#elizabeth: yeah yeah he slept over at our house and everything

[a-b-riddle]

Taken Chapter Five Part Two: True Intentions

Warnings: Religious Trauma, Cult, Forced Marriage, Kidnapping, Stalking, Stockholm Syndrome, Non-Con, Dub-Con. Violence against women. Threats and intimidation. Childhood Trauma.

She slept in by her standards. It was 9 am and by now her and Mia would have had a walk and breakfast. It was then that she noticed Mia was no longer in the bed. She sat up and looked around the bed hoping to catch a glimpse of black fur only to find she wasn't there.

"Mia?" Elizabeth called.

Irritated, she got up and walked out of the hall whispering her name. She walked past Bucky's room to see the door wide open. There laying shirtless with the sheets covering him from the waist down was none other than the Winter Soldier. And next to him was her dog cuddled up next to him on his left side as if he was her owner. Little shit.

She had never seen Bucky's shoulders. Angry red scars connected his metal arm to his shoulder. But his face looked so peaceful. She tried whispering Mia's name again, but Bucky began to stir. Nervous that she would wake him up, she hid in the hallway.

She heard a moan escape him. "Hey pretty girl." He greeted. "Is your mom still asleep?" She smiled at his words. Bravely, she turned back into his room only to find that he wrapped his arm around Mia.

"I see I've been replaced."

Bucky lifted his head up to look at her standing in the doorway. "You have been." He replied, laying his head back down. "I'm keeping her." He then buried his face into her back. He gave her a squeeze before pulling the sheets off of him and stood up.

Elizabeth would be plain blind if she didn't think he was attractive. He looked like something that crawled out of a romantic model and it didn't help when he walked toward her with such confidence, pushing his messy hair back out of his face.

"Does that sound okay with you?"

"Huh?"

"Eggs for breakfast?" He repeated. "It's the only thing I can make."

"Oh, yeah," she said swallowing the drool that had collected in her mouth. "Eggs are fine. I actually have to walk her and feed her."

"Tell you what,"He prompted. "I'll walk her, if you cook. You're probably a lot better than I am."

Elizabeth agreed and started exploring the kitchen as Bucky and Mia headed out.

They were gone for about thirty minutes before Bucky came back. She had Mia's food and water dish waiting for her in the kitchen and had made scrambled eggs and toast. Plain and simple.

"Mmm." He said taking a bite. "These are really good."

"The first job I got was a waitress at Waffle House. It's a popular diner down south. I really don't see many of them up here, but their eggs are my favorite."

He nodded. "Coffee?" He asked with a mouthful of eggs.

"Sure." She smiled, taking a bite of her own food. He put on a pot of coffee and both of them ate in silence.

"Thank you so much, Bucky." She gave him a soft smiling while holding her cup of coffee in her hands.

"It's just coffee." He said. "Thanks for breakfast."

"No." She said wanting to clarify. "I mean just thank you for everything. It's been nice to not think about what happened and just relax."

"You still seem pretty tense to me." He noted and finished off his coffee. "Listen," he stood up. "I have to go catch up with Steve. He wants to look into your apartment. I called Wanda on our walk and her and Nat are coming over. They'll take you where ever you need to go to get some new clothes. Here," he said picking up his wallet off the counter and handing her a black plastic card. "The code is 3255."

"Bucky, no," she urged, pushing his hand away. "I can't let you do that."

"It's fine," he insisted holding it out for her. "They'll probably want to grab lunch while you are out. Just go out and have fun. I insist."

She thought for a moment. She was already going to replace so many other shit that was destroyed, some money on clothes wouldn't hurt. She reluctantly took the card. "Thank you, Bucky."

"I threw your clothes in the wash last night when you were cleaning up dinner." He said, putting his dirty plate in the sink. "They should be done drying." She wanted to melt where she stood. God... He was making this very hard for her to keep telling him no.

Wanda and Natasha picked her up shortly after Bucky left. She apologized again for leaving early the day before, but they reassured her that it was no big deal. They were just glad she was okay. Wanda had, of course, picked another restaurant out of Elizabeth's budget, but Bucky did give her his card, Wanda reminded. But first, there was the matter of shopping.

Nearly all of her work clothes had been trashed. The shoes looked undamaged, however, so she just got one little black dress to wear for work.

Abe got a few outfits, not knowing how long she would be staying with Bucky, but a few shirts and a couple pair of legging. Wanda and Natasha were not impressed with her choice of clothing, but didn't say anything.

"Do you mind going down and telling them that Maximoff and Romanoff will be coming?" Natasha asked pointing time the restaurant that was in view. "I just have a few things to pick up and we'll be right over." Elizabeth agreed and headed across the street to DaMico's Italian restaurant.

The maitre d' perked up at the mention of the names and asked for a few minutes. By Elizabeth's guess, it would be more than a few minutes given there were other people waiting to be seated.

Suddenly a voice caught her attention. "Oh my god." She heard an over exaggerated valley-girl accent. She knew that voice. It was Chelsea. Joe's best 'girl friend'. Her auburn hair was shorter than the last time the two met. The first time she met his friends and Chelsea had jokingly threatened to beat Elizabeth up if she broke his heart. Oh the irony. "Funny seeing you here."

"Yeah, my friends wanted to meet here for lunch." She plastered a fake smiled on her face. Elizabeth hated confrontation almost much as she hated Joe's friends.

"How cute!" She eyed Elizabeth up and down. "I'm meeting up with Samantha, Joe's girlfriend. You two met, right?" As of right on queue, Sam walked to the hostess stand. She was still slender with equally thin black hair. She didn't even bother to greet Elizabeth or acknowledge her existence.

"Chel," she said and her voice made Elizabeth want to go rabid. "Is our table ready?" Her eyes never met her boyfriend's ex.

"It's going to be another 30 minutes before we're seated, but look who I ran into." Chelsea smiled at Elizabeth like a cat and she was the canary. Elizabeth wanted to crawl into the deepest hole and never come out.

But like the two saving graces they were, Wanda and Natasha came into the restaurant causing heads to turn. "Here." Wanda said handing Elizabeth a bag from the store they just left.

"What's this?" She questioned, peeking through.

"Bucky mentioned some of your stuff needed to be replaced so we went ahead and picked a few things." Wanda smiled. She peaked in the bag and blushed. A different assortment of underwear and bras.

"You really shouldn't have. How did you get my size?"

"Well luckily Steve gave me your size." She felt her face pale. "They're going through the rest of your stuff now

"Great, I feel great knowing Captain America scoped through my undies."

"Well when Steve asks for somet-" Wanda began.

"Wait," Chelsea interrupted Wanda. "Steve as in Steve Rogers? You're seeing Captain America?" She asked baffled.

"Oh no," Elizabeth tried to explain before Wanda cut her off.

"She's dating Bucky Barnes." Elizabeth's eyes widened, but she quickly collected herself. "And I'm so sorry," She looked Chelsea up and down. "but we aren't interacting with civilians right now. Off duty and all that." She gave a quick smile before letting it fall from her face.

"Ladies, your table is ready." The maitre d' said coming back with menus in hand. Chelsea and Sam began to walk toward him, before he held up his hand unapologetically. "Sorry, I meant them." He motioned his head toward Elizabeth and the girls.

"Well we were here before they were." Chelsea crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't know this place took reservations."

"They don't." Wanda said smiling, but this time it was more of a smirk. "We just always have a table ready." With that, she wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's and led her to a secluded table in the back of the restaurant.

Lunch was great to say the least. A few cocktails in and she felt more relaxed. Elizabeth talked about the club and how the guys acted so differently now that she knew them.

"Bucky was a lot more bold I think too." She said.

"How so?" Natasha asked.

"I mean," she sighed. "He would call me 'Doll' and 'Sweetheart' and was just very... I don't know. Like he was assertive."

"And he's not know?" Natasha asked

"He's eased up." She said. "He's really an awesome guy."

"So if you weren't worried about being in a relationship, would you go for it?"

"I have commitment issues, but I'm not blind. I couldn't find my dog this morning and I find her cuddle up next to him and I never wanted to be an animal more in my life." She covered her mouth. The drink making her say things she had no business saying. It made Wanda and Natasha laugh.

"Well..." Natasha sighed. "Well you're the first girl he's ever been interested in so I don't think he minds waiting."

They dropped her back off at Stark Tower, all of them getting off on their own floors before Elizabeth went back into Bucky's place.

"Hey," He greeted as she walked into the foyer. He looked up from his phone to see the shopping bags in her hands. "Get everything you needed?" He asked.

"Yeah." She said. "And don't worry I plan on repaying you."

"Don't worry. You pay your taxes, I hope, so you kind of already did." He joked. He was insisted on seeing everything she had bought. He liked this. Having her use his money, going out with the girls. She deserved this. Not working. And it didn't help that Steve told him he had made sure she got a sexy number or two.

It had been three days since her apartment gotten broken into. Bucky assured her that by the weekend it would be completely cleaned, but a lot of her things had to be thrown away. She was disappointed, but understood. Elizabeth trusted Bucky not to just throw things away willy nilly.

It was her last night off before the work weekend. A night she usually took advantage of and relaxed with a supplement Calliope introduced her to. She changed into a pair of running shirt and an oversized black hoodie Bucky had let her borrow.

"Do you drink?" She asked Bucky. "Like besides getting drinks at the club, do you like get drunk?"

"I drink socially," he admitted. "I drink when I'm around the guys, but the alcohol really doesn't effect me and Steve because of the serum. Thor thinks its amusing. It takes a lot for us to feel its affects."

"Is it just alcohol?" She pressed.

"I'm not sure I follow." He looked at her quizzically.

"Have you ever tried weed or an edible?" She felt like such a bad influence asking him. For Christ's sake, he was over 100 years old for God's sake.

"Can't say I have." He admitted.

"Do you want to try it?" She offered. "I get these at a smoke shop so it's not illegal or anything. It's just hemp THC instead of marijuana."

He shrugged. "Why not?" Bucky had worse thing out in his body.

"They really help me with anxiety." She said getting up and going into her room. She dug in her bag before pulling out the two gummies.

She held them confidently in her hand and gave one to him. "We should order food." She said and took the whole gummy in your mouth. "Pizza?"

"Pizza." He nodded before following suit.

The edible had hit her a lot harder than it did Bucky, but he still felt the affects of it.

"This is the best pizza I ever had." He said with his mouthful. She reared her head back in laughter, letting her hair fall against the back of the couch.

"It's the edible." She nodded. "I have something we can watch. It's really good, but it's like... modern. It's a thing on Netflix called... shit. What's it called?" She tried to dig deep in the back of her brain for the title. "I think it's called inside. It's like a comedy special type thing, but it gets deep. It's nice to watch when you're like this."

"Turn it on." He said slumping back in the chair. It felt like it took her thirty minutes to find it when in reality it took about three.

Bucky couldn't understand most of the references in the special, but he could connect with the despair. The loneliness. Being a captive in his own head. She felt the same panic, the same anxiety as Bo did. She was introduced to this world later in life. Social media wasn't something she grew up with and it was too much at times; Too consuming

Bucky had felt the effects of the potent strawberry flavored gummy full force. His usually tense body had sunken into the couch. Unconsciously had snuggled up and was drawing small circles on his right arm. He had only touched her a few times, but each time it made his stomach fluttered.

Her favorite part had come up. She began singing along, saying obscenities. He watched her face turn blue and sing along to the deep voice, singing along as if it were a song of worship. Her eyes closed, headed tilted back as she seemed to drown in the music. "Are you feeling nervous? Are you having fun? It's almost over. It's just begun. Don't over think this. Look in my eyes. Don't be scare. Don't be shy. Come on in, the waters fine." She fell back against the couch.

"You sing really good." He smiled down at her.

"Thanks." She replied smiling back at him like a fool. "You feeling that edible yet?"

"Mmhmm." He moaned. "It's really nice. Feels good." He put a hand on her knee, his thumb rubbing against her soft skin. Her body took control and leaned closer into him. The voice was now speaking in the background, but was still on the same song.

She hazily stared at Bucky's face. His eyes even more enchanting with the blue from the screen shining on his face. Without really processing what she was doing, her finger began to delicately trace the outline of his lips.

"I really want to kiss you right now." He confessed his face getting closer to her. Elizabeth knew she would might regret it in the morning, but in that moment, she wanted him. She stared up at him and nodded before leaning in the rest of the way.

His metal hand came up to cradle her face and the coolness of it felt nice on her flushed cheek. He didn't push it. He didn't add tongue or let things get too heated. It was a nice, kiss that made her forget to breathe.

Her head felt dizzy after he pulled away from the kiss. She was glad he did because she didn't think she would be able to.

"Can we just do this?" She asked, his face still so close to hers.

"Do what?" He asked lowly, staring intensely at her, his finger brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

"Kiss." Her lips still tingling. "I just want to kiss for right now if that's okay." He felt her breath tickle his lips.

"Yeah," he said, smiling still dazed. "Kissing is great." His hand traveled to the back of her neck and pulled her to him. Before she could really comprehend what she was doing, she straddled him. He didn't grind against her or grab Elizabeth in anyway that she felt like he was pushing his luck. His hands traveled from the back of her neck to holding her hips until they finally rested on the back on her thighs. His thumb brushing along her soft skin.

"It's getting late." Bucky said, finally pulling away. She felt almost sad that it ended almost as quickly as it began, but realized some time passed since the special had finished and the TV was now back on the home screen.

She nodded and got off of him. He held her hips steady to help her balance. "Well." She swallowed. "I guess it's off to bed."

"Yeah," He said a ran hand through his hair. "I'll see you in the morning." She nodded and retreated to her room, hoping Mia would follow behind her.

She settled underneath the sheets, leaving the door open and allowing Mia to either choose between her and Bucky. She felt her body get heavier and heavier as sleep drew near. She couldn't tell if it was from the edible or the kiss, but her entire body tingled and she couldn't get the feeling of his lips on hers off of her mind for the rest of the night.

She woke up to find Bucky and Mia missing. She had slept like a rock and was still tired even after nine hours of sleep.

Bucky came in with Mia. Elizabeth already had the coffee pot brewing and was finishing up breakfast. Today she went with a ham and cheese omelet, hoping Bucky approved. She was expecting it to feel awkward. Like a drunken one night stand that neither of them ever wanted to address, but it wasn't. Bucky greeted her with that same smile he always gave her and had complimented how good breakfast smelled.

It wasn't until he finished breakfast that he did, however, address the kiss. "So last night was..." he trailed. "Fun."

"Yeah," she agreed putting the dishes into the dishwasher. "It was nice."

"So... was that just you... feeling what we took?" He asked.

"I think it helped me relax." She swallowed nervously. "But I'm glad we did it. I wanted to, but I guess I just didn't want things to get complicated."

He nodded his head. "So... you have work tonight?" He asked. "Then heading back?"

"Yeah." She admitted, bummed out.

"It was really nice having the company." He admitted and his soft smile felt into a sad one. "Of course you're welcome to stay another night. I don't think everything in your apartment has been replaced and the lock on your door still hasn't been replaced."

"If you want me to stay, you can just ask." Her tone was obviously joking, but her smile dropped when he walked over and took her hand in his.

"I really want you to stay." His voice was low and his face was nearly as close as it had been last night.

He smelled so nice. Even after sweating on a run, he smelled really nice. She nodded. "Okay."

You would have thought she told him it was Christmas and Santa just came. "Okay." He said smiling back.

Work was more pleasant knowing what she was going home to. Even if it wasn't her home. She spilled the beans to Calliope.

"So you had sex?" Calliope asked. She flushed at the accusation.

"No," Elizabeth answered sheepishly. "It was just a kiss." She shrugged continuing to wrap silverware. "I don't even know if we are dating."

"But didn't you just say that you told him you would stay?" She laughed. "So you're not dating the guy, but you're just making out and living together rent free."

"It's not like that."

"But it is like that." She said wrapping up the knives and forks. "It's okay that you want to date him. I would seriously be questioning your sexuality if you didn't. You need to just go knock the dust off that Dick."

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"You know because he's like 100 years old." She shrugged. "It's probably been a minute."

"Good god, Calliope."

"Hey, ladies..." Jonathan interrupted with a somber look on his face. "I need to talk to you for a minute."

Chapter Six: Outbreak

[paper-lilypie]

For all that resentment between CC and Gregory, at least in the good ending he goes back to his time and has a great Uncle (and Aunt) to actually get to know. Even if they might not get the whole “went back in time with your brother to save you and met your ghost” thing.

yeah pretty much!

i like to think that if the good ending did come to pass, both Michael and Gregory would spend family reunions and holidays trying to convince Evan he and Gregory have met before. Elizabeth joins in sometimes for shits and giggles. Evan experiences a crisis every time. It’s family tradition now.

[mrs-hollandstan]

More Than Perfect || Sam Holland

Warnings: mentions of nudity, mentions of childbirth and the complications afterwards, self-doubt, language?, babiessss, Sam just being a supportive cutie

Word Count: 1,720

Author’s Note: Hopefully you guys enjoy a little bit of dad!Sam. Lemme know :) Also, huge credit to @/marsbudge on Instagram for the picture on the right. She’s amazing in expressing her beauty and is the whole reason I created this piece. Moms/ women in general are fucking superheroes. 

My Masterlist || Add yourself to one of my taglists

There was nothing like having a baby. You were told that once you had a little one, your life would change and you would never understand the absolute love you have for this tiny human you'd made. When you and Sam got pregnant with your daughter, he was infatuated with your naked body. The tummy and the thick thighs and the ever growing breasts. Not that you yourself particularly minded being nude around your fiancè or just in general, especially when it just so happened that in the worst weeks of your pregnancy you'd be in the middle of summer. 

When your belly popped towards the bottom, blossoming up the further you got in your pregnancy, Sam lost his mind. He loved the bump and when his hands wandered, it's often where they ended up. More than anything, Sam appreciated the changes your body went through, especially the stretch marks around your thighs, hips, and belly. The boy was obsessed. That's why his Instagram blew up with pictures of your belly, pictures from the baby shower, of the nursery, of her closet, her name board above the crib, and eventually her when she arrived in the beginning of August. 

Virginia Elizabeth was what you named her and Sam, just as much as when she was in your belly, was obsessed with her. She was constantly in his arms and he admired each one of her little features on the daily, dressing her, feeding her (if you couldn't of course), changing her, rocking her to sleep. He was an all around great father. 

Especially because of the pain and exhaustion he inevitably and guiltily felt he inflicted on you. Your bump remained for a few weeks, but what it left, Sam saw, made you slightly depressed. Your feet were still swollen, your breasts were huge but your belly was starting to sag, and the bleeding was ridiculous. You slept most of the time because of the constant milk production and late nights, but Sam didn't mind taking Virginia out into the living room and kitchen, especially if his brothers were over to see their baby girl. 

However, after about a month you'd gotten somewhat used to being a mom and feeding her late at night with Sam right there at your side, giddy smile on his face the entire time at the look of his girls. He loved introducing you as his girls and going to see family and friends with your bubbly little girl in his arms. But something that seemed to remain after all of it was the nudity in your house. 

Sam found that most times he came to find you napping, you were nude beneath the blanket. Not that he minded. Easy access to the skin of your back and belly and thighs. He actually loved the sight and hoped that when he went back to culinary school and eventually went to work as a chef in one of your local restaurants, you'd still be like that, something to look forward to when he climbed into bed with you. 

With a day off from work but not from school, Sam was off in the afternoon and back before the sun started to set, walking up the stoop with a smile on his face. Even a few hours spent away from his girls was torturous. Shouldering the door open, he drops his bag just inside, kicking his shoes off just beside it, 

"Babe?" He calls. There's no reply, a frown covering Sam's face as he walks towards the nursery. He pauses in the doorway of your bedroom when he sees you, smiling to himself. You stand just before your bed, nude with your little girl, only clad in a diaper, in your arms. Your eyes are closed as you sway from side to side, the little one whimpering softly. Walking into the room, Sam stands with his hands on his hips, 

"Look at you two." He says softly. You open your eyes slowly, glancing at him. His smile is so wide you don't know how it fits on his face. He takes a deep, breathless like breath, looking you over, "You two are so perfect." He mumbles before he walks forward again, coming to stand behind you. His hands rest over your hips, lips pressed to your temple, 

"You smell like biscuits." You murmur softly, not faltering in the swaying, even as you lean back against his chest. He chuckles softly, 

"Orange cardamom biscuits. They'd go good with your tea, I'll have to make them sometime for you." He explains softly. You nod, lips pressing against Virginia's cheek. Her little face is turned up towards the ceiling, mouth hanging open as she fights sleep. You sigh, 

"I uhh, I took a shower, put her in that little bouncy thing just outside the shower and she got fussy cause it was hot in the bathroom. So I took her out of her onesie and was holding her and I just... her skin on mine felt amazing. Like yours does. And I miss her. I miss..." Sam can see the tears in your eyes now, "I miss my baby bump and being in the hospital smelling that newborn smell and all that." You tell him. He nods, 

"Its the postpartum peach. You know it'll pass and you'll have so much fun with her when she's older. Plus... the older she gets, the closer we are to havin another one. More of that newborn smell." He reasons. The look you throw him over your shoulder makes him swallow, 

"Alright... yeah, still traumatized from her birth, got it but... you don't have to be so upset. She's still little and perfect... both my girls are, and for the next... what, year, that won't change. She'll get nice and chunky and when she changes, we'll so be ready for it. She'll get giggly and fun and you'll love it. I know you will babe." He reassures. You nod, 

"I know I just can't help it. It feels like someone else is controlling my life, my emotions. I'm sorry." 

"You don't have to apologize Y/N. Your body, your mind are going through a lot of changes. You're maturing and all that. I'm not upset about it. The crying, from you or her doesn't bother me. At least there's some need for me." He half jokes. You smile, looking down at your baby girl. He sighs, 

"I'm really likin this naked thing with you though." He mutters, kissing your shoulder as he molds your hips in his hands. You hum, 

"Sometimes I'm just too lazy to get dressed, other times it's just too hot." You reason. Sam nods, 

"I like it." 

"Oh yeah?" He nods when you glance up at him, "Maybe you should join the party then. I wanna stare at her and she likes daddy's chest." He doesn't even need you to finish the before he's stripping from the grease and oil stained shirt and pants, leaving them in a pile on the floor as you sit at the edge of the bed. You scoot to your side, letting Sam lay down before you before you lay Virginia over his chest. He mumbles incoherently down at her, kissing the top of her head as he strokes down her back. He purrs which makes her whimper, the motion further lulling her to sleep. He glances over at you when you prop your head up on your hand, 

"You're a great father Sam. You've always been an awkward little bean but... when it comes to V, you do amazing." He chuckles softly, 

"Thanks Y/N/N. You two... mean the world." He admits, rubbing up and down your baby's back softly. You sigh, brushing his unruly curls aside, 

"I'm just glad that I don't have to cook. The food you make is excellent and you like doing it and baby loves it too." He laughs again, 

"And that's all that matters is making you both happy." He murmurs. There's a silence that permeates between you for a moment before you stand, finding the thin robe you wear all the time if it genuinely is too hot to wear anything else, 

"What was this... thing you were saying about orange cardamom biscuits?" You ask with a cock of your eyebrow. He smiles wide, tip of his tongue caught between his teeth, 

"I'm starting to think ALL you use me for is food." 

"I feed your little girl from my own body like eight times a day. The LEAST you could do is make bomb fucking food Holland." He hums after a moment, eyes averted from yours and to the little girl laid across his chest. He glances back up, 

"Can we just... have a little longer of this moment? Just a pretty little family before I'm whisked away to slave over a stove." He jokes. After a moment of staring at each other, you sigh, trying to fight your smile before you near the bed again, sitting at his side, 

"Fine Samuel. But only because you're pretty." You lean in to kiss his nose, kissing your baby girl's head just below his chin, "And you too little miss. I just hope you at least get something from me for all the pain and suffering I went through getting you here." Sam reaches up to tuck hair behind your ear, 

"You're a great mumma already. I have no doubt that she'll be witty and perfectly perfect. With a mum like you she'll always know she can never disappoint us with whatever decision or life choice she makes. You'll make sure of it and that's what matters. Raising a decent fucking human being." He says with such passion in his eyes you think you'll faint. You stare at him for another moment before sighing, 

"I love you more than anything on this earth Samuel Holland. Our little family is just perfect right now." You tell him. Leaning up to kiss you, he sighs, 

"Love my girls in all of their beautiful nudity. Love skin to skin." He murmurs. You lay your head against his shoulder, watching your girl sleep. Of course pregnancy and motherhood was difficult, but your fiancè made it so much better and your baby girl was everything and more for the both of you.

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[theluminoussunflower]

mr anderson's date

somehow, someway, the new poets catch wind that mr anderson is going on a ~date~

"who knows, amelia, she could be your new mom"

"evan you dumbass, why would you say that"

amelia is fully aware of who her dad is going out with, and she knows she shouldn't tell anyone who it is

so, the new poets stay up to see mr anderson come back from his date and see his lucky lady

amelia thinks it'll be best for them to see for themselves

a car pulls up to the front of the school

"guys, it's mr anderson!!!" evan whisper-yells

everyone gathers around the window, to see mr anderson lean on the hood of the car

with another man

no one really bats an eye, "did he even say date?", "maybe they're friends"

but then mr anderson kisses this man, right on the mouth, arms around his waist and everything

the man looks familiar to stephanie

"that's the guy who came with you on orientation day, right?" she asks amelia, who's laying in bed, cigarette in hand

amelia nods

"wait, i don't understand," richie says, "is your dad gay?" he didn't grow up seeing things like this, it wasn't that he thought anything was wrong with it, it was just rare to him

amelia understands his confusion, she's polite about it, "not gay, he's bisexual," she says, "he likes men and women, that's his boyfriend"

"ohhhh"

"like freddie mercury!" pittsie says

"why didn't you say anything?" lacey asks

"frankly, i didn't think it was any of your guys' business who my dad dates"

"amelia, it's not like that, we're not making fun of your dad, we're making fun of our teacher"

that makes amelia laugh

todd and whit met at a gay club about five years ago (do not let todd tell you that they met at a bookstore, he is lying)

todd was hesitant about dating a man, especially after his wife died

but amelia encouraged him to see people again

luckily, amelia was smart and could quickly understand the concept of her dad dating a guy

("would you be okay with me dating a man?"

"... is he tall?"

"uh... yeah, he is"

"then yeah, that's fine, what's his job?")

he's a classics professor at the university of vermont

he and todd bonded on their love of books, and their love of men

todd worried whit would be freaked out by amelia and not want the responsibilities of a child

they bonded instantly when they first met, mainly over making fun of todd

like, the first time todd and whit slept together, amelia came home from school the next morning, and she could tell

she didn't say anything, but she could tell

and so she went up to whit and said, "whit, did dad snore?"

and whit, flashing back to watching todd while he slept, said "yes" a little too quickly

(todd will say he doesn't snore, that is also a lie)

amelia loves whit like a dad, truly

if she has a problem she can't go to her dad about, she can always go to whit

they have many secrets

she calls him daddy-o

soon enough, amelia and todd started spending their summers in burlington at whit's house on the lake

whit doesn't replace elizabeth, not by a long shot

but having that hole in their hearts slightly filled is better than nothing

todd told amelia to not tell anyone about him dating a man

"you're tolerant and accepting, but most people are not"

when she was younger, she didn't get it, they love each other, who cares?

but now she understands that he just wants the three of them to be safe

she doesn't like it, but she understands

welton is more progressive than it once was, but you never know who's gonna be... like that about gay people

amelia doesn't like that she can't tell people about whit, because he's really a great guy

he's a great listener, he's polite, he likes decorating for holidays

she wishes todd and whit could legally marry

she wishes she could tell people she has two dads

she wishes the three of them could just be a damn family

anyway

the next day, the new poets bully todd a bit for going on a date, but don't let on that they saw anything

"amelia told us" they lie "how was it?"

todd smiles "it was lovely"

"was your date cute?"

"the cutest"

"will you two go out again?"

"probably"

"anderson's got a date! anderson's got a date!" they chant

todd and amelia share a look across the library

~

taglist!!! (please tell me if you want to be added or removed)

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@srj901

[only-kiwi]

cardigan (said i was your favourite)

based off of this song. stream folklore. betty & august coming soon. (they’re 17/18 in this).

“Betty, holy shit, I have something to tell you.” Inez rushed over to her best friend, who was sitting on a park bench. “Are you still talking to Harry?”

Harry and Betty had been seeing each other for a while and they were pretty exclusive. When Harry said he’d be going away for the summer, Betty wasn’t happy. She knew she’d miss him more than she’d be able to admit.

“Yeah, but we haven’t spoken in a few days. I feel like he’s kind of ignoring me, but he’s probably just spending time with his family.” She brushed it off with a shrug. “Why?”

“I think he’s seeing someone else. You know my friend, Rebecca? From my piano lessons? Her cousin told her about some guy she’s been seeing for the past few months and he looks and awful lot like Harry.” Inez pulled out her phone to show the out the picture that Rebecca sent. It was in fact Harry, sitting shirtless on a balcony looking out at the beach.

“Oh, my God.”

Seven days. An entire week. That’s how long I cried for. There wasn’t much else for me to do. Was I supposed to talk to him? Tell my friends? Break the news to my family? Harry and I were never official but fuck, I introduced him to my dad. I think what hurt the most was the fact that I knew Harry wasn’t that person. He was good. I guess the girl he slept me must have been really special. Even though he hurt me, I still really missed him.

I missed the days where he would walk me home because I was too drunk to do it myself and we would dance under the streetlights. My family always told me I was too young to know I was in love, but I wasn’t. Harry was it for me. He was the first person I ever slept with, he made me feel safe... like I could trust him. I guess he fooled me. 

God, I told that boy everything. I told him about my family issues. I told him all the boys before him who fucked me over. He told me he’d be there for me, that he wasn’t like the others. Why would he lie? It was his touch that would bring me back every time I felt like things were going wrong. Not even sexually. Just to hug him, kiss him, be near him. It was the little things that mattered the most to me. I know he wasn’t my boyfriend, but I really wanted him to be. We were just scared that we’d have to go off to university soon and inevitably break up.

“You know what my favourite feeling is?” I remember him asking me as he held me close one night.

“What?”

“It’s you. You’re my favourite.”

It killed me that he wasn’t going to be at my birthday party. I was the last of our friends to turn eighteen so it was a big deal. I’d been talking about it for months, what I would wear, how much we’d all be drinking. He had to go a fucking ruin everything. I didn’t want this stupid party anymore. I wanted to sit in my room and cry, but I had to put on a good face.

“Elizabeth?” My mother called as I was finishing up getting ready for my party. “You look sad.”

“I just miss him, mum.” I looked down, playing with my rings. “I want to be angry at him but I can’t. I just want him back.”

“You’re better than that, Betty. He made his choice, if he cared about you he would not have done what he did to you. Has he even tried to apologise?”

“Yeah, but I think he only misses me because he doesn’t have her anymore.”

“Well, he can’t have both of you.”

My mum was right, what did he expect? Did the think he could sleep with her and then leave? Come back to me and pick up where we left off? A part of me knew that no matter what, he would always be the love of my life. That be would always come back to me. I hated myself for wanting that. For wanting him to come back.

My party was okay, I definitely had fun, I just wished Harry was there. My friends could all tell I wasn’t fully there but it was okay, I would be okay. A few of my friends and I decided to hang out on the front porch because my house and garden was filled with people and we needed air. A few of them lit some cigarettes but I declined when I got offered one.

“B...” Inez said, looking behind me.

“Hm?” I muttered in response, turning to look at what she had her eye on. The air almost got knocked out of my lungs when I saw him.

“Betty? He called, jogging towards with a bunch of flowers and a wrapped up present. “Happy Birthday.”

[the-fiction-witch]

Scream

TV SHOW: THE QUEENS GAMBIT  COUPLE: BENNY X READER + HARRY X BETH RATING: FLIRTY + SMUTTY MENTIONS

I yawned with a little stretch as I climbed out of bed slipping my robe over my shoulders to hide as I wasn't going to get dressed till after my shower. but that was not going to happen before coffee. So I wondered out my bedroom and down the hall passing Beth's bedroom the door closed and no light from within, I didn't think she'd be up yet. I headed down the stairs fixing my hair as I had another yawn going to the kitchen humming my little tune and gently shaking my hips in time with the tune as I began making coffee.

"what's the dam racket I'm trying to sleep!" a voice complained from the living room I looked up in shock seeing a rather bed-headed and annoyed, half-naked benny watts sat up on our sofa with a blanket

"AAAHHHHHH!" I squealed "Benny!"

"Hi... some people say good morning you know. Or make people coffee" He responds barely awake himself

"The fuck aren't you doing in my house!" I complain "and why haven't you got any clothes oN!" I complain noticing he had maybe a pair of shots under the blanket and that was it, some clothes thrown on the chair and a pair of jeans on the floor

"I could ask you the same question y/n" He says making me a little confused till I looked down noticing I saw my little shirt with no bra making my breasts rather obvious, and a pair of lace panties my little robe on my shoulders

"BENNY!" I screamed covering myself up best I could even if my robe wasn't exactly very big

"What? your the one walking around half naked! what are you yelling at me for!"

"What the fuck is going on down here!" Beth complained as she came down the stairs dressed or well mostly.

"Elizabeth...Why is benny watts half-naked on our sofa at half seven in the morning!" I complain

"What's going on sugar?" A voice asks from the staircase and I looked up and saw harry beltik in a pair of jeans brushing his teeth

"Okay, follow up question. why is Harry beltik half-naked on our staircase?"

"Ohh I'm staying this week. before Ohio" harry smiled to me

"Okay, so harry is staying over with week. great would have liked to have known about that but okay" I sighed "That doesn't answer my original question of why benny is here"

"My building has a rat problem so they kicked everyone out for two weeks while they sort it out" benny explained "so... I'm living here now"

"Elizabeth, we are not running a fucking chess-themed hotel!" I complain

"well benny hasn't got anywhere else to go, and harry is my guest so this is life now" she explained

"Fine, but each of you pick a household task I'm not cleaning up and cooking for four people" I explained "and Harry put clothes on, and Benny please put pants on!"

"Make me!" Benny yelled back from the sofa

I sighed a little I didn't mind it too much honestly, harry did dishes and wasn't much trouble that and him and beth where often off doing god only knows what in her room. and honestly, benny had pretty much proclaimed the living room as his room and almost never left our sofa. unless someone actual pushed him off it was almost lie having a very large chess playing cat. he just gets in the way, eats, sleeps and occasionally makes a noise at something. I got up out of bed and went to the bathroom pushing the door open and pushing some clothes that had been left on the floor across the room humming my little tune picking up my toothbrush from the mess on the countertop from four people having to share one bathroom. running the tap and brushing my teeth still gently humming putting my hand behind the curtain to set the shower how I like it, as beth always has it far too cold for me, harry wasn't too bad he never moved it much, but benny has it like boiling water the second I put my hand in to change it I felt the boiling hot water goddam it benny was in her last,  so I went to grab the tap to change the second I got my hand on it I knew it wasn't the tap

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed

"AHHH FUCK!" Benny complained from the other side of the curtain

"benny!" I screamed

"Y/N! What the fuck are you doing in here!"

"What are you doing in here!"

"I'm having a shower what the hell are you doing here?"

"I came for a shower and to brush my teeth!" I complain "you could have said something!"

"I didn't hear you come in"

"why wasn't the shower running then?" I asked

"I was... specific washing" he answered slowly

"Spe- Ohh my god! Benny! you were jerking off in there!"

"Yeah fine! why are we making a conversation out of this! get out!"

"Why the hell are you jerking off in the shower!"

"Where else am I meant to do it? in the living room? in the kitchen?"

"How about not jerk off in my dam house!"

"Yeah you try not doing it for two weeks," He says "I was told to use the shower"

"By who?"

"I told benny to jerk it in the shower," Harry says poking his head around the door "You two done? I need to pee"

"No, I'm not" Benny complained,

"why did you tell him that?" I asked

"It's what beth said" he shrugs

"yeah I told them to jerk off in the shower," she says coming in to brush her teeth too completely topless

"Why would you tell them that?" I asked

"I do it in the shower, I assume you also do, why can't they use it? they need to masturbate too y/n" she explained

"so you're both using it?" I asked

"Yep, well when I have too" harry smirked winking to beth

"Can everyone get the hell out while I'm in the fucking shower please!" benny complains "It's like grand bloody central station in here"

"why? all of us have seen you naked benny" beth laughs

"Not all of you"

"I've seen you naked many times, you have obviously seen yourself naked, and I know for a fact harry as seen you naked" beth explained

"You've seen me naked?" Benny asks putting his head around the curtain to see what was going on

"a few times yeah" harry shrugs "You walk around our flat naked unless you have people over. sometimes you forget about people"

"Ohhh I see" benny nods

"It's fine I mean you've seen me naked hundreds of times" Harry shrugs leaning on the doorframe him completely naked too

"ahhh! will everyone get some clothes on already this is starting to look like an orgy"

"I'm down if you are" harry shrugs

"I would also be down" Benny answers

"Ughhh! beth finish brushing your teeth then get a shirt on! harry go back to beths room! benny finish your shower and or your wank whichever you currently actually doing and everyone just go and watch tv!" I complain beth and harry then left going back to beth's room and I sighed already feeling a headache on the way "Benny" I asked tenderly "what did I grab?" I asked

"You and I both know exactly what you grabbed" He answered

"well it was either your arm or-"

"it was not my arm"

"Ohhh..."

"yeah, and we will never speak of it again"

"Agreed" I nodded

"Your hands are nice and soft though I didn't mind you grabbing my-"

"we will never speak of it again" I complained before running off to my bedroom "I'm hosing down the shower before I use it because of you dirty people"

I sat trying to sleep but all I could hear was

'bang' 'bang' 'bang'

"UGHHHH BETH!"

"HARRY!!!" from beth's bedroom

I groaned trying to ignore them, every night this week, dam harry has got some stamina

"Hi y/n" I heard at the end of my bed

"AHHH!" I screamed in shock seeing benny stood at the bottom of my bed in the darkness "Benny!" I complain

"what?"

"Knock!"

"sorry" he sighed going to my door knocking on it and then standing at my bed again "Happy now?"

"What do you want benny? why are you in my room?" I complain

"I can't sleep with that noise going on" he sighed "can you?"

"Nope, they are so loud" I complain

"I know, the living room is under them I hear everything" he sighed "Can I sit with you?"

"Fine" I sighed sitting up and putting the lamp on as benny sat on the other side of my bed "How long can they keep this up? they are at it all night where they have to have a break at some point" I complain

"Hopefully, I wouldn't mind it so much if they just stopped screaming like banshees every five minutes" he sighed "We could play some music for them? to drown them out?"

"I don't think that would help, we don't have any music loud enough to drown out beth and harry having sex" I sighed

"sex can drown out sex..."

"what are yous suggesting?"

"nothing, nothing" He says "Just that sex noise drowns out sex noise. if... we had sex you wouldn't be hearing harry and beth"

"We are not having sex benny"

"Fine, I was just trying to help" he says "You wanna play chess?"

"No thank you benny" I sighed reading my book

"UUUUUUGHHHHHHHH HARRY!" I heard beth scream

"you sure you don't wanna have sex?" He smirked "maybe get a better feel then you did in the shower?" he smirked

"Fine" I sighed

I stood making the usual four cups of coffee the way everyone likes them and I felt arms wrapping around me tightly and a familiar face nuzzled into my neck pressing tickly kisses up my neck "Ummm good morning" Benny smiled to me

"Good morning benny" I smiled giving him a kiss

"Hhu? benny your up early? and tidied up" Harry complained

"No... I didn't sleep down here" Benny answered

"then where did you sleep?" Beth asks as she came down the stairs

"He slept in my room" I giggled giving him a kiss

"Ohh you finally going to mellow out?" Beth laughed

"Maybe" I shrug giving everyone there coffee

"I think we need some way to get another bathroom if all four of us are going to be living here," Harry says sipping his coffee

"and some soundproofing in the walls" Benny added

"What for?" beth asks

"So we don't have to hear you having sex," I told them

"And I highly doubt you wanna hear us having sex either," Benny told her sipping his coffee

"good points" beth shrugs heading upstairs

"I'm off to get dressed" I smiled giving benny a kiss and heading toward the staircase

"Alright, I'll be up in a minute hun" He answered

as I wandered up the stairs I caught something that made me laugh a little

"bet you five bucks I can make Beth scream louder then you can make Y/n scream" harry offered

"Ten bucks and your on harry" benny smirked

[dungeons-bat]

Not Just a Little Party (6th Chap)

Warnings: Cursing;

The complete fic

———————————————

‘Shit’, is the only thing that I can actually think about when I wake up. It takes me a while to realize where I am, and when I do, I feel a pair of hands hugging me by my waistline. And I had my face buried in his chest. Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Oh, good morning, darling.” - I hear him saying. Lord, his port-sleep voice is gorgeous. “Good morning, slept well?” - Because I certainly did. “Incredibly well. If I knew that was the solution to the problem, I would have done it sooner.” - He said. Well Thomas, me too. “How did you know I was awake?” - I mean, he said good morning ten seconds after I woke up. “Your breathing changed.” - He simply said. That means that he was at least paying a bit of attention, so why didn’t he move. I mean, we were sleeping like a teenage couple. And we’re not any of those things. “And what time is it?” - Because it was five thirty when we went to bed. “It is nine thirty, darling.” - Usually, I’m completely okay with the fact that he calls me darling, but now I’m blushing. Maybe it is the position that we are in. “Four hours sleep, that’s not bad.” - I don’t like sleeping that much, but we need it, don’t we? “Do you wanna go out to have breakfast? Or we can bake some pancakes here.” - Thomas’ pancakes are probably the best thing I’ve ever eaten, but I don't know what he feels like doing today. “I don’t have a preference.” - He hates when I do that. “Little one, you have three seconds to tell me what you want.” - But I’m the last person you should ask when you want to make a decision. “I love your pancakes, but it takes time, and we have to clean everything after. I also love to eat out, but we have to look presentable to go out of this house. So, as I said, I have no preference.” - Really, I’m fine with anything. “Out it is, but just because I’m craving Jenny’s waffles”

We're at Jen, which is a restaurant specialized in breakfast, and probably the love of Tom's life. Jenny, the chef and owner of the place, is a 57-year-old lady, who cooks better than anyone I’ve ever met. I was eating a croissant with strawberry jelly, and a cup of coffee with vanilla extract. Tom was eating his waffles, and tea. We were talking to Jenny when out of nowhere she says. “So, what does the cute couple has planned for today?” - Oh, Jenny, my dream, but not reality. “We’re not…” - Both Tom and I said at the same time. “Oh sure, still at the denying feelings phase.” - She simply said, and left. I look at tom and see that his face is as red as the ketchup bottle at the table. I also felt my face burning, so I was sure I was blushing too. I mean, I know that I'm into him, but I won't fool myself thinking that TWH was into me too. So we just kept eating, no words coming from none of our mouths.

“Ready to go?” - Now, we were at my house, I needed to get ready for the party. Tom was waiting for me in the living room, but I had to lock Hades in a bathroom because he was leaving his fur all over Tom’s suit. I decided to go for an all black dress, black heels. My hair was down, and as I let it dry naturally, beautiful wavy locks covered my chest. I put some make up, but I wanted my face to look as natural as possible. Then it was the hardest part, in my opinion, jewellery. I decided that I was wearing my favourite colour, green, so everything I put on, rings, necklaces, earrings, all white gold and emeralds. When I stepped out of the room, Tom looked shocked and said, “Lord, you look gorgeous, loyally breathtaking.” - Well, I have to agree with him, I do look gorgeous now. “You don’t look bad yourself, Tom. I told you once, and I’ll tell you again, the suits suit you.”

Sebastian had some stuff to do in London, he had rented a giant house, where he was going to satay for two more weeks. Since he paid a huge amount of money on this, he had to have fun, so he decided to throw a party.

When we arrived at Sebastian’s house, I could not help but notice how big it was. Compared to the other actors houses, it wasn’t that huge, but lord, I was not used to this lifestyle. “Hello miss, you must be Isabela, am I correct?” - My god in a shining armour and purple pants. That is Sebastian bloody Stan. Asking me my name. Sebastian bloody Stan. “Hi, yeah, Isabela Grey sir. Thank you very much for welcoming me to the party, your house is lovely, mister.” - I say. I mean, I know his name is Sebastian, not mister Stan, but I’ve just met him, what am I supposed to cal him? “Well, I thank you for coming, it is a pleasure to finally meet my new colleague. And please, no need for “sir” or “mister”, Sebastian is just fine.” - Well, that answers my question. After greeting me, Sebastian starts to talk to Thomas, they chat a bit, then we go to the living room, where the party is actually happening. The other actors are there. Scarlet freaking Johanson is there, what surprises me a bit, I mean, that woman is my idol. I can also see Anthony Mackie, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Holland, wait, I thought Seb hated Tom. I can also see Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd and Jeremy Renner. Also, I see RDJ, who’s not a Marvel Actor any more, but apparently he’s still pretty close to the others. They all greet me, say that it is ‘so nice to see you’ or that ‘your dress is marvellous’. But I was almost dizzy, all this people that I’ve been seeing in the cinema since I was eight, are now here, in front of me, talking to me. Lord. Thomas noticed that I was going crazy, excused both of us and took me to the yard. “Honey, are you okay?” - He asked me. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry to worry you. I’m just surprised. I mean, wow, I’m an actress, you know. That was my dream since ever. And more, I’m a Marvel freaking actress. I grew up watching Marvel, Tom. And look at where I’m now. I literally have a plastic figure of every single one of those people that said ‘hi’ to me. That’s crazy. If you told the twenty-year-old Isa that this was happening, she would tell you to stop lying and giving her expectations. This is ten hundred times bigger than anything I had ever thought I could accomplish.” - I think I talk too much. “Well, darling, that's amazing. I just did not know that you had figures of them. Do you have a Loki one? But anyway, I’m happy that I could be a small part on all of that.” - Is he crazy? A SMALL part? He got me my life. “TWH, you’re not a small part, if it was not you, none of that would have happened. Really, thank you.” - I say, and he leads the way back inside. “And by the way, I do have some figures o Loki. He is my favourite character, and I thought you had noticed it by now.” - He has been to my house, I have tons of Loki merch.

After some hours of party, the guests started to leave, but I discovered that it was like a rule that we, the ones I named in the previous chapter, should stay. Since they work with him, and I'm going to do the same later, we stay a bit longer for chatting and playing something. Like a friends' reunion. Both Chris Evens and Hemsworth were getting more beer, I believe today was the day that I had more alcohol in my whole life, but unlike most of them, I'm not drunk. They were controlled until the other guests left, but after that, they drank three litres of beer in an hour and a half. They were not crazy drunk, but you could see that sober was something that they were not. Thomas, Hemsworth, Scarlet, and Benedict were as sober as I, but the rest of them were stoned as a rock.

We were telling embarrassing stories that happened to us, when Lizzie says, “But no funny stuff about you two?” - While pointing a finger at Tom and I. “Oh, come on. A cute couple, like the two of you, had never walked through something you could not solve and ended up embarrassing yourselves?” - Shit Lizzie. “We are not…” - I said, while Thomas just said, “Not dating.” - Well now I have an embarrassing story to tell, when Elizabeth Olsen asked me if I was dating Tom Hiddleston. “Oh come on, I can smell the sexual tension from miles. You’re lying. Either to us or to yourselves.” - RDJ is visibly drunk, so I’ll just ignore that. “Let's change the subject, shall we?” - My saviour, Ben, says. I look at Thomas’ direction and can see that he’s trying, but failing, to hide a blush.

[chilling-seavey]

Passchendaele WW2 Extension - Say Your Prayers

Richie and Charlie,

I have heard what you boys know. I am being moved too when that day comes so it seems, in a way, we will all be fighting together. I want to say I hope to see you, but I suppose, as a nurse, I should say I wish not to see you at all. Fly safe, boys. You make us all so very proud. I’ll see you on the other side!

Your adoring sister and friend,

Frances

June 5, 1944

“Normandy?”

“France.”

“I know where Normandy is, Charlie.” Richard smacked his best friend’s arm lightly behind their whispered banter. They had been called into the main tent suddenly, only to find out that the day they had been training nearly a year for was finally upon them. They hadn’t been told where or when they were going or any details at all really, their only hint that their planned operation was coming was when their planes received black and white stripes over the wings. Invasion Stripes; a tactic used to reduce the chance that they would be attacked by friendly fire during large scale attacks. They didn’t know that, however, until it was the night before and that’s when their officers decided to tell them everything.

D-Day was what they called it. Operation Overlord for code. It was the Allies’ big push to try and regain foothold in Nazi controlled Europe.

“We will take off at dawn no earlier and no later than 0600, expecting to hit the beach by 0700. The Navy and the Armed Forces are landing on the beaches here, and here.” Their highest-ranking officer gestured to the map of Normandy set up at the front of the large tent. “We will be flying above Gold Beach over the 50th Infantry Division. The Canadians taking the north with the 3rd and the Americans taking two beaches to the south. We expect heavy fortification and we wish to minimalize as many casualties as we can so use your training and use it well.”

“We’ll see you at 0530 tomorrow, gentlemen. The fate of Europe – and the world – is in our hands.”

When they were dismissed and gave their officers a salute, the men shuffled back towards the bunk houses and Richie and Charlie walked behind the group slowly, trying to take in everything they had been told. They had never directly flown into enemy territory before and so much was riding on this one day.

“It’s all kind of settling in how important this is.” Charlie mumbled, scuffing his boot over the gravel they walked along. “But we already beat them once in Battle of Britain, so what’s one more dogfight?”

When he was met with no response, Charlie glanced over at his best friend. Richie had his hands in the pockets of his uniform and his head down.

“Hey.” Charlie nudged him lightly. “What’s on your mind?”

“I dunno.” Richard took a shaky inhale as he stopped walking and looked around the near empty air base they were back at after months of harsh training. “I just…I feel weird about tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I understand. I feel weird about tomorrow too. It’s a massive offensive and it’s going to be absolutely brutal.”

His honesty didn’t do much to aide his slightly younger friend’s anxieties.

“Listen, Richie,” Charlie stepped in front of him and set his hands on his shoulders, “We’re in this together, right? You and me. It’s been four years of this shit and it’s just one more day.”

Richard took a breath to try and calm himself down and he nodded, repeating softly to reassure himself, “Just one more day.”

“Yes.” Charlie smiled at him. “Okay?”

Richard nodded, although he still wasn’t completely at ease. Charlie could sense it but he didn’t pry, even when they joined a few of the other men for drinks and they each had a beer and discussed home life and all sorts of eccentric ideas of what they could be flying into the very next morning. Richard simply sat quietly beside Charlie and tried to hold in his supper.

Charlie didn’t realize he was just as riddled with anxiety until they returned to their bunks that night. He laid down and stared at the ceiling and couldn’t even get himself to close his eyes yet alone sleep; his heart was racing in his chest and he wondered if Richard could hear it from the bunk underneath him. Charlie rolled over and plucked the few photographs from his little shelf and shuffled through them; him and Evelyn as children, one of Mary, him the one of him and his father, a smiling one of him and Richard as boys with Corbyn bent down with them and their grinning faces squished together, one of his late Uncle Christian, and finally, a family portrait of Charlie and his sister and parents. He lingered on their soft smiles a little longer and his bottom lip habitually found its way between his teeth and he bit on it anxiously.

The bunkhouse was silent but a soft voice from below startled his attention,

“Charlie?”

Charles kept his eyes on the family photograph, “Yeah, Rich?”

There was a moment of pause as if Richard was nervous to ask his question, but he replied with an ever so quiet, “Can we pray together?”

Charlie shifted to set his pictures back on his shelf before shuffling to the side of his bunk and hopped gracefully to the cold ground. Richard wiped his eyes quickly as if to avoid being caught crying by his best friend that had been through life with him, and he kept his head down. Charlie shuffled onto his single bed with him and they sat shoulder to shoulder for a moment in silence. They were well grown men by then, barely able to fit easily into a single bed together like they once used to, but they found each other’s presence more than comforting and they folded their hands on their laps, bowed their heads, and shut their eyes.

Charlie led their little quiet prayer in a soft whisper as the rest of their squadron slept on.

“Dear Heavenly Father…please watch out for us and our troops tomorrow morning as we brave this front. Keep us strong and safe and in your care and help guide us to victory for a better world. In Jesus name:”

July 2, 1924

“Amen.”

“Good boys. Now right to sleep.” Elizabeth whispered softly, getting up from the side of the single bed and made sure the two six-year-olds were tucked warmly in together.

“Mummy, why do we have to say ‘amen’?” Charlie asked.

“It seals your prayer. Like sealing an envelope with a kiss.” Elizabeth explained sweetly to her son.

“Is it a kiss for God?” Richie asked from Charlie’s other side.

“Yes. I suppose it is.” Elizabeth chuckled. “A little amen to seal your prayer with a kiss and a please and a thank you.”

Charlie clasped his little hands together again and scrunched his eyes shut, “Please and thank you give us good dreams tonight. Amen!”

“Lovely.” his mother praised.

Richie copied his best friend and smacked his hands together too, “Dear God, please don’t let any monsters take us in our sleep, please and thank you, amen!”

“Oh goodness, you boys are silly.” Elizabeth laughed, leaning down to kiss each of their heads as they giggled at themselves, “Now it’s time to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning for a special breakfast.”

“Amen!” the boys replied in union before breaking into fits of giggles again.

In the dark of the bunk house and in the dark of the unknown, the grown young men sat shoulder to shoulder in the unfamiliar single bed, inhaled softly together, and breathed out a mirrored, “Amen.”

Taglist: @randomlimelightxxx​ @hopinglimelight @jonahlovescoffee​ @hiya-its-amber​ @chanelwonders​

[pastlivesandsecretdreams]

paradise - chapter four

chapter four - a documentary

mike dodds  x oc (cecilia “cecily” elizabeth sinatra kennedy)

warnings :: mention of death, loss, airplane crash, hemorrhage mention

song(s) of the chapter : cardigan by taylor swift 

word count : 1,740+

“all i’ve ever known is loss…” cecily told the camera that sat in front of her. she had been asked to make a documentary about her life thus far, and they got some old videos and photos of her from her aunt and her godmother. “fifteen minutes after i was born, my mother died of-” she hadn’t noticed that she had started to cry, until she felt the droplets fall onto her shirt. “-a hemorrhage. so for the first few years of my life, it was just me and my father.” a producer handed her a tissue box. “thank you.” she told him, wiping the tissues away. “i loved my father. he was the first great love of my life, i always say. because like i said, it was just us for the first few years of my life. then, he started bringing this pretty lady around the apartment. i loved carolyn! i never had any female presence besides my aunt caroline. so i was always in love with carolyn. she gave me love and attention and cookies. god, she made amazing cookies!” cecily started to laugh at what she had said. “and i got to be the flower girl in their wedding. i was just happy the two people i loved most were getting married! and that i got to wear a pretty dress. and then…” her face fell as she thought of their end. “i got sick from my school friend, josey. it was a bad stomach bug. like i was throwing up, and when i wasn’t, i was so incredibly nauseous. my father almost didn’t go to the wedding. i remember he was adamant on staying home to take care of me. but my step-aunt, auntie lauren, talked to my father and step-mother, who were fighting. their perfect marriage wasn’t as perfect as i thought. in my mind, they were the king and queen of the castle. but...they weren’t. and yet, there was so much love between them. my aunt caroline ended up taking me to her place until my parents would come back. normally, i would’ve slept with my cousins, but because i was sick, i was put in the guest room.

 i sat in bed after a long ass nap. i had written my father a letter, and i had planned to give it to his assistant, so when he next went to work, it would be a nice surprise on his desk. but...as i placed the letter inside the envelope, my aunt caroline walked into the room and just...wrapped her arms tightly around me. that's when i was told the people i loved most...were dead. and again, i became acquainted with loss. i remember nothing of the night after that. i guess my mind blocked it out. but i do remember waking up the next morning and everyone was treating me like i was a porcelain doll that was gonna break, if they so much as breathed heavily towards me. i stayed with them until the day after the funeral. at the age of seven, i was alone. i was an orphan. until my mother’s best friend and my godmother, alix, came to america. she packed everything i owned and shipped it to her home...in france. so, she uprooted me and brought me to reims, where i would grow up. i love my aunt alix, i do, but i wouldn’t have taken me across the pond. because, in a time where i was so fragile, she took me away from my family and friends. i understand she wanted me to get away from all that...but i needed to hold onto whatever sense of family and normalcy i had left.” she started to cry harder and harder, until her best friend, and possible cousin, ronan farrow walked over and hugged her. “you’re okay...you’re okay… deep breathes.” he whispered to her. “let’s take five.” he said to the producer, who nodded and left with the camera guy. “sweetie, it’s only been a few weeks since you gave birth. you need to relax.” she wiped her eyes and blew her nose into the tissue. “i’ve been on the go since i was seven. i need to do this. it will help me process a lot.” he nodded, starting to understand what she was getting on about. the girl had so much that she had never worked through, but now it wasn’t just her. she was a mother of four now, and still never came to terms with a lot of her demons. “can we start again?” ronan kissed her forehead and left the room to grab the producer and camera guy. “are you okay enough to continue?” she nodded as they started rolling again. “what was the last thing i said…?” she asked the producer. “your godmother taking you away from normalcy.” cecily nodded and took a drink of her water. the babies started to cry down, but mike quickly tended to them, so not to interrupt. he had been so good with taking care of her, and agreed that it would be good to get it all out there. “so, i never really made friends after that… because i was terrified of losing them because of all the loss in my life. i’ve hated feeling so alone. and i was alone...until i came back home to new york. then, six weeks after...i met this boy.” mike walked into the room with the twins, causing her to beam at him. “sorry to interrupt… teddy wants you.” she held out her arms, giggling softly as the baby was placed in her arms. “i just got to the best part in the story.” she told her beloved husband. “which is?” the baby latched onto her hand, nuzzling against her chest. “the part about me meeting this cute boy.” he leaned over and kissed her forehead. “he sounds...amazing.” she let out a melodious laugh, which seemingly echoed through the room. “trust me, he is. he’s the love of my life.” she smiled down the camera lens. “obviously...that boy became my husband the following year. we got engaged about eight months in and we just...couldn’t wait too long. about two months after that, we got married. luckily due to our family connections we got a wedding thrown together rather quickly. i had felt it coming on-” he looked at her shocked. “you did?!” cecily nodded and laughed again. “i did! one day you came into my apartment- which is the same apartment that belonged to my father- and what we live in now. and you just...seemed so sure about us. and i knew...i knew i was right for letting you into my life.” he moved and rested his forehead against hers. “i love you…” they said softly to each other. “you’ve been the light of my life.” cecily told him. “you and the children.” the both babies in their arms were fast sleep, loving being held by their parents. “then, on our wedding day, my cousin jack led me down the aisle. and we got married. and that night, at the reception, i told him what i had found out a week before.” her husband smiled at her, then the camera. “she was pregnant with eliza.” she giggled and nodded. “hell yeah, i was.” he looked enamoured by her laughter, by her, by the children they had made together. “it explained a lot. and after that, i knew i had to open up. so, he came with me to see a therapist. after all, he had some problems as well.” mike nodded and sighed softly. “before we met...i had been in the army. and i had seen so much. and i knew that we both had to work through some stuff.” cecily leaned over and wiped his tears away and kissed where they had been. “and we did it how we’ve done everything.” at the same time, they said, “together, or not at all.” they had added that into their vows last minute, and since then, it was a promise they kept. “and now that we have six dozen children-” this caused her to let out another beautiful laugh. “we- gladly- don’t have that many. we have four.” he smiled at her again, loving the sound that came out of her mouth. he could live on her laugh alone, if possible. “-yet. but!” this caused her to playfully hit his arm. “play nice, monkey!” the twins had woken up due to their mother’s laughter and looked up at them. almost if he understood, cassie started to make monkey-like noises. “oh my god!” the entire room fell into laughter at the two newest additions. “please tell me you got that on camera!” she was given a thumbs up from the camera guy. “can you please send me that bit?” once again, she was given a thumbs up. “thank you, timmy! but oh my god, we have a whole zoo in this apartment.” teddy started to babble to his mother. “yes, you too. yes, you too!” the two older kids waddled into the room, jack following behind them. “it seems the rest of our zoo is home!” the two children brought stools and sat next to their parents. “we missed you. kisses!” both children leaned in and kissed her cheeks, then their fathers. “wanna introduce the kiddies?” the producer asked them. “this is elizabeth jaymes. she’s five. we call her “eliza”. this is john fitzgerald, he’s four and we call him “john john” like how the media called my dad. and these two are the newest. we thought we were having one more...then it seems we got a two for one deal. the one i’m holding is edward arthur. we call him “teddy”. and last but not least, this is cassiopeia star. we call her “cassie”. and the twins are about a month old now.” the two older kids waved to the camera. “what does you daddy do for a living?” the producer asked the older two. “he keeps the bad guys off the streets!” eliza answered before her brother could say anything. “and mama?” he asked john john. “she makes houses!” cecily giggled towards her son. “i’m an interior designer.” she told him. “thats what i said!” another round of laughs came from the room. for a moment, their lives were peaceful. but cecily knew it wouldn’t last.

___________________________

hey everyone! i hope you’re having a good holiday season and that you’re all staying safe! here is chapter four, which i actually wrote on christmas eve, but didn’t have time to post it until now! i love you all! 

xoxo,

gracie

tag list : @evans-dejong​

[let-me-write-shit]

Like We Used To: 10

A/N: Remember, this story will only continue based on demand. So don’t forget to like and message me what do you think. Any guesses on what’s going to happen? Theories? Etc?

[Click here for previous chapters]

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CHAPTER TEN

The bass from the music was so loud that you could feel it in your chest three blocks away from the club. No one was crazy about the idea of being the D.D. for the last outing of the weekend, so they wound up getting an uber. When they got there they were immediately ushered through the club to the reserved VIP area, thanks to Harry, and were given bottle service. Kyle and his friends were allowed entrance and the two groups mingled, but Elizabeth tried her best to avoid her ex by dancing with Kate and Daisy.

After doing his rounds of greetings and thanking the staff, Harry joined Elizabeth in dancing. They were facing each other and the music was so loud that he had to put his mouth to her ear so she could hear him. Every time she felt the heat of his breath on her ear it sent chills up her spine. It didn’t help that he looked especially attractive today in his shining silver low-button shirt that exposed his tattoos.

A part of her didn’t want this weekend to end. She wanted to stay in that bed with Harry and do a repeat of last night until she couldn’t physically stand anymore.  She secretly loved that Harry seemed to be trying so hard to win her over. But what Matt said kept intruding in her mind. He’s famous and who knows how long he’ll really stick around for before he gets bored again. Tomorrow morning everyone goes back to reality, and that included Harry going back to his lavish lifestyle and international model friends. At the end of the day, Elizabeth is just a regular old friend of his, and she worried that if she let it get too far, she would end up heartbroken again.Shameless flirting was fine, but she needed to make sure that she didn’t cross that line again.

Harry made it hard for Elizabeth to control herself when he looked at her the way he did. They danced to the music so closely to each other that they were just barely straddling each other’s legs. Harry flicked the end of her shirt that was tied together, biting his lips.

“You know, I could just pull the end of this tie here. Or we could take it somewhere more private,” the left side of his lip twitched up into a smirk.

“What? You didn’t get enough of me last night?” Elizabeth toyed.

“I don’t think it’s possible to get enough of you. Besides, I can pick up where I left off. Looks like I might have done some damage here,” he grazed the edge of her top on her left breast with his knuckle at a slight purple mark that Harry had left when he had kissed her chest a little too hard.Elizabeth’s stomach filled with butterflies at his touch and he smirked, knowing what he did. 

She made her rounds dancing with each of her friends so as to avoid putting too much suspicion on herself and Harry in case there were any of his fans at the club sneaking pictures, but they still managed to catch eyes throughout the night passing flirting looks. She was feeling like she was doing a pretty good job at avoiding her ex when she was a few drinks in, dancing with Matt, and felt a hand on her waist expecting it to be Harry, but was met within inches of Kyle’s face.

“You look amazing tonight!” He shouted in her ear.

“Thanks,” Elizabeth responded, looking up at Matt, his blatant hatred for Kyle spread across his face.

“Can we talk?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t think it’s the best time to talk,” Elizabeth retorted.

“Come on, please? It’ll only be a few minutes. Just over there,” Kyle begged, pointing at a hallway just off the VIP section.

Elizabeth reluctantly agreed and let Matt know she’d be back before following her ex boyfriend. She passed Harry who was talking to Edward and Lewis. When he noticed her walking behind Kyle he shot her an unnerved look, watching her walk further away.

The hallway wasn’t as loud, so you weren’t forced to scream to hear each other. Still, it was close enough that Elizabeth could see Matt and Harry looking over at them, concerned.

Kyle caressed the length of her arm and ended at her hand, holding it in his like he used to, “I’ve missed you,” he grinned at her, “you haven’t returned any of my calls.”

Elizabeth snaked her hand out of his grasp, folding her arms into her chest, “Yeah, like I said, I’ve just been busy.”

He sighed, “Are you still mad at me? I made a mistake, hun. I said I was sorry.”

She let a huff of air out of her nose, “Kyle, why are we doing this?” 

“We’re just talking. Come on, honey. This is stupid! You’re gonna let three years together go because I slept with someone ONE time?” He slurred.

“I don’t want to do this with you right now,” Elizabeth said, quickly glancing over at Harry and Matt who were together now, whispering to each other while taking turns keeping an eye on her. 

“Oh, I see. You got a thing for your ‘old friend’ Harry styles? Is that what it is?” He pressed.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, “You’re drunk.”

“No, I’m just trying to figure out how the supposed love of my life can be so hypocritical about me making one small mistake, but can move on so quickly with someone else! Is it because of his money?” He stepped closer to her.

“What? No. It has nothing to do with him.”

“Oh, come on, honey! Don’t you remember all the good times we had together? And the long nights?” He came even closer to her, making her back up into the wall, “Let’s just forget everything that happened. Come home. I know how to make it up to you,” He breathed, the smell of liquor strong on his breath, and forced his lips onto hers.

Elizabeth quickly pushed him off of her and screamed, “Ew! Get off!”

Before he had the chance to say anything, Matt came hurling in, punching Kyle in the face and making him fall straight to the ground. Harry ran up a second later, red in the face and looking between Elizabeth and Kyle. She had never seen either of the boys look so angry.

“Are you alright?” Harry asked her, pulling her into a protective embrace as Matt continued shouting profanity at Kyle who was getting up.

Elizabeth nodded, stunned by what had just happened. By this point a few more of their friends had realized there was a scuffle and started making their way over. 

Kyle had stood up, wiping the blood from his nose before glaring at Harry, and seething, “Have fun with my sloppy seconds. How does my dick taste?”

Harry’s jaw clenched and he lunged forward, but Elizabeth and Lewis pulled him back. Elizabeth stepped in between the two of them and put her hands on Harry’s cheeks, trying to calm him down. She looked into his eyes, forcing him to look at her, and softly spoke, “Harry, you can’t do anything stupid. Your fans are just through that hallway. It’s not worth it. It’s done.” She turned towards Lewis and Matt, “You guys, we should go.”

They all agreed. Elizabeth dragged Harry out the back and requested an uber, waiting for their friends to come out. He paced the alley teeth still clenched tight. Elizabeth stared at him, unsure of how to handle the situation. She knew that he had some kind of feelings for her, but she had absolutely no idea if this reaction was because of that, or because of all the alcohol in his system. Either way, she didn’t want to see him so upset. She took hold of both his hands and led him to the wall of the building, leaning on it.

“I’m fine, Harry,” she reassured him. “Really. Let’s just let it go. We’ll go back to the house and enjoy our last night here.”

His eyes started to soften and eventually he had calmed down enough to speak, “Yeah. Sorry, I just...he kissed you and…”

“I know,” Elizabeth nodded and joked, “let’s just hope no one else noticed you trying to channel your inner Mike Tyson. Let’s just stick to singing from now on, yeah?”

Harry laughed and gave her a tight hug before their friends came out and they separated. In the uber ride everyone started to relax and by the time they were back at the house everyone seemed to have moved on from the incident, joking around with each other some more and having some more drinks.

Elizabeth had gone to the kitchen to clean up a bit when Harry walked in. He picked up cloth and began drying the dishes and putting them away.

“Are you ready to go back home tomorrow?” Harry asked, looking down at her.

Elizabeth shrugged, “I’m excited to be back in my own bed. But, idk. I’ll kinda miss this.”

“Me too,” he sighed. “So what happens when you get back home?”

“Just unpack, really. I have one more day off before I have to get back to work on Wednesday. At least I can work from home, though. What about you?”

“I’ve got a few more days off, so I’ll probably write some more songs before I start traveling again for a few interviews and shows.” Harry paused before putting his towel down and turning towards her. “Come with me.”

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[larryfanficwriter98]

Chapter Twenty

Harry woke up slowly, his body was curled around Louis' back and he stared at Louis as he slept on. He leaned over and place a gentle on his cheek before he rolled over and grabbed his phone from his pants and called his management as he watched his boyfriend.

"Hey Harry, did you need something?"

"Release the album."

"What now? You've only made one conspicuous tweet about it two days ago. Why-"

"Just release it. It's finalized isn't it?"

"Yeah, it's completely finalized. Are you sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright. We'll release it within the next few hours." Harry ended the call and made to cuddle Louis again, but his stomach alerted him he and Louis had yet to have breakfast, so he kissed his boyfriend then climbed out of bed and pulled out some joggers before he left his room. Harry made a quick breakfast then headed upstairs and set it on Louis' bedside seeing he had moved to lay on his stomach spread out on the bed. Harry knew that Louis would hog the entire bed if ever given the option which was why Harry always went to bed together, so Harry had a spot on the bed to sleep in.

"There better be enough for me on that tray." Louis mumbled eyes still closed

"Obviously. Have I ever made myself food without making for you?" Harry said climbing on the bed on his knees, "want me to feed you?"

"Is there tea?"

"Of course." Louis put his hand up making Harry raise an eyebrow, "don't you want to sit up first?"

"Harold. Tea. Now." Harry looked at his plain navy-blue bed sheets before handing the mug over watching as Louis carefully got on his elbows and took a sip, "you make the best tea."

"That's because I'm not impatient." Harry said as he laid Louis' plate down on the mattress upfront of him, "so since we've established, I'm better at pool than you-"

"Unfair advantages." Louis dismissed quickly, "we'll have a rematch in a public setting next time."

"Probably smart. So, if we eat our lunch breakfast and bathe, we will have time to kill before dinner. Wanna go out?"

"Or we can stay in bed all day."

"Or we can go out. Come on it'll only be for a few hours. I bought us matching outfits."

"That we can wear together when I can walk and since I can't walk might as well lay in bed and make sure I'm sure I can't walk tomorrow as well."

"Fine." Harry said pouting lightly as he kissed Louis' cheek, Louis leaned over and pressed his lips against Harry's before they finished their breakfast and Harry took their plates down to the kitchen.

*****

The next morning Harry woke up slowly in an empty bed, but he could see Louis outside on the balcony with his feet propped up on the railing as he smoked a cigarette.

"Baby." Harry called out watching as Louis turned and grinned at him, "morning." Louis stubbed his cigarette out and came into the bedroom dressed in a pair of tight joggers.

"Good morning handsome." Louis said as he crawled over him and straddled his waist, "so what do you want to do on this fine Sunday?"

"I need to eat and workout then I'm free for the rest of the day."

"Well after you're done, I want to talk to you about something."

"About what?" Harry asked

"After. It doesn't need an answer right away."

"Then tell me now so I can think about it while I work out."

"Okay just know that it doesn't have to be a Yes right away it can be a maybe or a let me think about it or even-"

"The fact that you think I'm capable of saying no to you is adorable." Harry said making Louis blush and roll his eyes as he reached for his laptop, "Oooh I've been wondering what you've been working on. Am I finally seeing it?"

"A little bit of it at least." Louis said, "As you know in about six months Elizabeth is retiring and will be selling the daycare building since none of her kids or grandkids wants it. Well, the building itself is pretty old and needs redone in many places and the plot beside it is going up for sale around the same time. So...what do you think of this." Louis turned the laptop around and Harry eyes widen before he sat up because this clearly needed his full attention.

"This is the daycare." Harry said

"Yes but press play." Louis said moving to sit beside him. Harry pressed play on the 3d sketch video of the current daycare being torn down and as another lot was added to make the yard bigger. The first thing done was a tall white palisade fence around the double yard then a gate that led to a modest car park that had more than enough spots. Then a beautiful white brick one story building was built with a soft blue double door with white panels beside it and picture windows with white paneling to match. Harry was grinning as he watched the camera move inside where the reception was, Harry watched the whole thirty-minute video going room to room and grinning when they entered the nursery area. Then he grinned wider when he saw the exterior was not being worked on some more adding a play area in the yard that once help the current daycare.

"Louis this is amazing. It's – I – I don't know what to say. It's beautiful and it looks amazing and what? Did you just want my opinion?"

"Well yeah, a little, but no not completely. I wanted to ask what your thought was about me quitting my job and going to the bank for a loan and talking to people about this."

"Yes, to quitting your job, yes to talking to people, and absolutely not for the bank. Lou a loan this size will take decades to pay off not to mention interest rates and you may need more later on if there's complications. Baby I have money and if we need a loan later on then yes, but for now, for down payments and lawyers and anything else we may need that I can pay upfront for let me do it. I promise you I won't go over a limit you set me and if we reach that limit, we'll go to a bank together, but Louis I have money. I have savings and I have an excellent credit score and I have millions in my accounts. I have money I haven't even touched yet. This project won't cost as much as you think it will."

"Harry I'm not going to ask you to spend who knows how much on this."

"You're not asking I'm offering."

"No."

Yes."

"No Harry I'm going to the bank and-"

"And be in debt for the rest of your life? Louis I have the means to help so let me help."

"But-"

"End goal is to get married isn't it? What's mine is yours and what's yours is mine. Therefore, my money is practically yours anyway and this Daycare will be half mine so the way I see it I am investing in your future kid's daycare. See? I'm not giving my boyfriend money for his daycare I'm giving my future kids a wonderful daycare that happens to be owned by their parents."

"Your logic is stupid." Louis said though he was grinning as he thought about future kids, their future kids. Which was a scary and fast concept considering it hasn't even been a year together yet.

"My logic is brilliant. You're brilliant. This is layout is brilliant. You are a genius. A beautiful, lovely genius." Harry said as he cupped Louis' face and kissed him, "Beautiful. Lovely. Brilliant. Gorgeous. Genius." Harry emphasized each word with a kiss as he rolled over, so he was straddling Louis' waist still naked from yesterday.

"Pretty sure our positions need to be switched darling." Louis said with a grin as he kissed Harry

"I need to eat so maybe later. For now, you start calling architects and contractors and the city for meetings and steps. Oh, and call your boss and the landowner and-"

"Haz I do know what to do. It's not like I haven't been researching and designing this 3D model in one day it's been months of thinking about it." Louis said watching as Harry pulled on a pair of Louis' joggers that hugged everything on Harry considering they were a size or two too small.

"Right. Have fun. I'm going for my run first then I'll be in the home gym. Come get me if you need me. Most people do not require a payment just for a meeting however if they do my wallet is in my bedside drawer. Have fun." Harry was out of the room before Louis could tell him to put on some briefs at least, Louis grinned laying back in the bed thinking about how much Harry has changed since March. Since their first sexual experience together. Harry was free balling more often than not these days, not that Louis complained mind you. Harry often had to snap his fingers in Louis' face if Harry Jr was more visible than usual which usually ended up in Louis blowing Harry in random spots of the house. Louis was determined to have Harry fuck him on the cuddle chair in the living room right upfront of the picture window one of these days.

Louis rolled out of bed and grabbed his charger, phone, and wallet then headed downstairs to sit at the kitchen counter. He made sure to count the apples and bananas finding out Harry took a banana before his run. Harry didn't eat a big breakfast before his workout despite everyone telling him he should, he instead ate some fruit on the run then worked out then made a large breakfast good enough for Louis to save his appetite for. Despite how hungry he was this morning. It was an hour later when Harry came in sweat dripping down his body and his cut off shirt soaked. Louis was on the phone with the owner of the land beside the daycare listening to them talk about the plans they had for it, but life got in the way and Louis was politely nodding along and letting them know he was listening every few seconds. Honestly, he just wanted the price.

"Honestly, I'd be willing to give it away but not sure how the city would feel about it. Tell you what you said you were building a daycare to replace the other one? I'll do twenty-five hundred. Good?"

"Are you sure? It's a good bit of land and-"

"Trust me I don't want it anymore. You want it's yours for 2.5k."

"Great. Cash?"

"You got that much in cash? Really? Sure, thing let's meet next weekend at the coffee shop around the corner of the daycare."

"Sounds good. Thank you." Louis ended the call and turned to Harry who was leaning against the wall waiting patiently

"Oh, good I can kiss you now." Harry said before he was pressing his lips against Louis', "What was that about?"

"The owner of the land decided to tell me his life story and plans before life got in the way. We're meeting next weekend."

"Sounds good. How much for the land?"

"Twenty-five hundred. I think he's just desperate to get it out of his hands. I have that in my savings, so I don't need you-"

"Your savings is for you to decorate the daycare interior. I'm sure Elizabeth will be more than glad to give you the things she has, but I know you'll want new things as well and I was sort of hoping I could convince you to have a bigger kitchen in the daycare and...hear me out before you reject it right away. This is still your idea and if you don't like it then that's fine."

"What is it?" Louis asked looking at him

"Well, there's a lot of young single moms...a lot of young parents who may not be able to afford much. Make the building two stories and have small flats up there for struggling parents. While I was on my run, I remember some of things you told me about growing up with so many siblings and only one income. Obviously, we can't make the apartments too big, but two or three small bedroom flats is manageable. It'd be strict tenancy only allowing certain people since it's above a daycare, but I think it'd be a good idea. What do you think?" Louis grinned nodding

"Yeah, I'll have to redo my model, but yeah I like the idea. Maybe in the back of the building have a separate car park for tenants. Have their own entrance area too obviously."

"The daycare would be closed off from them except the main entrance, but maybe offer free childcare or something. Only pay rent? I don't know it'd be something to discuss, but I think it would really help some people out."

"I love you." Louis said cupping his face and pulling him into a kiss, "You're so sweet."

"I love you too. Now let me go so I can lift weights that weigh more than you so I can throw you over my shoulder and have my wicked way without later." Louis laughed as he watched Harry head to the home gym before he turned and went back to making calls while he played with a copy of his model.

********

Later that day while Louis finally realized why there had been so many Larry Stylinson related things today. He had stumbled upon a post of videos of him and Harry over the last few months to songs from his 0219 album. Louis grinned and watched every video for every song, the Drag Me Down had photos of Harry and his family, friends, Louis, and others and the History fan made video had pictures of fans and concerts and the XFactor days. The last slide was a collection of snippets turned into a video of fans telling Harry they love him and how thankful they were. It made Louis proud as he looked over at Harry who was making dinner. After only a few seconds Louis made a post. The first picture was of them at the Battle of the Bands, it was grainy and dark, but it was clear they had definitely made out right before the picture and they were red faced as well. The next photo was a picture they took recently of their old script concert tickets laying on the kitchen counter. The third photo was of Louis on his trip with his family with Harry in the background that they discovered they had during their trip at his mother’s. The fourth was of them at the XFactor auditions. The fifth photo was of Louis' first gift box, the sixth being a screenshot of their first facetime together, the seventh was their selfie together at SeaWorld Orlando on Valentine's Day. The eighth was of Louis and Harry kissing in Orlando Airport and the last photo was one taken today inside the home gym. Louis had his arm around Harry's waist and Harry had his hand on Louis' hip. Harry was visibly sweaty his soaked shirt was in the background in the mirror picture, but Louis loved a sweaty Harry. After writing small dates on the photos, he went to the caption and started typing,

When we first met, I wasn't out of the closet, I took your number, but never actually saved it. It was one of my many regrets back then. Then we saw each other again at The Script concert and I tried to explain, but we were both in a hurry to get back, so I never did. Then we were at the same trip during the summer and I still wasn't out to my family so I ignored you as best as I could but somehow you still ended up, I'm the background of one of the photos. We saw each other again at the XFactor auditions, I was out, and I ran into you and I always knew you'd be famous. I got your first autograph, and you got my favorite cardigan. I had to leave before my audition, but I always knew you'd make it. I wasn't there for the beginning of your journey, but I am here for your new adventure down a different path and I could never be more proud to call you mine. I can't wait to be there with you when the world hears what you've been working so hard on and I can't wait for them to see you the way I get to. I hope one day you are able to walk out of this house in any outfit you want without worry. I hope you're the man that breakfast gender roles and stereotypes and puts on your best either it be in a suit and tie or a dress. I love you and I am proud of you and your journey thus far. I know I'll continue being proud of you in years to come.

[deathfrisbeeinthetardis]

“Move out of my way before I make you.”  Yes please- maybe Shane threatens this to Ryan because Ry won’t let him go in a cursed cupboard or something (maybe Ryan holds him back like during the Annabelle ep) and Ry adamantly blocks him anyway and Shane inevitably ‘makes him’ move

Thank you so much for the suggestion!! This little thing was so much fun to write, I hope the dynamics are alright. Also bless the people who sent me asks for prompts, anons or otherwise, I see ya’ll, but I am sorry when I say I make no promises on delivery time. Love you all the same

Here we go!

Wood creaks. Ryan hates everything about this room. 

From the distinct lack of dust on the furniture to the delicately billowy white dress that hung between the beams of the ancient four-poster bed, the covers rumpled and pushed back as if someone had just slept in them.  

He especially hates that look in Shane’s eyes as his friend assesses the scene in front of them, a sly curve to his mouth. 

“That’s where the daughter hung herself,” Ryan half-whispers into the silence. They’re on their own for the moment, go-pros strapped to their chests and cameras in hand. He shivers as his brain very helpfully presented him with the crime scene photo in full color, sometimes it really isn’t good for one’s health to have a good visual memory. “People say they have trouble breathing here, pricks on their wrists, that sort of thing, cause she slit hers before, well." 

Shane’s eyes are bright with interest, leaning over the guard rope into the enclosure, making full use of his stature to get his nose within three feet of the dress itself. He sniffs at it and Ryan stares at him. Sometimes he wonders why his stupid heart chose to beat for this man. 

"Dude get back, that thing is cursed!” Ryan grabs Shane’s arm and tugs, and the other man leans back but doesn’t budge his feet, turning to level Ryan with a long-suffering grin.

“Oh really?”

“Yes really,” Ryan huffs, letting go of Shane so he can point at said piece of clothing accusingly, “The people who’ve touched it after her death have all suffered in some way, serious injuries, depression, psychic breaks. Every, single, one.”

  "Impressive,” Shane hums, tapping at his chin with a hand while he studies the layers of fabric so light any whiff of air would send them trembling. “That’s one hard-working ghost! The spiritual PAs gotta get the lady an employee of the year award." 

"Yeah she’s got a pretty good track record,” A nervous laugh escapes him at the words, the air in the room weighing heavy in his lungs. Ryan had expected the stuffiness with the age of the house, but it hadn’t really hit him until the lights had gone out and the silence descended. The only sound is the gentle rustle of their clothes and small creaks in the floorboards as Ryan shifts his weight around, fiddling with the seam on his jacket sleeve. 

“You think she’s gonna come out and haunt me if I touch it?” There it is again, that look in Shane’s eyes, half mischief and half insurmountable determination to keep giving Ryan heart attacks. 

“I said it back at the studio and I’m still going say it now, you taunt the ghost all you want, just don’t bring me into your shit.”

“You did join me against our old pal Goatman,” Shane’s eyes twinkles and Ryan’s chest does a thing. 

“Tha-that doesn’t count,” He sputters, indignant, “There wasn’t anything there that time, we got lucky.”

“Says the guy who keeps trying to prove ghosts are real,” Shane grins, “Come on Ryan, wouldn’t it be great evidence if I get murked by a ghost? Then you can go celebrate with your Boogaras.”

“Fine by me.” Ryan mutters darkly, rolling his eyes when Shane pantomimes death, with explosive hand-blood spurts and everything. By the end of it, Ryan’s pointing the camera down at where Shane has melted onto the floor, both of them giggling like preschoolers. All ghost hunters are like this, Ryan thinks, they must be. Some good serious work right here.

“Phew,” Ryan wheezes, wiping a tear from his eye and holding out a hand to help Shane up despite himself, “Okay we need to get started, we’ve gotta leave enough time to sleep here too.”

“The Shanster does need his beauty sleep,” Shane quips, chuckling when Ryan looks at him somewhere between fond exasperated, “Okay okay, you said the daughter’s name is Elizabeth?”

Ryan nods, stretching out his arm to extend their audio recorder into the enclosure. This is one of the more active locations they’ve been to, and no way is he going to give Shane the opportunity to blame the EVPs he’s going to catch on their own clothes.

“Elizabeth? Or Eliza, are you here with us?” Ryan asks, feeling the pressure in the room again, but he’s done enough of these investigations that his voice is steady, “Our colleagues have seen you before, can you move something or say something to show us too?”

“You could rustle that dress right there,” Shane says, and the seriousness in his voice brings a smile to Ryan’s face, maybe if that respect can last they’ll actually get something good.

“Were you cursed?” Shane’s sweeping his eyes over the room, and the silence stretches for a good while, then he turns to Ryan and shrugs, “Nothing, I’m getting nothing.”

“I’ll scan the audio later, in the meantime,” Ryan ducks down to dig out the spirit box from his pack, fiddling with the dials and turning it on. He winces with Shane when the thing gives a loud screech before settling into the rhythmic skipping of channels. “Whoah there, was that you Eliza?”

“We need to bring earmuffs next time,” Shane mutters just loud enough to be heard over the noise and Ryan bats at his arm, straining his ears to pick out any response. He didn’t see Shane get that look in his eyes again.

Movement, his brain registered, oh shit it’s the ghost, Ryan thinks, whipping his head around to look, and oh shit Shane’s gonna touch the dress. Instinct kicks in, and he almost drops the spirit box as he leaps over the guard rope to stand in the other man’s way. 

“No,” Ryan half shouts, Shane coming to an abrupt stop in front of him, tilting his head and looking at the bundle of silk over Ryan’s shoulder, still with that sly smile on his face.

“No.” Ryan says again, firmer this time. 

“It could make her show herself.” Shane looks down at him, and sure he’s got a point. But. 

“It’s dangerous,” Ryan doesn’t really like the slight whine that creeps into his own voice, but fuck it, with all he jokes about killing Shane, he can’t not care. “It’s not worth it.” He says stubbornly.

“Aww, are you worried for me?" 

"I have to be! You’ve got like negative self-preservation.”

“Do you want evidence or not?” Shane quirks an eyebrow at him and takes a step forward, there’s barely a foot of space between them now, Ryan swallows. 

“Yes but not if it gets you killed, or-or cursed!’ He sounds breathless to his own ears.

"But it’ll be for science! Think about it Ryan, you’ll finally have concrete proof of death by a ghost, caught on camera.”

“Nope, not happening." 

Ryan’s expecting Shane to drop it, to back away so they can continue on their usual routine of questions and a bit of insulting for the ghosts. But Shane leans forward, forcing Ryan to tip his head up to look at him, the other man’s face set with determination, eyes twinkling.

“Move out of my way before I make you.”

Ryan shivers, he couldn’t help it, painfully aware that the motion is made more obvious with their bodies so close together. Shane’s eyes have gone dark, or maybe that’s just the shadows playing tricks on him. For a man who’s a big goof ninety percent of the time, the big guy can sure pack some intimidation points. Pity Ryan’s gotta fight him on this. 

"You’re gonna have to make me.” Ryan’s voice shakes just a little, something in his stomach fluttering and fingers flexing around the sharp lines of the spirit box. His face feels hot, but he hopes Shane won’t notice in the dim light, he really doesn’t need more things to make fun of Ryan for right now.  

“You know I can just reach over your shoulder right?" 

"I’ll fight you.” Ryan warns, though he doesn’t sound too threatening. He would have brought up his arms too, if only there was space for them. 

“Are you now?” Shane’s smiling down at him, eyes definitely darker than usual. He crowds Ryan until the smaller man takes another step back, “Careful now, you’re awfully close to the dress yourself.”

“Well fuck, guess I’m dead then,” Ryan says weakly, feeling the phantom cold of fresh air brush against his back. He should have at least two more feet of cushion, he’d eyed the distance when he jumped in front of Shane, but how many steps has he taken already? It’s hard to keep track when he could feel Shane’s breath on his face. “Better me than you.” he manages, barely. 

“How noble of you.” And then Shane’s leaning down even more, still not letting up on the space between them. Ryan’s breaths are starting to speed up, fast, shallow little things that rush in and out of his lungs without actually doing their job. He can step away, he should really, the cameras are still rolling. But Shane’s face is so close and there is a headiness to the tension between them and all the places they’re not touching. 

For a second something like uncertainly flickers in Shane’s face, his eyes search Ryan’s face for… something. Ryan can hardly move, his own gaze glued to the other man. What Shane sees must confirm his beliefs, since he sinks his head down, lower. Ryan’s eyes flutter closed.

And Shane kisses Ryan’s nose. 

“Wha-” Ryan makes an indignant noise and has to catch himself before he takes a step back and curses himself via ghost dress. He feels plenty cursed already, what with his heart beating thunderously in his ears and his stomach doing all sorts of acrobatics he hasn’t given it permission to. 

“What was that?” He had meant it as an accusation, but a small smile escapes him as he looks back at Shane, watching in quiet wonder when the brief worry melts away from his brow.

“A truce.” Shane’s voice is quiet, a soft tilt to his mouth, and Ryan’s knees feel weak. His body parts are just all ganging up on him today huh. 

‘Oh, um sure,“ Ryan stammers, breathing still unsteady, "Jus-um just don’t touch the dress, please.”

"Lets trade,” Shane’s eyes are twinkling again, mischief dancing in them, “I leave the dress alone and I get to kiss you, properly." 

"That’s not how it works,” Ryan grumbles, ducking his head and flushing furiously, but he knows Shane sees anyway. Shane’s full-on grinning now, Ryan doesn’t think he has ever seen him with this much gently suppressed excitement. I gave him that, he thinks, wild. 

“Okay fine. Just this once.”

“I’m good with that,” Shane sinks his voice a few octaves deeper and says with mock seriousness, “But Mr. Bergara! I do believe further such business negotiations would be beneficial to–”

“Oh stop,” Ryan chides, staring into Shane’s laughing eyes as he bunches a hand in the other man’s collar to pull him in, “Just kiss me, you idiot.”

And he does, and Ryan can’t remember a room he likes this much.

[hamiltalian-creates]

Summary: Philip just got home from college and he thinks he’s going to have a cute reunion with his boyfriend, only to end up having one of the most awkward moments of his life. To make matters worse, everyone involved and everyone who he doesn’t want knowing about it get together for dinner the next night and there’s no way he can escape. 

Pairings: Piperson 

Words: 2,691

Warnings: None

Who knew it would be so impossible sneaking out of your parents house for the first time? Philip figured that now, as a 22 year old man instead of a clumsy teenager, that it would be easy to figure out, but no. He still ended up bruised and scraped outside of his first story window after the climb, but at least nobody would be questioning where he was going. 

Philip had just started summer vacation and while he went to a pretty close university, that didn’t stop his parents from smothering him with attention now that he was actually living at home again for a few months. Fortunately, they agreed to leave him alone at night. Which is how he ended up walking down the street to his boyfriend’s house in the middle of the night. 

Philip felt butterflies as in his stomach and he walked and a stupid smile managed to find itself on his face, but it wasn’t like he was just being a stupid kid. He hadn’t seen Thomas in almost 4 months. It was too risky with his parents down the street from him and with the fact that his dad and his boyfriend worked together fairly frequently in a failing attempt by their boss to get them to work better together. On the bright side, that meant that this was a complete surprise to Thomas, especially since Philip did have a key to the house, something Thomas had trusted him with that past Christmas as kind of a one year anniversary present. 

Quiet as he could, Philip snuck up the front walkway and up to the door, using his key to get inside and closing the door behind him silently. He smiled widely as he saw Thomas sitting on the couch, watching a movie. There was a tiny part of him that was afraid he was just interrupting some personal time, Thomas had his hair up, which he never did, and a bottle of wine was resting on the coffee table, but he was already there, so what was the harm in at least trying? 

Philip smiled widely and crept up behind the couch, pulling Thomas’s head back and kissing him firmly on the lips as soon as he was close enough to do so. The taste of vanilla chapstick on his lips was definitely different, but it did seem like Thomas was having a quiet night in, so Philip didn’t think much of it until he pulled away from the kiss. “I bet you’re really regretting giving me that key to your house now,” he joked. 

Thomas just stared up at him with a bewildered expression, his face a deep shade of red that Philip had only seen when he first started flirting with the older guy. For obvious reasons, Philip thought it was because of the sheer shock at the fact that he’d pretty much broken into the house, but he couldn’t have been much further from the truth. 

“I’m Lafayette,” apparently-not-Thomas said, making Philip’s face go white. 

“You know we should really do these movie nights more oft- Philip?” 

Philip looked up and saw his actual boyfriend, Thomas Jefferson, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. 

“What are you-” Thomas was cut off as Philip began screaming for a good minute. 

“He kissed me,” Lafayette explained as Philip went quiet, though it was evident that he himself was far from unbothered by the fact. 

“Oh my god, please don’t tell my dad,” Philip pleaded, clasping his hands in front of him. 

“Of course I won’t!” Lafayette assured. “He’d kill you on the spot before dying of shock!” 

Philip sighed with relief before letting disgust take over. “I can’t believe I kissed you! You’re my best friend’s dad! And you’re basically my uncle!” 

“You say that like it’s not weird for me!” 

“I’ve heard stories from Georges, I know that kissing me is not the worst thing you’ve done.” 

“I mean, that’s true, but-” 

“Guys!” Thomas shouted. “Come on, you guys don’t need to be freaking out that badly, it was just an accident.” 

Philip groaned. “You don’t get it.” 

Lafayette rolled his eyes. “Okay, how is kissing me weird, but sleeping with your father’s mortal enemy isn’t?” 

“Because you’ve slept with my dad!” 

Thomas stepped back out of the room, having heard way too much for one night. 

Lafayette rubbed his temples. “That’s the last time I have a wine night with Georges...” 

“Yeah, you’ve raised someone who can’t keep his nose in his own business and now I’m the one suffering for it!”

“That’s not the issue here!” 

Philip waved his hands. “Fine. Let’s agree never to talk about this again. If my father hears about this, we’re both doomed.” 

Lafayette nodded and looked back towards the kitchen. “You can come out, Thomas, we’re not shouting anymore.” 

Thomas hesitantly walked back into the living room and looked between the two before settling on Lafayette. “You’ve slept with Hamilton?!” 

“Oh my god, that was so long ago!” 

Philip decided not to point out the fact that a few months was not, in fact, a long time, and instead turned his attention to his boyfriend. “Okay, this is not how I wanted this surprise to go, Thomas. The point is, I’m back from college for the summer and I’m glad to see you. If you need me, I’ll be bleaching my mouth.” 

“Don’t forget that you’re the one who came up behind me and kissed me!” 

“God, don’t remind me!” Philip stormed to the bathroom and took a few moments to compose himself, thinking about all that happened. He went over to surprise his boyfriend. He kissed someone who wasn’t his boyfriend and, of course, it was one of his dad’s best friends. Lafayette promised to keep it a secret, but it wasn’t like Philip could just stop worrying. Lafayette wasn’t exactly great at keeping secrets. 

Rather than worry himself any further, Philip shook his head and splashed his face with some cold water before going back out to the other two. “I’ll go home and let you guys enjoy the rest of your night..” 

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Thomas argued, patting the space on the couch beside him. “You already came over, you might as well stay. Lafayette already said he wouldn’t mind it, right Laf?”

Lafayette nodded. “Of course I wouldn't mind, this is Thomas’s house, he’s allowed to have whatever guests he wants. Besides, it’s not like you wanted to interrupt our movie night on purpose and I’m sure it was pretty tough to get here. I’d have to be a real jerk to ask you to leave.” 

Philip smiled awkwardly. “Alright.. I just don’t want to make things weird or anything..” 

“It’s only weird if we let it be weird,” Lafayette responded. “Just join us, it’s one night.” 

“Okay..” Philip went over and sat beside Thomas, leaning against his side as he started the movie again. It definitely wasn’t what Philip was expecting when he snuck out to go over, but he couldn’t deny that it was nice, even with Lafayette a few feet away. 

Now, there was only the matter of seeing if Lafayette could keep a secret or if Philip was going to have to go down in flames. And at that point, the most disappointing part would’ve been that Philip figured out how to climb out of his window for nothing. 

The next morning, Philip did his best to play off the events of the previous night, which wasn’t particularly hard, since Philip was feeling too embarrassed to get horny after everything that happened with Lafayette. But the universe seemed pretty hellbent on making him pay for being a young adult sneaking out of his parents’ house. So, of course, that night happened to be the night that his parents had coincidentally forgotten to tell him that they were going to have dinner at the Washingtons’ with all of George's favorite people, including one of his favorite employees - Thomas Jefferson - and the man whose relationship with him was definitely more ambiguous - Lafayette. 

Philip would’ve faked an illness, but the last thing he wanted would’ve been to seem suspicious. Of course, he could’ve lied and said he wanted to spend some time with his younger siblings, all of whom were staying home that night, but he was nervous and didn’t think about that in time, okay?! So, he was stuck going with his parents to the dinner, an undeniable awkward energy filling the air the second that Thomas finally showed up. Fashionably late as always, Philip noticed. 

As Thomas walked in, George gave him a look and nodded towards Philip’s dad, who seemed to be dreading their seemingly mandatory interaction as much as he was. But, George was the boss, so Thomas walked over, faking a smile. 

“Hamilton.”

“Jefferson.” 

“And it’s always a pleasure to see you, Elizabeth.” Thomas’s smile became a little more genuine as he went back to pretending that Alexander didn’t exist.

Philip’s mom smiled, though she was clearly genuine about it. “I could say the same about you. You remember Philip, right?” 

Remembered and memorized, yep. “Of course I do. If I remember correctly, you said he’d just graduated?” 

“Uh.. Yeah, I got my degree in English,” Philip responded, shaking Thomas’s hand. This wasn’t the first time that they had to pretend they didn’t know each other in front of Philip’s parents, but it was definitely different from other times. 

“I don’t remember telling you anything about him graduating,” Alexander said, glaring up at the other man. 

“Really? Well, I guess I’m not exactly sure where I remember hearing it from.” 

Philip stayed calm on the outside, but there were about 20 mini versions of his head running in terror and sounding alarms. 

“Oh, that must’ve been me,” Eliza admitted. “I remember going into the office to look for Lafayette and invite him to Philip’s graduation. I know the two of you are close, perhaps you were nearby.” 

Thomas snapped his fingers, as if Eliza cleared up everything. “That must’ve been it, of course.” 

Alexander huffed and crossed his arms, upset that he was out of things to yell at him about. 

“Speaking of Lafayette, I’m going to go say hi to him, but I hope you three have a lively night. Congratulations again, Philip.” 

Philip nodded and watched Thomas walk off, resisting the urge to admire how well his pants fit him. 

“Honestly, Alexander, do you have to be so hostile every time you see him? I know you two don’t exactly get along, but can’t you leave that alone for one night?” 

“Of course I can’t! I mean, look at him! He’s such a pompous bastard.” 

Philip coughed to hide a laugh. When Lafayette was busy, Philip was the one who Thomas vented to and that sounded exactly like his impression of Alexander. 

“See? I bet that god awful cologne he wears is making Philip sick.” 

Philip just assumed that his father was making fun of his cologne out of spite, since he was the one who helped pick it out. 

As everyone sat down, Philip’s one ounce of luck went to making sure he didn’t sit next to Thomas, instead sitting beside his mother at the end of the table. It was a fairly quiet dinner, one that Philip spent silently praying that Lafayette didn’t let anything slip. And he almost didn’t. 

Of course, as the youngest person at the table, Philip got his fair share of teasing from almost everyone, seeing as most of the table consisted of his father’s friends. Ordinarily, it would’ve been fine. But just as Georges couldn’t be trusted to stay out of other people’s business, his father could be counted on to never be trusted with a secret. 

“I don’t believe that you made it out of college without dating someone,” said John Laurens, who was practically Philip’s uncle. And, at the moment, was a little drunk. “Come on, a good looking guy, great writer, you could’ve picked up any girl you wanted.” 

Philip wasn’t actively hiding his bi-ness, but he was hiding the one guy he’d ever been attracted to, which seemed to have the same effects. “I didn’t find anybody at school that I really liked,” he said with a shrug. At least it wasn’t a lie. 

“You know what, I took you to a bar to celebrate your 21st, I’ll take you somewhere to celebrate your graduation and I’ll help you find someone.” Okay, maybe he was more than a little drunk, seeing as he was the one now spilling secrets. 

“I should be mad, but I’m not even surprised,” Alexander groaned, rubbing his temples. 

“Lay off of him, John, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t need help finding a guy,” Lafayette said, starting up those alarms in Philip’s head again. 

“Does the French boy know something we don’t?” John asked, clearly asking the question that most of the table was thinking. 

At the other end of the table, Aaron Burr and James Madison whispered, trying to decide if this was going to be too much drama or the juiciest gossip they could ask for. 

Lafayette began laughing awkwardly. “What are you talking about? You know me, I forget straight people exist sometimes.”

John rolled his eyes. “Laf, you’re pan. You’re, like, half straight.” 

“... What kind of wine is this, I really like it,” he said, very unconvincingly. 

This would’ve been the perfect place for Philip to intervene and brush it off as being out as bi to Lafayette, who he asked not to tell, but he was too busy thinking about his own funeral arrangements to figure it out. Besides, his father’s stare was no different from Medusa’s, turning Philip into stone where he sat. After all, as much joy as it brought him, Alexander knew what Thomas looked like nervous and, boy, was he starting to get nervous. 

“Guys, we’re all embarrassing him,” Eliza said, coming to her son’s rescue. “Lafayette and John have clearly had more than enough to drink, I don’t think they’re the most reliable sources of anything right now.” 

John giggled a bit. “Yeah, you’re right, I have.” 

“I guess I have,” Lafayette admitted with a small laugh. 

And just like that, a crisis was averted. Once it was time for everyone to leave, Eliza only had Alexander’s big question to answer and it wasn’t a particularly hard one. 

“But why did Jefferson seem so nervous? Anybody with eyes could see how he was squirming like the snake he is.” 

Eliza shrugged. “He does talk to Lafayette a lot, he was probably just afraid that Lafayette was going to spill some big mystery about Philip and that he was next.”

“What kind of dirt do you think he has on him?” Alexander asked. 

“If you want to hear my truth, I think you’re not the only person Lafayette has slept with recently.” Their relationship had always been pretty open, Eliza didn’t care and she knew that Philip had to know, being friends with Georges. 

“Oh god, never give me that mental image ever again,” Alexander groaned, dropping the topic. 

Once the three of them got home, Philip joined his mother in the kitchen for a bowl of ice cream, a tradition between the two to unwind after formal events. 

“Things almost got really crazy back there, didn’t they, ma?” Philip asked, hoping to completely seal the topic away. 

“Oh, you don’t have to play clueless with me,” Eliza assured. “A mother knows, but your father doesn’t have to know a thing.” 

Philip felt his face go white. “... What?”

“I’ve seen you staring at him since your second year of college and I invited Lafayette to your graduation over the phone. As long as you’re happy and things are healthy, I won’t say a word.” 

Philip’s face went from white to red in a matter of seconds and he couldn’t do much more than laugh awkwardly. Lafayette may have been shitty about secrets, but that didn’t matter when Philip had his mother helping him keep things under wraps.

[imagine-avengers]

Biker Part Six- Bucky Barnes Series

6/10 This is part six of my Biker Bucky series. The previous parts can be found on my masterlist, as will the other parts once they come out!

The following morning after Elizabeth and Bucky slept together, Elizabeth woke up in the bedroom that she and Bucky had shared when she lived in Brooklyn five years ago. Glancing next to her she noticed Bucky sleeping soundly whilst laying on his stomach. A beeping took Elizabeth away from staring at the shirtless man that she still loved. Reaching over to the end table she grabbed her phone that had been going off. Looking at the phone she noticed a text from Peggy, telling her they had to meet for lunch around one or two.

“Buck.” Elizabeth whispered softly pushing him after she put her phone down. “James Barnes, wake up.” She pushed him again.

“No.” He mumbled pushing her hand away.

“James, I want food.” She whined leaning over and beginning to press kisses across his shoulders. “I’m sure I can make it worth your while.” She said softly as Bucky groaned.

“You’re playing dirty sweets.” He mumbled picking his head up and glancing back at her.

“I promise if you come and make me food then you can join me for a shower.” She hummed pressing a kiss to the back of his neck.

“You better keep your promise baby.” Bucky said sitting up and looking back at her before pressing a kiss against her lips. “Maybe don’t change.” He stated looking her up and down in his shirt that she was wearing.

“If you make pancakes, I’ll consider it.” She said with a grin.

“Consider it a deal.” He stated standing up from the bed and heading out of the room. “Give me ten minutes sweets!” He called behind her, leaving Elizabeth in bed. After about five minutes Elizabeth stopped scrolling on facebook and headed downstairs.

“Hmm, look at you.” She hummed seeing him at the stove. “Now this is what I missed.”

“Me or the food?” Bucky asked glancing back at her.

“You are cooking said food.” She teased walking around and climbing onto the counter next to the sink. “I missed your cooking Mr. Barnes; I’ve spent years dreaming of your chicken pot pie.” She said as Bucky turned to her whilst plating the pancakes.

“Well I’ve got club business to attend to this afternoon and we have the barbeque tonight, but tomorrow I’ll make it for you.” He told her as he pressed his lips to her temple. “Come on, eat.” He motioned to the kitchen table. “I have a few hours before needing to go to the club.” Elizabeth jumped off the counter and headed towards the kitchen table.

“Well then we better make the best of our time together.”

The two spent most of the morning together, they ate breakfast, showered, Elizabeth cleaned Bucky’s cuts and bruises again before they fell onto the couch and watched TV. Around twelve thirty Bucky decided he needed to get to the club. The two have finally decided to change into more appropriate clothing before climbing into the truck and heading for the bar. Upon arrival Bucky leaned over and pressed a kiss to Elizabeth’s lips.

“Go have lunch with Peg, I’ll text you later.” He stated. “I’ll be by tomorrow for that ride I promised you.” Bucky climbed out of the truck but stopped once Elizabeth pulled him closer to her again. “Have Peg bring you over to my place for the barbeque.”

“Better keep that promise Barnes.” She whispered against his lips before kissing him again. “Be safe, no more injuries for a while.” She stated pulling away as Bucky laughed.

“I’ll try my best sweets. Straight home, no detours, Clint will be by to check in on you guys around two.” He stated before moving towards the club.

Elizabeth did as Bucky said and drove straight to her home before walking over to Peggy and Steve’s house. Not bothering to knock she walked in and noticed JJ was asleep on the couch, while Emma was at a friend’s playing as it was a Saturday. Peggy was in the kitchen making lunch for herself, JJ and Elizabeth, whom had called Peggy on her way home to let her know they were still on for lunch.

“Hey Peggy.” Elizabeth smiled as she began taking her coat off and putting her purse on the table by the front door.

“Hey Liz.” Peggy responded as she glanced back at the women before continuing to stir her pasta. “So, Steve mentioned you left with Bucky last night.” She stated as Elizabeth fell into her seat at the island counter.

“I did.” She stated. “We haven’t exactly talked about what’s happening between us.”

“I see.” Peggy smirked as she began plating the food. “Too much, physical activity?” She teased as Elizabeth laughed.

“You could say that.” Elizabeth told her friend as she went to grab cups and water from the fridge. “I figured we’re getting together for dinner tomorrow and we can talk then. Eventually I need to talk to Rebecca, so I’m kinda just have a lot on my mind.” She told her as she set the cups on the table and filled them with water.

“You guys need to have a conversation and actually get everything settled. Your pasts aren’t exactly the best, especially with each other.” Peggy set the food on the table before sitting down.

“I know Peg, we have a lot of unsolved things to talk about. Everything just happened so fast that I didn’t even think about talking everything through.” Elizabeth sighed as she began to eat her food. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.”

“You’re not moving in with him again, right?” Peggy asked.

“God no Peg, we’re nowhere near ready for that.” Elizabeth stated as she leaned against the counter. “What did you need to talk to me about?” Elizabeth changed the topic. “What’s with the impromptu lunch?” Peggy smiled at her friend.

“Just wanted to talk to you.” Peggy and Elizabeth spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, JJ woke up around two when Clint came and dropped off Emma and check in on both women. Around three she, Peggy, and the kids headed over to Bucky’s home where they found it full of bikers, per usual.

Walking into the backyard Elizabeth’s eyes immediately fell onto Bucky whom was standing with Rebecca whilst talking to Clint and Steve. Not wanting to interrupt the conversation, Elizabeth headed inside and grabbed herself a bottle of beer.

“This is a sight for sore eyes.” Bruce Banner spoke causing Elizabeth to turn to him.

“Bruce.” Elizabeth smiled at him. “How are you?” Hugging the graying man before the two fell into easy conversation. They had stood in the kitchen talking for a good hour before the glass door slid open and in walked Bucky.

“I began to wonder where you had gone off to, Peggy arrived over an hour ago.” Bucky spoke passing Elizabeth to grab his own beer. “Good to see you Bruce.” Bucky turned to the two.

“Yeah, Bruce was catching me up on everything I missed.”

“And Liz was telling me about DC.” Bruce spoke just as Alpine, Bucky’s pure white cat, came walking into the kitchen. “And that’s my que.” Bruce was allergic to Alpine, so he tried to stay away from the cat.

“See ya Bruce.” Elizabeth waved at him before turning to James.

“Why didn’t you come say hello?” Bucky asked, wrapping an arm around Elizabeth.

“Didn’t want to interrupt your conversation, plus you were with Becca.” Elizabeth shrugged slightly.

“You don’t need to be concerned about Becca.”

“Your sister hates me James.” Elizabeth reminded him.

“No, she doesn’t,”

“Foods done.” They noticed Sam, popping his head in through the glass door, a smile on his face.

“Thanks.” Bucky spoke looking back down at Elizabeth. “Let’s go eat.” Elizabeth nodded.

“Oh, by the way, I’m having lunch with a friend from DC tomorrow, it’s in Brooklyn.” She stated leaning into his side.

“Take Clint or Sam with you.” Bucky told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

“I already talked with Clint.” She told him as the headed outside to their friends. The two sat at the same table with Steve, Peggy, the kids, and Rebecca. The group falling into easy conversation, well except Rebecca and Elizabeth.

Everyone had gone by eight and it was just Bucky and Elizabeth left at the house. After the last guest left, Elizabeth began cleaning up the backyard.

“You don’t have to do that Liz; you don’t live here.” Bucky told her as she waved him off.

“Least I can do Bucky, I’m living in a house that you pay for.” She reminded him as she picked up a few beer bottles.

“Come on, lets watch a movie.” Elizabeth looked back at him before depositing the trash in the can and following him to the living room where they sat and began watching a movie. Eventually Elizabeth falling asleep curled up next to him, which is how she’d find herself the next morning.

[thetheatregang]

Insomnia - Chapter Four!

Happy Valentine’s Day y’all! Chapter Four is my favorite chapter yet so I hope you all love it! Chapter’s 1-3 are now available to read both in my fanfiction tag on my blog, and on my new AO3 page!

Chapter Five is coming sooner rather than later! I’m actually getting more and more excited about this fic as I go! I hope you all like it! PLEASE SEND FEEDBACK! I really woul love to her what you guys think! I’m single this Valentine’s Day so you are all my Valentines this year! <3

Ricky’s POV

“Soooooo, are you excited to see your giiiiirrrrrrllllllfriend?” Lizzie teases at the breakfast table.

“She’s not my girlfriend, and yes. I’m excited to see all my friends, Elizabeth. Now let’s get you to school. Your dad’s gonna be picking you up today. He put a note in your blue folder so don’t forget to give it to Mrs. Davidson, okay?” I remind her, as I check all of my bags to make sure I packed everything. 

Today’s the day, I’m heading to Salt Lake for Opening night. Today I get to see all of my friends for the first time in over three months. God I’m nervous. 

I drop Lizzie off and head to the airport. My school has the day off for a professional day, so I caught an early flight. That way I can get home and take a nap while Big Red’s at school. 

My phone buzzes. I look down hoping it’s Nini. It’s not.

MOM: Have a safe flight! C u Sunday night. I love u, xx Mom.

ME: Love you too mom! I’ll text when I land.

I haven’t heard from Nini in days. Not since my last message. Maybe this is a stupid idea. Maybe she doesn’t actually want to see me. Was she just being nice? God I’m so stupid. Maybe I shouldn’t even go. 

Just as I turn around to head back and get an Uber, my phone buzzes again, this time an incoming call from Chloe Garcia. 

“Hey Chlo, what’s up?” I ask, answering nervously.

“I was just making sure that you’re actually gonna get on that plane, mister!” She chuckles. I’ve only known Chloe for three months yet she knows me enough to know I’m second guessing my whole entire plan. 

“I don’t know, Chloe. What if she doesn’t actually want to see me? What if she just said ‘can’t wait to see you’ to be nice?” I complain. 

“Like how people say ‘nice to meet you’ to total strangers even though you don’t really know if it’s nice to meet that person?” She snorts. She’s referring to the day we met. 

“Chloe Garcia, this is Richard Bowen! You and him have similar schedules so you’re gonna be his peer mentor for the semester. Be nice.” Principal Stewart tells the lemon haired girl as he walks back to his office. 

“Chloe!” She sticks out her hand. I shake it.

“It’s actually not Richard, it's Ricky. Ricky Bowen,” I introduce myself. 

“It’s nice to meet you,” She starts, then sighs. “Well, it seems nice. I don’t really know you yet, you could be a serial killer. Are you a serial killer, Richard Bowen?” She ponders aloud. 

“Um… no? I’m just a skateboarder from Utah… And again, call me Ricky” I chuckle. 

“Okay. So Utah eh? So what are you doing in the Windy City then?” She questions. 

“My parents got divorced, and my mom got a job out here. Plus my gi- ex girlfriend was supposed to move- It’s a long story.” I stop talking, realizing that I’m totally rambling. 

“Well I can’t wait to hear it, Not Richard Bowen…” She says as we walk to our first period class. 

“Just go, Ricky, you’ll be fine!” She says before hanging up on me. 

Just then, my flight number is called. I guess there’s no turning back. Not now.

I sit on the plane, thank god I get a window seat. I pull out my phone, putting it in airplane mode.

On the plane, I decide it would probably be a worthwhile idea to actually watch the movie Grease, given that I barely know anything about the show, and i’m supposed to sit through a whole performance of it tomorrow. 

It’s nearly noon when my flight lands. Thank God I took a nap on the plane or I’d be a Zombie right now. 

“Hey bud!” My dad says, greeting me as I arrive at baggage claim. 

“Hey Dad!” I reply, hugging him. I pick up my east high duffel bag and head out to his car. 

“How’s your mom?” He asks, on the drive home. He always asks about her. I can tell he misses having people around the house. 

“Mom’s good. She wishes she could’ve come with, but work is crazy right now, plus she volunteered to watch Lizzie this weekend so Todd can go out on business...” I tell him. My dad has really grown to like Todd. Ever since they became Facebook friends, they realized that they actually have a lot in common. 

“That’s good. I bet Lynne loves having a little girl around. She always wanted a daughter,” He sighs. “How’s Lizzie doing? You guys getting along?” 

“Yeah, were super tight, actually, I drive her to school some mornings and we listen to the radio while she bugs me about my love life!” I laugh, checking the time on my phone: 12:15.

“You wanna grab a bite and then you can get some rest before you go see your friends?” He asks. 

“Sounds like a plan!” I tell him.

After we eat, I crash for a couple hours. It's not until I hear a couple dings from my phone that I realize just how long I’ve slept.

I look at my phone: 

Incoming Call: BIG RED 

“Hello?” I answer, sounding a little tired.

“Hey bud! We’re having final dress rehearsal tonight, so I might be home kinda late. What time does your flight get in?” Big Red asks excitedly. 

I can tell that he’s hype for the show. This will be his first time running lights for a show in the actual auditorium, he hasn’t stopped thinking about it. 

“Um, around 9ish?” I lie. I told Big Red that I wouldn’t be getting in till late, so that I can surprise him when he gets home from rehearsal.

Since I did get in a little earlier than expected, I may head over to the school now and surprise everyone. 

“Cool. Can’t wait to see you!” He says happily. 

“Me too, gotta go finish packing, see you later bud!” I reply, hanging up. 

I grab my skateboard and head to the school. The secretary hands me a visitors badge, it’s weird being called a “visitor” to the school. 

“Guess mine is not the first heart broken, my eyes are not the first to cry, I'm not the first to know there's, just no getting over you…” I can hear Nini’s beautiful voice from down the hall. 

I sneak into the auditorium. I see her singing on that stage. She looks so beautiful. She’s the epitome of Sandy and her combination of innocence and beauty. That’s when the flashbacks start. 

Here goes… "I don't get it, Troy. What kinda spell has this elevated IQ temptress girl cast that suddenly makes you wanna be in a musical?" 

I don't know. Maybe it's the way Gabriella always had your back. And maybe you can't stop beating yourself up for totally blowing it with her.

And look, Troy, even if you never said the L-word to Gabriella, 'cause that's, like, not even a word your parents say to each other… anymore… That doesn't mean that you don't… Maybe it just means you were waiting for the right time to say it… So that everyone could hear it… 

So that she could.

“Ricky?” A voice pulls me out of my flashback. “What are you doing here?”

I look to see Gina Porter standing in the doorway next to me, in full Rizzo costuming. 

“Gina! Hey!” I smile and pull her in for a familiar hug. “I caught an earlier flight and thought I’d sneak in and get myself a sneak peek at what I’m in for tomorrow night!” I tell her. 

“That’s amazing! So why do you look like you’re hiding?” She smirks. And she’s right. I was kinda hiding. 

But why? I want to see my friends. I want to see Big Red, and Gina, and… Nini.

The music slows down. 

“But now there's no way to hide, since you pushed my love aside, I'm outta my head hopelessly devoted to you… hopelessly devoted to you… Hopelessly devoted to y- Ricky?” 

The music stops.

[ssttitdramon]

Ready To Hear It?

Ramón Morales x Stella Nicholls

Request: Ramón x Stella thing where Ramón comes back from the war and Stella confesses her feelings to him and idk what else to put

Word Count: 2,769

Note: Sorry that I posted this later than promised. You might’ve just wanted a Ramón x Stella moment, but the thought of the three in college, letters from Ramón in Vietnam, and Ramón’s family was something stuck in my head so I included all of that too. If you’d like to send in a request, take a look at the rules.

Also: The random u.s. state generator gave me Texas so that’s where he’s from in this fic (M.G. is actually from there btw!) and I made up family members because the ssttitd writers really didn’t give us much on Ramón’s backstory.

Warning: Brief mentions of the Vietnam war, including an injury/surgery (left hand + broken ribs)

Stella riffled through her backpack once again, checking that she had everything she needed before leaving to Texas. Two years after Ramón left for Vietnam, he came back on a stretcher with three broken ribs and on the verge of losing his left hand. 

According to his sister, Elizabeth, he was finally home from the hospital a week and a half later, recovering from a broken hand and lower rib removal surgery. 

When Stella received the first phone call from Elizabeth, she and Auggie were in the middle of flipping through flashcards for an upcoming major government test. The knocking on her door woke up Chuck, who was passed out on the floor and tried to reach for it.

Stella beat him to it first, opening the dorm door to the bossy redheaded RA, “Yeah?" 

"There’s an Elizabeth on the phone for you down there.” she scrunched her face at the sight of Auggie and Chuck in the room.

Stella turned to look at them, both shrugging. The boys still followed Stella downstairs and stood close by, trying to figure out who the mysterious Elizabeth was.

“Hello?”

“Ah hi, Stella Nicholls?” answered the quiet voice from the other end.

“Yes, this is she. May I ask, who are you?” Stella asked, looking over to the two boys in confusion.

“Oh, I’m Ramón’s sister. He gave me your number some months ago, but I wanted to let you and your friends know that Ramón is back home now and-” her voice cracks and she sniffs, “I’m sorry. He’s injured, but he’s okay.” she manages.

Stella was stunned, “Ramón is back…” she said softly, trying out the words in her own mouth. Stella was afraid saying it any louder would somehow make it false.

“What?” Auggie and Chuck snap in unison, getting closer to the girl.

“Ramón is back.” Stella declared, bringing her hand up to her mouth. “Wait, so he’s injured? Have you seen him?" 

"No, he came in four days ago and is held up at the hospital. They won’t tell us more, but we’ll get to see him tonight.” Elizabeth answered her, voice shaking and on the verge of tears. She couldn’t help but to think about her older brother, she lost him and can hardly handle the thought of losing another brother too.

Stella quickly thanked her for thinking of them and asked to be called for any more news on his recovery. When she hung up, the three were all silently staring at the phone, no one knew how to react. 

“So Ramón’s back? How is he?” Auggie broke the silence, eyeing his friend carefully.

As Stella started to explain the call, she didn’t realize she was tearing up until Chuck wiped her cheek with his sleeve. She pulled the boys in for a hug, the three letting themselves wallow in a pit of emotions. 

Now, while she was packing up to visit him, she couldn’t stop the onslaught of questions she’s already mulled over since the first call. 

How much has the war changed him? How is his family dealing with his return? How different could he be now since he last wrote? Is he in a lot of pain? What if he doesn’t want to see us? 

She frowned at the last one, she couldn’t think like that now. Not when the three were practically invited by his family with his consent. Plus, Chuck finally convinced his roommate to let the trio borrow his car and make the 20+ hour drive to Houston, Texas.  

As Stella walked over to her shelf to grab her journal, the metal tin box containing all of Ramón’s letters caught her eye. Her heart jolted, she opened it up and peered inside, feeling warmth at the sight of the boy’s slanted, tall handwriting. On the nights when Stella had panic attacks, she would open the box and read over bits and pieces of Ramón’s day, finding comfort in his letters.

Stella flipped through some of the trifolded letters, catching random sentences from the top of the papers,

“My mom finally wrote back and she’s not mad at all, I forgot how much I missed her worrying over me…” 

“You’re not much of a flower girl, are you? Here’s this neat flower I pressed, the villagers around here call it Hoa Dao-“

“Sorry it’s been so long, the sky’s been pouring buckets on us in the past month and we’ve only…" 

"Tell Chuck I won’t be able to write him back until next week, but tell him I said congratulations for winning…”

“but I might go to Japan for R&R in a few months,”

“My dad’s still learning English and he’s practicing some on his letters. It’s the best thing seeing chiquillo next to ‘today I took your sister to the tienda y ya ni la hacen aquí, mijo-’” 

“I’m telling you, you’ll be a famous writer. You’ll be selling out all over the world, just wait.”

“oh and there’s this guy here who laughs just like Auggie.”

“This one will be short, the Sgt just got back and already complaining about one grain of sand too many inches to the right- the boys here call him Ol’ Knuckles,”

“Also, remind Chuck to add 5th platoon to my address,”

“but the package that my sister sent me lasted a good two days because-”

“and he had to tackle this stupid scrawny kid to the ground as soon as the dirt started kicking up,” 

“the team did lose two men before we got there though, they left a rosary behind and I didn’t even notice there was a-”

What if I tell him?

That’s a question she’s been avoiding, but it still managed to pop up out of nowhere. Stella never really figured out when she started to have strong feelings for Ramón. Maybe it was when they were running around Mill Valley together trying to figure out the Bellows girl. Maybe it was in the midst of writing back and forth, finding ease in his words. Stella felt silly, she knew she liked him the minute she barged into his car at that drive-in, but she did not expect for the small crush to stick around for that long.

Stella felt conflicted with the idea of confessing to her first real crush. What if he could only see the two as friends while she hasn’t been able to stop thinking about him for the past two years? Plus, Ramón just came back from Vietnam and if she considered the stories of those who have come back, would he even care about something like this right now?

She felt her heart twitch at the thought of Ramón’s head still stuck on the other side of the Pacific.

The knock on her door snapped Stella out of her thoughts. Putting the box back on the shelf, she grabbed her journal and went out to Chuck. He flashed her a goofy smile and dangled his roommate’s car keys by the fingers, “I’m driving first, already argued with Auggie about it and it’s settled.” 

The drive to Texas was a long one, the three would switch between driving, reading off from the map and sleeping in the backseat. The first time Auggie was on the wheel, they accidentally veered off course because Chuck apparently doesn’t know how to hold a map. The pair argued in hushed voices, but Auggie’s frustration still woke up Stella. She groggily pushed her way up front and looked over the map, commenting on Chuck’s great sense of direction. Immediately, she pointed her finger at the new route they found themselves in and flopped back down.

In a small town where they stopped to get gas, a couple of middle school students were playing baseball in a nearby field and nearly missed the car’s windshield by an inch. In a split second, Stella was having to hold Chuck back from freaking out on them and had Auggie throw the ball back to the apologetic kids. 

Later that night at a lonely rest stop’s restroom, the boys rushed out of there swearing up and down the men’s room was haunted. “Stella, I’m telling you, the only flickering light was the one in the last stall. We were washing our hands and we suddenly heard shaky humming from there, with no one inside.” Chuck widened his eyes and wiggled his fingers at Stella. 

The tall grass that surrounded the rest stop waved about from the light wind, seeming to make waves towards the woods. As the three looked beyond the pasture, following the waves into the trees, they could barely make out several tall, slender figures in the moonlight at the edge of the woods.

“Those are just tree trunks right?” Auggie asked quietly, until one of the “tree trunks” seemed to let itself glide back like a blade of grass from the wind.

“Alright, I believe you.” Stella admitted as the three rushed into the car, she began to pull out of the parking lot, “I’m so not dealing with this shit again.” 

They drove a few towns over before agreeing to stop at another rest stop that wasn’t completely abandoned and slept in the car for a few hours.

Once they reached the Louisiana-Texas border, Auggie and Stella kept their eyes peeled as they drove an hour into Houston. They managed to find Ramón’s house after passing by it twice and knocked on his door.

Elizabeth welcomed them in, “Hey, my parents are out right now, but Ramón’s awake upstairs.” she noted, closing the door behind them.

Chuck and Auggie immediately noticed the wall of family pictures by the entrance. Elizabeth was quick to point out Ramón’s baby pictures and mentioned the charming resemblance between him and their older brother. Stella looked closer at the image of Ramón and his siblings at a pool before following Elizabeth upstairs.

They stopped at the first white door to the right and lightly knocked, “Ramón, your friends are here.” 

After hearing his “come in”, she opened the door to see Ramón sitting on his bed, occupied with his younger brother. The toddler was too distracted with his plastic dinosaurs to notice the visitors, only looking up when Ramón stopped playing with him and finally noticed everyone at the door.

“Vente,” Elizabeth held her arms out to the small boy, “en un rato juegas con Món.”

The toddler hesitated with leaving Ramón, but after getting his older brother’s go-ahead he walked over to Elizabeth’s arms. The two disappearing into the hallway.  

“Món?” Chuck asked cheekily as Ramón carefully got up.

“Mateo can only pronounce Món and it stuck,” Ramón smirked, “also, I can’t hug you entirely, so you’ll have to do with my right side.” he informed, getting closer to the three.

Stella was the first to hug him, careful with his left side as she buried her face into his shoulder, “If either of you start crying, I’ll start crying too.” Ramón jokingly warned, hand stroking her hair. 

“You hear that, Chucks?” Auggie nudged Chuck’s arm before hugging Ramón.

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll start bawling for our guy here any minute now.” Chuck quipped before turning serious, “No really, we missed you dude.” 

“Me too Chucks, even when your letters would keep on ending up miles away from me.” Ramón pulled Chuck in. 

The four settled on his bed, catching up with him for hours into the afternoon. Chuck even took the liberty of drawing on his small arm cast, “Does your hand hurt?” he asked, doodling himself onto the white. 

“Right now it doesn’t, mostly numb thanks to the pills. I still don’t know when I’ll be able to move it and use it.” Ramón noted as Stella grabbed another marker and started to draw a dragon onto his cast.

When Ramón’s parents came home, they invited the three to stay for dinner. Despite the awkward communication and Auggie’s choppy Spanish, they were all comfortable at the table. Most of all, Stella felt content with Ramón sitting next to her and seeing him with his family. Even considered confessing her heart out later that night, but she was still anxious about his reaction. 

After hearing that the trio planned on staying at a hotel for the night, Mr. and Mrs. Morales did not like the idea. “En un hotel? No, como crees. Diles que por lo menos se queden aquí esta noche y ya ven si se van a un hotel mañana.” Mrs. Morales told her daughter, eyes darting between the three. 

“Mija, deja que se duerman en tu cuarto, tú te vas con Ramón.” Mr. Morales added.

Elizabeth smiled, “My parents want the three of you to consider staying here at least for tonight. You guys can sleep in my room, there are two beds there.” she translated. 

Chuck’s eyebrows shot up, “Really? There’s no trouble?” he asked.

“Nah, you guys are fine. My other sister, Ana, is out of town this week and Elizabeth will sleep in my room.” Ramón assured. 

The three thanked Mr. and Mrs. Morales with an awkward, but genuine “gracias”. Chuck and Auggie even got up to help Mrs. Morales gather and take the dishes to the kitchen, much to Ramón’s amusement. Left alone at the table, Ramón and Stella decided to go back upstairs with Mateo on her hip. 

Ramón went into the restroom, took out a bottle of pills from behind the mirror and started to brush his teeth, “Ever since the surgery I’ve been getting tired easily and these pills knock me out.” he explained. “Won’t be able to stay up with you.”

“It’s no problem, we need some sleep too.” Stella let Mateo down once he nudged at her arm to get down. 

I should tell him now.

There it was again, she pondered over confessing as she followed him into his room. For a while, the two were deep in conversation on his bed until he started to drift off, “Sorry if I just fall asleep on you.” he apologized with a small smile.

“Ramón, I…” Stella hesitated, biting her lip. Ramón’s eyes fluttered open a bit, trying to listen to anything else she had to say.

As Ramón’s eyes grew heavy, Stella tried again. “I think I…” she began, hands fidgeting on her lap. “I think I’m in love with you.” she whispered, it was finally out but Ramón was already asleep. 

The next morning as everyone went downstairs for breakfast, Ramón winked at Stella and pulled her close for a hug, “Good morning, how did you sleep?” he asked with a raspy voice.

“Alright, you?” she chirped, the idea of him having heard her last night racing through her head.

“I actually slept pretty well, no nightmares. Think it helps that you’re all here.” Ramón smiled, not knowing what he was doing to the poor girl’s heart. “Tonight, you, Auggie and Chuck should stay in my room to keep the jungle away for another night.” he added.

After breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Morales rushed to work, promising everyone they’d come home early. Everyone settled to watch TV in the living room except Elizabeth, who had already secured plans with her friends. 

“Mateo’s fine with four babysitters today, huh?” Elizabeth commented, carrying the toddler over to Chuck and Auggie’s place on the couch. The two kept the smaller boy laughing by mocking the voices of characters from Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! on screen. On the other couch, Ramón and Stella sat close with his right arm over her shoulders, hand mindlessly playing with her hair. 

Once the three boys tired themselves out from imitating random noises from the TV, they fell asleep with Mateo sprawled out over the older boys. Stella took the opportunity to tell Ramón how she felt, again.

“Ramón, last night in your room.” she recalled, feeling his gaze on her. “I told you something I don’t think you heard.” 

“I heard you, Stella.” Ramón nodded, “I can tell it’s hard for you, but I know what you said last night.” he kissed her temple reassuringly.

“Yeah, it’s hard but I feel like I need to make myself clear.” Stella explained, finally turning to look at him.

Ramón shook his head, “That’s okay, every time I got your letters it would become more and more clear. I feel like I’m the one who hasn’t made myself clear,” he cooed. Hearing that, Stella felt her heart at ease.

“Ready to hear it?” he asked with a knowing smile. 

Before he continued, Stella spontaneously began to pepper kisses all over his face, drawing out a soft giggle from Ramón.

*Feedback is always welcome!*