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illiterateaffairs · 1 year

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behind the scenes chapter one | i enjoyed our meet cute

masterlist | next

pairing: jamie tartt x actress!reader (ted lasso)

rating: T

word count: 4,722

summary: you’ve been in richmond one day and you’re already having chance encounters with famous british football players, what are the odds?

a/n: welcome to the first chapter of my new jamie series, behind the scenes! fake dating is a god tier trope and i’ve always wanted to write something for it. it will also be very rom-com-y, just like ted would like. i really hope you enjoy the first chapter, i’m so excited to kick off this new story and can’t wait to hear your thoughts. also wanted to shout out @buckychristwrites who wrote an incredible fake dating jamie series called could this be and you should totally check it out if you haven’t already ♡

Your alarm goes off at 8AM on the dot but you’re already wide awake. You’ve been in London for 48 hours and instead of taking in the sights, you’ve been trying to reset your sleep schedule. After landing at 10AM Friday morning, you pretty much passed right out as soon as you arrived at your rented, two story brownstone.

See, London was eight hours ahead of Los Angeles - your home base. While you were used to traveling for work, you’d never had a job in another country before. And jet lag was a bitch.

You’re an actor. You have been since you were 15, when you got a recurring role on a kids show after an opening casting call. Some called it luck, but you called it busting your ass in theater classes as soon as your mom could afford them. You’d been a “drama queen” since you were in diapers and you begged her to sign you up for every class, camp and play in your small town and she did everything she could to support your dream. She’s your biggest fan.

By the time you were 20, you’d had a sitcom and several supporting roles in films that made you an underrated fan favorite. Your biggest break came, though, when you were 22 and were given the opportunity to star opposite A-list actors in the superhero film of the summer. After that you blew up, you did a few more action movies and a couple other dramas.

Now, freshly 25, with a lot of credits filling your IMDb page, there was one genre you still hadn’t tackled: romance. And that’s what brought you to London. You were filming your first romantic comedy in the beautiful town of Richmond. Usually when your job brought you to a new place, the first thing you wanted to do was explore it. However, spending the last couple days in and out of sleep was preventing you from doing so. Today was Sunday, your last day before production kicked off tomorrow, and you’d be damned if you didn’t get the chance to get out and do something before you were swamped with work.

You get ready quickly, eager to not waste another second inside. However, just as you swing your front door open, you come face to face with your assistant, who’s hand is poised to knock.

“Oh, good, you’re already up,” she chirps, brushing past you and into your temporary home as she taps away on her iPhone.

“Margot, I thought we agreed on no work this weekend,” you sigh, reluctantly following her into your living room.

“I agreed and you agreed, but Harry on the other hand,” she frowns holding up her phone, “He didn’t agree.”

You groan. Harry was your publicist. You’ve worked with him since getting the role in one of the Spiderman movies. He always had some crazy idea how to boost your public image, most of which you’ve shot down, but his most recent pitch he hasn’t been able to let go of.

“He’s still bugging you about that shit?” you question, flopping down in an armchair.

Margot perches on the arm of the sofa, “He’s only bugging me because you keep ignoring him. He still thinks it's a good idea.”

The good idea in question was agreeing to a fake relationship with another celebrity - or anyone really. Usually the goal of a PR relationship was to gain attention for one or both parties, or their upcoming projects. While that wouldn’t hurt, your publicist thought the benefit of having a fake boyfriend was that you’d appear more desirable.

In your previous roles, you’d been typecast as the funny best friend or snarky sidekick. Not only was this movie you were about to film your first as the leading lady, it was the first where you were playing a romantic lead. You also haven’t been known to be seen with many suitors in your personal life as well. Not that you hadn’t had any significant others since entering the spotlight, but they’d been short lived and you tried to keep those relationships under the radar, not necessarily wanting the public’s opinion on your dating life.

Of course, that didn’t stop journalists and people with Twitter accounts from speaking on it anyway. Since you got cast in this Rom-Com - Hopeless Romantics was the working title - you’d been subjected to criticism over how you couldn’t possibly be seen as a realistic love interest when you’ve yet to be painted as such both on and off the screen. Though, you’d love to point out that just because you hadn’t played a romantically driven character before didn’t mean you couldn’t now. You’ve learned to just ignore trolls like that.

That didn’t mean from time to time the odd comment didn’t get under your skin.

Still, you didn’t see the point in faking a relationship just to get these people off your back. You had the best fans in the world, who’d watch you do anything no matter the genre. And your co-star was Charlie Knox, who’d been pegged as this generation's Hugh Grant, so plenty of people would be buying tickets regardless. You could hardly argue, feeling flushed after your chemistry reed with the actor even though he was doing just that; acting. Harry had even previously suggested faking a relationship with him, which would be the perfect scenario according to him, but Charlie was of course already taken.

“He’s going to have to give up eventually,” you shake your head, “Because I’m not doing it.” Margot makes a weird face and you tilt your head, “Don’t tell me you think I should do it.”

“No, of course not. You should have the autonomy to make your own decisions about your love life, real or fake,” she insists, “I just wish Harry didn’t make such a big deal about it.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry he’s bugging you about it. I can talk to him again.”

“No, don’t worry about it,” Margot sighs, “You should be enjoying your day off. Were you on your way out before? What were you thinking of doing?”

You shrug, not really having had a game plan, “I was thinking breakfast or something to start, and then seeing where the day takes me.”

She nods, once again tapping on her phone, “That sounds nice. Don’t be out too late, though. A car will be here to get you at 6AM for the read through.” As she stands up and starts walking to your door, she glances at you, “And wear a hat please. Last thing we need is you to be stampeded by fans like in The Lion King.”

“Margot, I love you, but there is no need to bring Mufasa into this,” you tease, “I promise I will be discreet, but only if you promise me you will also take time for yourself today.”

“I promise,” she says with a small smile, but before you know it, she's already back on the phone and out your door.

You can’t be too hard on her. You were also known to prioritize your work over everything else most days. But she was not only the best assistant you could ask for, she was also one of your closest friends, and she deserved some time off. You’d have to talk to Harry at some point tomorrow to get him off her back. And yours.

But first, food.

It had been one month - one fucking month - since Keeley had gotten back together with Roy. And it was the worst month of Jamie’s life.

Yes, he still has feelings for Keeley. Yes, it hurt him to see her choose Roy, even if it had nothing to do with him. And it was twice as bad that Roy and him had finally started becoming actual friends after all these years. But that wasn’t really the problem.

It was the way everyone has been looking at him since it happened.

It started with the apologetic look on Keeley’s face that greeted him when he answered the door one summer morning. Before she could get a word out, he knew what she was going to say. In fact, he’d seen it coming. Despite Keeley insisting she wasn’t choosing between him and the grumpy old fart who was now his head coach, the two had been spending more and more time together. Keeley was around the club more and Roy was less grumpy. That morning, Keeley told him she wanted him to hear it from her that they were thinking of starting things again. His stomach twisted, disappointed that he’d practically lost her for the second time. But, God, the look of sympathy she was giving him felt even worse.

That was nothing compared to the way Roy looked at him when he walked into the locker room later that day. Roy wasn’t one to talk about or express his feelings, but he still managed to somehow convey his guilt and apology through a single look. Jamie just shook his head, eager to not speak a single word about the topic and move on. For the first time he wished Roy would just yell at him like he usually did.

Then a week later, Roy and Keeley were publicly a couple again. The rest of the team and staff were elated, but the few who’d known Jamie had been pining for the bubbly blonde again looked on at him sympathetically, patting him on the back and muttering affirmations on the way to training. In the grand scheme of things, they were just being nice, but he fucking hated it.

He was Jamie Fucking Tartt. He could be with anyone he wanted. Sure, the only girl who’s liked him for him and the only one he’s truly loved would rather be with someone else; someone else who was one of his best friends now. So what? The last thing he wanted was everyone around him treating him like a wounded puppy. He was fine.

It didn’t help that he saw Keeley and Roy all the time. At work. At team celebrations. At friendly gatherings. They were everywhere. In fact, they went the extra mile to include him in things to make him feel better, though it had the opposite effect. He felt like a charity case. He didn’t need them babysitting him, like he couldn’t spend a single night alone without collapsing into a full mental breakdown.

To be fair, the last time he’d had a night to himself, he’d made the mistake of turning on The Notebook for the first time out of morbid curiosity and he wept for an hour. But it was The Notebook for fuck’s sake, what else was he going to do?

Things improved little by little as the weeks had gone by. Sam and Colin stopped giving him glances everytime Keeley visited the locker room to drop something off for Roy. Keeley stopped looking at him with guilt riddled eyes, but there was still a weird energy between them when they hung out. And with Roy things felt mostly normal.

At least he thought so, but this morning Jamie’s been wandering around his house aimlessly waiting for Roy to show up for their regular early morning training. He’d been ready at promptly 4AM but there was no sign of his coach. He waited thirty minutes before calling but no answer. So, he plopped on the couch and watched some cooking show for another hour or so before trying again. It wasn’t until 8AM - four hours later - he got a call back from Roy.

“Hey, I thought old people were usually up early,” Jamie teased upon answering, “Did you oversleep, grandad?”

Instead of Roy’s gravelly voice responding, he hears another familiar voice in the background, “Is that Jamie? Tell him I’m sorry.”

Keeley.

Jamie’s stomach twists. Of course.

“Uh, yeah,” Roy’s voice eventually says, “Keeley was here and I forgot to set an alarm. We were going to get breakfast but then we can meet at the park if you still want?”

Roy grunts as Keeley speaks up again, voice distant, “Oi, ask if he wants to join us.”

Roy sighs into the phone, “Yeah, unless you want to come to breakfast with us?”

Jamie closes his eyes. Another pity invite. “Um, thanks mate. That’s alright, though. Think I’ll get some running in on my own and maybe we can meet up later tonight.”

“Yeah, that works…” Roy says before tacking on, “Sorry, Jamie.”

Jamie chuckles humorlessly, “Not a problem. Talk to ya later.”

He hangs up and tosses his phone across the couch. Not only did Jamie not like feeling like a third wheel, he didn’t like being one because the other two felt guilty. Especially when he was still getting over his feelings for one of them. He groans, forcing himself off the couch, eager to stay true to his word. He needed to run off these feelings.

You’d been leisurely walking through the streets of Richmond for a little while, enjoying the early fall breeze and the sights as the leaves started to change color. You’ve been trying to keep an eye out for a place to grab breakfast or a snack, but you’ve been distracted by the shops and the people walking around you. For your part, you were donned in sunglasses with a ball cap tilted low on your head. So far no one has stopped you, which was nice. Not that you minded meeting the occasional fan. Most were sweet and you adored connecting with people face to face, but there was always the risk of someone just in search of an autograph or selfie despite not caring about you or your work, not to mention nosy paparazzi who pop out of nowhere to get a photo. So, you’re enjoying the semblance of normalcy while you can. You sense that once filming starts, those in the area will be eager to catch a glimpse of you and your costars any chance they get.

You’re a little too comfortable with flying under the radar, when as you’re turning a street corner someone runs right smack into you. You both fall to the ground, your sunglasses flying clear off your face. Your heart hammers in your chest, wondering if someone had done this on purpose, but the stranger next to you also appears to be scrambling.

“Fuck, sorry,” they mutter, grabbing your discarded sunglasses for you before pulling you both up. As he places the glasses back in your hands, his eyes meet yours for the first time, “Oh shit, are you…”

You smile sheepishly, his eyes alight with recognition. You’re still a little anxious from the encounter, as you try to get your breathing to return to normal. You vaguely wonder if this guy is going to ask for a picture or something, when you actually hear the familiar click of a camera and your blood runs cold.

“Hey Jamie Tartt!” an accented man calls, “Who’s the girl, Jamie?

The man in front of you looks back at you with wide eyes and grabs your hand, “Shit, come with me.”

You can barely process what he’d said as he pulled you down the street, “What? Where are we going?”

“Somewhere private,” he explains as you continue jogging alongside him, “Where there’s one paparazzi, ten will follow. But I’m sure you know that.”

You can’t argue with him. But you do wonder who the hell this guy is that he’s so familiar with paparazzi. You also briefly consider if following a guy you’ve never met through alleyways is a smart decision, but you hardly have the time to dwell on it.

After a few minutes, this mystery guy, who you can only presume is named Jamie if the paparazzi was right, leads you through an unassuming storefront that ends up being a charming and quaint little café. You look around curiously. It’s not completely vacant, but the patrons don’t bat an eye when the two of you enter. The middle aged barista behind the counter looks at your companion with a warm smile and greets him, once again, by Jamie.

After your heart rate returns to normal, you turn to the man beside you. He gives you a tiny shrug, “I come here when I don’t want to be bothered. Not many people know about this place but it has the best scones in Richmond.”

You squint at him in curiosity, “So, I’m guessing you’re…someone of note then, too? If that paparazzi was taking your picture and you have a secret hideout.”

He chuckles, looking a little bashful, which you have a feeling is out of character for this guy, “Uh, yeah, I’m Jamie Tartt? Premier League footballer for AFC Richmond?”

Your cheeks heat up, “Oh, uh, sorry, I’m not really familiar with…”

He cuts you off, “No need to apologize. Wouldn’t expect an actress from the states to know anything about English football.”

You chuckle, despite yourself, “Well, if it helps I don’t know much about American football either. Or any sport for that matter.”

Jamie’s lips quirk up again, “I know you, though. From that thing.”

You snort, “Well, I’ve done a couple of things.”

He shakes his head, “No, no, no, you’re in that one movie, what’s it called,” he snaps his fingers, “Meet Me in Melrose, that's the one!”

“Wow, that’s a deep cut,” you comment, the film being an indie you worked on years ago; one of your first bigger roles despite the lower budget project.

“Yeah, my old coach? It was one of his favorites, so the whole team became obsessed. We’ve watched a bunch of your stuff,” he explains.

“That’s cool,” you nod with a small smile.

He nods along with you before suddenly becoming very aware of his situation, “Uh, can I order you something? Or, shit, you probably had somewhere to be. I usually try to wait things out for a while here, but if you have to go…”

You once again consider the oddity of casually hanging out in a cafe with a man you just met, but he seems trustworthy enough. And even a bit intriguing.

So you respond, “No, I don’t. I was just out exploring before. I was actually looking for a place to eat so this is perfect. I’m happy to hang out here for a bit.”

“Okay, cool,” Jamie nods again, still feeling a bit unsure of what to do when a Hollywood movie star is suddenly in your midst, “Uh, do you like coffee? Tea?”

You shake your head, “You don’t have to buy anything for me.”

“Well, I was the one who crashed into you and abducted you here so it’s the least I can do.”

You giggle, “Okay fine, I’ll take a hot chocolate. Coffee makes me anxious and tea tastes like a worse version of water. No offense.”

Jamie laughs to himself before walking up to the counter to order for you both. He returns moments later with a hot chocolate for you and coffee for him, as well as two of those scones he mentioned, before leading you over to a small booth in the back of the cafe.

“So, uh, you must come here often if the staff knows your name,” you say as you blow on your drink for it to cool, “Unless they’re all soccer - sorry - football fans?”

“Actually, Olive, the owner of the café doesn’t know shit about football. It's part of the appeal,” he tells you, “I manage to avoid photographers most of the time, but even if they’re not hounding me, I still like to come here to get away from things.”

“That makes sense. I feel like it's hard to do that in LA. Even the small businesses are overrun with influencers trying to find the trendiest spot nowadays,” you muse.

“Is that where you live? LA?” he asks.

“Mhm. Have you been?”

“Nah. Been to New York before, but spent most of my time in some clubs,” he tells you, “Have you been to London before?”

“No, actually,” you admit, “I’ve always wanted to come but never got around to it. I’m actually here for a film.”

“Oh, yeah, a Rom-Com, right?” he asks and you nod, “It’s all anyone can talk about around the club these days. We’ve never had a big movie shoot in Richmond before.”

“Hmm, wait til everyone hears how you kidnapped one of the stars,” you joke, finally braving a sip of your drink.

Jamie laughs, “I think I’ll keep that one to myself. Plus, I don’t think they’d even believe me.”

You laugh along with him, thoroughly enjoying his company as well as the delicious cocoa. You also finally try the scone Jamie placed in front of you. Your eyes light up after the first bite.

“Is that blueberry?”

Jamie’s eyes widened, “Sorry, I should have asked…”

You furiously shake your head, “No, no, don’t apologize. I love blueberry.”

Jamie’s lips quirk up, “Me, too. It’s my favorite.”

You smile back, but it drops when you feel your phone buzzing in your pocket. Pulling it out, you see that you had a missed call from Harry along with a few text messages. Instead of responding, you roll your eyes and put it away, eager to forget that the man exists until tomorrow.

“Uh, everything okay?” Jamie asks tentatively.

“Oh, yeah,” you reassure, plastering another smile on your face. Then you find a part of yourself that desperately wants to vent about your situation to an unbiased party, “Actually, uh, I’m not sure how much pressure football players are under for their image, but have you ever been asked or been in a fake relationship for PR?”

Jamie leans back, processing the question, “Uh, no. I haven’t really had a problem finding my own girlfriends.”

You snort, “Of course.”

“But I’ve heard of it happening with other footballers,” Jamie adds, “And there was this whole reality dating show I did and none of that was real.”

You gasp, “You were on a dating show?”

Jamie nods reluctantly, “Yeah. It was called Lust Conquers All. It was a low point.”

You can’t help but laugh, “Wow, I’ll have to check it out.”

“Please don’t,” Jamie groans, rubbing a hand over his face, wondering what possessed him to even bring it up.

After your laughter quells, Jamie eyes you curiously, “Why do you ask? About PR relationships, I mean.”

You sigh, looking down at your hands in your lap as you answer, “My publicist wants me to do the whole fake relationship thing.”

Jamie’s eyebrows furrow, “Why?”

You shrug, not eager to admit but still wanting to know his take nonetheless, “Apparently, I don’t seem like a romantic person, because I haven’t done a romantic role or publicly dated someone before.”

Jamie continues to look confused, “So? Isn’t that what actors do? Play new roles even if they haven’t done it before?”

“Yes, thank you,” you agree, nodding furiously, “But since I’ve only played cynical or sarcastic characters, that’s how people see me. Apparently, I don’t seem like a good choice for a movie called Hopeless Romantics.”

“But you’re not like your other characters in real life right?” he asks, “You’re not completely cynical about romance.”

You falter, your eyes flitting away from his. Jamie scoffs.

“Oh, come on, don’t tell me you’re anti-romance.”

“I’m not,” you sputter, “I just think dating is a little more complicated than the movies make it seem.”

Jamie doesn’t listen, “Wow, I can see why your publicist thinks you need a fake boyfriend for this to be a little more realistic. You can’t be against love and in a movie about love.”

You gasp, lightly shoving him, “Hey! I’ll have you know I’m not against love. It’s just…hard to come by for me.” You sigh, trying to figure out what exactly you’re willing to admit, “The last few guys I’ve dated weren't so great. They either only wanted to date me for the exposure or connections or money.”

Jamie’s expression sobers, “Oh.”

“Yeah,” you nod, “My last relationship, if you could even call it that, was so short lived. It ended because he stole this fancy vase thing from my house.”

“Wow,” Jamie whispers.

“And jokes on him, it was from pottery barn,” you huff, “But yeah, basically its not love I don’t believe in. It’s other people. So I’ve been pretty content to be on my own these days.”

“I get that,” Jamie says softly after a beat, “I’ve dated plenty of girls who only wanted me cause I’m a footballer. Or cause I’m great at sex,” you snort, shaking your head, but he continues, “Not that I really wanted a real relationship, but it still hurts when someone doesn’t want you for you.”

“Exactly,” you nod, picking off pieces of your scone, “I’ve never been with someone who felt genuine. Have you?”

Jamie sighs and you sense there’s a story there, “Once, but I fucked it up. Didn’t realize what I had until it was gone. Classic right?”

You huff lightly.

“The worst part is she was kind enough to stay my friend even after the way I treated her,” he continues, “So not only does she treat me with kindness that I definitely don’t deserve, but I have to sit by and watch her be with someone else.”

You frown, “That must make it hard to move on.”

“You have no idea,” he chuckles humorlessly.

“And you haven’t been with anyone else since?”

“A couple girls, but nothing serious. And no one recently. Haven’t really seen the point.”

“So I guess I’m not the only one who might be a little cynical then, huh?” you ask with a teasing smile.

He gives you a half smile. “Yeah, I guess I can’t be one to judge.”

You study him for a few more moments. After your introductions, you would have guessed Jamie Tartt was another classic playboy athlete, and after conversing with him that seemed to be his reputation. But now you weren’t so sure. He was…peculiar.

You continue chatting for a while longer. He tells you more about his football team and you tell him a few spoiler-free details about the movie you’re shooting. Before you know it, you’d been camped out in this cafe with Jamie for a full hour. Time flies when you’re enjoying yourself. You had to imagine the paparazzi had to have left the area by now. And while you weren’t in a hurry to cut your conversation short, your hot chocolate was no longer hot and your scone was long gone.

“Hey, this place is really nice by the way,” you comment, as you gather your trash, “I might have to come back here. That is, if you don’t mind sharing your secret hide away with me for the next three months?”

Jamie chuckles, following you back to the front of the café. “Feel free.”

You smile at him softly, as you walk out the door, “Maybe, I’ll uh, see you around?”

He shrugs his shoulder, “Yeah, I’ll be around. Maybe you could catch a football match while you’re in town.”

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” you nod, “Well, thank you again for the rescue. I owe you one.”

“Nah, it was nothing. Get home safe, yeah?”

“You, too. Bye Jamie.”

He bids you farewell, before you two reluctantly turn and head in different directions. You wrinkle your nose, recapping your encounter in your head. What a random coincidence to run into an apparent famed football star on your first day in town. You wonder if you ever will run into him again, but you assume the odds of that are low.

Meanwhile, on his walk home, Jamie is questioning whether or not he should have asked for your number. In a strictly platonic sense, just to keep in touch or to be available in case you needed a friend while you were in town. But he brushes the thought away. Like a famous actress would want to willingly hang out with him if she wasn’t hiding from paparazzi. Yeah right. Odds are this was all a dream and the boys would laugh in his face if he brought it up tomorrow.

Real or not real, he’d remember your morning together fondly.

a/n: please let me know any and all those! again, so excited for this story and brand new journey for jamie x reader. also! i will be starting a fresh taglist for this story, so let me know if you’d like to be tagged. the distractions taglist will stay the same for any one shots i may continue to post in that universe. <3

taglist: @respondingtoshowerthoughts-blog @royalestrellas

#jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt x f!reader #jamie tartt x female reader #ted lasso fanfiction #ted lasso fanfic #mine #behind the scenes series

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valleydean · 4 months

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Chapter 5 [Read Here]

CHAMPION Part III of Heavyweight a deancas boxing au by valleydean (emmbrancsxx0) read from the beginning | playlist | tip

SUMMARY: Brooklyn, 1933. Dean Winchester, the number one contender, trains to become the next Heavyweight Champion of the World, and this time he won't let anything get in his way. Title holder Castiel Novak has second thoughts about retiring, especially when someone from his past arrives in New York and asks for his help. Meanwhile, a new contender rises to fame and threatens to complicate both of Dean and Cas' ambitions - and their relationship.

CHAPTER PREVIEW:

Dr. Meganolopis’ voice came out staticky through the radio’s speaker: “I’m sorry, Doctor! I forgot being a head surgeon means you cut into whatever body you want, and take out whatever organ pleases you without any paperwork whatsoever!”

“Well, Doctor, I’m sorry you’re so forgetful,” came the reply of the titular character, Dr. Desire.

Castiel heard Dean’s breathless chuckle in response. From his place on the living room couch, he glanced down at the rug, where Dean was doing his pushups. The neck and armpits of Dean’s t-shirt were darkened with sweat. The shirt was riding up the small of his back, leaving a sliver of skin above the waistband of his gray sweatpants. He wasn’t wearing any socks or sneakers.

As far as training sessions went, this was certainly more casual than most. However, Dean seemed determined to get in what he could before Castiel left town next week. Evidently, that meant conditioning through Dean’s favorite radio show.

The rest of the house was quiet, with Eileen at an NWP meeting and Sam still at work despite the fact that the sun had set an hour ago. Maura was asleep in her wicker bassinet, as she had been since Dean stuck his finger into his whiskey glass and gave the baby a taste to “soothe” her. Sam hated when Dean did that, but Castiel wouldn’t breathe a word of it because it seemed to work every time.

“How much longer do I have to do this?” Dean asked, his voice strained from exertion.

Castiel took his eyes off the satisfying way Dean’s back muscles moved beneath his shirt with every pushup to glance at the clock on the mantel. It was almost half past, which meant the radio broadcast would be over soon. “Until the end of the show.”

To his credit, Dean didn’t complain. He did look up at Castiel with slyly twinkling eyes to say, “Could use a little more incentive.”

Castiel rolled his eyes for show, despite the fluttering wings in his chest. He kicked his legs off the couch and climbed down to the rug with Dean. He laid on his back, placing his head beneath Dean’s face. When Dean lowered himself down, Castiel caught his lips in a quick kiss before Dean pushed away again.

Dean laughed embarrassedly, his cheeks a little pinker than they had been a second ago. When they met in another kiss, Castiel couldn’t help the pocket of laughter in his throat from coming out.

“You’re so off the cob,” Dean teased.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him. “It was your idea.”

“Whatever,” Dean grumbled, lowering himself back down again. That time, Castiel lifted both hands and ran his fingers through Dean’s hair. Dean laid down fully on his stomach and kissed back, parting his lips into it. One of his hands cradled the top of Castiel’s head and the other stroked Castiel’s cheek. He tipped his head slightly to get a better angle for the kiss.

Castiel let it consume his every thought. He forgot completely about the radio show. But, apparently, Dean was still listening because after a few minutes, he ripped his lips away from Castiel’s and said, “Hang on, hang on.”

Castiel frowned, annoyed.

On the radio, Nurse Piccolo was saying, “You had your chance and you blew it! I wish you hadn’t, but you did. Roger is my fiancé now, and that’s final!”

“It isn’t final until you tell me that you love him more than me,” Dr. Desire answered in his stern transatlantic accent. The torrid affair between the couple had been a central point of the story for at least a year now. “So, say it! You can’t, can you?”

The familiar outro music swelled. Then, the broadcaster said, “That concludes this week’s episode of Dr. Desire—”

Dean groaned petulantly. “Man! I hate it when they do that! Now we gotta wait a whole week to find out what she says!”

Castiel brushed his fingers through Dean’s hair, realizing that he wouldn’t find out for himself. Next week, he’d be gone. It was likely he’d miss every episode for a while. “You’ll have to tell me what happens.”

The sparkle in Dean’s eyes faded. “Or you could just not go.”

“It’s only four months,” Castiel reminded him. After Dean had come home high that night two weeks ago, Castiel had asked Michael and Gabriel to renegotiate the tour’s contract. Somehow, they’d reached an agreement of four months and seven cities, with an extra fight in Las Vegas later in the year. There would be a total payment of $500 grand, which was one hundred thousand less than what they would have gotten under the original terms—but Castiel was willing to sacrifice that amount of money to be home. Fortunately, his team seemed to agree.

It was for the best. Castiel didn’t want to be away from Dean for so long. Besides, four months of bouts seemed more manageable than a straight six.

“And you said you’d visit me in Kansas City,” Castiel said. “That’s only two months from when I embark.” It would probably feel like a lifetime. Castiel wished Dean could just come with him.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean dismissed sullenly.

Castiel picked up Dean’s hand where it rested on his chest and thumbed gentle circles into his knuckles, not knowing what else to say.

“You gonna miss me?” Dean asked, tone light, but Castiel heard the vulnerability behind it.

“Of course.”

“Yeah? Which parts?”

Castiel shook his head, unamused. “Every part.”

“Welp,” Dean grunted, picking himself up by the arms so he could move to lie down half on top of Castiel. “That’s too bad, ‘cause I’m definitely gonna miss some parts of you more than others.”

Castiel raised a brow with interest. “Will you?”

Dean hummed. He stroked his hand down Castiel’s side, past his hip, to rest on his thigh. “Big time.”

#destiel #deancas #destiel fic #deancas fic #dean winchester #dean #castiel #cas #my writing #my post #heavyweight

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spnfanficpond · 5 months

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April 2024 Angel Fish Awards

(Angel Fish design by @slytherkins!!)

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words. (Click here to learn more about how to nominate a fic for an award!)

Nominated by @charliethealpaccaso

Contentment Is A Pearl Of Great Price by ravelqueen (AO3)

This fic captures everything that makes transformation scary but fascinating to read from start to finish. The mental change later on during the fic, Sam has to deal with as the new part of him takes over. It leaves you on the edge of your seat as we have no idea if he will ever be human again or if he will lose himself and his humanity forever. I wish more people would try their hands at more transformation fics, as there are many interesting topics to choose from when creating a fic like this one.

~*~*~

Nominated by @thoughtslikeaminefield

God Save The Queen, And Her Handmaids by darali_starscream (AO3)

I have attempted to think up a scenario in which Charlie Bradbury might sit on Dean Winchester's face to no avail. This isn't what you think, I promise—there is no universe in which I'd be OK with a true Charlie/Dean pairing, but this works and it works well. BJ riffs on the spectrum of attraction and sexuality here. The pairing in Charlie and her girlfriend who is bisexual x Dean, and it's a very satisfying little story.

Sleeping Arrangements by @jinkieswouldyoulookatthis

This is very cute and even sexy without being smutty.

~*~*~

Nominated by @zepskies

The Dangers of Hope by @dean-winchester-is-a-warrior

I had never read an "Endverse!Dean Winchester" series before, but this one completely blew me away -- from world-building to the overarching story to the romance itself. Beginning to end, it's beautifully written.

~*~*~

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

Living His Gray Flannel Life by @samanddean76

Warnings to start - As there is prostitution in this one, noncon must be mentioned. Also, this is a Wincest fic, so, you know, incest. That being said, this story is told from Jimmy's POV, so the Wincest of it all is less Wincesty. Which is right up my alley, man! This is the perfect amount of Wincest combined with outsider POV, where the outsider loves what he's seeing as much as we do. I can't say more for spoilery reasons, but know that there is delicious pining, sweet smutty smut, a fascinating monster, and fantastic side characters. I read it twice just because once wasn't enough!!

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Nominated by @salt-n-burn-em-all

House Song by @accordingtothelore

Dean protects Sam from being killed by other Hunters and their dad. Starts Gen, does not stay that way. I just loved everything about it. Fabulous art in the last chapter.

~*~*~

Nominated by @spn-fanfic-reblog-writes

What happens in ApocalypseWorld… by masoena (AO3)

This is such an interesting aspect that I’ve never read for a/b/o. **SPOILERS** The moment Dean and Arthur step through the portal everything changes and the world heavily influences their biology. I loved how, of course, Ketch knew exactly what was happening, which really makes me wonder about wtf Ketch has been through. I really wanna know more about that dynamic change and I hope they really do write more. This is also one of the few stories I get to read a soft!Ketch. I love, love soft!Ketch. Gotta check them out.

Second Chances by @mayalaen

First, I am not a fan of incest. Second, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this because it isn’t tagged. Finally, I love poly fics. It’s so hard to find a poly fic that isn’t just PWP/smut. I really enjoy how the premise is getting Sam to relax and teach him how to handle his health while managing school work in a healthy way. I really like how the relationship between Cas and Sam is setup, Dean gets introduced, and then all hell breaks loose in the different relationship dynamics. The thing is there isn’t an emphasis on their brotherhood and sex. This is NOT a wincest smut story. It’s a story about Sam learning how to be a healthy adult while finishing college and finds a place where he is wanted and feels like he belongs. I also absolutely love the dom/sub and domestic discipline aspects of Cas and Dean’s relationship. It’s really a background aspect until it isn’t. I highly recommend the read even if you aren’t a wincest or wincestiel fan. The plot is written and integrated so well with the character development for all three main characters. It really took me by surprise. I couldn’t put it down.

(Divider by @glygriffe)

THANK YOU ALL, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

- From your Admins and Manta Rays, @manawhaat, @mrswhozeewhatsis, @mariekoukie6661, @thoughtslikeaminefield, and @heavenssexiestangel!

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lil-pine-mha-drabbles · 1 year

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Knight!Bakugou x Chubby!reader part 5

Jeepers. I was stumped this last year. Sorry you had to wait so long. But I’m not dead (no matter how much I used to want otherwise)

So here you go, saplings!!

<- chapter 4

There are 1297 words to read below the line!!

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Spirits were high after the picnic. Word had slipped from Eijiro to one of his sisters and the whole household was in an uproar of pleasantries when you returned home.

“I’m so excited for your wedding, Y/n! I think I should like to be the flower girl very much!” The youngest Kirishima held her little wooden pony to her chest dreamily, dancing all around the hope chest. You chuckled at her antics, continuing your embroidery, swaying gently in the wooden rocking chair.

Mrs. Kirishima asked for some of her own embroidered towels and you quickly agreed, perhaps to pay the Kirishimas back in any way possible. The stack of finished towels was cut short as you handed the old woman her new cloth pile. “Thank you, my dear. Having you in our home has been such a blessing.” Her hand was warm and her smile warmer.

“Thank you. You have no idea what a blessing being here has been. I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” You placed your hand on hers with a pleasant smile.

Thumping in the next room drew your attention away from your wonderful aunt. Eijiro walked to the threshold of the room in his full armor with sweat dripping down his brow. “You need to come with me.” His eyes were cold and his voice, firm.

You stood suddenly, your skirts wrapping around your legs with every quick step. “What’s going on?” Panic filled your veins and your eyes danced over all the Kirishima girls huddled around the table with worried expressions and hurried whispers filling the air.

“I’ll tell you on the way,” your cousin—always a gentleman—opened the door to let you through.

The cool of the day before had passed and the air was wiggling in the heat, and dust blew through the streets. You understood why Eijiro was sweating so much when he entered in a hurry.

You were glad you had worn a short sleeved top. But having pants and a skirt, you were burning up. “So what’s going on??” You were almost running, trying to keep up with Ei’s fast pace.

“Bakugou’s been badly injured and King Deku asked for you. I don’t exactly know why the king wants you there but I was going to fetch you anyway when Katsuki got hurt.” His gaze stayed straight ahead. So you did the same.

The castle’s guard entrance was quickly growing as you got closer. The large black oak doors creaked open after a few shouts were exchanged between Eijiro and the guard on duty in the tower above you.

The medic tent was closer to the center of the guards’ courtyard. Eijiro held open the tents flap for you as you stepped inside.

Cots lined the walls, small bedside tables no larger then a foot wide were placed between each bed. Only two young nurses walked between the cots.

Katsuki was the farthest from the entrance, his expression pained as a short man chatted enthusiastically to him, the chair he was on creaking with every movement of his flailing arms.

You squeezed past the two nurses easily, Eijiro had a harder time with his armor taking up a lot of space. It also didn’t help that one of the nurses was making eyes at your cousin which caused him to falter briefly.

Katsuki looked up at you when you got closer. You couldn’t read his expression but you assumed it was annoyance with a hint of gratitude due to your appearance shutting up the green haired man.

Eijiro appeared next to you and bowed, nudging your elbow to do the same. You curtsied politely, not knowing who the smaller man was.

“You must be Kachan’s fiancé!!” The man’s face lit up as he took your hand and kissed you knuckles out of courtesy. “I haven’t heard much about you from him, but Kirishima certainly has some nice things to say about his favorite cousin!”

You smiled politely, folding your hands in front of you, glad you had wiped your face with your handkerchief before you entered the medical tent. “I just so happen to be his only cousin.” You chuckle and tilt your head.

“I do apologize,” the man bowed lowly, “I am King Izuku Midoriya. You may call me Midoriya, or Deku if you’d like!” He smiled brightly.

“It’s very nice to meet you, sir.” You curtsied again and bowed your head. You told him you name in a gentle tone, but your eyes were on Katsuki. His gaze was focused on you. His eyebrow raising he lifted his arm and gave a slight wave.

King Midoriya talked for quite awhile while you tried not to giggle watching your fiancé mock his words, mouthing everything the king said, perfectly lip syncing every word.

“—and then I realized I had never actually met you, so I asked Sir Kirishima to kindly fetch you. While it’s not favorable that he was hurt, I’m glad I remembered to ask for you because of it—“ the poor man just didn’t know when to shut his mouth.

“Deku. You’re boring her. You met her—good for you—now get out so I can talk to my fiancé in peace.” Bakugou groaned as he shoved off the thin sheet covering his thighs.

Izuku looked surprised, his eyebrows nearly touching his hairline. “Oh!! Of course! I am so sorry! I was so caught up in telling my story I completely missed the fact that you were tryin—“

“Shut up! Get out!” Katsuki closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose like he had a migraine.

“Right!” He turned and walked out with Eijiro.

You took King Deku’s seat cautiously watching Katsuki sigh roughly and sit up.

“That was pretty harsh.” You leaned back.

“Yeah well, the guy doesn’t know when he’s being too much.” He smirked slightly and twiddled with the sheet.

“So how badly were you hurt?” You tried to act unconcerned.

“I actually got a taste of my own medicine,” he chuckled, “remember when I kicked you in the ribs?”

You winced at the memory.

“Well I was gifted something very similar,” he gently peeled up his shirt to reveal a very blood soaked bandage over his chest. “Mina finally bested me.” His light laugh didn’t hold much humor in it. “She got me good right on the chest.”

“Does it still hurt?” You couldn’t hide your concern you had been trying to conceal the whole conversation.

“Oh yeah, but I’m sure I’ll heal up in a couple of days.”

You nodded slowly and twisted your fist into the fabric of your skirt.

“Did you enjoy the picnic?” He asked sheepishly.

“Yes. It was very pleasant. I appreciate your efforts to make this marriage as smooth as possible, Bakugou.” In the back of your mind you growled at yourself for using his last name. You knew you were just trying to distance yourself from your feelings. But you couldn’t become attached to this brut.

Katsuki’s smile dropped. “Yes. That was the purpose.” He looked at the canvas wall across the room.

“You should be cleared to leave for home, Sir Bakugou.” An old woman stepped close to the bed and placed and aged, shaking hand on your shoulder. “Stay out of trouble for a couple weeks. No training while you’re healing. Understand?” She asked firmly.

“Yeah, yeah. I know the drill—“

“Katsuki.”

“I—“ he sighed. “Yes, ma’am.” He nodded and dropped his hand he had raised while waving off her warnings.

You smiled at his quick defeat, and helped him stand to his feet.

“I don’t want to see you back her for at least two weeks, Sir Bakugou.” The firm statement was waved off by the blonde who let himself use you as a crutch.

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Taglist!

@katsukichu @axidthot @darlingely @totally-not-bakus-hoe

@arminlator @sad0ni0n @rebekah-trader @tjmaxx556 @ninashellhole @awkardnerd

@buzzyboi79 @angrypomerainian

@ookoobshoob @iwa-chan-akaashi-san

@backgroundgirl887 @buzzyboi79

@some-ryvant

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hellowhisperingstars · 10 months

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Epilogue: The Good Girl

Summary: Things get back to normal but Eddie has a few surprises for you.

Pairing: Rockstar/Bar Owner!Eddie Munson x Baker!Reader

Words: 4.7K

Warnings: 18+, Y/N used, dom/sub dymanics, light bondage, cussing, fluff. Let me know if I missed anything!

A/N: This is it! The last chapter of Sugar Cloud. Thank you all for taking the time to read this story and showing it love! I appreciate each and every one of you! I am also thinking of doing some time stamps for these two. Please let me know if you are interested!

See you in the next story!

Likes, comments and reblogs are always greatly appreciated! <3

Previous - Masterlist

Months have passed since that day at the courthouse. All the money your Nana gave you went into savings for a rainy day, while the money your father and the Malloy’s had to pay you went to keeping up the bakery. Tiffany and Ada had been begging you for new ovens and you really wanted to get rid of the old storage coolers to bring in two new bigger ones to hold more orders. So you made it happen. Even the display cases and the cafe tables in the front got a makeover along with new shelves to hold the fresh baked bread that you were going to start selling. It was refreshing to see your shop look all sparkly and new.

You smiled at Marty and Emma as you placed the last basket of freshly baked rolls onto one of the shelves and waved to one of your regulars when you turned to start pulling a call in order from the display cases. Yeah, life had definitely gone back to normal and you were loving it. Though there was a small part of you that was waiting for something to happen, over all the drama of your sham wedding you completely forgot that your Nana was the deed holder to the building that Sugar Cloud was in. With her gone, who owned it? Did your dad have it? Would he find a way to sell it out from under you as payback for embarrassing him the way you did? He didn’t need to be within 100 feet of you to do that. Shaking your head you tossed the idea away. Now wasn’t the time to think about it. This was your new start and you were going to live in the moment with your Rockstar. As soon as he got back from another trip to New York.

Turns out he and the rest of the band had put their album on hold to deal with the mess your father had created and now that it had been taken care of you had urged him to get back to it. Eddie had tried his best to convince you to join him on the trip not wanting a repeat of what happened last time but you really wanted to spend time at the bakery to get back in the swing of things. The night before he left he finally relented and made you promise to call him every day when you got up and every night before you went to bed. You couldn’t wait to see him again and hear their new music when it was done.

Eddie pulled his car into the back parking lot of the bakery and took a moment to look at the building with a grin, his heart pounding with excitement knowing you are just behind those doors. It had been weeks since he last saw you and he was more than ready to have you back in his arms. This trip had gone significantly better and you sounded just as excited to talk to him with every phone call which made him breathe easier as time went by. No more scheming dads and fake fiances to make your life hell while he was away.

Grabbing the demo CD of the new album from the passenger seat he pulled the keys from the ignition and stepped from his car taking the cigarette from his lips and dropping it to the ground so he could smash it under his boot. Making his way through the lot he blew the smoke into the air as he quickly grabbed the door handle and pulled it open so he could enter into the kitchen. Taking a moment to let his eyes adjust he greeted Ada and Tiffany when they looked over at him.

“Welcome back!” Ada smiled from her spot by the sink, a pan and sponge in her hand.

“How’d it go?” Tiffany asked as she pulled a tin from the oven the smell of warm bread filling the air mixing with the sweet scent of cakes. “Did you finish it?”

Waving the CD in the air Eddie smiled at the girls. “Got the demo right here. Probably got a few tweaks to make, songs to cut, that kinda thing but I wanted some more opinions before we make changes. Where’s my girl?”

“Can’t wait to hear it!” Ada said, putting the pan in the drying rack. “She’s up front.”

“Thanks,” He grinned and started towards the door that would lead him to you. Eddie smiled as he ducked into the front of the store and leaned against the door frame as he watched you move around behind the counters, your apron around your waist as you pulled items from the fridge displays to pack orders to give to the customers in front of you. Back in your element. Moving up to you he grabbed your waist and leaned down to kiss the side of your head before he spoke into your ear. “Miss me?”

Jumping at the sudden touch you turned your head quickly and let out a sound of excitement when you saw who it was and almost dropped the box in your hands. Putting it on the counter you turned and jumped into his arms. “You’re back!”

Laughing, Eddie pulled you as close as he could, burying his nose in your hair. “Hi baby. Fuck, I missed you.”

“Missed you so much.” You mumbled into his neck as he swayed you a little before pulling you back to give you a proper kiss. The feel of his plush lips on yours made you sigh in contentment. Moving back you looked into his eyes. “Did you finish it?”

“Got it right here.” He smiled showing you the CD. “Wanted you to be the first one to hear it.”

Smiling, you looked at the plain white disc excitement bubbling up in you with the need to hear what the band had done, when a small cough got your attention. Turning around you stared wide eyed at the customer who just chuckled at you, they didn’t seem annoyed thankfully and you quickly dropped your arms from around Eddie, moving back to do your job. “I’m so sorry about that. My boyfriend just came back into town and I couldn't help myself.”

Your customer waved your worry away with a smile. “It’s no problem, I’m almost done then I’ll get out of your hair.”

Eddie grinned at you before kissing the back of your head, “I‘m gonna grab some coffee, is that okay?”

“Of course baby.” You smiled as you went back to packing an eclair into the lavender box that was once again in your hand. Eddie turned, placing the CD on the counter for later, and started to fiddle with the coffee machine behind you when a few different young muffled voices called from outside.

“Holy shit!”

“Is that Eddie Munson?!”

“No way! What's he doing here?!”

“He’s from Hawkins you idiot! The whole band is!”

Everyone looked to see a group of three young teens standing on the sidewalk outside looking through the glass of your shop window. They were staring wide eyed at Eddie who waved at them with a shit eating grin before he turned and finished his coffee.

“You have fans, babe.” You chuckle smiling over your shoulder at him, giving him a wink before you hand the now full box to the customer in front of you after they paid, apologizing again for the interruption. Turning to look at the window you waved the three teens into the shop, a little laugh leaving you as they stumbled inside, holding the door open for the customer to exit. The kids who looked like little rockers themselves, with their long hair and black Corroded Coffin band shirts, they were completely starstruck by your boyfriend. It made you giggle. Looking over at Eddie, you bumped his hip with yours when he came to lean against the counter next to you.

Grinning, Eddie took a sip of his coffee before he greeted the boys. “Heya fellas.”

“You’re Eddie Munson.” One of the boys stated his eyes still wide as he stared at Eddie. “Lead singer and guitarist for Corroded Coffin.”

“That’s me!” He laughed, placing his coffee down on the counter behind you. “You guys want an autograph?”

“Hell yeah!”

“That would be awesome!”

You watched, giggling as the boys freaked out practically rushing the counter as you handed Eddie some blank receipt paper and a marker from the register before he gestured them to the new cafe tables to get out of your way. Turning back to the boy you smiled at them, “You boys want a treat? It’s on the house.”

The three boys were incredibly polite and thankful for the free sweets and they sat at the table with Eddie for a while, after they got his autographs, just talking. He was so nice to them, answering questions and getting excited when they told him they also had started a band. You think it’s because they reminded him of himself and the rest of the band when they were around that age. It was sweet and made you smile. That’s something you love the most about metalheads, sure they look scary and unapproachable, but deep down they are the nicest dorks you could ever meet.

At one point you moved around the counter to hand Eddie a fresh cup of coffee since his original one had been forgotten when the boys came in. He introduced you to the kids as his girl as he pulled you onto his lap by your waist, telling them that you own the place, and they complimented the treats they had.

You sat there for a few minutes chatting before a new customer came in and you excused yourself to take care of them since both Marty and Emma were on their lunch break. Greeting the soccer mom you started on her order as the four metalheads chatted for a little longer.

“Thank you babe.” You smiled as you looked up at him. “I think you deserve a reward.”

Later that night it was just you and Eddie in the bakery, everyone having gone home to their families earlier in the evening, it was as you were standing at the kitchen island prepping some ingredients for tomorrow's haul of freshly baked goods that you suddenly got a craving for cinnamon bread. Fuck that sounded so good right now. Moving around the kitchen quickly you got your supplies and started on your bread.

While you were doing that Eddie had just finished sweeping up the crumbs on the shop floor, wiping down the café tables, and double checking that the front door was locked with the closed sign turned to let everyone know to come back tomorrow. Putting the broom back into its designated spot he wandered back into the kitchen to see you wrist deep in the bread dough as you had just dropped it from the bowl onto the floured countertop. “Front’s all clean and locked up, pretty girl.”

“Oh?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the counter by the door. “And what would that be? A cookie? A cupcake? Oh or maybe one of those blondies I love so much?”

“I was thinking more like a kiss…” You smirked at him, beckoning him over with a nod of your head before you gave an over-exaggerated sigh and dropped your shoulders as you continued to knead the dough. “Buuuuut if you want a cookie, I guuuuess yo-”

“No. Nonononono,” Pushing off the counter he waved his hands in the air as if he could toss the idea of not wanting a kiss away from him and rushed over silencing you with a kiss, his hands cupping your cheeks, his nose brushing against yours. “Kisses are good. Kisses are great.”

Laughing, you lean back your hands still in the bread dough and give him one final peck before you turn around to knead the dough again for a few minutes.

“Whatcha making baby?” Eddie asked as he moved behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, his chin landing on your shoulder.

“Cinnamon bread. Thought it would be good breakfast bread for tomorrow. Cinnamon bread french toast is the best.” You exclaim, looking over your shoulder at him.

“That sounds good.” He smiled, kissing the side of your head still watching you knead the dough until you rolled it into a good sized ball.

Grabbing the clean bowl you greased it up with a little bit of oil before you plopped the dough ball inside, placed a towel over the top, and moved it to a warm spot in the kitchen to let it rise. “Now we leave that for an hour.”

Leaning back against the counter again, Eddie watched while you collected the mixing bowl, measuring cup, and spoons from the counter turning to place them in the sink to clean. Grabbing the sponge you move back to the island to wipe the countertop down, before you turn back to the sink to wash your hands a look of worry on your face as you start to think of losing the bakery again. Glancing around the kitchen you frowned a little, you loved it here, you lived here, you didn’t want to lose it. Where would you go if you had to leave? Scrunching your brows together you dropped the sponge back into the sink resting your hands on it as you thought.

“I know that look,” Eddie said, sidling up to you. Bumping his arm into yours he bent down a little to look at you. “That’s your ‘I’m worried’ face. What’s goin’ on in that pretty little head of yours?”

“It’s stupid,” You said, shaking your head as you turned the sink on to wash the dishes you made. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

“No, tell me.” Eddie mumbled giving you that look that made your thighs clench, that ‘you’re going to be in trouble if you don’t tell me’ look, one of his brows going up to hide under his bangs. “Come on, out with it.”

Sighing, you shut the water off again, dropping the sponge into the sink. “I was worrying about the future of the bakery.”

Moving so he could face you better, his brows scrunched together. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Waving your wet hand in the air you looked over at him. “I just realized earlier that I don’t know what happened to the deed to the building after Nana passed and I’m scared that as like a last fuck you dad is going to sell it out from under me. I don’t want to lose this place, it’s my home, it’s my livelihood, I have worked too hard to let him fuck me over anymore.”

“Well that's an easy fix babe. He can’t,” Eddie smirked, smiling down at you. After all that had happened he had totally forgotten to tell you about the deal he had with your Grandma. “I own the building.”

That stopped you in your tracks and you looked up at him in surprise. “What?”

Nodding, he picked at a string on your shirt. “When your grandma was in the hospital she called the bar and asked me to come see her. So we met up, chatted a little, and we made a deal that she would sell me the building to keep it out of your fathers hands as long as I continue to let you live and work here. I said yes, I wanted to protect you anyway I could, so I bought the building from her. Your dad can't touch it.”

You floundered for a moment as you tried to think of something to say but all you could get out was a breathy. “Holy shit.”

Laughing a little Eddie tugged on your shirt pulling you closer to him not caring that your hands were still wet from washing your dishes when you grabbed the front of his button down shirt. “Not mad at me are you? For doing that behind your back.”

Shaking your head you placed your forehead against his chest, a little smile on your face as you started to chuckle a bit. “No. No, I’m not mad at you. I'm really happy actually. But it looks like you’re my landlord now and I will be paying you rent for this you know. In full and on time.”

“The only payment I expect is you.” Eddie laughed, his hand cupping the back of your head tangling his fingers in your hair to pull your head back a little so he had access to your neck, his words breathy against your skin. “Preferably in the form of your ass in my bed, tied up, and struggling.”

You let out a gasped moan as Eddie latched his lips onto your neck sucking a hickey into your skin. His teeth give you a little nip as he pulls back to look at you. You blinked up at him, your breathing a little heavy now and you squirmed a little in his hold, your thighs rubbing together at the thought of you bound and waiting for him to take you. Taking in a slow breath you smiled at him. “How about I pay you with rent and my ass. That way I don’t feel like a freeloader in your building and you still get to be mean to me.”

“Sweetheart,” He said, his voice dropping down into this dom tone that he liked to use when he was being serious with you. “As your boyfriend and your dom I want to help you. So let me deal with the payments for the building. You just focus on the bakery. I have more than enough money to take care of this place, just tell me when somethings wrong and I’ll handle it.”

“Eddie,” You started to say something else but he placed his fingers over your lips to silence you before he dragged his fingertips down your chin to lift your head up with his knuckles.

“Let me take care of you.” He said looking into your eyes before he leaned down to kiss you one more time and against your lips he mumbled. “And if you fight me about this anymore I will drag you upstairs and tan your hide with my belt. You understand me?”

Swallowing the saliva that collected on your tongue you nodded your head, even more excited now. “Yes, Sir.”

“Good girl,” Eddie smiles as she gives your ass a firm slap that makes you gasp again. Looking over towards the bowl with the ball of dough he smiled. “How much longer for your bread to rise?”

Glancing over at it, you looked at the clock, and shrugged your shoulders a little as you started to finish up the dishes you still had in the sink. “Maybe another thirty minutes? Then I have to roll it out, fill it with cinnamon sugar, make it into loafs, and then let it rise for another hour to an hour and a half.”

“Then since we have time…” Eddie said as he wandered back into the front to grab the demo CD from the counter behind the register where he had left it and turned back into the kitchen holding it up in the air so you could see it. “I would love your opinion on this.”

“Oh! Yes! Put it in, put it in!” You nodded enthusiastically pointing towards the stereo that sat in the cabinet by the backdoor.

Laughing, the metalhead moved around the island and fiddled with the stereo until he was able to pull out the mixed CD you had created and pushed the demo in and pressed play. The first few seconds were quiet until you heard the strings of a guitar being plucked at a fast pace, then the drums, and the rest of the band started and the very first song on the new album bumped through the speakers. Nodding your head to the beat, you smiled over at Eddie when his voice came out over the speakers.

By the time you had the two cinnamon sugared loaves of bread into their designated pans and set aside to rise again you were halfway through the album. Washing your hands again you turned wiping your hands on your apron to look at Eddie who had one arm crossed over his chest while the other was held up to his lips, his thumbnail between his teeth, he looked nervous about your reaction to the song. It was about two lovers who were separated but were able to come back together. When the song was ending you heard your voice start to fade in as the guitar riff faded out. It was a simple little sound bite of you saying ‘I fucking I love you, you dork’ and then you laughing. You remembered that conversation from the first week he was gone. He had called you one night and it seems he had recorded a part of it.

“I wrote that for you.” He said looking at you. “Gonna call it ‘Souls Intertwined’ or something like that. Titles are still being worked on.”

Walking over to Eddie you put your hands on his chest, a smile on your face as he put his hands around your waist. “You wrote that about us? And you used my voice?!”

“I did!” He nodded as he laughed. Pulling you flush against him he looked into your eyes. “Did you like it?”

“I loved it!” You nodded your head. “I love it. I love you.”

“I love you too.” He smiled, placing his forehead against yours, his eyes squinting a little as he tried to recall something. “How long did you say for the bread to rise this round?”

“About an hour, hour and a half.” You said looking over at the bread and then back to him.

The smile that grew on his face was one of trouble as he started to kiss your face, first your forehead, then your nose, your cheeks, and then your chin. “Good, good. Then we have more than enough time. So why don’t you get your cute butt upstairs, get undressed, and into first position, I’ll be right behind you.”

Nodding your head you bite your bottom lip sensually, taking a few steps back towards the stairs to your apartment and right when he had turned around to turn off the stereo in the cabinet you took the chance and smacked him straight on the ass, a laugh leaving you when he turned around to stare at you in surprise.

“Really?” He said turning and slowly making his way towards you, one foot in front of the other. His hands come up as if to grab you. “You are in so much trouble right now little girl.”

“Me?” You whisper at him, your hands going up to your chest and you make your eyes impossibly wide as you feign innocence as you start to back up some more. The game was on and quickly you turned around running towards the stairs and then up them. The sound of his feet chasing you through the kitchen and up the stairs making you laugh hysterically as you swung your apartment door open running to stand behind your dining room table by your bedroom door.

“Oh sweetheart,” Eddie said as he ran into the room after you, coming to a stop on the other side of the table, his hands landing on the top so he could lean towards you with that look in his eye that you loved so much. “You’re only making this harder on yourself. You know that right?”

“Mhm,” You nodded with a smug smile, watching him carefully as you both moved around the table first one way then the other making sure something was between you at all times. It was a cat and mouse game and you were completely content with being the mouse. At one point you even ripped your apron off and threw it at him to distract him but he just batted it out of the air like it was nothing.

This only lasted about three turns before he faked you out and when you went right to dodge his movement on the opposite side he quickly stepped left grabbing you around your waist and hoisting you onto his shoulder giving your ass a firm punishing smack. “Gotcha. You are in for it now.”

Laughing you struggle in his grip, your hands on his back as you try to push yourself up. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“No you’re not.” He snarked, kicking your bedroom door open. Eddie moved to your bed and dropped you down on it so he could straddled your waist, making sure to keep his weight off of you, and grabbed your wrists pulling him above your head. “Now are you going to take your punishment or are you going to be a little brat that I have to tie up?”

You shrug a little with a smirk on your face. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I see,” He nodded, letting your arms go so he could pull your shirt over your head leaving you in just your bra and jeans. The pick on your collar sitting in the hollow of your throat. Leaning back he looked down his nose at you and pointed at you with one finger and gave you a serious look, “Do not move from this spot.”

Nodding, you bite your lower lip a little as you look up at him. “Yes, Sir.”

Smirking, he got off the bed and moved to the duffle that he had grabbed from his car earlier in the day, unzipping it slowly to mess with you. He took his time moving a few things around mostly for dramatic effect, cause he knew exactly what he was looking for. His fingers grazed across the red rope that sat waiting in his bag. “Now, I was going to tell you that because you've been so good lately I was planning on graduating you from cuffs but since you were being such a bad girl I don't know if you deserve it.”

That piqued your interest quite a bit and you fought the urge to sit up on your elbows. Quickly you say, “No please, I'll be good. I promise. I’ll be good.”

“Mhm. You gotta prove it to me.” Eddie hummed as he grabbed the rope from the duffle and stood up, unbundling it in a showy way so you could see the end of it fall to the floor with a little thud. He smirked when your eyes widened and you took in a deep breath of excitement, your thighs clenching together again. He could watch you squirm like this all day. “Come here sweet girl.”

Quickly you got off the bed and moved towards him. Your eyes were stuck on the rope.

“Eyes on me.” He muttered and when you looked up at him he smiled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” You smiled up at him. You really did love this man.

Holding one finger up in the air he twirled it around in a circle. “Turn around babe. Arms behind your back.”

Slowly you turned, putting your arms behind you, and you hummed when you felt the first brush of the rope against your skin. It was softer than you expected. Closing your eyes you let out a little sigh of contentment as he expertly tied your wrists. Soon you felt him push a finger between your skin and the rope making sure it wasn't going to hurt you.

“Too tight?”

“No, Sir.” You said, shaking your head. It was just right.

You closed your eyes as he wrapped his arms around you, one hand splayed out against your stomach while the other wandered up to cup your chin pushing it up so it was leaning against his chest.

“Safeword?” He whispered into your ear.

“Red.” You breathed out

“Do you trust me?” He asked as he started kissing your neck, leaving little nips as he went.

“With my life.”

“Good girl.”

Tag List:

@eddiesprincess86 @haylaansmi @micheledawn1975 @chloe-6123 @wendyfawcett

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie x reader #eddie munson fanfic #dom!eddie munson #sub!reader #rockstar!eddie #barowner!eddie #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things fanfiction #st s4 #sugar cloud series #multi chapter

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lady-laree-world · 1 year

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Mermaid eyes

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Bucky Barnes X mermaid! reader

a\n: ok, i know i said i would update constantly but after i wrote the first chapter i thought about the next ones and i edited it many times, so i didn't feel like publishing it. Now that I have a more or less clear idea of what the story will be like, I'll start posting more. as always I apologize for some grammar mistakes or anything else but English is not my first language.

I recommend reading the prologue to better understand the story

hope you like it :) 🩷

Panic rushed through your mind. the tail was stuck and there was no way to undo the net that brought you to the surface. the cold wind blew hard on your wet skin and slowly the net rose more and more, until you were no longer in the water.

The net suddenly plummets and you fall with a loud thud onto a hard wooden surface, a soft moan escaping your lips. You were on the ship and now there was no way to escape. You hear sighs of surprise and soft cackles coming from all around you, but you refuse to look, resting your forehead on your folded arms, staring at the wooden beams below you. Someone touches your tail and you immediately move it closer to you, hissing at the stranger

<Move>

a deep, gruff voice spoke, followed by some shifting and strong, determined footsteps. you look up slightly and find a pair of black boots in front of you. I back away slowly, scared of what the human might do, but your movements are blocked by the net, which still completely covers you. The stranger crouches in front of you and takes a corner of the net, lifting it and freeing your head. At that point you decide to look at him and he looks very different from the humans your mother used to describe to you. The cold, serious look on his face worried you, but they sure weren't as terrifying as the evil ones you used to imagine.

<What do we have here? A little mermaid> His smile seemed almost reassuring, a little hope among the looks of hatred and surprise of the other sailors. His hand runs over your wet and dripping hair, your tail moves restlessly, trying to free itself. His gaze moves to it, and is mesmerized by it. The lustrous color was shimmering in the sunlight, your skin was pearly, shiny and glowing. The man's hand descended on your shoulders to touch the scales that covered you in some areas and you jerk away hissing. The man quickly withdraws his hand and speaks <excuse me, little Mermaid> he gives you a smile, almost joking and gets up again. <I'm Captain Barnes and this is my ship, can you understand me?> There's still an expression of fear on your face, but you nod slowly, almost surprised by his words.

<Well, little mermaid, what's your name?> His blue eyes scan you and seem to study your every move. Spend a few seconds pondering whether to answer or not, then your voice rings melodiously in the silence, your name like a sweet whisper in her ears. His smile grows slightly and he looks at you with soft eyes, sensing your fear. <If you let me catch you, I'll help you get back to the sea> You look at him in surprise, your eyes widen and he can finally tell the color of your eyes. Immediately after his words, his crew emits sounds of disagreement, but he hastens to stop them with a wave of his hand. <so, what do you think?>

you approach him, crawling on your tail, to better observe his blue eyes <will you really let me go or is it a trap?>

His eyes seem to soften when you get close to him and the sound of your voice amazes him. He crouches down to your height again and speaks to you in a playful and sweet tone, but with a hint of seriousness in his voice <although you are an infinitely wonderful creature, y\n, I can't keep you here, will you allow me to help you?>

Your heart leaps and a new flame of hope ignites in your heart as you nod vehemently. his hands come close to your body, one behind your back, the other under your tail. His warm breath blows into your ear as he stands up <tell me if I hurt you in any way>

You nod and he props you up against the edge of the ship, your tail pointing out to the water but your head still pointing towards him. his hands move and rest on the edge of the ship, on the sides of your body. You look at the water below you: would it really have been that easy to go home?

<come on, little mermaid, aren't you afraid to dive in?> his playful expression reassures you and you turn towards him, a sweet smile on your lips and, just before diving in, you whisper a thank you. The cool water hits your skin warm from the sun's rays and you immediately feel at home.

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foreveralwaysanauthor · 1 year

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Camp Wanamaker (Ch. 4/10)

July 8, 2023

Notes - As I said in my last post, I finished this earlier than expected and, honestly, I'm glad I did. However, all it did was drive my desire to write legitimately anything else 😫 I also have come to the realization that this month will be particularly busy for me as I now have to help with my church's summer program on top of work and everything. I still plan on getting things done, but it might take a bit more effort than usual, that's all. Anyway, there are quite a few parts in this chapter that I changed from the original idea, but I like this outcome far better, so I suppose it was worth it in the end haha.

Chapter 4 - Suddenly I See

The gentle breeze that blew in through the open window filled the small bedroom with the warmth of summer and the faint smell of the nearby lake. Water lapped gently against the shore, and for a fleeting moment, Carrie was sure she had fallen asleep on the beach. However, as crystalline blue eyes peeled open and stared up at the wooden logs that made up the ceiling of her room, she realized the truth. She was still at Camp Wanamaker, still holed up in her room after a long night on the beach. From what she could recall, the night before had been full of excitement - sitting around the small fire they had made on the beach after dinner in the mess hall, listening to everyone rant and rave about their experiences throughout the week.

Distantly, she recalled Vivien’s aunts arriving at camp and listening to stories of the different shows they had gone to see and the adventures they had gone on during their time away. The women divulged their new roles at the camp, and while Carrie was glad she and Riven had another set of hands willing to help them in the playhouse, she was more excited to get to know Charlie and her side of the events Vivien had told the blonde about prior. If things truly did transpire the way Vivien said they did, Charlie was in a similar position with Vivien as Carrie was with Royce and Bentley. With any luck, the older woman would have some insight into how to handle things with the two boys. The pink-haired woman was approachable and had seemed keen to talk with her at the campfire, supposedly having heard all about Carrie from Vivien’s never-ending calls and text messages, so Carrie could only hope the woman wouldn’t mind her prying.

Making her way to the window to see what the day had in store, Carrie sighed; she would do just about anything to find some sort of common ground with Miles’ brothers. Miles adored the boys with every fiber of his being, and while Carrie knew their bond was strong, it was exceedingly difficult to get either of the younger Murphy boys to talk with her unless they absolutely had to. Bentley was somewhat easier to converse with - approaching the blonde more than once in the playhouse during their stay at the camp and allowing the conversations to flow between them like water. Royce, on the other hand, was more standoffish. While their time together in the kitchen during their trial week had gone well, and they had gotten past whatever invisible barrier was between them enough that Royce hadn’t insulted her under his breath or made any snide comments during their time together, things had reached a bit of a stalemate. He hadn’t outright done or said anything against her since then, but then again, they hadn’t really had much time to spend together since the campers had begun arriving at camp.

Well, Carrie couldn’t exactly say that. She had plenty of time. The playhouse was still being set up, the actors hadn’t been chosen yet, and the script was being worked on still, so those in the playhouse had been allotted more time in the afternoons to do as they pleased than most of the others. Riven had told her not to worry about not spending the whole day in the playhouse at first, as it was fairly normal, so she had spent most of her free time either in the music hall, exploring the camp, or hanging around the snack stand by the pool, talking with Erica and Jade who had taken a liking to having someone other than Noah, the lifeguard, to talk with. It was only after watching him spend the whole week wandering the grounds on his own that she realized that she could have spent her afternoons with Bentley, keeping him company and helping him find things to do while everyone else was busy.

Miles had confided in her that Bentley wasn’t fond of being alone, the same way Vivien wasn’t, and while Carrie knew Vivien was fine in the music hall with Miles all day, Bentley had been left practically alone, spending time in the art barn or wandering camp like a lost puppy. She wondered if Bentley would mind her tagging along until things were done at the playhouse. Grabbing some clothes to change into and making her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day, Carrie took in a slow, relaxing breath and smiled to herself. She wouldn’t know the answer until she asked.

Once Carrie had readied herself for the day, she made her way to the living room, where she found the trio who somehow always managed to be up at the crack of dawn as well as Vivien’s birth mother and the woman’s wife. The children had taken up some of the couch cushions whilst Hayley and Charlie filled a loveseat with ease; Charlie’s legs draped over Hayley’s thighs as the pair talked about their trip and showed the three teenagers some pictures. Charlie, as she was facing the hallway where the bedrooms were, was the first to notice Carrie’s arrival, giving the blonde a brilliant smile and a waving wiggle of her fingers.

Carrie waved in return, perching herself on the arm of the couch with a smile as she said, “You guys are up early.”

“We usually get up early to get in a few laps at the pool,” Hayley claimed, “but we saw these three were up when we walked by, so we chose to stay and talk for a while instead.”

Vivien turned toward Carrie with a smile and explained, “They were just about to give me a sneak peek at what they got me while they were on vacation.”

Charlie shook her head with a smile, “Nice try, sunshine.”

“You’re not getting anything out of us until your birthday,” Hayley stated.

“But my birthday isn’t for another month,” Vivien complained. “You can’t just tell me that you got me something epic and not expect me to try to find out what it is!”

“We can and we will,” Charlie said. “All you need to know is that you’ll absolutely love it, no matter how long it takes you to find out.”

Slumping in her seat with an overdramatic huff, Vivien let her head fall onto Royce’s shoulder as she whined, “You try, Rolls. They like you more than me.”

With a snort, Royce smirked, “Somehow, I doubt that.”

“Depends on the day,” Hayley quipped with a shrug, earning a gasp of disbelief from her niece.

Turning to Bentley next, Vivien pleaded, “Bentley, you’ll help me, right?”

Bentley’s gaze fell on the two women who watched him with matching smirks, and he smiled in return before turning back toward Vivien. “Sorry, Viv, I don’t think it’ll work. They’d see right through me.”

In a last-ditch effort, Vivien pushed herself from the couch and draped her arms around Carrie’s shoulders, mustering her best puppy eyes as she peered at the blonde. “Carrie,” she began, an almost wounded tone in her voice, “you love me, don’t you?”

Snickering as she brought an arm around Vivien, Carrie nodded, “Sometimes I wonder why, but yes, I do.”

“In that case, will you please help me get some information out of those two very mean ladies over there?” Vivien pleaded, batting her eyelashes at the blonde in the vain hope that it would convince the actress to help.

“These ‘mean ladies’ can hear you, you little shit,” Hayley said, amusement clear in her tone.

Carrie chuckled as she glanced at Vivien’s aunts. Finding Vivien’s eyes once more, Carrie stage whispered, “I think they might already know you’re trying to get me to help.”

Letting her head hit Carrie’s shoulder, Vivien sighed, “Well, damn.”

Smiling at the brunette, Carrie patted Vivien on the back and suggested, “Maybe you can try roping Miles into helping you. You know he’s weak when it comes to those eyes of yours.”

Reviving almost instantly, Vivien beamed, “Maybe I’ll add in a little nickname or two - that always breaks him.”

“Like a twig,” Carrie nodded.

Vivien squeezed Carrie as tightly as she could, thanking her before bounding off down the hall to where Carrie knew her boyfriend was still likely fast asleep. Shaking her head as she let out a soft laugh, Charlie brought Carrie’s attention back to the present as she spoke, “Some things never change.”

Hayley nodded beside her, “And, for some reason, I’m grateful she’s one of those things.”

Deciding then was her chance to get some information from Charlie, Carrie asked, “Has she always been so close with the two of you?”

Charlie let out a bark of laughter, “Definitely not with me.”

The pink-haired woman had Bentley’s attention almost instantly as he asked, “What do you mean?”

Instead of allowing the woman beside her to answer, Hayley spoke, “Viv and I have always been close, but things between her and Charlie weren’t always sunshine and daisies.”

“Isn’t the saying ‘sunshine and roses’?” Royce wondered.

“It is,” Charlie nodded, patting her wife’s arm as she spoke, “but Hails here hates roses.”

Royce made a noise of understanding as Carrie spoke up, “You guys seem to get along really well, though.”

“We do now,” Charlie agreed. “At first, though, it was like a constant battle.”

“Vivien was a feisty little spitfire,” Hayley smiled, thinking back on the days when her niece would glare daggers at the woman she now adored, hoping the pink-loving woman would leave so that she could spend time with her aunt.

“‘Was’?” Charlie chuckled. “That little shit did everything short of arson to try to make the two of us break up.”

“She was nothing if not determined,” Hayley sighed. “Between her picking fights, starting screaming matches, and the endless silent treatments, I was sure you would eventually get sick of her nonsense and leave once you’d had enough of dealing with her.”

Charlie beamed, proud of the fact that she had stuck it out through Vivien’s roughest years, “But I’m still here almost ten years later.”

“That you are,” Hayley smiled.

Bentley’s eyes slid from the woman to his brother as he tried to nudge Royce in the side without being caught. The story sounded all too familiar, and, if Bentley had noticed the similarities, he was sure Royce had too. Vivien hadn’t always been close with Charlie, just the same as they weren’t close at all with Carrie. If Charlie had somehow managed to gain Vivien’s trust over time, did that mean that, eventually, they would find some sort of friendship with Carrie if she stayed with Miles? Were they truly living through the same thing Vivien had years prior?

Wide blue eyes met a pair of fiercely determined caramel ones as Royce turned to Bentley with a hardened stare. Although Bentley knew Royce wasn’t entirely ready to give up their efforts to break Carrie away from Miles, he hoped his brother wouldn’t go too far. Swallowing as Royce allowed his focus to drift back onto the conversation around them, Bentley let his gaze fall onto the hands he had kept in his lap. Maybe talking with Vivien and Charlie would give him better insight into how things changed over time. If anything, he could at least learn what had happened to make things switch so drastically. It couldn’t hurt, right?

Throughout breakfast, Bentley tried to pay attention to anything Charlie and Vivien said, hoping for something that could help him figure out what had changed between them. To his dismay, however, any conversation was drowned out by the others at the table who chose to talk about the upcoming week and what they were planning on doing while the kids were up in the woods for their wilderness week. As Vivien stood to bring her tray up to the counter, Bentley rose from his seat under the premise of getting another glass of juice and followed his brunette friend up to the counter.

Glancing toward Bentley and smiling, Vivien said, “Hey, Ben. You’ve been awfully quiet this morning.”

The unspoken question of his well-being was obvious, and Bentley sighed, “I’ve been thinking a lot.”

“About what?” Vivien asked as she handed her tray to the person behind the counter.

“You and Charlie,” he resigned. Making sure Vivien was following him, Bentley headed for the table of pitchers filled with different drinks as he continued, “She said you two weren’t always as close as you are now, and it got me thinking.”

“Oh yeah?” Vivien pressed, her eyebrow raising as she grabbed a cup from the stand.

Bentley nodded as he poured some apple juice into his cup, “Is there any way we could talk about what happened?”

“Of course,” Vivien smiled. “Do you want Charlie there too, or just me?”

After thinking for a moment, Bentley took a sip of his drink and said, “Just you, I think. I want to get to see both sides of it on my own.”

“Smart,” Vivien acknowledged with a nod. “Where do you want to talk?”

Bentley took in a breath as they began heading back toward their table, “I don’t know. Do you know any place where we can just sit without worrying about anyone interrupting?”

A smile spread across Vivien’s face as she nodded once again, “I do. Meet me up at the main office after breakfast, and we’ll go somewhere private.”

Curious as to where Vivien planned on taking him, Bentley nodded silently and made his way to his side of the table as they approached it. Vivien didn’t stay at the table for long, giving the others a brief farewell before declaring she was going to help her grandparents come up with a schedule for a few weeks out. With her presence gone from the table, it was only a matter of time before everyone else filed away. Hayley left soon after to meet up with the other lifeguards and get a feel for how they had started running things. Carrie, Riven, and Charlie were the next to leave as they had to make their way to the playhouse early so that they could start working more on the set designs for the play.

As the others began to leave, Bentley took his tray to the counter and handed it off before departing from the mess hall. The walk to the main hall was fairly short, but Bentley was sidetracked easily by the camp’s loyal guardian, who walked alongside him as he entered the office. It was easy for him to find Vivien as Ding took the lead, guiding him through the hall to an open door. Knocking on the frame of the door, Bentley alerted the trio inside to his presence and found himself practically pulled inside as Vivien excitedly waved him toward the desk she was sitting at.

Looking over the calendar on the desk, Bentley asked, “What’s all this?”

“The camp schedule,” Dawn replied. Sliding her finger from the second of July to the eighth, she said, “This week is wilderness week. Most of the campers will be hiking the trails up through the mountain, and the camp will be practically empty apart from meal times. Next week,” she slid her finger across the week below, “is a break week where it's just staff here for cleaning and prep for the next three weeks. The week after next week is Color Wars.”

“Color Wars?” Bentley wondered.

Vivien nodded, a beaming smile taking over her concentrated expression as she explained, “Color Wars is where we’re divided into four colors - red, yellow, green, or blue - and we fight to earn the most points throughout the week. The color team with the most points by Friday wins.”

“It’s one of the few weeks where we don’t have a program at the end of the week,” George added. “Everyone is too busy fighting for points that they don’t spend much time doing much else.”

Bentley smiled; it sounded like fun. “How many weeks do you guys have planned out?”

“We have a basic outline of the whole summer,” Dawn claimed. “Most weeks don’t have a special theme until we decide to add one. We’re trying to figure out a few more activity weeks this morning.”

“So far,” Vivien began, nudging her glasses further up her nose as she read, “we have wilderness week, Color Wars, and sports week.”

“That’s it?” Bentley asked. “Aren’t there, like, seven or eight more weeks of camp?”

Vivien nodded, turning her gaze back onto Bentley as she asked, “Any ideas?”

Bentley thought for a while. He had never thought of things to do at camp as he had assumed they had everything under control already. Chewing thoughtfully on the inside of his cheek, Bentley offered, “How about a murder mystery?”

“How do you mean?” George asked.

“Like a game of Clue in real life,” Bentley shrugged. “The counselors dress up as their own made-up characters and act out a murder mystery at every meal. It gives the campers something to work together to solve during the day and makes them all super quiet during meals so they pay attention.”

Beaming, Vivien said, “On Friday, they could put together the final show, and everyone could see if they had things right.”

“Exactly,” Bentley declared.

Scribbling down the idea and the concepts the children had pieced together, Dawn said, “Maybe we should get you to help us more often, Bentley.”

“We could always use another creative mind to work things out,” George acknowledged. “Now, what did you come in for?”

“Viv said to meet her here,” Bentley admitted.

Dawn turned to her granddaughter and asked, “Is that why you asked for the keys?”

Vivien nodded, “Yeah. Can we go?”

“Go ahead,” George said with a wave of his hand. “Just be back before dinner.”

Chuckling as she pushed herself up from her office chair, Vivien smiled, “We all know I’m not going to miss out on spaghetti.”

“Have fun, you two,” Dawn said with a grin as she watched Vivien take Bentley by the hand and pull him out of the room.

“We will,” Vivien called in return as she made their exit as swift as possible. Once they were out of the main office, she led Bentley toward the car she had left parked in the shade of a large oak tree and released him so that he could climb into his side of the car.

Slipping into the passenger seat, Bentley asked, “Where are we going?”

“Just up the road,” Vivien replied.

“Couldn’t we have walked there?”

“If you feel like walking for almost an hour uphill in ninety-degree weather.”

“Nevermind,” Bentley relented, grabbing his seatbelt and clicking it into place.

“Didn’t think so,” Vivien snickered as she tugged her seatbelt tighter and slid the key into the ignition.

Vivien’s car started with a hum, and she pulled back out of her parking spot before throwing the car into drive and heading toward the camp’s exit. As opposed to Butchy’s truck, the smaller car had terrible suspension and bounced around the unpaved road like a pinball. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long for them to reach the end of the road, but the pair sat at the end of the road for a moment, allowing their jostled bodies a moment of rest before Vivien flicked on her blinker and pulled out of the driveway.

Bentley looked around at the scenery, taking in the view of the rest of the town as they pulled past the tree line and into an area of good clarity. The houses on the street were few and far apart, but luxurious all the same. A few had large walls of windows, while others sported pillars on the porches and bushes that looked like the puffs of a freshly-groomed poodle. How people had so much money, he’d never know, but it was nice to look at, all the same. As the car slowed and Vivien, once again, put on her blinker, Bentley glanced at the indicator on the dash before looking toward the large house that sat fairly far back from the road.

“What are you doing?” he asked as Vivien turned into the driveway.

“Heading somewhere nobody else will find us,” she replied.

As Vivien rolled to a stop before the house, Bentley asked, “You know the people who own this place?”

“I sure hope so,” she snorted in return, turning the car off with a grin. “You do too.”

Confused, Bentley turned to Vivien with a raised brow, “Since when?”

“Well,” Vivien drawled, “you met my grandparents a few weeks ago.”

“Your grandparents own this place?!” Bentley asked in astonishment, gaping up at the large building before them.

“Partially,” Vivien confirmed. “Besides, you’ve known me for almost a year now, so I’d say you’ve known the owners for about that long.”

As Vivien popped open her door and climbed out of the car, Bentley was quick to follow, trying to sort through Vivien’s words as the brunette moved to the front door and slid a key into the lock. “So, let me get this straight, you and your grandparents own this huge house?”

“They’ve had it for a long time,” Vivien nodded. “They put me on the deed for it last year so that, when they move out, it stays in the family.”

As Vivien pulled the key from the door, Bentley asked, “How come they didn’t give it to your parents or your aunts?”

“My parents plan on going their separate ways once Abby and Olly move out,” Vivien sighed as she stepped into the house. “Aunt Hayley and Charlie, on the other hand, actually encouraged them to give it to me.”

“Do you plan on moving in?” Bentley asked as he followed Vivien inside and looked around.

“Probably,” Vivien shrugged as she closed the front door. “I don’t really need all the space, but it’ll be nice to be able to have people stay over and stuff.”

“Like us?” Bentley asked.

Vivien hummed, making sure Bentley was following her as she made her way toward the kitchen. “Exactly. I want a place for everyone to stay and enjoy themselves.”

While his friend opened the refrigerator and searched for something to drink, Bentley looked around. Despite the center island holding a bowl full of what looked like a tower of Oreos and the refrigerator being covered in artwork that had clearly been done by a small child, there was still a chandelier hanging above the marble countertops and a large wine fridge that showed just how expensive everything was. He couldn’t picture Vivien in such a luxurious place. Sure, her family had money - far more than Bentley could probably imagine - but Vivien never seemed to care about spending sprees or extravagant items.

A hand waved in front of Bentley’s face, and as he jumped, Vivien chuckled, pushing a can of soda into his hand before walking away. “Come on,” she instructed.

Bentley trailed behind at a slower pace, hoping to soak everything in as he went. Eventually, they came to a room with a large television mounted on the wall and a large, plush couch that enveloped them in comfort as they sat. Vivien popped open her can and took a long drag from it before setting it on the coffee table and turning toward the blond she had dragged up to the house, silently urging him to say what had been on his mind. Bentley followed her lead, taking a sip of his drink and setting it aside before clearing his throat and asking, “What happened between you and Charlie?”

“The two of them started going out when I was maybe eight or nine,” Vivien began. “Before that, I had spent as much time as possible with Aunt Hayley. She had taken me out to museums and concerts and it really helped me a lot while my parents were busy doing other things.”

As though he still feared being heard by someone, Bentley muttered, “Sounds like how Miles kept us busy until he moved.”

“It probably felt pretty similar,” Vivien nodded. Taking in a deep breath, she continued, “Anyway, when she told me she’d found someone over the summer, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the idea. I didn’t want to give up the time I had with her just so that some other person could come into the picture.”

Bentley’s gaze met Vivien’s as she waited for him to ask any questions he had. It was uncanny, really, the similarities he could see between himself, Royce, and Vivien. Instead of asking his friend a question, Bentley said, “You didn’t like her.”

“I didn’t,” Vivien agreed. “She’s the embodiment of the color pink, and Aunt Hayley, at the time, was this hipster who clung to her camera for dear life. I thought my aunt would go for someone cool and edgy, not Pinkie Pie from My Little Pony.”

“Sounds familiar,” Bentley mused with a sigh. “Is that why you found it so easy to befriend Carrie when you first met - because you had already found common ground with Charlie?”

“In a way,” Vivien admitted with a smile, “but it wasn’t easy to find that common ground with Charlie.”

“How come?”

“Because I didn’t make it easy,” Vivien stated, reaching for her drink once more. “I pushed her away and tried everything in my power to make one of them leave the other.”

Bentley’s eyebrow rose as he observed his closest friend, “Somehow, I can’t picture you doing that.”

“Be glad you can’t,” Vivien sighed. “I was a demon spawn, and everyone who was there can attest to it.”

Nodding, Bentley relaxed into the couch cushion and asked, “So, what changed?”

“We both did,” Vivien claimed. “Aunt Hayley left me alone with Charlie one day. She took me to the carnival in town and, after spinning around in the tea cups until I threw up, I took out all my frustrations on her.”

“What happened?”

“I won’t pretend I was nice,” Vivien chuckled humorlessly. “After trying so hard to get her to leave and fighting to get things to go my way, I just had enough, and I slapped her.”

“And she let you?” Bentley pressed, bewildered at the thought.

“I was eight and had weak wrists,” Vivien stated dryly, “it didn’t hurt. It’s the only time I’ve ever hit someone, and while I wasn’t proud of it, she gave me a taste of my own medicine soon after.”

Bentley was sure his eyes couldn’t widen any further than they already had as he pressed, “She hit you?”

“It wasn’t as much of a hit as it was a pat on the cheek, but it knocked some sense into me,” Vivien admitted with a smile. “When we got home after a super quiet car ride, we apologized in our own ways and smacked each other around with pillows while we aired our respective grievances. In the end, we found that we had more in common with each other than we thought we would.”

“What happened when Hayley came home?” Bentley asked softly.

Vivien chuckled, “By that time, we had cleaned everything up, made some ice cream sundaes, and begun watching Harry Potter.”

Bentley smiled, a soft laugh falling from him as he asked, “Was she upset with how things came to be?”

“I think she was too happy about us finally getting along that she never once questioned why it happened so quickly,” Vivien pondered. “It was the first time in two years that I had seen Charlie as something other than my enemy and I think Aunt Hayley was just glad she didn’t have to keep me from trying to break them up all the time.”

“Do you think that’s what could happen with us and Carrie?” Bentley asked hesitantly.

“Maybe,” Vivien spoke, “if you play your cards right.”

The blond sighed; he certainly had a lot to think about. Taking a sip of his drink, Bentley realized that he now had to get Royce on the same train of thought. It wouldn’t be easy - in fact, Bentley was sure that getting an angry cat to take a bath would be easier - but if Vivien’s relationship with Charlie was anything to go by, they all would be happier in the end. He just had to figure out how to go about it.

While campers filled the camp the next day, finding their places in their cabins and figuring out which group they would be in for their wilderness trips, Bentley found it easier to hide away from the crowds. Holing himself in the art barn, Bentley pulled an easel over to where he had planned on sitting and unwrapped a canvas to place atop the wooden stand, grateful to have all of the art supplies to himself for once. Gathering a rolling tray full of watercolor paints and acrylics, Bentley wheeled them over to where he planned to relax and had just perched himself on his stool when the door to the art barn opened. Letting out a sigh, Bentley slowly leaned to the side, glancing around his canvas to see who had disturbed his solitude.

Instead of finding himself frustrated by the person, Bentley discovered a smile tugging at his lips as he waved at Vivien’s biological mother. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you would be guarding the pool.”

The woman chuckled, ditching her hoodie on a chair as she grabbed a smock from the hangers on the wall, “I would if there was a reason to. The groups just headed out for the woods, so there’s nobody looking to swim right now.”

“Ah,” Bentley breathed, wetting his brush in the cup of water he’d set to the side before dipping it into a pan of blue watercolor paint. “So you wanted to come down here?”

“I did,” Hayley nodded, grabbing a paintbrush and twisting her hair around it before sticking it into place. “I enjoy coming in to paint or work on embroidery in my free time.”

As if the woman didn’t already have a portion of Bentley’s attention, she sure did now. Bentley watched as the woman pulled up an easel and canvas of her own, setting up some gouache paints and gathering a container full of threads before sitting near Bentley with a smile. Bentley gave a smile in return before focusing on his work once more. Sparing glimpses at the woman, he wondered briefly if Vivien had gotten her entire style from the woman. They both seemed to favor old band shirts, had wrists full of bracelets, and, to top it all off, they both had bangs of some sort. With how similar they looked, Bentley wouldn’t be surprised if, by the time Vivien was the woman’s age, she still dressed like her role model.

If the woman knew Bentley was observing her, she never said anything, but as Bentley dragged his brush across the canvas before him, he couldn’t help saying, “Vivien told me what happened between her and Charlie.”

The woman’s forest green eyes found Bentley with ease as she cleaned her brush and asked, “Oh yeah?”

Bentley nodded, “I think she thinks it will make me and Royce try to be better with Carrie this summer.”

Chuckling, Hayley swiped her brush across the painting before her and asked, “Is it working?”

“I don’t think it’s working on Royce much at all,” Bentley admitted, “but I also don’t think he’s asked much about it.”

“You have,” the woman presumed. When Bentley nodded, she smiled, “I’m not surprised. You seem to be the curious type.”

“I do?”

“You do.”

Humming, Bentley returned to his art as he thought about the woman’s words. He had always been curious - something Miles constantly reminded him was a thing he needed to be cautious with so he didn’t get in trouble - but something about the way Hayley said it made him wonder if he had pried too far in asking Vivien to tell him everything. Choosing to inadvertently speak his mind, Bentley cleared his brush once more and said, “Miles says that it’s good that I like to ask questions, but that I need to be careful not to push too far.”

“Solid advice,” Hayley remarked as she glanced over at the boy, “but you don’t have to worry about that with me or Hayley. We’re open books to practically everyone.”

Grateful the woman had answered his silent question, Bentley smiled and asked, “Since I already know Vivien’s side of the story, can I ask you what yours is?”

Hayley smiled at the blond as she dipped her brush into a pale green paint, “Of course, but I thought you would want Charlie’s more than mine.”

“I’ll get to her sooner or later,” Bentley decided. “I just figured that it might be easier to see things how I’m sure Miles sees them.”

“Miles is the one dating Carrie, right?” Hayley asked. “The tall one with the bright blue eyes who relies on coffee more than all of the cops in America?”

Snickering at the woman’s description of his brother, Bentley nodded, “Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Ah,” Hayley breathed. She took a moment to think, adding a few swipes of color to her work before beginning, “At first, I thought it would be the best thing in the world. I could bring the person I love most in this world and my favorite little person together.”

“I can’t imagine Viv being little,” Bentley breathed.

“I meant Charlie,” Hayley said with a smile, absorbing Bentley’s laugh with ease. “Although Vivien is my niece, I still see her as my little girl, and that love runs far deeper than any other - even my love for Charlie.”

“But isn’t Charlie your family too now?” Bentley asked.

“Yes,” Hayley agreed easily, “but I made it very clear from the beginning of our relationship that, even though Vivien isn’t my daughter, she will always take precedence.”

Bentley thought for a while, taking in the woman’s words slowly and allowing himself to process them before slowly speaking, “So even though you loved Charlie, you would give up your relationship just for Vivien?”

“Vivien may not be my daughter,” Hayley began, “but she is my baby, regardless of what the adoption papers say. I would do anything to keep her safe and happy, even if it meant breaking up with Charlie.”

Bentley sat in silence, finding nothing but honesty in the woman’s eyes. If she really felt so strongly, why did she and Charlie stay together despite Vivien’s hatred of the woman? “You would give up everything just like that?”

“Just like that,” Hayley confirmed. “The only reason I didn’t leave Charlie was because of how determined she was to put in the effort and make Vivien like her. I had thought about just throwing in the towel more than once, but her stubbornness and determination kept me from it, and I couldn’t be more grateful that I chose to hold out hope. If I had to guess, that’s probably the same reason Miles is still with Carrie despite both you and Royce not liking her.”

“You think she wants us to like her?”

“I do.” Returning to the artwork before her, Hayley spun her brush, adding a circle of light, almost white, yellow near the top of her canvas. “If she’s anywhere near as determined and headstrong as Charlie is, she won’t be giving up any time soon.”

Bentley knew just how stubborn Carrie could be; he had seen it many times before. His eyebrows furrowed as he realized just how many times over the last nearly two years he had seen Carrie try and fail to bring their relationship to some form of cordiality and how many times Miles begged them to at least try to find common ground with the actress. They had pressed him multiple times about his relationship with the blonde, asking him what he saw in such a woman and how on earth he had gotten to be in a relationship with someone so polar opposite to who they thought he should have been with. Miles had been calm through most of it, handling them and their questions with relative ease and trying to help them figure things out for themselves, but never once did he say anything about willingly breaking things off with her if they wanted him to.

“I don’t think Miles would give up on Carrie for us,” Bentley admitted. “There have been many times when he could have, but he didn’t.”

“Have you asked him to break up with her?”

“No, but we’ve questioned his sanity more than once,” Bentley claimed with a roll of his eyes.

“Vivien never did either, but if she had asked me to, I would have.” A ghost of a smile crossed Hayley’s face as Bentley’s eyes found hers, “In a way, I knew somewhere in Vivien’s mind, she wanted me to, but I held out hope that, someday, she’d see what I saw in Charlie and would begin to love her the way I did. If it didn’t, and she asked me to break things off for some reason, I would have because Vivien comes first to me, even if it comes at the cost of my happiness in a relationship.” Watching to make sure the young boy had taken the information in, Hayley smiled and admitted, “I’m sure your brother would say the same if you asked him.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

The confidence in the woman’s words and the honesty in her eyes gave Bentley pause. How many times had his brother contemplated giving up his relationship with Carrie just to appease them? If he was dealing with the same thing Hayley had, it had probably been far more than just once or twice. Taking in a deep breath, Bentley stared at his unfinished artwork and realized that, sooner rather than later, he would have to sit down with his brother and try to air his concerns. With any luck, he’d hear something similar to what Hayley had divulged. Then, as he glanced out the nearby window at the playhouse across the walking path, Bentley realized that if he wanted to see every side of the relationship, that meant he would also have to ask the she-devil herself. Great, Bentley sighed to himself, exactly what he didn’t want to do.

Deciding it would be easier to see Miles’ side of things first, Bentley set out for the music hall on Tuesday morning, following his brother up the hill to the old building as they talked about the new Transformers movie they had watched the night before. Though Vivien had initially followed them, she broke off when they reached the part of the trail that split off toward the pool, claiming she wanted to talk with Noah about something before the day went any further. Miles brushed off the girl’s departure and continued talking with Bentley, simply glad to have the chance to spend time with his youngest brother on what was typically a busy day.

By the time they had made it to the music hall, the conversation had shifted topics, and as Bentley perched himself in the cozy armchair Vivien usually claimed, he found himself taking a cautious breath and asking, “Can we talk?”

“Isn’t that what we’re doing?” Miles chuckled as he dropped into his chair.

“Well, yeah,” Bentley said with a roll of his eyes, “but I mean about… something else.”

Noticing the way Bentley’s eyes had drifted and how focused he was on fiddling with his shoelaces, Miles figured the topic had to have been eating at his younger brother, whatever it was. Attempting to make light of the situation, Miles joked, “If this is about how floppy the bacon was this morning, I have to say, I-”

“Miley,” Bentley interrupted curtly, hoping his brother would see the seriousness in his eyes as they met Miles’.

Sensing the importance of the conversation, Miles cleared his throat and turned toward Bentley, “Yeah, baby?”

There it was, the simple word that meant the world to Bentley. Miles had, according to Royce, picked up on the term of endearment from their mother, and, for as long as either of them could remember, they had always been called that. The gravity of a small, four-letter word had struck him more than once, but now, it seemed to have more power behind it - whether Miles knew it or not. Reflecting back on his conversation with Hayley the day before, Bentley recalled her saying that, despite Vivien not being her kid, she was still her baby. In a way, Bentley was sure Miles must have felt something similar after spending so much time practically raising both Royce and himself.

Taking in a breath, Bentley leveled his gaze on his brother and said, “I want to talk with you about Carrie.”

“What about her?” Miles asked, the small smile he had maintained faltering under his brother’s stare.

Despite his impeccable poker face around most other people, Miles wore his heart on his sleeve when it came to his brothers, his guard collapsing around him with ease. Though he hated to admit it, Bentley used this information and pinpointed the precise moments when hope left his brother's aquamarine eyes and fear coupled with hurt flooded in. It was easy to tell that Miles knew how serious the conversation was meant to be, and, while Bentley was grateful he was taking it seriously, he didn’t want his brother to be too worried.

Reaching over the gap between their chairs, Bentley took Miles’ hand in his and watched Miles’ tension loosen a fraction, seemingly grateful for his brother's quick squeeze. “Relax,” Bentley gently ordered. “I just want to ask you some stuff.”

“Like what?” Miles pressed in a breath.

Thinking for a moment, Bentley asked, “Are you genuinely happy with her?”

Taken aback by his brother’s question, Miles froze, his eyebrow raising as he replied, “I am; why?”

Avoiding answering, Bentley asked, “Do you want to marry her someday?”

“What?”

“Are you going to have kids?”

“Ben, I-”

“If you do, what happens to me and Royce?”

Startled by the complete curveball he had been thrown, Miles blinked and jerked backward as he sputtered some incoherent, half-sentences, and Bentley continued asking questions he didn’t have answers for. Righting himself, Miles took in a deep breath and took Bentley by the shoulders, cutting him off mid-question to ask, “Benny, what brought this on?”

Swallowing the lump of tension that had formed in his throat, Bentley spoke, “Vivien didn’t like Charlie at first.”

“Okay,” Miles began slowly, wondering where this non sequitur would bring them.

“They got close, and now they’re family,” Bentley continued. Miles nodded, and Bentley resumed his speech, “Charlie and Hayley can’t have kids because they’re two girls, but you and Carrie can.”

As hard as he tried to piece together the puzzle Bentley had dumped out before him, Miles couldn’t find where the two topics correlated. Giving his youngest brother a small, tentative smile, Miles said, “I’m not sure I follow.”

“It’s just…” Bentley’s voice faded into silence. Then, as he took a breath once more, he met Miles’ eyes and admitted, “I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

Pushing the ball of pressure in his throat down again, Bentley muttered, “You kicking us out.”

Like a piece of glass being smashed in with a baseball, Miles shattered, reaching for Bentley with wide eyes as he stated, “I would never do that to either of you. Who on earth told you that you would get kicked out?”

“It’s only natural,” Bentley said with a shake of his head, taking in a shuddered breath. “If you and Carrie get married and stuff, it won’t be long before we get kicked out so you two can have kids.”

“Bentley,” Miles breathed, but he was quickly cut off by Bentley once more.

“With Hayley and Charlie, Vivien has nothing to worry about unless they adopt, and even then, she doesn’t live with them all the time,” he rambled. “You and Carrie can have kids whenever you want and after how Royce and I have treated her, I wouldn’t be surprised if Carrie convinces you to kick us out to make room for the kids you’ll have and-”

“And, if I thought that was even remotely close to being true,” Miles began, “I would have broken up with her a long time ago.” Using Bentley’s silence as a way to get his point across, Miles squeezed his brother’s hands as he said, “Even though Carrie and I have no intention of having kids any time soon, I know for a fact that the last thing she would do is kick either one of you out. Regardless of whether you see it or not, she does care about you two and is trying so hard to get that point across in any way she can.”

Steadying himself with a deep breath, Bentley asked, “She is?”

Allowing a smile to tug at his lips, Miles nodded, “Far more than you realize. She pays more attention to both of you and your interests than you might realize. Every time I drive her to work, she asks about you and the things you’d gotten up to. If you two would give her the chance to show it, you would be able to see just how deeply she cares.”

With a pensive look in his eyes, Bentley questioned, “Is that why you’ve stayed with her even though we didn’t like her?”

“There’s a list of reasons, but that’s a part of it, sure,” Miles agreed. With a thoughtful smile, he added, “In fact, she offered to lend me her car and give me gas money to pick you both up not long after I got your letter saying that you two had saved the money to come live with me.”

“She did?” Bentley wondered. Though he had tried to see what his oldest brother had seen in the blonde, he had allowed his vision of her to have been blurred by Royce’s distrust and Butchy’s distaste for the actress. At Miles’ nod of confirmation that the blonde had, in fact, offered such a grand gesture, Bentley asked, “How come you never told us?”

“It never occurred to me,” Miles shrugged, reaching up to brush some of Bentley’s golden locks from his face. “At the time, I was more surprised to see you both on my doorstep than anything, and as time passed, I found myself more occupied with caring for the two of you that I never thought to mention it.”

Letting out a breath of a laugh, Bentley said, “That might have made a lot of a difference.”

“You think so?”

Bentley laughed, hoping his emphatic nod would emphasize his statement, “Royce and I thought she was just this prissy, full-of-herself, wicked witch who had you trapped in some kind of evil love spell like in that movie we had watched where the octopus girl spelled the prince to fall in love with her instead of the mermaid.”

Letting out a snort at his brother’s warped description of his girlfriend, Miles shook his head, “She’s a lot friendlier when you get to know her.”

“Maybe a little too friendly with you,” Bentley remarked, wiggling his eyebrows with a smirk.

Smacking Bentley’s shoulder, Miles scoffed, “Shut up.”

After sitting for a while in relative silence, smiling at each other, Bentley softly spoke up, “I think I might try talking with her tomorrow. You know, get a feel for who she is and all that.”

“Really?” Miles asked, hope swelling in his eyes once more as Bentley chuckled and nodded.

“She deserves it after putting up with us for so long.”

Smiling, Miles leaned over the gap between their chairs and pulled Bentley into a hug, glad to feel his brother’s arms come around his back as he muttered his thanks over the blond’s shoulder. Before he could say much more, the door to the music hall pushed open, and, with a curious tilt of her head, Vivien asked, “What did I miss?”

“Nothing much,” Bentley said with ease. “We were talking about Carrie, and I think I’m finally willing to give her a shot.”

“You are?” Vivien questioned skeptically. Bentley’s nod and Miles’ beaming smile seemed genuine, so as Vivien smiled in return, she said, “Well, it’s about damn time if you ask me.”

Rolling his eyes at his friend’s comment, Bentley relaxed into his chair once more and began thinking of how he would approach Carrie without scaring her off. In the past, he had helped Royce and Butchy with more than one torturous prank on the girl. He couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t feel uneasy by his presence and sudden interest in her. Taking a deep breath and glancing at Miles as he stood and made his way to the guitars that hung on the wall, Bentley thought of how at ease the actress was around his oldest brother. If he could treat her similarly to how Miles did, maybe she would be willing to speak with him. While he couldn’t approach her with a kiss like Miles almost always did - not only because it would be inappropriate, but also the fact that the very thought had him fighting the urge to throw up - but he could try approaching her with a smile.

Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d get a hug out of him like everyone else did.

Wednesday came and brought with it the invisible war paint on Bentley’s cheeks. In his head, he was preparing for battle, ready to fight the ingrained hatred he had for a certain actress to make some sort of progress toward a form of friendship he had once thought impossible. While it still felt nearly impossible, it was for an entirely different reason. Originally, the impossibility was willingly engaging in conversation with Carrie without one of his brothers or friends present. Now it had dissolved into the impossibility of getting the actress alone for more than five seconds.

His first plan had been to sort of ambush her before breakfast, using the early hours to talk, but given how easily he now managed to snooze his alarm and go back to sleep, his first plan was quickly scrapped, and he was hauled out of bed by Riven who told him to get dressed before Vivien chose violence. His second plan was similar to how he had managed to corner Vivien in the mess hall a few days earlier. That plan was also scrapped as everyone else seemed to get up from the table for something or another and had grabbed the blonde anything she needed while they were up. Bentley was officially on his third - and, hopefully, last - plan, which required him practically stalking Carrie, Riven, and Charlie to the playhouse.

“Spending the day in the art barn again?” Riven asked as he trailed alongside the blond boy.

Bentley was quick to shake his head as he softly answered, “I’m trying to spend time with Carrie.”

Confusion filled Riven’s expression as he reached up and slapped a hand to the boy’s forehead, “Why; are you sick or something? Trying to pass it along to her?”

Peeling Riven’s hand from his face, Bentley snickered, “No.”

“Are you sure?” Riven pressed rhetorically. “I can’t imagine you willingly spending time with her.”

“Yeah, well, I’m going to try,” Bentley sighed.

“What changed?” the auburn-haired boy asked.

Taking in a breath, Bentley explained, “The other day, I talked with Viv and Hayley about how things were when Charlie came into the picture and, after hearing their side of things, I talked with Miles to see how he felt.”

“And?”

“It sort of made things make sense,” Bentley admitted. “Now, I just want to hear her side of things to see if Royce and I were wrong about some stuff.”

Riven hummed, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he walked, “Well, if it means anything, I don’t mind spending all day with her in the playhouse. She’s fun, yet professional when she needs to be, and she puts in the effort to make sure everyone is having a good time regardless of what they’re doing.”

“You like spending time with her?” Bentley asked.

“I do,” Riven admitted. “Despite what Royce and Butchy say, she’s not the devil.”

“I didn’t think she was,” Bentley confessed.

“Maybe not,” the taller boy shrugged, “but I bet you’ve called her that because that’s how they see her.”

Bentley didn’t need to think about it to know. He had done it many times before out of habit, spewing out what he had heard them say just to feel included. “Maybe,” he muttered.

“Mhm,” Riven hummed knowingly. “Just do me a favor.”

“What’s that?” Bentley asked.

“Try to see her for who she actually is,” Riven said. “Push aside whatever you had heard from everyone else and get to know the real Carrie. You never know what side of her you’ll get, but you never know; maybe you’ll like what you see.”

Glancing ahead at the two women ahead of them, Bentley felt a smile tug at his lips as Charlie said something that got Carrie laughing hysterically. As they neared the playhouse, Carrie’s head turned toward the art barn and, subsequently, the library. After a moment, she turned to say something to Riven, but when she spotted Bentley beside him, she stalled. After what couldn’t have been more than a second or two, she bounced back to her smiling self and waved toward the boys before turning back to Charlie with something to say.

“Maybe,” Bentley conceded.

Normally, Bentley didn’t mind being covered in paint, but he preferred to paint on a canvas with brushes and precision. Spray-painting a gigantic hair spray canister in aqua and baby pink was certainly not the type of artwork he liked. It didn’t help that, with his job being kept outside, Bentley didn’t have a single opportunity to talk with Carrie alone. She was tasked with helping Riven and some girl with a name he couldn’t pronounce work on the photography ideas they’d had for promotion pictures they would eventually plaster all over the town. Instead, he was kept company only by Charlie, who came and went as she pleased and offered him company when she wasn’t busy preventing meltdowns and consoling scriptwriters who had to erase sections of their work due to it not making much sense in the grand scheme of things. Charlie wasn’t bad company by any means; she just wasn’t the person he had hoped to spend the day with.

As the woman with the pink braids came back outside, Bentley smiled her way and gestured toward the giant spray can beside him as he set down his can of aqua paint. “What do you think?”

“It looks great, Bentley,” she complimented. “What do you think?”

“It’s good,” he nodded. “It’s not my normal art form, but I think I did alright.”

“More than alright,” Charlie claimed, nudging Bentley with her elbow. “Give yourself more credit.”

The sincerity in Charlie’s eyes was as clear as the sky above, and the sight made Bentley smile, “Alright, I did a good job.”

“I’ll take it,” Charlie sighed, her smile ever-present. Perching herself on one of the stump seats Bentley had used to get some of the higher portions of the can, Charlie began speaking with a knowing tone, “You know, I have the feeling you didn’t come here to help us paint.”

Though Bentley tried to figure out a way to argue the comment without being rude, the look in the woman’s eye was impossible to fight, and Bentley found himself nodding in defeat, “Okay, yeah. I came down to try to talk with Carrie.”

“Yeah?” When Bentley nodded, Charlie asked, “What about?”

Sighing, Bentley took a seat on another stump and said, “I talked with Viv and Hayley about what happened between you and Viv years ago and it’s a lot like what Royce and I are dealing with Carrie.”

Nodding understandingly, Charlie guessed, “You’re trying to see every angle possible.”

“Yeah,” Bentley nodded again. “I’ve tried to talk with her a bunch of times today, but something always seems to happen to keep me from it.”

“Maybe it’s the universe’s way of telling you that you shouldn't talk to her just yet,” Charlie mused.

“You think so?”

“Mhm.”

“Why?”

“Are you sure that you’ve seen everyone’s perspectives?” Charlie asked.

“I’ve talked with Miles, Viv, and Hayley,” Bentley listed, counting off people on his fingers. “I know Royce’s stance on the situation, but I’ll talk with him about it after. I think all that’s left is Carrie.”

Charlie sent the boy an amused smirk as she asked, “You don’t want my opinion, then?”

“What?” Bentley thought for a moment before realization filled his steel-colored eyes. “I totally forgot, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be, sweetheart,” Charlie laughed, waving her hand dismissively. “I just figured that I would offer you the chance to hear things from someone who had been in Carrie’s position and made it to the other side with her sanity mostly intact.”

Bentley thought about the idea before nodding, “I would like that.”

With a smile and a sigh, Charlie crossed one leg over the other and gave the boy her full attention as she asked, “Where do you all stand as of right now?”

“I think I’m ready to move past everything and try to be friends with Carrie,” Bentley admitted. “I don’t think Royce is anywhere close to it, though. I think he still sees her as the enemy.”

Charlie hummed, knowing all too well how the other end of that situation felt. Reminiscing on her past relationship with Vivien, Charlie grinned, “I remember those days.”

“You do?”

“Of course,” Charlie chuckled. “I spent two years vying for Vivien’s friendship and for us to move past the animosity she had for me.”

“Two years?” Bentley wondered.

“Two long, stressful years where I walked a tightrope, hoping Vivien wouldn’t push me off,” Charlie sighed. “I worried about every word I spoke, every move I made, and, at some points, I even worried about breathing the wrong way. My love for both Hayley and Vivien was the only thing making me continue walking that rope.”

“You loved Vivien even though she didn’t like you?” Bentley asked. When Charlie nodded in confirmation, he asked, “Why?”

Smiling, Charlie simply replied, “Because she was a part of Hayley.”

That seemed to take Bentley by surprise, and if he was being completely honest, he wondered how he hadn’t seen it that way before. “Do you think Carrie sees us that way?”

“Whether she knows it or not,” Charlie said, “she must care about you in some way if she’s dealt with you both this long.”

“We have put her through the wringer,” Bentley admitted softly.

“She’s a strong young woman.”

“I know.”

“You should see the way she watches over the two of you,” Charlie commented with a smile, glancing back toward the playhouse.

Bentley followed her gaze just enough to see a wisp of blonde hair turning away from the window. Smiling, Bentley asked, “Does she do that often?”

“All the time.” Turning back toward the boy, Charlie confessed, “Carrie pays close attention to you both whether you notice it or not. She checks to make sure you two are going somewhere safe on the way to the playhouse.”

“She does?”

“I noticed it yesterday,” Charlie nodded. “She can see the art barn and the library from near the playhouse and checks to make sure you’re either there or that you both are somewhere safe for the day. Yesterday, Riven had to remind her that you had gone to the music hall with Miles and Vivien. She’s protective, which is good.”

“Yeah,” Bentley agreed. “I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before. I like to think I’m good at observing people.”

Charlie suggested, “Maybe your feelings toward her had blinded you.”

“Maybe.”

“Or,” she began again, “maybe you just didn’t look close enough because you didn’t want to see her being nice to you.”

“That could be,” Bentley agreed.

“You never know,” Charlie shrugged. “Either way, though, you should know that, even though you and Royce haven’t been the nicest towards Carrie, she still cares about you the way I did for Vivien all those years ago. You both are an extension of Miles and, although we all know that she loves Miles, she has to love you both to some degree, or Miles wouldn’t stay with her.”

“That’s what Hayley and Miles said,” Bentley claimed.

“Then you should listen to them.”

“I’m trying to.”

“Good,” Charlie beamed. Reaching over to take the boy’s hand, Charlie squeezed it momentarily before saying, “Take it from someone who desperately wanted to have some sort of bond with her partner’s kid; even if it takes a while to work through everything, Carrie will love that you’re at least willing to try. It makes a world of a difference.”

“It does?”

Charlie’s nod was deep and her smile sincere as she gave Bentley’s hand a final squeeze and stood. “Let things happen naturally. You never know, you might just find that she’s far different from the expectations you put on her.”

Smiling at the woman, Bentley watched her leave as he thought about everything they had talked about. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to work through things with Carrie. Vivien and Charlie had gotten close even after everything Vivien had put her through, and that gave Bentley a sliver of hope that his chances of befriending Carrie weren’t as slim as he’d previously thought. Sparing a glance to the windows of the playhouse, Bentley raised a hand and waved at the startled blonde, who somehow managed to catch his eye. Carrie gave a quick, stiff wave in return before leaving the window to continue working. Chuckling to himself, Bentley shook his head and tapped the giant hairspray can beside him, checking that it was at least partially dry before bringing his mask up and grabbing a white can of spray paint. He was fine with waiting a little longer.

As though the spring months hadn’t brought enough rain, Thursday brought showers. As the rain had started overnight, the morning wake-up call also instructed campers to stay close to their cabins in case of any outages, and counselors were told that food would be delivered to their doors as the winds whipped through the camp. The only thing the weather was good for was clearing the area of humidity, but even that did little to make people happy with the idea of being kept inside. Board games were brought out of cabinets, and card games were hosted in circles on the floor, but, while most campers were lamenting their missed day in the woods, Bentley found comfort in spending the day with his family and friends.

Though he had intended on spending the day getting to know Carrie better, he found his chances slimming by the minute. He had tried to find a way to talk with her alone, but as everyone else joined in their games, Bentley had to remind himself that it had to happen naturally and that, regardless of how much he wanted to just pull her aside, he couldn’t. Monopoly ended as it always seemed to - Bentley as the victor, Royce claiming he cheated, and Vivien laughing as Riven playfully threatened to kill him… Well, Bentley hoped Riven was being playful. The Game of Life had everyone breaking into teams, and, by the end, Mick and Butchy had come to a slim lead over Charlie and Hayley and the reluctant pair of Bentley and Riven in third. Once lunch had passed, Mick brought out a murder mystery game called Killer in the Camp, and Carrie stood to refill her drink, giving Bentley a window of opportunity he hadn’t anticipated.

Giving Carrie a moment alone, Bentley stood and mentioned something about grabbing a snack before following Carrie into the other room where they had ditched the food and drinks. Carrie looked up as the floorboard in the dining area creaked, sending Bentley a smile as she uncovered the container of juice that had been dropped off with lunch, “Hey, Bentley.”

“Hey,” Bentley greeted in response, grabbing a bag of crunchy Cheetos from the box of snacks they had received earlier. Tugging nervously at the opening of the bag, Bentley turned toward Carrie and watched her pour her juice. After trying so hard to find a way to talk with the blonde, he was surprised by how anxious he had become now that the opportunity had arisen.

Looking up from her juice and raising an eyebrow, Carrie asked, “Are you alright?”

Taking in a deep breath, Bentley nodded and sighed, “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

Setting the plastic jug of juice aside and twisting the cap into place, Carrie turned toward Bentley so that he knew he had her full attention before asking, “Sorry for what?”

“For being such a…” he paused to take a breath, “for being so rude to you the last year or so.”

Brushing off the boy’s words, Carrie waved a hand placatingly, “It’s okay-”

“No, it isn’t,” Bentley interrupted firmly, placing his Cheetos on the table. “It’s not okay. I shouldn’t have been so mean to you, but I just-” he stopped to take in a sharp breath and think of what to say, “I was scared that you would try to take Miles from us and it was easier for me to try to push you away than it was to try to be nice to you.”

“I could never take Miles from you or Royce,” Carrie said, taking a tentative step closer to the boy. “He adores you both with everything in him.”

Bentley nodded slowly as his gaze fell to the floor, “I know that now.”

“I’m so sorry I made you feel that I would try to take him from you,” Carrie offered, her hand twitching to reach for the blond, yet finding it nearly impossible to commit to the action. “I never meant for that.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Bentley said with a shake of his head.

“Neither do you,” Carrie stated, hoping that when the boy looked up again, he could see the insistent sincerity in her eyes.

Instead, Bentley shook his head and met her gaze with teary eyes, “How can you say that when I was such a jerk to you?”

Giving into the desire to pull the boy close, Carrie closed the gap between them, bringing her arms around Bentley’s shoulders as she fought the burning sensation in her eyes. Blinking up at the ceiling, Carrie took in a slow breath and said, “You were afraid I was going to take away your brother and, in turn, the only secure home you have. I can’t be upset with you for something like that.”

Finding himself trapped in the blonde’s embrace, Bentley allowed himself to relax, his arms coming up to loosely close around her middle as he muttered, “You have every right to be.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to act on it,” Carrie breathed, squeezing the boy just a fraction tighter.

Taking in the fact that Carrie harbored no ill will toward him, Bentley let out a choked breath, “You shouldn’t have had to put up with us for so long.”

“I put up with it because, believe it or not, I care about you two.” Pulling back enough to see Bentley’s face, Carrie swiped her fingers across his cheeks and gave the young blond a watery smile as she said, “It may not be nearly as much as Miles adores you, but even after all of the shit you two have given me, I still care about you guys.”

“I know,” Bentley claimed, allowing the blonde to hold his face hostage. Clearing his throat just enough to take in a breath, he said, “I talked to Miles a lot and heard from Viv and her aunts about what they went through. It sort of made me realize that pushing you away was just going to hurt everyone in the end.”

Dropping her hands from Bentley’s face and allowing Bentley to pull away a step, Carrie dried her face and smiled as she asked, “Do you feel up to telling Royce that?”

A snort of laughter came from the teenager as he admitted, “Royce might take some convincing.”

“Tell me about it,” Carrie snickered.

Taking a moment to breathe in the tension-free air between them, Bentley smiled at Carrie and asked, “How red are my eyes?”

“They’re not,” she said with a small shake of her head. “I, on the other hand, must look like a melted panda.”

Though Carrie’s makeup, if she had any on in the first place, hadn’t moved an inch, Bentley smirked and teased, “I was going to say raccoon, but that works too.”

Rolling her eyes with a smile, Carrie asked, “Doesn’t Vivien call those ‘trash pandas’?”

“I wasn’t going to say that,” Bentley claimed as he grabbed his snack from the table, “but if the shoe fits…”

Shaking her head, Carrie grabbed her drink from the table and watched the boy head toward the hallway before calling out to him. When Bentley turned, she said, “Thank you.”

Nodding, Bentley silently left the room, a smile tugging at his lips as he took in a breath of relief. After so long of seeing nothing more than a blonde she-devil any time he looked at Carrie, it felt almost nice to see her in a new light. Now that they had moved a step in the right direction, he had to focus his attention on helping Royce see the light as well. With any luck, they’d have things figured out in the next five years.

When the sun finally reappeared on Friday, most of the campers were excited to return to their wilderness trips. Bentley wasn’t entirely sure what they did on their trips other than pick up pinecones and shiny rocks to take back to camp, but they seemed to have fun regardless. While he could have easily tagged along throughout the week, he decided after a brief talk over breakfast on Monday that it just wasn’t his scene. He preferred to have the camp to himself, exploring all of the activities he could while everyone else was gone.

With most of the counselors and campers out of the camp, Bentley had free roam of the entire grounds, and most of the workers that guarded different areas had the day to themselves. The art barn was practically empty that day, as only Bentley had set up camp inside the log building. After a while of the constant silence that was only broken by his brush swiping across the canvas he was working on, Bentley grew tired of the quiet art room and returned his art supplies to wherever they needed to be before setting his canvas aside to dry and tossing his brushes into the sink to dry.

Making his way to the library next door, Bentley was surprised to find his brother gone from his normal post at the front desk. Asking around, it seemed as though nobody had seen him leave his station. However, there was one person Bentley knew could have some notion as to where his brother had gone, and, as he entered the playhouse and bee-lined straight for the blonde who was singing along to some song that played over the building’s speakers, Carrie smiled, “Hey, Bentley!”

“Hey, Carrie,” he greeted. “Do you know where Royce went? He’s not at his desk.”

Sure enough, the actress nodded, “I saw Vivien go in there a while ago. She was in her swimsuit and had a few towels, so my guess would be that they went to the beach.”

“Thank you,” Bentley said, quickly leaning in to give the woman a hug. He gave Carrie just enough time to instinctively put her arms around him before turning and leaving the playhouse without giving her a chance to say anything.

Smirking at the stunned blonde, Charlie slid up beside Carrie and asked, “How did that feel?”

“Bizarre,” Carrie breathed.

“It’ll take some time to get used to,” Charlie reassured her, patting Carrie on the shoulder. “Just wait until you’ve got both of them coming to you like that.”

Carrie chuckled, shaking her head as she met the older woman’s gaze, “Somehow, I don’t think that will happen any time soon.”

“You never know,” Charlie shrugged. “He might just surprise you.”

“He might,” Carrie allowed. Sighing, she admitted, “Either way, I doubt I’ll be ready for it when it comes.”

“Trust me,” Charlie began as she smiled a the blonde, “you won’t be. It will come when you least expect it to.”

“Great,” Carrie drawled sarcastically. Nudging the blonde with a supportive grin, Charlie turned and went back to her job, allowing Carrie to soak in the quick interaction she’d had with the youngest Murphy brother.

Meanwhile, Bentley took his time walking to the beach, relaxing in the knowledge that, regardless of where his brother had gone, he was safe with Vivien by his side. Waving to Noah and one of his friends as he passed them, Bentley kicked his shoes off as he reached the sand, not wanting to deal with a shoe full of sand later on. The last time he’d had to deal with that, it took almost a week to get all of the sand from his sneakers, and he could still feel the grit of it every time he wore that specific pair. One of his pet peeves, he supposed.

It didn’t take long for Bentley to find the pair sitting on the pier, a puddle around both of them as evidence that they had gone for a swim. Deciding to scare the pair with his sudden appearance, Bentley ditched his shoes under the edge of the pier and tucked his shirt under there for good measure before wading into the water, grateful he had worn board shorts to keep himself cool throughout the day. Hoping to make the least amount of noise possible, Bentley swam slowly out to where the piers met, just barely able to hear what Royce and Vivien were talking about as he approached.

“Now you,” Royce said. “What do you want?”

Vivien let out a sigh, leaning back against the wooden boards and staring up at the sky before saying, “I want a big, white house with purple shutters.”

“Purple shutters?” Royce wondered, his tone amused as he reclined next to his girlfriend.

“Mhm,” Vivien hummed, nodding against the pier. “The most offensive shade of purple we can find.”

“We’ll have to get Benny to paint them all,” Royce commented, the thought alone making Bentley smile. After a pause, his brother asked, “Anything else?”

Vivien was silent, but Bentley could hear the smile in her voice as she said, “I would love a big porch that wraps around the whole house. We can sit outside and drink tea and watch the sun go down together every day.”

“With my cat and your dog.”

“Naturally.”

A moment passed, and Royce asked, “What else do you have in that head of yours?”

“We need enough rooms for everyone to come and stay when they want to,” Vivien stated. “Your family, my family, my band, and our friends.”

Royce let out a laugh, “We’re going to need at least ten rooms, if we’re going all out.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Vivien breathed. “We’ll have to put in a movie theater and everything, especially for football season.”

“You like football?” Royce asked.

Bentley could hear Vivien’s snort, “No, but it’s always entertaining to watch Butchy, Miles, and Mick’s parents yell at the TV, telling the players what to do like they can hear them from a million miles away.”

“True,” Royce chuckled. “So, what else?”

Vivien hummed before claiming, “We need a room overlooking the beach.”

“We do?”

“Of course,” Vivien confirmed as she sat up. “It’s gotta have large windows and a balcony.”

As Royce moved to follow Vivien, he asked, “How come?”

“For Bentley and Miles to paint to their hearts’ content when they come to visit,” Vivien stated as she began walking back toward the beach. “Why else?”

Bentley pushed himself further under the cover of the pier as he watched his brother lace his hand into Vivien’s and say, “That’s a great idea.”

As the couple headed back toward the lodge, unaware of the blond boy hiding beneath the wood of the pier, Bentley took in a slow breath. Letting their words sink in, Bentley watched Royce and Vivien disappear into the lodge and slowly moved from his hiding spot. While he knew that, eventually, Royce and Vivien would move on with life and get a house of their own, he had always sort of figured that it would be the three of them. Sort of like in that show Vivien loved so much where, even when Monica and Chandler moved into a new house, they still had a room for Joey.

Bentley thought that had been their plan. Once they felt ready to do so, they’d move into a place together. Together being the key word. Was that not what Royce and Vivien wanted? Sure, he had never asked them their thoughts on the matter, but he’d assumed that, since they were so close, they’d be together regardless. Until Bentley had a reason to move out on his own, that is. Did they really have no intention of keeping the gang together once they had a place to themselves?

Taking a deep breath, Bentley swam back to the shore, grabbing his shirt and shoes and drying himself off with a towel from the porch before making his way back toward the rest of the campground. If they didn’t want him around, that was fine. He could stay away. Maybe, if he gave them some space on their own for a while, they’d want him to stick around longer. Something about distance making people fonder and all that.

Not wanting to wander for long yet also not wanting to be alone, Bentley headed for the closest place he knew he would find people who wouldn’t mind him hanging around for the rest of the afternoon - the playhouse. Opening the door and slipping inside fairly unnoticed, Bentley looked around at the circles of chairs that had formed in what was typically an open hall, examining each chair before finally settling on the one that housed a certain blonde, her hair barely contained in a claw clip that looked ready to burst at the slightest movement. Feeling Bentley’s gaze on her, Carrie looked around before meeting his eyes with a smile, waving him over.

As he sat beside her, Bentley asked, “Do you mind if I hang out here for the afternoon?”

“Of course not!” Carrie chirped. “Actually, you’re just in time for us to do a trial run of the script.”

The actress inched her chair closer to Bentley’s, and as he looked over the papers in her hand, he leaned closer to her and muttered, “I can’t read it.”

Carrie’s smile seemed to broaden as she replied, “I know; that’s why I moved closer. I figured we could work together on it and take it at your pace.”

Bentley let out a huff of a laugh, “That could take a few hours.”

“That’s fine,” Carrie shrugged, her pearlescent smile ever-present. “All that matters is that we work together. If you find it too hard, I can always take over reading and you can give me your thoughts on the script as we go.”

“Doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose of me working with you?”

Carrie was quick to shake her head, the movement testing the strength of the clip in her hair as it bobbed from one side to the other. “Of course not. I could always use an extra pair of ears.”

Skeptical of the blonde’s claim, Bentley raised an eyebrow as he asked, “Really?”

Carrie nodded, “Sometimes, when we read the script off the paper, we miss things that don’t sound right to people listening. It’s always useful to have someone else to just listen to the script.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Relaxing at the woman’s claim, Bentley nodded and allowed the blonde to hold the stapled papers between them, her excitement for the show contagious as she began listing off the character list and rambling about their personalities. Although Bentley had seen the movie a bunch due to Vivien’s infatuation with it and knew most of the characters by heart, he smiled and allowed Carrie to continue her spiel. Though he wouldn’t admit it just yet, he was happy to see the blonde so excited, especially because of his simple choice to join her in the playhouse. Looking across the circle to where Riven sat, watching them with a smirk, Bentley gave a small nod, which the auburn-haired man returned, granting the younger boy his silent approval. Smiling to himself, Bentley returned his focus to the actress beside him, silently wondering how on earth he had waited so long to see her as something more than an enemy.

After keeping himself particularly silent at dinner that evening, Bentley made his way back to the lodge with Riven by his side, trailing behind his siblings and their girlfriends. Riven had brought an arm around the blond’s shoulder, and while it was obvious that the auburn-haired boy had wanted to speak with Bentley, neither of them had chosen to speak thus far, and it seemed as though they wouldn’t begin any time soon. Maybe he knew Bentley needed his space, or maybe he just couldn’t find the words to say. Either way, once they arrived at the lodge, Bentley headed upstairs, planning on secluding himself in his room for the remainder of the night. Despite leaving his door closed and attempting to busy himself with the games on his phone, it seemed as though fate wasn’t on his side.

A knock on his door made Bentley jump, but after telling whoever was on the other side to come in, he let himself relax on his mattress. It didn’t take long for Miles to slip into the room, close the door behind him, and make his way to the edge of Bentley’s bed, where he sat. “Hey, baby,” he greeted.

“Hey,” Bentley muttered, clicking his phone off and setting it aside as he sat up. “What’s up?”

“Carrie told me that you spent the afternoon with her in the playhouse,” Miles claimed.

“I did,” Bentley nodded in response. “It was fun.”

“I’m glad.” Bringing an arm around his youngest brother’s shoulders, Miles smiled, “I’m not surprised you didn’t manage to convince Royce to join you.”

Bentley shrugged, his gaze dropping as he sighed, “He was busy with Vivien anyway, so I doubt it would have mattered.”

“What do you mean?”

Bentley gave a noncommittal noise before stating, “They’ve been spending a lot of their free time together and it feels like I haven’t been able to spend time with them much even though I’m not on a schedule.”

Nodding in understanding, Miles took in a breath before stating, “I can always ask them to make time for you, if you want. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind.”

Bentley quickly shook his head. Though he desperately wanted his brother and Vivien to spend time with him, he knew that if they were going to do so, he wanted them to do it willingly, not because someone told them to. He didn’t want to be the unnecessary third wheel they grew to resent keeping with them. He wanted them to want him. “That’s alright.”

“Are you sure?”

Nodding as though he was reassuring himself more than anything, Bentley rolled his eyes and declared, “They’re probably just being all mushy and gross together and I’m perfectly fine being left out of that. When they want to hang out, I’ll still be here. In the meantime, I’ve been liking getting to know the real Carrie and hanging out in the playhouse.”

The blond’s segue had worked flawlessly as Miles beamed, “That’s great. You have no idea how glad I am to see you both spending time together.”

Bentley listened to Miles talk until the speakers throughout the camp crackled to life, announcing it was time to turn out the lights for the night. Once he was alone again, Bentley sighed and dragged himself to his dresser and changed into his pajamas before tugging his door open a fraction to receive some of the light from the hallway and slipping beneath his covers. He tried for a while to force himself to sleep, but it seemed fruitless. As Bentley worked up the desire to roll away from the window and onto his other side, he watched as the light from the hall that shone on his wall was blocked out by a looming shadow.

Faintly, he heard a soft, but not soft enough, girl’s voice mutter, “I think he’s sleeping.”

“Are you sure?”

Bentley tried to keep himself as silent as possible. He didn’t need Royce and Vivien knowing that he could hear them. The door to his room creaked open further, and as two sets of footsteps creaked across the floor, Bentley’s eyes snapped shut. Hoping his breathing seemed slow enough to mimic sleep, Bentley laid still on his mattress, listening as the couple inched closer. His bed sunk to one side as one of them knelt on the mattress, lolling Bentley closer to that side. Making a noise of discontent, Bentley rolled toward them, shifting onto his stomach as the bed moved once more.

“He’s asleep,” Vivien decided, her amusement obvious in her voice.

A hand threaded through Bentley’s hair, pushing it away from his face with a chuckle that he knew belonged to Royce. “I guess so.”

“Do you still want to join him?” Vivien asked.

“He’s usually a sound sleeper, but I don’t want to risk waking him,” Royce mused. “We can hang out in the morning.”

Though Bentley was curious as to what they had planned on doing if he had been awake, he didn’t want to make it obvious that he had been listening in. Royce’s hand in his hair moved once again, and Bentley felt a soft pressure against his forehead before his brother moved away, and the bed creaked as he got up. It creaked once more as an arm draped over Bentley’s back, and he faintly heard Vivien whisper a good night to him. As the pair moved away and the light from the hallway was blocked by their shadows once again, Bentley opened his eyes just enough to see Vivien and Royce leave the room, pulling the door to where Bentley had left it before giving each other a hug and going their separate ways.

Staring into the darkness of his bedroom, Bentley sighed and tried to force himself to sleep once more, knowing that, eventually, they would come to him with whatever they wanted to say. Until then, however, he would just have to wait it out the way he had originally planned - keeping his distance. Glancing down at the golden sun that dangled from the friendship bracelet Vivien had made for him to match the ones she had made for herself and Royce, Bentley wondered just how long he would be able to hold out.

Breakfast came and went in a flurry Saturday morning as many campers were in a rush to pack up their things and go, but there were some tables that had people who chose to let the morning pass by at its own speed and enjoy the company of those around them. Royce was one of those people. After spending most of his days in the library, doing practically nothing other than getting lost in the fantasy worlds that lived in the library’s walls, he had been glad to spend the week roaming around to different locations after lunch. Though he had spent little time in the playhouse during the week, he had noticed Bentley spending more and more time there, helping with painting set pieces and talking with the thespians who thrived within the playhouse’s walls.

Bentley loved to roam, a fact Royce knew all too well. However, he couldn’t imagine his younger brother willingly placing himself within the reach of their oldest brother’s girlfriend. As far as he was aware, they both couldn’t stand being near the blonde, but had to tolerate her presence for the summer as, if they were being honest with themselves, they had no choice in the matter. Whether they liked it or not, Carrie would be near them all summer. Royce had to admit, though, he loved annihilating her in the board games they played some nights.

By the time breakfast was over and everyone had gone their separate ways, Royce found himself walking his usual path to the library, ready to hunker down for a while with a good book. However, as he looked toward the art barn, he discovered that Bentley hadn’t followed the trail toward his favorite location on the grounds. Looking around the area, he smiled as he saw his younger brother heading into the playhouse with Riven.

“Hey, Ben,” Royce called from the steps of the library, offering his brother a wave and a smile.

Bentley turned, meeting Royce’s gaze and sending him a brief wave before silently turning back toward the playhouse and following Riven inside. Though the gesture was quick, and Royce could feel a twinge of hurt in his chest as Bentley disappeared from view, Royce took a deep breath and brushed off the interaction. Maybe Bentley had been caught up in a conversation or something, and Royce’s greeting had taken him by surprise. There were a myriad of reasons why Bentley hadn’t responded with his typical brilliant smile and enthusiasm. Glad that his brother was having fun with friends, Royce sighed and returned to the library, making sure to shut the door to keep the building cool before finding his way to the chair he had shoved into place behind the desk.

Grabbing the book he had begun reading over the last week, Royce settled into place and flipped to where he had left his bookmark. It was easy to get absorbed in the book’s pages, and it didn’t take long for Royce’s worries about Bentley’s behavior to flee from his mind as he let the fantasy world between the pages envelop him. All too soon, the signal for lunch echoed throughout the camp, and Royce tucked his bookmark back into place before setting it aside.

Stretching as he rose from his chair, Royce was none too surprised to hear the door open. His first thought was that Bentley had come to collect him, but as he turned, he found his girlfriend standing where he expected the blond boy to stand. “Oh, hey, Viv,” he greeted.

“Hey,” she said with a smile. “Is Ben here already?”

Shaking his head, Royce rounded the desk and asked, “Why?”

“He’s not down at the art barn or the beach,” Vivien replied.

“I saw him go into the playhouse with Riven,” Royce said with a smile. “He’s probably knee-deep in paint or something.”

“Alright,” Vivien sighed. “Well, when you see him, bring him down to the beach.”

“Why, what’s up?”

Vivien pulled the door open and stepped into the sunlight before sighing, “I figured we could have a picnic on the beach for lunch and talk about our plans for world domination.”

“Ah,” Royce breathed, nodding at his girlfriend’s idea. “Sounds good. We’ll meet you down there.”

As that was all the confirmation she needed, Vivien took off in a run, hoping to make up some plates at the mess hall before all of the good slices of pizza were gone. Chuckling at his girlfriend, Royce shook his head and descended the front steps, heading toward the playhouse with a smile. The doors opened just as Royce approached, and as Charlie tucked the door stopper into place, she said, “I was wondering how long it would be before you stopped in.”

“You were?” he asked the woman.

Charlie smiled, nodding as she said, “Your brother has been practically glued to Carrie today.”

The surprise that flooded Royce's veins must have been evident on his face as he glanced toward the playhouse, unable to see far inside due to the lighting. “He has?”

Charlie chuckled, nudging the boy, “Relax, would you. They’ve been working on the script together and he’s helping her with making sure everything sounds alright.”

Royce took in a breath and sighed, “Is he okay?”

Charlie hummed thoughtfully as she glanced back toward the playhouse, “I may not know him as well as you do, but he seems particularly quiet today. I know he talked with Riven and Carrie at some point today and they got him to open up a little, but he doesn’t seem as vibrant as he usually is.”

“Do you think something’s wrong?”

Taking in a slow breath, Charlie sighed, “I might not be the best person to answer that. If I were you, I’d ask Carrie. As I said, he’s been right by her side all day. She’d know more than I would.”

Though Royce had no desire to speak with his older brother’s girlfriend, he knew he just might not have a choice in the matter. Smiling graciously at the older woman, Royce thanked her before heading into the building, allowing himself a moment to let his eyes adjust before looking around for his brother. It didn’t take him long. Bentley was sat cross-legged on the stage, his knees bouncing as he and Carrie listened intently to whatever story Riven was spieling. Riven said something to make both Bentley and Carrie laugh, and Royce found it fairly difficult not to smile as he approached the stage.

“What did you say?” Bentley asked, his eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation.

“I told him to give me shit about it later,” Riven claimed, a lopsided smile glimmering in the fluorescent lights overhead. “I mean, he’s the one who said to get the interview with the guy who owns the old hospital - he never said how.”

Carrie was the first to notice Royce, sending him a small smile as she waved, “Hi, Royce.”

Bentley turned as Riven gave his own greeting - something about welcoming Royce to their favorite hell hole. The older of the brothers let out a chuckle and pushed himself onto the stage before sliding across to where they had gathered. “You guys do realize it’s lunchtime, right?”

“Yeah,” Riven shrugged, “but who needs food when you feed off of drama?”

“They’re putting out pizza,” one of the workers - Kitty or Kallie, Bentley wasn’t sure - claimed before shoving in another bite of the slice she’d taken back from the mess hall.

“Any meat-lover’s?” Riven asked. When the girl raised a hand with a single thumb up, Riven clapped his hands together and declared, “That’s my cue to leave, then.”

“What happened to feeding off of drama?” Bentley taunted.

“Drama doesn’t taste like bacon,” Riven fired back as he jumped from the stage. “See you after break!”

Bentley smiled as he watched Riven practically run from the playhouse, but as he turned to Carrie and found the amused gleam in her eyes, he couldn’t resist the laughter that forced its way out. When it finally died down enough that he could think straight, Bentley sucked in a breath and turned to Royce, who watched the pair as though they had both grown an extra head or three. “What’s up, RJ?” he asked.

Blinking himself back to normality, Royce said, “Viv and I are having a picnic on the beach and we wanted to see if you wanted to tag along.”

Sparing a glance at the blonde to his left, Bentley watched as she nodded approvingly in his direction before standing. Carrie ruffled Bentley’s hair briefly before making her way to the edge of the stage and hopping down from it, giving the brothers some space to talk. Glancing toward the doors on the opposite side of the building, Bentley lowered his voice as he asked, “Are you sure you guys want me there?”

Bewildered by the question, Royce asked in return, “Why wouldn’t we?”

Bentley shrugged, offering his brother a weak smile as he stated, “I’m your third wheel. If you guys want to spend some time alone without me around, I’m okay with it.”

The statement confused Royce more than it answered anything. Glancing toward the departing blonde as she reached the front doors, Royce pressed, “Did Carrie say something to you? I swear, if she made you think that Viv and I need time away from you, I-”

“She didn’t,” Bentley interrupted, rolling his eyes at his brother. “In fact, she and Riven actually helped me think things through so I wouldn’t go off the deep end.”

“Oh,” Royce uttered. Allowing Bentley to nod, he asked, “So, what made you think we needed space from you?”

Finding his brother’s concern-filled, caramel eyes, Bentley took in a breath before sighing, “You both did, actually.”

“We did?” Again, Bentley nodded. “How? When?”

“Yesterday, I went looking for you guys after I finished in the art barn,” Bentley began. “Carrie said you guys looked ready to swim, so I went to the beach to look there and you were on the pier talking. I was hoping to scare you guys, so I swam out really quietly and hid under the pier.”

“Okay,” Royce muttered, wondering where his brother was going with the conversation.

“You guys were talking about the future,” Bentley shrugged, his gaze falling to his sneakers as he fiddled with the laces. “Something about ugly purple shutters and ten bedrooms and a big room for me and Miles to paint in when we come to visit.”

Royce appeared thoughtful as he tried to recall the conversation. After a while, he nodded, “I remember that.”

“I just…” Bentley drifted off as he tried to think of the right words. “I guess it made me realize that, when we’re older, I’ll be all alone.”

Concern pushed to the forefront of Royce’s mind as he reached for Bentley’s hand and asked, “What are you talking about?”

“Miles and Carrie have each other no matter how hard you try to break them up,” Bentley began, “and you and Viv will be happy in your ugly house. That leaves me on my own when the rest of you decide to move on with life.”

“The hell it does,” a voice chimed in from the side of the stage, and both brothers looked over to see Vivien coming from where the door led out to the back of the building. Setting down her well-balanced stack of paper plates and taking a seat with the boys, she said, “Even if Miles and Carrie eventually move in together and all that, you’re still stuck with us.”

“What do you mean?” Bentley asked.

“Regardless of what happens,” Royce began, “we’re going to stay together. Nothing can break up the dream team.”

“The three amigos,” Vivien continued, “the golden trio, the trinity of awesomeness, the trou-”

“Okay,” Bentley interrupted with a soft laugh, “I get it, but what does that have to do with how things will go when we’re older?”

“It means that, even if Viv and I move into a big house with horrendously purple shutters,” Royce began, jokingly shuddering at the thought and earning himself a smack to the arm, “it’s going to have space for you.”

As Vivien nodded, Bentley eyed the pair, searching their eyes for anything that would clue him into some private joke. When he found nothing, he asked, “Wouldn’t you guys get sick of me living with you?”

“You can’t get rid of us that easily,” Vivien agreed. “Besides, do you really think either of us are going to buy a house and not have a room just for you?”

“Are you sure?” Bentley asked.

“Positive,” Royce confirmed, squeezing Bentley’s hand with a smile.

Vivien beamed, reaching for Bentley’s free hand before stating, “You’re stuck with us for the rest of our lives.”

“Or,” Royce began, “until you decide otherwise.”

A wave of relief brushed over Bentley as he took in a deep breath, glad to have been wrong once again. He was grateful. He had been wrong about Carrie, wrong about Miles potentially kicking them out, and wrong about Royce and Vivien eloping to Mexico and building a huge, ugly house on the beach just to get away from him. The more he thought about it, the more Bentley was glad he had talked things over with Carrie and Riven ahead of time so that he had some sort of cushion to fall on in case the conversation went south. While he was immensely grateful all had gone over well, he could only imagine what kind of mess he would have been in if he hadn’t taken the time to talk things over with the pair. He’d have to thank them later on.

Smiling at Royce and Vivien, Bentley sighed, “Thanks, guys.”

The couple’s swift, casual ways of brushing off Bentley’s gratitude were pushed aside quickly as Vivien pushed herself from the stage floor and decided, “Now, let’s get going before the food gets any colder than it already is.”

Bentley glanced at Royce as they rose from their spots on the floor, sharing a smile with his older sibling as the brunet wrapped an arm around his shoulders and led the way out of the playhouse. Walking down to the beach, the youngest of the trio found it impossible to wipe the smile from his face as Royce and Vivien blabbered on about things they hadn’t talked with Bentley about just yet. As they sat on the beach together and ate the mostly-cold pizza Vivien had gotten from the mess hall, Royce and Vivien found themselves relaxing as they listened to Bentley spill out everything that had happened to him during the last week, happy to simply listen to his cheerful ramblings and enjoy each other’s company.

#Camp Wanamaker

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heartidylla · 1 year

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it’s us — 2

paring : ellie williams x f!reader

summary : you, ellie, and joel search for his brother and become much closer along the way.

word count : 3.7k

previous chapter

walking down the straight pathed road was extremely boring for ellie and you. joel had made it crystal clear between the two girls that their first and most important task would be finding his little brother, tommy, before they committed to any further actions.

the two girls and jackson were walking shortly behind joel. you all have been heading for jackson city for about a month or so now. each day was practically the same, you’d mess with joel for your burst of entertainment while you continued forward in a straight line. every so often you’d come across a few infected, but it wasn't anything major to cause you any problems.

you let out a loud groan before you pulled your backpack forward and took out a cigarette and your worn down lighter. you put the cigarette between your pointer and middle finger before lighting it.

as the flames from the lighter slightly burned the bottom, you put it in between your teeth and inhaled the toxic substances keeping it in your mouth for a moment before you blew out the mass of white smoke.

ellie looked over to you, watching you blaze a cigarette with ease. you noticed ellie's curious eyes and smirked at her. "i didn't know you smoke." ellie commented, interested in finding out a new undiscovered part of you.

"and drink." you added onto that before looking at the end of the cigarette. "started awhile ago." you put it simply. you didn't want to add anything else which would give away your background as you were still not use to being around others after being alone for such a crucially long duration of time.

that's when an idea popped into your head. you looked over to ellie once again, who had already been staring at you. you didn't pay any mind to her gaze since it felt nice to have someone interested in you for a change. "wanna see a trick?" you asked her.

"hell yes i do." ellie bobbed her head eagerly awaiting the smoke show.

"watch this." you said before you inhaled the substance once again and carefully opened your mouth. for a second you left it opened without breathing anything out. when you did instead of a bundle of white smoke, circles came out. they flew by your face as they were walking. jackson barked at his partner. ellie and you believed that he was voicing his approval of your trick.

"when did you learn to do that?" ellie questioned you, astonished by the trick. though you knew that it was just a beginners trick and nothing special; however, it still felt good to be praised by her.

"not so long ago." you replied while letting out another breath of pure smoke.

that's when joel joined in and ruined the fun. he had began to smell the nicotine that was contained within those cigarettes, and immediately turned around to catch the clueless girl red handed. "give me that." he ordered you. you looked up to him with a confused face.

"why?" you stared at him blankly, not understanding what his problem was with you.

"you're too young for that." he tells you while putting his hand out, indicating for you to give him what was rightfully yours.

your face fell into a scowl, "you're not my dad." you countered his statement with an attitude.

"i'm the only adult here, so you will listen to me." he says, his voice lowering into a deeper tone. he meant business.

"fuck you, man. i haven't done anything wrong, and these are mine." you sneered. you were pissed that he was acting as if he was the boss over you; like you were his daughter or something of the sort.

"yeah, say whatever you want. it doesn't matter cause those aren't good to inhale for your age." joel explained to you, which shocked you. was he... trying to look out for you?

"that's humorous." you slightly chuckled before handing him the cigarette, but not sending him a backhanded comment one last time. "by the looks of bet you need to get a high more than i do." you smirked at his expression. honestly, you and ellie both thought he was on the verge of killing you after your counterattack.

"damn right." joel's lips shockingly curved into a small grin before putting the cigarette in between his mouth and going to town with it.

he hadn't gotten the pleasure of smoking in a long time, so he was particularly grateful for the troublesome girl's presence.

oddly enough, you reminded him a lot of himself when he was your age. even though that was decades ago, he still had reminisced special moments and those which weren't as much fun. the girl is snappy, just like ellie. his mind wondered who rubbed off on the other, and it's obvious to him that you were still reasonably wary of him.

he's the same way, constantly on guard. he admired that about you; however, countering those admirations were the feelings of hatred for the idea that he was beginning to warm up to the two kiddos that have been traveling alongside him.

"hey ellie, look." you pointed to a sign which had 'jackson county, snake river trail.' written on it.

"jackson county. means we're close to jackson city, right?" ellie asked joel from beside you and jackson.

"shouldn't be more than a few miles." joel replied to her, adjusting the grip he had on his bag which laid against his shoulders.

"you ready to see dear, old brother?" ellie questioned him, elbowing his arm with her own.

"i'm just ready to get there." joel answered her before turning his head and blowing out the last bit of white smoke.

"you nervous?" you joined in, your voice filled with a teasing tone. joel dropped the cigarette onto the ground and put his entire weight onto it which caused the flames to die down entirely.

"i don't know what i'm feeling." he responded. his voice dropped a tad, unintentionally making it known to the girls that he was feeling very conflicted.

"don't worry, old timer." you jokingly put your hand on joel's arm to support him. he looked over to you with a raised eyebrow, not knowing what you were up to. "if you're feeling stressed, there's more where that came from." you smirked as you pulled out of your pocket four full boxes of cigarettes... little did he know that you had way more than that within your bag. joel's eyes widened at the sight.

"and that's what addiction is." joel sighed with disappointment spreading across his face, putting a hand to cover his face for a short second before he looked over to ellie and pointed with his index finger at her. she tensed up at the sudden attention from him. "don't follow her footsteps, she's a little too far gone for me." joel began to snicker at your yells of protests at the fact that he had called you an addict.

"if i was an addict then these would be gone when i first found them!" you countered while angrily throwing your hands up in the air.

ellie and joel rolled their eyes at her while laughing. they continued down the trail, not listening to your angered grumbles from behind them.

jackson ran ahead of the group, and barked as he stood on the edge of a cliff. "so much for the road, huh buddy?" you frowned as you pet behind jackson's ears. his ears fell, which made you a stern believers that dogs can understand humans — or at least jackson could understand you.

"we just follow the river. it'll lead us straight to tommy's." he started to walked ahead, "c'mon."

the two girls and dog all obeyed joel and followed his footsteps. "what exactly happened between you two?" ellie questioned joel, curious as to what joel's past looked like.

"what do you mean?" joel counter-questioned her.

"you and tommy... you're not together, so clearly something went down." ellie explained the deeper meaning of her question in order for joel to understand her better. you and jackson both walked behind the two of them, awkwardly listening in.

"we just had a bit of a disagreement. that's all." he replied simply, not really wanting to get into the details of what had gone down between the two brothers.

"oh here we go... so what was it about?" ellie interrogated him further, wanting in on all the familial details.

"tommy saw the world one way, i saw it the other." he answered her.

"let me guess, he saw it as sunshine and rainbows and you saw it as a fucking shit-show?" you joined in the conversation, chuckling at your own joke. joel's eyes widened at the fact that you had nailed it. it was clear in that moment that you were an exact replica of him, just younger.

"something like that." joel unexpectedly answered you.

"that's why he joined the fireflies?" ellie chimed in once again.

joel chuckled. "yeah. your guys' friend marlene promised him hope." you froze, which caused jackson to stop alongside her. 'hope' he said, hope. "that kept him busy for awhile, but just like tommy, he eventually quit that too."

"how was it? the last time you saw him." ellie said before jumping down a slight hill.

"i believe his last words to me were, 'i don't ever want to see your god damned face again'." joel responded while rubbing the back of his head.

"fuck." you facepalmed. you immediately regretted ever listening to joel. ellie elbowed you as a warning to be quiet.

"jeez." she paused, "but he's gonna help us?"

"i suppose we're going to find out." he says.

"well, with or without his help, we'll get there." ellie said while wrapping her hand around your shoulders which sent your body into flames. you felt your cheeks starting to burn at the most simple signs of affection from her, and you weren’t sure as to why you were feeling what you had been. "cause this one knows everything, right?" ellie smirked at you.

her bundle of forest green and a heavenly blue eyes absorbed you completely. you harshly gulped, and shifted awkwardly underneath her touch. "absolutely." you replied, trying to keep your words to a minimum as you needed to compose herself.

"how do you know where they are?" now it was joel's turn to ask the questions. he grunted as he climbed up a few rocks in order to move past them to go further along down the river.

"i have a map. it has everything i've ever come into contact with written down." you answered him truthfully. you didn't see the need to lie to him anymore since you had grown quite accustomed to his behavior and presence — hell, you even let herself begin to enjoy it. "i ran into fireflies not so long ago." you added while looking down at her pistol. a pained expression formed on your face as you remembered that moment. however, you immediately masked it before anyone could see you — or at least you thought so.

"woah... what's that?" ellie pointed out a massive building that stood strongly in front of them, thankfully changing the topic.

"that right there is a hydroelectric power plant." joel responded, smiling at ellie's astonished expression over something which meant very little to people many years ago.

ellie and you both raised an eyebrow before looking at each other with confused faces. "a...hydra who?" ellie tried to repeat the buildings name, but ultimately failed as she slurred over her words.

"it uh... uses the rivers movement and turns it into electricity." joel explained, which helped the girls' understanding a tad bit better.

"how's it do that?" ellie, now curious about the inner workings of the building, asked joel.

"look, i know what it is. i don't know how it does it." joel replied, walking towards the building.

"shocking for how old you are, i'd think that you'd know everything since you've been through all the eras." you and ellie snickered as joel immediately turned around to face the two of them.

"i am not that old." he sternly replied to what he believed to be an unfunny joke. his intense reaction was all you ever needed to keep you amused for the next week.

"keep telling yourself that." you smugly responded to him while shrugging your arms. you loved teasing him about his age, and even more so loved his reactions to them. "don't worry old timer, i'll take care of you in a year when you can't walk anymore." you say while patting his shoulder in a supportive way.

everyone could hear ellie's rapid laugher echoing in the background as she observed the interaction between the two of them.

he huffed in slight annoyance; even if he's gotten use to her multiple jokes of his 'old age' before turning around and walking ahead once again. "so, how are we getting across?" ellie speaks up once again after her laughing fest was over with.

joel walks up the stairs and turns a steering wheel which allowed them to cross. "that's how." he pointed to the newly created pathway. all four of them walked into a dead end, surrounded by water.

"you cant swim either?" she raised an eyebrow at you.

you shook your head sideways, "never was taught, just like you." you answered her.

joel jumped into the racing water, "i'll find something. just hang tight you two." he told them before swimming off into another direction of them.

when he dove beneath the water, you found yourself holding your breath. ellie noticed your off behavior and elbowed your side. "feeling nervous, are we?" she teased you.

"no way am i worried for that old timer." you huffed before crossing your arms.

"whatever you say." she empathized on the 'y' in a sarcastic way making you rolled your eyes.

joel emerged from the water with a board. "all right. i need you to—" he was cut off by ellie.

"i know, step of the fucking pallet." ellie stretched her arms. joel pushed the board up to ellie and you, while ellie jumped right on you stopped.

"sorry old timer, i'll find another way. i can't leave jackson out here." you told him, and jackson barked in agreement.

"you are not going off on your own." joel rejected immediately.

"i agree, that's dangerous." ellie added onto joel's point. it must've been shocking to hear ellie agreeing with him for a change because he looked over to her with slightly widened eyes before turning his attention back onto you.

"i've been alone for a long time now, i'll be fine." you reassured, "plus there's not a lot of room on that pallet." you pointed out.

joel huffed in annoyance of you being right. he didn't like the idea of you being alone with no one to watch you. "fine." he took a deep breath in to get rid of the anxious feeling he had over the situation, "jackson, watch her back." he told the dog who had barked at him in response.

"stay safe losers!" you waved goodbye before you and jackson rushed off into another direction, determined to meet up with them once again in their own way.

when you and jackson finally made their way to the front they were baffled to see that joel and ellie were being held at gunpoint. "don't even think about reaching for your weapon." you heard a female voice order joel. you watched as ellie pulled out her gun and pointed it at the woman. "tell the girl to drop hers, now."

"ellie. do as the lady says." he tells her while putting his hands down to his side. ellie looked over to joel with a 'are you serious' face, before reluctantly putting down her gun.

"okay." she says while raising her hands in a defensive manner and putting down the gun.

"hey, assholes look over here!" you yell while you shoot up into the sky. everyone tenses as they watch the forest closely.

"no!" joel shouts at you as panic flooded through his veins. it felt like deja vu, sending him backwards to the worst moment of his entire life.

"run for it joel and ellie!" you tell them while you and jackson ran away to dodge the shots being sent at you.

"hey, stop your fire!" another male voice ordered which caused all the shots to stop. "they're alright." he told the woman. you paused for a moment, confused at what the fuck is happening.

"what, you know these people?" the woman asked.

"i know him." the man said before opening the door, "he's my goddamn brother."

"tommy." joel called his name, a bright smile appearing on his face as he stood in front of his only blood related family member whom was alive.

"holy shit." tommy said in complete shock of joel's liveliness. he immediately walked up to him and wrapped his arm which wasn't holding a gun around joel's neck. joel smiled at his brother before wrapping his arms around him and patting his back.

"how you doin', baby brother?" he softly asked him.

"goddamn." tommy replied.

"yeah." joel got out before tommy pulled away

"let me look at you." he analyzed his brother, still holding onto the sides of his face, "you got fucking old." tommy teased joel while laughing at the sight.

"i know right." you joined in which made all of them jump at her sudden appearance. the woman narrowed her eyes at you, before returning her gaze to the brothers. tommy chuckled at the comment, but joel didn't seem as amused as he was.

"easy — it's gonna happen to you too." joel warned tommy before jokingly pushing him off of himself.

joel glanced at the woman who was standing next to tommy. "this is maria." he introduced while putting a hand on her back. "be nice to her, she sorta run things around here." tommy informed him.

"ma'am." joel pulled you into him, causing your eyes to expand like coins at the sudden touch from your older protector, "thanks for not blowing our, or even more so, her head off." he thanked her as he nudged for you to apologize to her as well. "she meant well, but as always became more of a problem." joel explained.

you huffed in response while crossing your arms. you believed that he should be grateful that you even came to their rescue. joel sent you a glare, forcing you to succumb immediately and apologize. you did not ever want to get on his bad side.

"would've been embarrassing, considering you're my brother-in-law." she replied.

joel instantly look to tommy for confirmation on the news. tommy embarrassingly chuckled, "we all gotta get wrangled up at some point." he explained.

maria looked towards the two girls, "ellie and [ y/n ], right?" she questioned.

ellie nodded her head. "yeah."

"what brings you through here?" she asked ellie.

feeling a bit under pressure at the sudden question, ellie slurred her response. "uh... it's kind of a long story." she replied while looking back and forth between you and joel.

"why don't we bring them inside?" tommy looked at maria.

"yeah," she bobbed her head in agreement, "you hungry?" she asked the two girls.

"starving." ellie responded and followed maria shortly behind.

you on the other hand, stopped in your place. you couldn't take another step forward as memories came flooding into your mind, sending you through an entire trauma spiral. your face began to pale, as your chest began to rise and fall quicker than usual.

a thousand flashbacks pierced your vision, blinding you from reality. you felt her entire body wanting to give out — that was before you heard a voice calling your name.

joel's voice within your mind lead you back to reality from the darkest point in your entire life. when your vision cleared the first thing you saw a worried expression on joel's face as he cupped your cheeks within his palms. tears were falling from your eyes and rushing down your cheeks. when he saw the life return into your eyes from their previous dull state, he gently rubbed them away.

"oh, joel..." you mumbled his name. that's when you realized what had happened. you quickly pushed joel away and backed up from the group of four. "i..i'm sorry." you apologized while wiping your tears away with your forearm.

"it's okay," maria speaks up, reassuring you in a soft voice. "are you okay?" she asks you.

"yeah, i'm sorry." you apologized again while nodding your head. you anxiously rubbed your sides, embarrassed by your sudden breakdown. "i don't know what happened." you tried to grin, but you weren’t up to act like you were okay just yet.

it was the gates of the structure which had caused such a huge reaction from you, forcing you to remember your mistakes in trusting strangers — even more so, adults.

ellie walked up to you, past joel and everyone else who stood in her way. she knew all too well what your breakdown right now felt like. you looked into ellie's eyes, which somehow comforted you even more than everyone else's attempts. "you good?" she asked you, inches away from you. jackson, who was laying down on her feet, whined as he rubbed his muzzle against your leg.

from your perspective, the only thing you could see was ellie. suddenly, everything felt so much better. you genuinely smiled at her, "yeah, i'm good." you responded.

"wanna head inside?" ellie whispered to you.

"yeah, only with you by my side." you confessed with sincerity. after finishing your sentence, you realized what you had said and immediately wanted to take it back. however, when you looked over to ellie... you didn't regret a thing.

ellie was sheepishly smiling at her response as well, somehow you knew that ellie was thinking the same thing as you were when you mindlessly blurted out your thoughts. ellie slipped her hand within yours and intertwined your fingers as ellie slowly led you through the gates. jackson eagerly following them.

joel, tommy, and maria all glanced at each other. they were confused on what had just happened to the poor girl who has once been crying in the stand up position. "i'll find out what happened." joel reassured them.

"that'd probably be for the best." maria agreed with joel.

"let's just get inside." tommy told them both. they all walked inside the gates, and tommy slowly closed it from behind them.

next part

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tea-stained-notes · 1 month

Text

Steve Rogers x OFC - Waiting On a Miracle, Chapter 6

After catching an infamous serial killer in the act, Julie Castillo is in line for the witness protection program. She is sent to a temporary safe house with U.S. Marshal Steve Rogers to protect her. Both of them scarred by trauma and tragedy, they find solace in each other. But how far will they dare to go?

Jesus fucking Christ, how has it been EIGHT months since I updated this story?! I swear, I have no idea why it's been taking me so incredibly long to get these chapters out 🙈 Anyway, I do have the remaining ones mostly finished, so I'm hoping to post them all soon - but with this bitch you just never know lol

CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5

Series warnings: violence, death, angst, trauma, smut

Chapter warnings: violence and death (non-explicit), anxiety, trauma

Chapter word count: ~1850

Song(s) referenced: All I Ask of You (The Phantom of the Opera), The Point of No Return (The Phantom of the Opera)

Another minute passed before Steve had composed himself enough to speak again. “I grew up with two best friends. Bucky and Sam. We were like brothers, getting up to all sorts of mischief around school and the neighborhood.” “You and mischief?” I said with a small smile. “I know, Nat wouldn’t have recognized me.” I was relieved at the faint chuckle that escaped him. “We all had older siblings. Bucky and I had a sister each, Sam had two brothers. And at some point they all got entangled in this Uptown gang.” “The Outfit?” “God no. I mean, sure, every gang in Chicago is somewhat tied to the mob. But no, they were doing their own thing. And some of it was fun, I guess. But at some point our siblings wanted out.” Fresh tears formed in his eyes and I tightened the grip on his hands. He swallowed heavily. “One of Sam’s brothers was the only one who made it out alive. His legs so crippled he’s still in a wheelchair.” My mouth fell open. “And the others… Your sister?” He shook his head, lips pressed into a thin line.

“Sam and Bucky vowed to make them pay,” he rasps. “We were just kids at the time, around fourteen. But they made a pact and kept it. Both became cops, worked their way up fast, focused on street gangs. The one that had taken our siblings had grown exponentially, so they managed to get an undercover mission approved. They wanted to destroy them from the inside out.” “What about you?” I whispered. “I was still helping out at my parents’ business. A small hardware store. I’d thought about joining the guys but it would have killed my mom and dad to watch me walk into that hellhole every single day. We’d never gotten justice for Jackie and the others. They made me promise, they—“ He stifled another sob and I thought my heart might burst out of my chest at his pain. “The guys did well for a while. Gathered intel and planned a massive raid. Then a mole in the force blew their cover and…” Steve’s voice broke as a new fit of weeping overcame him. Without thinking I let go of his hands to pull him into a tight embrace, my fingers running soothingly through his hair. I had begun crying along with him, barely able to breathe “I’m so sorry” into his ear. He clutched me like a life raft.

After a few minutes he pulled back, exhaustion etched into his features. “I moved to New York a few weeks later,” he continued softly. “I trained as a cop and then marshal to… make up for failing my friends, I suppose. By protecting others in need. By putting their safety above mine.” “That sounds trying.” I only just noticed that my fingers had started drawing patterns on his arm. I could no longer stop touching him. “It’s worth it.” The small smile barely reached his red-rimmed eyes. I wondered how often he had to tell himself that. “Thank you for trusting me with your story.” His eyes shone warmly as he recognized the echo of his own words from a few days ago. “Thank you for listening.” I forcefully pulled myself away from him. For the fraction of a second it seemed like his hands wanted to chase after me. Ignoring the flutter in my stomach, I pushed myself to my feet. “I’m gonna get started on dinner. How about you pick a movie from our brand new collection? And yes it can be Beauty and the Beast.” He chuckled quietly and I cherished the sound, smiling myself before ambling into the kitchen.

When the credits started rolling I stretched and yawned languidly before turning off the TV. Steve had fallen asleep on his side of the couch, snuggled up in a blanket and perfectly relaxed. I couldn’t help staring at him. The glowing remnants of the fire colored him in shades of gold, smoothing his peaceful features even further. Just looking at him made me weak. It felt like he had snuck into the most secluded corners of my heart and the thought of having to say goodbye any day now was getting more and more unbearable. I had no idea what could become of this, of us. All I knew was that I had never felt this close to anyone. Suddenly his breathing changed, growing erratic and labored. His brows furrowed and he pressed out desperate pleas under his breath. “No, please no. Please. Stop!” For the second time today my heart leapt into my throat at the tortured sight of him. “Steve,” I said softly. “It’s okay, wake up.” But his imploration only grew louder as he started thrashing around, caught in the blanket still wrapped around him. He was panting hard now. I leaned forward to grab his shoulder. “Steve. Steven!” His eyes flew open and his hand immediately closed around my wrist, ripping it away from his body as his torso shot up. I ignored the pain and tried to catch his gaze instead. “Steve, it’s me. You’re okay, you’re safe.” His entire body froze while his eyes slowly focused on my face. He drew back his hand as if burned. “Julie. God, I— I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” “I’m fine. Just breathe.” I slowly reached out to him again, closing my fingers around his and he intertwined them without a second of hesitation. A quiet warmth ran through me. His breathing grew more even, his eyes focussing on something in the middle-distance. “Would you like some tea?” Now that I finally got to return the offer he had so often made me during my tortured nights, I realized with a pang in my chest that I had been too blinded by my own pain to truly see the one in him. “Yeah, thanks.

A few minutes later I sat back down with two steaming mugs, offering one to him. Steve smiled gratefully. We sat in silence for a while. “Did you dream about what you told me earlier?” I whispered eventually. He nodded. “I’m sorry if I brought that back up to the surface, I didn’t mean—“ “I get these nightmares all the time, it’s not your fault. Years of therapy and it all still haunts me.” He took a careful sip. “Yeah, the pain of losing someone you loved never really goes away. For me it’s this burning I get in the pit of my stomach whenever something reminds me of her.” “For me it’s here.” Steve rubbed across his chest. I nodded thoughtfully. “You know, whenever I had nightmares as a child my mom would sing to me.” “Of course she would,” he said with a tender smile. “What songs?” “Anything she could think of. Anything I wished for. But a favorite of ours was All I Ask of You from Phantom of the Opera.” “Will you sing that for me?” “Do you know it?” “Not really. I saw the show once but it struck me as… ” “Highly problematic?” We both grinned. “Yeah.” “God, it is. Even this song is, quite frankly. All these patronizing men pretending they know best what Christine needs when they all just want to own her. But some of the melodies and lyrics are still stunning.” “So will you?” He looked at me with gentle expectation, taking another long drink from his tea. I did the same, then set my mug down on the table. Although I had sung quite a few pieces for him, nervousness still crept into my veins. This felt different. Was different.

“No more talk of darkness. Forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you. My words will warm and calm you.” My heart began glowing at the memory of my mother’s voice and the mesmerized look on Steve’s face. “Let me be your freedom, let daylight dry your tears. I'm here, with you, beside you, to guard you and to guide you.” I hesitated before Christine’s first line. Fire swept across my skin as the words crept up on me and I couldn’t tear my gaze from his as I shifted into the higher notes. “Say you love me every waking moment. Turn my head with talk of summertime. Say you need me with you now and always. Promise me that all you say is true. That's all I ask of you.” I swallowed heavily, then pressed out a nervous chuckle. “God, this song is so cheesy.” “What’s musical theatre without a bit of cheese?” replied Steve. A grin was spread across his cheeks but there was something in his eyes that betrayed his ease. I cleared my throat, then nearly stumbled over my words. “Actually though there’s this one bit that’s really heartbreaking. Raoul sings ‘Then say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Let me lead you from your solitude. Say you need me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too. Christine, that's all I ask of you.’” I found myself gesticulating wildly, heat rising in my neck. “Yes, cheesy, but do you remember how the phantom eavesdrops on their duet and then in the penultimate number, The Point of No Return, repeats those same lines? And it really depends on who plays Eric, but Ramin Karimloo for instance does this so beautifully. I mean, he’s still a deeply disturbed man of course, but God, when he sings those lines you truly feel for him, it just breaks me every single time.” Steve just stared at me for a moment. “Sorry,” I mumbled, “I got carried away again.” “No, I love it when you get so passionate,” he said gently. “And I remember that scene, it was… quite something.” His eyes wandered over my face, briefly landing on my lips before he dragged them back up. The air between us was so charged, I could almost hear a sizzling through the blood rushing in my ears. Suddenly my entire body was screaming his name, forcing me forward, closer to him. My hand reached out to cup his cheek and a small sigh escaped him at the contact. His empty mug clattered onto the floor as he mirrored my gesture and pulled me close. With our foreheads pressed together, we shared a shaky breath. And just when I thought my heart might burst out of my chest with anticipation — he drew back. “I can't. We can't. I can't be distracted.” He closed his eyes, his brow creased in restraint. “I'd never forgive myself if my negligence got you hurt. Or worse.” Tears were pricking at my eyes. I yearned for him more than I had ever thought possible. “And what if you did everything right but something still happened to you or me?” “Julie—” “Would you regret not giving this a chance when you could?” His gaze locked onto mine. Intense and tormented. Then he briskly rose to his feet. “We should go to sleep. Good night.” He hurried out of the room while I just sat there, shell-shocked, my eyes still fixed on the empty space he had left behind.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

MASTERLIST

Tag List: @multifanworld @peguem-o-pombo-agora @cvanstagram @yslvtre @wandasrogers @littleredone88 @before-we-get-started @sophham @missaprilt23 @chrissusmissus @dvmb-whxre @daddydraco0 @quicksilversthings @thechoosenonecreator @rosellia-hudsons @lokirogersgirl @nekoannie-chan @readawaythereality2 @yal1d @hyperfixationhovel

#steve rogers #steve rogers fanfic #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers smut #soft steve rogers #broadway #musical theatre

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holdonunreal · 2 months

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Chapter 1: The Worst to be

To say that Playtime Co. College was big showed that the person making that statement had...no idea. Apart from the several hundred classrooms and thirty floors, there really was everything. A swimming pool, a huge garden, just under twelve annexes on different floors and all that just in the college building. A few kilometers further on the campus was the huge school, that's right, not just the most famous college no... There is also a high school here. There's even a huge theatre here, and a dorm where students from very far away could live. I'd like to live there, at least then I wouldn't have to drive two hours to school every morning.

And it's all thanks to one person, Elliot Ludwig. He worked with the help of a couple studies and companies to build all of this. Of course, nobody questions that... There are not enough people to do that. After all, the failure rate of the entrance exam is about 90%. That means only one in ten people make it in...I think. At least I hope so. If I were to be wrong about such simple statements, then I really couldn't do anything.

At least I'm not alone in all this shit, I have my only friend with me: Karasu. But he's often busy checking out girls on his phone instead of helping me 'use it'. What exactly I mean is simple. A few months ago it started like this...

"You really need to find a girlfriend, dude!"

"Why?"

"Yeah, you don't want to be an outsider like Boxy here!" He raised his long arm and pointed at the only boy in the school who was sitting at the Cafeteria table with us. It was Boxy, not really a friend of mine, but he was quiet and didn't talk much or shout. But that was probably just because he was on his phone most of the time... No, I'll be more specific. 'He was always on his phone'. Even in class, he was always Playing, and the worst thing about the whole thing was the saddest thing. The guy had much better grades than me and Karasu... Without ever learning!

"In case you haven't noticed Karasu, I'm already an outsider." Boxy continued to play on his mobile phone and didn't even touch his food tablet. He continued typing on his mobile phone and occasionally blew away his crimson hair, which began to stand up in front of his face. He simply ignored Karasu's comment.

"Yes, but that can still change You know, some girls also like shorter boys!" I wouldn't say I'm short. The only problem is that Karasu and Boxy are among the tallest in the school. Both are easily 6'3 feet. Whereas I'm just 5'6 feet tall.

"That's not the point, I'm just not as much of a party guy as you are!"

"You just don't have any social skills, didn't you almost shit yourself in maths class yesterday just because you asked something?"

"WHAT?" I shout it far too loudly and people slowly turn towards us. I'm getting really embarrassed. There are easily several hundred people sitting here and I'm just yelling.

"HAHAHAHAHHAHA HAVE YOU SEEN THAT BOXY HAHAHA" Yeah, so funny.

"Yes yes, I've seen it, very funny." Boxy is lying through his teeth. But I don't hold it against him, after all Karasu is the loudest person in the whole school when he laughs.

But that's also exactly what I like about him, we don't resemble each other one bit, not in looks and not in behaviour. He always tries to take me somewhere and meet new people. I never go with him or talk to anyone. But it's still the will that counts. But it's far too strange to meet someone new anyway... No, especially talking to them. I don't understand how Karasu always gets on with everyone, especially with people who you can tell don't really like him at all.

"Hey, I just remembered, there's a big party tonight at this new student's place, Boxy I'm dragging you along anyway... I'll just give you the choice. Do you want to sit at home and do nothing Y/N or do you want to socialise with the people you'll be spending a few more years with here?"

I give him a stupid look, my answer is actually clear. But he seriously expects me to answer him now. But just as I'm about to answer him, he cuts me off.

"Who knows... Maybe you'll meet someone there? You know, a girl, you'll exchange numbers and then in a couple of weeks-

"No" That's all I say, I don't even want to hear what he has to say. I don't blame him for thinking that way, I really don't. But it's only to be expected from someone who has a different girl running around with him every week.

Just at that moment, the bell rings and it's back to the next lesson. But that's not important for my explanation, what's more important is what happened at home. I didn't go to the party, 'that was obvious'. I lay in bed at home and listened to music... For a couple of hours. After all, I had nothing better to do and I wanted to relax after a hard day at school. At least I got one exam back and scored seven out of a hundred. Not just the worst mark in the course, no... out of the whole year group.

I just lay there and literally thought about nothing, I was rather Daydreaming. After all, you can be whoever you want. I think I was kind of asleep too. At least I wasn't really conscious. In any case, I was called by my mother, I lay in bed for a few more seconds and then got up.

I kicked my bedside cabinet, I didn't really see that there was a bottle of water on it... An open water bottle. It was suddenly like in slow motion, the bottle was about to hit the floor while the water was slowly running out of the bottle. I don't know what it was at that moment, but that's exactly what I was thinking about. How the bottle would continue to float in the air and I could just hold it there. It was like a kind of reflex, my body wasn't fast enough to react. But my head had been thinking reflexively for a long time.

And that's exactly what it was. The bottle stayed in the air just like that, with the water that had already leaked out at a minimum distance from the bottom. I briefly thought I was dreaming, but that quickly cleared up when I bent down excitedly and pushed a finger into the leaking water. It was real, I'm sure, as sure as I've ever been about anything. I slowly walked backwards, a little startled. Then I moved my head slightly upwards and the bottle actually went with me. It floated there in the air as if there had never been such a thing as gravity. After pushing it up and down a little, I realized that I didn't have to move my head. It was enough to think about how this bottle slowly floated around in the air.

"Y/N COME EAT NOW" I was scared, my mother often got louder, but not because of that. She was in front of my door, if she had put her hand on it and opened it, she would have seen me standing there stupidly by my bed. While a water bottle flies around in the air in front of me. The moment I go to the door to eat, I hear a slight bang. 'The water bottle? I looked back and there it was, on my floor, and the spilled water was already spreading across the floor. Fuck

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What followed was quite simple. I didn't go to college for the rest of the semester, and not just because of my bad grades. Of course also because of my new ability, 'telekinesis'. At first I googled like a madman, in the end I got what I could already guess. "Anyone who thinks they have superhuman abilities has a mental illness and should seek help quickly before it's too late." There was even a number at the bottom, and believe it or not I was about to call. I still have no idea why I can suddenly levitate things like that.

Well, I've already gotten a couple of letters from the college, one for a transfer, one for a warning. To summarize... I don't just have to show up every Day of the second semester, I have to really participate. A couple slips and that's it. No college, no job and telekinesis that basically does me no good.

I lay on my bed again and did...nothing really. I wanted to study a bit because the next semester starts tomorrow but I'd rather be on social media. Watching people partying and having fun, especially Karasu's account. I go on it so often and look at what he's doing. I think I would give anything to be as social as him, just to be able to approach people and talk to them. But when I think back, I could honestly never do that.

I briefly put my phone on my nightstand. The night cupboard where I first discovered my ability. I feel guilty somehow, I didn't tell anyone from my family, not my parents or anyone else. The only person who knows is Karasu, he didn't believe me at first either, but when I made his cell phone fly and threw it in his face, he slowly understood. Then we went outside, he wanted to 'have a chat'.

Actually, he just shouted at me why I hadn't told him earlier. Just before I could answer, he started with his ideas, for example that I was actually something very special.

"Dude, you have superpowers yet you skip college and rot in your room all day?"

Yes, I had to listen to these comments for a few hours, but then it was time for the important questions:

"And do you actually know why you have telekinesis now? I mean, that can't be genetic, can it? Do you think so?-

"Man, I skipped the semester, I don't even know how to write the word biology anymore."

"Oh man you dumbass, you really have to take school seriously now right?"

I walk slowly with him to the bus stop, after all we don't live directly in the city, so it's a twenty-minute walk. After all, not living in the city has many advantages, it's quiet, there are fewer people. And best of all: 'I hardly notice'. We're already at the bus stop and I stand while he sits down, then he looks at me again...

"It's about time you got together with people, but you'll see that tomorrow anyway... So grab some smart girl and always have her send you your homework!"

At that moment, the bus slowly arrives and I turn around and start walking.

"Don't forget the bus tomorrow morning, I'll get on at the City stop!"

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true-blue-sonic · 10 months

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I recall you mentioning a Time God AU involving Silver before that you've been working on? If it's not gonna be trouble, could I ask to learn more about it? 👉👈

Sure thing! ^-^

So, the ideas I have right now aren't a hundred percent solid, so to say. But Silver is a Guardian of Time/some kind of godly-ish spirit or being, who is tasked with protecting the Time Stones. This is the Silver from '06, who got erased from time when Sonic and Elise blew out Solaris' flame: whatever deities are out there in the world of Sonic took pity on him and allowed him a new life as a protector of the time stream. This does mean that he's very far removed from actual living people and kind of has a very big important duty he must do (protect the time stream from shenanigans and protect the Time Stones), but Silver is naturally curious and thus seeks out society all the same. He meets with Espio when Espio is mere seconds away from dying through getting ran over by a car, and he uses his godly powers to intervene and allow Espio to safely get away. However, somehow the Time Stones scatter (I don't have an idea yet why, though. I do really need something, but I just don't know why they would disappear, and considering the whole plot hinges on this it's a bit of an issue😅), which means Silver needs to go look for them with Espio's help. Once Espio has accepted that the time guardian is real and not just a hallucination from the what-was-meant-to-be last moments of his life, he takes Silver with him to the Agency, and from there onwards I'm not sure yet what they can do other than search for the time stones together. And of course fall in love, hehe.

Also you can have the draft of the whole first chapter, since that is basically finished :> I hope you like it! ^-^

~~~~

Espio woke up without knowing his life was meant to end that day.

That was something most people did not know when waking up, he would have reasoned when looking back ages later, but that morning he got out of bed like he always did and went through the motions as usual. “What do we have for upcoming jobs?” he inquired at the kitchen table like every other day as well, and the shrug from Vector was nothing out of the ordinary either.

“One case of a missing person, but that seems more like a runaway little child than anything else. And some sleuthing for a transport company in the harbour, to see if another is reliable. That’s it.”

“Better than usual,” the chameleon smiled, helping Charmy fill up a bowl of cereal while the little bee was chanting something along the lines of marshmallows. “How will we divide the tasks?”

“I’ll take Charmy to find that kid, they’ll hit it off immediately. Harbour for you, then?”

“That works for me,” the chameleon agreed, and breakfast had gone by just the same as it usually did. With no odd feelings or worries at all Espio left the Agency, something akin to a little smile on his face as he briskly stepped his way over to the dock at the ocean. The spring weather warmed the world around him, they finally appeared to have some decent jobs, Eggman was behaving – for however long that would last – and the world was filled with happy chatter and cheerfulness; what did he have to fear?

To such calm future prospectives his thoughts drifted as he investigated the company at the harbour, meeting with their client and helping make sense of legal documents and past descriptions of others who had worked with the same people. “A good day,” he spoke out loud at the end of it, permitting himself a few moments to bask in the light of the setting sun and nodding contently at the orange glow shimmering on the waves of the ocean. With an envelope of money in his possession and a grateful client assuring him they were more than willing to ask the Chaotix for their services again, he could only be happy.

Except something nagging sparked up in his chest, something that made him blink amidst the idyllic scenery.

And as soon as it had appeared, it was gone again.

Strange, Espio noted to himself, scrutinising the whole harbour for any danger and finding none. His ninja senses were honed sharply and his intuition had never failed him before… but there truly did not seem to be something here to cause him trouble. “An omen of things to come?” the chameleon mumbled under his breath, turning around briskly and stepping home even more quickly than he had been on his way this morning. If something were to occur, he wanted to be with his colleagues for it.

The worries the odd nagging had elicited refused to leave his mind, Espio flicking his tail as he mingled inbetween the people making their way home after a long day of work. Curling his lip the chameleon sidestepped around them all, ignoring the busyness as best he could; having so many people around was far too stifling, his eyes flickering around to find a way that did not trap him right into a short burst of rush traffic. Across the street stood a bench, that part of the roads much less crowded…

Nimbly flicking his way around some of the people taking up too much of his personal space Espio came to a halt at the traffic light, ramming his pinkie into the button. Almost immediately his light became green; a perk of being a pedestrian, he smiled to himself as he stepped onto the road while first looking left before his gaze drifted right… and he could not even react to the car that was rushing at him at a speed that would make Sonic jealous.

And then, time froze around him.

Espio stared, yet nothing moved. He blinked, yet the way a frightened man reached out to him on the sidewalk was just as motionless as the scream on another person’s lips.

And someone was behind him on the road, someone who floated above it in a silver-hued light with seven glowing rocks circling its body while looking surprisingly calm compared to the horror of the people on the streets.

“You have to move,” the creature spoke. “The Time Stones can only do so much- it won’t be like this for much longer, and you’ll get hurt. Move.”

“…Oh! Apologies.” And with that Espio finally managed to kick his legs into movement and scamper over onto the sidewalk, and with a blink of an eye his surroundings came alive once more, the chameleon grunting at the gust of wind tugging at his body from the car racing past without stopping or the cries of fright around him.

“Hey- you! Boy! Are you okay?!” The man who had reached out to him raced over, Espio flinching as he was snapped out of his stupor. “That… that driver nearly hit you!”

“…Yes,” the chameleon retorted. “Yes, they… they did.”

Only able to stare bleakly at the road he merely hummed at the man’s fussing, other people beginning to mingle in as well- but he could only stare at where his life surely had almost come to an end.

He could have sworn something shimmering and glowing hovering over it.

“Are you sure you should not go to the hospital-“

“I am fine,” Espio spoke up unexpectedly calmly, turning around and nodding his head at the man. “Truly. Thank you for your concern, and my apologies for worrying you.”

“Yes, but you-“

“Merely had to take some moments to stop reeling.” Nodding at everyone crowding around him the chameleon took a quick step back, scales prickling at their fussing. “Which I have now, so I must continue on my way. Be careful out there.”

Keeping his movements calm and deliberate Espio kept his face as neutral as possible, the people around him trading nervous glances still- but inwardly he kept his fingers crossed the calm of his words would convince them, and his shoulders sagged just barely as the group eventually let up. “You should be happy with such quick reflexes, they really saved your life. It was as if you’re teleported, you came to the sidewalk so quickly,” the man eventually spoke. “Well, take care out there yourself. I am glad you’re okay.”

“Yes… I am grateful, too. I will.” Though, the question kept burning on his mind… “Pardon, but did you… see someone behind me, when the car nearly struck?” he asked the man more quietly.

“Someone- no, it was just you, luckily.”

“Odd. I could have sworn- well, nevermind. Surely that was simply the stress.” Nodding politely at the confusedly-frowning man Espio quickly turned around in full to make his escape- that had been much, much too close, and that one second of frozen time and odd people telling him odd things had just been an imagination of his mind while he’d long made it to the sidewalk already and was simply reeling from the stress, nothing more.

It couldn’t be anything more.

Right?

A sudden wave of anxiety barrelling into him Espio tensed, gaze drifting over to that one spot where his life nearly ended before he could help it. The road looked just like it usually did on any other spot in the city, grey with white paint drawn over it and the occasional car or cyclist coming past; absolutely nothing that pointed towards the accident that had nearly occurred.

And yet, and yet…

Espio could have sworn something in that particular spot was glimmering still. Not the same glow of silver as the odd person had had around them, but…

Peeking around to see if anyone who had concerned themselves with him was around still Espio set a few more paces until the coast was clear, the streets having gone quiet anew after the small rush of people. The button for the pedestrian’s crossing was pressed quickly enough, its ticking noise changing to indicate he had green light, and a tentative pace onto the grey road followed suit…

And Espio’s eyes widened at the glowing object that laid on the pavement, a rock that had the exact same shape as those that had floated around the creature.

And he was still standing right on the streets.

Reaching down and grasping the rock from the asphalt Espio darted over to the side he came from again, the ticking noise of the traffic light slowing down anew as he leaned as closely against the buildings as he dared. Almost bashfully he studied the rock; it was shaped along the lines of a hexagon with two parallel lines elongated, with a front and six sides moving down. Not a Chaos Emerald, the chameleon decreed immediately, but there still was some sort of power running through it, that his well-trained senses did not miss…

And he had seen them around the creature, he was sure of that.

“Nonsense,” Espio spoke out loud, ignoring the odd looks from some people making their way through the city across the road as he turned on his heels and briskly stepped back towards where the Chaotix’ Agency was. Surely that stone had always been there on the road and he merely had not seen it, or someone had dropped it in the few minutes of his distraction or it had fallen from a car- he had hallucinated the creature and it had been his quick reflexes that had led to a good ending, after all, so there was no way the rock in his hands meant anything.

But as he walked over the pavement and flinched at every single noise of a car driving past the chameleon could not help himself and sent a single glance over his shoulder, where the cyan glow was no more, and he could not help shake the feeling it hadn’t been his reflexes that saved him after all.

#this story is not worked out so well but I at least *do* know how I want it to end so that is good!!#silver the hedgehog #espio the chameleon #espilver #I'm honestly not even sure if I want to use the Time Stones since they are very local to Sonic CD and Little Planet #they're not a global thing afaik #but then I'd have to create some MacGuffins myself and like... what and how and stuff lol

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harleybeaumont · 2 years

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Love Me The Way I Am- Book 2

Chapter 10 - I’m Gonna Love You Forever

Book- TRR AU

Pairings - (main) Maxwell x MC (Harley), Drake x Liam, Bertrand x Savannah

Synopsis- Maxwell and Harley have finally confessed their feelings for one another and are ready to begin the next chapter of their lives as a couple. But what obstacles will they encounter on their journey? And what comes next?

A/N- This story has a few events from TRR, but mostly it’s all out the window. Harley is my character who is based off of Riley.

Series Warnings - language, drinking, medical issues, violence, sensuality, lemons - NSFW.

Chapter Warnings- NSFW (lemons) 🍋 🍋 🍋

Word Count- 2,000

18+ only

Click to catch up on past chapters or read Love Me The Way I Am - Book 1.

Song Inspiration: Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis

***This is the last chapter of Book 2, but God help me, I'm writing book 3 now! It may take a while, as I’m also trying to wrap up a couple other series I’m also working on, but it’s in progress. At this rate I’ll be writing Max and Harley until the end of time! Lol

The next book will be a little different as it will show Drake and Liam and their struggle, Max and Harley will have some new complications arise, and I’ll also be exploring more of the darker things that have happened leading up to, and after The Homecoming Ball. But Maxwell and Harley will still be the main focus.Thanks to everyone who likes, comments, and reblogs my story. It makes me want to keep writing, when I know I’m not the only one who enjoys it! ❤️

Chapter 10 - I’m Gonna Love You Forever

During their time at the ranch, the seven friends felt as if they were finally able to relax. They played with baby animals, rode horses, and swam in the lake. Hana was even enjoying a fling with a girl she met at the bar.

One morning as Maxwell watched Harley and Bumble sneak out to play with the newborn calves, an idea struck him. He ran down to the kitchen where everyone was helping prepare breakfast.

“I'm gonna do it!” Max yelled, and everyone turned to look at him curiously.

Bertrand gasped, “When?!”

“Tonight! I have a plan, but I need everyone's help.”

Drake finished loading up his plate and sat at the table. “It would help if we actually knew what you were talking about.”

Maxwell looked around carefully to make sure Harley was still outside, “I'm gonna.. propose to her.”

Hana screamed and Liam smiled broadly, “That's great Maxwell.”

Bianca clapped him on the back. “Aww, honey! I could tell you had something on your mind since you got here!”

Hana finally managed to regain her composure, “Oh my god! That's so exciting! What can we do!?”

Maxwell shimmied back and forth nervously. Drake laughed, “Beaumont, are you stress dancing over this? You know how she feels about you.”

“I'm freaking out! What if I mess this up?! What if she says no?!” Maxwell’s breathing became erratic and he began pacing back and forth through the kitchen.

Hana grabbed his shoulders, “Maxwell, relax!” She grinned conspiratorially, “She's going to say yes.”

His eyes widened. “But, how do you know?!”

She looked at him and chuckled; he wasn't getting it. “I'm not saying anything else.. what's your plan?”

___________________________________________

After breakfast, Bianca found Harley in the barn cuddling with one of the calves. “Hey sugar, can you help me with something?”

Harley, Savannah, and Bianca went into town to go grocery shopping. Harley was trying not to show her boredom as Bianca spent hours looking down each aisle at almost every product.

Savannah nudged her arm, “Harley why don't we go sit down at the Starbucks while mum finishes her shopping.” Bianca winked at Savannah while they walked away.

Once they ordered and sat down, Harley blew out an exhausted breath, “Your mom sure likes to shop, huh?”

Savannah giggled, “Um, yep!”

They sipped their coffee in contended silence. “So Harley.. There's actually something I've been meaning to talk to you about.”

“What's up?”

Savannah looked down shyly, “Do you think Bertrand’s happy being with me? He says he is, but do you think he's actually happy?”

Harley smiled, “Savannah, I have seen a completely different Bertrand since you and Bartie came into his life. I know I've only known him for a little more than a year, but he's definitely happy. You and Bartie make him a better person, and he knows it.”

Savannah blushed, hiding a smile behind her coffee cup. “Thanks. I sometimes worry about not being good enough. You know, not being noble or anything..”

Harley sighed, “I get that. I'm a nobody from New York, but somehow Max still wants to be with me. I think when you really love someone, nothing else matters.”

Savannah smiled, “You're absolutely right.”

By the time they returned to the Walker Ranch, the sun was beginning to set. Harley had barely heard from Max all day. The last text he sent her said they were all doing chores. She giggled as she imagined Bertrand mucking out the stables.

Bianca shooed Harley up the stairs. “Now you go on up and get changed for dinner!”

Harley looked down at the jeans and t-shirt she was wearing, “Oh, are we doing something formal tonight?”

“I forgot to tell you, we’re all dressing up and eating dinner outside tonight!” Bianca smiled at her as Harley headed upstairs. “Now go get all prettied up!”

Harley noticed that nobody was around when she got upstairs, but figured everyone must already be outside for dinner. She touched up her makeup and changed into the red lace dress that Hana made for her. She spritzed on her favorite perfume and headed downstairs.

When she entered the living room, she looked around, “Helloooo?” No answer. She made her way outside onto the grandiose back patio and looked around. Are they messing with me?

Harley noticed lights coming from the barn and slowly made her way over. She cracked open the large, wooden door and peeked in. The inside had been transformed with flowers and fairy lights strung around the room. All the animals were gone. She stepped inside curiously and looked around. In the center of the room she saw a small table with a bouquet of red tulips. She smiled brightly. Aww, Maxwell.

As she reached out and gently touched the tulips, a song she recognized began playing softly- “Forever and Ever, Amen.” She whirled around as she heard someone enter the barn behind her. Maxwell was dressed in the navy blue tux that she loved so much. She bit her lip and smiled as he held out his hand to dance with her.

“What are you up to?” She beamed at him as they danced together in the empty barn.

He looked down shyly and smiled, but didn't say a word. Harley lay her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as they danced together.

Maxwell's heart was pounding in his chest. He had checked a hundred times, but was still worried that the ring wasn't in his pocket. It's there, chill out! Breathe! Calm down! He looked down at Harley laying her head against him. She looked beautiful.

The song played: “..As sure as I live,

this love that I give,

is gonna be yours until the day that I die..”

He closed his eyes and sighed happily, enjoying the familiar feeling of her body against his. He breathed in the scent of her hair and perfume that both excited and comforted him each time he was near her. He kissed the top of her head.

“..If you wonder how long I'll be faithful,

I'll be happy to tell you again.

I'm gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever amen.”

Maxwell lifted his arm and spun her and she giggled.

“.. they say time can play tricks on the memory,

make people forget things they knew.

It's easy to see, it's happening to me..”

Max sang the next part aloud as he dipped her: “..I've already forgotten every woman but you!”

Harley giggled, “so smooth!”

He held her tightly again and his stomach filled with butterflies as he realized the song was coming to a close. He heard Harley’s sweet voice sing along,

“..I’m gonna love you, forever and ever,

Forever and ever, forever and ever,

Forever and ever, amen..”

She pulled back and smiled, “This was so sweet Max.”

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and reached into his pocket. Thank God it's still there. His heart was pounding as he took her hand and after another deep breath, dropped down to one knee. Harley's eyes widened and she gasped, as her other hand flew over her mouth.

Maxwell cleared his throat, “Harley Hughes.. I..” Deep breath. “I love you more than anything in the world. You saw the real me when nobody else did.. Or wanted to. You're so kind, and thoughtful, and beautiful, and every day that I realize that you still love me, makes me the happiest man in the world. I..” He started to choke up. Don't cry, dammit! “I.. can't imagine a day where I wake up and you're not next to me. I promise to never stop trying to show you that you are the most important person in my life. Harley.. Will you marry me?”

Harley’s heart was so full that she thought she might burst. The man she loved more than anything in the world was down on one knee giving his heart to her. Her stomach was full of butterflies as she looked at his handsome, honest face. She felt tears fall from her eyes.

She smiled brightly, “yes.”

Maxwell looked stunned and grinned at her incredulously, “Really? Thank you!”

She couldn’t help but laugh and Max jumped up, pulling her into a tight hug. She squealed as he spun her around.

“Oh wait! I forgot!” Max took her hand and slid the engagement ring onto her finger.

“Oh my god, Max..”

“Is it.. Ok?”

She tilted her hand side to side, admiring the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen. The dim fairy lights caught the red stone just right, causing it to glimmer like firelight. “It's gorgeous!”

“It.. was my mothers. She wore it every day. It actually was my great grandmother's engagement ring.”

Harley gasped, feeling more tears fall from her eyes. “Wow.. I’m so honored.”

Maxwell leaned down and kissed her, sighing happily. “I love you Harley Hughes.”

“I love you too, Maxwell Beaumont.”

Maxwell laughed and spun her around again, “I can't believe we're engaged!”

“I know! You're my fiance!”

“Holy shit! And you're my fiance!”

“AHH!”

They both laughed gleefully, grasping each other’s hands. “So what do we do now?” Harley asked with a smile.

“Now, I send a text to the six people who have been waiting anxiously to see if I managed to go through with it, or if i spontaneously combusted from nerves!’’

Their friends ran out to congratulate them and brought out the dinner they had prepared for the two of them.

Later that night, Harley and Maxwell planned to celebrate their engagement together in their room. Harley sent Hana a quick text while Max was in the shower:

‘Better put your headphones on tonight Hana! It’s gonna be LOUD if you know what I mean!”

Hana- ‘Ok, I'll let everyone know!’

Harley covered her face and chuckled, “oh god, Hana no!”

“What's wrong?” Max walked up and kissed her neck from behind. His skin was still damp and warm from the shower, and he was only wearing a towel around his waist.

Harley tossed her phone on the chair, spinning around to face him. “The only thing that's wrong is that my sexy fiance isn’t on top of me right now!”

Harley yanked the towel from around his waist, and squealed as he threw her on the bed.

“I'm gonna ravish you tonight, darling!” Maxwell chuckled as he kissed her neck, his warm breath sending goosebumps all the way down to her toes.

Harley's laughs soon dissolved into moans as he made his way down her chest. “Mmm.. Max, you're so good with your mouth.”

He nipped at the soft skin on her hip as he made his way down her body, “Is that all I'm good with?”

She gasped, “No.. you're good with your hands too..”

He kissed his way across her hips, slowly making his way downward. “Is that all?”

She moaned as he got closer and closer to where she needed him. “No.. oh God.”

“Say it..”

She reached down and wrapped her fingers around his length, gripping him tightly, “You're good with this big cock too.”

Max shivered, “Fuck.. I love hearing you talk like that.”

They spent the next hour pleasuring each other as they fell closer and closer to the edge of ecstasy. Maxwell climbed on top of her and she wrapped her legs tightly around him, crying out as her second orgasm of the night left her body trembling. Max shuddered as he released himself into her. They both tried to catch their breath as sweat dripped down their sated bodies.

Harley panted, “Damn.. Engaged sex is even better than dating sex!”

Maxwell smirked as he wiped the sweat from his brow, “Just wait until married sex.”

Once they showered and got ready for bed, they snuggled up next to each other under the covers. Maxwell put his arm around her and Harley laid against his bare chest on his hippo tattoo. She admired the engagement ring that he had given her that night.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Max stroked her hair softly and kissed her head.

She smiled up at him and pecked him on the lips. “Just you.”

“Anything specific, or just my general awesomeness?”

She chuckled, “Well, now that we're engaged, you know what comes next.”

“Engagement party? Oh my god, we're gonna have the biggest Beaumont bash ever to celebrate!”

“Well yes, that, but-”

He chuckled as he hugged her tighter against him, “I know baby. We get to start planning our wedding.”

Harley sighed happily, “Max?”

“Yes, future Mrs. Beaumont?”

“I can wait to be married to you.”

Maxwell's heart swelled, “Samesies.”

#love me the way i am #the royal romance #trr fanfic #trr #the royal romance fanfic #maxwell beaumont #maxwell x mc #choices fic writers creations

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here2bbtstrash · 2 years

Note

So this is how it started…..

And I REALLY was like, doing my homework with this chapter

And clearly couldn’t keep up with the deep analysis, chp 8 got better and better (as expected 🥹)and.. ok I’ll proceed to rant whatever thought is left on my MESSED UP BRAIN… ok they were bonding and taking care of eo meals SO AWKWARDLY??? Lmao like ok here’s some coffee and some gross sweet shit, idk eat it if y want idc *proceeds to drop it and walking away* also AB written on the cup my god you’re a fucking genius ily so much jajajajajjjjajajajajajaajj

And pls I love how she’s so confused about him and instead of unpack her thoughts with the BEST BSF JIMINIE MY BELOVED she’s like “ok imma go fuck him,yeah that’ll make everything more clear (no judging her tho like WHO WOULDNT ITS FUCKING MIN YOONGI)

“Is this a booty call” I KNEW HE’D BE THE ONE TO SAY THAT pls he’s so annoying!!!! and hot!

And ofc… they’re bonding in the best way: ✨trauma✨ but seriously I loved the way they skipped unnecessary and cliché comfort words, just listening eo🥹💜 (and OMG the whiskey scene from the vliveeee I’m a psychic like jiminie lol)

The smooooth “want a tour?” just to end up in his bedroom 😏

But it was the first time they took their time 😭😭😭 the first time seeing eo naked😭😭 THEY FINALLY KISSED !!!!!! These bitches were starving!!

“You’re not the only one with great head game” 🆘🆘 helppp🚨police‼️🚨🚨 him making her squirrrttttt 😫🤯and I’m going to stop with the smut scenes bc if I’m going to say what I liked I might as well re-write the entire scene, so I’ll just say that I came the hardest ever and had to take some time bc I was FED yes in red bc I don’t know how to emphasize how good your smut is you’re a goddess 😫❤️‍🔥 and what is it with you and showers scenes??? Why/how are they so good and soft and hot at the same time 🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋🦋

They being awkward the next few days? Mhmm nothing new GROW UP MORONS but also don’t?? I’m enjoying the drama what can I say🤭

AS FOR MY BABY STAR CANDY🥺THE AUDACITY😠 I’ll expect an apology with tears and lots of banana milks😤😤 come here baby I’ll cuddle you while playing with your piercings, run my hands trough your beautiful hair and show you the funniest tiktoks🥺💜🫂 I mean I understand her bc she’s so fucking confused and so fucking paranoid! But In love with her or not he’s just looking out for her, ffs why the fuck she went so hard on him😫😫 but I’ll trust the process🥺

Wheeeeewwwwww This didn’t feel like 15k at alllll it was so good that I read it in a heartbeat 😂 I think this is my fav chapter so far!! Idek how to end this review but just know that you blew my mind again and I love you M💜 you’re amazing!!!!!! Te amo bebé can’t wait to see what the future hold for these two 😍

sfkjdglsdfgjslg I APPRECIATE THE EFFORT 🥺 it's my fault that this chapter was a million years long and i decided to shove pivotal moments in every 2 seconds like i cannot IMAGINE anyone trying to comment on every single thing 🤣 we'd be here all day!!!!

NOT YOU ROASTING THEM FOR BONDING AWKWARDLY LMAOOOOOO listen 🥴 it's their first time being nice they don't know how to do this shit!!!! like uhhhhh here have some food guess i don't hate you all the time alright gotta go 🏃‍♀️ and yessss the AB on the cup!!!! i just had to stick a little callback in there (what am i talking about i stuck so many callbacks in this chapter for no reason sdkfjsldf)

she's such a dummy it's true 🤦‍♀️ your bestie who has been telling you this shit over and over is RIGHT THERE and instead you're???? gonna fuck your feelings away????? ma'am??????? and ofc yoongi had to call her out on it 😏

sdfkfhdgjd YOU ARE PSYCHIC THO !!! you literally sent me that ask the day i drafted that whiskey and trauma bonding scene and i was like 👀 SHE HAS NO IDEA..... 🤭

LMAO THEY RLY WERE STARVING.... my god...... fucking in a private place in a bed for once, can you even believe 😩 and LOL NOT THE HIGHEST FORM OF PRAISE 🙇‍♀️ i had sooooo much fun writing this smut and letting these two dummies finally be a SMIDGE intimate 🫠 also wow now that i think of it i have literally written 3 shower moments in a row lately am i ??? okay ???? what's going on with me

and of course the piss poor communication strikes again.... both between yoongi and reader and with 😭 baby goth 😭 dog dad 😭 didn't deserve this.....

i really really appreciate you calling out reader's state of mind and taking that into consideration tho 💜 i see a lot of people SUPER angry about how she handled it (which, FINE!!! she did it BAD! REAL BAD!) but at the same time - she is not doing well y'all 🤣 that adrenaline rush of thinking she's getting caught is REAL, and she's swimming in her own denial (and i would argue, so was jk 🤭) and a whole lot of hurt/weird yoongi feelings sooooo yes. she fucked up and went aggro on him 😭 but i promise they're gonna work it out ❤️‍🩹

omggggg the favorite chapter so far?!?!?! gahhhh what an honor 🙇‍♀️ i was super scared about posting bc 1. this chapter is fucking THICC lol and 2. it's got so much to it! so many changes!! shit is ramping UP!!!! so it means so much to know you really enjoyed it 🥺 eeeee i love you so much jaz i'm so glad you're enjoying this wild ride!!! GRAMMYS ARE NEXT HERE WE FUCKING GOOOOO 💜

#simp47koreancrackheads #fic review #look down on me like that #LDOMLT spoilers #queue what you want ㄱ -ㅅ-ㄱ

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artificialqueens · 2 years

Text

Masters of the Scene, Chapter 17 (Bitney Parent Trap AU) - Veronica

A/N: Thanks as always to the incredible @tumble4rpdr for her beta help and @artificiallita for the advice, cheerleading and encouragement and letting me yammer about it for hours.

Click here for prequels and previous chapters, or here if you’d rather read on AO3.

Where we left off: Courtney and Bianca had just admitted that they still have feelings for each other, and kissed for the first time since before their divorce.

This Chapter: Well. Um…you see…plans are a funny thing. So…don’t hate me okay?

***

“I still can’t hear anything, can you?”

“No…still nothing.”

“That’s good though, right?”

“Probably, but-wait…I hear something-”

“What?”

“Uhh…”

“What?!”

“Shh…”

“...Is it yelling?”

“No, not yelling. But…I can’t tell…Umm…”

“Can you guess?”

“No, I’m not sure. Hopefully it’s them banging it out.”

“Gross!”

“Uh, hello, what do you think the whole point of this was?”

“That doesn’t mean I want to think about it!”

“Fair enough. Come on, let’s go eat some more.”

Two hours ago, Bianca had been miserable. Driving back from New Jersey, jittery from too little sleep and too much caffeine, white knuckling her way through the endless traffic, dark sunglasses over her swollen eyes, feeling like an unlovable failure.

And then…then, suddenly, everything had changed. She had Courtney clasped in her arms, finally, wrapping her into an embrace that she knew would probably be a lot more comfortable on the bed, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t willing to stop, to part from her long enough to move, so the floor would do just fine.

She relished every moment of that first long-awaited kiss, savoring the sweetness of her lips, the heat of her mouth, the feverish hunger as they clung to each other. Courtney’s hands were in her hair, clutching fistsfuls of it, pulling at it in a way that made Bianca grow dizzy with desire, especially when she crawled into her lap. Bianca’s own hands were everywhere—fingers digging into her waist, sliding up her thighs, pulling down her blouse to suck wet kisses down her collarbone.

It had been so long, she’d almost forgotten how fucking good it was between them, how electric and intense and needy. Or more accurately, she’d tried to force herself to forget. It was no use though, because Courtney was just as perfectly soft and warm as she’d always been. Every glorious memory came rushing back in full force, and then the visceral reality blew them all away.

Courtney’s breath grew ragged, blunt fingernails raking down the back of Bianca’s neck. Bianca inhaled, finding her scent as utterly intoxicating as she remembered. She pushed her onto her back, the soft little moan that fell from her lips filling Bianca’s whole body with tingling sparks.

Bianca gazed down at her face, trying to detect the tiny, nearly microscopic changes that had occurred over the years. What was more remarkable was how little she’d changed. She wasn’t lying the other night when she’d said that her own face had probably changed more. She brushed a thumb over Courtney’s flushed cheek, marveling at how beautiful she was.

Courtney’s hips rocked up, ever so slightly, and Bianca smirked, pressing a thigh between her legs, watching her eyes darken with lust, chest rising and falling rapidly. She leaned forward to brush a kiss over Courtney’s lips, mouth trailing down her jaw.

“B…” Courtney panted.

“Yeah?”

“What does this mean…what do we do now?” she asked breathlessly, hands still clutching Bianca’s hair, back arching.

“Well, I got several ideas…” Bianca murmured into her skin, nipping at her pulse point.

Courtney let out an adorably girlish, airy giggle, head lolling to the side to give Bianca more access to her neck. After a few moments, she gave Bianca’s hair a sharp tug, which would normally have spurred her on, if not for the next words out of her mouth.

“Wait. B, I’m serious,” she said, and gave Bianca a slightly scolding pout, tugging harder.

“Well…” Bianca paused, lifting her head and attempting to catch her breath, still hovering over Courtney’s body on her hands and knees. She looked into her eyes and said, “I guess you cancel your flights again. Hope they’re refundable.”

“That’s today,“ Courtney said, moving her hands to Bianca’s shoulders. “I mean like, long term.”

“So do I.”

Courtney’s mouth opened in surprise before asking, “You mean just pick up and move to New York?”

“Why not?” Bianca countered, offering her most charming, dimpled grin.

“Well…” Courtney seemed at a complete loss for words, and Bianca couldn’t tell whether she thought it was the most amazing idea ever, or the absolute worst. “Don’t…don’t you think we should discuss that? I mean if we’re serious about making this work then-”

Bianca sighed, finally accepting that her little fantasy of grand romantic reconciliation sex on the area rug wasn’t gonna be so easy. Courtney was going to make her work for it. She nodded, backing off so that Courtney could sit up.

“Okay. Sure. Let’s…” she gave a resigned sigh, “...discuss it.”

“Thanks for the favor,” Courtney said testily, adjusting her top and shifting away.

Great. Bianca closed her eyes briefly, rubbing her forehead as she tried to regroup. One minute of bliss and she was already fucking up. This certainly wasn’t what she had in mind.

“Court. It’s been 8 years. I’m sorry for being impatient but…fuck, look at you. Can you really blame me?” She reached forward and touched Courtney’s cheek softly.

Courtney pressed her lips together, nodding, clearly holding back a smile.

“I’m sorry. You’re right, I…I’m sorry too, I didn’t mean to get so…” She took a deep breath through her nose. “I just think that we should figure some things out first, before we…get in too deep. No pun intended.”

Bianca nodded, chuckling. “Okay. And you’re right. Of course. We should talk. Even if I’d rather put it off.”

They exchanged tentative, almost shy smiles.

“I just want to do things the right way,” Courtney said. “This is too important to just…wing it. You know?”

“Yeah.” Bianca rose to her feet, offering Courtney a hand. “I do.”

Courtney took her hand, allowing Bianca to pull her up. As the two of them stood, close together, looking into each other’s eyes, Bianca felt a rush of butterflies, the kind she hadn’t felt in years. Although she was reluctant to let go of Courtney’s hand, she gestured to the bed.

“Should we…sit and talk, then?”

“On the bed? The floor might be safer,” Courtney said, a wicked smirk playing on her lips.

“Don’t trust me?” Bianca raised one eyebrow ever so slightly.

“That’s not exactly how I would put it.”

Bianca grinned, dimples deep in her cheeks as she crawled on the bed, settling against the pillows. She waited with bated breath to see how close Courtney would get. To her delight, she sat facing her, cross-legged, one of her thighs practically draped across Bianca’s leg. When she reached for Bianca’s hand, lacing their fingers together, Bianca thought her heart would burst with happiness.

“So…” she began, squeezing Bianca’s fingers, a cute little grin tugging at her lips.

“So…” Bianca squeezed back, unable to wipe the dumb as fuck smile off her own face. Yes, in her ideal world, they’d be making passionate love right now. But even just holding her hand, sitting together like this, knowing they wanted each other—even this was a thrill that made Bianca feel warm and safe and happier than she’d been in so long. She lifted their hands and pressed a kiss to Courtney’s fingers.

“You kinda threw me with that whole…‘move to New York’ thing,” Courtney said softly, a thumb rubbing the back of her hand.

“Oh…” Bianca’s brow furrowed. She’d hoped that Courtney would be happy about that, would jump at the chance to finally bring their whole family together again.

“No, just…” Courtney clutched her hand tighter, shaking her head a little. “It was just sudden, I wasn’t expecting it. Not in that moment, you know?”

“Well…I thought that being here together would be like a fresh start for us. And isn’t that the whole point? To be a family again?”

“Yeah,” Courtney smiled, and the sight of it eased the knot forming in Bianca’s stomach. “Of course. But a cross country move is a big deal.”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t,” Bianca admitted.

“It just…it feels really quick. I mean, what if we tried…meeting halfway? Going back and forth for awhile?” Courtney mimed this by tugging gently on Bianca’s hand, moving their arms back and forth playfully.

“Back and forth?” Bianca raised an eyebrow, going with the movement, but finally pulling her forward into her lap. “How would that even work?”

Courtney giggled, letting Bianca wrap her into an embrace, leaning against her shoulder with a sigh. Bianca kissed her forehead, trying to show her, wordlessly, how important it was for them to be in the same damn place.

“Well, I don’t know exactly, but a lot of people are bicoastal-”

Bianca rolled her eyes, cutting her off with a kiss. Was she getting ahead of herself? Was she more committed than Courtney? Yes, of course a cross-country move was a big deal, but it seemed strange to imagine doing anything halfway when their family was at stake.

“I don’t know, that sounds—fucking wishy washy-” She tickled Courtney’s ribcage, causing her to let out a squeal, “and, why not just make a real commitment? Plus, how am I supposed to run a business if I’m in LA half the time? I don’t-”

“Well, you said you’d be expanding,” Courtney said. She reached up a finger to poke teasingly at one of Bianca’s dimples. “Maybe there’s a way to-”

“I have a hard enough time managing the designers when I’m in the same room as them, Court. I’m not gonna be able to do it from LA,” Bianca said.

“Okay, I get it.” Courtney relaxed into her arms again with a contented sigh. Her eyes fell closed and Bianca began to run her fingers through her hair. “And look, I hear you, but I have a whole creative team to manage, too. Not to mention the Carlotta House. Those kids count on me-”

“You can mail checks from here, angel,” Bianca murmured into her ear.

Courtney opened one eye and peered up at her with a semi-cross look. “Is that what you think I’m talking about? A tax write-off?”

“No, of course not.” Bianca kissed her forehead again. “But we’re trying to rebuild our family. So as lovely as those Carlotta House kids are, I’m way more concerned with you and me, and Danny and Adore. Isn’t that who we should be focused on right now?”

Courtney was pensive for a few moments before nodding slowly, reaching up to touch Bianca’s cheek. “Yeah. I suppose you’re right.”

“So…look, I honestly just don’t see how it makes sense to live in LA. Besides like, vacations and stuff, which, sure, yeah, we should spend some time there, when we can, but...for real life, we need to pick one place to live, right? And I mean, you’re an influencer. You can make videos and record podcasts anywhere-”

“I know it may seem that way, and you probably haven’t followed my career all that closely, but it’s a little more complicated since the days of shooting makeup tutorials in front of a mirror in our bedroom.” Courtney grinned and wrapped her arms around Bianca’s neck, then continued earnestly, “My whole studio is in LA. And…okay, some of it can be done remotely, but the garden is a huge part of my content, and it took years to get it where it is today. I’ve probably lost about a third of my tomatoes this year just from being here while everyone’s on vacation.”

“Sorry, are you saying that I should be the one to move because you don’t want to leave your plants?” Bianca asked, head cocked to the side. She was trying to be patient, but this discussion was beginning to get a little irritating.

“No. That’s not what I’m saying,” Courtney said, slowly, her voice taking on a bit of that tone that she used in her instructional videos. “I’m just trying to get you to understand…”

Bianca bristled slightly at the word understand; she wasn’t sure how much she liked being instructed. She pursed her lips, trying not to react too visibly.

“-that it’s not as easy for me to pick up and move as you might think. I have a business to run, too. And besides that, just logistically, I think it makes more sense for us to spend some time as a family in LA. I mean, your apartment in New York is even smaller than this house, isn’t it?” Courtney asked, gesturing around them.

“Yeah, so?” Bianca asked, jaw clenching, very much not liking the tone of voice she used to say ‘this house,’ as if it was some tiny shack, and not a beautiful Colonial Revival cottage, steps from the bay. If this house wasn’t good enough for her, the apartment certainly wouldn’t be up to her standards, nevermind that all four of them used to live in a one-bedroom shithole. “We can find a bigger apartment.”

“Of course we can,” Courtney said, a hand caressing Bianca’s cheek in a gesture that just a few minutes ago, she would have found endearing and welcome. Now, she found it patronizing. “But the farmhouse is already plenty big enough for everyone. It’s all custom built-”

“I’m not really a farm-type person,” Bianca said flatly. She wasn’t in the mood to hear about Courtney’s stunning custom home and panoramic views. This was about practicality, and her job simply wasn’t mobile the way Courtney’s was.

“Don’t you think you should see it before you say that?” Courtney teased, fluttering her lashes. “I think you’d love it, actually. I know you’d have to be in New York for some of the time, but when you’re in LA, it would be a pretty nice place to come home to. If you want studio space, we can set that up. Plus, the kids both have their own rooms. No one has to live in a closet.”

“Well excuse my poverty,” Bianca snapped, then recovered slightly with a shaky smile. Sure, the closet remark was a cheap shot, but Adore had been the one to bring it up, and it had probably stuck in Courtney’s mind. But, since she hadn’t actually seen it, it wasn’t really her fault for being concerned.

Courtney laughed, pressing a kiss to Bianca’s cheek, apparently oblivious to how genuinely upset she was getting. Good.This was Bianca’s chance to reel it in. She took a deep breath, wrapping her arm back around Courtney’s waist and relaxing backwards against the pillows once more. They could do this. They could have this discussion like a couple of adults. She took another breath, enjoying the warm sensation of Courtney’s head on her chest and lacing their fingers together. Everything was fine. More than fine. Everything was good.

“My point is, it would be comfortable,” Courtney said, playing gently with her fingers. “It’s also close to Danny’s school, and they already said that Adore is welcome to attend, when we thought she’d be there for the spring, and they’re so good with making accommodations for different styles of learning. I’m in touch with their counseling team about her needs. So I’m sure it would be no trouble to enroll her this fall if we wanted to-”

“Wait, sorry, how did we go from you not wanting to be in New York full time to Adore being in LA full time?” Bianca asked, spine stiffening. “When the fuck did we make that decision?”

“We didn’t. I’m just saying that it’s an option,” Courtney said, turning around to face her, a hand on her arm. “I know how busy you’ll be with Fashion Week, and they’re going into sixth grade, which can be a challenge, and I know Adore’s struggled with school before-”

“Adore’s doing fine in school, did you not see her last report card?!” Bianca said, suddenly feeling a bit defensive. Sure, she’d had trouble learning to read, but she got extra help for her dyslexia, and now she finally had effective meds for her ADHD, so school was actually going better than ever.

“No, I did, of course, but things are going to get harder this year, academically. So I thought maybe if we kept them together, they could help each other. And it would be a good compromise to-”

“You call that a compromise?!” Bianca said with a dry laugh. “That isn’t a compromise, that’s you getting your way 100%. Both kids in LA at the Happy Friends Handholding Academy.”

“It’s called Crossroads, and you know that,” Courtney said, smiling through gritted teeth. “I just thought that given the timing, it would be easier for you to be able to focus on work and let me take care of the kids, and then when Fashion Week’s over, we can revisit-”

“Oh, so generous of you, thanks,” Bianca said, words laden with sarcasm, doing everything she could not to scream.

“I was actually trying to be generous, believe it or not,” Courtney said. She let out a frustrated sigh, then continued, voice thick with emotion. “I thought it would help you-”

She stopped, swallowing, and the guilt that rose in Bianca’s chest fueled her growing panic.

“How would that help me, exactly? To take both kids to California and leave me here alone?” Bianca demanded. She could feel that her tone was getting a little too strident, but she couldn’t help it. “I would never fucking do that to you, never, and you fucking know it!”

Courtney’s eyes widened in alarm, the thought of what she was actually proposing apparently not dawning on her until that moment.

“I-I didn’t mean it that way, I’m sorry-” Courtney gulped, then took a shaky breath. “I’m sorry-”

Bianca closed her eyes. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten so-”

“No, I get it, I-” Courtney wrapped her arms around herself, trembling a little, eyes downcast, and Bianca immediately took her shoulders.

She’d gone too far, the implication was too pointed, and she felt awful. That moment had been a reminder of how fragile this situation was, how quickly they could ruin things by breaking each other’s trust. She held onto Courtney’s shoulders, gently but firmly, until Courtney looked up tearily into her eyes.

“Hey. Listen. It’s okay,” Bianca said, voice steady and calm now. “But the whole point is to rebuild our family. Together.”

“I know.” Courtney leaned forward and rested their foreheads together.

“And you’re right, September is a crazy fucking time. But that’s…that’s why I wanted you here. With me. All three of you.”

“Okay, but…we do need to figure something out for the school year that’s starting in less than a week, right? Do you have any ideas? For Danny, I mean?” Courtney lifted her head slightly to look at Bianca, expectant.

Frankly, Bianca wasn’t sure what the problem was, what they needed a ‘solution’ for. She shook her head, a bit confused. “What’s wrong with Adore’s school? It’s one of the best schools in the country-”

“Well, number one, it’s an all girl’s school-” Courtney began, holding up her finger, back in Instructor Mode. Fantastic.

“They have a boy’s side-”

“And number two,” she continued, holding up a second finger, “we have no idea if they even have room for him or would let him in. New York private schools aren’t exactly known for their laid-back attitude toward admissions. Number three, even if they would, do you really think that’s the right environment for him? Honestly? A boy’s school with ties and blazers? Where he doesn’t know anyone?”

Courtney lowered her fingers, folding her hands smugly, one eyebrow raised. Bianca couldn’t help thinking that this whole teacher vibe would be a lot less obnoxious if she was topless.

“Well?” Courtney gave Bianca a condescending pat on the thigh, as if she’d already answered the way she was expected to. But Bianca wasn’t about to give her that satisfaction.

“Honestly, I think he’d survive one semester, until we could find something you think is a better fit-”

“No, I’m not doing that to him.” Courtney crossed her arms, unsatisfied with Bianca’s answer. So much for a discussion. “Not after what he’s been through. He was fucking miserable at his old school, and he’s doing so much better now, and I’m not just gonna rip him out of a place where he feels safe and take a chance that all of that anxiety will come back right when he’s finally doing well-”

“Courtney, Courtney…” Bianca held up a hand, trying to stop her from getting herself all riled up for no reason. “Nobody wants Danny to feel unsafe or anxious or anything like that, okay? Nobody. But like…do you think that maybe sometimes he has so much anxiety because…I dunno, you expect him to be anxious?”

“Excuse me?” Courtney asked, eyes narrowing.

“Well…he just…doesn’t seem all that anxious when he’s with me.”

There was a long pause, after which Courtney spoke quietly, saying, “I dare you to say that again.”

Shit. Fuck.

“That wasn’t an attack on your parenting,” Bianca backtracked, holding up her hands innocently.

“It sure as fuck sounded like it,” Courtney spat out.

Her whole affect had changed: hackles up, chest rising and falling with rapid, shallow breaths. Bianca reached forward, trying to soothe her, trying to turn this around, but Courtney sprang back, trying to put distance between them, determined to reject any comfort, determined to turn a simple slip of the tongue into a huge fucking deal. Bianca groaned in frustration.

“It wasn’t!” she insisted. “God, you’re so fucking over-sensitive!”

“I’m over-sensitive?” Courtney burst out, leaping off the bed to her feet, now ready to fucking fight. She began to pace around the room, shaking her head, then finally whirled around to face Bianca, eyes blazing and full of tears. But when she spoke, it was in a low voice, words dripping from her lips like venom, “Says the person who pretends to be a tough fucking bitch-”

“I am a tough bitch-”

“Wrong! You’re actually a thin-skinned baby who needs constant validation, so much that you were willing to marry a woman half your age just for a photo op-”

“Are you kidding me?! Which one of us puts their whole lives on social media? Who cares more about photo ops here?! Who’s the one that needs attention, 24/7, from fucking strangers?!” Bianca demanded.

“Ironic, isn’t it? That you pretend to be above it all. ‘Oh, I don’t read the comments,’” Courtney mimicked mockingly, “What a fucking liar you are! You think I need constant attention? At least I don’t force everyone around me to tiptoe around, because god forbid something sets off my fucking temper-”

“That is such a load of bullshit!” Bianca countered, racking her brain for something, anything she could say to counter-attack, buying a little time with, “Nobody fucking does that-”

“We all do. What do you think the kids were doing all fucking morning?” she growled.

“Oh yeah, you tiptoe around my fucking feelings?” Bianca challenged. “Is that what you call that fucking dig about your bigger house and nobody living in a closet?”

“I knew you wouldn’t let that go!” Courtney shook her head, laughing bitterly. “You are still so fucking petty. That wasn’t a dig, it’s just facts. I do have a bigger house. A lot bigger, in fact. So what?! Why can’t you just put your ego aside for one second and-”

“My ego? I’m not the one bragging about my giant custom farmhouse. Tell me, what paid for all that?” Bianca spat out. “Showing your tits in all the men's magazines, or when you left that behind to become a literal whore for any brand who would sponsor you?"

Courtney narrowed her eyes, standing up a little straighter. “You should be thrilled that I have the successful career I do, since it’s the reason I can be flexible, and constantly adjust everything to your schedule, and your needs, and your last-minute changes-”

“Oh I know, I make things so hard. The crucifix must be really heavy,” Bianca said, mouth turned down in a sympathetic pout.

“I am just saying, it would be nice to hear a fucking thank you once in awhile-”

“Thank you! Thank you, Courtney! I don’t know what’s more delightful,” Bianca said, the sarcasm continuing unabated, “The moral superiority, or the passive aggressiveness.”

“Really? I would think it’s the fact that you never have to be the one to compromise, ever, since it’s obviously something you’re not capable of.”

“That’s rich, coming from you!” Bianca laughed. It was ironic as hell, Courtney accusing her of not compromising, when all she’d been doing was trying to manipulate this entire discussion to get her way.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Courtney asked.

“You don’t want to compromise either. You never intended to compromise, this entire time,” Bianca stated flatly. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, continuing in a falsely jovial tone. “You wanted everything your way. You wanted to discuss it to death, wear me down, and then just do what you wanted in the first place-”

“What are you talking about-”

“You don’t want to live here! And it’s not about my apartment, or the bedrooms, or the square footage! It’s about you. You want to stay in LA. Because god forbid you leave your perfect house or your perfect life or the perfect shrine you’ve built to your own narcissism.”

Bianca stood up, taking a step toward her, the spark of anger igniting in her chest and soon turning into a full-on blaze.

“Oh and of course, let’s not forget, the perfect Hippie Drumcircle School that poor little Danny must attend because he’s too fragile to survive in the big bad world of New York City, with our scary noises and our gluten and our blazers, nevermind the fact that he’s just fucking fine when he comes here. He’s fine. You play it so innocent, but I see the truth. You’re the one who doesn’t want to leave, so why don’t you just admit that instead of pretending that it’s all about him?”

She was spitting fire by the end, practically foaming at the mouth, chest rising and falling with giant, heaving breaths. She wasn’t even sure what’d she’d said, only that she’d been filled with such rage that she could barely see.

Courtney stared back at her, glassy-eyed, her expression like stone, tears rolling down her cheeks. After an uncomfortably long silence, she said, “You’re right about-”

Her small, pathetic-sounding voice broke on the last word. Regret immediately began to set in, turning the fire in Bianca’s belly to ice.

“I did want you to come to LA,” Courtney went on tearfully, “for the same reason you probably wanted us here. Because I’m proud of what I built there, and I wanted you to see it, because I thought…maybe you would be proud of me, too.”

Fucking hell. Bianca sighed heavily, taking a step forward, but Courtney backed away like a frightened bird, even as she continued to speak, in that broken little voice.

“Also I…I’m not the one who left. I’m not the one who moved across the country. You did that. You took my daughter away from me-”

Bianca cut her off with a tired sigh, saying, “We’ve been over this already-”

“I don’t care!” Courtney cried, stomping her foot like a petulant child. “Maybe I’m still fucking mad about it. Because you took her and I couldn’t say shit! I wanted to share custody, of both kids, and have them in the same city, in the same school, from the beginning, but when I raised the slightest, most benign objection to you moving three thousand miles away with our daughter, you sent me that letter with that fucking threat-” Courtney’s voice broke again.

“What…what letter?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Courtney asked hoarsely. “If you play dumb right now, I swear I will lose my fucking mind-”

“I’m not playing dumb, I really don’t…” She racked her brain, trying to think of the letter Courtney could be talking about. A threat, that she’d still be this upset about, this many years later… It had been a long time since she’d thought about that time in their lives. It had been acrimonious as hell, but it was ancient history. “I mean, it was so long ago, how would I remember one specific letter?”

“Well, why don’t I help you?” Courtney said, then began to recite words that she’d clearly read dozens of times, if not hundreds, words ingrained in her memory, ones Bianca couldn’t dispute. “We’re certain that Ms. Jenek doesn’t want a custody battle, as it is unlikely to end in a positive outcome for her.”

A sick feeling crept into Bianca’s stomach, the hairs prickling up on the back of her neck.

“That-that was true,” Bianca said, her own voice sounding small and foreign to her ears. “I didn’t want a custody battle either.”

“That wasn't the point of that letter and you know it!” Courtney exclaimed, eyes now nearly black with rage, tears streaming down her cheeks. “The point of that letter was to tell me, to remind me, as if I could ever fucking forget, that you are their real mother, and that any family court judge would see it that way, and that if you wanted, if I fought you or pissed you off, you could get full custody of both kids. You could take Danny away from me anytime, just like you took Adore-”

“I never asked for that! Stop acting like I’m some kind of fucking monster!” Bianca shouted back. This wasn’t fair, she wasn’t allowed to put eight years of angst on her like this, over something that never even happened. They never fought over custody of Danny, not once. And for that matter, they hadn’t fought over custody of Adore—Bianca never stopped Courtney from seeing her or calling her or having as much visitation as she wanted. “I never tried to keep Adore from you, and I never tried to take Danny, and I wouldn’t-”

“It doesn’t matter that you didn’t, or even that you say you wouldn’t. You could. You always could! Do you know what that’s like, knowing that?” Courtney said, choking on another sob.

Bianca stared at her, the twisting in her guts making her sick. After a few moments, she spoke up, her voice hoarse from shouting. “Courtney, I’m sorry, I am. Okay? But…but it was one letter, eight years ago-”

“For you! For you, it was one letter, eight years ago. For me it was every email I sent, every text, every time I had to respond or send you anything, anytime you needed to change a schedule and I couldn’t do it…fuck, is this gonna be the thing that sets her off? Every time. Every time, I was thinking about that letter. Do you know what that’s like? Do you?” she asked, voice breaking.

Bianca shook her head. The truth was, she did sometimes overthink her messages to Courtney, but certainly not in the way Courtney was describing. And she certainly wasn’t afraid of losing her kids.

Courtney paused briefly to wipe the tears coursing down her cheeks. It made no difference. When she looked into Bianca’s eyes again, it was with a hollow emptiness that Bianca could feel down to the depths of her soul.

“Why would you…why would you ever go there? I mean, did you think I somehow forgot how biology works? Or that I had some mistaken impression that the family court system was gonna be in my favor?”

“No, of course I didn’t-”

“So what was the purpose of that letter besides putting me in my place? Telling me, for the record, that you are totally willing to use this misogynistic, transphobic system against me, if I dare to piss you off enough?”

Bianca wiped her eyes, swallowing. It was a blur, but what she did remember was only that she’d told her lawyer to say whatever she needed to make the move happen. “I…I told you why I needed to move-”

“You did,” Courtney said, eyes still dark and liquid, voice bitter, “So I guess the threat was totally justified, since it was something you really needed. Well, wanted, anyway.”

Bianca cringed, looking away. At the time, she hadn’t allowed herself to think about it. She’d barely even read the letter. The shame she felt now was like something that had been stagnating for years, out of sight, rotting under the surface.

“And my lawyer, she’s told me, over the years, that the only chance we have, the only prayer, is to make an argument that Danny’s life is in LA, with me. His home, his friends, his school, his music classes, his therapist, his doctors. So…yeah, no, I don’t want to move him to New York. Because then…I have no more argument. None at all.”

“Wait.” Bianca looked back at Courtney, brow furrowed as it dawned on her exactly what Courtney was saying. “So, even when we’re figuring out how to reconcile, you’re still planning for a hypothetical custody battle?”

Courtney looked down, defeated. Broken. She looked like Bianca felt—utterly shattered, in pieces so jagged and sharp that no one with half a brain would ever want to touch them again. She swallowed, looking ashamed but resigned.

“We don’t really have the best track record, do we?” she asked, voice thin.

“I guess not.” Bianca gulped, knowing how precarious everything was. Wishing she had the faith that she could fix it. “Earlier, you said…you said that you didn’t actually want me to leave, when we split up the first time. You said that you thought we could work through it.”

“Yeah, well…what the fuck did I know?” Courtney asked tiredly.

“I’m serious,” Bianca said quietly, tears brimming in her eyes. “Do you…still think we can work through it?”

There was a long pause, and Bianca’s heart hammered in her chest, dreading the answer.

“I don’t know,” Courtney finally whispered, eyes downcast.

Bianca nodded, biting her lip, trying to fight the feeling of defeat. She’d given an opening, small as it was, and if she could just wriggle through it, maybe they still had a chance. But before she could say anything, before she could gather her thoughts to respond, Courtney spoke up again.

“What I do know is, it’s like we have all the same issues we had before, plus eight years of complicated shit on top of it. It’s just gotten so big…and we just…we always go straight for the jugular. The second I felt hurt, I wanted to hurt you back.”

“I know, I-”

“No, you don’t.” Courtney looked up sharply. “I didn’t want to listen. I didn’t want to hear anything you said. I just wanted to fucking hurt you.”

Bianca let out a dry chuckle. “You did…go from zero to a hundred pretty quick. Like you were waiting for a reason to fight.”

“Maybe I was,” Courtney admitted.

“Well…maybe we needed to have it out,” Bianca said generously. “It would make sense. It’s…it’s even healthy to do that, right?”

Courtney shook her head, horrified. “Healthy? Are you…out of your fucking mind right now? No!”

“Well, it’s like you said,” Bianca defended herself, “We’ve got a lot of baggage and shit, Court, and-”

“Yeah, yeah, we do. And we need to be able to talk about that baggage. To say things, even angry, shitty things, without wanting to tear each other apart.” Courtney shook her head, more tears brimming in her eyes. “But I wanted to fucking light you on fire, and I didn’t care that I would burn too. Because I knew you’d hit back, just as hard, maybe harder. I know you. I knew, that once I lit that match, I’d be burning the whole thing to the ground before we even had a chance to-” She buried her face in her hands, now openly crying, and Bianca stepped forward, unsure what to do or say to make it better.

“Court…” She put a tentative hand on her shoulder. “You know it’s not just you, right? I did the same thing, just saw red, and went for blood, and I-”

“I know, that’s my point, I-” Courtney gasped for air, then swallowed, looking away, out the window. When she finally caught her breath, she continued. “I used to think that loving each other was enough of a reason to fight for this relationship. To do everything we could to save it. Even when this shit happened.”

Used to. That sounded bad. Were they really past the point of no return?

“Courtney-”

Courtney turned back to her, eyes glistening. “I was…so fucking desperate to hang on to the good parts, because the good parts are so, so fucking good, that I would just, ignore this shit. Wake up the day after a blowout like this and pretend it never happened. Ignore the pain, the scars, never talk about it again until the next fight when all the same unresolved garbage would come out again. But…”

Bianca could feel her blood starting to run cold. A runaway train was coming towards her, and she was powerless to stop it. Frozen in place.

“Is this what we want to teach them, B?” Courtney asked, “about what love is supposed to look like? That when you get into a fight, you hurt the person you supposedly love, you say something meant to destroy them? Is that what we want to show them?”

Bianca shook her head, unable to muster up her voice for even one word. She was right, of course. They were lucky that they’d gotten divorced while their kids were still too young to remember. That they’d never scarred them with this toxic bullshit.

“I want to teach them that love…” Courtney took a shaky breath. “That love is beautiful. And joyful. That love is about kindness and tenderness and compassion and that people who love you will build you up, have your back, and never tear you down. And we…we’re just…we’re not a good example of that. And we can’t blame it on being young or stressed about money, or any of that shit, not anymore. Maybe this is just who we are. Maybe this is just what we do when we’re together. But we can’t let our children watch us destroy each other. We can’t take the chance that they’ll think it’s okay. Or worse, that they’ll let anyone ever ever treat them the way we treat each other.”

Courtney held Bianca’s gaze for a few more seconds, tears still coursing down her cheeks, waiting for something. Approval? Bianca wished desperately that she could disagree. Come up with some reason she was wrong, some counterpoint to what Courtney was saying. But the truth was, she was right. Horrifyingly right. The thought of either of their kids thinking that this fucked up dynamic they had was normal was enough to turn her stomach.

Bianca nodded, slowly, expecting Courtney to immediately leave, slam the door behind her.

But she continued to look into her eyes, saying softly, “You know, if it was just us…I wouldn’t care.” Courtney smiled through the fresh tears trickling down her cheeks. “I’d stay and enjoy the fucking glow as long as I could, and just…let the flames consume us both.”

Her words gave Bianca zero comfort. A single tear burned down her own cheek as Courtney finally sighed, bright eyes turning dull and empty as that flame finally went out.

When she shut the door, it wasn’t an angry slam. Just a soft click, which somehow felt so much worse, so much more final, wrecking Bianca in a way that she wasn’t expecting, making it difficult to breathe.

Just before her shaking legs gave out, Bianca sat down heavily on the bed, put her head in her hands, and wept.

#rpdr fanfiction #bianca del rio #courtney act #veronica #masters of the scene #s6 #bitney #parent trap au #bitney parent trap #lesbian au #trans character #fluff #angst #like a LOT of angst #tw transphobia mention

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