while you put on some latex gloves as he grabbed the glass with shaking hands and took a sip of the drink you gave him.

You nodded, opening the kit where you grabbed a needle and a thread and began to sterilize it, not wanting to risk giving the beat up man an infection. Soon enough, you began to carefully suture John's wound, completely being oblivious to your surrounding including the fact that John was staring at you while you were patching him up.

John took a big sip of his drink and poured more into his glass once it got empty. You never failed to frustrate John and somehow, he couldn't do anything about it. Well, he can. But killing inside the Continental is like signing your death sentence. And he didn't want to kill someone innocent.

But you frustrated him in a way where you were doing something someone in your place wouldn't do. Who in their right mind would patch up the man who's going to kill their family? He was slowly convincing himself that you might be truly insane.

John silently watched as you furrowed your eyebrows and bit your bottom lip causing him to gulp as it reminded him a lot of Helen. He remembered how Helen would have the same expression on her face. Eyes focused, eyebrows furrowed while she absentmindedly bites her own bottom lip whenever she does something that requires one hundred percent of her attention.

He couldn't help but take another big gulp of his drink which made you look up at him for a second as you averted your gaze to the now empty glass.

"Don't tell me a small needle is hurting you, John." You lightly teased as you began to loop the end of the thread.

"Not really. It's more frustrating, to be honest." He replied which caused you to laugh softly before putting on a sterilized bandage on top of the stitched wound. Once that was done, you began to clean up the area and picked up John's bloody clothes before standing up from the ground but froze in your spot when you felt John's calloused hand around your wrist.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, his gaze steady on you as you looked back into his warm brown eyes. Letting out a sigh, you sat down on the space next to him on the sofa and placed the first aid kid and John's clothes on the floor.

"You could've just let me bleed to death. Anyone would've done that but you didn't. Why?" You could feel John staring at you as if he was trying to read your mind and trying to see into your very soul.

"And risk being framed for Excommunicado? I don't think so, John." You spoke, "If I let you bleed to death, I might get framed for killing inside the Continental and we both know that's unwise. Second, I don't think I could handle someone dying when I know I could've helped them."

"What about Viggo? Iosef? Can you handle them dying when you know you could've helped them?"

"If I decide to get myself involved, would you let me? Why did you even take me here with you in the first place?" You backfired.

"I didn't take you, you willingly went with me." John stated to which you hummed in response.

"Isn't that what you would've done the moment you found me in the kitchen? Let's face it, John. If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it the moment I had my back towards you. You had the opportunity to pull the trigger when you held me at gunpoint but did you?" John was speechless yet again as he watched you lean back on the sofa, "Unless you plan on killing me after all of this is done. But you don't seem to be the one to do something like that. You strike while the iron is hot."

"How can you be so sure?" John questioned you. Without thinking twice, you grabbed the gun that was hoisted in John's pants, took his hand and made him grab the gun before you pressed your forehead against its mouth.

"What the hell are you doi-"

"Shoot me."

"Wait, what?"

"Pull the trigger and shoot me." You repeated, keeping your eyes on him.

"Y/N, you don't know what you're talking about-"

"Shoot me, Jonathan." You said, your voice firm as you cut him off again. John looked into your eyes, trying to find at least a sign if you're bluffing or not. But he was disappointed to see how serious you really were.

"You want me to shoot you?" He asked, his voice gruff as he tightened his grip on the gun.

"Did I stutter?" You replied, still keeping your gaze on his eyes.

"We're in the fucking Continental, Y/N." He said in gritted teeth.

"If you really wanted or needed to kill me, John. It wouldn't matter if we're in the fucking Continental or not." You moved closer so the gun presses firmly against your forehead, "Shoot me."

John placed his finger on the trigger, his eyes never leaving yours and vice versa. It seemed like hours when the both of you stared at each other and before you knew it, John slowly lowered his gun and placed it on the wooden table beside him before he poured another shot of whiskey in his glass, his head turning away from you.

"I thought so." You whispered and stood up, carrying the kit and John's battered clothes with you as you put it in the hamper and made your way inside the bathroom where you locked the door behind you.

At that moment, you didn't know what you feared anymore. The Baba Yaga or your own self.

[mental-health-advice]

Part 1, tag as Dee. My little brother (9 years old) has a lot of nightmares, is crazy afraid of the dark, still can't sleep without someone and is showing signs of anxiety. He doesn't want to go to dance anymore, and I'm wondering if its because of the lack of energy depression brings. My parents say "we just need to medicate him" and their getting really upset with him being like that. My dad even said to me once "I still love him, but I dread being alone with him."

Part 2, tag as Dee. I want to try helping him myself as I'm dealing with anxiety and depression my parents refuse to see, but I don't know how. I get tongue tied when trying to talk about it to him and he gets upset when I say the wrong thing (which I end up doing often)This isn't entirely related, but he said some days he feels like a girl and he wants to play a girl in games. I bought him two dresses and I've never seen him more happy.

Part 3, tag as Dee. My parents say he's lazy and needs to get off his butt more, but I'm wondering if thats the same thing as when I can't even leave my room because I'm so depressed. Does it affect young kids like that too? My mother has social anxiety and depression too, and I don't see how she doesn't see her son is acting like this. He's really critical of himself too, especially his weight and his art skills, and I'm scared thats going to manifest into something worse. How can I help him?

Hi Dee,

I’m really sorry to hear that all of this is going on. I canonly imagine how frustrating this is with being worried about your brother andyour parents not doing anything about it.

Kids can definitely suffer from mental illness and I thinkit’s okay that you’re worried about your brother. What you’re describing withhim does sound concerning. When kids are struggling with their mental health,it can come out in a lot of different ways. For example, some kids withdepression will be angry for no apparent reason and they can get frustratedwhen you try to ask what’s wrong because they don’t know how to describe whatthey are feeling. They may also appear to be extremely emotional. They couldeven lack energy, as you compared it to being like when you can’t leave yourroom because of your depression. So, overall, kids can be a bit more difficultwhen it comes to figuring out if something is wrong, but I do think that you’reright to be concerned about your brother.

As for what you can do to help him, do you think you couldtry talking to your parents about him again? If they truly don’t see thatsomething might be wrong, try to point out specific examples of his behaviorsthat are worrisome. For example, “Do you remember how he got a bad grade theother day and he wouldn’t quit talking about how dumb he felt? That’s notnormal for a nine-year-old.” That might not be the best example, but sometimesparents are oblivious and need those things pointed out to them. Hopefully withthose examples, they would see that there really is a problem that needs to be addressed.

If that doesn’t work, would it be possible for you to talkto someone at his school about what’s going on? There are likely schoolcounselors there that you can go talk to or call and explain how something isgoing on and your parents aren’t taking it seriously. They might not be able totell you anything about him for confidentiality reasons, but I’m sure theywould look into any concerns that you’re having and get him help if they thinkhe needs it. Schools are required to take these things seriously, so considerreaching out to them if your parents won’t do anything.

Other than trying to get him help, I think the best thingyou can do is just be there for him. He might not be super open about what’sgoing on, especially if he isn’t entirely sure of what’s going on, but it wouldn’thurt to just be there. You can also try asking about the gender issues that youmentioned and see what you can do help with that.

No matter what, I just want you to know that you sound likean amazing sibling and your brother is lucky to have you. It’s really greatthat you want to do whatever you can to help, so I think you’re pretty amazingfor that.

Take care and let us know if there’s anything we can do tohelp.

-Samantha

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

You Have Me (Pt. 03 of 10)

Pairing: John Wick X D'Antonio!Reader

Word count: 2.5K

Summary: You, a D'Antonio, were raised completely oblivious to everything that had to do with the High Table. When your father dies, you find out that the world isn't how you thought it was. In Gianna's party, unknown men try to kill you, but someone steps in and saves your life. John Wick. The man takes you to the Continental, the only place you'll be safe. You're completely lost, no idea what to do to survive in the new, cruel world you were thrown into. But a letter from your late father tells you to find a man, who is the only one who could keep you save and carry a plan to release you from the High Table. The man is the Baba Yaga, John Wick, the same who saved your life.

<- Previous part (02)

Next part (04)->

{John Wick Masterlist}

×

In the last nine days, John has been in and out of the hotel, meeting some people, trying to get in touch with others. Yesterday night he finally had a break, since now he has to wait for one of your father's affiliates to fly here. So this morning, you shower and dress up as if you're going to the gym. Leggings and a tank top. But you're forced to put on a coat to leave the bedroom because it's a bit cold. John is in the kitchen, having breakfast.

“I thought you were still sleeping,” You tell him, grabbing an apple.

“I just woke up.” He takes a look at you. “Going to work out?”

“No. But now that you apparently had a break, I still want to learn how to throw a punch.” Taking a bite, you sit before him on the table. “But if you gave up the idea, I'll hit the gym. I just found out this hotel has one.”

“It does.” John puts his coffee down, getting up. “But I meant what I said. C'mon.” He goes to the living room and you follow. John pushes the coffee table and the couches away, leaving a big space in the middle. Crossing your arms, you watch from the kitchen door frame.

“I'm impressed you're really doing this. I was waiting for you to just-”

“I'm only doing this because we need to be prepared for any kind of situation.” He gestures for you to approach and that's what you do. “I'll only teach you enough to get you some time to run and-”

“To run and find you.” You point out to him, a playful smile on your lips as you pace around the living room. “But c'mon. I don't know about you, but I want this to be a good time. It helps to distract me from what it really means.”

“It sounds like you're bored.”

“To death. I barely see you anymore, it's like I'm completely alone here.” You gesture to the apartment in general.

“Sorry, I've been meeting up-”

“I know.” The tone of his voice gets all professional again, a lot darker. He has a wound on his lower lip, which he probably got because of you and you father's plans. “That's why I'm trying to take this lightly. To take away the meaning behind it. Now let's go. How can a little girl like me take down a man like you?”

“As a start, you go for the most fragile spots. Throat, eyes, nose.”

“Fragile?” With both hands on your hips, you decide to scare him a little bit. So you move to kick him in the crotch, with the intention of stopping halfway. But John kicks your leg to the side, grabs your knee and pulls it up, moving to throw you hard on the ground. But instead of hitting the floor, you're more like lied down gently. But all the sudden motion is enough to make you lose your breath. “You proved a point. No joking around with you.” You burst out as he let's go of your leg and reaches out his hand.

“Just showing you what could've happened.” John pulls you up too hard when you take his hand, causing you to almost hit his chest. “They'd let your head hit the floor, what would leave you disoriented for a few seconds at least.”

“Got it,” You mumble, stepping back.

“Let's practice how to set free from someones grip.” He paces around you, holding you from behind with both his arms, in a way you can't move yours. “Keep in mind they will be squeezing you, so you'll be in pain.” But when he lifts you up, you suddenly burst into a laugh, which makes John put you back down immediately. “What is it?”

“Sorry. I'm ticklish.” You say, still catching your breath. You're about to apologize again, but when he loses his grip and you turn around, you see a smile. It's the same you saw a while ago as if for a moment he forgot everything that's going on. It makes him even more handsome, easygoing... He seems happy, or at least as if he could be. You promised you'd try to make him laugh, that you'd try to make him feel better, even though it may only be for a few seconds. And suddenly you notice how close you are. John slowly lets go of you, but something just won't let me step away. “But it would scare them away, right? If I suddenly started laughing.”

“They'd think you're insane, but it wouldn't stop them.” It all comes back, the smile disappears and his whole face changes.

“I know...” Running a hand through your hair, you wonder what you should do next. So you try to punch him again, and just as he did the first time, John grabs your wrist before you can hit him. “One day I'll surprise you, John Wick.” As you're done speaking, you try to punch him with the other hand, but the same thing happens and now he's holding both your hands. “Shit.”

“You'll have to be a lot better than this.”

You could kiss him. You bet that would be a surprise. John is standing so close, you'd only need to tiptoe. “I will, believe me.” You're not sure if you'd do it, but a knock on the door makes him to let go of you.

You watch as he goes to answer it, coming back from your daydream, telling yourself not to go there again. You're about to sit down to wait for him to return when you see through the corner of your eyes John being pushed violently. As he falls, a man comes in, a gun immediately pointed at you. You run and he shoots. On your way to the kitchen, you see as John gets up, colliding with the man, and somehow taking the gun from his hand. You stop by the door frame, unable to move. Your eyes follow John's every move, and as he overcomes the man, you manage to calm down. Soon enough the man is a bleeding mess on the floor. John checks him before coming towards you.

“Are you alright?” His eyes quickly scan through you, but you're more worried about the wound on his forehead.

“You're hurt.” Pushing his hair away, you check the small cut, your hands cupping his face. For a moment you don't care if that man came in here to kill you, you're way too worried about John being hurt. This feeling surprises you, but you choose not to think about it. “Come, let me clean it.”

“No. I'm used to it. We need to call Winston.”

“Well, I'm not used to it.” As he goes for the telephone, you get the first aid kit. John rudely asks someone to get in contact with the man called Winston, demanding him to come here immediately. When he hangs up, you stand before him, holding the kit. “Are you going to sit down and let me clean your cut or will I have to force you?”

With a quick, small smile, John moves to the couch, and you sit down beside him. He stands still as you clean the wound, relieved to see it's indeed small. “I was going to be a veterinarian, you know?” You tell him once you're done because he seems curious about how you know yiui way around the kit. “Well, I was supposed to graduate this summer, but since I had to leave the country... It might take a while longer.”

“Really?” You feel his eyes on you as you put everything back in the box.

“Yes. Despite my father's fortune, I always wanted to have my own life. My own money. I even agreed to give up my part of his heritage.”

“What?”

“It's crazy, I know. Some years ago Santino and Gianna were fighting over it and when they started to include me, I decided I didn't want it.” Remembering this episode was already bad, now it's way worse, with both your father and sister dead. And Santino hunting you down. “They were quick to set up the documents I had to sign. But after that, father opened a bank account for me and started transferring some money ever month.”

“He wanted you to be safe.”

“Yeah.” You forget the bleeding man on the floor, eyes locked on John's. “Thanks again, John. You saved me.”

“It's my job.”

“No, it isn't.” You friendly touch his arm, your hand lingering for too long. “I-” The door is opened and you move faster than John, suddenly ready to run. But the man who comes in doesn't seem like he came to kill you. He takes a deep breath when he sees the man on the floor.

“This is Winston. The owner.” Both of you observe as Winston checks to see if the man is alive. “I didn't break the rules.”

“Good for you.” He says, shaking John's hand before coming to stand before you. “Miss D'Antonio. My deepest apologies for not coming to greet you earlier, but John and I are working day and night to carry out your father's wishes.”

“Call me (Y/N).” You don't like the tone people force when they call you by the last name. “I'm more than just a surname.”

“Absolutely. I see that you indeed became everything your late father wanted you to. A beautiful, intelligent woman. An example of purity, judging by where you came from.” He claps his hands twice, and two men come in, taking the knocked out one away. “He will be taken to the alley and will be made an example of.”

“Good.” John nods, and Winston stares at both of you for a while. To John and then back at you. “Something wrong?”

“I have two pieces of advice. One for you.” He gestures at you. “And on for you.” Winston turns to John. “One is good, the other no so much.”

You don't like his tone, so you move closer to John, hiding a little behind his shoulder. “Enough mystery, Winston. What is it?”

“Dear (Y/N).” Winston takes your hand and pulls you away from John. You exchange a glance with him, and he nods, as if telling you it's ok. It's annoying how people feel like they're somehow intimate with you thanks to the surname you care. You don't like it. “Be careful with your feelings for John Wick, do not let them grow and become... Something more. He represents everything your father fought so hard to keep you away from. He's the very opposite of who you are, who you want to be. You might be the only good, righteous thing that came out of this cruel world I live in. Don't let him corrupt the purity, the gentleness that resides in you.” Before you can answer, he let's go of your hands and turns to face John. “And you, Mr. Wick, please, fall in love with her. You could use a light in your life, something to rescue you from the depths where you've seen to have fallen again. Someone so kind and generous would certainly heal the wounds you carry.” With a smile, Winston walks away, not giving you time to come up with an answer.

You just don't get it. Who hell does he think he is? What does he think he knows? “Tell me something, Winston.” He stops at the mention of his name. His words about John are burning ony your mind, and you can't keep your mouth shut. “If you were walking on these streets and saw half a dozen men surrounding a stranger, guns at their head, what would you do?”

He seems a little confused. “I would keep walking. As should you.”

“That's the difference between you and John.” You step forward, arms crossed. “He isn't here because I'm paying him. He saved my life at Gianna's party, asking for nothing in return. So you don't have the right to talk about him that way. If I'm good and righteous despite the place where I came from, so is John.” Winston opens his mouth to say something, but you raise a hand. “Thank you for your advice. And thank you for working on my father's plan to help me. But don't talk about things you don't understand. Or about people you don't truly know.”

“You are spectacular.” He says with another smile. “I will send the cleaning crew in. And please, John, take the lady to dinner. Our restaurant is at your disposition.” That said, he leaves, and seconds later the cleaning crew comes.

It makes you sick to see as they clean the blood, so you go to your bedroom. Opening all the curtains to let the light come in, you sit on the bed, staring at the buildings before you. What Winston said... Where did that come from? You have to be careful with your feelings for John? While has to fall in love with you? How stupid. Winston thinks he has everything figured out, but he couldn't be more wrong. If he's as smart as he thinks he is, he should know that what's more likely to happen is the other way around. John would never look at you like that... But you? You were already thinking about kissing him even before Winston showed up.

“Don't be stupid,” You tell yourself, getting up and walking over the window. It's beautiful here, even though the gray clouds give the city a monochromatic look.

“You're not stupid.” John's voice startles you. You didn't notice you left the door open. “What are you thinking about?”

“That Winston is a jerk. But I bet you already know that.”

“He's just good at reading people.” He comes to stand beside you, eyes on the city. But yours are on him. Tracing and memorizing his features. When he moves to look at you, yoy turn away quickly, staring at the city again.

“I don't think so.”

“We should have dinner at the hotel's restaurant though. At least until it's safe enough for you to start going out.”

“People will stare at me. They always do, as if they know me just because they knew my father.”

“You can't blame them for looking at you.” His voice is lower, deeper.

“Blame it on my dead father, dead sister, and murderous brother.”

“That's not what I meant.”

“What could you possibly mean?” You finally allow yourself look at him again, meeting his eyes. “You have such nice eyes.”

“You already said that.” A smile makes its way to his lips. Beautiful, soft lips.

“Well, you have a nice everything, actually.” Shrugging your shoulders, you put a lock of hair behind your ear, just as an excuse to look away.

“You're pretty too. More than that. People would look at you even if you weren't (Y/N) D'Antonio.”

You're blushing. You're sure you're blushing. Stepping back with a giggle, you cross your arms. “I'll put on something elegant then. And since all my expenses are paid, you can order anything you want.”

“Sounds good to me.”