#didn’t watch the live i couldn’t care less lol but i’m still exited for the game

[marzzrocks]

new favorite creature just dropped

[visionofhope04]

Hii I was lowkey wondering if you would do something maybe like a one shot of neglected where reader is older (18-20) and dipped out of the house and became a singer and one of her songs basically exposed them for how they treated reader and in like an interview she full on tells them how she doesn’t even talk to them and like only Jason

This is literally perfect. I love this idea! I was planning on making a singer batsis reader anyway so here you go! I'll be making this part 4 of the series instead of a one shot. There’s a bit of angst. Btw, thanks so much for your support everyone! I'm glad you enjoy this series! Feel free to request anything you'd like besides smut as well!

This is the longest thing I have ever written so there will be a part 5. I planned on this being the last part but it's just so much. It’s not proofread and neither are all of the other parts because I post at 1 am most of the time lol. Hope you like it!

f/n = friend name

Y/G/N = your group name

N/S = news station

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 (Current) Part 5

---

You were sick of it. Sick of how even after confronting them about how you felt and almost dying because of it, they still neglected you. You couldn't wait to move out at the age of 18, even if it proved to be a struggle. You had taken mini jobs since you turned 15 and saved up since then. You just couldn't see them anymore as it would remind you of how they treated you that day at that hospital. None of them apologized either. They just pretended it never happened and continued to ignore you. The media had a field day with speculation of what had happened but eventually stopped because Bruce had claimed it was “just a bad case of the flu” which they believed.

Jason was always the only one that would talk to you. He was the only one that actually cared enough to make sure you were taking proper care of yourself and that you wouldn't have a repeat of what happened. He took you places, spent time with you and gave you advice. You even had a tradition where you'd always meet up at the manor's library every week at the same time that same day every week and just have a mini book club together. He always made time for you and never bailed on you.

So on your 18th birthday, he helped you move out. You managed to rent a small apartment in Star City with the money you had saved up. It wasn’t that close to the manor which was a good thing. The neighborhood wasn’t good but it wasn’t as bad as Gotham’s neighborhoods so you would be fine. You could handle yourself with your assassin training if needed. You also managed to get hired at a cafe which was about a five minutes walking distance from your apartment.

It had taken a while but eventually, you had packed all of your belongings into color coded containers and moved them into Jason’s car with his help. You didn’t say goodbye to anyone as you had no friends to say bye to and you knew that your so called “family” couldn’t care less about what you did with your life. ‘This is it, hopefully the last time I’ll ever be near this place.’ You thought. You didn’t plan on stepping foot in Gotham ever again after you left. It would bring back too many memories you prefer to keep buried away deep inside your mind.

The car ride to Star City was entertaining. You and Jason conversed the whole time, telling jokes and listening to his funny tales with the radio playing softly in the background. Eventually, a song you both loved came on and you both started yell-singing along to the lyrics. You wished those moments could be permanent. You were both so carefree and nothing else mattered besides having fun and enjoying yourselves.

You now stood in the doorway of your new apartment, admiring your new home. Jason and yourself had just finished unpacking all of your belongings. You really liked how it looked and thought you both did an amazing job at designing the place perfectly according to your style. Jason, unfortunately, had to leave in order to avoid raising suspicions. Once you both said your byes, he left you to your apartment.

Jason drove back home in silence. He hated to admit it but he would miss you dearly. You were always there for him and helped him with anything. You tried your best to always comfort him and make him feel better on his darkest days and it would always work. Somehow you seemed to always have the right words to say or knew exactly what to do to help him. Out of everyone he was closest to you. He assumed it was because he could relate to you the most. More so how you felt. He’d felt like the black sheep of the family before you came, and he was. When you came, you took that role from him. It pained him to see how much their insults would affect you, even if you were good at hiding it. He could just tell.

Jason made it back to the manor after a while and went straight to the library. He didn't want to deal with the others. After the whole hospital situation, he'd never really bother interacting with them. He hated how they treated you as if you didn’t exist and hated how much pain they had caused you and that they didn’t even care. He guessed that they'd probably be doing something for Damian's birthday and forgot that you were his twin. They probably couldn’t even remember that Damian had a twin.

He made it to the library and pulled out one of his favorite books. He’d read it so many times you’d often joke that he could probably recite the whole book by heart at this point. Sitting down in a chair, he started to read. However, he couldn’t bring himself to stop thinking about what it would’ve been like if they treated you how they did Damian. The both of you were Bruce’s real children. You both even looked like clones of him! At first, Jason thought you would’ve been the favorite twin due to your personality. Even though you were twins, your personalities were polar opposites. You even refused to kill! You were trained by the League so why didn’t you kill as Damian did?

Jason knew you would benefit them greatly if you joined. You had self control, didn’t kill, could act perfectly, lie perfectly, do well under pressure, and not to mention your skills. Being raised by the League may have been torture, but you managed to gain incredible skills out of it. You could take on at least ten guys who doubled you in size and beat them within five minutes. You even bested Damian in spars and he was supposedly dubbed the “better twin” by Talia, so why hadn’t they let you join their nightly crusades like they had let Damian when the both of you first arrived?

Damian passed by your room but noticed something was off. He decided to take a look. He twisted the doorknob and pushed. The room which was once occupied by you now looked extremely plain and bare, stripped of all of its accessories. The only things left were the bed itself, multiple dressers, and a vanity. It looked as if it had been vacant the whole time. It might as well have been. Damian couldn’t really remember what it had looked like since he’s never paid much mind to it but he could tell there was a drastic difference. He knew that you disliked just leaving your room plain unlike himself and wanted at least something to make it look less boring.

He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened. Had you finally been kicked out by Bruce? Did you get shipped off to a boarding school like he had been suggesting to your father for years? He decided to go ask. He exited the room and closed the door behind him, taking off for Bruce’s office. Walking down the hall, he suddenly remembered that he had seen you leave with Jason. This meant that you were not at a boarding school like he had originally thought. But then why was your room vacant?

Instead of going to see Bruce, he decided to go see Jason and bring up the matter with him instead. He changed directions and headed to the library where he knew he’d find Jason. It was no secret that Jason was a book worm so Damian had a fifty percent chance of finding him there.

He entered the library and was immediately greeted with the sight of Jason sitting comfortably on a chair, legs crossed with a book opened in his hands. Jason didn’t bother to look up from his book as he spoke.

“What do you want Demon Spawn?”

“I’ve come to obtain the whereabouts of my sister.”

“You mean my sister?”

“She’s not your sister!” Damian exclaimed.

“Well I act more like a brother than you do.”

“Where is Y/N? Her whole room is bare.”

“That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“Just tell me, you imbecile!” Damian said, growing increasingly frustrated by Jason’s blunt answers.

“She’s not here.”

“Then where is she?”

“Not here.”

“Just tell me already Todd, I have no time for your foolish games!”

“She moved out.” Jason said, giving in.

“What?! Where.” Damian demanded.

“Why would I tell you?”

“Because I demand to know!”

“Okay and?”

“Tell me!”

“No.”

“Why not!”

“Because you don’t even care.”

“And you do?”

“Yes, I actually do Damian! I’m there for her when she needs me the most. I’m there for her while she’s watching you live the perfect life that she’s just a background character in! While you and the others ignore that she even exists! I’m there for her when she breaks down and has panic attacks! And what were you all doing to try and help her? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!” Jason snapped.

“Y/N’s fine, I know my twin!” Damian screamed.

“Do you even know what her favorite color is?” Jason questioned in a harsh tone.

“...” Was Damian’s reply.

“Exactly! You don’t! You and the others have never cared about her, so why all of a sudden do you care now? You don’t know anything about her so don’t act like you do!” Jason then stood up and walked out of the room in a fit of rage.

Damian stood there, shocked. Had Jason just refused to answer his question? He was about to follow him but decided against it. Why was Damian going to chase Jason down just for her? She was just an annoyance, a mistake, imperfect. He had been wanting to get rid of her for so long, so why doesn’t he feel relieved? Why does he feel guilty? He decided to stop dwelling on it and get on with life. He figured it would happen eventually if it hadn’t happened then.

---

It had been a year since that day. The day you left your old life behind and started a new life, a better one. One where you weren’t constantly ignored. One where you actually had more than one person care about you. Instead of seeing yourself as a failure and disappointment, you now saw yourself as an amazing person (which you always were). You had been going to a community college in Star City. You made many friends there and started up a music career with three of them.

Their names were f/n, f/n and f/n. You all started off by taking random gigs anywhere you could. You performed covers of songs and would receive standing ovations all the time. Seeing as your group was well liked, you decided to write and produce your own songs. At the age of 19, Y/G/N released their first album. It went viral within a day and everyone was talking about it. After a week, several articles were posted, praising your work. News Stations talked about all the records Y/G/N managed to break. People started to stream it like crazy, and you couldn’t be happier with all the positive feedback you were receiving.

You had been a Wayne once, meaning you had experience in dealing with the media. Since you had already been used to it, you knew you’d all eventually be invited to interviews. So, when you had received an email stating how N/S wanted a one on one interview with you, you weren’t sure how to feel. You weren’t looking forward to interviews with your whole group, let alone one where you would be alone. You knew how unfiltered interviewers could be and didn’t feel comfortable with it.

However, you decided it would be best to go. So here you were, sitting in front of the interviewer in an uncomfortable chair preparing for the interview to start. You had somehow managed to keep a smile plastered on your face the entire time while you were a nervous wreck on the inside. You hoped none of the questions would be sexist as they usually were towards women. However, you had no more time to think about that. You heard clicking, signaling that you were about to go live. Once you heard the last click, you knew you were live and the interview had begun.

“Hello everyone, welcome back to N/S. My name is Jerald Tangleberry and I’m here today with songwriter, singer, and celebrity, Y/N Wayne! How are you?”

You waved to the camera and then answered, “Hello everyone! I’m doing good, how about you?”

“I’m doing great, thanks for asking! So by now I’d assume everyone knows that you’ve released an album with your group. How does it feel to gain more fame?”

“It doesn’t feel any different. Fame wasn’t our goal when we released the album. It was to express ourselves.”

“Mhm, well Ms. Wayne, what inspired you to write songs?”

“Well we know people may be in a tough spot in their life right now and want them to know they aren’t alone.”

“That’s so true. Some fans have been speculating that every member has three songs that specifically relate to them since there are twelve songs in total and three of the songs have the same group member as the introduction part of the song. Is this true?”

“Yes, it is true.”

“So all three of your songs relate to family issues of some sort. Is that hinting that you have family issues?”

“Yes, actually. My family isn’t the best. They ignored me all the time, even when they weren't busy. The only person who didn’t was Jason.”

“You’re saying it in the past tense.”

“I moved out about a year ago. When I was around 14, I suffered from anorexia. My family would always ignore me since they were either busy doing work or hanging out with each other. The only family member that acknowledged me was Jason. I assumed it was because there was something wrong with me. I started to hate myself so much to the point of starvation. One day, I passed out right before a gala and my oldest brother Dick found me passed out on the floor. They took me to the hospital and when I woke up, Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Damian started fussing about how I’d ruin their image if the media knew what actually happened. They started to yell at me and told me how I was a useless burden. I started to have a panic attack so I kicked them out. Jason stayed behind with me and comforted me. Ever since then I made a planed to save enough money so I could move out when I turned 18, which I did.”

“Oh, wow. So Jason was the only one who interacted with you?”

“Yeah.”

“Looks like the Wayne family isn’t as perfect as they seem.”

“No family is actually perfect.”

“Did your family try contacting you at all after they found out about Y/G/N?”

“Not yet. They’re probably too busy or don’t care.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s alright, I got over it. What’s the next question.”

“Oh-” He cleared his throat and continued the interview. (So basically I don’t wanna bore you all lol)

---

Jason had woken up late into the afternoon that day. Patrol that morning had exhausted him. There was a huge breakout at Arkham they had assisted with. They successfully locked up every escapee, so today, Jason just wanted to relax until it would be time for patrol again. Even though he was exhausted, he knew he couldn’t take a break. The others wouldn’t and it would be unfair to them if he did.

He headed over to his couch with his phone and a bowl of popcorn in hand, ready to watch random movies the entirety of the day. He set down his phone on the coffee tables and grabbed the TV remote. When he turned on the TV, he almost dropped the popcorn and remote. You were sitting on a chair, giving an award winning smile while you politely answered the man’s questions. He was baffled. He didn’t know why you were being interviewed, let alone on TV at all! You made it clear you didn’t want to have any relations with your family any longer and you couldn’t stand publicity, so what were you doing?

He placed the bowl down and snatched his phone off the table. Unlocking his phone, he quickly dialed your phone number. However, he realized that the interview was live and that he would be interrupting it if he called you then. Deciding to wait, he placed his phone back down, picked up the bowl, and then got comfortable.

---

Tag list: @fake-id-69 @pepelachanel @loxbbg @what-0-life @yoongi-holland @omnivorousfangirl @cawcaw-pretty-thing @sexysamsungl @iceddonuts @buginetye @portrait-ninja @azazel-nyx @alculai

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Going Back Home

Summary: Claire never thought she would be back in the town she grew up in. But after her fiancé broke off their engagement, leaving her 5 months pregnant and alone she found herself calling Frankie Morales in the middle of the night, one of her childhood friends who insisted that she booked the next flight out. Trying to fix her life with a little help from her friends she would find out soon that going back would be the best decision she ever made.

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Claire Beck

wordcount: 3.1k

Warnings: more or less unplanned pregnancy, break up, mentions of sexual encounters

A/N: I am a weak weak person so here it is, a chaptered fic. I will try to update this weekly, but no promises. Rating will go up later. I'm attempting slow burn. Let's see how slow lol Let me know what you think. Reblogs are, as always, appreciated 💙

Masterlist

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Even Though most of her happiest memories were connected with this town, the town she spent most of her life in, Claire never thought she actually would be back here. And certainly not pregnant and all by herself.

It wasn’t that she had been unhappy here. Claire just always wanted something… bigger. Something more. Something exciting. After her parents died and most of her friends moved away, there was nothing holding her back. Well, that wasn’t true. Frankie and Santiago were there. But only when they weren’t overseas or god knows where, which left her with her dream of being a journalist in a small town where she had no chance to ever make it.

She still remembered Santi’s face when she announced that it was her turn to leave just before they were about to be gone for months again. She had gotten a job in New York and thought for days about what to do until she took the job. That was eight years ago and they hadn’t seen each other in person since then.

Yet when she called Frankie three days ago in tears, it was like no time had passed. She wanted to call Santiago first, but she knew him. If she had told him what happened to her he would have gotten into his car and gotten to her, no matter if it took 3 straight days. No, she had called Frankie. He had listened to her for hours until he made her promise to book the next flight out.

When the fuck did her life become such a shit show?

Only a week ago, she had the dream job, was engaged and 5 months pregnant.

Claire was happy. Until her fiance came back from a work trip and suddenly announced that he wanted nothing to do with the child and moved out within days, leaving her on her own. Not even his phone number was working and she wasn’t gonna show up at his work. She wasn’t that desperate. She should have seen it coming. John never planned to have kids. But when Clarie found out that she was pregnant he had already asked her to marry him and maybe he was too proud to end the engagement back then. Thinking back maybe this was the reason he stayed. Because a part of him wanted to spend his life with her. They didn’t fight. He just moved out, told her that he would take care financially of her and the child, but that he didn’t want to be a father.

The first days she was just numb. Trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with, left her while she was pregnant with a child they didn’t plan but that she loved without a doubt. That was what kept her going. Her little bean. Claire would do anything to protect her little girl.

The guys to this day called her bean. She found herself thinking more of them since John left. Even without seeing them in the last years, they still stayed in contact. Not a week went by where she didn’t receive a letter. They had a group chat that was only used when they were at home and the bachelor was on. Cause fuck did they all hate that show but they watched it anyways.

Claire was okay with the whole suddenly being on her own thing, until she felt her baby move for the first time and turned in her bed to wake her fiance, finding the side empty and cold. For one tiny moment, she had forgotten that she was alone in a city where she had only a couple of friends who were his friends rather than hers. She had always had a hard time finding friends. That probably wouldn’t change.

Sucking her bottom lip in, she rested one hand on her belly as she waited for her luggage to arrive. She slept almost through the entire flight. Claire had gotten rid of the last eight years of her life in the last 48 hours. She wanted to start fresh. She needed a fresh start. Even if she had no idea how to deal with all of this on her own.

A woman next to her helped her get her suitcases on the cart, noticing that Claire was on her own. Pushing the cart through security she saw Frankie as soon as the door opened and next to him Ben, Will and Santiago who all smiled at her, while she felt the first tears escaping her eyes.

She had met Ben and Will only a couple times, they were living an hour away, but they became part of the group immediately. Once upon a time her childhood best friend, Leah, was in that group too. Claire hadn’t thought of Leah in a long time. She had died in a car accident almost 12 years ago.

Arms pulled her in a warm embrace and even after years of not seeing each other for such a long time, she still noticed Frankie’s scent.

“We got you,” he whispered, kissing her hair. She sobbed once before she was pulled into Santi’s arms.

“Look at you,” he smiled before he looked down at her belly.

“And look at you?” he smiled and leaned down.

“Hello, this is your favorite Uncle speaking,” he winked, bending down to speak directly to her belly, making her chuckle.

“Oh please, we all know I’m gonna be the favorite, hey bean,” Will hugged her.

“Don’t listen to them baby girl, we know they're all gonna spoil you rotten,” she grinned, letting Ben kiss her cheek.

“So you’re staying?” Frankie asked and you nodded.

“I already called some realtors. I wanna get this over as quickly as possible. Already sold everything back in New York,” Claire said, looking at the two men who formed most of her teenage years.

“Okay. Let’s get you out of this airport first. You okay to stay with Frankie? He has the biggest house,” Santiago asked, pushing the cart as you slowly walked towards the exit with Ben’s arm around her shoulder.

“Uh… I don’t wanna impose. I could just take a room…”

“Fuck no. Stay at my place. It’s my Pa’s old ranch. I’m renovating it.”

“What? No way!” she said surprised but Frankie only nodded.

“Yeah after Liz and South America I needed something to keep me busy. Also needed more space for Elena,” he explained. A small smile sneaked to Claire’s face.

“I still can’t believe you’re a dad Frankie.”

“Can’t believe you gonna be a mom. Fuck we’re really adults now, huh?” he winked and Claire sighed.

“Certainly didn’t plan it that way. Or planned it at all,” she said sadly before she shook her head as if to get rid of the sad thoughts clouding her mind.

“I meant it, Claire. We got you. We are bored most times anyways.”

“Hey speak for yourself, Fish. I got a business,” Santi said.

“Yeah. Yeah. Me too. But after work you’re either drunk or after some pussy so?” Ben grinned, making her chuckle.

“So still no ladies in your life, boys?” Claire asked as they reached what definitely was Frankie’s truck. It had his company name on it. “Morales gardening”

“Nope. But now that you’re here we could finally….” Will started only for Claire to look away in disgust, making them all laugh.

“You ready to become a Daddy, Will?” she asked, her hands both on her belly.

“Uhm… of course?” he answered and she chuckled.

“That’s what I thought,” she patted his cheek.

“Come on. Let’s get you to bed. You must be exhausted,” Frankie said and opened the door for her.

“We’ll see you tomorrow for the BBQ,” they all waved. She waved back, letting Frankie help her inside before he closed the door behind her and hopped into the driver’s seat.

“BBQ?” she asked.

“Can’t blame the folks from wanting to welcome you, bean,” he winked.

“What folks?”

“Ya know. Folks. You gonna see,” he looked at Claire. He felt better now that she was here. Frankie had missed her these last years, the couple of calls throughout hadn’t nearly been enough. And when she called two days ago in tears… He would have gotten the chopper and flown over but he couldn’t risk it. He had to be on good behaviour to be able to keep seeing his daughter.

“I missed you, Francisco,” she whispered.

“Missed you too, Bean.”

The sun was already setting when Frankie drove down a familiar path. Claire had spent countless days on this ranch when she was younger.

“How is your Dad doing?” she asked softly and Frankie sighed as he killed the engine in front of the house.

“I fucking hate that I can’t take care of him on my own, but he’s hanging in there.”

“I’d like to visit him if you’re okay with that,” she reached over squeezing his hand and he looked at her with a small smile.

“I bet he would love that.”

“And I’m sure he would have wanted it this way, Francisco. You know your dad. He wouldn’t have wanted you to drop everything for him. Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she said quietly.

“Damn I really missed you Bean,” he shook his head.

“Missed you too,” she let her head fall against his shoulder.

Claire didn’t really have eyes for the house, all she wanted was to go to sleep.

“I finished the guest room this morning for you,” Frankie said, setting one of her suitcases down as he opened the door.

“Please tell me you didn’t work overnight to finish this,” she sighed looking at him. He was rubbing the back of his head, pulling the cap he was always wearing down and avoiding her eyes.

Knowingly she shook her head, but couldn’t help the smile sneaking to her face.

“I won’t say it. But please don’t touch the walls, they might still be wet,” he said and she chuckled.

“Okay. Bathroom is over there. The shower isn’t working yet but you’re welcome to use mine. Will is coming over to take a look and make this one work. Other than that if you need anything just ask. Until you found a place this is your home.”

“You really didn’t have to do this, Frankie,” she said quietly, feeling overwhelmed by all of this. So many things had changed in such a short amount of time for her and she only now seemed to realize that she was indeed about to be a single mom.

“I wanted to. You’re… You don’t deserve to be treated like this. So let us help you, okay?” he said softly and she nodded but avoided his eyes.

“Okay. Go to sleep. My room is down the hallway if you need anything,” he stepped closer, kissing her forehead and for one tiny moment, she felt like the 15 year old teenager again who was crushing on Frankie Morales.

“Good night, Francisco,” she smiled.

“Good night, bean,” he whispered before he turned around and closed the door behind him.

Claire looked around, in awe of the room, the bed looking so inviting to her. Sighing she walked over to the window, knowing she would be able to see the whole property during the day. Crossing her arms in front of her she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of nature that she had no idea she had missed living in the city for all these years. She felt a fluttering in her belly, her hand wandering down to feel a kick.

“We’ll be happy here, I promise,” she vowed, rubbing over her belly.

She didn’t want to disturb Frankie, even though she could hear the TV running so she just washed herself at the sink before she put her Pajamas on and sat down on the bed. She would unpack tomorrow. For now she had to sleep.

The sun wasn’t even up when Claire woke up. She turned in bed, propping herself up so she could look out the window and watch the sunrise. She had to make a plan. A plan that included finding a house, a doctor and help. Though help would be her smallest problem. She already looked at houses in the area and it didn’t look good. If she had more time she would buy the house just down this road, but there was no way the house would be ready before her due date. She would ask Santi for help. He had a lot of connections through his business. Though Frankie too. Claire knew that he had a little gardening company since he lost his pilot’s license. He never really talked about it, but then again, they didn’t talk that much. She knew that he had some problems with drugs in the past, but that he has been clean for almost two years and was doing better. She also knew that there was a lot more to this story then he had told her. Maybe they would have time to talk. To really talk. Groaning to herself, her quiet and peaceful morning was interrupted by her bladder. Time to start the day.

For a minute she wondered if she could risk sneaking into Frankie’s room to take a shower when she heard music playing. Grabbing her bathrobe and toiletries she opened the door and walked down. Now being really awake she had time to take in the house. It seemed like there still was a lot to do. The walls were still unpainted, the floors still old, though she could see he already started with the floor the closer she got to the kitchen.

Frankie was sitting at the kitchen island, a cup of coffee in front of him as the radio quietly played in the background. He had a serious case of bed hair and she smiled to herself. He hadn’t noticed her yet and she found herself thinking back to all the times she had thought that maybe there was something more in between them than friendship. And maybe there was at one point a long time ago. But that was before he joined the military. She might be selfish for it, but she couldn’t be in a relationship where her partner was gone all the time. She needed someone to be there. Even Though there had been times in the past she had found herself asking if maybe she should have risked it.

Instead she had slept with Santiago.

Yeah, that was a big fuck up. Well it was also a pretty good fuck but it was just once and they definitely were better off as friends. She still didn’t know if Frankie knew. Not that she had to explain herself. Frankie always knew what effect he had on the women around him, and he sure as hell took advantage of it. And now she felt nothing more than love for him. As a friend, nothing more.

“Good Morning,” she said quietly and Frankie turned his head, yawning at her.

Chuckling she walked over taking in the kitchen, setting her toiletries down.

“You weren’t kidding when you say you were still renovating,” she sat down next to him. He got up from his seat walking over to fix her a mug of tea.

“Still hooked on Strawberry tea, I hope?” he asked and she nodded, surprised that he remembered.

“Yeah. Though the kitchen and living room are supposed to be finished by the end of next week. So sorry for the noise in the next couple days,” he walked over and set down the mug of tea in front of her.

“Hey it’s your house. I’m just thankful you let me stay.”

“Of course. Couldn’t let you stay in the dumpster motel in this town,” he winked. She took a sip of the tea and it was perfect.

“So what are you planning for today?” he asked.

“I probably should start looking into houses. I’m kind of on a timetable here,” she rested one hand on her belly and Frankie followed her movement.

“Yeah. I think Pope already called someone for some houses. It’s not looking good.”

“Yeah I thought so. Everything I found on the internet was in really bad shape,” she sighed.

“It’s gonna work out. And if you don’t find something, you’re welcome to stay. The place is big enough,” he shrugged and Claire laughed quietly.

“Yeah I bet you can’t wait to live with a hormonal pregnant woman and then with a newborn,” she joked.

“I lived with Pope. Nothing can be worse and…”

“And?” she asked.

“I already lived with a hormonal pregnant woman. It’s not that bad,” he shrugged with a small smile. She looked at him with a small smile on her face.

“You say that now. Wait till I’m craving your mug cake at 3am now that I’m living with you,” she joked. Frankie laughed.

“Wow I haven’t had one of those in at least 10 years.”

“Well then it’s about time.”

“Yeah,” he sighed, looking at Claire. She looked more relaxed today, like she had a good night’s sleep and he was thankful he put in an overnight to finish the guest room for her. She deserved to relax. When she told him that she not only was pregnant but dumped by her fiance Frankie was furious, yet at the same time he already decided that he would take care of her and help her with everything she needed. It was the least he could do.

Even though they grew apart in the last years, she still was one of his best friends.

“Okay. I’m gonna go take a shower. I got to drive out to check on a project. You gonna be okay here for a while?” Frankie asked. Claire nodded, grabbing her mug of tea.

“Just tell me when you’re going out so I can take a shower,” she said.

“Thank you, Frankie,” she whispered when she stopped next to him and softly kissed his cheek, before she walked down the hallway. Frankie looked after her with a soft smile before he got up to get ready to head out.

Next chapter

[nepenthendline]

Taking care of his hair - Asahi

What I would do to play with Asahi’s hair ugh I love him also I did this as like washing his hair and stuff because honestly that’s one of my favourite forms of intimacy lol also some proper haircare for asahi with a diffuser because my boy does not deserve to be treated poorly with a normal hair dryer on those stunning waves ok

I got a lil carried away with this...

Request: Hello darling, could I please request some fluffy Asahi ? Just him with super long hair wanting his S/O to play with it. That’s the only idea that I have because that big boy has some really pretty hair, so other than that you can take it in any direction if you wish to fulfill this request. If not, then no worries! I hope you have a great day/afternoon/night! <3

Asahi:

Things had been a little tough between you and Asahi recently. You didn’t have any problems with each other, it’s just both of your lives had been so busy recently that there was never any time to spend together. Asahi was up early and came back late into the night, or sometimes not at all, as he was in the last stages of preparation for a new collection, and you had been working countless back-to-back shifts at your workplace that often has the opposite hours as him. 

With the brief moments you spent together, like the gentle kiss he’d press on your forehead as he crawled into bed at 2am, or the coffee that would get passed to you as you head out of the door, you could tell he was slowly crumbling under the pressure. Not even his glasses could hide the darkness under his eyes, you rarely saw him smiling and there was always a sigh that followed when he returned home from the studio. It wasn’t unusual for Asahi to get too caught up in doing well and finishing things properly that he neglected his own health, something both of you had been trying to improve, and sometimes he needed your guidance to remind him and work on himself.

You had one of your rare days off where most of your time was spent either sleeping, watching TV or tidying around the house that hadn’t been touched in the past week. Asahi had left early in the morning to work, although you had slept through his alarms and exit due to exhaustion, only knowing of his whereabouts from the text he sent you. 

You were laying on the sofa under a thick blanket, absently watching a show when you heard the door unlock, swinging open to reveal your boyfriend trudging in with a large case. Strands of his hair fell over his eyes as the bun has begun to loosen, trailing down to the frown on his lips. 

“You’re back early,” you notice, leaning your head against the back of the sofa as you offered him a lazy smile. 

“Yeah, we’re still waiting for some materials to be delivered so there’s nothing else we could finish today,” his voice was low and strained as he set down his case and removed his jacket, lifting a hand to his face to brush away the stray locks. Slowly, he made his way over to the sofa, lifting up your legs before collapsing into the spot as you lay across him. His eyes closed immediately as he took a deep breath, letting his body relax for the first time in a while. 

You gazed over his features, noticing how much he’s grown over the past few years. The scruff on his chin had gotten thicker and trailed around his whole jaw that had become sharper, partly because of growing up and partly from the stress that had been causing him to eat less than usual. The round glasses that were a new staple for him since high school did little to cover his dark brows that often seemed so gentle. Many years had been working on growing the long, brown mane of his too. 

You leaned forward and, gently, unravelled his hair from the elastic, letting it sit on your wrist, and ran your fingers through, working to tame the unruly waves. You had always been jealous of his hair; it was always so thick and shiny since he invested in taking good care of it, and each little wave formed beautifully, mesmerising you whenever you’d twirl a strand around your finger. But things were a little different now. You could tell from the way it tangled together and the roughness that ran along your fingers that he hadn’t been looking after himself. 

Swinging you legs down, you padded off to the bathroom and began running a hot bath, adding some scented salts that you both kept lying around. Making your way back to the living room, you stood behind the sofa, bending down to take off his glasses and place a kiss on his cheek. 

“Let’s get you a bath,” you murmur, digging your fingertips into his scalp to relieve the pressure. He simply let out a whine as he settled into your touch, making you chuckle. “Come on, I’ll wash your hair.” With that, he opened his eyes, which were still so beautiful even with the dullness that lingered. 

Holding his hand, you helped him into the bathroom and let him strip himself of his clothes as you tested the water temperature. He let out a deep breath as the water submerged him, forcing his muscles to unwind. You kneeled down on the floor besides the bath with one hand in the water brushing circles over his arm as he lay his head back. You both sat in silence for a while as he let the heat relax him.

“Are you ready for me to wash your hair?” You ask, and with a nod in response, you grab the shower head and turned on the water, running it under your hand before settling on the temperature. Asahi sat up, leaning forward ready for you as you started wetting his hair, running your fingers through to get every strand wet. 

Shutting off the water and dispensing some shampoo onto your hand, you lathered up hair hair, pressing your fingertips into his scalp in circular motions, an as he let out the occasional sleepy sigh. After rinsing out the suds, you separated his hair into sections, covering each part in conditioner. The moisture allowed you to run your fingers through, combing out each and every tangle with ease. Taking the previously stolen hairband from your wrist, you tied up his hair in a bun, before laying him back down. As the conditioner soaked in, you washed down his body, rubbing at his muscles and joints to soothe him. Once the conditioner was rinsed out, you helped him out of the bath, wrapping a towel around his waist and pulling him over to your bedroom.

“Sit down on the edge, I’ll be back in a moment,” you request as you run off again, grabbing another towel and some products before entering again. Hopping into the bed, you kneeled behind him and wrapped the towel around his hair, squeezing the excess water out, before taking a wide comb and, delicately, raked through the locks, pressing a kiss on his shoulder. 

Scooping up some leave-in treatment from a tub, you rubbed it between your hands before running it through his hair, smiling to yourself as you saw his shoulders dip and relax. His loose curls already started forming as you twisted and twirled them in your hands, scrunching them upwards and watching as they bounced back.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” he almost whispered, but his deep voice vibrated through his body nonetheless, as you brought the leftover product to his roots and massaged his head.

“That’s what I’m here for, my love,” you pecked his temple, then stood up once more to plug in the hair dryer, attaching the diffuser, before returning and getting to work. 

The light bounced off the rich colour, showing every little highlight and shadow in his curving hair. The strands felt like warm silk as your hands burrowed in it; the softness was so enticing and addictive. Switching off the hair dryer and placing it down, you let your hands run through his hair once more, before tapping him on the shoulder.

“All done,’ you announced in a soft voice, gazing as he lifted a hand to touch your work, combing his fingers through. 

“It’s gotten so long,” he followed the strands down to their ends, travelling to just below his chest. You couldn’t exactly decipher the look on his face. Hesitant? Content? Reflecting? Maybe all three. After all, the growing of his hair had been one of the only constants in his life since the beginning of high school.

“It’s beautiful,” you reply, taking the strand and tucking it behind his ear, “just like you.”

[themilky-way]

when morning comes

gif credit: a7estrellas

pairing: din djarin/the mandalorian x reader

summary: din wakes up to you making breakfast, and the both of you share a moment

warnings: heat, stoves, a brief mention of burns, like one bad language word and the ending insinuates a smooch with this mf lmao

author’s note: pancakes don’t exist in this universe but they do now, you’re welcome lol

-----------

din’s morning had begun like it usually did. he’d woken up to a soft patch of light entering through his window, a small square of glass that wasn’t of much use. the sun was warmer than he’d ever felt it and for once in his life, he wanted to feel more of it.

 his armor awaited him on a stool adjacent to his bed that wasn’t really a bed, just a lumpy, rigid mattress that barely accommodated his posture. he sat up and dangled his feet for a while to regain his composure, since one of his many traits was being overly dizzy when he didn’t need to be. for example, he’d be in the middle of a quarrel when vertigo would strike him as fast as he could blink and without warning. he told himself that if he got it over with first thing in the morning, it wouldn’t come back to bite him in the future. so far it wasn’t working. 

slowly but surely, the mandalorian got dressed; pieces of his bare skin began to disappear like it meant nothing. cold metal replaced his natural warmth with ease. if he didn’t stop mid-plate to sit down again, it’d only take him a few minutes to complete his day-to-day look. today he’d done exactly that; his helmet and boots the only accessories yet to be placed on his form. when he did so, he pondered for a while about scattered topics and couldn’t quite settle on one. morning thinking had become a ritual of some sort, allowing the earnest man to diminish his ego. 

din almost missed the odd scent that flew by his nose. it was unlike anything he knew of: sweet and succulent with maker knows what other things. he was sure that whatever it was, it included a variety of spices. cinnamon and nutmeg mingled in the air of his dorm and played around him like children in a field of flowers. he was determined to keep the aroma inside for as long as possible, so he stood up to close the latch of his window. his helmet slipped over his head in an instant, eagerly almost, as if the faster he finished his routine, the sooner he could taste whatever it was he smelled. 

as he exited the cot, din’s steps were cautiously light against the metal of his ship. one of the last things he wanted to do was alarm the head chef into creating a spill or fire. the kitchen was compact and in a corner that needed to be rigorously searched for to find it. it wasn’t far, only a few feet away from where he had initially started his walk but his boots were heavy and unnecessarily noisy unless he was careful. 

he came to a halt at the entrance, a shoulder coming to rest against the doorframe. his arms were now crossed, not in a displeased way but more of surprise. the concoction of flavors were more prominent now than they’d been in his room, and he slowly breathed them in again. 

the rustling of pots and pans became clearer now as he stood there, and the person behind the apparent noise was too caught up in their task. they were rushing from one corner of the tiny kitchen to the other all while flipping some weird, round discs on a skillet. they were golden brown when they flipped them, and din took the abundance of bubbles popping on their surface as a sign that attention was needed. his eyes moved to scan another scene: his unofficial shipmate was occupied feeding the little greenling at the foot of the table. his hardly incoming set of teeth nibbled on a piece of the cooked bread, cooing with satisfaction at the sugary flavor. it stopped mid-bite after a few seconds, its big, rounded eyes flicking up towards the stove, then back to its (adoptive) dad.  

“you should probably take a look at the...cakes?” din finally asked you after a cloud of smoke started to form above them.

with a minor jump, you turned to face the man behind the inquiry before catching a glimpse at what he meant. you quickly made your way over and input the code to shut off the heat, brief curses leaving your mouth the entire time. “oh, kriff!” you exclaimed, “does this thing even work right-shit!”

“it hasn’t been used in ages. are you alright?” he moved into the tiny kitchen and motioned to your now burned skin. your pinky, instead of being its natural hue, was now bright red from its top edge to the bottom. from the ground, the baby made a sound of grievance and started to shuffle in your direction, its tiny hands reaching up when he finally reached you. din watched as you scooped him up with your good hand and into your arm, and he watched as you laughed lightly at the child’s reaction. 

intently watching the interaction, he failed to notice when your gaze fell upon him and observed his stance-stuck between coming to your aid or staying still. “i’m fine, it was just a small sting,” you clarified. it was hard to tell his expression with his face covered, but the way he tipped his helmet to one side prompted you to continue. “i promise it doesn’t even hurt anymore. watch,” you extended your hand outward for the mandalorian to examine, the other still holding a very lively baby. 

din’s gloved palm now supported yours from underneath and didn’t make haste in observing the abrasion. the fingers of his free hand grabbed your pinky and inspected the affected area. you recoiled immediately at the pain, slipping your hand away from his grip.

“you’re not a very decent liar,” he joked.

you shrugged, “i don’t like to worry you, that’s all.” the child was now on the floor again after you turned to collect the pancakes that remained edible, placing two on one plate and four on another. “i made you some breakfast, though i’m not..quite sure how to describe it,” you smiled. 

“i’ve got time,” he reached behind you to take the smaller portion, then walked to the table and pulled a chair out for him to sit. “what’s the honey for?” 

“oh, you drizzle that over these,” you pointed to the semi-charred discs. “they’re just cakes, and the syrup helps make them sweet.” 

before din could acknowledge what you had just said, and before he could even grab his fork, you switched his plate. now, he had four instead of two. he looked down for a few seconds, and then back up at you. 

“you need your strength, din’ika.” 

“i’m already strong.” 

“yes, but that doesn’t mean you should eat less,” you pointed out. 

he sighed, knowing full well that his reasoning matched yours to begin with and swallowed a rebuttal. he wished you could see the look of gratitude forming underneath his headgear, and he was about to show you until he realized he morally couldn’t, but the swift impulse to do so was too intriguing to let it slip, the urge too enthralling to not go through with it all. 

and you recognized his compulsion, you really did, yet you respected him in the same way he respected his creed. the only option, in the meantime, was to eat in differing rooms as you’ve previously done. 

“tell me if you like it,” you said at the doorway, your own plate with a jar of the same honey in hand. 

perhaps he was too captivated by the way his son waddled over to grip your other thumb as you left. it might’ve been the warmth of your skin still ingrained into his, or how he felt after he realized you’ve done all of this for him. 

a faint thud fell upon the ambiance when his helmet came off, followed by the squeaks of the cutlery scraping against the glass. the taste of honey mingled with the buttery cake in his mouth when he took his first bite, and faded after he took his last. he newly sensed it when din blurred your vision with a dark cloth, and it flowed into him once more when your taste danced on his tongue. 

and he simply couldn’t get enough.

[stevesharrlngtons]

picking out the stitches.

roman godfrey x reader 

summary: after letha’s death; peter’s departure; shelley’s disappearance; and a brutal fight with subsequent break up with roman; you escape to the empire state for college and a fresh start. though, after thinking you have been given the space to move on with your life, your father’s unexpected death sends you back to hemlock grove. there, you are forced to confront the reason for your pained departure.

word count: 14.1k (oopies)

warning: mentions of an abusive father

a/n: this is a long bitch, with a possible part two (?) if this is enjoyed by you all! (: i hope the length of this makes up for it taking so long lol. also prob ooc roman bc i love him just being soft 

please if you read this and like it, know that feedback is greatly appreciated and i’d love to hear any thoughts you have!! also im bad at editing 

Tuna, turkey and swiss, BLT. 

No option offered sounded particularly tasty. You had come in search of egg salad sandwich, a surprising delicacy from the Hemlock Grove Grocery Deli that you had been craving since your departure months ago. It felt like comfort food, a way to make being back in town bearable. 

But the stockboys seemed to be sending you a message: there was no good reason to be back in town, and no sandwich was going to remedy your pain. 

“(Y/N)?” 

You flinched at the sound of your name as sweat prickled the back of your neck. The last fucking thing you wanted was to be recognized the second you got back into town. Being forced to interact with any of the waspy bitches or rednecks that attended your high school, especially now, seemed like a personal affront punishable with only your meanest of glares and most backhanded of compliments. 

But, who you found had called your name was not only a surprise, but a pleasant one. Not a bitch or mouth breather in sight. 

“Peter?” Your eyebrows perked up as you said his name, no doubt unable to hide your complete shock at his sudden appearance. 

“In the flesh.” He smiled. That same boyish smile that he always gave especially when you needed to see it. 

Your body worked on it’s own violation as you shot yourself at him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He thankfully returned the gesture, gripping the fabric of your dress in his fingers to keep you close. Peter pressed his nose to your temple and you buried yourself deep into the crook of his neck. It wasn’t until a voice cleared behind you that the two of you pulled apart. 

“Excuse me,” A man holding a wire basket interpreted, seeming less than pleased to have been forced to witness your reunion. 

“Sure, after you, sir.” Peter said, theatrically waving the man past. 

“Stupid fucker, couldn’t even go through another aisle.” He watched the man leave with a scowl.

“Shut up about inconiquestional people and tell me what the hell you’re doing back in town!” You said with a wide smile while slapping his chest playfully. 

“I think that’s a better question suited for me to you, don’t you think? Last I heard you fucked off to N-Y-C.” Peter said, leaning against the display of sandwiches. 

“Yeah? And who told you that?” 

“Destiny.” 

You smirked and rested your shoulder against the display, “She’s got a big mouth.” 

“Big mouth? Who cares if she does! New York is a big deal. NYU, even bigger.” 

You roll your eyes at the compliment. 

“Hey, no, I’m serious! You always were the scholar out of us. Fucking valedictorian while Roman and I barely managed C’s.” He continued. 

At the mention of Roman, you sucked in a sharp breath through your nose, eyes breaking from Peter’s only long enough for him to see your pain at his name. 

“You still haven't answered my question, you know?” You said, trying to seamlessly change the subject, fiddling with the ends of your hair to keep your hands busy. 

“Yeah, well, it isn’t a happy answer.” 

“Enlighten me anyway.” 

Peter gives a heaving sigh, a signature of his, “Lynda got pinched for some shit and was transferred out here... I followed.” 

Your heart sank. Lynda had always been exponentially kind and understanding. To you, Shelley and even Roman. 

“Shit, Peter. I’m so sorry. How’re you holding up?” You placed a comforting hand on his forearm. 

“As well as I can given the circumstances. I’m staying with D, so at least that’s good.” He gives a forced smile. 

“I’m glad you’re with family at a time like this.” You drop your hand and slouch against the display, matching his relaxed posture. 

There was a brief pause between the two of you, before Peter spoke again. 

“Usually, when one party enlightens the other, they are obligated to do the same.” He leans in ever so slightly to emphasize his point. 

“That is usually the deal, yes.” 

“So?”

“My dad croaked a few days ago. Heart attack.” 

“Holy shit, (Y/N/N),” Peter interrupted, face falling into a concerned frown. 

“No, no. It’s fine. He was a piece of shit,” You shrug. 

“Still, he was your dad.” 

“Yeah, he was my dad who hit me and my mom and loved booze more than either of us.” 

“He still was your dad, (Y/N).” He reiterated. 

You purse your lips and sigh.

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I have to be all fucking weepy about the whole thing.” You say, grabbing a turkey and swiss from the display and pushing off to walk toward the register. 

“No one said you had to be,” Peter appealed as he followed behind you, “But don’t let everything get all clogged up in there.” 

He motioned to his chest and you roll your eyes, setting your sandwich on the conveyor belt for the cashier. 

“I promise you, the moment he is six feet under I will let all my emotions out. Mainly rejoice and relief.” You sent Peter a smile as your sandwich rang up. 

“Four forty, even.”

You reach into your purse, but Peter beats you to it. He hands the cashier a crumpled up five dollar bill. 

You give him a glare, “You didn’t have to do that.” 

“Of course I did. It’s gonna be my lunch too.” He snatched the sandwich from the bagging area and saunters to the exit, leaving you to gather the nickels and dimes. 

Parked in a gravel parking lot looking over the lake, you and Peter sat in the cab of his tow truck. Both eating a half of the mediocre turkey and swiss while sharing a warm cherry Coke from the center console in silence. After a brief session of catch up on your lives over the past few months, you were both happy enough to just sit quietly in each other's company. Simply enjoying the comfort of being in the presence of someone you love. 

“You ever hear from him?” Peter spoke up, mouth full of bread and slimy meat. 

“Who?” You at least have the decency to cover your mouth as you spoke. 

“You know who. Don’t make me say his name, you got all squirly last time.” 

You sighed as you finish chewing the food in your mouth, savoring what you could of the cheap flavors as you avoided Peter’s gaze. Once you swallowed, you took a long gulp from the Coke can before answering. 

“No. He’s been out of my life since that night. Really prefer to keep it that way, too.” You replied clippedly, not wanting to talk about him any more than necessary. 

Peter belows a raspberry in response. 

You looked over to glare at him, “What?” 

“I just find that hard to believe.”

“That I don’t want to see the man who broke my heart?” You snap. 

“No, that Roman has been able to keep his distance from you.” 

“I thought we weren’t saying his name.” You abruptly look away and out the windshield once more. 

“Apologies.”

“You don’t have to sound so sincere about it.” You scoff. 

“What happened between you two, anyway? Before I left I could practically hear wedding bells.” 

“Destiny didn’t tell you?” You press your lips together firmly, hoping Destiny had just made up a lie on your behalf to tell her cousin. 

“All she said was that you and Roman supposedly got into this huge fight and you left a few days after. Nothing more, nothing less.” He explained. 

“Yeah, well huge fight is an understatement.” 

“Then what happened?” 

You sigh deeply, reclining against the headrest and wrapping your arms around your middle for some misplaced search for security. 

“It happened a few days after you skipped town. It was his birthday…” 

Music echoed around you as you placed gentle kisses along the expanse of Roman’s neck. You ran your fingers through his hair gently, collecting grease and pomade on your fingertips and under your nails as you did. He had an arm securing you tightly to his side, the other had been holding you too, but he had retrieved it to light a cigarette. 

After the traumatic week you two had undergone, you didn’t fight Roman much when he insisted all he wanted to do for his eighteenth birthday was drink, watch a movie and have you sleep over. You were happy he at least let you buy him a cupcake to commemorate the day, but wouldn’t see to any more festivities. He told you that now more than ever wasn’t a time to be merry. You didn’t blame him, no matter how much you wanted to celebrate him today. 

So, you let him share his birthday cupcake with you in the bottom of an empty swimming pool and hold you in an uncomfortable lounge chair for as long as he wanted. Fortunately, this was as calm as you’d seen him in days and you hoped that continued; at least until midnight. 

Roman lulled his head on top of yours and placed his hand on your hip, making sure every part of you that could be touching was. 

The sound of a door opening resounded in the distance and the distinct tap of heels on tile followed. You felt Roman deflate next to you as you both recognized who the sound belonged to. 

In sauntered Olivia, in a beautiful floor length gown with a sparkler in hand, painting patterns in the dark with the fire illuminating her wicked smile. 

“Happy Birthday, my darling.” She chimed, looking down at the both of you. 

You and Roman both shifted under her unwelcome gaze, neither responding. You turned further into Roman’s neck and you felt his fingers press harder into the flesh of your hip. 

“It can’t be a party with just the two of you, can it?” Olivia said, dropping the sparkler to lay by her side. 

“Well, three’s a crowd. So if you’ll excuse us.” Roman waved his hand that held his cigarette dismissively.

“One is the loneliest number, but two can be just as bad.” Olivia replied in a musical lit. 

Again, neither of you respond. You busy yourself fiddling with the collar of Roman’s tank top.

“(Y/N), darling, you do look beautiful tonight.” She turns her attention to you after the silence she received. Something Olivia knew Roman disapproved of her doing. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Godfrey.” You reply politely, glancing at her briefly before going back to Roman’s shirt. 

“Is that the dress Roman bought you some time back? I remember hearing you tell Shelley about it over dinner.” Olivia continued. 

“What is it that you want, again?” Roman snapped, making you flinch at his volume increase. 

“I have a surprise for you. In the attic.” She gestured using what’s left of the dying sparkler at the ceiling. 

“Can’t it wait?” Roman said, wholly disinterested. 

“No, it cannot, Roman. It is your birthday surprise and I would like to give it to you now.” Her voice became more stern by the word. 

Roman moves to look at you and you do the same. His eyes are inviting you to a conversation Olivia isn’t privy too. An almost psychic communication you’ve had together since the day you first met. 

Do we go with her? Or wait her out until she leaves? 

Just see what she wants. Once she’s shown you we can get back to doing whatever you want. 

Roman pursed his lips before letting out a dramatic sigh, “Fine.” 

He got up from the chair before offering you his hand to help you up. 

Olivia watched as you both climb the ladder out of the empty pool and onto the landing. 

“Let’s get this over with.” Roman gave his mother a firm glare. 

He placed a hand on the small of your back and started for the door when Olivia stopped him. 

“I’m afraid, this gift is for Godfrey eyes only.” She looked at you with weakly masked distaste. 

You felt Roman’s fingers once again probe into your skin, “She is a Godfrey.” 

“Not in name or blood.”

“But she will be so it doesn’t matter.” Roman retorted, harshly. 

This wasn’t the first time he had alluded to your future together, and at the time, you didn’t think it would be the last. 

“Well, she isn’t yet, is she? When she is, then she will be welcome to engage in all Godfrey birthday present exchanges.” Olivia sneered.

“There is nothing you could show me that she can’t-” You placed a gentle hand on Roman’s chest before he could continue. 

This fight certainly wasn’t worth it. Especially not over a fucking birthday present. 

“It’s fine. I’ll wait in your room.” You offered. 

“Off the premise.” Olivia chimed in curtly. 

“Excuse me?” Roman spat. 

“(Y/N) can go home and see you tomorrow. This gift needs much explanation and discussion.” 

“This is beyond fucking ridiculous!” 

“Ro, it’s OK. I’ll see you tomorrow.” You smile up at him. 

You didn’t want to leave him. Not now, not ever, but never with Olivia. 

“I’ll see you later tonight.” Roman stressed.

“Tomorrow would be-” 

“Let’s just call it a see-you-soon, then?” You cut off Olivia, never taking your eyes off Roman. 

He just tightens his jaw, so tight you’re afraid he might crack a filling. But he nods. 

“Fine. I’ll call you.” He says. And he says it with such sincerity that you know without a doubt he will, “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He kisses your forehead and you kiss his cheek, not overly keen on giving him the proper goodbye kiss you wanted to infront of Olivia. As you walk away, you spare Olivia a last glance and the look on her smug face is one so self satisfied it made your stomach churn. 

Roman never called you that night, or even the next morning. The calls you gave him were left unanswered; texts and voicemails the same. 

You would have called Peter, Shelley or Letha to see if they’d heard from Roman at a time like this, but all were depressingly dead ends. 

Under the circumstances that you left under the night before, you took it upon yourself to drive to the Godfrey residence and find out what the hell was going on yourself. You didn’t trust Olivia as far as you could throw her, and you didn’t put any heinous act past her. 

Your worry beat out any common sense you had to stay away and wait for Roman to come to you. 

When you arrived and knocked on the door, several times to be exact, it seemed no one was home. Though, both cars were in the driveway and you knew neither Roman or Olivia would take a cab anywhere. With balled fists you slammed against the wood of the door, kicking your foot against it as well for good measure. You had been in your knocking rhythm so long, when the door finally opened you stumbled forward. 

You caught yourself on the knob and looked up to see who answered. 

Roman stood above you with expressionless features and down turned lips. 

“What?” He asked. 

“Don’t ‘what’ me! ‘What’ you! You never called and you haven’t been answering.” You said, straightening yourself out. 

“You’re not my fucking keeper,” Roman scoffed and turned his back to walk down the hallway. 

Your face screwed up in confusion as you stepped over the threshold into the mansion and slammed the door, then followed him through the house. 

“Excuse me? What is up with you?” You exclaimed. 

Roman had stopped in the kitchen, rummaging through the refrigerator while trying his best to seem unbothered with tense shoulders. 

“Nothing is up. I just didn’t want to call you.” He spoke into the crisper drawer. 

“Since when?” 

“Since now.” 

“What the fuck did Olivia show you? Must have been really messed up for you to be acting like this.” You let a humorless laugh through your nose. 

“Or maybe I was just happy to be rid of you and now that you’re back, I am pissed.” He slammed the door to the fridge, its contents rattling inside. 

Your surprised expression hadn’t wavered as Roman glared at you, his eyes dull and unfamiliar. 

“Ok, so, yesterday you’re talking about marrying me, and today I am some parasite you’re happy to be rid of? Is that right?” You took a step toward him. 

“I was never going to marry you, you delusional whore.” His first real hit, chipping away at your weak armour. The armour he had weakened himself with his love and care for years. 

“If I’m whore, I’d hate to know what that makes you.” You spat. 

“It makes me the fucking billionaire who mistakenly kept around some boring girl with a mediocre cunt.” His second hit. 

“Wow. You’re right, Roman. I am a whore, but I must be an idiot too! To stay with such a man who calls my pussy mediocre when he can’t even fuck me right.” You provoked. 

“Fuck you.” 

“Yeah? Why don’t you? Because for as long as I can remember I’ve been faking my orgasms just to get your pathetic little prick out of me. Is that why you cry after Roman? Because you know about that weak excuse of a dick between your legs?” 

You were being cruel and frankly, spinning lies. But he was hurting you and you wanted to hurt him back. 

“No, I cry thinking about all the other guys you let between your legs. Maybe that’s why daddy hits you, huh? Hoping that one day he hits you hard enough to rattle that whore brain so hard it kills you? So he won’t have to live with the shame? Or maybe he hopes if he hits you enough you’ll finally drop to your knees and show him that head everyone in town talks about.” The last hit, and the one that broke you. 

You close the last few steps between you and strike him as hard as you can muster across the face, cranking Roman’s head to the side with the impact. The slap rings loudly through the room, so do your sniffles. 

“How can you be so cruel? How could you ever say that to me?” You scream through tears. 

“Just speaking the truth.” Roman said smoothly, his head still rotated. 

“What is going on with you? What happened last night?” 

“I came to my senses, that’s what happened. I realized that I was sick of wasting all my time on a miserable little bitch when I could be out fucking real women.” He says through gritted teeth, “Real women who don’t need so much tedious validation from me.” 

“Are you done?” You snapped, your throat thick with tears. 

“With you. Yes.” 

You couldn’t think of anything else to say. Malicious words spun in your head, ready to fire off your tongue and tear him apart, but you knew you would never be able to get them out in one piece. You would stutter and sob and shake and it would give Roman even more satisfaction at seeing you crumble. So, you turned on your heel as fast as you could, holding your hand over your mouth to silence your cries and fled the Godfrey home. 

“Shee-it.” Peter said, looking sick. 

“Shee-it, indeed.” You nod. 

“So, that was it?” 

“That was it. I was there barely five minutes when it was all said and done… then I went home, cried my stupid eyes out and packed my shit. It was always the plan for me to do online courses and stay here with him, but, y’know, things changed... So, I left.” 

“I know that feeling.” Peter says, giving the river a thousand mile stare. 

“I know you do. Let’s not forget you abandoned me, too.” You said, far more harshly than intended. The topic of the break up having brought old wounds to the surface. 

A pained expression crossed his face, “(Y/N)... Fuck, I’m sorry. I am. I just… after Letha,” 

“You don’t have to explain. I’m sorry I snapped. I forgave you the minute you left, for the most part, anyway.” You shrugged. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” You sigh and look over at him, “If I had been in your shoes I would have hightailed it the second I could have.” 

He offers you a sad smile, “But you needed me, and I left.” 

“It’s really OK. Because you’re here now. And it all worked out.” 

“New York that good, then?” 

“Better than good. I’m alone and broke-.” 

“And that’s better than good?” He chuckles.

“Surprisingly, yeah. I’m learning and figuring things out on my own. I’m finding things that make me happy without having to worry about anything else. It’s just nice.” You smile as you speak. 

“That makes me happy. Man, it really does. All I ever wanted for you was happiness. I thought I had left you with the silver you had left of it.” Peter says, resting his temple to the head rest. 

“You did what you had too and so did I. I’m sure Roman did too, in his own twisted way,” You reply, “I don’t want to focus on the past anymore. I am purley looking forward to the future from now on.” 

Peter dropped you off at home after hours of milling around the streets of Hemlock Grove in his truck. You kept asking if he had to go back to work, but he would dismiss your concern each time. Telling you that he was spending time with you and he’d worry about towing later. As much as you knew you should pressure him to take you home, you were happy for the company, especially when that company was Peter. 

His reappearance in your life was unexpected, but wholly accepted and appreciated. You didn’t know the next time you’d be able to see him again, so you were going to enjoy his companionship while you had it. 

Hopping out of the truck and brushing residual crumbs from the turkey sandwich from your dress, you shut the door. The window rolled down and Peter leaned over the console to look at you.   

“Don’t be a stranger.” He smiles at you and you can’t help but return it. 

“Never again.” 

“If you have time, come by Destiny’s before you head back up north. I know she’d love to have dinner.” He proposes and your smile widens. 

“I’d love that, I’ll keep you posted.” You start to back up toward your front door. 

“And let me know if you need anything, anything at all. I know losing someone is tough.” His smile falls slightly as the funeral is mentioned again. 

You knew Peter was worried about you and he had good intentions, but he didn’t know your father like you did. You were going to this thing for appearances and to make your grandmother happy, if you had had a choice you would have rather stayed at school. 

“Got it. Thank you, Peter.” 

You wave him off and you watch as he double takes to look at you until he is out of sight, only then did you enter your house. 

The house isn’t much and it wasn’t the home you grew up in. When your mother finally left your father, she promptly moved you both into a smaller place on the west side of Hemlock Grove that was better suited for your new family dynamic. 

It was a dated burgundy one story, with bland beige carpets and no overhead lighting in the bedrooms, but with two bathrooms. That was helpful down the line when your mother began dating again and her multiple suitors would stay for weeks at a time. You never wanted to be alone with any of them, so that meant crossing the boundary into her room to use the en suite was always out of the question. 

Your bedroom was somewhere you always found solace and comfort, even now it felt more like home than anywhere in the world. It had a small excuse of a bay window that looked out over a small and shallow creek. One of your mother’s more involved boyfriends had built you a window bench years before underneath it, upholstered in red velvet. You had run your fingers over the soft fabric so many times, certain places were now rubbed raw and threadbear. 

Roman used to sit on your bed while you sat on the bench, reading to him from a litany of novels, some for pleasure and some for assignments. He’d look at you and tell you the light from the window haloed you like an angel. You’d tell him he was just talking out of his ass to get you to stop reading and fool around. Then Roman would smirk and shrug, like he wasn’t sure who was more right. His memory seemed to be etched into every detail of your bedroom, unfortunately. 

There was the small heart he had carved into your headboard with an unclicked pen, your initials carved around it. There was your small Ikea vanity, that was stained with nail polish from the time Roman insisted he could do your nails better than you could. There was your closet, just big enough to hold you both inside; where you would steal kisses when you first started to sneak him into your room at night. There was the faded paint on the wall in the shape of a rectangle, where a picture frame of you and Roman at your first homecoming together had once been. There was your fucking duvet cover, that you and Roman would hide underneath on bright mornings. Where he’d hold you and kiss you softly, whispering sweet affections until the muggy air between you became thick and he’d push your noses up over the edge of the blanket to take in giggling gulps of breath. 

Roman Godfrey had left painful reminders of himself everywhere. There were too many for you to erase fully. His memory was like a Hydra, repress a recollection of his and two more would pop into your mind in its place.

Now, all the bench held your small suitcase that you had packed early this morning for your short trip down to Pennsylvania. Just some toiletries, a few changes of clothes, a black cocktail dress and a few textbooks. Just because your father died didn’t mean your school work would lighten because of it. 

While it wasn’t very late, you had been up early to catch your train and hadn’t expected to be out all day with Peter. You excused your premature exhaustion and decided it was best to take a shower, have a snack and then go to bed. Tomorrow was to no doubt try your nerves, so a full night's rest was likely your best option. 

After your shower, you slipped into a pair of pajamas and went down the hall to see if your mother had left you any suitable food. She was still on vacation with her current boyfriend and wouldn’t be able to make it back until Monday, a full day after you were set to leave. So, all you could hope was that there was something edible left in the pantry. 

Tussling your damp hair in your hands, you padded through the kitchen to try and make something with the odds and ends your mother had in stock. 

As you settled on a half eaten bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa, there was a knock at the door. Your mother’s car was missing from the driveway and anyone who would drop by unannounced knew she was out of town. Assuming it was a solicitor or a package delivery, you ignored it and continued on with your pre-bed snack. But the knocking didn’t let up. 

Begrudgingly, you made your way to the door in the hopes of shooing off whoever was bothering you. Though, when you opened it, you debated simply closing the door like it nothing had happened. To just shut the door tight and pretend that you hadn’t seen who was standing on your doorstep. All six feet four inches of him. 

With his back to you and a large bouquet of roses in hand, Roman glanced over his shoulder when he heard the door open. He looked about as startled as you felt when he laid eyes on you. 

“(Y/N).” He blurted out, his body swiveling like an owl to face the same direction as his head. 

“Roman.” You gave him a forced smile, cursing that you had lost your opportunity to run and hide.

“I, uh, well, wow. I, these are for your mother,” Roman whipped out the bouquet from behind him, “I heard about your dad. I just wanted to see how she was holding up. I know they aren’t close or anything, but y’know, it’s still the father of her child.” 

You took the flowers from him carefully, making sure to avoid where his fingers lay on the stems. 

“She’s not here, but thanks. I’ll make sure to let her know you stopped by.” You continued your kind facade before moving to shut the door. 

But Roman was quicker as he placed a large hand on the wood to keep it ajar. 

“I’m sorry for you too, you know? I know how it feels to lose a father. So, I’m sorry.” He said, like he was trying to keep you in his company as long as possible. 

“Wish my dad would have eaten a bullet when I was a kid. You got lucky.” You joke, once more trying to shut the door. 

And Roman continued to keep it open. 

“Well, I know things ended… bad- But! I’m still here if you need me. For anything. Have all the preparations been taken care of?” He asked. 

“Yeah, my grandma and grandpa took care of it. Nothing to worry about. But thanks, Roman.”

Roman’s eyes widened and his mouth puckered, the way he always did when he had a million things to say and no idea how to say them. 

You began to notice his attire as he loomed over you, with no seeming intention of leaving you or your front stoop alone. 

He wore a thick winter coat over a black three piece suit, tailored to perfection. His hair was parted on the right and smoothed down with gel. It certainly wasn’t your favorite look on him, but your input hardly mattered anymore. He wore Oxford dress shoes that were spotless and without a crease. You realized just then that he must have come right from The White Tower to bring the flowers to your mother, and these were his work clothes. These were the clothes and fifty dollar haircut of a fresh faced CEO.

You had known that he was set to secede the throne of Godfrey Industries once he turned eighteen, but you never gave it much thought after you moved to New York. The Roman who haunted your dreams and took residence in your thoughts was always your Roman. The boy who wanted to smoke and dance and kiss and laugh. Not a business tycoon out for blood. 

“I didn’t know you would be in town. I would have stopped by.” He said, finally finding words to give him a reason to stay. 

“You already have.” 

“I know, but I would have made it more deliberate. More to see you and not to just give my condolences to you mother.” Roman explained, his hand still on the door. 

You snort, “Yeah, well I don’t know why you’re giving her flowers anyway. She doesn’t like you. Not after I told her everything.” 

“Yeah, uh, I didn’t know that.” He laughs uncomfortably, finally taking a step away and relieving your door of his hostage. 

“Well, it was nice of you to come by. I’ll see you around, Roman.” It was clear from your tone that this incommodious conversation was over. 

Though, Roman still was outwardly ignoring your brusque attitude, “Could I come in? I would love to catch up for a moment? For old times sake?” 

“I don’t know if that is such a good idea.” 

“I won’t be long, I promise.” He bargained

You watched him for a long moment, debating on what to do. On one hand, you craved his presence. You craved him after just one sighting and wanted him to come in, to talk, to listen, to heal. Because like you said to Peter in the car earlier, you did believe that Roman had done what he had for a reason, it was just no doubt a fucked up and selfish one. You couldn’t hate him forever, you didn’t want to. It would destroy you before it did any good. 

On the other, all you could do was hear his voice echoing in your mind, explaining his disgust for you. 

But, you wanted to look to the future. You wanted to free yourself of the burden of grudges and hatred. You wanted to forgive Roman, the best you could, and leave him and his faults to fester in the past while you moved on with your life. 

So, you pushed the door open wider with the tips of your fingers and walked back to the kitchen, while Roman eagerly followed. 

“I’ll have to find every vase in the house for these,” You quietly joked.

“I could buy a big vase to hold them tomorrow and send it over if you’d like?” He was following closer than you would have liked as you searched the cabinets for vases and empty jars. 

“No, it’s alright. I think I’ll like how eclectic they’ll look in mismatched glasses.” You said, “And then I could put them all around the house. It’ll be a nice surprise for my mom when she gets home.” 

You undid the thick satin ribbon holding the bouquet together and found a pair of scissors to cut off the ends.

“Want me to fill these with water?” Roman asked, nodding to the empty vases.

“If you don’t mind.” 

Roman nodded, shedding his wool jacket and blazer, depositing it on a chair. Then, rounding the island to stand next to you to begin filling each receptacle from the sink. 

He was closer to you now than he had been in months. You could smell his woody cologne that clung to his skin, mixed with cigarette smoke and the night air. He must have been driving with the top down. You hated that only his scent could send your heart into somersaults and make your hands quiver with need. All you could think about with him in such a proximity was looking up into his green eyes and him looking down into your (Y/E/C) ones. Looking down at you with that stupid fucking smirk. Then with that smirk, Roman would place a hand on your cheek and gently press it to your lips and you would be in heaven. 

Anything Roman did to you was heaven. 

Expect when he was hurting you. Which you had to remind yourself, he very much did. 

“So, where’s your mom?” Roman asked, placing a mason jar next to faux crystal vase.

“In Florida with her new boyfriend.” You commented. 

“Yeah, I heard she was seeing someone.” 

“You know if he’s any good?” 

“Nah, just that she was seeing someone. I keep an ear to the ground to make sure she’s doing alright.” Another glass filled. 

“You don’t have to do that, Roman.” You paused cutting stems for a moment to glance up at him. 

He was already looking at you. 

“I know. I want to. It’s the least I can do.”     

You hold eye contact for a few beats, Roman’s eyes boring into yours in that hyponic way that always left you weak in the knees. 

“Well, thank you. I appreciate it.” And you both went back to your tasks at hand. 

It was obvious that you were more than willing to work in silence, and it was clear that Roman wasn’t. 

“So… how’s NYU?” He prompts. 

“Good. I really like it.” 

“Enjoying your studies?” 

“Very much.” 

“And the city? Is it treating you alright?” 

“Yes, I think after I graduate I’ll stay for a while.” 

Roman only hums in reply. Like that wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

“Well, I’m happy to hear that you’re doing well.” 

“Thank you.”

The conversation lulls as the sound of water and sheers fill the room. 

Roman is chewing his cheek and bobbing his head, and you know he won’t let up his chatter anytime soon. 

“I’ve been working at The Tower. I took over a few months ago.” He says, eyes darting to you like he was looking for praise. 

“Oh,” You reply like you hadn’t already figured it out, “How’s that going?” 

“Fine. I mean, it’s a lot of work. A lot of stress, but I’m glad I’m doing it.” He sounds unconvincing as he rambles on about Godfrey Industries and Pryce’s lab while you focus on the flowers. 

“Do you ever wonder what you would be doing if you hadn’t been told your entire life that you would take over Godfrey?” You ask, somewhat out of the blue.

Roman stops talking abruptly, his hands pausing under the tap. 

“Not really.” 

“Isn’t there anything else you would have wanted to do? Like in a dream scenario in a perfect world?” You elaborate. 

Roman seems unsettled by your questioning, like these were things no one had ever asked him. Things he had never even asked himself. 

“I think in a dream scenario, I would be rich beyond my wildest dreams. And I already am, so why waste time dreaming?” You can tell he isn’t even satisfied with his answer.

You don’t reply, leaving the subject where it lay in the air to go back to working in silence. 

“So...” Roman begins again, refusing to let the conversation die down.

“You seeing anyone?” Roman tries to sound blase, but you know this question lays heavy on him. 

You barely withhold a scoff as you set your scissors down to look at him once more.

He double takes in your direction, not wanting to look at you for fear of your answer, “What?” 

“I’m just surprised you held off this long without asking the question we both know you wanted to ask the second you saw me.” 

“Not really an answer…” he murmurs. 

“Not really your business.” You counter. 

“So there is someone?” You could hear a twinge of anger in his voice. 

“Not that it is any of your business, because I want to stress that it really isn’t, but no. I am not seeing anyone.” 

“Oh.” Roman’s lip twitches into a smile that he tries to conceal from you. 

“Yeah, oh.” You roll your eyes and finish with your clippings and begin to arrange the rose into glasses. 

“Aren’t you going to ask me?” Roman, with his work now over, turns to look down at you, a smirk on his lips. 

“Ask you what?” 

“If I’m seeing anyone.” 

“I don’t care, Roman.” 

“Really?” He leans closer to you.

“Well, what constitutes seeing someone, to you? A one night stand? A hooker? An actual multiple date relationship? What is your definition?” You jeer. 

“How would you define it?” 

“Different from you.” 

“Oh come on,” He pokes, “Tell me.”

He was becoming far too chummy with you for your taste.

“I guess I would define it as multiple dates.” 

“By that definition, then no. I’m not seeing anyone.” 

“But if I defined it by hookers and one night stands?” You inquired. 

Roman doesn’t answer. 

You can’t help but laugh, “And you said I was a whore.” 

The air between you changes, then. It was calm, if not slightly awkward before then, but now it felt tense and uncomfortable.

“(Y/N), I…” 

“Don’t.” You reply before he can say anything else. 

“But I want to say this, I need to.” Roman persists, reaching out to grab your shoulder. 

You shrug off his advance quickly and take a few steps back from him. Roses and vases completely forgotten. 

“I need to apologize to you.”

“You need to apologize to me for what, Roman?”

“For that night, what I said-!” Roman starts. 

“No. What I mean is, are you apologizing because you’re actually sorry? Because you think that’s what you’re supposed to say to me? Or because you want what you did off your conscious?” You raise a single eyebrow. 

“Are you kidding? I’m saying this because I am fucking sorry! I hate what I said to you, it fucking eats me up!” Roman throws his hand in the air as he yells. 

“So it is option C.” You replied. 

“Jesus fucking- no! It’s not! It’s A! It’s fucking A. You think I wanted to do what I did? Huh? You think I wanted you to leave?” 

“Yes, I did. I do.”

“Then fuck you if you think that. Fuck you if you think that I wanted to say all those things. Maybe you don’t really know me at all.” Roman sneers. 

“I already concluded that.” 

He scoffs.

“Is this why you wanted to come in? Force me into conversation? Ask me if I’m dating anyone, give me a half assed apology and insult me?” You crossed your arms. 

“No! No, that’s not why I asked to come in.” Roman shot back. 

“Then why?” 

“Because I fucking missed you, alright? I fucking missed you and I needed to be near you, even if only for a moment.” 

Roman’s voice echoed in the kitchen, his words hanging in the air and ringing in your ears. You could hear them dance in your mind and slide down your back with a chill, taunting you and making your emotions tear in a million different directions.

“Roman, I think it’s time for you to leave.” You say, running your tongue over your teeth. 

“No! I’m not fucking leaving. Tell me you don’t miss me too.” Roman took a step toward you as he ran a hand through his slicked down hair, ruining it’s perfection. 

“I have to get up early, so I just really think you should go.” 

“(Y/N), tell me you don’t miss me and I’ll leave right now. You’ll never see me again, I swear.” 

You don’t respond, just cross your arms over your chest. You rub your hands over the skin of your arms, peaking your fingers beneath your shirtsleeves and gripping the fabric tightly. 

“Just tell me.”

You meet his gaze as Roman closes the gap between the two of you. He was close enough for you to feel his breath on your skin and the warmth he radiated. An unwarranted chill set through you. 

All hope of forgetting the past and moving on was gone, you didn’t care anymore. All you wanted was for Roman to leave. You wanted him to leave so you could wrap yourself in blankets and cry until you couldn’t see anymore.

“Roman, just go.” You whispered, your vocal chords straining to even do that. 

“It’s because you can’t say that you don’t.” Roman raised a hand a single finger tracing the features of your face and causing your eyes to drift shut. 

He traced your orbital bone and the angle of your nose and your eyebrow and ear. He traced your jaw and your chin and the shape of your ear and stopped to caress your lips. 

With each swoop of his finger tip, he was erasing hurt and anguish and pain. He was soothing you and giving you an old form of intimacy that you had craved. He was regaining his sense of self in your mind, reminding you that he could act like he had before that night. He was twining his roots back into your mind.

When his finger finally stopped, you opened your eyes and saw tears had gathered in Roman’s. They were threatening to breech from his lash line as he stared at you with a drumming heart. 

“Tell me why you hurt me first.” 

And Roman dropped his hand and said nothing for a long moment. 

“It’s a long story.” He replies, sniffling loudly through his nose. 

“I’ve got time.” 

“It’s not pretty.” 

“I don’t care.”

You had moved to the dining room for Roman’s story. You both sat on opposite ends of your mother’s old mosaic table that you had both eaten many meals at. It was covered in vintage tiles and you picked at the surrounding grout as you listened to him. You ground your fingernails between the titles, filing them into powder as Roman told you about his birthday and everything that had happened since the night you left him. 

Of Letha. Of the child. Of the razor blades embedded into his arms. Of his mother’s tongue. Of the bloodlust. 

Of the loss.

“This is some fucking Twilight bullshit.” You said once Roman had gone quiet.

“This isn’t fucking funny, (Y/N).” Roman replied, bouncing his knee and pinching his chin. 

“No, it’s not fucking funny at all, Roman. Not even a bit, but it is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my life.” You snort a laugh from your nose. 

“You don’t believe me?” 

“Oh, I believe you. After all that shit with Peter, of course I believe you. Doesn’t make it any less ridiculous.” 

Roman raises his eyebrows in understanding with a slight nod. 

“So, what? You saying all that shit to me was because you thought you were going to suck me dry, or something?” 

“Stop making jokes.” He growled. 

“I’m being fucking serious, Roman! What was it?” You stood from your chair to impose over him. 

“You deserved better. It would have been too much for you.” 

“Oh, don’t be such a martyr, Roman!” You fumed, “Since when have you ever got to decide what was good and what was bad for me?” 

“You don’t understand!” Roman pushed up from his chair with such force it tumbled to the floor, “I could barley fucking handle this, OK? I had been living a lie, I had become a monster overnight! I was fucking scared for you- scared for me. What I could do-” 

His voice began to quiver and his palms shook as he wiped his clammy palms on his slacks. 

“You would either have left me or I would have killed you. I don’t doubt that for a second, and I couldn’t lose anyone else. Not after Letha, not after Peter and Shelley. I just couldn’t.” 

“So, pushing me away was the answer?” You asked. 

“At the time, yes.”

You just shook your head, and collapsed back into your chair.

“I did it because I loved you.” Roman said, tears streaking his flushed cheeks. 

“Stop, Roman...” 

“I fucking loved you so much so I made you leave. I fucking love you more than anything.”

He spoke like he was taking his last breath and collapsed to his knees like a dying man, his bones smacking loudly against the linoleum as he crawled to you, tears still leaking from his eyes. 

“You have to believe that I’m sorry. I am, I am, I am.” 

Roman rested his head on your lap as he wept, his hands clutching your calves. 

You felt like you couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think or speak. All your mind could comprehend was Roman’s deep and encompassing sadness and his wayward soul. 

You could barely grasp the story he told, so it was unimaginable to you how it must have felt to live it. Your heart ached for him so profoundly. 

Of course you didn’t agree with what he had done to you, not for a moment. He had resorted to cruelty out of fear and you hated it. It was inexcusable. 

But, you folded yourself in half and covered his body with yours anyway, and let Roman cry in your lap. You let him cry out the fear and sadness and the exhaustion he had felt these past months. 

You had let Roman cry himself dry before escorting him to the door. He held your hand on the way and you didn’t stop him. When you reached the door, Roman was the one to open it and step out into the cold Pennsylvania night. Though, his hand stayed intertwined with your own as he walked out onto your porch.  

“What time is the funeral?” He asked. 

“10 AM.” You replied. 

His skin seemed to glow against the night sky, his milky complexion contrasting beautifully to the dark nature behind him. 

“I’ll be there.” 

You shook your head, but squeezed his hand, “You don’t have to, really. It’s going to be long and boring.” 

“(Y/N),” He looked at you with a crisp sincerity, “I’ll be there.” 

You didn’t know what to say, because you weren’t entirely sure what you should say. You wanted to beg him not to come and make a spectacle at his attendance. You wanted to beg him to come and hold your hand and ward off the demons your father had sewn into your psyche. 

“Please, Roman, it’s not a big deal. I swear. I’m sure you have better things to do.” 

He pursed his lips back at you, like he was deciding if arguing with you on the matter was really worth it. Or if he would win or not. In the end, he said nothing. Just nodded and glanced over to his bright red Jaguar in the driveway. 

When Roman looked back to you, you both knew a goodbye wasn’t needed. Your love-telepathy coming back just for a moment to bid each other adidu for the night. An intimacy you didn’t even know you missed until now. 

Roman was the first to step away, pulling your hands apart as he did. You felt each finger detangle from his own, until your pinkies were the only things tethering you to each other. When they detached, your hand fell listlessly to your side and Roman watched you intently as he walked to his car, got in, and pulled from your drive away. Only looking away when he finally drove into the night. 

You smoothed the dress over your hips as you smiled politely at guests entering the church. They offered you watery smiles and condolences as they spread out into the pews.

You wanted to spit in their faces and scream. Scream and sink your nails into your skin and tell them that he had painted bruises on your skin and installed his hatred for you into your heart before you were old enough to know it was wrong. 

He wasn’t a good man. He was far from it. 

But no one who was crying tears for him and shaking your hand knew this, and if they did they didn’t care. He was good at hiding what he did, what he had become. 

You felt like your head was in a fish bowl with the more people who entered. Their faces blurring and distorting before you, their words muffled and useless. You began just nodding at everyone’s words, refusing to listen to anything else they had to say about Heaven and God’s good will. You wished you had a good excuse to leave and never come back. 

It wasn’t until someone wheeled in the casket that you found your escape from the line of mourners and made your way outside. Because the second you laid eyes on the box of shiny mahogany, your stomach dropped to your feet and bile threatened to spill from your lips. 

The man you had hated your entire life, the one who had hurt you, the one who struck you, the one who had belittled you, the man who hurt your mother. That man was dead. He was in that fucking box, seperated from you and the living by a few inches of wood.

That man was your father and he was supposed to love you and now he was filled with stuffing and had waxy skin covered in blush and a heart that would never beat again. A mouth that was sewn shut and would never speak again. To never yell, to laugh, to tell you he loved you. 

It was over. 

Then why were you so sad? 

Maybe Peter was right... maybe you’d even tell him. 

As you made your way outside, you sucked in as much fresh air as your lungs could take. You let the cold air chill your exposed skin and the grey skies calm your overstimulated senses. While gulping in the breeze and pressing your fingernails to your palms to ground yourself, you gazed out over the parking lot. It was then, that you shed your first tears of the day.

Because there, all in black leaning against his car was Roman Godfrey, looking right back at you.

He’d come. 

Because he cared. 

Because he loved you. 

You didn’t think twice as he ran down the church steps as fast as your heels could take you to him, needing to feel him. Roman did the same, rushing across the asfalte to you, wrapping you in his arms immediately as you collided with his chest. 

“You came,” You sobbed into his button down, “You came, you came, you came.” 

“Of course I did.” He cooed, nuzzling close to you. 

“I needed you and you knew and you came.” 

“I’ll always come, even when you don’t call.” 

As you both went back to the church, Roman stood with you to greet people coming in. His hand on your lower back and his grandiose stature and expression keeping people from dawdling too long to speak with you. 

The service was bleak and full of lies, but you mustered through it without a scoff or outburst for your grandparents sake. Roman sat next to you the entire time, his arm over your shoulder and his temple resting against your head. He’d occasionally place a gentle kiss to your hairline or stroke his fingers over your arm as a reminder that he was with you. 

And you loved him for it.

When it was all over and your father’s casket was being rolled away, everyone dispersed. Some to follow the hearse to the graveyard, some to just go home. You and Roman stayed in your seats. You had decided you didn’t want to see your father put in the ground. Not because he didn’t deserve it, but because you couldn’t handle it. You weren’t sure exactly all the reasons why, maybe Peter would know the answer to that, too.

You both waited until no one was left in the church, just watching the sun gleam through the stained glass windows at the ceiling and enjoying each other's company. 

“You alright?” Roman asked once he was sure everyone was gone. 

“I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out, I guess.” You said with a half hearted shrug. 

“It’s OK. You have time.” 

You gave a nod before leaning closer to him, resting your head underneath his own, letting Roman sit his chin on your crown. 

“I thought I would be overjoyed when this day finally came… but I’m not. I’m not really happy and I’m not really sad. I’m just here.”

“I think that’s just fine.” Roman replied, rubbing gentle up and down your arm. 

“Thank you for being here.” You remove yourself from under his chin to look at him, “It would have been so much worse without you.” 

Roman offered you a soft smile and placed his unoccupied hand on your cheek. 

You placed your own hand over his and shut your eyes, reveling in his soft touch. 

It was so quiet and all you could hear was the sound of your heart in your ears and Roman’s rhythmic breathing.

“What now?” 

“I’m not sure,” You open your eyes to see he’s already looking at you, “Where are you going?” 

“Wherever you are.” 

You smile, “Then take me there.” 

As you walked through Roman’s front door, you tried to hide a frown. The old Godfrey mansion had been so intricate and full of character. With crown molding and warm golds and rich browns, and history in every nook and cranny. Roman’s new home… it was sterile and bland and grey. It felt cold even with the hum of the radiator. It felt large and imposing, much like it’s owner. It was the type of home that echoed with loneliness.   

“So, what do you think?” Roman asked from where he stood close behind you. 

“I like it,” You said, “It’s very…” 

“You hate it.” 

You turned to face him and he was looking at you fondly. 

“I wouldn’t say hate. Just, not my style.” 

He nods and takes a step forward, “Yeah, I sort of knew you wouldn’t like it.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You always loved the old house. Said it felt like you were in a  victorian novel.” 

Your heart fluttered in your chest at his memory, “And you always hated it.” 

“I wouldn’t say hate. Just, not my style.” He grins at you and you can’t help but smile back at him. 

“So, you decided when you moved out you’d make your new place the antithesis of it?” 

“Something like that. Anything to erase the memory of my mother.” Roman says this with the cadence of a joke, but his eyes darken at the mention of Olivia. 

“I can’t say I blame you.” You reply before he quickly changes the subject. 

“Have a seat and I’ll make us both a drink,” He says, gesturing toward his large loveseat in the living room. 

You do so, and as you sit down, you admire him standing over the wet bar. He had shed his blazer from his suit on the kitchen table, and through the fabric of his button down (an expensive silk blend from the looks of it) you could so the movement of his broad shoulders and the expanse of the muscles in his back. 

The memory of running your hands across the peaks and valleys of his back stuck you. The memory of his smooth skin under your palms made your fingers burn with yearning and twitch with need to reacquaint yourself with the velvet that was Roman Godfrey’s skin.  

Roman had finished making your drinks. Both crimson in crystal tumblers. He walked to you and handed you the beverage, which you accepted with a thank you. As you took your first sip of your drink, you couldn't help but smile as Roman sat down next to you on his couch. 

“Vodka cranberry?” 

“Like I’d forget your favorite drink,” He says, smiling against the rim of his tumbler, “Well, second favorite. I don’t really have the ingredients for a Long Island iced tea.” 

“I think this works better under the circumstances, anyway. Drinking a Long Island iced tea after a funeral feels a little morbid.” 

“Yeah, but your dad would’ve hated that you were drinking one.” Roman pointed out. 

You chuckled, because he was right. Your father hated drinks where the alcohol was masked by chasers and sugar. He deemed them feminine and embarrassing for anyone to drink, ridiculing anyone (no matter their gender) if they ordered one. 

“That is true,” You take a pull from your glass, “He would have hated that you went to his funeral, too. Because, well he hated you.” 

Roman gives a wide smirk, “I can’t say that doesn't bring me some joy.” 

You could count on one hand the number of times your father met Roman during the years you dated. Though, everytime he had, he made his distinct dislike for your boyfriend overwhelmingly obvious. He thought of Roman like most other people in town did. A spoiled, rich, entitled, sauve asshole. But, for your father, he felt like he had a personal stake in hating Roman. He masqueraded like he didn’t like Roman simply for dating his daughter, but he didn’t give a shit about you or your well being. Your father, the pathetic drunk that he was, was threatened by Roman more than any man you had ever met. He was the one person who he couldn’t intimidate and feel superior too, because Roman didn’t feel intimidated or lesser to anyone in the world. 

“Me too.” 

You both drink in silence for a moment, and you pretend not to notice Roman as he inched closer to you on the cushions. 

“Do you remember,” Roman says, swallowing a gulp of his drink, “that time we snuck into that club in Philadelphia? And you and Letha, just got, like absolutely abliderated on Long Island iced teas?” 

You smiled at the memory, your lips parting with glee the more you remembered about the night. 

“Yes! Oh my God, I had totally forgot about that.”

Roman had paid off some bouncer to let the three of you into some club downtown and it had been a spectacular night. You and Letha were guzzling drinks like it was the end of the world. Roman was only encouraging your recklessness with jokes and bankrolling the bottomless teas. Letha had danced on the bar top while singing you an off key Elton John song while you drunkenly squealed with glee in a hysterical Roman’s arms. You had never seen Roman laugh so much until that night. 

You all danced and drank and laughed and smiled. You had all hid in a corner as you had fished out cocaine from a baggy with your pinky nail, and held it to each Godfrey’s nose like you were giving them communion, before blessing yourself. 

You distinctly remember hanging off Roman like a kola most of the night. Giving him sloppy kisses and groping him in the crowd with whispered promises of more when you were alone. You remember him smiling down at you and always having a hand on your ass. You remember Letha’s happy screams and giggles and how she was twirling so much on the dance floor she tumbled. 

“That was a really good night.” You said. 

Roman nodded, “It was. It was one of those rare times I could get Letha out of her shell.” 

The mood dipped from happy memories to grief as his cousin's untimely death was remembered. It was written clear as day on Roman’s face that he was far from healed from her passing.

“I miss her, too.” You placed a hand on his. 

“Yeah. Life isn’t far, huh?” You saw he was trying to ward off a wash of emotion, not wanting to wallow in her death, because it wasn’t an easy pit to push himself out of. 

“No, it really isn’t.” 

If life was fair, Olivia would have been long deceased. Roman wouldn’t have ever been coerced to do any heinous acts. Letha would be alive. Shelley would have never vanished. 

You didn’t dare bring up his missing sister to Roman, because that pain was almost worse than the wound Letha’s death had inflicted. For the both of you. 

You had learned from Peter the previous day that Shelley was still missing with no leads in finding her. You had nodded but said nothing else and he had let you. 

You had always been close with Shelley. She was so kind and sweet, and incredibly understanding and thoughtful. You were the only two women Roman truly loved and that bonded you in a way, to be the only ones to have his unfettered devotion. The thought of Shelley, out in the world alone, scared and labeled a fugitive made you sick. You couldn’t think about it for long without your nausea sparking and tears forming in your eyes. 

“What I said to you… that night? That wasn’t fair either. It wasn’t fair of me to hurt you like that.” Roman says, his eyes cast down. 

“Roman, we don’t have to do this again. It’s fine, no worries.” You said as casually as possible. 

“No, but it really wasn’t,” Roman shakes his head and rotates his body toward you. 

“I said those things because I was scared, not because they were true. You have to know that.” 

You swallow thickly and nod. Rationally, you knew that was true. After Roman had explained to you yesterday the reason for his vicious one-eighty toward you, you knew that he was only being cruel to push you away. But the words still hurt, they were still brutal enough to feel like there was an ounce of truth to them. 

“I was wrong, I can see that now, yknow? I was really wrong for all of that,” Roman lamented, “I fucked up.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N). That’s what I really want to say, what I really want you to know. And you know me, probably better than anyone in the world, maybe even more than I know myself,” He huffed a laugh, “And you know that I don’t apologize. Because I’m not wrong. I’m just not. I don’t say I’m sorry, not to anyone… but this, I gotta own up to. Because I was wrong for hurting you, pushing you away.”

You listened to Roman with baited breath. 

“You were the only person who ever really saw me. Looked into my eyes and saw past the bullshit and accepted me, loved me… and the idea of you hating me forever killed me, fucking killed me so much. But it was better than you sticking around and seeing that all that bullshit was true, and maybe I was even worse.” 

“Roman,” You rasped, gripping his hand tighter, your fingernails biting into his skin. 

“I promised to never hurt you, to protect you, keep you safe. And I failed.” 

Roman had always been protective of his loved ones. He hoarded them like a dragon with gold, prowling in front of them with bared teeth and spitting fury. You still remember the first time he pledged his devotion to you, his undying protection and loyalty. 

It was after the first time he had met your father. A dinner at the Godfrey mansion with your parents, Olivia, Shelley, yourself and Roman. It was an evening requested by Olivia to meet the parents of the girl who had bewitched her son. 

She had been her typical elitist self, turning her nose up at your middle class parents with joy. You were sure she was vibrating in her seat with happiness that she could feel so superior to your average parents. Likely hoping Roman would see this too, and kick you to the curb. 

You mother had been aimable, mostly quiet. You always thought of your mother as a very charming woman, who could talk to anyone no matter the circumstance. But, Olivia would barely let her get a word in, so she took the hint. Though, you could tell Shelley liked her, and that warmed your heart. 

The night’s conversation was dominated by Olivia for the most part, regaling the Godfrey wealth and stories of her privileged life. When she wasn’t boasting about herself, your father would be the one to chime in. Either with an offensive comment or with his poor table manners. It was like having a wild boar in the Shangri La and you felt your face heat with consistent humiliation. You could see your mother twitch uncomfortably across from you whenever he would act, and you knew she was in the same boat. 

You were already planning your apology to Roman when your father spoke up. You had been too busy stewing in your mortification to follow the conversation being had at the time. 

“Well, I tell you something, Roman. This one over here,” Your father stuck his fork over to you, “Isn’t gonna be a good little wife, not like your mother is.” 

Your father threw a smarmy grin to Olivia.

“You’re gonna have to wipe her into shape. Always wants to back talk and cross her damn arms and stomp her damn feet at you.”

Your father laughs and nuges your mother with his elbow, like he had made a joke. Like he thought this joke about you as Roman’s meek little wife would please Olivia and your boyfriend. 

Olivia laughed along and made a comment about her predisposition to wifehood because of her upbring, while Roman seethed. You could see his jaw flexing and hear the sound of his ragged breaths through his nose. You discreetly placed your hand on his lap, doing your best to calm him, but it did nothing as your father continued to make comments about your disrespectful personality, all with the cadence of a joke. 

“Why don’t you go out for a smoke?” Roman said to your father through gritted teeth. 

“Excuse me?” You father said, stopping mid sentence and glaring at Roman. 

“I said, why don’t you go out for a smoke and cool off? And when you come back, be a little fucking nicer?” 

Roman’s eyes bore into your father’s as he spoke. Your father looked furious at this teenage boy’s demand, and you were sure there was going to be a fight. Both men were incredibly hot headed, that this evening might even end in a physical altercation. But, your father just pushed up from the table and left the five of you in awkward silence. Roman relaxed once your father was gone, taking your hand from his lap and intertwining your fingers together on the tabletop. Your mother soon struck up a conversation with Olivia about the antique chaise lounge in the living room. 

Roman held your hand for the rest of the night. When your father returned, he stayed silent. 

When it was time for your parents to leave, Roman offered to drive you home. Though, the minute both you were out of sight of his home and your parents, he pulled over.

“Roman, I am so sorry about-” You began, but Roman stopped you by placing his hands firmly on your cheeks. 

“Don’t apologize. Not for that fucking man.” He said, his tone turning venomous when he mentioned your father. 

“The fucking nerve of him,” Roman spat, his hands tightening on your face, “The fucking nerve of him to speak like that about you. And to me! To me in my fucking home. I’m going to kill him, I’ll fucking kill him.” 

Roman spoke sincerely and you wondered for a moment if you asked him to kill your father, would he? 

“He’s not worth it, he’s not even worth your anger.” You sighed, placing your hand on his wrist and stroking his skin with your thumb. 

“He isn’t worth shit. That fucking cunt.” 

You couldn’t help but giggle as you watched your boyfriend speak obscenities. 

“What?” 

“You look very sexy when you’re this mad.” 

You could see Roman’s face visibly relax. You knew he was still angry, but your comment had placated him.     

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” You grinned at him and began to lean in for a kiss when Roman stopped you. 

You looked into his eyes again and you saw this serious demoaner was back. 

“I will never let him say anything like what he said tonight to you again, OK? Never. I’ll never let him fucking touch you again,” Roman came to rest his forehead to yours, “I won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. I will keep you safe forever.” 

And you believed him. You believed him more than you had ever believed a single person in your life. There wasn’t an ounce of you in that moment that could argue with him. You trusted him fully. 

“Ok.” Was all you could say with the emotion that was brewing from his confession, before he finally pulled you to his lips. 

It was the first time you realized you loved him. 

“All I have ever wanted is to keep you safe.” He said it with the same vigor and sincerity that he had in his original vow to you in his car on the side of the road. 

And again, you couldn’t help but believe him. 

“I forgive you.” You really did. 

He was swathing you with the salve of love and honesty, healing the wounds he carved into your skin with his earnest. 

“You were scared, you had just had your life turned upside down… I get it. It’s OK. I’m not blameless either. I said some nasty things.” 

Roman looks up from where your hands are connected and gives you a signature fierce stare.

The weight of his gaze on you feels heavy as he leans forward to set his glass on the coffee table. His eyes never leave yours as he does. As he moves back to the couch, he uses his movement to his advantage to seamlessly reach out to cup your jaw, as he settled back next to you, much closer than before. 

Goosebumps bit across your flesh as the feeling of his broad palm engulfed your face and his breath began to fan across your lips. Roman was smooth, he was graceful and agile in everything he did. Everything including the set up to a kiss, especially a long awaited and important one. 

Roman glides his middle and forefinger up to cradle your ear, to anchor himself to you before using his thumb on the underside of your jaw to tilt your chin. You blood was rushing loudly through your ears and all you could think of was him as Roman’s other arm came to rest across the back of the sofa and ecase you in his arms. He ran his tongue across his bottom lip before he descended for yours. 

And you felt euphoric. A warmth in the pit of your stomach that only Roman would kindle.

Roman nuzzled his lips against your mouth, the tip of his nose brushing your own. Your hands migrated to lay purchase on his shoulders as you let Roman pull you impossibly close to his body. You could feel his heated cheeks against your face and you could feel his racing pulse beneath your fingers as he tipped your face up and opened his mouth into the kiss. His tongue dipped past your lips and you accepted him with a soft whimper. 

Your sound of pleasure surged Roman on as he began to kiss you harder. Sweeter. Messier. Hotter. Just like he always had. 

Soon, you were flat against the couch cushions, Roman above you as his hands explored your body. Your legs bracketed his hips, pushing the heels of your feet against the tops of his thighs to keep him snug against you. Your hands clutched his back tightly, the very same back you had been craving to get your hands on since you walked through the door. 

Roman’s lips detached from your own to drift to your cheeks, your jaw and your neck. To bite, to suck and lick with his sinful tongue. You keened and moaned at his attentions, your back arching into him. The spit he left in his wake met the air in a chilling exchange that cooled your fiery skin. 

“My baby,” He said to your skin. 

“My girl,” He groaned. 

“Mine,” He bit the junction of your neck and shoulder. 

“Mine, mine, mine,” 

You didn’t want to be present while listening to his possessions. You wanted to let them grip you and own you and continue to make your stomach flutter. You didn’t want to have to tell Roman right now that you didn’t know if you could be his again…

“You’re mine, always, always, always,” Roman moaned against you, his voice pornographically seductive. 

“Yes, please,” You didn’t know what you were begging for, but you just knew you didn’t want the feeling of Roman to stop. 

“It’s me and you, we’re together again, it’ll all be OK now,” He says before giving you another sloppy kiss. 

“Be with me, be here. We can make it work.” 

Roman goes back to attacking your neck with his petal soft lips, but you were finally snapped from your the haze of pleasure he had accosted you with. 

“Roman, hold on,” You pushed your hands on his shoulder, “Stop.” 

“What?” He pulled away from you quickly, chest heaving as he looked down at you. 

He looked so boyishly innocent. His lips flush from kissing and his once perfect hair askew from your ministrations. Eyes wide and questioning. He was the most beautiful man you had ever seen. 

“I,” You took a pause, “I can’t stay here, Roman. I just can’t.” 

He looked like you’ve shocked him, stuck his finger in an electrical socket and watched. Roman pushed himself further up, but still hovered over you. 

“What do you mean you can’t stay?” He says your words back to you like they were a personal affront. 

“I live in New York now, that’s where my life is. I can’t just leave.” 

Roman’s jaw flexes and you watch him swallow. 

“What? So, this means nothing?” He gestures between your bodies. 

“No, of course not. Of course it means something.” You replied hastily. 

But, Roman was already getting up off of you and started to pace the length of his kitchen. You pushed up to watch him with concern. 

“I don’t know what you want me to do, I said I was sorry and I am. I really, truly am! So, why can’t you just stay with me? Be with me?” He argued. 

“I know you are! I do, but just because I know you’re sorry doesn’t change the fact that I have a life somewhere else now, Ro. I can’t just abandon it.” 

“Why can’t you? Just come home!” Roman threw his arms up in anger. 

“I don’t want to abandon it, Roman. I don’t want to leave. I like it there.” You move yourself onto your knees as you speak. 

“Jesus fucking-” Roman looked away from you and tugs at his hair, “I can’t believe you right now!” 

“Roman,” You sigh. 

“No! You know what? I have been declaring my fucking love for you for the past two days and that just means nothing to you? Because it doesn’t mean nothing to me.” 

“It means something-!” You begin, but Roman talks over you. 

“And that, that on the couch, that fucking meant something to me! Because you mean something to me, (Y/N). You always have and you always will.” He’s shouting now, if he had any neighbors you’re sure they would be able to hear. 

Your eyes filmed with tears as you watch him. 

“And fuck, while I’ve been going on like a bitch about how I love you, how I’m devoted to you, and you haven’t said shit! Not a word.” Roman’s eyes are beginning to wet as well. 

“Is that what this is? You don’t fucking love me?” His anger cracks as his voice quivers. 

“Roman, no!” You spring from where you knelt on the couch and rush to him, “I do, you know I do. I love you! I love you so much I ache.” 

You cry freely now as you try to clutch his face, but Roman brushes you off. 

“I love you, I have always loved you Roman. I always will. But,” 

“But what? How is that not enough!”

“I need you to love me enough to know there is nothing for me here.”

“Not even me?” His lip quivers. 

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Your hands shake and so does your breath, “I mean there is not real life for me here. You have The Tower and that’s you life, but what about me? What could I possibly do here that would make me happy?”

Roman says nothing, just swallows a hiccup that threatened to burst from his throat.

“I need you to love me enough to let me leave.”

Roman’s face crumbles into a drastic frown as he fights tears, “I can’t. I can’t do that, not again, I can’t. I can’t let you leave again.” 

“Baby,” You choke out. 

“No! I can’t, I love you. So, please, just love me enough to stay. I’ll give you everything you could ever want, anything you could ever dream of to make it better here.”

“Roman, I love you. I do, I always will. But, maybe this will be good for us. Have time apart to be our own people. I think it might even be healthy?” You say your last words with a watery smile that Roman doesn’t return. 

“I don’t want to have time apart. I had time apart from you and I was fucking miserable.” He states. 

The thought of Roman all alone in this house, heartbroken and stewing in pity and anger makes your heart convulse with pain. You thought of all the nights you slept in your dorm room, silent tears streaking your cheeks as you held your hand over your mouth in hopes to not wake your roommate. You wondered if on the nights you cried for him, if Roman had cried for you? Had he cried at all? Or while you were pouring yourself into your studies to forget him, he was fucking whores to forget you?

“Roman, please just… I love you, just please,” Again, you had no idea what you were begging for. For him to let you leave? For him to convince you to stay? All you knew was that this day had been so catosphroticlly emotionally draining and all you wanted was to fall into his arms for comfort.

“Do you want to be apart from me?” He asked bluntly. 

“Roman, just-” 

“Answer me. Do you want to be apart from me anymore?” 

Your mouth was thick with discarded tears and phlegm. All you could do was look at him and hope he understood you. To tell him you didn’t. 

His eyes softened and you knew your mental tether was still intact. 

Roman takes a step toward you and moves his head to be level with your own, “Then we’ll make this work. I’ll convince NYU to let you take online classes from here, OK? I’ll build them some new buildings - hell! A new campus. I’ll be their new biggest donor, their new favorite fucking person. I’ll give them whatever they want as long as they give me you in return.” 

“I can’t ask you to do that, Roman.” You look down at your feet. 

“You’re not asking. I’m offering.” 

You pierce your teeth into your bottom lip and look back up at him. Back at Roman with his pink, glossy eyes and hopeful gaze. 

“I love the city…” 

“Then we’ll fly up every weekend, no exceptions. I’ll buy us a loft in the heart of Manhattan.You can design it to your heart’s content. Make it will feel warm and old and us. The opposite of this place.” Roman says quickly like he knew that would be your next rebuttal. 

You gasp a sob and close your eyes tight. You feel Roman close the distance between you both and cup your face in his large hands. 

“And we will figure the rest out, whatever else is holding you back. We’ll find you your dream job or your passion or whatever you want.” 

You crack your pulsing eyes, to see Roman’s face now streaked with tears. 

“Just tell me you’ll stay.”

You knew this was a risk. You knew he was a risk. You knew leaving New York and NYU sounded naive and utterly foolish to someone on the outside of your and Roman’s relationship. You knew that you would fight with him, that you would get angry with him, that he’d work too much and that he would have to reschedule trips to the city. You knew you would get irritated with each other and you’d say something snarky and Roman would say something mean. You knew there would be nights you went to bed angry and days where you gave each other the silent treatment. You knew it would be hard. Most things involving Roman were. Expect loving him.

You knew that even with all the bad that came with a relationship with Roman, it was eons better than being without him for a moment longer now that you had him again. 

You had wanted to look to the future, to forget the past and forge a new way for yourself. Truthfully, you still did. But maybe you could start over with Roman by your side? Wash away the pain of his indiscretions and learn and grow and heal together? You hoped you could. You hope you weren’t letting your overwhelming love for the man in front of you cloud your judgements. 

So, you placed your hands on his neck and watched his face turn hopeful and said: 

“Ok.”

i really wish i could say i loved this, but i am really on the fence about if this story is even good at all? it was better in my head. but! i hope you enjoyed it anyway and pllsss if you did, gimme some feedback <3 it makes me happy :-)

[cobradoesmcyt]

Not just a game

@petrichormeraki has brought me angst ideas so I must write.

Quick little summery: It was all just supposed to be a game, and Grian sticks to this belief. At least he does until he can’t avoid the truth anymore

It was all a game. A fun little war, for the lols and the principle they’d all said with a laugh - diamonds being returned in letters and legal permission to further their schemes.

It was not a game. At least, it wasn’t anymore.

Grian had defended H.E.P’s actions as a part of the game, the Resistance had a base and now the H.E.P had one as well, simple. They spread the mycelium and they got rid of it, and placed grass instead. They sent out the sheep, and they countered with wolves. Simple, harmless fun, a turf war with no real meaning other than they just could. But then they infiltrated the new H.E.P build and suddenly the Resistance was starting to wonder how pure the other side's intentions actually were.

I mean who has a potion drugged ravager as their defence? Sure it’s good defense, but it's deadly beyond comprehension - and Tango knows this, yet he goes along with the plan, it's just a fun little game after all. And in the end Grian suffers because of it. Torn, shredded, crushed, bludgeoned, he goes through it all in a cycle, bed keeping him trapped in the death loop. Impulse and Etho desperately try to stop it, already knowing this is not an encounter Grian will get out of like it's nothing. Not only is that bad, but Tango is watching and he’s doing nothing, he watches the death loop and he laughs at Grian’s misfortune. That is the first time Impulse truly asks himself if this is really a game anymore - if anything it just seems like a twisted game of chess where they're allowed to think themselves in the lead, but in actuality H.E.P’s in charge. The dragon hybrid sheds a tear, because he knows he’ll never look at Tango the same anymore, not after he continues his taunts - playful and joking to any onlooker - even as Grian’s loop of pain and death goes on.

This is no longer a fun game between friends, it probably hasn’t been for a long time. And Impulse fears this will change Hermitcraft forever.

Grian suffers horrible damage from the repeated deaths, his spine has been weakened to where even just standing for a tiny bit too long will bring him immense pain, his lungs are horribly damaged after all the times they were pierced. He could no longer fly, grounded by the attack from H.E.P. Yet he says there is no true harm going on, it’s all just for fun!

Impulse doubts him, but there is nothing he can do other than warn his fellow members. H.E.P is out for blood. Grian’s blood. And they were willing to shed it however they deem it necessary.

So they protect him, protect not their leader but a wounded friend, from the enemy. Because that's truly what H.E.P has become, the enemy. And even after all the deaths, all the needless violence from H.E.P, Grian still believes it to be a game.

“They’ve just really gotten into it!” He argued with a cracked laugh, “They wouldn’t actually hurt any of us intentionally, we’re friends after all!”

No one has the heart to tell him he’s wrong, at least not then, to tell him the H.E.P has really gone too far this time. They know he won’t listen to them, too far into his belief that the H.E.P really don’t want to hurt any of them. That it's no longer just a game anymore.

Then Scar and Mumbo came blasting into the Mycelium Resistance base and suddenly the truth could no longer be ignored.

All the other Members managed to get out of the blast radius of the machine, but Grian - weakened from the Ravagers was not so lucky. A collapsing pillar trapped him on the side that H.E.P had breached. His fellow resistance members barraceded off from him.

Grian looked up at where Scar and Mumbo stood, both with gleeful smiles on their faces as they looked around the base, and his blood ran cold. Yet he prayed they were just happy they had found the base, and not at the damage and destruction they’d cused, but as his eyes met Scar’s he knew that was nothing but wistful thinking. Tears pricked in his eyes as he looked at his two closest friends, the two people he could always go to if he ever needed anything, a newfound terror and fear now filling him as he looked up at them.

This was no longer a game, he bitterly thought, it’s a hunt where he was prey.

Using what little strength he still had in him he threw an ender pearl towards the exit, Impulse meeting him there and catching him, and then he was pushed up through the water with the other not leaving his side once. Once in the ocean Impulse swam them both towards shore, Etho coming to help the two when he emerged. After that they all ran away, or rode away in Ren and Grian’s case - since Grian could not fly or much less move.

Grian had said there was a hidden room in Town Hall they could use, but no one in the Resistance wanted to risk being so close to H.E.P. So instead they headed way off, to lands not visited or lived in. None of them were ready to face H.E.P or anyone else right now, not so soon after the attack.

The whole way Grian satt numbly behind Ren and thought, thought about H.E.P and its members. Were they all out for them, like their leader and newest member, or was there some who weren’t? Tango-he was pretty sure Tango was on the same extreme as those two, the warehouse had proven that. Cub and Bdubs too probably, they were the most loyal to Scar after all. And Xisuma too he was so violently against mycelium as well, though he didn’t seem as violent and loyal as the other two. False and Keralis were both mysteries to him, as they both didn’t seem to be as extreme as the rest, but still who could even be trusted to not be against him anymore?

He let out a shaky breath and rested his head against Ren’s back, small tears silently starting to fall from his eyes. Hermitcraft was his safe place, a sanctuary he could heal within. But look at what it had turned into, him running away from his “friends”.

“Ren?” He tentatively called. And after seeing that the wolf was listening to him he continued, “Are-are they still our friends?”

Ren rowed silently, thinking the question over in his head. Finally he sighed. A sad, defeated, sigh of a man who just didn’t know anymore, “I don’t know G-man, I really don’t know.”

Days later H.E.P would come looking for them, curious as to what had become of their competitors. But they would not find them, not now and not ever. Because the Resistance had been found once, and they were not going to make the same mistake twice. Though Impulse did come to the Hermit meeting a few weeks later, much to Tango’s excitement. But the fire elemental stepped back in shock when the taller brunette growled at him, and Zedpah moved to his side in an instant. Though Impulse could care less about them now (no matter how much it hurt him to look at the two, he just couldn’t help but remember the ravager and Tango’s taunts from that day) his attention was fully on Scar.

“This started as a game between friends, something to have fun with and laugh about.” He spoke camly, a deathly calm tinged with ice, golden eyes hard with the same ice, “And you have made it a war between enemies.”

Cries of outrage came at his words, protest from H.E.P and Hermits filling the air.

“It’s not a war!” Bdubs argued, “As you said it’s all just a game.”

“A game does not make someone question if you are still friends or not!” Impulse roared, slamming his hands down on the table, causing totally silence, “It does not permanently scar or hurt anyone! It doesn’t not make someone terrified of you! A game wouldn’t warrant running away and hiding the only option!” Tears now fell down his face, all the emotions he’d kept at bay finally slipping past his defences, “It-it doesn't make Grian’s pain into something funny, his pain and health just something to brush off. He shouldn’t be considering leaving for real!”

Impulse looked from Scar to Xisuma, “Get your acts together, H.E.P, or you might just be a few Hermits sort soon.” And with that he left, not even looking back as Tango desperately pleaded with him to stay, or H.E.P calling out to him for answers.

But he would not budge, would not turn back to look at them. Because he knew if he did he might do more than just scream at them. They all had it coming, of course, but he’s leaving that for Etho to deal with.

Later that night Scar sat in his office thinking over the events of the past few days, “I’m not the bad guy, am I Jellie?” Said cat mewed at him, a paw on his leg as she looked up at him, “Of course I’m not! I mean it’s all a game and I really just couldn’t tell the other side wasn’t having fun anymore. Right? That’s all it is, right?”

Jellie sadly bumped her head against Scars leg, a mournful chirp leaving her. She could smell that something was off about the man, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly it was.

Diamond blue eyes looked out at the shopping district, any hints of leaf green in them being overtaken by the blue, “Yeah, I’m not the bad guy.”

[rosiehunterwolf]

For the Romping and the Roaring- Part 4

My submission for Day 4 of @serpentfever's Inhuman Event!

Link to read on ffn.net (Recommended if you are on mobile or haven't read the previous parts yet)

Preview:

“Cole, watch out!” Zane’s cry came too late as a Borg security officer lunged at him out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed his arm. Cole quickly yanked away, but it set him off balance, and with Zane on him, it was too much weight to stay on his feet, and the two of them fell to the ground with a thud.

Jay yelped in panic, racing back to them, but it was too late. They were already surrounded.

Passersby gawked at them, pointing and whispering. One woman even leaned forward and asked them, “Are you boys okay?”

“They’re after us,” Jay cried, pointing at one of the Borg workers. “They’re trying to kill us, we need help-”

A loud bang sounded, and screams broke out abruptly as citizens crouched to the floor, throwing their arms over their heads, but Cole’s gaze wasn’t on any of them.

(Full chapter under cut)

Prompts Used: Capture, Trust

Word Count: 8,051

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: Blood, Dehumanization (do I really need to keep putting this lol? I think you get the trend), Imprisonment, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Mental Breakdown, Mentions of Racism (or... Species-ism?)

“Are you out of your mind?”

“Cole, at least consider-”

“I can’t believe you’re coming back to this again. Get over it, they’re not on our side!” “We don’t know that,” Zane insisted. “Look, I don’t want to trust the police any more than you do. It’s a huge risk, you’re right, one I would prefer not to take. But what other choice do we have? We don’t have any other ideas, this is the best we’ve got.”

“There’s got to be something else,” Cole groaned.

“Think about it,” Zane pleaded. “If we keep running, we’re just going to get caught by Borg. Guaranteed death, sooner or later. Or at the very least, a lifetime of imprisonment. With the police- while there is a decent chance of imprisonment, or even death, it’s not certain.”

“He’s got a good point, Cole.” Jay admitted.

“I thought you were afraid of the police!” “I am! But I’m even more scared of Borg. I think I’ll take my chances.”

Cole stared at him. “You’re gonna make me do this, aren’t you?”

“Do you see any other plans?” Jay cried. “This is all we’ve got, Cole. Are you going to actually try to get out of this, or just keep running forever?”

Cole sighed slowly. “Fine. Let’s go.”

“Over here! They went through here!” “Shit, they found it already,” Cole cursed. “Come on, we have to hurry!”

“Follow me,” Jay barked.

Cole was worried that he wouldn’t be able to find the strength to keep running, especially with Zane on his back, but the shouts from behind him spiked his adrenaline, and he closed some of the gap between him and Jay.

Jay glanced behind them every so often, and Cole tried to ignore it. He didn’t have time to be thinking about that, he just had to focus on running. He had to leave that up to Jay, who had the endless energy of a lab to keep him going. One time, though, his eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he pushed Cole to go faster. “They’ve got guns, Cole, hurry, hurry!”

“What?!” Cole nearly missed a step in his panic. “We can’t outrun guns!”

“We need to make it out of these alleys,” Jay ordered. “They won’t be able to shoot us out on the streets, or people will see. Aim for that exit right there, and don’t look back!”

A loud bang echoed through the air, and Jay yelped, jumping up. Cole looked over at him frantically, but he quickly waved his hands. “I’m not hit, it just scared me.”

Glancing back, his ears flattened. “Holy shit, they’re really getting ready to fire at us now, they’re going to shoot us, go faster!”

I’m trying, he wanted to wail, but he didn’t dare waste any breath on the utterance, and instead focused on running as fast as he could go. His legs were burning, and he wanted nothing more than to just collapse in a heap on the ground and never run again, but he knew he couldn’t do that. Especially not with Zane here. He was relying on him, and Cole wasn’t about to give up yet.

The three of them burst out of the alleys and onto a busy street, nearly right into the path of an oncoming car, and horns blared at them. They quickly darted off the streets and followed Jay towards the police station.

Cole risked a glance back. The Borg security officers were just exiting the alley, much more gracefully than they had done, and were dispersing into the crowd, disappearing before his eyes. It was good that they couldn’t be shot at, anymore, but… in a lot of ways, this was worse. They would never be able to see them coming.

“Jay, are we almost there,” Cole urged.

“Yes, just another block-”

“Cole, watch out!” Zane’s cry came too late as a Borg security officer lunged at him out of seemingly nowhere and grabbed his arm. Cole quickly yanked away, but it set him off balance, and with Zane on him, it was too much weight to stay on his feet, and the two of them fell to the ground with a thud.

Jay yelped in panic, racing back to them, but it was too late. They were already surrounded.

Passersby gawked at them, pointing and whispering. One woman even leaned forward and asked them, “Are you boys okay?”

“They’re after us,” Jay cried, pointing at one of the Borg workers. “They’re trying to kill us, we need help-”

A loud bang sounded, and screams broke out abruptly as citizens crouched to the floor, throwing their arms over their heads, but Cole’s gaze wasn’t on any of them.

It was on Jay, who was screaming, loud and guttural, as he crumpled to the ground.

Cole’s world slammed into a dizzying panic, and time seemed to move in slow motion as he lunged forward, grabbing his friend before he could hit the ground. Jay slumped against him, his breathing fast and ragged. Blood was quickly staining his sleeve, already dampening Cole’s hand as he held him.

“Jay, try to relax,” he murmured, trying to calm himself just as much as his friend. “You’re gonna be okay, just listen to the sound of my voice-”

To his horror, Jay’s eyelids were already beginning to droop. “No, no bud, stay with us, hang on a bit-”

Cole felt Zane’s hand on his shoulder, and saw that he had limped over to him and was staring at Jay with terror. “Someone, call an ambulance!” he begged.

“What’s going on over here?” A gruff voice broke through the chaos, and Cole and Zane looked to see a squadron of police pushing their way through the crowd.

“They’re trying to kidnap us,” Cole barked, pointing at the Borg security officers. “They shot Jay! They tried to kill us!”

“They’re liars,” a Borg security officer insisted. “They’re a gang of criminals who attacked us! We were only acting in self-defense!”

The head policeman shot a doubtful look at Cole, Zane, and Jay. “They’re children.”

“That doesn’t mean they can’t be criminals! It only helps them to get away with their offenses!”

“We didn’t attack anyone! They have no proof!”

“Neither do you!”

Shouts broke out among the group, and the policeman hollered over all the noise. “Enough! Break it up, break it up, everyone. Everyone here is a suspect of crime. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you. Do not resist.”

“You’re arresting us?” Cole cried. “They’re the bad guys, here!”

“Young man, we don’t have enough evidence to accuse or clear anyone, yet. All of you are going to be coming back with us to the station.”

“What about Jay,” Cole pleaded, hugging the boy closer to his chest. “He needs to get to a hospital, he’s hurt!” “We’ll call an ambulance for the boy. The rest of you will come with us.”

“We can’t go with him?” Zane exclaimed.

“A visit can be scheduled at a later time. For now, we need to figure out what’s going on.”

“We already told you what’s going on,” Cole wailed, but no one was listening to him anymore.

The rest of the evening seemed to pass in a blur, the Borg workers being rounded up and stripped of their weapons, flashing blue and red lights of the ambulance blurring his eyes as Jay was pried from his arms by the paramedics, and they were forced into a police car, confused and exhausted, the thick black bars across the window boxing them in.

Cole squeezed his eyes shut, tears slipping down his cheeks.

Zane had never been super adamant on physical affection, but he hugged him tightly throughout the whole car ride.

Was it too much to ask for, things going their way for once?

He supposed, if the rest of their lives were anything to go by, the answer was yes.

---

That day, when they had found out that Lloyd’s shot hadn’t worked, had not only saved Lloyd’s life, but likely Kai’s as well.

It had given him a reason to hope, a reason to live. It wasn’t over yet. They still had a chance.

But with time, hope quickly faded. Days blurred together, time lost its meaning. At first, he tried to use the timing of meals to count the days, but even that was unreliable- were they being fed daily, or less frequently? There was no way to know.

After so long, he stopped caring, anyway.

The only other consistency was Lloyd’s testing. The trainers came in regularly, hauled him away on that wretched leash, then brought him back half-unconscious, always with a fresh scar somewhere on his body. He would collapse on the floor as soon as he was secured back in his cell, oftentimes not even bothering to make it to the mattress. He spent a lot of the time sleeping, and it wasn’t unusual for him to miss meals. The caretakers had tried to wake him up at first, but they soon gave up. He was losing too much blood. Soon, he would reach the end of his rope. Kai didn’t know what to do except look away, the pitiful sight of the boy making him sick to his stomach and only reminding him of his failure.

They had been given another chance, but soon it would pass. Soon this one would be gone too, and then he would really be gone.

This was only prolonging the inevitable. There was no way to escape the room. They were never getting out.

He spent most of his days curled up on the mattress, not moving. Sometimes he slept, but a lot of the time it wouldn’t come, and he just stared at the ceiling.

It wasn’t like there was anything else for him to do.

He could tell Nya was worried about him. He could feel her gaze burning into him, and every once and a while she would try to get him to talk to her. Their conversations always fizzled out after a few sentences or so, though.

He hated worrying her. He knew he wasn’t the only one struggling- sometimes, he could hear Nya crying softly when she thought everyone else was asleep- and her usual alert aura had faded, leaving a weariness in her movements. Adding another thing for her to stress over wasn’t fair to either of them. But Kai couldn’t help it. His energy had been sapped, a heaviness blanketing him and confining him to the mattress. He had never felt anything like this before, and he was scared about what it meant.

It also really, really sucked.

The familiar sound of the food bowls clanking announced the caretakers were here to feed them. Kai groaned softly. Every meal had gotten increasingly harder to eat. His stomach felt hard and achey, just the thought of eating anything making him feel nauseous. What he had to eat, exactly, certainly wasn’t helping things, either.

He barely noticed as the collar was switched on, and the usual mealtime process took place. He closed his eyes, the beams of their flashlights and the rustle of their clothes as they shuffled around giving him a headache.

“Eat your food, creature,” a loud, harsh voice snapped. Kai reluctantly opened his eyes. The caretaker was already outside the cell, glaring at him. Across the room, Nya was already almost finished with her meal. Even Lloyd, who, for once, was awake, was crouched near the bowls, weakly lapping at the water in the bowl, looking as if his face was about to fall into it at any moment.

Kai groaned, slowly pushing himself off of the mattress, and crawling over to the bowls. He resisted the urge to gag as he stared down at them. Nothing had ever looked so unappetizing in his life.

“Kai, please eat,” Nya begged. “You need to eat.”

“I don’t want to.”

“I know, but you have to.”

“I can’t.”

“Do it for me. Please?”

Grimacing, Kai relented, leaning forward and taking a mouthful of food from the bowl. He bit down slowly, the grainy texture grinding against his teeth harshly. He tried to swallow, and broke into a fit of coughing, spitting half of the pellets back out, his breathing heavy as he tried to keep it all down.

“Kai?”

He sighed, and went back to the bowl, this time just taking a few of the pellets between his teeth. Bit by bit, he worked away at the food, until he had swallowed all he could bear, his stomach aching with heaviness.

“I’m done,” he panted, looking away from the still half-full bowl and rolling onto his side. “That’s all I can eat. I’m sorry.”

The collar turned on, the bowls were taken away. Once they were alone, Nya just stared at him for a moment, her gaze sad.

“Kai… I know this is hard. I’m on the verge of breaking myself. But I need you. You’re the only thing keeping me sane. If you… if something happens to you… just, I can’t let that happen. I need you in my life. I need you to be here.”

Kai looked at her, and their eyes locked for a moment. There was so much emotion in her gaze, and for a minute, Kai was plunged into the raging fear, depression, and anger there. Quickly blinking, he turned away.

“I wish I could help you, Nya. I really do. But I’m not as strong as you think I am. I can’t do this forever.”

“None of us can.” She sniffed, a wretched, defeated tone to her voice as she fell silent, consuming the room in a blanket of quiet once again.

---

Cole stared bleakly through the thick metal bars boxing them in.

Imprisoned again.

This time, though, it was the more traditional method of containment, locked in a cell with just some bare essentials, none of the luxuries they had back with Borg.

Not that it would’ve made a difference if they had- playing video games or reading a book was the absolute last thing on his mind right now.

“When do we get to see Jay?”

The police officer outside their cell sighed loudly. “I’ve told you, we still can’t let you out of here until we’ve figured out what’s going on.”

“Every time we try to tell you, you don’t listen!”

“A trial will likely be held once your friend is well enough to attend. Then you’ll be able to speak freely about your side of the story.”

“A trial?” Cole cried. “We don’t have time for that!”

The policeman raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, my apologies, I didn’t realize you would have to clear your schedule.”

“Sir, that’s not what he means,” Zane pleaded. “Our friends are in danger. If nobody goes after them soon, they could be killed.”

The policeman’s expression faltered at that. “You never mentioned others.”

“Because you never gave us a chance to tell you!” Cole cried. “Please, sir, you have to listen to us. The other people you arrested- well, I don’t know how much they’ve told you, but they’re Borg Industries employees. They work for Issac Borg, and they’re trying to kidnap us. There were six of us, but the other three disappeared a few days ago, and we haven’t heard anything from them, we’re really worried-” Cole cut off as tears flowed out unbidden, and he felt Zane wrap his arms around him tightly as he tried to catch his breath.

“Please, officer,” Zane begged. “We’re only kids. We never wanted to get mixed up in all of this. At least hear what we have to say.”

The officer blinked at them sadly. “I never was comfortable locking a bunch of young people like you up in a cell, especially when the other group at hand openly lashed out and injured one of you.” He eyed Cole’s pointed fangs and Zane’s wings warily. “Even if you are… unusual. I’ll talk to the Commissioner, see what she says.”

As he turned and began to walk away, Zane spoke again, softly. “But will she listen?”

The officer stopped.

“Nobody ever listens to us,” Cole grunted. “We’re tired of not getting a say. Just because we’re different than… than humans, doesn’t mean we’re any less valued.”

The man turned back to them. “No one said that.”

Cole watched his eyes as he evaluated them more closely. Watched how they immediately darted to Cole’s teeth, the white stripe in his hair. Then to Zane, and the thick, tawny plumage unfurling from his back. His eyes, whether he wanted them to be or not, were judgemental, cautious. There was sadness there too, but mostly fear.

Cole felt a flare of anger in his chest. He wondered, as the policeman watched them so carefully, if he saw the way Zane’s feathers were rustled and unkempt, bent and dirty, the bald patch where the feathers had been ripped out by a caretaker, or the bandages that had been wrapped around his injured ankle the previous night. He wondered if he noticed the way Cole’s curls were droopy and flat, leaving his small, furry black ears exposed and vulnerable, or how the smudges on his glasses glinted as they caught the light.

He was a liar. He didn’t care about them. No one cared.

“You may not say it,” Zane said calmly before Cole’s anger could get the better of him. “But you think it.” The policeman opened his mouth to protest, but Zane shook his head. “You don’t need to feel offended. You are not the only one to think this way. In fact, I’m not sure if we’ve ever come across someone who knew our secret and didn’t view us as inferior.”

The man had the decency to look guilty, now. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”

“No.” Uncharacteristic resentment flashed in Zane’s eyes. “It’s supposed to tell you what we’ve been through.”

The man glanced behind him warily. Sighing, he grabbed a chair and pulled it up. “I’ll listen to what you have to tell me. Whether it’s about yesterday, or… everything else. But, just so you know,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “Everything you say is being recorded. If there’s anything you want to keep private, here isn’t the place to share it.”

Zane looked over at him, and Cole shrugged. “There’s not much we need to hide at this point, anyway. If they don’t help us, no one will.”

Zane turned to the officer, a slightly helpless look on his face. “I don’t even know where to start. The last few weeks have been… overwhelming, at best.”

“What about last night? Why was Borg Security chasing you?”

“They want to kidnap us again,” Cole growled. The policeman flinched back at the inhuman sound emitting from his throat. “The last three weeks or so, they’ve been hunting us down, and we had to hide out in an abandoned warehouse, living off pocket money we’ve collected over the last ten years.”

The officer blinked. “Again? How long ago did they first bring you in?”

Cole and Zane exchanged glances.

“I have no idea how we got there,” Zane murmured. “None of us do. We were much too young to remember anything when Borg first brought us in.”

The officer’s jaw fell slack. “You mean to tell me you’ve been there since you were infants?”

“I suppose so.” Cole looked down at his feet. “It’s the only life I can remember.”

“I don’t understand. There was never any randsome posted for you.”

“I don’t think this was any regular kidnapping,” Zane said. “I’m not sure what Borg wanted us for, but I’m sure the last thing he needed was money. He’s not exactly light-pocketed. And, according to him, he didn’t kidnap us, he ‘took us in’ when everyone else rejected us. Although, I would be surprised if he wasn’t lying about that.”

“Now that I think about it,” Cole added, “He did spend a lot of time teaching us to fight. I wonder if that had anything to do with why he wanted us.”

The officer frowned. “Why wouldn’t your parents report your absences?”

Cole blinked at him. “Well, we never knew our parents. Half of them are wild animals, anyway… and I guess the human ones just didn’t care about us. Probably thought we were freaks like everyone else.”

The officer swallowed a couple times, looking at a loss for words. When he spoke again, his voice was gruff. “While we’re on that… what exactly are you?”

“We’re hybrids,” Zane explained. “Half human, half beast. I’m part falcon,” gesturing to Cole, he added, “he’s part badger, and Jay, the one in the hospital, is part labrador. Each of us has inherited certain attributes from our animal counterparts that cause us to stand out from the human race.”

“So go ahead,” Cole barked. “Laugh at us, jeer at us, lock us up in some cage so you can study us.”

“Cole…”

“I’m not going to do any of that,” the officer insisted. “And as for the cell… I’m really sorry about that. It’s just station protocol, it has nothing to do with your… uh, species-”

“Sure it doesn’t. I’m sure you lock all your young charges who were literally being shot at by a group of criminals in cages, don’t you?”

The officer pulled back from the bars of the cage as Cole bared his teeth at him. Zane put a hand on his arm, but he shrugged him off. “It’s blatant, thinly veiled discrimination, and you think you can shamelessly get away with it just because you’re the police. This is no different from what Borg did to us our whole lives!”

“Stop,” Zane snapped. “I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. I’m upset too. But can’t you see that arguing isn’t going to solve anything right now? We need them to trust us, and showing aggression is only going to make them fear us more.”

Cole slumped against him, pulling back. “Fine.” Turning towards the officer, but refusing to meet his gaze, he halfheartedly muttered, “Sorry.”

“No,” the officer told him, a faint tremble in his voice. “I’m the one who should be sorry. You’re right, this isn’t fair. You shouldn’t be in here, and we’re just- well, no, I don’t have a good excuse, but unfortunately I’m not in a position where I can change that-”

“It’s okay,” Zane assured him. “You’ve done more than most by just giving us a chance, just listening to us.”

The officer eyed him sadly. “That just makes this worse. You shouldn’t have such low standards for yourselves.”

“Don’t you see, though? You can change that. You’re our only hope. If you’re willing to listen to us, maybe others will listen to you. You can try to advocate for us.”

The officer looked uncertain. “I can try.”

“What else do you need to know?”

“What was it like in there? With Borg, I mean. Did he do anything that might’ve tipped you off on what he’s planning?”

“We got all sorts of nice stuff,” Cole told him. “Flatscreen TV, nice gaming systems, an advanced kitchen and more ingredients than we could ever need, lots of books- we even had a little window, too. But the door connecting our living space to the rest of Borg Tower was always locked. We only went out for training- there was lots of that- and ‘doctor’s appointments,’ which we later figured out were DNA tests.”

“Didn’t you ever get to leave?”

“He let us go into town, every so often,” Zane explained. “Like one a month, maybe. But one of our friends figured out he was actually monitoring us in private during those trips.” Looking down at his feet, he added, “We always had our reservations about the kind of life we were living. Some more than others. But we had been sheltered for all of our lives, led to believe that the world was malicious and cruel towards our kind, that the tower was the only place we were safe. For a long time, we thought we were being protected. We thought that this was the best life for us. We were lulled into a false sense of security.”

The officer took a shaky breath. “What changed? What made you try to escape?”

Zane’s eyes darkened, and Cole felt his fists curl. He kept his voice grizzly and deep to try to disguise the shakiness of it. “Some of us were eavesdropping, and we found out he was planning on killing one of us. We knew then, that he had never cared about us, and we had to go before we lost Lloyd forever.”

“Lloyd,” The officer frowned, scooting his chair forward. “You mentioned others?”

“Yes,” Zane said. “There were six of us, originally. The other three, Kai, Nya, and Lloyd, went missing a few days ago and we haven’t seen or heard from them since. They… they were just going into town to get some supplies and stuff, and… they never came back.”

“We immediately feared the worst,” Cole whimpered. “We’re afraid Borg will punish them for escaping. And Lloyd was the one Borg wanted to kill, originally. We don’t even know if they’re still alive.”

“If you won’t do anything for us, at least save them,” Zane begged, clutching at the bars. “The six of us are the closest thing to family we’ve got, and if anything were to happen to them…” his voice broke, choking on a sob, and Cole hugged him close.

“As much as I want to help, I really don’t know what I’m going to be able to do for you boys.” The officer’s voice was softer than Cole had heard it yet. “But if what you say is true, Borg will be looking at some serious charges, and no matter what sentences may befall you, if any at all, it’s the police force’s civic duty to protect lives. I’ll get them to save your friends, I know I will. But I’m going to need any information I can get. Can you give me that?” “We can try,” Cole told him, pulling back from Zane and wiping at his eyes. “But we really don’t know much.” “Do you know where they’re being kept?” “Presumably Borg Tower,” Zane said. “Although we can’t be certain. That’s actually what we were doing when the Borg security officers started chasing us, trying to scope out the place. We overheard them talking, and we’re pretty sure they have our friends there, but… nothing more specific than that.”

“Well, physical descriptions are going to be very helpful too.” The officer paused, pulling a notepad and pen out of his pocket. “How old are they, for starters?”

“Kai’s eighteen, Nya’s sixteen, and Lloyd’s four.”

The officer looked up sharply at that. “Four?” “Yes, he’s so small,” Cole fretted. “Now can you see why we’re so afraid?”

“This is serious. Can you give me a physical description of all of them? The more details, the better.”

Zane rambled off to the officer about all of their missing friends, Cole pitching in occasionally, as he furiously scribbled the information down on his pad. When they were finished, he had several pages filled with notes. Cole hoped it would be enough.

“Thank you, both. And I’m so sorry we didn’t listen to you earlier.”

“You did it now, which is the important thing,” Zane murmured. “That’s the first time anyone’s done anything like that for us.”

“It’s the least I could do- oh, I never caught your names.”

“I’m Zane.”

“Cole.”

“Officer Grey. Thomas Grey. Thank you for your time, boys.”

Putting a hand on the bars, he looked them dead in the eyes, the reservation and fear they had held before nowhere in sight. “Zane, Cole- I promise, I’m going to do everything in my power to help you.”

---

Time passed, and life only got harder. There were some days where Kai didn’t even have the strength to get out of bed- or his sorry excuse for a bed, anyway.

He managed, mostly. He survived. He forced himself to keep going, however much he didn’t want to.

But one day, he woke up, and everything just felt wrong.

It didn’t help that the previous day had been rough. Last night, Lloyd had come back from wherever the trainers took him, again, and this time it had been really bad. He had been half-dragged to his cell, and he hadn’t woken up since. Nya had checked every so often for the rise and fall of his chest, and he seemed to be breathing pretty steadily, but- it had left something hard inside Kai when he had gone to bed that night.

Not to mention, the water for the last meal had tasted even worse than usual, a strong metallic taste making Kai feel sick to his stomach and putting him in an all-around bad mood.

This was going to be a hard day. Not that every day in this wretched place wasn’t awful, but… this was going to be one of those worst kinds of days, he could tell.

The ones he didn’t know if he would make it through.

Scared he wouldn’t ever be able to get up again if he didn’t move now, Kai scooched off the mattress and onto the floor. Already, he was horribly overwhelmed, and curled up, hugging his knees to his chest, his back against the mattress, trying to focus on just getting his breath in and out.

The cell was dark, so dark, the blackness pushing in on all sides-

“Kai? Hey, Kai, can you hear me?” Nya? He felt like that was Nya, speaking. Maybe. It was hard to place, for some reason.

Kai put his hands over his head. Why was everything so loud?

“Kai, look at me. Look at me now.”

“I can’t.”

“You can.”

“No, I can’t.”

“Just try.”

“I can’t,” he wailed. “I’m weak. Worthless. I can’t move.”

“Kai, listen to me, it’s all in your head. You’re stronger than this, you can overpower it.”

Kai willed himself to move, to look at her, feeling a slight twitch. Saliva bubbled in his throat and he coughed, before slowly turning his head to look at her.

“Good job, bud. You did it.”

“Barely.”

“We’ll take it one step at a time.”

“I’m falling apart, Nya. I’m cracking. There’s no hope left for me.”

“You’re not cracking.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me, Nya.”

“You’re gonna be okay, Kai. As long as you listen to my voice, okay?”

Kai closed his eyes, letting her gentle tones wash over him. “I’m so tired, Nya.”

“I know.”

There was silence for a long time after that. Kai hated the silence. It scared him. Down here, silence meant loneliness and despair and left him alone with his pounding thoughts to slowly eat away at him. Down here, silence meant death.

“You think they’ll ever come back for us, Nya?” he asked, when he couldn’t let the quietness stretch on any longer.

He expected her to assure him in soothing tones, to tell her that their family would never give up on them, that they only had to be patient, and have faith. They would come, and it would take the whole of Ninjago City to stop them.

Kai smiled, for the first time in who-knew-how long, just at the thought of her words, the movement stinging his horribly cracked, dry, lips. But the real Nya didn’t speak.

“Nya?” Turning towards her cage, he was caught off guard to see her face buried in her hands, tears streaking her face as she gulped on the sobs.

He tightened his hands on the bars. “Nya?!”

“How could they come back,” she whispered. “No one knows where we are. We don’t know where we are. They don’t even stand a chance of getting close to us without Borg catching them, and then we’ll all be trapped down here and then we’re all gonna die-”

“Nya, I…” he wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know how. He didn’t know if he could, because the same thoughts were cycling through his head. How was anyone going to rescue them?

“I wanna go home,” she choked. “I don’t even have a home anymore, but I just wanna get away from here, I wanna see Cole, and Zane, and Jay, I wanna see him so bad. I think I love him, Kai, I love him and I never got to tell him-”

“He knows,” Kai whispered. “You kissed him that one time, remember?”

“But I didn’t tell him. I need to tell him, I don’t wanna die down here, Kai, I don’t wanna die!”

For the first time since they had been down here, Kai felt like the helpless one. He had been so caught up in his own depression that he had been oblivious to how his sister was suffering just as much as he was.

And now, she was hurting so badly because he hadn’t given her any attention. In fact, he had probably only made things worse for her.

“Jay!” Nya screamed, loud and shrill, the noise echoing off of the walls, reverberating back to them, then going nowhere.

“Cole! Zane! Jay! Help me!”

Nya screamed. She screamed and screamed, but no matter how loud she cried out, the sound never left the room. Never reached the desired ears. Only Borg heard them, they quickly found out, as the shock collars were switched on, and both of them fell to the ground, Nya still sobbing as she rocked herself, and Kai splayed out, silently writhing from the pain as tears beaded in his eyes, even though he was sure he was too dehydrated to cry.

When the pain finally ended, Kai was barely gripping onto consciousness. He still hated the silence just as much as ever, but this time he didn’t try to break it. It was better than the pain.

A long time passed as they just laid there, on the ground, too scared even to move. When Nya finally dared to speak again, her voice was a hushed whisper.

“When will this end?”

“I don’t know. Not long, I think.”

“I know you’re not talking about the same way I am.”

“No. But it’ll be over, won’t it?”

Nya was quiet for such a long time after that, that Kai thought she had fallen asleep.

“Over, would be a very nice thing, indeed.”

---

The next few days passed with barely a sight of Officer Grey. Every moment in the cell was pure torture for Cole, because it was just another moment that they weren’t saving their friends, who were likely in a much worse cell than this one.

At least, while they were waiting, Zane’s ankle got a chance to heal. Cole had a feeling that this wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and they would need to be at full strength if they didn’t want to mess this up.

When Officer Grey finally showed up again, he came bearing mixed news.

“I’ve talked to my colleagues, told them about what you said and gave them the video footage. The good news, they agree that we should go look for your friends and investigate the case. The bad news, they’re still unwilling to trust you. They want you to stay here when we go, and charges may still be pressed when we return.”

Zane sighed. “The main thing is that you save them. That is all we will worry about for the time being.”

“But we could help,” Cole protested. “Our senses are stronger than humans. We might be able to scent or hear or see something you can’t. It could be the difference between life and death for our friends!”

“I know. I tried to talk them into it. It’s not that no one wants to believe you, but…”

Cole leaned back, crossing his arms. “Oh, so it’s about our genetics, again, is it?”

Grey flinched. “Look, they mean well, but people tend to be stubborn in their ways-”

“It doesn’t matter now,” Zane interrupted. “We can change their minds. Take us to them.”

“Wait, what? I can’t do that!” Cole glared at him. “I thought you were on our side.”

“I am! But I could get fired for letting you out without approval-”

“And our friends could die.”

Grey stared at him for a moment. Sighing deeply, he reached for his keyring. He paused at their cell door.

“They’re not going to bend easily, if at all. You’re probably not going to accomplish anything by this, and will only get in more trouble.”

“We’re not giving up,” Cole huffed. “We have to at least try. Our friends are worth any punishment they can dish out.”

“Fine.” A jangling of keys, then the door was swung open. “Just be careful about what you say, okay?”

Cole and Zane slipped out of the cell, and Cole took a deep breath, already feeling so much better with one less wall between him and the outdoors.

“Oh, um… one more thing.”

They both turned to Grey, who was looking at them sheepishly. Reaching into his belt, he extracted two pairs of handcuffs. “You should probably put these on. Not that I don’t trust you!” he added hurriedly at their expressions, “but it will show the other officers that we aren’t making a stand or trying to be aggressive. Trust me, things will blow over a little smoother if they see you restrained.”

“Fine,” Cole grumbled, “but you better not make us fight in these.” Him and Zane held out their hands as the cuffs were snapped on, and Cole shot them a sharp glare.

“Also-”

“What is it now,” Cole snapped. “You want us chained and muzzled, too?”

“No, of course not.” Grey said softly. “You’re not animals.”

Zane cleared his throat. “Technically, we are. Half, at least.”

“That’s not the point. I mean- like, that’s cruel and unjust punishment. We would never do that here. Even if you are a different… species.”

Cole snorted. “Borg should take a page out of your book.”

Grey gave him one of those sad looks that he had seemed to be giving a lot of since that first day they had talked, but didn’t press the matter. “What I was going to say, was that the others are speaking with the Borg security officers. If we’re going to go see them, the Borg workers will be there too.” He eyed him warily. “Is that okay?”

“I mean, if it’s our only choice,” Zane murmured.

“They’re locked up- behind bars- right? And weaponless?”

“Of course. They’re prisoners here too, y’know.”

“Fine. Then let’s go. Lead the way.”

As Grey led them through the different blocks of the prison to where the other officers were, Cole tried to ignore the dirty looks the other inmates were shooting them, and ignore as they gawked at his ears, or Zane’s wings. Forcing himself to look forward, he shuffled slightly closer to Grey’s side.

After what seemed like forever, he finally stopped at a door, chose a key from the ring, and unlocked the door. Zane and Cole cautiously slipped in after him.

The room smelled musty and dingy, and Cole wrinkled his nose as they slipped past rows and rows of bars. Some of the inmates looked to be petty criminals or street thieves, while some bore the familiar jackets of Borg Security. Many of those ones snapped to attention when they saw who was passing. Cole tried not to look at them, pushing down the bubbling anger in his chest.

A group of police officers turned away from the cell and towards them. “Grey!” one of them, a well-muscled female with a loud voice barked. “What are the prisoners doing out of their cell?”

“Commissioner Morgan, we talked about this. These are the kids who were kidnapped by Dr. Issac Borg.”

Morgan narrowed her eyes at them. “Or so they say.”

“What reason do we have to lie?” Zane asked.

“I already approved a squad to investigate Borg Tower,” she snapped. “What more do you want?”

“They want to accompany us, Commissioner. They have special skills that could help us if things… take a violent turn.”

“There is no need for violence,” Morgan grunted, shooting a glare at Cole and Zane. “Tell your animal friends that they need to control their savage instincts.”

“We can control plenty,” Cole argued. “We’re not some wild beasts that need to be tamed. But I don’t think you understand the severity of the situation. Borg has shown us, firsthand, that he is not afraid to kill others to get what he wants. We will only do what is necessary.”

“Don’ listen to ‘em. The little brats don’t know their place, and they will fight back.”

Cole whipped around to see one of the Borg security guards leaning up against the walls of his cell. Cole immediately recognized him as the one who had shot Jay, and, before he could stop himself, he was darting forward and awkwardly grabbing him by the collar of his shirt through his handcuffs.

“Where are they,” he hissed. “What has Borg done with them and where are you keeping them?”

“Cole!” Zane cried.

Immediately, strong hands grabbed him from the back and pulled him away from the prison bars. The security guard took the opportunity to bolt back from the bars, shaken by Cole’s aggression. He wasn’t done yet, though. He pulled back against the police officers, shouting.

“Where are they? What have you done?”

“Cole, stop,” Zane insisted, running up to him and trying to get a grip on him. “They already think we are aggressive. You’re only making that worse.”

“You don’t understand,” Cole cried to the police officers, clinging to Zane. “Those people are some of the only ones I have left, and they’re in mortal danger. I just need to stop it, I need to protect them, I promised to protect them-” he buried his face in Zane’s shoulder as the falcon hybrid held him tight.

“I just want them back,” he whispered.

“I know,” Zane murmured. “I know.”

When Cole raised his head again, he noticed that many of the police officers were now looking uncertain or uncomfortable. After a moment, the Commissioner turned towards the security officer Cole had yelled at.

“You heard the boy. Where are his friends being kept?”

The man stared at her incredulously. “You think I’m telling?”

The woman leaned forward, banging on the bars. “You really think you’re in a position to sass around the police Commissioner?”

Everyone in the cell cringed back. But no one spoke.

“If you’d rather have an extra three years added to your jail time for the withholding of information from a superior, I’m sure that could be arranged. Not to mention, you already are to be given a trial for accusations of attempted murder and kidnapping.”

The man looked down at his feet, grimacing. “Fine! They’re in Borg Tower. You happy?”

“Where in Borg Tower?”

The man met Cole’s gaze. “I don’t know. It’s not withholding information if I don’t know it!”

“You’re lying.”

“Prove it.”

Grey sighed. “Drop it, Cole, he’s not telling you.”

“Well, this has been useful.”

“At least we know for sure that’s where they are now. Now we know we’re not just going on some wild goose chase.”

“I suppose.”

“Now that we know where we are going, we’ll set out for your friends in the morning,” Commissioner Morgan announced. “We’ll decide what happens next once that has been dealt with.”

Cole nodded. “We’ll be ready.”

“Now, wait a minute. Who told you that you were coming with?”

“You said-”

“I’m against kidnapping and possible torture, especially against minors. It doesn’t mean I trust you.”

“Please, you have to let us come with,” Zane begged. “If Borg is hiding them, our heightened senses will be useful, possibly even necessary.”

“You expect us to take some strangers with an uncertain past along on an important police mission? Look, kid, we’re a perfectly capable team of officers. And there are some pretty heavy claims being made against you,” she gestured at the cells with the Borg workers, “and we just can’t take that chance right now.”

“But-”

“End of discussion. Grey, take them back to their cell. Woun, go with them, in case Grey gets any funny ideas.”

A female officer walked up beside him and gripped him by the arm.

“Stop! Please, you don’t understand, we need to help!”

Grey looked between him and Morgan with conflicted eyes. “Commissioner, if you would at least consider-” “Be quiet, Grey. They’re not going.”

“Wait! I can prove they’re innocent!”

Everyone whipped around towards the doorway. An officer was standing there, his gaze expressionless.

Beside him, was Jay.

“Jay!” Cole and Zane yelped simultaneously, Cole pulling away from the officer with ease as they both raced towards their friend. Cole reached him first, crying before he was even near him, leaning against him and burying his face in his shoulder. Zane was close behind him, leaning against Jay more carefully, as to avoid his right arm, which was bandaged and pulled into a sling.

“Dude, you’re okay,” Cole sniffed. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.”

“Jay, Jay we were so worried, they wouldn’t let us see you… how’s your arm doing?” Zane fretted. “Does it hurt? Are they giving you antibiotics? Should you be out of bed?”

“Guys, I’m okay,” Jay laughed, pushing them off gently. “I got lucky. Apparently that guy’s aim was bullcrap, the bullet only grazed me. I’m gonna be fine. I’m sorry they didn’t tell you anything, though. It’s nice to know how much you care.”

“Of course we care,” Cole grunted. “We’re family.”

Jay’s smile faltered. “Speaking of which, we’re still a few members short. It’s long past due we go get the others.”

“We’re trying, but they won’t let us go-”

Jay waved his left hand, stopping him. “It’s fine, Bodden told me everything.”

Cole’s gaze shifted to the officer standing beside Jay. “Bodden?”

“I’m a good friend of Grey’s,” the officer explained. “After he told me about you a couple days ago, I felt similarly to him on the issue. He asked me to bring Jay down here today, and I agreed.”

Morgan scowled. “That’s all well and good, but why is he here, Grey? Patients aren’t supposed to leave the medical wing without permission from me.”

“Because I have something that could change your mind on us,” Jay said, waving a small, black phone in the air.

Cole raised an eyebrow at him. “Your burner? How’s that gonna help?”

“You know when we were eavesdropping on those caretakers, behind Borg Tower?” Jay asked, flipping open the phone. “Apparently, I accidentally was recording the whole thing.”

“What?” Zane choked, leaning over his shoulder to peer at the phone.

“I didn’t even know you could record on those hunks of junk!” Cole cried.

“On most, you can’t. But I got a slightly different model than the rest of you.” He elbowed Zane. “Aren’t you glad you let me get the more expensive one, now?”

Zane closed his eyes, breathing out. “I never thought I would say this, but good heavens, yes. That may have just saved our lives, Jay.”

“It saves everything! I can’t believe you just saved everything on accident, Jay.”

“The fact that it was an accident doesn’t give me less credit in the matter, just so we’re clear-”

Cole laughed, bumping his shoulder against Jay’s. “Once this whole thing is over, you can have all the credit you want.”

“The audio evidence will certainly help your case,” the Commissioner told them, after Jay had played it for her. “But it still doesn’t give us the entire picture.”

“I know,” Jay told her. “But right now, we don’t have time to gather concrete proof. You’re just going to have to trust us.” He held out his hand to the Commissioner, and she stared at it for a moment.

Her face steeling, she grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. “We leave first thing tomorrow.”

[ptersparkers]

truth or dare

summary: you’re the new girl moving in between the cut and figure eight, and sarah wants nothing to do with you. at least, not at first. 

warnings: mentions of alcohol, swearing, and typos, probably. 

notes: omg i’m so happy you guys like what i write for sarah and i read all of your requests! i’ll get to them at some point, promise.

add yourself to my taglist!

Rumor has it that there was a new girl moving onto the Outer Banks for the summer. The only reason why this was special news is because the newcomer lived on the cusp of The Cut and Figure Eight. If Sarah was being honest, she didn’t care about anyone other than the friends she called her family. To watch them “freak out” over someone new who’d be staying in between the two sides of the island made her even less excited for the summer. She had just gotten comfortable with the Pogues - why was something threatening that?

“Maybe we should see if she comes to The Wreck,” JJ proposed one late Friday morning. “You know, see what she looks like.”

“How do you know this person is a ‘she’?” Pope asked. 

“Call it me being hopeful,” JJ replied, winking at the boy. Sarah rolled her eyes.

“That’s gross,” Kiara said, scoffing as she took a seat in the hammock next to Sarah. “Why don’t we just leave this family alone and not do anything stupid this summer?” 

“I agree with Kie,” Sarah said, high-fiving the girl next to her. “You all sound so desperate.” 

“Can’t argue with the Kook,” John B. joked. Sarah gave him a playful glare and bothered him for a bottle of water. 

“Whatever,” JJ said nonchalantly. “It’s all fun and games, really. Summer’s here and I don’t want to do anything that’s not having fun.” 

“I’m gonna head home,” Sarah announced, standing up. “Dad wanted me back for lunch but I’ll be free after one. Meet back at the Chateau?” 

“See ya later,” Pope said, giving her a mock salute as Sarah exited the living space. 

When Sarah walked outside to where her car was parked, she saw you looking down at your phone with a confused expression. What you wore was definitely not appropriate for a summer in the Outer Banks - a long sleeved turtleneck with white tapered pants. Your hair was slicked back in a low ponytail and gold jewelry littered your hands and fingers. 

“Hey,” you said, looking up. Sarah’s attention snapped out of her thoughts and she looked at you, trying to act as if she hadn’t been checking you out. “Can you tell me where The Wreck is?” 

“The Wreck?” Sarah asked, clearing her throat. “Uh, yeah, if you walk down the block and make a right, The Wreck should be on your left.” You took the black sunglasses off of your eyes and looked at her for a brief moment before putting them back on. 

“Thanks, uh...,” you trailed off. 

“Sarah,” she replied. 

“Sarah,” you repeated. “I’m Y/N. I just moved here, if you couldn’t tell.” You gestured at your outfit and laughed at yourself. Oh boy. 

“I can tell,” Sarah said, laughing. 

“Sorry, I don’t wanna keep you if you’re going somewhere,” you said, lazily pointing at her car keys.

“Oh!” Sarah said, momentarily forgetting that she was going home to meet her family for lunch. “I could give you a ride, if you want?”

“What about the whole ‘stranger danger’ rule?”

“I’m not an axe murderer,” Sarah said, laughing. 

“Maybe, but you don’t know if I’m one,” you said, matching her stance with a smirk. Sarah chuckled. “Kidding. I’d love a ride.” Sarah knew she’d be a few minutes late with the time you two had spent talking and the detour she’d have to take. Whatever, she thought. I’ll just say I lost track of time. 

“So, where are you from?” Sarah asked, turning on the engine and leaving the Chateau. 

“New York,” you replied. “My mom’s from the Outer Banks originally and this is the first time we’re staying here for an entire summer.”

“You’ve never visited before?”

“A few times,” you said. “It was when I was much younger and we didn’t stay for very long. I can’t really remember much, if I’m being honest.” 

“I’ve lived here all my life,” Sarah said with a quiet sigh. “It’s nice when there’s no weather storms.”

“I’ll bet. The snow can be deadly in New York when it’s wintertime,” you said dramatically. “But I love it. It’s home, you know?” 

“Yeah,” Sarah said, unsure of what to say. Her car had approached The Wreck and you smiled gratefully at her before unbuckling your seatbelt. 

“Thanks, Sarah. I owe you one,” you said. 

She waved you off. “Nah, it’s not a problem.” You stayed put for a moment before grabbing a sharpie from your bag and holding your hand out for Sarah. She raised an eyebrow and gave you her hand to which you wrote your phone number on it. 

“Here. Don’t be afraid to use it.” You capped the sharpie and put it back in your bag, a satisfied smile on your lips. 

“How will you get home?” Sarah asked.

“My parents are meeting me here,” you explained. “I’ll be fine. See you around?” 

Sarah smiled. “Yeah, see you around.” 

***

“She’s hot,” JJ yelled from outside of the Chateau a week after Sarah had first met you. “And I mean like hot, hot.” 

“Who are you talking about?” John B. asked, quirking his eyebrow from the book he was currently reading. 

“The new girl,” he replied. 

“How do you know she’s not a Touron?” Kie inferred. 

“Heard her talking while I was at the surf shop,” he said, sitting next to John B. “She was telling the cashier about moving here for the summer while he rang her up. Something about moving from New York?”

“New York?” said Kie. “Damn. That’s a whole different lifestyle.” 

“I can’t even begin to explain what she looks like,” JJ retorted. “Like, Kook meets Pogue.”

“That doesn’t help,” Pope said, throwing a pillow at him. It hit JJ on the side of the head and Sarah laughed. 

“I can, um, ask her to hang out with us this afternoon,” Sarah said timidly. All eyes turned on her. “What?” 

“You mean you’ve met her and had her number this entire time?” JJ asked. 

“Um, yes?” 

He scoffed. “You’d keep me from meeting my one true love?” 

Sarah rolled her eyes. “I met her last week before I went home for lunch. She needed directions to The Wreck and I gave her a ride.” Sarah swore JJ’s eyes were going to pop out of his sockets. 

“And you’re telling us this now?” 

“Jesus, JJ,” John B. said. “Calm down, would you?” 

“All I’m saying is Sarah’s keeping me from meeting my future wife and I think that’s a felony.” 

“So fucking dramatic,” Kiara said, rubbing her templed. 

“She gave me her number after I dropped her off but I haven’t texted her yet,” Sarah explained. 

“Well what are you waiting for?” JJ asked, standing up from his spot to stand next to Sarah. “Text her, woman!” 

Sarah pulled out her phone from her back pocket, rolling her eyes at JJ’s eagerness. When she hovered over your contact and was about to type a message, she started at the blank text box. 

“What do I even say?” 

“Here,” JJ said, taking the phone from Sarah. The blonde tried to fight for her phone but JJ’s height allowed him to raise her phone over his head. “Would love to see you again, come meet me at The Wreck,” JJ said. “Let me add a wink emoji for good measure.” 

“Don’t you dare!” Sarah exclaimed, trying to run after JJ. 

“Too late!” he said, handing the phone back to the petite blond. Sarah groaned when she saw the message had delivered and furiously typed another message. 

“Jeez, you’re making it sound like I want a second date,” she said, huffing. 

“Well I want a first date,” JJ replied.

sarah: sorry about that message. my friend stole my phone

She waited anxiously for you to reply. 

y/n: lol, it’s okay. you sure that wasn’t coming from you? 

Sarah tried her best to not get flustered in front of her friends. 

sarah: i mean, i really want you to come hang out with me and my friends

You didn’t miss a beat. 

y/n: i’d love that! and this time i’ll wear proper clothing lmao

sarah: we’re gonna be there later this afternoon, is that okay with you?

y/n: be there or be square!! 

Sarah giggled and the Pogues looked at one another, confused as to what had pulled out such a high-pitched laugh from the blonde. 

“Okay,” Sarah said, looking up. “Y/N’s gonna meet us at The Wreck.”

“Y/N,” JJ said, letting your name slip off of his tongue. “I like it. Easy to say, but I can’t wait to hear her say my name.”

“Jesus,” Kiara said, playfully banging her head on the side of John B’s arm. “Can you stop being weird for just one second?”

“Nope,” he said, winking at her. “I’m gonna get her to go on a date with me by the end of the month. If it happens, it happens.”

“And if it doesn’t happen?” Pope asked. 

JJ shrugged. “I’ll shut up about girls for the rest of the summer.”

John B. snorted. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.” 

“I swear,” he said, crossing his heart. “You guys can call me out on it and I won’t argue with you.”

“Okay,” Kiara spoke. “I can get behind this.” 

“So, do we have a deal?” JJ looked around the room and stuck his hands out, waiting for an answer.

“We have a deal,” said John B and the rest of the group agreed. 

Sarah didn’t know how she felt at that moment. While the rest of the Pogues sat around and laughed at whatever Pope had just said, she couldn’t help but replay the conversation that just occurred in her head. There was no way she actually had some feelings for you, a stranger she had met a week ago, right? Besides, did you even like girls? 

All she knew was she couldn’t wait until this afternoon. 

***

The Pogues had gotten to The Wreck ten minutes earlier and Sarah didn’t know why she was so anxious. You were just someone she met so why was her leg bouncing up and down? 

“Tell me why I’m kind of nervous,” said JJ. 

“You’re acting like you’ve in love with her,” Pope said. 

“I mean, basically.” 

Kiara rolled her eyes. “You haven’t even spoken to this girl. What if she’s an absolute nut job and ends up getting all of us arrested?”

“She’s not a nut job,” Sarah said. 

JJ shrugged. “I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m excited to convince someone to ditch the Kook lifestyle.” 

“I don’t think Y/N knows what that means,” Sarah replied. “She’s just gonna be here for the summer.” 

“Still,” he said, taking a french fry from the center of the table. Kiara’s father had graciously provided the group with a free lunch, thanks to Kiara’s insistence and promising him that they would help him build the shed he had in his backyard. 

“Sarah?” you said. Your voice rang through her head and she whipped her head around at the sound of her name coming from your mouth. Her lips lifted upwards and drank in your appearance - high waisted mom jeans, a black tank top, and a loose linen button down shirt draped over your shoulders. 

“Y/N,” Sarah said, standing up from the table she sat at. You met her halfway and gave her a squeeze, looking over her shoulder to see four pairs of eyes on you. 

“Hi,” you said, offering a small wave and a genuine smile. 

“Woah,” Sarah heard from behind her. She looked at the boys and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. JJ was obviously starstruck and John B’s mouth was hanging slightly ajar. Pope was the only smart one; he hadn’t bothered to send a wink you way or made any attempt to make it seem like he was gawking at you. 

“This is Y/N,” she introduced. “She just moved from New York last week.”

“JJ,” said the blond, standing up and almost tripping over himself. You chuckled at his antics and held your hand out for him. JJ, being the flirt he was, pressed a kiss to the back of your hand and Sarah let out an audible groan.

“Stop being weird,” she muttered. 

“I guess chivalry isn’t dead,” you commented as JJ held your hand limp in his. JJ winked. 

“Never, Y/N.” 

“This is Kiara,” Sarah said, pointing at the only other girl at the table. Kiara grinned and waved at you from where she sat. “That’s Pope.” Pope awkwardly waved and stood up to shake your hand, which you did. “And that’s John B.” Sarah could see the hint of pink appear on John B’s cheeks. The boy, who had never really paid much attention to girls, was flustered over someone he had never spoken to before. 

“Nice to meet you all,” you said. “ So do you go by John or John B?”

“The ‘B’ stands for Booker,” he explained. “But everybody just calls me ‘John B.’”

“That’s unique,” you commented. “I can’t say that I’ve ever known anyone who refers to themselves with an initial.” 

“What about me?” JJ asked. 

“Well yours like a nickname,” you said. “I feel like JJ might be pretty common.” JJ didn’t respond and Sarah chuckled. “Anyway, I’m starving.”

“Whatever you want is in the house,” Kiara explained. “My dad owns The Wreck and everything’s on us.” 

“Oh, no,” you combated, pulling your wallet out. “Absolutely not. I’m more than happy to pay for my meal.”

“Chivalry isn’t dead,” JJ mocked, winking at you. 

“Seriously,” Kiara said, pushing your hand back. “Don’t sweat it.” 

“You guys,” you said, jutting your bottom lip out. “I haven’t even known you for ten minutes and you’re gonna make me cry.” 

The Pogues laughed and Sarah was glad that you all had gotten along so nicely. 

As the weeks went by, Sarah hid in the shadows when it came to you. Whenever you went to parties at The Boneyard, you were constantly surrounded by Kooks, Tourons, and other Pogues alike. When you were with her friends, JJ and John B. hadn’t stopped pestering you about life in New York and it was almost as if they were in a silent competition of who could take you on a date first. 

But whenever Sarah could get you alone, it was like no one in the world mattered. You were more open, honest about how you felt about moving to the Outer Banks and what you missed about New York. She could feel her heart continuously growing whenever you spoke about things you didn’t say whenever John B. or JJ were around.

It was Pope who had noticed Sarah’s feelings for you and encouraged her to go for it. Sarah hadn’t considered the idea of falling for a girl but that changed the second she saw you wear a long sleeve on the hottest day of the summer. She just didn’t know if you felt the same. 

***

“Okay, truth or dare,” Kiara said as you all sat on Sarah’s boat in the middle of the bank. It was a fairly warm night and Sarah had offered to use her boat, equipped with fairy lights, snacks, and refreshments. 

“I’m far past the point of telling you we aren’t in middle school because we’re just gonna play it,” JJ said, shrugging. He took a seat next to Kiara while you sat in front of him, Sarah to your left, John B. to your right, and Pope on the other side of Kiara. 

“I haven’t played this in ages,” you said, laughing. You had one beer earlier that night but decided to stay sober for the rest of the night and fostered a bottle of cold apple juice. 

“John B,” Kiara said. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” he replied. 

“I dare you to raise your hand for the next three rounds every time you want to say something.” 

“Are you being serious?” he said, deadpanning. 

“John B. didn’t raise his hand!” JJ exclaimed. John B. raised his hand reluctantly and you all took turns making fun of his predicament. 

“Sarah, truth or dare?” Pope asked.

“Truth.”

“Out of everyone here, who would you date if you had to?” Sarah stared at Pope and wanted to wipe that smirk off of his face. 

“I’m not answering that,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“You have to!” JJ exclaimed. “You answer or I throw you overboard.”

“You wouldn’t,” she said. “Actually, don’t answer that.” 

“So who’s it gonna be?” JJ wiggled his eyebrows, taunting the blonde who wanted nothing more than to turn the boat around and crawl in a hole. 

“Y/N,” she mumbled. 

“I’m sorry?” Pope teased, cupping his ear with his hand. 

“Y/N,” she said a little louder. “She’s the only one of us who isn’t a complete dumbass.” 

“Oh, you’d be surprised,” you said while the Pogues laughed. 

“Y/N,” JJ said, turning his body to look at you. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare,” you said with a shrug. 

“I dare you to kiss the hottest person on this boat.” 

Sarah’s stomach filled with dread. She was overcoming the embarrassment of Pope’s question but couldn’t bear to watch you kiss her friends and, again, seriously thought about cutting the game short and driving back to the dock. But what would only look weird. 

You weren’t stupid. You knew JJ and John B. hadn’t been shy about their infatuation with the new girl who would be staying in the Outer Banks for the summertime. JJ had been over flirtatious with you that you had grown accustomed to his behavior and it didn’t bother you as much when Kiara told you that’s how he behaved around every girl he hadn’t known for a long time. 

When JJ asked the question, you looked around the group and made sure to keep lingering eye contact with the two boys who looked like they were trying hard to seem more attractive in that very moment. You bit your lip, taking your sweet time choosing the person you’d kiss to fulfill the dare. You locked eyes with JJ and he licked his lips. Sarah felt her stomach drop.

But before JJ could do anything, you turned to your left, cupped Sarah’s jaw, and pressed your lips against hers. 

Sarah paid no mind to the gasps of her friends and, instead, relished the feeling of your ultra soft lips moving against hers. She didn’t know what to do with her hands because her mind was wrapped around the fact that the girl she liked was kissing her, really kissing her, in front of her friends unapologetically. 

“Okay,” Kiara said, coughing. You broke apart and there was an audible “pop,” Sarah’s lip gloss shining apparent on yours. You turned to look at JJ, who sat with his mouth wide open, speechless. The boy sat with stars in his eyes and he couldn’t help but feel flustered at the fact that all this time he had been hitting on someone who didn’t swing his way. Or at least, not this time. 

“I’m shook,” Kiara said. “But I totally saw that coming.”

“I second that,” Pope said, pointing at you both. 

“Hold up,” John B. said, scratching the back of his head. “Now I feel like an idiot.”

“I bet JJ feels like a bigger idiot,” Pope said, not bothering to hide his laughter.

“Shut up,” he said, shaking his head in an attempt to get rid of the blush on his cheeks. 

“You poor baby,” you said, standing up. You walked behind JJ, who you had grown comfortable enough around, and hugged him from behind. “Your efforts were really sweet.” You pressed a kiss to his cheek and he laughed, squirming to get out of your grasp as the group began to laugh at your antics. 

“Chivalry still isn’t dead,” he said. “I’m just not gonna hit on you anymore.” You let go of JJ and returned back to your seat, looking at Sarah. 

“You good, Cameron?” you asked, quirking your head to the side. 

“Perfect,” she said, her confidence building. “You?” You bit your lip and nodded. 

“Almost. I think I need another kiss.” 

***

taglist:

@princessdolan​ @ashyramblings-ficrecs​ @fanficscuziranout​ @caswinchester2000​ @jellyfishbeansontoast​ @karleeluv​ @briannarto @pogue-h​ @hyluas @angelic-ashleyaileen @mfmaddyperez.

yall i do not know why tumblr is letting me tag some of you im so sorry

[alolowrites]

The Helpful Elf

Summary: The Hippity Hop Cat toy is the toy on every kid’s wish list this year, including Eri’s. With the toy flying off the shelves, you desperately ask Mirio, the Helper Elf at Hazuki’s ToyLand, for help. And Mirio doesn’t give up, especially when it comes to you.

Author’s Note: Hello everyone!!! Real life is being a pain right now, but I’m so glad I managed to finish this story right on time! It’s pretty long (for me lol) and it’s my first with Mirio so yay!! I also wrote it for the BNHASanctuary discord server’s winter collab (first time I ever participated in any collab), so I’m very excited about this. I’ll link and share the masterlist once it’s up. I can’t wait to read everyone else’s stories :D 

Please enjoy!

Word Count: 2.5K+

With October long gone and December in full swing, it meant one thing—the official start of the jubilant holiday season. Every year, Japan’s most iconic department store in Tokyo, Hazuki’s, transformed its ten floors into a magical winter wonderland. Around the country and around the globe, customers ushered through the doors to catch a glimpse of the glamorous store glittering with festive decor. 

Dazzling lights twinkled around the window displays that stretched around the block. Vibrant ornaments hung high above the ceilings like luxurious bubbles. And pine garlands peppered with red berries wrapped themselves along any rails that ran off forever. 

Hazuki’s was the place to kick start the holiday season and the one place to find everything and anything on one’s holiday shopping list. Especially the highly coveted toy of the year—the Hippity Hop Cat. 

Or so you thought. 

“Mirio!” 

“Huh?” Said man’s elf hat jingled when he looked away from his display. His blue eyes beamed at the sight of you. Mirio chirped out your name as you rushed forward, nearly knocking him over. “Whoa, you alright?” 

“I need your help,” you blurted out, catching your breath at the same time; those pesky escalators were no use at all. Mirio offered to get water, but you waved him off. “No, no…no time for water. I need your help. It’s urgent!” 

“Uh, sure, what can I do?” 

“I need a toy, but not just any toy.” Mirio blinked when you suddenly inched closer to him. You scanned the area as though someone was lurking around to eavesdrop on your top-secret conversation. “It’s the Hippity Hop Cat, you know—” 

“The cat whose hops are out of this world?” 

“Yes, that one!” You clung to his shoulders like a desperate parent trying to find some shred of sanity in this chaotic store. Shaking the blonde man, you begged, “Please tell me you have one in stock?”

“Oh man,” Mirio scratched his forehead as he recalled the inventory from this morning. He glanced at your hopeless eyes and tight fists curling on his work uniform. There was no way Mirio could leave you hanging like this; it didn’t feel right. So he flashed you his famous smile that outshone the star twirling above you both. “Come with me. I’ll check in our system.”

“Gosh, you’re a lifesaver.” 

Mirio humbly rubbed his neck as he led the way to the backroom. You eyed the uproarious floor covered with thousands of toys that rivaled Santa’s Workshop in the North Pole. It was like walking through a child’s dream. Every toy imaginable—dolls, electric cars, robots, board games, you name it—was here. Hopefully, that stayed true with the Hippity Hop Cat. 

The door closed, muffling the sounds of frantic parents buzzing through the aisle. Mirio typed away on the keyboard as you paced behind him. You cursed yourself for procrastinating this long to buy the prized toy. Christmas was in less than two weeks!

“So who’s the gift for?” 

“Oh!” His deep voice pulled you back to the present. You walked forward with folded arms, anxiously hugging yourself. “It’s for Eri, a sweet little girl my next-door neighbor, Shouta, adopted earlier this year. She had a rough upbringing, but fortunately, she’s living with someone who cares for her deeply.” 

“I’m glad to hear that.” 

“Yeah,” you smiled softly at Mirio, making his fingers freeze above the keyboard. That smile of yours took his breath away; he nodded but secretly tried controlling his heart that beat like a bass drum. It was difficult since you were so close to him. “This will be Eri’s first Christmas, and she wants the Hippity Hop Cat; I told Shouta I would buy it for her, helping ease some pressure off his shoulders.”

“That’s really thoughtful of you.” Mirio admired everything about you. He was absolutely smitten with you ever since you started working in the perfume department. Mirio sometimes strolled through the floor during his breaks just to catch a glimpse of you. After scrolling through the computer, the blonde man frowned. “Hmm…looks like we’re out of stock. And the next shipment won’t come until the twenty-first.” 

You groaned. “Man, that’s cutting it close; you think you can hold one for me? I can buy it during my break or after work.” 

“I’ll try my best.”

“Thanks, Mirio.” You squeezed his shoulder, and he shuddered at the touch. Glancing at your watch, you said, “I gotta go before Nemuri wonders where I am. But thanks for helping out!” 

“Sure!” He saw you slip out the door in a hurry; you throw an apologetic smile for good measure. Pushing the elf hat further up, Mirio chuckled, “No problem.”

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

Okay, so maybe there was a slight problem.

Santa Claus was still around town, and Mirio was placed on “elf duty” to help out with the pictures. Don’t get him wrong, the sunshine man adored children as much as the jolly old man who lived in the North Pole. However, Mirio realized he couldn’t guard the Hippity Hop Cat for you. All he could do was pray that one miraculously stayed on the shelf until you bought it. 

A flash went off, snapping Mirio back to his job. He smiled brightly, guiding the kid off Santa’s lap and ushering the next one to the chair. Nearly every parent in Japan was here today, the line looping around the store. Other customers, not visiting Santa, shopped as well, making the place extra crowded today. Yet, none of them were you, and that worried Mirio. 

“Ho, ho, ho, it was nice meeting you, sweetie!” 

Oh right! Mirio needed to focus, but it was hard knowing you weren’t here yet. All Mirio wanted to do was make people happy, especially you. After the sweet story you shared with him, he was more determined than ever to get you that toy. His blue eyes glanced at the bearded man in the red coat—could he help? Who knows. 

As Mirio waved goodbye to each kid, you stumbled off the escalator, face flushed as though you ran fifty flights of stairs. You glanced around the packed floor, dodging an airplane that whizzed by and brushing against the sea of customers to find Mirio. The blonde elf locked eyes with you and flashed a relieved grin; the grueling wait was over. 

And so was his duty with Santa Claus, what luck! Mirio marched over to you, placing a gentle hand on your back and guiding you to the aisle. “I was worried you wouldn’t come.” 

“I’m sorry,” you blurted out, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a robot’s arm. “The perfume department was swamped with tourists and other people. I practically had to beg Nemuri to let me slip away for a few minutes so I could buy—” Turning the corner, you gasped in disbelief at the empty shelves before choking out, “—the toy.”

Mirio blew a low whistle; people were snatching these toys off the shelves like no tomorrow. Still, he wouldn’t give up just yet. “C’mon, maybe there’s some left in stock.” 

“You sure?” 

“Can’t hurt to try, right?” Mirio flashed you a boyish smile, blue eyes brimming with determination. You nodded and followed him through the elaborate maze of this chaotic toy store. 

However, just as you both passed by the cash register, someone bellowed out: “That’s the last Hippity Hop Cat, sir. Thank you for shopping at Toyland; have a nice day!” 

No! You screeched to a halt. Your eyes watched as the man grabbed his bag and left the store with an exhausted but relieved face. Without thinking, you slammed against the counter, scaring the young green-haired employee who clutched his uniform. Leaning forward, you desperately half-whispered, “Please tell me what you said wasn’t true!” 

“I-I’m sorry?”

“The toy!” You frantically gestured to the exit, the man now long gone. “Please tell me you have another Hippity Hop Cat for sale!” 

“U-Um, I, uhh, well,” Midoriya stammered until his eyes spotted a familiar face behind you. The nervous man sighed in relief, knowing he was saved. “Mirio!”

“Hey, Izuku, sorry about that,” Mirio bashfully chuckled and clasped your shoulder to calm you down. The blonde man quickly introduced you to his co-worker, adding, “They’re trying to buy the Hippity Hop Cat, but are you sure that was the last one in stock?” 

“Yeah, it was. I’m sorry.” 

“Oh…oh, okay…” Your shoulders drooped like a sad puppy; you were too late. After saying a quick apology, you numbly dragged your feet toward the exit as a gray cloud formed over your head. A warm hand stopped you from going any further, and you blinked up. “Huh, Mirio, what’s wrong?”

“You alright?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah,” you dismissed his concerns, but he wasn’t convinced; your eyes told a different story. Still, you mustered a brave face with a faint smile. “Listen, I appreciate everything you did. I knew it was a longshot getting the toy, so don’t sweat it, really.”  

“I know, I just,” he sucked in a breath, “I just wished I could have helped you out more. Especially since you wanted to make Eri happy.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ll get her something else.” You squeezed his bicep when Mirio opened his mouth to interject; he faltered slightly at the brief touch. “It’s fine, really. I’m sure Eri will love any toy for her gift; I promise.” 

Mirio nodded, watching you leave the store and disappearing within the crowd. You said everything was fine, but he knew that wasn’t true. That fake smile of yours spoke volumes. There has to be a way to get that toy, Mirio pondered, rubbing his chin and staring at the floor with furrowed eyes. 

Suddenly, an idea popped inside his head just as a jingle bell chimed behind him. A white smile stretched across Mirio’s face. The idea was crazy, maybe a longshot, too, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. Mirio whipped out his phone and searched through his contacts until he landed on a specific name. 

The line started ringing...and ringing...and ringing when—

“H-Hi, Mirio.”

“Hey, Tamaki!” The blonde man beamed like the sun. He lowered his voice, cupping the phone for secrecy while walking away. “Listen, buddy. I know you’re busy and all, but I got a huge favor to ask…” 

༛༛ ༛ ༛༺༻༛ ༛ ༛༛

“…you think you can do it?” A small puff of breath floated out of your lips as you stepped away from the revolving doors. You stood beside a colorful window display of tiny elves grinning from ear to ear, their eager hands holding toys for the good boys and girls. One elf balanced himself at the tippy top of Santa’s mountainous red bag, his green gloves clutching the pointy hat for dear life. 

You smiled, appreciating the creative design before saying, “I can close the following week...yeah...okay, awesome, thanks again!”

Crisis one averted. Crisis two was up for debate, mainly because you held a shopping bag with Eri’s gift. It wasn’t the Hippity Hop Cat, but a nice small plushy cat toy instead. You bought it just a few minutes ago after wandering through the aisles at Toyland. The plushy cat toy wasn’t a bad second choice; it was adorable and incredibly soft to the touch. But it wasn’t the toy you wanted to give for Eri’s first Christmas. 

Oh, well, you sadly thought, biting the inside of your cheek. You stared at the elves again, realizing that their costumes matched Mirio’s work uniform in Toyland, down to the funny little hat. Mirio somehow pulled it off well thanks to his bubbly personality and warm heart that could melt the North Pole's snow. 

At one point, you wondered if Mirio was even there since you didn’t see him at the store today. You assumed he was doing inventory, but Midoriya said Mirio took the day off after a last-minute “personal obligation” came up, and it was too important to ignore. Must have been serious, you sighed as the shopping bag rustled against the wind. 

You braced your coat, hissing as the cold air sliced across your cheeks. Yup, it was time to go unless you wanted to freeze out here. Shuffling away from the window display, you stopped when someone screamed your name. Glancing over, you saw Mirio running toward you with one arm waving high in the air. 

“Hey!” Mirio finally caught up to you, his face flushed and nose redder than Rudolph’s, yet he kept on smiling. “So glad I found you!” 

“Whoa, you alright?” Now it was your turn to be concerned, just like he was when you rushed into the store to ask about the Hippity Hop Cat toy. Mirio nodded enthusiastically, squashing your worries away. “Midoriya said you were busy with a ‘personal obligation’ today. Is everything okay?” 

“Oh yeah, everything is great!”

“Well, that’s, um, great.”

“So, listen, about the Hippity Hop Cat toy—” 

“Mirio, I told you not to worry about it,” you butted in, shaking your shopping bag with the plushy cat. “I went ahead and bought something else for Eri and—”

“Ta-da!” 

You went radio silent, staring in disbelief at the surprise. Sitting in Mirio’s hands was the one and only Hippity Hop Cat toy. The number one toy that was on every kid’s wish list, yet rarer to get than Willy Wonka’s Golden ticket. That toy was now only a few inches away from you. 

“B-But how?!” The words finally fumbled through your lips, flickering your gaze between the toy and Mirio while stumbling forward a bit. “It’s sold out everywhere!” 

“Let’s just say I pulled some strings with Santa’s workshop,” Mirio cheekily grinned like one of the elves from the window display. You choked out a laugh, dropping the shopping bag so you could hold the boxed toy; it felt wonderful in your hands.

You looked up with eyes softer than freshly fallen snow. Mirio continued talking up a storm, his arms flailing wildly like an excited kid who discovered something new. The delicate holiday lights flickered around you both, casting a lovely glow that was as bright as the joy twinkling inside Mirio’s eyes. 

They were always so welcoming that, without thinking, you gave him a crushing hug. Mirio froze, his arms hanging mid-air as he slowly processed what was happening. After a few seconds, his shoulders relaxed, and his strong arms eagerly wrapped around you, holding you in place. Even with that thick coat of yours, you felt very soft that his heart soared to new heights. 

“Thank you, Mirio,” you whispered near his ear, giving him another squeeze. But you didn’t stop there. A sudden urge came over you, and in a bold move, you planted a sweet kiss on his cheek. Pulling away, you bit back a laugh at his flustered face. “You really are the best Helpful Elf I know.” 

“Well, you know me,” he shot you a grin, “I’m always here to help.” 

“Is that so?” You tapped your cheek with your gloved finger. “Think you can help me gift wrap this toy, say tonight at my place?” 

“Luckily for you, I’m a whiz with wrapping paper.” 

Mirio’s hand wormed its way into yours, giving you a loving squeeze before joining you on your long walk home. The Hippity Hop Cat toy was the toy on every kid’s wish list this year, including Eri’s, whose first Christmas was officially saved. And it was all thanks to Mirio, the one and only Helpful Elf at Hazuki’s Toyland.

Thank you for reading!!

FicMas Fest 2020 Masterlist

[akaashiclub]

girls chase boys ☇ t.k.

☇ pairing: tsukishima kei x fem!reader

☇ genre: fluff, oc is an absolute babie who has no shame, tsukishima goes from ‘she’s annoying’ to ‘she’s aight’ to ‘i may be lowkey in love w her it’s nbd tho’, oc will literally not give up, tsukishima is still a first year (word count: 4.1k)

☇ synopsis: usually when experiencing such a soul-crushing rejection, one would give up on their feelings, right? right?

☇ a/n: i binge-read some haikyuu fanmanga and i was ~inspired~ plus like... this trope?? persistant bubbly x uninterested cold is?? literally everything?? (playlist link: here)

“i like you!!!”

you kind of felt like the main character of a shoujo, with the wind making your hair dance in the air

standing face to face with your longtime crush

(and by longtime, you mean about two months)

that’s when it all started

no— it was earlier

the orientation ceremony

all the first years standing in neat, organized rows, listening to the principal give a welcoming speech

at least, that’s what you were supposed to be doing

in reality, your eyes were trained on the 188cm tall blonde in the row in front of you

you couldn’t see the stage— also, you didn’t care

bc ~he~ was in front of you

tsukishima kei

you learned his name later when you discovered you were in the same class

and he sat in the adjacent row, one seat forward

the absolutely perfect position to stare at his side profile the entire class

and that is exactly what you did for two months

that and gathering info on him

tsukishima kei, 188.3cm (now 190.1), born on september 27th, best friends with yamaguchi tadashi, #11 on the karasuno volleyball team

and then there you were, confessing your undying love to him

...or something like that

“no thanks. not interested.”

usually, that would soul-crushing enough to make them leave him alone

not you <3

the giggle that escapes your lips makes his eyebrow twitch on confusion for a second

“that’s okay~” you respond. 

(that’s okay ?)

(what the fuck kind of response is that being rejected ???)

(yours!!!!)

you’re exhaustingly persistent, as tsukishima comes to find out

or should i say—

“tsukki~!!” 

the hair on his neck rises when you flounce into homeroom with that sing-song tone

you plop down into the seat in front of him (key note: not yours) and rest your elbows on his desk with a little grin

“don’t call me that,” (he doesn’t look up from his book)

“what~! why not?”

“only my friends call me 'tsukki’”

you snort, scooting a little closer

“that’s mean. how many times have we walked home together, and we still aren’t friends?”

“you followed me home, i didn’t consent.”

“‘followed you’?” you pout. “we live on the same road, naturally we’d walk home together,”

he doesn’t respond, just flips to the next page in his book

“do you have volleyball club today~?”

ignored. 

lol

she stays strong!! she doesn’t give up in the face of adversity!!!

“you don’t have to answer, i already know you do.” you chirp. “it’s boring walking home without you... maybe i’ll come with you today~!”

it’s like talking to a wall

(a very cute, 190cm, blonde, glasses-wearing wall.)

(🥰)

instead of responding, he puts his headphones on and keeps reading 

a small exhale escapes your lips, and one of the girls in the next row over leans towards you

“y/n... i think it’s a lost cause...”

“he’ll come around eventually,” you shoot her a smile, and then turn back to tsukki

you lean forward, reaching towards his head and tugging the headphones down around his neck

and when he looks up (he does within an instant), you shoot him a sly smile

several students around you gasp

after all, who would dare bother tsukishima with his headphones on??? that’s some instant death shit

“move.”

“i like being this close to you though,” you tease

and he rolls his eyes, standing up and heading for the exit of the classroom

the shock in the classroom — that you’re still ALIVE — is clear

your friend from before gapes 

“y-y/n what are you playing at??”

“courtship,” you sigh dramatically, and hop to your feet to chase after the blonde monster

“tsukki~!! are you getting lunch?? wait for me~!!”

everyone on the first floor knows: it’s become the norm to see tsukishima, book in hand, headphones around neck, and followed by a chirpy pipsqueak 

even yamaguchi doesn’t stick as closely to him as ‘tsukishima’s lapdog’ (as you’ve started being called by the fellow first years) does

the nickname doesn’t really bother you

after all, it’s just a reminder of your determination and refusal to give up

which is a virtue, in your mind!!

some people feel bad for tsukishima, constantly being bothered by you for weeks on end

others admire your stubbornness

and one group of people you can always count on supporting you are the karasuno volleyball club <3

ever since you started showing up to their practices 

and all their practice matches and official games too

they all befriended you

but you grew tired of just sitting and watching tsukki on the sidelines, so you asked coach ukai if you could help out during practices!!!

there can’t rly be ... three managers... so you suggested retrieving balls or being tsukki’s personal assistant

he saw right through you <3 

but it’s ok bc he thought it would be entertaining and agreed

tsukki: angy

even when he’s annoyed he’s cute tho <33 and you make sure to tell him that <333

and so! you get tsukki’s water, towels, etc etc (ofc u help other ppl too when they need it but tht’s what the two managers r for... tsukki is ur #1)

the other players are like 0.0 she’s kinda scary... but cute at the same time doe... 

one day you’re in a particularly good mood (aka: a bad day for tsukki lol)

“tsukki~!”

“don’t call me that.”

“i want to tell you something,”

the whole gym is kinda just 👁️👄👁️ waiting to see what happens

“what? i need to change, hurry it up.”

ur inner monologue: kdNNN even when he’s mean he’s cute!!!!

but anyways:

“i like you,”

hinata, kageyama, tanaka, noya, literally everyone: 😳😨 mf what—

sugawara’s like “oh god he’s just reject her and crush her heart... right in front of EVERYONE—”

“not interested.” tsukki says, and his tone isn’t any less cold than usual

u kno that anime lightning effect when the character’s body is joLtED...

tht’s everyone else in the gym

tanaka and nishinoya are highkey ready to let you cry into their jerseys when—

you laugh

you right after being mercilessly rejected: 🥰

you can’t help it !!!!! it’s not discouraging you ok??? you alr knew what he’d say!!! but you had to tell him <3 can’t let him forget tht he’s the ✨love of your life✨

entire gym: s h o o k

“did she just  l a u g h??”

“is she okay?? no srsly”

“what... just happened”

tsukki walks off, water bottle in hand

you follow after him, bouncing on the soles of your feet 

“don’t forget your towel~! want me to wipe off your sweat~?”

“no thanks.”

cue fading banter between you two as he goes to change his clothes

he has to be like hOe GeT oUT for you to not go into the locker room lmfao damn... thirsty bitch... same tho

later tanaka and noya (feat. hinata who just wants to be included) jump tsukki

“shE LAUGHED WHEN U REJECTED HER??? IS SHE OK???”

“she confesses to me every week. she’ll do it again. it’s not that big of a deal.”

“not thAT BIG— can u imagine if kiyoko liked us that much.... ”

(cue tanaka sobbing)

tsukki was right tho

after the third time you randomly confessed to him in front of them they were just like

same shit different day, anyways rolling thunder

but they still highkey adopted you

so they go grr grr when tsukki rejects you all cold and shit

shockingly tho??? the more you confess the less it’s “not interested” and more just “*sigh*”

is this... PROGRESS???

but the zero braincell triad cornered him again in the locker room one day 

(it’s their trademark)

(nishinoya) “so why do you keep rejecting her??”

(hinata popping in) “yea she’s super dedicated and helpful!!!”

(tanaka lowkey shuddering) “she’d probably let herself get hit in the face w a volleyball if u asked”

(and tanaka would be: correct)

(but anyway)

“she was annoying,”

“she... ‘was’ annoying???”

“... she IS annoying”

“tsukki... do you possibly like her??? but you’ve gotten so used to rejecting her that it’s automatic now??”

tsukki’s like V.V

“you’re reading too much into it,”

sage!nishinoya is about to probe deeper but at that moment you pop your head around the corner of the locker room and shout

“tSUKKI~!!!”

and they all scatter to hide themselves while shrieking

except tsukki, who is already clothed and gives zero fucks lmao

but anyways!!! a couple weeks pass and takeda got y’all set up with a practice match !!

with who?? nekoma!!!

hinata is like 🤩🤩 kENMA!!

only players and members of the club are supposed to go rly....

but you’re like “??? i’m tsukki’s personal assistant are you trying to take away my rights??? i’ll sue you” and coach ukai gives in sdjfkf

“tsukki can i sit with you~?”

yamaguchi about to sit there: 👁️👄👁️ bruh

tsukki doesn’t say yes but he also doesn’t say no :D

 “what’re you reading?”

“english book,”

you’re like: wait— mf hold up... did he actually just answer ??

tsukki simp mode: ACTIVATED

“can i see??”

“you’re failing english, you won’t be able to read it.”

“ouch,” you pout, but there’s a small smile on your lips. “but how’d you know i was failing english?”

he doesn’t respond

“i guess it is unfair that i know everything about you and you don’t know anything about me...” you sigh

“you don’t know everything about me,” he retorts, still not looking up from his book

hehe~ gotcha

“oh? test me,” you grin, scooting closer to him

“don’t wanna.”

“you��re just scared i do know everything,” you say smugly, trying to bait him

“bet you don’t know everything about me!!!” hinata pops up from the seat in front of you

“you’re right, i don’t,” 

(he pouts and disappears again)

“tsukki~” you whine. “tsukkiiiii~ i’m bored.”

“so?”

“can i wear your headphones?”

“no thanks. i don’t wanna get headlice.”

you scowl. “mean,”

you bite your cheek, staring a hole in the side of his head but he doesn’t even blink

if tsukki could major in ignoring you people, he’d have straight A’s

fortunately, you have ways to counter this

“kei~~” you whisper a little too close to his ear, and he jolts up

you try not to let the amusement show on your face, but you can’t help it

glaring at you, he pulls his headphones off his head and puts them on yours

“now be quiet,”

“mm~” you chuckle

a couple hours later, you pull into the parking lot of nekoma

the friend groups pair off, and kuroo makes a beeline for tsukki, only to catch sight of you

“hey four-eyes— who’s this?”

tsukki glances down at you, to which you shoot him a sugary smile

“dunno,” he says, and walks off

you wave to kuroo with a sunny grin

“i’m y/n~! i’m tsukki’s personal assistant and future wife~”

his eyebrows rise, and with a quick bow, you bounce after the blonde

once the group is all in the gym, practice jerseys are handed out and you help yachi and shimizu prepare the water and towels

you’re about to make a beeline for tsukki, when someone calling your name stops you

“y/n! wanna get me some water?” kuroo calls

you only blink for a moment before hopping to it, darting across the gym

for the rest of the day, kuroo is constantly calling for you—

“y/n! can you wipe the sweat off my neck?”

“hey, y/n, get me some water~”

“y/n!”

“y/n, over here!”

and by the time the several hours is over, you haven’t gotten to speak to tsukki once 🥺 snnff :(

when you finally get a free moment, you look around for him, but he’s nowhere to be found

sad face :(

and then !!!! turns out nekoma paid for bbq for everyone 🤩🤩 cats are so generous

and somehow??? you find yourself surrounded by nekoma players???

“here y/n, want some of my bbq?”

“no, take mine!!!”

“do you want any fruit?? i have some!!”

“you were so helpful today!! how’d you stay so energetic the whole time??”

you flash a smile, ready to charm the shit out of them, when a voice interrupts:

"hey, personal assistant.”

your eyes light up, bc you’d recognize that salty ass voice anywhere!!!

the guys around you part to reveal—

“tsukki!!!” you squeal, maybe a little too excitedly

“aren’t you supposed to be assisting me?? get me some food.”

you shove your plate into the free hand of one of the nekoma players (his name was... liam? lief... lev?) and dart to get tsukki something to eat

when you hand it to him, you flash him your most dazzling smile

“eat up! you worked hard today~”

he eyes you silently before digging in, and you smile absentmindedly while watching him

“why are you staring at me like that?”

“because i like you,” you respond without hesitation

he averts his eyes, but doesn’t say anything mean 

your stomach flips a little 

i’m coming for you, tsukishima kei.

on the ride home, you’re once again sitting next to him, and he gives up his headphones without a fight this time

you’re so tired from running around helping kuroo all day that you find your eyelids getting heavy as tsukki’s music plays in your ears

you try to subtly lean on his shoulder but he pokes you away 

you glare at him, pouting, but settle for leaning against the headrest

and then, you’re drifting off

..

and you’re having a strange dream

a pleasant dream, with fuzzy corners and honey-colored light streaming across the scene, but still strange

in this dream, he’s kissing you

it’s not like you haven’t had dreams like this before, it’s just that this one feels so much more vivid

and yet blurry at the same time

even when the dream ends and you blink back into consciousness you can still distinctly feel his lips against yours

his glasses brushing against your cheek

his fingers interlacing with your hair

a warm smile curls up your lips as you grasp lingering wisps of the dream, when—

“you’re drooling.”

your eyes snap open and you jolt up, furiously wiping the side of your mouth

“am not!!”

tsukishima blinks uninterestedly from the empty bus aisle, arms crossed

“dreaming about something vulgar?”

you grin, resting your chin on your palm

“would you like to hear ab—?”

he’s just “nope,” and turns towards the exit

hopping out of the seat, you follow him

“it was such a nice dream,” you sigh

“must’ve been, if you were drooling that much.”

“i was not—”

and then you notice something

everyone else is already gone from the bus

“wait a minute... did you wait for me?”

you hear a scoff

bUt hE dOEsNt DeNy iT

“you WAITED for me!!!!” you exclaim, happiness radiating off you in waves

“if i’d left you on the bus, nishinoya and tanaka would’ve killed me if i didn’t,” he says curtly

but you are, after all, the human equivalent of ‘this sign can’t stop me because i can’t read’

or that tiktok trend 

tsukishima: i don’t like you, i only waited for you because i was literally forced at gunpoint 

y/n: 🎶i waited for you🎶

the next day, it’s practice as usual at the karasuno gym

but?? sniff sniff someone is here that shouldn’t be

this rando first year has been pacing around right outside the gym entrance

and all the vbc members are like 👁️ whomst?

and when you finally arrive (right along behind tsukki)

he yells out your name

and holds out a bouquet of flowers <3 how cute

“y/n, um— i, i know you don’t know me but i’ve liked you since the orientation ceremony!!! i think you’re really pretty and cute and smart—”

cue a quiet scoff from tsukki, “if she’s his definition of smart, then how dumb is he?”

cue sugawara jabbing his side (sugamama is protective of his child y/n)   

“—and i know you like tsukishima, but i hope you’ll give me a chance!! i can make you happier than him!!”

at this point, everyone in the gym is watching like 👁️ oh?? TEA?? 

and is that... is that an aura of raging irritation coming from tsukishima?? 

you open your mouth to politely reject the guy, when

literally out of nowhere tsukki just  a p p e a r s

“hey, idiot. aren’t you supposed to be my personal assistant?? go set out the volleyballs instead of flirting,”

you dip your head and smile apologetically at the guy before heading towards the store room

and after that, you notice tsukki is a bit harsher, a bit more off his game, a little more easily irritated than usual

during a free moment, you nudge tanaka

“doesn’t he seem like he’s in a bad mood??”

zero braincell tanaka is like “??? isn’t he always like that??”

“no... something is definitely off today...”

what . could it be . i wonder .

every time you try to do your usual “tsukki~!!” he just turns away and ignores you

doesn’t sound too out of the ordinary, but you can just tell something is wrong

you still have no idea why he’s acting like this by the time practice ends

and when you go to the locker room to find him (so y’all can walk home together), he’s already gone :(

so, a little more droopy than usual, you head out

only to be surprised by a voice when you step outside

“took you long enough,”

you whip around to see tsukki leaning against the wall with crossed arms

he clicks his tongue and then sets off

and when you don’t immediately follow him, he glances over his shoulder

“are you coming or not?”

sdjfksjsdkjfsdjf smmpdfhsdf !!!!!!!

it’s just one sentence, and it doesn’t really mean anything

but hearing the words makes something incredibly warm bloom in your chest

you grin

“of course i am,”

that feeling lasts well into the next morning, but is replaced by a nauseating knot in your stomach when you arrive at school

because everyone’s whispering about one thing:

“tsukishima got called to the principal’s office!!!”

“whaaat ! why??”

“i heard he was caught with the answers for the upcoming exam!!”

your stomach . clenches

and before anybody can say another word, you’re sweeping out the door and down the hall

and in less than 30 seconds, you’re slamming open the door to the principal’s office

the principal and tsukki both look up, equally shocked at your sudden appearance

“y/n, what—”

you ignore him for the first time in your life

“sir, i need to tell you something.”

the principal is just like “... ?? can it wait??”

“no, it can’t.” you take several steps forward “the test answers, they—”

“y/n, don’t—”

you ignore him for the second time in your life again

“they’re mine,”

the principal blinks 

“then why was tsukishima found holding them before class??”

“yesterday, they must’ve fallen out of my backpack. he probably picked them up without knowing what they were, so please don’t punish him,” you bow. “punish me instead,”

.. y/n dumb bitch

yea, you’re suspended for two weeks

and ofc there’ll be a mark on your record

plus you’re automatically given a fail for the upcoming exam so you’ll have to retake it later oof....

but as much as all that sucks, you don’t regret it bc you’d rather take the fall than let tsukki be wrongly accused and suffer for it

but honestly the break from school is kinda vibes 🥴

don’t even think about the homework you’ll have to make up

your phone is blowing up with texts from your friends

including your surrogate dads and moms from the karasuno vbc 🤧 they’re so worried about you

you’re sad you have to miss practice for such a long time but... you don’t regret your decision

“y/n!!” your little sister knocks on your door “one of your classmates is here for you,”

“‘kay!!” you call back, checking the time

shidt bitch time flies when you’re watching anime alone in your bedroom

you hop up and open your bedroom door to come face to face with the one. the only. tsukishima kei

your eyes are like O.O 

“tsukki??? what are you doing here??” you grin “are you here because you’re worr—”

“no,” he cuts you off “i’m here to deliver your homework,”

“you could’ve given it to my sister, y’know,” you tease. “why’d you come all the way to my bedroom?? you missed me, hm?”

he doesn’t answer, instead surveying the room before sitting down on the edge of your bed

you blink, surprised he didn’t comeback with a cold retort

“tsukki?” you ask quietly, sliding into your desk chair

after a moment of silence, he fixes you with a stoic gaze

“why’d you lie?”

“because... because i couldn’t let you take the blame for that. i don’t know what happened, but i know you weren’t cheating. i know it.”

“neither were you. what’s the difference?”

you press your lips together in a frustrated pout

“the difference is that it’s you!!! i’m mediocre. i’m not outstanding. i’ll go to an average college either way, and it’ll be fine. but you..! you’re so smart!! and talented!!! you could do anything you want!!! you could get into an elite college!! the last thing you need is for some stupid misunderstanding to sully your transcript—”

“y/n—” he tries to cut in, but you bulldoze right over him

“— and i know you probably think what i did was useless and unhelpful, but i don’t care!!! i don’t care about a mark on my transcript, or being suspended, or failing all my exams, or even being expelled—”

“y/n—”

“— but i absolutely refuse to let that happen to you!! you’re too special for—”

this time, it’s not him speaking that interrupts you

this time, it’s him kissing you

you nearly combust on the spot

tsukki— tsukishima kei is kissing you

he’s leaning over you, with one hand on the chair’s armrest and the other steadying your head with his fingertips

your stomach does several full somersaults 

and then, all too quickly, he pulls away and returns to his spot on your bed

you stare, eyes wide as saucers, mouth slightly agape

“w— what was— why did—”

“you wouldn’t stop talking,” he mutters, eyes focused a little too hard on the wall

for a moment, you’re too shocked to move

and then your 🥰tsukki🥰 mode activates

and you just fuckin LUNGE at him

“y/n??? what—!”

kisses!!! kisses on his cheeks!! his nose!!! his forehead!!!

and shockingly he doesn’t?? push you off??

me heart just skipped a beat wjdkfjs

he’s just like “y/n, you’re fogging up my glasses, please stop,”

“i refuse!!!! i’ve been waiting months to do this!!!!!”

once he manages to de-suction you from him, you fix him with doe eyes and a cheeky grin

“hey, tsukki??”

“.. what?”

“i like you,”

he blinks

adjusts his glasses

“make sure to finish that homework. i’m bringing tomorrow’s homework too,”

as he’s leaving, you hope he can feel your glowing smile on his back

the next day, you get a message from the school letting you know that your suspension and other punishments have been retracted

as the real culprit of the cheating was found

an unannounced locker-search discovered several exam cheatsheets almost exactly like the one tsukki found in the locker of a student, and the school realized their mistake <3 how nice of them

and that meant you were free to return to school, name cleared!!!

the volleyball club was eagerly awaiting your return

so when they saw tsukki arrive for practice, they expected you’d be following right along behind him

but instead???

you were koala-ing on his abdomen

“bro... did you carry her all the way here like that??”

“the real question is why he allowed it,”

you shoot a blinding grin at the guys 

“he can at least do this much for his girlfriend~!”

the entire gym is like WhA T !!!!! 

“hE SAID YES???”

“nope,”

“he... asked you out?? then??”

“also no...” 

“did he at least tell you he liked you...?”

“...”

“NISHINOYA STOP SHE’S TEARING UP,” sugamama to the rescue

you let go of tsukki and half the team goes IN on him

“dude wtf!!! she got suspended for you and you didn’t even at least tell her you like her???”

“not just suspended, almost expelled!!!”

“yeah that!!!”

“i say we kill tsukki,”

“tanaka no,”

“GUYS!!” angry!daichi makes an appearance “it’s time for practice!!!”

grumbling, the team disperses

you’re about to head to the store room to help get out the practice equipment, when—

“y/n.”

you turn “hm?”

he’s silent for a moment

“i wouldn’t have kissed you if i didn’t like you.”

your face flushes a deep red

but then he adds, “either time.”

either...? time...?

W A I T

your eyes POP OUT

“that— that wasn’t a DREAM???”

he doesn’t answer, just heads onto the court

but you think you see a slight smirk

and maybe... just maybe?? 

his ears are a little more red than usual.

[wherearemyglassesbro]

Omg omg omg omg everyone be quiet right now thank you @heyheyjay for THIS

For starters, it would absolutely have a very negative effect on Fran’s relationship with Arthur. He’s aware it’s irrational and his feelings are based on personal issues but having his rival/friend/lover defend a murderer? And have that murderer get away? Oh no, Fran would probably not talk to him for awhile after. Not because he’s mad AT Arthur, he just has to sort out his own feelings. He’s a complex guy and his feelings are like balls of colored yarn all tangled together. He has to take time to sort it all out and come to a conclusion. “I am not upset with you. I am upset with the outcome of that trial. I would like for us to go back to being friends again...If that’s alright...” he’s still closed off for awhile but eventually, he’ll open back up and go back to normal, the incident not forgotten but forgiven

The first two times Arthur saw Francis in a murder trial setting were VERY different. The first time, he was still somewhat of a rookie. He had gone up against Francis twice now in court and won both times. Now he wanted to study his way of speaking, his organization, his body language, that kind of stuff. So he sat in the crowd, off to the side out of the field of vison for the prosecutors booth.

Francis carried himself the same as usual. Confident and proud, speaking passionately on behalf of the victim, appealing to the jury. He did everything by the book and to be honest? Arthur was impressed. It was different watching him from the crowd than it was from the defense booth.

When Francis lost the trial, even Arthur was shocked. He watched him stiffly pack his papers away and leave the courtroom in a hurry. It was strange behavior for sure, something that he’d never seen before. Instead of his classic smile, he sported a frown and a look in his eyes that Arthur couldn’t place. To be nice, he caught up with him in the hallway “Look, I know I’m probably the last person you want to talk to but I want to let you know, you did fantastic in there. I don’t know how on earth you lost that-“ “Leave me alone, Kirkland” Francis all but shoved past him, making a beeline for his car. Arthur could hear the squeal of his tires from inside the courthouse

That was not the loud, extravagant Francis he knew. That was someone else, someone sad and angry...Maybe Francis was more complex than he thought (Spoiler alert: Yes. He is)

The second time he witnessed a loss, he was far closer with the Frenchman. He knew his mannerisms and his body language. The two were teetering on the edge of being in a relationship or just being super close friends. Francis didn’t want Arthur to go to this trial but he insisted “It’s my day off. I’ll come support you and we can go to lunch afterwards. No big deal. I like seeing you in court” Francis was reluctant but had him sit in the second row anyways for moral support

Again, he did everything right. Arthur was criticizing the defense in his head ‘you dolt, you’re talking too much. It’s giving Francis the upper hand’. Of course he wanted Francis to win. Even as a defense attorney himself, he knows a guilty face when he sees one. He’s once again shocked when Francis loses

This time he notices how his hands shake, clenching and unclenching. There’s tension in his shoulders, the mask of confidence gone from his face. He was fighting to suppress a frown, swallowing around the lump of guilt in his throat

Francis apologized to his clients when the court was released, hugging them and shaking their hands, promising paperwork in the mail....yadda yadda. Arthur noticed how tired he looked, the way his shoulders now sagged in defeat

“You did great out there love” “I don’t need your pity, Arthur” “I’m not pitying you. You did everything right” “Apparently not”

Arthur led him to the parking lot, cupping his cheeks when they were out of the public eye “I know how it feels to lose something big like this. It stings, I know. However, it isn’t the end of the world”

“‘It isn’t the end of the world’? Are you kidding me? You’ll never-! Forget it. I’m going home” “Francis? We were-“ “I don’t care about lunch” and with that, he got in his car and sped off, tires screeching once again

Arthur is invited over for dinner later on, Francis apologizes for the way he reacted and Arthur assures him that it was no big deal. He expresses his emotions differently than Arthur does and he is still getting used to it! And this is Francis’s first relationship since Jeanne so he’s still re-learning how to open up about more serious or intense feelings. There’s a learning curve for them both.

So I also I think I’m gonna talk about Jeanne again cause I WAS gonna have a single post dedicated to her effect on Fran and Art’s relationship but I think lll....Just go over it here. There is a small fic at the end but I can’t even really call it that, it’s 2 paragraphs of text lol so yeah :)

More under the cut cause this is getting long and I feel bad clogging your dashes :0

So Art knew about Jeanne before he really knew Francis personally. Before he goes up against prosecutors, he asks Eliza about them and their argument styles, stuff like that. She advised him to stay away from murder trials if Fran managed to get his hands on one and since he didn’t know about Jeanne he was like ‘pfftt what? You think I can’t take him?’ And she was like ‘No...He can’t take you’ oh...

Eliza told him like...The bare minimum. Francis’s girlfriend was killed behind a small party store and he was the one who discovered her body. That’s all he knew about it

But when he and Fran started to get serious relationship-wise Francis decided to sit him down to have a talk with him, pouring his heart out to him after a long, draining day at the courthouse:

// Uhhhh tw for the rest for death mention and description of finding Jeanne after her death. Like...blood and all so if that makes you uncomfortable: this is your warning :0 //

“We dated for five years. From eight grade to twelfth...It was like we were joined at the hip. We were always together wether it be baking in the kitchen, studying at the library, going to the movies or attending church camp. We did it all together. Hell...In highschool, we were voted ‘cutest couple’ every year. She was my date for every school dance and she would have been my prom date too if... If she had lived” Francis choked out a sad laugh “She had the most beautiful dress picked out and I had a suit to match. She was so excited about it...”

“That day was my nightmare. I relive that day over and over again in my dreams, thinking about everything I could have done to prevent that outcome. I should have taken her to the store earlier. I should have gone in with her. I shouldn’t have answered the phone and gotten distracted when my friend called. She was in there for forty minutes just to grab some streamers and a bag of candy for a piñata... When I went in to look for her she wasn’t there. I looked around, called her name, called her phone...no answer. The cashier helped me look too as I started getting worried. In the bathrooms, the stock room, the janitors closet, behind the refrigerators...All that was left was the rear exit. She didn’t go out there right? No...that was unlike her...” tears started to slowly make their way down his cheeks “When we pushed the door open, I remember seeing the pool of blood right there on the ground and thinking it was just a puddle. How wrong was I. My legs moved on their own, I rounded the corner and there she was. Her hair was covered in blood from the gash across her temple, her favorite floral blouse ripped and dirty. Her purse was gone. She was just laying there on the dirty, cold asphalt” Francis shook his head, rubbing his face as the memory replayed once more

“Out of the corner of our eyes, the cashier and I saw the perpetrator and he chased him down, catching him and sitting on him until the police arrived. I called them...I don’t even remember making the call but I distinctly remember them telling me not to touch her- not to mess with the ‘evidence’. I didn’t listen. I sat in the pool of blood and held her until the ambulance arrived, petting her hair as she slowly went cold in my arms...Praying that just maybe she’d make it. They were too late. I was too late.”

“What was it all for, you ask? That evil son of a bitch wanted her money. She only had $10 on her that day. He killed her over $10! And after all of my pain, her family’s suffering, that fucker got to walk free after two years? Two years! It isn’t fair at all. I don’t mean to ramble too much but before you and I become anything too serious I just- I need you to know about her. She made me who I am today, she’s the reason I practice law, she’s always here with me” he clutched his cross necklace in his shaky hand “Just because I still love her does not mean I love you any less, Arthur. I will always be here for you but at the same time, I will be there for her. I’ll still visit her grave and her parents...I’ll have her picture on the mantle...”

Arthur reached out to rest a hand on the blond’s arm. This was a new side of Francis he hadn’t seen before. Sure he knew about Jeanne by now, he had seen her picture in Francis’s apartment. He knew the other took the two hour trip up north to visit Jeanne’s grave and her family every other month. He knew she was important to him but he had never heard the full story like this before. He truly didn’t know the extent of the damage that day had done “I understand, dear. If Jeanne is important to you, she’s important to me. She’ll always have a place here with us” he assured, pulling Francis in to hug him against his chest to let him cry “I don’t think I can begin to express how badly I feel for you. But you can always confide in me, I’ll be here because I lo-like you a lot. I want you to be open with me. This...is a lot to bottle up” Francis nodded and wiped his eyes as Arthur brushed his curls out of his face “If it isn’t overstepping any boundaries, maybe I could come up north with you next time you go to visit her?”

“I...I think I’d like that. I’ve already told her and her family about you. I’m sure they’d love to meet you”

———

Well I hope that wasn’t bad! I haven’t written in a fic format in uhhh hehe a year or so so...yeah! Anyways! Yup! That’s all for now :) ❤️ thanks for reading this far if y’all did!!!!

((Looking back I hate the formatting of the ficlet thingy but tbh there’s not much I can do about it now :) ))

[mork-lee-bee]

Broken lovers 1

Summary: Y/n is a hopeless romantic in love with someone who will never love her back and Jaehyun is helplessly in love with someone who only continues to hurt him over and over again, sounds like a match made in heaven right?

Pairings: CollegeStudent!Jaehyun X CollegeStudent!Y/N X CollegeStudent!Jaemin

Warnings: Cursing, suggestive (possible future smut idk),Cheating, Toxic relationship(s) this chapter gets veryyyy suggestive at the end lol but it doesn’t actually contain smut

Genre: Fluff and Angst mainly

Word count: 3.2k

The room was dark, it was almost 7 pm and the gloomy feeling was hard to ignore the stench even harder. No one was sleeping but scrolling through his phone Jaehyun was going through a wave of different emotions in the darkness of his unshared room.

“Jaehyun,” the voice on the other end of the door speaks, the others had tried to ignore his self-isolation attempts but they had to draw the line somewhere and that happened to be tonight. With no answer to his name, the person attempted to open the door only to find it locked and a groan to follow.

“Jae, open the door you’ve been in there for a week,” The voice is slightly annoying and so Jaehyun lets out a low inaudible mumble but doesn’t budge from his bed he just fips over like a pancake. 

“Is he still not out?” a second voice can be heard much quieter than the first. 

“No, he’s still sulking,” after that there’s just silence. Jaehyun just assumes that they’ve left him be, but then the voices speak again.

“Jaehyun locking yourself in your room and scrolling through old pictures on your phone isn’t healthy,” in a sense Jaehyun knew they were right but he couldn’t stop himself from doing it as he finally throws the covers off and walks over to the door opening it.

“Shut up,” He grumbled in the doorway, the faces of Johnny and Yuta looking back at him.

“Look this is the third time that she’s done this to you, you need to stop going back to her and treating her like some sort of goddess,” Yuta bluntly states to the heartbroken boy in front of him.

“I think what Yuta is trying to say, is that there’s better fish in the sea and Heejin-” Johnny knew he messed up saying her name and stopped himself.

“And what Johnny is saying is that you need to get out of your room, which is why we’re throwing a party tonight,” Yuta says as if it's a statement not really giving Jaehyun a choice.

“I’m not going,” Jaehyun retreats back into his room leaving the door open as the two make their way in, the room is an utter mess that can be seen as soon as they switch the light on but what hit them first was that horrible smell of old food.

“Jae… at least clean your room, there’s a pile of dirty dishes on your desk and it smells rancid,” Johnny points out but Jaehyun keeps his back turned away from them not acknowledging their presence in his room just going back on his phone.

“Jaehyun. You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself.” Yuta snatches the phone out of Jaehyun’s hands to see the last picture Jaehyun had taken with Heejin on the screen. Jaehyun immediately grabs it from him, anger runs through his veins, a glare on his face.

“Delete them,” Yuta crosses his arms, eyebrows knit together, the both of them can be so stubborn.

“I can’t… she’ll come back like she always does…” Jaehyun tries to say confidently but he has doubts which ring clear in his voice.

“And what will you do if she just doesn’t? What if she never comes back? What will you do?” Yuta pressures Jaehyun who throws his hands in the air.

“SHE WILL,” Jaehyun snaps out of anger as Johnny steps between the two who are clearly on the verge of fighting each other.

“And if she does you should turn her away, she’s done nothing but hurt you, Jae,” Yuta lets out a defeated sigh before leaving the room. Jaehyun goes back to sitting on his bed unsure of when he even stood up in the heat of the moment. He holds his head in his hands looking at the ground.

“Please come out of your room tonight, at least take your mind off things, it’s not good to do this to yourself, and for god’s sake take a shower,” Johnny comments what he feels he must in the most neutral way he knows before leaving Jaehyun alone once again.

-----

“____~” Your roommate Miyoung walks into your shared dorm smiling like an idiot with a happy bounce in her step that makes you feel suspicious towards her intentions right away, she usually comes back from class looking miserable as you raise an eyebrow at her looking from your computer up at her.

“Why are you so happy?” You don’t waste time trying to bounce around the source of her good mood instead you were very blunt with her knowing she’d try to tiptoe around what she wants if you didn’t ask. 

“Well, I decided we’re gonna go out tonight!” She wraps her arms around you from where you’re sat at your desk in a hug as if to beg you to join her.

“No.” You shrug her off not hesitating, leaving the girl to pout as you finish the sentence you’re on before you can lose your train of thought.

“But _____,” She whines plopping down on her bed sadly giving you the biggest puppy dog eyes.

“The last time you dragged me out to a frat party if you remember, I was sat on the side the entire time while you got to happily party.” You type away on your computer trying to focus on the paper you’re writing the sound of the keys being pressed is somehow louder than usual.

“It’s not my fault! I tried to get you to join me, You’re completely single I don’t understand why you don’t put yourself out there and puh-lease don’t use your crush as an excuse,” Your friend could call your bullshit better than anyone you know past and present, even your parents. She was too good, especially at reasoning. 

“I know…” You mumble to yourself as you stop typing your mind unable to focus on too many things so you turn to look at her. 

“And what else are you gonna do tonight anyway? Scroll through Instagram living vicariously through people when you can actually be out there having those experiences? Watching YouTube videos while snacking? Pretending to write an essay that you’ll only end up procrastinating like everyone else?” The thing is that she was right. You always talked the talk about wanting to experience life but when an opportunity came up you never took it. So you shut your laptop and looked at her with defeat she was so persuasive which was good for her, not so much for you. 

“Fine! I’ll go out!” You cave-in throwing your hands in the air out of defeat and she’s back to her upbeat mood bouncing out of the bed quickly to get to her closet to find anything to wear. You, on the other hand, didn’t budge staying in your seat. You didn’t want to change out of your normal study outfit which consisted of a pair of shorts and a hoodie.

“______!” Your friend shouts, throwing a dress in your direction which lands on your head blocking your vision.

“HEY!” You shout pulling the dress off your face and sending glares her way.

“You need to get ready!” She argues as you take a glance at the time.

“It’s only 7, and I don’t take as long as you do to get ready, so let me work on this paper for an hour and then I’ll get ready,” You reason and she lets out a long sigh followed by a drawn-out fine not wanting to push her luck.

--------

“Seeeeeee isn’t that better?” Johnny asks when he enters Jaehyun’s room, the plates have been cleared out, there are new clean sheets on the bed and Jaehyun cleaned himself up even, freshly shaved and everything. Well on the outside he looked fine, his mind in actuality is a mess. Jaehyun just shrugs, not very interested as he shakes his damp hair. Getting Jaehyun to leave the dorm would be a task in itself but if there's one thing Johnny is, it's determined.

“Look, Jae, if you come out tonight I’ll stop bothering you about everything but please you really need to leave your room and have some fun, you can sit around sulking for all I care just leave the room,” Johnny pleads hoping to convince his friend to leave.

“If I hate it I’m retreating.” Is all Jaehyun says not even looking up from his phone but Johnny is clearly silently rejoicing. 

“Okay, yeah,” Johnny calmly nods before going to exit Jaehyun’s room, closing the door behind him.

“HE SAID HE’LL GO!” Johnny yells out to Yuta and whoever else is listening after leaving Jae’s room causing a smile to appear on Jae's face and his dimples to become visible until he looks down at his phone and his lock screen changes his mood completely, the small smile completely gone.

“I’m fucked,” He sighs before throwing the phone onto the bed thinking for a moment, silence until Yuta appears in the doorway almost like magic.

“Get up you simp, we’re starting,” Yuta walks over spotting his phone before turning the screen on.

“You won’t get laid if your lock screen is still that picture,” Yuta tries to reason but it’s too hard to change it so Jaehyun just grabs the phone slipping it into his pocket.

“I just won’t show it to anyone,” Jaehyun brushes Yuta off walking past him and out of the room, he wasn’t the same wild Jaehyun they had met back in freshman year when he would be having fun and not having any cares, they missed that Jaehyun, but he seemed impossibly gone.

As soon as people start coming Jae grabs a few bottles of Soju and finds a spot where he won’t be bothered.

------

Frat parties weren’t your favorite it’s true but they weren’t the worst it depends on who you’re with, so when you got into the cramped room past the entryway, clearly, they wanted the maximum amount of people they could fit in as you try to stay to the wall of the place, you’re holding Miyoung’s hand tightly so the two of you aren’t separated but Miyoung could clearly care less as she only lightly holds yours and complains.

“____, are you trying to break my hand?” She shouts above the bass booming off the wall. You realize you’re holding her hand in a death grip and let off a bit of the pressure as soon as you both reach the drinks, beer, beer, and more beer.

“Can we just relax?” You ask your friend who lets out a laugh before signaling over one of the frat boys she had been with a few times you can’t quite remember his name but he’s a sweetheart, she knew where to get the real stuff, clearly wasting no time at all to get started, she looks at you before shouting again.

“MAKE IT TWO! Look we came to have some fun, you can stay here for a bit but once you’re sufficiently sad I’m dragging you out to dance,” you nod reluctantly agreeing to her as you usually did.

“Love you,” She blows you an air kiss before she downs her drink, Soju, in record speed as soon as the drinks are down in front of her while you take a bit longer, mid drink though she’s already run off leaving you alone as she drags the drink guy away to dance with the other sweaty bodies. You weren’t in any rush to join her as you look around

“Can I sit here?” You ask timidly as you finish off your own drink and point to the seat next to the stranger after finding a less crowded spot in the room.

“Sure,” He doesn’t really acknowledge you or your presence. You hesitate to talk but you remember Miyoung in her higher than necessary but cute voice telling you to ‘live a little’.

“What’s your name?” You lean over downing the rest of your second drink for a bit of liquid courage to maybe to kick in.

“Jung Yoonoh, but everyone just calls me Jaehyun,” The boy who couldn’t be older than 23 sitting next to you mumbles barely audible over the loud music blasting. He seemed uninterested as he grips his drink almost angrily. 

“Jaehyun, I like that,” you smile thinking out loud without a filter, although you’ve maybe had two drinks you still didn’t have much of a filter anyway.

“Why are you so agitated?” You tilt your head to the side slightly as if a curious puppy saw something that interested them.

“I’m not.” He finally meets your eyes but you just roll yours before leaning back in your seat slightly, definitely more relaxed.

“Then tell me Yoonoh, why are you gripping your drink like you hate it? And why are you speaking like I’m the most annoyin-” he cuts you off by attaching his lips to yours. It’s not a light kiss, it’s full of anger and annoyance unsure of if it’s because you or someone else that’s caused his anger but you return the heated kiss before he pulls away leaving you slightly breathless, your lips feel every moment.

“I didn’t leave my place to be psychoanalyzed but some stranger,” Jaehyun picks up his drink before emptying it into his mouth trying to take the edge off as you touch your lips the sting lingering.

“And I didn’t leave my dorm to talk to some asshole,” You roll your eyes finally out of your short daze dropping your fingers from your lips and taking another drink which had, clearly he had friends in the frat since he had some Soju and not a warm beer like most of the other part goers.

“You’re the one who approached me.” He says under his breath clearly wanting you to leave but you simply pout leaning against the arm of the chair trying to get a better look at him in the dimly lit room, your vision slightly distorted but you could still see him, a handsome man, definitely not your usual type, he was much tougher which you admit is attractive but you always were interested in people with a softer appearance.

“This place is packed I saw an open seat-” you try to explain but he mimics your movement resting his arm against the chair leaning forward so that your faces are once again only inches apart but you don’t really register this completely.

“You didn’t have to force yourself to make small talk,” he smirks his eyes looking over your face, you’re actually very attractive and clearly confident in the next words you say.

“I wanted to talk to you, you’re cute,” You laugh before booping his nose with your finger, he’s surprised at first but eventually does laugh with you as your eyes widen in surprise not only at his laugh but his incredibly cute dimples that you had a slight urge to just kiss but held back.

“You smiled! That’s a win for me!” You tease sticking your tongue out at him as you down another sip of your drink unsure of if it’s number three or four, Jaehyun joins you in drinking as well.

“Why are you here?” His demeanor is definitely more relaxed now that he’s had a few drinks and clearly you were very distracting for what was on his mind.

“My friend dragged me out for a good time,” You laugh watching Miyoung having a great time up against a different guy this time but you didn’t really worry a ton she could definitely hold her own and she was only on her first drink, she wasn’t exactly a lightweight.

“What about you hmm, angry boy?” You’re leaning towards him again, the drinks were starting to hit you more at this point but you didn’t care.

“To forget,” He says without thinking as you raise an eyebrow in confusion.

“Forget what?” You question bringing your hands up to your face to feel the heat radiating off your cheeks from the alcohol.

“The paper I have due tomorrow,” Jaehyun lies as he makes sure his phone is facing downwards realizing he really should have taken Yuta’s advice.

“Oop, me too!” You don’t take note of Jaehyun’s movements trying to focus on his face, your eyes are dilated.

“What’s your major?” He raises an eyebrow trying to guess, maybe you’re a bio major or some type of business major but he doesn’t expect what you say.

“Korean Sign Language,” You smile before taking another sip.

“I bet you’re great with your hands then,” Jaehyun smirks as you almost choke before giving him a sly smile.

“I should show you sometime,” You wink placing your drink on the ground next to you.

“Why wait?” Jaehyun asks shaking his hair that falls in front of his face.

“You’re eager aren’t cha?” you ask before a small squeal that only he can really hear leaves your lips when he pulls you to sit on his lap so that you’re straddling him, not that you’re complaining. He wasn’t gentle at all, he definitely didn’t mind manhandling anyone, which makes your heart hammer out of your chest.

“Just a little bit,” Jaehyun smirks before he attacks your neck with his lips, you almost start laughing immediately, your neck is extremely ticklish unknown to him. You bite your lip to suppress the laughter, but as soon as he lips brush over a particularly sensitive part you let out a giggle. Jaehyun pulls away slightly to look at you confusion on his face.

“Not the reaction I was expecting,” He tilts his head slightly and your face heats up further out of embarrassment.

“My neck is ticklish,” You speak softly looking away from his face but he moves your face to meet his as he looks directly into your eyes. Something about his eyes is different the emotion behind them is almost sad.

“Good,” Jaehyun’s lips are on yours again for the second time that night and you get a better feel of his lips that taste almost like bubble gum, your hands go straight to his hair as he deepens the kiss between the two of you, your both frightening for dominance until you hear something.

“AYEEEEE ____, Get it!” Miyoung’s voice makes you falter smiling into the kiss giving Jaehyun the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth, your whole body is on fire at this point. His hands that were previously resting on your waist move lower and you pull away from him scanning around the room, there were still a ton of people around.

“We’re in public,” You point out and he smirks leaning close to your ear his breath on your neck makes you laugh lightly.

“Should we go upstairs then?” and then you put two and two together, he was clearly a frat boy you should have known from the Soju bottles which just made things more convenient.

“And do what?” You tease before Jaehyun stands up, your legs wrapped around his torso as he heads towards the stairs, you could hear Miyoung yelling ‘WRAP IT BEFORE YOU TAP IT!’ after the two of you.

The next thing you know he’s flinging you onto his bed and him pinning you down going back to continue his advances without protest.

Chapter two being released on: 6/13 <3

Masterlist

[pink-imagines]

spice it up

request: Ok this is something that’s been on my mind for a couple of days now, and it’s SUPER CHEESY but plz bear with me haha. I’ve been watching a lot of ANTM and it inspired me to think about an au where Bakugo is a pro-hero and Y/N is a upcoming top model visiting Japan to walk and display a new line of lingerie based off of Pro-Hero’s costumes (kinda like for a Victoria’s Secret fashion show) She’s chosen to wear the Ground Zero lingerie and she gets permission to shadow Bakugo for a day or two to get a read on his personality so she can base her walk off of him. Thing is, off the catwalk, Y/N’s personality is free-spirited, laidback and even a little shy, so when Bakugo meets her he’s like “why the fuck would they choose an extra like her to be me?” but little does he know on the catwalk her personality does a complete 180 and is outrageously fierce and confident. Pro-hero’s got a free invitation to the fashion show so with some convincing from his friends (and maybe because he was curious to see how the hell she was going to pull this off) he goes to the show and his reaction to when she steps on the catwalk… Lol I want to leave it up to you. Wow that was wayyy longer then I expected it to be. I’m sorry to spam you like that 😂 I feel like ppl are either going to love or hate this idea so if you don’t want to write it I honestly don’t blame you haha. Either way I love your posts! You’re writing style is very fun to read!

a/n: hellooo! hope you’re doing well! sorry for the late update, but i hope that this is an alright imagine!

warnings: description of lingerie(??)

masterlist

You were exhausted. The airport had always been a stressful place, but now you were jetlagged aswell. Flying to Japan wasn’t an easy task, but it was worth it. You carefully pushed the sunglasses you were wearing up the bridge of your nose. It was a weak disguise, but you really couldn’t care less.

“The car’s waiting outside. Let’s hurry up.”, your manager spoke fast. You grabbed your bag and followed after her. The paparazzi were flooding the exit, luckily they had put up fences. This was one of the reasons you had to look atleast a little bit dressed up on airports. Which was the most uncomfortable thing ever, but you just had to live with it. By “dressed up” they usually just meant “don’t wear sweatpants”. So you could still wear your comfy pair of jeans and a nice sweater or something of the sort.

“How do you feel after travelling so much? From New York, to London, to Paris and now here in Tokyo. How do you cope?” The same questions were popping up everywhere, but you didn’t stop for any of them. The only time you did stop was when you saw a few fans getting strangled against the fence. You hurried towards them, got their things signed and made sure they got back to safety.

“Let’s go, Y/N.”, your manager warned.

“Coming!”, you sighed and kept walking.

The next day you were driven to the place where you’d be messured for the lingerie.

“Y/N? Over here, honey!”, the designer said. He got you into a chair as soon as you arrived.

“What do you have for me today, Ray?”, you smiled kindly.

“So, heroes are a big thing. So we’ve made a line of hero-inspired lingerie, we think it’ll be a hit.”, he said with a big grin and showed you the sketches, “We’ll get them ready as soon as possible, but we need to match the right hero to the right model.”

“Alright, I trust your judgement.”, you looked through the sketches, “Give it to me, Ray.”

“Okay, okay. Since you’re the most charesmatic of the girls, we want you take care of the hothead.”, he pointed at one of the sketches, “Ground Zero.” You looked at the sketch. The top was some sort of dulled down orange color, in a lacy material. That wasn’t that bad, it was the usual, but there was a leather harness on top of it... a leather harness that connected to a leather choker. The bottoms were high-waisted and in the same lace material but black. But that wasn’t it. There was a pair of leather, knee-high, boots along with it.

“It’s... extreme.”, you sighed, “But, sure... I’ll do it.”

“Oh, thank you, Y/N. You’re a life saver, no model in Japan wanted to take the roll.”, he chuckled, “Here I’ll show you what we thought we should do for the face.” He showed you a face with cat-eye eyeliner, a simple nude lip and some sort of explosion looking thing behind the ears. You guessed that was a part of Ground Zero’s hero costume.

“Looks great, Ray.”, you smiled.

“Go get yourself meassured, your manager is booking you a meeting with Ground Zero so that you can study his personality.”, he said calmly and started to walk away.

How had you gotten yourself in this mess? To be honest, you didn’t know anymore. Everything happened so fast and now suddenly you were in the lobby of a hero agency, waiting for Ground Zero to go on his lunch break.

“Y/N Y/L/N?”, a rough voice asked behind you. You turned around to see a pair of crimson eyes staring into your soul. His hair was messy and he was just wearing jeans, a hoodie and a leather jacket. You didn’t know why you thought he’d show up in his hero costume.

“I’m guessing you’re Ground Zero?”, you stretched out your hand.

“You can say Bakugo.”, he scoffed and ignored your stretched out hand. He instead put his hands in his pockets.

“Are you ready to go?”, you asked.

“Why else would I be here?”, he sighed and walked to the exit. This was gonna be an exhausting week.

Bakugo walked as if he had just proven a point, or like he had just won an argument. To say the least, there was only pure confidence flooding in his veins. You hated it, but you simply had to see this as a job. You weren’t in your body, you were only watching from the audience.

“Are you just gonna sit there looking at me? You’re not gonna talk?”, he quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Fine then... um... what kind of music do you listen to?”, you asked innocently.

“Music?”, he bursted out into laughter, “That’s it? You really are just another extra!”

“Listen, man, you’re the one who wanted to talk. So talk.”, you kept your calm, you didn’t want to make a scene out in public.

“Eh- this place sucks, let’s go to my apartment. We can talk there.”, he shrugged and walked faster.

“Your apartment?”, you squeaked.

You were just supposed to follow him around for a while every day, but now you were in his apartment. This was only the first day! His apartment was nice though... it kind of had an oldschool aesthetic to it. Like he came straight out of a private school in England during the 1980′s.

“You asked what kind of music I’m into or something?”, he sighed and walked over to a record player after taking off his shoes and hanging up his jacket. You stopped for a second. Didn’t he just make fun of you for asking that? You watched as he flipped through a few records.

“Yeah, I did.”, you answered cautiosly and hung up your coat next to his jacket.

He effortlessly handled one of the vinyls and quickly put it on the record player... it started playing and-... was that The Beatles? Bakugo sat down on his couch as if it wasn’t extremely shocking for him to listen to this.

“You listen to The Beatles?”, you asked as Paul McCartney started signing the first verse of Yesterday.

“Who doesn’t?”, he sighed, “C’mon, sit down.” You sat down in one of the armchair’s and finished listening to the song.

“You don’t seem like you listen to this kind of music.”, you commented as the next song started playing.

“I don’t only listen to this, idiot.”, he snarked, “This was the first thing I found.”

“Whatever you say.”

A few days went by and you’d go through the same schedule. Wait for Bakugo to go out for his lunchbreak, walk around for a bit, go to his apartment and go home when he had to start his next shift. He started making you lunch, and he was a surprisingly good cook. 

For the last day he stopped you before you parted ways.

“Wait-... can I meet you at your hotel later tonight?”, he actually looked a little bit nervous for once.

“I mean, yeah... but why?”, you gave him an unsure smile.

“I’ll take you out for food, something spicy... unless you can’t handle that.”, he grinned, his confidence was suddenly back.

“You wanna bet?”, your laughed.

“Alright then, it’s a bet.”, he chuckled, “I’ll meet you around 7 in the lobby.”

“For sure. I’ll see you!”, you waved goodbye and so did he.

Just when you were about to sneak out to the lobby your manager walked past.

“Where are you going?”, she asked.

“I was just uh...”

“And why’s Ground Zero in the lobby? He’s starting a commotion! We don’t need that, we need you to rest for the show tomorrow!”, she sighed.

“Please, I just wanted to-”

“No, Y/N. You can’t go out tonight, you have a damn show tomorrow.”

“Well, please just tell Bak- I mean... Ground Zero that I can’t come... and that I’m sorry.”, you pleaded, “Please.”

“Fine...”, she agreed.

The next day you woke up early to go to the fitting, so that you could later that day go to the show. Since they had your measurments, it fit perfectly.

“Hey, Laura!”, you stopped your manager as she passed by your make up station.

“Yeah, what’s up? Need anything?”, she asked.

“No-... I was just wondering if you know if Ground Zero would be here tonight.”, you asked.

“I don’t know, honey.”, she sighed, “He hasn’t said anything about it.”

“Alright, thank you.”

You got a moment alone in your changing room before you were going backstage. There was a harch knock on the door, which prompted you to go over to it and open the door. 

“Is it time to come out n-”, you stopped dead in your tracks when you saw Bakugo in front of you.

“Hey.”, he said quietly.

“Hi.”, you responded, “How did you get back here?”

“It’s not that hard for a hero of my status.”, he grinned and puffed up his chest a bit.

“Okay, okay...”, you chuckled and wrapped the silk robe you had on tighter around you, “Well, I’m happy you made it.”

“Y/N! Showtime!”, you heard your manager shout.

“Coming!”, you answered.

“Good luck... on the show...”, he muttered.

“Thank you! I expect to see you in the crowd.”, you grinned and ran up to the backstage area.

-

Maybe he should’ve tried to see what she was wearing. He really hadn’t thought about it at all...

The show was in alphabetic order, so he’d have to sit there for a bit before she’d come out. He really didn’t care much for the other models and he might’ve fell asleep for a few minutes here and there... but that was the chair’s fault! It was too comfortable, it even had armrests! How could he not fall asleep? Just for a bit... 

“Ground Zero!”, they shouted, making him almost jump out of his seat. Eijiro, who sat beside him, let out a quiet chuckle.

“Shut up, man...”, he whispered before glueing his eyes to the runway. He didn’t even recognize her at first. Y/N was... different... and it wasn’t just the clothing... or more like the lack there of.

Her whole aura was different when she walked she was like a whole new person. She was fierce, confident, simply the embodiment of a goddess of war and destruction.  Katsuki’s eyes were glued to her, every curve and edge, and his mouth was slightly agape in shock. He didn’t even realize that people were taking pictures of him.

After the show Katsuki made his way backstage, where he met up with Y/N who was now wrapped up in her silk robe again.

“What did you think? Did you like it?”, she grinned.

“I-...”, he looked around at the people around him who were all watching, “It was alright.”

“Alright?”, you laughed, “Okay then, you diva, I’m gonna go get changed!” His gaze followed her form as she walked away from him to her changing room... until he noticed that people were staring at him.

“Oi! What are you looking at!?”

-

The next day you were already at the airport early in the morning, which was way to early since the plane didn’t leave for another hour. So you decided to look at the articles about last night.

You scrolled quickly through most of them until you saw a picture of a familiar face. It was Bakugo! Looking absolutely star struck as your figure strutted down the runway. A smile spread across your lips and you took a screenshot of the photo.

“Hey, do we have Ground Zero’s buisness email or something like that?”, you asked your manager.

“I can get it for you. Why do you need it?”, she quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Oh, I just wanted to thank him.”, you smiled sweetly, “Also, do you know the next time I’ll be working in Japan?”

“In a few months or so.”

“Perfect.” You couldn’t wait.

-

permanent taglist: @theoceanphoenixhasrisen | @raven-r0ses | @darkbeautyswife | @sondering-thoughts | @gowoneandonlyone | @bnhabadass | @queenblackcat | @jayetheanimefreek101 | @witchy-anna 

tagged for this fic: @bnha-violetnote​ | @succulent-momma​

[themattress]

My Top 15 Favorite Gotham Characters

Plus one Honorable Mention.

Honorable Mention: Silver St. Cloud - She's an honorable mention because of how tragically the show wasted her. Silver was a standout character in 2A's “Rise of the Villains” arc, as we see all the layers peeled back from whimsical, kind-hearted, well-mannered young socialite to cruel, manipulative, cold-blooded agent of an evil religious cult to vulnerable, scared and remorseful girl in way over her head who forges a real emotional connection with Bruce. However, despite all the rich potential for her to develop even further as a character, she was never seen again after the 2A finale. 

15. Tabitha Galavan - While as a character she's the very definition of a second-stringer, Tabitha is an interesting case study in what happens when a single ember of innocence is still left burning within the darkest of souls. Raised in the evil Order of St. Dumas and kept firmly under her older brother's thumb, Tabitha is certainly no angel, being the sort of person who will fatally stab an innocent old woman in the back and feel no remorse. But the desire to care and be cared for is still very strong in her, and we see it manifest many times: with Silver, and with Selina, and with Barbara, and of course with Butch. Unfortunately for Tabitha, she is also a case study in how this doesn't guarantee that such a person will receive a happy ending, as she is unable to avoid karmic justice.

14. Butch Gilzean - I didn't really care about Butch initially, since he didn't seem like anything more than Fish Mooney's affably evil muscle. After he became brainwashed into obeying the Penguin's every command, he gradually became more interesting and sympathetic, and by the time he got romantically involved with Tabitha I had become so accustomed to him and his perversely likable sort of villainy that I couldn't imagine the show without him. But maybe the show would have been better off without him after his death in the Season 3 finale, as the immediate retcon afterward of his real name being Cyrus Gold and his resurrection as Solomon Grundy in Season 4 was just nonsense, especially when he ends up just as dead in the Season 4 finale as he was in the Season 3 finale, so what was even the point? Sometimes, dead is better, and I’m sure Butch would agree.

13. Harvey Bullock - For much of Season 1 it felt like the writers were trying to play Harvey Bullock too seriously, and I think that was a mistake because the character always benefits from being played more broadly, and lord knows that Donal Logue can do that very well. Thankfully, that's exactly how he started to be played more often from Season 2 and onward, with whatever serious arcs he did receive such as in Season 4 benefiting from him being so much more likable as a result. I'd rather watch him on screen than Jim Gordon any day.

12. Leslie Thompkins - While initially kind of bland, Leslie "Lee" Thompkins is a character that grew on me overtime. I felt really sorry for her throughout Seasons 2 and 3 as Jim Gordon proved to be the worst love interest ever, bringing her no end of pain, and then in Seasons 4 and 5 she used that pain and anger to shape herself into a total badass anti-heroine who was still all about helping those in need but now was open to using less than moral means to accomplish this. She's a character who finished the show stronger than she'd ever been, and her and Barbara becoming bros is everything I never knew I needed.

11. Sofia Falcone - Sometimes, a sharp and devious mind is all it takes for someone to be a great villain, and damn did Sofia ever put hers to good use. In the comics, this was a forgettable character who was just an obvious thug in design and demeanor, but Gotham's version is terrifying in how petite and pretty and kind and charitable and all around attractive in every way she is...the perfect way to manipulate others and conceal that on the inside she's beyond just a thug; she's a raging, ruthless, vindictive, amoral sociopath who only cares about herself. And kudos to Crystal Reed, whose performance sold the character perfectly. The only real downside to Sofia is that the writers clearly were forced to write her out earlier than anticipated, and her abrupt exit from the show is nowhere close to being as satisfying as the build-up to her gaining power within the city would lead you to believe.

10. Ra's Al Ghul - As wonderful as Sofia was, there was never any question as to whom Season 4's most formidable villain was: the same villain who is the series' ultimate Big Bad, Ra's Al Ghul. Beyond the phenomenally perfect casting of Alexander Siddig, who is hands down the most comics-accurate portrayal of the character in live-action to date, Ra's benefits from the series positioning him as the final answer to the long-running "who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne?" mystery and totally being able to convince viewers that most of this series' events were according to his plans due to the self-assured, in-control and borderline omnipotent way the Demon's Head carries himself. No-one in Gotham City is left unchanged by his machinations, least of all his chosen "heir" Bruce Wayne. 

9. Hugo Strange - The Big Bad of 2B's "Wrath of the Villains" arc is in the running for the show's most despicable villain. Professor Hugo Strange is a brilliant psychologist and scientist, but he is utterly devoid of a conscience and will do anything to achieve his twisted aspirations, from ruining peoples' lives with his experiments to bringing people back from the dead to personally ordering the death of those he considers to be friends. What makes Strange enjoyable in spite of his depravity is B.D Wong's performance: he looks absolutely perfect as a younger version of Hugo Strange and his voice seems to be channeling Corey Burton's Christopher Lee-inspired take from Batman: Arkham City.  He's a much stronger villain than 2A's Theo Galavan, and tellingly got to return in every following season.

8. Edward Nygma - I really wish I could place Ed higher on this list, since the Riddler is one of my favorite Batman villains and Cory Michael Smith is perfect in the role. But sadly, he's the subject of some really weak writing throughout the show that holds him back from breaching my personal Top 5. Whether it be the constant Nice Guy(TM) hounding of Kristen Kringle, the bizarre Two Face-esque split personality angle, the ungodly stupid Isabella plot device and subsequent clashing with the Penguin because of it, his needless romance with Lee that didn't make sense for either of their characters (which wasn't helped by the fact that it happened at a time where he kept on getting made a fool of in a way that undermined how menacing he was just a season ago), and being used as an obvious red herring in the Haven explosion mystery...he really deserved better material, and it's lucky that Smith makes him so enjoyable to watch since it would otherwise drag him down much further.

7. Jerome Valeska - Cameron Monaghan's performance as Jerome single-handedly forced the Gotham producers' hands when it came to their original plans (or lack thereof) for the Joker in their series, as right off the bat he managed to perfectly capture the same maniacal energy that the likes of Mark Hamill and Heath Ledger did, meaning fans would accept no-one else in the role. While Jerome ends up being more of a test run for the actual Joker - the Beta Joker, so to speak - he still is one of the most frightening and malevolent characters in the show's entire run, spreading chaos for chaos' sake and causing pain to others just because he finds it hilarious, and doing it all in the most theatrical way possible.  

6. Jeremiah Valeska - Yes, I agree that this character's whole basis - Jerome's secret twin brother who actually becomes the Joker - and how he was introduced is unbelievably stupid writing; in hindsight it would have made more sense to just find a way to transition Jerome into this kind of characterization as part of a continued evolution toward becoming the Joker. But we're stuck with Jeremiah, and as it stands he is a much worthier Joker than Jerome was. I don't really like the Joker whenever he's written to have no motivation beyond "random crime and chaos because LOL crazy!!!" - the best Jokers always have a reason for doing what they do, it's just that it's always a twisted reason that holds no basis in reality and just serves as an excuse for the Joker to spread pain and chaos across Gotham City and match wits with Batman. (Ex: Heath Ledger's Joker may say he has no plans and just "does things" as a manipulation tactic, but in reality he does make plans and does have the tangible objective of proving his nihilistic, anarchistic worldview to everyone; Batman in particular.)

Jeremiah's penchant for intricate planning combined with the psychotic objectives that lie behind his plans is what makes him more believable as the Joker compared to Jerome, and it really felt like the show's stakes rose to an entirely new, darker than ever before level when he stepped up to the plate at the end of Season 4. I also love his development: being in denial about his own insanity and likeness to his brother until his personal obsession with Bruce overpowers that and causes him to willingly give into the madness so that he can be a worthy enough foil for Bruce as Gotham's Dark Knight, since that gives his miserable life a sense of purpose. Add to this Cameron Monaghan still pulling off that Joker energy flawlessly and you have a Joker that can stand beside Nicholson, Ledger and Phoenix's portrayals.

5. Barbara Kean - This one really took me by surprise. I knew going into the show that Barbara was considered a poorly written, irritating obstructive love interest to Gordon in Season 1, but that she got Rescued From the Scrappy Heap in the following seasons. What I didn't know was the way that rescuing happened - she goes crazy and becomes a surprise villain in the Season 1 finale, and from then on out she is freaking nuts in the most hilariously over-the-top way, with Erin Richards chewing the scenery for all it's worth. Barbara is so entertaining throughout the various guises and positions she goes through across the series, not to mention a complete badass who you just can't help but respect for being true to herself even if she's an awful human being. Her redemption arc in Season 5 was a beautiful way to bring her journey full-circle, and I don't begrudge her the happy ending she got at all.

4. Alfred Pennyworth - We're all used to Alfred the butler, but Gotham got me accustomed to Alfred the soldier. Sean Pertwee is thoroughly convincing in the role of the hard-assed, frequently grumpy or moody yet caring, loyal and dependable Alfred, whose relationship with young Bruce Wayne is perfectly depicted. The only time I didn't care for him was during 2A, where he was cruel and unfair toward Selina because she killed his treacherous war-time buddy who almost murdered him and was planning on doing harm to Bruce. Thankfully, from the midseason finale and onward he managed to redeem himself, regaining his status as one of the show's best-depicted characters and maintaining it all the way to the end.

3. Bruce Wayne - This character was always going to live or die based on what child actor was playing him, and by God did David Mazouz nail it in his performance. Even putting the dead parents and destiny as Batman aside, Bruce Wayne is clearly not a "normal" kid, being raised in the lap of luxury and privileged to the point of extreme naïveté, with an overly formal way of speaking hammering in his distance from the rest of Gotham City. Watching him grow stronger and smarter and more worldly and responsible as the series progressed was always a pleasure, and he naturally made a far more compelling protagonist than Jim Gordon did, with the show ending on the shot that it does making it even more clear that this was primarily his story all along; just one elongated origin story for the goddamn Batman.

2. Selina Kyle - For quite a while in Season 1, the teenage girl who would be Catwoman spent a lot of time just slinking around the fringes of the story and accomplishing little of value. But once she finally met Bruce, Selina's character really took off, and she ended up becoming my second all-time favorite character in the show. Aside from the strong writing and character development, much is also owed to Camren Bicondova, who is utterly charming in her depiction of the cynical, sharp-tongued, street-smart thief with a heart of gold, and she is even able to make her rushed final transition into Catwoman in Season 5 believable. And kudos to Lili Simmons who plays her in the final episode, she is perfectly convincing as an adult version of Selina, looking and sounding just as I expect Bicondova to in a few years. 

1. Oswald Cobblepot - OK, this is probably an unoriginal choice, but I can't help it - Oswald Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, is the one character on this show who just did no wrong as far as I'm concerned (as a character, I mean, he obviously did a lot wrong morally!) In addition to being the role Robin Lord Taylor was born to play, there is a consistency in the writing of his character and in the quality of his development that I think is unmatched by anyone else in the cast. Aside from that one blip in the Isabella plotline of Season 3 that I credit as more of a blemish on Ed than I do Oswald, he was always a fully three-dimensional character who acted and reacted believably, and he always stayed firmly on the line between being a heinous, ruthless, murderous criminal chiefly seeking power and a tragic, sympathetic, even funny and likable person chiefly seeking love.  And he always remained the "noble villain" when compared to the other villains around him; always the one you could count on to join the heroes and do the right thing when it counted because he's a pragmatist with moral lines he will not cross....and because he loves and believe in Gotham City too, in his own way.

[darlingsdevil]

Of The Valley (Joel x Reader)

Chapter 8: Only This and Nothing More

Summary: Life in Jackson is never easy. Consoling angsty teenagers, wading through the mysterious waters of Joel’s romance language and with a child of your own on the way? Life is about to get a lot harder.

OTV Masterlist

RDR2 Masterlist

Tag list (comment to be added or removed) @sidepuff @joelsheartache e @fangirl-inthe-us @cowboyfrazer @scarletpines @mikah-writes @sleepylunarwolf f @mr-robot-x @shybookdragon @heughan @writer-jamie @nelliecraine

A/N: I’m so sorry for the later update.. I went on a vacation to Nashville (more like just helping my sister move in but I call it vacation).. I’m going to be a lot more busy next few months so updates will be not super often.

Anyways, a lot of this chapter is my own weird humor and poking fun at my own writing.. Reader is starting to sound like me when I’m at work or anyone bothers me while I’m at home lol.

Another mini update.. the main plot points of the story are pretty much already plotted. Ending is all set.. just how do I get there 🤔 I guess I’ll figure it out as I go.

Comments/likes/reblogs are super appreciated!

•••

You woke up early for work as usual, the sun would rise in a few hours. Not many jobs required such early hours — most starting as the sun rose but the bar needed extra hands before they opened. It was a much better pace for you, quick, a reminder to put on your strong face through the day and pretend everything was fine.

You had made yourself a nice breakfast, realizing your increased appetite throughout the past few months wasn’t because you were eating your sorrows away. It was better to remind yourself you were eating for two now anyways.

How long would it be before you really started showing? Who would notice first? You were already barely beginning to show.. if someone looked awfully close they could see that. You opted for a baggier shirt when you chose your outfit for the day. There was a sense of dread as you thought about having to tell your close friends, though Maria was the first to know, you doubted everyone else’s reaction would go as smoothly. It was foolish to think Maria would be anything less than supportive.

You thought about how you would have told Mark if he had been still alive. You wondered how he would react.. how Joel would react. How it would only put further strain on both of those relationships.

But how would Joel react now? You wanted to play it safely, while you didn’t regret telling Maria, you needed to be more careful. You had enough to explain to Joel as is, you didn’t want to tell him of your secret just yet.

Joel was angry with you, yet he had accepted an invite to the lake (even though he did owe you a trip back), it was progress. You would have to play it smart, let him know at the right time.

It was easier to warm up to the idea of having a baby after talking to Maria, it was reassuring. Perhaps it wouldn’t too difficult, especially while living in Jackson. And if you did decide you didn’t want to keep the baby, you were certain there were families willing to take the child in.

You managed to make it out of the door quickly, there was no twinge of nausea as you walked to the bar, that was welcoming. Exhaustion pulled at you, staying up to find Ellie had certainly taken a toll on you. You usually worked morning shifts, which meant you could leave and have the rest of the day for yourself.

Joel was probably getting ready to go out for patrol now, depending on what route he had. Ellie was probably sulking in her room — or asleep waiting for Maria to come knocking again. The teenagers who snuck out would definitely be talk of the town, especially if a group that large headed into the Courthouse.

Jackson was quiet, as it had been earlier in the night. Few lights were on, it was always particularly quiet this time in the morning. The autumn air was cool and refreshing, Halloween was creeping around the corner, so was the Autumn festival. Mark preferred the Autumn Festival over Halloween, it was a place holder for the broken arm incidents.

You wished he was here for it. Seasonal dances were always his favorite. He would pull you onto the dance floor after he begged the DJ to play Bill Withers. You missed his laughter, though it was being blurred as time went by.. you couldn’t exactly remember how his laugh sounded, or where the scar on his face started on his nose. It was haunting, forgetting Mark was like forgetting a part of yourself.

Mark was gone. That life you had with him was gone. There was a shell of a room in your house, his child growing inside of you, dog tags around your neck and a world turned upside down. Mark’s death was not something quiet in your life, and yet few people knew of it.

You remembered every second of his death, the running for your life, hiding and hoping it was enough. Watching him, silently from your hidden spot. The blood on the floor. The sound of a gunshot. It was something unforgettable, a memory forever ingrained into your mind in splitting detail. Sometimes the faint smell of copper would appear in your mind and it would make your head woozy. The nightmares rarely let up.

Mark would touch your life forever.. even beyond the grave he had left something behind. You weren’t sure whether to thank him or curse.

•••

Ellie figured she could sleep before hell broke loose. There was no point in staying up all night. She dreaded the morning, listening to Joel yell at her along with Maria, having to take the walk of shame into the Courthouse with the other teens, dealing with Cat and Dina. It was a pure mess.

Maria knocked on her door before sunrise, waking her up. Ellie groaned quietly and pulled herself out of bed, flicking the light on as the early morning light fell through her window. Her head was aching from last night’s adventure.

She opened the door for Maria, Maria didn’t wait for an invitation to enter, she walked in.

“Punishment has changed, you’re only getting the same punishment as the rest of the teenagers. Seems like you owe Y/N a favor,” Maria told Ellie.

Ellie’s brow furrowed in confusion before she realized.

“Y/N asked me to go easier on you, so I did,” She explained non chalantly.

“Wow, well thank you,” Ellie said, surprised, she was relieved.

“You should thank Y/N.”

“I will,” Ellie nodded. It was silent for a few seconds.

“Look, I’m sorry about last night. I was upset and drunk,” She apologized.

“I know. It still wasn’t right for you to go outside the wall, you know the rules,” Maria said softly to the girl. It was going smoother than Ellie had expected.

“I just.. wanted to get away from everything for a night,” Ellie said to Maria. Maria wasn’t surprised.

“I understand. It still wasn’t the best course of action though,” Maria said thoughtfully, though she was disappointed.

“Yeah, I know,” Ellie replied, shame hinting in her voice.

“Joel’s already up, he has a shorter route today so he didn’t have to get up so early,” Maria explained to her. Ellie could feel the dread grow in her as she glanced out the window, the lights were on inside. She barely went over to his house these days, barely even said much to him, avoiding Joel as much as she could. She had things to figure out, Joel being around her would only confuse things further. It hurt having such a strain with someone she looked up to, but Joel was keeping the truth from her.

“Come on,” Maria said, motioning for Ellie to follow her as she exited Ellie’s room. There was frost on the grass, and a chill swept through the morning air.

Maria knocked on Joel’s back porch, Joel’s footsteps were loud enough to be heard from the other side of the door. Joel opened the door, looking confused to see both Maria and Ellie standing outside.

“Maria?” He asked, glancing over to Ellie as well, his brow raised.

“Can we come in?” Maria replied. Ellie stood to the side, praying this would be over quickly. Joel opened the door for them, they entered into his kitchen. Joel’s house felt foreign to be in, like entering a stranger's home, as if she was intruding. And yet it still felt familiar — like it was a hidden memory locked away from years of repressed thoughts, barely recognizable.

Joel leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting for Maria. Ellie averted her gaze to the floor as Maria began.

“Ellie snuck out last night with a group of teenagers,” Maria told Joel.

Joel’s face was unreadable until he spoke, looking over to Ellie. “What?” He said, his voice bubbling with disbelief and harshness.

“She snuck out. Got drunk too,” Maria explained, both of them staring at the teenager.

“Have you any idea what is out there? Have you forgotten what it’s like?” Joel scolded, anger and disappointment lacing his words. Ellie flinched at his voice.

“Am I not allowed to have fun anymore?” Ellie scoffed back with defiance, throwing her hands up in the air in protest.

“What you did was reckless and stupid, you know the risks,” Joel said, his face contorted in anger.

“Like there’s even any infected near town.” Ellie rolled her eyes.

“Ellie,” Maria replied firmly, shooting her a look.

“There are a thousand things that could have gone wrong. You shouldn’t have gone out there.” Joel was disappointed in Ellie.

“People do it all the time, why am I getting flamed for it now, huh?”

“Because you got caught,” Maria said.

“You only care when it has something to do with me. Y/N and Dina snuck out and you didn’t give two shits about them!” Ellie felt her head growing hot, her words fueled by anger.

Joel was surprised to hear that you had gone, a sense of worry flooding through him, why had you gone out as well?

“Y/N and Dina were looking for you,” Maria reminded her.

Ellie was silent, the tension was thick in the kitchen and Joel was burning holes in her head with his eyes.

“She’s getting the same punishment the rest of the party goers are getting, they’re going to the courthouse when the sun rises,” Maria explained to Joel.

“Take her off patrol for a month since she’s gotten too comfortable with being outside,” Joel said coldly.

“Sure,” Maria said. She was fine with that punishment.

Ellie’s mouth was agape. “That’s bullshit! You said you weren’t taking me off patrol!” She shouted to Maria.

“I said I wasn’t anymore. I’m leaving the rest to Joel.”

“It’s final, Ellie. You made a stupid mistake and now you have to pay the price for it,” Joel said. There was no debate, but Ellie would put up a protest.

“That’s such bullshit,” Ellie scoffed, storming out of Joel’s house, slamming the door behind her. Joel stood in the kitchen, feeling the rift pull them further and further away.

“I’ll go get her,” Maria grumbled, becoming increasingly annoyed at Ellie.

“No, let her go,” Joel sighed, feeling a tension headache coming on.

“I don’t know what’s been getting into her lately,” Maria replied, leaning her back on the counter next to Joel.

Joel grunted softly, “I’m trying, I am.”

“I know Joel, I think whatever is going on with Ellie she needs to figure it out herself.”

•••

The morning rush was annoying as ever. You were barely able to sit or even have a moment of rest, it seemed another customer walked through the door each time you even leaned against the back counter. But it was nice, busy work, it kept your mind off things and it was a constant reminder of how to socialize with people. It kept your mind off the horde coming to town, the baby, Joel, Ellie, practically everyone.

As the sun rose mid way through your shift, you saw the crowd of teenagers meet outside the Courthouse. You spotted Ellie and Cat, on opposite sides of the crowd. The people in the bar noticed too, perking up as they saw Maria and the rest of the Council members show up. Some people cracked jokes, some people muttered to each other, but as they went into the building the chatter died down. You wondered what the punishment was going to be. At least you managed to get Ellie no sentence from Maria, you also wondered how Joel handled things.

Joel was probably out on patrol by now, Tommy wasn’t with him, you wondered who he had gone out on patrol with then. You were almost always assigned with Mark — occasionally Joel. But usually Mark. The head of patrol usually kept you two together considering you were roommates, wanting to keep the same schedule.

A large group came into the bar and you groaned inwardly, cursing yourself and your job. Dina and Jesse were a part of the group. The crowd dispersed and went to their own tables, Dina making a beeline towards you

“Hey,” She smiled at you, sitting down at the bar. It wasn’t uncommon for Dina to stop by.

“How’s it going? Group patrol today?” You asked, wiping down the bar.

She nodded, “Yeah, we came in for breakfast before we went out. We have a long route today so Jesse wanted to make sure we all ate.”

“How are things between you and him?” Dina had mentioned they were having some issues last night.

“I haven’t really talked to him about us. He knows about Ellie, he’s pissed at her for not inviting him but he thinks it’s funny she got caught,” She rolled her eyes. You were glad someone here was making advancements in their relationships instead of hitting a brick wall — or multiple.

“Ellie’s at the Courthouse right now, I saw her with the crowd that went inside.”

“Yeah.. hopefully I’ll be able to catch her later tonight, try to smooth things over.”

“Good idea. Who else is patrolling today?”

“Joel, I know is, not sure who else I’ll have to look at the gate logbooks. You know you should really think about coming back to patrol, I miss seeing your’s and Mark’s messages next to the logbooks,” Dina replied, she wasn’t attempting to persuade you like Maria was.

“You know I was convinced no one ever read the Adventures of a Town Crackson, Mark isn't convinced though,” You laughed, remembering his silly stories and messages he would leave for others to find. The piles of sticky notes he left next to logbooks told a story, the story went that he would make mini comics out of old sticky notes and leave them around lookouts for people to read, you would have to visit them all in a certain order to understand. The Adventures of a Town Crackson was a parody of Jackson, except the main character, Lame Lane was a superhero on a revenge quest to kill the evil mastermind Mister Jacobsonithia, who had wronged him years before by killing those close to Lame Lane. It was both a bizarre and funny story.

“Oh no, that story is practically famous! Mark left us on a cliffhanger at Volume.. what was it.. 13th? The one where Lame Lane breaks into Jacobsinthia’s fortress and finds him! Right when Lame finally faces the bastard!” Dina excitedly rambled. Mark would have loved to talk about his story with Dina, you were glad at least someone had read what he called his masterpiece.

You simply stood and smiled bittersweetly, listening to Dina talk about Mark’s story.

“You really have to convince Mark to come back to patrol, I want to read the end of the story!” She said finally as you put her meal in front of her.

You shrugged, “I don’t know if he’s thought of an ending yet.”

•••

Later in the day, someone knocked on your door. You had been getting so many visitors lately.. you wondered who was there and what the hell they wanted. You had ate more of the cookies Maria brought over last night, they were good. You wanted something salty or sour to balance out the sweetness, like pretzels or pickles. Maybe both. You were mid way through your second cookie when someone knocked.

You got up quickly, grumbling the entire time underneath your breath. You were damn tired of leaving your town, socializing, looking for a teenager and having to take orders all day. You just wanted to eat cookies and collapse in bed.

Ellie was at the door surprinsgly.

“Ellie, hey,” You said, opening the door to let her in, closing the door as she entered.

“Hey.”

“What brings you here?” You asked, wondering why Ellie had suddenly shown up at your door.

“I just wanted to say thanks for having my back and letting Maria drop my punishment,” She said sincerely, even though her words seemed hard to get out.

“Of course, it’s the least I can do,” You replied.

“Joel still took me off patrol for a month,” Ellie rolled her eyes at the thought.

“He can do that?”

“Maria let him,” She said, sucking in a breath.

“I’m sorry, that sucks,” You told her.

She rocked on her feet, swaying gently back and forth. “Yeah,” She mumbled.

“Have you talked to Cat or Dina?”

She perked up at your question, “Cat’s still pissed at me and Dina’s out on patrol today so no.”

“How did Joel handle things?”

Ellie shrugged, not wanting to discuss the topic.

“Okay by the way, how was the Courthouse?” You changed the subject. The Courthouse was never fun.. it was where the Town Council did all of the planning for Jackson, assignments and occasionally hearings/punishments.

“Council put us all on clean up duty for the festival and nine pm curfew for the next two months,” She sighed.

“What assignment are you going to take in the meantime?”

“I don’t know, maybe trading post,” She said unthrillingly. There weren’t many open assignments that were anything but a bore. At least people at the trading post got to talk with others from outside of Jackson, though you weren’t sure it was Ellie’s style. You could see her on wall duty, though there were rarely open spots. Ellie likes kids, but you weren’t sure she could handle screaming toddlers for days on end, the daycare was a no go.

“How about the farms or gardening?”

“Do I look like a gardener to you?” She joked.

You shook your head humorously, “No, but I could see you in overalls and maybe a big farmers hat.”

“Fair enough,” She smirked.

“Oh, since you’re here did you want to get the Walkman tapes and the records?” You remembered promising her Mark’s old collection.. though you were sure you wouldn’t be able to give away his favorites, it would be far too cruel.

“Yeah sure, is Mark here right now?” She asked, glancing past you to the hallway.

“Oh, uh no, he’s not but he won’t mind, trust me,” You replied. Lying about Mark’s whereabouts was something you were getting good at. Of course, you knew exactly where he was and where he would be for all of eternity.

Ellie nodded, excited to hear some more tapes.

“I’ll go get them from his room, I’ll be right back.”

Walking back to his room, twice in less than twenty four hours.. it was insane. You weren’t even sure you could ever go into that room again and here you were, walking back up those same steps to his loft, feeling his dog tags jingle with every step, twisting the doorknob open and being inside of his room.

The room that felt lifeless. It felt wrong to take anything from out of his room.. like it was a scene forever stuck in a piece of history and you were disrupting it. But his things would have to go eventually, Ellie would appreciate his records. You were sure she would.

And yet a thought struck you.. would your child want something to remember their father by? Was giving away his records the best course of action? For months you wanted to get rid of everything that reminded you of him.. and yet you wanted to keep things. To have something to remember him by. The Walkman tapes would go untouched for years.. and you would only keep Mark’s favorite records — you were sure Ellie wouldn’t take too many of them regardless.

Bill Withers, Motley Crüe, Green Day and Queen records were all off limits. Mark would come back from the dead and knock some sense into you if you gave away any of those.

But there were others you were sure Ellie would appreciate.. Pearl Jam, The Sleek Habit.. or whatever the hell it was called. It was Mark’s favorite thing to collect — records, it seemed like he could listen to one album a day and still not have listened to them all by the time he turned eighty. At least he kept them ordered by genre, it made your life easier to pick out a few boxes. The boxes of records under his bed, in his closet, next to his dresser. You found his Walkman tapes in a small drawer on his bedside table, he didn’t have quite as many.

You decided on bringing Ellie, punk rock, folk music and alternative. Plus Mark’s entire collection of tapes.

Somehow, you managed to bring them all down to her. Her eyes lit up at the sight of them, you set the boxes down on the kitchen table.

“Take as many as you want, just let me see them first, otherwise Mark might get mad I’ve given away his favorites,” You said to her as she began flicking through the boxes.

She picked out a few she liked, luckily they weren’t all that memorable to Mark, or at least what you had remembered, you weren’t sure you had the heart to tell her to put any of his favorites away though if she had managed to pick out one of his favorites.

“Find the ones you were looking for?” You asked her as she picked all the records and tapes up.

“Yeah, Mark’s got a big collection, I even found Shawn James and Crooked Still,” She smiled, the sparkle returning to her face. You were glad Mark’s love of music had made her happy, he could pass on gifts even beyond the grave.

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Tell Mark I say thanks. I’m really sorry, I have to bounce, I think Dina might be home by now, seriously though, thanks again for getting me off the hook,” She said to you, her sincerity apparent. There was still uneasiness between you and her.. as there was with almost everyone, and yet things were starting to look brighter and brighter.

You nodded, bidding her farewell for the rest of the day, a pang of remembrance hitting your heart, as if things were slowly and yet surely returning to what normal felt like months ago. Even if a large part of your life was missing from it.. things were starting to look up. It felt almost wrong to be happy after months of grief and isolation, you felt guilty for allowing yourself to step back into the light, but you were happy things were starting to look better. Mark would have liked you to be happy, that was certain.

•••

Another knock on the door, another interrupted hour. The sun had set by then, you were done with dinner and were watching a movie you had found. You had a nice candle flickering too, the people of Jackson were awfully crafty, it was one of the few commodities that you regularly sought out, Mark had his candy and records, you had candles. Your house was starting to feel more lively again.

You opened the door to see Joel standing on the other side. You were definitely surprised to see him.

“Joel,”

“Hello, can I come in?” He asked.

“Sure,” You said, opening the door for him. Your porch light illuminated the dead flowers hanging from the roof.. you had been meaning to take those downs.

“Don’t worry, Mark’s not here,” You said to him as he entered.

Joel nodded as he glanced around your house. Not much had changed since the last time he had been there.

“Been awhile huh?” You asked.

“Yep. Been some time.”

“Any reason you decided to stop by?” You asked.

“I wanted to thank you for looking out for Ellie,” Joel began.

“Of course. I would have gotten you if we wouldn’t have found her, I just didn’t want to wake you up,” You explained.

“Yeah, I get that. I’m glad you’re looking out for her though.. I know you don’t like being outside Jackson anymore.”

“I didn’t want anything to happen to Ellie,” You shrugged.

“She’s not happy with what I told her. Not that I’m surprised though. I’m disappointed in her, I thought she knew better.”

“She’s a teenager, Joel. Teenagers are allowed to make mistakes,” You said.

“She still needs to be reminded of what’s out there.”

“Not arguing with you on that,” You replied softly.

It was silent for a few moments, “So.. about our trip to the lake,” He began again.

Your eyes lit up at the thought, “Oh! Yeah, right, I shoot the infected, you take me to the lake, that’s how it went, or maybe you still owe me a trip back,” You reminded him.

“I do still owe you,” He smiled.

That day.. so much had happened in such a small period of time, everything felt like a blur.

“You do. But I was thinking we could skip the lake and maybe.. you would want to come with me to the Halloween party?” You asked, almost shyly.

Joel smiled as he scratched his beard, “Are you asking me on a date?”

“Maybe?” You blushed lightly.

“It’s a yes or no question, Y/N,” He teased.

“Yes. It’s a yes, I’m asking you on a date.” Three months of no contact and here you were asking Joel on a date.. you weren’t sure if you wanted to laugh or cry. Damn you, hormonal imbalances.

“Then yes, I’ll take you to the party.” He nodded.

“A date it is then,” You said happily.

“Are you sure you’re not sick anymore though?” He asked playfully.

“I'm not , maybe it was just something I ate that day,” You shrugged, lying through your teeth. You knew what came over you, and you weren’t sure how exactly that would ever come up in conversation with Joel.. how would he even react to that? The longer you waited.. the harder it would be.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

“Me too. Hopefully it wasn’t Tommy’s stew.”

“At least it wasn’t mine.”

Joel left shortly after that, you were still smiling as he left. There were still questions, and there were answers you needed to give, but at least it wasn’t as rocky as it had been a few days ago. Maybe it was easy to heal.. or maybe the circumstances were making it easier. Or maybe it was just time to start living your life again, a new life that mirrored your last, but in an entirely new way.

It was a fresh start. You put your hand on your small bump, barely noticeable as you sat down on the couch. Your knees weak and your smile wide. Maybe it was time.

•••